Speaker 1: We Yes, we took a victory shot. Now when did
Speaker 1: the victory shot start?
Speaker 2: I don't even know the origin of when he started
Speaker 2: doing it in Green Bay? Maybe I think really early
Speaker 2: on in Green Bay. And it was always before the
Speaker 2: game though before it always gives a little toast, and yeah,
Speaker 2: it does his whole thing. Do you know what the
Speaker 2: toast is? Do you know what the hot toast is?
Speaker 1: I mean, I think I know what the toast is,
Speaker 1: but again, I'm now I'm nervous to mess up something
Speaker 1: else about Keith. It's really quick, play hard, play safe,
Speaker 1: just win the fucking game.
Speaker 2: There you go. And then he would slam his little
Speaker 2: shot glass.
Speaker 1: He would slam. He would take a shot and then
Speaker 1: throw it onto the ground.
Speaker 2: Yeah it Hi, I'm Ajhawk and I plan on taking
Speaker 2: all of Brian's money in Lake Tahoe.
Speaker 1: Hi everybody, and welcome back to Off the Beat. I
Speaker 1: am your host, Brian Baumgartner, and today ding the bells,
Speaker 1: Ding dong, the witch is dead. We have an NFL
Speaker 1: legend on the podcast. Guys, I can't tell you how
Speaker 1: excited I am to talk to my old friend, the
Speaker 1: one and only AJ Hawk. Now we know that the
Speaker 1: best offense is a good defense. I think someone said
Speaker 1: that once, and well AJ shows that more than anyone.
Speaker 1: You might know him from his time on the greatest
Speaker 1: NFL team of all time, the Green Bay Packers. No,
Speaker 1: that's not up for debate. The all time leading tackler
Speaker 1: for the Green Bay Packers. He played from two thousand
Speaker 1: and six to twenty fourteen. I'm talking one hundred and
Speaker 1: fifty eight consecutive regular season games. Yes, you heard that right,
Speaker 1: and during that time he won a Super Bowl, then
Speaker 1: went on to play for the Bengals, the Falcons, and
Speaker 1: since retiring from the sport, well, AJ has launched quite
Speaker 1: an impressive career as a sports analyst for Fox Sports
Speaker 1: ESPN and most notably, as a co host on the
Speaker 1: Pat McAfee Show. So if you don't know him from sports, well,
Speaker 1: you likely know him from entertainment. Today, we're going to
Speaker 1: dive into his career, what drew him into football, the
Speaker 1: entertainment side of sports, and why he will always consider
Speaker 1: himself a Packer. I'm excited. Are you excited? I'm excited? Yeah,
Speaker 1: here we go a jay Hawk. Everyone. Bubble and squeak.
Speaker 1: I love it.
Speaker 3: Bubble and Squeakna.
Speaker 2: Bubble and squeak.
Speaker 1: I cook it every month, left over from the ninety.
Speaker 3: Four what's up? Ajay?
Speaker 2: What's up? Brian? How you doing?
Speaker 3: I'm good?
Speaker 2: How are you great? You know, same old just I've
Speaker 2: been listening, man, I text you like a month or
Speaker 2: two ago. I think about I've been listening to a
Speaker 2: lot of the stuff you do. Man.
Speaker 1: Well, I really appreciate that, you know before. I mean
Speaker 1: it feels like I've been doing this now for seventeen years.
Speaker 1: But before this, I was on your podcast, the Hawk
Speaker 1: Cast back in the day.
Speaker 2: Correct. Yeah, I don't know when that. I have to
Speaker 2: go back and look exactly the month in what year
Speaker 2: that was. But yeah, I started doing that while I
Speaker 2: was still playing. And I I mean, you know, bruh,
Speaker 2: like other people don't know. But you know, like I've
Speaker 2: seen every episode of the Office five thousand times. My
Speaker 2: wife and I still watch it. Hey, what's going on?
Speaker 2: What do we have to watch? Not a whole lot,
Speaker 2: and then we always just come back to the Office,
Speaker 2: So you know, like that's that's our thing that holds
Speaker 2: our family together. My young kids love it too, so
Speaker 2: are huge fan? Are they watching it now?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I got a twelve ten seven and six year old,
Speaker 2: and we've we've opened it up to everybody. Everyone loves it.
Speaker 2: Everyone dies laughing because you know, I realize your kids
Speaker 2: like watching them when they're seeing when their parents laugh
Speaker 2: and think something's funny. So my my six year old
Speaker 2: sees us laughing at you know, Meredith, your boobs are
Speaker 2: showing like that's a common thing in my in my
Speaker 2: uh in my household. From my young kids, that's like
Speaker 2: their favorite. They think that's the funniest thing ever.
Speaker 1: So yeah, now do they want are they are they
Speaker 1: allowed to watch every episode?
Speaker 2: I mean, we've thought about that. We started to wonder like, okay,
Speaker 2: should we like be better parents and say there's some
Speaker 2: episodes that should I don't. Are there any episodes that
Speaker 2: you can think of that they should not be allowed
Speaker 2: to watch? Because it's almost beyond them. I think some
Speaker 2: of the humor, the things that may be wrong or
Speaker 2: bad for kids to see.
Speaker 1: I guess, well, I mean the one that pops to mind.
Speaker 1: And I only bring it up because it's I mean
Speaker 1: it it is historic, as I as I have been taught,
Speaker 1: we were the first half hour television show, right, so
Speaker 1: comedy half hour television show to have that really deep
Speaker 1: man's voice come on at the beginning and say the
Speaker 1: following program may be unsuitable for children under thirteen. You
Speaker 1: were discretion advised? Yes, can you guess the episode? It
Speaker 1: was very early on?
Speaker 2: I mean I think especially early on in some of
Speaker 2: those episodes.
Speaker 1: I mean, let me just say this. Dwight says the
Speaker 1: word clytoris.
Speaker 2: Really what is this? What?
Speaker 3: It's still on?
Speaker 1: The sexual sexual harassment episode and Michael brings in the
Speaker 1: sex doll and at the end there's a long exchange
Speaker 1: where Dwight is asking. He goes to Toby and asks
Speaker 1: him a lot of questions.
Speaker 2: Yes, some of that stuff, I see some of it.
Speaker 2: I think that's a bit beyond my kid's comprehension. Right now,
Speaker 2: we'd have to have a little conversation if they really
Speaker 2: dug deep into what was going on.
Speaker 1: Now we'll stop talking about the office in a second.
Speaker 1: But I have a question, because I get this all
Speaker 1: the time, people who say they watch it over and
Speaker 1: over and over again, they say, except for one episode,
Speaker 1: Scott's Todts, Oh, scott Scott's Todds people too uncomfortable for
Speaker 1: some people. Yeah, I think it hits a little too
Speaker 1: close to home or something.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that might I get it. Yeah, I mean, I
Speaker 2: do make myself. I guess it's not the first one
Speaker 2: I go to because it's such an unbelievable episode. But
Speaker 2: the acting and writing is so unbel like, it's so
Speaker 2: crazy that you do feel horrendous. You feel just it
Speaker 2: is tough. You're right, that's probably my least watched episode honestly.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Uh well, look, you and Laura, your wife. I
Speaker 1: have gotten the privilege of getting to know you through
Speaker 1: visiting Green Bay, and of course are exploits on the
Speaker 1: golf course, the golf course, your brother as well. I'm
Speaker 1: going to talk about your dad. I mean, I feel
Speaker 1: like I know oh everyone.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's awesome. And you do, Brian, you do?
Speaker 2: Like do you?
Speaker 3: You?
Speaker 2: Pretty much? Have You've done like pregame victory shots with
Speaker 2: my family. You've done. You've been involved in every kind
Speaker 2: of tradition that I think my family has.
Speaker 1: All Right, well, let's go back early for you growing
Speaker 1: up in Cattering, Ohio. Attended Centerville High School. Now, how
Speaker 1: close to Columbus is that.
Speaker 2: It's about hour and fifteen minute drive.
Speaker 1: Not too bad, right, And your dad, I know played
Speaker 1: college football.
Speaker 2: No, No, he's gonna. Oh, I'm so pumped you said that.
Speaker 2: Please keep it in. He did not play college He
Speaker 2: didn't play any college sports. We joke about his athletic
Speaker 2: ability a lot. So really, I'm so happy you said that.
Speaker 2: So he's gonna he's gonna claim that. He's gonna say
Speaker 2: he did now because he heard you try to say
Speaker 2: he played college football. He played baseball in high school
Speaker 2: and football, but didn't play in college.
Speaker 3: I so the oh did he go to Ohio University?
Speaker 2: Yes, went to Ohio University and was like a radio
Speaker 2: TV major and had like you know, was had a
Speaker 2: fake name, J. T. Hawkins and it was a radio DJ.
Speaker 3: Well, here's the thing. He must be.
Speaker 1: You know, you always say everything you hear, you read
Speaker 1: on the internet is not true. He must be trying
Speaker 1: to get it out there that he played linebacker at
Speaker 1: Ohio University, because how would I have known that he
Speaker 1: went to Ohio University. I don't remember that conversation, but
Speaker 1: that's what it. That's what it says. Very interesting.
Speaker 2: We never know, you know, with everything going on right
Speaker 2: like the deep fakes, I mean the Tom Cruise deep
Speaker 2: fake videos, I don't know which one's Tom and which
Speaker 2: one's whoever this other guy or whatever it's computer animated.
Speaker 1: Well, I know you guys spend a lot of time
Speaker 1: analyzing those videos in your current employment. We'll talk about
Speaker 1: that later. So your dad was was not an athlete,
Speaker 1: so that was so how did you get into sports?
Speaker 3: Was it important to your dad? Was this something that
Speaker 3: was important to your family?
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, so I'm the youngest. You Actually, I don't
Speaker 2: know if you've met my oldest brother, youngest of three
Speaker 2: and so.
Speaker 3: I know Ryan.
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, my oldest brother, Matt cohen Burke, he played
Speaker 2: high school and not in college. But my middle brother, Ryan,
Speaker 2: he played quarterback at Ohio. You so that might be
Speaker 2: sticking in your head. That may be why you have
Speaker 2: a little bit of the football on your brain with
Speaker 2: my family.
Speaker 3: No, I have that here.
Speaker 1: Keith Hawk played linebacker at Ohio University, you know what,
Speaker 1: Let's go with it.
Speaker 2: And he did. It was too far back to check
Speaker 2: the records, anyway, You're right, I think he did. Think
Speaker 2: he I think he had a couple of huge games
Speaker 2: that he must have blown his knee out early, you
Speaker 2: know the end of his career.
Speaker 1: Did So, why why was sports so important to you?
Speaker 2: Growing? It's really all we did or all we knew.
Speaker 2: I just I knew what my two older brothers were doing.
Speaker 2: And my middle brother Ryan, he's two years older than me.
Speaker 2: We just grew up playing football, baseball, and basketball. That's
Speaker 2: just what we did and I never really thought of
Speaker 2: anything else. We just did it because it was fun
Speaker 2: and our free time, that's what our free time. We're
Speaker 2: playing roller played hockey in the park and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: So it was a good era, a good time to
Speaker 2: grow up. I'm I was born nineteen. I'm thirty nine
Speaker 2: years old right now, and that time growing up was awesome.
Speaker 2: Like that's all we did was go outside and play
Speaker 2: different sports. But I just wanted to be like my brothers.
Speaker 2: You know, both of them played and they were good,
Speaker 2: and so I was always constantly just chasing them and
Speaker 2: wanted to kind of have what they had.
Speaker 1: Pretty much the moment where it becomes well, it's a
Speaker 1: hobby or it's an activity. It's something that you do,
Speaker 1: and then there's a choice that you want to pursue
Speaker 1: it more for a career or beyond that sort of
Speaker 1: activity phase. When did that come for you? When did
Speaker 1: you realize this was something that you could do in college?
Speaker 1: End or beyond man.
Speaker 2: I never really thought of playing in college, like, Okay,
Speaker 2: So when I was young, the goal, the dream was
Speaker 2: to play for my high school team. Go you know,
Speaker 2: Friday night Ohio high school football. It was a big deal, right,
Speaker 2: I say it all the time. I remember watching the
Speaker 2: varsity team when I was fourth fifth grade, going to
Speaker 2: games and hearing them walk into the stadium from the
Speaker 2: locker room because they're wearing metal tip spikes. I wasn't
Speaker 2: allowed to wear metal tip until you get in high school.
Speaker 2: So it's a big deal. That was always my dream,
Speaker 2: my goal and everything. And I was lucky that my
Speaker 2: older two brothers played there. I got to play two
Speaker 2: years with my middle brother Ryan, so my freshman year
Speaker 2: he was a junior. My sophomore he's a senior, and
Speaker 2: he was the starting quarterback for four straight years there,
Speaker 2: and so I got to play running back with him too,
Speaker 2: both of us on the offensive side of the ball
Speaker 2: for a little bit. It was It was awesome. But
Speaker 2: I didn't really think about college until late in my
Speaker 2: high school career. Probably my brother had been he's was
Speaker 2: getting recruited to play quarterback. He went to Miami of
Speaker 2: Ohio first and went there as a quarterback in the
Speaker 2: same class as Ben Roethlisberger, and he ended up transferring
Speaker 2: to OHIOU and started for a couple of years there.
Speaker 2: But he actually, yeah, he came into OU, and Ben
Speaker 2: actually red shirted, and my brother came and started playing
Speaker 2: right away and was like doing a little slot receiver
Speaker 2: trick plays all this stuff, and then Ben came in
Speaker 2: and Ben became Ben and so it all worked out,
Speaker 2: and he's friends with him and everything, and we love him.
Speaker 2: But I was watching him getting recruited. I was going
Speaker 2: on some of those recruiting trips with him around on
Speaker 2: the MAC and schools like Northwestern Indiana, places like that.
Speaker 2: And then going into my senior year in high school,
Speaker 2: I went to Ohio State's camp and they hadn't offered
Speaker 2: me a scholarship yet, and a lot of guys had
Speaker 2: been offered. I guess that we're going to be coming
Speaker 2: in and I did what I guess. I did enough
Speaker 2: at that camp to get a scholarship ball for from
Speaker 2: Jim Tressel, and I committed right away and it was
Speaker 2: never a question of me going anywhere else. And yeah,
Speaker 2: then I was very lucky to go to o Higo
Speaker 2: State at a great time as well.
Speaker 1: You were a big Ohio State fan as a kid
Speaker 1: growing up, right, Yeah, I.
Speaker 2: Was, but compared to like the rest of not the rest,
Speaker 2: but of a lot of people in Ohio, they probably
Speaker 2: technically couldn't say I was like a die hard fan,
Speaker 2: like I'd loved Ohio State. I looked at it like
Speaker 2: it was a fantasy world. It was never real to me,
Speaker 2: like you could go there and play there. I didn't.
Speaker 2: I didn't go to a game until I was like
Speaker 2: a sophomore in high school being recruited. That's the first
Speaker 2: time I went to a high of state game, just
Speaker 2: because I feel like on weekends we had our own games,
Speaker 2: our own stuff happening. But yeah, I knew if I
Speaker 2: wanted to play in college and I had a chance
Speaker 2: there was even a sliver of hope to play at
Speaker 2: Ohio State, I was gonna do whatever it took to
Speaker 2: get there. So yeah, I knew I wasn't gonna go
Speaker 2: anywhere else.
Speaker 1: When you signed to go to Ohio State, was it
Speaker 1: as a linebacker?
Speaker 2: Yes, it was as a linebacker, But then there's four
Speaker 2: linebackers come in just in my class alone, and one
Speaker 2: of them was the USA Toda player of the Year,
Speaker 2: like I was kind of an afterthought kind of, I think,
Speaker 2: And they said linebacker, and then people claim there's a
Speaker 2: couple of coaches that thought it meant when it put
Speaker 2: me at fullback too.
Speaker 1: So were you a late bloomer? And I'm not even
Speaker 1: saying that as a joke, Like.
Speaker 2: N No, I wasn't. I don't think I was. No,
Speaker 2: I wasn't a late bloomer. I actually so. I committed
Speaker 2: to Ohio State going into my senior year of high
Speaker 2: school football. My first game my senior year, I was
Speaker 2: the punter. Ran was running a fake punt, playing in
Speaker 2: my foot in the ground, and a dude just took
Speaker 2: his helmet and ran it right through my knee and
Speaker 2: popped my knee straight back, and I tore my PCL
Speaker 2: and then a bunch of cartilage. So I got it
Speaker 2: scoped and just cleaned the cartridge out, rehab my PCL
Speaker 2: and came back and played the last like three or
Speaker 2: four games my high school my senior year. Lucky, I
Speaker 2: was already committed and they didn't pull my scholarship, so
Speaker 2: that was a big I thought for sure I was done.
Speaker 2: I was like, Oh, there's no way they're gonna they're
Speaker 2: gonna give my scholarship to someone else. But luckily they
Speaker 2: never even waiver.
Speaker 1: So even though you go to Ohio State, you end up,
Speaker 1: by the way, winning a national championship with Ohio State.
Speaker 1: Did you at that time think this that you were
Speaker 1: gonna pursue it beyond college or was it just a
Speaker 1: step for you?
Speaker 2: It was definitely a dream, Yeah, that'd be cool to
Speaker 2: play in the NFL someday. It didn't really become a
Speaker 2: reality until later way down the road. I think in
Speaker 2: college though.
Speaker 1: Well, guys, he ends up winning the Lombardi Award. You're
Speaker 1: an All American twice. I mean, I don't know if
Speaker 1: you're being modest right now or if if this is
Speaker 1: really where your mindset was. I'm trying to find that
Speaker 1: moment for you, where for you it clicked or was
Speaker 1: it just gradual. Was it just one play at a time,
Speaker 1: one year at a time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it was gradual. I think you just
Speaker 2: how I've always tried to just be I'm pretty consistent,
Speaker 2: which is boring. Like I have no problem eating the
Speaker 2: very similar foods day after day, the same thing. I
Speaker 2: don't need a bunch of variety. I do I'm kind
Speaker 2: of a creature of habit I think, and you know,
Speaker 2: I'm not definitely not the biggest guy or the fastest dude,
Speaker 2: but I know like I'm not gonna quit and I'll
Speaker 2: be there. And luckily too. When I was young, especially
Speaker 2: in college, I didn't think about anything. Now that I'm older,
Speaker 2: I think back on different things, I was like, Wow,
Speaker 2: I was truly in the moment. I didn't I legit
Speaker 2: was not really thinking very far ahead at all, like
Speaker 2: just hey, what do we gotta do today? And then
Speaker 2: let's just keep it moving. And I had a great
Speaker 2: time too. I loved it. Made so many great friends
Speaker 2: in college that still live around me now and now
Speaker 2: our kids play together.
Speaker 1: What a great lesson that is, though. I mean that
Speaker 1: because that's it's very surprising with all of the people
Speaker 1: that I talk to. For most people, they begin to
Speaker 1: look ahead, and it sounds to me like for you,
Speaker 1: you were, Yeah, you were just truly.
Speaker 2: Naive, very naive. I think I didn't think of it.
Speaker 2: I mean in a good way, though. I'm very glad
Speaker 2: I was, because I didn't realize that until I came
Speaker 2: back to a game when I was three or four
Speaker 2: years into the league. I came back during a bye
Speaker 2: week and I was watching it. It was a night
Speaker 2: game in Ohio State, and I remember tapping my wife
Speaker 2: and I was like, is this what it looks like? Like?
Speaker 2: What I was like, is this what it looks like?
Speaker 2: She's like, yeah, this is football. These are games. And
Speaker 2: I was so scared for these dudes, Like I was
Speaker 2: so nervous for him. I was like, in my head,
Speaker 2: I'm thinking, do these guys know like every single play,
Speaker 2: the whole game can hinge on what mistake you make
Speaker 2: or a great play you make, Like there's so much
Speaker 2: on the line here. I felt like watching from the stands.
Speaker 2: I never really thought about that before until I was
Speaker 2: there in that moment, and then it made me realize, geez,
Speaker 2: I'm glad that I never thought about any of that
Speaker 2: when I was playing. We were honestly just just goofballs,
Speaker 2: having fun and join ourselves.
Speaker 1: That's so interesting. I mean, what, there's one hundred thousand
Speaker 1: people there, and clearly, when you're at home, you you
Speaker 1: must feel, like feel the sound that that many people creates.
Speaker 1: But it's so interesting for you that different perspective because
Speaker 1: you're in the moment, you're down there and you may
Speaker 1: hear or acknowledge that there are people that are watching.
Speaker 1: But like you said, not being a fixture at Ohio
Speaker 1: State games before you went right, like, not really being
Speaker 1: there on that other side probably takes some pressure off
Speaker 1: now that I'm paid about it.
Speaker 2: I think in the moment, don't you think some of
Speaker 2: the best golfers are dumb as a rock because they
Speaker 2: don't ever think about their bad shot. They don't They're
Speaker 2: not walking up to their ball on the eighteenth fairway knowing, hey,
Speaker 2: if I get up and down from here, I'm gonna
Speaker 2: win whatever, whatever gigantic tournament, a major. They're legit. Just
Speaker 2: they're walking, well, look at that tree, Oh, look at
Speaker 2: that that's cool. And then they both knock it to
Speaker 2: two feet and tap it in and call it a day. Like,
Speaker 2: if you could have that brain in golf especially, you
Speaker 2: can win a lot of tournaments.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you and I know for sure there are great
Speaker 1: golfers who are not very smart.
Speaker 2: Yes, that is lots of Yeah, it pays. It pays
Speaker 2: to not be very smart out there. In certain ways,
Speaker 2: they are very maybe whatever their intelligence is, other ways
Speaker 2: that they helped turn it on.
Speaker 1: When you're at Ohio State, you are focused on criminology.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I wanted to be a cop. You wanted to
Speaker 2: be a cop. Yeah, that was that was the plan. Yeah,
Speaker 2: so crime I took. I mean it's basically, yeah, criminology,
Speaker 2: sociology major. Took a lot of sociology classes. Didn't have
Speaker 2: a lot of math to take. That was definitely part
Speaker 2: of it. Numbers just don't work. My brain does not
Speaker 2: compute numbers. And I've known that for a long time. Yeah,
Speaker 2: me too.
Speaker 1: Okay, so you uh so you start becoming named in
Speaker 1: All American in the country, and you win the Lombardi Award,
Speaker 1: and so at some point you start turning your attention
Speaker 1: towards the draft, right and like playing football beyond right?
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, uh yeah. Going into my senior year, yeah,
Speaker 2: I guess I didn't. I luckily didn't think about it
Speaker 2: too much, but I knew, yeah, hopefully if I go
Speaker 2: out here and play well, I could be a first
Speaker 2: round pick. Hopefully that was the thought. And we won,
Speaker 2: and we want to win a national championship. I got
Speaker 2: there my freshman year and rode the coattails of guys
Speaker 2: and got to start one game and play all the
Speaker 2: special teams and everything, and play in spots and other games.
Speaker 2: But we had an unbelievable group of like of older
Speaker 2: guys that I got to learn from. But yeah, I
Speaker 2: wanted to go do it as a senior, and we
Speaker 2: weren't able to do that. My senior year we lost
Speaker 2: two games and weren't able to win the national championship.
Speaker 2: But yeah, going in, I knew, hopefully this is this
Speaker 2: is the plan to play after this. I knew I
Speaker 2: definitely wanted to. I had the desire. And then after
Speaker 2: the season, I was stayed in school and worked out
Speaker 2: there and then would fly out and have you go
Speaker 2: go to the combine and then fly out and have
Speaker 2: visits the month like leading up to the draft and
Speaker 2: other teams and doing all I was still in school
Speaker 2: when I was doing all of that, and then got
Speaker 2: drafted by the Packers.
Speaker 1: Yeah, drafted fifth by the Green Bay Packers. You had
Speaker 1: another line of first round defensive picks by the Green.
Speaker 2: Bay by the Green Bay Packers, I do have Why
Speaker 2: are you a Packers fan, Briy, I I don't know if.
Speaker 1: First off, let me say this, I want to say
Speaker 1: that it was a mistake, but it wasn't. I woke
Speaker 1: up today and I put on the University of Georgia shirt.
Speaker 2: I respect for that squad. They're great, Kirby Smart, They're
Speaker 2: a great team. High of State played them tough, played
Speaker 2: them tough in the playoffs. Georgia, Man, you guys got
Speaker 2: a good thing going down there.
Speaker 1: Brian, Do you wish you had gone to Georgia instead
Speaker 1: of Ohio State? No, because you'd be a better You'd
Speaker 1: be a more successful person had you done that.
Speaker 2: You didn't even go to Georgia.
Speaker 1: I know, I know, but I didn't play football. Mu right, Hey,
Speaker 1: if that's right. If I had played football, yep, I
Speaker 1: would have gone to Georgia.
Speaker 2: Would you? Did you play football at all?
Speaker 3: Growing up?
Speaker 2: Just a little?
Speaker 1: I mean, I you know, I had my bad leg
Speaker 1: situation pretty early before before I really had the opportunity
Speaker 1: to get into it. But if I had, I would
Speaker 1: have gone to Georgia. That's That's really all I have
Speaker 1: to say about that. Oh why am I a Packer?
Speaker 1: You know why I'm a Packers fan because of you.
Speaker 2: Not me. It came on for me.
Speaker 4: But okay.
Speaker 1: AJ gets drafted fifth by the Packers in two thousand
Speaker 1: and six and in twenty ten or following the twenty
Speaker 1: ten season, wins the Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas. I
Speaker 1: call that the Ice Bowl because there was so much
Speaker 1: ice out you guys didn't have to deal with. We
Speaker 1: couldn't hardly get to the stadium, But I was there.
Speaker 1: I saw you play the all time leading tackler for
Speaker 1: the green Bay Packers nine seasons twenty six to fourteen.
Speaker 1: If my math is right, eight years, nine seasons with
Speaker 1: the Packers. Do you consider yourself a Packer?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, I technically got played eleven years. I played
Speaker 2: one year with Cincinnati after my nine in green Bay,
Speaker 2: and then I got a season with Atlanta the year
Speaker 2: they went to the Super Bowl, which had a great
Speaker 2: experience there. By the way, I was only there a month.
Speaker 2: Awesome experience. Loved all the coaches. Still talk to a
Speaker 2: lot of them, but yeah, always really always a Packer.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's interesting. Your experience in Atlanta was great, and
Speaker 1: you still communicate with them.
Speaker 2: Dan Quinn was the head coach. I love that guy.
Speaker 2: Jeff Olbrick is now the Jets defensive coordinator where our
Speaker 2: buddy Aaron Rodgers is at, and Aaron loves Jeff. I
Speaker 2: knew Olbrick would enjoy having him there. He was the
Speaker 2: linebacker coach at the time in Atlanta, and I was
Speaker 2: there four games and they were awesome. I learned so
Speaker 2: much and just really maybe it was just because I
Speaker 2: was old and I wasn't even playing it on playing
Speaker 2: I was already doing working as like an analyst on
Speaker 2: FS one, doing some games by then. But they had
Speaker 2: a bunch of guys go down one week and tried
Speaker 2: to bring me in there, and maybe just because I
Speaker 2: was older and I knew, I was like, oh, this
Speaker 2: is like a really cool experience, and so I took
Speaker 2: a bunch of notes, tried to see how they ran things.
Speaker 2: It was just a cool like it was almost like
Speaker 2: watching like different ways, like hey, there's a lot of
Speaker 2: different ways where you can lead and you can run
Speaker 2: an organization or a team or how you interact, and
Speaker 2: it was just really cool. They had a lot of
Speaker 2: good people there. Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. I mean,
Speaker 2: it was littered with stars everywhere.
Speaker 1: I want to talk about the Packers for a little bit.
Speaker 1: Your greatest memory of being in Green Bay.
Speaker 2: I mean Super Bowl is tough to top that, it
Speaker 2: really is. But if being like weirdly not, I don't know,
Speaker 2: I'm not some I'm not into mystical crazy like getting
Speaker 2: real deep talk or anything, but honestly, the coolest thing
Speaker 2: about Green Bay and my wife and I this is
Speaker 2: the thing we missa just the people, like the guys
Speaker 2: and their wives and girlfriends and their kids. Like we
Speaker 2: had a really special thing there for a long time.
Speaker 2: We feel like we should have won more super Bowl
Speaker 2: It's no question, but especially that Super Bowl year. Man,
Speaker 2: our team was so close and we didn't We didn't
Speaker 2: even know it at the time, but yeah, just looking back,
Speaker 2: just really special people that we still communicate with. My
Speaker 2: wife still takes trips with Green Bay girls every single
Speaker 2: year and we try to meet up as much as
Speaker 2: we can, so I think the order we get, the
Speaker 2: more we realize how special it was and kind of
Speaker 2: grow to appreciate that stuff.
Speaker 1: I've said many times, if you don't have a team,
Speaker 1: if you don't have a reason to hate Green Bay,
Speaker 1: if you go to Green Bay, it's hard. It's really
Speaker 1: hard not to root for them, because the experience really
Speaker 1: is singular in all of sports. I'm gonna tell I'm
Speaker 1: gonna give one. There's many examples, but one, because I'm
Speaker 1: talking to you. I was in Green Bay for a game,
Speaker 1: your dad, your brother, who I knew well from our
Speaker 1: golfing days, and your dad was there. And now I
Speaker 1: don't want to I don't want to screw something else
Speaker 1: up about your dad. But your dad bought a house, right,
Speaker 1: Your family bought one of the houses directly adjacent to
Speaker 1: lambeau Field, essentially to stay in because they wanted to
Speaker 1: come out and see games.
Speaker 2: Right, yep. Yeah, when I got drafted, I was freshly new.
Speaker 2: Hewed got married right before camp and I didn't even
Speaker 2: know it, but yeah, he got the house and he said, we, well,
Speaker 2: obviously I want to come to every game and I
Speaker 2: want to bring friends, and I'm not going to do
Speaker 2: that too. You're a new Hewed, Like, I'm not going
Speaker 2: to stay with you guys. And obviously, yeah, that was like,
Speaker 2: I guess that was very nice of him, But it
Speaker 2: was like a he and my mom were in college again.
Speaker 2: They'd have different couples come up every weekend and have party,
Speaker 2: like they had the greatest weekends for home games. It was.
Speaker 2: It was a great idea.
Speaker 1: So if you've never been, the houses are literally right
Speaker 1: there next to the fairly small parking lot, and before
Speaker 1: the game, you tailgate house to house, and really what
Speaker 1: it is is garage to garage. There was one house
Speaker 1: that I always go to that had literally had put
Speaker 1: in a urinal like bathroom with a urinal in the
Speaker 1: in the garage there and TVs everywhere. Your Dad's was
Speaker 1: not as glamorous. I think when I was there, it
Speaker 1: was minus eight degrees and we were on folding chairs
Speaker 1: in the garage, in the garage that was not heated
Speaker 1: in any way. But we yes, we took a victory shot. Now,
Speaker 1: when did the victory shot start?
Speaker 2: I don't even know the origin of when he started
Speaker 2: doing it in Green Bay? Maybe I think really early
Speaker 2: on in Green Bay. And it was always before the
Speaker 2: game though before it always gives a little toast and
Speaker 2: it does his whole thing. Do you know what the
Speaker 2: toast is? Do you know what the hot toast is?
Speaker 1: I mean, I think I know what the toast is,
Speaker 1: But again I'm now I'm nervous to mess up something
Speaker 1: else about Keith. It's really quick, play hard, play safe,
Speaker 1: just win the fucking game.
Speaker 2: There you go. And then he would slam his little
Speaker 2: shot glass.
Speaker 1: He would slam. He would take a shot and then
Speaker 1: throw it onto the ground.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was it. Yeah. I don't know how. I
Speaker 2: think it started early on in Green Bay, I guess yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what an incredible thing for you to have your
Speaker 1: family be able to be a part of that those
Speaker 1: nine years in Green Bay and have that experience. Clearly
Speaker 1: they they love it. Do they still have the house?
Speaker 2: No, they sold it shortly after my time was up.
Speaker 2: They didn't have any trouble selling that thing. Yeah. It
Speaker 2: was only like two, like probably three streets over from Lambeau.
Speaker 2: You could, I'm sure you could hit your driver and
Speaker 2: hit Lambeau from their front yard if you could move
Speaker 2: some trees. Yeah, no, for sure. How did you get
Speaker 2: on the when you when you came over to the
Speaker 2: house and did the pregame victory shots. Did you coordinate
Speaker 2: that with Ryan, my brother? I think that through I
Speaker 2: think that was through your brother. Yeah. I was gonna say,
Speaker 2: because all of a sudden, I'm I remember I was
Speaker 2: in the locker room, I think, and they sent me
Speaker 2: a picture or sent me a video of you guys
Speaker 2: doing the shot. And what's Brian doing. I didn't even
Speaker 2: know you were going. Yeah. No, so uh.
Speaker 1: For those of you who don't know, AJ is a
Speaker 1: fixture at the American Century championships, which we've talked a
Speaker 1: lot about on this podcast. In beautiful Lake Tahoe. We're
Speaker 1: both gonna be there here in a couple of weeks,
Speaker 1: and so we had gotten to know each other and
Speaker 1: AJ's brother Ryan is AJ's caddy. I have a regular
Speaker 1: caddy and Aaron had the same caddy and we would
Speaker 1: have a caddy race on the seventeenth hole there and
Speaker 1: I watched it fairly recently. Again it is still uh,
Speaker 1: it's still entertaining.
Speaker 2: There's like sixty yards of sand that they run through too.
Speaker 2: That's the biggest thing. I think that's when their legs
Speaker 2: start to burn trying to carry the bag and it
Speaker 2: gets competitive, man, I know, especially year one that was
Speaker 2: very competitive.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was a lot of fun. So yeah, So
Speaker 1: I've gotten to know AJ's family and his wife there
Speaker 1: as well. Excited to go back.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, you're kidding me. Like it's it's amazing.
Speaker 2: It makes me I don't play much like a whole
Speaker 2: lot of golf, but because of Tahoe, it makes me
Speaker 2: love go like I want I want to play, just
Speaker 2: to get out there and try to not be horrendously
Speaker 2: bad out there. So that's everything is geared towards Tahoe for.
Speaker 1: Me me too. Uh do I owe you money? I
Speaker 1: do not believe so well, Okay, I paid you. Okay,
Speaker 1: AJ got me last year for sure.
Speaker 2: I kept the ball in play more than I ever had. Man,
Speaker 2: I don't know how I could. I'd have to punch
Speaker 2: out like six hundred times each round this passion. I
Speaker 2: still didn't play great, but I still I just put
Speaker 2: the ball in play a little bit.
Speaker 1: I want you to tell the story to everybody about
Speaker 1: how it started. Aj AJ became a fixed You're in
Speaker 1: tahole because there's a there are two very populated holes
Speaker 1: in Lake Tahoe, a whole seven and whole seventeen. And
Speaker 1: AJ started tackling a fan from the stands. Talk about
Speaker 1: how that started in the first year, because all I
Speaker 1: remember is you thinking you were going you.
Speaker 2: Had killed the guy that was year two. I thought
Speaker 2: he died. Year one was a great shot. It was
Speaker 2: very clean shot. I could get the year too. Yeah.
Speaker 2: So basically we're to seventh hole, like you said, we're
Speaker 2: walking up to the tea box and my brother Ryan
Speaker 2: is caddied for me every single year out there. And
Speaker 2: that's how unbelievable that tournament in Lake Tahoe is that
Speaker 2: he's like, someone's gonna have to kill me to get
Speaker 2: me to not caddy for it. He just just he
Speaker 2: didn't eve get hit any shots, but he just wants
Speaker 2: to go. That's how cool the whole tournament is. But
Speaker 2: we walk up to the tea box and there's a
Speaker 2: group of guys, maybe ten dudes, bit rowdy, boozing, having
Speaker 2: a great time, and oh, my brother, that Ryan looks
Speaker 2: at me. He's like, hey man, this guy wants He
Speaker 2: asked if you tackle him. And I looked at the
Speaker 2: dude and he's a big guys like, all right, okay,
Speaker 2: I guess yeah, why not? And I went, I like
Speaker 2: put my shoulder directly into his ribs, like I hear
Speaker 2: the breast go out. Oh like I could hear. It
Speaker 2: was just the time. Whatever happened, it timed up where
Speaker 2: everything just hit the right moment and it was a
Speaker 2: good shot. It looked good. I didn't I thought I
Speaker 2: was gonna rip my pants. I didn't rip my pants.
Speaker 2: I didn't fall down. He went down. Then he gets
Speaker 2: up and I hug him and everything's great, and then
Speaker 2: I realized instant, I'm like, oh my god, like am
Speaker 2: I gonna get kicked out of the tournament. I was like,
Speaker 2: these guys, not, are they gonna let me even play
Speaker 2: like that sucks? They might be pissed. And then the
Speaker 2: next hole, I'm walking and I see a couple of
Speaker 2: the you know, the big the big time people with
Speaker 2: the NBC American Century everybody, and I was like, hey, man,
Speaker 2: I'm sorry the guy asked me to do it. I
Speaker 2: wasn't whatever, and they instantly said, no, were you kidding me?
Speaker 2: That was great it Look we got it on video.
Speaker 2: We're gonna run it tonight on NBC or NBC whatever.
Speaker 2: And I'm like, oh, thank goodness. And then I tackled
Speaker 2: him for man, four or five years in a row.
Speaker 2: And now it's funny, we've kind of like we started
Speaker 2: we arm wrestled one year after that, like we're all
Speaker 2: growing up, we're all getting old, I guess because now
Speaker 2: their group has grown as well, like they've all there's
Speaker 2: more and more people every year with their group and
Speaker 2: the company they have, and then now it's it's hilarious.
Speaker 4: Now.
Speaker 2: I just last year when I was out there, we
Speaker 2: saw them and we just kind of we didn't do
Speaker 2: anything it. I think it was the first year, we
Speaker 2: didn't do anything like physical, no arm wrestling, no weird
Speaker 2: bubble wrestling thing. We did one year. I didn't tackle him,
Speaker 2: I didn't hit him, and we're like, oh man, how
Speaker 2: you doing. Like he's like cots of kids, and it's like, wow,
Speaker 2: we're really we've grown up together. Like once a year
Speaker 2: I see these people and I started going. I was
Speaker 2: probably twenty five when I first started going. I'm almost
Speaker 2: forty now. So yeah, like we've watched each other grow
Speaker 2: up through this whole thing, and our bond of me
Speaker 2: getting to tackle that guy.
Speaker 1: Well, that's what is so special about that week, right,
Speaker 1: I mean you and I getting to know each other.
Speaker 1: They I mean just like odd couples. And I'm I'm
Speaker 1: not I'm not even making a joke. You and this
Speaker 1: guy that the relationships started by you tackling him and
Speaker 1: almost killing him. The second year, it's so great. I
Speaker 1: can't wait to be there.
Speaker 2: You've been playing a lot too. I listened to the show.
Speaker 2: I know you've been playing a lot. Well see how
Speaker 2: you hitting it? Hitting good?
Speaker 4: Right?
Speaker 2: You probably scratch.
Speaker 3: Now listen, I got here. I'll tell you this. I
Speaker 3: got some clubs showing up today.
Speaker 1: Are you a guy now or what I you know
Speaker 1: what I am of course p XG man kaboom baby, kaboom. Yeah.
Speaker 1: If you're gonna come at me, you better you better
Speaker 1: get the best. That's all I'm saying I got this
Speaker 1: year is you're actually now that you have ESPN money,
Speaker 1: Maybe we double the bet this year, maybe we make
Speaker 1: it a little more expensive.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right? Oh was that an Okay, Yeah, I'm
Speaker 2: in I'll do it all right the time. You're way
Speaker 2: more consistent than.
Speaker 1: You beat me last year. You beat me last year,
Speaker 1: but you I remember paying you.
Speaker 2: It was horrible. It was horrible. It was a great,
Speaker 2: great night, it really knows it was. It was my
Speaker 2: first time were finishing in the positive numbers. Ever, there
Speaker 2: you go. So I need some strokes then, is what
Speaker 2: I'm trying to say.
Speaker 1: You won last All right, I'll say this is actually
Speaker 1: it works exactly the opposite.
Speaker 3: You won last year.
Speaker 2: I'm sure you hadn't off. I'm sure you got a
Speaker 2: bunch of bad breaks and the ball bounced out of
Speaker 2: bounds and things like that.
Speaker 1: No, by the way, I do have to tell everyone this.
Speaker 1: I'm sure they're bored of hearing of our golf but
Speaker 1: let me tell you this, aj almost killed me once.
Speaker 1: This is not this is not a joe.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 1: They've redone the course, the old number eight. I am
Speaker 1: legitimately mid green, chipping out of the rough. I had
Speaker 1: was not in the bunker there on the left, but
Speaker 1: I was just on top of it, and I am chipping,
Speaker 1: and suddenly I hear and I was like, what the
Speaker 1: what was that? And you were on the tee and
Speaker 1: had driven So this is where you have the advance
Speaker 1: that is not this is not a driveable par four,
Speaker 1: by the way, but it was a par four that
Speaker 1: you just got a hold of and it went in
Speaker 1: the right direction, which sometimes for you it doesn't.
Speaker 2: And you almost killed me sometimes. I mean, if I
Speaker 2: would have known that, I'm sure we would have yelled for.
Speaker 2: Did anyone yell for? Maybe they gave me the go ahead,
Speaker 2: they said, hey, we're good to go. That's Unfortunately we've
Speaker 2: hit over the head of people in our group before.
Speaker 2: Can you know if you can't see him, if they're
Speaker 2: running over the little swell yet i'd something. I guess, patience,
Speaker 2: you gotta just quit an extra beat.
Speaker 1: You're reckless, You're reckless.
Speaker 2: I disagree. I disagree you and Pa both.
Speaker 3: Do you love what you're doing now?
Speaker 4: I do.
Speaker 2: I absolutely love what I'm doing now with Pat mcafeel
Speaker 2: on the Pat on his show, The Pat McAfee Show,
Speaker 2: five days a week. And I never really thought I
Speaker 2: was going to commit to anything five days a week
Speaker 2: like that consistent. Honestly, when I first got into like
Speaker 2: media stuff, I was doing a lot of serious XM
Speaker 2: radio and yeah, doing like analysts work on games, traveling
Speaker 2: to college games a lot.
Speaker 1: So you were traveling with that, you were traveling to
Speaker 1: games cover of years Fox Sports, Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I did some a bunch of stuff from
Speaker 2: the Conference USA games that I was doing for a
Speaker 2: couple of years after that, different online stuff. And then
Speaker 2: when I started getting doing work with Pat, and then
Speaker 2: when I started going basically five days a week, probably
Speaker 2: three years ago, I stopped going to games on weekends.
Speaker 2: And my kids have gotten order and I'm already like
Speaker 2: assistant coach on a lot of their teams and stuff,
Speaker 2: so I can't weekends would be tough. I think if
Speaker 2: I was gone for fourteen straight weekends.
Speaker 1: Well, you're a smart guy, you're an engaging guy, but
Speaker 1: you know, this is a this is a hard business.
Speaker 1: I know, oh to break into talk to me about
Speaker 1: meeting Pat and how this came about to join as
Speaker 1: a co host on the Pat McAfee show.
Speaker 2: I mean, it was super organic. I don't even know
Speaker 2: the first time he started his show. He had his
Speaker 2: podcast first, when he was still playing for the Colts. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and he asked me to come on. Now, were you friends? No? No,
Speaker 2: I didn't even know each other. The first time we
Speaker 2: really met in person actually when I was I was
Speaker 2: on the Bengals for my one season with the Bengals,
Speaker 2: he was on the Colts. We played a preseason game.
Speaker 2: We were both captains that game, and that's like when
Speaker 2: we officially, Oh hey, what's up?
Speaker 4: Man?
Speaker 2: Like I knew of him and what he was doing,
Speaker 2: and then somehow we started. I came on a show
Speaker 2: and it was awesome, you know he was. He's very
Speaker 2: unique and super talented and smart and funny in different
Speaker 2: way than anybody. So we kind of had a It
Speaker 2: was always fun. I would keep I would come on
Speaker 2: there every once in a while and ask me to
Speaker 2: come on and be on for twenty thirty minutes and
Speaker 2: enjoy it. Never thought anything of it. And then he
Speaker 2: was with Barstool and they asked me to join he
Speaker 2: and guy named Jerry Thornton for a podcast. We'd record
Speaker 2: it every Sunday night after the Sunday night football game
Speaker 2: and we would just recap and talk about all the
Speaker 2: games that happened that day. Honestly, we really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2: I loved it. It was really fun. And then after
Speaker 2: that I would go on a show a little bit.
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't know, once every couple of weeks maybe,
Speaker 2: and then right before, right as COVID hit, I was like, man,
Speaker 2: we should do something, like everything's shutting down, there's no sports,
Speaker 2: there's nothing. We should do something more consistently. And then
Speaker 2: after that he would go live on YouTube and I
Speaker 2: would join him. It's called McAfee and Hawk Sports Talk,
Speaker 2: and that's how it all started. I did it like
Speaker 2: three days a week, and that eventually became five days
Speaker 2: a week. And now yeah, and it's awesome, h Paton.
Speaker 2: You got to know the boys, and it's just how
Speaker 2: it's where it is now is ridiculous, Like it's bizarre,
Speaker 2: and it's the most fun I've ever had by far
Speaker 2: doing anything. When it comes to I guess you could
Speaker 2: call it in the media job it's not for me.
Speaker 2: It's yeah, it's fun, it's really fun.
Speaker 1: Well, it is entertainment. It's groundbreaking in a lot of ways,
Speaker 1: and not surprising. The number of viewers and subscribers five
Speaker 1: days a week on YouTube is over two million people.
Speaker 1: The latest reports I heard is that you personally have
Speaker 1: a one hundred million dollar contract a year at ESPN
Speaker 1: the next twenty years. You got some good sources, Brian,
Speaker 1: which is really impressive. That you have managed to take
Speaker 1: this little, this little side job and turn it into
Speaker 1: an empire is incredible. I was going down the rabbit
Speaker 1: hole about all of the information about the contract and oh,
Speaker 1: there's all kind of I know, it very entertaining. Are
Speaker 1: you excited? Just announced in May you guys are going
Speaker 1: to be moving to the original mothership ESPN, same show,
Speaker 1: but no bad words. That's that's no eff company, just words,
Speaker 1: just no F word.
Speaker 2: And then Pat offered that up to them as like
Speaker 2: a negotiation, not a negotiation, as like goodwill, like hey,
Speaker 2: won't say the F word, try not to say it
Speaker 2: as much, but everything else is out there, and they, yeah,
Speaker 2: they want the show, they want us to do the
Speaker 2: real show. And he Pat was talking to a bunch
Speaker 2: of different people on where to take it or where
Speaker 2: you could go with it, And that was always his
Speaker 2: first thing from the jump, like you don't have any
Speaker 2: you have no creative control over this. He's always had
Speaker 2: complete ownership of it. And that's how it is going there.
Speaker 2: And it's gonna be on from noon to two on
Speaker 2: ESPN like the big ESPN, the main main deal, and
Speaker 2: it'll be yeah, and then we'll keep going on YouTube
Speaker 2: after that twelve to two times.
Speaker 1: Now will you will you be on from twelve to two?
Speaker 1: Are you still going to come in an hour late?
Speaker 1: I know that's a good question. That's what's cool funny
Speaker 1: about the show. We don't it's pretty uh spontaneous. We
Speaker 1: don't sit there and draw out a box and B
Speaker 1: block and C block and do all this stuff. It's
Speaker 1: very organic and it's very like instan off our instincts.
Speaker 1: So yeah, there's still a bunch we haven't even really
Speaker 1: thought about that. We'll figure out here in the next
Speaker 1: month or two. I mean, I was thinking about this
Speaker 1: knowing I was going to talk to you today. You're
Speaker 1: like smart, like a fox. Everybody else is in studio
Speaker 1: looking at Pat with his cut off. What do you
Speaker 1: call them tank top shirts on roaming around, pacing back
Speaker 1: and forth and guess where AJ is AJ is in Columbus, Ohio.
Speaker 1: How in the world is that?
Speaker 3: Just?
Speaker 1: So here's what I thought. What I thought was, tell
Speaker 1: me if I'm right that it was the start of
Speaker 1: COVID and that's just that became what you did and
Speaker 1: then you just stuck with it or did you just
Speaker 1: say I'm not leaving Yo?
Speaker 2: It was it was COVID. I'm here like I knew, Like,
Speaker 2: there's no way I was. I have four kids, we
Speaker 2: built a house in Columbus well a while ago, and yeah,
Speaker 2: there's no I mean, it would be if I could
Speaker 2: be in studio every day with everybody. It's awesome and
Speaker 2: it's very fun in studio, it's just not possible for
Speaker 2: me and I drive there during the season. Since Pat's
Speaker 2: on game day as well, he leaves Friday mornings, I'll
Speaker 2: drive in every Friday during the season. I'll drive to
Speaker 2: Indianapolis and go host a show from studio while Pat
Speaker 2: comes onto the show from the game day set. So
Speaker 2: I'll do that every Friday, and then unfortunately, the only
Speaker 2: time I'm really even at when I go to India
Speaker 2: I'm at the studio is when Pat's out of town basically,
Speaker 2: so it's fun when I can actually get there and
Speaker 2: we're in studio and we do stuff together, that's when
Speaker 2: we obviously we love that, right, you know? It was funny.
Speaker 1: I was doing some research here and I went on
Speaker 1: the YouTube for the Pat McAfee show, and I saw,
Speaker 1: like two days ago, there was a screenshot. It was
Speaker 1: the same, the same exact picture, and I thought, oh,
Speaker 1: did they upload the wrong video on both No, you guys,
Speaker 1: you were just wearing the same thing. You guys, don't
Speaker 1: You don't think about wardrobe there at the Pat McAfee show.
Speaker 2: No, it's very I guess you could say I'm simple
Speaker 2: like that. And I used to try. I used to
Speaker 2: wear different different shirts or whatever, and then Pat would
Speaker 2: always wear his black tank top. And so for the
Speaker 2: last year or two, I don't know, I have like
Speaker 2: four or five shirts that I wear on the show.
Speaker 2: They're all either a black long sleeve or a hoodie.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he goes that's true. He goes color. Sometimes he's
Speaker 1: got a purple one that really pops everyone's.
Speaker 2: While he does have a colorful one, but yeah, no,
Speaker 2: his go to is a black tank top everyone he
Speaker 2: wore T shirts for I don't know, a couple of
Speaker 2: weeks stretch there. He thought he was gonna wear T
Speaker 2: shirts and he couldn't do it. He didn't like it.
Speaker 1: I guess interesting. I got to ask you, I'm curious
Speaker 1: about this with the change over to ESPN. You know
Speaker 1: we're not You're not going to change anything except except
Speaker 1: the use of the F word. Has anyone talked to
Speaker 1: you about your signature prop?
Speaker 3: I guess what do you mean?
Speaker 2: The cigar?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 2: No issues? That's another good question, Brian, that's another great question. No,
Speaker 2: no one said anything to me, bully me. I enjoy it. Well,
Speaker 2: keep me focused, keep me focused? Is that right? Well?
Speaker 2: I'm a naturally like I can get, you know, off
Speaker 2: track if it gives me something to do. I'm not
Speaker 2: fidgeting like I'm a fidgitor kind of always doing something
Speaker 2: look around, And that definitely keeps me locked in. And
Speaker 2: I enjoy it. And it's really the only time I
Speaker 2: smoke cigars is on the show. Really, it feels right
Speaker 2: to when I'm doing the show to have a cigar
Speaker 2: and I'm like, yeah, I don't. It's definitely not a prop.
Speaker 2: It's not a gimmick. I should say it's yeah, I
Speaker 2: know it just turned into it.
Speaker 1: I didn't mean a gimmick. I really literally meant a prop.
Speaker 1: And what you just said to me is actually that
Speaker 1: is a huge actor trick. Really, Yeah, that you if
Speaker 1: you have a prop, you have something to focus some
Speaker 1: of your energy on. I'll tell you James Spader. I mean,
Speaker 1: I don't know if he would like me saying this
Speaker 1: or if he even agrees, but I used to watch
Speaker 1: James Spader, and I mean he he knew how to
Speaker 1: work a spiral notebook. No, I mean he yeah, I
Speaker 1: mean when he's going to open it or close it
Speaker 1: or write something, or how he holds it, you know,
Speaker 1: how he would hold it in his hand, and he
Speaker 1: would think about all of these. I mean he worked
Speaker 1: props better than any actor I've ever seen. I will
Speaker 1: say that. So it actually makes a lot of sense
Speaker 1: what you're saying, that you have this cigar you can
Speaker 1: go to if you need a moment to think or
Speaker 1: process or yeah, makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 2: And it's always it's like anything like smoking's like it's
Speaker 2: about like it's a whole process. I gotta you know,
Speaker 2: I cut it. I got it sometimes everyone's very particular.
Speaker 2: I stab it a bunch if you feel like the
Speaker 2: poll is not enough and all that. So I enjoy it.
Speaker 2: I definitely enjoy it. And it keeps me. It does
Speaker 2: kind of keep me on track, I really think. So.
Speaker 1: It's interesting, though. I wonder if the Mothership is going
Speaker 1: to say anything about that.
Speaker 2: Man, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I'm just bringing these things up. I don't know, it'll
Speaker 1: be interesting. I can't really thought about that. I can't
Speaker 1: wait to see the transition. I can't wait. And I hope, God,
Speaker 1: you've been so successful. I hope you just stick with it.
Speaker 1: I hope it is the same. I really do. We will. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I think padd will make it the same. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: agree with you.
Speaker 2: It's gonna have to be What do you mean it's
Speaker 2: gonna I don't think we know any anything else.
Speaker 1: Well, well, that's a great point. You're a smart guy.
Speaker 1: You're not fooling me. You're a smart guy. But yeah,
Speaker 1: I get it. There's well, there's a reason it works.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's authentic. It's real. No one's there's no plan.
Speaker 2: We're just there. We're just doing it, having fun.
Speaker 1: You're just doing it just like you're playing football. Take
Speaker 1: it a play at a time, take it a month
Speaker 1: at a time. That's the game at a time, a
Speaker 1: year at a time.
Speaker 4: Man.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so smart. Helpful for golf too.
Speaker 2: By the way, be dumber. We've got to be dumber
Speaker 2: on the golf course. Yeah, be dumber. I'm not mentioning
Speaker 2: any names.
Speaker 1: Playing football or what you're doing. Now, what do you
Speaker 1: get more joy from?
Speaker 2: That's a good question. That's a very good question. I
Speaker 2: mean football, anyone I'd played. I'd played football until I
Speaker 2: was dead, if you could, I mean, I but I
Speaker 2: understand the game my body do. I understand you can't physically.
Speaker 2: But yeah, football is awesome, man. But now, I mean
Speaker 2: what I'm doing now, like I would my technically my job.
Speaker 2: With what I do with Pat, I hope to do
Speaker 2: it for the next one hundred years. Honestly, I love it,
Speaker 2: I really do.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's so great. I'm so happy for you. I
Speaker 1: mean again, where we started, AJ Like Pat had had
Speaker 1: the podcast before you even retired, so you were thinking ahead,
Speaker 1: my friend.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was just I was a fan of other
Speaker 2: podcasts too, and I didn't I did know that I
Speaker 2: wanted to do something in the media where whatever that
Speaker 2: might be. But I honestly from being a fan of
Speaker 2: listening to podcasts, that's what made me start my own,
Speaker 2: and I knew, yeah, this is also it's a way
Speaker 2: you can reach out and speak to cool people like
Speaker 2: it's hey, come on, brob, you want to come on
Speaker 2: my podcast? Like that's it, and always like wow, they're
Speaker 2: actually the actually here, like this is cool. I'm actually
Speaker 2: doing this so early on especially, and that's yeah, I'm
Speaker 2: glad I did it. I'm not like a super I'm
Speaker 2: not naturally an outgoing dude that just talks all the time.
Speaker 2: That's not who I am. But I definitely talk way
Speaker 2: more now than I did when I was in high
Speaker 2: school or college, that's for sure.
Speaker 1: Well, you're on one of the largest sports entertainment shows
Speaker 1: in the world right now, or at least in the
Speaker 1: United States. That alone makes you an expert. There are
Speaker 1: four teams in the AFC East. List them in the
Speaker 1: order that they're going to finish the season this year.
Speaker 2: Come on, now, I'm not doing predictions. I can't prea
Speaker 2: to predictions yet. It's early.
Speaker 1: That's why I said, But I'm talking to you now,
Speaker 1: how are the Jets going to be?
Speaker 2: How about that? I mean, the Jets should be awesome,
Speaker 2: don't you think they? Before Aaron got there, they had
Speaker 2: a really really good team. And now Aaron's there, So
Speaker 2: let's see how far I can go, man, I mean
Speaker 2: that's what I think. It's gonna be very interesting. Does
Speaker 2: it worry you that everything seems to be so awesome
Speaker 2: and so positive now and everyone everyone's so happy? Does
Speaker 2: that scare you?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 1: I'm just interested to see how it plays out.
Speaker 2: You know, Okay? If I did? Yeah, I mean, of
Speaker 2: course I would pick the Jets to win the ANFC East,
Speaker 2: wouldn't you. I mean, there's a lot of good teams
Speaker 2: over there. There's a lot of good teams over there.
Speaker 2: Who would you pick? Okay? Are the Dolphins? No, you're
Speaker 2: gonna say that. I think everyone's saying the Patriots are
Speaker 2: gonna come in last, aren't they? Yeah?
Speaker 1: East, that would be that would be general consensus.
Speaker 2: Yeah, then probably you'd probably I mean, yeah, Jets, Bill's Dolphins,
Speaker 2: Patriots or I would imagine a lot of people would
Speaker 2: do or they go Bill's Jets? Maybe? Yeah? Are you
Speaker 2: gonna go to some games?
Speaker 1: New York Dolphins are are unknown? Look, I hope to
Speaker 1: go back to Green Bay and maybe check out New York.
Speaker 1: And you know, I'm gonna go everywhere this year. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go everywhere. You said, you're a packer. You
Speaker 1: still root for Green Bay?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll never not root for him. But it does
Speaker 2: feel different without Aaron there. It will feel different, no question.
Speaker 2: But yeah, all my all the people that keep be
Speaker 2: connected to the Packers are still there. And they're the
Speaker 2: equipment staff, the training staff, doctors, all those people that
Speaker 2: don't turn over, like coaches and everyone else.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a special place, man, it's a it's a
Speaker 1: special place, you know. I have, over the last couple
Speaker 1: of years, done some hosting on Good Morning Football, and
Speaker 1: I am jealous of what you get to do now.
Speaker 1: The time that I spend over there, I love it.
Speaker 1: I love hanging out and talking about sports.
Speaker 2: It's fun, right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, But they're not gonna let they They won't let
Speaker 1: me sit in my what does Pat always say, in
Speaker 1: your library above your garage or your loft or whatever
Speaker 1: he says. Yeah, yeah, they're not gonna let They're not
Speaker 1: gonna let me do that.
Speaker 2: I don't know though they might you could, especially now
Speaker 2: that now it's normal to have remote stuff on big
Speaker 2: time Network TV, Like there's people that are doing full
Speaker 2: shows from addicts like this. So that's luckily the timing
Speaker 2: worked out for me too to be able to stay.
Speaker 1: Here, right, That's what I figured, dude. I'm so happy
Speaker 1: for you and your success. Just one of the great guys,
Speaker 1: and I feel so lucky to call you and consider
Speaker 1: you a friend. And I'm just so happy for you
Speaker 1: and the success that you have had with Pat on
Speaker 1: that show. And I know you guys are just gonna
Speaker 1: kill it on ESPN. So congratulations, it's awesome.
Speaker 2: Thank you, man, I do I really really appreciate that.
Speaker 2: It's the connections you make from playing in the deal
Speaker 2: in Tahoe, playing in the golf in anyone. I'm sure
Speaker 2: people break get annoyed listening to people talk about Tahoe,
Speaker 2: but it's like, yeah, it's sorry, Bud, like it's it's awesome,
Speaker 2: but just it's the people. It's everybody. All the guys
Speaker 2: and girls that play in the event are cool because
Speaker 2: if you're a douche, they don't invite you back, Like
Speaker 2: if you're a turd and they don't, you don't come back.
Speaker 2: And that's the thing. So everybody's like, man, this is
Speaker 2: really cool. I want to come back next year and
Speaker 2: that's what I've been doing for like twelve years.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's really fun. I can't wait. July fourteenth through
Speaker 1: the sixteenth on various NBC, my Mothership networks and sports
Speaker 1: stations and on the mother Ship I know on Saturday
Speaker 1: and Sunday. Check it out AJ Hawk, myself and many
Speaker 1: many more.
Speaker 2: AJ.
Speaker 1: I can't wait to see you and give you a
Speaker 1: hug and maybe have a beverage and tons of laughs
Speaker 1: and the normal bet, the normal bet. I'm making the
Speaker 1: normal bet right now. I'll see you. I'll see you
Speaker 1: really soon. AJ, thanks for coming on.
Speaker 2: Great seeing you brides appreciate it. I'm a fan of
Speaker 2: the show obviously. Thank you for having me on. Man
Speaker 2: appreciate it. Kim not wait to see you in Tahoe.
Speaker 1: AJ, You're the best, and more importantly, you always make
Speaker 1: me laugh, so thank you for that.
Speaker 3: Thanks for the packer love.
Speaker 2: That's what she said.
Speaker 1: I don't know if that even works, but AJ, thank
Speaker 1: you for coming on today. Listeners, you can find AJ
Speaker 1: on Yeah, the Pat McAfee show. He and Pat are incredible.
Speaker 1: Be sure to check them out. And as always, you
Speaker 1: know where I'll be this time next week.
Speaker 3: That's right sitting right.
Speaker 1: Here in your drums lobes.
Speaker 3: I'm in your ears.
Speaker 2: I'll see you next week.
Speaker 1: Off the Beat is hosted and executive produced by me
Speaker 1: Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Ling Lee. Our senior
Speaker 1: producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris,
Speaker 1: and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary,
Speaker 1: and our intern is Thomas Olsen. Our theme song Bubble
Speaker 1: and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratt,