WEBVTT - Pats from the Past, Episode 33: Richard Seymour 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:09.960 It's time for another episode of Patch in the Past podcast. 0:00:10.000 --> 0:00:13.360 Matt Smith down in beautiful Swanee, Georgia, home of number 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:17.160 ninety three Richard Seymour, who in just a few short 0:00:17.200 --> 0:00:20.040 months will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:22.560 Thanks for letting us come down here, and really want 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:23.400 to thank you for your time. 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:24.400 Greatly appreciate it. 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.440 No, well, actually I was glad to get you out 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:30.200 of what I know. It's not snowing, not yet. Yeah, 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:33.280 it's not snowing, so it's good for you guys to 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:36.360 come down and get some of this Georgia's son. 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:38.400 Yeah, and we can understand why you would want to 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:40.720 make this your home beautiful. It's a beautiful home. 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:41.720 No, thank you so much. 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:43.479 We're just going to have a conversation here Richard and 0:00:43.520 --> 0:00:47.720 talk about football and the Hall of Fame deal. When 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:50.640 did it become apparent to you? Do you remember when 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.959 it was me and I really love this, I love football. 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:56.840 Do you remember was there a time where it sort 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:59.360 of clicked for you, like this is something I really 0:00:59.360 --> 0:00:59.840 love to do. 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:04.080 As a kid, I'd say that as a kid, I 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:07.600 remembered football was really big in our family and my 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:12.440 dad's played my uncle's. It was really big in our community. 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:16.600 I didn't play when I was younger because I was 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:19.039 too big to play with kids my age. But also 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.920 at the same time, my dad didn't want to push 0:01:21.959 --> 0:01:23.920 me up to play with the bigger kids because he 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:26.160 was afraid that was gonna take my confidence away. So 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:29.040 long story short, I didn't end up playing until high school. 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:32.759 And I told the story when I got inducted into 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:35.600 the Patriots Hall of Fame that the first time my 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:39.520 mom took me to play football, I didn't even get 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:41.280 out of the car and I was in the eighth grade. 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:44.960 I was going to play against the high schoolers. And 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:47.200 you know, I still tease her about that to this day. 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:51.600 But believe it or not, I knew I was destined 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:54.520 to do it because I had the passion. I had 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:58.000 the love. I knew. I thought I had the ability. 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:00.600 I mean, I didn't know where I compared to other 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:04.440 guys that played my position, but I knew I had 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:07.080 the passion and the drive. And I think in life, 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.960 no matter regardless of what you do, if you if 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:15.200 you have a relentless determination, you have a drive. You know, 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.400 I had the support system from my family so I 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:22.880 had everything that I felt like it took, but I 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:24.040 still didn't get out of the car. 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:26.359 Some of them had to push out of the car. 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:31.359 As you told everybody back in August, Yeah, when did 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:33.880 you so you said you thought you could be good 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:35.960 at it? When did you know you were good at it? 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:37.760 What was there a moment you said you know what 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:38.960 I belonged. 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.600 I think in high school it was. 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:45.560 I think it was around my junior year because when 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:48.560 I got to high school, like, I played basketball all 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.200 my years that well, my first three years I played basketball, 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:55.560 but most of my classmates they were actually taller than 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:59.880 me when I first got to to high school. So 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:02.480 my freshman and sophomore year they were taller than me. 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.480 But my junior year, if you look at those pictures, 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:08.239 my junior year, I just hit a growth spurt, and 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.680 I think every I think my body started to catch up. 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:14.760 I started getting the weight room and started to do 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:18.640 you know, agility drills and start to train in my body. 0:03:18.720 --> 0:03:22.920 And then once that happened for me, it was like, Okay, 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:27.440 I think I can be pretty special because all of 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:32.040 the other stuff was there, I just wasn't physically ready 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:34.680 to do it. But once all of it came together. 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:37.160 It was like, I think I can be pretty decent 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:38.040 at this and. 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:40.520 Help you understand if you wanted to take it to 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:41.200 the next level. 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:43.920 Yeah, no, certainly, so I'll back up for step. 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:46.960 Even before I got to Georgia, So my senior year 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:50.320 of high school, my dad got me a trainer. And 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:53.280 the trainer that I got, I mean he worked at 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:56.040 University of South Carolina at the time, but he would 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:58.560 also train guys on the side as well. So my 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:01.160 dad got me the trainer and by the way, he'll 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:06.200 be at the my induction speech. But he gave me 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:09.680 a lot of confidence because he trained college athletes and 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:12.880 he said, hey, Richard, you having a unique ability. I've 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:16.120 seen a lot of guys if you push yourself and 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.240 you train hard and you work hard in the summers, 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.640 you know, I've seen like guys who went on to 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:24.760 the next level. And I'm just telling you, you have 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:29.800 an ability to stand out, and you know, so I 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:31.760 took that. I think that gave me a lot of 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:33.080 confidence at that time. 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:33.640 Motivation. 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:35.600 Yeah, no, certainly, it was a lot of motivation. 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:39.440 And I just I've always been a competitor and I 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:43.320 love to compete. I hate to lose, but I still 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:46.839 had a lot to learn, and when I got to 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:49.000 the University of Georgia, I think I just started to 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:50.279 hone in on those skills. 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:53.080 So he had come from the University of Georgia, one 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:55.360 of the top ten national champions this year. 0:04:55.360 --> 0:05:00.800 But say that again, champion. There we go, all right, 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:01.840 thank you, But it's a. 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:05.600 Legitimate college football program. And I remember the video of 0:05:05.720 --> 0:05:08.600 you walking up the stairs at the old Foxborough Stadium 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:10.760 and Coach belichicks at the top to shake your right. 0:05:11.360 --> 0:05:13.279 Are you looking around at that point in time and 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:17.039 go holy smokes? Like I thought I could drafted into 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:19.920 the professionally? Did you think about that when you got there? 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:20.440 Right? 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:23.839 Well, no, here's the thing, so obviously, you know you 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:26.440 you think about recruiting now, and you look at the 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:31.840 facilities across the country that are not yeah no, I mean, 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:35.440 I mean they have every recruiting tool that you could 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:38.680 desire at these Power five institutions, and you know, brother, 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:42.919 it's Oregon, you know, USC Georgia, Tennessee. I mean, the 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.279 weight rooms are crazy. So when I first got to 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:49.240 New England in the old Foxborough Stadium, I was like, wow, 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:55.919 it seems like I'm taking a pay cuts. But but 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:59.039 needless to say, you know, right next door, you know, 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:05.560 mister was building Gillette Stadium, and I was very fortunate 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:07.680 at that time to walk through it when the foundation 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:10.240 was still going in and I still remember, you know, 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.080 mister Kraft saying, hey, you're going to be a really 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:16.719 big piece and a part of the foundation you know 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:17.520 that's going in here. 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:18.760 So that was pretty special. 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:20.880 Can you look back at that now? I mean, when 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:23.520 you're going through it, you're trying to figure out, you know, 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:25.800 I hear people talk about, you know, when you're buried 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:27.880 in the weeds, your rookie what's going on? But if 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.920 you look back on it now and you could see, yes, 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:34.480 you were a part of something that built that whole 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:37.880 thing that twenty years now after the fact, you were 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.000 one of the bed rocks and the foundations of that 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.200 whole thing. Can you look back at it and with 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:45.039 a little bit more perspective when you were buried after 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:47.800 you know, your rookie year and your second year moving 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:48.320 into that place. 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:50.279 Yeah, I think I can look back and reflect now, 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:53.960 you know, because as a player, you never look back, 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:56.800 you never reflect. It's always the next year, you know, 0:06:56.960 --> 0:07:01.000 never rested on your loyals, you know, like for us, 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:05.680 it was you know, you know, I think it started 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:08.080 at the top and Coach Belichick and mister Kraft and 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:10.960 had we had all of the right ingredients and we 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:13.520 had the right players, and you just name it even 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:15.520 I mean even to the fans, like it was important 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:19.320 to the fans and the community there that you know, 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:21.520 the support that we got all around the board, and 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:24.800 it was important. And so you know, for us as 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:28.600 as players, you know, I was very, very very fortunate 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.160 to be on a team with a lot of veterans 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:33.080 that taught me what it meant to be a pro 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:36.560 and showed me and they lived it and walked it 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:38.320 by example. And I can just go on and just 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:40.480 name you know, from Troy Brown with him again, is 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:41.200 Teddy Brook. 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:46.280 Had played the same position? Was Willie and Anthony Pleasant 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:50.360 especially There's two guys. How how important were they to 0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:53.160 help this young little buck coming from the University of Georgia. 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:54.120 Yeah, no, certainly. 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:56.360 You know, I tell everybody I was talented, but I 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.840 still needed to learn what it meant to be a pro. 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:00.520 And I was, like I said, I was very fortunate 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:05.040 to you know, come to a team with you know, 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:08.600 all of the ingredients in place from and here's the 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:11.480 thing a lot of people forget, but we were coming 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:15.800 off of five and eleven season, So it wasn't like, hey, 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:18.280 you coming, because anytime you're top picking the draft, you're 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.200 going to a team where you know, yeah, I me 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:23.440 the it's the reason that they got the top ten pick. 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:28.080 So for me, I couldn't have rode a better strip. 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:32.160 You know, from mister Kraft to Coach Belichick. You know, 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:37.280 at the time, Drew was the franchise quarterback. You know, 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:40.720 all of the star warks on defense, and you know, 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:44.520 Willy was the first guy to welcome me in. And 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:48.440 I remember getting there even before I met Coach Belichick. 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:50.560 I might have met Willy when I got picked up 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:52.800 from the airport and when I got when I was 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:55.560 born in it was a bubble in the back. But 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:57.960 he was the first guy that I met. And then 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:01.960 from that moment forward, like we've been together pretty much 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:05.520 ever since. And so like I said, but you know, 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:08.559 from Willidy, Anthony Pleasant, Bobby Hamilton, I mean you'd name 0:09:08.600 --> 0:09:11.800 it like it wasn't no young guys like I was 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:15.760 the youngest guy, right, you know, on the team and 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.240 because I think I was twenty or twenty one years 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:21.480 old at the time, and so you know, for me, 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:27.640 you know, reflecting back on that, like it was such 0:09:27.640 --> 0:09:32.400 special times and a lot of those relationships that I 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:36.160 cultivated then, you know, I still have to this. 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:39.160 Day as we record this a few days ago talking 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:42.760 about a special guy I'm going to assume was Romeo Crenell, 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:45.840 who is a defensive coach. Then as you're coming into 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:48.000 the league, Yes, how important was he do you think 0:09:48.040 --> 0:09:51.760 to your development as a real molder in shape of men? 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:52.400 Richard? 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:59.640 Yeah, No, you know, coach coach Crenell, he had he 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:03.480 had a father like demeanor. I mean he was you know, 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:06.720 he didn't get very loud, he didn't, but you know 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:11.480 when he spoke like, he was very knowledgeable and even 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:16.600 like our relationship transcendent football, Like we spent time, like 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:18.600 our family spent time because we lived in the same 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:23.920 community in North Alborough, and so you know, his wife would, 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.960 you know, lead my wife as well. We'd have Thanksgiving dinners. 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:31.440 You know, my mom and his wife would hang out. 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:36.880 So it was a very unique relationship and I respected 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:40.840 him as a coach. He taught me so much, you know, 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:45.160 but I remember before one Super Bowl, I think we 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:48.800 were getting ready to play the Panthers, and I still 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:51.079 remember it to this day. It was this pregame meal. 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:55.720 He came in, he said, we're getting we just we 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:57.360 were eating the pregame meal to get ready. 0:10:57.240 --> 0:10:59.440 To go to the stadium that before the fight in 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:02.360 the pre game. Yeah, this is before. This is before that. 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.079 But he said, hey, Richard, if you see something today, 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:08.720 you have the green light to take it. And I 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:11.240 still remember it like it was yesterday, because it was 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:13.760 like the third year in the league. Yeah, it was 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:14.400 my third year. 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:17.079 That's a wouldn't you say that that's a pretty big statement. 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:19.600 No, certainly it was. I mean that's why I still 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:20.760 remember it to this day. 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:25.280 And you know, he was just a guy that meant 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:27.719 so much to me in my career just in terms of, 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:33.760 you know, the wisdom, the discipline, the understanding of the game. 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.560 He was once a defensive lineman himself, and so like 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:39.200 he was just able to talk to me in a 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:42.920 way that it related. And he's still a differend to 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:43.440 this day. 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:44.200 What a career. 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:48.160 What a career for a guy who never really was 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:50.320 in the spotlight or anything like that to be able 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.640 to put in the time that he did, all the teams, 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:55.400 all the players, all the success he had. Truly, he's 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:58.400 worthy of, you know, a huge tip of the cap, 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:00.120 right and had a big influence on you. 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:03.840 No, certainly, I mean he was. You know, he's one 0:12:03.880 --> 0:12:06.840 of the best coaches that I've ever ever played for. 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:11.640 I don't know if they're like kids. You know, you've 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:16.000 got four kids, three super Bowl championships, and it's really 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:17.600 hard to ship that who's your favorite? 0:12:18.280 --> 0:12:22.120 Right, do you have a favorite? I don't necessarily have 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:26.040 a favorite. Yeah, right, they don't. They don't need to 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:31.320 see that, as everybody knows. I mean they're all different, 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:35.400 you know, different teams. You know every every year that 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:39.400 the journey is different. But for me, you know, the 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:44.120 most physical Super Bowl was definitely the Carolina Panthers. I 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:47.120 mean that game, I tell everybody to this day that 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:49.839 was the most physical game that I've ever played in 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:50.839 my twelve year career. 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:55.760 Did you expect that from them. 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:58.600 Well, we expected them to run the football, yep, But 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:00.880 it was like they played the game the right way, 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:03.000 like they were, they were tough. I mean you look 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:05.880 at the talent that they have, you know, so for 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:07.720 us to come out of there with a victory, Like, 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:11.160 you know, our offensive and defensive line had to be 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:13.480 you know, we had our work cutout for us. 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:15.319 But we accepted the challenge. 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:17.240 Right, Okay, I don't know if you rate the you know, 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.040 so I'm sort of asking and ran them a little bit. 0:13:20.240 --> 0:13:24.240 I think many people believe that of the run that 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.520 four is at oh four team is certainly among the 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:34.120 greatest teams in franchise history. So four versus seven, what 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:36.560 would Richard Seymour say? Was the better team? 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:38.160 Man? 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:41.360 The team that won it? I mean, you know, I 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:43.640 mean the team that won it. I mean, yeah, look 0:13:44.840 --> 0:13:47.720 to this point, I think you know, you give the 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:54.080 Giants credit. They were amazing. You know, every ball that bounced, 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:56.040 it bounced their way, like I mean, it went right. 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:58.040 But they earned it, like I mean, so no doubt 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:01.640 about that. You know, their defensive straight and you manure 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.360 and tuck and you know everybody, like they played the 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:07.880 game the right way, and so they'll give them credit. 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:13.680 Many coaches and players have a difficult time really expanding 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:15.800 on the victories. You know, the victories are great and 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:19.200 everything like that, but it's the losses that maybe stick 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:21.880 with them. Does your seven watch stick with you at all? 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:24.080 Does that game bother you at all? Or are you 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.120 able to sort of wash your hands and say, try 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.840 my best, they beat us, they were the better team 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:30.320 that day. 0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:30.760 And you move on. 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:35.240 Well, I think I don't. I don't watch any of 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:39.000 the highlights. I really don't watch the game of that 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:39.880 game at all. 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:42.640 I haven't. I might have seen the play here and. 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:47.000 There you were held on the uh yeah, yeah, yeah, No. 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:49.720 I mean, but I watch plays and highlights of the game. 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:51.240 But I haven't just sit down and watched any of 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:54.560 the Super Bowls from start to finish, wins or losses, 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.960 wins or losses. I haven't watched not one game. But 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:00.200 I will watch highlights and plays. 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:02.440 Because what is it I played in the game. I 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:03.360 don't need to watch. 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:07.240 It, you know what I mean? You certainly certainly. Well, 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:13.040 I'll say that I think I get more anxiety like 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:15.800 watching my kids play. Sure, they play sports, and like 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:19.880 I'm more intense and I feel it more because I 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.080 can't control it, or you know, you want to protect 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:23.840 them more, you want you know, it's it's a lot 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:27.000 of different things that are at play. But when you're 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:29.200 playing or when I was playing like I felt like, hey, 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.720 I'm prepared, I've done what I needed to do. I 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:34.440 can control, you know, to a degree, what goes on, 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.480 so I'm more at peace. But when I watch them, 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:39.560 you know, it's just it's totally. 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:42.240 Different internal emotions. 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:44.160 I remember my son, like this was his first year 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.520 of playing football, and you know, me and my wife 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.200 were going to the game and as the whistles, like 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:54.360 they had the coin toss. But I looked at her 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:56.880 and she looked at me, and both of our eyes 0:15:56.960 --> 0:16:01.440 are warded up, just because the moment. 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:04.480 It was pretty special. 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:07.840 I want to give him credit for saying it. I 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:10.760 don't think he's it's necessarily original line. But in the 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:15.200 Patriots Hall of Fame induction, Teddy bruce K was talking about, well, 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:18.720 it was easy to play linebacker in our defense. Who 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:20.360 was in front of me? I mean, if Richard Seymour 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:21.880 is in front of me, I think you got a 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:24.160 chance to make some tackles. When you hear stuff like 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:27.360 that from guys like Brew, I think Maddy p said 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:29.960 it about not only you, but Vince Wolfork's going in 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:33.320 this year. Certainly you know you're not a stats guy, Richard. 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:35.240 You know if somebody's going to open up some sort 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:36.920 of a guide or go online or something like that. 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:39.280 They're not going to see a ton of stats. But 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:43.080 the people who know the game, guys who you played with, 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:46.880 people who coached you, when they talk like that, is 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:48.560 there a sense of pride when you go, well, so 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:52.200 he appreciates it. He appreciates all the stuff that I 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:55.120 did help make our team better. How does that make 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:55.960 you feel when you hear that? 0:16:56.880 --> 0:17:00.080 We're when I played the game at the end of 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:04.520 to day for for wins, and that was our most 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:05.120 important thing. 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:08.800 Brother, It was. It wasn't never about you know. 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.680 The accolades or the Pro Bowls or you know, I'm 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:16.080 you know, for me, I think one, you know, it's 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:20.600 about a body of work. And it's also you know, 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:24.639 so I'm really proud of, you know, like being a 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:27.200 member of the All Decade team because that that says, hey, 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:29.200 you didn't do it like one year. 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:31.280 Or two years. You did it for a decade. 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:39.199 And so for me, it's always humbling to get the 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:45.439 respect of your your teammates, your coaches, your competitors, you 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:50.400 know guys you played against those Those accolades for me 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:53.280 are really what matters most like at the end of 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:55.919 the day, like you know, regardless and and trust me, 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:58.720 the Hall of Fame is great, but it's not something 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:01.200 that I can control at the end. Today, it's writers, 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:04.560 it's voters, it's it's where they are, it's their understanding 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:08.040 of the game, and I totally respect it. But also, 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:11.000 you know, the guys that I was in the huddle 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:14.159 with and the guys that I competed against, you know, 0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:18.400 people who were around you every day, right, Like, what 0:18:18.440 --> 0:18:20.880 do they say about you? What type of person you were? 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:23.439 You know, what what work ethic did you have? How 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:27.320 did you treat other people? You know, it's more in 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:31.240 my mind that you know, that's those are the real 0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:37.800 things that I embrace and you know, feel validated by. 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:40.920 You mentioned body of work. And we're here for the Patriots. 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:44.840 I think most people associate Richard Seymour as a New 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:47.960 England Patriot with the championships and everything like that. You 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:50.639 got traded to a team that wasn't the New England Patriots. 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:54.040 Certainly from a team success standpoint, it's not a comparison, 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:59.199 but the way you continue to play in uh, you know, 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:01.440 you were in Oakland at the time. I can't remember 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:05.479 where they were, but you still had a responsibility. You know, 0:19:05.600 --> 0:19:07.800 you were trying to do just as well obviously as 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:09.240 you were in New England, but the team didn't have 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:11.600 that much success. Do you look back at that point 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:14.439 in time where maybe the team wasn't as successful but 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:17.280 you did everything in your power and okay, maybe you 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:19.679 weren't on Sunday Night football every week like you were 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:21.719 in New England everything like that. But there's where your 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:24.520 pride really needs to come into play, because you were 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:26.720 on a team that maybe wasn't as successful as one that. 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:27.520 You would come from. 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:31.720 Well, you know, for me, I look at the big picture, right. 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:37.240 I was very fortunate to play in New England with 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:40.440 a lot of great players that taught me so much 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:44.160 about the game right and then also going to Oakland, 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:47.639 I was also able to share that knowledge. So the 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:53.000 fulfillment that I got from because my heart has always 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:55.760 been I want to be able to share the things 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:59.440 that I have. You know, whether it's financially or whether 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:03.879 it's knowledge, it's insight when you can bridge the gap 0:20:04.000 --> 0:20:07.840 and make the game better by transferring that knowledge to 0:20:08.280 --> 0:20:11.400 younger guys who were just as hungry like I mean, 0:20:11.400 --> 0:20:12.119 when's and losses. 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:12.720 That's happened. 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:16.520 But I mean that's that's that's not lights right like 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:19.520 you want to like I had, I had an opportunity 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:23.480 to affect guy's lives and had and wanted them to 0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:28.000 take you know, that knowledge and that wisdom that was 0:20:28.040 --> 0:20:30.359 passed to me and I was able to transfer to 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:33.080 them and hopefully they were able to give it to others. 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:35.120