WEBVTT - A Conversation with Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich at the 2022 Senior Bowl (2/1) 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:07.360 Welcome back to the pod. We are presented by Windvett. 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:11.440 Benny is a team sport but together at Windvett, Eric 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:15.520 Gallen here down in Mobile, Alabama joined but Jets defensive 0:00:15.560 --> 0:00:20.720 coordinator Jeff all Brick. How different is this senior Bold 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:23.520 now in two thousand twenty two then maybe when you 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.920 came out in two thousands. I would say, for one, 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:31.480 the I don't want to see the caliber of players, 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:34.000 because who knows when you assess the college player what 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:38.280 he will become in the NFL. But definitely the the 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:40.760 highest regarded guys, the guys that potentially could go in 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:43.560 the first round, there's not as many of those guys 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:46.840 for whatever the reason, you know, maybe that's agent influence 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.760 or um, whatever the case may be. But a little 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:53.760 bit less of the premier first round most hyped up 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:57.720 prospects aren't necessarily here that Other than that, it's it's 0:00:57.760 --> 0:01:01.120 it's football, you know, And and I think it's in 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:03.960 this whole build up to the draft, there's gonna be 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:06.480 all these opportunities to assess these players. You know, we 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:08.240 go to the combine, we see him run, we see 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:11.039 him jump, arm lengths, the whole deal, you know, And 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:14.839 then Obviously, the scouting department's got four years of of 0:01:15.040 --> 0:01:17.360 evaluating the character of the man and you know what 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.039 they're all about. Um, but this is like a real 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:23.680 opportunity for us to assess the football part, you know, 0:01:23.800 --> 0:01:27.240 and and run football drills, run uh for us, you know, defensively, 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:31.000 run an NFL defense and um get our hands on them. 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:34.720 So in my opinion, this is invaluable, especially for a 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:37.720 team like like ours, that is that is you know, 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.040 I wouldn't say rebuilding, but we're definitely um in the 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:44.440 starting point of building something special. What did it mean 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.280 for you coming out of Hawaii when you got here 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:50.280 in that week? And can you talk about the personnel 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:54.640 that it was actually assembled here? Yeah, it was I 0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:56.520 want to say that, and I might be wrong, but 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:58.280 it was like thirty of the thirty two first round 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:00.800 picks the year that I came here played in this game. 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.720 You know. Just my linebacker group alone was uh, Brian 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.880 er Lacker and John Abraham and LaVar Arrington and the 0:02:08.919 --> 0:02:10.840 list goes on and on and the guys that participate 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:14.040 in the game. But it was for a one year 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:18.040 starter out of Hawaii that never thought that you know, 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:21.560 obviously had the dream of NFL, but never thought that 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:24.120 it would, you know, really materialize, you know. There was 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:26.679 so much doubt, you know, and and all of a 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:29.799 sudden you're thrown into this, this group of players that 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:33.360 you know, I'm a huge fan of football, you know, 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:35.160 just like I played it. So I was a huge 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.560 fan of a lot of these guys and and um, 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:40.280 so it was really exciting. It was just you know, 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:42.800 it was an amazing opportunity to see can I do 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:45.000 this or not? You know, And and for myself it 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:48.240 was without this game, I don't get drafted in the 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:51.480 third round. I absolutely believe that. And I absolutely believe 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.120 that's the truth. Gave me an opportunity to show him 0:02:54.120 --> 0:02:55.400 that I could play, and I could play with the 0:02:55.400 --> 0:03:02.200 top guys, John Abraham at two Great Jets, two Great Jets, 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:06.360 four first round picks in two thousand, John Abraham and 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:09.240 Sean Allis of course, ye, Pennington, Anthony Back that was 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:11.560 I think Pennington was in the game as well, and 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:13.600 Beck was in the game as well. There you go, Yeah, 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.480 he was in the game. So when you look around 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:19.920 at the guys today assembled here for the first time, 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:24.040 what do you see in the rides? There's obviously like 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:28.520 a high level of anxiousness and nervousness and um. And 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:31.720 then you've got the other guys that some of it's 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.400 real and authentic, the confidence in the swag, some of 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:38.160 it is just posturing and trying to you know it. 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:41.680 It's so different and and I don't want to like 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:44.400 go off on a tangent here, but the but the 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.640 agents have prepped these guys at such a high level 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:50.200 nowadays too. The football stuff that's obvious, that's always been 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:54.880 part of the preparation for Senior Bowl Draft, the whole process. 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:58.840 But now I mean they're getting taught how to how 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:02.880 to carry themselves, when they eat, when they um, you know, 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:06.200 when they get their laundry to everything is being assessed 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:08.600 and analyzed and and the agents have done a really 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:11.680 good job of prepping these guys for everything, you know, 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:17.120 So it's there. It's it's it's uh for us as 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:19.480 a challenge, you know, because you're really trying to filter 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:24.360 through what's real what's not real. Um. And for the 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:26.719 teams that actually get an opportunity to coach it, I 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:29.080 think it gives us a huge advantage because we get 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:33.320 to absolutely like we get to uh get a relationship 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.240 and develop you know, as much trust and and and 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:40.800 regard that you can get within a week's time. But 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:42.560 it gives us a little bit of a window into 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:45.160 the world who they who they really are, not who 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:47.400 they're being coached to be, you know, by an agent 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:51.640 or by ever. So for us, it's it's huge when 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.720 you heard, when you you heard you guys have been 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:58.640 selected to coach down here. What's the initial reaction because 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:00.719 you like to have a little bit a downtime. I 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:03.840 know you love ball for sure, you got family, for sure, 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.040 you want to get away from it. But your reaction 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:10.240 because you said the Jets are building something special. You 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:13.039 do have nine draft picks in the two thousand two draft, 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:17.560 two in the top ten, a pair in rounds one, 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:22.320 rounds two, rounds four, rounds five. Yeah, it's it's imperative 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:24.480 that we we hit on all of them, you know, 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.599 So every bit information that we can gather is huge. 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:30.760 You come here and um. A lot of times it's 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.520 people think it's just an opportunity to assess, and that's 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:36.920 part of the process. But I think it's just as 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:41.320 important to eliminate people. You know, maybe the personality, the 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.280 character isn't quite right for us. The learning style doesn't 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:48.200 meld with the way that we teach. Um, whatever the 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:50.640 case may be. So you you find guys for sure, 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:53.840 and you um and you really like you. You you 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:55.400 find guys that you want to target and you want 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:57.640 to you want to become part of the organization. But 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:00.960 just as important as you eliminate certain people to This 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:04.560 is fascinating this year because there are staff evaluations. You 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:07.240 are the defensive coordinator, but you're not at the defensive 0:06:07.240 --> 0:06:11.599 coordinator this week? Who is the Jets defensive coordinator? Mike Grutenberg? 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:13.880 And can you tell us about Rudy? Yeah, Rudy is 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:19.120 excellent coach, excellent teacher. He coaches the linebackers for the Jets. Um, 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:23.640 I got definitely qualified, has all the experience the knowledge 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:25.719 to be a great defensive coordinator in this league. And 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:27.880 his time will come for sure. So what a great 0:06:27.880 --> 0:06:29.760 opportunity to come out here and kind of have a 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:32.400 dry run for him. You know, he just um, he 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:34.760 just had his first unit meeting, did an excellent job. 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:38.000 So take us behind closed doors. What can you tell 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:41.360 us he didn't take well? He he put his own 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.919 style style onto kind of what we talked about within 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:47.320 our defensive unit meetings that i've you know before, but 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:49.960 definitely put his own spin on in his own uh, 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:52.840 you know, his own style which he has, and um, 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.640 it was fun, it was It's it's just it's a 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:59.159 great opportunity for these guys, like I know Rudy, some guys, 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.160 you know, they they don't necessarily take it as seriously 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:04.720 as as as others do. But I don't know if 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:06.800 it really took a day off these last two weeks, 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.720 Like he was really excited about this opportunity, taking very 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.880 seriously and and put a lot of time in preparation 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:16.560 into it. And um, these kids will will value from 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:19.720 this for sure. What's it like playing for you? Because 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:23.280 everybody talks about juice. Whenever you hear the name Brick, 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:27.120 people say he brings the juice on the field in 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:31.720 the classroom. You'd have to ask others, you know, like 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:35.440 I do love this game. Um, it's absolutely you know, 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:39.160 it's it's been a huge part of my life playing coaching. 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:42.680 It's it's afforded me so many opportunities, not just financially, 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:45.920 but um, it's exposed me to to people that I 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.440 would have never known otherwise, you know, from every walk 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:50.360 of life, from every part of the country, from every 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:54.600 from every everything, you know, and it's just enriched my 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:56.440 life at such a high level. And I have just 0:07:56.960 --> 0:08:00.520 such gratitude for the game that i'd to say that 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:02.680 you feel that when I coach and teach and and 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:05.200 try to motivate, and that you feel my authentic love 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:08.520 and passion for this game and and a real genuine 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:12.160 give back for me, you know, and give back for 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:14.000 all that it's given me. What do guys have to 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:17.120 do under you to be successful? What are things you're 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:20.440 not going to tolerate for a player because you played yourself. Yeah, 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:22.560 to me, it's just emptying the tank every day, like 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:25.800 the all gas, no break, which is Roberts you know 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:29.880 slogan that this organization is absolutely embraced. Um, that's absolutely 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:33.800 how I operate, you know. So, uh, whether it's meetings, 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:36.440 whether it's walked through, whether it's night before prep, whether 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:39.400 it's your film study, what what, whatever it is, just 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.320 go for it at the highest level and turn every stone, 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:45.120 empty your tank every single day and you're gonna be 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:48.480 You're gonna be golden with me, you know. Like, to me, 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:50.920 that's the process. As long as we're committed to the 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.080 process and you are on turning every stone and you 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:56.000 are emptying the tank and you do live by this 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:58.760 mantra of all gas no break that I can absolutely 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.240 live with whatever those results. So are you know, do 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:05.480 you bring teach tape out of yourself? Absolutely? Not ever 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:11.640 bring any clips out, No way, too embarrassing. Absolutely they 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:15.600 and if they did, some of the guys, it's funny. 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:17.600 Raheem Morris. When we were in Atlanta, he would do 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:19.480 that every once in a while, and it was the 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:21.480 guys would love it and they get a big laugh. 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:24.319 The best part of it was when we remember we 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:26.840 first got to Atlanta and I preached leverage and I 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:29.120 and I brought out the shoot where we would shuffle 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:31.280 under it for just days and hours and it was 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:34.920 just endless and and and I just this mantra of 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:38.440 stay low, play low, over and over and over again. 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:40.280 And then he finds this clip of me standing straight 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:43.800 up and just did I make that? I made the play, 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:46.440 you know, But but he definitely got a laugh at it. 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:50.000 But I was like, the honest truth is, and it's 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:51.840 not me trying to be humble or anything like that. 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:54.520 I was a very average player. You know, like my 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:58.280 my tape, I could maybe show you what strain looked like, 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:02.239 you know, but as far as um skill and technique, 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:06.439 nobody was average. You played ten years in the National 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.120 Football League. Wind bet is not live in New Jersey 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:11.000 and they're bringing the excitement of win Las Vegas to 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:13.400 online sports betting. Get in on all your favorite teams, 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:16.000 players and sports from boosted parlays to live in game 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:18.240 odds on every major sport. 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Can you talk about your career, 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.160 your directory, how you came in as a starter and 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:48.400 that at the end of your career you actually went 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:51.920 into that inventorship role and became a reserve linebacker. It 0:10:52.080 --> 0:10:54.800 was it's the opposite of most. You know, most come 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:56.839 in as a reserve and and you know, they earn 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:59.839 their stripes on special teams and ultimately they became a starter. 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:02.880 And I was kind of the opposite came in and 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:06.280 I was when I came in, the forty niners were 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:10.240 in the transition of of moving on from those those 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:14.120 like the greats, you know, like I the one year 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:16.280 with Steve Young, and one year with Jerry Rice, And 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:18.480 one year with Ken Norton Jr. And one year with 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:21.280 a lot of these tall more than one year with heal. 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:22.800 But there are a lot of the great players that 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.320 were a part of those those great Super Bowl wins 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:28.480 and those World championships, and and then my second year, 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:33.680 um they really started over for all intensive purposes, and 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.240 um so I had a great opportunity to start early 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.480 and off in my career and and uh actually didn't 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:41.920 really get involved with special teams until my eighth year, 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:44.640 my eighth, my ninth, and my tenth, which is it's 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:47.520 kind of you know, it's some dudes wouldn't do that. 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:51.120 It's backwards. Yeah. I was fortunately had enough self awareness 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:53.840 that when you when you draft a guy like Patrick Willis, 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:55.800 you know, that he's better than you, you know. And 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.280 I knew that that the writing was on the wall, 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.160 and it was either I really embrace a special team 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:03.439 role and and embrace anyway I can help this team, 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:05.560 or I would get cut. And that you know, that 0:12:05.600 --> 0:12:08.240 was self awareness, but it's also the honest truth. And 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:11.520 and uh, and it let me get three more years 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:14.800 in the NFL, which had I not like, probably wouldn't happen. 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:19.000 What made Will so unique? What didn't make him? The 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:23.120 guy was explosive, He was fast, he was violent, and 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:27.600 he was instinctive. Um, he had a thirst and hunger 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:29.920 to learn the game at the highest level. Two, which 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:32.000 is and that's where you came in, right, Yeah, And 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:34.319 I'd like, I'd like to say that that that we 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:39.040 built a good relationship from that standpoint, and um, whatever 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:41.920 I had, I gave him, you know. And and uh, 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:45.160 although like i'd like, you know, the truth is he 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:48.840 probably didn't need need much, you know, but um, yeah, 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:51.640 we definitely built a relationship that way, and and it 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:53.800 it gave me my first kind of itch to to 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:56.280 do the coaching thing, you know, and and see it 0:12:56.360 --> 0:13:00.000 kind of materialized. So mobile Alabama played a huge role 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:03.839 in your playing career a huge role in your coaching career. 0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:09.280 So take me through down here when you have a 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:13.200 conversation with Pete Carroll and John Snow what happened and 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:15.840 and how did that change the course of Jeff all 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:20.960 Brick's career. We uh, you know, you play, And um, 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:22.800 I'd like to say that as I played, I was 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:24.560 a student at the game, so I would get those 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:26.880 comments as coaches do and say, man, you make a 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.960 great coach or you know, when when you decide to coach, 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.720 give me a call. And and what I found was 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.920 and this is no, this is not saying anything about anybody, 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:39.280 but like made those calls and and what I found 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:42.400 out right away was in coaching, if there's not a position, 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:44.880 there's not a position, you know. Like I wanted to 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.920 be a linebacker coach. Initially that was the dream. And 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:50.440 there's thirty two of them in the world, you know, 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:53.640 and and they're hard to come by, you know. So 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:56.040 you know, for whatever the reason, when I retired, there 0:13:56.120 --> 0:14:00.559 wasn't something open from that standpoint. So, um, like I 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:02.800 gave a lot of coaches calls and I got the 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:04.920 same advice from a lot of different coaches said they 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:06.840 just go down with the Senior Bowl and kind of 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:08.680 put a face to a name. You know, I was 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:12.160 fresh from from playing and and um, I gotta send 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:14.400 my unique last name, so you know, i'd like to 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:16.400 say people kind of remember me a little bit, you know. 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:19.040 And I played quite a while, so just you know, 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:21.240 shot myself around and got to know as many people 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.480 as I could, coaches, personnel, guys, executives, the whole thing. 0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:29.000 And and uh happened to be in the like I 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:30.360 hate to say this because I know we have a 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:31.800 contract with dv Sport. I don't know if it was 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:33.720 ned S for exos, but whatever, it was, Like they 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:36.320 have their little expo set up and a lot of 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:38.400 the coaches that weren't coaching the game, we're down there 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:41.800 and they're watching practice, and um, I happened to be 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:44.000 at the same spot. And all of a sudden, Pete 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:45.840 Carroll and John Schneider are next to me, and I 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:49.360 have no connection to them prior to this, and uh, 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:51.720 and we get into a little bit of a convertation 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:54.600 get to know them. UM. Spent some time with them, 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:58.160 which led to them getting my contact number and um, 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:00.800 and then I come home from from O Bill and 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:05.320 and um, not quite certain. I had met Raheamorris, that 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.000 was my first time with him, and and had met 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:11.240 uh Rich Pisaccia, who was a special team coordinator at 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:12.560 the time, and I felt like that was going to 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:14.520 be an opportunity. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, 0:15:15.160 --> 0:15:18.840 Pete Carroll calls me. And I'm at dinner with my family, 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:21.800 my young family at the time. My uh, my kids 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:25.520 are not young anymore. But the we, uh, we get 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:27.680 to talking and before I know, it's like an hour 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.400 and a half to our conversation, like you know that 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:33.720 they're done with dinner, like looking at me, like come on, dad, 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:37.000 and uh. We get off the phone and and I 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.880 don't know what to make of the conversation, like it 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:42.280 was just we're just kind of, you know, we're just 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:45.320 kind of talking. You know, We're talking about football, philosophy, 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:48.960 family life, a little bit of everything, you know, as 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.320 people that know Pete know that that he is that way, 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.280 you know, and and uh and he's like, yeah, just 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.440 look out for an email I'll get I'll send you 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:00.000 an email from mc parole the next couple of day, 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:03.160 who's like our scar you know, are the guy who 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:07.000 runs our building and Michael, Okay. Then I get the 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:10.160 email a couple of days later, so I'm thinking maybe 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:13.200 it's a follow up interview. It's something. And I look 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:14.960 at it and I see a flight and I'm like, cool, 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:18.000 all right, And then I see, uh, a rental car. 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:21.320 I'm cool. And then I look at the hotel and 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:24.840 I'm like and then I look below it and it's 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:30.200 like ninety days stay. So I'm like, it's right there 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:33.000 a job offer. Yeah, I guess I got the job, 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:36.560 you know. You know, So that was it from Afar. 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:40.000 It seems like you and Pete would be long lost brothers. Yeah, 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:44.320 because you have that connectivity in terms of you love teaching, 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:49.040 you all energy all the time, both of you guys, 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.880 the passion for the game. Um, it seems like that 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.720 was a natural fit. Yeah. He uh. I was just 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.200 from the outside looking and I was so intrigued by 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:01.720 his approach and the way he did things and and 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:04.800 just had such admiration for it. And obviously it had 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:08.199 had tremendous success at USC and this was um he 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:10.600 was just transitioning, so this would this would have been 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.239 his first year in Seattle, so um I joined him 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:16.240 for the first year that he was there and uh, 0:17:16.400 --> 0:17:22.280 everything I thought he was and more like, um, it 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:25.159 wasn't just random juice and energy and passionate. It was 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:30.720 such focused energy, focused passion. It was so calculated in 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.639 the best of ways and so deliberate and all that 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:37.760 he did and um really helped me. And just like 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:41.879 here's this guy that he has no connection to prior 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:44.040 to us meeting, and all of a sudden he would 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:47.760 give me opportunities to speak to the team and and uh, 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:50.800 night before games, speak to the team, all all sorts 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:53.679 of just really cool opts. And it would be like 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:57.520 you'd follow me up afterwards and and give me feedback 0:17:57.600 --> 0:17:59.639 that was good, Maybe work on this. And it was 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:03.600 just for a young coach, it was just the perfect situation. 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:06.199 You know. One of the most interesting things I think 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:10.800 about your background. It's not only excelled at football. You're 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:15.719 a wrestler. What wait one es was my my senior 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:18.879 year weight But I didn't make it very often, you know, 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:22.120 I was. I probably lived at about two oh five. 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:24.639 So you were in the sweatsuit on the bike. Goodness, 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:26.760 I was. You know, you're eighteen years old, Like you 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:28.600 have no body fat, you know, you have nothing to 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:31.520 know was probably two or five pounds with nobody fat 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:34.320 so to get to one eighty nine, which ultimately became 0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:35.920 one ninety one at the end of the year. But 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:38.320 it was hard for me, so I would wrestle heavyweight 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:39.960 every time I didn't make it. How much did that 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:45.159 help you? Playing ball? It helped, you know, Like the 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:48.479 biggest thing is the mental strength that it builds. You know, 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:51.000 there's the mental strength obviously from the training, which is 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:53.720 excruciating and it's one of the hardest things that I 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:57.080 had ever done, you know, the running and the and 0:18:57.160 --> 0:18:59.320 the sparring and all that you do to prepare to 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:04.680 so it's just it's brutal. It's it's it's harder m 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:07.680 from a conditioning standpoint than anything I've ever done in football. 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:10.360 So from that standpoint, built great metal strength. But it's 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:13.840 also the the emotional strength of stepping out there and 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:16.119 there's no one to rely on. It's just you and 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:20.600 you and uh and excelling in those moments when it's 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:23.720 just you and you, which is you know, it's imperative 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:26.600 in this in this game, you know, for because there's 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:29.120 there's so many moments where, yeah, it's a team game, 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:30.840 and you absolutely have to rely on your teammates and 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:32.520 you gotta be a great team at from that standpoint, 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:33.800 but there's a lot of stuff that you have to 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:37.320 do in individually to be successful. You're such a team 0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:40.840 oriented guy. How much did you enjoy last year calm plays? 0:19:40.880 --> 0:19:43.359 Not your first time calling plays in the National Football League. 0:19:43.400 --> 0:19:47.640 We know your experienced in Atlanta taken over interim DC duties, 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:52.200 but last year was the first time wire to wire, Yeah, 0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:55.800 it was. It was. It was awesome. You know, um 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:59.760 where the results awesome not always obviously, UM, but I 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:04.119 felt like, uh I grew. I felt like our defense grew. 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:07.280 I I was really proud, especially absorbing some of the 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:09.119 injuries that we had. I was really proud of that 0:20:09.240 --> 0:20:12.960 last four game stretch where I felt like you started 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:16.240 to see the fellows start to turn the corner from 0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:19.360 the standpoint of really learning this system and learning all 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:22.959 the little, the finer details that really make the difference 0:20:22.960 --> 0:20:26.040 between it working and not working. Um. Like I've said 0:20:26.119 --> 0:20:29.159 many times before, like we're not the we're not the 0:20:29.200 --> 0:20:31.439 type of defense. And this is not me saying our 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:33.760 defense is better than anyone else is, because there's a 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:36.240