On the latest NFL Players: Second Acts podcast, former Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme joins Peanut and Roman. Jake opens up about his international football journey to the NFL, and how his cajon roots has inspired his second act in horse racing. On the football side, Jake shares his rocky road. He went from NFL practice squads early in his career, to taking a chance in NFL Europe to show his skills only to be a backup to eventual Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. After proving himself as an NFL starter, Jake details how post it notes helped him make the most crucial decision of his career; choosing the Panthers over the Cowboys. Jake also talks about his gunslinger mentality, and which hit its peak in a historic shoot out with Tom Brady in XXXVIII. After football, Jake went into horse racing, and he tells Peanut and Roman how it was a natural progression going back to his childhood days growing up on a farm in Lafayette, Louisiana. Lastly, Jake shares how is on his personal Mount Rushmore.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everyone. Jake Delome here, former Carolina Panthers quarterback, lucky
enough to be a Hall of Honor member in Carolina.
Just play with good players, it helps you go along.
And now I'm one of the color analysts for the
Carolina Panthers, and I just wrapped up a great interview
with Roman Harper, even though he played for the Saints,
(00:21):
did play in Carolina at the end though. And also
Charles Peanut Tillman of U. L. Lafayette Raging Cajun's. And
this is the NFL Players Second Acts Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm Peanut Tooman and this is the NFL Player's Second
Acts Podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
And with me as always, I got my great hair.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
H just call me your work wife and keep it
my work. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This is Gail. There we go. I got Gail with
me today right now. I was open last week. Is cool.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
So anyways, first of all, let me let's think the
Carolina Panthers for hosting us here at the Panthers Vision
Studio right here at the Bank of America. Thank you
first and foremost. Now I'm really excited about our next guest.
I know this man. I watched him growing up. I
played against this guy. He is fiery, he is beautiful.
He is from Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Go ahead, I'm excited about this.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Next guest, the Heart and Soul of a Cann played
fourteen seasons in the NFL. He's in the Panther Hall
of Honor. Now he's in the broadcasting and horses. I
do believe you, no big time horses. And there's only
eight Ring of Honor.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Guys here at the Carolina Panthers show.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So that says a rare air, that rare Man's got
some good DNA ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Jake Delone to the show. Thank you very much, the show.
Appreciate it. I you know, when you played with good players,
they make you look good, no doubt, and you get
tagged along sometimes. Yeah, you know, I'm not too proud
to ad minute. The best thing about those is.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
He went to the University of Louisiana. Yes, you saying
what's your chest saying like you it means.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Something to you. Well it's not. It doesn't mean that much.
But for Jake, you are Lafayette.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
He knows how much I love Louisiana. I have a
very big presence in Louisiana, and I love seeing this
guy and I know him being from boat Bridge down
in Kadiana.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
This guy is hey, man.
Speaker 5 (02:15):
He's back, He's there. There's no doubt, man, my ball.
I love it because my accent. Yeah, everybody, I listen,
I don't have I don't have one. No, I am
from bro Bridge, Louisiana. I'm actually from a little area
called a slubt.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
You don't really want to know, right outside Lafayette, right
outside bro Bridge, he said, LA Southwest. But you know
how it is. That that's how they are.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
They're different from New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, very different, different from bad U better I mean.
And so it's I agree with you. We we need culture.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I'm gonna claim it because I wanted to school there,
So yeah, we better culture.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I love it. That's why I said, my ball, I
know exactly what it meant.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Come on, I've hung out in LA. I've hung out
in these places in Louisiana. So I've just always been
a big fan of Jake. Just seeing him grow up.
I was a big fan of his. I rooted for
you guys so much in Super Bowl in two thousand
and one. Was that three three? Yes, thirty eight thirty eight?
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I knew it was one was in college.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
I was rooting for you guys. I really fell in
love your gunslinger mentality. Steve Smith was bawling Julius peppersah
when I don't know if anybody was rooting for you,
but I was in Alabama rooting for you guys. Kind
of tell us about that running how you guys kind
of got hot?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Listen. You know, I come here from the Saints. I
was with the Saints for six years, and I was
just that guy, you know, just undrafted, hanging on yep, okay,
and practice squad and uh, the next year practice squad.
I set the NFL Europe twice, so I can't even
start an NFL Europe. Really couldn't even start the first year.
I'm backing up a twenty six year old arena league
(03:51):
football player named Kurt Warner, and I remember, yeah, that's.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Crazy, but the NFL Europe was so good for all the.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yeah it was. We got sent over there and Frankfort.
I was Amsterdam in ninety eight, didn't play because of
you know that Hall of Fame or Kurt Warner. Then
I went over in Frankfort in ninety nine. Okay, yeah,
so and it was I remember calling home, go back
to Kurt, and I would talk to my girlfriend who's
not my wife, and then talk to my parents and
(04:20):
I was scrimmaged today or whatever. It was good. How'd
you do? I did? Well? What about the other guy's good?
He's kind of got a quick release. It's kind of accurate.
I mean like he's I don't know what you're gonna
tell you. This guy's good good? You know that. I
think he would be Kurt Warner. No, but I'm questioning myself. God, damn,
I'm playing an NFL Europe. I can't even start how
(04:40):
the NFL. Yeah, I was playing behind Kurt Warner. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So when you actually went from Europe to the NFL,
how tired were you?
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Because it was NonStop. It was non understanding. Yeah, because like, okay,
so the off season starts and you reported to training
camp in February. So you go, you have training camp
in the States. You'd have it for a month and
then you'd fly over the week before the first game
wherever city you're in. Play ten games, and we were
able to make the championship game, so that was eleven.
Come back late May, early June. You might go back
(05:10):
for a week or two because we used to finish
what June sixteenth ish, and then you go to camp.
So and listen, I'm different. I played quarterback. I didn't bang,
I didn't hit like you guys are run. But yeah,
so long year it is. But you're you're you're hanging
on by a thread. You're trying to make a team.
And that's kind of what it is. You're trying to
make a team. And there's no every other position in
the NFL. And you'll know this. You can put you
(05:32):
can put five six dbs on the field one time,
you can put four to five receivers on the time. Whatever.
There's one quarterback, so there's only one football where you
can play and gain experience. And so it was. It
was fun. I love it. I love seeing the guys,
the XFL, USF whatever, I like. I like seeing that
guys get a chance.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
So tell me this, why did you choose to sign
with the Panthers and not the Cowboys?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
So because I was a decision. I was a free agent, yes,
and I had never been a free agent before, and
so I came. I had there was a few teams,
but Carolina was going to give me a chance to compete.
So was Dallas, Chicago, was another team, and that the
GM at the time told my agent and it's I'm
one of those guys I bank things like, yeah, he'll
(06:16):
never be more than a backup, and so like, you know,
no doubt you. And so I come here in my visit,
had a great time on my visit and just loved
everything about it. I got offered a contract, and it
was a two year, five million dollar contract. Very we
had just had our first CHILBD, my wife and I
just had a few months prior, and so I made minimum.
(06:40):
Everything was minimum for me. I never made so like
man and in essence, the whole thing was almost guaranteed
how it was structured. And so I was going to
go visit Dallas. Well, they don't want to let you leave.
And my agent, Rick Smith, the Priority Sports. Rick and
Marty Hernie were very close, and he said, Marty, just
trust me. Let him go visit Dallas. He said, this
(07:01):
kid was never invited to the combine. He was never
that guy. He said, I'm just telling you let him go.
See he'll make the right decision. So I go to
Dallas and I spent the majority of my time with
the quarterback coach, Sean Payton fell in love with him.
But here was the crazy thing. John Fox and Sean
Payton were both coordinators for the New York Giants. John
defense Shawn offensive coordinator, and they were like best of friends.
(07:25):
Dan Henning was my offensive coordinator. Dan Henning's best friend
in the world is Bill Parcells, hey, coach of Dallas.
So when I left, Dan was like, Hey, don't listen
to Bills crap. Bill's gonna tell you, Hey, I have
racehorses too. You need to come over here. You know.
Dan was giving me his spill, and so I go
there and it was funny. Both places raved about each other. Yeah,
(07:49):
you know. So I loved my time there. It was
six hours from home. This was twelve hours from home
coming to Charlotte. And it was a two year, four
million dollar a day. It was a million less. Yeah,
it was a million less. And listen, that's a lot
of money. Now, that's a lot of money. Back then,
I never made anything.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Especially like hey, this is the this might be because
you've been hanging on this might be my only ones.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I gotta go. And so I'm so glad Carolina. And
so it was going back and forth and I wasn't
sure and Sean was like, hey, Jerry Jones was not there.
He was flying in that night and I was supposed
to fly back that night. And so one day visit
and my wife, I kind of go talk to her
on the phone. I don't even know if I had
a cell phone at the time, you know, And she
was like, stay overnight. Just let Jerry meet you. If
(08:33):
this is where you want to be, let him meet you.
And I'm like, you know whatever. So afternoon goes on.
The money's not budget. My agent told me, he goes,
if you're ever gonna listen to me in your life,
you cannot sign with Dallas. Said why. I said, they're
not ready to win. He said, I'm telling you they
sell the baseball players at the time, Chad Hutchinson, Quincy Carter. Yeah.
(08:55):
So he said they're not ready. He said, I'm telling
you Carolina is on the cuff. He goes, just trust
me when I tell you they have built something there.
They just need a few pieces. So I'm like scrambling.
So and I said, Sean was like, hey, stay overnight, Peyton,
stay and I'm like, I need to go make a
phone call. So I go and I'm going into the
(09:17):
office that they made me make that. I made a
phone call earlier, you know, pres nine to get out
it's locked. And the guy was like, why is that locked?
And the only door was opened was this morning? He
was come in here. So I went and I sat
down and I'm on the phone and I'm talking to
my wife. Yeah, I'm my wife here because we and
I'm like, I don't know what to do. And I
look up and I kid you not. There was sticky notes,
(09:39):
all different sizes and it was Charlotte Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte,
Charlotte Charlotte. Who was Charlotte Jones Jerry's daughter's office. They
put me in the call. I'm sorry a sign. I'm
a big I'm a deeply religious guy, like I just
think the Good Lord put signs. Yeah. I told my
wife coming home and I hung up the phone. I
went to the airport. Carolina. Wow, I'm telling you, I
(10:03):
think the big man upstairs has had something to do
with it. I kid you like that, I like that.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
So with all the bouncing around in NFL Europe, and
what moment in time did you know that you could
be a starter in this league?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Whenever I had my first start December twenty fourth, nineteen
ninety nine. We played the Dallas Cowboys on a Friday
only only game. On that day, I got to start
because we sucked at the Saints. I'll tell you that
right now. Billy Joe Hobert was hurt, Billy Joe Tolliver
was hurt. Danny wirfol I got. I mean, it was
just the Sans wasn't good for a long time. We
were two and twelve. We were terrible. Dallas was on
(10:41):
the cuff of making the playoffs and they were going
to start me. And it's a crazy story. Billy Joe
Tolliver was the guy. But Billy was coming off of
a moniscus and a rep. He had two things. So
on the day before, Mike Dicka tells him Tolliver, he goes, hey,
we're not gonna dress you no more. He said, Coach good,
I'm gonna be okay. I'll be aild to back him up.
(11:03):
He said no. He said, I want to give the
kid a chance. He said, if he struggles, I'm gonna
pull him and put you in. He said, that's not
right to the kid. Yeah, So he undressed Billy. We
play and I'm going. The game felt slow. The game
felt normal to me because you don't know, you just
don't know. And I remember getting out and my first
(11:24):
pass was was intercepted. We're throwing a hitch. I throw it,
Kavika Pittman jumps up, bats it, Darren Woodson intercepts it
on the other side. I mean, first throw, first first throw.
IM throwing a wide open hitch. I mean one, two three,
and I let it go and Kavika jumps up. It's
just one of those players and he hits it and
bats it in the air, and Darren Woodson, I'm like, okay,
(11:45):
look scratch it. But every time I go back and
play like I didn't see this. Yeah, I saw this.
I felt I was like, you know what, and we
got rolling. We aboul get a touchdown to Eddie Kennison
down the sideline, and just things kind of went from
there in confidence. You start getting confidence. And then the
next week we come play here, we get run out
(12:06):
of the building Steve Burlin and Wesley Walls and we'll
send Muhammad and all these guys, and Dickie gets fired,
and so the guy I finally made headway with is gone.
Jim has it comes in. But then Mike McCarthy was
hired as an offensive coordinator and that's when my football
eyes got open to the NFL quarterback school and I'll
(12:28):
go to I'll go to my grave Mike McCarthy what
he did with quarterback school, and that's the legendary quarterback
school that Joe Montana did, Steve Young Ridge Gannon and
they took it to Kansas City and it just kind
of went down the line. Yes, and then McCarthy went
to Green Bay and Farv would do something, but Farvar
was well established. But Matt hassell back as if you
(12:50):
ever talked to Matt Haskell quarterback school, Aaron Brooks, those guys,
and we did the quarterback school stuff and it started
March twenty first or whatever you'd report, and the off
season we had to report three weeks prior and it
was seven to five Monday through Thursday. That's off season.
I mean there was no rules back then. And day one,
this is where the center lines up from the huddle,
(13:11):
this is where the guard lines up. And you go
through every single page and then we had to get
up on the board the quarterbacks all right, two jet protection,
draw it up, block it up, where's your problems? Where's
your answers? Okay? Two jet check, all right, twenty four protection,
twenty two protects, seventy six protection, everything from from the
ground up. So when we would go out in the
practice field, we had already had it and the confidence
(13:31):
just like, Okay, I get it now. That's how the
game really, that's how it opened up in my eyes.
And Mike McCarthy was very hard on me. And the
reason I say that we had that year it was
Jeff Blake as the starter and Aaron Brooks and I
was the three and had a really good preseason, so
they kept three and McCarthy I give him credit because
(13:53):
he was hard on me in a way. He was like, hey,
quarterback tip sheet, all the tips to the course of
the week, and give it to Sondra who was the secretary.
Have it to Sondra on Friday morning before we go
out to practice. She'll type it up. And he said
it better be good. Well. I took that as a challenge.
So every during the course of the week, making notes,
you know what our pressure alerts, our run game checks
(14:15):
and this and that and just kind of what we
thought about certain players, where the tendencies are and I
took pride in it, and I remember doing it the
first week. Yeah good. And I remember doing it the
first week because shortly origin goal line was installed on
Friday morning and I'm just grinding away finishing it and
shortly rige goal line was the last thing because I
had to get it to Sondra to type up before
we left Friday, and I was proud of it. Man
(14:37):
and the quarterback coach, Frank Signetty, he let it be
known on the side that hey, they appreciate this tip sheet.
I'm just just letting you know. And I need I
needed to hear that because mcarthy weren't gonna give it
to me. I mean, he was keep grinding. And then
it just kind of went from there and I had
to sit and watch. I mean, Aaron was Jeff Blake
was playing great, he has Liz Frank. Middle of the season,
(14:59):
Aaron comes in, We went this NFC South, we went
a playoff game for the first time, and Aaron comes back.
The next year, Jeff's back. I'm third string again. Yeah,
but just keep your mouth shut. And it just kind
of grew even more. And then the next offseason, Page
one center lines up seven yards from the ball. Mike
started over repetition every day and it just got and
(15:22):
it just made it easy. The game slowed down. And
that's when the game slowed down for me, and I
knew it was time. I knew I was going to
get an opportunity at some point toward the end of
that year. In two Aaron Brooks had a Labraham deal
and he could play somebody. It would flare up during
the game, and I had to get thrown in there
a couple of times, some important games. And I'll never forget.
We're playing Sunday night Tampa in New Orleans and they
(15:45):
won the Super Bowl that year. Loaded and sure enough
we line up and we need one first down to
ice the game, and I'm in the game, and we
run it twice and then third down get I get
to play call. You know, I left tight ninety three
lead Z Key was z was the receiver, and we smoke.
We throw smokes the smitty. It was Key back then.
(16:07):
And I remember looking at Mike because we always took
the key off late in the games. Don't let the
ball hit the ground. We went clock to run, make
them burn, And I remember looking over at the sideline
and McCarthy's he knew and he did. I trust you.
It's like whoa. So we line up and sure enough
it comes. You know, Lynch comes down and he gets
in the box and it's a reverse out because we
(16:28):
and I and I took one step and when I
came back, they all felled and Joe Horn it was
it was a slant, the key man a slant and
Joe Horn and I just hit him pum. He catches
it first down. We sealed the game. And that was
the trust factor, you know what I mean? That was
you know, that was the trust factor that the coaches
had in me. And I had to play again in
(16:49):
Baltimore two weeks later, did well when I went.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
In, and I love like because everybody has these moments
where all of a sudden, you like know, when you
start to believe in yourself.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Yeah, and so you talked.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
About the confidence is that these things, these plays, these
certain moments that you vividly remember, were able to draw
a picture for us and the viewers.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
It's like, man, you go.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Through that and then you get to where now you're
a starting quarterback for Carolina. You guys get on that
hot streak and you guys are running the ball, You're
making big explosive plays the Moose to Smitty and I
want to know this, and that Super Bowl thirty eight
you had a long touchdown past the moose five yards
still the longest past in Super Bowl history. What was
(17:29):
that trash talking you was doing, like on the way back, like.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
You were blessing, right, you were saying a prayer form right,
talking to God, bless you.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
What would you say? I take exactly what happened, because
we want to know. We were We were a chippy
team and we yapped and that fourth quarter was crazy.
It was it was nuts. And so that just was
our like we had confidence, we had swagger. I mean,
you played in Super Bowls. Yeah, yeah, at the end
of those years when you're winning.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Especially the way y'all be saying, Louis the way, Yeah,
you guys got there, exactly be Dallas here, We'll be saying,
we'd be Philly and Philly.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
You know. It was just we were one of those
so sure enough, you know, we run excell on a
staple play and Moose doesn't. That's the pole point of
the play and that on that particular coverage, Moose is
running for the love of the game. Yeah, that's it. Well,
I kind of slide a little bit with my funky
little feet and then there's Moose, keep running. He never stops.
(18:27):
He didn't look pretty. And I just see them. I
just see the hook, you know. I let it go
and he catches it. And so the first thing you
do is you look for a flag. There's no fly.
Well I take off running. Well, Rodney Harrison is walking,
and if Rodney saw a fly walk past him, Rodney
was gonna hit it. I mean, I was just Rodney
hid anything. I said, I'm gonna run right by him
(18:47):
and I'm gonna put my hands up and I said,
I'm gonna get a cheap fifteen. And sure enough, that's
what I did, and he, sure enough, he gave me
the chicken wing with it. Hurt Rodney, You touched Rodney,
hurt and whatever. And that's when I was like, yeah,
you know, I said a few choice words and I
don't even know what I said. My gibberish was coming out. Yeah,
and so, but that was that was us, That's what
(19:07):
that was. That was me. But yeah, I might have
asked him or I might have said a couple of
so I know you're in the in the horse business.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
I've been on the horse a couple of times and
one horse took off on me and I held on
for dear life, screaming and cursing.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
You know, how'd you feel like being that high up?
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Because that's my fear when I didn't like it, I'm like,
it's just I didn't like it because I didn't like
it because I.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Wasn't in control.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
I wasn't in control. I was in Costa Rica and
this horse just took off on me.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
And you're probably going through the water. I'm on some.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Rocks and I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, Like most people
do right, did not work, but they feel you well,
I don't know this. I paid two hundred dollars or
two hundred pay sols or whatever it was, two hundred
Costa Rican dollars and this horse, I'm saying, I don't
even know how you say woa in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Anyway, I said, whoa.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
He didn't listen to me. He just did his own thing.
Horses like full secretariat mode. Right now, I am screaming, yelling,
doing everything. Have you ever been on a horse like
full speed, just like just ears peel, pitch back, Have
you ever been on a horse like full speed?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Just no, I mean I had a shelling pony growing
up that. I thought I was going to be a jockey,
and I was five, I'd go, of course I was
gonna be. Did you even get into the business third generation?
Oh so yeah. My grandfather was old cattleman, old farmer,
was illiterate, spoke more better French than English. Yeah. I
(20:42):
had property, horses and back you know, back then everybody
had the horses and the crops and things like that,
and they had these bush tracks. And so my grandfather
he had race horses, but a lot of people did.
I mean, that was common's normal. It was normal, and
Dad always had it. I didn't grow up hunting, fishing
and golfing, and I'm in sportsman's paradise. You lived down there.
I didn't grew up doing that. We grew up in
(21:02):
a barn. I went to school, played sports and the horses.
That was my deal. And football gave me the chance
to expand on it. And listen, I'm gonna tell you
for me, we do all the work. I mean, like, yeah,
we do it, but that helps spill the competitive void.
I don't care what anybody says you finish this game,
(21:24):
there's a competitive void. That's it's gone. And for me,
I'm so blessed. I walked right into it. Because if
you win as an owner in the game or a
trainer twenty percent of the time in horse racing, that's
that's that's a success rate. Okay. Yeah. You find me
a quarterback that wins twenty percent of the games, he's cut.
(21:45):
So I mean it's it, and it's every day, and
it's just it's consistency, and you know, that's that's my love,
that's my passion. Show I went. I went right into that. Yeah,
And so that was my my grind, that's my every day.
That's what I loved to do. So owner and trainer
is it My brother trains and my dad trains, and
I'm the owner. It's under set Hut is what we
(22:08):
run to set Hut LLC. Yeah yeah, okay, so but
I'm there.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
I mean that's you know, but you've named horses after players.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Absolutely, You've also.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I would also like to know because I think you said, uh,
horse racing is more nerve wracking than playing quarters.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Absolutely, okay, so you're on that horse scare to death
right absolutely? All right? So we go play a game,
who's in Would you say you weren't in control, was
not in control? You go play a game, who's in control? Control?
Let me do this is exactly I'm in control. So
we prepare a horse, we do everything ready, I mean,
leading up to a big race. Er. I mean, like,
you don't know. I don't know if he has a
(22:49):
headache that day. You don't know. I don't know if
he just doesn't feel that. I don't know. You can't
tell me. I mean, we think we're gonna do everything
in our in our power to get him him or her,
you know, whatever it is. But like there's something about it.
You talk. So. Jason Worth is the pro baseball player,
the long haired guy from the Philadelphia Phillies. He is
part owner of a horse named Dorknock who just won
(23:11):
the Belmont, one of the Triple Crown races, and he
just won this big race called the Haskell. Well there's
video of him and they talk about it, and he
talks about He goes, I'm way more nervous than I
am going to the plate in the World Series game
when I'm batting in Philly, but a pack because I'm
way more nervous for all horse race. I don't control it.
There's just something about it. It's the greatest thrill. And
(23:32):
it's like owning your own franchise. It's like watching one
of your children. I mean really and truly, I mean
I think my children. I feel a little bit more
about a little bit more attachment to my children with
those horses. I mean, like, that's what you do every day.
And I love football. Gave me a chance to get
into this, and we do it. We do a lot
of it our own. I mean it's we're there every day.
(23:54):
We haul into the track with him in the bat
mean it, my love? Man?
Speaker 2 (23:59):
What are some well, first off, how many horses do
you own? And what are some of their names?
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Okay, so I own right now, I guess on about
twelve to fourteen race horses. I have some mayors and babies.
They stay up in Kentucky at a buddy Mine's farm.
I kind of buy and sell up there. I race
in Louisiana. I'm on our board there four tracks. It's insane.
So I've named a bunch of I'm named. I have
(24:23):
one right now named Mangum and that's named after I
tied d Chris Manga, and in watching his early development,
you know, man, this is gonna be a solid little horse.
And that's what Chris was a solid football player. Well
he became a little more than solid. He was champion
three year old in Louisiana last year, so that was awesome.
(24:44):
I've named some. I have one that haven't run. He
hasn't run yet. She will run this fall. I named
her Khalil, after Ryan Khalil, and I'll tell you why
I bought her to sale. I thought she was gonna
cost a lot more, and I thought I stole her,
and I thought we stole Ryan Kalil in the second round.
I mean, very simple. I try to name. I named
one ex clown after Steve Smith because this one has
(25:07):
a little fire in him and he was full of muscle.
I was Steve Smith, you know. I mean, I just
I tried to name. I named one fifty protection. I've
named one two jet, I'm named one seventy two Reno.
I just I try to name I like that, you know,
And I have one right now who you had Thomas
Davis too? Man, Thomas Davis? What was that one? I
would I don't have to edit that, so Okay, So
(25:32):
I bought a horse. Is that his name is Violence? Oh? Oh?
And I bought him. He was a year one years
old black and he walked like a panther. I mean,
just and it's funny. I bought in one of my buddies,
or what You're gonna name him? I said, I gotta
think of one, he said, who walked like a panther
and just looked mean. I said, well, I said Thomas Davis.
(25:56):
To me, I always thought of Thomas was just that.
I just thought Tom was that guy. And you touch Thomas,
it hurt. He has no muscles anywhere, but you just
touch him and it hurt. And so I had to
get permission to name in that because you can't just
name so Thomas had to email me. I had to
send the Jockey club. And we thought this horse was
going to be a freak show. Like he was. He
(26:16):
was showing all the signs. He was awesome. And it
was in December at the Fairgrounds and I'm assuming you're
going to say this, he's running his first race. And
we had two races that day. One was this maiden
race first time out, and the other one was the
Louisiana Champions Day Classic, which is the best race in
Louisian for Louisiana breads. I had one in that race.
(26:37):
So we're running Thomas, he's running, he takes he takes
a bad step and he flips in the turn, shatters
his ankle. He has to be put down. I've never
been so like the horse that never had a pimp
on in his life. I mean, it was just one
of these freak deals. You know, it was the most
it was the worst thing in the world. So to
(26:58):
make sure the jockey's okay, we go oh, you know,
and he's you know, the vets are there. He has
to go to l s U do a knee cropsy.
I mean, it was just this is the way it
is with horse racing.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
You can't give them an advil, you know, when it
was fine, I mean, it was just it was a
freak deal. So I was the most devastated I'd ever
been in my life. And then two hours later in
the Classic, we run a horse name touch upon a
Star and he romps and he's the best horse ever had.
He's the horse of the year. So yeah, so that's
a kind of a type of story. But bro as
(27:29):
an attachment man you get yeah, and then like I
take it personal, like I'm not naming something just to
name it after somebody. It's a belief that I had,
you know, yeah, and we'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Is there a way to go about like recruiting the
horses are like yes, when you when you see it,
you're just like, okay, I'll tell you this explained.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
So there's a yearling sale. The yearling sales. When I
say yearling is one years old, they're starting to start now,
they had one in July, they're gonna have one next week,
and then it's it's coming up this fall that you
go by. Basically you're going to buy a junior high
athlete in essence. Yeah, so you've.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Got to be really good running by two and three.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
You can start at two. Yes, So you have a book,
a catalog, you have family tree, lineage, and so that's
all fine and dandy. But if I would go tell you,
I want you to go look at these hundred horses,
and I want you to go pick out who you want.
And you're going to say, well, what do I look for?
Go look for an athlete. I'll tell you right now,
you go tell me what an athlete looks like what
(28:31):
you think has balance walk scope everything. I want to
look at his legs. I promise you could go do it.
You know what they look like. You know you could
see somebody walking on the street. You can too, you
can tell me like, uh, this guy was something this
he's kind of loose the way he walks. I mean,
you can see it. I'm telling you could go pick
out something. So it's the same thing horses. Well you
(28:53):
and listen. I want lineage. I want family tree, you know.
I want to look and I want to see, you know,
I don't know. I want to see Archie Manning right
here and Olivia Manning right here, and I want to
see on the page Peyton Manning. You know what I mean. Yeah, okay,
I would assume that lineage is gonna run, but sometimes
that doesn't happen. But like I'm just telling you, you
can go and you can pick out I'm telling you
(29:16):
can do it.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
You know, it does matter huge in horse racing. That
is the that's the lineage is the big thing and
all that.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
But you can't measure just like football, you can't measure
inside that horn, can't You don't know who's going to
find the finish line. Finish line.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
I'm glad they didn't measure lineage when it came to
drafting me. But because my dad did not play no football.
My dad was in a band.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
I mean, Jay, we could probably talk about horse racing.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Yeah, that's my good. He got some geek movi.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
We talked about You're like, you could just tell like, no, no, no, this.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Is secretary to my favorite movie. I'm sorry, I just
had to say it. Man.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
I love the details in which you you talk about
the horses, the way you went about your craft football,
the opportunities like the Mike McCarthy thing, and it's probably
kind of the same in type of details you have
to do now and also what you do with the
Panthers calling the games right. Tell us how that experience
has been now that you've been doing that a few years,
and how they invited you.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
To do it. So listen, I'm a football junkie. I
love football, love everything about it. I just loved it.
So my career ends. I had some opportunities to do
some stuff, and listen, I have a the Louisiana accent,
you know, I get it. But I had some opportunities
and I wasn't I wasn't ready. I was played a
(30:37):
long time. I was thirty seven or thirty. I want
to I want to go home, you know, I want to.
Like I coach girls basketball for seven out of eight
years my daughter's you know, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grade.
I wanted to do those things, you know, soccer games,
things like that, and it was in the works. I
got asked to maybe do this over here a couple
of times, and I was like, okay. Then it came
(30:59):
two thousand nineteen. Kids have gotten older, kind of knew
the direction they were going to go, and I was like, yeah,
I'll do it. I said, but I can't do not
traveling sixteen weekends in a row. I don't want to
miss stuff, said, not a problem. Jordan Gross and I
with Tag Teamate and I fell in love with it.
I'll never forget the first game we played the Rams
and they're coming off their Super Bowl when they lost
to New England. I watched all nineteen games leading up
(31:23):
to the first game. I had my notes. I am
like ready and Mick Mixon was the announcer at the
time and making totally different yeah aass Mick and training camp.
I was like, hey, I want to do a preseason game.
And he said, I said, what do you mean. He said,
I do make the television, not in the radio. And
I was like, yeah, but I want. He goes, I'm
(31:45):
gonna be just fine, and he gave me pointers, Hey,
just talk to him, just tell a story. You're having
a conversation. He said, it's not TV so different, it's
not more details. And then you know, and our producer here,
David Langdon like just little it's hey, we score a
big touchdown, don't say anything home, let the crowd, Let
the radio hear the crowd, you know what I mean.
(32:08):
And it's like you start to learn and like, hey,
if at that point, if Christian has a one yard game,
you don't go in detail about it. What should we
look for? What should we go little pinners like that?
And so the first game happens, and I remember, in
the middle of the first quarter, I'm like, I can't
believe I watched all that film. I can't believe I
did that. And you just start talking and it just
(32:29):
felt conversational and like as a quarterback, and I think
both of you ended up as safeties. You know, were
you always a safety? But you play corner, you're on
your island, you play safety, you're seeing everything. As a quarterback,
I have to see everything. So I felt like could
feel the game and see the game, and you can
just kind of you can relate to people and talk
to them because I like listening to other people talk.
(32:51):
I love listening to other radio guys talk. And do
I like them? What don't I like about them? Are
they talking above not above my head? But like the
normal viewers are they don't want to hear that? Then
I understand it. Plenty enough friends that are not afraid
to critique me, you know what I mean, Like yeah,
ex players and they'll text, you know, like hey, good job,
you know, like and that means a lot, and I
(33:13):
don't need affirmation. So started doing it, fell in love
with it, kind of went on, and then Jordan moved
back home and became a head high school football coach
at Fruitland High. A little difficult for him traveling and
game planning on weekend, so Luke became involved and so
and I didn't know. I knew Luke as a player,
but I didn't know him as a person. And I
told him, I said, Luke, listen, trust me when I
(33:35):
tell you, like, don't over prepare, and I know that's
not in your vocabulary. So we play in Cleveland, game one.
And so we get there and I pulled out my
index card and I have my notes, my keys of
the game, and just I'm lucky. I can recall things
fairly easy, so I can remember, and I had numbers
pretty good. And Luke pulled out a Manila folder. It
(33:59):
was a scouting report on every single player, special teams,
backup scouting report on everybody. It's okay, game ended, it's over.
He looked at me. He said, I went about fast.
I said, yeah, I said, i'd your scouting report go.
He goes, I never looked at it once. I said, no,
it's just different. You're talking, and it's good for me.
(34:21):
I bleed Carolina Blue, and I talked through a Panther lenz.
You know, if that's great on Panthers Radio. Hopefully I
want him to hurt with this. I want him to
feel when we get excited, you know. And I'm not
going to go or rate somebody like I've thrown a
lot of awful interceptions, you know, like but if somebody
throws a bad let's just okay. We have a bad pick.
(34:41):
That's a past Bryce would want to have back, or
that's something that you know what j C probably needs
to make that play a corner, you know way, that's
the way to do the thing that Juba mone have
missed that whole. Like that's instead of you know, the
sensation relation. Oh my sensations. What a terrible pass. Oh,
I mean, come on, nont sensation anything. I don't know,
(35:01):
that's just well. I want to be real and honest,
but I want to be like, hey, I want you
to feel my panther pride coming through. But like, listen,
it's hard. Last year was difficult calling games, won two games,
that's hard. And the frustration. I'm bruised on this side
of my body from Luke Kid and me and now
he's bruised on that side. We get frustrated. We want
(35:23):
to win. We want these fans to holler, we want
you know. That's but I love it. I love it.
I just I'm sure I love doing it. I hope, so,
I hope. So. So here's a here's a question I
got asked.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
I was looking this up, and I don't think you
knew or anyone else knew you were in all state dB.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, in Louisiana. In Louisiana, ye, listen, I went to
at my high school, now is a four A high school.
Back then, we were single A. It was a small
high school. We played. We had twenty five guys on
the team, including freshmen. We played both ways. Yeah, we
lost in the state Simmis. They ended up having like
six or seven picks in the playoffs. Dud, You just
stand back. He trying to be modestly. He's like, you
(36:04):
just watched the quarterbacks eyes, man, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
It's single high school for still saying something though corner
deal safety Oh no.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
No, no safety safety. But you were playing quarterback too,
thought I did? I kicked, We didn't come off the field.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
Damas play.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Yeah, it's just it is. But you know, it's funny.
So back in high school. The newspapers were big back then,
and every week it was who led the state in passing,
you know, and whatever. And it's funny. For like three
or four years in a row, it was four quarterbacks
Josh Booty, Peyton Manning, myself, and Eric Randall. We all
went to one A high school, small high schools really, yeah,
(36:45):
Newman private school. Josh bodies that Evangels single A, I'm
Single A and Eric Randall's at Southern Lab Single A
and Baton Rouge. Eric four year starters in every record
at Southern Lap. His little brother played after him. He
was at Southern Lab. Josh Aydon did all right for himself.
But it's kind of funny, like, yeah, that was our
small school, all different areas, but we had to play.
(37:08):
I mean we had to play early on. I mean
that's what I loved about the small school. So we
had to play to play.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
You know, experience a right. My last question is Mount Rushmore. Okay,
four picks all right, successful life, football, horse race and
dad broadcaster, legendary fifth grade sis, great coach in basketball.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
If you had to put four people on the on
Mount Rushmore of influence just for what they do, just
for yours, you can. Okay. So my parents, that's one cool.
I mean, that's you know, lucky enough. I had an
easy life. And I tell you I grew up rich
and not financially rich. I grew up in a rich house.
(37:53):
You know, there was meals on the table. Mom and
dad both worked. I mean there were chores, I mean,
church going, found Yeah, I just built right, mom. And yeah,
my wife been dating. My wife's five foot one. We
started dating when we were the same height. We started
dating in seventh grade. I got lucky. I mean, she's
my She's my constant. I always tell people, you know,
(38:16):
you have to have that constant when you play. I
was lucky. I didn't have to. I didn't have drama
when I came home. You know, I didn't have any
I mean, everything was taken care of. Man. Yeah, her man,
you know. Okay. The third one would be my brother.
My brother was five years older than me, much better
athlete than I was. Played at McNee State, played all,
started all four years, record breaker there, receiver, ran track
(38:37):
of college. Yeah, but I wanted to be like him.
He was the study in my high school. I was
always his little brother. I wanted to be him, you know.
And then the fourth it's gonna be two coaches. It's
gonna be my high school coach, Sonny schiponche and off
its ave coordinator Sunny sharpen Chase. Yeah, and my college
(39:00):
offensive coordinator, Lewis Cook. Louis Cook legendary so and I'm
gonna tell you why. Both were brilliant offensive minds coach Chaponche.
He was fabulous. I mean he just playing quarterback, feet
and everything he was. But they were both the greatest men.
(39:21):
Like they cared more about the team, they cared more
about making kids, and they were both devout Catholics. Like
the way they treated their wives. I mean that's you know.
I had that emulated at my house by my dad.
And then I had two men. I was around one
from eighth nineteenth eleven twelve and then one through college.
And those two men, like I saw it every day
(39:43):
and they knew they were good. They both knew they
were great coaches. They knew it, but they never showed it.
I mean they never they never came about, well I
did this. It was all about the team. That's what
it was. It was always that those two men. I know,
to me, it was just got it. I was left.
I got ingrained my whole life and I was always
just been around those but one it was just the confidence.
(40:06):
Like my high school coach, I kid you not. We
could have been playing the Chicago Bears and here's twenty
five of us from Turling's cat like roll up. He
would have made us believe we were going to win.
And this is how we were gonna win. I mean,
like and just yeah, so those are my four mom
and dad, yeah, wife, brother, and those two coaches. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
I like it well, Jake Man, like you just sharing
so much with us, man taking us on this ride.
I understand why those people meant so much to you
and how they impacted you because from your career all
of a sudden, that allows you to be able to sit.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Behind Kurt Warner and just be honest with your parents. Like, dude,
he's just really good. It's good.
Speaker 4 (40:46):
But you were ready for your moment and you took
advantage every.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Single I wanted to learn. Yeah, you know, and I
go back y'all had Rodney Pete on like that was
one of my mentors, man. I mean like I played
with Rodney, Like I went to him our first year.
Jordon can't gain weight late in the season and my
wife is like, Rodney, what what do I need to do?
And he's like, it's called stress. He said, it's normal.
(41:08):
You know that, And it's just like you don't have it,
you know, Like I like being around successful people though
I'm attracted to those people. Man tageous.
Speaker 4 (41:16):
Yeah, man, you've been lucky in that in that manner,
and very successful in yourself. Man, I appreciate it. I've
got to known you even more by sitting down. And
this is what this podcast allows.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Us to do. Man is to y'all do us legends.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
And like you even said, for you listening, you heard
Rodney peace and learning stuff about even other guys, the teammates,
the mental of yours that you didn't even get to
know about, And so I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
He went deep and I was like, man, I didn't
know that, and I had so much respect for Ronnie
and still do. And then Matt willag ex teammate, you know,
and then certainly Smitty you know my feeling for him.
They'll never they'll never wane, you know. So that's awesome.
I think y'all do a great job. Y'all are two
classy role models. You know, even though you at Alabama,
(41:59):
you know that is what it is. Raging cage and
you know what I mean by he loves the flex.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
I'm glad we got one in here, because you know,
it's not as many of y'all as it is of us.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
We got plenty in the league. We just say had
to mow. Yet that's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I mean we're gonna get Robert Hunt, the big free
agent sign even aim to come sitting here. I mean
big free agent signing.
Speaker 4 (42:19):
I'm talking about as far as money's and the man
can run too, he can and he can catch, he
can catch, he can run.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
All right, y'all, man, I want you to get us
out of here. Man, Why get us out of here? Man?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Well, thank you wherever you listen to you, I was
not ready to get us.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Out of here.
Speaker 4 (42:36):
All right, Heart Radio, Apple Podcasts, and definitely check us
out on YouTube.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
We got a new YouTube channel.
Speaker 4 (42:40):
Click share live there it is share like yeah, comment
friend and telor tell a friend us out of here. Man,
Thank you man, we're out here. NFL Player's second X
podcast We Out, We Out.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
I'm gonna close this next time.
Hello everyone. Jake Delome here, former Carolina Panthers quarterback, lucky
enough to be a Hall of Honor member in Carolina.
Just play with good players, it helps you go along.
And now I'm one of the color analysts for the
Carolina Panthers, and I just wrapped up a great interview
with Roman Harper, even though he played for the Saints,
(00:21):
did play in Carolina at the end though. And also
Charles Peanut Tillman of U. L. Lafayette Raging Cajun's. And
this is the NFL Players Second Acts Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm Peanut Tooman and this is the NFL Player's Second
Acts Podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
And with me as always, I got my great hair.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
H just call me your work wife and keep it
my work. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This is Gail. There we go. I got Gail with
me today right now. I was open last week. Is cool.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
So anyways, first of all, let me let's think the
Carolina Panthers for hosting us here at the Panthers Vision
Studio right here at the Bank of America. Thank you
first and foremost. Now I'm really excited about our next guest.
I know this man. I watched him growing up. I
played against this guy. He is fiery, he is beautiful.
He is from Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Go ahead, I'm excited about this.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Next guest, the Heart and Soul of a Cann played
fourteen seasons in the NFL. He's in the Panther Hall
of Honor. Now he's in the broadcasting and horses. I
do believe you, no big time horses. And there's only
eight Ring of Honor.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Guys here at the Carolina Panthers show.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So that says a rare air, that rare Man's got
some good DNA ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Jake Delone to the show. Thank you very much, the show.
Appreciate it. I you know, when you played with good players,
they make you look good, no doubt, and you get
tagged along sometimes. Yeah, you know, I'm not too proud
to ad minute. The best thing about those is.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
He went to the University of Louisiana. Yes, you saying
what's your chest saying like you it means.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Something to you. Well it's not. It doesn't mean that much.
But for Jake, you are Lafayette.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
He knows how much I love Louisiana. I have a
very big presence in Louisiana, and I love seeing this
guy and I know him being from boat Bridge down
in Kadiana.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
This guy is hey, man.
Speaker 5 (02:15):
He's back, He's there. There's no doubt, man, my ball.
I love it because my accent. Yeah, everybody, I listen,
I don't have I don't have one. No, I am
from bro Bridge, Louisiana. I'm actually from a little area
called a slubt.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
You don't really want to know, right outside Lafayette, right
outside bro Bridge, he said, LA Southwest. But you know
how it is. That that's how they are.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
They're different from New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, very different, different from bad U better I mean.
And so it's I agree with you. We we need culture.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I'm gonna claim it because I wanted to school there,
So yeah, we better culture.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I love it. That's why I said, my ball, I
know exactly what it meant.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Come on, I've hung out in LA. I've hung out
in these places in Louisiana. So I've just always been
a big fan of Jake. Just seeing him grow up.
I was a big fan of his. I rooted for
you guys so much in Super Bowl in two thousand
and one. Was that three three? Yes, thirty eight thirty eight?
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I knew it was one was in college.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
I was rooting for you guys. I really fell in
love your gunslinger mentality. Steve Smith was bawling Julius peppersah
when I don't know if anybody was rooting for you,
but I was in Alabama rooting for you guys. Kind
of tell us about that running how you guys kind
of got hot?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Listen. You know, I come here from the Saints. I
was with the Saints for six years, and I was
just that guy, you know, just undrafted, hanging on yep, okay,
and practice squad and uh, the next year practice squad.
I set the NFL Europe twice, so I can't even
start an NFL Europe. Really couldn't even start the first year.
I'm backing up a twenty six year old arena league
(03:51):
football player named Kurt Warner, and I remember, yeah, that's.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Crazy, but the NFL Europe was so good for all the.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yeah it was. We got sent over there and Frankfort.
I was Amsterdam in ninety eight, didn't play because of
you know that Hall of Fame or Kurt Warner. Then
I went over in Frankfort in ninety nine. Okay, yeah,
so and it was I remember calling home, go back
to Kurt, and I would talk to my girlfriend who's
not my wife, and then talk to my parents and
(04:20):
I was scrimmaged today or whatever. It was good. How'd
you do? I did? Well? What about the other guy's good?
He's kind of got a quick release. It's kind of accurate.
I mean like he's I don't know what you're gonna
tell you. This guy's good good? You know that. I
think he would be Kurt Warner. No, but I'm questioning myself. God, damn,
I'm playing an NFL Europe. I can't even start how
(04:40):
the NFL. Yeah, I was playing behind Kurt Warner. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So when you actually went from Europe to the NFL,
how tired were you?
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Because it was NonStop. It was non understanding. Yeah, because like, okay,
so the off season starts and you reported to training
camp in February. So you go, you have training camp
in the States. You'd have it for a month and
then you'd fly over the week before the first game
wherever city you're in. Play ten games, and we were
able to make the championship game, so that was eleven.
Come back late May, early June. You might go back
(05:10):
for a week or two because we used to finish
what June sixteenth ish, and then you go to camp.
So and listen, I'm different. I played quarterback. I didn't bang,
I didn't hit like you guys are run. But yeah,
so long year it is. But you're you're you're hanging
on by a thread. You're trying to make a team.
And that's kind of what it is. You're trying to
make a team. And there's no every other position in
the NFL. And you'll know this. You can put you
(05:32):
can put five six dbs on the field one time,
you can put four to five receivers on the time. Whatever.
There's one quarterback, so there's only one football where you
can play and gain experience. And so it was. It
was fun. I love it. I love seeing the guys,
the XFL, USF whatever, I like. I like seeing that
guys get a chance.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
So tell me this, why did you choose to sign
with the Panthers and not the Cowboys?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
So because I was a decision. I was a free agent, yes,
and I had never been a free agent before, and
so I came. I had there was a few teams,
but Carolina was going to give me a chance to compete.
So was Dallas, Chicago, was another team, and that the
GM at the time told my agent and it's I'm
one of those guys I bank things like, yeah, he'll
(06:16):
never be more than a backup, and so like, you know,
no doubt you. And so I come here in my visit,
had a great time on my visit and just loved
everything about it. I got offered a contract, and it
was a two year, five million dollar contract. Very we
had just had our first CHILBD, my wife and I
just had a few months prior, and so I made minimum.
(06:40):
Everything was minimum for me. I never made so like
man and in essence, the whole thing was almost guaranteed
how it was structured. And so I was going to
go visit Dallas. Well, they don't want to let you leave.
And my agent, Rick Smith, the Priority Sports. Rick and
Marty Hernie were very close, and he said, Marty, just
trust me. Let him go visit Dallas. He said, this
(07:01):
kid was never invited to the combine. He was never
that guy. He said, I'm just telling you let him go.
See he'll make the right decision. So I go to
Dallas and I spent the majority of my time with
the quarterback coach, Sean Payton fell in love with him.
But here was the crazy thing. John Fox and Sean
Payton were both coordinators for the New York Giants. John
defense Shawn offensive coordinator, and they were like best of friends.
(07:25):
Dan Henning was my offensive coordinator. Dan Henning's best friend
in the world is Bill Parcells, hey, coach of Dallas.
So when I left, Dan was like, Hey, don't listen
to Bills crap. Bill's gonna tell you, Hey, I have
racehorses too. You need to come over here. You know.
Dan was giving me his spill, and so I go
there and it was funny. Both places raved about each other. Yeah,
(07:49):
you know. So I loved my time there. It was
six hours from home. This was twelve hours from home
coming to Charlotte. And it was a two year, four
million dollar a day. It was a million less. Yeah,
it was a million less. And listen, that's a lot
of money. Now, that's a lot of money. Back then,
I never made anything.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Especially like hey, this is the this might be because
you've been hanging on this might be my only ones.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I gotta go. And so I'm so glad Carolina. And
so it was going back and forth and I wasn't
sure and Sean was like, hey, Jerry Jones was not there.
He was flying in that night and I was supposed
to fly back that night. And so one day visit
and my wife, I kind of go talk to her
on the phone. I don't even know if I had
a cell phone at the time, you know, And she
was like, stay overnight. Just let Jerry meet you. If
(08:33):
this is where you want to be, let him meet you.
And I'm like, you know whatever. So afternoon goes on.
The money's not budget. My agent told me, he goes,
if you're ever gonna listen to me in your life,
you cannot sign with Dallas. Said why. I said, they're
not ready to win. He said, I'm telling you they
sell the baseball players at the time, Chad Hutchinson, Quincy Carter. Yeah.
(08:55):
So he said they're not ready. He said, I'm telling
you Carolina is on the cuff. He goes, just trust
me when I tell you they have built something there.
They just need a few pieces. So I'm like scrambling.
So and I said, Sean was like, hey, stay overnight, Peyton,
stay and I'm like, I need to go make a
phone call. So I go and I'm going into the
(09:17):
office that they made me make that. I made a
phone call earlier, you know, pres nine to get out
it's locked. And the guy was like, why is that locked?
And the only door was opened was this morning? He
was come in here. So I went and I sat
down and I'm on the phone and I'm talking to
my wife. Yeah, I'm my wife here because we and
I'm like, I don't know what to do. And I
look up and I kid you not. There was sticky notes,
(09:39):
all different sizes and it was Charlotte Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte,
Charlotte Charlotte. Who was Charlotte Jones Jerry's daughter's office. They
put me in the call. I'm sorry a sign. I'm
a big I'm a deeply religious guy, like I just
think the Good Lord put signs. Yeah. I told my
wife coming home and I hung up the phone. I
went to the airport. Carolina. Wow, I'm telling you, I
(10:03):
think the big man upstairs has had something to do
with it. I kid you like that, I like that.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
So with all the bouncing around in NFL Europe, and
what moment in time did you know that you could
be a starter in this league?
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Whenever I had my first start December twenty fourth, nineteen
ninety nine. We played the Dallas Cowboys on a Friday
only only game. On that day, I got to start
because we sucked at the Saints. I'll tell you that
right now. Billy Joe Hobert was hurt, Billy Joe Tolliver
was hurt. Danny wirfol I got. I mean, it was
just the Sans wasn't good for a long time. We
were two and twelve. We were terrible. Dallas was on
(10:41):
the cuff of making the playoffs and they were going
to start me. And it's a crazy story. Billy Joe
Tolliver was the guy. But Billy was coming off of
a moniscus and a rep. He had two things. So
on the day before, Mike Dicka tells him Tolliver, he goes, hey,
we're not gonna dress you no more. He said, Coach good,
I'm gonna be okay. I'll be aild to back him up.
(11:03):
He said no. He said, I want to give the
kid a chance. He said, if he struggles, I'm gonna
pull him and put you in. He said, that's not
right to the kid. Yeah, So he undressed Billy. We
play and I'm going. The game felt slow. The game
felt normal to me because you don't know, you just
don't know. And I remember getting out and my first
(11:24):
pass was was intercepted. We're throwing a hitch. I throw it,
Kavika Pittman jumps up, bats it, Darren Woodson intercepts it
on the other side. I mean, first throw, first first throw.
IM throwing a wide open hitch. I mean one, two three,
and I let it go and Kavika jumps up. It's
just one of those players and he hits it and
bats it in the air, and Darren Woodson, I'm like, okay,
(11:45):
look scratch it. But every time I go back and
play like I didn't see this. Yeah, I saw this.
I felt I was like, you know what, and we
got rolling. We aboul get a touchdown to Eddie Kennison
down the sideline, and just things kind of went from
there in confidence. You start getting confidence. And then the
next week we come play here, we get run out
(12:06):
of the building Steve Burlin and Wesley Walls and we'll
send Muhammad and all these guys, and Dickie gets fired,
and so the guy I finally made headway with is gone.
Jim has it comes in. But then Mike McCarthy was
hired as an offensive coordinator and that's when my football
eyes got open to the NFL quarterback school and I'll
(12:28):
go to I'll go to my grave Mike McCarthy what
he did with quarterback school, and that's the legendary quarterback
school that Joe Montana did, Steve Young Ridge Gannon and
they took it to Kansas City and it just kind
of went down the line. Yes, and then McCarthy went
to Green Bay and Farv would do something, but Farvar
was well established. But Matt hassell back as if you
(12:50):
ever talked to Matt Haskell quarterback school, Aaron Brooks, those guys,
and we did the quarterback school stuff and it started
March twenty first or whatever you'd report, and the off
season we had to report three weeks prior and it
was seven to five Monday through Thursday. That's off season.
I mean there was no rules back then. And day one,
this is where the center lines up from the huddle,
(13:11):
this is where the guard lines up. And you go
through every single page and then we had to get
up on the board the quarterbacks all right, two jet protection,
draw it up, block it up, where's your problems? Where's
your answers? Okay? Two jet check, all right, twenty four protection,
twenty two protects, seventy six protection, everything from from the
ground up. So when we would go out in the
practice field, we had already had it and the confidence
(13:31):
just like, Okay, I get it now. That's how the
game really, that's how it opened up in my eyes.
And Mike McCarthy was very hard on me. And the
reason I say that we had that year it was
Jeff Blake as the starter and Aaron Brooks and I
was the three and had a really good preseason, so
they kept three and McCarthy I give him credit because
(13:53):
he was hard on me in a way. He was like, hey,
quarterback tip sheet, all the tips to the course of
the week, and give it to Sondra who was the secretary.
Have it to Sondra on Friday morning before we go
out to practice. She'll type it up. And he said
it better be good. Well. I took that as a challenge.
So every during the course of the week, making notes,
you know what our pressure alerts, our run game checks
(14:15):
and this and that and just kind of what we
thought about certain players, where the tendencies are and I
took pride in it, and I remember doing it the
first week. Yeah good. And I remember doing it the
first week because shortly origin goal line was installed on
Friday morning and I'm just grinding away finishing it and
shortly rige goal line was the last thing because I
had to get it to Sondra to type up before
we left Friday, and I was proud of it. Man
(14:37):
and the quarterback coach, Frank Signetty, he let it be
known on the side that hey, they appreciate this tip sheet.
I'm just just letting you know. And I need I
needed to hear that because mcarthy weren't gonna give it
to me. I mean, he was keep grinding. And then
it just kind of went from there and I had
to sit and watch. I mean, Aaron was Jeff Blake
was playing great, he has Liz Frank. Middle of the season,
(14:59):
Aaron comes in, We went this NFC South, we went
a playoff game for the first time, and Aaron comes back.
The next year, Jeff's back. I'm third string again. Yeah,
but just keep your mouth shut. And it just kind
of grew even more. And then the next offseason, Page
one center lines up seven yards from the ball. Mike
started over repetition every day and it just got and
(15:22):
it just made it easy. The game slowed down. And
that's when the game slowed down for me, and I
knew it was time. I knew I was going to
get an opportunity at some point toward the end of
that year. In two Aaron Brooks had a Labraham deal
and he could play somebody. It would flare up during
the game, and I had to get thrown in there
a couple of times, some important games. And I'll never forget.
We're playing Sunday night Tampa in New Orleans and they
(15:45):
won the Super Bowl that year. Loaded and sure enough
we line up and we need one first down to
ice the game, and I'm in the game, and we
run it twice and then third down get I get
to play call. You know, I left tight ninety three
lead Z Key was z was the receiver, and we smoke.
We throw smokes the smitty. It was Key back then.
(16:07):
And I remember looking at Mike because we always took
the key off late in the games. Don't let the
ball hit the ground. We went clock to run, make
them burn, And I remember looking over at the sideline
and McCarthy's he knew and he did. I trust you.
It's like whoa. So we line up and sure enough
it comes. You know, Lynch comes down and he gets
in the box and it's a reverse out because we
(16:28):
and I and I took one step and when I
came back, they all felled and Joe Horn it was
it was a slant, the key man a slant and
Joe Horn and I just hit him pum. He catches
it first down. We sealed the game. And that was
the trust factor, you know what I mean? That was
you know, that was the trust factor that the coaches
had in me. And I had to play again in
(16:49):
Baltimore two weeks later, did well when I went.
Speaker 4 (16:52):
In, and I love like because everybody has these moments
where all of a sudden, you like know, when you
start to believe in yourself.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Yeah, and so you talked.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
About the confidence is that these things, these plays, these
certain moments that you vividly remember, were able to draw
a picture for us and the viewers.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
It's like, man, you go.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Through that and then you get to where now you're
a starting quarterback for Carolina. You guys get on that
hot streak and you guys are running the ball, You're
making big explosive plays the Moose to Smitty and I
want to know this, and that Super Bowl thirty eight
you had a long touchdown past the moose five yards
still the longest past in Super Bowl history. What was
(17:29):
that trash talking you was doing, like on the way back, like.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
You were blessing, right, you were saying a prayer form right,
talking to God, bless you.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
What would you say? I take exactly what happened, because
we want to know. We were We were a chippy
team and we yapped and that fourth quarter was crazy.
It was it was nuts. And so that just was
our like we had confidence, we had swagger. I mean,
you played in Super Bowls. Yeah, yeah, at the end
of those years when you're winning.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Especially the way y'all be saying, Louis the way, Yeah,
you guys got there, exactly be Dallas here, We'll be saying,
we'd be Philly and Philly.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
You know. It was just we were one of those
so sure enough, you know, we run excell on a
staple play and Moose doesn't. That's the pole point of
the play and that on that particular coverage, Moose is
running for the love of the game. Yeah, that's it. Well,
I kind of slide a little bit with my funky
little feet and then there's Moose, keep running. He never stops.
(18:27):
He didn't look pretty. And I just see them. I
just see the hook, you know. I let it go
and he catches it. And so the first thing you
do is you look for a flag. There's no fly.
Well I take off running. Well, Rodney Harrison is walking,
and if Rodney saw a fly walk past him, Rodney
was gonna hit it. I mean, I was just Rodney
hid anything. I said, I'm gonna run right by him
(18:47):
and I'm gonna put my hands up and I said,
I'm gonna get a cheap fifteen. And sure enough, that's
what I did, and he, sure enough, he gave me
the chicken wing with it. Hurt Rodney, You touched Rodney,
hurt and whatever. And that's when I was like, yeah,
you know, I said a few choice words and I
don't even know what I said. My gibberish was coming out. Yeah,
and so, but that was that was us, That's what
(19:07):
that was. That was me. But yeah, I might have
asked him or I might have said a couple of
so I know you're in the in the horse business.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
I've been on the horse a couple of times and
one horse took off on me and I held on
for dear life, screaming and cursing.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
You know, how'd you feel like being that high up?
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Because that's my fear when I didn't like it, I'm like,
it's just I didn't like it because I didn't like
it because I.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Wasn't in control.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
I wasn't in control. I was in Costa Rica and
this horse just took off on me.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
And you're probably going through the water. I'm on some.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Rocks and I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, Like most people
do right, did not work, but they feel you well,
I don't know this. I paid two hundred dollars or
two hundred pay sols or whatever it was, two hundred
Costa Rican dollars and this horse, I'm saying, I don't
even know how you say woa in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Anyway, I said, whoa.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
He didn't listen to me. He just did his own thing.
Horses like full secretariat mode. Right now, I am screaming, yelling,
doing everything. Have you ever been on a horse like
full speed, just like just ears peel, pitch back, Have
you ever been on a horse like full speed?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Just no, I mean I had a shelling pony growing
up that. I thought I was going to be a jockey,
and I was five, I'd go, of course I was
gonna be. Did you even get into the business third generation?
Oh so yeah. My grandfather was old cattleman, old farmer,
was illiterate, spoke more better French than English. Yeah. I
(20:42):
had property, horses and back you know, back then everybody
had the horses and the crops and things like that,
and they had these bush tracks. And so my grandfather
he had race horses, but a lot of people did.
I mean, that was common's normal. It was normal, and
Dad always had it. I didn't grow up hunting, fishing
and golfing, and I'm in sportsman's paradise. You lived down there.
I didn't grew up doing that. We grew up in
(21:02):
a barn. I went to school, played sports and the horses.
That was my deal. And football gave me the chance
to expand on it. And listen, I'm gonna tell you
for me, we do all the work. I mean, like, yeah,
we do it, but that helps spill the competitive void.
I don't care what anybody says you finish this game,
(21:24):
there's a competitive void. That's it's gone. And for me,
I'm so blessed. I walked right into it. Because if
you win as an owner in the game or a
trainer twenty percent of the time in horse racing, that's
that's that's a success rate. Okay. Yeah. You find me
a quarterback that wins twenty percent of the games, he's cut.
(21:45):
So I mean it's it, and it's every day, and
it's just it's consistency, and you know, that's that's my love,
that's my passion. Show I went. I went right into that. Yeah,
And so that was my my grind, that's my every day.
That's what I loved to do. So owner and trainer
is it My brother trains and my dad trains, and
I'm the owner. It's under set Hut is what we
(22:08):
run to set Hut LLC. Yeah yeah, okay, so but
I'm there.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
I mean that's you know, but you've named horses after players.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Absolutely, You've also.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I would also like to know because I think you said, uh,
horse racing is more nerve wracking than playing quarters.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Absolutely, okay, so you're on that horse scare to death
right absolutely? All right? So we go play a game,
who's in Would you say you weren't in control, was
not in control? You go play a game, who's in control? Control?
Let me do this is exactly I'm in control. So
we prepare a horse, we do everything ready, I mean,
leading up to a big race. Er. I mean, like,
you don't know. I don't know if he has a
(22:49):
headache that day. You don't know. I don't know if
he just doesn't feel that. I don't know. You can't
tell me. I mean, we think we're gonna do everything
in our in our power to get him him or her,
you know, whatever it is. But like there's something about it.
You talk. So. Jason Worth is the pro baseball player,
the long haired guy from the Philadelphia Phillies. He is
part owner of a horse named Dorknock who just won
(23:11):
the Belmont, one of the Triple Crown races, and he
just won this big race called the Haskell. Well there's
video of him and they talk about it, and he
talks about He goes, I'm way more nervous than I
am going to the plate in the World Series game
when I'm batting in Philly, but a pack because I'm
way more nervous for all horse race. I don't control it.
There's just something about it. It's the greatest thrill. And
(23:32):
it's like owning your own franchise. It's like watching one
of your children. I mean really and truly, I mean
I think my children. I feel a little bit more
about a little bit more attachment to my children with
those horses. I mean, like, that's what you do every day.
And I love football. Gave me a chance to get
into this, and we do it. We do a lot
of it our own. I mean it's we're there every day.
(23:54):
We haul into the track with him in the bat
mean it, my love? Man?
Speaker 2 (23:59):
What are some well, first off, how many horses do
you own? And what are some of their names?
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Okay, so I own right now, I guess on about
twelve to fourteen race horses. I have some mayors and babies.
They stay up in Kentucky at a buddy Mine's farm.
I kind of buy and sell up there. I race
in Louisiana. I'm on our board there four tracks. It's insane.
So I've named a bunch of I'm named. I have
(24:23):
one right now named Mangum and that's named after I
tied d Chris Manga, and in watching his early development,
you know, man, this is gonna be a solid little horse.
And that's what Chris was a solid football player. Well
he became a little more than solid. He was champion
three year old in Louisiana last year, so that was awesome.
(24:44):
I've named some. I have one that haven't run. He
hasn't run yet. She will run this fall. I named
her Khalil, after Ryan Khalil, and I'll tell you why
I bought her to sale. I thought she was gonna
cost a lot more, and I thought I stole her,
and I thought we stole Ryan Kalil in the second round.
I mean, very simple. I try to name. I named
one ex clown after Steve Smith because this one has
(25:07):
a little fire in him and he was full of muscle.
I was Steve Smith, you know. I mean, I just
I tried to name. I named one fifty protection. I've
named one two jet, I'm named one seventy two Reno.
I just I try to name I like that, you know,
And I have one right now who you had Thomas
Davis too? Man, Thomas Davis? What was that one? I
would I don't have to edit that, so Okay, So
(25:32):
I bought a horse. Is that his name is Violence? Oh? Oh?
And I bought him. He was a year one years
old black and he walked like a panther. I mean,
just and it's funny. I bought in one of my buddies,
or what You're gonna name him? I said, I gotta
think of one, he said, who walked like a panther
and just looked mean. I said, well, I said Thomas Davis.
(25:56):
To me, I always thought of Thomas was just that.
I just thought Tom was that guy. And you touch Thomas,
it hurt. He has no muscles anywhere, but you just
touch him and it hurt. And so I had to
get permission to name in that because you can't just
name so Thomas had to email me. I had to
send the Jockey club. And we thought this horse was
going to be a freak show. Like he was. He
(26:16):
was showing all the signs. He was awesome. And it
was in December at the Fairgrounds and I'm assuming you're
going to say this, he's running his first race. And
we had two races that day. One was this maiden
race first time out, and the other one was the
Louisiana Champions Day Classic, which is the best race in
Louisian for Louisiana breads. I had one in that race.
(26:37):
So we're running Thomas, he's running, he takes he takes
a bad step and he flips in the turn, shatters
his ankle. He has to be put down. I've never
been so like the horse that never had a pimp
on in his life. I mean, it was just one
of these freak deals. You know, it was the most
it was the worst thing in the world. So to
(26:58):
make sure the jockey's okay, we go oh, you know,
and he's you know, the vets are there. He has
to go to l s U do a knee cropsy.
I mean, it was just this is the way it
is with horse racing.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
You can't give them an advil, you know, when it
was fine, I mean, it was just it was a
freak deal. So I was the most devastated I'd ever
been in my life. And then two hours later in
the Classic, we run a horse name touch upon a
Star and he romps and he's the best horse ever had.
He's the horse of the year. So yeah, so that's
a kind of a type of story. But bro as
(27:29):
an attachment man you get yeah, and then like I
take it personal, like I'm not naming something just to
name it after somebody. It's a belief that I had,
you know, yeah, and we'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Is there a way to go about like recruiting the
horses are like yes, when you when you see it,
you're just like, okay, I'll tell you this explained.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
So there's a yearling sale. The yearling sales. When I
say yearling is one years old, they're starting to start now,
they had one in July, they're gonna have one next week,
and then it's it's coming up this fall that you
go by. Basically you're going to buy a junior high
athlete in essence. Yeah, so you've.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Got to be really good running by two and three.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
You can start at two. Yes, So you have a book,
a catalog, you have family tree, lineage, and so that's
all fine and dandy. But if I would go tell you,
I want you to go look at these hundred horses,
and I want you to go pick out who you want.
And you're going to say, well, what do I look for?
Go look for an athlete. I'll tell you right now,
you go tell me what an athlete looks like what
(28:31):
you think has balance walk scope everything. I want to
look at his legs. I promise you could go do it.
You know what they look like. You know you could
see somebody walking on the street. You can too, you
can tell me like, uh, this guy was something this
he's kind of loose the way he walks. I mean,
you can see it. I'm telling you could go pick
out something. So it's the same thing horses. Well you
(28:53):
and listen. I want lineage. I want family tree, you know.
I want to look and I want to see, you know,
I don't know. I want to see Archie Manning right
here and Olivia Manning right here, and I want to
see on the page Peyton Manning. You know what I mean. Yeah, okay,
I would assume that lineage is gonna run, but sometimes
that doesn't happen. But like I'm just telling you, you
can go and you can pick out I'm telling you
(29:16):
can do it.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
You know, it does matter huge in horse racing. That
is the that's the lineage is the big thing and
all that.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
But you can't measure just like football, you can't measure
inside that horn, can't You don't know who's going to
find the finish line. Finish line.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
I'm glad they didn't measure lineage when it came to
drafting me. But because my dad did not play no football.
My dad was in a band.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
I mean, Jay, we could probably talk about horse racing.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Yeah, that's my good. He got some geek movi.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
We talked about You're like, you could just tell like, no, no, no, this.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Is secretary to my favorite movie. I'm sorry, I just
had to say it. Man.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
I love the details in which you you talk about
the horses, the way you went about your craft football,
the opportunities like the Mike McCarthy thing, and it's probably
kind of the same in type of details you have
to do now and also what you do with the
Panthers calling the games right. Tell us how that experience
has been now that you've been doing that a few years,
and how they invited you.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
To do it. So listen, I'm a football junkie. I
love football, love everything about it. I just loved it.
So my career ends. I had some opportunities to do
some stuff, and listen, I have a the Louisiana accent,
you know, I get it. But I had some opportunities
and I wasn't I wasn't ready. I was played a
(30:37):
long time. I was thirty seven or thirty. I want
to I want to go home, you know, I want to.
Like I coach girls basketball for seven out of eight
years my daughter's you know, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grade.
I wanted to do those things, you know, soccer games,
things like that, and it was in the works. I
got asked to maybe do this over here a couple
of times, and I was like, okay. Then it came
(30:59):
two thousand nineteen. Kids have gotten older, kind of knew
the direction they were going to go, and I was like, yeah,
I'll do it. I said, but I can't do not
traveling sixteen weekends in a row. I don't want to
miss stuff, said, not a problem. Jordan Gross and I
with Tag Teamate and I fell in love with it.
I'll never forget the first game we played the Rams
and they're coming off their Super Bowl when they lost
to New England. I watched all nineteen games leading up
(31:23):
to the first game. I had my notes. I am
like ready and Mick Mixon was the announcer at the
time and making totally different yeah aass Mick and training camp.
I was like, hey, I want to do a preseason game.
And he said, I said, what do you mean. He said,
I do make the television, not in the radio. And
I was like, yeah, but I want. He goes, I'm
(31:45):
gonna be just fine, and he gave me pointers, Hey,
just talk to him, just tell a story. You're having
a conversation. He said, it's not TV so different, it's
not more details. And then you know, and our producer here,
David Langdon like just little it's hey, we score a
big touchdown, don't say anything home, let the crowd, Let
the radio hear the crowd, you know what I mean.
(32:08):
And it's like you start to learn and like, hey,
if at that point, if Christian has a one yard game,
you don't go in detail about it. What should we
look for? What should we go little pinners like that?
And so the first game happens, and I remember, in
the middle of the first quarter, I'm like, I can't
believe I watched all that film. I can't believe I
did that. And you just start talking and it just
(32:29):
felt conversational and like as a quarterback, and I think
both of you ended up as safeties. You know, were
you always a safety? But you play corner, you're on
your island, you play safety, you're seeing everything. As a quarterback,
I have to see everything. So I felt like could
feel the game and see the game, and you can
just kind of you can relate to people and talk
to them because I like listening to other people talk.
(32:51):
I love listening to other radio guys talk. And do
I like them? What don't I like about them? Are
they talking above not above my head? But like the
normal viewers are they don't want to hear that? Then
I understand it. Plenty enough friends that are not afraid
to critique me, you know what I mean, Like yeah,
ex players and they'll text, you know, like hey, good job,
you know, like and that means a lot, and I
(33:13):
don't need affirmation. So started doing it, fell in love
with it, kind of went on, and then Jordan moved
back home and became a head high school football coach
at Fruitland High. A little difficult for him traveling and
game planning on weekend, so Luke became involved and so
and I didn't know. I knew Luke as a player,
but I didn't know him as a person. And I
told him, I said, Luke, listen, trust me when I
(33:35):
tell you, like, don't over prepare, and I know that's
not in your vocabulary. So we play in Cleveland, game one.
And so we get there and I pulled out my
index card and I have my notes, my keys of
the game, and just I'm lucky. I can recall things
fairly easy, so I can remember, and I had numbers
pretty good. And Luke pulled out a Manila folder. It
(33:59):
was a scouting report on every single player, special teams,
backup scouting report on everybody. It's okay, game ended, it's over.
He looked at me. He said, I went about fast.
I said, yeah, I said, i'd your scouting report go.
He goes, I never looked at it once. I said, no,
it's just different. You're talking, and it's good for me.
(34:21):
I bleed Carolina Blue, and I talked through a Panther lenz.
You know, if that's great on Panthers Radio. Hopefully I
want him to hurt with this. I want him to
feel when we get excited, you know. And I'm not
going to go or rate somebody like I've thrown a
lot of awful interceptions, you know, like but if somebody
throws a bad let's just okay. We have a bad pick.
(34:41):
That's a past Bryce would want to have back, or
that's something that you know what j C probably needs
to make that play a corner, you know way, that's
the way to do the thing that Juba mone have
missed that whole. Like that's instead of you know, the
sensation relation. Oh my sensations. What a terrible pass. Oh,
I mean, come on, nont sensation anything. I don't know,
(35:01):
that's just well. I want to be real and honest,
but I want to be like, hey, I want you
to feel my panther pride coming through. But like, listen,
it's hard. Last year was difficult calling games, won two games,
that's hard. And the frustration. I'm bruised on this side
of my body from Luke Kid and me and now
he's bruised on that side. We get frustrated. We want
(35:23):
to win. We want these fans to holler, we want
you know. That's but I love it. I love it.
I just I'm sure I love doing it. I hope, so,
I hope. So. So here's a here's a question I
got asked.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
I was looking this up, and I don't think you
knew or anyone else knew you were in all state dB.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, in Louisiana. In Louisiana, ye, listen, I went to
at my high school, now is a four A high school.
Back then, we were single A. It was a small
high school. We played. We had twenty five guys on
the team, including freshmen. We played both ways. Yeah, we
lost in the state Simmis. They ended up having like
six or seven picks in the playoffs. Dud, You just
stand back. He trying to be modestly. He's like, you
(36:04):
just watched the quarterbacks eyes, man, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
It's single high school for still saying something though corner
deal safety Oh no.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
No, no safety safety. But you were playing quarterback too,
thought I did? I kicked, We didn't come off the field.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
Damas play.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Yeah, it's just it is. But you know, it's funny.
So back in high school. The newspapers were big back then,
and every week it was who led the state in passing,
you know, and whatever. And it's funny. For like three
or four years in a row, it was four quarterbacks
Josh Booty, Peyton Manning, myself, and Eric Randall. We all
went to one A high school, small high schools really, yeah,
(36:45):
Newman private school. Josh bodies that Evangels single A, I'm
Single A and Eric Randall's at Southern Lab Single A
and Baton Rouge. Eric four year starters in every record
at Southern Lap. His little brother played after him. He
was at Southern Lab. Josh Aydon did all right for himself.
But it's kind of funny, like, yeah, that was our
small school, all different areas, but we had to play.
(37:08):
I mean we had to play early on. I mean
that's what I loved about the small school. So we
had to play to play.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
You know, experience a right. My last question is Mount Rushmore. Okay,
four picks all right, successful life, football, horse race and
dad broadcaster, legendary fifth grade sis, great coach in basketball.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
If you had to put four people on the on
Mount Rushmore of influence just for what they do, just
for yours, you can. Okay. So my parents, that's one cool.
I mean, that's you know, lucky enough. I had an
easy life. And I tell you I grew up rich
and not financially rich. I grew up in a rich house.
(37:53):
You know, there was meals on the table. Mom and
dad both worked. I mean there were chores, I mean,
church going, found Yeah, I just built right, mom. And yeah,
my wife been dating. My wife's five foot one. We
started dating when we were the same height. We started
dating in seventh grade. I got lucky. I mean, she's
my She's my constant. I always tell people, you know,
(38:16):
you have to have that constant when you play. I
was lucky. I didn't have to. I didn't have drama
when I came home. You know, I didn't have any
I mean, everything was taken care of. Man. Yeah, her man,
you know. Okay. The third one would be my brother.
My brother was five years older than me, much better
athlete than I was. Played at McNee State, played all,
started all four years, record breaker there, receiver, ran track
(38:37):
of college. Yeah, but I wanted to be like him.
He was the study in my high school. I was
always his little brother. I wanted to be him, you know.
And then the fourth it's gonna be two coaches. It's
gonna be my high school coach, Sonny schiponche and off
its ave coordinator Sunny sharpen Chase. Yeah, and my college
(39:00):
offensive coordinator, Lewis Cook. Louis Cook legendary so and I'm
gonna tell you why. Both were brilliant offensive minds coach Chaponche.
He was fabulous. I mean he just playing quarterback, feet
and everything he was. But they were both the greatest men.
(39:21):
Like they cared more about the team, they cared more
about making kids, and they were both devout Catholics. Like
the way they treated their wives. I mean that's you know.
I had that emulated at my house by my dad.
And then I had two men. I was around one
from eighth nineteenth eleven twelve and then one through college.
And those two men, like I saw it every day
(39:43):
and they knew they were good. They both knew they
were great coaches. They knew it, but they never showed it.
I mean they never they never came about, well I
did this. It was all about the team. That's what
it was. It was always that those two men. I know,
to me, it was just got it. I was left.
I got ingrained my whole life and I was always
just been around those but one it was just the confidence.
(40:06):
Like my high school coach, I kid you not. We
could have been playing the Chicago Bears and here's twenty
five of us from Turling's cat like roll up. He
would have made us believe we were going to win.
And this is how we were gonna win. I mean,
like and just yeah, so those are my four mom
and dad, yeah, wife, brother, and those two coaches. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
I like it well, Jake Man, like you just sharing
so much with us, man taking us on this ride.
I understand why those people meant so much to you
and how they impacted you because from your career all
of a sudden, that allows you to be able to sit.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Behind Kurt Warner and just be honest with your parents. Like, dude,
he's just really good. It's good.
Speaker 4 (40:46):
But you were ready for your moment and you took
advantage every.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Single I wanted to learn. Yeah, you know, and I
go back y'all had Rodney Pete on like that was
one of my mentors, man. I mean like I played
with Rodney, Like I went to him our first year.
Jordon can't gain weight late in the season and my
wife is like, Rodney, what what do I need to do?
And he's like, it's called stress. He said, it's normal.
(41:08):
You know that, And it's just like you don't have it,
you know, Like I like being around successful people though
I'm attracted to those people. Man tageous.
Speaker 4 (41:16):
Yeah, man, you've been lucky in that in that manner,
and very successful in yourself. Man, I appreciate it. I've
got to known you even more by sitting down. And
this is what this podcast allows.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Us to do. Man is to y'all do us legends.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
And like you even said, for you listening, you heard
Rodney peace and learning stuff about even other guys, the teammates,
the mental of yours that you didn't even get to
know about, And so I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
He went deep and I was like, man, I didn't
know that, and I had so much respect for Ronnie
and still do. And then Matt willag ex teammate, you know,
and then certainly Smitty you know my feeling for him.
They'll never they'll never wane, you know. So that's awesome.
I think y'all do a great job. Y'all are two
classy role models. You know, even though you at Alabama,
(41:59):
you know that is what it is. Raging cage and
you know what I mean by he loves the flex.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
I'm glad we got one in here, because you know,
it's not as many of y'all as it is of us.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
We got plenty in the league. We just say had
to mow. Yet that's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I mean we're gonna get Robert Hunt, the big free
agent sign even aim to come sitting here. I mean
big free agent signing.
Speaker 4 (42:19):
I'm talking about as far as money's and the man
can run too, he can and he can catch, he
can catch, he can run.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
All right, y'all, man, I want you to get us
out of here. Man, Why get us out of here? Man?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Well, thank you wherever you listen to you, I was
not ready to get us.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Out of here.
Speaker 4 (42:36):
All right, Heart Radio, Apple Podcasts, and definitely check us
out on YouTube.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
We got a new YouTube channel.
Speaker 4 (42:40):
Click share live there it is share like yeah, comment
friend and telor tell a friend us out of here. Man,
Thank you man, we're out here. NFL Player's second X
podcast We Out, We Out.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
I'm gonna close this next time.
Hosts And Creators
Charles “Peanut” Tillman
Roman Harper
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