Lots to Say: NFL Week 3 and Fmr NFL LB Shawne Merriman!

Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel start with Bobby's new team, the Panthers, getting a shutout win over the Falcons.  Matt was at Illinois-Indiana and talks about the secret of the Hoosiers.  Oklahoma State moves on from Mike Gundy.  Onto the NFL, Bobby explains the one surprise about the Giants starting Jaxson Dart this week.  Surprised the Chiefs and Ravens are both 1-2?  

Dan Campbell could be the best coach in the NFL after a statement win on MNF.  Is Jared Goff an underrated QB? There are six winless teams right now, which one doesn't have much hope right now? Matt gives props to Vikings' HC Kevin O'Connell, who has had 7 different starting QBs under his watch. 

Matt remembers playing against Fmr NFL LB Shawne Merriman.  Shawne enjoys sparring to stay in shape, which he started as a player and explains how it helps on the field.  Shawne reveals a surprise team he thought would draft him and how he thinks his 14-2 Chargers team should've won at least one Super Bowl. How has Jim Harbaugh changed the Chargers and how has it affected the team on the field?

Onto NFL Week 4...Eagles/Bucs is going to be fantastic.  Who does Baker Mayfield remind Matt of as a QB? Bobby explains why he  is looking forward to Colts/Rams.

Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel is part of the NFL Podcast Network 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is
a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcasts.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
We got lots just.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
We got lost. Just sad. What a becker here?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
And we hope you say because we got lost, just say, yeah, we.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Got lots to say.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Here's Bobby that hey walk home where.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
I'm a jersey, new jersey sent to me by the
Carolina Panthers.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Keep pounding, baby, dude, you were on that train for
a while. I'm so happy that somebody responded. And now
you've got your jersey. You look good in that color.
It's weird because I'm not a blue guy. Is this blue?
It's very blue? Are you color blue? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:52):
A little bit, a lot of it or a lot
of bit, anything like over six on the dark spectrum.
Really yeah, it all starts to really blend together. If
we're putting a number of darkness around seven, all darks,
dark green, dark blue.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well that's about as blue as you possibly can get,
very very blue.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Okay. Yeah, I keep pounding with the Panthers my team now,
and they sent me a whole box. I had jerseys and.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
They send you some pads in apparel.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yeah, I p Iu'm a name on the jersey. I
saw that a double name though, which is weird, and
I appreciate it. But both names is kind of weird
because as Bobby Bones, they could have gone with Bones
or Bobby. I'm not complaining, just thought.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
It was a little weird. Well, yeah, you rarely see
both names, but it's it fits right, Bobby Bones. It's
kind of weird.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
I feel like a tool. I'm happy for I'm gonna
put the jersey up. I have a bunch of jerseys
that I put up on the wall that I've had
given to me that were made for me, and I'm
gonna put this in that collection. But I do feel
a bit of a tool wear in this jersey.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
No, absolutely, You've got to rocket for at least a
week where you walk around in the community. This is
your team. Now.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
I don't walk in a community period, regardless of what
I'm well, there's no community walking anywhere. There's no community
walk here. I can see you, yeah, around the house, maybe.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Well go you.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
I was walking out and my wife goes, what are
you wearing? And I said, what do you mean?

Speaker 2 (02:08):
What am I wearing? Pounding? This is my team?

Speaker 1 (02:11):
And she said, where'd you get the jersey. I said,
they sent it to me. She said, I never thought
that my husband in his forties be walking around in
a jersey.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, get used to it.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
When I said, get used chances because every.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Sunday, I'll be wearing this jersey right in front of
the television watching the Carolina and pants that Panthers ball out.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
They won thirty nothing this last week? Did they embarrassed?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
The Falcons embarrassed. It was the only game.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
That was more embarrassing was the Indiana Illinois college football again,
that's it.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
I was there. Yes, that was more embarrassing for ILLINOI
I'd say that for sure.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
And we'll do the Panther game first briefly because again
I watch it because I keep pounding baby, and they
had to flip quarterbacks. Next thing you know, Pennix is out.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Penix is out, boys back in, boys back in, got it?
I mean he Panix was off in that game, and
I didn't think that they were going to go to
that extent and pull them out of the game, but
they just he was playing really bad. Yeah, he was
playing really really bad.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
You know what's interesting about saying somebody's playing bad for you.
I feel like you can say that because you played.
When I say that, like, there are a thousand times
better than I will ever be. But I was thinking
about this last night because there are times I come
on and I'm like, man, that dude did not play well. Yep,
relative to other people playing the game. That's always my parentheses.
I just want to state that it's that's always my parentheses.

(03:31):
If I'm like, man, he sucked today relative to other
people playing the game. I know I can't play the game,
but sometimes I go, man, you would suck if you
were in the NFL, And I'm like, yeah, have a
conversation myself, but yeah, relative to.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Other girls, relative to other quarters. He had a tough day.
He had a really tough day at the office. And
I've been there before, and I'll tell you what. Those
days are the worst, because you just want to go
into a shell. You can't get out of the funk.
Every throw that you make, you make is something's just
not clicking for you on that day for whatever reason.
And when you get done, you kind of go to
the locker and you're sitting there and you feel bad

(04:05):
for you teammates because you let them down. Because so
much of the quarterback position is always stepping up in
those moments. But you just like anybody any position can
have a bad day. But when you're the quarterback, everybody
sees it. And then you go home and you just
there's nothing you can say. You just got to sit there,
get your mind right. It takes about a day or
so to kind of grasp the situation. Then you just

(04:28):
got to get back into your routine because that's the
only way to do it.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
I take back what I said. That was a bad
that's about whooping of a game. But also the Minnesota
Cincinnati game was also about whooping of a game.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Oh my gosh. What Minnesota had five turnovers in that game.
They had an interception return, a fumble return.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
It was just that was a batown. Then I would
put to college.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
I don't know that.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Maybe number one, though, because you were at the game. Yes,
the Indiana Illinois game, and that was supposed to be
a big like a pivotal Big Ten matchup.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
It was because both of these teams are kind of
in the same situation. Illinois had ten wins last year
for the most in their program history. Obviously, Indiana that
was a historical season for them. Eleven wins. College football playoff.
They got beaten the college football playoffs, but they're both
were trekking in the same way, right, They're trying to

(05:19):
build that momentum so that they can have some sustainability, consistency.
And I just thought it was going to be a
really good ball game. And after about the first two possessions,
Indiana may handled them, and it was very evident that
whatever you thought about Illinois, Indiana's a much better football

(05:39):
team in every capacity.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Signetti to me after that game, I think, not that
I didn't respect it, but had a pretty week schedule
last year, and when they ran into real teams, it
wasn't good for Indiana. So they played favorable schedule last
year and in Ohio State not great, but now the only.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
Two teams they lost to, which a lot of people like, well,
when you guys played played good teams. The two teams
that they lost to Ohio State the national champion and
Notre Dame who finished second.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah, and so because of that, they didn't have any
what I would call real wins. So they're like, Signetty
did a great job with Indiana, but who knows how
good they really were because the schedule was so soft However,
they did play who was in front of them. Right
now this year, you're like, man, maybe he has actually
shifted it.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
I know that. And that's the thing about Indiana, the
remarkable occurrences that has happened with him coming in. He
got a bunch of transfers that came in and these
guys this year, they brought in some more transfers. They
got the quarterback for Nanda Mendoza from cal Who's gonna
win the Heisman? Who win the Heisman? Who knows? I mean,
he was twenty two for twenty four in the game
with five touchdowns. The guy looks the part. He's a study.

(06:46):
He's got NFL talent written all over him. But the
way in which you talk to some of these players
and these production meetings and stuff, they've all got not
just one ship, they got two chips on their shoulders.
They've they're bought in, and they know that they have
to outwork these other programs every single day. And that
was kind of the messaging that I took away was
in practice, they don't let anything slide, and that they're

(07:08):
going to go from the start of practice to the finish.
And it's the same thing in the game. They're going
to play every play like it's the first play of
the game. And you see it when you when you
actually go see it in person when you watch them play,
you look good. Your jacket looked up a little comment.
I was like, a plus jacket. Hey, you know I've
been I brought the jacket. I do like that jacket.
I was like, I gott dust this Bailey off and
let's go.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
A little blue black como. Oh yeah, blue black. I
know it on my college for sure. So I said,
look like, yeah, that one other quick college thing before
we get into the NFL stuff I saw because we
record this on late Tuesday afternoon for a Wednesday release.
The Gundy got fired at Oklahoma State and that's where
I went to school. He coached there for twenty one years. Yeah,
and if there is not a more, you either die

(07:52):
a hero or live long enough to become a villain situation,
because that's you know Harvey Dent in Dark Knight. Yes,
it's like, if you're a hero, like you'll die as
that or you'll be around long enough that people just
start to not like you. And that's and that's what
happened there. Yeah, absolutely, twenty one years and it's got
to be weird to be fired by your alma mater.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
Buy your alma mater. And also the successes that he's
had throughout his career and have had some really good
seasons put that team on the map and that program
on the map. But these last few years have just
been miserable. They've been bad. And then you know, he
goes in the press conference a few weeks ago before
Oregon and says, look, we don't have the resources. They
can go out and pay, and Dan Lanning's response was,

(08:38):
some people pay and understand that that's going to create championships.
Other people are not willing to do that, and as
a result, in this world, you're going to be left behind.
And then organ goes out and just absolutely drums them. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:50):
When Dan Lanning said some people don't pay so they
can't make excuses, I was like.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yes, that's the way, exactly what he said. I was like,
oh no, this is going to be bad. Yeah, So
here we go.

Speaker 1 (08:59):
Let's go back and forth as always. You can go first,
you're up.

Speaker 2 (09:03):
Are you surprised that the announcement was made today that
the Giants are going with Jackson Dark?

Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yes, a bit in that because I don't have it up,
but I think, aren't they playing the Chargers next? That's
the that's what they are playing the gay Yeah, that's why.
That's where the only better surprise comes from. Is that
the Chargers are awesome. Yes, and I, in my head
coaching experience, have come to understand that you're really it's

(09:33):
not advantageous to the rookie to have to go out
and play a really dominant defense right off the jump.

Speaker 2 (09:38):
It's not now with the offense. They had the great
outing against Dallas, obviously Russell Wilson did, but they just
become stagnant and they need a spark. And so if
you're going to do it, I think that he's also
day Ball in the organization is feeling the pressure from
the outside. Right, everybody's complaining and everybody's bet your money
you feel that. Inside the organization, they say, look, the

(10:01):
kid's been playing in every game in some kind of
small role, some capacity. Let's him out there and see
if we can be more successful offensively, if he can
bring some other element of his game into it. Obviously
he's got the ability to go up tempo because he
did that at Old Mess. Maybe that's something they want
to do. But he also has the ability to take
off and run with his legs and make make them

(10:23):
play eleven on eleven football a little bit. But it
is going to be a tough start against a Chargers
team that could be the best in the league right now.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
I think it's weird how thick his jewels are that
he wears. Yeah, he's got some swag to him, doesn't
he It's like too much. I don't mind swag. I'm
not old man yelling at the clouds. That's not me
in any way. I think if you're the backup, you
got tone it down a little.

Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yep. I do.

Speaker 1 (10:47):
And when he's over there, he's got all his jewelry,
jewelry on, he's jeweled. I'm like, dude, do the backup
like you kind of got to earn wearing all that ice.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
Earn your stripes before you go out and flaunt the ice.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
If there was a rookie out out there and he
was wearing that, he's a quarterback, I was going to
take it off of him during the game.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
Rookie. I wouldn't.

Speaker 1 (11:07):
If it's like a four or five year guy, if
it's justin Jefferson, if it's whomever, and they're wearing that respect.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
You ever earned, you've earned it. If it's a rookie Kevin.

Speaker 1 (11:15):
Do you see how thick that his necklace was he
was wearing under I don't know if you'd seen it.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
No, I'm trying to look for it right now. Oh,
go look for it.

Speaker 1 (11:22):
Just him standing on the sideline and he's wearing pads
on it, thundershirt and you see the big oh diamonds.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
Like one big one. But the real question is, as
a quarterback, why would you wear a necklace that thick
with that much blink. You're gonna get hit, You're gonna
get tackled, and that thing's gonna get ripped off.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
And I think an easy answer would be, well, he's backup,
he's not gonna play.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
Well, he knew the package. There were package There's definitely
packages he was in throughout the course of the game,
and a lot of it was running packages. Yeah, it's
just want to make sure everybody knows that I've made
a little bit of money so far. Those are huge,
that's my point. Yeah, those are. That's not like I
don't want to be the again.

Speaker 1 (11:57):
I don't want to be the old guy on his
front yard yelling at the cars. But it's just too
much for this situation.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah, earn it. Have your first start, maybe even a
first win before we go and start going to the
jeweler and being like, hey, got a big game this week,
cook me up. I'm backing up Russell Wilson. But I
got a few packages and it's going to be on television.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
I'll be alternating out with Russell Wilson tonight, watch me
for my jewels. Okay, I'm gonna go on mine, and
I'm gonna talk about Kansas City Chiefs and just looking
at their schedule coming out. They've got the Ravens coming
up this week, an angry Ravens team. By the way,
who thought Kansas City and Baltimore battle of one and
two teams? I know, I believe they're both one and two.

(12:42):
They're both one and two. And when the Ravens lost
the game to the Lions two to one and two teams, right,
that's crazy. So just looking at the chief schedule, so
game four is in Kansas City, Ravens at Chiefs, Game five,
Chiefs at Jaguars, Game six, Lions at Chiefs. So you're
looking at game seven from when Rashid Rice comes back. Yes,

(13:04):
God Damnate. They need some help. They need help, and
game game seven is going to be probably when Worthy
is healthy, when Rashid Rice is back. They got to
win at least one of those three games, because if
they're one in five, that's gonna be tough. I don't
know they dig out of that hole, especially in that
division with the Chargers, who already have a one game
lead on on the head to head.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
Regardless of the head. But don't they already two divisional
wins already.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yep, So the Chargers with the Broncos, they got to
win one of these three. But Mandy, it's a Chiefs

(13:56):
team unliked I'm used to watching.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
Well, it's the dynamics of this team is switched because
it was such an offensive team for so long and
now defense has really held them in these games and
they're playing at a really high level, and it just
doesn't have the star power on the outside right now
because they're down so many weapons. I will say this though,
the Patrick Mahomes greatness shows up in these type of

(14:20):
moments when you bring in a guy Taekwon Thornton who
was cut by the Patriots. What last week. They bring
him in and he's their leading receiver, has some touchdowns,
he gets them involved. It speaks to the coaching of
Andy Reid and his staff and them being able to
take a guy that somebody else didn't want to recognize
the talent and then implement them into a game plan

(14:41):
and not give him too much where he can still
go out there and make plays. And Patrick Mahomes needs
just one guy out there that he can make look
like a star. And I think that's what all the
great ones do is they elevate the people around them
and regardless of who's out there playing, he's going to
make plays somehow, some way.

Speaker 1 (14:57):
So the Chiefs are one and two. Let's just say
they lose the Ravens. They're one and three. Let's say
they beat the Jaguars. The Jaguars are playing pretty good.

Speaker 2 (15:05):
I would say Trevor Lawrence has been on the struggle bus.
He still is not.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
But they're winning games right, two and one.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
Right, But you want to see more of the Trevor Lawrence.
But I do think that they win that game.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
And then they'll probably lose the Lions. So they're two
and four. They get their outside weapons back, they can't
really afford to lose any of those games.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
Then we got to go on a run because they've
had one divisional game.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
Right, yes, because they opened up the Chargers. Oh yeah,
charge No wait where? Yeah yeah, they went Chargers Eagles, Giants. Yeah,
it's it's it's gonna be a tough run.

Speaker 2 (15:40):
At the end of the day, though, all you have
to do is win your division.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
But all you have to do that's the hardest division.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
It's the hardest division football. Maybe the A in the AFC. Yeah,
probably the desk. It's the most competitive for sure. All right,
you're up. I was gonna go with Dan Campbell. Is
he the best head coach in football right now? And
the reason I say that is he lost his two coordinators.
They get beat in the first game of season. But

(16:08):
when you turn on that game last night and you
watch the offense the way that it operates, they still
are running the ball effectively. But it looks exactly like
it did when Ben Johnson was there last year. The defense,
they're healthy again. On defense, they're playing at a high level.
They had seven sacks last night. And so I think
it all starts with Dan Campbell. He had a vision

(16:29):
for this organization. When he first came in, he lost
his coordinators, but they pick up exactly where they left
off last year. Everybody has just kind of fell in
and that's because of his guidance in understanding what his
vision is of this team and able to get the
people that are coming into those positions of offensive coordinator
defensive coordinator to pick up right where they left off.

(16:51):
And I mean it's a testament to him as a
head coach and also his leadership.

Speaker 1 (16:56):
Massive when just because it's Baltimore, like that's a statement,
when like they only they beat the Bears when they
killed them at the Bears kind of sucked. Yeah, I
don't think we really had an idea of what the
Lions were until this last.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
Week, right because everybody's like, well, what are they going
to look at? Like Ben Johnson, they struggled in the
first game offensively, but the creativity is still there. And
you even watched the third down play or the goal
down near the goal line. What they scored on. They run,
they handle the ball off, they run an option off
the guy. I mean, all that's coming from Dan Campbell.
I mean, and I think that that part is pretty exceptional.

(17:30):
When there is turnover in your organization, especially in those
key positions that you have where you can still have
consistency and success. And I think last night, as you
just said, was a statement game because they bullied the bully.

Speaker 1 (17:42):
You think Jared Gofton was underappreciated quarterback in the.

Speaker 2 (17:45):
You know that was my other point, Man one hundred.
This guy's one gone to playoffs with two separate organizations,
been in a Super Bowl. Is one of the most
consistent quarterbacks you see. I mean some of the throws
he had last night, but in particular, just go to
the fourth and two call with that ice the game
where he just drops it in the bucket tom On
Saint Brown. It was beautiful, and he was just tactical

(18:08):
last night. He threw the ball where he to need
to throw it. He took care of the football. He
just runs the show man. All right, let's go with
the winless teams. We have six win less teams left.
God dang, they're so sick. There's let's pick the worst.
So we have Jets and Dolphins both winless and they're
playing each other. So that's a winless bowl. Okay, So
somebody's gonna win.

Speaker 1 (18:27):
Titans and Texans both winless. The Giants have not won,
the Saints have not won. Those are the sixth. Correct
who's the worst?

Speaker 2 (18:36):
I mean it might be the hometown right now with
the Titans. To be honest with you, yeah, they're pretty bad.

Speaker 1 (18:42):
I mean it's not the Texans.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
They haven't been playing well. Their offensive line has been awful.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
They almost boy, you hate to compare almost, but when
they were playing the Jaguars, like they almost came back
and won that game.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
Yes, I mean the Titans just you've got a rookie quarterback,
your offensive line is a little bit banged up. They
they just can't get out of their own way, and
they've got nothing to hang their hat on. Right. Defensively,
I think they've got a little bit of an identity,
but the defense is on the field too much. They're
not being able to sustain drives. It's just it's tough

(19:15):
to look at that organization, especially with a rookie quarterback
right now and all the holes that they have to fill,
and say you feel good about where they're at. And
I hate to do that to the Titans, but you
got to be real, do you think the Titans are
worse than the Saints? I think you could flip a
point right now. Yeah, me too. It would be pretty
pretty comparable.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
So I'll go Titans at one the worst. Yeah, Saints
at two. They did just get absolutely manhandled. I think
the Giants are at three, especially if they're changing quarterbacks,
because I think they'll be a bit of a regression.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
There might be or he might look take the NFL
by storm and be the next thing, you know, he'll
have diamond earrings.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
In maybe his helmets, his helmet's bed diamonds. I'm thinking
the of these bad teams probably, Well, the Jets aren't
gonna How long is Justin Fields out? He was week
to week because of a concussion, right, is he going
to play next week?

Speaker 2 (20:15):
I think he'll play next week probably.

Speaker 1 (20:18):
I think I'm going to put the Jets at for
the Dolphins at five. I think, excuse me, the Texans
of five. I think the Dolphins are the best winless
team because they've won before, and if I had to
pick a quarterback from all of them, I think I'm picking.
I mean, it's between two and Stroud and Stroud really
had a great rookie year, but even last year. Last

(20:40):
year wasn't great.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah, even this last game he threw multiple picks and
just has not get gotten into a rhythm. But when
you talk about has not gotten into a rhythm, I
mean you saw a little bit more from two against
the Bills, and that was a game that gave you
hope for this team because they went toe to toe
with them throughout most of the game. But Tua has

(21:00):
not been playing well up to that point, and so
he just hasn't looked like an himself. He's he's a
guy that you know, when he's playing at his best,
this team could beat anybody because of the weapons that
they have on the outside. So I get you're saying
the best quarterback of this group?

Speaker 1 (21:16):
Yeah, of the bad six teams, which quarterback do you
want the most?

Speaker 2 (21:22):
Okay, I'll go it to it with you.

Speaker 1 (21:23):
That sounds it's a coin flip. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's
a coin flip.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
All right.

Speaker 1 (21:27):
What's your final topic?

Speaker 2 (21:29):
Final topic? Let's see here. You know what, I'm going
to give some props to my boy Kevin O'Connell. Okay,
And the reason I say that is, you know, during
his tenure at the Minnesota Vikings, he's started seven different
quarterbacks and each one of those quarterbacks has has had
a win under their belt. So the fact that Carson

(21:51):
Wentz came in and they went out and dominated it
didn't surprise me because this guy knows how to coach
the quarterback position and put them into a position to
be successful regardless of their skill set. I mean, you
go back to twenty twenty three, three consecutive consecutive games,
he had three different starters at QB, which is pretty
rare and exceptional to think that no matter who he

(22:14):
has under center, he's gonna be able to try to
be able to put them in a position to where
their team can win a ball game.

Speaker 1 (22:21):
See if I can name the seven cousins. Cousins, yes,
Josh Dobbs, Yes, Josh Dobbs. I got a great story
about that. Obviously Wentz, Obviously, JJ McCarthy, yep, Obviously, Sam Darnold.

Speaker 2 (22:39):
That's five.

Speaker 1 (22:43):
Who else Minnesota got?

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Nick Mallins I.

Speaker 1 (22:45):
Wouldn't have got named and Jaren Hall, Yeah, I got
five to seven. I feel like I saw a b
I wouldn't have got those two. I can't believe they
won games.

Speaker 2 (22:53):
I know that's it's wild to think about, but it's
it also speaks volumes about the type of coach he is.
It's funny because when Kirk Cousins went down that year
with the achilles I think it was what mid season
or something like that. Kevin calls me and we're talking
for a bit. I'm like sorry because I texted him
I said sorry about Cousins going down. Man, I hope

(23:13):
you're doing well. And he calls me. He's like, hey, cass,
how's it going. We talked a little bit. I was like, man,
is he is? He gonna give me the nod, like
he's gonna bring me up like it. I was sitting
in a blind that entire morning because a fox had
taken out one of my chickens, and so I was
gonna get revenge on that bad boy. And then he
calls him in the blind and I was like, man,
maybe this is you know, maybe I'm gonna get get

(23:35):
get a call up again, you know. And the next thing,
you know, said, hey, you think Brady would be interested
in coming and coming up here? He's like you guys number.
I was like, oh, I should have known. He's like
you guys number. I was like, I'll get it for you, dude.
I don't know if he's interested or he because he
was retired, but he was still five five six weeks

(23:55):
in the season. I was like, if anybody would probably
try to make a comeback, it would be Brady. So
they had talked and all that stuff, and he's like,
I'm just not interested. Man.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
It almost could have been you could have been the
eighth quarter.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
I mean that's what I was saying. I could have
been one of those seven. I feel like, just tell me.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
Where to throw a coach final thing for me, And
mostly I'd like your perspective because and I go back
to the Chiefs, it's the second time we have seen
coach and player really scream at each other on the field, right, So.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
Oh and Andy body checked him.

Speaker 1 (24:26):
That was awesome Kesey and Andy Reid. Yeah, And I
think the first time during the Super Bowl, Andy Reid
was shocked that Kelsey hit him. I think he threw
the body at him. The second time, yeah, he knew
what's up. Who gets the liberty to scream at their
coach publicly and like right on the edge of the
sideline where everybody can see it.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
Yeah, It's it's an interesting dynamic because obviously they've got
a lot of respect for each other. Kelsey's earned the
respect of that organization throughout the league for what he's accomplished.
But at the same time, it's never a good look
when you're screaming at your head coach or getting into
this back and forth. And look, I've had plenty of
them myself throughout my tenure where you get in a

(25:08):
verbal altercation because it is a game of emotion, and
in the moment, it's not that you're necessarily thinking about
your response and you're like, I gotta calm down. It's
your reacting to what just took place on the field.
You might be pissed off, but you could tell Andy
was pissed off about something he did on the field
and how he ran route whatever it might be that

(25:29):
he knew that Travis could get done or do differently.
And then as Travis is coming off, he's probably frustrated,
but he did bump him, and then this verbal altercation
goes back and forth. It's it's never necessary, but sometimes
it happens, for sure, but it is something that you
know as a player and as a coach. In hindsight,

(25:50):
you look back and go, that looks bad. I think
the leader of your team.

Speaker 1 (25:55):
Puts your helmet on before you scream at him. Yeah,
if you're a player, because that way, you don't really
know where it's aym. You don't see the mouth going,
you don't see the eyes going. Like I understand people
yell at each other a lot on the side, but
I would have the helmet on and that one was
very in front.

Speaker 2 (26:10):
Right, And when you're a superstar, Look, there's probably those
type of examples that go on throughout the course of
the game. Maybe not to the extent of what that was,
but when you're the superstar and you're the head coach,
you know, the cameras are going to be on you
nonstop's Taylor Swifts, Spreak and Fionce and then it's going
to blow up and people are gonna make the most
of it, and of course Andy Reid is going to

(26:31):
protect his player. Travis is going to probably say the
same thing and let bygones be byegons the next day
and come in and you know, hug it out or
whatever it is, especially after win. But it's it's something
that probably will be addressed. My theory is they really
don't like each other. You don't think they like each other.
I think they play the role of oh superstar fun coach.

(26:54):
But I don't think they like each other. You don't
do that twice. Yeah, it has been very a very
visible circumstance in the last two years where like that's
more than just a heated argument.

Speaker 1 (27:05):
The first time, I can understand, But there was so
much about that first time that you would think, as
it's about to happen the second time, you go, this
has already happened once. I'll need to air my grievance
in a different form, maybe even sixty eight seconds from now,
walking back a few layers.

Speaker 2 (27:24):
I just don't think they like each other. I think
they do like each other. I mean, I'm just saying
I think that they like each other. I think they
are both ultra competitive. They want to do the right thing.
I mean, Travis Kelsey's getting a little bit older in
his career and he's one of those guys that has
always wanted the ball the man's the ball, and Andy
Reid at the same time as one of those guys

(27:45):
that sees it from a fifty thousands view of whatever
the term is that I'm trying to use there where
he said he's the big picture and if he's not
in the right position or he's done something that has
directly impacted the play, that could have been a conversion
or something like that. He's going to let you know
about it, because that's why he's a really good coach,
and the players in the field don't always understand that,

(28:07):
and especially a guy like Kelsey, who could be frustrated
for a number of different reasons he might not get
the ball. Who knows, And I'm not going to speculate
on what the argument was about. But on the other hand,
I do think that they have a great respect for
one another, and he's a leader on the team, and
so they've got to find a way to get along.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
I'll speculate. Speculate any Raid didn't get an advanced copy
of Taylor that one.

Speaker 2 (28:26):
She sent him one for free. So that's why he's delivered,
all right.

Speaker 1 (28:30):
Sean Merriman coming up, we will talk to the great
San Diego Charger Sean Merraman. Next, we're about to go

(28:50):
over and talk with Sean Merriman. Did you ever play
against Sean?

Speaker 2 (28:53):
Played against him a bunch. When I first came in
the league was two thousand and five. We were both
drafted in that same draft class and we played San Diego.
My first year in the league, we got absolutely boat raced.
Now I can tell you that I remember Sean when
we played him, because we got beat that first year.
It was like forty one to seventeen. I was a
third string quarterback, so yeah, I kind of know stuff,

(29:15):
but it was pretty early in the season. I didn't
really know the personnel probably as well. And they're taking
Tom out of the game and we're getting the ball
back late two minutes. I'm guessing they're gonna put Doug
Flutie in, who was the backup quarterback at the time,
And Belichick looks over and goes, Castle, get your helmet.
You're going in running two minutes, And I was like,
what's third string? He just skipped the third string. He
skipped over Flutie and threw me in the game. So

(29:37):
I go out my adrenalines, going throw a few checkdowns,
but there's an out route deeper in the deeper down
the field, so I step up to throw it. Arm
gets hit, ball flutters up, Drayton Florence picks it off,
Laurel's it back, they take it in for a touchdown.
That was literally my first game six in the NFL.
Perf pick six. I was like, Rady, I was just
trying to make you feel better because I know you

(29:57):
threw one in that game too.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
You go through a pick six your first game.

Speaker 2 (30:01):
First game, it was great. You know, you got to
deal with little adversity. I had a great a lot.
I know, I know, especially as a seventh round draft pick,
and you're going, oh god, the first time in the game,
and that happens. But I think it helped the fact
that my arm got hit. I didn't just throw it
directly to them. But we had some great battles against
their teams, especially two thousand and six was the year
that they were fourteen and two, had an incredible team,

(30:23):
and we went down there and honestly it was a battle.
But Brady throws a pick late in the third, they
intercept it in their own territory. Troy Brown comes from behind,
strips the ball out. We regained the possession. Like it
was a huge play in the game. Later on that game,
we're tied twenty one twenty one, we're backed up fourth

(30:44):
in about one yard. We tried a QB sneak. We
get stuffed, but I think it was Schottenheimer ran over
and called time out right before we snapped the ball
on the QB sneak. If he would have just let
the play roll, they get the ball back. So instead
we changed the change the play. Brady drops back hits
for Shay Codwell down the sideline on a one on
one opportunity to set up the game winning field goal.

(31:06):
We upset them and that, like I said, they had
an incredible team. I don't know what we were that year.
We had a good team, but they were the favorite
to win it. Following year AFC Championship, we play them
again in the AFC Championship. Philip Rivers got a torn
ACL but it was a hell of a game in
really cold weather.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
We played on it.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
He played with a torn ACL. The guy, I give
him nothing but credit. You know of some people said
this at Philip Rivers is one of the toughest sons
of guns I've ever been around. Sons of guns I've
ever been around, but I mean some really good battles
throughout the years. And he was a heck of a player.
And he's one of those guys that you'd always refer
to as a game wrecker when we would go in

(31:47):
review the film, see who their guys are who we
got to pay attention to. He was one of those
guys we'd want to give presents to the tackle. We
want to chip them, we want to hit them with
two people because if not, he'll wreck your game.

Speaker 1 (31:58):
Three times NFL All Pro, the twelfth pick overall by
the Chargers. In five, he won the AP Defensive Rookie
of the Year and O five with two sacks, forty
five and a half career sacks, three time Pro bowler.
His nickname is lights Out. He averaged thirteen sacks per
year's first three years. It's pretty that's crazy. Pretty good
pace right there.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
That's crazy.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
And he's the founder of an MMA league called Lights
Out Extreme Fighting and it's all fighting. If you go
to a socials now, it's all fighting. And I tell
you I wouldn't want to fight him. He still looks like, no, no,
absolutely not. He's a monster right now. Yeah, he's a
monster right now here he is the great Sean Merriman.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
On now with Sean Merriman.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
Sean appreciate the time, man, you got it, man, thanks
having me. Hey, so let's go to this what's your Instagram?
It's fighting like that's your life now huh.

Speaker 4 (32:48):
Yeah, man, I mean it's it's it's been that for
a while.

Speaker 3 (32:51):
It's just there's just more things now because you know,
distribution and technology, so we've kind of expanded a lot
and things are Yeah, things are growing pretty fast.

Speaker 2 (33:01):
Yeah, Sean, did you ever actually get in the ring
and fight professionally yourself? No?

Speaker 3 (33:07):
But I still spar. I mean I still, you know,
a couple of days a week, I'm at an extreme coutur.
I'm down to the Long Beach of body Shop with
Black House and Verdondo, so you know, and when I
travel around, man, I know a lot of the gyms
in the country, and so I'll get in there with
pro fighters all the time and still spar and stay
in shape.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
Man.

Speaker 4 (33:24):
But it's something that you do it or you don't
do it right.

Speaker 3 (33:28):
Like you can play basketball, you can play football, but
you can't play fight.

Speaker 4 (33:32):
So I'll get in there and I'll do my thing
because I can.

Speaker 3 (33:35):
But did I back off because some of those guys
just absolutely insane?

Speaker 1 (33:39):
Did you train while playing at all? Fighting?

Speaker 4 (33:43):
I did? I did.

Speaker 3 (33:44):
In fact, matter of fact, of the mid two thousands,
I started training with Randy Gutour. He was Jay Glazer
and Fox Sports introduced me to Randy Gutur So I
just started doing a lot of like hand combat drills
and movements and pumbling with Randy back in the mid
two thousands. And you know, every off season I would
start training with more and more guys, Chuck Ladelle, Tudo Ortiz,

(34:05):
this one Tyron Woodley affso was just coming on in
mid two thousand, I was training with him. Uh and so, yeah,
I was like one of the first, one of the
first NFL guys that really took that up and took
it serious.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
Do you think that that type of training translated to
the field with all the different field with the hand
fighting and everything else that goes on in the trenches.

Speaker 4 (34:23):
Oh, it's a game change.

Speaker 3 (34:24):
So when I talked to a lot of players now,
you know, I tell them to pick up some form
of combat sport where it's box and mui tai. You know,
jiu jitsu is also great, but just something man, because
it's something about that sport that translates right on the
field directly, either use your hands as outside linebacker or
pass rusher, getting off the line of scrimmage as a

(34:46):
wide receiver. And let me tell you, you talk about additioning,
you can forget about it when you're tired as hell
and one of those one of those wrestlers are on
top of you and you're looking up at this at
this clock and see how much time you got before
you die.

Speaker 4 (34:57):
Yeah, it's it's one of those feelings.

Speaker 2 (34:59):
Man.

Speaker 3 (34:59):
So I came I came back, just just a different player,
you know, much more leaner. I was around in the
fourth corners. I didn't get tired, very very active and
with my hands. I mean it just it. My game
completely changed.

Speaker 2 (35:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
I was gonna ask if there was a definitive time
where your game did modify itself because of what you
were doing specifically while training, fighting and.

Speaker 3 (35:24):
Six so tamp the truth. My first year in the NFL,
I sucked at using my hands. I just I got
I was just big and strong and fast, explosive out
the line of scrimmen, so I could run around you
or run through you.

Speaker 4 (35:38):
That was it. You know, I was going to get
you the ball. But that second year I came out. Man,
it's just my hand placement.

Speaker 3 (35:44):
I was able to use my leverage against those three
hundred and thirty plus offensive linemen, being able to open
my hips up because a lot.

Speaker 4 (35:51):
Of the training that we did.

Speaker 3 (35:53):
When you're going for takedowns and stuff, it just unlocks
your hips and being able to explosion hips up to
get guys off of you. It was so many things
that just rolled right into football. And if you check
it out now, you see a lot of these guys
on the all season boxing you know, Michael Parsons, Aaron
Donald was another one who that did a lot of

(36:13):
hand combat drails and MMA stuff. So it got pretty
popular after I started doing it. But it's just it's
literally a game changer for football players.

Speaker 2 (36:24):
Well, let's go back to the start of your career. Obviously,
you grew up in Maryland, went to Maryland, first round
draft picks for San Diego. You come in and you're
the rookie of the year your first year, you light
the league on fire and you become a name immediately.
Were you ready for that type of success and did
you expect that type of success that early? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (36:43):
Yeah, in a way, I think that the probably the
hardest part for me early on. I was twenty years
old when I got drafted initially, so at the time,
I believe I was the youngest draft in the NFL
player ever.

Speaker 4 (36:57):
And you know, I was a twelve pick overall.

Speaker 3 (37:00):
You know, so you when you leave college, you go
you don't really have a break right, like you have
like your right to working out your rights to the combine,
and before you know it, you're in Ota.

Speaker 4 (37:12):
Before you know, you're in training camp.

Speaker 3 (37:13):
So you really don't even get a chance to kind
of look back and say, man, I'm in the NFL now.

Speaker 4 (37:18):
It's like it's right a rolling process.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
It wasn't until after my first year when I was
All Pro, when I was Pro Bowl, when I was
Defensive Rookie of the Year, I got a.

Speaker 4 (37:28):
Chance to kind of relax.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
I went home and I was going to, you know,
travel the country a little bit, and like everybody was
doing this day in lights out dance. You know, I'll
go down to Miami. I'm in New York and I'm
looking across the street and people doing lights out dance.
I said, Okay, things are different now. So it really
really didn't hit me until after my first year that
things were definitely different.

Speaker 1 (37:51):
Did you feel like the combine the Chargers would take
you or did you do a specific team workout with them.
Were you surprised when the Chargers drafted.

Speaker 4 (37:57):
You no, No.

Speaker 3 (37:58):
In fact, I thought that I would go anywhere from
the third pick to the twelve pick. I thought I
was in the at three to Cleveland. Then you had
the then Redskins now Commanders, right, I think they were
sitting at nine. Well, I took the visit to see them.
It was a lion's who. I wanted to go see
Steve Merriy you to the tenth pig. I wanted to
go see Dallas Cowboys with they had eleventh pick and

(38:20):
then charged at twelve. So I knew if it was
gonna be three, it was gonna be somewhere between nine
and twelve. I know it was gonna be somewhere there.
And I thought I thought I was going to Dallas
because I met with Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells and
they brought me up into the office and so mind you,
I just turned you know, I'm still twenty at this

(38:41):
time on the visits, and the Dallas Cowboys brought everybody
out there who they thought was going to be a
first round guy, who were they were going to drive potentially,
and they sent somebody down to grab me. The first thing,
I started thinking, like, okay, what did I do with
you know, twenty years old, you started feeling like you
did something wrong, right, So they brought me up into

(39:02):
the office and I'm sitting across from Bill parsons elf,
Big Tony, he's right across from me. And then I
got Jerry Jones is sitting on the left at a little
at a desk right there was a little higher I'm
twenty year old, kids, So who's not gonna be intimidated
by some of the biggest presents, you know, in all

(39:22):
of football. I mean, you got two of the biggest
personalities in all of football sitting across from you in
this little, tiny office. And I could just fill at
the office, just getting smaller and smaller. And Bill Parcells like, look,
we don't believe you're going to be there at that
eleven pick, but if you are, we're gonna draft you
as soon as you get here. We're gonna work the

(39:42):
hell out of you. Now in that little spit in
the back of the throat just dropped a little bit
and I said, you know, but yeah, that was it.
And in the charges A. J. Smith told me the
same thing. We don't think you're gonna be here at twelve,
but if you are, we're drafting you. So I had
a really really good inkling that I was gonna get
drafted somewhere between ninth and twelfth pick when.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
You came into the league. Obviously two thousand and five,
you guys for ninety seven, But I remember those teams.
You guys were some dogs out there in that two
thousand and six year. You guys go fourteen to your defense.
You've got Sean Phillips, You've got Jamal Williams. You guys
had a front that could get after people. But talk
about that season in particular, because you guys dominated throughout
the season and we actually played you in that playoff game.

(40:25):
I'm sorry I didn't play. You know, Tom threw that
ball down the field. You guys had the interception. But
talk about that season in general and just maybe looking
back and going, man, this team was set up for
a Super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (40:37):
I you know, so I said this, and I know
it's going to get some clips and all that and
THEA when you talk about championships, the Patriots will always
be the best team in a decade. I don't think
anybody can even deny that. And you know, the Colts
were really good around that time too. That in that decade.
When we talk about talent and how much we were stacked,

(40:59):
you really can't really put it into words.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
Man.

Speaker 3 (41:01):
We had so many people, so many dogs, I mean
linebacker did And you said to it. The names that
people don't talk about a lot. You said, Sean Phillips
and Jamal Williams. I mean they don't get mentioned enough
with the Chargers' history. You mean Sean Phillips is one
of the most consistent guys out there if he played,
you know, very consistent. And Jamal Williams because he played

(41:21):
that dirty three technique no you know, nose tackle situation
and in three four it gets no seane. But make
guys like myself look pretty out there all day because
I can go out there and do one on ones
and they can't step up in the parking to deliver
a ball down the field because he got so much pressure,
you know, inside, and so you know, he didn't get
talked about enough.

Speaker 2 (41:42):
Man.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
But you can go, you can go on that team
and just just look everywhere. We were just so loaded.
You know that we should have won one, right, I
would say between that two thousand and six and two
thousand and nine twenty ten, we should have got at
least one. But again, you know when you're going through
the Patriots and you and so I gotta rob you. You

(42:03):
don't just go through the Patriots. You go through Ben
Roethlisberger first, then you go through Peyton Fanning and then
you see the final boss and Tom Brady. It's like, well,
so when I'm out people asking hey, why don't you
have a ring, Well, let me tell you. Let me
tell you what I'm ringing, because that was a that
was a path in those you know, those four or
five years, and that's.

Speaker 4 (42:21):
Span to get there.

Speaker 1 (42:22):
A guy like Ben and a guy like Tom played
in the pocket completely different. But the guy like Ben
almost impossible to take him down. I mean, did you
change your game week to week, especially when you got
near the quarterback depending on what type of pocket presence
they had.

Speaker 3 (42:40):
Because you you had to really watch watch your rush lanes.
And you know, some of those guys back then, I
used to call him the Statue of Liberty. I love
the Statue of Liberty. Back there, the ones just standing
there pat the ball and you know, it might step
up a step or two, and they might step back,
might step lateral, but they not going anywhere, right.

Speaker 4 (42:59):
That's the ones I love.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
Uh, But then you got somebody like Ben who didn't
get enough credit for just being really really good leaving
the pocket and like you said, really hard to tackle,
and he was so big. I mean they had him
at two sixty two sixty five. I said, I've been
with two seventy two eighty. I don't care what anybody
said he was. He was up there close to the
two eighty and anything else. And you know, I remember
times that I've hit him and I thought he was

(43:21):
going down and you look up and the crowd is
is cheering, and I'm thinking of cheering because I got
a sack and he completed a thirty yard ball down
the field.

Speaker 2 (43:29):
Right.

Speaker 3 (43:29):
It just it was he was difficult to to defend
and play against. But those were some times, man, because
you know, you had all these quarterbacks that were really
really good. I mean, you know, I got a stands
to play against Steve McNair, who was strong, who was
really really physical as well. And so just the game
has has changed, where these guys, the Patrick Mahomes, the Jaalen,

(43:52):
the Jalen hurts Is and Josh Allens and Justin Herbert,
Joe Burrow, these guys not only can throw, but they
can and Lamar Jask can equally hurt you as well.
And we didn't have to We didn't have to deal
with that. Then we had to pick our poison during
that week. But now it's just all over the place
where you really have to rush these guys, completely different

(44:14):
than what you did when I played it.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
You talked about the quarterbacks during that time. Was there
an offensive O line unit they used to go up
against and say, man, I gotta get myself up for
this one.

Speaker 4 (44:40):
The Cansity Chiefs, the can City Chiefs during that time.

Speaker 3 (44:44):
I mean talking about physical and I know some of
the guys that they're a little older, like Willie Rolf
and Brian Waters. But they had Tony Richards in at
full back preach homes and when Priest Holmes went out,
it was Larry Johnson that came in there.

Speaker 4 (44:58):
Tony Againzalees on one side.

Speaker 3 (44:59):
But a tight end that no one talked about enough
was Jason Dunn, who was six seven two and eighty pounds.
When he grabs you your if he grabs the play
was over, you can forget about it. And they were
just a physical bunch. They would line up in all
sorts of power. Whether it was a far or near eye,
it didn't matter, and they would just gas you thirty

(45:20):
five plus time, thirty five plus times downhill. You know,
you got to come down and Tony Richard's gotta kick out.
Tony Richard get under him and he may not come
to his time and Brian Waters and pulling guard is coming.
It was a different variation every single play of power.
And you just had I mean, we would play on

(45:40):
Sunday and my body sometimes wouldn't recover till like Wednesday, Thursday.
And this is when I was like twenty two twenty three,
when they started implementing Thursday night football. You could just
forget about it, right that that was just that was
an afterthought because that team was so physical. But you
know I got I played against Walter Jones, I played
against Orlando Pace. You know, I played against probably one

(46:02):
of the best that people don't talk about enough on
my own team, and markets Neil.

Speaker 4 (46:07):
Out of Auburn.

Speaker 3 (46:08):
And you know, if Marcus didn't have that back problem,
you know what, you would have been a Hall of Famer.
This guy six seven six eight, three hundred and thirty
five pounds and can move like a tight end, and
I had to see him every single day and practice,
and so I had my work cut out for me. Man,
But we play some offensive line line that would just
gash you and just physical.

Speaker 1 (46:27):
When did you start to be double teamed and did
you have to alter your game again once that started
to happen consistently.

Speaker 3 (46:33):
Yeah, it was. I started to be double team towards
the end of my rookie year. I didn't really I
don't think I was on a map enough yet when
I first came onto the scene. I think it was
like after my three side game against Peyton my rookie year.
That's when everybody's like, okay, yeah, well we know this
guy is now. And then beginning of six from game one,

(46:57):
all hell broke loose. It was bunch set tight ends
hit me from the line of scrimets before they go out,
and when they do it now a back is coming
to hip be and their fan protection. And what I
started to learn was, and I had this conversation with
Micah when he was going into his second year. I said,
bro let me tell you you're not a secret anymore.
People know you, So I don't care what offensive lineman

(47:19):
or which tight end or whoever is in front of you.

Speaker 4 (47:21):
You're not playing against them, you're playing against the coordinator.

Speaker 3 (47:24):
What are they going to come out and do this
week to try to keep the ball as far asway
from you as possible? And how can you steal record
even if you're not making the play. So I would
talk to him about things that I would do to
just disruptive play long enough where okay, well, if you
guys gonna hit me in this bunch set, I'm hitting
two people, You're not going to get out to that route.

(47:45):
And so that means you got to hold onto the
ball longer. And so I started to play these games
with the coordinators, and you know, I would have coordinators
or offensive line coaches coming out. You know, we were
playing for Eagles one one year and I was playing
against Donofie Cannad their offensive line coaches that came out
to me pregame and told Ron Rivere to pass be
a message. He said, tell Sean that he is not

(48:08):
going to touch down today.

Speaker 4 (48:12):
He said that.

Speaker 3 (48:12):
He said, we don't care who else make a play.
But Sean w was not touching. And when I tell you,
it was just a madhouse of formations. Slide protections, chips
off the edge, fan protections, all sorts of variations, Guys
going in motions, disrupting my pass rush before I got
off the line of scrimmage.

Speaker 4 (48:29):
It was hell and he was right. I didn't sniff
down it that whole game. It was just.

Speaker 3 (48:36):
I mean, they had two people and sometime three just
to make sure I stayed away from him.

Speaker 2 (48:40):
Sean, you had to deal with a lot of injuries,
specifically later in your career. How'd you deal with those?
Both mentally and physically.

Speaker 4 (48:47):
The physical part wasn't is bad.

Speaker 3 (48:49):
It was a mental part that was the toughest because
when you played the game at such a high level
and you're used to dominating every week and not and
going out there and being literally being able to take
over a game and change the trajectory of that game yourself,
and that's difficult defensive bless a lot for a defensive
player to now being able to go just have flashes

(49:10):
of it. Right, You'll go out there and make a
big play. I can still get a sack, but I
might disappear for a quarter, right, And because I couldn't
consistently drive off the line of scrimmage because my achilles
or need whatever I was dealing with at that time.
And so you will go back and you're so accustomed
to looking at that stat sheet after the game and
it's hand two sacks and six tackles and two TFLs

(49:32):
a force fund where you started. You get accustomed to
this life and playing that way, and now looking at
the film the next day on Monday, I'm like, man,
a couple of years with I would have made that play.
You know, if they ran a counter from the backside,
I can run it down. They would never be able
to run a counter on me, or they would never
leave a tight end one on one backside to block

(49:53):
me on a on a play action. It was just
things like that that was just run through my head
over and over again. And so the mental aspect of
being injured and not being yourself anymore was way harder
than that because you knew your body. I think a
lot of people not only injury, but when you get
older as a player, you like, okay, yeah, it's gonna
take me a little bit warmer, longer than way to

(50:15):
warm up. It's gonna take me a little bit longer
and more ice tough, more cold tough, more stretching, more therapy,
you know, more massages. You know as a player that
you got to do those extra things even just to maintain.

Speaker 4 (50:28):
But you know, same thing with injury.

Speaker 3 (50:30):
It was just like, man, I just got to get
healthy enough so I can go out there and play,
even if I can't take over a game. No more.
So the physical part I was actually okay with not
being the same anymore. It was a mental part that
I knew that I couldn't take over games anymore.

Speaker 1 (50:45):
To you were the juiciest downs, Third and eight, third
and eleven, you know, third and thirteen when you just
knew they were gonna throw it and they old pin
your ears back. Was that when you would get most hyped.

Speaker 4 (50:55):
Oh man, you love being those situations.

Speaker 3 (50:57):
And you know, I was telling a job who I
played with, who was a defensive line coach with the
Cleveland Brown and he was talking about Miles Garretty. Put
Miles Garrett on FaceTime before and I was telling him
and I was fortunate because we had an offense we
knew that was gonna get up two scores on people.

(51:21):
We knew that we were gonna get in third long
situations and sometimes you know, I'll come out on first
down on second down, just to make sure I'm fresh
for thirst.

Speaker 4 (51:30):
Now you got you got a friend, you know, I'll
go out there.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
Tap it.

Speaker 4 (51:34):
I'll tap my hand, tap my head.

Speaker 3 (51:36):
On first down, you know they running the ball, and
you know they might rent a play action on second down,
but you know they getting that third five plus they
gotta throw the ball down the field.

Speaker 4 (51:44):
And then you go see me trotting back on the field.
I'm ready to go.

Speaker 3 (51:47):
I'm fresh, all yea. I told you it was a game.
It was a mental battle for me out there. I
played the game right, and you know, I just just
knew that those were the times that I can go
out and have my biggest impact. That those times, you know,
third long situations they needed they need to stop, you know,
or turnover and downs, or we need to get off

(52:08):
the field. That was my time to shine.

Speaker 2 (52:11):
Was one of your favorite songs when you're in San Diego, Sandego,
super I remember that song and every time I left,
my family would be singing it. Do you remember that song?
And do you still sing that jingle? They had the
song that played every time they scored Sandy, Here you go,
super Charge Sandy. Yeah, I'll do that.

Speaker 3 (52:33):
It's the best man because they uh, you see the
whole the whole stadium, everybody on the fans party and
just having a great time. And you hated to hear
it because you know what happened in that song, So
that's ailearation.

Speaker 4 (52:48):
Family was singing it though, all.

Speaker 2 (52:50):
The kids, everybody. I'm like, guys, we just got stomped. Like,
let's let's move on.

Speaker 1 (52:54):
What's up with? What's up with your relationship?

Speaker 4 (52:56):
Now?

Speaker 2 (52:57):
With the Chargers, I still.

Speaker 4 (52:58):
Still do a lot of the team.

Speaker 3 (53:01):
You know, every year we shoot a big since they've
been in sofar, shoot a big promo pregame before the
team comes out. Last year it was just me kind
of a hype up video, which which is really dope.
This year it's Melt and Antonio Gates. So this year
they killed it. I think the Charges social media and
digital team of the best in the NFL. I mean,

(53:22):
they they really really knock it out the park. And
then so me now and everything I got going. You know,
I'm really big into creativity and the digital platforms and
you know, driving traffic to certain content.

Speaker 4 (53:34):
They just do a good job.

Speaker 2 (53:35):
Man.

Speaker 3 (53:36):
Yeah, So I'm at ever your home game and I
still still do a lot and work with the team
and support the team.

Speaker 2 (53:41):
What are your thoughts on Jim Harbaugh coming in obviously
last year Los Angeles Sergers. He's getting named the head coach,
but talk about the culture shift that this organization's gone
through under his leadership.

Speaker 3 (53:51):
You know, when I'm punching somebody else in the gut,
it's night and day. I mean it's And don't get
me wrong, I really like Brandon Staley personally. When Brandon
Staley got hired, you know, I was one of the
first people he called, and you called me a knight
and we talked on the phone for a good twenty
thirty minutes. Great conversation. Really motivated. You hear the enthusiasm

(54:12):
in his voice, like he had all the good, all
the good intentions of turning the organization around. And I
think he could have if he had a little bit
more experience. But I think that's what bit him, is
that he you know, being a hit, you know, being
a really good coordinator, coordinated.

Speaker 4 (54:26):
We're seeing it across the NFL.

Speaker 3 (54:28):
Uh. It is tough to jump in that head coaching
job because you've become a manager of everybody. It's not
you calling plays anymore. You're just looking at the offense
side of the baar. You don't have to worry about
down the distance or you know, win a call, the
time out, punt situations, special teams.

Speaker 4 (54:42):
You don't have to worry about any of that other thing.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
You got to worry about your your guys getting on
and off the field, uh on the offensive defense side
of the ball. And I just felt that, you know what,
Brandon stealely like, I just the experience got him at
the end because it was some of the moments got
too big for him and he wasn't ready for those
big moments in the game.

Speaker 2 (55:01):
Now.

Speaker 3 (55:01):
When Jim rbar came in, I knew it. I knew
right away that my first visit to the facility. I
was there and it was an energy that everybody walked
around with. It was completely different than I saw in
the previous years. And it's like people walking around with

(55:23):
a purpose. They had confidence, they knew they were like
everybody knew what to do. It was it was just
I was talking to them, one of the coordinators that
came in with Jim, and they just were talking like, man,
they will follow this dude to the moon. It's like
he eats, breathe and sleeps football and it's not like
a show like this is who he is and the vibe,

(55:48):
just the energy of everything is shifted in that building
this first day walking in there.

Speaker 4 (55:54):
Where the guys who.

Speaker 3 (55:58):
Wanted to buy in bought in and the guys who
wasn't gonna buy in they were out, period.

Speaker 4 (56:04):
And that's that's what you have to have.

Speaker 3 (56:06):
You have to have that umbrella effect to trickle down
from the top down down to the bottomy. And also
ge Ortiz, you know the GM, you know he's he's
a football guy. And again Tom to Let's go. Really
liked Tom personally a lot. We used to spend talk
a lot and spend time conversating. I like him a lot,
but he was more of a numbers and data's guy, right,

(56:28):
And there's nothing wrong with that. But they can't reflect
in your team right, in how you play football, because
you know this game is so passionate and physical, you
can't It ain't about decimals and numbers all the time.

Speaker 4 (56:40):
Just now you got to go out and hit people
in the mouth.

Speaker 3 (56:42):
And if you don't have that attitude to trickle down
from the top down to the bottom, it's going to
affect everybody and I believe that's what happened with Times
and Let's go.

Speaker 4 (56:50):
That's what happened to Brandon Staley.

Speaker 3 (56:52):
It was kind of a domino effect of numbers and
opportunity and these percentages. It was too much thinking. And
ge ortis if you talk to George's you know, I
talked to him before the game. Sometimes if like you're
talking to a player, like you're talking to a player
that's about to suit.

Speaker 4 (57:09):
Up right now and go out and play football.

Speaker 3 (57:11):
That's what you get when you're talking to Joe Ortiz,
And that's what you get out of Jim Hallball. That's
you get out of the team. Like there's a level
of excitement around this team that is contagious. You know,
guys love wanting it, We love playing football again. I
didn't see that the years before, before Jim Hallwall got there.
It was like a bunch of guys that was just

(57:31):
out there. They didn't know what they were doing. It
wasn't passionate about what they're doing. They didn't want to
show up to work and put all there all day.
They didn't buy in. And that that team under Jim
Hobball has bought in. And that's the difference I've seen
over the last several years.

Speaker 1 (57:47):
Final question for you, and we were talking about this
before you came on. But and that's why we started
on fighting was lights out Extreme Fighting. So you know,
I was again looking at your Instagram and looking at
the five videos and reading about the organization a bit.

Speaker 2 (57:59):
So what do you like? What is it that you do?

Speaker 1 (58:01):
Because this is your event, this is your organization, So
what what is your role in this?

Speaker 4 (58:05):
Everything?

Speaker 3 (58:08):
You know, I got my I got my hand and
everything a little bit, from the matchmaking on to the
digital to the distribution. We're on my network lights Our
Sports TV, which is a free ad support at all
sports streaming service that is completely free available in every
smart TV I US and I enjoy got a ton
of free live sports there. But you know, we got

(58:28):
the next up and coming superstars in this MMA business.

Speaker 4 (58:31):
And you know, my first UFC fight was in two
thousand and five.

Speaker 3 (58:35):
It was Chuck Lerdale Randy Guitur And every year since
two thousand and five, I've been to at least four events,
So you know, count twenty years times, that's how many
of UFC fights I've been to in my lifetime at least.
And we want to develop these next up and cooming guys.
I mean, we just had a huge fight down the
Long Beach Lights Out Extreme Fight in twenty seven this

(58:56):
past Saturday, and Tyrrell Fortune was our main event heavyweight
number one pound pound heavyweight in the country right now,
he'll probably end up at the UFC. If he's not
there in the next few weeks, he'll fight with us
one more time and then get there so he may
be signed in the UFC. And we we got uh
one or two more guys from this next card November first,
there will be in Long Beast, California.

Speaker 4 (59:17):
Again, uh they would also be signed in the UFC.

Speaker 2 (59:21):
And we just.

Speaker 3 (59:22):
Launched our new uh Ai virtual advertisement, so the sponsors
now are changing on a matt between fights, which has
never been done in combat sports. And now we're opening
up to other combat sports organizations and other other uh
you know, other professional league soccer and baseball and everything else.
But we brought that to market and so I love honestly,

(59:46):
you know, and this, don't get me wrong, it is
hectic as hell, right, it is hectic. I mean, we
lost fights during on Monday, the fighters on Saturday, we
lost the fight got you know, one miss way. The
other one had an accidental elbow in practice and he
had to pull out. So you gotta find new two
new fighters, right. So now we're gathering the team and
we're switching a card around and switching in order to

(01:00:08):
fights for TV because we're on you know, some other
networks as well, simulcast. But I wouldn't want to do
anything else I got. I got fortunate, man, because it
is tough. I told any like anyone that I talked to,
when you get done, it is tough trying to figure
out that next thing. It is tough because we're so regimented,
we're so used to doing something for so long.

Speaker 4 (01:00:29):
Now you're trying to figure out, Okay, who am I?
What am I about? Now?

Speaker 3 (01:00:32):
Now you don't have this this MFL and this football
snamp over you. I got fortunate because I was doing
this for a long time.

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:00:39):
I got into TV when I got done, and I
under steal production and advertisement and marketing and entertainment, and
so that's you know, we feel that we're the next,
you know, big company in the world when it comes
to combat sports, and with this technology we're introducing, we're
going to be one of the most groundbreaking organizations in
the world.

Speaker 1 (01:00:59):
He shortly lights out Extreme Fighting, which is lightsoutsports tv
dot com and if you go there you can find
all the different places that the network is. So yeah,
congrats on that. That's super cool. It sounds like you
found your second calling.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
Yeah, promoting fights from one crazy from one crazy sports
to the next.

Speaker 4 (01:01:16):
Man. But it has been awesome. It's been awesome, Sean.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
We appreciate the time. Thank you so much. Good luck
with fights, and yeah, we just really appreciate the time
you come up to here talking about your career.

Speaker 4 (01:01:26):
You got it, man, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:27):
Thanks, Sean.

Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
Hey, looking at this week's games, I gotta say bad
week for games just generally speaking, not.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
A great week of games. Yeah. I always looking through
some of them as well, and I was like, nothing
too sexy on there this week, And you really want
to prop your feet up and just say, I'm gonna
watch this one through and through.

Speaker 1 (01:01:59):
I got a couple like Eagles at Bucks. Eagles Bucks
should be a good one. That's the game, right, one
hundred percent. How about Baker Mayfield, Yeah, I mean the
Bucks cannot sustain him having to make game winning drives.
Every game.

Speaker 2 (01:02:12):
Don't let him have ninety seconds on the clock because
that dude is gonna go down and he's gonna win.
I love that kid, you know what a kid, he's
a man. Let's be honest. You know what he reminds
me of a little bit, just like how he plays
the game and just the the effect that he has
is Brett Farv And the reason I say it, he's
tough his nails. He plays with this childlike enthusiasm and

(01:02:36):
he just seems like he's enjoying himself out there. And
I just remember I always was drawn to that about
Brett fav and when I watch him, I see those
different components of his game that I'm like, that's he's
got some to him.

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
The other one is Colts at Rams. Now, the Rams
did lose, but the Rams are a good football team
and we're really gonna see I mean, the Colts until
what the second quarter hadn't punted all year.

Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
It's unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (01:03:03):
It's unbelievable any dimes, baby, Yes, So the Culture going
to Los Angeles. I think those are the premier games.

Speaker 2 (01:03:10):
I think that would be a huge game for the
Colts because, like you said, the Rams, they go on
the road in Philly. They're up twenty six to seven
early in the third quarter, and then Philly catches fire.
Hurts goes out, figures out aj Brown's out there, and
just throw him the rock. They all of a sudden
take the lead. But the Rams go back down put themselves.

(01:03:31):
They're about to kick a game winning field goal. Jordan
Davis is a dude. He was clocked. You know how
he's clocked at running there.

Speaker 1 (01:03:38):
I saw to eighteen miles an hour.

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
Yeah, can you imagine big dude an hour hundred and
thirty pounds moving.

Speaker 1 (01:03:47):
Thursday night, Seahawks at Cardinals. It'll be honest, So I'll
watch it just the other games in general. Vikings at Steelers,
mild interest. Panthers of Patriots again.

Speaker 2 (01:03:59):
Patriots had what five turnovers in that game? Oh my god?

Speaker 1 (01:04:03):
Oh those two end zone unbelievable. With your experience with
Mike Rabel, what do you think his reaction was after
the game.

Speaker 2 (01:04:13):
Oh, he went in there and said, we we lost
this game. We lost this game because we turned over
the ball five times. If we don't take care of
the football, we will put ourselves in a position where
we won't win any game. And I thought Drake may
played pretty well, but he made some decisions that obviously
he wants back at the end of the day. There's
no way when you turn over the ball five times,

(01:04:33):
and he's going to be harping on their ass all
week long, and he'll be relentless about it because he
knows if they don't fix that, there's no.

Speaker 1 (01:04:40):
Chance Commanders at Falcons. Mariota played pretty good. Dude, my boy, Marcus,
did I tell you he's a baller?

Speaker 2 (01:04:48):
Yeah? And he went out and played like one awesome
and I was so excited for when I text him
after the game just to let him know that I
was proud of him and just really excited for the success.
And he always you know what, the thing about him
is awesome because you know he's getting bombarded with all
this stuff. He text me back, hope the families. Well,
that's the type guy is, So I hope nothing but
success is for him.

Speaker 1 (01:05:08):
Saints of Bills, that should be a blowout. But we
thought the same thing about the freaking Dolphins last week.

Speaker 2 (01:05:13):
With the Bills, we did, I mean, but then again,
that was a division rivalry that they're very familiar with
each other. They play against each other twice a year,
and so I always I feel like in those type
of games, with the familiarity you have with the different
schemes and system, that there's a confidence level that goes
into you playing in those type of games.

Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
Brown's at Lions. How about those gritty Browns?

Speaker 2 (01:05:37):
Did their defense? Is savage shorts?

Speaker 1 (01:05:40):
Love their freaking uniforms last week?

Speaker 2 (01:05:42):
Yeah, they look the dark brown. Oh yeah, that's awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:05:45):
They're awesome Chargers of Giants. That'll be fun just to
see what Jackson dark can do. See if he loses
his jewels. Yeah, seriously, tougher sauty Titans of Texans.

Speaker 2 (01:05:56):
That should be an interesting matchup. Both of the teams
are struggling. Yeah, I mean Titans go in there and
take down Houston.

Speaker 1 (01:06:03):
Oh boy, one of them has to go back to
college relegated. The loser gets regular alligated, alligated. Jackson forty
nine ers, forty nine ers, just keep on.

Speaker 2 (01:06:16):
They've been winning like really gritty games. Well was it
sixteen fourteen or something? This last week Mac Jones Jones
puts on a knee brace. I know they say he
hurt his knee again.

Speaker 1 (01:06:26):
They still won. Packers of Cowboys. Everybody's always gonna care
about the cowboys.

Speaker 2 (01:06:31):
They are and obviously the Parsons effect if they're gonna
either care about the cowboys because they like the cowboys
or they absolutely hate the cowboys and can't wait to
see if Green Bay can stomp stomp on.

Speaker 1 (01:06:44):
The jets of Dolphins and Bengals to Broncos on Monday night.
That's it. Thank you, everybody. Thanks Sean Marramer for dropping
by and spending about a half hour with us.

Speaker 2 (01:06:52):
Ready to get in the cage with you know.

Speaker 1 (01:06:54):
I'm gonna pass on that. Yeah, I'm gonna pass keep pounding.
I always say that, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (01:06:59):
You got my jersey on.

Speaker 1 (01:07:01):
That's Matt Castle, That's kick Off Kevin, That's Brandon Ray.
I'm Bobby Gones. We've had to say. We'll see you
guys next week.

Speaker 2 (01:07:07):
Goodbye.

Speaker 1 (01:07:07):
Everybody lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle.
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