WEBVTT - Recorded Live with Wesley Walls 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.600 This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:08.879 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.680 Steve Smith Senior and I'm a little John and this 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:16.040 is cut to It. Good do It, Cut do it. 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:19.520 Let's getting down to do it. Good do it. We 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.880 asked the questions you always want to know, but no 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:29.040 one ever asked, let's cut to it. You ain't heard 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:31.800 them about it? Then we're about to let you know. 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:42.760 It's all that's so western, Steve, this little little traffic 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:46.240 jam on the way over here, apologize, it's good. It's good. 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:50.440 It's a black man. You could be late. So of 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:53.960 course we're here. We're here at town, We're here at 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:57.320 the live recording of the Cut to It podcast. We're 0:00:57.320 --> 0:01:00.040 here on site at the Steve Smith Family Foundation of 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:04.600 Health event. Super excited. We've got backstage Joe myself, Gerard, 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:09.600 Steve Smith Senior, and now we've got um legendary Wesley Walls, 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:14.600 native of Fakesville, Mississippi, attended Old Miss University. Five time 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:18.680 Pro bowler, four time All Pro played with the San 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:20.960 Francisco for Your Honors, the New Orleans Saints before I 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:23.679 signed with Carolina Panthers and later played with the Green 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.160 Bay Packers, and he was inducted into the Panthers Hall 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:29.680 of Fame in tween nineteen along with Jake Delone, Jordan Gross, 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:33.480 and Steve Smith Senior. So Wesley Walls, welcome to the 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:36.240 Cut to a podcast. Thank you, Gerard. I appreciate that 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:40.080 twenty nineteen. Just hearing that that at number, it feels 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:46.360 like it's been about three or four years ago. Time well, 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:48.720 time stood still, I guess here for the last couple 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:51.400 of years. But that was a great day. I've got 0:01:51.400 --> 0:01:53.160 a picture. I just want to brag on Steve here 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:55.320 a little bit. I got a picture on my computer screen, 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.880 all four of us out there about to be recognized 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:02.520 in front of the home team, and me reaching across 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:07.080 Jordan and Jake to shake Steve Smiths and the to 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:10.200 my mind, the greatest player ever to wear the Carolina 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:14.160 Panther jersey. Uh. He was fun to watch as as 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:16.440 an old guy, I was, I mean, this is two 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:19.160 thousand one when drafted you, right, is that your first year? 0:02:19.520 --> 0:02:21.480 That was my first year? That was one of my 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:25.160 last year's. Uh. And I just remember watching Steve in 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.880 practice and I'm like, man, this guy is he's mad? 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:33.120 He is angry, and but he was such a competitor, 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:35.640 and we go I'm I'm coming off in a c 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:37.440 L injury. I'm just trying to get ready to play. 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:42.840 I don't think I even practice only and because Steve 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:45.359 was and he was, he was showing out and we 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:47.919 go up to Minnesota and I'm sure this has been 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:50.520 talked about it already probably, but the first time he 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:53.040 touches the ball, we get the ball and uh we 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:55.360 kick off. They kick off to us and Steve takes 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.360 it back for a touchdown, and uh that that was 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:00.440 probably the only test. Now we won that game, right, 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.800 that was the only game we won. And then and 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:05.960 then they ran a Boston on y'all after that. But 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:09.240 then also too, that was a ninny lover as well, 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:12.840 So I was, I was. That was really weird. Um. 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:17.920 It's funny though, because I remember they're some cool stories 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:21.840 in that I remember in that practice that was when 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:26.320 coach Seyffert was there. Take us through your unique relationship 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:29.280 with coach Seyffert, because I remember you telling me a 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:33.120 story about coach Seyffert. Well, I I got I got 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:35.880 drafted by the San Francisco forty Niners. Bill Walsh was 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:39.400 just retiring, and uh, George Seyffert was a new coach 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.880 and uh. And then that during that year I was 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:46.400 a project. I was a defensive end linebacker at Old Miss. 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:48.600 Only played tight end. One year was my senior year 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.240 in college, and I did okay, I made uh, you know, 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:54.400 had a good year. So they told me I was 0:03:54.400 --> 0:04:01.520 gonna come in from places. You played defensive end linebacker, 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:04.400 and then they just randomly switched you to tight end 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:08.200 one year. One year, my my senior year, the junior year, 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:11.520 spring practice, I'm out throwing the football with a quarterback 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.280 who was my roommate, John Darnell, And that we everyone 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:16.400 had gotten fired. We had a new offensive coordinator, a 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:19.200 new defensive defensive coordinator. An offensive coordinator come up to 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:21.000 me and said, hey, hey, if you're played tight end 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:23.960 and I said yeah, I played one time in the 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:26.280 Mississippi High school All Star game. The tight end got 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:28.840 hurt and they asked me to play, and I said. 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:32.280 John was a quarterback and coach Parker red Parker's his name. 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.119 He looked over to John said well, how did he do? 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:36.920 And John said, I think he caught seven for nineties 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:40.440 seven and a touchdown, and Red Parker said, give me 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:43.039 two weeks, I can put you in the NFL. So 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:45.920 that next two weeks of spring practice, I practiced tight end. 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.080 Made a first team AP All American my senior year, 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:55.280 so he was. In other words, Red Parker is an 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:58.640 old school name. It sounds like a man that some 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.359 football absolutely your name, Red Parker, you don't get messed with. 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:06.159 He came from Clemson. Uh and and he changed my life. 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:08.400 I mean that guy he's passed away about five years ago, 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:11.599 but that just tells you. I mean just seeing something 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.440 like that, just throwing the ball with your old quarterback 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:16.800 and somebody seeing you and moving you over to tight end, 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:18.960 and uh end up going to get to play with 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:22.320 guys like this for fifteen years. So you get drafted 0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:27.840 by the Sam Cisco four Niners in what no, no, no, 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.440 uh round oh, second round. Second. I was the last 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:36.400 pick in the second round, and chucks such hard times. 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:40.719 I made a hundred fifty thousand dollars my first year, Steve, 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:43.159 and that that was you know, that was a long 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:45.920 time ago. But well I got drafted on my know, 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:49.840 mine was a hundred and twenty thousand. So you were 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:53.040 a third third, right, yeah, yeah, man, so it didn't. 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:56.280 It didn't. I wouldn't. I wouldn't pass you that far. 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:00.919 It started, it's picked up a lot. He but but 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:03.920 just saying that, just kind of showing and just kind 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:06.720 of putting it, you know, together, it's that that's crazy. 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:09.800 So you get drafted. The second round, they happened to 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:12.480 half this other tight end named Brett Jones. Jones, he's 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:14.840 pretty darn good. He was good, he could catch, and 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:18.760 I was having a little trouble, uh jumping outside doing 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:22.040 all the rookie stuff. So excited, I just never couldn't 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:25.080 slow the game down to about my third or fourth year. 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:29.160 It was just too fast for me. But one comparison, 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:30.840 George Seaford, we had. I don't know if you guys 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:33.520 remember the earthquake out in San Francisco. It was it 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:36.400 was a horrible earthquake eight point two. A lot of 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:39.840 people died, that's what they The freeway that split from 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:43.599 Stay Bridge that actually they did. It fell on top 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:45.520 of each other or something over there, the Bay Bridge 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:49.640 or whatever bridge, but the lower and the upper level. 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:52.880 My mom we were going. I was going to McKinley 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:56.480 Avenue School on Semi ninth in Avalon and we were 0:06:56.520 --> 0:07:00.440 in the brown oldsmobile. I remember it shook and after 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:02.640 a shoot, I'm on, say take your ass back in 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:07.040 the house where well I tell how country I am. Uh. 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:09.440 My roommate was from Tennessee. And the first thing we 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:12.280 thought someone had crashed into the apartment complex and then 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:14.880 realized this earthquake. And we were right for the TV 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:17.480 and the speakers. We held onto those things the whole time. 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:23.640 He's this guy him here. But but George Seaford, I mean, 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:26.120 this is like on a Monday. This happened and the 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.800 Tuesday was an off day anyway, and that's something I'm 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.560 gonna brought us in man on Wednesday and we practiced 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:36.480 and uh, you know when he said we're gonna play 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:39.680 the NFL is gonna gonna play this game. And we 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.320 had a home game and they moved the game over 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:45.120 to Stanford and we played in Stanford and that was 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:48.280 in fact, that was the only touchdown I ever caught 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:51.200 my Forday night of career at that in Stanford State. 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:53.840 I've never caught one in Candlestick unless I was playing 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:56.840 against him, which is a lot better over the years. 0:07:57.040 --> 0:08:03.960 So so you get drafted in eighty nine, you played 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:09.800 three or four years, six ninety five or ninety four, 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:13.520 expansion draft goes, and what happens, Well, I'll play five. 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:15.720 We won the super Bowl my rookie year. That's pretty cool. 0:08:16.280 --> 0:08:20.679 Joe Montana and those guys Jay Riis, Charles Haley, John Taylor, 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:22.800 you know what kind of team they had. I just 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:26.440 couldn't break in and and and in ninety four, I 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:28.160 became a free agent and they didn't want to sign 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:31.120 me back. And the only team looking for a long 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:34.160 snapper was the New Orleans Saints. And I had learned 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:35.920 how to long snap when I was in San France. 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:39.040 Never snapped a game in college, but I learned how 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.079 to do it in San France. So the Saints they 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:44.440 gave me a two year contract loaded with a bunch 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:48.360 of incentives. I called it snapper as a snapper, hold on, 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:51.880 hold on. So we're a linebacker and we're a defensive end, 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:57.400 and now we're a long snapper. I'm just clearing, Hey, look, 0:08:57.440 --> 0:09:02.760 I was an opportunity, right, Uh yeah, I'm I don't know, 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:06.079 I'm a grinder, I guess, you know. But anyway, I 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.360 a long snapping. I go to the first minicamp. Jim 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:10.400 Moore was a coach, and he says, what happened in 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:15.080 San Franci, senor, senor, and and I just said, hey, 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:17.360 I couldn't. I didn't stay very healthy. And when I 0:09:17.400 --> 0:09:19.240 did play, I didn't play very well. And he says, well, 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:21.400 you you practice, and he keep practicing like this and 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.199 playing and we'll give you a chance. So eleven passes 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:27.680 in five seasons, and uh in San fran I caught 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.800 like ninety eight the next two years with the Saints. 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:34.679 And that's that's when the Panthers called. And who is 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:39.600 the head coach at that time? Dom Capers? Don Capers 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:44.080 is the coach your own or you know, they bring 0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:47.920 you out here. You signed feeling good about yourself. You 0:09:48.040 --> 0:09:51.000 signed for more than a hundred and fifty. It was 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:57.360 a lot better. Uh. And then Don Capers gets he 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.720 gets fired, He gets fired. Yeah. That that that we 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:04.240 went on the nineties six and and these are the years. Um, 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:07.000 I was in higher in high school and a lot 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:08.880 of you guys, I can see ladies are at we're 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:10.520 in high school also. But we went to the NFCY 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:12.800 Championship game and got beat by Green Bay up there 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:16.560 had a great year. The carry Collins is a quarterback 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.280 for a couple of years. That's when you were doing 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:21.280 the guitar whenever, whenever you score. It was it was 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:25.000 more like these spike and it started as a I 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:27.200 was playing the falcons and I would pretend to like 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:28.960 the ball was a bird right now. I just got 0:10:28.960 --> 0:10:31.120 down on my knee and I pumped shotgun the thing. 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:33.600 The media took it as a hey, this first time 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:35.880 anybody put me on TV. Anyways, look at that Walls guy. 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:42.040 He's playing a guitar whatever you want to call it. 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:44.520 That's what they said. That's what they did. Said because 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:46.920 I'm from Tupelo, Mississippi. I grew up next to Tupelo, 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.160 where Elvis Presley's from. They said, look, he's been going 0:10:49.200 --> 0:10:51.920 back to his roots playing the Elvis guy. That just 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:55.960 unless you know half these announcements, don't know nothing more wrong, 0:10:56.679 --> 0:11:03.440 especially once for like preseason a couple of right, but 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:06.280 now that that uh, that was a great day and 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:09.400 in the great season and then carry Carry left. Steve 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:11.840 Burlin stepped in. I think one of the things that 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:14.560 got coach Kapers fired. What we couldn't win was he 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:16.800 made a trade for Shawn Gilbert. Now he Sean May 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:19.280 be here and I love the guy to help, but he, 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:22.040 I mean, he gave up the farm for Shawn Gilbert, 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:24.920 and Shawn has set out a year before that. He 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:28.400 traded like two first round picks some guys on the team, 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:31.079 and uh, we just we never could catch up after that. 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:34.600 And now that's when they fired him and hired coach Seyfer. 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:38.439 Hired coach Seyffer And what goes to your mind? I 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:40.640 put it for sales side in my front yard down 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:44.600 and it's like this guy hates me, right and uh 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:46.440 and so we he kind of came over and try 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:48.560 to not make up, just say, I can't believe the 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:51.000 crew you've been haven't you looking forward to this season? 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:54.640 All that and whatever? Uh, you know, you know the coaches. 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:59.200 But when this one nine eleven hit, Um, I knew 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:02.360 that song I'm gonna was gonna make us practice. Uh, 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.400 and he thought we were gonna play. He didn't care. 0:12:05.600 --> 0:12:07.520 He did not care. Shouldn't tell you about his coach 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:10.000 c for what coach Suffer did to me my rookie year. 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:13.920 All right, story tale. So I'm in I'm in my locker, 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.000 you know, and not you weren't here talking about the 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:20.480 whole Jersey number things. So I'm in my locker and 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:24.280 George Siffort taps me on the shoulder, tested me on 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:28.040 the should I turned around. He says he I drafted 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:30.679 to I went out on lamb, don't funk this up 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:38.760 and walks off just like him. Damn no pressure. Yeah right, 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:41.679 what was the word? They always try to describe him 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:46.240 as aloof? I just called him an asshole. There's a 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:49.880 lot of easier to roll off my tongue. So he 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:54.040 so he brings you in and and tells you that, 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:57.720 and you pretty much played the rest of that year 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:03.160 thinking that you where one play away from being removed. 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:06.280 And and actually I was, I mean the year before, 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:10.560 um two thousand's and when I tore my knee, and 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.880 I'm pretty sure if I mean uh, that was Seafer's 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:18.000 first year ninety nine and two thousand. So ninety nine 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:20.720 we rocked and rolled man, but Burlin was hot. I 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:24.040 caught twelve touchdowns. Pat Jeffers caught twelve, and we missed 0:13:24.040 --> 0:13:26.120 the playoffs. The last game of the season, we had 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:30.439 to outscore the Saints by more than Arizona or the 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:34.559 Green Bay outscored Arizona, and we barely missed. We didn't hunt. 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:38.240 It was a fun game. Uh. But the next year, 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:41.120 I tear my knee against Atlanta, UM blow out my 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:43.240 a c L M c L and on the plane 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:47.000 ride back to to Charlotte, short plane run, he caught 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:49.160 somebody came back to Coach Seafer wants to talk to you. 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:50.960 So he pulls him up in the front of the 0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:54.480 plane and he says, man, I'm sorry about this. You 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:56.559 were a hell of a football player. I enjoyed coaching 0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.160 it like it was over right. I said, what are 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:01.679 you talking about? And if even if it is an 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:05.640 A C L, I'm not done. And so came back, 0:14:05.920 --> 0:14:08.840 came back to two thousand one year, Steve was here, 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:12.920 does that in Minnesota? Who won that? Win that one game? Uh? 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:15.040 And then we just started finding ways to lose games 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:17.319 the rest of the season. And this this man was 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:21.480 playing his beer and off getting better every game. Everybody 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:24.560 on the team respected him. Uh. And I blew my 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.920 knee out like the fourteenth game that season, and I 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:30.680 knew that was probably it for me. Uh. And they 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:34.320 but they fired Seaford and coach Fox gave me one 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:36.920 year before he said, Wesley, it's time for you to 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:40.440 retire and I love John Fox because when I told 0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:43.080 him I still wanted to play, he said, go home 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:46.000 and think about it for twenty four hours and come back. 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:48.920 And I came back and he says, what's the answer. 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.160 I said, I guess you're gonna have to cut me coach, 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:55.440 and uh he did, and he rightfully so. And then 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:57.880 I became a big Steve Smith and Carolina Panther fan 0:14:57.880 --> 0:14:59.320 because the next year, I will I go up to 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:00.840 Green Bay and they song going to go to the 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:10.120 Super Bowl. I love cut to It, and I love 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:14.280 it even more when you download us and subscribe, and 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:16.920 you can follow us on social media too, Smithie, where 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:19.920 where at? That's at? Cut to It on Instagram? What 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:25.160 about Twitter? At? Cut to It? Facebook? Cut to It 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:29.080 featuring Steve Smith singr? What about online? And you can 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:31.800 follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.920 you can buy merch and you can subscribe to us 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:39.920 wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions, Um, yeah, 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:43.640 I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:48.360 a brother, cut to a Podcast dot Com. One of 0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:53.080 the cool things about Wesley so man, we we had 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:58.560 this play uh y sale right you know, and I'm 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:00.880 fresh off. You know, I played the youth tall, so 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:03.880 when I see it tight end out of color I'm 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:07.760 not thinking he's very fast, right, And I'm just being honest. 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:12.720 We played Colorado, Stay air Force. It wasn't built like Wesley. 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:16.800 And so Moosey's telling me most say, lest when Charlie 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:18.240 Walls get out there, you better get out of his 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:26.320 way because uh, he's expecting that past man. I'm like, on, 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:29.920 what y'all talking about? This dude? Man we call him 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:35.160 practice y Sel. So I'm kind of running. I'm just 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:38.200 it's supposed to watch. I'm clearing out for him to 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:42.400 hit through it about a seventeen yard deep corner. So 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:46.200 I go jogging off and I hear, but get your 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:51.560 ass all the way Steve Wesley Walls. And after that 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:54.400 I was like, all right, when I hear why Sel, 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:59.880 I need to get out of the way. The reason 0:16:59.920 --> 0:17:05.320 I bring that up, as you know, in the locker room, 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:09.280 it's the only place where you can see someone. You 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:11.880 can see their stature, you can see their color, their skin, 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:15.639 you can see where they are geographically, and that means nothing, 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:21.119 nothing at all. So it's pretty cool to see old 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:24.399 man still having and and Wesley I remember Westley's the 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:28.080 practice in O T A s be like a weight, 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:32.879 vest On getting sap and just just seeing that and 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:35.840 just seeing the old school players and how they did 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:38.800 things right. And I remember when I was when I 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:40.960 was a young kid, my grandfather Shud always tell me, 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:42.879 if you want to play, you want to make it 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:48.360 in football. You know, Jack tad On, Ronnie Lott, Brent Jones, 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:52.240 all these players, Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Carl Pickings, Herman Moore. 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:55.400 If you want to play this game the right way, 0:17:57.359 --> 0:18:02.080 watch those players. And Wesley Walls one of those players 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:05.119 obviously when I got there, just seeing those guys and 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:08.200 so for me playing that game and playing it that way, 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:11.239 I played it the way the game was played like 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:13.480 they played it. And you give me a chill boss 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:16.440 out there, Steve, I promise you, man, I miss those days. 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:19.960 You know you're talking about the locker room and watching 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:23.879 watching you become a great player with the passion you 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.520 had on the field. That's that kind of motivates I'm 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.199 not just saying this because you're so nice to me, 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:30.920 but kind of motivates an old guy to silver and see, man, 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:33.840 look at that song. I was pissed off. He's fired up, 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:36.480 he's ready to play. He's gonna kick somebody's ass today. 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:38.639 It's it's still as still a brutal game out there. 0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:41.960 You're in a fight, and Steve fault sixty minutes every 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:44.399 game you played I ever watched, man, and I had 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:46.560 a lot of respect for you, a lot of respect. 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.960 I got more respect for you, man. What did you 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:52.159 see and see? It's an interesting dynamic because we just 0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:54.880 had Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolward and they were around 0:18:55.000 --> 0:18:58.320 a veteran Steve Smith, who they talked about how Steve 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:01.480 gave them the life, lesson the marriage, the financial six 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:03.800 But you were with a young Steve Smith. What what 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:08.040 did you see in them at that point? Yeah? I 0:19:08.560 --> 0:19:10.960 saw a bunch of talent. I mean everybody saw that. 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:13.800 I saw him work hard too. I don't know if 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:16.440 you remember this conversation. You got me thinking now about conversation. 0:19:16.440 --> 0:19:19.040 We're walking maybe from or to the practice field, and 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:21.520 I think you probably were upset. You were you wanted 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:23.880 you wanted a new contract your first year. I think 0:19:24.119 --> 0:19:26.679 you remember maybe it's a second year or something, and 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:28.960 they were when they first started with do in your contract, 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:31.720 and I said, somebody had given me some good advice. 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:34.360 I don't know if you remember this, and I I said, look, um, 0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:36.400 don't worry about the money. You go out and play, 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:38.040 be the best you can. All the money had come 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:40.040 to you. I think I told you that. I hope 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:42.920 I did. I remember that because I was a third 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:48.040 round draft pick and Winky was a forefround draft pick 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:51.720 and they got him more money than me. I like. 0:19:52.760 --> 0:19:55.640 And then my following year I made the Pro Bowl. Yeah, 0:19:56.800 --> 0:20:00.320 that's right, and you know I was I wanted to 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:04.520 play wide receiver and they just kind of Marty was 0:20:04.560 --> 0:20:07.920 the general manager, and at the time it was actually 0:20:08.000 --> 0:20:10.440 my first year, I didn't that's when what rookies had 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:12.199 to come in and you didn't have to sign it. 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:15.840 They were negotiating it, and I remember they tried to 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:19.320 lowball me. And every year in the contracts, when you 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:22.359 get drafted, you basically there's a center's like five or 0:20:22.359 --> 0:20:25.879 temper cent more of the guy that was drafted in 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:28.960 the same position of you. Last year you get maybe 0:20:28.960 --> 0:20:32.360 five to temper cent more. They offered me less than 0:20:32.400 --> 0:20:35.520 what the guy last year got. And so I remember 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:37.520 sitting there talking to Marty and say, hey, man, I 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:39.840 want to get this deal done. He was like, well, 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:42.520 we don't know. You're a wide receiver, but you're primarily 0:20:42.560 --> 0:20:45.720 a returner. And I told him at the time, and 0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:48.720 I looked at Marty, I said, well, I'm any wide 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:51.359 receiver you have, i'ma be better there. So you might 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:53.400 as well pay now because if now, you're gonna pay 0:20:53.440 --> 0:20:56.520 more later. And Marty looked at me and was like, whatever, kid, 0:20:58.000 --> 0:21:00.399 Well that's the kind of attitude I saw. And and 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:03.480 as a young Steve Smith he had all this ability 0:21:03.880 --> 0:21:07.320 then and the the heart is bigger than his ability 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:10.560 to was one seventy six when they draft. When you 0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:12.080 see a guy like that, you've seen a lot of 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:13.760 rookies come in. You know, you've seen a lot of 0:21:13.760 --> 0:21:16.800 good So what was it about Steve where you just 0:21:16.840 --> 0:21:19.520 said earlier, like you know this this guy might be something. 0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:21.760 What was it about him? Well, just the way he competed. 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:23.760 I mean you can tell he loves football. I mean 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:25.359 he wanted to be good. He wanted to be the 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:27.920 best and then then go out and do the work. 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:31.320 Also because it just doesn't happen overnight. But you know, 0:21:31.440 --> 0:21:33.240 I think that what I used to think about Steve. 0:21:33.320 --> 0:21:35.080 I was like, man, this I can I mean, he's 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:38.480 so I mean, I don't tell he's angry. He plays angry. 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:40.320 I wish I could play angry, but it seems like 0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:44.560 I'm trying to calm myself. And because if I played fat, 0:21:44.600 --> 0:21:47.399 real fast, I could even see hardy. Sometimes. You know, 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:49.600 you ever play so fast, you just like your eyes 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:51.280 don't even open. He said, the balls in the area, 0:21:51.320 --> 0:21:53.800 you don't even see it. But Stevens could play that 0:21:53.840 --> 0:21:55.920 fast and then angry, and he's got all this ability 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:58.560