Are you ready for this? Jean Merriman a one hand effect. Boom boom boom, out go the light. This is Lights Out with Sean Merriman. What's up? Guys, were back again with another Lights out podcast with me Seawan Merriman. UM got one of my favorite guys. Used to watch and play against UH in the National Football League. I tell it, UH two times Super Bowl chain with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also played for one of my favorite coaches and Bill Kaward. Um. I always wanted to play for Bill, by the way.
And we're just gonna get into man, a lot of a lot of different things. One thing that I saw to come up as recently is he is in the combat sports. This was a cool thing for me to see. I know he's been training a little bit. Um. He got his new cigar line dropping out to I know, I let him talk a little bit about that. But most importantly, man, he he played UH in the time of football where it was different. Right, you can go out and have these big hits and not as many
penalties and flags. And you know, we we played in that era of football. And also we'll get into a little bit about the seventeen game regular season schedule now and and how that affects with everybody. So I tell her, what's up? Am I do? Man? Chilling? How you doing? I'm good man? What's up with you? Yeah? Yeah? Now you know we're working, man, we're working. Um are we trying to get that get my mm A league back
up and going right now too? You know, because I trained a couple still train a couple of days with with a lot of the m m A guys from my league and these cats out here. So you uh you you you're gonna do an exciting you just trained? No, you know, so I got my league. We're on Fox Sports right now. So Fox Sports picked us up like not not this past pay but the May before that, and then we got we've been shut down since since
the pandemic. Okay, you know what I'm saying. Hey, I remember you getting into a couple of couple of you know, a little calm as though I remember you being about it to this to this day. So I took on boxing, so I actually, uh actually be spawn. So have you have you thought about like really really doing it though you're just kind of doing it to stay in shape. I'll do it to stay in shape. But I actually like, I feel like I can actually fight. This is like
now I know how to fight. So at first I thought, at first, you know, at first I just like to fight. But now I'm like, Okay, I really know how to fight. So I really I really be spawn. So I'll be going to Houston a lot to go spawn my home with my home. But reisprogriate, he's a well to wait. Um yeah, yeah, so that's my daughter from New Orleans. But yeah, as far as like spawn, i'd be sporing, I'll be spawn and that that boxing or mm A, man, it's your mind gotta be all the way different, bro,
all the way different, all the way. And I tell so many cats about this. Right, so we already come from a background where we're strong, we're fast, we explosive that of it. So we were already walking into the ring or the cage, were already coordinated, right, so we're not going to step it over our left feed up. We gotta learn how to pivot and do all the
something that we already got. That it's really learning the fact of sitting on your punch or turning over on your punch, right stepping into your jab and just learning, learning the craft. So I'm interested. Man, how was that what made you kind of transitioning and trying not to sport. I'm always been a fan of it. I wish I would have did it. I wish I would have trained more in the off season because I mean, you know,
Sean like training training for a comeback sport is. We say football is mental, but this, this, this, this is all the way mental like it is is. Then I really gotta do trying to knock me out. You know what I'm saying. There is no helmet, there is no path there, there there is nothing like this is really a comeback sport. So I said, man, let me try and let me try to stay in shape. So I
did it a few times. I don't know if you ever heard of the Pittsburgh kid of boxer Paul's batter four so back in the day, coming out of coming out of Pittsburg, like he was a real deal before he got into some trouble. He was real deal, like he spoiled Mayweather, zab Judith, like he was that guy. I said, man, let me, let me, let me just try boxing, try boxing, because I wanted to get in a different kind of shape. And I was like, man, like,
football shaping and fighting shape is two different shapes. Like I can go into a football game knowing I'm in boxing shape anything anything. So I started sporing, like two thousand and five, that's when I started sporing, but I ain't really get into it to like two thousand and fourteen. But once I got into it, I was all the way in it when I when I retired, I was all the way into boxing. So you know, it's it's different, bro, Like people can say what it won't say it m
m A and comeback fighting and boxing it's not. It's not just how we say football ain't built for everybody. You can you can step that up about three more notches between M M A and in boxing, it's not for everybody, bro. As you you gotta love punching somebody in the face. You gotta love giving pain and getting pain back on you. You You gott you gotta love it because if you don't love it, you're gonna you're gonna get your's knocked out. So that's that's what I love
about it. Like pain was never an issue for me. I just had learned the art of boxing. You know, the breathing, the the the taking the hits and in the face and the building up the calysis in a body. Like you know, you just gotta get used in it and absorb pain. You gotta have a poker face when it hurts. But you can't show you opponent that it hurts. You know what I'm saying, Like it's it's it's it's
a little bit different, you know. You know, if you know, if you're start the football and you get the wind knocked out of your more they go to a commercial break, m m m may a bunch you man, you gotta move around the ring and show and show your opponent, which you're gonna see it anyway, but show them it really don't hurt. Like the mindset all the way different,
different when it comes to it. Bro and I say this all time because we're so used to in football and it's and it's not a bad thing, it's just what we're used to doing that we're so like bottled up with energy and spurts of energy her and using me in strength. But in boxing and m m ay, that can hurt you, right because you use all your strength and you go through a big flur and you throw all your jabs, or you go to take somebody down it and they get out of it, or they
survive it and then you gassed. Right, So that was like for me one of the because I'm a strong dude, you know, in the gym, in the weight room, but that don't matter. Right you get in there, it don't matter and you see somebody that is half your side or whatever. But they learn how to turn on their punches or they learn how to turn on their kicks, and they learn how to open their hips up and do certain things. And now you sitting around like how how they do that? It's the art broke, And you know,
fight for three minutes, it's a long time. Fight for three minutes for fifteen rounds. Like I can fight for fifteen rounds for three minutes now now because I've learned the art and how to conserve my energy. You know what I'm saying. Like back in the day, it's like what you said, like right right, right right, it was more man, let me, let me let all this test starts to grow out a sound. But the size didn't matter,
speed didn't matter. And you know, I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan and one of his favorite sayings worldwide is be like water, you know what I'm saying. So like water, you know, yeah, you gotta adapt to whatever whatever you're surrounding is. You gotta adapt that. Just like water. You can put water in think it's gonna form itself up, whatever the shape is. And that's what you gotta be when it comes to come back fight, you know what I'm saying. So that's that's how I kind of portrayed it.
So that's that's what I put into my repertoire. But yeah, bro, this's it's it's it's difficult man, and and it's not. It's not for everybody, it's not. So do you do you ever see yourself either one day taking up because I had a p on. I had Adrian a like I think about a month ago. He said, when he's done, man, he definitely wanna if not a charity boxing match, you definitely want to do some amateur stuff whatever, because he
was boxing too. Do you ever see yourself possibly? Yeah, I want to do I want to do one professional fight. I want to do I want to do one. And this dude don't really even know it, but I've been watching him for a minute a minute, I don't know if you heard of you heard of Kendall gild the basketball player. I think he's three and no in pressional fighting and people don't need people don't even know it,
you know what I'm saying. Like, but he's one of the athletes that you know, turned over into a comback fighting and wind up being successful at it. So yeah, it's a few, it's it's a few guys, and and not a matter of fact, I saw be Marshall, you know, I saw him train, and I'm willing to spark. I'm willing to spark anybody. You know what I'm saying that that so you so you're saying right now, Beat Marshall
wanted to get in the ring. You're with it? Oh yeah like that that that that don't that don't that don't matter. I want you your mind set gotta be different. Bro. Hitting the bag is cool, yeah, but actually getting in the ring is this. And you know this, like you've seen a lot of practice players like, oh my gosh, this two hits practice all Stars, Pro Bowl practice players. But then when you see him getting the game, it's like, damn, man,
what happened? You know what I'm saying, No, not to it, right, you know, So the same thing in in and in boxing or comeback sports, like damn, but up was hitting the bag something decent. But okay, let's put him in the ring. Put him in the ring. No show nothing. It's like, oh lor merchant man, let's bro, bro stick to the bang, right, Yeah, that's all I mean with anybody, because because if you know the bag the bag, and half you feeling, you know, feeling all like you can box,
you can fight. You ask me, oh yeah, yeah box and said listen, man, that's that's that's a whole different that's a whole different ball. That's for show stuff. Man. You would to go in and you know, get stay in shape or something, but that's not really fighting. That bagging him back? Sure you know what? Right? Like that that that bag? Ain't that bag? That bagging And then when you find somebody bore the same mindset as you, was like and the mindset gotta be like to the
death of this, you know. That's how the mindset is a back sports to the to the death. But is and you you gotta think you gotta train like, ain't no referees. So that's our train. Ain't no referees. About to stop this. I don't want to run. You know what I'm saying. Once you once you get a mud say like, ain't no referees man, it's it's it's to the depth show. So that's that's what that's where I'm met with. So I said, I said, I'm gonna wait
till my son here in the eighth grade. So I'm gonna wait until you get to high school and get established, and then yeah I go, I go one one professional. But yeah, far as like spun man, I getting the ring with anybody. I'm gonna stat that up too. Is I know, to be marsh looking for work. But hey, so one thing I want to ask you though too, because y'all the teams y'all had back when you were playing, y'all had some dogs. Man. I'm like, and I know we all and I hate seeming like the old guy
that's like, oh yeah, the league saw me. Every everybody knows the league is different, right, They change the rules, you know, no helmet, you know, we get that part of it. But I think the different type of cats. I mean, y'are Joey you know, uh, Joey Porter and all. You know, Casey hamp y'all had some like some real bona fide dogs. Man, and tell me, tell me about that. Tell me about them teams you played on, man, And do you still keep in contact with some of them? Guys?
I got two, I got two Group Texas. We got the old five Super Bowl, and we got the two thousand nine, two thousand and eight Super Bowl. And it's around it's around twenty guys for group. Text on my phone always going dead because we're always texting each other, right, um, and our kids called you know each other uncles. But for me, it was they brainwashed me. Like my linebackers
and you play linebackers. My linebackers brainwashed me. My linebackers felt at one point in time, knocking somebody else was better than catching the interception at the cornerback position. Like, man, we just need you to come but on this rush support, I need you to take the soul of another grown man like that was the model in the locker room. Take the soul another grown man. And how you do that. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk line up
in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app. Search as are to listen. Live. You keep chopping that tree down, keep hitting hit him as I don't care what the size is, hit him as hard as you can, as long as you can. For the whole folk quarters, he gonna volte. So and that was you know, James Harrison and and Lamar Woodley and George Porter and Clark Hagen Hagan's and James and Larry Foot and Lawrence Simmons
and vice. When you do Bryan shape them, get them the youngsters. Man, if you play line back and for the Pittsburgh still as you your whole your whole mindset is run through a brick wall. And I think twice about it, like we we love coming to the sideline and saying I got a body, like damn, bro you you knocked him out, Like yeah, put a put a body, put a body on my resume. Yeah I got one like that. That was the whole thing in Pitts put a body on the resume. So and that's just that
that that kind of brainwatched secondary. So we we felt the same way. But it started with Lynebacks like man, put a body on the resume. And to this day, you know, like you say, the rules have changed, so you gotta ad just you gottad just to the rule change, and I was, I was, I was part of that rule curving a little bit, you know, to not being as aggressive, um protecting the players. But now we're going
to seventeen games. I'm like, oh, we're really protecting the players, Like y'all saying I'm taking a preseason game out, but y'all doing seventeen. And I just saw the TV, the TV deal you know, for a hundred something billion dollars, you know what I'm saying that, So we really and in three more years at the rate and go up, y'all gonna restructure that TV deal to make eight teams. So y'all gonna say two prevas, two preseason games and
you know, eight team games. So you're really protecting the play That's That's That's how I look at from a from a player standpoint, from a business standpoint as our owner, I get it. But you know how it is like they changed the rules so they're able to do that now. Back in the day, how we played showing that that's what So that that's my whole thing, right, and I know the game is different and they don't have you know, back to back to back two of days and lining
up in Oklahoma drills. And I'm sure Bill Coward had you know, had you guys at the time doing doing that. I mean he was, you know, and he had in him and marget Shot and haw More friends. They had kind of the same type of mentality. You couldn't the way we played the game back then, reckless with our bodies. You can't move it to a seventeen game season because no, guys that you talk about head stuff, you know, CT and traumas and tears and pools and everything else. Joints,
guys have been completely done. Killer head, a body and father that was That was a whole defense on on the Pittsburgh Killer head and a body and father, you know, and people people talk about c t s. I'm like, man, I really knew how to play football when I got to the league. Y'all gotta understand, we've been playing football
since it was small. So picture all the coaches who didn't know any better, who was growing up as youngsters, like is the CT just caught up with you when you was in a lady like you get to the league and you finally understand how to tackle. You know what I'm saying. Like, and that's why I'll be telling people like man, they'd be like, how you feel about the ct s in the brain? I said, all this happened move was young. This ain't really happened when we got to lead. This just this just was a build
up while I was playing. If you was playing part one and you then you went to middle school, then with the high school so pitched on the coaches. School really just didn't know no better. They had their old school man talented. You finally get to the league, you finally learned how to tackle. Really you know what I'm saying, But brain wise, it's too late. And then that's how we we we that's how we learned correct, right you you know, like you said, we learned by going out
catching the body. You catch the guy coming across the middle or doing that. And I got one right. And normally if you're knocking somebody out, you're ninety five percent of the time you're using your head. So for me, like when I got to the league, that I was already it will see, man, if that's how I played
the game, and nothing's gonna change. So I'm glad that I was out at the at the right time because I would have been playing for free, you know, like they the game checks with the right from me every game all day. Like how we used to play Man, we probably would have played for games or of the same. Yeah, we probably would have played the max six maybe eight. But how we played then, when I get it, man, my son played and he's a he's probably one of
the best tacklers. I haven't seen fourteen. How does how did? Yeah, So it's it's I get it, and I respect that you gotta adjust, you know, to to your surround is in the down. So I get that part. But how we played, bro, like you said, we would have been playing free, And our motto was, you know, either take the soul out of grown man a killer head and body the funck yep, does your son take on him and tap? My son Timmy played he played football, but
he played quarterback and and like safety. He's like he's not the same mentality as me, as you know, he's more like like Gronk or something like that. He has that mentality. He didn't have my mentality. Your son have your mentality at all if you see that in him. Yeah, my son is one. He's a superior athlete. So he's way more athletic than I ever was at the age of fourteen. Yeah too. He wants to create his own legacy,
so and he wanted so he plays safety receiver. But you know, down here in Florida, these kids feel like there was born and play football. That that that that that's that's if you look at the NFL roster and looking at the top guys coming from one state or county, either Dade County, Broward County, or Hollywood, Florida like them them them guys, them guys coming from around here. And that's all myself, me playing around. So he he has to understand fast, like I gotta be a dog a
sound right. So he's very aggressive on defense. He's probably even more aggressive going to get the ball on on on offense. So that's that's what I love about this Florida mentality around here. So we I'm from the Orders and we talked about all the time, like between the Orleans and Miami guys, we feel like we're the same kind of people, you know. So I just instilled that in myself. Had to grow up in the locker room.
So you know, his uncle's told him, you know how his mentality should it be, and some guys take a liking to it and some kids don't. I'm just glad my son took a liking to it, you know what I'm saying. So I'm just very fortunate, you know, for if for this generation. And I think you would agree, it's more of the work. Like even though my son got it all, he don't feel entightened. So he always feels like he wanted to work harder than any other kid, you know. And I said, Bro, that's gonna take you.
I said, yes, sir, Yes, ma'am. And working harder than anybody else gonna take you a long way. And like, you know, so that's that's that's what he had with it. Man, I tell him all the time. Man, God dropped me an angel when it came to you, because you just make me and a parent easy. And I'm a proud for that. When the couch down talking about my son, No, you got to man, and and and I don't know what your situation was, but my dad wasn't, you know,
really around with me growing up. So now that you know, I'm around my my son, he plays ball, you know. And yeah, I talked to him about you know, the concussions. I talked to him about the right with the play. But he has such mentality, man, that that DNA is a different animal like that. When when I got that DNA, it's like it's nothing you can do. I sometimes I go and I closed the door. I remember he was six seven years old. I see my son that don't push you out and sit up with his door closed,
you know what I mean? Like that, that type of thing is already instilled in them. So what else you got going on? I know you got the cigar? Uh joined this that's happening. I just I just I'm recently to Cigard, to the cigar world. I was when I see you was at it, and I said, okay, all right, well what's what you got going on? I'm gonna sending. I'm gonna saying. I'm gonna say, I'm gonna get you this in a few to you. So it's the uh, it's the one of the comes to go. So it's
a it's a sematra cigar. Um. It's it's a it's a medium tabowl comes to go, you know. Um. So they the tobacco come from Lancaster, p A, Connecticut and his wrap and Nick rock, but m yeah, and I and I wanted that cigard to my pallet and my taste because over let's say, over ten years, I had acquired a certain kind of taste for a cigar like it. So I think it too like a year and a half to do, and I took my time with it because I wanted to quality out my you know, product
and quantity. So and right now he's doing real good. So yeah, the wonderful kinds cigars you can you can buy me at at Howard G. Cigars. But I'll let you and I'll make you get a future. What's the what's my man? What what's the what's the website? Can they get them off? They go to Instagram? So it's at Howard G Cigars, you know. Okay, So yeah, man, there's cigars gars doing real more than I just go, hey, what what do you What are you drinking with? Though?
What do you pay? Like? What what's the favorite? Because I just got put on with the I'm not a whiskey person, but when I drink when I had a cigar sometime now, I'll do the whiskey, right, So what's what's nice to the pair with the tequila? Whiskey dark. If you go to Killer, if you go te quila, like then in Yahoo the sin coro right, so give me in Yahoe c and carom on the rocks, a
splash of Solda water and two lines. Now if you go with the red wine drinking with the Austin Hope out of past the Robles, California, you know, um, if you if you want to go with the champagne. Uh, they got the Crew champagne, and the Crew gets not too expensive for a lot of people, so they get if it's on a hot day, you want to pour with some champagne, go Crew with the champagne. But yeah, man, I just mix it like depending on how I feel like,
I just I just mix it up whatever. But I'm coming out with a light of cigar because i want people to smoke with a coffee and the lights of ciguards with the leaf. So I'm gonna get a lot of leaf, which probably gonna come from Connecticut the route. So yeah, I'm all the way into it, bro Um, all the way into these of guards. I'm dude, I'm I am now. But this is up to a couple of years ago. I've really got into it. I would smoke the guard here and there. But I didn't get
what you just said. I didn't get and understand the whole pilot part of it, you know, pairing and all that stuff. And and now, man, it's kind of a once a week and once every few weeks. Man, I'll just sit back and I'll just do that. Yeah, I smoking. A matter of fact, when Julia Corbany told me, mar come on, I was smoking a cigar outside. That's that's I smoke. I smoked egg cigar a day. You know. When I'm really on it, Um, I might, I might
blow two or three a day. That's why I've been doing it for like ten years though, um heavy recreational. I've probably been doing it for like fifteen. But the last time I've been really into my cigars. Yeah, now me too. Hey, my dude, man, I appreciate you coming on. Man, I know you got they're going and I know Julia she hooked us up. So man, good looking out. But I'm gonna stay in touch. I'm gonna get your information once we get off, and then, um, you know, probably
I'm out there in Florida. Sometimes I don't know what you said. You in Hollywood were part of Florida. You know, I'm actually I'm actually the landing. Okay, I was just I was just out there three but three months ago. Um doing some stuff with the w W. So I'll be out there too when I do that. Man, that's that's definitely getting working for sure. Yeah, well we're exchanging forward and just let me know when you're my way and I'll let you know when I'm your way done. Deal,
You got it all right? Cool? Thanks guys for tuning into another lights Out podcast and me Sean Maraman and that was dope for me for a few different reasons. Um, you know, Ikes was a hell of a player, but he has a lot going on with the scar line and he's in that world. I'm just newly into, uh the cigar world where I just picked up maybe a couple of years ago over Raymond was uh got me, got me a few cigars from years ago and now on now on hook. So that was a great conversation
when I tell I appreciate me coming on. Thank you guys for listening, for listening again, Um, leave those refused, those comments. Makes you subscribe wherever you can find the Lights Out Podcast. Tell your friend to tell a friend and tell all your friends and family. Subscribe. Subscribe to that Lights Out podcast. We'll be back next week with another