The Dave Pasch Podcast - Nick Rallis

Hey everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast. I'm your host ESPN and Arizona Cardinals broadcaster Dave Pash. Our guest this week is first year Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rawlis. Nick is the youngest coordinator in the NFL. He just turned thirty years of age a month ago, and we'll talk with him about how he got into coaching, to begin with his experience with the Minnesota Vikings and then the Philadelphia Eagles working with

What I love that I've seen from him when he's on the edge is I think you can kind of let it loose a little bit more when you're playing with a little bit less vision on everything. Your vision shrinks a little bit on the edge and you can let your physical tools completely take over. And I'm seeing him just use those tools and go make plays on the edge.

We'll also talk with Nick about his famous brother Mike Rawlis, who goes by Ridick Moss as a professional wrestler, and the two had some battles growing up that we'll get into as well. We are presented by BETMGM, the official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals, and by Heila River Resorts and Casino. Sign up today with BETMGM, the official partner of the Arizona Cardinals. Use code cards one thousand and get back up to one thousand dollars in

Well, when you're talking to the players on the sideline, if it's loud, you have to talk a little bit louder. But when you're actually sending the call in to the green dot, you don't want to raise your voice just because the crowd is loud, because you know your your mouth is right up next to that mic and it's going to be screaming, and that guy his microphone is right in his ear. So you just want to talk normal because otherwise it's going to sound a little distorted

And how did it go last weekend? First time doing it in a game, it was it was good.

You know, you're used to doing it in practice like you're just you're giving the calls. It's it's normal. You know. JAG's great advice med was make sure you hit the button right.

That's hit the button, so it's like here, just turn it, make sure the mic is on before you start talking.

Yeah, well, like you have to. You have to hold it down and you get hear like and that means it's on and you got to give the call. You got to hold you got to keep it holding down and then you know it. At fifteen seconds it goes out. So you'll start getting like beeps like you're out. You can't talk into it anymore, right, and.

So you want to make sure you don't start giving the call before you hit the button, otherwise they're not going to hear.

Correct.

It's crazy to think that this stuff probably happens, right. They're probably times in games when you see guys are not sure if they got the call. Something like that.

Oh yeah, that happens. Our backers do a really good job of they'll just stay in the huddle right there, but they'll put the hand, they'll put their hand up and they'll kind of start, hey one more time, and you know, if I'm not looking at it some but he is, and they're saying, hey, he needs it again, and I give it to him again. But that can happen, like it's it's not perfect. There's it's a microphone, and maybe they maybe they were just someone was talking to

It's interesting. We had our production meeting for the TV broadcast last week with JG and asked him if he's gonna miss calling plays and he said, in a way yes, because it's fun. But then he said, but Nick is better than I am. I mean, you've been around in the last couple of years. I don't think he would have just said that. It wasn't you know, it was on the record, but it wasn't on the air when he said it, he didn't have to say that. I mean, that's quite a compliment.

Yeah, JG's I think he would. I think he feels that from our entire staff is just is very good at doing what they're supposed to do. Everyone's very good at their job. And he expresses that to us, which is which is huge. You know, he's a very complimentary person when he really believes it. It's genuine and so just you know, for you to say that, I don't know, he said that, it's a great compliment. I think he'd say really good things about a lot of people on the staff.

So you're thirty years old, and you just turned thirty. You're the youngest coordinator in the NFL. You got hired in the spring or the winner, whatever that was exactly, and your birthday was in July it was, so you just turned thirty. So you got hired of the same age that I did. I was twenty nine. I've been here twenty two years. So as you look at my hair, which no longer exists, this is what you have to look forward to.

I don't know about that. We'll see, we'll see, give me time, we'll see.

But at age twenty nine. And it was interesting because I remember when you got hired, there were a lot of reports from respected NFL people saying, hey, if the Cardinals didn't make this move, somebody else was going to take them. Like you were very well thought of around the lead. This wasn't just a JG thing. When did you first of all, decide that this is what you wanted to do because you just got done playing, like seven years ago.

I didn't decide until I was done playing. You know, when I was playing, obviously my goals were to make it to the NFL, and you know, I, you know, I probably kind of towards the end of my college career, probably saw that that wasn't going to happen. But you don't tell yourself that as a player. You just keep pushing and you start to think about other possibilities that you might want to do. But I didn't ultimately make

So you and I want to talk about your playing career. So in twenty seventeen, you go to Wake Forest. I think one of the most underrated coaches in college football is Dave Clawson.

They do a great job there.

So tell me why Wake Forest after playing at Minnesota and what about that experience? It was just one year right that you were there. What how did that boost you and help you get to then the NFL, which was the next step.

So the reason that I went to Wake Force was my defensive coordinator when I was playing at the Universe of Minnesota, went there. He was in Minnesota twenty sixteen, my last year, and then he became the defensive coordinator at Wake Force in twenty seventeen. So that was kind of my avenue in and I'm jsovel. I'm really appreciative he brought me into this coaching world. You know, it's not easy to get those jobs when you're just getting out.

And then you go to the NFL the next year. I understand its quality control coach, but still to be able to get that job after one season of college football, you're with the Vikings. How did that come about? Who approached you? Was it? Did you hear about it and you had a contact?

Luck? Well, oh yes, But so here's what happened at my pro day. Okay, so I wasn't actually doing anything. I was. I think I was like probably in like a sling or something. He into I just got shoulder surgery and I showed up just to introduce myself to the Viking staff because the Viking staff was actually running the pro day. And the main contact I had who ended up being a huge, a critical person in my career.

Sure, because I talked to Rick Spielman. He took total credit for hiring you. No, I'm kidding, but Rick, who is obviously the longtime GM there. And you got to know JG in Minnesota? Did you know him prior to that?

So I did not actually work with JG in Minnesota.

So he had already left.

He had already left. So when JG actually left, that's what opened up a spot for me. Gotcha okay, And through Jeff Howard, who helped get me in the door at Minnesota, introduced me to JG. A couple of years of talking ball talking at the combine sparked a relationship and got me connected with JG.

So you go to Philadelphia, you're there twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two. What was the experience it's like there and in particular playing in a super Bowl.

Every every stop, you know, you learn a lot. I just like when you talk about your experience, my experience in Philly, what comes to my mind is like growth I learned a lot from Nick Sirianni and other people in that building, Harrie Roseman, Jonathan obviously being at his side, other coaches on both sides of the ball, and Sirianni.

It's interesting because I know JG's coaching career started because of injury when he was at Louisville. You obviously dealt with injuries at Minnesota. It's interesting when you look back, and I feel like a lot of guys their coaching careers start prematurely because they can't play anymore. And when you look back at your career at Minnesota as a player, like,

I think I have a little bit more of a realistic mindset than JG. As far as I think he thinks he'd still be playing in the NFL if he didn't hurt his hip. I think I have a real realistic expectation of myself that I'm looking back. I probably wasn't an NFL talent.

So, but you were a good player when you were healthier, good because I remember I did a ton of your games. We were there a lot, so like the two coldest games I had ever called were against Wisconsin. Yes, there was one where Gary Anderson was the head coach at Wisconsin, and I swear he had no hat on and our sideline reporter in the postgame interview, like if he would have reached up and he could have like if you'd grab his ear, it would have it would have broken a piece off.

There were some cold games because you'd play Wisconsin usually that last game of the year, and it was yeah, up in Minnesota, you'd you'd be walking out of the locker room, you turn out of that tunnel, and now the wins hitting you, and you're like, oh gosh, that's that's the kind of game it is. But yeah, there are some cold games. I don't you know, I don't think the injuries really necessarily changed the course of my career.

You touched on the cold weather games. Did you play in the snow game against Ohio State?

I had a That was when I told my ny I did not play in that game. Looked fun, though I kind of missed not playing.

It was fun being in the booth not on the field because it was snowing like crazy. And I remember doing a game in September against TCU. I think they were like number two in the country. Were you playing that year?

I had just I barely got back for the start of the year. I want to say I maybe got a couple of snaps in that game.

And you played for Jerry Kill and then you also played for a guy that as broadcaster as we kind of had a fun nickname for him. We called him the Undertaker because he looked a little bit like the pro wrestler the Undertaker because he's a big dude, and he used to wear like a hat. He had a hat a practiced I think it was a cowboy hat that he had on at practice.

He would wear this. I think he would wear the straw.

Hat from the sun, but it was a hat. But he reminded kind of a little bit of the Undertaker.

I never I had never made that connection before.

Well it's a bad segue. I was trying to get us to the rest because you knew it was coming. If you're going to come on here, So all right, your brother Mike, he keeps changing names, so he is now Riddick Moss. He was mad Cap Moss, yes, but Moss has always been a part of it because of Randy Moss. Dang right, And you guys were diehard Randy Moss fans growing absolutely, So why did he go the pro wrestling route and you did not?

You know, I wanted to stay around the game. He was actually either going to go into coaching himself, or going to wrestling. He chose wrestling. I think he liked the the idea of being an athlete still right and physically preparing yourself. And you know, I ended up just choosing football. I felt like it was going to be a better career, better fit for me. So that's I guess that's how it went down.

And I guess you were in some way talking smack about him when you got hired. And so he tweeted out a video of when you were kids and the movie put on you. He called the Diamond Cutter.

It to me, is Diamondwa's page.

Okay, yeah, see, like as a guy that kind of grew up in the eighties, Like I remember the pile driver looked like a pile driver. What's the difference.

The diamond cutter. Let's see DDP. He would he he kind of got He would come around from the side, get your neck kind of over his shoulder, and he fell on his back and and the guy would fall on his face. You're kind of asking the wrong guy. I'm a football coach. What the heck, let's get your brother, let's get it to you.

So, like I'm curious, So does he talked to you about like, how he because you trained for it, but there's acting obviously, it's choreographed.

Yeah, it's sports entertainment, right, right, you're you're like the worst thing to say is it's not real. No, it's real, Like what they put their through is real. It's it is scripted, right, and so the there's an aspect of you have to be in great physical shape to do it, but it is entertainment.

All right. Since you said you're a football coach, let's talk football. I've been throwing a lot of hardballs at you here the first fifteen Well.

Let's let's let's end this with the wrestling thing. If you want to see some some good wrestling. Me and him did put on a match when when I was in college and he was heading to the WW A real match. Get your hands on that video.

Yeah. So when you say a real match, like, what was there choreography or were you just the two of you were going to WW Okay, yeah, and there is video somewhere so we can somewhere.

You got to go digging. I don't know where you have it. I don't have it.

Does your brother have it?

Then we get it?

Okay, we need to somehow get this and get it.

It was a great match. I won't spoil the ending for you. You'll have to check it out yourself. Okay, there was a storyline and everything. It was. There was a we had a you know, one of the fake WWE belts, and we called it the LWL is the Locker Room Wrestling League, and it was a storyline that he was he was now leaving to go to the WWE. So he was kind of hanging around, so he was done playing.

Let me at least ask a follow up. If you indeed did win this match, would you still have this belt?

If I'm sure, Maybe not, I don't know. I guess you would have to contact my parents and see what's down in the basement.

Okay, all right, coach, you were talking about Shaye Thompson. Weren't you saying there was something else that connected the two of you along with your brother?

Yeah, so Shae is I don't want to. I don't know exactly, but he is far along with his belts in jiu jitsu. So do not mess with Shaye. He

But you you didn't tap out, because you would you refuse to tap out to your brother.

I refuse to tap out now. He if he would have put me in some real jiu jitsu where I felt, you know, your arms start to break or something like that, you're gonna tap pretty quick. I can't say I'm some kind of mental warrior, but I was willing. I was willing to pass out.

Good stuff onto football, which is the reason you're on the show, but this has been great talking about this. So we talked a little bit about calling the defense. You were down on the field for the first game. Are you going to be up in the booth?

I'm going to stay down. The original plan was to kind of test out both during preseason, and you know, honestly, I liked it down on the field. I've spent most of my career in the booth. I was actually in the booth last season in Philly. I thought it was kind of the best playoff of JG being on the field, and I felt like I see things really well in the box. I spent one year on the sideline in twenty twenty one in Philly, and I did not like it.

How much communication. Do you think there will be in game once the regular season gets going between you and JG? Is that a constant thing or is he pretty much just letting you handle it. If he wants to chime in or ask a question, he will.

Yeah, I think honestly, I would say that he lets us defensively as coaches go, but I think we actually will seek him out more often. Hey, JG, what do you think of this? Should we do this? This? Or this? Like, we're not going to let He's awesome to work for in that regard, but I'm not going to let his brain go unused. You know what I'm saying. I'm going

Are your philosophies pretty much the same? Do you see the game differently?

We see the game very similar, and I think that's why we have really good rapport.

You know, I did a lot of Micah Parsons games at Penn State, and I don't believe he played outside at all. If I recall, I think he was just an inside linebacker. And then obviously the Cowboys put him outside. The rest is history. It's interesting watching Xavi and Collins. You guys are taking a guy that played solely inside backer at Tulsa, played a little bit off the edge.

Last He played some off the edge.

In college too, okay, but primarily wasn't inside line back so far.

In the league. Yeah, he's been primarily inside.

What do you seeing out of him that you think I'm not comparing to Micah Parsons, But look, this guy's inn elite athlete. He's sixty threes two sixty five. What do you see in him that says this guy could be an excellent pass rusher? Obviously, you guys coach has On Reddick, but he was a pass rusher in college who we try to turn it to an inside linebacker and that that didn't work out too well. And then obviously you know it was great for you guys in Philly last year.

I think, like first off, with Zavin, he is such a physical freak that you can use him in multiple ways, right, whether that's on the edge, stacked inside, whatever. He has the physical ability and the brain to do it right. And so that's one thing that not necessarily everybody has. And when I talk about the brain and not just knowing what to do, but being able to process right.

Kaiser White has not played yet in the preseason. Was with you guys in Philadelphia. What is it about him that a reason you guys targeted him is, Hey, we need to bring him with us here to be one of the centerpieces of our defense.

Yeah. I mean there's a lot of things with Kaizer. Obviously, when you're with somebody, anybody can watch the tape and recognize that Kaizer is a really good linebacker.

Right.

He's big, he's fast, he's violent, he's got really good cover skills former safety. But the thing that when you're in the dirt with him is you realize how intelligent he is, how he can run the show. That's such an important position to get everything aligne and situated. And knowing that he could do that, knowing the type of leader that he is, the type of locker room guy that he is, and I Kaysiers he's one of my favorites. You know, I love that guy, And it was it was a no brainer.

How's Isaiah Simmons coming along? Because you know, you go back to Clempson, he played all over the place and then you know, tried to play linebacker here, tried to play safety here, the position that you guys have him and now a lot of times he's like the deepest guy. Is that where you see him having the chance to have the most success and sustain something in the NFL.

Well, you know, I think, similar to the conversation with Zavan, like he can do a lot because he is so physically gifted and sometimes as a coach you want to try to overdo it. He could use him this way, we could use him this way. So far with you know, playing playing in the back end, he's done a phenomenal job at just getting better every single day at at

How would you assess the corner position right now?

Great competition, guys that are locked in and improving every day. I'm seeing a lot of growth. I'm seeing the competition get really tight, but also a room that is together, and those guys want to see each other get better and are pushing each other. And I'm happy with the progress. We got a lot more progress to make, but I'm excited over the next However many weeks I can't we have left to see who really steps in and takes certain roles.

Key Trell, who played at Louisville six round draft pick. I'm just based on what I'm watching, like it looked like he belonged. The game was not too big for him. When you go back and watch the film of this first preseason game, what did you see?

Yeah, I mean, I guess you know, I've seen Key Trell in practice too. I know that he can get from A to B right, He's fast, he's sticky on routes, and he's shown that throughout training company show that in the first preseason game. What I also love about Key Treill is he is he's ferocious. You know, he's not the biggest guy, but he plays big and he ain't turning down any kind of contact and I do appreciate that with his game as well.

We saw a lot of batt at footballs. We saw obviously the block on the field goal on special teams. It feels like a little bit of a cliche question because I know everybody on it, But why do you think it worked this past game? And do you think that's something that we're going to see a lot of this year.

I do hope they did a great job. It's obviously it's something that we work on and harp on and constantly coach in the meeting. And I mean give credit to the players, like they went out there and got it done. You know, sometimes you can sit here and talk about it and practice it all you want, but if they don't go go execute it, it just doesn't happen,

Last one for you coach, anybody in particular, or if you want to name a few guys that have really stood out to you that maybe you weren't sure about coming into camp. Either they were veterans who had bounced around, or undrafted players that nobody knew much about. You know, who are some of those guys to you so far?

Oh gosh, I mean, we could talk for a minute here. I guess I'll start with the linebacker room. Josh Woods, Chris Barnes, and Zeke Turner our vets that are playing really good linebacker play right now, and I'm glad those guys are here. They're pushing each other and I'm just seeing steady in the game. I saw very physical play, guys attacking the football, playing big in the run. And then they got two rookies below them are playing really

Listen, man, I appreciate the time. I've got some homework to do, and that's to somehow find this video you against your brother. We also need to get to the bottom of what happened between your brother and Baron Corbin because Baron Corbin is actually a former Cardinals player Tom Pestock, So we need to get to the bottom of that. Unless you have inside information, because I guess they formed the alliance at one point, but now they're mortal enemies. Is that true? Yeah?

You know, Baron Korben, he just he just started treating Ridick Moss not great. You know, Riddick Moss was was this kind of his sidekick, and you know, he started blaming him on losses and it just created a feud. And those guys they're just they're just not close anymore because of it.

Well, hopefully the same does not happen with you and JGI. I don't think we have to worry about that. Hey, man, I really appreciate the time.

Next, Thank you appreciate it.

I think we could have talked with coach Rallis for another half hour just on wrestling in jiu jitsu. Man, that's some wild stuff, the battles between him and his brother and his refusal to tap out during a jiu jitsu match, and we're gonna have to find this video and figure out who actually won the wrestling match between

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