WEBVTT - Andrew Luck 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:05.880 This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the thing. 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:12.639 Andrew Luck was the number one draft pick in the 0:00:12.720 --> 0:00:16.200 National Football League. Last year, he was hired to replace 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:19.400 one of his heroes, Peyton Manning, as quarterback of the 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:24.079 Indianapolis Colts. The hype about Luck was enormous, and many 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:26.720 doubted that the Stanford graduate could live up to it, 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:30.120 but Luck delivered, setting a new NFL record for the 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:34.080 most passing yards by any rookie. Luck also led his 0:00:34.159 --> 0:00:37.360 team to eleven victories and a spot in the playoffs. 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.280 This was a team that won just two games the 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:44.960 year before Luck arrived. Andrew Luck, a self described nerd, 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:48.200 is nothing if not level headed when he talks about 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:51.640 the transitions from high school to college to pro football. 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.000 They're definitely large differences along the way. But but I 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:56.760 also know a lot of the challenges are the same. 0:00:57.160 --> 0:00:59.520 I think fresh on my mind still. You know, first 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:01.720 singer key year, you know what what what what was 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:04.759 similar about rookie year to being a sophomore in high 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:07.560 school and starting on varsity you know wants to to 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.040 being in college and starting as a sophomore as well. 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:13.560 I think you know the same things presents of how 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:16.080 as a young kid, you know, how is a fifteen 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:18.080 year old kid do you play with? Eighteen year olds? 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:19.600 How is it? How is the nineteen year o kid 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:21.440 do you play with twenty two years? That? What you did? 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.680 And yeah? And how is the how? How was it? 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:27.360 And it it's weird? You know, you want to remember 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:29.240 what what do you remember about high school ball? So 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:32.280 I just wanted to keep my mouth shut you in Houston, 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:34.880 In Houston, which they do have like a somewhat of 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:37.679 a religious cult following, you know of high school football 0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:42.119 and touch it truly is and you know it's sensationalized 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:44.240 a bit with the movies in the in the books, 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:46.920 but people get into I mean, we had we had 0:01:46.959 --> 0:01:49.760 fifteen thousand people watching games for for for a bunch 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:52.080 of high school kids. Yeah, but but I do remember, 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:54.560 you know, being a rookie, thinking back to you know, 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:56.280 being a sophomore, how how do you how do you 0:01:56.640 --> 0:01:58.880 earn the respect to the guys older than you? You know, 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.040 how do you how do you go there? And so 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:03.000 would you say that's seen each step by the way, 0:02:03.000 --> 0:02:04.920 if he was proving yourself to people who when you 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.080 show up, the vets are there or the guys who 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:08.919 have a few more seasons under their belt and you 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:10.880 want to show them you belong there. No, absolutely, I 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:13.440 think describe it was like when you went from Houston 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.119 to Stanford the same thing, you know, one it's it's 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:17.400 it was. It was fun for me to be out 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:19.880 in California and you were a scholar. You did very 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.200 well in school. I did all right. I managed to 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:25.040 get by. I studied architecture, which was fun for me 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:26.960 and which I enjoyed, which you know, I don't much 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:29.840 better I think on projects than writing papers, you know. So, 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:33.120 so I'm glad I studied something I enjoyed. But do 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:35.400 you think that that kind of pursued academically, like something 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:39.359 that involves geometry and math and so forth, and measurements 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:41.760 helped you at a quarterback? I don't know. People have 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:43.640 asked me to compare the too it I you know, 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:47.320 it can't hurt, But you know, realistically, how much could 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:50.560 could solid a bath problem help at a football game? 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:52.359 It might be just intrinsic. How you just see things, 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:54.040 you know, when that guy's going deep over the middle, 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:56.440 maybe you're saying this looks like the Louve to me, 0:02:57.560 --> 0:02:59.400 and then when you went to Stanford, what was that 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:00.880 like you should have then when you talk about that 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:02.920 idea of showing up and proving yourself, what was it 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:05.840 like for you? It was great? Uh, you know a 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:08.840 lot of a lot of great people at Stanford. Everybody 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:11.000 has got such an amazing story. You know, you're you're 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:14.240 meeting princes and princesses of royal families from midd the 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.640 Middle East. You you know, you get classmates that are 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:19.840 inventing you know, apps and and and and doing all 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.640 these great enemating environment there it is and it really 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:27.120 they cultivate the environment of creating great things and people. 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:29.040 I think, and so I think, you know, as a 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:30.560 as a football team, we wanted to be out there 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:32.480 as well. And then in the athletic world, you showed 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:34.600 up your freshman year and what was your first year like? 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:37.520 The first year was great? Didn't play red shirt? And 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:41.280 which was which was? Which was difficult describe for people 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:44.360 exactly how red shirting works. So red shirting is a 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:46.560 process where you know, you go to school and everybody 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:50.240 has four years of eligibility to apply. Uh, but you 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:53.440 can red shirt a year which doesn't take away your 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:57.000 eligibility uh, one of those years. And but but you 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.480 still practice with the team, you still do everything with 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:01.200 the team. You're just not allowed to play in a game. 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.200 So it's theoretically year. Yeah, and then you go to 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:06.080 school for you know, be in school for five years, 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:08.040 so it gives you a year too, and you read 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:10.080 shirted your first year. I red scruted my first year. 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:13.440 I wasn't ready to play h and I needed to 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.760 get bigger, faster, stronger, you know, physically wise and also 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:18.800 mentally just catch up today. So when you come to 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:21.039 a school like that, when they take you there and 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:23.880 they and they recruited you, correct, and when they recruit 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:26.200 you to come, they recruit you. The red shirt thing 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:28.119 was something they had in mind. So at that level, 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:30.440 at the Stanford level, they have you come and they 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:32.600 say we're gonna bring you here and we're going to 0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:35.359 develop you for the first year. Yeah, you know, and 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:38.280 some guys in my class, we're we're good enough to play, 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:40.320 you know, as freshman. But but I know in my 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:42.680 recruiting process that that was a thought that came up. 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:46.120 The muscle up and get stronger, and and and mentally too, 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:49.240 I think mentally catch up to the playbook having to 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.680 learn that, and you know, the game is faster in 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:54.719 college than it is that it is in high school. 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:57.880 So it definitely helped, and I enjoyed it. And what 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:00.800 was that experience like because someone said that to me once, 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:02.520 They said that, you know, you go from high school 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:05.120 and you're a dominant player in high school. Then you 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:07.000 go to college and you're in a room full of 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:10.600 high school dominant players. It's uh. Was it really kind 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.880 of inspiring to you to see that everybody was faster 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:17.039 and stronger. It's humbling. Let's say that you get knocked 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:20.240 off your high horse very very quickly to everybody's in all. 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:22.480 So you go from being in you know, the top dogs, 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:26.560 probably starting on every everything. Yeah, and everything you've ever 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:29.520 played in the cheerleaders one a date, you know everybody. 0:05:29.839 --> 0:05:34.120 You go to college and you're just exactly so you 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:35.919 read shirt that year and then you come back the 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:38.840 second year and I'm assuming you were stronger and you 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:40.800 had development and did you and you felt better? You 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:44.240 felt strong? No, I think I put on like pounds. 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:48.680 You know, my mind was working much quicker. When you're 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:51.560 on the football side. I think we're getting ready, getting ready, 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:54.279 And what happens in that second year coach Harbaugh, Who's 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:57.320 who's whose coach? Game? Jim, he gave me a shot, 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:01.000 managed to to roll with it, got got to play 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:02.760 in all their games. I got hurt the last game 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.000 of the season and miss miss down on a ball game. 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:06.640 We had a We had a great running back to 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.720 that year. Toby Gerhardt, who's backing Adrian Peterson up in 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:12.320 Minnesota right now, did you get smacked around a lot? 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:14.240 I mean you're playing football at Stanford. What was that 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:17.200 like for you? That that threat every day and it's 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:19.279 a pure adrenaline when you say to yourself, I can't 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:21.560 think about that, I can't afford to think about that 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:25.080 where every minute you're out there. Do you think these guys, man, 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:26.840 they really if they hit me, it's really gonna hurt. 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:29.680 Like no, I think that. You can't. You can't let 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:32.080 yourself think about gun it. You have to. I think 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:36.160 as soon as you start getting skittish about about being hit, 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:39.080 then then your play is gonna plummet. Yeah, there's a 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:40.800 little bit of pride involved in it too. I think 0:06:40.800 --> 0:06:42.599 it's a football player at least at least in my mind, 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:44.680 I sort of enjoy getting hit every now and then 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:47.200 and being able to stand back up and say, okay, 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.520 you hit me whatever. Man, you know, yeah, I'm getting 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:54.840 back off down right. You didn't get me down right. 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:57.280 So so that I think, I think for a lot 0:06:57.279 --> 0:07:00.200 of players there's a bit of that. What did Hardball 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:02.440 give you was a coach? What would you say distinguished 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:05.080 him as a coach? I think, yeah, he built great 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:08.320 relationships with players, everybody on the staff. And and he's 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:12.120 he's an unbelievable motivator, you know, uh, And I think 0:07:12.120 --> 0:07:16.720 he doesn't and he feels guys you feel, you know, senses, 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:18.240 you know what's going to motivate them. I think he 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.960 was a great job of of of using different ways 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:26.880 to motivate different guys. H You always on game day, 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:29.080 you always felt like, you know, the guy was gonna, 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.320 you know, run through hell and back with you if 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:33.440 you had to. You felt like you had your back, 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:35.800 if you wanted to be in a brawl in an 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:38.320 alley you wanted, you want to coach hardball with you. 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:40.920 And when you went into the pros, because I want 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:43.480 to come back to when when you finished Stanford in 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:45.040 in a minute, but when you were in the Pros, 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:49.240 Pagana was very sick, and that was a big thing 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:51.040 in the NFL. That's a big story this year. You 0:07:51.040 --> 0:07:52.920 know what was that like for you with you when 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:57.440 you found out your coach was seriously, seriously ill. Yeah, 0:07:57.560 --> 0:08:00.520 it was. It was a little bit of an unprecedented situation. 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:03.840 I think when coach Pagano went down, Uh in week 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:07.720 three maybe had you seen it coming? No, no clue, 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:11.160 So everybody kept it quiet. Yeah, we didn't know. We 0:08:11.200 --> 0:08:12.800 didn't know. We you know, we we had we had 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:14.880 o we played a game, We had a bye weekend 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:17.880 or an early week so you know, we were off 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:21.560 for the weekend. Uh, we came back, you know, expecting 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:25.000 to see coach Pagano. They find out, you know, there's 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:28.320 a there's a doctor from from IU Health and and 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:31.960 and our offensive coordinator we called the place sitting up 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:34.440 there telling us, you know, coach Bagana sick, you know, 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:38.920 seriously sick, you know, with lukemia, and uh, well you 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:41.880 know see how it goes, and it was this is 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:45.839 an odd It was tough too, you know, tough, but 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:47.640 we were lucky. We had a lot of good coaches 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:50.120 rally you know, rally us. We managed to win a 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:52.400 couple of games, you know when when he was out 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:54.599 and uh, I know, I know as as players, we 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:57.120 felt like, you know, if we can just win, win 0:08:57.200 --> 0:08:59.200 this game, maybe it'll give coach bagan On something to 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:01.280 be happy about this. So there was yeah, yeah, there is, 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:03.240 I think and we didn't say that at the time 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:05.640 because I don't think we wanted to admit you wanted 0:09:05.640 --> 0:09:09.880 to be exactly. I don't think we wanted to sensationalize, 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:12.000 you know, I don't want to make it something it's not. 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:14.599 But well, speaking of sensationalizing, so you get to to 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:18.400 you finish out Stanford, how does what's it like when 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.040 you leave standard? Because you you you you read shirted 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:23.480 your first year, then played and you finished the Stanford 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:26.760 We didn't leave three years. So I so I graduated. 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:29.600 I had one year of eligibility left, but and you 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:31.439 didn't and it was time to go. It was time 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:33.480 to How did you know it was time to go? Uh? 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:36.760 You know my degree? I got my degree exactly really 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:38.840 didn't make any sense to stay? Yeah, it didn't. I 0:09:38.840 --> 0:09:41.680 had I had enough fun and then what happened? And 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:43.560 then tell me where you're sitting when that when you 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:45.560 find out what's going on for NFL. Was, how does 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:48.199 that develop? Yeah, it's it's a it's it's actually sort 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:52.240 of long process. And I was drafted before I graduated school, 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:54.640 so you finish your college season. I took a We 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.560 were on the quarter system at Stanford, so I took 0:09:56.559 --> 0:09:59.320 the winter quarter off to go train and prepare that 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:03.480 they have a calm buying. Uh where in Indianapolis, which 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:05.080 you know it was funny enough, was where I ended up. 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:09.120 It's not the manning passing, that's not that's a camp 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:15.400 and in Louisiana and Thibodeaux, but the combine it is. 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:20.640 It a really interesting, weird sort of dynamic where they 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:22.760 fly all these players and they have all the coaches, 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:25.680 they have all the team doctors, and it's three days 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:29.480 and you're there pick and you know this is before 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:31.240 so this is a chance for all the teams to 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.679 meet the players that to see NFL. It's not just Indie, 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:37.200 It's it's it's it's league wise. It's all the teams 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.760 flying in with all their personnel and I'll stay and 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:41.800 then the players sort of cycle through. It's were like 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:44.520 cattle in a meat market. Yeah, I remember, you know, 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:47.560 walking up on stage with nothing but my little Skimpy's 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:52.360 on and they announced, you know, Anthon's Secret runway exactly. 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:56.480 You're you're you're gonna stage with strength coaches, head coaches 0:10:56.800 --> 0:10:58.960 and all these coaches sitting and bleachers around you that 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:01.840 that you walk up in middle and it's you know 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:06.440 Andrew Luck Stanford University, you know, six four, two thirty five, 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:08.840 and guys are there with ads going, I don't like 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:14.480 the ratio to his rib cage, that they don't let 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:18.280 that rib ratio. God knows what they're saying. And then 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:21.080 you turn around, you and you walk off. That's just 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:23.680 one of the you know guys where you're getting a 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:26.880 hundred X rays on every part of your body. They 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:31.640 move your your knee this way. They have all your 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:34.160 medical records. You know, they're going back to Hey and 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:36.920 you know it says here in two thousand, six oh, 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:41.559 sixteen years old, two thousands, you know, yeah, you sprained 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:45.800 your right ankle. How did you find that you stole 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:49.200 that candy bar from the drug store when you were 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:51.440 a fourteen? We got that down here too. They do 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:55.960 I I a lot of private detectives, but which which 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:58.679 makes sense because there's so much money invested this teams 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:01.160 and the model. Yeah, so way, what's you're there and 0:12:01.240 --> 0:12:03.840 you you take your clothes off and except your underwear, 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.520 they size you up, You turn on, you leave. What 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:08.920 happens next to the combine? Then you then you go 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:12.280 do a bunch of physical you know, running a forty 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.959 throwing about a bunch of physical tests, you know, a 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:21.360 bunch of psychological tests, i Q tests, mental health tests. 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:23.560 What's like, what's the what's the quiz they give you? Now? 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:26.480 The test? Oh, what's it called the wonderlick? The wonderlick? 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:29.400 The wonderlick? To do that because because because because it's 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.160 presumed that the playbooks now were so complicated, they need 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:35.160 people that can literally together. But I think some put 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.240 it together better than others. Some do and then and 0:12:37.280 --> 0:12:39.360 then you know, some take stock in the wonder like 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:41.920 some don't. You know. I think different teams have different 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:46.040 ways of evaluating guys. So so that was an interesting experience. Uh, 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:48.439 then you sort of then you leave the comment. And 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:50.400 I had I had a fairly good sense that I 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:54.320 would be drafted number one by Indianapolis just from the 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:57.280 signals I was getting from the team and other things, 0:12:57.360 --> 0:13:01.240 and managed to you know, and then school started again 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:03.360 for me. So if you go and going back to 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:07.960 school and flying and you know, visiting teams and draft 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:09.920 happens in New York, which is which is a which 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:12.520 is a pretty neat experience. Describe what happened for you. 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.760 I remember walking out on stage and some people applauding 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.600 and some people booing. I don't know, you just NFL 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:21.720 fans boo. How did you feel? I mean, you knew 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:23.880 it was gonna happen kind of when everybody let you 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:26.160 know that in advance, everybody put the cats out of 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:27.880 the bag. But when it happens, at the moment happened, 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:29.720 did you just feel great? You would number one in 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:32.040 the draft that year? Man? Yeah, I felt on top 0:13:32.040 --> 0:13:34.600 of the world. I'm not gonna lie a little nervous. 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:36.640 I didn't want a trip. Walking out on stage, she 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:39.839 hugged the commissioners. He's into he's into these hugs. When 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.920 you walk on, glad you're there. It's gonna make a 0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:47.240 lot of money. Yeah, So so that was fun. I 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.160 remember I remember having a little a little pin that 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.319 my mom was trying to you know, little pen and 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:54.640 just trying to pin on my suit and she was 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:57.960 really nervous because he took about two minutes to get 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:04.439 you know, I don't go How did your dad feel? 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:07.480 Your dad was a high school quarterback, he played for 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.200 West Virginia, he played for the Oilers. How did he 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:12.679 feel to see you do this? That's a great thing 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:16.000 for a dad who's a scholar athlete as well to 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:18.400 see his son. What did he say to you? I 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:21.240 think he was very proud. He just said congratulations. I 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.720 don't remember specifics, but he didn't. She just he just 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:29.440 kept smiling. Yeah, he felt good. He did, and we 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:31.960 have a great relationship. It's easier for me having a 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:34.600 dad who played in the NFL and and and did 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:37.200 a lot of couple of seasons where he played, and 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:39.080 then he backed up Warren Moon for we did back 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:41.320 up Warren. He also backed up Archie Manning his roop 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:43.000 few years. So we have sort of a connection with 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.800 the man and family. Now, as soon as you you 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.040 the draft is over, I would assume there's a euphoria, 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:50.520 But you snapped right out of it because like it's 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:53.240 down to business now. Yeah, there wasn't for and then 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:55.080 I wish you would would have been down to business. 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:56.840 Had to go back to school. And finish up, and 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.280 you try sitting in a lecture. You know, after you've 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:01.600 been you've been drafted by a team, you have a job, 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.160 you know where you're going. Honestly, I honestly don't feel 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:06.760 sorry for you because I can't think of anything I'd 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:08.520 like more than to go back to Stanford having been 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:10.480 the number one draft again. So you go back. How 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:12.800 long are you back there? Back for maybe a couple 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:15.800 more months to finish that last finished Q? What time 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:18.440 of year is then you got the draft? Is win? 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:21.880 The draft is like April, right, and you gotta go back. 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.120 Where's the summer quarter? It was the spring quarter and 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:26.640 we finished up in mid June. So so you were 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:28.160 in the quarter and you went to the draft and 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.360 came back. So in the first it's draft, come back, 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:33.120 and then you finish and you're dub with Stanford. You 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.160 get your degree in architectic somehow right, they went me, 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:39.640 they went me past. You were good for Stanford. And 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.760 so now when do your report? Uh so we report 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:45.480 late July was when training camp starts. When you know 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:48.320 the actual that's the formal training, formal training. You show 0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:51.680 up for your first pro training camp. Now you are 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:55.480 in the center ring in ain't high school? In eight 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:58.680 college and ain't big ten and ain't it's professional football? 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:00.960 What's that like? I mean, did you're asked tighten just 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:06.040 a little bit? These guys are huge, they are They 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:10.720 are the apex of physical freaks. You know. There are 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:13.800 some guys that that are three hundred pounds that are 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:16.400 running faster than you know, running than your high school 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:20.520 running back, that are just that are just absolutely physical. 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:22.880 And you know, some of the guys you're walking along 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:24.760 a room, you're you're playing with thirty five year olds, 0:16:24.800 --> 0:16:26.800 thirty six year old with with you know, with three 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:30.120 kids in it in the house, and you know a 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:33.240 bunch of rookies are three years old that you know, 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:36.840 I don't know right from left. So so it's it's 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:40.040 it's a different dynamic than college, where you're sort of, well, 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:42.960 everybody's with your yeah, with you, with your your buddies, 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:45.600 you're going back to the dorm, you know, you're hanging out. 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:48.480 In the NFL, it's different, which makes it fun when 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:50.360 you win and come together as a team, you know, 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:54.360 because you really do have so many different types of guys. 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:57.160 And I would imagine that your teammates, I mean, on 0:16:57.160 --> 0:16:59.160 one hand, people in the pro like if you go 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:03.400 to college, it's just assumed under ordinary circumstances, certainly things 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:05.840 can change, but under ordinary circumstances, you're going to be 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:08.040 there for the four years. This is your team, this 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.480 is your this is your family. But in the pros 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:15.560 where people move on, where the teams have only their 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:19.320 loyalty to the players only extends so far. Do you 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:22.000 walk in there and people feel you out and you 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.240 earn your way into that family or do they treat 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:27.840 you like family and everybody coheses right away. No, it 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:29.919 doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen in the first day. 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:31.680 I will say that people gotta get to know you. Yeah, 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.440 you gotta get you know, I think you have personalities 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:38.639 come out and you know, see what meshes that, especially 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:41.080 during training camp where you're gonna have you know, a 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.320 hundred guys that are in training camp and then one 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:45.560 day you wake up and look and there's only fifty 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:49.200 three guys left, you know, just under half gone, half 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:52.159 or gone. And then that's when there there there is 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:54.560 a little bit. But but once the final cuts are made, 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:57.040 which is a those cut days are very sad days 0:17:57.080 --> 0:17:59.879 because you see buddies go. You see guys you built relationships, 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:02.720 you know, guys you admired. Maybe, yeah, absolutely, guys you 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:04.480 looked up to, guys that helped you out, you know 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:06.879 when you first walked in the door, and then they're gone, 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:09.400 and that fifty three players, that's when everything starts to cohes. Yeah, 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:11.640 I think I think that's when that's when you come 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:14.160 together a little more. But but still, you know, even 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:16.480 guys are traded in the middle of the season. You know, 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:18.960 guys are cut. Still guys are picked up. So it's 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:21.080 it is it's a lot different, you know, just to 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:22.639 what you said at that than than the you know, 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:24.560 you know you're gonna be in college for four years. 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:26.359 You know who's in your class, you know who's you know, 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:30.560 you know guys on the lot of familiarity. Now, one 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:32.800 thing I think about when I think about the NFL 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:37.080 is this idea of the biggest, strongest, fastest men hitting 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:39.879 each other in this very violent game. And the rules 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:43.360 have been changed in order to protect players, the equipment 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:45.840 has evolved. Obviously, there's a lot of discussion about concussions 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:49.480 and so forth, over a lot of brain injury research 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:52.680 and issues, and people donating the brains of their deceased 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:56.000 suicide victims, a little lot of heavy duty stuff. But 0:18:57.000 --> 0:18:58.600