Barn Talk - From The Barnyard To The Gridiron: Marshal Yanda's Journey To NFL Greatness

Episode Date: March 1, 2023

Welcome to Barn Talk what happens at the barn, stays in the barn, but not today! We’re letting it all out. Our guest today is a former corn fed NFL offensive lineman Marshal Yanda who played 13 years with the Baltimore Ravens and was an 8-time Pro-Bowler, 7-time All-Pro, & Super Bowl champion. He was also awarded the Baltimore Ravens Ring Of Honor award and was inducted into the NFL 2010’s All-Decade Team. He played college football at the University of Iowa, and he spent his entire career with the Ravens. He started 166 out of his 177 games as a pro and only gave up 20 sacks over his entire 13 year career. Barn Talk Merch! 👇🏻 https://www.thislldo.co/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST ➱ https://bit.ly/3a7r3nR SUBSCRIBE TO THIS’LL DO FARM ➱ https://bit.ly/2X8g45c SUBSCRIBE TO BARN TALK CLIPS ➱ https://bit.ly/3BlZnqq LISTEN ON: SPOTIFY ➱ https://open.spotify.com/show/3icVr4KWq4eUDl7Oy60YMY ITUNES ➱ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/barn-talk/id1574395049 Follow Behind The Scenes👇🏻 ● This’ll Do Farm Instagram ➱ https://bit.ly/30KPBNk ● Barn Talk TikTok ➱ https://bit.ly/3qciekS ● Sawyer’s Instagram  ➱ https://bit.ly/3BtX0n4 ● Tork’s Instagram ➱ https://bit.ly/3LGZJxS ------------------------------- ***PLEASE NOTE*** Barn Talk is a significant break from the typical content viewers have come to expect from This’ll Do Farm. Please be advised that we will be exploring a wide variety of topics (some adult-themed) and our younger viewers (and their parents) should be advised that some topics will be for mature audiences only. ⚠NO FINANCIAL ADVICE / DISCLAIMER⚠ The Information discussed and shared on Barn Talk is provided for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or success for any particular purpose. The Information contained in or provided from or through this podcast is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, trading advice, or any other advice. The Information on this podcast and provided from or through our content is general in nature and is not specific to you, the user or anyone else. You should not make any decision, financial, investment, trading or otherwise, based on any of the information presented on this podcast without undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional, professional broker or financial advisory. Understand that you are using any and all Information available on or through this website at your own risk. RISK STATEMENT– The trading of Bitcoins, alternative cryptocurrencies, NFTs, individual stocks, etc. has potential rewards, and it also has potential risks involved. Trading may not be suitable for all people. Anyone wishing to invest should seek his or her own independent financial or professional advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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All of the food we eat and much of the clothing we wear comes from plants and animals that are raised on farms. Farms are different in type, in size, and even in name. Welcome to Barn Talk. Homegrown edition. What happens at the barn stays in the barn. Until now, we're going to let it all out for you guys. Our guest today is a former corn-fed NFL offense alignment who played 13 years at the Baltimore Ravens. It was an eight-time pro-baller, seven-time. All-Pro and Super Bowl champion. He was also awarded the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor Award and was

also inducted to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade team. He played college football at the University of Iowa and he spent his entire career with the Ravens. He started 166 out of his 177 games as a pro and only gave up 20 sacks over his 13-year career. I am so freaking excited to do this episode today. I grew up an NFL football fan my whole life and I think this will be a really, really fun and interesting episode. But before we get into that, you got to pay the fee. Soir can barely contain himself. And for due, for due reason, I'm really excited too. We just ask that you guys share this show out, share it with your friends, family, coworkers, anything you can do to help us out. Give us a review on Spotify or Apple.

For the size of this podcast, we are overwhelmed with the number of reviews and the number of good comments we've had. Tell us what you think. We'll have a Q&A coming up soon. So send your questions and comments to Barn Talk Show

at gmail.com. And one thing I do want to say, a big shout out to Jason Eggley, a former guest of the show and a friend of ours because without him, this probably wouldn't have happened. And it's just a great example of relationships. You just never know how a relationship is going to benefit you. And he's the one that introduced us to our guest today. So without any further ado, let's get it started. Marshall Leonda, welcome to Barn Talk. Yeah, buddy. Thanks for coming down and spending your time with us this morning. Yeah, glad to be here. Place is pretty awesome.

It takes me back too, for sure. We had a barn like this growing up, and you guys have done a lot of work. It's pretty cool. Well, we appreciate. It's been a work in progress, for sure. We could turn the heat way up and throw some bales around if that, you know, give you a little nostalgia. Yeah, no doubt. Yeah, we could create some work in here real quick.

You still got some straw bales. There you go. Wire tied, no less. Dang, wire tied, too. So, yeah, just give us a little bit of history. You know, everybody knows you went to the NFL, but I don't think. many people know that you grew up on a dairy farm. So kind of talk a little bit, rough summary of journey from the farm to the NFL. Yeah, sure. So I grew up on a family farm five miles north of

animosa. You know, my childhood was, you know, my parents knocked around 100 head of cows, dairy cows, Holstein cows. So just, you know, it was a way of life, right? We grew up on a, you know, quarter mile lane and our farm was surrounded by a bunch of, you know, pine trees. And, you know, that was, it was just me and my sister and my parents, right? And just growing up on the farm, it was awesome, right? You know, I didn't know any other way of life, right? And so we milk cows, and it was my dad and my uncle Amps that stuck around from their generation. Then were the two brothers that stayed and farmed, right?

And then Amps and Joni, and they have Ben and Allison for their kids as well. So it was my uncle and my dad, and right on the same road, right, like, you know, quarter mile apart. And it was my parents and amps. And so they, Amps took care of the pigs. My mom and dad did the dairy cows, and they also row cropped, right? So that was their means. And my grandpa and grandma, Lawrence and Dorothy, lived, you know, just right down the road, too. You know, it was the old school, like, you know, within a radius of like two miles was their entire family, right?

And it was the entire family farm. Three generations right there. Yeah. So, you know, so it was awesome, right? Like a lot of hard work, you know, our parents, you know, instilled in us, you know, we had calf chores. Me and my sister, we took care of the baby calves, right? So we'd get the claustrum milk from the milk room in the morning, bring down, carry down the five-gown buckets down to the calf condos. and we fed the calves in the morning and then after school too.

So we had to do chores before school, which was, you know, didn't like it as a kid, right? Why are we doing this? You know, why me, right? As a kid, of course, you know, you can find every excuse, you know, to get out of work or whatnot. But it was awesome, right? We had such a great upbringing and I feel like you have to get a lot older to appreciate, you know, that way of lifestyle and how that just wasn't a common lifestyle for a lot of kids, right? So I just, I knew how to work, you know.

And that was something that, you know, just as I continued in life, right, it was just something that I fell back on, no matter what, I knew how to put in a good day's work by parents instilled that in me, respectful, you know, and it was just great. You know, I had a really good support system growing up. My parents were, you know, the bedrock of my life, right? So, so, yeah, transitioning. So we sold our cows in 2000. So then we built some hog confinements in the 90s. So we had hog confinements in the 90s, sold our cows in 2000. So we had dog confinements in the 90s, sold our cows in 2000. My mom went to work at a factory, ADM, and then my dad still, you know, row cropped and continued. And then they, and eventually got some hog finishers. And now, like,

now they're basically, my cousin Ben took the farm over. He's the one out of our generation that stayed. So he's the full time. He went to college and came back. Now he farms full time. So Ben's running the show with his two, his dad and his uncle as his two overseers. So he's got a tall, tall task and tall order, you know, keeping those two guys happy. But they make it work, and they're doing a, they're doing a good job. So it's mainly those three. And so he's doing the finishers, custom feeding those. And then they run about, oh, it's probably with rented ground and own grounds around like 2,000 acres of corn and beans. So that's what they do now. So, so yeah, so that's the farm now. And then obviously I went to college, you know, was always, you know,

playing football and then, you know, got to just discover talent in me, you know, that I didn't know I had through that hard work, you know, I just was a junior college player and to go from junior college to, you know, just a goal of like playing Division I football at Iowa just to be able to, you know, run out of Kinnock Stadium, you know, was like my goal, right? And to do that, what's that? Run out of the tunnel, back in black style. Yeah, for sure, yeah, no doubt. It was still one of my fondest memories of football. And then to continue to just, have success and continue to, opportunities just kept opening for me, right? Just through that hard work.

And then at Iowa, really, you know, they really taught me kind of the fundamental basis of like mental toughness and preparation and really setting goals and really just attacking every single day down to the fine details. And man, that really just like put me on a path of like, of just an upward trend of like getting, being a better player, being a better, you know, just daily, daily task of really just fine-tuning, you know, as a football player, getting stronger, getting faster, and learning about, you know, just the way you think in your mind. So, and then, like I said, I got drafted to the Ravens in 2007, got to play 13 years with the Ravens.

I got to stay my entire time there, which was important to me. We got to win a Super Bowl in 2012. We had some really good teams. I was just fortunate to be drafted by the Ravens, right? Like, to be able to, you don't know where you're going to get drafted. I was super thankful just to be even drafted, right? Well, to go to the Ravens was such a, just a slam dunk as far as a great franchise, stable. You know, just their goals are aligned with winning and, like, the long term.

And so, like, we had a lot of success and won a lot of football games, a lot of good teams, and just met so many really good teammates along the way, right? I got to meet so many close people. So, like, in my life, most of my really good friends are my team. teammates that I had just because like you're kind of forged in that like highly stressful environment where you really get to know what a guy's made of you know what I mean whether a guy talks about it why I'm all about actions I'm you know I'm a father now I say you know you know I don't care what you say I want to see what you do and show me you know through what you do is how I'm going to how

I'm going to perceive you and how I'm going to learn from you so like guys I got to I thought who they were you know when the when the you know when things got really stressful you found out if they were really true to who they said they were, right? And a lot of times, guys, what they said didn't actually show what their actions were, right? So my really good buddies were forged in those stressful environments of football. So, yeah, I played 13 years with the Ravens. My last season was 2019. We were 14 and 2.

We were first place in the AFC, the number one seed in the AFC. We completely laid an egg. We got a first round by, laid an egg to Tennessee and had to play my house. last game where we were like heavy favorites in the entire town's Panning Purple and Tennessee's like, you know, heavy underdogs. And we go in there and we don't play well. And Derek Henry gets rolling and our offense. We're sputtering and they beat us and, you know, bring my family out on the field after the game because it was our last game. I knew I was retiring. So it was tough to have that last game be that way. But that's life, right? Like you don't like every

you don't get to, you know, everybody doesn't get to retire. You know, winning and how you want to. So but, you know, I got to retire as a Raven and that was, like I said, it was a great ride. So then the last three years, I've been, you know, my family is my number one prior to. We have three young kids, sixth grade, fourth grade, second grade. So, you know, being a father to them and just raising them the right way and then spending time with family. So like, you know, those are kind of the goals. And I've been helping my dad and my uncle and Ben, I've been helping them farm in the fall, and then I'll help him periodically when I can. Like, I'm going to help dad bed cattle some cattle tomorrow, but I help them in the fall

mainly. Like a lot of times with our kids and the weekends, and we bought a house and some acres and stuff like that, I've been busy with that, but I love to get back and help them. I run the grain cart in the fall, get bossed around on the grain cart, you know, I got the radios in the tractor and dads and the car. Where are you? Come on, Marshall. I'm full.

All right. I got to, you know, I got to get dumped before I make the looks past. Yeah. Get back here. So my dad and my uncle like things done a certain way. And both they're, you know, so we, it's pretty fun. I really enjoy getting to spend that time with my dad and being on the farm where I grew up. You know, there's a lot of memories there.

There's a lot of just fond memories of my family, you know, making it work and putting in that time. So like I cherish that time with my dad because I know that like, you know, when you get older and I'm still young, you do stuff now that you can't do 10 years from now, right? You know, my dad's getting older and, and you're just prioritizing all the time. So that's where I am now. You know, our kids are in school and we're busy with sports every single weekend and the youth sports rat race. We're doing that and we're loving it.

The kids are having fun and we're supporting them and we're there for our kids. And, yeah, that's kind of up. Yeah, you thought you were busy. When you were playing ball, you thought you were so busy. And now you've got three kids. You're like, holy cow. How did I get all that done too? I'm really busy.

No doubt. I'm busier now than when I was playing for sure. So, yeah, you, you, those kids, like you said, I mean, I didn't say, I said, we were not going to get caught in the youth sports like trap. Yeah. We were, like, we were in the thick of it and we were completely caught. We were caught in the wheel by far. We can't get out. Like, we're locked in, like the wheel's spinning and you just got to, you just got to go.

Hold on. You just got to go. Yeah. Well, let's go back. Yeah. Let's dissect it because, yeah, that was great. But, well, so it's great that you brought that up because you growing up, my guess is, maybe they didn't have youth sports like they do today.

No, exactly. When was the first? And were you a multi-sport, like through high school, did you play? Yep, I was. Yeah, I played basketball. I played basketball, football, obviously. I did track for a couple of years in high school. I played baseball up until, like, seventh grade.

So, like, I was multi-sport athlete. And then, yeah, I didn't play football until seventh grade, right? Yep. You know, they didn't have, they didn't have football. Yeah, Pee-wee league and Red Zone football. you know, flag football now and stuff. So use sports has just completely changed, right? It's, you know, things are much more organized and structured,

and they start at a super early level. So it's just, and then, you know, you're caught in this trap where the other kids are doing it, having fun, and they want to proceed, and then your kids do it, and they have fun and they enjoy it, and you see the smiles. And sports, you know, are so good for kids, too, you know, where they teach, you know, so much about life, right? You know, and all that stuff.

So we're, the opportunities are there to do more. And like I said, you end up doing so much where you're, like I said, you question yourself like, are we doing too much, right? And it's legit too because, you know, there's not as much family time on the weekends because you're running and gunning. But, you know, the parents that are just out of it, they do say, you know, it's definitely a season of life. And it's just super busy right now.

Like when our oldest gets to be driving, he can drive himself to practices. And then you don't have as much, you get more just like. like of your high school sports and not like the club sports and all that stuff. It does tone down some. But it's just those opportunities weren't there when I was younger. And that's just the way the times have changed. So when you started playing, what was your, what did you play through high school? What was your position? Yeah, yeah. I was never, I was always a big kid. Like, so like I was always a lineman in my entire time. People always like usually like offensive linemen or defensive linemen, usually you played a skilled

position like when you were younger, maybe you were a lot smaller then. I was always a big kid. So I played O-line and D-Line my whole way. And then I played D-Line, like I said, in high school as well. And then I just obviously, when I was in college, I was like, all right, you're not, you know, fast enough to play D-Line anymore. You just focus on O-Line now. So, you know, I was O-Line from college all the way out. So O-Line D-Line. I'll tell you a good, I'll tell you a good bigger kid's story. So when my kids were young, I was volunteer coach, you know, me and a buddy of mine that I actually, that worked with me at my old job. And we had this kid and he was actually, he was in your class, wasn't he?

We won't say who he is. There were some big guys though. Big kid. Yeah. And, you know, you don't really, you're not like a legit coach. You have that one night orientation at the Y and they say, okay, you know, we need volunteers. And these are your kids and, you know, get them, introduce them. So we're going through plays and all that.

And then we were waiting on, I think we were waiting on some kids to start. So the guy that was coached with, he's like, let's just make them run. So we had to run around the field, you know. And this one kid, biggest kid on the team, he runs about a quarter of the way. And then he just turns. He comes across. He runs up to my buddy. And he goes, coach, hey, I'm just here to knock people down.

So do I need to run? And it's like, like, what do you say to that? And he just goes, nope, you're fine. Just go get a drink. But I always remember that. And he had it figured out. He was like, I'm just here to hit people. Yep, yep.

Move him out of the way. Oh, yeah, for sure. I did not like running either as a, as a bigger kid. That was your, like, that was your, like, worst nightmare was running long distance, right? You're carrying that weight around for sure. But I'm surprised the coach didn't make him still at least run some. but hey. If we were better coaches, we would have.

But I think it threw him off guard so much that he just had the nerve to walk up there and say that. He just looked at me and he goes, just go get a drink. Yep. Go get a drink. Take a break. Oh, man. So I want to go back on the farm a little bit. You have a really good farm story that you always remember, or just a memorable story on the farm that you can think back on.

Or worse chore. Yeah. Well, yeah. Well, yeah, a couple of things come to mind. like fondest memory is probably like harvest season right like during the fall like when like they're getting the combine out you know and uh and getting stuff ready to go and like just um you know combine and corn or combining beans it didn't matter like running dead getting like the trucks ready like we ran like an old Chevy pickup with a straight box on it you know and they and they hauled and then they

had the wagons back then too so like just that season like you know where the leaves are turning and you're combining corn and the sun's setting you know just that that setting of like of of of that and obviously like my dad you know super fired up like they're like fired up times our planning season and harvest season right like so like seeing like my dad and and mom too obviously like fired up about that season and um and just like you know just it's taking in those snapshots right of like uh like a said or you know and you know memories of uh you know getting like the the truck stuck one night right and then you know having to pull it out with chains and the tractor like, you know, and, you know, when they ran into the dark. Back then, they used to

run in the dark. We don't do that too much anymore because the crew is getting to be a little bit older too, you know, so. But yeah, just, I would say harvest time on the farm was an exciting time. Worst, worst job for us was pitching calf condos. So after, you know, we fed those baby calves, you know, you would, you know, bet them with straw, right? And you would bet them and bet them. And then when you would, you know, move them, we never moved the condo and we couldn't fit a skid loader in there. So it was just a pitch fork and you'd bring the skid loader with the bucket, you know, to that single condo, pitch it out, move it to move it over and then you would do, you know, move it with the skid loader bucket. So, so pitching out calf condos for like me and my sister was one of our

like jobs we didn't like and you, you know, you couldn't, you could barely fit in there. You know, getting the pitchfork in there and trying to move it around in a tight space that just wasn't, uh, wasn't fun. So those, yeah, that comes to money. Especially as you as a big guy. I'm sure you, that was not fun at all. For sure. Yeah, no doubt. No doubt for sure. So, Yeah. When I was a kid, we hated power washing. Yep. And then when we would get done, my dad would come over and he'd inspect your work, you know. Yep.

And my brother, my middle brother, he would always try to, he'd have tried to squeak by. So he wouldn't flip the panels over because they were gates. They weren't solid dividers. So you had to wash them both sides. Then you had to flip them because you, and he would always try to not flip them. Yep, yep. Or he would start doing them all and then he'd stop thinking that my dad would grab one that he'd done. and be like good.

Yeah. But he always had the knack. And then he just turned around and look at us and go, do it again. Yep. No doubt for sure. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's a good thing, right?

Like, you know, my dad was a stickler too, right? You know, he's one of the things done the right way. And there was like a certain way to, you know, I just like I say, every gate on our farm had a different way that you chained it. Right. Like, depending on the gate and how it was bent, how it was like, you know, attached and stuff like that. So, oh, this one, we looped the chain.

around this way and then we use a little, you know, quick connect carabiner. And then now this one, we got to, you know, wrap it two times around the pipe and all that stuff. So all those hike, you know, and like, so my dad was like, you know, you do it this way, this way, this way. So very, you know, very set in their ways, you know, routine. Yeah. So you get, so you get doing the farm until seventh grade, then you get introduced to football and you're like, all right,

I like this. Yeah. Get into high school. And this might, this might have happened in Juko too. But was there a moment in high school or juke when you were playing where you kind of thought to yourself damn okay i got a shot like i i i did this i got a shot at maybe going to the nfl was there a moment or was it kind of just progressive as you just that the moment for the nfl was probably still what was at iowa yeah when i got like my senior year in iowa because like you know you were i always knew that like i was a bigger kid and i loved like like my um my like the thing i loved about football is just being physical like i was a physical kid. I loved playing sports and rough house and just anything that was like,

you know, running into people and tackling people like and just being rough like I loved that life. So like football was my sport for sure. But, you know, I was always a good athlete in high school and had good, I wouldn't say good athlete. I would say good football player, right? But, but big kid loved to be physical. But Nyack, it was always, junior college, always about getting just to Iowa, right? Like I was trying to get to Division 1. That was my goal. So, and I was doing well and having success. It wasn't thinking about the NFL, was trying to get to Iowa. And then, like I said, at Iowa, when I got there, I was, you know, buried on the depth chart right away for about six months. So I was like, hey, like, I'm just trying to get to be a starter here to try to do

that. It is a tough thing to do, right? It's not easy. So, like, everything was, like, kind of stepped at a time. And then I started my junior year, and then you go into your senior year, and I'm playing, I'm like, man, this is awesome. I'm, like, having some success. And then I got invited to the Senior Bowl. and when you get invited to the senior ball, and I didn't know this until people say, about 90% of people that get invited to the senior bowl make an active roster in the NFL that fall. So that was my light bulb, like, man, 90% of these guys that get invited to senior bowl make an active roster, I got a chance to play in the NFL. So that was kind of like the moment like, wow, like I possibly have an opportunity to play in the NFL.

And that, like, you know, it's an amazing, like, you know, feeling an accomplishment. And you're getting calls from, like, agents at this point, like, soonly after that agent, and start picking up on that as well. They have the list of the senior bowl invites, and they start going down there, hold some networking and calling people. So super exciting time. And you don't realize, you know, all that hard work

and opportunities that you're making the right decisions. That's all mattering, right? And now it's starting to really, like, you know, take off and stuff. So it was an exciting time in my life for sure. Yeah. How, how, because I've heard this, I've, you know, I got friends or buddies that played, football at Iowa.

They were on the O-line, you know, and they always talk about, and you kind of mentioned it when you first started, how impactful Coach Farrantz and Coach Doyle were on their development as a player and a man. So can you talk a little bit about that? Like, I know you had an amazing foundation,

you know, working on the farm. You knew how to work. But then you get there, and these guys are some of the best in the business with coming to developing players. So kind of talk about that. Yeah, no. And like I said, I had that foundation of like the farming background of hardworking kid,

was not afraid to work and put that work in. And like I said, raised with two great parents that, you know, showed me the way. But like, I was a very raw football player. Like even for in junior college, like I was raw. Like I didn't really like to find details of technique and fundamentals of football was like exposed to me at Iowa, right? Finesse was not your middle name. Correct, no.

Like, I'd like, go block that guy, point block that guy. I could get in front of that guy and block that guy. But if I had to tell you how I need to get there, what step, you know, weight placement, hand placement, pad level, all that stuff, no clue about any of that stuff, right? But like Iowa, and like I said, like Coach Ferrence and, you know, and Coach Doyle, they start to fine-tune all of that. They break all of that down into, like, literally, you're saying. single daily tasks of waking up in the morning to go into the weight room, you know, to go into a

speed workout, to, you know, what are you drinking for hydration? What are you putting in your body for food? What are you doing for classwork? What time are you lotting for this? Like, they break everything down and they really start to like teach you how to think in your mind, right? So like all that stuff comes into play. And like I said, you know, and I've said in my retirement speech before too, like, you know, Coach Ference and Coach Doa, they're mentors in my life, right? I wouldn't be, I wouldn't have the success I had in the NFL. And, you know, Coach Ferrence says, well, you know, he was always a really good football player. But, like, me being able to apply that and, like, the fundamentals and technique really made me, like, a great player, right?

Like, I had potential to play in the NFL. But to be that the success I had wasn't without those guys helping me, right? And it's about people helping you. So, you know, Coach Ferrence talked to us every day about decisions that you have to make, right? Like, everybody has choices every single day. and he would bring up examples of guys that made wrong choices. He would read off the paper, hey, this guy, this athlete did this and this helped him. Or he made this mistake and this just cost him, right?

And like he gave examples of success and failure and choices that you have to make, right, as a human every day, right, not just as an athlete, as a human. So like he was a great coach, like an even better, like person. He cared about people. Like when you find people in your life that really actually care about you as a person, as a player, you know, as a husband, a father, you know, as a friend, you gravitate towards those people and you care, like, you want to play for those people. So like, Coach Ferrence did that every single day through his leadership and just how he structured the entire Iowa program.

And then you add Coach Doyle to the mix where Coach Doyle is with you every day in the weight room. And before every single weight workout, we talk about preparation. We talk about our goals. We talk about why we're here. We talk about during this weight session, what's expected of you, right, in which it is 110 percent. effort, right, that you are expect to do. This is the Iowa way. And this has talked to you every single day for, I was there for two years, every single day, every single weight workout. We're not just going to do it. We're going to talk about it. And we're also going to demand it, right? Like, so, like, Coach Doyle was teaching us mental toughness, which I always had some grit

inside of me and, like, and some hard work. But, like, he made us mentally tough, right? Like, as far as like making the tough choices like when you're outside of the building, right? Like eating the right foods and getting enough sleep and being hydrated and focusing on getting better as an athlete too as a player. Like when you're in there and you're lifting weights, let's not just go through the motions. Let's get better. Like you have room to grow. You have room to get faster.

So all that dynamic of Coach Doyle teaching us and just making us better every single day compounded, right? So those two guys, like, caring about people and Coach Toil is the same way. Like, he showed that he cared about you, right? He would push you and get after you. And then he showed you that he cared about you and he loved you, right? Like, I mean, there was love there. So, like, it was such a positive environment that, like, man, you just set you on a path, like I said, where I discovered talent.

I had no idea that I had, right? Like, if you told me that I was going to play 13 years in the NFL and have that much success when I'm at junior college that that was in me, I had no idea. You know what I mean? I was like, yeah, okay, I'm a good football player. But like to have as much success as I had, it was because of those two guys. You know what I mean?

Like those, they really set you on the path. Yeah, because like, you know, just like in the NFL guys are like, oh, we know where Marshall's at. You know what I mean? You can say at 710, I'm going to be in the hot tub. And then at 7.20, I'm going to eat breakfast. And then 7.30, I'm getting ready for the media. And then 740, you know, I'm never late.

You know what I mean? I was late, you know, one or two times maybe in 13 years. with the Ravens, right? Like at Iowa, like I was late twice my first like 10 days at Iowa on campus. I was late twice in the first 10 days. Guys make it through the Iowa program five years like Matt Kroll, like Mike Elgin. They're there for five years with their red shirt, never late one time in five years. Hundreds of workouts, speed workouts, practices, meetings, never late one time in five years.

I was late twice in 10 days. They showed me that if I was going to continue to do this, I was not going to be here for six months with the way things were going. So I had to make a change in my mind of how I prepared, how I was ready for every single day. And this is how we do things in Iowa, right? Like you being late here, like Mike Elgin talked to me and said, this is unacceptable. Okay, this is not how we do things here. Okay, this is the way we do things.

If you're not on board, you're not going to play. You probably won't even be here. Okay. So just this is the standard. So like, you know, that was, you know, tough to take. and I felt bad I let those guys down, but I had to look in the mirror at me and say, I got to make better choices.

I got to prepare more and this is the Iowa way, right? So like, although all that stuff was like so huge for me and like preparing and understanding how to attack the day. So like getting like, you know, and that all started with Coach Ferrenson, Coach Doyle, you know. And then, you know, my offensive line coach, Coach Morgan, Reese Morgan, he was huge and those. Those were the three guys in Iowa that were my most influential factors, right?

He was my old line coach, and Coach Morgan was, and he was, you know, he was on me every single day, and he was definitely a compliment to Ferrence and Doyle. You know, they're just, they're just, the Iowa program is such a, it's about people, right? And they care about you, and they push you really hard. And man, they make you, they make you into men. So, like, yeah, it was, like I said, I mean, I cherish my time there. Yeah, it seems like, it seems like Iowa preps guys for the NFL so well. You look at George Kittle.

you look at T.J. Hawkinson, you look at Shurf, you look at Wurfs, you look at you, you look at Linderbaum. Yep. They think they, you think sometimes hear Iowa as a factory of pro talent. Well, I've heard, and I don't remember who this was that said this, but he said that when he, when he went to the NFL, like the strength and conditioning program they had there, like there were guys that came in, they weren't used to that. Like they had to learn that. But Iowa's was so dialed in to the way they were doing it,

whatever team that was. It was so similar that you just felt like, you're at home. Okay, you were at home. This is, this is, they just were able to focus on what they had to do because the basics were just like what they'd left. Yeah, correct. Yes.

It was definitely very, very similar. The only thing different was the competitiveness, right? The level of talent, the level of talent of like the guys, right, of how good they were. But the good thing was everything else, how you approach the day, how the choices that you make, you had already had all that foundation laid to where, like, if you could get on the level of their competition and that skill level, you were going to succeed, you know, because everything else was already, you had already been exposed to and learned how to adapt to that and how to, you know, handle that lifestyle. They had definitely run a lot like a pro style for sure. Because like you see Iowa, like the amount of people there in the NFL for the amount

of recruits that they have, it's crazy, right? You know, like this isn't Alabama, right, where they get these five-star athletes. Like they have a lot of guys in the NFL because of how they have taught these guys. How they prepare them. Yeah. And then the guys, like there's very few bus that come out of Iowa. That's the thing. It just feels like they succeed.

Yep, for sure. Because they just know how to do it, how to work. So that's awesome. So you play your last game as a Hawkeye. Yep. But you have all this time between that and when the draft. Yep. And you're still, you got to finish school.

Am I right? Sure, yep. You got to. Yep. Isn't that like, what's that like to know, okay, out there, there's the possibility. Yep. That I could be playing in the NFL. Yep.

But I'm just a college student and I got to get. get through this. Yep, yep, yeah. What was that like? I remember them, you know, preparing us and talking to us about that, right? Like saying, like, what stage of, like, you're in as far as, you know, you're preparing. So you're preparing for the Combine usually comes first in February. And then you have your pro day in March at Iowa.

And then you have the draft in April. So those things, like, were stacked, you know, say, this is first, this is second, this is third. So, you know, early on, and obviously your schooling is, is up there very important. Getting your degree was very important, right? You know, Coach Ferrence talked about it all the time. Getting your degree should be just as important as anything you do on the football field.

So finishing your degree, getting that done and making that a priority, right? Like making the choices and make sure you're doing everything you need in line to get that done. And then you're just preparing, still lifting weights, still going to speed workouts, still preparing for the combine, right? So all that's transitioned into testing, right? So now all of a sudden you're working on 40-yard dashes and pro-agilities and 10-yard sprints and all the measurable testing, the bench press and all that stuff. So you're testing for the combine.

Then you have your own pro day, right, where the guys, so you're testing again. So it's a big testing phase of the measurables of all your, you know, diving into the details of your measurables and your times, so to speak, how fast you are, you know, how explosive you are. So and then comes the draft. So, like, you were all laid out, you know, the game plan of, like, day to day, right? You were still training, you know, four to five days a week, training for that and just preparing, right? And preparing to possibly be drafted.

And if you weren't drafted, then getting undrafted and still having an opportunity. So, you know, there was still a big group of guys that were training. And you were still, you know, you just, you was still, you know, very routine and very similar to the program. It was just the mechanics of it. The fine details were just a little different, right? just like the type of workouts you were doing were just altered, but very still similar, but also exciting too, right? Like you have an opportunity to play in the NFL and like, and you're on this path.

And it's very exciting, right? Like I just remember being that time like, okay, you know, I'm finishing school and now I'm going to have an opportunity to play. And since like I said, they kind of, the senior bowl reference, it's like you have an opportunity to be drafted. So exciting time in your life and just trying to, you know, test well. And unfortunately, I wasn't a good tester. So I wasn't like a good bench presser.

I wasn't like a real fast 40 time. Like Coach Ferrence talks about it all the time. Like I was not like when you seen me in shorts and you seen my measurables, nothing, nothing was like really like eye popping. Maybe it is actually like, maybe like, hey, like he doesn't like look the part. But my my best attribute was that I was a football player, right? And I had that had that strength on the field. So, so, you know, it was like I said, it was an exciting time for sure. Yeah, you definitely didn't have a lot of downtime that you had to sit and just contemplate

because you were in that routine and that had to make it better. So did you have any inkling of what teams were interested in you? You don't because you go to, like when we went to the combine, you have these meetings with all the teams and they, you know, the scouts meet with you and they sit down with you and they talk with you and you just, you don't, you know, just because like every team's needs are different and then like where they're evaluating where they have you on their board right that's the most important thing and you'll never know that until actually draft day yeah so um so you don't know and that's fine you know right you can't control that so you don't worry about it right like if you can't control that there's no use worrying about it control the

controlables exactly right because like some people worry about the things that they have no control over so like why why burn yourself up by just move on you're focused on what you can affect right now in this day this day, this month, you know, this year, all that stuff. So, yeah, they didn't. They just, so when you come draft day, you had no idea, right? So, like, kind of fast forwarding to that, right? You know, April's draft day, and, like, the big debate is whether you have a draft party or not, right? Well, they had told me that, like, you know, like I said, with the Senior Bowl,

and then also they did give you a little bit of inkling. I forget what that system is called. There's some system where they can give you a possible draft, like, round estimate, right? Where you might go if you're going to go. And they said mine was either, they said either between third and sixth round. So they said, well, and I'm like, well, if it's third and sixth round, there's only seven rounds, then more than likely I'm going to get drafted.

So we, so I did have a draft party at my mom's house and Iowa City. So we had everybody over. And, you know, and back then, the first day was the first three rounds. So, you know, the first rounds of that day. Well, still to this day, I still, it was, it was an awesome day, very memorable experience, but I didn't get drafted until like 9.45 at night. Well, we started, you know, our draft party at like 11 a.m. Right.

So by like 9.45 at night, either everybody's tired and, you know, this is dragging on, you know, and it kind of put the pressure like that it shouldn't have been like we shouldn't have had had a party, you know, right? Because I'm happy, you know, happy to be drafted, but like, everybody waiting around until 945 a night was tough on everybody, right? And like the pressure. And then you start seeing possibly linemen drafted ahead of you were like, hey, well, I thought I was better than this guy. I thought this. I thought all those, like the stuff that's not important, all of a sudden kind of the pressure everybody being there for you and then you're not getting drafted, right? Well, still, I'm very fortunate. I've still very grateful that like I went in

the third round, right? That's still, was a huge. deal to me, but just having the party puts that extra pressure on there, which shouldn't have been there. And, you know, nobody's batting 100%. You know, like I said, it was, it was still a good time and it was still a memorable experience. And, you know, and getting the call, you know, from, you know, was from Coach Billick at the time, the head coach, you know, and, you know, we're going to draft you the Ravens, you know, how does that sound, you know? And it's just like, man, you know, it's like, sounds great. I'm excited for the, for the opportunity and the, okay, sounds good. you know, we're going to pick you and, you know, we'll see you soon, right?

So, like, you know, having that experience and know, like, I was going to the Ravens, and they were 14 and 2 the year before. I'm like, this is awesome. And also Coach Ferrence played, coached it at Baltimore. That is a special, so that's a special relationship. And a lot of people, that's a really weird. A lot of people don't realize how, like, the Ravens was the demise of the Browns. Of the Browns.

They moved. And so many guys, I mean, Pete, if you're a football fan, you know the story of all those coaches that were at the Browns. Yes, yes. It was a. They were stacked. It was a major. They were on the way, I felt like, to win in a Super Bowl.

And then the rug got pulled out, and then that ended up being the beginning of the Baltimore Ravens. But I just thought, how cool to end up there because of the history, you know, did that add pressure? Do you feel like that added pressure to you, that they knew kind of the reputation of Ferrence, or did it kind of put you at ease? No, I think it helped me because, like, Coach Ferrence, obviously, who he is, right? Wherever he goes, like, you know, he is who he is and people really, you know,

like him and in positive experience from him. When I went to the Ravens, they're like, oh, yeah, you came from Iowa. Coach Ferrence is your coach. Yeah, we loved Kirk, right? Like, you know, the trainers, the people that work there that when, when they were still there, when Coach Ferris was there, they're like, hey, they liked me just because I was, I was coach by Coach Ferrence. So it was one of those deals where, like, even before I walked in the building,

I had a good, good tie to my name from Coach Ferrence, which is understandable, right? And so, yeah, it definitely had helped me for sure. This is kind of a fun question, but was there any rookie hazing you had to get, go in, get into your first year? Did you have to do something? Carry pads for the vets? There was, you know, there was rookie dinner back then in which they, I don't know, they still do it now.

We carried pads for the vets for sure after practice, yep. And I considered myself, and this was before, like, hazing really, you know, like the aftermath where guys took it too far and then it got like pretty much like you can't do it anymore. But back in 2007, 2007, you could still do that stuff, right? And it wasn't nothing anything bad. Like, right? Like, we had to carry pads.

And here's the biggest thing, though, the guys that got taped to the goalposts and the guys that got thrown in the cold tub were guys when they asked you to carry their pads, they didn't. Oh, I'm not doing that for you. I'm, you know, I was drafted and, and I'm a grown man, and I don't need to carry your pads. You're a grown man. Carry your own pads. Yeah. Now you're a target. What's that? Now you're a target. Now you've just given them, oh yeah, here's the guy that we're going to get now because he thinks he's above, he's above carrying somebody's pads off the field, which is no job anyways, takes zero. Like, all it is is like, give them, give the old vets their respect. They want you to carry their pads. Carry their pads. Okay.

No big deal. So, like, I, I respected the vets when they had, when they had small little tasks to do, I did them. You know, I mean, you had to sing as a rookie, which that was very stressful, for sure. Yeah. Because you had to get up and they still do this at the Ravens, which is great. You know, I mean, there's no real consequence for not doing it except you have to do it again. Yeah.

So you had to sing, pick out a song and sing, right? And you had to sing in front of the whole team. And it is like, as a rookie, like, you're in training camp, you're worried about performing, but you're like, man, like it's nervous getting up and singing, right? And never done it like, I'm not a choir guy, right? So like, so I sang Kenny Rogers, you got to know one to hold him. I sang that song. And it was great that I only sang for like 30 seconds and I was so bad, you know what I mean,

singing it, but I knew every word. Like if you missed a word and you stumbled, you got booed off and then you got to pick a new song. You couldn't sing your fight song. You know, nobody could sing your college fight song. That's too easy. You had to pick something. So I at least knew every word didn't stumble, but I was a terrible singer where they kind of like clap you off and like, hey, all right. You sound terrible, but you know what?

You're at least you got the words right. You've done your preparation. Get off. And that was my one time of singing. But I was nervous about that for sure. Singing as a rookie in front of a bunch of grown NFL players, nerve-wracking, carried pads in. And then our rookie dinner, though, our rookie dinner. Got the bill on that?

Got the bill on that. And that stunk. But we had a first round pick offensive lineman, and he's still a good friend of mine, Ben Grubbs. He's from Auburn. He was taking in the first round. I was taking in the third. So me and Ben split the bill, or not split the. Ben did.

It was like, since he was a first round pick, Ben was understanding. He did like 7030 or 64 or something like that, you know what I mean? Because he got a lot more, which was nice. And he didn't have to do that, but he did. It's just the guy, Ben is. But it was a hefty bill, and people were just ordering stuff. You know what I mean? And it was just the old line.

We just did the old line dinner. But we had a couple of guys on the O line back then that were just because they got burnt when they were rookies. Oh, now a sudden, we have to get mine since I got burnt. Well, I eventually broke that wheel where like we didn't do rookie dinners anymore because I still felt like we're just, why are we doing this? We're just to spend this guy's money that he did work hard for. Just, you know, take a $200 shot, just order just because or order a bottle of Don Perriana, take it home, you know, spend 500. for the bottle and take the bottle home. Like, that's going too far. So I broke the mold where we didn't do rookie dinners like when I got to be a veteran just because like, I was like, we're only

continuing this habit just because like, you know, it's the age old where, okay, if I got done to me, well, then this guy's got to have it done to him. And it's like, paying the pain forward. Correct. So like, so we broke that wheel, which was nice. And, uh, and like I said, because like it was a, uh, that sucked. You know, I mean, you were like, dang, this is a lot of money. And it was. You know, so it's like it sucked. It's the Family and Friends event at Shoppers Drugmark. Get 20% off almost all regular-priced merchandise. Two days only.

Tuesday, April 28th and Wednesday, April 29th. Open your PC optimum app to get your coupon. Yeah. So the transition from Midwest to East Coast, there probably was a little bit of sticker shock in everything, was there not? Oh, for sure, for sure. And you would have been, how old would you have been? 22?

23. Yeah, 23. You have 23. And so you move out there. You don't know anybody. Yep, for sure. What was that? Oh, it was a, yeah.

A lot of pressure. Yeah, a lot of pressure and a big, just big culture shock just because like, you know, lifestyle shock. I mean, I grew up in animosa, north of animosa on a farm, right? And animosa is like 4,000 people. And I grew up in the country, you know, and that. And then, you know, I played college at Mason City, you know, so that was a little bit bigger of a city.

and then Iowa City, you know, I'm just saying smaller towns, right? Not like, not been to a lot of really big cities and known that. So, like, you know, yes, like dealing with the traffic and dealing with just the population being so much bigger, it was a big, big shock for sure. Like I couldn't wait, you know, when I was a younger player, I couldn't wait to get back to Iowa, right? Like I was like, you know, I was just so foreign to me. Like I went to the facility, came home, didn't really go a lot of places, you know, just because it was so, everything is just tougher and out.

you know, fighting the traffic and fighting the amount of people. So it was definitely, it was a transition phase, I will say. Because like at the end of it, though, we really, it had become home for us too. Because we had spent half the year there. You know, we raised our kids out there, you know, had two kids out in Baltimore. And, you know, that place really became home for us. But the first, you know, three, four years, it was definitely, it was tough, you know, just coming from, you know, a small town Iowa kid for sure.

So were you married? when you went out there? Were you dating your wife? Nope, I wasn't. Nope. I was single my rookie year. I was going to say freshman here. My rookie year. And then me and Shannon started dating the offseason after my rookie year. So it was 2008 going into my second year. So it was Mike Elgin that I played with in Iowa, a good friend of mine. It was his cousin. So he set us up on a blind date. And we had actually met in college and got to meet her and stuff like that and had a conversation with her and just things never worked out then. But I didn't remember that, you know, she was a farm girlfriend, I was a very nice girl. And, and then just, you know, our past never crossed

again. Then Mike Elligent says, hey, I got this cousin you need to meet. And I'm like, Mike, I'm not meeting your cousin, okay? I'm not meeting your cousin, right? And, and obviously he's like, and then Mike's an engineer, works at John Deere, very calculated guy. And he's like, he's like, Marshall. I've done the math on that. I can see you spend in the rest of your life with this girl. And I'm like, Mike, chill out, okay? I'm more like the, you know, just, you know, let's not like get so serious so dang soon, right? Yeah. But it was great, right? Like, you know, she's an amazing girl. We got three wonderful kids and I'm super, I'm super thankful for her because she's definitely been

through a lot with me and all the injuries and taking care of me. And yeah, she's a great woman. So that kind of goes right into, we're kind of skipping head a little bit, but raising a family while you're in the NFL. I mean, do you have a lot? I mean, do you have any advice for guys. I know that, you know, being an athlete's a whole different level, but for guys out there that got really demanding jobs, how do you, how do you stay, just any advice you can give those fathers and husbands to try to do their best while focusing on their work too. Yeah, for sure. I would say, like, what comes to my mind first is like, number one, like picking the right

woman, right? That like, you know, even with like to say, like, you're not married yet, you don't have any kids yet. Picking the right woman that is hardworking, that is accountable, that is like that when things go get tough, like she's like she's going to like be a compliment to you, right? So like picking the right woman that has the same values as you and understanding that like things are going to get tougher as we continue to grow. Like as our family grows and we start getting married and start having kids, things are going to be tougher. So if you don't have some of that stuff ironed out, just know that's going to magnify as you. You know, that's going to magnify as you. you start having kids, as you start expanding.

Life gets harder as you get older with just decisions and choices and kids being, you know, kids, like, that can be really tough. So picking the right woman is very important. And then I would say after you have that and you guys start having kids, you know, a lot of it does definitely come natural because, like, you can tell people, oh, you know, your life's going to change when you have kids and people told me the same thing, you know, and obviously you hear so much things. But like, until that actually happens, you don't really have a clue, right?

until you actually have a child in your hands. It's yours. It's a very life-changing experience. You know, it's like, you know, thing, you just think differently. You know, the priority is your kids and you have a responsibility to your kids, right? To raise them the right way to show them the way, right? And definitely football has helped me too that way also, you know, in my mind how, you know, how I'm wired, how I was instilled in me for sure. but um it's there's um i would say you know you lead with your heart right like and and your kids uh

and just you know you lead by actions you don't you don't you don't show them or you don't just tell them you show them right like i'll say one example like i used to chew tobacco right like and i did for like 10 years well it was like it's 2012 and my son was born in 2010 and he's about two years old and i'm like how am i going to tell my son not to chew the tobacco when i got a can of my and a lip in my, you know, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, and a, right. So I quit then, you know, and I quit chewing in 2012, and I had to have, haven't had a dip since. It's because, like, I want him to, you know, see, you know, that, like, hey, I'm going to, like, preach who, you know, I'm not going to just preach and then not do it. Like, if I'm going to school you on this,

I'm going to, walk the walk, yep, exactly. I'm going to show you the way by my actions. Not just say, hey, don't you chew. And then I walk around the corner and. put one in no i will show you that like i'm committed to this as well this lifestyle and what we expect from you so yeah well talk about what's expected i got a buddy of mine that is a welder up in the dakotas and i did construction with him and he he has some he always has a unique way of looking at things but one of the sayings he has that he's always had is he expected a level when stuff had to get done, he expected everybody to be on board. He would always say when we were building stuff, somebody started complaining. He'd say, listen, kings run with kings. And if you ain't a

king, you might as well get out of here. Well, you land at the Baltimore Ravens. Yep. And you've got Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Suggs. Yeah. What was that like? Yeah. Because in your, in your line of arguably probably wasn't a better crew doing it than the crew that you walked into. No doubt, yeah. Oh, I mean, a bunch of Hall of Famers, right? I mean, just like guys that were like studs, right?

Like, we got our butts kicked on offense and practice. You know, I was a good player too. I got better as a player too. We got our butts kick in practice a bunch from our defense, right? You know, so like, and just like, so like learning from those guys and being around those guys It was so cool to be around like pros like that, right? Like, like Ray Lewis, like, Ray didn't say more than like hi to me for like three years.

Got I mean? Like, he was a guy that, you know what, you had to earn his respect. And not by just, you know, talking to him. You had to earn it on the field. Like, if you were going to approach the game at his level and sacrifice for the game and make the commitments and the sacrifices for it, like you had to earn that. And that wasn't going to be a year-long deal. That was going to be like a two-to-three-year deal.

like, where like, hey, if you're committed and you, and you show us through your play and your dedication and you're, that like, okay, then I'll talk to you. But like, as far as like now, you go work hard and then you earn your respect. And that's kind of the way it was. You know, like, and I get that. Right. Because like, you know, he was in the year like year 10 or year 11 when I was a rookie. Like how many rookie classes had he seen? 10 of them come in. So there's, you know, there's seven guys drafted and there's 25, 20 guys that are undrafted. So there's, you know, just say 30 guys, 30 new rookies coming in every year. Not only, you know, eight or, you know, seven or eight of them make the team or whatnot, but still at the, even in June, there's 30 extra guys every year. So, like, there's just too many, right? Like, I can't, like, you know, shake hands with all you and meet all you and just, like, learn about all you. No, you have to, you have to earn your keep, right?

He wasn't going to expend the emotional capital to have a relationship that wasn't going to be there. Exactly, yeah, no doubt. So, like, there was a standard that was set there, right? and that was so cool because like I got to see the standard and then live up to the standard and then carry on the standard, right? I loved being able to do that. And just because like that's such a great franchise where that has been built for the like since the start and that continues to be carried on by guys because they draft people the right

way, they bring in guys there the right way that also understand that, right? And that there's a standard that's set. So like it was so cool to see those guys, Ray. Ed, Ciz, Hologi, you know, Jared Johnson was a big one. Todd Heap on the offense. You know, Steve McNarrow was my quarterback, my rookie year. You know, just a ton of like... That's right. I forgot that. Yeah, a ton of guys that like, that just showed you the way. It was so cool to watch them because like I, like, I love to like, you know, if I'm going to try to be like, you know, if I'm going to like, this is who I want to be, I love to like, this is who I want to be. I love to like focus on, like, everything, like, how they eat breakfast. What time do they show up?

You know what I mean? how much film are they watching? You know, like, all that stuff was so, so cool to watch them be pros, right? And, like, our coaches always just said, hey, you want to be, you want to be like him, watch him. Okay, we want you to be like him. Just watch what he does every minute of every day. Watch him be a pro is what they said, right?

Because he's a pro. Like 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not just on Sundays. Because, like, Ray even, was, like, crazy, amped, motivational, like on game day going nuts. you see them on TV and the cameras, right? Six days out of the week, he was very quiet, very calm, but like never late, never, you know, not showed up to a meeting on time, giving everything to football, you know, lifting weights hard, training hard, soaked in sweat all the time after a workout, like,

was a pro the whole time. So, like, is neat to be around, like, guys like that that just paved the way. Do you have any stories involve any of those guys that you can remember? most memorable story of those guys? I would say my most memorable story. So I got a good Ray Lewis story, and I've told it before. But my rookie year, we were in practice,

and I did not know there was a standard where in practice, where Ray was in like year 10 or 11, and you didn't really want to necessarily hit Ray real hard in practice, right? Because he's taking a lot of hits, and I get it, I was the same way as I transitioned. I didn't know, right? I'm just doing my job.

I'm going to do my job at a high level. I got this guy to block. I'll block him, right? Well, it was like a tunnel screen pass where it was a pass that it was out to the receiver, and then I had to block down field. Well, so I had to block Ray on that play, and it was kind of a transition play where the play continued on out near the numbers. And so I had stayed locked up with Ray, and then I kind of stayed in front of him. And then I probably stayed locked on and blocked him too long, and he proceeded to just throw me to the ground. just like grab my jersey and just ragdoll me to the ground. Just got just like hip toss to the ground.

And like, so I'm getting up and I'm like, damn, he's pissed. I can just tell the way you threw me down. Normally they'll just like let you go, you know. So he threw me down and then I get up and he's kind of standing over me. And, you know, and he's looking at me with a, you know, stern face, mad. Don't you ever do that again? And like, I didn't even like bad and I miss a beat. I said, Ray, no problem.

no problem never again and like to that day like ever since that day I never did hitting really hard again because so so we go to so we go to meet our the film after that play you know we go in there and my offensive line coach she's kind of chuckling he's like yeah we probably should have told you you know you're not really supposed to you know stay block and ray that long or hitting that hard okay we don't really expect you do that you're really not supposed to do that and then everybody's kind of laughing I'm like yeah thanks for thanks for letting me know you know Don't tell me until after the fact, but of course, you know, they had to get a few laughs out of that, right? Do you feel like that was kind of a test to say, to see, is he afraid of Ray Lewis or is he going to just?

No, I think they're excited that they knew I was aggressive and that like, I'm going to go block anybody. They're going to like, oh, we're just going to like, you know, let him get a taste of that. You know, see what happens. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, that was a good, definitely a good story where you got to know your role. Yeah. Know your role.

And then as you guys being a, being a veteran, you kind of. Yeah, same deal. You take care of each other. Like, yeah, certain guys, you know, and that's just the way it is, right? Like, after you've really gained a lot of respect and established, like, you know, you still have to prove it, no doubt about it, but it's not there, it's also taken care of a player when like, you know, if you're in year 10 and above or whatever, just a number of years, it doesn't matter. Don't put a number on it, but like, you've proven yourself. You've proven yourself that you're a physical hammer. You know, we don't need you on a Wednesday, literally like, just completely like, you know, cutting guys in half because. because we want you to save that for Sunday, because as you get to be an older player, you can't do that on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then go do that on Sunday.

As an older player, that comes down to one day a week where you can flip that switch and be that hammer. We need your hammer on Sunday. Like, you know, try to let we're going to work on technique the rest of the time. Yeah, correct, yes. Yep. So I, this is something that I, this is one of my favorite questions I thought up

when I was making this outline. The Steelers versus Ravens rivalry. Yes. One of the best rivalries in the last two decades, if not ever. Yep, for sure. I am a Cowboys fan. Okay. And I, every time the Ravens and Steelers played, I tuned in because that game, those games

weren't just about the two quarterbacks playing. Joe Flacco, Lamar, Big Ben, obviously great talents. But those games, it always felt like defense, hard hits, fighting in the trenches, special teams, made or break the game. for sure and I just wanted to know what is the mindset going into a Steelers matchup sometimes you guys play them twice a year sometimes you guys play them three times a year yeah yeah is that a more intense week than any other one well no I wouldn't say it's not because you got to take like I said I'm a preparation guy you approach every single game the same but just to set like the set the

like the stage of that is like when you get drafted to Baltimore and you come in the building one of your first meetings is you were drafted here to beat Pittsburgh. Okay. We brought you here to beat Pittsburgh. Like you were drafted here to beat this team. You know, and actually like, thanks Cincinnati kicked our butts during my time more than the Steelers.

Yeah. But you were drafted here to beat Pittsburgh. And that set this tone, right? Right out the gate that like, you know, we're here. We don't do anything unless they're in our division. We got to beat them twice a year. You know,

all roads to, you know, to the playoffs and the seating is you got to win your division, right? So, like, and winning your division usually meant beating Pittsburgh, right? Because they were dominant, right, with Big Ben. They were in their defense. My gosh, they were awesome. So, like, that sets the stage.

And then, yes, like, Heinz Ward was, like, you know, just a dang terror, right? And, like, and he would, like, you know, make some questionable, like, shots. Like, he took a big shot on Ed Reed one year and really, like, that was never forgotten. So, like, guys were always head hunting for Heinz Ward. And you had, like, you know, Joy Porter and James Harris. Troy Paul Maloo. Troy Paul Malu. Like, you know, guys that would just like level guys, right?

And like, and do some extra, like, extra physical because it was a super intense game. And like, and I always tell like Steelers fans, like there's no better place to win in the NFL on the road than in Pittsburgh. Like best place ever. Terrible towels going, you know, 70,000 strong. And they play Renegade in the fourth quarter when like they need a big play. And like, it's an awesome place. And then when you win, it is the quietest place on earth right at the end. We've won some game winners right at the end and like literally like stadiums.

Silence the crowd. Zero silence. Just, you know, clearing out. We're all celebrating. You know, we're leaving on the buses. Everybody's just flipping us the bird, you know, pounding on the side of the bus. Like it's awesome. But that rivalry was built on those guys, right?

Like it's like really good defenses. Like you said, taking away, I mean, I was an offensive player. But like, Steelers defense, Ravens defense. low-scoring affair, all about turnovers and takeaways and special teams, hidden plays in the game, right? So, like, yeah, those are some, like, awesome rivalries. I mean, just, you know, playing up there underneath the lights. You know, we played a lot of Sunday night footballs up there. And then, you know, obviously them coming to us. Like, you know, it was a fun rivalry for sure and just a lot of hard hits and a lot of fights. Some of our, like, worse, I remember, you know,

and I was back before. So the fighting is not as much now because they fine everybody, now where once they see the scrum of players, like everybody gets fine. You know what I mean? So all of a sudden you find 20 guys and you do that over the course of a couple of years. All of a sudden the fighting is way out of it now. But back then it was more accepted. You know, now it's not.

So before you could really get into some 10 guy pileups where literally like, you know, it's just a big mosh pit for crying out loud, you know, and they got to separate you and all that. But it was a good, two really good similar teams built similarly, right? to where like when you guys butt heads, it's going to be a real tough game because you guys are built the same way. You know, how they view they want their team to be. So those were fun memory. I also feel like how they approach head coach, Tomlin, been there, Harbaugh, been there.

Which I think is the way to, I mean, outside looking in, I don't know shit, I wasn't in it. But I feel like sometimes teams don't give coaches near enough time to even build a foundation. But those two teams have stuck by their guy, which is cool. Yep, I 100% agree. This is also a question that is one of my favorites I was thinking about. Super Bowl 47. Your Super Bowl you're going to. 2012, 2013.

It's my 13th birthday, February 3rd. That's my 13th birthday happened. I remember that Super Bowl because there was an event that happened during that Super Bowl that kind of was odd. So you guys, they say the halftime at Super Bowls is way longer. than any other half time when you're playing the regular season playoffs. But your guys' halftime was extra long. I mean, you got back on the field, but there was a blackout. Yep, for sure.

That the whole stadium went dark. And you guys had to go back in the locker room. Yep. How the hell did you guys keep your composure? Because I know you were in that locker room for so long. Then you come out, blackout. And then you got to go back in. So what were you guys trying to do to keep the momentum?

because you guys were kicking the shit out of the 49ers the time, I remember. Yeah, it was basically, and then we returned. We were up pretty good. I can't remember how much we were up at halftime, but then Jacoby ran the kickoff back to start the third quarter, and we're like, oh, this is done deal. We're up, like, I want to say like 24. We're all up by over 20 points, and it's like,

when you do that and put the knife in them at the start of the third quarter, it's like, we're going to route them. Like, we're going to, this is going to be a blowout. Lights go out, and we're like, you know, and everybody's like, you know, what the heck, you know, and like, but, you know, Beyonce played in the Super Bowl, you know, at halftime, and the walls were shaking inside the locker room. Like, it was loud as loud could be just, just, you know, so like, you know, everybody's got their conspiracy theories or whatnot that they pulled them all, you know, on purpose, but who knows. But we couldn't go in the locker room because it was pitch dark in there, so we just stayed out on the field, you right? So there was enough ambient light in there, backup lighting where we just stayed out on our own sidelines and we were just stretching for like and waiting, right?

stretching and waiting, stretching and waiting. And it's all we could do. And finally, you know, I can't remember how long it was. I think, almost an hour, I think, at least. And, man, the momentum had switched. My gosh, all we did was hang on to our asses for the rest of the entire game. We barely beat them. I mean, they just literally came on fire.

They just started scoring, and then we'd go three out on offense. They'd get the ball again, score. We'd go, you know, get off the field quick on offense. They'd score again. I mean, it was. And then this doubt creeps into your mind like, we're going to blow this game and literally like blow a Super Bowl, like the worst way. Like I feel terrible for Falcons.

Falcons and Patriots where you're up by over 20 points and you blow it, right? Yep. And then, you know, and not to throw shade at Colin Kaepernick, but like if Tom Brady, we're playing Tom Brady in that game, we're losing. Yeah. We're losing. Not 49ers in Colin Kaepernick, but it was, well, luckily we beat the Patriots earlier, but if it's the Patriots in that setting, we're losing just like the Falcons.

right? Yeah. So very happy that we won. But like, people are like, what do you think of that game? I'm like, that was the worst pins and needles game because the whole second half, then that puts pressure on you. Then you feel it's like, man, we need to score. We need to score.

And then we go three and out. It's like, man, we need to get this done. And then you put that much more pressure on it. And then things just start compounding and it's tough to come out of that. But luckily, we got enough to seal it at the end and get it. Because like I'm so fortunate, like you said, to be able to go to one and to win one. You'd like, because you have this feeling, you know, when you get to go to the Super Bowl, it's like, man, but to actually win it too, so, like, so amazing and so grateful

because, like, tons of guys have been to them, not a lot of guys have been to, but at least some guys that get to go, then they don't get to win. It's, man, it's just, it's, I feel bad for them. I wish, you know, I get at both teams, you know, can't win, but I feel bad for those guys that have maybe only made one, you know, and luckily you'd even get to go to one and lose it. So, yeah, it was a heck of a game for sure. The other thing that people, I think, forget about that whole playoff run was that was Ray Lewis's last season. No doubt. Was that

a extra motivator for the team like we want to send Ray out on the top of the mountain? Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I mean, obviously you know, you're playing at that level and you're playing, but it definitely meant something for sure. You know, at the start of the playoffs when he says, you know, and he'd missed a lot of time with his injury.

Yeah, didn't he have a triseption injury? Yeah. So it's tough. But to try to send him out, yeah, it It meant a lot for sure. And who doesn't want to go out your last season, win a Super Bowl and walk off in the sunset? That's what I wanted to do too, right? Like, we were 14 and 2. And number one seed in the AFC, I'm like, man, we got a shot.

At least we have a chance, you know. But, like, I'm happy that he got to do that. I'm happy that we could all share that memory for sure because it was definitely special. Yeah. Yeah. And you guys, that playoff run, I think people forget, too, like you beat Peyton Manning the Broncos when they were stacked, stacked. Yes.

That you beat the Patriots that year? in the playoffs too, Tom Brady. I actually was rooting for the Ravens to win that playoff run because you guys were like, I mean, you were Cinderella story on going against some of the best in the game. Yeah, and we were a fifth or sixth seed, and we got hot at the right time right during the playoffs, right? Because before that, we had lost three of our four last games

to end this regular season. So we're one and three, and then we go on a huge run and beat, like you said, Peyton Manning, they had actually come to Baltimore, like week 14. and came to Baltimore, made the trip from Denver and beat us 31 to 3 or something like that, 34 to 3 in our stadium, like three weeks or four weeks before. So when we went out to Denver, we're like, not a lot of people gave us a lot of chance. And like, and even a lot of guys on our team, even like, you know, just spitball and saying,

we ain't got a chance in hell. But that doesn't, you know, some guys that say that, that doesn't change the way they play. Right. Right. Go out. Yeah, go out and give it everything you got, but still you just didn't think that. Yeah, it's hard because you got that little voice in the back of your head. What if, what if it is.

And I still tell people this all the time because we do talk about it. It's like, we play the Broncos that season, that year with that team. They beat us nine out of ten times. We play in ten games. They're beating us nine out of ten games. They're that good of a team. That Von Miller and Elvis Dumerville and Peyton Manny was on fire. Like they, I mean, Peyton Man had like 49 touchdowns that year.

They were electric. But we got, you know, nine times out of ten. But that one time out of ten, you have a chance to beat them. Like if certain ways play out, we play good football, you do have a chance. And that's why football is a great sport. It's the land of opportunity. And you're only as good as your next performance. It don't matter what happened four weeks ago when you beat us 31 to 3.

It will prove it again. And you know what? We were the better team. We were the better team that day. That's why, you know, people, professional sports rolls over into so many aspects of life because of that. Just what you said right there, it's about your next performance. And, you know, when I was selling my boss, he had a saying, every big sale I ever had, he would, he would, you know, I'd talk to him, he'd call me, whatever.

And then he would end the phone call with, that's great. What are you going to do for me tomorrow? Yeah, I know. Because he never wanted you to get too cocky. I know. And that's so true because sports, there is all the accolades. there is all the accomplishments, but then you got to do it again. You got, you got, it isn't a, it isn't a, that level of performance isn't a plateau that once you get there, you're guaranteed to stay there.

Yep. The works, and that's a great analogy going back to you growing up on the farm because yeah, even when you get there, you have to get up every day and you got to put in the work every day or you are not going to stay there. Yep. No doubt. How hard was it? Yeah. To perform at that level. Because obviously anybody's seeing you today, you're not the same size person that you were when you're playing. How hard was it to not only stay that physical, but stay that big? One day you're negotiating with suppliers. The next, you're installing a shelf in the back room. Running a business means moving in many directions all the time. TD's new small business banking accounts are built for how your business moves. It's how we're making banking more human.

it was yeah extremely hard extremely you know sacrifices were made all the time for football right like family came first but like football was a very close second you know what i mean like i was very and like and the more success i had the more determined i got to want to be great right like i was one of the players where when i got success and i started like uh doing really really well i became really like addicted to that process. And I'm like, man, look what this is giving me. And then like, and like being dominant on a football field, it's very like just addicting, right? Like you want like and when you're on that stage going against the best players in the world and all of a sudden you start saying, hey, I can play with these guys. Dang, this is awesome. And then you're like,

hey, I'm not having some good games. And then it's like, hey, wow. At times I'm like dominating. Like I'm putting guys on their back like you're having some amazing plays. it's like addicting. So like I started having that success and I'm like, man, this is amazing. I want to continue to do everything I can to try to stay at this level and not just be like playing in the NFL, but playing at a high level. So like I was addicted to being great. Like as I continued to play. Like I got better as like my like my career went on, right? Like I didn't make my first pro bowl until my fourth year, right? You know? And then I went on a run from there on. So like it wasn't like I was great right out of the gate. You know, I always.

was on this path, right, and continue to, as a process, like, a lot of, like, really good players, like even their first year, they're really, really good. Well, I can tell you my first year was not really, really good. I was very not consistent player in my first year by no means, you know, for my standards by no means. So that process, and then I also realized, like, when I retired from football in my mind, like, it finally, like, the competitiveness left me. I didn't realize how often I thought about the game. I can tell you, I thought about football every 10 minutes of every day for my entire life of playing football from for sure NFL college, you know, for sure probably, it probably started more in the

NFL too, but like every 10 minutes I'm thinking about it, whether I'm eating the right food or whether I'm hydrating, whether if I was injured, big, big ones, which stunk was injuries, where if you had an injury now, it's like, okay, I need to get back to 95% or 98% so I'm strong enough to block Dom Ksu or JJ Watt, right? Like I got these hammers coming and they're going to embarrass me if I am not as strong and if I am not the man I am, right, the guy I need to get back to. So all of a sudden there's this stress level in your mind like, I've got to get my stuff back.

So I'm going to get run over and pushed into the quarterback and he's going to tackle me and the quarterback, right? So like I didn't realize when I retired that like that all left me was great. Man, my mental freedom was like, wow. I thought about the game all the time, all the time. But and respectfully, that's what it demanded. Like if you wanted to be addicted to being great at anything in life, it doesn't have to be football. Like, you're driven.

Obsessed with it, correct. Like football was like my passion, right? And like even in the off season, then I was like diving into eating the right foods and weight training and trying to get a little bit stronger, a little bit faster. And, you know, just all the dynamics of that. like it was always a 100% 365 year-round just obsession for sure. And that's what, but for me to stay at that level and play at that level, that's what it took. Because like you said, I mean, you're only as good as your next performance. Like I seen guys play five years and do really, really well. And then year six, they hit a rough patch and they get benched. And

they don't get benched after the game. They get benched at half time. Yeah. Literally half time. They say, hey, that's enough for you for the day. We're going to let somebody else try. And they literally lose their job at halftime after five years of getting it done. And not even, they don't even make it to the end of the game, you get your job taken from you. Yeah. So it's like, that was always in the back of your mind, too, that like, you got to perform every single next opportunity. It doesn't matter how many pro bowls or what you've done. Prove it again and again, and again. And then you got a new like, oh, here comes JJ Watt. You know what I mean? All this guy's pretty good. Moving across the D line, no matter where you're at. And then you're like,

wow, that guy's good. And it's like, oh boy, here comes Aaron Donald. They say, this guy's going to be pretty good. And then it's like, wow, that guy's really good. All of a sudden you're like, these guys are, you know, they're legit, you know, and then you got to prepare for new guys, new hammers. And it's like, man, it's a, it's a, it's the real deal. Yeah. Hey, this is a little off the subject, but I wanted, you, you brought up Sue. Yeah. So I don't know if it's been, it's probably been four years ago now. We, company I worked for, we ended up taking a trip to Nashville. The Titans were playing Miami. Yep.

And Sue was playing for Miami. and it's a whole different experience going to a football game when you're actually there and you're down close to sidelines versus watching on TV because you see so many little things and I have to say that guy he literally when he wasn't on the field he would be on the sideline and wherever the ball was he would be there on the sideline just trash talking and he would follow the gameplay I watched him and he would follow the gameplay down the field just screaming at those guys just trash talking like crazy he is an intense individual he is yes and i know you know you never see that on tv yeah they're not gonna see that angle

with the camera it was hilarious but anyway no doubt no yeah he's a he's a he's a he's a and he's a physical specimen too you walk oh yeah that guy and you're like you better pack a lunch you better eat your weedies that morning it's going to be a battle now yeah you better get your mind right Is most of the shit-talking happen in the trenches, do you think? No, it really depends. I would say it really depends on the guy. Because it doesn't matter about the position. Because you can have a trash-talking corner, quarterback.

Like you see Phillip Rivers like trash-talking DBs. I mean, it doesn't. Like, you know, like, so like it can be linebacker offense. It really depends on the guy. Because like a lot of times those guys, and I did a little bit not much, I would say I transitioned to where, like, it made me, like, not play as consistent. But a lot of guys, that helps them play better. Nobody gets them, like, elevated, like, metal.

It's part of their mental. Yeah, gets them elevated to play at, like, another level, like a notch up for sure. So, yeah, so they're doing that to keep them sharp for sure, or to keep them on edge, I would say. It keeps them edgy. And then certain guys, when they're edgy, they play better. So it's an edge, you know. Oh, yeah.

What offensive scheme was more fun to play? Flacco or Lamar? And I know you had success with both. Yeah, no, I mean, because, yeah, because I mean, you know, it's been, you know, Flacco's my guy, right? Like, Super Bowl MVP, like my dog, like, you know, blocked for him for over 10 years, right? Like, so, I mean, I, like, he's my guy. And then obviously, like, football happens and injuries happen and just franchises, you know,

it's their decision, right? And we go with Lamar. at the point in time with Flacco and Joe and at the end, the offenses that we were running were not good for Joe or us. We were throwing the ball way too much. We were averaging like 50 passing attempts a game. That was just not us. That was not Joe.

So when we were throwing the ball more, nobody likes that. You know what I mean? Unless you're like a, you know, the wide receiver getting the ball. Tom Brady that just drew Breeze where they live on 50 attempts a game. That wasn't Joe. that wasn't us. Well, somehow we got to that, and I mean, we could talk for five hours on that, and I could get fired up and pissed about it. But we're throwing the ball too much at the end.

It was a breath of fresh air to finally commit to the run again. We had went like three or four years with not committing to it. People want to talk about it. We had coaches that talk about it. But when the stuff hits the fan, let's see if we're going to commit to the run or we're just going to dive out of and go to the pass and throw the ball 50 times a game. Well, it was a breath of fresh air to have Lamar where we were committed no matter what, even if it's the fourth quarter and we're down by 10 points, we're staying committed to the running game. So that commitment level had been gone for so long, it was a breath of fresh air. And then obviously, like, amazing that like we could run the ball that effective. We had a really good offensive line. And man, we were hammering.

I mean, we were, we set though. I mean, it was with Lamar too, right? Like it doesn't go without him. He's the engine of, he's a running back as well, where he led, he was top 10 in that year as a running back as well. But like, we broke the all-time rushing record in the history of the NFL for rushing yards in a season. Now, that's not, you know, Lamar, no doubt. I'm not saying anything that it starts with Lamar, no doubt about it. But we were a really good offensive line and we had some fun. Yeah. As an offense, we literally, the D-line did not want to play us because they're like, exhausted. We don't get to run that rush the pasture today. No, we got to defend the run. And you got to defend the run for four quarters. We got to literally like dominate people. So that was fun.

Yeah. That was fun. It's got to be. be a lot more fun when you're pushing. You're like on the awful. Your offense. So like, one of the best things as an offensive lineman is when you're pushing a guy against his will and he can't stop it against his will, he's fighting like crazy, grit his teeth and you're pushing him against his will and opening up the lane, it's like one of the best feelings ever. It's just like as a lineman, like it's domination. It is. Like it's like, that's what we do. And then being able to do it and have the opportunity to do it as much and as frequent as we did, that was fun.

That's why, like I said, we were 14 and 2, and we just won so many games. And, like, we won in Seattle where, like, the Ravens, we'd never won it as a franchise in Seattle in, and, like, 26 or 28 years or whatever, we won in Seattle. You know, it was like, that was the fourth down play, and Lamar comes off the field, and they're like, you want to go for it? And I'm like, yeah, let's go. That was awesome. You know what I mean?

Lamar's like, and John's like, you want to go for him? Lamar's like, yeah, and we go back out there. It's like a fourth and four, and we get it. And then we score a touchdown. And that's what, like, turns the game when we win the game. That was awesome. Yeah, like, it's stuff like that where you don't forget that it was just so much fun running the football. Way better than pass blocking.

That's the hardest thing to do as an offensive lineman in the NFL is pass blocking. Yeah. That's where, like, you got to hold back of Domic and Sue or J.J. Watt or Aaron Donald. It's tough sledding. Yeah. And he won the MVP that year, didn't he, Lamar? Yeah, he did that year. Yeah, that's cool.

I heard that he got your Rolex. Yeah, yeah. That's pretty sweet. He got all the offense linemen Rolex. He did. He did. He did. He did.

I like, I wear my, you know, I got like a fitness watch, but like for me to wear a Rolex, I'd, uh, it's a sweet, it's a sweet, um, it's definitely a neat conversation piece and, and it's a good, uh, and he's a good dude too. It takes care of his lineman. Yeah. Joe did too. So, yeah. Yeah.

Don't wear that when you're driving the grain card. No doubt. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So you, you touched on that a little bit because when you got to Baltimore, you were in the, you were within a group of guys and they were the leadership of that team. And then you wake up one day, fast forward, and you're the leadership of that team. Yep, for sure. How, how was that like,

is that something that you you feel that creep on you or do you show up at camp one season and you realize that that torch has been passed and now then it's on me and is that a is that a is that a heavier burden to carry

or is it a privilege that it's worth it, it's worth it to you? It's gradual for sure, right? Like those opportunities, they don't just come like, you know, on and off and a light switch, right? It's like it's a, it's an accumulation of all those good choices and hard work and and and playing well, right? Like you got like if you're going to be the guy that's counted on, you got to be consistent, right?

Like they talk about being a consistent player. Well, you know, a guy can have, you know, two good games, you know, in a stretch. But like, no, be consistent for all 16. Okay, have a few tough games where, but still, even in those tough games, find a way to minimize the damage and be a consistent player the entire. season that your entire body of work you can be counted on, relied on also, you know, to fight through everything. So that's a day-to-day process, year-to-year process, and then all of a sudden you're right, like, you look back and like, man, I'm in year, you know, whatever, seven or eight. And it's like, wow, like, I'm one of the old guys on the team. That happens real fast because, like, the NFL is so short-lived, they tell you every day, you know, the NFL stands for not for long.

And it's, they're so right, too, right? Because, like, you see so many guys where they're here today, gone tomorrow, or a bad injury and they're gone. You know, I mean, and, and it can be taken away so quickly that, like, man, it's like, wow, I'm in the heat of battle, but I'm in year seven or eight or whatever year you want to say, and you're one of the older guys on the team. But like I said, I never forgot watching those pros, the older dogs, the vets, how they did it. And I'm like, I want to continue this. And I understand that, like, it's not a lot of times, it's not easy because sometimes it's

also like, sometimes you've got to stand up to the head coach. you're the old guy on the team. And if sometimes something needs to be said, you've got to go tell him. You know what I mean? All the young guys are like, hey, I'm in my first contract. I'm a young guy. I can be shipped out. I can be shipped out here tomorrow.

Okay, I can't take the risk. I can't stick my neck out, you know? And it's like, okay, you got to be the one that says, hey, you got to talk to the head coach on a tough topic, and there might be a fight and there might be a little argument. And that's part of the deal, right? That's your job as an older player. So it was, it's tough.

But I also got the opportunity to, you know, stay with the Ravens, and I felt like that was my duty, right? Like, that was my task, that was my job. As those guys had to do it, and I seen them do it where things weren't easy and they had to. And then I also seen like some guys, too, that were also cowards. When it came time to do it, they didn't do it. You know what? So I've seen both sides of it. Like, it takes courage to be able to do that stuff. But you know what? This is what's expected of you, you know, and this is what you've seen. So continue it and respect it and also understand that they had to do it, too. and this is a hard thing.

You know what? But I mean, life's about doing tough things all the time that you don't want to do. Like this is just, it's another thing, but just buck up and do it, you know.

Yeah. So that kind of ties into a question. How great of a coach was John Harbaugh? You know, you got a lot of respect for Coach Doyle, Coach Ferrence, but I feel like John Harbaugh

is kind of an underrated coach. He doesn't get a lot of public publicity. And I feel like he's been doing it because you guys were, I mean, you had a winning culture. You guys made it to the playoffs. consistently.

Yeah. Won a Super Bowl. Like, how great a coach is John Hunter? Yeah. He's been our, like, he's been our, our, just rock, right? Like, he's been there the entire time, right? He's been there for, I mean, he's like the, whatever,

second longest or long, you know, he's been there forever. And he's a coach, right? He lives in Breeze football, right? He's always constantly thinking about, you know, what he can do to make, be a better coach, you know, help us, be us, put us in better positions, you know, coaching staff making changes. So like consistency of a head coach is so critical, right? Like I thank John, because like I didn't have to have a new head coach in year three. Just like like you said now, like you can have a new head coach every year now with a new new offensive coordinator where

all sudden when a new head coach comes in, usually it's always because it's a bad team, right? You've had a bad record. So usually and then always number one, number two, it talks about changing the culture. So like when a new head coach comes in, oh, we're going to have to find out who's really wants to be here. So then they basically what that means is like they really got to bust them in practice and really like performance data and like and really like basically try to make you reprove yourself, reestablish yourself. The slate's wiped entirely clean. Like we, you know, you have to reestablish your trust with the coach, right? That trust gets built up over years. Like John could trust me, right? I could trust John. Well, if John's gone in year five and I got to reestablish trust with this coach,

I get it like, that makes it tougher. And then a new offensive coordinator, and certain guys can really struggle with that. So, like, him being able to be there and have that, you know, consistency was critical to my success, right? Like, I wouldn't be the same guy if I didn't have the same head coach for that long. It makes it hard as a player, like, you know, to have a new change that all the time. And then sometimes opportunities are different with certain people. So I'm very thankful. Like I said, he's a football coach, you know, his dad was a coach, his brother's a coach.

that family lives and breathes football, right? Like they grew up in football their entire lives. It's all they know, you know what I mean? So he's a good man. I respect him. You know, we had our squabbles and our fights once in a while, you know, because like I said, you know, I felt like I had to stand up for the team and those were some tough conversations.

But like I respect John and and, you know, appreciate him as a coach. You're talking about some of the players you went against. Watt, Miller, Donald, Gino Atkins, Cameron. Hayward. Yep, Cam, yep. I know that all those guys were tough, but was there any guy out there that had a specific move that you were just like, holy shit, am I going to be able to, like, is that, there was a move that was just like, damn, am I ever going to be able to stop this? Every guy had a little bit different. Yes, for sure.

They're like trademark moves, but like, like, Aaron Donald is very, like, what he has is, he has, like, three really good ones. Normally, like, a really good player has one really good one and then they'll have a counter to keep you honest and then they'll go back to their number one move to beat you right like if you at the counter move right but usually it's one really good move like and and still that can be a very that can be a hall of fame player that has one dynamic really good move right but like at the extreme Aaron Donald has three right he has all three he has the inside the outside and the bull right so that's a dynamic feature where you can't account for all three right okay if I'm going to stop the inside move when he's going to

to bull you into the quarterback. He did 52 reps at 225. You want to talk about strength. He'll throw you into the next county, you know, right? So like, you know, and then he ran like a 4-640. So he has like NASCAR speed. Take the outside. Bull strength. So like, so he's like the extreme, right? That like that I'm happy he wasn't in our division. I have to play him twice a year. But Gino Atkins was a guy I talk about underrated. Yeah, tremendous respect. His bull rush was one of the best bull rushes ever. Like he was only six foot tall. He had calves. He had calves. that were like the size of like coffee cans and like you want to talk about a guy that could bull rush you would not stop him like and it's a bad feeling I remember like talk about pushing a guy against his

will I never stopped him on a bull rush I slowed him down as much as I could but at the end of the pass he was still I was losing ground with him as a terrible feeling to have so to know that you could never stop this guy like if he had five seconds to get there he's going to push you into that You know what I mean? Like say if I, you know, I'm at that trash barrel and he has five seconds, I am going into that trash bill 100% of the time. That's a shitty feeling, right? But to be able to slow that down and die a slow death is what they call it on the offensive line, especially with a bull rush. You got to slowly die. You can't die quickly. Give him in just enough time to get it out. So like Gino was that guy that had that bull rush that was just like a hated,

right? Like I hated going against him, you know, and respected the heck out of him. And like I said, you know, when he's in your division, you play him twice a year. He ain't going anywhere. He's in your back door. Get used to it. You know, playing him for eight years or whatever. I played him for 10 years. Like, he ain't going anywhere, neither are you.

So just get ready. It's coming, you know? So that was that aspect. JJ Watt had another, he was on another level too. I would say he had two really good moves. Really big arm over. People call it a swim move. That was huge, right?

Like his swim move was just dynamic as heck, right? Like that was just so tall and big. and then his bull rush he was very strong too not probably as strong as genos but still really really strong so like jay j had two uh two moves um domican sue was a big bull rush guy too he was very strong too very very strong bull rush um but you know like i said guys that just had the strength was always the the what you didn't like as a as a player where like they had that bull rush where you couldn't stop it because like i prided myself and be it i could stop a lot of guys where literally at the end of the play I could physically stop you.

You're not getting around me no matter what. There's just few guys that could not, I could not stop. And that's a shitty feeling for sure. Because it goes both ways, right? Like I said, you're in the run game pushing a guy against his will. Love it. You're in the facing a guy that you can't stop.

It's tough. And I watched, you know, JJ recently retired. He retired this year. And people talked about, that guy could play every position on the D-line. At one point in his career, he did. He played everywhere. So he just picked out who is the worst person on this line, and I'm going there.

I was just, yeah, yeah, for sure. I was just going to tell you, I was like, yeah, and you know where he went up where he lined up? He lined up a lot of times on the weakest link. He would watch six games of your film and find out which guy he was like, hey, I'm going to go, I'm going to go do my thing here. Yeah, you didn't like, if he's lining up you on all game, it's for a reason. Yeah. So you know when you feel it, if you're that poor guy. For sure. Yeah. And that's what, that was what makes it so hard when you are a rookie and you're starting. A lot of times you get your start because somebody's injured. Yep. And then if you have the bad luck that you're starting because somebody's injured and you're playing a team with somebody like JJ Watt, you know you're going to see the best, one of the best players you're ever going to play against all day. He's covered for you all day.

Exactly. Yeah. I mean, it's. It's dog-eat-dog out there for sure. And they're going to try. And, I mean, it's all about matchups and opportunities. And it's like, yeah, they're going to, they're going to, that's the word's going to make the most impact. Exploitation. Yeah. Yeah.

Best guard, do you, what are some of the best guards you think are in the game right now that you look at and like, damn, they're holding it down. They're future hall of famers. They've. Zach Martin comes to mind for sure for the Cowboys. Like, Zach came in and like watching his game film as a rookie was amazing. He would lock it down, like just amazing. Like he was first team all pro, made the pro bowl his rookie year. And that was for a reason.

He's a really, really like generational player for an offensive lineman. So like I got a ton of respect for Zach just because of what, like, just the standard that he said even as a rookie, like how skilled he was as a young player. I'm like, dang, he's like such a like a really good player at a young age. You know what I mean? Like coming right out at the gate, he was very, very consistent. like in past pro and in the run game. So Zach Martin definitely, gosh, and not like now that I've been out, you know, three years, I'm trying to think of older guards that were still playing. It changes so fast. Uh-huh. Like I think like Jason Kelsey for the, for the Eagles, he's a center,

but I mean, I got a lot of respect for him. He's an undersized, smaller player, but gets it done at a high level, you know, knows his body. You talked too much to Linderbom? Yeah, I did. Yep. I've gotten to know him just a little. little bit, yeah, just because, you know, the Ravens connection and, you know, they did a little media thing with me and him too and stuff like that. So, but yeah, he's, you know, Iowa kid, humble guy. I grew up in Solon, you know, just right down the road. I remember playing him in high school. Got solved pretty hard by Solon. And he was unstoppable. He was unstoppable. Yep. He was unstoppable back in the day. Yeah. I mean, he's got some, you know, he's got some skills to him where he just moves really well for

such a big guy, right? And humble, hardworking kid. You know, I'm happy that, like, he had a really good first year too, right? Didn't get injured, started every game, was consistent. And, like, for him, like, he had a really good rookie year, which I'm happy for him. Because, like, it's tough getting established when you're a younger player. Like, the skill level is usually the toughest thing, right? Playing against guys, you're like, man, every guy that I play is first team all big, or, you know, the best in the conference, right? So, happy for the kid, for sure. Yeah. Okay. So, as As you're playing, as you're playing, everybody that's in the NFL has an idea.

You've got this plan in the back of your head. Yep. Because you never know when it's going to end. But you got this idea of what, oh, I'm going to do, you know, this is what it's going to be like. But at the same time, when you're that competitive and you love the game that much, it's like knowing when to get off that, to get off that tilt-a-wirl. Yep, for sure. So what brought, like, what was the decision?

process that brought you to okay it's now's time yep uh just my injuries like like listening to my body right that was uh was my my way um 2000 so i retired in 2019 yeah so two years prior to that 2017 season i um i played uh well sorry let's go to 2016 season i tore uh my left shoulder um rotator cuff my left shoulder. So I missed like four games, 2016 season, moved to left guard from right guard and finished the season at left guard, played most of my career on the right side, never played left at all, played right tackle in college, played a little bit of left tackle in college. But making the position switch, waiting to get surgery until after the season, you know, finished the season, playing left guard, did, you know, well, made it happen,

was just stressful, though, like everything was just different, like muscle memory. Everything in my left-handed stance was like terrible. Just consider like wiping your ass with your right hand and wiping your ass with your left hand. Just do that. Go ahead and do that for an analogy for the non-football player. And that's exactly the feeling. Every muscle memory and all your footwork and everything is just off. So dealing with that was tough.

Getting through it, getting the surgery, rehabbing, coming back, and being ready for the next season, I make it two games and break my ankle two games into that 2017 season. And it's a Webreceived fracture, a spiral fracture of my fibula. I'm done. They go into the locker room because normally I could try to fight through. I fought through a shoulder surgery, the Super Bowl year too. And they're like, no, you're done for the year. So I fought through so much stress and rehab to get back, made a two games, broke my ankle,

done for the year, get surgery, I'm weightlifting. And in December, I tear my right shoulder bench pressing. And I have to get surgery in my right shoulder bench pressing after I'm already missing the entire season. I have to get another surgery. So then at this point, surgery on my left shoulder, break my ankle, surgery on my right shoulder. I'm like, okay, my body's telling me I'm about done, right? And mentally, the only thing that was really wearing me down was the rehab. So all the rehab from when you have an injury and gaining range of motion back and strengthening

that shoulder or knee or whatever joint you have, strengthening that joint again to get back to play football so hard. You're constantly on a time frame, right? because you have to get back to play that fall. So I'm on a time frame to get back as fast as I can, as strong as I can to play again. It was like, oh, I got two years to just kind of chill and wait. No, you got Domic and Sue waiting for you at the fence. Okay, get your ass ready, you know?

So it was that mentality. And to where my body was, I was doing so many rehabs, it was wearing me down mentally doing rehab. And I'm like, all right, after I ankle, shoulder, I was like, okay, I'm done with rehab. I was after this, I was mentally done. with rehab. Now I'm going into 2018 season. I'm like, I'm retiring after in 2018 if I get another injury. Like if I get another shoulder engine now, because I was already, this was three shoulder

surgeries from I did one in 12, one in 16, then one in 17. So I'm like, okay, if I get any, anything, knees, shoulders, ankles, I'm retiring in 2018 because I was like, I'm done with rehab, not rehab, another injury. So I made it all 2018, completely healthy, had a good year health-wise and had fun again. Like, got to play the whole year and not have to go through an injury. So, okay, I said, all right, I was great. I'm grateful.

Now 2019 season comes. Now I'm like, I'm giving a thought. You know, this is months of thought, right? Not just like a, not just an armchair decision. They're like, okay, now I'm retiring no matter what after this year, no matter what happens. If I make it 100% healthy and we go, you know, undefeated and win the Super Bowl, we go 0 and 16th does not matter.

I'm retiring no matter what. Because, like, I just know that, you're cheating the clock correct yeah like it's kind of you know i'm a compound interest guy and like things compound and i'm getting older i'm 30 you know i'm 35 36 you're playing the best in the world and they're in their 20s and this is a it's a violent game violent you know so it's like i know there's a lot of wear and tear in my body so we go 14 and two and we lose the titans and it was hard on me you know we're like hey we're you know a really good team but still everything is preparation given a thought there's a plan there's a problem there's a prize

you set goals, you write things down, you're prepared. I was prepared to retire and I did. So I walked away when, and I luckily, and like I said, it's about perspective and I was grateful that I made it two years without being injured. So I made it. My last two years got to finish playing football at a high level and starting every game is a priority to me. It's a show of accountability that you can count on me to be there and I'll fight through some small stuff along the way for sure, but I'm going to try to start every game. So doing that, I'm like, I'm grateful for my time. Now walk away before you push it too hard.

And also in my time, I'd never made it three seasons in a row without a major injury in the NFL ever. And I made it 17 and 18. I'm sorry, I made it 18 and 19. And I go into 20 would have been year 14 and try to make it never done before in my life. Try to make it being 36 and a year 14. Try to make it another year injury free. Wasn't going to happen in my mind. Wasn't going to happen.

Yeah, there was a chance of what have happened. But then also, like I said, I was super grateful to play 13. I'm like, wow, I've gotten to play 13 years. With the same team. Yeah, with the same team. Got to win a Super Bowl, got to play the level style of play I wanted to play for a very long time. And it's like now it's about my family and I didn't want to get like, because, you know, people have neck injuries.

People have, I mean, look at DeMarne Hamlin. Yeah. I didn't even, you know, that has been so far from us, but that stuff can happen. Right. This is life. So it's like, you know, it's a violence. game where I was not willing to get it, have another injury and then risk having to be a major injury where I just got, like I said, I'm quitting while your head is not quitting,

right? Yeah. I was very, very, very grateful. I, and the cool thing about that was, you know, your last season was probably one of the most fun seasons you had because you got to run the ball, 40, 50 times a game, you know. Yeah, for one three, for three hours when we lost to Tennessee, it was terrible. But for six months, we got to have. fun. Yeah. You know what I mean? We got to break the rushing record.

We got to win in Seattle. We got to, you know, get after it on Monday night football in the Coliseum in L.A. You know, we just kicked the snot out of the Rams and, like, rushed for like, I don't know, 200 and some yards. And like, so, yeah, all those memories for six months. And when you're winning like that, the whole building's bubbly. When everybody went, when we win, everybody's happy. So you got to have fun for six months and also understand that, like, that's, that's more important, you know, because like at the end of the day, it's, you know, it's, it adds up for sure.

What has been the biggest adjustment since you're tired? Do you miss that beard that you, you know, that ginger beard there you had? I don't miss the beard. I don't because, you know, I was a big guy for so long. Like, I liked the beard where, you know, it was just, it was a routine too. It's also like, you know, the old little giants intimidation factor. You know, I got to see like the older, like back in the day, the Patriots all had one year, they all had beards.

like Logan Mankin's Matt Light and Connolly and Kaiser. They all had beard, so I was like, I want to be like those guys. That's cool. You know, they're all got the burly beard. So I had my burly beard for a long time. It's just nice to have something different. You know, life's about variety and change. It's just nice to shave and feel my face a little bit.

And too, like it's nice being lighter too, right? Like I'm 50, 60 pounds lighter. And I just feel so much better too. You know, you feel, you look so much like, I feel like I look better too. I'm like, I'm just not so big. Like when you're three bills and, you know, year I was 320, like there's nowhere to hide. You're sweating all the time.

You're huge. You're built to push people around. You're not really built to, you know, be in the heat. You know, clothes aren't supposed to fit. You know, stuff is, you know, you're just a big human, you know. So it's nice a close fit and you just feel a lot better. So, I mean, that's been the advantages. The biggest change, yeah, it's just like I said, I thought about football all the time.

Like every, you know, every minute, every 10 minutes, I'm thinking about, you know, all the everything that I can, you know, control and am I doing everything to the fullest? So it's nice that that left me, which was nice. Like, like, I don't have those guys to block anymore. You know what I mean? I thought about like, like we played Aaron Donovan on Monday night football my last year. The schedule comes out and you're like, oh, yeah, we got Aaron Dodd on Monday night football. I'm like, here we go.

It's a big test. You know what I mean? And you can get embarrassed on Monday night football. So you think about that in the back of your mind all year long. You know what I mean? Oh, yeah. we got him on Monday night football. You better be ready. So like that mentality and that mindset and that thinking, you don't have to prepare for those battles anymore, right? Those, you're not blocking

those guys anymore. So it's, so the nice thing was that that left me to where I don't have that, that competitive, you know, edge in the back of my mind all the time. So yeah, so that's been nice and just focus on the family, right? Like I said, I, we have, you know, everybody that are parents nowadays have tough tasks of raising, you know, kids in this, this environment now, right? Like with screen time and just the way the world is now that, like, you know, my priority is like making sure our kids are raised, right, and that they have a good work ethic and that they're respectful and, you know, matter what they can do, that they can talk and communicate to people, whatever they want to do, as long as they can talk still to people and not, you know, keep their head down and not look

people in the eye and give a good handshake and just, you know, just be able to communicate. So, like, raising our, that's my, like, that's my focus, right, as our kids for the next, you know, 10 years or and plus like I want to make sure I do my job right as well as also you know our lifestyle and our environment in the NFL like you have to be careful you know like our kids are are not raised the you know like normal kids right so like I have a duty and so does my wife like we have a job to do on making sure that they're raised the right way and staying humble right and staying grounded no matter what the condition so that and my biggest challenge would probably be um you know just turning off that so like you said sometimes i want to be over critical or over um like uh setting my

ocd almost on everything i want to do i want to make everything like routine and do like with football where like that can get a little uh little rough on the wife at home you know right where like you know she was uh she was happy to have me you know gone once in a while you know football and uh and like you know because like i said i'm kind of a kind of an anal guy uh you know just set my way to where I want everything done a certain way. That's tough all the time, right? So, and then we're in the transition too where me and Shannon and my wife

we're around each other all the time now, too. You know, so our, you know, our lifestyle has changed big time too. And everything's going really, really well. But like I said, we just fight some, me having to just relax once in a while. Take a deep breath, just chill. Okay, you know, like you're not, you know,

not in that environment anymore. And we're, yeah, so I'd say that'd be one of the challenges. She torture you by taking you on trips? and not giving you an itinerary ahead of time and saying, we're just going to wing it? Yeah, well, she's, well, yeah, like, well, and the thing is, yeah, she, uh, we, well, we can't though nowadays, right? You gotta have, she got to have some schedule otherwise, like, I, I will know,

we, uh, we, uh, we, no, we can't do that yet. I can't handle that, you know, I've got to have some structure, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But she does a lot of the planning, though, too, which is good. So, I mean, I can't fault her for that. But yeah, so it's, it's, uh, it's been good. So you, you enjoy, you enjoy fishing a little bit.

Yep. and hunting a little bit. Yeah, I love to fish and hunt. Which is your, what is your, what's your best hunting or fishing trip that you've taken? Yeah. And maybe what is your dream? What's something you'd like to do on your bucket list in those, those hobbies? So I fished more than I hunted, obviously just because of football, you just didn't have time to hunt. You know, you're busy from July to February with football every day.

So I fished more. So I love to fish, and I love to hunt too, but I've, I've, just fish so much that that's just in my blood more at this time. Now I'm really getting into hunting white tails and got to, you know, shoot a really nice buck three falls ago on our property with a bow, which was great. So I love that as well. So I would say my favorite fishing is, so I take a trip. Usually I go to Rainy River up in northern Minnesota and we fish like a spring walleye bite. And I like to go up there and jig fish for walleyes. I grew up fishing in a river, you know, the Wopsy, Pentecan River in Anamosa, mom would drop me off at the dam and I would

cast jigs with a couple of friends, you know, town kids ride their bikes down. I'd spend all day, she'd pack me lunch and I'd fish. So like, I love to fish. Um, fishing a jig and a river walleye fishing. That's where I love. I like the bass fish too. I love smallmouth fishing. Um, but yeah, that. And then I've also gotten into, I did a ton of ice fishing. You know, we would ice fish after the season. Um, we would go fishing up at Lake Winnipeg, a ton. We used to do that a bunch, you know, before the kids got real, real busy. And so that, what else? What I'm looking forward to, what I do look forward to, I like to go tuna fishing in Mexico. So I got into Yellowfin tuna fishing in Mexico and I absolutely love that. Like, that's fun where I have a good buddy that

has a condo down there with his wife. And I stay down there and fish with him and me and him fish together. And we get to go after those tunas, which, like, if you've ever been in the saltwater, saltwater fish, are just like... Different level. Yeah, like they're just workhorses, power horses, right? Like anything you catch, they, pound for pound, they just fight like crazy. So I love to do that. I went down this winter and we had a really good trip and I usually bring back some tuna steak.

Kind of like a D-Linman. Yes. Yes, exactly. Yes, just built for sure. Make you earn it. Yeah. And then I'm actually one of my old teammates. I'm going on first like hunting outside of Iowa.

I'm going on a caribou hunt in Alaska. That would be awesome. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm going to like, uh, I heard that they all migrate together and they come in at one time. And if you miss it, yeah, gone. They're, you never going to see another one. I've heard they're, they're very nomadic.

Yeah. Yeah. Like here today, gone tomorrow. We're like, when they're here, they're like, oh, you got a thousand to pick from. No big deal. Like, this is easy. But then like they, and they, then next day, they're gone. They're 10, 15 miles like the other.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's, yeah. So we're going to, we're going to chase that dynamic. But like, excited to just see Alaska a little bit and go on that hunt with Jared. So I'm doing that. So I'm looking forward to that. Yeah. You loved Alaska. Yeah, we, I've never been very far inland.

We took a cruise up there with a deal my wife does. And I really wasn't, you know, like I'm one of these people. The older I get, the less I like being cold. So I'm like, I like going somewhere warm. But I wanted to go. I was all about going. But I have to say it's one of those places. that to take a camera, you could just throw the camera away. Because no picture you're going to take in Alaska, when you show it to somebody and they go, oh, yeah, that's neat. It does not do it justice, just the grandeur of everything and the size of everything. And it's just, yeah, I'd go back tomorrow.

And we are going to go back. But yeah, you'll love it. It's amazing. Yeah. Just don't feed the bears. No doubt for sure. So what's ahead of you besides these awesome hunting trips and besides Canton, Ohio?

What, I mean, is there, you feel, I feel like you're this guy that's been, you, you're playing at this high level and you're disciplined and you're kind of addicted to that discipline. Yeah. Is there some industry you want to go in that you can maybe try to find that, try to be the best at it, you know what I mean? Yeah. I know, yep. Well, and I, and I, yeah, I think about that too, you know, and it's, and the tough thing is, right?

Like, right now, I think about, you know, what do I really like to do? And I do love, like, the outdoors. Like, I do love, like, the hunting and fishing. And I'm also, like, just like being outdoors, right, in general, right? Like, I just, I'm a guy that, like, likes to be just doing things outdoors, working with my hands, fixing things. Like, I definitely enjoy that process. And also, like, I really enjoy farming. You know, I do. like I'm, you know, spending time with my dad and spending time on the farm that I was raised on. Yeah. And like, and as I get older, I just kind of, you know, that means more to me, right? That like the sacrifices and the generation is not just my dad, but like my grandpa and my, my great grandpa.

My dad's, my dad's grandpa, you know, just like the amount of hard work. The legacy. The amount of hard work that they put in to sacrifice for the farm and for their family, you know, that's something that I think about. more that I'm grateful for. I'm, you know, I'm not just grateful for my dad, but I'm grateful for that entire generations of a family that worked extremely hard. Think about how hard those generations were. Like, like, I consider like, I got it easy now compared to what two generations ago was, you know, going through the Depression or through a world war, like, you know, fighting in a war, right? Like, the adversity that people went through back then to get where we are today, like, there

a ton of like hard work and sacrifice that like I'm very grateful for right that the opportunities that I have as a kid you know like having a meal on the table every single day right like when I played football you know and guys in the NFL some guys grew up homeless yeah grow up like trying to find a meal every single day and you're not you're not exposed to that in Iowa right like as far as like me seeing that in a in a small town but like hearing about that and people actually willing to talk about that that makes you appreciate like well yeah I never had to worry about a meal on my on on my table like I always had supper I always had breakfast I always had like and the farm provided that for us for our family and the people that worked the farm and sacrificed the time

that was provided that was you know that was sacrificed you know for us right and like I said like I think about that more now than that I ever have so that's definitely farming's in in my in my blood and and the outdoors is in my blood and and probably those two for right now some uh some dynamic of that and figuring that out. But like I said, right now, I also know that, like, my priority right now is my kids. You know what I mean? And luckily, I'm also feel fortunate that, like, I can give them by 100% attention, right? Like, when we go to ball games, we're all in.

Like, when we do stuff together, like, we're 100% participants. You know, we're going to be at every ballgame, every event. And I feel like I said, again, I feel grateful that we don't have to miss that stuff. Yeah, you're able to do that. raise the kids. And then, you know, you never know, like, too, like I love football too. So, I mean, I don't know if that will ever be in my, I don't know, but I just do know that I can't start football because that's too much time away from my kids. Like the time that you give up as a coach is a lot. So I definitely know that I can't even scratch that itch until, um, until the kids, yeah,

the kids possibly go to college. But yeah, but like I said, so those are kind of, you know, farming, outdoors, possibly football. Those are probably, those are options. That's the most important part. So that's good. Well, I think we're going to wrap it up here. But there's one final question I got to ask. Oh, geez.

What equipment do the Yonda's run? Case or deer? We are red. Okay. There you go. Just pissed off half the audience. Half the audience. Good thing we're at the end.

I knew that guy was smart. I knew he was smart. I got a little food plot tractor and it's a case, little 75A farmal. And like it, I was contemplating getting like a one boy, there was like a good deal on a John Deer and my dad and my uncle and my cut. They're like, no, you can't buy green. Now, they did have a green cornhead at one time. You know what I mean? Only because it was a good deal.

I couldn't pass it out. There you go. Exactly. I know that story. They're still conservative. but like we've always had at least of my type a case combine. I want to say they did way back in the day have a New Holland for one year. But the famous story with that was, though,

you never took your gloves off or your coat when you were in it because you were going to be out working on it so you didn't take your gloves off. My uncle said that. I thought that was funny. But yeah, so yeah, they plant, they just got a planting tractor. Yeah, we're case. Yeah, there you go. I heard the case tractors better combine.

Deer. That's what people said. I don't know. I've heard that too. I've heard that more. I've heard that more too. They see the caters. Yeah, Tractors. You got to go case. Combine. Yeah, I'm trying to, I'm trying to get the people back on here. Yeah. Get everybody involved. So okay. Good for you. Well, we really appreciate you coming on and telling your story. It's, it's amazing. And I told, I told Jason Eggley that his stock went up. Yeah. Because I said, you got a little bit. I said, you got a little bit of wedge on me now because you got me in contact with Marshall Yontas. I said, I got to give you a little bit of credit for that. Yeah, Jason's a good dude. Yeah, he is a good dude. Thanks for having me. Like I said, I mean, I'm always, you know, always willing to give my time and it's a pretty cool place. You know,

it's neat, neat what you guys got going on and looking to help. And yeah, it's pretty cool. We appreciate it. Really appreciate it. See you guys next week for another episode.