PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast - Jeff Stoutland Appreciation Day: The stories behind why Stout is the NFL’s BEST position coach

Episode Date: June 26, 2025

It’s a deep dive on the show today into Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, widely considered the league’s best offensive line coach if not one of the best coaches in the NFL, period. With insight from Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks and Todd Herremans, we explore what makes Stoutland such a secret weapon behind the Eagles’ success. Zach Berman, Bo Wulf and some special guests talk all things Stout, with insight from the very first NFL player Stout ever coached. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And welcome to the PHAY Eagles podcast on a beautiful Thursday afternoon presented by True Mark Financial. You've got Boe Wolf. You've got Zach Berman. And Zach, we've got a special show today, a little something different for us. Yeah, I'm excited for it. I think this is a fun conceit. There you go. It should be fun.

I see you're looking up Dr. Z over there. And what we've got today is a deep dive into Jeff Stoutland. We so casually just refer to him as the best position coach in the NFL, right? It's like it just, this is just a thing that all Eagles fans does. We talk about it. But, you know, let's spend some time appreciating that. Why that might be the case. And what is the reason that we are focusing on this in this month, Zach?

Yeah, so Jeff Stoughtlin is the 2025 winner of the pro football writers of America. Their award, the Paul Dr. Z. Zimmerman Award. It's given to a lifetime, it's given for lifetime achievement as an assistant coach in the NFL. If you're like me and you grew up reading Dr. Z in Sports Illustrated and really learned a lot about offensive line play from Dr. Z's work, then, you know, it's fitting that Jeff Stalding, Northeasterner would win this award named after Dr. Z,

someone who appreciated assistant coaches, appreciated offensive line, a fellow Northeasterner. If I can be candid here, the award is actually sitting in my home right now. and I am yeah I am ready to present it to Jeff when I see him this summer I mean presumably you you could just run it over to him oh I don't want to bother him I yeah well if if doing a full show about him he's not creepy enough knocking on his door no in all earnestness I think they would prefer the PF would I think they being the PFWA would prefer some pomp and circumstance to it So I also have Brandon Graham's Good Guy Award in my house. And presumably Brandon Graham. You should put them in your Zoom backdrop. Just borrow them.

Yeah. Why not? That's an interesting idea. They came actually. And NAMI was like, what are these? And I was like, they're not for me. Yeah. Maybe one day.

But I don't think you're going to win the assistant coach for the year, lifetime achievement. You never know. I'm 39 years old. Could be. What position would you coach? Safeties. All right.

Back to Stoutland. Okay, yes. Okay, yeah. So this is this, but this is an award that typically goes to coordinators, right? And it says a lot about how revered Stout is. And we can get into some of that. You know, he is going into his 13th year in charge of the offensive line for the Eagles. Now somewhere along the way, he, you know, they added more responsibilities there. He's also the run game coordinator.

And he deserves a lot of credit for the dominance of the Eagles run game over the past few years, especially last year. But just as an offensive line coach, you talk about, all of the elite players that he's coached. Yes. You know, Jason Kelsey, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, even going back, Evan Mathis, Jason Peters, Cam Juergens, Lennon Dickerson, Jordan Milit.

These guys who have all had Pro Bowl or all pro honors. Stout has gotten the most out of those guys, but it is not just the elite players. It is the guys at the bottom of the roster. And all of those players will just tell you how much they go to bat for Stout. Absolutely. It's universal in that. there really hasn't been a player, maybe an example here and there,

but really everyone who spends meaningful time with the team raves about Jeff Stoughton, not just as a coach in terms of enhancing their career, but we'll hear about this in terms of how much he cares about them, how much he pours into them. But if you just think about it, like anecdotally, players have thrived under Jeff Stoutland. And I looked this up back in April. Since Jeff Stoutland became the O'Line coach,

the Eagles drafted 13 offensive linemen. So this is just players they drafted, not including Brandon Brooks or McKay-Bectin. Together that group has earned or are currently under contract for a combined $691 million. And amazingly, 10 of those 13 are under active contracts in the NFL. So he has a great track record of identifying, developing players, And if you just look at it, outside of Brandon,

outside of Brandon Brooks, Mackay Beckton, and, you know, Alan Barber, it's mostly been homegrown players or players that he inherited before he came here. And as we talked about the career arc, what's also interesting is that when the Eagles hired him, this was not like this, this no doubt slam dunk, they made this great hire. He didn't have pro experience. So he comes from Alabama at the time. And then I know you'll get into his whole journey. but you got to think he was replacing Howard Mudd

who replaced Juan Castillo the Eagles had this this long track record of like really strong offensive line coaches and it's like they're bringing in this college coach to coach Jason Peters to coach you know it's and you look at it now it might be Chip Kelly's enduring legacy with the organization.

Absolutely the thing now you can talk to sports science or all of that but yeah this is the thing that has stayed the test of time you have a funny Jason Peters specific anecdote about that. Yeah, so it's actually the lead of my Jason Peters chapter in the book, The Franchise. And I'm available anywhere that books are sold. Yes, it's including over both shoulder right now.

To understand the brilliance of Jason Peters, consider this. When venerable Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was hired in 2013, after three decades coaching college football, a lineman from Alabama sent him a message and asked him if he would show Jason Peters, the same Peters film he used to teach the college lineman. Quote, ask any of the players I coach, I teach the left tackle off what Peters did. So it's interesting that Jason Peters, who was the prototype for him, he coaches him, and then Jason Peters takes him into the point where you had a great anecdote about Jason Peters's, or about a dog, right?

Do I? I believe in your Jason Peters article. You replaced Jeff Stoutland's dog. Oh, that's right. Yeah. My memory is not as good as yours. I remember all your articles. Yes, yes.

All right. Well, Peters is the guy who he inherited. Yes. That was an elite player. There are several players who you are familiar with that took their games to an even higher level. Under Jeff Stoutland, let's talk about Brandon Brooks. And let's hear what Brandon Brooks said about Stout in his retirement press conference.

But certainly not least, Jeffrey Stoughtler. Where do I start? I feel like it's a rare, I feel like it's rare to have a coach that is impactful on the field as off. You took me from being a good player to being the best in my position. Even while I was there, you pushed me continuously to strive for more because hungry dogs run faster and always well. Just as you helped me on the field, you helped me off. Through all my struggles and love moments, I could always count on a phone call from you. the topic never being about football,

but just life and how you could help. You are more than a coach and have been for a while. You are family and always will be. Anything, anywhere. Never hesitate to reach out. There you haven't. Sorry, I was looking up the story that you wrote to find it. So there's Brandon Brooks we've talked about.

And now I think we can also say, if we want to stick on retirement press conferences, that the Jason, Kelsey, Jeff Stoutland relationship is probably the one that we are most intimately familiar with and how much, you know, as Jason Kelsey has become one of the most popular people in the world, how much he has gone to bat for Stout. And he always points to that 2016 off season.

You were with the team then, and it felt like maybe the team was trying to move on. Yes. And Jason was pretty clear about that. But at the time, you look, he was coming off a down season. and the Eagles had brought in Isaac Sayamalu, so they had this potential replacement in-house.

Kelsey was getting older, and yeah, he did not play well, and there were trade rumors. There was this idea that there was going to be that change at center, and the person who vouched for him more than anyone in the building was Jeff Stoughton. All right. Let's hear what Jason Kelsey had to say about that in his retirement press conference. That offseason, I heard trade rumors galore and speculation I'd be cut.

I imagine if the Eagles had received a trade offer for a brand new set of washing machines, they may have pulled the trigger. Hell, if I was in charge, I would have pulled the trigger. There's only one person in this building who still wanted me, and it's he who I have to thank most for the career I've had. That's Jeff Stoutland. No one has been most influential. and no one has been more influential or meaningful

to my success on the field of my career than stout. I think one of the greatest things a human being can give another is belief. This world, life, it can be hard. It can challenge yourself to points of self-doubt, and that is a dangerous place to be. Well, I am lucky. My whole life, I have been surrounded by people that have believed in me. my father, my mother, my brother, Paul Longo, Howard Mudd, and in my darkest hours of

Philadelphian, Stout was the one who believed to me. He was adamant my problems could be fixed with proper technique, fundamentals, and work. And work we did. That off-season and training camp, I focused on using my hands better, playing with leverage, proper footwork, and prepared with an edge to prove to myself that I was good enough. The following season in 2017, I enjoyed the finest season of my 13-year career, not only as a player, but as a team. And it meant more because of the struggles and work we had been through.

Without him, I doubt any of this would have been possible, or that I'd still be here. Since that off-season, I have amassed six all pros, five pro bowls, and I'm recognized by some as one of the best centers to ever play the game. I am very proud knowing where I once was and the legacy I have left behind, and the man we can all thank is Jeff Stowland. Second stout quote of the evening, no man is an island. We must draw our strengths from others. I'd like to thank my teammates.

All right, there you go. Now, Julia, getting a little emotional as well. We all feel it. Yeah, that's the, that's the something. And you know what? I think there is something here because we heard from Brandon Brooks. We're going to hear from Lane Johnson. These are guys who have been public about mental health.

You hear from Jason Kelsey there. The degree to which guys talk about how much Stout cares about them in this world of professional football that can often be kind of, toxic. I think there is something to the emotional maturity of this offensive line under Jeff Stowland. I think he deserves a lot of credit for that. You're absolutely right.

It's okay to tell him tell another man you love him. Yeah, Stout's emotional as well. And it's genuine. Like I've spoken, you know, and we'll get to it, but I've spoken to Stout about this concept of he spends more time with these guys than his family. And he sees these guys grow up.

He sees these guys. guys for a lot of these players he knows them before they're married before their fathers right and he sees this evolution in their life he sees them go through really their triumphs and in some cases their tragedies and he's he's by their side so it is it goes beyond a player coach relationship or perhaps it's what a player coach relationship should be but it's it's touched like like you feel it when you hear it because it is so genuine. You don't say that what Brandon said when he retired, when Jason said when he retired,

just as a platitude, you say because you feel it and you know you wouldn't have had the career you had without him. And so it's, I have so much respect for Jeff Stoutland, not just as the coach, but for the way these men take to him and view him, because it is real.

And for what they all say is how much he cares and truly cares about them, not just as players, but as people. And that also goes for Lane Johnson, who we're going to hear from, who as good as Jason Kelsey was, Lane Johnson will go down as the best player that Stout has coached.

And Stout was there from the beginning. We know we have talked about and written about that workout down in Texas before the Eagles draft him fourth overall. All of these years later, Lane will go down as one of the best players of all time. And here's what, Lane said just earlier this month about Jeff Stoutland.

He wouldn't tell you anything about it. So, yeah, man, he's a remarkable person. And I think, you know, he's just, he's a great teacher at the end of the day. I know he's a football coach, but he's just a great teacher when it comes to football and things outside of football. And I think he has a brilliant mind and coaching philosophy. And I feel like he knows how to motivate different types of personalities. And, you know, he's really good at that.

And I just think his intensity and passion for the game is, you know, what makes him who he is. And Julie, if we can move around actually a little bit, let's also hear from Todd Harriman's, because I think this also speaks to, you know, Todd Harriman's has been gone for a few years. And when we had him on the show last week, unprompted, he brought up this idea about just how much Stout cares about the guys. we'll get there in a second um go ahead but yeah so regarding lane johnson too there was a moment if you remember the 2023 season lane johnson was nominated for walter peatman of the year and the way it was revealed was uh in the offensive line meeting room there was a hidden camera and stowling interrupted the meeting where it flashed on the screen and stoutlin went up to him and and was was almost was you know

lane was in tears and said stout said do you realize how how proud i am of you and where you've come from and where you are right now. He said, he said, Lane, this is a big effing deal. This is a huge deal. And I remember speaking to Stout about it. And Stout spoke about how he and Lane came in together in 2013. There were rookies together. They've been together ever since.

He's watched the story. A Stout said, I watched him struggle, really struggle. And I watched the pain that he had to go through in the support system that's here. He said, I think that having to go through some of the things, that he's gone through and knowing that the coaches, the players where they were there for him is a big part of why he's able to come back as, as strong as he has.

But Lane really viewed Stout as like a guy who was there when Lane was going through a really dark period in his life. Okay. Do we have the Harriman's, Julia? Okay. Let's hear it. Like, if he, if he wasn't with Jeff Stoutland the whole time. Man. That's tough. because, you know, Lane's gone through

a roller coaster of ups and downs. And one thing I keep telling people about Stoughtlin is he really cares about his players. You know, it's not just about getting maximum output on the field, but he cares about where you're at mentally, you know, the home life, you know, whether you're offset, you know, outside of football with everything. Because if you're not, you know, stable outside of football,

you're not going to be able to produce on the field as well. So I'm sure that he's been, you know, a huge impact on the longevity that Lane's had and also like what he teaches him. You know, I don't want to take anything away from Lane also. Right. Dude, Lane takes care of himself with so much effort and so much thought. I just think. Now, I do want to transition there because he mentions it.

It's not just the man, which we talked about. Obviously, it's, you know, his only job is not to care about these guys. As much as that, you know, multiplies. his effect, right? You wonder why it is that he's so good at teaching these guys. And one thing you hear is, is just that that's what he is. He's a teacher, you know, he will always talk about, he wants everybody to move in concert. And that's why they rep these little drills over and over again to make sure that the hands and the feet on all of these combination blocks are exactly correct. There's, there's a maniacal attention to detail, but he's also able to sort of adjust his teaching

based on the person that he's coaching, which is what Brandon Brooks told us when he was in studio with this last year. You know, out of it, what you put into it. And so, yeah, with Stout, I understood how I learned. The greatest thing about, you know, Stout, and there are so many great things about him, is he's not a good coach, he's a great teacher.

And what I mean about, but the difference is you can coach somebody hard, but if you coach everyone the same way, not everybody learns the same way. The first thing that Stout does, you can understand how you learn, right? So some people learn strictly like just by on the board. Some people learn by actually doing the stuff consistently.

And so that's, that was it for me. And so with Stout, man, like, me and Lane would get together and like we would line up trash cans and like as a defense. And like we would run through plays, different looks, different adjustments, like where we need to see it. So then when we got out there, we knew what we were doing because that's, how we learned. So for me, you know, with you, it was like, yeah, you can kind of sit here and

tell me like how to do this and like, yeah, sounds good. I think I'm following, but like, until you're on the board in the hot seat, do you really know what you're doing? Right. And I try so hard to get this through to students. Like, it's like there are 70 of you in here. So there's that, which is great. Now, I also want to say we've talked again about, we've talked about so far that his best players, right? But Stout's legacy is, is beyond that. It is that when Jason Peters goes down, Halapulavati Vaitai is ready to help you win a Super Bowl. When Isaac Seymalo is not ready,

here comes Stefan Wisniewski, and he's going to handle the job. You know, when Jordan Milana has to get thrown in in his third year without ever having played it in an NFL game before, he's going to be ready. When Fred Johnson has to go in, or even when guys come from the outside,

and like it's Mackay Bechtin who has struggled in his career, he comes here, he goes to a new position, and he plays his best football. when I think of Stout, it is like also the insurance of if things go wrong, he's going to make the most of it. Yeah, this goes back to a debate you and I have had and Shield Capadia have had in the past

when I said at one point we give Stout too much credit. It's the players who deserve the credit. And I bet Stott would say that we do. But to that point, the examples of players who were journeymen elsewhere, or struggle to find their footing elsewhere. And then they came here and their careers, their fortunes changed or they were resurrected because of Jess Stoughtland.

There's too many examples of that. Or there's too many examples of times when they get production from a player who was not expected to fill that role. And I remember Stout talking about Nick Stout, I'm sorry, Nick Sabin, the night before games, quizzing him basically if this happens, what's going to happen here? Who's going to play that spot?

Who's going to play that spot? And you've literally seen that where they've had to make these adjustments and Stout is always prepared for that. It's not a coincidence when you see this volume of players thrive or the Eagles get by because of the strength,

their offensive line coach. And I do think that Fred Johnson is a good example here because this is a player who in his young career had been three other places, right? He had been with other offensive line coaches. How different really is stout than other offensive line coaches in the league.

Fred Johnson had a really good perspective on that earlier this season. You know, actually try to, you know, do what the coach is asking you to do. I mean, going from guard to tackle, tackle the guard is all the same. It's just different ways about going about your day of practice and the things in between plays and stuff like that. What's the biggest thing you've learned from Jordan and from Lane? The biggest thing, basically just get up. I got my own way of thinking.

Like, when I got here, I was so hard-headed. I ain't going to listen to nobody, especially Stout. And Stout just said, you know, I'm not going to quit on you. I'm not going to give up on you. And that's just something that, you know, I appreciate him the most for because I was on my way out the league when I got in. Like I said, last year. And this year, you know, stop, whatever you need.

I'm here. I'm ready. I'm ready to go. Like, I don't need, we don't need to do no more. Coach me up. You know, babysitting, no, got to get Frey ready to go. day I'm ready whenever you need me to. How did he earn your trust?

Huh? How did he earn your trust? He earned my trust by just never giving up on me, you know? Just day in and day out. I was on practice card. He was coached me like I was a starter. I got tired of it. I'm like, please stop.

And then when I finally got the extension or the guaranteed contract, he was just like, hey, you work for it. And even now, he still still tells me, you know, I love you. You know, you're doing great things. And then he'll throw in his little two sense of way. sense of what could get better, what could be, you know, better. And it's just the light of where I take the coaching. It's not he's trying to belittle me or tear me down.

He's trying to build me up. Where did that initial mindset of step from doubt? Where would stop? Doubt? Right. I love that. I do love that clip. And I think it is indicative of all these guys who come through here and maybe

have been somewhere else, they find that it is a little bit different. Yeah. And I think the important thing there, and some, something to note is like stout coaches you hard, you know? Like we, we see the emotion of, of the players, but a stout practice is not easy. From what I understand, a stout meeting is not easy. Like, he coaches you hard. And, uh, but if you learn to take it, you, you realize that you can get to a, uh, a better place at the end. Which from his perspective is in service of getting you, you know, to the best of your ability. Right. And so there's a, there's a method to the

madness. All right. We're going to take a pause, take a break to hear from our sponsors, and then on the other side, we're going to get in the time machine a little bit and go back to the beginning of Jeff Stoutland's career. If your hairline has been slipping and you're thinking about doing something about it, listen up. Hair transplants aren't just cosmetic. They are real surgery.

And if you're considered flying overseas to save a buck, think again. At Glat Hair by Morgan Stern Medical and Ballot-Kinwood, you are getting care from board-certified surgeons with over 30, years of experience. They follow strict U.S. safety standards and deliver results that actually last. And here's the best part. You can text them a photo of your hair right now, and their team will take a look and let you know what options make sense for you. No pressure. Just expert insight. Skip the travel, skip the risk, get real care from a trusted local team, text your photo, or call 6109804,000, or visit glathearM-M-M-com. That's g-l-a-t-h-a-I-R-M-M-com.

That's Glat Hair by Morgan Stern Medical. Let's get that hairline back in the game. Baseball is in the spotlight now, and if you want to place bets on baseball, the place to go will be Bet365. They have 90 million users worldwide. They pioneer live in-game betting today. Bet365 offers the widest range of games and markets

available for live-in-game betting across 78 sports. So whether it's an upcoming Philly series or just a random game on, make sure you go to Bet-365. New customers now. get $150 in bonus bets. When you bet $5, win or lose, sign up, use the code. P-H-L-Y-36-5, deposit $10, and place a bet for $5 to get that $150 in bonus bets.

Again, win or lose. As I said, new customers now get $150 in bonus bets when you bet $5. Win or lose. Sign up, use the code P-H-L-Y-36-5, deposit $10, and place a bet for $5 to get $150 in bonus bets if your bet wins or loses. The bets can be used on spreads, totals, players, props, features, and more. Whatever the moment, it's never or. ordinary at Bet 365, must be 21 or older and physically located in PA.

If you were someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800 gambler. All right, Zach, let's rewind it a little bit. Back before Jeff Stalin was the Eagles offensive line coach, back before he was Alabama's offensive line coach, back before he was Miami's offensive line coach and interim head coach, back before he was Michigan State's offensive line coach, back before he was Syracuse's offensive line coach before he was Syracuse's tight ends coach back at his first Division I job

as a position coach at Cornell University. You love an Ivy League. I know you do. I do. It's gorgeous there. And Stout arrives there from Southern Connecticut and finds what I would say was like his proto Jason Kelsey.

He identifies a tight end named Greg Blaydorne. Wow. Okay. Now, Greg was, if you looked at like the preseason all-Ivy stuff, he was, he was their starting tight end, was predicted to be all-Ivy. Jeff Stoutland said, I want that got to be my center. So they approach Greg Blaydorn and they tell him that this is the plan. You know, you're going to get to touch the ball on every play.

You know, he was better as a blocker than as a receiver. His body was getting bigger, but he had the athletic traits. And he took to it. So we talked to Greg Blaydorn earlier this month. To get the story of this, and Greg Bladorn would go on to play in the NFL. And Stout identified him. This is the first NFL player that Jeff Stylund ever coached.

And Greg Blaydorn works at offensive line, and very quickly he realized that Stout had his back and why that was. So let's hear what he said about that, that initial experience moving to the online. offensive line with Jeff Stoutland. Build confidence in me. He, I believe it was my junior year,

you know, told me you got a shot to make it to the NFL. And I think he had worked as a lower level assistant with Syracuse and been around bigger programs where he'd seen guys that, you know, had the build or whatever, had the, you know, but made it to the NFL. And he was very convincing that, you know,

if I, if I got after, I'd have a shot. And to the point where I was all, completely all in afterwards, you know, not thinking about networking or, or my career otherwise. You know, I was at Cornell. I was a good student, but I was going to deal with that stuff later after Stelton said I had a shot at the NFL.

All right, so you get the belief there. You get that as an early tenant for Jeff Selling. And you think back to, you know, Jeff Seller is 31 years old at this time. You know, he's just beginning. How much of who he was then carries over. And one thing that Greg Bledorn said is like the belief and the trust and the the passion that he had for the players was evident back then. So let's hear another clip from what he said about that time

and how he could tell that the way that Stout is now, because of course he's been following his career all the way along the road, is exactly who he was back then. I can definitely see why he's loved by his players and why he's gotten where he's gotten now. Yeah, so kind of an infectious energy. They bring to practice as well to the, the start of the start of the day.

And, you know, when someone cares that much about the game and cares that much about you, you want to play harder for them. And everyone in the O-line room wanted to play hard for him. So you fast forward a little bit. You know, Greg, Greg Bladeorn, he plays in the NFL, plays for a couple years for the Seattle Seahawks, keeps in sporadic touch with Stout over the years. and he reached out this past off season when Stout got, you know,

he had some votes for assistant coach of the year. Yes. Right? And so he reaches out and sounds like, what are you talking about? I had no idea. Like, you know, he has no idea. That wouldn't surprise you, right?

But Greg says it plays exactly to what makes Stout so good. I don't care about that at all. I just, and it's just so genuine too. He's just like, I just, you know, just try to. to make the guys that are in my meeting rooms.

So they can have a big paycheck. Yeah. And it's so clear that that's all he cares about and doesn't care about personal accolades at all. And, yeah, I mean, that was clear right off the back then as well in college. And it helps to kind of frame up the mentality of doing things for the better of the team.

and you know, Matt, thinking about, you know, being selfish and it's perfect for developing and being able to be a successful NFL player because that's really needed is that team mentality and getting better than the team and not really caring about personal accolades. John by Julia, cleaning up that audio. But you like to say, Zach, that you can tell a lot about a person by how quickly somebody picks up the phone. Yes. Well said.

And it was pretty easy to get Greg on the phone. I was going to ask you that. I was going to talk about Jeff Stalin. And I will tell you this. This is the last part. And this is what I think was my favorite part. So Greg Blaydorn has had this, you know, professional career. But on the side, recently, he started sort of working with some offensive linemen in like his town, right?

Just individually, the left tackle at one school, the left tackle at another school. just working with them one-on-one on some technique stuff, you know, bringing back to his old coaching day, or his old playing days. And just this past year, he was asked to coach the offensive line on the JV team, right? So this is going to be his first time working with a group. And so he messages Stout and tells him that.

And Stout very quickly, you know, sends over like a 90-minute teach tape thing that he put together in Michigan State. That's going to be a great thing for him to show these guys. And it's perfect. That's exactly what he was hoping for. And he gets on the phone with Stout, and they're talking about it a little bit. And Greg is talking about how this one guy he's been coaching, like he can really see that it's been working, like he's getting better.

And this is what really excites Stout. He's like, oh, you've got the bug. Like once you are excited about seeing somebody get better, then you're hooked. That's what it is all about. And I think that is a perfect encapsulation of why it is that Stout continues to do this at such a high level because he really does. He cares about getting these guys better. You're right.

And as you told that story, obviously, I think about Jordan Milata too, right? Like when he was going on a fishing trip with his friends and how he says, you got to go see this guy and he doesn't go on the fishing trip. But yeah, it's that bug. It's that if you're always thinking about it. You're all, you know, and I know you spoke to Stout a few years. ago about that Lane Johnson workout and like the first time you see him and you just just have it and you get that vision in your mind this this this this could be it that's part of what makes him a great coach all right we have one more break to take

and then on the other side we have a very special guest who will join us to tell us even more about Jeff Stalett all right we are talking about our friends at Empire Today they're looking down because they're flooring experts at Empire Today. None of these people at big box stores who are generalists and good at normal stuff, but not experts at flooring. When you're going to get your floors done, you need an expert and you need Empire Today. Empire Today lives and breathes flooring and they will be with you every step of the way. It is a whole different ballgame and part of what makes them great is that they will come to you. No guessing about what the flooring options are going to look like in your house.

No, no, no, no, no. They're going to come to you, look and see what fits with your decor, with your furniture, all that good stuff. No guesswork with the experts at Empire today. So what you need to do, if you're looking into working on your floors, is schedule a free and home estimate today because some things are better at home. P HLY listeners can receive a $350 discount when using promo code P HLY. You heard that right, a $350 discount with code PHLY. Restrictions apply, visit Empire Today slash PHLY for full details. I enjoy a good hat, but in my family, everyone has a different preferred style.

I like the performance hat. My wife likes the trucker hat. My son likes the snapback hat. I'm not sure what style hat. My daughter likes, but she'll have her own preference too. So where do you turn? That's branded bills. Whether you need snapbacks, truckers, fitted beanies, or T's branded bills has you covered with performance

and with style. If you're looking for some gear to make your brand stand apart from the crowd, Brennan Bills has you covered with the best custom headware. Start your order and their dedicated team will help you create the exact custom apparel that you need. They have a partnership with Penn State

as part of their campus collection. Head to Brandonbills.com and use BBPHLY for 15% off your first order. All right. We are back and we are very excited now to welcome to the show. Who knows Jeff Stoutland the best? Well, that would be Allison Stoutland, his wife.

Hi. Hi. How are you? Good. How are you? We are very good. Thank you so much for joining us. You're welcome. It's a pleasure. So, what do you remember about,

we were just playing some audio from a conversation with Greg Blaydorn, back from Cornell. I was listening. What do you remember about the beginning? beginning of this journey for your husband? I remember when the Cornell offensive linemen came for dinner and they broke my dining table, napped it in half because you should never have that large of men all around the table

leaning. Oh, no. There was a learning curve. I've been married to him for, I think, 30, I don't know, one, two or three years. I'm not sure. It's very different now. That was at the beginning. I mean, I've, I mean, we started in college.

And I mean, everyone thinks it's so glorious and it's glamorous. And, you know, and it's not being a coach's wife to a coach pretty much means that you are doing everything solo. Yeah. Raising kids, moving, packing. finding a new home, fixing the home, selling the home, going to the games, living. And I didn't really know what I was fully getting into. But most football coaches are just, coaches in general are just so dedicated that you can't

really get angry at them for it. You can hold the grudge, but you really shouldn't be angry. Yeah, I was, I was going to ask you about that. And it's, it's nice to see you, Allison. is that these past 13 years, our viewers associate Jeff with Philadelphia, right? It's been 13 years. But Bo just read the career itinerary before then, and whether it's Tuscaloosa, Miami, East Lansing, Syracuse,

you go on all throughout, I mean, what's it been like? What was it like before you settled in Philadelphia having to go destination to destination? Horribly difficult. I don't think that the general public, I mean, I married a coach and I had no idea. You know, I often hear people say things like, you know, oh, he loves his players and, you know, he's so dedicated to them. And that's true. He spends more time with his players than he does with his own family. So, yeah, he loves them because he's always with them.

And when we get him at the end of a day, which a day can be from 5 a.m. till 11 p.m. He hasn't seen us because we're young kids and a wife who's exhausted. And so he spends most of his time with the team that he's coaching with at the time. So at the beginning, it was college and that was recruiting, which is a beast. I hope never to go back to college again. Especially the way recruiting is now. That's its own help. But it's the never-knowing if, you know, you win enough games, if you stay,

if you win too many games, you leave because someone else wants you. If you lose too many games and you're just let go, or they just decide to change gears, hire a new head coach, and are you retained, and where are you going and your kids starting high school and do you go with your husband? Do you stay back? They're on a team. The team is winning.

Do you leave? Do you move? Do you sell? Do you rent? I mean, it's unbelievable. So, yes, I think, what is it, 11 or 13 years here in Philly? This will be 13 years here. Yeah, I was almost right.

It's such an honor. First of all, it's an honor to be part of anything, Philly. I was scared when we got here. You know, the rumors really, they could scare the life at you. But I couldn't love it anymore. I've loved every place for different people and different reasons. Education, doctors, a hairdresser, a neighbor, the color of the school looked good on me. The winds felt gray.

You know, all of those things. The head coach was remarkable. But to be able to spend 13 years in one location, and for me to be able to say, like, this is home is the greatest feeling. And to be here in Philly with these fans, I mean, they're lunatics. They're just like family. I mean, they only want the best for you. They hold your toes to the fire.

And it's just been a remarkable journey. Even when things weren't really great, they were just honest. And that's all you want from someone. Just be honest with me. You know, and, you know, we're from New York, so we can take it. Yes. I think, be honest with me, is kind of a good coaching piece of advice, right? Like, I would imagine that that is how Stout approaches the job. But to circle back, if you meet a brand new, a newlywed of a coach,

and she's embarking on this journey, what is your advice? Well, we just had a bridal shower for two girls who are becoming, coaches wives. And like this, because everybody gets married in this month. This is the only time you can get married. This is your window to be a family, this one month, right?

Yes, I mean, I think my anniversary is tomorrow. I think. Every coach is married during this little bit of time. And so one of the wives said, give us your best advice. And it was almost spiritual what each wife said and their advice. because you don't know till you're in it.

And you have to learn through it. You know, it's like rookies. You have to like make all the mistakes. I mean, I actually used to make dinner and like wait for him to come home. That doesn't happen anymore. You have to be independent. You have to be strong. You have to raise kids to be able to be the new kid in the school

and go into a building where everyone's gone to school together and they're brand new. You have to learn your way around town. You have to make friends with people. You have to turn a blind eye to the jerk that lives in the neighborhood that just won't shut up. You have to do it all. It's hard, but it's super rewarding,

especially if you won a Super Bowl or two. Or two, yeah. That wasn't too shabbit. At the start of the show, we played clips from Brandon Brooks and Jason Kelsey and them growing emotional, talking about not just the coaching, but the connection that they had. And our viewers were getting emotional watching it. And it's interesting as you speak about the bridal shower, you know,

for a lot of these guys, Jeff saw them when they were in their early 20s. And, you know, maybe before they were married, before they were fathers, he's seen some of these guys go through really difficult periods. of their lives. And Jeff was a constant through them. And the players credit him for helping them get through that. So what's your perspective of that? And also, how does that manifest itself at home as well?

Well, they're not lying. He is absolutely dedicated to his players. The players that get drafted, the players that start, the players that are pickups, the players who may never see lies. action time on the field. He works just as hard with, they're all the same to him. You know, you're one step away or one play away from going in. He is devoted to them. And that was something I was always attracted to and admired from when we were dating because he was like a teacher. And I was a

teacher. So that was like our common thing. And he always loved his players. And he loves his children too. I mean, they're just big, bigger children. I could never birth an offensive line. Thank God. But that's just what they are. I mean, their family, we know their birth dates, we know their people, we know their spouses. We've seen them date. We've seen them grow up.

We've seen them make mistakes. And Jeff is always, well, he's always at the office. But if he's not, he is a call away from help. And we've gotten calls, sad calls, heartbreaking calls. calls, scary calls, but they know he's right there for them. So that's not malarkey at all. Like that's not some 13-year act he's been pulling off. This is just who he is.

And he's not ever going to change. I've tried changing things. It just won't happen. He's just Jeff Stoutland. Now to that point, we so casually refer to him as the best position coach in football. You know, every Eagles fan is so grateful for him. Talking to you, I have a feeling this is not a problem, but how do you make sure in the house

that he doesn't get too big of a head? Yeah, that's not a problem. You guys could worry about something else. We got that handled at our house. And, you know, to be fair to him, he doesn't have a big head. He sees it, he notices it. It's over the years, I think Philadelphia,

and Jeff Stoughtlin have become like maybe a couple. And like I'm on the outside looking in now. I mean, they adore him. They love him. I mean, the things people say when like you're just like running into Wawa for coffee, I mean, it will make you cry. And people are so grateful and thankful. And he is oblivious, really.

I mean, he notices he gets stopped more and people would be like, go bird. Like they panic. They're like, go birds. And then they're like, And I think to myself, like, he's just a regular dude. And he is. But he is the fortunate one to have found what he was put on this earth to do.

And our kids always say, it's so hard to pick what we want to do. Because, like, you and dad just love your jobs. And most people don't. And, like, really, this is going to sound wrong, but it's right. And I'm going to say it. And I'll probably be sorry. but it's the only job that he was put on this earth to do. You know, like, it's what he does best of all.

And he's so fortunate to have figured it out, you know? As a follow up to that, I could use some advice here because the impetus of the show is that he's winning the Dr. Z, the Zimmerman Award for Lifetime Achievement as an Assistant Coach. And I have this award in my house to present to him during training camp. A, is he aware that he's going to win? And B, is he going to accept this through through gritted teeth? Is it going to be something that he doesn't want to show the significance of it?

Like, I guess what advice would you have for me to present this award to Jeff? Okay, well, that's like, that's hard. I'm like 60 something. So like I got to go back. There were three questions in that. That you just gave me next. So first of all, the timing of when you present that is everything. You better not try to do it during minicamp, can't do it on, you can't, you really, you should just call him today, okay?

Yeah, Wawa, because he didn't know about it. Someone told him about it, and he didn't know what they were talking about, and he dismissed them with some kind of a snide, like, you know, and moved right on to probably breaking down film. He's honored. It's absolutely an honor. But, you know, his father taught him to just put your head down, do the job, do the job you were hired to do, and the rest will take care of itself. And that's been the impetus for his entire career. I know that there are coaches, and not that this is bad. This is how all people work.

You do the job to get the next job, to get the better job, to move your way up. And Jeff has never been that person. It's they hired me to do this job and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. And everything has kind of fallen into place. So yes, he is honored by it. He thinks it's crazy. I think it's crazy too. I'm honored and happy for him.

But the timing of you presenting it and don't take it personally. I try to present stuff to him all the time. I've been with them 30-something years, and I still haven't figured it out. So good luck. And if you find out when the time is, tell me. Absolutely. Because we have you, Allison, I need to ask you, because this is something that Zach and I have been talking about. You are, if people are unaware, an accomplished children's book author.

So, Zach and I have, I have been trying to explain to Zach that to write a children's book is more difficult. than writing a regular book because you have to be so perfect with your word choices. You have to edit. You have to be economical. Every word has to matter. Please explain to Zach why that is. Oh, Zach, well, you and I should have coffee sometimes. Please.

I was a kindergarten teacher. I was born a teacher. So being the teacher and then writing the book was really just my teaching words put into book form. but yes, word choice is everything, which is why the publishers wouldn't accept me. They told me the word survive was too big for a five-year-old. And I was so offended. I yelled at them. I'm like, well, if you don't use it, when will they learn it? Amen.

So we self-published. So, yes, word choice is important, but I am working on an adult book. Oh, how do you find it? I find it very confusing. I have too many characters. I can't focus. I just have too many other things to do. So that's my new goal this year.

I did. I wrote four children's books. We can workshop this right now if you want to talk. What, you know, let's talk. Well, yeah, once we're off, let's talk. How's about that? Okay, great. Yeah, I think that sounds great.

Yeah. What's, so, well, I admire the children's book. Bose joking because I've written three books, and I say that my family says I should write a children's book. And I said when I read my... When I read my children's book, I said the word count here is much more desirable. But I respect that. I am curious because we have dedicated a show to Jeff.

And we, you know, both Bo and I have now going on the 13 years. And the audience knows him, like you said. But what's something that they don't know? What's something that they should know about Jeff Stoutland? Well, I don't know if I should share that. He probably wants it that way. That's good answer, right? That's what he wants to say.

Good answer. But that's not what I'm going to say. He is a foodie. Okay. He loves pizza. Okay. He makes the most delicious clams and linguine. Now we're talking.

With white sauce. So phenomenal. It's my daughter's death meal. Okay. know what those are? Yes. Oh, sure. The meal you eat if you know it's your last.

Zupitapesh is great. And he's an ice cream fiend. Not like Doug Peterson. Okay. He was something else. But yeah, he's got a problem with the ice cream. Yeah. He's also super sentimental.

Okay. That's good. I don't know that he wants everyone to know that. And he's also gruff and miserable and cranky and, you know, the offensive line like her kind of thing. A nice full spectrum of. human emotion. He's, he's got it all. And we only get to see like a very tiny bit of it. His players, they'll always say to me, how do you do it? And I said, well, thanks to you,

I don't have to do it, do I? Because you do you ever catch him always there with them. Do you ever catch him like coaching people in the house? Oh, yeah. He tried that one. Didn't fly. No. He does his job and I do my job. And, you know, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, really, when he gets home after work, he is like a zombie. Like there's not too much left at the end of that day if we even are awake. Like on a Friday night, they come home and they have dinner. I mean, sometimes you're not, he's there, but he's not even there. So we've learned how to, we've learned how to deal with that.

So he's not coaching when he comes home. He's got nothing left at the end of the day. Well, Allison, you have been so generous with your time. You have been willing to give us part of your time in this one month when you actually get to be a family. So thank you so much for doing that. It has been a true pleasure. Thank you so much. It was fun talking to you guys.

Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Thank you so much. I imagine Stad is not going to watch this show, but you can tell him that you did a great job. Yes. No, I won't even tell him. No, it's all good. This is just me and you guys haven't.

some, you know, cheater chats, fine. You should know that the... You can tell them when you see them when you give them that award. Good luck. Absolutely. And the fans you should know who are in the chat are, they're eating you up. They're over the moon with your performance. Well, I really, I love the fans in Philadelphia.

I will stand up and fight for any one of them at any time. Really. And that is all that they ask for. That is beautiful. Hands down. And I, we, we. been a lot of places. This one's the best.

Yeah, I mean, I'll... That's it. Yeah. Yeah? In this studio, we've had everyone from Brandon Brooks to Vinnie Curry. I think this is the audience's favorite interview we've done in the two years of the show. So thank you. Really?

I think we need to get you a show is what I think. Well, let's work on the book first. Okay, boys? All right. Thank you so much, Allison. All right. Really? Thank you again.

Of course. All right. Right to $259. I mean, we're nailing this sack. Yeah, that was great. That was delightful. What a pleasure. That was awesome.

That was so fantastic. So there you have it. The stout story. I guess there's not much left to do, except tell people that we're going to have a couple more minutes in. Overtime. All right. What do you think?

Should we do more of these? Yes. We're not going to replicate that. That was fantastic. No, this was a great structure. I liked it. Yeah, I think that combining interviews and perspective with the live interview was a terrific structure.

Yeah, that was awesome. That was fun. One other thing that I think we didn't talk about from Stout's career with the Eagles, which we alluded to, but Stout as an evaluator, you know, Allison was talking about how excited he gets during the draft. you know, the lane decision, the Milana thing. Even you talk about all the guys they've drafted have turned into good players.

Now, his development speaks to that as well, but I think that is another little special bonus for the Eagles. Yeah, you know, and it's something that I've spoken about on the show and I've spoken to players about is it's become like almost accepted now. I'll just draft this guy and bring him the Stoutland University. Yeah. as if he just has this, this, this, this Midas touch. And to a degree, he's, he's earned that respect, that, that credit.

But I think that there's a few things that go into this. First, Stout will, you know, he'll be, he's a great interview, like for those who've watched him, maybe not as good of an interview as Allison, but a great interview. Except he won't talk about critical factors, okay? and he says there are critical factors that each player requires, and he doesn't get into that. But that's what he'll evaluate with these prospects. So it starts there.

But then it's also the ability to take the coaching, to understand, and you heard Fred Johnson talk about it, like, because these players don't start off, you know, Jordan Milata, and he, what do you talk about, the bean in the jar? Yeah, peanut. I'm sorry, peanut in the jar. Yeah, every day and just stack that and stack that and stack that. And, you know, if you watch Jordan Milata in training camp in 2018,

you would not think this guy, there might be some revisionist history. You would not think this guy would become one of the best left tackles in the league. I mean, you saw the size, you saw the athleticism. But he worked and he worked and he worked. And there's a reason why, there's a reason why on those, you know, Sunday night footballs, he says he's from Stoutland University because that is where he developed. And you just look through, you know, all of the guys when he would, that long college career, a bunch of players who went on to play in the NFL,

you know, your chance Warmax, your Barrett Joneses. And to be fair, it's hard to go from college to the NFL. But guys who have been in Philadelphia and gone elsewhere or come here from somewhere else, whether that's Mackay Bechtin or Halapulavati Vaitai, everybody who has played under stout from my eyes has played their best football of their career understout. You're right. whether that's before or after. Yeah.

And, you know, the, if you look at the past 13 years, except for two years, what's been the constant? You could say they have perhaps the best offensive line in the, in the, in the, in the league. And you start with the players, but the offensive line coach is not far behind. And to Allison's point, it has taken a lot of family sacrifice for that to be the case. So, so Eagles fans everywhere should be grateful not just for Jeff Stoutland, but maybe more so for Allison Stoughtland. Well said.

All right. Well, that was a fun show, Zach. It was a fun show. That'll wrap it up. You and I aren't going to see each other for a while. Yeah, you got some well-earned paternity time. Yeah. You will, you're traveling a bit. I will try not to bother you, but. I'm sure we'll be talking.

I'm sure we'll be talking. I'll see each other again. I imagine we will. Okay. Yeah, this is fun. All right. Well, that'll do it for this episode of the P.HL. My Eagles podcast.

Thank you to everybody for watching and listening. Thank you to Alison Statlin. Thank you to Greg Blaydorn for taking the time. Thanks to Julia for pulling it all together. Thank you, Zach. And that's it. We'll talk to you tomorrow at 2 o'clock. And as always, we love you.

Go birds. Like the mayor.