Games with Names - The Breaking Through the Gates Game with Antonio Gates | Week 2, 2017: Dolphins vs. Chargers

Episode Date: March 18, 2025

Antonio Gates is in studio! The Hall of Fame Tight End and Kent State legend is with us to breakdown the game where he broke the record for most career receiving TDs by a Tight End. Antonio joins us o...n the couch (2:27). We take a look at these teams (1:12:01). We get into this game (1:27:23). We score it (1:36:43). We read some of your best YouTube comments in The Chill Zone presented by Coors Light (1:50:05). Support the show: http://www.gameswithnames.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremorchi. And I'm Holly Fry. Together, we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime. Each season, we explore a new theme from poisoners to art thieves. We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching. And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.
Starting point is 00:00:29 Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up everyone? Julie Swirpinks here, along with former NHL player, Nate Thompson. We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go. The name? Energy Line with Nate and JSB. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey, life. All topics are fair game, right? Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.
Starting point is 00:00:55 Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up y'all? I'm AJ Andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst, and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. On my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds,
Starting point is 00:01:15 we dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful stories, insights, and conversations that inspire and empower. It's time to drop bombs and diamonds. Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews is an athletes' unlimited softball league production in partnership with iHeart Women's Sports and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Starting point is 00:01:33 Listen to Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. This is Mel Reed, Elf Beauty Tour winner and six-time Lady Geo-Bean Tour winner. And Kira K. Dixon, NBC Sports reporter and host. And we've got a new podcast, Quiet Please, with Mel.
Starting point is 00:01:55 And Kira, we are bringing you spicy takes on sports and pop culture, some interviews with incredible people who have figured out how to make golf their superpower. And iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on I Heart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports. How was Rivers? There's no better player than him that you can believe that's given his all.
Starting point is 00:02:18 He's given it everything he got. And he's talking trash while he's doing it. We would have to tell him, maybe Tom periodically, like, listen, man, you know, that's cool you talking, but we got to block these dudes. Yeah. So, you know what I'm saying? Can you imagine talking crazy to something like Richard
Starting point is 00:02:32 Seymour and somebody, we about to go at you, we about to kill you. I'm like, Phillip, listen, man, come on. You know what I'm saying? It's that kind of, it's never like just your average, your blow. It's just the dudes that he respect, too. Because we would go, he'd be like, yeah, I got him.
Starting point is 00:02:49 Welcome to Games with Names. I'm Julian Edelman, they're Jack and Kyler, and we are on a mission to find the greatest game of all time. And on today's episode, we are covering Dolphins versus Chargers in the Barnburner week two match in 2017 with one of the greatest tight ends of all time, Hall of Famer and fellow Flash,
Starting point is 00:03:15 Kent State alum, Antonio Gates. And we get to talking, passing Tony Gonzalez in touchdowns in this game. That's why he picked this game. I passed X, Y, and Z. I remember playing with those dudes on a video game. That was a pretty special moment. What it's like to play in the Elite Eight.
Starting point is 00:03:34 We were so happy to be in the tournament. And now I look back at what's the best time of my life. And making the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It don't really sink in like you would think. Because it's your life, right? You live in it. And then we get into reading. Uh-oh. The YouTube comments and Apple reviews. Spotify. On this week's Chill Zone presented by Core's Light.
Starting point is 00:03:55 Very exciting. You got to stick around to the very end. Let's go. Games with names of production of iHeartRadio. and let's go. Games with names of production of iHeartRadio. September 17th, 2017. Carson, California StubHub Center. A Hooper from Detroit is about to make NFL history. Second and goal.
Starting point is 00:04:20 Rivers drops back. He finds Gates in the back of the end zone. This is the Breaking Through the Gates game. My man. Today we are looking at Dolphins versus Chargers week two of the 2017 season with Antonio Gates Hall of Famer Antonio Gates
Starting point is 00:04:54 Hall of Famer that never played college football Antonio Gates Hall of Famer Never played college football But I rec I went to the same school as him and he went to the lead eight and they were talking about it For the whole existence of my career there Antonio Gates. Welcome to the NUT house in one sentence Why this game? I guess it was a home game We played a play the game. We won was a row So I guess they wanted me to break it Cause we played a game, we won, we was on a roll.
Starting point is 00:05:25 So I guess they wanted me to break it at home in Los Angeles at the time. Break what? The record. What record? The NFL touchdown record. NFL touchdown record for tight ends. Peaches and cream.
Starting point is 00:05:41 112. With cherries on top. But yeah, man, like it's crazy, because when you do something of that magnitude, man, you don't really, it don't really sink in like you would think. Yeah. Because it's your life, right?
Starting point is 00:05:56 You're living it, you're going through it. I think when I retired, when it was all done, I was able to capture the actual moment a little bit better. If that makes sense. I was able to look back and say, man, that was crazy. I passed X, Y, and Z. I remember playing with those dudes on a video game. I played a lot of Tecmo Bowl, a lot of Matting. And to pass a guy like Tony Gonzalez, that was a pretty special moment.
Starting point is 00:06:20 Is this the greatest game of all time? We ask every question. I think you're right. No is unacceptable. You're right. I think the from an emotion standpoint it was because you know I again I know for those who don't know I played basketball that was always my passion so when I made this transition that game I finally had the emotions running through me for the first time. I'm telling you, I was on a sideline, I'm gonna say tears was coming down,
Starting point is 00:06:50 and I was like, wow, what is going on? But I think it was the idea of what I've been through up until that point, how difficult it is to get to that level, how many days you gotta kind of fight through that pain, the hard work, the dedication, the things that it's not talked about. that pain, the hard work, the dedication, the things that it's not talked about, right? They only see the touchdowns, right?
Starting point is 00:07:09 The Monday through Saturdays, I like to recall it. So I was pretty emotional after that game because I was kind of stagnant for a long time. You know what you get, it's like lifting weights. You get to 300 and you just stuck. You can't go past 300. I was like stagnant at like 110 for a while. Couldn't get to 111 and then I finally got to 112. I think that was the number.
Starting point is 00:07:27 Well fucking congratulations in the Hall of Fame. That means so much to me because you're a Kent State Golden Flash. I was a Golden Flash. Didn't play football at Kent, which is crazy to me. But like that's how big of an impact you have. Dude, can you explain your story about how you got to Kent State? So I wanna ask you about Nick Saban.
Starting point is 00:07:55 You go to Michigan State for football and basketball, and then all of a sudden you play basketball or something happens, then you go to what? Can you explain your situation, how you got to Kent? Then I was on tour like an artist. Yeah. You know how artists get on tour? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:08:13 I was on tour. You have a bus? Basically, you know what I mean? I was on tour like an artist. So, you know, a lot of stuff was, you know, so I come from Detroit, Michigan, man, it's an inner city. D-town.
Starting point is 00:08:24 Yep, and you know, I think when I look back on it, a lot of it was just affiliation. You know, we got this thing we call keeping it real. Yeah. And I wasn't no stranger to that. I was always trying to keep it real. With my homeboys, I grew up with, inner city, went to high school with, grew up in the neighborhoods with, and a lot of things that was happening to me
Starting point is 00:08:46 was predicated to that, you know what I'm saying? You go somewhere and you with me and we go to a college party and somebody start fighting. They know that's Antonio Gates, but them his boys, but they don't know my boys, they just know that's Antonio Gates. And I think that kind of transpired throughout my college career and that led me to going from Michigan State to Eastern Michigan to eventually get to a point where I had
Starting point is 00:09:12 to get to Kent State. So I had to get my social school, college sequoias. So I had to get my- Playing them in a ball game. So I went to like, people don't even know, I went to five different colleges, man. I'm rehabilitated just so you know. Hell yeah. You know what I'm saying? So I went to five different colleges. But reality is that I already knew my destiny was somewhere special, right? So that's why I always strived and kept going. And I can't say enough about what it took for me to get to that point where Kent State actually
Starting point is 00:09:38 gave me opportunity. Funny story, I get to Kent State, right? And you went to Kent State. So I get to Kent State. And, and you went to Kent State, so I get to Kent State, and I think that the guys had like a golf outing or something going on, basketball team. And here I am, this inner city kid, man, straight from the hood.
Starting point is 00:09:54 I come in, a golf outing, I think I got a Julius Ervin throwback jersey on, with chains on, it sound like forks and knives, and he's making all this noise. And here at these Kent State scootings, right, student athletes, and they were like sweaters, you know, button up shirts and. Golf attire.
Starting point is 00:10:10 Golf attire. Golf attire. And I was looking and I'm thinking like, so when I'm introducing myself to all of them, the players, I'm thinking like, wait a minute, why do I feel weird? Why do I feel like ah, right? And I think what happened was at that moment
Starting point is 00:10:22 of getting to Kent, it translated to me like, damn man, this what being a man really is. All my life I was consumed with the idea of being tough, you know what I mean, being in the streets. This is all, look at the boys carrying their book bags. They soft, they corny. But then I got to a point when I was around the Golden Flashes, that basketball team.
Starting point is 00:10:45 I've probably learned so much from those dudes. They probably don't even know that to this day. If they see this, this'll be the first time they will probably really understand. I learned so much from my teammates, my roommates that was living with me in apartments, because they were actually doing things that dictated success, dictated what a man should be.
Starting point is 00:11:08 Although I never knew that, because we grew up believing, look at this dude, man, he got a sweater on with a button up shirt. That's what we believe in the neighborhood. That's just all right. You know what I'm saying, dude? Always on time for class.
Starting point is 00:11:24 This is the thought process. You know what I'm saying, dude? Always on time for class, always. This is the thought process. You know what I'm saying? So being around those dudes, I was able to consume the idea of like, damn, man, this is, it's harder to do this. One of my roommates was in grad school and I'm like watching them work. And naturally I'm picking up their habits. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:11:41 I'm like, damn, this dude's studying all this time. Dude, where the party's at? You know, we ain't going to the gym. It developed me in a way and it shaped me in a way. Man, I'm so thankful for that opportunity because it developed and shaped me in a way and it allowed me to keep growing as a human being. And like I said, I'm so grateful for that opportunity
Starting point is 00:12:01 to be able to be in Kent State. And those dudes, Drew Mitchell, Trevor Hart and Demetri Shaw, Eric Thomas, Brian Beford, John Edwards, John Merritt. Dude, I don't want to miss anybody. Even my young dudes, Dre Haynes and Gates. I had another guy on our team, Gates. I mean, it was so many of us, man.
Starting point is 00:12:23 We had so much fun. Anthony Wilkins, got it, I'm still close with now, but they shaped me in a way, because I felt like I went from hanging with guys in the neighborhood, inner city guys, and essentially being with guys who had a vision and wanted to do something in life. And I would always tell them dudes, they were like,
Starting point is 00:12:43 I feel like I'm on a debate team now. The way they were acting, you know what I'm saying? They were very smart, sharp, but it was, you know how it is playing for the Patriots? It's like the same concept. It's the same thing, and we, and I got to the Chargers, which was funny, and it was still like the same concept. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:12:58 We were like, and I'm like, these are good human beings though. Unbelievable people. It's kind of like the bumps in the road or what make the journey fun. I forgot about my boy Nate Gerwig and Matt Jakeway. I'm looking at the rest of our Brian Pellegrini, Brian Howard, B Howard, Brandon Roach.
Starting point is 00:13:15 Yeah, Chris Williams, my man from DC. All the boys, hopefully when they see this, they know that I still got so much love for them. Some of the funnest times in my life is at Kent State. Kent State, it's so great that you learned that because playing football, there's so many stories of the inner city guy that's hanging around with the nuggle heads.
Starting point is 00:13:36 Yes, yeah. And becomes nothing. And you become a product of who you surround yourself with. And the blessing for you was to be around those guys. A blessing for me was to get drafted to the Patriots. Because being around those guys, seeing how they, like you said, debate team, everything was about challenging each other,
Starting point is 00:13:57 whether it was intellectually, whether it was physically, whether it was a challenge in the weight room or a challenge of knowing the history of the fucking defensive coordinator. Everything was a challenge, so you had to bring your A game all the time. And that built and made me who I was, which I had that already in me when I was at Kent.
Starting point is 00:14:19 I had a chip on my shoulder. Small school. Small school. People I've known about, yeah. Same thing, yeah. So I can fully understand that, man. Where'd you live? What apartments did you live?
Starting point is 00:14:30 Did you live in Silver Ghetto? No, I lived in Silver Ghetto. I got robbed too. I lived off campus, right. I live off campus. So my two roommates were in grad school. And so, and man, like the coach was brilliant with his ideas. So he knew I was a product of just my environment,
Starting point is 00:14:47 and yet, but he knew I had some maturing to do. Like any kid, right? He put you as some mature guys. Right, he put me with some guys that was in grad school. So all they do is study and all that. Because you know, in grad school, I think you get like two or three tests a year. So I guess if you fail one, you're
Starting point is 00:15:01 basically going to fail the class. I don't know. Yeah, yeah, right. It took me 12 years to get my degree. Right, so that's the thing. I'm with guys that's just studying all day, right? Doing everything the proper right way. You know what I'm saying? Shout out to my roommate, Andrew Mitchell,
Starting point is 00:15:16 and you know, learned a lot from him, man, because he did things the right way. I had always had the talent, always had the ability, always was number one since I was 12, right? Number one player, 12, 13, 14. So that wasn't the issue, the sports part. It was the off the court initially, and then it became off the field, but it was off the court initially that became the issue
Starting point is 00:15:39 because of, like I said, you grow up believing what keeping it real is. It's like, I got to take my boys with me. I got to take them in a space that they don't belong. And it can happen to you, they can pull you down. You know, obviously I got a opportunity and a blessing to keep going, but I was in situations where I was looking at jail time
Starting point is 00:16:04 and thankful that through all those experiences I was able to get a grip of who I am and what I wanted to be. And it helped me get to this point that I'm at today, pro football, the famer. You know what I'm saying? Everything happens for a freaking reason, it's crazy. You're like the epitome of that.
Starting point is 00:16:23 Yeah. Did you ever see Cribbs or Harrison? Yeah, I did. So I didn't know him personally as much. You're all in Dunbar, probably. Yeah, you're right. Because you know, the whole idea of when you play basketball, we always think the football player's jealous.
Starting point is 00:16:36 That's the real storyline, dude. It was a basketball school. I'm just saying, we were in basketball. We always think the football players was jealous. So that's kind of like the thing. But you know, I had the football, you know, I did go to Michigan State. So, you know, dudes were kind of small to me, even though I was playing basketball.
Starting point is 00:16:51 I'm like, y'all scattered these dudes that play football for kids, you know what I'm saying? So I remember they, like, parties would go on and my teammates, the basketball guys would be there. And we were good. We would rank the top 25 twice. And I was only there for two years. So the thing is that we were good.
Starting point is 00:17:04 And, you know, they'd be at the game, I mean, parties for two years. So the thing is that we were good and you know, they'd be at the game, I mean parties, and they'd get the call and be like, hey man, the football player's here, you coming? You know what I'm saying? I'm like, yeah, I'm coming up there, man. They ain't gonna do nothing, you know what I'm saying? And they were just scared.
Starting point is 00:17:15 Basketball players were scared of the football players. And to me, I was just as big or bigger. You were daywalker. You were basically played. I was a big 10 football player. So I'm like, dude, come on, y'all chill out. You know Daywalker. You were basically Blade. I was a big 10 football player, so I'm like, dude, come on. Y'all chill out. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:17:29 You were both. Yeah, and they knew. You know what I'm saying? People know energy. Ain't nobody crazy, right? I was from Detroit. I'm like, dude, y'all scared of these? Come on, this dude grew up down in Canton, Ohio.
Starting point is 00:17:38 Dude, what he gonna do? You know what I'm saying? So, right. So that's how it was. And I just remember seeing James, and obviously James and I are good friends, and I know Cribs as well. So, we would never fully interact
Starting point is 00:17:51 because the basketball team, not me personally, they would always feel like, the football team was more intimidating. Which, well, they were. You guys were fuckin' big guys on campus. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we were. We were, we were. Antonio G's. Walk us through this Elite 8 run, bro.
Starting point is 00:18:07 Because I mean, I just remember, we were talking about, I was there like what, five, six years after you? Yeah. Four or five years, six, whatever. We were talking about the, I was like, yeah, we had the Elite 8 run last year. We used that last year because of you. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:18:22 Ever. Yeah, man. That was the thing about being in college because of you, or like ever. Yeah man, it was, man that was, the thing about being in college and, you know, making a run like that, it's nothing to do with money. It's all about relationships and friendships and pride and playing for one another. That's why that was one of the most
Starting point is 00:18:39 special moments of my life. That was the first time, not the first time, but that was really the last moment of when it had absolutely nothing to do with finances and business. It was just like, dude, we are all trying to get somewhere special and we're all trying to do something special. I remember we playing Pittsburgh and I was just
Starting point is 00:18:59 remembering like, these dudes some dogs. Pittsburgh had some tough, tough players, man. But we had that, you know, that, you know, that itch. There's some dog in you too. Yeah, but we got that. Still, y'all think, because we at the Kent State, that y'all better. And I'm here to tell you from going to the Big Ten
Starting point is 00:19:17 and making that transition to the Mac, the only difference is that it's just a size, it's a fit thing. You know what I'm saying? They wanted a guy 6'8", 6'9", to play the wing at Michigan State. At Kent State, these dudes are 6'5", 6'4". But when I got there, and you know this man playing in the
Starting point is 00:19:34 Mac, you like these dudes can play. Late bloomers, a lot of late bloomers. These dudes can play, they play hard. And that's the catch too. They're pissed off. They play hard every play. So I felt like going in the Mac and that's the catch too. They're pissed off. They play hard every play. So I felt like going into Mac and playing in the Mac
Starting point is 00:19:47 was easier than making a run in the Elite Eight. I felt like the dudes that the Ron Smiths, the Brandon Hunters, the Keith McCows of the world, the freaking Marshall had Blackshear. You know what I mean? They felt harder than the guys I was going against in these big programs because they were still like, you know what a chip on the show,
Starting point is 00:20:08 they can put it on the floor, they can hit a mid-range, they can hit you from three, they can make the right pass, they were strong enough, they was quick enough. They just weren't tall enough. They weren't tall enough. Or they didn't have the off the charts jumping abilities. When you see them play, they didn't make you wild,
Starting point is 00:20:24 it wasn't the wild play. And I think you can, you know, obviously you played and you moved on. Same thing. It's like guarding you on 38. You know what I mean? Yeah, but once you get out there, you're like, damn, this motherfucker, he can go left,
Starting point is 00:20:37 he can go right. Actually, he can beat you deep too. If you play it around, he can beat you. Then you'll see a guy that make a big play, and you'll be like, okay, he's going to, he's the first pick in the draft. But when you get out there, it changes the dynamic, and I believe I use this word, and they ask me
Starting point is 00:20:53 how I would describe myself as how I would describe you too, Julian. I think we were just ultimate competitors. Fierce, bro, like, dude, we can, me and you right now can probably start playing something and it'll get real hot in here. Right, that's what I'm saying. So, fierce competitor, man,
Starting point is 00:21:10 that was what I brought to the table. That's why I played the game of basketball. It didn't matter. I made the adjustments as I went. If I felt like you was too slow, I'm gonna take you on the wing, I'm gonna penetrate you. If I felt like you was smaller, I ain't shooting no jumpers on you.
Starting point is 00:21:23 We going to the block every time. We gonna pay the fact that you smaller. And that's how I played the you was smaller. I ain't shooting no jumpers on you. I'm going, we going to the block every time. You're going, we going to pay the fact that you smaller. And that's how I played the game football. That's how he played. You put a linebacker too slow. You put a fucking corner on him, he's too small. You put a safety on him, he ain't good in space. He can't play with his face.
Starting point is 00:21:40 Same way, man. That's just what we did to make that run. And I think the beauty of when majors make runs, like the Elite Eight runs, these guys that's growing together for years. So it was like senior, senior, senior, senior, junior. You don't see that no more. Yeah, and now we're going against a guy that's supposed
Starting point is 00:21:59 to be a top 10 pick, he's a sophomore. The next guy's a freshman, he was the number one player in the country coming out of high school. They got a couple of juniors on their team. But most of these guys, as they get older, they gone. They getting ready to go to the NBA. We was able to develop, they developed before I even got there.
Starting point is 00:22:15 And then they added a piece. And that was like the missing piece of the puzzle. And collectively, man, we was just, you know, we thought we could have been national champions at that point. Because we were older. First of know, we thought we could have been national champions at that point. First of all we were older than everybody. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:22:28 I was the youngest person on the team on the starting lineup and I was 20, you know, my junior year so yeah we felt like we could have, we felt like we should have beat Indiana but they got so hot. Danny Fife and the boys got so covered there. They got so hot man, they just wouldn't miss. Indiana. But just for our viewers at home, listeners at at home the first round you guys were a 10 seed beat, Oklahoma State seventh seed
Starting point is 00:22:51 6961 second round you beat the number two seed Alabama 7185 the sweet 16 game you mentioned against three seed pit you guys beat Being 78 73 and overtime you had 22 points and eight boards and 43 minutes played and then you guys eventually lost to the five-seat Indiana 81 to 69 hell of a run crazy hell of a run Wow, I'm looking at that. That's crazy. What comes up to your mind when you see these games? What's the first thing? What game comes is just you're you think I think about the camaraderie that we had You know, I don't see a game. I see the people that was in my space at that time.
Starting point is 00:23:28 I think about, damn man, this is what happens when you got the right group of people that's with the right idea, right, and the right focus. We were having so much fun together, man. You know, even like when we got to round two, Alabama, like our practice was like so fun. We were so happy to be in the tournament. So we were like just enjoying the moment. And now I look back, I'm like,
Starting point is 00:23:51 dude, what's the best time of my life? That was probably the spark, other than going into the Hall of Fame now, that was the spark of my athletic career up until this point that just happened. I'm looking at you, you're touched. Yeah. Making me touched.
Starting point is 00:24:07 Yeah. I feel like I got a little hair on the back of my back hanging up. Who is that? I was watching some little, I was watching this documentary on you. It was like back in the day or something. It was like old and who you played against Harrington. Yeah, Al Harrington, that's my guy. Al Harrington and you kind of punked him? Yeah. Well, Al Harrington's that's my guy. Al Harrington, and you kind of punked him?
Starting point is 00:24:25 Yeah, well, Al Harrington's number one player in the country coming out. I know. You really can't punk Al Harrington. I wouldn't say that. How many he put on him? Yeah, it was just that the fact that- How many he put on him?
Starting point is 00:24:35 See, this is a Hall of Fame answer. Yeah, right. This is a Hall of Fame answer right now. That's my man though. I still see Al periodically. He lived out here, moved to Texas I think. But he was the number one player in the country. So I'm like, dude, this dude ain't, man, what's,
Starting point is 00:24:53 if he number one, what am I? You know what I'm saying? But that was just the, I grew up watching The Bad Boys. Isaiah Thomas, Lambert, Rick Mahorn, Dumas, Vinny Zyne. So our whole philosophy is that we're coming in. That's in your hayday to his kid. We're coming in to see if you got some toughness about you. Because when you watch the game, when you, sports in general,
Starting point is 00:25:16 we can take any sport, when you watch people play, people can jump and they can run. But it's when the wheel is tested is when the real true character come out. And you have that. I've watched you play in playoffs. I said, that motherfucker, he right there with the cat. Dog, that's tough.
Starting point is 00:25:33 That's all I'm saying. I've watched it. So, and you know, cause you can't see it until you see, around it and you see it. Cause you go seven on seven, you do all this. And that's kind of what I was trying to get out of Al. You know, you hear about these guys all the time. You know, Rashard Lewis was one of the guys too.
Starting point is 00:25:49 And you get in there, and I remember playing, and we practicing. We had a guy named Lloyd Price, and people don't even know who that was. And to me, he was the best player in that. Because when you get there and you're playing him, the essence of the people changes, right? So you're like, let me see what this guy about, man guys can just jump shoot and they six nine Al Hampton was a dog
Starting point is 00:26:09 Rashad Lewis was one too. They would like a dog da double G dog Yeah, where is this in this is in where's the where's this game at? This was in Michigan So all American game round ball game all American game ball game was played at the palace I think an Auburn Hills. It was in the Pistons. I want to say it was still the Palace. Was it packed, the arena? Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:30 Jumping high, just Detroit. I'm local. Local. I'm home, so I'm still at the best place in the state, right, so I'm at home and I'm like family, friends, teammates, school, you know, teachers, principal, everybody. Everybody.
Starting point is 00:26:46 80 people. Everybody. The whole block's there. The whole block's there. And that's the beauty of sports, man, because sometimes, Community, man. You're carrying more than just you.
Starting point is 00:26:55 You. Unfortunately, you know what I'm saying, it's you, it's your name, but you represent so much more, man. Everyone who helped you get there is a part of your journey. And people believe in you, and you'd be surprised how it have an impact on so many.
Starting point is 00:27:12 I mean, we had a situation where we were winning in high school, and people were literally coming together who didn't like each other because the nephew or the cousin was on a team. Like anything, it's sports, that's what they do. And that's the beauty of it, man. They bring people together, which we need. I have an out of left field question. So you were in Detroit in the nineties. I know your basketball football guy, but the Red Wings were killing it. Yeah. Red was all red wings is the hockey guy. Yeah. Red wings is, I mean, I met Steve Irishman. He was, I mean,
Starting point is 00:27:36 you know, red wings is the number one team in Michigan. That's just what they did. They know you're a hockey guy. I'm not a hockey guy. But you're watching here. I mean, but they were always winning. So I'm a bandwagon type of guy. I'm like, they were always winning. You cannot know the red one. Hockey apparel's dope too. Yeah, you cannot know the toughness that we bring. You come in there, we gonna see what you're about.
Starting point is 00:27:56 That's what I'm saying. That was a foundation of me growing up. Everything was about, test they will, are they tough. And it's not in a disrespectful way, it's in a competitive way. Like we're just trying, we don't mean no harm when we lead, dude. We got families and stuff, we ain't,
Starting point is 00:28:13 but in the sports world, as a competitor, we gonna make sure that running and jumping is we can get a dog to do that. You know what I'm saying? You can get a dog to do that. That's why you win championships. Because then third and eight and 80, 100,000 people screaming and you bleeding,
Starting point is 00:28:29 your elbow scraped and cut and bleeding, the will that you got, you can't test that on seven on seven. Coaches can't give you that. They can call what play they want to call. It don't matter. Your will to want to make that play, the will of Tom Brady wanting to reach out to you and give it to you, that's saying that he trusts you
Starting point is 00:28:47 because he knows if I'm gonna throw the ball to somebody, I need a MSOB to make the play. And that's the only thing I can see about you from a distance, because I never met you, but I was able to say, I'll take that. He's always making these big plays on third down. You know, and that was my thing too. So I'm able to identify with him.
Starting point is 00:29:06 Like, okay, he went to kids day? Really? Okay. Yeah, right. So I was always rooting for you, believe it or not, bro. Cause I knew you went to kids, you know? So I was always like. We did meet once.
Starting point is 00:29:17 That's why I can't remember. We met once. Tony, see, I don't even know what to call you. What do the boys call you? A-G, Tone. A-G, Tone. I answer to everything. OG, old school, now when I was- I what to call you. What do the boys call you? A-G, Tone. A-G, Tone. I answer to everything. OG, old school, now when I was.
Starting point is 00:29:28 I'm gonna call you Tone. Yeah, yeah. I like Tone. Yeah, Tone, they call me everything, man. I just answer to everything. I could be anywhere. Somebody say any one of those, I look up like, hey, what's up?
Starting point is 00:29:37 I did meet you once though. I was, in 2013, we came out and we played you guys. Okay. And on Sunday night football blues you guys were in the powder blues You were in Tony. Oh fucking gates already at that time my career, and I was just coming up I was just dipping my toe into success. I was just starting to catch a bunch of balls I was like on the grind, but this was 14. I think And we go and I had a big-ass game. I was like on the grind. But this was 14, I think. And we go, and I had a big ass game. I had like a 69 yard touchdown,
Starting point is 00:30:09 I had like 130 or something. And I saw you after the game, and you had like these cool ass fucking Ray-Bans on. Yeah, right. You had sick ass, it wasn't a lot of chain, but it was a fucking sick chain. You had some kind of cool shirt on, and I came up and I was like, yo man, Kent State,
Starting point is 00:30:33 and you were in a zone, different zone, you were leaving, and you're like, man, go Flashes. And you gave me one of that, and you said, I respect you, man, and you walked off. I was like a little kid in a candy store, I'm like, oh shit, tell O'Gage knew who I was. It's my brother. I knew who you were though, for sure.
Starting point is 00:30:49 It was crazy. 100%, yeah. And then, and I tell that story, and people were like, what time, it was a night game. I was, he was wearing sunglasses. I go, when you're cool, it's always fucking sunny, K. And Tony O'Gage wants to wear sunglasses at night. He can wear sunglasses at fucking night, man.
Starting point is 00:31:09 You were so cool, calm, and collected, gave you a little something. You dipped out, right? Went over to your Porsche or something. It was sick. It just sounds like me, that's for sure. Yeah. That's for sure, me, yeah.
Starting point is 00:31:21 So we gotta get into this talk. You got Harrington. This game that we're about to jump into, you overturn, you passed Tony Gonzalez, who was also a Hooper at Cal. Can you beat him one on one? In what? Basketball? Yeah, we were different kind of players. One on one? And what? Basketball? Yeah, we were different kind of players.
Starting point is 00:31:46 One on one, right now. In primes, if we had AI where we could prime you out. So quick story, right. So we was in a pro ball together and we were supposed to play one on one. Oh, what happened? It was set up, he showed up in flip flops. He showed up in flip?
Starting point is 00:32:01 Yeah, because he know. He know. So you don't have that, see that's that Berkeley compared to Ken.. He's a different kind of player though Yeah, yeah, I love it. Yeah, I love but you know the players we know I mean everybody else be just it's the media is one thing and the The instrument of what everybody's saying from a social standpoint is one the players we know, you know saying I know You know saying you know, I was a scorer. so it didn't make sense. I averaged 20 points.
Starting point is 00:32:25 He was a rebounder, like finisher, slasher type of player, which I'm not discredited in that. I was the guy you had to stop to win. It's very simple. Don't get no simple. That's a circle. That's a circle guy. You stop this dude, you gonna win.
Starting point is 00:32:39 You know what I'm saying? It wasn't like you got in here, he can go laugh, and he get good rent. That wasn't my Scott report. No. G-A-T-E-S, circle that. We stop him, we win the game against Kent State. It's very simple.
Starting point is 00:32:51 That ain't what, we're different players. So I don't want to oranges and apples. You can't really, you know what I'm saying? You can't do it. I had to ask. I had to ask. I mean, it was only appropriate for this game. We just were different players.
Starting point is 00:33:03 When people ask me all the time, I say, I say Antonio Gates, man. Yeah, we're different players, you know that. We're different players, man. I know, but I just, I say that. Who else? There was that big argument recently that football players and basketball players, which.
Starting point is 00:33:19 In that, yeah. What's your take on that? Well, you know. Who, what football players that you play with you think that could hoop. Right. And what basketball players you play with think they are in the league that could play ball? I think. Good is good. Tough is tough. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:33:41 You can go play on the court. I can't play on the court. I'll tell you right now. No, but you can't play. I played in AU for three years. I was a football player. But say, Aala Iverson can go play football, is what I'm saying, because he's tough. This is what I'm saying.
Starting point is 00:33:54 If you give me a tough athlete, he's going to prevail because he's a competitor. That's just what it is. I got guys in the football league in the NFL, on my team, that's phenomenal athletes, but they're not tough. I got guys in basketball that's phenomenal athletes, and they're not tough.
Starting point is 00:34:13 And you do what you do with those guys who are not tough, you put them in places to excel. Tough dudes, you ain't gotta do that. They're gonna, you can put them in the game. Simple, put him in the game. He gotta be out there somewhere, slot, you can put them in the game. Simple, put him in the game. He gotta be out there somewhere, slot, X, Z, F, wherever. Get him in the game, he's going to excel.
Starting point is 00:34:31 Some guys, you gotta, hey, we gotta draw this player for him, he ain't going, gotta get him going. We gotta get him going. Let's run this deep over. He's athletic, but he's got the gadget. We gotta get him going. Got an overzing on him. And that's how it is in basketball.
Starting point is 00:34:43 Some guys, you gotta run screens for him, get him off two screens, I need to get him a couple of threes, get him going. They can't guard on him. And that's how it is in basketball. Some guys you gotta run screens for, get him off two screens underneath, get him a couple of threes, get him going. They can't guard you, bro, I'm telling you. You gotta tell him they can't guard you. Some guys you let him play and he gonna know this dude can't guard me. He's gonna dominate the game from the get go.
Starting point is 00:34:57 And I think that's the difference. It's like the best ones are the ones that can do both. They are physically athletic and they're tough. Those are the ones that can do both. They are physically athletic and they're tough. Those are the ones that excel at the highest level. Then you got ones that can excel and then every now and then you feel like a little fork in the road comes up because they're not as tough. And we've had that.
Starting point is 00:35:18 We have receivers that when you watch them, you're like, this is crazy. But you start jamming them, they start hitting. You know, and then you're like, this is crazy. But you start jamming them. They start hitting. You know, and then now he's like, yeah. He stopped running towards the ball a little bit. His arms get a little short. We call them alligator arms.
Starting point is 00:35:32 Alligator arms. Right. So then all of a sudden, he ain't catching the pass. He ain't going across the middle. Ball in the air. He can't judge it. Right. But all the tough ones are the tough ones.
Starting point is 00:35:40 All the good ones are the good ones. So the comparison is like, because we grew up playing everything. I did at least, you know, my generation, in the 80s and 90s, we grew up playing everything. You know, we were tough on football field. I was a competitor there, I was a competitor on the court. I was a competitor in two square, four square,
Starting point is 00:35:57 dominoes, spades, you know what I'm saying? Jump rope, we started double, we get jump rope and I'ma try to win. Double Dutch? Double Dutch, you know what I'm saying? I'll get up in there. I used to get in there. So jump rope and I'ma try to win. Double Dutch? Double Dutch, you know what I'm saying? I'll get up in there. I used to get in there. So that's all I'm saying.
Starting point is 00:36:06 So the competitors is, essentially is who excels. And everything you do, the tough competitors, because they competing. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? When you got there, I'm sure you probably was thinking like, damn, this dude can run. He's 6'5", they can run.
Starting point is 00:36:20 But when you play the game, they don't play like you, right? They go like, okay, well Julian, come start. Matter of fact, you be the guy for us because we can depend on, and that's how I end up playing. I was just competing. I remember getting ragdoll and like nine on seven, inside runs. And I remember just holding on.
Starting point is 00:36:38 I'm like, do you think I just throw me any kind of way? So I started off in the run game. But they were just watching me as a basketball player compete. I wasn't like dominating, dominating. But I was like, dude, you ain't about to just throw me around. That ain't gonna happen. Yeah, I'm like, OK.
Starting point is 00:36:54 You're smart. So he was stronger than me. I said, OK, then. He's stronger than me. Right? Let me get in. I got to be quicker. I got to get off the ball quicker.
Starting point is 00:37:01 I got to get inside quicker, right? So if he's strong, quick, I'm like, okay. Oh, she probably gotta run. I was like, hey, let me do this. Let me switch it up on him. You know what I'm saying? So we making the necessary adjustments and we compete. Man, I'm just a competitor.
Starting point is 00:37:14 That's just it. You're a competitor, I'm a competitor. So whatever it was, even in this space now, you're a competitor, right? Got me here. Right? Right. So that's what I'm saying.
Starting point is 00:37:24 You just competing, man. It's just life. Yeah. So what I took from that football players would compete the shit out of basketball players. Yeah. Right. Right. I ain't gonna say that.
Starting point is 00:37:35 They competitors. You know, the Allen Armisen's of the world who played both. Nah, he was a stud. Tidewater. That's what I'm saying. The Allen Armisen's of the world and then the Ronald Curry's on the football side. The Cordell Stewart's. I'm going a little older because I'm trying to name a guy
Starting point is 00:37:48 that I felt like had both. To me, Ronald Curry, who played for the Raiders, I don't know if you really remember him, a lot of guys play the game of basketball, but they're not really playing. I don't like to, I don't want to keep discussing them. They're not playing. They're not.
Starting point is 00:38:02 Right. They're not circle guys. Right, a guy got in foul trouble and you got in the game. Yeah. No, they're not circle guys. You got circle. You ain't on the... You're a circle guy.
Starting point is 00:38:09 You're right. Ronald Curry. Circle him on the roster. You stop him. Charlie Ward. You know what I'm saying? Those guys. And I want to say Randy Moore.
Starting point is 00:38:16 Charlie Ward was called. Yeah, he was football. He was... I grew up watching him, so I knew. How do I know that? He went to the Knicks. He played point guard. He was quarterback from Florida State.
Starting point is 00:38:24 Florida State. That's why I like him. I want to say he won the Heisman. I want to say that. But those to the Knicks. He played point guard. He was quarterback from Florida State. Florida State, that's why I like. I wanna say he won the Heisman. I wanna say that, but those were the guys, in my opinion, that I seen, that I was able to say, I'm trying to be in that space. You know, most of the guys either doing one or the other good, you know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:38:37 These guys were doing both, like, you know, I guess Deon Simmons would obviously be the pinnacle of it, right, playing at a baseball. So he's another... Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson. You know, Michael Jordan, still Michael Jordan. He played baseball a little bit, but I...
Starting point is 00:38:51 Tate, we giving that? Right, that's what I'm saying. So I just, but those are the guys I've seen, you know what I'm saying? Deion Sanders, in my opinion, Bo Jackson would be the pinnacle of somebody doing something to sports, Wiles. I just watched that documentary where Deion played in the game and then went to go on the same day and there was some bullshit. But Bo Jackson was like that too.
Starting point is 00:39:12 I want to say Bo probably was even, if not better than Dion both, you know what I'm saying? Because Bo Jackson was good. There was some drama behind it. Like the team started in Atlanta, started getting mad. You got to watch it. It was fucking sick. Let's just jump into this competitiveness,
Starting point is 00:39:25 because when you were talking about that. And then you went into how you transitioned into a tight end. For me, it was every day was a competition with myself because I would see the other guy who was a polished technician. I saw Wes Walker in his prime and how he was running routes and shit. And like, I was like, man, if I think about that, it's going to kill me emotionally. I got to think about how do I make myself better?
Starting point is 00:39:53 Like, so I would always just every day just, I got to do everything this right. I got to, I just got to work on this. I got to work the top of my route because I never, I never felt it before. Just like you. 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
Starting point is 00:40:16 into a fucking receiver's 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 in Notre Dame trying to take off on a fucking release. Walk me through how you transition because you didn't even play the goddamn sport. Yeah, right. Well, dude, like, you know what I'm saying? It's the same for
Starting point is 00:40:38 everybody, man. It's the, you know, it's the progression. It's the stages, right? You know, that's stage one for me and you. That don't change. For me, it was even probably more complicated, 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,
Starting point is 00:41:03 what I would like to consider credit, 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,
Starting point is 00:41:18 they come in, they already learn how to run. You know, you learn how to do. So now you trying to change what you learn at Kent State. Oh, you know, 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.
Starting point is 00:41:33 But I felt like it was somewhat easier for me. Like credit, better to have no credit than bad credit, right? So it was like, I felt like I was, it was a little easier transition. Now it wasn't easy. I just felt like it was easier. 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? I couldn't understand motion.
Starting point is 00:41:51 You gotta remember, I'm here. You never really did that. Right, yeah. You ain't it. Right, I'm not, yeah. I'm trying to see what it covers with that, right. So I got to a point, I was so bad, they just told me to just stand up.
Starting point is 00:42:01 I just do what you wanna do, Dex. Yeah, I would stand up at the end of the line, I would do whatever, because they got to 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.
Starting point is 00:42:18 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 then we, he was our starting receiver and obviously, you know, we had Kenan McCarter came along. Uh, but Eric Parker to me, um, initially was a guy who ran routes to the tee. Yeah. Drop this way.
Starting point is 00:42:39 I mean, coming at you full speed, drop his way. I mean, two or three steps, he coming out. He ain't overstepping to come out. Efficient. Like, everything. Get up on your toes. And I'm like, this is why he starting. Simple.
Starting point is 00:42:52 This is why he starting, right? And then as I matured and I got a chance to go to the Pro Bowls and I start watching Marvin Harrison, he was another guy that I would watch and practice and black, this is crazy. To me, this is perfect. To me. Even though I'm playing tight end,
Starting point is 00:43:08 I'm still with the vision of what I think a perfect route runner looks like. And I think that's how I seen it. I didn't see, I wouldn't like watching. And obviously I grew with tight ends in my room, the guys who were before me, but I was learning from them how to be a professional. So we had the ultimate professionals for the charges.
Starting point is 00:43:27 That's the beauty of it. I was learning from guys that was in my space and I was just like, okay, he's taking notes, he's doing this, he's making sure this is on, get his footwork, okay, and the run game, how are you okay, get your inside hand inside, get your foot down, get them foot in the ground, or you're gonna get threw around, they too strong.
Starting point is 00:43:44 These are five techniques. You know what I'm saying? Back then it was a four, three defense. So it wasn't the stand up line, it was the guy, his hands in the ground. He was 295. They was trying to stop the run back then. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:43:55 So it changed to a three, four as we got going. But everybody was playing four, three. When I got there and I had an end, pretty much every time. His hand in the ground. So I remember saying, man, I gotta get my feet in the ground. I gotta put them in the ground. Who were the ends? Who were the early ends?
Starting point is 00:44:09 Huge, I mean, back in the day, I remember, you know, I'm going over my head in your division. Yeah, we had some. But like the hand in the dirt. They were like the big run stoppers, so they wasn't the major playmakers. You know, now guys are sacking, you know what I'm saying? Then the three, four came, and then you got the Miramis
Starting point is 00:44:26 and then the Vons came and all the other, the Broncos, all those guys that just come around the edge. But now we're train blocking now. You know, we're train blocking to the backside. We leaving the end, we leaving the sandbagging for the fullback. Before that, it was just those three guys was in a box. And it was those four down linemen.
Starting point is 00:44:43 And I mean, I had him. He was in a seven or he was in a wide nine and he was mine. And it was those four down linemen. And I mean, I had him. He was in a seven, he was in a wide nine, and he was mine. And it was just, dude, I used to be like, y'all, why you keep helping this guard? You know what I'm saying? Because he had to. He had to go down, I don't know if you understand
Starting point is 00:44:55 the run game, but. Yeah, I understand. Yeah, so, you know, I would always have him on my own. It's me and it's him. But that's why I wouldn't know 235 tight ends back in those days. You had to be 260, 270. I was a legit 255, 260.
Starting point is 00:45:07 And that was a smaller range. Right. So now these tight ends are 35. They balking up to 245. Yeah, there's no true. There's no true tight end. No true tight ends no more. There's a couple. I mean, there's a there's a few.
Starting point is 00:45:22 I don't want to throw that out there, but I think the position has changed. It's more of a space game. More of a passing oriented, it was power. In order for you to play for the Chargers back then, 03, 04, Marne Schottenheimer was first. Schottenheimer, see? Yeah, Marne Schottenheimer was first. You had to block power.
Starting point is 00:45:43 You had to block, I don't care what you can do. If you can't block power, you can't block counter, you can't block that Lee Iso, you ain't playing. And that's how I got in the game. People don't know that, that's how I got, not because I was just so diving in the run game, but I was competing. I knew I gotta block this dude to make the team.
Starting point is 00:46:03 So I'm just saying, I'm gonna compete. And I was just finding ways using angles. I got to a point where dudes were so strong. I'm like, I gotta get to him before he can get, I will swipe their hands down, get them off balance. Get into them. Then I said, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, right.
Starting point is 00:46:17 My coach used to get mad at me though. Yeah, I know, cause they ain't never been out there probably in that. But the thing is, I would- They ain't blocking the dudes, they don't know. I would do that and accept the hit and let him take himself out of the play. I'm okay, yeah, I't never been out there probably. They ain't blocking the dude, so they don't know. I would do that and accept the hit and let him take himself out of the play.
Starting point is 00:46:27 I'm okay, yeah, I'm okay. You're gone. Yeah, the player's coming right behind me, and enjoy the time, it's counter his power. It's coming right behind the tight end. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, dude, I gotta figure it out. I say the same thing, you ain't never fucking played, dude.
Starting point is 00:46:41 Yeah, you ain't never been out there, dude. You gotta change it up, there's gotta be a change up. There's gotta be a change up in there. They gotta know, that's the beauty of playing. You gotta know when you get out there, dudes that they would tell, you know how this go, dudes that they would say that's good, you get out there and they wouldn't always that great to you. But dudes that they'd be like,
Starting point is 00:46:55 Gage, now this guy, you should go for 150 on him. I get out there and I'm like, damn, this dude pretty good though. Yes, I know exactly. I'm like, damn, this dude pretty good. And they'd I know exactly. I'm like, dang, this dude pretty good. And they be like, no, what are you doing? You playing, you effing around. And I'm thinking to myself, like, not really.
Starting point is 00:47:12 He's really covering me. I know exactly. That's how it always is. Always the guy that names and you get out there and they good, don't get me wrong, but they more playmakers. But then it'll be a guy who don't make as many plays, but he don't really do nothing wrong either.
Starting point is 00:47:26 He just around. He press, he play cover three right, he play cover four right, he play cover two right, he play inside man good, play two man good, he stayin' inside and I'm like damn I can't get in. He's fast and he's strong and I know that cause I would play against guys all the time and I would have good games but I'd be like man
Starting point is 00:47:44 I worked my ass off for this. Excuse my language, but you know what I'm saying? Okay, yeah, you know. I said fuck. You know. You don't swear? Yeah, I mean, you know. When I'm at home, I do whatever at home.
Starting point is 00:47:55 You're not like Phillip Rivers, like, gosh, dumb and dumb. Oh, no, no, ain't nobody like Phillip, man. Nobody do. Yeah, no, nobody like Phillip. What the fuck's he say? Yeah. Get your ass lined up. Oh, he said it?
Starting point is 00:48:07 He's got so many words. God's done it, let me get your ass lined up in the right spot. Yeah, yeah. Now he don't draw the A-word. He don't curse, though. Oh, wow. He don't curse, no.
Starting point is 00:48:17 He's unbelievable, he's different. I wanna get back into blocking. When was your first baptized moment in the NFL? One of these, it could have been training camp or was it in a regular season? You're like, oh, this blocking shit is a little tough. There's one time we all get baptized. Yeah, but that was from the get go.
Starting point is 00:48:38 From the get go from training camp. I was in there. One guy who? Yeah, he passed away. His name was Adrian Dingo. And we from Clemson. RIP. Yeah, away his name was Adrian Dingo and we from RIP Yeah, he passed away Adrian Dingo. He from Clemson and I remember he was an Ian and Then I remember going against him and I never had heard of his name Never knew who he was. I've been playing video games forever. So I know people, you know Yeah, who is this dude and he was playing good. That's what I'm saying about the lead.
Starting point is 00:49:06 He was a starter and he was good. And I could not get, I'm like, damn, I can't block this. And he was just like, that's what I'm saying. I'd be on, you know how you'd be like on one foot you see the film and you like, every time I look up, I'm grabbing his jersey cause he flinging me everywhere. And I'm just trying to hold on.
Starting point is 00:49:24 And I just was like, man, I gotta say, man, we got a dude named Adrian Dingle. He played defense and this man, he's really good. Like he's really good. And I always just say, you love complimenting your teammates. That was my thing. People always say I complimented my teammates. I always would say that.
Starting point is 00:49:39 But I'm like, no, I'm telling you. But he never, he was always injured. He would always play six, seven games, star, knee problem. Take him out the lineup, get him healthy, come back. So he always had a knee issue. That's the difference with football and basketball though. There's 53 guys. When you're in the NFL, every one of those motherfuckers
Starting point is 00:49:59 was the best guy on their team. Yes, yes. It's just there's so many guys. Everyone is good. You know, like in an NBA and there's 15 guys on the roster. So, you know, the whole fucking roster. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. Like in the NFL, like I remember they reminded me of when Rob Ninkovic, remember him?
Starting point is 00:50:19 Linebacker, right? Linebacker. Yeah. He's a really good player for us. Won three Super Bowls. He was a fucking at a point in his career where he's a long snapper in New Orleans. We brought him in on like his third year and we had Matt Light, who was like a fucking stud. He's all pros, yeah. And his first day in training camp, he gave Matt Light the work.
Starting point is 00:50:39 Like he was just like a possessed animal, you know? And it was like, he was on, he was like, you know what I mean? It was just one of those things where that know, and it was like he was on it He was like, you know what? I mean, it's just one of those things where that's what made him He made the team because of that that one day. He I just remember like That those one-on-one periods that's where cuz we would watch it in front of the whole team and that's where you get exposed like You do a good play right there like on one-on-ones against the corners. You know, Bill would show it.
Starting point is 00:51:06 If you got hemmed up, he'd show that too. So like it builds like. Right, Bill was like Marty. Yeah. That's how those old school coaches were. How was Marty? We watched the film together, whole team. Yeah, same.
Starting point is 00:51:17 So I remember when it was like my play coming up, I'm like, damn, they about to call me out. Play's 48. I'll be doing the play and everything. We already went over in the tight end room. So we get to the whole, and Marty was the kind of guy he would just, you know, and North too. So I had some great coaches in my career,
Starting point is 00:51:33 but the idea was like, you know, this was early on in my career, he made us the accountability. That's how it started, right? And North Turner was the same way. It was just being accountable that you had to be accountable. And and you know because they would show a guy named Lorenzo Neil in our room he didn't know this and they'd be like
Starting point is 00:51:52 watch this watch him play and it felt like he never had a misplay I'm like this block blocks this guy every single time this guy is not don't be that was off don't be the one to let the team down. Don't let your guy be the one to make the tackle. That's the major concept. Obviously it's hard, it's very hard. You know what I'm saying? But the idea is Lin-Riz O'Neal,
Starting point is 00:52:15 you'd be like, this is unreal. We'll watch a whole game. And I'm like, this guy never made the play. The guy that he had never made the play. And I'm like, how do I get to that level of like focus and dominance? Cause he was dominant. He was the best fullback that I have seen.
Starting point is 00:52:34 One of probably the best blocker period that I have seen. Cause he get on you and it was over. It was just, he was 5'11", you know, Lorenzo Neal. She'd be in the Hall of Fame probably. You know what I'm saying? But he blocked for Corey Dillon, he blocked for everybody he's blocked for has had a thousand yards.
Starting point is 00:52:50 He'd get on you and it was it. And I know that's hard. You know what I mean? No Emmys, professional. You know how it is in past pro. You get back there, they have you probably doing some stuff in F. Well, I don't know, I'm assuming they did.
Starting point is 00:53:01 I had one recs call where I had to go over his place. Yeah, right, right. That's what I'm saying. I can see you doing that. That's all I'm saying. With. I had one Rex call where I had to go over his place. Yeah, right, right. That's what I'm saying. I can see you doing that. That's all I'm saying. With Lorenzo Neal. When a fullback has a cowboy collar on. Let's go.
Starting point is 00:53:14 See, what you were explaining, why he's a Hall of Famer, because he was a guy that was doing that, and he played on some good football teams, but he never got to play at the pinnacle. The difference between that is there's more guys like you that are sitting there seeing Lorenzo Neal, man, if I'm just doing my job and he does his job
Starting point is 00:53:40 and we all just fucking do our job for that one play and it may be something That's how success is made. Yeah team wise team wise that's how the winners right? I mean, that's what I was thinking about I was like I remember being the same way like you're just looking at like how does this guy? Yeah, he just does his job every time every time and then they throw him a bone every once in a while I know like yeah, he does and then everyone like art does his. He had a 16 year career from 93 to 2008. He only ever scored one touchdown a season. He never scored more than one touchdown a season.
Starting point is 00:54:12 Right, so that was wrong. He's gonna be, he should be in a lot of touchdowns. Before we jump into this game, we gotta talk over some of the greatest tight ends. I got to play with Gronk. Who are, we obviously Tony Gonzalez. Who are your tight ends that you would always eye during your career?
Starting point is 00:54:33 And then what do you think about the tight end? Like the Kelseys going on right now, the Andrews right now. I like that, likely. I think he's gonna blow up a little bit in Baltimore. Huh? Bowers. Bowers. Like what do you think about these tight ends now I think he's going to blow up a little bit in Baltimore. Bowers.
Starting point is 00:54:46 Like, what do you think about these tight ends now? And who are the tight ends that you fucking were always like looking at? You know, the little wrinkle in my initial arrival for the Chargers was at that particular time, tight ends was really not doing that. We were blocking. We were running power, we were running counter. Shot and I were. Yeah, so that was like the thing.
Starting point is 00:55:09 I remember the things that I initially started doing at the position would be, I would be getting cursed out a lot. I know every practice I would be getting cursed. You can bet, if you came to a practice from 03 to 07, I was getting cursed out. Like that first couple of years, because I was doing getting curbed. You can bet, if you came to a practice from 03 to 07, I was getting curbed out, like that first couple of years, because I was doing so much things, like it wasn't, it was the enemy of great.
Starting point is 00:55:31 I was just doing what I wanted to do, and they're like, what are you doing? We told you to go 16, but I'm like, yeah coach, he was sitting there. But I went 14 and I came across his face. Right, so that was my philosophy. And it was, I didn't- But you didn't know, but you were still,
Starting point is 00:55:44 you didn't know, conceptually, that you had to go 16 because there was a guy at four, and you guys were leveling this guy. You weren't there yet. I wasn't there yet, but it was more so in basketball, I was always taught to get away from the defender and create space wherever he was at. My goal was to turn your hips
Starting point is 00:56:02 and get you moving in a different direction for me to get my shot off. So I had that naturally. That was just my thing. I didn't care what the right way, it could be a slant. If it's a three step slant, I don't know, once he turned his hips, I'm coming in there. So I know you guys, so if I know you doing three step drop,
Starting point is 00:56:18 I know I got time to play with him sometimes, I'm not gonna take three steps. Based on who it is, right? Some guys ain't going for it. Some guy, I gotta just act like I'm doing something and get in there. Depends on what the situation is, I would get cursed out so much.
Starting point is 00:56:31 Everything that I would do was, no, no, no, no, no, no. What are you doing? You short, you ain't deep enough, you ain't this. Why did you do that? Too much game in the route. Too much wiggle, right? Till everybody started to do that.
Starting point is 00:56:45 So now the transition is that people are actually accepting that. Now, when I did it, it wasn't done. Guys would go 14 yards in, they would go six yards out, they would go eight yards across the ball curl. It wasn't no pivot and wrinkles to it. You know what I'm saying? That was basketball.
Starting point is 00:57:03 That's your basketball. I'm not saying I started it, but when I was doing it, it was like, I would get graded off really bad, but I have a seven for 130 in the game. And a touchdown, you know what I'm saying? And they'd be like, dude, you're killing us. The quarterback, he don't know what to do, right? I know, and I'm like, yeah, we caught it.
Starting point is 00:57:22 Because that's how I played football on the streets. It was like, go to the car and turn around. Do this. If he was over there, you created it in a way. And you know, because you kind of, I started watching you. Y'all kind of played like that, too. Kind of like, give me a little something at the top. It got to that point in Ross.
Starting point is 00:57:37 Give him something. When you didn't really want to do that, you would want a speed cut out. When I first got to the league, everything was a speed cut, speed cut. And Tim Dwight was, watch Tim Dwight. He's gonna come and speed cut out. Option route, speed out. Green grass, run out.
Starting point is 00:57:53 Right zone, outside release, hook. Simple, and I just used that, and I built on the idea my natural ability was giving me more of an advantage than it was anything else. I would make plays in a game, and they'd be like, my natural ability was giving me more of an advantage than it was anything else. I would make plays in a game, and they'd be like, what was you thinking on that? I'm like, well, coach, I know it was cover two Mike, and he'd been watching me run a pivot, right?
Starting point is 00:58:14 So I got a deep over. Instead of me just getting up and running so he can turn around with me, I made it look like I'm about to stop and sit down, and then I go behind him. You know what I'm saying? But I'm holding him, I'm freezing him. It's like a little shit. Yeah, like a shiver, like a shit. So we then we came, we came up with the raw. Gaze got the shimmy. He got this. He got, because I was doing it naturally. I did everything off my pivot or everything off my sticky or
Starting point is 00:58:38 everything off my seven-row. We used to steal all that stuff from you guys. And I remember running it. I'm like, we used to give it to Hernandez. Hernandez was a beast. He was a, because he was cold on, he was cold on the hoot. He was the one I was worried about the most, between me and you. So speaking of, when I was watching, and I didn't really watch as much because the space that I was in, with all due respect, I was doing my own kind of thing. So it was hard because I remember watching Denver and
Starting point is 00:59:07 they played the Patriots and Grunt was playing and he was in tight and goal line package and he popped out wide throwing a, I want to say a fade and Vaughn Miller was the linebacker, he popped out wide, right? We played them, lead, Miss Harrison stayed in the game, goal line, they don't come out. So I couldn't really say, we going, this is what's about to happen. So I got to that level where I knew I just got to kind of go and adjust as I go. I don't know what they gonna do.
Starting point is 00:59:35 I don't know who, Woodson guarded me on third down. Tapp came in and guarded me on third down. So that's not truly the normalcy in terms of what you would see. And I remember seeing Hernandez play and I remember what we would say in practice too. And I'm like, they would come to me and they asked me.
Starting point is 00:59:51 And again, I'm not, it's hard to say because you don't want to discredit anything when anybody's grunting, it's phenomenal. The Hall of Fame in my opinion. But we felt like Hernandez at that particular moment, he was more of a difficult thing to cover because of his ability. And I always felt like him and Kellan Winslow Jr.
Starting point is 01:00:11 was more closer to me than anybody else based on my appearance of what I'm seeing. I'm like, I gotta get going. So when we played him, I'm like, I'm gonna show this boy what's happening. He ain't coming here. But he was such a phenomenal player. He can put him at running back, put him at F,
Starting point is 01:00:26 you can put him at Y, put him at Z, you can put him at X. And that's kind of what we really did essentially. I was everywhere moving around. And I just thinking to myself, I said, I know what y'all keep saying, but I'm telling y'all who I think is, I need to worry about.
Starting point is 01:00:41 You know what I'm saying? We used to watch a lot of your stuff and give a lot of those things to him. And I watch a lot of your routes. And I watched Aaron. He was a technician in routes. But he also knew, he was like a football route runner. Cause there's guys that are basketball guys
Starting point is 01:01:01 that know how to get open. And there's your technical football guys that just know, like they know movement and stuff, but they also get their debt. He combined those. And so he had that crossover at the top of his route where he would break a dude off, but he was 240. He was kind of smaller, but he wasn't you.
Starting point is 01:01:21 He wasn't as big, but he was still 240, 245. He was at 250 and then he lost a little weight. But like he could move like no other. Like you're saying, yeah I think it's a lot of it had to do with the basketball. He was special, to say the least. I watched him and I said to myself, I'm just saying what I felt.
Starting point is 01:01:39 That's basketball no basketball I bet. Cause he was, you know he could. Keller Winslow Jr. was special, too, to me. He just didn't, his career didn't elevate, but he's another one that, I'm just saying, when I was thinking about the guys to worry about. Yeah. You know how you got your competitors in the social world,
Starting point is 01:01:56 like who the media thinks I need to compete with, and then I got my own independent, like, visual, this is who I think, phew, he coming. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? You know who you think. You know how it is when you go out there, you like, damn is who I think, he coming, you know what I'm saying? You know who you think, you know how it is when you go out there, you like, damn, he's a badass. Keller Winslow Jr., I should say,
Starting point is 01:02:12 he kept having knee problems, but I watched him run a wide post, and I'm like, this is my fucking play. Like, I already know, and it's like, that was my rock, that was what I ran. So it's just like, yeah. We had that same, we can move you. Basketball shit.
Starting point is 01:02:24 We can move you, we can get you to move over, and you be like, yeah. We had that same, we can move you. Basketball shit. We can move you. We can get you to move over and you be like, ooh, look at that rock. I mean, anytime you can watch a guy and you be like, ooh, look at that move. That's what I, you know what I mean? And generally you usually refer to people like you. So that's why it's so hard to make the judgment
Starting point is 01:02:40 and comparisons, right? Who the best this? Well, you know, I felt like these guys played similar, right, Tony and Grunk and Jason, like they were more 6'7", Shaquille O'Neal kind of players. You know what I'm saying? Like they dominated in that space of just, he's never covered.
Starting point is 01:02:58 You know what I'm saying? I've seen two guys in playoff game against Grunk and he still threw it to him and he still called it. I'm like, golly. They like, they just throwing it up, but I'm like, no, that's hard to do hard to do They know they going to him and they own him and she's exactly So he's that kind of player. I was more like get me in space. Who are you then? No, I would be like I would probably be like
Starting point is 01:03:24 Lajuan if it makes sense. If that makes sense from a comparison standpoint. I can make you miss, I'm gonna make you look crazy. I can be big if I need to, but I want to make you look, I want to come and we want to watch Fiam and they'd be like, watch this move Gates put on him today. That was kind of how we seen it. Like look at this, watch this pivot route. Right? That's how we, that was our high fives. You know what I'm saying? When you made a guy move off his spot and you got separation, he looking over here
Starting point is 01:03:51 and you going this direction. You know what you had it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you had the same kind of con, that's what we had. I didn't have a basketball, I used to call it like a jig almost, cause there's like a, it's like a,
Starting point is 01:04:04 you know what I mean? There's like a thing at the top. It's what's a crossover. So basically you see some of these wide receivers actually are doing crossovers now. Yeah, well, Kenan Allen, a guy you played with my guy, he did a lot of that at like Atlanta scrimmage. I feel was he gonna hoop?
Starting point is 01:04:20 Yeah, he's gonna do. Yeah, right. But there's a basketball is huge. We'll be right it. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. But there's a, that basketball is huge. We'll be right back after this quick break. Something about Mary Poppins? Something about Mary Poppins. Exactly. Oh man.
Starting point is 01:04:34 This is fun. I'm AJ Jacobs and I am an author and a journalist and I tend to get obsessed with stuff and my current obsession is puzzles. And that has given birth to my podcast, The Puzzler. Dressing. Dressing. French dressing. Exactly. Now you can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. I thought to myself, I bet I know what this is. And now I definitely know what this is. This is so weird.
Starting point is 01:05:09 This is fun. Let's try this one. Our brand new season features special guests like Chuck Bryant, Mayim Bialik, Julie Bowen, Sam Sanders, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and lots more. Listen to The Puzzler every day on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. That's awful. And I should have seen it coming.
Starting point is 01:05:35 What's up, y'all? I'm A.J. Andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst, and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. On my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds, we dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing power for stories, insights, and conversations that inspire and empower. Softball is growing fast and I'm going to help you keep up with the speed of the game and the athletes that play it so well. You may even be able to throw out the fastest slapper. If you're an old or new fan looking to learn more about your favorite players or coaches
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Starting point is 01:06:39 Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Ever wonder what it would be like to be mentored by today's top business leaders? My podcast, This Is Working, can help with that. Here's advice from Google CMO Lorraine Twohill on how to treat AI like a partner. I see AI as an incredible co-pilot. You may use different tools or toys to get the work done,
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Starting point is 01:07:22 and the real lessons that have shaped them. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Love at first swipe? I highly doubt it. What's your biggest red flag? No, no, no. What's your ultimate green flag? These days, reality TV and social media have us thinking love is instant. We're marrying strangers at first sight, we're finding love through walls, or we're even judging people by balloon pops. But what really makes a relationship blast? On this episode of Dope Labs, poet, author, and relationship expert, Young Pueblo, breaks down the psychology and biology of loving better.
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Starting point is 01:08:24 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's jump into the segment where we go back in time real quick and we go over pop culture. This game took place on September 17th, 2017. Look at some of this stuff out here. Number one movie, it that's the clown one. Taylor Swift was a huge impact, still making impact. Despacito. That was a that was a killer. I went to Mexico City.
Starting point is 01:09:01 And we were desperate. That was the song. Yes, we were in Mexico a few months before this. Yeah. Before this. Yeah. You tore your ACL. I didn't play this season. I didn't know that. I didn't know that. All 17. We went 1 in 16 in preseason in fucking Detroit, dog. What's up with that turf? So in 17 you tore your ACL. That's the reason why y'all didn't win it. That's what you're saying? No. What's up with that turf? So in 17 you told your ACL,
Starting point is 01:09:25 that's the reason why y'all didn't win it. That's what you're saying? No. That's what you're saying. I didn't say it. I didn't say it. That's basically what you said. They couldn't stop the offense at.
Starting point is 01:09:33 You're like, I told my ACL so Philly won it that year, man. But you know, I came back after that. Right, that's what he said. That's a good one though. Yeah, that's cool. That's a good pat on the back. Tom, come on man. I told my ACL, Ken State flashes. That's good pet on the back Can stay flashes
Starting point is 01:09:49 Back in your day the 50 neck they told my ACA so we didn't get we didn't get it done Yeah, but you know, they had like a you know, I'm through for 500 yards the Super Bowl Yeah, I know but they didn't win it. That's what you trying to tell me. I didn't say that It's reality. I'm just speaking facts. I'm the I'm saying that you didn't say it. That's what you're trying to tell me. No, I didn't say that. It's reality. I'm just speaking facts. I'm saying it, you didn't say it. Yeah, you said it. I told my AC, I said, I never do that.
Starting point is 01:10:10 And I was like, oh, okay, that's the year that y'all didn't win it. Right, that makes about right. That's about right. Right, now you got it. What about next year? Now you're right. No, see what I'm saying?
Starting point is 01:10:19 Right, you're a tough kid. What was it, what was it, Tony? Yeah. What were you doing in 2017? 2017, I was kind of playing the target because I think we were making the transition. It's funny because I needed one more touchdown. To be done in San Diego, yeah, and they were chanting.
Starting point is 01:10:41 We planned the Chiefs and I had to catch two, you know, saying to break the record. And I ended up catching one. They were chanting, chanting, you know, once we got in the red zone and I couldn't so it forced me to come back for one touchdown right, and I remember meeting with Anthony land and we talked and They were talking about this whole pay cut thing and I was like I need one touchdown coach I can't take no pay cut. No. No, not this time. No. Maybe another lifetime, but not this one. I still remember that though. So that's how I know we were making the transition
Starting point is 01:11:10 from San Diego to LA. And I played, so I played the year 18 and then I ended up breaking the record. I'm gonna say 18. And then Hunter Henry, who was supposed to take over, who was now a Patriot, he tore his ACL and training camp at 19. So that's why I got two extra years out of my career.
Starting point is 01:11:28 Cause I would have retired, had I caught the second touchdown, I would have broke the record. It would have been like 2.13 or something. And then I would have been just done. We was coming to LA and cause they was going to ask me, take a pay cut, right? And that was in my last year of my contract
Starting point is 01:11:40 and that probably wasn't going to happen. And then boom, it would have been, and then they would have had, obviously, the leverage would have changed dramatically because I broke the record, but by me needing one, I knew, actually I tied the record. So I don't need to, yeah, I tied Tony's record and then I don't need one to break it.
Starting point is 01:11:55 And I was like, well, you know, we met for hours and hours and I remember Coach coming to me, come on, you know, he flew into Detroit, you know, and I was like, I don't think so, Coach. you know, I got a lot of skin in the game, a lot of sweat, tears and pain. A lot of arthritis is going to be. Yeah. Yeah. For this. Not me. I don't like the ultimate charge.
Starting point is 01:12:16 Why you ask me to, you know, that's how I felt. It wasn't nothing personal. It was great. The conversation was great. The situation went great. It was a very smooth transition to the season. That's what people don't know, though was great. The conversation was great. The situation went great. It was a very smooth transition to the season. That's what people don't know though. Yeah. You know, the business part.
Starting point is 01:12:29 The business part of it is so. When them teams come and ask them for that money. Yeah, yeah. And that's what I was doing. We all got an opinion on that. So we were moving, coming to LA, and now we were dealing around, and we were at Carson, we were at Home Depot Center,
Starting point is 01:12:41 we were playing like at a little dome, but it was cool, man. It was like a NFL team, but it was cool though. It was, I want to say soccer field, right? It was cool though. It was like, it was always packed, of course, right? So, but it was like, everybody was like- On top of you.
Starting point is 01:12:57 On top of you, and it was cool though. Good grass too. You know, the training camp part, the facilities and all that, we were adjusting based on like certain junior colleges and stuff. So that was a struggle from the training camp perspective. the facilities and all that, we were adjusting based on certain junior colleges and stuff, so that was a struggle. From the training camp perspective, no ice tubs. We had to kind of create all.
Starting point is 01:13:09 The facility was dog shit. Yeah, so we had to create them. So that training camp was rough, but that was the transition part. And I was surprised how well Los Angeles welcomed us, because I always felt like the Chargers, the the Angels the Clippers were always like the stepchild Yeah, just like natural because they've not you know the Rams and the Raiders and the Dodgers the Lakers are the first Yeah, that's the breadwinner of the you know Los Angeles community, but they welcomed us with open arms man and
Starting point is 01:13:42 Was a very very good experience for me man man. I mean, I had fun. I enjoyed it. That's sad, you know? It was sad, but cool. Because I loved San Diego and that whole thing. That was, I've only played, I played there twice. It was a horrible stadium. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:13:58 Awful. But it had a charm about it. It was like tucked up in that hill. Like there was like a little, there was like a presence about it. Like there was like a little, there was like a presence about it, like it was such an old stadium where you, it felt like there was really good grass. I remember you guys had pretty good grass at the end
Starting point is 01:14:11 when you guys weren't sharing. When we weren't sharing, yeah. Like I just, I felt bad for the San Diego people, but it's exciting right now, especially with what you guys brought over to LA and to what they've become now. You know, this Harbaugh thing, that's exciting, huh? It is. especially with what you guys brought over to LA and to what they've become now. You know, this Harbaugh thing, that's exciting, huh? It is.
Starting point is 01:14:29 He's trying to think about what he's done in a year. Yeah. And I know it's hard to get to the postseason, and it's very hard, but it's more so what he's did it with. He's done it with, when you change every skill position player, we got both our receivers going,
Starting point is 01:14:44 tight end going, our running backs are going, they are all new. That's, and you know. I think Herbert's gonna blossom this year. Yeah, a ton of respect for him. We love him here in Los Angeles, and he's always been here. So you know he played with the Chargers,
Starting point is 01:14:58 he was in Stanford for a while. So yeah man, he's won everywhere he's won. He has a pedigree that I don't need to speak upon He got his own legacy in itself. I think we just excited that we got him on our side Oh, yeah, I'm saying a guy that we feel like is Essentially heading in the right direction. That's really what it's all about We was I was not expecting this to happen so fast because you know It's the rebuilding situation right trying to get the pieces out of puzzle and you look up in his
Starting point is 01:15:26 week six you know before you get the right pieces in but he did it quick yeah we did it quick though we got some good football players and that lets you know even when your space when y'all won you know the best team is the best team yeah talent is just the foundation, right? That's the floor. Everyone's got talent. Everybody's got talent. Even when people think teams aren't talented.
Starting point is 01:15:49 Yeah, everybody got talent. That was like one of the things. People would try to come at me like, oh, white boy, and then I'd out athlete you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then you gave me a quarter of the game. Yeah, before you look up. Before you look up.
Starting point is 01:16:02 It's too late. It's too late. The game is too hard. Guys are too gifted. Everyone's good. Everybody's good, man. Everybody. Even if you don't know them, and that's my point of saying, even when you get out there and you're like, man, this dude, I'm about to come on. Ain't no way. He's there. He's starting. That's the worst. Yeah. I hate those games. Sometimes it can backfire on you where it's a situation where you can't even get up. Yeah. And you look up and and you know,
Starting point is 01:16:25 I remember we lost to Cleveland and they were like, oh and 15, oh and 14, we had to go to Cleveland. And it was a sign, all we want for Christmas is a win. And I told Phillip, I said, dude, I hate that they ain't won a game yet. You know what I'm saying? And we ended up losing. Cause you get out there and they start making plays
Starting point is 01:16:40 and they pros, they all Americans, they pros. And I still remember that. And it was like my homecoming because I was Can't stay going flashes and went there signs Go fine I had a bad loss in Cleveland to talk about it. Let's jump into this game Kyler. Let's go We'll just cover the Dolphins real quick This is the second year of the Adam Gase and GM Chris Greer here in Miami
Starting point is 01:17:02 Clyde Christian led the offense, Matt Berk led the defense. They would finish six and 10 this year. Some of the notable dudes is Jay Cutler got pulled out of retirement for this game. Oh, Jay Cutler. Looks like he's smoking a cigarette. They tried to get Peyton Manning at the Gays connection.
Starting point is 01:17:15 He played Jay Cutler. He can throw that ball, man. He could throw it, huh? Mm-hmm. Dominic Insu was a fucking monster. Mm-mm. Wasn't he? Yes.
Starting point is 01:17:25 I always loved those Pouncy twins too. Devontae Parker, Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry. Let's jump into the Chargers. So they started to own four. And grind your way back. I liked Anthony Lin. I liked Anthony Lin. I remember we played you guys in 18.
Starting point is 01:17:44 This was the first year in Los Angeles. This is also Anthony Lynn's first season Ken was in hunt and led the offense Gus Bradley led the defense This was year 15 for Antonio Gates some of the dudes were Philip Rivers Melvin Gordon Mike Williams Kenan Allen Austin Eckler early Austin Eckler Eckler this one Kenan come take off to this one Kenan took off I mean his year because I remember like I would always you know tell him dude I ain't just about to pass this torch. You know what I'm saying? But he had, I mean you knew he had it.
Starting point is 01:18:14 I mean it was obvious dude. He was special. He's a football player. That's the thing. He just can play football. It don't matter what, you can put him wherever you want to put him at. It don't even matter. The boy can play football. He just happened to play football. It don't matter what, you can put him wherever you want to put him at, it don't even matter. The boy can play football. He just happened to play receiver. I mean, I want to say he's the best receiver I've seen for us.
Starting point is 01:18:34 Danali Alexander was really good. I don't know if you know who that is. He went to Missouri. He played. Yeah, he was really good. He was special for a long time. He's special, he's quickening what people think. He was special for a long time. He's special. He's quick in what people think.
Starting point is 01:18:46 He's fast in what people think. So you watch him, he just plays so methodical because obviously he's been around, so that's how we play. We just play. We don't got time to be just blowing the gasket for no reason. I'm just trying to get open. You know what I'm saying? You get out there, though, you realize
Starting point is 01:18:59 he's faster than what you think. He's quicker than what you think, stronger than what you think. You can never tell because he plays with so much poise. That's kind of how I played too. We played with so much poise, but, dude. His routes were good. He was good at the top of the route
Starting point is 01:19:12 and the beginning of the route. He's a wide receivers coach for the Vikings. Wide receiver coach, Vikings, let's go. KOC, Kevin O'Connell bringing in the players. They look pretty good. How was Rivers? Oh, Phillip was, Phillip. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:19:27 It's a self-explanatory. I see him getting, I was watching some shit. I see him getting feisty on that sideline. Right. I mean. Yeah, he, Phillip is like what we talked about, man. He's, you know, I think the position. Competitor.
Starting point is 01:19:44 Right, the position competitor right the position hurts him because if he was anything else it would be great right like this is who I want that's what he is he's an ultimate competitor man he loves to compete and that's the thing we man our team was so competitive and that's why what what why me and him excelled collectively together I mean we'd be we'd be in the back playing dominoes before practice, competing on that. Like, you cheating, man. We argued on a way to jam a walkthrough.
Starting point is 01:20:10 You know what I'm saying? So that was the kind of, and we was right here, our lockers were next to each other. That was the nature of how we operated. Like, long as you give it your all, that's all we really cared about. It wasn't the win and losses that made a difference to us. We wanted to know that we can count on you
Starting point is 01:20:27 and you are doing your, and you is no better player than him, that you can believe that's giving his all. He's giving everything he got. And that's how. And he's talking trash while he's doing it. He's having fun. So yeah. He's having fun.
Starting point is 01:20:39 We would have to tell him, maybe time periodically, like listen man, you know, that's cool you talking, but we gotta block these dudes. Yeah. So you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Can you imagine talking crazy to, like, listen, man, you know, that's cool you talking, but we gotta block these dudes. So, you know what I'm saying? Can you imagine talking crazy to, I wouldn't say you talking crazy to like, was it Richard Seymour? Somebody of these big dudes up front
Starting point is 01:20:55 with a raid and other things, was like Richard Seymour and somebody, I can't think it was Wilkinson and he just, and Diehlman looking like, dude, you don't gotta block these dudes, bro. Don't keep talking crazy. You know, like he talking to the best of the best too though. He ain't, he just talks. Seaboarding right there in the Hall of Fame.
Starting point is 01:21:09 You know what I'm saying? He's not talking to just your average Joe Blow. You know what I'm saying? He might be talking to Albert Haynesworth from Tennessee. And we like, dude, now why are you gonna talk to him? You don't wanna piss on me. Right. Why? Why? Like we, cause we got, I'm, he, he. You try to brother a lot at first. So now he's blowing everything up. Hey man, what's up? Hey, how you been? How you doing man?
Starting point is 01:21:25 How the family doing? You know what I'm saying? Good. Hey man, hey it's back son. I seen you over there. You look good man. You look like you're doing good. Hope everything good.
Starting point is 01:21:31 Right, you know how it go. You trying to smooth because you just want to win. Yeah. I was the guy hitting every play. They were trying to do that to me. You're right. I was the dickhead. So that's him.
Starting point is 01:21:41 Yeah. Yapping and yerping and jerking. We about to go at you. We about to kill you. I'm like, Phillip listen man. I, youapping and yerping and jerking. We about to go at you, we about to kill you. I'm like, Phillip, listen, man. You know, the market's weird, bro. Like, come on. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 01:21:51 It's that kind of, it's never like just your average Joe Blow. It's just the dudes that he respect, too. It's the weirdest thing about him. He's only talking to dudes. That's how he is. He really cares. He really cares and he really loves the players too. Cause we'd go, he'd be like, yeah, I got him.
Starting point is 01:22:09 You know what I'm saying? I mean, they got clippers of him now and I just seen one recently. So many dad jokes. And he was just like freaking, yep. He tried to draw them off sides, the Raiders or somebody. I can't think of who the team was. And they came off sides.
Starting point is 01:22:22 He was like, yep, I just wanted y'all to get one more. Y'all broke the record. The most penalties of all time. Right? We're at the end of the game, you know what I'm saying? So we already about to win the game. He, we hard counting them, you know what I'm saying? Like, huh, huh, you know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 01:22:35 He's like, yep, we just needed you to get one more. Y'all set the record for the most penalties in the game. And it's just like, but we got to play them twice a year though, so now we go back there, you know what I'm saying? I say him though, but he know we love it. And that's what the beauty of being with a guy like that, man, he is so fun to be around because you know, you're getting everything he got, man.
Starting point is 01:22:54 And I enjoyed it because that's who I was. And that was the similarities and why we played together for so long. How about LT? Oh, LT, I mean, Hall of Famer. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? I think that's an asterisk, ain't it?
Starting point is 01:23:05 You know what I mean, guys like that. You know what I mean? The Hall of Fame should come with something that's already etched in real life. You know what I'm saying? L.T. was great, man. He was an ultimate competitor, too, man. He wanted to be the best.
Starting point is 01:23:16 You know what I'm saying? He was that kind of, but L.T. was the kind of guy that did everything right, too. You know what I'm saying? He was, you know what I'm saying? I'm me not so much. Me, I was the locker room dude. We shooting dice.
Starting point is 01:23:28 Yeah. You know what I'm saying? I'm that dude. I'm in the locker room. He was like, he did everything right. You know what I'm saying? He was married. He was the stand up.
Starting point is 01:23:37 Stud. Yeah. You got those guys. I'm not saying that. Pedigree. Yeah. Yeah. Everything was right.
Starting point is 01:23:43 Professional. Professional. All to be professional. And that's what we would use as, you know what I mean, I'm not saying pedigree. Yeah. Yeah. Everything was right. Professional. Professional. Just a pro. Professional. And that's what we would use as a springboard. Yeah, inspiration. This is what you, this is the level. This is what you got to get to, right, for you to really,
Starting point is 01:23:56 really understand. All right, one MVP one year, you know, led the league with 27 touchdowns one year, top five, 10 in touchdown scoring. So I would have to, that was the thing. So he, it's like steel sharpening steel. I knew I had to score, cause if I got inside the five and didn't get in, I failed so it don't matter.
Starting point is 01:24:17 They chatting the whole stadium was AOT. AOT and I done got us all the way down to the one. And you see that flip? And I'm like, look at this, another one for him. And he's getting in so he ain't missing his opportunity. So that was like the steel sharpening steel and we would say it, we literally receivers, tight ends,
Starting point is 01:24:35 anybody else, if you get inside the team, you better score. You better score, cause you know AOT scoring and when he get it, he scoring. So it ain't like we giving it to him just to give it to him. We know we got to for sure score. So that's the beauty of it, man. I love him, man.
Starting point is 01:24:50 He's like a good friend of mine, man. So he's the one brought me out and introduced me in the Hall of Fame. So that's my dude, man. He's third in all-time touchdowns with 162 right behind Emmett Smith, just ahead of Randy Moss. Imagine me and him on the same team. We were going to score. I taxed him. You're 14th with the same team. We were going, we scored some points.
Starting point is 01:25:05 You're 14th with 1.16. You guys were insane for a while. We only caught you every once in a while though. I caught us at the right time. But you guys, you played early Patriots too, man. Like. You weren't there when we were 14 too, were you? No.
Starting point is 01:25:19 Not like. We knew we were better than them. Cause I was in Pro Ball with Tickie Brewski and I'm like, there's no way, no. Yeah, there ain't no way he can. They gonna line him up on me one to one. So I just knew that but they just know how to play well together, man. It was just I seen about it.
Starting point is 01:25:33 You've seen about it. It was funny. I seen him at the Super Bowl and I was talking to I said, I don't think I ever beat the Patriots. I think I don't think I ever beat the Patriots. So I'm like, so tell me what y'all was really doing coach. What did Phil say? Just fucking get you out of the game.
Starting point is 01:25:50 I was like, yeah, that's what he said. We had to W, put X on you. And he started that whole idea. He can, he was notorious of taking what he wants out of the game. Oh yeah. And it was like, nobody else can do that. I'm just saying, I'm playing. You have discipline. It's gotta be team defense. Yeah, like nobody else nobody else can do that. I'm just saying, I played with everybody. You have discipline, it's gotta be team defense.
Starting point is 01:26:06 Yeah, like nobody else is capable of doing that. When he wants you X'd out the game, you are X'd out the game. He's notorious for that. And somebody else is gonna be, your second and third option will have to win the game. I'll be like, coach, you know, we play, I'm like, you gotta get me moving.
Starting point is 01:26:21 Will he come, let me start in the backfield and motion out to this side. He can't do it then. He still found a way to do it. He was like, he was a defensive genius, you asked me, bro. Yeah, he was something special, that guy. Well, one more thing before we jump
Starting point is 01:26:34 leave from the Chargers. Your first touchdown was from Doug Flutie. Doug Flutie? Yeah. Can you talk about that? Yeah, yeah. I love Flutes. Yeah, Flutes my man.
Starting point is 01:26:42 He's a Boston guy, you know, we do a bunch of charity shit together all the time. And I've done a bunch of stuff with the Doug Flutie foundation and he's just a legend. I loved him because I was a quarterback. Yeah, yeah. And he was small. Small, running around.
Starting point is 01:26:54 He can hoop. Yeah, Flutie can hoop. Flutie can hoop, dog. Flutie can hoop. Yes he can. I see him in these, he's still hooping at like 50. He can play, that is 100% right. So what happened was,
Starting point is 01:27:06 I don't know if people know about the story with Drew Brees, but Drew Brees was our starter. And you know, they had a tough time at the time. People were booing, right? It's the reason why Rivers was drafted. Yeah, the reason why Rivers was drafted. So that was, right, so I guess throughout the year, you know, they decided to go with Flutie.
Starting point is 01:27:29 And then I was in the rotation at the time and Flutie started throwing me the ball. And so, right. So he threw me my very first touchdown, he was throwing me the ball and everything. And what happened was, I guess, from my understanding, again, don't quote me on this, Flutie needed X amount of snaps
Starting point is 01:27:48 or something with the contract or whatever the case may be. So it wouldn't like we were going to playoffs. We were four and 12 that year. So it was like, we need to put Drew back in the game. And that's kind of where I start. And so me and Drew start really after he obviously seen this is what's happening with flutie Okay, maybe let's try this kid out. Let's try this young rookie out. Let's see what he can do
Starting point is 01:28:10 Yeah, right because we had a guy named David Boston at the time Which was I mean probably the freakest athlete I've ever seen. I don't know if you know This is but a lot for Arizona. Yeah, they play for Arizona. He got drafted, but we had him. And he went to Ohio State. The whole Charles Woodson, David Boston rivalry, Ohio State, Michigan. Yeah, yeah. He was like, when you finish Googling and pull him up and see what I'm saying, the freakest athlete
Starting point is 01:28:37 you're ever going to see. He was 250 playing receiver. And I remember them saying, you got to lose weight. But he's like, I got like 4% body fat. 4'3 guy, 250, plant receiver. You think DK Madcalf or somebody like that looks, wait till you see David Boston. We had David Boston and he just, you know,
Starting point is 01:28:55 it was just a battle. What he wanted and what the team wanted and what the offense coordinator wanted. So I was the alternate. A young kid who, I'm happy to be on the team. Y'all want me to do what? Yeah, 16 yard in or yeah. You know what I'm saying, whatever.
Starting point is 01:29:10 And they just got to a point where they were just feeding me the ball, man. And it all started with Doug Flutie exposing certain defenses by just throwing me the ball. Did he throw to you a lot because scout team maybe and practice, you guys probably had a connection. It could have been that identifying. Because you know he was going balls to the walls.
Starting point is 01:29:29 I didn't even think of it then. Because he was going balls to the walls to scout team. But now you say that, it makes sense. Because he just felt like he was familiar with the guy. He was just all of a sudden. And then it was things that he can see from the sideline too. So I think he would always see me open.
Starting point is 01:29:44 And Drew was probably looking for David Boston and the other guy's not throwing me the ball. And he like, this guy, this child of a route. He's a vet too. He knows football. He knows ball, man. He was like, this child of a route is wide open. And he makes life so easy.
Starting point is 01:29:56 He'd be in there saying to play, but he's drawing to play as he's saying it. Like Scott Wright, you know, out in 78. So he's drawing it. So he's making it so easy yeah and now we just felt like I felt like we were just playing basketball playing football in the backyard it didn't feel like my brain was working a thousand miles an hour you know saying that's the key the quarterback making you feel yeah he's great at making you feel how How was Breeze? Breeze was great.
Starting point is 01:30:25 Hall of Famer too. Yeah. Look at the lineup I had. I had Flutie, Drew Breeze, Phillip Rivers. I mean. That's fun. That is. I mean, so many guys probably would have excelled even more
Starting point is 01:30:38 if they had either one of those guys. So I never do I take that for granted. Because I listen to what guys would say to me and other teams. I'm like, yeah, you got a quarterback though. You got the same quarterback. And I'm like, yeah, and I got a really good one. Every single time they would always ask me,
Starting point is 01:30:54 who was the best quarterback you ever had? Who was the best between Drew and Phillip? What's the difference between Drew and Phillip? I always get that comparison, but the reality is that I feel that the only difference to me was me being able to look back on a rock. I can see Phillip. I couldn't see Drew. I couldn't see Doug. I couldn't see... It was like coming out of a cannon. You know those cannons that we... The ball come out of traffic. I know exactly.
Starting point is 01:31:19 They six, eight, six, nine, all across the board and you see that ball come out, but it's coming. Drew, it's coming. So once you see it, I mean I mean everything has to change your eyes got to get right on that tip Come out of nowhere Philip. I can see the whole everything is winding It's this is that you know, I can see it, you know So my engagement with the ball was easier with Philip because I can see the release and see it come out his hand Yeah, never can see it coming out of Drew's hand. I It's coming out. What the fuck is this?
Starting point is 01:31:45 You're right, you're right. I wouldn't get that as much, but I remember just sometimes you get that, going across that middle full speed at like that eight to 11 yard range. And like all of a sudden the quarterback steps, so you don't see quarterback, you just see a ball coming. You got a guy on your hip,
Starting point is 01:32:01 you got a guy you're about to get hit with. Yeah, you see a ball coming, yeah. Yeah, you coming in there. You gotta really be focused. That's mine. You know what I'm saying? That's how got a guy you're about to get hit with. You see a ball coming, yeah. You coming in there. You gotta really be focused. You like, oh, that's mine. You know what I'm saying? That's how you feel when you coming in there because you don't know if you're going to throw it in here.
Starting point is 01:32:11 So you see it, you're like, that's it. That's the play I gotta make. That's trust right there. That's trust, man. What was the lead up to this game? Well, let me just rip through this. So the real big thing on this is beginning of the season, it's the Chargers second game.
Starting point is 01:32:22 It's the Dolphins first game because they had a game postponed because Hurricane Irma. This is the first game the Chargers second game. It's the Dolphins first game because they had a game postponed because Hurricane Irma This is the first game the Chargers played in Los Angeles at the StubHub Center Pretty much and then Antonio Gates enters the game at 111 total touch receiving touchdowns for a tight end Just behind Tony Gonzalez. The game not a whole lot to talk about this game Cody out The game, not a whole lot to talk about this game. $27,000. Sold out. Sold out. Let's go right into eight minutes and 18 seconds left in the third quarter.
Starting point is 01:32:51 You score a touchdown. 112 to pass Tony Gonzalez all time. What was that feeling like? Weight off the shoulder? You said earlier you were saying like, man, I was stuck. Yeah. You said you were earlier you're saying like man. I was stuck. Yeah, because you know you I Think the reality of it is just you just keep hearing about it throughout the whole week the week before that The week you know say even so you just heard I've been hearing about it all yeah
Starting point is 01:33:15 It's what you gotta remember I left San Diego Entered the offseason so all offseason all training back all off season, so all off season, all training camp, all this. Is he gonna break the record? Is he gonna break the record? Is he gonna break the record? Is he gonna break the record? Is he gonna break the record?
Starting point is 01:33:30 And I knew I wasn't gonna do it on the road because I looked at the Red Zone package and for the first time in my whole career I wasn't implementing it in the Red Zone package. I'm thinking like, oh okay, this is what, yeah we gonna go, we gonna do this one, we gonna get him in this situation. And I'm like, okay, this is a business move, I'm going to LA, I'm gonna do it when I get there. So I knew, I knew I wasn't gonna do it. They didn't even put me in a position to do it.
Starting point is 01:33:52 So I never even got a call, like a play call on the first week on the road. But when I did it, you never really know when it's gonna happen. You just in the moment, I'm looking at the side of, I'm reading my side of the field. I don't got time to try to read the whole scan, the whole field. What's the play? It was like a sticky pump, you know, and I'm looking at the backer.
Starting point is 01:34:14 So sticky is five yards, stick route and then go. Yeah and go, right? Come around, right? Yeah, wrap up. I knew it was, I felt like it was zone, you know, and I gotta remind you, I gotta, I gotta guess this one And I did my first two steps. So lego is this Who's this on? Is it on linebacker? Yeah, this is online back It was it felt like it felt like cover for if I can look at it
Starting point is 01:34:36 It felt like he was gonna try to push split. Yeah, and but it was like to safety So it's it's hard to determine cuz we're in the red zone, right? It's hard. It's hard. It's hard to determine because we're in the red zone right it's hard. It's hard it's hard to determine but me I don't even that was the beauty of not playing either I don't overthink nothing I just go play. You see what I'm saying? Because when you got this football high IQ you come down you can overthink it's still football. It's green grass or it ain't. Just play you know I'm saying that was my philosophy once I ran up on him I realized he was he stayed inside he didn't push right so I'm thinking like inside. He didn't push, right? So I'm thinking like, well, the corner didn't look
Starting point is 01:35:09 like he was squatting. So that's why I kind of trying to figure out what was cover six, it was four, it was two. You know what, let me just get back around here. I felt like it's some type of zone, right? Which I felt like it was cover four because he drove it, the safety drove it so hard. You know what I'm saying? So I ended up just trying to loop around and get around the linebacker
Starting point is 01:35:28 With the idea of if it's for let me give him a little something cuz he's gonna have to go I'm trying to get underneath him. Yeah, it's gonna have to go if it's for great space Yeah, and if it's true, so basically my idea is that if it's to I can still just come on and come around him But you gotta come flatter. I gotta come flatter. If it's four, I gotta still come flat, then I'm the safeties guy. Once I get a straight release. Now you gotta beat him.
Starting point is 01:35:50 Now I gotta beat him. Right, so the backer is not really the concern. It was more so the safety. I've always used that formula anyway. I ain't got time to worry about the first dude. Where is his help, right? So I'm like, okay. That dictates where you're gonna go.
Starting point is 01:36:02 Yeah, so I just kinda gave him a little something. I felt like he wasn't really moving. I said, there no point of me wide and wide. He ain't coming. Yeah, right So I just came like a triangle. Let's see. Yeah, they do they trying yeah to four. Yeah three for two three for two Yeah, that's what it might have been. So and I've seen enough of those coverages to know or box. Yeah Would like Danny when Danny was on our team so So I got the, obviously, the air scrolls. We'd get them in a slot, such as formation, as a backer, linebacker, safety, whatever. So we know it's three for two.
Starting point is 01:36:32 Formation indicator. You take a, I go over here, the backer got me. I go vertical, the safety got me. I always try to figure out where the help was at. I never thought about the actual guy who was covering me. In my mind, to me, I was gonna beat him. Where's his help? That determines his leverage,
Starting point is 01:36:47 that's gonna determine how he's shading, how he's moving, and I felt like he didn't really move. Wouldn't have appointed me getting wide. And you had to get open on him for you to get the ball. Because that's what the quarterback's seeing. Pretty crazy that you got to tie the record. Tony Gonzalez, former basketball player with some of your basketball Techniques on the route because that's like some fucking beat the record here or beat the record
Starting point is 01:37:15 But like that route right that that route concept. That's like that you created space came off Yeah, pop the ball. Yeah, yeah. Found a soft spot. Soft spot. It was just kind of like, you know, and that's the beauty of being a competitor. I made a necessary adjustment. And it didn't even like Phillip knew I was going. He just was like, okay, this is the space. I felt like his mind was made up.
Starting point is 01:37:37 Eyes and eyes. I feel like his mind was made up. He was coming to me. It didn't really matter. It didn't, I just felt like his mind was made up based on a pre-snap read that he had. He like, okay, the guy gonna find the right space. And that's the trust that we talk about. And he made, he threw it up. So you can tell it wasn't really no clean because the ball was in the air. I had to go up and get it. And it was going to be that bang, bang. I'm take the hit, but you know, this one, this one 112,
Starting point is 01:38:01 you better come down with it. It's yours. you better own it. You know what I'm saying? Hell yeah. Did you talk to Tony after? I think he left a message on the Jumbotrot and he congratulated me. That's fucking cool. Which was cool, man. Which was cool. How'd you celebrate it?
Starting point is 01:38:15 I didn't, man. I didn't. You know, we, I got a lot of congratulations throughout the year for it, but that was the beauty of it. The grind, you're in the middle of it. Season. So you understand, man, you really don't consume anything until it's over. Until it's done.
Starting point is 01:38:31 Until it's over. You don't appreciate it until it's gone. You don't get to though, you don't be, every time you do something, you don't just, hey, all right, you're like, okay, that was great. It's on to the next, because that's the type of league we're in. Right, it's like, I was like, oh man,
Starting point is 01:38:42 a couple of hours, maybe go get some dinner. The next day you gotta go back and the process has already started. Right, the cold tub, the this, the massage, the chiropractor, boom, practice again. Third down coming up again, red zone coming right up again in four days. So it's like you never truly, you know,
Starting point is 01:39:01 stay completely, be complacent in that space. You just keep grinding and you look up and you get to 112 And you like damn I got to 112 you look up and you get opportunity to go into Hall of Fame But you never really consumed the actual moment that you just live in and you make it I was trying to be the best Antonio Gates the next week Although I broke through it. I was I wouldn't like I'm done. I was over. I was like, no, I'm trying to get on. I'm still here. This is what got me here.
Starting point is 01:39:27 I'm not changing this formula. This is the formula that got me here. And that's going to be the formula that's going to get me wherever else I'm going to go, right? That's the formula that constantly moved, got me to the Hall of Fame. Now I'm just going to keep moving. It's an ongoing process. It's life.
Starting point is 01:39:40 It's like, okay, what's after that? What's now, Antonio, you in the Hall of Fame? I'm a Hall of Fame dad. What you mean? Nah, I'm not your regular dad, right? So nah, I gotta do this, I gotta do that. Cause nah, it's like, it's just, it keeps going. It don't cap out, you know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 01:39:56 You just keep going. You put different caps on. Yeah, and you keep going. Like the formula. It's the same. The Tonio. Keep grinding. The tone formula. Yeah, the grind. The Tonio. Keep grind. The tone formula.
Starting point is 01:40:05 Yeah, the grind. The grind. Let me put it. The Hall of Fame formula. Let's hear these. Let me put a bow in this game. The Dolphins end up winning 1917. Ku missed a 44 yard at the end.
Starting point is 01:40:16 They could have won the game, but Dolphins end up winning. Let's go. In the aftermath. He's all pro now. Yeah, I know. We had him too. Lil' Ku. He's good people.
Starting point is 01:40:23 He's funny. Antonio would end up retiring in 2018, just nominated to the Hall of Fame class of 2025. His career reception is nine 55, 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns, which as we mentioned, finishes the all time leader in touchdowns receptions by a 10 and passing Tony Gonzalez. It's going to stay there too. Yeah. It kind of stay. You. Yeah. It kinda stay. I thought Travis was, you know, but he,
Starting point is 01:40:48 I thought, well I actually thought Grunk would be having an opportunity to get it. But it's so hard to, you know. Stay healthy with those big boys. That's why that, he didn't have any, he didn't play college football, didn't have the wear and tear, baby. That is, that's true.
Starting point is 01:41:00 Hey. That is 100% true. And basketball dudes are always, they're like fluid. Yeah. Like he ain't jumping on hardwoods. In the big hits too, in the big hits. I don't want to discredit that. There's a lot of hits I didn't take. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:41:12 You know what I mean? Coach be like, why you, I'm like, Coach it's second down man. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. I'm getting out of here. I mean, that's four people right there coach. I mean, I picked my battles.
Starting point is 01:41:20 You know what I'm saying? That's 1200 pounds coach. Yeah. That's 1200 pounds. You know it, you know. That's 1200 pounds. You're a smart guy, coach. Come on, coach. Let's name the game and then score the game. Is this the greatest game of all time?
Starting point is 01:41:31 Let's score it. What do we name this game? The Electric Gates game? The Gate of History game. Breaking through the gates. Antonio catches Tony game. Tone catches Tony game. The 112 game. 112 game the record beaker beaker beater Breaker or something else that you have any of those or something else. What do you think we should name this game tone?
Starting point is 01:42:00 Open the gates and let the river flow Was a sand open the gates and let the river flow That was a sin does open the gates and let the river flow game Right now I know that was something that was saying in charges history like we were said you go That's what I got is to be open the gates let the breeze flow over the gate let the river flow I've already knew that I want to take that that's like San Diego. They probably be mad. I try to take that I like a lot of good ones, man. You gotta pick it. Yeah, breaking through the gates.
Starting point is 01:42:31 Breaking through the gates. Because it got so much significance with the name, other than just the game of football. Well, you broke through the gates of the position, the gates of life, and then reality, the touchdown record. Right? So that's what I'm saying. That's why I do like that one. It's a very touchy one.
Starting point is 01:42:50 We'll be right back after this quick break. Something about Mary Poppins. Something about Mary Poppins. Exactly. Oh, man. This is fun. I'm AJ Jacobs and I am an author and a journalist and I tend to get obsessed with stuff. And my current obsession is puzzles.
Starting point is 01:43:09 And that has given birth to my podcast, The Puzzler. Dressing. Dressing. Oh, French dressing. Exactly. Oh, that's good. Now you can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. I thought to myself, I bet I know what this is.
Starting point is 01:43:30 And now I definitely know what this is. This is so weird. This is fun. Let's try this one. Our brand new season features special guests like Chuck Bryant, Mayim Bialik, Julie Bowen, Sam Sanders, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and lots more. Listen to The Puzzler every day on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 01:43:53 That's awful. And I should have seen it coming. What's up, y'all? I'm AJ Andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst, and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. On my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds, we dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful stories, insights, and conversations that inspire and empower. Softball is growing fast and I'm going to help you keep up with the speed of the game and the athletes that play it. So well, you may even be able to throw out the fastest slapper. If you are an old or new fan looking to learn more about your favorite players or coaches
Starting point is 01:44:28 and hear about their journeys and processes to success, this podcast is an exciting and invaluable resource for anyone interested in the complexities of excellence on the Softball Diamond. Softball is a game of failure and pressure situations, but lucky for all the fabulous softball players and fans, pressure makes diamonds. And it's time to drop some bombs and diamonds on and off the softball diamond. Dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews is an athletes' unlimited softball league production in partnership with iHeart Women's Sports and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.
Starting point is 01:45:08 Ever wonder what it would be like to be mentored by today's top business leaders? My podcast, This Is Working, can help with that. Here's advice from Google CMO Lorraine Twohill on how to treat AI like a partner. I see AI as an incredible co-pilot. You may use different tools or toys to get the work done, but ultimately as editor, as creator, as maker, you own it. And it needs to be good. AI is just the latest flavor of that.
Starting point is 01:45:36 You're still the judge of what good looks like. I'm Dan Roth, LinkedIn's editor-in-chief. On my podcast, This Is Working, leaders like Indra Nooyi, Ray Dalio, and Rich Paul share strategies for success and the real lessons that have shaped them. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Snakes, zombies, public speaking, the list of fears is endless,
Starting point is 01:45:59 but the real danger is in your hand when you're behind the wheel. Distracted driving is what's really scary and even deadly. Eyes forward, don't drive distracted. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. Let's score the game. Is this the greatest game of all time? Let's score it.
Starting point is 01:46:15 Stakes, zero to 10 of the week two, 2017 Dolphins versus Chargers game. Stakes this game, one through 10 decimals okay. It was such a iconic moment, man, probably 10, I would have to say 10. 10? Yeah, I mean it's the history. This is definitely.
Starting point is 01:46:32 I've been watching sports forever, man. I've been watching football games. Some of the stuff that was getting done, I just couldn't believe I was a recipient of it, to be honest with you, man. I'm like, damn, I passed this dude? I remember him, I remember Charlie Jordan, I remember Kelley. one. So that's why I'm like damn I'm up there with damn what is that such and such I passed him. Yeah right you know what I'm saying like I would say
Starting point is 01:46:53 that to myself like dang this is crazy. That's right that's crazy. I remember playing video games and they'd be like you running around just like you run you know who Harry Eller is I'm like yeah he played for the Rams like to play video games with them. Yeah, so, you know, it's just man stakes 10 I'm gonna score it This regular season game a lot of significance I'm gonna give it eight point eight. I the whole time I was thinking because Tony Oh Obviously gives Hall of Fame answer. I'm because Tonio obviously gives Hall of Fame answer. I was thinking the whole time what you're gonna think
Starting point is 01:47:28 when you see their score. Jack has a 2.1, I had a 3.5. It's a regular season game through the fan perspective, but it's your perspective. There's some legacy stuff here. No, no, no. First game of Chargers in the LA history. It's all about perspectives, bro.
Starting point is 01:47:43 I dig it. I put 88. It's all about perspectives. Star. That's what life is all about. I put 88, dog. It's all about perspectives. Star power. Yeah, see, I shouldn't have said 10, for the simple fact we didn't win the game, because that's important to me. You can say that for game play.
Starting point is 01:47:53 The stakes of this game is different. Star power of this game. A lot of good players, Hall of Famers. Star power. Remember Jay Cutler? Jay Cutler? Jay, the stadium was pretty small. I'm in SoFi now.
Starting point is 01:48:10 So you know, that star power was, you know, you can take the star off and just put power. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. So you know, yeah, the star power, man. 1 to 10, you got to. It was a soccer stadium. And we were like sliding around to,
Starting point is 01:48:26 it was like a high school state championship game. High school. So I would say, because this is my team, this is the only team I play with, so I got to give it somewhat of a good score. Yeah. Yeah, the star power, we wasn't, you know, I would say five, man.
Starting point is 01:48:42 Five? That's an integrity score. That's an integrity score. That's an integrity score. Star power for me. I'm going to go 6'8". 6'8". Still, you're in there. Jack got a 5'8".
Starting point is 01:48:52 I had a 6'1". Yeah, OK. Gameplay of the game. How it went back and forth. 1917 score, and then we lost. So that definitely takes some points off of me. We lost. It was a iconic moment for myself.
Starting point is 01:49:08 But the gameplay itself, we didn't our game plan. We was at home. We lost. That's terrible. I like the fact that y'all put 0.8.2. Like y'all got this creative brain. Oh, wait till you see our next list. I'm like, dude, what y'all keep saying these 0.6s and 0.5.
Starting point is 01:49:24 I said, let me get on page now. Because this is, I'm going to see what I'm saying. I'm like, dude, what do y'all keep saying these.6s,.5,.5, I said, let me get on page now, cause this is, I'm gonna see what I'm saying. I'm a competitor. So now I know this next one, I said, wait a minute, this is decimal, decimal, so I'm gonna say 5.3. Okay. That's a great score. That's a great score.
Starting point is 01:49:36 See what I'm saying? Hey. That's what I'm saying. I'm like, can you put points up? You gotta score me. You gotta score me. I'm gonna go 5.4. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 01:49:44 Right, see what I'm gonna go 5.4. Yeah Me and Jack had a 6.5 on this one So must have they know something. I don't know we gotta score that going on We gotta score the name of the game breaking through the gates But also cultural legacy an all-time NFL record was broken in this game. That's a nice little boost very big boost Mm-hmm. I think the name, like I said, Breaking Through the Gates, it's just, I think breaking through is the most significant part. So I'm saying the position, the basketball player transition from a football player to taking a chance on a free agent.
Starting point is 01:50:25 All those things were, to me, all coming to light at that moment. Guys who were free agents, who can relate. I know what it's like to try to make a team and be on special teams. I know what it's like to not know if you're gonna get cut. I know what it's like to do all those things that guys come through that free agency.
Starting point is 01:50:42 So I would like, the thought of breaking through, I believe has created a whole lane for basketball players. Because they like, wait a minute, he scored more touchdowns than anybody at the position. So not only because, you know, really, like those guys had good careers. But this was like, OK, so now we know what we can look for in from an aesthetic standpoint and say this could possibly work So that's why I like the fact that breaking through because I think the game has been changed now every time I look up a tight In can beat you
Starting point is 01:51:15 Every time that's your 50 passes was getting you to the Pro Bowl back then that's a 50 passes would be You is nothing's gonna happen now. Yeah, you'd be lucky to get re-signed next year, you know what I'm saying? So that's what I'm saying, it's like. That's goal line. Yeah. Your goal line, what's the score though? You gotta score the name.
Starting point is 01:51:32 Yeah, so the name, I like the name. That was a great, like. That's the most thoughtful answer I think anyone can give it. Yeah, I'm gonna say 9.9, cause you can't go past 10, right? I'm just giving you the decimal to make this right. I'm going nine, flat. Going back to your game. Jack at a five-oh and I had a 6.1.
Starting point is 01:51:49 Where does this game put us in all the games we've done? It's a 6.36. 6.36. That puts us tied for 72 with the Snowver time game, 2017 same season. Week 17 Colts versus Bills. We did with LeSean McCoy and just ahead of the Manning seven game week one of the 2013 season Broncos versus Ravens started that Peyton Manning record season. As you can see this is a little patriot bias through our fans.
Starting point is 01:52:19 Yeah, no question. But I don't know you're talking to us. Yeah. Now, we got the cleanly Indians in there with five number five. You still read it and you still represent Ohio. Oh, are you from where you from? I'm from the Bay. Oh, I'm a NorCal cat. Oh, you from the Bay and you hot. And so how did you get the I went to Juco? I was OK. Juco cat.
Starting point is 01:52:40 I played college. Sequoia is in our championship game. Oh, wow. And then I transferred to Kent. I played college Sequoias in our championship game. Oh wow. And then I transferred to Kent. I played quarterback. Okay, but they gave you the ability to be you, basically, in so many words. You're like, I'm gonna go be here and I can be me. I bawled out at Juco.
Starting point is 01:52:59 I was like, unanimous MVP of California bullshit. And all these schools wanted me to come. I was getting letters from everywhere. So this was the first time I me to come. I was getting letters from everywhere. So this was the first time I was feeling love. I was like, hell yeah. But they all wanted me to stay another year at Juco or change positions to receiver. And Kent came knocking.
Starting point is 01:53:15 They're like, we'll let you come compete right now. I was like, fuck it, I'm out. At the quarterback position. At quarterback, yeah. Cause that was my goal. I wanted to play division one quarterback. That was like, when I was a kid, it was all about going D1.
Starting point is 01:53:28 Like that was like a thing in my crew. We'd all say, man, that shit's so D1. You're a D1 football player. You know what I mean? So you've seen the game. I've seen it very similar to your story. I've seen it in the grind, like the transferring position. I never played receiver in my life.
Starting point is 01:53:45 Like, and then to... So what, Kent State because of Josh? I went to Kent because of... Because of Josh, I'm assuming, because he was playing like the... That's why I didn't play. I went to Kent... Because Josh was running around with the ball like crazy.
Starting point is 01:53:57 But he, a phenomenal football player. But I was like, this ain't gonna work for me. I got, you gotta throw it. You know what I'm saying? There was no point of me losing. No, I get it. Yeah. I didn't want to be a part of something when I was something over here. Like I was the team and I mean in college basketball. So to go be a part of it and I went and watched
Starting point is 01:54:14 him play. Yeah. Coach Peece was there and he was they laid the red carpet out and I was just like dude Josh was running around and I knew he was a good football player. Yeah. I'm like dude this dude's just running with the ball. He hiking it. He running. He'm like, dude, this dude's just running with the ball. He hiking it, he running, he's almost like he's throwing it to himself. It's like, you know, because he had to, he had to, because he was that good.
Starting point is 01:54:32 But I'm saying, I just remember saying to myself, I need to got a ball. If you were out there, bro, you would have got the ball. He would have thrown you the ball probably about 50 times a game. Yeah, probably. Now that I think about it. But at the time, I was like-
Starting point is 01:54:42 Running quarterback, so I was running quarterback. I love my tight end. But it wasn't- Is your big ass body over the middle of the field but at the time I was like. Running quarterback, so I was running quarterback. I love my tight end. But it wasn't. Is your big ass body over the middle of the field? That's what I'm saying. It wasn't really that relevant back then. Yeah, I get it. In 2001, a running quarterback wasn't really the thing.
Starting point is 01:54:55 It was the pocket passers, right? Yeah. The statues, they're sitting back there. Okay, they're coming off this side. We rock it into this side. So that's what they. You got to scan this and get this, and we gonna get this ball out quick. So that's what they got to scan this and get this. And we're going to get this ball out quick.
Starting point is 01:55:05 So that's what they did. So after Josh, they went and got this six foot seven pocket quarterback for one year. And then I came back like they they didn't do very well. Yeah. And then I and then that's when I came the next year. Yeah. But Cruz was like two years in the league. Yeah. And then you start. And we went six and six and like had like the best season in school
Starting point is 01:55:29 history at six and six. I'm coming from Juco. They like, damn, this is kind of whack. Because I was playing at like a high level. Well, the the California Juco system, like our fucking fire. You played in it. Yeah. A lot of the dudes are just dudes that didn't have grades or their bounce backs. They pro, some of them dudes are better guys than they're better players.
Starting point is 01:55:49 It's just simple. I went to Kent, we went six and six and they were like, yeah. I was like, what the fuck is this? But you know, I love Kent. That was part of my story. And you're a huge just inspiration and it is so crazy to have you here. And you're a huge, just inspiration.
Starting point is 01:56:05 And it is so crazy to have you here. The very first time we met, you were always, you were just cool, getting to talk to you and have a conversation right now and doing research on, man, you're fucking Hall of Famer. Just in your answers, in your approach, in everything, man. It's such an inspiration to get to have you fellow Flash. Yeah, man. Thanks for coming on.
Starting point is 01:56:30 You plug in anything? No, I didn't. You know what we're plugging? We're plugging Hall of Fame 2025. Yeah. Antonio. Fuckin Gates. Thanks. So I appreciate it. Man, Antonio Gates in the Nuthouse. Thanks, bro. I appreciate you. Appreciate it. Man. Antonio Gates in the Nuthouse.
Starting point is 01:56:48 He loves basketball. Yeah. I wonder if he would... No, I don't mind. I'm not gonna be hot take Kyler. What? I was gonna say, I wonder if he would trade a Hall of Fame in the NFL to just be an NBA player. No, he ain't doing that. That's why I stopped. That's why I wasn't gonna say it.
Starting point is 01:57:04 He's not doing that. Man, he ain't doing that. That's why I stopped. That's why I was going to say he's not doing that. Yeah, he's he's a. He's a Hall of Famer. Is his questions Hall of Fame? Yes, yes. You crazy to play with those quarterbacks to first touchdown Doug Flutie and then Drew Brees and then Philip Rivers. Yeah, well, I freaking.
Starting point is 01:57:22 I've never met him, but I feel like I love him. Yeah, he was great. I love all the craft talk when you guys really getting in the weeds on that. Yeah, I love that shit. He's he's extraordinary, like as an athlete watching his film. And then, I mean, when you deep dive, when we, you know. You watch Antonio in Antonio Prime. It was gnarly
Starting point is 01:57:45 He was a monster and then you know the Hernandez talk was crazy. Yeah, I loved how he I Love when you actually talk craft talk with the tight ends like it's different from the media's perception or fans perspective Like oh, it's the tears of the top tight end, but there's so much nuance He's like, oh, I don't even look at those guys cuz I play a different game I'm looking after this guy because our games are more similar and I can learn. That was really interesting to hear. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:58:09 Man, we got to get him back on to do some other game or something. He lives out here. Well, we gave him a couple of game options. It was kind of hard selecting a game. Hard. Because we wanted to do that Elite Eight game, which would have been sick.
Starting point is 01:58:21 I mean, he knew all his guys. Yeah. Fucking, he's a good teammate. You could just tell, because he was a superstar. He was. People don't realize when you're a superstar in a locker room, everyone's looking at you. And depending on what kind of guy you are,
Starting point is 01:58:35 you could tell he was just a chill-ass dude that got his shit in. And he gaslighted guys. Yeah. I mean, those charges, too. And you need that from your leader. Yeah. Well, they need Thomas in their right. No, not gaslight.
Starting point is 01:58:51 Tire pump gas up gassing, tire pump, tire pump, pump, tire pumper. Remember what we just have on all this and Paul Biz, the bit like he said, guys that give you that a boys. Yeah. Pump your time his own cool way you could just tell cuz he hasn't he had it he has an aura yes yes yes he does he's got it's at that Hall of Fame or a hall of fame more he doesn't need to prove anything he's already done it yeah yeah those charges teams were fun and he like really spanned like three areas of football too
Starting point is 01:59:22 like he got in the league, what 2003, 2004? And then was all the way to like 2017. Like he was playing with guys that are still on the Chargers now. Joey Bosa. Yeah. Man, that was fun. Should we do this Chill Zone?
Starting point is 01:59:34 Oh, it's time for the Chill Zone. Brought to you by Coors Light. Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door. Visit CoorsLight.com slash GWN to celebrate responsibly. Oh, when the mountain blues are blue let's take a look at you. Today we're reading your fan comments pulled straight from YouTube, Apple reviews and Spotify. So leave some because we're gonna be putting this show. They also help the engagement of the show.
Starting point is 02:00:07 So if you want to support the show, leave comments, leave some reviews. And then as a favor, we'll read them on air and have some fun content. Hello fun content. OK, so first comment, YouTube comment from Merth Warrilf. And we'll have Kyler read them because my reading ability is not that good.
Starting point is 02:00:24 Your reading ability is not good. your reading abilities. I did on purpose Yeah, definitely you two comment from mirth warhol. That's a Spell it that's copy and paste Wow If Jules didn't play for Belichick, which coach would you have wanted to play for? Oh, it's a good question That's a really good question. I would have loved to play for McVeigh. Okay. He would have dialed up for me.
Starting point is 02:00:54 Now you guys are kind of peers. Do you think that would be a different element? I don't know. No. Like me and my prime. Yeah. No. I would like to play for him. Andy Reed would have been great, too. That could be fun.
Starting point is 02:01:12 I mean, just the little interaction I had with Andy Reed at practice before the Super Bowl, I could just tell he's you feel it's like dogs and pheromones. Football guys know football guys, dogs and pheromones football guys know football guys dogs pheromones I could feel it. He grabbed me and he had a little I saw the look in his eye Like competitor look but like fucking like you look yeah, and I had the same look you can smell a thousand you ever see So yeah, I would say it's crazy the offensive. I would have liked I like the I like the Harbaugh's both both.
Starting point is 02:01:47 Yeah, for their own ways. I really do. I like Jim and John. John, I mean, those teams are always tough. When it was tough teams like those Baltimore teams, then Jim is like he's an offensive guy. But he has it's very rare to have an offensive head coach that has toughness. Just you know, it's a part of his
Starting point is 02:02:09 reputation. Yeah. What I love about Jim Harbaugh is he really is that balance between kind of like the old school football, but also the new age, like more of a players coach. He has that he struck a nice balance there. Yeah, maybe. What about some old school guys? Bill Walsh. Bill Walsh. I used to work out with him. Really? When I was a kid, I hurt my shoulder or something, and I was rehabbing at the Rikers Center in Redwood City,
Starting point is 02:02:39 and a lot of Stanford people went to the Rikers Center. It was like this human enhancement spot. It was like one of the first like speed training, quickness training, acceleration training, but then they also had different divisions and different departments, kids, you know, it was for all kids, but they had an athletic department that enhanced your speed and all your athleticism,
Starting point is 02:02:58 and then they had like these music departments and they had the acting departments, but they also had physical therapy department. And that's where Bill Walsh used to, he was rehabbing something and I was rehabbing something. And like we very rarely, like there was a couple times where we would talk and I wish I remembered more of what,
Starting point is 02:03:21 because I remember we had conversations and it was probably like, he probably died like five, six years later. Yeah, you must have been pretty young, too I was like 17. Oh, okay 16. Wow. Could you just like aura around Bill Walsh? Just smart smart like Kind of Northern California smart. Mm-hmm. He reminded me of just like a, you could tell there's a little goofy tree huggy-ish to it. There's probably a little eccentric stuff going.
Starting point is 02:03:53 But genius, how he delivered it like Steve Jobs kind of, you know like a Steve Jobs kind of like, is a confidence. Like tough, but innovated and like collaborative, but still fucking tough in his way. And like a quiet confidence like tough. Yeah, but innovated and like collaborative but still fucking tough in his way And like a quiet confidence to it quiet confidence That's what about um, that's great. I didn't know i never knew that that's so cool. Yeah, I wish I I You know, I I think about that a lot
Starting point is 02:04:15 I wish I would have because I remember we had some kind of talks and he You know, he ended up passing. I don't know. It could have been six or ten years later. I don't Yeah, but like I always think man I got to talk there was a few times like there was like a couple weeks where we would be rehabbing at the same time And I'm rehabbing with Bill Walsh You know and it wasn't you know, I just wish I was I wish I knew I wish I had my brain Yeah, but you're 17 like you can't like are 17 year olds. We did talk some football stuff though. The West Coast and stuff.
Starting point is 02:04:49 I think he told me it should be the Midwest offense because he was in Cincinnati when he developed it. You think you're kind of like random, being from Redwood City and that's where the 49ers were kind of like set up in their practice facility. You think there's like kind of like random bumping into like the interactions with Jerry Rice at a young age and the Bill Walshes.
Starting point is 02:05:09 You think that played into your like anything about your trajectory into the NFL? Like just like seeing, being around people that have done it or like? Well I was around greatness. Yeah. I mean I was around a great organization. I grew up rooting for unbelievable organization
Starting point is 02:05:22 with a lot of success. Yeah. San Francisco 49ers at the time were, you know, they were in the prime of what they were. I mean, they're still a top peer organization now, but they were winning these Super Bowls in the 80s and early 90s, and I was kinda on the tail into that 80s, 90s.
Starting point is 02:05:40 But like, yeah, the Niners had an aura around it. I'm sure it's probably like the kids that grow up around Patriots kids and stuff, you know what I mean? They were the Patriots at that time, which could be said now that they were the Kansas City Chiefs of that time. Yeah. You know, there's always that generation and they were that.
Starting point is 02:05:59 So it's crazy how everything happens for a reason and, you know, it's life's baffling Yeah, it's crazy the sometimes where things kind of mirror or like reflect or kind of working parallels interesting Yeah, no, what about some of these like like the people in like the Belichick Pathway like the bill Parcells ourselves or like a Vince, you know, I'm kind of tapped out of That yeah, I love I Would have loved to play for coach parcel. I'm sure I would have it when you're in it when you're in it Yeah, like now I'm sure like thank you back. I probably want to go somewhere
Starting point is 02:06:38 Off like a dig for meal No, not dick. I love dig for meal But I'd want to play with you know know, if it was a coach from that generation, it'd be Bill Walsh or maybe Parcells. But I feel like I got a taste of Parcells through Belichick in a different form of fashion. Now, I know they say, you know, Parcells was a, you know, a team guy. Yeah. But like I've tasted that. I would want to taste different coaching trees. Okay, I dig that.
Starting point is 02:07:08 Good answer. Yeah, great question Murph. That was a good question. Yeah, okay. Another YouTube comment from GI Joe 317 at Games With Names. If Jules could play in any game throughout history, who would you want to relive the moment through?
Starting point is 02:07:23 So pick a game that you'd want to play in a part of that already happened And then you get to be a player in that game so for bad example Tom Brady in the fucking Super Bowl 51 right so any game from history who would you want to be? I already have my moment. You would just be you yeah, I'd be me which Super Bowl well which game You would just be you. Yeah, I'd be me. Which Super Bowl? Well, which game? Either 14 or 19, 18. You'd 16. I don't know. I don't I don't feel exhausting 16 was crazy and I but I didn't really bowl So your answer would be you'd want to be yourself in Super Bowl 49
Starting point is 02:08:02 It's a cool answer a lot of people could say that like I'd say I'd want to be Michael Ruzioni in A Miracle on Ice. Or... Nah, yeah, I want to be me. Those guys that had their other way, I mean, I'm satisfied. Satisfied. Good, good answer. Great question. Another good question. I bet you weren't expecting that answer, but it's a good answer. Okay, let's...
Starting point is 02:08:24 Maybe... I got one. Okay Who's the guy that had the Grand Slam That ended a World Series Walk-off or something wasn't there one of those Gibson. I don't know. That's a great Run Reggie Jackson hitting three in one game like something like the home run Chicks dig the long ball. It's not even that it's just the crack of the bat. Like you just killed the game yourself.
Starting point is 02:08:53 There's there was a Yankee, I think there was Aaron Boone hit a grand slam to like end the Red Sox in 2013. And then they ended up winning the World Series that year. Something there. Yeah, something like that. There's been that moment. I think that like a walk off home run in a World Series winning game. That's probably something kind of cool. That's what I remember as a kid. There's like three things I used to like
Starting point is 02:09:20 imagine to myself with my imagination. As you know, I want to take mine back imagination. As, you know what, Kite, I wanna take mine back because now that you've gone down that path, to have that like one moment, Bobby Orr in the flying goal, scores a goal in overtime to win the Stanley Cup, sick. And that picture is, I have one that's pretty exciting. Yeah, I know, the statue.
Starting point is 02:09:39 The statue, incredible. That's a good one. Another good one, Patrick Kane did something similar too. His goal wasn't so flashy, but he beat the Bruins in overtime beat the Bruins. Yeah, I'm trying to win the game bro. You're sitting there crack of the bat Bat flip fucking hat throw The good boy Fucking everything boys are meeting yet the plate. Oh, Miss First, gotta go back. Sorry you ain't getting me, buddy.
Starting point is 02:10:08 Oh my gosh. Shaving cream at the end. Nah, this is old school. Okay, I'm gonna do it. Fucking toss a beer at home plate. Okay. Coors Light. Coors Light shower at home plate
Starting point is 02:10:26 There's no rules against having alcohol in the locker room a baseball There's a fucking horseshoe Of dip at bat. That's like that is the one That is a one thing I would fucking okay, I would. Great, love that. Could you not imagine that? No, that'd be incredible. Bases loaded, two house. And it's in the Colorado Rockies stadium? No, I don't want that there.
Starting point is 02:10:55 But then the core is like extra fresh. I want it in the thick air. Like Atlanta? I want thick air so it lets everyone know I had a bomb. OK, good question. We got an Apple review comment from Bodyguard Kyle. He says, love this. Five stars. Thank you, sir. Julian Edelman has found his post football niche. Great concept. Now is it niche or niche?
Starting point is 02:11:20 I say niche. I say niche. OK, keep going. Great concept. Great guest. amazing back and forth. Jules is a great host. Thanks. If you like sports, this is worth the listen. Oh, well, thank you, Kyle. Who picked, we picked, we're gonna just- We gotta pump our tires sometimes. Pump our, we're fucking gaslighting ourselves? I just want people to write Apple. We didn't really have a lot of questions on Apple. I wanted people to write Apple. What, no, tire pump ourselves? Gas gas light means you're fueling the fire You're fueling fire. Um, okay. Yes lighting dog Let's get it. Oh, it's a good question. Fine. Another one from GI Joe 317. He's crushing the questions
Starting point is 02:11:59 What are the biggest no-nos when it comes to shower etiquette if you forgot soap? Well, first off, we were at Gillette. Okay. No one forgets soap at Gillette. There's so much soap in that goddamn facility. I mean, you could have a bubble bath from fucking Foxboro to Providence. So you're not doing that. But you can't be National Geographic birdwatching in the fucking shower. If people see eyes down, If people see eyes down, you'll be red-flagged a no-fly zone. People will not, will stop showering with you.
Starting point is 02:12:37 So what happens then if you've been red-zoned you have to like wait to the end? No, you just, I mean you get bullied. This is, this is, this is real America in there. We're doing some weird stuff. You're getting bullied in there What would you like? I'm assuming you're the bully in this situation. What do you say? Depend you got to know your room. No, no your room Certain guys don't play around. Yeah, certain guys do not play around with shower jokes. Yeah, probably like SEC lineman. I I'm not gonna categorize His linemen are the they don't give a fuck usually Okay, I was
Starting point is 02:13:14 Fucking Brady Brady He there'd be a we'd have showers and Brady would go in the corner so he could have two shower heads put from like When I saw him shower, yeah a lot of times. He took shower pill I mean you don't shower you take a pill and you go to you go home But he'd have two shower heads so he and there'd be a line. Yeah, I'd be like Brady. What the fuck, dude You just gonna take two shower heads dog. How long these long showers or is he like in and out? I Mean he's got a routine. Okay brings his little pale in.
Starting point is 02:13:49 Fuck it, he's got a back scrub. He's got a face wash. He's got an eye lift. He's got a fucking he's got feet lotion in that. I think he puts it. He had everything. The guy smelled amazing all the time. Lufa. Oh, I think he had Lufa and he had like Luffa with like back Luffa. Back Luffa.
Starting point is 02:14:08 This guy, this guy, this guy looked like Mario, the plumber going into the shower. Overalls? Mustache? He's got a true. Alright, good question. He's got a true. All right. Good question. So he's probably gonna hit me up after this if he sees this. So we don't have to worry about so we stop talking about my fragrances, bro. He does smell good though.
Starting point is 02:14:36 Smells good. So good. That's the one thing you remember. Okay, let's do two more. We've got an Apple review from BobbyJS44. Love this MF show. Gotta get huge Niners fan Dan Soder on the show to show off a real macho man impression.
Starting point is 02:14:55 Love you boys, keep up the good work. You know Dan Soder? Great comedian. He's actually, he's a big 49ers guy. He also has childhood friends with Mike Euston. Where is he from? Is he a Niners guy? He's a Bay kid?
Starting point is 02:15:05 He's in between Bay and Denver I think. He, I think his family was like split and his dad was in the Bay area and his mom was in Denver. So he grew up with Mike McDaniel. Co-parenting, I'm a fan of him. Yeah, they were like tight. So he's a huge fan of sports and wrestling. He's got a good Russian man.
Starting point is 02:15:23 His impressions are unreal. Dan Soder would be great. We've been actually trying to reach out to him. Dan Soder, come on the show. You know, I don't know where Macho Man lies in the climate of life, but for pure entertainment, I probably dedicate three to eight minutes a day
Starting point is 02:15:43 just to Macho Man Randy Savage content. A day? Every three days. Okay. Every three days. Roughly 20 minutes of Macho Man content a week. Okay. On just the stupidest shit.
Starting point is 02:15:57 Macho Man in like Italy, Macho Man in Switzerland, Macho Man in fucking Iraq. I hate him doing the whole thing. The whole kid, macho man going, like macho man fucking floats, flying down the hill, slides, macho man snowboarding naked. Like I watch macho man shit.
Starting point is 02:16:17 My algorithm is so fucked up. It's just macho man. It's so, and I laugh every time. It's a real shame that he died before like Social media becoming bigger because imagine it's a daily him and Chuck Norris Chuck Norris is alive. No, but hit the content like I want Chuck Norris I Should I love the one where like the the fire the other forest one of the guys about to chainsaw the thing and he grabs
Starting point is 02:16:42 It with his hand. It's just Chuck Norris like you're not cutting down this tree Well, there's some change a got in a wormhole go on Chuck Norris Word on the street in Hollywood is Bruce Lee knew not to mess with Chuck. Really? I want if anyone knows about this hit the comment section I want to know that was there a hidden fight that I may have heard make could be real Was there a fight or something where Chuck kind of like punked him? Now if I'm fully wrong This is like when I heard
Starting point is 02:17:18 You know, this is some like Santa Claus is a real BL type of stuff. Yeah. Yeah, so any conspiracies stuff That an aliens get in the comments. We should I think we should start an underground Hollywood Fight Club I think we should try to what? Fight club there's a lot of these actors know how to fight. Yeah, just get some of these guys I'm just gonna fuck her. I go to this boxing gym and I see a bunch of these actors in There and they they know how to lay law They're small
Starting point is 02:17:49 And they're like not but they're they know fucking tat your ass up. They're resilient Well, they just they play the role they go and live the life that they want to play. It's fucking I'm impressed Alright, last one. That's one Spotify comment from Dennis Bally I've got a question for Aves. I think he's referring to top left top right Referring to Sean Avery. I got a question for aves next time you see peterberg Tell him we need a friday night lights, but hockey and taylor kitchen it Not a bad idea, but I don't think there's fr night lights of hockey, so what is it, like Tuesday night? You don't, yeah, you play games sometimes Wednesday night.
Starting point is 02:18:28 We had a Wednesday night. It'd be like Wednesday morning hockey. Yeah. Because you're there at like 3 a.m. Well, you practice in the morning. You don't play in the morning. Yeah, that's what I mean. It has to be something that the hockey.
Starting point is 02:18:37 Actually, there's a book. Five a.m. hockey nights. There's a book, shout out Jay Atkinson, my dad's friend. He wrote a book that's 100% Friday night hockey nights. There's a book, shout out Jay Atkinson, he's my dad's friend, he wrote a book that's 100% Friday Night Lights, but about Massachusetts hockey, high school hockey. I'm in it, I'm in the book, you should read it. Taylor Kish.
Starting point is 02:18:53 Is incredible skater, we already covered this by this point. Baller. But I'm into it. Baller. He's now the coach that's come back. Oh, so he's Bombay? Minus the DUI. I don't think they let guys with DUI's coach teams anymore. Dude, they, there hasn't, there's, when's,
Starting point is 02:19:12 has there been a groundbreaking hockey miracle? Yeah, Miracles good. Probably the last one. Mighty Ducks. Mighty Ducks is great. Talk about like sports movies or hockey. What is the Slapshot? That's in the 70s. We haven't had one in a good 20 years. Goon was good. I heard about that. Yeah. What's that new show that the guy that went to LA Fire? Shorzy. I gotta watch that because that guy was pretty good.
Starting point is 02:19:38 You would really like Shorzy. It's funny. The guy that Ryan. Terry Ryan. He was fucking good. Yeah. He's got a persona. I don't know if that's his character, if that's who he is, Ryan he was fucking good. Yeah, he's got a persona I don't know if that's his character if that's who he is, but he was playing it little of both Yeah, that shows great. You should watch it. It's only like it's Canadian So there's only like six episode seasons so you can watch it all in like three days. Good show Canadian only do six episode Canadian TV is a lot more like English TV than our TV So they only do like hey let's seasons like Tight nice and tight so the show has been on there's like four seasons But there's only like 25 you mean they don't go the America way where we drag it out for 16 weeks
Starting point is 02:20:12 So we can get more money from it. Yeah Amateurs idiots Okay, that's good. There's a lot more that we didn't talk about we should because these are great good segment Yeah, yeah, that's a fun segment. Make sure you guys keep on sending the stuff in Apple podcast YouTube and Spotify Comments we do YouTube premieres now. So there's like a live group chat So when we release the full-length shows both games and dudes 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific. Me and Jack are in the comments. You've been in there one time too,
Starting point is 02:20:46 just answering questions. It's a lot of blast, it's a blast. So join us, it's fun. Ask questions, we put it on the show. Well that was Chill. Yeah, great segment. And that was the Chill Zone, thanks to our favorite beer, Coors Light.
Starting point is 02:20:59 Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door. Visit CoorsLight.com slash GWN and celebrate responsibly. Well what a game. Thanks again to Antonio Gates, Hall of Famer, congratulations. That's another episode of Games and Names. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcast. Comment a game you want us to do and remember, rate and review. Leave us a five star review on Spotify while you're there. Leave us five stars. Like him five stars. Helps the show.
Starting point is 02:21:30 Remember to follow Games with Names on YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Snapchat. Leave a comment on YouTube full episodes. We've been reading those. That's been really fun and we'll continue to do that on future episodes. Leave a message on the hotline at 424-291-2290. We'll see you guys next week. Games with names and production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremorchi. podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 02:22:07 Welcome to the Criminalia podcast. I'm Maria Tremarchi. And I'm Holly Frye. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime. Each season we explore a new theme from poisoners to art thieves. We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching. And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired
Starting point is 02:22:32 by each story. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up everyone? Julie Swift Brinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson. We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go. The name? Energy Line with Nate and JSB. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey, life, all topics are fair game, right? Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.
Starting point is 02:23:00 Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, y'all? I'm AJ Andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst, and the first woman to win a Rawlings Go Glove. On my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds,
Starting point is 02:23:20 we dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful stories, insights, and conversations that inspire and empower. It's time to drop bombs and diamonds. Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews is an athletes-unlimited softball league production in partnership with iHeart Women's Sports and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
Starting point is 02:23:45 Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. This is Mel Reed, LPGA Tour winner and six-time Lady Jurapeen Tour winner. And Kira K. Dixon, NBC Sports reporter and host. And we've got a new podcast, Quiet Please, with Mel. And Kira, we are bringing you spicy takes on sports and pop culture, some interviews with incredible people who have figured out how to make golf their superpower. An I Heart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on I Heart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 02:24:15 Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports.

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