The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Interviewing the NFL's defensive stars: Will Anderson Jr., Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch, Kyle Van Noy and Kyle Hamilton

Episode Date: February 16, 2024

Robert Mays sits down with some of the NFL’s biggest stars at Super Bowl LVIII's Radio Row. He chats with NFL Defensive Rookie of the year Will Anderson Jr. about the culture in Houston. Then, Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Branch stop by to talk about the Lions season. Finally, Kyle Van Noy and Kyle Hamilton explain what made the Ravens’ defense so unique this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the athletic football show. To the athletic football show. I'm Robert Mays. Fun show for you guys today. We really enjoyed some of the conversations we had on Radio Row that we were planning to turn into YouTube stuff for our YouTube channel. But we like them so much that we wanted to package a few of them together as a podcast. So you guys are going to hear three conversations with me and some NFL players from Radio Row in Las Vegas. The first of which is me and Will Anderson from the Texans chatting about a whole bunch of stuff.

Second, we have me and two guys from the Lions, Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Branch, talking about their season, Dan Campbell, a bunch of other things. Last, me and two Kyle's from the Baltimore Ravens, Kyle Van Nuoy and Kyle Hamilton, chatting about the great year they had in Baltimore, what makes that defense go. Thoroughly enjoyed all of those discussions. Hope you guys enjoy them as well. Let's get to it. Live from Radio Row here in Las Vegas, we are here with Rookie of the Year,

defensive rookie of the year. As of last night, Houston, Texas, Will Anderson. Congratulations, sir. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it for, you know, the time I'm taking for me to be here. Absolutely.

We're excited to have you. I wanted to ask you something like pretty serious right off the bat. And why I wanted to ask you this because at every level football that you've played, when you're coming out of Alabama, everyone just talked about what you brought to a walker and the football character aspect to it. And I think that's a big reason the Texans were so comfortable moving up for you in the way that they did because they're trying to rebuild something and they knew that you could be a part of that.

Over the course of your life, how have you kind of built your value? system. When you think about how you want to approach the world, who did you take that from? Yeah, it's been a couple of people, but the first person that I've always, you know, I have to give credit to is God first, but really my grandmother who passed away, my dad's mom. She basically raised me almost and just getting to see how she treated people on a daily basis with the love. Like, she'll meet you and she's where she's been knowing you for about 20 years. And that's the impact that I've always tried to have on people like, bro, just keep a smile on your face. And then just as far as like my mom and my dad raising me, you know, just treat others how you

want to be treated. Yes, ma'am. No, ma'am. Yes, sir, no, sir. And they always say, like, the real world, like, they're not going to care about you, like how we care about you, you know what I'm saying. So just go out and give love, just be you, be authentic. And then just having coaches in high school, coach Fed, Coach Rogers, coach saving and not Damco, like, Coach Banks, my rec ball, coach, like, all those coaches have played a big part in, you know, how my mentality is, who I am the day. I wanted to ask you, so you had, this year you go in, you're in Houston, and we talk about culture and changing a culture. What does that mean to you? Like, what is a football team's culture for people that maybe don't really understand what it, all that it encompasses? Yeah, when people think about

culture, like, they just think about on the field. Yeah. And it's so much bigger than on the field, because you don't get what you want on the field unless you do what you have to do off the field. And for me, my biggest thing is changing the culture is everybody is on an equal playing field. You know what I'm saying? Like, no matter who you are in the building, you're just as important as the quarterback. You're just as important as the defensive end. You're just as important as the head coach, the GM. Like, no matter who you are, because we all play vital roles in our jobs to help this organization as a whole be better.

And it's just treating everybody with respect. That's how you build relationships. That's how you build the culture. And that's how you get everybody who wanted to be a part of something special. When everybody's getting treated the same, everybody's feeling. in love. And from a player standpoint, I said something like this in an interview before, like, a lot of people get mixed up with, like, thinking that players want approval. And players don't want approval. They just want to be shown the same love. You know what I'm saying? I think

that's one of the key ways. If you want a player to play great, you show him the same love, you show everybody else. Because he get that type of love, he sees that, oh, this person is messing with me, like, they want me here, they love me. Then that's how you get the best out of a player. You know what I'm saying? Because you show that you care. A lot of people don't come from backgrounds that have a lot of love, that have a lot of care. So when they make it here, that's what they just want to feel that. You know what I'm saying? And I think for me, that's what I try to give, like that love, that care feel because,

bro, we're all in this, bro. We're all trying to do something special. And it's just a beautiful thing to see when it happens. If you look at the way that coaches, the trend and kind of how young coaches have gotten around the league, and I think how emotionally attached and involved coaches have gotten around the league, it's a lot of younger guys. But you played for Nick Saban. How does Nick Saban balance being somebody who tries to set a standard, keeps guys to that

standard, but still feels like he's there for you in the ways that you need. Yeah, I think he does a great job of that. You know what I'm saying? He's just so, he's locked in all the time. You know what I'm saying? So you have no choice but to respect it. And I've always said that Bama's not for everybody. It takes a certain type of understanding and mentality to go through, you know,

what you have to go through from there. And Coul-Saving is a different type of coach. He's going to love you, he's going to care for you. But at the end of day, he's trying to prepare you for when you do take that next step in life, whether you're playing football or not. You know what I'm saying? So I think that's where, you know, his perspective and, you know, the way he cared about us, that's where that came from like, look, like, y'all are kind of like my son's.

Like, I'm going to love y'all, but I'm going to love y'all hard enough to know, like, when you get out in the real work, when you get out of this place, that is going to be, like, something that you've been through, that you know how to handle and stuff like that. So I think he did a really good job of helping us with that. There was that moment, I think after you guys lost in the college football playoff where you and you and Bryce were sitting up there and he made you guys were and just wanted to communicate to everyone what you guys had meant to the program, who you were. what did that mean when he did that for you in that moment yeah man it meant a lot like and that's like

that's the same like a lot of people don't see that side of co-saving but we get to see that on a daily basis and it just showed what like what person he is the humility that he has the the humbleness to even stop us like that that he has he's just been an awesome man in both of our lives you know what I'm saying like he has so much respect for us you know what I'm saying and I can't say another great things about co-sabing man he's been such a big factor in my life and in Bryce's life and he's just been great to have around. What's your favorite saving story? My favorite saving story is when I graduated from my number to my name. So like when you first get there, he's like, what's up, 31? Good play, 31. 31, what are you doing? And then you start doing good. Start earning the respect.

So, Will, how you doing? And I swear, the first day I heard him call my name, I almost freaked out. Do you remember when it happened? Yes, it was my freshman year. I think we had just played my first game. I did fairly good. Before a freshman, going to play in Alabama. And I'm walking and I'm smiling as always. He said, what's up, Will? And I'm like, coach Will? So you're talking to me?

But that was just a funny moment for me all day. You've had a career where you've had success very early in all the places you've arrived. You mentioned you were dominant force in Alabama as a rookie or as a freshman. You come in as a rookie and you have a defensive rookie of the year type season. Has there been a moment over the last three, four, five years that has been a struggle that's kind of made you reevaluate the path you needed to take, how you needed to work on yourself. Has there been anything like that? Yeah, my last year at Bama, but I would say it came from, it came from more of a standpoint of listening to other people's expectations on me. You know what I'm

saying? And that's what kind of got me in that mode. I had a phenomenal season that year. I had double-digit sacks, double-digit tackles for loss, but yet since it wasn't the numbers I had before, I was listening to everybody else's expectation. So it was making me think like, where you're not doing enough. I had won another double-digit sack season that year. And that's the only time in my whole career where I felt like, what the world. And now that I'm looking back at it and being more mature and having a higher faith for God and knowing who he is and knowing that that's the only approval I need in this world,

I'm looking back at it like, bro, like, God's had you all along, bro. You know what I'm saying? Like, you've been good. Like, you've been excelling. You've been doing, being humble, doing everything that you need to do to keep prospering in life. So just that one moment was my junior Alabama was like when the like Deepest darkest like Tom's there

You know what I'm saying But other than that Man life has been great When it's going well Yeah What gets you up in the morning Like what drives you to be the best version of yourself Each day?

The person behind me can take my spot at any time That's what keeps me going I have something to prove every day I have to show you why I'm Will Anderson every day That's what keeps me going like There's not a day that goes by where I feel like just because I'm starting, I'm safe. That's what keeps me on edge all the time that this guy behind me can take my spot at any time.

At a certain point, though, it gets hard to keep telling yourself that story when you get you seen the way that you are. I know, but it's just, that's just the mentality. Like, never being comfortable, always being on edge, like anything can happen. You know what I'm saying? Have you always been wired that way? Always since, like, my friends used to hate me in high school, I promise you because I used to be so hard on them. Because I'm like, bro, I see so much in y'all. y'all, y'all have so much potential.

And I'm like, but y'all going to hate me when this year is over, because I'm going to get everything out. This is our senior year, too, you're going to do something for it. I was the same way. My high school teammates absolutely hated me for very similar reasons. And I look back out of now, it's like, is that how I should have handled it? But that's at a certain point, like, you got to look yourself in the mirror at the end of the day. And did I do enough for the team, for myself?

And I think that trying to instill that in other people when you're in a position of leadership, that's exactly what you have to do. D'Amico, I think we've had such a exposure to how special of a coach he is and what he's able to do and set the vision of a building. When did you know that he was just a little bit different? I knew from the first meeting I had. What was that first meeting? My top 30 visit.

Okay. My top 30 visit, I went to go see. And I was there first visit as well. And I was like, okay, something, I'm going to go here. Like, I'm their first visit. But I was just like, we were sitting in his office and we were talking. And he had leaned back. Like, he leaned back in his chair.

He wasn't uptight about nothing. He wasn't, like, serious about anything. Like, it was normal. It was like, I'd have been knowing him forever. And I was like, this is the type of vibe that I need from a coach at this next level. He was completely chill, like, completely chill. And that's what I knew. I was like, oh, yeah, he's about business, but he's, like, chill about it.

Like, he's not uptight. He's not one of those, like, uptight coaches, like, walking around, like, yeah, yeah. He was cool. And that's what I knew. I said, oh, yeah, this is a perfect fit. What did you guys talk about? You talk about your fit in the defense, what you wanted the building to feel like? What was the kind of the meat of that discussion?

It was so crazy because, like, we were talking about life. Yeah. I would talk a little bit about the defense. He was like, bro, I have no concern about doing his defense. Like, literally at all. He sounded like you can set an edge. I know you can rush, like, all that. But we were just talking about life.

Like, we talked about football for, like, three minutes. And then everything else was just like family, faith, God. Like, just how this process has been going, everything like that. when you're able to conversate like that for a long period of time as you just met, then you,

as you just met, that's how you know those are the best relationships like most of my visits that went on were just football, football, football.

Like, it was like no really like, getting to really know you for who you were and everything like that. It was just like, what can you do for my program? And it really wasn't like that

with Demico. Like he was just like, what's up? Like, how you've been doing? Like, I just want to know the person will, I want to get to know that person

because he just said, I just heard so many great things about you. I just want to get to know you for myself. So I think that was the most special thing about our relationship. We talk about setting culture and about how a building, how that happens in a building? How does he do it? Like, how does he play a role in what that culture feels like in Houston? I think what separates him from a lot of like new head coaches is he set a firm foundation,

like a firm structured foundation of things that we were going to be. We were going to be mean. We were going to be disruptive. We were going to swarm. And that word swarm flooded throughout the whole building. Like if all things else felt, this was the one thing. that we were going to do, we were going to swarm. And I think being a new program, being in a new place, you have to have something of a

foundation, the type of structure to fall back on when things don't go right. And I think a lot of times, like, when things wasn't going right for us in the game or anything like that, we just went back to, oh, we're just going to swarm. That's it. That's all we got to do. Everybody gets to the ball. You can control your effort. That part.

And that was it, man. And I think that's why it was just so fun playing because that's all he's built on. Is there a moment against CJ Stroud in practice this year that you just found particularly infuriating? Well, we do compete all the time, and CJ talks a lot of crap, bro. Like, if people don't know, CJ talks a lot of crap. Compete period every Thursday is probably a moment every, every day, every week. Is there like a throw or, like, something that happened?

I can't believe that just happened? Just unbelievable throws. Like, bro, I'm like, can you save it to Sunday? Don't do it against us. The last thing I'll ask you, you, for every other past rusher, I would imagine this is an easy answer. Yeah. It's, if you could have a sack, you would have a sack. I want, if you could have a sack.

or like an unblocked TFL. Which would you rather have? Which feels better for you in the moment? Sacks. It's for, because for you, I think it's closer than it would be

for most traditional pass rushers, but I'm not surprised that you still landed on that. Sacks, bro, sacks, it did feel different in the league. I'm like, a lot like...

When you've got your first one? Yeah, like, get sacks to the league. You're getting a sack in the NFL, bro. Like, that's hard. I don't think people understand how hard that is. It is incredibly hard.

If you get won a game for the rest... If you get won a game for your career, you're going to the Hall of Fame as a first ballot hall family. That's it. Yeah. All right. You're here with Jif,

which I love. We're a Jiff family. But I want to ask you, how does Jif play into the Super Bowl? Man, so I ask you a question. At what party that you go to for the Super Bowl? What's probably the number one thing that's going to be there? Wings.

Absolutely. And what else comes with wings? Celery, fries. But a billion wings get eaten almost every year around the world. And the only thing that gets thrown away is the celery. So we're partnering. up with Jeff to save the celery.

And we got some peanut butter to go with it, man. So it's going to be the new best rookie edition that we got. This is just the beginning, man. I'm super excited to be partnering with them, man, and my love for peanut butter. And yeah, it's going to be fun. You guys have a monopoly on rookie additions

at this point out in Houston. So this is just another one. Well, I really appreciate the time. Thank you so much for joining us. Hopefully we just got some time. Thank you. Thanks. We are here with Lions, Defenders,

Brian Branch, and 8-Henches. Guys, I sincerely appreciate you spending the time to do this. Thanks for having us. man. Timing wise, I feel like I'd be doing a bad job if I didn't ask you about the Niners because it's so fresh.

No doubt. So when you guys were building your game plan defensively, where did it start? Like, what were the areas of focus that really popped up during that weekend?

Yeah, it felt like, yeah, it all started with Christian. You know, if you stop the run, make them a little one-dimensional because it's not really,

it's not really who they are. You know, they want to get a good balance, get some play action in there. And we did that too. We did that really well in the first half. You know,

we stopped the run. Even in the second half, It wasn't as good, but we just let the momentum get away from us. But I thought the game plan, man. It was on point, dude. It was on point. We just got to finish it. It was interesting to watch different teams handle them differently.

Because Baltimore played with some lighter boxes, and they play with a lot in nickel a lot, but the Packers went basically because you have to pick your poison a little bit. No doubt. So the fact that you guys decided, all right, as long as we take away their efficiency on early downs, we trust if we can get them into some defined passing situations, we can bring some heat. We can do some interesting stuff. And like you said, in first of us, we did a good job of that. Again, it's third down, and, you know, coming and bringing in a nickel.

It's just with San Frang, you got to do it over and over and over again. Yeah. And they're so unreal on first down, too. They average, like, seven yards of play on first down. It's like, that's what sets them up so good with their success. They had the few as third downs in the league. They had, I think that they had, like, maybe like 30 or 35 third and mediums the entire season because of how efficient they were on first down. So trying to take away those five, six-yard.

runs on first down, I think is actually a really good plan. So it makes total sense. I wanted to ask you guys something that I've been thinking about a lot this year. I think that Dan Campbell is going to be an archetype that a lot of teams start chasing at head coach. These kind of culture setters, these CEO types that set the building. Maybe they're not play callers, but they have a certain attitude that they create. When you think about what culture means in an NFL setting, what does that mean to you? Just knowing like the standard, everybody expects. you know, we have a winning mindset, and I think that's what Dan, Coach Campbell,

brought to the lines, and, you know, he pushes us every day, and, you know, he expects us to be on our P's and Q's, just like he expects itself to be on his P's and Q's, and I feel like, shoot, he loves each and every one of us, you know, he'll go to war for us, and we'll go to war for him. What would you say, just in terms of how he sets that culture day-to-day? I think it's so important just when you've got a lot of, you know, in college it's easy. Everyone's so moldable and so young, a bunch of 18-year-olds. But when you get to the league, got some older guys, people have families.

Everyone's kind of doing their own thing. So you've got to find someone who can unite all the different age groups, all different people on our team. And he does that through the grit and through facing adversity. Like he invites adversity. And I think that's what makes him so special. And that's what I love most about him is when, you know, when stuff's going down. When we have a bad game, this and that. Everyone's talking crap about us.

He's just like bringing on, dude. Let's go. And I think we as players, we soak that in. We love it. You guys defensively in the first half of the season, we're running a lot more zone coverage. It was a lot, just passive is the wrong word, but it was dialed down compared to what it was like in 2020.

I think you guys were like top five in the league and split safety coverages and the percentage you're using them, top bottom six and blitz rate. In the second half of the season, that's shifted. You guys are playing a lot more man. You're bringing a lot more heat. Did they communicate to you guys why they thought that shift was necessary? Did you have a sense of why it happened? Yeah, I was talking to AG, and I feel like he was saying he got away from himself a little bit.

He got away from himself, and his identity is blitzing. His identity is applying that pressure, being aggressive. And he feels like because of some things, maybe it was personnel or anything that was going on, And he believed that, you know, our guys are better. Yeah, like our guys are better. Let's just, let's just go challenge them. Let's just go challenge them. So, yeah.

I wanted to ask you something, why the mouth guard in the helmet? Like, I know, you say you can't breathe. I've said you can't breathe with it in, so you don't keep it in. So why keep it in the helmet then? Because I've had it like dangling right here and then, like, I'll go to make a tackle and I get up and it's on the floor. But you don't put it in. So why to keep it in the helmet?

Just don't have it at all. You know why. It's a swag thing, man. It's a Bama. Just admit it's a little. look thing. I mean, it's your Bama Greenbelt guard. Oh, no, I guess it's also a good luck thing for me.

That's okay. That is a good answer. That makes total sense. But, Aidan, the last thing I wanted to ask you, you played Jim Harbaugh, you know, you guys had unbelievable success. It's been a while since he was an NFL coach. You know, we haven't seen him in that setting in a really long time. What do you think about the guy he is right now and how that translates to resetting,

reshaping, an NFL building specifically? Yeah, I think even at my time in Michigan, he's changed a lot. changed a lot to accommodate the players, you know, even with scheduling practices, you know, when things were a little rough at the beginning. I think he dialed things down a little bit. So I feel like in time, he's definitely, he definitely accommodates and he molds a little bit, but also he comes in with what he believes, too. So you, you know, the Chargers, that camp, they're going to be rolling in August. And I think it'll be good for him, though. I think it'll be really good for him. And it's going to be a real different feel from their last head coach.

I think they're all going to love them. They're going to buy him. What's interesting, though, because I think he has a reputation is kind of a hard ass. And you guys talk about Dan and how much the fact that he expresses how he feels about you and you have that feeling in the building, that's a positive. So how do you think Jim's current mindset in the way that he is day to day aligns with an NFL that's kind of trending in a direction where there's more emotional intelligence among coaches? No doubt.

No doubt. I feel like, I mean, overall, what makes Jim so special is his passion for the game. You know, he loves football so much, and he wants everyone to just reach their potential. And I think whatever's going on off the field or how the NFL is trending, that will always be number one for him. And the players will know that, too. You guys are here with Bounty. We are a big Bounty household. I'm a Bounty believer.

Tell us about what Bounty is doing for the Super Bowl this year. Well, as we all know, you can't have football without wings and you can't have wings without Bounty. You know, we grow up knowing that slogan. And Bounty's the quicker picker upper. and I wouldn't know what I would do with them on the Super Bowl Sunday with all these wings I'm about to smash it's going to clean up a lot of miss we got a lot of just random bounty rolls around my house for that exact reason there's one in the basement because when we're down there watching stuff we need it so I totally understand it is a Super Bowl necessity hell yeah gentlemen

thank you very much for the time sincerely appreciate it good luck this week thanks you appreciate you I am thrilled to be here with the two kiles from the Baltimore ravens Kyle van noye Kyle Hamilton guys very much appreciate the time thanks for being here Thank you for having us. I appreciate it. I feel like I'd be remiss to not ask you about the Niners because you played against them this year and the Chiefs, I guess. But San Francisco specifically, I'm curious, Kyle, as you guys were building the game plan

for the Niners, what was the-Fal? Let's go this way. When you were building the game plan for the Niners, where did that start? What was the main area of focus? Because they feel like a very pickier, poison sort of team. You know, I think it started with the plan of what San Francisco's done to other teams. They've kind of bullied them in the trenches, offensively and defensively. So it started there just playing with a different type of violence,

a violence they're not used to. And then on top of that, just giving Brock Purdy different pictures. I mean, he's in his second year. So being able to trick him is not easy, but it's a little bit when you're looking at it. There's spots where you can take advantage. And we were able to look at the tape and come up with a game plan as far as the players executing it and the coach is giving us a great game plan to go execute and then it happened to be a turnover fest and we just capitalized.

I know everyone's like, all the turnovers were lucky, but they were good plays by Kyle getting, you know, chop blocked and then getting his ass up and catching the ball. I was watching that one yesterday. That is just a very chaotic play overall, every single part of it. I'm wondering when you guys are building sort of the pressure packages that you use, how much of it is checks in the moment, based on a certain motion, a certain formation.

If you get to put a percentage on, what percentage of those pressures are called versus what percentage you check into? What would you say? I'd probably say, and you can tell me if you agree on this or not, I'd probably say it's like 80, 20 called. Okay. You know, some calls are based on distribution, 3 by 1, 2 by 2, whatever may be. But for the most part, shout out to Mike Mack, who's got this young job.

It's all in his head. And it's probably more like 90-10, honestly. but he's always going to put us in the right position, you're going to make plays, and that's why our defense looks so good this year because he was at the head of it. Your role specifically, I mean, you came into this season, I think the idea was for you to play more safety, right?

Bad base compared to what you did last year. Injuries happen. Gino starts playing well. You start playing more in the slot. How does your role get built every single week? Like, what is the timeline of it? Yeah, I think it's, well, it gets introduced to me on Tuesdays. I think I know Mike and the whole D staff is up there on Monday

concocting whatever game playing with. have that week, but it does feel like sometimes when we're in the defensive meeting room, like we're having like a one-on-one meeting sometimes because they're just like, Eric, wow, you do this and then do that, do that, do that. But no, I love it. It's awesome. And if it's, if it's going to help our team, our defense get stops and I'm all for whatever position I may be playing.

What's the hardest part of juggling all of it, though? I think it's just clicking into a different mindset. You know, it's like going from left tackle to right tackle. You know, you got a whole different plate of responsibilities. so nickel may not be as vocal, but once I go back to safety, I got clicked by getting to being very vocal and talking to corners, backers, everybody. But I think it's made me a better player.

It's made me a smarter player. And I get a better understanding of all levels of the defense. You've seen a ton of defensive systems in the league. You've been around for a while. He played for a lot of different coaches. You got there three weeks into the year in Baltimore, and it seemed pretty seamless getting integrated into what they were doing. What's different about the flexibility of that system that you guys ran with Mike this year?

I think it was just, multiple and the pressure package that he's created. It's the best in the NFL. I can say that easily. It was definitely the best. I mean, the time and detailed, I mean, we spend a whole meeting on it. So just that detail of getting it all ironed out before you go executed is I haven't seen anything like it. So it's definitely the best in the business right now.

And you'll see more and more teams probably copy it. It's five or six teams now are going to run your guys' system next. It's kind of the system du jour. The flexibility, do you feel like it's language, the way it's taught? Like, why do you think you guys can be like chameleon-like between games in a way that maybe other defenses don't have a sense of how to do that? Yeah, I credit it a lot to our coaches. You know, it's crazy how it's-

I'm going to stop. You're crediting them, but you have players like this guy. So, like, I don't want that to go unnotice either. But keep going, sorry. No, yeah, I mean, he's right. Both sides play a big role in it. You got to have the guys that can execute. You also have to have the guys that can draw up the plays to be executed.

But, you know, it's the way our defense is set up. It allows everybody to make plays. And, you know, I don't think I heard one time this year about anybody complaining about the lack of plays they have in a game or something like that. But, you know, just the duality of our defense as a whole, it's kind of built through camp and then reps and reps and reps. Because it's not easy at all. We'll be, like you said, kind of camillians.

one week we'll play our quarter's coverage this way and next week we'll change it completely. So, you know, Wednesday practice might be a little rough. There might be some F-Boms on Wednesday practice, but Thursday comes around and gets a little better. Friday getting good and then Saturday we're locked in. I had a chief's coach tell me that the almost sack that you had in the AFC championship game is the first time Mahomes got fooled by a pressure and didn't identify it correctly in two months. Yeah, that was, I mean, that was also game plan, though. Like, it's something we talked about.

Yeah. It's actually pretty easy. There's keys. we won't go over those. I'm wondering what, did you have a favorite blitz or pressure look this year that they allowed you to kind of be unleashed on? Yeah, I think I really honed in on my disguises because I feel like when I'm at nickel, I'm kind of the read because I would blitz so much off the edge, you know, get TFLs or sacks

and stuff like that. And, you know, after any Annapolis game, I was talking to guys that we played after that, they were like, we would check. As soon as we see nickel pressure when you're in nickel, we would check away from it. So that was good for me to hear because I disguise it when I'm looking at the TV copies of whatever teams that were playing, I'm seeing their cadences and stuff like that. And picking up quarterback tendencies and when they're about the fake snap the ball or dummy count or whatever, maybe holding my shell.

And I think that's what messed up my homes. You know, he gave us his dummy. And then I held my water and then came on a snap. And shout out to other guys, obviously, the way that Mike sets up the pressures, you know, we're showing on this side. So you're checking over here and then we have some come from another way or we may bring it from over there. It's just, it sounds like chaos, like as I'm talking about it right now.

It feels like chaos, but it's control. Like it's hard for them, but easy for you guys. I think that's what really sets it apart. But after he was saying giving credit to the coaches, but you just heard his explanation, right? Like he's 22 already doing this. I've been so I'll tell everybody he's the most impressive second year guy I've probably played with in my career. But what separates him is he is the guy in the back that handles all those things. You're able to do crazy things because you have a guy like him who,

who can play in the slot, play deep, play half, play quarters, take out a receiver, take out a tight end. And blitz. Like, you have another guy like Marlowe. I wish he was more healthy this year because that could have been another dynamic they could have put in with him, who's in the slot, who's blitz and different things like that. But having players like him, having players like Roquan and PQ, able to do multiple different things. I mean, that just is the reason why the playbook can get wider and wider and wider.

you have very, very smart players on the field, very athletic, very talented. The defense is an expression of the talent. It is an expression of the person now. For sure. I think that's what makes it beautiful. You guys are here with Bounty. Let me know what Bounty is doing for the Super Bowl this year and kind of what they want us to know. I mean, you know, you got the slogan, right?

Slogan down is you don't have football without wings, right? Yep. And then without wings, you can't have Bounty without that, you know what I mean? Fact, no, he's right. you know, Bounty's kind of keeping track of the amount of wings eaten by each city, and there's kind of a competition going up until the Super Bowl, and we just had some disappointing numbers seeing where Baltimore was out on that list. Oh, man, you got to get those up.

Right behind a city in western Pennsylvania that we don't really like. Come on, man. But, you know, there's still time left, and I feel like we're going to make a push. Sounds great, guys. Really appreciate the time. Thanks for having been here. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you. All right, guys, that's all we got. Thank you so much to Will Anderson. Thank you to Kyle Hamilton, Kyle Van Nuoy. Aiden Hutchinson, Brian Branch, had a phenomenal time down there on Radio Row in Las Vegas during Super Bowl Week. Love these conversations. Hope you guys enjoyed them as well. Just a quick reminder, Football GM will be coming your way tomorrow on Saturday.

And we will be back, me and Nate, chatting about our biggest off-season questions on Monday before I head out for a few days. We pick things back up when we get to the combine. For now, that's all we got. Appreciate you guys listening. We'll talk to you soon. This was the Athletic Football Show. Thank you.