1
00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:07,680
Speaker 1: Welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast, an NFL podcast for

2
00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:12,840
Speaker 1: the players, by the players. Here is your host, four

3
00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,240
Speaker 1: team year NFL veteran and Hall of Famer Anius Williams.

4
00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,480
Speaker 1: As we celebrate the NFL's hundreds of season, a series

5
00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,960
Speaker 1: of round tables were conducted around the two thousand and

6
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,280
Speaker 1: eighteen postseason. Consistent of a staggering array of NFL greats,

7
00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,720
Speaker 1: these round tables talked about the NFL's past glory, its

8
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,919
Speaker 1: present stars in its promising future. Let's listen in all right, fellas,

9
00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,280
Speaker 1: NFL is celebrating one hundred years of football this year,

10
00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,479
Speaker 1: starting with the su Bo and celebrated all the way

11
00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,080
Speaker 1: through next year. Now, you guys have been a part

12
00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:55,200
Speaker 1: of the game. A hundred years is a lot of

13
00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,360
Speaker 1: a lot of decades of the ball. So we have

14
00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,600
Speaker 1: five of the best at this position in the running

15
00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:07,800
Speaker 1: back position, I mean started with decades before us. Then

16
00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,520
Speaker 1: I'm in the middle transitioning into you guys. So what

17
00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:13,440
Speaker 1: does it mean to you guys to be at a

18
00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,800
Speaker 1: table like this when you have Hall of famer drop

19
00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:26,360
Speaker 1: the dunk? Hall of famer? Did he do that myself? Oh?

20
00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,920
Speaker 1: What a running by the league, cham p p. Dandy

21
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,399
Speaker 1: and Tomlinson one step closer to flick fall immortality. You

22
00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,280
Speaker 1: soon to be, soon to be. You just gotta say

23
00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,280
Speaker 1: I quit. He brings the tackle and ain't bring Penanton

24
00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,520
Speaker 1: is loose For me to be here, it's it's a privilege.

25
00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,160
Speaker 1: I looked up to you guys growing up, and I

26
00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:53,240
Speaker 1: like you guys were the ones that inspired me to

27
00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,880
Speaker 1: be great. Even on the way over here with E.

28
00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:57,960
Speaker 1: D and L. T. I'm sitting there, I'm just like, man,

29
00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,440
Speaker 1: you know, like two fellows Texas guys. You know you

30
00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,320
Speaker 1: gotta in it got Larry. You know that I'm about

31
00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,120
Speaker 1: to be at this round table with it humbles you,

32
00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,000
Speaker 1: you know, and it makes you just appreciate the process

33
00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,400
Speaker 1: and the grind that you you went through. So for me, man,

34
00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:18,240
Speaker 1: it's just like man's it's like, you know, guy picked me.

35
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:19,920
Speaker 1: You know you picked me too, you know, one of

36
00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:25,560
Speaker 1: those those children few Adrian Peterson rack Gallas Cowboys for

37
00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,320
Speaker 1: a Minnesota Vikings touchdown, the best running back in the NFL.

38
00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,200
Speaker 1: There was something about the running back position that we

39
00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,360
Speaker 1: gravitated towards as a young person, and for me, it

40
00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,200
Speaker 1: was it was seeing Walter Payton Payton that comes the

41
00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:46,679
Speaker 1: football like all time pleading rusher. My dad always had

42
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,200
Speaker 1: the Chicago Barris game on. It was something about Walter

43
00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,120
Speaker 1: Payton running the football that I was drawn to. And

44
00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,080
Speaker 1: if you think about it throughout the years, there's a

45
00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,800
Speaker 1: reason why our position is always going to be beloved them,

46
00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,200
Speaker 1: you know, because I think people realize what it takes

47
00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,680
Speaker 1: to be a running back when you take that football

48
00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,760
Speaker 1: behind everybody else, You've got to get through all those people,

49
00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,280
Speaker 1: and it takes special skill. And that position has always

50
00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:16,480
Speaker 1: stood out to me. That's why I wanted to do it.

51
00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:21,120
Speaker 1: And throughout the history seeing Larry's highlights, you know, obviously

52
00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:26,960
Speaker 1: growing up, you know, seeing George Brown's you know, but

53
00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,720
Speaker 1: it does, like Adrian say, it does inspire you, you know,

54
00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,240
Speaker 1: to push forward. That it was me I had to

55
00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,600
Speaker 1: take the torch from what you guys did, you know,

56
00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:44,240
Speaker 1: and kind of carried on. Then Adrian did the same

57
00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,600
Speaker 1: thing as I was transitioned out. He took the torch

58
00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,200
Speaker 1: as the best back in the league and he ran

59
00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,720
Speaker 1: with it. And so I think we all kind of

60
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,040
Speaker 1: feel obligated to continue this position and make them say

61
00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,760
Speaker 1: this position will never die, it would never be forgotten about.

62
00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,160
Speaker 1: I agree. I think each guy at this table, what

63
00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:06,800
Speaker 1: I remember by the guy you know, Larry, I remember,

64
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:08,960
Speaker 1: I don't know why I remember that the face mash

65
00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:14,880
Speaker 1: you work with that like who thing right? I remember

66
00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,800
Speaker 1: this was currying people literally and perfectly with what a

67
00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,719
Speaker 1: beautiful run, you know, with with a p you know.

68
00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,360
Speaker 1: I remember I met you you you know, you went

69
00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,720
Speaker 1: to one of my favorite schools. Oh you breakaway around,

70
00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,240
Speaker 1: you know, kind of mind there myself and did the

71
00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,680
Speaker 1: same thing in the NFL. You can stop him. You

72
00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:34,719
Speaker 1: can stop him, and you can stop him. And then

73
00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,040
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, I used to like you at

74
00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,120
Speaker 1: you in college at Florida, I used to I used

75
00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:41,960
Speaker 1: to brag about you because like man, he too looks.

76
00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:43,600
Speaker 1: I said, man, he can run the ball. Man, you

77
00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,960
Speaker 1: can run the ball. Welcome to the Emma Smith or

78
00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,239
Speaker 1: Florida football. And then I saw you played at TCU,

79
00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:51,760
Speaker 1: and I always wonder why you didn't go to sim

80
00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:57,240
Speaker 1: You were talked about that. Here's what Dan, when I

81
00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:59,640
Speaker 1: was in high school, I want to pay money back.

82
00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:01,920
Speaker 1: They want me to play uh tight end, you know,

83
00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:03,760
Speaker 1: because I was tall and I don't play on tighteny.

84
00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,120
Speaker 1: I don't back you know, you know the position of

85
00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,560
Speaker 1: running back to me is a position where you know

86
00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,000
Speaker 1: you have to be confident because as all you know

87
00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,800
Speaker 1: here is when you getting hit, they're talking to you.

88
00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:17,840
Speaker 1: You know, like you said, Okay, you ain't gonna you

89
00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,120
Speaker 1: ain't getting no hunting on us today, you know, like

90
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:22,920
Speaker 1: you know, yeah, I mean when when I'm gonna Coaj's racket.

91
00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,640
Speaker 1: That that Sunday we played in the Houston Orders and man,

92
00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:27,280
Speaker 1: it was some. It was some. There was some cursing

93
00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:29,280
Speaker 1: and going on out there. I mean, you know you

94
00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,400
Speaker 1: ain't gonna break this record. I'm man, I would never

95
00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,160
Speaker 1: forget it was me and Bostick as the safety. I

96
00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,120
Speaker 1: told him, m F, I'm gonna break this record on

97
00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:40,360
Speaker 1: y'all's asked today. He's got it at a brand new

98
00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,880
Speaker 1: single season rushing like it or they off standing star

99
00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:50,000
Speaker 1: from Blair. Who's the player that influenced you? Um in

100
00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,719
Speaker 1: the game, the one I snuck into the stadium to

101
00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:56,240
Speaker 1: watch when I was a kid. Jimmy Brown, considered by

102
00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,599
Speaker 1: most experts is the greatest pullback ever to play the game. Jimmy,

103
00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,239
Speaker 1: He's hard to bring down than a wild steer. Of course,

104
00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:04,520
Speaker 1: we're up in the nosebleed section that was also the

105
00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,080
Speaker 1: baseball stadium, and then my gosh, it was super high.

106
00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:10,040
Speaker 1: We were so far from the game that the ushers

107
00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,120
Speaker 1: didn't even bother chasing us. You know, from up there,

108
00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,440
Speaker 1: you can actually see the setup. You can see how

109
00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,800
Speaker 1: it develops, how the lineman working, how he would would

110
00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,479
Speaker 1: tremendous power, but yet the ability to shift and cut

111
00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:28,040
Speaker 1: on a dime. You know, he had tremendous balance. If

112
00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:31,400
Speaker 1: you look at Bronco Nirskis and Jim Brown's great great

113
00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,000
Speaker 1: running backs, all in their own sound. But if I

114
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,640
Speaker 1: had to pick one player, one guy that was a

115
00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:38,480
Speaker 1: running back and say, Okay, this is a guy we're

116
00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,000
Speaker 1: going to build a team brown right here, I think

117
00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:51,119
Speaker 1: I would pick Walter Payton. He was the most team

118
00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,360
Speaker 1: oriented person I've ever been around. What's your first memory

119
00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,880
Speaker 1: of coming into the NASH football as a college All

120
00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,520
Speaker 1: star college all of mary Can. We did the Chicago

121
00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,360
Speaker 1: All Star Game. We lined up against the Green Bay

122
00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,920
Speaker 1: Packers in night. They had this middle linebacker named Ray

123
00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:13,720
Speaker 1: Nisky who was probably not the prettiest person, but he

124
00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,600
Speaker 1: I had seen him literally destroy people on a football

125
00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,280
Speaker 1: field for ten years. I'm looking at bea when he's

126
00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,480
Speaker 1: calling I can I'll turn it around. And I as

127
00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,400
Speaker 1: he turns around, he opens up, and I'm looking right

128
00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,240
Speaker 1: at Ray Nichky and Nichky standing right there looking at me,

129
00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,520
Speaker 1: sort of like new meat, you know, in a butcher department,

130
00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:36,760
Speaker 1: and I'm eyeballed, eyeball will him. I thought this is

131
00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,440
Speaker 1: pretty cool. So he smiled. When he smiled, he had

132
00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:45,320
Speaker 1: no front teeth. He stuck his tongue, wiggled it. Come on,

133
00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:47,680
Speaker 1: and I ran to dive right straight at him, putting

134
00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:49,160
Speaker 1: my shoulder and he hit him as hard as I

135
00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,600
Speaker 1: hard as I could. I heard the air come out.

136
00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,800
Speaker 1: I know I got a piece of him, and uh

137
00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:57,920
Speaker 1: he had me on the back. Said that's real good rookie.

138
00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,080
Speaker 1: He said, you come back and see me again. Okay,

139
00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:05,720
Speaker 1: I don't want to see you anymore. How about you

140
00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,320
Speaker 1: John Robinson and told me said, uh, that week that

141
00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,080
Speaker 1: we're gonna scrimmage the Cowboys said, you know, Tom Landry

142
00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:13,840
Speaker 1: said that you would make a good pro. You know

143
00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:17,400
Speaker 1: you ran too high and that, uh, you think you'd last.

144
00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:19,800
Speaker 1: And I couldn't wait to play against I couldn't wait

145
00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,240
Speaker 1: to have this scrimmage. Get on the field practice about

146
00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,560
Speaker 1: the scrimmage about to start. I get in the huddle

147
00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:28,160
Speaker 1: and they started calling plays and I was a sudden

148
00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:30,960
Speaker 1: I couldn't remember any place. I'm that nervous. I mean,

149
00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,920
Speaker 1: I couldn't remember anything. So so Vince Gergan won't call

150
00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,480
Speaker 1: the pass play and I'm like, what do I do?

151
00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,840
Speaker 1: Any outside linebacker? I'm like, okay, I'm like, man, And

152
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:41,880
Speaker 1: then they call another player. I whe they played like

153
00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,400
Speaker 1: they called one like one of my favorite plays for

154
00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:44,880
Speaker 1: the seven gap. I'm like, what I do? Is you

155
00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:49,040
Speaker 1: getting the ball? Man? I could not remember a play

156
00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,200
Speaker 1: for nothing? So they called up and I just left

157
00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:52,640
Speaker 1: the field. I went to I went to my coach,

158
00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,199
Speaker 1: went to the sideline tip too, to my running bass

159
00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,000
Speaker 1: coach and I said, he said it said, what's wrong?

160
00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,439
Speaker 1: I said, I can't remember plays? So that was mine.

161
00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,400
Speaker 1: That was my first, you know, kind of image of

162
00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:05,199
Speaker 1: having a football moment. But it was it was in

163
00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,000
Speaker 1: a scrimmage, how about you eight or for me, it

164
00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:13,520
Speaker 1: was against the Chicago Bears, And I never forgets standing

165
00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:16,280
Speaker 1: there in the backfield and I'm looking at her Lacker

166
00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,800
Speaker 1: and I'm looking at you know Bridge. I remember being

167
00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:23,320
Speaker 1: nervous going up against those guys too, you know, Chicago

168
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:29,320
Speaker 1: defense strong defense. I remember bouncing outside and when I

169
00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:33,120
Speaker 1: tell you, they were pursuing hard or Lacker nail me foo,

170
00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:40,560
Speaker 1: I could tuck him down and Bridge came in, dig

171
00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,960
Speaker 1: me into the dirt and soldier field. It was like,

172
00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,600
Speaker 1: come on, rookie, welcome to the league. Welcome to the league.

173
00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,000
Speaker 1: So fast forward to the second the second quarter, I

174
00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,120
Speaker 1: kind of was getting into my real lacker he was.

175
00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:55,719
Speaker 1: He came to try to hit me again. I long

176
00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:58,400
Speaker 1: on my shoulder and I, like you said, I just

177
00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:06,160
Speaker 1: heard that come out of myself. I think I got him. Yeah, yeah,

178
00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,240
Speaker 1: I'm getting up. He kind of nodded his head run. Yeah.

179
00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:11,880
Speaker 1: So for me, that was a good moment for me.

180
00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:15,120
Speaker 1: End up having a pretty good game that uh that

181
00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:23,120
Speaker 1: day and Petershon does a gritty piece of running by

182
00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:28,000
Speaker 1: Adrian Peterson. Yeah, so mama only came my first minicomp.

183
00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,520
Speaker 1: Get to the first practice, Hey, oh we don't got

184
00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:36,680
Speaker 1: them pass anything, shorts, shells, helmets, and the first play

185
00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:41,000
Speaker 1: I'm supposed to block Junior, say, I cast having whether

186
00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,360
Speaker 1: it's a receiver, running back or an office alignment, you're

187
00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,720
Speaker 1: definitely gonna have to deal with Junior as soon. It's

188
00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,560
Speaker 1: just the snap came. Junior comes right through their account,

189
00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:52,840
Speaker 1: and so I got to try to vote the quarterback

190
00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,800
Speaker 1: and I'm thinking, all right, we don't have on pass.

191
00:10:56,200 --> 00:11:01,680
Speaker 1: So I just gotta put my hands on and Junior

192
00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:05,160
Speaker 1: ran through me. He and he knocked me back and

193
00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,520
Speaker 1: just kind of looked at me. You know, it's like, yeah,

194
00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,959
Speaker 1: first round rookie. Just say And so coach said, get

195
00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,800
Speaker 1: back in there. We're doing the same play and I'm like, well,

196
00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,800
Speaker 1: we're doing the same place this man, it's crazy over there.

197
00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,120
Speaker 1: And so the same play, Junior is doing it again,

198
00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,280
Speaker 1: and I said, okay, I gotta earn my respect right here.

199
00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:27,839
Speaker 1: And so as soon as the snap came, I mean

200
00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,960
Speaker 1: I went full speed at joint and I launched into

201
00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:34,520
Speaker 1: him and I know I got him, you know, great collision,

202
00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:37,480
Speaker 1: and I earned this respect. After that, he kind of said,

203
00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:41,840
Speaker 1: you're gonna be okay. Wow, what about you? Man? What

204
00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:45,719
Speaker 1: about you? Man? I tell you my first game was

205
00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:49,000
Speaker 1: against Junior South number twenty two in white Emmett Smith,

206
00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:54,960
Speaker 1: the Cowboys first round draft pick. The first time, I

207
00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,679
Speaker 1: had two carries for two yards, and man, I was like,

208
00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:04,760
Speaker 1: this is crazy, and Junior was They were poppet, poppet

209
00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,840
Speaker 1: and so you learned quickly that NFL stands with not alone.

210
00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:12,520
Speaker 1: But you have to make the adjustments. You definitely have

211
00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:19,000
Speaker 1: to make the adjustments. Always still gone touchdown. But Smith

212
00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:26,960
Speaker 1: Dusty impossible, possiblity, You've done some amazing things, and longevity

213
00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,680
Speaker 1: being available and dependable. What was the secret you think

214
00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,720
Speaker 1: to your success in it? Well, I don't have a

215
00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:38,600
Speaker 1: true answer for that outside of God's grace at mercy

216
00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:45,520
Speaker 1: because I stayed away, I didn't have the big injuries. Longevity, consistency,

217
00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,320
Speaker 1: all of those things are very, very, very very important

218
00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,120
Speaker 1: to having a long career. You don't get to be

219
00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:57,439
Speaker 1: in at fifteen, ten or eleven years in the Nashketball

220
00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,320
Speaker 1: League without being consistent because they were shell you out

221
00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,839
Speaker 1: if you're not that good. When I look at it

222
00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,640
Speaker 1: and I think about myself, I always pinched myself and say,

223
00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:12,439
Speaker 1: how how did I make it? We're all motivated in

224
00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:15,640
Speaker 1: the beginning of our career, but yet later in your career,

225
00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:18,760
Speaker 1: even in Arizona, you were still putting up numbers for

226
00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,440
Speaker 1: an organization that is locked credibility. Today, the Arizona Cardinals

227
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:24,600
Speaker 1: stepped up and they hit a home run. They bring

228
00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,120
Speaker 1: in the NFL's all time rushing leader. What motivated you

229
00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,839
Speaker 1: at that point? I just I just loved the game.

230
00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,960
Speaker 1: I really loved the game of football. And you're right

231
00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,960
Speaker 1: after thirteen years in the nash Fotball League and playing

232
00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:40,920
Speaker 1: with the Cowboys and winning the Super Bowls and all

233
00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:42,760
Speaker 1: those and I was at that time, I was all

234
00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:45,960
Speaker 1: the time leaving Russia. I felt like I could give more.

235
00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:50,040
Speaker 1: But then I come to realize, why do I need

236
00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,600
Speaker 1: to give more? I've given all I can. Tim Brown

237
00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,920
Speaker 1: says something to me probably one of the final games

238
00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,679
Speaker 1: I played. He said, just because you can doesn't mean

239
00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:06,120
Speaker 1: that you shoot. And you know what. Right then and there,

240
00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:12,280
Speaker 1: I said, I done. Let me ask you this, after

241
00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:16,440
Speaker 1: the first year of retirement, did you wake up with

242
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,240
Speaker 1: any ghosts? No? No, he didn't. He didn't feel like

243
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,960
Speaker 1: you were missing something. I think I had closure. I

244
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:25,760
Speaker 1: think I got the closure that I was looking for.

245
00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,800
Speaker 1: I think we all need to have closure from this game,

246
00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:34,920
Speaker 1: knowing and being satisfied with what you've been able to accomplish. Um.

247
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,200
Speaker 1: And that's why when I sat and looked back and

248
00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:42,080
Speaker 1: reflect over the the years that I played, then the

249
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:48,240
Speaker 1: Super Bowls three times ago, Russian title went too. There's

250
00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:55,880
Speaker 1: the first time everything. I was m D P and one,

251
00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:57,880
Speaker 1: I was a league in the P. I haven't been

252
00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,680
Speaker 1: to Pro Bowl. I became the all time Russia. The

253
00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:05,760
Speaker 1: torch is past long lift the King. I had closure.

254
00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,720
Speaker 1: So the only thing that could make up with my

255
00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:10,200
Speaker 1: mom was don't think left for me to do now

256
00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:14,560
Speaker 1: is get hurt, really get broken up. Yeah, I don't

257
00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,920
Speaker 1: need that. That's all I'm done. So that for me,

258
00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,080
Speaker 1: that that's that's the kind of closure that that I

259
00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:23,560
Speaker 1: was looking for. And uh and I got that. You

260
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:25,560
Speaker 1: had it. I mean, you had one of the greatest

261
00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,280
Speaker 1: runs you know, for a point there in the history

262
00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:31,840
Speaker 1: of this game. Jim side out to the Dirty Dirty

263
00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:36,320
Speaker 1: five for the party five forty five down of the

264
00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:40,760
Speaker 1: funty five, down of the fine cuts down Nicker shot

265
00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:46,440
Speaker 1: eighty five. God, what was the secret to your success? Well,

266
00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:48,600
Speaker 1: Emma said the best first of all, God, I mean

267
00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:52,360
Speaker 1: I was I'm a big believing God, and that this

268
00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,680
Speaker 1: doesn't happen for me. That's things like that don't happen

269
00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:56,560
Speaker 1: for me. I'm from a small town in Texas, you know,

270
00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,880
Speaker 1: with two thousand people, you know, fifty people in my

271
00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,160
Speaker 1: graduating class, and um, you know I kept hearing, you know,

272
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:04,720
Speaker 1: you hear all the time. Even know when that sen

273
00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:06,680
Speaker 1: you he can't make it in college. He good now

274
00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:08,920
Speaker 1: he can't make it and kept on college football. Eric

275
00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:10,840
Speaker 1: can't that good man? They just they hyping him up,

276
00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:12,880
Speaker 1: you know when they get to college. My first year

277
00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:14,920
Speaker 1: I struggled in college. I told you can't make it,

278
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,160
Speaker 1: no college man at the ain't ain't that kind of player.

279
00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:19,760
Speaker 1: You know, I got better and better, trying to get

280
00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:27,360
Speaker 1: outside cuts up to the thirty and then I went

281
00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,240
Speaker 1: forgive when I got you know, I was up for

282
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,960
Speaker 1: the hisman. You know, my senior year, man, there can't

283
00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,480
Speaker 1: win no Heisman trophy. Come on after he ain't that good.

284
00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,160
Speaker 1: You know, you keep hearing that. That motivated me because

285
00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:40,640
Speaker 1: you know I knew how good I was. When the

286
00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,000
Speaker 1: draft time came around once again, and they ain't draft

287
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,160
Speaker 1: the airplane on football, man, Come on, he ain't thank

288
00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,000
Speaker 1: you on football. When I got drafted the second player,

289
00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,920
Speaker 1: buy John. That way, they're gonna see how good you know,

290
00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:54,680
Speaker 1: because you hear, you hear this stuff that comes out

291
00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:56,360
Speaker 1: of you know, at the times small jack comes out.

292
00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:00,360
Speaker 1: And you know, my my first year, you know played

293
00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,960
Speaker 1: you know I had some games, and I was struggling

294
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,520
Speaker 1: a little bit in the beginning, but you know, after

295
00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:09,119
Speaker 1: the seasons, you know, it's like once again, oh he

296
00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,000
Speaker 1: got lucky eighteen hundred yards that man and that that's luck.

297
00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:14,560
Speaker 1: That's a nice piece of running showing you look at

298
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,720
Speaker 1: this and take that. That's fun to watch, you know.

299
00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,639
Speaker 1: I heard that. Then I came back and had two thousand,

300
00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,119
Speaker 1: and then then it's funny you just say my kind

301
00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:30,440
Speaker 1: of back, Yeah, yeah, my kind of player, you know, yeah,

302
00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,920
Speaker 1: you know, you know, it's always something that's always that's

303
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,520
Speaker 1: a bottom right there. So many people said you can't

304
00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:38,440
Speaker 1: do it, you can't do it. You know, he's not

305
00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:41,359
Speaker 1: that good, all these negative things, and then when you

306
00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:43,040
Speaker 1: do do and if you got to stand back and say,

307
00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:47,160
Speaker 1: well maybe, so thank you all for sharing these stories.

308
00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,879
Speaker 1: We're about to shut it down. So but but before

309
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,720
Speaker 1: we do, I want you to tell me who you

310
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:57,040
Speaker 1: think is the next man up. Who's the next back

311
00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:01,000
Speaker 1: that you see in today's game? The next man McCaffrey

312
00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,440
Speaker 1: on the slice buss through really good job of reading

313
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,480
Speaker 1: the whole, finding the crease, putting your foot in the ground,

314
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:10,480
Speaker 1: and using the speed an inspirational run. Now she said

315
00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,240
Speaker 1: it earlier. He transitioned to pass the torch over to you.

316
00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,440
Speaker 1: Who's the next man up? From your perspective, that's a

317
00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:20,879
Speaker 1: hard one. It's a really it's a hard one, you know, um,

318
00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,840
Speaker 1: because there's so many great young backs in the league

319
00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,800
Speaker 1: right now. You know, you got t qu Elliott. Yeah,

320
00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:32,679
Speaker 1: Tig Gurley, Curly attend curly to five, Curly pay dirts. Touchdown,

321
00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:38,160
Speaker 1: Tig Curley, touchdown, l A. You got guys like Albert Kamar,

322
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,399
Speaker 1: got Barkley, He's probably one of the best athletes I've seen. No,

323
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:46,480
Speaker 1: it's gonna catch Barkley seventy eight yards for the rookie sensation,

324
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:52,159
Speaker 1: say Kwan Barkley. Who it's It's tough. I really think

325
00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,919
Speaker 1: it's up in the air. But I think any one

326
00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:58,240
Speaker 1: of those guys they have the ability. You know, guys

327
00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:00,719
Speaker 1: willn't hear the next three four years a long our

328
00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,640
Speaker 1: play to be able to grab that snash that at

329
00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:10,359
Speaker 1: So it's hard to answer. Now carry out he ain't

330
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,600
Speaker 1: not read it. Let it go. Yeah, guys, thank you

331
00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:15,720
Speaker 1: so much for your time. It's been in a pleasure

332
00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:17,639
Speaker 1: to spend time with you guys, and chop it up.

333
00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:24,359
Speaker 1: Be blessed. To be safe. This has been the NFL

334
00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:28,840
Speaker 1: Legends podcast. To provide feedback or request a topic for discussion,

335
00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:32,040
Speaker 1: email us at NFL Legends at nfl dot com.