OTB Sports: Julian Edelman

v P producer, content creator, analyst on Inside the End. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it. You're a stud streaming on Paramount. Okay, okay, Julian and lastly transitioning into one of the hosts of the greatest forced podcast of all time, named Games with Names, on a mission to find the best game to dog of all time. Greatest of all games. Yeah, that's me. How you guys doing, Hello, my friends, and welcome to a very exciting episode of Off the Beat Sports. As always,

it's me your host, Brian baum Gartner. Now you just got a little sneak peek from my interview today with the legendary I think we can call it that legendary New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman a man, well you could say, a man that really did his job over twelve seasons in the NFL, three Super Bowl wins and the distinct honor of being the m v P of Super Bowl three. But you know what, it seems like he could have just on a little bit more.

Am I right? Well now he is. Julian had an incredible career on the field, and now he's expanding his reach into the wonderful world of entertainment. He's starring on Inside the NFL and now into my neck of the woods, a brand new podcast called Games with Names, which I'm excited for you to hear about. But I'm also excited to dive into our interview today. So strap it in, folks, slap on the old helmet, and uh let's get ready to hear from one of football's all time great wide receivers,

Julian Edelman. Bubble and Squeak. I love it, Bubble and squeak on Bubble and Squeaker, cook it every month, left over from the nut before. What's up, Julian? How are you doing? I'm good? How are you? I'm good? I'm good. I'm just I'm out here in Los Angeles. Oh are you in Los Angeles? Now? I am, I'm in Los Angeles now. Well, you're a big entertainer now. I mean, not that you weren't before, but you know that's where the entertainers live. I hear my daughter lives out here.

That's why I live out here. I'm a nor Cow kid. I'm a Northern California kid. So it's it's it's different. It's different where I'm from. By the way, just off off. Your voice sounds. Really it's a good, good voice for like. I don't know if it's the headphones that I'm wearing right now, but the voice sounds. It's a good voice. You like me, You like me in your head, that's what you're saying. You're in my head right now. Thank you. I mean, that's that's a great compliment. I mean, you

have a you have a face for television. I've got a voice for being in your head. I guess do you think I could have gotten in your head? Do you do you think I could have gotten in your head on the football field? No? Come on, no one could, No one could get in my head. No one. The only person who could get into my head was my me, like I would give myself like that's the only thing. But usually other guys I was pretty good at that, you know, especially when I was in the prime of

my career. Like early on in my career, I was still learning. But once I knew the material and I once I was comfortable and I had experience and remembered things, like I was so confident in my ability that I was getting in other people's head. Yeah, I know that about you, but I still I feel like I could have gotten in your head. I feel like I could have found some button to push that would have stopped

the Patriots dynasty. No, no, because anytime a guy I would try to do that, like it's like that's the last thing you want to do, because especially if you're on like a if you're on a good team, like it's never gonna go down like that. When you're on like a mediocre team and you're playing like week eight, you're eight, no, and this other teams like two and six, and this guy's talking and you already it's like the middle of the year. So the first part of the year,

you're excited the season started. Then you start getting beat up that there's a middle chunk of the season where you're like, man, it's a grind. You know, you're mentally, emotionally just exhausted. And so sometimes when that would happen, it gave you a little spark because you go to that one of those crappy teams or a mediocre team.

It's hard to get up to play that when you're you know, when you're always doing well, and then you know, so you would use that kind of stuff and you would put it in your head and create a story and then I would attack that person and I would try to embarrass them. Yeah, that makes sense, That's probably what would have happened. Um, I want to go back. You talked about being a nor Cow kid. You grew up in Redwood City, California. How would you describe your childhood?

Good childhood, great child sports, sports and more sports, A lot of sports. But I had a great childhood. You know, my my parents were you know, hard working, middle class people. My dad was a mechanic and very involved in my whole sport life and just in my life in general.

My mother was, you know, the lady that kind of kept everything together, stayed at the house, raised us there was no crazy struggles, but it was definitely, you know, it was a tough taught childhood just because of how my father, how demanding he was of of me, specifically in my family, for achieving greatness out of practice or you know, doing you know a spelling you know, the

spelling words for the week. He'd worked with me and homework and he was just he'd always pushed me, and you know, it was tough, but I wouldn't be where I'm at without that childhood, right. What was your what was your go to sport growing up? Was it football initially or no? Yeah, I mean I was. I was on the football field when I was in diapers because my brother was seven years older than me and my dad coached him, uh in Pop Warner. He started playing

when he was eight. So I grew up on the field around the coaching staffs and you know, organized football, and it was like the you know, like the tough guy thing. And I was really good at baseball. I played a lot of baseball, but I had too much a d D like, especially as a young kid, and I played a lot of basketball as well, but I just couldn't. I had to have something like my mind would float off in like the middle of the third inning.

You know you're picking daisy, and then you have to like focus up, and you didn't get that same feeling you felt when you scored a touchdown. Like scoring a touchdown when I was a kid, like that was the most electric, euphoric feeling. I used to dream about it

at night, like on certain things I could. I still have the same dream a cutback, spin move turn when I started dreaming it when I was eleven years old, because this guy Tafo, he told me about it once and when I was like eleven, you gotta if you're in the sideline, you gotta stiff arm and then spin off and then keep it going. And I would dream that same dream over it because I love that, you know,

that touchdown feeling. I don't know the other sports I loved him, but they never nothing compared to my love for the game of football. Mano Imano man Verse Man man Verse Man. So the the Oklahoma drill, you like the Oklahoma draw? I mean you don't like the oklow. It's Oklahoma drill is fun for a time and place when you're young. But I'm just saying, like, you know

you're playing man coverage. It's it's literally the you know, this man is trying to cover you using technique, good tellnique, using your strengths, exploiting their weaknesses and finding that's like a that's like a puzzle every time, you know. And then when you get to beat that man, he knows you you can beat him every time, you know. I don't know. That's just that that that got me going when I was a kid and kept it going to laugh. Now, I'm told that in eighth grade that you would sometimes

pretend to be Tom Brady. True, yeah, like eight Yeah, I mean he was a berry a kid. He went to Sam and he was from San Mateo. I lived in Redwood City, which was a town over a couple of towns, San Carlos, Belmont, Sam, San Mateo. And he I just loved. He was a scrappy guy. He didn't get drafted in the first round. You know, his whole college story when he was at Michigan where he was battling Handy because he was the guy that was supposed

to come in and make Michigan the best. And all Tom did was just grind and win, grind and win. And I just loved that about him. When I was a kid and he was from the Bear So there was that connection, Like you rooted for him, and he already had a Super Bowl in two thousand one. I was in eighth grade and so like this on the asphalts of Recess and be like, I'm Brady all time, QB.

Let's go. And so it was his It was it was his ability to grind and the fact that he had adversity through college and and and and getting into the NFL. That's what you admired. And yeah, he was the underdog. Yeah, he was always the underdog, even when he wasn't the underdog, but he was always treated like the underdog. And he just keep kept proving people still to this day that he's not. He's the top dog.

He's the alpha dog. And I love that. You could tell he had that killer instinct in him, and he would, especially when he was younger, You're getting all fired up, and you know the TV would catch that, or you know, it was just I liked him. He was a fiery guy. He didn't reminded me of Montana. I was a Montana guy, right. Well, I heard you had two two dogs growing up, Dwight. What was it Dwight in Montana, Is that right, Tim Dwight, Yeah,

Dwighton Montana. We had him for about eight months until they only listened to me and they started biting people and they had to get rid of them. They were like these they were black labs over pictures. My parents though, they were like so much we found out like it was crazy, but I was like, yeah, we can't be having this. These guys are nipping. Okay, you are quarterback for your high school team, barely five ft tall, a

hundred pounds. Yet your senior season you lead your team to a thirteen and oh record yards twenty nine touchdowns, another thirteen touchdowns rushing. You're good, I mean and no North, I mean California football. This is this is legit. And so you might wonder who was recruiting you for college. No one was, is this right? No one offers you a scholarship? Yeah, zero scholarship. You know, we had a really good football team that was in my senior two

thousand four at Woodside. We had a we had an unbelievable running back by the name of Tyrese Jacks, and so we had, you know, really good receivers like we I went and poached a bunch of the basketball guys and recruited him to come play football down Dominic, Duncan Cruise, Kenneth Walker, we had Spencer Garrison, who was a track kid who I played football with a lot. So we had like it was like a perfect storm. So you know,

it was really Tyrease was like the show. He was rushing for like two He was the guy that everyone was looking at. I mean he was a man child on the football field in high school, you know, and I was a late bloomer I was at by that time in my senior year, I was about five eight, you know, you know, probably buck sixty, buck fifty. Yeah, I didn't get recruited out of it, but you know

that that all those stats and stuff. I mean, back in those days, you just throw it, throw it his higher high and far as you can to that guy who's six six Duncan Cruise, and you know you're gonna get touchdowns. So we had. That was a fun year and that was one of the you know, you know, you still think about your high school days to go out the way we did because I don't know, if you know, the year before our season got canceled, we had a full mutiny on head coach. There's a chant

going on in the locker room. It was on like NBC. They covered it like nationwide. Our principal canceled our season with like three games to go because no one would rat on who started like this chant in the locker room. They brought it every single teammate, every single guy, and said and asked were you in the chant? And everyone said no, and and they said, uh, do you know he started the chance? And they said, I don't know

the whole team, So they canceled our season. So that it was that was a perfect storm that that that senior year where we just went out and we were so mad. We went out and wirt know and it was it was a great, great way to go out. Man, it was so fun. Did you consider giving football up at that point? I did? Uh not? Not. At that point.

I was in a you know, I was in an area and I had a lot of friends that they were all getting their acceptance letters to you see Berkeley, and some would go to the party kids to go to Chico State and you see Santa Barbara or Stanford and you know, and I was in limbo, like what am I gonna do do I try to go to

junior college too. I mean, you know, you're you're I wasn't highly recruited, so you know, you still have that that that mindset of when you're going into something unknown, especially when you're that young, and you know that's a big transition to go from high school to college, whether it's community college or a regular four year college. You know, these next four years of your life are a huge part of building your foundation and what are going to become.

I never thought I wasn't gonna play football, but there was an anxiety going into that decision of like, what do I do now? Right? Right? Well, yeah, you go to San Mateo where you do play football, you have a school record for rushing yards, you are still playing quarterback. Does that start to get the attention of schools. Yeah? So I ended up going to College of San Mateo.

Our head coach Larry Owens, he was a Redwood City guy, and I I have to admit I originally wanted to go to College of San Francisco because College of San Francisco was like the big dog junior college in the country. They get a lot of bounce backs guys that went to like a four year full ride. Some would get happen, you know, kids would get in trouble, they'd have to

go back. And this is before the portal days, so that they would go to Juco for a and then get rerecruited so you didn't have to lose a year. So you get a lot of those guys that would go to San Francisco and uh, I'm I'm honestly so

glad I didn't. And because CSM was so me it was once again an underdog kind of school, a tough group of guys that worked their tails off, and that was instilled through the coaching staff Coach Owens, coach Taller, coach Pollock, and uh, you know, it was a It was a team that everyone around the Bay Area was from.

You didn't get guys from other states and stuff. So there was a camaraderie between playing and that in that environment, which is the last time you get to play with people you grew around, you know, because then you go to college, you go to then you go to like I went to Ohio after that, and you're going to the Midwest and I'm a Bay Area kid. A melting pot. There's Polynesians and black kids, Mexicans, there's Asian kids, you know what I mean. Like then you go to Ohio,

white and black. You know, it's it's completely different. So like that is a special year in my life because that was the last time I got to play with like my people from where I'm from, you know. And and that's what CSM was really about. A tough group of guys, young men that are that are like treat it like it's a family. You know. Once a bulldog, always a bulldog. And that's when I started getting a

little notoriety. We had a really successful year. We went to the Bulldog Bowl and played this guy, Brent Shafer, who was a really stud quarterback, one of those bounced back so he was a starting quarterback at Tennessee. Came back, played uh at College Sequoia is another junior college in northern California, and we were playing in a bulldog game and we ended up with a win, ended up like

number eight in the nation. And then after that, that's when I started getting, you know a little more attention. I got a lot of attension. You know, I was starting to get letters from Pac ten schools, Big ten schools, eat SEC schools, Big twelve schools. You know, I was getting all these letters, which I was a static. You know, no one's ever wanted me, and it probably made nothing, but I was getting letters and I like that was the biggest high. I wanted to be wanted, you know

what I mean. But then these letters kept on saying the same thing. We want you to stay another year. We don't have enough scholarships. You talked to the coaching stuff. We don't have scholarships this year. We want you to stay another year and produce that same kind of statu and we'll take a shot on you. Or they wanted me to change positions. And you know, then I come back. It was in the winter and we were doing some running as a team and I'm walking up the hill

and coach Tullock or Public. There are two different guys, but the same SEAE coaching Staff's real I run, It's weird. Uh. They came up to me and and he goes, yeah, there's a school ken't State that wants to talk to you. They flew in or something. They want to offer you a scholarship and bring you out. And I was like, where's Ken State is it? Because my goal was to play quarterback at a Division one level, and like it's a D one because there's a couple other like D

twos and stuff that we're coming. And I was like, I'm cool with that. I won't play quarterback at D one and they're like, yeah, it's D one, it's in the MAC. I was like, what's the Who's in the MAC? And they're like, you know, like Bowling Green Miami, And I knew Bowling Green because that's when Brandon of this Jacob's quarterback back in the day, he was in the Heisman hunt, like in that little area of my high

school and junior college life. He was lighted up. And Ben Roethlisberger went to Miami, Ohio, and you knew of Ben Roethlisberger. So then I, you know, I I went and took the visit, and you know, it was definitely a culture shock of everything aesthetically on like how Ohio

is like built. It's like little hills and you know, pretty flat, and and just the people and very comforting and heart of the earth type people, and you know, it was like I went out there and watched the practice and I was like, hey, I can start right away here, and you know, I wanted to. That's why I ended up committing to their coach Martin And you wanted to be quarterback. That was it for you. I wanted to be that, yeah, and that gave you an opportunity.

You became three year starter, Derek. Kent State. A good decision for you to go there, A great decision, unbelievable decision. Part of my story, part of my foundation. Love Kent State University, Love Northeast Ohio. I mean I learned a lot in those three years in college on the field, off the field, you know, perspective of of how that part of like the country and like I never left California, so that was like a huge thing. I remember my

mom crying when I left. You know, it was like my third time on our second time on a plane, you know what I mean, Like, you know, I loved it, and then you think about it football wise, you know, see I did go to a big school. I changed positions right away. Then I'm dependent on, you know, a quarterback to throw me a ball. Maybe you get eight to fourteen targets a game. You go on that you have six seven to you know, nine catches a game or whatever like that. That's balling out in college, you

have to do that. For three years as a receiver. I had the ball in my hand every single play at Kent State, So either I was distributing it, or I was showing my athleticism while running, or just showing that I was a football player. So, you know, and I learned how to play in the cold. You know, it just so happened. I went to a very cold place in New England, and I started playing in snow games in Ohio and then the weather out there is

outrageous crazy. I mean, I played in a game against the Ohio University at Kent where we had a lightning delay, hail, and then by the end of the game it started snowing, and then at like at the beginning of the game, it was like hot. It was crazy. I never I never experienced this. I'm literally it's seventy five and sunny where I grew up my whole life. You know, maybe it gets the fifty we're throwing on a hoodie, but like,

you know, it was crazy. So I learned a lot, I met a lot of great people, and I honestly loved Ohio, Northeast Ohio, and I'm I'm a static that It's part of my journey because once again it goes into that category of that underdog, you know, like can't state, can't read, can't rag, can't state, you know, And you go into the locker room in the league, and I loved it. I was from Kent State and I'm still in the same locker room with you who You're at Alabama,

you went to USC you went to Oregon. You guys did all that with all that great facilities, all that money. Probably got a pay cut when you came into call the pros because you guys are getting paid out then. And I'm still in the same spot, you know what I mean. You have an amazing career through high school and then in college, but you're working hard in not the biggest places. Are you thinking you're going to the NFL?

Is that always a part of your consciousness? I mean I hear at some point you thought you were going to become a firefighter after college. I looked into it. Yeah, But are you always thinking about the NFL still and that you can play at that level at that time of my life? No, okay, you know subconsciously that's your dream, you know, when you're When I was an eight year old kid or a seven year old kid watching Dion Sanders, Jerry Rice, Brent Jones, Ken Norton coming off the field

thrown gloves. I wanted to be that guy, you know what I mean, That's what I wanted. So obviously it was a dream. But when I was there were so many things that went on in my life where I like, I hurt my back my senior high school a little bit. So I go to you know that that was also a part of the story, and you know, baseball end up.

Quentin went to Juco. Juco had to like battle to take out like the first they had a first string quarterback and that's like a senior quarterback who started the year before in junior college because it's only two years. So like that was a task and I wasn't like thinking about anything other than just trying to win the job and then trying to win games and keep this guy off my back. Then I go into CSM and

I'm kind of the same predicament. There's a you know, a prototypical six ft six gun sling and bounced back guy who played in baseball. He's like twenty eight years old. I'm like nineteen battling against him. So like I had that story narrative that that was in my mind. Then after that, it's just about winning games because the pressures of you know, when you get to college, the game is it's it's still a game, but there's a lot more on the table, you know what I mean, There's

people getting fired if you don't do well. You get focused on people that gave you an opportunity to go the place you're at, trying to work hard and and and repay them through the results you try to put on the field, you know. So then I was dealing with that, and after that, I'm trying to make the NFL am I gonna be this? Am I going to be that? So like I always in my life have always had to worry about what's on my plate right now,

and it's always served me to the best. And you know, in grand in like the grand scheme of things, it's probably the best. So then it keeps me, you know, blindered up. Yeah, Uh, it seems like the right time to talk about you have a connection. I mean we talked about you have Dwight and Montana, your dogs that you unfortunately ended up having to give away. You also have a connection being from the Bay Area and you

live around Jerry Rice. Now I understand you dated Jerry's daughter when you were in high In fact, you took her to prom. That to her, I went to her, I went to her. You went to her problem. Okay, so she invited you to her prom? Yeah, I guess. Yeah. And then when you were in college. My understanding is is that you said the following that you needed to get addicted to the Jerry Rice mentality and that you needed to work hard. You needed to get up before

everyone else and outwork them. And there was a hill that he made famous in in Redwood City that he would run up for training and you would start training on this hill. Is that right when you would come home from college? Yeah? Yeah, Yeah. Me and Jaqui we've you know, we were little kids from eighth grade to like high school and you know, dear friend and you know, a little puppy love. So that was always fun and

that was a fun experience and an unbelievable thing. And she's an oblieble person and they're a great family that I you know, I was around a little bit, but as far as coming back from college, you know, and really taking on the mindset because then you at that time I was really researching, you know, great people and who who who more than than Jerry Rice, who I witnessed, you know, in his forties catching a thousand you know, catching a hunter ball or going for a thousand yards

in his forties. I mean the um longevity, the discipline, the sacrifice, uh, and the hard work that he put in. And there was like a documentary that I watched. It was like an older one and I saw that hill and everyone knew Edgewood Park over there on the border of San Carlos and Rodwood City. There was like a three mile track that you could do. And there was also a hill at Kenyatta College is a junior college

at the top of the hill in Redwood City. And it was like a I don't know if my masks on, but like it was probably like a sixty degree pitch and you would go from like it was sandy hard to like hard and then you have it was probably like a hundred a hundred and fifty yards up, so it's not like a thirty yard you know thing. And so yeah, I would go out there and I would try to outwork people and and and you know, run

that hill, because that's what Jerry Rice did. And then when I became a receiver, you know, catching bricks, that's what Jerry Rice did. You know you hear that, and and and now you're seeing all these these to transition and a completely different tangent. And now that's why you're seeing the receiver position transition into the NFL faster than ever.

It used to take some time. But I think with the information that these kids have on how to practice, what to practice, what to eat, how to recover, like all these things you could learn on social media, and with the information that you have in your poem. I remember like going like stealing a DVD of this Jerry Rice thing and throwing that in and like you saw him like running this hill with like I think Ricky Waters was in the background or something, and like you

know what I mean. So like, yeah, yeah, that's awesome. Despite you working hard, you don't get an invitation to the combine in two thousand nine, but your shuttle drill time was faster than anyone else who was there. Now you don't get invited to the combine. You've graduated with all these unbelievable numbers from Kent state, what what are you thinking in your head? Are you are you getting drafted or is your football career done? What? What are

you thinking? Well, at that time, I was committed. You know. The time I was in limbo was like immediately after my last game of college, you know, there's like a you know what is that? That's you end? And we never went to a bowl. So we'd ended November early December, and then like you have a couple of months to see what you're going on and and that's what happens.

So that was the time where like I went and visited a firehouse and Cincinnati, and you know you just kind of throwing shipped away and seeing what sticks sticks? Can you swear on here? I'm sorry? You want so? Uh? You know That's that's what I was doing with with that when I was doing like my train once I went to training, and once I i I started really taking it to a whole another level as far as like I was how much I slept, how much I ate training twice a day, trying like doing everything, going

to class at night. Every time I compounded a week of that, my confidence went higher and higher. And then once I didn't get invited to the combine that pissed me off, you know, So that was that made me mad, and that made my pro day that much more important, so than it gave me more time to compound hard work. You know, all the consistent things that I was doing to go out and perform on that day that I had to for the scouts. That gave you extra motivation.

I mean I already had the motivation, but it was like, all right, that's that's lame. We get it cool, you know, all right, what I went to a MAC I rest for like yards that year. I threw for like almost two two thousand of my senior year in college. And you're not gonna let me come to the combine. It's fucking bullshit, Yeah, because I'm at mad at the MAC right now? Are are you? Are you thinking at all at this point that you're still going to be a quarterback? No?

By this point I hired my agent, Don Yee from me and Doubing Sports, and uh, he instilled a lot of confidence in me. And you know, with what Don said to me, and he's seen a lot of football players over his career of representing guys, and you know, you gotta be kind of a talent agent when you're an agent, and he kind of pumped me up. And once he started doing that, you know, then I was

working out and I linked up with Charlie Fry. He was a starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns at the time and he was just just transitioned into the Raiders. He was starting at the Raiders, and he trained at the same facility I did in Euclid, Ohio, which was like on this it was like a Rocky four training montage video when you rolled up to this place like potholes on the side of a fuicking like railroad track, and like, I don't know anything about Cleveland because that's

the only place I went into Cleveland. I usually stayed in camp, but I was thinking it had to be the rough area of Cleveland, and like, I loved it. It was just like a grind and he went there and so we linked and so I started working with him, and he was giving me insight of like just as a quarterback, what quarterbacks like in and out of their receivers. Do they like flat to downhill on in cuts? Doing this?

And he, you know, he worked with me, which you know, I'm in debt to him for a long time because he was a starting quarterback taking a shot on a guy that he said, oh, you know this guy works hard. Let me, let me rub off and throw with him. And you know, I would just be in his back

pocket and ask him questions and let him talk. And you know, that helped me a huge And he'd come and throw my my workouts so that we had a built in timing and stuff, and he kind of taught me a little at the beginning stages of running routes and uh yeah, that's that's when I started playing quarterback or receiver. But I got worked out by some teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers work they wanted they worked me out as a safety. They wanted to be seeing me

do some safety drills. The Patriots initially sent their running backs coach and put me through running back drills. So you know a lot of a lot of guys were curious, especially in that year two thousand nine. I don't know if you remember. In two thousand eight, that's when the whole Wildcat bad came. You know, the Patriots got blown out by Miami and the wild Cat so everyone, you know, you get these little trends in the NFL and and that was like, who who could be like throwing type

running back for a potential package. And that's when my stock started raising. Interesting, do you have any idea before the draft who who's really interested? So I had in my mind who I thought was interested. And then you know, so draft day comes and first day and I going first day, first day, No, so I didn't even watch the first day. Back then there was only two days of draft. Now there's like three or four, you know

what I mean. He starts on Thursday Friday. But I was on day two, which is like the late rounds and about you know, I went on and you go. So the process goes. You do your combine pro day work out individually for teams. Teams fly you out for visits to meet with their doctors, to talk with their upper department, like their gms, and see the facilities and they just kind of want to pick your brain. And then the draft comes. Now I did like seven workouts.

I did like five or four trips, and like so everyone gauges like how many trips you go on you'll potentially get drafted. You know, yeah, you probably can get drafted if you went on like four four more trips you know what I mean. Like, so as a late down guys, that's that's what you're thinking about. You're talking to guys. And I went on a visit to Miami, and I like, I was like, man, this is my first time in Miami, Florida. And you go out there

and you see the facility. You see like the work life. Like, man, I see like Joey uh Joey Porter. Joey Porter is hitting like golf balls in the practice field. There's like pre made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and like a cool like cafe and I'm like, man, this is awesome. And they brought me in there, you know, they test me and they worked me out a bunch, and so I thought there was some interest with Miami, especially with

the Wildcat. And then I went to Chicago and then I went to a couple other spots San Francisco, which it was like a regional thing. But I originally thought Miami potentially might give me. But in like the first day the second round, they got Pat White and I'm like, well that's gone because he was like a running quarterback. I'm like, oh, well, they're not gonna draft two guys,

are they like something like that's gone. And then the sixth round starts coming and there's a bunch of there's uh, you start getting calls from teams for like a priority free agent. We had like four or five teams call that like, hey, we're not going to draft you, but if you go on drafted, we'll give you twenty dollars to sign with us and we'll bring you to camp.

And so the sixth round ends and I'm talking with my agent and you know, I'm kind of sad I wanted to get drafted, you know, because now I'm just starting to get all these deals. But then we turned on a different cap and I'm like, all right, now we gotta focus on what's our plan of action going forward. We put down the teams and we decided, you know, the Hackers were a team that wanted to, you know, offer me a contract. I was like, well, you know, me and my agent came up with a decision that

that would probably be the best fit. So we're talking. He goes, all right, if we go undrafted, will sign with the Packers. We'll take their offer up, and we'll go there. They don't have a slot, they don't have this, they don't have a punt return at the time, and uh, that's our deal. And then it is right before I'm

about to hang up Don, which is Brady's agent. So he's dealt with the Patriots, and he's got like a little you know, you know what I mean, he knows how the handling that he knows like certain tactics, and he's seen it for at that time twelve straight years, you know, with Brady. Right, and he goes, you know, the Patriots did. And the Patriots didn't bring me in for a visit. They worked me out twice and they

drilled me on like chalkboard. The second time. I'm like, oh, these guys hate I'm like, I call protections here and they're in college as a quarterback, but like I don't know, I'm over here making ship up. I'm like, yeah, that's over front. Uh, this guy comes, he swings out, you know, and Ivan fears he's testing me. He's like, what the funk you call it that? Or I'm like, yeah, it's inverted, you know what I mean. I'm trying. So I'm over

here like they fucking hate me. They think I'm dumb, and all of a sudden, right before I'm about to hang out my agent after making the decision on the Packers. He goes, you know, the Patriots did trade and get another seventh round pick. You know, wouldn't be surprised if they, you know, picked you up. I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised, you know. And then later on in the later part of the seventh round, Yeah, you know, I got the call and they picked me, and Don

was right, and that was history. How how excited were you to be one to be drafted and two to be going to a team, a real contending team at that point in the middle of their dynasty. I mean,

I'm was. I was very excited, you know. I mean that was That's like a dream when you're That's the dream you had when you're a kid, is to get to experience that with your family, your friends, you know, getting to go out and get an opportunity to play in the National Football League, throwing the helmet, get free towels, free socks. I went to Kent State. We had to

pay for like protein shakes in our locker room. We had a vending machine, okay, you know what I mean, like all the little things like it just I thought it was so cool, like that was so pro. That was like a word we used to say, like if a guy looked good and he was all like, you know, Jerry Rice, he was like a professional, always had his little towel, and you know what I mean, like you're gonna get to become potentially a pro. But then, you

know how my mind works, I instantly started thinking. I talked to my my agent, and he goes, well, you didn't make the team yet, you know, he just got drafted. And so then I started, you know, looking it up and like seventh rounders barely make teams. You know there's there's already a long shot. So then you instantly go into you know, the mindset will now everyone, all my friends, all my family, they're all happy. Now you gotta go out and you gotta go put the work in. You

gotta go do it. Yeah. How different was the work when you started a training camp and started working with them from the work that you've been doing on your own. Completely different. I was training just to get like good times, and you know what I mean, Like when you're training for the combine or you're training for your pro day, you're training for the drills that you're getting tested on.

That's completely different than having football legs, especially for a guy that's never been in a full practice as a receiver or a special teams guy. I was a fucking quarterback. I was like of the periods in college. I'm sitting there playing goalposts throws with sucking the quarterbacks while the special teams goes defense. You know what I mean, Like quarterback schedule is completely different, or doing drills. You're throwing a lot, you know what I mean, Your your legs

don't get tired. As a core her back. I remember I would run and get so tired and like, man, I have to go do this again. I don't know if I could, I I might as well just throw this one in the least. Like when you become a receiver, you're running all practice long. I was never used to that, so I had to like learn that you have to get your football. I was dead. I was shot, like I was so my my rookie training camp, and that's when we had double days, so you had run run practice,

run game in the morning, passing the afternoon. It was hot, muggy, and in Boston. I mean it was completely different. I mean, it just was. It was something that I've never been used to the amount of yarded. You were putting on your legs at a high you know, at a higher velocity. And I was on everything. I was on, you know, punt punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, back up holder, on field goal, field goal block. You know, when you're a rookie trying to make the team, you barely play offense.

I would get like three reps and then you go play like after practice they would put like the guy newcumbers and you guys get to scrimmage each other, you know what I mean, Which is a pivotal point in your improvement process because you're getting those reps. But you know that's compounded on top of a full fucking practice where you're on scout team doing all the scout team reps you're doing. You know, you get three reps when the starting receivers tired, then you gotta go the whistle blue.

I'm what am I own? Is it fucking punt pup? Like? It's just like a whole another It is crazy and you and you you're trying to make a team and you're in the New England Patriots. There's a fucking there's a standard, you know, it's It was one of the most stressful. And then you get home at night. You have to study in your room because you're you're you're learning a new language. You know, when you when you

learn football, especially there's like three systems, four systems. I was in, you know, kind of a West Coast type offense in college. This was completely different. That takes a lot, you know, you really have to compute that, and guys that don't, they're not there. You know, it don't matter how how good you are out that if you can't get lined up right and know the fucking snap count, you're gone, you know what I mean. That's a lot when you have to compute that all right, what's the formation,

what's personel, what's the play? Who am I on this play? What's coverage? What's because everything changes, you know, so the ability to process that's a lot of stress for a young football player in this league. That's why, you know, I feel for a lot of these younger guys. You see, I'm watching training camps right now. You watch these guys that are like, you know, they're all over the place because there's so much going in these guys mind. When you're a young guy, a late round to undrafted guy.

You're not like the first rounder who's over here laughing, drinking water because you know he's getting paid, Like you're sitting here like a cornered animal back against the wall. I'm doing everything I can to make this team, you know, I mean competing, and it was like a whole new experience and you're trying to work harder than everybody else. Right, That's that's the philosophy. That's that's what the work that you put in, and that's what you're doing there, right.

The rabbit gotta be the rabbit, and everyone's chasing when conditioning, you know, going to the drill to drill, when the whistle blows, you're running like you gotta expend a lot more energy if you're trying to be seen. At what point through O t S and training camp, at what point do you feel like you're going to have a job, You're gonna have a spot or was it not until the very end? I felt like I made some ground

After the first preseason game. Tom Brady the year before missed the complete season towards a c L. Matt Castle at his year that year that he went on to Kansas City. So this was Tom's first game Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia in Sylvania, two thousand nine, August seventeen. I don't know if that date is right, but it sounds like in that it could be like a four game window where it's off on there. Well, it was against the

Eagles and it was in two thousand nine. I have that done, but I don't have the day, but go ahead, and so you know, this is Tom's first game back, and so he's I mean, when you have a big time injury, like an a c O, which I've had through my experience those first couple of games, Man, you could do all the rehab, but there's no live bullets and you ain't getting hit, you know what I mean.

So there's a psychological battle, there's a psychological hump that you have to overcome through the play of the game after a huge injury. And and the whole team, you know what I mean, it's Tom Brady. So the whole team's you know, a little edgy at our first preseason game because we were about to get some clock because we wanted to you know, we wanted to see where we're at. We get a game time decision Welkers not playing. That was his back up all camping well and in

camp and also Scotty O'Brien special teams coordinator. He comes up to me pregame he says, we're gonna have you cover a kick. We're gonna have you cover kicks. You're gonna return punts. You're gonna we're gonna start you at punt returner. And like the whole time in camp, I really wasn't so like they wanted to see me. So I was starting that receiver. I was starting on kickoff, kickoff return, and punt. First game, so electric it was. I was so excited for this game, but so focused

and like kind of very nervous. And first play of the game on kickoff, I make a tackle. Awesome, great, then we go three and out. Uh, then we we they score something and then first playoff offense, Tom gives me a swing signal and he hits me on his first throw coming back from the A C L and so like, And then I had like five catches in that game. I was getting open a little bit. You know,

things were starting to pay off. And at that point, you know, you go against the same guys over and over, they learned your tendencies and I didn't know how to run routes yet, so I didn't know what my tendencies were even working at the time. So in camp I'm getting covered. But then you're learning this new stuff in the game against guys that don't know you, and you're making plays. And then finally, you know, they go back

on defense and we go back on defense. They punt up a kick and I returned to punt for a touchdown like a seventy five yarder. And after, you know, like after that game, my confidence got higher, and it wasn't like I was gonna make the team, but I thought to myself. I looked into myself as like, I can play here, I can play in this league. I'm gonna be all I'm gonna be all right. I didn't know if I was making team because I end up getting hurt the next I sprained my ankle next week.

So after that, like, was that enough to make the team? Oh my god, am I gonna make the team? I don't know that I've seen you know what I mean, You just never know. But the versatility that I showed throughout camp in preseason, you know, I had a lot of backups to guys, you know, so I could back guys up. So that made the versatilities with Ultimate really kept me on the team. Yeah. The Patriot way when when when are you introduced to the Patriot Way? Is it right away or is this a gradual way that

you learn first day? First day? Read the sign when you walk in, there's a sign with there's a sign when you walk in, Be attentive, work hard, put the team first, do your job on the sign out. When you leave the facility, there's a sign out. Don't believe the hype, speak for yourself, ignore the noise, and always put the team first. Like you walk in the building, you see the sign, see all the trophies, You see the pictures, and you see Tom Brady's pictures, West Welk,

Greeney Moss two years ago they were eighteen one. This is a big time team, you know. And then you go into the auditorium. You know, coach addresses the whole of the rookies because this is rookie camp. You going there, it's like Darth Vader walks in or like God or something when built, because like everyone's like different things. Those are two different things and Darth Vader but okay, but definitely Darth Vadery. He walks in and like there's a

little chatter, guys, you know, everyone's kind of excited. There's like sixteen and the whole team is out there. This is just rookies. It's like sixteen guys, and there's all the coaches up in the back and there's like there's like they're not they're like coach assistance. They're guys that are trying to become coaches, but they're like little do boys, so they gotta do everything. They gotta turn on the

lights and fucking get everything ready. And all of a sudden, like and all of a sudden, one of the coaches assistance, he comes comes over the middle of auditory and puts the podium, sits down. Everyone sits down, and and fucking Bill walks in the lights like shine up. Place gets completely silent. All of a sudden, he singles someone out. He's I think he's singled Uh, it was probably Chunk. He'd always single out, but you know, the first round guy because you know, hey, you're not you're not a

first rounder anymore. You're all trying to make this team. And he goes, who's that on the wall because all the walls had all these like moments of last year of players making cool plays. He shows a picture of Logan Mankins. He goes, who's that or or Matt Light one of the two, and he goes, I don't know, and he goes, he don't fucking know. I don't know if it was Pat, I don't know who's singled that.

But he goes, you need to tell me. You're a rookie, never even played in the game, and you're gonna have this guy is gonna be sitting here and three weeks and you're not gonna know his fucking name. After that, everyone went to like the guy who's in the operations guy gave me a print out of like of everyone's name everyone, like in the fucking cafeteria, people around the hallways, people are like study like you know what I mean.

He wouldn't like pick on a guy, but he would What he would do was he would he would he would let everyone know that everyone is accountable for everything, you know what I mean, Which that's like you're on edge, your shoulders are back whenever he walks in the room, because you never know if he's gonna test you what you know, so like, especially your young guy first time, first team meeting, that that, and that's when you're like,

oh yeah, it's done differently here. And then a couple of weeks later you start seeing the veterans come in and you see how they work, you see the time they put in. You know, it's not like, you know, the superstars are over here dilly dacking around. They're they're working their asses off, They're doing things to get better, you know what I mean? And that you know I there's no specific fucking playbook of the Patriot Way. You just see it through actions of people that have been there.

You know, Teddy Bruski walks in and it's Teddy Bruski still working his ask Kevin Falk, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, West Welker, you know, like the studs. These guys went eighteen and one last year. I was still like a little kid. So like it is like, all right, yeah, that's the Patriot Way. When you see the top of the top working their tail off, holding everyone, holding themselves accountable, being reliable, being dependable, Do you eventually develop a relationship

with coach Belichick that you're able to relax? Is there is there a point in time once you learn how it's done and you become one of the older guys. Does that happen ever or is it always? Yeah, it happens a little bit here, it happens. But I mean

he he'll still get on you if you don't. If you're not it doesn't matter who you were, if you weren't producing, and if you did something wrong and you need to be coached, you can coach it, you know, which I don't know how, you know, like, but it got to a point where I could walk by him and like in the hallway and like, hey, coach, Like I'd always give him like one of those hey coach, have you just like fuckingman, I go, but I don't. That was like year eight eight years. Oh that's crazy

that long? Really Yeah, I mean, I mean you could tell when like he would dick with you. That means you're not you're in the game. But like like like little things, it's very hard to explain. It could be a look, it would it didn't even have to be the words. It could be a look or a smile, a grin. Yeah. That there's like a lot of nonverbal communication that goes on. Interesting that's going on all the time. Brady now has referred to as his security blanket, his

little brother. This is the guy you looked up to and pretended to be when you're a kid. Who were you more nervous or intimidated to meet and work with Bill or Tom bhil I was more like scared and nervous. That's the coach, you know. Tom was like, I mean, you'd feel that same. You never want to let anyone when you let someone, like when you do like a mental era Emmy on a player, he didn't do something the way it was. I felt like I was getting cut at those early years. You know what I mean.

You don't want to disappoint him because ultimately, you know, as a quarterback, if the guy can't do him practicing and can do in the game, so that you're limited the opportunity, especially as some brown guy. So you know you're definitely nervous. But to meet Tom and you know, be around him, that was just kind of like Dan boy, get a little fan, a little like, oh man, what's up Tom? Hey? How are you doing? Like I the

first time I met him, I'm running too? Like a special teams like pre meeting, like a meeting pre pre meeting. A guy would have to go to like the special team's coach, like fifteen minutes before the meeting, or like sometimes even hours before the meeting, and like he would explain everything in the meeting to me, and then I had to, you know, like he just wanted that he was my guy, Scotty. He was looking out. That's the

way of a guy looking out for you. He's preparing, you know, he was gonna give me the meeting for the meeting. So it was just reiteration, reiteration. Reators should give this kid a shot. If he knows his ship, he's gonna be able to play. So I love that that he did that, but I had to go to so many meetings. I'm running in with the fucking like three and a half inch binder with the playbook because we didn't have iPads back then at that time. I went to iPads like two or three years later. And uh,

I'm running through like a chicken. My head cut off. I'm gonna be like I'm going like five minutes early to the pre pre meeting because you know it, you're trying to make a team. I'm running over and through the gates to the locker room or the doors. Tom walks in and I'm like and like drop my binder. I'm like, oh ship Tom Brady. He's like he knew, he like knew my name. He goes Julian Tom. I'm like, nice to meet you, Tom. Trying to play it cool, but but you're like the nerdy kids in school who

drops his binder on the ground, like like big gloved. Yeah, when he's following the chan a little girl or whatever. That's good. I got like, I got like like uh and then I had to go back and go to the meeting. It was like made my day met Tom Brady, right, you were. I mean, you did so much for the team.

I mean not only all of this stuff. During your career, you end up playing some safety when when you guys need it was that fun for you, Oh corner, it was Nicols, So it's the third corner that comes in and plays the slot defender. That was all. I had a blast. That was fun. Um. You know, delivering a hit is sometimes better than receiving a hit, I'm sure.

And it was just a fun experience. And I can play defense in Pop Warner literally and I was a quarterback and then Bill one meeting or one day Josh Bowyer who's the defensive coordinator for He's the defensive coordinator somewhere right somewhere right now. I should know that I'm an analyst. But he comes up to be pre game like we were going we were going through guys, like, guys are getting hurt. That's the thing about the league, man, It's it's fifty three guys, but there's a hundred percent

injury rate. And you know you're going through guys, guys coming off the street. And goes, see, hey, come up to me before team meeting. He guys, you're gonna be with us today. I'm like, what, let me never be with you? And he goes, hey, you're gonna be with us Nicol. We're gonna throw in Nickel a couple of things. See what you could do? And I was like, oh, show. So it was fun. I loved it. It was it was it was a It was so fun. Honestly, defense

is different. You could run around and hit people, and you know, like if you know conceptually what the offense like, I could cheat because I knew concepts down in distance. Not cheap, but I was just very informed on like

situational type offensive play. So it helped me. And then you know, going back to offense, it helped me to sit in meetings and learn the techniques of the defensive backs and what they're trying to do with Lena scrimmage, and what they're trying to do once they're in phase, out of phase, you know, on certain coverage I was learning. So it was it was honestly, it was. It was a great thing for my progression to the player I became. Yeah,

you know, that's actually really interesting. I've talked to some other guys in the league about that. That having the perspective of the other side. In other words, as an offensive player, you have a sense of what the defense is doing and how to beat them in some ways better than guys who are exclusively defensive players. Right, and what you're looking at from the other side gives you the ability in some way to know and read what's effective on the other side of the ball, right, Yes, sir,

and that and that's what you know. You see a lot of that, like with coaches when you see, like I I referenced, the coach's assistant who's like the coffee guy. So a lot of the times when they're early on in their life, like Matt Patricity did this. Who's you know, technically an offensive line coach this year for the New England Patriots. But he started he wanted to be a defensive coach. I think Bill sent him to offense and he had to learn the offensive line person that he crossed,

he crossed teaches them, you know. So he has to stick on offense for two or three years, learn offense, and then he throws him back on defense. He's done that with a few different coaches, you know, And I got to have that kind of like experience through a player, which was, you know, awesome. Yeah. I mean, look, we could talk all day about your career with the Patriots.

You end up at the end of your career or being the number two player in the history of the NFL too, Jerry Rice, who helped teach your work ethic in both yards and receptions in the playoffs. You win three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, Super Bowl for one and fifty three Super Bowl MVP with I don't know, I read that it was over half of the receiving yards. It felt like you were the entire offense in Super Bowl fifty three against the Rams, just

an unbelievable career. But super Bowl fifty one, I want to talk about just really briefly, when you're down so big to the Falcons, by the way, my hometown team who have had to win a Super Bowl, Atlanta, also the Red and the Blue. My friend, Yes, when you said to um what you said to him at halftime, did you believe you could come back? Honestly, I did. I knew it was gonna be tough, and I knew

the percentages were down. But like, first off, there's never really a There hasn't been a blow out on Super Bowl in a while. I mean there wasn't kind of thirteam with Denver and Color at Carolina. But I ain't gonna blow us out, Okay, and you're not gonna blow We're a hard like we're a mentally tough football team.

There's gonna be some things to happen, which we we helped produce a lot of the production of the Atlanta Falcons through turnovers a pixel, you know what I mean, Like we gave them a lot, but we also were moving the ball and we were doing things. There are a couple of things we were doing well. But if we were tightened up a little bit here and there. You know, we didn't get to really see much of

our defense. We were setting him up for shitty uh fuel position a bunch and they were like, they didn't really get to open up their game plan. So once we got back on track after that resettlement of halftime, you know, being a raw rock guy, Yeah, we're gonna do it this that, And first third down, I dropped a third down like I would have been I probably would have broke a tackle, and it was a man covers a little under route and I was under gone.

I had him, you know, And after that, I was like, fuck, you know, but that's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough now. And then you know, things started and everyone kept on saying, you can't win the game with one play, You can't go out one place is not winning a game. So why don't we just try to do our job? Why doesn't everybody? If we all do our job collectively, the unit will win each every play and we'll see where we go from there. And that's what started happening.

You know. You start, you started feeling momentum coming our way, and we we started everyone started honing in. Everyone did put a little extra into their mental capacity of like, all right, hey, I need to just do this. Let's go to our fundamentals of each and every play. If this happens, we know this, there's chance of this happened. There's sixty percent chance of this happening. Let's like let's hone, let's honeing it in and let's do it. And and

you know, we went out and we did it. It was crazy, and watching that game, it's still crazy, but that was that team's mind. You know. I played on some really crazily strong, mentally strong football teams and and to to see that one, that team that two thousand and seventeen year, like to be down that far and and especially in the Super Bowl to go we we've been down a bunch, Like I kept on thinking of

like back when we were playing thirteen. We were playing uh Cleveland, we needed like two scores and like a minute and thirty and we somehow won that game. You know. On then Denver was up twenty four, oh on us in in thirteen, and we came back and won that game at half. After the half, we had like these comeback wins. So I was like, like we could do this, Like you're you're playing all scenarios in your head. And I also had some thoughts like damn, we ain't gonna

do this, you know what I mean? So like I bounced it back and forth and and the thing that ultimately keeps your mind in the right places when what you know, the coaches always preaches, think about what you got to do for your job. Yeah, is your catch with a couple of minutes to go that ends up tying the score shortly after? Is that the greatest catch in Super Bowl history? I don't know. There's some good catches. There's some you know, Julio had an unbelievable toe tap.

Matt Ryan that that toe tap like outbreaking route, like a thirty yard ball down the field on the sideline, jumps over hand and face that was a great catch. The helmet catches a really good there's something really good catches, you know. To be even put in that category, or to even be asked that question, I'll take that you didn't answer, just pointing it out, just pointing it out. My cots deception didn't work. Oh yes, Oh gosh, it's no. You have to do the Patriots way anymore. They're not

paying you. Bill is not gonna come walking in the room and give you ship. No, you can answer the question. Now, that's a really good call back. I honestly think that I don't know. It's hard to put one onto Okay, alright, fine, I have another Super Bowl question for you. In Super Bowl forty nine, the end of the game, did you think Marshawn was getting the ball? And were you? Were you surprised or glad that he didn't? Uh? D all of the above. It's Marshawn Lynche. You know a lot

of people fail to to mention. And Dante high Tower on the play right before that play where he brought down Marshawn Lynch while taking on a blocker. The play right before the pick saved the game, you know. And and that was probably the reason why, because we we threw in our personnel group that was like straight run, like run gun, We're blitzing every you know what I mean. It was one of those all out blitzes and uh thank god they didn't. Yeah, thank god they didn't. You

don't know the butterfly effect on that one. Yeah. Uh. As I mentioned, you win the m v P in Super Bowl fifty three of all of York of all the games with the Patriots, of all of the the moments, the plays, do you have one that stands out above all else? Ah, I mean the Super Bowl fifty three.

The hill I had to climb that year. It was fucking early, you know, I tear my c H. I gets spended and like I said, after an a c L you know, those traumatic injury, especially a guy that has to run like you learn how like that was a huge thing. And I was like I was in my It's not like I was twenty two, you know what I mean. You know, I had a lot of things going on on the field off the field. To end that that was the hardest year of my life.

And to end it the way our team got to and and I got to it was you know that that was such a and also experience and something great for like me as a as a person to to know, you know, like you always I've been through some a lot of adverse situations. But you gotta continually do those kind of things. You gotta contin It's not. Oh, it's

not easy. You know when people always some people will come to you and say, like, man, it's so crazy this your story is that Well, there's gonna be like ten other stories that you have to you know, continually do and anytime you get to chalk up a win, it's hard to win, you know, and anything, and and you know, to win that with my folks there, my family,

my daughter, Like that was amazing. That was like one of the happiest days of my life, just just through the like the pressure, like it was just a long year.

That was like a really tough year, Like mentally emotionally it was you know, you're not feeling physically right because you don't you don't become like that's a process when you tear your a c o. Like your you can go out and play in like eight months, nine months, Like you can run routes, I could look good, but can you continually compound and have this like endurance to go out and like each week, like you're you feel

like crap, you can't walk till Thursday. Then you come back and you you get ready for the next week. And like then at the end of the year, you're starting to feel like your knees getting better a little bit, you know what I mean, because you're you're putting that yardage on your leg. Your your body's adapting and like it was that was that was cool. And the way we did it too was we weren't supposed to win

it and that was awesome. Wasn't my favorite, but that's one of my favorite moments, not necessarily the win, but like that feeling after with my folks, my family. Yeah, once again overcoming adversity. I've I've noticed on your social media you it's possible you're a little bit of a fan of a television show called The Office. We had in our seventh year, near the end, we had Steve

Carrell Michael Scott leave the show. Talk to me a little bit about your feelings when Brady leaves for the Buccaneers. I mean it was at that time it was tough. You know, you become really like we spend more time with the guys in that locker room, especially in those those months in the season. I mean we're putting in thirteen fourteen hour days. You know, people, and it's not just like the on field stuff. It's stay off the

field stuff. You like going to work with people you love and that that makes you better, you know, like that having that and you know it was a mixed emotions though you wanted him and his family to be happy and and satisfied with everything, and and so it's that's a part of this game. It sucks. But every year, regardless of the team, there's gonna be new coaches, there's gonna be new players. And I never thought like that would be hard because we were so accustomed to that.

But that was that was hard. It's one of your best it's one of your best friends, a guy that has done so much for you and your in in my life, a lot of guys and for that organization, you know, that was a very that was that was tough. But then instantly you turn on, well like, now we gotta go out and we got a we gotta go find a way to win without them. And we didn't do much of that that year. Mhm. Right, if you were a character in the office, who would you be?

I'd probably be you. Secretly, everyone thinks so he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But you know, I know how you got that money to buy that bar. At the end, you're easily in the whole time, you're the smartest one there. All right, Well, listen, that's a theory. That's a that's a theory. Julia, I just came up with that. Whoo who would Tom be uh Dwight? Uh? Yeah? Good good? What about? What about? What about Bill Correl? What like? Yeah? Yeah, he probably would. I don't know.

Buil builds his own guy. It's hard to put he's his own character. I couldn't put one on him. But he's the he's the world's best boss, right, self proclaimed? Who said that? So No, I'm just saying he's the world's best boss, right like that's Michael Scott. He's got the mug that says world that means it's self proclaimed from him. Yeah. I'm a little nervous talking about Bill lately, honestly, because I've been doing it too much. And I gotta

go to a practice here soon. And I know because he's already gave me one of the talks like how can I turn on the fucking TV and I see you impersonate me all the time? Like he gave one of those, and I still love the guy. Yeah, no more, no more, no, no more. You're done with impersonating again. I hear you have a hell impersonation. I gotta I gotta put it on old. Yeah, yeah, it makes sense.

I gotta feel that The next time I see him, you know what I mean, already already gave a couple after the last time I saw him, and he already said that what I just said like poking a little fun at me. But I don't know if it's really fun. Is it fun? Is he joking? Is he not choking? Is he throwing like a mind trick on me? Is he do using the forest like this? Dude's fool. I got some cards behind there something, there's a card behind there. There's a card you don't know. I am fascinated to

see what happens with the Patriots this year. Fascinated it's it's it'll be very, very interesting. The no offensive coordinator who's calling place? Thing? Is this a Jedi mind trick? Or does it fail? And I'm not even asking you, I'm just saying I personally me, I'm not putting this on you. I'm not asking you to say anything. I'm saying I'm fascinated to see how it how it plays out. I am too, I mean, this is this is a big challenge. This is you know, and but who would you?

I mean, who knows? This guy's coach Melichick's probably like I need this challenge. I want to see I'm gonna you know what I mean, who knows, I don't. That's so that's so interesting. I was thinking exactly the same thing the other day. So I have I've been at at at two golf clubs, clubs where golf happens, and there are pros at golf clubs, and the pros at golf clubs sometimes get bored with golf because all they do is play golf and hit golf balls and show

people how to hit golf balls. And twice two different guys that I know have decided that the game has become too easy, and so they are they learned how to play left handed. And I was literally just thinking the same thing about Bill. Has doing it the standard way become too easy. Now, let's do something just a little bit different and see if we can approach or learn or be balanced in a new way trying something new.

I don't know, I think I believe, you know, there's some I don't know that I see who knows that? But you know, like there's so many other variables that people like when you're in the building, you know what goes down, Like there's something that like he probably could have had something lines something went through. This didn't happen,

that happened. This happened, you know. But it's gonna be very, definitely interesting to see the developmental stage, the developments of Mac Jones, you know, going in without a guy like that's a big relationship, an offensive coordinator, the guy who calls the play with with you know, a young quarterback trying to thrive and trying to blossom in this system.

You know, it's Josh McDaniels. He's a great offensive you know, he's he's a he's a really good he knows x's and knows he knows that there's an art to calling plays, you know, And I'm not I'm not. I'm confident that you know, Bill called plays for the Cleveland Browns on offense. I don't know if you remember that, but he did. You know that some happened, but he called plays. So he's called plays on offense. But the games evolved, and if there's anyone who can do it, though, if anyone

in the league can do it, that's the man. But it's gonna be it's gonna be fucking crazy. That's gonna be a tough one. But if anyone can it's Bill. Uh you retire from the NFL one just last year in April. Within three hours you have a new job there at inside the NFL. Uh. Congratulations on that. Congratulations on what you're doing. I love listening to you and hearing your insights, both from your time there and what

you see. I'm sure you still are the hardest working man and doing your research to keep all of us understanding what what's going on out there. I appreciate that so much. You've got a kid's book, this was a while ago. Trilogy, you have a trilogy trilogy. Well, this just made me laugh. The squirrel named Jewels, and a goat named Tom, and an old owl named you. Gotta see the pictures too. It's pretty it's pretty cool. Those are fun. Yeah. I mean you could have hidden it

a little bit better than that. But Jules and Tom and the old and the Old, the old wise owl and now breaking news. Games with Names new podcast launching very soon. Just announced What can you tell me about your new podcast? Games with Names? Well, Games with Names and partnered with this comic Sam Morrel. Very funny, very funny, Upper East Side kid from New York. You know, been a fan of his for a long time. And what he's been doing, and uh, I wanted to start a podcast.

And we've been sitting around thinking about ideas of what what can we do a podcast? All? You know, I like, I like to talk. I want to talk maybe a little bit here and there. I got some insight. And my buddy who just so happens his name is Kyler. He's just one of our he's part of Coast Productions, one of our directors, huge part of our business. He

comes in one day after Thanksgiving. This was like a year and a half ago when we started developing this thing and he goes, yeah, ranted an old kid at a sports bar, and we didn't know each other, but we recognized playing football against each other. And it was crazy to hear his perspective of this crazy game we played in and my perspective. And you know, we wanted to hear the crazy perspective of important games and people's lives, you know, And so we wanted to find the best

game with the greatest names. And then that's what this is the sports history podcast. Over fun games. You know, everyone talks about the Goat greatest of all time? What about the Dog the greatest of all games? We need to find the dog. What's the greatest game? Everyone's always arguing about it, Like now, is it the Statue Liberty game with Boise State, Oklahoma? Remember that crazy game? Is it the eighteen and one Giant loss against the Giants

and the Patriots? You know? And then there's also cool games that like you get to you get to talk with, like we had Ricky Williams on and then to talk about when he was at University of Texas and he broke Tony Dorset's all perfectly broke every record and that was like his going to hear his perspective on that game and like how he prepared, what was going on in pop culture back in It's a fun podcast with some you know, guys just having conversations talking crap, you know,

me and Sam and I'm super excited. I'm super excited for it. It's it's been really fun, you know, especially with the guys that we've had on. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell every guys, but you know, we had Michael Irving, We had Paul Pierce talk about the wheelchair game. Did he shoot his pants? Did he not shoot his pants? We get the direct answer from Paul Pierce himself. That's called a teasers. And then we

also that's a teaser. We had eight We had Eli and Teddy Brusky come and talk about the eight teen and one. Teddy Bruski's first time ever talking about this game. I don't know if that's a fact, but he usually doesn't talk about losses. So we're gonna run with it.

Elis on there. We had Peyton when he started the season off with the game he threw seven touchdowns when he just signed Welker from tom and he comes out and lights up a seven game, a seven touchdown opening game against defending Super Bowl champions in the Baltimore Cold or Baltimore Ravens. Like, we're gonna have some We're gonna get Joe Namath on this bad Boy. We're gonna get a bunch of people. It's gonna be it's it's it's been fun and we've already got a bunch in in

in the books and I'm I'm excited. And you know, Sam has been awesome to work with. He's a he's I have to, like, you know, I have to learn how to come up with something when he says something so funny to like, like my comeback skills are are kind of weak right now because when you work with the comic they're just so witty. They're on top of you, like you could drill. You could throw like a you know, a dick joke out like in front of Kurt Warner and make it somehow like I don't know, it's weird,

you know what I mean? All congratulations on that. I cannot wait to listen. Just annount breaking news here on off the beat. What's the what's the game you think we should do? What's your favorite game? What? What? What is your greatest game of all time? What's your dog greatest of all games? But not necessarily football, right, No, it's all sports we're doing. We're gonna we're getting soccer on here. We're getting it all. Get a NASCAR will

make some wrestling. I think both. You could make an argument for either Game six or Game seven of the one World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins. Kirby Puckett hits the home run and then the next game small pitches you need to get smalt. Maybe for Game seven of what many people consider the greatest World Series of all time between the Braves and the twins. I don't know that one just popped into my brain.

Um small Smaalty. If Smalty would talk about it, he probably hasn't talked about it ever, So that would be That would be something football man doesn't have to be. We're gonna, We're gonna, We're gonna, you know, I mean, the the USC Texas college football game. That's gotta be up there. We're gonna cover that bad boy. That Rose Bowl was unreal. That was right when I was in college too. Yeah, I was an electric game. That That's when the Rose Bowl was cool. Yeah, you want to

you want to know the greatest sporting game. I don't know if it's a game that I ever witnessed live. I was very I was young. I was young, but I was there at the Olympics when Kerry Strong broke her ankle and they won the gold medal. I was there in Atlanta. We might have to get that race with me. We gotta get you come on and talk about that. We'll get it. We'll get We'll get the winners. And what is it the four by one who broke their ankle, the carry struck the gymnast when the women

won the gold medal. Can do it. You do it, Bella, Carol, you were there. I was there, I was there, that was in Atlanta. There. That's yeah, Wow, that's awesome. We'll have to get you a pretty good I appreciate having congratulations on that. Julian, congratulations. Thank you so much for coming and talking to us. So freaking interesting to me. The your career, how hard you had to work, the ups and downs from high school all the way until well not anymore. Now you just you retire and you

get a new job, and now you've got more. So I don't respect you so much anymore. But back then you worked hard. Yeah, it's it's it's it's not retired. I mean the no, i'man what they like to call the transition phase. You're transitioning. You never really retired. What am I gonna sit and do nothing? I can't retire a d D. Julian, thank you so much for being on, No problem, man, I appreciate a big fan. It's it's it's honestly an honor. Julian, my friend, what a pleasure

to have you on today. Thank you so much for coming by and talking to me. I can't wait to relive some of my all time favorite sports moments with you on Games with Names listeners, make sure to go check that out and thank you for tuning in today. I have been having so much fun expanding into the world of sports. I really hope that you're leaving these feeling inspired in a way. These athletes, the work that they put in, the dedication that they have it is well,

it's it's mind blowing. So why don't you and you take that inspiration and I want you to do something great this week, all right, or just relax, that's cool to whatever makes you happy, as long as you were inspired, all right. I'll be back next Tuesday as usual with a brand new episode of Off the Beat, and I will see you then. Off the Beat is hosted an executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Langley.

Our producers are Diego Tapia, Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Sammy Cats. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak performed by my great friend Creed Bratton, and the episode was mixed by Seth o'landski.