WEBVTT - Dudes on The AFC North 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:04.720 I have to share a quick story, real quick, just 0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:06.880 for the and they were not even the show, but 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:09.560 this is just warming up. Rob is so nice. We 0:00:09.680 --> 0:00:13.280 have Ralphie and Rocky together, right, guys, they're they're fucking wild. 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:16.160 They're running around, they're all hyping each other. Best friends there, 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:18.720 but they're hyped. And I'm over here, I'm like Rocky 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:21.560 place because they were, they're around. We were trying to 0:00:21.560 --> 0:00:25.520 settle them down. And Rob goes Ralphie and he and 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:29.120 little Ralfie's this little little frenchie. Rob's seven feet tall. 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:33.600 He's like, Ralphie, wait, wait Jeels wait, Ralphie. He's like, 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:36.360 wait up, I got a mean voice in there, Ralphie. 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:39.800 I was laughing because Rob didn't have a mean enough 0:00:39.920 --> 0:00:43.400 voice to reprimand the dog. That's how nice Robie is. 0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:45.519 He had He was sitting there thinking like, how do 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:46.919 I make a mean voice? 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:51.520 But like the dogs know the tone, the dogs tone. 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:53.560 If I can get that tone, I can finally get 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:57.640 Ralphie under the wraps and he listens. But if I 0:00:57.640 --> 0:00:59.640 don't have that tone, he just looks at me and 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:02.400 laughs and just keeps going and doing what he's doing. 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:05.880 That it doesn't care what any consequences at all in 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:07.080 the back of his mind. 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:09.600 No, but it was funny to me that you that's 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:12.200 how great of a person. You can't even get a 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:14.440 mean tone. Thank you us, thank you can't get a 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:17.240 mean tone, which is complete opposite of the episode that 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:20.039 we're going to do today. Welcome to Dudes on Dudes. 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:24.360 I'm Julian Edelman, I'm Rob Grandkowski, and this show is 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.720 where your favorite dudes getting talked about their favorite dudes. 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:31.840 And on today's episode, we have a very AFS North 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:33.199 type of episode. 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:35.480 All you Hard Knocks fans gear up because this is 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:38.000 the first time that's going down where they have all 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:40.920 four teams in the division in season Runkle, what do 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:44.039 we get into tough guys having hair like that, Like 0:01:44.080 --> 0:01:47.000 does that make you look stronger, faster and bigger? It 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:47.880 makes you look meaner. 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:50.560 And we get into these are the kind of quarterbacks 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:52.880 you want that you dream of? Yeah, because he's gonna 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:54.000 sit in that pocket, he's going. 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:56.160 To deliver the book. And also we get into when 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.040 I'm glad that his heyday was before my heyday because 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:00.080 I probably want to have had. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:01.920 Of had a hey day then, like I know, we 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:03.520 tossed around the word legend. 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:05.720 Just unbelievable what he has done. 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:08.320 And to have that courage to go out there and 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:09.799 represent your community. 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:11.359 You gotta tip your hat off. 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:13.880 How easy important for you made it? Really you gotta 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:14.760 stick around to the end. 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.720 This is a fun episode. AFC Nord Tough Division. 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:20.000 Let's you can see what it's about. Let's go. 0:02:21.639 --> 0:02:25.560 Dudes on Dudes is a production of iHeartRadio Gronk What's 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:27.320 eight times four thirty two? 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.200 Just making sure, just making sure. 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:33.520 On today's episode, we're going to talk about the AFC 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:37.760 North because HBO is releasing this in season hard Knocks 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:41.880 about the whole AFC North, which I'm pretty excited about. 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:43.800 What are your first thoughts when you think of the 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:45.080 AFC North rob. 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:48.040 A tough division, one of the toughest divisions in all 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:50.200 of football. I mean, you got the Pittsburgh Steelers, you 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:53.120 got the Steel Curtain defense, you got the Baltimore Ravens, 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:57.920 which have one of the well known defenses of our generation. 0:02:58.200 --> 0:03:00.720 Of our generation that they're tough, hard nos. 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:03.760 They take absolutely no garbage, and they're they're there to 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:06.280 make plays and also they're there they'll light you up 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:08.440 if they have a chance out on the field, So 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:10.679 you got to always have your heads up or else 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:12.560 they might take your head off. 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:13.160 Without a doubt. 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:13.800 You know. 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.040 It's just it's straight toughness. If you could throw Cincinnati 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:18.720 in there too, And when we played them a bunch, 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:20.160 it was always a one as well. 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:22.400 I mean, Cleveland was always tough, and that's why they're 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:24.799 they're known as the dog Pound, the dog Pound in 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:26.720 Cleveland at their home stadium. 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:27.600 Man, it really was. 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.640 I mean we lost to Cleveland what my rookie year, 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:32.720 and they didn't have a good team, but they had 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:36.480 a tough soob running back in the Pyton hillis Peyton. 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:39.360 He represented that division like like no other in the 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:42.320 AFC North. I mean, he just he was running fools 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:43.800 over that game, running jumping. 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.920 Anytime we played Baltimore, it was always super tough, the 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:50.880 Steelers fucking tough always. I mean we always won those games. 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:52.600 We won a lot of those games, but it was 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:53.280 never easy. 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:54.480 It was never easy. 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:58.320 And coach always just stated to us, always repeated himself 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:01.200 that it's gonna take all four orders to beat these guys. 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:03.880 And you gotta be a tough football player. You got 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.960 to be mentally tough. In order to win versus anyone 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.440 in the AFC North, and the way to win is 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:11.840 that you gotta keep pushing, You got to keep grinding, 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:13.760 and you got to be tougher than them when it 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:15.800 comes down to it in the fourth quarter and you 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:18.600 can't make the mistakes and let them make the mistakes. 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.120 Yeah, without a doubt, because it was just tough football. 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:22.800 You what do you think about them having a hard 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:24.160 knocks in season? 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:26.520 So the hard knocks and season, I think it's really 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:28.840 cool for fans and you know, the way that this 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:32.400 generation set up now with social media, all these apps, 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:35.839 you know, and getting insight information on players and getting 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:38.760 first looks at what's going on. I think it's great 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:41.000 for the NFL. I think it's great for players to 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:43.800 get their name out there. I think it's great for 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.760 the teams in their city. Just everything's great about it. 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:48.880 I would say the only thing that's not great about 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:51.039 it is if you're just a player and you're a 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:53.120 low key player. And there's plenty of those players in 0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:55.680 the NFL that just want to go in and do 0:04:55.800 --> 0:04:58.640 their business and don't care about the cameras, don't care 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.640 about the pitchers, don't care about them getting the praise 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:03.560 that they should be get. They just want to go in, 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:06.240 do their job, get a paycheck, make sure they do 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:08.680 their job right. And that's the only problem I have 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:11.000 with it is that it just gets in the way. 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:13.640 Sometimes it's just distraction. It can be, so you can't 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:16.440 let it be a distraction. I feel like it's really 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:19.359 not you know, compared to like ten years ago, it 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:21.680 was more of a distraction because there's only one team 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:24.159 doing it. Now everyone's doing it, so it's kind of 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:26.479 the norm. And when it's the norm, it's a less 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:29.159 of a distraction. When something's not a norm, it's way 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:32.000 more of a distraction. So but still, like guys like 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:34.320 you and I, we would kind of take that as 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:38.040 a distraction, like get the fing cameras out of our face. 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:39.960 We want to do what we want to do. You know, 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:42.480 we'll be doing our speaking out on the football field. 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.560 I think it's fucking crazy. I think it's crazy that 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:49.520 I would not want cameras in seeing how we're forming 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.560 our team. I'm not going to speak for Bill, but 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:54.560 I'm pretty sure he feels that too, like there's no 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:55.960 way you're getting cameras in there. 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:59.440 I agree, Well, I'm talking to the business side of football, 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:02.080 is right, I'm talking on the business side. That's great. 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:04.840 But you just said I would hate it, and it 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:07.919 was awesome. That coach, you know, Belichick, never would allow 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:09.400 Hard Knocks to come in our locker room. 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:10.800 It would drive all of us crazy. 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:13.440 What are your favorite moments from Hard Knocks over the years, 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:16.320 since you've been watching since when probably you know, since 0:06:16.320 --> 0:06:18.200 you were in high school? Yeah, you know. 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:21.560 I I can remember the early ones, back when like 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:25.960 Tony Sarrah Gusa and the Ravens, the Brian Billick Ravens 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:27.919 were on. That was like, I think the first one 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.480 and you had Shannon Sharp and then I always used 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:34.600 to love another AFC North I used I used to 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:37.159 love o Cho Cinco what he would call it, say 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:38.360 the kiss the baby shit? 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:41.159 All right, you like, remember, thank you, thank you for 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:45.680 Hard Knocks because of Joe al Jo. Sinko was a dime, 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:48.200 you know, a diamond, a dime. 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:49.120 What am I saying? 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:50.119 Dim dimond? 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:51.400 There we go us. 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:53.279 I don't know. I don't think that one works. 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:57.160 I thought it did, but he was a diamond then 0:06:57.200 --> 0:06:58.000 he was a diamond. 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:02.039 What about early one? Dola got cut, He got cut 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:04.160 on hard Knocks. When he with the Cowboys, he did 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:06.000 thank you the hard Knocks. 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:08.960 Hard Knocks. Now we can always tease dollars. 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:11.640 I know, what are your favorite hard knocks? 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:13.440 I would say when I was in high school, the 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:16.480 Cincinnati Bengals were on hart Knocks, and every single person 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:18.920 in our high school watched Hard Knocks and it was 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:20.720 kind of like a full circle moment. I mean, I 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:22.960 thought it was so cool. What was wild? Hard Knocks 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.720 made it seem like the movies like Friday Night Lights, 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:28.280 the high school movies where you would watch it and 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:31.000 then you would like turn your buddy and you're like, bro, man, 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:35.040 everyone's so fast, everyone's so big, Like I can't compete 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:37.320 versus those people, Like if I ever get to the NFL, 0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:39.240 there's no way, Like look how good they look like. 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:43.880 Hard Knocks made it seem like like space creatures were 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:47.360 coming on the planet Earth and plane in the NFL, 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:48.760 and everyone was just so big. 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:52.560 It was like slow motion football by the most elite 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:56.280 athletes in Like slow motion looks amazing, and that's all 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:57.440 hard knocks were. 0:07:57.480 --> 0:07:58.400 You slow, like the. 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:02.840 Spiral down and the balls perfect or like slow motion 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:05.880 getting off the ball and like hitting two guys hitting 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:09.360 the sweats coming out. It's just it's very It's like 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:10.480 you said, it's like a movie. 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:12.120 And then they would show the one guy in the 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:15.360 weight room squatting six hundred and fifty pounds and then 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:18.400 the other guy benching five hundred pounds. I mean, not 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.400 everyone was like that, but they made it seem like 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:22.240 everyone was like that, and You're like, how am I 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:25.320 gonna play in the NFL? I ain't. I ain't that strong, 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:27.960 and I'm never gonna be that strong. But they just 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:30.800 made it like a movie to where it was just 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:32.960 so real to watch it was it was it was, 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:36.960 what's the way word I'm looking for, like very cinematic? 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:39.880 You know, It's exactly. It was like a movie cinematic. 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.439 Here we go. So the Cincinnati Bengals wrong. I love 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:45.640 the show, loved watching it. Jonathan Hayes, their tight end coach, 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:47.679 always stole the show. He always brought the juice, and 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:50.400 obviously I paid attention to him more throughout the show 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:52.439 because I was a tight end and I wanted to play. 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:52.880 In the NFL. 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:56.000 So a full circle moment, I'm at the University of Arizona. 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:59.000 I went to the combine, but I didn't really participate 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:01.680 because I had backs. So I had my pro day. 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:03.480 So all the teams came out for my pro day 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:05.439 and who shows up to put me through all the 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:09.079 drills one on one coach Jonathan Hayes of the Cincinnati Bengals. 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:11.040 So I thought it was one of the coolest moments 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:13.760 that the coach that I was watching at Hard Knocks 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:15.760 with all my buddies in high school, and that's when 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:19.480 all the shows are the coolest, like Entourage, freaking Hard 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.120 Knocks is when you're in high school, you know. So 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:25.200 I'm thinking, like, I'm one of the coolest guys ever 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:27.319 at my pro day because of this situation. He put 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:28.800 me through a hell of a workout too. 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:30.920 Man, I almost need to kill it. I killed it. 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:35.640 I had a wonderful pro day very well. Uh no, 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:36.840 I didn't. I didn't. 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.920 Yeah, he ended up passing on me. Je ended up 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:40.440 passing on me. 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:43.560 So got the story the way. 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:46.080 That not a happy ending, but it truly was a 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:49.880 happy ending because I I got passed on. I went 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:54.720 to the New England Patriots. Happened to me, Baby, let's go. 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:58.160 So let's go to AFC North Jules, who we got 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:01.280 enough talking about hard knocks. Us watching it when we 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:03.880 were in high school, we never were on it because 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.560 we didn't care about hot narks. We cared about taking 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:09.000 care of our business out on the field, and that 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:12.160 was gonna speak for us. That was our talking, and 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:14.760 that was the product that we had, was put the 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:18.280 work in and show it on Sundays. It was actually 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:22.079 because Coach Balichick said no us. We would have probably 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:27.720 loved to be honest, it would be fun. No, all right, 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:30.760 nice laugh, all right? Who We got AFC North the 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:34.880 first hour, going tough, tough division, tough defenses, and we 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:37.440 just owned them all because we're tough players. 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:37.719 Now. 0:10:37.720 --> 0:10:42.119 We didn't own them though. It was war for the Steelers. 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:46.360 We're gonna go with Troy polu Malu, greatest hair, Troy 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:52.439 pola Malu, Tasmanian. What I gotta say, start the clock. 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:53.479 On Troy Polamalu. 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:56.480 Troy polam Malo, a five ten, two hundred pounds safety, 0:10:56.480 --> 0:10:59.480 spent his entire NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:04.360 being drafted sixteenth overall in the two thousand three NFL draft. 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.600 I was born in nineteen eighty nine, so I was 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:11.240 fourteen years old when he was drafted into the NFL. 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:13.520 That's just a fun fact out there, so you were 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:17.400 probably at sixteen seventeen. He was known for his explosive style, 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:21.880 nos for the ball, uncanny instincts, and trademark flowing hair. 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:25.319 He finished his career with thirty two interceptions, seven hundred 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:28.520 and eighty three tackles, and three defensive touchdowns. He was 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:31.360 an eight time Pro bowler, two times Super Bowl champion, 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.000 and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:37.800 two thousand and ten. Wow, that was my rookie season, 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:42.400 solidifying his status as one of the most versatile and 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:45.160 disruptive safeties in the game. He was named to the 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:48.240 Pro Football Hall of Fame in twenty twenty. Well, let 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:50.440 me tell you this, Jewels, he was a little another 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:52.880 fun fact in twenty ten when he was All Pro 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.360 safety and I was a rookie. I scored three toutsounds 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:59.040 versus that defense. I scored three touchsounds versus and All 0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:02.440 Pro safety that year in two thousand. No NFL Defensive 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:04.920 Player of the Year in two thousand ten. It necessarily 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.360 wasn't on him. He wasn't covering me, but still he 0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:09.200 was still on the defensive side. Of the ball and 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:12.680 I forgot he was the defensive player of the Year 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:17.040 too in twenty ten. Maniac love him the Tasmanian Devil. 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.839 He really is. I mean I grew up in the 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:23.360 Bay Area, so there was a lot of Polynesian people 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:27.800 in my communities. Like my high school football team was 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:33.479 like probably sixty percent Polynesian, either Samoan or Tongan or Hawaiian. 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:38.160 Anytime there was a like a like a Polynesian football 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:41.440 player that was a stud in our circles, they were 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:44.080 like gods. Like it was when I was real young. 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:47.479 It was Junior Seau and then it became Troy Paulamalu, 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:51.360 who like he was like the god of all gods 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:53.360 for all these dudes that like he was just a 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:56.640 fucking maniac on the field, he was like the nicest dude. 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.640 He used to hit guys and do little prayers afterwards 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:00.839 because he was so nice. 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:01.160 Sould. 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:04.679 I just remember always loving this guy because of all 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:06.079 the Polly's in my neighborhood. 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.360 Did he ever hit you and then like just kind 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:10.760 of like prayed over you, Julian Has that never happened, 0:13:11.000 --> 0:13:11.160 you know? 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:13.520 I remember I had to block him a couple of times. 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:16.400 And I did catch like a ghost route on him once, 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:18.600 but then he like he leveraged me out of bounds. 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:21.560 He'd ever blew me up or anything. He was one 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:25.760 of those once again in that like Cam Chancellor category 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:29.120 where he's like a polite competitor. He never really talked shit. 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.319 He was he was kind of all about his business, 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:34.080 and like, that's how I felt when I played against. 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:35.480 And those are the guys you don't want to tick 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:38.240 off either. Never mean, they're already so good and so 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:40.800 fierce playing on the field, but they're also so nice. 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.920 So imagine you just tick them off. You you bring 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:46.480 him to that next level where they're not nice anymore. 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:52.360 Imagine just their amplify, amplifying this, there's amplifying nous. Yes, 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.600 amplifying this thiss there we go. Baby. Just imagine how 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:57.400 much more that would be, how much more of those 0:13:57.480 --> 0:13:59.840 hits would hurt if you tick them off? What I 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:02.079 the bottom He was a ball hawk bro out on 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:04.720 the field, always around the ball, no matter what the 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:05.560 situation was. 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:07.000 He was a deep safety. 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:08.880 And let me tell you he was in the backfield 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.440 more than he was back in his own backfield. On 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:13.920 the dee from the side of the ball, making sacks, 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:17.240 making tackles for losses, and well I really loved the 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:17.880 bottom too. 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:21.520 Just knew how to jump the snap. Yeah, by the time, 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:22.560 better than anyone. 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:23.840 He time snaps. 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:27.240 Like there's like probably like five six plays of him 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.480 jumping over the line of scrimmage on like a fourth 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:34.280 and one and grabbing the quarterback and getting a head 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.440 start for the QB sneak like. He was just a 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:40.480 guy that knew the football, always around the football, blew 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:44.040 up screens, he was playing in the box always, he 0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:46.960 was tough in the run game. He was a great blitzer. 0:14:47.080 --> 0:14:49.560 I would say he's a top five, top three blitzer 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:51.480 blitzing safety of all time. 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.600 Never, you know, rarely missed a tackle. Do you think 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.000 he could have played receiver because just the way that 0:14:57.120 --> 0:14:59.400 he was such a ballhawk and the you know, the 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:00.720 ball skill that he possessed. 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:02.600 Probably because he you know, he would have been a 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:05.400 great slot you know, he knows coverage and those guys. 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:08.520 He's very instinctive with space in the field. He always 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:11.680 made tough catches. It's it's different when the ball's coming 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:13.360 to you. But you know, who are the other top 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:13.960 blitzers you. 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:16.800 Think Jamal Adams was a really good blitzer and you 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:20.000 know a more a more recent guy who he was vicious, 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:22.760 he was strong, he was a bulldozer coming through the middle. 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:24.480 He touched me out the club a few times. Yeah, 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:27.240 I saw that. I was right there, remember that. Yeah, 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:30.080 I mean but you you you didn't back down, dude, 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:30.960 And he was a young buck. 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:31.560 You were hurting. 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:33.960 I remember, you were hurting, but you still gave it 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:37.040 to him. He could come in. He had himself out 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:37.440 the play. 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:39.040 He would he would himself out. 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:41.720 He would literally blow me up, Like I go in 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:43.920 to get the force. He would blow me up. He 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:46.640 would run for fifteen right by him, like you know 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:47.040 what I mean. 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:49.560 Well, that's what makes Troy Polo Malu so great is 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:51.840 that he would make those guesses and he would blow 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:55.080 up the play, but he's also making the play. Yeah, 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.600 he's not missing, and if he does miss, he's forcing 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:00.360 the play to go back inside, or the to go 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:02.480 outside or wherever he needs it to go. So then 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:05.160 his teammates can make the play because of what he did, 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.040 the force that that play to go where it was going. 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:11.200 Just a wizard with the knowledge of the game. Unbelievable 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:12.400 dude in coverage. 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:17.080 These safeties, especially in this division AFC North, they were 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:21.080 like fun football players to watch. When you watched Troy 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:24.560 Paulamalu or like an Ed Reid or the you know, 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:27.480 these are the guys that we played against and that 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:29.920 are from our generations, so we know these guys. But 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:31.840 you could say that about like the Ronnie lots of 0:16:31.880 --> 0:16:36.440 the back days, the at Wells, the Lynches, when you 0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:39.640 always had great safety like play, it was like fun 0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:45.000 guys to watch interceptions, big hits, you know, fumble recoveries. 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:47.480 He just did it all and he was like a 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:51.440 heartbeat a lot of those great defenses Pittsburgh Steelers had. 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:55.320 I went to high school, actually my senior year in Pittsburgh. 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.520 I'm All Pro or All State whatever defensive ends. So 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:01.960 I get invited to this, you know, Pittsburgh galla off 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:05.880 for high school football athletes. And then who's there, Troy 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.320 polam Malo. Who's up on the stage. It's a dinner. 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.840 Everyone's recognized, and then Troy Polamalu gives a speech and 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:15.359 unbelievable speech. What a guy, What a guy? About faith, 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:17.880 about doing the right thing. All the good stuff gets 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.560 around of applause. Absolutely loved in Pittsburgh. This guy I 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:25.199 loved him. Who didn't love even when I was facing him, 0:17:25.240 --> 0:17:28.200 I loved him. I'm sitting there. I'm sitting there though, 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:31.000 just like looking at the best safety in the game, 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:32.520 one of the best safeties in the game. And I'm 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.720 in high school and I'm sitting there and he's giving 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:37.480 the speech round of applause, and I just literally want 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:39.400 to go up to him and tell him, Hey, I'm 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:42.240 Rob Gronkowski. I'll be seeing you in a couple of years. 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:44.440 I wanted to say that to him. 0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:45.280 How does hair look? 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.840 It was good, looks exactly how it was every single 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:51.520 day that he was playing all the way to this day. 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:55.000 Great hair, unbelievable. So just full circle moment. It was 0:17:55.040 --> 0:17:57.080