Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Former Viking Jeremiah Sirles breaks down the 5 best players he played with

Episode Date: June 17, 2020

The story of Sirles's first practice battle with Everson Griffen and what makes him so dominating, why Cam Newton was a great teammate, the story of Lorenzo Alexander and how Antonio Gates taught Sirles the ropes as a rookie. Read Matthew Coller's written work at PurpleInsider.substack.com  And please do our 60-second survey that helps Blue Wire better bring you podcasts. You will be entered to a drawing to win air pods and Blue Wire merch. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=BugBBZdAw0aNFUvtuGkgyhnTao1hdWxOjJwTA2fwHGJUN0hUNEhaSExWN0RRRFdCV1ZOTkdHR1IwOCQlQCN0PWcu  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Subscribe. The Compound on the Blue Wire Podcast Network. Welcome into another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here. And joining me is former Minnesota Viking offensive lineman, Jeremiah Searles. Jeremiah, I'm looking at you, and you look like you're down a few LBs. How are you doing, man? I'm doing well, man. Yeah, the goal is 270.

I'm stuck at 290 right now, but that's because it's summertime, and summertime means beer drinking on the front porch. So a couple pops have put me back. But But yeah, starting to lose some weight, starting to feel better, joints feeling better, and chugging right along here into retirement. Yeah, that's very good. How is early retirement treating you? I mean, everybody's sort of quarantined here. We're all trying to find our little ways. I've been going to the driving range and hitting golf balls and things like that. How are you staying busy? Yeah, so luckily it was during turkey season, so I got to go out and turkey hunt, which was really nice because I didn't usually get to do that in the spring. And then it's been kind of Nebraska never really fully shut down.

So, I mean, it's been pretty open here. We've been kind of doing our thing, but spending a lot of time with the little man. He's 11 months now, so spending a lot of time with him, spending a lot of time with the wife. And it hasn 11 months now. So spend a lot of time with him. Spend a lot of time with the wife. And it hasn't really hit me yet that, like, I haven't retired and, like, I'm not in football because nobody's in football. Right. So, like, it's this weird feeling.

But I have a feeling come August, September is when it will really start to hit in a little bit more, like, retirement, like, wow, that chapter of my life is actually closed. Well, because you are retired, I have a list for you, or you have made a list to talk about here. NFL.com has been doing a thing where their retired player analysts talk about the five best players they ever played with. So I recorded an episode with Sage Rosenfels as well, but his list, of course, is very different from yours.

You had a great NFL journey, San Diego. You were with the Vikings, obviously, Carolina, and then in Buffalo. So you ran into and bumped elbows with a lot of great players. So you have made a list of the five best players that you've ever played with, and number five on your list is a guy he might still be playing. I'm not even sure. He's got to be like 45 years old at this point. I think former power forward Antonio Gates was a guy that no one would have ever

expected to be a great player. And then he becomes one of the all-time great tight ends, should be an easy Hall of Famer. What was he like to play with? You would have run into him, I guess, in his prime, in his mid-30s or something, right? Yeah, so he wasn't there during OTAs. And we had our team meeting, and everyone that's ever been in a team meeting or a classroom setting,

everyone kind of sits in the same seat over and over and over again. Then it's weird if you don't. Well, I sat in a seat that was empty, and I just sat there. No one said anything, and I sat there through all OTAs. Then all of a sudden, first day of training camp, a mandatory veteran camp comes around. All of a sudden, I'm like, man, I haven't seen Antonio Gates around here. They're like, Oh, he doesn't show up to these things. But then all of a sudden, a rookie of veteran mini camp and he shows up and he goes, Hey, Rook,

you're in my seat. I was like, Oh, Oh, okay. So I like moved one seat over and that was actually one of the best things I could have done because I was able to sit there and he would help me through things like an offensive meetings and team meetings I introduced myself and we got chatting and I mean I played tackle at San Diego at the time so we worked together a little bit and I mean just the way that he was able to process the game was just completely different than anything I'd really been around it was really my first taste of NFL type knowledge um and he was just so clean and crisp and what he did and I mean he hardly practiced but then he'd go out in games and

just do his thing and that was kind of my first taste of also the NFL of okay the vets are the vets like they don't have to go out and prove it every day like I do um these guys are proved at time in and time out so they don't wear themselves out. But watching what him and Phillip had as a connection was just incredible. I mean, if he was going to zig, Phillip knew he wasn't zagging. And I mean, it was just a perfect connection. He had some unbelievable catches that year when we played against Seattle. I think he had three touchdowns in that game. And like you said, he was in like 33, I think. So he was just an incredible human, but also just a really, really smart and intelligent football player as well. And sort of ahead of his time at that position that a lot of

tight ends still were the, I guess I think of like your Mark Bruners, like your big giant blockers. And there were your Ben Coates, who was a big giant man who could catch the ball, but he wasn't a downfield threat, really. More of the possession tight ends. Here in Minnesota, I'm sure you heard about Steve Jordan being a guy who would go down the field, and another one that was ahead of his time. But Antonio Gates, to have an elite athlete at that position, someone who could play at a high level for basketball, and then transition into being a downfield threat when you needed to be yards after the catch, really a unique player for the time period, and a huge reason why Phillip Rivers has a case for the Hall of Fame someday. Oh, yeah.

I mean, the connection those two had, I've been on a lot of teams, a lot of good tight ends. I mean, especially up in Minnesota, Kyle Rudolph's one of the best tight ends I've been around as well. But just the connection that those two had that you almost knew if Phillip got in trouble, he was just going to kind of throw it to wherever Gates's area was. And, I mean, it just amazed me the way that Gates could just catch everything.

Like, I don't know if he dropped a ball while I was there. And he took it very personal if he didn't practice. Like, if he even bobbled it, he was mad at himself. And, like, that was just that professionalism that he had with everything. And it was just super cool to see that connection that I grew up watching. So I'm from Denver. I grew up watching Phillip Rivers throw to Antonio Gates beating the Broncos and getting pissed about it.

And then, like, now I'm here sitting right next to this guy. It was, like, one of my first aha moments as well. And he was just such an insanely nice human being as well, which is what you love to see, right? It's always that one. It's like, careful about meeting legends. And, I mean, I was nervous, of course, but, like, just meeting him and having him embrace me and help me with things was incredible.

What did he help you with? I mean, what was the toughest area for you to learn? I mean, I always think the blocking schemes from college to the NFL are vastly different. Absolutely. So blocking schemes, a lot of it's the terminology. So I mean, football is football, right?

Inside zone is inside zone, outside zone is outside zone. Like the schemes themselves are similar, but every team and every, like really every coach has a different language of what they call things. And in college, like we ran outside zone and that means that our coach held up a thing and said 88 and everyone just ran outside zone.

Now it's like, it's like, okay, we're going to go double right gun, outside zone, right? Like kill, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like all this terminology and all these terms. We ran a West Coast system out there with Frank Wright. And so having a guy next to me that I could kind of, he could, I could ask him a question like, Hey, what does that work? Meaning like, Oh, and then he drawed up real quick or or hey what's that combo that you and I are going to be working with on whatever here oh we're going to be doing this this and this and just to take the time um to help a young player an undrafted guy because he was an undrafted guy and so he

understood what the climb to get where you wanted to be was and I mean he very easily could have been like man I don't have time for you or like I don't have time for this but he took the time to help me and never push me away if I had a question and it just it meant a lot and it was just a really a blessing that I happened to sit in his seat during OTAs when he wasn't there. Yeah I think that every player I've ever talked to that exceeds their draft status or in your case you are not drafted status always has someone else or a couple other people that help them along the way. I mean, it's just part of the NFL is you, you not only have to handle what you do, but teaching other players how to succeed is a big deal for just

team success. So if he helps you, then they're better and you win more games and all those things. And I think there are a lot of players who do that in NFL locker rooms. Number four on your list is a guy that you would have practiced against in the hottest Mankato summers, Everson Griffin. I think this is one that Vikings fans really want to know what it is like to practice against Everson Griffin because I just think of him as being the most dominating player that I've ever covered of where, even when you're near him interviewing him, he has a presence about him and you're a little scared of him.

Oh, yeah. You know, right? He just, like, has that to him. So I cannot imagine what it's like to go up against him. And in practice, he doesn't go halfway when he's in practice either. He lights people up in training camp. Oh, I mean, he lights people up year-round. So I got traded to the Vikings week one, and I got out there, and I had no idea what I was doing the first practice.

Like I'd been there for like eight hours, and we suit up, and we go out to practice. And I got Brian Robinson on one side who's – I go hard, and he's kind of like, whoa, easy there, kid. Like this is – and I'm like, okay, like it's practice. Now we're out of training camp. Like time to start working together, and I'm like, okay, like it's practice. Now we're out of training camp, like time to start working together. And there's a time for that.

And then I, I go over and they told me, Hey, let's see what you can do with left tackle. And I was like, okay, I'll go play left tackle. And Everson just comes flying off the ball, runs around me. Like I'm standing still and I'm like, okay, this is, this guy's for real. And then, I mean, it turned into a battle. And I mean, I was going as hard as I could, and he was going as hard as he could. I mean, this is a Wednesday practice week one.

And after practice, he came up to me and he's like, hey, what's your name? Yeah, yeah, good job. And, like, went inside and I was just like, this dude's a nut job. But he's so intimately talented. I mean, just insanely talented. And he had, I mean, he had every move in the book. I mean, so many defensive ends are so good because they're, I mean, just insanely talented. And he had, I mean, he had every move in the book. I mean, so many defensive ends are so good because they're, I mean, Dwight Freeney had his incredible spin. Reggie Wayne had the hump move where he just clubbed you by. I mean, every defensive end,

Khalil Mack has that long arm that he has. I mean, Everson had and was effective with so many moves that you really couldn't like get a beat on him. And I think that's why his effort matched with his ability was really, really hard for guys because guys would start trying to slow set him and, like, okay, we're going to make him run over us, and he had the power to run through you. Or they're like, man, we got to speed. This guy's fast. We got to speed.

And he'd rip underneath or spin underneath. And so in practice, it was just great. I mean, I it's a an eight old adage and it seems a little ridiculous but it's like the iron that sharpens iron right I mean going against a guy like Everson week in and week out made you when you got to the game things were slower things slowed down for you because Everson was just going a million miles an hour every time it didn't matter so when you get into the game and you got a defensive end that's maybe more of a reader or maybe he's not as fast, maybe more of a power guy and he doesn't have all the tools that Everson did, you're like, wow, it's amazing how much going against him just made me a

better player overall. Yeah, I was talking with Rashad Hill about this. And he was saying that Everson is always adding things, that he's always studying new moves and trying new things. And like you said, there are guys who have that one thing that defines them and they get a lot of sacks by doing it. But Everson has counter moves. I mean, if he's going to try to speed rush you, then he can spin off of that if you get outside him. I mean, he's also one of the few players, and I don't know if you being around him have any explanation for this who can play a thousand snaps in a year

if you need him to who does not ever come off the field how many guys do that in today's game it's all about rotational rushers play them 600 snaps a year but for him it would be the fourth quarter and he's still bull rushing tackles right back into the quarterback there are not too many guys and that's like an old school like you said like reg like Reggie White or Bruce Smith type of thing to play every single down. There aren't too many guys who do that now. Yeah, I mean, and he took his conditioning and his training extremely seriously. He was one of the hardest working guys on the team. He was a leader when it came to pushing guys, and guys wanted to follow him.

But he also understood that if he was going to talk his big talk, which if anyone who's ever met Everson knows, he's got a big talk and he's confident and all those things that he had to back it up on the field. And in his mind, backing it up on the field meant I'm an every down defensive end. I'm not a specialized pass rusher. I'm not a run stuffer. I'm an everything. You're going to wear me out for four quarters or I'm going to wear you out.

And a lot of the times it was him wearing guys out. I mean, I can specifically remember in 2015, we're playing against the San Diego Chargers, who I had just come from, and they had a massive left tackle, King Dunlap, huge human being, 6'10", 340. I mean, just massive. And I watched Everson just put his helmet under his chin over and over and over. I mean, in the first half he wasn't getting anywhere because King was fresh. But by the fourth quarter, King had just taken one, two hits on the chin.

I mean, I remember King, like, taking a knee and falling down because he just got hit one too many times on the chin. And Everson was just standing there, like, ready to go again. And that was just the embodiment. Like, he knew what his plan was, and he wasn't going to stray from the plan because it wasn't working early on. But he did that with every rusher. And he come off the field and him and I developed a rapport in a relationship that I would he was like Searles when I'm on defense watch the tackle tell me what

you see and so I'd be like okay and I'd watch like okay he's trying to get behind he's trying to get above you like get the spot like to try coming underneath or he's trying to slow set you or do like he's late with his hands and like we would talk back and forth about it a little bit. I mean, he would even come off and say what he was seeing I was doing against guys, and it was just really quick. I mean, one to two second times during a football game when the bullets are flying, and there's not a ton of time, but just having the respect factor that I had with him and he had with myself was pretty neat. Yeah, no, that's really cool. I did not know that you guys had that relationship, but I can see where if you're, let's say, a receiver corner,

offensive line, defensive line, that you can help each other because you know things about what that guy is trying to do that a defensive end doesn't necessarily know. I mean, Everson was one of my favorite players to just watch and cover as a reporter because every week he was bringing it and always had something unique to say too. That's fat.

Yeah. It was like, oh, Everson's talking. I better go over there because you never know when he's going to pull up his shirt to reveal that his wife has had a baby or if he's going to call the sack dance. Yep, the sack dance or if he's going to call the opposing left tackle lazy like he did with Greg Robinson you know and he said he was he was always good for a soundbite that's for sure yeah exactly next on your list number three in our countdown of your top five players that you played with Cam Newton who you spent a camp with in Carolina.

Cam was always, in my mind, a guy who I wanted to see succeed because of the criticism that he got coming out. I know that he went number one overall, but people acted like some of his background in college, which pay college players, by the way. Some of his background in college said something about his character as an NFL quarterback, and I think that he's more than proven that he can be a franchise quarterback and that he can lead a team and then he can go to the Super Bowl. And then even at the Super Bowl, you've got your team in the Super Bowl, and he wins the MVP, and he doesn't win the Super Bowl.

He loses to Peyton Manning in one of the great defenses of all time, and his teammates did not help him out fumbling and dropping passes and things like that. And then he gets destroyed again by the media for not being good enough. So he is on your list. Tell me why. First of all, he's the most physical specimen I think I've ever seen in the NFL. And you see some specimens now.

I mean, I've met guys that'll just like, you're like, holy cow. But I'll never forget the first time I saw him in person is when we played them. Vikings played them in 2016. Yeah. In Carolina. Sacked him a bunch of times. Sacked him a bunch of times. And, like, I think we were losing at half,

and then we came out and just poured it on him in the second half. I actually remember because I played a lot that game at left guard because Boone got hurt. But I remember warming up pregame, and I'm out there doing my thing, and all of a sudden just this mountain of a human runs by me I'm like who is that and I remember turning and it was camp and I was like that dude is all as tall as I am and just rocked up right and you're just like holy cow like he is just a monster of a human and then like watching him play and he had a couple big runs that game or and it just was it was just so crazy to watch him and then I go to Carolina the next year

and I go in and I meet him and he's just a very very genuine human being but in my mind very much like everyone else's is like okay is it a show what he puts on is it a show is it is it real life is his character and his hats and like his outrageous like is it real life or is it a show what he puts on? Is it a show? Is it, is it real life? Is his character and his hats and like his outrageous, like, is it real life or is it a show? And I'll tell you, it's very much real life. That is,

that is who he is. And he's not afraid of it because you can't be afraid of who you are and put on a different face to survive in the NFL. So he would come into like camp. He had like three massive suitcases all for his white, like dresses, like not dresses, but like what he would come into camp, he had three massive suitcases all for his dresses. Not dresses, but what he would wear, his wardrobe, I guess. Sometimes dresses, though. Sometimes dresses, rompers, hats, and he would call it his daily drip.

But what was so incredible was how incredibly smart he was about the game of football. I mean, incredibly smart. Norv Turner was our offensive coordinator when I was there who I was with. And so we were running the same offense that we ran in Minnesota when he was there. So I was able to, I knew the offense very well, but the watch can pick up the offense and like the way that he could command receivers and command the huddle and command everything. And I mean, all of that was just extremely, extremely cool.

The cerebral part of it, and then to watch what he could do physically on the field too. I mean, in real time, running past the safety, where he doesn't look like he's moving real fast, but he's got eight-foot legs and he's just eating up ground. And, I mean, he was just so special to watch. And another kind of part of it is like kind of like I said about Gates, like I remember watching Cam in college like watching Auburn watching them beat Oregon and then watching him in the Super Bowl

and like watching all these things and like kind of just that like man this guy's so special and then to share a huddle with him start a game I started the third preseason game as his right tackle and that's when I end up pulling my hamstring and getting released injury released with them but I mean just to share a huddle with that guy and be standing there and looking your quarterback dead in the eyes because he's just that big and like having so much trust in him because of how much he just cared for everyone on the team he would send out his weekly texts in his weird font talking to everybody about like just like hey let's meet up and go play frisbee or barbecue or hang out at my place or whatever it was he just took incredible care of his teammates and then to like have that

carry over onto the field was really neat and you don't always hear that and i think that cam sort of recoiled away from the media attention because of how much he was criticized coming out of college which you know again i i thought that a lot of it was unfair, and I'm sure that he's not the first person ever to accept a few bucks underneath the table to go to college. And I root for them. I saw a recent report that Zion Williamson got a bunch of money to go to Duke. I'm like, good for you, Zion. Get your money, my friend.

Don't say. But when a guy – it's sort of like with the Deshaun Watson thing. When a guy does what Cam did to Alabama, you just draft that guy. You know, because very few people ever have. How many players ever could also play almost any position on the field? I mean, if he had decided to eat like an offensive lineman, he could be an offensive lineman. If he wanted to slim down a little and be a wide receiver, he's fast enough.

Or a tight end like Antonio Gates or an edge rusher. I mean, I can't think of almost any other player in the history of the game that you could make a case for him to play any position on the field. Absolutely. I mean, and he would joke with guys all the time, like, you want me to come play DB and lock you down? Like when a receiver would be saying something. Or he'd joke, I remember Captain Merlin was there with Cam,

and you know Captain from Minnesota know captain oh he can talk yeah great for a soundbite and him and cam would go at it man they go at it and i mean john back and forth and cam like you want me to line up there come like dunk on you like because that's what he's like i'll just throw it up to eight feet and i'll just run up and catch it and you have no chance cap and but i mean you're completely right i mean the physical tools that Cam has is what do you want me to do? He could do it. And the fact that he can play quarterback is I think people forget that he's a quarterback, and I think that's one of the reasons he got beat up so bad is

because he was so big. I mean, he was taking hits that if you're talking about that hits on, I mean, Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, Kirk Cousins, I mean, any of those guys, they're really hurt. Like some of those hits that he took. But because Cam is 6'6", 255 pounds, that they bounced off of him or it didn't look as bad, he doesn't get the penalty or he didn't get the flag thrown. He didn't get the protection I think he deserved from the referees in the NFL.

Yes. Based off of how big he was. And I think that has a lot to do with why the last couple of years he's finished the Yarn IR and now he doesn't have a lot to do with why the last couple of years he's finished the young IR and now he doesn't have a job. And you mentioned the intelligence part of it too, which is not something that very many people talk about with Cam Newton, but he really picked up that offense.

Remember, he had set his career high in completion percentage, and it was more of, I think they were implementing, you can tell me if I'm wrong, but it seemed like there were more high percentage throws for him. Instead of just saying, hey, you have a a rocket so let's throw it down the field or intermediate all the time giving him some easier completions to work with that wasn't something that had happened in his past it was kind of all on his arm and so we were almost seeing like the development of him into a quarterback who could last long term until he had that shoulder in yeah I mean absolutely I, Nord came in there and was like, why are we going to have you throw it 55 yards every time to Devin Funches?

Like, let's get some RPOs. I mean, they're going to put a guy in the box if you're running the football. And they had a really good rushing attack. I mean, they had Christian McCaffrey there, who's one of the best all-time backs in the NFL right now. He was a rookie or maybe second year. I can't quite remember. But, I mean, they had him.

They had some other backs. And then you had Greg Olson, who was great on play action. I mean, he had tools. They brought over Jarius Wright, Mr. Third Down. And they really used, I mean, again, Norb knew what Cam was and knew what he wasn't. Cam's not the guy you want to throw 55 times a game, but you want Cam to throw 25 to 30 times a game if you have to.

High percentage throws, slants, hooks, curls. I mean, a nice seven route, throw it over the middle to a ball and want to play action, and that's what they were doing. And I think that that's kind of what people saw. And, again, it just sucks, I think, because he got so beat up over that three-, four-year span there that his body was just starting to slowly give out on him. And I tell you this, he took incredible care of his body.

I mean, he was all about preventative stuff. He was all about recovery stuff. And I just think that, I mean, eventually the body can't handle it anymore. Vikings were never the same without Jarius Wright to be there on third downs. I completely agree. Next on your list, I mean, and that's not even being facetious, really. Like, yeah, I think he had 17 catches or something like that in 2017 or whatever, 20 catches, and 80% of them were first downs.

Something like that. And then a huge catch in the playoffs. He was Mr. Third Down, man. I love Jay. Next guy on your list. I'm not sure that our listeners will know this player really well because you played with him in Buffalo. But I know him from, of course, coming from Buffalo.

But also, I love guys with careers like this. Lorenzo Alexander, who we were just talking about how many players could play every position on the field. Well, Lorenzo Alexander through his career basically had to. He started out as an offensive lineman. He played fullback, I believe, in Washington, and then he has a career at, linebacker and he eventually becomes a pure rusher with Buffalo and gets double digit sacks and becomes one of the best pass rushers for a couple years in the NFL I mean what a wild journey for Lorenzo Alexander yeah so I got to spend two years with Zoe up in Buffalo and I mean he's another guy that you remember hearing about but you're kind of like, is he a superstar?

Or is he just a guy? Or like there were so many questions about him. And then once you got to Buffalo and you saw him and you're like, wait, you're in year what? Like 14. And he was another guy that just took – I took so much from him about recovery and the importance of investing back into your body and how to recover throughout the week. But to see his career, again, undrafted O-line D-line fullback, he just was like, whatever you need me to do became really, he was a special teams guy forever. That was what he really was.

And then all of a sudden he gets an opportunity and made the most out of it. And then made a lot of money on the back end of his career, which just doesn't happen. And he was just a pure leader, pure leader on the Buffalo bills. I mean, talked a ton about leadership, talk about what it meant to be a leader about what it meant to be a faithful leader. I mean, he was big in his faith as well. And led a lot of guys in Bible studies,

led a lot of guys in their faith walks and he was just an all around leader. And really he was a glue that kind of kept the team together in a lot of ways because there was old guys and then Buffalo's super young team and so you had these like really different generations almost of guys and he was able to relate with both of those like levels and keep everyone together and just his incredible work ethic I mean again he didn't he didn't practice on Wednesdays and he come out on Thursdays with his hair on fire because he knew that was his one day to practice and was a tone setter before Before we get back to the conversation, got to take a second to thank our sponsors, SodaStick.

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That is S-O-T-A-S-T-I-C-K.com. 30% off select hats. No code needed. Discount automatically applied at checkout. Deal ends June 20th. So with Lorenzo Alexander, what really intrigues me and anybody who listens to the show all the time is I'm always fascinated by the intelligence part of the game because I just feel like you can overcome so much by being smart and by knowing

what you're doing. I'll give you an example. I mean, Anthony Harris, when he shows up with the Vikings, he weighed 183 pounds, undrafted, and he was a corner. And then now he's a franchise tag safety that's going to make $11 million a few years later. Why? Anthony Harris is a really, really bright guy. And I think the same with Lorenzo Alexander. It's like having not just intelligence as X's and O's, but having this awareness of what you can do to have a job.

And you're a guy that's just like this, where you go to San Diego undrafted and you figure out, well, you know what? I better learn a lot of positions because that gives me more value and gives me a chance to have an NFL job. And Lorenzo Alexander is like the all-time self-aware team. Yeah, 100%. And he knew that he was going to scratch and dig and uh i always tell guys like young guys that are coming into the pros like no matter what a coach asks you to do the answer is

always yes especially if you're an undrafted guy like hey you think you can play guard never played guard my entire life remember san diego like hey you think you play guard absolutely have you ever snapped sure why not like you just hey you ever played heavy tight end yep like it's, it's just one of those things that, again, but that forces you to learn. That forces you to understand concepts and to learn more, which just makes you a better player overall. And so Lorenzo, being what he was, he played in so many systems. He played in so many different positions that his overall knowledge of the game is something that I couldn't even fathom.

Yeah, he's a guy – I mean, coverage is, go ahead. Well, I was just going to say, he needs like a 30 for 30 on his career. Oh, 100%. Because he's so unique. Yeah, I mean, he was a guy that he was on, even in his like year 13, 14s on all four core special teams because that's who he was. Like that was his identity, right?

And he carried that identity to the defense. And then he gets doubled at his sacks and he's like, no, I'm still going to cover kicks. Like, I'm still going to be personal protector on punt. I'm still going to be on the punt return team. Like, he just – that was his identity. And guys in the league that create identities for themselves and don't – when they reach a new level, don't reinvent themselves

or turn into a new identity, but they stay the same guy consistently through their whole career is something that I really respect. Yeah, and you mentioned that message to the locker room. If the guy with double-digit sacks who's been in the league this long wants to still play special teams, then what's your excuse if you're a younger player for not wanting to do it? Number one player on your list, five best players that you played with in your career, Jeremiah, Phillip Rivers. And I will tell my Phillip Rivers story.

I told you off the air, but I'll just. Please. From what I saw when I was in Los Angeles, Phillip Rivers had a pretty rough day against the Vikings defense. Not the first guy to have that happen to him, but boy was it rough this last year in Los Angeles. It was a close game through the first half. He gets strip sacked and then the wheels just come off.

After the game, I was standing inside of whatever hybrid locker room that was set up in that soccer stadium. I was standing outside of it waiting for somebody to come out, and Rivers walks by and asks one of the attendants if he could talk to Garrett Bradbury because they both went to NC State. And Rivers waited there for probably 10 minutes or so. It was like a long time where he was just kind of standing there waiting after the game. And he's got like 14 kids to get back to, so consider that. And Bradbury comes out. He says, hey, did you get the jersey that I sent over to you? And, you know, good luck.

And I've been watching your career and everything else. I just thought it was one of those moments where Phillip Rivers is probably a Hall of Fame quarterback. I'd be shocked if he doesn't make the Hall of Fame. One of the best to ever do it. A superstar. He's got lots going on in his life. I think he was still living in San Diego and playing in Los Angeles and just had a brutal game and still wanted to take the time with nobody looking but me. I was the only guy standing outside in the locker room at that point. Nobody looking to do something like that for Garrett Bradbury, doing it away from the cameras and everything else.

I just thought it said a lot about who Phillip Rivers is. Yeah, so, I mean, Phillip is one of the best human beings I've ever met. And that was hard for me to say at first because when I grew up, I hated Phillip Rivers. I did. I did. I mean, there's the legendary him and Jay Cutler yelling at each other back and forth on the field. I mean, there's the legendary him and Jay Cutler yelling at each other back and forth on the field.

I mean, in the way that you see his competitiveness and the way he yells and like I thought, man, this guy is just he's just a dick. Like he's just like he's cussing at people and all this stuff. And you're like, man, and then I show up and he's just this southern boy that drives his like 2009 old Dodge pickup. And like he's just the nicest human being and then to listen the way the coaches had respect for him in san diego um on wednesdays we used to do wednesday afternoons after practice we used to do blitz meeting um like third down blitzes and he would kick all the coaches out of the room and he'd run the meeting as and he'd say like i'll give it all to you.

But, like, we're on the field as players. This is what we do. This is how we're going to see it. Here's how I'm going to call it. And he'd have his own tape that he had been put together. And I was on practice squad there for 12 weeks. And so I just tried to invest and just ingest, ingest so much from him that I get activated. And the second I get activated, the week I I get activated I get a text from a number

that I have no idea and he said hey Jeremiah it's Phil um we're meeting tomorrow morning which is Wednesday morning at 5 a.m to go over the blitz meeting be there so okay because he knew that there's a chance I was going to play that week and so it was me, the two centers, Nick Hardwick, Richard Orenberger, Chris Watt, and myself, and Trevor Robinson. And we're all in there, and Phil comes in at 5 o'clock, and he's already had a lift and a steam, and he's got his coffee, and he's like, all right, here we go. And he's going over the blitz tape that he had already made the night before. And just the – I mean, you want to talk about a guy

that can really just see the game differently, it's Phil. I mean, you see him out there calling audibles at the last second. I mean, he would see things on tape like, hey, you see that safety? He's like half a yard off the hash this time than one yard on – like right on the hash. Like, why do you think that is? Run that back. And he'd be like, oh, it's because they've, like, moved over here. Their leverage is different.

I mean, he could just see things that i've never seen anyone else see before and then i mean you put your playbook in during otas and then you're for a training camp and then weekly usually cut the playbook down right no not with phil anything was live at all times you had to be on your toes he could pull out a code word from week three of otas and week seven and you better remember it because he's playing it and he's calling it a game and you're rolling and so he kept you on your toes but he was just such a professional and I mean he never cusses I don't know if people know that like he never he never curses it's always dad gum or say bow and he's just getting after guys but his favorite thing to do is talk crap to like corners and I love the story we're playing

Kansas City week 17 my first start ever in the NFL I'm starting to write guard and we pick up this blitz that we worked on all week like we were like hey if we get this blitz we're checking to this play and I'm throwing it to Eddie Royal and so we find it we see it and like we all kind of see it we all kind of like this is it and phil checks the play and throws it to eddie and we're running down the field and phil is just in this corner's face he's like you put that blitz on tape you would really put that blitz on tape you thought that was gonna work you put that blitz on tape and like just getting after him the whole way down the field and we're like hey that's great um but just don't talk back to the d linemen like they already want to do like let's not let's not pump these D linemen up any more than you need to.

Yeah, that's great. And I think of him, too, just from watching him play. Someone who plays with such a joy for the game. And then also just as a player, his anticipation and accuracy on the intermediate routes, 15, 20 yards down the field, in his prime is as good as anybody I've ever seen. I had projected Teddy Bridgewater to eventually become like a Phillip Rivers because neither guy had the strongest arm, both highly intelligent players,

who could anticipate where when he lets it go, if you're watching on the tape and you get that behind view, when he lets it go, you're like, who is that headed for? And it's the way that throws all sidearm wonky and then and then somebody appears on screen and catches the ball I mean it's like very few other quarterbacks and I like guys who play with their own style and Philip Rivers is definitely one of those guys Philip Rivers is tough as nails too I mean you won't find a tougher guy I mean he absolutely plays through injuries he

plays through some aches and pains I mean you see him get absolutely stuck I think about the Vikings when we played him in 2015 and he got sacked I mean multiple times got hit all over the field and he just would get up and run to the huddle and limp to the huddle or whatever he had to do I mean there's a story of I think back in 07 or maybe like 06 when he tore his ACL in the AFC Championship game and he kept playing. I mean, the dude is just, he embodies toughness and he doesn't look like it because he's old now and fragile. And like when he runs, he looks like a baby deer. But I mean, he's just such tough as nails. And I think he's going to have a lot of success in Indianapolis this year. Before we get back to the conversation, I want to remind you

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blue wire for a free welcome bonus that's one. BetOnline, your online wagering experts. I mean, they have a roster, too, that is set up to help him and maybe the best offensive line that he's played with in a very, very long time. Very long time. Yeah, he has not had a Quinton Nelson up front in some time in San Diego slash Los Angeles. All right, well, you wanted to, that is a great list. Antonio Gates, Everson Griffin, Cam Newton, Lorenzo Alexander, Phillip Rivers, and it sort of says something about your journey through the NFL too, that you got to play with these guys.

And you wanted to have two honorable mentions, other players that you really enjoyed playing with who deserve to be on this list. So who are your two honorable mentions? I'll allow it. It's my podcast. There you go. My two honorable mentions are Nick Hardwick is the first one. Played center for the San Diego Charters for, I think, 11 years.

Should be a Hall of Famer in my opinion. Right. I mean, he had to stop playing because he was pinching nerves in his neck. And I remember he told me he had to retire when he couldn't button his shirt because his finger nerve endings. But he stuck around the whole year and mentored because Chris Watt a rookie out of Notre Dame was just taking over for center and so he wanted to mentor that guy and so I was like well shoot you're gonna mentor him I'm gonna latch and just get mentored by you as well because again another guy that his knowledge of the game playing center for that long and he just talked about like

the pace of an offensive lineman running to the ball, how you just constantly run. And you're setting the tone against the defense. The defense isn't setting the tone against you. And just his again, like I try to just understand what it meant to be a pro. What does it mean to watch tape? How do you watch tape? Why do you watch tape? Are you just watching tape to watch tape? Are you watching it for a meaning? And I mean, he was the guy that taught me all that and without him I don't think I would have the career that I had now granted I never have to play next to the guy in a football game but he got to be there with me when I made my first start um he was there to congratulate me

he was there with me as I was on practice squad and trying to learn and he's a guy I owe a lot to um in my career and a guy that I have is I know with her and I was on practice squad and trying to learn. And he's a guy I owe a lot to in my career. And a guy that I have is – I know him and I still talk to him pretty much once a year or so just to catch up. And then my second honorable mention is Kyle Williams, absolute legend from the Buffalo Bills, defensive tackle, played his whole career there. I don't think they ever won that many games while he was there.

But, I mean, another guy that his effort was just unbelievable. And I watched him growing up because of his effort. I mean, he was just this guy that was just a ball of butcher knives. That's the best way I can think to describe it. He wasn't very tall. He wasn't extremely fast. But he was powerful and quick. And he would just jettison people off the ball.

And, I mean, I got one year with him. And another guy that was extremely good with leadership and he would have the best pre-game speeches I mean it wasn't even close this dude had you ready to run through a brick wall every single Sunday and he just ended with all in the boys in blue and I mean there was something about the way that like he embodied the boys in blue up in Buffalo I mean mean, he is Buffalo. That dude could run for mayor, governor, I mean, whatever of that state and win in a landslide. I mean, he is Buffalo Bills.

And if you think Buffalo Bill greats, he's got to be on the top. And I was just honored to be able to spend a year with him. Yeah, he should be, if they already haven't done it, a wall of fame guy that they will absolutely put up there. Yeah, that's the unfortunate part when you have bad quarterback play in a city for a long time is that a lot of players fly under the radar because if they had been a consistent winning team with, say, not, you know, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Trent Edwards, J.P. Lawson, you know,

if they had been making playoffs. E.J. Manuel. Right. If they had been making the playoffs more consistently, that's how some of those players who go under the radar get attention, especially in a smaller market. But anybody who was there and knows Kyle knows exactly what you're saying, that he is a go-to guy for journalists because he was one of the smartest, most analytical players, but also a heart and soul guy. And I always thought that his body stature, that,

you know, fire hydrant, right. I felt like it made it more difficult for offensive linemen because they're usually facing guys that don't look like that. So it's just like different angles for everything when you face Kyle Williams. He was like the Aaron Donald before Aaron Donald. Like that short, quick, powerful guy. Now he's not nearly as athletic as Aaron is, but, I mean, he was that kind of body type. But the difference, I mean, his power back in the day was just absurd.

You couldn't move him. Guys would double-team him. It was like they were hitting a tree trunk. Like, he'd just grow roots, and they just couldn't move him. But, yeah, he was one of a kind for sure. I think a tremendous golfer, too, if I remember correctly. Yes, yes. Yeah.

I think Buffalo is going to be extremely good this year, too, by the way. I think so. Yeah, I mean, well, Diggs is there now to help the offense. He is. You must have played for McDermott, right? I played two years. I played two years for McDermott. Very impressed with him on defense for a lot of the things that they did last year.

Yeah, I mean, a young, talented defense. I mean, in my opinion, they're going to be like the Vikings of 2015-16, like young defense, young quarterback like they had with Teddy, but they surrounded him with really good pieces. And so, I mean, obviously Josh has got to grow up a lot of it, but I think they're going to be pretty good this year. I mean, I think they're going to be the new kings of the AFC East now with Brady and Gronk and company gone.

I know. It'll be really interesting to see if Tua ends up as the starting quarterback for Miami at any point, and maybe those two, if Josh Allen takes that next step. I'm a little skeptical with the accuracy issues, but if he takes the next step, then you're talking about him and Tua running that division for a long time, and maybe even Darnold as well.

And it could be kind of back to the old days where there were a lot of good players in the AFC East as opposed to just the Patriots steamrolling everybody. So I'll take it. Well, we won't get into pizza and wing takes because yours are bad. Oh, you're full of it. You saying that Buffalo didn't have great wings. Buffalo pizza is trash. I just can't.

It's trash. At least you can respect the wings, though, right? Absolutely. Barbell wings. Barbell honey butter Cajun. Cajun rubbed honey butter barbecueings are the best wings of all time. Now, when you were there, you didn't use ranch with your wings. Absolutely not.

They look at you like you have four eyes if you ask for ranch. Right. I think you get arrested if you try to use it. Because when I moved to Minnesota, I ordered some wings just out of habit, and they brought me ranch with it, and I was extremely offended. Like, what are you doing? This is a crime. I completely agree.

Jeremiah Searles, you are one of my favorite of all time, guys, to have on the show. Great to have you for this first podcast. I hope we can make it a regular thing, and I certainly hope, because I know you're doing broadcasting with the Cornhuskers as well, that college football happens, and you have lots to do from the broadcast side, and they keep you busy in retirement. Absolutely, man.

Appreciate you having me on, and yeah, please, please, please have college football. All right. Well, we'll do it again soon. Really appreciate you and all of you for listening to Purple Insider. Hey, before we wrap up here on the Purple Insider podcast, I just want to ask a quick favor to all of you loyal listeners. If you could go to the description of this podcast and go to the link to the survey that I posted there, it takes you about 60 seconds and you'll be automatically entered to win a chance to win

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