Games with Names - Highlight Reels: Storytime with NFL Legends

Episode Date: June 22, 2025

In this week's edition of Highlight Reels we've got some of the best stories NFL legends have graced us with in The Nuthouse! From Terry Bradshaw breaking down the greatest play from his NFL career to Matt Light on his early days in the league, we've got stories upon stories from some of the greatest to ever do it.  Support the show: http://www.gameswithnames.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an i Files Miami, stories of families who never stopped fighting. Listen to Cold Case Files Miami on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Robert Evans, and on my show Behind the Bastards this week, we have one of our worst subjects ever, David Byrd, founder of the Children of God cult, who we'll be talking about with special guest, Ed Helms. He's not just like a weird religious cult leader. He was like fusing a bunch of hippie ideology

in with this kind of like evangelical Christianity, Pentecostal preaching in the mid-century. He's a very weird guy. But yeah, I'll just get into it here. Like nothing you just said makes sense. That doesn't say it. Right. But that's the beauty of cults. Listen to Behind the Bastards on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts

or wherever you get your podcasts. A body, a suspect and a hundred years of silence. Buried Bones is a podcast about the forgotten crimes history tried to leave behind. A common misperception about serial predators is that every single time they commit a crime, they commit it the same way. The past is a way of talking if you know what to listen for. New episodes every Wednesday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to buried bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In 2022, a group of divers were sucked into an oil pipe and trapped deep beneath the sea. They could have been saved, but they weren't. Following their story has led us to lucrative contracts, failing safety standards and secretive political relationships as we ask, why were those men left to die? This is Pipeline. Episodes are released weekly. Search for Pipeline on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. We're bringing you another compilation of some of my favorite stories from Games with Names. Let's go. Now, Terry Bradshaw on the greatest play in NFL history. So why did we pick this game, The Immaculate Reception? Well, it's the most famous play still to the, voted on by whomever, sports writers or coaches or fans

as the greatest play in the history of the NFL, which is, we're talking 100 years of history. So it's pretty amazing. Hard to believe it's still the number one play because as I said, there are a lot of plays, but I think because of the history, Julian, of the Steelers and eventually the rivalry between the Raiders and the fact

that it had so much controversy in it, the fact that the owner, Art Rooney, left the press box, went to the locker room to stand up and shake our hands afterwards telling us, hey, great season, great season. He didn't even see the play. He didn't know we won. Yeah. Wow.

I guess for all of those reasons, that's the reason why. Next up, Howie Long on his 1984 Raiders defense and key matchups that led to their Super Bowl victory. They were a physical team that forced you to match their physicality and few teams could do that. And you know, you think about their wide receiving core, you know, Garrett Monk, or Monk. Hall of Famer. Hall of Famer.

Hall of Famer, as good as, Giddyup, Warren and Walker, you know, those, the tight ends were, you know, they were guys who were committed. They go two, three tight ends, they load up, and the first thing you're thinking about, particularly in a three man front is, we've got to stop the run, we've got to stop the counter.

I've got to beat the pullers on the backside, so I cheat maybe three inches outside on the guard to make that block for Bostic all the harder. And Stark is going to try to get a hand inside while the center's blocking back in the guard tackle pull. And you know, I was, they couldn't, they had, I didn't say they couldn't, they struggled to run that away from me.

So they had to run it to me. And fourth down, I'll never forget, you know, we, there was a fourth, a big fourth and one in the game. And you know, they flipped me over to Joe Jacoby, because look, you're going to, Joe Jacoby's look you're gonna Joe Jacoby six whatever six eight three twenty He's just a big man in the 80s to these are big men. He's a big man and we talk about the game getting so much bigger

I mean that's a big man. Well, Joe was an exceptionally big guy and we knew where the ball was gone, they knew where the ball was going, and I'm inside eye on Joe, and everyone around me was like, you know this is it. This is kind of a huge moment, and we stuff it on fourth down, or on third and short, or fourth and short.

I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it ended up being one of the bigger plays in the game. Derek Jensen blocks a punt. That's a big thing. Early. What a way to start the game. And ironically enough, backed up second, I think it was second long, it was

the play that ended up beating us earlier in the year. The screen. It was Joe Washington on a screen. So we went to the other side, though. Charlie Sumner, who's an old bear, earlegged old bear. You know, there were a lot of bears on our staff, guys that played with Doug Atkins. Really, really tough guys. And Charlie was a great coordinator.

And we were simple. We ran maybe two blitzes a game because our corners didn't have to even get in the huddle because they were in cover one or, you know, and our guy from New England, Mike Haynes. Haynes and Lester Hayes. And they were two very different, Lester was a converted linebacker playing corner from Texas A&M, I think.

And Mike Hayaines was poetry and just mirrored what, it was kind of like Rivas. It was kind of like that kind of a thing. It was like, well. Was he a smart, did he study a bunch? Cause usually what I always saw with the best corners that I played with, they could cheat because they knew situationally

what concepts you would run. And so they would run the route for you because they were so dialed into formation. You know, like that's what I saw with like the best, I don't, but there's some guys I don't know that just, you just say, cover him. Lester in my mind who should be in the hall of fame was a weekend in Vegas.

Yeah. You know, it was, he was up and on you fame was a weekend in Vegas. You know, he was up and on you and it was all, hit me on a 16. You know what I mean? Mike was, it was like he was just looking in a mirror and just covered the shit out of you. And could do it all day long. Up next, Matt Light on his early football journey. Small little town, big farming community. I'd never seen a game until I played in one, right?

So I didn't know Purdue wasn't a Big Ten. I'd never seen a college game. My dad, severe polio growing up, right? We didn't do sports, we were into the outdoors. You know, pre-1800 encampments running around doing crazy stuff hawking knife competition hunting fishing did you know ESPN stuff like where they would do like the axing and they loved it yeah and it was the best man I used to watch it you ever watch you guys you guys know who Marty Stouffer is you ever heard that

name no I'm Marty Stouffer welcome you ever heard that name? No, I'm Marty Stouffer. Welcome to our wild America. That's like my favorite show growing up, dude He like take you out and show you a neat thing. Like here's a pine marten. They're really clever and he like film them I mean, it was awesome, dude. It's almost like Bob Ross meets You know like David Attenborough David., yeah there we go, without the British accent. David Attenborough is a badass, sir, sir, by the way, sir David Attenborough. So anyway, that was my world, man. Growing up, small little town,

I had no idea you could get a scholarship. You played high school, you played high school football. Oh yeah, man, I played, well my mom did not want me around, so like, I played Pee-wee, I was in football all my life, but, and terrible, really terrible. I was a tight end, I went to Purdue as a tied in For some unknown reason I never did anything athletic ever I was never a tight end in high school you keep on saying that bro. You're like an undersized tackle

You have to be athletic. Well, no, I I can I could I have I have decent short space quickness I think is what they said, you know, here's an awesome one, right? So for you, how did they describe you for the combine? Do you remember? Do you remember the write up for yourself? Quicker than fast, doesn't have a position. Do you guys have this write up? Can you guys research this write up?

Yeah. Yeah. Okay, go ahead, keep going. Quicker than fast, doesn't have a position, played against shitty talent. This is depressing, I wasn't going this route. Get it out though. Get it over with. Because they were wrong.

They were dead wrong. Yeah, they were. But they describe things, right? Like what I'm getting at is... White guys, smart, works hard. Yeah, effort guy. Yeah, effort guy. I love how all white guys are effort guys. You know what I mean? Like blazing speed. Nope, he's, effort guy. Yeah, effort guy. I love how all white guys are effort guys.

You know what I mean? Like blazing speed, nope, he's an effort guy. Loves the game. He's a gym rat. Loves the game, is in there? I'm looking here, Ken State staff comments on Julian Edelman from fall 2008. Upper echelon worker, knows his physical limitations,

likes to BS. It's a lot better than what you said. Likes to BS. What's that mean? Bullshit. Wonderful starter podcast. Like yelling at people. We do love to bullshit. Once the ball in his hands,

football instincts will help him as a wide receiver, has the feat to play defensive back, they're right about that. Yeah, they were. Most competitive guy I've ever coached. See, but that's pretty good remarks. You know mine said what did you say? All right, so there's a lot of things That that you can say about an offensive lineman, right? They think about lower body strength has a good wingspan real good punch great drive off the ball initial contact

You know drops his hips. I mean, there's all kind of really short space quickness blah blah blah blah None of that was said for me, you know, you know, drops his hips. I mean, it was all kind of really short space quickness, blah, blah, blah, blah. None of that was said for me. You know, you know, mindset, I swear to God, basically mine was he's coachable. That's it. That's it. He's coachable. And I don't even know why that would even translate to anything that would actually help me get drafted. But basically I was coachable and having never seen anything, never seen a draft in my life,

when I got drafted by New England, I thought I was going to some other country. I didn't know where New England was either. I had no clue, man. I wouldn't have been able to throw a dart and come close. No, I knew because of Madden. I didn't know where Foxborough was though. Never heard of it.

Because you guys were winning Super Bowls, I used to play with you guys every once in a while. Yeah. It became relevant. Yeah, so that was my world, man. I used to play with you guys every once in a while. Yeah. It became relevant. Yeah, so that was my world, man. I didn't know anything about the game of football. Blessed to do it. And honestly, man, just the people we got.

In those early years especially, man, I think back on these guys, these guys like Roman Pfeiffer and Grant Williams. And man, so many guys that, know Rodney man oh man so you know Jermaine Wiggins you know gosh man we had Mike Compton's we had we had all these guys that we didn't have our you know we weren't individually announced you know that was a big deal but that's because none of us were above the other.

You know what I mean? I used to always say this, man. Bill could do it the way he did it. And he could drive all of our dicks in the dirt every single day. Because we were all in the same pit of despair. If there was somebody that was up on a ledge looking down on us, that was was a teammate it wouldn't have worked No, you know when you and by the way, there were times that he did show some favoritism

And that's when things got ugly in the locker room defense a hundred percent But but but we had a good practice on offense. We had a bad practice as a team. Yeah, if we dominated the defense We had a bad practice. No doubt Yeah. Like if we dominated the defense, we had a bad practice. No doubt. Next, we have Lashon McCoy talking about his iconic snow game performances.

But the elephant in the room leading up to this game, the weather. Yeah, it was ugly. It was a snow puff. 16.7 inches of snow didn't stop the entire game. Nine inches during the game alone. Nine inches? That's puffing up.

This is crazy. I said boys Let me get the rock I Got you you said that pregame. Yeah, I'm get the rock You say in front of the whole team the pregame team. Where's that to the office the offense boys? Let me get the rock That was a cool game the cool thing about the snow what people don't understand is that I love it so much because

It was a cool game. The cool thing about the snow what people don't understand is that I love it so much because When I get tackled, it's like falling on pillows. Yeah, big fat dudes hit me It don't hurt think about that. It was hurt now and they can't get the attraction but I can Sign me up. It's an advantage. I always played well in the snow as well as House to punt in Chicago in the snow. Did you play any like like college games and stuff? Yeah, Northern Illinois. Okay. I went to school in Ohio, Kent State. Is this the best snow game of all time? No. You had another good one? I had 20 yards in the snow before. Before this or after? Before. What was it? You were with Philly who'd you play Detroit Detroit you never seen that game the Megatron they always show he has all the

snow in his helmet ever that's that's the game I think that's the game is a 200 and then oh what was this a 140 do you have 140 or 150 152 I believe so are you the the greatest snow running back of all time 156. Sorry, I Don't know. I mean, I don't know other backs. That's played in the snow. Yeah. Oh, I'm gonna say yes. I'm saying yes I bet it's not a bad answer. It's not a bad answer now guys. I don't know. I'm a humble guy man. Humble. Come on now Now Reggie Bush on winning the Heisman is the cutback the Heisman moment? I think so. I think it is. I think that was a moment.

That's when you knew you had it? Or were you still nervous? After this game is when I felt like I had solidified it. Because it was still, you know, talk about, you know, some other guys. I think Adrian Peterson was up for the Heisman Trophy this year. Yeah. I think... Vince Young.

Vince Young. DeAngelo Williams was in the dog. DeAngelo. DeAngelo. Shout out to DeAngelo Williams was in the team. DeAngelo. DeAngelo. DeAngelo. Shout out to DeAngelo and Vince, my guys. And that's what I love about games like this. You know, I've built friendships with guys now that I played against DeAngelo and they beat us

and me and him are cool now and friends. And so, you know, it's just great. That's why I love the game. But- I was cool with Vince until're friends, and so it's just great, that's why I love the game. But I was cool with Vince until I hit him and I broke my back. Fuckin', this wasn't like, this wasn't college Vince when he was thin,

and so this is Philadelphia Vince when I was playing defense, and you know Vince was a little thicker, I hit him square in the middle, I broke my back. I led the league in ice hot packs from there on out. That's what my lead stat was. Oh my God, that's funny man. Everybody get them moments where you. No, I hit him.

Oh. Yeah, he was standing. What you say, but you hit a brick wall. Brick. And you know, you go high, you get a penalty because I was playing corner, I had a corner blitz. Wait, you was playing corner? Yeah, I played corner with New England for a while. So I had a corner blitz and I wasn't going to go up.

Wait, when was this? Why don't I read, why don't I not read it? I played like four or five games at corner when we went to the Super Bowl. Oh, okay, four or five games. You might have sounded like it was a couple years. I'm not gonna lie. No, but it was the Super Bowl that year,

IFC Championship, I had like 30 plays. Why did you end up playing corner? We were getting guys off the street. We were banged up. Oh, guys hurt. Guys hurt, okay. I do remember this now. I do remember this now. We were banged up.

Next up, Antonio Gates on learning the game from scratch. Walk me through how you transitioned in like that first training camp, that first whenever you got there, the mini camp. Talk me through that, because I couldn't even get into a fucking receiver stance, bro. I watched my rookie mini camps.

I watched my rookie mini camp recently, or like a year ago, and I'm sitting here looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame trying to take off on a fucking release. Walk me through how you transitioned, because you didn't even play the goddamn sport. Yeah, right. What do like, you know what I'm saying, it's the same for everybody, man.

It's the progression. It's the stages, right? You know, that's stage one for me and you. That don't change. You know, for me, it was even, you know, probably more complicated, you know, the range of which I had to come from, because I didn't play college football.

But I think it served me somewhat of an advantage because I didn't have any, what I would like to consider credit, I didn't have any bad habits. I'm like. You had a fresh canvas. Right, so I was learning from a clean slate. But as a perfect athlete.

Right, but unlike people that's like, you know what I'm saying, they come in, they already learn how to run, you know. You learn how to do it. So now you're trying to change what you learn at Kent State. Say a guy come from Michigan or Ohio, they're changing what they've already learned for three or four years,

and I didn't have to change nothing. I just had to learn it from the first time. But I felt like it was somewhat easier for me. Like credit, you better have no credit than bad credit, right? So it was like, I felt like I was, it was a little easier, it wasn't easy. I just felt like it was easier.

I couldn't get in the stands. You know what I'm saying? Three point. Right, I couldn't understand motion. You still really couldn't. You gotta remember, I'm here. You never really did that. Right, yeah.

You really did. Right, I'm not, yeah. I'm trying to see what comes of that, right. Three point. So I got to a point, I was here. You never really did that. Right, yeah. You never really did. Right, I'm not, yeah. I'm trying to see what covers it up. So I got to a point, I was so bad, they just told me to just stand up. I just do what you want to do, Gakes. Yeah, I would stand up at the end of the line, I would do whatever because they gotta be worried

about what I'm doing at this point, why I'm worried about what they doing. So yeah, it got to that level, but the idea was I just remember learning, watching who I thought. Like when you say watching who I thought. Who was your guy? I mean we had a guy called Eric named Eric Parker

who played receiver from Tennessee. And he was our starting receiver. And obviously, you know, we had Keenan McCarter who came along. But Eric Parker to me initially was a guy who ran ropes to the tee. Yeah. Dropped his way, I mean coming at you full speed, drop his way and I mean two or three steps he coming out.

He ain't overstepping. Efficient. Like everything. Get up on your toes. And I'm like this is why he's starting. Yeah. Simple. This is why he's starting, right? And then I was as I matured and I got a chance to go

to the Pro Bowls and I started watching Marvin Harrison, he was another guy that I would watch and practice and like, this is crazy. To me, this is perfect. To me. Even though I'm playing tight end, I'm still with the vision of what I think a perfect route runner looks like.

Now, Vernon Davis on his NFL draft and combine experience. Going to the draft, it was, man, it was like, I just kept hearing that song by Eminem, you only get one shot, you not miss your chance to, opportunities come once in a lifetime. That song just kept going off inside my mind. Then when I got to the combine, I started listening to that song.

And I just, I knew I was only going to get one shot. And if I didn't capitalize on it, that was it. Because being at Maryland, you know, I wasn't, yeah, I was up for the Mackie every week and things of that nature, but they didn't talk about me much. It was always Mercedes Lewis, Mercedes Lewis. He was, you know, he was the big shot

when it came to the tight end position. And I knew that I had to go to this combine and I had to outperform everyone. And I did. And in between that time, after I had my performance and getting drafted, my agent was coming up to me, he's like, you got a shot, you got a chance to get drafted in the top 10.

Top 10, it 10, top 10. It's always top 10. But I would go to these meetings and I started meeting with these teams. You know, you meet with the teams and things of that nature. And I met with the Jets. And I knew they had the fourth pick. They had the fourth pick in the draft.

I said, I'm about to be top four. I'm about to be top. And they loved me. I mean, we would sit, we sat there, we watched film. And they were talking about how they were going to utilize me at the position. I just knew they were going to take me. Who'd they take?

Debrickashaaw Ferguson. Debrickashaaw Ferguson. Not a bad pick. I put my head on the table and said, oh man. You wanted to be in the Big Apple? You wanted to be in the Big Apple. I wanted to be in the Big Apple. Up next, Keeshawn Johnson on his first playoff game in 1998.

First playoff game. Boy, did he leave an impact. Big time. What were the stats? Do it all game. 120, nine catches. Two touchdowns. Two touchdowns.

An interception. Fumble recovery. Fumble recovery. Let me make sure we get it right so we can put some shine on this. Nine catches. 121 yards. Ten rush yards. Two touchdowns.

Should have been three. Call them down the one on one. That was BS. shine on this nine catches 121 yards 10 rush yards two touchdowns should have been three calling down the one on one that was BS an interception in a fumble recovery I got called down on the one yeah it was one the second pop Chris Martin punch like it was like it was like a it was like a seam throw or some sort in the red area and I fell down now you got tackled on the one like it was you went up for the ball and like I don't't even remember. See that's when you know. Now that you told me that next time I talk about this game, you said, well I'm gonna let him know,

I said, I should have had three touchdowns. I should have had three. Damn, I should have had three. Should have had three. I didn't even, so, yeah, I didn't know that. I don't remember, because I really literally have never watched a game. I mean, I don't even remember watching it back

to get ready for the AFC Championship game. I don't remember watching the game. I mean, I see't even remember watching it back to get ready for the AFC Championship game. I don't remember Watching the game. I mean I see the highlights of the game and not the full game. You didn't see them very much I'm just kind of trying to correlate probably Divisional round you take all the bad from it and you move on and you're already thinking about yeah, you know That was my this was my first playoff game, but I knew I could play, I'm not even worried about it. I don't know, that's the least of my worries,

but when you don't have a quarterback sometimes, things don't go the way you need to. But I had the hottest quarterback in the National Football League that year was Vinny Testaverde who came in, I think it was four games into the season. After we benched Glenn Foley, we brought in Vinny. Vinny didn't even play the entire season.

And yeah, I just, I don't know, I just treated it like a normal game, but that's, you know, that was just the way I always was. And it just happened to be my first playoff game. Thanks for listening. Remember to tune in every Tuesday for a brand new episode and every Sunday for another Games with Names highlight. In 2012, 16-year-old Brian Herrera was gunned down in broad daylight on his way to do homework.

No suspects, no witnesses, no justice. I would ask my husband, do you want me to stop? He was like, no, keep fighting. After nearly a decade, a breakthrough changed everything. This is Cold Case Files Miami, stories of families who never stopped fighting. Listen to Cold Case Files Miami on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Robert Evans and on my show Behind the Bastards this week, we have one of our worst subjects ever, David Byrd, founder of the Children of God cult, who we'll be talking about with special guest Ed Helms.

He's not just like a weird religious cult leader. He was like fusing a bunch of hippie ideology in with this kind of like evangelical Christianity Pentecostal preaching in the mid-century is a very weird guy. But yeah, I'll just get into it. Like nothing you just said makes sense. That doesn't make sense. But that's the beauty of cults. Listen to Behind the Bastards on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A Body, a Suspect, and 100 Years of Silence, Buried Bones is a podcast about the forgotten crimes history tried to leave behind.

A common misperception about serial predators is that every single time they commit a crime, they commit it the same way. The past is a way of talking if you know what to listen for. New episodes every Wednesday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to Buried Bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2022, a group of divers were sucked into an oil pipe and trapped deep beneath the sea. They could have been saved, but they weren't. Following their story has led us to lucrative contracts,

failing safety standards, and secretive political relationships, as we ask, why were those men left to die? This is Pipeline. Episodes are released weekly. Search for Pipeline on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.