Andrew Whitworth

I realize I signed up for this time. My name is Andrew Whitworth, and I'm hoping to one day finish in the top twenty in American century.

Whitworth joins the program today. Former offensive lineman Andrew retired last year after sixteen seasons battling in the trenches in the NFL, first with the Cincinnati Bengals, last with the LA Rams. And well, when I tell you his exit from the game was like a movie, Well it was picture this Andrew. He's in his sixteenth year in the game. He's forty years old, the oldest tackle in NFL history. His team, the Rams, make it to the Super Bowl, which just so happens to be hosted in their very

own hometown of Los Angeles. The opponent is none other than his former team, the Cincinnati Bengals. It's a close game, both teams leading, falling behind. Anyone could win until the last two minutes. The Rams score one more touchdown and Andrew wins his first Super Bowl in the very last game of his career. Okay, I need to write the screenplay. Nowadays, you can catch Andrew Fantastic pregame, halftime and postgame show on Thursday Night Football Amazon Prime. The crew is fantastic.

Andrew is fantastic, or sometimes you can find him on the golf course with me, more at home with his family and actually don't catch him at home with his family. That's creepy. But you can listen to him with me right now here. He is my old pal Andrew Whitworth. Bubble and Squeak.

an uber driver who doesn't get paid. And then on top of that kind of getting into the media world and doing stuff with you know, Thursday Football, and then also still kind of doing some stuff here in LA with the rams and things like that. It's been a lot of fun. But it feels like I start weeks with like, oh man, it's gonna be a pretty slow week. And then the next thing I know, it's like I don't have a free minute this week.

I'm really glad I'm not. Is there any of those feelings happening now that training camps are in full swing.

myself down there. Give me nice can I get away? I stay at the Montage Laguna, I check in, I go over to practice, probably fifteen to twenty minute ride. I probably see them warm up in full pads. Maybe five minutes into this practice. I'm standing there and I'm like, I'm gonna go back to the Mintage. I literally watched them like break individual. I've been there ten minutes. I shake Kevin dem Off's hand. I'm like, it was great, man. I hope you guys every great year. I'm going back

to the hotel. Literally like took off, never came back, and it was I just had that feeling like, you know what, I don't miss this at all. I wanted to sit by the pool like hang out. And then this year I went to three days of camp and kind of a similar feeling. I was able to actually stay there because I've been you know, out long enough that it didn't just make me completely grossed out to watch everybody sweating in pads and just think, oh man, what it would feel like to hit somebody right now.

I'd be miserable but I actually stayed a couple of days. Was great. But I don't miss that part of the game at all. I mean obviously for alive, and it's different, like you know, we we kind of we weren't scoring touchdowns or throwing passes or getting applauded for you know, a sack or interception. We were kind of in the trenches, just digging it out every day. And the only time you're gonna hear about us is if we messed up. So I don't miss that that part at all.

what I'm doing. And then also I thank me for him just kind of things out here and feelings we both have about the game. We've always been that way since he was the coach of the Rams. We've spent a lot of time together around that stuff. So I just kind of I call it a friend of the program. But it's one of those things, like, you know, I still have a real lot of really close friends there and all that staff you know in the building, from the trainers and equipment guys and coaches in front office.

So I spent a lot of time with them and just help where I can. If they got a question, I'll go up there and do my best to help out anyway I can spread some knowledge. Like this year at camp I did, they had a scouting deal where I went and talked to all the scouts at their little summit about offensive line play and d line play and kind of what I see.

in their lane a little bit. And having a resource like you as an offensive lineman, it seems to me that you would be an incredible resource for the defense and for the defensive line play because nobody sees and understands what those guys are doing across from you in some ways better than you.

I could stop them. So I can tell you from my perspective, like, yeah, maybe maybe I didn't play the position, but I can tell you, well, I know what move works and I know what doesn't for this guy, and then based off his body type, what rushes really seen to work for those body types, And those guys gave me the most trouble because they were able to do X, Y and Z, and the guys who tried to do this or that it didn't work, and that never was

something that I really feared or thought was useful. So I could give you a lot of feedback on all the different body types they're looking at, tall, smaller, faster, twitchier, power, all that, and then kind of who I thought was

really the best and who did it the best. And hey, even from a coaching perspective of if you're teaching a guy that has a very similar body to an Elvis Duomerville or a James Harrison or a Dwight Freeney, I can tell you the things that those guys who play with the shorter lever, what they did that was effective and maybe some ways they should watch tape to study some of those things. Or if it's Chandler Jones or Miles Garrett or somebody you'd see as like a longer,

taller player, what they did that was effective. And I think that feedback's very useful. But I think to your point, the crazy part is is, I don't know. I talked to so many guys that just would love to share that information, but it's just not used as much as you would think.

Andrew Whitworth on the offensive line and you've got some questions as a defensive line coach or defensive lineman, yet it just it makes so much sense to me.

guys that I've talked to. It's not really whether you'd use it or not. It's like, dude, stop treating it like it's unapproachable to discuss, Like, let's talk about it. There's a way I can help you. I'd love to I'd love to come back to the team I played for and help them in some way find the next good player, a great player for them.

to an athlete. But I really got the blessing of being around some great football I mean I played against, I played with some really special players there in Monroe, and you know, I got to be part of a really cool high school program. We were fifty eight and two when I was in high school and football and played. We played people in Mississippi and Texas and you know, the five A state champion in Mississippi and Texas my

senior year and went undefeated. And you know, we played against Midland Lee and Cedric Benson and Eric Winston when they were at Middle of Lee Texas and played John Tyler Texas. We played Moss Pointe, Mississippi, and Demarius Bilbo and some of those great players that were in that program. So I got to experience some really cool things. Kyle Williams who played forever for the Buffalo Bills and was

an amazing golfer. Him and I were high school rivals our two high schools, so we grew up playing each other forever, became college roommates. Hated each other's scuts in high school though, you know, so I had a lot of great sports memories living in that town. It was, It was amazing for me. My parents were always a part of that, and my older sister Emily, and so I can't complain at all about my childhood.

was their biggest passion. And then obviously I was, you know in that area in North Louisiana, you're you were a Dallas Cowboy at that time. That was long before the Saints were the Aints with trash bags on their heads back home.

you name it. So baseball and football were probably the two things that I got the most, Like, man, you're really gonna have a chance at this. Basketball is something I just love to do. I've always had a passion for it, even when I played in the league. In the off seasons, I played little men's pick up leagues and stuff like that, just because it was something I always loved to do.

going to be a forty year decision. It was going to change my life for the rest of my time in the state of Louisiana and lo and behold, I mean he was right. I mean, he was probably the only coach to always go back to this when I was when I was coming up, I really wanted to be a tight end. So Houston up was at Arkansas, Steve Spurry was in Florida. Both played really big tight ends, like Sean Andrews played the umevers of Arkansas big right

tackle there. Well, the guy who played beside him was Jason Peters, who's one of the best left tackles ever played in the NFL. He was a tight end at Arkansas. So I wanted to go be a big tight end there. That was kind of this tween yer tackle tight end guy, and so I was trying to kind of choose in

schools that played with bigger tight ends. Nick Saban sat me down in my living room and he's like, listen, the sooner you give up your dream to play tight end, you're going to head towards your future of having an amazing football career. And I was just like, wow, this dude just walked in my living room and told me that I'm not gonna to be my dream, like I'm not reaching my dream. But really he was started telling what my dream should be, right, and sure enough he

was right. I mean, I moved to tackle my senior year because of him. I decided I'd move inside and play tackle at my senior year at West Monroe and then the rest is history. I went on to go to LSU and break the all time start record NCAA history, and win a national championship.

to be. Probably, you know, you got to think when you take over a guy like Nick who's got kind of a plan for the future, you don't know who's gonna really help them that year and whether they'd actually be that good. But we knew in the coming years we had a chance to be really special, so he

tried his best to keep most of us. I unfortunately has always say had the worst Red shirt experience you can have, because he always thought like, you're one play for me, putting you in there and being the left tackle. So I had to dress out preparing to start every single week. Never once touched the field like taped up ready to roll, you know, all my freshman buddies or in tiger Land upside down, you know, taking shots at everclear.

You're sending me text messages and calls and everything else, and believe it or not, there I don't think you could photo message at that time, so I wasn't getting any photos. But they were, you know, filling me in on what their antics were, and I'm just sitting there, like, man, I got to go to the game and I'm gonna stand there. I wasn't that happy, I'll say it that way. My freshman fall was a frustrating fall.

stuff on the table or anything. But I lived a very simple life and you know, never really dreamed of anything bigger than that. So when I was in school, honestly, it was like, man, I'm just trying to be really, I was real competitive, Like I wanted to start. I wanted to play on the football team, and I wanted to be really good, and I love to like get after it. I wanted to always like punish myself and work some hard and fight and tussle with people like

I love that. But I never really had a dream of like what does that mean after this? And so for me, it was always like, man if I fail at this, I'll go coach or teach or do something like that, just because I love people and I love pouring into people and I've always been relational that way, and so I really didn't have any dreams bigger than just trying to make it, you know, out on the football field and be a starter for LSU Tigers. That was that was it?

you realize that's going to happen? You don't have dreams of it, You're being simple, but like, at what point do you go oh, okay, we're gonna do this thing.

or you make a decision you don't. You're like, man, I wonder where I would have ended up had I decided to do that, or maybe said no or yes, you know, And so that for me, that's that moment he brings me in his office. Never even thought really about the NFL. I thought of the NFL as like wow, that's insane level of football and not like, oh man, I'm going to get there, right And I go into his office and he's like, hey, man, you've played two years,

you red shirted. You know you could explore the draft if you wanted, you know, you know, I think you should submit your papers and get like, you know, people that don't know that you can submit to the league and the scouts give you a score where they think you'll be drafted and that's what helps kids make their decision. And so I got mine back and it was like a second or third round rating, and he's like, you do what you want to do, but I wanted you

to get this. And I've always thought it was like I couldn't understand if he like didn't like me or like what's going on, because it's like it seemed like we loved each other, you know, he loved me in the player, I was just like, are you trying to push me out the door? And I think he like honestly wanted me to explore, like, hey man, you need to realize how good you are at this, and like

it needs to become something you're thinking about. And I appreciate that, but I decided I wanted to stay, and I stay, and we don't have as good a year. We have a solid year Nick kind of playing. You know, we kind of know the writings on the wall. He's gonna leave and go to the Dolphins after that year. So I don't have a great experience that year, and I had a couple of games that kind of I didn't think I played as well as I should have unless Miles comes in and I'm like, you know, what.

I've always had this feeling in me that I'm like, you know, for whatever reason, I always feel like I'm responsible for people, and so I felt like in that moment, a change, a head coach, a program that didn't perform as good as it did, we just want an actual championship. I got a lot of senior buddies that are coming back. I don't even want to talk about leaving. So I didn't even explore leaving the next year as a rich Ard junior because I'm like, I had to come back.

I remember giving a speech Nick Saban that kind of tells the guys formerly after our Iowa game and we lose my junior year, he's gone, and I remember standing up being like, I'm going to be back here. You know, we're gonna get after it and do what we're supposed to dolah blah blah. And I just felt compelled to do it in the moment, with no real reasoning for the decision. And I came back and played in another year. So I ended up playing all five years at LSU

and becoming a second round pick. So it's crazy how it worked out, and I still go back sometimes to that day in his office and think like what if I just decided to leave because my rating didn't really change it those two years, how different would my career look or where would've ended up. But I've been mature enough to handle the league all those questions.

looks like. And so I think that's why he kind of, you know, plays that line a little bit of like, hey, when I got really special ones that I may need to get into the league and be able to show this example, I'll recruit the next one based off of this guy, and I think that's kind of the vision he's always had for its to keep those guys coming in and out.

not good. There, go through the draft experience together or whatever, but still not that great. I'm two weeks after I get drafted the Cincinnati Bengals, excited as heck to be there. I still love the story that the secretary and there called me like the day after I got drafted and she's like, hey, next Friday, we got to have you here whatever. And I'm like, well, I get it on Thursday. She's like, what do you mean you get on Thursday. I'm like, well I already. I just booked my own

personal flight, like I'm coming in on Thursday. And she's like, okay, you're excited to get to work. You didn't even wait for us to tell you when you can come. I love it. But that was like my eagerness to get there and get going. And so two weeks after I get drafted, I met Marvin Lewis's event. He had a found he has a great foundation in Cincinnati. My phone's blowing up and I'm like, man, I don't know who's

calling me so much tonight. So I finally walk out of the event, get on my phone and it's one of my best friends of life, Michael Peterson, and he says, hey, man, And as you go somewhere and he talked to me and said what's up, He's like it's Lee, and I'm like, okay, what's going on. He's like he was killed. And so my close friend in college, roommate, Lee Deal, was serving the Navy, was a met doc for a special recon team.

He was killed in action two weeks to the day after I was drafted, almost and crazy experience in life. I always say it's been one of those things is horrific and never want to go through again. But it's also been something I think that saved my entire career because where I was at in life, I think I took a lot of things for granted in general, and so I spent my entire NFL career from that moment on.

I've always said, if you find a national anthem that I'm on the video, there's tears in my eyes and most of the time my tear dropping down my face.

And it's not really something to do as much about the anthem as much as there was always this moment I'd see the flag, I'd hear the anthem, and able to remind me, boy, there's a lot of things through the week that I stress out about and think about, and man, I get to stand here today because of one of my best friends in life sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice for me to get to have this freedom to

do what I'm doing right now. So it gave me a constant reminder for sixteen years how special what it is I get to do each and every Sunday.

like political folks are in town. They go visit them, kind of make this awesome experience for them. Well, these guys take this Bengals flag they gave them and flew it on their next deployment and took pictures with all their machinery and everything and their guns and name it. Pulled the flag up and got it framed and gave me their American flag that went with them and the Bengal flag that we gave them, and framed it up

for me, and I kept it. I took the frame and I actually put it as the back of my locker in Cincinnati. That was the back side of my locker, so every day I could look at it. But it's still one of the coolest things that I've ever received playing NFL football.

using the NFL's money to make the team as good as possible. I think it is a lot harder, but it's not that it couldn't be done and so I think at times, really the critique when I got to Cincinnati, obviously, you know, that's one of the things I think people don't get marvel Lewis enough credit for us when he took over that team. I mean, you know, zero real scouting department, structure, not many facility things that anybody would want to play there for other than moving into the

stadium they were in. But I mean, my entire career there, we never had an indoor. We never had any of those things. So our indoor was to go inside the stadium, which is open air, and practicing the snow on the turf, which I don't know why we did that because it only the turf's only harder when it's cold, so it didn't make a lot of sense, but it sounded good, we're going inside today. But yeah, I mean, when I first got there, we ate our meals out of what

used to be like a closet. They literally just rolled in trays of food and you'd walk through there, and then you'd sit in the basketball gym and that's literally where you ate, and it was just way different than what they experience now. But I think it is a fair criticism to say you wish they were more aggressive. I know, I've always been critical in the sense of I think they did a wonderful job of putting together teams and stuff. When I was there, were really successful.

We didn't find a way to win a playoff game. But I mean, shoot, we went to the playoffs six times while I was there, won a bunch of division championships. But I always thought in twenty eleven to fifteen, when we really had our run with Andy Dawton and AJ Green, the Geno Atkins and those guys, I was always critical of here you are with all this self. You know, you drafted them talent and not bringing in guys from other places. You drafted all these guys, so they're all

draft picks and they're all slotted in the draft. You've had all success, You're this could like, why is there no investment to like one free agent or one trade to just like, all right, we keep getting there, like almost winning, Like we're that good, then why not just some kind of like investment to say, let's be even better. I think that's one of the things that Joe Burrow really changed.

But they never would have gone and gotten to Trey Hendrickson, you know, or a DJ Reader or any of those guys when I when I was there, that just wasn't something they did. And so that was always my point. It's like, man, I understand y'all need to be tight with things, but why isn't there like a buy in we are successful to say, what if we just took that next leap? I think you'd all benefit financially and everything else.

And notice in the made to man corner. We're playing in Tampa, Levi Jones is our left tackle, and I'm at the game. You know, I'm not starting anything that week, and I'd only started against Cleveland because somebody was injured. And so this is like week four or five, and Levi goes down in the first quarter and so it's

a it's a TV time out for his injury. My coach yells at me, you know, get get out there, and so I run out there, and I get in the huddle at left guard and I moved to left guard to left tackle because that's how we played against Cleveland. And I'm like, no way, He's putting me on the edge, like that's Simmey and Rice over there. And so he's like I can see my coach is like frantically making all these arm gestures like he's like pissed off, and I'm like, what is going on? And kind of see

him on this iseline. I'm trying to like halp ignore him and like lock in. I'm starting now. I'm playing in this game to meet something. And then finally Carson Palmer or quarterback over the headset like somebody's telling him some of the headset. He's like with like move like you're playing left tackle, and I'm like, what, huh? Like me. So I literally look over there at Paul Alexander, my

line coach. I like point at my chest, like me, move over to left tackle, and He's like, yes, move over, and so I move over there, and I'm like, oh boy, let's go me and Rice is going to be a blast. And I have no idea how bad I couldn't go. Look at that one. It probably was really ugly. I didn't give up a sack, and I did a pretty good job, so I was very content. But the next

week it didn't get any easier. I faced Julius Peppers and Mike Rutger, who at that time I think led the NFL and sacks, and from then on I was playing left tackle, and the challenge each and every week could be at A rookie left tackle in the league ended up starting ten games that year, and he was insane, man, crazy experience. I can remember in my mind like being on the field with Brett Farr and Ray Lewis and guys.

So I'm like, man, highlyze this guy, Like how am I standing on the field with treil Owen's and all these guys. It was like every week you get over the bench and kind of look over at the offense. It's on the field and you're like, man, wait, oh my god, I'm on the same field as that guy. Like this is crazy, Like we're in the same place, we had the same job. It's unbelievable.

I start and left tackle. It started from that moment because I'd really committed that offseason, like, you know what, I feel really good and I think I could do this for a long time if I just keep this exact regimen, And that kind of started it off. That year. I was fired up to make a difference and do something different. Hugh Jackson I was coming in as our offensive coordinator, and Hugh and I always hit it off, and we were both firing guys, and so we kind

of got each other going every week. And man, I had a lot of fun playing football all year, much less of success, and it really kind of, I think, you know, shot me on the direction to what would lead to an insane finish.

took on in that. And so the scene where she's stapling him in the hospital and he's like like, pain is just pain, Like you gotta get used to it, right, and just kind of unflinching. So I was in my fifth six year in the league and I was like, man, I'm watching guys line up in for toward All shots, ordering toward All online and taking it throughout the week and just crushing every anti inflammatory and pain pill and

you name it. And I was like, man, I just I feel like I see all these guys develop a need like they have to to be able to function every day, they have to have all this stuff. Why can't it work the other way?

it just became a thing. And so after that, it was like everywhere I went, no matter what the entry was, I'd be like, look, man, unless you're telling me that, like I can't get on the field next week, I'm out. And so like, yeah, was there an occasion like you know, they give you the pregnic zone or something like that if you've got some significant injury and they don't know if you're to recover in time. I mean, yeah, I've

done that before. But no weekly, daily stuff. Actually, until my last two years in LA, I basically took nothing for about seven years and my last two years in LA just because at my age it was a lot harder to do that. On actual game day, I would take like two tile and all just to kind of take the edge off a little bit in the morning, you know, because the thing was when you're thirty nine and forty showing up on the field, Like I always say,

it's like a box of chocolates. Every Sunday, I have no idea what I'm gonna wake up and feel like that morning it's like, oh rap, it's one of those days. You know, Daddy's not in the mood today. I got to find it somehow, so he takes some talle on and get going.

powerful anti inflammatory. And I'll tell you what. My back didn't hurt playing golf six d six rounds in six days. I felt pretty good. Yeah, yeah, that's.

super just obsessive, ain't aal about that. Like I know, if I was gonna workout or I'm on the field, I get up myself, like don't put your hand out there, because you're gonna think I'm an asshole. Like I'm not gonna take it, but I just don't. I don't nobody gets me off the ground with me. If I'm gonna be thirty something years old playing football, I gotta get my own butt off the ground. And I realized I signed up for this. That's a great transition to being a RAM. That's part of what it was.

flew out of my wife and three kids. And when you're an offensive lineman, Brian, I don't get like they don't send the g for or to pick you up. Okay, you know I was. Actually that was me. Yeah, me and Melissa's favorite moment ever. I think I think it's Sean mcvay's favorite story ever. But since we won the Super Bowl. But I'm on the flight in the very back row, my wife and my three kids. The toilets just you know, I'm getting all the fumes the whole flight.

We connect through Salt Lake City to to La and I am it's one of those bumpy winter flights where you know, the flight tents can't even get up and I'm just sitting on here in this back round. My kids are crying. I'm like, what are we do we this is the dumbest thing ever. Let's go back to fourth Thomas, right, you know, get these kids on a play set, like you know, we're fine, And I tell my wife, I'm like, listen, you need to buckle up

and understand, we've given up super Bowl hopes. Like it's over. We're leaving Cincinnati where we'd gone on the playoffs a bunch of times. This team hasn't had a winning season in fifteen years, Like super Bowl's over. This is about us going there and changing a culture, you know, being willing to help the wives, help the players, like this is all this is about, and us going there and being servants to this organization. And that's what they're really

paying me to do. Come play good football and teach these guys how to play good football and change the culture of what's going on there. And Melissa told Sean that story when we first got to LA and so he has never let me live it down since we went to two Super Bowls in one one. But it's the truth of how I signed there. It was very like, Man, I'm going here. This isn't about me, this is about this place. And I never left. So I signed the contract.

I said, Melissa, this is one of those moments where you go, just forgive me on this. I can't leave. I can't go back. Cincinnati means too much to me. It would hurt my heart too much to fly back there now. I just I need you this month. If we could just do this, like let's go all in together. If you can go back to Cincinnati, I'll get your parents up there, whoever you need to help you move us oute of the house and take care of the kids. I'm gonna stay here. So I never left LA after

a hour. And last year I called the Bengals Rams game in the preseason as a retired Super Bowl champion. It was the first time I stepped back in Cincinnati, Ohio since I signed my contract. Really, yeah, pretty well, it was a pretty emotional game. I played it off, but if it's a pretty emotional day to be there last year, it's just crazy for me. Man, I invested everything I had in that place. You know, I just couldn't go back.

numbers would be that different. It's that you start to lose the ability for your brain to make your body

do exactly what you feel in the moment. And so I started to lose the explosion to get off the line as a left tackling in my set and like, oh man, I want to put my hand here, but like for whatever reason, I just seemed to have lost the ability to put it exactly where I want to, and I'm just slow and I can see, like when I watch a fight or I watch MMA or anything like older fighters when they're struggling, like I know exactly what's going on because I know the feeling of like

what becomes the challenge And so it's that your body doesn't listen to you as well as it used to. You might know what you need to do, but you can't get it to do it, and so that started to become a challenge. And so for me, it was like I got lighter. I tried to play the really likely way less weight than I played earlier in my career, so I can move a little better and more efficiently. But I'll never forget.

signed the damn contract. Get up off the ground. And I knew it was Aaron Kromer, and I was like this, you know, you just with him, know enough, like a new producer or something, you know, Like I know how he is. He's kind of a guy, likes to push buttons. So I'm like half pissed off and laughing at the same time. All right, all right, dude, like shut up, and I'm I want to get up, you know. So I got a dusting myself off in him and I laughed about this day. But that's how it started. He

was like, you know what I'm here. I did sign that contract, and so I got to give my time and energy to it. And I love hearing these stories right now currently about Aaron Rogers being in New York and sitting at a different table every day and what he's doing, because that was the big thing I always said. I always thought the biggest difference for me is that when I got there, that was my moo. I was

every day I'm sitting with a different position group. I'm walking in this place, not as the eleven year vet has been to Pro Bowls and all pro blah blah blah. I'm walking in as I'm here to help this team win. And so every day I try to spend time with those groups. And that's why I still have some really

crazy cool bonds from that time. And I'll never forget Sean holding the meeting and letting the guys vote and being voted a captain that year, and thinking to myself, like, what a cool moment you know, to to thirty six years old to change teams become a leader of a place that fast. But more importantly, like just developed this culture of all of us being on the same page

from what wasn't that way before? We got there and it was really special and it led to really you know, where my career would go from then.

to be known for. But the next year, we have a great year, Kyt Gurley goes crazy again and we end up in the playoffs, win my first ever playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. I'll never forget it, which is also kind of crazy just think about it now, my team growing up first every time to win the playoff game, but end up in the super Bowl and lose to the New England Patriots. And probably the worst game we played all season long, just a bad performance

for who we were offensively and everything else. Defense played great and we just let them down. It was a tough thing to swallow because at that point, I'm thirty eight going on thirty nine, and every single person, you know, super Bowl Week's insane with media and everything else. Every question is like what do you think about to spend your last game? Everter like, everyone just was like assumed like this was it. So when I walked off that field, I was, Okay, if it is it, you know what,

it's been an insane run. I don't feel like it's it, but maybe the rams make that decision for me. And what leads to one of the coolest sports moments when people say, what's your sports moment? You know, walking off that field and looking up at my at that time, I guess he was seven eight years old, Michael, my middle son, and he's crying in his mama's lap because he didn't think we'd lose either. And I never knew NFL Films had the audio and a video camera on

me because I wasn't miked up. I don't remember being miked up, but maybe I was. And I literally looked up and find where they're sitting, and he's sitting in her lap and he's crying. The only way I knew how to make an eight year old like try to put a smile on that moment he can't hear me was to flex my muscles at him and make him flex his back. And still gives me chills to think

about it. So he like bawl and crying, like trying to like half get a smile out, you know, And he smile comes out, and he's crying, he's flexing his muscles, and I just told him, like, we're gonna be okay, buddy, like this ain't the end of the world for us. And I go off and I have the quote of the year, which is still idiot. I've been around media long enough to know not to talk emotionally because they're

going to dissect it. But at the end of the day, we're all gonna die, and I'll never forget that literally went everywhere, and I'm like, you know what, that's not what I said, but it is what I said. I asked me how you go forward from this moment, you know, having lost the Super Bowl and ending your career basically, and I'm kind of like one insulted, like this ain't the end of my career. Who said the end of my career two, I'm like, bro, listen, I care a

lot about football, love it. It's a passion of mine. This ain't the end all be all of life parts. So let me explain to you who I am. So I said the actual whole quote was, I don't care if you've won twenty Super Bowls, been to one hundred Pro Bowls, whatever it was, you know the exact numbers. But at the end of the day, we're all gonna die. And what's gonna matter to me ain't gonna be some trophy sitting on a wall or some Pro Bowl that

I've been to. What's gonna matter is if Sarah Leice, Drew Andrew James Junior, Michael Lee Whitworth, and Katherine Whitworth love people, care about people, and treat people the same way they'd want to be treated, regardless of where they come from, their economic status, or skin color or anything else.

If they are quality human beings who love and treat people the way they should and get the fulfillment of life through that, I don't give a crap about a Super Bowl, right, Like that's going to matter to me. And so that's what I said, but of course the only thing I quoted it is saying is the end of the day, we're all going to die, which is way more entertaining. I agree. I mean it's a lot funnier. So anyways, have that great moment, and I'll still never

live that way. I think my wife quotes me that Dumpty's mad at me, like, hey, you want to drop another quote, end of the day, we're all going to die?

the Cincinnati Bengals, which is just insane. I mean, I don't claim to have a movie there, but there is kind of a movie there. I'm playing against the Cincinnati Bengals, and I win Walter Payton Mann of the Year, and I decided when they asked me what I wanted to say, that I wanted to talk about Derek Barnes. And that season, Derek Barnes played middle linebacker for the Detroit Lions. Unbeknounced to me and after the game runs up me and he's like, big wit, Like it's me. You're not going

to remember me. I'm Derek Barnes. You and I used to hang out when I was a little kid, like six, seven, eight years old at the Boys and Girls Club in Cincinnati. You throw the football and hang out and talk about life. And like, I've been waiting this entire season for this game, and I hope you'd be healthy and like playing because I just couldn't wait to tell you I made it. And I remember just what I blacked out. It was such an insane moment, like that I was like, wow.

And then fast forward that game that season to the Super Bowl a week and win wat's Patman of the Year and they find out I'm going to talk about this because you have to send in what you're going to talk about, and they fly to Derek Barnes there and he's in the crowd for the watch Pagman of the Year and I win it and I get to get this speech and talk about it and what a

just insane moment, crazy, crazy emotional moment. And then three days later, you play in the Super Bowl against the team that you gave your heart and soul to you win it. And to close that story, I ran and gave Joe Burrow a hug, Zach Taylor, and I ran to look up at my family just to make eye

contact with him until I love them. And Michael Lee Whitworth, who was crying at his mama's lap in twenty eighteen, is standing at the front of the Raptors, both arms up, biceps flexed up, you know, ten years old, and thinks he runs the world now with a massive smile. And it's still one of the coolest moments for me. I'll never forget the image of one him crying in the first one and two him standing there making eye contact with me. And the second one that it hit home.

He couldn't wait, you know, for redemption and what a special moment.

I got to talk about your foundation, Big Wit seventy seven foundation, not only the winner of the twenty twenty one Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which many consider to be the most prestigious award given to an NFL player every year. Also in twenty nineteen you win the Allen Page Community Award winner because you leave Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and you come to LA and immediately make an impact here giving money and helping and made an impression here.

You're still in Los Angeles now, I know you're working for Thursday Night Football tell people how they can become involved or what Big Wit seventy seven Foundation is doing.

part of that community. And then we created some of our own little things that we would do Christmas time and things like that. But then I got to be a part of our and Lewis's Foundation, which did a lot of stuff in schools and helping develop education for kids and those things. So I had a lot of things that I could take with me when I came to LA and I was like, man, I want to

do some stuff. The Rams, you know, had just moved there a year before I got there, so they'd only been there one year moving back from Saint Louis, so they didn't really have a lot of things in the ground doing that kind of stuff yet and then trying and getting it going. So it was a great timing for me to get involved and already have a background things that have worked for me and things that had

so in LA it's been insane. I mean, one of the coolest moments of that year winning Waltz Payton was when I actually got told I was nominated again, I think, which was my fifth time being nominated. They had created a board that you could literally press the buttons like an app and it'd show you whatever area that was and whatever I had done, whatever I'd done in that community. They'd have somebody who was speaking and they'd kind of tell you what, you know, their appreciation was for what

you've done, and maybe tell the story. And so there was like I forget the number. It was like forty something spots all over Los Angeles and it literally like was so cool because it mapped like all over the city.

It was so wide range. It was just insane to look at it and go back and think of the five years that there's been that many places You've had an impact and got to do something be a part of whether it was through social justice stuff, like I'd created a fund with the Rams myself that I matched every dollar that the players and coaches gave. You know, I had created two STEM labs. I built two STEM labs in schools, done a lot of school visits and things like that, and so it was an I experience,

you know, really being a part of all that. So I think the best thing to me that people can do is it's really not about me, just finding ways man to make people's day. As I've always said, like I don't care if you're in college and you're struggling, Like open the door for somebody, see somebody drop their backpack, like help them pick it up. You know, like those

little things matter a lot more than people think. So to me, like it's not about a dollar amount somebody can give me or do for me, But man, look for ways that you can make life about more than just you, and I bet you'll find out you'll be a whole lot happier. So I think for me, that's really what it's all been about. There's no one mission, there's no one foundation. It's like, man, tell me somewhere that I can like put my hand out and help somebody up.

There was a lot of insanely cool offers to like stay involved in the game of football, whether it be in the front office somewhere or anything, just because people kind of knew my passion for that kind of stuff. But I just felt like that wasn't what I wanted to do to still have all the family time I wanted. So I kept trying to explore what's another option to stay involved in this game? Talk about this game, talk about something I love that's changed my life, and that

became like, hey, well you could always do this. And at that point, as you know, in tea and everything else, like I am so like we're talking about six months from now, like you're so behind eight ball, like buddy, they've given those jobs out a long time ago, and so I literally like just start bugging the crap out

of people like I'm like, you give me. I've always been that kind of person, like I got to tell people like, hey, I'll never forget, like sitting down with Josh Pye at the first time and he's just like, well, man, that's these decisions are like kind of made pretty good while back, like I don't know what we do from here, and I'm like, man, listen, Josh, put me in the room. I'll do the rest, Like that's all I want. You

give me in that room, I'll handle the rest. Or give me a chance to speak to somebody on the phone, like that's how much I care. Like and if people care and they like me, then ready to work. If it doesn't, oh well, And so you know, we went through that process and it was crazy and I had no idea where I'd end up. And Thursday nights sounded really cool to be able to like coach my kids throughout the week, go somewhere and do a game and talk about a game, and then be back Saturdays for

their games. I was like, man, this this would be awesome. And sure enough I got an opportunity to be a contributor. One thing led to another and you get an opt to sit on the desk one week and they're like, we liked it, come back, and then you know, you go from being a contributor to like, you know, hey, we're gonna have you sit up there every week and you'll be part of this team. And so it was an insane, crazy, so much fun, such a humbling experience

to get to be up there every week. I mean, Richard Shearon, Ron Kitzpatrick, Carrissa, Tony Gonzalez, I mean insane. It'stead at that desk with some awesome iconic people. Really and then you add Michael Smith and Taylor Rooks and man, I mean what a cool I mean, what a insane crew. And then by the way, it's Al Michael's and Kirk Kirk Street calling the game and Kaylee Hardcom is an

LSU Tiger, you know, a lover and I've known Kayley forever. Honestly, it couldn't have been more of a family from the jump. And I always tell people to me, that's what sticks out for folks. I mean, I don't really go back and watch our stuff. I can't do that well, but I do know what we're like the way I can't. So that's that's the weirdest thing ever. Yeah, but it sticks out when we go somewhere on the road, everyone meets up, everyone's at dinner, everyone's together in the hotel

and the lobby. You know, it's like you can hardly work out or function or do anything because it's like we all have to be together every five seconds. And so you can just tell that they put a really unique group of just we're a family from the jump, and it's it's been a lot of fun.

the end of the day. So you know, I'll never pick against Patrick and until somebody else proves me different. So I'm going Kansaity Chiefs again. I will say this, I think there's some really intriguing teams, like I got this sneaky like I just feel like Baltimore or Pittsburgh. No, I feel like people aren't respecting those two teams and how talented they really are. Pittsburgh, you know what, Mike Tomlin's a dog man. I mean that dude every year finds a way to win. And this year. You go

look at Mike Tomlind's history. When they're good on D line and O line, they're pretty special. They have pretty good years because it's just the way that dude coaches football. And so I think they're gonna be pretty good up front on most sides, and I think it's gonna be interesting to see where that team ends up. And then I think Baltimore is like that team nobody's talking about. It really has the roster to end up in pre

dag I'm good at the end of the year. So I think there's some sneaky teams that are gonna be interesting to see. The Jets, obviously, with Aaron Rodgers, are going to be insanely good. I think to me, it's really right now as I sit here, it's New York Jets or Kansas City Chiefs. Is the two best teams. Just because you look at the Jets last year when they had half decent quarterback play, they won with Aaron and how special he is man, that team should be

really really good. I think the Jets is gonna be an interesting that way. You kind of see that as they start to gel all of a sudden become really really special.

an interior rusher. And when he goes to San Francisco, Nick Bos is gonna be the happiest dude on the play because now when teams say we're gonna double him or we're gonna take extra attention, he's got a guy who's gonna win beside him, and they can't always do that. So I think San Francisco is going to be crazy special. I just don't know. Can Rock Party take the next step as he continued to be that guy or was that just a crazy good streak he had. We'll find out.

It's much like what we didn't know about Jalen Hurts last year.

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