The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Andrew Whitworth on Retirement, McVay Impact, Goff/Stafford Transition, SB run

Episode Date: July 19, 2022

John is joined by former Rams All-Pro Tackle, Super Bowl champion and Walter Payton Man of the Year winner Andrew Whitworth to discuss if he's ruling out a comeback, how much the NFL has changed during his career, how he changed his approach as the league changed, what separates Sean McVay from other coaches, how he handled the transition from close friend Jared Goff to Matthew Stafford, how it all came together during the Rams Super Bowl run, and what it meant to be named Man of the Year. Subscribe NOW and follow Middlekauff and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content. It's always  FanDuel for the best wagering action! #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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but I would imagine the coolest thing to be called is the Walter Payton man of the year. Andrew Whitworth, how you doing, Bigfella? I'm doing great, man. I appreciate you having me on. It's good to be here. Well, Tom Brady lasted about, you know, less than 40 days in retirement.

You're going on a little bit longer in that. Are you going to hold strong, or are we going to see it jump back into the boat for old McVeigh? I'm holding strong. You know, I just now kind of got back. I took a pretty good little break after I retired, just playing golf and hanging out. And I've started getting back in the weight room and feeling pretty good.

And, you know, all those little feelings start creeping in. But I'm like, you know what? No chance. I'm done. So I'm holding strong. We're just going to get to working out, getting in shape. And, you know, try and stay away from the football field for now. Yeah, I follow you on.

And so I see, you know, you're up routine people, you know, football guys. You know, so it just you keep it. But there has to be some moments where you're like, you know, I might be 40, but I still got it. Yeah. I mean, you know, the O line still comes up. over and trains with me here at my place. And so it's fun to kind of be with those guys and see what they're up to. And, you know, I'm not going to lie.

It's fun. Some days you get in there with them, you get to getting after it and you just kind of get that feeling of what it was like being in the locker room and being around the guys and grinding towards a goal. And so it's definitely a special environment. I don't think that really changes, whether you're playing or not. Once you've experienced it, you'll always miss that a little bit. But it's fun to see them kind of in that mode of taking the next step.

You know, Joseph's Note Booms, one of those guys. and he's going to replace me there with the Rams. And he's here all the time at my place training. And it's fun to watch him grind. And he's chasing his dream and what he's looking forward to doing. And I couldn't be happier to support him and can't wait to watch him do his thing. Well, what's crazy is, you know, we've seen now quarterbacks, obviously kickers and punters over the years. I mean, it became a pretty big story.

A guy in the trenches, I think you turned 40 in December. And you obviously played that month. And then the playoff run, I mean, that's a pretty big. incredible accomplishment to play left tackle. It's one thing to kick or pun or, you know, Tom's not getting hit anymore. But you, I mean, every week, it's Nick Bosa, it's JPP, it's Chandler Jones, it's whoever.

It's a little different ball game in there. Yeah, it is. It's wild. You know, I was recently playing in a golf tournament with Derek Carr, and we were having this conversation. He was like, man, you know what? Now the way the game is, like, you know, I don't hardly get touched.

It's like, and when you do, it's like they have to gently put you on their ground. It's like, you know, the game is completely changed from when he was young player and got in a league. And, you know, I think he came in right when it started to kind of change things of how you get quarterbacks in the pocket. And so we had that conversation. He's like, man, I feel like I could play till, you know, as long as my arm holds up till my, you know, early 40s, just because there's not as much contact. But yeah, at our position, you don't get to shy away from that at any moment. And so there's a lot of people that went into it. A lot of people that are

part of my journey to help me to get there. And that's really probably the coolest part. Playing at that age, really learning how to be tough enough, the endurance, the endurance, the consistency it took to really continually to change my body, work on my body, and prep it, the prep it took week in and week out to be really good and hold a certain standard of play. You know, you don't want to be out there just, oh, man, it's cool this old guys out here playing. You want to be playing to a certain standard. And I think being able to end my career, playing at a really high level, and being an elite pass protector still at the left tackle position was something that was really special to me. And another reason why I felt

like it was a good time to walk away. You know, one theory I've had is the game's changed a lot. And you, you know, Brady, some of the older guys have experienced the transition. But the difference is in the trenches, right, the O line and D line, it's still really physical, right? It's just the wide receivers going over the middle. The quarterback's not touching them, tackling. You know, you got to be careful. But the line of scrimmage, I mean, hasn't really changed, right?

It's not like it's softer in there. You can still get after it. It's why you continue to see O linemen and D linemen get drafted and get compensated, you know, right behind the quarterbacks because it's an important place. And bodies are still, you know, you talk to Derek Carr. You know, I was a GA when he came into Fresno State and his brother, you know, Fresno is a really big deal. He's the number one overall pick, smaller school. Got the living crap kicked out of them. And you really don't see that many quarterback.

Maybe they flame out because they're not accurate enough now. But it's not like they can't move. I mean, he was getting killed. This is a different world now. It really is. I mean, you look at it, their hits are way down. And so it's a much different league. I mean, I was, you know, recently having this conversation of what it was like in 2006,

entering the NFL to the game you play today. It's just, it's not even close. I mean, I can remember in 06, it's like you knew the plays where we might get in the shotgun. And now it's like every play might be in the shotgun. And it's wild that almost everything was under center, a lot of eye formation, a lot of two-back stuff back in the day. And then now the game is so different. Even the teams that do play under center don't play anything in the vicinity of the structure and really the things that you used to do back in the game, you know, 15, 16 years ago. So it's, it's changed a lot, the

schematically and the physicality. And I think really now you're seeing more of an emphasis of, you know, can guys pass protect? Because early in the NFL, probably when I first got in, you know, you needed to be able to move people at the line of scrimmage and run block really well to have any chance of being on the team. And then they'd figure out how to teach you pass protection. And I think now you look at it, if you can't protect the quarterback at some point, it usually comes back to haunch in an NFL season. I remember my first year is like a scouting intern in 2010, multiple guys, Austin Colley and Deshawn Jackson on hits got carted off the field. And they were their hits in 2010 didn't look that much different than like 1978. I mean,

absolutely killed. I mean, when they got hit, they were a lot. lucky to be, it felt like, is this guy alive? And it was serious. You know, everyone in the stadium, your heart drops. I don't remember that really happening much lately, you know, and you were a part of that division that was physical as hell in the North. I think it all the time. It's like people look at me crazy when I talked to him about James Harrison and they just don't even understand how physical level football player this guy was. Like, he wasn't dragging people to the ground. Like, when he hit people, it was an explosion. I mean, it was like a car wreck. Every time he hit people. And you watched his style of play and the tenacity and the power he played with.

Like, there's just not many guys in the game that play like that anymore. I mean, you have more rushers who lean more to athletic twitchiness, those kind of things, the ability to be mobile and get in and out of pass rush moves than really true power guys. And James is one of those guys that had nothing but power, but also had some twitch and ability to bend and those kind of things. And it was, it was really rare to block them. And I think that's why I've always felt really comfortable, you know, as I got older in the league with pass pro because I really felt like the most power I was going to feel. I kind of got to experience at a young age. And I knew after playing Terrell Suggs and James Harrison in their prime twice a year, I was pretty confident

in there in pass protection that I could hold up against some of the best. I would imagine early on your career, definitely at LSU with Sabin and then early on with the Bengals lifted heavy, being strong. It's a big part of football. As you got older, you know, the the buzzword, the pliability, stretching, did everything change to maintain and sustain playing against all these dudes that are 23 that can bend the edge like Bosa or Von Miller or whatever? Yeah, I mean, you look at it. I think every player has like a trade or a couple traits that kind of set them apart and make them pretty special and give them really the ability, not only to be special, but to really maintain a level of success in the NFL. And I think for me, looking back on it,

You know, one of those things was I came up in a really amazing strength program in high school at Westmanor High School in Louisiana. We were really successful. We won three state championships when I was there. We're 58 and two. And a lot of it had to do with our program more than just the players. And our strength coach Casey Sanders was amazing. So I started lifting and doing things like that when I was 13, 14 years old and had a great baseline, as I call it, a foundational strength line. And then went to LSU under Tommy Moffat and the Gail Hatch, Olympic lifting. you know, really getting powerful and strong. And so when I got in the NFL, if anything, I was actually a little more wound to too strong and a little tight.

But I was built as a basketball player. I grew up playing hoops and tennis and soccer and baseball. Like I played all the sports. And so I was actually built more like my athleticism was more as an athlete, but I grew up lifting really hard and playing nothing but football. So in high school and college. So I actually, when I got in the NFL, I went the other direction. Whereas most guys have to lift all the time to keep their strength up.

I was able to really kind of slow down the lifting and start working on moving better and running better and getting more lean and kind of getting more athletic throughout my career. You know, there was quite a time there where probably almost lost three, four, five pounds every season for a pretty, almost like a 10 year stretch to where I was like, hey, the leaner I get, the better I'm feeling, the more mobile I am. And it's funny. If you look at film at me at 37 years old compared to 24, 23 when I got in the NFL, it's a night and day different player. I mean, the way I moved everything. It's almost like I was a better athlete at 37 than I was at 23. It's funny is, you know, a couple California bald guys now.

And when you came out, I vividly remember I'm similar age to Sean. I remember he got hired. And I just thought, like, it's going to be very, very difficult for this young guy, you know, at 31, 32 to be a head coach in the NFL, obviously completely wrong. But the picture, like, you were part of the first class, right? And, you know, you were older than him when you signed. Do you remember that in the pitch?

Obviously in football, guaranteed money, it's a little bit different. But you signed up coming from Marvin Lewis. You guys had a ton of success in Cincinnati for a long time. And then coming to just a young, hot shot head coach. But at the time, Sean McVeigh was not Sean McVeigh in 2017. just your thought the first time you met them and just that kind of early on process before you guys even play games.

Well, I think Sean just is infectious energy and passion for the game and just how much he loves it is it jumps out at you so fast. I always tell people, you know, really, really special coaches, leaders, really doesn't matter what profession we're talking about. You know, you can spend five to ten minutes with them

and walk away and go, wow, I can see why that person is good at what they do. And Sean's note, he's definitely one of the, those people. If anything, he's the epitome of it. And it's my first time meeting him as like, yeah, this guy's really young. But I had actually met him years ago when Jay Gruden was our offensive coordinator. And obviously, he had a relationship with Jay and John. And he was through his family. And so he was actually interviewing with Jay to possibly come work with us in Cincinnati. And so I met him at the NFL Combine in like 2012 or 13. And so we had kind of had a baseline of meeting

and knowing each other and having an appreciation of each other because Jay and I and his wife and my wife and kind of spent a lot of time to get in Cincinnati. So I knew of Sean pretty well and a lot about him through Jay. And so I kind of had a base on who he was as a person. But spending some time with him that first week, I was amazed, really, at just his focus level, his concentration level, the intensity, the passion. As I've always said, he didn't really answer it or answer to it or enjoyed as much as maybe I wanted to convey it to him.

But the first time we hung around, I told him, I thought, he was the first person that really reminded me of Nick Saban. And he was like, no, I'm not like Nick, you know, like he was 30 years old, you know, felt like he was cool and a lot of fun to be around and just the persona Nick has being kind of tough and all this stuff. He's like, I'm nothing like Nick Saban. And I was like, no, no, no, you don't understand what I'm saying. What's special about Nick?

It's not his style. I think every coach has their own style. It's the intensity that every single day, regardless of adversity, regardless of a good day, bad day, what's going to be? on throughout the day, who he is is consistent to a level that's so rare because the rarest elite performers are that way. Their consistency level is higher than everyone else's. And you always get the best version of Nick Saban. And with Sean, I realized after a couple months of being around him, this dude's going to be really different because his consistency level of his messaging,

who he is, what's important to him, never waivers, never changes. And he's always willing to admit when he's at fault. And to me, you're just a rare, rare, rare leader when you're able to do that. And so as an NFL head coach, he's going to have a lot of success. The baseball season is here. This baseball season turn K's into cash and big hits into big wins with Fandual Sportsbook. Right now, new customers can step up to the plate with no sweat first bet up to $1,000. Just sign up, place your first bet, and Fandul will give you up to $1,000 back in free bets if you don't win. Here's what I like.

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It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered, conversation. with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. You see a lot of differences in the Sean that just coach you guys in the Super Bowl five years into the guy that you were around maybe that first year. I mean, you guys had a really good year. You won the division and made the playoffs. But not necessarily from a schematic standpoint, everyone adapts and changes and progresses. but as a person, because it feels like he's been pretty consistent as a guy.

Yeah, it's, yeah, I think that, you know, I think people can sometimes mistake consistency is like you don't make faults, that you don't have fault. And I think he's not only consistent, but every little fault he does have that maybe people pick up on or maybe they don't really know whether that was his decision or whether that was a part of the game or something that kind of he had a hand in. He's always evaluating those things.

One of the most impressive things I always tell people, just to know who Sean McVey is. After the first three or four months, I was with him with the Rams. We're out here at our facility. I'm coming in a lot of times. I'm trying to get to notes, a lot of the people in the building.

And he's kind of giving me a free play. Hey, man, I would love to talk ball with you at any time while you're here in the off seasons, you know, and get a feel for things, whether it be culture and leadership and me in front of the room. Like, all right, great. And so we started meeting. And I go in one afternoon,

probably two weeks into OTAs. And he's sitting in his office at three o'clock in the afternoon. everybody's long gone, and he's watching film of himself speaking to us as a team. So he is literally videoed all our team meetings, and he is evaluating and grading himself on his ability to communicate his message on what was correct or incorrect about something you may or may not have said. And I thought that was so rare that this guy's humble enough to be like, I'm not going to just say everything I say is great or think that everything I do was wonderful. I'm going to evaluate myself and how I speak and whether my messaging, if I was sitting in that room, would I listen to this guy? And to have that kind of awareness to realize how important every time he stood in front of his men, because what a rare opportunity that is an NFL head coach. You better treasure it. Because those moments are where you're going to spread your message. Those moments are whether you're going to get guys to be, I'm going to play my butt off for this guy or, you know what? I don't know if I buy into this guy. And those are going to be the moments that are going to decide the success level of your team. Because,

guys are going to buy in or not. And for him to realize how important it was for him to evaluate every opportunity he had to sit in front of his team and talk, I thought that was so rare and special for a guy that young to be taking that position. Does he get angry a lot? Oh, yeah. He, uh, as I call him the angry sharks, he'll get the angry, angry sharks going. Uh, I think that's, uh, it's fun to watch.

But it's, it's more, it's a practice environment. I think he loves the feeling of applying more pressure than he thinks he'll feel on a game day in practice. He wants to feel like every single moment in practice is perfect and that he can make it perfect and we can do it perfect. And even though he knows it won't be, he wants to apply a pressure to feel like it has to be. And I think that makes it to where when you get on the field in a game,

you almost are able to play with a calm and an enjoyment and just love what you do and put a smile on your face and just go, you know, excel and be great and realize that you've already put out the most pressure you can put on yourself throughout the week. And now you just get to go out and execute. And I think that that's how he sees practicing and preparing in the NFL

is really creating those opportunities where there's a lot of pressure in practice so that there's less pressure in those games. One thing I give him credit, he's openly talked about handling the situation that transitioned last year with the quarterback of Jared. And I know I'm a Northern California guy

and follow Jared very closely. And I know that he became close family friends with you, you know, hanging out with your kids and the way that just kind of in the media, the league before the stafford thing became official, it just kind of got weird. Was that an uncomfortable situation for you, team leader, knowing the guys personally, just the way it was all kind of shaking out? Yeah, it really was. It was a tough situation for my wife and I, just because we'd become close with Jared and his family and friends. And so in the NFL, it's always tough. As I tell guys,

it's, it's, you know, people forget, like, you look at rosters. Yeah, your main guys may stay. your guys are under contract, but there's always so much change within the roster and the group. Year in and year out, you can almost guarantee that you won't be looking at the same faces, whether that be coaches sometimes and definitely within your 53-man roster. And so you develop these really close relationships and the harshness of life happens, right? I mean, a guy gets cut or he gets injured and he can't play anymore or trades, or he decides that his best financial situation or best situation for him and his family is somewhere else. And you're always going through that.

But something like this where you'd come here and really a young guy like Jared, you're watching him blossom and start to try to become an elite NFL quarterback and what that takes to be a part of his life and appreciate the human. And then for this to happen and you're like, man, I also love Matthew Stafford, what a dog this guy is, what an unbelievable football player. It's exciting to get to play with him and to be a part of a team that he's going to be on because I've always had a ton of respect for him. It's just kind of a, you know, it's a big nod of emotions, right?

I mean, you're excited on one hand. You feel really bad for Jared in the situation, just mainly not really because I think it's a bad situation for him, but just because it's tough. Anytime you feel rejection, anytime you feel like, all right, they chose somebody else other than me. I don't care what we're doing in life. For sure.

You can be playing pickleball. You don't pick me on your team. Yeah, I'm pissed, right? I know. So it's one of those things that you just, you get upset. And so I, you know, I can understand his feelings. And then for Sean, I mean, what a tough situation that was. But I also think that's what makes him a rare thing.

is that he made a top decision. He admits he feels like he could have played through it better and done it better and been a better leader through it, communicating better. Because, you know what, it's also people forget. He's 30-something-year-old head coach. Like, it's the first time he's been through that situation, right? So he's learning on the go himself. And I think to admit your faults and say, hey, you know what?

There's ways I could have been better. And I think everybody kind of now can look back at it and realize there's parts in it, you wish you were better. And I think that that's what, makes it special. And I also think it's one of those things 10 years from now, you'll look back and go, you know what, I'm, I can be, I can hold my head high and I can be proud of how this whole situation was handled because at least we all went about it, approached it, apologized, handled it the best way we possibly could in the moment and owned it. And I think that that really

makes you proud of the way you do things at the end of the day. I think it's easy to say now, obviously you guys won the Super Bowl. But at the time when the Stafford Trade happened, you know, the 49ers, the top teams. wanted them. But coming from Detroit hadn't had that much success. You guys are just coming off. You just won a playoff game. You'd been to the playoffs basically every year except the one. And the one year you went nine and seven. You guys have been winning consistently. And then there were some bumps in the road. I'm sure you guys knew each other, SEC guys, Pro Bowls or whatever. But being around them, spending time with them, game planning with

them, grinding with them. What did you learn about Matt throughout the season that maybe you didn't know just from afar or being casual friends with him? Well, first, you can't call him Matt. That's the first thing I learned. Matthew? Matthew. That's a sensitive subject. Okay?

So, you know, I learned that lesson first. Okay, I called him Matt a couple times. And I got corrected. Is he dead serious on that? He likes Matthew. Okay. He likes Matthew. But, hey, I get it.

You know, so people call me Andy sometimes. And I'm a little testy. So, you know, I can understand it. But, no, I, you know, honestly, being around him, I think from a fall. you always saw this guy's tough as nail. I mean, this guy's as tough to get at the quarterback position. He loves the moment. Like, he loved, like, down, you know, trying to figure out a way to help the Lions win.

He almost like, you know, gets fired up and just loves that moment. And I think that's really kind of the things you knew about him. And obviously, he's got tons of talent and armed talent and all these things. But because of really what was around him, you didn't know really all the other things. How does he handle the moments, the pressure, being in big games? You know, because you really think of it. about how many times has he played in a game up until he got here where it's like week in and week out, I'm in a situation where I got to perform with the best. And we're not,

we're not trying to win. We're expected to win. And that was a new thing for him, right? And so seeing him in those moments, man, he excelled and it was special. And it was really cool to see him battle through that and really earn that respect from, from his teammates. And man, what a leader he is. he's going to be really successful for a long time watching him handled the way he has. They're going to have some success. For sure. Let's start with the Super Bowl run. Let's just go right to Week 18.

I was there. I remember walking into the building. First and foremost, you're probably numb to it. That place is just remarkable. I mean, I've never experienced. I mean, Jerry's Palace is cool.

I think that place is just newer. It's crazy. I mean, that place is walking into that building that day, it was like, this thing's a playoff game. You guys were already in, but the Niners had to win to get in.

And then right before the game, it's announced, Trent Williams is out. It's like, oh, my God. Then you guys just start smashing them. I mean, it could have been 30 to nothing at half. I think it was 17 to 3. Maybe it was 20 to 3, but it felt 50 to nothing, you know? And then the second half, just that game, that half, and then you guys lose. But the Cardinals lose and you win the division, it was just a bizarre environment.

What was that whole experience, the second half? being division champs, the whole thing. What was that like? Well, you know, it was crazy because the emotion of that game was wild. I'll never forget. And, you know, it was one of those things that felt like a Niners home game. I mean, it was unbelievable. The crowd support they got for that game, there was so much emotion in it.

I thought it was really cool. And then to go up big in the game and have all the emotional emotions of that. And then for the game to flip in the second half and then go to overtime and you've come out on the losing end, but then you still win your division, And there's so many highs and lows in that. It's crazy. But you put it, you put on a hat in the locker room or no? No, I don't remember doing that.

I think we just kind of, you know, let's move on to the playoffs. And I think that what was cool about that is I think when we first got here with Sean McVeigh, it was how cool the moment was to put on the hat and just win a division and be really happy about that. They hadn't had success. But to be sitting in that locker room, we're going to the playoffs. We still have a home game in the playoffs. We won the division, and the only thing anybody is is pissed off and angry and upset. You really could tell what the competitive greatness level was of that football team.

There was no satisfying feeling from anyone. And I also thought one of the neatest things about it is when you really think a culture and what does culture mean? And what do you mean when you say a team has a great culture and a great, really, locker room environment? I thought one of the coolest things that came from that is during that week, our conversations, We're not about, man, how can we figure out a way to beat the Niners? Or, man, they're not that good. They keep getting lucky. You know, or, man, they just got all the brace because that's usually the topic when you're a team trying to clean yourself from losing, right?

Lost six times in quote. Oh, there's all of these things that always work out in their favor. That was the first time I'd been in that room with all those guys. And all the communication was, man, the San Francisco 49ers, they're unbelievable. Man, those guys are so good. They're a great football team. They're one of the best teams we've played this year. They're one of the best teams we've played in the last couple of years.

Like what an elite football team they are. There was a level of culture where it was like, hey, guys, it's okay for all of us to just admit they're a damn good football team. And we're going to have to play our absolute best for all four quarters if we want to beat this football team. There was no excuses. There was no, man, they get lucky or we've been injured when they've done this or any of that kind of stuff. It was literally, hey, that team is really special. And I think that's really what came to a head when we played them in the NFC championship is that we walked into a team. I had this conversation with Robbie Gold a couple weeks ago.

He was like, man, that was the chippiest, just nastiest I'd ever seen y'all's team. On the putting green? Is that what you guys talked? The putting green in the NFC championship. He's like, from all the years we played y'all, it was always cordial and kind of cool and stuff. But like, that was the chippiest I've ever seen y'all's team. And I was like, dude, I think it really took our team finally admitted, like, stop making excuses. is like this team's really freaking good

and puts them respect on their name and you're going to have to play your best for all four quarters and no matter whether they're up, we're up, you're going to have to find a way to find the best you got to win this football game and we were able to find a way to do it in the NFC championship. Yeah, I want to rewind because obviously you lose that game,

you go on, you throttle the Cardinals on Monday night, which first Monday night football game, I think in the history of the playoffs, which was pretty cool. And then the next week, you're injured and you're playing Tom Brady and Tampa, up, enormous game. I'm sure retirement had probably, it was kind of already out there, you know, 40 years old. What was your thought like, I can't even play this, we're playing Tampa?

I mean, in Tampa, was that a tough situation for you personally? I was an absolute basket case that week sitting here at the house because I'd had a procedure done that Saturday to kind of drain my knee and my ankle because I actually managed to get both of them and when I got rolled up in Arizona game. And so, I mean, I think I told Sean, I spent maybe half the morning. flaws it in the fetal position, like just watching the game. I mean, it's like kind of peeking my head out, like, what's the score now? Like, you know, because I just had to have us win because I wanted that opportunity to play in the NFC championship. And, you know, but here's the reality.

I knew Joseph No Boom, the player he is and really what he'd done for us is about in years past. He was going to play well enough for us to win, no question. And he definitely did that. And I think that's why they feel good about him going forward and no doubt they should. So I definitely wasn't worried about that part of it as much as I knew I would be healthy enough to play the next week. We could tape it up, put it in a brace of some kind, and we'd be good to go. But I just needed that time for it to get some of this fluid out of my knee and ankle, and I'd be ready to roll. So I'm not going to lie to you. It was hard to watch any of the last half of that game, but, man, what an unbelievable performance. And back to what we said about Stafford, I think one of the

coolest thing. He was awesome. He was awesome. But I think if you really look at the playoffs, I think throughout the NFL regular season, Matthew Stafford figured out how to lead a winning football team, like an expectation team. Hey, people expect you to win. You're going to get people's best effort now instead of being in Detroit. And it's like, hey,

we could figure out a way to win this game no matter what. We just got to keep Stafford from hurting us. Now you're in a situation where it's like everyone's out to get you. How do you not lose the game? And I think he figured out how to do that. But if you really look at the NFL playoffs, to me, Detroit Stafford came back out. Like he fought like a,

guy who had his back against the wall and it was two minutes to go in every football game. How can Matthew Stafford find a way to wield this, what team to a win? And I thought that that's the stat. Like he went back and leaned on what he developed in Detroit that made him a tough SOB to where people were like, man, this dude is bad to the bone. And they're always in the game because of him. He went back to that to me and his emotions and fought that way. Like, hey, I've got this opportunity.

You know, I am not letting it go. And I thought it was really special the way he was at a perform throughout that entire playoffs. And really the leader he was and the fire and passion he had was pretty rare. Well, obviously, you guys get the monkey off your back, six straight, you know, losses to the Niners. McVeigh takes down Shanahan. You guys win that game. There was a moment. You were probably on the field, but I was watching, you know, I was kind of ruined for the Niners.

And when Aaron Donald goes nuts on the sideline watching with a buddy, I'm like, oh, no, this is not good. And then you guys end up winning that game. And then you realize you're in the Super Bowl. life kind of comes full circle. You're playing the Bengals. I mean, I know you're all for two weeks, your folks on the game, but that had to be sitting with your wife, your fan. Like, that's pretty wild how that played out, is it not?

It's crazy. It's an unbelievable scenario. I mean, we've talked about it a million times with so many different people. I mean, it's literally a movie script. I mean, to think that for 11 years, you're a part of an organization that you helped win a lot of football games and vision championships and all these things that couldn't get over the hump of winning a playoff game. and then to come here and to play in a Super Bowl to win a bunch of division championships

and now be back in the Super Bowl and what is you've already decided months ago is going to be your last NFL football game. And for it to be against that team that got over the hump and they're in the Super Bowl and you have so much pride and joy for them. I told people it's like either scenario, I walked away with an appreciation for my career in the game because I would have been really happy for Cincinnati and the city and what that place meant to me and my family. But one way I ended it where it was.

about my legacy and those kind of things. And so obviously it's the one I wanted was the Rams to win. But I was just so happy those two weeks and proud just to be a part of those two organizations that I believed in. And it was really, really cool experience to just be a part of something like that. It's literally, you know, you had to have somebody draw it up for you to think that you'd ever end in a scenario where your walkoff is against your former team that you have your heart and soul in and with a team that you've poured your heart and soul in,

with in LA with the Rams, really special for me. I mean, from a professional standpoint, becoming the man of the year, the speech, I wanted to ask you about, you know, the one moment with the player from the Detroit Lions who spoke to you. I think that's really cool. But just that whole just experience, like it doesn't, and then you end up winning the Super Bowl. I mean, it's to go out on top. I mean, literally on top. It just, that had to just sometimes you have to look back and like, this is really my life?

Yeah, Walter Payton Man the Year on Thursday and a Super Bowl championship on Sunday. It was a decent four days. You know, I mean, you can't have a run, why not? But yeah, it was, the whole experience was unbelievable and cool for me. I mean, as an O-Lyman, you know, I called the QB life, but, you know, as O-Liman, we don't really get to experience much of the NFL life of some of the things, you know, these high-profile skilled players and defensive players and quarterbacks get to do and get invited to. But as an O-Lyman to end your career and kind of feel like you're one of those guys

and feel like you're somebody that people are recognizing and acknowledged for your greatness and things you've done throughout your life and career. It was a really special way to go and something I'll never forget and I'll always be humbled by. Can you retell the story that you said at the man of the year about was the player on the Detroit Lions

who came up to you after the game? Yeah, a young guy, you know, throughout the game had just been kind of looking at me and staring at me through the game. And I knew he had something to say because you can kind of tell on TV timeouts if there's somebody you know or whatever, we'll wrap or just kind of talk or give a hug or something. And so I could tell he was too nervous to say something, but he kept making eye contact like he was either trying to figure out how old I was or what I was doing out there,

why somebody that looked like they were a coach was out there. But after the game, you know, he beeline for me. And I was like, man, trying to figure out who he was or how I might know him. And he ends up telling me that, you know, his name's Derek Barnes and that I wouldn't remember him. and that when he was a real little kid, he was probably somewhere between six and ten years old during that time frame. You know, him and I used to throw the football

at a Boys and Girls Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, that I spent my Tuesdays at when I was a young player. This is probably my rookie second, third, fourth year. And he actually ends up later on, having some pictures of it that I saw. But yeah, so he tells me that, just tells me thank you, and that he wanted to tell me that he had made it

and he made it to the NFL. And I can remember literally getting back in the locker room in being like, what did I say back to him? Because I don't even, I was so, like, caught off guard and kind of humbled by it that I was like, an emotional that I was kind of like, I don't even remember what I told him told him back. And I went to our PR person. I was like, can you find a way to get a hold of him? Like, I need to talk to him again. Because I, it was so like, whoa, wait a minute, you know, how weird or just crazy that that would even happen. I mean, the percentages of that

happening are out of this world. And, you know, to have that happen in the same year that all these things went down. Like I said, it's a movie script. It's crazy. Like to have your career kind of go full circle and your last year, a lot of these things happened, I thought was so special. And it was another part of that story of playing Cincinnati and in the Super Bowl and in the city of Cincinnati, what it meant to me and being a part of that community and all the things I got to do there. It was crazy that all that kind of came to a full circle and ahead right there in this last year that I'd kind of pick to be the last season of my career. Now that you've got some free time on your hands, can you get your handicap as low as Kyle Williams,

or is he going to be too tough to catch? He's pretty good. He's been playing golf for a really long time, but you know what? I'm going to do my best. It won't be lack of effort. Let's put it that way. You get Sam Burns to kill, but it won't be lack of effort. Get Sam Burns, give you some lessons, and we can get you in the low 70s. We'll go. We'll do it. Well, enjoy it. What's on tap? Daddy Daycare picking up, drop, drop. and off. Oh, yeah. We got a little bit of everything today, you know, grab some breakfast, hang out. It's summertime. So we're just, we're rolling. Well, Big Witt, you went out on top. Congratulations on just a, you know, unprecedented career. I don't know when the next time we'll

see an offensive line is starting at 40 years old. Enjoy the California lifestyle. Enjoy the golf course. Enjoy the family. And thanks for coming on, man. I really appreciate this. I appreciate you, man. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it. Volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

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