Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules - Dudes on Troy Aikman

Episode Date: May 30, 2026

We're covering legendary Quarterback, Troy Aikman! Gronk, Julian Edelman, and Rob Ninkovich discuss what makes Troy Aikman so great and some of their favorite stories.Support the show: https://hoo.be/dudesondudesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey guys, it's us The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

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Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So, Nico, this is how it works. Now we have a guess. Usually Julian and I break down two guys. Two guys or three guys we usually break down, talk about them for 10 minutes. But since you're the guests, we're just going to do one guy that we're going to break down.

You have the one guy that you brought. Okay. Yeah. And before we get started, I read an AI summary about the guy just to give a little glimpse of who we're going to talk about. I'm not. Here we go.

All right. And the reason why I read it is because Julian's reading. There we go. There we go. Yeah, I remember. I knew Nanko was probably going to say that, so I just wanted to get ahead of the game. Can't read in front of people. Yeah.

I can't read. Can't. He can read a play ball. Hey. Standing at six foot four inches and weighing 220 pounds. This Hall of Fame quarterback was selected first overall in the 1989 draft the year that I was born and went on to lead his team to three Super Bowl championships. Wow.

He earned six Pro Bowl selections and was the MVP of Super Bowl. 27, cementing his status as a clutch performer in big moments. Raised in California and Oklahoma, he starred at UCLA. In high school, he was an all-state football player and also a standout shortstop. Since retiring, he's been a fixture in the broadcast booth and even launched his own beer in 2022. Let's get on. Troy.

You. And Nenko. I love Troy. Why did you pick Troy Aikman for the dudes. that you want to get all over on. So I picked Troy Aikman because number one, when you're a kid, you're influenced by the best teams and the winners, right?

So when I was a kid, I grew up in Chicago, the suburbs of Chicago, the bears sucked, right? They had Cade McDonne, and they were just terrible. Remember? Another UCLA guy.

So for me, the Cowboys were the team. So I had like the bed spread and I had the cowboys like in the bedroom, like all the, you know, I had the border around my room, the Cowboys at Emmett Smith on the wall, Troy Aikman, Irving, Michael Irving. So, you know, for me, I just- Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy Johnson, yeah, I mean, I didn't have a poster of them, but I had great hair. Still does.

Great hair. Still does. Looking fly. So, and he was just, like, Troy Aikman is just a tough, tough quarterback. Like, he was a guy that would just take a big lick and just keep going, right? Just gritty. And, you know, I had a chance to talk to him a couple times that, beer company that he's got me. I do believe, like, he sent me a whole, like,

beer and stuff. I was so pumped. I'm like, Troy Edmund sent me a beer. What's, what type of beer is it? It's a light. How does it separate from other beers? Well, his beer is a light logger. It's very light. Because he's got light lager here. He's a health conscious guy. Like, if you watch his social media stuff, he's jacked for, you know, how old is. 58. 58. Like, he looks great. He looks great. He does. And, you know, if, unfortunately, he had to leave the game a little early because of the head stuff that he was taking. He doesn't sound like when he talks. Yeah. Sounds great. Talks well.

He does a great job on television. And, you know, I think he's one hell of a dude. You ever meet him? I've never met him in person. You never met Trey. No. Maybe one day. Maybe one day.

You ever talk to him? Actually, I take that back. What would you do? The pregame stuff. Yeah. I met him at one of those. And I was like, star strong. I think we were in Cincinnati.

I think we played in Cincinnati. That was the game that remember like we had that monsoon. It was literally like 13. Yes. We were coming back. It was the last drive. and we couldn't it just started out of it we had a we had a fumble we created a fumble right there i think dev yeah created a fumble we got the ball back we couldn't and we couldn't we couldn't throw it couldn't

throw the ball like literally it was we got craziest rain we had the craziest rain storm right when we got the ball yeah i think vani holiday had a strip sack on tom i was heard now if you ever if you ever met what would is your first question be to him uh probably just uh you know how did you how did you stay so successful for so many years when you guys were the team. And like we were the team, but that's like the team. And that was in the 90s too. And they were back to back Super Bowl champions. So I think it was 92, 93. And then that was the team that beat up. They killed Buffalo. And I don't know if you've seen the documentary, the four falls of Buffalo. Yeah. It's kind of depressing. Very sad. Sad from Buffalo. I know. Oh, yeah. Remember.

But I was so young. I know. I don't remember any of that. Like I literally. I don't remember any of that when that all happened. My last game was Atlanta, which is good, which is good, right? Do you ever think about the other side like those guys, like how terrible that must feel for them? For Atlanta? Yeah. Yeah, anytime I see one of the guys, they always fucking know. I feel, I feel, because Matt Ryan, anytime he does anything, they ask him about that.

And it's like, at a point, I would just be like, shut the fuck up. I know. He has like a hell of a career. He made so much money. I mean, threw for so many touchdowns. All people bring up to them is, hey, like, what happened in that game versus the Patriots in the Super Bowl? That sucks. When I watch those documentaries, like the Four Falls of Buffalo, and I see, like, some of the guys,

and now they're older. And I don't know if you've seen some older NFL players, but it's pretty depressing. You know, it's like, holy shit. Like, I wish they would have won a Super Bowl for those guys, right? Now, I'm happy that we were able to make that happen and win that football game. But I kind of sometimes have, you know, a little bit of empathy for those guys that didn't win a Super Bowl. Definitely.

because you lost a Super Bowl as well. Yes. So we know what it feels like to lose a Super Bowl. It's probably one of the worst feelings that you can feel. The worst. And you almost would rather, now I say this, and I don't know if you feel the same.

I almost rather not play that game, rather just like lose the FC championship game and then say, oh shit, next year we'll get back there. Because when you get to the Super Bowl and we had it. And not only was it a shitty loss,

it was in Indianapolis. That was the worst. Like, who thought like, oh, let's have a nice, Indianapolis Super Bowl. It's going to be freezing and there's only one cool steakhouse and there's really nothing to do here. It's actually a great host city I heard though like for like conventions and shit for like the viewer and the fan if it wasn't freezing. They have hotels. I've heard it's a really good like hosting city almost as bad as Minnesota. That was freezing. That was 11 under. Yeah. It was 11 degrees under. So whoever makes those like that decision. Let's let's stay. Yeah. You got to build the stadium of

It was a newer stadium. I mean, that's, come on. I was just an indie, you know. Like you said, they need some warm weather there. It's all right. You know, they do a decent job hosting that many people. I was at the NIE 500, so there was over 400,000 people in the city. And they had enough hotels, enough restaurants and all that.

But it's kind of run down a little bit. And talking about that Super Bowl game as well, that's why I got so hammered after the game. Because I didn't want to remember anything that happened. I don't remember anything. Exactly. I don't remember it either. So they put a safety. video out on like a good chip and the NFL put it out and they showed the clip that I actually got

concussed. So I'm coming off the tackle and literally like the second I get off the tackle's shoulder Brandon Jacobs is running to the flat and flippers me on my chin. I stop and I drop in coverage but I'm not supposed to be in coverage at all. And I get off of his and Mattie's like, hey, what happened on that play? I'm like, what play? I don't remember like I got hit. He's like, yeah, you got it. I said, dude, I was, I don't remember anything. So I don't even remember playing in that game. So you know how crazy dangerous this game was or is. Yeah.

And especially for a guy like Troy Aikman who took a lot of hits. Yeah. What makes, what does he do better that makes everyone else? What does he do better than anyone else? This May, IHeart Radio celebrates Asian Heritage Month. Discover powerful stories, vibrant cultures, and unforgettable music. Firing podcasts to playlist that span east, south, southeast, and West Asian artists. We're honoring the voices shaping our world.

Listen now on the free IHAR Radio app. And at iHardio.ca. Number one hits, millions of records sold, awards, sold-out tours. You think that Jonas Brothers are satisfied? Nope, it's podcast time. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Hey Jonas is available now and their first guest is a big one. Paul Rudd. You know, Steve Carell is a great singer. Can you tell you not to audition for the office or

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What is his great thing? That makes Sam elite. Probably his consistency. Because if you watch, if you watch like just what he does now, it's how he prepares for television and then how he takes care of his body. So literally to get in shape or to be fit, it's just discipline and consistency. So like for him to be so good for so long and then transition into the booth and be so good for so long, he has to be consistent and he has to be able to do that over and over and over again. And I think that's why he was so successful in his professional career.

And then when he went to television, he's been even probably more successful, right? He stuck around for so long and he's still doing it at such a high level. It comes back to probably what he was so good at when he was a professional football player. You know, I really like that answer. And to all you young bucks out there, it's all about consistency. It's not about doing it once, having a one-handed catch, you know, that day or running so fast and blowing by the safeties and having a touchdown. But if you can't do it the next day, well, then you're not going to make the team. You're not going to make the cut.

And what's so interesting is that we asked Slater, what made Brandon Schuller so great as a special teamer to make him an all pro last year? And he said the same thing because Matthew Slater coached him. He said it's his consistency. He brought it every single day to practice. and then it transferred into a game. And now we just talked to you and we asked, hey, what makes Troy Aikman so great? And you said, it's his consistency,

just how he prepares, how he went out there to be great on a daily basis. So if you want to be great, it has to be at a consistent rate every single day. It's not like, hey, I'm gonna be good today. I'm gonna try hard today and I'm gonna take off tomorrow. No, you have to be great every day and you have to bring your A game every day,

just like Troy Aikman, like Ninko's saying. That's right. Makes a lot of sense. There's a beast. And talking about Troy, if you had the chance, if you were playing back in his era, what do you think it would have been like to sack him? Would have been awesome. I don't love it.

You know, you watch 90s, tape 2000s. The game is definitely evolved. It's changed. It's a lot different. Now, I'm not going to be that old guy and he's like, oh, these young kids today couldn't play back in the day. But I would say the receivers nowadays, the tight ends, the quarterbacks, like, and I think Tom's even talked about this. you back in the 90s in early 2000s like you had a responsibility to take care of your receiver like hey

I'm not just going to throw this lead this lead a receiver on a slant and there's a guy sitting right there you could take them out of the game you can take him out for a week take them out right so you know when I watch those guys back in the 90s in the 2000s I think that it was probably the hardest and most physical the football like the game the sport has ever been because the rules weren't adjusted. And it was the apex of where they had the more athleticism and they started training in the off season and shit. So you had speed, you had strength and you had subpar equipment.

So like those guys were still wearing like the cork bike helmets that they were wearing in the 80s in the 70s. They were wearing that shit all the way their whole career. But they were faster and bigger. Yeah. All hits were legal too. All hits was legal. Like there are guys.

You can blindsize someone. You can just tee off with someone going up to scene. There are guys. I've seen it. I've seen someone, I think Howie Long gouged someone's eyeball out one. The quarterbacks just absolutely got derailed too. There are guys that are in the Hall of Fame that couldn't play

in today's game. They just couldn't play because of the way that the physicality of how they hit people. Like a John Lynch, like John Lynch right now couldn't just decapitate people over the middle. And that was his game. That was his game. Ronnie Lott. Ronnie Lott. It doesn't fit in this era. So for me, it's like

those guys, like I have all resists. It probably think it's two hand touch out now here you're not. I have all the respect in the world for though like that era of football because not only they weren't making the crazy money. They were building the game up to where it is right now. And like now the guys are getting paid crazy money. And we were talking about before the show. We were getting paid crazy money too compared to the guys before us. That's how it goes every generation. It's the evolution of the game. I mean like a baseball player like they're probably like, oh my God. You see what those guys are making 700 million dollars and they're going to make that when

they're 50, 60 years old. Like the Otani contract was going to make three. $30 million when he's 55 is nuts because they defer everything down the road. Yeah, so he can be in Texas when he dits it so it doesn't get taxed on it. Exactly. Back to who's the favorite quarterback that you've ever sacked since we're talking about sack and Troy Aikman. What about you in your career? Brett Favre.

So Brett Favre, I can't officially call it a sack for Brett Favre because he intentionally grounded the ball so that takes away your sack, which sucks. You had Brett Farr? Yeah, yeah. I'd say probably Manning's. I got the Manning, I got both of them. So that's good. Browned sack.

Yeah. So they don't consider it a sack. I'd probably say Peyton and Eli. Those are two good. Because Peyton, when I was at Purdue, I went to the Monday, and I was a Thursday night opener at the RCA dome. And they were playing the Steelers. And I went there as a scene.

I went there my senior year at Purdue. And they were playing after the game, he went to this bar and the agent that was trying to recruit me, like took me to the same bar. And I remember looking at like, that's Peyton Manning, right? And then fast forward like 12 years and I'm like sack fumbling them and stuff. It's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, smear it. Give them the business. And what's the moment that stands out the most to you in Troy Aikman's career? Probably, you know, the, from the transition,

because a lot of guys when you're, there's only three ways to leave the game. So it's your way, their way, or injured. So when you leave injured, mentally it's kind of hard to, just really take that, right? Like it's hard to accept the fact that you are being pushed out of the game that you love. And when you're playing football, like, that's your everything. Like you love it, right? You wouldn't, you, that's all you know because you've been doing it your whole life. So I think probably the most impressive thing is his transition from leaving the game,

not on his terms, and then going into the booth and being really good at it. Yeah. So, yeah, his career is great. but I think the television aspect of it, because what he does is not easy, right? Like the game is a flow and you got to be on it. And yeah, you know, he's with, he's with Joe Buck and that guy's, you know, he's got the voice. And he's like right on it. But to come in and to come out and be good and have chemistry, it takes time.

And he's worked at it, obviously. It's called six Super Bowls in 20 years at Fox. Yeah. And he's been at ESPN since 2022. Yeah. Yeah. Good old ESPN. That's your spot, bubs.

All right, let's get into it. What kind of dude is Troy Aikman? Is he a stud? An athleticism freak. He's had the pedigree his whole life. The football IQ's there. He's well-rounded. Is he a freak?

Unparalleled physical ability. One of one. Instinct. You see him, you're like, that's not human. Is he a dog? Relentless, motivated, physically, mentally tough. is he a whiz, intellect, innovative, clutch, or is he a dude's dude,

a positive attitude or negative attitude in the locker room that makes a guy relatable and great for the locker room? And don't you worry, Niko. We're going to ask you a series of question later in this episode to figure out what type of dude you are too. So get ready. So think a little bit about this one. Okay, so this is tough because you can't just say like,

oh, he's a freak or he's a dog. Like, it's tough because to be a quarterback, you have to have a lot of intellect. You got to be very smart. So he's definitely got a little whiz to him. He's a stud because he's number one overall pick. He's a stud. He's definitely a stud.

He's a hallfamer. He looks like a stud. His face looks like a stud. Yeah, like he's got that. He's got a stud voice. Just everything about him. So I'm going to go. I'm going combo on this.

Okay. I'm going to say stud. There's no such thing as a combo. There's no combos in this. Fuck. It's one. All right. He's a stud.

The one category that dominates the most. I was going to explain, though, and he sells beer, right? He's got his own beer. So that's kind of like a dude's dude. So I'll stay with stud. I'm saying he's a stud. He's a fucking stud. He has a little bit of attributes in him as a dude dude as well.

But mostly he's a stunt. Yeah, but he is a stud. He went to UCLA. The California kid became the fucking America's team's quarterback, one three Super Bowl. Like, he's a stuff. Now an ace in the broadcasting booth. Number one hits, millions of records sold, awards, sold out tours.

You think that Jonas Brothers are satisfied? Nope, it's podcast time. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Hey Jonas is available now, and their first guest is a big one. Paul Rudd. You know, Steve Carell is a great singer. Can you tell you not to audition at the office or something? I told him.

Whoa. We were filming Anchor, man. Clearly, I was the idiot. Thank God he didn't listen to him, right? Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends, we help make you funnier on this episode. My guest's Bob, Odin-Kirk, and Kids in the Halls, Bruce McCullough, try and help the

Kazoo Kid and Tazan Day be famous again. What if there's an alternate universe show where you guys are incredibly popular? Well, and they could travel up the land doing meet and greets. They're constantly needed at malls. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smygling and Friends on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your... Podcasts. For years,

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