Las Vegas Raiders GM, Dave Ziegler, Speaks On Derek Carr Situation, Going From Guidance Counselor To GM + Expectations Going Into Next Season

Roland.

Welcome to another episode of Busts with the Boys. I'm your host, Will Compton, the boy Taylor. He's flying back from Arizona right now. We had a wonderful time in Cabo. We will get to some of that stuff. We'll get to the upcoming guests. We got a lot of things going on. Saint Patrick's Day stuff coming up, Spring Tour

You guess it again.

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So we will be up. We're going to two a week.

We will be going to two a week for I don't know, I have no clue, I know until we get to the spring tour, which will be mid March. We're gonna start doing our NCAA or college football spring tour where we like. We went to Michigan, Tennessee, and Nebraska last year. We got about four interviews at each spot, dropped them on Monday Tuesday, did our regular programming on Wednesday. It'll be similar when we get to the spring tour. So a lot of fucking content that's gonna be coming along with.

All of that shit.

Dude, we got bus scenes that the boy Mitch has been working on. Bus scenes just dropped with all the guests that we had on in the Super Bowl Week. We do Under the Hood. JP does those vlogs for Under the Hood, so we have a lot of content on our YouTube channel. If you are watching right now, don't forget hit the subscribe, but hit that little ring belt down there for notifications, get notified, leave comments. All that stuff helps and the boys busting has been on

They're just like, hey, we love your shit. You guys are you guys are awesome? Blah blah blah. You're kind of just sitting there starstruck like Colin Coward one time. But yeah, dude, Cabo was a blast.

As you can tell your boy, I'm not even wearing a hat, Like, is this the first time I've never won a hat on a podcast? You know, you get a you get a fresh little deal, you live a little longer. On top of the wife, he compliments you a couple of times. She gives you the cookie when you know when you're in Cabo a few extra times, and then you start getting told that, hey, you look good without a hat, some kind of rock and the no hat.

What do you think, Jack, Yeah, it looks good. Do you like it?

I do.

I didn't even notice say that you didn't have a hat on, But now that you bring it up, it's a.

Good appreciate that I needed. That I needed that got a little bit of sun. You guys know how it is being a full blown Caucasian when you're out in the sun for the first time, especially Cabo. Yeah, blass has no clue we're talking about. It's like, yeah, that's between us, but you have a nice tint to you. But for myself, I'm talking you got to reapply the SPF fifty every forty five minutes. I was doing just to stay safe. Day two, I went down to thirty SPF.

But it was a blasting cobo.

A little bit of more of a spring break vibe than a relaxing vacation on our way back yesterday, I'm thinking, man, I was like I was throttled pretty much every day. So I slept in every day as long as I could, Like you know, you know when you're like used to waking up, or like you wake up, wake up, wake up, and you just force yourself to go back to sleep. I was doing that every day. But that kind of sleep is an act sleep like alcohol. Sleep is not real sleep. So now I feel like I need a

But we missed.

We missed Mike, We missed Mike Chandler and Cobo, anything else before I go to these next topics that I hit the upcoming episode, what's up coming, what's up in the up in the tank? And if you're in Nashville, Oh, here's a wrinkle for the spring tour, and even in Nashville because the Spring tour, we're dialing in our colleges right now, but we're looking at doing a live show

It's all Clump dude loves ball, dude loves ball man.

But I love that we were shouting out the XFL and like leaning in and and helping be a fucking microphone for the boys because.

It does positive. Yeah.

I was gonna say it seems like a lot of players too.

Like I saw AJ Brown tweet a this XFL is entertaining as hell, like everybody putting clips talking about it.

H the Rock.

You see him out there midfield before it all starts. He's got a fucking authentic game, jersey on. He got like little shoulder pads under there, just living the dream. Fifty four. You guys know why I were fifty four because I didn't make the fifty three man roster, so I'm the number fifty fourth guy out there. Seven bucks in my pocket. When I got cut in the CFL, there was only seven bucks in my pocket. And yes, now I'm a billionaire, but the point is I'm still

For greatness.

It's like, brother, slow down, kiss your kids, hang out with your wife, Like, enjoy your money a little bit, enjoy the fruits of your labor. But the XFL blush you were talking about, there were some rules you feel you felt like people were taking a liking to the new rules or the different rules that are implementing in the XFL.

What are those?

Yeah, so some of the more we are like noticeable ones.

Was definitely the kickoff, so both teams starting five yards apart over at the thirty yard line.

It's just like it's it's like a safety thing.

But I think the the NFL, if I'm not mistaken, is like in like they're working together, the XFL and the NFL to try out some new rules to hopefully, you know, transition them into the NFL. And the kickoff, I know for sure, is like definitely one of them, and the reaction on social media seem pretty positive.

Bulls the kickoff one.

The kickoff one is so both teams essentially start five yards apart over at the at the receiving team's thirty yard line, so the kicker will still kick off from.

Where they normally do.

Once that ball is caught, the two teams cannot move until the receiver catches the ball, so both teams are essentially five yards apart. I don't know if you could pull up a graphic of it, but like I said, the both teams are are five yards apart. Once the ball is caught, that's when the play starts essentially, so the collision is essentially from five yards apart as opposed to the full football length.

The players are five yards apart from show and then right when the right when the returner catches the ball, that's when they take off and correct the kickoff return.

Okay, here we go.

So they're trying to encourage the kickoff.

Yeah, yeah, they're they're encouraging the kickoff, is what they said. But also like adding a safety element to it.

It takes a lot of a lot of strategy out of it in the in the kick game. In the kicking game, because there's no you know, doubling guys, like it seems like everything's a one on one blocks that everybody's just five yards apart.

You do you like it though? Like as far as like safety, do you think.

That's as far as safety, it seems like a plus.

As far as like entertainment and violence, I think we does a major step back for mankind and football. But yeah, I mean, hey, safety, they're making it safe for I would I would think in the XFL you want more, you want.

More, like they were going a little more gritty.

Yeah, I think they're.

Away from the like I'm thinking a little bit more blitz, you know what I mean. Yeah, cats, I just keep wanting to do the x Are there any other rules that are way different? I heard that. I heard that you can hear all the plays being called.

Yeah, so the quarterback has a mic, so you can hear him pretty much called the play. You can hear the head coach call the play in which I don't know how that kind of helps. I mean that's kind of crazy, right, Like you're essentially giving away the play, but the announcer has a pretty good idea of what's coming, so he's essentially Tony Romo in the whole thing.

So the announcer and everybody listening gets.

To get to hear the play come in.

Why not a coach like just.

To do stuff to entertain more fan engagement. Yeah, something that's gonna keep people interested.

And then maybe learning something different.

I think the NFL is almost using the XFL as like a trial run for like different like schemes and like ruling. So like if they try and incorporate stuff in the NFL, you know in the next coming seasons that work really well at the XFL, maybe there makes sense.

Like if you're in the XFL, you want to work in hand in hand with the NFL.

So a free like they can't do anything wrong because it's like this league that's just getting started back up again for the however many time.

Right, Because if you're working with the NFL, it's more it'll end up being more you know, eyes ears them encouraging it. Like if you were kind of standing alone doing your own things, say more ww S dollar generation x so to speak, like the NFL would be hands off and not even bother promoting or working with you or doing anything to help that league, like stay afloat. So probably that that is probably a smart move. And it's a way for guys who you know, outside of

Aj mccern's out there too.

Really Yeah, yeah, I saw some guys out there, you know, might have to I have to make some moves.

One of the things.

The way you could challenge you could challenge fouls or potential fouls, which is kind of crazy. So you can challenge like holding, you could help, you could challenge penalties.

Yeah, the whole. Yeah, there's so much greater in that.

But I get it being like a little testing, testing, like but not just that. But they're trying to do their own thing and find their own lane too.

Uh.

But I'm glad we're leaning into it, and there's never a bad time like with one football's on, especially if everybody's into it. It's it's good that we have that now that the NFL season is over, because it did seem like a lot of people were tuned in and having a good time with it. Shall we do the shot out? No fore shoutout? Then introduced Dave Ziggler, Sure blast, you got one.

You want to start?

Yeah, I got a quick one. So my shout out no free shoutout this week. It actually happened to me on the way here to the bus early this morning. I knew we were gonna hit traffic because we were starting a little bit early, so we're gonna hit that morning. But one of the good things about living in the city of Nashville for roughly three four years now is knowing those alternate routes. So I saw traffic was pretty backed up, and I remembered, like, there's an alternate There's

That is nice.

It is good when you got the little old you know, the ultimate routes on the back of your hand. You kind of know them over everybody else, and you're a cop, so weird flex on that too.

My shoutout never shout out is also travel related. I was sligning back from TYL yesterday. We had a flight delay. There was like thirty minutes and we're already getting back at like midnight, and that extra thirty minutes is crucial, especially on a Sunday night. So we're on our last leg of the journey and the pilot comes over the intercom.

He's like, like good news.

It's like, I know, we have the delay, but we have like one hundred and thirty mile hour winds behind us, so we're gonna cut off like forty five minutes.

Of flight time.

So we ended up getting there fifteen.

Minutes early, which is nice, and then like the whole time though, it was a pretty turbulent ride, pretty bumpy, But I think you sacrifice some things for the greater good of time. So shout out, no free shout out to. I guess just time traveling a little.

Bit, getting there a little quicker unexpectedly, that dude, my shoutout, no free shout out. It happened a couple of times in Cabo, and I think it's it needs a refresher because you know, the you know, the male gender, the testosterone is high, and sometimes you forget.

Yeah.

Sometimes yeah, you you think with the wrong head a little bit, you chase the wrong things, you know what I mean. It could be late at night and you're drunk and we had a couple of soldiers, you know, we had a couple of incidents.

Was the incidents instance? So whatever.

Where it's like I'm traveling back and I'm thinking, like, man, the boys need to understand rule number one.

Unless it's just.

Agreed upon, like hey, we might get we might get a separated do your own thing.

That's all good.

But rule number one, my shotdown know for shadout goes to no man left behind, because a couple of times one of the boys were left and the next morning, like they can't get into the gate. They got to figure out something, no cash in their pocket, they're on cow bloah blah blah, no way to get in, blah

Hey, we're gonna go out. Everybody else is gonna go back to the house.

So two would be out there late at night, stay la and each time somebody made it back, somebody didn't. Somebody was upset that the other one left. The other one's like, hey, I tried telling you. The only thing is the core value of the boys when you're out needs to be no soldier left behind. Your boy might be drunk and he might be hard to reel in. That's you gotta assume that you gotta be ready when shit hits.

The fan, because shit will hit the fan.

It's all about keeping your composure and staying poised and getting all the soldiers back on the boat.

You can't just Hey, I tried.

Telling you, and that's your thing, Like you know he's about to get separated.

You're out, you're out another city, you're on Cabo.

You're gonna leave him.

You're gonna leave out there because you want to go back and chase some puss or go back and get home, like you gotta make sure you throw him in the van and make sure he gets back. So my shoutout, no for your shoutout goes to no man left behind. We need to be reminded of that. We need to be reminded of that, because that was too too many. One time would be one too many, but that was too too many. I'm sitting back, I'm like, what are

He got home.

But to get that off my chest, but that's my shot, I know, free shoutout. I'm gonna need that clip. All right, let's get into day's sacred. Oh and do you guys see all the chaos?

I guess I'll say I was gonna say the rumblings, but it was fair. It seemed loud. The Jeffrey Star, all the Jeffree Stars stuff, all the all the.

Uh, it's so funny if you go on like different channels of ours, how like differentely. The response was on our YouTube overwhelmingly positive.

Like, I know, I noticed that too. And then if you go on.

Like our Twitter, overwhelmingly negative people, homophobia, screaming from the rooftops.

And then Facebook.

I think most of our core demo just deleted their Facebook after seeing Jeffrey on there. But TikTok we had our biggest clip ever on TikTok are that clip kind of took the internet by storm. We had a It got to the point where I saw so.

Many randoms, was it they the pronoun one?

Yeah, the pronoun one, which we knew that was gonna pause a little bit of a stir.

Yeah.

But it got to the point on Twitter where there were so many like accounts with two million followers tagging this, I mean, putting this clip out there and not even knowing it from our podcast. So like I'm trying to.

I saw a woke some like woke political. I saw that, and of course I dropped the here's the interview, That's.

What I just kept dropping the link.

Thanks checking it out.

Yeah, but yeah, creators too, like other creators on other platforms, creating reactions to the clip and just making full on videos.

Which is great, great for great for the boys.

I just I guess I'm not surprised, like when I saw some people like I saw one comment, it's like, oh, I've been a day one or og like this is this is basically like I'm done with you guys now, like extremely homophobic. Just he's not like saying homophobic stuff, but obviously it's like, what are you.

So fucking yeah, I've been an OG. I can't believe you guys went here. I'm done with you guys. I'm deleting.

I'm deleting all my stuff supporting you guys now, and I'm done watching you guys. And it's almost like you sit there and you're kind of like, well, fucking good, this is best for all of us. Am I surprised that there's we have a demographic that's like that. No, Like, when I'm seeing all the back and forth, it's like, it's good that we're getting more.

You know, it's blown up.

We're getting you know, the stuff that you were talking about with YouTube, TikTok all that kind of shit. But you know, you're sitting there and you're seeing some of these fucking wild ass comments and you're like, did you guys even try to listen to the number one? Taylor absolutely body backed that interview. What a phenomenal job you did. Jeffrey was a stud like you, being open talking through everything,

But whatever teaching there or whatever, he she.

But uh no, it's kind of like you're like surprise and also not surprised.

You're just like, you know, people are so fucking weird.

Man.

If you're that mad, like, go figure that's that's like.

You something's wrong internally, Like go figure that shit out if you can't, if you can't see the whole the thing that started off as humor and joke that built into this perfect segue to a podcast interview, and then sitting down and having that conversation with Jeffy Star, who, by the way, uh I don't think has been on YouTube for a like a long time or something. He just has like sixty something million followers I guess or subscribers.

I listened to it.

I listened to all of it because I'm just you know, I was like I was in the in the joke, but I'm more just on Twitter, like bantering about it and then like jab and Taylor and stuff like you know, doing doing shit that guys do with each other. Okay stuff, But but I wanted to listen to the interview, and I thought it went awesome for just all the entire dynamic of everything and Jeffrey coming in and talking about I'm about the cup of Tanner at the end, like,

You've been listening since day one.

You can see the progression as well, and how like you can see the way we joke, the way we do things like and you can't understand that from being a day one Like.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's like, all right, are you really take a fucking hike?

Brother?

Yeah, we might have lost like ten or so followers, but we definitely gained like ten thousand, So for sure it does not like.

Our subscribers we've been here. Yeah yeah, well not that we don't want that. Yeah, we don't even want that type of fucking exactly. Anyway, the Dave Zigler this our first GM. He treated us real nice, had Taylor and I over sent a car for us. We spent a nice hour and a half with them, got us water afterwards. It got a little rough, got a little rowdy in there, our first GM. It was a very good experience. So Dave Ziggler the GM of the Raiders, which Raider Nation,

Uh, and just Dave Ziggler.

His climb from being a fucking guidance counselor in high school to working his way up through the process and now he's the GM of the Raiders.

But very good episode.

The theme of Day of Dave Ziggler of zig like to call him zig Uncle Zig. I love to call him uncle Zig actually.

Is the fear fuck. Sorry, so got that little tickle on my throat.

The theme of Dave Zigler is the fear of failure, not being scared to fail. And you'll hear him allude to that and talk about that a lot, and you hear it throughout his process because he has climbed the ladder, like through scouting, through the whole front office game, like he's done the whole thing to be where he's at now.

Talks you know, hits on the Patriots.

And everything else, and we touched on the Derek Carr situation and just a lot of things that he alludes to is like, Yo, you know, I know him in this position now, no clue how long it'll lasts. I know I'm gonna you know, I'm gonna give it a hell and I'm not gonna be afraid to fail. I'm gonna go with my gut. I'm gonna go with my instinct and it is a very good interview. I think you guys are gonna like it a lot. Again, if you're watching right now, make sure to subscribe. There's been

The boy Garrett, he's put some heat together.

The lightning t's that are a bet that's been a bestseller for everybody buying for their team that we've had our Barstol store. We've made it that into a Saint Patrick's Stay shirt, and then we also have like we also have a hoodie like my favorite hoodie, the Secret Boys. One kind of looks like that, kind of like the off white a little bit and it's got like a little eprachaun. Garrett, you got him, I see you, I see you making your way over here.

Well there we go.

We got these boys, the fucking boys. Do this ship is awesome, the fucking boys. We got the Leprecaun ripping the bus back there for the fucking boys or busting with the fucking boys.

And then here's our lightning tea. Do this ship is fired.

Right, but you can get all that store dot barstoolsports dot com.

I'll say it again, go to store.

Dot barstol sports dot com to shop our Saint Patrick's State collection.

Link is into the description. Check it out.

I'm sure we will be saturating your timelines with our merchandise once this stuff does become available, because hey, Garrett wants to become available Thursday. Then it becomes available Thursday. So in two days, two days from now, instance, we're on the wave of Saint Patrick's Day. Make sure you are buying yourself a Busting with the boys. Whistle Pig piggybackburb and age six years, heat up front, smooth, finished off, a nice little what is it krimberlet finish like.

A little lotte, A subtle light.

Sweetness at the end, very warm, sits on top of your stomach. It is very smooth. But yeah, make sure whistle Pig we got that shit too. You go on their site, just type in. If you go to Google, use Google or bing or whatever, just type in Busting with the Boys Bourbon and it'll take you straight there. Hopefully delivers where you guys are at, ship store where you guys are at. But it is available in all

If they say yes, our bourbon should be in that store. But got it.

Store barsool sports dot Com. San Patrick's a collection Busting with the Boys Bourbon. Let's have a fucking day boys, be a fucking wolf. Enjoy the episode with Dave Ziggler.

You so you were in a car like today, We're this is David zil Everybody Busting with the Boys ripping a pod. This is going to be an excellent podcast. You you can already tell it's gonna be amazing. Yeah, we're assuming here while the boys were setting up ten to fifteen minutes, Zigg's out here putting on a show for the boys over here. Max Crosby drove us over. Truly, just the raiders, just get the Raider experience, the Raider

That's right.

But you texted you must have been speeding on the highwa because you're like, I'll be home before four o'clock.

Yeah, the pedals to the metal. Yeah, you were trying to get the bus, trying to get on the bus, trying to make it happen. And yeah, I had to I had to break some you know, some of the some street some street coats.

Yeah, you're in the autoboto.

I you were out there, kids buckle in three kids?

Well, yeah, what is it like driving getting the kids driving home, you're on a solo mission with the kids.

Yeah, it is mental fortitude, mental toughness, patience. One of my youth coaches always told me that cool head wins a hot game. You know what I'm saying. You got to have a cool head in that hot moment. There was tensions got high a couple of times. Now, kids are yelling, screaming, there's a fight in the back. Someone got whipped with a coat in the eye. You know, a zipper hit him in the eye.

Yeah, I mean it got adversity struck, niversity struck, and yeah, I had to buckle down and just kind of, you know, stay focused on what I came to do today, which was be on this podcast. Ye yeah, Yeah, you were grinding, and so you were putting in that work as a dad and as a husband, knowing you were going to get this reward.

Diet takes a hit on these trips to Now That's why I was asking you when you guys have kids, I mean the heartburn it goes high when you're eating mini muffins, sour Patch kids, McDonald's, you're at Lego Land, uh, Bunny Track's, King Cone. You know, I kind of finish off the food too, you know what I mean. I can't just be disregarding the food, so, like you know, I go overtime on that too. So the body's hurting a little bit, you know, the back's cramped up from

Yeah, you've done it.

It's all for this moment.

Hey, this moment is wild because when you got hired to be the GM, Taylor, he's like he was my guidance counselor in high school. That's the most like the most wild ship guidance counselor to NFL GM. How in the fuck do you make that climb to get to to get to where you are now?

Because I really don't even know your story, Like, uh, the Arnolds, you know the Arnolds, Like they would always of keep me up to date and I didn't really know what you were up to, and they're like, hey, do you know like Ziggs like number two at the Patriots, like Ziggler my high school counselor. Ziggler Like yes, and so I would see you. But I low key feel like you try to sabotage me every time we play the Patriots, because I played there three times times two out of those three times I saw.

You, I did not play well. Rough ghost rough ghosts.

The one gume I didn't see it was the twenty nineteen playoffs. Yes, that get to myself and got balled. We bawled that one.

But that was when you're playing you're playing chess with Dante I Tower.

Yeah I lost. Yeah, Yeah, I mean I definitely got some early on set Cussy's because a lot.

I hit you with a lot of twists, a lot of line games and stunts. Communication. You got to pick it up. Yeah, yeah, we got you a couple of times, I tell you.

And we just had Max on and he was talking about how we were talking about Tadler Jones obviously and obviously what happened to me when he's at the Cardinals. But I was like, hey, even when I was healthy, like the one player that's kind of had my number the whole time has been Chandler Jones.

Yep, he's he's long lever guy. Yeah, super awkward mover.

Yes, un orthodox, that was like the word.

We change his speeds all the time. Yes, yeah, he's he is a tough one to block.

But but go back to your high schoo counsel Yeah, your high school counselor at Chaparral High School in Scott's, Arizona.

Yeah, I come see you, my senior.

We can go into all my stuff in a little bit, but I want to know how you made it to a GM of possibly the coolest franchise.

Yeah, Wild Wild Journey for sure. So when I met you, obviously, I was a guidance counselor at Chaparral High School, special teams coordinator, running backs and tight ends coach.

Definitely getting after.

After due, my cards drawn up like we were getting after it and and so. And then prior to that, I'd always been before I got to Chaparral, I'd been coaching at the high school level. I was a social studies teacher. And then at one point I kind of football had always been like number one, you know, from I played in you know, all the way through high school. I played in college, small college, all that stuff. And then you know, I before I got to Chaparral, I

So initially though you're wanting to you're wanting to be in the coaching ranks.

Yeah, And that's kind of how I was trying to make my way, you know what I mean. And that's when I went to the Arizona State thing is player development. I was trying to get into player development so then I could probably try to get into coaching, you know what I mean, to get my foot in the door at a bigger school. And so and so, anyway, I go up and interview, and again he's the head coach,

Eighteenth hole, probably a few deep, too few deep yeah, yeah for sure, like.

Your buddy, yeah yeah, yeah, Like you're not hearing it right? You want me to do what? Yeah?

So how many times did you go through the interview process before?

Like it was like two interviews you get called backs. It was two interviews, two interviews. Yeah, and then and then I got the call back and got the job. And then it was crazy though, because that year, that was the year Josh got let go. He got let go like seven months into me being in the NFL for my first year, and then I stayed on for two more years in Denver with John Fox. Amazing dude. Yeah, I never worked for John Fox. John Fox is one

So what made you figure out that was the like the carrier of the path you wanted to kind of stay in verse trying to get back in the coach trying to wiggle back into the coaching ranks.

Yeah. The one thing was I started to kind of get down the path of scouting and having some success. Like I was in that role for a year and then the next year they promoted me, and then the next year they promoted me. So I was like kind of making this climb up this ladder, you know what I mean. And and I had a couple opportunities to go back into coaching once I was in scouting for a couple of years, but I felt like I was already kind of making progress and I didn't want to

You're like the whipping boy.

Yeah, no disrespect then yeah, yeah, exactly.

And the coaching side was even more volatile, do you know what I mean? And like the cool thing about scouting is a little bit like when you get into it, you're a little bit of an independent contractor and in the sense of like, okay, like you have this, you have this stuff that you have to do. You have

The obsession, the passion for football has got to be why you're you were chasing it for so.

Long, right, I mean, what a like a road to end up getting here?

Like you're working seven thousand dollars, you're doing all these jobs, You're looking for opportunities. Literally, it sounded like every year like, well, let me try to go to Arizona State and then maybe I can wiggle my way in here. I'm looking, I'll do whatever just to try to figure it out. Talk about that love for the game that you have.

Yeah, it's it's funny. It's like the one thing that I've always been good at. And again on my level of being good, like I wasn't six two and you know, one hundred and ninety five pounds, but I always I always found like the most success and what came easiest to me was football. Like school wasn't like I had to study to get good grades. In football. I wasn't walking in and like getting an A on a test, Like if I didn't study, I was getting an F.

It came.

But yeah, it was just something like it always came. Like again, I always had success. It came easy to me to a degree, and I just just always loved it. Like when I grew up, like we were playing football in the backyard, like you were getting knocked around, bloody nose, losing tea, guys that are losing teeth. Like that's like I just grew up playing football, and I grew up loving it, and it always came easy to me. And it always was something like I loved the physicality of

Do you feel like that hustle in all of the different areas that's helped that helps with the you know, the I guess I was gonna say experience because but you're a new NFL GM, But do you feel like all of that experience prior helps you become the GM that you are because you were driving guys from the airport, do other physical stuff, breaking down tape, scouting reports, being a coach, being doing all these different things, you feel like a lot of that has has you know, is

Yeah, I got.

I kind of got the idea of what you're saying, like all the experiences of it, like the unique route you've had to go on.

I feel, like he.

Said, in a lot of the in a lot of the seats, Yeah, to where he can understand perspective from a lot of the jobs that are below that.

Are you know, below you the people that work for.

You, Yeah, I think that. And I think my experience of being a teacher and being a guidance counselor not being in the NFL right away has given me some perspective in terms of like I'm true. Like I said, I I am truly grateful and appreciative to have the job that I have, and I try to carry that attitude into work every day and being consistent, treating people the right way, having a positive attitude, not making the moment too big and letting the job get too big

And like having the awareness you do too, because the things I've been in situations where a position coach was put in as an interim coach, a head coach, and just the interim tag, they completely change their attitude, their mindset, how they handle themselves with other players, and it's like, Yoho, who the fuck is this guy? Like I thought you were this man, Now you're this guy. But with you like the awareness of being like, well, how am I going to handle if I have this level of success?

Coming, you're on top.

I mean, you know the class. But you know what I'm saying, you did it for a year. Yeah, that's cool. Top part was before the season started, everyone was asking me like, how's it going.

You guys really was saying you guys are winning the AFC. The Chiefs will not make the playoffs.

I'm like it's I can swear right. Yeah, I'm like fucking great. I'm like, none of our none of the trades stink, none of our draft picks. Have you.

Like?

This is awesome? I kept telling my wife, kept telling Chris like just wait, like it's smooth now, like it's coming. I knew it was coming, just because that's that's like Twitter and everything, like that's how it is, do you know what I mean? And so, but again, like back to the question of like of of handling all that in the perspective of it is. I think for me, like like it could you don't it could end next year. You don't really know like how it all is gonna go,

Trying to like keep keep you know, keep your job here.

I'm gonna buy two more years if we do this or that, Like I just that's not how I'm wired. I'm not going to go down like that.

What are some of those new challenges that you're learning of being a GM, because, like you said, you've witnessed some of the guys before you or that you worked under and be like, you know, when I get to run out, I'm going to necessarily do it like that.

But ultimately, I don't know what.

I don't know what are some of those things you're learning through your first year being a GM.

Yeah, I think though like the one thing is like just prioritizing tasks. And I've said this before in other interviews, but it's like real, like the amount of things you can get distracted by that aren't football related. Whether it's whether it's something that's going on with the fields or meals or you know, the player development wants to you know meet, or you know, maybe it's an outside sponsorship thing that's going on. Like there's a lot of things

Uh, taking him back for a second to when you're with the Patriots, like that is a well oiled machine, and it's a uniquely done machine too. With Belichick really has free rein to do whatever you want. He like wears a lot of hats in that building. When you get the call and you say, all right, you're gonna become the GM of the Raiders and you walk away from a culture that is arguably one of the best cultures in the NFL and you go here, like, what

Everyone knows who the Raiders are.

You're talking about when you were a kid, Like being a Raiders fan is cool, even when they're not winning.

It's just cool to be a Raiders fan. Yes, so you're.

Walking into not necessarily historically successful franchise, but you're walking to a franchise that everybody knows about. And there's you're you're the top guy. Now you're number one.

I would say two things. I would say one thing that was unique about the Raiders is, and you were around a little bit, there was a lot of turmoil that they had been through, a lot of you know, a lot of especially last year, Yeah, a lot of a lot, a lot and and last year then and moving the team from Oakland. There's just a lot of like kind of the last I don't know, maybe like three or four years.

A lot of in when a ten year contract with Gruden correct if they were investing long term, like.

Looking to build this thing, and it kind of yeah, a lot of.

Kind of left the center alone. And so I think there was a need organizationally for like to build like to quickly build some stability, do you know what I mean? And I think like, so there was this need for Josh and I think specifically to work on creating a lot of relationships and like investing again going back to the relationship piece, but investing personal time and getting to

It seems like you know a lot about Will Compton, Like what's the scouting report on Will Compton.

Yeah, what happened. Hey, that's funny too. You brought that up when we met in Tennessee. You're like, hey, last week, I was actually thinking about the potential of bringing you in and what's the deal.

Why can't we get play on that?

Yeah?

Why can we get playoff?

Yeah?

Games?

It was cool.

He seeks me out. He said, Hey, Dans, I'm the GM with the Raiders.

I'm just thinking, like, this is Taylor's guidance counselor from Yeah, you know, nice to meet you, and we said all the Steven joked a little bit. You know, I'm like, hey, you're t I started doing a punt sit in front of my mike.

Get you, I get you?

Yeah, I get you a try out? Right now? What do you want to see? And we're laughing.

This the scouting report on Will Lunch pale guy. Hold yeah, but hold on, let me throw I got I got.

You were with the Patriots in two thousand. When'd you come out to in thirteen thirteen?

That was my first year. Okay, do you remember Will Compton twenty thirteen?

I don't.

That's okay, I don't.

He was under Yeah, that's okay.

And I wasn't on the I wasn't on the college scouting side either. I was a pro scout at the time. Sean McVay would have remembered.

Seein he has a much better memory.

So let's go Will Compton when there was more tread on the tires.

Let's say, yeah, four years ago, yep, hard nosed. Oh, instinctive in terms of reading blocking patterns, like you know, the pooler goes, Will's gone, he's off the spot and he's coming downhill. Undersized, but we'll take yep.

It's true, limited athletically undersized.

But what we always look forward does he have a willingness to take on like Will wasn't scared to go down and put his face mask on somebody. You know. Not the longest guy in terms of arm length here we're not talking about thirty four inch arms, you know what I mean.

We saw myself at the arm and.

You know so. But so there there was you know, physicality, but there was a tendency to get caught up on some blocks. Yeah, you know, so he he had to win with his instincts, being able to read kind of the read the play, read the formation, get off the spot quick short airy quickness was not bad with this guy. Now in a short space. I'm not talking about going, but he had some short, short area quickness and explosiveness to beat blockers at the point, get downhill, good rap tackler,

Is that legit?

Striking?

Is that legit?

That's how I feel when you when you were the boss.

I'm just saying when we were in Tennessee and you were like, hey, last week, I was thinking about is that legit?

You're like taking into account where we could be at.

One hundred percent with you in particular, I appreciate that. I feel.

Everything the narrative you've written for yourself via the bird. I actually just come to fruition.

I appreciated his breakdown too, just because like he said some of the things that like, you know, you don't know necessarily, like when he says rap tackler, like not a thumper. He talks about the short, short area of stuff. You talked about the third down stuff, and I I feel like that is all. Yeah, I feel like he nails me better than I appreciate it.

Greater nation should be happy. You hold on. I want to make you guys were legit was there a legitic and there was a legit consideration to bring him.

In and and and because of like his just talking to guys like Max and guys that were with him the year before and and and again this is just just what they said, like the he he he brings a level of excitement, a level of juice, a level of energy to practice lightheartedness, you know. And and and I think guys appreciate that, you know what I mean. And so and he's consistent with it from what they said.

I know, I'm like sitting there, you know, you're smiling a little.

Yeah, give me, let's turn the page. What I did want to well, let's turn the page to the negative category. I want to hear the bad. I want to hear the bad about Will Compton well or your negative shots.

Well, the bad would be well, the bad would be first and second down only not gonna really have a roll on third down because the coverage stuff isn't good enough, doesn't have enough speed to like matching man and run with tight run with Darren Waller down the seam and things of that nature.

I like them up every day and practice. But go ahead.

I did mention the arm length. Yeah, it's you know, so there's gonna be a tendency to get caught on some blocks, big long, physical offensive lineman, like you know, he's gonna have to come down and hit you with his face or beat you with quickness, and so there's gonna be times where he just gets locked up because he doesn't have that arm length. Really, that's about it.

Yeah, that's not bad.

I know, like when I when I think it was sixteen or seventeen, when Zach Brown had came in and then I got demoted to like the number three guy.

Uh.

When Kirk Aalvadayce sat out with me, it was more of like when deciding between like myself and Mason Foster, it was more of like Mason could get out of the consensus in the scouting department. Mason could get out of more bad situations than I could. I usually had to be right the majority of the time to make all the plays I needed to make. In my head, I'm thinking, well, I am, I'm gonna be right the majority of the time.

But that's usually like the consensus is he's.

Gotta, he's gotta, you know, guess right, I guess the majority of time because it's hard to get out of bad situations because of all the limited all the limited ceiling stuff that is placed on the player. Yeah, white short, but always let me know I had short arms. Will we're not putting you on punt return like you're not gonna be able to get your arms on.

Guys, so your arms aren't exceptionally long.

Yeah, here we go, exceptional And I felt those long terms a couple of weeks ago. But even when you had those long arms, I had to like the feet I had, like the feet, hands, just to try to get inside.

I know that I had you exceptional athlete though, and I will say this. I will say this about about Taylor luwan Is here we go. He came to Chaparral his senior year. Now, this guy was playing nose tackle at Cactus Shadows. I don't even know if they put him on the offensive line at the time.

Side note, Yeah, my sophomore year, I would move up to varsity a big deal, and they put me a left tackle. Tray Stevens got three sacks in a row on me. I couldn't get in on my stands, so they put him back tackle.

But when we when we had when we brought Taylor in and we moved him to left tackle, and we actually had an ex offense and an NFL coach, Rod Hemanek, who had retired out in Scottsdale. He used to coach for the New England Patriots. He happens just to be coaching all line at Chaparo when Taylor comes in, so never played O line. He comes in, he has an NFL coach. But I would say he came in the spring. By the time we got to October one, we knew he was going to be a major Division one guy.

Yeah, he was already like under armor all America.

Yeah, that's what he essentually.

Crazy reason why I transferred because I knew all these coaches were going to come in. I was, and my dad made me transfers, like the coaches are going to see you and think bank for him, we can do something with it.

And he just came in and this guy had like twenty offers before. But when we got to October, this is no, I've never told you this. Me and Charlie Ragel, who's now at Arizona State, he said, this guy's going to play in the NFL.

Nice. What's what's taylor scouting report?

Well, I mean, this guy's a first round pick, so there's a.

Lot of say Taylor, Yeah, yeah, he's Taylor three years ago.

Well let's do Taylor like if Taylor was a free agent and he was you were doing it.

There's a scouting board on Taylor right now at thirty years old.

Thirty one years old, he's five pounds.

No, I'm talking like you're you're a player. Taylor is the question.

Taylor's overall scouting report. To be honest with you, it stayed pretty consistent since the time he's been in the league. Now, when he first got in, his technique wasn't very good, and so he improved a lot. For a technical standpoint, but Taylor exceptional athlete for his size. I mean, this guy is an ex I know, we don't want to blow up his head too vague.

I need this, but it's.

Play a rare, rare athlete for his size, and so like all like the ability to like the lateral agility, the speed to kick and get to the I'm using scouting terms now, but to get to the junction point. To junction point is where the tackle and the you know, the that that line of demarcation where he either can turn the corner and get to the quarterback or the tackle wins to that point. Like he had tremendous speed,

Where you kind of know him a little differently in yeah.

Like he can get into his own head a little bit. And so I think like the like we talked about, like Chandler Jones, you're free, You're you, This is a free space to speak.

I want to hear it.

I want to hear this. Yeah, so I think like Taylor can do some negative self talk and kind of get him in a space where like he's not positive with himself, and so like things could snowball a little bit, and and one bad play could turn into two bad plays. And I think, like, I think you've always had a little bit.

Of that.

And and and so I think that was like, again, I don't know, I haven't been around him for a lot for a lot of years, but I think like that was one thing that he's anchor and then just not letting a bad, bad series or a bad play snowball because I know he's on the sideline telling himself like not good things about himself.

I'll tell you what.

That's pretty smart on Yeah, an expert, You are an expert. I think the thing that the negative self talk thing is definitely something you all like. That's like a real bad negative because the whole name of the game, especially when you're player, is hey move on like short memory, short memory memory, and you would usually somebody else mess up you like man short memory, don't worry about it. But if I had a bad practice, I would would not sleep the next day that night because I'm thinking, fuck,

Yeah.

And injury, yep, that's also. I mean, you can't have two a cls in three years. No, it's a bad deal.

That's a bad deal. Yeah, that's a bad deal. But like that same thing that drives you that that negative self talk is a double edged sword because it also is what drives you to be successful.

Yeah, there is, you know what I mean. It allows you to tell yourself whatever story you need to hear to regain a chip on your shoulder.

Correct. Yeah, so so yeah, that's my scotch.

I think this is I think this is sick.

I feel like everything I'm actually truly enjoying my Yeah, Like I feel like a lot of guys was sitting there at the cafeteria and like whether decisions get made or not, and you talk about free agents coming in, draft picks having blah blah blah blah blah. Like you know, I'm a guy every year who would sit and watch the draft differently than I've to express to you, what's

The fucking cheets? What would get talked about?

You know, it would be a cool segment to do, would get like when we have NFL players on, like, have Zig and his personnel send us the scattering port of that guy and have him read his own scattering port because I I saw a scattering port of my own from like an Eagles GM like a while back that CA sent me and it was like basically what you said from a pros and constandpoint, but there was one categories like personality and it was like quirky Unique has a two uh has a two seater bike that

The mustache tattoo.

Yeah, the mustache tattoo, the right hand man, like a whole bunch of stuff like I just thought, like, man, this would be so fucking funny if we got to sit with like Max Crosby.

But here's your scattering report. Yeah, like he's white guy with blake Ey tattoos. Uh, you got to fade bro he does.

That's not a racist thing, like white dudes, Celtic crossing the shoulder, tribal all that is a standard textbook white guy tattoo, initials in the back of the arm, black guy tattoo very much.

So yeah, there's nothing. That's just what you watch.

Yes, prayer hands lying on the chest like those are all like what you see in the lower room.

You just play that, you know what I'm saying.

I think it'd be hilarious to see dude, dude scattering.

Were we in Denvery and New England where we would hire guys that played in the league like we would or had been like prospects in the league before we hired him, their their scouting reports. We'd just take them off because some of them were rejects, like not good enough to play in the league. Too slow you want to be to you know, you don't want to have a guy coming in every day in his morale he's going on and looking at his scouting report every day.

Yeah bad, you thought, Yeah.

Yeah, you were you a Darren Moodie at all in Denver? I was, and and and I got this is funny about Darren. So Darren's the assistant GM in Denver.

Now Darren also a chapero gun. He played wide receiver.

He was a chapero ground. He was on our coaching staff at chapperal Brother. Oh okay, think of but probably a little more handsome little dime in piece. It was Rob's guide, his counselor too. Yeah, I can little bit.

So Darren.

I actually got Darren his recommended Darren for his first interview in Denver. So he came there when we got there. The year before, Darren was in the league, still playing for the Cardinals, and I had my pre season report and I rejected him. Oh really yeah, not good enough to play in the league. Tell him that, ever, I think he knew. Yeah, he eventually found that out. I tried to keep it on the download, you know, for

Can you talk about balancing the business and personal like because you're you know, you're in a business where it's performance based, literally every day you're graded, you're all of that stuff.

You have to do business as businesses, but.

Also you're in a business where you have to you were speaking to having the personal relationships building those talk about balancing those two as a GM.

Yeah, it's it's it's hard because the personal in the business, it's it's really it is intertwined, you know, because I can tell someone hey, like we were talking about, I can tell someone when we're going to release them, Hey, I mean this is this is business because for me it is, but it's personal for them because I just told them one that they're fired too. They got to go home and tell their family that they've been let go. They got to think about where they're going to move,

It's not like you're wanting to replace me because you dislike me. You're you're trying to that's the name. You're trying to get better, trying to get.

Better, you know what I mean. And so there's that, So there there's a direct conflict there, right, And so what I try to do is just be really upfront and honest with players whenever I deal with them, Give them positive feedback, give them critical feedback, if that's what you know. If they're telling me, hey, what do you think, I'm going to tell them what I think. On the positive side in the business side, and I think so because I'm going to give you positive feedback and critical feedback.

Would have been a couple of your harder situations.

Whereas whereas whether it's been cutting a player, trading a player, you know where it's like, you know, if you were going to trade me, are you are not going to trade me but looking to trade me?

Are you?

You're probably not seeking to tell me like, hey, we're looking to trade you.

But how how have you navigated?

Would have been a couple of your harder situations without like naming players unless you did want to name them.

Well, I'll name one just because it was like a frost The first player that the first player that I was ever asked to release in Denver was Stokely wide Receiver.

Oh really yeah?

And he was he was like he'd always been kind of a fixture he was with the Colts and then he was Denver and like he was kind of he was the man, you know what I mean, Like he was a fixture with the Broncos and and you know, really well liked and things like that. And when he came to Denver, he was towards the end of his career. But I knew I knew him as a fan, you know what I mean. Like again, I didn't get in the NFL. My first year in the NFL as a sky assistant was like I was thirty two. I was

And twenty three years old.

I'm the old guy, you know, as a scouting assistant. But having to do that is someone that I had watched as a fan and saw his career and he's like, you know, scrappy slot receiver that you know, made like made a career in the NFL. And to have to go do that, that was really hard because I was this It was the first time I had to do it, and it was a guy that I had admired and looked up to his career and it was like, you know, you just you it, you felt it, you know what

Right, Yeah, I can I've been seeing unfortunately not from anybody in the building, but on probably social media. I could be on the trade block or my agent.

Yeah, And so those are awkward situations, and and like you said, there's there's a balance there too, you because like how is someone going to respond if you say, yeah, I'm gonna try Yeah, I'm trying to trade you. Yeah, you know, you can go one of two ways. You can go one of two ways, and there's dramatic different ways. Yeah. Well, and what if you don't get it done? Yeah, yeah,

I don't think so.

Yeah, I don't think I've never felt that either.

Because I just feel like when you're in it, unless you're just not playing well, I guess, and maybe you're thinking about that, I just feel like you're you're just in it.

You're in the season. You're like in season mode.

You're not necessarily now if you're playing well and you end up getting traded, I just feel like that'd be a massive shock that you just wouldn't see coming, right.

I feel like offensive linement don't aren't big trade items either, are they not?

Typically? No? I think the lot of you usually see skill players.

Yeah, yeah, Like like Christian McCaffrey, Like, who knows if that was old that he was getting traded, you know what I mean. I just I have no clue, and it'd be I'm sure it'll come on one day, right, But I have a question, Yeah, go ahead, How how consider how seriously considered was coach Pisacia in the head coaching job when you came in as the GM.

Yeah, because a lot he was.

He was a as you know, big time player favorite. He was a big time player favorite. I would put my reputation on the line form type of guy. And uh so yeah, what how how considered was he for the head coaching job?

First?

Just like, okay, they fired may they who knows what they're gonna do with the head coach passat still in it. Dave Zigler comes in his guys, are people kind of know and connect the dots early?

But how much of a shot did he actually get?

Yeah, that's a good question. I to be honest with you, I wasn't. In like the way that they did this specific hiring here with the Raiders was a little bit differently. They were interviewing head coaches and gms kind of at the same same time, and so they didn't hire me before they were interviewing head coaches while they were interviewing gms. So, for example, some places, the GM gets hired and then he's conducting all the head coaching interviews. This situation was

Yeah.

Yeah, everyone I've spoken to, I mean you you sing his praises all the time. But even people that weren't on the raiders, they love them.

Oh yeah, I love him. Here's the papers.

Yeah, because yeah, special chance.

Coach of the Packers this year, ye coordinator because I had called asking about it.

Brother, that's a real deal. Yeah, yeah, he's a real deal.

If he if you have the opportunity to get him, if he's because that was when he was getting everything was getting considered at that time.

But yeah, he's a he's he's all time.

I have a personal question for Yeah.

My senior year of high school, YEP, I had a thirty five percent in my Spanish class YEP, and you I told you I was not going to go take the final. I'm gonna have to go over construction and you were like, just go take the test. And I took the test and I put see for every single answer and I got a seventy five in the class.

How did that happen?

These are old jobs, remember, and this is.

I don't even I don't I don't remember how it all went down. I do remember, I'll digress a little bit. I do remember when you came into Chaparral and first seeing that transcript that was put across my desk one point six GPA, and it was just brutal. You want to talk about, just beat up like I wondered if he actually went to school for the first two years because there was just its littered with.

FT Dude, it was basically Taylor one your assignment as he Oh yes.

Oh really, Oh yeah, yeah yeah.

I actually I want to I don't want to turn this into like a podcast about me, but I do want to learn more about my childhood with you.

I don't want to know all that stuff. Well, one, I was kind of designated as the counselor. I'd come from a background of football, so I was kind of like the athletic counselor in terms of helping everybody navigate the NCAA clearing house, getting eligible, all those different types of things. So his GPA was atrocious when he came, and we started to know in the spring, when these coaches started coming around, like all right, this dude's going

I had three offers Utah State, Minnesota, and ASU Okay, so into the sea and then I put on those first two game films out Okay, and then it.

Was quick like it was Miami. It was everybody, yeah, you know, very quickly. It was awesome. And so so I knew at that point, by looking at the the the the atrociousness of the transcript, that we had a lot of work to do. You you, I don't know how much you remember how much you blocked out, but you had to. There was a lot of work you had to do personally, Yeah, that you hadn't done before. Yeah.

How much does he owe you?

Geez? I mean, I'd have to look at all the I'd have to look at the last contract.

And year over year growth for his careers.

It's gotta be like we're talking six figures. Yeah, we're talking six figures.

Who Yeah, who was the economics teacher? Doctor a mister nobody?

Because I got him on.

That triggered something because who is doctor doctor misress? Okay, he was the economics teacher and he would go he was a unique teacher, Like he would go and uh like meander in the hallways like ten minutes after class started, like the whole class of coin of sitting hanging out and waiting for him and the final it was economics class. The final he left on his desk and I took a picture of it. I sent it to everybody in

I was like, what are you?

What are you talking about? He's like, I know, there's a reason why everyone got me in the class. Like just go and cut me a check when you make it to the NFL.

I was like, you got above there you go.

I need to.

I need to.

I feel like I have a feeling there's a lot of people that came from that class or there was a lot of helpers, a lot of helpers that people people that see your success now are like, man, had I not done this or x Y?

No, but you know what, but the thing that he did that is is true, and this is a compliment, but he was. He always treated people really well, whether teachers, coaches, students, so on and so forth. Like this guy didn't have any like not that I know of, like any enemies or anything like that, and so people were looking to help him out, do you know what I mean, or like give him an extra boost, and he did a lot. He had to do a lot of work on his own. He did. He had to do a lot of work

I literally tell that story about that, but like the Spanish thing all of the time, because literally you had me my senior year, like most kids in their senior year, like do have half schedules and they're getting out of like you.

You had like you had he actually had like nine classes. Yeah, I had a full class. There's only seven periods of the day.

Had to do online school as well. I had to do another full year of online school in a semester.

So I would like, do you.

Remember when we were staying at the Arnold, how they were talking to me about all the oh, yeah you would have to do.

Yeah, it was like it was, dude, it was.

That was a wild time.

Yeah.

A lot of adversity in those times, a lot of adversity. Here we are here, we are due.

That's so I think it is the coolest thing ever. So would you do with that Spanish teacher?

I don't remember the exact details of it, other than you know, talked about your hard work, your perseverance, your future, and you got. You was a fucking man, dude, you got. I actually owe you my career.

I wouldn't have gotten to the NFL if it wasn't for you.

Would have started out at a juco and who knows what would have happened from there. Yeah, we can't forget that.

Yeah, because I did get off the rails a little bit in college, and so.

We've had some fun conversations. Yeah, one of his old college teammates that's in talent, I did.

You know I got I went to Michigan, Michigan, I went I went college mode for a little bit. And I think if I would have gone to JUCO, I probably wouldn't have seen the light at the end of the tunnel, like the minute I got There's so much.

Less structure too in the football department at a JUCO. Yeah, the people are like necessarily trying to correct. Yeah, either sink or swim at JUCO.

Yeah.

Yeah, when you're evaluating players, like how much Obviously to an extent it's a big deal, but how much do character issues play a role?

They play a role? I think like it it depends on how big the character issues are and what the pattern of character character issues are, and how talented they are, and how talented they are. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. It's

When it comes to like your philosophy, are there like core questions or fundamental questions you ask yourself when making these when making decisions on a player. I know can very situation a situation, but you're kind of going through there, and it kind of just sparked, like do you have like core foundational questions when making a decision, whether it's big or small.

Are you talking about like when I'm actually like interviewing a player.

I guess like making a transaction with the player, something that you use that it's just like a core foundation of what your philosophy is. Yeah, things that you like just default too, Like all right, let me get this is getting There's a lot of conversation going on, like what like let me get back to what I want.

To just sit and ask myself about this guy.

Yeah, I probably won't get like super specific to that question. But like one thing for me that I look at is I like to see I'm intrigued or I find value in people that have had to go through a lot of transitions in life. So whether it's and again it doesn't have to be major stuff, whether it could be I went to you know, three or four different high schools, or you know, in college, I played with three different coordinators and had four different position coaches, or

I love that when you're like going off that, when you're at the combine, what to you is more important those interviews or the actual tests, like the physical tests, because the physical tests I've heard somebody are like, this is just checking Boston question, Thank you sir. I appreciate that, like checkboxes. But then you get those fifteen twenty minutes it was the train station or in those officials yep, to kind of like really digest who the person really is yep.

And I would say, like the physical stuff, like the testing and all that stuff, and you know the times and whatnot. Like that is important because it's a piece of the puzzle that like, it's one of the pieces of the puzzle that you're putting together when you kind of get to the end. But the real value is those interviews. The real value is being able to and again it's not a lot of time, but it's being able to sit down for fifteen minutes or twenty minutes and be in a room and one see how they're

Yeah.

Right, I've went to Michigan, I've talked to all the people at Michigan. I kind of have a profile on who Taylor Luwan is before you even walk in the room. So there's certain things that I'm gonna want to get to know about you. To compare and contrast what people say good or bad, and it's not all bad. It could be you come in with not a flaw in

What's the most unique conversation you've had with the prospect that like the combine that's another solid question, or also like, as you're thinking about that, maybe a unique question that you might have for a player.

They talk about a unique question like off the wall, you know what I mean, Like the Bengals asked me how many things are gonna do with the paper clip in one minute and then videotape me.

Yeah, I don't really go down that path. Okay, that's that's what you're kind of talking.

I saw him thinking, So I would definitely have to know if he's had like what's a memory has Like with the conversation with the player that was just whether bizarre, unique, whatever.

Well, two things. One, I don't really, to be honest with you, I don't really have like any of those off the wall questions that I personally do, Like, you know, you're a cat, would you rather be a cat or a dog? You know? Like I don't really you.

Should be like, this is Jesus for free porn hubb red tube.

Well if we if we could delve into if we can delve into that, maybe I take that back cut the tape. Yeah, Well there's a couple of things. One I don't have anything like specific like that. This is the NFL has a very specific guideline question there's guidelines on what you can and can't ask from an appropriate standpoint.

So yeah, because they should be able to ask like your sexual orientation, right or do they?

I don't.

There was back in the day, back in the day, a wild West.

A lot more respectable in your questions and stuff like that. So I don't have anything that that I specifically ask that is off the wall. I have do have some things that I specifically asked that I won't share here because they're specific to specific to me. Now, I've had

Yeah, I definitely wanted to basically up until you know, we were podcasting and then every coach is like, do not do this, brother, Like you get to do that? Yeah.

Imagine if you were a coaching instead of being a GM, you were the head coach, which is both fantastic jobs, but I feel like the time spent I have no idea what upstairs is like, but the time spent for coaches, like you got your family.

Yeah, you were kind of saying, you get a little bit more control in your day, like as long as you're you're prioritizing and.

Yeah, but that's what he was doing.

You were a little farther down the totem pole, like now you're the GM, I'm sure there's more.

Yeah, I mean I could spend all day and all night there, you know what I mean, Like if you really wanted to, there's that much stuff that's done. I've always, you know, in terms of like the balance, I've always tried to live close to the facility, and so you know, I have three kids, and at one time they were all young enough where all three of them were in diapers, which was just another you know, that was hellish, hellish years. Yeah, me and my wife made it through. So now we know we're good.

We made it through years time.

We're battle testing.

Yeah, yeah, exactly, you've been to the fire when you were checking off the adversity like what people have gone through, like you've done it.

You're save get Yeah. But like speaking that coaching, because there's always you know, meetings and all that stuff. That's just I actually take off, Like I'll take off around six o'clock at night and come home, eat dinner with my kids, give showers, give my wife a little break, and then I go back to the office, and then I'll work till whenever I work, whether it's ten thirty

Guy right making like if you're the head coach making the rules correct. But if you're like the offensive line coach, it's like you basically I have work to do, but I really can't leave until the head coach leaves. Yeah whatever, maybe like I had to watch the tote pole above me, like go before I can I can pay.

It's atal business man, brutal dude.

People don't realize because there's a lot of people that want to get into coaching because it's like just like all of us, like we just love balling. You want to stay in it somehow if luckily we've kind of made this avenue to stay in ball. But like a lot of people at default go to coaching not realizing what they're really getting into.

It's like eighty ninety hours a week. Yeah, and like you don't you leave your house like you play on a Sunday. You go into work on Monday and you don't see your kids again to toil like Friday. Yeah, right, Friday is like the good day, rightday. That's the easy out. Early schools out early, ye know, Yeah, peeling out of the parking lot and you're out of there at like four thirty or five, you know, with with at least for us, which is like, you know, that's like breakfast time. Yeah,

Coach is like it's you know, once I've been around, it's like, what else am I going to do?

What else would I do?

The one who would tell me to like not get in and he'd even call me. He called me like a few times last year. It was a coach Manusky. He's with the Vikings. He's a live lieby coach. He was my coordinator in Washington. He's with Kentucky University of Kentucky a couple of years.

Awesome, dude.

Remember I'll tell you stories about Tom Sula, Yeah, coach Tomsula, the Italian Yeah, with Delaney Walker and him and his best friends like Minuski and those dudes were like the best.

But Minski out Chentle fights like, compty this gig you got.

Going on right now?

He's like, don't you don't want to get into coaching, And he would just be like, I.

Do it because it's you know, I feel like it's all I got.

He's like, but I could just sit on a bus and talk ship like we do it the coolest.

It is awesome. You have to coaching would fucking suck. I don't know, boys, what do we think?

Who's like the perfect player, like the best scout report you've seen? Oh, that's a good question.

JP just asked, who is the best scouting report? Who's the best player that had the best scouting report you've ever seen?

On a guy.

He didn't necessarily have to out.

Trent Richardson didn't necessarily have to pan on the league, but still on paper, he's like this guy just read.

Like how people Well he's one of them. But I would say, like even it was before I got in the league, but like Peyton Manning's scouting report was like.

But he went on but he went second to Ryan Leif, Ryan Leif.

What was Ryan leaf scouting report? Like that was before I was in the league too.

Yeah, I know, but like I know, you ever look back at old stuff and just like because you like for the love of the year.

Yes, yeah, sometimes I do, yeah, sometimes I do, and and I don't. I don't remember specifically what Leaf's was. I know there was like I just know Peyton's was like this guy was like most mature guy, super smart. Obviously, the pedigree was ridiculous. He was awesome on the field, field general, the whole deal. It was like grown man, you know, as a twenty two year old kid. And there wasn't like a flaw on the scouting report. Maybe like the arm strength wasn't like top notch, but his

J J.

Watt was picked in the first round. Julio was picked in the first round. There's all one draft.

Yeah, no, that's wild.

And then Tyron Smith, I mean it's it's insane. But the guy whose scouting report was ridiculous, Like is Julio Jones? Oh yeah, I mean just an alien? An alien? Yeah, size, length, hands, speed and the thing about who Jones? It was really unique. And this is what makes a lot of the really

Like Alabama too. At Alabama already men amongst boys in college.

Yeah, what could you say negative? You know what I mean? So like he was, he was a special one coming out.

Going up with wish he fucking did stand on the wide receiver trend. DeVante Adams Free. You have one of the best, arguably the best wide receiver in the league.

Talk about him. Max was talking about his.

Work ethic and him as an overall teammate, which he was very surprised comparing. He was comparing Davante to when they had a superstar on Antonio Brown and just how different you know they're you know, so what I'm looking for.

Aby was a diva superstar, And when Davante Adams was brought in, he was thinking, like, man, this is is he going to be the same way as ab was?

Yeah, and it sounds like he's not at all.

Yeah.

No, The unique thing about him, like, besides I'll get to the skill set, the unique thing about him is like his his demeanor and his approach he's a like he like he's a grown man, like he should come into work. He comes in all Jordan gear. He's a Jordan guy, but like he should come in like in like a you know, a five thousand dollars suit, you know,

Were saying in Kansas City has lost by one point. You lost so many games this year by seven or less points, Like, as a GM, where do you start so next year that those game of inches, those title little inches go your way?

Now, Yeah, that's a good question. Thank you, great question. Appreciate that. I'm getting better. Yeah, we we. I think we lost what it was eight to one score games, you know, and and again like at the end of the day, we weren't good enough. That's the fact of

How much do you not just look at the players, but you look back at these close games and the coaches calling, and like, do you look at those and we've probably wouldn't have been in this calm the situation, and do you like, are you critical of those types of things?

Yeah? I mean so like with Josh and I specifically, obviously we have a relationship that goes a long way back, and so we we we have a lot of those critical conversations and we can have them and we can The cool thing about us is we can do it without it causing like a divide. I mean, you guys have well you've been in Tennessee the whole time. You've

And so.

I don't act like the expert to answer part of your question because I'm not the expert, right and so I can I'll ask maybe the why or the reason, and you know, i'd say almost ten out of ten times or a lot of the times, like, Okay, I get it. You were trying to do X, Y and Z and we didn't. You know, we didn't execute it for whatever the reason is. But we have a lot of those conversations of I have a lot of the conversations because I want to learn too, of the whys.

I guess at the end of the day, right, I guess it's like, yeah, no, that makes sense.

Today today because of the way that the game's covered with there's so many different social media outlets, right, there's Twitter, there's you know again, all this different stuff. One thing that I've noticed that obviously drives discussion and drives clicks and all the other different stuff. And that's not a criticism, that's just this is what's popular is coaches decisions, right, like game management decisions. Well, they called a time out here,

When it comes to these big decisions.

We wouldn't be able to do this pop without asking about the Derek Carr situation. How difficult of a decision was that, especially late in the year, knowing that he was you know, he's been the Raiders guy for I think nine years.

Yeah, can you speak on that situation a little bit?

Yeah, you know that a decision like that, it's a tough decision and and like you said, there's a lot of emotion involved in that decision too. And I would think, say, one like you spent time with Derek Carr, and Derek Carr is a phenomenal human Being's it's it's hard not to like Derek Carr. And it's hard not to like Derek Carr. Not just because he's has a great personality.

And so.

Yeah, so to to see a guy that's played, you know, again he's played the nine years for the same organization and having to make a decision like that, there's a lot of emotion that's involved in trying and having to make that decision. And it's a hard decision to make. And at the end of the day, like that's what we get paid to do too, is make hard decisions, and we have to make a lot of hard decisions

Yeah.

Yeah, And I feel like it also speaks, like you know, earlier before the pod, you kind of talk about your philosophies of like getting in your spot, the perspective that you have that whole, like the fear of failure, like not being able, not being able to have that close to you. Because I'm sure a decision like that was

Yeah, those are I mean, like I said, those are because.

I'm sure you it's it's like a fire. You immediately kind of feel like you kind of hear it all, whether or not you want to separate it. It's like, oh, this is gonna be massive once it gets out.

Yeah, you and i'd be lying up it said you don't hear it all, you know what I mean, or most of it like you do. It's hard not to hear, you know, on any of the decisions that you make. And so yeah, you just got to trust you got to trust your you know, trust your gut, and you have to be convicted on the decisions that you make and have a plan and a reason for doing it.

It has you feel like it elevates the expectation at all.

When you make a decision like that, it's like, all right, well, now we need to figure out what our next moves are, whether or not again you're like, I can't go too far into it because it's not like you're going to say what your decisions are going to be. But you make a move like that, it's like, all right, boys, we made the decision. Yeah, let's figure out the way that we make sure we end up being right about this.

Yeah, that's the reality of it. Because it's the quarterback, right, It's the most important position on the team. I mean it really is. Yea, So like yeah, like that at the end of the day, like I'm in charge of myself and you know, our group, we're in charge of

Do we have a tear talk? It's almost eight o'clock, said we could, we could just do that, We could just do the tear so, yeah, we can do the tear talk for the interro. Yeah, with the teacher for the intro.

I think there's been an incredible podcast.

It's been one of my favorites. Good we do Christa, Oh you got the sound treatment.

She definitely heard.

I almost feel we need you, but I'm thinking I don't know her at all.

All right, now, have you enjoyed yourself? Yeah? Wasn't what you thought it would be.

Yeah, because I know you were kind of you.

We were all excited to be together on this podcast. Yeah, it's I mean it's surreal.

Who do you think is going to be listening that we're not aware of that we'll be listening? Like do you think I think, well, you think the owner are gonna be listening, coach me. Daniels M.

Probably not.

That kind of sucks.

That's a tough he I was kind.

Of excited to hear. Yeah, probably who will be listening that.

There's probably some people that in the Raiders organization that maybe don't listen to Busting with the Boys that are going to listen to it because I'm on it.

But yeah, I don't know really getting together. I was excited, like that's the biggest headline out of a fling. Yeah, we can stop right now. Ladies, gentlemen, thank you so much. As always, please subscribe, unsubscribe, resubscribe. If you want that Buddelizer merchants, it's gone, brother, you can't get that no more.

We've got a lot of good stuff.

We have a lot of stuff in that merch store, and we need This is the biggest year of our lives, twenty twenty three.

This is going to be massive. So we need you.

See your friend, tell a friend to make this thing happen. Big hugs, Tenny Kisses.

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