May 31, 2026 • 19 mins
Jon Gruden tells his best stories from his time as an NFL head coach and discusses his opinions on the current state of the NFL.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Games of Names.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I'm Julie Edelman, and we got a brand new compilation
highlight reels starting now now.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
John Gruden on what bad football actually looks like.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Now, what is bad football?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I hear all these people on TV talking about?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Is what is bad football?
Speaker 4 (00:20):
You know?
Speaker 5 (00:20):
Bad football's bad ball security? When you when you see
guys fumbling the ball, careless ball security, that is bullshit.
They preest that penalties make me throw up. I stick
my hand in the car door. It doesn't even matter
anymore in college football. Fumble what's all bad football? Miss
blocking assignments? How about a quarterback running a ball into
a free safety blitz and getting the back smashed?
Speaker 6 (00:43):
That is bad?
Speaker 5 (00:44):
How about a blown coverage? You know we shift over here,
we motion? And how about not running to the ball?
You know, how about not breaking the hull? Now flatted
downhill on an income but dropping passes? How about he
catch the ball against the zone and you start dancing around.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Get vertical, get out.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
You see what I'm saying. So you got to show
all this bad shit to the players. This is bad.
Don't do this. Then I'll show a good clip.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
You see Edelman right here, slice these guys, that's a
fourteen yard game. He caught it for a four yard game.
That's ten yards. He split them, you know, and then
you show somebody doing it bad. But lack of concentration
bad football.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
What's the mount rushmore of bad football? There's only four
of them?
Speaker 5 (01:26):
What's bad meetings? Bad meetings, bad preparation, bad bad attitude, selfishness.
It all starts there. You can control some of this stuff.
You got to walk into that meeting thinking, oh, yeah,
I'm checking myself in to get better today. A lot
of guys check in, like God, I can't take it.
I can't take Wednesdays. Fuck, I hate Thursdays, you know
(01:47):
what I mean. So it all starts that's where it
starts bad. And if it starts bad, you got a
hard time to really get it going, you know. So
you got to get some culture, guys, That's why your
Patriots are doing well, Spelane. Have you ever been around
Robert Splaine. He would play on the Walt Whitman Bridge
for nothing, You understand that? And so at Gibbons and
(02:07):
this this what's the other guy's name?
Speaker 6 (02:10):
Your other linebacker? I love him.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
You got him from Philly. I can't Christian Eli. He's
a badass, you know. But these guys will play for nothing.
But I think it starts there and then the drill
work when that horn blows. From the time we have patent,
go to our Our individual has to be all about
eliminating bad football. You know your stance, your start right,
(02:33):
the new routes, whatever it is, wall security, just you know,
the little things. You gotta do the unsophisticated things so
you can do the sophisticated things.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You gotta do the unsophisticated things so you could do
the sophisticated things because most of these games aren't won.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
Yeah they're lost, But you know too. And I read
about vrabel Is. He has every Patriot player. I think
they call it the four hs. So he would tell
you to get up there and tell us who your
hero is, tell us about some heartbreak in your life.
Speaker 6 (03:08):
I can't remember all the.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Four hs off the top, but I learn who you are.
If I'm another player on the team, you learn who
I am, and it kind of gives you a sense
of I got to run this route for this guy.
We got to play together for us to have a chance,
and a lot of teams aren't together.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
No We's not history heroes, heartbreak and hope.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
What's well, what we know what bad football is? What's
what's good football? Then you hear it all the time. Situationally,
you know, teams that can convert in short yardage.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
I'm not talking about this bullshit push push. I'm talking
about get some weight on your front hand, reduce your splits,
come off the ball, and have a running back that
understands a great run on third and one is one yard.
We got to get this first down, you know, converting
in the red zone, getting touchdowns, you know, contributing on
(04:01):
special teams. People don't realize in the NFL, we don't
have ninety eight guys down there. I might say, hey,
Ronde Barber. Ronde Barber covered the kicks for us in
the Super Bowl. He's a Hall of Fame dB. I
never thought about it one time. I never went up
and kissed Ronde's ass because he's playing on He did
it because he wanted to win a championship.
Speaker 6 (04:20):
You know.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
But I think just being on top of your assignments, right,
competing your ass off, fourth quarter pass rush, you got
to have a group that can close the game out
because inevitably you're gonna play your ass off and have
a five point lead with two minutes left. Tom Brady
did a great job. You guys have done a great
job offensively, but you know what, your defense has.
Speaker 6 (04:43):
To go out there and end it.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
You gotta make Malcolm Butler.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
You got to make a play with somebody. You know.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
It's got to be Willie McGinnis. It's got to be
will Fork, It's got to be Ninked.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Night Tower, gotta be Seemy Collins, Trade Flowers.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Nobody talks about those guys, but they had a lot
to do with you guys getting these rings.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Man a lot of them.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And I like what Coach talked about with Warren Sapack.
Don't be afraid to call it time out. Let those
big boys rest. Yeah, well, he's those late situations. I
love that we go out there. It's hot as hell
in Tampa. You guys know that it is hot. We're
wearing these red uniforms and pewter pants. His sap says, Hey, do.
Speaker 6 (05:16):
I get it? Can I take a time out? What
the hell are you talking about? What are you gonna
take him to your grave? You know what I mean? No,
he goes, I get tired. Can I take a time out.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
I go, yeah, So he's out, he rushes, he comes back,
he rushes, he comes back, he takes a time out.
So we go out there like a like a crew
of fireman.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
We give him gatorade and water them up. Next next player.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
But what happens is during the two minute drill, the
high priced rushers, the great players, they get tired. They
got to come out of the game. And you're replacing
Warren's sap with who he ain't Warren.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Sap ain't Warren sap so.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
And you got smart guys on the other side that
go no huddle and keep them trapped on, keep the
same personnel group. That's how you tire out these big
fucking guys. Hit them with a couple of screens to
start the goddamn drive, make them run sideways, keep them
on the fields. Right.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
It's one of my favorite worn sapp stores.
Speaker 6 (06:08):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I know, how many hours of film do you think
you've watched in your life?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Hours?
Speaker 5 (06:13):
Unfortunately, probably most of my life. You know, I miss
my projector shit, I'm sitting in this little hotel. I'm like, damn,
you know, I don't I feel like I where's my
where's my clicker.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Yeah, you got a cowboy clicker on the road.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Sometimes you got it.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
I didn't bring my projector because I knew I was
going to be busy. And you know, sometimes you're on
the airplane and you're studying film and you kind of
get that douche quality, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (06:38):
I don't want people to think I'm a nerder. You know,
I like to have a little fun when I'm traveling,
but I do miss it.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Man.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
You know, I make I make reels. I bought two servers.
Servers are expensive. I've got all my video, my practice tapes.
I got Brett Favre practice tape from nineteen ninety three
nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 6 (07:00):
I'll install plays. I just coached the hula bow.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
I'll install plays and I'll show Joe Montana doing it
in nineteen ninety, I'll show Brett Favre doing it in
two thousand, Tom Brady doing it in twenty ten, and
I'll show your guy, Drake May doing it yesterday. And
I'll say, do you have any questions about this concept?
It's a good play, isn't it. You know, you sell
your shit. I gotta sell the plays to the players.
(07:25):
Players aren't stupid. You gotta sell it, and the player's
got to buy it, and he's got to get excited
about running it.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
No one this is going to kick their ass.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
So I make all these tapes and I still get
to collaborate with coaches behind the scenes and players, and
I just I.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
Just love it.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Where you getting this database of.
Speaker 6 (07:44):
Film that's not for public knowledge. I'm just saying, I'm
a pirate.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well goes on behind the door.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
I'll go visit Dan Campbell, let me come to the Lions.
You know, Herbie Smart invited me to Georgia, and Ryan
Day invited me to Ohio. I get to go watch
these practices, and I might say, is there anything I
can have? Can I have anything? Like like I'm a beggar,
you know, can I have some film? And usually these
guys give me something that I can study.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Now. F f f C a fire what is it?
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Fire Football Coaches Association.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Fire Football Coaches Association. You've been in it now for
a few years. And the luxury of that you get
to go see these other coaches and you get to
get these other films.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
What's something you've learned from from visiting one of these coaches?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
That you've You've been super impressed with that, Like, if
you get your next shot.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
I'm going to bring that into my I've.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Always been a thief. I've stolen playsage, I've stolen drills.
I continue to do that. I also have confirmed in
my mind that our way of doing it is the best,
you know, Egotistically, I wanted people to come to our
practices and go, fucking ay, that was a great practice.
That was great practice, you know. So I've always taken
(09:03):
real pride in that. And the coach at Georgia is
a real deal, Kirby smart Mark. I love the way
they utilize their fields, their coaching staffs.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
So these coaching staffs, they got like fifty guys.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
Now, and everybody has an assignment. You know, you got
to take interest in player development, young guys. You got
to rejuvenate a veteran player, somebody's coming off injury. You
got a new coach. You got to incorporate all this
stuff together. And everybody wants coaches to have less time.
Julian the collective bargaining agreement, no pads, no quarterback schools,
(09:39):
no off season program. How the hell is the game
gonna get better?
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Games?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
On Thursdays games.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I hate it.
Speaker 6 (09:47):
We you know, I was with Tray Tray Smith, is it. Yeah.
I mean, I don't want to get into it.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
But when you got to open up the season in Brazil,
play on Thanksgiving, play on Christmas, play on Monday night,
and then fly to Buffalo on a short week, people
don't realize that shit is hard. Now you're playing seventeen
games and he got two bye weeks and during the
bye week you're not allowed to let your players in
the building.
Speaker 6 (10:15):
Come on now.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
John Gruden talks about the culture of the Oakland Raiders fans.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
I shouldn't say it, but you know, I'm not going
to say it. I've seen a lot of crazy stuff
down there. I've smelled some crazy smells. And one of
the coolest things was when we really got it going,
the black Hole was rocking, rocking, and they had the
Alienator and Gorilla Rilla and they had some famous Raider
(10:40):
characters in full costume. Yeah, and I look down there
and they're going crazy and they're yelling my name, and
I turn around and my mom is in the black
Hole with my young son, Michael, who was four years old.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
Oh my god, and I'm like, get the hell out
of there, get hurt.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
You know, but it was those were my friends. Those
people are the kind of people I relate to the
most man. You know, they want to fucking win the
game man at any cost. And they were always.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
Their wind loser drawl. They were always behind us.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
It's a fun group of fans that, you know, the
NFL needs, and they need to somehow get those people
back in to Vegas.
Speaker 6 (11:20):
Next.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
John Gruden on coaching both Jerry Rice and Tim Brown
on the same team.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
How is that having Tim Brown and Jerry Rice?
Speaker 6 (11:27):
It was awesome? You know.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
It's the funny thing is I was always very perceptive
to the ball distribution. I never wanted so Tim, you'll
appreciate this. The Z lines up to the call in
our offense generally unless he hears slot zoomer X.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
So.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Anyways, Jerry played Z for the forty nine ers, same
system for about fifteen years. Tim played Z for me
for three years, so we moved Jerry to X. So
during mini camp we would break the hull and Jerry
and Tim would be over there at ZE.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
I'd be like, God, damn it, Jerry or the X. Oh,
don't yell at Jerry you know what I mean. Excuse me, Jerry,
you go.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
But at the end of the year, I think they
both had over ninety catches. You can quote me what
the stats were. They both had over one thousand yards,
and I think they both had the same amount of touchdowns.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
See here thousand. That would be two thousand and one
one raiders. You see here we got Gerry. Jerry had
forty No, he had on eighty three catches, nine touchdowns.
Tim Brown ninety one catches, nine touchdowns.
Speaker 6 (12:37):
They both have over one thousand.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, and the thousand.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Granted, Jerry was forty years old right here.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Yeah, the braids were back there.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
I had this office in Alameda, and I walked in.
We played the Titans, I think it was Monday night football,
and we had this play double post, two posts. The
tight end would clear out the poach safety and Jerry
would run post quarters beater and.
Speaker 6 (12:59):
We had some coming underneath, you know.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
And we had twenty two personnel, two backs, two tight ends,
just one wide out. So I ran double post and
I go, uh, let's.
Speaker 6 (13:11):
Go twenty two z.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Let's go Jerry Rice and Jerry runs the double posts.
The next day, I walk in my office and Tim
Brown is sitting in my chair at my desk.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
Whodog he took my double posts. Man. He didn't like that.
So I'm like, I'm sorry, man, but I'll never forget.
First preseason Did you complete?
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Did he complete?
Speaker 6 (13:31):
I just said no. I just said, hey, Jerry, it
is Jerry Rice. It's not like you know some slaptick
you But.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
I remember the first preseason game we had Jerry and
Tim and I told him, I said, we're at home.
I said, We'll let you guys play the first three plays.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
That's it.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
First play of the game. I called h two double
go and Gannon is he's a bad a gan It
looks at me. He goes, Hey, who do you want
me to throw it to? I go, that's your fucking problem, man,
you know what I mean. But you got a free
safe in the mill offily Ryson Brown. You know, so
there was some of that that Gannon had to deal with.
You know, it's not as easy as people think.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
No, that is not, especially just at the point of
where they were in their career.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Now, John Gruden talks about the current state of NFL practices.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
These coaching staffs, they got like fifty guys now and
everybody has an assignment. You know, you got to take
interest in player development, young guys. You got to rejuvenate
a veteran player. Somebody's coming off injury. You got a
new coach. You got to incorporate all this stuff together.
And everybody wants coaches to have less time Julian the
(14:38):
collective bargaining agreement. No pads, no quarterback schools, no off
season program. How the hell is the game gonna get better?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Games on Thursdays? Games?
Speaker 6 (14:50):
I hate it. We you know, I was with trace
uh Tray Smith? Is it? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (14:56):
I mean, I don't want to get into it. But
when you got to open up the season in Brazil,
play on Thanksgiving, play on Christmas, play on Monday night,
and then fly to Buffalo on a short week, people
don't realize that shit is hard. Now you're playing seventeen
games and he got two bye weeks, and during the
bye week you're not allowed to let your players in
(15:16):
the building.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Come on, I mean, there's a rule for everything. Wait
until college unifies. Yeah, it's gonna be crazy. Now, you've
been to a bunch of those practices, you know, when
you were doing in an a football what were some
of the sharpest practices that you saw that you just envy, like,
that's a fucking tight that's a tight rand ship right there.
(15:39):
Those boys practice. Like, what are some of the teams
that impressed you?
Speaker 6 (15:46):
Well, you know it's easy.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
Usually it's it's the guys that I I knew, you know,
because I related to how they did it. Mike McCarthy
when he was with Green Bay, he did a hell
of a job, man. You know the way he utilized
the indoor facility instead of having everybody sitting down on
a meeting. You know, they sometimes they get up take
ten minutes in the indoor facility to demonstrate a play
(16:08):
or a concept. They took advantage of the outdoor indoor
with the cold weather. They might go outside for fifteen
minutes and work on anti turnover circuit and then come
in where it's warmer, where they could concentrate. McCarthy did
a great job.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
How do you think he's gonna do in Pittsburgh?
Speaker 6 (16:24):
Who's a quarterback?
Speaker 5 (16:26):
You know, everybody wants to talk about us coaches, Let's
be honest. You know Tomlin had five different quarterbacks five
years in a row. Now they've made the playoffs. You know,
I got fired for going nine and seven, nine and seven,
my last two years in Tampa. The only way I
think you get to the brink of the top of
the game is you got to have.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Great quarterback play.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
You know that guy touches the ball every play. We're
like caddies. You know, if you're caddy in for Tiger Woods,
you got.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
A chance to win the Masters. Yeah, if you're Tiger.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
You know, if you're caddy in for some club champion,
you might make a couple of birdies, but you're gonna
have a hard time.
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Wearing the green jacket.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Now, coach, you're a very big situational football guy.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Off the top of your dome. Third and long, what's
your favorite play?
Speaker 6 (17:13):
You know what I say, very is there.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
An indigo concept in it?
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Well, daggers, you know, with a little sit by the
tight end. I gotta have help on the right side.
You gotta have help on the left side if you
push it. If you're in third and twelve, third and fourteen,
we called it seventy six a splash, which was z
spear with the next trash a shallow cross in a
(17:38):
back catching run.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
You want to catch and run.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
Well, look, if you think you're going to take two
or three hitches and let.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Some eighteen yard dagger develop against all these pass rushers
and all these stunts. Good luck. You know, you got
to you gotta stay on schedule. You know that sometimes
a little check down, let the guy rally for it
and put me in fourth and one.
Speaker 6 (17:57):
I'll go for it. You know, sometimes you got to
play that quatch a little bit too.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
You know, you don't want to just stand back there
and let these beasts feast.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
And that's really I mean, that's money down. That's where
that's where all those guys are making there. Hey, that's
where you get all the exotic fronts. That's where you
get all the exotic te games.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
And who they bring in. They're bringing these five, No,
they're bringing these four. They're dropping this guy and you
just threw a fucking interception.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
You remember Mahomes when they beat the forty nine ers
in the Super Bowl a few years ago. The play
of the game to Tyreek Hill. They're running a dagger
with an ultra high corner instead of a middle clear
and Mahomes, I swear to God, I thought he was
gonna get killed. I have no idea how Pat got
that ball that far down the field and that accurate
under that hot of a pocket. You got to have
(18:48):
a guy that's got big balls, man that will stand
in there and take bullets, especially back in the day.
Speaker 6 (18:55):
Thanks for listening.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Remember to tune in every Tuesday for a brand new
episode and every Sunday for another Games with Names highlight
Speaker 6 (19:07):
Mm hmm
Welcome to Games of Names.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I'm Julie Edelman, and we got a brand new compilation
highlight reels starting now now.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
John Gruden on what bad football actually looks like.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Now, what is bad football?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I hear all these people on TV talking about?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Is what is bad football?
Speaker 4 (00:20):
You know?
Speaker 5 (00:20):
Bad football's bad ball security? When you when you see
guys fumbling the ball, careless ball security, that is bullshit.
They preest that penalties make me throw up. I stick
my hand in the car door. It doesn't even matter
anymore in college football. Fumble what's all bad football? Miss
blocking assignments? How about a quarterback running a ball into
a free safety blitz and getting the back smashed?
Speaker 6 (00:43):
That is bad?
Speaker 5 (00:44):
How about a blown coverage? You know we shift over here,
we motion? And how about not running to the ball?
You know, how about not breaking the hull? Now flatted
downhill on an income but dropping passes? How about he
catch the ball against the zone and you start dancing around.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Get vertical, get out.
Speaker 6 (01:01):
You see what I'm saying. So you got to show
all this bad shit to the players. This is bad.
Don't do this. Then I'll show a good clip.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
You see Edelman right here, slice these guys, that's a
fourteen yard game. He caught it for a four yard game.
That's ten yards. He split them, you know, and then
you show somebody doing it bad. But lack of concentration
bad football.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
What's the mount rushmore of bad football? There's only four
of them?
Speaker 5 (01:26):
What's bad meetings? Bad meetings, bad preparation, bad bad attitude, selfishness.
It all starts there. You can control some of this stuff.
You got to walk into that meeting thinking, oh, yeah,
I'm checking myself in to get better today. A lot
of guys check in, like God, I can't take it.
I can't take Wednesdays. Fuck, I hate Thursdays, you know
(01:47):
what I mean. So it all starts that's where it
starts bad. And if it starts bad, you got a
hard time to really get it going, you know. So
you got to get some culture, guys, That's why your
Patriots are doing well, Spelane. Have you ever been around
Robert Splaine. He would play on the Walt Whitman Bridge
for nothing, You understand that? And so at Gibbons and
(02:07):
this this what's the other guy's name?
Speaker 6 (02:10):
Your other linebacker? I love him.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
You got him from Philly. I can't Christian Eli. He's
a badass, you know. But these guys will play for nothing.
But I think it starts there and then the drill
work when that horn blows. From the time we have patent,
go to our Our individual has to be all about
eliminating bad football. You know your stance, your start right,
(02:33):
the new routes, whatever it is, wall security, just you know,
the little things. You gotta do the unsophisticated things so
you can do the sophisticated things.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You gotta do the unsophisticated things so you could do
the sophisticated things because most of these games aren't won.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
Yeah they're lost, But you know too. And I read
about vrabel Is. He has every Patriot player. I think
they call it the four hs. So he would tell
you to get up there and tell us who your
hero is, tell us about some heartbreak in your life.
Speaker 6 (03:08):
I can't remember all the.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Four hs off the top, but I learn who you are.
If I'm another player on the team, you learn who
I am, and it kind of gives you a sense
of I got to run this route for this guy.
We got to play together for us to have a chance,
and a lot of teams aren't together.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
No We's not history heroes, heartbreak and hope.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
What's well, what we know what bad football is? What's
what's good football? Then you hear it all the time. Situationally,
you know, teams that can convert in short yardage.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
I'm not talking about this bullshit push push. I'm talking
about get some weight on your front hand, reduce your splits,
come off the ball, and have a running back that
understands a great run on third and one is one yard.
We got to get this first down, you know, converting
in the red zone, getting touchdowns, you know, contributing on
(04:01):
special teams. People don't realize in the NFL, we don't
have ninety eight guys down there. I might say, hey,
Ronde Barber. Ronde Barber covered the kicks for us in
the Super Bowl. He's a Hall of Fame dB. I
never thought about it one time. I never went up
and kissed Ronde's ass because he's playing on He did
it because he wanted to win a championship.
Speaker 6 (04:20):
You know.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
But I think just being on top of your assignments, right,
competing your ass off, fourth quarter pass rush, you got
to have a group that can close the game out
because inevitably you're gonna play your ass off and have
a five point lead with two minutes left. Tom Brady
did a great job. You guys have done a great
job offensively, but you know what, your defense has.
Speaker 6 (04:43):
To go out there and end it.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
You gotta make Malcolm Butler.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
You got to make a play with somebody. You know.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
It's got to be Willie McGinnis. It's got to be
will Fork, It's got to be Ninked.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Night Tower, gotta be Seemy Collins, Trade Flowers.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Nobody talks about those guys, but they had a lot
to do with you guys getting these rings.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Man a lot of them.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And I like what Coach talked about with Warren Sapack.
Don't be afraid to call it time out. Let those
big boys rest. Yeah, well, he's those late situations. I
love that we go out there. It's hot as hell
in Tampa. You guys know that it is hot. We're
wearing these red uniforms and pewter pants. His sap says, Hey, do.
Speaker 6 (05:16):
I get it? Can I take a time out? What
the hell are you talking about? What are you gonna
take him to your grave? You know what I mean? No,
he goes, I get tired. Can I take a time out.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
I go, yeah, So he's out, he rushes, he comes back,
he rushes, he comes back, he takes a time out.
So we go out there like a like a crew
of fireman.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
We give him gatorade and water them up. Next next player.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
But what happens is during the two minute drill, the
high priced rushers, the great players, they get tired. They
got to come out of the game. And you're replacing
Warren's sap with who he ain't Warren.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Sap ain't Warren sap so.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
And you got smart guys on the other side that
go no huddle and keep them trapped on, keep the
same personnel group. That's how you tire out these big
fucking guys. Hit them with a couple of screens to
start the goddamn drive, make them run sideways, keep them
on the fields. Right.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
It's one of my favorite worn sapp stores.
Speaker 6 (06:08):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I know, how many hours of film do you think
you've watched in your life?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Hours?
Speaker 5 (06:13):
Unfortunately, probably most of my life. You know, I miss
my projector shit, I'm sitting in this little hotel. I'm like, damn,
you know, I don't I feel like I where's my
where's my clicker.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Yeah, you got a cowboy clicker on the road.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Sometimes you got it.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
I didn't bring my projector because I knew I was
going to be busy. And you know, sometimes you're on
the airplane and you're studying film and you kind of
get that douche quality, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (06:38):
I don't want people to think I'm a nerder. You know,
I like to have a little fun when I'm traveling,
but I do miss it.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Man.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
You know, I make I make reels. I bought two servers.
Servers are expensive. I've got all my video, my practice tapes.
I got Brett Favre practice tape from nineteen ninety three
nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 6 (07:00):
I'll install plays. I just coached the hula bow.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
I'll install plays and I'll show Joe Montana doing it
in nineteen ninety, I'll show Brett Favre doing it in
two thousand, Tom Brady doing it in twenty ten, and
I'll show your guy, Drake May doing it yesterday. And
I'll say, do you have any questions about this concept?
It's a good play, isn't it. You know, you sell
your shit. I gotta sell the plays to the players.
(07:25):
Players aren't stupid. You gotta sell it, and the player's
got to buy it, and he's got to get excited
about running it.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
No one this is going to kick their ass.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
So I make all these tapes and I still get
to collaborate with coaches behind the scenes and players, and
I just I.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
Just love it.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Where you getting this database of.
Speaker 6 (07:44):
Film that's not for public knowledge. I'm just saying, I'm
a pirate.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well goes on behind the door.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
I'll go visit Dan Campbell, let me come to the Lions.
You know, Herbie Smart invited me to Georgia, and Ryan
Day invited me to Ohio. I get to go watch
these practices, and I might say, is there anything I
can have? Can I have anything? Like like I'm a beggar,
you know, can I have some film? And usually these
guys give me something that I can study.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Now. F f f C a fire what is it?
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Fire Football Coaches Association.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Fire Football Coaches Association. You've been in it now for
a few years. And the luxury of that you get
to go see these other coaches and you get to
get these other films.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
What's something you've learned from from visiting one of these coaches?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
That you've You've been super impressed with that, Like, if
you get your next shot.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
I'm going to bring that into my I've.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Always been a thief. I've stolen playsage, I've stolen drills.
I continue to do that. I also have confirmed in
my mind that our way of doing it is the best,
you know, Egotistically, I wanted people to come to our
practices and go, fucking ay, that was a great practice.
That was great practice, you know. So I've always taken
(09:03):
real pride in that. And the coach at Georgia is
a real deal, Kirby smart Mark. I love the way
they utilize their fields, their coaching staffs.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
So these coaching staffs, they got like fifty guys.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
Now, and everybody has an assignment. You know, you got
to take interest in player development, young guys. You got
to rejuvenate a veteran player, somebody's coming off injury. You
got a new coach. You got to incorporate all this
stuff together. And everybody wants coaches to have less time.
Julian the collective bargaining agreement, no pads, no quarterback schools,
(09:39):
no off season program. How the hell is the game
gonna get better?
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Games?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
On Thursdays games.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I hate it.
Speaker 6 (09:47):
We you know, I was with Tray Tray Smith, is it. Yeah.
I mean, I don't want to get into it.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
But when you got to open up the season in Brazil,
play on Thanksgiving, play on Christmas, play on Monday night,
and then fly to Buffalo on a short week, people
don't realize that shit is hard. Now you're playing seventeen
games and he got two bye weeks and during the
bye week you're not allowed to let your players in
the building.
Speaker 6 (10:15):
Come on now.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
John Gruden talks about the culture of the Oakland Raiders fans.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
I shouldn't say it, but you know, I'm not going
to say it. I've seen a lot of crazy stuff
down there. I've smelled some crazy smells. And one of
the coolest things was when we really got it going,
the black Hole was rocking, rocking, and they had the
Alienator and Gorilla Rilla and they had some famous Raider
(10:40):
characters in full costume. Yeah, and I look down there
and they're going crazy and they're yelling my name, and
I turn around and my mom is in the black
Hole with my young son, Michael, who was four years old.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
Oh my god, and I'm like, get the hell out
of there, get hurt.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
You know, but it was those were my friends. Those
people are the kind of people I relate to the
most man. You know, they want to fucking win the
game man at any cost. And they were always.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
Their wind loser drawl. They were always behind us.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
It's a fun group of fans that, you know, the
NFL needs, and they need to somehow get those people
back in to Vegas.
Speaker 6 (11:20):
Next.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
John Gruden on coaching both Jerry Rice and Tim Brown
on the same team.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
How is that having Tim Brown and Jerry Rice?
Speaker 6 (11:27):
It was awesome? You know.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
It's the funny thing is I was always very perceptive
to the ball distribution. I never wanted so Tim, you'll
appreciate this. The Z lines up to the call in
our offense generally unless he hears slot zoomer X.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
So.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
Anyways, Jerry played Z for the forty nine ers, same
system for about fifteen years. Tim played Z for me
for three years, so we moved Jerry to X. So
during mini camp we would break the hull and Jerry
and Tim would be over there at ZE.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
I'd be like, God, damn it, Jerry or the X. Oh,
don't yell at Jerry you know what I mean. Excuse me, Jerry,
you go.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
But at the end of the year, I think they
both had over ninety catches. You can quote me what
the stats were. They both had over one thousand yards,
and I think they both had the same amount of touchdowns.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
See here thousand. That would be two thousand and one
one raiders. You see here we got Gerry. Jerry had
forty No, he had on eighty three catches, nine touchdowns.
Tim Brown ninety one catches, nine touchdowns.
Speaker 6 (12:37):
They both have over one thousand.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, and the thousand.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Granted, Jerry was forty years old right here.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Yeah, the braids were back there.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
I had this office in Alameda, and I walked in.
We played the Titans, I think it was Monday night football,
and we had this play double post, two posts. The
tight end would clear out the poach safety and Jerry
would run post quarters beater and.
Speaker 6 (12:59):
We had some coming underneath, you know.
Speaker 5 (13:02):
And we had twenty two personnel, two backs, two tight ends,
just one wide out. So I ran double post and
I go, uh, let's.
Speaker 6 (13:11):
Go twenty two z.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Let's go Jerry Rice and Jerry runs the double posts.
The next day, I walk in my office and Tim
Brown is sitting in my chair at my desk.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
Whodog he took my double posts. Man. He didn't like that.
So I'm like, I'm sorry, man, but I'll never forget.
First preseason Did you complete?
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Did he complete?
Speaker 6 (13:31):
I just said no. I just said, hey, Jerry, it
is Jerry Rice. It's not like you know some slaptick
you But.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
I remember the first preseason game we had Jerry and
Tim and I told him, I said, we're at home.
I said, We'll let you guys play the first three plays.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
That's it.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
First play of the game. I called h two double
go and Gannon is he's a bad a gan It
looks at me. He goes, Hey, who do you want
me to throw it to? I go, that's your fucking problem, man,
you know what I mean. But you got a free
safe in the mill offily Ryson Brown. You know, so
there was some of that that Gannon had to deal with.
You know, it's not as easy as people think.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
No, that is not, especially just at the point of
where they were in their career.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Now, John Gruden talks about the current state of NFL practices.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
These coaching staffs, they got like fifty guys now and
everybody has an assignment. You know, you got to take
interest in player development, young guys. You got to rejuvenate
a veteran player. Somebody's coming off injury. You got a
new coach. You got to incorporate all this stuff together.
And everybody wants coaches to have less time Julian the
(14:38):
collective bargaining agreement. No pads, no quarterback schools, no off
season program. How the hell is the game gonna get better?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Games on Thursdays? Games?
Speaker 6 (14:50):
I hate it. We you know, I was with trace
uh Tray Smith? Is it? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (14:56):
I mean, I don't want to get into it. But
when you got to open up the season in Brazil,
play on Thanksgiving, play on Christmas, play on Monday night,
and then fly to Buffalo on a short week, people
don't realize that shit is hard. Now you're playing seventeen
games and he got two bye weeks, and during the
bye week you're not allowed to let your players in
(15:16):
the building.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Come on, I mean, there's a rule for everything. Wait
until college unifies. Yeah, it's gonna be crazy. Now, you've
been to a bunch of those practices, you know, when
you were doing in an a football what were some
of the sharpest practices that you saw that you just envy, like,
that's a fucking tight that's a tight rand ship right there.
(15:39):
Those boys practice. Like, what are some of the teams
that impressed you?
Speaker 6 (15:46):
Well, you know it's easy.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
Usually it's it's the guys that I I knew, you know,
because I related to how they did it. Mike McCarthy
when he was with Green Bay, he did a hell
of a job, man. You know the way he utilized
the indoor facility instead of having everybody sitting down on
a meeting. You know, they sometimes they get up take
ten minutes in the indoor facility to demonstrate a play
(16:08):
or a concept. They took advantage of the outdoor indoor
with the cold weather. They might go outside for fifteen
minutes and work on anti turnover circuit and then come
in where it's warmer, where they could concentrate. McCarthy did
a great job.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
How do you think he's gonna do in Pittsburgh?
Speaker 6 (16:24):
Who's a quarterback?
Speaker 5 (16:26):
You know, everybody wants to talk about us coaches, Let's
be honest. You know Tomlin had five different quarterbacks five
years in a row. Now they've made the playoffs. You know,
I got fired for going nine and seven, nine and seven,
my last two years in Tampa. The only way I
think you get to the brink of the top of
the game is you got to have.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Great quarterback play.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
You know that guy touches the ball every play. We're
like caddies. You know, if you're caddy in for Tiger Woods,
you got.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
A chance to win the Masters. Yeah, if you're Tiger.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
You know, if you're caddy in for some club champion,
you might make a couple of birdies, but you're gonna
have a hard time.
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Wearing the green jacket.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Now, coach, you're a very big situational football guy.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Off the top of your dome. Third and long, what's
your favorite play?
Speaker 6 (17:13):
You know what I say, very is there.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
An indigo concept in it?
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Well, daggers, you know, with a little sit by the
tight end. I gotta have help on the right side.
You gotta have help on the left side if you
push it. If you're in third and twelve, third and fourteen,
we called it seventy six a splash, which was z
spear with the next trash a shallow cross in a
(17:38):
back catching run.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
You want to catch and run.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
Well, look, if you think you're going to take two
or three hitches and let.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Some eighteen yard dagger develop against all these pass rushers
and all these stunts. Good luck. You know, you got
to you gotta stay on schedule. You know that sometimes
a little check down, let the guy rally for it
and put me in fourth and one.
Speaker 6 (17:57):
I'll go for it. You know, sometimes you got to
play that quatch a little bit too.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
You know, you don't want to just stand back there
and let these beasts feast.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
And that's really I mean, that's money down. That's where
that's where all those guys are making there. Hey, that's
where you get all the exotic fronts. That's where you
get all the exotic te games.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
And who they bring in. They're bringing these five, No,
they're bringing these four. They're dropping this guy and you
just threw a fucking interception.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
You remember Mahomes when they beat the forty nine ers
in the Super Bowl a few years ago. The play
of the game to Tyreek Hill. They're running a dagger
with an ultra high corner instead of a middle clear
and Mahomes, I swear to God, I thought he was
gonna get killed. I have no idea how Pat got
that ball that far down the field and that accurate
under that hot of a pocket. You got to have
(18:48):
a guy that's got big balls, man that will stand
in there and take bullets, especially back in the day.
Speaker 6 (18:55):
Thanks for listening.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Remember to tune in every Tuesday for a brand new
episode and every Sunday for another Games with Names highlight
Speaker 6 (19:07):
Mm hmm
Host
Julian Edelman
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