November 13, 2024 • 28 mins
Bucky Brooks and Rhett Lewis are back with a new episode of Move the Sticks. For the first half of the show, the guys are joined by Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson as he discusses what makes his running back Ashton Jeanty special, his recruiting philosophy, he hits on some of his mentors, he expands on keeping his team focused regardless of the College Football Playoff rankings, and much more (:54). To wrap up the show, Rhett and Bucky each give players that were "hot or not" in Week 10 (22:23).
Move the Sticks is a part of the NFL Podcasts Network.
NOTE: timecodes approximate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right, move the six back off and running here
back with you, Red Lewis, Bucky Brooks, as we got
a fun show lined up here for you today.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Of course, we're going to get to our hot or
Not segment.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
We've got a couple of quarterbacks here that are certainly
making this a little bit easier for us, right with
the way that Jalen Hurts has been playing lately, Russell
Wilson undefeated as the Pittsburgh Steelers starter.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Buck.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
We'll get to those guys here as well. But I'm
not sure that there is a hotter player in college
football right now than Ashton Genty, running back for the
Boise State Broncos. And he was a big topic of
conversation as we got to welcome the first year head
coach of Boise State, the leaders in the Mountain West Conference,
Spencer Danielson joined us here, and we have that conversation
(00:52):
for you, Hey, coach man, what a run this has
been for you guys, rocking and rolling through the Mountain West,
a bona fide college football playoff contender, so much excitement
and Boise right now, how would you kind of describe
the feeling around your program.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Yeah, man, we're fired up.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I mean, first off, thank you Jesus just for the
opportunity to be the head coach here. I mean, I'm
just so blessed to be around these kids, and I
mean they deserve it. I mean, these guys don't run
from hard work. I mean, and I'm very open about
Hey guys in January when there was snow on the
blue and our guys were out there playing tug a
war at six am, like, those are the things of
why they're able to play the way they are now.
(01:29):
And I'm proud of them. I mean, just like anything,
we got to keep learning and growing every single week.
But our team's on a mission. I can't promise what's
going to happen tomorrow, but I do know I'm proud
of what our guys have done to this point.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I'm excited to continue to learn and grow.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Oh you're talking about learning and growing.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
You go from being the interim head coach to being
the head coach. How much of a whirlwind has it
been for you to deal with that promotion while putting
your own stamp on the team and continuing what has
been a really good tradition at Boise State.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, I mean it's I mean, it's the grace of God.
And I got a lot of really good mentors that
I consistently picked their brain on when I got the
interim head coaching job. You know, Coach Peterson's a huge
mentor of mine and multiple others others that I mean,
I'm I'm not that smart, I'm not that cool, and
I tell people that like, this is not this is
that I've done. I'm a product of having a lot
(02:18):
of really good people around me. And so even when
I got the interim job, to even weekly I'm talk
with head coaches because I tell our players like, I'm
relentless to make sure I grow every single day to
be the best version of myself because that's what our
players deserve, and so's it's constantly learning and growing for
myself to help lead these young men in all facets
and developing in life. I mean, that's something that I'm
(02:40):
very open about with our team is you know, we
build champions here first.
Speaker 5 (02:44):
I believe that. Then a byproduct of that is winning championships.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
But I feel called to make sure and these young
men are done here, that they're gonna be better husbands
and fathers, and even some of our best players, seeing
how they lead, seeing how who they are in the community,
who they are as men of character. That's what really
brings me so much fulfillment on a daily basis. And
I'm just so blessed to be around man coach.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's that's such a powerful message, and it's one of development, right,
It's one of development and growth.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
But there's so much in.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
College football these days that speaks to the opposite, right,
that speaks to got to have it right now. Whether
that's from the team side, whether that's from the fans
side or the player side. How do you kind of
bring all of that together and try to maintain a
developmental type of program with young men and with players
in the changing landscape that we're sitting in here.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
Yeah, absolutely great question.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
You know, we talk a lot of Boise State about
being built different, and I make sure people know that
doesn't mean built perfect, and that we're doing something that's
you know, so much better.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
It's just it's different here.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
And I've been here for this is year number eight
at Boise State, and people would call me, you know,
this is years ago eve when I'm an assistant like,
when what's what's it about Boise State? Is it the
blue field? And you're like, well, you know, that's a
part of it, but there's nothing magical about that. The
work what these guys do, and it is a very
special place and it is different. And I tell our staff, like,
(04:05):
we don't need to fit into the mold of what
college football right now says that you need to do.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
We're not gonna do that.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Like, we want to be about transformation here, about building champions,
not about just the transactions of well, coaches come here
just to get another job, or players come here until
someone else wants them to leave for more money than
they leave, and that stuff happens, and that's not wrong,
it's just the reality.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Of college football Anscape.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
But we want to be different here and I want
to find players and coaches that want to be a
part of something different and leave a legacy. And that's
I mean what an Ashton gent did last season, that's
what an ahmedja Sain did. Well, they could have gone anywhere.
They want to be different, They want to leave a legacy.
They want to be developed not only for the NFL,
but for life. And they knew that The quickest way
for that not to happen is to lose focus on
(04:46):
things that.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
Don't directly impact that.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
They stayed a part of this team, and that's why
we're in the situation we are now, because they know
the best place for me to develop and become the
best version of myself is right here in Boise, Idaho.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Coach, you mentioned about the running back and his willingness
to stay. What makes him such a special player because
when I look at the tape, he does remarkable things
with the ball in his hands.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I mean, guys, we could be here all day talk
about makes him better. And I mean that because he's
He's touched my life, not only my life, just this team.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
Because before I even.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Talk about the football side of Ashton Genty, I want
to make sure people understand the personal side of him,
the character off the field. I mean, he's a unanimous
captain and at the end of last season he's the
Mountain West Player of the Year. Me his dad, I mean,
we had one conversation about him staying and he wanted
to be here. Wasn't like this sales pitch and all
(05:38):
these different things, like he wanted to be here. He
was committed to this place, and since the second January
workout started, you know, he was the first one here
working his tailoff from then till now. And his teammates
see that, and he's all about his teammates. We meet
a ton, and every time we meet, it's about the team.
We're in fall camp this past you know, August, and
(05:59):
we had a walk through, you know, later in the
day and after our walkthrough, he's waiting for me at
the end of practice, and I could see and I
could tell that he's a little frustrated, and he's like, Coach,
I need you to set a player's only meeting because
you know, I didn't feel like the urgency in practice
was where it needs to be. And so we set
a players only meeting and our players, you know, a
bunch of our players called me after I said, coach,
(06:20):
we needed that. Like Ashton said some things straight, like
he's about the team. It's not coach. How many carriers
can I get? You know, what's what's out there in
the media about me. It's team, team, team, That's how
he practiced, that's how he works. I had the you know,
monster blessing of being able to baptize him at church
during fall camp this past season. I mean, that's just
attestment to who he is a young man. That's not
(06:42):
because I asked him. That's because he just he's a
man of high character, loves the Lord, and he's on
a mission. He's on a mission and not only be
the best version of himself, but to continue to push
our team to continue to learn and grow as well.
I mean, he's he's a ten out of ten human being.
I meet with tons of scouts and gms about him.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
He's a ten out of ten man.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
That's super cool.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And then you know, you see you come up kind
of through the defensive side of the ball right to
your position now as the head coach, so you kind
of had a unique view of what.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Ashton was able to do. Right, Was there a moment?
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Because I go back to when I was playing in
Indiana and we had a player, Ben Jarvis Greenellis who
went on and did great things in the NFL a
couple of different franchises, and I remember we didn't know
anything about this kid right coming in and then all
of a sudden, he got like twenty carries in a
scrimmage and had like two hundred and fifty yards, Right, like,
was there a moment for you and for you guys
with Ashton where you were like, holy smokes.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Oh yeah, I will a great question. I will never forget.
I'm the defensive coordinator. Ash is an early and roll.
He he's seventeen years old. I mean he's only twenty
right now. He's seventeen years old. And I mean, let's
let's not get a twist that Ashton was big and
strong as a seventeen year old too. So when he
walked in, it was like, okay, here we go. Get
your mind right, defense, and we are in our first
(07:56):
spring ball scrimmage in March, and I'll never forget it's
fourth and one in a scrimmage and it's our starting defense.
And ashes out there and he pops this run on like.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
A zero pressure. That's like they shouldn't be.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Able to run the ball anywhere, right, He pops this
run and goes for eighty And I remember sitting there
obviously a little pissed off at first, and then I'm like, boys,
we're about to.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
See you know, greatness here here really quick.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And it went on to be a nightmare defend because
ash just puts defenses in conflict and this is what
I relate to players like, you don't know how to
attack him, Like do you do you stop your feet?
If you do, he's gonna run over you if you
come in too high, like he'll cut back and you
don't have the you don't know. He has the top
end speed to take in the distance. He can catch
the ball at the backfield. He's an elite receiver. If
(08:43):
you line him up at empty he just he continually
puts not only defensive coordinators, but all the eleven players
in conflict.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
You know, it's funny you talk about being in conflict.
I think you probably have to be a little conflicted
when you think about where the state of the game
is now, being on the verge of POTENTI going to
the playoff. How do you keep your team focused on
the here and now by knowing that that Karen is
dangling out there for your team if you guys can
go get.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, It's a huge part of my job is making
sure our players stay focused on what matters, and that's
us handling our process and our work.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Day to day.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Because the reality of it is, I mean, even back
when we first got ranked in the top twenty.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
Five, it was very open with our players, like, guys,
this means nothing.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
You lose a game, don't play well, no one talks
about you anymore, So don't don't listen to it now.
It's also we handle how much we listen to by
how much we click on this too now.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
And so I'm very open with our players.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I'm also, hey, guys, congrats, like you guys are doing
some good things.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Like I talk about what I learned.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I learned that we have a good football team, but
the most important game of our season is always the
next one. We're gonna get everybody's best, and my promise
is that we're gonna work our tails off to make
sure they get our best too. And I even, you know,
this is a couple of weeks ago. I brought one
of our players up to the front and I started just,
you know, jokingly hitting on these things. I just kept
(10:04):
hitting his shoulder. I'm like, oh, you guys ranked in
the top twenty five, Oh, you have a Heisman player
on your team. Oh, you guys are so good. And
just kept hitting his shoulder. Our whole team's kind of
looking at me like what is this guy doing? And
I'm like, the more you listen to all those pats
on the back, the more it just starts to take
that chip off your shoulder, and it just starts to
let that big chip become nice and soft and smooth.
(10:26):
And so it's coming at our players. I mean it's
out there. I mean, where you're ranked in the playoffs,
all that, none of it matters now. It's going to
matter at the end of the season. But right now,
I mean, we got San Jose State who's a really
good football team, and they have every right to go
out and beat us, and we got to work our
tails off to play our best.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Yeah, no question.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
And look, you're in this position, as you talked about
with you know, because the guys that are there on
your roster, the coaches that are there, and you know,
to do this in your first year as the full
time head coach is certainly special. But there's so much
that goes into it. And we love roster construction here
on Move the Sticks. Coach talk about it all the
time from the NFL level, but it's so it's almost
(11:04):
mirrored now on the college level, and I'm sure you
can attest to that. I feel like there's a couple
of different ways you can look at this. You know
whether it's transfer portal or whether it's uh, you know,
whether it's you know, incoming high school. You know seniors,
you have guys that you build connections with, right, you
have guys that you think have great potential, or especially
with the transfer portal, you have guys that have shown
(11:25):
great production. How do you kind of waive those factors
as you try to bring the best guys in and
build the best team and blue their and boising.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean roster management.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Obviously, roster's going to one oh five, and there's a
lot of different moving parts with it, not only in
talent acquisition, but job number one for me is keeping
our players and with with the landscape of some of
the illegal recruiting or call what it is.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
I mean that's happening.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
I'm not gonna sit here and complain it. That's happening.
So job number one for me is keeping our talent.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And then it's making sure we continually find players that
are built different and wired.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
The right way.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Because I always say this to our staff, Like football
starts the conversation, how tall is the how fast is he?
What's his skill set for each position? But after that,
what makes him different?
Speaker 5 (12:11):
That's my quote.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What makes him different, coach, He's a captain, he doesn't
come for much. He's the first one in the building.
Like that makes him different. Like those are the guys
that are special here. Like there's got to be some
outlying trait that makes them different that then takes that
skill set and puts them in the whole different category.
We are primarily a high school recruiting organization. I mean,
and I'm open with our staff like we are a
developmental program. I want to find freshmen and develop them. Yes,
(12:34):
we look at the portal. Yes we recruit junior college.
We need to find the best available to help our team,
but we start first and foremost recruiting the high school
young man because we want to make sure we bring
him in in four or five years, whatever it takes,
can grow and develop him to be the best verson himself.
If you look at our team, you know ninety five
percent of our best players came here as high school players.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
And they developed grew.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
I mean, going to the season, I think ninety percent
of all our starters returning, we're freshmen that came not
freshman now, but came as freshmen. And because we're a
developmental program. You find the guys that are wired the
right way, that love football, that love being a part
of the team. And then the other part of it
now is I want to know more and more about
what is the structure of this young man's life, Like
who is the champion?
Speaker 5 (13:16):
Is it mom? Is it Dad? Is a coach? Is
it auntie?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Because not only are we gonna need their support to
help grow and develop them, they're gonna be the ones
that help us keep them focused when they are successful
and everybody tries and get them to leave.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
And so it's a there's a lot of moving parts
to it.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Number one, keeping our talent here in Boise and focused
on that developing to be the best versons themselves. Then
it's recruiting the best high school kill the kids that
are built different. And then from there we look each
each year to c k, what are the what are
the transfer portal or junior college needs and is there
a fit? And that's right, like we can't let's not
fit a square peg in the route hole guys, like
we got to find the guys that fit and if
(13:53):
they don't, then and we got to play a true freshman.
We'll play a true freshman eighty other week and if it,
we'll take our lumps with him because we know he's
gonna to be wired and he's gonna grow.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
And so it's something that you're constantly working through and evaluating.
Speaker 6 (14:04):
You know, coaches is so interesting that you talk about
like the talent acquisition part of it being high school focused.
Having known Chris Peterson, Chris Peterson used to always use
the acronym okg our kind of guy, So I know
there is something that you have that is similar. When
it comes to describing your players. You talked about finding
what makes them a champion, what makes them different, but.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Go a little deeper.
Speaker 6 (14:26):
What kind of gual you're looking for from a character's
standpoint that fits your program when you are developmental program.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Yeah, first off, if they are not a captain on
their high school team, it's gonna be very hard for
us to recruit him. Like, that's one of the first
things I ask because if he's not one of the
top leaders on his team, now I.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
There better be a really good reason. Yeah, if it's
just he's super.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Quiet, like and I'm not saying like there's there's always
a little gray in some of this, but first and
foremost when I ask our coaches, is is he a captain?
Because that shows that that at his high school right now,
he is leading the way we need him to on
and off the field. And then there's a long list
of questions that we ask high school coaches trainers, and
none of them are yes or no. Because if I
(15:08):
ask any coach, hey, is he a good kid?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Yes? No, like that's not a good like is he
a hard worker?
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Yeah, he's got to be.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
So everything is it has a story based to a
tell like for example, tell me an opportunity, or tell
me a situation where this young man outworked the competition.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
And then I want to hear the coaches talk. Well,
you know a coach our weight room was.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Locked one day because it was a holiday, and he
came to my house to get the key and unlocked
the weight room so other guys can work out. Hey,
that's a guy like, that's the kind of kid we want, right,
So I want I want to hear the story because
if you just say, hey, is he a hard worker?
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Or is he love football? Yeah he does.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
But if he say he loves football, well, tell me
a situation where he asked to you know where that
shows up. Well, you know, he's the guy that leads
his own meetings even when the coaches are teaching class.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
That guy loves football, he wants to study it. And
so trying to find these, you know, these parts of
these core values that actually mirror from a story that
this kid's been through, because then that really tells you
a lot about the young man. Because high school coaches
are going to tell you the truth, but you got
to you got to give them questions that can paint
this picture. And especially and I mean, we don't need
(16:13):
five hundred people to fit Boise State. I tell our
staff that we define the right twenty or twenty five
each year. And there might be guys that don't want
to be here because of how we do things how hard.
But I'm very open with recruiting about how hard it is, Like,
don't come here if it's about money and jersey numbers
and what's it going to do for you? Like, I
want guys that want to bet on themselves, men put
your chips on the table and like, but it takes
(16:35):
time to go through that process. So we don't recruit
a lot of guys.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
We don't offer a.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Lot of guys.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
We're always one of the lower on the lists in
regards to offers because I'm not smart enough to recruit
two hundred high school kids.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
I'm just not don't got time to get to know
home that right way.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
A lot of text messages.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
A lot of text messages, and so we just do
things a little bit different to find the wiring of
the kids.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
That's uh, that's that's really neat, coach, And I love
hearing you talk about the growth that that you're players,
you know show once they get on campus, right, and
that starts with with obviously bringing the right guys in.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
What about your growth, coach?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
As we're sitting here nine games in, you know, tell
us a little bit about where you are now as
a head coach at Boise State.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Where you were is you know, getting the nod as
the interim head coach?
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Yeah, Gouy, I mean same thing, I promise you. I'm
I'm learning something new every single day I need to.
But even like I said when I got the interim
head coaching job and then was able to get the
full time head coaching job, I'm blessed to be around
so many good mentors, Like I said, me and coach
Pete he comes out a ton. We zoom once a
week on everything from messaging to schedules. I mean once
(17:37):
a week, no questions asked. I was able to go
out and see Dabbos Sweeney in the offseason.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
I was able to.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Talk with Matt Campbell. Brian Harson is someone I talked
to a lot. You know, I've talked with just a
bunch of these guys. Jonathan Smith, like there's just there's
a long list of guys. Talked with PJ. Fleck, like
anyone I could find that's a head coach. Like I'm talking,
I'm I'm and then I'm gonna wad through to see
kind of how it fits me and how if it's
this program but from everything and so I mean for
(18:04):
me and how I'm growing every week, like every week,
and then when I zoom with Coach Pete, it's it's
talking about those things like, hey, this was my messaging
direct I'm I'm big on messaging.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
I believe you know, messaging is a.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Force multiplier and I'm very I want to be very
specific with our guys and I and I relate it
to our staff.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
I want to use a fire hose, not a mister.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
So like I'm very My meetings are quick. I'm usually
eight to ten minutes, but it is very direct on
what we need to do. It's not these long meetings
and I'm kind of all over the place. And that's
something that I've needed to learn and grow in. And
it's something you know, as a defensive coordinator, you had
time to kind of meet with the whole defense go
through a game plan. As a head coach, I got
ten minutes, and I got to make sure that I
am clear, direct and it is set and it's very
(18:44):
clear for our coaches so that they can use the
same messaging so that it becomes a force multiplier.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
So messaging is a big one.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I'm always finding ways to make sure our schedule is efficient.
As the time of the year changes, I'm changing practice
plans to fit what we need most. Are we getting
the most recovery? Are we still having joy in our process?
Do I need to make something different so it doesn't
become the mundane. So there's so many things on a
weekly basis, from messaging to scheduling to you know, really
(19:11):
the vibe that that's around our building Because I really
want our players to have a ton of joy on
this journey, and I tell guys like you can enjoy
doing hard things. That's life and it's not just having
joy when you're on off time or having joy after
a championship game. Like life is a journey, life is
a climb. Enjoy this pursuit. And it's my job to
make sure that that is what our guys feel. And
so there's there's going to be so many different things
(19:33):
we learn and grow it every single day and start
with me, coach.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
Last thing for you from my end, if I've never
seen your team and I had to close my eyes.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Could you paint a picture for what I should.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
See when I see the Boise State Broncos play under
your direction.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Yeah, first and foremost, that's a great question. I talked
to our team a lot. Is I want you I
would want someone to see a team that it plays
with relentless effort and loves their teammates, and like that's
the overarching and the three ways we do it. We
say we play fast, play smart, play together. Like that's
what I want someone to see when they watch us
playing fast. That's that effort. Like you don't you might
(20:09):
not know exactly what you're supposed to do. That's Okay, man,
I want you to hunt and play fast, and then
the smart part of it, like that's what Boise State
has been built on. I mean, these guys are relentless
in regards to how they watch film, how they do
walk throughs. That's not a culture thing that I've started.
That's been inbred in the bones of Boise State football.
And the last part, which is playing together, Like this
(20:30):
is the greatest team sport on the planet if you
emphasize that, it's not about me, me, me, it's about together.
So I want I I'm always fine trying to show
clips of Hey, great touchdown run by Ashton, but look
at this amazing block by our receivers. Look at this
tight end work up the field. Hey, big time throw
from Maddox to the trell cables. But look at how
far that safety ran up to because of the run.
(20:52):
Fake Right, it's together and those are the three things
that I want, And we don't.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
We're not perfect at and we're working to do it
every day. But I want a team.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
When someone walks, I want to see them see a
team that plays fast, They places more, they play football
the right way, and they and they do it all.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Together well it's a it's a beautiful thing and it's
got a chance to make some big time waves here
and these final three games. I know your focus is
on San Jose and we wish you all the best
coach in that endeavor and wherever this postseason takes you.
Thanks so much for spending some time with us here
on Move the Sticks.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Awesome. Thanks guys, God bless.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
You so Buck.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Look, I applaud you know what coach is doing there
with his you know, development minded program and and really
trying to continue to make an emphasis on high school players.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
You know, I think you're always wondering can you keep
that up.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
In this world?
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Can you keep that up?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
And the way that his passion speaks to that, Like,
I think that it's not just us, it's not something
he's saying, it's something he believes in. So I think
he'll they'll have that on their side. But I'm really
curious to see how that, you know, the college football
playoff and how the rest of the changing landscape and
college football will affect programs like Boise State moving forward.
Speaker 6 (22:04):
Yeah, I wonder because you always wonder about the quote
unquote little guys, how they're going to survive when the
world has become more transactional than transformational. But they're selling
that they're committed to developing high school players, four and
five year players that stay on campus and get better
and avoid leaving when they have.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
A little success.
Speaker 6 (22:24):
To do that, I think it's about relationships, and it's
about the tradition, the relationships that coach has with the players,
and how the coaches relate to the players and how
the players relate to each other. But then it's about
the tradition because but Boise has always punched above his weight.
It's always been a program that has traditionally kind of
(22:45):
knocked off the heavyweights.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
And look, they are David knocking off Golife. I think
that continues.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
And if they are able to make it to the
tournament and get into the playoff, it still changes the
perception of the program. They become one of the say
underrated powers that exists on the West Coast. It gives
them maybe a little head up on some of the
competition when it comes to recruiting.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, and look, I love the twelve team playoff because
we're gonna have a chance to see a team like
Boise State, you know, and and like teams like you
know UCF from years past, all right, but now you
see F in the Big twelve, so you know you
have a better shot at that.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
But with the way that the.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Conferences are changing too, I'm still glad that there's a
spot for a team like Boise in the college football playoff,
in the tournament. Okay, it is time for Hot or Not,
brought to you by with Sabbi Hot Cloud Storage. And
with that, Bucky, let's get to some players here. On
(23:45):
Russell Wilson is the first one that comes to mind
for me. The numbers aren't I popping right, they're not
jumping off the charts, but the wins are and the
losses are not because there are none for him as
the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. Again goes back to the
confidence in the decision that Mike Tomlin made. But Russell
Wilson is playing good football, and that's hot right now
(24:07):
in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
That is hot in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 6 (24:11):
And I'll be the first one to say that I
wasn't in love with the move when he made it,
because Justin Fields was playing well enough that the team
was winning games.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
However, the job of the head coach.
Speaker 6 (24:20):
Is to anticipate the potential problems that are on the
horizon and have an answer for them. And by putting
Russell Wilson in the lineup, he has already answered how
teams were going to load up against that run heavy attack.
We are seeing the return of the deep ball in Pittsburgh.
And for me in my area, I think about those
long pass they used to go to Lynz Run and
(24:41):
John Stalworth. Now now Russell Wilson is dropping these moon
balls into George Pickens and Mike Williams. And as teams
are beginning to have to respect the deep ball, the
running game will open up. And if you got the
running game and the deep ball and the magic that
Russell displays in the fourth quarter to go with that defense,
now you're talking about the Pittsburgh still is in a
(25:02):
different light. They've gone from playoff contender the possible title
contender with Russell Wilson under center.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Great one, And we'll get a two for here. Because
they played each other on Thursday Night Football in Week ten.
Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson four touchdowns a piece in
that game, not a single interception. Lamar threw for nearly
three hundred Burrow threw for over four hundred. They both
got similar touchdown to interception ratios right now. The only
(25:32):
difference is the Ravens are winning and the Bengals can't
quite find a consistent streak on that part.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
So I feel like both quarterbacks are hot.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I guess you could make an argument that the not
part would reside with the Bengals as a team at
this point.
Speaker 6 (25:47):
Yeah, I guess so, And I'll take the Bengals part
of the conversation because in Joe Burrow.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
It's funny because we laughed a couple of years.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
Ago when they asked Joe Burrow about the Bengals championship
window and he basically said, the champions windows as open
as long as I'm playing. And what I see from
the Bengals is it doesn't matter if they have a
slow start, it doesn't matter if they have a few
hiccups down the road. This team is always a dangerous
team and if they can somehow found their way into
the tournament, no one wants to deal with Joe Burrow
(26:16):
a hot Joe Burrow throwing the ball, Jamar Chase and
T Higgins and some of the other webs available on
the perimeter.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
This dude is legit.
Speaker 6 (26:23):
And I was late to the party when it came
to recognizing his special qualities as a franchise quarterback. But
you see it each and every week. This dude is
a premier quarterback, one that we have to talk about
as one of the top five quarterbacks in the league.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Look, they're four and six.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
They're a game out of the seventh spot in the
AFC right now, which is currently occupied by the Denver
Broncos at five and five. Now, I think it's going
to be hard for them to challenge to get much
further north than the seventh spot because the team in
sixth right now is the Chargers. They're six and three,
so that's three back in the loss column, two back
in the win column there for Cincinnati. But they're fighting
(27:01):
with a team like Indianapolis and a team on the
come up like Miami to try to get into that
to get into the tournament. Whereas it feels like KC, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Houston, Baltimore, LA,
basically like everybody's fighting for it feels like one spot
right now in the AFC. So they've still got a chance, certainly,
and Joe Burrow is a big reason for it, and that,
(27:25):
my friends, is a look at what we have going
for you. This week's Hot or Not brought to you
by with Sabi Hot cloud storage, store more and do
more with your data. Try them for free at with
Sabi dot com. All right, Buck, that's going to do
it for us here, buddy, on this episode of Move
the Sticks. We've got a lot coming up for you
(27:46):
each and every week and can't wait to see how
the rookie draft unfolds and whether or no Bill is
still producing this podcast when we come back to you
next Tuesday, So I'll look forward to all that, Bud.
Always great to be here with you, and thanks again
for listening to move.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
This team.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
Before, put before
And now move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right, move the six back off and running here
back with you, Red Lewis, Bucky Brooks, as we got
a fun show lined up here for you today.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Of course, we're going to get to our hot or
Not segment.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
We've got a couple of quarterbacks here that are certainly
making this a little bit easier for us, right with
the way that Jalen Hurts has been playing lately, Russell
Wilson undefeated as the Pittsburgh Steelers starter.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Buck.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
We'll get to those guys here as well. But I'm
not sure that there is a hotter player in college
football right now than Ashton Genty, running back for the
Boise State Broncos. And he was a big topic of
conversation as we got to welcome the first year head
coach of Boise State, the leaders in the Mountain West Conference,
Spencer Danielson joined us here, and we have that conversation
(00:52):
for you, Hey, coach man, what a run this has
been for you guys, rocking and rolling through the Mountain West,
a bona fide college football playoff contender, so much excitement
and Boise right now, how would you kind of describe
the feeling around your program.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Yeah, man, we're fired up.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I mean, first off, thank you Jesus just for the
opportunity to be the head coach here. I mean, I'm
just so blessed to be around these kids, and I
mean they deserve it. I mean, these guys don't run
from hard work. I mean, and I'm very open about
Hey guys in January when there was snow on the
blue and our guys were out there playing tug a
war at six am, like, those are the things of
why they're able to play the way they are now.
(01:29):
And I'm proud of them. I mean, just like anything,
we got to keep learning and growing every single week.
But our team's on a mission. I can't promise what's
going to happen tomorrow, but I do know I'm proud
of what our guys have done to this point.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I'm excited to continue to learn and grow.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Oh you're talking about learning and growing.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
You go from being the interim head coach to being
the head coach. How much of a whirlwind has it
been for you to deal with that promotion while putting
your own stamp on the team and continuing what has
been a really good tradition at Boise State.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, I mean it's I mean, it's the grace of God.
And I got a lot of really good mentors that
I consistently picked their brain on when I got the
interim head coaching job. You know, Coach Peterson's a huge
mentor of mine and multiple others others that I mean,
I'm I'm not that smart, I'm not that cool, and
I tell people that like, this is not this is
that I've done. I'm a product of having a lot
(02:18):
of really good people around me. And so even when
I got the interim job, to even weekly I'm talk
with head coaches because I tell our players like, I'm
relentless to make sure I grow every single day to
be the best version of myself because that's what our
players deserve, and so's it's constantly learning and growing for
myself to help lead these young men in all facets
and developing in life. I mean, that's something that I'm
(02:40):
very open about with our team is you know, we
build champions here first.
Speaker 5 (02:44):
I believe that. Then a byproduct of that is winning championships.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
But I feel called to make sure and these young
men are done here, that they're gonna be better husbands
and fathers, and even some of our best players, seeing
how they lead, seeing how who they are in the community,
who they are as men of character. That's what really
brings me so much fulfillment on a daily basis. And
I'm just so blessed to be around man coach.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's that's such a powerful message, and it's one of development, right,
It's one of development and growth.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
But there's so much in.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
College football these days that speaks to the opposite, right,
that speaks to got to have it right now. Whether
that's from the team side, whether that's from the fans
side or the player side. How do you kind of
bring all of that together and try to maintain a
developmental type of program with young men and with players
in the changing landscape that we're sitting in here.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
Yeah, absolutely great question.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
You know, we talk a lot of Boise State about
being built different, and I make sure people know that
doesn't mean built perfect, and that we're doing something that's
you know, so much better.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
It's just it's different here.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
And I've been here for this is year number eight
at Boise State, and people would call me, you know,
this is years ago eve when I'm an assistant like,
when what's what's it about Boise State? Is it the
blue field? And you're like, well, you know, that's a
part of it, but there's nothing magical about that. The
work what these guys do, and it is a very
special place and it is different. And I tell our staff, like,
(04:05):
we don't need to fit into the mold of what
college football right now says that you need to do.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
We're not gonna do that.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Like, we want to be about transformation here, about building champions,
not about just the transactions of well, coaches come here
just to get another job, or players come here until
someone else wants them to leave for more money than
they leave, and that stuff happens, and that's not wrong,
it's just the reality.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Of college football Anscape.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
But we want to be different here and I want
to find players and coaches that want to be a
part of something different and leave a legacy. And that's
I mean what an Ashton gent did last season, that's
what an ahmedja Sain did. Well, they could have gone anywhere.
They want to be different, They want to leave a legacy.
They want to be developed not only for the NFL,
but for life. And they knew that The quickest way
for that not to happen is to lose focus on
(04:46):
things that.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
Don't directly impact that.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
They stayed a part of this team, and that's why
we're in the situation we are now, because they know
the best place for me to develop and become the
best version of myself is right here in Boise, Idaho.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Coach, you mentioned about the running back and his willingness
to stay. What makes him such a special player because
when I look at the tape, he does remarkable things
with the ball in his hands.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I mean, guys, we could be here all day talk
about makes him better. And I mean that because he's
He's touched my life, not only my life, just this team.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
Because before I even.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Talk about the football side of Ashton Genty, I want
to make sure people understand the personal side of him,
the character off the field. I mean, he's a unanimous
captain and at the end of last season he's the
Mountain West Player of the Year. Me his dad, I mean,
we had one conversation about him staying and he wanted
to be here. Wasn't like this sales pitch and all
(05:38):
these different things, like he wanted to be here. He
was committed to this place, and since the second January
workout started, you know, he was the first one here
working his tailoff from then till now. And his teammates
see that, and he's all about his teammates. We meet
a ton, and every time we meet, it's about the team.
We're in fall camp this past you know, August, and
(05:59):
we had a walk through, you know, later in the
day and after our walkthrough, he's waiting for me at
the end of practice, and I could see and I
could tell that he's a little frustrated, and he's like, Coach,
I need you to set a player's only meeting because
you know, I didn't feel like the urgency in practice
was where it needs to be. And so we set
a players only meeting and our players, you know, a
bunch of our players called me after I said, coach,
(06:20):
we needed that. Like Ashton said some things straight, like
he's about the team. It's not coach. How many carriers
can I get? You know, what's what's out there in
the media about me. It's team, team, team, That's how
he practiced, that's how he works. I had the you know,
monster blessing of being able to baptize him at church
during fall camp this past season. I mean, that's just
attestment to who he is a young man. That's not
(06:42):
because I asked him. That's because he just he's a
man of high character, loves the Lord, and he's on
a mission. He's on a mission and not only be
the best version of himself, but to continue to push
our team to continue to learn and grow as well.
I mean, he's he's a ten out of ten human being.
I meet with tons of scouts and gms about him.
Speaker 5 (06:58):
He's a ten out of ten man.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
That's super cool.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And then you know, you see you come up kind
of through the defensive side of the ball right to
your position now as the head coach, so you kind
of had a unique view of what.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Ashton was able to do. Right, Was there a moment?
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Because I go back to when I was playing in
Indiana and we had a player, Ben Jarvis Greenellis who
went on and did great things in the NFL a
couple of different franchises, and I remember we didn't know
anything about this kid right coming in and then all
of a sudden, he got like twenty carries in a
scrimmage and had like two hundred and fifty yards, Right, like,
was there a moment for you and for you guys
with Ashton where you were like, holy smokes.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Oh yeah, I will a great question. I will never forget.
I'm the defensive coordinator. Ash is an early and roll.
He he's seventeen years old. I mean he's only twenty
right now. He's seventeen years old. And I mean, let's
let's not get a twist that Ashton was big and
strong as a seventeen year old too. So when he
walked in, it was like, okay, here we go. Get
your mind right, defense, and we are in our first
(07:56):
spring ball scrimmage in March, and I'll never forget it's
fourth and one in a scrimmage and it's our starting defense.
And ashes out there and he pops this run on like.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
A zero pressure. That's like they shouldn't be.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Able to run the ball anywhere, right, He pops this
run and goes for eighty And I remember sitting there
obviously a little pissed off at first, and then I'm like, boys,
we're about to.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
See you know, greatness here here really quick.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
And it went on to be a nightmare defend because
ash just puts defenses in conflict and this is what
I relate to players like, you don't know how to
attack him, Like do you do you stop your feet?
If you do, he's gonna run over you if you
come in too high, like he'll cut back and you
don't have the you don't know. He has the top
end speed to take in the distance. He can catch
the ball at the backfield. He's an elite receiver. If
(08:43):
you line him up at empty he just he continually
puts not only defensive coordinators, but all the eleven players
in conflict.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
You know, it's funny you talk about being in conflict.
I think you probably have to be a little conflicted
when you think about where the state of the game
is now, being on the verge of POTENTI going to
the playoff. How do you keep your team focused on
the here and now by knowing that that Karen is
dangling out there for your team if you guys can
go get.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, It's a huge part of my job is making
sure our players stay focused on what matters, and that's
us handling our process and our work.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Day to day.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Because the reality of it is, I mean, even back
when we first got ranked in the top twenty.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
Five, it was very open with our players, like, guys,
this means nothing.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
You lose a game, don't play well, no one talks
about you anymore, So don't don't listen to it now.
It's also we handle how much we listen to by
how much we click on this too now.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
And so I'm very open with our players.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I'm also, hey, guys, congrats, like you guys are doing
some good things.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Like I talk about what I learned.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I learned that we have a good football team, but
the most important game of our season is always the
next one. We're gonna get everybody's best, and my promise
is that we're gonna work our tails off to make
sure they get our best too. And I even, you know,
this is a couple of weeks ago. I brought one
of our players up to the front and I started just,
you know, jokingly hitting on these things. I just kept
(10:04):
hitting his shoulder. I'm like, oh, you guys ranked in
the top twenty five, Oh, you have a Heisman player
on your team. Oh, you guys are so good. And
just kept hitting his shoulder. Our whole team's kind of
looking at me like what is this guy doing? And
I'm like, the more you listen to all those pats
on the back, the more it just starts to take
that chip off your shoulder, and it just starts to
let that big chip become nice and soft and smooth.
(10:26):
And so it's coming at our players. I mean it's
out there. I mean, where you're ranked in the playoffs,
all that, none of it matters now. It's going to
matter at the end of the season. But right now,
I mean, we got San Jose State who's a really
good football team, and they have every right to go
out and beat us, and we got to work our
tails off to play our best.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Yeah, no question.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
And look, you're in this position, as you talked about
with you know, because the guys that are there on
your roster, the coaches that are there, and you know,
to do this in your first year as the full
time head coach is certainly special. But there's so much
that goes into it. And we love roster construction here
on Move the Sticks. Coach talk about it all the
time from the NFL level, but it's so it's almost
(11:04):
mirrored now on the college level, and I'm sure you
can attest to that. I feel like there's a couple
of different ways you can look at this. You know
whether it's transfer portal or whether it's uh, you know,
whether it's you know, incoming high school. You know seniors,
you have guys that you build connections with, right, you
have guys that you think have great potential, or especially
with the transfer portal, you have guys that have shown
(11:25):
great production. How do you kind of waive those factors
as you try to bring the best guys in and
build the best team and blue their and boising.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean roster management.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Obviously, roster's going to one oh five, and there's a
lot of different moving parts with it, not only in
talent acquisition, but job number one for me is keeping
our players and with with the landscape of some of
the illegal recruiting or call what it is.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
I mean that's happening.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
I'm not gonna sit here and complain it. That's happening.
So job number one for me is keeping our talent.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And then it's making sure we continually find players that
are built different and wired.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
The right way.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Because I always say this to our staff, Like football
starts the conversation, how tall is the how fast is he?
What's his skill set for each position? But after that,
what makes him different?
Speaker 5 (12:11):
That's my quote.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What makes him different, coach, He's a captain, he doesn't
come for much. He's the first one in the building.
Like that makes him different. Like those are the guys
that are special here. Like there's got to be some
outlying trait that makes them different that then takes that
skill set and puts them in the whole different category.
We are primarily a high school recruiting organization. I mean,
and I'm open with our staff like we are a
developmental program. I want to find freshmen and develop them. Yes,
(12:34):
we look at the portal. Yes we recruit junior college.
We need to find the best available to help our team,
but we start first and foremost recruiting the high school
young man because we want to make sure we bring
him in in four or five years, whatever it takes,
can grow and develop him to be the best verson himself.
If you look at our team, you know ninety five
percent of our best players came here as high school players.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
And they developed grew.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
I mean, going to the season, I think ninety percent
of all our starters returning, we're freshmen that came not
freshman now, but came as freshmen. And because we're a
developmental program. You find the guys that are wired the
right way, that love football, that love being a part
of the team. And then the other part of it
now is I want to know more and more about
what is the structure of this young man's life, Like
who is the champion?
Speaker 5 (13:16):
Is it mom? Is it Dad? Is a coach? Is
it auntie?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Because not only are we gonna need their support to
help grow and develop them, they're gonna be the ones
that help us keep them focused when they are successful
and everybody tries and get them to leave.
Speaker 5 (13:28):
And so it's a there's a lot of moving parts
to it.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Number one, keeping our talent here in Boise and focused
on that developing to be the best versons themselves. Then
it's recruiting the best high school kill the kids that
are built different. And then from there we look each
each year to c k, what are the what are
the transfer portal or junior college needs and is there
a fit? And that's right, like we can't let's not
fit a square peg in the route hole guys, like
we got to find the guys that fit and if
(13:53):
they don't, then and we got to play a true freshman.
We'll play a true freshman eighty other week and if it,
we'll take our lumps with him because we know he's
gonna to be wired and he's gonna grow.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
And so it's something that you're constantly working through and evaluating.
Speaker 6 (14:04):
You know, coaches is so interesting that you talk about
like the talent acquisition part of it being high school focused.
Having known Chris Peterson, Chris Peterson used to always use
the acronym okg our kind of guy, So I know
there is something that you have that is similar. When
it comes to describing your players. You talked about finding
what makes them a champion, what makes them different, but.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Go a little deeper.
Speaker 6 (14:26):
What kind of gual you're looking for from a character's
standpoint that fits your program when you are developmental program.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Yeah, first off, if they are not a captain on
their high school team, it's gonna be very hard for
us to recruit him. Like, that's one of the first
things I ask because if he's not one of the
top leaders on his team, now I.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
There better be a really good reason. Yeah, if it's
just he's super.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Quiet, like and I'm not saying like there's there's always
a little gray in some of this, but first and
foremost when I ask our coaches, is is he a captain?
Because that shows that that at his high school right now,
he is leading the way we need him to on
and off the field. And then there's a long list
of questions that we ask high school coaches trainers, and
none of them are yes or no. Because if I
(15:08):
ask any coach, hey, is he a good kid?
Speaker 5 (15:11):
Yes? No, like that's not a good like is he
a hard worker?
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Yeah, he's got to be.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
So everything is it has a story based to a
tell like for example, tell me an opportunity, or tell
me a situation where this young man outworked the competition.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
And then I want to hear the coaches talk. Well,
you know a coach our weight room was.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Locked one day because it was a holiday, and he
came to my house to get the key and unlocked
the weight room so other guys can work out. Hey,
that's a guy like, that's the kind of kid we want, right,
So I want I want to hear the story because
if you just say, hey, is he a hard worker?
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Or is he love football? Yeah he does.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
But if he say he loves football, well, tell me
a situation where he asked to you know where that
shows up. Well, you know, he's the guy that leads
his own meetings even when the coaches are teaching class.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
That guy loves football, he wants to study it. And
so trying to find these, you know, these parts of
these core values that actually mirror from a story that
this kid's been through, because then that really tells you
a lot about the young man. Because high school coaches
are going to tell you the truth, but you got
to you got to give them questions that can paint
this picture. And especially and I mean, we don't need
(16:13):
five hundred people to fit Boise State. I tell our
staff that we define the right twenty or twenty five
each year. And there might be guys that don't want
to be here because of how we do things how hard.
But I'm very open with recruiting about how hard it is, Like,
don't come here if it's about money and jersey numbers
and what's it going to do for you? Like, I
want guys that want to bet on themselves, men put
your chips on the table and like, but it takes
(16:35):
time to go through that process. So we don't recruit
a lot of guys.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
We don't offer a.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Lot of guys.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
We're always one of the lower on the lists in
regards to offers because I'm not smart enough to recruit
two hundred high school kids.
Speaker 5 (16:45):
I'm just not don't got time to get to know
home that right way.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
A lot of text messages.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
A lot of text messages, and so we just do
things a little bit different to find the wiring of
the kids.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
That's uh, that's that's really neat, coach, And I love
hearing you talk about the growth that that you're players,
you know show once they get on campus, right, and
that starts with with obviously bringing the right guys in.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
What about your growth, coach?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
As we're sitting here nine games in, you know, tell
us a little bit about where you are now as
a head coach at Boise State.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Where you were is you know, getting the nod as
the interim head coach?
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Yeah, Gouy, I mean same thing, I promise you. I'm
I'm learning something new every single day I need to.
But even like I said when I got the interim
head coaching job and then was able to get the
full time head coaching job, I'm blessed to be around
so many good mentors, Like I said, me and coach
Pete he comes out a ton. We zoom once a
week on everything from messaging to schedules. I mean once
(17:37):
a week, no questions asked. I was able to go
out and see Dabbos Sweeney in the offseason.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
I was able to.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Talk with Matt Campbell. Brian Harson is someone I talked
to a lot. You know, I've talked with just a
bunch of these guys. Jonathan Smith, like there's just there's
a long list of guys. Talked with PJ. Fleck, like
anyone I could find that's a head coach. Like I'm talking,
I'm I'm and then I'm gonna wad through to see
kind of how it fits me and how if it's
this program but from everything and so I mean for
(18:04):
me and how I'm growing every week, like every week,
and then when I zoom with Coach Pete, it's it's
talking about those things like, hey, this was my messaging
direct I'm I'm big on messaging.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
I believe you know, messaging is a.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Force multiplier and I'm very I want to be very
specific with our guys and I and I relate it
to our staff.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
I want to use a fire hose, not a mister.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
So like I'm very My meetings are quick. I'm usually
eight to ten minutes, but it is very direct on
what we need to do. It's not these long meetings
and I'm kind of all over the place. And that's
something that I've needed to learn and grow in. And
it's something you know, as a defensive coordinator, you had
time to kind of meet with the whole defense go
through a game plan. As a head coach, I got
ten minutes, and I got to make sure that I
am clear, direct and it is set and it's very
(18:44):
clear for our coaches so that they can use the
same messaging so that it becomes a force multiplier.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
So messaging is a big one.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I'm always finding ways to make sure our schedule is efficient.
As the time of the year changes, I'm changing practice
plans to fit what we need most. Are we getting
the most recovery? Are we still having joy in our process?
Do I need to make something different so it doesn't
become the mundane. So there's so many things on a
weekly basis, from messaging to scheduling to you know, really
(19:11):
the vibe that that's around our building Because I really
want our players to have a ton of joy on
this journey, and I tell guys like you can enjoy
doing hard things. That's life and it's not just having
joy when you're on off time or having joy after
a championship game. Like life is a journey, life is
a climb. Enjoy this pursuit. And it's my job to
make sure that that is what our guys feel. And
so there's there's going to be so many different things
(19:33):
we learn and grow it every single day and start
with me, coach.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
Last thing for you from my end, if I've never
seen your team and I had to close my eyes.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Could you paint a picture for what I should.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
See when I see the Boise State Broncos play under
your direction.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Yeah, first and foremost, that's a great question. I talked
to our team a lot. Is I want you I
would want someone to see a team that it plays
with relentless effort and loves their teammates, and like that's
the overarching and the three ways we do it. We
say we play fast, play smart, play together. Like that's
what I want someone to see when they watch us
playing fast. That's that effort. Like you don't you might
(20:09):
not know exactly what you're supposed to do. That's Okay, man,
I want you to hunt and play fast, and then
the smart part of it, like that's what Boise State
has been built on. I mean, these guys are relentless
in regards to how they watch film, how they do
walk throughs. That's not a culture thing that I've started.
That's been inbred in the bones of Boise State football.
And the last part, which is playing together, Like this
(20:30):
is the greatest team sport on the planet if you
emphasize that, it's not about me, me, me, it's about together.
So I want I I'm always fine trying to show
clips of Hey, great touchdown run by Ashton, but look
at this amazing block by our receivers. Look at this
tight end work up the field. Hey, big time throw
from Maddox to the trell cables. But look at how
far that safety ran up to because of the run.
(20:52):
Fake Right, it's together and those are the three things
that I want, And we don't.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
We're not perfect at and we're working to do it
every day. But I want a team.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
When someone walks, I want to see them see a
team that plays fast, They places more, they play football
the right way, and they and they do it all.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Together well it's a it's a beautiful thing and it's
got a chance to make some big time waves here
and these final three games. I know your focus is
on San Jose and we wish you all the best
coach in that endeavor and wherever this postseason takes you.
Thanks so much for spending some time with us here
on Move the Sticks.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Awesome. Thanks guys, God bless.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
You so Buck.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Look, I applaud you know what coach is doing there
with his you know, development minded program and and really
trying to continue to make an emphasis on high school players.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
You know, I think you're always wondering can you keep
that up.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
In this world?
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Can you keep that up?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
And the way that his passion speaks to that, Like,
I think that it's not just us, it's not something
he's saying, it's something he believes in. So I think
he'll they'll have that on their side. But I'm really
curious to see how that, you know, the college football
playoff and how the rest of the changing landscape and
college football will affect programs like Boise State moving forward.
Speaker 6 (22:04):
Yeah, I wonder because you always wonder about the quote
unquote little guys, how they're going to survive when the
world has become more transactional than transformational. But they're selling
that they're committed to developing high school players, four and
five year players that stay on campus and get better
and avoid leaving when they have.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
A little success.
Speaker 6 (22:24):
To do that, I think it's about relationships, and it's
about the tradition, the relationships that coach has with the players,
and how the coaches relate to the players and how
the players relate to each other. But then it's about
the tradition because but Boise has always punched above his weight.
It's always been a program that has traditionally kind of
(22:45):
knocked off the heavyweights.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
And look, they are David knocking off Golife. I think
that continues.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
And if they are able to make it to the
tournament and get into the playoff, it still changes the
perception of the program. They become one of the say
underrated powers that exists on the West Coast. It gives
them maybe a little head up on some of the
competition when it comes to recruiting.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, and look, I love the twelve team playoff because
we're gonna have a chance to see a team like
Boise State, you know, and and like teams like you
know UCF from years past, all right, but now you
see F in the Big twelve, so you know you
have a better shot at that.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
But with the way that the.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Conferences are changing too, I'm still glad that there's a
spot for a team like Boise in the college football playoff,
in the tournament. Okay, it is time for Hot or Not,
brought to you by with Sabbi Hot Cloud Storage. And
with that, Bucky, let's get to some players here. On
(23:45):
Russell Wilson is the first one that comes to mind
for me. The numbers aren't I popping right, they're not
jumping off the charts, but the wins are and the
losses are not because there are none for him as
the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. Again goes back to the
confidence in the decision that Mike Tomlin made. But Russell
Wilson is playing good football, and that's hot right now
(24:07):
in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
That is hot in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 6 (24:11):
And I'll be the first one to say that I
wasn't in love with the move when he made it,
because Justin Fields was playing well enough that the team
was winning games.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
However, the job of the head coach.
Speaker 6 (24:20):
Is to anticipate the potential problems that are on the
horizon and have an answer for them. And by putting
Russell Wilson in the lineup, he has already answered how
teams were going to load up against that run heavy attack.
We are seeing the return of the deep ball in Pittsburgh.
And for me in my area, I think about those
long pass they used to go to Lynz Run and
(24:41):
John Stalworth. Now now Russell Wilson is dropping these moon
balls into George Pickens and Mike Williams. And as teams
are beginning to have to respect the deep ball, the
running game will open up. And if you got the
running game and the deep ball and the magic that
Russell displays in the fourth quarter to go with that defense,
now you're talking about the Pittsburgh still is in a
(25:02):
different light. They've gone from playoff contender the possible title
contender with Russell Wilson under center.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Great one, And we'll get a two for here. Because
they played each other on Thursday Night Football in Week ten.
Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson four touchdowns a piece in
that game, not a single interception. Lamar threw for nearly
three hundred Burrow threw for over four hundred. They both
got similar touchdown to interception ratios right now. The only
(25:32):
difference is the Ravens are winning and the Bengals can't
quite find a consistent streak on that part.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
So I feel like both quarterbacks are hot.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I guess you could make an argument that the not
part would reside with the Bengals as a team at
this point.
Speaker 6 (25:47):
Yeah, I guess so, And I'll take the Bengals part
of the conversation because in Joe Burrow.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
It's funny because we laughed a couple of years.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
Ago when they asked Joe Burrow about the Bengals championship
window and he basically said, the champions windows as open
as long as I'm playing. And what I see from
the Bengals is it doesn't matter if they have a
slow start, it doesn't matter if they have a few
hiccups down the road. This team is always a dangerous
team and if they can somehow found their way into
the tournament, no one wants to deal with Joe Burrow
(26:16):
a hot Joe Burrow throwing the ball, Jamar Chase and
T Higgins and some of the other webs available on
the perimeter.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
This dude is legit.
Speaker 6 (26:23):
And I was late to the party when it came
to recognizing his special qualities as a franchise quarterback. But
you see it each and every week. This dude is
a premier quarterback, one that we have to talk about
as one of the top five quarterbacks in the league.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Look, they're four and six.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
They're a game out of the seventh spot in the
AFC right now, which is currently occupied by the Denver
Broncos at five and five. Now, I think it's going
to be hard for them to challenge to get much
further north than the seventh spot because the team in
sixth right now is the Chargers. They're six and three,
so that's three back in the loss column, two back
in the win column there for Cincinnati. But they're fighting
(27:01):
with a team like Indianapolis and a team on the
come up like Miami to try to get into that
to get into the tournament. Whereas it feels like KC, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Houston, Baltimore, LA,
basically like everybody's fighting for it feels like one spot
right now in the AFC. So they've still got a chance, certainly,
and Joe Burrow is a big reason for it, and that,
(27:25):
my friends, is a look at what we have going
for you. This week's Hot or Not brought to you
by with Sabi Hot cloud storage, store more and do
more with your data. Try them for free at with
Sabi dot com. All right, Buck, that's going to do
it for us here, buddy, on this episode of Move
the Sticks. We've got a lot coming up for you
(27:46):
each and every week and can't wait to see how
the rookie draft unfolds and whether or no Bill is
still producing this podcast when we come back to you
next Tuesday, So I'll look forward to all that, Bud.
Always great to be here with you, and thanks again
for listening to move.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
This team.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
Before, put before
Hosts And Creators
Daniel Jeremiah
Bucky Brooks
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!