The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Colin on OBJ's Trade Demands, Inside Tom Brady’s Bucs Super Bowl Season with Author Lars Anderson

Episode Date: November 3, 2021

Colin points out what fans don't understand about OBJ (3:00), why the Von Miller trade shows how the Rams are adapting to the changing NFL (6:00), and the real story behind the Deshaun Watson trade that never happened (9:00). Then, author Lars Anderson discusses his new book A Season in the Sun about Tom Brady and the Buccaneers' incredible Super Bowl season. They talk about how Bruce Arians almost gave up on the team's playoff hopes (14:00), the ultimate reason that Tom Brady left Bill Belichick (17:00), why the Bucs coaching staff knew they wanted to sign Brady (19:00), why Bruce Arians' first meeting with Gronk involved a profanity laced tirade (27:00), how Arians assembled one of the NFL's most unique coaching staffs (31:00), the similarities between Nick Saban and Bruce Arians (35:00), the moment Leonard Fournette considered leaving the team (37:00), the day Colin broke the news of Brady signing with Tampa (44:00), what Tom really thought of his time in New England (46:00), and why Brady's drunken Super Bowl boat parade made him more relatable than ever (50:00).Make sure you follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter and YouTube for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Hi, everybody, and welcome to the Wednesday morning podcast. I love doing these. We're going to have author Lars Anderson. He's had all sorts of New York Times bestsellers. He wrote a book about last year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Ariens, Tom Brady, Antonio Brown. Great stories about the championship. I can't wait to have him on. I wanted to talk about two or three different things.

First of all, it's remarkable to me. that people struggle with stuff that they experience in their own life. You've dated people in your life, perhaps married. You're both good people. And the fit eventually just doesn't work. You know that fit matters. You've worked at companies. You're talented enough.

It's not a terrible company. The fit doesn't work. But yet, when I suggested that OBJ was just a bad fit with a young Baker-Mayfield, I'm not blaming anybody. People thought it was a hot take. It's not a hot take. They don't fit. And the data suggests they have never fit.

You know, I'll give you a great example. A show that most of us have watched Saturday Night Live. Larry David, really a comedic genius, helps create Seinfeld, does create Curb Your Enthus, two of the more iconic seminal comedy shows of my lifetime. He quit after a year on Saturday Night Live because he only got one sketch on the show. He was a bust. Robert Downey Jr. lasted a season. Sarah Silberman didn't work.

Ben Stiller lasted four episodes. Yet there have been kind of hacky comedians who do impressions that are big hits on Saturday Night Live. You have to have the right comedic fit to work on that show. that's OBJ. OBJ was a, at the time he moved to Cleveland, was a big star, supermodels in hotel rooms in Paris, New York Giants, houses in Hollywood. And I had talked to him. I remember where I was standing in Park City, Utah when he called me and we talked during

FaceTime. He didn't want to go to Cleveland. He had no interest in Cleveland. He had told me the places he was interested in. And then like three weeks later, he ended up in Cleveland. We just knew it just wasn't the right fit. Baker wasn't the right fit. And I'm always surprised when, you know, people bristle at that suggestion.

We've all had relationships. We've all worked at companies. It just doesn't work. And for OBJ, it never, ever, ever. All the data tells you, Baker literally this year has a 50% completion rate when targeting OBJ and a 72 passer rating when targeting OBJ, the lowest of any rate. receiver on the Browns roster. As Belichick says, it's not about collecting talent.

It's about building a team. So when the Rams go out and get Vaughn Miller, they essentially won the trading deadline. And, you know, I think there's a lot of things at work here. And one of them that I think the Rams really feel good about not only their culture, but their conditioning and how they treat their players physiologically. So the sport is changing in football, right? It used to be the idea of getting married for the first time in your 40s was just ludicrous. You know, people got married in their 20s, early 20s.

And then it was like, whoa, you waited until you were like 33 to get married. People now get married in their 40s. They live their lives. Ages change. People, you know, 65 years old, you retired. In my industry, Vince Scully and Regis Phil. Wilbin were in their late 70s and still, in my opinion, thriving on the air. People live longer.

We eat better. And Lawrence Taylor is the greatest defensive player ever. But Lawrence Taylor, the last three years in the NFL, there was a major drop-off. By 31, he was, to a large degree, not close to the same player. He retired at 34. But it's changed. First of all, teams don't hit during practice. Starters don't play in the preseason.

The collisions for offensive players aren't nearly as punitive. Von Miller's 32. There's no 21, 22, 23-year-old college football players, especially when you're the Rams and don't have a first-round pick. And you'll probably be drafting near the bottom of the second round. Tell me a college player at the bottom of the second round that's going to come in and play for the Rams, because that's where they draft now. And Von Miller's 32, barring a serious injury, could have three more years of high-quality football left.

Ages change. Nutritional standards. Tom Brady, at 44 years old, they're doing studies this year on the velocity of his football and the release of it. It's faster than it was 20 years ago. That's the world we live in. The Miami Dolphins are taking some heat for. allowing the Deshawn Watson trade rumors to go public. And in the process, perhaps damage Tua's confidence.

Something to remember about this is that when you get into a negotiation with somebody, there's agents involved on both sides, there's players on both sides, there's owners, there's GMs. It's hard to keep things quiet. The leaks were never coming from the Miami Dolphins. They had nothing that they could have won with any of that information going public. The information was coming from Deshawn Watson and the Houston Texans. They were trying to create a larger market for Deshawn Watson.

And so the dolphins, I think, started understanding they were negotiating against themselves in the last two weeks. And that gave the dolphins a lot more leverage. In fact, according to multiple reasons, reports, the Dolphins went from having to give up three or four first round picks and three players to three first round picks and just two players. Why? Because there was nobody else in the bidding. So the Texans for the last month have been trying to create a market for DeShan Watson. How? Leak that the dolphins are interested. Leak that Caroline is interested. So that's first. You can't blame the dolphins because somebody else leaks a story.

The second thing to realize is if Tua can't overcome rumors, he's not built to be a Super Bowl champion quarterback. If press clippings and rumors of other players coming to your team threatens you or erode your confidence, you're not the guy. If anything, that sort of stuff should put a massive chip on the shoulder of Tua, who came from a profoundly dominant high school. program, a profoundly dominant college program. It's been kind of easy in terms of supporting cast. He probably needs a little chip on his shoulder. This is the first time he hasn't had significantly better players around him, and his teammates did not vote him captain. So obviously, from a leadership standpoint, he's not clicking with teammates. Don't blame teams if stuff gets out. Agents love salaries and their clients on the market getting out.

It drums up business. He's a New York Times bestselling author of 12 books, a season in the sun, the inside story of Bruce Ariens, Tom Brady, in the making of a champion. And Lars Anderson had previously written a book, co-authored with Bruce Ariens three, four years ago, called the quarterback whisper. And so what I find interesting is the relationship, Lars, that you have. with Bruce and we were talking as we were preparing for this interview today that if you wrote the story of this season it's ludicrous Brady misses out on 1500 snaps we're in a pandemic

he walks into a house of a stranger looking for Byron Leftwich he's doing he's doing high school practice he creates practices at a high school football field that a local affiliate gets on video from a helicopter. I'm not sure he got in trouble with that or not. The whole thing was sort of make it up as they go. And I wondered with your relationship with Bruce Ariens, when it was all said and done, was even Bruce a little surprised? I mean, it looks so chaotic on that Thursday night in Chicago.

It was like almost duct taping things together week to week with your relationship with Bruce when it was all over. A little surprised, a scale of one to ten, a three. I mean, it is almost a ludicrous, hard-to-believe script in what happened. Yeah, especially one with how the season started, going into New Orleans and getting thumped. And Tom throws a pick six and throws another interesting. interception. And then Bruce publicly criticizes Tom. And everybody was already like, oh, in the national media, the marriage is over. It's dead. And then when there's seven and five going into the buy, there were some pundits who were calling for Bruce's job saying, hey, this isn't

working. The Bruce Ariens offense and the Tom Brady offense, absolutely not working. But, you know, they kept grinding away. And eventually, as I said on your show the other day, and thank you for having me on your show. And thank you for having me on your podcast, Colin. You've been a huge advocate for this book. I really appreciate it. You bet. You appreciate it.

You know, they had a melding of Tom's preferred offense and B.A.'s offense. Now, could Bruce have envisioned? that they were going to be this good, this fast. No. When there was seven and five, you know what Bruce was thinking? We're going to start preparing for next year. We're going to use these last games of the season to get ready for next year. He did not think he was going to click as quick as it did. And, you know, he didn't say that publicly, but that's what he was thinking privately. That's what he was saying to Jason Light, the general manager. He's like, hey, we're one year away.

But, you know, when he was recruiting Tom and then Tom signs, one of the first things that Bruce said to Tom was, we are really good, but our players don't know it because of this culture of losing. And, you know, James Winston the previous year, 30 touchdowns, 30 interceptions, you know, and the last, throw of James's career for Tampa was a pick six in the shortest overtime game in the history of the NFL. And afterward, you could just see the exasperation on Bruce's face when he, when he just said, you know, James does so many great things, but he also does so many terrible

things. And so Bruce knew in his own mind, he didn't share this with his assistant that he had to move on from James. And really, who? they were targeting was Teddy Bridgewater. They thought Bridgewater is going to be our guy. He's from Florida. He'll want to come back home. And then slowly they get word that that Brady could be interested. And if you remember that the NFL Combine, so this is pre-pandemic, all the coaches get their time up at the microphone, right, and in front of the national media. and Bruce has asked, hey, who do you want, who do you want to be your quarterback? And he just said, Tom Brady, you know, and he had no idea.

But you know what he was doing? He was sending a message that went all the way up to New England and through the big iron gates of Tom's mansion, letting Tom know and Tom's agent, Don Lee, we want Tom. You know, that's interesting. the ghost of Belichick, as I read the book, you can kind of feel it in the pages, is that every great coach, Lars, has a weakness. And with Belichick, I think it's often with skill people. He's a defensive coach. He's missed on a lot of wide receivers in the league in college. He struggled with tied-in drafts, running back drafts, very hit and miss. And I could make the argument that he missed on Brady, that he's. that he thought it was about Tom aging, and it was really a lack of self-reflection, that he had created such a poor group of skill people.

As I read the book, I wonder deep down when you did this book and talk to Tom, and Tom has the proverbial chip on the shoulder, but I wonder when Tom, at some point in New England realized we just can't draft receivers. Even now, with the 200, 300 million in free agency, it still remains the weakest receiving core in the league. So even when acquiring Mohammed Sanoo for a second or third round pick, Nelson Aguilar, Kendrick Bort, he's still not good at it. They still have nobody that separates.

Do you think, you know, in your book, Tom makes the decision about a year out? but I wonder if he was having questions before that. I do. And look, Tom didn't dig deep on this with me. And it wasn't like I spent a ton amount of time with Tom for this book, but pretty much everybody around him. I think Colin, it can be distilled into something very simple. He did not feel appreciated by his boss. if it's me right you know i want to be appreciated by my editors even call on coward as successful as

you are you want to be appreciated right for your job and tom did not feel appreciated uh he would he the bellichick who acts as the de facto GM yeah wouldn't give him the contract extension and um you know i belichick in tom's mind was was ready to move on and uh and uh it And, you know, Tom's last throw, ironically enough, I said James Winston's last throw was a pick six. Tom's last throw as a Patriot was a pick six. And as I mentioned to you when we did the show that Clyde Christensen and Jason Light and Bruce, they went back and analyzed every single throw that Tom made the previous two seasons. And they realized he still got it.

He still got it. And eventually they put a radar gun on him. Still got the same velocity that he had in the prime of what we thought would be the primary his athletic career. And the conclusion that they came to is just what you said, didn't have the weapons around him. So why does Tampa become so appealing? Well, for starters, they got Chris Godwin, they got Mike Evans, they got O.J. Howard.

They have a young, really good offensive line. there was no promises that they were going to draft Tristan Worf's out of Iowa, but he becomes maybe the best tackle in the best young tackle in the league. They certainly hit the ballpark out of that with him. And then also a young aggressive defense and a talented defense. And it took Tom to come in. And this is what the mandate from Bruce was. You need to make them know that they're good.

And what did they, I mean, but Tom just walking into the building changed everything. And there's just one scene that I think is so powerful. It is when Tom and the players are out on the practice field for the first time. And it's just the trainers who can be out on the field. The coaching staff is up on the second floor. There's a floor to ceiling windows. And they are all. basically like have their noses pressed to the window, right? It's like they're at the zoo

trying to, trying to, trying to look, trying to find, you know, the, the, the, the, the most incredible animal, right, in the, in the cage or whatever. And then Tom Brady walks out. And, uh, they're just like, oh my God, he's really here. Oh my God, he's really here. And even in that first practice, you could see linemen if they missed a block. Oh, sorry, Tom, not going to happen again. Sorry, Tom. Right receiver drops the ball. Tom, not going to happen again. So what I'm trying to say is nobody wanted to disappoint Tom because of his track record, his background, and the immense respect that everyone had for him. And imagine how hard it is for Tom to come into a situation. to be sort of the leader of the team.

And he organized those off-season, those workouts at that high school with Rob Gronkowski coming. And, you know, he was very demanding. But he didn't really have a personal relationship with many of the guys. But suddenly you had DBs showing up because they wanted to be there. You had offensive linemen showing up. I mean, traveling across the country to be there. And it's all because of the respect for Tom.

And truly, one person changed the entire culture, the entire focus of the organization. Are you ready to amp up the excitement every college football Saturday this year? All right. It's called Colin Cowherd's Saturday spreads. It's on Fandul. Free shot at big prices. Really simple. I choose 10 of college football's biggest matchups each week.

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Texas is a bit of a mess and reeling. Iowa State beats them by a couple of touchdowns at home. my Fandul college football picks, and yes, I'm on a heater. All right, those will be three of the ten picks. Go to Fandul.com slash Saturday spreads. Fandul.com slash Saturday spreads. Or you can just download the Fandul app. Check in $5,000 every weekend prices.

No purchase necessary. Age restrictions apply depending on location. Voidware prohibited. See fandul.com for terms and conditions. C-O-L-N, so they know I sent you, exclusively on the Fandulul' Sportsbook app. 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. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 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 Podcast,

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And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-arm kid carry. Looks like dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Typhers and toys are everywhere.

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Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitsa and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree.

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Tampa never did. There must have been messaging in your book, I think, with the COVID the first year. So that respect Tom brings into the table, I think had great influence. Nobody's going to disrupt a game or a practice for Tom. But if you go back and remember a lot of teams, there were many disruptions. And if I recall, the Buccaneers didn't have any COVID disruptions. In a region, by the way, which was pushing back on some mandates and some vaccines, take me to that process because I think sometimes we're removed from that now.

But boy, that year, we had games moved and canceled, Lars. Absolutely. And I mean, it started with Bruce, right? And I'll try to keep the language. Sure. This is a podcast. Fire away. Okay.

I'll try to keep it as clean as possible. All right. But first staff meeting Bruce has with his coaches. Tom Moore is Bruce's. top lieutenant. Yeah. 82 years old. Yep.

Former, I think he was either quarterback's coach with Bruce when they were at Indy together. Tom's a great guy. And he's got so much knowledge, so many great stories. And Bruce essentially said, if any of you MFs talking to all the coaches, get me or Tom sick, I've got a gun. I'm going to shoot you in the news. Okay. So it started with that. And then Rob Gronkowski signs and Bruce has, he had his reservations about Rob. Party rock. Yeah. Because because when Bruce was calling games for CBS, he did a Patriots game. And he just, he saw that Rob one, couldn't get any separation.

He had like all his body armor on. Yeah. He looked to Bruce like a broken player. Sure. And in in retrospect, it was Jason Light and Bruce just taking Tom Brady's word on blind faith that Rob can still play. Because they didn't get a chance to work them out, nothing. So they sign Rob. First day that Rob comes into the building at one buck place. This is one of my favorite stories in the entire book. There's signs everywhere outside of the elevator, in the elevator.

It says one person at a time in the elevator. And the coaches offices, again, are on the second floor. Rob is in the elevator with a buck's employee. The two come up, doors open, who's standing right there, but Bruce. And Bruce is just like, you stupid motherfucker? And he is just going off on Rob. Can't you read a fucking sign? Don't you know what the fuck this says?

Pardon my language, but I'm just telling you exactly what happened. And Rob being, so Bruce goes on and on and on. And after Bruce is done with his diatribe, Rob gives this sort of, you know, a goofy smile and says, nice to meet you, coach. By the way, Gronk's first year, Lars, he still looked like a broken player. I think this year he looked, I mean, he looked like he'd worked out. I mean, if you remember, he came to Tampa the first four or five weeks. I mean, he, he, he was a broken player.

I mean, there's something about that Tampa humidity, that southern humidity, that southern sum. Because I thought this year he looked much more nimble, much twitchier than he did last year. You know, it was also, you know, one of the things I love about Arians, it's a very unique coaching staff. So Tom really didn't know Byron Leftwich. You know, he, he probably, I think he played against him at one point down in Jackson. And then there was a woman on the staff, two women. He had previously hired the name Jen Welter in Arizona. So talk about the coaching staff.

Bulls, Todd Bowles obviously faced Tom as the Jets head coach. It's a really unique staff. Did that make it easier, more difficult, you know, during the process of Tom? I mean, they joke about it's, they're temps. Temple South because Bruce's first head coaching job was at Temple back in the late 80s, I believe. And so many of the staff members have connections to Bruce going all the way back to Temple. And Todd Bowles was his defensive captain there. Lori Locus, who you mentioned, assistant D. Line coach, she went to Temple and was a student there and several others.

And also what's unique about the staff is the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, assistant head coach, all African American. First time in NFL history, that's happened. But basically everyone on that staff had a previous relationship with Bruce. And that was one of Bruce's selling points to the glazers when he interviewed. By the way, when Bruce went in for his interview, You know what he carried with him?

Not a three ring binder, not like a three-year plan. He had his wallet and his keys. That's it. That is it. You know, and that's very rare, right? And I think he dropped his first F-bomb in about three minutes into the interview. But the Glazers had seen the, I think the Amazon series, all or nothing. So they knew Bruce's colorful language.

Right. And so they weren't shocked by that. And so, yeah, so Bruce interviewed and he said, look, the stars have aligned because I can get Todd Bowles. I can get Byron Leftwich. Leftwich had been fired after getting a very brief tryout as the O.C. in Arizona. And Byron had run, had been Bruce's quarterback in Pittsburgh. And Bruce took the job on the condition. I should say Chris, Bruce's wife, let Bruce take the job on the condition that he give up play calling duties because she was worried that he was going to basically stroke out on the sideline.

Sure. Because he'd be so, get so stressed. But to Bruce, Byron can actually call the offense better than him because even though he designed it, he never played it. And Leftwich has played it. Not only that, Leftwich was the same style of quarterback. as Brady, not mobile, have to make place from the pocket and maneuver around. And so the two had so much in common. And so Bruce knew everybody he wanted to hire right away. And funny thing is, like next day, the bucks had Bruce go take a physical. Bruce is a little nervous about this. And after, you know,

getting poked and prodded in places where he'd never been poked or prodded before, the doctor comes out and he's like, Doc, did I pass? Did I pass? He's like, yeah, I give you a D plus, C minus. And Bruce is like, yes, that's better I did in college. I passed. You know, you did wrote a book with Nick Saban 10 years ago, if I recall, right? Yeah, I wrote a book. I've written actually two books on Nick. One was called The Storm in the Tide. About, yes, about, I think that's what you're referring to, about the tornado that ripped through Tuscalo, Alabama on April 27, 2011. So you're a professor at Alabama and journalism.

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. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're

in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood,

pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, IHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So you know Nick and you know Ariens. I would see them as two completely different people. and I'm sure there are several distinctions. Are there any similarities between the two personalities? That's a great question.

I've never been asked that before. I think the intensity with which they approach. And I also, I think there is a misconception of Nick Sabin that he doesn't have personal relationships with his players. you know, Bruce was on Bear Bryant's final staff in 1982, right? And I, this has to be correct, but Bruce must be the only active coach who still has like direct ties to Bear Bryant. And in, and Bear Bryant's philosophy was, and this is Bruce's philosophy.

Bruce has one picture hanging in his office and that's a Bear Bryant. and it is coach them hard, hug them harder. And Nick Saban doesn't seem like this touchy-feely guy, but yet he is very much a paternal figure to his players. In the same way that, you know, I mentioned I showed the other day, that Bruce wants to be viewed as the cool uncle you want to have a beer with. But at the same time, you know, he will certainly disparate. words of wisdom and be there for his players when they're having off the field issues.

You know, last year, there came a point when Leonard Furnett was not getting the ball very much. That's right. And several games. And there was one, I think it was a walk through practice where Furnett just sat on his helmet the entire time, didn't participate. And Bruce called him over and said, look, take 20 minutes, go into. to the locker room, call wherever you need to call, and then come back out here and tell me if I need to cut you. And again, using very colorful language, I apologize for the language. No, I love it. This is why God created podcasts.

And tell me, tell me if I need to cut you. And then Fernette did that, comes back out and says, coach, we're good. And since then, Leonard Fernett, not been an issue. And you know what? He respected Bruce so much. He resigns with the Bucks for this year. And you can make the argument that the Bucks don't win the Super Bowl last year without Leonard Furnett. You know, when Brady made that key throw in the NFC championship game to Scotty Miller right before half, right? The touchdown that Tampa scored. You know who threw the key block on that?

It was Leonard Furnett. Without Furnett making that block, Brady doesn't have time to make that throw. And that's the key play, I would argue, not just of that game, but of the season for the bucks. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39.99 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. to 1,800flowers.com

slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinnwity host of the new podcast Navigating Adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids.

Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by adopt U.S. kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council.

What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. Our sense of wonder. And our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other.

The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring. at Discovertheforest.org, brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Interestingly, speaking of relationships, Tom, Brady, and Antonio Brown have a, I would imagine, the most a surprisingly close relationship. Yeah. I mean, when it was, Tom was constantly going into the offices of BA and Jason Light, again, the general manager saying, we got to sign Antonio, we got to sign Antonio, got to sign Antonio. And he kind of just wore them out. And so finally, they call Antonio in after some of his legal

stuff had been resolved. They get him into the building. And Antonio said all the right things. And so Bruce and Jason decide to take a chance. Again, this is almost like more blind faith in Tom. And I don't want to overstate that Tom played this role of of assistant general manager, but he certainly impacted the influence or impacted the decisions that Jason, Jason Light ultimately made. And then, you know, when Antonio flies into Tampa, he doesn't know anybody in Tampa. So Tom actually picks him up at the airport. Who picks up people at the airport these days, Colin? And, And then, you know, Tom was living in Derek Jeter's mansion, the biggest house in Tampa.

He recently sold, or Jeter recently sold it, but he and Jazeel lived there last year. And Antonio Brown stayed with them for a week or two. And just the two would go over the playbook together. And now, well, you just go back to last season, how important Antonio Brown. Brown came to that team. And I think, I know he's hurt right now, but moving forward this year, Antonio Brown is going to be an immensely important player for Tampa Bay. Well, they have so much depth on the roster. Gronk and AB older players, this is the value of depth. Alabama football has this. You can rest players an extra week or two. They've got depth at wide

receiver and tight end. That's kind of the unspoken edge Tampa really has. is that when you have that kind of depth in the defensive line, wide receiver, and tight end, you don't have to rush anybody back. I mean, you know, Kyler Murray this week may play for Arizona, and they're acknowledging he could literally set out three games and that would probably be the perfect anecdote to his injury. But, you know, if you don't mind me, sorry to interrupt. What was your reaction when you first got word that Tom Brady was signing with the Bucks? I actually, in a bit of good fortune, broke the story. I was on the air in Sherman Oaks, California in a building. And a friend of mine who is not an NFL source, he's a basketball source, but he hangs in a very elite world, said, call me during the break.

He's a fan of the show. I did. And he said, Giselle said he can play in Tampa. Tampa, Florida works. They're not doing cold weather. L.A.'s too far away. I literally hung the phone up, came back, went on the air with it.

And for the only time in my life, I beat Jay Glazer and Adam Schaeftor to a story. And my initial reaction, Lars, was, oh, wait. It makes sense. Carolina, Atlanta, had quarterbacks that were older, Drew Breeze was older. So part of Tom's success in New England was it was a dysfunctional chaotic division. So here you had older Matt Ryan. Drew Breeze is close to the end. The Cam Newton situation that had a sort of peaked.

And the other thing was, Tom's like a lot of people that moved to Florida, Tom is older. He's a California kid. He's tired of the cold weather. And I'm like, oh, this makes sense. They're loaded at wide receiver. He had a very intense, intense no fun coach. Now he goes to cocktails at five brews, loaded at wide receiver, warm weather. And I've always believed, Lars, this is kind of one of my theories because I've moved to different networks and different jobs.

That when you leave a place that you've been successful, you take 75 to 80 percent of the, system that work for you. But you choose a place that has two or three things the other place didn't have. The coach in New England too intense. The wide receiver's awful. The weather in playoff time, brutal. And so the moment it happens, I'm like, oh, check, check. Those are the three things that New England could not provide him with.

In fact, Lars, my biggest concern, and I said this multiple times was, I lived in Tampa for two years, very laid back. There's almost an island culture. Ebor City. Meet you there at 530. I said, how will Tampa deal with Tom's intensity? I'm like, I'm not worried about, you know, completing passes in football. But I've seen Tom scream at Bill O'Brien and Josh McDaniel.

Tampa, I cover the team for two years. I love the glazers. But I'm like, it's a loose culture there. It is not intense. And as your book Chronicles, the players were almost begging to be coached. They were begging for that intensity. So long story short or short story long, that was kind of my reaction. I'm completely shocked that it worked.

But I was more concerned, not about the fit and personnel, but the fit and personality with Tom. And I know that Tom really enjoyed the fact that if it's a 1 p.m. Eastern kickoff, he could be at the Jeter Mansion by about 5 o'clock in the pool, hanging out with Giselle, and just love and life. Because where he was living, it was not far from Raymond James Stadium and one buck place. Yeah, before we let you go. And the book is A Season in the Sun, The Inside Story of Bruce Ariens, Tom Brady, The Making of a Champion by Lars Anderson, who's a journalism professor at Alabama, has been so kind to give us 30 minutes.

But it's a fascinating book, and I think it's the great dynasty in American sports. Kobe and Shaq, you get about four to five years out of these folks. Steph KD., four to five years, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chuck Knoll. You don't get 20. You don't get two 10-year dynasties. It doesn't work that way. So I continue to think it, along with the Michael Jordan documentary,

it chronicles one of the most fascinating stories. of my sports life. You know, it's funny, talking about that, the Michael Jordan documentary showed you how damn difficult it was. Michael was the best looking player, the most stylish player, the best player, his GM, his owner,

Rodman, Pippen. You know, you look back at New England and to wrap it up, you didn't hear a lot about it. Tom was sort of the good soldier, right? He took the message. He used to do a morning show on Mondays for Boston Radio

to spread the gospel of Belichick. And I think I really do think Lars, and you'll have insight on this, I think for 15 years, it really did work. And then I think about the last four or five after that Atlanta Super Bowl, I think Tom kind of felt like, okay, I'm 40-year-old Tom now. Like, I am the greatest all-time. Even Joe Montana acknowledged that guy is better than me. But I do think, Lars, for 15 years, he was a very happy

player with Belichick. I agree. And, you know, for the most part, Belichick didn't treat him any different than other players. And, you know, when I was talking to Bruce about Tom, like, hey, do you treat Tom different? He's like, hell yeah, I treat him different. He can take any days off he wants, you know. And if he wants to come into my office and tell me that we need to change the game plan, I'm going to listen and most likely I'm going to do it. Of course, Bruce, you know, he's a very,

he's a very strong, very strong personality. And so it's not going to be just like, okay, Tom gets whatever he wants. I mean, Bruce will light him up, right? And not afraid to do that, either behind closed doors or in front of the media when he thinks that Tom's made a mistake. But I think Tom appreciates that honesty. And he appreciates the relationship that they have in the open communication. And they just like sitting around bullshitting with each other, Colin. I mean, they really enjoy each other's company. And I don't know if Tom, I never had that at Michigan, never had that with Belichick.

And he's got that with Bruce. And I think Bruce, it truly is. He's like an uncle to Tom, right? He's the guy who's ultimately in charge, but he is the uncle to Tom. One last point I want to make. And I thought this was just absolutely fascinating was the boat parade. Who else in the United States, who else in America could be publicly intoxicated and yet, and yet become more popular because of it?

And I think that that moment humanized Tom. And I love the fact, you know, the throwing of the Lombardi Trophy, the one voice of reason is Tom's daughter yelling, no, daddy, no daddy. He does it anyway. And, I mean, it may have been the greatest sort of championship parade of all time. And I know it sort of like broke all these COVID protocols and everything. But, man, they had a good time. And again, that to me was just the, you. The moment where Tom became a true Floridian, it became a true buck, was that championship.

Yeah, you could, Tampa's always had, and I go back to Ivor City when I was there, it's a party town. Now, it's old. There's a lot of people over 5560, but it's always sort of had a loose, fun, tropical culture. and when I look back at that parade and then after it, Tom, somebody had their arm around Tom and he's leaning into. Yeah, just back up quarterback, Brian Griffin. That would have been seen as almost Lars inappropriate in Foxborough. In fact, it was totally accepted and embraced in Tampa.

It's like, Tom, this is us. This is who we are. We celebrate. We get a little tipsy. and I think you really make a point is that that is the reason he chose Tampa. He's been funnier. He's better on social media. He's a funnier interview.

It felt like he was at a prep school with a really stern chancellor. And now he's at a really cool public school where the teachers like the students. That's what it feels like to me. That's a great analogy. It's a great analogy. And the players, they love, Bruce. Because he's a straight shooter. And, but he also wants to know sort of what is going on in your life. How can I help you? What, what sort of advice can I give you if you need anything? What's going on

with your girlfriend or your wife? Do you want to talk about it? And Bruce's door is always open. And, you know, I've gotten to know Bruce very well, obviously, over the years. And, and, um, I think the world of them. Lars, this was an absolute pleasure for me. Please, folks, indulge in the book. It's terrific. And I love people who deeply care about sports and can share stories because I've always thought that what makes my job so much fun is just the connection, the emotional connection, fans, media, athletes.

And when you can break it down, be it a Michael Jordan documentary or a book like this and share with people, it just the visceral connection. between them and us and the fans in the middle is so much stronger. I think it's wonderful work, great storytelling, Lars, and continued success. And if you see Nick Saban, I really do love him. I think the world of him. Say hi, please. I will.

I will. I'll probably see him here in a few days. So, yes, I'll pass along your regards. All right. Thank you so much, Lars. Thank you so much, Colin, for having me. All right, everybody. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

channel. So much free stuff. Wonderful. More of me. America needs more of me. I think that's understood. The volume sports. The volume. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in.

That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 headwriter 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, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which 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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations

with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrating. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok 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 you here,

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. It 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.

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 things. human potential. Either way, the podcast 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 IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.