January 28, 2021 • 48 mins
William Andrews was one of the most feared runners in the NFL until his career was tragically cut short due to a knee injury. The Ring of Honor inductee talks with Matt Tabeek on the latest episode of Bird Noises about some of his greatest runs, his favorite memories and why Tabeek thinks Andrews should be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Finally, I can't tell you Falcons fans out there that
you're listening to and maybe watching the show on Atlanta
Falcons dot Com. I am beyond excited for today's guests,
and I don't want to, I want to get right
into it. But today we have who I believe is
the greatest running back in Falcons history, one of the
(00:21):
best all time. If you guys know me, you know
I love running backs and I put them right up
there with the best. And I'm talking about Walter Payton,
Tony Dorssett, Barry Sanders is in a special class. But
I'll tell you what. William Andrews, former Atlanta Falcons player,
(00:47):
career cut short, and we'll get into all this. He
got better every single year statistically his runs. You'll I can,
We'll put them up with anybody. William. I am so stoked.
I don't want to, I don't want I want to
get going here, but I am. I just wanted to
just convey how excited I am to finally have you
(01:08):
on here, and for different reasons, over the last few years,
we haven't been able to get you on, but you're on.
Welcome to Bird Noises Presented by Bows. How you doing.
I'm doing great. Thank you man for having me. I
really do appreciate it. Well, listen, uh, you know, I
want to talk about your career here. Obviously, I want
to talk about, you know, your thoughts on you know,
(01:29):
some of the years that you were here, also just
in the context of other great running backs. But you know,
let's just start with two runs in particular, because I
think anybody can who has a phone or a computer
can go to YouTube and watch these two runs. They
both occurred in nineteen eighty two, and I'm not sure
(01:50):
I'm hoping that you remember every single play in the
play call here, because I can't get enough of them there.
One was against they They came in two games within
a three week span, against the Denver Broncos and the
San Francisco forty nine ers. And oddly enough, they were
little swing passes. Yeah, one was to the left, one
(02:13):
was to the right. Let's talk about that Broncos game
because it ended up being in eighty six yard reception
but it was all run. Yeah, I mean it was
a pass to the flat and you know you can
mention the guy that you know you ran over. But yeah,
let's go ahead. Let's get to that play. The play
(02:34):
was set up basically because it was a drop back pass.
Steve had had to drop back and we were after
we check our linebackers and where he is and that
kind of thing. Then we did it like a little swing,
a little swing hook if you will, and to see
because we always had a say and save us sat
throw it to the back. So that's what That's pretty
(02:56):
much how Len and I were involved in all I played.
We check our linebackers because we had to take our
outside linebackers, and once they did that, uh, then we
were swing routes because we were secondary receivers. Based on
what he was doing. If he couldn't see his primary
guys down field, he knew he could get at least
(03:16):
five yards a five or six yards from us of
being in the backfield. Yeah, so you took it was
a quick hit to the flat to the left, and
the defender who came up was at Steve Wilson from
the Bronsie Wilson. Yeah, he came up and it was
within you know, seconds, right, it was within uh you
(03:37):
know I think was he was right there on you
within five yards? Yep. Well, well, one of the things
you got I always remember with me. You had to
wrap me up completely and he couldn't. Just it wasn't
just one guy to do it. It's got to be
more than one guy. And not bragging on myself, but
that's just my prowess. And what I used to do
(03:59):
when I and now what I did was I faked
him to the left, Yeah, faked him to the right.
He didn't take either one of those. And then so
the next move was to plow right through him, and
I did so when I when I when I did that,
I kind of knocked him down, and uh it was
clear sailing from right there. And then I got some
help from downfield from Junior middle and a half for
(04:20):
jinkies down down to the sideline and so that that
that made it go and uh so at the school
to touchdown that a six yard run. Then, yeah, I'm
watching the replayer right now. I've watched it probably about
one hundred and fifty times. But it was actually to
be more accurate, you know, he Wilson came up, It
was more like you had I think you you're about
(04:41):
maybe five to seven yards downfield. Um, and then you
write you had an escort down there. But Tommy Jackson
the linebacker from the Brown Thomas Jackson, YEP. Hall of Famer. Yeah,
really really good linebacker. In fact, he was middle linebacker.
You know when the place started. I think you guys
were an eye formation and he tried, he tried to
(05:02):
chase you down and dove at the end. But you
were a big man with a lot of speed. I
compare you to Earl Campbell. Um. Earl Campbell was a
was a big back, powerful back with tons and tons
of speed, and I think you were right there, um,
(05:23):
you know, with with the same speed you you had
very very I don't want to even say deceptive speed.
But that plague was just uh, you know that that
was that's the one that gets you off your seat.
Uh in watching that one, it's uh, I'm watching it again.
You're kind of you've got You've got actually like three
guys coming up on you, and one guy thought you
(05:45):
were tackled and just kind of was flat footed and
then you turned on the afterburners. Well, I gotta tell you,
I don't have I didn't have blazing speed. I just
had enough speed to get out of the way. And
so as that that that play, you can tell, Yeah,
guys were gaining on me. I did everything I could
(06:07):
so they wouldn't catch me. So that's that's what you
gotta always realize. It's not how much speed you guys
not to make him. Don't let them catch you and
I yea. And the thing of it is you never
look back, because when you look back, people can catch you. Yeah. Well,
a lot of guys now they have the benefit of
the jumbotrons, right they they're they're running, they're looking up
and they can they're watching the whole field behind them. No, sorry,
(06:31):
that wouldn't and novocable back. Unfortunately, that was in eighty two.
That was the strike shortened season two. Yeah, it was
nine games. When you look at your career and we're
gonna get to another run that season, but you know
your your output. You ran for a thousand yards ten
twenty three thirteen o eight in nineteen eighty, thirteen o
(06:56):
one in eighty one. Then the strike shortened season you
had five seventy three and nine games. And then your
best season it was in eighty three. You ran for
one thousand, five hundred sixty seven yards. I'm not even
talking about the reception you had a few of those
years you had seven more than seven hundred yards more
than six hundred yards receiving UM. And and then of
(07:18):
course you eighty four you missed the season. We'll get
into that, but you ended up coming back in eighty
six UM in play. But we'll get into that too.
But let's let's stay back on eighty two because I
believe it was a Monday night game. Uh, And I
want to say that only because it was Howard Cosell,
(07:40):
Don Meredith and fran Tarkt and on the call. Yeah,
I'm pretty sure that was a Monday night game, which
you guys. I don't think you guys were on a
ton of Monday night games, were you? No, we would
we were not. And that play, I don't know. Do
you remember that play before? I, uh explain it because
Ronnie came up to hit me. Yeah, yeah, well you
(08:02):
know running? Yeah yeah, you have to watch running a lot,
right because uh, hear it. And and one of the
one of the greatest cats I played against. And I
gotta there's a number of my can name that I
played against. But h he uh was talent, talented is
all get up now? I hit you know, I learned
(08:22):
from that. He was a running back in the high school. Yeah,
I said in a defense back, so I can see
his powers to come up and hit people like that.
But uh, it just so happened. It was a quick,
little quick flair to the right, and I didn't have
time to catch myself. So what I did is I
bawled into the tightest ball I could get it myself into,
(08:46):
and so all he hit, all he could hit was
just a solid shoulder and thigh, and then he bounced off,
and I bounced away from him and went up, and
about four or five other guys hit me in the
middle right there, and then I kept going and then
and then the guy from the came from the bat
and grabbed my shoulders. You know, of course that'd have
(09:08):
been collar collar and if course you know today's world,
but uh, back then, it wasn't no such things. So
you know, every man for what he had and what
he could have, and and that's what it was. So yeah,
that was the uh but I had. Like I said,
I can't uh when I go back and look over
(09:28):
to what I used to do, I'm satisfied with some
of the things that I've accomplished and all that kind
of so I can't be I'm not sad about anything.
I love playing the game, and I had a love
for it. I didn't. It was not that for money
or anything like that, because I wasn't making that much.
But I was enjoying myself because I had a good time. Yeah,
(09:48):
I would, I would. Yeah, you had a h it
was not as long as it should have been. Um,
we'll get into that. But on that play, to be
fair to you, uh, Ronnie Lott was like lined up
on the line of scrimmage. Yeah. And I'm watching the
replay right now. As soon as you look the ball in,
(10:09):
I mean, in a split second, the minute you looked upfield,
he was in your grill. Yeah. And Ronnie Lott, everybody
knows he hits like a mack truck. But you know,
but I'm the repair guy. Yeah, well he needed to
repair after that. Uh. So you know, I'm looking I'm
(10:33):
just watching the replay here. I'm just reliving it because
I can't you know what a backfield too. It was
you and I believe Gerald Briggs right, you had Lynn
Kane was sorry. Then Gerald came in the next couple
of years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm I'm watching. Okay,
so let me call the play up here. So Bart.
(10:54):
They almost jumped offside Barkowski like literally just steps snaps it, steps,
throws it. I mean it was a like a two
three yard pass. Ye, and you're just getting up to
you're not even beyond the line of scrimmage, and a
lot is hitting you. That's what I mean. I had,
I got no speed, So when I saw him at
a corner of my right eye, that's when I gave
(11:15):
it myself and got into that ball. And all he
did was hit shoulder and that that's all he could.
Now I just paused it. Here there are one, two, three, four.
You are in a circle, a red circle of red
forty nine or jerseys. All of them have their heads
down hitting you. It's almost like it was time. They
(11:36):
they are hitting you at the same time. Yeah, yeah,
and you who have your head down and they fly
like bowling pins and you're down field and how and
I listened to the audio Howard Cosell, I don't know
if it was I don't know if it was Howard
Cosell or or fran Target. One of them jumped out
(11:59):
of their seat in the booth on the callum and
because they were stunned, and Howard Cosell said. He called
it the greatest as good at evidence of power running
in any game you'll ever see. The late great Howard
Cosell said, there as you were coming back to the huddle.
(12:19):
But man, if it wasn't you and you had it,
you had an escort two for that when you had
like five guys and somehow Eric Wright comes in between
all ye catches you catch, comes from behind you. Yeah,
did you? Did? You give you some of your your
teammates a little crow for that? One of the guys
let the dope left it dopen. So that's what happened,
because that would have been I'm telling you what I mean.
(12:42):
It is a highlight film, uh type run. And it's
here we are, what twenty twenty twenty one and still
talking about it, uh, still excited. You are four year
pro at the time, twenty six years old out of
Auburn and who which you know you had some getting
backs there too. Well, well, I'm kind of mad. I'm
(13:03):
kind of upset because they didn't have it one of
the greatest runs. You know, they got all these guys
that got all these great runs and I said, huh,
I had something just like that, but they didn't put
mine in there, and and you know, you got to
look at it. I understand. Uh see, I was a
true fullback. I was not a running back or a tailback.
(13:24):
I was a true fullback. And they don't have those anymore, right, Yeah,
I mean there's you can you can count on one
hand how many teams. Yeah, so they have one on
the roster. Correct. So the tailback and the fullback a
completely different two positions because ones the two, and I'm
always in a three position, in the three positions directly
behind the quarterback, sou I had most of my most
(13:46):
enjoyable time behind the quarterback because I could see everything
that's going on. I knew it. I knew what every
lineman did up front. I knew which way the quarterback
gonna step out and do what he had to do,
and that kind of thing, because I, y'all, was to
protect him on at any point, any time. We'll tell
you what. Then you may get even stronger, an even
stronger case to be in the Hall of Fame, William,
(14:07):
Because if you're saying that I'm a fullback, uh you
you shown me a fullback that runs for thirteen hundred
and fifteen hundred yards every season and catches, catches passes
out of the backfield like a scatback, like a third
down back right and has the power you know of
a tight end running. Um. You were a You were
(14:34):
something that you know, there were very few of in
the NFL. I was a true all purpose back, oh
for sure, because I never came out on third downs.
I could run arounte just as good as the wide receivers.
I could catch just as good as any of them
in the whole nine yards. So they never brought me
out when it came to that. The only the only
way they brought me out it was second half and
(14:55):
we were so far ahead that they just sat me
down to rest me. That's the only time I came out.
It's unbelievable. And so people can go look up those
runs on YouTube and just search William Andrews Broncos, William
Andrews forty nine ers, I think the other one's called
William Andrews runs over Ronnie Lottum and they can watch
(15:17):
them get the popcorn out and scream like I do.
I'll tell you what your your seasons. Uh, you know,
we just went over your seasons and you know eighty four, Um,
you were getting better as each year you were in
the league, and then you had that devastating, uh injury
that really, in essence, in essence ended your career. I
(15:41):
know you came back in eighty six, but what do
you remember of that? And if you can go back
to that, were you just describe what happened and if
you want and just describe what must have been going
through your mind and did you know it was as
bad as it was gonna be. Well, I can go
(16:02):
back and I look at what happened that day. You know. Uh,
at the time, I wasn't in training camp because we
were discussing my contract increased to my pay and so
that's the reason I wasn't in in in training camp.
Uh like everybody else was to get started. And the
day that they signed me, I came in and started
(16:23):
going through the drills and all like that. I was
in the probably best shape I was in all my
all my my life at that time. And uh so
I came out of practice and I've run this play
a hundred times, man, And when I made a cut,
I made a cut and uh one of the linebackers
that I always played against, and he um, I made
(16:46):
a cut on him. And when I made the cut
and plant my left foot, everything with Hayward and and
uh so I felt it immediately that I had torn
something really bad. Didn't know what it was. But at
the time he caught me and laid me down. I said,
just laid me down here. I said, I'm hurt. I'm
hurt pretty bad. So he did, and the trainers came
(17:08):
over and ran over and grabbed me and took me
inside and and they looked, they took they look at
it and the lake my knee was swelling. They said, boy,
he did something. And so they took me downtown back
to Piedmont. And I tell you, I didn't know I
was that popular. When they stopped, and they cut in
on all soap operas, they stopped all the soap propers
(17:33):
to announce that I got injured. And I was on
my way down the Piedmont. So when I got down there,
there was a young doctor by the name of Evie Hunter.
She's the one that examined me. And she said, oh
my god, William, she said, you really messed this up.
And they took that craze and saw what was going on.
And I had damaged three of the full major ligaments
(17:55):
and uh so she said, like a little explosion in there,
and I had torn all of the ligaments. Uh. And
the only thing that was left in tact was the media,
which was the inside ligament. That's the only thing I
had left. Wow. And of course back then, they don't
have they didn't have the you know, they've come so
far with Arthur scopic surgery and and and you know
(18:16):
in reconstruction surgery. Yeah. Um, they just didn't have that
back then. Uh. I got my hat's off to John Garrett.
My hat's off to John Garrett and his staff and
his his team and what they did for me because
John was out of town and at the time, Evian
Hunter was there too, not to administer the surgery, but
(18:39):
she was there to do the diagnosis. And when he
got back, they brought him off a vacation. He came
back and uh that uh, that afternoon they did surgerio.
He did surgill mean. Uh he told me what I
was up against and that kind of thing. He said, uh, uh, well, Eve,
don't look like you're gonna be able to play again.
I said, well, you know, the thing I'm going to
(19:00):
do is if I can get in the yard and
play with the kids. I'll be happy, I say, but
if the football is gone, is gone. But I just
want to be had the ability to get in the
yard to play with the kids, and that's it. And
so the Good Lord bless me enough to have that
aspect of my thinking to get me back up and going,
because it took me about twenty three months to get
(19:22):
myself back and that's a long time to be out
and then trying to come back because you got younger
players that's going to be a lot faster and stronger
and that kind of thing. But I went through, I
went through the process of trying to return, and then
again I left on my terms. Uh not somebody had
(19:42):
to cut me anything like that. So, William, you got
that news, and I can't even imagine how devastating to
hear the words, Hey, you know, I think it's over.
Did did they tell you that before you try to
come back? Or did they tell you that after you said,
you know what, I'm leaving. No, and it happened before
(20:07):
if they had the surgery. After after I had the surgery,
they said, William, you blew three of the four major ligaments.
And we hadn't ever seen a player come back off
or something like that. So I would strongly that, UH
think that you would want to consider retirement. I said, well,
here's the thing. You know, I came in a winner.
(20:28):
I'm gonna leave a winner. So as I told him,
I said, look, I would rather go out and try
to see if I could, as opposed to you just
telling me just to walk away from it. So I
did that. I did that so I left no doubt
in my mind because I know when I can do something,
and you you know, of course, you know when you
can't do anything either. But I had to. I had to.
(20:51):
I had to find out for myself whether I could
or whether I couldn't. And so came to the conclusion
when they start moving me around on the offense and
that kind of thing, I knew it was time because
the coaches wasn't looking at it like I was looking
at it. For me to come back and see if
I could play again. If if not, you know, none
(21:13):
need to play with it. And I don't need anybody
playing politics by injury or anything like that. So I
told I said, look, so let me, I said, let
me get ahold of mister Smith. Let me go talk
to him and he and I have that conversation, because
that's the one that pays me, and so I would
rather go to him in honest, to sit down there
and have a strong conversation with him. And when I
(21:35):
suggested that the trainers Jerrey, he said, well, my thing's
a great idea. He said, well don't you go sit
with mister Smith and see where you guys are. And
now I think that would be the best thing for you.
So I did that, and mister Smith was actually happy
that I came in to sit down and talk with him,
and I said, you know, I've done everything I know
(21:57):
to do for this organization and have been really great
to me, and I do appreciate everything you've done, I think,
but I think it's time to hang my cliques up.
And so he said, William, he said, I hate to
lose you, because you were one hell of a one
that we've ever had. So I said, well, missus Smith,
I appreciate the opportunity you gave me to be a
part of the organization. And so it were left it
(22:18):
at that, and that afternoon we'll announced that my retirement.
And so yes, standing the day just as happy as
I can be, and that I made the decision and
not them where you will go down as one of
the great. Certainly you're in the Falcons Atlanta Falcons Ring
of Honor. You know, had that injury not occurred, you know,
(22:42):
there's no question in my mind and probably in your mind,
that you would be the franchises all time leading rusher.
It's just, you know, when I look at your numbers,
and when I look at your career, and and I
look at the teams you were on, you weren't on.
You know, It's not like you guys were perennial playoff teams. Right.
(23:02):
Do you think that hurts you when it comes to
the Hall of Fame conversation because you look at other
running backs and I'm talking about tailbacks who are in
the Hall of Fame. I mean you you hold your
own now look a lot. I might people might get
on me for comparing to you the GAYL. Sayers, But GAYL.
Sayers is a guy that comes to mind whose career
(23:23):
was cut short like yours, who was fantastic, unbelievable runners,
unlike anything we had ever seen, a doubt, without a doubt.
I'm not saying that you in GAYL. Sayers are the
same kind of back, you're not. But when you just
look at the length of your careers, in the production
(23:46):
of your careers, it's very similar. And he's like, you know,
a no brainer into the Hall of Fame. I don't know.
I just do you ever think about that part of it?
And then I just want to ask you a question
about Falcons in general in the home. I don't, I don't.
I don't think about that because you know, when I
look at Gail Says, right, Gail Says was a guy
(24:07):
that could stop on a dam and give you fascame change.
That's just the way he was. And uh, when I
look at Jim Brown, I look at Jim Brown, I
look at O. J. Simpson, looked at all those guys.
I never played with OJ, never played with GAS, but
I played I mean Jim Brown, Gail, but I played
with OJ. And he was one of probably one of
the most prolific backs I've ever seen in my life.
(24:30):
A lot of me, A lot of guys called me
Juice just because I wore the number in college. But
I wouldn't. I wouldn't even know what caliber. But but uh,
as I uh, you know, came into prominence in the
Falcons organization, when I was a rookie, I had an
opportunity to meet OJ and I said, Man, it's an
honor to meet you. He said, no, Man, this is
(24:50):
an honor to meet you. He said that you up
and coming. Man, I really like your style. So I
you know, I get compliments like that from other guys,
even with uh my buddy that played at San Francisco
that uh I forget the running back to name that
was at San Francisco at the time, Roger Craig Roger
and I. Roger had uh at similar styles of running
(25:12):
like I do, hide knee low, low to the ground,
and that kind of thing. And so Roger and I
had a chance to spensive time after we got out
of the league and uh and I said, Man, man,
you one hell of a guy. He said, what are
you talking about? Man? You are I said, Man, Look,
all I was trying to do is get out of
the way. He said. He said, well, hell, you did
(25:32):
a good job. So but I get I get a
kick out of talking to the old guys back in
the day as to when we played. Now to our
conversation concerning me being a tailback and the other running back, right,
they can't compare me to anybody else other than a fullback. Okay.
(25:53):
I talked to the guys that was here at the
Black College Hall of Fame, I guess a couple of
years ago, and I said, let me ask you a question.
Why did you guys just looked over fullbacks? I said,
last fullback they ever going to Hall of Fame was
Larry's unca m hm. Okay. I was just gonna ask
you who you thought the best fullback was. That's who
(26:14):
it was. Okay. So I'm saying, come on that, and
you're gonna compare us to running backs. I said, we
were fullbacks, true fullbacks, so you gotta have a category
for fullback as opposed to lumping everybody in his running back.
I said, coach, we don't do the same thing, and
we don't Larry Zanka. You know Larry Zonka, great back.
(26:39):
He played for the Giants and the Dolphins. Everyone knows
that he was on that um, you know, undefeated team,
right And so you know, I'm sitting here, I'm pulling
up just in case you wondering, I'm pulling up his stats.
He had one, two, three, three seasons where you know
he clipsed two thousand yards. He played a long time. Yeah,
(27:01):
he played nine ten eleven years right in the league.
Was on some really really good teams and that you
know that that always helps your case. Right, Oh yeah,
no question about it, no question about it. Being in Atlanta,
you know, and just it's it's just tough. It's just tough,
you know, because that's what I want to ask you too,
(27:21):
you know when you look. But let's look at it.
Let's look at it on the merit though. Okay, just
from the Merrick standpoint, Okay, nothing else, right, Yep. I
was a full back. I wasn't a running back. I
want a tailback. I was a full back. Don't change
categories when you have full boats fullbacks putting up numbers
like tailback, don't do it that. That's that's the wrong
(27:43):
way to do it. That's the case that needs to
be made. I argued with these guys. I said, look,
I was a true fullback. I wasn't a tailback. I
didn't line up seven yards. I said, let me ask
you a question. Who gets to the Who gets to
the line of scrimma is quicker than tailback? The full back?
I only only three and a half yard friend tailback.
(28:04):
The tailback got seven yards to make his mind up.
I only got one, so so they gave me a
hard time about I said, but look, you gotta admit
who gotta make their mind up quickst fullbackt the tailback? Yep,
I said, you got seven yards the middle and pe
around down in the back of me. And when I
(28:25):
get the hand off, I gotta make my mind up
in two steps. Well, and in a lot of times too.
In a lot of cases, you know, the fullback is
doing is is treated like a pulling guard or like
a tight end, and they're not getting And I did
it all the touches like like the you know, the
big tailback. I did it all. Not bragging on myself,
but I did it all. No, you didn't do it all.
(28:45):
I got evidence. I got evidence, Yes, And people need
to go watch and look and compare. I need to
make that. I need to. I'm you know what, I'm
gonna do what I can on the stage that I have.
It's not maybe not the biggest stage, but I'm gonna
start making some noise for you. We've tried with Tommy knowovers.
We're gonna keep trying with Tommy novers. Well, I agree
(29:07):
with you one hundred percent. But there's other guys that
I look at that should be their prior to me. Right,
you had Jeff van Note, which played the longest center
in Falcon history, and Mike kenn one of the greatest
h offensive lineman that I've ever played with and or against.
Mike hell his own in a number of years that
(29:28):
he played there, and this guy still looks like he
still can play. Not disagree with you at all, the
fact that the fact that the matter is they we
had some sports guys here in Atlanta that didn't like
the organization of Rankin Smith and the Falcon, and so
Firmer Bishi is one of them. That he didn't give
us any kind of coverage or anything like that. The
(29:50):
only thing he did with bad Masters. But the point
of I'm saying is you can't go and let one
guy take over the setup of what a team does
because you've got more than one player. You know, you
can have one voice in the newspaper, but hell, we
got twenty two guys out there playing both on leving
on the offensive, leving on defense. So you gotta look
(30:11):
at the merit of what these guys are doing, not
just because you don't like the owner or the or
the team it say you can't do that, that's that's
a that's a that's a disservice to us because we're
out there giving everything we get, giving our hearts in
terms of entertaining people. And the one thing you gotta
remember about me, I gave everything I could on the field.
(30:33):
I left it out there. I didn't take any home.
I left it on the field. And when I left,
I left the game on my control, my terms and
not everybody else's. I love that, no doubts. But you know,
when I look at the Hall of Fame, you're in
the Ring of Honor, deservedly so Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor.
When I look at the Atlanta Falcons who are in
(30:54):
the Hall of Fame, You're gonna see where I'm going
with us. Tommy McDonald, Eric Dickerson, Dion Sanders, Christelman, Claude Humphrey, Brett, Farve,
Morton Anderson, Tony Gonzalez, and then Norm Van Brocklin head coach. Right,
most of those guys made their marks on other teams.
(31:17):
Deon made an impact here, right. Claude Humphrey made an
impact here, but then he went to Philadelphia. Correct. It
just feels like to me when you talk about the
players that you just mentioned who aren't who are not
in the Hall of Fame, yourself included Tommy Nobis, mister Falcon,
the first ever draft pick. Yeah sure, who was you
(31:39):
know on the cover of you know, Life magazine and
Time magazine and Sports Illustrated Gott Heisman votes coming out
of Texas. UM played on some bad teams. You played
on one I believe one winning team, right, you had
a couple teams at one seventy. Yeah, I want to
ask you about that, ladies. Yeah, great, great team. UM,
(32:04):
but it's just it's just just it just looks the
optics of it. Just don't don't look it, don't don't
don't mess it. Well, it there to add up with
me either because I played with these guys and against
some of the guys that you mentioned, right, The thing
I wish is Mike ken and Jeff fan Note if
I had to look at two players that was on
(32:26):
the Falcons and and also Tommy, because I didn't play
with Tommy, but I played with Jeff Fanoe to Mike Ken. Ye,
these two guys right here my heroes in terms of
what they helped me do out there on the field
because they protected me like nobody's business. When I was running.
They said, look, just tell me what you want us
to do and I'll do it. And that's what they did.
(32:47):
So that you gotta you gotta realize that as you
play against guys, you get to know who they really are. Yea,
And all of these guys that you mentioned a perfect
gentleman when it comes to what they can do and
how they do it, and what they do it in
the all season and what they do in doing season.
So I gotta I got mad respect for all of them.
(33:09):
And I'm just uh uh not bitter, but I'm disappointed
in how the selections are done based on what they
talk about Hall of Fame. Every one of those guys
are Hall of Fame candidates. I can tell you that
right now. Uh. You got guys that uh that hadn't
been in the league long and they all of a
(33:29):
sudden they in the Hall. Really, you gotta be kidding me.
You hadn't seen these guys. I said. They Number number
two is they don't work as hard as we used to.
I mean they they mean, you know, they get a hangnail,
they can they can sit out for a couple of games.
We couldn't do that. I make a joke. But but
(33:50):
the fact that, the fact that the matter is, you
can step be a tour man. You won't see them
for two weeks. I said, what's that with that? And
you know what they did? They cut our shoe, man,
So I big twe will stick out of the shoe
and we still play. Man. Come on, these guys are
getting because I think, come on, man, don't do that.
(34:16):
Uh well that's a great segue. Let's you know. I
want to ask you, let's play a little. This will
kind of um maybe evoke some stories, some thoughts, but
also uh, you know, feel free to go where you
want with this. But I just want to just say
a word or a phrase, our name, and all you
have to do is just say the first thing, first
thought that comes to your mind and we'll just keep
(34:36):
going if you want to. Afterwards, ahead, And I tried
to think of some guys that played along the same
time you did as well. But here we go. Are
you ready? This is a bird noises hot seat here.
Best team you ever played one? Yeah, we established that one.
The hardest hitter you ever faced, Bad Brand Tilt number
(35:00):
ten linebacker. The god that man there was a stone.
He was a stone man. Let me tell you this
cat was a stone man and that story. I had
this jersey grown up. My dad was a giant fan.
Maybe this guy was a stone, he was stone man. Yeah,
I've never I've never hit anybody this harder. I never
tried this guy. I went and hit him, man, and
(35:22):
I saw it. Damn birds flying around my head, I said, God.
And I used to tell Harry Carson. Yeah, I should
tell Lynn. I said, Lynn, look, I can't move this guy.
I said, So what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna try
to position myself so you can make the best cut
you can. I said, but this boy stone, I can't move.
(35:45):
You know what. You don't hear a lot of people
talk about brad and power, but he was good. Man. Look, look,
you know this is what I'm telling you. Man. I
played with some great ones, you hear me, and these
guys were stone. This guy was a stone. Even like
an anvil you had that has some strength to move
this cat. I was not expecting that. All right, Um,
(36:09):
that's biggest trash talker you ever came across. Biggest trash
talker Hollywood Henderson, Oh number fifty six for the Cowboys.
Oh yeah, yeah, I believe it. I believe it. Yeah.
What's the funniest, the weirdest thing he ever said to you?
Do you that you remember or that you just recall
(36:32):
him talking about, oh that I wasn't gonna game three yards? Yeah? Really,
I said, I'm a game three and I'm ana game
three on you. It sounds like, yeah, you talked a
little trash too, But I knew what I was gonna do.
I didn't. I wasn't here to play with him. Yeah,
(36:53):
but nevertheless, good great guy though, great guy. Yeah, story
meet him in person. Great cat. I mean, I I
like him. I don't have anything against him, but uh,
you know, I think they do it because they're not
sure themselves and what they're gonna do that day, you know. Yeah,
yeah yeah. And when he started talking trash to everybody else,
I mean, I've been talking trash too for most of
(37:15):
my life, so what what the hell is the difference?
Do you remember when he won the lottery? Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I was happy for him. I said, man, this song
I won a lot of I said, I said, you
know this cat, I played against this cat and all
of a sudden. Now he didn't want the damn line
(37:37):
I said that. I mean, well, that's that's just calmer though,
you know what I mean. Yeah, he had some tough times, yeah, um,
but boy was he good though, Yeah he was. He was,
no question about it. And played at HBCU. Yeah that's right. Yeah. Hey.
And then most of the guys that I tell you this,
most of the guys that I played again, some of
(37:57):
the best guys I've ever played in my life, went
to HBCU. Now I went to a predominantly black, white college, right,
but these guys went to black and I tell you
they are some of the greatest cats that I remember
in my whole INTERFA attack season. These guys were great.
Deon Sanders head coach now right, yeah, and loving it right,
(38:18):
loving it. I know Dion the younger cat, but uh,
that's another crash trash talker to that. But he could
back his up because he has speed and he can
get he has him getting up in his issue. Let
me tell you, Yeah, he was good. He was. I
wish him will, I wish him will though. Yeah, it's
a great story. We had success there, all right, best
player you ever shared the field with, either could be
(38:40):
on your team or someone you played against. Uh, Walter
Payton sweetness yep um, meanest or dirtiest player you ever
played with her against, Conrad Dobla, Okay, Earl Campbell, bad
(39:01):
as cat I've ever seen, Tony Dorset, the smoothest I've
ever seen. Walter Payton feelsome. This cat was feeling I
mean he was feelsome. He really was. Barry Sanders, this guy,
(39:25):
you know, Barry is one of the most unique cats.
I've ever had the opportunity to watch. This guy could
run sideways faster than I could run up the Fieldscription
could get a yardage as he was running sideways. That's
a god day. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen.
But what a bat what a bat man? You're not lying?
(39:48):
Gerald Riggs. Gerald, power and speed for a big guy,
all right? Your QB one by one of them anyway,
Steven Barkowski one of the finest quarterbacks I played with
in all my career. I was looking at your stats
(40:08):
and someone I work with. I didn't realize, but I
should have. Dave Archer. Dave probably one of the best
cats that I know as far as uh, just his
his mental attitude in terms of what he was gonna
do when he had to do it on a daily basis.
(40:30):
Now for a really really important question, what do you
think of the name bird noises? I've never heard of before,
but it's squalking real loud right now. I love it. Oh.
I am so glad that you came on and we
are gonna start. We gotta get you in the hall, man,
(40:52):
and we gotta get those other guys too. But it's time.
It's time, and it's you know, I gotta tell you though,
fullback argument. Though, Well, here's the thing. Uh, And and
let me be blunt about this and least I don't care.
I don't care who knows it or whatever. They've got
young kids trying to uh say who should and who shouldn't. Uh,
(41:17):
These young guys that are sports writers and all that
kind of staying, they've never seen the cowboy players we
were when we were back in that day. So don't
give me this about this guy coming out of college.
He all world, he all is well, he hadn't been
through anything. You get the guys that's been through some
trenches and the some mud holes and that kind of thing,
and then you come talk to me. But right now,
(41:38):
don't don't do that because these guys couldn't hold uh,
these these guys couldn't carry these guys jock rat trap. Uh,
the young guys that they couldn't carry these old guys jockstraps.
I can gave you that right now, they couldn't. I'm
so glad. Man. Look, I'm telling that guy. Man was
so I mean, he was like a pillar of own
(42:01):
And then I bet you I'm to your point though,
I bet you a lot of sports writers today not
I don't know, I don't want to say that, but
maybe some of the younger ones. They probably couldn't tell
you a whole lot about Brad van Pel. But yeah,
aging ourselves, we're aising ourselves a little bit. But uh,
(42:21):
but don't get me wrong. Yeah, the finest player that
I could ever play against because he kept me honest. Okay,
I couldn't just go out there, you know, have hazardous
and try to do what I need to do with him.
He said, I'm here to play, and I'm gonna play
all day. And trust me, he was there all day
(42:43):
to play all day. And most guys don't do that,
they can't do it. But this guy was there all day,
every day, Willie Managers. I, Uh, I am so glad
you came on. I it's a pleasure, in an honor
to finally meet you. I hope when this pandemic is over,
I get to meet you in person. Hey, well, I'm
(43:04):
looking forward to that now because uh, you know, I
learned about your squawk box. Now, man, we're in trouble,
and uh, I tell you what if, if, if anybody
knows where I can buy in Atlanta Falcons throwback jersey
with the red numerals, white jersey. I want a number
(43:25):
thirty one. I want it bad. That's a bad man
right there. You're a bad man. And thank you. You're
a great man and a humble man. And uh, it was,
it was, It was my pleasure. Thanks for come out
and please let's do it again. No, no, I wish
you would. I mean I would love to be involved
in what you guys are doing, because I hear what
you guys are doing a pretty fabulous and uh, my
(43:48):
hat's off to Brinley. Oh yep, she's awesome for uh
you know, thinking to me to come on your show.
And she is one great gal. All of that. We
treated it like our sister because we always calling and
she said, okay, well what do you need today? So,
but she's always been there for us. Her and my
(44:12):
buddy Winston out there, Kevin good yob. They do a
good job for the older guys. And uh, I just
can't my hats off to him. I just can't do
them but praise it because she's some kind of gal
and we love her. Yeah, Kevin Winston and Brimley Fork,
they are two awesome people. They are. Yeah, you know
I've been here. I got here in May of twenty seventeen,
(44:36):
and I passed you know, Kevin's office every day on
the way out the door before a pandemic. And I
passed Brimley's desk on the way way to lunch every day.
So you know I was gonna see them both and
two of my favorite people in Flowery Branch, no question
about it, no question about it, no question about And
they are some fabulous folks. And I just really been
(44:58):
I love being a part of the Him so that
we can be a part of you guys. Yeah, and
the good news from all this, too, is is that
I Brindley won't have to hear me say, can I
get William Andrews. Can I get now Now, I'm gonna say,
can I get him back? Yeah? I think I'm on
speed our. Well, hey man, I appreciate you. And uh,
(45:23):
I don't know if you read straight from the beak,
but whenever I can bring up running backs, and whenever
I can bring up Falcons running backs, I uh, I'm
sure to plug you. I've had you in a couple
centerpieces on the on the website, so uh you know,
if you ever see a picture on the site, you
know I'm probably grinning. Uh. Well, well, I do appreciate
and and also i'd just like to mention hats off
(45:45):
to all of the great ones that we've lost, Yeah, Hank,
Aaron and Don Sutton and some other guys that we
have lost us because these guys were heroes of mine
and I love other guys even though we played different sports,
but they still were heroes and so my condolences to
(46:06):
the families and that kind of thing. So if that's
part of what I could do before I leave your
your show, I would like this certainly mentioned that those
passing and we really do uh just miss him and
appreciate them, you know, it's it's it's great you bring
that up because you know, talking to you, it's it
brings back, you know, a great part of my childhood
(46:28):
when I was just first learning the game and my
dad was taking me to Giants games in Patriots games.
I grew up in upstate New York, and um, you know,
you guys weren't on TV a lot. But I do
remember the eight season. I remember the playoff game against
the Cowboys. I remember a lot of those games. But
you you talk about Brad van Pale. I mean I
(46:49):
would have never expected anybody to bring up Brad van Pale.
You talk about Don Sutton. You know, when I was
a kid, you know, everybody where I went to school,
you know, were Yankee fans, and it was Yankees dgers.
If you remember, every year it fel He's back to
back ears right, great? And Don Sutton was you know,
the curly hair great. Oh yeah. And then you talk
(47:09):
about the King. Everybody knew. Everybody knew the King, Hank Aaron,
you know, just like they knew Pelee right, just like
you knew right. And uh, it's awesome that you bring
those up, those names up, and it's sad that we've
lost them. And uh, you know, I put your name
right up with the great ones in my childhood and
my memories. And uh, it's been great, and look forward
(47:33):
to talking to you again. And stay healthy, be well,
and I'm gonna do my best, you two, and uh,
you know, keep your head down. You got it. I'm
a grinder, you know. Well, that's great. Thank you so
much for having me on your show. I really do
appreciate it. In any time that can ever be of service,
I'm right here, all right, William. If I can keep
(47:54):
my head down and have guys bounce off me like
you did, I'll be good, all right, man, Take care,
sir m hm
Finally, I can't tell you Falcons fans out there that
you're listening to and maybe watching the show on Atlanta
Falcons dot Com. I am beyond excited for today's guests,
and I don't want to, I want to get right
into it. But today we have who I believe is
the greatest running back in Falcons history, one of the
(00:21):
best all time. If you guys know me, you know
I love running backs and I put them right up
there with the best. And I'm talking about Walter Payton,
Tony Dorssett, Barry Sanders is in a special class. But
I'll tell you what. William Andrews, former Atlanta Falcons player,
(00:47):
career cut short, and we'll get into all this. He
got better every single year statistically his runs. You'll I can,
We'll put them up with anybody. William. I am so stoked.
I don't want to, I don't want I want to
get going here, but I am. I just wanted to
just convey how excited I am to finally have you
(01:08):
on here, and for different reasons, over the last few years,
we haven't been able to get you on, but you're on.
Welcome to Bird Noises Presented by Bows. How you doing.
I'm doing great. Thank you man for having me. I
really do appreciate it. Well, listen, uh, you know, I
want to talk about your career here. Obviously, I want
to talk about, you know, your thoughts on you know,
(01:29):
some of the years that you were here, also just
in the context of other great running backs. But you know,
let's just start with two runs in particular, because I
think anybody can who has a phone or a computer
can go to YouTube and watch these two runs. They
both occurred in nineteen eighty two, and I'm not sure
(01:50):
I'm hoping that you remember every single play in the
play call here, because I can't get enough of them there.
One was against they They came in two games within
a three week span, against the Denver Broncos and the
San Francisco forty nine ers. And oddly enough, they were
little swing passes. Yeah, one was to the left, one
(02:13):
was to the right. Let's talk about that Broncos game
because it ended up being in eighty six yard reception
but it was all run. Yeah, I mean it was
a pass to the flat and you know you can
mention the guy that you know you ran over. But yeah,
let's go ahead. Let's get to that play. The play
(02:34):
was set up basically because it was a drop back pass.
Steve had had to drop back and we were after
we check our linebackers and where he is and that
kind of thing. Then we did it like a little swing,
a little swing hook if you will, and to see
because we always had a say and save us sat
throw it to the back. So that's what That's pretty
(02:56):
much how Len and I were involved in all I played.
We check our linebackers because we had to take our
outside linebackers, and once they did that, uh, then we
were swing routes because we were secondary receivers. Based on
what he was doing. If he couldn't see his primary
guys down field, he knew he could get at least
(03:16):
five yards a five or six yards from us of
being in the backfield. Yeah, so you took it was
a quick hit to the flat to the left, and
the defender who came up was at Steve Wilson from
the Bronsie Wilson. Yeah, he came up and it was
within you know, seconds, right, it was within uh you
(03:37):
know I think was he was right there on you
within five yards? Yep. Well, well, one of the things
you got I always remember with me. You had to
wrap me up completely and he couldn't. Just it wasn't
just one guy to do it. It's got to be
more than one guy. And not bragging on myself, but
that's just my prowess. And what I used to do
(03:59):
when I and now what I did was I faked
him to the left, Yeah, faked him to the right.
He didn't take either one of those. And then so
the next move was to plow right through him, and
I did so when I when I when I did that,
I kind of knocked him down, and uh it was
clear sailing from right there. And then I got some
help from downfield from Junior middle and a half for
(04:20):
jinkies down down to the sideline and so that that
that made it go and uh so at the school
to touchdown that a six yard run. Then, yeah, I'm
watching the replayer right now. I've watched it probably about
one hundred and fifty times. But it was actually to
be more accurate, you know, he Wilson came up, It
was more like you had I think you you're about
(04:41):
maybe five to seven yards downfield. Um, and then you
write you had an escort down there. But Tommy Jackson
the linebacker from the Brown Thomas Jackson, YEP. Hall of Famer. Yeah,
really really good linebacker. In fact, he was middle linebacker.
You know when the place started. I think you guys
were an eye formation and he tried, he tried to
(05:02):
chase you down and dove at the end. But you
were a big man with a lot of speed. I
compare you to Earl Campbell. Um. Earl Campbell was a
was a big back, powerful back with tons and tons
of speed, and I think you were right there, um,
(05:23):
you know, with with the same speed you you had
very very I don't want to even say deceptive speed.
But that plague was just uh, you know that that
was that's the one that gets you off your seat.
Uh in watching that one, it's uh, I'm watching it again.
You're kind of you've got You've got actually like three
guys coming up on you, and one guy thought you
(05:45):
were tackled and just kind of was flat footed and
then you turned on the afterburners. Well, I gotta tell you,
I don't have I didn't have blazing speed. I just
had enough speed to get out of the way. And
so as that that that play, you can tell, Yeah,
guys were gaining on me. I did everything I could
(06:07):
so they wouldn't catch me. So that's that's what you
gotta always realize. It's not how much speed you guys
not to make him. Don't let them catch you and
I yea. And the thing of it is you never
look back, because when you look back, people can catch you. Yeah. Well,
a lot of guys now they have the benefit of
the jumbotrons, right they they're they're running, they're looking up
and they can they're watching the whole field behind them. No, sorry,
(06:31):
that wouldn't and novocable back. Unfortunately, that was in eighty two.
That was the strike shortened season two. Yeah, it was
nine games. When you look at your career and we're
gonna get to another run that season, but you know
your your output. You ran for a thousand yards ten
twenty three thirteen o eight in nineteen eighty, thirteen o
(06:56):
one in eighty one. Then the strike shortened season you
had five seventy three and nine games. And then your
best season it was in eighty three. You ran for
one thousand, five hundred sixty seven yards. I'm not even
talking about the reception you had a few of those
years you had seven more than seven hundred yards more
than six hundred yards receiving UM. And and then of
(07:18):
course you eighty four you missed the season. We'll get
into that, but you ended up coming back in eighty
six UM in play. But we'll get into that too.
But let's let's stay back on eighty two because I
believe it was a Monday night game. Uh, And I
want to say that only because it was Howard Cosell,
(07:40):
Don Meredith and fran Tarkt and on the call. Yeah,
I'm pretty sure that was a Monday night game, which
you guys. I don't think you guys were on a
ton of Monday night games, were you? No, we would
we were not. And that play, I don't know. Do
you remember that play before? I, uh explain it because
Ronnie came up to hit me. Yeah, yeah, well you
(08:02):
know running? Yeah yeah, you have to watch running a lot,
right because uh, hear it. And and one of the
one of the greatest cats I played against. And I
gotta there's a number of my can name that I
played against. But h he uh was talent, talented is
all get up now? I hit you know, I learned
(08:22):
from that. He was a running back in the high school. Yeah,
I said in a defense back, so I can see
his powers to come up and hit people like that.
But uh, it just so happened. It was a quick,
little quick flair to the right, and I didn't have
time to catch myself. So what I did is I
bawled into the tightest ball I could get it myself into,
(08:46):
and so all he hit, all he could hit was
just a solid shoulder and thigh, and then he bounced off,
and I bounced away from him and went up, and
about four or five other guys hit me in the
middle right there, and then I kept going and then
and then the guy from the came from the bat
and grabbed my shoulders. You know, of course that'd have
(09:08):
been collar collar and if course you know today's world,
but uh, back then, it wasn't no such things. So
you know, every man for what he had and what
he could have, and and that's what it was. So yeah,
that was the uh but I had. Like I said,
I can't uh when I go back and look over
(09:28):
to what I used to do, I'm satisfied with some
of the things that I've accomplished and all that kind
of so I can't be I'm not sad about anything.
I love playing the game, and I had a love
for it. I didn't. It was not that for money
or anything like that, because I wasn't making that much.
But I was enjoying myself because I had a good time. Yeah,
(09:48):
I would, I would. Yeah, you had a h it
was not as long as it should have been. Um,
we'll get into that. But on that play, to be
fair to you, uh, Ronnie Lott was like lined up
on the line of scrimmage. Yeah. And I'm watching the
replay right now. As soon as you look the ball in,
(10:09):
I mean, in a split second, the minute you looked upfield,
he was in your grill. Yeah. And Ronnie Lott, everybody
knows he hits like a mack truck. But you know,
but I'm the repair guy. Yeah, well he needed to
repair after that. Uh. So you know, I'm looking I'm
(10:33):
just watching the replay here. I'm just reliving it because
I can't you know what a backfield too. It was
you and I believe Gerald Briggs right, you had Lynn
Kane was sorry. Then Gerald came in the next couple
of years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm I'm watching. Okay,
so let me call the play up here. So Bart.
(10:54):
They almost jumped offside Barkowski like literally just steps snaps it, steps,
throws it. I mean it was a like a two
three yard pass. Ye, and you're just getting up to
you're not even beyond the line of scrimmage, and a
lot is hitting you. That's what I mean. I had,
I got no speed, So when I saw him at
a corner of my right eye, that's when I gave
(11:15):
it myself and got into that ball. And all he
did was hit shoulder and that that's all he could.
Now I just paused it. Here there are one, two, three, four.
You are in a circle, a red circle of red
forty nine or jerseys. All of them have their heads
down hitting you. It's almost like it was time. They
(11:36):
they are hitting you at the same time. Yeah, yeah,
and you who have your head down and they fly
like bowling pins and you're down field and how and
I listened to the audio Howard Cosell, I don't know
if it was I don't know if it was Howard
Cosell or or fran Target. One of them jumped out
(11:59):
of their seat in the booth on the callum and
because they were stunned, and Howard Cosell said. He called
it the greatest as good at evidence of power running
in any game you'll ever see. The late great Howard
Cosell said, there as you were coming back to the huddle.
(12:19):
But man, if it wasn't you and you had it,
you had an escort two for that when you had
like five guys and somehow Eric Wright comes in between
all ye catches you catch, comes from behind you. Yeah,
did you? Did? You give you some of your your
teammates a little crow for that? One of the guys
let the dope left it dopen. So that's what happened,
because that would have been I'm telling you what I mean.
(12:42):
It is a highlight film, uh type run. And it's
here we are, what twenty twenty twenty one and still
talking about it, uh, still excited. You are four year
pro at the time, twenty six years old out of
Auburn and who which you know you had some getting
backs there too. Well, well, I'm kind of mad. I'm
(13:03):
kind of upset because they didn't have it one of
the greatest runs. You know, they got all these guys
that got all these great runs and I said, huh,
I had something just like that, but they didn't put
mine in there, and and you know, you got to
look at it. I understand. Uh see, I was a
true fullback. I was not a running back or a tailback.
(13:24):
I was a true fullback. And they don't have those anymore, right, Yeah,
I mean there's you can you can count on one
hand how many teams. Yeah, so they have one on
the roster. Correct. So the tailback and the fullback a
completely different two positions because ones the two, and I'm
always in a three position, in the three positions directly
behind the quarterback, sou I had most of my most
(13:46):
enjoyable time behind the quarterback because I could see everything
that's going on. I knew it. I knew what every
lineman did up front. I knew which way the quarterback
gonna step out and do what he had to do,
and that kind of thing, because I, y'all, was to
protect him on at any point, any time. We'll tell
you what. Then you may get even stronger, an even
stronger case to be in the Hall of Fame, William,
(14:07):
Because if you're saying that I'm a fullback, uh you
you shown me a fullback that runs for thirteen hundred
and fifteen hundred yards every season and catches, catches passes
out of the backfield like a scatback, like a third
down back right and has the power you know of
a tight end running. Um. You were a You were
(14:34):
something that you know, there were very few of in
the NFL. I was a true all purpose back, oh
for sure, because I never came out on third downs.
I could run arounte just as good as the wide receivers.
I could catch just as good as any of them
in the whole nine yards. So they never brought me
out when it came to that. The only the only
way they brought me out it was second half and
(14:55):
we were so far ahead that they just sat me
down to rest me. That's the only time I came out.
It's unbelievable. And so people can go look up those
runs on YouTube and just search William Andrews Broncos, William
Andrews forty nine ers, I think the other one's called
William Andrews runs over Ronnie Lottum and they can watch
(15:17):
them get the popcorn out and scream like I do.
I'll tell you what your your seasons. Uh, you know,
we just went over your seasons and you know eighty four, Um,
you were getting better as each year you were in
the league, and then you had that devastating, uh injury
that really, in essence, in essence ended your career. I
(15:41):
know you came back in eighty six, but what do
you remember of that? And if you can go back
to that, were you just describe what happened and if
you want and just describe what must have been going
through your mind and did you know it was as
bad as it was gonna be. Well, I can go
(16:02):
back and I look at what happened that day. You know. Uh,
at the time, I wasn't in training camp because we
were discussing my contract increased to my pay and so
that's the reason I wasn't in in in training camp.
Uh like everybody else was to get started. And the
day that they signed me, I came in and started
(16:23):
going through the drills and all like that. I was
in the probably best shape I was in all my
all my my life at that time. And uh so
I came out of practice and I've run this play
a hundred times, man, And when I made a cut,
I made a cut and uh one of the linebackers
that I always played against, and he um, I made
(16:46):
a cut on him. And when I made the cut
and plant my left foot, everything with Hayward and and
uh so I felt it immediately that I had torn
something really bad. Didn't know what it was. But at
the time he caught me and laid me down. I said,
just laid me down here. I said, I'm hurt. I'm
hurt pretty bad. So he did, and the trainers came
(17:08):
over and ran over and grabbed me and took me
inside and and they looked, they took they look at
it and the lake my knee was swelling. They said, boy,
he did something. And so they took me downtown back
to Piedmont. And I tell you, I didn't know I
was that popular. When they stopped, and they cut in
on all soap operas, they stopped all the soap propers
(17:33):
to announce that I got injured. And I was on
my way down the Piedmont. So when I got down there,
there was a young doctor by the name of Evie Hunter.
She's the one that examined me. And she said, oh
my god, William, she said, you really messed this up.
And they took that craze and saw what was going on.
And I had damaged three of the full major ligaments
(17:55):
and uh so she said, like a little explosion in there,
and I had torn all of the ligaments. Uh. And
the only thing that was left in tact was the media,
which was the inside ligament. That's the only thing I
had left. Wow. And of course back then, they don't
have they didn't have the you know, they've come so
far with Arthur scopic surgery and and and you know
(18:16):
in reconstruction surgery. Yeah. Um, they just didn't have that
back then. Uh. I got my hat's off to John Garrett.
My hat's off to John Garrett and his staff and
his his team and what they did for me because
John was out of town and at the time, Evian
Hunter was there too, not to administer the surgery, but
(18:39):
she was there to do the diagnosis. And when he
got back, they brought him off a vacation. He came
back and uh that uh, that afternoon they did surgerio.
He did surgill mean. Uh he told me what I
was up against and that kind of thing. He said, uh, uh, well, Eve,
don't look like you're gonna be able to play again.
I said, well, you know, the thing I'm going to
(19:00):
do is if I can get in the yard and
play with the kids. I'll be happy, I say, but
if the football is gone, is gone. But I just
want to be had the ability to get in the
yard to play with the kids, and that's it. And
so the Good Lord bless me enough to have that
aspect of my thinking to get me back up and going,
because it took me about twenty three months to get
(19:22):
myself back and that's a long time to be out
and then trying to come back because you got younger
players that's going to be a lot faster and stronger
and that kind of thing. But I went through, I
went through the process of trying to return, and then
again I left on my terms. Uh not somebody had
(19:42):
to cut me anything like that. So, William, you got
that news, and I can't even imagine how devastating to
hear the words, Hey, you know, I think it's over.
Did did they tell you that before you try to
come back? Or did they tell you that after you said,
you know what, I'm leaving. No, and it happened before
(20:07):
if they had the surgery. After after I had the surgery,
they said, William, you blew three of the four major ligaments.
And we hadn't ever seen a player come back off
or something like that. So I would strongly that, UH
think that you would want to consider retirement. I said, well,
here's the thing. You know, I came in a winner.
(20:28):
I'm gonna leave a winner. So as I told him,
I said, look, I would rather go out and try
to see if I could, as opposed to you just
telling me just to walk away from it. So I
did that. I did that so I left no doubt
in my mind because I know when I can do something,
and you you know, of course, you know when you
can't do anything either. But I had to. I had to.
(20:51):
I had to find out for myself whether I could
or whether I couldn't. And so came to the conclusion
when they start moving me around on the offense and
that kind of thing, I knew it was time because
the coaches wasn't looking at it like I was looking
at it. For me to come back and see if
I could play again. If if not, you know, none
(21:13):
need to play with it. And I don't need anybody
playing politics by injury or anything like that. So I
told I said, look, so let me, I said, let
me get ahold of mister Smith. Let me go talk
to him and he and I have that conversation, because
that's the one that pays me, and so I would
rather go to him in honest, to sit down there
and have a strong conversation with him. And when I
(21:35):
suggested that the trainers Jerrey, he said, well, my thing's
a great idea. He said, well don't you go sit
with mister Smith and see where you guys are. And
now I think that would be the best thing for you.
So I did that, and mister Smith was actually happy
that I came in to sit down and talk with him,
and I said, you know, I've done everything I know
(21:57):
to do for this organization and have been really great
to me, and I do appreciate everything you've done, I think,
but I think it's time to hang my cliques up.
And so he said, William, he said, I hate to
lose you, because you were one hell of a one
that we've ever had. So I said, well, missus Smith,
I appreciate the opportunity you gave me to be a
part of the organization. And so it were left it
(22:18):
at that, and that afternoon we'll announced that my retirement.
And so yes, standing the day just as happy as
I can be, and that I made the decision and
not them where you will go down as one of
the great. Certainly you're in the Falcons Atlanta Falcons Ring
of Honor. You know, had that injury not occurred, you know,
(22:42):
there's no question in my mind and probably in your mind,
that you would be the franchises all time leading rusher.
It's just, you know, when I look at your numbers,
and when I look at your career, and and I
look at the teams you were on, you weren't on.
You know, It's not like you guys were perennial playoff teams. Right.
(23:02):
Do you think that hurts you when it comes to
the Hall of Fame conversation because you look at other
running backs and I'm talking about tailbacks who are in
the Hall of Fame. I mean you you hold your
own now look a lot. I might people might get
on me for comparing to you the GAYL. Sayers, But GAYL.
Sayers is a guy that comes to mind whose career
(23:23):
was cut short like yours, who was fantastic, unbelievable runners,
unlike anything we had ever seen, a doubt, without a doubt.
I'm not saying that you in GAYL. Sayers are the
same kind of back, you're not. But when you just
look at the length of your careers, in the production
(23:46):
of your careers, it's very similar. And he's like, you know,
a no brainer into the Hall of Fame. I don't know.
I just do you ever think about that part of it?
And then I just want to ask you a question
about Falcons in general in the home. I don't, I don't.
I don't think about that because you know, when I
look at Gail Says, right, Gail Says was a guy
(24:07):
that could stop on a dam and give you fascame change.
That's just the way he was. And uh, when I
look at Jim Brown, I look at Jim Brown, I
look at O. J. Simpson, looked at all those guys.
I never played with OJ, never played with GAS, but
I played I mean Jim Brown, Gail, but I played
with OJ. And he was one of probably one of
the most prolific backs I've ever seen in my life.
(24:30):
A lot of me, A lot of guys called me
Juice just because I wore the number in college. But
I wouldn't. I wouldn't even know what caliber. But but uh,
as I uh, you know, came into prominence in the
Falcons organization, when I was a rookie, I had an
opportunity to meet OJ and I said, Man, it's an
honor to meet you. He said, no, Man, this is
(24:50):
an honor to meet you. He said that you up
and coming. Man, I really like your style. So I
you know, I get compliments like that from other guys,
even with uh my buddy that played at San Francisco
that uh I forget the running back to name that
was at San Francisco at the time, Roger Craig Roger
and I. Roger had uh at similar styles of running
(25:12):
like I do, hide knee low, low to the ground,
and that kind of thing. And so Roger and I
had a chance to spensive time after we got out
of the league and uh and I said, Man, man,
you one hell of a guy. He said, what are
you talking about? Man? You are I said, Man, Look,
all I was trying to do is get out of
the way. He said. He said, well, hell, you did
(25:32):
a good job. So but I get I get a
kick out of talking to the old guys back in
the day as to when we played. Now to our
conversation concerning me being a tailback and the other running back, right,
they can't compare me to anybody else other than a fullback. Okay.
(25:53):
I talked to the guys that was here at the
Black College Hall of Fame, I guess a couple of
years ago, and I said, let me ask you a question.
Why did you guys just looked over fullbacks? I said,
last fullback they ever going to Hall of Fame was
Larry's unca m hm. Okay. I was just gonna ask
you who you thought the best fullback was. That's who
(26:14):
it was. Okay. So I'm saying, come on that, and
you're gonna compare us to running backs. I said, we
were fullbacks, true fullbacks, so you gotta have a category
for fullback as opposed to lumping everybody in his running back.
I said, coach, we don't do the same thing, and
we don't Larry Zanka. You know Larry Zonka, great back.
(26:39):
He played for the Giants and the Dolphins. Everyone knows
that he was on that um, you know, undefeated team,
right And so you know, I'm sitting here, I'm pulling
up just in case you wondering, I'm pulling up his stats.
He had one, two, three, three seasons where you know
he clipsed two thousand yards. He played a long time. Yeah,
(27:01):
he played nine ten eleven years right in the league.
Was on some really really good teams and that you
know that that always helps your case. Right, Oh yeah,
no question about it, no question about it. Being in Atlanta,
you know, and just it's it's just tough. It's just tough,
you know, because that's what I want to ask you too,
(27:21):
you know when you look. But let's look at it.
Let's look at it on the merit though. Okay, just
from the Merrick standpoint, Okay, nothing else, right, Yep. I
was a full back. I wasn't a running back. I
want a tailback. I was a full back. Don't change
categories when you have full boats fullbacks putting up numbers
like tailback, don't do it that. That's that's the wrong
(27:43):
way to do it. That's the case that needs to
be made. I argued with these guys. I said, look,
I was a true fullback. I wasn't a tailback. I
didn't line up seven yards. I said, let me ask
you a question. Who gets to the Who gets to
the line of scrimma is quicker than tailback? The full back?
I only only three and a half yard friend tailback.
(28:04):
The tailback got seven yards to make his mind up.
I only got one, so so they gave me a
hard time about I said, but look, you gotta admit
who gotta make their mind up quickst fullbackt the tailback? Yep,
I said, you got seven yards the middle and pe
around down in the back of me. And when I
(28:25):
get the hand off, I gotta make my mind up
in two steps. Well, and in a lot of times too.
In a lot of cases, you know, the fullback is
doing is is treated like a pulling guard or like
a tight end, and they're not getting And I did
it all the touches like like the you know, the
big tailback. I did it all. Not bragging on myself,
but I did it all. No, you didn't do it all.
(28:45):
I got evidence. I got evidence, Yes, And people need
to go watch and look and compare. I need to
make that. I need to. I'm you know what, I'm
gonna do what I can on the stage that I have.
It's not maybe not the biggest stage, but I'm gonna
start making some noise for you. We've tried with Tommy knowovers.
We're gonna keep trying with Tommy novers. Well, I agree
(29:07):
with you one hundred percent. But there's other guys that
I look at that should be their prior to me. Right,
you had Jeff van Note, which played the longest center
in Falcon history, and Mike kenn one of the greatest
h offensive lineman that I've ever played with and or against.
Mike hell his own in a number of years that
(29:28):
he played there, and this guy still looks like he
still can play. Not disagree with you at all, the
fact that the fact that the matter is they we
had some sports guys here in Atlanta that didn't like
the organization of Rankin Smith and the Falcon, and so
Firmer Bishi is one of them. That he didn't give
us any kind of coverage or anything like that. The
(29:50):
only thing he did with bad Masters. But the point
of I'm saying is you can't go and let one
guy take over the setup of what a team does
because you've got more than one player. You know, you
can have one voice in the newspaper, but hell, we
got twenty two guys out there playing both on leving
on the offensive, leving on defense. So you gotta look
(30:11):
at the merit of what these guys are doing, not
just because you don't like the owner or the or
the team it say you can't do that, that's that's
a that's a that's a disservice to us because we're
out there giving everything we get, giving our hearts in
terms of entertaining people. And the one thing you gotta
remember about me, I gave everything I could on the field.
(30:33):
I left it out there. I didn't take any home.
I left it on the field. And when I left,
I left the game on my control, my terms and
not everybody else's. I love that, no doubts. But you know,
when I look at the Hall of Fame, you're in
the Ring of Honor, deservedly so Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor.
When I look at the Atlanta Falcons who are in
(30:54):
the Hall of Fame, You're gonna see where I'm going
with us. Tommy McDonald, Eric Dickerson, Dion Sanders, Christelman, Claude Humphrey, Brett, Farve,
Morton Anderson, Tony Gonzalez, and then Norm Van Brocklin head coach. Right,
most of those guys made their marks on other teams.
(31:17):
Deon made an impact here, right. Claude Humphrey made an
impact here, but then he went to Philadelphia. Correct. It
just feels like to me when you talk about the
players that you just mentioned who aren't who are not
in the Hall of Fame, yourself included Tommy Nobis, mister Falcon,
the first ever draft pick. Yeah sure, who was you
(31:39):
know on the cover of you know, Life magazine and
Time magazine and Sports Illustrated Gott Heisman votes coming out
of Texas. UM played on some bad teams. You played
on one I believe one winning team, right, you had
a couple teams at one seventy. Yeah, I want to
ask you about that, ladies. Yeah, great, great team. UM,
(32:04):
but it's just it's just just it just looks the
optics of it. Just don't don't look it, don't don't
don't mess it. Well, it there to add up with
me either because I played with these guys and against
some of the guys that you mentioned, right, The thing
I wish is Mike ken and Jeff fan Note if
I had to look at two players that was on
(32:26):
the Falcons and and also Tommy, because I didn't play
with Tommy, but I played with Jeff Fanoe to Mike Ken. Ye,
these two guys right here my heroes in terms of
what they helped me do out there on the field
because they protected me like nobody's business. When I was running.
They said, look, just tell me what you want us
to do and I'll do it. And that's what they did.
(32:47):
So that you gotta you gotta realize that as you
play against guys, you get to know who they really are. Yea,
And all of these guys that you mentioned a perfect
gentleman when it comes to what they can do and
how they do it, and what they do it in
the all season and what they do in doing season.
So I gotta I got mad respect for all of them.
(33:09):
And I'm just uh uh not bitter, but I'm disappointed
in how the selections are done based on what they
talk about Hall of Fame. Every one of those guys
are Hall of Fame candidates. I can tell you that
right now. Uh. You got guys that uh that hadn't
been in the league long and they all of a
(33:29):
sudden they in the Hall. Really, you gotta be kidding me.
You hadn't seen these guys. I said. They Number number
two is they don't work as hard as we used to.
I mean they they mean, you know, they get a hangnail,
they can they can sit out for a couple of games.
We couldn't do that. I make a joke. But but
(33:50):
the fact that, the fact that the matter is, you
can step be a tour man. You won't see them
for two weeks. I said, what's that with that? And
you know what they did? They cut our shoe, man,
So I big twe will stick out of the shoe
and we still play. Man. Come on, these guys are
getting because I think, come on, man, don't do that.
(34:16):
Uh well that's a great segue. Let's you know. I
want to ask you, let's play a little. This will
kind of um maybe evoke some stories, some thoughts, but
also uh, you know, feel free to go where you
want with this. But I just want to just say
a word or a phrase, our name, and all you
have to do is just say the first thing, first
thought that comes to your mind and we'll just keep
(34:36):
going if you want to. Afterwards, ahead, And I tried
to think of some guys that played along the same
time you did as well. But here we go. Are
you ready? This is a bird noises hot seat here.
Best team you ever played one? Yeah, we established that one.
The hardest hitter you ever faced, Bad Brand Tilt number
(35:00):
ten linebacker. The god that man there was a stone.
He was a stone man. Let me tell you this
cat was a stone man and that story. I had
this jersey grown up. My dad was a giant fan.
Maybe this guy was a stone, he was stone man. Yeah,
I've never I've never hit anybody this harder. I never
tried this guy. I went and hit him, man, and
(35:22):
I saw it. Damn birds flying around my head, I said, God.
And I used to tell Harry Carson. Yeah, I should
tell Lynn. I said, Lynn, look, I can't move this guy.
I said, So what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna try
to position myself so you can make the best cut
you can. I said, but this boy stone, I can't move.
(35:45):
You know what. You don't hear a lot of people
talk about brad and power, but he was good. Man. Look, look,
you know this is what I'm telling you. Man. I
played with some great ones, you hear me, and these
guys were stone. This guy was a stone. Even like
an anvil you had that has some strength to move
this cat. I was not expecting that. All right, Um,
(36:09):
that's biggest trash talker you ever came across. Biggest trash
talker Hollywood Henderson, Oh number fifty six for the Cowboys.
Oh yeah, yeah, I believe it. I believe it. Yeah.
What's the funniest, the weirdest thing he ever said to you?
Do you that you remember or that you just recall
(36:32):
him talking about, oh that I wasn't gonna game three yards? Yeah? Really,
I said, I'm a game three and I'm ana game
three on you. It sounds like, yeah, you talked a
little trash too, But I knew what I was gonna do.
I didn't. I wasn't here to play with him. Yeah,
(36:53):
but nevertheless, good great guy though, great guy. Yeah, story
meet him in person. Great cat. I mean, I I
like him. I don't have anything against him, but uh,
you know, I think they do it because they're not
sure themselves and what they're gonna do that day, you know. Yeah,
yeah yeah. And when he started talking trash to everybody else,
I mean, I've been talking trash too for most of
(37:15):
my life, so what what the hell is the difference?
Do you remember when he won the lottery? Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I was happy for him. I said, man, this song
I won a lot of I said, I said, you
know this cat, I played against this cat and all
of a sudden. Now he didn't want the damn line
(37:37):
I said that. I mean, well, that's that's just calmer though,
you know what I mean. Yeah, he had some tough times, yeah, um,
but boy was he good though, Yeah he was. He was,
no question about it. And played at HBCU. Yeah that's right. Yeah. Hey.
And then most of the guys that I tell you this,
most of the guys that I played again, some of
(37:57):
the best guys I've ever played in my life, went
to HBCU. Now I went to a predominantly black, white college, right,
but these guys went to black and I tell you
they are some of the greatest cats that I remember
in my whole INTERFA attack season. These guys were great.
Deon Sanders head coach now right, yeah, and loving it right,
(38:18):
loving it. I know Dion the younger cat, but uh,
that's another crash trash talker to that. But he could
back his up because he has speed and he can
get he has him getting up in his issue. Let
me tell you, Yeah, he was good. He was. I
wish him will, I wish him will though. Yeah, it's
a great story. We had success there, all right, best
player you ever shared the field with, either could be
(38:40):
on your team or someone you played against. Uh, Walter
Payton sweetness yep um, meanest or dirtiest player you ever
played with her against, Conrad Dobla, Okay, Earl Campbell, bad
(39:01):
as cat I've ever seen, Tony Dorset, the smoothest I've
ever seen. Walter Payton feelsome. This cat was feeling I
mean he was feelsome. He really was. Barry Sanders, this guy,
(39:25):
you know, Barry is one of the most unique cats.
I've ever had the opportunity to watch. This guy could
run sideways faster than I could run up the Fieldscription
could get a yardage as he was running sideways. That's
a god day. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen.
But what a bat what a bat man? You're not lying?
(39:48):
Gerald Riggs. Gerald, power and speed for a big guy,
all right? Your QB one by one of them anyway,
Steven Barkowski one of the finest quarterbacks I played with
in all my career. I was looking at your stats
(40:08):
and someone I work with. I didn't realize, but I
should have. Dave Archer. Dave probably one of the best
cats that I know as far as uh, just his
his mental attitude in terms of what he was gonna
do when he had to do it on a daily basis.
(40:30):
Now for a really really important question, what do you
think of the name bird noises? I've never heard of before,
but it's squalking real loud right now. I love it. Oh.
I am so glad that you came on and we
are gonna start. We gotta get you in the hall, man,
(40:52):
and we gotta get those other guys too. But it's time.
It's time, and it's you know, I gotta tell you though,
fullback argument. Though, Well, here's the thing. Uh, And and
let me be blunt about this and least I don't care.
I don't care who knows it or whatever. They've got
young kids trying to uh say who should and who shouldn't. Uh,
(41:17):
These young guys that are sports writers and all that
kind of staying, they've never seen the cowboy players we
were when we were back in that day. So don't
give me this about this guy coming out of college.
He all world, he all is well, he hadn't been
through anything. You get the guys that's been through some
trenches and the some mud holes and that kind of thing,
and then you come talk to me. But right now,
(41:38):
don't don't do that because these guys couldn't hold uh,
these these guys couldn't carry these guys jock rat trap. Uh,
the young guys that they couldn't carry these old guys jockstraps.
I can gave you that right now, they couldn't. I'm
so glad. Man. Look, I'm telling that guy. Man was
so I mean, he was like a pillar of own
(42:01):
And then I bet you I'm to your point though,
I bet you a lot of sports writers today not
I don't know, I don't want to say that, but
maybe some of the younger ones. They probably couldn't tell
you a whole lot about Brad van Pel. But yeah,
aging ourselves, we're aising ourselves a little bit. But uh,
(42:21):
but don't get me wrong. Yeah, the finest player that
I could ever play against because he kept me honest. Okay,
I couldn't just go out there, you know, have hazardous
and try to do what I need to do with him.
He said, I'm here to play, and I'm gonna play
all day. And trust me, he was there all day
(42:43):
to play all day. And most guys don't do that,
they can't do it. But this guy was there all day,
every day, Willie Managers. I, Uh, I am so glad
you came on. I it's a pleasure, in an honor
to finally meet you. I hope when this pandemic is over,
I get to meet you in person. Hey, well, I'm
(43:04):
looking forward to that now because uh, you know, I
learned about your squawk box. Now, man, we're in trouble,
and uh, I tell you what if, if, if anybody
knows where I can buy in Atlanta Falcons throwback jersey
with the red numerals, white jersey. I want a number
(43:25):
thirty one. I want it bad. That's a bad man
right there. You're a bad man. And thank you. You're
a great man and a humble man. And uh, it was,
it was, It was my pleasure. Thanks for come out
and please let's do it again. No, no, I wish
you would. I mean I would love to be involved
in what you guys are doing, because I hear what
you guys are doing a pretty fabulous and uh, my
(43:48):
hat's off to Brinley. Oh yep, she's awesome for uh
you know, thinking to me to come on your show.
And she is one great gal. All of that. We
treated it like our sister because we always calling and
she said, okay, well what do you need today? So,
but she's always been there for us. Her and my
(44:12):
buddy Winston out there, Kevin good yob. They do a
good job for the older guys. And uh, I just
can't my hats off to him. I just can't do
them but praise it because she's some kind of gal
and we love her. Yeah, Kevin Winston and Brimley Fork,
they are two awesome people. They are. Yeah, you know
I've been here. I got here in May of twenty seventeen,
(44:36):
and I passed you know, Kevin's office every day on
the way out the door before a pandemic. And I
passed Brimley's desk on the way way to lunch every day.
So you know I was gonna see them both and
two of my favorite people in Flowery Branch, no question
about it, no question about it, no question about And
they are some fabulous folks. And I just really been
(44:58):
I love being a part of the Him so that
we can be a part of you guys. Yeah, and
the good news from all this, too, is is that
I Brindley won't have to hear me say, can I
get William Andrews. Can I get now Now, I'm gonna say,
can I get him back? Yeah? I think I'm on
speed our. Well, hey man, I appreciate you. And uh,
(45:23):
I don't know if you read straight from the beak,
but whenever I can bring up running backs, and whenever
I can bring up Falcons running backs, I uh, I'm
sure to plug you. I've had you in a couple
centerpieces on the on the website, so uh you know,
if you ever see a picture on the site, you
know I'm probably grinning. Uh. Well, well, I do appreciate
and and also i'd just like to mention hats off
(45:45):
to all of the great ones that we've lost, Yeah, Hank,
Aaron and Don Sutton and some other guys that we
have lost us because these guys were heroes of mine
and I love other guys even though we played different sports,
but they still were heroes and so my condolences to
(46:06):
the families and that kind of thing. So if that's
part of what I could do before I leave your
your show, I would like this certainly mentioned that those
passing and we really do uh just miss him and
appreciate them, you know, it's it's it's great you bring
that up because you know, talking to you, it's it
brings back, you know, a great part of my childhood
(46:28):
when I was just first learning the game and my
dad was taking me to Giants games in Patriots games.
I grew up in upstate New York, and um, you know,
you guys weren't on TV a lot. But I do
remember the eight season. I remember the playoff game against
the Cowboys. I remember a lot of those games. But
you you talk about Brad van Pale. I mean I
(46:49):
would have never expected anybody to bring up Brad van Pale.
You talk about Don Sutton. You know, when I was
a kid, you know, everybody where I went to school,
you know, were Yankee fans, and it was Yankees dgers.
If you remember, every year it fel He's back to
back ears right, great? And Don Sutton was you know,
the curly hair great. Oh yeah. And then you talk
(47:09):
about the King. Everybody knew. Everybody knew the King, Hank Aaron,
you know, just like they knew Pelee right, just like
you knew right. And uh, it's awesome that you bring
those up, those names up, and it's sad that we've
lost them. And uh, you know, I put your name
right up with the great ones in my childhood and
my memories. And uh, it's been great, and look forward
(47:33):
to talking to you again. And stay healthy, be well,
and I'm gonna do my best, you two, and uh,
you know, keep your head down. You got it. I'm
a grinder, you know. Well, that's great. Thank you so
much for having me on your show. I really do
appreciate it. In any time that can ever be of service,
I'm right here, all right, William. If I can keep
(47:54):
my head down and have guys bounce off me like
you did, I'll be good, all right, man, Take care,
sir m hm
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