March 8, 2024 • 32 mins
Big 12 football sneak peak into the future. In this week’s episode of the Unafraid Show, George Wrighster tells fans who he believes will run the Big XII conference in football over the next five years.
Will the Pac-12 castoffs Colorado Buffaloes, Utah Utes, Arizona State Sun Devils, and Arizona Wildcats pick up where Oklahoma and Texas left off, or will teams like Tex Tech Red Raiders, Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma State Cowboys finally seize the Big XII conference crown?
Next, United Football League (UFL) Director of Player Performance Sean Hayes sits down with George to explain just what it takes to be a professional football player training to get drafted in the NFL or UFL, as well as the day-to day of being a professional.
The entire internet went crazy talking about Cam Newton brawling with opposing coaches at an Atlanta 7 on 7 event, and George Wrighster talks from personal experience about what it’s like to be a former professional athlete coaching youth ball, and what he thinks is actually to blame for the blow up.
Last, George gives his recipe for the United Football League to become the spring football league that can finally survive long enough to catch America by storm.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Then Clement finds George Reister another reason he touchdown pass
off a short yardage play action Reister bricks free.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Today on The Unafraid Show, we're getting into the Big twelve,
which team will win the most games over the next
five years, And we got to talk about Cam Newton
and the seven oh seventh fight.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Plus the UFL is getting ready to.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Start and I played in it and why it might last.
And we have Sean.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Hayes from the UFL.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm George Reis to make sure that you'd like subscribe
telefriend get notifications and make sure that you share.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It's time for the Unaffraid Show. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
We need to talk about the new sixteen team Big
twelve and what some of the expectations for those teams
are gonna be over the next five years, and who
will win the most conference games because we can't depend
on the non conference because people schedule all sorts of people.
And I actually hate that the dog eat dog nature
of college football resulted in a standoff for survival between
(01:13):
the Pac twelve and the Big twelve and the fact
that the Pac twelve lost. And if you followed any
of my content over the last couple of years. Then
you know that I saw the Pac twelve's implosion coming
from fifty miles away and was screaming from the mountaintops
while every brother saying, Oh, it's fine, they'll get it
figured out.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
No, it wasn't happening.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
So the Big Twelve, despite losing its two biggest brands
in Oklahoma and Texas, gets not only to survive, but
to absorb the Pac twelve's corner schools in the process.
This conference, though, is actually harder to figure out because
half of the schools are less than a year into
their affiliation. So let's count it down from sixteen to
one with the Big twelve teams that are going to
(01:52):
win the most games over the next five years, and
we'll start with number sixteen, Cincinnati because Scott Zaderfield wasn't
able to keep the ship float after Luke Fickle took
Sissy to the College Football Playoff. Are there any signs
that the bear Casts are going to bounce back this year?
Because not Gonna be honest. If this twenty twenty four
transferred class of guys like Brendon Soresby, Joe Royer, and
(02:13):
Evan Pryor, don't seriously jump start this offense immediately, the
Bear cast could get stuck circling the drain number fifteen Baylor.
If you're new to college football, this is gonna shock
you because Baylor having two losing seasons in a row
under Dave Randa is just an anomaly.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Well, let me remind the uninitiated that Baylor was one
of college football's worst programs prior to Art Brow's third year.
They have fourteen losing seasons in a row, and they
can absolutely go back to that. If they're not focused
on being offensively innovative.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
They might be a year late on.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
The coaching change that could have avoided a prolonged return
into college football. Irrelevant, but we'll see if Toledo transferred
quarterback da Kwan Finn has enough juice in the tank
to delay Baylor's decline. I'mre fourteen Texas Tech, and now
here's a school with plenty of NIO money and a
coaching Joey McGuire that can recruit better than anybody at
(03:08):
Texas Tech has in a very long time. So while
my short selling Red Raider stock, it's the conundrum of
two opposing factors. First, if Joey McGuire gives Lubbock their
first nine plus win season since two thousand and eight.
He's gonna be one of the hottest names on the
coaching market. And second, if he turns in another mediocre
season where both the offense and defense finished outside the
(03:31):
top sixty while stockpiling more talent than Texas Tech has
had in decades, the clock is gonna start ticking on
his time there in Lubbock.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Either way, I.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Don't see sustained success on the horizon. Number thirteen Central
Florida UCF was a big fish in a small pond,
and now they're trying to find their way in the
Big twelve, and so far the results have been a
mixed bag. Gus Malzon can coach offense. My worry is
on the other side of the ball. UCF was much
better in the second half of twenty twenty three, and
(04:00):
bringing in Ted Ruth to help with the defense without
blowing up the whole staff feels like a step in
the right direction. Now UCF is also recruiting at a
level that would suggest Big twelve success.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Is around the corner.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
But you have to wonder, with any Florida school that
isn't in the SEC or ACC can they hold on
to a kid that flashes talent or will they lose him?
The better nil opportunities because maybe the Knights will prove
me wrong here, but this feels like a team that
will flirt with Bowl eligibility year over year but not
be able to put it together. Number twelve BYU. Be
(04:36):
careful what you wish for when it comes to major
conference inclusion, because BYU just has their first losing season
since twenty eighteen and their second since four and a
big reason why is because they went to and seven
in conference.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Taking a thirty two point home loss.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
To Iowa State in November is definitely a new development
for Cougar fans. Head coach Kaline Sataki has moved to
looking to a p solution at quarterback the last couple
of years, and there have been plenty of BYU boosters
that are willing to help keep the team relevant, but
the portal also feels outside of the norm what BYU
(05:12):
has been all about about the development now. I don't
think that BYU will ever be non competitive, but I'm
also not sure that they can rise to the top
of the conference. Number eleven Texas Christian aka TCU. The
horn Frogs are on the precipice of something special with
their twenty twenty four recruiting and transfer class. But this
(05:32):
list is about sustained success. It's a ranking of how
things will look in twenty twenty nine, not just right now.
And I'm not going to be shocked if they're fighting
for a conference championship in twenty twenty five. But I'm
also not going to be shocked if they're on the
market for a new coach at the end of twenty
twenty five. Kasani Dykes has two winning seasons in his
(05:52):
six tries at Power five schools, and TCU had two
seasons over five hundred and the Big twelve in their
last six tries. If the horn Frogs rise to be
a consistent Big twelve power with Dykes at the helm,
it'll be a departure from the norm for both of them.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Number ten Houston.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Houston had the same Big twelve router wakening that BYU did,
but they decided that they were gonna do something about it,
and they traded in Dana Hogersome for two lanes. Willie Fritz.
I like the move, and I think that this is
where sixty three year old Fritz proves he can hang
with the big boys now. I don't see him job
hopping after a good season or two, but a lot
(06:31):
of things will depend on how Fritz Staff exploits the
talent rich area that they're in and the resources Houston
has to get guys who left Houston for opportunities elsewhere
out of high school to come home out of the portal.
Number nine West Virginia. Who would have thought that Neil
Brown and his defensive coordinator Jordan Leslie would be riding
(06:51):
the wave of optimism heading into twenty twenty four after
heading into twenty twenty three under the guillotine. They had
a top fifty recruiting class and transfer class, which doesn't
usually happen for a coach that's on the hot seat,
and with the short king Garrett Green returning at quarterback,
you might actually be able to see back to back
nine win seasons for the Mountaineers, and if that happens,
(07:14):
you might start to see the program recapture some of
the consistency of its days in the Big East. Number
eight Iowa State. Iowa State has had six winning seasons
in AIM since twenty seventeen, and Iowa State only had
six winning seasons from eighty nine to twenty sixteen. So
the question becomes, did Matt Campbell raise the floor for
(07:35):
Iowa State or is Iowa State and its history contributing
to a low ceiling for Matt Campbell Because this program
still hasn't had a ten win season since Wellever, and
they did go nine to one in nineteen oh six,
so they have that going for them.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
This is still a program that is bucking the trend
of building through the portal and values talent development, and
the bottom doesn't usually fall out for programs that are
like that. And I think as long as Campbell is
at Iowa State, six conference wins and a bowl game
is within reach.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Number seven Colorado.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Some people say, George, you don't believe Colorado could be
higher than this if I didn't think the entirety of
their potential success was tied to the presence of Dion Sanders.
Now they'll have the roster to be a factor in
the Big twelve immediately, But again, this list is about.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Five years from now.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Without Dion, Colorado is a Mountain West level sports school
and not even the top of the Mountain West.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Now.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Could Dion change that though, Sure, but he's gonna have
to be at Colorado for a long time before people
buy in. Like Nick Saban was at Alabama for seventeen years,
and I'd be impressed if Dion was at Colorado for seven,
let alone seventeen. Number six Arizona State. Now, Arizona State's
recruits better than most Big twelve schools. They have inroads
(08:56):
in Texas, and they're gonna get talent from bounce back
kids from California and Arizona in the portal every year.
Talent won't be an issue, and Kenny Dillingham has said
he wants to be there forever. So why don't I
have Arizona State higher on this list?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
This is the.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Nil era and Arizona State has to fight both tooth
and nail to get the same boosters that they milk
drive for a stadium upgrade and multiple coaching buyouts to
come around to the idea of paying for a better roster. Now,
this one is on the fans. If they want ASU
to win, then they need to donate accordingly, and if
they do, they'll win.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
If they don't, they won't. Number five Kansas.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Lance Leopold is becoming the new Matt Campbell and every
job that pops up has his name attached to it,
and I'm starting to believe that the reason that he
hasn't bolted is that he has an extremely clear vision
of what the Jayhawks are building in Lawrence, Kansas. Now
the money is there, the football program has crazy energy
around it, and some of the best pass rushing recruit
(10:00):
that they've ever landed are severely underrated. And I think
that Kansas has a similar issue to Colorado in that
their success is tied to Leopold. But the difference is
I think that Kansas fans are actually Kansas fans and
they'll stick around if Leopold does leave and the man
that the recent success becomes more of the standard. But
I also acknowledge that I pointed out Baylor's history of losing,
(10:23):
and so I have to point out that Kansas history
makes Baylor look like Alabama. There's always a chance that
the Jayhawks go back to being the worst major conference
team in America, but I don't think that that will happen.
There's an expectation now they've grown a custom number four
Kansas State. I have one concern about Kansas State, and
it's a big one. I think that this team could
(10:44):
challenge to be a college football playoff contender out of
the Big Twelve every single year, But to have consistently
elite results, you have to consistently pull elite recruits. Case
State doesn't do that, And I get that Bill Snyder
was the ultimate chicken out of chicken shit head coach.
But it's twenty twenty four and Kansas Juco football isn't
(11:05):
a secret anymore, and Chris Klimban needs to be landing
four star kids like hometown boy Avery Johnson that he
landed last year. If he does that, this conference might
be for his taking number three Oklahoma State. Every indication
was that Oklahoma State was cooked heading into twenty twenty three.
Eighteen kids transferred out. Derek Mason said, I'd rather take
(11:26):
a year off than working still water anymore. And the
first three weeks of the season looked like the Cowboys
were the worst offense in America. Then guess what happened?
They still went onto the Big twelve championship game. And
I'm not counting out a Mike Gundhy coach team anymore.
It's pointless now. I don't care if they run out
there with pop warn or roster. They haven't had a
(11:48):
losing record since two thousand and five, and as long
as Gundy is there, they'll be able to compete to
win the league.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Number two Arizona.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Arizona is a Big twelve school in a Big twelve
city that was stuck in the Pac twelve. Now, Brent
Brennan is a great hire out of San Jose State,
and they're gonna tap into the California talent pool more
than any other school in the conference. And I genuinely
think that this is the start of a special era
for the Wildcats, and it's buoyed by the fact that
they retain most of an extremely talented offense despite Jedfish
(12:19):
leaving for Washington. Now, Tucson might not have been the
gym city of the previous conference, but for the Big
twelve recruits, they can go to a city that is
bigger than everyone except for Houston, but still has the
feel of a college town like Lawrence or Morgantown.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Plus they're boosters.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Oh them boys are aggravated, and they are mad as hell,
pouring resources into the program to help circumvent the school's
financial issues.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Now.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Number one Utah.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
The Big Twelve didn't want Utah and Utah didn't want
to be in the Big Twelve. They're a built in villain,
and trust me, they're more than comfortable playing that role.
They develop talent better than anyone their physical and they
use the Pac twelve to make recruiting en roads in
California and now they're going to be playing road games
in Texas.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Man, as long as.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Kyle Whittingham is in charge of the Utes, they're going
to be the class at the Big Twelve. And I
know that that's the last thing that Big Twelve fans
really want to hear. And now we're on with Sean Hayes.
Man was the director of player Performance over at the XFL.
Now he's over at the UFL. Sean, thanks for coming
(13:29):
on the show.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Hey, happy to be here, George, and I really excited
to talk to you. And man, I'm looking forward to it.
So let's get this thing going.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, So the NFL combine is getting ready to go on,
the UFL is getting ready to start camp. And there's
a lot of people that don't understand the difference between
in season performance and when you're getting ready for a combine,
which you guys just did over at the UFL. What's
the difference in preparation for both of those things.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yeah, great point.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
So when when you're training for the combine man, you're
you're really training for those specific drills and those and
those tests, and and you you're basically you're you're trying
to cheat these tests, right, so every little detail matters.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
You're trying to say seconds.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Off, and and when you're in season and you're getting
ready for camp man, you really got to kind of
dial things back a little bit. And because you got
to think when I'm playing, when I'm actually playing the game,
that stress is high, and your body it doesn't your
body can't decipher what the different stress is.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Oh am I playing football? Or am I lifting a
ton of weights? Stress is stress? Right? Or am I
getting an argument with my with my significant other? Like,
it's just stress to the body.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
So when you add that play in the game and
you're in training camp, your stress as high as it is,
so you can't you don't really want to like add
to that too much in the weight so you kind
of want to do about, you know, about half of
what you would do in the offseason, maybe give or
take depending on some things. But but yeah, generally speaking, hey,
you want to cut the volume down in camp, keep
(15:08):
your keep your guys fresh as possible.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Hey, when you're out out.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Of season training for the combine, we can get after
it a little bit, you know, and and and volume
goes up, intensity goes up a little more. So that
would be the difference is because the stress when you're
playing this game is you know, more than more than
most how stressful it is on the body.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
So you try to fake those things consideration.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I've always wondered, like, why don't we actually do way
more football stuff than stuff that you don't do when
you are, you know, playing football to try to judge
if you're a good football player or not.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
It's a that's a great point.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
And that's something to where I was really kind of
tasked to do with the XFL last season. If you
ever had a shot to do this thing different, we
had a shot at the XFL last year, and and
we we came with that approach, Hey, can we can
we maybe look at this a different way. So what
we thought we liked, you know, what we wanted to
(16:06):
do was kind of come up with a combine that
wasn't as outdated, right, take us long. We wanted to
do a combine, but we wanted to do it the
XFL way or a new take on an innovative approach.
So what we did is we looked at the text,
the same technology, the science that we used throughout the season,
the way we test guys to measure their their management
(16:29):
fatigue and their their a how are they doing with
their their nervous system all things like that, are they
maintaining performance? And we wanted to blend that in with
our combines. So instead of like doing a vertical jump
and a broad jump, you know, we wanted to just
do jumps on force plates and and and be able
(16:50):
to measure, hey, jump height, but also how quick twitch
are they?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Right?
Speaker 4 (16:56):
How much forced are they putting into the ground.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
If I'm line coach or d line coach, I'm in
the trenches, I'm gonna be looking at how much force
they put in the ground because that's what those players
do for a living.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
They have to either move.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Another individual or to hold their ground, So forcing the
ground that's gonna be key. So we really tried to
be like, hey, coaches, when you're at this combine, I
want you to look at that number. Now if you're
a skill guy. If I'm a dB, I'm receiver. It's yes,
jump height is important, but what's more important to that
I would like to I would probably, you know, guess
(17:31):
is how quick twitch you are, how quickly you could
come up with that force at a drop of the hat.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
So we wanted to say, okay, we.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Cut down on the number of tests and we just
did you know, football movements, but we look at guys accelerations.
We looked at guys top end speed. So now we're
able to tell the coach, hey, this guy is can
accelerate quickly. He can get up the field really quickly. Right,
that's in force, whether I'm running back, whether I'm a receiver,
(18:03):
or I can say this guy's top ense speed is
really good. He hit a twenty one mile an hour,
he hit twenty two mile an hour, So now I
don't have to run a forty to get that. I
can get that window in twenty hours.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I think that that's a better measurement because if you
put the catapult on dudes and they're running routes or
they're doing like you get a lot more data because
you see deceleration then acceleration back again top speed. Because
we've seen how many guys run fast in forties, but
then when they're playing football, they don't run nearly as.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Fast, right, And we wanted to have the showcase of
where it's like, Okay, we're gonna do our thing.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
We're gonna do our test, right.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
But it's not gonna be as long it's gonna be
you know, we're gonna we're gonna hit him with it
and they're gonna be in and out. And then it's like,
go do your drills, and like all the coaches are watching.
As they're watching, we're handing out the data. So now
when I'm watching somebody, I could say, man, that guy
looks good at drills.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
What's his top that? How can we do it better?
How can we use technology in it?
Speaker 1 (19:12):
And the way that we used And I thought I
was really proud of what we were able to do,
not only from like the type of drills we did,
but I was really proud of the fact that, like
we were able to get some cool, unique numbers that
we're going to help our coaches in picking players.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
When we talk about the amount of stress on players,
and then you think about, you know, the coaches having
to talk. So I've always wondered that when scouts are coaches.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
What are some of those coaches.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
That, whether it's XFL, NFL, UFL, when they're coming to
ask about a player, what are those conversations you?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
First of all, as the strength coach or performance coach,
you got to be honest, right, because if you're not
honest that coach that's asking, he's not coming.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
To you again. Right you say, oh man, this guy
is great.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
You got to take him. Oh man, he's wonderful. And
it's not the case your credibility goes out the windows.
So you gotta be honest about everything. How you do
one thing is how you do everything right. Yeah, I'll
give you example. I know he's making some some some
headlines now being on the Shannon Sharp podcast with Johnny Manziel.
When we were at the Texas, he was coming out
at A and M and we had a number one
(20:23):
pick that year and we were interviewing guys and one
of the interview process was coming down in the weight
room talk to. At that time, the head strength coach
was Craig Fitzgerald. I was an assistant. I was in
on those interviews, right. He let me be a part
of it. I was great. I was young, young, coach
at the time, So I was appreciative. But we interviewed
Johnny Manzel, you know, cool guy, nice guy, hell football player.
(20:44):
You know, we got down to how do you like
the wait room?
Speaker 4 (20:46):
Johnny? Well, you know, I don't really you know, I
don't really love no one. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
So it's like right, hey, right then and there you
got to go and tell ob like, hey, this guy
doesn't love it down here is this our guy?
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Right?
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Like, you know, you don't necessarily have to be a
weight room warrior, but are you a guy that shows
up early? Because if you're showing up early in the
weight room, you're gonna show up early to film, You're
gonna show up early to get taped, to get treatment,
You're gonna you know what I mean. Are you the
guy that's kind of gonna do your own thing in
the weight room, or you're gonna be looking like are
you gonna be coachable in the weight room? Especially in
(21:20):
college football, Man, who are they around the most? They're
around the strength coach the most. Right, Like the straight.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Coach sees everybody.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
He can get a really good pulse of the team
and the player and how he operates and how he
does his business. And and and now you can be
able to tell those scouts to be like, yeah, I
can tell you what this guy is all about.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
He is Sean hayes Man is over with player Performance
over at the UFL.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
John, thanks for coming on the show. Appreciate the time.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Hey, thanks, thanks, Jeorye, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Man.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
We need to talk about Cam Newton and the now
infamous fight video from the Atlanta seven on seven tournament. Now,
this happened because of ego, and I've been in this
position many times coaching my own kids.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
But we'll get into that in a minute.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Because you had Cam Newton, who See One In Foundation
helped sponsor the tournament as well as coaches from top
shelf performance, they got thrown off the property for the
physical confrontation in front of the kids.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
That they are supposed to be helping.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
And there have been a lot of takes about this,
and I'm gonna be honest, a lot of them speak
to cultural issues that are far bigger than the event itself,
but very few takes to actually get into the heart
of the specific issues that cause a conflict like this.
And I've seen this made into a race issue, a
culture issue, a parenting issue, a social media issue, and
(22:45):
maybe it is that big, and maybe it's evidence of
every type of societal wrong in one big pressure cooker.
Or maybe it comes down to what I said, which
is ego, because one of the sayings that I believe
to be true is that a man's strengths can flow
from the same well as his weakness, and the male
ego is can be a strength and it can also
be a weakness. I've seen this in my own life
(23:06):
because me being a former NFL player and having kids
that are good, other coaches wanted to beat my team
so bad, and the time and energy and the links
that they were willing to go to to prepare their
team to play to beat my team was fascinating to me,
and along with the energy and intensity that they would
bring to the game, like you look like whoa brolick?
(23:29):
These are kids playing, It's not me and you. The
reality is is that the other coach just wanted to
prove his worth and stroke his ego in the off
chance that his team won, because it rarely happened. And
I've seen this over and over again also with Bronnie
James when he was playing for Sierra Canyon because the
crowds energy would always be insane, and kids.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Would act like if they hit a shot with.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Bronnie garding them that it was a Game seven NBA
Finals buzzer beater and it wasn't in be a normal
routine play. And when you're a kid raised in that
environment carrying that last name James, you've never had a
moment's piece and Bronnie has always handled it so well
and he's continuing to do it with Pac twelve teams
(24:13):
and their fans booing them every single day. Now, Bronnie's
had to deal with that. But Cam Newton, he isn't
a kid trying to make his dreams come true while
carrying a legacy last name.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
He's a six foot.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Five athletic freak at two hundred and fifty pounds who
might be the best college football player of all time
and led the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl and
is an MVP despite getting disrespected so bad, which is
wild to me. He also so happens to be one
of the most competitive dudes on Earth and takes that
energy with him wherever he goes, whether it's on a
(24:46):
podcast studio or a seven on seven sideline So when
Cam Newton is surrounded by dudes who daydream about how
a win over his squad could validate them as both
coaches and men, he has no incentive to be meek.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
No, he's not gonna chill.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
He's gonna remind them, dudes exactly who he is and
that the harsh reality is that ninety nine point nine
percent of them, even the best former athletes on the
seven on seven coaching scene, will never be on his level.
And when you put your ego on display only to
have it crushed, well, sometimes the only thing that's left
to do is throw hands. And I'm not saying it's right.
(25:22):
I'm just saying that there's enough record of human history
to show that ego plus a wound equals a squabble.
And while ego might have helped elevate Cam Newton to
legendary player status as an NFL player, it also might
be at the root of what got top shelf performance
dudes into believing that they have the best formula for
developing young athletes. And it's also the same things that
(25:44):
made all parties involved lose sight of the purpose of
being part of seven on seven in the first place.
It was their egos that kept it from being about
helping the kids and competing against Cam Newton can't be
the main thing. And I don't care what your beef is.
If your main priority and primary focus isn't helping kids
develop their skills, go do something else, because these families
(26:07):
don't need your inability to keep your ego in check,
putting their children's safety at risk. And for Cam Newton,
I can't pretend that he's gonna take my advice or
change anything about how he conducts hisself because he's on
the seven on seventh field, But the c one Inn
Foundation mission.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Should speak for him.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
If above all else, Cam Newton wants to give kids
opportunities to compete and develop more than he wants to
jaw at dudes who spent Monday through Friday at day jobs.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
That will show.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
But if he still got this much competitive juice, maybe
it's time to put the pass back on and go
make some contact, because at the end of the day,
it's got to be about the kids. Let's talk about
the United Football League because spring football finally has a
shot to survive, and there are two main reasons why
(26:59):
it can work and why you should care.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
And I'll get to those in just a second.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
And I'm not gonna sit up here and bore you
with the details about how this league came to be
other than what you need to know, because spring football
has been the white well of many people in the
business of sports. You've had so many leagues try and
fail and it hasn't worked. And now the merger of
the XFL and the USFL to form the UFL might
(27:23):
just be our best shot at finally making it happen.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Because I actually loved the idea of.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Spring football, and honestly, I just haven't loved the execution
of spring football because they've tried to stand on their own,
which is why we don't buy in.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
And I'm speaking from experience here because.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
I played in the old version of the UFL and
not only did I win a championship with the twenty
and ten Las Vegas Locos, well Locomotives, I caught the
last touchdown pass of the twenty and ten season in
the championship game. The thing that I loved about the
old UFL was that it was a hybridge of college
and the NFL, so it made it did a lot
(28:00):
of fun because everybody that was involved the league the coaches,
the players, and the fans in the stands were there
because they loved ball. It wasn't about money, because nobody
was getting life changing contracts, even though there was money involved,
and they were there because they had unrealized NFL dreams.
Or like me, after I got cut by the Giants
because they wouldn't clear me because of my neck, I
(28:22):
wanted to prove that I wasn't done and that I
still had more game left. But in my case, though
of figuring out that I needed two percocets and a
so much just to fall asleep at night, let me
know that the Giants were right and my neck was
not good enough to play pro football. But that's a
whole nother story for another time. The thing that was
refreshing and so much fun was you were around dudes
(28:43):
that were locked in and understood the stakes and the business.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
Of it was out. It was just ball.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
And with all the complaining about inflated NFL contracts and
the changes brought by NIL in the college game, I'm
honestly shocked that nobody did the spring football right before
for now, because this type of league can actually find
a bigger audience. The reality is, though is that the
UFL's best chance for survival is going to find.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Some way to make themselves useful, useful to the.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Juggernaut that devous everything in its path, the National Football League,
Because if the NFL had an interest in the spring league,
it probably would have started one itself, But since they
haven't gotten around to do that yet, the UFL has
a window to prove that not only can it be
a viable spectator sport in a non traditional season, the
league also has time to find a way to entice
(29:33):
the NFL to invest. Because there are two things that
the UFL can do to make themselves useful. Number one
be the minor league of the NFL. Get team scouts, film,
access emails about the players like just blast it out
and make sure that the league feels a part of
it the way they want your players, just like the
(29:53):
G League in the NBA. Number two, be a place
where the NFL can test out rules about kickoffs, replays,
sky judges, and anything else that it wants to because
the NFL recently expanded practice squads, and what better place
to grow and develop young players that you've drafted than
loaning them out to the spring league. One thing that
(30:15):
we know for certain is that players get missed in
the draft process because without Arena football, there's no Kurt Warner.
And the NFL used to have NFL Europe, which is
the G League to the NBA, and a lot of
good players have come out of the G League and
been good NBA players, And the same can come from
the UFL because there's dudes that can play. Look at
(30:37):
Saint Louis Battlehawk's wide receiver Jaquor Pearson. He might have
had a chance with the Chiefs this year because they
weren't running out great wide receivers. Or maybe Michael Joseph
of the DC Defenders, who maybe could have helped out
terrible pass rushers in twenty twenty three like the Titans
and the Raiders, but without the potential for the ultimate
(30:57):
reward a spot in the NFL, I'm not sure the
stakes force bring league will ever be high enough to
drive NFL fans into a new routine of consuming football
in April and May. That's why this league can work
is because having a place where NFL can develop their players.
Think about how many times we heard this last season, Oh,
there's a backup quarterback problem in the NFL. Send them
(31:20):
down to the UFL and let them develop. But who knows,
maybe the expanding landscape of legalized sports betting can give
the UFL the juice that it needs to get the
NFL's attention. And maybe pitting the XFL conference against the
USFL Conference is the going to create the type of
conflict that sparks interest as well. And maybe being in
Marcus like Birmingham, San Antonio, Memphis at Saint Louis will
(31:43):
create some loyal fan bases that crave a professional football
experience that their city can call their own. And that's
the Unafraid Show. Make sure that you like, subscribe, get notifications,
and tell a friend so we can keep bringing you
dope content and we'll catch you guys next week
Then Clement finds George Reister another reason he touchdown pass
off a short yardage play action Reister bricks free.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Today on The Unafraid Show, we're getting into the Big twelve,
which team will win the most games over the next
five years, And we got to talk about Cam Newton
and the seven oh seventh fight.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Plus the UFL is getting ready to.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Start and I played in it and why it might last.
And we have Sean.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Hayes from the UFL.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm George Reis to make sure that you'd like subscribe
telefriend get notifications and make sure that you share.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It's time for the Unaffraid Show. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
We need to talk about the new sixteen team Big
twelve and what some of the expectations for those teams
are gonna be over the next five years, and who
will win the most conference games because we can't depend
on the non conference because people schedule all sorts of people.
And I actually hate that the dog eat dog nature
of college football resulted in a standoff for survival between
(01:13):
the Pac twelve and the Big twelve and the fact
that the Pac twelve lost. And if you followed any
of my content over the last couple of years. Then
you know that I saw the Pac twelve's implosion coming
from fifty miles away and was screaming from the mountaintops
while every brother saying, Oh, it's fine, they'll get it
figured out.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
No, it wasn't happening.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
So the Big Twelve, despite losing its two biggest brands
in Oklahoma and Texas, gets not only to survive, but
to absorb the Pac twelve's corner schools in the process.
This conference, though, is actually harder to figure out because
half of the schools are less than a year into
their affiliation. So let's count it down from sixteen to
one with the Big twelve teams that are going to
(01:52):
win the most games over the next five years, and
we'll start with number sixteen, Cincinnati because Scott Zaderfield wasn't
able to keep the ship float after Luke Fickle took
Sissy to the College Football Playoff. Are there any signs
that the bear Casts are going to bounce back this year?
Because not Gonna be honest. If this twenty twenty four
transferred class of guys like Brendon Soresby, Joe Royer, and
(02:13):
Evan Pryor, don't seriously jump start this offense immediately, the
Bear cast could get stuck circling the drain number fifteen Baylor.
If you're new to college football, this is gonna shock
you because Baylor having two losing seasons in a row
under Dave Randa is just an anomaly.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Well, let me remind the uninitiated that Baylor was one
of college football's worst programs prior to Art Brow's third year.
They have fourteen losing seasons in a row, and they
can absolutely go back to that. If they're not focused
on being offensively innovative.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
They might be a year late on.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
The coaching change that could have avoided a prolonged return
into college football. Irrelevant, but we'll see if Toledo transferred
quarterback da Kwan Finn has enough juice in the tank
to delay Baylor's decline. I'mre fourteen Texas Tech, and now
here's a school with plenty of NIO money and a
coaching Joey McGuire that can recruit better than anybody at
(03:08):
Texas Tech has in a very long time. So while
my short selling Red Raider stock, it's the conundrum of
two opposing factors. First, if Joey McGuire gives Lubbock their
first nine plus win season since two thousand and eight.
He's gonna be one of the hottest names on the
coaching market. And second, if he turns in another mediocre
season where both the offense and defense finished outside the
(03:31):
top sixty while stockpiling more talent than Texas Tech has
had in decades, the clock is gonna start ticking on
his time there in Lubbock.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Either way, I.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Don't see sustained success on the horizon. Number thirteen Central
Florida UCF was a big fish in a small pond,
and now they're trying to find their way in the
Big twelve, and so far the results have been a
mixed bag. Gus Malzon can coach offense. My worry is
on the other side of the ball. UCF was much
better in the second half of twenty twenty three, and
(04:00):
bringing in Ted Ruth to help with the defense without
blowing up the whole staff feels like a step in
the right direction. Now UCF is also recruiting at a
level that would suggest Big twelve success.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Is around the corner.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
But you have to wonder, with any Florida school that
isn't in the SEC or ACC can they hold on
to a kid that flashes talent or will they lose him?
The better nil opportunities because maybe the Knights will prove
me wrong here, but this feels like a team that
will flirt with Bowl eligibility year over year but not
be able to put it together. Number twelve BYU. Be
(04:36):
careful what you wish for when it comes to major
conference inclusion, because BYU just has their first losing season
since twenty eighteen and their second since four and a
big reason why is because they went to and seven
in conference.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Taking a thirty two point home loss.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
To Iowa State in November is definitely a new development
for Cougar fans. Head coach Kaline Sataki has moved to
looking to a p solution at quarterback the last couple
of years, and there have been plenty of BYU boosters
that are willing to help keep the team relevant, but
the portal also feels outside of the norm what BYU
(05:12):
has been all about about the development now. I don't
think that BYU will ever be non competitive, but I'm
also not sure that they can rise to the top
of the conference. Number eleven Texas Christian aka TCU. The
horn Frogs are on the precipice of something special with
their twenty twenty four recruiting and transfer class. But this
(05:32):
list is about sustained success. It's a ranking of how
things will look in twenty twenty nine, not just right now.
And I'm not going to be shocked if they're fighting
for a conference championship in twenty twenty five. But I'm
also not going to be shocked if they're on the
market for a new coach at the end of twenty
twenty five. Kasani Dykes has two winning seasons in his
(05:52):
six tries at Power five schools, and TCU had two
seasons over five hundred and the Big twelve in their
last six tries. If the horn Frogs rise to be
a consistent Big twelve power with Dykes at the helm,
it'll be a departure from the norm for both of them.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Number ten Houston.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Houston had the same Big twelve router wakening that BYU did,
but they decided that they were gonna do something about it,
and they traded in Dana Hogersome for two lanes. Willie Fritz.
I like the move, and I think that this is
where sixty three year old Fritz proves he can hang
with the big boys now. I don't see him job
hopping after a good season or two, but a lot
(06:31):
of things will depend on how Fritz Staff exploits the
talent rich area that they're in and the resources Houston
has to get guys who left Houston for opportunities elsewhere
out of high school to come home out of the portal.
Number nine West Virginia. Who would have thought that Neil
Brown and his defensive coordinator Jordan Leslie would be riding
(06:51):
the wave of optimism heading into twenty twenty four after
heading into twenty twenty three under the guillotine. They had
a top fifty recruiting class and transfer class, which doesn't
usually happen for a coach that's on the hot seat,
and with the short king Garrett Green returning at quarterback,
you might actually be able to see back to back
nine win seasons for the Mountaineers, and if that happens,
(07:14):
you might start to see the program recapture some of
the consistency of its days in the Big East. Number
eight Iowa State. Iowa State has had six winning seasons
in AIM since twenty seventeen, and Iowa State only had
six winning seasons from eighty nine to twenty sixteen. So
the question becomes, did Matt Campbell raise the floor for
(07:35):
Iowa State or is Iowa State and its history contributing
to a low ceiling for Matt Campbell Because this program
still hasn't had a ten win season since Wellever, and
they did go nine to one in nineteen oh six,
so they have that going for them.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
This is still a program that is bucking the trend
of building through the portal and values talent development, and
the bottom doesn't usually fall out for programs that are
like that. And I think as long as Campbell is
at Iowa State, six conference wins and a bowl game
is within reach.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Number seven Colorado.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Some people say, George, you don't believe Colorado could be
higher than this if I didn't think the entirety of
their potential success was tied to the presence of Dion Sanders.
Now they'll have the roster to be a factor in
the Big twelve immediately, But again, this list is about.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Five years from now.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Without Dion, Colorado is a Mountain West level sports school
and not even the top of the Mountain West.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Now.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Could Dion change that though, Sure, but he's gonna have
to be at Colorado for a long time before people
buy in. Like Nick Saban was at Alabama for seventeen years,
and I'd be impressed if Dion was at Colorado for seven,
let alone seventeen. Number six Arizona State. Now, Arizona State's
recruits better than most Big twelve schools. They have inroads
(08:56):
in Texas, and they're gonna get talent from bounce back
kids from California and Arizona in the portal every year.
Talent won't be an issue, and Kenny Dillingham has said
he wants to be there forever. So why don't I
have Arizona State higher on this list?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
This is the.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Nil era and Arizona State has to fight both tooth
and nail to get the same boosters that they milk
drive for a stadium upgrade and multiple coaching buyouts to
come around to the idea of paying for a better roster. Now,
this one is on the fans. If they want ASU
to win, then they need to donate accordingly, and if
they do, they'll win.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
If they don't, they won't. Number five Kansas.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Lance Leopold is becoming the new Matt Campbell and every
job that pops up has his name attached to it,
and I'm starting to believe that the reason that he
hasn't bolted is that he has an extremely clear vision
of what the Jayhawks are building in Lawrence, Kansas. Now
the money is there, the football program has crazy energy
around it, and some of the best pass rushing recruit
(10:00):
that they've ever landed are severely underrated. And I think
that Kansas has a similar issue to Colorado in that
their success is tied to Leopold. But the difference is
I think that Kansas fans are actually Kansas fans and
they'll stick around if Leopold does leave and the man
that the recent success becomes more of the standard. But
I also acknowledge that I pointed out Baylor's history of losing,
(10:23):
and so I have to point out that Kansas history
makes Baylor look like Alabama. There's always a chance that
the Jayhawks go back to being the worst major conference
team in America, but I don't think that that will happen.
There's an expectation now they've grown a custom number four
Kansas State. I have one concern about Kansas State, and
it's a big one. I think that this team could
(10:44):
challenge to be a college football playoff contender out of
the Big Twelve every single year, But to have consistently
elite results, you have to consistently pull elite recruits. Case
State doesn't do that, And I get that Bill Snyder
was the ultimate chicken out of chicken shit head coach.
But it's twenty twenty four and Kansas Juco football isn't
(11:05):
a secret anymore, and Chris Klimban needs to be landing
four star kids like hometown boy Avery Johnson that he
landed last year. If he does that, this conference might
be for his taking number three Oklahoma State. Every indication
was that Oklahoma State was cooked heading into twenty twenty three.
Eighteen kids transferred out. Derek Mason said, I'd rather take
(11:26):
a year off than working still water anymore. And the
first three weeks of the season looked like the Cowboys
were the worst offense in America. Then guess what happened?
They still went onto the Big twelve championship game. And
I'm not counting out a Mike Gundhy coach team anymore.
It's pointless now. I don't care if they run out
there with pop warn or roster. They haven't had a
(11:48):
losing record since two thousand and five, and as long
as Gundy is there, they'll be able to compete to
win the league.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Number two Arizona.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Arizona is a Big twelve school in a Big twelve
city that was stuck in the Pac twelve. Now, Brent
Brennan is a great hire out of San Jose State,
and they're gonna tap into the California talent pool more
than any other school in the conference. And I genuinely
think that this is the start of a special era
for the Wildcats, and it's buoyed by the fact that
they retain most of an extremely talented offense despite Jedfish
(12:19):
leaving for Washington. Now, Tucson might not have been the
gym city of the previous conference, but for the Big
twelve recruits, they can go to a city that is
bigger than everyone except for Houston, but still has the
feel of a college town like Lawrence or Morgantown.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Plus they're boosters.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Oh them boys are aggravated, and they are mad as hell,
pouring resources into the program to help circumvent the school's
financial issues.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Now.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Number one Utah.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
The Big Twelve didn't want Utah and Utah didn't want
to be in the Big Twelve. They're a built in villain,
and trust me, they're more than comfortable playing that role.
They develop talent better than anyone their physical and they
use the Pac twelve to make recruiting en roads in
California and now they're going to be playing road games
in Texas.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Man, as long as.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Kyle Whittingham is in charge of the Utes, they're going
to be the class at the Big Twelve. And I
know that that's the last thing that Big Twelve fans
really want to hear. And now we're on with Sean Hayes.
Man was the director of player Performance over at the XFL.
Now he's over at the UFL. Sean, thanks for coming
(13:29):
on the show.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Hey, happy to be here, George, and I really excited
to talk to you. And man, I'm looking forward to it.
So let's get this thing going.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Yeah, So the NFL combine is getting ready to go on,
the UFL is getting ready to start camp. And there's
a lot of people that don't understand the difference between
in season performance and when you're getting ready for a combine,
which you guys just did over at the UFL. What's
the difference in preparation for both of those things.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yeah, great point.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
So when when you're training for the combine man, you're
you're really training for those specific drills and those and
those tests, and and you you're basically you're you're trying
to cheat these tests, right, so every little detail matters.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
You're trying to say seconds.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Off, and and when you're in season and you're getting
ready for camp man, you really got to kind of
dial things back a little bit. And because you got
to think when I'm playing, when I'm actually playing the game,
that stress is high, and your body it doesn't your
body can't decipher what the different stress is.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Oh am I playing football? Or am I lifting a
ton of weights? Stress is stress? Right? Or am I
getting an argument with my with my significant other? Like,
it's just stress to the body.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
So when you add that play in the game and
you're in training camp, your stress as high as it is,
so you can't you don't really want to like add
to that too much in the weight so you kind
of want to do about, you know, about half of
what you would do in the offseason, maybe give or
take depending on some things. But but yeah, generally speaking, hey,
you want to cut the volume down in camp, keep
(15:08):
your keep your guys fresh as possible.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Hey, when you're out out.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Of season training for the combine, we can get after
it a little bit, you know, and and and volume
goes up, intensity goes up a little more. So that
would be the difference is because the stress when you're
playing this game is you know, more than more than
most how stressful it is on the body.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
So you try to fake those things consideration.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I've always wondered, like, why don't we actually do way
more football stuff than stuff that you don't do when
you are, you know, playing football to try to judge
if you're a good football player or not.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
It's a that's a great point.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
And that's something to where I was really kind of
tasked to do with the XFL last season. If you
ever had a shot to do this thing different, we
had a shot at the XFL last year, and and
we we came with that approach, Hey, can we can
we maybe look at this a different way. So what
we thought we liked, you know, what we wanted to
(16:06):
do was kind of come up with a combine that
wasn't as outdated, right, take us long. We wanted to
do a combine, but we wanted to do it the
XFL way or a new take on an innovative approach.
So what we did is we looked at the text,
the same technology, the science that we used throughout the season,
the way we test guys to measure their their management
(16:29):
fatigue and their their a how are they doing with
their their nervous system all things like that, are they
maintaining performance? And we wanted to blend that in with
our combines. So instead of like doing a vertical jump
and a broad jump, you know, we wanted to just
do jumps on force plates and and and be able
(16:50):
to measure, hey, jump height, but also how quick twitch
are they?
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Right?
Speaker 4 (16:56):
How much forced are they putting into the ground.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
If I'm line coach or d line coach, I'm in
the trenches, I'm gonna be looking at how much force
they put in the ground because that's what those players
do for a living.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
They have to either move.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Another individual or to hold their ground, So forcing the
ground that's gonna be key. So we really tried to
be like, hey, coaches, when you're at this combine, I
want you to look at that number. Now if you're
a skill guy. If I'm a dB, I'm receiver. It's yes,
jump height is important, but what's more important to that
I would like to I would probably, you know, guess
(17:31):
is how quick twitch you are, how quickly you could
come up with that force at a drop of the hat.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
So we wanted to say, okay, we.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Cut down on the number of tests and we just
did you know, football movements, but we look at guys accelerations.
We looked at guys top end speed. So now we're
able to tell the coach, hey, this guy is can
accelerate quickly. He can get up the field really quickly. Right,
that's in force, whether I'm running back, whether I'm a receiver,
(18:03):
or I can say this guy's top ense speed is
really good. He hit a twenty one mile an hour,
he hit twenty two mile an hour, So now I
don't have to run a forty to get that. I
can get that window in twenty hours.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I think that that's a better measurement because if you
put the catapult on dudes and they're running routes or
they're doing like you get a lot more data because
you see deceleration then acceleration back again top speed. Because
we've seen how many guys run fast in forties, but
then when they're playing football, they don't run nearly as.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Fast, right, And we wanted to have the showcase of
where it's like, Okay, we're gonna do our thing.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
We're gonna do our test, right.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
But it's not gonna be as long it's gonna be
you know, we're gonna we're gonna hit him with it
and they're gonna be in and out. And then it's like,
go do your drills, and like all the coaches are watching.
As they're watching, we're handing out the data. So now
when I'm watching somebody, I could say, man, that guy
looks good at drills.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
What's his top that? How can we do it better?
How can we use technology in it?
Speaker 1 (19:12):
And the way that we used And I thought I
was really proud of what we were able to do,
not only from like the type of drills we did,
but I was really proud of the fact that, like
we were able to get some cool, unique numbers that
we're going to help our coaches in picking players.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
When we talk about the amount of stress on players,
and then you think about, you know, the coaches having
to talk. So I've always wondered that when scouts are coaches.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
What are some of those coaches.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
That, whether it's XFL, NFL, UFL, when they're coming to
ask about a player, what are those conversations you?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
First of all, as the strength coach or performance coach,
you got to be honest, right, because if you're not
honest that coach that's asking, he's not coming.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
To you again. Right you say, oh man, this guy
is great.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
You got to take him. Oh man, he's wonderful. And
it's not the case your credibility goes out the windows.
So you gotta be honest about everything. How you do
one thing is how you do everything right. Yeah, I'll
give you example. I know he's making some some some
headlines now being on the Shannon Sharp podcast with Johnny Manziel.
When we were at the Texas, he was coming out
at A and M and we had a number one
(20:23):
pick that year and we were interviewing guys and one
of the interview process was coming down in the weight
room talk to. At that time, the head strength coach
was Craig Fitzgerald. I was an assistant. I was in
on those interviews, right. He let me be a part
of it. I was great. I was young, young, coach
at the time, So I was appreciative. But we interviewed
Johnny Manzel, you know, cool guy, nice guy, hell football player.
(20:44):
You know, we got down to how do you like
the wait room?
Speaker 4 (20:46):
Johnny? Well, you know, I don't really you know, I
don't really love no one. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
So it's like right, hey, right then and there you
got to go and tell ob like, hey, this guy
doesn't love it down here is this our guy?
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Right?
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Like, you know, you don't necessarily have to be a
weight room warrior, but are you a guy that shows
up early? Because if you're showing up early in the
weight room, you're gonna show up early to film, You're
gonna show up early to get taped, to get treatment,
You're gonna you know what I mean. Are you the
guy that's kind of gonna do your own thing in
the weight room, or you're gonna be looking like are
you gonna be coachable in the weight room? Especially in
(21:20):
college football, Man, who are they around the most? They're
around the strength coach the most. Right, Like the straight.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Coach sees everybody.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
He can get a really good pulse of the team
and the player and how he operates and how he
does his business. And and and now you can be
able to tell those scouts to be like, yeah, I
can tell you what this guy is all about.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
He is Sean hayes Man is over with player Performance
over at the UFL.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
John, thanks for coming on the show. Appreciate the time.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Hey, thanks, thanks, Jeorye, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Man.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
We need to talk about Cam Newton and the now
infamous fight video from the Atlanta seven on seven tournament. Now,
this happened because of ego, and I've been in this
position many times coaching my own kids.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
But we'll get into that in a minute.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Because you had Cam Newton, who See One In Foundation
helped sponsor the tournament as well as coaches from top
shelf performance, they got thrown off the property for the
physical confrontation in front of the kids.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
That they are supposed to be helping.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
And there have been a lot of takes about this,
and I'm gonna be honest, a lot of them speak
to cultural issues that are far bigger than the event itself,
but very few takes to actually get into the heart
of the specific issues that cause a conflict like this.
And I've seen this made into a race issue, a
culture issue, a parenting issue, a social media issue, and
(22:45):
maybe it is that big, and maybe it's evidence of
every type of societal wrong in one big pressure cooker.
Or maybe it comes down to what I said, which
is ego, because one of the sayings that I believe
to be true is that a man's strengths can flow
from the same well as his weakness, and the male
ego is can be a strength and it can also
be a weakness. I've seen this in my own life
(23:06):
because me being a former NFL player and having kids
that are good, other coaches wanted to beat my team
so bad, and the time and energy and the links
that they were willing to go to to prepare their
team to play to beat my team was fascinating to me,
and along with the energy and intensity that they would
bring to the game, like you look like whoa brolick?
(23:29):
These are kids playing, It's not me and you. The
reality is is that the other coach just wanted to
prove his worth and stroke his ego in the off
chance that his team won, because it rarely happened. And
I've seen this over and over again also with Bronnie
James when he was playing for Sierra Canyon because the
crowds energy would always be insane, and kids.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Would act like if they hit a shot with.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Bronnie garding them that it was a Game seven NBA
Finals buzzer beater and it wasn't in be a normal
routine play. And when you're a kid raised in that
environment carrying that last name James, you've never had a
moment's piece and Bronnie has always handled it so well
and he's continuing to do it with Pac twelve teams
(24:13):
and their fans booing them every single day. Now, Bronnie's
had to deal with that. But Cam Newton, he isn't
a kid trying to make his dreams come true while
carrying a legacy last name.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
He's a six foot.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Five athletic freak at two hundred and fifty pounds who
might be the best college football player of all time
and led the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl and
is an MVP despite getting disrespected so bad, which is
wild to me. He also so happens to be one
of the most competitive dudes on Earth and takes that
energy with him wherever he goes, whether it's on a
(24:46):
podcast studio or a seven on seven sideline So when
Cam Newton is surrounded by dudes who daydream about how
a win over his squad could validate them as both
coaches and men, he has no incentive to be meek.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
No, he's not gonna chill.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
He's gonna remind them, dudes exactly who he is and
that the harsh reality is that ninety nine point nine
percent of them, even the best former athletes on the
seven on seven coaching scene, will never be on his level.
And when you put your ego on display only to
have it crushed, well, sometimes the only thing that's left
to do is throw hands. And I'm not saying it's right.
(25:22):
I'm just saying that there's enough record of human history
to show that ego plus a wound equals a squabble.
And while ego might have helped elevate Cam Newton to
legendary player status as an NFL player, it also might
be at the root of what got top shelf performance
dudes into believing that they have the best formula for
developing young athletes. And it's also the same things that
(25:44):
made all parties involved lose sight of the purpose of
being part of seven on seven in the first place.
It was their egos that kept it from being about
helping the kids and competing against Cam Newton can't be
the main thing. And I don't care what your beef is.
If your main priority and primary focus isn't helping kids
develop their skills, go do something else, because these families
(26:07):
don't need your inability to keep your ego in check,
putting their children's safety at risk. And for Cam Newton,
I can't pretend that he's gonna take my advice or
change anything about how he conducts hisself because he's on
the seven on seventh field, But the c one Inn
Foundation mission.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Should speak for him.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
If above all else, Cam Newton wants to give kids
opportunities to compete and develop more than he wants to
jaw at dudes who spent Monday through Friday at day jobs.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
That will show.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
But if he still got this much competitive juice, maybe
it's time to put the pass back on and go
make some contact, because at the end of the day,
it's got to be about the kids. Let's talk about
the United Football League because spring football finally has a
shot to survive, and there are two main reasons why
(26:59):
it can work and why you should care.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
And I'll get to those in just a second.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
And I'm not gonna sit up here and bore you
with the details about how this league came to be
other than what you need to know, because spring football
has been the white well of many people in the
business of sports. You've had so many leagues try and
fail and it hasn't worked. And now the merger of
the XFL and the USFL to form the UFL might
(27:23):
just be our best shot at finally making it happen.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Because I actually loved the idea of.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Spring football, and honestly, I just haven't loved the execution
of spring football because they've tried to stand on their own,
which is why we don't buy in.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
And I'm speaking from experience here because.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
I played in the old version of the UFL and
not only did I win a championship with the twenty
and ten Las Vegas Locos, well Locomotives, I caught the
last touchdown pass of the twenty and ten season in
the championship game. The thing that I loved about the
old UFL was that it was a hybridge of college
and the NFL, so it made it did a lot
(28:00):
of fun because everybody that was involved the league the coaches,
the players, and the fans in the stands were there
because they loved ball. It wasn't about money, because nobody
was getting life changing contracts, even though there was money involved,
and they were there because they had unrealized NFL dreams.
Or like me, after I got cut by the Giants
because they wouldn't clear me because of my neck, I
(28:22):
wanted to prove that I wasn't done and that I
still had more game left. But in my case, though
of figuring out that I needed two percocets and a
so much just to fall asleep at night, let me
know that the Giants were right and my neck was
not good enough to play pro football. But that's a
whole nother story for another time. The thing that was
refreshing and so much fun was you were around dudes
(28:43):
that were locked in and understood the stakes and the business.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
Of it was out. It was just ball.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
And with all the complaining about inflated NFL contracts and
the changes brought by NIL in the college game, I'm
honestly shocked that nobody did the spring football right before
for now, because this type of league can actually find
a bigger audience. The reality is, though is that the
UFL's best chance for survival is going to find.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Some way to make themselves useful, useful to the.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Juggernaut that devous everything in its path, the National Football League,
Because if the NFL had an interest in the spring league,
it probably would have started one itself, But since they
haven't gotten around to do that yet, the UFL has
a window to prove that not only can it be
a viable spectator sport in a non traditional season, the
league also has time to find a way to entice
(29:33):
the NFL to invest. Because there are two things that
the UFL can do to make themselves useful. Number one
be the minor league of the NFL. Get team scouts, film,
access emails about the players like just blast it out
and make sure that the league feels a part of
it the way they want your players, just like the
(29:53):
G League in the NBA. Number two, be a place
where the NFL can test out rules about kickoffs, replays,
sky judges, and anything else that it wants to because
the NFL recently expanded practice squads, and what better place
to grow and develop young players that you've drafted than
loaning them out to the spring league. One thing that
(30:15):
we know for certain is that players get missed in
the draft process because without Arena football, there's no Kurt Warner.
And the NFL used to have NFL Europe, which is
the G League to the NBA, and a lot of
good players have come out of the G League and
been good NBA players, And the same can come from
the UFL because there's dudes that can play. Look at
(30:37):
Saint Louis Battlehawk's wide receiver Jaquor Pearson. He might have
had a chance with the Chiefs this year because they
weren't running out great wide receivers. Or maybe Michael Joseph
of the DC Defenders, who maybe could have helped out
terrible pass rushers in twenty twenty three like the Titans
and the Raiders, but without the potential for the ultimate
(30:57):
reward a spot in the NFL, I'm not sure the
stakes force bring league will ever be high enough to
drive NFL fans into a new routine of consuming football
in April and May. That's why this league can work
is because having a place where NFL can develop their players.
Think about how many times we heard this last season, Oh,
there's a backup quarterback problem in the NFL. Send them
(31:20):
down to the UFL and let them develop. But who knows,
maybe the expanding landscape of legalized sports betting can give
the UFL the juice that it needs to get the
NFL's attention. And maybe pitting the XFL conference against the
USFL Conference is the going to create the type of
conflict that sparks interest as well. And maybe being in
Marcus like Birmingham, San Antonio, Memphis at Saint Louis will
(31:43):
create some loyal fan bases that crave a professional football
experience that their city can call their own. And that's
the Unafraid Show. Make sure that you like, subscribe, get notifications,
and tell a friend so we can keep bringing you
dope content and we'll catch you guys next week
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