The OTP | New Stadium Project

build a new stadium. I had a chance to visit with Titans President and CEO Burke Nyhill to ask him many of the questions that I felt like the ot people would have about this announcement and what we know now. So here's my conversation with Burke Nighthill on the OTPUI. It's a great day for the Tennessee type and Titans fans as the organization has announced an agreement with the city for a new stadium for the Tennessee Titans. I'm joined by Burke nig Hill, the team's president and CEO. Burke,

if you would share the details of this agreement. It is an exciting day, Mike. We have reached an agreement with Mayor Cooper with respect to a new stadium that would be built on the east bank of the Cumberland River, a stadium that would be capable of hosting only Titans games, but the world's biggest events. We're excited because this has

been a long time coming. We've been having conversations with the mayor for a long time, built around several principles, but a key principle has been the idea of finding a better path forward, in particular for the taxpayers of Nashville. Current Nissan Stadium is an aging building, and the current structure of our lease would require that the taxpayer would fund a good chunk of the investments that would be

necessary to bring it into another generation. And we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, if not over billion dollars worth of responsibility that would fall to the taxpayers. And that wasn't anything that was acceptable to us. It

wasn't acceptable to Mayor Cooper. So we have for a very long time been trying to find a responsible and sustainable solution to get to a next generation of a stadium for Nashville, while doing so in a way that shifts that ultimate burden from the taxpayers and to the team. And we're delighted that we've found a solution and we're excited to talk to the public about it. In terms of the building itself and the lease, we're picturing a

facility of about sixty thousand capacity. It would be an enclosed facility, again capable of hosting the world's biggest events as well as events of all sizes. And I think what is probably exciting news for Titans fans this lease would keep the Titans in Nashville and Tennessee for another generation. We're looking at a thirty year lease for this new facility. So just for specifics, where exactly is the new stadium set to be built. It would be built on our

current stadium campus. So if our stadium today is up towards the river our front, the stadium would be built further back towards the east and between the current stadium and the highway. So with all this going on, we're still going to be able to play a Nissan Stadium

as long as we need Nissan Stadium. Yes, we looked into the possibility of playing elsewhere for a few years during construction, but ultimately landed on Nissan Stadium being the best place to play Titans games and host other events during the construction period, especially for other events you look at CMAFS in Music City Bowl, some of our longest term partners at the stadium, and having just been through COVID, they lost several of their events and it would have

been devastating to not allow them to continue to have those events during a construction period. So we'll end up coexisting. There will be a Nissan Stadium that is as active as ever on the west side of the campus, while there is a new stadium coming out of the ground on the east side of the stadium during this construction period. So just like what at Lanta and Minneapolis did while their builds were going on. Yes, so safe to say

parking is going to be acted. Parking will be impacted, and we know that that's a pain point for our fans, and so we've been working really hard already to identify parking alternatives, transportation alternatives to make coming to Nissan Stadium a great experience even with that disruption. We will communicate, we will overcommunicate those solutions. Every city that has built a new enclosed stadium has gotten a Super Bowl. You're

saying that would be your expectation for our new stadium. Yeah, absolutely, that would be my expectation. The NFL came to Nashville in twenty nineteen, and frankly, they took a chance when they brought the Draft here. Only major cities had gotten the NFL's biggest events up until that point, and there's

no question that Nashville delivered and in spades. And so those same people, the events programmers for the NFL, they took notice, and there's no doubt in my mind that the NFL would come to Nashville with a Super Bowl. The thing that jumped out to when you set a sixty thousand capacity, there won't be a bad seat in the house, will there. Know. The challenge that we've given architects up until now is let's build the right building with the right seats, not start with an arbitrary number

for capacity that was frankly old thinking. And what you end up with is you end up with some seats that are not great viewing and game experiences. So when we say a sixty thousand person capacity, we're talking about

sixty thousand great experiences in that building. As we talk about the college football playoff in the Final four and the SEC Championship and anything else that could come to the new stadium, it can be a huge win if you're a sports fan like we are, or even if you're not, just because of the overall impact in the community. That's right. Every one of these promoters they appreciate the

power of their event coming to town. I mean, without question, every one of those events that are coming to mind, for you, the Super Bowl Final or WrestleManias, they bring hundreds of millions of dollars worth of economic impact to the local economy. That means local businesses are busier than they would normally be. That means jobs. Frankly, there's production jobs,

there's construction jobs around those events. But these events also appreciate that they have a responsibility to impact the community at large, and so every one of them is going to bring with them an intentional effort to leave the community better than they found it. And that may be building a field, that may mean doing community projects at a local park. I would also point out those are

just the biggest events. Those same local businesses, those same jobs, they will benefit from a more active stadium and with an enclosed facility. Now you're talking about additional events that are going to keep hotels full, that are going to keep restaurants more crowded than usual, and so we believe that this building is going to be a benefit far beyond the football team. It's going to benefit the community as a whole when these events come through town. Nissan

Stadium was a game changer for this community. The new stadium, you're saying, will be even more of a game changer. Oh. Absolutely. If the first few decades of the Titans being in Nashville and Tennessee and the stadium being on the banks of the Cumberland River were phase one, phase two is going to be an absolute game changer in terms of

what this facility can mean to the overall community. All Right, So the number one question that I've gotten from Titans fans outside of are we going to host a Super Bowl? Is what about PSLs? What do you expect the role of PSLs to be in the building of the new stadium. For a long time, PSLs have been a reality of construction projects of this scale, and so PSLs will be

a part of this project as well. That said, it's been critically important to AMY, it's been critically important to the organization as a whole that we find a way to honor existing PSL holders. The PSL holders, some of whom purchased their PSLs back in the late nineties. They're the reason why we're here, and they have been loyal to this organization for decades, and there is just no scenario in Amy's mind where we don't honor them as

part of a transition into a new building. What that looks like, We're still working through some of the details, but we are committed to giving every PSL holder a credit to purchase a new PSL and a new building that is in line with their original investment in the

original PSL. Again, a lot of details to be worked through, and we know how important it is to communicate with our existing PSL holders as soon as we have all of those details, and we will vary very soon, But at every point when we've had these conversations understanding that again, as these projects go, PSLs will be a part of it, but that there was just not a scenario in which we wouldn't be honoring our existing PSL holders as we transition to a new building. Stay with fans, what are

your goals for fan experience in the new stadium. We want it to be a modern experience. Our current facility is served our fans well for a few decades, but there is a better experience that's available by thinking about diversity of experience. Many of our fans do want to just get to the game, parking their seats and watch the game. But what you see around this city and around the NFL is that the best stadiums allow fans a choice about how they want to attend the game

and interact with the stadium. And so that may be a great seat that's got a good view of the game that they're parking the entire time, and that may be a more social experience. There's families who want the ability to roam around a little bit with their little ones. We've got millennials who would like to have something of a game long tailgate, and so we're trying to build a building and design a building that accommodates a wide range of experiences. We are really really focused on building

a great fan experience home field advantage. Frankly, through the design of this building, I think one of the most exciting things in listening to the plan for the news datums. Okay, all the events are cool, but this is very much going to be Nashville Stadium. If you live here, you're going to feel like it's your place. Talk to us a little bit about that and the thinking that's gone in to that process about what it can be for

the entire community. We're working hard to design a building that is active three hundred and sixty five days of the year. We picture this being the people's house. It starts with the location. A lot of NFL stadiums, most NFL stadiums are usually out in the suburbs, off a highway exit somewhere. This building is going to be located in a central part of this city, and so that provides an opportunity to create an activity that is really

really unique for NFL stadiums. And so with that kind of activity, sometimes it is the world's biggest events, right, but sometimes it's smaller gatherings that really really impact this community. We're working to find ways to get metro schools opportunities to use this facility on a Tuesday for yield trip. We're working to find ways that nonprofits could use this

building for fundraisers. We're working to identify spaces within a building that can be used for professional training or job fairs. There's a very very unique opportunity with this building where it can be used literally for a Super Bowl on one weekend and later that week potentially be used to host a small classroom for some sort of community event.

So this is going to be part of the tour when the middle school students go to the Capitol and the rhymen in all the places downtown you want to say, hey, come see the stadium. Be part of this. Yeah, and not just see the stadium, mic, but but maybe come see the stadium and for a seventh grade classroom learn how to code. You know, if their hope and imagination brewing for you know, what professional opportunities might be available to them in this community as it continues to grow.

We think there's a real opportunity to see this as something of almost a community center more than just a stadium. Let's talk nuts and boats. Now, what does the next dep in stadium development look like? Well, there's a legislative process.

So the City Council of Nashville has formed an East Bank Committee that's been meeting for a few months now trying to get out all of these details that we've been working on for a long time with the Mayor's office and make public as many details as possible so the public can review in a transparent manner all the things that have led us to this point, and so

that process will continue. Now that process will add the details of this deal that we announced with the mayor today, then it will go to a full city council process in the coming weeks. Sports Authority other agencies need to review this deal and approve this deal, so we're still talking about a matter of months of the city process before this deal would be completely finalized and approved. We

have also been meeting with our community. We've been meeting with fans to talk about what they want to see in the new stadium facility and the area surrounding the new stadium, and that process will continue as well. We are hungry for feedback. Like we've talked about, this is the people's house and we want to hear from the people about what they would like to see in this design as we continue to march towards the possibility of

this new facility. Two part question, has the stadium design process already begun and when will the fans have a chance to see those initial plans. Yes, the design process has begun. We needed to start that process months ago, frankly, to figure out whether a new stadium would fit on our campus, and if so, how much it would cost. And the answer we're happy to report is yes, there is a beautiful new building that would fit on this campus. And so we have a design concept that we are

starting to rally around. We hope to be able to show the community those early design concepts very very soon. They're still in process, but as soon as they're ready, we hope to show them to the public and hope that they're excited to see what a new building could look like on that campus. In terms of the design

principles we've been paying attention to. First of all, we've rallied around this phrase went on character, and what we mean by that is we see Nashville and Tennessee as a character rich community and I think about the Rheman and the Rheman is not future rich, it's not opulent, and it is a treasure of a venue because of the character of that venue. And when you build a new building, you certainly want it to have modern comfort in a modern experience, but we also want to embrace

that sense of character. Right, We're not going to compete with some of the other facilities that have been built around the NFL recently that are very, very future rich and an opulence. We want this building to ultimately reflect the character, the rich fabric of this community, and we feel like we've landed on something that does just that. The second thing is we're focused on this building being

so much more than a football stadium. A lot of the buildings that have been built recently have focused on being football facilities. It will be a great football facility, it's a facility that will create a home field advantage for the Titans for Tennessee State University when they come through and play their games there. But it's so much more than that. This facility to be the very best

concert venue in the country. We want it to be a place that the Super Bowls and Final four is want to come because it creates this great template for those those events coming through. And as I mentioned before, we want this to be a great place for the community to come and experience their house three hundred and sixty five days a year, and so that's another focus that we've had. The last thing that we've been focused

on is a building that endures. A building that is flexible enough, is built with the right design processes that it endures for decades and decades and decades to come. This lease will keep the Titans in thirty years and

hopefully beyond. We are trying to build this building in a way that, frankly, it uses design methods and the type of forward thinking that our current building does not have, and we expect this building to last fifty sixty seventy years with the design methods and some of the thinking that they're putting in behind making sure this is an

enduring and sustainable building. So how so do we start construction? Well, you know, to not count our chickens again, there is the city process that will be ongoing, and so that will be the focus over the next few months, is both the legislative process and the community outreach and input gathering process. If all of that were to go according to plan, next fall is probably the earliest that construction

would actually be. There's a design process that needs to continue, if there's a procurement process that needs to begin, and so next fall to winter is probably the earliest that construction would begin. All right, So if that's when construction starts, when will it be completed? Our goal has always been twenty twenty six. We're not going to put an arbitrary date on completion that would ultimately result in a construction process that is hurried or a design process that is hurried.

And so if that means that ultimately the first games and first events aren't hosted at the stadium until twenty seven and not twenty six, we will take a responsible approach to managing that construction schedule. So short answer, we're aiming for twenty twenty six, but it maybe twenty twenty seven. We'll just have to let the next few months play out and determine what the schedule is, and we'll communicate

the answer as soon as we have it. The Adams family bet big on Tennessee in the nineteen nineties and it's paid off big. Why has the marriage between Tennessee and the Titans been so successful? Amy recently rolled out a new mission statement for the organization, and it's to win, to serve, and to entertain. And in terms of winning, look, this is a hard working community, right, This is this is a community that that's gritty, that's that's not afraid

to roll up their sleeves. It's a city that is based on makers, you know, writing songs and land bricks, right, And I think this team reflects that and this organization reflects that. On the field, it's not always pretty, but it's always beautiful. As it heard Mike Ray will say, right, this team is scrappy and is resilient, as is this city in this state. We're tough, right in terms of serving.

This is the volunteer state, and I think Amy has always had this appreciation that we can we can help model that, and we can help use our re sources, we can use our platform to make this city in state a better place to live. And in terms of entertaining, let's face it, this place is a great event out maybe one of the best in the world, and we've tried to embody that both in terms of the events that we have at the stadium. Every game day should

be a big show. Amy understands that, and it feels like the city and state appreciate how we leverage this venue for those purposes. You've put years into this process, you and a lot of people with the organization ownership. You've taken a lot of time, a lot of thoughtful work on every aspect of it. So as we wrap up this interview on this big day, what do you want to let fans, know, citizens of Davidson County, know everybody who's watching this know about where this process is

going next. Well, I'll speak to Titans fans first. I think Titans fans who've been paying attention to this organization recognize the impact that Amy Adams Trunk has had on this organization since she stepped into her role as controlling under in twenty fifteen. There's really not much that is the same about this organization from then until now, and just about everything's better. And that is not as a

result of an accident. That's because of Amy's leadership. She sets really really high expectations for this organization to deliver on behalf of the fans, and that starts on the football field. And we've seen, you know, remarkable results on the football field compared to where the team was when

she stepped into her position. But hopefully the fans are seeing that throughout every part of this organization, whether that's getting in and out of the stadium, which has gone from a challenge to something that's that's that's better, whether it's how we interact with them on social media and through digital channels, whether that's how our ticket office is

interacting with fans. Amy really really cares about the details and making sure that fans and season ticket members in particular feel a sense of honor and respect and have this closeness with our organization and this process. While it's about so much more than the Titans, for Amy, she appreciates that this opportunity, it's how to get right for Titans fans, and this is about defining what it's going to mean to be a Titans fan for another generation.

And in terms of Nashville and Tennessee. First of all, thank you, thank you for your support over the last few decades. It is an honor to be your NFL football team. We are committed to serving you well, and we understand that we have a responsibility to use our platform, to use our resources to serve you, and we are absolutely committed to continuing to do that. And that includes how we design a building. That includes how we ultimately use a building. When we say that we see this

as the people's house, we absolutely mean it. This building needs to be so much more than a football field. This needs to be a building that serves the people of Nashville, serves the people of Tennessee, and we are absolutely committed to making that happen. If you'd like to watch that interview, you can certainly do that by going to Tennessee Titans dot com. My entire conversation with Burke night Hill is there and you can watch it in

case you missed any of it. Hey, By the way, when you join the new Duncan Rewards program, you can start saving and stacking your way to free Duncan. Then use your points on things like free donuts. Then use these donuts to get your kids to look up from their phones and actually acknowledge you. Use them on free coffee, then use that coffee to earn praise from people like your boss, or your spouse or your neighbor. Or use

your reward points on breakfast sandwiches. Then use those breakfast sandwiches to say things like sorry for that thing I did. Join Duncan Rewards today, Save them, stack them, use them however you want. America runs on Duncan terms apply. Gearing up for a big weekend against the Indianapolis Colts at

Nissan Stadium. It is Oilers Titans homecoming weekend, and one of the many players coming back to Nashville for Sunday's game is Jason mccordy, a Titans draft pick in two thousand and nine who spent eight years with the club, finally retired after this past season with the Miami Dolphins, and now, at age thirty five, he is hosting Good Morning Football with a talented group of people on NFL Network.

Jason mccordy excited to be coming back to Nashville so much so he gave me time to record this interview for the ot people. Here's one of my favorites, j Matt Jason mccordy on the OTP. We know Jason mccordy as a football player, a former Titan, a three year player with the Patriots, spent a season with the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins. But now he is a big time TV star co host of Good Morning Football on NFL Network. Jason mccordy, how in the world are

you man? I'm gonna go a TV starting off, I'll go that farm. A rookie in the game, still figuring my way out, but it's been a lot of fun of learning on a job and getting to know some of the amazing people over at the Good Morning Football with our crew. How much fun is it working with Kyle Brandt, Oh, you never know what he's not even I'm not even gonna say each day, you never know what each segment is gonna bring, what he's going to say next. Him and Peter Schrager, they've been awesome. Any

questions I have, they're answering them. They're always there. And then Jamie Urdoll coming on with me. We're both the new people, so we've been able to bond over that get to know each other. So it's been it's been a lot of fun. How much do you think it helps that Jamie Urdahl is new coming in at the same moment as you and the host of the show is experiencing everything with it at the same time you are. In terms of the new Oh, it's huge. We both came in a week before we were going to start

on air and we were just hanging out. We were just talking in Obviously, Kyle and Peter they've been doing this for six years together, so they have a certain rapport and relationship and inside jokes, and it's just like sometimes me and Jamie said at the back of the table, we'll look at each other like I don't know what the hell they're talking about. We'll just pretending to laugh. So it's been fun to go through that experience together and be able to share it and learn on the run.

All Right, So you get out of football, you say, I'm thirty five, I'm not gonna play anymore. A lot of guys sort of take a year or two Jason and don't do anything. What kind of led you to make the decision to go after this role? Yeah, And to be honest, probably a few years ago when I thought about retirement, I thought I'd do the same thing, take a year off, just hang out with the wife, with the kids. And I think it was just the

way everything fell into place, you know. Getting hurt last year told the Liz Frank ligaments in my foot, had a lot of time off to be able to be with the family. The broadcast boot camp came up that the NFL does out in LA. Went out and did that and was able to perform well. And by time this summer came and I was rehabbing and deciding what I was going to continue to play. The next thing, I knew I had opportunities of real jobs to go on and do broadcasting and be on TV and pull

games for the radio. So it was just like, Hey, I don't want to retire and say, hey, you know what, I'm going to hold off on that opportunity. I'll come back next year because those roles would be filled. So for me, it was about staying busy in retirement. I try to talk to some of the guys I played

with often. A guy Lavelle Hawkins, who I was in Tennessee with me and him spoke the other day and we were just laughing and reminiscent about our times looking forward to the alumni weekend, and we talked about being in retirement of staying buy having things to do and doing the broadcasting has given me that opportunity to be able to still beat in football while actually not going through beating up my body every day. Jason, you mentioned

you had other opportunities in broadcasting. Why was the Good Morning Football opportunity the best one for you? It was start like an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. I found on the show A few times. I've gotten a chance to sit on there with Peter, Kyle and Nate and Kay and the atmosphere there. I went in and did an audition at the end of June, and I'm

laughing the entire show, and you can't beat that. To be able to go on there to hear some of the outlandish things that Kyle says on an everyday basis, to get the inside track of what Peters saying. I think for me, it was like, yeah, I want to go and talk sports, but whatever I'm doing, I want to make sure I'm having fun every step of the way. So this gives me an opportunity to laugh while doing

a show, but also offer up my perspective. Playing thirteen years, I went through some good years, some bad years, playing with different organizations. I feel like I have the platform now to share those experience and give the viewers and inside look of what it is to be underneath that helmet and to be out there competing. I wanted to ask you about playing for different teams because your brother

Devin still with the Patriots in year thirteen. I mentioned at the start you played for the Titans and three other teams. How much do you think it helps you in this job that you did play for various organizations. Oh huge, Because we'll have a guest come along, or we'll be talking about a player and I was, oh, yeah, I played with him. In Tennessee, my rookie year, or whoever the case may be. And not only from a

player's standpoint, but also coaches, GM scouts. They move around so much and you look up and I called the game for Westwood one, the Cleveland Browns versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I'm walking in to the stadium there in Cleveland and the equipment manager, Brad is there. I stopped and

have a long conversation with Brad. The PR people there, you get a chance to see them, and there's so many people that you've met, you've built relationships with that now you know, when you're on one team, it's awesome and you're locked in. But now doing the job, I'm doing this the league in its totality, So having those relationships and people knowing you and it goes a long way.

So I'm very thankful for my experience, and I tell people all the time those eight years in Tennessee, like God will always be home, got married there, had all three of my kids there. I'm very fortunate to have BM to spend so much time there. Ask you about the part of the job that players who go into broadcasting never know, and that is it's really a job. It really, it really is work. What is the toughest part that you've had to get used to as you've

started on Good Morning Football? One percent because it's a morning show. Waking up, I'm up at four thirty, four thirty in the morning today, make sure I'm getting to the studio with enough time to prep in all of that. But I would say outside of that is the preparation that goes into it. I think sometimes for us as players, we say, hey, like in the locker room, we sit around, we talk sports, I can go do a show. I'm just gonna show up. I know the game. I can

tell you this that in the third. But it's the preparation that goes into saying, all right, tomorrow we're going to talk Tightens and Commander's game. Well, you need to have some idea what happened in that game. You need to have some idea what the flow was. Not just regurgitating stats, but hey, what was the feel of it. Do you have a relationship, do you have something to

back up what you're saying? So I think that part of it sometimes as athletes we underestimate and then the glind of it is waking up at four thirty one day isn't too tough. But when you're doing that every single day, you're preparing for the show weekly, daily, it catches up to you. So I think the glind of it playing football, you know, is there. I think sometimes we get on this side when you say this is going to be a breeze. I'm in retirement, but now

you have a job and it's still working. When you can enjoy it, it it makes it that much better. Jason McCarney, this is the reason we thought you could do this so well because you worked so hard as a player. You did things that you were serious and passionate about off the field. It was clear you were going to have a life after football. You were a professional from the first moment that you walked into Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park. Here is a sixth round pick in two

thousand and nine. How long ago does that seem at this moment? Oh my goodness, it seems so long, especially as I was still playing. Like last year, I was down in Miami and I would tell people about my days in Tennessee. I would say, well, as soon as I said I was drafted in two thousand and nine, to look at me like Dann I was in elementary

school in two thousand and nine. Well, once you start talking about some of the guys you played with it you mentioned Keith Bullock or Kevin mwy and these guys are all the way up or nominated for the Hall of Fame and different things, and guys are like you played with him, You played against that guy. So I

think you definitely start to feel old. But man, I look back at that time, the guys I was able to learn from, Courtland, Finnigain, Chris Holt, Vinnie Fuller, the people that I was able to be around that kind of molded me and helped me get to where I am today, not only playing thirteen years but even post career of talking that into me, it was an amazing time and it does seem like so long ago. So you now there's a guy wearing number thirty for the

Tennessee Titans, Trey Avery, who played at Rutgers. Rutgers guy, how about that? I love it? I love it. I was watching the game. Guys, guys are playing against Buffalo and obviously didn't turn out the way the Titans and the fans wanted. But for me to look out on that field and see him an undrafted guy. I was a low round guy wearing number thirty representing the Titians. I was like, man, how awesome is this? I hope his career continues the skyrocket. He's already defied the odds

and just got to continue to grind. And for me, it's been a lot of fun just watching the Tennessee Titians. Obviously my eight years there, we weren't able to have the success, but hearing a way people talk about them, it's just like, hey, they don't get the pub that they deserve, but they're a team that over the last few years, they're constantly there at the top of the AFC. Last year have been in the playoffs. I'm just sitting I'm like, damn, why couldn't have been like that when

I was there? But I'm happy for those guys. It's been a lot of fun watching them. But your ride was incredible. Over seven hundred career tackles, eighteen interceptions, you played in one hundred and seventy six NFL games, you started one hundred forty four of them. You're a Super Bowl fifty three champion for all of that, And let's narrate down to being a Super Bowl champion. You got to play with your twin brother for three years. Was that the most special part of your career? Even more

so than winning a Super Bowl? Oh? Man. I can remember finish your year in Cleveland and obviously that didn't go as playing over a sixteen and remember getting a call from John Dorsey to GM and he's like, Hey, we're gonna release you. We're bringing some guys in and we just want to show you to respect and give you a chance to catch on with another team. And probably about an hour later, I talked to my brother right afternoon, was just like, yeah, they're gonna release me.

We'll see what happens, blah blah blah. About an hour two hours later, Dev calls me and he's just like you're a New England Patriot. Were we just traded for you? And I'm on the phone, I'm just like all right, Like sounds good. I'm thinking he's joking around, And little did I know, fifteen minutes later, John Dorsey calls me and it's just like, yes, we just traded you to the New England Patriots. And I remember going home to my wife and being so excited catching a flight out

to Boston. Dev is in New Jersey. He drives up to Boston to pick me up from the airport. We go into the facility and it was like a dream come true. I remember playing Pop Warner and we're on the same team, and we're watching our favorite players in the NFL playing on Sundays and talking and dreaming about being able to get there and doing it together. And I think for our journey the way it took place, we both were able to have the same success separate

of one another, and then to come together. It was just a fun time. We both have three kids, they got to spend a lot of time together, our wives, mom was only three hours away, so at that time was incredible. And then to reach the mountain Pegan and win a Super Bowl together, especially for me. I remember going from Nashville flying to wherever the Super Bowl was, watching dev and help host the family. And now to be able to do it myself and be a part

of those festivities our dream come true. How different was it playing with Devon in the NFL that it was saying Pop Warner middle school, high school, in college, How different was it playing with him in the pros. The difference was I think us growing up, we were always together. People knew us as the twins, Jason and Devon, and then we joined forces in the league, and for dev in New England like he was his own established guy, been a captain forever. He's kind of like we call him,

he is pat the Patriot. So when I get there, he's just Deav to me, He's just my brother. I'm gonna talk to him, however, I want to talk to him. So we'd be in full blown arguments sometimes in the meeting room, and I'd be the one like, if I didn't agree with him, I'm calling him out, and that wasn't the case with everybody around. So we had a lot of fun with that. And I think on top of just us enjoying that, I think around us it

helped to build the chemistry. And I used to talk to Coach Belichick about I think for him both his sons are on that staff as well, Brian and Steve, who are really good young coaches, and him get an opportunity to watch me and Deav as brothers. The way we would compete, the way we would challenge each other. I think it kind of uplifted the entire room, did you think about coaching, You know what. I love to teach the get as I got older, Even when I

was in Tennessee. I remember Cody Cinciba came in, Bleedy Ray Wilson. I used to love to trying to teach those guys as much as I possibly can, because guys did it for me. Their time commitment for a coaching is what was so tough for me. I would love to do it, but I get off right now. I'm on my way home from doing it, so I'm hold by like eleven, I get to pick the kids up from school. I'm at all the games on the weekend. Those are just a moment that I don't want to miss.

The thing that I wondered too. In reviewing everything from your career, you saw a lot of stuff. I mean you you have a twin brother who you played college ball with. You get drafted a year before him. Your first year in the NFL, you start owing six and a guy rushes for two thousand yards and Chris Johnson. The two thousand and ten season was a bit odd here.

The two eleven season was the lockout year. You went through some rough years where you were five and twenty seven over two seasons, and yet then you're able to move forward with your career, go to Cleveland, as you mentioned, that didn't work out great. Oh in sixteen, you get to go play with your brother, you win a Super Bowl. You're writing a book at some point, right, you know?

Sometimes I tell that. I remember one day going over as I think I was mulling over retirement, and I went through each season I was in Tennessee, Cleveland and all of that, and I totaled all the wins and losses, and it was sold lopside of losses. And you look back and I think when some people don't realize, losing sucks every part of it. The year I spend in Cleveland that much, losing it wears on you. But I think about the relationships that was built, and specify in Tennessee,

a guy like Michael Griffin. I got a chance to play seven years with Alton round Werner. I got a chance to play four years with some of those relationships that you build through that type of adversity where like you said, the record was five and twenty seven or whatever it is, those are relationships that last a lifetime beyond just the football season or whatever it is. As kids, are as, marriages and weddings and all of that. So it was it was such a fun time, but a

ton of adversity. But you grow. And there were so many people in that building. Steve Watterson, our strength coach, who I would talk too often about what it was like, and he would always keep me hopeful and kind of shown me the ropes of what it was like to be in the NFL and to be a pro. So some great times. Homecoming Weekend This weekend, you are coming back to Nashville to be part of Oilers Titans Homecoming Weekend. Any guys specifically you're looking most forward to seeing? Oh man,

I'm so excited. I'm hoping. Chris Hope is already talked to Lavelle Hawkins. He said he's gonna be there. Kenny Britt, who I was drafted with, he's gonna be there, and a lot of guys I hadn't even hit up. I kind of want to be surprised when I get back.

I can remember being on the team when they had to started the alumni weekend and guys were coming back that were older guys when I first got to the team and with Sean Meet the ropes, a guy like Linn Dell who was there, who everybody talked about his past and who he was. But I remember sitting in a hot tub with Linn Bell and him giving me great advice and saying to me, hey, like, don't do what I'm doing, Like I had to figure it out the hardway, Like what you're doing, keep doing that, And

I think that's what it's all about. So for me, I'm so excited to go back. There's so many add ons to the building and I haven't gotten a chance to see, and there's so many people there. I talked to Jared Puffer, who's in the media relations side, and he has sent me some gear, and you talk to those people throughout your years when you leave. Today on the show, we talked about just the importance of equipment managers and what their jobs are, and Matt and Joey

and Hostair in Tennessee. I'm excited to see all of old people beyond, just like former teammates and all of that, with so many people behind the scenes. Just getting a chance to talk to you, Mike, of so many years we'd be on the Titans caravan and doing different things. It'd be fun to reminisce and talk about those times. Well, you know what's funny is the thing for our job that's so difficult is when the business side of it requires that a player depart and that it's part of it,

you know, and you don't really get used to it. Personally. It meaned it hurts us deeply to see a guy leave, but you understand that that's part of it. It's certainly different on the player's side. How long does it take you to realize that it's not personal and to realize that these people are still your family even though you're with another organization. Yeah, it's tough when you're in the

thick of it. And I can remember I can vividly remember having that meeting with John Robinson and coach Malarkey and had just my daughter was just born that off season, so they gave me the football what they do for every guy, you have a kid as a name and all of that on it, and then your release and it was about ten days before the draft. And I think for me, I try to stay levelhead. If I'm like, hey, I understand it, like you gotta make the moves you gotta make, and then you look at and the draft

comes and goals, and you're still waiting. You're still waiting, and you do get angry, you do get mad, And I think when you get to another team and you find your footing. We didn't win a lot in Cleveland, but I got to that team. I was comfortable. I got to know everybody. I was able to become a leader on that team, and you start to realize, like, you know what, Like I'm okay, I'll be all right. Then I get to New England and got a chance to go back and eighteen we played in Nashville and

you guys beat us. I'm still a little salty. Tennessee is one of the only teams I've never beaten throughout my career. But being back there and seeing so many people, I think in that instance, for me, it was just like I'm not angry anymore. Like I'm so happy to see these people and to know and think back on the moments that I shared here that there was far more good than bad when I look at being released

and all of those different things. So I'm excited the end of this month to be able to get back and see all of those people. Yeah, it's just so exciting and to have the oilers here now too, with Amy Adams Strunk bringing in all the parts of the organization, probably guys you've never met, but we'll get a chance to swap stories with and the history of all of it. One more question before I let you go. Do you

have an ultimate goal in broadcasting? Jason mccordy, do you Is there more that you see for yourself in the broadcasting business as you get into it and begin to love it, as you clearly have, You know what, It's still so new to me that I haven't even developed those things people have asked me. And obviously you see guys like Michael straighthand Nate Burlison who I've gotten in

have just taken off. And I said, I have no idea what Nate does with straighthand I don't even know what that entails to know that, Hey, that's what I want. I don't know what the worst yells are like or any of those things. The one thing I can say is what I'm doing right now. I'm thoroughly enjoying. My Family's in a good place. Mentally, physically, I'm in a good place. I just want to stay in a moment, stay in the present, enjoy it and whatever unfolds in

the future, I'll be ready. I'll be prepared for it, and I'll just let the steps take me where they go. I'll tell you one thing that's in their work schedule. They have to go to the bank a couple times of the month for big deposits. Oh no, that's the part of the job that they liked them. So proud of you, Jason mccordy and cannot wait to give you a big hug at Homecoming Weekend this weekend. I'm looking

forward to it. Thanks for having lots of special things upcoming for Oilers Titans Weekend this Sunday against the Colts, including Jason mccordy being back in Nashville. We're gonna be so excited to have a chance to see him. This has been the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans. Farm Bureau Health Plans is for those who make plans for everything except themselves. We make it easy and affordable for Tennesseeans who don't have a group or employer plan.

Visit FBHP dot com to learn more. I'm Mike Keith, thanking you for joining me for the o t P.