Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Tully Banta-Cain Talks Beach Football, Bill Belichick; Pats to Honor Tom Brady

Starting point is 00:00:00 The New England Patriots prodigal son is about to find his way home, and a former New England Patriots linebacker has found an exciting new football venture. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriot Podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available.

Starting point is 00:01:05 I'm your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. While you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots.

Starting point is 00:01:24 Cats fans, today's episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Cats fans, today's episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp connects you with a licensed therapist who can take you on that journey of self-discovery from wherever you are. Visit BetterHelp.com slash Locked On today to get 10% off your first month. Cats fans, thank you so much for joining me here today on the pod. A special shout out, as always, to all of you Locked On everydayers, all of you Locked On loyalists, those of you who make Locked On Patriots possible, my unending appreciation to you, always honored and always humbled by your support. And today we have an exciting show for you because whether it be outdoor in the USFL

Starting point is 00:02:05 or the indoors in the AFL or a little bit more of a radical approach with the XFL, there have consistently been alternatives to the professional football product put out by the NFL. Well, now thanks in part to a few former Patriots, one in particular, it is about to become a professional reality. Tully Bant-Kane, former Patriots linebacker, has founded the Beach Football League and a star-studded lineup is going to be joining him. Former Patriots Jamie Collins, Corey Dillon, Devin McCourty, and NFL greats such as Terrell Owens and Patrick Willis, so many more are going to be in this joint venture. And Tully is going to join me here today in just a moment and more are going to be in this joint venture.

Starting point is 00:02:48 And Tully is going to join me here today in just a moment, and we're going to discuss his musings for the league, what we can expect from the Beach Football League, and his fond memories of playing in New England and playing for Coach Bill Belichick. So keep it here, folks. You are not going to want to miss this one, but it's also schedule release day. And while we will be

Starting point is 00:03:05 dedicating an entire show to breaking down the schedule on friday the day started with some exciting news in just hours before the nfl schedule was made official on thursday night patriots owner robert craft announced that legendary quarterback tom brady is coming home he's going to be in attendance for the Patriots 2023 home opener. Brady will be honored. Not sure what the details are for the honoring ceremony just yet or what type of festivities will take place, but it will be in week one when the Patriots open up the season.

Starting point is 00:03:38 And a lot of reports scattered around on Thursday morning, whether it was going to be week one, week two, possibly against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night football. But it was eventually reported that the game that's being billed as the Thank You Tom game is going to be against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. And what is already being billed as well as a rematch of Super Bowl 52 on their home turf so it's definitely exciting to see Tom Brady coming back home to New England and during a Thursday morning appearance on Good Morning Football, Robert Kraft was proud to announce this. He confirmed really what I think everyone in Patriots Nation had assumed was a foregone conclusion. Brady's 23-year career, 20 of those spent in New England

Starting point is 00:04:26 going to be commemorated, and I think it's going to be a great opportunity for the fans to really show their appreciation to Tom in a way they didn't have the chance before he left in the 2020 season. Robert Kraft, you can hear the excitement in his voice saying, quote, I invited him back to be with us at the opening game and let the fans in New England thank him. It's going to be the beginning of many celebrations to honor Tom Brady. So the boss is saying it, you know, it's got to be good. So a lot of speculation surrounding this one. A lot of people thought maybe they'd wait until the Aaron Rodgers

Starting point is 00:05:01 and New York Jets visit. That was a popular potential home opener opponent, but a lot of the NFL insiders started to weed that out, and eventually it came down that it was going to be the Philadelphia Eagles. So that should be a great matchup. Definitely the Eagles, one of the better teams in the NFL, going to be a tough matchup for Mac Jones and the guys, but that emotional lift that they're going to get from Tom Brady, if there's any way that the Patriots are going to be able to beat the defending NFC champs, it's going to be with Tom Brady on their shoulders. So definitely folks, circle your

Starting point is 00:05:33 calendars, wait for that one. Brady, there's no question about it. I mean, he deserves this honor. Anyone that's telling you any different is probably just stirring the pot for stirring the pot's sake. Six of his seven titles won in New England. The last one coming as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, not going to discount that, but at the same time, we know those first six hit a little different here in New England. His place among the top of the pantheon of NFL greats has long been established. Again, anyone questioning that is just looking for attention, in my opinion.

Starting point is 00:06:08 Seven of the 10 Super Bowls that Brady was in, he won them, earning the big games MVP five times. I don't want to hear he had losses in the Super Bowl, he didn't do this, he didn't do that. Brady's been there more times than any professional athlete could probably ever dream of. And if you think that that lessens his resume, well, then I don't think you really know your football. But bottom line, there's a lot of envy for Tom Brady in other parts of the country, but not here in New England.

Starting point is 00:06:35 Still largely adored. I know there are some that still hold a little ill will for the way things happen in 2020. I'm not going to tell anybody how to feel, or I'm not going to tell anybody they're right or wrong for feeling that way, but you can't deny that he's firmly entrenched among the immortal beloveds of New England sports. When you look at that Mount Rushmore, you look at those beloved sports figures, a city that's been home to icons. I mean, you've got guys like Ted Williams, Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, David Ortiz, these guys, Carl Yastrzemski, these guys are indelible athletes that really define what it

Starting point is 00:07:12 means to be a Boston sports fan. If you're not putting Tom Brady at or near the top of that list, I'd reevaluate the list. That's all I'm going to say. Take a look at it, double check it, triple check it, because Brady belongs there. Game-winning drives, improbable comebacks, championship parades are just some of the memories that he's helped provide here in New England. And prior to taking the reins of the Patriots, New England knew little but defeat. And now, since that time, they have enjoyed unparalleled success. A lot of the credit goes to Bill Belichick a lot

Starting point is 00:07:45 of the credit goes to Robert Kraft but a lot of the credit goes to Thomas Edward Patrick Bray Jr. even though he took his talents to Tampa Bay for a little while Tom's forever going to be a patriot in the eyes of many and they appear set for a reunion this is definitely exciting and it's going to bring New England's favorite sun back to the Foxborough fold, even if it's only for a day. But according to Robert Kraft, it sounds like it's going to be a lot more than that. So the 2023 iteration of the Patriots are learning their fate, probably as you're watching this or shortly there beforehand.

Starting point is 00:08:19 The Patriots learn their season slate as it was revealed by the NFL. Make sure to come back here tomorrow as another legend, the green man himself, Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com, going to join me for a special episode, a breakdown episode of the Patriots schedule. And keep a sharp eye over the weekend because, as you know, I teased yesterday that not one but two former Patriots were going to be joining me here today, this week. That were going to be joining me here today, this week. That's going to happen.

Starting point is 00:08:52 A former Super Bowl champion, a former old pro, a former pro bowler is going to be joining here on the hot seat as well this weekend. Exciting times for Lockdown Patriots, and the biggest thanks really go to all of you. All of you everydayers, all of you listening and viewing, whether it be for the first time, the 10th time, the 100th time, or just your everyday routine, you make it all possible. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. Pats fans, Tully Banta-Kane will join me here in just a moment on the pod. But first, today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Folks, we live in complex times, and whether it be emotional stress, financial stress, or health-related stress,

Starting point is 00:09:31 trying therapy can help you unload that stress and move forward in gaining emotional healing. It's not easy to get caught up in what everyone else expects and needs from you and never take a moment to think about what you really need from yourself. But when we spend all of our time giving, it can leave us feeling a little stretched thin and even a little burnt out. Therapy can help you give you the tools to find more balance in your life so you can keep supporting others without leaving yourself behind. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online.

Starting point is 00:10:04 It's designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule. So just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. Find more balance with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash lockeded On today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P.com slash Locked On. Patriots fans, my guest today here requires no introduction, but I'm going to give him one anyway.

Starting point is 00:10:40 Drafted by the Patriots in 2003, this man went on to play four seasons in his first stint with the team, helping them to two Super Bowl victories in Super Bowl 38 and 39 before returning for two additional seasons in 2009 and 2010, bringing 10 sacks in the 2009 season after spending some time with the San Francisco 49ers. Thanks to the good folks over at America's Got Talent. We know he's got a really good singing voice, but today he joins us as a true football entrepreneur. It is my honor, my pleasure to welcome Tully Banticaine to Locked On Patriots. Thank you so much for joining me today, Tully.

Starting point is 00:11:15 Oh, man. Thanks for that introduction, man. I really appreciate that. That was nice. Anytime. And well-deserved, well-earned. Tully, obviously, the time that you spent here in New England was a great one. I know there are a lot of great memories and folks, this is Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:11:31 We are going to talk a little bit about Tully's time here in New England and some of his favorite memories, but the Beach Football League is really what we're here to talk about today, Tully. And this is fascinating to me, something that I know is exciting to you, exciting to a lot of football fans, planning to launch with a draft, an inaugural game, and a surprise location in February 2024. So we're approaching that date fast, folks, and the league is scheduled to begin in June of 2024. And Tully, as the league's founder, if you can just take us through the process of what led to the creation of the Beach Football League. Sure. Yeah. I retired in around 2012 and took some time off of the game and really just got back to figuring out what was next in my life and took some

Starting point is 00:12:19 entrepreneurial challenges on, tried to get into acting, worked for a couple startups. And then I went ahead and with a former teammate of mine, Jeff MacArthur out of Cal, we launched our own high school in Canada and called Canada Prep. Neville Gallimore, who was a fourth round pick a couple of years ago to the Dallas Cowboys, played at our high school. So that was proof in itself that I can move on and do something big outside of the NFL itself. And then it wasn't until I started living in Manhattan Beach and being by the beach a lot after being in Foxborough for so many years, going on and just running the beach and going to a lot of festivals and concerts and even like a lot of big volleyball tournaments that would happen. And I was jogging the beach one day

Starting point is 00:13:11 and I had a field of dreams kind of moment and was like, you know what? There should be football played on the beach. And I looked it up, Googled, searched it, and was shocked to see that no one had ever played tackle football on the beach before. And there, right there, I knew I had something special. Started kicking it around with some guys and former teammates. And we all decided that this was something we wanted to embark on. And I really just started putting the plan together in its initial stages. I started getting guys to come out and play football on the beach and see what it looked like, see if anyone would get hurt. And all was a successful outing. And I ended up getting an internship with the 49ers in 2021.

Starting point is 00:14:01 And while I was sitting in the back of a meeting, I had my notebook and I just couldn't get my mind off the Beach Football League and the launching of it. And I started drawing up logos. I started drawing up plays. And when I ended up not sticking with the 49ers, that right there, I said, you know what? I've been a player. I've been a coach. It's time to be an owner. And so I went ahead and started putting a lot of things together, started reaching out to players, seeing who would be interested in playing. And now we are where we're at now. Excellent. And I know Patriots fans are going to be excited to see this, folks. In addition to Tully, a couple of former expats are joining up with the Beach Football League, including ex-linebacker Jamie Collins, running back Corey Dillon, and recently retired safety Devin McCourty.

Starting point is 00:14:49 But the competition level is going to be high, folks. It does not end there. Future Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, Pac-Man Jones, Patrick Willis, Bryant McKinney, Prince of Macamara, Trey Williams, just some of the names that are attached to this project. And it really is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Tell me from an action on the beach standpoint, I'm used to saying action on the field. It might take me a little bit of time to get used to that. But from an action on the sand standpoint,

Starting point is 00:15:15 what should fans expect from the competition? What can they expect? What are you most looking forward to? Well, it's going to be a high level of play. The kind of players that we've got is for that reason. We wanted to make sure we have a fun, entertaining game to watch. And the fans should expect a beautiful day at the beach, as it always is when people go out there. That's the reason why we go, right? To jump in the water, to play around in the sand. So

Starting point is 00:15:42 adding a sports element outside of volleyball and the other sports that you may see, like spike ball or soccer ball, you know, having a tackle football element where we're bringing a stadium to the sand and fans can sit down, have a cold beverage, and watch some, like, serious big plays and tackle football going on by their favorite players and coaches all in the mix, as well as celebrity performances and commentators. I think they're going to be in for a hell of a ride, especially in the fact that there's so many beaches all over the country and all over the world. So there's really no limit to what beach we can go to at this point. And they should be

Starting point is 00:16:23 definitely getting their popcorn ready. Absolutely. You know, New England is known for its beaches, especially my home state of Rhode Island. Massachusetts has got a couple of nice ones, Revere. Can we expect to maybe see the Beach Football League come up to New England and maybe give us a little bit of a go up here? I'd love to see that.

Starting point is 00:16:42 Absolutely. I live in Newport, Rhode Island right now. I've actually moved back to the uh to the east coast and uh there are beautiful beaches here in newport uh let me tell you and all up in the coast especially in the cape so uh it's definitely going to be a big point of emphasis for us to launch a tournament for the New England fans here. Excellent. Excellent, folks. The Beach Football League is scheduled to be up and running in less than a year. And by this time next year, it's funny, we'll already be talking about the launch

Starting point is 00:17:15 and be very close to the competition on the sand. And I, for one, cannot wait for it, folks. It's piqued our interest here in New England, and it will continue to do so. And the Patriots connection, especially to you, Tully, is something that I know Patriots fans are going to be excited about. But once again, folks, seeing that this is Locked on Patriots, I do have the honor today of asking Tully about some of his most fond memories of his time in New England. And let's start there, my friend. During your time as a Patriots linebacker you enjoyed amazing success and I'll ask you to elaborate on that in just a moment but your former coach here in New

Starting point is 00:17:52 England is about to enter his 24th season as head coach of the New England Patriots of course folks I'm talking about Bill Belichick and everyone from the fans to the media can speculate on what it's like to play for Bill I'm not going to like to play for Bill. I'm not going to ask you for any trade secrets. I'm not going to ask you for any inside info, but what I am going to ask you is your feelings. The people that actually played for Bill know what it's like to be in the coaching room with him, what it's like to play for him. What was your experience like playing for a legendary coach like Bill Belichick? Wow, it's really, it's almost indescribable the level and standard that he set for me as a player, you know, coming in from Cal and not having a lot of success in terms of winning games in college.

Starting point is 00:18:41 So the standard that was set coming here in new england and playing for bill was higher than it's ever been in my life and uh you know he is just uh such a genius when it comes to communicating what is wanted from his players as we all know that the results and the multiple super bowls and super bowl appearances excuse me he's's just been one of those coaches that I can always look back and say, you know, I had one of the best, if not the best. And so, you know, a lot of players can testament to that. It was a no-nonsense kind of atmosphere. But when he had his lighthearted moments, they would definitely stick out. And so those would come obviously more after a win, but he's definitely just listening to him break down film and what he would

Starting point is 00:19:33 have to talk about upcoming opponents, the way we would game plan, all of those things. I've actually taken those into account and how I kind of approach life. You know, a lot of it is just pinpointing that the absolute things that need to happen and the things that can't happen in order to win. And that's, that's a philosophy bill definitely share with a lot of his players and teams. And it's interesting when I went to San Francisco it was none of that. It was definitely good

Starting point is 00:20:00 coaching, but just the simplifying of the game and the standard set and having each player do their job and have that mentality of doing their job and not doing more than what's asked of them. That was that was what really stuck out working with Bill. And the guy just doesn't get old. You know, like he's going to keep continuing to coach until, you know, from the, from the grave. You know, I think the guys just had so much, you know, success and he has a routine and it just seems like, you know, it just doesn't really dissipate at all. Yeah, it doesn't. Entering now, it'll be my sixth training camp covering in New England and he's still out there. It's well on the whistle. He snapped balls to Mac Jones at 71 years of age. Bill Belichick is still showing that desire to succeed on the football field, and he'll do whatever it takes to do that.

Starting point is 00:20:50 And that's excellent insight on the preparation that he lends and all of the information that you're able to give. So, Tully, thank you. I appreciate that. News coming out this morning for the New England Patriots on Thursday. Tom Brady will be honored. It looks like we won for the matchup for against the Philadelphia Eagles, I guess is kind of a rumor right now, folks. At the time, Tully and I are talking, the NFL still has not officially released its schedule,

Starting point is 00:21:16 but it's looking likely. Bottom line, Tom Brady will get some sort of honor from the New England Patriots this season. I know you've played alongside Tom. You've watched him in the locker room. You've obviously spent some time with him. What was it like being able to call Tom Brady a teammate? What did he help you learn on the football field and just your experience playing with him? Yeah, I mean, it's a well-deserved welcome back to New England. You know, the guys brought so much to this area and in Foxborough

Starting point is 00:21:49 and abroad, just to the game of football itself. And being a Bay Area native and knowing that, you know, Tom grew up a couple of cities over from me, it was great to actually meet him in person as a rookie. And then, you know, going on to prove myself as an up-and-coming seventh round pick similar to him he was a late round pick so we both kind of had chips on our shoulder and watching the way he worked how he showed up every day similar to Bill no nonsense but he always had that golden smile and he can definitely you know play both sides of you know being the the rah-rah guy but he was also like the just no you know, play both sides of, you know, being the the rah rah guy. But he was also like the just, you know, it's just time to put in the work and enough with the talking.

Starting point is 00:22:31 Let's go out there and execute. So looked up to Tom as an older veteran player when I got here. And just the way he made players around him raise their level of play, raise their level of commitment to the sport, showing up early, leaving late, all the little things, you know, you would not expect from your, you know, a starting quarterback to really be like one of these, the strongest, most, you know, business acumen guys on the, on the team, where it was, you know, he's going to beat you to the weight room. He's going to be the last one in the weight room.

Starting point is 00:23:06 He's going to be the last one off the field. He's always in the film study. You name it, the guy did it. And it was an honor playing next to him, winning some Super Bowls with him. And then after retiring, getting to watch him continue to do it, made me feel real, real bad about being an early retiree. Yeah, I think he made us all feel a little bit bad about early retirement or thinking about early retirement. Tom continues to do it at a high level right up until the very end. And,

Starting point is 00:23:36 you know, definitely a well-deserved tribute plan for him this year. But Tully, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't give you the opportunity to end our program today with allowing yourself to kind of give us your feelings on some of your favorite times here in New England. Once again, very big successful time here, two Super Bowl titles, the 10-sack season in 2009. But what were your favorite of favorite moments here that you spent in New England as a New England Patriot? Yeah. Well, I mean, we're coming up on the 20-year anniversary of my rookie year in 2003 when I won the Super Bowl and the 20-year anniversary of the back-to-back Super Bowls, which surprisingly hasn't happened in the last 20 years. So I would just say those first two years alone were dream come true, miracle-esque type of years to go as a rookie to a Super Bowl and let alone going and winning it and then going the following year and winning it. Those were just memorable times for me, watching the Red Sox break the curse, watching the Celtics win the chip with Doc Rivers, and even the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup. in my hometown and home state and playing in San Francisco only to come back and play again in New

Starting point is 00:25:05 England on a one-year put-up, shut-up deal and end up leading the team in sacks, having my career best year and signing a multi-year deal after that. That was priceless. And it's the reason why New England will always be a second home for me. And i live here now so uh those were years for sure definitely and you are well revered and well respected and well deserved all of that here today and you've once again articulated why you are a beloved son here in new england tully it's been my honor to talk to you today uh before i do let you go uh the beach football league folks definitely mark your calendars for february 2024 and june 2024 two big days coming up that you definitely don't want to miss if you're going to be a fan of this league like i am uh once again tully anything that our fans should know about where

Starting point is 00:25:56 can they find more information um and uh you know what can we expect in the coming days weeks and months leading up to the launch? Yeah, go ahead and follow us on social media at beachfootball.io. Also, our website and landing page is beachfootballleague.com, so you can check us out there on any press and updates that we have. We are excited with the players we have, but we have not filled out our entire roster, so be on the lookout for bigger names and more players being added to the list of guys. Obviously, we have some New England greats already that have joined our involvement. So yeah, be on the lookout for more things to develop in terms of location. We are doing an official launch party in Super Bowl week

Starting point is 00:26:42 in Vegas this year. We're negotiating a partnership with Lee Steinberg right now. So there's a lot of big names that will be added to the list that we already have. And it's going to be a fun, fun summer and many fun summers and February's to come. Absolutely. And I look forward to it as we all do. He is Tully Bantacane, folks, two-time Super Bowl champion with your New England Patriots and the owner and proprietor and the driving force behind the Beach Football League. Mark your calendars, folks. It is going to be a fun time.

Starting point is 00:27:15 Tully, on behalf of the Locked On Podcast Network and Locked On Patriots, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me here today. We look forward to having you back at some point, maybe toward the launch, to kind of give our fans a little bit of a reminder to check out what I think is going to be an exciting time in football. Thank you so much. I'll be back. Go Pats. Thanks for having me. Anytime, Tully.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Tully Banta-Cain Talks Beach Football, Bill Belichick; Pats to Honor Tom Brady

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