Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules - NFL Linemen Stories Pt. III

Episode Date: January 18, 2026

We get back in the trenches with our favorite offensive and defensive linemen guests, and listen to some of their favorite stories.Support the show: https://hoo.be/dudesondudesSee omnystudio.com/liste...ner for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 On June 11th, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing. Hey, if they don't kill a cop and bury him, what are you going to do to me? What really happened to the missing deputy? Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Listen to Valley of Shadows on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show contains information. Subject to, but not limited to personal takes, rumors, not so accurate stats, and plenty more. What's up, man?
Starting point is 00:00:37 This is your boy, Nav Green, from the Broken Play Podcast. Look, it's the end of the season, the playoffs are here. But guess what? It ain't the end of your season. You can always tune in with Broken Play Podcasts with Nav Green on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Not a team who ain't going to the playoffs. The Chief. It's time to rebuild.
Starting point is 00:00:53 Listen to Broken Play with Nav Green from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or whatever you get your podcast. And the winner of the IHeart Podcast Award is, You can decide who takes home the 26 IHard Podcast Awards podcast of the year by voting at IHeartPodcastawards.com now through February 22nd. See all the nominees and place your vote at IHeartPodcastawards.com. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app.
Starting point is 00:01:27 Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com. You know Roll Doll. He thought up Willie Wonka and the BFG. But did you know he was a spy? In the new podcast, The Secret World of Roll Doll, I'll tell you that story, and much, much more.
Starting point is 00:01:45 What? You probably won't believe it either. Was this before he wrote his stories? It must have been. Okay, I don't think that's true. I'm telling you. I was a spy. Listen to The Secret World of Roll Doll
Starting point is 00:01:57 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Games with Names. I'm Julian Edelman, and we got a brand new compilation highlight reel starting now. Now, Cam Jordan tells a story of being starstruck by Julie's Peppers. What was Cam Jordan like in 2019, 2020? You were, you had a... You're...
Starting point is 00:02:20 You're not... Defense of game number one, hemiphy. Solid stretch. You know, just... Because, like, you know, the world sees defensive ends as sack getters, so you have to get that accolade. But run stopping, pass the deflection. I think I had a triple double in one of those years.
Starting point is 00:02:38 And every down, the end. Man, one that will play 90-something percent of the snaps. And every down, D.N. Yeah, not the, not the, oh, you got to worry about him on the passports. No, like, don't run to my side. Shut down. Oh, you're running opposite of me? Okay, I'll go play over there too.
Starting point is 00:02:55 He'll chase you down. Come get you. Wherever you are, I find you. yeah yeah good times um gronk rich tired for the first time gronk andrew lug jesus peppers jane lechler unbelievable julius peppers got his last jersey from his last game did you yeah i've i've never like i've met plenty of famous people over the years and i've never once like stuttered or gotten awestruck and i feel like i've met a gambit of of really famous people yeah julius peppers was was my guy though like you know growing up it was it was the freak
Starting point is 00:03:28 it was Chris Dolman It was John Randall Yeah Javon Curz The freak is come on He was freak of nature Julius Pepper is one of them ones Growing up he'd be like He plays basketball and football
Starting point is 00:03:37 UNC and he's not just a guy He's the guy Yeah You know he's 6 foot 7 And he runs a 4 5 at 300 pounds You know like shit that you're supposed Would be like wow Julius Peppers
Starting point is 00:03:48 You know And so met him younger At like Exos working out And he had said some words to me And I was like He was like hey man Like you guys game. Thank you, sir. And I was like, and I was like appalled at the way I responded. And like,
Starting point is 00:04:04 dabbed him up and walked off and was like, I'm a nerd. Like, I was like, no way this dude thinks I'm a loser for sure. He, he was that guy. That guy. I mean, he was a phenomenon. Now, Richie intagnito on how Aaron Donald was a nightmare for offensive lineman. Now, who's a guy that you competed against because there's game there's like game wreckers who's someone that you were driving to the stadium like all right we got to get this guy that you had you knew it was going to be a long day
Starting point is 00:04:34 yeah it's going to be a tough day it was it going to be a day where you had to be involved with him every day was there is there one guy that sticks out I mean it's Aaron Donald 100% it's Aaron Donald you know what he was able to do with three technique in the DN position his movement and his his kind of his
Starting point is 00:04:51 athletic ability like you know he'd be he'd give you three pass rush moves you'd be like what the what was that like i got a holding calling him once and i was like that's bullshit because i didn't even touch him like he just spun around and did this crazy shit but yeah that's that's one of those guys where like you know all pass protection rules are off we're not sliding to backers we're sliding to him wherever he is um he was a game record j j watt was like that like you had to have a plan for j j watt or else j j wott was going to pick on that backside tackle make him look stupid bend the corner and go make plays so you know j j j watt we always had some you know always some
Starting point is 00:05:24 special stuff in there. I'm trying to think who else. I mean, any guys you get into it with? Who, who, I know you fought. We know, oh yeah, definitely. Who, who's someone that you knew
Starting point is 00:05:35 you were going to probably fight every, every time? Is there so, is there? Because I had Benny, I think I had Benny Sapp or something from, from the Dolph? Who's the safety with you guys and the dolphins? Yeah, well, we have,
Starting point is 00:05:48 any sap? We had sap, yeah. No, who's there's another one later? Was it the big buff guy? No, regardless. We were fighting every time we were. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, there was a bunch of guys, man.
Starting point is 00:05:59 When I was younger, I used to work out with some guys that played for the Cardinals. Antonio Smith and Darnell Docket. We used to work out together. Yeah, yeah. And then when we worked out together. Yeah, exactly, yeah. And when we started playing in the games, I mean, they hated me. The Cardinals were playing well.
Starting point is 00:06:13 I was on the Rams and we were shit. And I was like, I'm just going to try and fuck these guys up, you know. Not them, but everybody that was on that field, I was going to take it out on them. But yeah, it was they had just clinton. Lynch, the NFC West. We're down in Arizona. I got my whole family there. I'm coming off the field.
Starting point is 00:06:29 And like we were talking shit. You know, you get separated. You walk away. I just turned around because there was a bunch of them. There was like three or four of them coming. So I was like, I'm going over here.
Starting point is 00:06:36 And Antonio Smith, full ninja kicks me like on the back of the legs. And I go down on the field and he gets a penalty flag. But yeah, with Antonio, I think he took my helmet off and swung it at me one time. I was getting after him and past pro. And I had my hand up in his face and,
Starting point is 00:06:49 you know, doing all sorts of crazy stuff. He took my helmet off and swung it at me. thank God it was like two feet away from my face. Jesus. Miles Garrett. Yeah, he didn't make contact like Miles,
Starting point is 00:06:59 but yeah. But we always had good battles. They were great players. And me and me and Docket, we'd go back and forth. He was a great player. And they'd always put him on me. Like when we played the past,
Starting point is 00:07:08 but they'd always put Big Vince on me. Yeah. That was like my badge. Like, hey, I made it. Like Bill over there thinks that I'm good enough that they're going to put their best defensive linemen on me to take me out of the game. And me and Big Vince, man,
Starting point is 00:07:19 we used to go at it. And I love Big Vince, man. He's awesome. Remember, who did he on the pick? Or he lit someone up when he dropped on one play. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I saw that on film. He dude, he's a fucking beast, man.
Starting point is 00:07:32 He was so good. I mean, he's one of the best noseguards ever in there. He really is. He's definitely, he should be a Hall of Fame. He gets a lot of, he didn't get a lot of, his numbers won't show that he's a Hall of Famer because he did so, like, he would take double teams and pressures and, like, he dictated a lot of offensive line play. Oh, no doubt.
Starting point is 00:07:50 You had to account for him. Yeah. I mean, he was like, he was the guy there for. forever. And he, the commotion that he caused in the middle would take some teams out of their game. I forget what year. I think it was 2000. I think it was 2011. And they were doing a sports illustrated piece on them. And you guys ran like a double linebacker blitz. And he started off this way and came back this way. And this linebacker came down and we hit knee to knee. So I went down. And I go down. I think he gets to sack. We're in Vegas after the season. And it's Vince on the cover
Starting point is 00:08:23 Sports Illustrated and I'm laying on the ground. It looks like he threw me on the ground and is running after the quarterback. And I'm like, great. I'm on cover Sports Illustrated, but I'm on the ground flopping around. Fucking Vince. I would always try and not piss off Vince. You know what I mean? Like me and Vince, we had come out together. We were the same age. He went to Miami. They wanted me to play D-Line at Miami. I went to Nebraska. I wanted to play offensive line. And I would never do Vince dirty. Like I would, I would always help him up. Hey, Big Bo, come on. So like, we, you know, we get after. We compete. But like, I always made sure to take care of my guy, Vince. fucking V
Starting point is 00:08:54 man he he's athletic as hell too he's got some great feet people don't realize he's like well he's lost a lot of weight now he's looking good then but he used to be like four feet five feet wide but he had ballerina feet yeah quick feet we gotta get him on this damn show next rich one burger details his most
Starting point is 00:09:12 embarrassing day ever so I had just had a shoulder surgery on my right shoulder and I'm in an arm sling still uh the training staff uh Jim wellan Joe they set me up with the, with the Boston Red Sox trainers because I'm living in Boston. And so they have a, like a private practice,
Starting point is 00:09:32 three blocks, four blocks walking distance from the apartment I was renting in Boston at the time. So I wake up one morning, and I'm telling this story in front of the team. This is for Bill and everybody else. I wake up one morning. I roll out of bed and I don't hear my alarm like, oh, I'm late for this training session.
Starting point is 00:09:50 And now the Patriots trainers could, they could communicate with those Red Sox trainers. They just couldn't talk to me because they're under contract with the league owners. So they would know if I missed or was late or anything. So I'm like sprinting to get ready. So I throw on a pair of sweats. I throw on a t-shirt. I'm wearing my arm slinging sandals.
Starting point is 00:10:08 I walk the four blocks over to the PT clinic. So I hit the elevator. I'm riding up to the second floor. And I'll pause here to tell you what I have for dinner the night before. I had sushi from a gas station, which don't do that. In Boston. In Boston, yeah, which there was like one gas station in Boston, and they had the best sushi. Is that the Mexican food joint too right there?
Starting point is 00:10:36 Oh, my God. You know the one I'm talking about, the mobile station? Yeah, yeah. It's gone. Oh, it's gone? Well, they had good sushi, but it was questionable, I guess, because I kicked my leg up in this elevator, and I shit my pants worse than anybody has ever
Starting point is 00:10:52 shit a pair of pants in the history of shitting pants. It was, I can't even explain to you how horrifying the scene was, but... Did it go down your leg? Buddy, it had cuffed ankles full. Okay?
Starting point is 00:11:08 So anyways, I'm in this elevator now with my shit pants and the doors open at the second floor and I'm like, I can't leave this elevator. So the door's just closed. And now, I'm just riding an elevator in soil pants. And it smells in there.
Starting point is 00:11:23 Oh, and I didn't have time to put on draws. Like, I'm wearing just gray sweatpants. Oh. Buddy. So we're riding the elevator. I'm riding an elevator up and down. And people are like coming onto this elevator, like starting their workday. And I mean, I smell like an ox.
Starting point is 00:11:38 Like people are now like visually disturbed. And I mean, I'm a psychopath in the back of this elevator tucked into a corner because I don't want them to see the back of my pants. and the elevator reeks. So they're like, who's this escaped patient? I'm sitting there in an arm sling wearing sandals and shit-stained sweatpants and a t-shirt. So finally, I'm like, I guess I just have to walk home and kind of face the music here. This is the worst day of my life.
Starting point is 00:12:05 And so I hit lobby, go down the lobby, doors open. And all of a sudden, as I'm walking through the doors, I notice it says PG on the button panel. I'm like, oh, parking garage. I'd always walk there. I'd never driven, so I didn't know there was parking garage. So I click PG really quick and I go down to the parking garage. But now, I mean, it changed nothing. I'm now just, I'm walking around a parking garage trying to only face people as they're exiting
Starting point is 00:12:33 their vehicles and going to this elevator, also scaring the shit out of people because they're like, who is this escape patient wearing the arm'sling only facing us in the parking garage? So after doing this for like five minutes trying to figure out a plan, I'm like, I got to face some music and walk home. So I'm heading for daylight. I'm about to pass the last row of cars and go up the ramp. And I have the corner of my eye, I see a pair of jeans in the back of a Honda Civic. I'm just like, God damn. I mean, if it were me and I knew someone like me were in this situation, I know I would feel okay with him taking these jeans.
Starting point is 00:13:11 and so I don't feel great about it. Sir, ma'am, I'm sorry for taking your clothing, but I open the back seat, the back door to this Honda Civic. I grab what I thought were jeans. What were popular back then that aren't so popular anymore are jaggings. And the woman whose juggings these belonged to was not a large woman. She was diminutive in stature. to say the very least.
Starting point is 00:13:42 These were the smallest fucking leggings that a human being could squeeze themselves into and I'm kicking off my clothes in this parking garage and I'm pulling these ill. So I even remove my shirt because I needed like clean. It was, I don't even want to get into specific as it was bad. So the sandals,
Starting point is 00:13:58 the t-shirt and the sweats that I was wearing ended up under this poor woman's car. I pulled the jaggings up. They're tearing at the seams. There's holes in these juggings. Okay. And I'm wearing, I reassemble my arm sling.
Starting point is 00:14:12 And so I'm walking toward the exit. And I realized like, oh, this is way worse. This is like, I didn't do the math. But now I'm a 315 pound man in an arm sling wearing ill-fitting women's clothing. And I'm just going to walk home in the streets of Boston. So look, I was an athlete. And I, I'm not bragging, humble brag. I was super fast for being a fat guy.
Starting point is 00:14:39 And so I decide once I hit the top of this ramp, I'm sprinting home. Like I'm going to get there like mock three. I'm breaking the sound barrier here. So I start running. Didn't do the math on this. When you're dressed like that and you start running in public, people start running with you because they're afraid of whatever danger you're running away from. So now it's like the jogging club going down the streets of Boston.
Starting point is 00:15:01 I shake my tail, though. I make it back to the apartment. I shower off. The doorman buzzes me in completely non-plazes by any of this. He was just like, as if it's a normal Tuesday morning. He was like, hey, Rich. I'm like, what's up, Muhammad? I go up to my apartment, shower off, come back downstairs, say goodbye to Muhammad again,
Starting point is 00:15:21 walk out to the PT clinic, ride that elevator back up, still kind of stunk, rode the elevator back up the second floor. I get there. I'm like, hey, I'm so sorry. I'm late. They're like, you're not late. You're right on time. My appointment was like 30 minutes later than I thought all of this could have been avoided.
Starting point is 00:15:37 it was the worst day of my life. And so when you run out of stories to tell, you just tell stuff like that. Next up, Michael Bennett and Julian talk about what it's really like to get fined in the NFL. Do you ever get fined for a dance? They told me I can only do two pumps.
Starting point is 00:15:57 Two pumps? The key and peel rule, man. I know. Three day was like, that's too much. Hey, stop it. Three gyrations is too much. You always knew that the... It was just right.
Starting point is 00:16:07 I don't even want to say his name, but there's a ref that was always a little stickler with all that shit. I want to say his name, but he knows who he is. Looking at you, Cleet, Blakeman. Scott Novak. Fucking Scott Novak, look. You look like a principal out there just trying to hold court always. Didn't even let you jive with them. And the crazy part about the referees, they all have, like, good jobs.
Starting point is 00:16:28 Yeah. You're like, what are you? They're all like lawyers and judges. What do you? Like, oh, yeah, I'm a medical doctor like you. Like, what? How do you have time to do this? There's a couple former players now, though.
Starting point is 00:16:39 Yeah, but I'm just saying it's kind of crazy, though, like when you think about those guys and you talk to them and you're like... Well, they're not full time. I mean, you would think that the league would make them full time. They all have guns now, too. They feel like there's like an arms race to get like bigger biceps, you know? That was Hockley. Yeah, but now they're all going after Hockley.
Starting point is 00:16:55 Hockley. That was old Hockley. He was the first one getting all jacked, and now his little son's getting all jacked. You got to get jacked up out there. Well, they don't want to be getting tossed around out there. They're in a fight. But you can't really talk to the NFL referees.
Starting point is 00:17:07 that but NBA you could say whatever you want. Let it fly, baby. Jordy Nelson, speaking of fines, he's a, he's one of the officers now. Yeah, he's one of the fine guys. Who is your fine guy? Remember Merton Hanks used to be one of the guys? Those fine people, they get paid pretty good money, man. Oh, do they really?
Starting point is 00:17:22 Yeah, they get paid pretty good. I got so mad. I used to love Merton. Can I get that job? What's a fine guy? I have no idea. So, like, when you get fined for like, on sportsman like Conduct or I threw the ball and the stands once got fined for that, you got to have like a little hearing.
Starting point is 00:17:36 So the NFL said, you. you up with some guy. Former player. Former player. So it's like friendly fire type shit. You're over here trying to buddy him up like I was talking to Merton and like, yo, you know, you're such my favorite guy when I was a kid with the neck thing
Starting point is 00:17:49 and everything. Didn't even do anything. Slat me with the fine. Didn't even reduce it. I'm like, come on. No, that's how I go, man. It's like you're in prisoning in. Like they got the prisoners judging if you're going to get out or not.
Starting point is 00:18:02 It's like, but he's like, I ain't never got out. So you're staying in. No, I was just, That's crazy. Exactly. That's crazy. You know, they make pretty good bread, though. Now, Max Crosby and how NFL fans will do anything for an autograph.
Starting point is 00:18:17 Like, after games and there's fans just smacking on your windows and going crazy. And it was just different. I mean, there's a million stories, I could say. There's one guy, I mean, that sat outside of the facility. Like, there was a group of these people every day. They're waiting there to sign autographs. And then eventually you're like, okay, the same guy is fucking here every single day. And so there's this one guy
Starting point is 00:18:39 I'm not going to expose him But I'm going to slightly expose him He knows who he is this fucking guy I hope you're watching But he had a very Unique You knew he stood out Of the crowd
Starting point is 00:18:52 I'll just say that We end up finding out You know Hey man I got you about it He always had a good excuse For why he needed this thing sign And then we found his fucking His website
Starting point is 00:19:03 He had a full blown memorabilia page All our shit on Oh yeah So I went up the next day i said what is this and he looked at me like he saw a ghost and i was like come on bro i'm like i will sign for anybody i'll sign for any grandma child whatever i'm like but come on bro i was like be better i'm like what are we doing that's new to the world man you sometimes you go some places and they'll send the kids oh yeah you know you know you know you can kind of know the
Starting point is 00:19:34 autograph people are because they kind of look like carnies. Oh, yeah. A little carney-e. Yeah. You know, and they have a story. It'll be very unique look, all of them. And then if things, if they're just, if you're doing blanks, you know, you're dealing with that.
Starting point is 00:19:50 And then it's even worse when they start bringing in the kids. Oh, yeah. I've seen kids. Oh, yeah. Used by these people. Numerous times. And if you see the blue marker, that's the one thing I just found out a couple years ago. But the blue marker, that's the one you got.
Starting point is 00:20:03 If they have a blue marker, do not sign because they can sell it. That's what I knew. That's what I found out. I'm like, these motherfuckers. Now, every time I see a blue market, I'm like, I call it out and they're like, oh, and get all awkward. I'm like, you fucker. Thanks for listening. Remember to tune in every Tuesday for a brand new episode and every Sunday for another
Starting point is 00:20:21 games with names highlight. Hey, everyone. It's Ed Helms. And I'm Cal Penn, and we are the hosts of Earsay, the Audible and IHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am talking to. film and TV critic, radio and podcast host, and Harry Potter superfan Rihanna Dylan to discuss Audible's full cast adaptation of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. What moments in this audiobook capture the feeling of the magical world best for you, or
Starting point is 00:21:03 just stood out the most? I always loved reading about the Quidditch matches, and I think the audio really gets it, because it just plunges you right into the stands. You have the crowd sounds like all around you. It is surround sound, especially if you're listening in headphones. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and IHeart Audio Club on the IHeart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show contains information subject to, but not limited to personal takes,
Starting point is 00:21:38 rumors, not so accurate stats, and plenty more. What's up, man? This is your boy, Nalm Green, from the Broken Play podcast. Look, it's the end of the season, the playoffs are here. Guess what? at the end of your season, you can always tune in with Broken Play Podcast with Nav Green on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Not a team who ain't going to the playoffs.
Starting point is 00:21:56 They're Chief. It's time to rebuild. Listen to Broken Play with Nav Green from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or whatever you get your podcast. On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing. Hey, if they don't kill a cop and bury him, what are you going to do to me? What really happened to the missing deputy?
Starting point is 00:22:19 Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Listen to Valley of Shadows on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And the winner of the IHart Podcast Award is, you can decide who takes home the 26 IHard Podcast Awards podcast of the year by voting at IHart Podcast Awards. Now through February 22nd. See all the nominees and place your vote at IHeartPodcastawards.com. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial at audible.com.

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