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Speaker 1: And now Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.

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Speaker 1: What's up, everybody? Walk and move the sticks? DJ, Bucky

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Speaker 1: back with you. Buck. Good to see you after a

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Speaker 1: couple of weeks. How you do man, Man, I am good.

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Speaker 1: I am good. But I'm really excited today. I'm really

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Speaker 1: excited about the podcast because the guy that we have

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Speaker 1: on is Uh. I think he's gonna be a nice treat. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: this is this is I'm not gonna lie. We've done

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Speaker 1: the interview top three interview that we've done. It might

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Speaker 1: be the best one we've ever done in terms of

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Speaker 1: knowledge like taking notes. Yeah, I think I think this

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Speaker 1: is one of the best ones that we've done in

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Speaker 1: terms of insight, knowledge and kind of taking you behind

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Speaker 1: the curtain. Um. I think what you always hope for

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Speaker 1: is when you interview people that they can make you smarter,

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Speaker 1: They can give you a nugget or two that will

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Speaker 1: allow you to see the game in a different way.

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Speaker 1: And I think I think I'm definitely seeing the game

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Speaker 1: in a different way. Have to talk, you know. So

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Speaker 1: the guest is Luke Keithley recently retired and Uh, it's

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Speaker 1: gonna go in the Hall of fame. Well, let's uh,

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Speaker 1: let's go through some of the accomplishment here of Luke Kickley.

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Speaker 1: You talked about getting stuff done. How about Defensive Player

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Speaker 1: Year in the NFL, Rookie of the Year in the NFL,

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Speaker 1: Five time first Team All Pro, He's a seven time

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Speaker 1: Pro bowler. Uh, he was on the NFL two thousand

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Speaker 1: tens All Decade Team, won the Buckets Award in college,

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Speaker 1: I mean on and on, a CC Defensive Player of

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Speaker 1: the Year. Just he's ridiculous, incredible, incredible career for Luke Kickley,

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Speaker 1: both collegiately and at the NFL level. Um, and somebody

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Speaker 1: that I think you guys are gonna get kicked out

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Speaker 1: of listening to. So here's our conversation with Luke Kickley. Well, look,

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Speaker 1: appreciate taking some time for us today. Man. A lot

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Speaker 1: of ground I want to get to in terms of

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Speaker 1: the linebacker position, where it was when you entered the

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Speaker 1: league and where it's headed uh in the future. But

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Speaker 1: I want to start off first of all, I was

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Speaker 1: I was looking at this the other day, UH, doing

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Speaker 1: some homework on you. Going back to high school Saint Xavier.

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Speaker 1: You rock the number three. With the new rules that

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Speaker 1: would have been in place. If you entered the league

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Speaker 1: and we're allowed to wear a single digit, would you

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Speaker 1: have would you have rocked number three instead of fifty nine.

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Speaker 1: I think I would have gone forward it because that

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Speaker 1: was my number in so when I got up to

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Speaker 1: when I got to Carolina, the only number that was

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Speaker 1: really open was was fifty nine, and they're like, that's

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Speaker 1: the number you're gonna take because that was coach Rivera's

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Speaker 1: number when he was playing. So it is either fifty

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Speaker 1: nine or a number in the nineties, and I was

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Speaker 1: not in the nineties. I was. I was number fifty

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Speaker 1: one in UH in grade school, but fifty one in

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Speaker 1: Carolina is Sam Mills, so that numbers retired um and

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Speaker 1: then all the fifties were all taken up by linebackers.

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Speaker 1: So I got there that said fifty nine is your

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Speaker 1: number that we're gonna give you because we don't want

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Speaker 1: to put you in a ninety number. So I'm happy

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Speaker 1: that they didn't do that to me. So it worked out. There,

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Speaker 1: work out, it looks so it's it's interesting because you

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Speaker 1: had an opportunity and that I'm playing on some great defenses,

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Speaker 1: but you played for a head coach. He was a linebacker.

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Speaker 1: How much pressure is it when you played the position

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Speaker 1: that your head coach knows the most. I think it helped,

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Speaker 1: It helped a lot. And I think the biggest thing

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Speaker 1: that he had he not only played and played at

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Speaker 1: a high level. We played obviously for the Five Bears,

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Speaker 1: but he coached in Chicago with with with her Locker

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Speaker 1: and Briggs. So I mean there wasn't a whole lot

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Speaker 1: that he didn't either either experience as a player or

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Speaker 1: have his as as a coach with those two guys,

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Speaker 1: and a lot of the stuff that he would teach you.

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Speaker 1: He you know he. I think what coach did a

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Speaker 1: really good job of was he let his coaches coach,

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Speaker 1: and then every once in a while when he needed

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Speaker 1: to step and he'd step in. And I remember I

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Speaker 1: had always had issues with cover two drops as the

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Speaker 1: middle run through player. I get nosy, I get aggressive,

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Speaker 1: and I get outside the hashes and get all over

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Speaker 1: the place, and he would. He brought a clip to

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Speaker 1: me of of Brian playing. He's like, look, Brian sits

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Speaker 1: in between the hashes. He never gets outside of outside

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Speaker 1: the hashes until the ball is thrown, and he trusts

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Speaker 1: his speed in his length to get there versus me.

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Speaker 1: I always felt like I had pressure to get outside

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Speaker 1: the hash to match a vertical. But if you get

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Speaker 1: outside the hash on one time in that quarterback there

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Speaker 1: is a scene ball to the other hash, You're never

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Speaker 1: gonna get there. And he said, just be patient, stay

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Speaker 1: between the hashes. And for me, I was real visual.

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Speaker 1: So once I saw, all right, that makes sense what

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Speaker 1: coaches saying, and then he was able to match it

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Speaker 1: up really well with the clip of Brian doing it.

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Speaker 1: And I think that was the major advantage of having coach.

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Speaker 1: He's a great person, he's a great coach, but he

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Speaker 1: has such good insight at that position. Who was your guy?

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Speaker 1: I mean you mentioned Arlacker there. You think about the

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Speaker 1: generation that was maybe just before you you had, I

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Speaker 1: was there in Baltimore with Ray Lewis had Zach Thomas

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Speaker 1: down in Miami. Like, who was kind of your guy

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Speaker 1: growing up? Well? Those you mentioned a lot of Zach

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Speaker 1: ray Um, obviously, Brian, Derrick Brooks. I mean, all those

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Speaker 1: inside backers that could really that could really go get

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Speaker 1: and even even beasts. When I was coming up, you know,

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Speaker 1: John Beaston was a stud and I got that down

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Speaker 1: the Caroline. He couldn't have been. He couldn't have been

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Speaker 1: a better teacher and a coach and a guy that

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Speaker 1: was just in my corner the whole time of showing

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Speaker 1: me how to do things, just stuff around Charlotte. He

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Speaker 1: was fantastic. So that was what I thought was cool

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Speaker 1: about the game, was you know, you grew up watching

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Speaker 1: all these guys. I had a chance to meet um R.

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Speaker 1: Lacker after a game we played in Soldier Field. Um

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Speaker 1: it was a cold fall day, overcast, the field, the environment,

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Speaker 1: her Lackers there, Briggs was there, Peanuts Hillman was there,

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Speaker 1: Pep was on was in Chicago that game. And it

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Speaker 1: was my rookie year, and I was just so excited

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Speaker 1: because you were all watching all these guys and I'm

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Speaker 1: like and like on the other team, Like the chance

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Speaker 1: to play against them was the running bat. Hester was

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Speaker 1: returning kicks and then it was like it was it

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Speaker 1: was so cool. So it was that first year you

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Speaker 1: go up against some guys and you're like that guy's

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Speaker 1: dude that I watched growing up a lot, but you

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Speaker 1: kind of hit hit it. Thomas Zach, Thomas R. Lacker,

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Speaker 1: Um Ray and then Derek Brooks. Those are kind of

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Speaker 1: the dudes that I grew up watching. You know, Luke

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Speaker 1: is funny because you played in Carolina and I was

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Speaker 1: in Carolina for about three years and when we went

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Speaker 1: to a Super Bowl, but we had Dan Morgan and

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Speaker 1: more fields. The defense has always been really salty with

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Speaker 1: Julie as Peppers and Chris Jenkins and those guys. So

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Speaker 1: when you step in there, did you feel like as

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Speaker 1: an organization right away that this is about the defense

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Speaker 1: kind of carrying the water for the team. Did you

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Speaker 1: ever get that sense of feeling Not not as much

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Speaker 1: because I thought we had pretty pretty established guys in

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Speaker 1: the offensive side of the ball, but there was you know,

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Speaker 1: with Greg and Khalil and Steve and Jordan Gross. But

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Speaker 1: when I got there, there was, like you said, there

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Speaker 1: was such a standard for a linebacker playing Carolina. You know,

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Speaker 1: you talk about it. You know Sam Mills and then

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Speaker 1: you go to Dan Morrigan, and then you go to

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Speaker 1: Beeson and Thomas and it was just kind of expected

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Speaker 1: that you come in and you're here to play defenses

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Speaker 1: and this is how we played defense. Play hard and

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Speaker 1: play tough and play physical in the Effort is never

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Speaker 1: a question. And I think the best guy as far

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Speaker 1: as effort goes in love for the game, and the

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Speaker 1: competitive attitude was Thomas. Nobody was more competitive, nobody was

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Speaker 1: more high energy Thomas. He loved the game. He was tough,

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Speaker 1: he was physical. We did everything right. And when you

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Speaker 1: come in as a young guy and you've got a

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Speaker 1: beast and Thomas and we had a couple other guys

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Speaker 1: in that room and that were studs, there's only one

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Speaker 1: way to do things. And those guys set the tone

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Speaker 1: for the defense. And I'm sure when they got there

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Speaker 1: they learned from Dan and all those same guys as well.

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Speaker 1: So it was just kind of a culture thing. When

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Speaker 1: I got there, there was an expectation in your job

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Speaker 1: was to hold that expectation up. I want to go

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Speaker 1: back a little bit before that, before the Panthers. Um,

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Speaker 1: I remember going through and I'll get you. I've got

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Speaker 1: your scattering report here. I pulled it from when I

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Speaker 1: was at the Eagles. But so that that's coming your way,

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Speaker 1: you can give me a thumbs upper a thumbs down

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Speaker 1: when we get there. But going back to high school,

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Speaker 1: your high school team was a little I think you guys.

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Speaker 1: You guys win the national championship in high school. My

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Speaker 1: junior year were really good. We were. We went fifteen

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Speaker 1: and oh, we'd beat a ton of nationally ranked teams,

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Speaker 1: would beat the math that we beat some teams in Indianapolis, Kentucky.

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Speaker 1: UM standing natious is basically our our Brothers school up

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Speaker 1: in Cleveland. They're Jesuit all boys school, tough, physical, on

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Speaker 1: time head coach UM. But we were, we were really

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Speaker 1: good that year. We had man we had twenty out

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Speaker 1: of the twenty two starters, I think I think een

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Speaker 1: eighteen or nineteen of them played college sports. A lot

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Speaker 1: of kids went to IVY school, so Columbia, cornell Um,

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Speaker 1: pen the Way, had a kid go to Yale, and

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Speaker 1: then with a couple of kids sprinkled in the University

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Speaker 1: of Cincinnati. UM, we were just stacked that year. We

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Speaker 1: had a great coach or coach Steve Spec has been

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Speaker 1: there um at least two thousand three or four and

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Speaker 1: he's got three or four state championships. So it was

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Speaker 1: another thing when we when I got there, there was

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Speaker 1: just an expectation when when when coach Spec took over,

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Speaker 1: he took over from a guy named Steve Rasso that

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Speaker 1: had been there forever. So the last probably thirty years,

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Speaker 1: there's been two coaches at Saint X and they've all

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Speaker 1: been very successful. You come in and the expectation is

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Speaker 1: just like when I got to Carolina, played hard, play physical,

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Speaker 1: and respect the game. So I was been a fortunate

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Speaker 1: in my football career to have good people to look

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Speaker 1: up to and good environments that I come into. I'm

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Speaker 1: curious just falling up on that. Obviously you're known for

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Speaker 1: for what you did tape study wise, preparation wise. Was

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Speaker 1: that was that where the foundation was laid? Was that

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Speaker 1: in high school? We we actually did watch it in

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Speaker 1: in high school, and you know, actually we did a

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Speaker 1: little bit when we got to the playoffs in grade school.

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Speaker 1: We'd go over to one of the rich's house and

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Speaker 1: we just casually just an opportunity for everybody to get together.

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Speaker 1: When I got to high school. Once, once I got

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Speaker 1: into the varsity team my my junior year, we'd go

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Speaker 1: down and into Specs office during lunch and we'd all

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Speaker 1: sit around in his office. We'd all eat our lunches.

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Speaker 1: Inspect would put tape on and kind of walk us

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Speaker 1: through stuff. He's like, all right, this is what we're

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Speaker 1: gonna get. This is what I envisioned us being in

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Speaker 1: on the defensive side of the ball, which is kind

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Speaker 1: of run through the mental gymnastics of you know, your alignment,

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Speaker 1: what's your communication look like? That way, you're getting cheap reps.

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Speaker 1: And that's what I thought always was good about tape

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Speaker 1: is is they're cheap reps and you can get a

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Speaker 1: lot of them fast. And you learned that from a

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Speaker 1: young age. And I think the most important thing about

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Speaker 1: watching tape is you watch it and then when you

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Speaker 1: have success because you've watched the tape, I think that's

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Speaker 1: where the real satisfaction comes in and it keeps you

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Speaker 1: wanting more. All Right, what can I do to get

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Speaker 1: an edge? Like you watched tape, You can put yourself

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Speaker 1: in a situation you envisioned the play, and then you

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Speaker 1: get out in the game and boom, you see that

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Speaker 1: same look, the same formation, you're in the same defense,

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Speaker 1: and that play comes and you make a play and

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Speaker 1: you're like, man, all that tape I watched, it was

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Speaker 1: worth it. And I think that's that's what's cool to

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Speaker 1: me about watching the tape. And I think it started,

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Speaker 1: you know, when I was respect just going down there

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Speaker 1: eating lunch with him and him walking us through stuff.

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Speaker 1: You know, I'm so curious because it sounds like you

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Speaker 1: have like a great foundation in terms of your preparation

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Speaker 1: and your practice eppisode in high school. Did that change

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Speaker 1: at all when you got the Boston College. No, it

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Speaker 1: actually it actually helped a lot. I mean it actually

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Speaker 1: got better. You know when we were When I was

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Speaker 1: at the same action that you have, you just put

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Speaker 1: like the VH Chess Center the DVD and it's kind

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Speaker 1: of like line fast forward, so you're getting you're getting

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Speaker 1: the game. We didn't really have cut ups per se.

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Speaker 1: And then I got to I got to BC and

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Speaker 1: it was like it was like playland now, groups down

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Speaker 1: to distance, um formations, whatever you want to do. Had

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Speaker 1: It was like blew my mind. I had all this

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Speaker 1: stuff to watch and there was a guy in there

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Speaker 1: named West Davis. He was a safety and he was

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Speaker 1: I played with West for two years, so he was

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Speaker 1: a senior my freshman year and then my junior yeah,

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Speaker 1: and then my sophomore. He was a red shirt senior.

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Speaker 1: And West was a big tape guy, super smart, understood

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Speaker 1: the whole defense. He understood defensive line, linebackers, corners, safeties.

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Speaker 1: He could kind of tell everybody what to do. And

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Speaker 1: I was like I'm gonna be like that guy. And

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Speaker 1: so I go watch tape with West and he he

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Speaker 1: really would walk me through how he would do it.

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Speaker 1: He'd go in there. We had another corner that those

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Speaker 1: guys would all watch tape together and then I just

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Speaker 1: switch Sea West and this corner talking all the time like, Hey,

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Speaker 1: if you get this game, I'm just gonna give you

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Speaker 1: a look. And that's we know we're on the same page.

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Speaker 1: And and that started to kind of make my my

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Speaker 1: mind spin a little bit of a sense of all right, well,

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Speaker 1: if I can know what I'm doing just by watching

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Speaker 1: tape and I can mind myself up, or what's the

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Speaker 1: next step? The next step is what West was doing

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Speaker 1: was bringing guys in talking to him, being proactive in

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Speaker 1: the communication aspect, because you know, you go place somewhere

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Speaker 1: it's allowed, it's hard to communicate. Um. I learned that

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Speaker 1: from West. I learned how to break down, you know,

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Speaker 1: personnel groups, what teams are trying to do, one third down.

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Speaker 1: And that was to me, I think a huge factor

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Speaker 1: for me getting to Carolina, because by the time I

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Speaker 1: got to Carolina, there's some little bit of refining going on.

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Speaker 1: But what I learned in high school, and then really

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Speaker 1: what West. What I picked up from West was what's

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Speaker 1: set that foundation of what I'm able to do. I'm

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Speaker 1: curious on this front. Obviously, look at the numbers. Gosh,

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Speaker 1: I remember going back to BC two tackles over three

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Speaker 1: years there. The production, the tape study. We've talked a

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Speaker 1: little bit about that, but when we're when we're talking

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Speaker 1: with quarterbacks Luke, when we're going to the draft process,

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Speaker 1: recall is huge, man. So it's not only just being

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Speaker 1: able to study during the week, but then like we

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Speaker 1: had Mahomes come in studio and I asked him about

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Speaker 1: a specific play like against TCU the third week of

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Speaker 1: the season, and his recall was outstanding. Do you see

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Speaker 1: that as a quarterback of the defense, it's not only

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Speaker 1: your tape study, but maybe you're you're on the field

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Speaker 1: and maybe you haven't watched something in this game that

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Speaker 1: you're playing right now, but maybe something triggers from two

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Speaker 1: years ago or whatever, and then that and then and

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Speaker 1: then off you go with the recall to go along

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Speaker 1: with the study habits. Well, I think what I tried

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Speaker 1: to do I learned this from me from McDermott quite

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Speaker 1: a bit. Was he always I had a book on

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Speaker 1: all the coordinators. So the one guy was Shanahan. So

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Speaker 1: putting in Shanahan as a rookie when he was in

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Speaker 1: was when he was in Washington, and then I think

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Speaker 1: we played him again. Maybe I don't know where he

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Speaker 1: was in thirteen, but in the fourteen I think he

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Speaker 1: was in Cleveland, and then team he played him again.

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Speaker 1: And every year I feel like I played a Kyle

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Speaker 1: Shanahan offense. So it was always just kind of like, oh, boom,

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Speaker 1: Like we saw that back in when we played Cleveland.

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Speaker 1: They had the same kind of the same kind of

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Speaker 1: vibe boom that he's gonna pull back out. And that's

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Speaker 1: and I'm sure they do that on their side of

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Speaker 1: the ball as well, in the sense of we're gonna

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Speaker 1: play a McDermott defense. They're gonna be a four three,

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Speaker 1: they're gonna be a lot of rotation down to the

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Speaker 1: tight end and single high in the red zone. They're

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Speaker 1: gonna play a quarters look, so he's gonna have his answers.

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Speaker 1: We also got to have our answers as well, so

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Speaker 1: that's what was It was fun to me if you

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Speaker 1: can you can remember stuff and recall stuff, and the

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Speaker 1: other thing too, I think week tweak things changed quite

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Speaker 1: a bit in a sense of this team might might

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Speaker 1: not have say we're playing the Falcons right and two

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Speaker 1: weeks prior we got beat on a play in like

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Speaker 1: hyd red zone quarters. Maybe Atlanta doesn't have that play

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Speaker 1: in there in the repertoire, but they're gonna put it

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Speaker 1: in that week because they thought they saw that had success. Again,

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Speaker 1: it's like down a distance situation formation. What hasn't worked against,

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Speaker 1: what's worked against this boom. That's why this guy there,

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Speaker 1: That's why that guy is there, and hopefully you can

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Speaker 1: make a pre snap adjustment to make sure that everybody's

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Speaker 1: on the same page. And a lot of times our

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Speaker 1: guys in the back end are always so good at that.

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Speaker 1: Roman and Kurd and all those guys are so smart.

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Speaker 1: You know that they were able to kind of get

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Speaker 1: everything situated. It's funny that you mentioned Roman occur because look,

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Speaker 1: everything that I've learned about defense, um DE coordinators always

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Speaker 1: say you have to be strong down the mill and

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Speaker 1: the positions of central the mic linebackers, safety. You have

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Speaker 1: to have guys that are not only outstanding thinkers, but

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Speaker 1: they have to be great communicators and the listening to you.

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Speaker 1: I hear you talk about understanding stuff, but then it's

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Speaker 1: the relaying it to your teammates. So if you have

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Speaker 1: to take a young player, how would you tell them

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Speaker 1: or how would you give them to up to any

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Speaker 1: on their communication skills When it comes to I am

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Speaker 1: the mic linebacker. I'm responsible for the defense, but it's

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Speaker 1: important for me to be a great talker. So everyone

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Speaker 1: is on the on the same page. I think it's

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Speaker 1: first of all, it's confident. So those guy's got to understand,

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Speaker 1: you know, what are they what are they do them?

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Speaker 1: Because I'm speaking from experience. When I first got there,

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Speaker 1: I was trying to learn everything and it was kind

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Speaker 1: of hard. I didn't want to say the wrong thing.

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Speaker 1: And I think so first of all, they got to

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Speaker 1: be confident what they're doing. They got to understand their

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Speaker 1: role on the defense in a situation. Um. But I

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Speaker 1: think I think the more practice and the more reps

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Speaker 1: you get at it, the better guys are. So when

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Speaker 1: we'd be in meetings on Wednesdays, we we would come

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Speaker 1: in early and MCDE would have a meeting for and

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Speaker 1: it was really it was just the back seven. You know,

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Speaker 1: all they do is give us looks and defenses, and

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Speaker 1: everybody had to talk. So you know, me and Thomas

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Speaker 1: would talk together, then Rotation would talk, and if we're

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Speaker 1: in man, I'd be like, hey, Roman, this is how

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Speaker 1: I see it. Boom. Then he'd then he'd relayed back

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Speaker 1: to me in the corners would do the same thing.

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Speaker 1: So I think those guys gotta be confident. I think

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Speaker 1: it's gotta be there's got to be an environment where

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Speaker 1: those guys feel comfortable talking. And then the more reps

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Speaker 1: you get at it, the more confident they get at it,

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Speaker 1: The more I think those guys begin to feel like

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Speaker 1: they belong in the room and they're welcome and they're

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Speaker 1: part of the group, the better they can be because

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Speaker 1: all these guys like to talk. All these guys like

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Speaker 1: to have fun. You see them in the locker room.

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Speaker 1: They're cutting up, so they don't have an issue talking.

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Speaker 1: I think it's more they got to be confident. They

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Speaker 1: gotta feel like they're they're in a good environment where

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Speaker 1: they can learn, and they just have to have the

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Speaker 1: ability to if if I'm a rookie and um, I'm

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Speaker 1: trying to think there's a there's a Bobby Wagoner's out there.

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Speaker 1: Lavante David I can't be ashamed to be like, hey,

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Speaker 1: watch out for this, because if I don't and that

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Speaker 1: play hits, they're gonna be like, what, why don't you

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Speaker 1: tell me? I can't be intimidated by the older guys

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Speaker 1: because everybody wants the same thing. Everybody wants to succeed,

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Speaker 1: everybody wants to win, and everybody has a part in that.

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Speaker 1: I'm curious we got the rookie showing up, rookie minicamps

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Speaker 1: going on around the league right now. Um. I remember

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Speaker 1: when I got to Baltimore for the first time. I

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Speaker 1: was there in the spring. It was an O t

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Speaker 1: A and seeing how hard Ray practiced and and just

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Speaker 1: like this guy is the best in the business and

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Speaker 1: to be going like he's going in a in a

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Speaker 1: spring O t A. But it set the tone for

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Speaker 1: all the young guys. They came in there, they saw him,

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Speaker 1: and they knew kind of what the expectation was from

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Speaker 1: a practice standpoint. I was talking to a coach of

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Speaker 1: the day said they showed their rookies that came in

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Speaker 1: practice fake just like how to go through drills, just

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Speaker 1: to give them an idea of pro tempo and everything.

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Speaker 1: How did you guys go about doing it. How did

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Speaker 1: you as a leader get all these new guys every year,

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Speaker 1: this young group to to figure out how to practice.

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Speaker 1: I think the thing that was good for me and

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Speaker 1: pretty much my whole career until the last year I

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Speaker 1: was there, was I didn't have to do that because

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Speaker 1: when I got there, Thomas on the defense side of all,

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Speaker 1: Thomas was that guy, and he set the term and

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Speaker 1: you had a match his intensity. And Thomas was the

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Speaker 1: best guy, one of the best guys that I dealt

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Speaker 1: with in the sense of his ability to connect with

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Speaker 1: guys on the team. He would never yell at guys,

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Speaker 1: He never liked embarrassed guys. He would he would always

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Speaker 1: just talk to him and Alan Gum and make it

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Speaker 1: a game and a competition. And I think guys really

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Speaker 1: really bought into that, and they they didn't feel threatened,

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Speaker 1: they didn't feel um scared. It was just kind of

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Speaker 1: like this guy that's been here forever. He's at three

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Speaker 1: a c l s. He's still fighting, he's still clawn,

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Speaker 1: He's still runs hard at practice. We have these gps

419
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Speaker 1: as we used to wear. He'd always have the highest

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Speaker 1: speed of the linebackers, even when he was in year

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Speaker 1: fifteen or whatever it was, So there wasn't there weren't options.

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Speaker 1: It was practice hard or don't practice, and I must

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Speaker 1: set that tone. So for me, I think it's all

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Speaker 1: about creating an environment. So if you're a young guy

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Speaker 1: and there's an old guy there, you gotta watch the

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Speaker 1: older guy. There's a reason that these guys are successful.

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Speaker 1: There's a reason they've been in the league for as

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Speaker 1: long as they have been. It's because they do things

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Speaker 1: the right way, and the older guys sets a tone.

430
00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:46,880
Speaker 1: It's the older guy's job. They kind of keep everybody

431
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:48,480
Speaker 1: in line. But it's also a two way street. The

432
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,879
Speaker 1: young guys got to buy in and understand, like, I

433
00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:52,480
Speaker 1: don't care how you did it in college. This is

434
00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:54,359
Speaker 1: this is how we do it here. This is how

435
00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:56,280
Speaker 1: we do it in Carolina. This is the way that

436
00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,320
Speaker 1: it's going to be. You know, a little kids. It's

437
00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:00,240
Speaker 1: funny because you talked about it because right now we're

438
00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,119
Speaker 1: kind of undergoing a change in the league, like you're

439
00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:06,520
Speaker 1: having players asking for coaches to dollar back a little

440
00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:08,680
Speaker 1: bit when it comes to the tempo of O T

441
00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:11,280
Speaker 1: A s and mini camps and those things. Yeah, here,

442
00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:12,639
Speaker 1: I am listening to you as one of the best

443
00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:14,480
Speaker 1: players to play in the league for like a decade.

444
00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,320
Speaker 1: Talk about practice is important. We need those risks, we

445
00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:20,040
Speaker 1: need to get it. What is the fine line between

446
00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,640
Speaker 1: like getting enough work at the temple that we need

447
00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,880
Speaker 1: to really prepare for the season and maybe doing too

448
00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:29,840
Speaker 1: much in the off season. I think all the sports

449
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:32,320
Speaker 1: science that is involved right now with guys were in

450
00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,440
Speaker 1: gps IS and having an analytics department that really breaks

451
00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:39,280
Speaker 1: all this stuff down, I think it goes beyond I

452
00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:41,480
Speaker 1: feel sore so we're not going to practice day. I

453
00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:44,440
Speaker 1: think it's there's tangible numbers that these guys have that

454
00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:46,439
Speaker 1: they're able to kind of break it down and measure,

455
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,200
Speaker 1: you know, load and speed output and step balance and

456
00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:52,479
Speaker 1: fatigue levels. I think you can do a really good

457
00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,800
Speaker 1: job in the offseason of of putting a plan together

458
00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,560
Speaker 1: that lets guys not only get better and succeed, but

459
00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,360
Speaker 1: also takes care of their body. And then I think, honestly,

460
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,560
Speaker 1: during the season, it's a team the team kind of thing.

461
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,480
Speaker 1: Obviously the numbers and the science comes into play. But

462
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,119
Speaker 1: you know when in fifteen when we went to the

463
00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:12,640
Speaker 1: year we went to the Super Bowl, we were older.

464
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,080
Speaker 1: We had a lot of old guys in the team.

465
00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:18,320
Speaker 1: And after probably week five, um, we go out there,

466
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,840
Speaker 1: we'd run through Indie, we'd have like one one practice in,

467
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,840
Speaker 1: you know, just some shelves, like not like full speed,

468
00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,080
Speaker 1: but it was like a true team period and we'd

469
00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:29,639
Speaker 1: be running and moving and doing our thing. Um. And

470
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,360
Speaker 1: then after that first period, we take our we take

471
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,720
Speaker 1: everything off, and it was like a walkthrough, but it

472
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:39,000
Speaker 1: was you understood that it's not just a mess around session.

473
00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:41,520
Speaker 1: We're not just out here like if it's lock in,

474
00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,280
Speaker 1: lock in what you need to get done, and we're

475
00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:47,680
Speaker 1: giving this to you guys as an opportunity to recover.

476
00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:50,560
Speaker 1: And I thought Rivera always did a really good job

477
00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,400
Speaker 1: of kind of finding the happy meeting between I'm gonna

478
00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:55,679
Speaker 1: push you guys, I'm gonna make sure you guys have

479
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:58,359
Speaker 1: enough break, but when it's time to really lock in

480
00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,960
Speaker 1: and dial in, we gotta do it be because if

481
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,080
Speaker 1: you guys start taking advantage of this situation and messing

482
00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:06,159
Speaker 1: around and not treating it the right, we'll just go

483
00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:08,240
Speaker 1: back in two paths. And everyone's like, no, we don't

484
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:10,920
Speaker 1: want to do that. And we had enough order guys

485
00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,880
Speaker 1: in the team that understood that, and our practices were

486
00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:17,840
Speaker 1: super productive. A lot of communication guys where they needed

487
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,960
Speaker 1: to be, and that little break on Wednesday, I think

488
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,639
Speaker 1: really propelled everybody into the weekend in the sense of

489
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,600
Speaker 1: recovery and getting your legs back. But at the same time,

490
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:30,879
Speaker 1: we didn't miss it beat as far as communication and

491
00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:33,639
Speaker 1: assignment and alignment and doing all that stuff. It was

492
00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,960
Speaker 1: just a little bit dialed back physically wise. I'm curious.

493
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:38,360
Speaker 1: You know, you've got a chance to spend a year

494
00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,040
Speaker 1: in scouting there with the Panthers, But when you when

495
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,440
Speaker 1: you step back and big picture team building from somebody

496
00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,120
Speaker 1: who's been on a team that went to a Super Bowl,

497
00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:48,960
Speaker 1: has been on great defenses, how would you prioritize that.

498
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,160
Speaker 1: We talked about kind of the positions of priority or whatever,

499
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:52,680
Speaker 1: But how would you look kick, let's make you a

500
00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,120
Speaker 1: general manager for a day. You get a blank slate here.

501
00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,240
Speaker 1: Where do you focus in terms of the beginning stages

502
00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,480
Speaker 1: building a foundation for your team? I think specifically on

503
00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,679
Speaker 1: the defensive side of the ball. I think if you

504
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:06,760
Speaker 1: can be really good up front, you all you always

505
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,200
Speaker 1: have a chance to win. And you know, you kind

506
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,600
Speaker 1: of look at that's kind of how we were when

507
00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:13,280
Speaker 1: I first got here, and then you know, that one

508
00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,440
Speaker 1: of the later examples now is is what san Fran

509
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,840
Speaker 1: was able to do. They just that all those big

510
00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:22,920
Speaker 1: monsters inside pass rushers, big inside athletic guys, and then

511
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,560
Speaker 1: filled in pieces around and they hit on some dudes.

512
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,600
Speaker 1: I mean, Fred Warner's a monster. The guys in the

513
00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:32,359
Speaker 1: back end, they've got tons of corners. They they've just

514
00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:36,480
Speaker 1: got guys that make life very difficult for offenses. And

515
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:38,879
Speaker 1: you know, I'd love to say you got a draft linebacker,

516
00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,639
Speaker 1: you got draft you got a draft corners. But I

517
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:45,480
Speaker 1: think affecting the passer is one of the most important

518
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:47,439
Speaker 1: things to do in the NFL right now. Always going

519
00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,199
Speaker 1: to be like that unless he gets back to the

520
00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,119
Speaker 1: teams running the ball fourty times a game, which I

521
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,320
Speaker 1: just don't I don't see happen. And you look at

522
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,280
Speaker 1: what Tampa this year in the Super Bowl back Mahomes,

523
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:58,840
Speaker 1: and they're good, I mean, they're good everywhere on defense,

524
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,000
Speaker 1: but they just causing so many problems up front that

525
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,600
Speaker 1: it makes everyone's job so much easier. You know, it's funny, Louke,

526
00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,439
Speaker 1: because you talked about it. So going back to the

527
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,680
Speaker 1: defense that we built on Carolina, they went to the

528
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:12,480
Speaker 1: Super Bowl, it was the same thing. It was Monster's

529
00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,960
Speaker 1: upfront linebacker play. And then we won't say we just

530
00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:18,320
Speaker 1: had anybody at corner and safety, but it really was

531
00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:21,560
Speaker 1: the front seven. And so there's this debate about linebacker

532
00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:25,320
Speaker 1: and how you prioritize linebacker when it comes to the draft.

533
00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,280
Speaker 1: And so you were drafted high as in quote unquote

534
00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:31,360
Speaker 1: off the ball linebacker. So when you think about that position,

535
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,480
Speaker 1: how important is it to have a stud at the

536
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:37,360
Speaker 1: linebacker spot and what are the qualities that they need

537
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:39,320
Speaker 1: to exhibit to make you say, Okay, that's the guy

538
00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:40,760
Speaker 1: that we need to have to be the centerpiece of

539
00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,720
Speaker 1: the defense. I think the one stat that doesn't get

540
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:49,080
Speaker 1: measured enough our TFLs interesting. You know, it's it's it's

541
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:52,359
Speaker 1: either a zero yartist play or a negative play. And

542
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,000
Speaker 1: if you if you take the words sack and TfL out,

543
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,280
Speaker 1: it's kind of the same. It's the same thing. I think.

544
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:00,720
Speaker 1: You know, you start arguing pressures and you know, you

545
00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,679
Speaker 1: hit the quarterback. That obviously, obviously is a huge factor

546
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,920
Speaker 1: in sacks. Obviously impressures do that. But I think a

547
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,680
Speaker 1: TfL is so valuable it's it's a negative run play.

548
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,360
Speaker 1: Um and the best guys in the league are right

549
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:18,400
Speaker 1: up there around ten, eleven, twelve, a couple of sacks,

550
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,560
Speaker 1: and so I think if you can get a dynamic

551
00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,639
Speaker 1: guy that can sidelines and sideline, he's good in the

552
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:26,480
Speaker 1: past game, but he can affect. He can affect the

553
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:29,200
Speaker 1: game at or behind the line of scrimmage. I think

554
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,040
Speaker 1: that's where your big money guys come. And you look

555
00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,600
Speaker 1: at you know what Bobby has done? What um you

556
00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:36,600
Speaker 1: know Labonte David's done. I think he's one of the

557
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,360
Speaker 1: most underrated guys in the league that just doesn't give

558
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,399
Speaker 1: enough credit. He's always look at us. You just go

559
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:45,960
Speaker 1: look at his numbers, sacks, TFLs for forced fumbles, pure tackles.

560
00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:48,800
Speaker 1: The dude's a monster. And then Devin White down there

561
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,320
Speaker 1: as a monster too. He's like the next dude. Fred

562
00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:55,520
Speaker 1: Warners like that. All these guys that Dean Jones, we

563
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 1: have stacked our division with stack. Mario Davis was as

564
00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:01,360
Speaker 1: a stud in New Orleans. You know, Shock is like that.

565
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:03,399
Speaker 1: He can do a little bit of everything. So I

566
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,199
Speaker 1: think I think tackles are great in in I'll be

567
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,080
Speaker 1: the first to say tackles are great. Somebody's got to

568
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:11,920
Speaker 1: tackle the ball carrier. But if you can affect the

569
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,280
Speaker 1: game at or behind the line of scrimmage and then

570
00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,800
Speaker 1: in the past game as a cover player pass deflections,

571
00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:22,640
Speaker 1: um interceptions. I think that's where linebackers tend to separate themselves.

572
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,760
Speaker 1: Let's interest. I just looked it up. So if you

573
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 1: go last year t J. Watt obviously in Hassan Reddick

574
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,840
Speaker 1: where the top two of their edge guys. Uh, Aaron

575
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,600
Speaker 1: Donald's you know, is right there, and then it's Roquan

576
00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:36,200
Speaker 1: Smith Devon White. Yeah, study too. I mean those dudes

577
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,080
Speaker 1: that can get behind a line of scrimmage and effect

578
00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,359
Speaker 1: the ball back there, those are the dudes that are valuable. Yeah,

579
00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,240
Speaker 1: that's a great that's what it is, a stat that

580
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,840
Speaker 1: you do not hear referenced with linebackers very often. Either.

581
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,040
Speaker 1: That's great, It's fantastic. Um. I want to go back

582
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:52,280
Speaker 1: and uh and pull this scattering report up so you

583
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:53,880
Speaker 1: can tell me where where I was right and where

584
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,160
Speaker 1: I was wrong here. So this is going back. Here's

585
00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:57,919
Speaker 1: my here's my look. Kick. So I did you on

586
00:26:57,960 --> 00:26:59,680
Speaker 1: a cross check so I didn't have to go into

587
00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:02,399
Speaker 1: the school, So I just did you on tape. Um,

588
00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:04,359
Speaker 1: All right, here we go. It's kind of a lengthy

589
00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:07,680
Speaker 1: report here. Uh looks a three year starter inside linebacker

590
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:11,959
Speaker 1: for BC. Declared for twelve draft following insanely productive three

591
00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,960
Speaker 1: year career, outstanding hype bulk for the position. This is

592
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,600
Speaker 1: one of the most instinctive linebackers I've ever graded against

593
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:20,680
Speaker 1: the run, directs traffic pre snap, extremely quick to key

594
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:24,399
Speaker 1: read flow once the ball is in the quarterbacks hands,

595
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:29,040
Speaker 1: has very quick feet, takes exceptional exceptional angles when working downhill.

596
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,240
Speaker 1: Constantly gets over the top of blockers, wrap wraps around

597
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,440
Speaker 1: for tackles. He isn't a violent take on type. Prefers

598
00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,240
Speaker 1: to dip under use a quick shake to avoid. He'll

599
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:40,960
Speaker 1: flash the ability to extend and protect himself before getting

600
00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 1: off and picking up tackles. His latter arranges outstanding sucks

601
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,439
Speaker 1: up wide receivers on reverses, and his motor is always

602
00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,840
Speaker 1: running high. He's a firm, reliable tackler, leads with his

603
00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,360
Speaker 1: face and brings his feet on contact. He's very reliable

604
00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:57,200
Speaker 1: in space to finish versus small athletic backs, and these

605
00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:00,240
Speaker 1: tapes excellent pass coverage. Can run a mirror tie ends

606
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:02,800
Speaker 1: all over the field. Very instinctive zone dropper, gets his

607
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,000
Speaker 1: hands on a lot of footballs shows you all you

608
00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,280
Speaker 1: need to see in the Miami game. Makes a PPU

609
00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,840
Speaker 1: thirty five yards down the field when draped on the

610
00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:11,879
Speaker 1: tight end. Later it makes it very athletic in t

611
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,159
Speaker 1: returns it for a touchdown good timing and bursts as

612
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,080
Speaker 1: a blitzer and can finish. Overall, this player doesn't play

613
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,840
Speaker 1: with ideal violence, but his combination of size, speed and

614
00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,159
Speaker 1: instincts is very rare. He could play any of the

615
00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,760
Speaker 1: three linebacker spots here in Philly. He'll be productive starter immediately.

616
00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:32,199
Speaker 1: I think you're dead on with the violence aspect of think, well,

617
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:33,919
Speaker 1: it's the only negative thing I said. I couldn't come

618
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,439
Speaker 1: up with anything. Know that. You know that because I

619
00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 1: remember when I first when I first got to Carolina,

620
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,680
Speaker 1: the biggest thing that I had had trouble with was

621
00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,320
Speaker 1: the how to get off blocks because in college I

622
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,680
Speaker 1: could just kind of run around and I had so

623
00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,040
Speaker 1: much freedom in college. It just kind of just kind

624
00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:53,560
Speaker 1: of get to the ball, Just get to the ball.

625
00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:55,680
Speaker 1: Get really need to be and we don't really care

626
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,000
Speaker 1: how you do it. I mean, I had rules and stuff,

627
00:28:58,040 --> 00:28:59,320
Speaker 1: but I had a lot of freedom. When I got

628
00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:03,080
Speaker 1: to Carolina was eight man front. This is your gap.

629
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,080
Speaker 1: You're responsible for your gap. You gotta be in there.

630
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,520
Speaker 1: And that was easy enough. I was likedoom, I just

631
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,280
Speaker 1: running there. I get it, I'll get my I'll do

632
00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:11,640
Speaker 1: my job. And O t A is like this is easy.

633
00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:13,680
Speaker 1: And then and then in training camp, I was just

634
00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:17,480
Speaker 1: getting blasted. I'm like, this is awful. And I think

635
00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:21,920
Speaker 1: there's a real there's there's a strength difference, there's a

636
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:25,840
Speaker 1: technique difference. There's like grown men in the NFL. And

637
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:29,040
Speaker 1: I didn't understand that concept at all. Remember the first

638
00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:31,760
Speaker 1: game we played in Tampa, they ran a lead, a

639
00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:33,560
Speaker 1: lead play in the B gap. I was playing will

640
00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:35,640
Speaker 1: they ran a lead playing the B gap the whole

641
00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:39,240
Speaker 1: game and I was getting just destroyed, just mall and

642
00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:42,720
Speaker 1: I got killed. And I played terrible at that game.

643
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,200
Speaker 1: And it took me a few games to realize, like,

644
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,920
Speaker 1: this is how you have to do it. Every play

645
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:51,120
Speaker 1: is a violent play. Every play you gotta put your

646
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:52,960
Speaker 1: hands on a guy and stuff him. And I was

647
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:56,440
Speaker 1: never I was never like a true knock back tackler

648
00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,720
Speaker 1: or a take on blow dudes up. But you just

649
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,400
Speaker 1: kind to learn where to put your hands, where to

650
00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,040
Speaker 1: get your feet, where to be where guys are weak.

651
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:09,240
Speaker 1: How to kind of position yourself um to be effective

652
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: in those situations. But it took me a while. And

653
00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:18,760
Speaker 1: the physical aspect Thomas was ultra physical, ultra explosive, violent.

654
00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:20,960
Speaker 1: I just never had that in my game, so I

655
00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,440
Speaker 1: had to try to get creative on how to do it.

656
00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,160
Speaker 1: But you're dead right on that. It was. It was

657
00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:31,920
Speaker 1: an eye open experience. So we played. We played Tampa

658
00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:34,440
Speaker 1: week one, New Orleans week two, and I was just

659
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,680
Speaker 1: getting my face caved in. I remember in training camp

660
00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:42,200
Speaker 1: Jordan gross Are left tackle. Awesome guy, great player, played

661
00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:46,840
Speaker 1: eleven I think he played eleven years. Just fat, crafty athletic,

662
00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,719
Speaker 1: could get out in space and run. Um they ran,

663
00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,040
Speaker 1: We ran. They ran like a bounce g play and

664
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:53,720
Speaker 1: I was like boom, Like I got this. I've done

665
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:55,400
Speaker 1: this a million times in college. Just go hit the

666
00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:58,160
Speaker 1: tackle and go run over the ball. And he came

667
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,360
Speaker 1: out and he gave me like a shoulder as if

668
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:03,320
Speaker 1: he was gonna come hit me. And then I went

669
00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:05,520
Speaker 1: in and he kind of took a step back and

670
00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,560
Speaker 1: then I stood up and then he's punched me and

671
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,400
Speaker 1: he kind of punched him, grabbed, and it was it

672
00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:15,680
Speaker 1: was like the ultimate that move an offensive linement, like

673
00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:18,160
Speaker 1: you could have just chucked you and I could have

674
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:20,840
Speaker 1: thrown you on the ground, but like I punched you

675
00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,080
Speaker 1: and then I grabbed you, and then there's like that,

676
00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,160
Speaker 1: there's that moment where it's like you're not as good

677
00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:30,600
Speaker 1: as you think you are. You would so it's there's

678
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:32,480
Speaker 1: everybody in the NFL. I don't care who you are.

679
00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 1: Everybody has those those moments where you where you learn

680
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:39,960
Speaker 1: and you're just like, this is the league. And I

681
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,960
Speaker 1: had one against Michael Robinson when he was in Seattle.

682
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,400
Speaker 1: MICU Oh gosh, the dude rocked me. It was it was.

683
00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:48,160
Speaker 1: It was a great hit, and it was one of

684
00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:50,480
Speaker 1: those hits like he hit me so hard, like you

685
00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:52,520
Speaker 1: don't even feel it. You just I'm on the I'm

686
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:54,280
Speaker 1: on the ground and I didn't know what happened. So

687
00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:57,480
Speaker 1: Russell was scrambling like to my right, and so he

688
00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,240
Speaker 1: was probably fifteen yards in front of me. He was

689
00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 1: running like it at me, like what is he Like,

690
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,240
Speaker 1: what is he doing? I'm gonna go I'm gonna go

691
00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:07,000
Speaker 1: smack him. So he's running, he's running, he's running. At

692
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,040
Speaker 1: the last second, he veers to my left and I'm

693
00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:12,120
Speaker 1: like getting ready to go tack them. My look and

694
00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,200
Speaker 1: then I see I see big old number I think

695
00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:17,719
Speaker 1: it was thirty two, Mike Robinson running at me and

696
00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,880
Speaker 1: just cleaned me up. And and you know how he is,

697
00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:22,880
Speaker 1: He's great. He he kind of looked at me and

698
00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:25,320
Speaker 1: just smiled, and it was kind of one of those

699
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,680
Speaker 1: moments where like you're just a young guy, like you're

700
00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,760
Speaker 1: you're gonna learn, and uh, everybody has his experiences with

701
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:34,440
Speaker 1: the physical aspect of the game from from college of

702
00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,920
Speaker 1: the pros is completely different. It's funny that you talk

703
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:40,720
Speaker 1: about the physical party because we d J and I

704
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:44,200
Speaker 1: have talked about the game shifting and training towards positionless ball,

705
00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,719
Speaker 1: where we're having these guys that are maybe safety linebacker

706
00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:50,480
Speaker 1: hybrids that are playing down in the box, but because

707
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:54,320
Speaker 1: the game is so past centric, they're able to thrive.

708
00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:57,040
Speaker 1: When you think about some of the smaller linebackers that

709
00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,640
Speaker 1: are coming to the league, you believe they also have

710
00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:02,200
Speaker 1: to just to the physicality because it's a different animal

711
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:04,320
Speaker 1: down in their phone booth in the box. Yeah, and

712
00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:08,000
Speaker 1: I think that's that's I think be an offensive coordinator

713
00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:10,520
Speaker 1: to be so fun right, and so we throw up

714
00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:14,320
Speaker 1: excuse me throughout Christian McCaffrey. He's a problem on the

715
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,400
Speaker 1: lineback and you get him in space, the linebackers struggle.

716
00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:19,960
Speaker 1: He's just so athletic. He runs great grounds boom. All right,

717
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,040
Speaker 1: So we're gonna slide. We're gonna slide the safety down.

718
00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:24,240
Speaker 1: He's gonna play will all right, cool. Now the safety

719
00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 1: is in the box. Now we're gonna run zone right

720
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:27,320
Speaker 1: at him, or we're gonna pull a guard or at

721
00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:29,640
Speaker 1: tackle around, and we're gonna we're gonna go from eleven

722
00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:32,600
Speaker 1: personnel um throwing the ball to putting this little guy

723
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:34,040
Speaker 1: in the box. Now we're gonna come back and we're

724
00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:37,440
Speaker 1: gonna run power football, old school power football, and we're

725
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:39,520
Speaker 1: gonna try to see what this guy can do. So

726
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:43,520
Speaker 1: it's it's the ultimate chess match of defensive coordinators and

727
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:46,240
Speaker 1: offensive coordinators. And all right, you're gonna bring your fast

728
00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:48,200
Speaker 1: guy in on the offense. I'm gonna put my fast

729
00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:50,880
Speaker 1: guy in. And then how does that whole how does

730
00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:54,400
Speaker 1: that hold dynamic change and shift throughout, not just not

731
00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:56,680
Speaker 1: just on a week week game plan in the game

732
00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,640
Speaker 1: plan basis, but how does it change once the game

733
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:02,320
Speaker 1: start arts? And I think that's what makes the game.

734
00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:06,080
Speaker 1: I think really fun is how can I create matchups

735
00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:08,600
Speaker 1: that help me on defense, and then you know dagon

736
00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:10,560
Speaker 1: well that the offense is going to do the same

737
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:14,040
Speaker 1: thing to the defensive side. And I think that's that's

738
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,560
Speaker 1: where the game is awesome. You throw a little guy

739
00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:18,600
Speaker 1: in there, he's gonna lock up these tight ends in

740
00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:21,120
Speaker 1: running backs. But but now we're gonna run power football

741
00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:22,840
Speaker 1: and wide zone and ibviously got a stuff of guarding

742
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:25,759
Speaker 1: the B gap. It's so much, there's so much going on,

743
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,200
Speaker 1: and then you introduce line movement to help free up

744
00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:30,800
Speaker 1: that small guy in the box. It's it just gets

745
00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,360
Speaker 1: fun real quick. I want to touch on that. I

746
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,040
Speaker 1: want to expand on that because you talked about playing

747
00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:38,799
Speaker 1: against Shanahan's offensive bunch in different locations. Bucky and I've

748
00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:40,919
Speaker 1: been talking about this for a while. You know, when

749
00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:42,839
Speaker 1: you look at their team, they can break the huddle

750
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:44,840
Speaker 1: without a running back on the field. But then you

751
00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:47,360
Speaker 1: can put Deebo back there. They have Brandon I k

752
00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:49,840
Speaker 1: you could put back there. They have the versatility of

753
00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:52,320
Speaker 1: use Check who you can use in so many different areas.

754
00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:54,080
Speaker 1: And you've got a tight end and Kittle, who's not

755
00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:55,800
Speaker 1: only an elite you know, pass catcher. It was a

756
00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,279
Speaker 1: really good and run game. But now what we were

757
00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,759
Speaker 1: saying is now you bring in trade into that, you've

758
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,520
Speaker 1: changed the math completely. I don't know how you match

759
00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:07,200
Speaker 1: personnel wise with what they're gonna be capable of doing

760
00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:10,520
Speaker 1: in that system. Yes, so your personnel groups they go

761
00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:15,959
Speaker 1: from they go from eleven personnel or or oh one

762
00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:19,040
Speaker 1: where there's obviously no running backs, to all right, how

763
00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:22,799
Speaker 1: are we how are we classifying? Are you mm hmm,

764
00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,319
Speaker 1: how are we classifying? If it's true eleven personnel? Boom,

765
00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,200
Speaker 1: he's a receiver. The moment they go oh one, do

766
00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,040
Speaker 1: we treat him as a running back or do we

767
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:35,520
Speaker 1: treat him as a receiver? Same thing with Debot, So

768
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:37,759
Speaker 1: that kind of then you start thinking about that, and

769
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:40,279
Speaker 1: it's like, all right, if Kittle, if Kittle lines up

770
00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:41,879
Speaker 1: in the in the tide of position, we're gonna treat

771
00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:45,280
Speaker 1: him as why in there. But if they're in twelve personnel,

772
00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:48,000
Speaker 1: we're gonna treat it like eleven and Kittle. If if

773
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:49,840
Speaker 1: Kittle lines up at X, we're gonna treat him like

774
00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,040
Speaker 1: an ex receiver. But if he lines up in you know,

775
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:54,239
Speaker 1: twelve looking at wing, then we got to treat him

776
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:58,520
Speaker 1: like why or are you? And we did. It kind

777
00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:01,560
Speaker 1: of started for us when we used to play um

778
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,160
Speaker 1: New Orleans when they had that. They had Pierre Thomas

779
00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,840
Speaker 1: and they had Sprowls and they had Jimmy Graham and

780
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,760
Speaker 1: they had mark Ingram. It was like, not all eleven

781
00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:14,440
Speaker 1: personnels are considered the same. Looking, Okay, if Sprowles is

782
00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,120
Speaker 1: in the game, like and it's it's say it's twenty

783
00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:18,919
Speaker 1: one and they have Sprolls in the game, right, they're

784
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:21,960
Speaker 1: not running like power. So if they're gonna go twenty

785
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,000
Speaker 1: one of Sprowls, maybe they're gonna run a little more outside.

786
00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,919
Speaker 1: But if they go eleven Sprowls, it's gonna be wide

787
00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:30,879
Speaker 1: zone or more past screen concepts, Like it's I think

788
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:32,800
Speaker 1: it's I think it's awesome. Like you look at it

789
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,520
Speaker 1: and it's like boom, Like, yeah, it's eleven personnel, but like,

790
00:36:35,719 --> 00:36:37,840
Speaker 1: not all eleven is the same. You know, maybe you

791
00:36:37,880 --> 00:36:40,840
Speaker 1: have a you've got a jumbo tight end that comes

792
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,440
Speaker 1: in what maybe you treat that is you treat that

793
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:45,880
Speaker 1: as twelve instead of eleven because it's a it's a

794
00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:49,640
Speaker 1: jumbo tight end, not Kiddle plus. Yeah, Like that's how

795
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:52,680
Speaker 1: New England is gonna be this year. They've got um,

796
00:36:52,719 --> 00:36:57,160
Speaker 1: they got a hunter Henry, And uh, how do you

797
00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:58,880
Speaker 1: treat that? Is that eleven is at twelve? Is that

798
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:01,239
Speaker 1: twenty one is Johnny is like a is a move

799
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,600
Speaker 1: tight end? Like it's awesome. I think it's super. What

800
00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:06,960
Speaker 1: about the quarterback aspect, Luke, just with when you add

801
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:08,520
Speaker 1: in the quarterback and you have to account for him

802
00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:10,080
Speaker 1: in the run game, that's the pain in the butt

803
00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,400
Speaker 1: because they if he runs the ball, you always got

804
00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:14,600
Speaker 1: an extra guy. They always have an extra guy on

805
00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:17,440
Speaker 1: the offensive side of the ball to block. So you know,

806
00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:19,560
Speaker 1: you you think about an eight and in front, everybody's

807
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:22,760
Speaker 1: got a gap. If somebody pulls, everybody just gap exchanges

808
00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:26,600
Speaker 1: and moves one over right. The moment that quarterbacks a runner,

809
00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:30,120
Speaker 1: you're outnumbered because they've got an extra guy in the

810
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:33,160
Speaker 1: run game. And you know, we always saw it, especially

811
00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,120
Speaker 1: in O t AS and training camp with Cam, just

812
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:39,279
Speaker 1: like you can't you can't be right. And Cam's back,

813
00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:43,239
Speaker 1: they're just cheese and smiling because he knows, he knows,

814
00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:46,640
Speaker 1: we know what they're doing. But it's like like you

815
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:48,800
Speaker 1: can't can't be like I'm gonna be in the B

816
00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:51,600
Speaker 1: gap to take the run game, and then he's gonna

817
00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:54,720
Speaker 1: read off the um like they're gonna they're gonna downblock

818
00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:56,239
Speaker 1: with the tackle. I gotta hit the B gap and

819
00:37:56,239 --> 00:37:58,360
Speaker 1: then they're gonna option off the the d N and

820
00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,120
Speaker 1: then can if the guy comes in, Cam's gonna who

821
00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:03,560
Speaker 1: would run for forty So it's the ultimate pain on

822
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:06,600
Speaker 1: the butt. We saw that with with Russell and Seattle,

823
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,000
Speaker 1: and we get we will get creative on how we

824
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,799
Speaker 1: played looks how we played the zone read. So I

825
00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:14,719
Speaker 1: think a lot of times the offense dictates and then

826
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,640
Speaker 1: the defense, the defense has to react and come up

827
00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:20,600
Speaker 1: with new stuff quickly. And in these defensive coordinators are

828
00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,720
Speaker 1: so smart. They see stuff, they understand how to react

829
00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:26,480
Speaker 1: to it. And I think Lamar's Lamar right now is

830
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:28,720
Speaker 1: the best guy I think in the game at running

831
00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,960
Speaker 1: that quarterback run play. It's funny that you brought it

832
00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:34,319
Speaker 1: because I was going there next. Because when I look

833
00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:36,600
Speaker 1: at the Baltimore Ravens offense and there's a lot of

834
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,680
Speaker 1: outrage in terms of them saying, hey, we gotta pass it.

835
00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:43,360
Speaker 1: Teams are or observers are saying they need to pass

836
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,319
Speaker 1: it more to go farther. I sit, in effect saying no,

837
00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:50,360
Speaker 1: the way they run it now is more more challenging,

838
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:53,400
Speaker 1: particularly when they put bigs on the field. Can you

839
00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:56,120
Speaker 1: explain a little bit when they go twelve personnel they

840
00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:58,080
Speaker 1: put two tight ends or three tight ends on the

841
00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:01,120
Speaker 1: field with Lamar as a runner in a power gap

842
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:04,080
Speaker 1: zone red scheme. What is the challenge in dealing with

843
00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:05,600
Speaker 1: all of the stuff that they can do with the

844
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,000
Speaker 1: bigs on the field versus the base defense. They don't

845
00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:13,200
Speaker 1: just have like like big tight ends they got and uh,

846
00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:17,279
Speaker 1: I think it's Patrick Ricard, a big man. He's like

847
00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:19,879
Speaker 1: a foolback. He's a tight end, but he's super he's

848
00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:22,400
Speaker 1: super athletic. He can move behind the line of scrimmage.

849
00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:25,600
Speaker 1: And then who's who's is it? Is it? Is it

850
00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,960
Speaker 1: boil or do? Yeah? Yeah, Yeah, he's a he's a

851
00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:31,959
Speaker 1: big time blocker. Yeah, but he can catch the ball too,

852
00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,440
Speaker 1: and he's super athletic and he's big and he's strong,

853
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:38,799
Speaker 1: and they can line up in different formations and it's

854
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:41,560
Speaker 1: like there's so much stuff going on, like behind the

855
00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:45,000
Speaker 1: line of scrimmage in pre snap motions. I think Shanahan

856
00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,600
Speaker 1: does a fantastic job with that as well. But it's

857
00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:50,520
Speaker 1: basically like we're gonna line up in thirteen personnel and

858
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,520
Speaker 1: you know we're gonna run the ball. But our big guys,

859
00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,359
Speaker 1: like our our our personnel related guys are tight ends

860
00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:57,920
Speaker 1: that are gonna come in the game, are going to

861
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:00,680
Speaker 1: be better then you guys are gonn put in the game.

862
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:03,520
Speaker 1: And those tight ends are both athletic enough. All three

863
00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:05,200
Speaker 1: are athletic enough that they can get out in the

864
00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:07,799
Speaker 1: past game. So the moment you load that box too

865
00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:10,320
Speaker 1: quick and too often, those guys just shift out and

866
00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:13,640
Speaker 1: and he just puts it right on him. And I think,

867
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:16,040
Speaker 1: I think on offense, man, like obviously throwing the ball,

868
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,120
Speaker 1: you can talk to the analytist. Guys are gonna say

869
00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:20,440
Speaker 1: it's more efficient and blah blah blah. But the name

870
00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:23,680
Speaker 1: of the game is scoring points. They scored plenty of

871
00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:26,239
Speaker 1: points on the offensive side of the ball, So I

872
00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:27,759
Speaker 1: don't care how you do it. If you put points

873
00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:30,359
Speaker 1: on the board, that's what you got to do. Man,

874
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,279
Speaker 1: this is fun. Man, we could We're gonna we could

875
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:33,759
Speaker 1: hold you here all day. We're not gonna do it now.

876
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:37,680
Speaker 1: This stuff is like you just look at it, and

877
00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:40,879
Speaker 1: especially more ones like I saw for eight years, you're

878
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:43,560
Speaker 1: like Sean Payton is a wizard, Like, all right, I'm

879
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:45,319
Speaker 1: gonna put these guys in there. I'm gonna put him

880
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:47,399
Speaker 1: in for this reason, and I'm gonna show you this

881
00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:49,520
Speaker 1: look because later in the game, I'm gonna run this

882
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:52,040
Speaker 1: off of it. It's like it's the ultimate, Like what

883
00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:57,640
Speaker 1: is Sean thinking? What is there looking at? Like it's

884
00:40:57,719 --> 00:41:00,440
Speaker 1: like it's hilarious though, what one want to go to that?

885
00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:03,520
Speaker 1: Real quick? Just sorry about just real quick? Uh, Taysom Hill,

886
00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:05,560
Speaker 1: do you do you do you envisioned him as a

887
00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:07,400
Speaker 1: full time guy or is he more challenging as a

888
00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:11,080
Speaker 1: sprinkled in guy. I think when he was in the game,

889
00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:13,000
Speaker 1: whenever he's in the game, and even when Drew is

890
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,600
Speaker 1: out this year he had tons of success. I think

891
00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:18,840
Speaker 1: he's kind of like in that Lamar mode of you

892
00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:22,120
Speaker 1: run first. He'd rather run the ball. But he's got

893
00:41:22,120 --> 00:41:24,040
Speaker 1: a big arm, he can throw the ball, he can

894
00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:26,040
Speaker 1: put the ball wherever he needs to. And I don't

895
00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:29,719
Speaker 1: think he's just he's not just a guy that I

896
00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:31,840
Speaker 1: think that congest or on the ball, Like when he

897
00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:34,440
Speaker 1: was in he's got he's got touched, he can sling

898
00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:36,799
Speaker 1: it out there, and you know, I think the more

899
00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:38,719
Speaker 1: reps he gets, the better he's going to be. Because

900
00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:40,840
Speaker 1: you think about it, last year, Drew gets all the reps,

901
00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:43,040
Speaker 1: and I'm sure they sprinkles some stuff in for those

902
00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:44,600
Speaker 1: guys on Wednesday. So I don't know how much Threw

903
00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,080
Speaker 1: would do on Wednesdays. But the more reps he gets

904
00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:50,319
Speaker 1: at the true quarterback position, the better he's gonna get. Look,

905
00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 1: I have to ask you this because I know you

906
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:54,879
Speaker 1: tried your hand in personnel and you recently resigned. But

907
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:57,719
Speaker 1: when I listened to you, to me, it seems like

908
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:02,319
Speaker 1: you're a coach, like like you're fascinated by the xs

909
00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:05,320
Speaker 1: and os the personnel stuff. Is that in your future

910
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:10,400
Speaker 1: at all? Would you consider coaching at whatever level, high school, college, NFL.

911
00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:13,080
Speaker 1: I think I definitely thought about it. I think I'd

912
00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:15,479
Speaker 1: really enjoy it. I think the thing that's fun about

913
00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:18,439
Speaker 1: coaching is there's always something to learn. You can always learn,

914
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:21,040
Speaker 1: you can always learn from different guys. Um. That was

915
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,680
Speaker 1: what's what was cool this year, especially on the defensive

916
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:25,200
Speaker 1: side of the ball and also on the offensive side

917
00:42:25,239 --> 00:42:28,040
Speaker 1: of the ball. Two totally different styles than anything I've

918
00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:30,960
Speaker 1: ever used to in Carolina. Because we had the same style,

919
00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:33,279
Speaker 1: especially on the defense side of the ball, basically my

920
00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:35,400
Speaker 1: whole career. But I think the coaching would be a

921
00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:37,200
Speaker 1: lot of fun. You'd be you'd have a chance to

922
00:42:37,239 --> 00:42:40,000
Speaker 1: be around the guys, you'd be on the field, you'd

923
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,000
Speaker 1: be in it all the time. I think it'd be

924
00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,759
Speaker 1: very enjoyable. Yeah. Well, I think there's a lot of

925
00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:47,200
Speaker 1: people listen to this. It'll take their run at you

926
00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:51,759
Speaker 1: listen to this conversation, man that you'd be an outstanding coach. Uh,

927
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:54,720
Speaker 1: if you wanted to go with that direction. I'm curious

928
00:42:54,719 --> 00:42:57,400
Speaker 1: on the scouting thing, just having we talked about this

929
00:42:57,440 --> 00:42:59,280
Speaker 1: on the phone the other day, but just having studied

930
00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:02,319
Speaker 1: tape as a play or the differences between what you're

931
00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:05,879
Speaker 1: looking for and preparing for an opponent versus studying tape

932
00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:08,319
Speaker 1: as an evaluator and a team builder. What would you

933
00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:11,360
Speaker 1: come up with their Well, I think initially what what

934
00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:13,239
Speaker 1: happened was like, all right, I'm gonna watch this guy

935
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:15,640
Speaker 1: plays for the Cardinals on the defense side of the ball.

936
00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:18,600
Speaker 1: The first like five or six plays, I'm watching him

937
00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:22,640
Speaker 1: like done. And then the next like thirty I'm watching

938
00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:26,400
Speaker 1: the offense and I'm like, all right, what they're doing.

939
00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:31,000
Speaker 1: They're gonna check your path and then like my minutes

940
00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:33,600
Speaker 1: go by and I'm like, all right, let's write this evaluation.

941
00:43:33,719 --> 00:43:35,200
Speaker 1: And then I sit down to write and I'm like,

942
00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:40,759
Speaker 1: I didn't watch this dude at all, like rewatch him again.

943
00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:44,760
Speaker 1: And um, So that was that was a challenge initially

944
00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:47,600
Speaker 1: because I was so used to just what is gimme scheme,

945
00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:51,560
Speaker 1: give me scheme, give me scheme U And that was

946
00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:54,120
Speaker 1: that was what was a little bit of a of

947
00:43:54,239 --> 00:43:56,400
Speaker 1: a challenge for me. But I was lucky that I

948
00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:58,879
Speaker 1: had good dudes. The dudes that were in Carolina with me,

949
00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:01,759
Speaker 1: We're awesome. Um. The guy that the scouts that I

950
00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:03,839
Speaker 1: worked with were fantastic. They did a really good job.

951
00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:07,640
Speaker 1: They taught me a lot um and it was fun. Uh.

952
00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:10,719
Speaker 1: That's funny because making a similar transition from playing to

953
00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:13,640
Speaker 1: then being in the scouting world, a lot of times

954
00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:16,799
Speaker 1: you're looking at scheme and those you kind of forget, like, oh,

955
00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:19,120
Speaker 1: I gotta I gotta I gotta write, I gotta write

956
00:44:19,120 --> 00:44:21,919
Speaker 1: this out. Um. I think I just have to ask,

957
00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:24,439
Speaker 1: like what's next for you? Like what like, what's what's

958
00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:26,279
Speaker 1: next on the agenda, what's next on the horizon for Luke?

959
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:28,000
Speaker 1: I'm gonna try to I'm gonna try to figure that out.

960
00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:30,320
Speaker 1: I think, you know, there's a bunch of stuff, uh,

961
00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:32,560
Speaker 1: that I've always wanted to do during the fall. You know,

962
00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:35,640
Speaker 1: I love I love the outdoors. I love to hunt fish,

963
00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:38,479
Speaker 1: and obviously in the fall, like you never, we didn't

964
00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:40,560
Speaker 1: have an opportunity to go do that stuff. And my

965
00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:43,840
Speaker 1: whole family grew up doing that. And now I'm excited

966
00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:45,480
Speaker 1: to kind of get an opportunity to go kind of

967
00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:47,440
Speaker 1: do some things that I've wanted to do since I

968
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:50,279
Speaker 1: was you know, really really in high school, even before

969
00:44:50,360 --> 00:44:52,680
Speaker 1: high school that I've always wanted to do the dad

970
00:44:52,719 --> 00:44:55,040
Speaker 1: and brothers and um, I think this year that I

971
00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:57,080
Speaker 1: have an opportunity to do that, and then you know,

972
00:44:57,160 --> 00:44:59,279
Speaker 1: once we get finished up with that, then you know,

973
00:44:59,320 --> 00:45:02,239
Speaker 1: just kind of see it happens. Last thing for me

974
00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:04,400
Speaker 1: here because I'm just curious about this listening to you,

975
00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,000
Speaker 1: how much knowledge that you have and how much wisdom

976
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:10,160
Speaker 1: you can share with people. I'm curious since you hung

977
00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:12,560
Speaker 1: up the cleats, have any of the other linebackers in

978
00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:14,080
Speaker 1: the league reached out to you to try and tap

979
00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:16,440
Speaker 1: into that. Yeah, a couple of guys have. I mean,

980
00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:18,160
Speaker 1: you know, the thing that's that's good is you know,

981
00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:21,040
Speaker 1: obviously I've got great relationships with the guys in Carolina

982
00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:25,200
Speaker 1: and then you know, guys Chad, I just love talking football,

983
00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:30,000
Speaker 1: so like whoever wants, especially especially you know, the guys

984
00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:33,000
Speaker 1: that are in Washington and Buffalo. You know, the systems

985
00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:35,360
Speaker 1: up there are you know, in the same family of

986
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,600
Speaker 1: what I did. So you know, I've got a lot

987
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:42,680
Speaker 1: of same experiences as those guys, and um, you know,

988
00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:44,680
Speaker 1: like how do you They like, how do you see it?

989
00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:46,080
Speaker 1: I'm like, well, this is how I looked at it.

990
00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:48,279
Speaker 1: This is kind of how I ligne aligne. This is

991
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,239
Speaker 1: where I kind of cheated gaps. This is where I

992
00:45:50,239 --> 00:45:51,959
Speaker 1: could kind of all right, if you've got a fast

993
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,480
Speaker 1: guy here and you're in this coverage, like your help

994
00:45:54,560 --> 00:45:56,719
Speaker 1: is going to be here. I just think, you know,

995
00:45:56,800 --> 00:45:59,560
Speaker 1: the more the more perspectives and opinions. I think that

996
00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:03,000
Speaker 1: was what is valuable for me was this is how

997
00:46:03,080 --> 00:46:05,239
Speaker 1: I do it. But it doesn't mean that it's right.

998
00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:07,319
Speaker 1: This is how I've done it. But if I can

999
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:10,359
Speaker 1: find a way that's better and I can mention into

1000
00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:12,240
Speaker 1: my game, I'm gonna do that. It's like I'm always

1001
00:46:12,239 --> 00:46:14,319
Speaker 1: down to learn and get better at my spot. And

1002
00:46:14,560 --> 00:46:18,719
Speaker 1: I think the more opinions and in perspectives you can

1003
00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:21,879
Speaker 1: get and and experiences on why guys are doing things,

1004
00:46:21,920 --> 00:46:25,480
Speaker 1: I think that better you can be as a player. Well, dude,

1005
00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:27,440
Speaker 1: this has been so much fun. Man. We could do

1006
00:46:27,480 --> 00:46:29,759
Speaker 1: this again for hours. I know one thing. If if

1007
00:46:29,760 --> 00:46:32,200
Speaker 1: you decide you want to fish and hunt and you

1008
00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:35,320
Speaker 1: just need a creative outlet to unload all this stuff

1009
00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:37,160
Speaker 1: that's stored up in your brain, we're here for you, man.

1010
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:41,560
Speaker 1: I appreciate it. That was awesome. Dude. Hey, look, appreciate

1011
00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:43,160
Speaker 1: your time, man, and hopefully we'll catch up down the

1012
00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:47,359
Speaker 1: road here soon. I appreciate you guys. Thanks Buck. I mean,

1013
00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:49,480
Speaker 1: I don't even know where to start, man, I didn't know.

1014
00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:52,359
Speaker 1: I guess if I'm a forty Niner fan, a Saints fan,

1015
00:46:52,760 --> 00:46:55,359
Speaker 1: a Ravens fan, I'd be pretty excited to know that

1016
00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:59,959
Speaker 1: Luke Kickley. Thanks your offense. It's pretty difficult to worry about. Yeah,

1017
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:03,520
Speaker 1: and uh, there's so many things to go, but I

1018
00:47:03,560 --> 00:47:06,440
Speaker 1: do believe his insight and intel on the offense is

1019
00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:10,680
Speaker 1: daddy faced the Shanahan system, the variety, the complexity to

1020
00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:13,160
Speaker 1: dealing with that, particularly when they have a quarterback that

1021
00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:15,840
Speaker 1: is mobile. I thought that was interesting. I think Baltimore

1022
00:47:15,920 --> 00:47:19,040
Speaker 1: Ravens fans should certainly perk up when they hear him

1023
00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:21,920
Speaker 1: discuss the challenges of dealing with the big personnel that

1024
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:23,960
Speaker 1: the Ravens can throw out there with the multiple tight

1025
00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:26,920
Speaker 1: ends and Lamar Jackson back there with all the misdirection

1026
00:47:26,920 --> 00:47:30,399
Speaker 1: and deception that occurs in the backfield. Um. And then look,

1027
00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:33,600
Speaker 1: the New Orleans Saints have given people problems for years.

1028
00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:36,759
Speaker 1: We have seen and we've kind of decorated Champaign as

1029
00:47:36,800 --> 00:47:41,799
Speaker 1: a wizard. Um. I think Luke Keithley's words confirm uh

1030
00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:44,640
Speaker 1: the level of respect that we should give Champagne when

1031
00:47:44,680 --> 00:47:47,279
Speaker 1: it comes to design and diagram and offenses. No, I

1032
00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:49,759
Speaker 1: mean buck again, it just you go on and on

1033
00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:52,439
Speaker 1: about about how impressive that was and whatever he wants

1034
00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:54,759
Speaker 1: to do he can do. Um, it's all there for him.

1035
00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:57,120
Speaker 1: He'd be a phenomenal coach. Um if he did want

1036
00:47:57,120 --> 00:47:59,000
Speaker 1: to go back into personnel, I think that'd be of

1037
00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:02,560
Speaker 1: something he could succeed you at as well. UM. So anyways,

1038
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:06,799
Speaker 1: he's he's a special guy, special special player, and I

1039
00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:08,840
Speaker 1: think he's got some special things in his uh, in

1040
00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:12,080
Speaker 1: his future here going forward. So excited for him and

1041
00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:13,640
Speaker 1: excited for all of you. Got a chance to listen

1042
00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:15,920
Speaker 1: to that because it was just outstanding. Yeah, it was outstanding.

1043
00:48:15,960 --> 00:48:20,200
Speaker 1: I was standing presentation outstanding, Um. But behind the curtain,

1044
00:48:20,280 --> 00:48:24,920
Speaker 1: look at the linebacker position, playing defense, evaluating personnel, and

1045
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:28,080
Speaker 1: also the self awareness. Um, the way that he was

1046
00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:30,760
Speaker 1: able to listen and take in your report and confirm

1047
00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:33,759
Speaker 1: those things and talk about the violence and the increased

1048
00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:37,480
Speaker 1: nature of playing physical in the National Football League's required

1049
00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:39,680
Speaker 1: at the position. Uh Over overall is one of my

1050
00:48:39,719 --> 00:48:43,080
Speaker 1: favorite interviews, no doubt. Well, I appreciate you guys joining

1051
00:48:43,160 --> 00:48:44,520
Speaker 1: us today. I hope you've got as much at it

1052
00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:46,239
Speaker 1: as we did. It was a lot of fun. Um.

1053
00:48:46,280 --> 00:48:47,839
Speaker 1: We'll have some more episodes coming your way here when

1054
00:48:47,840 --> 00:48:49,520
Speaker 1: we're gonna get some of the special guests. We might

1055
00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:51,560
Speaker 1: even dabble outside the football world, as we like to

1056
00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:54,040
Speaker 1: do in the offseason, so be on the lookout for that.

1057
00:48:54,080 --> 00:48:55,920
Speaker 1: We appreciate you hanging with us. We'll catch you next time.

1058
00:48:56,000 --> 00:49:04,760
Speaker 1: Right here on, move the sticks about half right, thought

1059
00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:13,600
Speaker 1: to love thought lot thout half that thought to love

1060
00:49:14,440 --> 00:49:18,880
Speaker 1: st