Command is Family an extra special edition, a playoff edition of Next Man Up. Now we know our players are busy, they are locked in for the playoffs. However, our Next Man Up is going to be somebody that has a ton of experience, that's been there and done, that has two Super Bowls, one of the best Burgundy and Gold wide receivers to ever play the game. I hope you all enjoy this special edition Next Man Up.
Commanded Fanning for our Next Man Up.
We had to bring in extremely special legend for this last one. This is the last episode as we headed to the playoffs. But since we headed to the playoffs, we had to bring somebody to know a little bit about that two time Super Bowl champion, one of the best wide receivers to ever run that Burgundy and Gold, if not the best welcome you get, my guy, Jerry Clark, Gary, how you doing, brother.
I'm doing good. I was looking for Art Monk. I mean, you're giving such a great introduction. I was looking for Art Monk that I was looking for Ricky Samders. I was looking for all those guys that were great receivers that were quite honestly one of the best in the Burgundy and.
Go all three of you guys deserved that distinctions while to think that all three of you guys played together.
We're going to get into that.
But Gary, if you're not familiar, next minue that we liked talking about the man behind the helmet. So I want to start from the beginning with you, Gary, so we don't get to hear a lot from you, brother, So I want to take my time with this for to really talk to you. So let's start from the beginning. Because you've had a Hall of Fame level career, and your career did not start. How many Hall of Fame level careers start. You actually started in the USFL when you started your pro career, correct.
I did. I did as the Quite honestly, a lot of NFL players started in the USFL that came over. Steve Young, Reggie White, Kevin Bryan. They played for us as running back. I mean honestly, after the USFL folded, if you go and look, probably for the next five to six years, everybody going to the Pro Bowl, they're from the USFL. I mean. So they were doing a great job of still in college talent. I'm coming you know.
They paid a little bit better than the NFL did, and the reason that I went there first because the Redskins Redskins at the time, they had my right. They drafted me as well in the supplemental draft, so they had my rights. But initially Washington wanted me to come in as a punt returner, kick returner, and maybe come in on third down as a receiver. And I won't
trying to fill it. I don't mind returning punt some kicks, but at the end of the day, I want to be a receiver first and punt return kick return a second. And the USFL, I was a six pick in the draft, I kind of already knew I could do everything I want to do there. I can return punts, return kicks, and be the primary receiver on the team. And that's what I was able to do there in the USFL my rookie season.
And then you decide to go to the Riskies and make that transition. What was that transition like going from the USFL to the NFL back then?
Scary like anything else. You know, you come into the NFL, the National Football League, which is the league of course. I mean, hands downs always will be the top professional football league in the country, hands down, and I felt a little fear, so much so that I probably ran the fast forty yard dash that I ever ran in my lifetime on two strained hamstrings. I was like, if I don't run fast enough, they're going to send me home.
So I was fortunate around like a four to three to two that day, and I had a chance to see great players on the team. I got to see Art Monk, Charlie Brown was a great receiver here for Washington at the time. They had another receiver, Kevin Muhammet, who was extremely fast receiver that they had on the time on the team. But I've always liked challenges, so to speak. I've always liked somebody telling me what I can't do. I'm that guy that plays with a chip
on his shoulder. I like the chip on my shoulder. If I don't have one there, I'll put one there. I'll make one up. And that's the way that my whole career has been. Quite honesty. I've always been supposedly too small to play, too small to be a receiver. I'm going to get hurt and going to get this, I'm gonna get that. So I used took all that information and utilize it as a chip to drive me to try to succeed at deposition. And nobody likes sitting on the bench. Nobody likes sitting on a bench, and
especially me. I had never sat on the bench before. When I came to Washington my first four games, I believe I was a third receiver, which was fine, but I didn't like it.
Even though you have these big names there, you still have that chip and that confidence in yourself to say, you know what, I belong on that field. I should be the number one guy, the number two guy. So you said this chip was on your shoulder forever? Does it just come on your shoulder from being a undersized receiver? Is that where that ship originally came from? Where would you say that came from?
I think so, just because you know, because I was small when I first came into the league in Washington my rookie year, I weighed one hundred and fifty five pounds and five to nine one hundred and fifty five pounds right, which quite honestly, I thought it was fine.
So you never know.
But the Redskins said I did to put on some more muth so, so they got me in the weight room. D Boy did a good job. So I got up to one hundred and seventy four pounds my sophomore season, and I stayed at that for the rest of my career in the league. I say that a one hundred and seventy four pounds, but I felt fine in five nine quite honestly.
Hey, and you looked good at five nine.
I believe it got over nine hundred receiving yards just your rookie year, even though with all of those people that were already there, the talent that was already on the roster.
When you look back at that rookie year, what did.
You learn most about yourself as an NFL player playing alongside some of these greats learning through the NFL man, What.
Did you take back from that?
I mean, I was I was so fortunate because we had Art Monk there. Who is Art Monk? Hall of Famer, redskin glory, you know, and you thank deceivers, you think Charlie Taylor, Bobby Mitchell, Art Monk, because when you thank deceiver in terms of the resk and glory. So I was very fortunate that Art was there, and I was very fortunate I had Charlie Taylor as my coach because Charlie at the time. I mean, he was the best in resking history at the time, so you know, Art
has not broke his record yet. So Charlie was the guy. So I'm learning from the best receiver has ever put on the Burgerdy and Gold at the time, and being able to see those guys and seeing the other players and knowing that I could fit in because we had a lot of NFL players in the USFL, and so I saw a lot of those players come over and I said, well, I do pretty good against those guys, so I should be able to do pretty good against
these guys. And after my third or fourth day in training camp, quite honestly, mini camp, I was like, yeah, I can play with these guys, you know. And don't get me wrong, like our office was built around Art Monk my rookie season, because I mean he was a guy and he had just came out for like one hundred and six receptions. That was the first time I've ever been done in NFL history. And Art is the guy for the reason because he's the guy, you know. So
my competitive nature, I want to be the guy. Just what it is like, I want to be the guy. And Ricky Sanders when he came here a year later. He wanted to be the guy. Art definitely wants to be the guy. So when you have that type of competitive nature but still pull for one another, that makes for a great threesome, quite honestly. And I was just I was just driven. Man. I don't like I don't like Louis in first and foremost in case stand to lose,
there's nothing I remember. Don't get me wrong. You do learn from when you lose, You do learn from it. But I remember telling somebody I said, well, I'd rather be dumb because I don't want to I don't I don't want to lose. I'd rather be dumb than a that's the case. But of course I never went undefeated here in Washington. We had a chance to do that, but it didn't happen. But we had We should have ninety two, the ninety one season, we should have went undefeated.
Definitely should have went undefeated. I'm still mad about that. I know it goes every time we talked. So let's talk about that season. You say you should have went undefeated in your opinion, what went wrong to make it so that you guys could not go undefeated? That.
What do you think happened in that game where you guys took their loss.
Well, we were feeling ourselves. That's the first mistake. Typically, it happens with everybody at some point in time, when you start thinking you're better than what you are. Typically somebody shows you on any given Sunday, you better be playing like you're playing. And that's what happened. Like they threw a hell Mary pass in the first half. The thing bounced to three people and the falls in the receiver's hand. I was like, are you kidding me? Are
you kidding me? You take that away? We win that football game and we played the egos later on in the year and Joe pulled everybody kind of after the first half though I still ran in. I was like, I don't like to lose again. I don't want to lose see anybody, and we probably have been we should have went fifteen on one worst case scenario, but if Joe wouldn't have pulled everybody. But you know, he's the
brains behind the system for a reason. You know, he don't make sure to get no players hurt, you know, and that's why Joe and Joe gives him my opinion is the greatest NFL coach you ever coached the game.
Don't that anybody here would argue with you on that one. Back to Art Monks, you talk about that healthy competition. You got to say, you guys all wanted to be the best, but you're coming in as a rookie. Art Monk is your veteran. What did you learn from Warmo? Because you said there was that competition there, However, you guys all wanted each other to succeed.
What did you learn from Art? Never like anything else? Like I shadowed him, Art turned around right behind him because I wanted to look at what the best receiver on the team was doing, you know, honestly, his work, his work ethics, his discipline. I mean, there's a reason why Art Monk was the top receiver in NFL history at one point in time until Jerry broke his record. His work ethic, it was unbelievable. Like Art is the one that got me and Ricky going to George Mason
University to run the hills. I had my own workout program, but Art took us to another level with his workout program that he was doing, you know, and he didn't it wasn't like he was asking us if he wanted to do it. He was telling us we were going to do it, which also tells you his leadership, because he's a man of few words, as we all know, and he was the type of guy's or touchdown, she just left the ball drop been there. It's like, I act like you've been there before. I didn't really do
that that often. I had never done that before. But Art Monk, I mean, I mean, he is. He is truly one of the best receivers in Reskin history without a doubt. I mean, I'm a big fan of Charlie Taylor and Bobby Mitchell, and but they have to put Art in that same conversation for sure.
And since we're talking about Art, let's talk about the posse a little bit. In nineteen eighty nine, y'all became the second trio for all three of you guys to surpass one thousand receiving yards. That has been done a few times since, but y'all were the second to ever do it.
When you look back.
At that, did you guys know in the moment what you guys were doing or y'all just playing ball?
Well, were definitely playing ball. You know, at the end of the day, they didn't hand this the keys until mid season because we always was a run first, throw, throw second team. That's what we allay. If we had really go to start off with, then we had George Rogers, you know, but at some point Tom Joe, well he is he's a great manager of the game and manager of the team and understanding what's taking place. So once he gave us the keys, first of all, we started
winning games. Who ran off for like six or seven in r row and we were the second trio, but with the first that had three wide receivers do it because typically, you know, at that point in time, like typically had one really good receiver, you had a second receiver that would put up like half the numbers. But when you had three three receivers to catching seventy or more balls, you know, like, actually, aren't And Ricky called eighty balls that year. Eighty balls that year all went
over a grand I called seventy nine. I was close that last game. I was right there in front of He should have thrown.
Me the ball.
I was right there in front of a man. Just tell me the five yards I get the five.
Yards, Just give me, Just give me this eighty I eighty remember already.
Not that I'm mad about it anything. I'm not sad about it.
But I'm sure I mean, be honest, Gary, be honest, right.
That has to be like a little something right because again, yes, you want your your partners to do well. Yes, you guys are all ready for each other. But again you want to be the best. They want to be the best. That stick with you a little bit. Not being able to get past that eighty.
Oh yeah, I was like, there he running scrambling, I'm in front of him. Who's gonna be a better receiver after the catching me in a quarterback?
Be better?
Rip, you're not going get Just tell me a little five year fad. Even if I just gotta got capling five yards. This had the eighty. We won the football game, which is always the most important part.
Though.
That's why I'm talking to you, man, because there is no body more competitive than you. Of man, that is great to hear because you are so competitive. So let me ask the competitor you got.
The shades on? Man, I feel like I got you.
You mentioned it, and I'm glad you mentioned it for him, because again, the trio that y'all were all receivers that have not been done yet. So let me ask you, horses mount himself. Are y'all the best wide receiver trio in the NFL style?
You don't have to finish the statement. I mean you knew I was going with it. I mean, like pick your poison at the end of the day, because you know, when you got great receivers on the team, for example, Terry for Washington, great receiver, like Unbelievablet's go to break everybody's record, just going to he's just going to write, but he wants the ball. You got to give him the ball. It's just what it's going to be, you know.
But he gets doubled. So what we looked at and we're all with this way, if you didn't double us, we took it as an insult. If I ain't get double team, you would single man. You lose. You're not gonna win that bad. You just gotta hope I dropped the ball. That's all you got do. You just hope I dropped the ball. Because you're not covering Ricky Sanders, You're not covering Art Monk, You're not covering those people one on one. That's not gonna happen. Don't even think
about trying to cover me one on one. That's a waste of time. You're not gonna win that battle. You gotta hope I dropped the ball. And Ricky Sanders, who does not get the credit that he deserves, might have been better than me and Art. Ricky. Well, then to think about it, Terry just broke Ricky's record for touchdowns in the season. Ricky had twelve. Art never got twelve. I never got twelve. Ricky got twelve in a bad season, Like we didn't even go to the playoffs that year.
That he got twelve touchdowns. He was a bad boy. Super Bowl twenty two he crushes He's a break Land swine rerecord. He crushes it in a quarter, quarter and a half. Come on, now, if Joe would have been like a lot of these other coaches, and we'll run up the score. Ricky Sanders probably would have had three hundred yards that game. He had one hundred and like one hundred and eighty nine. Not that I'm counting anything, because I should have had one hundred and eighty nine,
but I didn't. I didn't get close to it. Ricky Sanders beasts, and I'm just trying to figure out why he's not in our Ring of fame. I haven't figured that out yet. I mean, this is I mean, if I need to go have a conversation with ownership. I mean, like, Ricky Sanders is definitely a player who belongs in the Ring of fan We don't have that Super Bowl ring without Ricky Sanders and that super Bowl he started Art, he started it eighty yards eighty yard touchdown pass. Right,
we're running. Charlie ten Hitch, the defensive back for Denver, on his own, decided to press Ricky. It turns into an automatic face. If he would have stayed offer, Ricky would have been a five yard catch because he made a decision to walk up there on his own. Because it was not man shoot Ricky. Looking back, he's like twenty yards ahead of the guy. But it's all said and done. Like he is one of the best athletes you will ever find in NFL history. NFL history, not
just Redskin history. He's one of the best athletes you will ever find. And the nicest guy in the world. Nicest guy in the world. Art was quiet but very competitive, like I want the ball, give me the ball. I want the ball. All the time. This is what it is. I want the ball all the time, unless we're winning and they're playing great, because at the end of the day, I just want to win. Like if I catch zero balls and we win the football game, I'm celebrating. Now.
If we lose a football game and I catch zero balls, that's why we lost the football game. In my brain, Remember I tell you I need to have a chip. I need to make sure I always have a chip on my shoulder to make me play back a lot of times. That's what it was. Not saying that was necessarily true, but it allowed me to put a chip on my shirtder be like they throw me the fall, and then I make sure I go make sure I
bring the quarterbacks a lot breakfast every morning. Extra nice nigga that knows happening to take them at dinner, give them gift cards.
That be three guys in their position that are ultimate competitors. Hey, I'm gonna ask you for a little inside information that maybe ever shed. When y'all three would get together, y'all would have conversation in the locker room, y'all have conversations in practice, What would those conversations like between y'all three was their competitive talk. We did it all today, I'm gonna eat it up today, I'm a lead today, or was it all just okay?
All three of us know we got to play in unison to get the job done.
What was those conversations like between just y'all three as as receivers in a receiver room.
A lot of times mostly about making sure that we put into work, you know, because there's practice and then there's practice. You practice as a team. You go through your ordinary everyday practice, right, and then when practice starts and everybody else goes in, you stay out on the field and you work on your game. You work on like we're a route runner, so we're going to work on our route running. You know, we got to catch your rucks, so we're going to work on catching balls
after practice. You got to do all those things. And we did it all as a unit because we really did pull for one another. Don't get me wrong, We pulled for one another. We want Ricky to score a touchdown, want Art to score a touchdown. Art was very very quiet. He's just always he's just that way. He's a very like he speaks when he has something to say. Practical joker, though in the locker room, practical joker, but he would
speak when he had something to say. Me and Ricky, Me and Ricky boys, we like talking back and forth to each other, you know, like we went out together. Art had the family. He wasn't doing anything. You know. Art's a perfect role model, Like the perfect role model. Who you want your kids to grow up to be? Man, Ricky, you want your kids to play like us?
Who will said?
I want your kids to play like us. Don't get me wrong, Ricky Sanders is the nicest guy in the world. Joe Gibbs favorite receiver out of the three of us, hands down, hands down. Now it's not even a question. You asked Joe today, He's going to tell you the truth. He's gonna say Ricky Sanders his favorite receiver because Ricky never gave him any trouble any like if Ricky didn't catch a ball in the game and we lost. You know,
he wasn't mad in practicing next week. I was mad, like, don't talk to me yet, don't talk to me un till about the third day of practice. Art get mad too. At the end of the day, Art knew that he was going after Charlie. Art knew he was going after Charlie Taylor. He was that's the record that he knew that he was going to go after and he did end up getting. You know, so we're Ricky's just a nice guy. I mean, he's like, he's like he's everybody's
favorite guy. He's just a nice guy. But the most athletic out of the three of us can do any sports.
It's crazy you have all of these alpha males in one room, all these competitors, all these winners. Yes, you talk about the nice personality and all these different personalities. Sometimes it doesn't always work out, especially when guys want their touches, Guys want to win, Guys are hungry to be out on that field. Was there ever any times when you guys were budding heads in that wide receiver room. We're in that locker on that field because of this competitive makes sure you guys hold.
Mostly on the field. On the field for example, for example one game. And by the way, Josh Jose a brilliant coach. He understood that you have to have fire and ice because there's times when you have to have your receiver comp to say we got we got a nice lead. You gotta chill out. You gotta be cool, but from behind, you need that fire to come in. And that's the difference between men. Are like, if we're
not playing well, I'm going after you. Ricky Sanders was having a great game and me and Art was having an okay game. But Ricky was having a great game and knock out a game. I think it was in I think it was the season that he had twelve touchdowns, quite honestly, and he started cramping up, so he took hisself out of the game. Ricky's my best friend on
the team. I almost have called Ricky every curse word in the book, basically telling him and be like, you get your But I didn't say but, but get your butt back onto the field right now. Go drink some water, go get hydrated. I don't care because he was killing it, killing it. What do you do? Go back into the game, score a touchdown? Was like that. But we love each other, you know what I'm saying. Like, for for example, a lot of guys, if you'd have said that, he would
have held a grudge against me. But we don't look like we're just telling each other you can play better, get out there and play better. We don't hold grudges. We're not mad because you're telling me I'm not doing my job, because probably I'm not doing my job. The goal is to win the football game. Win. That's just what it is. And that's what I loved about our team. That's what I loved about my teammates, and it was embreded in ninety nine percent of us. Just go out
there and play to win the football game. If we win, everything's okay. Everything's okay. I don't care if I called a pass if we won the football game, because that's the goal, is to win the football game. Because the promised Land is getting the ring, getting the super Bowl trophy. That's what wins do for you. It gets you the.
Trophy and holding each other accountable get you. And clearly you've seen what getting that trophy feels like. You've felt it. You've been there, not once, but twice. Let's talk about that first Super Bowl. We hear all the time about Super Bowl teams and how everything has to go right fourteen to win the Super Bowl. How tough it is fourteen to win the Super Bowl. I mean they say, even down to the managers, the equipment people, every single
person involved has to be all point. So when you look back at that very first Super Bowl run that you guys made, in your opinion, what went.
Right for you guys.
Like, we don't panic. A Joe Gibbs team does not panic. You know, we started off slow in the first quarter, you know, down ten nothing, you know, we don't pan. We still knew that we was going to win the football game. I mean, that's how sure we were. Calm down, We're gonna win this football game. And when Ricky Sanders and that started the second quarter, Charlie ten Hitch, that guy came up. After that, it was over. There was a I mean, we could have scored seventy points that game.
We wanted to Joe. Joe stopped throwing the ball because he's just that, he's just that good. He's he does a leaving embarrassing anybody because you feel like you have to play them again at some point in time. You know. I mean, he's and he's just he wouldn't he would not do that. But our running game was on point two. So Timmy Smith's got over twenty yards and that came in. That's his first Super Bowl and he didn't know he was going to start until they called his name out.
Coach told him like ten minutes before the game that he was going to be the starting running back. Come on now, and he showed out. He wouldn't showed out too, you know. I mean that was you got guys breaking Super Bowl records left and right. Come on now, thirty five points at eighteen plays, Come on now, come on now, just give us a rock. Let us do what we do. The offensive line are telling the Bronco line we'll play.
We running here, come again, boy, stop it. I'm like, this is my first Super Bowl, so I'm like, I'm out there listening, right, I'm.
Like, shut up, Like i don't want him to know to play.
I'm like, I'm just telling them because they don't care. Dude. Those holes Shoot, my mom could have ran through those holes that were so wide. I mean, those guys are hogs. Man. They were just a whole nother greed of an animal. And I mean it was just it was just a great time to play football for the Burgan and Gold. We got the best fans in the world. They travel well, they're always behind us, that always there to pick us up when we need to be picked up. Our twelfth
man was completely a part of our game. And now it's nice to have the twelfth man back. You know, it was nice going to a game. We're seeing that cars are parked all the way back to the other road and fans are staying in the stadium the whole time. And then you can look down it and there's only a few jerseys of the other team as opposed to have the stadium band jersey the other team. I'm so excited about this season. I love our court of I love our receivers, I love Terry McLaren. I'm just a
huge Terry McLaren fan. I got he gave me an autograph jersey at the last home game. I got an autograph jersey. Actually, autograph jersey came in the mail because they wouldn't let mister mclauren bring it into the stadium. How you going to not let Terry mclaurn's dad drank a jersey into the stadium. I don't know how that happened.
I really don't know how that happened. But I gave him one of my jerseys, and I'm just you cannot ask for a better steward of the game, better face of the game like his leadership qualities are off the chain, and I hope he breaks all of our records, and all of us couldn't be prouder have a guy like that be the guy that breaks your records. That's outstanding. Can't imagine if I'm in a jerk, I would have hated that. Terry is like, I mean, he's like he's
like all three of us in one. Like. He has arts, he has art calmness, he has Ricky's hands, and he has my passion. He's just he keeps the passion with them. But he he wants to rock. He wants to rock, you know, and if you not get him the rock, he does. He doesn't do what I do. He doesn't go out there and swear and curse everybody out. He just silently lets him know, probably with a stare, that you need to get me the ball so we can go out here and win this football game. Come on,
how you you break the record? That's the way you break a record. You got to score. That's the way you break a record. Right, oh man? And I won.
I won.
We had like a little bet in our suite that we're in right because I went to the game. I went to the game and uh, that's what I bet. I said. I bet that he was scoring the thirteenth touchdown to be the all time in the individual season person scored the most touchdowns, breaking slick ricks. Right, Ricky could not be happier. That's what I mean. Like, we're all about family and to us, Terry is like posse. That's why we look at him. He's part of the posse.
Oh, I'm sure Terry would love to hear that.
And cool.
It's the way that the OG's, the legends, inter rats were not just the stars of the team, but everybody top to bottom on the team, the coaching staff, the trainers. It's been so cool to see how those legends really take pride in helping out the next generation of Burney and Gold. So you know Terry for quite some time. Yes, this season he is having his best season of his career.
But we have seen a lot of ebbs and flows, ups and downs with Terry as he's had different quarterbacks, just office of coordinators, different coaches, different teammates.
He's been through a lot of stuff through this time.
As you've had this relationship with Terry, Man, what is some advice, What are some of those conversations you've had with Terry that I'm sure have helped him get to this point.
I mean, it's just me. I'm probably like a fanboy when it comes to Terry, Like I'm one of his biggest fans, quite honestly, just the way he's always handled himself. For him to reach out to me, to have a conversation about that spoke volumes to me like a lot of a lot of like a lot of players, they don't do that because they's like, it's my time. I'm the guy. I don't need to talk to anybody else
because I'm the guy. Terry. No. I mean, he sit there and reached out and spoke spoke with me about football, things, about things off the field, you know about you know, what do you do when football is over? Like we didn't think that because we never thought football was going to be over. I mean we just didn't, you know, which It's going to be over for everybody at some point in time. It's just what it is. But Terry, he's a young man and his parents are her parents
are stars, by the way. His mom and dad are just spectacular. So I see why I can see why he's that way. Quite honestly, they're spectacular people as well. So I mean to be the best receiver on the team and not be intimidated by the legends of the game. Speaks volumes to what that player is. Like I said, like when he reached out, I mean it caught me completely off guard. They caught me off guard when he reached out to me because I was already a fan, you know, because I don't care who you are. When
somebody's coming on your records, you pay attention. You just do. Because it's been like thirty thirty five years and nobody's came close to him anything that I've done. So his rookie year, he missed it by He missed it by catch. It's crazy, and I think he might have missed it by like a yard or something like that as well, in terms of the yard part of it. But he's made up for that ever since. Uh, he's just he's just a quality guy. Again, like I said, his parents
are quality people. Talking to them, you understand why he is so special. He's a special guy tackling what he does and how he goes about doing it, and he work his work ethic. That's what you see, Like when you go to the playoff game. Watch him doing warmers. Watch he's the first one probably on the field and the last one to go into the locker room before they come back out. Catching a rock, catching a rock, catching a rock, working on his route running, working on
his route running. His hands are spectacular, his route running is spectacular, and when you need it most, he shows up every single time when you need it most. And we needed that win against Dallas just because it's Dallas. At the end of the day, I don't care that what's going to the playoffs. You need to go into the playoffs with a winning record, on a winning streak. People that have a losing streak going into the playoffs,
they tend to lose. Like I'm not saying there still is going to lose, but they're on a losing streak, and I won't be surprised if they did, because all of a sudden, you start to doubt things, you start to doubt yourself. Terry M. Lauren never doubts his ability to play football. He knows how good he is, and like me, I think without the profanity or yelling at everybody or yelling at the coaches, he is driven by wanting to be the best receiver in the NFL period period,
not the second best, the best. And he's going to drive yourself that way until he's recognized as the.
Best, much like yourself.
And you look at Terry and this season he's had, it's been so special, it's been so magical, and it kind of exemplifies what this team has done this year because those are the adjunctives being used for this season. Special, magical, and you have made it to the Promised Land again, not once, but twice. Now you look at this team going to the playoffs for the first time since twenty twenty.
You look at this team and the special things that are going on, and you look back at those two Super Bowl teams you were a part of.
Do you see parallels there?
Do you see similarities where you say, Okay, we might be able to do this this year.
The similarity that I see is they take things down to the to the end and they win. They win. We didn't care if we won pretty or one ugly. We just wanted to win. We don't care if we've scored fifty points or we scored three points. We just wanted to win. If we beat you three zero, three to two, we win. That's the way we looked at it. So what I love about this team is they're gonna be Tampa. There's no doubt in my mind they're gonna
be Tampa. They are, and then anything can happen. What I want them to do is they have their first playoff win, because we haven't had a playoff win years. We're like in the teams, So if you can get to the second level, then anything can happen. Watch it happens in and then what I want the players to see is how this city erupts. When Washington Football has
played well, it erupts the players. They think they have it good now they have no idea how they go to have it once they win that first playoff game and move forward after that. Unbelievable.
And we talk about comparisons.
I think that's what I've heard from the legends the most is the fan base that the way that the fans are acting, the way that they're showing up on the road, the way that they're showing up on home seems very similar to those rock star like days when y'all war winning super Bowls. As somebody that's been here that has not left even after you retired, how happy are you to see this fan base have a resurgence and be re energized by this team.
Oh? I mean, I love it. I'm coming back on the plane today from Dallas because we were slowed in because we're slow back here, so we missed a flight for a couple of days. But I just make sure I get back here. Though I had a reason I get back here. But dude, it's all resking fans on the plane, all resking fans, all rescuing. Maybe ten seats weren't because they got all their gear on, so you know what they are, They got all their girl you know.
I must have saw about four Terry mclaughan jersey, probably about six Jaydon Daniel jerseys.
You know.
I mean, it's unbelievable the excitement that people have about this team. Like, come on, you go, Trump all the way to Dallas, cold weather, You're gonna travel all the way to Dallas to watch the game? No, No, tell them what type of seatuers going to have, you know, And they still come out and come, you know, and even the Dallas the Dallas fans had to give it up and be like, we hope you guys take it to the show. And I mean coming from a Dallas fan, that shocked me. I was like, I hope we take
it to this show too. Look what I'm saying week, but I hope they take it to the show as well.
Well.
It is we when you're involved because of all the things you have done in the Burgundy and gold jersey, in your Redskins jersey, and we love talking about the commands now, but of course we are here to talk about you and Gary. I loved hearing you give your fellow teammates all the love that you did, and I hope I didn't gash you up too much on the intro when I talk about best receivers to wear that
burgundy and gold. But to me, what was so impressive about you, Gary is you did what you did in a league where the size that you were was not that wasn't the prototypical size for a wide receiver. We see a league today that's a lot different than the league that you came in, and I look at somebody like you, look at Santana Mars, look at Steve Smith as those pioneers for the position, especially those guys that were smaller but could line up anywhere on the field,
and do it all. So Gary, I don't know if you've been asking before. I put you on the spot right here now. If I want to ask you top five small receivers in NFL history one? Would you put yourself on that list? Into what other four guys would be on that list with you?
Ricky Sanders would be on the list. Who else would be on the list? I love Santana, I love what he did. I mean that boy come out and stay, that play and cowboy killer when your name, your nickname is a cowboy killer, lets you know how you.
Did it a long time too?
Uh? Who else would I put on that list? Hm hmm.
And it doesn't just have to be Redskins or Commanders.
No, I'm just trying to. I'm just trying to. I'm just trying to think of guys that are fitting to that size point. I mean, because I mean Jerry with Jerry was over six feet, so Jerry doesn't fit into that size point. But that boy could play obviously, the care from Cincinnati kind of bad boy end up going what was his name? Kid from Cincinnati? He could play too. He talked a lot of trash.
Not show because old Show was above six foot, So that a six foot Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I mean that might have been a lot, but I'm pretty sure Old Show was in that six foot ranch.
But a bad man.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed watching him.
He moved like a smaller receiver, So I get that because of his footworking route running was just so rare for somebody that size.
I understand why he thought that.
No, it's not so. But quite honestly, I'm happy with just Santana and Ricky. Quite honestly, I like Ricky Sanders. I just like I said, like I've never this is how good Ricky Sanders was. I mean, I'm always a guy that I pride myself on trying to think three steps ahead of everybody else. That's just how I am.
Like, I.
Saw how good Ricky Sander was the first day of practice, and I went and made sure that we became roommates outside of the Like when he I think, rick you should we should get an apartment together. So every night when Ricky went to sleep, I went out and trained. I went to he go to sleep, I wait to he go to sleep, and I go out and put in more work. Because he was that he was just
naturally gifted. And when you got a guy who naturally gifted now sick with Rick where it took his natural gifts and then tied it down with my work ethic. I don't know if anybody can touch him in because I was just I'm just a grinder man. At the end of the day, I want to be the best, you know. And I made a promise to myself when I got heard of that, when I saw Art Monk
and I saw Charlie Brown. The promise I made to myself was, I'm going to be the best resking receiver number wise, why I'm here, Why I'm here, I'm going to be the guy. So with Terry is chasing now, he's chasing my first eight years. When he's chasing play's art because art all time, the art was here for like fourteen fifteen years, maybe sixteen years, but my first eight why I was here. And you can go do the math. You can go do the math. Catches yards
yards per catch, touchdown, you go do the math. I'm going to come up at eight four. It's going to come up because I'm driven that way, you know. And I just I just from the time I was a little kid five and a half years old, tell my dad want to be a professional football player. I started training. He woke me up. The next morning, my dad started me on the journey. Don't get me wrong. Next morning,
five thirty am, your dream just came to reality. And from that day until I stopped playing, I got every morning five thirty am putting in my roadwork. I stopped playing. The last time I SAP, I was in Arizona. I'm going on a ten mile run. About thirty I got the mail five and realized, I don't play anymore.
I don't have to do this anymore.
I don't have a team. I don't play anymore. I stopped running right then and there and walked the five miles back because I was done. At that point in time, there was nothing else for me to prove. You know, I wasn't competing against anybody anymore because I wasn't playing anymore. But I wanted to always be the guy no matter where I was at, like at the end of the day, like it started off, Offense was built around eighty one, but by the time it was finished, it was built
around the three of us. You know, it's built around eighty one, eighty three, and eighty four, and you know eighty four came out, okay a lot of those times.
Man and Gary Man, I love that story and I'm glad you mentioned it about you being five years old telling your father this is my dream, this is my goal, and him saying, Okay, next day, we are starting this dream. It's not every day that a parent or a family member believes in anything a.
Five year old has to say.
But your father not only believed in you, he gave you all the tools you needed to succeed. How important was your father's belief in you, not only in five, not only.
In ten, but throughout your life?
How important was that belief from your father and what you were able to do on that field?
Gare That's just huge. Like I mean, first of all, I'm a deacon son, right, so with my dad basically kind of like when I first saw him, all he said, are you sure it's just my dad? Like sixty five two sixty exact opposite of me. I'm like my mom's size, right So, And because I was like, my dad wouldn't lie to me, like he ain't gonna go to hell. So that's why I looked at it. You know, I'm five and a half years old, right, I was like, I must feel to be able to do this, because
then I really started making me believe in myself. I was like, yeah, my dad sacon, Yeah, I can do this. Then and then Jenna's son. We live paycheck to paycheck. My dad would always figure out a way to slip away from work, you know, because he worked like three jobs at the time. You know, he slipped away work. Never missed one of our football games and any of
his kids football games, never missed it, not one. And never missed any of my professional games, even though I went to Phoenix and Miami, never missed a home game. My dad was, I think is the reason why I was so successful. What I did is I saw how hard he worked, how he took care of his family, you know, and he believed in me. I think a father's belief of parents belief. You know, my mom loved everybody,
you know, but my dad. To have your dad believe in you when you're a boy, especially in that time, in that generation, I mean it speaks volumes like I mean the start driving force today. At the end of the day to this day, I don't like to lose. I always like to get what I want. I'm just driven that way, like if I want it, I'm going to get it. It's just what it is I make. But what I am is it may take time to get it. Like it took me until I was twenty
one years old, befo I could play professional football. That's a long time ago. And like I said, we're a blue collar family. Every other kid on my block, you know, once they got to a certain age, they helped out with the family, went and got a job. My dad never made me get a job. He said, as long as you put in the work, you won't have to work. I never my first job ever was playing professional football. Ever in my life, I didn't have a newspaper oute.
My first job ever was playing professional football. And it's all thanks to my my dad believing it to me, my mom believing in me as well, and for them provided me the opportunity so I could go train, you know, I mean that was the thing. And I felt that I owed them to late bad. I felt bad for two sets of people, my parents first and foremost, because they're in the crowd. And if I'm playing bad, everybody no. My mom made sure everybody knew that she was my mom.
I was like Mom, you might not want to do that. I played bad and they're gonna get mad at you then, And those were my those those were my people. I mean, the fans are your boss. People don't want to believe it or not, but that's why you have a game, because those people come out to watch you play, and they come out and support that. Those fans go away. Guess what, The salaries go away, the money goes away. They stopped paying you. Because the fans make the game
just what it is. So I looked at them kind of as they were my boss. I even told mister Cook that they were my boss. I told you sometimes I should just shut up when I was a player. But who I told the owner was like, you know, you're not really my boss. The fans are. And he kind of looked at me kind of like, okay, I know what to say. Now. My dad was in the locker room. That's the first time my dad had jerked me since I was a kid. He jerked you that day. He's like, boy, you do not say that. You do
not say that to him. But I mean, but I'm just being honest. I'm bluntly honest. That's that's that's good and bad. I guess somebody, I'm not gonna I'm gonna tell you, tell you how I feel. I'm just that way. I could never I'm passionate that way. You know, if I think you're screwing up, I'm gonna tell you you're screwing up. I don't care how big or small you are. And if I'm screwing up, I want you to tell me I'm screwing up. That's why I never took it
to heart. When people got in my face about not doing what they thought I should be doing, I looked at it and like, yeah, you're right, I need to go back and get I need to get I need to get this done. So I think if people are looking at it that way, you don't get an attitude. When your teammates come up to you, you will play better because you don't want to let your teammates down and so aout. It's always about the team. Don't get me wrong. I love being the guy, but it's about
the team. That's why when I didn't catch your pass. So when we won a football game, I'm the happiest guy on the planet. That's a true because we won the football game, and winning of what counts. You go out to win, period. It's just it's not rocket science, and people try to make it right. It's no, it's not rocket science. Our job is to go win football games. Their job is to go to Tampa and kick that ass. That's their job. That's just what it is. Their job
is not to go there and lose. It could happen, but I don't think it will because I think I think they got the right leadership, they got the right coaching staff, they got the right players that they believe now. They believe now, and when you believe as a team, nothing can hold you back.
Said like a true competitor, said like a true winner. Six hundred and ninety nine receptions over ten eight hundred receiving yards, sixty five touchdowns in eleven season. Gary Clark missed nine games. Was the first wide receiver in NFL history to start his year. I believe it was at least fifty passes. In your first ten NFL seasons. You have all of these decisions, things that you're first of, things,
things that have never been done, never been accomplished. Again, does Gary Clark belong in the Hall of Fame?
You know, that's for other people to decide. You know, don't get me wrong. When I finished my careerre honestly, I thought I thought it'd be a shoot in. Let's just be thinking. Because when I finished with my career, I was seventh in all time receiving yards, and I was eighth in all time catches. I just figured it was I figured I was a lock. But it took so long to get Art Monk in, like Art should have been first flaming. Come on, he's an all time
leading receiver. How does he not automatically go in after his five years and then you have to wait five years before you can go in? How does he not automatically go in? He goes in like but like fifte ten years later, some crap like that. So by that time, all of a sudden, now we're passing league. We're not a running league anymore. So now I don't know where. Man, Maybe I'm thinking like fiftieth something like that, maybe sixtieth, all the time leading the receiver in yards and receptions,
so that eight don't look so good anymore. Eight look good, sixtieth don't look so good. So do I think I'm along again? If we would have got arted sooner? I think yes, but again it's not my decision. Other people have to make that decision. I'm not going to be that guy that begged somebody to let me in. I'm just not built that way. But I think why I played I'll help my own was it was me and Jerry. When I played, it was me and Jerry. That's why
I was chasing Jerry. I wasn't chasing anybody else, you know. So I don't know. I guess. If I get in, I get in. If I don't get in, I don't get in.
Gary, tell you what, man, you ask any Redskin, any Commander fan, they will say you are a Hall of Famer to them and that you belong in. And Gary, I got a feeling that and that one day is going to happen. Man, things are changing around here and you have been a big part of that. Man, we appreciate you being involved with this team. Sticking around. I could tell there's a new love of resurgence, not only from the fan base, from the legs as well. So we appreciate that so much. Like I said to start
the show, Gary, this is all about you. So we've saw Commanders, we've talked to playoffs. He talked about history. But one thing that's so impressive to me about you is that you weren't just a winner before you made it to NFL. You want just a winner when you got to NFL, but even after you retired, you have found ways to win in a bunch of different ways.
So I want to give you a chance right now to bring your partner in and let's talk about the things you got going on right now off the field before we let you go.
If that's cool, Gary.
I appreciate that you know. So ni L's coming in now, and trust me, people are rather listen to her than listen to me because what she's doing with the n I like from the education plan for like we have legends that will be training these kids because these kids want to play eventually in the NFL, and at the level that we're at right now, Like as a receiver, I'm going to know more than ninety nine percent of the people that you talk to moving forward, no more
than your college coach, because nine times out of ten they did not up play at this level. They don't have the experience at that level, and they damn sure it wasn't me at that level. There was a few were when I was playing like only seven and eight before they were. But the education piece is important as well, like understanding what to do with your money when you're done while you're playing. Like a lot of us made mistakes because we're blue collar kids. We don't know about money.
We don't know how to handle that money, you know, so most of us, and we know we didn't make the kind of money that they make now, of course, but that money, you make one mistake and it's gone. Like perfect example, I'm sixty two years old and I'm still working. You know, Terry McLane would not be working at sixty two years old unless he wants to be working at sixty two years old. That's what it is. So what I did, I surrender ourselves with some great people,
some great individuals. You know, we're creating this platform that I'm gonna let the young lady explain it to you, and you're gonna be impressed because she's like you, like you're cerebral. You're very cerebral. You know. That's why I don't like being inside you too much, because you're smarter than me. That bothers me a so, but you're gonna see she's cerebral I'm gonna let her explain what she does with our platform that's going to change these kids' lives.
And you're gonna see a lot of kids that we train coming to the league, but when they come in, when they come out of the league, they will be just as successful, just as successful. I'm gonna turn it over here. Come on, girl, just take the chid Hi.
Right, Welcome in the next man.
We appreciate you taking it time, taking the time to come join us and get some game on us.
All right, So he ad a lot of great things about you and the show, and just want to share a little bit more. Gary already talk a lot about it, and as you're hearing you guys talk about what it takes to go from five years old to professional athlete, the families, all of that. The fan base is also inspiring because it's a long journey and it doesn't take that one athlete, right, it doesn't take one mind, It takes the whole entire network. It really takes a village.
So that's what this is all about. How do you bring all these people who is here to support that one person who has a dream and there the daring personality to go after that to then be successful. A young person's mind is just developing thinking about different influences. They're friends there the things that friends likes, but also when it comes to being very disciplined, learning from the best, learning from other people's mistakes, and hearing your parents' guidance,
and also financial literacy. All of those things are things that Gary and I are working together to make sure that we can put in a way where it's cohesive, it's comprehensive, it's communicating to young people in the language that they understand. Scrolling on social media has trained our brain to think. Everything has to be dynamic, everything has to be personalized, Everything has to be right now, right here, accessible anywhere, and that's what the platform there does.
Oh, we are honored, Thank you so much for join Jepping on the show to talk about this man. That is great things that you guys are doing, paying the way forward. Gary talked about helping out Terry, but he's helping out so many other athletes after the fact, even though he doesn't have to, even though he has all the stats, even though he could just go off also beat somewhere and have a great time, he is choosing to help out the athletes of the future. Thank you
so much for jumping on, Gary. Thank you so much for your time.
Brother.
We appreciate for you for all that you've done for the Burgundy and Gold, and all that you continue to do for this squad right here.
Man, I can't wait to see you. I know you're gonna be in Tampa. Brother. I cannot wait to see you man and kick it with you. Man.
Thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for everything you continue to do for not only the game of football, but just for everybody out here in the DMV.
Gary. Bro, it's always real talking to you.
Man.
You know we're gonna chop it up soon. Brother.
I appreciate you, man, love you, rock star sounds good Man.
Command this family.
We hope you enjoyed this extra special playoff edition of Next Man Up. If you want to watch our previous episodes, go check them out on the Commander's YouTube page or stream the audio wherever you get your podcast.
Let's get this win in Tampa, baby. This is Next Man Up. I'm Brian Cowen Jr. I'll check you out next Friday