WEBVTT - The Dave Pasch Podcast - Chris Spielman 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:06.600 Welcome to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast. I'm 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:10.400 your host ESPN and Arizona Cardinals broadcaster Dave Pash. My 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:15.920 guest today is legendary Detroit Lion linebacker Chris Spielman, former 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:20.599 television announcer for ESPN, ABC and Fox, and currently special 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:24.640 assistant to the Owner, CEO and President of the Detroit Lions. 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:27.840 Chris was recently inducted into the Pride of the Lions, 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:30.159 which is the Detroit Lions Ring of Honor. He's the 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:35.320 nineteenth ever. It was a very emotional video that maybe 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:37.360 some of you saw when he found out that he 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:39.519 was going to be inducted. If you haven't seen it, 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:41.600 check it out. It's a must. Google it or go 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:44.879 to YouTube. It's phenomenal. We'll talk with Chris about his 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:48.199 role with the team, how this job came about, and 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.680 what exactly he does on a daily basis. Has he 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:54.160 gotten a taste of what life is like for his brother, 0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:57.680 Rick Spielman, who's the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:01.920 What Cardinal fans should expect the Lions this week. The 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:04.640 Lions being in a transition phase similar to where the 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:07.480 Cardinals are a couple of years ago. Have Chris and 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:10.000 the Detroit Lions taken a page from Steve Kime and 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:14.240 the Arizona Cardinals book on transforming a franchise into a 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:19.080 playoff contender. Plus the time I ran into Chris in 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:22.520 a hotel weight room and it costs me for about 0:01:22.560 --> 0:01:28.640 a month. I remember how how pitiful you were. Yes, well, 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:31.840 anybody that calls their home gym the torture chamber deserves 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:34.160 to be avoided at all costs in a hotel. Jem 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.720 all that and much more coming up with Chris Spielman. 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.840 We are presented by bet mgm, the official sports betting 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:43.960 partner of the Arizona Cardinals, and by Hila River Hotels 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:48.160 and Casinos. Sign up for betmgm today using code cards 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:50.840 one thousand and get your first bet risk free up 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:54.160 to one thousand dollars. New customer offer paid in free bets. 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.440 Visit betmgm dot com for terms and conditions twenty one 0:01:57.440 --> 0:02:01.400 and over Arizona only. Please gamble respond possibly gambling problem 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:05.880 called one eight hundred. Next step without further ado, Here's 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:10.200 the legend Chris Spielman. So, Chris, let's start by talking 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:14.080 about you getting inducted into the Pride of the Lions. 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:18.760 You're the nineteenth ever. Millions have seen the video. First 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:21.480 of all, was so happy for you, and I saw 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:24.560 your emotion, and I know that it's real, like people 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:28.000 that know you know how much it means to you. 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:31.720 What we I mean, were you surprised? Obviously you were surprised. 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:34.679 I guess why were you surprised? Because I thought the 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:36.200 should have happened a long time ago. I know you're 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:38.040 not gonna saying about that, but what was it like, 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:43.080 what were emotions like? And how special was it to you? Well? 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:48.640 I think it because it is something that is you know. 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:52.440 I always felt kind of weird about getting individual honors 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:56.680 within a team sport because my success, whatever success I had, 0:02:56.800 --> 0:03:00.799 was directly related to defensive linement that I played with 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:05.520 right in a scheme, and and obviously I was able 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:07.440 to do a certain amount of things, but it couldn't 0:03:07.440 --> 0:03:10.320 be done without a lot of people involved, including a 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:14.519 great support system. I think the emotion just being back 0:03:14.520 --> 0:03:18.320 here in Detroit, and obviously, Dave, you and I know 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:23.080 each other well, but this is where my late wife 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:25.960 and I started our family and started our life together, 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:30.160 so and I kind of she was part of that 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:35.520 Detroit Lion journey, so that all kind of came back 0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:39.000 to me at one time, which was caused for the emotion. 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:44.520 And you're surprised because you know, I mean, I thought 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:46.200 I was a good player. I didn't know if I 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:51.120 was deserving of that, but I'll take it. So yeah, 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:54.960 I mean four Pro Bowls three with Detroit, so obviously 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:57.760 part of and the way you played too, you know this, 0:03:58.000 --> 0:04:00.560 the way you played, you embody, that's it. I lived 0:04:00.600 --> 0:04:02.440 there for two years. I know what people in Detroit 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:05.720 are all about and who you are as a person, 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:08.760 and the way you played you were like the perfect 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:13.280 Detroit Lion. Well, I think I think it's what coach 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:17.600 Campbell's bringing to right. It's all about that writ I 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:21.040 guess it's the word that he used. And I think 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:23.919 for me, I think it was a great honor to 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:26.960 play in the NFL, and it wasn't an honor for 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:30.400 the NFL to have me in it. It was the opposite, 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:33.719 And so I never took that for granted, and I 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:38.160 always wanted to. It was very conscious of who I represented, 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:42.520 whether it was the Ford family, whether it was my teammates, 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:44.440 whether it was my family, whether it was the city 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:49.040 of Detroit, the fans of Detroit. That's something that I 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:52.760 took very seriously throughout my whole time here in eight years. Well, 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:54.960 for people that are listening to this at are Cardinal 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:58.240 fans that maybe you remember you a little bit. The 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.440 way you played was a lot like Wolf, and that 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:04.039 you just you threw everything into it. And anytime that 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:07.720 I feel like the aches and pains of getting older 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:11.080 and my body, my body's bothering, I'll just call you 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:13.080 and be like, hey, this hurts. You're like, oh yeah, well, here, 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:14.720 here's how I have to sleep. I have to get 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:17.919 this specific position where I don't have any tingling in 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:20.359 my arms or any part of my body to be 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:23.440 able to fall asleep. And I automatically stopped feeling sorry 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.279 for myself. I know, I know Wolf probably feel the 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.359 same way. Like that's something that you know going into 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:31.359 like you know what you signed up to do, and 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:33.760 you know, and I always referred to it as I 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:36.119 always got to pay taxes once in a while, right, 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:40.080 and taxes stuff for claiming in the NFL is certain 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:41.960 things that you have to deal with physically as you 0:05:42.040 --> 0:05:45.160 get older. But that's I think it's important to you know, 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:46.840 always try to take care of yourself. I mean, you 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:52.440 and I talk about just diet, nutrition, exercise, and just 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:55.760 you know, taking care of your body, especially if your 0:05:55.760 --> 0:06:00.000 body's been hit and beat up for so many years. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.400 It helps, I think eas the agent process just a tad. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.520 I know Wolf struggles with how the game has changed. 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:11.520 I shouldn't say the game necessarily, it's a way of 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:15.640 officiating and the way the game is set up is 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:19.200 different than it was when you guys played. Is that 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:21.240 has that been a hard adjustment for you, because I 0:06:21.880 --> 0:06:24.520 know it has been for Wolf and for others of 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:27.680 your guys era and how physical it was and what 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:29.920 you had to do to prepare to play and then 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:32.479 actually get through a game and then survive to do 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:35.880 it again a week later. I mean, I think the 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:39.839 game is safer than it was, so I think some 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:42.040 of the rule changes about trying to get to head 0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:45.520 out of the game makes sense because we're more educated 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:51.320 as an NFL population of you know, concussions in the 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:55.400 ramifications of concussions as we get older. I think the 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:59.840 most disappointing thing is is that guys won't play with 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:04.719 things that I played with, right, a broken thumb. You know, 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:06.520 you put a cast on it, and you shoot it 0:07:06.600 --> 0:07:10.200 up and you go. The rule that I always had 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.920 if I was running, I was playing. Now, if you 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.200 can't run, if there's something wrong with your lower body 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:17.520 and you're not running full speed, then you're only going 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:20.160 to hurt your team because you'll get embarrassed if you 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:23.760 can't run, But upper body, I think there was you 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:26.200 should always try to find a way to play. And 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:32.800 I think that maybe nowadays because guys, you know, make 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:35.240 so much money, which I'm glad they do. I'm all 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:39.120 for that, but they tend to maybe protect themselves a 0:07:39.160 --> 0:07:42.320 little bit when they should probably think of maybe I 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:45.000 can go and play if they do this, or if 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.400 I cast it up or whatever. I think guys are 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:50.760 very cautious about playing. And I actually just had this 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:54.400 conversation with my wife this morning, and I think that's 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:57.360 probably been the biggest adjustment for me to get used to, 0:07:57.640 --> 0:07:59.760 is that, what do you mean he's not practicing? What 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:02.760 do me? And he stopped playing and you know, there's 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:07.000 nothing The player I think has more control now than 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:09.400 they did when Wolf and I played about when they 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:12.160 play and don't play? What was Carrie killing you in 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:13.560 the gym again? Is this way you had to have 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:18.360 the conversation. She's got the same mentality. Yeah, so I 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:21.320 she was actually just getting him out the gym and 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:24.720 I asked, h, I said, how you actually lifted today? 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:27.720 So that started a whole little what are you talking about? 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:30.520 Five days a week? What do you want? So I 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:33.160 just remember the three years we worked together. I would 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:36.080 time out when I would go to the gym in 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:39.480 the hotel to make sure that I avoided you. It 0:08:39.559 --> 0:08:42.040 was like, okay, if it was after seven am, there's 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:45.959 a good chance Spiells is done. Because one time you 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:48.440 caught me. I came in and you're you come over, 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:50.920 you go, look, hey, what are you doing today? Like 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:53.640 I'm doing back Hey, let me show you something. And 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:56.080 the next thing you know, we're in this hotel gym 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:58.320 and there's other people in the gym. You have me 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:01.760 doing chin ups, pull ups, and you're under my feet 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:06.160 pushing me up. My let's hurt for two months. This 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:08.600 is why I hope carry's avoiding you in the gym. 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:13.040 That was actually that was actually in Wisconsin. Uh you 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:16.319 remember that's sad that you actually remember remember how how 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:21.959 pitiful you weren't? Yes, well, anybody that calls their home 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:24.959 gym the torture chamber deserves to be avoided at all 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:30.160 costs in a hotel job. Yeah, but in all seriousness, no, 0:09:30.400 --> 0:09:32.120 I do think I talked to a lot of X 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:35.320 players about this, that it is important too to try 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:37.840 to stay in shape. But guys either go one way 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:41.959 or another, right, they either let themselves go, or they 0:09:41.960 --> 0:09:44.160 don't want to work out anymore because they've been working 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:47.800 out their whole entire life, and or they don't watch 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.280 what they eat anymore. And I just I'm a big 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:56.400 proponent I think of keep working out and eating healthy 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.400 because I do think you it has a little bit 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:01.880 of in your life, a little bit. We know all 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:05.440 the problems that former NFL players deal with as they 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:09.160 get older, and uh, you know, the lifespan isn't very long. Actually, 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:11.679 I think that the studies will show you that. So 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.080 I've always encouraged coaches even now. I got two coaches 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.920 that I work out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:23.160 six am, because you know, coaches can live an awful 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:25.679 lifestyle just to their diet and they put all these 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:28.520 hours in and it work so hard. I always talk 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:31.640 to them about being balanced, about being balanced mentally, about 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:36.920 being balanced physically and being balanced spiritually. That's six am. 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:38.960 That that's why so late. I mean that you're being 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:42.640 done by that. You're going if I do mine at five, 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:46.199 then I trained them at six. So the so I 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:51.520 gotta bet at seven thirty. So your role as the 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:55.480 special assistant to the owner and the CEO the president. 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.520 U correct me if I'm wrong on all that you're 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:03.280 the special assistant too. Basically when you were hired, first 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:05.440 of all, take me through how it came about, and 0:11:05.440 --> 0:11:10.040 then exactly what you're doing on a daily basis. So 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:14.000 last year, about this time, about a year ago, received 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:18.280 a phone call from rod Wood after they relieved Matt 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:21.880 Patricia as head coach, and they asked me to be 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:25.040 a part of a coaching search. Well, first he asked 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:27.080 me if I wanted an interview for the GM job, 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:30.120 and I said, well, I'm very flattered that you asked 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:33.800 when I'm not qualified to be internal manager, but I 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:36.840 do think I can help in other areas. So we 0:11:36.960 --> 0:11:39.040 talked about it and we kind of came up with 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.240 this role that I'm in now, and I guess the 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:44.640 best way to put it, it's kind of been evolving. 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:49.000 Originally it was to be one of four people on 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:52.120 a hiring committee to hire a general manager and head coach. 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:56.439 It was myself, Rod Wood, Sheila hamp and Mike Bisner. 0:11:57.679 --> 0:12:00.000 People in Arizona should know Mike. Mike spend some time 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:02.840 with the Cardinals and really bright young guy and will 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:07.920 be a future president one day. And then we ended 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:12.440 up hiring Coach Campbell and Brad Holmes. After that process 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:15.760 took place, I sat in with some of the assistant 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:18.840 coach interviews with Coach Campbell and just offered an opinion. 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:23.840 I do meet with the Ford family every Tuesday morning 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:28.760 along with Coach Campbell and Brad Holmes and just offer 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:33.360 a third perspective of what I saw during a game. 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:38.800 I'm also involved with helping people in ticket sales. I've 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:41.560 made calls to season ticket holders. You know, it's tough 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.440 to sell season tickets when you're one to eleven and one, 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:46.920 But we're trying to get people to see the big 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:49.840 vision that we have around here, what we're trying to 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:54.000 build in the foundation that's being laid. The other thing 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:56.240 I've been able to do is work with some of 0:12:56.240 --> 0:13:01.120 the young linebackers. I don't talk anything philosophically about we're 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:04.040 doing defense. That's not my role, but as far as 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:07.200 fundamentals and stuff like that, I work with him before practice, 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:12.080 I work with him after practice. Also very involved with 0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:15.360 the personnel and scouting. I talked to college scouts on 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:20.760 a regular basis. Brad Holmes are j GM. Gives me 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.840 some assignments to do to help him. Then we've always 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:27.320 bounce IDAs off did you think about this? Or he'll 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:30.000 ask me what I think about that? Or would you 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:33.600 see there? What I see there? So I'm basically and 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:36.440 I think it's a role that will probably evolve within 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:39.320 the NFL. I'm kind of like an outside set of 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:43.880 eyes that just offers something different because you know, if 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:46.960 you spend so much time around something or people start 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:49.480 seeing the same thing. So I do a pretty good 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:53.560 job of keeping independent thought and evaluation of what's going 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:58.200 on within the total organization, not just the football side. Well, 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:00.520 you by nature, Chris or somebody who you fies who 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:05.360 brings people together. How much of the Lions reaching out 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:09.120 to you for the position that you have was about 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:12.400 bringing unity and trying to get the building together as 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:16.440 an organization. And to your point on this role evolving 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:18.840 in the NFL. Do you think we'll see other teams 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:26.080 hiring either former players or people that have been in 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:30.080 other parts of football to come in in a similar 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.120 role that you have. Do you think we'll see more 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:34.480 people in the role that you have across the league? 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:38.200 I don't know, because I think you yet. First of all, 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:41.360 it has to be somebody that's not motivated that one 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:44.720 another job, right, I don't want to. I mean, that's 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:46.680 the one thing that I had to make sure Brad 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:51.440 and Dan understood that I'm not interested in being a 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:55.120 general manager. I'm not interested in being a coach. I'm 0:14:55.160 --> 0:15:00.520 interested in being service, service oriented towards you guys. I 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.080 told them, Look, I climb my mountain as a player. 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:06.640 I reached the epitome of what I possibly could reach 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:09.520 as an NFL player. That was my goal, that was 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:13.000 my dream. Now my whole Michigan life is to help 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:17.240 others succeed and see them successful. And so in order 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:21.600 to do that, you have to be humble, and you 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:27.280 have to be able to understand that you're working with them. 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:30.600 They're not working for you. I'm working with them. I 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:33.440 do what they ask me to do. I offer my opinions, 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:37.600 whether sometimes they take them, sometimes they don't, but it's 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.360 just another it's another set of eyes and another voice 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.520 for them to make the best decisions possible. As far 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:48.000 as the unification of the team, I think I've had 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:52.160 brought some pretty good ideas. Some of them have been implemented. 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:55.400 I think one of the things is we're in a 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:59.600 different position here where we have the business operations at 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:03.120 Ford Field and a football side of things is here 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:06.280 at Alan Park. It's been a little challenging with COVID, 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:08.840 but one of the things I do is I'll go 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:13.000 down on a monthly basis and I'll meet with a 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:17.560 ticket office, with partnerships, with corporate sales, whatever organization or 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:20.640 whatever group is down at Ford Field, and I'll keep 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:22.600 give them an update of what's going on here at 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:26.320 the football side of things. And it makes them feel included, 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:29.160 and they should feel included because we're all Detroit Lions. 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:32.240 And that's something that I take a lot of pride 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:35.440 in and that's something that was never present here before. 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:38.520 Another thing is, again we go back to the health 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.720 and fitness thing. We were able to put an employee 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:45.200 weight room down at Ford Field just to let and 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:48.680 give those folks access to the players, nutritionists to the 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:54.000 players strength coaches, and have them set programs. So it's 0:16:54.120 --> 0:16:57.640 all about inclusion of everybody and everybody going for one 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:01.120 common goal and one common purpose. And we understand that. 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:05.679 You know, it takes everybody involved to have a championship organization, 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:08.480 not just obviously on the field, but off the field too, 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:10.560 and how you treat people and how we treat our fans. 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:15.240 And it's been a wonderful learning experience for me, and 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:18.720 it's been everything I thought would be. You mentioned that 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:21.879 when you got to call originally there was some conversation 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:23.919 about whether you'd be interested in being the GM, and 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:29.040 you said that interview interview for the GM, and you 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.240 said that you weren't qualified for that. Your brother Rick 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:34.959 has been the longtime GM in the Minnesota Vikings and 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:38.480 has been in various positions across the league in personnel 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:41.800 for more than two decades. Have you at all gotten 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:45.399 the taste of what Rick's life has been like, because 0:17:45.440 --> 0:17:48.880 I know you're not directly involved in personnel decisions, but 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:52.879 as you said earlier, you're in those meetings. You're having 0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:57.680 conversations with Brad Holmes, the GM and other scouts. Yeah, 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:00.320 I kind of knew it was like because I did 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:04.600 sitting in some stuff with Rick over the years, which 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:08.119 kind of gave me a good perspective. I've also worked 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:13.399 with John Dorsey, who's a senior consultant here, and we 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:17.119 talk and bounce ideas off of each other. And you know, 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:20.600 I think the one thing that I learned is from 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:23.720 their experience. I've learned a ton of different things. I 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:29.240 think the best coolest example of learning was I was 0:18:29.280 --> 0:18:32.800 doing linebackers last year for the draft and just watching 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:37.760 film and putting grades on him, and to my surprise, 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:43.879 I thought everybody was awful, so so so and I 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:47.480 would and we would give these presentations. And Dave Sears, 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:51.119 the director of college scouting for the Alliance here, he 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:52.600 called me up out of the blue, and I gave 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:54.440 him a lot of credit. He said, hey, you want 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:56.960 some advice. I said, sure, I'm always open for advice. 0:18:57.640 --> 0:19:00.280 He said, it's been my experience over the year years 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:06.040 that guys that play a certain position, like yourself, they're 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:09.040 much harder on the guys that they're grating. They're not given. 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:11.280 And I said, and I thought about that for a second, 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:14.720 and I said, you know, what, You're exactly right. So 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:17.720 I went back and redid every linebacker that was on 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:20.800 my list and came out with a total different outcome, 0:19:21.240 --> 0:19:24.199 you know, And so that was the I think the 0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:28.520 best thing that I learned, and what I also learned 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:32.120 is that you know, Biblically it says what be quick 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:35.400 to listen and slow to speak. And as we got 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:37.680 in more and more into the personnel, I just kept 0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:40.240 taking in all this information which would help me better 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:43.480 serve the Lions. And I guess the one thing maybe 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:47.120 I taught some scouts, because sometimes scouts can get caught 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:51.360 up and everything numbers wise, arm length, which is important, 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:54.359 all that is very important. And the one thing I said, 0:19:54.400 --> 0:19:57.120 here's the one thing I know is that if he's 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.480 not making plays in college, it's probably not going to 0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:02.480 make him any NFL. And so, you know, it was 0:20:03.440 --> 0:20:05.119 one guy came up to me and said, you know, 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.600 sometimes we forget about the common sense part of the game, 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:11.320 and if he ain't making plays in college, probably won't 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:15.800 be making him up here. I just want to for 0:20:16.520 --> 0:20:18.960 Steve Kim was a tremendous help to me too when 0:20:19.000 --> 0:20:21.960 I first got this job and the interview process and 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:24.560 was a great resource on what to look for. So 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:28.960 Rick and Steve and Dorsey and a bunch of other 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:34.520 guys around the league were really helpful, which was really cool. Well, 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:38.000 speaking of linebacker, Steve drafted linebackers each of the last 0:20:38.040 --> 0:20:40.639 two years in the first round. Isaiah Simmons did not 0:20:40.760 --> 0:20:45.120 have the benefit of preseason games last year, so last 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:48.959 year was basically just training camp extended for him, and 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:52.399 he's really playing well. Zaban Collins started out the year 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:55.119 as the starter. He's barely playing, although he had a 0:20:55.160 --> 0:20:57.800 big fumble recovery on Monday Night. Football are if not 0:20:57.840 --> 0:20:59.960 fumble recovery the on site kick. I guess it was 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:03.399 a muff on the onside kick that he recovered. But 0:21:04.359 --> 0:21:06.479 he is in a learning phase. It's a it's a 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:09.919 big transition. So as somebody that played the position, what 0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:15.280 would your advice be to those guys about learning the 0:21:15.400 --> 0:21:21.800 NFL game and the difference it is from a mental standpoint, 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:25.520 not just a physical standpoint. So well, the same advice 0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:30.480 I give these guys, I think my guys, my young players, 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:34.280 is that every day is like is game date. Like 0:21:34.400 --> 0:21:37.520 when they're at practice, it's got to be a game. 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:40.760 To me, there's no such thing as a walkthrough as 0:21:40.760 --> 0:21:44.439 a linebacker, even if it's labeled a walkthrough in a 0:21:44.480 --> 0:21:47.840 practice field and other guys may be walking through, your 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:51.320 first three steps have to be bam, bam bam. I 0:21:51.359 --> 0:21:54.960 think virtual, the virtual room. My most NFL teams have 0:21:55.080 --> 0:21:58.080 virtual rooms where you can put on the goggles or 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:01.359 put on a wall and you can play the game. 0:22:01.480 --> 0:22:05.480 So you stand there watching the watching the film from 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:08.280 the end zone copy, and you visualize yourself and actually 0:22:08.320 --> 0:22:11.280 take the steps on where you're supposed to be. I 0:22:11.320 --> 0:22:15.840 think the biggest part of the transition is learning how 0:22:15.880 --> 0:22:19.200 to play match defense and zone coverage, and like match 0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:22.359 coverage is kind of a mixture between man and zone, 0:22:23.040 --> 0:22:26.320 and sometimes there's different rules that you have to learn. 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:29.440 So it's rep after rep after rep. And the last 0:22:29.480 --> 0:22:32.520 thing I tell them is, you've got nothing else going on. 0:22:32.600 --> 0:22:34.199 This is your shot. This is a once in a 0:22:34.240 --> 0:22:38.240 lifetime opportunity. You have to put in extra time away 0:22:38.240 --> 0:22:41.280 from football. You just have to if you're young, especially 0:22:41.320 --> 0:22:44.120 if you're still trying to learn a system and there's 0:22:44.160 --> 0:22:47.680 nothing else you can do right now except football. And 0:22:47.720 --> 0:22:49.480 I think you owe that to football, and you owe 0:22:49.480 --> 0:22:51.639 that to yourself to give yourself the best chance to 0:22:51.680 --> 0:22:55.959 be successful, not only for yourself, but more importantly for 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:59.600 your team. You guys are in year one of a 0:22:59.600 --> 0:23:03.000 new era. The Cardinals are in year three. So where 0:23:03.119 --> 0:23:06.280 you guys are right now the Lions. The Cardinals were 0:23:06.280 --> 0:23:10.040