The Boys Recap Last Week, Super Bowl Sunday + KJ Wright Interview - podcast episode cover

The Boys Recap Last Week, Super Bowl Sunday + KJ Wright Interview

Feb 16, 20222 hr 5 min
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Episode description

Recorded: February 3rd, 2022 & February 15, 2022 | The Boys are fresh off of their two biggest weeks in the pod's history and there are no plans to slow down. This week we have former Seattle Seahawk and Las Vegas Raider KJ Wright hop on the bus. Super Bowl Sunday/last week recap (4:00 - 30:28) KJ Wright interview starts (31:39) KJ's crazy free agency story (34:00 - 51:40) Will's free agency journey (51:50 - 1:02:00) NFLPA vs. Owners negotiations (1:02:05 - 1:19:50) Legion of Boom (1:21:00 - 1:26:50) Super Bowl loss vs the Patriots (1:27:00 - 1:38:00) Raiders rollercoaster year & Rich Bissacia (1:41:54 - 1:53:00) ----- SHOP: https://store.barstoolsports.com/collections/bussin-with-the-boys FOLLOW THE BOYS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bussinwtb Twitter: https://twitter.com/BussinWTB Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BussinWTB Website: https://www.bussinwtb.com ----- SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: Chevy: Chevy Silverado - The Strongest, Most Advanced Silverado Ever. Cross Country Mortgage: Go to CrossCountryMortgage.com/Barstool today! NASCAR: Head over to Georgiaboot.com and use code BUSSIN for 20% off Whistle Pig: Text BOYS to 64-000. Paint Your Life: Celebrate the moments that matter most


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Transcript

Speaker 1

Are we rolling? We've been rolling anytime you see the numbers hit baby rolling. You know what I'm saying, to bust them with the boys, and on busting.

Speaker 2

The boys, you get the best deals, you get the best off and you get to be a part of a beautiful thing. And that is Chevy silver Bar the most Chevy Silverado, the most durable, reliable vehicle on the road.

Speaker 1

We talk about all the time.

Speaker 2

Those nine to five guys, those hard hat wearing cats show up on time and maybe stay a few extra minutes late just to get the job done the right way. That's what the Chevy Silverado is all about. That's the people that drive them.

Speaker 1

Tell them how they can save a few minutes. Now with this new multiflex tailgate. Oh, I'd love to hear hard work. They can work smarter now because there's this multip work smarter, not harder.

Speaker 2

But if you work smarter and harder, God blessed Son, you know what I'm saying. Don't question his plan. The available multi flex tailgate with six convenient configurations will give you a step up on your tailgate game. There's the primary tailgate, which opens up with a push of a buck on the keyfob or from inside of the truck. The inner gate folds to a large step for easily getting in and out of the bed. Now that's a huge thing. Right when you're a kid, you hop around everything.

You start to get older, hips start to hurt a little bit.

Speaker 1

Get in and out. It's nice, doesn't matter what age are.

Speaker 2

There is an easy access configuration where the inner gate folds down, allowing you to reach farther into the bed. It can also become a desk or a surface for your tailgating meal. Chevy Silverado modern and advanced with a ton of grit, a partner in getting things done. Silverado is strong and dependable as the people who drive them.

And that's a full circle way to say. If you drive a Chevy Silverado, people are probably I'm not saying this is a fact, but when you see a Chevy Silverado, you think I can trust that.

Speaker 1

Person and then they can watch my children. Yes, you know what I'm saying. You're a Chevy guy. Oh, every day, all day, all day, every day. Yeah, all of those number and any order you want. Do you read children's books to your kids? Listen, sook, get this.

Speaker 2

I read a book to my daughter every single night before Ben and I fucking sligh And I know joking. This is not even I'm not even trying to be funny. I think in my head while I'm reading this book, Yo, will could just see me?

Speaker 1

Now?

Speaker 2

God, dude, I literally think to myself, dude, if I could just do it like that?

Speaker 1

You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2

Because my daughter's there, she's not even paying attention anyway, you know what I'm saying. Sometimes I fluctuate the voice. I do different sounds with different animals. You know what I'm saying. It's a fucking journey. When you go to bed with me, not that way.

Speaker 1

You know what I'm saying. When you put your children too bad, it's a production. We have fun journey.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I mean, it's not a very long journey, and one of us definitely enjoys it. But I'm talking about my kids, and that's a fun deal too. That's a fun fun deal. I read that pretty decent. I thought, I said, that's the thing.

Speaker 1

He took his time, but his voice got he was starting to just look at it and read it. Yeah, you know what I mean. I think the issue is I care. I care so much about the brain when I'm saying. His voice got quieter, like he was like laser focused on trying to reading.

Speaker 2

It'll be like, oh dude, I think for me, like I get like when I look at the ads and I know that these brands who what I love? I love these brands, and I love the fact that they've taken their hard earned money and given it to us to help them reach more people. I get nervous. I'm like, what if I mess this up for them because I care? Maybe I care too much, you know, And I don't want that. I don't want to feel that way. But Chevy Silverado, They've put us in good hands. I feel

like I got a nice little seat. Honestly, feel like this is how I feel my truck comfortable, you know. So maybe that moment for me was just a little more lazy boy, a little different, a little different. A couple of things are a little different. The way I viewed the Super Bowl this year was a little different.

Speaker 3

How'd you view it? Like the way with my eyes on the TV. But the way I felt is what I'm really getting at it. But yeah, I understand that, But what do you mean you felt different?

Speaker 1

Like it was salty? What made you so salty about you know.

Speaker 2

Because in a weird I think we've talked about this in the podcast before, like in twenty nineteen or everyone were on the runs at AFC Championship, we did it, and we were like, yeah, we proved everybody wrong. We feel like we still still should have gone the Super Bowl and won it, but we just feel like we proved

everybody wrong. And then this year being the number one seed in the AFC losing to the Bengals, No offense to the Bengals, Like that's not an insult when I say, like Bengals, we lost to the Bengals, and I was it just felt like everyone was doubting us anyway, and it's an opportunity for them to put a feather in

their cap and say we told you so. Yeah, you know you feel like you underachieved individually, yes, but as a team, yeah, obviously when you have that kind of season, with that kind of adversity and then you get all your guys back at the end, yeah we did underachieve.

Speaker 1

Like that's easy to say.

Speaker 2

Every team who has a chance to win the Super Bowl, besides those like like the Lions, like halfway this season knew they were gonna win because they were gonna make the playoffs. But any team who makes the playoffs, you should view it as underachieving if you don't win it, right, Well, Ben Roethlisberger with.

Speaker 1

You got to be here anyway. Yeah, you also just said we made it all the way to the AFC Championship. You feel like you proves a lot of people wrong. So you didn't feel that you didn't feel like you underachieved that, right, You.

Speaker 2

View changes that. I get what you're saying there. The view changes a little bit because we've grow, like our our fan base is not only grown, but our coaching staff has become a whole lot better. Even when were abel first out there till now, the players we have have gotten better, Like legit and camp. We're all sitting

there going like, Yo, we're gonna win this thing. And it's the first time people are saying that, and everyone's like believing each other, you know, because every year you're like, we're gonna win it all yeah, and then you kind of see how the season unfold you're like, oh, I don't know, good luck boys, know, but with all that stuff, you did feel like this year you did under achieved a little bit. So I guess what do you think of the Super Bowl? That was a good game. I

think it was a solid game. I thought, uh, I thought that was p I on Uh your boy Ramsey DPI when he pulled Buddy's face mask first play the second half. Yeah, but if I favor League, if you're like, if you're a Rams fan, you say that, But also as a Bengals fan, you could say, you know, there's seven penalties on like the one yard line.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I know Wilson, that linebacker, he made a good play. Like as a linebacker covering you didn't even really grab him like that. He has arm on and then stabbed and it was he didn't even y him. It was stabbed through the pocket. Yeah, that was a hell of a play. That was a good play. In the last play of the game, when Joey be if he would have had just a couple more seconds, charr was uh.

But again in Jalen's defense, it's fourth and one. It's fourth and one, you're sitting, you're playing a little more aggressive. Probably din't think jamar I was just gonna run a go route on him on fourth and one. So he's sitting at the hip waiting for a breakof and he just takes off on him. That's tough. Damn Suther and a tut Do you think good? I mean if his eyes would have been down. Do you have a video of it at all? I likes everywhere was talking about

that last play. Really yeah, speaking of that last play, Quentin Spain, my boy was the one that gave up that pressure.

Speaker 2

Yeah, but he seemed like he was playing well the whole game, right, everybody wants to condense you on one play, like that's tough, Aaron Donald the game?

Speaker 1

What's that biggest play the game? Fourth and one that biggest play the game? And they were Donald Savage Savage? But is he goaded? So everybody's been talking about that.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, yeah, But first second, like I just gotta have my boy cues back. For a second, I thought, ok, I thought he played well the whole game, and then that happened, Like that's the life of an offensive lineman. Do you feel like you have sixty five good snaps and then on the sixty snap he give up a sack or pressure.

Speaker 1

Do you feel like you got to have his back because he was out there swinging the sword on Twitter?

Speaker 2

Yeah, no, if I sat there personally with Quinton, I'd be like, yo, you can't do that right, Like you gotta like you gotta win with grace and lose with grace.

Speaker 1

Like talking shit is fun, like is fun.

Speaker 2

Especially I don't like doing it on Twitter, like real talking shit because it's not like it's not as interactive as I want it to be. I want to catch somebody on their toes right now and then put them on their heels because then we can go back and forth and really chirp it out. But on Twitter, like you don't have respond to me for thirty minutes and then you think of.

Speaker 1

A good one and you're like, I'm get them with this. You know what I'm saying now. Jeffrey Simmons.

Speaker 2

Jeffrey Simmons, Hey, he body bagged my boys pain body back and that's just the reality.

Speaker 1

And I know he'd be pissed if he heard this, but buddy, oh he might body bag dude, he might come out. It was a nice little I don't know.

Speaker 2

Hey, after the game, Quinn was like, yo, U ninety eight his bitch ass and word this and word that. I'm well all this show. I'm like I looked at him. I kind of touch his belly. I go, I don't know if you're beating up Jeff Budd. I don't know if he's doing that.

Speaker 1

What you mean? What you mean?

Speaker 2

And like for me, it's all this is it's like, well, you're really gonna fight this man over what you just won?

Speaker 1

Like it's over. I enjoy it. I think two out there, like I know, oh, y'all wanted me to fail, Like I didn't give up nothing. It's like, bro, you just lost the super Bowl.

Speaker 2

Yeah yeah, but as a as a player too, you got to have that like back against the woe mentality. But do that on your own like, do that on your own time. You know what I'm saying, Like, don't let Twitter win. That's letting Twitter win. You immediately wanted me to fail.

Speaker 1

There you go. You immediately went to Twitter and let everybody know they've had real estate in your head by saying like, I know y'all wanted me to fail, like he just lost the super Bowl, dude, Like like your wound's cry like cry like boy like other boys, you love them? What a season?

Speaker 2

They won four games last year? Right, four of them? Oh that's a tough look for your boy, Ramsey. But I'll tell you what, dude, so Ramsey had. There was a few plays right, he had the one t Higgins first player the U the second half, Jamar got him a couple of times.

Speaker 1

Higgins got them a couple of times.

Speaker 2

Like not his best game he's ever played, but doesn't tarnish at all, Like he's the best corner in the league, doesn't.

Speaker 1

Bad an eye and eye gave up that big play. It was like in the first quarter, I believe. Then he comes back and gets that PBu literally like right after like they were trying to go yeah, and he just stands up just talking shit. I was talking about shit. I'm like, you know, when you mess something up. I was like I would probably like as a player, when you know you did something you mess up, you're probably

all right, that's on me. That's on me. But if I break up at past the next play, like me personally, I'm thinking, okay, get back, you're back on track. Now you're getting not like yo, this is my fucking house, dude. It's like taunting and everything else. I'm like, yeah, I love that confidence that you gotta have as a corner.

Speaker 2

They were talking like apparently Chris Collinsworth and the Boys were talking to the defensive staff other rams and we're like, we know who's getting touches where like relatively we know who's getting touches basically lined up.

Speaker 1

And that's where Jalen's gonna go.

Speaker 2

Like that's a lot on a dude's plate, right to just be like I'm that fucking dude on the lockdown whoever, and he does, Yeah, he does what.

Speaker 1

I don't know what. He's a monster dude. Yeah, he's tall as ship for sure, and he's always talking.

Speaker 2

Yeah, but you think about dudes like that who are like, you know, we're on the Jags a few years ago and now he's like won the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1

That's fucking dope.

Speaker 2

Like Von Miller gets traded this year, wins the Super Bowl Aaron Donald, which we got to talk about if he's goaded or not.

Speaker 1

I think that's tough to do, man. I mean he's played what how many years, eight or in the eight seasons and about I'm retiring too. No, a Pro Bowl, seven All pros, three time Defensive Player of the Year. But Bro, like I used to look at Reggie White, Bro, Reggie did the body of work at that time. No, I don't know shit about defenses and who's goaded who's not goded, Like you got to assume if Aaron's on this pace, if he plays sixteen years, he also gets

hang on though. But you know, bro, this is the NFL. You like, at one point in time, you would assume JJ Watt would be all these things, and then he's had an injury ridden career the last few years.

Speaker 2

Yeah, but he was still He's still a goat of defensive line, a goat like.

Speaker 1

A greatest of all time defensive lineman's and he's.

Speaker 2

In the conversation of greatest of all times. So I'm trying to say, and that's a lot coming from I don't like JJ Watt. I don't I don't like him, I don't like his attitude. I don't like anything about the guy. But you respect him. But I'm just saying, like, yo, pot dude, Derek. I saw Derek Watt after the Steelers game and I basically told him I don't like your older brother, but you should come.

Speaker 1

Up busting with the boys.

Speaker 2

And he looked at me like, go fuck yourself and walked away, didn't say a word to me. And it works with the conversation like yeah, fair absolutely, I respect that that was that was a good move. Yeah, I deserve that.

Speaker 1

But looking at Aaron Donald, it's like, yeah, the potential of assuming what he's gonna do is different than actually executing it in a sport like football, Like we're talking Reggie Reggie Whitehead. How many All Pros? Eight for eight, First Team, five Second Team, thirteen Pro Bowls? He's on two All Decades teams? Yeah, but Donald, he will be on that for you're tired right now? Yeah, he has havn All Pros. Yeah, but he won't be on what do you mean he'll be on that. He'll be on

two All Decade team because it's twenty twenty one, bro. No, yeah, it's twenty twenty two. It's twenty twenty two right now. But if he retired right now, more years.

Speaker 2

But in the next nine years, there's not gonna be a guy that's gonna outdo Aaron Donald and not be on the All Decade team for the twenties.

Speaker 1

Oh so you're saying he'll get grandfathered in because of what he did tens.

Speaker 2

Yes, Yeah, that's that happens to everybody, dude, No one happens does everyone who's a big fucking name you can't just make it into the next year. A lot of guys I want to see that list. Julius Peppers, it's the first guy that comes to mind. Like by the time I got in the league, he was like slowing down, right, he was still a behemoth of a man. But everyone the way they talked about him, the way he like, yeah, I think he's him.

Speaker 1

Doesn't he have like a record or he's on like the top of sacks Klais Campbell, all right, Julius Peppers, Yeah, Julius Peppers. But Julius Peppers, I think he retired around like Jajon Watts.

Speaker 2

Is not a guy that's gonna make the All decad team for the twenties and less like something dramatic happens the next three four years, right, right. But Aaron Donald, because he played in that year and the player he was, he's still gonna make All Decade team.

Speaker 1

And we can make this bet nine years from now, we could do a bet ten thousand. Speaking of bets, a T shirt bet we had it is a tough one. God, but hang on, give the give. Let's give. We were just in Arizona too. Let's give. Let's give Nebraska some Flowers. You were just an easy bro. They're they're deep out there.

Speaker 3

Bro.

Speaker 1

There was like four to one Nebraska and Michigan fans four to one. We're walking around the Waist Management tour in this uh this gal ahead like a Nebraska tatoo on her shoulder, on her shoulder. I was like, at the ends to the middle.

Speaker 2

God, yeah, dude. There was a lot of Nebraska fans out in Arizona, lots of them. I was at the Buffalo Chip, which is a barb and cave creek, and I'm going to the bathroom and this dude's in line. He's like, hey the boy. I'm like, oh, dude, what's up. He's like, I love your podcast. I'm like thanks, and he goes, I really fuck with Will though I'm.

Speaker 1

An Nebraska fan. He goes, I'm a Nebraska fan. Oh cool. I had like that weird turn, like with my body now.

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, there's nothing more said that, and then that was cool for both of us and we move on right, But he kind of just shipped on me.

Speaker 1

I was like, damn, my boy's got a real presence out there now. Though they had a little if the Redskins, let you do your thing, or the commodorees. What do they call now, commanders, the comedies or the commanders? You're the commies, yeah, the commanders. Yeah.

Speaker 2

I mean you guys wore the Redskins when you play, so I'll just refer to them as when you played the Redskins.

Speaker 1

The Redskins just kind of let you do whatever when.

Speaker 2

You have your social media and you felt like the compedists will do now, yeah, right right right now?

Speaker 1

Is the mental is a lot different back then. At a lot of fun on social media, Like back in the archives, the boys there bar still had me staying the whiskey beer more beer like before games and stuff like that. But I wasn't like out there the way I am now Now. You had a couple of deals, a couple of nice little deals.

Speaker 2

Hey, A Z was fun though A Z was a blast, had a good time, got back to the roots a little bit started that bar rebel ranch.

Speaker 1

Thank you, let's go boys we had.

Speaker 2

That's got a big opportunity coming up for him to invest. He is, he's very lucky. You're a very lucky man to have the even the opportunity. I'm happy for you.

Speaker 1

See that's the crazy bar. I don't even fully understand the opportunity, right, So I'm open. So you've invested with other things I've done. What's up? You've invested in other things I've done. Do we get to talk about? No, we don't get to talk about. You got to cut that out. That's crazy. I'm gonna say, you can invest in other things we've done. Yeah, I know. And how's that working out? Seems good?

Speaker 2

Yeah, you gon't be our rocket doggy. Hey, we always gonna be I Oh, We're always gonna be all right. But if you guys have a chance, go on Instagram follow Rubber Ranch, Rebel Ranch. I think we're up to like fourteen hundred followers. Were kind of kidding on my blue check.

Speaker 1

Here we come.

Speaker 2

You know what I'm saying, So follow that. It's gonna be dope. We're doing a big renovation June July. Should be open next year in November being bang boom.

Speaker 1

Yeah. I did a shout out of my story. I saw you, Yeah, I saw you dogs. Yeah. It's a bar. Yeah, it's a bar and cave bar and bar. It's it's fifty two hundred people and.

Speaker 2

On the weekend's like on hunred thousand people come up because everybody wants to be a cowboy.

Speaker 1

So you go up there.

Speaker 2

It's the only place in the world you'll find an old truck, a ferrari, and a horse parks in the same parking lot.

Speaker 1

No mom and pop shops allowed.

Speaker 2

What's that I said, Identity Criss tell people many they cruise up in their nice vehicles, get some dust on it, they put their their Kenny Chesney straw hat on, and they enjoy themselves. Live music, two step in real country shit, real country shit.

Speaker 1

We had an arena out there.

Speaker 2

They were going to buck some horses out there, do some barrel racing, some mutton busting for the kids.

Speaker 1

Hey, no, don't sleep on the boy. You got a little rope in gene in you.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I've roped before, but I'm not a roper. Come on now, Hey, your boy can get it done.

Speaker 1

Come on. I got you a couple of times, you devil. I got this rope out. I got hey, I got this rope out, and I was like, hey, we'll just start walking. Hey, I roped you a couple of times. I wasn't even really following that part. Yeah we'll start one. Hey, just walk and I'd heal them. Just just snap him up real quick. God him. A couple of times, I'm like walking high. He's like, hey, pick your feet up a little bit. I'm like, we're just in a gravel

parking a lot with this shitty ice cream? What shitty ice cream? McDonald's dude, Yes, bro, talk about a fat kid's story. We go.

Speaker 2

We're cruising down from the creek back down to Paradise Valley and Will is in a mood.

Speaker 1

He's like, let's get some ice cream in a mood for in a mood.

Speaker 2

So we're like, yeah, so there's cold Stones. He closes in twenty five minutes to thirty minute drive. They just leave the bar overs in Furious Tokyo.

Speaker 1

Yeah, minutes, leave the bar early. Taylor's dancing. Hey, twenty minutes we gotta go. You see this, ye me the closing students sign on the on the maps.

Speaker 2

So I started cruising down the one o one fast in the Fears Tokyo drift, Get off, get there. We at four minutes to fucking spare dude, and Colestones is closed Heartbreak Hotel, so I'm already in. I'm invest Now what are we gonna do? We pop on the old phone sitting in the parking lot. What's open Sonic?

Speaker 1

We started driving towards Sonic and we see Mickey D's and we're like, hey, when's lest some I gotta make flurrying gold arches, dude. We yeah, those gold arches in the distance like a little oasis of ice cream. We do a quick U turn, get in there. We order a couple before we keep going. Can I throw in a little tailor? And Taylor like, yeah, let's hit McDonald's. I don't really say much in the back because I

got like, is the ice cream machine broken? Remember that? Well? Yeah, you guys are you guys are like, oh yeah, let's go to McDonald's. Yeah, And I was kind of like, I don't know if they're ice cream folks like that, but I'm like, you know what, I'm ready to go, so go ahead. So we we pull in there. The guy you can tell on me a little help you. He's on that thing, and I'm like, yeah, give me a second. He just goes and kind of just wait.

So I'm like, oh, like it is going in these burgers, Doggie, enjoy your job, like Chick fil A and these other spots one place in and out. Hey, Chick fil A is not a slapper. I'm just gonna say it. Let him finish the story before you just fucking throw some bullshit. Chick is not a slapper. Pause. So we have to McDonald's.

Speaker 2

We decide, Uh, my boy over here is getting a quarter pounder of a cheese. I'm a classic kid route guy. Haven't been to McDonald's in like seven years. So I get two of the regular cheeseburgers with Max sauce on it. Kind of a hitter, right, yeah, jpc's what I'm talking about back there, and we get the mcflury's. We look over at the mcflury's side on the top right, it's just just mcflury and then small quotes Oreo, that's.

Speaker 1

All they got. Ship they got here here. I'm like, we'll take three large orio mcflury's, so we rip her on the side large. Remember the story?

Speaker 2

Yeah, yeah, it takes a minute, dude, not just sixty seconds. A minute, right, because I'm trying to be cool and hip. The guy comes over. I give him my card, He gives me the burgers first, and we're waiting on these mcflurries. He tosses out the mcflury's. These bitches were in a thimble size.

Speaker 1

Dude. They were this fucking bait. Two spoonfuls to finish. Will fucking Dixie coch. Hey, Will goes Will, all quite in the back. I give him. I give him the mcflury.

Speaker 2

I wasn't really paying attention. He's you know, he's just over here looking around, and uh, I give him mc flir andy. You just see like his hand kind of creep up as I can pass it back to him, and and he grabs him and goes back into the little cave and he it's quiet.

Speaker 1

First. He goes, Yo, what the fuck is this? Mad as fuck you? I just put the ship in my pocket. I'm done, bro, I'm not joking. Go and we're trying to order a large mcflur and you can fit that thing in your pocket. It's and the candy will say cookie because it's oreo. But the cookie you put in there and they stir in it's only on the surface. Yeah, after you get to the first look full. Yeah, it makes it look oh this this can be a banger. You're like, yeah, Taylor, I was so mad. Tal And goes, hey,

well you can have mine too. The ship it's.

Speaker 2

Small as fuck, dude. The cat that goes on top of it is bigger than the cup. It's ridiculous, ridiculous.

Speaker 1

You're probably thinking while you're.

Speaker 2

Listening and watching, Oh, it's all right. They probably put the ice cream up to the top of the cap. No, they fucking don't. It's the brim of the lid. Tough, fucking tough. So no one's fucking loving. No one's fucking loving that. A couple and he's not wrong, and the cookie's gone. It's ice cream at the bottom. It's it's a fucking still fire.

Speaker 1

But like, yo, we're the boys. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2

We need a couple extra spoonfuls to make sure our belly is happy.

Speaker 1

I ate my first half, put mine down, grabbed tails, and ate her top half just because the oreo in it.

Speaker 2

Yeah, that's it. So we decide we get the burgers everything. I don't even open up my burger on fucking pissed. No, we threw We put the ship in the corner.

Speaker 1

Like we're done with this. We go to Sonicy.

Speaker 2

Yo, Sonic's just casually selling long winers, those long pieces.

Speaker 1

You get you love them things? Huh, bro, get the fuck out of here. You like those? How do you eat that not thing. Oh he looks like a two bites. How did you like he's throwing that?

Speaker 2

Just grab it out of the wrapper, holding with two hands like this and go oh tough, like you know you're thinking about yourself. Grab a double double hand like that, but you got a hold like this like you're kind of and then you're just holding the tip.

Speaker 1

Yeah, this one's the real holder. Tilt the head, he said, you had to tilt their head on that thing. So they sell that.

Speaker 2

Me and Will spent about I don't know, six or seven minutes just laughing about that until we press the button to order and then we get our shakes, and it was beast. I mean, Colstone would have just fixed it off. Their employees were committed to their craft.

Speaker 1

Yeah, right on.

Speaker 2

Four minutes. And you can't just make me up a birthday cake remix like the boy wants. I'm trying to get and I gotta have it and pine size. That's a wild ship, dude, chick fil a. Yeah, let's talk about that before.

Speaker 1

Let's give context now before you just let's context right now. Ship's trash, all right, now, that's my stance to put you guys, because there's a lot of pissed off people right now driving their Chevy Silverado's listening to this and they're closed on Sunday. Yeah, it's a hot's day. Well no, listen, yeah, everybody's everyone's in church for a couple hours and then you get out and you have like a hitter, like check the numbers, check the tape.

Speaker 2

No, yeah, I'm close one day of the week and still crush it. When they're at Chick fil A in Atlanta Stadium and it was just closed on Sundays.

Speaker 1

Yeah, but you're lying. But hey, hey on, because people need to empathize where tailors coming from. Because he got it. Every time they had Yeah, every time they had a game, their postgame meal was like Chick fil A. It wasn't a post game you know.

Speaker 2

Every time we flew, even now for the last eight years, every time we fly, they have Chick fil A in there.

Speaker 1

After a while, the smell gets to you, right, It's just you're not getting that fresh, foggy.

Speaker 2

Sandwich or the little chicken sandwich or whatever, and you got the nuggies. Now I will give you this Chick fil A. I love the variety of sauces you'all have and I'm talking to you guys as if you guys are now employers of Chick fil A. I don't fuck with it because of my situation and be on that plane all the time.

Speaker 1

It just smells to me. Now, I think you need it. They hit or milkshakes though, But I still think you need to not just not say it's fucking trash because you haven't had a real experience at Chick fil A. You just have. When I was in high school, I used to go chick You tasteuss are a lot different back in ice, so your brain's not even that developed either. So now that my brain's fully developed, I can say it's you can make a rational, more mature decision about it. Yeah, you bring up the stats.

Speaker 3

We're talking Chick fil A, bro, number three on the list. They ring number three with two hundred franchise.

Speaker 1

You know how the fuck is McDonald's number one, dude, Because like they got thirteen thousand units, Bro, that's tough. Damn Subways out there with twenty two thousand. Just I thought somebody kind of fell off a little bit.

Speaker 2

I thought subway was kind of gone, Like you go and grab a sub you gotta put some fragrances in there or something like put a lavender candle up, because when you walk in there, you walk out, you smell like Subway for the rest of the day.

Speaker 1

They and everybody. Yeah, it's tough in the day. Quiz Nos probably the best one. I thought Subway was so good back back in high school. Yeah, no question, murdered Subway. I'd come out to the city and people be talking about their little delis and onion and karaokey.

Speaker 2

Yeah, they the fuck out of here, dude, and no way, Swear to god, I love that, dude.

Speaker 1

That was my favorite thing. They low they had They seems like they fell off. They had to lay low a little bit after the whole Jared thing. Yeah, but like they're not the one doing it, Like you know what I'm saying, But that was your front runner. Yeah.

Speaker 2

Speaking of front runners, how about the Verizon guys selling out for Sprint now you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1

Can you hear me now?

Speaker 3

Guy?

Speaker 2

Yeah, And he's like he's like kind of ships on Verizon without saying Verizon.

Speaker 1

Yeah. But anyway, how long have we been doing this intro? You should probably wrap her up. We should probably get to the kJ episode. All right, that's cool. I'm just happy I got to be a part of it. Yeah, I know, you know what I'm saying. You weren't gonna get to yesterday. You had your little, uh Preds thing. Yeah, I hope that thing's gonna be sick. Oh, Talor's got a little video coming out because they're doing a little outdoor game. Yeah, that should come out next Monday, right

six days from now. And it's I'll only tell something, dude.

Speaker 2

If the Predators have good ore, they're good at editing and shifting things around, my acting skills are gonna look fucking insane. They're gonna be outstanding. But if they're not good at editing, I'm gonna get exposed.

Speaker 1

I'm stoked. I'm stoked. Regardless. I like doing it on film.

Speaker 2

He's got on film, but like you know, it's like not the real thing, you know what I'm saying, something funny stuff. It really wasn't like uh, Johansson and Sorrows were kind of the ones that I really didn't want to fucking be there. But you know how it is when you're in the season locked in, you're locked in, like you don't want to be doing this extra stuff. It's and for me as a fan of the Predators and like being a part of the Nashville community, like

that was dope. I choked to be here for Catfish one time, Like, hey, we want you to be a part of this, like one of the biggest games.

Speaker 1

So super stoked on that super stoked. But anyway, kJ Wright outstanding. Yeah, he was awesome. Anybody who's tuned in from the Seattle Raiders all of it, they're gonna fucking lovelessen to kJ soft spoken dude, monster. He I mean, he's a study. He was a top one hundred player. He talks about being pissed off in free agency because he didn't have a phone call all the way until August.

We're talking about the top one hundred for wild Yes, bro, But he gets into all that, his frustrations about the process, anxieties with playing football, being a free agent. We com bear our little free agent stories. He's like, I mean, man, what was your Because he was talking about not getting called. He's like, oh, my other one was even worse, or my other one was just as bad. He goes, I didn't get called my first for agency either, And we kind of got into it and I go so when'd

you get a call in the first regency. He was like, oh, they called me on the third day and we just I was like, yo, what, you're still in the first wave. Yeah, like you just think it called on day one. But mindset, dude. Yeah, he's he's got some like stoic. He's a football He's a football guy. Dude, he's all backer. He just wants to tackle motherfuckers. And uh don't want to. I can't say what he's doing after football because he didn't want it to be on the pod. We talked about him

playing with Bobby Wagner. Yeah, I can't wait. It's part of ball. Like he's all ball, bro, Like you'll hear it. I'm sitting here, I'm trying to get him to think about playing, like here's how you handle the back end of your career. Because he goes, I'm not gonna play anywhere if I got to wait till training camp or anything like that. I'm like, well, let's let me try to tell you about the other side of it, Like, well, right before you come on the roster, you get guaranteed

and you just kind of play the game. And he was just so like he respects and loves the game so much. I'm sitting there and I'm low key like feeling bad that I was trying to even change his mind, because I'm like, Yo, this dude loves the game. But we asked about Russ Wilson. A lot of us up. But you guys will like it. Subscribe to the pod. Subscribe to the YouTube right now. Tell them to subscribe to the US ever to the YouTube. Listen. You guys

are blowing up right now. It is becoming something special.

Speaker 2

So if you want to get on the train while it's still a little smaller for chamber ratting, A lot of those little deals in the back. I don't know what they're called, but the caboose is way down the line in the future. You don't be a part of the caboose. Get part of that meat potatoes in the middle.

Speaker 1

Yeah, can we get a moment's silence? Bus on the Boys' best podcast in the world, Thank you kJ Wright and shout Out the Boys are cross Country Mortgage no free shout outs. The great thing about hanging with your boys or girls is you get a lot of different povs. Not that kind the kind of point of views about mortgage of lending every time. They always have the answers for you. Cross Country Mortgage comes in whatever you're debating,

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www dot and MLS Consumer Access dot org. Roland All right, we got a kjright on the bus. I know Kjwright honestly, first time meeting you is over social media Twitter. You had a video that you that you posted that we'll get to in a little bit play with you on the Raiders for five weeks. It was a great five weeks. I'm sure you're like, how's this dag? Just like buddy buddy with everybody because we hadn't known each other at all. But what uh? You came to Nashville just to do this?

Just for you? My man? You live where?

Speaker 3

Well, I live in all the Ressissippi, born in Memphis, but I'm like.

Speaker 1

Three hours away, so you're where'd you fly from? I from Seattle. I took a red eye, So you took a red eye here and in Nashville. It's nine am right now. I'm proud number one. Hey, run of applause for the boys for being here at nine am. This is our earliest, bro, not until the afternoon. Yeah yeah, this is our earliest part we've we've ever done nine am in the morning, So shut out the boys. Uh So you landed, You took a red eye, landed at eight here at nine and then after this you're gonna

drive to Memphis. I appreciate you, bro, I appreciate that. I appreciate that dog there's a lot too unpacked that I'm curious to talk to you about. Because what year did you just finish? Ten? Finished eleven? You just finished eleven. That's fucking awesome. That's fucking awesome. Yeah, knock on what man, Bro, you just finished your eleven. You're somebody I've obviously watched

for the entirety of my career. Uh, the way you guys would play certain styles of cover three, rat coverage Cover one, you covering running backs out on the out on the outside, which always blew my mind because I'm like, why isn't Kj's the bigger motherfucker? Why is Bobby or somebody? Yeah, why is it he going out there and doing it? But our coach is always a Kirk al Vadadi. He was always a big fan of your game too, So we would legitimately like watch you guys and watch your concepts.

How you guys did like watch Bobby play rat here, watching playing between the hashes. Ray was a big fan of showing Bobby playing between the hashes and everything. Uh, but Bro, eleven years man, and uh, you just finished with the Raiders. You were a top one hundred player last year and you went through a very high and low off season, more lows than high. Yeah, talk about that because you you were with Seattle for a decade. Yeah,

and uh again a top one hundred player. I think you finally got your flowers because I think you've been should have been at it, right, you've at it. Yeah, you've been somebody, uh with Bobby. You've had Bobby there, and obviously everybody knows about Bobby Wagner. He's been like an All Pro every year. But you're somebody like us watching the tape. You're somebody that's always you're right there next to him. You never seem to get your flowers

until this past year. Talk about you know, talk about ending your decade in Seattle and why you're so frustrated this past off season. Yeah.

Speaker 3

So I put together a very very in my eyes, the brink up on a career. I just did you know, got the Super Bowls, got the Pro Bowls, almost got a thousand tackles in Seattle. I saw that, bro I'm like seven eight away. But anyway, so yeah, I had to just had to stell a career and crack the top one hundred for the first time, number sixty seven. But if you look at that list. I'm the only guy that was a free agent, right, So I'm like, how the hell did I put together this really good career?

First of all, put together this really good year ten, And don't nobody want me?

Speaker 1

Because it also came out you you were even injured at nineteen and you bounced back.

Speaker 3

Y'all got heard in eighteen. And I had two really good years back to back, really good years. Then they drafted linebacker first round, and I was like, oh, so you can kind of see the writing on the wall. I never had anybody's drafted first round of my position. But we all know when a guy gets drafted your spot, something's about to happen. Either you're about to get benched, cut, or about to rotate in and out.

Speaker 1

And so I didn't.

Speaker 3

I didn't have any guarantees on that year, so if they would let me go, I wouldn't have had no money. And so go into that have a fantastic year ten in free agency here and I'm like, oh, it's a freaking old brainer, Like somebody about to pick me up. Man, I'm about to either come back to Seattle or a team just gonna want me. And when I tell you that, my phone was dry, like I got zero phone calls, that's are you for real?

Speaker 4

Zero?

Speaker 3

Seattle didn't call me, Cowboys, rams, niners, nobody.

Speaker 1

Nobody even inquired.

Speaker 3

No, And I was like, what the hell is going on? And then I'm like, you know, at first, I just waited and I hit my agent like that, what is going on? And he said, it's just the first wave. There's there's nothing out there. And I was like, yeah, we gotta be kidding me.

Speaker 1

You should like you're somebody and I understand what the whole wave process, but you're somebody who I got to be your first day dude, Like what are they looking at? What are they thinking?

Speaker 3

And bro, when I said, that's like the top three, like lowest I've ever been in, like my NFL career. Like the sadness and the stress and anxiety that I had was like there's nothing, nothing could describe it.

Speaker 1

How are you dealing with that? Man?

Speaker 3

Well, thank god I got you know, married wife, wife, through kids, and so I have, you know, have my family, have my family, have my support system. I was training with the Fellas, going to Tracy Ford and and BLV Washington, just staying around people, and I was in my word, I was praying and meditating daily because if I didn't have that, I would have lost my freaking mind.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and and and bro, it's just just went through the first wave.

Speaker 3

You know, other teams like Wait to the Draft, that went by, O t As went by, Training camp went by, and it was nothing.

Speaker 1

The Raiders the first one to call me. Yeah.

Speaker 3

No, the the Niners were the first to call me. It's funny. John Lynch called me and he's like, Cayjay, what's up, man? I see you're still a creation. I was like, yeah, you notice. And he's like, man, we'd love to get you out here. We'd love to get you out here. Man. You know, we've always watched you. We thought it was you know, brain that you was signed with Seattle. That's what he said. And I was like, yeah,

you know that that didn't happen. And so yeah, man, I want to come, you know, come out here.

Speaker 1

And get a visit in. And that went by, and so when I visited, I never visited. I never visited.

Speaker 3

You just follow up, just like I'm gonna talk to Shanahan and Shannon, you know, they say Shanahan's on board. And long story short, VET minimum was offered disrespectful, and I'm like, there's no way that KJR Wright name would be signed next to a VET minimum contract. I put together too good of a resume to do that, you know. I just I just retired, live off, live off the money that I made and that didn't fall through. And

then Gus Bradley caused me. When I was sitting on the deck, Gus Bradley, defensive coordinator for the Raiders, he comes like, kJ what's up?

Speaker 1

Like, what up, Gus?

Speaker 3

I'm free as a bird and Gus, you know, flew me out there for a visit visit with the Raiders and yeah, signed a few weeks later.

Speaker 1

What did you think about the opportunity you were presented with the with the Raiders because Denzel had just gotten traded out there, right, Yeah, so going out there knowing that they kind of had a little bit of a depth, try to put together.

Speaker 3

What was your I was confused. While the Raiders was calling, I was like, why do the Raiders want me? They got Denzel got Corey Little to Nick Nick Nick Quickowski, Yeah, and I was like, why do they want me?

Speaker 1

But Nick Morrow had got hurt.

Speaker 3

I realized Nick got heard, Nick got hurt and Jacmon was hurt and so it was an auto position that was open for me.

Speaker 1

And Gus called me.

Speaker 3

He's like, hey, we got a spot open for you. What you think you know you won't be every down backer? And I was like, and so, yeah, I just at that point, that's when to get into camp because it was week one of the regular season. You gotta get on week one because once your your salary is the antique salaries guaranteed. And you know, I missed all the training count you know, all the OTAs and I just signed week one and I played in like six days.

Speaker 1

It's Ravens. Yeah. Fortunately he's got that cover three system. Yeah, that you can pick up on. But you also posted that video in training camp where you took to Twitter and you shot a video. What made you want to shoot that video? Man, it's just the one you had retweeted.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I just I just wanted to let the world know, like in the midst of like my adversity, in the midst of my sadness, Like no matter what anyone is going through in this world, it's important that through it all you stay positive, and it's important that you don't let your spirits get get so down and so in the midst of what I was going through, I was

still working my ass off, I was still preparing. I was still watching film because I knew that something was going to fall through, and so I could have been in my feelings just eating like shit and not training and all that stuff, but I prepared, like I'll be a week one starter. So I just wanted to just put that out there and let people know, like, no matter what you're going through, just keep working.

Speaker 1

You know.

Speaker 3

Then you had, you know, you had retweeted and got it. You know, it spread a little more, and so I appreciate that.

Speaker 1

Well, I mean, you're kJ right, I think everybody in Seattle is pretty curious, Like I'm sure you posted something like that because you heard and was seeing a lot of people kind of questioning what was happening, and you wanted to do that on your own because there's I mean there's I mean sure, I guess maybe a few more people saw it, but I mean everybody was so

curious as to why you hadn't been signed. Because Pete Carroll, he was doing press conferences and stuff saying like, oh, I think he was he was alluding to that you guys were in conversation, the door is still open. It doesn't sound like that was true at all.

Speaker 3

He said, the door was still open. It's like, can'tja love to have you back? You know, it's a big negotiating chess game.

Speaker 1

Ye.

Speaker 3

But but the only way that I would have came back was if the guys, if their plan didn't work right, they went to a new scheme and want to put new people into his Like, it's essentially the only way you're coming back is if this plan doesn't look good.

Speaker 1

Right, because every hang on there were a couple of young guys that they had drafted by now right, there's that first rounder, and then there was another guy, right, second rounder, a second rounder. Yeah, so they're planning for you know, you and wags. So like at some point, these guys like it's gonna start to decline. We gotta prepare for the future. Yeah, And so I just had this little glimpse of hope.

Speaker 3

And and when it came down to it, when it came when it came down to sign with the Raiders, I'll call Pete, I said, Pete, I got this offer on the table. I really don't want to leave. I don't want to leave. I don't want to stay in Seattle? Is there anything we could do? I take a lesser role. I understand you want to play Jordan, I'll come off the field.

Speaker 1

What what can we do? You're better than Seattle? You want you want to be there? Yeah? And he's like God, catch you know Pete, you know he's missing, Like God, this this, I hate this. Let me.

Speaker 3

I'm gonna talk to John the gym and I still if we can get something done?

Speaker 1

Yeah, would you have sign would you play for VET? Would you assign vat minimum at that point? At that point to stay in Seattle knowing that the rare should just offered you a contract. When you call Pete and you're like, hey, I'll do this, I'll do this, No, I wouldn't have you would enough. I wouldn't know if they would have to compete a little bit.

Speaker 3

If the Raiders offering me vetamnium minimum and the Seals offered me vetmentium, I would have left.

Speaker 1

You would have left Seattle? Yeah, on both VET minimum? Yeah?

Speaker 3

Why is that because my because my pride, my ego.

Speaker 1

But the Raiders had offered you, and you called Pete and said, hey man, they are what the Raiders offer you was like five, what's it? Five million? Up to five? Up to five?

Speaker 3

So the Raiders offer you up to five. You you choose to call Pete and say, is there anything we can do?

Speaker 1

But what are you looking for? When you say is there anything? Are you looking for that higher than the five? Or you wouldn't have if they offered you one for five, you wouldn't have stayed.

Speaker 3

I would have. I would have stayed in Seattle. But why if they're both veat minimum? Would you have left Seattle if they're both the same, because first of all, both offers our dog shit, I would have loved it.

Speaker 1

Dude, we got an elite linebacker on this motherfucker.

Speaker 3

He's just like But I wouldn't have to leave because my ego would have been like hej First of all, what you're gonna give Seattle is the miraculously you're going to be on the field a lot, and the leadership that I bring in that locker room, the presence that I bring. They would have gotten millions out of me. And so I'm not gonna give this organization another year of this. I'd rather just leave and start over and bless with another organization. What I bring to the table

so the hell would coming back for Vetmnium? I just leave and go do it somewhere else. I got you, And so, yeah, do you feel you're obviously very passionate. I fucking love it. It's juicing me up right now, dud.

Speaker 1

Do you feel like you feel established enough obviously to say those things? But you also know this, knowing how many of your teammates have you had your back? Because Bobby was out there probably every week saying something you get allude to the same passion that he had, like you're you're shining like through him. Yeah. Uh, do you feel kind of of that respect was all your teammates that you have in Seattle?

Speaker 3

I feel complete respect for my teammates, complete respect from the fans, and everybody had my back, Like I literally got tweeted every day from fans whys and kJ signed? They would take the Seahawks Toime kJ at Pete Carroll, what are we doing here? Whys and kJ sign bring them back? And that was literally all off season. And so I felt that love from the people because I gave the city everything I had. Yeah, I gave these

people every ounce in my body. And some stuff just doesn't make sense, like what organizational organization wise, like how and why do you let me leave the building when I'm willing to take a lesser role, when I'm willing to still give you all that I got?

Speaker 1

Like why? Right?

Speaker 3

It don't make sense to me, especially when I extend olive branch and saying can we work something out?

Speaker 1

So it was, you know, like ultimately ultimately you know, and I agree with you.

Speaker 3

I fucking agree with you, and uh, I think it's it's got to be the answer just has to be.

Speaker 1

It's above everybody else in that building, right or no, I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet. Like and I like Pete actually probably maybe wanted you back, maybe not, maybe not, but let's just say in this instance, like he might have, right, but like an owner of GM or somebody is just you know, the whole cut we got to go in this direction, the whole cutthrow

business part of it. Like it's like you know, with the Raiders, everybody knew that Gruden had fifty one percent and may I had forty nine, so Grew would kind of have the final say and stuff, and he had control of the roster. I don't know Pete's contracting situation, but maybe he was somebody who wanted you understood that whatever the GM was saying, and maybe it's like that's just the bullshit part of the business that happens, and

I get it. Ten years is a very long time. Oh, it's an anomaly, bro, Like the average career is three point three or something like that, three and a half years. We'll just say three years. The average career is three years. We're talking about guys bouncing around. It's crazy when you get to play out your full contract as a rookie with a team and then resigned to that team again, because if you play well enough, you're probably gonna go to the market, unless you're somebody who knows I'm gonna

sign before I get to the market. I'm going to take a hometown discount because I want to be here. Then you play how long was your second deal? Four years? Four years, another four years, and then you sign another two year deal after you and and Wag's established that you guys are the best duo in the league. Then you've resigned that two year deal. Then you get to the end of that two year deal and obviously, like you were saying, you signed that two year deal that

year after you had just ended getting hurt. That kind of plays another favor, always hurting. Now we can offer them, you know, a more of a lower amount. Got me, man, they got me. They got you all you you were you upset about the two year you signed or you just kind of had nothing else to do? Had I had?

Speaker 3

I didn't me tell you about that one that the first time I hit for agency. Nobody called me that time either after rookie at your rookie deal? Are you talking about four year deal? So I tore my knee, and but I thought my career was my crew was in jeopardy a c l No. Bro. I was warming up against the Vikings preseason, and I was just shuffling. I just fell a tweaking my knee.

Speaker 1

I'm like, what the hell was that? I played the game and I got named right the next day. Bro.

Speaker 3

It was a big, big piece of cartilage that was missing from the inside of my knee. It said, like, Kendy, you got to get surgery. So I'm bone on bone and this knee. And but what happened throughout the season was my knee kept swelling like I never it was. The thing was like fat as fat as ever and I played with that all year and then all the off season my knee was still swelling.

Speaker 1

Are you having to get like fluid removed all the time.

Speaker 3

Or again removed? Bro I did stem cells, I was doing Regena con PRP. Nothing was working.

Speaker 1

Damn.

Speaker 3

Then by the grace of God, like it finally came around and I was able to keep playing. Don't give me any problems now. So that's what happened. That's what happened. That their first ur agency, because everybody knew about my knee, and nobody called me that first time either.

Speaker 1

The first time, I meaning you just finished your eight years. I just finished yeah, yeah, yeah, going on your Nobody had called you, and then Seattle came in late and offered you know, was able to get you. It was a third day of fre agency. Oh, third day of free agency. I mean that's there's not nobody calls you for the first two days the way that called you. But you're still in the back half of the wave one. I was stressed. I was stressed.

Speaker 3

Why were you so stressed? Because I've never been in that position. I've never been in that position to where I feel like I wasn't a part of the team. I wasn't I'm free, right, And then I like, I saw the other guys getting signed, you know, their first two waiver period, guys can you know, sign verbally, and it was happening. You know, nobody was calling me, Yeah, how do you feel? Like, what do you feel?

Speaker 1

Like? Those those times of like uncertainty and anxiety was teaching you because I hear you say those things, and we're obviously way different careers, Like you've you know, you've had not to shoot on the boy's career. I've loved my career and I love my story, but I'm saying I haven't been in your shoes to where I'm feeling anxiety. Like nobody called me either, comp and I'm like, damn, how long was You're like day three and I'm like, fuck, what the fuck did I did? Yeah?

Speaker 3

Yeah we got different Yeah we got different anxiety. Yeah this we got like different anxiety.

Speaker 1

The first time I went through it through free agency, teams were inquiring right before that, the you know, free agency opened right like the Bengals and Bills and teams were inquiring, so you're like excited. So when nothing's happening and you see guys getting signed, You're like man, when's my time coming? But speak about those anxieties and what you learned in those times of like feeling shitty about yourself.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I just think that like those I believe that was the first time my adult life that I really experienced it from the standpoint of, like I couldn't sleep good at night, I was having like these headaches and like just like I was just just stressed all the time. And I believe that I had to find avenues to release that. I had to find avenues to release that, and for me, it was therapeutic for me. Was talking

to people. I talked to my mentor, Jonathan Rainey, I talked to my wife, I talked to you know, I talked to my friends, just getting it out there how I was feeling, and just you know, just being comforted by people. You know, that's you know, that's what God blesses some people, just to lean on them. And so for me, that was something that I had to tap into what's people around me so I could just keet that ship out of my system. Yeah, yeah, man, it

was not easy. No, how long have you been how long were you a free agent?

Speaker 1

How long was so I've had my first time after my five years was Washington. Washington started off free agency talking to my agent saying, hey, we have a deal on the table for Will. He's not gonna want to accepted, but just you know, let us know, keep us, keep us in the loop throughout free agency. That essentially meant and my agent was like, they're offering you a minimum deal and they're gonna wait and see what happens with you. And so the Bengals, the Bills, maybe Chicago inquired in

that during the first wave, but I wasn't. I My agent had already prepared me. He's like, hey, you're probably gonna be like a second wave guy blah blah blah here. So it's going to shake out and lets Washington has something for you that's above minimum to compete with. So I had to stay patient through that. And then Preston Brown. Do you remember Preston Brown? Linebacker? Yeah? Yeah, linebackers right, Oh, no,

you're thinking Zach Brown. Preston Brown and Zach Brown were both on the Bills and led the league, and like tackles, Preston went on to sign a big deal with Cincinnati, a bigger deal, like I want to say, it was like sixteen million dollars when Preston signed that deal with Cincinnati and left the Bills. Within that same hour, the Bills called. So when the Bills call, I flew out to the Bills and this is actually a crazy story. I go out to the Buffalo and I'm doing all

the MRIs and doing all this stuff. And it was like me and Kevin Minter out there and we're doing all of our MRIs and I had had like a spinal cord concussion. Sounds way worse than it actually is. Sounds way worse than it actually is, I swear, and you have like stinger issues, right, And so I was getna see spine MRI, and I got an MRI and they saw they found a white mass in my head, in my sarahbellum. Yes. And so when I got done with that MRI, I go back to the facility with Buffalo.

Like I'm meeting with the coach. I'm sitting there with the line Bayer coach. We're going over all the defenses. I met with a coach, Frasier, the decordinator. Awesome by the way, he seemed like he's a blast to play for it. But we're going over a lot of stuff like how you break down how I break down my notes to personnel each day? What am I breaking down starting throughout the week? He's taking me through all that stuff,

and I feel like I'm doing awesome. And so I'm sitting in the meeting with the Linebeyer coach and we're going over everything and watch your tape. They come in, the trainer comes in and goes, hey, can we borrow Will for a minute. So they take me over to the training room and they're like they got my MRI up on the board and they're like, do you do you see what we're Do you see what we're looking at right now? Do you see that white mask in the bottom of your head? And I was like, yeah,

like what is that? And they're like, like, you know you could tell he was like step on eggshells and he goes, you know, I'm you know, Will, we're not talking about we're not talking about playing football anymore. We're talking about your life. And I was like what And they're like, we don't necessarily know, Like you see how the lines around here on isn't defined and in circular and you can't like see a contrast here and there.

It's kind of like up in the air, like we think you could have a tumor, like a brain tumor. And I was like, you know, I kind of just sat there. The motion hadn't hit me yet or nothing like that, and not until I call my dad and was talking to him about it. But he's like, you know, we can treat you out here. We can have you go see our neurosurgeon out here, but we think you should you probably would want to be around family, Like when you're going through this, I'm thinking it's not hitting

me in the head. I'm just like, yeah, I mean, you know, whatever worse. I'm like, you really think it's that serious. He's like, I don't know, because I'm not a neuro a surgeon, but I can't identify what this is like I usually I usually have some kind of grasp and I'm like, fuck man, So I hit up Washington. Washington was phenomenal to me. The doctor, the lead doctor there, doctor West. I called her and she was like, oh,

right when you land, they flew me out. I shook the linebider Coach's hand and Buffalo and they're like, we gotta wait and see what happens, because it seemed like I was gonna walk out with some offer. Yeah, And they're like, we can't offer you. We got to see what happens with this, which I understood. I fled back

to Washington that night. I go in and get a brain amory, the one where they put the they put like the fluid or the contrast in the IV so it can show all the color and everything kind of light up and the MRI neurologists whatever that stuff's called. What's a radiologist a neuro radiologist. I go upstairs. As I'm going upstairs, and I'm on the phone with doctor West. She's kind of talking to me about OST. She's like, we don't know what it is, so like let's just

wait to see what it is, blah blah. I get off the phone with her, and then as I'm waiting to go upstairs to talk to this radiologist, the assistant comes, Hey, he's ready to talk to you. And I'm walking up there and I'm outside of this dude's door, the radiologist door. He's on the phone with doctor West. He's like, Yeah, I think we're looking at like a grade something like tumor. Like we're gonna have to probably get this removed immediately.

Speaker 3

As I'm walking in the room. Yeah, and he goes, hey, he's here, I'll call you back. He gets on, he gets off the phone.

Speaker 1

And I'm like, hey, Doc, what's something. And I was like, I don't want to make this awkward. I just heard what you said. Like, let's just I was like, let's just get right to it. And he goes, Will what you're looking at is he's you know a lot of verbiage of like a tumor and how it's cancers, and we would have we would need to get it removed and look at it in a lap to see how dangerous this could be for you. And I'm like, fuck man, I'm just kind of sitting there kind of like doing

what I'm doing now. I'm kind of just gazing, kind of like shaking my head. And he was like, you know, if if we had to remove this, like everything should go well, like it's nothing that where you're like life is in jeopardy. We just got to get it removed, so your life isn't in jeopardy and he goes, well, once we get it removed, you know, you could get what's called like some steel plate or something like that,

and you can probably be back. I was like, hey, doc, man, if I got something wrong with my brain and I gotta get it removed. And I got to put a fucking titanium and amantium plate in my fucking head. Like it's not worth going back to the Oklahoma drill right away, you know what I mean, I'll be done playing football. It's all good, Like we'll figure this out. Just tell me what I need to know, and it's it's all good man. And he's like, all right, well, when you

leave here, called doctor West. She'll talk to you about options. I called doctor West. She was like, let's wait until the neuro search and sees it tomorrow. We're sending it to all these people over in Europe, these people in the US blah, while they're taking good care of me. Doctor West was taking good care of me as far as like distributing the MRI everywhere. And he's like, he is a radio a radiologist, a neuro radiologist, so he doesn't fully know the answer.

Speaker 3

A neurosurgeon will. And so I'm basically up all night, as you can assume.

Speaker 1

And I was like, I told my dad, and I was like, don't tell mommy yet, because you know, I want to hurt all up in arms and everything else. I didn't tell my wife at the time, and the next morning the neurosearchon calls and he's like, well, I'm sure you've been stressing all stressing all night. This is not this is not a tumor. This is a cyst that I believe has been in your brain since birth, since you're young. He goes, when I look back to the old MRIs of your redskin days, I can see

the white mass in there. They just they must not have sought or caught it and obviously didn't bring into your attention. And because I had an MRI history obviously, and I was like, damn, it's kind of crazy that why they didn't, because you heard all this stuff that happened with Trent Williams and his brain and everything else his said, and so you're like, damn, how do they miss something like that? And he's like, it is it can be easy to miss. He's like, you know, he was,

I'm just a listened to it. I do. I am surprised that they missed it, but it is something that can be easily missed. And he goes, but I am very confident. He's like, obviously we can't look at your brain the way it was when you were little, he said, But this is something that could be pediatric, something that is in your head. We just got to monitor every six months and make sure it doesn't grow to like affect your balance and everything else. So that's my first

free agency story. A week later, not even a week, A couple of days go by, and that's when the Titans called, call my agent, Hey, what happened with Will out in Buffalo? And they like something had to be up because he didn't you know nothing, there's no there's no communication that's going on. There's no headlines about any rumors of him signing. And you know, Neil, he was just you know, being an agent, so I don't really know what all he was saying. He's like, well, we'd

like to fly him out here. I fly out here to Tennessee. I talk with them, we go over all the scans and everything else, and you know, Todd Torrissel, he was like, you know this, you'll be fine, Like we gotta hopefully you don't leave the building type of thing. And my agent call Buffalo, and Buffalo is like, based on what our doctors have been saying, we feel confident on where we're at, So we're not going to offer him anything. Just keep us in a loop if this

continues to go forward. They didn't offer me any more than like a minimum, I believe. But I had signed with the Titans and that was kind of my first That was like I was like a second wave beginning a third wave at that time. Then I had my one year with the Titans. When I'm on with the Titans, they draft for Shawn Evans in the first round and the spot that I'm competing with.

Speaker 3

So I already, like you were saying earlier, I already knew a time. I already knew a time.

Speaker 1

Well, he was gonna play, no matter how good of a preseason or training camp I had, or ots and none of that stuff. But and then the next year that was only one year deal. And then the next year is when we kind of started busting with the boys. I was kind of contemplating, like this might be it because I didn't get a chance to play at all, Like I didn't get a chance to put anything on tape as a linebacker. I was a backup and starter.

And you know, fortunately for like Rashawn and everybody else in my situation, you would need somebody to get hurt to get on the field, and nobody had gotten hurt that year. So the next year I knew that I wasn't gonna be like I was gonna be a vet minimum guy. It'd be somebody who were if the team knew of me, they already knew like what I was gonna bring to the table. So it was gonna be a one year minimum, and I was gonna skip OTA's in training camp and try to get on before week one.

That's when I went with the Saints. I goes just there for a couple of coffee. I caught it ankle sprain in the fourth preseason game. I got there forty eight hours before the third game played in. It played solid. They moved me up to one base and they were going to continue to knock the rust off of me so I could get ready for Week one. Because their starter head went down and then I heard my ankle, so I already figured they waived me on an injury settlement.

I got that taken care of, and then that's when I signed with the Raiders in nineteen. Finished out that year, got to play some games. I was on the Titans, and then back to the Raiders Spass year. So after that first year of free agency, I kind of already knew where I would be labeled or what bucket I would be. And the only time I figured I might be able to get something is after I played for

the Raiders. But then that COVID year hit, and it seems like it messed up a lot of free agency, not that I would have got had a lot of money or anything about it. Like, if there's a chance for me to not make minimum, this would be a one year case where I would probably That's when I came.

Speaker 3

I came out of Kobe year, and the salary trunk which steals baffled me to this day because you remember when they announced the sealer cap went down. There announced a big TV deal right that the NFL is going up, So it's like, how does the salary cap go down but money more money comes about.

Speaker 1

And that's when we were negotiating as players against the league, our new CBA. What did you vote? I voted. I voted against going into like a lockout. I wanted us not to sign into the deal. Yeah, okay, yeah you want to know, Yes, good, I didn't want Yeah, we're at the UH we're at the thing and and Shurm's talking and you've been around Sherm a lot. Were you at that same Were you at the names of Miami.

Speaker 3

Yeah, that's right when COVID happened, Like they was going on. The owners gave us a deadline during right after our meeting.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and COVID ultimately happened and kind of played it like just there's a lot of fear mongering going on. And I'm sitting there trying to tell Sherm because Sharm's arguing the same thing for us, but we're like fifty to fifty with the players, and it's like, Bro, we're arguing about the dumbes shit. They're creating this deadline just to make it seem like we got to make a decision right now. And Bro, what they were doing.

Speaker 3

You saw like the narratives that like they were putting out there, like oh, there will be.

Speaker 1

No more marijuana, no more marijuana.

Speaker 3

Testing or failures, and guys would get more money. It was like the Nier thousand.

Speaker 1

They were saying, we will give guys one hundred thousand dollars and you know the majority of the NFL, those guys who are in that three year average range. Young guys who are not around long. They're gonna take that one hundred thousand dollars because I think that's what we need this.

Speaker 3

And then what they fail to realize they're adding an extra game, They're adding extra playoff team. Like, guys don't realize like the amount of volume that's going to be taken, like charis are going to be even more shortened because we're adding more more stuff to our to our bodies and so bro, like guys like everybody signed yes.

Speaker 1

And you said really barely was it? It was like, do you guys remember I Bro?

Speaker 3

It was like.

Speaker 1

It was close. It was like some guys didn't vote, so yeah, a lot of guys that yeah, some guys didn't vote, which is a big, a nice handful. But it was like, I want to say, maybe three hundred votes or I might be budgeting. It was that close. But it was that close. Have fun over those in the NFLPA rooms. To me, not a lot was getting done now. It wanted to get done, but we have a lot. We have a lot of player like yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 3

So many voices, it's like so many opinions, this guy's think this. There's so many guys making you know, fifteen plus million dollars, then you got the guys making a million dollars, just like this is how I feel, but this is what this is how you should feel. And it's it's like it's just a lot of guys, a lot of guys trying to talk in the big room.

Speaker 1

Then you break up in the my crow rooms, and that's where that's where, like, if I had something to say, I will wait till micro room, because in the big rooms, like everyone's trying to peacock a little bit. Some guys are talking to their own personal matters, Like some dudes are wanting to call out people that are on the board because hey, that was wild too that all was

going down. But some people want to call out dudes on the board and check them and kind of look like, you know, I remember when Pouncey was calling.

Speaker 3

Out uh Don Davis, Ye, Don Davis. But there's just a lot of likes. It's hard to just dive into.

Speaker 1

I don't really remember what he'll say because a lot of stuff's moving so fast. But I remember sitting back being like this is so fucking stupid because we're not talking about actual matters that we need to be talking about, Like to me, Saran would say a lot of good stuff, and Sheran would be somebody I would try and like introduce myself to and talk to around in the hallways because he's like he's like he's very rational, Like he's a very smart dude. He's like in the agents and

negotiates his own deals. I don't know how great it actually is for him compared to what an age would do, but he's a very smart cat who talks calmly, tries not to yell, and a lot of guys are in there trying to fucking stand up and yell, and it's just like so dumb. And then my ass, we're in the micro stuff on my boys, we gotta storm the

fucking beach man. We gotta hold off because we got long snappers or guys are on practice squad that are there, not that they shouldn't be there, because I was a peace squad guy and I was somebody who rallied for like, you know, we got to make sure practice squad years can count for guys eventually, but they were like peace squad guys are was like, man, I'm gonna vote, I'm gonna vote. Agreed, to the deal because man, I need a job, and it's like, Bro, it's way bigger that.

It's bigger than you, Bro, bigger than that. And but every every every CBA, like I hear the same stories.

Speaker 3

There's just so many voices, so many opinions, and it's just we just end up falling for it and the owners end up winning every time.

Speaker 1

To me, the issue is when we have our NFLPA meetings during the season, guys don't necessarily care to be there because it's after practice. The NFLPA reps are there, they're going through stuff. A lot of guys don't give a shit. They want to know about their mad In check, the document. Yeah, are we gonna get our ten thousand dollars matt In check or something like that. And guys are ready because you've had a long day at the office all day long. It's probably like five PM, and

guys are like ready to go. And it's usually, you know, you have those I don't know how often they are, but I know usually by the time you have them and they're important, it's dark outside by five pm, so it's later in the year and guys are just ready to go, and then all of a sudden, we have our PA meetings, which I think all guys need to go to because there's a lot of good information there

and you ask questions. You get in these micro groups, but all of a sudden, everyone cares when you go to the meeting.

Speaker 3

Yeah, and it's just like the wild wild West when everybody gets in those rooms.

Speaker 1

I think it's good learning. And we're talking about this one specific situation because there's a deadline. Let's just say we're all meeting there on March tenth, and say the deadline is March thirteenth. So votes are happening as we are in meeting room, and there were already like fifty percent of the votes were already had happened before we're doing the NFLPA meetings, and so there's a lot of

stuff that can get huge. There's a couple of young guys that are saying there with me that hey, comp I fucked up, man, Like I'll vote my vote bak.

Speaker 3

A lot of guys wanted to take their vote back, a lot of yes, a lot of guys wanted to redo their vote.

Speaker 1

But it's because the owners, which is it is what it is. There's thirty two owners and there's you know, over one thousand, two thousand players, right, and the owners are billionaires. There are people who understand negotiating. They're understand people. They will understand leverage to the to the most elite level. And we don't like players, don't. We don't at all. We're players. We think we know.

Speaker 3

And once you get talking lockout and there won't be a season, guys start getting a little shaky, like oh fuck, like what's the line where I signed? And so they know like guys are on you know, minimum contracts, So guys need their jobs, right, and so they understand the power of patients.

Speaker 1

Right, and the coaches already established during this time, coaches are kind of, hey, if you guys don't show up, you feed into those young guys or depth players that might not have a job. Right. So it's like, hey, if so and so showing up, you know we're gonna roll with whoever does come. And so young guys who are coming in the league, like I would probably say my rookie year, second year self, I'm like, man, I want to be in the league. You're like, you don't

know what to do? Do I listen to a vet like kJ My coach is kind of in my ear saying you know, if you're not here, that's not a good look for you. And you're like, it's my career about to be over with if I don't show up and I get with these guys, because if I go with the fellas, if I go with the boys, and my job might be gone. Like am I taking care

of that? Answer ultimately is like no. So it's just I am pro player, and like the scope of it is big, and it's like there will be Like I remember when I was saying the whole you know, we need to storm the beach and stuff like that, and somebody, some kid was like, you know, we got certain jobs. I was like, bro, there will be casualties, but that but that's the truth. That is the truth. So like that's just like, bro, there there there's gonna be sacrifice had like and no, and.

Speaker 3

Who and who's willing to say I don't want to be that guy, right exactly, and so willing to do that right And I don't.

Speaker 1

Mind that dude saying that. I understand that's history and everything else. It's just these are the facts or what's gonna happen if we go throughout and do this. I was about it because I'm in the back end and everything else, So I have my own version. You said that the owners always win. Where do you think have there been where the players have one?

Speaker 3

Yes, Well, let's let's understand, like we're we're winning too. We're winning too, And it's just the sense of like the revenue split, Like the revenue split to my my not fifty one forty nine. I person believe we should be fifty fifty partners, Like why are we not fifty fifty partners? And obviously the salary, the salary goes up every year. We winning in that sense, and we won with with the like the padded prices. Like remember back in the day, it was like two days, three days banging.

I wasn't there then, but I heard stories. And so we're winning. But I believe that we can get so much more power. Like the franchise tag. I believe that just needs to get rid of that because it's the press is the market, if that makes sense, Like it's a press the market. Get rid of the franchise tag, and there's some other things that we can win at. So I feel like we're equal, you know, on the same plan field as owners.

Speaker 1

Or at least do away with the other tags that come after the franchise tag, Like there's a transitional tag, there's like you can be tagged what a couple of times.

Speaker 3

Even for like the undrafted free agents. The what's the thing when they get with the draft, when they get tender you, Oh, yeah, I was, yeah, I was a restricted free agent. Brother, I don't even understand why the tender exists. Can you slain the tender? Like it's like, oh, for undrafted guys.

Speaker 1

Yeah, So when I was undrafted, you sign a one year or a three year deal. You don't sign a four year like all the other rookies. To get to free agency, you need four seasons. You need four seasons under your belt to get the free agency. So when your deal is up as a like an undrafted guy, it's only three years. So that fourth year they have the ability to restrict you in so you're gonna be

a free agent. But you're a restricted free agent. Now what happens is you either get labeled first round tender, a second round tender, or a low round tender a first round tender. The money's obviously higher. And if I first round tender, kJ Wright and I'm the raiders. I would have to come correct with at least a first round draft pick to trade to negotiate and get you. If it's a second round, I need to have at least a second round pick to negotiate with kJ. I

believe that's what it is. It's something like that. A low round goes on the round you were drafted, so I got low round tender, so I'm go unadrafted. I can be negotiating with other teams, but the team has the right of first refusal and they got to give up that draft pick to get you, right, they have to give up something to get you, so they kind of lock you in. Now, what sucked for me is all on Peace Squad for the first year, so even though it counts as a credited season, it's not an

accrude season. The difference is accredited season is three games and an accrude season is eight or seven on a crude season is seven or eight games, Alex to look that up, Like, well, we continue to talk about it, but when I was a Peace Squad player, my first year gets counted as a credited year towards benefits, but it doesn't get counted as an accrude season. Towards free agency. So by the time my contract was up with the

Redskins that was three years. Only two were accrued. The third one was credited because my I was practice squad. So my fourth year was an exclusive rights free agent, meaning no one gets to deal with you, and they get to offer you, and I essentially have to accept whatever they offer. So it's a one year minimum. So they gave me a one year minimum. You know the social media all we signed will con to. Everybody was like yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's like, bro, it's like

a one year six deal. And at this point, I think I had just started my ten games. The next year, I was captain and starters. So I'm playing on a one year, six hundred thousand dollars deal. Once exclusive rights is up. That's my third recruit season. Now, going into my fifth year, I'm a restricted free agent. You're not even unrestricted, not even unrestricted yet. I got to go through exclusive, so then restricted, and then I get to unrestricted. There it goes. So then I was restricted, they low

round tender me. I play out that year and then I was unrestricted. You're getting older and at that point, but I had my unrestricted free agency I was like twenty seven. I believe when I came to the tight it's twenty seven to twenty eight years old. I was turning twenty something like that, but still still doing it man, at a high level. Yeah, they were trying to hold me back, right, got to get your albums out to right, right.

And then coming into the league at twenty three, I was like a fifth year senior coming into the league, like an older guy anyway, coming into the league. So yeah, but they get all the mears on you.

Speaker 3

Then we signed, we signed ten year contracts. I still understand why the hill is so long. That's so man, we got we got a lot of work to do, and we came. We've came a long way. Like you imagine where they were like back in the day, Like they couldn't even hit free agency like back in the day, like the teams had your rights your whole career. So we definitely made progress over the years, but we can still we can still do way more.

Speaker 1

Yeah, we've we have came a long way, definitely not neglecting that. But there are a lot of things like the last CBA, we screwed ourselves because we wanted the vet players to we raise the level of the minimum for them, which in turn we thought was better, but it kind of fucked that middle You had the you had the guys just on the big deals, and then that middle class, uh was getting very squeezed because it

wasn't forced out the league. Right, you get forced out the league because you can just get a young guy if I'm a little bit better than a young guy. Let's say Jack comes in the league as a draft pick, as a seventh round pick, right, or you have a seventh round pick, my bad, no disrespect, brother, you have a draft pick.

Speaker 3

Right that you can use, And I'm a one year I'm now a veteran, so you have to me a VET minimum, which we all get now.

Speaker 1

So my one year VET minimum this year is like one year close to a million dollars nine hundred and some thousand. So if I know I'm gonna be a one year VET, the coaches might love me. They know what I bring to the table, the leadership, all the intangible stuff. Right. But if you're a GM and you're the guy who gets to pick in the draft and build your team for the future, I know you all love Will and he might be a little bit better

than this low round pick. But this low round pick is going to be four hundred thousand dollars four five hundred thousand dollars. So all that matters is I'm showing the owner the bottom line and we might take a little dip in him as a player. But if Will's not going to be a starter, he's going to be a death player. We can get a rookie. Yeah, we can get a rookie. You play special teams and it's on you guys to develop him. You guys can't develop him. You know, I'm gonna cover my ass and you guys

will probably get fired. But that's ultimately how that shit works too.

Speaker 3

Yeah, which is nuts and so and what they did also was they gave a lot of the money to the quarterbacks. We thought in this new deal like always gonna help out the vets. They just gave all this shit to the quarterback, right, those top positions that you need, they just they just paid them in their markets. They markets really increase. So with the middle guys, it was a beast. And so if you win, like the elite of the league, right, and.

Speaker 1

Quarterbacks are in a category of their own because they negotiate kind of percentages of like what the cap can be, right, mm hmm, So, like I know kirk, Kirk was trying to change the narrative of being like getting guaranteed deals taking less of the top end the show. Hey, we can get guaranteed deals, full guaranteed, fully guaranteed, but you need guys to guys like, why don't we have guarantee contracts. It's like it's not in the NBA's CBA to have

guaranteed contracts. The players just set that standard. So you need guys. Say you get an offered to do five years one hundred million dollars, but eighty of it's guaranteed, you would have to be willing to go like four years sixty million dollars fully guaranteed, guaranteed. The guys want that extra boost to get up to one hundred, Which you can't hate them because we're all playing the selfish

game anyway. But if we're truly wanting the greater good for what the players are gonna do, those are the standards you kind of have to set. Not too many people got their mindset. Not too many people got that mindset. Probably nobody got that mindset.

Speaker 3

Like it's like in this league man, like this, our window is so short, and it's like not too many guys that willn't be that sacrificial lamp because I gotta I gotta get it.

Speaker 1

I got a family to feed, right, and so I get it.

Speaker 3

But if we really want to see true change, like guys gotta be able to do certain stuff like that.

Speaker 1

Be out in front. But right, but that kind of plays against us in the same breath, because that is why we don't necessarily get up to the guaranteed contracts, because we are a injury rate, like we are the most injured physical, violent sport. So that does play against us, like a baseball player and everything else. You kind of it's kind of you understand the layout of somebody's future. Yeah, I'm not sure what happened to Earl.

Speaker 3

Well, most guys with Earl, like most guys don't want to go into that last year of their deal, Like y'alls want to get paid beforehand. So you got that, you know, you got that that security, and so Earl, the Seahawks didn't pay Earl, you know, going to this last year and so during his contract year that's when he that's when he got hurt.

Speaker 1

And so sorry, it's the business. We won.

Speaker 3

Essentially we won. And yeah, that's when he went to the Ravens after that. And so if you can man get that deal done, but mostly guys don't got that kind of power, like, oh, I'm going to get this done, like only a select few can actually do that.

Speaker 1

And so he was pissed. But that's the risk of betting or yourself if you don't get it done. If you get it done early, if Earl would have done it early, you're taking that hometown discount no matter what happens, because you're not going to the market, do you know what I'm saying? Yes and no.

Speaker 3

For example, what Bobby did Bobby Bobby signed a year before. Bobby reset the market.

Speaker 1

Right because he is the he's like, yeah, the best linebacker in the league. He gets to reset the market. But on the other end of the table, they have a better grasp of knowing where that market could be.

Speaker 3

If he would have waited to get to Old Yeah, because after Bobby signed, then the Fred Warners came and the Darius Leonards.

Speaker 1

Yeah yeah, but this was the legion of boom era, which you can talk about. But there's so many guys like I'm sure. He was in the middle of a deal.

Speaker 3

You got Bobby Wagner under contract, you got Sure, you got Cam, you got all these dudes.

Speaker 1

You I mean yeah, this yeah, this was later. This was later that. There may have been Earl's eighth year. It was like later on.

Speaker 3

It wasn't his first go round. Yeah, his first go round. I believe he got paid a year before. And all good things come to an end. Things can't have the kJ right on his rookie deal forever. You can't have all these guys on their deals, because it's not for everybody to get paid and get what they're worth and their value.

Speaker 1

But talk about your legion of dude, I don't even know what specifically we can talk about how you guys should have handled the ball to Marshall.

Speaker 3

Lynch Man, I was surrounded by some freaking superstars, but I did I didn't even realize, like these my boys, like you know, Cam, you know, these the homies, like we came.

Speaker 1

In here together. But when you like look at it, like we were like the Beatles.

Speaker 3

Saying that, and it's like when we stepped on the field, it's like you could like lowk you see, like guys who like intimidated to play against US. Guys knew, like y'all don't, they don't stand a chance. And I was just surrounded by greatness, just surrounded by greatness, and we just kicked ass for a solid five years.

Speaker 1

Who was your UH coordinator of the majority of those years? Mm hmm.

Speaker 3

Gus was the first two, but Dan Quinn was is Dan? Does he have a similar style as Gus?

Speaker 1

Same thing? Your over covered three, they're the same style. Oh, coach O. It was good that you guys were able to pick up where you left off and being able to speak on that like this. The simplicity of being able to have few calls, but at the same time there's a lot of different wrinkles and you go tendency to Tennessee weekend and week out. I think that's what sets that defense US Bradley and those kind of methods apart, because you're able to be an offensive coordinator while you're playing.

Because you don't know you're gonna play aertain amount of calls.

Speaker 3

You get to jiggy rig your defense based off what the offense is doing. So you don't got to like, oh, this year, this week, we're going palms, next week, going quarters, we go run cover three. But to what they do, We're gonna just something. I need the buzzer to do this. I need the hook player to play it like this. And so yeah, man, we had a good ass time. Bro, you guys were so good.

Speaker 1

Man.

Speaker 3

We had a good time, man. And it's like the crazy part about all of it is like it went.

Speaker 1

By way too fast.

Speaker 3

Like I thought I was gonna play with like these guys my whole career, Like we came in together, We're gonna go out together.

Speaker 1

How long did you guys get to play together? God left differently.

Speaker 3

Yeah, yeah, Cliff had injured his neck, Cam injured his neck, shar him towards Achilles Earl broke his leg.

Speaker 1

I left. It all happened like boom boom, boom boom. That's the fucking realization of this league. Yeah, injuries and yeah, leaving at different times. And I vividly remember watching the game the game you guys, because I want to ask about how tight you guys all actually were. It seems like you guys were all super close by the time, Like I forget who made a mistake, but something happened and you everyone's jumping around that dude brothers the Falcons game. Yeah,

got mad? I think so? Yeah? I mean what was playing the Falcons?

Speaker 3

And all week we went over this concept like they're about to do this play here, we hear the play call, the formation comes and tight ends went up the same as white ass hoping and can'd.

Speaker 1

You get mad thinking about it? White ass open man?

Speaker 3

We get on the sideline and he was mad, like what are we mad about? Like we practiced. We practiced this all week and we were just like Cam got a hold of Shir and Bobby got over there and we was just jumping and jumping and jumping, and like this just shows the power of like how much we love each other when we could take you know, one of our boys that's just pissed off and like make everything cool and we end up winning the game.

Speaker 1

Damn. Yeah, that was super dope to see. Were you guys all that tight? Yes?

Speaker 3

It was like watch film together at linebacker night together, had deepensive night together, and like eventually we started having families, like everybody's having kids around the same time with each other's weddings, and so it was like super cool to see like like minded dudes that loved each other play together like I believe that's what makes like a special like units like actually loved Bobby, and I'm like, I'm playing for this dude.

Speaker 1

I'm playing for his family, And if.

Speaker 3

I fuck up, I feel bad that I'm letting him down because he puts so much work into it. If I if I blow a coverage, I know they can like me, like like you better than that. And I don't want to let my boys down. And so that was the power of what we had. And like I said, man, it went by way too fast, by way too fast. Yeah, no, that is uh, it's like a rare thing.

Speaker 1

You guys got to be part of, like a rare thing, especially in the NFL because of all the turnover and everybody coming in and out, like being able to stick together and have like a college high school ish typemaraderie of playing at the highest level. Yeah. Then Pete like structured it.

Speaker 3

He was like, dude, is super cool, like playing music at every practice, We shoot hoops every every meeting, were shooting hoops, like having competition like we had like n CUAA tournaments like in like OTAs and stuff, and so like the structure that he created for us to like be ourselves to be cool to talk shit, you know, had little sculfus that practice and you know, let it go on a little longer than.

Speaker 1

It should, Like he did stuff like that, And so what was that like when y'all lost or when you guys had losing patches or rough patches because a lot of things, you know, you'll see coaches come in and if the coach is bad, take the ping pong tables out, take this out, like there's having too much fun, Like it's not supposed to be this way type of thing. Like what was it like when you guys were going through rough patches?

Speaker 3

Not only the good it would get tight, but the course stayed the same, like we were still who we would still do whatever, but shit got tightened up and you could feel the tension like like, no, we one game is too much? Two games is you know, unheard of losing two games and what was unheard of? And so like we would still have our fun, but we tightened it up the way that it should have been in order to get back on track.

Speaker 1

That's awesome. Let's uh, let's just hit on it. The Super Bowl Marshall Lynch, Yeah, passing the ball interception? Yeah, what was that emotion, and like said, I've witnessed your emotion a little bit being in the Chargers game and giving up that ship at the end. What was that emotional? It's funny, what was that emotion? Like when y'all are right fucking there first.

Speaker 3

Preplay attitude, I was screaming, why are we in shotgun?

Speaker 1

Oh? So you guys weren't even so Like I'm sure you were thinking, oh, we're winning this fucking game, but you were. You were upset just by saying shotgun, screaming why are we in shotgun? And because we was, we was right there second down, I believe, like while the helloween shotgun and then the boss gets snapped and it's just so unreal. Just like if we do that play a hundred times, we executed ninety seven times. It's a pick play pick the guy run the slant, you should

be wide open. But how Malcolm did that is it's like a Superman play. It's like the honk the dudes, like the hunk on the player. He literally ran through it happened to catch it.

Speaker 3

That's nothing but God. That's nothing but God. Bro, that wasn't him. There's nothing but God. And just just to go on that locker room like it was Boohoo crying. I never cried in the NFL career. Was boo crying? Like how did this happen? I should be back to back champion right now?

Speaker 1

I know, because y'all beat the hell out of who was the year before? It was really being the Patriots? What was being the Patriots?

Speaker 3

But like two touchdowns and the third quarter, I believe maybe the fourth quarter.

Speaker 1

You know, terrific Tom comes comes through, talk about who lady too? Great? Yeah, that's a good point, Tom Brady.

Speaker 3

I knew it was going in the Broncos game with Brady, it was just like they don't run like a traditional style offense.

Speaker 1

It's like they kind of do like they adapt every week, adapt every week. And with the runner back, I forget the running back they had.

Speaker 3

They threw to him a lot that game and obviously got drunk and Edelman and there's just so much stuff that they can do. And I knew this was gonna be a battle facing those dudes. And I knew that on defense they had some dogs on defense too, Chanla Jones, Darrell Reeves was over there, Brandon Browner, So I like, okay, our offense, you know they got their hands for too, and so I knew the Patrins games will be its gonna be tough.

Speaker 1

Did you guys just know you're gonna beat the Broncos? Because like Manning was just kind of.

Speaker 3

Just watch the film you could tell like yeah about way and it was watching the Broncos it was really bad defense. It was gonna see some really bad defenses that year. Like what the who are they playing? And so we knew that they saw a defense that that wasn't even close to ours, you know what I mean? Yeah, And so we knew that when we stepped on the field, like with all due respect.

Speaker 1

Respect man, this this is not gonna be closed. Let's touch on a little bit about your first year coming into the league, because when I was looking at looking over stuff, I remember loafing to Tupou. My god, he didn't uh he got released? Was it year rookie year? Right? Yeah? It was like during training camp, training camp, and then also you're playing a couple of different positions they put

you in, Mike. Also, Aaron Curry was on that team, somebody who he was a first rounder coming out of Wake for somebody who was supposed to be like you know, like a Pete Willis type thing.

Speaker 3

Yeah, he might have been before pe Willis. I can't remember. No, he was after pet Willis. Right, what was explain your rookie year. I came in during the lockout year, So I came in no OTAs and I was just chilling at home. Then the A deal gets signed, Hey, get your ass up here tomorrow.

Speaker 1

I'm like what?

Speaker 3

And so I had to literally pack all myself and go to Seattle like the next day. So that's the whole whirlwind in itself. And then I came in the way that I earned my starring spot was David Hawthorne had got hurt during training camp. They put me at Mike Backer, right, So I did pretty good. Then Hawthorne came back, and you know then Curry, you know he you know, that's my guy.

Speaker 1

I love Curry.

Speaker 3

Yeah, but he was he wasn't playing to what the coaches was looking for. But then they put me at the Sam spot and yeah, I just never looked back ever since then. The place sam my first two years and they moved me to Will.

Speaker 1

Did you have anxieties your rookie year at all? You know, similar different style that you did in the free agency world, because coming in as a rookie, especially with the you know, a roster that you guys, the backers that were in the room, did you have any anxieties going to that first year. No, Rookie was cool, Rookie was smooth. It was just the whole fact of life. It was just a whole fact of leaving home. What is that I said? Good for you, man, good for you.

Speaker 3

It was just the whole pact of like leaving home with I've been in Mississippi my whole life. I remember leaving the airport like I was literally in tears, like I was like, damn, I'm really about to leave. And but but I came in and you know, I did pretty good. And hat soft to Norton because he like everyone for Norton, I probably wouldn't be centered talking to you today.

Speaker 1

He had a big name around that time, not that he doesn't have a big name anymore, but coming out of like USC and having those start nuds on that USC team, being with you all, like I'm sure it's a lot of fun, like learning underneath him and you know him.

Speaker 3

He put he had put like these like shackles on my feet, like these because they said I got these long legs, so like my feel all over the place. So he put these things on my ankles to practice in and do walk them in like keep my legs tight. So yeah, it was crazy, like dudes making fun of me every day like why the hell you got them things on your ankles? And so he put these things on my feet to where I couldn't. I was like,

right here, I couldn't overextend. So just looks uff like that that he did for me, like life, life changed for me.

Speaker 1

That reminds me. So when I got to the Raiders and I was like, uh, you know, what's our linebacker coach? Like Coach Smith, Like, what's our linebacker coach? Like like, oh, you know, you'll see he coaches hard. You get he does. He coaches hard does to stop coaching. But you had mentioned that there was a time during the year where you doubted your own ability, and hearing that from you, like, I know you're telling me, you're thinking, I'm like, oh damn,

that's crazy. But in my brain what's actually going on, It's like, what the fuck is this? You talking about? Your kJ Wright type of thing? You know what I mean. I'm like, bro, you're you're kJ right, like you're a beast? Like, how how is that kind of stuff going through your head? Bro?

Speaker 3

I my confidence was shot throughout the season. Is that because of the free agency stuff?

Speaker 1

Oh? Bro? It's because how's the top one hundred? Now? Bro?

Speaker 3

It's because how Like when I was playing like Coach Smith, he's so detailed, like every little thing you do like he sees and it was like, kids, you gotta do this, cause you gotta do that. You're not doing this, You're not doing that. I'm like, damn, like what am I doing?

Speaker 1

Good? If I didn't have Denzel last year, like I would have lost.

Speaker 3

My mind because Denzel had placed in sales used to coach face like kJ you know, you know Denzel is he's so funny, like like you you a fucking doll. You bother it like you kJ Wright like chill, And I was like I just had to learn to like process and co you know, like how what is he saying? And I need to put in my brain how to interpret it versus like being so critical of myself. Yeah, I know I'm a badass. And if I let en if I let this get to me, then I'm just

gonna keep going this Downard Spiral. I told you that, I told you I was lost confidence. Yeah, that's I was only told Denzel that. Yeah you know you No, Yeah that's what that's what you were telling me. I thought it was wild too.

Speaker 1

I was just kind of asking about him and everything else, and uh, bro, you fucking I like, I'm listening to you talk like you just you fucking love playing linebacker.

Speaker 3

Yeah, but I got a strong passion for like I put like my whole adult lifelood into my craft.

Speaker 1

Absolutely, there's no question, because the the the idea of all this anxiety getting to you in times where it ultimately works out, especially like when you know you're a badass and being so inside of the box of him coaching you in minor details that you weren't at the moment until you're like talking with people and actually thinking through it. But to be able to kind of just zoom out for a second be like, oh it's all good, Yeah,

you know what I mean. Like when besides, you would coach me hard, especially and he like, you know, make fun of me or something, or you put that on your radio show or whatever in the case, like you know, I'm just like, I know it's gonna be straight.

Speaker 3

Maybe that's maybe that's why you are as great as you are. Like every year, like cut time, I was like I wasn't at ease. I was never at ease during cut time. And I always felt like somebody, like anybody, fourth fifth round, like somebody's gonna come and like take my spot. So I like had this like intensity and detailed about myself, like I gotta be on my shit all the time or else like you, no, I'll get

my spot taken right. So I just had this detailed demeanor about myself to like I got to be on point. That's just how I carried myself.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Yeah, because I'm just sitting there. Damn I'm hearing Coach Smith's right now talking about your long legs and yeah, get your feet tighter, and it's just like, bro, he's a monster. How are you expecting to get his feet moving? Like didn say, like themselves way different yea, And I told called Smith out the season.

Speaker 3

I was like, man, thank you, because like you, I experienced something with you that I've never ever experienced in my NFL career, Like you pushed me to a point to where like I've never been I've never been pushed before like what like with details, like with just my stance, like my eyes, like any little falls step you take, he's on it.

Speaker 1

And so I just like.

Speaker 3

I just not live up to what he wanted. But like I had to like play a certain style. So like you know, I guess appease my coach or like be like coach, this is how it should be done.

Speaker 1

Boom, you got it, or not get too much outside of yourself since you've had like a decade career and you know, how can get older, players can get a little more loose with their techniques and their details and everything like that. So he tied it up for me. So I want to read, Uh, I want to read some stuff that people were saying about you, and I heard that you're somebody who loves helping people. He wants

to share his knowledge with all the young guys. He's truly somebody that wants to see everybody succeed and piggybacking on that being around you knowing that, Uh you know when I got in there and we go in obviously before we got whoop by KC. But you're like, hey, we do this. Uh, we go out as linebackers and do drills and stuff like that. It's like, Okay, you go out with them and he's like leading drills and everything else on Tuesdays? Was it Tuesdays with Diablo? Mind?

Diablo Rookie, you're sitting in me, You're sitting in just YouTube one on one meetings and you're going over stuff with him. So I've gotten a witness like who you are, not only as a player, but you're somebody that besot you would stand up after practice. Yeah. I hate when he did that too. I know you did. I could tell you. I'm like bro sing my name. Yeah, you know when players being like here he goes with kJ. Yeah, yeah,

we know Kj's abes. But I definitely think it speaks to who you are because you're not a loud, vocal guy, kind of like soft spoken. You're not like a big raw row guy. You are when you have to be. But why it's giving back to the younger guy so important to you and you know, how have you kind of built this reputation? How do you feel about this reputation that you have with everybody when they say things like that.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I mean for me, it always it always pisses me off, Like seeing like vets like, oh, he's not my responsibility, you know, don't I don't gotta help help a.

Speaker 1

Rookie out to me. To me, that's to me, that's bullshit.

Speaker 3

Like somebody helped me when I was a rookie to where I was, and it's like it's kind of like the circle of life. It's kind of like a brotherhood, like like we in this thing together and somebody gave it to me. So it's my responsibility to give back to somebody else. And I believe like when you when you give, like you end up receiving more on the back end. And so I see that teaching that.

Speaker 1

Was yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3

I saw a lot of quarterbacks say like, oh this, you know this quarterbacks coming in it's not my job to help them get better.

Speaker 1

You know. That's like what is that?

Speaker 3

And so you know, this has always been my style on and off the field, just help people get to, you know, where I am.

Speaker 1

Was it ever harder for you to do knowing you were in the back seat with the Raiders compared to being somebody who's the starter and the man the whole time? It took me a while to get there.

Speaker 3

It took me a while once I once I found my groove and like came to the Raiders, I came in a week one, so I had to build a relationship with the guys.

Speaker 1

Show guys I could still play.

Speaker 3

And once I got settled in, I'm like, okay, now I can start being the kJ that I need to be. And you wasn't there? Were you there when I talked to the team before the Browns came.

Speaker 1

Late in the year.

Speaker 3

You know, when I gave that speech to the Browns, I don't think you were there. So yeah, so yeah, the Browns game, Browns game, No, that was the time I left. Yeah, oh yeah, I gave a speech the week before the day of the Browns game, just just telling the fellows, you know what it is and like playoff football, December football, this style should look and bro we went on a four game winning streak and so yeah,

you know, I got a lot to give. And when I do speak, you know, people listen, people listen.

Speaker 1

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week one. You were there when all the Gruden stuff went down. You were there when all the headlines came out with rugs with who's the cornerbacks name Arnett Arnett the corner on Instagram with the guns. Well, I was there when Hobbs got the dui. But all these things are happening throughout the year. Speak on the year, because you're not somebody who's been invested in the Raiders. You're on a one year deal. You just were there this year. Speak on the year of the Vegas Raiders being there

the entirety of the year. It was a it was a roller coaster, bro. It was a real roller coaster, like Bro.

Speaker 3

For us to like pull out ten wins with all this stuff we went through, pretty damn impressive.

Speaker 1

Absolutely, pretty damn impressive That this kind of year will be talked about. I think it'll be an example for interim head coaches, like it's at you to me is the bar. I'm surprised you didn't get hired same. I think we're I think we're all surprised, but also there's in a way of you that's not surprised understanding the you know, the high ups.

Speaker 3

Yeah, but my thing is like if you're a higher up, like the players make the team go, and if the players are connected with the coach.

Speaker 1

The ship, the ship should flow.

Speaker 3

Absolutely, Like you gotta literally start over, like building relationships and that stuff takes time, right, that stuff takes time.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I agree, man, I think we were all That's why I would say, you know, when we were playing at the end of the year, like guys not only want to win and getting the layoffs for each other and like you know, these opportunities don't come often, but also people wanted to see besides you.

Speaker 3

You felt you felt like dudes really loved him, right, yeah, like you really loved No, I never had a coach to where like dudes like really gravitating, like really like loved and respect him.

Speaker 1

Like Rich is a different dude. He's a different dude.

Speaker 3

And you know he had an impact on offense, defense and special teams, like dudes like really gravitated towards them, and so like that's just a no brainer.

Speaker 1

Like, Dad, you gotta kind of like give me another year, one year deal, give me another year to do this thing. Yeah, you kind of knew where it might go, especially when

they fired mayok you kind of figured that. Okay, whenever they get yeah, yeah, you bring in a new gym, it's like when the head coach gets hired and they're binging their and their guy, and it's like, if a gym gets hired, they're obviously gonna be sitting there with uh Mark Davis and yeah, they'll probably talk about, you know, all the stuff I'm bringing in so and so and bringing in their guys, and then they get infatuated with the new, with the fantasy football or of what it

could be instead of seeing like what has been right there.

Speaker 3

With real what's real? Like I'm not just going ahead and get this office to Guru. I'm gonna get what's real.

Speaker 1

Right. What was it like when Gruden was out and then Basach steps in immediately, It was a pretty smooth transition. It was a pretty smooth transition. And the different.

Speaker 3

Styles with Basachi, Like Bashashi didn't play like you say, he put dudes fines up, like he'll call anybody out and he'll dress anything, and so he just say he'll dress anything in anybody, And he just had this demeanor like like I'm this tough alpha male, but I can also still be on the same level issue to wear and win this ship together. But no, we go get were gonna get this right. But I'm gonna still be one with the boys, right, Yeah, one with the boys.

Speaker 1

I love that. Yeah, Komba with the boys. Man, I did hear that when I was asking, Hey, how's it been with Coach Pasachi and stuff? Guys? I know a lot of things tightened up, like dudes just parking in like handicap spots or electric electric car spots and like a lot of things kind of just tightened up around the building. What else do we have? Boys? Do you guys have anything good? Howlong?

Speaker 3

Was that we were at an hour fifteen. I think the conversation has been, Hey, dude.

Speaker 1

We do we get enough stories then unless you want to tell you guys are stories talk about some of those battles with the Niners. Boss is a Niners fan. Don't worry about him, bro, What did we miss? Hey? You, uh, what is mister unlimited? Like? Yeah, yeah, yeah, what's it like playing with mister on limb? And that question? Hey, you did it seems like the media got you a little bit by baiting you in and talking about his contract, and you said he should take a pay cut to

help the team. Did you get got by that? Twitter was on my head when I said that. And here's the thing. The reason the reason I said that was because.

Speaker 3

There's some freations that's about to come up for the Seahawks that I love, and like Seahawks cap space.

Speaker 1

Is a little tight.

Speaker 3

It's a little tight, and so I was saying that from the sense of can something be done to help out the greater good? Because if some of them free agents leave, whoever the Seahawks put back there, it's gonna get a little shaky. And so if in my mind, if I can somehow help the team so I could be in the playoffs and win the division. I want the best people in the building. So if I can restructure a little bit to keep my boys in the building, then I think he should really consider that.

Speaker 1

Got you so a lot like a like a Tom Brady? Yeah, like a Tom Brad, Do you move to keep his boys around and make room for them? Yeah? You said people do that more. Seems like you know people that love football would do that.

Speaker 3

Than it is. Yeah, yeah, because I guess the ultimate question is like how much money is enough money? Yeah, some people bere like if I got a million dollars, my life is good. Once you get to get that million, you're like, I want five million, and so there's there's really no cap on how much you know, I should get in my bank account, because like I said, the window is short, and some guys, you know, fifty million or I earned every every bit of this is fifty million.

I feel like I shouldn't have to give this away because at the end of the day, it's like, when it's all said and done, it's me and my family and my grandkids. And so everybody's mentality is different. Everybody's mentality different. I feel like if I was in that position, I would have like the time brading mentality, right, Yeah, I.

Speaker 1

Feel like mm hmm rare. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 3

Well, some guys look at football like, oh, it's football, and you know, Super Bowl is a super Bowl.

Speaker 1

You know.

Speaker 3

I feel like, you know, some guys feel like money is more important than than Pro Bowls. So everybody got their own motivations. Everybody got their own motivations.

Speaker 1

Yeah, no, that is true. I think sitting on this entire conversation too. You we've talked about so many different perspectives of where your mental can be at. Because then when you talk about you know, this stuff with like the the ownership and the elite and how stuff's got to change, you got to you start from a more of a selfish standpoint of like players, then when we're talking about all of our player stuff, our player level

of everything, it gets a little more. It can either be selfish or you got to be a little more selfless. So there's just so many different there's so many different mentalities for different situations too, because.

Speaker 3

I remember when I was younger, like in high school in the college, I would see guys holding out. I'm like, why is he holding out? Like bro, you got like all these money, Like what are you doing? But when you get in that position, you see like, Okay, I really got to maximize this. I got to maximize this, and I can't think of it like I can't put the team before myself.

Speaker 1

Essentially, some gus, you're thinking about generations at that point too. It guss enough money for you. It's then it's like you said, grandchildren, great grandchildren, Like it's generation.

Speaker 3

Yeah, Yeah, some guys think like, hey, like the super Bowl is everything to me. I want to do everything I can to be great and be remembered. So we all got our different motivations.

Speaker 1

And then from that too, like having the motivation of team and football and super Bowls and championships. To me, that speaks a lot more to the masters of people that get behind those guys who are like the all American boys, right, you know what I mean, So that speaks more to them because you know, Blas Sea wants the Niners that winning championship.

Speaker 3

Yeah, so when somebody's out there like, oh, I want to win to you know, I want doing this for the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1

I'm doing this for the you know people that it's like there's more of a percentage of people that like like that early behind you, that really behind that. Because

some people say win win is enough money enough? Very true, But if we continue to peel layers back when he says generational wealth, generational wealth is clearly what drives the elite that your society is trying to correct a little bit with all the the Brian floor stuff, with all that coaching stuff going on, Like there's so many different fucking levels that It all kind of depends on what

game you're playing. Right when you when you beat the Broncos, was that like, like, was there any thought of like I did it? Okay, I'm like, is that it? Like?

Speaker 3

Oh no, no, no, definitely I can get it again. Yeah, but I accomplish what so many guys want to and never will.

Speaker 1

I got that.

Speaker 3

I got what I was looking for when I was a kid, and it and it hits you like damn, I really did it. You just want to go do it again?

Speaker 1

I know here.

Speaker 4

Is there any destinations that you want to play at, Like, any teams that you want to play for coming up? Would you like to play I don't know if you had like a childhood team that you grew up liking that the opportunity presents itself to possibly play for them.

Speaker 1

A group of Cowboys fan and but yeah yeah for me.

Speaker 3

For me and where I am right now, what I did this past year was I left my family in Seattle. Won't do that shit again, And so a team would have to come correct that would have to come early in the free agency process. I can get my family situated, get them move to wherever I am going to, and they an't go play ball. But if it happens like training camp, I'll put together a really good career. Uh you know, I'll be happy just transition to something else. Yeah,

how much longer do you want to play? That's a good question, really good question. I don't have the answer to that.

Speaker 1

Do you know what you want to do after ball? What is that? Yeah?

Speaker 3

I can't stew the next move, but I'm gonna tell you this.

Speaker 1

I want to stay. They run the game of football. Well, I figured that much. I can't tell you what it is, so damn you can tell me off camera camera. Okay, I can't tell you now, though. Let's go boys. The whiskey distillers at Whistle Pig Whiskey have cut loose. This piggyback barrel age craft cocktail in a can is so much better than a Seltzer. It's crisp, refreshing, super bowld and super flavorful. My personal favorite the fresh ginger lime.

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Speaker 3

Now.

Speaker 1

Whistle Pig bustle with the boys it's a thing of beauty, piggyback, Rice smash. Who does he have any good Marshall Lynch stories. I don't come on now, you're you're lying, bro. What was he like after the play? Was he or was he quiet? No? It was just just mad. Yeah, it's just mad.

Speaker 3

And he played that next year and I believe he left that that following year. It's just like when when stuff like that happens, like a distrust occurs, like I can't trust you, I can't look at you the same, I don't know who you are like that's that's the type of that type of feeling you have.

Speaker 1

And so all bad, all bad. We need to get some of those boys on the bus man, you might be our bridge. Who you want? Man? Everybody we've kind of talked about it. You get like two guys in here? Who you who? Who is it? Two? What? Two? Do you think? I think Doug would be good too? A ball one? M hm? Just sherman Doug on here.

Speaker 3

You can help that, you can you can try and facilitate that for it, not facilitate, but at least make the connection.

Speaker 1

Do y'all fly guys out. We will. We're gonna start to yeah, fly him out. So if you would to play your cards right now, it's the right question, I'll see you there you go. Yeah, I would love to have those guys on.

Speaker 3

Man, Marshaun Marshawn would be huge, But who knows if you could get now he's seeing the TV show now, I was doing everything, like every time I go in like Walmart, he's on somebody sponsoring somebody. You know you work with the NFL p A now really yeah, it's like a brand ambassador subway and the dude is killing it. Yeah, I mean he needs to. He can essentially be a brand ambassador for everybody.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I think he's about to do like commentating next season for Amazon.

Speaker 1

You see that. Oh yeah yeah yeah. They're like putting something together for him. You saw the show he's gonna do, right, He's in some like funny freestyling crime scene show. They were they just they just give him like uh situations and they they improvised through it. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he's funny. Man. I'd love to meet the dude. So we don't know, we don't know when you're gonna hang him up. Mm hmm.

Speaker 3

My team would have to come like we're afraid to see it. It would have to be around that window.

Speaker 1

See I think listening you say, if it's training camp, then you're you know, do hang him up, Which is crazy to me, because Bro, you can finest training camp. Let me teach you about the other side. Let me teach you about the other side of it. Yeah, so you essentially finest training camp this year, and I hated it. Bro, I came in week one week once my training camp, my legs were dead. You just gotta train a little harder, a little smarter. We train a little harder, we train

a little smarter. We'll get you right. But Bro, you you finessed putting that wear and tear on your body about OTA's and training camp. You get on the week, Rod Roster, I'm winning your your guarantee for the year. Man he does especially and not to like do my younger stuff at disservice. I was absolutely obsessed with football when I was younger. But we are very much. We just see the we see it differently. Being on the

back end of stuff. You you you you identify with being that ballplayer, like being that great elite at all times until it's done, which I respect and appreciate it and admire about you. That's what makes you's the leader you are and everything else. Man, this is something I could tap into well. To me, So here, here's here's

the awareness I essentially had. He I had to accept that I was going to be in the minimum role year in and year out, and accepting that at the time was hard, like knowing that this could be my last year being up in the air, balancing things like I don't know where I'm gonna be. It did take a toll, like I'm not saying that I just made some transition and now I see it this way and I don't care about it as much as I kind

of just in loosey goosey whatever it is. There was like that time of like coming to grips with like having to do that and give that up, not give it up, but zoom out a little bit and be like, bro, come stop identifying so much with this that you care when something doesn't go your way, because that would affect me. It would affect my sleep, it would affect all the

stuff that you would talk about with your anxieties. And so knowing that I just accept I had to accept that allowed me to be a little more graceful with myself, like as I'm doing these things, like Okay, if I know I'm gonna be this way and a team's not gonna, you know, come correct in my world or have a place to be in OTAs or training camp, then I'll accept my stance of like I'm gonna try and finesse as much training camp as I can and get to try to get on a team week one of the roster,

or if I don't like the situation, I'll wait until we get into the year to do it. So I kind of just like that reality kind of sucked. But to me it was just the whole acceptance thing. And for you it's like you don't accept going all the way waiting till training camp. You won't even wait to get to training camp. Like to me, it's like, okay,

well you're not doing OTAs. You have the entire month one to month seven the end of seven, so really eight months to structure out all of your training in the way you're going to get that one percent better because that's what we all chase as players, that one

percent better throughout the off season. And so knowing you don't have OT's because OTA is and me outside of the camaraderie, building the relationships being in the book and kind of building that culture with the fellas on the business side of it, knowing that we cram everything in in a four hour window and it's not necessarily the best thing for our body. Knowing you get to have

those days off and do it your own self. And if a team was wont to negotiate with you in training camp, to me, that's to me, you're kind of winning in that regard because you've put eleven years together. Not only that, but the legacy you get to speak on and talk about. We can smile and laugh about it, but we get that we got to have a conversation like this and people, you know, the people that watch

there's billions, but uh, they know you more. You know what I'm saying, Like they're the the proving yourself model. That's the thing.

Speaker 3

Like I always looked at myself like I don't got time to misstraining camp, or like I can't I can't miss out on that window. Yeah, because that's I feel like I'm getting behind a crucial time.

Speaker 1

Yeah. I just yeah, I was like he's obsessed. Yeah, No, And it's not a good. It's not. I I love it. It's like a part of me wish is I was. I was. I always in a position like you because it's like, man, it is. It's a good time when you're obsessed, you're in and you're out with like the one thing of football. Yeah, I guess I'm not gonna be able to talk you into it, no, but I appreciate you coming on. Man, this has been an awesome conversation. Yes, dude,

And I know we've we've known each other. We need each other the five weeks and I was going for like three of them. Yeah, And uh, I got connected with you on on Twitter and social media because of this stuff you say and literally that videos. To me, it's just a very small look on top of the cookie jar. What you're what you represented, what you're about. And I appreciate being able to like pick your brain.

I appreciate being able to like nudge trying to nudge you certain ways and you're like, you're fucking You're a legend.

Speaker 3

Bro And and I didn't tell you. I meant to text you, but did they tell you? They played your video before our game? So Brooster was telling me, telling me about that.

Speaker 1

But the video me, uh, you just.

Speaker 3

Talking and bro that Twitter. That shit was so amazing. It was so inspiring, like to see like how like how much the guys loved you and how much you love like the fellas, Like that's what ball is really about. Like even though you weren't with us, like I still felt like you were still connected, like.

Speaker 1

To the squad. So why ye are? You kind of explained why? But the reason you said you hate one besides you stands you up and you hate that. I'm sitting as what you're saying right now, I'm appreciating and seeing it, like damn, you can just tell that motherfucker's like job with this dude. And you feel kind of like when Foster told me that, it's like, damn, you don't know how guys are gonna take because they're showing some video and I'm on Twitter, you know what I mean.

It's not like I was in front of y'all, but hearing that, like it's like the seed the roles kind of switched, right. You kind of feel vulnerable a little bit of forniness of damn, they're kind of showing they're showing that. But that was when Foster told me that was. I was. I was hyped to know that the reaction was good because I was like, damn what everybody kind of it was perfect? It's perfect. That's fucking awesome, dude. I appreciate you. I wish you guys would have fucking

won that game though. Oh they went to the super Bowl, so that shows that we could have been in the super Bowl. And what's crazy. What's crazy is divine. When I was a concussion and he didn't return, so I could have been alive back with the fellows that next week. Bro, when that happened and it says he wasn't returning, I wasn't. Like, I'm obviously know I hope nothing's wrong with his head and stuff like that. I'm thinking he's gonna have to

go through protocols. Hey, I'm gonna be back in this thing. And we would have played the Titans too. Mmmm. It would have been a lot of fun though, but uh well, I hope you make it up to uh you, Garrett. He's a huge Titans guy. I mean, I am. I love the boys, I'm big. I'm for the Boys. But if I'm on the Raiders like I got, I got her came back the past he's a monster. Bro, I like the same injury he had, same he broke. Did he break his fifth fifth minutitar? So did you get

a screw pu in? I did too, He he didn't. Really, That's what the grace I'm giving us because he came back as fast as he came back, and I'm like, bro, well, I was grinding to come back. But there's like the way you have to be a running back and comeback because I we could function playing linebacker, but you're still very uncomfortable playing on an injury like that. How long would you take you? It took me. I was back. It was in college, so you know how college tries

to get you back on the field. I was back in eight weeks, but I had a steel plate underneath my foot and it was the most uncomfortable thing. I should like, you know, you just feel like you about to snap again. Yeah, I would have if I'm like where I'm at now or in the league and stuff like you need a good ten twelve weeks. But he had like a plate put in. He just had a stress fracture and it wasn't a clean break. He didn't have a compound break to where it snapped oh, okay, okay.

When yours happened, it felt like somebody shot you in the foot, right, yeah, and I heard it. It's like it's dad gets painful by the end of the night.

Speaker 4

Bro.

Speaker 1

Yeah, just two legends up here talking ball. No. I appreciate you man, good luck and uh, I hope you drive safe back off to Memphis and or everything. But I truly appreciate you coming by the bus. I'm glad you got to come on. And I know I was badgering you all season, like, hey, when that all season comes, you gotta come on. But I have a lot of respect for you, man. I appreciate you coming on. Thank you, brother,

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