The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Kyler Contract Reaction + Cam Heyward on Steelers QB Battle, Tomlin Culture

Episode Date: July 22, 2022

John reacts to Richard Sherman joining The Volume, Kyler Murray signing a gigantic 5-year, $230 million extension, and why he would have waited until after the season to do the deal. Then, Steelers All-Pro Defensive Tackle - and host of the Not Just Football podcast - Cam Heyward joins John to discuss his offseason, how he’s approaching his younger brother Connor being drafted to Pittsburgh, his relationship as a mentor and teammate with budding superstar RB Najee Harris, what it’s like not having Big Ben at QB, his take on the battle between Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, how the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade showed the Steelers winning culture, why he respects how TJ Watt handled his contract “hold-in”, why he admires Mike Tomlin as a coach and a person, his take on the Ravens rivalry, the inside story between the infamous 2015 Wild Card war with the Bengals, and what it would mean to win a Super Bowl. 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.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple 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 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's 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. 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. The volume. The three-in-out podcast with me, John Middilcough, is presented by Fandul's Sportsbook. There's no better place to make every moment more than with Fanduel. Great odds and markets for baseball, the NBA, NHL, PGA, Tours, and so much more. Awesome new and existing user promotions. America's number one sportsbook. Very easy to use.

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I had a podcast already ready for you, and you'll still hear. All of it. I talk with Cam Hayward, Pittsburgh Steeler, Pro Bowler, All-Pro, and just incredible human being. I had, obviously, if you listen to Andrew Whitworth, who's the reigning man of the year, I would put Cam Hayward in that category. I mean, he's been up for the award with the Steelers. I think he'll eventually win. When I think high-level NFL guys, you know, non-quarterbacks, the Whitworths, the Callais Campbell's, guys that have won that award, he's that, he's an impressive dude. He really is. I'm a huge fan. Not that I wasn't before, but I'm going to follow. You Pittsburgh Steelers fans know how lucky you've been to have the guy, complete stud.

But there was some breaking news, so I wanted to get a couple takes out before we dive into the interview. Subscribe to do the podcast. Three and out. Fire that. If you listen through Collins' feed, subscribe separately to my feed, the three and out podcast would greatly appreciate it. Share it with your friends. Share it with your enemies. Check out the volume on YouTube.

anything else going on? Obviously, Middlecoff mailback at John Middilkoff. I want you to slide into the DMs and get your question answered, Middlecoff mailback. Football season, we're here. The Raiders are on the field, all the teams.

By the next time you hear me, the next podcast will probably be on Tuesday. And then we'll kind of get back into the flow of things with football. Still sprinkling some golf. We got Liv. You know, Greg Norman. He's ruffled some feathers.

Don't sleep on the shark. Florio's like, what if the Saudis take on the NFL? It ain't happening, buddy. It's a little more expensive to take on, not that they don't have the money, but it's not possible. Everyone's getting rich in the league. Including Florio, it covers the league.

The NFL is a cash cow. Golf was there and right for the taking. So yeah, before I get into Russell, not Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, I wanted to say something to just, you know, I think about it a lot and I think it's so cool the way it's all played out that I get to be partners and work with the volume and for the volume and have this podcast. And for those of you that hadn't heard, I had this podcast. Colin Coward texted me, I think in 2018 with the idea of doing a podcast before he even had a network.

And I started the three and out podcast in 18 and 19 before the volume ever existed. And when I think great, and I'm saying this because the volume now has Richard Sherman. obviously the success of Draymond Green and his podcast and his you Google Draymond Green on YouTube and the YouTube numbers he did for the volume. The overwhelming majority of CBS, ABC, NBC, the shows they have don't sniff those numbers. And when I think about Colin, to me he's on the Mount Rushmore of sports talk radio people. In the history of radio, right, I mean, the two biggest cash cows in the history of radio are Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh. Those are the two guys that set the tone and the biggest cash cows in the history of radio.

And sports talk, to me, there are like four guys that really stand out. There is Jim Rome. There is Dan Patrick. I put Mike and the Mad Dog together and I put Colin. And I think Colin is kind of separated from that crew. Like Dan Patrick created his Dan Patrick show, left ESPN and created his own show and his entrepreneur was really successful. But it's just him.

Mike and the Magdog, right? Even when they split up, Mike had his own radio show. Mad Dog got paid, went to serious, right? Was their version of Howard Stern, but obviously way smaller, but for sports. Jim Rome, incredible businessman, made a ton off his show, but really just made money for himself. Colin, like those guys, super successful, super rich, yet I vividly remember being in the car driving home in the middle of 2020.

My brother calls me and goes, hey, bro, look at the prices right. now to play Pebble Beach, Spyglass, all these courses in Monterey. They are like half off. This is like peak COVID. Because those places, Pebble, they usually charge, you know, four, five, six hundred dollars. Pebble charges like six, but Spyglass charges like 354. But they get a lot of international travel. Well, in 2020, no one could internationally travel. So we got to play. I think we played Spyglass, like $150. It was sweet. It was awesome. And we're driving back and Colin calls me. And he's like, I'm thinking of this idea. I've been looking into it.

And little inside the volume, he's like, I was talking to Erica Nardini, who I think he's actually had on his podcast a year ago, who is the CEO of Barstool and talking to business a podcast. I can just tell, he was fired up. He was inspired. He realized what it had. And he wasn't,

it was one thing to talk, and then he's lived it. And again, like those other guys, he's already a multimillionaire. He's already super successful. He doesn't have to do any of this. Those guys are not doing any of this.

Why? They don't have to. Most people, especially once you get 55, 60, 65 years old, and you accomplish a lot in your career, that's kind of the time when you enjoy your family, start traveling. Not saying he doesn't, but he has this idea, then he executes it, and then it's shooting like a fucking rocket ship. And now back-to-back, his two-player podcast are Draymond Green and Richard Sherman.

These are two guys, and this just shows you like, listen, I don't consider myself media. I know Drayman talks about new media. I'm just a guy who tries to speak for other people. because when I watch a lot of the media, I have nothing in common with any of them. So I just try to speak for us, watch games on our couch, that like to have a good time over the weekend, play a little golf, hang out with our significant others, our family, and just kind of chill. Like, I try to speak for us.

We're the majority, you know. Without us, there is no pro sports. The media kind of gets lost and convoluted, so I try to fill that role. But Draymond and Richard, every TNT's already signed Draymond for when Charles goes to live. And Richard Sherman has, like, these guys were sought after entities by traditional media. Yet they realized like I can do way more in this. And so did Colin two or three years ago. Now obviously other people did too, Bill Simmons, Barstool. These guys were ahead of the curve. But like those guys had a lot to prove. Like what's Colin trying to prove now? Just an incredible,

incredible entrepreneurial spirit for a guy that doesn't need to have it. And I feel very, very lucky to be a part of this. And it's just really cool when you see that like how are you going to top Draymond? Am I saying? going to top Draymond, but you get Cherm? You get Richard Sherman? So your two big player broadcasts are Drayvon Green and Richard Sherman? Like, it's just incredible. Tip of my hat, I found out what everyone else did on social media.

And I was just like, damn, that's pretty badass. And I've got to know Cherm a little bit through DM and over the years, especially when he played for the 49ers and big, big fan, total stud. And just as a football player, there's no human beings. I respect more in the sport of football, cornerbacks that will tackle. And I think in my adult life, the last couple decades,

I think Richard Sherman is the best tackling cornerback. And potentially, you know, if you're listening to this and you're older than me, I mean, some of those guys in like the 70s and 80s, some of the corners were probably, I think he's one of the best of the salary cap era. I think you could say that Richard Sherman

might be the best tackling corner. And obviously he's a great corner in his prime. Several time all pro, pro bowl. I think he's a Hall of Famer. but tackling, and ultimately that speaks to one of the toughest motherfuckers to ever play the position, especially in the modern era. Big Shirm fan and pretty cool for the big moment for the volume.

Let's be real. Dremont Green, now Richard Sherman, things are going pretty well. Traditional, you know, got to be a little rattle. Also, there's a timing element. Like, it's not all like, I didn't create any of this. Colin liked me for whatever reason. It's worked out well.

traditional radios dying and this has taken off. So it's pretty cool to be a part of this. I have a couple quick takeaways before we get into the Cam Hayward interview on Kyler Murray. First and foremost, I think the best businesses, and listen, there's always a time to be aggressive. The best people in most industries are aggressive. But there's a timing to that aggression.

You can't just be aggressive nonstop, right? There is a time and a place and through experience, you know when to put the pedal to the metal, get in the fast lane, and sometimes to chill. I think this 2021 was a good example from a stock market perspective. Everyone was investing. And people made some money, but a lot of people weren't selling toward the peak, right? They were investing more, investing more. And then it gets cut in half.

And a lot of people have lost a shitload of money. And not everyone can afford to just sit on their losses. Like some people, that really, really hurts. And some people that have been in a long time went like, like, Once I double or triple my money, pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered, I get out. I sit on the sideline. The moment everyone's talking about it, that's where I back off. And I saw Colin today, and I agree with them, that where are you going to find another

Kyla Murray? And like homes, things always go up. Now, I would disagree there because I was going to buy a home last year. And I was like, you know, I just, I have a hard time. Something that was $800,000 a year ago is now $1.6 million. This doesn't add up. Listen, could that house be worth $3 million in two years? Sure.

But I would historically, if you just look at trends, that's not usually the way it works. And I've been proven right. The last six months, things are coming back to earth, especially in the markets I'm looking at. Halted, going down. And that's not the case necessarily with quarterbacks. Contracts always go up. But you don't have to buy.

You don't always have to pay for something, especially in a football situation when a guy is under contract. What was the rush in paying him today? And at the time of recording this, the number, we see $160 million. Now, a lot of that's going to be how much new money, the fourth year contract, the fourth year of his contract, the fifth year, which I don't even know what that number is, probably well over $30 million. That is going to be factored in. Who knows, maybe they'll even factor in the franchise tag. But I just don't understand why we couldn't play this out another year. Why did I have to do this right now?

Because based on the evidence I have, I go, you've been a very talented player. I have never argued that. His arm strength, he's pretty accurate. He's mobile. He is a fantastic talent. Little, but a fantastic talent. And when he's on, he's exceptional.

But I threw this out there on Twitter, and I have a philosophy, when I'm going to pay a premium, and even if the number, let's say, if you're listening to this and the true number is 80 million guaranteed, this still stands. Whether they gave him $100 million guaranteed or whether it's actually $160 million.

It's a ton of money. And you are committing to him for several more years than you have to. My philosophical belief in pro sports is I want to pay premiums for guys that can handle and thrive and rise to the occasion when shit hits the fan, when things go wrong. Because most guys at the highest level can play really good,

In all the sports, when things are going well, when you're on, you know, a seven-game winning streak in baseball and you have five home runs over that period of time. When you're in basketball and your team's won 10 straight games, you're averaging 25 points and everyone's feeling you. When you're a quarterback and you guys go on a four-game win streak, and over those four games, you throw 15 touchdowns, you run for a couple more, you're the player of the month. Everyone's on their knees gargling. It's like, oh, yeah. Yeah. How about when you lose three games? And your star right tackle tears ACL. And everyone, because you're the star, says, you're playing like shit. How's it going? What are you going to do? How are you going to carry this team? Do you rise the occasion? Do you crumble like a cookie?

Do you melt like ice under the 100 degree sun? And I think we've seen, and I have a good, I've had a front row seat for the 49ers. And last year, shit was hitting the fan. It was weird. Guys were injured. and I watch guys like Nick Bosa and Debo Samuel become absolute war daddies and play their best football when shit was not going well. Win or lose. They weren't winning all the games,

but just laying it on the line. Never pouting, never complaining, and you see it with countless players all around the league that just keep throwing haymakers. I think a great example is Matt Stafford, who last year had a longer body of work than Kyler Murray. But because of his situation, we went, well, how good is he?

Place for Detroit. Can you win with him? Does he have a bunch of bad habits? We know he's talented, physical freak, number one overall pick. What's he got? How's he going to handle the pressure? And it was up and down. It was, if you want, he had that stretch where he was throwing all those picks.

He was turning the ball overs. But clearly, internally, and Whitworth hit on this. He never flinched. He handled himself like a pro. He answered the belt every single time. And then, once they lost that week 18 game to the 49ers, He had an elite stretch in the playoffs and was awesome. So he handled the Rocky Tide pretty well.

He's out there. He was like, God, is Matt Stafford going to screw this thing up? Are they not going to win the division? What's going on? They end up winning the division. A ton of pressure. How's Matt Stafford going to, for the first time ever, not just making the playoffs school. You've got to win playoff games.

We traded for you to try to win the Super Bowl. And then he's awesome and they win the Super Bowl. It's like I'd give him an extension too. Longer body of work. I've seen him when the lights are the brightest. handle himself like a pro, handle adversity, and then answer the bell and execute. Because ultimately, I saw Mike Tomlin say this on the pivot podcast was like, the business is winning.

That's the business we're in. The sport is football, but the business is winning. That's the name of the game here. And we saw Kyler Murray have the most embarrassing playoff game we've ever seen. And then immediately, he demanded it. get paid. And he's not the first and he won't be the last guy to demand to get paid. Some guys, though, Dak Prescott, for example. And I've saw a lot of this on social media. The Dak Prescott's contract has aged better. Bullshit. I don't like paying Dak Prescott $40 million. But

Dak Prescott, the human being, when times are great, when times are bad, he's very, very even keel. I know exactly what I'm getting. He's not going to pout. He'll give everything he has. He has physical limitations. He does not have the arm Kyler has, but I know that it'll lay it on the line for me. No one will ever go, did Dak mail that shit in? No one will ever say that because we have a long body of evidence

that he's never done that. Getting back to back years, people, the season ended and went like, what was Kyler's deal there? What was, no one's ever argued, his arm strength, his speed, his physical attributes. Not a soul. But there's more than that at quarterback. What's cowards thing? Being

quarterbackial? It's like, presidential, which I even think, like, being a politician, like, if you don't think at this point in time, they're all kind of frauds, I can't help you. I still think it matters. Like, I don't think it matters as a politician. I think it's all bullshit. It matters a quarterback. How you act, how you conduct yourself, because all the best guys kind of conduct themselves like pros. And let's use an example, Aaron Rogers. Last year, things got a little weird. Him and Goudicans, he demanded to trade on draft night. You're like, God, Rogers's falling off the deep end. Well, what happened? Training cap came, and part of people were like, he just wants to get paid. He didn't

get a contract extension, tabled it, right? Acted like a pro, answered the bell, won the MVP. And his body of work was long. We already know how future Hall of Famer. Like, it felt like Kyler Murray, NBA style, forced their hand and they capitulated and they gave in. Now you could argue, well, they're all in on Cliff Kingsbury. You might as well be all in on Kyler.

I just think that is not the way to run a franchise. And I'm short in them. I do not think they're going to make the playoffs this year. You can say, well, they just get them in a better headspace. that's fine. I don't think he's a sustainable player. And maybe I would have been proven wrong. But if I was the Cardinals, I would have let it play out.

He's not, Dak Prescott played a season on the franchise tag. And I'm not even saying to get there with Kyler. How about just seeing another season? Of you acting like a pro, of you improving as a leader, of you leading us to the playoffs, of you maybe trying in a playoff game?

I don't know. But that's not the way the Cardinals handled their business. And you would say historically, under the Bidwell family umbrella, that's why the Cardinals have mostly been pretty shitty. Now, I'm not acting like they're a joke franchise. I think Steve Kine, they have a lot of talent on their team. I don't view them as some like loser franchise,

but that's, I thought, kind of a loser move. I thought it was an unneeded move. What, what's, well, he would come to, he's not going to show up. Well, then you'd learn everything you need to know. He's going to show up to training camp and pout. Well, then you're going to learn everything you need to know. That's not the type of guy you want.

Because what do they tell you? that your true colors and who you really are are actually usually exposed with money, once I pay you the true self comes out, I would be a little nervous if everyone involved with the Arizona Cardinals. And I just, again, I get back to over and over, what was the rush?

I'm not disputing if he won the MVP this year, it goes up a little bit. Who cares? At least then you know, at least then you know. When the chief gave Mahomes all that money, he had won the MVP and he'd let him do a Super Bowl. That had happened. When Matt Stafford just got a huge extension,

they won a Super Bowl with him as their quarterback. When Aaron Rogers got $150 million, he was back-to-back MVP, gets along with the coach. This guy just got a, again, I don't truly know the money, time will tell when you're listening to this, have the worst playoff game we've ever seen

and was pretty terrible down the stretch. And the previous year, when they look like a lot to make the playoffs, they missed the playoffs. And here's the other element. From just a true football standpoint, he's small. And being small doesn't dictate your success or not. We've seen small players go to the Hall of Fame, be great players.

Russell Wilson's a great example. Hall of Fame level quarterback. Russell Wilson is built completely different. Now we can argue he's got a little big this offseason, but Russell's naturally thick. And he's been healthy. The first time that Matt Finger, whatever, was the first injury, we went, God, there's a chinking Russell's armor, right?

He's injured and he missed a couple games. Kyler now has been hurt back-to-back seasons. Two years ago, it was the Seattle game, he got slammed, never the same. Last year he got banged up, missed some games, right? Cole McCoy came in, they actually lit up the Niners. But, like, he's been hurt now. It's not that crazy. He's a small little player.

So you're going all in, and listen, you do when you draft a guy number one overall, but part of drafting them in the first round is having the fifth-year option and having some time. and the Cardinals just felt like what, Kyler's going to show up and be very angry and be mad and pouty, wouldn't that be a reflection of who this guy is? Like, wouldn't that kind of show his true colors then? Why wouldn't you just let it play out a little bit?

Hell, maybe even let it play out into the season, be like, listen, you start fast, you're having a good season, we'll extend you in the middle of October. You had to do it July 21st. I just, I don't understand it. I mean, again, and I root for people to get paid. I don't care.

Like, it doesn't matter to me. Kyleor Murray, whatever, get as much money as you can. But we're talking to business of football, where there's a salary cap, and how much you get paid impacts the success of your team. And in football, teams matter. They're the health of the league.

And some teams run their business well. Some teams do not. And we have, a couple years ago, the Rams were kind of feeling themselves. They extended two guys really early, and it heavily backfired. Todd Gurley, Jared Gough. Now, I'm not comparing Kyler to Jared Gough.

he's much more talented. Now, I'm not comparing, obviously, Todd plays a different position. But immediately, we realize those were bad contracts. And I just, I have this whole situation red flagged. I just, I don't think it's a sustainable, I don't think he's a sustainable player. I could be proven wrong. If I was the Arizona Cardinals, I would have let him prove me wrong. Let's dive into Cam Hayward. Big news, Fandul has an all-new mobile gaming app, Fandul Faceoff, is where you compete quick fun games against other real people for real cash. Has all sorts of games you're familiar with like a home run derby wheel of fortune,

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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. A win is a win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks. It's, 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 conversations 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. It's my pleasure to bring on all pro, you know, I would say defensive tackle, but I'll say defensive lineman, several time pro bowler. I don't think he's ever, he doesn't know what losing is. He's only played for Ohio State and Pittsburgh his entire career. Cam Hayward, what's going on, bro? What's up?

Appreciate you having me. Thank you for the introduction as well. No problem, man. How's summer going? What the hell you've been up to? Trying to do a podcast. You know, we use the same producer and James is always cracking down on me and giving me hell. And then just try and take care of kids and try to get better at my craft.

You know, those are the three things going on. And, man, they take up a lot of my day. How many kids do you have? I got three, six, four, and two. My oldest is a boy. You're a man on the move. Well, I saw you talking to McAfee about diet. And obviously, you know, hell, I'm smaller than you.

But once you get, I'm a couple years older than you. Once you hit a certain age, you know, diet, you know, is very, very impactful, right? And the offseason for a guy like you with working out, how do you balance working out in food and stay in focus when basically you get 40 days off until the season starts? Man, your diet is everything, especially right before the season and during the season, you know, you really care about what's going in your body. I feel like my only time to really cheat on food is, you know, right at the end of the off-season where I'm just like, you know, depressed and pissed off. We didn't go further in the season. But, you know, now it's just you care about what you eat and just got to take care of your body. I don't like to do these fad diets, but, man, you just try to continue to just put good things in your body, have good protein, and stay basically.

boring with your meals. Well, it's one thing like if you're just a single dude, you know, in your 20s, eating healthy, get, you know, you have kids. So I'm sure you got crap all over the place. You're always taking them by McDonald's or whatever. Like, is that, I mean, it'd be a test on any man, bro. Well, like, I look back at like, as a kid and I'm like, like, I had playing McDonald's growing up.

Like, and my wife does a great job. She won't even let them get McDonald's anymore. And I'm like, I have to have like meals prepared. because if I get anywhere close to their food, I'm just going to dive right into the pantry and, you know, go ham. But my wife's always like, why don't you just eat our food? I'm like, because that's a little bit more unhealthy. And I need to, you know, watch what I eat before I blow up.

As an older guy, I mean, you're a veteran now in the league. You, for your training, especially lifting, because, I mean, you do work in the trenches. Do you lift as hard as you once did? Is it a lot different? Is it more just maintaining year round? Or do you go heavy? And then once the season hits, do you sustain? How does that work as you've aged?

You know, it's crazy. As I was, when I was younger, I used to always go to these fancy places and, you know, have like everything catered to you where it was, you know, this is what they specialize. I think that in the last four years, I found a trainer who does an amazing job. up here. I used to train Paul Puznizli and Sean Lee. He's trained a lot of other guys. But everything is just what I need at the time.

You know, the great thing about me is I haven't been injured a lot. So I've been able to keep, you know, pushing my limits, get stronger. But there are times I need to, you know, scale back and determine what my body's needs. And I've been able to, you know, the Steelers have allowed me to just keep up that during the season with my trainer. and it's just benefited me. Obviously, I like to work out with, you know, the guys in the facility, but my trainer has done a great job of, you know, making sure I was able to continue to keep getting better.

And if I'm hurt, we address that and make sure that it doesn't become an issue. Once the season ends, you know, you talk about a football guy. I mean, you come from a football family. Your dad played in the league. Your brother, I didn't even realize this, was just drafted by the Steelers. Michigan State. We'll get into that. That's pretty cool.

When the season ends, you guys get losing the first round of the playoffs. How much time do you just get away from football? Well, I wanted to get away right after that game. But I had the Pro Bowl coming up. And so we went from Pro Bowl. And then I had some stuff to do with Super Bowl. And surprisingly, right after that, I couldn't really disappear

from working out. I feel like I got right back into it right to the season. Just trying to continue to craft and get better. Usually in the past, I've taken about a month off and just tried to disappear with the family for a little bit. But, man, I've been,

I feel like I haven't stopped. And hopefully that's a good thing. Well, what's funny is for the Steelers going into the draft just because the talk of the draft in a quarterback really high, the time. I'm sure you just like all of us, unless Tomlin and Colbert were giving you the good inside information, it's like Malik Willis, Malik Willis, Malik Willis talking quarterback, and you guys end up taking a quarterback. And when the draft ends, I mean, a lot of people are talking about

that. But for you personally, your brother gets drafted on the team. Like, how cool, how cool was that moment? Oh, if I could go through that moment, that moment was insane because what was it, day three? So the first two days, we know, He was drafted in the first day. The second day is second and third. And we thought, okay, maybe 30 might have a chance. And then I'm talking to my age that he was like, you know, day three is our sweet spot. You know, day three, fourth to fifth round, and you just never know.

And so he's getting calls from different teams. And, you know, he's like, I don't know if they're interested or they're interested in me being an undrafted rookie. and then they, you know, call and sign me. So he's going through that and I can just watch him. He's like, like the competitor inside my brother, he was so, like, ticked off that like, he's watching guys and he's like, I'm better than him. And I know I'm better than him. I'm like, you can't do that.

You just got to focus. You got to understand that, like, you know, team see other things differently. Wherever you end up, that's where you make your mark. And then, you know, he, like, stormed off one time. And this time, like, my mom's or my brothers are like, go check on him just to make sure he's okay. And then I go in the room and the phone rings.

And I don't know who it is. And I look at the screen and it has the bears up and it says the picks in. And I'm like, oh, he's going to the bears. That's really cool. And then he gives me this like sort of like little smirk where it's like, like, you don't need to know who's under, under this call. And I'm like, is it Chicago? He's like, no, it wasn't Chicago.

And I'm like, who was it? And I was like, and I asked him, who was it? He just walks away and he says, hold on. And then he goes into the family room and, you know, he has us all waiting. And I'm like, okay. And then I see, oh, Pittsburgh's Nest. And I'm like, he would have told me by then if he got drafted to my team. And then I had to watch it come across the clicker.

And I'm like, This dude, he could have just literally told me. And then Mike T called me and told me, he was like, we got him. He was like, I didn't think he was going to be there in the sixth round. But we got him. And I was like, Mike T, I appreciate this. But I'm not going to let you down. Like, you know, this is my little brother.

I'm going to make sure, you know, he lives up to everything. And he was like, oh, I already knew he was going to do that. So, you know, I'm drafting him because, you know, of the player he is not because he's your brother. And I'm like, okay. So it's been surreal. And like, my mom had already disappeared from that moment because she was already so nervous. So like she was outside the house. And like when she came back, we were all celebrating. She was like, where is he going? And we were like, he's coming to Pittsburgh. And she broke out in tears right there. So, you know, we were very fortunate. It doesn't really end up that way most of the time. But it's crazy to think about.

had they, whether it be an assistant coach, Coach Tomlin, Colbert, any of his people, had they brought him up to you leading up to the draft when you just had the facility working out or any of that? Had they asked you questions? So, like, they never brought him up specifically, like leading up to the draft. It was always like they would watch, the Scouts would watch, and I would watch individually during the season. And you see, did you watch Connor? you know, and we would always exchange like what we thought, you know, what he was good at, what he was at.

But they kept me out of a loop for a lot of it. And I was like, I like it that way because I don't want to have a say on anything. I know the scouts there do an amazing job. So they did right this time. Yeah, I'd say you're part of the team that's pretty good at drafting. Do you know what's funny is I was a graduate assistant at Fresno State. would have been probably when you were playing at Ohio State. And I don't know if he specifically did the West Coast,

but Mean Joe Green would come. I think he scouted a lot of colleges. And he came to five both years. And I remember one year he lost his phone. And it was lost. And I just remember it was my job to find Mean Joe and Green's phone. And I ended up finding it. And he shook my hand.

I'm sure you got big hands. This guy has to have the biggest hands I've ever shook in my entire life. Yes, yes. I remember when I got drafted and I went and Mean Joe was there. And he literally engulfed my hand. And I was like, oh, I've never felt like this like intimidated off the field before in my life. And so, you know, me and Mean Joe and knowing who Mean Joe is before then, it was, he was one of my heroes.

You know, he's a hero in Pittsburgh and getting to meet him for the first time in person. welcome me to be a stealer. I was excited, but man, when you see his hands, they just, they're humongous. They take up their, like, if they were on the screen, they take up the entire screen. It's wild. Back to your brother for a second, because you guys, obviously, there's a big gap in age, so it's not like, you know, one was a sophomore, one was a senior, you would have played together. You know, even the Bosa brothers are somewhat closer in age.

Had to be a little surreal. Just, I know you guys haven't. like the pads haven't come on, but just being in the same locker room as him, seeing him walk around and put on a Pittsburgh Steeler jersey. I mean, that's pretty crazy. It's really weird because, like, he's been in our locker room multiple times just as a guest of mine. And, like, I've given him, like, you know, stealer crap before, but, like, now he has his own stealer stuff.

Like, he's able to go out to the field and not just stay on the sideline. And, you know, I have to, there's certain times where I'm like, I can. not just be his brother. I have to be his teammate. And usually I talk a lot of crap to my teammates. I talk a lot more when you're my brother. And I make sure you know that like you got a lot to live up to so you better not let me down or my dad down or other brothers. So, you know, he knows that and he'll be better because of it. You know, it's funny. I'm in the Bay Area right now about probably 15 minutes away from me is Antioch, where Najee grew up and played high school football.

And we'll get into college recruiting a little bit later because you know, you went from, you know, played high school football in Georgia, but ended up at Ohio State, which I don't know if Georgia would let you out of the state nowadays. You know, curving me all over you. But not, but same thing. You know, Najee, when I was in college,

P. Carroll never would have let him get out of the state. He would have been at USC, but he ends up at Alabama. Comes to you guys. I was watching Tomlin talk with Ryan Clark on his podcast with those guys. And he talked about the Christmas tree story, how Naji, you know, just didn't have anything. And he kind of went to you, obviously is, you know, the team leader, the captain, the guy that runs the show. And you got him a Christmas tree. But it was really one thing he talked about this offseason and just moving forward is your ability to kind of like teach him the ways to be the leader of the squad one day.

because ultimately, you know, obviously he's a fantastic player, but just in terms of a person, your interactions with him, one, what you thought about him when you first met him, and just kind of the time you've spent with him since trying to give him the Pittsburgh Steeler way. Yeah. You know, I think Najee is one of the more ultimate football people because he just loves football. Like, he wants to be great at it.

And you see the way you can compete. and it's a gift and the curse. Like he wants to be a part of everything, but Najee can't do everything. And, you know, we've always been hard on Najee because he's hard on himself because the sky's the limit. Like, I think one day he's going to be the top running back in this league. And, you know, he can shoulder a team in offense.

And we just have lofty goals for him. Like when he first got here, You know, everybody likes to talk about, you know, his big legs. But, man, the dude's a workhorse. Like, he comes to practice, wants to practice, wants to get better. And that's, I think that comes from like the Alabama side. But he's also a big kid as well. And so we got the talk.

And then you understand that, you know, Nazi's got some growing to do. But the way he goes about his business just wants to get better, you're like, all right, you see where. he could, you know, potentially leave one day. And I think Naji only understands football because, you know, that's a safe haven. And the point of me getting the Christmas tree was you got to be a human as well. You got to, you know, you can't just think football, football, football, and not, you know, live. Because things will pass you by and you won't be able to enjoy, you know, the fruits of your labor. I think for me, I just wanted to give them the Christmas tree that just let them open up.

Let them know that it's Christmas, enjoy the time with your family. And I didn't know if you ever had a Christmas tree before. So I wanted to make sure I did that. Going forward, as a leader of this team, I feel like Naji's got to be the guy on offense. You know, they're going to be giving the Rock a lot more and a lot more often. So he's got to be willing to not only let his play speak, but he's got to speak as well. Because you've had Ben Rathersberger so long. This is a great opportunity for Najee Harris to be the catalyst for everybody on offense.

There's so many moving parts, so many new positions we have. But Najee should be the staple. Nogis should be the guy that, you know, Coach T.R. refers to as the straw that starts. is to drink. And Noges's got to be that way on offense. Did practice feel different this spring without Rothersberger? Practice didn't feel different. I just think, you know, we've gotten so used to having Ben back there and kidding around and like Ben could, you know, do some things that were different

where we let him extend the play. But we're not letting these rookies extend plays because they're not been Rathsberger in new guys. But, um, It thought a little different, but not much. 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,

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. How do you balance as one of the lead dogs on the squad of, you know, obviously you have, you know, you signed Trubisky, but then you also draft a quarterback high. I mean, that position is, it's hard, right? Because only one guy gets to play on like D-Lyin men or wide receivers where everyone gets to rotate and he's kind of got to be the leader. But, you know, who totally knows? We'll see what plays out in training camp of just kind of, you just embrace them both? Or is it one of those things you just kind of let it play? How do you attack that personally?

All the above, I think you embrace them both or embrace everybody. But I think you go in saying, this is Mitch Trubisci's spot to lose. He should be given the reins. He's had success. You know, everybody likes to talk about what Mitch did wrong. but he took the Chicago Bears to the playoffs. And, you know, I think he's got a better surrounding cast. I think we can help, you know, him so he doesn't have to drive the whole field.

And then from Kenny and Mason's point of view, they should be vying for that spot. This is the perfect opportunity for that. You know, competition breeds success. And I think everybody's got to be vying. for the spot. If the guy behind me is not trying to vie for my spot, shame on him. But all three guys, Kenny, Mason, and Mitch should be vying for the number one spot. You know, they're my teammates, but man, we're going to compete to make sure we have the best group out there that starts September. One of my worst takes of all time was when Rathusberger tears his arm baseball style

against Tommy John. You guys make the trade for Minka Fitzpatrick first round pick. I'm like, This is insane. You know, you guys, you guys are going to be drafting the top five. Mika's a good player, but what are you doing? Not only does Mika get there, he was already good, but he was incredible once he got there. Right. You guys don't lose because you never lose. And you will go 500 and it's not that big a deal.

When that trade happened, what was your first? What was your thought? And then once you started playing with him, how fast did you realize like, holy shit, this guy's good? Oh, well, like, I've talked to Kevin Colwer about this. many times. When he did that trade for Minka, it solidified that we weren't throwing away the season. And we were in that game in San Francisco the week Mika came. Minkle didn't even know the entire playbook. But when Mika got out there, I think he caused the fumble and then had an interception and was just making plays. And I went to Keb in the middle of that game.

I was like, I appreciate you doing that. We needed that. But, you know, I think when you have a guy like Minka, man, he gives you an opportunity. And we have a lot of good players. And we knew Ben was hurt now for the season. But, man, we were not ready to throw away the season. And, you know, it just let – it kind of gave us that confidence. Like, we don't care who's that quarterback. We still compete.

It's funny how a guy can go from being someone's brother. Like, your brother is going to be – Sam's brother until he, you know, has a nine touchdown season, then all of a sudden he becomes his own guy. Well, it's like, J.J. Watt, one of the best players in the league. His brothers come into the league. And at first, T.J. Watt, again, is just JJ's brother. And then that quickly changes like, no, he's just T.J. Watt now.

But last year, you know, one thing that used to happen, it probably happened a little bit when you first came in the league. It happened a lot, like when your dad was playing in the 80s, the 90s and probably the early 2000s up to like Rivas days were the holdouts. now this new thing is the hold in. And you're, you know, people practice in high school, college, and the NFL doesn't change that much in terms of individual group. So you're spending time with your defensive linemen.

And TJ's just standing there. Obviously, it's the elephant in the room. He's not going anywhere. But was that, what was that like the hold end just seemed just standing there looking at you guys when you're taking all the reps? Well, I'll say this. As much as it was a hold-in, T.J. did a great job. of being professional about it.

You know, he let everything take its course, but that didn't stop him from training. It may have looked like he was standing on the sideline, but the dude was doing pastoral drills by himself, running on the sideline, making sure he was in good shape because he didn't want it to be detrimental to the team. And I commend him for that. These hold ends are different.

Per the CBA, it prevents guys from holding out because now you get fine, and you can't get that money back. But a hold-in, it shows that you want to be there. You're taking part of meetings, but I have to be smart about my future and what's going on. And I think it's a good, responsible way to approach the situations now. Did TJ really barge into the Rune's office and do you do the deal himself at the end? Or that's a story that took on a life of its own?

I don't know. I don't know if he barge. in. You know, I know you probably had to clear with a Mr. Rooney secretary or something, but I don't know. It might have taken on a different story, but man, it will be revered

as one of those legends that happened where T.J was like, get the deal done. Let's get a sign. But, you know, I think we were all happy for him to get done because, you know, T.J. has earned it. Minka has earned it. and we understand the players they are. And this was just validating that because we've seen what they've done week in and week out.

They need to be paid like the top of their positions. I think my favorite Steeler story over the last decade, it's funnier now that it probably was at the time was you guys were playing a preseason game and there was a team playing and there were a couple running backs headed to the team playing. And where I live, it's legal, you know, going back and forth. I think the NFL doesn't even test for it anymore. and one of them didn't make the team play. The other guy ends up on the team play.

It was Garrett and Levion. You might have been a little marijuana going back and forth. Do you remember that? And only one of them showed up. And was that just like everyone talking on the plane as you're going? Well, you know, we've always been told, you know, if you don't make the team playing, you will get left. And I have anxiety about it.

Yeah. And so I've always. made sure I'm like at least 30 minutes early because I just I don't want to be that guy and you know we're getting closer to time and we're like where are our players you know Ligarich shows up

not dressed in a white tea and we're like bro get your stuff on and then we were like where's Lavian? And then it just took on a different meeting we were like you're not just late you're dealing with something else and I think Labion caught a fight later that night

and we saw him at the team meeting and we were like, oh, damn, that's going to be hefty fine because Mike T doesn't play about missing. But we left it at that and we just focused on. What's it like, obviously, I think Tomlin's, I think it's safe to say, you know,

he's obviously well respected by fans and he's just an incredible quote. I mean, last year when the USC and he dropped the never say never, but never is an all-timer. But that I think as the Antonio and Levion, some of those things, his status has even grown like, I think on the outside we respect it more. It's like, this guy can handle anything.

What's it like? I mean, you've been around him now for over a decade. Obviously, you guys are, it's safe to say he's your coach, but you guys are pretty close personally. Yeah. What's it like being Mike Tomlin's friend and his player? It's crazy. Like I always revered Coach T

before I even got here I was like man I'd love to play for him And now that I do It means that much more to me I'd run through a brick wall for him He's got a Super Bowl But I want to be able to hand him that trophy as well He has pushed me

He has made me a better player And the thing I love about it is He always tells us I'm going to treat you fairly, but not equally. And, you know, he's going to give everybody the benefit of the doubt, but other people need different things than other people, other players. And so what player 53 on the roster might need something different than player one on the roster. And I think he's able to have those individual relationships with people to figure out what everybody needs.

he knows how to push my buttons. And he's pushed my buttons a lot. And I've appreciated it over the time. But, you know, it's only made me better. And I can't speak enough to the man he is. The single mild-mindedness and tunnel vision he shows during the season allows us to just go out there and understand that football is our job. And this is what we need to take care of.

So he provides ownership and accountability to the group. And, you know, with that, that creates honesty and it creates a lot of transparency that if it's not handled the right way, your team will crumble and will falter because things weren't focused on properly and things slipped through the cracks. Well, what's the thing? The standard is the standard, right? And you guys just, I mean, you, there's an element of luck. I mean, you've never lost. I mean, obviously, when you go to Ohio State, you're not going to lose much. But coming to the NFL, you have a lot of Ohio State teammates and guys that have played

Ohio State over the last 20 years ago to crappy teams. And it's not their fault. You know, you just, you guys just don't lose in Pittsburgh ever, you know, and when it's the worst. And I always judge people on their lowest moments. That's why I give Belichick a lot of credit a couple years ago when the 20 season and Tom left, everyone acted like they were one. they did go seven and nine. Now that's under 500,

but a lot of teams, if their worst year, seven and nine, it's not the biggest deal. You guys' worst years are eight and eight or better. And last year is another good example of you just found a way

and you end up in the playoffs. So obviously Mike's the voice of the team, but how much now do you guys, like he relies on you? Because the coach can't say everything, right? So you have to be the voice for kind of him or the defensive coordinator.

Do you feel that weight as a leader or is something now that's just part of the, the gig. You know, I think MIT gives us the landscape and the environment to do it. And then I think it goes to the players. You know, we have to be competitive as hell. We have to

hold each other accountable. We have to push each other. You know, I really do enjoy practicing, enjoy training with guys because then you get a level of trust.

You understand what players can do what they can't. But the communication gets better. And I've always been a big proponent on your leader's got to lead. And I got to make sure I do my job, T.J., Najee, Minka, these guys are, you know, the stalwarts that got to lead the front and got to lead the group. So we appreciate that. But we always want to, you know, make sure that. we're pushing each other and making sure we're getting after each other. Obviously in college, you know you guys despise your rival. I mean, it's one of the best rivalries in America, probably in the world, Ohio State versus Michigan.

In the pros, I think sometimes, you know, it feels just because guys move teams, it's not quite the same. But you guys have had a rival for, you know, a couple decades, even before you got there. Because you've been on the team the whole time, does it feel as genuine as the rivalry that you had in college with Michigan and would you describe your feelings toward the Ravens as hatred? What? Oh, man. The Ravens, it's weird. It's a level of respect because...

Is that different than Michigan? Like, do you respect Michigan? No, I don't respect anybody from Michigan. Uh-uh. See, it's different, right? It's very different. Like, Ohio State of Michigan, there is a hatred there. Like, and you can go back to the Bochum Bechler days, the Woody Hayes days.

You know, that's the team up north. And when you lose to them, God forbid, I never lost to them. So I don't know that feeling. But you have to, you're representing your school. And those are bragging rights. When you get to the league, it's not just about. representing like your team and bragging rights man these dudes are professionals um and there's been a level of success from both teams um and it is i just remember those those night games

steelers ravens where you had troy palomall and ray lewis on both sides like like that is iconic you had jerome bettis going up against ray lewis you had troy palomall malle sacking Joe Flacco or him picking up what was that? Interception and then returning it and watching the whole stand shake. That was exciting to me.

And I think that's what made the rivalry. Heinz Ward making sure he had some of those clear kill blocks, I call him. Oh, you know. Those games changed football. Like Ryan Clark laying out. out Willis McGahey. They literally put in the rules in the NFL because these guys were killing each other. And you watch it and you're like, okay, you understand the rivalry because

this game escalated quickly and they were, both teams were on the cuffs of, you know, trying to win Super Bowls. And, you know, that's what we always have to live up to. There's no reason to try to get up for Baltimore because you're already up. And I've appreciated that time. And I always look forward to playing Baltimore Ravens because it's a physical game. And you better bring your big board pants because you'll get exposed if you don't. With some of those Marvin Lewis teams, you guys in Cincinnati had a couple of year run where it was teetering on like, the shit's crazy. What is going on? Yeah. Like, you know, if you listen, to the TV copy of

the playoff game, you can hear a level of discuss in the announcers and you're like, oh my gosh, like this is like the way they talk about, you're like, you would think we were in a full out war. Yeah, it would look like it. Yeah.

And, you know, Juju's block on Montez Burfek. And like, before that game, Vontes was getting into it with, one of our old lineman DeCastro. And if you get DeCastro talking, you know something's wrong because DeCastro is like a psychopath. He doesn't talk and he's just focused on football. But this game, you hear DeCastro start chirping. So then I remember that game, DeCastro was pulling and Vantes was coming around.

It DeCastro just laid them out. And you're just thinking like, this type of game is like, it's a petty personal game. There's no, there's not a respect there. There wasn't a respect there. And the personal fouls that came from that. And I think it all started from when Vantes hit Levion out of bounds. Because he ended Levon's year. And we were like, okay, like you took it a step farther where it was outside the game.

It wasn't just, you know, going at each other in the confines of the game. You went out of your way to hurt a player who we live. beloved and, you know, stood up for. So now you just, you're poking the bear. So now you're going to get it all. And, you know, Pac-Man was there, you know, chirping with Joey and then with the refs. That game had to be one of the insane games for us to win and be a part of.

Like, we went out on a series that was, we were supposed to, they were going to, If they ran out the clock, they were going to win the game. Ryan ends up, Ryan Chazier ends up stripping the ball. And then we recover it. And you see Ben Rathersberger come out of the tunnel because he was hurt and takes us down the field. And I think they knocked A-B out. Oh, that was another hit. They knocked A-B out of the game.

And then Chris Boswell kicks it between the up. rights, we win that game, and everybody is, we're not shocked, but everybody around is shocked that we came out of this game as a winner. But it was crazy there for a second. It was crazy. You've been on some teams. I thought the year that Chazier got injured, you guys were the best team in the league. Yeah. And so you've played on teams that, you know, same in college. I mean, you've been right there to be a champion, to be a Super Bowl champion. Is that something just kind of, you know, you're a pretty high level motivated guy anyway, but is that kind of an easy thing to just think about like, I haven't got over the mountaintop yet?

It honestly is because I've been so close and it's one or two plays that change it sometimes. But I feel like there's going to come a time where I get over this damn hump. Like, you know, and I'll even take it back to high school. We went to the state championship and, you know, there was, there was the year before we went to the state championship. They had made a rule that you could tie in the state championship because the year before, a kicker had missed and, you know, had went through a lot of harassment. And then in college, I mean, in high school, we went to state championship and tied. and that was one of the worst feelings because it's like how do I celebrate a tie in the state championship? We still got rings, but like, man, that like did not sit well with me.

And then college, you know, freshman year starting national championship. And we tricked it off and did not win. And then all throughout there, I wish we had college playoffs back then because that would have been fun to be a part of. We ended up going to the Sugar Bowl. my senior year, we won versus Arkansas, but never got to play a national championship again. And now I'm just,

I've been in the playoffs. And all I've won is a Super Bowl. All I won is a championship. That is the crowning moment. I'm looking forward to it. You said the word. So I remember last year sitting on my couch, you were playing the lions, right?

You know, torrential downpour. And the game finishes a tie, correct? Yes. What's it feel like? I know we hear the coaches talk. Neither one's happy. What's it like as a player when overtime hits a double zero and both teams have the same score and you finish with a tie? I'm going to be honest.

I was hot. Like I was pissed off. Like, and that's not a shot at like what the Lions did because Lions did some things well in that game. But damn, we, I don't ever want to end in us high. I don't feel comfortable with it. I don't feel comfortable with losses. I look at it as a loss, but somehow that got us into the playoffs. So, you know, I couldn't be that upset about it.

Well, I know you've been in the mix for the man of the year. You've been the representative for the Steelers. I was reading about your foundation. I mean, I didn't know this, but you can tell on cam Haywardfoundation.com. Dot org. That you had severe asthma as a child. And, you know, I had bounced with asthma. But nothing like you were hospitalized and is that something?

How'd you get over it? And is that something you still deal with to this day? Oh, I still deal with it. You know, I have to take my inhaler before every game. You know, when my chest does get very tight, I have to get on a nebulizer or a machine that helps with my breathing. But growing up, I was a complete mess. You know, thank God for my parents because I put them through some hard times.

You know, growing up, my mom. Mom never was always scared about me playing sports and, you know, over-exerting myself because there was an opportunity that I could suffer from it. But through sports, I was able to strengthen my lungs and, you know, continue to keep growing in it. I'm from Pittsburgh, but now I'm back in Pittsburgh. You know, I remember those times going to the hospital on Christmas nights because I had an allergic reaction from a real Christmas tree and my asthma flared up and now I couldn't even breathe and I couldn't imagine putting or watching my kids go through that. That would be heartbreaking.

But luckily I'm here today and, you know, my foundation helps with asthma and helps with children in need. So, you know, I want to make sure I do my part. I lost my dad about four years ago from cancer, but I was, you know, basically your age now. I know your dad, Ironhead Hayward, who was a famous football player, you lost him. Was it your senior year in high school? Yeah, before my senior year in high school. It's something, you know, I've followed your career from afar. You know, I say this all the time about the NFL.

The majority of guys are such high level. And it's why when guys get in trouble, it's such a minority of the overall group, you know, especially relative to society. But you, I would say, are even on the higher end of that and, you know, being in the mix to when you're I feels like inevitability to to win the award one day. Is that a moment? Because they say, I remember Scott Van Pelt says you never become kind of a grown up till you know, you lose your father. And it's something, you know, it's a jolting feeling. But it's one thing to be an adult. It's another, I can't imagine. Was that something that matured you to your,

have you always just, would you consider yourself a mature guy? Is it was at just a moment that you know, it's a life changing moment, obviously. But it's a life changing moment. And, um, you You know, James, our producer can attest I am not mature whatsoever. You know, I, you know, I am a big kid at heart. I love to have fun. And I like to think I matured later on in life. You know, obviously I had to be there for my brothers and my mom. But they were there for me.

And I had to grow up. You know, my mom was. such a big standout in my life, especially when my dad died. She would, she was like my, she handled all my recruiting. So like when we went to Ohio State, you know, I wish my dad was there to help, you know, guide me through this process. But she was in the forefront, you know, asking teams, what do you play at 3-4-4-3? What do you see them more as a de-tackle, D-N? What weight do you want them at? You know, all. these different questions.

And I'm like, I'm so glad she's asking these questions and not me because I wouldn't have had a clue what to ask. As a 17-year-old, you're like thinking like, oh, this is Ohio State. Yeah, this is great. But my mom was preparing me for, you know, the next level and making sure I was going to be in a great spot. Do you think there's any way in 2022 that you don't end up at Georgia? How do they let you get out of the state the way they're going now? Kirby

Kirby might have just jumped on your back and refused to let you go. Yeah, I don't think Georgia was happy I was leaving in the first place because, like, who was there? Mark Rick was there. And, you know, they've had some great coaches. They were.

But, man, I, like, my second choice would have been Florida and that would have really upset all the Georgia people. Irwin was there. And, you know, I was very close to going to Florida. but I went to the Ohio State game. It was an unofficial game for me.

And, you know, I was a little bit sick. And my mama and me were like, you know, we can't make an official because it was too late. So we drove up ourselves. And it was the one-versed-two game, Ohio State versus Michigan. And the winner was going to the national championship. Was that with Troy Smith? Was he the quarterback? Yes.

Yes. And I was like, like, we got out there and you start seeing like ESPN is like, like ABC is like showing this game. So you're seeing the camera fly across. You're seeing like the Ohio State band come out at halftime. And you're like, okay, this is a different like type of game. This is like everybody's watching. I want to be a part of this. And like we just, from then on, it was like everything was head off.

Like coach trestle is awesome. He cares about. you as a person. They care about your academics. The players there, like James Lauren Nitis was like one of my hosts. And getting to interact with him, I was like, this dude is awesome. This guy's won the butchus. And now I get to talk to him.

He's just like a regular guy. That was one of my favorite trips. And I was just, I was like, I got to come here. This is Ohio State. Like, I want to be a Buckeye. You know, speaking, you obviously got a podcast starting, not just football podcast with Cam Hayward, which I was just thinking about to ask this question. You know, you're doing a podcast for Omaha, Peyton and Eli, two guys you tried to kill for years before they both retired. Tell me about your podcast and just how it all came to be, you know, working with Peyton and Eli.

Yeah, so the podcast is called Not Just Football with Cam Hayward. We were flipping around through names for forever. And, you know, for me, I didn't want to just be tied down to just football. I wanted to be able to talk other sports because I love basketball. I love all different types of sports. I love pop culture, too. So, you know, it's funny how this all worked out. You know, Peyton and his people reaching out, the people at Omaha.

You know, Peyton actually played with my dad. And I can't wait to have him on my show one of these times because I want to ask them so many different stories. Because I remember we were in Indianapolis. And, you know, I think Peyton was struggling. But, like, my mom and dad were telling me, like, he's going to be the truth one day. And they were right. But, you know, now this dude's my boss. And so this is a little weird.

A guy that I got the chance to play against is now my boss. And, you know, they create great shows and great content. But this is an unfiltered, you know, perspective of what a day in life of what I go through, how I prepare, what I'm looking at, how I see, you know, sports and how I see pop culture. So I'm ready. I got one of my friends to come on. He's going to be my co-host. He's going to be busting my balls a little bit, too. So it's going to be a good time.

You know, obviously, Dremont, his podcast shot like a rocket ship. But basketball is a little different scheme. You know, Steph Curry's shooting the ball. And he's talking a lot of shit. In football, you know, it's like with the culture talking about other guys you're playing, you know, it's a little frowned upon by my coaching staff. Is the balance, that probably wouldn't be, it's not necessarily your style. But I don't think anyone can pull that off.

in the NFL, right? You're right. Like, I've seen, like, basketball players going, like, talk shows and literally, like, talk crap about a player. Like, I'm not with all that. Like, that's not what I'm going to do. Like, I'm here to, you know, broader my horizons and learn and have fun with people and, you know, grow great awareness to our game that we love.

And provide a lot of insight because a lot of times you get these players and, you know, after they're done. Like, you know, I can recall when Jerome used to do his show after he was done with football. And, you know, I just think this is a really cool platform to, you know, talk to a current player. And, you know, I might have to have a couple of those where, you know, we win or we lose.

I'm going straight to the pod. Make sure you can stay tuned. But I'm not using this time to call it nobody. If anything, I'm using this time to call up myself. and hold myself accountable. The difference in football than the NBA is like physically you could get, you know, crack back, I mean, you could get Jets, you know, at the NBA. You don't touch anybody.

You know, what? I'll get you out here on this. I remember when I was scouting, a famous story was, you know, the Steelers have always been held to the highest regard from a scouting perspective. And Jack Lambert, they were like a practice at Kent State when he was in college. And one of the Steelers scouts was there. And they were, it was like an outside walkthrough. you know, in the 60s or whatever, on gravel.

And Jack was going 100 miles an hour, tackling people bloodied on the gravel. And the Steelers scout, like, went back to the Rooney's. We're like, he's our guy. And then they get them. And that's just, you know, these legends of Steelers. And it's just, but it's lived that, right? To when I was a camp at Greg Lloyd's to,

to Harrison and Lamar Woodley's to just to now you. And T.J. and Minka. I mean, you do get to play for a team that, one, the fan base is massive. Two, football means everything. And three, you're just thought of like, If you start on defense for the Steelers, you are a badass. That's got to be pretty cool. Well, like, I remember hearing about how, like, the scout Bill Nunn would, like, hold on to certain tapes because back then they were supposed to, like, share the film with everybody.

But, like, they didn't. And so Bill Nunn, you know, he held onto the tape and nobody knew about certain players. So, you know, the scouting department has always been ahead of everybody else. and has always found great players. But when you put on that black and gold, man, you are really embracing a tough defense demeanor. It's something I'm proud of, something I've got to live up to every day,

and I just enjoy it. I thank God every day that I'm able to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. Well, I'm looking forward to watching you guys play on defense because every year you guys just cracking people left and right and watching nausea play and, you know, the quarterback situation is going to be fun. So, you know, you guys make the playoffs basically every year. So I expect you back there. I look forward to- Yeah, good luck to you, man. Stay healthy. And good luck with the pot. New media, baby. New media.

New media. I guess I'm part of new media. No skipping weeks, Cam. No skipping week. No skipping weeks. Yes. James won't let us. We got it. No. Take it easy, bro. Thanks a lot. Appreciate you, John. Thank you for having me on. No problem. Volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite.

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