Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for Papa's Perspective, brought to you by Bob's
Discount Furniture, the official furniture store and Mattress partner all
the New York Giants, as we welcome you to the
Hackensack Meridian Health podcast studio Keep Getting Better. This edition
of Papa's Perspective welcomes Super Bowl champion Jeff Fiegels and Jeff,
over the course of your twenty three year career, yeah,
(00:23):
forty miles of punts, seventy one thousand, two hundred and
eleven yards. What enabled you to have the longevity that
you had.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I think it was again, I think this, this whole
sport is being lucky a little bit. You know. I
think at the beginning making the team, you're right out
of college, and it's just kind of persevering through it.
But just being at the right place at the right time.
I think that, you know, most of my work was
always I was trying to get better at what I
was doing and took it very seriously in the off season,
trying to improve my skill. And I also think that
(00:57):
just you know, taking care of yourself as I play
my twenties, thirties and forties, so being healthy wise, and
I got lucky with not it, never really having a
bad injury that kept me out of the game.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
You were unbelievable at controlling punt returners with directional punting.
I remember Steve Smith, he played for the Carolina Panthers.
He's a great player and he was also a great returner,
and he said he hated playing against you because you
caused them fits. Talk about that subtle part of the
game that a lot of times goes unnoticed.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, early on in my career, I was just trying
to figure it out, and I soon realized that I
could could move those guys around a little bit. And
Bob you'll remember this, but you know, back in the day,
there wasn't a lot of guys that could return punts
very well. I think that as the game got better,
the returning the return position got a little bit better.
So the guy returning to football was most of the
(01:49):
time was a better athlete than the ten guys covering them.
I took myself out of that, by the way, so
we you know, at that point, I was just like,
we're gonna have to try to get these guys to
move around a little bit. So I just started working
on the directional kicking, and as I got a little
bit older, my legs strength got you know, down a
little bit, but I knew I could control them by
taking the less hang time, but just more direction. And
it just kind of got a lot of fun doing
(02:09):
it and just picked up the craft. And then of
course the special teams coaches and the head coaches realize
this is kind of a weapon. And I think that's
what probably the one number one reason that kept me
around as long as I did, because I was able
to just control what the guy was doing.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
You had a game at Giants Stadium as a member
of Seattle where I remember calling the game and was
incredulous at how you single handedly dominated the flow of
the game.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I remember remember that game, I do. I think it
was a nine to six game, yes, And I remember
Tumor was the punt returner. And of course, you know,
Moni and I worked together after we were done playing,
and he always remembers that one game, and I remember
him coming to me after the game and said to me, uh, dude, like,
what what were like? You were just in Fuego that day.
Every ball was on the five, every ball was on
(02:55):
the six in a nine to six game. You got
to keep the field position going. So I had plenty
of chances to do that. But I think that was
just one of those times where and I tell people
all the time, Bob that, you know, being with the Cardinals,
with the Eagles, and with the Giants, I had played
in that stadium a lot, and so I think a
big factor of me coming when Ernie, of course he
(03:16):
brought me to New York. I think it was a big,
big thing that Listen, this guy's played in cold weather,
He's played in the stadium, and I really kind of
this is going to sound crazy, I really like Giant Stadium.
I figured it out, and that was a big thing.
So I was able to control that game.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
I want to ask you about, you know, because everyone
talks about times, you know, kicking the ball in sub
zero temperature, you know, ELI throwing the ball the plaques
go in that NFC championship game in Green Bay for
the two thousand and seven season, one thing that never
gets talked about. You had to catch those rocks from
the ass in order to get the ball down.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
What was that like that day? So not to correct you,
but remember it was Jay Alfred Alfred on the extra point.
I was scared to death anytime that Offered was snapping
the football. To me, he was a rookie. Okay. The
other thing that a lot of people don't understand that
he was left handed. So Zach Diossi is right handed.
(04:11):
So Zach was doing the punts and we have Jay
Offer doing the extra points. Well, one punts are going
one way and extra points are going to other. So
I remember when he first came and they started to
put him in the first day of practice. I remember
I was like dropping these flats the snaps because they
were coming the wrong way. So I never knew what
Jay was very strong and he liked to throw that
(04:32):
thing one hundred miles an hour. I told him before
that game, it's twenty below zero, so just think of
me back their eight yards and just kind of take
a little bit off of it. And so that game
was ridiculous because I was one never been an NFC
championship game, but two line up for that suit that
kick and win to go to the Super Bowl. Knowing
what Lawrence Tynes had done before that and have a
(04:54):
rookie snapper, all I could say to myself was catch
it and get it down. Don't. You don't want anybody
telling you is your So you know, I mean, Lawrence
had already messed a couple on Jay's a rookie. I
think I got all the built in excuses at that point.
So it's you know, it's one of those things we
just focused in on it. But that was that was
just one of one of the best holes I've ever made.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Let's talk a little bit about life after football as well. Obviously,
your last season with the Giants was Z nine, and
you know you did broadcasting work with us, but you
got involved in real estate. How did you get involved
in it? How has it evolved? And now you're not
only in real estate, we have a chance to work
with your kids.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, it's been a it was a long process. I
think that just like any NFL player, they kind of
don't know how long you're going to play in the NFL,
so you try to start thinking, uh, maybe you know,
like around the I don't know, eighth ninth year, You're
kind of think, I got a good career. What am
I going to do? So I just I really always
loved real estate. I got my license and was starting
to work in the off season at selling real estate
(05:53):
So when I went to Seattle was really what it
all started for me, because in the off season I
got my license and that, hey, this is there's kind
of a niche here with these players. They're coming and going,
the coaches are just staying there here, they're gone. So
I started just mixing matching players, coaches, new guys coming
in and just start putting them in housing. Got a
lot of experience that way. Matt Hasselback was one of them.
(06:14):
One of my first clients was Matt hassel Back in
the offseason. So when I moved to New York, I
just got my license again and really understood that when
I was done playing, I wanted to go into real estate.
So I got sidetracked a little bit. I still did
a little bit after I retired, of course, working with
you guys. And then soon I realized that, you know,
this is something that can be a little bit bigger
than it is, and I just gonna I'm gonna put
(06:34):
together a real estate team. So I have four boys,
Blake is my second oldest, and Zach's my youngest. Sent
them to get their real estate licenses, and we joined
a team together, put it together, and three and a
half years later, that's where we're at.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
What are some of the challenges that you face in
the real estate world where you hear coach Kauughlin in
the back of your head or some of your mine
all the time, influential coaches and the messaging that they
gave you is a player applies to what you're doing that.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
So the unique feature of our team is everything is
focused around team and that's come from a lot of
Tom Coughlin philosophies. But you know, we have a team meeting.
We're five minutes early. Believe it or not. Every morning
we have a nine o'clock meeting, we're showing up at
eight fifty five. I just kept the whole thing because
I feel like it's just something that was ingrained in
my mind for so long and I just can't have
(07:23):
a team and not start five minutes early. So we
do that. We call it the huddle, and we really
kind of we build our a lot of our marketing
around football in the Feagles home team, and we kind
of like a we have a scouting report, so if you're,
you know, looking to buy a home, we put it
to scouting report. So we kind of mix it all
because Blake and Zach both played college football, so they
kind of can relate to that. But I think that
(07:45):
the discipline that comes with it is kind of like
football oriented, so that kind of keeps us going. But
I will tell you there is that little guy on
my shoulder and it's Tom Coffin telling me about discipline.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
What about what's the success like for you?
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Now?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I mean, there was nothing higher than winning a super Bowl,
you know, winning a big game? What is what is
that big wine? Where do you get that adrenaline rush?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Now it's funny because I've thought about this all the time,
like what drives you? And you know what what what
profession it is, whether it's football, real estate, being a doctor,
this and that. I will tell you one thing about
real estate is football was easy compared to real estate.
There is a lot of aspects because there's there's you
have to almost have to manage expectations. And so you know,
(08:28):
for me, what I did as a as a professional
was my coach has told me, go out and do
your job, do it well, prepare and things will happen.
That's that's not so much. You can prepare all you want.
In real estate. You can do your job, but there's
so many other external factors that come into it, because
there's so many more people involved in the process. So
that's the most difficult thing for me, and keeping deals alive,
and especially in a market like we are.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
You know, and then and then being able to stay
laser focused. And I would assume as an athlete, you know,
dealing with disappointment. You don't win every game, you don't
go undefeated, you get a punt block, someone returns one
for a touchdown on you. But it's the mindset of
the athlete able to bounce back. I'm sure you have
a lot of deals that look like it's a home
(09:12):
run and we're about to get to the finish line
and for whatever reason it collapses. Does that athletic experience
do you draw on.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
That on how you bounce back? You have to bad stuff,
you have to and I think that in my position,
I only got five or six tries a game, you know,
And so if you had a bad punt, you got
to learn to come back. And so you ask yourself,
why was it a bad punt? Was it a technique thing,
was it the wine, whatever, the external factors of what
happened into that. You you basically you analyze it and
(09:41):
you move on and you don't stick to it, so
you get better every day you try to you have
goals and things like that. I think it's a great
model for people that played football like I did, to
bring into what we do because it's every day is
the same. The only thing that's not the same is
that the accountability part of it. I don't have a
head coach like Tom Coffin telling me to get up
and go to work early, do your things, so that
(10:02):
that's probably the biggest adjustment it was for me when
I got done playing, was having the accountability and being
a coach, my coach for my two boys in the team,
and just the accountability part of it is tough.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Last year was Top one hundred. A lot of specialists
were recognized in the history of the Giants, A lot
of great specialists played for this franchise.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
What was that it like for you.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
As far as the just the whole knowing that you're
part of this one hundred years of Giant football.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
I look at all the names that were on that
hundred list, and there's a lot of my teammates on there,
and I thought it was outstanding. I think it was
great what the team did to bring all those people back,
let the fans understand who they were. You know, I
think the access to those players was amazing throughout the season.
And I still live in the area obviously, and I
think that everybody always asked me who your favorite team is,
And I mean, seriously, I have to tell you that
(10:52):
I got the Super Bowl trophies in my kitchen, so
I think I know who my favorite team is. But
I just love the community. I love the people. I
love coming back to this place. I love seeing you guys.
I mean even you just pick. I've been away from
you over three years now, but it just seems like
yesterday that we were working together. I've come into the
building is a little bit different, a little bit different.
But you know, the one thing about the Giant organization
(11:13):
is the true things. You know, Once a Giant, always Giant.
I just appreciate everything they've done for me and everything
they do for me.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
I feel for someone looking for a house or whatever,
where are they go?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
But just go to the Figos Home team dot com.
We have a website there that has everything you need
to know. We work up in northwest Bergen County. And
by the way, if you have somebody outside of Bergen County.
We will refer somebody a really good person for you.
But thank you for the opportunity. We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Thank you about good seeing Popper's perspective brought to you
by Bob's Discount Furniture, the official furniture store and mattress
partner of the New York Football Giants.