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Speaker 1: Hi, everybody. It's West Durham and welcome to a special

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Speaker 1: edition on the Atlanta Falcons podcast network. Great to be

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Speaker 1: with my partner Dave Archer and LUKUSI number two Matt

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Speaker 1: Ryan joins us for this special edition. We're gonna have

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Speaker 1: a conversation here, okay, and since we can't start for

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Speaker 1: when the earth cooled arch, let's start with Oh, I

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Speaker 1: don't know, April twenty six, two thousand and eight. That

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Speaker 1: was a good day that Radio City Music called New

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Speaker 1: York City. Yeah, did you think you were going to

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Speaker 1: be the third pick?

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Speaker 2: So I kind of had a feeling my agent, Tom Condon.

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Speaker 2: These guys are all kind of clued into to what's

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Speaker 2: going on. And I remember being up there in New York,

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Speaker 2: which was it was really cool at the time. The

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Speaker 2: draft is much different now than it was then when

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Speaker 2: I was drafted, but there were six of us up

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Speaker 2: there in New York for the week getting ready for it,

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Speaker 2: and so like maybe Thursday or Friday, Tom Connon said

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Speaker 2: to me, he said, I really don't think you'll go

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Speaker 2: past third. He said, I think that the Falcons are

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Speaker 2: going to take at three if they're there. Saint Louis

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Speaker 2: was picking two at the time, Miami took Jake long

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Speaker 2: one and he said, the only thing I think that

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Speaker 2: could happen is Baltimore could trade to two to take you.

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Speaker 2: And so I was kind of like, all right, I

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Speaker 2: don't really know, you know, And looking back on it,

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Speaker 2: he probably didn't know anything either. He was probably just

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Speaker 2: telling me that and make me feel good. I don't

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Speaker 2: know how much validity there is to it, but you know,

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Speaker 2: you're still nervous even when three comes along. You know,

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Speaker 2: you're not really sure you know what's going to happen.

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Speaker 2: Then you gets a phone call and bam, you know,

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Speaker 2: next thing I knew, I was in you know, here

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Speaker 2: at Flowery Branch late that night, and it was a whirlwind,

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Speaker 2: but it was. It was a crazy experience, really really

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Speaker 2: cool experience, and you know, part of me wishes the

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Speaker 2: draft was always still there for those guys at New

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Speaker 2: York City at Radio City Music Hall because it's such

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Speaker 2: an iconic venue and special place. But it was a whirlwind.

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Speaker 2: It was. It was a crazy start.

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Speaker 3: How much did you know about the Falcons or how

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Speaker 3: much did you followed it? And obviously you were a

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Speaker 3: fan of the National Football League, but Atlanta in particular,

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Speaker 3: maybe even Baltimore. Had you looked at those places and

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Speaker 3: kind of studied.

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Speaker 2: Them a little bit, I mean studied a little but

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Speaker 2: like you don't know, like I knew the football teams.

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Speaker 2: I knew the coaching staffs from having met, you know,

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Speaker 2: with them during that draft process. But there's so much

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Speaker 2: more to it when you get here, you know what

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Speaker 2: I mean that you have no idea about the history

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Speaker 2: of the organization, the guys who had played. You get

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Speaker 2: to meet all those guys, you know, So I would

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Speaker 2: say it was limited, you know what I really knew

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Speaker 2: about the organization. And then you know, city wise, I'd

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Speaker 2: been to Atlanta twice in my life, right. I was

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Speaker 2: here once when I was recruited by Georgia Tech. I

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Speaker 2: came down for a visit with my dad, and then

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Speaker 2: the second time was when I played Georgia Tech. Yeah, which, yeah,

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Speaker 2: that was It was a good night for me, not

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Speaker 2: so much for Wes.

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Speaker 1: But in a coke bat all night long, threw for

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Speaker 1: like four to twenty seven or something.

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Speaker 2: You know better than I. We threw for a lot.

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Speaker 2: We threw for a lot. But so those are my

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Speaker 2: you know, kind of two visits to Atlanta. I honestly

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Speaker 2: grew up hating Atlanta because I was a Phillies fan

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Speaker 2: and the Braves basically dominated the Phillies, you know, my

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Speaker 2: entire existence. So uh, it was. I didn't know a

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Speaker 2: ton if if I'm being completely honest when I got

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Speaker 2: down here, and you know, I haven't looked back since though.

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Speaker 1: All right, there was a legend that you had texted

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Speaker 1: your mom after the game at Georgia Tech in September

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Speaker 1: of seven, Yeah, saying I really like this city. I

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Speaker 1: think I could see myself living here.

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Speaker 2: I said it to my I wouldn't have texted my mom.

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Speaker 1: Because my mom, what did you say it?

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Speaker 2: Or whatever? My mom, it was not correct. Text is

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Speaker 2: not in detebed. Well, she's gotten better. She's gotten better,

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Speaker 2: but at that time there's there's no chance. But I

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Speaker 2: do remember I think she might have been at the

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Speaker 2: game or something like that. And so afterwards, waiting for

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Speaker 2: the bus, I was, and and you know it, Georgia

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Speaker 2: Tech Stadium is so awesome that night, especially at night

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Speaker 2: game down there, you've got the skyline in the background.

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Speaker 2: We had this unbelievable night. I remember we stayed at

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Speaker 2: the Weston and Buckhead, which was like the nicest hotel

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Speaker 2: we ever stayed at at Boston College, and like, I'm like,

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Speaker 2: this is this place is unbelievable, right, And so I

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Speaker 2: remember saying to my mom, I'm like, I really like

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Speaker 2: this city. It's it's you know, obviously we had a

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Speaker 2: good experience on the football field, but it was a

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Speaker 2: beautiful September night, like you couldn't have dialed up a

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Speaker 2: better time of the year. So I recall saying something

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Speaker 2: of that. My mom certainly, you know, recalls me.

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Speaker 1: So Tanuda couldn't hold up the Blitz all night long,

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Speaker 1: blitzed an back in, couldn't hire, couldn't hold up Ryan

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Speaker 1: through for a billion yards.

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Speaker 3: And remember he made if he plays out of the

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Speaker 3: pocket too, which I don't think we're giving him credit

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Speaker 3: for sneaky.

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Speaker 1: By the way, note Rich McKay was at the game

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Speaker 1: that night. Was he comes upstairs and I'm still doing

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Speaker 1: Georgia Tech. Obviously, comes in the radio booth, tells me, hey,

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Speaker 1: I'm going down. I got to watch the Ryan kid

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Speaker 1: warm up. And I'm like, okay, we'll see you at

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Speaker 1: halftime because I'll be gone by halftime. So he did

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Speaker 1: miss show. He saw a show in the first time.

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Speaker 2: I guess the warm up must have been pretty good too.

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Speaker 1: Then, yeah, the warm up.

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Speaker 3: Usually when you've warm up really well, you don't play that.

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Speaker 2: That's what I was gonna say. Usually my bad warm

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Speaker 2: ups were the best performances. The good warm up should

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Speaker 2: go into that locker room and be like, oh god,

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Speaker 2: this concur with that.

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Speaker 3: Matt you were you signed really quickly up for a

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Speaker 3: number one draft pick, especially in that era when the

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Speaker 3: monies were still negotiating, Yeah, why why did you? Why

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Speaker 3: did that happen?

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Speaker 1: Well?

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Speaker 2: Number one? You know, looking back it was it's so different.

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Speaker 2: It was so different then than it is now, right,

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Speaker 2: Like the changes in kind of slotting the draft and

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Speaker 2: what guys are going to be paid and kind of

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Speaker 2: that whole thing has changed. And so the going back

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Speaker 2: to it, the narrative was that quarterbacks are going to

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Speaker 2: be holdouts because there's going to be this back and

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Speaker 2: forth and negotiations. And I think I have to give

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Speaker 2: credit to both sides, right, I think both sides felt like, hey,

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Speaker 2: we don't want that, you know, we with all that

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Speaker 2: had gone on here in Atlanta prior to me getting here,

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Speaker 2: I think it was let's get this done. Let's figure

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Speaker 2: out what works, you know, and let's not have any

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Speaker 2: distractions heading into training camp. And that was certainly what

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Speaker 2: I wanted, you know, from my end too, was to

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Speaker 2: you know, I was twenty two when I got drafted,

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Speaker 2: Like I just all of it sounds good to me,

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Speaker 2: right like that, all of it. I don't know anything

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Speaker 2: about this negotiating, but like the first the first offer

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Speaker 2: sounds great. So it was. It was all exciting. It

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Speaker 2: was all good, and I wanted to get it done

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Speaker 2: and really, you know, much like the rest of my career,

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Speaker 2: not really have those things be a distraction ever.

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Speaker 1: And I was.

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Speaker 2: Lucky, you know that it it never really was. Contracts

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Speaker 2: were never I'm so fortunate to you know, have had

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Speaker 2: the contracts that I had. But both sides had to

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Speaker 2: be a part of it, and it was always great dealing,

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Speaker 2: you know, with the organization.

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Speaker 1: You came in here obviously at a very volatile time.

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Speaker 1: You knew that you were well aware of the scenario.

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Speaker 1: You were involved in a quarterback competition that went all

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Speaker 1: the way through the preseason up until like ten days

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Speaker 1: before the start of the regular season, as I recall,

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Speaker 1: But yet you kind of came in here and melted

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Speaker 1: into the team chemistry pretty well for rookie David. I've

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Speaker 1: always talked about your ability to come in here and

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Speaker 1: adjust and be quickly integrated into the professional rank. I

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Speaker 1: thought was one of his one of your biggest traits.

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Speaker 3: Man.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think, you know, I grew up

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Speaker 2: playing team sports, and I think, you know, while it's

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Speaker 2: different at the professional level, when you've been on teams

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Speaker 2: your whole life, you understand what it is to be

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Speaker 2: a teammate and you know you've you've got to be

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Speaker 2: one of the guys, and you know, you understand that

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Speaker 2: whatever role it is that you're asked to do, you

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Speaker 2: got to you gotta play your role well. And I

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Speaker 2: you know, I was always comfortable, you know, with that,

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Speaker 2: and even at a young age, kind of comfortable in

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Speaker 2: my own skin just being who I was. And I

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Speaker 2: think that's the key. I mean, Archie can speak to it,

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Speaker 2: being in the locker room for a long time. You know,

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Speaker 2: when guys are trying to be something that they're not,

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Speaker 2: it doesn't usually work out that well. And so I

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Speaker 2: think you just have to be yourself and that that's

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Speaker 2: what I tried to be. Listen, you know, look at

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Speaker 2: the guys who are doing it the right way. Like

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Speaker 2: I think back to that locker room I walked into

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Speaker 2: in two thousand and eight, Todd McClure, I mean Falcons

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Speaker 2: Ring of honor guy, but maybe the best person on

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Speaker 2: the planet. I mean, just a good, good human being,

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Speaker 2: the ultimate guy to learn from. You know, Roddy White

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Speaker 2: energy for days, and I mean just starting to scratch

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Speaker 2: the surface of who he was as as a player,

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Speaker 2: but I mean competitor and like not scared of anything.

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Speaker 2: You see that, then you see you know John Abraham

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Speaker 2: on the other side. He does it a completely different way,

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Speaker 2: but knows how to produce, you know, week in and

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Speaker 2: week out. You got Keith Brooking who was here in

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Speaker 2: my rookie year. Brooke was you know, ten plus years

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Speaker 2: in the NFL. He was kind of, you know, one

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Speaker 2: of the faces of this organization for the better part

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Speaker 2: of a decade. Wide receiver room too. You have Brian

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Speaker 2: Finner and old. I love Finn. He was old to

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Speaker 2: me at the time. Now that you know.

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Speaker 1: It's old, you know.

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Speaker 2: But him kind of you know, teaching me the ropes.

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Speaker 2: Michael Jenkins, a really mature, you know, fourth or fifth

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Speaker 2: year guy in that stage. There were so many good

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Speaker 2: examples of what it looked like to be a professional

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Speaker 2: around me. So it was easy for me to say, Okay,

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Speaker 2: I've got these examples. I can lean on them for

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Speaker 2: advice in different situations. And and then also like I'm

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Speaker 2: here to be the guy, you know, and and not

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Speaker 2: shying away from that from the start, like I respect

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Speaker 2: that you guys are in these spots in your career,

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Speaker 2: but we all know playing on football teams, they're looking

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Speaker 2: to you. And I was. I was confident myself, probably

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Speaker 2: you know, naively so, but felt confident in my ability

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Speaker 2: and and felt confident in the way that I interacted

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Speaker 2: with my teammates.

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Speaker 1: So let's buy a sound system for the locker room.

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Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, just walk us through the legend. That

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Speaker 3: is Matt Ryan's sound system for the for the offensive line.

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Speaker 2: It's still in there, which which yeah, which with all

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Speaker 2: the changes to this building, the fact that that sound

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Speaker 2: system is still in there, I am very proud of.

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Speaker 2: It was built to last. Yeah, uh, and it cost

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Speaker 2: enough to last. It should have lasted. But so I remember,

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Speaker 2: I remember I was it was OTA's or something like

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Speaker 2: that was sometime before we broke For the four or

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Speaker 2: five weeks you get off before training camp, and I

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Speaker 2: walked into the locker room and I was sitting at

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Speaker 2: my locker, which you guys know, in that old locker room.

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Speaker 2: I was right on that, you know where you walk

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Speaker 2: in past the equipment room. And so I'm sitting there's

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Speaker 2: probably like six fifteen in the morning, and it's dead

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Speaker 2: silent in there, and Lawyer malloy Ah the law dog,

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Speaker 2: walks right past me and he's like, hey, you hear that.

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Speaker 2: And I'm like, no, like hear what he's like exactly.

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Speaker 2: He's like, this place needs a sound system. And I

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Speaker 2: was like, oh, okay, didn't think anything of it whatever,

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Speaker 2: And so then like the whole day, I'm kind of

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Speaker 2: thinking about it. I'm like, I think he's telling me

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Speaker 2: to buy a sound sap. I think that's what he

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Speaker 2: was saying. So I kept my mouth shut. And we

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Speaker 2: break after mini camp and we've got that stretch of

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Speaker 2: time off, and I go to Brian Boigner, who's the

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Speaker 2: head equipment manager, and I said, boygs, like, what do

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Speaker 2: we gotta do to get a sound system? Can we

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Speaker 2: get it done in the four or five weeks, you know,

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Speaker 2: while we're off? And he said, yeah, we can probably

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Speaker 2: do that, and so I give credit to Boygs. I mean, yes,

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Speaker 2: I paid for it, but Boy's actually did the work

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Speaker 2: and you know, got whatever set up to get it done.

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Speaker 2: So we come back for training camp and I come

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Speaker 2: in like a day or two early, and I'm like,

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Speaker 2: can I hear it? And they like turn it on,

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Speaker 2: like all right, perfect, this is good. It's a good

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Speaker 2: sound system. And so I'm sitting there at my locker.

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Speaker 2: I'll never forget it. I'm sitting there at my locker

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Speaker 2: just waiting for a lawyer to walk I cannot wait

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Speaker 2: for him to walk in. And he does, and I've

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Speaker 2: got the whole equipment room keyed up to kind of

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Speaker 2: turn it on as soon as he comes in, and

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Speaker 2: they fired up and the bass is pumping and we've

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Speaker 2: got music Blair and he just looks at me and

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Speaker 2: he's like, well done, well done. So it was. It

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Speaker 2: was a cool thing. But I mean, you know, it's

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Speaker 2: changed a lot in the NFL. But I think some

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Speaker 2: of that old school I wouldn't even say that was hazing.

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Speaker 2: There was more of that like that that went on,

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Speaker 2: but that old school, like you've got to you got

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Speaker 2: to earn your stripes, you gotta you gotta do some

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Speaker 2: of those things. I always liked that kind of stuff

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Speaker 2: and I love being able to do it in the

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Speaker 2: position and you know, being in the position to be

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Speaker 2: able to do it. Yeah, no question about it.

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Speaker 1: We get to your rookie season. Yeah, football, Do you

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Speaker 1: remember do you remember the first pass of your senior

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Speaker 1: year at Boston College?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, pick six?

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Speaker 1: Wake Forest Antoine Smith.

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Speaker 2: Yes, correct, And I'll never forget. So the day before, yeah,

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Speaker 2: Friday before. Steve Logan was our offensive coordinator who was

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Speaker 2: awesome and I'll never forget. He sat me down after

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Speaker 2: our walkthrough on Friday and he was like, hey man,

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Speaker 2: you're the best player in the country. And he goes,

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Speaker 2: if I have to throw the ball eighty times tomorrow,

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Speaker 2: we're going to throw it eighty times. He's like, I

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Speaker 2: have so much faith in what you're doing or whatever.

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Speaker 2: And I then start off with a pick six on

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Speaker 2: the first throw, and I remember coming to the sideline

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Speaker 2: and he goes, you got seventy nine more to go,

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Speaker 2: and I was like, perfect, let's go. Yeah, you know,

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Speaker 2: and little stuff like that as a player is stuff

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Speaker 2: that you'll never forget. And so yeah, I remember throwing

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Speaker 2: that pick pick six and then I remember throwing for like.

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Speaker 1: Four fifty that's exactly afterwards.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: So my question is this, given that the scope of

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Speaker 1: first pick, first pass of your senior year to the

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Speaker 1: first pass of your rookie year.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, today at the Georgia and all the Atlanta Falcons

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Speaker 4: start their forty fourth season in the NFL, fresh and new,

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Speaker 4: a new rookie quarterback getting Matt Ryan and a new

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Speaker 4: head coach at Mike Smith, and like college, Bryan gonna

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Speaker 4: throw first professional pass.

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Speaker 1: Cut Jacobs thirty twenty five, twenty.

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Speaker 2: Fifteen, ten five.

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Speaker 1: He lives in Atlanta.

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Speaker 3: His first professional pass is a sixty two year retract.

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Speaker 1: To Michael Jacobs.

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Speaker 2: That's the way you throw your first pack, man.

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Speaker 1: Wow, that's how you do it.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it sends chills down my back. I would

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Speaker 3: assume it does you.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so take me through it. Yeah. So in this

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Speaker 2: we talked about the pick six that I threw to start.

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Speaker 2: So on Friday afternoons my rookie year, I would meet

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Speaker 2: with Mike Malarkey after practice and we would talk through

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Speaker 2: the first fifteen place and I was like, Mike, you know,

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Speaker 2: first pass, I'd love to just get something I could

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Speaker 2: get a completion on right, like give me a flat

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Speaker 2: route or anything. And so we had this play up.

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Speaker 2: It was I think we called a zero strong sixty

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Speaker 2: two comet sink and so it was like I've scouted

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Speaker 2: Detroit on you know, first and ten first made first downs,

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Speaker 2: which I think that was right. Was we ran the

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Speaker 2: ball twice. We ran a first down. It was a

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Speaker 2: first earned first down. So Mike had you know, the

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Speaker 2: numbers out and he's like, there, you know, ninety seven

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Speaker 2: percent cover six, which is quarters to the field and

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Speaker 2: it's half into the boundary. So we have this curl

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Speaker 2: flat concept that's bet you know, designed to be quarters

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Speaker 2: on the front side. He said, I'm gonna give you.

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna give you a curl flat to the field.

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Speaker 2: You've run it since you were in eighth grade, right,

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Speaker 2: you can't you can't, like, I can't give you anything

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Speaker 2: easier than this. I'm like, all that's perfect, he goes,

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Speaker 2: but like the only other thing they play is kind

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Speaker 2: of this this cover three that they rotate too late

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Speaker 2: out of that look. And if you do that, He's like,

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Speaker 2: just alert the skinny post backside. If you're thrown in completion,

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Speaker 2: don't worry about it. You know, because skinny posts like

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Speaker 2: not the easiest throw to come out of the gate.

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Speaker 2: And I remember being under center and being like, oh,

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Speaker 2: rotating down, I think I gotta throw this skinny post,

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Speaker 2: and sure enough they did. I trusted what I saw

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Speaker 2: and that ball came out of my hand and I

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Speaker 2: mean it, it hit Jank, you know, right in stride.

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Speaker 2: And I remember running and celebrating and then being honest

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Speaker 2: with you on that clip, sitting on the bench being

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Speaker 2: exhausted from the celebration. I'm screaming, I'm running around. I

346
00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,560
Speaker 2: don't know what I'm doing. But it was crazy, it

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Speaker 2: really was. And you know what gets lost in that though,

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Speaker 2: is I think we only threw the ball thirteen times.

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Speaker 2: After that, we were like eleven or fourteen in that

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Speaker 2: game for a win.

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Speaker 1: So because Michael Turner ran for six miles, that's correct.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, times have changed.

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Speaker 3: Shit, the franchise record rushing that day over two hundred

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Speaker 3: and twenty yards rushing and you did only throw it

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Speaker 3: thirteen times.

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Speaker 2: In the game.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, but sixty two, seven hundred yards later, here we

358
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Speaker 3: are sitting in the It's unbelievable to think about that.

359
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Speaker 3: So from a rookie stamping so you go from that

360
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Speaker 3: high high where you guys blow out Detroit in that

361
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Speaker 3: first game, to the next week you go to Tampa

362
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Speaker 3: and they flat get after you.

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Speaker 2: I think I was like three is seventeen or something

364
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Speaker 2: in the first half. Those numbers may not be correct,

365
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Speaker 2: but it's not far off right, And I'll never forget

366
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Speaker 2: forget going back circling back to Lawyer Maloy, you know,

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Speaker 2: on the sideline. I mean, he is in my face

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Speaker 2: and he's saying, hey, man in this league, can't be

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Speaker 2: that guy last week and this guy this week. And

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Speaker 2: I'll never forget hearing that and being liked. I gotta

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Speaker 2: get it together. The thing I remember about that game though,

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Speaker 2: was we came storming back in the second half. We

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Speaker 2: gave ourselves a chance in that game, and him coming

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Speaker 2: up to me in the locker room after the game.

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Speaker 2: We lost, but he said, Okay, you showed me something,

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Speaker 2: And to me, I was like, okay, like I've always

377
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Speaker 2: known that was me, Like I'm not gonna I'm not

378
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Speaker 2: gonna back down. I'm gonna keep throwing it regardless of

379
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Speaker 2: what's gonna happen. But the validation from a guy who

380
00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:36,720
Speaker 2: had been a world champion, who had you know, done

381
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Speaker 2: those things. Yeah, that meant a lot to me at

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Speaker 2: that time.

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Speaker 1: I think he's one of the things Arts and I

384
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Speaker 1: always talk about in your career. It felt like you

385
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Speaker 1: found guys, and I know Days sometimes drew the analogy

386
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Speaker 1: of of when he got to Atlanta and started professional football.

387
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Speaker 1: You find those connective guys. It sounds like Lawyer Malloy,

388
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Speaker 1: Tom McClure. They could have been those guys for you

389
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Speaker 1: in some respect, oh.

390
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Speaker 2: No doubt, you know, and Lawyer just in a I

391
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Speaker 2: mean he was here a short time while I was here.

392
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Speaker 2: But you know, you talk about a guy like Todd McLure,

393
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Speaker 2: I mean, I was lucky. I played with two centers

394
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Speaker 2: for basically ten years of my career that were unbelievable

395
00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,680
Speaker 2: in Todd and Alex Mack. And how much those guys

396
00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,040
Speaker 2: take off your plate at the line of scrimmage, both

397
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:26,040
Speaker 2: in the run game and in the past game. It

398
00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:27,800
Speaker 2: was a you know, it helped me so much. But

399
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Speaker 2: Todd specifically in that first five years of my career,

400
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Speaker 2: you know, like I didn't really have to do much

401
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,840
Speaker 2: at the line, and he was rarely wrong, you know,

402
00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:39,560
Speaker 2: And it wasn't probably until my second or third year

403
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,280
Speaker 2: that I would say, hey, Todd, maybe you know I

404
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:44,440
Speaker 2: could get to that point. But it allowed me to develop,

405
00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:46,600
Speaker 2: you know, slowly, But you know there were guys like

406
00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,919
Speaker 2: you mentioned, you know, Todd McClure. But then you know,

407
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,119
Speaker 2: my second year you talk about Tony Gonzalez coming in.

408
00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:56,080
Speaker 2: You know, we trade and Tony comes in, and for me,

409
00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:58,320
Speaker 2: it's like, wow, I get to see I get to

410
00:19:58,359 --> 00:20:02,360
Speaker 2: see what first at Hall of Fame looks like every day,

411
00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:04,560
Speaker 2: and I get to pick his brain and you know,

412
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,440
Speaker 2: talk to him about different things. I think we're all

413
00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,160
Speaker 2: by products of the people you know that that were

414
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:16,000
Speaker 2: surrounded to and and so I was incredibly fortunate to

415
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,080
Speaker 2: walk into that offense in two thousand and eight, that

416
00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:23,359
Speaker 2: at Michael Turner, Roddy White, really tough offensive line, you know,

417
00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,080
Speaker 2: Michael Jenkins on the backside at our ex drafted with

418
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:27,920
Speaker 2: Harry Douglas, who was a hell of a player here

419
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Speaker 2: for a long time. There were a lot of really

420
00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:33,479
Speaker 2: good pieces, you know a lot of really good pieces

421
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,160
Speaker 2: and a coaching staff, you know that that that taught

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Speaker 2: me how to be a professional.

423
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Speaker 3: Well yeah, and it's fine to have guys around, but

424
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,240
Speaker 3: and this is his most I had a chance to

425
00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,400
Speaker 3: talk to this guy three times a week exactly every

426
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:49,360
Speaker 3: week he got tired of seeing. He comes again. He's

427
00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:52,960
Speaker 3: gonna But there there is a The quarterback has to

428
00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:55,439
Speaker 3: be the most competitive guy on your team, which he is,

429
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,040
Speaker 3: and he also has to be the glue guy that

430
00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:02,440
Speaker 3: can draw the competitiveness out of guys that might be

431
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,280
Speaker 3: not timid, but a little bit less than what lawyer

432
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,239
Speaker 3: malloy were. And that was something you were able to

433
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:12,800
Speaker 3: pull out of players. The game leinning drives thing, the

434
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:14,720
Speaker 3: nickname Mattie Ice and all stuff, and I know that

435
00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:15,960
Speaker 3: kind of was born in college.

436
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,760
Speaker 5: But take us into the way if you can the

437
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,840
Speaker 5: mindset you had four game lanning drives your rookie year.

438
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:25,639
Speaker 5: I mean the play against Chicago or you get the

439
00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,120
Speaker 5: short kick and you find Jink on the bench route, Yeah,

440
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:29,960
Speaker 5: to set up a game winning coup. Take me through

441
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,840
Speaker 5: the mindset there of what you need to do to

442
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,680
Speaker 5: make sure the other ten guys are locked in.

443
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:40,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you know. To me, it was always

444
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:44,560
Speaker 2: you just have to do your job really well in

445
00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:48,439
Speaker 2: these situations. And it was it was never like a

446
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:51,520
Speaker 2: hero play or anything like that. It was just, you know,

447
00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,320
Speaker 2: in every situation is different. You mentioned that Chicago play.

448
00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:59,520
Speaker 2: So I remember coming from the sideline and we were saying, basically,

449
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,040
Speaker 2: we're gonna try and run this bench oute. I think

450
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,639
Speaker 2: we had like six seconds. I can't remember exactly what

451
00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,080
Speaker 2: we had, but I think, yeah, it was It wasn't much,

452
00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:10,760
Speaker 2: and so it was like five or six seconds. And

453
00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,360
Speaker 2: really the coaching point was, hey, if we get cover two,

454
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:18,520
Speaker 2: which I was shocked, you know, and you see defenses now,

455
00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,359
Speaker 2: you wouldn't see this. They defend the sideline, right, The

456
00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:23,600
Speaker 2: defenses are different. But they were like, if we get

457
00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,439
Speaker 2: cover two, try and hold that cloud corner, so the

458
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,920
Speaker 2: corner who's sitting there onto the flat route and rip

459
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,040
Speaker 2: that bench. If we get anything else, you're gonna have

460
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:34,840
Speaker 2: to throw it away and we're gonna try and throw

461
00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,879
Speaker 2: something up at the end of the gate, like desperation

462
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,800
Speaker 2: type play. So in my mindset i'm out there, I'm saying,

463
00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:43,040
Speaker 2: all right, guys, this is exactly what we're gonna do.

464
00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:44,720
Speaker 2: If we get cover too, I'm gonna rip this bench

465
00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,360
Speaker 2: to you on the sideline, get your feet down enough time,

466
00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:49,000
Speaker 2: we're gonna kick the field goal and we're gonna win.

467
00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:51,040
Speaker 2: If not, I'm gonna throw the ball away immediately and

468
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,399
Speaker 2: we're gonna go to our end of game desperation play.

469
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,960
Speaker 2: So to me, it was always just it was very

470
00:22:57,960 --> 00:22:59,879
Speaker 2: black and white, you know what I mean. It was

471
00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,639
Speaker 2: I'm gonna do this, you know, and we're gonna do this.

472
00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,720
Speaker 2: Here's exactly, And that's really the way I would talk

473
00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:08,800
Speaker 2: in the huddle is here's exactly what we're gonna do.

474
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:10,560
Speaker 2: If we get this, you're gonna catch us on the sideline,

475
00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:12,160
Speaker 2: We're gonna do it. We're gonna kick this, and then

476
00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,240
Speaker 2: we're gonna go wait. And I was always shocked that

477
00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,159
Speaker 2: it actually happened, you know, like they come out, they

478
00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:20,480
Speaker 2: play that cover too. We have like a free runner

479
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:21,919
Speaker 2: two at my legs and I put that thing on

480
00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,879
Speaker 2: the sideline. Jank makes a great catch and Jason Elam

481
00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:26,840
Speaker 2: goes out there and knocks us through the pipes and

482
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:29,480
Speaker 2: we get the win. But I thought it was the preparation.

483
00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,760
Speaker 2: So it's a roundabout way to get to I thought

484
00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:37,959
Speaker 2: it was about us being prepared for those situations and

485
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,639
Speaker 2: being comfortable because of our preparation, so we knew what

486
00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,000
Speaker 2: we were gonna do. Here's our plan, let's go execute

487
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,480
Speaker 2: it and not be scared. Of the moment, And I

488
00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,080
Speaker 2: was surrounded by guys that weren't scared of the moment either, right,

489
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:53,399
Speaker 2: they were not scared to be in otical situations and

490
00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:54,280
Speaker 2: to make them plays.

491
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:55,480
Speaker 3: It's critical though.

492
00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:57,159
Speaker 5: That you'd know that the guy with the ball in

493
00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:58,560
Speaker 5: his hands is not scared.

494
00:23:58,680 --> 00:23:59,160
Speaker 1: That's it.

495
00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,440
Speaker 3: So those guys or bring me downstairs of the moment,

496
00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,480
Speaker 3: but they are if he is. And so your ability

497
00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:08,480
Speaker 3: to demonstrate an ability to just immerse yourself in the

498
00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:12,800
Speaker 3: situation right then and not look at the ramifications a

499
00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:13,960
Speaker 3: lot a lot of people.

500
00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:18,920
Speaker 2: Can go there. Yeah, I think, you know, I think

501
00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:21,920
Speaker 2: as a quarterback you're a bit of a salesman. Every

502
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,520
Speaker 2: play you know what I mean, every play call that

503
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:28,320
Speaker 2: comes in the way you call it, the way you talk,

504
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:29,840
Speaker 2: you know, the way you get your guys to the

505
00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:32,560
Speaker 2: line of scrumms. You gotta be selling that is this

506
00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:34,000
Speaker 2: is what we're doing. You got to sell it during

507
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,119
Speaker 2: the week, Here's why we're doing it, here's you know,

508
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,159
Speaker 2: and your coaching staff has a lot to do with that.

509
00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,240
Speaker 2: But the way that you think about it, right, and

510
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,960
Speaker 2: the way that you portray it, I think comes across.

511
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:48,680
Speaker 2: I think body language comes across, you know, to your teammates,

512
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:51,280
Speaker 2: and then I think the way you handle things when

513
00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:55,439
Speaker 2: it doesn't go well right that yeah, we didn't win it,

514
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,840
Speaker 2: but we're gonna win it the next time we get it.

515
00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,560
Speaker 2: I truly believe that, you know, I think that. I

516
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:03,639
Speaker 2: think that over time, you know, your teammates, you know,

517
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,840
Speaker 2: start to learn that about you, and it makes a difference.

518
00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,600
Speaker 2: And it was something that you know, honestly, I grew

519
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:16,840
Speaker 2: up chasing my older brother, right like, he was four

520
00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:19,280
Speaker 2: years older than me, played all the same sports as me,

521
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,080
Speaker 2: and it was I was just constantly chasing him, and

522
00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:27,320
Speaker 2: so there was a lot of losing. You know, yep,

523
00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:29,560
Speaker 2: But if you were going to play with these older

524
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:31,399
Speaker 2: kids and you were gonna do all of this stuff,

525
00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:33,360
Speaker 2: you were gonna take your lumps, but you better get

526
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,080
Speaker 2: right back up and get back in their face and

527
00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:37,480
Speaker 2: show that you weren't gonna you know, you weren't gonna

528
00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,040
Speaker 2: back down. And I really I think I learned that

529
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:41,840
Speaker 2: from a young age, and I just I don't think

530
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:42,520
Speaker 2: it ever went away.

531
00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:45,439
Speaker 3: I kept looking at moments during your career, you know,

532
00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:48,760
Speaker 3: the touchdown pass, your first play, and then trying to

533
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,119
Speaker 3: gather yourself emotionally to get back in the game to

534
00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:54,040
Speaker 3: go win a football game getting thumped and weak. Two

535
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,480
Speaker 3: the you know, game winning drives that you began to

536
00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:01,399
Speaker 3: become legendary for I think it forty six of them,

537
00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:05,119
Speaker 3: which is, by the way, sixth all time in comeback

538
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,359
Speaker 3: wins in NFL history, which begins to add up as

539
00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:10,480
Speaker 3: we get through this career of what he's done, and

540
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 3: there should be a gold jacket in the closet at

541
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,200
Speaker 3: some point here for this guy. But the next bridge

542
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,520
Speaker 3: was and I don't think you, I didn't know it

543
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,560
Speaker 3: was it. The franchise, it never had back to back

544
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,720
Speaker 3: winning seasons. And you go to the playoffs your rookie year,

545
00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,240
Speaker 3: lose in Arizona, but took the team to the playoffs. Here,

546
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,120
Speaker 3: you come back in nine and they start talking about

547
00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:32,479
Speaker 3: back to back winning season.

548
00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:37,320
Speaker 2: I know, I was like what, you know, Like how

549
00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:42,760
Speaker 2: can that be? And it was something. And so we

550
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,920
Speaker 2: go through that year, that second year, and we're good

551
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:48,560
Speaker 2: football team. You know, we were a good football team

552
00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,439
Speaker 2: kind of right. We were in the mix and I

553
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:56,160
Speaker 2: got hurt against Tampa. I tore I had turf toe,

554
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,480
Speaker 2: so I tore the ligam into my toe and I

555
00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:04,159
Speaker 2: think I met two games parts really parts of three games,

556
00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:07,400
Speaker 2: and we went oh and two while I was out.

557
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,720
Speaker 2: You know, I think we lost to the Eagles and

558
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:14,439
Speaker 2: and the Saints. I think I can't remember exactly, but

559
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,880
Speaker 2: I think I think that's who we lost to. UH,

560
00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:21,199
Speaker 2: and it kind of it it it kind of eliminated

561
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,720
Speaker 2: us from playoff contention. But I remember there was that

562
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,920
Speaker 2: last three game stretch, and so in order to finish

563
00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:30,159
Speaker 2: nine and seven, we had to win all three with

564
00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,280
Speaker 2: little or nothing to play for, as as you would

565
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:38,800
Speaker 2: see it from the outside perspective. UH. And I came

566
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,680
Speaker 2: back and and I remember we beat Buffalo, we beat

567
00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:47,640
Speaker 2: the Jets, and we beat Tampa to finish finish off

568
00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:53,800
Speaker 2: that season. And mister Blank, I do remember, I remember,

569
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,600
Speaker 2: you know, his excitement, you know, and and I know

570
00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,439
Speaker 2: it doesn't sound like the you know, sexy thing of

571
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,640
Speaker 2: all time to have just had, you know, your back

572
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,679
Speaker 2: to back winning seasons for the first time, but for

573
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:07,720
Speaker 2: him taking over the organization, I do think it was

574
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:09,600
Speaker 2: something he was very proud of of trying to get

575
00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:14,000
Speaker 2: this going in the right direction, right to create sustained success.

576
00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:17,080
Speaker 2: And so that was a big deal, you know, for

577
00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:19,720
Speaker 2: mister Blank, maybe not so much for the rest of

578
00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:21,399
Speaker 2: the players, you know, because we weren't a part of

579
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,440
Speaker 2: the you know, forty some years of history up until

580
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,919
Speaker 2: that point. But for him it was and I'll never

581
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:28,679
Speaker 2: forget that.

582
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:32,240
Speaker 3: Well, and it also became that moment for me as

583
00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,280
Speaker 3: a former player here. And part of the problem why

584
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:38,200
Speaker 3: we didn't have to stop it stopped was there's a

585
00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,560
Speaker 3: new mark. There's a new benchmark that this organization is

586
00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:44,760
Speaker 3: supposed to reach, and so Matt was a part of that.

587
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 3: With all his teammates he's talking about, but the ability

588
00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:51,040
Speaker 3: to take this to another level where their expectation level

589
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,440
Speaker 3: is not just winning seasons, it's going to the playoffs,

590
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:56,920
Speaker 3: which in twenty ten we got that rectified.

591
00:28:57,120 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think it's it's funny when we started

592
00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,720
Speaker 1: kind of piecing all this together, I mean, without going

593
00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:05,080
Speaker 1: Ralph Edwards, this is your life the whole way through.

594
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:09,320
Speaker 1: I mean, the next line seems to be like twenty twelve.

595
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:12,320
Speaker 1: Here you are. You've been to the playoffs a couple

596
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:16,200
Speaker 1: of times, it hadn't produced, but to win in the postseason.

597
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:17,120
Speaker 3: Yeah, we're rowing three at that point.

598
00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, I mean you you get to twenty twelve

599
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,200
Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden here's this Seattle game.

600
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,560
Speaker 1: Yeah right, yeah, and it's it's a real thing. I mean,

601
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,239
Speaker 1: this is like and yet all the things that had

602
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,959
Speaker 1: happened really since eight and the building and adding Tony

603
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,120
Speaker 1: and going through free agency and the cosmetic change any

604
00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:38,520
Speaker 1: team goes through in the National Football League. You get

605
00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:42,200
Speaker 1: to twenty twelve and things just start out gangbusters in

606
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:44,720
Speaker 1: this game. And then here's Seattle making this comeback and

607
00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,160
Speaker 1: they take the lead late and the next play we're

608
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:50,239
Speaker 1: going to run in this is a play that you

609
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,239
Speaker 1: guys have come from deeping your own territory late, and

610
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:57,720
Speaker 1: then you make this throw nineteen seconds left, Ryan, and

611
00:29:57,760 --> 00:29:59,920
Speaker 1: the gun takes a snap. See I'll bring a press.

612
00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:04,000
Speaker 1: Matt's gonna throw Gonzales to catch thirty five Tony tackle

613
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:08,920
Speaker 1: thirty one yard line time out. Mike Smith, Yeah, come on,

614
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:09,560
Speaker 1: I love it.

615
00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,840
Speaker 2: So this is gun trips right deep sixty eight shell

616
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:12,680
Speaker 2: not so they.

617
00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:14,240
Speaker 1: Remember going on on.

618
00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,000
Speaker 2: I mean, Tony, Tony probably had seventy catches on this,

619
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:19,440
Speaker 2: you know, during during his time with us. Maybe maybe

620
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,520
Speaker 2: that's an exaggeration, but he had a lot of catches,

621
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,160
Speaker 2: you know, on this play. The thing I love about

622
00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,120
Speaker 2: that clip, though, is you talk about it taking all

623
00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,160
Speaker 2: eleven and Jock Quiz Rogers block, you know, coming from

624
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:31,480
Speaker 2: the back side, there's pressure coming from the right. He's

625
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:33,479
Speaker 2: got a scan coast to coast, we used to call it,

626
00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,160
Speaker 2: starting looking on the left to make sure no backers

627
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:38,680
Speaker 2: are coming from the left, and then scanning and coming

628
00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:40,760
Speaker 2: back to the right and coming across in front of

629
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,200
Speaker 2: my face, you know, and Stone in the backer who's

630
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:46,080
Speaker 2: coming from the right side, giving me just enough time

631
00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:49,000
Speaker 2: for you know, me to push the ball down the

632
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,240
Speaker 2: field to get to Tony. But you know, it was

633
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:54,600
Speaker 2: that was a big deal, and it was a huge deal.

634
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,280
Speaker 2: And I'll never forget Tony after that ballgame, you know,

635
00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:00,560
Speaker 2: because you know, you talk about our journey as an

636
00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:05,960
Speaker 2: organization of you know, losing in eight to Arizona, losing

637
00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:08,239
Speaker 2: in ten to Green Bay who went on to win

638
00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:11,040
Speaker 2: the Super Bowl, losing in eleven to New York who

639
00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,160
Speaker 2: went on to win the Super Bowl. It was kind

640
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,520
Speaker 2: of that build up. And Tony was in year I

641
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:20,040
Speaker 2: want to say, fourteen or fifteen at this point, and

642
00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,760
Speaker 2: it had never won a playoff game, right and for

643
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:25,160
Speaker 2: him to make that play to be a part of it.

644
00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:27,840
Speaker 2: Matt Bryant to make that kick going through. After it,

645
00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:30,720
Speaker 2: there was a lot of really cool, you know, pieces

646
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,840
Speaker 2: of that, and it was the first that was that

647
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,080
Speaker 2: was the label, right, It was, yeah, you're a pretty

648
00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:38,320
Speaker 2: good player, but you haven't won any playoff games, all right,

649
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:40,520
Speaker 2: So okay, we can do it. We can come back

650
00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:42,360
Speaker 2: and win a playoff game, you know, and then can

651
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,760
Speaker 2: you do more? And so that was really you know

652
00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,320
Speaker 2: the start of it. But it's never going to be easy.

653
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:51,600
Speaker 2: That's the thing I remember, you know about about my

654
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:55,800
Speaker 2: career too, is that nothing, you know, nothing is given,

655
00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:59,200
Speaker 2: nothing comes easily, right. You got to earn every every

656
00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:00,920
Speaker 2: part of it. It's hard to do and that's why

657
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,440
Speaker 2: it makes making plays like that so rewarding.

658
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:05,360
Speaker 3: Well again, it hearkens back to what you learn as

659
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:09,840
Speaker 3: a kid. Let's get the culmination if we can, let's

660
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:14,960
Speaker 3: get let's finish this one off. No, we were do

661
00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:19,800
Speaker 3: we have the field goals? Anyway, the field goal and

662
00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,240
Speaker 3: I was living vicariously through you, as was every fan

663
00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:25,400
Speaker 3: that was in the Georgia Dome and all those who

664
00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,520
Speaker 3: were watching at home. Because Wes makes a great call

665
00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:33,560
Speaker 3: as Matt kicks it through to win it, and I

666
00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:37,720
Speaker 3: looked at I looked over at Wes and I said, Wes,

667
00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:40,280
Speaker 3: why do we live this way?

668
00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:43,520
Speaker 1: Was perfect?

669
00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,240
Speaker 3: It was just that was because we had been so

670
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:50,200
Speaker 3: they've been so close. Why are we doing this to ourselves? Yes,

671
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,280
Speaker 3: but it was just it was just a phenomenal moment

672
00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:56,160
Speaker 3: that I think everybody that will think back and hopefull

673
00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:59,160
Speaker 3: you guys enjoy this with Matt that you'll feel what

674
00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:02,160
Speaker 3: you felt at that time because we all win.

675
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:08,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, we made it hard on ourselves in that game

676
00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,520
Speaker 2: to be you know, find too. But you know what's

677
00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,800
Speaker 2: cool about that game, you know now seeing it from hindsight,

678
00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:17,280
Speaker 2: that Seattle team turned into that was the beginning of

679
00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:19,920
Speaker 2: that legion of Boom and Russell Wilson, Ryn and you

680
00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,280
Speaker 2: don't know that that's going to be one of the

681
00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:25,520
Speaker 2: premier teams, you know in the NFC. For that stretch,

682
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:27,800
Speaker 2: that was really the very beginning of it, right and

683
00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:29,920
Speaker 2: and for us to be toe to toe and then

684
00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,560
Speaker 2: go out there and find a way to get it done,

685
00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:34,720
Speaker 2: you know, it was special. It was super.

686
00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,040
Speaker 1: Special to feel like though in twelve it's your team,

687
00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,000
Speaker 1: you're already the quote face of the franchise. I think

688
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,520
Speaker 1: that term gets kind of loosely used sometimes when it's

689
00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:47,920
Speaker 1: not applicable, but you feel like, okay, I'm I'm kind

690
00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:52,480
Speaker 1: of directly responsible publicly for what this comes to be

691
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:53,200
Speaker 1: as a player.

692
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I I I probably felt that prior

693
00:33:56,520 --> 00:34:04,440
Speaker 2: to twelve. Okay, I think that I always was cognizant

694
00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:07,760
Speaker 2: of the fact that being a quarterback in the NFL,

695
00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:11,120
Speaker 2: being the starting quarterback for one of these thirty two franchises,

696
00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:13,200
Speaker 2: there's a lot of weight that comes with that and

697
00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:16,480
Speaker 2: how you conduct yourself every day right, the way that

698
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,200
Speaker 2: you work, the way that you are for your teammates.

699
00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:20,960
Speaker 2: I never I never took that part of it lightly,

700
00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:23,799
Speaker 2: Like I didn't take that for granted. And so I

701
00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:29,239
Speaker 2: felt that weight constantly, you know, for for fourteen years.

702
00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:32,000
Speaker 2: At times it was heavier than others, but you know,

703
00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:35,200
Speaker 2: for fourteen years here, I always, I always felt that weight.

704
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:37,839
Speaker 2: You know. I remember Mike Smith telling me, listen, man,

705
00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:40,759
Speaker 2: wins and losses are attached to two people's names around here,

706
00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,400
Speaker 2: yours and mine. Wow, you know, in year one, and

707
00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,680
Speaker 2: so when you think about it, that really is his

708
00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:48,960
Speaker 2: head coaching record? Is this? This quarterbacks record?

709
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:49,200
Speaker 1: Is this?

710
00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:51,480
Speaker 2: You don't hear it for a wide receiver. You don't

711
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:53,800
Speaker 2: hear it for you, you know, an offensive linement, but

712
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:57,160
Speaker 2: there's a there's a weight that comes with it. The thing.

713
00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:02,120
Speaker 2: I don't know why, and it's probably the way I

714
00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:04,879
Speaker 2: was brought up and maybe just the way I am.

715
00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:07,520
Speaker 2: I was always comfortable with that, you know what I mean.

716
00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:09,759
Speaker 2: So to me, that was one of the reasons that

717
00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:12,719
Speaker 2: allowed me to be successful, you know, for a long time,

718
00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:15,680
Speaker 2: was that, Yes, I felt it, I knew it was there,

719
00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:18,239
Speaker 2: and I was comfortable with that. I was okay, you know,

720
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:21,640
Speaker 2: being in that spot. And in fact, I really liked it,

721
00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:23,840
Speaker 2: you know, I really liked that pressure. I like that,

722
00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:25,799
Speaker 2: you know, I felt like that brought the best out

723
00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:27,640
Speaker 2: in me. So I probably felt that way prior to

724
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:31,799
Speaker 2: twenty twelve. But I think my confidence was probably in,

725
00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:36,000
Speaker 2: you know, a career high up until that point during

726
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:37,520
Speaker 2: that twenty twelve season.

727
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:39,839
Speaker 3: Where there's not a lot of guys and then we're

728
00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:41,600
Speaker 3: talking about a select amount of guys. A lot of

729
00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:46,560
Speaker 3: those guys are enshrined in Canton that can handle that

730
00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:48,560
Speaker 3: kind of information. When you've got a coach that comes

731
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:50,160
Speaker 3: to you and you're a twenty two year old kid

732
00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:52,520
Speaker 3: and they say, hey, this is attached to you and me,

733
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,040
Speaker 3: You've got to be careful about information that you tried

734
00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,480
Speaker 3: to share with people, because some guys are a little

735
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,800
Speaker 3: bit more fragile than others. That was never ever fragile,

736
00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:06,040
Speaker 3: and anything like those type of words was never associated

737
00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:09,279
Speaker 3: with you. I always appreciated that the toughness. Part of

738
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:12,080
Speaker 3: that toughness was your ability to line up every week

739
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,840
Speaker 3: and I get a chance, like I said, see you

740
00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,640
Speaker 3: three times a week, and maybe more than that during

741
00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:22,480
Speaker 3: the season. The times I knew you were beat up

742
00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,120
Speaker 3: and couldn't you probably shouldn't go. There were a number

743
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,240
Speaker 3: of times you shouldn't play. And I know you know that. Yeah,

744
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:32,520
Speaker 3: tell me about that in your mindset of needing to

745
00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,080
Speaker 3: line up every time with your guys.

746
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:40,960
Speaker 2: Well, I think it started. I mean, honestly, it's I'll

747
00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:44,560
Speaker 2: share this so it starts from a young age. I

748
00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,800
Speaker 2: remember my uncle was a quarterback at Boston College, John Lockery,

749
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:53,520
Speaker 2: And my uncle broke his thumb at BC and Doug

750
00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:58,080
Speaker 2: Flutie came in and became the quarterback at Boston College.

751
00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:01,120
Speaker 2: And my uncle wasn't like or anything about it, but

752
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:03,480
Speaker 2: you know, maybe a little bit, maybe a little bit,

753
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:07,799
Speaker 2: but just a little bit. But I remember hearing this

754
00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:10,360
Speaker 2: story as a kid, right, and it's the I don't

755
00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:14,000
Speaker 2: know why, but it's the things I remember hearing growing up.

756
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:17,440
Speaker 2: And I was like, oh, that's that's interesting. You know,

757
00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:19,120
Speaker 2: if you could play through it, play through it right.

758
00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:21,719
Speaker 2: Don't let somebody go out there and take their spot.

759
00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:25,480
Speaker 2: And so I remember then getting to Boston College and

760
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:28,239
Speaker 2: so I kind of it didn't happen quickly for me.

761
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:29,759
Speaker 2: It took some time. I had to work my way

762
00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:32,799
Speaker 2: up and finally got a chance to play, you know,

763
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,200
Speaker 2: in my red shirt sophomore year to start in earnest

764
00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:38,520
Speaker 2: I kind of I took over the team halfway through.

765
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:42,560
Speaker 2: So then my junior year, I break my fifth metatarsal

766
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,160
Speaker 2: in my foot against Virginia Tech and I finished a

767
00:37:46,200 --> 00:37:49,279
Speaker 2: game it was hurting whatever, and I go in with

768
00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:51,520
Speaker 2: the doctors and I'm like, okay, so what can you

769
00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,640
Speaker 2: do for it? And they're like, well, nothing, it's clean,

770
00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:56,560
Speaker 2: break right in half. We'll put a screw in it.

771
00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,720
Speaker 2: And I was like, well, what happens if you play

772
00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:02,959
Speaker 2: and they were like, well, nothing, really, it'll probably calcify around.

773
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:04,680
Speaker 2: We'll just rebreak it and then put a screw in

774
00:38:04,719 --> 00:38:06,960
Speaker 2: after the season, And I said, all right, that sounds

775
00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:07,360
Speaker 2: good to me.

776
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:08,239
Speaker 1: Let's do that.

777
00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:10,680
Speaker 2: But somewhere in the back of my mind it was

778
00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:12,879
Speaker 2: that I knew there was this kid, Chris Crane who

779
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:14,600
Speaker 2: was behind me at Boston College, who was six '

780
00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:17,719
Speaker 2: four two thirty five two forty He ran like a

781
00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:19,520
Speaker 2: four or five four six and he could throw it.

782
00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,400
Speaker 2: And I was like, I'm not coming off the field

783
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:27,560
Speaker 2: like I and I'm probably screwed up, uh in that way,

784
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,400
Speaker 2: But that was the way my mind worked, right, And

785
00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:33,680
Speaker 2: so it was just always I can be out there,

786
00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:35,160
Speaker 2: I can do it. I'll figure out a way to

787
00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:37,640
Speaker 2: get it done. So then you get to the NFL, right,

788
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:39,719
Speaker 2: and you're going to be playing through certain things. And

789
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:42,000
Speaker 2: I just felt like I talked about that weight of

790
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,200
Speaker 2: you know, wins and losses being attached to it. And

791
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:48,479
Speaker 2: I also think back to like to who much is given?

792
00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:50,960
Speaker 2: Much as expected? So I feel like I was given

793
00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:54,400
Speaker 2: a lot and I was expected to do what I

794
00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:56,840
Speaker 2: could to be out there and perform and try and

795
00:38:56,840 --> 00:39:05,600
Speaker 2: help our team win. So I had many verbal confrontations

796
00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:10,000
Speaker 2: with training staff and stuff like that, like now I'm playing,

797
00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:13,440
Speaker 2: you know, we'll figure out a way, you know. I

798
00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:17,560
Speaker 2: remember running in I can't remember what I did, but

799
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:21,520
Speaker 2: Marty Lazone and Danny Long were in the training room

800
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:27,600
Speaker 2: and I couldn't practice Wednesday. I probably didn't practice Thursday,

801
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:29,319
Speaker 2: but I woke up Friday morning. I was like, oh,

802
00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,480
Speaker 2: this feels a little better. And I remember walking into

803
00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:34,160
Speaker 2: the training room It's like five point thirty. I'm the

804
00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:37,280
Speaker 2: only one in there, and I yelled at Marty and Danny.

805
00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:39,800
Speaker 2: I'm like, don't change the mother f and game plan.

806
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,600
Speaker 2: I'm good to go, and they're like, what you know?

807
00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:45,680
Speaker 2: And and but just that was it, you know, it

808
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:47,400
Speaker 2: was for me, it was I'm going to find a

809
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:51,160
Speaker 2: way to play no matter what, and I'm going to,

810
00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:53,520
Speaker 2: you know, try and be out there if at all possible.

811
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:58,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, there were special shoes there, things I was back.

812
00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:00,160
Speaker 3: I mean, it was unbelievable how many different ways they

813
00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:01,960
Speaker 3: got this guy back on the field because he demanded

814
00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:02,960
Speaker 3: to be on the field.

815
00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:07,279
Speaker 1: We get to twenty sixteen, Dan Quinn's second year. You

816
00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:11,600
Speaker 1: have gone through a transition of GM and head coach Dave.

817
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:14,840
Speaker 1: We were talking before we started this about the variety

818
00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:19,879
Speaker 1: of offensive coordinators that you five different OC's. You get

819
00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:23,040
Speaker 1: to sixteen, You've had a year with DQ. You kind

820
00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:24,920
Speaker 1: of know what the plan is. You've worked with Kyle

821
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:29,000
Speaker 1: for a year. It clicks in year two. A little

822
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,040
Speaker 1: bumpy in spots, but it clicks.

823
00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:35,000
Speaker 2: Why how I think he worked through it right, and

824
00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:40,000
Speaker 2: so you know, twenty fifteen, twenty fifteen, we started like

825
00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,279
Speaker 2: six and two five and oh five and oh and

826
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:44,399
Speaker 2: then I'm thinking through that first half of the season

827
00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:49,080
Speaker 2: probably six square around there. And so we start out,

828
00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:52,839
Speaker 2: but I even remember being like, I don't feel like

829
00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:55,640
Speaker 2: I don't feel that comfortable though, you know what I mean,

830
00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,920
Speaker 2: Like we're winning and this is great. We're kind of

831
00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:01,560
Speaker 2: doing it with smoking mirror. Were kind of because you

832
00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:03,239
Speaker 2: know it right, you know it as a player when

833
00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:06,919
Speaker 2: you're really operating or you're kind of just you're getting by.

834
00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:09,440
Speaker 2: And I think we were all learning it. It was

835
00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:11,920
Speaker 2: really different. It was really new. It wasn't just myself,

836
00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:14,840
Speaker 2: it was collectively right. We had guys had been around

837
00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,600
Speaker 2: for a long time and had had been in the

838
00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:20,359
Speaker 2: same system. We had different coordinators, but we had been

839
00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:22,600
Speaker 2: in the same system for seven years together. So there

840
00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:25,040
Speaker 2: were so many little things, you know that we kind

841
00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:28,319
Speaker 2: of had to rewire our brains to operate differently. So

842
00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:31,160
Speaker 2: I think it took us time. And then I think

843
00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:35,839
Speaker 2: having really candid, honest conversations that off season two about hey,

844
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:38,480
Speaker 2: i'm in, I'm all in, I'm good, you know with

845
00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:41,600
Speaker 2: where we're going, but we need to we need a

846
00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:43,880
Speaker 2: few things here and there too, And I think that

847
00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:48,600
Speaker 2: that mixing heading into the twenty sixteen season was really good.

848
00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:51,759
Speaker 2: And then in fact, I remember being seven and I

849
00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,600
Speaker 2: think we're seven and five. So it wasn't like, I mean,

850
00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:57,400
Speaker 2: it was a it was a great year, but it

851
00:41:57,440 --> 00:42:00,920
Speaker 2: wasn't like we were just railroad in teams right from

852
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,520
Speaker 2: the start, right it was. There was some back and

853
00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:05,360
Speaker 2: forth and and some hard and we.

854
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:10,360
Speaker 3: Had the Rocky lost to Kansas City here remember yeah, threw.

855
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:12,200
Speaker 2: A pick on a two point conversion that went back

856
00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:15,719
Speaker 2: for two points. Uh yeah, you know, so so there

857
00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:17,960
Speaker 2: was some of that. We had a tough loss I

858
00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:20,960
Speaker 2: remember against the Chargers where we had a chance at

859
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:23,399
Speaker 2: the end we kind of came screaming back. We ended

860
00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:26,680
Speaker 2: up losing. But none of them were blowouts, you know

861
00:42:26,719 --> 00:42:28,560
Speaker 2: what I mean. It was it was all that it

862
00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:30,759
Speaker 2: was tight. We were right there, we just need to

863
00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:33,239
Speaker 2: tighten a few things up and then boom, I mean

864
00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:36,400
Speaker 2: we we we we got into a rhythm and we

865
00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:39,080
Speaker 2: started rolling and we played you know, some some really

866
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:42,560
Speaker 2: good football, uh you know down that stretch and offense,

867
00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:46,560
Speaker 2: I mean offensively, we were we were a problem. I

868
00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:49,920
Speaker 2: mean we could. It was. It felt like every time

869
00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,080
Speaker 2: we touched touched the ball, we were gonna score a touchdown.

870
00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:56,799
Speaker 2: And it wasn't far off, you know, it really wasn't. Yeah,

871
00:42:56,800 --> 00:42:59,080
Speaker 2: it was that was a It was a fun team

872
00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:00,640
Speaker 2: to be a part of. And I obviously you know,

873
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:04,600
Speaker 2: a disappointment for sure, you know, but that's part of it.

874
00:43:05,719 --> 00:43:10,320
Speaker 1: We're gonna run one more play here. It's it maybe,

875
00:43:10,840 --> 00:43:12,839
Speaker 1: I know it's one of David Mine's favorite player.

876
00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:13,400
Speaker 3: Absolutely.

877
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:17,360
Speaker 1: Uh. You'd beaten Seattle the week before in the divisional

878
00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:20,920
Speaker 1: round and again always somehow Seattle shows up this thing, right,

879
00:43:21,719 --> 00:43:24,640
Speaker 1: But then you had to exercise one more demon and

880
00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:27,840
Speaker 1: Green Bay comes in here because they beat Dallas, I

881
00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:30,040
Speaker 1: mean they go to they go and beat the top seed.

882
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:32,640
Speaker 3: You got to go back to eleven when they came

883
00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:33,800
Speaker 3: in and beat us here.

884
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:34,680
Speaker 1: On that Saturday night game.

885
00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:35,359
Speaker 2: They rolled us.

886
00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:40,640
Speaker 1: So here's the NFC title game, and this is second

887
00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:45,200
Speaker 1: quarter plus territory, seven and a half minutes left to go,

888
00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:52,360
Speaker 1: green Bay rushes for Ryan steps up in the pocket,

889
00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:55,799
Speaker 1: Matt tops runs tent five, does he score? He does

890
00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:59,800
Speaker 1: a rusting touchdown from Matt Ryan. How bad is No?

891
00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:06,040
Speaker 1: Or two on it? By the way, former Falcon stafford

892
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:08,640
Speaker 1: Michael Benford almost took one in the noggin on the spike.

893
00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:11,480
Speaker 3: Yeah, that was. That was clocked at one hundred and

894
00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:12,120
Speaker 3: three miles an hour.

895
00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:13,399
Speaker 2: As an artist I ever saw.

896
00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:19,280
Speaker 3: Well, it to me, it typified really you and your career.

897
00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:22,320
Speaker 3: It was just it was a moment in time.

898
00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:27,279
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was, And I think, I mean, you talk

899
00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:32,080
Speaker 2: about the celebration and like what I think of when

900
00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:35,040
Speaker 2: I see that. You know, I think I was thirty

901
00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:38,279
Speaker 2: one years old at the time, right somewhere around there.

902
00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:41,319
Speaker 2: I think that season thirty thirty one, somewhere somewhere around there.

903
00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:46,040
Speaker 2: I started playing football in second grade, you know. So

904
00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:52,280
Speaker 2: like to me, that's you're talking twenty some years of effort,

905
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:55,200
Speaker 2: of work, of you know, to try and be in

906
00:44:55,239 --> 00:44:57,600
Speaker 2: that position, to try and to try and do it.

907
00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:01,759
Speaker 2: And that's why like all of that stuff is coming

908
00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:04,439
Speaker 2: out too, you know, all of all of the good,

909
00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:06,880
Speaker 2: all of the people along the way. You know that

910
00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:10,080
Speaker 2: you were a part of like you feel all of that,

911
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:13,000
Speaker 2: you know, and honestly, I don't even know how to

912
00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:16,600
Speaker 2: describe like what is running through your body you know

913
00:45:16,680 --> 00:45:19,600
Speaker 2: at that time, But it's this is the hard part,

914
00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:23,720
Speaker 2: right when when it's over. Is I love playing golf?

915
00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:29,520
Speaker 2: I never feel like that playing you know what I mean?

916
00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:32,640
Speaker 2: Or you know, I think the nerves with kids become

917
00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:35,120
Speaker 2: similar to where you feel the emotions that that you

918
00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:38,080
Speaker 2: have for them, and that part is really good or

919
00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:41,560
Speaker 2: really cool. But like that is the stuff that that

920
00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:43,919
Speaker 2: is hard to replicate, that that you know you'll never

921
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:46,839
Speaker 2: get back. But like I think that is a fair

922
00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:52,520
Speaker 2: representation too. Like you said, like I really love to play,

923
00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:59,279
Speaker 2: and I like I really love to compete, and like

924
00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:02,799
Speaker 2: I think, is that coming out in those type of situations.

925
00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:06,320
Speaker 3: It was to me real quickly in watching it, and

926
00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:08,040
Speaker 3: that's why I said, how bad is number two? Want

927
00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:11,239
Speaker 3: it is? It was a collective feeling, not only for

928
00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:15,320
Speaker 3: you and obviously huge moment for you and your career

929
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:17,960
Speaker 3: to get the monkey off your back get to the

930
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:22,160
Speaker 3: big game. But the whole city was riding with you.

931
00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:26,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was crazy. I'll never forget. So, I mean,

932
00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:30,839
Speaker 2: this game was unbelievable. But the first half, we come out,

933
00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:33,600
Speaker 2: we explode in the in the third quarter coming out too.

934
00:46:33,640 --> 00:46:35,520
Speaker 2: We just did not take our foot off the gas

935
00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:39,120
Speaker 2: the entire game. And we get to the end and

936
00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:42,880
Speaker 2: it's the only time in my life, you know, I've

937
00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:48,080
Speaker 2: been on the field totally consumed with what was going

938
00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:51,400
Speaker 2: on off the field and have goosebumps or whatever. I

939
00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:53,960
Speaker 2: feel like my whole life, I didn't really you don't

940
00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,880
Speaker 2: even hear it, right, you don't even notice it, and

941
00:46:57,640 --> 00:47:00,360
Speaker 2: that don't finish it up, and that place chanting MVP

942
00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:02,960
Speaker 2: and me trying to get it quiet because we're snapping

943
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:06,200
Speaker 2: it like to just run the clock out basically, and

944
00:47:06,320 --> 00:47:09,960
Speaker 2: my skin's crawling off, you know, and I really shaking

945
00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:13,839
Speaker 2: on the inside. I'll never forget it, like it was.

946
00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:17,919
Speaker 2: I missed that though, you know, I miss I miss

947
00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:20,839
Speaker 2: it for for that reason, because you know, you said,

948
00:47:20,880 --> 00:47:23,239
Speaker 2: it's you know, seventy thousand people in that thing and

949
00:47:23,719 --> 00:47:26,120
Speaker 2: five six seven million people in our city, you know,

950
00:47:26,160 --> 00:47:29,560
Speaker 2: whatever the fan base is, and it's happening to me,

951
00:47:29,760 --> 00:47:32,439
Speaker 2: and I was like, this is this is crazy, this

952
00:47:32,480 --> 00:47:33,319
Speaker 2: is unbelievable.

953
00:47:33,480 --> 00:47:35,680
Speaker 1: Can I want to I want to share a couple

954
00:47:35,640 --> 00:47:37,719
Speaker 1: of things. Well, first of all, I remember. There are

955
00:47:37,719 --> 00:47:40,600
Speaker 1: two things that happened that day that I remember Specifically,

956
00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:43,520
Speaker 1: late in the game, Dave came out of a we

957
00:47:43,560 --> 00:47:45,960
Speaker 1: came out of a commercial break, and it's evident they're

958
00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:48,359
Speaker 1: going to win the game, and Dave said, isn't it nice?

959
00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:50,360
Speaker 1: We can just tip our hat walk up the eighteenth

960
00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:52,640
Speaker 1: fairway here, knowing that we're going to go someplace and

961
00:47:52,680 --> 00:47:56,200
Speaker 1: play again, because we're gone from why do we live

962
00:47:56,320 --> 00:47:58,839
Speaker 1: like this? To you know, now we're going to doff

963
00:47:58,880 --> 00:48:00,760
Speaker 1: our cap and walk up the team s fair away.

964
00:48:01,560 --> 00:48:03,799
Speaker 1: The second part of this, and I wanted to touch

965
00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:06,200
Speaker 1: on this, and we were talking about this kind of

966
00:48:06,239 --> 00:48:08,200
Speaker 1: as we were working through the process of talking to

967
00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:12,920
Speaker 1: you today. There's some constant you've mentioned intermittently along the way.

968
00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:15,799
Speaker 1: Two things I remember about that one is you and

969
00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:19,600
Speaker 1: Sarah after the game that captured by NFL Films. Yeah,

970
00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:22,680
Speaker 1: and how proud because she was a good athlete, played

971
00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:26,120
Speaker 1: women's basketball Georgia attack terrific in her own right, and

972
00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:29,239
Speaker 1: how proud she was of you, and how much that

973
00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:33,000
Speaker 1: meant to her that you got that done. That's one, yeah,

974
00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:35,880
Speaker 1: And then after the game, your dad.

975
00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:40,160
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I mean yeah.

976
00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:42,160
Speaker 1: I saw your dad and I was just like I'll start,

977
00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:43,120
Speaker 1: I'll start with my dad.

978
00:48:43,200 --> 00:48:46,439
Speaker 2: So I mean my dad is I see him after

979
00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:51,120
Speaker 2: the game and the cool thing you know, for oh man,

980
00:48:52,080 --> 00:48:54,759
Speaker 2: really the whole time at the dome, because I say this,

981
00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:58,600
Speaker 2: the parking situation changed, Yes it did, right, And so

982
00:48:58,640 --> 00:49:00,760
Speaker 2: the whole time at the dome, we had that parking

983
00:49:00,800 --> 00:49:03,320
Speaker 2: lot that was underneath right outside of the locker room.

984
00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:07,239
Speaker 2: And my dad and I would drive home from every

985
00:49:07,280 --> 00:49:12,120
Speaker 2: game together nobody else and so Sarah you know, would leave,

986
00:49:12,760 --> 00:49:14,480
Speaker 2: we'd all be going back to the house or whatever.

987
00:49:14,680 --> 00:49:16,360
Speaker 2: She would you know, I have the rest of my

988
00:49:16,400 --> 00:49:19,200
Speaker 2: family getting set up whatever it is, right, But it

989
00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:22,840
Speaker 2: was always it was always my time with my dad

990
00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:26,320
Speaker 2: for yeah, you know, twenty twenty five thirty minutes whatever.

991
00:49:26,600 --> 00:49:31,719
Speaker 2: And I loved that, you know, and and so that

992
00:49:31,920 --> 00:49:35,680
Speaker 2: was a special you know ride back with him. My dad,

993
00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:38,759
Speaker 2: you know, is a little bit old school, and that

994
00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:43,120
Speaker 2: you know, we weren't told, you know, how great we

995
00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:46,440
Speaker 2: were all the time. You know, it was it was

996
00:49:46,560 --> 00:49:49,480
Speaker 2: just you know, a different time and this is I

997
00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:53,239
Speaker 2: you know, never he certainly loved us and showed us

998
00:49:53,239 --> 00:49:55,439
Speaker 2: that all the time, but you know, it wasn't It's

999
00:49:55,520 --> 00:49:58,919
Speaker 2: just different and so I remember that that car ride

1000
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:01,600
Speaker 2: back and him just being like, I'm really proud of you,

1001
00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:05,279
Speaker 2: and I'm like, damn, man, I've never heard that, Like

1002
00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:07,680
Speaker 2: not no, I felt it. I felt you know it

1003
00:50:07,840 --> 00:50:11,479
Speaker 2: just that generation different, you know, and so like, uh.

1004
00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:15,320
Speaker 3: You wanted to his approval, you wanted to please your dad.

1005
00:50:15,640 --> 00:50:18,480
Speaker 2: So I remember that and I always knew that. But

1006
00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:22,680
Speaker 2: absolutely cool. It was cool on the ride home and

1007
00:50:22,719 --> 00:50:27,080
Speaker 2: then Sarah after the game. I have a picture of

1008
00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:30,760
Speaker 2: me leaning down in her kind of that spot, uh

1009
00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:36,959
Speaker 2: in the house, and I mean I look excited, but yeah,

1010
00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:39,399
Speaker 2: my my, and the picture is like kind of from

1011
00:50:39,480 --> 00:50:42,360
Speaker 2: my like how I remember it too, And it's just

1012
00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:46,520
Speaker 2: you're exactly right. I mean for my entire career. You know,

1013
00:50:46,560 --> 00:50:51,440
Speaker 2: she's the one person that got the honesty, you know,

1014
00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:54,000
Speaker 2: because Archie know this, showing up in the building every

1015
00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:56,839
Speaker 2: day as a quarterback. I mean, there are days when

1016
00:50:56,880 --> 00:50:59,400
Speaker 2: you don't have it, you don't feel good, but you

1017
00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:02,680
Speaker 2: better fake, you better come in, and you better you know,

1018
00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:06,560
Speaker 2: be on it. You'd be a positive, upbeat, dialed in

1019
00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:09,279
Speaker 2: all of those things. And then you kind of get

1020
00:51:09,320 --> 00:51:10,680
Speaker 2: in that car and you get home and you're like

1021
00:51:11,160 --> 00:51:12,920
Speaker 2: this is disastrous.

1022
00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:14,680
Speaker 1: Good you know, like I'm.

1023
00:51:14,560 --> 00:51:16,920
Speaker 2: Not my body's messed up, He's not doing this, or

1024
00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,400
Speaker 2: you know, she caught all of it. You know, she

1025
00:51:19,880 --> 00:51:24,239
Speaker 2: caught all of it that frankly nobody else caught, you know.

1026
00:51:24,480 --> 00:51:28,399
Speaker 2: And you mentioned her being a great athlete. She's I mean,

1027
00:51:28,440 --> 00:51:32,280
Speaker 2: she's also like the best sports psychologist on the planet

1028
00:51:32,560 --> 00:51:38,400
Speaker 2: of knowing what to say or what not to say,

1029
00:51:39,239 --> 00:51:45,040
Speaker 2: just seemingly perfect, you know, forever, And so I mean

1030
00:51:45,080 --> 00:51:47,120
Speaker 2: I wouldn't be I wouldn't have been the same player

1031
00:51:47,160 --> 00:51:50,880
Speaker 2: I was without her, I know that for sure. And

1032
00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:55,480
Speaker 2: the celebrations would not have been as fun as they

1033
00:51:55,520 --> 00:51:59,080
Speaker 2: were without the people that, like you mentioned my dad

1034
00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:01,279
Speaker 2: and my wife, who were such a big part of

1035
00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:01,919
Speaker 2: it along the way.

1036
00:52:02,440 --> 00:52:06,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, just I remember seeing your parents and I talked

1037
00:52:06,360 --> 00:52:08,400
Speaker 3: to you Pop. I don't care was at home or

1038
00:52:08,400 --> 00:52:10,960
Speaker 3: on the road, wherever it was, I'd always he'd called me.

1039
00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:16,279
Speaker 3: Oh what I said, Your kids got it, man, We're good.

1040
00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:19,640
Speaker 3: We're good. The love and support that was there, both

1041
00:52:19,719 --> 00:52:23,160
Speaker 3: from from your immediate family with your wife and with

1042
00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:27,360
Speaker 3: Sarah and then your mom and dad was so evident

1043
00:52:27,480 --> 00:52:29,040
Speaker 3: in it, in it, and I know it meant a

1044
00:52:29,080 --> 00:52:29,480
Speaker 3: lot to you.

1045
00:52:29,520 --> 00:52:31,239
Speaker 2: Oh man, it meant a ton you know, you guys

1046
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:33,319
Speaker 2: knew it. You know, I would talk to you after

1047
00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:36,440
Speaker 2: every game. I would see us after every game. You know,

1048
00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:40,640
Speaker 2: it's particularly those road games. But my dad, my dad

1049
00:52:40,640 --> 00:52:43,239
Speaker 2: wouldn't even say much. You know, he's not he's not

1050
00:52:43,280 --> 00:52:47,239
Speaker 2: a big talker, but he would be standing outside the

1051
00:52:47,239 --> 00:52:50,439
Speaker 2: locker room win or lose every game on the road.

1052
00:52:50,480 --> 00:52:52,880
Speaker 2: I mean, I think the guy missed prior to COVID

1053
00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:56,040
Speaker 2: like two or three games my entire career. Uh, and

1054
00:52:56,080 --> 00:52:58,360
Speaker 2: would be standing out outside that locker room. And it

1055
00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:01,319
Speaker 2: was just we didn't even really need to talk. You

1056
00:53:01,360 --> 00:53:03,439
Speaker 2: might get two minutes, you know, before we were heading

1057
00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:07,160
Speaker 2: to the bus. But that meant you know, that meant

1058
00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:10,320
Speaker 2: the world to me. Sure, just having that safe whatever

1059
00:53:10,400 --> 00:53:14,400
Speaker 2: you want to call it, safe space or where you

1060
00:53:14,400 --> 00:53:18,000
Speaker 2: can let your guard down for one minute, talk about nothing,

1061
00:53:18,320 --> 00:53:21,440
Speaker 2: and you would finish with it. You good, And I'm like,

1062
00:53:21,719 --> 00:53:24,880
Speaker 2: I'm good, man, I'm good. And that was it, I mean, honestly,

1063
00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:28,160
Speaker 2: but for whatever reason, that was the thing that kind

1064
00:53:28,160 --> 00:53:32,280
Speaker 2: of okay, all right, I'm saying, yeah, I'm back, Yeah, exactly,

1065
00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:33,280
Speaker 2: So that's awesome.

1066
00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:38,200
Speaker 1: Without creating a mini series, yeah sorry, no, no, no,

1067
00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:43,440
Speaker 1: this is all good. We have talked since you played

1068
00:53:43,480 --> 00:53:46,480
Speaker 1: in Indianapolis and now gotten into television, and we'll get

1069
00:53:46,480 --> 00:53:50,959
Speaker 1: a final thought about that future. The commitment that you

1070
00:53:51,239 --> 00:53:55,759
Speaker 1: and Sarah but that you're making in this community. The

1071
00:53:55,880 --> 00:53:58,239
Speaker 1: thing why Atlanta is now important to you, why it's

1072
00:53:58,239 --> 00:54:02,120
Speaker 1: home to you, why it's this is a valued piece

1073
00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:06,040
Speaker 1: of what you are as Matt Ryan. When did that start?

1074
00:54:06,160 --> 00:54:08,520
Speaker 1: I mean, I could say, sure, you played here fourteen years,

1075
00:54:08,560 --> 00:54:11,080
Speaker 1: it's easy to understand, but there's a lot more to

1076
00:54:11,120 --> 00:54:13,120
Speaker 1: it than just putting the black helmet on. And we're

1077
00:54:13,120 --> 00:54:15,759
Speaker 1: in number two now to what Matt Ryan and Atlanta are.

1078
00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:19,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's well, that part is hard right

1079
00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:22,400
Speaker 2: in this in this profession, you really have no control

1080
00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:27,320
Speaker 2: over where you start. You don't and so I always

1081
00:54:27,320 --> 00:54:29,359
Speaker 2: feel like I was so lucky that it was here,

1082
00:54:29,920 --> 00:54:32,239
Speaker 2: not only for what happened in my career, but it's

1083
00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:33,560
Speaker 2: a great I mean, you guys know it. It's a

1084
00:54:33,560 --> 00:54:36,920
Speaker 2: great It's a really good place to live. And I

1085
00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:39,680
Speaker 2: always felt like it was important to give back, you know,

1086
00:54:39,800 --> 00:54:42,239
Speaker 2: early in my career, whether that was with Cholla or

1087
00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:45,600
Speaker 2: you know, boys and girls clubs around the city, or

1088
00:54:45,640 --> 00:54:48,040
Speaker 2: later in my career kind of starting this atl foundation

1089
00:54:49,080 --> 00:54:51,439
Speaker 2: to help kind of black kids in the West side

1090
00:54:51,440 --> 00:54:55,360
Speaker 2: of Atlanta. I think, you know, it was always important,

1091
00:54:55,800 --> 00:55:00,160
Speaker 2: but it really became home when my kids were born.

1092
00:55:00,760 --> 00:55:04,520
Speaker 2: You know, you start to think about like and I

1093
00:55:04,560 --> 00:55:06,799
Speaker 2: still kind of scratch my head, like my kids are

1094
00:55:06,840 --> 00:55:12,680
Speaker 2: from the South, like like like what is going on?

1095
00:55:12,840 --> 00:55:15,160
Speaker 2: You know, Like we took them up My wife is

1096
00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:16,799
Speaker 2: from Portland, Maine, and so we took them up to

1097
00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:20,800
Speaker 2: Maine this January and and there was like there wouldn't

1098
00:55:20,840 --> 00:55:23,359
Speaker 2: even snow on the ground, just like you know, where

1099
00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:25,600
Speaker 2: it's plowed off or whatever. My kids are like, there's

1100
00:55:25,640 --> 00:55:27,879
Speaker 2: so much snow, Let's go sledding, you know, like you're

1101
00:55:27,880 --> 00:55:31,200
Speaker 2: sledding on grass? What is wrong with you? They just

1102
00:55:31,239 --> 00:55:33,960
Speaker 2: don't know, you know. So we still kind of, you know,

1103
00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:36,960
Speaker 2: laugh and kind of pinch ourselves about that. But it

1104
00:55:37,040 --> 00:55:39,800
Speaker 2: really changed for us, you know, when when my older

1105
00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:44,759
Speaker 2: two were born, and you know, you think about your

1106
00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:46,319
Speaker 2: life in a different way when the kids come. Where

1107
00:55:46,360 --> 00:55:47,959
Speaker 2: we're going to raise our children. It's a great place

1108
00:55:47,960 --> 00:55:50,520
Speaker 2: to raise our children. The people here have been incredibly

1109
00:55:50,600 --> 00:55:53,799
Speaker 2: kind to me and Sarah, you know, through throughout our

1110
00:55:53,800 --> 00:55:57,279
Speaker 2: career and beyond, and so it's special. You know. I

1111
00:55:57,640 --> 00:56:01,400
Speaker 2: think we all want to you know, be you know,

1112
00:56:01,520 --> 00:56:04,680
Speaker 2: a beneficial part of the communities and try and make them,

1113
00:56:04,840 --> 00:56:07,120
Speaker 2: you know, better places. And that's what we're committed to

1114
00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:07,920
Speaker 2: trying to do.

1115
00:56:08,120 --> 00:56:09,640
Speaker 3: All right. I got to ask you a couple just

1116
00:56:10,120 --> 00:56:11,000
Speaker 3: random questions.

1117
00:56:11,440 --> 00:56:14,719
Speaker 1: Just the rapid fire is good? Yeah, all right?

1118
00:56:14,880 --> 00:56:16,800
Speaker 3: Favorite city to play in other than Atlanta?

1119
00:56:17,280 --> 00:56:21,200
Speaker 2: Green Bay? Why? Green Bay? Lambeau. Yeah, I mean, you

1120
00:56:21,200 --> 00:56:24,879
Speaker 2: can't even classify Green Bay as a city, but there is.

1121
00:56:24,960 --> 00:56:28,000
Speaker 2: To me, there is no other stadium like that. There's

1122
00:56:28,040 --> 00:56:30,520
Speaker 2: no other feeling like that in the NFL. I always

1123
00:56:30,560 --> 00:56:31,359
Speaker 2: love playing up there.

1124
00:56:31,400 --> 00:56:33,720
Speaker 1: I tell people all the time. I get asked that question.

1125
00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:36,200
Speaker 1: And David and I've done games there where it's been

1126
00:56:36,200 --> 00:56:39,000
Speaker 1: four in games when it's been forty four degrees. I

1127
00:56:39,040 --> 00:56:41,000
Speaker 1: think it's one of the few places in the National

1128
00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:43,120
Speaker 1: Football League that has a pure collegiate field to it

1129
00:56:44,080 --> 00:56:44,720
Speaker 1: feels different.

1130
00:56:45,040 --> 00:56:47,879
Speaker 2: I think it feels different from from any any other

1131
00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:48,640
Speaker 2: place in the NFL.

1132
00:56:48,680 --> 00:56:50,520
Speaker 3: I think anybody's ever had a chance to be up there,

1133
00:56:51,200 --> 00:56:53,000
Speaker 3: just be in the building, but let alone play there.

1134
00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:55,080
Speaker 3: And I've been fortunate enough to be there as a

1135
00:56:55,080 --> 00:56:57,680
Speaker 3: player and as a broadcaster. And you're right, mat it's

1136
00:56:57,680 --> 00:56:59,600
Speaker 3: a different place, least favorite place to go.

1137
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:03,760
Speaker 1: Come on, come on, is this Cam Jordan?

1138
00:57:03,960 --> 00:57:05,200
Speaker 2: Is it Cam Jordan, New Orleans?

1139
00:57:05,320 --> 00:57:10,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, I just wanted to reaffirm there. Yeah, we

1140
00:57:10,480 --> 00:57:12,480
Speaker 1: just wanted to reaffirm that you and Cam Jordan have

1141
00:57:12,520 --> 00:57:14,120
Speaker 1: had rekindled relationship.

1142
00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:17,040
Speaker 2: I just I like, you know, you get cares and

1143
00:57:17,320 --> 00:57:20,200
Speaker 2: this kind of stuff, and the competitiveness is there. But

1144
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:23,240
Speaker 2: if I'm you know, okay, just one was my favorite

1145
00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:26,479
Speaker 2: place to win. I just wanted to verify that because

1146
00:57:26,480 --> 00:57:27,560
Speaker 2: it was my least favorite place.

1147
00:57:27,600 --> 00:57:29,840
Speaker 1: I remember one walk we had postgame there one time

1148
00:57:29,920 --> 00:57:33,160
Speaker 1: and you were like slow strolling the entire field from

1149
00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:35,280
Speaker 1: the visitors' locker room. Yeah, I'm might enjoy this.

1150
00:57:35,360 --> 00:57:37,520
Speaker 2: One didn't happen very often, but when it did, it

1151
00:57:37,560 --> 00:57:37,880
Speaker 2: was good.

1152
00:57:38,160 --> 00:57:43,080
Speaker 3: Can you in your two hundred and thirty four career

1153
00:57:43,160 --> 00:57:48,200
Speaker 3: games starts, which every time you played you started, so

1154
00:57:48,240 --> 00:57:52,160
Speaker 3: two hundred and thirty four times? Is there a favorite

1155
00:57:52,160 --> 00:57:52,880
Speaker 3: game all time?

1156
00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:54,360
Speaker 4: Wo? Wow?

1157
00:57:54,600 --> 00:57:55,000
Speaker 2: You do that?

1158
00:57:55,080 --> 00:57:56,440
Speaker 1: How about that question? Huh?

1159
00:57:56,760 --> 00:57:59,960
Speaker 2: I mean yeah, I think the last clip we show,

1160
00:58:00,400 --> 00:58:04,400
Speaker 2: you know, close closing out that the Georgia Dome that way,

1161
00:58:04,760 --> 00:58:09,640
Speaker 2: that game that was that was probably the most special

1162
00:58:11,520 --> 00:58:15,600
Speaker 2: followed by one that was yeah, no difficult that one, yeah,

1163
00:58:15,800 --> 00:58:17,120
Speaker 2: Which is interesting about that game.

1164
00:58:17,120 --> 00:58:18,600
Speaker 3: And we have not talked about the Super Bowl, and

1165
00:58:18,680 --> 00:58:20,880
Speaker 3: it obviously didn't go the way we wanted to go.

1166
00:58:22,120 --> 00:58:26,920
Speaker 3: By the way, Matt's the fourth highest rated passer in

1167
00:58:27,040 --> 00:58:30,920
Speaker 3: Super Bowl history, right, And you can take all the winners,

1168
00:58:31,080 --> 00:58:35,680
Speaker 3: all the fourth rated game all time in rating Phil

1169
00:58:35,680 --> 00:58:39,000
Speaker 3: Simms just like four percentage points ahead. And Phil Sims

1170
00:58:39,040 --> 00:58:41,560
Speaker 3: went twenty to twenty five in that eighty six Super

1171
00:58:41,600 --> 00:58:44,200
Speaker 3: Bowl when he beat the Broncos. Just tells you how

1172
00:58:44,240 --> 00:58:47,360
Speaker 3: good a game Matt had that day. But I'm gonna

1173
00:58:47,360 --> 00:58:50,320
Speaker 3: throw some numbers out at you. Forty six game winning

1174
00:58:50,360 --> 00:58:56,800
Speaker 3: drives sixth all time, seventy six career three hundred yard

1175
00:58:56,840 --> 00:59:01,080
Speaker 3: games fourth all time, sixty two hundred sixty two thousand,

1176
00:59:01,160 --> 00:59:05,040
Speaker 3: seven hundred ninety two yards seventh all time, three hundred

1177
00:59:05,040 --> 00:59:08,920
Speaker 3: and eighty one touchdown passes seventh or ninth all time.

1178
00:59:11,320 --> 00:59:14,360
Speaker 3: What when you hear those kind of numbers, what does

1179
00:59:14,400 --> 00:59:15,040
Speaker 3: that mean to you?

1180
00:59:15,560 --> 00:59:21,800
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm, I'm it's it's it's hard to I

1181
00:59:21,840 --> 00:59:24,080
Speaker 2: don't really know, you know, I don't I don't really

1182
00:59:24,080 --> 00:59:26,080
Speaker 2: know what to make of it. I think that I'm

1183
00:59:26,080 --> 00:59:29,160
Speaker 2: incredibly proud of it. Like I still think. I still

1184
00:59:29,200 --> 00:59:32,840
Speaker 2: think of playing high school football at Pincharter and if

1185
00:59:32,880 --> 00:59:35,560
Speaker 2: I threw for a thousand yards in a season and

1186
00:59:35,640 --> 00:59:38,560
Speaker 2: had ten touchdown passes, that was like an unbelievable year,

1187
00:59:38,960 --> 00:59:44,080
Speaker 2: you know. And so from a perspective, you know, it's

1188
00:59:44,160 --> 00:59:48,439
Speaker 2: it's it's hard to gauge that. I mean, I feel

1189
00:59:48,480 --> 00:59:52,880
Speaker 2: like I never, I never, you know, took the blinders

1190
00:59:52,920 --> 00:59:55,640
Speaker 2: off while I was playing. You know, I was always

1191
00:59:55,720 --> 00:59:58,040
Speaker 2: kind of aware because you're answering questions about that kind

1192
00:59:58,040 --> 01:00:00,960
Speaker 2: of stuff at different times, and you understand and you

1193
01:00:01,000 --> 01:00:04,440
Speaker 2: know that that things pile up and turn into something

1194
01:00:04,480 --> 01:00:08,920
Speaker 2: at the end. But uh, honestly, I never, I never

1195
01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:12,160
Speaker 2: worried about that stuff, you know. Uh, And it wasn't

1196
01:00:12,200 --> 01:00:14,840
Speaker 2: why I played, you know, if I'm if I'm being honest,

1197
01:00:15,680 --> 01:00:18,840
Speaker 2: it's nice that all of those things happen, but it

1198
01:00:19,000 --> 01:00:21,240
Speaker 2: wasn't the reason, you know, I did any of those things.

1199
01:00:21,240 --> 01:00:23,680
Speaker 2: But now looking back on it from from the lens

1200
01:00:23,680 --> 01:00:27,440
Speaker 2: where it's where it's done, and like, I'm like, holy,

1201
01:00:28,040 --> 01:00:32,320
Speaker 2: like how did that happen? You know, that's I still think,

1202
01:00:32,400 --> 01:00:34,400
Speaker 2: like how how did it happen? Like how did How

1203
01:00:34,400 --> 01:00:36,880
Speaker 2: did all those yards? How did all the touchdowns? You know,

1204
01:00:36,920 --> 01:00:39,440
Speaker 2: I know the work I put in, but it's still

1205
01:00:40,400 --> 01:00:42,480
Speaker 2: it still feels like a dream, you know, to me

1206
01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:45,120
Speaker 2: in a lot of ways, and I know it. It

1207
01:00:45,200 --> 01:00:47,840
Speaker 2: isn't like it really happened, but still feels like a dream.

1208
01:00:47,880 --> 01:00:50,320
Speaker 3: Oh, I know that's why it happened. Okay, you can

1209
01:00:50,560 --> 01:00:54,000
Speaker 3: capitalize it because he's that guy.

1210
01:00:55,480 --> 01:00:56,480
Speaker 2: I guess, well, thank you.

1211
01:00:56,840 --> 01:01:01,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, although I would question hanging around a friend, now

1212
01:01:01,600 --> 01:01:05,080
Speaker 1: you're decided to jump into this frame. Colleague, Yeah, college

1213
01:01:05,120 --> 01:01:07,640
Speaker 1: media colleague, because that what you are now, a colleague.

1214
01:01:08,280 --> 01:01:10,280
Speaker 2: So I got introduced at something. I was out at

1215
01:01:10,320 --> 01:01:13,320
Speaker 2: Super Bowl this year and I got introduced as an

1216
01:01:13,440 --> 01:01:23,160
Speaker 2: NFL analyst, and I was like, what, we've always tried to.

1217
01:01:24,640 --> 01:01:27,040
Speaker 3: As good as a player as he was, he's probably

1218
01:01:27,120 --> 01:01:29,280
Speaker 3: going to be that. And then some of the analyst,

1219
01:01:29,360 --> 01:01:31,360
Speaker 3: I mean, get ready because Matt Ryan's going to be

1220
01:01:31,400 --> 01:01:34,600
Speaker 3: in your in your homes over the next several seasons.

1221
01:01:34,680 --> 01:01:36,240
Speaker 3: Is one of the best analysts. And you talk about

1222
01:01:36,240 --> 01:01:37,600
Speaker 3: a guy can break the games down. You think he

1223
01:01:37,640 --> 01:01:38,960
Speaker 3: broke them down as a player, what do you hear

1224
01:01:39,040 --> 01:01:40,160
Speaker 3: him break him down as an analyst.

1225
01:01:40,200 --> 01:01:40,680
Speaker 2: It's gonna be a.

1226
01:01:40,640 --> 01:01:41,040
Speaker 4: Lot of fun.

1227
01:01:41,400 --> 01:01:42,440
Speaker 1: Thanks, thank you, guys.

1228
01:01:42,480 --> 01:01:47,160
Speaker 2: Appreciate Honestly, I want to say it before we're done.

1229
01:01:47,360 --> 01:01:49,480
Speaker 2: You guys were a big part of it too, along

1230
01:01:49,800 --> 01:01:53,280
Speaker 2: for every you know, step of the way, and I

1231
01:01:53,320 --> 01:01:57,640
Speaker 2: appreciate having having seen it from a different lens now

1232
01:01:57,640 --> 01:01:59,840
Speaker 2: and knowing how difficult it is to do what you

1233
01:02:00,040 --> 01:02:02,920
Speaker 2: guys do, and how good you are to the players

1234
01:02:02,960 --> 01:02:05,080
Speaker 2: and to the coaches and respectful to the families and

1235
01:02:05,120 --> 01:02:08,320
Speaker 2: all those things. I really appreciate you know, both of you,

1236
01:02:08,680 --> 01:02:11,439
Speaker 2: and I'm thankful that you guys were along for at least,

1237
01:02:11,480 --> 01:02:13,840
Speaker 2: you know, my portion of the journey, and it made

1238
01:02:13,880 --> 01:02:15,440
Speaker 2: me sound a lot better than I was, had a

1239
01:02:15,440 --> 01:02:18,400
Speaker 2: lot of cool calls on there and different things like that.

1240
01:02:18,560 --> 01:02:22,240
Speaker 2: But you two are the best, and I really, you know,

1241
01:02:22,320 --> 01:02:25,280
Speaker 2: appreciate the time today and you know all you did

1242
01:02:25,280 --> 01:02:27,440
Speaker 2: for me in the in the fourteen seasons here. Thank you.

1243
01:02:27,600 --> 01:02:30,560
Speaker 1: It's a pleasure. Thank you guys, thanks for joining us

1244
01:02:30,680 --> 01:02:34,120
Speaker 1: of this special edition on the Atlanta Falcons podcast Network.