WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 3: 2003 Reunion Recap 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:12.360 It's time for a Happy half Hour with your friends 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:21.959 Kristin Balboni, Miles Simmons and Will Brian. Welcome to the 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:25.480 Happy Half Hour podcast. I'm Kristin Balboni here with my 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:29.200 I'm gonna say it my good buddies, Miles Simmons and 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:31.840 Will Brian. But of course the jury is still out 0:00:31.840 --> 0:00:33.680 on if you guys are good buddies with each other. 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:35.479 We'll do a check in on that. Like, I think 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:37.960 it's just going to be a weekly thing. Um. But 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:40.720 I'm safe and secure in my friendship with both of you, 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:44.760 I hope. Um, So how are you guys doing? Miles, 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:53.920 I'm fantastic. You know what, I never better. My my 0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:58.200 belongings are still in route. You know, still was that 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:02.560 the plan? Well? I was initially told that my things 0:01:02.600 --> 0:01:05.480 would be here is today, which is Tuesday as we 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:08.600 record this. Um, but now that's not going to be 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:13.640 a dull Thursday. So you know what, We're just gonna 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.720 keep living. I don't know. So I'm fantastic. I've never 0:01:16.720 --> 0:01:20.560 been better in my life. You have the car though, 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:23.480 That's the important thing I do with my car is here, 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:25.760 so like there and there are many, many, many worst 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:28.280 things that you know could happen to me. And yeah, 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:30.080 on the bright side, no one's going to notice if 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:32.280 you're wearing the same clothes over and over again because 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:35.200 we're doing everything by Zoom. Not only that, nobody has 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:39.160 seen me except for you guys. So I think, God, 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:43.280 I think we're okay. Your two best friends in birth Carolina, 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:47.840 my one best friend that's you, Kristen, and then you know, 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:50.200 we'll can well can be my friend this week. But 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:52.080 I don't know if I call him a good buddy yet. 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:56.600 Your casual acquaintance and coworker will Brian. I will take friends. 0:01:56.680 --> 0:02:01.840 I will absolutely take that. I'm running with that. I'm 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:05.640 glad you guys are doing well. Um, I'm excited that 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:08.760 we're doing that this this week because we have something 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:14.120 that is just huge in terms of of Panthers. I 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:16.120 don't know if you want to call it news, because 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:19.519 we would you call it well Panthers news, Panthers content. 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:22.560 Something that really really exciting is coming out on the 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:24.960 day that we're releasing this podcast on Thursday, and that 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:29.400 is the Oh three Reunion Zoom that a big group 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:32.640 of that two thousand three that incredible team did together 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:35.680 and it is it's just so amazing. I can't wait 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:37.320 to talk to you all about it, and Will, I'm 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:39.680 so excited to talk to you about it because you 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:42.760 were really one of the main reasons that it happened, 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:46.440 and you were really there from beginning to end, and 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:48.919 I would love to know, first of all, how did 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:52.320 the idea start? How did it all come together? Well, 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:54.079 I think as we were starting to kind of build 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:58.239 out these these Zoom ideas back in in April, in 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:00.679 in late March when the quarantine started, you know, we 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:03.280 had these ideas for the draft and the schedule the show, 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:06.040 and it just seemed natural that, like, of course, we 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:09.320 should get this particular group on, especially as we were, 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.080 you know, putting out all these videos about kind of 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.799 old classic games. You know, what better than to get 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.760 some of the original people that were, um, you know, 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:20.160 involved in those. And I think I was a bit 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:24.400 surprised myself by how well it came together. I reached 0:03:24.440 --> 0:03:26.399 out to Kevin Donnelly, who of course has been doing 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:29.359 you know, so much of our content for our video 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:33.000 channels over the last several years, and you know, it's 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.120 incredible how how quickly he can just send a text 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:37.880 and all of a sudden, you have all these guys 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:39.640 that are all in and he's like, he sent me 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:41.680 a text. He's like, hey, should I text John Fox? 0:03:41.680 --> 0:03:44.040 Should we just have him come on too? And I'm like, yeah, 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.680 but don't tell anybody about it. So as you see, 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:49.760 when when Coach Fox just appears there like fifteen minutes 0:03:49.760 --> 0:03:53.120 into it, it was a complete surprise, Like those guys 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:54.920 had no idea that Coach Fox was going to be 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:56.800 on it. So that was really cool to kind of 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:59.800 see how all that came together and just you know, 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.600 the way the whole thing flowed, and how much love 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:04.800 you know, is between those guys. You know, I don't 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:08.640 think that that particular group, um, you know, with Mike 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:11.400 Minner and Mike Rucker on the defensive side, and Moose 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.320 and Smitty and Kevin Donnelly and Jordan and Jake. You know, 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:16.159 obviously some of those guys were in the Hall of 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.320 Honor last year, so they all saw each other. But 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:20.480 the rest of them, you know, they all have had 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:22.760 you different things going on in their lives. You know, 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:26.480 Coach Fox was on TV and coaching for the last decade, 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:29.600 So I don't think they had all really gathered like that. Um, 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:31.640 which was a really cool thing to kind of watch 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:34.400 that happen. It really was, and that's one of the 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:36.919 things that I think we've learned with Zoom. And I 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:40.160 just hats off up to you for for thinking about 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:43.479 doing this. It's I think that if we were in 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:46.280 normal times, it would be incredibly hard to get all 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:48.680 of those guys together, you know, and you might say, well, 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.320 we're not going to do it on Zoom because you know, 0:04:51.360 --> 0:04:53.000 it looked better in person. We'll see if we can 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:54.680 figure something out at a game or something like that. 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:56.760 And that's just the beauty. I don't know if that 0:04:57.160 --> 0:05:00.320 would have ever happened if if if we weren't all 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:02.920 of our content exclusively on Zoom. We get all those people, 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:05.360 you get the surprise of John Fox. I mean, I 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:07.400 don't think it could have been any better. I absolutely 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:11.360 as a fan, Um, I could not have loved it more. 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:13.200 I mean, in the first five minutes you get John 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:17.039 Fox surprising everybody, which is just the best in that 0:05:17.240 --> 0:05:21.280 voice and just like his personality coming through immediately. It's 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:25.120 so good. Miles. I'm curious with you know, Will and 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:29.000 I grew up as Panthers fans. Um, what did you 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.800 think watching it, um and did you learn kind of 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:36.360 about this team a little bit by watching this this reunion? Yeah, 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:39.840 you know, it was very educational and it's interesting as 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:44.760 sort of as background on more about the OH three Panthers, 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.159 because as a football fan, and when you grow up 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:49.520 a football fan, you know which teams are good, right, 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.719 you know which teams are in the super Bowl, and 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:54.440 you understand why those teams are in the super Bowl 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:57.400 on the superficial level. But I went on YouTube, and 0:05:57.440 --> 0:05:59.159 you know, you you can go to YouTube and find 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:02.040 all kinds of things, and so there was an NFL 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:06.320 film special on the OH three Carolina Panthers. So I 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:09.800 watched that and it really I thought, painted this picture 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.560 of why they were good, which was their defense. They 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.200 could really run the ball really well, and so I 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:19.040 thought watching it, then when you see all the results 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:21.159 that and as it translated, and of course they go 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:23.240 to the Super Bowl and win the NFC Championship game, 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:25.840 right like that, you then see the players and the 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.520 humans that they are. When you see the humans that 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:32.160 they've become, and you see why, I think you see 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.320 why that team was so good. And they talked about 0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:37.080 this in the piece. They were such a connected team. 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:40.240 And I think when you see teams that go on 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:42.599 to the Super Bowl or teams that win the Super Bowl, 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:47.400 those players always talk about how connected they were as 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:50.480 a team and how good the chemistry was on that team. 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:53.120 Because look, all of the teams in the NFL have talent, 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:55.680 that's why you get that saying any given Sunday. But 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:59.640 the teams that go on to win Super Bowls, the 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:03.280 teams that win you know, conference championship games, those are 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:06.320 the teams that are very, very connected. And so I 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:08.880 thought that was really interesting just to hear them talk 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:12.440 specifically about that, because in my experience covering the league, 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:14.960 that's exactly what it takes in order to get to 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:19.320 that level. I think that Sorry, yeah, that that video, 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:23.840 Like I actually used to watch it every sun like 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.600 every week one before like Week one kicked off for 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:32.520 like fifteen years. Literally, I just imagine watched it every year. Yeah, 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.720 kid will in his house in Charleston, just like getting 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:39.080 pumped watching that thing. Did you did you put the line? 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:41.880 I know, every single line of that thing, like starting 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:45.679 with with like Foxy and the Redskins preseason game. Hey Coop, 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:48.800 you're ready, I'm ready. All smiles, here to there, like 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.440 I know every single line of it. And now and 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:53.320 now the rest of this podcast is just going to 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:57.560 be Will doing a dramatic recitement of the NFL films. 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:00.040 Did you plut okay question as you watch that? I 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.400 love that you watched that to get ready for the season. 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.560 Did you put on I Black at your house to 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:09.040 get yourself hyped up? Um? I can neither confirm nor 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:12.880 to us to watch that when I was in high school. 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:15.480 I love. We gotta get that. We gotta get a 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:21.240 full dramatic reading or um reenactment at some point, no 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:23.680 doubt about it. Uh, We're gonna hold you too that. 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:25.960 I do want to talk though, about something, Miles, that 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:30.040 you just said about how connected this team was. That's 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.400 something that I picked up on, you know, even watching 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:37.360 the team in real time and hearing, uh, some of 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:40.079 the players talk to each other and you know, reminisce 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:42.600 about that oh three season, but seeing them all together, 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:45.040 you can still feel the chemistry. And it was something 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:48.079 that Kevin Donnelly said that I really like tonight. I 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:50.240 think you're hitting the nail on the head Miles when 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:53.560 he said, you know, I played for more talented teams. 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:57.640 You know, bigger names, better talent, but when you talk 0:08:57.679 --> 0:09:01.000 about how connected this team was, you couldn't find a 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:05.319 team that was more instinct more connected. And I thought 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:07.720 there was another great point, and well, you've seen so 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:10.520 many Panthers teams. I would love to get your take 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:13.960 on this where they said and you saw it really 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:18.040 in this OH three reunion that there was no doubt 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:21.480 about it. John Fox was very tough. I mean listening 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:23.800 to them describe those training camps, especially that first one, 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:26.480 I mean they just sounded absolutely brutal. But then you 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:28.679 turn around and then the rookies do a show for 0:09:29.000 --> 0:09:31.000 the Vets where they're all making fun of everybody, and 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:34.400 it's just they knew exactly went to lock in, and 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:38.479 they prepared, and they were competitive and they were so focused, 0:09:38.600 --> 0:09:42.440 and you know, Fox did not go easy on them 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:44.800 at all. But then in the same breath, they could 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:47.720 turn around and crack a joke, which I absolutely love. 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:50.599 And I think that's something that kind of intangible quality 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:52.800 that goes into not just having a connected team, but 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:55.480 just you know, I think that's another element and having 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:58.520 a great team, a team that wants to to fight 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:05.160 for each other. I think there's there's some interesting generational differences. Um, 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:06.880 and you know, I'm gonna sound like the old man 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:09.840 on his front lawn saying this, but you know, there 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:12.319 there's such a difference. Now you go in the locker room, 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:14.720 and I'm not saying that one is better or worse 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:17.719 than the other. But all these guys everyone has their 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:19.800 cell phone. I mean, just like all of us. We're 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:24.000 on Twitter, run social media. You know, we're connecting, we're texting, 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:27.400 we're connecting with people. Like back then, I guarantee you 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:30.679 in two thousand three, half of those guys didn't have 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:34.200 cell phones in that locker room, you know. And when 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:36.600 they talked about like all the pranks they used to pull, 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:40.120 you know, like Jake emptying out Kevin Donnelly's shampoo every 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:43.280 time we walked by his his locker, or like people 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:45.960 dumping water on whoever was in the stall. Like that's 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:48.680 that's what they had to do, and that's how they 0:10:48.920 --> 0:10:51.800 spent their time. They spent all day when they weren't 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:54.760 practicing or studying film thinking of ways to prank each other. 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:58.120 You know. So it was just a different it's a 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:01.400 different scenario and like a different way the technology or 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:03.920 people interact with with each other. That's just a little 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:08.120 bit different. Now, yeah, that's a great point. I'm sorry, 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:09.720 but if we're talking pranks, I was going to get 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:11.120 to this a little bit later, but can we talk 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:13.560 about Rod Smart running naked on the treadmill? That was 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:18.760 just kind of dropped in there out there. Yeah, there's 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:20.800 so many moments like that when they all were trying 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:22.920 to just like fit in just a random story, like 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:25.040 wait a minute, No, we need another ten minutes just 0:11:25.160 --> 0:11:28.199 on that. Yeah, we need to rank the top we 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:30.520 need them all getting together again to rank the top 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:32.640 ten pranks of that oh three season. But yeah, I 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.360 loved the the water when Steve Smith said that he 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:38.200 could aim and pour a bucket of water on someone 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:40.679 and get the toilet paper holder and the person at 0:11:40.679 --> 0:11:42.839 the same time. I was just like, that is I 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:45.040 knew the guy was talented, but that is really talented 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:47.920 another level. Um. But I love I loved all of that. 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:49.680 I loved I know I mentioned it. I loved the 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:52.559 Rookie Show. I thought that was I just think it's 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:55.880 a great you can tell how much fun those guys had. 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:58.959 But at the same time, there was no denying the 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.719 respect for Foxy. There was no denying, um, just how 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:04.880 hard they wanted to work. And I thought that was 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:07.480 just a really interesting thing. That was kind of the 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.400 through line that they all brought up of that team 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:14.720 that entire season was just we we play hard, we 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:17.160 work hard, you know, we have each other's backs. Um. 0:12:17.559 --> 0:12:19.480 I don't know. I just I really liked the lightness 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:21.400 and you can tell how much all of those guys 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:23.840 still really care about each other, no doubt. And you 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:26.160 know what I really thought was interesting too was how 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:30.080 they said training camp and stuff was under John Fox, 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:34.319 and how when John Fox came in everything sort of shifted. 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.120 The mentality had to shift because he said, I think 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:38.880 it was a mentor that was like, you know, when 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:43.040 you've lost, you have no choice. You have to shut 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.480 up and listen, right, And that was my favorite line 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:47.680 when he's Jot Fox said, listen, anyone who was on 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:49.480 this team last year, if they lose fifteen games, row 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:51.839 shut up, like I don't want to hear it. What 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:55.120 it's tone to set it was, and then you know 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:59.080 you had Smitty talking about you know magic, the antagram 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:01.319 magic with with the T at the end of it. 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:07.360 So yes, magic magic. Um. But then it's interesting though 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:10.160 because then, you know, Steve Smith also was talking about 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:13.960 how the CPA got changed because of coaches like John 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:17.520 Fox because Donaldi is just cutting people out here in practice, 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:20.800 which is just not something is absolutely not something that 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:24.440 you can do in practice nowadays, and I probably back 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:27.320 then right like, it just was not something that was fun. 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:29.640 But at the same time, it was one of those 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:33.840 things where you can change the mentality of a team 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:35.520 because you have to be tough in practice and then 0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:37.720 you have to make that translate onto the field. So 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:40.840 and obviously, like one of my favorite things to say 0:13:41.040 --> 0:13:43.320 in like the NFL is there's so many different ways 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:47.200 that you can win. Um, so because of that, it's 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.000 so they're just so many different ways that you can 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:52.880 get to the top. So look, especially now, people aren't 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:54.760 doing that to get to the super Bowl. But obviously 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.160 back then for the Panthers, it worked. So that's why 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:00.520 I think you still see coaches today like, man, they're 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:02.839 limiting how much practice time they don't have because that's 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:04.480 what they're used to and they've seen it work before. 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:07.400 So I thought that was really interesting. I would love 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:10.559 to get both of you guys opinion on this, because yeah, 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:12.520 I mean, they started out. You know, I thought they 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:14.800 were going to, of course spend time on the regular 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:17.120 season the postseason, which they did, but I would say 0:14:17.120 --> 0:14:20.800 the first gosh, if it's if it's almost fifty minutes 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.080 long or forty minutes long, I would say the first 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.920 third was really devoted to training camp and kind of 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:30.600 building that chemistry and what training camp was, like you 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:33.040 guys have covered I've never covered a training camp for 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:35.760 a team. Um I've covered him from you know, the 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:38.520 studio and and covered a few different teams and that 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:40.400 kind of stuff, but I've never been up close and personal. 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.760 And they all really um I was kind of like 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:45.680 you said, you know, it's not the way it's always 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:49.040 done now, but they all really felt like that training camp, 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:51.680 how tough they played, how hard Fox was on them, 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:55.640 all the things that they were doing, you know, cutting everything. 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:57.840 I mean, that really set the tone for the season. 0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:01.160 What do you guys look for in training camp or 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:03.680 have you ever seen a training camp where you go, oh, okay, 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:07.320 this team, I see it here or is that something 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:09.960 that maybe you can romanticize a little bit like these 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:12.520 guys might have. You know, because the season went well, 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:14.360 they say, okay, it all started at training camp. Like, 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:16.680 how much stock do you put when you see a 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:19.120 team go through a full training camp? Well you want 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:22.920 to take this first? Sure? Yeah, Like I I think, yeah, 0:15:23.080 --> 0:15:28.400 it's it's hard to say, Um, it's hard to at 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:32.040 training camp to say what's going to happen as a 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:33.880 result of it. You know, you have guys, you know 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.080 every year that you know you're you're kind of like 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:39.600 your training camp heroes that just have ridiculous training camps, 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:42.040 always make plays every game, you know, or every practice, 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.240 and then you know may not actually you know, have 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.920 the same level of production in the season, um, for 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:51.520 for whatever reason. But I think when when seasons do 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.560 come together like that one, you know, it's you can 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:57.400 look back and you can kind of see moments that 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.960 that made sense because of what happened in training camp. 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:05.320 I think that there's a especially it wafered, especially in 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:08.480 Spartanburg and that heat, um, you know back in two 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.920 thousand three when they had two days, and there's just 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:14.880 something that those three weeks are the longest weeks of 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:17.600 your life. And shoot, there long if you're not actually 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.120 playing football, if you're just there and you're you know, 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:22.480 at every practice, you know, you don't forget any of 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:26.720 those moments and you know you're you're just so emotionally 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:29.840 connected to the people around you, to people you know 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:31.520 next to you in the huddle, next to you in 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:34.720 the locker room, next to you running sprints. Um. You 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:36.960 know when you're when you're in the hot tub and 0:16:37.000 --> 0:16:40.760 you can't feel anything or the cold tub or whatever 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:42.760 it is. You know. So I think that there is 0:16:42.800 --> 0:16:45.120 that you know, that's what training camps do. They kind 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.920 of bind you together. Um. And I think for for 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.400 the team to end up really being successful, you know, 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:53.120 there there's something that they look back on and realize, 0:16:53.440 --> 0:16:55.560 you know, how close they became and how strong those 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:59.560 bonds became. You know, I think, so we're having covered 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:01.640 the rams as long as I did. You know that 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:06.440 I covered six and ten team, you know, seven, nine, um, 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:09.360 and then what their four and twelve and sixteen. Then 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:11.560 Sean McVeigh comes in and their eleven and five, and 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:12.960 then they go thirteen and three and they go to 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:16.160 the super Bowl. And so I guess the biggest difference 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.240 that I feel like I saw between the Fisher years 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:23.560 and the McVeigh years is how crisp things are practiced. 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:25.800 And so I guess it's almost easier to tell if 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:27.920 a team is bad than if a team is gonna 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:30.520 be because if a team is bad, then you're gonna 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:34.120 see drop passes, you're gonna see them have to repeat plays. 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:38.359 You're gonna see one unit dominating the other unit, whether 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:42.000 it's defense to offense or offense. If a defense is bad, 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:44.280 then the offense is gonna win every day. You want 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:47.800 to see things be more balanced because looks sometimes, especially 0:17:47.840 --> 0:17:49.760 after a couple of weeks, where the defense starts to 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:53.600 really get to understand what the offense is running because 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:56.040 they've been doing it since O T A S or 0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:57.840 if they've been going against the same players, And then 0:17:57.880 --> 0:17:59.960 you have a couple of weeks of camp, and especially 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.800 if you get a few practices in with pads, the 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:06.200 defense starts to understand the way the offense is going 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:09.320 to attack. Practice and attack a day, so the defense 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:11.520 starts to get an advantage, and then maybe one day, look, 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:13.760 the defense is just going to dominate, but then the 0:18:13.800 --> 0:18:16.000 next day the offense will dominate, so it starts to 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.920 level itself out. But if one unit is dominating over 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:21.280 the other the entire time, that is a bad sign 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.399 because it just means that one unit probably isn't up 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:26.280 to snuff at all. So I think, like I said, 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:28.040 it's probably easier to tell if a team is bad 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:30.800 than if it's good. But I think about that teen 0:18:30.840 --> 0:18:33.959 training camp that the Rams had, and it was crisp. 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:37.600 You know, you had guys like Jared Goff just delivering 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:40.879 a really accurate cris ball most of the days, you know, 0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:44.280 and you know he's got all these receivers and Brandon 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:47.680 Cooks and Cooper Cup and Robert Woods, and they knew 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:49.920 what they were doing because at least in the case 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:54.080 of of Cup and Woods, they've been with Goffer year already. 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:56.679 They've been in that Sean McVeigh offense. Brandon Cook slid 0:18:56.720 --> 0:18:59.280 in very well and nicely, so you can kind of 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.720 tell when things are working from an offensive standpoint, and 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:05.760 then on defense that you're you had Aaron Donald who 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:07.840 actually wasn't in training camp now that I think about it, 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:10.919 because of that contract is right, you guys like Marcus 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.200 Peters a key to leave, right, they were developing chemistry 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:18.120 in the back end. So I think from that standpoint, yeah, 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:21.440 like the Rams, you knew that they were supposed to 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:23.919 be good, and they looked like they could have a 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:27.280 really good team, but at the same time, you don't 0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:29.600 quite know until you get out there. And if you 0:19:29.640 --> 0:19:32.240 get on a hot start, you know, like that Oh 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:34.760 three team did where you win a few games in 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:36.720 a row to start the season, then it's like, yes, 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.920 training camp was what we thought it was. It clicks 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:42.080 and then you're like, all right, let's keep this thing rolling. 0:19:42.200 --> 0:19:45.560 But it's it's interesting. That is interesting. It kind of 0:19:45.560 --> 0:19:47.800 feeds into it. Like you said, if because they got 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:49.639 off to the hot start, it all kind of is 0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:53.480 proof of of what you're trying to do, right, like 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:57.359 a training camp becomes more successful in your mind afterwards 0:19:57.400 --> 0:19:58.800 because you got off to the hot start, so you 0:19:58.840 --> 0:20:01.000 know what, you really forms something special there and you 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:03.560 really practiced your butt off there, and then you start 0:20:03.560 --> 0:20:05.919