June 2, 2023 • 31 mins
Rams legend and Super Bowl LVI champion Andrew Whitworth joins D’Marco Farr in the latest episode of Rams Iconic to dive into his illustrious career, his most cherished moments as a Ram, and the highs and lows of life after football.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to RAMS Iconic, presented by eighteen hundred Tequila, the
best taste in tequila. Please drink responsibly. I'm your host,
DeMarco Farr, and this is the podcast where we catch
up with some of the greatest players in RAMS history.
My next guest played five seasons with the La Rams.
He's a four time Pro bowler, to be a lot more,
a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner, the
(00:24):
anchor and leader of the offensive line that brought you
LA your first Super Bowl ever. Please welcome the RAMS
Iconic Super Bowl Chap Andrew Whitworth.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
What is up, big man? What's going on? Baby? I'm
happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Oh man, I'm just good to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Have you been hanging out in the dojo.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I've been hanging out in the dojo, man, Still getting
after it a little bit. You know, I still think
I got it.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
You do have it? Look at you? How much do
you weigh?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I have no idea. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
When I retired, I made a commitment, no wagh in
so I you know what, I don't weigh. I just
kind of work out and stay fit. I'm trying to
stay in shape.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
You made a commitment, no wag in.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Yeah, for big guys, you know what's like, especially it's
like you can get frustrated by that number and it
affects how you think and your mentality about yourself. And
so for me, it was like, stay with my program,
keep working out, getting the sign of doing what I do,
and you know what, the rest will take care of itself.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
See you skinny folks don't know what he's talking about.
Like the scale can be depressing, man, when you see
the wrong number on there.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Well and good.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
We always as a big guy, you always dream you're
gonna be too twenty one day, right, Like one day
I'm just all of a sudden be two twenty. But
it's it's not going to happen, you know. So it's
it's one of those things that for me, it's like
it's if my lifestyle leads me to being lighter and uh,
get into the shape I want to get in, and
that's how it's going to be either way. So the
scale's not going to help me.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Sixteen years you played, right, sixteen years in the NFL,
like thirty year football career. But do you know what
people do on Sundays? I mean two hundred and thirty
five starts. You were busy for a while. Do you
what is your Sundays like? Now?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
It was really strange you first, I can tell you
that I was so just trying to figure out where
I sit it, what do I do? Which TV do
I watch? Like how do I go somewhere to watch
a game?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Like?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I couldn't figure out what you're supposed to do on
a Sunday and how it all go, you know, is
laid out throughout the day, because I've never had to
do it before. So that was probably one of the
biggest adjustments, is like how I'm going to watch football?
Not whether I would, but how am I going to
watch it?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Happy in retirement?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Great? I'm I couldn't be happier because.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I just watched like a loop of you being miked
up and the part where you get the team together
and you give the speech and you know.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Know why you're here.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I mean, you can't find that any other place except
down on the field with pads on.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I mean, that's tough to leave behind.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
It is that passion for the locker room, for the guys,
for being in that circle. That will always be a
very rare, special place to me, and that'll never change.
But the feeling of waking up in the morning and
be able to get out of my bed and get
to the bathroom without holding onto the walls, you know what,
that's pretty good. I told somebody this fall is probably
(02:55):
mid you know, October November somewhere there. I go to
the bathroom one morning and I'm like excited, and my
wife's like, what are you giggling and like excited about
in there? And I'm like, Babe, I just got out
of the bed. I walked to the bathroom and ipeede
And I never thought about like, oh my god, my
back or my knees or like I didn't have to
put both hands on the wall, like nothing, Like I
(03:16):
just walked to the bathroom. I didn't think about it,
and it just hit me, like I don't know when
the last time I did that?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Was Wow, good for you man. How many times you
like riped the towel hanger off.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Oh I'm trying all the time, and then pushing on
the tole roll hanging, you know, like to get up right,
like I mean, oh, babe, I think he just fell
out of the wall that I think it just fell out.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I don't know what happened see big guy stuff. I
got to go back to the first time I remember
seeing you, when they brought you in and I heard
your interview was kind of backwards when you came from
Cincinnati eleven years then you came out here and they
were talking about you because I was marveling. I'm like, Wow,
this guy is so good. Why did Cincinnati let him go?
But neither here nor there. But they were saying that
(03:56):
your interview was backwards. You interviewed them, not the other
way around. You had more questions for them than they
had for you. Is that is that accurate?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Well, you know, I think I've always been that way.
I got a lot of questions. That's who I am.
I'm a curious guy. And so anytime I'm taking on something,
I don't think of just like how I can affect it.
I think of how it's going to affect me and
what I need to know, you know, And and so
I think it doesn't matter to me whether I'm talking
about being involved with the community or a team or
a relationship. It's not always what you bring. Sometimes it's
(04:26):
about what they need and where you're needed and what
they need from you, and can you meet them there
and that halfway place, and so to me, it's always
been about that. So I wanted to know as much
about them as they probably want to know about me
coming in as I want to figure out where am
I and who are the people I'm gonna be involved
with for the next so many years.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
You were exactly what the team needed.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I can't remember the exact play, but it was in
the coliseum and there was a turnover and the guy
is running away from everyone, and who's right behind them?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You are, yeah, preseason p.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
M. Yes, chasing the guy into the end zone. And
I said, look, that's leadership right there. That's not just
talking about it, that's that's being about it. Do you
remember that play?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
I do actually remember that. Tell me about that play. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
We were playing the Chargers here in the coliseum in
the preseason and I think Joey Bosa, one of the guys,
got free and hit Jared and the ball came out
and that was actually our last series of the game,
of the preseason game, and you know, I saw him
pick it up and we were probably on our you know,
on their fifteen sixteen yard line, and I chased him
the whole eighty yards and almost caught him at the
end and I'll never forget. We get to the end
(05:28):
zone and he turns around and he's like, what's wrong
with you? Why would you possibly it's a preseason game,
like just let me score? Like what are you doing?
Like he was literally like what are you doing? Why
would you chase me?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Like that? Why did you chase him?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I just think that in life, like when you're blessed
with an opportunity to back up who you are and
who you say you are and what you say you're about.
Like to me, like, that's when you have to be
able to shine. That's when you have to be at
your a game, Like, that's your opportunity if you come
in as this thirty six year old oldest lineman ever
to be signed as to a big marquee free agent deal,
(06:00):
you get to show these guys like here's why I'm here,
Here's how I got here, because this is the way
I play the game with the passion and the energy.
It doesn't matter if it's preseason, no matter when it is,
I'm gonna rise up in occasions where I'm needed. And
I think, to me, it's like in those moments is
when you show people who you really are and they
go all right, Like when he tells me stuff, I
(06:20):
believe it now.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I would have hated to be the other nine Jared
quarterback different but the other nine that weren't behind you.
I mean that must have been a shameful me. Yeah,
the oldest guy in the room.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I love it, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
And it's like, you do those challenges and then it's
always cracks me up because like the next week or
like some other drill, some young guys are gonna try
and beat you and be like, well, I beat you today,
and I'm always like you just you're totally missing the
whole point. That's exactly what I want you to do.
I want you to strive to beat me every day.
And if I'm doing that, then you're getting better and
you're worrying about beating me, and that's fine with me.
(06:52):
You can beat me every time, but I know how
I'm gonna run, so that's gonna only make you better.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I felt that every time I saw you take the field,
and this is why I kept telling Sean mcvah. I
got to hear in my notes. I would never let
you out of the building. I would never never if
you could if you can't play coach, if you can't coach,
be in the front office. I need a guy like
this around my football team one hundred percent of the time.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Is that fair to say?
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
I mean he sends the compliment back to you. He
feels the same way. Yeah, it's you know, it's been.
It's been really probably one of the most humbling and uh,
just affirming and things that just gives you confidence in
yourself since I've retired. Yeah, really, the passion they have
for keeping me involved and being around the building and
around the players, and how much the guys reach out,
uh and even coaches and different people in the staff
(07:40):
reach out for just hey man, how would you maybe
handle this or think about this?
Speaker 3 (07:44):
And those kind of things. It's it's been really cool.
I mean, to me, I love this game. I love
all the things that teaches you and gives you back
just as much as you give it. And so uh yeah,
I mean each and every week, you know, we just
talked about it. I've been coming here to OTAs and
attending the meetings this year just to kind of be
around and learn some stuff from myself. And we talked
about me, you know, beating the guys to the hashes
(08:04):
every before every series.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
You know, that was my thing.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I was the first one on the field every single game,
you know, for my entire career.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That was my goal.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
And I used to see this your little hand signal
to coach, like let's go, let's go, let's go.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
It's always just like let's go.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
We got it going here, yeah, just temple.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
To me, it was always about how fast can we
get back on the ball, how fast can we get
get going? Like you know, that energy, that momentum. I mean,
people who don't believe in minute momentums are real thing.
They're crazy. I mean, when you get in a game,
it's like in the NBA when you start making shots
and you start running the floor and you start saying,
all right, we're going to just literally keep going so
fast and you see these runs in the NBA, that's
really what they're doing. And so in football, I think
(08:40):
it's the same way we get a first down, the
next first down should happen so fast that they're gasping,
they're arguing, they're fussing, you know, amongst each other, they're
yelling at each other. And while they're doing that, We're
just marching the field as fast as we can, and
we got them gassed. Their lungs are blowing. That's exactly
what we want.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
See.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
This is why I try to fight you on the field,
because you know exactly was going on over there.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
See, you're confusing us.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I want to talk about the Walter Payton Man of
the Year Award, and I read your speech and you
said it's about being great on it and living with
your heart off it. And the one word I kept
coming back to was worthy. And if I could pick
a word that kind of identifies with what I think
of you, it would be worthy. I mean, tell me
about that. Tell me about getting the Walter Payton Man
(09:24):
of the Year Award and just leading up to it.
I mean, was that your goal? Was it just something
you were just surprised by?
Speaker 3 (09:31):
You know, I was always very uh, I don't know,
just I hate it kind of in the middle. I
understand both sides of the award and what it's about,
and the obviously the honor and the legacy, you know,
Walter Payton, and then all the guys that came before
you that have done so much in the communities. And
I think that part's amazing, but it was always tough
to get recognized for something that I think is just
(09:52):
about being the kind of person that we need and
what a community needs, and what a team needs, and
what a culture needs somebody who cares about it more,
maybe sometimes than they cares about itself, and is willing
to say, hey, it's not always about me, It's about
all of us, and how can I help not just me?
You know, if I'm chasing dreams, do I want to
(10:12):
make sure that people around me who maybe don't have
that same opportunity or maybe didn't get the same break
I did, that they have a chance to chase their
dreams as too as well. And so I think for me,
it's one of those things where I've always thought about, hey, man,
when I got that next opportunity or I had this
chance to get a contract, I go back to like
the moments where I could not have been here, like hey,
if this person didn't help me, or this person didn't
(10:32):
lean into me, or this thing that you know what,
I made a bad decision but things worked out the
right way, or somebody gave me a second chance, And
I just have always sat there and said, all right,
if I'm looking at a community, a school, a program
that it's like maybe they just need a second chance,
or maybe they's somebody to just give them a little
bit of love, no telling where they could get. And
so to me, when it really came to being a
(10:53):
part of the community and being a part of that award,
it was really about, hey, this is just who I am,
Like I'm not driving for an award a legacy of
like being about the community. I just truly actually care
And I'm never going to walk across somebody who needs
another hand, or needs a little love, or needs a
hug or an encouragement or a meal and be able
(11:14):
to say to myself like, well I hope that works
out for him. Wow, Like I want to be the
one that says, all right, well I got a little
extra like here, like whatever it does to help you,
Like that's what I want it to be. And that's
really what I felt like my Walter Pregnant million year
opportunity to be that and win that award. It was
less about hey, how much money can you raise? You know,
how big of a celebrity status did you used or
(11:35):
do all these things? Like I just a old lineman
who loves playing football, who loves people and doesn't ever
want to live or be somewhere that I'm not making
it better than when I found it. And wow, that's it.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Isn't the award? The actual trophy is an offensive lineman, right,
the big dude stand it in the coat? Yeah, yeah,
it kind of fits with you. It makes sense. But
you know how teams are in communities are some guys
are afraid to I guess cross boundaries. But you're comfortable
anywhere you go with any group of people. Is is that.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Fair to say? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
You know, I I got crushed for this in eighteen
when we lost the Super Bowl, but I made a
comment that I said, you know, they asked me you
lost the game, like you know, and you're you're answering
all these questions and everyone's speculating I'm going to retire,
and a reporter asked me like, how do you how
do you like move on? Like how do you go
forward from here? And it just like I think of
(12:29):
you know, I think Jannis just answered something similar to this,
you know, and it kind of irritated me and I
got where he was coming from. Is It's like, bro,
my life is so much more important than just this
game like, this game is amazing. It's don crazy things
for my life and my kids and my family and
a lot of other communities that I've gotten to be
a part of and be and do things for. But
it's so much bigger than just football and winning a
(12:51):
super Bowl trophy. And I said, at the end of
the day, we're all going to die. And of course
that's all they is. It's like boom, you know, that's
all they wanted to talk about. Well, what I said
next is what I really meant, and that was if
my four kids, Sarah, Drew, Michael, and Catherine grow up
and have an understanding that they don't give a crap
what you look like, where you come from, what your
economic status is, anything about where you live, your zip code.
(13:15):
They don't care about any of that. They just love
people because they love them, not for what they can
give them, not for what they need from them, but
they just love them. And they live in a place
where none of that matters, and the only thing they
care about is loving people. Then I don't care if
you've been to twenty five Super Bowls, twenty five Pro Bowls,
or how much money you've made. To me, that is
the only thing that will matter when I die.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
And that is the truth. And so even now, like
having lost the super Bowl and won it, the Super
Bowl Championships amazing. It is a great reminder sometimes how
cool this game is and the cool things you can
get from it. But it is not the legacy that
I want my kids to know me by or by
them to think that that's the only thing that matters.
It is I want who you are to people on
a daily basis. That is my super Bowl trophy. And
(14:01):
if that is the most consistent, then I'm happy. Where
did that enlightenment come from? Because this is football, man,
It's the ring the Lombardy. I mean, thank you grandparents
where you're from. Look, there's things that are facts, and
that is you win super Bowl Championships. Everyone gets some notoriety,
everyone gets some love, everyone gets some attention. Forever you'll
be able to live on that legacy and talk about it.
(14:22):
But there's also a thing that you know what to me.
You treat people right, you do things the right way.
You're there for people when they need you. Forever. People
will always respect who you are and they will appreciate
you for always being yourself. And that's a fact too,
And so to me, I always felt like super Bowl,
that's a lot of things I can't control. There's so
(14:43):
many things that go into that I can be my
absolute best. I know a lot of players who are
the absolute best of what they've ever done who didn't
get a chance to win a Super Bowl. I know
a lot of them that were really really good that
didn't even get in a playoff game and some sorry
ones that got ringed and sorry ones.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I got plenty of those, right right, Yeah, But I
don't moment.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Any guys that I've ever been around that their character,
the energy they walked in a room with, how they
made people feel, you know, what they did for others, Like,
I don't know any of those guys that lived their
life that way that I don't meet at people and
they go, man, how about that guy, especially like every
single time that wins. And so to me, it was
(15:20):
about that before the other. And I understand guys may
see it the other different way. There's some guys who
retire and all of a sudden that becomes important who
they are on a daily basis, you know, But for me,
it was like, man, I always want to keep that.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
First tell me everybody in this room wouldn't want to
have this guy protecting your blind side, right, thank you.
This is why, this is the reason. I was sitting
on a bus coming from god knows where, and it
was one of the first times I actually got to
talk to you. You had headphones on, you remember this, and
you were listening to al be Sure And I said,
what do you know about alb Sure? And you pulled
(15:52):
your head set and said, what do you know about
albu Shure. I'm like, oh, you got it, You're good.
This is a different cat, not phony, It's real, right
to the heart. So I'm glad you said that about
Jannis and failure. I was going to ask you, do
you look at your NFC championship ring as a failure?
Because I know some people do. I mean, that's a
hecking of an achievement. Not a lot of people get
(16:14):
that far. Not a lot of people have winning seasons
in the NFL. Do you look at that as a failure?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
I think for me, I had a different view coming
from Cincinnati, in the sense that we had a lot
of good years there. We won a lot, but we
went you know, six times while I was there, and
never won a playoff game. You know, we won three
division championships, never won a playoff game though, you know,
so we had a lot of Hey man, we were
really good football team. We beat a lot of teams,
but we never won. And we also had some teammates.
I had a guy, you know, Nate Clements, who I
(16:41):
played with, who who had never been to the playoffs
ever in his whole career. And here he is at
the end, just trying to get in a playoff game,
you know, I mean different guys like that. We're like wow.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
And then Kyle.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Williams, when my childhood best friends, you know, finally Buffalo
gets in, you know, you know, a few years ago
before he retired, and it's like he had played his
entire twelve eleven years of his career never seen a
playoff game.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
So I had a.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Deep, deep appreciation for just the experience of getting there
and then also winning one. So that year, winning against
the Cowboys at home, my first ever playoff win in
nine appearances, like I'd been eight times and lost. I
think I actually held the record for the worst record,
you know, for a player that's been in the playoffs,
so wash to eight. So it's like, you know, It's
one of those things where for me I had a
(17:24):
different appreciation. Probably the other guys I might have been ohe seven,
but the reality was I had an appreciation for it.
And so then you go to New Orleans and where
people say, all right, that's the end of your road.
You WINFC championship there you know the call will be
debated forever right at the end of the game, but
you win the game, you have the trophy. Well, that
was in the Superdome. I won three state championships in
(17:46):
high school in the Superdome. I won the national championship
at LSU in the Superdome. Wow, and then to win
an NFC Championship in Superdome. So I won a championship
at every level of sports in that building in my
home state. Like I don't walk away from that, like,
oh man, that's a failure. I walk away from that
like what a bless like I couldn't be more I
couldn't feel more blessed.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I couldn't feel more lucky.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Like what an amazing story to be able to come
from North Louisiana, play in the Superdome at every level
and win a championship of some kind. To me, it
was like an unbelievable story.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
It's a shame that that won't make that story didn't
make headlines.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
They want to call that a failure. That souls that's
just crazy.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Well jump to the super Bowl that you won here
and it's against Cincinnati. What was that like for you?
Playing Cincinnati in LA.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Just unbelievably surreal. I mean, to play an organization you
played for for eleven years in the Super Bowl. You know,
there were so many things that came together that week
that just it's a story. It's a movie. I mean,
it's you know, Derek Barnes and the story I told
it Waltter Prate Man of the Year about meeting him,
the Detroit Lions player, you know after the game, Like
(18:52):
that came from my rookie year in Cincinnati, going to
boys and girls clubs and spending time with him in
the afternoons when he was six, seven, eight years old
in the NFL. And now here it is, I play
that city, that team in the Super Bowl. All that
happens in the same year that this all comes together
and I win the Walter Payton Man the Year Story trophy.
Tell that story, play that team in that city. Two
(19:15):
days later, you know, just unbelievable for it to all
come together that way for my kids and my family,
like how special Cincinnati was to us.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
It really was.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
And like people are like, oh, man, of course you
want to win. I did want to win, but that
week was so much emotional turmoil because my wife and
I had said before the playoffs, like we're retiring, like
this is it. Like we'd sat down, I told her
how I felt. I told her this is I feel
like it's finally time. I feel like I could keep playing,
but I feel like I'm just this is enough. And
so literally it's like we know that's it, and for
(19:46):
it's all come together, Like wow, not only is this
it and we've said it, it's our two places that
we love the most, that we've poured our heart and
soul into and we're doing this all in this moment.
And so just a crazy week and something that I'll
still never forget.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Do you think about the Hall of Fame? Do you
allow that to you?
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Really? Don't?
Speaker 1 (20:07):
I mean you got the resume, man, I mean, four
time pro bowler should be more fair.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
We all know this.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Yeah, you shouldn't think about the all with your storybook,
ending your career, everything you just mentioned.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
You don't think about the Hall of Fame. I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
I mean obviously if you sat there and said, hey,
let's have an argument of why you belong, Like yeah,
I mean, I think there's plenty of things that I
did that haven't been done, and not only just at
the offensive line position. I mean, you look at you know,
I think Sean said this when I retired. I forget
the statistic, but it's like, had the amount of games
I started, Waner, Waltters, Payton Man, the Year Trophy and
a Super Bowl. There's only three people in INFL history,
(20:43):
I think that have accomplished that, you know, and so
it's like, you know, I think it's me, Peyton and Eli,
and so it's you know, you're in rare, rare like
a lot of those things, you're in rare positions, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I mean I do.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
I will say last year, you know, as good as
I felt like, there was a couple times and I
was like it, I should go back out for a
couple of games, because you know, I did end my
career one game short of the winning this o lineman. Ever,
Jeff Saturday holds that he's got one more win than me,
so or maybe two. Yeah, yeah, you know, you never know.
I may try and suit up this fall. No, that's
(21:16):
not happening. But you know, I think it's one of
those things, like it's like you think of some of
that legacy stuff, and so I think it puts you
in a position where it's like, hey, I've done a
lot of things that are pretty rare. I've had a
lot of opportunities that have just been amazing to be
in the right place the right time and be a
part of great cultures. You know, you look in Cincinnati,
you know, for twenty years, they don't one winning season
to get there and go to the playoffs six times
(21:37):
and win tons of division championships, you know, those things.
And then to come here where they hadn't won in
a really long time, even had an over five hundred
season in a really long time. To come here and
go to two super Bowls and win a bunch of
division championships and then win a Super Bowl. Yeah, I mean,
there's lots of things, man, but it's it's one of
those things that it's it's like, yeah, I could argue it,
(21:58):
but I don't really want to. I mean, I think
I got everything out of this game that i'd ever
dream and ever want, and I can't wait to keep
giving back to it. I mean, there's so many guys
that I get a chance to mentor and lean on,
And to me, that's what I think about right now,
is what can I give back to the game and
help some other guy get to where he wants to
get and reach his dream. I mean, that to me
is what gives me pleasure.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
See.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Look, I'm not a Hall of Famer, but I've been
hit by him and I've watched him and you're everybody
as good as they are. But I'm gonna let them decide.
But that's what I'm saying. I just wanted to know,
do you think about the Hall of Fame? Because you should?
Moving into your current job. You're on TV Amazon Thursday
Night Football. Love that crew. Carissa is awesome, Richard Sherman must.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Be a hoot. He's hilarious, and.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Fits is awesome. And Tony Gonzalez is not of this earth.
The man does not age, No, he doesn't. How do
you like your new gig? How do you like being
on that side of the camera in football?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
It's been really fun for me. I don't think I
ever dreamed as a player, and even when I first
retired that it'd be something I would enjoy as much
as I have. I mean, I think, you know, you
sometimes as a player could get Jada to think of
you lump all media in one basket, right, And so
it's like, you know, whether you enjoy talking about certain
things or discussing things, and I'm getting criticized for this
(23:10):
or that. But to get out of the game and
then go straight into man, I'm gonna be on location
in the stadiums in the arena, watch them coming out,
all the energy for from both teams in these stadiums,
and to talk about that and discuss it and be
in there and feel it while you're doing it. And
then the crew I'm doing it with, I mean, you know,
(23:31):
Richard Sherman is literally that's who he is, like twenty
four to seven. I mean, Ryan and I can't even
bring up things in our production meetings because it's like
we're gonna have to argue and fight, like you know,
with them. So it's like, hey, man, like let's discuss
this on the set because this is just like you know,
so it's just so great.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
And we all hit it off so fast.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
And Ryan I obviously played together at one time in Cincinnati,
and so we've been close friends, and you know, and
Chris is just a machine. I mean, I don't know
if anybody sets the table for you know, work ethic
and how you go after that. I mean, I think
she's got seventy two jobs. I don't know what job
she would consider her number one job, because she's got
them all over the place, from home decorating companies to
Fox to Amazon, so you name it. I mean, the
(24:09):
NFL network stuff she does at all. And I think
when you talk about, hey man, what is the work
ethic and the attitude it takes to just chase things,
not coming from being an athlete, not coming from saying, hey,
I was a professional athlete who got this job. She
does it through her work ethic and it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And then Tony, I.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Mean, lord, the guy still looks like he's twenty two.
I mean I just saw him this past weekend. He's jacked,
he's working out again. He wants to start dunking the
basketball again, and he will. I promise you he'll be
slamming it by fall. And it just he's an absolute
freaking nature. Every time I see him, I call him
Vampire Lestatt. The guy's been He's been a lie for
two thousand years. We just don't know it. So we
(24:45):
have this thing that we do on rams Iconic.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
It's called my favorite play and my favorite play for you,
I told you was chasing that guy into the end
zone that said a lot. Do you have a favorite play,
a play you can go back to that this is
my favorite, or something that stands out to you. It's
tough from the line spot.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, it's tough. You know.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
There's a lot of fun plays throughout my career that
that I would say are fun. If I had to say,
like probably one that, uh, you know, was was a favorite.
When I was in Cincinnati, it'd be in Buffalo. We
ran a release screen, like an alley screen that I
caught a good buddy, Jim Leonard pretty good with a
good little stiff arm and got down the sideline with
aj Green and it's a pretty good little highlight. I
(25:23):
think somebody turned into a Jeff actually, but I caught
him just I caught him on his heels a little bit.
It looks worse than it was, but it's a pretty
funny one, uh, and then uh one and then my
favorite one here easily is it's not close for my
for my career. I would say, uh, you know what
the last touchdown we scored against the Cowboys in the
playoff game, because it kind of cemented to win and
(25:46):
that was my first ever playoff win. To come here
and to really seal the deal, uh and have a chance,
you know, to win a playoff game and get to
where we were, and you felt how special that team was.
That was a big fist pump in the I know
Sean always tells that story, and I can remember that
that literally in my mind. It takes me from that
moment straight to bending down and picking up my kids
(26:09):
and my wife as they ran down on the field
because we won our first playoff game.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Just what that meant to us?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
I think I remember that you walking off them. You
weren't crying, but.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
You were red. Yeah. I was in an emotion in there. Yeah,
big deal.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So you're on TV? Is it hard throwing people under
the bus? Telling the truth about certain guys? People you
might like like here the Rams and their draft and
the offensive line the way it was. Do you have
a starting five somebody you'd like to see out there
right now. I mean, is it tough being on that side?
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah? I think you know.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
For me, what I've always said is that I think
there's guys that have certain roles on TV and that's
what they want to be, and that's going to be
like how they're going to be the most successful. For me,
if I'm going to be on TV talking about football,
it's going to purely come from a place of the
passion I have for the game, the passion for a
the way I think the game should be played, what
is the right way to do it. I'm going to
(27:00):
study enough tape and I'm going to understand teams and
coordinators and where they come from to know what guys
are being asked to do and how they should be
doing it and whether they're living up to that. And
so I've always said, if I'm being critical of a
guy playing to a certain standard, to me, I don't
have any problem doing that because that's what the game
deserves and that's what it needs and that's probably what
(27:20):
that player wants. And if I'm doing that, I'm comfortable
with it. I'm not ever going to be in the
role on TV because that's not who I am to
be on there trying to create chaos and trying to
be critical of somebody. I don't want to be critical
of anybody. I want to talk about the way the
game should be played. And if you're doing that, then
I'm going to be the guy talking about loving on
how good you're playing and how great it's being played.
(27:43):
And if you're not doing that and I'm watching tape
and I see it, I'm going to talk about this
is what I need from you to get to that
level so I can praise the way you're playing.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
And I have no problem talking about the game I
love and the way I think it should be played
because that's my vision for it. Whether they agree with
that or not, Like that's their business, and then that's
their problem. Like they could think it's done a different way.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
What if it's.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
You know, you're here's here's what I think about. That
is again to me, it's about intent, mentality, and what
you're capable of. And so I'm not going to take
a guy that I go, hey, man, you know what,
this guy should be locking people down every single snap,
because that's not the reality of football, right, Like, I
don't care if it's layering me Tunzel, I can find
bad plays like that.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
That's anybody can you do that? And so with Rob
it's the same way.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Like even last year, it's like, man, you're the guy
left out of everybody that's injured and you're fighting your
butt off to get it done every week. But what
people don't understand is it's about how that five plays.
My favorite word, it's about exposure. If I'm on a
great offense and we're always rolling and getting first downs,
I'm not getting exposed very much. It's not third and
long very often. It's not second and twelve every freaking
(28:51):
five minutes. It's not second and twenty where I'm getting
exposed and I'm having to face the best rusher in
the worst situations over and over again. So a lot
of guys don't get exposed because of how good their
team is. Now you play a year where you play
on a bad team, you find out what exposure is
because you're gonna be put on highlight reels constantly and
they're gonna get sacks and it's gonna be like, hey man,
(29:11):
it was third and fifteen and we're just trying to
find a way to win.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Like, what do you want me to do.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
I'm trying to block Michael Parsons twenty five times in
third down situations, I'm gonna lose, like and so it's
it's for like, even for Rob he knows that. Like
when we talk, it's like, hey, man, like keep things
in perspective, bro, Like, just find ways to help all
the guys around you be better, and all of you
are gonna have more success. That That is the nature
of football, and that's how it.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Works, no doubt. Did you ever lock up with Aaron?
I mean he's inside and practices. I mean we have
vacasional time on a stunt where he's lined up there and.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
There'd be some occasional moments, but you say, you know,
like here's the thing, Like, you know, here's the thing
with Ad is ad so rare and so special, But
he's also just such a good dude. I really think
towards the end of my career, if that ever happened
in practice, he was just nice to me. Like I
really I really think that he was like, you know what,
I'm on a rock with, but I'm not gonna like beat
him to I think that's what happened when I first
got here in like seventeen eighteen. Like I went to Sean.
(30:04):
I was like, hey, man, listen, just don't line me
and Ad up together. I don't want embarrassing you know
what I mean. Uh, that's a lot. But anyways, I did.
I you know, I just you know. That's the thing is,
later in my career, I think he was just gentle
with me. I think he really was. I know he's
a mean guy, he's the incredible Hulk all that, but
I'm just gonna.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Let people know. I think he was actually gentle with me, and.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
I just want to know what that what that strength
feels like.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
On the other side, I think it was more of
like a mutual appreciation. Is like there's no need for
us both to lock horns. Like let's just get through
the down. It's only going to happen twice in camp maybe,
and let's just move on to another day.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Especially Yeah, oh my god, Rarefy.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Listen, he's crazy, crazy rare man.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Well, look with thanks for coming out, thanks for joining us.
This has been awesome. I was tracking you down. I
couldn't wait to get you. You're a special player in
my career as a broadcaster. Getting to watch you up
close and how people react to you, coaches and players,
so this has been great man. Thank you for coming
in too, ran I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Man.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
That is a wrap on this episode of RAMS Iconic,
presented by eighteen hundred Tequila, the best taste in tequila.
Please drink responsibly. Hope you enjoyed our convo with the
legendary Andrew Whitworth. I'm DeMarco Farr and we will see
you next time.
Welcome to RAMS Iconic, presented by eighteen hundred Tequila, the
best taste in tequila. Please drink responsibly. I'm your host,
DeMarco Farr, and this is the podcast where we catch
up with some of the greatest players in RAMS history.
My next guest played five seasons with the La Rams.
He's a four time Pro bowler, to be a lot more,
a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner, the
(00:24):
anchor and leader of the offensive line that brought you
LA your first Super Bowl ever. Please welcome the RAMS
Iconic Super Bowl Chap Andrew Whitworth.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
What is up, big man? What's going on? Baby? I'm
happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Oh man, I'm just good to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Have you been hanging out in the dojo.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I've been hanging out in the dojo, man, Still getting
after it a little bit. You know, I still think
I got it.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
You do have it? Look at you? How much do
you weigh?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I have no idea. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
When I retired, I made a commitment, no wagh in
so I you know what, I don't weigh. I just
kind of work out and stay fit. I'm trying to
stay in shape.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
You made a commitment, no wag in.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Yeah, for big guys, you know what's like, especially it's
like you can get frustrated by that number and it
affects how you think and your mentality about yourself. And
so for me, it was like, stay with my program,
keep working out, getting the sign of doing what I do,
and you know what, the rest will take care of itself.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
See you skinny folks don't know what he's talking about.
Like the scale can be depressing, man, when you see
the wrong number on there.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Well and good.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
We always as a big guy, you always dream you're
gonna be too twenty one day, right, Like one day
I'm just all of a sudden be two twenty. But
it's it's not going to happen, you know. So it's
it's one of those things that for me, it's like
it's if my lifestyle leads me to being lighter and uh,
get into the shape I want to get in, and
that's how it's going to be either way. So the
scale's not going to help me.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Sixteen years you played, right, sixteen years in the NFL,
like thirty year football career. But do you know what
people do on Sundays? I mean two hundred and thirty
five starts. You were busy for a while. Do you
what is your Sundays like? Now?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
It was really strange you first, I can tell you
that I was so just trying to figure out where
I sit it, what do I do? Which TV do
I watch? Like how do I go somewhere to watch
a game?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Like?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I couldn't figure out what you're supposed to do on
a Sunday and how it all go, you know, is
laid out throughout the day, because I've never had to
do it before. So that was probably one of the
biggest adjustments, is like how I'm going to watch football?
Not whether I would, but how am I going to
watch it?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Happy in retirement?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Great? I'm I couldn't be happier because.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I just watched like a loop of you being miked
up and the part where you get the team together
and you give the speech and you know.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Know why you're here.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I mean, you can't find that any other place except
down on the field with pads on.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I mean, that's tough to leave behind.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
It is that passion for the locker room, for the guys,
for being in that circle. That will always be a
very rare, special place to me, and that'll never change.
But the feeling of waking up in the morning and
be able to get out of my bed and get
to the bathroom without holding onto the walls, you know what,
that's pretty good. I told somebody this fall is probably
(02:55):
mid you know, October November somewhere there. I go to
the bathroom one morning and I'm like excited, and my
wife's like, what are you giggling and like excited about
in there? And I'm like, Babe, I just got out
of the bed. I walked to the bathroom and ipeede
And I never thought about like, oh my god, my
back or my knees or like I didn't have to
put both hands on the wall, like nothing, Like I
(03:16):
just walked to the bathroom. I didn't think about it,
and it just hit me, like I don't know when
the last time I did that?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Was Wow, good for you man. How many times you
like riped the towel hanger off.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Oh I'm trying all the time, and then pushing on
the tole roll hanging, you know, like to get up right,
like I mean, oh, babe, I think he just fell
out of the wall that I think it just fell out.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I don't know what happened see big guy stuff. I
got to go back to the first time I remember
seeing you, when they brought you in and I heard
your interview was kind of backwards when you came from
Cincinnati eleven years then you came out here and they
were talking about you because I was marveling. I'm like, Wow,
this guy is so good. Why did Cincinnati let him go?
But neither here nor there. But they were saying that
(03:56):
your interview was backwards. You interviewed them, not the other
way around. You had more questions for them than they
had for you. Is that is that accurate?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Well, you know, I think I've always been that way.
I got a lot of questions. That's who I am.
I'm a curious guy. And so anytime I'm taking on something,
I don't think of just like how I can affect it.
I think of how it's going to affect me and
what I need to know, you know, And and so
I think it doesn't matter to me whether I'm talking
about being involved with the community or a team or
a relationship. It's not always what you bring. Sometimes it's
(04:26):
about what they need and where you're needed and what
they need from you, and can you meet them there
and that halfway place, and so to me, it's always
been about that. So I wanted to know as much
about them as they probably want to know about me
coming in as I want to figure out where am
I and who are the people I'm gonna be involved
with for the next so many years.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
You were exactly what the team needed.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I can't remember the exact play, but it was in
the coliseum and there was a turnover and the guy
is running away from everyone, and who's right behind them?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You are, yeah, preseason p.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
M. Yes, chasing the guy into the end zone. And
I said, look, that's leadership right there. That's not just
talking about it, that's that's being about it. Do you
remember that play?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
I do actually remember that. Tell me about that play. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
We were playing the Chargers here in the coliseum in
the preseason and I think Joey Bosa, one of the guys,
got free and hit Jared and the ball came out
and that was actually our last series of the game,
of the preseason game, and you know, I saw him
pick it up and we were probably on our you know,
on their fifteen sixteen yard line, and I chased him
the whole eighty yards and almost caught him at the
end and I'll never forget. We get to the end
(05:28):
zone and he turns around and he's like, what's wrong
with you? Why would you possibly it's a preseason game,
like just let me score? Like what are you doing?
Like he was literally like what are you doing? Why
would you chase me?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Like that? Why did you chase him?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I just think that in life, like when you're blessed
with an opportunity to back up who you are and
who you say you are and what you say you're about.
Like to me, like, that's when you have to be
able to shine. That's when you have to be at
your a game, Like, that's your opportunity if you come
in as this thirty six year old oldest lineman ever
to be signed as to a big marquee free agent deal,
(06:00):
you get to show these guys like here's why I'm here,
Here's how I got here, because this is the way
I play the game with the passion and the energy.
It doesn't matter if it's preseason, no matter when it is,
I'm gonna rise up in occasions where I'm needed. And
I think, to me, it's like in those moments is
when you show people who you really are and they
go all right, Like when he tells me stuff, I
(06:20):
believe it now.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I would have hated to be the other nine Jared
quarterback different but the other nine that weren't behind you.
I mean that must have been a shameful me. Yeah,
the oldest guy in the room.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I love it, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
And it's like, you do those challenges and then it's
always cracks me up because like the next week or
like some other drill, some young guys are gonna try
and beat you and be like, well, I beat you today,
and I'm always like you just you're totally missing the
whole point. That's exactly what I want you to do.
I want you to strive to beat me every day.
And if I'm doing that, then you're getting better and
you're worrying about beating me, and that's fine with me.
(06:52):
You can beat me every time, but I know how
I'm gonna run, so that's gonna only make you better.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I felt that every time I saw you take the field,
and this is why I kept telling Sean mcvah. I
got to hear in my notes. I would never let
you out of the building. I would never never if
you could if you can't play coach, if you can't coach,
be in the front office. I need a guy like
this around my football team one hundred percent of the time.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Is that fair to say?
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
I mean he sends the compliment back to you. He
feels the same way. Yeah, it's you know, it's been.
It's been really probably one of the most humbling and uh,
just affirming and things that just gives you confidence in
yourself since I've retired. Yeah, really, the passion they have
for keeping me involved and being around the building and
around the players, and how much the guys reach out,
uh and even coaches and different people in the staff
(07:40):
reach out for just hey man, how would you maybe
handle this or think about this?
Speaker 3 (07:44):
And those kind of things. It's it's been really cool.
I mean, to me, I love this game. I love
all the things that teaches you and gives you back
just as much as you give it. And so uh yeah,
I mean each and every week, you know, we just
talked about it. I've been coming here to OTAs and
attending the meetings this year just to kind of be
around and learn some stuff from myself. And we talked
about me, you know, beating the guys to the hashes
(08:04):
every before every series.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
You know, that was my thing.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I was the first one on the field every single game,
you know, for my entire career.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That was my goal.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
And I used to see this your little hand signal
to coach, like let's go, let's go, let's go.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
It's always just like let's go.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
We got it going here, yeah, just temple.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
To me, it was always about how fast can we
get back on the ball, how fast can we get
get going? Like you know, that energy, that momentum. I mean,
people who don't believe in minute momentums are real thing.
They're crazy. I mean, when you get in a game,
it's like in the NBA when you start making shots
and you start running the floor and you start saying,
all right, we're going to just literally keep going so
fast and you see these runs in the NBA, that's
really what they're doing. And so in football, I think
(08:40):
it's the same way we get a first down, the
next first down should happen so fast that they're gasping,
they're arguing, they're fussing, you know, amongst each other, they're
yelling at each other. And while they're doing that, We're
just marching the field as fast as we can, and
we got them gassed. Their lungs are blowing. That's exactly
what we want.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
See.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
This is why I try to fight you on the field,
because you know exactly was going on over there.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
See, you're confusing us.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I want to talk about the Walter Payton Man of
the Year Award, and I read your speech and you
said it's about being great on it and living with
your heart off it. And the one word I kept
coming back to was worthy. And if I could pick
a word that kind of identifies with what I think
of you, it would be worthy. I mean, tell me
about that. Tell me about getting the Walter Payton Man
(09:24):
of the Year Award and just leading up to it.
I mean, was that your goal? Was it just something
you were just surprised by?
Speaker 3 (09:31):
You know, I was always very uh, I don't know,
just I hate it kind of in the middle. I
understand both sides of the award and what it's about,
and the obviously the honor and the legacy, you know,
Walter Payton, and then all the guys that came before
you that have done so much in the communities. And
I think that part's amazing, but it was always tough
to get recognized for something that I think is just
(09:52):
about being the kind of person that we need and
what a community needs, and what a team needs, and
what a culture needs somebody who cares about it more,
maybe sometimes than they cares about itself, and is willing
to say, hey, it's not always about me, It's about
all of us, and how can I help not just me?
You know, if I'm chasing dreams, do I want to
(10:12):
make sure that people around me who maybe don't have
that same opportunity or maybe didn't get the same break
I did, that they have a chance to chase their
dreams as too as well. And so I think for me,
it's one of those things where I've always thought about, hey, man,
when I got that next opportunity or I had this
chance to get a contract, I go back to like
the moments where I could not have been here, like hey,
if this person didn't help me, or this person didn't
(10:32):
lean into me, or this thing that you know what,
I made a bad decision but things worked out the
right way, or somebody gave me a second chance, And
I just have always sat there and said, all right,
if I'm looking at a community, a school, a program
that it's like maybe they just need a second chance,
or maybe they's somebody to just give them a little
bit of love, no telling where they could get. And
so to me, when it really came to being a
(10:53):
part of the community and being a part of that award,
it was really about, hey, this is just who I am,
Like I'm not driving for an award a legacy of
like being about the community. I just truly actually care
And I'm never going to walk across somebody who needs
another hand, or needs a little love, or needs a
hug or an encouragement or a meal and be able
(11:14):
to say to myself like, well I hope that works
out for him. Wow, Like I want to be the
one that says, all right, well I got a little
extra like here, like whatever it does to help you,
Like that's what I want it to be. And that's
really what I felt like my Walter Pregnant million year
opportunity to be that and win that award. It was
less about hey, how much money can you raise? You know,
how big of a celebrity status did you used or
(11:35):
do all these things? Like I just a old lineman
who loves playing football, who loves people and doesn't ever
want to live or be somewhere that I'm not making
it better than when I found it. And wow, that's it.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Isn't the award? The actual trophy is an offensive lineman, right,
the big dude stand it in the coat? Yeah, yeah,
it kind of fits with you. It makes sense. But
you know how teams are in communities are some guys
are afraid to I guess cross boundaries. But you're comfortable
anywhere you go with any group of people. Is is that.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Fair to say? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
You know, I I got crushed for this in eighteen
when we lost the Super Bowl, but I made a
comment that I said, you know, they asked me you
lost the game, like you know, and you're you're answering
all these questions and everyone's speculating I'm going to retire,
and a reporter asked me like, how do you how
do you like move on? Like how do you go
forward from here? And it just like I think of
(12:29):
you know, I think Jannis just answered something similar to this,
you know, and it kind of irritated me and I
got where he was coming from. Is It's like, bro,
my life is so much more important than just this
game like, this game is amazing. It's don crazy things
for my life and my kids and my family and
a lot of other communities that I've gotten to be
a part of and be and do things for. But
it's so much bigger than just football and winning a
(12:51):
super Bowl trophy. And I said, at the end of
the day, we're all going to die. And of course
that's all they is. It's like boom, you know, that's
all they wanted to talk about. Well, what I said
next is what I really meant, and that was if
my four kids, Sarah, Drew, Michael, and Catherine grow up
and have an understanding that they don't give a crap
what you look like, where you come from, what your
economic status is, anything about where you live, your zip code.
(13:15):
They don't care about any of that. They just love
people because they love them, not for what they can
give them, not for what they need from them, but
they just love them. And they live in a place
where none of that matters, and the only thing they
care about is loving people. Then I don't care if
you've been to twenty five Super Bowls, twenty five Pro Bowls,
or how much money you've made. To me, that is
the only thing that will matter when I die.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
And that is the truth. And so even now, like
having lost the super Bowl and won it, the Super
Bowl Championships amazing. It is a great reminder sometimes how
cool this game is and the cool things you can
get from it. But it is not the legacy that
I want my kids to know me by or by
them to think that that's the only thing that matters.
It is I want who you are to people on
a daily basis. That is my super Bowl trophy. And
(14:01):
if that is the most consistent, then I'm happy. Where
did that enlightenment come from? Because this is football, man,
It's the ring the Lombardy. I mean, thank you grandparents
where you're from. Look, there's things that are facts, and
that is you win super Bowl Championships. Everyone gets some notoriety,
everyone gets some love, everyone gets some attention. Forever you'll
be able to live on that legacy and talk about it.
(14:22):
But there's also a thing that you know what to me.
You treat people right, you do things the right way.
You're there for people when they need you. Forever. People
will always respect who you are and they will appreciate
you for always being yourself. And that's a fact too,
And so to me, I always felt like super Bowl,
that's a lot of things I can't control. There's so
(14:43):
many things that go into that I can be my
absolute best. I know a lot of players who are
the absolute best of what they've ever done who didn't
get a chance to win a Super Bowl. I know
a lot of them that were really really good that
didn't even get in a playoff game and some sorry
ones that got ringed and sorry ones.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I got plenty of those, right right, Yeah, But I
don't moment.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Any guys that I've ever been around that their character,
the energy they walked in a room with, how they
made people feel, you know, what they did for others, Like,
I don't know any of those guys that lived their
life that way that I don't meet at people and
they go, man, how about that guy, especially like every
single time that wins. And so to me, it was
(15:20):
about that before the other. And I understand guys may
see it the other different way. There's some guys who
retire and all of a sudden that becomes important who
they are on a daily basis, you know, But for me,
it was like, man, I always want to keep that.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
First tell me everybody in this room wouldn't want to
have this guy protecting your blind side, right, thank you.
This is why, this is the reason. I was sitting
on a bus coming from god knows where, and it
was one of the first times I actually got to
talk to you. You had headphones on, you remember this, and
you were listening to al be Sure And I said,
what do you know about alb Sure? And you pulled
(15:52):
your head set and said, what do you know about
albu Shure. I'm like, oh, you got it, You're good.
This is a different cat, not phony, It's real, right
to the heart. So I'm glad you said that about
Jannis and failure. I was going to ask you, do
you look at your NFC championship ring as a failure?
Because I know some people do. I mean, that's a
hecking of an achievement. Not a lot of people get
(16:14):
that far. Not a lot of people have winning seasons
in the NFL. Do you look at that as a failure?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (16:20):
I think for me, I had a different view coming
from Cincinnati, in the sense that we had a lot
of good years there. We won a lot, but we
went you know, six times while I was there, and
never won a playoff game. You know, we won three
division championships, never won a playoff game though, you know,
so we had a lot of Hey man, we were
really good football team. We beat a lot of teams,
but we never won. And we also had some teammates.
I had a guy, you know, Nate Clements, who I
(16:41):
played with, who who had never been to the playoffs
ever in his whole career. And here he is at
the end, just trying to get in a playoff game,
you know, I mean different guys like that. We're like wow.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
And then Kyle.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Williams, when my childhood best friends, you know, finally Buffalo
gets in, you know, you know, a few years ago
before he retired, and it's like he had played his
entire twelve eleven years of his career never seen a
playoff game.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
So I had a.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Deep, deep appreciation for just the experience of getting there
and then also winning one. So that year, winning against
the Cowboys at home, my first ever playoff win in
nine appearances, like I'd been eight times and lost. I
think I actually held the record for the worst record,
you know, for a player that's been in the playoffs,
so wash to eight. So it's like, you know, It's
one of those things where for me I had a
(17:24):
different appreciation. Probably the other guys I might have been ohe seven,
but the reality was I had an appreciation for it.
And so then you go to New Orleans and where
people say, all right, that's the end of your road.
You WINFC championship there you know the call will be
debated forever right at the end of the game, but
you win the game, you have the trophy. Well, that
was in the Superdome. I won three state championships in
(17:46):
high school in the Superdome. I won the national championship
at LSU in the Superdome. Wow, and then to win
an NFC Championship in Superdome. So I won a championship
at every level of sports in that building in my
home state. Like I don't walk away from that, like,
oh man, that's a failure. I walk away from that
like what a bless like I couldn't be more I
couldn't feel more blessed.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
I couldn't feel more lucky.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Like what an amazing story to be able to come
from North Louisiana, play in the Superdome at every level
and win a championship of some kind. To me, it
was like an unbelievable story.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
It's a shame that that won't make that story didn't
make headlines.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
They want to call that a failure. That souls that's
just crazy.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Well jump to the super Bowl that you won here
and it's against Cincinnati. What was that like for you?
Playing Cincinnati in LA.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Just unbelievably surreal. I mean, to play an organization you
played for for eleven years in the Super Bowl. You know,
there were so many things that came together that week
that just it's a story. It's a movie. I mean,
it's you know, Derek Barnes and the story I told
it Waltter Prate Man of the Year about meeting him,
the Detroit Lions player, you know after the game, Like
(18:52):
that came from my rookie year in Cincinnati, going to
boys and girls clubs and spending time with him in
the afternoons when he was six, seven, eight years old
in the NFL. And now here it is, I play
that city, that team in the Super Bowl. All that
happens in the same year that this all comes together
and I win the Walter Payton Man the Year Story trophy.
Tell that story, play that team in that city. Two
(19:15):
days later, you know, just unbelievable for it to all
come together that way for my kids and my family,
like how special Cincinnati was to us.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
It really was.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
And like people are like, oh, man, of course you
want to win. I did want to win, but that
week was so much emotional turmoil because my wife and
I had said before the playoffs, like we're retiring, like
this is it. Like we'd sat down, I told her
how I felt. I told her this is I feel
like it's finally time. I feel like I could keep playing,
but I feel like I'm just this is enough. And
so literally it's like we know that's it, and for
(19:46):
it's all come together, Like wow, not only is this
it and we've said it, it's our two places that
we love the most, that we've poured our heart and
soul into and we're doing this all in this moment.
And so just a crazy week and something that I'll
still never forget.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Do you think about the Hall of Fame? Do you
allow that to you?
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Really? Don't?
Speaker 1 (20:07):
I mean you got the resume, man, I mean, four
time pro bowler should be more fair.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
We all know this.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Yeah, you shouldn't think about the all with your storybook,
ending your career, everything you just mentioned.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
You don't think about the Hall of Fame. I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
I mean obviously if you sat there and said, hey,
let's have an argument of why you belong, Like yeah,
I mean, I think there's plenty of things that I
did that haven't been done, and not only just at
the offensive line position. I mean, you look at you know,
I think Sean said this when I retired. I forget
the statistic, but it's like, had the amount of games
I started, Waner, Waltters, Payton Man, the Year Trophy and
a Super Bowl. There's only three people in INFL history,
(20:43):
I think that have accomplished that, you know, and so
it's like, you know, I think it's me, Peyton and Eli,
and so it's you know, you're in rare, rare like
a lot of those things, you're in rare positions, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I mean I do.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
I will say last year, you know, as good as
I felt like, there was a couple times and I
was like it, I should go back out for a
couple of games, because you know, I did end my
career one game short of the winning this o lineman. Ever,
Jeff Saturday holds that he's got one more win than me,
so or maybe two. Yeah, yeah, you know, you never know.
I may try and suit up this fall. No, that's
(21:16):
not happening. But you know, I think it's one of
those things, like it's like you think of some of
that legacy stuff, and so I think it puts you
in a position where it's like, hey, I've done a
lot of things that are pretty rare. I've had a
lot of opportunities that have just been amazing to be
in the right place the right time and be a
part of great cultures. You know, you look in Cincinnati,
you know, for twenty years, they don't one winning season
to get there and go to the playoffs six times
(21:37):
and win tons of division championships, you know, those things.
And then to come here where they hadn't won in
a really long time, even had an over five hundred
season in a really long time. To come here and
go to two super Bowls and win a bunch of
division championships and then win a Super Bowl. Yeah, I mean,
there's lots of things, man, but it's it's one of
those things that it's it's like, yeah, I could argue it,
(21:58):
but I don't really want to. I mean, I think
I got everything out of this game that i'd ever
dream and ever want, and I can't wait to keep
giving back to it. I mean, there's so many guys
that I get a chance to mentor and lean on,
And to me, that's what I think about right now,
is what can I give back to the game and
help some other guy get to where he wants to
get and reach his dream. I mean, that to me
is what gives me pleasure.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
See.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Look, I'm not a Hall of Famer, but I've been
hit by him and I've watched him and you're everybody
as good as they are. But I'm gonna let them decide.
But that's what I'm saying. I just wanted to know,
do you think about the Hall of Fame? Because you should?
Moving into your current job. You're on TV Amazon Thursday
Night Football. Love that crew. Carissa is awesome, Richard Sherman must.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Be a hoot. He's hilarious, and.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Fits is awesome. And Tony Gonzalez is not of this earth.
The man does not age, No, he doesn't. How do
you like your new gig? How do you like being
on that side of the camera in football?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
It's been really fun for me. I don't think I
ever dreamed as a player, and even when I first
retired that it'd be something I would enjoy as much
as I have. I mean, I think, you know, you
sometimes as a player could get Jada to think of
you lump all media in one basket, right, And so
it's like, you know, whether you enjoy talking about certain
things or discussing things, and I'm getting criticized for this
(23:10):
or that. But to get out of the game and
then go straight into man, I'm gonna be on location
in the stadiums in the arena, watch them coming out,
all the energy for from both teams in these stadiums,
and to talk about that and discuss it and be
in there and feel it while you're doing it. And
then the crew I'm doing it with, I mean, you know,
(23:31):
Richard Sherman is literally that's who he is, like twenty
four to seven. I mean, Ryan and I can't even
bring up things in our production meetings because it's like
we're gonna have to argue and fight, like you know,
with them. So it's like, hey, man, like let's discuss
this on the set because this is just like you know,
so it's just so great.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
And we all hit it off so fast.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
And Ryan I obviously played together at one time in Cincinnati,
and so we've been close friends, and you know, and
Chris is just a machine. I mean, I don't know
if anybody sets the table for you know, work ethic
and how you go after that. I mean, I think
she's got seventy two jobs. I don't know what job
she would consider her number one job, because she's got
them all over the place, from home decorating companies to
Fox to Amazon, so you name it. I mean, the
(24:09):
NFL network stuff she does at all. And I think
when you talk about, hey man, what is the work
ethic and the attitude it takes to just chase things,
not coming from being an athlete, not coming from saying, hey,
I was a professional athlete who got this job. She
does it through her work ethic and it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And then Tony, I.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Mean, lord, the guy still looks like he's twenty two.
I mean I just saw him this past weekend. He's jacked,
he's working out again. He wants to start dunking the
basketball again, and he will. I promise you he'll be
slamming it by fall. And it just he's an absolute
freaking nature. Every time I see him, I call him
Vampire Lestatt. The guy's been He's been a lie for
two thousand years. We just don't know it. So we
(24:45):
have this thing that we do on rams Iconic.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
It's called my favorite play and my favorite play for you,
I told you was chasing that guy into the end
zone that said a lot. Do you have a favorite play,
a play you can go back to that this is
my favorite, or something that stands out to you. It's
tough from the line spot.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, it's tough. You know.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
There's a lot of fun plays throughout my career that
that I would say are fun. If I had to say,
like probably one that, uh, you know, was was a favorite.
When I was in Cincinnati, it'd be in Buffalo. We
ran a release screen, like an alley screen that I
caught a good buddy, Jim Leonard pretty good with a
good little stiff arm and got down the sideline with
aj Green and it's a pretty good little highlight. I
(25:23):
think somebody turned into a Jeff actually, but I caught
him just I caught him on his heels a little bit.
It looks worse than it was, but it's a pretty
funny one, uh, and then uh one and then my
favorite one here easily is it's not close for my
for my career. I would say, uh, you know what
the last touchdown we scored against the Cowboys in the
playoff game, because it kind of cemented to win and
(25:46):
that was my first ever playoff win. To come here
and to really seal the deal, uh and have a chance,
you know, to win a playoff game and get to
where we were, and you felt how special that team was.
That was a big fist pump in the I know
Sean always tells that story, and I can remember that
that literally in my mind. It takes me from that
moment straight to bending down and picking up my kids
(26:09):
and my wife as they ran down on the field
because we won our first playoff game.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Just what that meant to us?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
I think I remember that you walking off them. You
weren't crying, but.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
You were red. Yeah. I was in an emotion in there. Yeah,
big deal.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So you're on TV? Is it hard throwing people under
the bus? Telling the truth about certain guys? People you
might like like here the Rams and their draft and
the offensive line the way it was. Do you have
a starting five somebody you'd like to see out there
right now. I mean, is it tough being on that side?
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Yeah? I think you know.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
For me, what I've always said is that I think
there's guys that have certain roles on TV and that's
what they want to be, and that's going to be
like how they're going to be the most successful. For me,
if I'm going to be on TV talking about football,
it's going to purely come from a place of the
passion I have for the game, the passion for a
the way I think the game should be played, what
is the right way to do it. I'm going to
(27:00):
study enough tape and I'm going to understand teams and
coordinators and where they come from to know what guys
are being asked to do and how they should be
doing it and whether they're living up to that. And
so I've always said, if I'm being critical of a
guy playing to a certain standard, to me, I don't
have any problem doing that because that's what the game
deserves and that's what it needs and that's probably what
(27:20):
that player wants. And if I'm doing that, I'm comfortable
with it. I'm not ever going to be in the
role on TV because that's not who I am to
be on there trying to create chaos and trying to
be critical of somebody. I don't want to be critical
of anybody. I want to talk about the way the
game should be played. And if you're doing that, then
I'm going to be the guy talking about loving on
how good you're playing and how great it's being played.
(27:43):
And if you're not doing that and I'm watching tape
and I see it, I'm going to talk about this
is what I need from you to get to that
level so I can praise the way you're playing.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
And I have no problem talking about the game I
love and the way I think it should be played
because that's my vision for it. Whether they agree with
that or not, Like that's their business, and then that's
their problem. Like they could think it's done a different way.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
What if it's.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
You know, you're here's here's what I think about. That
is again to me, it's about intent, mentality, and what
you're capable of. And so I'm not going to take
a guy that I go, hey, man, you know what,
this guy should be locking people down every single snap,
because that's not the reality of football, right, Like, I
don't care if it's layering me Tunzel, I can find
bad plays like that.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
That's anybody can you do that? And so with Rob
it's the same way.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Like even last year, it's like, man, you're the guy
left out of everybody that's injured and you're fighting your
butt off to get it done every week. But what
people don't understand is it's about how that five plays.
My favorite word, it's about exposure. If I'm on a
great offense and we're always rolling and getting first downs,
I'm not getting exposed very much. It's not third and
long very often. It's not second and twelve every freaking
(28:51):
five minutes. It's not second and twenty where I'm getting
exposed and I'm having to face the best rusher in
the worst situations over and over again. So a lot
of guys don't get exposed because of how good their
team is. Now you play a year where you play
on a bad team, you find out what exposure is
because you're gonna be put on highlight reels constantly and
they're gonna get sacks and it's gonna be like, hey man,
(29:11):
it was third and fifteen and we're just trying to
find a way to win.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Like, what do you want me to do.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
I'm trying to block Michael Parsons twenty five times in
third down situations, I'm gonna lose, like and so it's
it's for like, even for Rob he knows that. Like
when we talk, it's like, hey, man, like keep things
in perspective, bro, Like, just find ways to help all
the guys around you be better, and all of you
are gonna have more success. That That is the nature
of football, and that's how it.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Works, no doubt. Did you ever lock up with Aaron?
I mean he's inside and practices. I mean we have
vacasional time on a stunt where he's lined up there and.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
There'd be some occasional moments, but you say, you know,
like here's the thing, Like, you know, here's the thing
with Ad is ad so rare and so special, But
he's also just such a good dude. I really think
towards the end of my career, if that ever happened
in practice, he was just nice to me. Like I
really I really think that he was like, you know what,
I'm on a rock with, but I'm not gonna like beat
him to I think that's what happened when I first
got here in like seventeen eighteen. Like I went to Sean.
(30:04):
I was like, hey, man, listen, just don't line me
and Ad up together. I don't want embarrassing you know
what I mean. Uh, that's a lot. But anyways, I did.
I you know, I just you know. That's the thing is,
later in my career, I think he was just gentle
with me. I think he really was. I know he's
a mean guy, he's the incredible Hulk all that, but
I'm just gonna.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Let people know. I think he was actually gentle with me, and.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
I just want to know what that what that strength
feels like.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
On the other side, I think it was more of
like a mutual appreciation. Is like there's no need for
us both to lock horns. Like let's just get through
the down. It's only going to happen twice in camp maybe,
and let's just move on to another day.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Especially Yeah, oh my god, Rarefy.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Listen, he's crazy, crazy rare man.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Well, look with thanks for coming out, thanks for joining us.
This has been awesome. I was tracking you down. I
couldn't wait to get you. You're a special player in
my career as a broadcaster. Getting to watch you up
close and how people react to you, coaches and players,
so this has been great man. Thank you for coming
in too, ran I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Man.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
That is a wrap on this episode of RAMS Iconic,
presented by eighteen hundred Tequila, the best taste in tequila.
Please drink responsibly. Hope you enjoyed our convo with the
legendary Andrew Whitworth. I'm DeMarco Farr and we will see
you next time.
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