January 24, 2024 • 43 mins
On the latest NFL Players: Second Acts podcast, Super Bowl champion Kevin Boothe joins Peanut and Roman. Kevin shares his welcome to the NFL moment provided by Warren Sapp. He also talks about making it to the NFL from an Ivy League school. Kevin won two Super Bowls with the Giants, and shares what it was like to be on the field for "The Catch" made by David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII. After playing, Kevin stayed connected to the game, and talks about his current role in the NFL League Office working in player engagement. And, he gives some insight into how he became a member of the "Quill and Dagger Society."
0:00 – start of episode
1:29 - Kevin is introduced
2:28 - Playing football in the Ivy League
4:32 - Studying hotel administration at Cornell
5:32 - Welcome to the NFL moment
6:08 - Kevin talks about his rookie year in Oakland
7:30 - Kevin discusses his two Super Bowl wins
8:45 - Kevin relives David Tyree’s helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII
12:35 - Kevin talks about Mario Manningham’s clutch catch in Super Bowl XLVI
13:25 - Kevin shares what it was like to play for Tom Coughlin
16:55 - Kevin talks about going back to Oakland for his final season
21:07 - Kevin talks about losing weight after leaving football
24:30 - Kevin discusses going back to school for his MBA
27:39 - Kevin explains what an NFL player engagement staff person does
30:38 - Roman shares how the Giants attempted to trade for him
32:08 - Kevin says the Giants were afraid to play the Saints in the 2011 playoffs
35:02 - Kevin explains the quill and dagger society
36:45 - Kevin shares his person Mount Rushmore
*NOTE: Times codes are approximate
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is Kevin Booth, two times Super Bowl champion of
the New York Football Giants. This is the NFL Players
Second Acts Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Hell call me, call me, Bobby de Niro, Bobby, give
me hey, you're right, Bobby? Hey, what's going on? Everybody?
Speaker 4 (00:40):
I'm Peanuts too mean And this is the NFL Player
Second Acts Podcast. I got my my my, my co
host with me. He a little mad at me right now.
This is my guy rooman I'm always never on time. Harper,
what's up baby?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I'm doing good?
Speaker 5 (00:54):
How you guys doing. Let's put up this wall right here.
Hopefully we can tear it down at some point in
between the start in the finish of this next great
interview that we're going to have with our guests today.
But before I get there, let me first and foremost
tell our viewers and everybody out there watching us as well,
make sure you can give us a five star rating.
Continue to hit that like button give us a five
(01:14):
star rating. Like I just said, I don't know why,
I'm just repeating myself. Peanut got me all of my
feels over here and after that, wherever you listen to
your podcast, where this Apple podcast Heart Radio. Continue to
tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend.
Come check us out, continue to check us out. You
know who we got today?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
We got a good guess, y'all. Let me read his
resume real quick. He was a six round draft. What
is about these two thousand and six draft class we
in here, y'all are here game changers, we are delivering,
We are great, we are the future.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Y'all need to be quiet.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
So he's a two thousand and six draft pick out
of Cornell Ivy League School. So y'all know we got
the big brain on him. He's an offensive lineman, played teenage.
You don't look like it not now, but he played
ten years in the NFL one two Super Bowl with
your Giants of New York City, and now he's working
at the League office over player personnel. Ladies and gentlemen,
(02:07):
please welcome to the show. Mister Kevin Booth.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
That's so funny, though, because you made me think of
coming to America, the Giants of New York.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
That was what I said.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I was looking to come into America, the Giants of
New York. It was the most interesting. So so Kevin Man,
I just got to know off the top. Whenever I
hear of any small college guy getting drafted to the NFL, automatically,
I'm like, they probably just destroyed dominated, destroyed dominated.
Speaker 5 (02:42):
Was that the case with you? Were you just destroying
cats in college? You were three time All American at
at Cornell? Thank you, almost said Columbia.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
But you can see it's like they call you a
to go.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Got personal quick. College was fun. College was fun. I
like to joke around with some of my old teammates.
I let them know that I peaked in college because
that was you know, it was fun to have other
coaches scared of an offensive lineman. You know, they weren't
necessarily scared of our skilled position players, which you know,
it's probably a different story, but it was definitely a
(03:22):
fun time. And I figured, if you're good enough in college,
you'll get an opportunity. So I wasn't necessarily focused on, uh,
you know, how I could get to the NFL through
a bigger school. It was more of if by dominate
like I should, I'll get a chance to show what
I could do at the next level.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
So did you like take anybody over to the water
cooler like I've seen highlights of Like, yeah, you like.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
The side ye in some ways. Well, I'll tell you this.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
My sophomore year, I actually broke both my hands four
weeks apart, so I missed one game.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
But bab who was you slammed?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
For the second half of the season, I basically had
two clubs on my hand and uh, that's what a
lot of So you had two weapons?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, pretty much pretty much.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
And I would dare the officials to throw a flag,
and I think I got a couple that season.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
But um Q tips right now.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
And Cornell's also known they like to have a good
time on that campus as well.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, for an IVY League school, I think a lot
of people don't realize it's actually a bigger school than
you'd think. So a lot of students schools it's say
about twelve to thirteen thousand undergrad so a decent size,
whereas you got some of the other IV League schools
are only four or five thousand. So really, so we
have a decent sized population there. Okay, so what did
you study at Cornell?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Hotel administration?
Speaker 5 (04:36):
So you did the IVY League school? See this is
this takes me to mind.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Welcome to the NFL. It's world renown. It's very famous
and if you look up.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Some of the alums through Cornell's Hotel School, it's a
hotel school.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
It's world face.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
We have a hotel on campus and essentially it's a
business degree with some hospitality mixed in. Now it's not
all hotels, it could be. Uh, some of my peers
have gone on to going to real estate and other areas. Actually,
one of my classmates is a co founder Lyft, So
at Cornell we have sort of.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Just dropped that we should that tests, like what is
the test?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well, you know, I took financial accounting, I took you know,
I took a lot of business schools, but then there
were some hospitality geared classes. You know, it's funny you
mentioned that that same reaction you had was my rookie
year in Oakland. I was teammates with Warren Sapp. Sap
stood up in the locker room and announced to the
whole locker room that this guy went to an Ivy
(05:39):
League school to run holiday inns, you know, and I
had to explain that it's a famous school and you know,
while holiday inns could be a part of my portfolio
one day, uh, you know, it's a little bit more
to the degree.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I think that's I'm sure because that's the first thing
my hold on.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
So would you say that was your rug M to
the NFL moment was when Warren said I did that
when Oakland?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, I think so because it's those guys that you know,
I grew up watching it and you know that was
one of my first interactions with them, so it's all right. Yeah,
what was.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
It like in Oakland playing back then? I don't know.
Al Davis was still like at the time.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, so, uh yeah, mister Davis was around.
Speaker 6 (06:18):
You used to having the the the like the dirt
at the home field. That's really unique that we're used
to it.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
We come out there and we just hated it.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And the worst thing about it is that one season,
my rookie year, when I was out there, the A's
were actually pretty good. So so yeah, we didn't We
didn't get the grass until, you know, halfway through the
season because they made it all the way to like
the Alcs or something like that. So man that for alignment,
you didn't want to hit the ground, but going against
defensive lineman it actually helped us because they couldn't get
(06:51):
they couldn't get off the ball. They couldn't dig in
and and fire off. So you know, everybody kind of
protected each other around.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
The hardest not to go down.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Right when we had to play there in the dirt,
I was just like, I am not trying to make
the tackle.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Let me just try to sling them. And I just
tried to helicopter.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
It was. It was the worst. So I only played
out there once, but it was so annoying. And it's
immediately you like, it's a big difference.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It is. It's a huge difference. It's nobody wants to
go in that area.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
The whole offense kind of changes. Nobody wants to be
in it. It's like we don't get everything. Yeah, get
the time.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Were gonna make that up? I think I'm supposed to
cut the backside on this one. Yeah, I can get that.
I don't need I don't. So why are the two
super Bowls that you want? Right? Which one was more
memorable for me personally? Uh?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
It was the second one. So it's fun to say, oh,
the second one meant more than me. I might be
the only one on my team to say that. Who
has two super Bowl rings? And the reason why is
because the first one, it was my second year in
the league. Yeah, I started most of my rookie year
as a six round draft choice with the Oakland Raiders.
But as you know, football is a business, we had
(07:58):
a new coach who weren't very good. I was released,
picked up by the Giants, and essentially had a redo
of my rookie year. So I looked at it as
my first year was on field rookie year. My second
year I go to the Giants that has one of
the best offensive lines in recent memory, and essentially they
taught me what it was like to be a pro
off the field, so you know, everything from football prep
(08:20):
with film, weightlifting, how to manage my time, how to
just become a complete football player. So that second year
I didn't play a lot. So I didn't I was
actually healthy, inactive for most of that year, and then
just played field goal and the old wedge back in
those days, I kicked off return, which will a nightmare nightmare,
(08:40):
you know. And then but for the second one, I
was a starter for the second half of that season.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
So what I want to know is how how crazy
was it when you when you see Eli Manning Super
Bowl forty two, you see Eli Manning scrambling on that play,
he's about to get sacked. He doesn't get sacked. He's
up there. You're on the field actually blocking, not on
that one. So super Bowl forty two, I was actually once.
I actually had a great view of it. Uh I
remember if I remember correctly, it was third down and five.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah, wut sixteen to go.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Everybody on their feet.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Tyree split right.
Speaker 7 (09:13):
And he takes the snap back to throw under pressure
of Gorge m Rash and he's gonna fight out of it.
Still fights out of it. Now throws a deep downfield
one up a Tyree who takes the touch.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Gotta play by may name. He's alluded three sacks. He
runs up to my carrier calls the time out. I
want to catch by Tyree. With fifty eight seconds to go.
Speaker 7 (09:37):
Tyree had Harrison all over him. The ball was on
his helmet, but he got his other hand on it
and pulled it in.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah that's some play, dammit.
Speaker 7 (09:48):
Tyree from Montclair, New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
And you know we battled with this team toe to
toe and then when I saw him get grabbed immediately.
And it's one of the running jokes we have with
the offensive line group, is whose fault was?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
It? Really?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It's either the senator Sean O'Hara or the left guard
rich Seybert. One of those two gave up penetration to
Richard Seymour very quickly. But when I saw you like,
it didn't blow the whistle, and I thought, I was like,
we came all this way and we lost the Super Bowl.
You know, it's like, man, this stinks. Man, you almost
wish you just got blown out at this point if
you got this close and then you see him escaping,
(10:21):
You're like, oh, man, we got it.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And then when he threw it, I was like, oh
we lost a game. I was like, it was number one.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Rule Number one is no scramble and just throw the
ball up high in the middle of the field.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Just do it the millerfield. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
And then uh, you know when he when David caught it,
Tyree caught it and held on and Rodney didn't get it.
You know, you immediately think, oh man, we're gonna win
the game. But I want to tell you this, one
of the more underrated plays is if you go back
and watch that sequence after that catch.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
One time out first to ten many out of the
gun Giants down by four.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Man, it takes a.
Speaker 7 (11:00):
Snap back to throw.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Looks rolls right under pressure, Trump out the twenty four
time out. Compton calls a final timeout and.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
He had a lane trying to get to his right
and couldn't get it out of harm's way.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
There's no gain of the play. You've got a stomach
for high drama, an intrigue. This is. It doesn't get any.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Better than this shack at an eleven at the twenty
five Giants down by four fourteen ten. The seats are
empty because everybody's standing, and he takes the.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Snap, sets delivers one left.
Speaker 7 (11:44):
It's the fucking had caught again by Tyrene and then
knocked away in complete.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
I think Burns was opening down the middle of the
field there and.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
It's starting eleven and we throw a short pass in
the flat to Steve Smith and he gets some yards
after to the catch and got the first down, and
then the next play was the touchdown. So it was
third and eleven.
Speaker 8 (12:06):
Yeah, yeah, man, lunch it Burns along touchdown. Tell you, Joey,
you take a look at this route here by Plexico Purus.
A great job. Ellis hobbson coverage. He starts to the
inside just enough to sell the slant and then he
goes to the corner. They call that the slant and
go route, slug O route, and it worked beautifully. Eli
(12:29):
Manny puts a little pump fake on him to get
him to bite, and then goes to the corner.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
I remember, I think Mario Manahan made a great catch
on the sidelines too super.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Bowl forty six and was very similar games. It's eerie
just the way the games went. Now, super Bowl forty six,
I was on the field and uh, I'll never forget
the pass protection because I was a left guard at
the time and it's his protection called eighty key, which
is a six man protection. Our tight end staying in
and the tight end's on my side. And the rule
(13:00):
that week was, hey, left tackle, Dave deal, you go
help the tight end, leave booth alone. And I'm looking
at Vince Wilfork here, and if I tell you, if
you go back and watch that one, if Eli has
to hitch one more second, I think I'm on top
of Eli. I mean, I'm holding off for dear life
with Vincent. And luckily Eli got the.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Ball out to Mario on that play.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Yeah, okay, Jim, I had like a very chill coach
and lovely Smith like super calm, very laid back.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
What was it like playing for Tom Kauflin coach.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Coffin that's still to this day one of my very
good friends and somebody who I look up to. He
is no nonsense as you would expect. Yeah, the thing,
the thing that I really appreciate about him is that
it is black and white. There is no gray area.
You know exactly where you stand, and there's always room
for improvement. So no matter if you've played a great
game or a poor game, there's always something to critique.
(13:55):
So you know, there's times where you come off a
big win and you're thinking everything's great and you walk
by him, Hey, coach, how we doing?
Speaker 3 (14:00):
He's like, are we going to block the three? What
are we doing? Come on?
Speaker 2 (14:06):
You know, So, you know, he always kept you on
your toes. But he's one of those guys that he
had a set of rules and if you followed them
and you competed, you were his guy and he do
anything for you. So cool, and I think that that
culture kind of went through that those Giants teams where
we weren't necessarily the best, you know, record wise, but
it would always show up every Sunday. We were always
(14:28):
prepared to play and knew what we had to do and.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
Only that, but playoff ELI was pretty good too, And
how has that really have maybe impacted your life going forward?
I look at myself and most football guys, especially ones
that are be able to play and have any type
of success in the league. You're a plus minus guy
at the heart of hearts like I always just want
to be graded, Like I'm very.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Cool with being critiqued.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
So having a coach like Tom Coughlin, what is his
impact not only do for you as a player, but
then really now and in your second chapter, being able
to be open, being ready to be graded, I guess
of some sorts always told for what you need to
do to improve?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
You brought up a great point, and I think the
one thing that we as football players often sell ourselves
short on is the skills that we strengthen while we're playing.
So you know the ones that stand out for me?
Are you know that ability to perform right, being at
your best when your best is needed, Being resilient Because
football every play is not going to be great, right.
There's gonna be some very bad plays mixed in with
(15:31):
some good plays and some okay plays. You know, but
then also just being coachable and being eager to be coached,
being eager to be corrected, wanting to be corrected, and
that's something that especially my time with Coach Coughlin, you know,
we joked about always having something to nitpick on. I
think that that's the type of stuff that really helped
me moving forward because it's you know, yes, I can,
(15:52):
you know, work on this project or this assignment and
everything's great, but there's always room to improve. And I
don't take it personally when somebody you know, critiques it
or offers suggestions, and I think that's something that we
often take for granted as that.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
But that's what for the most part though.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
You know, we've had a couple of other guests on
the show, Like a lot of guests that we've had
on the show, they're in media now. And one of
the things when they the football players, when they get
into the media, they don't get critiqued, you know. And
we're so used to going out there. You do something,
you look at the film, right, and your coaches plus
or minus, right, this is good, this is bad?
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Right?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
And so often when you in that, when you're in
the role of a broadcast or an analyst, you're you're
a person, or whoever your producer is. They just kind
of like, that was great job, Jo, good job, that
was great. But I don't, we don't. We don't operate
in that space like we have to. We run towards
the criticism. We want to be told. I yearned for it, right,
(16:49):
always wanting to improve. So that's the that's the one
great thing I love about us as affects that we're
always looking for that improvement. So you got drafted by
the Saints, played in Carolina, went back to the Saints.
Full circle moment, right, you yourself drafted by the Raiders
for all year, come up to uh not New eng
excuse me, New York for about what eight years, and
(17:11):
then you go back go back to Oakland for another year?
Speaker 3 (17:15):
How How crazy was that? How was that? It was crazy?
Speaker 2 (17:19):
You see that like that, like you know, it's a
it's a bit surreal even looking back on it, how
you're able to kind of have that bookend career. It's
interesting because those those two those two Raider stints on
the field weren't great from a record standpoint, But I
I think I really appreciated my journey because when I
came back as an old grizzled veteran. Uh you know,
(17:41):
I think that was That was Derek Carr' rookie year.
Khalil max rookie year was my last year in the league.
You know, you realize and appreciate it how how far
you've come and how much you've learned, and you try
to pass on some of that knowledge and some of
those experiences so that you can help out that younger group.
And uh so it was. It was a great experience.
I purposely went back to my old number so that
(18:01):
my family didn't have to get new jerseys or I
didn't have to get new jerseys. But you know how
free agency is, it was tough. It was definitely tough
to leave New York at the time because of all
the success that we'd had. But you know, the way
things go and free agency and team needs and what
the team team's roster looks like, sometimes you don't have
(18:22):
a choice. So it was a little bit bittersweet, but
you know, it was one of those things that I
was happy to be able to go back to a
place that I was familiar with, some of the staff
there was still in place, and ultimately end my career.
So it looks pretty at least on the.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
So were you like the Warren side when you went back,
were you were you haz and rookies? Were you making
fun of people with their degrees and what they were
doing there?
Speaker 2 (18:41):
No, no, no, I learned my lesson, you know, one
of the funny things in the locker room. You guys
probably appreciated this because you had people like this and Peanut.
Unfortunately the Louisiana might have fallen into this bucket. But
when you get to those Saturday walkthroughs and all the
trash talking starts to take place, because you know, the
say you know, the SEC games and all that stuff. Luckily,
(19:04):
for most of my career with the Giants, I had
a teammate of mine, Zach Giassi, who went to Brown
and I played against him in college and we'd have
our one Saturday the only year where we could open
up our mouths and everybody's looking on you know, they're like, oh.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
This is cute. You know, gonna did you guys need
to start playing football? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
This season would start so late, so you know, I'd
always keep my mouth shut around guys, especially those that
came from the big school hilarious.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
You're right though, it's like, oh yeah, a club sport. No, no, no,
we play.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back, all right, Kevin, you gotta tell me this.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
So how much did you weigh when you played?
Speaker 2 (19:44):
So I played most of my career anyway, anywhere from
about three h five to three fifteen.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
All right. How much are you weighing right now?
Speaker 2 (19:52):
On a good day, probably around two forty five So I, however,
around at two forty five to two fifty range.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
All right, Now, how how is this weight loss journey
been few? Because we all know it. It was most
on linement. They go either or right right, they need
to pack it on and pack out, or or they
lose it. All right, and you're on the opposite end
of it. You look like a tight end, thank you.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You know, for me, it was just a matter of
staying into a routine. So, you know, once the playing
career ended and I knew it was winding down, I
knew it was important to prepare myself for the next
phase of life, you know, whatever it would be. And
this time I didn't know, you know, I kind of
knew that I wanted to stay involved with football, but
needed to keep myself busy. I didn't want to just
sit there and you know, pout about not playing football
(20:37):
or watch TV and think that I could still do it,
even though I probably did go through that phase if
you ask my wife for a little bit at least.
So it's just a matter of staying routine. So I
knew that I was typically get up in the morning,
go to the facility and work out prior to meetings
and all that stuff. So I just kind of kept
that routine and it's something that I've kept today. So
wake up every morning and now it's become such a
(20:58):
habit where if I don't do it, I almost feel
guilty or something's off the rest of the day, you know.
So just staying into a routine and building good habits
and uh, you know, it's been a fun journey. Not
fun on the wallet because all those fine threads that
you had to playing, uh you know, dress code with
coach Coughlin, you know, suits for away games, a lot
(21:19):
of those. It got to a point where my tailor
is like, hey, there's nothing I could do about this, buddy.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
There's always so much that you were wearing. I know,
the line used to have those the walkers, did you walkers?
I do remember when you were a walker?
Speaker 8 (21:35):
Guy.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I had one walker that was given to me for free,
and then I never did again and.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
It went out. I felt like right after that phase, Yeah,
I'm so glad I didn't get a walk I'm so
I know people that have whole closets still. I don't
know if there's only the ones that have comfortable. I
never were comfortable. Basically.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
I never saw a skilled person with a walker or linebacker.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
There was all d line. Line is a reason and
the only reason.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
They literally went out like right after, right after by
by way, it was done.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
So and you got in a year or two before us,
so you were you were definitely like full blown walker states.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Full blown blow It was like these look like pajamas
for fat people.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
You have you have threads, you know, fabrics on patterns.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Its just shaking the box, just checking the box, dressed up.
This is funny though, don't get fine.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
Yeah, yeah, but that was a big It was like Lenen,
it was yeah, Paul answer, yeah, Cotton.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
That's a great question that you don't know. You need
to look this up. Walking suit The walking suit.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
NFL NFL Office of Line and d Line and walkers.
You don't see a lot of large men wearing these pajamas.
I don't show up and oh my gosh, I one.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
That's good. That's only one. And it was for free.
I didn't it was it was a gift. It was.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
It was actually nice. It was like a blackish gray
and it kind of had a pattern in it. So
it's one of those you know, was a gun metal
c Yeah, okay, I got you. I got you, So
dress up, dress down with it. Yeah, either way.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
So twenty twelve, I went back.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
To school and I got my I got a master's degree,
and it took me about three years. But I was
still actively playing, so I was working. I was actually
at the pro Bow when I saw of my first class.
And I know you did the same thing. You got
your You got your NBA from George Washington. I know
the NFL they have a tuition assistance. I don't know
the exact name of the program.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
But you did that.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
I want you to tell us why you went back
and was it a juggle for.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
You to do it while you were still playing?
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Yeah, so I thought when I graduated from Cornell, I
was like man, that's it. I'm not going back to school.
That that was a lot harder, and I thought it
was going to be. Uh, you know, it's just one
of those things that as you progressed throughout your career
and you start to realize that this isn't going to
last forever. There was an opportunity at George Washington at
the time to get my NBA while playing, So it
(24:01):
was a very intense program of it took two years
to do it, and the way they did it is, uh,
we were in class for about six weeks each off
season and then online work in between there. So there
would actually be some online work in the season, even
though they would try to scale it back a little
bit obviously because we were tied up. But you know,
(24:21):
for those six weeks when we were in class, we
were in for the full day and you're in DC
for these classes. The great thing about it is it
bounced around. So we would do two weeks in d C,
we would do two weeks in New York City, which
was very helpful, and then we actually did a summer
two weeks out in LA. So you have to move
around a little bit and be on different college campuses
(24:42):
in this program, and it was a great experience. So
it was a small court of you know, some former
players and other people in the sports industry, and you know,
it was something that I didn't anticipate doing, but I'm
grateful that I did do it because I thought that
just having that experience, being able to work through some
of those you know, case studies and things of that nature,
(25:04):
those real life examples, it felt more practical to me
at that point than you know, undergrad where you're taking
the essential classes of the required classes. So I really
enjoyed that experience.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
All right.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
So well, you and Penut, both you guys can answer
this because I'm the only one that has not done
extra curriculars as far as education is gone, so has
d both of you guys. Has the degrees? Have you
guys used your degrees at all? Or is this like
algebra for the rest of America?
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Yeah, I've used I've used my degree in emergency management. Yeah,
it's been it's been fun.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
And I think my time in the league office, uh,
you know, starting out in sponsorship and then now in
my current roles, it's definitely helped. I think a lot
of the organizational behavior work you know that hr how
to manage personalities, how to work in groups and different roles,
how to lead. Those types of class work and case
studies were essentially vital for me.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
See you hear that, ladies and gentlemen, kids, family members arelike,
algebra is for the benefit of all, and so it
does work and you might not understand and use it
right now, but I knew that both of these gentlemen
would say that, yes, we actually use our degree, So yes,
that's really good.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
You do you do? So?
Speaker 4 (26:20):
When I was in Chicago, Duayne Joseph was my player
player development.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
He was my player development guy in Chicago. Now they
call it player engagement. Engagement. Yeah. Now he's the assistant
GM and the Las.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Vegas Raiders, and he had a pivotal grade, huge upgrade.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
He's worked his butt off, played a pivotal.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
Role in my career just with his leadership, mentorship, with
what he taught me as a rookie. Now, talk to
the people about really what the role is of the
player engagement person on the staff, because I don't think
the people, the listeners, I really don't think they understand
(27:00):
how vital that role is.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
To these to the team, right, Yeah, it's essential, and
I think it's a role that has rightfully grown in
importance over the last ten years or so, even since
we left the league. It's a role that it's intended
to separate the football side from the player side, so
it's the players lies off the field, and you know what,
I think as great as a lot of teams, if
(27:22):
not all, have the player engagement person's office next to
the locker room or close to the locker room. It's
not upstairs because for the longest time, it's hey, if
you're going upstairs, Yeah, it's like where you're going, who
do you want to talk to? Maybe you're like, you
know what, it's something I want to talk about it
like the prin So I think having a great relationship
(27:43):
with your player engagement person individual, you know, whatever the
role is, is essential because if we're getting pulled in
so many different directions. You know, it's a very demanding
profession that we have as professional athletes, and life happens.
There's a lot of things off the field, you know,
that can be challenging other times it could be exciting,
(28:03):
and you need to have a resource there because you're
spending so much time at the facility it's it's needed
because you're not gonna have time to go talk to
your coach or sometimes you might not see your spouse
or your significant other for an extended period of time. You
need to have somebody to vent sometimes, somebody to talk to,
somebody to bounce ideas off of. So having that person
(28:25):
at every team is very valuable.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
Yeah, not only that, but actually him being like a
being able to express to you some of the things
that the coaches may be thinking as well. Right, So
it's able to be not only mediator. Yeah yeah, yeah,
I mean so it's not only being able to be
heard but also absorbed because you know, when you hear
(28:48):
him from the coach, sometimes you if you don't vibe
with the coach, it might not.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Be received right.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Versus like you're vibing with the player engagement guy. Shout
out to my man, fast Fred McAfee of the New
Orleans Saints.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Yeah, he's my guy.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
He did so much for me as a player engagement person.
Not only that, but he's also a teammate of mind.
And he retired he became that's the player engagement guy,
and man, he's one of the top and one of
the best ever.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Did he ever really teach you how to be punctual.
Uh no, that's that's just not my thing.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
You know, with coach Coffin, all the clocks in the facility,
you said five minutes early, you.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
Know, yeah, you got would have played. I wish you
would have played for Conflin. The Giants tried to trade
for me early. I wish they would I wish they
would have got No. Actually, what it was they were
they were gonna it was gonna be a one on
one trade. I don't know if anybody knows this, but
we'll just take out.
Speaker 5 (29:39):
So the Giants were gonna wanted to trade for me,
and they wanted The Saints said, you know, well you
give us Jeremy Shockey and.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
And then traded.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
They were like, no, actually the Giants wanted me. The
Saints were like, all right, well who do you want?
And then they said they wanted me, and they were like,
all right, well, what's up? And then they said no.
The Saints said no, yeah, Saints. She did not want
to give me up to the shocky. So instead they
gave up a second round pick.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Remember that I was on the team he had and.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
Got that and got that back and they they so
I only knew that true. I thought it was just
a roomor. And then I met Dave gettleman for Carolina Panthers,
and he was like, oh no, I was, yeah he could.
When I first signed there, he said, mister g and
he was like, I've been won you since you were
like year three. I wanted you all the way up
here in New York. I was in the room.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
I said, I thought that was just a rumor. He's like,
oh no, Dave gets real.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
They've got him as the first person I met when
they claimed me off of Waivers, And I pulled up
to the old Giant Stadium and he's right there and
he's like, I've been watching you the whole time, you know.
So that type of thing. That was kind of my
first experience, first person I met from the Giant's office.
But I do have a funny story. You talked about
the Saints. I don't know about you peanup, but every
time we went to the super Dome, it was bad.
(30:56):
You guys, at least at least five or six touchdown
passes from Drew Brees. And I still have you see
how I'm like kind of looking off in this face.
It's like PTSD because I still hear the music, you know,
the music after the touchdown.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
We know the songs. Man.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
And so the twenty eleven season, oh, that was our
best team. So they beat us in a regular season
that year. I think it was on Monday Night football,
forty nine to twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
It was bad. We scored late, you know, to make
it look better. Right, this is so.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Irrational, But we had a divisional playoff game at the
fifteen to one Green Bay Packers on a Sunday in
the divisional round. The Saturday divisional game was New Orleans
at San Francisco, and we get to our hotel and
we're not even worried about the fifteen and one team
that we're playing tomorrow, the defending Super Bowl champ fifteen
(31:51):
to one team. We have our eyes on this San
Francisco New Orleans game, praying that San Francisco somehow wins.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
This is in San Francisco run.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Crazy game where there was like four touchdowns in the
last two minutes.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
I mean we're on the edge of our seats and
we're watching them like, oh no, we go back to
the Superdomes.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
We talked about that. We said literally that was our
best team. We won a super Bowl in O nine,
but that twenty eleven team was electric offensive. We put
up all these points defensively, really good, forcing turnovers, we
got after people, and we knew.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Like that was our chance.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
Like we just Atlanta just happened to be winning all
these games, and like we we just didn't get a
home game and we had to go on the road
and we played so bad. We had it four or
five turnovers and we still barely lost the game. And
we were like, man, we were kicking ourselves because then.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
You see us, yeah, because yeah, because what happens they
see the Giants win.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
It was like, one, well know that, but it's like, dude,
we do crust the Giants. Like like the Giants that
ELI had zero success coming to Superdome.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Super Dome was an awful place. It was a bad,
bad place for the Giant. It's a place. It was
not a good place. Every time we matched up, it
was he I mean.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
Here, It's like so when we saw that, because we
didn't think you guys would win, and then when you
guys went on, then you go into San Francisco and
beat San Francisco. On top of it, we were just like, funny, dude,
there's no way they would have beat us in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
But hey, you know it's all worn on the bridge,
and congrats to you for your second Super Bowl. You're
almost there.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Right, I'm still better than you.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Really, that was the personal jab that was like, that
was like from the fraternity thing, yeah, early on.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
Anyway, So here's a fun question for you. It's a
society question. What is the coil? What is cool and
dagger society? I can't tell you that what you can't
tell me that.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
I'm joking. I was like, it's an honor society.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
It is.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
It's a little tongue in cheek. It's like a a
you know, great society. You know, remember the movie The Skulls. Yeah, yeah,
it's not like that. It's not like that. No, this
it's an honor society that I'm pleased to be a
part of at Cornell. It dates back, you know, a
very long time, and it's usually for students and eventually
(34:17):
alums who've had a tremendous amount of success in the
classroom as well as are considered leaders on campus. So yeah,
but it's one of those things that we like to
keep some secrecy around it.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
It looks he tries to do that with his Q
his q Cats, the q Cats. He'd be trying to Oh,
oh you candition, but you can't take it anyway, the
q Cats.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
So I got another question for you.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
Is it true that when you're in college you memorize
the hometown of your opponents? Uh?
Speaker 2 (34:48):
No, I you know what. I think I knew some
but not.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
No.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
No, I think they knew in college because you know,
a terror in college. You know, it feels good to
say that. I don't know what it's like to be,
you know, considered feared.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
You know a lot of times they get you know
what I mean, that's.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
What it feels like. Uh No, I tell you I
peaked in college. Now.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Uh Now, I didn't know too much about him, but
there was a lot of intense film study.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
For sure.
Speaker 5 (35:23):
I hear that you got the other one. Oh yeah, no,
you do the one we we never ask anybody. Oh
you're ready for it right now? I'm ready for it
right now.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Nervous? Are you nervous a little bit? Don't be all right?
We've never asked me one this question ever ever. Yeah,
this is a new one. We've been talking about this
for a while. I'm the guinea pig. You're in the
guinea pig christ test, dummy.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
Are you ready? Three to one? Mount Rushmore? Four greats
of all time? Who's you own?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Your Mount Rushmore?
Speaker 5 (35:54):
List of people are influence that have influenced you your life?
Speaker 3 (35:58):
You're playing career? Wow? Wow? Is right? Okay? Like that?
Like that because that can go in a variety of places, right,
taking how you want.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Yes, it's my answer, right, my Mount Rushmore mountain. So
first would be my brother. So I have one brother.
He's ten years older than me, and he played through
college and he wore seventy seven for the majority of
his career. That wash he was an old lineman. Eventually
he actually started out as a tight end in college
and then growing and growing and growing. But you know,
(36:32):
that was probably the beginning of my love of football,
is watching him play in high school and then going
to watch him play in college.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
And where do you go to school?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
He went to East Carolina yep, so he was there
in the early nineties. So you know school Jeff Blake
and Robert Jones and then you know, there was some
good teams, there was some fun times watching him play.
He played against some very good players too. Yeah, so
you know, really starting to love the game of football then,
So I'd say he's one up there second, because I
(37:01):
started watching football right around then. My earliest NFL memory
is Super Bowl twenty three and the reason why is
because I grew up in South Florida and Super Bowl
twenty three was in Miami, and I remember watching the
forty nine Ers against the Bengals and watching Jerry Rice
win MVP. So Jerry Rice was my favorite player throughout
(37:23):
my still is probably just in terms of his work
ethic and being able to see how successful he was
on the field, and that was my welcome to football.
Here it is. This team's awesome. San Francisco forty nine
is my favorite team growing up too. I was devastated
to nineteen that you talked about irony watching the Giants
beat them in the NFC Championship game a couple of
(37:44):
years later and they getting knocked out that, you know,
the first time I met the first time I met
Leonard Marshall, like, man, the pain, you know. So Jerry
Rice is up there, and I used to think I'd
be a wide receiver and then that went away probably
by the time I was ten years old, I realized
kept growing. If I kept playing football, it's gonna be
(38:05):
handing the dirt next after that. To influence my career,
I would say Coach Coughlin just because of how he
helped mold my teammates young men into you know, great people,
great football players, great fathers.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
You know.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
I think just the morals that he always had. And
at the time it felt cheesy at times because he
was a big quote guy. He'd bring up the war
quotes and you know, have all these different sayings and
he'd kind of leave it with you. But to this day,
I still think about him, and you know, it still applies.
So and he's somebody who I.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Still talk to regularly.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
And then Wow, for the last one, that's probably the
toughest one, Mount Rushmore. I would say the best offensive
lineman I played with and he's still one of my
very good friends, is Chrisny the Giants, And it is
somebody that I watched my rookie year like, who is
(39:04):
this guy? Man, this is how you're supposed to play
guard in the NFL, And then coming over to the
team and him, Sean O'Hara, Kareem McKenzie, Dave Deal Rich Seybert.
How they welcomed me, you know, because it was like
that new kid in school that just joined I. I
came to the team week one, so, you know, being
able to learn under him and then being able to
(39:24):
try to pattern as much of my game after him,
and somebody who I thought for a three four year
stretch was the best guard in the NFL. So I
think when I talked about Mount Rushmore of who I
am as a football player, and then beyond that, I
would say those four. So you kind of have a
mix there.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
You know, you have my.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
Childhood, my contemporary, a family member, and then a leader,
you know, a coach.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
So I think that's my four. I like it.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
That's a good mountain a man, it's a great Mount Rushmore. Yeah,
great job. So thanks not bad for the first one. Right,
Set the bar high.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
Set the bar high. At the bar very high. You're
laughing where you laughing? Because we asked everybody. Man, he
couldn't even he can't even let him, let him let go.
I was gonna let him live it. You just topped
the boat man right there later, you know, Thomas back there,
(40:20):
I was gonna let him make it. Last started to
squirm a little laugh.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
I feel, you know, you can feel with people just
laughing behind you, and you don't want to turn down laughing.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
You look behind leg I was gonna let you make it. Tears. Yeah,
you crying up. We gotta tell that man that was
a deep that's a deep answer. You're crying. Was probably
thinking about you know, who was his safety buddies who
played with.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Man?
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Oh no, hey, can we appreciate you coming on? Absolutely?
This is this is fun. We appreciate you.
Speaker 4 (40:54):
Love what you're doing for the league and the player
player engagement crew. Man, keep doing your thing. Thank you
for black put your presence. And I just want to
say one more thing. How does it feel to continue
to now you have a different role, but you continue
to impact the game itself. Do you take pride in
that individual?
Speaker 3 (41:11):
I do.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
I always wanted to stay involved with the game of sports.
I mean with the game of football. I wanted to
stay involved in sports originally and then making that transition,
figuring out what that next step would be and realizing that,
you know, I had an opportunity to join the league
office was something that kept me close enough to the
game but then also be able to impact the game
in other ways without feeling sore on a day to
(41:35):
day basis. So no, it's great to continue to serve
the game of football that's going to be here, you know,
long after we're gone, So try to leave it better
than you found it. And that's my goal, you know what.
Speaker 5 (41:46):
And that's a great way to end, because I feel
like that's what Peter Nutt and I are trying to do,
being able to interview more and more of you guys
that continue to impact the game, and we are all
stewards of this great game in the NFL, and how
much is done for us. I really feel like we're
just trying to serve it in the best way possible.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
And that's why you're here today.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
And I appreciate that last answer because it's a great
way to hind it, man, So appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
Man. Good job, Thank you man.
Speaker 5 (42:09):
All of our viewers and followers out there, continue to
wherever you pick up your podcast that man, you got
me messed up today, peanut, maybe because I'm late, all right.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Well, anyways, wherever you get your listen to your podcast
that was Apple podcasts our Heart Radio podcast. Continue to listen,
give us a view, Tell a friend, to tell a friend,
to tell a friend. Give us a five star rating.
Hit that follow button. Man, this was a good one.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
Again. We're gonna continue to load them up.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
We have more and more people in their second acts
doing great things, not only for themselves personally, but for
the NFL, pushing it forward.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Man, Kevin Booth, you are one of those people.
Speaker 4 (42:44):
We appreciate you on Peanut Best Rooming. That's Kevin ay Man.
This is the NFL Player Second Acts Podcast.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Thank you for tuning in. Great round rushmore too. Wet
face
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Ducting, bile ducting, barbsdu duct by Say busa bermdu duct
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is Kevin Booth, two times Super Bowl champion of
the New York Football Giants. This is the NFL Players
Second Acts Podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Hell call me, call me, Bobby de Niro, Bobby, give
me hey, you're right, Bobby? Hey, what's going on? Everybody?
Speaker 4 (00:40):
I'm Peanuts too mean And this is the NFL Player
Second Acts Podcast. I got my my my, my co
host with me. He a little mad at me right now.
This is my guy rooman I'm always never on time. Harper,
what's up baby?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I'm doing good?
Speaker 5 (00:54):
How you guys doing. Let's put up this wall right here.
Hopefully we can tear it down at some point in
between the start in the finish of this next great
interview that we're going to have with our guests today.
But before I get there, let me first and foremost
tell our viewers and everybody out there watching us as well,
make sure you can give us a five star rating.
Continue to hit that like button give us a five
(01:14):
star rating. Like I just said, I don't know why,
I'm just repeating myself. Peanut got me all of my
feels over here and after that, wherever you listen to
your podcast, where this Apple podcast Heart Radio. Continue to
tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend.
Come check us out, continue to check us out. You
know who we got today?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
We got a good guess, y'all. Let me read his
resume real quick. He was a six round draft. What
is about these two thousand and six draft class we
in here, y'all are here game changers, we are delivering,
We are great, we are the future.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Y'all need to be quiet.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
So he's a two thousand and six draft pick out
of Cornell Ivy League School. So y'all know we got
the big brain on him. He's an offensive lineman, played teenage.
You don't look like it not now, but he played
ten years in the NFL one two Super Bowl with
your Giants of New York City, and now he's working
at the League office over player personnel. Ladies and gentlemen,
(02:07):
please welcome to the show. Mister Kevin Booth.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Happy to be here.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
That's so funny, though, because you made me think of
coming to America, the Giants of New York.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
That was what I said.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I was looking to come into America, the Giants of
New York. It was the most interesting. So so Kevin Man,
I just got to know off the top. Whenever I
hear of any small college guy getting drafted to the NFL, automatically,
I'm like, they probably just destroyed dominated, destroyed dominated.
Speaker 5 (02:42):
Was that the case with you? Were you just destroying
cats in college? You were three time All American at
at Cornell? Thank you, almost said Columbia.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
But you can see it's like they call you a
to go.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Got personal quick. College was fun. College was fun. I
like to joke around with some of my old teammates.
I let them know that I peaked in college because
that was you know, it was fun to have other
coaches scared of an offensive lineman. You know, they weren't
necessarily scared of our skilled position players, which you know,
it's probably a different story, but it was definitely a
(03:22):
fun time. And I figured, if you're good enough in college,
you'll get an opportunity. So I wasn't necessarily focused on, uh,
you know, how I could get to the NFL through
a bigger school. It was more of if by dominate
like I should, I'll get a chance to show what
I could do at the next level.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
So did you like take anybody over to the water
cooler like I've seen highlights of Like, yeah, you like.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
The side ye in some ways. Well, I'll tell you this.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
My sophomore year, I actually broke both my hands four
weeks apart, so I missed one game.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
But bab who was you slammed?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
For the second half of the season, I basically had
two clubs on my hand and uh, that's what a
lot of So you had two weapons?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, pretty much pretty much.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
And I would dare the officials to throw a flag,
and I think I got a couple that season.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
But um Q tips right now.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
And Cornell's also known they like to have a good
time on that campus as well.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, for an IVY League school, I think a lot
of people don't realize it's actually a bigger school than
you'd think. So a lot of students schools it's say
about twelve to thirteen thousand undergrad so a decent size,
whereas you got some of the other IV League schools
are only four or five thousand. So really, so we
have a decent sized population there. Okay, so what did
you study at Cornell?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Hotel administration?
Speaker 5 (04:36):
So you did the IVY League school? See this is
this takes me to mind.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Welcome to the NFL. It's world renown. It's very famous
and if you look up.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Some of the alums through Cornell's Hotel School, it's a
hotel school.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
It's world face.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
We have a hotel on campus and essentially it's a
business degree with some hospitality mixed in. Now it's not
all hotels, it could be. Uh, some of my peers
have gone on to going to real estate and other areas. Actually,
one of my classmates is a co founder Lyft, So
at Cornell we have sort of.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Just dropped that we should that tests, like what is
the test?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well, you know, I took financial accounting, I took you know,
I took a lot of business schools, but then there
were some hospitality geared classes. You know, it's funny you
mentioned that that same reaction you had was my rookie
year in Oakland. I was teammates with Warren Sapp. Sap
stood up in the locker room and announced to the
whole locker room that this guy went to an Ivy
(05:39):
League school to run holiday inns, you know, and I
had to explain that it's a famous school and you know,
while holiday inns could be a part of my portfolio
one day, uh, you know, it's a little bit more
to the degree.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I think that's I'm sure because that's the first thing
my hold on.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
So would you say that was your rug M to
the NFL moment was when Warren said I did that
when Oakland?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, I think so because it's those guys that you know,
I grew up watching it and you know that was
one of my first interactions with them, so it's all right. Yeah,
what was.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
It like in Oakland playing back then? I don't know.
Al Davis was still like at the time.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, so, uh yeah, mister Davis was around.
Speaker 6 (06:18):
You used to having the the the like the dirt
at the home field. That's really unique that we're used
to it.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
We come out there and we just hated it.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And the worst thing about it is that one season,
my rookie year, when I was out there, the A's
were actually pretty good. So so yeah, we didn't We
didn't get the grass until, you know, halfway through the
season because they made it all the way to like
the Alcs or something like that. So man that for alignment,
you didn't want to hit the ground, but going against
defensive lineman it actually helped us because they couldn't get
(06:51):
they couldn't get off the ball. They couldn't dig in
and and fire off. So you know, everybody kind of
protected each other around.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
The hardest not to go down.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Right when we had to play there in the dirt,
I was just like, I am not trying to make
the tackle.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Let me just try to sling them. And I just
tried to helicopter.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
It was. It was the worst. So I only played
out there once, but it was so annoying. And it's
immediately you like, it's a big difference.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It is. It's a huge difference. It's nobody wants to
go in that area.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
The whole offense kind of changes. Nobody wants to be
in it. It's like we don't get everything. Yeah, get
the time.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Were gonna make that up? I think I'm supposed to
cut the backside on this one. Yeah, I can get that.
I don't need I don't. So why are the two
super Bowls that you want? Right? Which one was more
memorable for me personally? Uh?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
It was the second one. So it's fun to say, oh,
the second one meant more than me. I might be
the only one on my team to say that. Who
has two super Bowl rings? And the reason why is
because the first one, it was my second year in
the league. Yeah, I started most of my rookie year
as a six round draft choice with the Oakland Raiders.
But as you know, football is a business, we had
(07:58):
a new coach who weren't very good. I was released,
picked up by the Giants, and essentially had a redo
of my rookie year. So I looked at it as
my first year was on field rookie year. My second
year I go to the Giants that has one of
the best offensive lines in recent memory, and essentially they
taught me what it was like to be a pro
off the field, so you know, everything from football prep
(08:20):
with film, weightlifting, how to manage my time, how to
just become a complete football player. So that second year
I didn't play a lot. So I didn't I was
actually healthy, inactive for most of that year, and then
just played field goal and the old wedge back in
those days, I kicked off return, which will a nightmare nightmare,
(08:40):
you know. And then but for the second one, I
was a starter for the second half of that season.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
So what I want to know is how how crazy
was it when you when you see Eli Manning Super
Bowl forty two, you see Eli Manning scrambling on that play,
he's about to get sacked. He doesn't get sacked. He's
up there. You're on the field actually blocking, not on
that one. So super Bowl forty two, I was actually once.
I actually had a great view of it. Uh I
remember if I remember correctly, it was third down and five.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah, wut sixteen to go.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Everybody on their feet.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Tyree split right.
Speaker 7 (09:13):
And he takes the snap back to throw under pressure
of Gorge m Rash and he's gonna fight out of it.
Still fights out of it. Now throws a deep downfield
one up a Tyree who takes the touch.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Gotta play by may name. He's alluded three sacks. He
runs up to my carrier calls the time out. I
want to catch by Tyree. With fifty eight seconds to go.
Speaker 7 (09:37):
Tyree had Harrison all over him. The ball was on
his helmet, but he got his other hand on it
and pulled it in.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah that's some play, dammit.
Speaker 7 (09:48):
Tyree from Montclair, New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
And you know we battled with this team toe to
toe and then when I saw him get grabbed immediately.
And it's one of the running jokes we have with
the offensive line group, is whose fault was?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
It? Really?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It's either the senator Sean O'Hara or the left guard
rich Seybert. One of those two gave up penetration to
Richard Seymour very quickly. But when I saw you like,
it didn't blow the whistle, and I thought, I was like,
we came all this way and we lost the Super Bowl.
You know, it's like, man, this stinks. Man, you almost
wish you just got blown out at this point if
you got this close and then you see him escaping,
(10:21):
You're like, oh, man, we got it.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And then when he threw it, I was like, oh
we lost a game. I was like, it was number one.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Rule Number one is no scramble and just throw the
ball up high in the middle of the field.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Just do it the millerfield. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
And then uh, you know when he when David caught it,
Tyree caught it and held on and Rodney didn't get it.
You know, you immediately think, oh man, we're gonna win
the game. But I want to tell you this, one
of the more underrated plays is if you go back
and watch that sequence after that catch.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
One time out first to ten many out of the
gun Giants down by four.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Man, it takes a.
Speaker 7 (11:00):
Snap back to throw.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Looks rolls right under pressure, Trump out the twenty four
time out. Compton calls a final timeout and.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
He had a lane trying to get to his right
and couldn't get it out of harm's way.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
There's no gain of the play. You've got a stomach
for high drama, an intrigue. This is. It doesn't get any.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Better than this shack at an eleven at the twenty
five Giants down by four fourteen ten. The seats are
empty because everybody's standing, and he takes the.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Snap, sets delivers one left.
Speaker 7 (11:44):
It's the fucking had caught again by Tyrene and then
knocked away in complete.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
I think Burns was opening down the middle of the
field there and.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
It's starting eleven and we throw a short pass in
the flat to Steve Smith and he gets some yards
after to the catch and got the first down, and
then the next play was the touchdown. So it was
third and eleven.
Speaker 8 (12:06):
Yeah, yeah, man, lunch it Burns along touchdown. Tell you, Joey,
you take a look at this route here by Plexico Purus.
A great job. Ellis hobbson coverage. He starts to the
inside just enough to sell the slant and then he
goes to the corner. They call that the slant and
go route, slug O route, and it worked beautifully. Eli
(12:29):
Manny puts a little pump fake on him to get
him to bite, and then goes to the corner.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
I remember, I think Mario Manahan made a great catch
on the sidelines too super.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Bowl forty six and was very similar games. It's eerie
just the way the games went. Now, super Bowl forty six,
I was on the field and uh, I'll never forget
the pass protection because I was a left guard at
the time and it's his protection called eighty key, which
is a six man protection. Our tight end staying in
and the tight end's on my side. And the rule
(13:00):
that week was, hey, left tackle, Dave deal, you go
help the tight end, leave booth alone. And I'm looking
at Vince Wilfork here, and if I tell you, if
you go back and watch that one, if Eli has
to hitch one more second, I think I'm on top
of Eli. I mean, I'm holding off for dear life
with Vincent. And luckily Eli got the.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Ball out to Mario on that play.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Yeah, okay, Jim, I had like a very chill coach
and lovely Smith like super calm, very laid back.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
What was it like playing for Tom Kauflin coach.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Coffin that's still to this day one of my very
good friends and somebody who I look up to. He
is no nonsense as you would expect. Yeah, the thing,
the thing that I really appreciate about him is that
it is black and white. There is no gray area.
You know exactly where you stand, and there's always room
for improvement. So no matter if you've played a great
game or a poor game, there's always something to critique.
(13:55):
So you know, there's times where you come off a
big win and you're thinking everything's great and you walk
by him, Hey, coach, how we doing?
Speaker 3 (14:00):
He's like, are we going to block the three? What
are we doing? Come on?
Speaker 2 (14:06):
You know, So, you know, he always kept you on
your toes. But he's one of those guys that he
had a set of rules and if you followed them
and you competed, you were his guy and he do
anything for you. So cool, and I think that that
culture kind of went through that those Giants teams where
we weren't necessarily the best, you know, record wise, but
it would always show up every Sunday. We were always
(14:28):
prepared to play and knew what we had to do and.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
Only that, but playoff ELI was pretty good too, And
how has that really have maybe impacted your life going forward?
I look at myself and most football guys, especially ones
that are be able to play and have any type
of success in the league. You're a plus minus guy
at the heart of hearts like I always just want
to be graded, Like I'm very.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Cool with being critiqued.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
So having a coach like Tom Coughlin, what is his
impact not only do for you as a player, but
then really now and in your second chapter, being able
to be open, being ready to be graded, I guess
of some sorts always told for what you need to
do to improve?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
You brought up a great point, and I think the
one thing that we as football players often sell ourselves
short on is the skills that we strengthen while we're playing.
So you know the ones that stand out for me?
Are you know that ability to perform right, being at
your best when your best is needed, Being resilient Because
football every play is not going to be great, right.
There's gonna be some very bad plays mixed in with
(15:31):
some good plays and some okay plays. You know, but
then also just being coachable and being eager to be coached,
being eager to be corrected, wanting to be corrected, and
that's something that especially my time with Coach Coughlin, you know,
we joked about always having something to nitpick on. I
think that that's the type of stuff that really helped
me moving forward because it's you know, yes, I can,
(15:52):
you know, work on this project or this assignment and
everything's great, but there's always room to improve. And I
don't take it personally when somebody you know, critiques it
or offers suggestions, and I think that's something that we
often take for granted as that.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
But that's what for the most part though.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
You know, we've had a couple of other guests on
the show, Like a lot of guests that we've had
on the show, they're in media now. And one of
the things when they the football players, when they get
into the media, they don't get critiqued, you know. And
we're so used to going out there. You do something,
you look at the film, right, and your coaches plus
or minus, right, this is good, this is bad?
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Right?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
And so often when you in that, when you're in
the role of a broadcast or an analyst, you're you're
a person, or whoever your producer is. They just kind
of like, that was great job, Jo, good job, that
was great. But I don't, we don't. We don't operate
in that space like we have to. We run towards
the criticism. We want to be told. I yearned for it, right,
(16:49):
always wanting to improve. So that's the that's the one
great thing I love about us as affects that we're
always looking for that improvement. So you got drafted by
the Saints, played in Carolina, went back to the Saints.
Full circle moment, right, you yourself drafted by the Raiders
for all year, come up to uh not New eng
excuse me, New York for about what eight years, and
(17:11):
then you go back go back to Oakland for another year?
Speaker 3 (17:15):
How How crazy was that? How was that? It was crazy?
Speaker 2 (17:19):
You see that like that, like you know, it's a
it's a bit surreal even looking back on it, how
you're able to kind of have that bookend career. It's
interesting because those those two those two Raider stints on
the field weren't great from a record standpoint, But I
I think I really appreciated my journey because when I
came back as an old grizzled veteran. Uh you know,
(17:41):
I think that was That was Derek Carr' rookie year.
Khalil max rookie year was my last year in the league.
You know, you realize and appreciate it how how far
you've come and how much you've learned, and you try
to pass on some of that knowledge and some of
those experiences so that you can help out that younger group.
And uh so it was. It was a great experience.
I purposely went back to my old number so that
(18:01):
my family didn't have to get new jerseys or I
didn't have to get new jerseys. But you know how
free agency is, it was tough. It was definitely tough
to leave New York at the time because of all
the success that we'd had. But you know, the way
things go and free agency and team needs and what
the team team's roster looks like, sometimes you don't have
(18:22):
a choice. So it was a little bit bittersweet, but
you know, it was one of those things that I
was happy to be able to go back to a
place that I was familiar with, some of the staff
there was still in place, and ultimately end my career.
So it looks pretty at least on the.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
So were you like the Warren side when you went back,
were you were you haz and rookies? Were you making
fun of people with their degrees and what they were
doing there?
Speaker 2 (18:41):
No, no, no, I learned my lesson, you know, one
of the funny things in the locker room. You guys
probably appreciated this because you had people like this and Peanut.
Unfortunately the Louisiana might have fallen into this bucket. But
when you get to those Saturday walkthroughs and all the
trash talking starts to take place, because you know, the
say you know, the SEC games and all that stuff. Luckily,
(19:04):
for most of my career with the Giants, I had
a teammate of mine, Zach Giassi, who went to Brown
and I played against him in college and we'd have
our one Saturday the only year where we could open
up our mouths and everybody's looking on you know, they're like, oh.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
This is cute. You know, gonna did you guys need
to start playing football? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
This season would start so late, so you know, I'd
always keep my mouth shut around guys, especially those that
came from the big school hilarious.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
You're right though, it's like, oh yeah, a club sport. No, no, no,
we play.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back, all right, Kevin, you gotta tell me this.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
So how much did you weigh when you played?
Speaker 2 (19:44):
So I played most of my career anyway, anywhere from
about three h five to three fifteen.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
All right. How much are you weighing right now?
Speaker 2 (19:52):
On a good day, probably around two forty five So I, however,
around at two forty five to two fifty range.
Speaker 5 (19:57):
All right, Now, how how is this weight loss journey
been few? Because we all know it. It was most
on linement. They go either or right right, they need
to pack it on and pack out, or or they
lose it. All right, and you're on the opposite end
of it. You look like a tight end, thank you.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You know, for me, it was just a matter of
staying into a routine. So, you know, once the playing
career ended and I knew it was winding down, I
knew it was important to prepare myself for the next
phase of life, you know, whatever it would be. And
this time I didn't know, you know, I kind of
knew that I wanted to stay involved with football, but
needed to keep myself busy. I didn't want to just
sit there and you know, pout about not playing football
(20:37):
or watch TV and think that I could still do it,
even though I probably did go through that phase if
you ask my wife for a little bit at least.
So it's just a matter of staying routine. So I
knew that I was typically get up in the morning,
go to the facility and work out prior to meetings
and all that stuff. So I just kind of kept
that routine and it's something that I've kept today. So
wake up every morning and now it's become such a
(20:58):
habit where if I don't do it, I almost feel
guilty or something's off the rest of the day, you know.
So just staying into a routine and building good habits
and uh, you know, it's been a fun journey. Not
fun on the wallet because all those fine threads that
you had to playing, uh you know, dress code with
coach Coughlin, you know, suits for away games, a lot
(21:19):
of those. It got to a point where my tailor
is like, hey, there's nothing I could do about this, buddy.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
There's always so much that you were wearing. I know,
the line used to have those the walkers, did you walkers?
I do remember when you were a walker?
Speaker 8 (21:35):
Guy.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I had one walker that was given to me for free,
and then I never did again and.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
It went out. I felt like right after that phase, Yeah,
I'm so glad I didn't get a walk I'm so
I know people that have whole closets still. I don't
know if there's only the ones that have comfortable. I
never were comfortable. Basically.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
I never saw a skilled person with a walker or linebacker.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
There was all d line. Line is a reason and
the only reason.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
They literally went out like right after, right after by
by way, it was done.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
So and you got in a year or two before us,
so you were you were definitely like full blown walker states.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Full blown blow It was like these look like pajamas
for fat people.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
You have you have threads, you know, fabrics on patterns.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Its just shaking the box, just checking the box, dressed up.
This is funny though, don't get fine.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
Yeah, yeah, but that was a big It was like Lenen,
it was yeah, Paul answer, yeah, Cotton.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
That's a great question that you don't know. You need
to look this up. Walking suit The walking suit.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
NFL NFL Office of Line and d Line and walkers.
You don't see a lot of large men wearing these pajamas.
I don't show up and oh my gosh, I one.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
That's good. That's only one. And it was for free.
I didn't it was it was a gift. It was.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
It was actually nice. It was like a blackish gray
and it kind of had a pattern in it. So
it's one of those you know, was a gun metal
c Yeah, okay, I got you. I got you, So
dress up, dress down with it. Yeah, either way.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
So twenty twelve, I went back.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
To school and I got my I got a master's degree,
and it took me about three years. But I was
still actively playing, so I was working. I was actually
at the pro Bow when I saw of my first class.
And I know you did the same thing. You got
your You got your NBA from George Washington. I know
the NFL they have a tuition assistance. I don't know
the exact name of the program.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
But you did that.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
I want you to tell us why you went back
and was it a juggle for.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
You to do it while you were still playing?
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Yeah, so I thought when I graduated from Cornell, I
was like man, that's it. I'm not going back to school.
That that was a lot harder, and I thought it
was going to be. Uh, you know, it's just one
of those things that as you progressed throughout your career
and you start to realize that this isn't going to
last forever. There was an opportunity at George Washington at
the time to get my NBA while playing, So it
(24:01):
was a very intense program of it took two years
to do it, and the way they did it is, uh,
we were in class for about six weeks each off
season and then online work in between there. So there
would actually be some online work in the season, even
though they would try to scale it back a little
bit obviously because we were tied up. But you know,
(24:21):
for those six weeks when we were in class, we
were in for the full day and you're in DC
for these classes. The great thing about it is it
bounced around. So we would do two weeks in d C,
we would do two weeks in New York City, which
was very helpful, and then we actually did a summer
two weeks out in LA. So you have to move
around a little bit and be on different college campuses
(24:42):
in this program, and it was a great experience. So
it was a small court of you know, some former
players and other people in the sports industry, and you know,
it was something that I didn't anticipate doing, but I'm
grateful that I did do it because I thought that
just having that experience, being able to work through some
of those you know, case studies and things of that nature,
(25:04):
those real life examples, it felt more practical to me
at that point than you know, undergrad where you're taking
the essential classes of the required classes. So I really
enjoyed that experience.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
All right.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
So well, you and Penut, both you guys can answer
this because I'm the only one that has not done
extra curriculars as far as education is gone, so has
d both of you guys. Has the degrees? Have you
guys used your degrees at all? Or is this like
algebra for the rest of America?
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Yeah, I've used I've used my degree in emergency management. Yeah,
it's been it's been fun.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
And I think my time in the league office, uh,
you know, starting out in sponsorship and then now in
my current roles, it's definitely helped. I think a lot
of the organizational behavior work you know that hr how
to manage personalities, how to work in groups and different roles,
how to lead. Those types of class work and case
studies were essentially vital for me.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
See you hear that, ladies and gentlemen, kids, family members arelike,
algebra is for the benefit of all, and so it
does work and you might not understand and use it
right now, but I knew that both of these gentlemen
would say that, yes, we actually use our degree, So yes,
that's really good.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
You do you do? So?
Speaker 4 (26:20):
When I was in Chicago, Duayne Joseph was my player
player development.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
He was my player development guy in Chicago. Now they
call it player engagement. Engagement. Yeah. Now he's the assistant
GM and the Las.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Vegas Raiders, and he had a pivotal grade, huge upgrade.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
He's worked his butt off, played a pivotal.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
Role in my career just with his leadership, mentorship, with
what he taught me as a rookie. Now, talk to
the people about really what the role is of the
player engagement person on the staff, because I don't think
the people, the listeners, I really don't think they understand
(27:00):
how vital that role is.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
To these to the team, right, Yeah, it's essential, and
I think it's a role that has rightfully grown in
importance over the last ten years or so, even since
we left the league. It's a role that it's intended
to separate the football side from the player side, so
it's the players lies off the field, and you know what,
I think as great as a lot of teams, if
(27:22):
not all, have the player engagement person's office next to
the locker room or close to the locker room. It's
not upstairs because for the longest time, it's hey, if
you're going upstairs, Yeah, it's like where you're going, who
do you want to talk to? Maybe you're like, you
know what, it's something I want to talk about it
like the prin So I think having a great relationship
(27:43):
with your player engagement person individual, you know, whatever the
role is, is essential because if we're getting pulled in
so many different directions. You know, it's a very demanding
profession that we have as professional athletes, and life happens.
There's a lot of things off the field, you know,
that can be challenging other times it could be exciting,
(28:03):
and you need to have a resource there because you're
spending so much time at the facility it's it's needed
because you're not gonna have time to go talk to
your coach or sometimes you might not see your spouse
or your significant other for an extended period of time. You
need to have somebody to vent sometimes, somebody to talk to,
somebody to bounce ideas off of. So having that person
(28:25):
at every team is very valuable.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
Yeah, not only that, but actually him being like a
being able to express to you some of the things
that the coaches may be thinking as well. Right, So
it's able to be not only mediator. Yeah yeah, yeah,
I mean so it's not only being able to be
heard but also absorbed because you know, when you hear
(28:48):
him from the coach, sometimes you if you don't vibe
with the coach, it might not.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Be received right.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Versus like you're vibing with the player engagement guy. Shout
out to my man, fast Fred McAfee of the New
Orleans Saints.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Yeah, he's my guy.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
He did so much for me as a player engagement person.
Not only that, but he's also a teammate of mind.
And he retired he became that's the player engagement guy,
and man, he's one of the top and one of
the best ever.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Did he ever really teach you how to be punctual.
Uh no, that's that's just not my thing.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
You know, with coach Coffin, all the clocks in the facility,
you said five minutes early, you.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
Know, yeah, you got would have played. I wish you
would have played for Conflin. The Giants tried to trade
for me early. I wish they would I wish they
would have got No. Actually, what it was they were
they were gonna it was gonna be a one on
one trade. I don't know if anybody knows this, but
we'll just take out.
Speaker 5 (29:39):
So the Giants were gonna wanted to trade for me,
and they wanted The Saints said, you know, well you
give us Jeremy Shockey and.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
And then traded.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
They were like, no, actually the Giants wanted me. The
Saints were like, all right, well who do you want?
And then they said they wanted me, and they were like,
all right, well, what's up? And then they said no.
The Saints said no, yeah, Saints. She did not want
to give me up to the shocky. So instead they
gave up a second round pick.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Remember that I was on the team he had and.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
Got that and got that back and they they so
I only knew that true. I thought it was just
a roomor. And then I met Dave gettleman for Carolina Panthers,
and he was like, oh no, I was, yeah he could.
When I first signed there, he said, mister g and
he was like, I've been won you since you were
like year three. I wanted you all the way up
here in New York. I was in the room.
Speaker 3 (30:31):
I said, I thought that was just a rumor. He's like,
oh no, Dave gets real.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
They've got him as the first person I met when
they claimed me off of Waivers, And I pulled up
to the old Giant Stadium and he's right there and
he's like, I've been watching you the whole time, you know.
So that type of thing. That was kind of my
first experience, first person I met from the Giant's office.
But I do have a funny story. You talked about
the Saints. I don't know about you peanup, but every
time we went to the super Dome, it was bad.
(30:56):
You guys, at least at least five or six touchdown
passes from Drew Brees. And I still have you see
how I'm like kind of looking off in this face.
It's like PTSD because I still hear the music, you know,
the music after the touchdown.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
We know the songs. Man.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
And so the twenty eleven season, oh, that was our
best team. So they beat us in a regular season
that year. I think it was on Monday Night football,
forty nine to twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
It was bad. We scored late, you know, to make
it look better. Right, this is so.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Irrational, But we had a divisional playoff game at the
fifteen to one Green Bay Packers on a Sunday in
the divisional round. The Saturday divisional game was New Orleans
at San Francisco, and we get to our hotel and
we're not even worried about the fifteen and one team
that we're playing tomorrow, the defending Super Bowl champ fifteen
(31:51):
to one team. We have our eyes on this San
Francisco New Orleans game, praying that San Francisco somehow wins.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
This is in San Francisco run.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Crazy game where there was like four touchdowns in the
last two minutes.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
I mean we're on the edge of our seats and
we're watching them like, oh no, we go back to
the Superdomes.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
We talked about that. We said literally that was our
best team. We won a super Bowl in O nine,
but that twenty eleven team was electric offensive. We put
up all these points defensively, really good, forcing turnovers, we
got after people, and we knew.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Like that was our chance.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
Like we just Atlanta just happened to be winning all
these games, and like we we just didn't get a
home game and we had to go on the road
and we played so bad. We had it four or
five turnovers and we still barely lost the game. And
we were like, man, we were kicking ourselves because then.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
You see us, yeah, because yeah, because what happens they
see the Giants win.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
It was like, one, well know that, but it's like, dude,
we do crust the Giants. Like like the Giants that
ELI had zero success coming to Superdome.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Super Dome was an awful place. It was a bad,
bad place for the Giant. It's a place. It was
not a good place. Every time we matched up, it
was he I mean.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
Here, It's like so when we saw that, because we
didn't think you guys would win, and then when you
guys went on, then you go into San Francisco and
beat San Francisco. On top of it, we were just like, funny, dude,
there's no way they would have beat us in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
But hey, you know it's all worn on the bridge,
and congrats to you for your second Super Bowl. You're
almost there.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Right, I'm still better than you.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Really, that was the personal jab that was like, that
was like from the fraternity thing, yeah, early on.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
Anyway, So here's a fun question for you. It's a
society question. What is the coil? What is cool and
dagger society? I can't tell you that what you can't
tell me that.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
I'm joking. I was like, it's an honor society.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
It is.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
It's a little tongue in cheek. It's like a a
you know, great society. You know, remember the movie The Skulls. Yeah, yeah,
it's not like that. It's not like that. No, this
it's an honor society that I'm pleased to be a
part of at Cornell. It dates back, you know, a
very long time, and it's usually for students and eventually
(34:17):
alums who've had a tremendous amount of success in the
classroom as well as are considered leaders on campus. So yeah,
but it's one of those things that we like to
keep some secrecy around it.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
It looks he tries to do that with his Q
his q Cats, the q Cats. He'd be trying to Oh,
oh you candition, but you can't take it anyway, the
q Cats.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
So I got another question for you.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
Is it true that when you're in college you memorize
the hometown of your opponents? Uh?
Speaker 2 (34:48):
No, I you know what. I think I knew some
but not.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
No.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
No, I think they knew in college because you know,
a terror in college. You know, it feels good to
say that. I don't know what it's like to be,
you know, considered feared.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
You know a lot of times they get you know
what I mean, that's.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
What it feels like. Uh No, I tell you I
peaked in college. Now.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Uh Now, I didn't know too much about him, but
there was a lot of intense film study.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
For sure.
Speaker 5 (35:23):
I hear that you got the other one. Oh yeah, no,
you do the one we we never ask anybody. Oh
you're ready for it right now? I'm ready for it
right now.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Nervous? Are you nervous a little bit? Don't be all right?
We've never asked me one this question ever ever. Yeah,
this is a new one. We've been talking about this
for a while. I'm the guinea pig. You're in the
guinea pig christ test, dummy.
Speaker 5 (35:43):
Are you ready? Three to one? Mount Rushmore? Four greats
of all time? Who's you own?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Your Mount Rushmore?
Speaker 5 (35:54):
List of people are influence that have influenced you your life?
Speaker 3 (35:58):
You're playing career? Wow? Wow? Is right? Okay? Like that?
Like that because that can go in a variety of places, right,
taking how you want.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Yes, it's my answer, right, my Mount Rushmore mountain. So
first would be my brother. So I have one brother.
He's ten years older than me, and he played through
college and he wore seventy seven for the majority of
his career. That wash he was an old lineman. Eventually
he actually started out as a tight end in college
and then growing and growing and growing. But you know,
(36:32):
that was probably the beginning of my love of football,
is watching him play in high school and then going
to watch him play in college.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
And where do you go to school?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
He went to East Carolina yep, so he was there
in the early nineties. So you know school Jeff Blake
and Robert Jones and then you know, there was some
good teams, there was some fun times watching him play.
He played against some very good players too. Yeah, so
you know, really starting to love the game of football then,
So I'd say he's one up there second, because I
(37:01):
started watching football right around then. My earliest NFL memory
is Super Bowl twenty three and the reason why is
because I grew up in South Florida and Super Bowl
twenty three was in Miami, and I remember watching the
forty nine Ers against the Bengals and watching Jerry Rice
win MVP. So Jerry Rice was my favorite player throughout
(37:23):
my still is probably just in terms of his work
ethic and being able to see how successful he was
on the field, and that was my welcome to football.
Here it is. This team's awesome. San Francisco forty nine
is my favorite team growing up too. I was devastated
to nineteen that you talked about irony watching the Giants
beat them in the NFC Championship game a couple of
(37:44):
years later and they getting knocked out that, you know,
the first time I met the first time I met
Leonard Marshall, like, man, the pain, you know. So Jerry
Rice is up there, and I used to think I'd
be a wide receiver and then that went away probably
by the time I was ten years old, I realized
kept growing. If I kept playing football, it's gonna be
(38:05):
handing the dirt next after that. To influence my career,
I would say Coach Coughlin just because of how he
helped mold my teammates young men into you know, great people,
great football players, great fathers.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
You know.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
I think just the morals that he always had. And
at the time it felt cheesy at times because he
was a big quote guy. He'd bring up the war
quotes and you know, have all these different sayings and
he'd kind of leave it with you. But to this day,
I still think about him, and you know, it still applies.
So and he's somebody who I.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Still talk to regularly.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
And then Wow, for the last one, that's probably the
toughest one, Mount Rushmore. I would say the best offensive
lineman I played with and he's still one of my
very good friends, is Chrisny the Giants, And it is
somebody that I watched my rookie year like, who is
(39:04):
this guy? Man, this is how you're supposed to play
guard in the NFL, And then coming over to the
team and him, Sean O'Hara, Kareem McKenzie, Dave Deal Rich Seybert.
How they welcomed me, you know, because it was like
that new kid in school that just joined I. I
came to the team week one, so, you know, being
able to learn under him and then being able to
(39:24):
try to pattern as much of my game after him,
and somebody who I thought for a three four year
stretch was the best guard in the NFL. So I
think when I talked about Mount Rushmore of who I
am as a football player, and then beyond that, I
would say those four. So you kind of have a
mix there.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
You know, you have my.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
Childhood, my contemporary, a family member, and then a leader,
you know, a coach.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
So I think that's my four. I like it.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
That's a good mountain a man, it's a great Mount Rushmore. Yeah,
great job. So thanks not bad for the first one. Right,
Set the bar high.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
Set the bar high. At the bar very high. You're
laughing where you laughing? Because we asked everybody. Man, he
couldn't even he can't even let him, let him let go.
I was gonna let him live it. You just topped
the boat man right there later, you know, Thomas back there,
(40:20):
I was gonna let him make it. Last started to
squirm a little laugh.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
I feel, you know, you can feel with people just
laughing behind you, and you don't want to turn down laughing.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
You look behind leg I was gonna let you make it. Tears. Yeah,
you crying up. We gotta tell that man that was
a deep that's a deep answer. You're crying. Was probably
thinking about you know, who was his safety buddies who
played with.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Man?
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Oh no, hey, can we appreciate you coming on? Absolutely?
This is this is fun. We appreciate you.
Speaker 4 (40:54):
Love what you're doing for the league and the player
player engagement crew. Man, keep doing your thing. Thank you
for black put your presence. And I just want to
say one more thing. How does it feel to continue
to now you have a different role, but you continue
to impact the game itself. Do you take pride in
that individual?
Speaker 3 (41:11):
I do.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
I always wanted to stay involved with the game of sports.
I mean with the game of football. I wanted to
stay involved in sports originally and then making that transition,
figuring out what that next step would be and realizing that,
you know, I had an opportunity to join the league
office was something that kept me close enough to the
game but then also be able to impact the game
in other ways without feeling sore on a day to
(41:35):
day basis. So no, it's great to continue to serve
the game of football that's going to be here, you know,
long after we're gone, So try to leave it better
than you found it. And that's my goal, you know what.
Speaker 5 (41:46):
And that's a great way to end, because I feel
like that's what Peter Nutt and I are trying to do,
being able to interview more and more of you guys
that continue to impact the game, and we are all
stewards of this great game in the NFL, and how
much is done for us. I really feel like we're
just trying to serve it in the best way possible.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
And that's why you're here today.
Speaker 5 (42:04):
And I appreciate that last answer because it's a great
way to hind it, man, So appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
Man. Good job, Thank you man.
Speaker 5 (42:09):
All of our viewers and followers out there, continue to
wherever you pick up your podcast that man, you got
me messed up today, peanut, maybe because I'm late, all right.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Well, anyways, wherever you get your listen to your podcast
that was Apple podcasts our Heart Radio podcast. Continue to listen,
give us a view, Tell a friend, to tell a friend,
to tell a friend. Give us a five star rating.
Hit that follow button. Man, this was a good one.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
Again. We're gonna continue to load them up.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
We have more and more people in their second acts
doing great things, not only for themselves personally, but for
the NFL, pushing it forward.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Man, Kevin Booth, you are one of those people.
Speaker 4 (42:44):
We appreciate you on Peanut Best Rooming. That's Kevin ay Man.
This is the NFL Player Second Acts Podcast.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Thank you for tuning in. Great round rushmore too. Wet
face
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Ducting, bile ducting, barbsdu duct by Say busa bermdu duct
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