Lots to Say: Fmr NFL WR Eric Decker

Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts.

We got lots to say, we got.

Lots to save.

What the Becker here and we hope you stay because we got lost to say, Yeah we got lost.

Just say here's.

Bobby Hey, welcome back, Mattcastle, Bobby Bones and Eric Decker. Eric good to say, Buddy, Yeah, you're the first athlete I think that I've known ahead of you getting here. Using Matt just shows up with somebody, that's the truth. It's like, I don't know, uh me and my friend Randall cob Hey, Randall all right, Yeah, I thought he was you at my front door, and there's some resemblance. Well, no, you just kind of suck it following through to tell

I figured he would text me when I said, didn't I say, text me when you get here?

Didn't I say, Well, that's my I was in the middle of texting. He's usually late to things.

I just know this from him was extremely early. Yeah, shockingly, yeah, shockingly.

And I thought it was you at the front door, and I said, hey.

Just where's the address for today. You can get there at twelve forty five and we'll start at one.

Nothing else. Find your way wherever you know, smell smell the studio.

Well, I saw him through the window and I just did a whoo like a finger whip. How is he to know what that means?

I thought it was you, And I've never come to your front door.

You've probably thought I had to go to the bathroom and you're like, no, bro, you got to go in the back.

Yeah, so goot to see it.

We made it.

Yeah, yeah, we've You and I have been together in different circumstances, never like a sports show, always something more pop culture or country music.

Right, Yeah, when did you guys first meet?

The summer of sixty two? We would love the young gentleman. Did you guys ever play together?

We did for the Tennessee Titans for two years, two years of the greatest years of my life.

One year? But who's one year? Yeah, seventeen right, that's what I meant. Yeah, one year?

Did you guys?

What was that year for?

You?

Guess? Actually? We went to a playoff.

We went to the playoffs.

We beat the Chiefs, the Chiefs in the first round, and then we went to New England and kind.

Of got beat down a little bit, but it was overall a successful year for us. And that was my second year. That was Mariota's third season, right, it was.

Yeah, a lot of coaching changes, I think, but I got a great story from that year between me and Cass.

I'm here for it.

I'm like the I'm like the girlfriend who wants to hear all the stories about there before. Yeah, that's kind.

Of a weird.

Now, Yeah, this is why I love matth though, because you know there's you know, there's no boundary.

I guess.

Well, anyways, it's like week eight nine. We're in Pittsburgh Thursday night, I think, or it's a it's a primetime game, and I had these packages leading up, and so my story was I was kind of hurting training camp and then try to like come along and just kind of struggled really all season, to be honest, but that that game, I felt like I had more packages for me and then we never got to them on a side on the whole time it's third down going quick, you know, and then.

Are you playing on the inside, We're playing the slot more?

Yeah, that point playing slot more. We had some injury so I was kind of moving around a little bit.

Uh.

Sharon Matthews played outside for the most part. I was inside. Well, it's the fourth quarter, two minutes rail and I'm like, you know, sensimentally checked out. I'm like, well this this, this didn't go how I thought I was going. And the receiver coach is like, all right, get in, Yeah, young guys need to come out. You get in, like the no, no, keep the young guys in there. You want then play all game? Keep them in there and if someone gotten castles here.

So he came up to me and he goes, hey, Cash, you got to help me out.

He's like, Decker, Decker won't go in the game.

I said what I was because because I'm sitting there and look, I'm just one of those guys. I was like, what do you mean he won't go in the game, right, because in my my point of view was Marcus was banged up.

He had the ac joint, which a lot of people didn't know.

And it's the fourth quarter, we're grinding away, we're getting beat pretty subtly.

But then I go over and I'm in a race. You're not in the game.

I'm not even in the game.

They come to you on the sideline to say because they know, like.

Look, I've I'm a veteran guy, I've got and he's a veteran. So I go up and I blow a gasket. I literally go up and sit. I'm in his face. I said, I can't believe you wouldn't go in the game right now? Are you kidding me? You're quitting on and look, I didn't know all the circumstances. I just was in a rage. Then he comes back at me. We got to get separated on the sideline. Oh this is real, like we're going to go fist a cuff. So then this is at the end of the game, right,

Deck usually sits what about the middle or so.

So he's walking to the back of the bus and I'm sitting down and I was like, oh no, I'm getting up for this because we're about to go, because I thought he was coming back to confront me and we're about to go to blows and so I get up and I stand up in the middle of the thing. And so now I'm looking like, is he gonna swing on me? What's he gonna do? And I'm getting ready to go, and he sticks out his hand, he goes, cash, you were right.

And I'm sorry.

And then literally we sat down together and had a full conversation for about twenty thirty minutes about it and gave both of our point of views a better understanding for what each of us were going through at that point.

And that got squashed, but it made us closer.

Is that the only time you've ever got into it with your own teammate on the sideline?

No, for sure.

No.

I was one of the biggest ones though, because you know, it was a critical time of the game, but we were kind of blowing out and like young guys were into the whole game, like just keep them in there. And so when he came over, I was already I already pissed off all the game was going, and so we just yea, we were exchanging but there's.

You weren't mad at him, You're a mad situation. He was just a person that was going to suffer from you.

Yeah, I was the messenger and I was mad.

You has been like the enforcer, though, what did't you I look at you different now.

Well, I was a guy that could absolutely I didn't shy away from confrontation, and I'd let somebody know where they would stand. And I think that's what people appreciate about me too. I wouldn't I wouldn't hold back my feelings or emotions or anything like that. But at the same time, if it was go time, they would know that I'm ready to go.

I've often talked about how when I see people fighting with each other, how if they keep their helmets on, you can actually do a lot more fighting with a helmet on, especially if you're just verbalizing it, because we can't tell. Like, if you keep the helmet on, you can say whatever you want, as aggressive as you want, because we can't tell because of the mask. And basketball and baseball you can't do that because there is no mask.

I think so.

I mean, it depends out the season too, Like training camp, you got that all the time, and it's usually offense defense kind of back and forth, just because you're tired, you're banged up, and just it's hot and just like ready to be done with what you're doing. And so there's been plenty of times that it's gotten into a physical altercation, but a lot of times it is, you know,

No, I was like I was gonna touch. No, you definitely get into like.

I want you to fight now. Like I'm just like training camp.

Training camp is awesome for a quarterback because all the big guys and even wide receivers DBS. It's so competitive and it gets just so methodical day in and day out going up against each other. They know your offense, you know their defense, and then guys get scrappy. But from a quarterback perspective, when they get in a fight, it almost is entertainment because I'm sitting there like should I break this up?

Or should I watch these guys go?

Kind of you know, I'm not gonna go get in the mix and like throw blows or anything. But it's an entertaining part of camp and it happens every single year, but usually you get more verbal altercations than anything else. I do remember one scrap though. During training camp. I was with kNs City and we had Thomas Jones and Jonathan Ball Jonathan, uh it's not Baldwin, Maybe it is Baldwin.

No pass by the way lifting.

Jonathan of course throws a blow, hits him, breaks his thumb out for the first six weeks this season. So it's like one of those where you're like, look, guys, we got to know when to get in these things and when not to.

But if it hurts the team, that's when it becomes a bat to Gino Smith broken jaw in the locker. Oh yeah, were you there for that?

Yeah?

Oh man, Well it was over nonsense. So I forget the defensive player's name, but he was invited to Gino's camp that summer for kids, and he decided not to show up, and so Gino is mad. Gino's yapping him actually the all the way around. Excuse me, this defensive player is having a camp for kids. Gino's supposed to come, he din he canceled well in training camp. It was an issue, I guess, And so all of a sudden they're apping away and Gino comes over and says something.

He was out.

We had Fitzpatrick come in. That kind of changed the season for US twenty fifteen New York because we had a successful season with Fitzpatrick. But man, just like stupid stuff, like you're saying, well, that was that's pretty extreme.

Yeah, I can't believe you didn't come to my camp.

It does make sense just the environment of you've got competitive people. Obviously you've got a lot of testosterone. You've got people that are not only you're competing against each other the first part of the year too, Like I can see where you could really the weather sucks almost everywhere everywhere, So with that, I can see that there are probably a lot of fights. But with you both of you guys, was it always It's gonna happen, but

And nowadays I think that it's probably more open just because of social media. Somebody says one thing or tells an agent and it gets out, especially if somebody's hurt like in Geno circumstances, there's no hiding that he's out. For the first part of season, there was no hiding Jonathan Baldwin breaking his thumb hitting somebody and that comes out. But for the most part, I've been in the locker room where there's been altercations and blows thrown and all

I was talking to yesterday PJ flak head coach Row the Boat, Row the Boat, So and like that guy, you like him.

He's elite.

Obviously you have a at least an emotional Relationship's where you went to school, right, Yeah, I was trying to convince it to come down to Darkansas lead a coach.

Now.

I was just I was letting him know what the weather's like a little more temperate. The fall colors are beautiful, and I think it's pretty happy up there. Minnesota, though, Man, that's cold, and everybody that comes into play, especially even with Castle playing in Kansas City, I just stay and talk about how cold it is, Like that's a different kind of cold right when it gets later in the.

Year, it is. I mean, I grew up there, so it'd be a wide receiver too.

Yeah, but you know, I mean when you when you live there, you're raised there, you don't know any better. My vacations were Wisconsin, South Kotina.

Like that you stayed.

I didn't leave the Midwest. I didn't know there was not a beach or weather in the South. But no, you're right, I mean it definitely six months of the year now is unbearable for me. Like I could never live there or raise my family there. It's a beautiful place in the summer, but it does get really tough. I think it maybe speaks to the character of those that survive, Like my parents are in there having these and they're still and then I'm like, you choose to

What do you think about him? You know?

Yeah, yeah, I love Pji you know, he I was down here recruiting last year. We had dinner, and I'll get up to a game every like once a year. Usually I'll try to make up there for the fall. But I love just his character, his story. You know, he gets the most out of his guys. In Minnesota is kind of like a farm system, I feel like for the Big ten, like it's hard to keep really good players, and so he really does suck the most

He just had a big win though against Nebraska, seven and one against Nebraska.

He did say there was like one to seventy as Iowa. Yeah, they said to be fair that he might own Matt role, but he gets owned by Iowa experience and yeah, they're gonna play this week. When you guys played Iowa, I mean was that you guys biggest rival was Wisconsin?

Wisconsin? Iowa were the biggest. I beat Iowa once and never beat Wisconsin. So what were you guys playing for? What was the trophy?

It was.

Iowa game. Yeah, then the acts for the Wisconsin game. But the pig, Yeah, for the Iowa was huge. I remember, you know, I think weighs probably three hundred pounds too. So the first time he won.

It, it's like, wait, it was three hundred pounds.

I felt like a but he lifted up by arm overhead process.

I think the golf car was brought over just to throw it on it, but no, it was Uh. Those games are fun because it makes it more special. You know, it's a big rivalry, and to have something to play for in showcase, you know, in the facility is cool.

So in growing up in high school, you were a three the three sport athlete.

What was the cooldest that you played in high school in a football game?

Because you guys are playing obviously, Yeah, when the weather starts.

To turn, yeah, I think we kind of ended well, state tournament was in November, but that was in the measure dominos around Oh real, we were inside then. But I would say a game in Fergus Falls, which is like northern Minnesota, late October, you know, just kind of like probably New England where it was single digits maybe zero degrees with the windshiel of you know, negative ten, negative fifteen.

You probably didn't have the equipment like.

A New England. You're getting paid and they have they've got equipment.

People that will be like, hey, dude, where are these three sleeves, and you'll actually.

Beat the benches.

Yeah, you know, anybody that's ever lost a tower or finger in that conditions.

Luckily, No, that's a good question, right, Yeah. Whenever, why'd you go to Minnesota? Was it easy?

Well, it was only Scotip I got. So.

My plan was from a small town, rural Minnesota, was to go to a Division three school. Saint John's was a big program at the time, and uh, you know, I was kind of a home body, didn't go to any camps, didn't really showcase myself, but got invited to one day go for camping like that, I want to, I'll go down. So I went down and on the Spotland Mason offered me a scholarship.

Was like, I'll take it.

Like, I mean, I had nothing else, but what about basketball or baseball? I assumed that three or baseball unless it's like, yeah, Ross or something. I don't know did three sports?

Baseball and basketball? Baseball?

You know, women, they didn't have full time I mean, excuse me, a full scholarship at the time. Basketball, you know, maybe Division two, Division three type offers. You know, there was always lower tier offers. I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna stay close to home. That was That was kind of always the mindset. I wanted to play all three sports in college, so that felt like that was the route.

I wanted to go.

And you know, I'm happy that I really changed the tracking and went to Minnesota because it obviously changed my life.

When did you start actually catching balls? Because you have the record there right for receptions at Minnesota? Yeah, I think I still do. I know, Tell Johnson was catching up somewhere. Were you looking to this first and second?

First in reception?

Second yards?

Okay, receptions, let's go.

When did you start catching balls? Freshman year?

Freshman ye year?

Did you play immediately?

I read shured. So I red shared my first year. I actually was close to getting in. So my receiver coach made me leave my helmet in the locker room because he didn't want me.

To burn my.

We need you down the road.

It was once you played one one down, yere.

That's crazy.

Was it one down back then?

Yeah?

I thought it was three games.

Right, yeah, right, you have to reach before the third game if you haven't played yet.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's why.

It was like we were ranked my rusher year close to the top ten, top fifteen, but we were playing Penn State at Penn State and uh we got wrecked. But it was kind of in that time range where he wanted to throw me in. Luckily I didn't. But it was good development that first year because I mean, I want to changed the pace from high school to college.

Talk about the development that go you went through from coming in as a freshman probably a little bit raw, and then this is big time football and the development from what year one to year two and then as you advanced through those years.

Yeah. Yeah, that first year was tough. Uh.

First of all, I put on fifteen pounds because the buffets are in training camp are phenomenal so I thought I had asthma's I'm not just fat. But it was, you know, the grind of practices and then balancing the school as well. There was a time after the season, because I've read shired. It wasn't playing. I was my practice Dumby and it was five degrees outside. We had

At what point did you realize that if you set a goal to play the next level it was possible.

Probably my resture sophomore year there was you know, pro caliber DB's on other Big Ten teams and I was having success against them. I was like, I can play with these guys. I think I can make it for the next step up. So that was kind of like the lead into the confidence. That's everything about an athlete is just having confidence in your ability and performing.

At a high level.

So that was probably the turning point halfway through my sophomore year when I was having success.

And then you also played baseball on college, right, and how did that work with off season training?

And yeah it was awesome.

Yeah, did you get out of it?

I got. I played one year in college.

I was like, this is amazing.

No springball, No spring ball. Yeah.

So we played always, like in the New Year's Eve Bowl for football. So after that, I'd take a week

Did you ever feel like you were losing that competitive battle not being in spring ball as a young guy like growing up feeling.

Yeah, well, man, I'm playing baseball.

They're they're grinding right now. Is that gonna hurt me in the depth chart or am my playing ability?

I didn't know.

I thought it was pretty confident and where I was out of us in that particular room with receivers. But I think I just enjoyed. It's such a different challenge, right, I mean, baseball is such a different challenge. It's a different mentality, it's just a different environment. And I was thriving in that because it just was fun and it wasn't as physical, It wasn't as you know, it was

It was like a mental release too, like getting away from the grind of the concept where am I on the depth chart, you know, the grind of spring ball I'm competing constantly, where you go out and you play a game that you love. It was almost like a reset button. So then when you came back to football, it was like, Okay, I'm ready to go for the fresh Yeah, you're refreshed and mentally you're ready to go.

That's my biggest thing, you know, with my kids too, and my oldest is actually a specialized athlete. But like, playing multiple sports is such a nice balance because not only does it challenge different skill sets and you got to learn leadership or teamwork within different teams in sports. But it's like it is reset button. It's you know, you're focusing on football in the fall, then you go to basketball in the wintertime and then baseball, and it's

Was there a consideration to keep playing baseball after college versus football?

I had a conversation. I just wasn't as developed, I think as a hitter, so I was not sure I wanted to take that path. And also I loved football because it was more structured. You know, you played one one game a week. You're at home. You know, you traveled maybe a couple of days, three days of the most. Or baseball you're on the road a lot, and you may not ever make it to the major leagues. You know,

But you got drafted right twice I did. Yeah, I mean fifty rounds. You're gonna you know, hey.

You got drafted a bus ticket and a free meal ticket to Cracker Barrel.

Yeah.

Oh, after I asked for like guaranteed money like football in the second round. They're like, I'm like, okay, but yeah, Twins Milwaukee Brewers.

So it's pretty cool. I mean, the hometown team get to draft you.

Are you just a magnet of cold places? And it's like, yeah, let's look, let's look across the board. Who do best in cold weather? Well, Decker plays everything, so let's just hockey. They're they're trying to draft me in the NHL. We can develop that skill set. What was the pre draft process like in football for you?

Well, my my senior year in football, I had a list Frank's brain so it's like a mid foot tear of the metatarsal, so I had hardware put in. I was out this is December. I had surgery, so I was out for eight months. So I was out during UH combine. I was out during kind of the whole Pro Day and draft process. I did a bunch of you know, obviously going to Pro Day, doing the interviews

Was something I needed. I needed a break. I was burnt out from playing.

Football baseball for the two years in college, and I just was like, oh man, I go right into training now. So it kind of gave me a break to kind of re you know, configure my brain on like what kind of the goal was next for me.

And it sounded like you studied for the Wonderlicks test because you got like what one of the highest tests, i mean test scores ever on the wonder Lick.

That's so annoying, that's unbelievable. But it's also it's like both of you, both of you just I mean, I leave some for everybody else like athlete, good looking guys like you playing multiple sports. I'm over here like gotta do quiz bowl like it sucks. Never never got a girl until late, like leave some for the rest of us.

I think Bobby's doing just fine.

You crushed the wonder Lick, dude.

Yeah, I think I got forty something.

I don't know if it has it right here, And I was like, what I mean, I've spent a lot of time with you, just never took you for an intellectual.

I scored the seventh best Wonderlick.

Test of all time during his pre draft process with forty three?

Was it? Did you did you study? I took the act I crushed it. Yeah, but I studied how to take the test more so than trying to learn everything that the test might have taught me. Did you prepare for the wonder Lick or just walk in and go? I kind of got.

I mean, they gave us some like you know, practice questions and stuff, but really unless have been really good tutors.

But I remember, like, you know, spending hours on like how to take the Wonder of the leg that they give us advice, Like all right, you know you're gonna waste a lot of time reading the full paragraph, kind of read the first sentence in the last ence and figure out, you know what you're trying to solve.

Yeah, picks be. You guys had different tutors. I think the best when I.

Came in, I was late to showing up because they didn't tell me what time I had to be there. Set around nine. Well, they're already taking the test. We had like twenty minutes left in the pest or whatever. And the guys like, okay, yeah, you're not really on my list, but go in there.

And take the test. Start writing. I don't have any idea what I.

Got, But as like, I have no idea, I told you don't know.

You still I really don't know. I think we can probably find great castle.

Get forty seven, one of the lowest nineteen ninety three drafting.

You being like a white guy though, like you know, high motor, sneak, sneakily, athollician technical.

You kind of had to get Cruden's grinder somewhere. I got that award.

Yeah, what did you do? Interviews? Like the pre draft interviews and how did those go?

Everything went great, I mean the interviews went great, and that's why.

I think leading up to the draft, I thought I had a lot of opportunity And where were.

They telling you that you might go if you go first overall?

First of hell, yeah, I think you know, it was kind of in the second round.

Like that was like the window like someone in the second round.

Yeah, because there was teams that were looking for a skill position in early and so not a first round draft pick the second round, especially being injured, you know, I thought that was kind of high as well. But that was my expectation. So anyways, it was like Denver was on the list, they moved up, got to Marius Seattle, got Golden Tate, and it just went on the list. There was like nine or ten teams all picked receivers that I thought I was going to. I'm like, so

This hell out of here. Yeah, let me have a moment.

And so there's a lot of nerves, you know. There was obviously the anticipation, the excitement, and then all of a sudden it was like the anxiety and the unknown feelings that were kind of setting in middle of the third round. It was day two at the time. And finally got a phone call there towards the end of the third round and.

It was it.

It was Denver person was it was?

It was josh Um Daniels coach Y Daniels, and just I remember where I was. I was in the back porch with a couple of friends, having a few beers and trying to you know, cool that a little bit, and uh yeah, it was like a three or three number popped up like hello and changed my life.

Was that the year?

Yeah?

First pick?

Yeah, Thomas both in the first round. Oh so you were there during the Tebow years? I was, yeah, yeah.

Because right, because Kyle Wharton came in that year. Yeah, right, Kyle Wharton was there. He started, But all the chatter around everything was Tim Tebow because he's such a figure. Everybody knew him from Florida and what he did the national championship, and he went about things a little bit differently and just his personality and who he was.

But talk to us about that.

And when.

I mean my first year I played with Kyle and I still say to this day, like Kyle Orn throws like the best, the best ball, just a perfect spin, so catchable. And Tiba came in towards the end of the year because McDaniel's got fired, and so there's just the obviously transition going on with that second year Kyle stars.

Finishes, and that's what the season was.

Though we had eight wins of overtime, like like Crater kicked a sixty five yarder and Tebow ran for like sixty yards one time. Mayor and Barbara fumbled it like magically, and we scooped it up and scored, just like all these things like interdi It was an intervention.

Intervention, you guys, Yeah, yeah, yes, that well.

How about about that year you guys came to Kansas City. So I'm in Kansas City. The Yeah, We're playing at Arrowhead. They threw two passes in the game, rushed the ball forty so it was like sixteen to ten late in the third.

That was the game.

I broke my hand yep, and then you guys ended up puinting. I think you caught a touchdown pass that game, didn't you.

Oh the two balls I caught, it was he was three four eight, uh, And I caught one of them for like a fifty yard touchdown. But we ran the ball sixty times. It was unbelievable.

So watching that season and seeing all those miraculous things happen, it seemed game after game, but it's happening to you in the locker room. Are you guys even like what is happening?

And also did you start going to Bible study?

Yeah, Like it was it weird for you guys to to keep winning games like that?

Oh, of course it was. I mean it was just it was the talk of the town. But then it was it was chattering the locker room as well. Like, as long as we got tim, something's gonna happen miraculously in the fourth quarter.

And it really did. I mean a week after week after week.

And what was crazy is we got towards the end of the season and the parking lot for the players you had to walk outside through the tunnel to get down to the locker room, and people would kind of you know, stand around astro autographs or take pictures. Well, all of a sudden, these churches started coming and they're singing homilies and they're like, you know, like praising Tebow

Dude.

It was a wild But he was so polarizing, you know, and like I think he really transformed the fan base for what he accomplished on the field, but more so kind of who he is obviously in his character. So it was like one of the there's books written about it that season because it was just wild. You never see it again, but it was a fun, fun journey to be a part of.

Was he polarizing though in the locker room or was it just what was happening outside?

I think more so just the outside and and kind of what noise I guess is being created. I mean, Tim's a great guy. Like what you see is what you get. He's just he's super energetic, he's super positive, he works really hard.

You know.

One thing I say about your quarterbacks is like you're able to like hang out off the field. He didn't do that as much.

You know.

That was that was one thing where we strugled with was like, well, who's who's really Tim? You know, we had never got that that time outside of the locker room. But in the locker room he was a leader. You know, he was a guy everyone leaned on and and fouled. So a lot of respect for what he's accomplished in his football career, but more so.

Who he is. Okay, so then Peyton comes in, Is it.

Familiar with this guy Who's just who's that guy?

Peyton Manning?

He comes in?

What the year after? So yeah, two thousand and twelve, he came.

In twenty twelve. Now what was that transition?

Like?

Who was everybody? Just let's go well.

I remember, yeah, being being uh at my apartment and our receiver coach at the time, Adam Gaze, called me, Hey, Payns in town. He's come to the facility, just pop by. I said, share, yes, okay, and so kind of had to like find an excuse to get to the facility because I mean the media was just waiting out there was tens.

Because every was wondering where he was going to go. Was it San Francisco? Was it like there was the few teams they thought he would go to.

Cameras follow him everywhere, right, and so stuck into the facility got to meet him. You know, I think what really sold him was probably the young talent that we had, you know, I mean no Sean Moraine at the time in the running back room to marry us obviously uh myself. You know, he brought in Wes Welker and Brandon Stokely. Uh.

For two consecutive years, I.

Had, you know, young Julius Thomas tight end, good offensive line, so I think he felt comfortable with kind of where the team was heading. And uh, you know, he brought his own system in for the most part. But I really think Damarius is probably a big factor in.

Why he chose Denver.

Our deep this was really good at the time too, so he knew we didn't have to do too much though we did, so it was it was a It was a fun time because you know, yes, we went to the playoffs. We had this like Morocco year with Tebow, but more so this was like football that I'm used to having a Hall of Fame quarterback.

You're never gonna say no, how much of the offense change from the point that he got there to when the season started, was that he implemented everything that he knew of And was there subtle changes at first or was it a wholesale change.

Well, you know, Michael coy was the offensive coordinator, so we originally kind of had a similar style offense, and then when Teba came in, we started going to like wing tea.

I felt like, again, you're watching films in Navy or the.

It was some option, for sure, we ran some option till it changed little bit. So when we went back to I guess the original offense, I think more of the verbiage probably changed. A lot of the formation stayed the same. I think some of the line calls stayed the same. But yeah, he kind of put his touch on everything. So it was a lot of work, you know, from the point that he signed and the off season started of implementing the offense to getting on the field

Yeah, you scored a lot of Fantasy points for players in Denver, Like it just seemed like you were getting the ball a lot. Is that when you felt like the most fluid, like we were thriving the most. Was that a few years with Peyton and Denver.

Yeah, I mean of course I was younger, I was healthy, and then you know, just it was just not easy, but it felt easy in a way because we would just play so fast and he spread it out. I mean, we have still, I think all the offensive records from that twenty thirteen season, but you got to think Damarius Thomas had ten plus touchdowns. I had ten plus touchdowns, Wes Walker had ten plus touchdowns, Julius Thomas had ten plus touchdowns. No Sean Moreno had ten plus. So the

Yeah, right, Nan, at least it wasn't a spelling Yeah. I can't talk, but I can use this.

Yeah, But like the resonant stuff, you know, like we practiced the resident third down so much where we were just we're just automatic.

And Welker told a great story about when you and he pranked. Oh yeah, Peyton, go through that story because it's it's a good one.

It's phenomenal. Yeah.

So there was a cover sports Delitary cover in training camp. We were shooting it and so it was Peyton, myself, Da Marius, and Wes Welker, and so the idea was just to get I guess you know us in our uniforms. But we wanted to kind of spice it up a little bit. So we told our uh meaty guy at the time to kind of put some cameras in. We're like, hey, listen, we're gonna come in and say we want to do the Bo Jackson style picture shoulder pads, you know, no Jersey,

Peingos. He goes, here's what is this? Is this a playgirl or something? He just like brought him to the side.

It just started and we got a video of all of it and he catched the vocals a little bit. But so we sat there for about ten minutes, just trying to sell it, like, let's just get one pictures.

I'm not taking the.

So we got a picture of us with our shirts all like being a silly and stuff, and he's there like pissed off. And then you know, Wes is just like the biggest scoofball, so he just he was the one that lead the charge, and we felt like we're just like these rookies in a sense to Peyton. So like Wes was a developed or a veteran at the point, just like he's he's he can do every once and so we're just gonna follow his lead. And man, he uh he let us down a fun path there for that break.

Could you hang with Peyton outside of the locker room, you know, you talk about t but was difficult because that really wasn't his thing. Was Peyton a little more like that.

He was he was Yeah, he was just the man's man. So on the field, I mean he was a sheriff, he was you know, very everything had to be perfect. But off the field, he was a lot of fun. He did a good job of getting guys to go to dinner, spending time outside of the facility, and that's what I appreciated about him is, you know, Peyton's just just a good old boy in a sense, and so I learned a lot on the field with him, but I also enjoyed and learned a lot with them off the field.

So you go from Denver, you got Peyton Manning, things are rolling, and then you become a free agent.

And you decided to go to the Jets. What went into that decision?

Where there are other opportunities and what was that transition like going from where you were? Yep, with everything kind of going in the right direction, but then.

You go to the Jets. Talk to us about that.

Yeah, yeah, that was tough. I love Denver. That was kind of where my heart was and again home body. I felt like I kind of started my community and that's I had my first child, and that's where I wanted to be. And I was willing to take you know, a haircut on my contract and just to stay in Denver because again I love the community.

But it's just it didn't work out with the.

Team and John Elway and so, uh as I was shopping around, you know, that draft class is really good, so I don't think teams are jumping at receivers. I talked to Cleveland for a little bit. I thought actually was going to Jacksonville.

Warm Weather. Warm Weather could have could have done it, but you know, New.

York's it was just repulsed by I can't go somewhere where it's over seventy in.

The north, in the North, and New York probably had the most interest of time, and so I went there. You know, I was in this this headspace, just had a new baby, didn't know what to expect. I loved the idea of New York. I thought Gino was that like it was actually a player too, you know at that time. And what I learned was, you know, as he matured, he became a player, but he wasn't there yet. So it was it was a crazy transition because when

Did you feel like the media in New York Did you feel immediately that it was.

Different, tremendously different.

Yeah.

I mean we had Tebow and the polarizing experience that year, Peyton comes into the town again, media frenzy, but it's a different type of media than it is in New York. And obviously Page six or the press that New York can garnish was was different for sure. And at that point, went I had a reality show for a couple of years, and so that was, you know, another pop culture. They're going to pull from and try to ruffle the feathers a little bit.

You started that when you're in New York. So no, that was in Denver.

You started reality television show and you know I had a show with Jesse. Yes, I remember that.

I didn't know it was my last year up to our wedding, well our wedding and to having Vivi. You know what's so crazy about reality TV is so the super Bowl year we were filming, but we stopped filming like January February playoffs and super Bowl and we had to go back and film like we're like me and de Marius went and acting like.

We're going to the super Bowl.

We had a film like we're.

Gonna get this done. Oh man. So it's just like how did you do that? I mean, it's just a job. You show up when you go let's let's do it. So there's some acting involved in that and that type of reality for sure, there is, yes.

And even if there's even if it's real, just from my experience doing a few things, it's set up in a way of even if you're not acting, they're putting you in a place that they want you to be. So they're getting a result that they want.

Yeah, I mean it's very structured. We actually just fired the first production team because they were like, let's let's try to like crate some fights here, and like, no, that's not the story that I want to tell. But leading up to a wedding, you're gonna get your you know, food tasting, your venue spot, you know, flowers, you can do all the things that lead up to a wedding. Well that's why they put us in the spot and everything within that. It's organic and they pay for that.

Got to finish it in time so you can get to the next thing. Yeah, so they can set up. You should get your show. It's fun. Hell no, you don't want to show you don't there to just show.

Me in the spur van picking up kids. Good in who do you want the conflict with today?

Don't worry conflicts versus each other with their forty two kids.

Yeah, like my oldest son's got my other son a headline don't stop it.

I would feel if I were in New York, or if I were anywhere and I was led to believe that I was coming in and they were going to give put weapons around me, and they did not put weapons around me, I would feel there would be resentment building in me from the beginning, even if I didn't

Why?

I would say, you know, it was disappointing, Like Rex Ryan again was the reason why I went there. Rex is an awesome guy, and I think he's a player's coach, and you know, he kind of was handcuffed that year. I mean, so he got he got fired, and I think that was like, did I make the right choice kind of conversation, And you know, I'm a loyalist. I'm sticking to the decision I made. But definitely with disappointment, not necessarily resentment, but disappointment and thinking like, hey, well

Was brand Marshall one of the more intimidating human beings you've ever met in your life.

Oh man, because.

I see him and he is a man, he had one, but too he's got the personality like I don't want to take this guy out.

He's he's a beautiful person because initially I was intimidated and scared of him because you know, which is read from prior and just you know, kind of his stature.

He's a big guy and he can carry.

Himself in a kind of like whoa you know, polarizing way, but he's super deep, like he is, like he knows who he is. He's done a lot of work on himself. He's very smart, and we had so many good conversations in the receiver room. So we bonded and had a really good relationship. But initially I was definitely scared of him. And he plays that way on the field. I mean he he has a screw loose, I'm sure, but you know, he goes crazy and it's fun to be on his side and not on the other side.

How'd you end up in Nashville, Tennessee.

Yeah, so with the Titans, well, New York. Let's see my third year going in my fourth year, I was there all the way through mini camp and so I had season any injuries with my hip and my shoulder, I had surgery on and so I recover. I get to end of kind of off season workouts, mini camp, and all of a sudden, Lee Johnson decides he wants to cut everyone over the age of thirty. So it's like June fourteenth, fifteenth, somewhere in that range, and we

That feel good to be able to play here at home.

It was and that was awesome. I mean I was actually feeling the best I've felt for a long time, probably since the Super Bowl year physically, and then you know, just the excitement of being home, sitting in my own bed, my own house, and be able to you know, go to work and kind of have that balance. And then you know, a lot of familiar faces in the locker room. We're really helpful in that transition, especially late, because it's just I jumped right into training camp and then you know,

You know, it's crazy about that season.

Like you said, you get hurt going in training camp, and a lot of people don't understand how tough that is for especially skilled players and wide receiver in particular, just from conditioning all that. But I will remember remember the first game, I think it was the first game, and so we used to do this thing where if it was even numbers, whether it's protection, say it was sixty four, it was seventy four, whatever it might be.

If it's an odd number, it's on one.

So we get up there and it's early in the game, and we call an even number one, which means it's on two. But if you haven't done it. Like you should have seen during the off season, guys are jumping off all the time. Well, Deck's out there looking at the ball and it's lady. Lady said, right, it's on two. He jumps on one.

He comes over the sideline and it's a funny thing.

He looks at me.

He goes, cass, when do you know what's on two? And when do you know it's on one?

Because we would not call Cadence in the middle, it was now assumed that because of the process of going through it in the repetitions that we had during the off season, which they weren't, that he wasn't He wasn't part of it to a certain extent, right, but not not surely.

So he goes, how do you know it's on two and one? I said, what the.

He's like, dude, I missing a lot of training camp. I was like, even numbers on two, odd numbers on one. He's like, oh, I got it.

Thanks. Was that a hard decision to go I'm done?

Uh?

At the time, No, I think after I processed it and walked away six months later, probably yes, because I think I still had more of the tank. But I think I was so emotionally and mentally checked out from all the injuries in the last three years of my career that I just I didn't want to do it, you know. And I went to New England the year they won the Super Bowl and it was like that was actually like the Frosting and the cake Bilichick camp at Cage.

Of thirty three.

I was like, I don't think I have it, you know, I'm banging heads with these twenty two year olds. I'm like, I'm used to like the that car, Like I stand on the sideline get ready for the season. And it was the reality of I don't think I was all in, you know, mentally and physically, and I was kind of already halfway checked out. I had my third child at the time back in Nashville and just was missing my family.

It was like, did I really give it everything I had? But do you have any regrets looking back? I don't now know me. I think I've worked through all that.

I think I think I struggle with, you know, losing the game and the sense losing my identity and uh what my value in the sense was. But now as I guess, you know, five years longer than that, seven years out and just more of a mature person. It was the right time. You know, I made the right decision, and I'm happy with my decision. I don't regret anything.

What's it like being a sex symbol?

Yeah, yeah, because it seems like you guys get it on all the time too. They're just kids popping out, Like every time I load it up, there's a new baby baby.

Just a piece of meat. Well, I'm with Castles. I gotta try to keep up. You know, he's got he's got that sprinder van for old kids.

I gotta that's the goal. I don't Yeah, I guess you know.

Really my wife is is my sugar mama, and she's the social queen. So I'm just a piece of meat, Bobby, It's all I am.

I wish I could be a piece of meat once in my life, being a piece of meat.

Ye, that's what I'm saying.

Like I'm like quiz bowl. You know, I've had to do my whole life there. So I know. You guys did the the show the Special Special Forces, and it reminds me because Randall's over here. Yeah, so that's that looked like a tough show.

It was hard.

How hard was it for real? Because we talked about we've both done reality stuff and we know some of it's weirder, harder, easier than what you actually see. What was that show? Really?

That was a real show with reality, I guess in a sense tied to it. I mean everything they put us through it was like real training, you know, of what they would do. Now, there was like hiccups sometimes with production or Hay's twelve hour break. You know, we need our camera guys to take a lunch break or union. They got to take twelve hour break. So we're sitting there on a cliff for like three hours because they got to take lunch break. Cool, how about some water

Done, would never want to do again.

I mean, I've got PTSD if I ever get into like an MRI too now, just because tight quarters and getting stuck and he saw Johnny he tapped out and he just panicked. But the next couple episodes you'll see just I think it's the mental part of it. I mean, physically, yes, we can endure these exercises, but it's it's like from five am and not knowing what you're doing all the way till midnight, basically till they turn the lights off, because they could pull you out eleven thirty and put

Could really droll. That's all you really know is that they got to feed you. So just show up and get.

Why'd you do the show? Who do they come to both of you? They go to Jesse, they go to you.

What happened?

So actually the first year they did it, they asked if I wanted to do it, and she was on tours. I couldn't, and so Danny Amadola got cast in and he did awesome, and I've always wanted to do it again, and I just kind of was like a has been so I couldn't get on it. But they started doing the couple dynamic, and so Andrew and Sean got asked, and then uh Housewives and Gia got asked to do it, and they needed another couple. So originally it was like

They said no.

It came back to us like a week out and we're like, you know what, I've always wanted to do. This is the once in the lifetime thing. Let's let's just do it. Cause I always wanted to challenge myself in a different way. I just felt like not having football, you know, obviously very fortunate and grateful for my life, but just I needed something to have that kind of locker room feel.

And so this was that.

Opportunity to challenge myself and luckily I got just on board to do it. Who I saw so much grit that I've never seen before. It was really fun. So that was the reason why.

I did Bear Girls with my wife. I did it myself. I did it by myself and bar and I went to Norway and it was a really good episode, so much Nat Joe offered me my own show from that episode. But before that show launched, they were like, hey, I want you to come back and do Bear Girls again. And I was like, man, I did it. I don't like, I don't like dying and stuff like, it wasn't my thing. I just and I said, I've already told my whole story, like there's nothing for me to do. And they said, well,

But yeah, no, I mean we were together.

We've been together, you know for almost I guess fifteen years, and she's burned for my children, and I know she's tough and you know.

She's a go get her but to like be in that.

Environment, like you said, and see the grit and the determination and like, you know, the barracks that we slept in were just disgusting and having to wash her clothes and the sink and just eat you know, crappy food.

But her attitude to.

Like not only accomplish things, but like dominate things was like, damn, who is this?

You know?

And it was it definitely I think bonded us and made us closer because we saw each other ways we never have. You know, this was kind of an inside look for her to see me in like a locker room setting with other other you know, there's other athletes, but just other males, and you know, there was there was a perspective to it, which was special to have that experience together.

Is it more intimidating knowing that you're going on a show that which is an elimination show and a tap out show with your wife saying like, I've got to outperform her. Yeah, because god forbid, I'm one of the first people to tap out and she's like the last woman standing there.

Well, yeah, I mean she kind of scept the expectations like listen, I'm here for you. I'm not you know.

I think she didn't know what to expect from herself, and the idea was like I'm gonna go all the way and so yeah, that was the expectations. But yeah, knowing that your wife was there, it's like, hey, well, you got to show up, and you gotta I'm the man.

Be the man.

You play pickleball now a lot o.

I love pickleball? Gosh.

Well, and I knew he's obsessed. Well, we were walking through whenever you didn't tell him where to come, right, we were up in the front.

Of problem yeah and box are barking. I'm waving.

He uh was like you build a pick a wall court or it was it. I was like, yeah, we built it, and he was like, oh, just kind of in a second, looking kept walking and rob before we're about to go on. He was going to say something, but I was like, hold it because I don't know what you were going to say about pickleball. I really like to play too. I've I gotta have surgery on my ankle in a couple of weeks. So, yeah, would you a tour? I gotta it's a whole thing. My

That's who knew. Let me see you fix it. Hey, stop stop.

So this cartilage tear has gotten larger and larger, and so now they have to go and they have to put other cartilage, have to put dead man cartilage in.

Oh really, it's a series dead. Yeah.

So I haven't been able to play a lot, but I was playing grit. That's great. Hey, I played in a foot tournament singles with a torn and didn't you win it? I won a three point five. I didn't win the four because I got hurt memes. But yeah, yeah, anyway, so what's that sober? How often are you playing?

Like?

What you is that your competition.

Now, I actually just threw my back out. Uh getting back into it now. I feel like that every other week I started my back.

You should see him at the like little league games and stuff.

He's literally sitting up there like this.

So I'm like, dude, we got wives around here, like stop making us look bad. I'm like, you're either trying to brundle off to all the women, but like, will you stop actually these like elaborate yoga stretches and sending out for another kid?

Just keeping my back.

My back hurts.

Savannah Bananas brought to the U sport. It's my It's my vice right now for sure. Besides my back doesn't hurt, which actually, like two and a half weeks ago, I was playing at five in the morning, but real serious about it. With the Pea coaches here at our kids school and Mark Marianni Mark March competitive competitives.

I've played with them before. You played with Titans, Yeah, yeah, okay, I've played with them before.

Yeah yeah, so warm enough pick a ball threw it out. But other than that, I'm playing a PPA tournament in November, so I'd excited about that.

But they play singles or doubles doubles. Do you ever play singles?

I do play singles.

I like singles because it's actually a workout.

It is a workout, I mean doubles. I'll play hour and a half. I'll burn like twelve hour calories.

Maybe for you, but for an athlete like me, it ain't work, you know what I mean? Like me, and I'm just sitting back, you know, h hitting it like this?

Then?

How far?

Why your ankles hanging on?

How far do you let from the town half mile? So close?

I'm real close to.

I didn't know that most of you rich people live in like Franklin, so I figured you were down there with like rich boy you guys, you guys.

Are going to be fast friends on the pickleball.

Get that ank all right, we're gonna yeah, well there's some some opportunity.

When you talk about you.

Got a back, I got an ankle. It's we're even so we can play injury. We're just we have one injury.

Just rush the ne You just need a leaf blower back there.

That's what I got one right there. Okay, yeah, I got a whole ground ready.

Bobby, I need to talk to you and Matt I told him about it. Already.

But there's this concept coming to towns to pick a ball entertainment concept called crush Yard. You know everyone's doing the facilities now, but this one is.

Are you pitching him? I want to gonna be off camera, but he's like, savent savement.

I'll bring the deck. But it's uh, you know, top golf esque with pickleball. So they got you got the food and bev concept up front. You got golf simulators. I want to golf, but also the multi sport game with the kids, Keith and entertainble. You can play pick a ball in the back eight courts. You know, franchise concepts coming in, taking these big boxes and just kind of retrofitting this concept, which you know from cost savings is great.

But I love it already in I'm in it. What are you looking for? Are you gonna invest or not?

It's a minimum investment. You're looking.

My heart's involved. We buy bonus, maybe shoot a couple of shows in there. You know, Matthew already told about you know, the concepts, and I can get him on board. Actually I can get him on board now.

Pressures on Matt, Matt, He's got so many names, Castle Cast Matt we did this video, they were like, Hey, we're gonna come in and shoot castle, uh for like a Titans promo, like a commercial thing. And I love Matt, like seriously, the greatest guy huggs a little too much. But other than that, like the greatest guy's.

Personal space, you can give you a scruff roum.

I'm not tall enough. That's why he scruffed the top of my head. And so they were like, hey, and so I'm just talking about Matt just genuinely, and I'm like, I love him, here's why. And I lead with things like he obviously knows the game, like you don't play that long in the league without knowing the game at a certain level. And while we're doing the show, and then I watched the clip back and the only things they use for me saying was like, yeah, he looks

I thought it was very uplifting from what you said. Yeah, I mean, they definitely did not use any of the part.

About do you have Greek in you? Though you know well, I mean, I.

Know, I've got my wife that's Greek, and she rubs off on me a little bit.

We still break. It's now time for are the Week in Preview presented by DraftKings. From first touchdown score to any time touchdown props or the thrill of live in game betting, every snap is loaded with opportunity. Okay, we're gonna go through the three biggest games in the NFL this week and make our picks. Let's go here.

We go.

Six teams on buye this week.

That's crazy. It's a good time to be on a buye though. Why so that just because it's about that mid season where you get that break and then kind of that end of the season push. I like it, not even into the season, midway through the season.

Yeah, where do you like your bye?

If you got to pick a week, I've had weeks by weeks in week three, Oh, that's like lunch at night.

That's such a grind for so long.

And this is before they got two buys, so you're just like you're grinding for the rest of the time. But this is a good part of the season to about week seven, week eight, where if you're about mid midway. It's just a nice relief from season and you can kind of get a little healthy.

Let's go Vikings at Chargers on Thursday night. I do like the game for a Thursday night game. Although there have been really good Thursday games this year, which hasn't always been the case, so there's been solid one after the other. The weird thing about the Vikings is is has there been a soft benching?

I see, That's what I keep asking myself.

I was like JJ mccarthy' spraining his ankle in week two, we're now in week seven. I don't know a lot of I don't know how severe it is, and I'm not trying to come up with a conspiracy theory or anything like that, but I think they allowed wins to keep going.

He got the win in London.

He's coming back and he's been up and down, but he's actually playing pretty well. And I think that they're waiting to see if he takes the reins and not not just jumping out and saying, hey, JJ's starting as soon as he's healthy, because I believe he's probably healthy because he was suited as a three third quarterback this week. It's just a very interesting dynamic in how this whole thing unfolds. Vikings and Chargers. Uh, Chargers not not a great not a great last week. No, but those Colts Man,

Now.

I think their schedule gets a little bit harder. But the Vikings on the road against the Chargers. Chargers have shown some weaknesses there, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I thought that was going to be a strong suit, but they've you know, haven't played as well recently.

So I'm going with the Vikings.

Wow, I'm gonna go with the Chargers just because I think I can't. I don't want to say this. It offend you, So I don't want to anyth about the coaching. They better coaching and the Chargers that'll be offensive to you.

To your boy, Kevin, you heard him, did he? I got your back?

Dogging. I think for Jim Hardwall to lose to in a row that's probably rarer than even I think it is. I think the Chargers come back ready to go. I'm taking the Chargers next to Cowboys at Broncos.

Oh. I think this is going to be a good game.

I mean the way the Cowboys came out and offensively, defensively, but I put their better put together their best, best full game. I love the way the offense is playing, but they are going up against the Broncos, whose defense is probably one of the best in the league. Even though Giants went out there and put up a bunch of points on him.

Oh, this is tough. I'm going with the Cowboys. I'm gonna go with the Cowboys and get the three and a half points as well. But I think I would take the Cowboys straight up just because they're just fun to watch. I don't like the root against teams that are so fun to watch and see.

Lamb look good, George Pickens awesome, the run games got going. If the defense holds up in any capacity, you know that they're going to score points.

Packers minus three at the Steelers.

Oh, Packers minus three at the Steelers.

I'm gonna go with Packers. I'm gonna give up points Packers over Steelers in Pittsburgh.

Yes, I agree with you. I will go with the Packers. I just think that they're a better overall team that Parsons went off. Oh we had three se Yeah, that's what you want to see. Yeah, he was awesome. Yeah, that was the weeknd preview presented by DraftKings. The best part New customers bet just five bucks and if your bet wins, you'll get three hundred dollars in bonus bets.

Instantly your team hitting payder pays out to you. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Use the code to say, that's the code to say as in our show, lots to say one Tuesday, bonus bets if your bet wins, and partnership with DraftKings. The Crown is yours.

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Yeah, we got loucks.

Say, do you watch a lot now? Are you able to stay involved or at least watch games and like as a fan?

Yeah, uh yeah. So my ten year old boy loves football and so he kind of has me in it. I mean, he knows every player's name, which is unlivable. But it's been fun to kind of wash the game through his eyes because it's innocent. Again, you know, it's just like the love of the game, like sometimes where off as you get older. So we got football on all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and you know we watch.

You know, there's no team we really root for, but you you don't root for the Titans.

I don't think that's possible. Hard right now?

Did they play?

Do they have points? They haven't?

The point it's been it's tough.

How was this weekend for your USC Notre Dame heartbreaking?

No, it was an incredible environment.

Obviously, it's a rivalry that is a historical rivalry, and you know, when I was there, you kind of got a feel for it. Every single time you played Notre Dame. Pete Carroll did a tremendous job of teaching you about the history of the game, and have guys like Marcus Allen and this guy Marv Goo who is a legendary defensive coach. All these different players would come in and speak to us that during that week, So it was a big deal.

And then to get back there and USC.

Being five and one, thinking they've got a chance, go down, have a few good series and then Notre Dame just beat us up physically up front and ran through our face and it was still close in the we took the lead in the third quarter, and then we give up the kickoff return and at that point it was all over.

I was gonna ask do you feel because obviously you're more involved in the game that and I all has changed like the university passion or the you know, like campus passion.

You know, it's very interesting because we were talking to some of the even the Notre Dame players, and particularly CJ. Carr, their quarterback, and one of the legendary plays in the series was the tush push or whatever you want to call it. Right in that two thousand and five game when both of those teams are undefeated, Brady Quinn Matt Lioner going back and forth. He had no idea what we were referencing, and I was like, wow, like you think you'd think that there was maybe, But he was

I was with I don't want to say who it is, but I was with a power fore head coach this weekend. One of my friends doesn't live here. But I tell you off because I think for I think for the fans, obviously it hasn't changed, like we still we understand they're more mercenary type than they used to be. They may

I can imagine being a coach because, like you said, you're recruiting your old guys constantly, and you know it just as an athlete, and kind of I fear the character building of these young guys is like, yes, you should get paid. I mean it's it's a lot of work and you sacrifice your body and they make a

What it's going to take is actual legislation, because right now you needed to get as bad as it possibly can because nobody stepping in to fix it. Until it has to be fixed. There was the obandon case and went to the Supreme Court. Video game Charles O'Bannon played at UCLA. His likeness was used, so they sued. Now players can get paid, right, that's the entire that's the

To be California.

Yeah, Yeah, there's gonna have to be. It's gonna have to get so bad that it's gonna have to go to lawmakers. And lawmakers only want to do things that make them look like heroes for the constituents. The days of ballmakers actually wanted to make a difference, not really so much. It's just get re elected. So that's going to have to happen to or they want to actually make a difference and be seen. Your union's going to have to be had.

That's the most difficult part about this, yeap, Like who's going to organize a player's union when it's such a small, finite period of time for each of these players, And unlike the NFL where you got thirty two teams, you've got one hundred and thirty two teams. Then you have to have buy in by the players to say, in order to make a players union, each of you have to give a certain amount of money into the pot each year that you're in school.

But then that rolls over every four years.

What does the leadership look like. Who's going to be the head of a player's union for college? Which means you're going to have to go out and get some high paying lawyer and be able to unionize and also organize enough to where the leadership at the top doesn't change so quickly that you can actually do something and make make a different difference in what's going on.

I mean, I think in the end, the reality of it is you can transfer. Once you transfer again, it's a year. It's old school like because back in the day, if you transferred unless you went down, yeah, you got to sit a year. And I think there's going to have to eventually be some sort of cat because you're going to and it's happening now where your players are making more than NFL players are their first couple of years. You know, Yeah, it's it's wild but it has to

Great question? Detrotly good yesterday.

And it gets a good Tampa team, but Tampa's missing so many weapons and they get one of the biggest ones back and he goes out with the shoulder and a concussions.

Yeah.

That's the hard part is that I didn't see that. Yeah, so he came back like a cup coffee and he's out again.

Yeah, one one post route basically, and he's been like the Iron Man too. Focus Godwin's out. I mean, you've a mecha. Buka came back. He had zero catches. I mean, so they're very very thin at the wide receiver position.

Hey, hey, hey, how you feeling.

He said it back's a little soort t gm out there. He didn't say that we can add that out.

We believed that out.

We got about five players. Yeah.

You know what's crazy about just sports, but football, especially as I mean you say, who's the best team? Well, whoever is healthy? To be honest, I mean especially that level. You got guys, two skilled guys got When that one's out, I mean that that changed the dynamic of what mayfield can do and what that offense can do.

And so I just think it's ever.

Changing, you know, in the league, and it's it's whoever's kind of the healthiest at the end. Look at like Buffalo's kind of behind a little bit. We thought bigger thing. Same thing with Kansas City, But you know.

The Chiefs are coming back if they stay healthy towards the end of the year.

Those are teams that have like the experience that are going to be successful and be in the big game. So it's hard not to go against teams like that.

Let me ask you about the mindset of somebody like a Travis Kelce who is in his thirties, mid thirties. Obviously he's slow to half step. That's why he's not in as much. And you can see him being frustrated when he comes out at times too. As you get older, is it a realization of this is why I'm leaving or is it now I can still do it? Why am I getting taken out of the game.

Yeah, I mean I think it's it's an ego thing. We all got egos, And I mean I was in my lower thirties, but like as I was going through the process after I got cut from New York, I was talking a couple of teams and like, we'll use you in like a third down package, or we'll use in a red zone package.

Like I can still play. I'm on every down player.

I want to play, And like you got yourself and check your ego and be like, hey, well, it's obviously feedback for a reason, like you're losing a step or you're slowing down.

Your game's not the same.

So I think it's challenging because mentally you feel like you're still that guy, but physically you know your performance isn't.

Yeah.

And also Travis Kelsey, he's been a featured guy throughout his entire career. He's ultra competitive, even going back to last year. He's a featured guy. So if the minute you start to buy in to everybody saying, oh, well he's lost the step, he's not that will you lose your superpower because that confidence is why he is who he is. And while he might have lost a step, he's still better than ninety five percent of the guys out there, and when they get when he gets taken

Pick a quarterback in the league, Now you'd like to play with I'm not in the league anymore, cast off the list in case you wanted to.

That was the lu Yeah, he's cut me off.

Who now do you see? And you're like, man, I'd love to play with that guy. For whatever reason.

I love Dart I think I love to play with Dars. Love that swagger. I love a quarterback of a little swager. He can throw it too, but he's just a he's a competitor.

You want to play with a rookie quarterback right now, A veteran dude that's gonna like see the game a little different.

He runs more than he throws.

No, I'm just kidding, you're right, but you know what I'm looking at from just like, who's gonna give me that energy? Like watch like I got excited to wash him. For forever reason, I don't turn on the Kansas City games like I used to, Like I'm excited to see the Giants play, but I think it's because he's polarizing.

Take a wide receiver you'd like to play with now that you watch wide receiver, I mean Justin Jefferson's pretty good.

Jamar Chase is pretty good. Uh, Seattle Seahawks last night?

What's his name? Jack and Smith and jigbaby.

He might be emerging as one of the top, if not the top wide receiver. Now I just name got a quarterback to the ball. But how good is that guy? I mean the separation that he creates, the different types of route running, and his hands are automatic. I think this kid is special. So watch it in from a youth standpoint. I watched him last night and I'm going, man, he just keeps getting better and better. I think it's three straight games with over one hundred yards or one

What sucks? And listen so everybody knows. I'm look at the camera on this. We are the NFL is our boss. We work for the NFL. I'm gonna say this. We are literally paid by the NFL. You gotta stop at nine o'clock Central games. I get it more football all the time. I'm even okay with like the European games. You wake up, You're like, oh, I forgot there's a game. I couldn't watch any of it, so I'm looking at NFL.

He says, that was all due respectful.

Yeah, the most respectful way possible.

What all the ratings though, what all the ratings can fantastic?

Probably have no idea. I can't imagine the imagine East Coast. It starts at ten. Yeah, on a school night, crazy on a school night. Okay, final question, and you don't have to answer it. You can play the fifth of your cast. Who is the most annoying?

Yes, this is such a good question, just because personalities are different.

Yeah, for sure, you know what, like, I'm not trying to just play this guy, but I'm a pretty patient patient man. I didn't have anyone that bothered me annoyed me. I think it was a really good cast. As you can see the way they paint some people like Cody Brown or Jesse.

He's gone now how they painted them.

You know, they are polarizing in their own right for what they've kind of been through I guess or who they are. But we all built individual less ships within you know, that experience. And we had our comedians, you know, Revy and Nick were hilarious. We had like our athletes that were quiet just like I'm gonna do everything, like Randall and Sean, and then you had you know, some pop culture people that were just kind of a good

I did not have that. Who would you not invite to your house for dinner?

Good one? Who would I not invite? You're so right down the middle. Well, he is a nice guy all the time, which sucks because I sit in front of them. I wouldn't believe him except I've seen him be nice away from a microphone. I know, yeah, I know it sucks.

Would not invite a man? Don't say me because I wasn't on the show. You should do the show. Can we get Matt cast signed up Fox? Let's go. Honestly, I would invite everyone, all.

Right, he you guys are good. People need more.

Love this world, damn it and more love.

Thank you guys, Matt Castle, Eric, thanks coming by man. It's been awesome. Yeah yeah, kick off, Kevin Brandon Ray and Bobby Bones. We've had lots to say, Well see you guys. Next to the last time I've invited over, this is the last time he's invited over Tomorrow morning. Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.