December 24, 2025 • 47 mins
Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel are getting ready for the holiday season and Matt recalls some of the gifts he gave to his offensive lineman. What are some of the best (or less than best) QB gifts given? While suits are regular gifts, Bobby reveals how he's bought some of his most expensive suits.
NFL Red Zone's Scott Hanson drops by and explains how he broke into the business and met Matt a long time ago. At the same time, Scott relives a laughably regrettable experience with Mike Vrabel. Matt talks about his audition to host Red Zone and who he believes is one of the nicest people he's ever met in the NFL. Plus, is there a bucket list event that Scott would like to cover?
Bobby wraps up with the best three games coming in Week 17. Have a Happy Holiday!
Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel is part of the NFL Podcast Network
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is
a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts. We got
lots just said, we got lots to save?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
What is better here?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
And we hope you say because we got lost, just say, yeah,
we got lots to say.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Here's that.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
Hey, Christmas week, everybody.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
You know that the Netflix games are interesting this week
because they're not that good anymore because the Chiefs are
out and.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
The Cowboys are out.
Speaker 6 (00:44):
Cowboys are out, Chiefs are out, the two biggest teams
as far as what's going to get the biggest number, which,
by the way, the biggest watch it, Yeah, because it's on.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
But we watched the parade that ain't good Thanksgiving?
Speaker 5 (00:59):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
But the biggest game ever I believe, of regular season
football was the Chiefs and Cowboys when they played earlier
this season?
Speaker 7 (01:05):
Was it?
Speaker 5 (01:05):
Really?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I believe?
Speaker 5 (01:06):
So ever?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I think it was the highest regular season game of
all time.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
Wow, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, you may look up the official because when there
was like three channels, I don't know how that worked.
That should have been way more than that because Mash
got like a billion viewers, but that was only because
there were three channels.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Back, there's only three channels. What do you see?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, it's true. Fifty seven point two to three million. Wow, dude,
that's crazy, insane. What's the headline of that biggest of
all time? Yeah, the most viewed NFL regular season game
ever was Thanksgiving matchup between the Cowboys and the Chiefs.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
You could have convinced me that it wasn't because again
in the old days when there were three or four
channels and they were just showing football on one of
the channels. But that's fifty seven million is a lot.
Fifty seven millions incredible. So the Christmas games, Kevin, would
you read me? The Christmas games?
Speaker 5 (01:57):
They are?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You got Cowboys at Commanders What time? That's the twelve
o'clock Central time. Thank goodness for Fantasy and for DraftKings. Yeah, okay,
people will definitely go and watch.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
That Lions Vikings at three point thirty.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
The Vikings, now these games matter has been playing a
little bit better, but they're eliminated, like they can't get
the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (02:19):
That's true, it doesn't help.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And there's a night game on Prime that is the
Broncos and.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Chiefs lost its luster. Yeah, right, like all three of
those games on paper at the beginning of the season.
This is going to be a stacked Christmas.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Card, right, Oh for sure when they put these games together,
like oh we're crushing.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Yeah, speaking of Christmas, the most memorable Christmas gifts given
by quarterbacks over the past few years, which, by the way,
when you were quarterbacking your teams, what did you do
for the guests? Yeah, would you get your line in anything?
Speaker 5 (02:53):
I got them TV's one year.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I got them suits one year, like a custom suits
of great gift. Yeah, they can go and meet the person,
they'll give them a custom suit. So do you do
like a gift certificate? Like do you call and just
say here's X amount of dollars? Any gift cards for
eight and do you have to get backup lineman something?
Speaker 5 (03:11):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
And Deep that is part of it. If you're on
the roster, you're getting the lineman something. So you're not
talking about your five starters, you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
Eight nine guys.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
What about Deep Snapper?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
No, that's not he doesn't work with me. He's the
he's with the punter. They're called specialist.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I like that gift though.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
Yeah, the suit was a good one.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I mean when iPads first came out that's I'm dating myself,
but that was kind of cool. Gift got everybody and iPad.
There's a few others in between there.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
But is the backup quarterback supposed to buy a gift
for everybody?
Speaker 2 (03:43):
No, it's kind of like the starter's deal to get
maybe him something too. Oh you have to get the
back yeah, but you don't have to get on the
to the same extent that you do the big boys
the offensive line.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
So uh.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
My first year of playing, though, was when Brady obviously
went down, and at the end of that season, I
was unaccustomed to being in that starting role, let alone
with the lead dog and Christmas gifts. I still haven't got
all my guys, my offensive lineman a gift, and it's
almost become an ongoing joke where every time I see him,
like Castle, where's our gift, it's just I still feel bad.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
But I love you guys, Love you guys in the mail.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
It's in the mail.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I was having a little pet little physical therapy on
my ankle foot at surgery, like eight weeks ago or so,
and maybe not that much, but it still hurts, and
I was a little concerned that I reinjured it, although
I've done nothing to re injure it. And basically they say,
you haven't used in it a couple of months, so
obviously it's going to hurt when you start to use
it again. So all that aside. I was at my
(04:38):
physical therapist's office and he says, hey, you do a
football podcast. I say, yeah, so what's called? I said,
lots to say? And he said, you work with Matt Castle.
I say yeah. He said, I don't know him, but
I have a lot of friends that know him. I'm
going to quote his question about you. He said, because
(05:00):
of what I've heard, is he the nicest guy ever?
And I say, yes, he is. Wow, that's exactly.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
What I I know what to expect on that, right.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
He said, is he the nicest guy ever? I said,
he's the greatest dude. All right, thank you, he said,
never met him. But he's also worked with a lot
of pro athletes here in the area, and he mentioned
a few of them. They said, I just here, he's
the greatest and I'm like, brother, you have no idea.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Dude, I'm going into your next physical therapy. I'm going
to fake out that injury. Oh yeah, oh, thank you
so much. Oh you cracked better than anybody. Job, man,
you crack better than anybody. Never had a massage like this.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
I bet you got good massages though. Being a pro athlete.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
You know, you normally find one person that works with
you and then they kind of start to understand your
dynamics of your body and you stick with them. And
so everywhere I went, you kind of get one person
to work on you, especially on like a Monday, after
you get the hell beat I of you on a Sunday,
it just helps get the inflammation out, muscle's going. So
I would do that. But you know what's crazy is
(06:01):
when you stop playing. I think I've had one, maybe
two massages since I stop playing, so that's been within
the like what five years.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
I don't and I miss them. I honestly missed them.
I'm gonna the.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Massages will always be bodywork or would you ever get
a massage just for like relaxation.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Never relaxation either.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
It was, but never the worst like deep tissue, grinded
out iteas it's not improving, yeah, kind of like bruising type.
And then the whole time and the so as when
they do that, oh god, yeah, So it wasn't really
an enjoyable like put on the like light massage music,
and you just sit there and they kind of know.
It was like grinded out, get them, get the massage
(06:41):
and elbows, the whole deal.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
So Christmas gifts, Joe Burrow gifted each one of his
linemen genuine unique samurai swords. This a couple of years ago.
You guys remember this. Some of the swords dated back
to the sixteenth century, so you're gonnabout fifteen hundred.
Speaker 5 (06:52):
These are like real samurai swords. That's pretty unique.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, pretty cool. Rock Purty. Now, there's been some revelation
about this recently because at the time it was block
Brock Party got all his guys trucks, but he had
a sponsorship deal and it was part of the sponsorship.
Not that it's not awesome to get a free truck,
but people because Rock Party wasn't making any money then, right,
(07:18):
he's in a deal now where he could buy everyday trucks.
He wasn't in a deal then where he could buy
everybody trucks.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Are you throwing shade out?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
No, not at all. Part of his deal was him
getting trucks rookie contract. He got his ten linemen either
a Toyota Tundra or a Sequoia in a rookie contract.
By the way, rookie contract, last pick in the draft,
you can't. That's it's a bad standard for other guys
in a rookie contract.
Speaker 5 (07:42):
It does. But you know what league minimum is.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Now, it's like, it's not going to afford that many trucks,
but it's still like seven hundred and fifty grand or something.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
So just say it's eight hundred thousand. Yeah, but you're
going to hit that tax or you're gonna fifty percent
of its gone, right, So four hundred thousand, and let's
say each truck is forty grand. Ten trucks is four
one hundred thousand, So all your money just went to
those ten trucks.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
And that's what he did.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
He was living on the street, did not stay facility.
This is what makes it unique. He gave it all
up for his lineman. He wanted to show the dedication. Okay,
just eating at the facility every day, faireness. It was
like Rudy and the Notre Dame movie when he'd sleep
in the janitors closet.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You mean the movie Rudy.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Yeah, it was like Rudy in the movie Rudy.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
I was like in the movie, in the Notre Dame
movie Rudy and the Rudy Ruddy and Rudy.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yes, that was I was like, is it, yeah, the
Notre Dame movie Rudy, Ruddy and Ruddy.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Patrick Mahomes left each of his linemen a gift package
last year with a Rolex. Oakley's, a Yetti cooler, Lukezy
boots and Recovery boots. All that says Rolex to me,
All that it's just a Rolex and others.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Yeah, the Rolex, but it goes back to what you
just said about Brock. All those are sponsorship deals, maybe
other than the.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Rolex, but the Rolex is the main one. That's like, yeah,
sixty seventy grand each of those watches Jalen, Hurts and
Saquan As a joint gift, they bought each offensive line
and a personalized golf cart customized with the player's last name, number,
and logos of both Hurts and Barkley.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
They gave him a d of themselves, you know what
I and they put a picture of it Hurts on
the front like this.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
I don't like them putting their own logos on the gifts.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
They're giving. Why did they put their own logo? Why
didn't they just do their like Lineman's number, and they.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Did that, but they added their own Am I am
I hater? No, No, no, not at all. There's no
need for that. Yeah, you're already personalized it. This is
something similar to what you did. Aaron Rodgers on the
Jets had a tailor come in measure the line for
custom tom Ford suits, complete with matching Colone and sunglasses.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Mine was big and tall, so no men's warehouse out.
That's pretty that's yeah, he's pretty cool too. That's why.
Oh you know, I know you've got a few hangings
in your closet.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Not I have a couple hanging in my closet.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
You do you call up to when you need something?
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I do not.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I do no, not anymore. Those days have long gone
where I'm spending money like that on suits. I had
my phase, but now I'm good, buddy, you still got
some I still have to see that swag. But also
I used to get a ton of television money. Oh,
I was doing network television.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
It was the greatest. Was when they were like, hey,
just dress yourself for these four things, and the would
put no budget on it, instead of going yeah, instead
of going hey, we're gonna give you an allowance. The
allowance was always way significant per episode. Yeah, like I
can use you this American idol for example, that network
money is crazy, and they'd be like, okay, you got
to do one episode. Here, here's three thousand dollars for
this one episode. So what I would do is I
(10:50):
would easily get all my clothes, probably two we'll call
them wardrobes outfits, two of them for like a thousand,
and save the two thousand, and then you'd have to
use it all or it would just go away. You
didn't get to keep the extra. So the next week
I'd have like six thousand dollars and then I would
get me just a crazy awesome suit.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
That's brilliant, that's strategizing.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
It's amazing that money, that that closed money was amazing.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
Missed that close money.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
I just wore cardigans all the time, now I know,
but but they're still well that got swagged to it.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Let's be honest.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
But you don't even have to dress up to look
dressed up in a cardigan sweater, that's right, because people
just think you're put together. Yeah, no, I just got
a T shirt and cargan. It's just class that's what
it is.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It's a classy look like whatever you put on it
or under it. I guess I should say one time,
I want you to show up with no shirt on
under it just rock.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Never would I.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
But when I was on Dancing with the Stars one week,
I had to go dance with no shirt. Yeah, I
had was a jacket, a jacket with no shirt underneath it.
And I thought to myself, I cannot. They were like,
you have to do it. And they didn't make me,
make me, but they really rooted me on and they
sprayed in the crap out of me. I think, I
told this, but.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
How many apps do you do that week? That week?
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Like some planks, crunches, like getting get it ready for Shade?
Oh that was the hour before starved myself. Hour before
All I did was sit ups and push ups for.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And anytime I thought I was on a camera, like
at the beginning to do an intro and they're like this,
I flexed so hard when I thought I was like camera, I.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Was like, I learn mess with your smile, yes, I like.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Look, I had to poot my pants. I was flexing
so hard. Yeah, Okay, Scott Hansen coming up. We'll take
a break.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Red Zone.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Scott Hansen coming up next. All right, let's go over
now and talk with NFL Network host Scott Hansen. Scott
(12:47):
is known for being my friend every Sunday, even though
he does not know that I am his best friend.
And yes, he's known for hosting NFL Red Zone every
Sunday during the season. But he also played college ball
at Syracuse. He was there the same time as Marvin Harrison.
And when you think of the NFL, at least for me,
you think of Red Zone, you think of Scott Hanson.
He's awesome here. He is clappyhands, Scott Henster, Yes, bring
(13:08):
them in.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Hey, Scott, Bobby Matt, Good to see you guys. Good
to be with you here. Thank you for thank you
for having me into your living rooms or your living
spaces each and every NFL Sunday.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Yeah, for a long time. I spend more time with
Scott on the weekend of my pregnant wife.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
And it's not even at home, like I'm on the
phone on my phone. I was at my daughter's basketball
game this week and going like this, And I do
have one beef thread zone. When you guys go quadbox
and I'm on my iPhone, I can't see anything. I
cannot see anything. I can't see a score, and you're
talking about it.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
Though.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
The reason I agreed to be on this podcast is
because I wanted to exchange phone numbers, so you can
text me if you're on your phone, thank you, and
I will tell the staff, no quad box, fantastic stobox Matt.
Matt needs to be able to see everything. Yeah, that's
the high class problem to have. By the way, true
if that's the worst, If that's the worst complaint, we'll
(14:00):
we'll live with that.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Scott. Have you met Matt before?
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (14:04):
I have?
Speaker 4 (14:05):
I have. Matt might not remember was it.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
Were we at a party or what.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
I don't know about that. No, it wasn't that. I
met you during during your starting season for the New
England Patriots two thousand and eight, so before red Zone
started in two thousand and nine, I was a roving
reporter for the NFL, so I had covered you guys
the great two thousand and seven season. Of course, Brady
gets hurt in two thousand and eight, and I was
(14:35):
at the New England Buffalo Bills game late December. I
want to say.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
Week that was the final week, Week sixteen.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
It was week it was week seventeen seventeen, but the
sixteenth game, and do you remember what that game was like?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It was absolutely the worst conditions ever, the most miserable snowing.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
The wins were what fifty five sixteen hour.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
The wind pushed the goalpost's sideway. In fact, I don't
know if you guys have capability to punch up an
image or anything, but if you could, if one of
your people google's Patriots bills two thousand and eight in Buffalo,
there are images of the goalposts going like this from
the wind that was that was swirling at then rich Stadium.
(15:25):
It was called and it was unbelievable. Before you guys,
so I'm doing pregame hits for NFL Network during the
pregame show, before you guys had even arrived at the stadium,
and they're setting up the stadium whatnot. And it was cold,
so they had the heating benches, you know, the big
white like heating benches, you know the blow them those
heating benches blew off of the sideline and were tumbling
(15:48):
down the as I'm doing my hit and so that
was the most one of the most incredible games I
had ever covered. And you guys were brilliant in the game.
Patriots won the game. You led them to a thirteen
to nothing win. Gotkowski somehow. I hit a couple of
field goals in that. I mean, if you look in
the game book, it said like thirty mile an hour
(16:10):
sustained wins, and the gusts were like fifty And there's
not a lot of people even listening that have stood
in fifty mile an hour wins. It was insane, but
you guys won. But the reason I get a smile
on my face about it is I go to the
postgame locker room and so I'm interviewing all the individual players,
and I'm representing NFL Network, so I can usually get
one on one interviews as opposed to going into a
(16:33):
big scrum with a bunch of microphones sticking in someone's face.
So Matt the winning quarterback, was kind enough to give
me a one on one interview. We had a great interview.
I'm like, man, I'm rooting for this guy. I go,
I don't know what it's going to look like, you know,
when Brady comes back and whatnot. So I'm thinking, you know,
Matt Castle, Matt Castle, and I said, I'm going to
get one more interview, and I go over to Mike Vrabel. Now,
(16:55):
I'm sure you've told Mike Vrabel stories on this podcast
several times. Mike does not suffer fools, right, And I
had just interviewed you you and I go to Rabel
and I go, hey, Matt, can I get you quick
for a quick interview. I called him Matt accidentally in
my head, oh my, and he literally goes to me.
(17:18):
He looks, he goes Matt, Matt like like I was
a complete imbecile. You didn't know doing that, and walked
away from me. And all the other reporters heard it
and saw it, and I just went it was so small.
It was my fault. But because you had played well
(17:39):
in those ridiculous circumstances and won the game and gave
me a one on one interview, I had Matt on
my brain. And I still have never talked of Rabel
about it since. I want to apologize to him, but.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Oh, don't apologize. Don't apologize.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
He doesn't, he doesn't remember, but he you know what,
you got to be on your p's and q's when
you're around Mike, not Matt Vrab, Matt Rabel, I'm his
long lost sun.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
Speaking of that, you just said that.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Okay, so you're you're doing interviews, that type of situation.
You go up and you call Mike Matt when you're
on the red zone. How many names are running through
your head? And how hard is that to be able
to translate that into on air and not mess a
name up.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
It is difficult, and I am certainly not perfect, but
to mix a sports metaphor, I want my free throw
percentage to be high nineties. You know, I probably say
on an average Red Zone episode, I mean I probably
say a couple hundred names, maybe one hundred, two hundred,
(18:43):
probably a couple hundred names. And there's only seventeen hundred
players in the NFL at any given time, and I'm
probably saying two hundred names, and especially late in the
season as we're speaking now, where injuries have taken their
toll and you've got practice squad guys getting up there
and somebody picks off a quarterback and I'm like, who
(19:04):
is twenty three? I don't know who twenty three is.
And I've got a researcher and a spot or Tim
Galanyon's Brian la Revie, my right hand men. They're awesome.
They will fire up a roster real quick to get
me the name and a pronunciation if I need it.
But guys, we have done it, and we're in the
season right now. We've done that where let's say number
twenty three for whatever team picks off a guy, I'm like,
(19:26):
who's twenty three? And then they're coming to me and
they look at me and there's no twenty three on
the official website.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
Of the team.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
They literally just called the guy up or they got
him off the street or whatever, slap the jersey on him,
and he's in the game and makes a play, and
I'm like, I don't know who that is. So a
lot of times I'll just say great job by the defense.
There they turn him over, and now the ball goes
back over to the other quarterback. Whatever. But it's difficult,
and of course social media is unforgiving if and when
(19:58):
I mess up a name.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
After you left Syracuse, did you ever do the local news?
Did were you ever your own guy? Had to set
up your own camera? Do that? What can you talk
about that first job?
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Oh, that's a great story. So I'm old. I'm an
old man. You're old timer here. I'm fifty four and
so my first year out of Syracuse working as the
weekend sports anchor for WPBN Traverse City, Michigan, which so
they ranked the television markets one to like, there's like
(20:30):
two hundred TV markets in the country, a little bit
more than two hundred, and they rank them one to
two hundred based on population. This was market one twenty one. Okay,
anything beyond one hundred is tiny. Okay. My annual salary
at that place, and the one year that I was there,
you want to guess, take again, nineteen ninety three, ninety
(20:52):
three into ninety.
Speaker 8 (20:53):
Four, ninety three local news. Okay, local news. I was local,
So i'm market. Three days during the week I was
a sports reporter. On the weekends, I would anchor from
the anchor.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
Desk the sports report.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Thirty nine thousand, thirty nine Matt twenty thousand, try.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Fifteen thousand dollars. Wow, was my salary in nineteen ninety three,
and like it was, it was, but I would have
done it for fourteen thousand. I remember reading in USA today,
back when newspaper physical newspapers were a thing. Remember how
they used to have a graph in the front page
of USA Today they always had a kind of an
interesting like like pie chartie thing, little pie charted graph
(21:34):
at the bottom that they just saw people were. This
one was percentage of people in the United States that
lived below the poverty line, and the poverty line was
like thirteen five or something. And I'm like, I'm on
television making fifteen thousand dollars. If i'd have made a
grand less, I would have been below the poverty line.
And people think you're a big hot shot TV guy,
(21:56):
So yeah, I was. Oh dude, I was a one
man band, literally setting up my own tripod. And this
is not back in the days where everybody had a
TV studio in their hand. Here, you know, camera was bulky,
and you'd have people walking by at a high school
game or something like where's your camera guy, And I'm like, oh, yeah,
(22:17):
you know you're looking at him, or oh he's in
the he's in the production truck right now. I'm sure
he'll be back here in a second. So yeah, I
paid my dues, like like most people who have gone
through any industry.
Speaker 5 (22:28):
Yeah, you definitely paid her.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Just when did you feel like you had your big
break and got to a place where you're like, I've
I've kind of set myself up here.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
I can make a career out of this.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
It's all. That's a good question. I've never really felt like, Okay,
I'm at the destination, honestly. Honestly, I don't mean to
give you a cliche answer, but there were tent polls
in my life as I went through from from when
I transitioned from being a weekend sports anchor at like
(23:01):
a local ABC, NBC, CBS station to when I went
to an all sports network. My first gig at an
all sports network was what was called Comcast Sports Net
in Philadelphia, which was the original one. Now they call
him NBC Sports, you know, NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports
Bay Area, whatever. So this was Philadelphia, and that was
(23:24):
a big deal because going to all Sports, it was
like I was going to be the lead story on
the show. Not not me, but I was going to
handle the lead story as opposed to being the weekend
sports guy where they give you three minutes to do
a whole weekend worth of sports highlights. And then all
of a sudden, I worked in Tampa at the ABC
affiliate and I remember a time where I had three
(23:46):
minutes and you got to pack all of this stuff
into three minutes. And then five minutes before I go
on the air, the news director comes in and says,
there's a water spout in the Gulf of Mexico. Right now,
weather needs four minutes. You're down to two minutes, like
right before. And I like my whole everything I had done.
So transitioning to all sports where that was it. It
(24:09):
wasn't news, it wasn't weather involved, it wasn't anything else
like that, that was a big deal. And then moving
to the NFL, like becoming an employee of the NFL,
which was now, gosh, twenty seasons ago, that was a big,
a big deal because you felt like you were at
the mothership and it gave you some gravitas to be
able to get one on one interviews with Matt Cassel
(24:30):
and the starting quarterbacks of the NFL.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
And Matt Radwell, but now I was in Red Zone
and Matt Ray.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
I'm gonna have to interview him again at some point
in my life, and oh man, yeah, but uh but
now hosting Red Zone for seventeen years, I feel very
good and I don't want to say settled because I'm
always trying to get better. Like anyone, I want to
I want to perform with excellence, and you're only as
good as your last show. But I feel I feel
(25:01):
like I'm on firm ground in this industry, and I'm
I'm very very thankful, very blessed.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Obviously you played ball, but was your outlook you were
going to cover just football, because I imagine you have
to have a Swiss army knife of skills, especially as
you're just a sports guy. Did you did you hope
it went in then just football? Or was it all over?
Speaker 4 (25:19):
Boy? You must have read my bio or something like that,
because that's one hundred percent where I was. I would
do any sport, and I covered being in like local affiliates.
I covered eighth grade girls softball, I covered, I covered you.
I covered the fishing tournaments. The National Trout Festival is
(25:41):
in northern Michigan and I and I covered I interviewed
Miss Trout as a matter of beauty, paget around this
this thing. So I've covered everything there is, but football
was always number one for me. I grew up in
I grew up in Michigan, and UH grew up rooting
for the Michigan Wolverines and the Detroit Lions, and having
(26:04):
you know, Saturdays and Sundays with my dad, kind of
our emotions pivot around did our team winner lose? And
then went on to play football throughout you know, throughout college.
So football was always number one. And of course the
NFL is the highest iteration of that, and so that
this is this is where I've always wanted to be.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Your energy is magnetic, and I want to know how
do you take care of yourself? Like, like, honestly, you
bring it each and every Sunday, But even talking to
you on the podcast, I'm just like, dude, tell me
what you're eating.
Speaker 5 (26:37):
Are you a coffee guy?
Speaker 1 (26:38):
What?
Speaker 5 (26:38):
What?
Speaker 4 (26:38):
What?
Speaker 5 (26:39):
What makes you tick? And bring bring that type of energy.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Believe it or not, this is this is natural. I think.
I think my late father, Dick Hanson, he he had
he had the juice back in his day. And and uh,
I don't need anything to get going in the morning.
I take a shower and I am ready to go.
If I don't, I don't have a lot of caffeine.
I've had one cup of coffee in my life and
(27:02):
that was on a dare and I hated it, so
no caffeine. Literally, it's not to sound philosophical, but let's
go philosophical for a second. We all have chosen our
path in life, to the to the to the options
that we've had presented to us, right, And if I
(27:24):
was a school teacher or a doctor, or a lawyer
or a janitor, I would hope I would have enthusiasm
in my life the way that I have it. Working
in the toy department, right, working in sports, working in football.
We only get so many heartbeats on this planet, and
how are you going to spend them? And I try
(27:46):
to have enthusiasm and passion for not only my life,
but for other people. You guys asked me to be
on this podcast. I'm going to give you the best
that I have. People have an infinite number of choices.
I'm referring over to my media wall over here at
my place in Los Angeles. I don't know if that's
going to show up here on my on my media
wall over there. When people turn on their TV on
(28:09):
Sunday and you consider streaming options, infinite number of choices.
If they come to NFL Red Zone, if they stop
on me and our team, I'm gonna give them everything
I got and that's really where the passion comes from.
And the last thing I would say on it is this,
when when you don't have talent, you better have enthusiasm.
(28:30):
And that's the way I live my life as a
football player as a scrub walk on at Syracuse, and
that's the way I try and live my professional life
as a broadcaster.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I know you lived in Tampa and worked with the
Bucks at least alongside them, and I've been lucky enough
to spend a little bit of time with coach Dongeee
and I love being around him. How did you feel
working alongside coach Dungee? And do you have a good
Dungee story?
Speaker 5 (28:56):
Ooh?
Speaker 4 (28:58):
My single favorite person to deal with in sports is
Tony Dungee. And Tony, for people who know him, see
him on broadcast or they've seen him interview, he's not
the most like like ambulan, you know, like all the
energy that I'm given right now, that's not Tony is
very understated. Everybody knows that about Tony and whatnot and like,
(29:21):
but I love coach. I love him. Maybe my favorite
story was this, I happened to be a Christian and
Coach Dungee's vocal about his Christian faith. And when I
was getting the job in Tampa, he was in his
he was going into his second year as head coach
of the Buccketeers, so he was building this thing, right,
(29:41):
sap John Lynch. You know, Gilfer was the quarterback at
the time. War done, Michael Stott, Derek Brooks, you can
re Rende Barber came along, You could go through the list.
But I was considering taking this job in Tampa, and
I said, well, I think I know what my professional
life would be like. The social life would probably be good. Right,
(30:02):
It's the Sunshine State and all that. I'm like, I
wonder how it is like spiritually down there, Like what
are the churches like down What is it? So I said,
I know they're head coach Tony Dungee's involved in a
lot of Christian charities and things like that. I wonder
if I could ask him. So I literally cold called
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers headquarters and and like literally to
(30:26):
the number that I could find. This is even pre Internet,
I suppose, like the number that I found and secretary
passed me, patched me through to another secretary, and I said,
is there any Yes, I could talk to coach Dungee
and he didn't know me from anyone else to sports
report or whatever. Two minutes later, he picks up the phone. Wow,
and he's like, hey, this is coach Dungee. Now, I mean,
(30:48):
who what head coach in the NFL would or could
ever do that? And he spent I don't know ten
ten to fifteen minutes on the phone, which felt like
an eternity for me, and I said, hey, coach, you know,
you know I'm getting offered to this job down at
the ABC station and Tampa, but I want to know
what it's like spiritually down there, Like where do you
go to church? What do you know? He taught couldn't
(31:10):
have been couldn't have been kinder and uh. I covered
him for all of his years until nineteen ninety nine,
and then I left Tampa. He left shortly thereafter. Of
course Gruden came in, but I followed him. I covered
him with the with the Colts and bump into him
now and his work on NBC. I love Coach Dungee.
(31:34):
I have since that moment, always will and I try
and emulate that in my life when someone I don't
know asks for some of my time a college student
or something like that. Even as busy as I am,
I'm trying. I try to give them some uh some
love and attention the way Dungee did to me back
(31:54):
when I was cold calling him.
Speaker 5 (31:56):
That's amazing.
Speaker 7 (31:57):
Uh, that's an awesome that's a great story.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Take us back seventeen years and the first conversation that
you were approached with for the Red Zone and how
was it pitched?
Speaker 5 (32:23):
What went through your mind?
Speaker 4 (32:26):
Yeah, So, as I said, I was a roving reporter.
They would send me to practices, games do remote reports.
But I always told the bosses at NFL Network, I said, guys,
I think from my skill set, I feel better on
the anchor desk than I do in the field. I
like to keep all the knives in the drawer sharp.
(32:47):
And I tried to do be excellent in whatever format
I'm in. But I said, I would love to host
something for you, to be the face and the voice
of something. So the summer of two thousand and nine,
I had heard that we were starting this channel, the
Red Zone NFL Red Zone. There had already existed on
(33:09):
DirectTV the Red Zone channel, which confuses a lot of
users viewers that there used to be two red zones,
but they were basically going to kind of copy that
format and have it themselves in house for the NFL.
So I pulled up the talent coordinator at that time
and I was like, wait a minute, Wait a minute.
(33:30):
This channel is going to be every touchdown from every game,
seven hours straight through, give you the ten thousand foot
view of the NFL. We can take you to whatever stadium, wherever, whenever,
and there's going to be no commercials. And they were
like yep. And I said, who you got to host
this thing? And they said, well, we're looking at a
(33:51):
few people. I said, is my name on the list?
They said, yeah, your name is on the list. I said,
I want this. So they had auditions for the short
list of names that they had and for your audience,
who might not know. A television audition usually lasts ten
(34:12):
to fifteen minutes. Right They put you up on set,
they put a microphone on you, they give you an earpiece,
and they just want to see how you look, how
you sound. If it's a co hosted show, they'll bring
a co anchor, so see if you can execute some
cross talk and whatnot. But it's fifteen minutes right, and
it's kind of a formality. But because stamina, enthusiasm, knowledge
(34:36):
of the game are all priorities for red Zone and stamina,
maybe being number one is a seven hour then commercial
free channel. They the audition was five hours long.
Speaker 5 (34:52):
Oh oh my god.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
And this was like, this was like June of two
thousand and nine, right before we came out, so it's
the middle of the summer. There's no there are no
games going on or anything. So what they did is
they put me into a studio in Los Angeles at
NFL Media headquarters, and they took a random week from
the season before whatever, week seven of two thousand and eight,
(35:16):
and this was they actually had videotapes, and they took
eight videotapes of eight different games, queued them all up
to the kickoff, pressed play simultaneously, and said talk wow.
And we rolled through. And I had a producer that
was in my year trying to like because they had
(35:37):
to audition an entire television staff, right, a producer, a director,
technical director, audio graphics, everything, And I'm going through it
as best I can. You have no computers though, because
there's not like live box scores that you can follow
along to say oh, okay, Randy Moss has one hundred
yards receiving now at the half or something like that. Right,
(35:57):
So you're doing it. You're flying by the seat of
your pants. I was wearing a suit. I remember I sweated.
I'm not a big sweater, but I sweated right through
this suit. I mean flop sweat. And I'm thinking, in
my head, just keep going, be enthusiastic, make the transitions,
you know, nail as many things as you can. And
I'm thinking, I'm either winning this job or I am
(36:22):
ruining my career right here. There's like almost no, almost
no in between. So the audition, we went through a
whole set of games three hours. Then they put in
another like four games and took us to like halftime
of those games. It was a five hour audition. Finished up.
I didn't have a real good vibe about it, one
way or another. I knew I did my best. But
(36:46):
about two weeks later, the executive producer of NFL Network
gives me a call and I said, I said, hey, Eric,
how you doing. He's like, oh, good, Scott good, He goes.
I just want to let you know we want to
name you the host of NFL Red.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
Zone let's go.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
I was like, oh, man, that is awesome. I said, so,
so you watched the five hour audits right that you
recorded it for him and whatnot? He goes, Scott, I
watched the first fifteen minutes of it, and I knew
you were my guy. You bring that energy, that passion,
And I was like, oh, Eric, that is great. That's awesome.
And in my brain I'm thinking, then, why in the
(37:21):
five hours ruin a perfectly good suit and stress like
I never have? But all's well, that ends well, and
here we are seventeen seasons later.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
That's a great story. Two final questions for you, Scott,
I'll go first. Living in Nashville, I have a lot
of friends that are artist singers or lead singers of bands,
and so their whole week is revolving around really the
two shows that they're going to do on a Friday
and Saturday night, and so a lot of people will think, Wow,
they're super famous. They probably party all night the night
before a show or the night after a show before
(37:53):
another show, and they're actually going to bed at eight,
like they're having to. Their instrument is so delicate that
they're having to treat it as such. And I wonder
if you a bit live with that as well, where
you're famous Scott Hands and everybody loves you. Got high energy,
but also you got to shut it down so you
can have it right.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
So on. Obviously we're on on Sunday, on a Saturday,
on a football Saturday. Prior to Red Zone, I might
see I'm a bachelor, I live alone, no kids, So
I'm just here and I'm researching. I'm grinding on every
fat stat storyline, injury updates, quotes that came out during
(38:32):
the week to prepare for all eleven, twelve, thirteen games
that I have on Red Zone. The only live human
beings that I see on a football Saturday are the
door dash or postmason, every guy who brings me my food.
And and for those who are watching not listening to
(38:52):
the podcast, I showed you the media wall. I put
up the best five five college games on my media wall,
and that's way behind me. Those are like sixty inch
TVs over there. But I put on the best five
college games. I sit on my computer right over here,
look through all my notes on the pros, watch the
next generation of college coming up, and it's a it's
(39:14):
a beautiful football weekend for me. But no, I can't
even tell you the last time I went out. I
went out and did something on a Saturday. One of
my best friends moved his wedding to a Thursday so
I could be best man at his wedding because they want.
Speaker 5 (39:32):
True story. That's good.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Darren Kucherira shout out, Darrenais shut out.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
My last one would be you know you said that
you never feel completely settled. Is there a sporting event
that you at some point would want to cover or
an avenue in which you'd want to go with your
career that is just on your bucket list?
Speaker 4 (39:55):
Yeah, I've Matt, I've done a lot of things. I've
been very blessed I have been. I have covered obviously
multiple multiple Super Bowls, something like seventeen Super Bowls. I've
been the College football National Championship. I've been to multiple
final fours in college basketball, NBA finals, NHL Finals. About
(40:18):
about the only stuff I've never covered, I've done the Olympics.
Now you may have heard that gold Zone has begun
for the Olympics, which is red zone for the Olympics.
That's a lot of fun. I'll be doing the Milan
Courtina Winter games coming up here in February, a World
Heavyweight Championship, Fight Boxing or UFC. Even that, there is
(40:44):
buzz like like nothing else. I would like to do that,
cover that and be ringside and maybe even call it.
If you know, it's not my entirely my world. I've
done some boxing before. That would be something. Or well,
the World Cup is coming to the United States. I've
never been to a World Cup match, but a World
(41:04):
Cup final depending on what countries make it to the final.
I'm sure that's otherworldly. And I love the juice man.
You could tell that. I love the action. You could
tell me in the in the in the in the
International Tiddley Wings competition, and if you can tell me
why it's dramatic, I will I will be all in.
(41:24):
I've been to the Grand Sumo tournament in Japan. I
was happy to be in Japan. When the tournament was
going on, I talked to the concierge at the hotel,
I said, can you give me a ticket to the ground.
I want to see it. I didn't understand anything that
was going on, but I was like, I was right there.
You take off your shoes, you sit, you sit in
uh like cross legged in In they don't have like
(41:47):
regular seats in the ancient arena that they held it in.
You go to the concession stand, everything is in Japanese
and there's like the head of a fish, like a
fish instead of a picture of a hot dog and popcorn,
and you're like, yeah, I don't want that, I'll do
one of those. So there is almost any major sporting
event in the world that people find interesting. I could
(42:10):
probably find interesting.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Well, we appreciate the time. I think again, you and
I have what I would call a parasocial relationship, I think,
where I know the relationship but you do not. So
I just really appreciate fair enough we're there, really appreciate
the effort and the enthusiasm and listen, I think, Matt
and I love how you do it and the way
you do it, and you have such a positive attitude.
(42:33):
You're an inspiration to mister Hanson. So thank you very
much for your time, and have a great weekend and
hopefully we'll see u sometime soon.
Speaker 5 (42:40):
I'll see you on Sunday, Scott.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
All right, see Scott, you see it's Sunday boys.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
That was awesome, Thank you, Scott. It's time for the
week in preview presented by DraftKings. From first touchdown score
(43:06):
to anytime touchdown props or the thrill of live in
game betting, every snap is loaded with opportunity. Okay, let's
look at a few matchups from week seventeen coming up.
Why don't we start with the Buccaneers at Dolphins. The
Bucks got to win this game to stay in so
that next week's game is a do or die as
they are trying to win the NFC South against the
(43:28):
Carolina Panthers. So I'm putting this on the list because
if the Bucks can win this game, then we're looking
at that final four seed in the NFC going to
the winner. But I am going with the Buccaneers. They
need to win it. I don't know if Todd Bowles
is a good coach. I'm leaning on no Todd Bowles
a heck of the first half of the season coach.
So I'm going with the Bucks. And the last I
(43:51):
checked it was Bucks minus five. I'm taking the Bucks
minus five. Eagles at Bills. We're looking at man a
really late in season matchup between the AFC and the
NFC where the Bills need Josh Allen to pretty much
do it all and the Eagles are just trying to
(44:11):
find themselves pretty much. Both teams already in the playoffs.
It is in Buffalo. I'm going with the Bills winning
that one and the Bears in the forty nine Ers.
Forty nine Ers need to win. Bears need to win
for them both to have a shot at that number
one seed in the NFC. Seahawks still hold complete control
of that number one seed, but both these teams need
to win to have a shot at the number one seed.
(44:31):
I'm going with the forty nine Ers over the Bears.
That was the Week in Preview presented by DraftKings. When
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Speaker 1 (45:22):
All right, Merry Christmas, everybody. What are you guys doing
for Christmas?
Speaker 2 (45:25):
We're gonna be here. We're gonna be here for Christmas,
and then I think we might be leaving and going
up to Montana for a little bit.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Oh from cold to colder California.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
No, we did that for Thanksgiving, so this time go around,
we're gonna get real cold. It's probably gonna be like
negatives up there where you're not even gonna leave the house.
Speaker 5 (45:45):
But there's gonna be a little skiing, a little fun,
you know, just.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Just fun winter stuff. I've never been skiing, oh did.
I went for the first time just a few years ago.
And I did a little snowboarding when I was younger,
but nothing. I'm a novice at best.
Speaker 5 (46:01):
So I go out to this hill.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
The kids are getting it's their first, so they get
a lesson. I come out on like, honey, I'm going
to be snowboarding. She's like, you're a lozard. Look at you.
I mean you're on a snowboard. Every person there is
on skis. So I was like, fine, I'll try skiing.
So I go get this little lesson. Skiing is the
greatest thing ever fun. Oh there's nothing like going down
a mountain with the wind in your hair and little
(46:24):
snowflakes hitting you and you can control the skis. You've
got these poles, there's no issues with balance.
Speaker 5 (46:31):
Amazing.
Speaker 1 (46:31):
Did you not ski while you were playing because you
were playing?
Speaker 2 (46:34):
Yeah, because I thought if I did anything, I'd have
to give him all the money back.
Speaker 5 (46:37):
That would be awful.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
And it was kind of in your contract if you
put yourself at risk and you do have an injury
like that.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
Do they list specifically what those Oh yeah, they got
a whole section redlining, right. It could be you could
be motorcycles, motorcycle and Rochester Jarter like pashing motorcycle.
Speaker 5 (46:54):
Yeah he did got hurt.
Speaker 1 (46:56):
Well, Merry Christmas, everybody, Merry Christmas to you, Buddy Hope,
Gary Christmas, guys, he's now turned into the angel get
his wings.
Speaker 5 (47:02):
Guy.
Speaker 1 (47:03):
You know what's that movie about a beautifl live? I
don't know beautiful.
Speaker 5 (47:11):
That's so true.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Thanks Agains Scott Hansen. That is Matt Castle. That is
pick Up Kevin. That is Brandon Ray. We've had lots
to say. We'll see you got five of them. Lots
to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a
production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts. For more podcasts
from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
(47:35):
wherever you get your podcasts.
Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is
a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts. We got
lots just said, we got lots to save?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
What is better here?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
And we hope you say because we got lost, just say, yeah,
we got lots to say.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Here's that.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
Hey, Christmas week, everybody.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
You know that the Netflix games are interesting this week
because they're not that good anymore because the Chiefs are
out and.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
The Cowboys are out.
Speaker 6 (00:44):
Cowboys are out, Chiefs are out, the two biggest teams
as far as what's going to get the biggest number, which,
by the way, the biggest watch it, Yeah, because it's on.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
But we watched the parade that ain't good Thanksgiving?
Speaker 5 (00:59):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
But the biggest game ever I believe, of regular season
football was the Chiefs and Cowboys when they played earlier
this season?
Speaker 7 (01:05):
Was it?
Speaker 5 (01:05):
Really?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I believe?
Speaker 5 (01:06):
So ever?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I think it was the highest regular season game of
all time.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
Wow, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, you may look up the official because when there
was like three channels, I don't know how that worked.
That should have been way more than that because Mash
got like a billion viewers, but that was only because
there were three channels.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Back, there's only three channels. What do you see?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, it's true. Fifty seven point two to three million. Wow, dude,
that's crazy, insane. What's the headline of that biggest of
all time? Yeah, the most viewed NFL regular season game
ever was Thanksgiving matchup between the Cowboys and the Chiefs.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
You could have convinced me that it wasn't because again
in the old days when there were three or four
channels and they were just showing football on one of
the channels. But that's fifty seven million is a lot.
Fifty seven millions incredible. So the Christmas games, Kevin, would
you read me? The Christmas games?
Speaker 5 (01:57):
They are?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You got Cowboys at Commanders What time? That's the twelve
o'clock Central time. Thank goodness for Fantasy and for DraftKings. Yeah, okay,
people will definitely go and watch.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
That Lions Vikings at three point thirty.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
The Vikings, now these games matter has been playing a
little bit better, but they're eliminated, like they can't get
the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (02:19):
That's true, it doesn't help.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
And there's a night game on Prime that is the
Broncos and.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Chiefs lost its luster. Yeah, right, like all three of
those games on paper at the beginning of the season.
This is going to be a stacked Christmas.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Card, right, Oh for sure when they put these games together,
like oh we're crushing.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Yeah, speaking of Christmas, the most memorable Christmas gifts given
by quarterbacks over the past few years, which, by the way,
when you were quarterbacking your teams, what did you do
for the guests? Yeah, would you get your line in anything?
Speaker 5 (02:53):
I got them TV's one year.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I got them suits one year, like a custom suits
of great gift. Yeah, they can go and meet the person,
they'll give them a custom suit. So do you do
like a gift certificate? Like do you call and just
say here's X amount of dollars? Any gift cards for
eight and do you have to get backup lineman something?
Speaker 5 (03:11):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
And Deep that is part of it. If you're on
the roster, you're getting the lineman something. So you're not
talking about your five starters, you're talking about.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
Eight nine guys.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
What about Deep Snapper?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
No, that's not he doesn't work with me. He's the
he's with the punter. They're called specialist.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I like that gift though.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
Yeah, the suit was a good one.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I mean when iPads first came out that's I'm dating myself,
but that was kind of cool. Gift got everybody and iPad.
There's a few others in between there.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
But is the backup quarterback supposed to buy a gift
for everybody?
Speaker 2 (03:43):
No, it's kind of like the starter's deal to get
maybe him something too. Oh you have to get the
back yeah, but you don't have to get on the
to the same extent that you do the big boys
the offensive line.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
So uh.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
My first year of playing, though, was when Brady obviously
went down, and at the end of that season, I
was unaccustomed to being in that starting role, let alone
with the lead dog and Christmas gifts. I still haven't got
all my guys, my offensive lineman a gift, and it's
almost become an ongoing joke where every time I see him,
like Castle, where's our gift, it's just I still feel bad.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
But I love you guys, Love you guys in the mail.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
It's in the mail.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I was having a little pet little physical therapy on
my ankle foot at surgery, like eight weeks ago or so,
and maybe not that much, but it still hurts, and
I was a little concerned that I reinjured it, although
I've done nothing to re injure it. And basically they say,
you haven't used in it a couple of months, so
obviously it's going to hurt when you start to use
it again. So all that aside. I was at my
(04:38):
physical therapist's office and he says, hey, you do a
football podcast. I say, yeah, so what's called? I said,
lots to say? And he said, you work with Matt Castle.
I say yeah. He said, I don't know him, but
I have a lot of friends that know him. I'm
going to quote his question about you. He said, because
(05:00):
of what I've heard, is he the nicest guy ever?
And I say, yes, he is. Wow, that's exactly.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
What I I know what to expect on that, right.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
He said, is he the nicest guy ever? I said,
he's the greatest dude. All right, thank you, he said,
never met him. But he's also worked with a lot
of pro athletes here in the area, and he mentioned
a few of them. They said, I just here, he's
the greatest and I'm like, brother, you have no idea.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Dude, I'm going into your next physical therapy. I'm going
to fake out that injury. Oh yeah, oh, thank you
so much. Oh you cracked better than anybody. Job, man,
you crack better than anybody. Never had a massage like this.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
I bet you got good massages though. Being a pro athlete.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
You know, you normally find one person that works with
you and then they kind of start to understand your
dynamics of your body and you stick with them. And
so everywhere I went, you kind of get one person
to work on you, especially on like a Monday, after
you get the hell beat I of you on a Sunday,
it just helps get the inflammation out, muscle's going. So
I would do that. But you know what's crazy is
(06:01):
when you stop playing. I think I've had one, maybe
two massages since I stop playing, so that's been within
the like what five years.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
I don't and I miss them. I honestly missed them.
I'm gonna the.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Massages will always be bodywork or would you ever get
a massage just for like relaxation.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Never relaxation either.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
It was, but never the worst like deep tissue, grinded
out iteas it's not improving, yeah, kind of like bruising type.
And then the whole time and the so as when
they do that, oh god, yeah, So it wasn't really
an enjoyable like put on the like light massage music,
and you just sit there and they kind of know.
It was like grinded out, get them, get the massage
(06:41):
and elbows, the whole deal.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
So Christmas gifts, Joe Burrow gifted each one of his
linemen genuine unique samurai swords. This a couple of years ago.
You guys remember this. Some of the swords dated back
to the sixteenth century, so you're gonnabout fifteen hundred.
Speaker 5 (06:52):
These are like real samurai swords. That's pretty unique.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, pretty cool. Rock Purty. Now, there's been some revelation
about this recently because at the time it was block
Brock Party got all his guys trucks, but he had
a sponsorship deal and it was part of the sponsorship.
Not that it's not awesome to get a free truck,
but people because Rock Party wasn't making any money then, right,
(07:18):
he's in a deal now where he could buy everyday trucks.
He wasn't in a deal then where he could buy
everybody trucks.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Are you throwing shade out?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
No, not at all. Part of his deal was him
getting trucks rookie contract. He got his ten linemen either
a Toyota Tundra or a Sequoia in a rookie contract.
By the way, rookie contract, last pick in the draft,
you can't. That's it's a bad standard for other guys
in a rookie contract.
Speaker 5 (07:42):
It does. But you know what league minimum is.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Now, it's like, it's not going to afford that many trucks,
but it's still like seven hundred and fifty grand or something.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
So just say it's eight hundred thousand. Yeah, but you're
going to hit that tax or you're gonna fifty percent
of its gone, right, So four hundred thousand, and let's
say each truck is forty grand. Ten trucks is four
one hundred thousand, So all your money just went to
those ten trucks.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
And that's what he did.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
He was living on the street, did not stay facility.
This is what makes it unique. He gave it all
up for his lineman. He wanted to show the dedication. Okay,
just eating at the facility every day, faireness. It was
like Rudy and the Notre Dame movie when he'd sleep
in the janitors closet.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You mean the movie Rudy.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Yeah, it was like Rudy in the movie Rudy.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
I was like in the movie, in the Notre Dame
movie Rudy and the Rudy Ruddy and Rudy.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yes, that was I was like, is it, yeah, the
Notre Dame movie Rudy, Ruddy and Ruddy.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Patrick Mahomes left each of his linemen a gift package
last year with a Rolex. Oakley's, a Yetti cooler, Lukezy
boots and Recovery boots. All that says Rolex to me,
All that it's just a Rolex and others.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Yeah, the Rolex, but it goes back to what you
just said about Brock. All those are sponsorship deals, maybe
other than the.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Rolex, but the Rolex is the main one. That's like, yeah,
sixty seventy grand each of those watches Jalen, Hurts and
Saquan As a joint gift, they bought each offensive line
and a personalized golf cart customized with the player's last name, number,
and logos of both Hurts and Barkley.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
They gave him a d of themselves, you know what
I and they put a picture of it Hurts on
the front like this.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
I don't like them putting their own logos on the gifts.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
They're giving. Why did they put their own logo? Why
didn't they just do their like Lineman's number, and they.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Did that, but they added their own Am I am
I hater? No, No, no, not at all. There's no
need for that. Yeah, you're already personalized it. This is
something similar to what you did. Aaron Rodgers on the
Jets had a tailor come in measure the line for
custom tom Ford suits, complete with matching Colone and sunglasses.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Mine was big and tall, so no men's warehouse out.
That's pretty that's yeah, he's pretty cool too. That's why.
Oh you know, I know you've got a few hangings
in your closet.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Not I have a couple hanging in my closet.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
You do you call up to when you need something?
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I do not.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I do no, not anymore. Those days have long gone
where I'm spending money like that on suits. I had
my phase, but now I'm good, buddy, you still got
some I still have to see that swag. But also
I used to get a ton of television money. Oh,
I was doing network television.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
It was the greatest. Was when they were like, hey,
just dress yourself for these four things, and the would
put no budget on it, instead of going yeah, instead
of going hey, we're gonna give you an allowance. The
allowance was always way significant per episode. Yeah, like I
can use you this American idol for example, that network
money is crazy, and they'd be like, okay, you got
to do one episode. Here, here's three thousand dollars for
this one episode. So what I would do is I
(10:50):
would easily get all my clothes, probably two we'll call
them wardrobes outfits, two of them for like a thousand,
and save the two thousand, and then you'd have to
use it all or it would just go away. You
didn't get to keep the extra. So the next week
I'd have like six thousand dollars and then I would
get me just a crazy awesome suit.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
That's brilliant, that's strategizing.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
It's amazing that money, that that closed money was amazing.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
Missed that close money.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
I just wore cardigans all the time, now I know,
but but they're still well that got swagged to it.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Let's be honest.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
But you don't even have to dress up to look
dressed up in a cardigan sweater, that's right, because people
just think you're put together. Yeah, no, I just got
a T shirt and cargan. It's just class that's what
it is.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It's a classy look like whatever you put on it
or under it. I guess I should say one time,
I want you to show up with no shirt on
under it just rock.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
Never would I.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
But when I was on Dancing with the Stars one week,
I had to go dance with no shirt. Yeah, I
had was a jacket, a jacket with no shirt underneath it.
And I thought to myself, I cannot. They were like,
you have to do it. And they didn't make me,
make me, but they really rooted me on and they
sprayed in the crap out of me. I think, I
told this, but.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
How many apps do you do that week? That week?
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Like some planks, crunches, like getting get it ready for Shade?
Oh that was the hour before starved myself. Hour before
All I did was sit ups and push ups for.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And anytime I thought I was on a camera, like
at the beginning to do an intro and they're like this,
I flexed so hard when I thought I was like camera, I.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Was like, I learn mess with your smile, yes, I like.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Look, I had to poot my pants. I was flexing
so hard. Yeah, Okay, Scott Hansen coming up. We'll take
a break.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Red Zone.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Scott Hansen coming up next. All right, let's go over
now and talk with NFL Network host Scott Hansen. Scott
(12:47):
is known for being my friend every Sunday, even though
he does not know that I am his best friend.
And yes, he's known for hosting NFL Red Zone every
Sunday during the season. But he also played college ball
at Syracuse. He was there the same time as Marvin Harrison.
And when you think of the NFL, at least for me,
you think of Red Zone, you think of Scott Hanson.
He's awesome here. He is clappyhands, Scott Henster, Yes, bring
(13:08):
them in.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Hey, Scott, Bobby Matt, Good to see you guys. Good
to be with you here. Thank you for thank you
for having me into your living rooms or your living
spaces each and every NFL Sunday.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Yeah, for a long time. I spend more time with
Scott on the weekend of my pregnant wife.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
And it's not even at home, like I'm on the
phone on my phone. I was at my daughter's basketball
game this week and going like this, And I do
have one beef thread zone. When you guys go quadbox
and I'm on my iPhone, I can't see anything. I
cannot see anything. I can't see a score, and you're
talking about it.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
Though.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
The reason I agreed to be on this podcast is
because I wanted to exchange phone numbers, so you can
text me if you're on your phone, thank you, and
I will tell the staff, no quad box, fantastic stobox Matt.
Matt needs to be able to see everything. Yeah, that's
the high class problem to have. By the way, true
if that's the worst, If that's the worst complaint, we'll
(14:00):
we'll live with that.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Scott. Have you met Matt before?
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (14:04):
I have?
Speaker 4 (14:05):
I have. Matt might not remember was it.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
Were we at a party or what.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
I don't know about that. No, it wasn't that. I
met you during during your starting season for the New
England Patriots two thousand and eight, so before red Zone
started in two thousand and nine, I was a roving
reporter for the NFL, so I had covered you guys
the great two thousand and seven season. Of course, Brady
gets hurt in two thousand and eight, and I was
(14:35):
at the New England Buffalo Bills game late December. I
want to say.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
Week that was the final week, Week sixteen.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
It was week it was week seventeen seventeen, but the
sixteenth game, and do you remember what that game was like?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It was absolutely the worst conditions ever, the most miserable snowing.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
The wins were what fifty five sixteen hour.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
The wind pushed the goalpost's sideway. In fact, I don't
know if you guys have capability to punch up an
image or anything, but if you could, if one of
your people google's Patriots bills two thousand and eight in Buffalo,
there are images of the goalposts going like this from
the wind that was that was swirling at then rich Stadium.
(15:25):
It was called and it was unbelievable. Before you guys,
so I'm doing pregame hits for NFL Network during the
pregame show, before you guys had even arrived at the stadium,
and they're setting up the stadium whatnot. And it was cold,
so they had the heating benches, you know, the big
white like heating benches, you know the blow them those
heating benches blew off of the sideline and were tumbling
(15:48):
down the as I'm doing my hit and so that
was the most one of the most incredible games I
had ever covered. And you guys were brilliant in the game.
Patriots won the game. You led them to a thirteen
to nothing win. Gotkowski somehow. I hit a couple of
field goals in that. I mean, if you look in
the game book, it said like thirty mile an hour
(16:10):
sustained wins, and the gusts were like fifty And there's
not a lot of people even listening that have stood
in fifty mile an hour wins. It was insane, but
you guys won. But the reason I get a smile
on my face about it is I go to the
postgame locker room and so I'm interviewing all the individual players,
and I'm representing NFL Network, so I can usually get
one on one interviews as opposed to going into a
(16:33):
big scrum with a bunch of microphones sticking in someone's face.
So Matt the winning quarterback, was kind enough to give
me a one on one interview. We had a great interview.
I'm like, man, I'm rooting for this guy. I go,
I don't know what it's going to look like, you know,
when Brady comes back and whatnot. So I'm thinking, you know,
Matt Castle, Matt Castle, and I said, I'm going to
get one more interview, and I go over to Mike Vrabel. Now,
(16:55):
I'm sure you've told Mike Vrabel stories on this podcast
several times. Mike does not suffer fools, right, And I
had just interviewed you you and I go to Rabel
and I go, hey, Matt, can I get you quick
for a quick interview. I called him Matt accidentally in
my head, oh my, and he literally goes to me.
(17:18):
He looks, he goes Matt, Matt like like I was
a complete imbecile. You didn't know doing that, and walked
away from me. And all the other reporters heard it
and saw it, and I just went it was so small.
It was my fault. But because you had played well
(17:39):
in those ridiculous circumstances and won the game and gave
me a one on one interview, I had Matt on
my brain. And I still have never talked of Rabel
about it since. I want to apologize to him, but.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Oh, don't apologize. Don't apologize.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
He doesn't, he doesn't remember, but he you know what,
you got to be on your p's and q's when
you're around Mike, not Matt Vrab, Matt Rabel, I'm his
long lost sun.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
Speaking of that, you just said that.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Okay, so you're you're doing interviews, that type of situation.
You go up and you call Mike Matt when you're
on the red zone. How many names are running through
your head? And how hard is that to be able
to translate that into on air and not mess a
name up.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
It is difficult, and I am certainly not perfect, but
to mix a sports metaphor, I want my free throw
percentage to be high nineties. You know, I probably say
on an average Red Zone episode, I mean I probably
say a couple hundred names, maybe one hundred, two hundred,
(18:43):
probably a couple hundred names. And there's only seventeen hundred
players in the NFL at any given time, and I'm
probably saying two hundred names, and especially late in the
season as we're speaking now, where injuries have taken their
toll and you've got practice squad guys getting up there
and somebody picks off a quarterback and I'm like, who
(19:04):
is twenty three? I don't know who twenty three is.
And I've got a researcher and a spot or Tim
Galanyon's Brian la Revie, my right hand men. They're awesome.
They will fire up a roster real quick to get
me the name and a pronunciation if I need it.
But guys, we have done it, and we're in the
season right now. We've done that where let's say number
twenty three for whatever team picks off a guy, I'm like,
(19:26):
who's twenty three? And then they're coming to me and
they look at me and there's no twenty three on
the official website.
Speaker 5 (19:33):
Of the team.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
They literally just called the guy up or they got
him off the street or whatever, slap the jersey on him,
and he's in the game and makes a play, and
I'm like, I don't know who that is. So a
lot of times I'll just say great job by the defense.
There they turn him over, and now the ball goes
back over to the other quarterback. Whatever. But it's difficult,
and of course social media is unforgiving if and when
(19:58):
I mess up a name.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
After you left Syracuse, did you ever do the local news?
Did were you ever your own guy? Had to set
up your own camera? Do that? What can you talk
about that first job?
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Oh, that's a great story. So I'm old. I'm an
old man. You're old timer here. I'm fifty four and
so my first year out of Syracuse working as the
weekend sports anchor for WPBN Traverse City, Michigan, which so
they ranked the television markets one to like, there's like
(20:30):
two hundred TV markets in the country, a little bit
more than two hundred, and they rank them one to
two hundred based on population. This was market one twenty one. Okay,
anything beyond one hundred is tiny. Okay. My annual salary
at that place, and the one year that I was there,
you want to guess, take again, nineteen ninety three, ninety
(20:52):
three into ninety.
Speaker 8 (20:53):
Four, ninety three local news. Okay, local news. I was local,
So i'm market. Three days during the week I was
a sports reporter. On the weekends, I would anchor from
the anchor.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
Desk the sports report.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Thirty nine thousand, thirty nine Matt twenty thousand, try.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Fifteen thousand dollars. Wow, was my salary in nineteen ninety three,
and like it was, it was, but I would have
done it for fourteen thousand. I remember reading in USA today,
back when newspaper physical newspapers were a thing. Remember how
they used to have a graph in the front page
of USA Today they always had a kind of an
interesting like like pie chartie thing, little pie charted graph
(21:34):
at the bottom that they just saw people were. This
one was percentage of people in the United States that
lived below the poverty line, and the poverty line was
like thirteen five or something. And I'm like, I'm on
television making fifteen thousand dollars. If i'd have made a
grand less, I would have been below the poverty line.
And people think you're a big hot shot TV guy,
(21:56):
So yeah, I was. Oh dude, I was a one
man band, literally setting up my own tripod. And this
is not back in the days where everybody had a
TV studio in their hand. Here, you know, camera was bulky,
and you'd have people walking by at a high school
game or something like where's your camera guy, And I'm like, oh, yeah,
(22:17):
you know you're looking at him, or oh he's in
the he's in the production truck right now. I'm sure
he'll be back here in a second. So yeah, I
paid my dues, like like most people who have gone
through any industry.
Speaker 5 (22:28):
Yeah, you definitely paid her.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Just when did you feel like you had your big
break and got to a place where you're like, I've
I've kind of set myself up here.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
I can make a career out of this.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
It's all. That's a good question. I've never really felt like, Okay,
I'm at the destination, honestly. Honestly, I don't mean to
give you a cliche answer, but there were tent polls
in my life as I went through from from when
I transitioned from being a weekend sports anchor at like
(23:01):
a local ABC, NBC, CBS station to when I went
to an all sports network. My first gig at an
all sports network was what was called Comcast Sports Net
in Philadelphia, which was the original one. Now they call
him NBC Sports, you know, NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports
Bay Area, whatever. So this was Philadelphia, and that was
(23:24):
a big deal because going to all Sports, it was
like I was going to be the lead story on
the show. Not not me, but I was going to
handle the lead story as opposed to being the weekend
sports guy where they give you three minutes to do
a whole weekend worth of sports highlights. And then all
of a sudden, I worked in Tampa at the ABC
affiliate and I remember a time where I had three
(23:46):
minutes and you got to pack all of this stuff
into three minutes. And then five minutes before I go
on the air, the news director comes in and says,
there's a water spout in the Gulf of Mexico. Right now,
weather needs four minutes. You're down to two minutes, like
right before. And I like my whole everything I had done.
So transitioning to all sports where that was it. It
(24:09):
wasn't news, it wasn't weather involved, it wasn't anything else
like that, that was a big deal. And then moving
to the NFL, like becoming an employee of the NFL,
which was now, gosh, twenty seasons ago, that was a big,
a big deal because you felt like you were at
the mothership and it gave you some gravitas to be
able to get one on one interviews with Matt Cassel
(24:30):
and the starting quarterbacks of the NFL.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
And Matt Radwell, but now I was in Red Zone
and Matt Ray.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
I'm gonna have to interview him again at some point
in my life, and oh man, yeah, but uh but
now hosting Red Zone for seventeen years, I feel very
good and I don't want to say settled because I'm
always trying to get better. Like anyone, I want to
I want to perform with excellence, and you're only as
good as your last show. But I feel I feel
(25:01):
like I'm on firm ground in this industry, and I'm
I'm very very thankful, very blessed.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Obviously you played ball, but was your outlook you were
going to cover just football, because I imagine you have
to have a Swiss army knife of skills, especially as
you're just a sports guy. Did you did you hope
it went in then just football? Or was it all over?
Speaker 4 (25:19):
Boy? You must have read my bio or something like that,
because that's one hundred percent where I was. I would
do any sport, and I covered being in like local affiliates.
I covered eighth grade girls softball, I covered, I covered you.
I covered the fishing tournaments. The National Trout Festival is
(25:41):
in northern Michigan and I and I covered I interviewed
Miss Trout as a matter of beauty, paget around this
this thing. So I've covered everything there is, but football
was always number one for me. I grew up in
I grew up in Michigan, and UH grew up rooting
for the Michigan Wolverines and the Detroit Lions, and having
(26:04):
you know, Saturdays and Sundays with my dad, kind of
our emotions pivot around did our team winner lose? And
then went on to play football throughout you know, throughout college.
So football was always number one. And of course the
NFL is the highest iteration of that, and so that
this is this is where I've always wanted to be.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Your energy is magnetic, and I want to know how
do you take care of yourself? Like, like, honestly, you
bring it each and every Sunday, But even talking to
you on the podcast, I'm just like, dude, tell me
what you're eating.
Speaker 5 (26:37):
Are you a coffee guy?
Speaker 1 (26:38):
What?
Speaker 5 (26:38):
What?
Speaker 4 (26:38):
What?
Speaker 5 (26:39):
What makes you tick? And bring bring that type of energy.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Believe it or not, this is this is natural. I think.
I think my late father, Dick Hanson, he he had
he had the juice back in his day. And and uh,
I don't need anything to get going in the morning.
I take a shower and I am ready to go.
If I don't, I don't have a lot of caffeine.
I've had one cup of coffee in my life and
(27:02):
that was on a dare and I hated it, so
no caffeine. Literally, it's not to sound philosophical, but let's
go philosophical for a second. We all have chosen our
path in life, to the to the to the options
that we've had presented to us, right, And if I
(27:24):
was a school teacher or a doctor, or a lawyer
or a janitor, I would hope I would have enthusiasm
in my life the way that I have it. Working
in the toy department, right, working in sports, working in football.
We only get so many heartbeats on this planet, and
how are you going to spend them? And I try
(27:46):
to have enthusiasm and passion for not only my life,
but for other people. You guys asked me to be
on this podcast. I'm going to give you the best
that I have. People have an infinite number of choices.
I'm referring over to my media wall over here at
my place in Los Angeles. I don't know if that's
going to show up here on my on my media
wall over there. When people turn on their TV on
(28:09):
Sunday and you consider streaming options, infinite number of choices.
If they come to NFL Red Zone, if they stop
on me and our team, I'm gonna give them everything
I got and that's really where the passion comes from.
And the last thing I would say on it is this,
when when you don't have talent, you better have enthusiasm.
(28:30):
And that's the way I live my life as a
football player as a scrub walk on at Syracuse, and
that's the way I try and live my professional life
as a broadcaster.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I know you lived in Tampa and worked with the
Bucks at least alongside them, and I've been lucky enough
to spend a little bit of time with coach Dongeee
and I love being around him. How did you feel
working alongside coach Dungee? And do you have a good
Dungee story?
Speaker 5 (28:56):
Ooh?
Speaker 4 (28:58):
My single favorite person to deal with in sports is
Tony Dungee. And Tony, for people who know him, see
him on broadcast or they've seen him interview, he's not
the most like like ambulan, you know, like all the
energy that I'm given right now, that's not Tony is
very understated. Everybody knows that about Tony and whatnot and like,
(29:21):
but I love coach. I love him. Maybe my favorite
story was this, I happened to be a Christian and
Coach Dungee's vocal about his Christian faith. And when I
was getting the job in Tampa, he was in his
he was going into his second year as head coach
of the Buccketeers, so he was building this thing, right,
(29:41):
sap John Lynch. You know, Gilfer was the quarterback at
the time. War done, Michael Stott, Derek Brooks, you can
re Rende Barber came along, You could go through the list.
But I was considering taking this job in Tampa, and
I said, well, I think I know what my professional
life would be like. The social life would probably be good. Right,
(30:02):
It's the Sunshine State and all that. I'm like, I
wonder how it is like spiritually down there, Like what
are the churches like down What is it? So I said,
I know they're head coach Tony Dungee's involved in a
lot of Christian charities and things like that. I wonder
if I could ask him. So I literally cold called
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers headquarters and and like literally to
(30:26):
the number that I could find. This is even pre Internet,
I suppose, like the number that I found and secretary
passed me, patched me through to another secretary, and I said,
is there any Yes, I could talk to coach Dungee
and he didn't know me from anyone else to sports
report or whatever. Two minutes later, he picks up the phone. Wow,
and he's like, hey, this is coach Dungee. Now, I mean,
(30:48):
who what head coach in the NFL would or could
ever do that? And he spent I don't know ten
ten to fifteen minutes on the phone, which felt like
an eternity for me, and I said, hey, coach, you know,
you know I'm getting offered to this job down at
the ABC station and Tampa, but I want to know
what it's like spiritually down there, Like where do you
go to church? What do you know? He taught couldn't
(31:10):
have been couldn't have been kinder and uh. I covered
him for all of his years until nineteen ninety nine,
and then I left Tampa. He left shortly thereafter. Of
course Gruden came in, but I followed him. I covered
him with the with the Colts and bump into him
now and his work on NBC. I love Coach Dungee.
(31:34):
I have since that moment, always will and I try
and emulate that in my life when someone I don't
know asks for some of my time a college student
or something like that. Even as busy as I am,
I'm trying. I try to give them some uh some
love and attention the way Dungee did to me back
(31:54):
when I was cold calling him.
Speaker 5 (31:56):
That's amazing.
Speaker 7 (31:57):
Uh, that's an awesome that's a great story.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Take us back seventeen years and the first conversation that
you were approached with for the Red Zone and how
was it pitched?
Speaker 5 (32:23):
What went through your mind?
Speaker 4 (32:26):
Yeah, So, as I said, I was a roving reporter.
They would send me to practices, games do remote reports.
But I always told the bosses at NFL Network, I said, guys,
I think from my skill set, I feel better on
the anchor desk than I do in the field. I
like to keep all the knives in the drawer sharp.
(32:47):
And I tried to do be excellent in whatever format
I'm in. But I said, I would love to host
something for you, to be the face and the voice
of something. So the summer of two thousand and nine,
I had heard that we were starting this channel, the
Red Zone NFL Red Zone. There had already existed on
(33:09):
DirectTV the Red Zone channel, which confuses a lot of
users viewers that there used to be two red zones,
but they were basically going to kind of copy that
format and have it themselves in house for the NFL.
So I pulled up the talent coordinator at that time
and I was like, wait a minute, Wait a minute.
(33:30):
This channel is going to be every touchdown from every game,
seven hours straight through, give you the ten thousand foot
view of the NFL. We can take you to whatever stadium, wherever, whenever,
and there's going to be no commercials. And they were
like yep. And I said, who you got to host
this thing? And they said, well, we're looking at a
(33:51):
few people. I said, is my name on the list?
They said, yeah, your name is on the list. I said,
I want this. So they had auditions for the short
list of names that they had and for your audience,
who might not know. A television audition usually lasts ten
(34:12):
to fifteen minutes. Right They put you up on set,
they put a microphone on you, they give you an earpiece,
and they just want to see how you look, how
you sound. If it's a co hosted show, they'll bring
a co anchor, so see if you can execute some
cross talk and whatnot. But it's fifteen minutes right, and
it's kind of a formality. But because stamina, enthusiasm, knowledge
(34:36):
of the game are all priorities for red Zone and stamina,
maybe being number one is a seven hour then commercial
free channel. They the audition was five hours long.
Speaker 5 (34:52):
Oh oh my god.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
And this was like, this was like June of two
thousand and nine, right before we came out, so it's
the middle of the summer. There's no there are no
games going on or anything. So what they did is
they put me into a studio in Los Angeles at
NFL Media headquarters, and they took a random week from
the season before whatever, week seven of two thousand and eight,
(35:16):
and this was they actually had videotapes, and they took
eight videotapes of eight different games, queued them all up
to the kickoff, pressed play simultaneously, and said talk wow.
And we rolled through. And I had a producer that
was in my year trying to like because they had
(35:37):
to audition an entire television staff, right, a producer, a director,
technical director, audio graphics, everything, And I'm going through it
as best I can. You have no computers though, because
there's not like live box scores that you can follow
along to say oh, okay, Randy Moss has one hundred
yards receiving now at the half or something like that. Right,
(35:57):
So you're doing it. You're flying by the seat of
your pants. I was wearing a suit. I remember I sweated.
I'm not a big sweater, but I sweated right through
this suit. I mean flop sweat. And I'm thinking, in
my head, just keep going, be enthusiastic, make the transitions,
you know, nail as many things as you can. And
I'm thinking, I'm either winning this job or I am
(36:22):
ruining my career right here. There's like almost no, almost
no in between. So the audition, we went through a
whole set of games three hours. Then they put in
another like four games and took us to like halftime
of those games. It was a five hour audition. Finished up.
I didn't have a real good vibe about it, one
way or another. I knew I did my best. But
(36:46):
about two weeks later, the executive producer of NFL Network
gives me a call and I said, I said, hey, Eric,
how you doing. He's like, oh, good, Scott good, He goes.
I just want to let you know we want to
name you the host of NFL Red.
Speaker 5 (36:59):
Zone let's go.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
I was like, oh, man, that is awesome. I said, so,
so you watched the five hour audits right that you
recorded it for him and whatnot? He goes, Scott, I
watched the first fifteen minutes of it, and I knew
you were my guy. You bring that energy, that passion,
And I was like, oh, Eric, that is great. That's awesome.
And in my brain I'm thinking, then, why in the
(37:21):
five hours ruin a perfectly good suit and stress like
I never have? But all's well, that ends well, and
here we are seventeen seasons later.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
That's a great story. Two final questions for you, Scott,
I'll go first. Living in Nashville, I have a lot
of friends that are artist singers or lead singers of bands,
and so their whole week is revolving around really the
two shows that they're going to do on a Friday
and Saturday night, and so a lot of people will think, Wow,
they're super famous. They probably party all night the night
before a show or the night after a show before
(37:53):
another show, and they're actually going to bed at eight,
like they're having to. Their instrument is so delicate that
they're having to treat it as such. And I wonder
if you a bit live with that as well, where
you're famous Scott Hands and everybody loves you. Got high energy,
but also you got to shut it down so you
can have it right.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
So on. Obviously we're on on Sunday, on a Saturday,
on a football Saturday. Prior to Red Zone, I might
see I'm a bachelor, I live alone, no kids, So
I'm just here and I'm researching. I'm grinding on every
fat stat storyline, injury updates, quotes that came out during
(38:32):
the week to prepare for all eleven, twelve, thirteen games
that I have on Red Zone. The only live human
beings that I see on a football Saturday are the
door dash or postmason, every guy who brings me my food.
And and for those who are watching not listening to
(38:52):
the podcast, I showed you the media wall. I put
up the best five five college games on my media wall,
and that's way behind me. Those are like sixty inch
TVs over there. But I put on the best five
college games. I sit on my computer right over here,
look through all my notes on the pros, watch the
next generation of college coming up, and it's a it's
(39:14):
a beautiful football weekend for me. But no, I can't
even tell you the last time I went out. I
went out and did something on a Saturday. One of
my best friends moved his wedding to a Thursday so
I could be best man at his wedding because they want.
Speaker 5 (39:32):
True story. That's good.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Darren Kucherira shout out, Darrenais shut out.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
My last one would be you know you said that
you never feel completely settled. Is there a sporting event
that you at some point would want to cover or
an avenue in which you'd want to go with your
career that is just on your bucket list?
Speaker 4 (39:55):
Yeah, I've Matt, I've done a lot of things. I've
been very blessed I have been. I have covered obviously
multiple multiple Super Bowls, something like seventeen Super Bowls. I've
been the College football National Championship. I've been to multiple
final fours in college basketball, NBA finals, NHL Finals. About
(40:18):
about the only stuff I've never covered, I've done the Olympics.
Now you may have heard that gold Zone has begun
for the Olympics, which is red zone for the Olympics.
That's a lot of fun. I'll be doing the Milan
Courtina Winter games coming up here in February, a World
Heavyweight Championship, Fight Boxing or UFC. Even that, there is
(40:44):
buzz like like nothing else. I would like to do that,
cover that and be ringside and maybe even call it.
If you know, it's not my entirely my world. I've
done some boxing before. That would be something. Or well,
the World Cup is coming to the United States. I've
never been to a World Cup match, but a World
(41:04):
Cup final depending on what countries make it to the final.
I'm sure that's otherworldly. And I love the juice man.
You could tell that. I love the action. You could
tell me in the in the in the in the
International Tiddley Wings competition, and if you can tell me
why it's dramatic, I will I will be all in.
(41:24):
I've been to the Grand Sumo tournament in Japan. I
was happy to be in Japan. When the tournament was
going on, I talked to the concierge at the hotel,
I said, can you give me a ticket to the ground.
I want to see it. I didn't understand anything that
was going on, but I was like, I was right there.
You take off your shoes, you sit, you sit in
uh like cross legged in In they don't have like
(41:47):
regular seats in the ancient arena that they held it in.
You go to the concession stand, everything is in Japanese
and there's like the head of a fish, like a
fish instead of a picture of a hot dog and popcorn,
and you're like, yeah, I don't want that, I'll do
one of those. So there is almost any major sporting
event in the world that people find interesting. I could
(42:10):
probably find interesting.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Well, we appreciate the time. I think again, you and
I have what I would call a parasocial relationship, I think,
where I know the relationship but you do not. So
I just really appreciate fair enough we're there, really appreciate
the effort and the enthusiasm and listen, I think, Matt
and I love how you do it and the way
you do it, and you have such a positive attitude.
(42:33):
You're an inspiration to mister Hanson. So thank you very
much for your time, and have a great weekend and
hopefully we'll see u sometime soon.
Speaker 5 (42:40):
I'll see you on Sunday, Scott.
Speaker 4 (42:42):
All right, see Scott, you see it's Sunday boys.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
That was awesome, Thank you, Scott. It's time for the
week in preview presented by DraftKings. From first touchdown score
(43:06):
to anytime touchdown props or the thrill of live in
game betting, every snap is loaded with opportunity. Okay, let's
look at a few matchups from week seventeen coming up.
Why don't we start with the Buccaneers at Dolphins. The
Bucks got to win this game to stay in so
that next week's game is a do or die as
they are trying to win the NFC South against the
(43:28):
Carolina Panthers. So I'm putting this on the list because
if the Bucks can win this game, then we're looking
at that final four seed in the NFC going to
the winner. But I am going with the Buccaneers. They
need to win it. I don't know if Todd Bowles
is a good coach. I'm leaning on no Todd Bowles
a heck of the first half of the season coach.
So I'm going with the Bucks. And the last I
(43:51):
checked it was Bucks minus five. I'm taking the Bucks
minus five. Eagles at Bills. We're looking at man a
really late in season matchup between the AFC and the
NFC where the Bills need Josh Allen to pretty much
do it all and the Eagles are just trying to
(44:11):
find themselves pretty much. Both teams already in the playoffs.
It is in Buffalo. I'm going with the Bills winning
that one and the Bears in the forty nine Ers.
Forty nine Ers need to win. Bears need to win
for them both to have a shot at that number
one seed in the NFC. Seahawks still hold complete control
of that number one seed, but both these teams need
to win to have a shot at the number one seed.
(44:31):
I'm going with the forty nine Ers over the Bears.
That was the Week in Preview presented by DraftKings. When
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Speaker 9 (44:51):
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Speaker 1 (45:22):
All right, Merry Christmas, everybody. What are you guys doing
for Christmas?
Speaker 2 (45:25):
We're gonna be here. We're gonna be here for Christmas,
and then I think we might be leaving and going
up to Montana for a little bit.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
Oh from cold to colder California.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
No, we did that for Thanksgiving, so this time go around,
we're gonna get real cold. It's probably gonna be like
negatives up there where you're not even gonna leave the house.
Speaker 5 (45:45):
But there's gonna be a little skiing, a little fun,
you know, just.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Just fun winter stuff. I've never been skiing, oh did.
I went for the first time just a few years ago.
And I did a little snowboarding when I was younger,
but nothing. I'm a novice at best.
Speaker 5 (46:01):
So I go out to this hill.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
The kids are getting it's their first, so they get
a lesson. I come out on like, honey, I'm going
to be snowboarding. She's like, you're a lozard. Look at you.
I mean you're on a snowboard. Every person there is
on skis. So I was like, fine, I'll try skiing.
So I go get this little lesson. Skiing is the
greatest thing ever fun. Oh there's nothing like going down
a mountain with the wind in your hair and little
(46:24):
snowflakes hitting you and you can control the skis. You've
got these poles, there's no issues with balance.
Speaker 5 (46:31):
Amazing.
Speaker 1 (46:31):
Did you not ski while you were playing because you
were playing?
Speaker 2 (46:34):
Yeah, because I thought if I did anything, I'd have
to give him all the money back.
Speaker 5 (46:37):
That would be awful.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
And it was kind of in your contract if you
put yourself at risk and you do have an injury
like that.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
Do they list specifically what those Oh yeah, they got
a whole section redlining, right. It could be you could
be motorcycles, motorcycle and Rochester Jarter like pashing motorcycle.
Speaker 5 (46:54):
Yeah he did got hurt.
Speaker 1 (46:56):
Well, Merry Christmas, everybody, Merry Christmas to you, Buddy Hope,
Gary Christmas, guys, he's now turned into the angel get
his wings.
Speaker 5 (47:02):
Guy.
Speaker 1 (47:03):
You know what's that movie about a beautifl live? I
don't know beautiful.
Speaker 5 (47:11):
That's so true.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Thanks Agains Scott Hansen. That is Matt Castle. That is
pick Up Kevin. That is Brandon Ray. We've had lots
to say. We'll see you got five of them. Lots
to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a
production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts. For more podcasts
from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
(47:35):
wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosts And Creators
Bobby Bones
Amy Brown
Lunchbox
Eddie Garcia
Morgan Huelsman
Raymundo
Mike D
Abby Anderson
Scuba Steve
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