Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules - Dude Faulk

Episode Date: February 14, 2026

We're covering legendary running back, Marshall Faulk! Gronk and Julian Edelman discuss what made Marshall Faulk so great and some of their favorite stories.Support the show: https://hoo.be/dudesondudesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can scroll the headlines all day and still feel empty. I'm Ben Higgins, and if you can hear me, is where culture meets the soul. Honest conversations about identity, loss, purpose, peace, faith, and everything in between. Celebrities, thinkers, everyday people, some have answers. Most are still figuring it out. And if you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, this show is for you. Listen to if you can hear me on my iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Over the last couple years, didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by black people because of what happened in Alabama?

This Black History Month, the podcast Selective Ignorance with Mandy B, unpacked black history and culture with comedy, clarity, and conversations that shake the status quo. The Crown Act in New York was signed in July of 2019, and that is a bill that was passed to prohibit discrimination based on hair styles associated with race. To hear this and more, listen to Selective Ignorance with Mandy B from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Bowen-Yang. And I'm Matt Rogers. During this season of the Two Guys Five Rings podcast,

in the lead-up to the Milan-Cortina-26 Winter Olympic Games, we've been joined by some of our friends. Hi, Bob, how Matt. Hey, Elmo. Hey, Matt, hey, Bowen. Hi, Cookie. Hi. Now, the Winter Olympic Games are underway,

and we are in Italy to give you experiences from our hearts to your ears. Listen to Two Guys Five Rings. on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?

I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind games. a new podcast exploring NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he would go on to play college football at San Diego State,

where he was a two-time All-American. He played for the Indianapolis Colts, your favorite team, Julian, from 1994 to 1990. 1998 and the St. Louis Rams from 1999 to 2005. The greatest show on turf, he was sure part of. Actually, he was the show on turf, baby. He was drafted as the little trivia as the what, just take a guess, one through four. Two, ding, ding, ding, you are correct.

He was drafted as a second overall pick in 1990, between three and five. Four. Ninety-four NFL draft, that is correct. You're a genius, Jules. He was widely regarded, no wonder, why you could play freaking defense and offense at the same time. No way. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

And in your mind, he was. I think he's the greatest of all time. There we go. He has your heart. He was known for his speed, power, and ability to excel both as a rusher and a receiver. He was named NFL MVP in 2000. Three offensive player of the year awards and a Super Bowl championship. He was elected to the pro-holy football.

Hall of Fame in 2011, which was my fantasy football season that I dominated. So Marshall Falk and I, we have a connection. 2011. He went into the Hall of Fame 2011. I had my best fantasy football season, baby. Oh, we on the same page. So we're on to Marshall Falk. Oh, oops, oops. Oops. I gave it away. I'm so sorry. Oh, he is still regarded as one of the best fantasy football running backs of all time, but fantasy football was even that big in the 90s and 2000s. But He's still regarded as one of the best. That's how good he was, Jules. We're on to Marshall Falk.

Marshall Falk. First thing that comes to mind when I think about Marshall Falk. It's what, Jules? What comes to your mind? I know he has your heart. I know he's your favorite running back of all time. I know you think he's the best running back of all time in your heart. I think you watch Marshall Falk.

He reminds you of Barry Sanders. And he also, like, he had the stop go. He was really good at cutting back. he had really great vision. He's bigger than what you thought. And then you throw in the past game where he is the original. I mean, there's Roger Craig and those old West Coast, but he was like the original fucking personnel problem guy

where like he got thousand. I think he did the thousand thousand. He did that one time, but he had a lot like 800, 900, 400, 500, 400, 5. Like he was a pivotal part of their past game. He was great in the run game. like, and he didn't get hurt. He was healthy his whole career.

Like, he didn't miss games. That's like unreal, especially how he played. I mean, he missed a game here or two, but he didn't have any significant time message. So, like, he's, I think one of the, he's probably, because of that, this is a newer style football of being someone that is using the past game. It was super kind of like not known when Roger Craig

and those old 49ers and those bills teams, those running shoe teams and West Coast team. It wasn't like normal. After Marshall Falk, people were trying to make Marshall Falk. And then you get LTs and then you get the Christian McCaffreys. It is because Marshall Falk, man, took it to a whole other level. I mean, I think he just, you know, miss only,

you were talking about how prolific of a player he was in sustainability. I think he just missed only 16 games in his 12 years of playing and at the running back position, getting what, what, 30 plus carries a game, getting tackled that many times and just to miss 16 games out of 12 seasons is just incredible. All those catches as well running full speed downhill, a linebacker running full speed at you and getting blown up and just still being able to be that sustainable and have that long longevity is just out of control.

And the synopsis, the AI also missed that he was a seven-time pro bowler. He was a three-time all pro. You know, he was rookie of the year in 1994 as well. So right when he got on the scene, was producing, man. He was not a bust at all. Obviously, not a bus. We're talking about him as a great of all time, but he was producing right away, so he made that GM feel

very good right from the beginning. Greatest show on turf, obviously, that's what you think of him whenever you hear about him, which was one of the coolest, you know, names that you could be, you know, associated with in all of football. And what's great about Marshall Fogg

and L.T. as well, is that these guys were the running backs when the running back position was the absolute cheat. Like everyone wanted to be a running back growing up. Best player. Not really anymore, but this. Coming back.

It's coming back. It is coming back. Look at all the great tears right now. Where these guys, where everyone growing up, even if you were a defense alignment, you still wanted to be a running back. I was a tight end. I wanted to be a running back because of these guys, L.T. and Marshall Falk, baby. No, without a doubt.

Isn't it crazy to think? He played with Peyton Manning. Hey, Manning? Yeah, he played his last year. All this shit too, though. Yeah. No, but he, no one remembers him. Everyone, everyone forgets about how good of a Colt he was.

He's got his, his jerseys in the rafters. He played four years there, and they retired his jersey. He was rookie of the year. His first game on the scene goes for 134, three touchdown debut. Like, that's crazy. He just, he was a fucking machine. He hit you, like a, he, He hit you with the run, run, long run, hit you at the backfield.

Talk about seam route. We talked about seam route with LT. He ran seam routes. He ran po. I saw him run a bang A, a post from the outside, which is a real receiver route. He used to run real receiver routes. Now, they always throw this, this running back can run routes like a receiver, which, you know. Which is rare.

Like you can't, you can tell when it's a running back that split out wide, especially in this era. Even now, no, a lot of guys, even the analysts will say this. guy runs he's got routes like a receiver but no not sure no that analyst is wrong yeah marshal fogg though he had routes like a receiver yes he did he had routes like a receiver if you can run a post route split out wide and run a post route as a running back that means you got routes like a wide receiver that he i mean in cuts out cuts option routes the typical route for running back right now five yard hits route freaking uh who started one step turn around what's that call again real quick like the quick pass you just stepped one

turn screen yeah a little screen rip screen to you they also a little angles and the seams out of the backfield marshall falk was running the whole entire freaking route tree route tree yes that's for sure i mean in two 1999 1,300 yards rushing a 1,048 receiving chris johnson broke his record in 2009 though 2,500 yards man i i forgot how good chris johnson oh ch j 2k babe yeah he did that that that was crazy that year. The greatest show on turf year,

1999 to 2001, he had 59 touchdowns, six, or the greatest show on turf had 59 touchdowns, 6,756 yards of offense. And he won the MVP in 2000. Who won the MVP? No, that's his stats.

That's his stats. Oh, redo that. The three-year run in, the three-year run in St. Louis with the greatest show on turf, 1999 through 2001. He had 59 touchdowns,

6,756 yards at offense, and he won MVP in 2000. And a Super Bowl. That is an elite three years. Now, that's a show, if you ask me. I mean, Marshall Falk made playing on turf cool, even though playing on turf wasn't cool.

Like, everyone wanted turf fields in high school because of Marshall Falk and the greatest show on turf. But you get so bruised and banged up playing on turf that it was the worst idea ever to even step on turf. And it was old turf. You know what's crazy? He was on old turf and he played that many games

and didn't miss that many games. That is crazy. That is like, that's built differently. You want to hear a little cool fun fact? John Payton was his running back coach at the San Diego State University when he was there playing running back. How does a guy create it? That's crazy.

You know what? know what it tells you, there's a lot of unscouted guys in Georgia. If he went to San Diego State or there's a lot of unscouted guys in Louisiana if he's going to San Diego State. Well, talk about getting unscouted. He only had one offer. That's what I mean. Yeah, and it was to San Diego State. That's what I mean.

You get, that's how much talent there is probably goes unseen in Louisiana. I mean, you went unseen and you were California. We got a lot of big people. It's a big state. But you weren't that good in high school. I was pretty nice. Yeah. But also his high school, they were kind of like a heavy passing offense as well.

Like they didn't really. Okay. But he must have not been that great in high school, though, because if you're that great, you kind of like changed from going to a heavy passing offense. Like, you know, let's hand the ball off. Like this guy's a hundred times better. But like he must have really burst onto the scene at San Diego State University. Like once he got in the college, kind of like you, Jules, a little bit.

Not everyone is a beast from the beginning. Late bloomers, they call it. Yeah. I'm telling you this. It's better to be a late bloomer than an early bloomer. How about? I can tell you that right now. It sucks to be the greatest as a young buck and then you don't make it.

No. So late bloomers. I'm a late bloomer. I think you just bloomed. Yeah. He sold popcorn at the Superdome as a kid. How crazy is that? That is pretty crazy.

But that's a lot of stories. That just shows because that just shows his work ethic just as a kid. that's installed into him and that's like that's what makes you great like I was a paper boy growing up and I took that route personal and I wanted to make sure everyone had that paper on their front porch when they woke up in the morning with the coffee in their hand opening up the door like the hard work and dedication was just installing to you as a young kid and that's just like Marshall Fox selling popcorn at the Superdome he wanted the job and he wanted to get it done you ever have any crazy jobs as a kid I was a paper boy I was also an umpire as a kid and uh

I was a I cooked let me see your strike three let me see your strike three you out of here mother trucker because you used to ring these kids I used to do I used to umpire at college in Kent and I used to ring up these kids all the time how I'd change it up certain kid lefty I mean I got in a real you sound like a like a true pro right there that's you you love like Yeah. You love the animated effects and you sounded like, oh, you got me there. Shit, I just struck out over here with that strike guy. I would over here to ring these little kids up, send them home.

Oh, hey, it'll be, oh, be, don't be thinking that ain't a strike kid. Hold on, back to Marshall Falk. I mean, there's one. Yeah, I got a real pickle ones. Doing what? Let's hear it. I like pickles. Yeah.

Especially Angelica pickles, Rugrats. do do do do no she she was mean actually yeah that pickles was mean all right all right back to your pickle oh oh oh Tommy pickles too Tommy pickles is my favorite oh pickle like you're in baseball like yeah yeah you're that type of pickle okay literally so that was my favorite you ever play running bases growing up 100 yeah it's all about being a pickle because kids love to play that game pickle in this specific league there was a rule where they couldn't, like, the catcher couldn't sit and fake throw the ball at first. So, like, they had to throw it back

and the runner couldn't advance to try to eliminate, to try to eliminate pickle. So one time the kids are doing it, and all of a sudden, I tell the catcher, I'm like, kid, throw it back to the pitcher, he ain't going nowhere. Well, he throws it back, the kid takes off. And I'm like, oh, fuck.

And so all of a sudden, they throw it and the kid it goes over the kid's second baseman the kid gets all the way to third and all of a sudden the coach is yelling at the catcher why did you throw it back? And the kid looks at me and he goes the ump told me to throw it back

and so I'm sitting there I got this coach over here and there's another coach over there and I'm like yeah you got to go back to first all of a sudden this coach comes out like what the hell is you talking about he's on third He's on I was like, no, he's got to go back

I told the kid to throw him back. You know the rule. We can't do that. And I almost had to get suspended as an umpire because this guy filed a report like, oh, this guy can't do it. So I'm sitting there, this little kid, as soon as the pitcher comes back and I get under there and it's just me and him because you know you have a relationship with the catcher when you're behind the plate.

I go, bro, didn't your friends ever teach you about snitches? And the kid goes, what? I was like nothing. Strike. But fucking old, yeah. Having a job as a kid, I mean, it teaches you a lot of values. I mean, it sure does. You know, especially Marshall Falk selling popcorn at the Superdome.

All right. And then just a little scouting port that I have on Marshall Falk, just watching some of his film, highlight film, his top plays is that obviously he has a high football IQ to be able to, you know, come out of the backfield and run all the routes and also to be able to carry the ball and know how to hit the gaps. You got to know the whole game of football.

When you're that versatile of a player, you've got to have a high football IQ, which a lot of football players, obviously, have a high football IQ, but he had it to a whole other level, and he's so elusive on the field. He makes defenders miss. But the one thing I really loved about him

was he had one of the best spin moves, man. Spin move with the charts. He's just smooth with it, too. Remember when we were watching some research, and there was a clip of Mike Martz. Remember we were talking, he was the head coach, he was the greatest show,

turf. Yeah, I remember what did he say about him? What do you say? Well, come on. Tell him, Charles. They have all these notes for installation. And Marshall's got all these pens out and he's got very critique notes and using different colors for different positions, different players. And I guess Marshall looks back at the guy, the team and he goes, how the hell is no one else writing notes? Because look at all this information. You know, that's the kind of guy he was. He was a smart, hardworking dude that worked his balls off for everything he had. It wasn't like he was just that.

I mean, he was that guy, but it's crazy. He, I mean, he rival, I used to love Barry Sanders. And then, you know, I, I just remember as a kid, this guy, Marshall Falk was just so crazy elite. He reminded me a little bit of Barry Sanders with his cutting and his, he could drop his weight and stuff. He was taller. He wasn't as short as Barry, but like, he was kind of like Barry Sanders.

and then he was also a really good receiver. Yeah, he was like a little bit thicker than Barry Sanders, but also he can go out and run routes. Yeah, it's crazy. Which is nuts. That's why, like, I was thinking about it, and we were watching all this research, and I'm sitting there, I'm like, dude, this is like,

probably one of the best, this is the best guy of all time. Look at these plays. He is. And just talking about us. But it's crazy. Then you watch Jim Brown. You watch Walter Payton. I don't know if it's just because I just watched it.

So many good running backs, bro. So many good. It's hard to decide and decipher like who's number one. But just talk about his football IQ. I mean, look at this quote from Sean Payton. He knew not only the offensive side of the football, but also the defensive protections. And he knew the quarterback play as well,

and he studied it hard. That's just from Sean Payton. Michael Strahan said he was a coach out there. He's quoted saying that. So like, that just shows how smart of a player he was, and that's what took his game to a whole other level as well. So just speaking of that, Jules, what type of guy

is Marshall Falk? What kind of dude? What kind of dude is he? What kind of dude is Marshall Falk? I mean, he hits a lot of things. These running backs are over talking about them. None of them are actually like freaks. Like, none of them stand out to you like that. Like I would say like Garrett Blunt was a freak because he like he was like

six four. Derek Henry. Yeah, Derek Henry is a freak. Like these guys aren't freaks like that. I mean, they're not, no, but they had, it's, it's freaky that it's freaky what they're doing, but they're not freaks in our type of categories. It's pretty freaky how healthy he was for how much football he played. I mean, he's got some dog tendencies. He's clearly a freaking stud. But when I think of him, I think of him as an innovative guy. We're on the same page, brother, same page. He pretty much. Just how smart he was. Smart and how he's changed the running back position to what it's become now. Look at.

Take Juan Barkley out of the backfield. Look at Christian McCaffrey out of the back field. You know, it's such a pivotal part of a lot of these offenses, a running back. They usually have a two-headed monster. You know, Detroit has, you know, Montgomery and Gibbs and Alger and, and Robinson and Atlanta.

These two, this guy did all three downs and was just as good as all those guys and better at a lot of these, and everyone at both of them. Like, that's how good Marshall Falk was. he invented a position. He evolved the running back position. That's why I think he's a whiz. Hey, I'm on the same page and just his football IQ

and just to coaches and former players that just talk about how smart he was and how he knows everything that's going out, you know, going on on the football field. That takes your game to a whole other level. I mean, you can be an freak of an athlete, you know, but if you don't know what to do out on the football field, you're not a good football player. You can be less of an athlete,

but you know what's going on with the game of football. And he wasn't less of an athlete. You can be that much better than the guy that's more athletic than you out on the football field. You're a better football player because of that. And what's also crazy is Marshall Falk had 760 receptions in his career for 600. More than me. In 7875 yards, Julian, in the regular season. You had 620 receptions only for 6,822 yards.

And he was a running back and he had more receptions and yards than you, which is obviously. of control. I'm not saying anything against you. I'm just saying that's how good Marshall Falk was back in the day. And guess what? They didn't throw the ball as much either back in that era, you know, back in the late 90s, 2000. We'd also be so crazy not to mention one thing. Kay Falk's cousin. Kevin Falk was his cousin. They're just, they're just running back. Huh? Kevin Fulke's his cousin. That's the, that would they just, they thought bloodline. They have some crazy running backs that know how to catch out of the backfield in that bloodline. And run the ball as well.

Well, I mean, K. Falk, all of our past game was the K Falk. It was. And he was like one of the most elite punt returners. And he was one of the smartest players on the football field as well. These Falks. He knew what was going out. He knew what the linemen were doing, what the quarterback was doing. What the fuck?

What the fuck? How are you guys so smart? And good. Yeah. And freaking great teammates as well. Yeah. Great teammates. Well, what kind of dude is he, Jules?

You ready? On three. One. Two. Three. Whiz. You can scroll the headlines all day and still feel empty. I'm Ben Higgins, and if you can hear me, is where culture meets the soul.

Honest conversations about identity, loss, purpose, peace, faith, and everything in between. Celebrities, thinkers, everyday people, some have answers. Most are still figuring it out. And if you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, this show is for you. Listen to, if you can. can hear me on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Over the last couple years, didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by black people because of what happened in Alabama?

This Black History Month, the podcast, Selective Ignorance with Mandy B, unpacked black history and culture with comedy, clarity, and conversations that shake the status quo. The Crown Act in New York was signed in July of 2019, and that is a bill that was passed to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race. this and more. Listen to Selective Ignorance with Mandy B from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeartRadio Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Bowen-Yang. And I'm Matt Rogers. During this season of the

Two Guys Five Rings podcast, in the lead-up to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, we've been joined by some of our friends. Hi, Bob, how not. Hey, Elmo. Hey, Matt, hey, Bowen. Hi, Kirkie. Hi. Now, the Winter Olympic Games are underway, and we are in Italy to give you experiences from our hearts to your ears. Listen to two guys five rings on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What if mind control is real?

If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? They gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. When you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming.

Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.