June 24, 2024 • 15 mins
James Harrison sits down with Rob King to talk about his football career and more
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
James growing up in Akron. I read this, Is it
a true story? Your mom did not want you to
play football?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
My mom she she didn't want me to play football.
She thought I would get hurt, So that was her
her biggest thing. We'd be playing ball.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Uh. When did she get over that? And when did
you finally find yourself out in the football field.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, she didn't get over it. I'll say.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
My dad was able to talk her into it allow
me to play immediately. But as far as her fear
of me being hurt, Uh, that probably didn't stop until
seven eight years into the league. So yeah, it became
more of a me hurting other people.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
How important was Kent to you? Because y the field
pass that has your name on it, your numbers retired
during the Hall of Fame. How important was the those
years it kent for you?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Kim was extremely important because they were the only ones
that actually uh were there when it When it came
time to offer scholarship is really what I came to.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I had some.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Difficulties in my senior year, which leonarded the field of
people that were willing to offer me a scholarship in Kent.
Was a school that was there to offer me a scholarship.
So getting into Kent I still kind of fizzled a
little bit there at the beginning, and the coach that
brought me in was fired and the new coach that
(01:26):
came in was DMPs and he brought me in and actually,
you know I did. I had to walk on, of course,
but after the walk on, he gave me my scholarship. So,
you know, without Kent, I'm not here right now.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Your NFL career is a study in perseverance. I mean
you talked about even Kent and getting to Kent and
having to walk on and Kent and then not necessarily,
you know, having immediate success in the NFL. What was
it like for you? Why did you stick with it?
I don't know, off practice squads and playing in Europe
and all these different things.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
For me, I liked playing football, and you know, when
I first started playing football, it was just the opportunity
to play with my friends.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It was like, you want to go play football. I'm like, yeah, cool,
let's go out, you know, go outside and the street.
They're like, nah, it's organized football.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I'm like, ooh, yeah, I do that.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
So me, originally playing football was just the opportunity to
continue to play with my friends. I enjoyed playing football
because of what I got to do out there. And
from that, you know, it was yo, college is you know,
they're willing to play for your education. You know, I
could have went to any college, to be one hundred
percent honest with you, but like I said, my senior
(02:35):
year limited that. And then I got into college and
during my senior year it was teams that you know,
wanted me to work out, you do your pro day
and all that stuff, and it was like, yo, you
could you could get paid to.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Actually do this.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
So when I you know, got to Pittsburgh, I was
originally just on a practice squad, and of course you
know it escalates from there, but you know, being cut
and and brought back and cut and brought back. For me,
the reason I persevered is to be honest, I didn't
give a hundred percent effort in my first year or two.
(03:12):
I gave enough to make it through. Uh, when I
finally sat down and took the time to understand and
learn the defense, and my biggest issue was my head.
I didn't know what I was doing. And instead of me,
you know, trying to get help and understand it. I
would just shut down and just make like it wasn't
a big deal to me, cause I you know, I
didn't want people to know I didn't know what I
(03:32):
was doing.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But once I was.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Able to sit down and actually, you know, have people
to take time to actually say, hey, this is what
you need to do, and I didn't feel like, you know,
I was being taught that I was being coached too.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
It was, uh, it was easy for me.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
When did your legendary work out program start? Did it
start around then or was that later in your career?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So my workout program, I w I was doing a
little something like that in college, but nothing to the
extra that I did in pros.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
What ended up happening is I saw Duke's check.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Dude, show me a check, and his one week check
was my whole year's pay, and I said, you know what,
I need to do everything possible in its short term
to make as much money as I can because it's
not a long time that I'll be able to do this,
And to do that, I need to take care of
(04:24):
my body.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So from that point forward.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
About two thousand and five two thousand and six, I
started taking better care of my body. And as each
year went on, I added more and different things that
you know were supposed to be the advances, and you know, healthcare,
whatever that may be.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Now taking you back a little bit earlier, before you
establish yourself, was there a time or you almost quit?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
So in two thousand, two thousand, between two thousand and
two and two thousand and three, I was sent to
NFL Europe. So I went to NFL Europe back from
NFL euro at Baltimore had actually sent me the NFL Europe,
and when I came back, they released me. So that's
about year two. So it's two thousand and two, two
(05:11):
thousand and three. I've been cut four or five times now,
and I'm just sitting there waiting, and I'm like, you
know what, if I don't get picked up, then this
is just not meant to be and I'm gonna move on.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Give me a regular.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Job like everybody else, you know, work my forty to
fifty hours a week and and.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Call her to day.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
And that year Clark Hagen's he breaks his hand about
a week before training camp and then the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
So speak did you know you had an in you
to go from a guy who just went through the
experiences you talked about Europe and being cut to being
like almost immediately the Defensive Player of the Year. That's incredible.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I won't say that I knew I had that Emmy,
but I knew I had the ability to make it
a roster and from there making the roster it's just
one step. And then the next step is, you know,
I want to you know, be the best special teams player,
you know, and then I want to start I want
to be the best you know, linebacker. And it's just
(06:16):
you know, taking a step each year to try and
get better than you did the previous year.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Well, you had great days ahead of but your first
Super Bowl largely.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Special team, largely special teams. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
How what did it mean to you to win the
Super Bowl? Uh?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
That's the ultimate goal of every year. You know, it's
only one team that succeeds. And if your goal going
into that year is not to win the Super Bowl,
then you're cheating yourself and you're lying to yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
It's only one winner.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
What's it like winning Defensive Player of the Year. I
mean when you were notified of that, what was your reaction?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (06:51):
It was great, and it was great because we had
already won the Super Bowl. I think that's when they
notified you after the year was over with. So it
was just a cherry on top, you know, to get
the recognition and notoriety that you know, that's how people
saw and I felt about my player.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
We'll get back to that Super Bowl a minute, because
there's obviously a pretty important play in that. But when
you wind up making Pro Bowls and you wind up
setting a single season sack record for a team that's
got the defensive players that the history of the Steelers
can boast, is that special.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I think it's always special when you when you break
a record. All records are meant to be broken, and
when you're a person that gets to go out there
and break one of those records and set a new standard,
and especially in the organization you know saw historic as
the Pittsburgh Steelers, and like you said, the lineage of
players they had, the history, you know, still curtain defense.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
It's you know, it's a big thing.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
You know. I talked to players who say they love
talking to the Joe Greens and the players from the past.
I don't know if you feel the same way, but
so they're a little actually there. And then we see T. J. Watt. Now,
I guess you don't ever yet. Like you said, records
are made to be broken. You don't get to hold
them forever. But what's that like to be in the
middle of that great history Consteelers?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I now, you know, hopefully you know, get to be
viewed as one of those guys. You know, you know
that you know what the Stiller's defenses of the two
thousand and seven eight nine can be in the arguments
now of defenses with you know, still curtain, and you're
(08:34):
now part.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Of that history, that linage, that lord a legend.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Were you held every single play when you're rushed?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Listen if they called it anytime of armor is around
you there, that's a whole. That's that's I don't I
don't know, but that's how I see it. But you
know it was a occasional blue moon. I say that
I would get a I would get a hold of
you call.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, I mean, but that is an enduring image. And
of course you're living in We're seeing you coming around
that right end, the clothes line underneath the chin.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
That's not legal to them, that's legal. Think about it.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
If they outlawed that and they didn't allow that it
wouldn't be too many quarterbacks left in this league, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, well Aaron Smith was talking about how because of
the way you got to the quarterback of what you
did once you got there, they had to change.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
The rules a little bit, a little bit. You know.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
That's that wasn't just me. I'm a blame some of
that on the rest of the defense too.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
What was it like playing in that defense with all
the talent around you and everybody doing their job, and
maybe that oaight defense in particular was just phenomena.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I mean, that's just it.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
You know, each guy is out there doing exactly what
he's supposed to do.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
But the biggest thing is the bond that we had
with each other.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
You know, I think I spent more time, you know,
weeks you know, through the season where I was with
those guys more than I was with my family. And
I think that bond, that that brotherhood. You know what
I'm saying is really it brought us close together and
made you genuinely care and love, you know, your teammates.
Where you wanted to go out there and do everything
(10:07):
you could to make sure that you did your end
of that job, and you know, Dick le Bow being
the decordinator, you never wanted to let him know.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Well, you talk about your place in Stewart's history. That
deserve it, right in the middle of it, the Pro Bowls,
the defensive player of the Year, and the author of
maybe the greatest playing Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
History, the greatest playing super Let's get it right.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
No, maybe start that over. So tell me what you
remember about that play? How did it come about? And
and you're running down the sideline.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Well, we were, you know, that whole half. I felt
like we were getting there just step step too late.
You know, we'd hitting just as he threw the ball, hitting,
you know, right as he got you know, got read
of the ball a step away, and he was just
really reading the defense getting the ball out. And coach
Lebou called all out blitz on that play. I believe
(11:00):
it was six to one blitz zero. And my job
is too obviously blitz. But the biggest thing is I
need to get this tackle to step at me and
take me so that Tim and who's blitzing on my inside,
can have a free run to the quarterback.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
He's the one that would had a free shot. So
I'm like, you know what.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
I think he's gonna see it, and uh, he's gonna
get the ball out in time. So I'm gonna play.
I'm gonna drop, i'mnna play for the quick slant in
and hopefully I'm able to you know, knock the ball down.
That's really what I'm thinking. And you know I do
that part. I step tackle steps that me Timmans comes
free and uh, later on, you know, Kurt would say that,
(11:37):
you know, he was looking at me.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
He saw me step. So soon as he saw me step.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
He knew it was all out blitz and he's just
looking now to get rid of the ball. And uh,
as I'm looking at him, I'm you know, I'm thinking
he's looking at me, and he throws the ball.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
And I'm like, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
So the rest of it is just you know, it's
a it's a whole whole defense. You know, all ten guys,
you know, putting me every ounce of effort that they
had left and at it. You know that last part
in that half to you know, help me get down
there and score.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Well, all ten guys in you old running back from
high school. He played running back in high school. That
can come in handy, Yeah, I could have.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
I could have, you know, I could. I could have
went either way. In high school, you know what I'm saying.
I had had three that wanted me for running back.
I had not three that wanted for the linebacker. But yeah,
it uh it came in handy.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
You must have been no fun attack on football.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Nine I I I delivered the blow the same way
I did on defense as I did when I ran
the ball.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah, there was no no river to hit to hit
for you, right, I mean, you're just all muscle and well.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I wasn't like that.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I was like, I'm my stat said I was six
two two teen, Okay, but I was really like six
foot one ninety two inches twenty pounds, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
I high school.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Though, how did you get the nickname of Deebo?
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Uh? That's from a character on Friday. It's the bully.
So they considered me to be a bully on the
football field. So that's how I had a bunch of
nicknames though. You know pee Wee's I was pitbull.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I was Jabo.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
It's just a off throw debo that was before before debo.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
They ain't wanna call me Deebo. I was two day
vet silver back, which two day vat.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
They said I was there for two days and I
was acting like I was a vet.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
They called me to day vet.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Do you have a favorite nickname? Everybody calls you Deebo
your teammates.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, it's Deebo.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Nah.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I mean it's just I I can tell where you
know me from by the nickname you call them. I
got other nicknames too, So when I hear the nickname,
I'm like, oh, they know me from elementary, right, they
know me from high school, they know me from college.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You know, any difference winning that second Super Bowl? So
the first your.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Especially difference, I'm I'm I'm a full time starter. You know,
you got a bigger role. You you have a bigger
hand in and uh, you know what the outcome of
that game is. I think even then I was still
on some special teams too, be honest, I think I
was still doing kickoff and punt.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
So yeah, it it. You know, it's a it's definitely.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
It feels it feels better, it feels more significant, cause
it is.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
When you look back at your career, what do you
look back at most fondly?
Speaker 3 (14:16):
M You know, the crazy part is I don't even
really look at like like games I. I think about
the times that you're with the guys. You know that
you're you're just goofing around in the locker room, you know,
on the bus, on the plane, U at the hotel.
You know, I c I can give you more stories
about that if they were, you know, actually able to
(14:39):
be told than I could about games.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
So you're in the Hall of honor? What does that
mean to you?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
You know, I'm just extremely honored and just how much
to be a part of a you know, a group
of men that it's what a Pittsburgh Steel is to
find acts, you know what I'm saying. And U I'm
the strong pipeful man.
James growing up in Akron. I read this, Is it
a true story? Your mom did not want you to
play football?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
My mom she she didn't want me to play football.
She thought I would get hurt, So that was her
her biggest thing. We'd be playing ball.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Uh. When did she get over that? And when did
you finally find yourself out in the football field.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, she didn't get over it. I'll say.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
My dad was able to talk her into it allow
me to play immediately. But as far as her fear
of me being hurt, Uh, that probably didn't stop until
seven eight years into the league. So yeah, it became
more of a me hurting other people.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
How important was Kent to you? Because y the field
pass that has your name on it, your numbers retired
during the Hall of Fame. How important was the those
years it kent for you?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Kim was extremely important because they were the only ones
that actually uh were there when it When it came
time to offer scholarship is really what I came to.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I had some.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Difficulties in my senior year, which leonarded the field of
people that were willing to offer me a scholarship in Kent.
Was a school that was there to offer me a scholarship.
So getting into Kent I still kind of fizzled a
little bit there at the beginning, and the coach that
brought me in was fired and the new coach that
(01:26):
came in was DMPs and he brought me in and actually,
you know I did. I had to walk on, of course,
but after the walk on, he gave me my scholarship. So,
you know, without Kent, I'm not here right now.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Your NFL career is a study in perseverance. I mean
you talked about even Kent and getting to Kent and
having to walk on and Kent and then not necessarily,
you know, having immediate success in the NFL. What was
it like for you? Why did you stick with it?
I don't know, off practice squads and playing in Europe
and all these different things.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
For me, I liked playing football, and you know, when
I first started playing football, it was just the opportunity
to play with my friends.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It was like, you want to go play football. I'm like, yeah, cool,
let's go out, you know, go outside and the street.
They're like, nah, it's organized football.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I'm like, ooh, yeah, I do that.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
So me, originally playing football was just the opportunity to
continue to play with my friends. I enjoyed playing football
because of what I got to do out there. And
from that, you know, it was yo, college is you know,
they're willing to play for your education. You know, I
could have went to any college, to be one hundred
percent honest with you, but like I said, my senior
(02:35):
year limited that. And then I got into college and
during my senior year it was teams that you know,
wanted me to work out, you do your pro day
and all that stuff, and it was like, yo, you
could you could get paid to.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Actually do this.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
So when I you know, got to Pittsburgh, I was
originally just on a practice squad, and of course you
know it escalates from there, but you know, being cut
and and brought back and cut and brought back. For me,
the reason I persevered is to be honest, I didn't
give a hundred percent effort in my first year or two.
(03:12):
I gave enough to make it through. Uh, when I
finally sat down and took the time to understand and
learn the defense, and my biggest issue was my head.
I didn't know what I was doing. And instead of me,
you know, trying to get help and understand it. I
would just shut down and just make like it wasn't
a big deal to me, cause I you know, I
didn't want people to know I didn't know what I
(03:32):
was doing.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But once I was.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Able to sit down and actually, you know, have people
to take time to actually say, hey, this is what
you need to do, and I didn't feel like, you know,
I was being taught that I was being coached too.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
It was, uh, it was easy for me.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
When did your legendary work out program start? Did it
start around then or was that later in your career?
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So my workout program, I w I was doing a
little something like that in college, but nothing to the
extra that I did in pros.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
What ended up happening is I saw Duke's check.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Dude, show me a check, and his one week check
was my whole year's pay, and I said, you know what,
I need to do everything possible in its short term
to make as much money as I can because it's
not a long time that I'll be able to do this,
And to do that, I need to take care of
(04:24):
my body.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
So from that point forward.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
About two thousand and five two thousand and six, I
started taking better care of my body. And as each
year went on, I added more and different things that
you know were supposed to be the advances, and you know, healthcare,
whatever that may be.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Now taking you back a little bit earlier, before you
establish yourself, was there a time or you almost quit?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
So in two thousand, two thousand, between two thousand and
two and two thousand and three, I was sent to
NFL Europe. So I went to NFL Europe back from
NFL euro at Baltimore had actually sent me the NFL Europe,
and when I came back, they released me. So that's
about year two. So it's two thousand and two, two
(05:11):
thousand and three. I've been cut four or five times now,
and I'm just sitting there waiting, and I'm like, you
know what, if I don't get picked up, then this
is just not meant to be and I'm gonna move on.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Give me a regular.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Job like everybody else, you know, work my forty to
fifty hours a week and and.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Call her to day.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
And that year Clark Hagen's he breaks his hand about
a week before training camp and then the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
So speak did you know you had an in you
to go from a guy who just went through the
experiences you talked about Europe and being cut to being
like almost immediately the Defensive Player of the Year. That's incredible.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I won't say that I knew I had that Emmy,
but I knew I had the ability to make it
a roster and from there making the roster it's just
one step. And then the next step is, you know,
I want to you know, be the best special teams player,
you know, and then I want to start I want
to be the best you know, linebacker. And it's just
(06:16):
you know, taking a step each year to try and
get better than you did the previous year.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Well, you had great days ahead of but your first
Super Bowl largely.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Special team, largely special teams. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
How what did it mean to you to win the
Super Bowl? Uh?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
That's the ultimate goal of every year. You know, it's
only one team that succeeds. And if your goal going
into that year is not to win the Super Bowl,
then you're cheating yourself and you're lying to yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
It's only one winner.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
What's it like winning Defensive Player of the Year. I
mean when you were notified of that, what was your reaction?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (06:51):
It was great, and it was great because we had
already won the Super Bowl. I think that's when they
notified you after the year was over with. So it
was just a cherry on top, you know, to get
the recognition and notoriety that you know, that's how people
saw and I felt about my player.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
We'll get back to that Super Bowl a minute, because
there's obviously a pretty important play in that. But when
you wind up making Pro Bowls and you wind up
setting a single season sack record for a team that's
got the defensive players that the history of the Steelers
can boast, is that special.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I think it's always special when you when you break
a record. All records are meant to be broken, and
when you're a person that gets to go out there
and break one of those records and set a new standard,
and especially in the organization you know saw historic as
the Pittsburgh Steelers, and like you said, the lineage of
players they had, the history, you know, still curtain defense.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
It's you know, it's a big thing.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
You know. I talked to players who say they love
talking to the Joe Greens and the players from the past.
I don't know if you feel the same way, but
so they're a little actually there. And then we see T. J. Watt. Now,
I guess you don't ever yet. Like you said, records
are made to be broken. You don't get to hold
them forever. But what's that like to be in the
middle of that great history Consteelers?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I now, you know, hopefully you know, get to be
viewed as one of those guys. You know, you know
that you know what the Stiller's defenses of the two
thousand and seven eight nine can be in the arguments
now of defenses with you know, still curtain, and you're
(08:34):
now part.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Of that history, that linage, that lord a legend.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Were you held every single play when you're rushed?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Listen if they called it anytime of armor is around
you there, that's a whole. That's that's I don't I
don't know, but that's how I see it. But you
know it was a occasional blue moon. I say that
I would get a I would get a hold of
you call.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Yeah, I mean, but that is an enduring image. And
of course you're living in We're seeing you coming around
that right end, the clothes line underneath the chin.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
That's not legal to them, that's legal. Think about it.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
If they outlawed that and they didn't allow that it
wouldn't be too many quarterbacks left in this league, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, well Aaron Smith was talking about how because of
the way you got to the quarterback of what you
did once you got there, they had to change.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
The rules a little bit, a little bit. You know.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
That's that wasn't just me. I'm a blame some of
that on the rest of the defense too.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
What was it like playing in that defense with all
the talent around you and everybody doing their job, and
maybe that oaight defense in particular was just phenomena.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I mean, that's just it.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
You know, each guy is out there doing exactly what
he's supposed to do.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
But the biggest thing is the bond that we had
with each other.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
You know, I think I spent more time, you know,
weeks you know, through the season where I was with
those guys more than I was with my family. And
I think that bond, that that brotherhood. You know what
I'm saying is really it brought us close together and
made you genuinely care and love, you know, your teammates.
Where you wanted to go out there and do everything
(10:07):
you could to make sure that you did your end
of that job, and you know, Dick le Bow being
the decordinator, you never wanted to let him know.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Well, you talk about your place in Stewart's history. That
deserve it, right in the middle of it, the Pro Bowls,
the defensive player of the Year, and the author of
maybe the greatest playing Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
History, the greatest playing super Let's get it right.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
No, maybe start that over. So tell me what you
remember about that play? How did it come about? And
and you're running down the sideline.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Well, we were, you know, that whole half. I felt
like we were getting there just step step too late.
You know, we'd hitting just as he threw the ball, hitting,
you know, right as he got you know, got read
of the ball a step away, and he was just
really reading the defense getting the ball out. And coach
Lebou called all out blitz on that play. I believe
(11:00):
it was six to one blitz zero. And my job
is too obviously blitz. But the biggest thing is I
need to get this tackle to step at me and
take me so that Tim and who's blitzing on my inside,
can have a free run to the quarterback.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
He's the one that would had a free shot. So
I'm like, you know what.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
I think he's gonna see it, and uh, he's gonna
get the ball out in time. So I'm gonna play.
I'm gonna drop, i'mnna play for the quick slant in
and hopefully I'm able to you know, knock the ball down.
That's really what I'm thinking. And you know I do
that part. I step tackle steps that me Timmans comes
free and uh, later on, you know, Kurt would say that,
(11:37):
you know, he was looking at me.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
He saw me step. So soon as he saw me step.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
He knew it was all out blitz and he's just
looking now to get rid of the ball. And uh,
as I'm looking at him, I'm you know, I'm thinking
he's looking at me, and he throws the ball.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
And I'm like, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
So the rest of it is just you know, it's
a it's a whole whole defense. You know, all ten guys,
you know, putting me every ounce of effort that they
had left and at it. You know that last part
in that half to you know, help me get down
there and score.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Well, all ten guys in you old running back from
high school. He played running back in high school. That
can come in handy, Yeah, I could have.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
I could have, you know, I could. I could have
went either way. In high school, you know what I'm saying.
I had had three that wanted me for running back.
I had not three that wanted for the linebacker. But yeah,
it uh it came in handy.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
You must have been no fun attack on football.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Nine I I I delivered the blow the same way
I did on defense as I did when I ran
the ball.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah, there was no no river to hit to hit
for you, right, I mean, you're just all muscle and well.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I wasn't like that.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I was like, I'm my stat said I was six
two two teen, Okay, but I was really like six
foot one ninety two inches twenty pounds, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
I high school.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Though, how did you get the nickname of Deebo?
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Uh? That's from a character on Friday. It's the bully.
So they considered me to be a bully on the
football field. So that's how I had a bunch of
nicknames though. You know pee Wee's I was pitbull.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I was Jabo.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
It's just a off throw debo that was before before debo.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
They ain't wanna call me Deebo. I was two day
vet silver back, which two day vat.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
They said I was there for two days and I
was acting like I was a vet.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
They called me to day vet.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Do you have a favorite nickname? Everybody calls you Deebo
your teammates.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, it's Deebo.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Nah.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I mean it's just I I can tell where you
know me from by the nickname you call them. I
got other nicknames too, So when I hear the nickname,
I'm like, oh, they know me from elementary, right, they
know me from high school, they know me from college.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You know, any difference winning that second Super Bowl? So
the first your.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Especially difference, I'm I'm I'm a full time starter. You know,
you got a bigger role. You you have a bigger
hand in and uh, you know what the outcome of
that game is. I think even then I was still
on some special teams too, be honest, I think I
was still doing kickoff and punt.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
So yeah, it it. You know, it's a it's definitely.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
It feels it feels better, it feels more significant, cause
it is.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
When you look back at your career, what do you
look back at most fondly?
Speaker 3 (14:16):
M You know, the crazy part is I don't even
really look at like like games I. I think about
the times that you're with the guys. You know that
you're you're just goofing around in the locker room, you know,
on the bus, on the plane, U at the hotel.
You know, I c I can give you more stories
about that if they were, you know, actually able to
(14:39):
be told than I could about games.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
So you're in the Hall of honor? What does that
mean to you?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
You know, I'm just extremely honored and just how much
to be a part of a you know, a group
of men that it's what a Pittsburgh Steel is to
find acts, you know what I'm saying. And U I'm
the strong pipeful man.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.