Stew and the Crew | Captain Munnerlyn

"Stew and the Crew" is hosted by Jonathan Stewart, the Carolina Panthers' all-time leading rusher, and Jeremy Kelley, Director of Legends Affairs. Together, they invite legendary guests to delve into the intricacies of the game and life after football. Panther legend, Captain Munnerlyn, joins the guys to discuss playing ball at the University of South Carolina under Steve Spurrier, how his size helped him create his strong work ethic, his relationship with his mother, his time playing with J-Stew, leaving Carolina in free agency and so much more!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're the thirteenth pick in the two thousand and eight NFL.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Draft, Caroline half their select.

Speaker 3 (00:06):
Jonathan Stewart gets the Stewart he leads, touched up.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Stewart oh rough tough.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
Right, angry man out at elbows, knees.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Stewart hesitates, accelerates. That's what I'm talking about. It's the
spash Moll football cut.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Stuart Kyt running round, Stuart jump over a tackler at
the tenth flows, jumping, Laura's his shoulder, keeps running. No
one will touch him.

Speaker 4 (00:24):
Jonathan Stewart house is it you talk about explosive plays
in the run game.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
It's like the fourth of July round here right now.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
You are listening to Stu and the Crew. Now to
Jonathan Stewart's and Jeremy Kelly.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Welcome back to another episode of Stu and the Crew.
We're excited for this episode.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Today.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
We got a special guest looking large and in charge.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
You know where you know we're.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Coming off the top, brolarging in charge.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
That's right, that's what Jones ak yeah man.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Co hosted by your all time Carolina Panthers leading rusher,
former first round draft pick, Jonathan Stewart glad to keep
your shirt on today, Steward, appreciate that I came here,
you know, a dozen whistles and our special guest straight
out of University of North Carolina.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
North Carolina. Sorry, hey, hey, hey, hey man, that's very man.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
You know what that's last night I was in class.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Forgive me, that's a basketball. Give me that's a basketball.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
I take it back, Sorry, because I knew where you went,
South Carolina.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
There we go a game, Cock, there we go right.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Ten year NFL VET two stints with the Carolina Panthers,
and you are the franchise record holder for pick sixes,
Captain Ladies and gentleman Captain Moneylin. Thanks for joining us, Cap.
I guess I'm the only one that wanted the clapp
for you. Sorry about that, man, All.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Right, little cap, it's so good to have you here.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
But it is man, it's good to get you.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Man.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
How you doing with this facial hair? Man, I don't
have no hair at the top of my head no more.
So it's just going to my beard. So let's just
start losing your hair. And once you just said I'm
done with it, you start growing a beer. So you
have to when you ball, you have to. I feel
like you have to write.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
It's a question, though, would you rather have a full
head of hair that just turns gray or white?

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Or would you rather go ball? Which do you want?
My I really have a full grown I really have
my hair full head.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
The thing is the size of your head, like.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
That's what has for you. That's why I always got
a head.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
That's why I big old head.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Melon boy. We are glad to have you in the building.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Man. You're around quite often. Man, we appreciate the support.
You're always available. You're always willing to help.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Man.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
But I tell you what, I tell you what. It
never comes without some entertainment, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
That's for sure.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
And I did a little you know before we before
we got you in today. I made a few phone calls, man,
I made a few phone.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Calls to get to know you. Well.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
No, no, because you know, I not know cap. I'm
kind of no cap. But I will say there's one
thing about Captain Manyland. Captain Monolin is gonna let you
know about Captain money. If there's one thing he believes
he loves him, What do YO said he loves Captain

(03:20):
is going to tell you about Captain Manyland I think
I knew his entire career statistics the first week I
met him. Now we appreciate that, because that's what made
you great. So I made a phone call, you know,
fellow fellow. Well we weren't teammates, but he was one
of my one of my legends from from back up
North and Buffalo.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Oh man.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
And and I'm not gonna say whom. And you know,
I could have called a couple of guys, could have
reached out to Carlos, Tom and I could have kept
So Captain, I want you to validate this story for
us South Carolina lunch room, the commons. I think you
might have been a junior you and you might have

(04:02):
had a little, little little run in with the track team.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
Oh man.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Someone said, hey man, I could beat you in a race.
Oh he's not in a said okay, so this is true.
We're good, so far true. Captain felt that he was
going to challenge a track runner, an sec track runner.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
Right now, Hold on, hold cap you running four five,
one forty?

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Hold on now, hold on now, No, No, that's on
electronic time.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
That ain't in the streets.

Speaker 4 (04:33):
That's not listen, that's not raising somebody. And I don't
run four or five I fast.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Than you know.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
So the story continues in the student commons whole football team.
Now if you don't an think about college and football,
college football players moving packs. So you know, I know
you weren't alone, which means as soon as you said it,
I know the team was hyping you up. Oh yeah right,
they put that nine to three of the stude right,
And so was it an athletic comments that you did
you guys have separate commers or were you with the

(04:59):
general PubL pop like we actually was with everybody?

Speaker 1 (05:06):
And that would that would match up with the story.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Okay, so captain the size is the challenge this track runner,
and basically it comes down to, after a little bit
of back and forth chirping, the entire calf pops up
to go out to the street.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
That's a true story.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Team putting money down and they line it up. They
line it up with lines up against an SEC sprinter
and some Sperry's and polo shorts. I used to go
to class clean hold up, hold up, and well I
didn't picture it as clean. I pictured them as like

(05:43):
some like you know, kind of beat up like boat shoes.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
Ain't no capping with this, Hey cap cap, no cat,
little little cat was over there addressed to impress every day.
I believe it like a professional, beyond professional.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
It's like calp man, Why you come to work like this?

Speaker 2 (06:04):
I was like, hey, Peyton, Peyton used to come in
every day, shirt tucked, briefcase.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
In his right hand.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, muse man, helmet was the same way he was dressed.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
He was addressed. He was going to respect that. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
So back to the story. You line it up in
some spurries, which which I don't know if you want
to if you are about to take on a sprinter
and you got the confidence to do it, and some spurries,
I know you didn't have socks on you. You really
about that action?

Speaker 1 (06:31):
What happened? Captain lined it up?

Speaker 4 (06:34):
I beat them student in front of everybody, in front
of the whole commers listens. It's a difference, y'all. Guys
know it's a difference in track runners in football speed.
And he ran my race right. We probably lined it
up thirty forty yards.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
Oh yeah, you're gonna get about of there.

Speaker 4 (06:48):
I got up out it on it and he was
talking like, man, I don't care about this. I'm telling
you I'm gonna beat you. You know, put a little
something down. Whole football team. How much you put down
a plant? You know how you know you know too
much that pale grants stude Like I put it down.
I was like, man, I was that confident. I was like, bro,
you can't beat me, you can't beat me.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
We lined it up. I beat him, bastude.

Speaker 4 (07:11):
And the thing was with the story is like the
guy knew that I probably was gonna get out on him,
but he thought he was gonna catch me. But I'm
sitting there like, yo, bro, I'm a football player. That's
what we do. That's what we got. No blocks, right,
we ain't got no blocks.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Man.

Speaker 4 (07:27):
I got the gate onto. I started looking at him,
and everything embassaing. So the fast forward, so we talking trash.

Speaker 2 (07:33):
You know.

Speaker 1 (07:33):
Football players were.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
Like, yeah, man, we knew y'all want that fast, all
the sec track stuff.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
We don't care about that.

Speaker 4 (07:39):
So they're supposed to be like his big guy, big homie.
He pulled up to us, I bet you can't do
me like that. I'm like, man, we do the same race.
And my basketball I had a basketball roommate and he
was like, yo, cap He's like, man, I don't know
if you can beat Flood his guy. When I ain't Flood,
I was like, man, listen, I'm like I got him.
He's like, man, I don't want to be back with you,

(08:01):
but I'm gonna do it in my roommates, don't We
lined it up?

Speaker 1 (08:05):
Stew, I beat him too.

Speaker 4 (08:06):
So now the track was that money on that? Yes,
it was money on it? I oh man, how many
times it just happened? I mean, I'm pretty sure gambling is.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
Prohibited level, but we're just gonna go.

Speaker 1 (08:17):
Right there, We're gonna switch it up.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
And has a clearly disclosed that this is possible. But Stu,
it was you know what twice bro. So look when
I when I heard the story, I wasn't surprised. I said,
First of all, I figured it was a short distance
going football player speed.

Speaker 1 (08:33):
That is absolutely now JK.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
If he would have told me one hundred hundred, I
probably would have told him, nah, different, it's different. And
then the thing about it, Stew, was it was doing
the season. Imagine if I would have pulled the muscle,
anything would happen. That was stupid that you did that.
It was crazy, spur you got on me. Spur got
on me big time. Hey man, you out there, you
got football players out here running and this Sperris. I

(08:58):
mean he got on me big time. But hey, I
made a little money.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Did you run twice in the spas?

Speaker 4 (09:04):
Yeah, the same day, same day, we lined it back
up because the other guy, he was like, oh, I
bet he can't beat me, and I'm.

Speaker 1 (09:09):
Like, bro, it's thirty forty yards y'all.

Speaker 3 (09:12):
Whoever those guys are must be disappointed.

Speaker 4 (09:16):
They were very disappointed. They still talk about it to
this day. I go on Facebook sometimes to see those guys.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
I laugh at them. I was like, yeah, I remember
you got to I bet you won't run it.

Speaker 4 (09:24):
Let's let's run a hundred man, I'm not running nowhere,
no more running.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
Up the step. I beat you.

Speaker 4 (09:29):
I'll beat you right now, Stu. I would smoke you.
I don't smokey though, Stu. Like like, when I first
first got drafted, let me tell you that when I
first got drafted. When I first got drafted, I seen
Jonathan Stewart in the locker room, a guy who never
really practiced.

Speaker 1 (09:46):
He didn't practice till Friday. Let's get this right. He
know that I'm talking about that he didn't practice till Friday.
So was that guy? Yeah? He was that guy. So
I'm coming in. I'm looking at it. I'm like, man,
long leash.

Speaker 4 (09:56):
Look at this running back. I'm like, there's no way
just running. He's a running back, like he got to
play linebacker.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
Maybe even de tackle like Aaron Donald.

Speaker 4 (10:05):
I'm like looking at him, like wow, So he don't
practice on Wednesday. I'm like, man, you know it's cool.
We're getting in training camp. We do a couple of rails,
but he always on the sideline. I'm like, how they
know he good? Like I've seen him do stuff in
the argue, But how they really know this guy is good?
Because you know I was in college.

Speaker 3 (10:21):
Well, the guys that practice played what was your soigning bonus?

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Don't worry about it. Yeah, I'm saying, like first round pick.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
I'm like, man, there's no way this kid like this
guy like we round the same age.

Speaker 1 (10:34):
I'm like, it's no way he can move like this. Nine. Yes,
I got you. Friday practice coming around.

Speaker 4 (10:42):
JK, mind you training camp student practice, really training camp
at the toe?

Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah for three years I know, yeah, all life, Yeah,
the whole life to the toe. For the record, has
made its way into every episode we've had. We started this.

Speaker 4 (10:56):
Podcast, so it was crazy, man, everybody that toe he
never practice Friday, come around, no fast Friday. So I'm like, oh,
I'm like, man, so everybody messing with all the veterans.
New player alert, new player alert.

Speaker 1 (11:10):
So we look.

Speaker 4 (11:11):
I'm like, all right, so rookie year, they put me
on scout team here and there. So Stu he come
through the line screens, maybe one cut got out of it.
I'm sitting like, whoa. I'm like, yo, fresh, he is
fresh something. I'm thinking like, man, he's just fresh.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
You know.

Speaker 4 (11:24):
I'm kind of a little beat up game. Come around, Stu.
Get it, won't hit the side line. I'm like, yo,
got it.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
I'm like, you don't spot to move this big, you're
spot to move that fast.

Speaker 3 (11:36):
I'm gonna tell you something about Cap though, Cap like
he miniature inside, but it does not matter. We already
we already know about caps upbringing. We know all the
things that have that you have to go through, and
we'll get to that. But I'm gonna tell you Cap

(11:58):
coming off the edge, I hate every time I see him.
I'll be trying to like get my payback because you
know when you get those guys in practice where you
just don't really know what you're gonna get into the
last minute, that's that's that's who capit. Yeah, he'll he'll
come off the edge and it's that last split second
when you got throwing your hands and he just delivers

(12:20):
this like lower boom for no reason, just to like
prove a point, not to cut you off. I'll never
forget a train to call. Oh my god, it's like
twenty twelve story alert.

Speaker 1 (12:31):
Listen.

Speaker 4 (12:32):
So they put me at Nickel cause Rivera got here,
so Vera made me a Nickel. He's like, you could
be one of the best nickels started in your sacks. Yes,
so Jak. They put me out there and blitz pick
up right, blitz pick up. So I'm like, man, So
I'm like, man, they got me going against Stu d Low.
I'm like, man, I don't really supposed to be down.

(12:53):
I want to go one on ones with the receiver.
But they know you're gonna go do some blitz pick
up first. Stu come up first, Like man, what I'm
gonna do? So they told us now, no bull rushing, right,
they told us no bull rushing. I'm like, man, I'm
one hundred and ninety five pounds, stew two forty.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
Man. I'm like, listen, bro, like I don't care.

Speaker 4 (13:13):
Like they said no bull rush, I get up there,
come out full speed off the edge, but acting like
I'm making a move.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
Stu throw his hand.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
I go.

Speaker 4 (13:23):
Stu said, oh no, we gotta go again. He's like no,
He's like, nah, he said they told you no bullush.
I said, man, I'm one hundred and ninety five pounds. Man,
you should be able to handle that.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
Run it back. So the Anzeloo nick. So they put
me up there against the Enzelo.

Speaker 4 (13:38):
I did the same exact thing when I say, student
was so mad at me at practice. Bro, It's like, listen,
all right, we got some fud coming for you. What
they said, we got something for you. And then Stu,
you know what, we just gonna cut you next time.
I'm one hundred and ninety five pounds, Bro.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
Bro, he's explosive for a pounds. Yeah, Captain is strong.
He was probably you might have been pound for pounds
the strongest going the team.

Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah. House used to say that, you know how, she
was like pound for pounds.

Speaker 3 (14:04):
Pound for pounty. Absolutely work like you was over there
working out with us sometimes, yeah, running back.

Speaker 4 (14:09):
I just I prided myself on being strong. I felt
like it kept me healthy. Right now, I'm already, like
you said, I'm not a big guy. So me doing
all the things I need to do in the weight room,
in the on the field, like like it just mattered
to me, Like that's how I stayed healthy. Like I
look at my career sometimes and I'm like, people like, man,

(14:30):
how you only miss five games?

Speaker 1 (14:31):
You know in ten years.

Speaker 4 (14:32):
I was like, I stayed in the weight room, bro,
Like these guys these days, some guys don't like to
lift weights like DB's.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
They be like, man, I ain't going in there and
lift no weights.

Speaker 4 (14:41):
But that's how I felt like I stayed healthy because man,
I had to hit guys like you, right, you know,
I had to go blitz.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Off the edge. You're covering big waterps.

Speaker 4 (14:49):
Too, ida guys like you man, And so I felt
like being in a weight room it gave me my advantage.
It gave me my advantage to really, you know, stay
in the league and stay health.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
Like where does that come from your work ethic? You know,
just growing up? You know, like take us through your
first moment where you fell in love with football.

Speaker 1 (15:10):
My first moment.

Speaker 3 (15:11):
Man.

Speaker 4 (15:12):
We started playing football very young and mobile in Alabama.
So my first time playing football, I was four years old.
I was four years old tackle football. So I will
never forget, man, my first position.

Speaker 3 (15:28):
Y'all ready laughed, Oh my god, guard. Oh how you know?

Speaker 1 (15:31):
I told you.

Speaker 4 (15:34):
No, no, no, but no. So what happened was I
was new to football four years old. Some guys who
already advanced, you know, some guys I was playing with
the five and six years old, and I begged my
mom to play football. So she threw me out there
with my cousin them. She was like, go out there
with your cousin them. They put me an offensive guard.

Speaker 1 (15:54):
Bro. I'm sitting there like, man, this ain't for me.

Speaker 4 (15:58):
You know what I did right, hung them up right
then and there, like, man, I ain't playing on offensive guard,
Like I want the ball in my hand this day.
So the next year I went to a whole nother
park where nobody knew me at See, everybody knew me
at the park, you know from the you know, the
projects I grew up in and stuff. So everybody knew,
oh that's a little cap cap. They called me a
little cap cap And when I went to another park,

(16:19):
nobody knew me. So now they start giving me the ball.
You know, I'm start making people miss And I when
I played my old park, I never forget when I
paid my old part. I always told those guys, I'm
gonna kill y'all. Put me at offensive guard. And that's
how it happened. Man, And my work ethic just came
from being a small guy. Man, Like, if you look

(16:41):
at my backstory of my story of my life, I
was born, I was born premature. I was born premature,
so I was three months early, so in and out
of the hospital, and I never was this big guy.
My brothers, my brothers are bigger than me. They six
one six two. I always say, man, why couldn't get
that hype. I'd be one hundred million dollar the corner.

(17:02):
I used to always say that, But I don't know
if I would have had the same work at it.
So me being a smaller guy made me feel like
I had to bring something different to the table.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
You know.

Speaker 1 (17:11):
I had to show these guys that.

Speaker 4 (17:13):
Man, I'm gonna work my tail off, I'm gonna do this,
I'm gonna do that to stay where I met and
try to keep it going.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
Man, So I think I know what it was. I
know your mom's plays a huge roll. Oh man, oh man,
I know, like growing up in the house, Like what
were some of the things that you just remember your
mom's telling you that.

Speaker 4 (17:30):
Just listen, listen in your heart, Stu and jk Man, listen.
I had a mom that made me go to church.
I had the type of mom made me go to
Bible study. It wasn't no missing nothing like growing up. Oh,
I'm a winsday like Bible study faithfully, I'm going Sunday school.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
I'm there. Yeah, I don't care what I got going on.

Speaker 4 (17:49):
If they haven't vacation Bible school or you best believe
Captain Marlin gonna be there every single day of vacation
Bible School. I don't care if you have to leave
football practice or track practice. You're gonna be a vacation
Bible school.

Speaker 3 (17:59):
My mom.

Speaker 1 (18:00):
It's a crazy is It's a crazy story right here.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
Man.

Speaker 4 (18:04):
My mom got saved. She gave her life to God
at a funeral. I was in the second grade and
we were going to a church called Gone with the Wind.

Speaker 1 (18:14):
I'll never forget. And my mom go to a funeral.

Speaker 4 (18:17):
She drug me in with her and she changed her
life right then and there. And I seen the whole
three sixty man from my mom. So now she installed
that in me, like, no, Mom, man, I got football practice.
I don't get out to six o'clock. Oh well I'll
be there. You're going to church.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
Church start at six thirty, so if you better.

Speaker 4 (18:39):
Take a shower at the school or yep, put some
deodor and on, so you're going to church. And she
installed it in me, man, And I think that's just
what got me to where I am today. And everybody
was like, you know, you played in the NFL this
and that, But I wouldn't be.

Speaker 1 (18:53):
Here if it wasn't from my mom.

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Like the discipline that I got and the stuff that
she just Man, that mom in prayer man, that prayer man,
Mama's prayers.

Speaker 3 (19:04):
Go a long way, man, Listen always.

Speaker 4 (19:08):
I give my mom all the credit, man, because my
pop's dad when I was six years old, so I
really didn't know him like that, you know what I'm saying.
So my mom is all I knew, and she sacrificed
so much for me to get in the position that
I am today and still do Like if I call
my mom right now, she's there, and I'll never forget, man,

(19:31):
one story. You know, I know I can talk about
my mom all day. Man, I'm telling you enjoyed see
today and this lady. My sophomore year, I start driving,
I'll never forget I started driving. And my mom she
had she had a car of almost like a brand
new car. Like but I told my mom I wanted

(19:54):
this Montero Sport. I'll never forget seen the Montero Sport.
I wanted blue. My mom turned it her car, got
me the brand new Mantaro Sport so I can get
back and forth to school. And my mom wanted got
an old calac an old calac, old beat up calac.
It's like, man, I'm just going to work this and that.
I want to make sure my son is taking care
of And I'm sitting there like, man, like that took

(20:19):
the cake for me for sure. I'm saying, I like,
you know, I know I knew my mom. I always
loved me, don't get me wrong, but.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
So just yeah, a lot of not a lot of
parents moved that way. No, and not a lot of
you know, especially single moms. You know what I'm saying
they struggle themselves, they can make up a excuse them
in the book as far as why I can't.

Speaker 4 (20:38):
Yeah, And I never had that mom man to this day,
like it's whatever with my mom, she would still do
the same thing. And and even when I made it
like I want to buy my mom, like simple stuff
like I never forgot about my mom a lieut of
a tongue person. And it's like, you know, after I
got paid and stuff like that. This lady never really

(20:59):
would see my sister with And I'm like, man, how
you get that?

Speaker 1 (21:04):
I'm like, yo, how you get that? She talking about
mom in the closet.

Speaker 4 (21:07):
I'm sorry, Like so my mom is the simple like
she's a simple mom, like my mama. She had hit
me up to this day and like, yo, Captain, I'm
at dirt cheek. It's a story in Alabama. I my
dirt cheap. Can you send me twenty dollars? Sure you go,
you know, And I got that type of mom, like
she never really asks for nothing. She never really pressured me.

(21:28):
She just want me to be successful. She wants me
to take care of my kids, and she wanted to
be the best version of Captain Mounli I can be
I like.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
That shout out to mama.

Speaker 2 (21:35):
Oh yeah, I'm a cap your overcomer. I mean hearing you,
hearing you outline your story. Obviously, relationship with moms. You know,
I think a lot of NFL players, you know, not
to blanket us, but you see it all the time.
There's just something special when most guys have relationships with
their mothers. Yeah right, yeah, certainly certainly football players. You

(21:58):
just see it all the time. You can see you
see the locker rooms, you guys at the game. You know,
this past weekend, y'all got to see Sharad Martin came back,
Shara came back and brought his mother. He's like, that
weekend meant so much to my mom, being able to
be back in the space with my kids who weren't
around while I was playing. You know, there's a special bond,
there's a special tie there, man. So I appreciate your
sharing that with us. But an overcomer, man, I mean

(22:21):
seventh round pick, yeah, ten years in the league. That
don't happen by accident. To hear you outline your story,
to hear you outline your motivation as you just did, right,
you had someone that was sacrificing for you. How do
you not repay that with effort? How do you not
repay that with dedication? How do you not repay that
with the commitment that you showed. So kudos to you, man,
amazing career that kicked off obviously a South Carolina under

(22:44):
Steve Spurrier. Oh yeah, Now, now I gotta believe because
I'm gonna go I'm gonna go back, right because we all,
you know, and I think all of us here have
a background rooted in faith, and I could we could
speak to that as you just mentioned it. I came
up in the church as well. But you get to
college and you get polled in a lot of directions,
yeah for sure, right, and you go through those challenges
just as you're growing as a young man and as

(23:04):
an adolescent, as a student athlete, you know, and the
challenges and the pressures that come with that too. So
you have this this life of this newfound freedom right
as a student athlete and notoriety and and and you're empowered,
you're recruited, you're insulated within your team as a student athlete,

(23:25):
but then you also have this structured environment of extreme
discipline that you have to maintain as well, right, and
then you try to balance faith life in that right
with trying to find time for church or Bible study
or what have your prioritize. And as a young kid,
we ain't always make the right decisions. No right, right,

(23:46):
And so you know, I'm sure that that was a
struggle for you maybe when we were like we all
probably dealt with that balancing, that juggling that a little
bit now and you probably see it now as a coach.

Speaker 1 (23:56):
Yeah, right at Marge Park.

Speaker 2 (23:57):
Right, So how do you part your experiences down to
these young kids right now?

Speaker 3 (24:03):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (24:03):
Man, I always tell these young kids, even like you said,
even at Myles Park, when I went off to school,
it went nobody to give me up in the morning.
It won't nobody to give me up. My mom got
me up almost every morning when I was in high school.
Every single morning. It was like clockwork.

Speaker 1 (24:18):
Now you're on your own.

Speaker 4 (24:19):
Now I'm on my own. I'll never forget going to
University of South Carolina. My first day on campus, we
had like a six thirty workout.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
I was late. I was like that first day happened freshmen,
Oh they ran.

Speaker 2 (24:33):
Meet the boy cause we used to say, oh late
don't come listen in the locker room.

Speaker 4 (24:40):
And I don't know no better. I'm a freshman, So
I came anyway. I get there like six thirty seven,
and I had an excuse. I was like, man, the
train was coming in Columbia. Be trains coming all the time.
I said the train was coming and I couldn't get
over the train track. It's like, okay, that's cool.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
Try, yeah, try they let me come in.

Speaker 4 (25:03):
You think they ain't heard that before? They let me
come in. JK and STU workout killed me. In the workout,
I threw up and everything. I'll never get threw up
in everything. And after the workout, he's like, yeah, she
rent the condition.

Speaker 1 (25:15):
Coach come.

Speaker 4 (25:17):
He's like, oh yeah, Captain, meet me in the weight room.
I'm sitting there like I said, I got class. He
was like, what time you class start? I was like,
start at nine. He's like, you got enough time. So
we had a thing here South Carolina. The stab mashed,
so he was like yeah, He's like, you got three
hundred floors, you know before you go to class. I'm
sitting there like three hundred floors. I'm like all right,

(25:38):
I'm like so steps like one, two, I'm counting. I
don't know no better. I'm counting one, two, three, so
that's three hundred steps. I'm thinking three hundred steps, no
floors before I even went to class.

Speaker 1 (25:52):
Man, I want to lay it again.

Speaker 3 (25:53):
Oh no, that's the reason why I'm disciplined. The punishments
be they kill me.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
They killed me.

Speaker 3 (25:59):
I remember, bro, we had a guy I don't say
who was in college, but boy, it was late. Yeah,
we all had to be in the stade. We had that.

Speaker 4 (26:12):
We had that story with your and they made him
watch us. Oh yeah, that's even the worst. Oh man,
you know we wanted to fight. I ready got a
little man syndrome. I was rid of things like listen,
I don't care if he's bigger me or not. I'm
not running no more for you man, Like nah, we
had guys like that in college to countability. Yeah, so
that's what that's what I be trying to do with
these kids. Man, just let them know, like, you know,

(26:34):
you got mom and dadd you know now, you got
coaches telling you now. But when you go to the
next level college, they ain't there. Like the guy who
recruited me to the University of South Carolina when I
got the campus and I was late that day. The
first day he talked to me like, I was nothing, like,
it's not the same guy that recruited me. I'm like, yo,

(26:55):
where's the guy that recruited me? I called my mom
and everything. I'm like, Mom like she was like, well,
you need to get your stuff together. You need to
get yourself together. And I'm trying to tell those guys.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
The sooner that you get it, the better off you'll be.

Speaker 4 (27:08):
That's what I'm trying to tell these guys now, Like
even in high school, they late the class, they're not
winning what they supposed to, Like a practice.

Speaker 3 (27:15):
I'm like, listen, yeah, showing up, showing up on time
just proves to everybody that it matters. It matters, It
matters to you. It matters you see yourself not as
the most important thing or person amongst the group. You
know what I'm saying, Yes, so it matters. But also
you talk about dress code, you talk about you know,

(27:36):
uniform simple means that you are willing to sacrifice yourself
for the betterment of the team.

Speaker 4 (27:43):
See, when I was in high school, I had to
end up having a great high school coach coming in
my sophomore year and like changing the program with my
high school and he really taught my team like the discipline.
Like before then we didn't care what we were. We
was missed Max socks. Nobody cares. But he really made
us a team. He made us all get the same cleats,

(28:05):
He made us all wear the same socks, He made
us all like wear the same past like it was
like everything. So I got that team stuff early in me.
So when I went off to college, it was nothing.
It was like, oh man, this is what is this
how to.

Speaker 3 (28:17):
Look and it teaches you like the unit, like to
be a good team, to have a good locker room.
Oh man, that I have uniform minds. Yes, like we yeah,
we wear the same uniform, but we got to be
uniformed here, you know, mentally, we got to be on
the same page whenever we lose, whenever we win, Like

(28:37):
where we go through hard times, injuries like right now
the Carolina Panthers right now going through a bunch of injuries.
These are moments where you start finding out what the
DNA really is. And it comes from people that are
willing to say no to myself for the like because
the guy next to me matters more than what I

(28:59):
think more than what I should be dressed up, you know,
whatever I want to do, you know what I'm saying.
But all those types of things personality wise, that can
also live in the same room. You know what I'm saying,
Two things can exist as long as you are on
the same place, you know, playing level mentally, and when
you get that going with these young kids, you know,

(29:20):
especially right now, I'm coaching middle school football, yeah, you know, Mark,
with Greg and Luke and as Charlotte Christian. One of
the things that we tell them is I tell my
running backs, hey, look, when the ball is snap, you
do not matter. The only thing that matters on the
field is the ball. You do not matter. Know your

(29:44):
teammates like, if they have the ball, they matter because
they carry the ball. Once the whistle is blown, everybody,
everybody matters again, you know what I'm saying, because it's
putting the emphasis on we are all here for one
reason and one reason on and it's to take care
of the football and to win games. And so all

(30:05):
the things such as wearing the uniforms, showing up on time,
eating when everybody else is eating, like being respectful to
your coach, all those types of things go hand in
hand with that mindset of less of me and more
of the team. And I love that, but you're pouring
that into these these high schoolers.

Speaker 4 (30:25):
Yeah, I'm trying to know, and it's harder for it's harder.
Is different now. I was just going to say, it's
so different now than when.

Speaker 1 (30:34):
We grew up.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
Well, they you know, and look, I give them grace
because they have access that we did.

Speaker 3 (30:41):
We didn't have all the distractions.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
You got to see what was around you, right, we had,
you know, social media really was just becoming a thing.
I think when I was, you know, getting what we
were all getting out of YouTube in college, you know, Twitter, Twitter, Facebook,
was you know all those things. Right now, number one
athletes have more access to pro athletes than ever before.

Speaker 1 (31:06):
Yes, so I'm good.

Speaker 2 (31:07):
Before it was you could see them on Sunday and
if you lived in an NFL city, you might be
lucky to run into one.

Speaker 4 (31:13):
Man, I'm from Mobile, Alabama. I don't think I've ever
seen the pro athlete.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
And now you can step inside their home, see what
they wear, and see what they eat, see how they dress,
and we get to see it and then it's glorified
and it's and it's great, right, it gets you because
now it makes it about the player's personality and a
fan can have that connection more than just the team.
But there's also the point of detrimental returns. Pro athletes
have earned their right and have the capacity to operate

(31:40):
in a certain way. High school kids, you gotta cut
your teeth. Yeah right, you're still a child right in
a lot of ways, right, So from authority to listening
to operating within the confines of a coach in his demands,
or your your team, like Stu said, you really can't
be bigger than it team, yeah right, at the high

(32:01):
school level, but nowadays you got the known So I'm
not I'm not.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
Right, but but it is.

Speaker 2 (32:10):
It is great because it's a it's a it's a
new opportunity for athletes that can market themselves at a
young age and understand themselves as a business.

Speaker 3 (32:18):
But I really think it's so important to have guys
like yourself, you know, like I like, what I would
like to see more is a lot more pro athletes
retired or current, like you know, investing their time into
like the future. Ya go go coach those middle school teams,
Go coach those high school teams. If you have the
time or if you feel that it to you know,

(32:41):
get back into football for whatever reason, go do that
because you have an opportunity to really invest you know,
this knowledge and wisdom into these kids to help them
grow the right way because they basically getting paid that
they start getting paid in high school, they basically right,
you know, semi pro.

Speaker 4 (33:02):
Right, yeah, right, and they really need to know like
the ends and out with that.

Speaker 2 (33:07):
Yeah, there there is, there is, there is a lot
of benefit to it. And so but cap if you
had to narrow it, you know, I'm sticking the coaching
topic here, right, because you've you've you're coaching at the
high school level at a at a very you know,
known school that has historically had a lot of success,
little challenges this year has some injuries, but you also

(33:28):
got you wet your feet at the NFL level, right,
and you got to go back you you spent the
summer at the fellowship program is the the Bill Walsh
Coaching Fellowship up with the Buffalo Bills this summer, right,
So what was that experience?

Speaker 1 (33:40):
Like two part question? But what is it about coaching?

Speaker 2 (33:44):
If you had to narrow it down to one thing
that you want, that makes you want to stay connected
to the game or the coach at the next level.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
I think.

Speaker 4 (33:56):
I think, man, the experience that I had this summer match,
it was unmatched. I felt like I was back in
the locker room, you know, I felt like I was back.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
With the guys.

Speaker 4 (34:05):
You know, coaching at that level was outstanding, you know,
because you know in high school, in middle school, you
have to break it down a little different. But when
you're in the pro level, I could say, cover three day,
I already know what it is, right cover four, I already
know what it is.

Speaker 3 (34:21):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (34:22):
So to go back and coach those guys and be
up with that, be up there with some guys that
I was known, like that I knew like Sean McDermott,
Bobby Babbage my first coach, my first ever Knickel coach.
And to have those guys really show me the ropes
of the NFL game was unmatched. It was unmatched, man, Like, that.

Speaker 3 (34:44):
Was top notch. Like, what what are the things that
you were surprised by at that level of coaching that
you look back at your playing career and the coaches.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
That coached you.

Speaker 3 (34:56):
Yeah, and you being a knucklehead that I know you are, Like,
what are some things that you can look back and say,
dang woo? My coach had a day with me because
this right here, I see it from the other side. Yes,
so it's crazy. So Bobby used to always tell me
coming to his office. We used to go in his
office and we like go of a certain place, and

(35:17):
he was asking me how I see certain things and
stuff like that, and.

Speaker 4 (35:21):
We had I'm not gonna say the guy name. We
had a guy who I used to think just like me,
like just like me. And I was like, man, I
don't know why he keep doing this, this, like this
and that. And Bobby looked at me. He looked at
me and said, remind me of a guy I used
to know.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
And I'm sitting like I can see Bobby doing that.
I'm like, man, who are you talking about. I'm like, man, no,
I ain't used that like that, he said. A twenty three,
twenty four year old captain Mnlin used to act just
like that. And I sat there and thought about it.
I'm sitting there like, dang yo, look at the cap.

Speaker 3 (35:54):
The only player that I know that was able to
argue with a coach and then have them walk away
from the conversation smiling. The only one that I know.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
Bro.

Speaker 3 (36:04):
I remember seeing you and Coach Rivera always like like.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
Coach, hey, he was grabbing me. Coach, that's a great impression.

Speaker 3 (36:12):
Okay, just like hey, cap, calm down, calm down, It's okay.

Speaker 1 (36:17):
Just make sure next time you move.

Speaker 3 (36:19):
Your feet, I won't move my feet. Like and I'm
over here looking at coach. I'm looking at this conversation like, yeah,
just move your feet.

Speaker 1 (36:25):
You got a little feet.

Speaker 3 (36:28):
But like, but it just amazes me, like your personality
when we drafted you in two thousand and nine and
just watching you progress progress through coaching and coaching changes,
the do new defenses and all that. Twenty thirteen it

(36:49):
was a year for your boy. Yeah, I like it
because I remember this was a year that I was
hurt from the majority of the year, messed up my ankle,
came back and then had and tore my mcl and
tried to make it back for the playoffs when we
had a playoff roun it was twelve and four, lost
to the forty nine ers in the playoffs, but being

(37:11):
able to because I was injured, I was able to
watch a lot of the play a lot to watch
a lot of the players, Like take me through your
progression from two thousand and nine to twenty thirteen, where
to me, I was watching Captain Mundling at a playing
at a high level, like an all time level in

(37:33):
my opinion.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
Two thousand and nine, I would say two thousand and nine,
I was just trying not to make mistakes.

Speaker 1 (37:39):
I was.

Speaker 4 (37:40):
I was a rookie, seventh round pick, beat out a
couple of guys to make the team and end up being,
you know, one of the guys on defense as a rookie,
and the punt returner.

Speaker 1 (37:50):
You know, don't just credit my punt returns.

Speaker 3 (37:53):
Let's let's let's sit on that lean in there. The
second round pick, Captain Mundling, Columbia, South Carolina. You felt
like you had to make the team. Second round pick,
usually second round pick seventh. I'm about to say seventh. Second, Like,
wait a minute, no, no, seventh, seventh, Okay, so seventh.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
I had to prove myself.

Speaker 4 (38:17):
Yeah, I had to prove myself and me being a
seventh round pick Stu in the same draft class as
they drafted a corner second round. I felt like, man,
either they gonna practice squad me or let me go.
So me coming in. You know, back in the day,
we didn't have Ricky Minni camp. We came in without veterans. Right,

(38:40):
So my first day of practice, I'm seeing guys like
Steve Smiffs, Musa Muhammad, Dwayne Jared, Jonathan Stewart, D'Angelo Williams.
I'm seeing all guys on offense. Yes, I'm like two
thousand and nine. I'm coming in. They gave me the
number forty one. I'm like, yeah, I'm cool with that.

Speaker 1 (38:57):
Cool.

Speaker 4 (38:58):
I'm gonna make it look good. I'm like, yo, going
out there, I'll never forget I'm going again. Guys like
Kenny Moore and all those guys you know, we battling.
I go out there and Moose used to call me
hands because I used to always jam people up because
you know, I'm shorter than everybody, so I used to
move my feet, get my hands on you and try

(39:19):
to finish you off. And being in two thousand and nine,
like I said, they drafted guy second round, I felt
like I had to outwork hire. I felt I had
to do something special. So me, man, they want me
to catch punts, I'm gonna do it. If they want
me to be a gunner, I'm gonna go do it.
If they want me onna kickoff team, I'm gonna do it.

(39:40):
I'm gonna do whatever they want me to do to
make this football team. It ain't guaranteed for me. This
is my only shot, so I can't miss right. So
that's why I played so hard in two thousand and nine.
I was a guy a little nervous, like, man, I
don't want to make mistakes.

Speaker 1 (39:55):
I remember I used to go.

Speaker 4 (39:56):
Out there, cover guys this and that, make a play
this and that. I always used to look to the
sideline to my coach, He's like, man, just playing. I
was just like, I'm just making sure I'm doing the
right thing because I didn't want to make him mad
or mess up. So I won't have this opportunity to
play again. So two thousand and I probably just try
to get my feet wet. Twenty ten come around, I'm like, Okay,

(40:19):
a couple of guys get hurt. It's read Richard Marshall,
Chris Gamble. I'm like, yo, let's rock it out. It's
time for me to make some plays. I go out there.
Probably had one of my best year of football. No,
I had one of my best year of football, and
then all of a sudden, damn coaching change.

Speaker 1 (40:37):
Twenty eleven come around.

Speaker 3 (40:38):
Talk about how difficult a coaching change. Oh man, the
people that have We've been experiencing a lot of coaching
changes here in Carolina.

Speaker 1 (40:46):
Including today run the NFL. Yes right, yes, Jet, Yes,
So it's crazy.

Speaker 4 (40:52):
I thought I had established a relationship with the coaches
that I had, and with John Fox, you know the
defense that we ran, Coach my List, you know, coach meets.

Speaker 1 (41:04):
Those guys, Gator.

Speaker 3 (41:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (41:06):
So I established a relationship with those guys, and I
made a name for myself with that coaching staff. When
Tom Oil hit and all that go away, those guys
are gone. It's like, man, this new coaching staff come in.
They might not like a little corner, they might not
like Captain Mumler. They probably want these bigger guys. So

(41:29):
twenty eleven come around, we get Coach Rivera, and my
world is shook a little bit. I'm like, man, I'm
looking at where he came from. I'm looking at all
the guys he coached. I'm like, man, like, I don't
know if you're gonna like me. Man, it's a lockout
here too. Lock out year, lock out year. So I'm like, man,
I don't know what to do. I come out there,

(41:51):
you know, play my butt off, and all of a sudden,
me and Coach Vera would get a good relationship, and
he talked me into playing nickel, probably with the best
smooth that he ever made for my career. He seen
something in me that I didn't see. I never was
a nickel back. You know, all guys always thought, oh, man,
he's a nickel. He's just a nickel. He's just a nickel.

Speaker 1 (42:10):
No.

Speaker 4 (42:11):
I never played nickel until Coach Rivera. What happened was
in twenty nine and ten we had Richard Marshall and
Chris Gamble. I came in on third down. Richard Marshall
slid into the nickel. I still played corner. People didn't
know that. People thought that I used to come in
on third down then going to nickel. Never Richard was

(42:31):
the nickel. So Rivera come to me. He's like, listen,
you know, I think you can be like a Ricky Manning.
I'm sitting there, like man, Ricky Manny. I'm like, man,
I can't be no Ricky Manning.

Speaker 2 (42:43):
Man.

Speaker 4 (42:44):
I'm like man, No, I'm like, no, so I struggle
with it, stud I struggle with it.

Speaker 3 (42:50):
Man.

Speaker 4 (42:50):
When Coach Rivera talked to me about playing nickel, A
lot of people don't know this story, and I'm gonna
go ahead say it on the Panther podcast.

Speaker 1 (42:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (42:57):
I walked out, I asked for a trade. I called
my agent. I'm like, man, this is BS. You know,
I'm coming off a good year. I don't want to
be here no more. Rivero walked into the locker room
and told me come here. He explained to me. He
was like, listen, I want you to be the nickel
because I feel like you can make some money playing nickel.
You can be one of the best nickels in the NFL.

(43:18):
I truly believe. He looked me in my eyes and said.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
Captain, I truly believe you can be the best.

Speaker 4 (43:23):
Nickel in the NFL. I'm sitting there like, man, Nicholas
don't get paid. Nicholas don't do this. They don't make
the Pro Bowl. They can't be all pro. I'm like,
I'm thinking about myself at the time. I'm like, man,
I just man, I don't know. Man, No, I don't
want to do it, he said, Listen, just go home
think about it. I went home, I was like, man,

(43:44):
I talked to my mom. She was like, you love football, right,
I was like, yes, ma'am. She was like, that's gonna
have you on the field. Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 1 (43:54):
Well go do it.

Speaker 4 (43:55):
Go do something you love, Like why talk why talk
about getting ty doing all this extra stuff? And you
love Carolina? You an hour away from South Carolina. It's
the perfect situation for you. Go do it. Came in
the next day Bobby Babbage Ravera made Bobby Babbage my
personal coach to teach me to Nickel. I felt a

(44:18):
little crazy because I was the only one in the
room with him. It was used to be me and Bobby.
I'm saying, I like, why they got me just in
here by myself?

Speaker 1 (44:24):
Man, I'm the bad, kidding class that speaks volumes though.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
Man right, And that's a sign one of a great coach,
coach that can take you above your own personal But listen.

Speaker 1 (44:35):
He took me, man. Listen, and I used to meet
with Bobby.

Speaker 4 (44:38):
Bobby used to me on the field thirty minutes early, studient,
I'm still in the locker room. I'm out there on
the field by myself with this guy last one. I'm like, man,
he used to get on my nerves. And we talked
about this when I went to Buffalo. I said, man,
I used to really get on my nerves. But I
thank you because you really pulled into in me and
I didn't know that I had in me.

Speaker 3 (44:59):
The people listening right now, if you don't have a
coach that is jumping on you to be better, that's.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
A bad sign.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
It's when they're quiet, when they're not coaching required trying
to coach. I think it's I think it's it's when
you fall into a situation where coaches are pouring into.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
You, especially a head coach.

Speaker 2 (45:23):
Man, listen right, because I don't think many people that
not every NFL team across the league. There's some places
where the head coach is kind of a figurehead, yes, right,
and he making situational calls and he's handling the things
that are up here, and then he delegates down, oh
see to the position, et cetera. But when you get
a cat that is tapped in like that, listen man
giving you a coach and sign and say hey, I

(45:45):
need you to invest in this guy.

Speaker 1 (45:47):
It got even does he got even better for me?
Because Rivera used to run the individual. He used to
come over that with Bobby me.

Speaker 4 (45:54):
Rivera and Bobby were doing individual and he pulled into me,
and in that position, I'm sitting like man. Then I
fast forward to twenty thirteen, Like Stu said, Man, I
the best year ever. Now I'm the Richard Marshall. Now
I'm starting outside. Now Rivera gave me a little love.
All right, I feel like you're the best guy. You
the best going on the team.

Speaker 1 (46:13):
All right, you can play outside, but on third down
you had the nickel? What goes?

Speaker 2 (46:18):
I want to go back through that story. What caught
my attention, man, was the fact that there was a
few things when you mentioned you're looking to the sideline,
when you mentioned I'm not sure I can be a
Richard Marshall. There's a lack of confidence or a certainty
with a guy who's so confident.

Speaker 1 (46:37):
Yeah, right, which.

Speaker 2 (46:39):
I think is another thing that you know a lot
of players you lean into, especially at the pro level.
There's gonna come points in your career where you question, oh, man,
I do it?

Speaker 1 (46:48):
You say, who am I that? Good?

Speaker 2 (46:51):
Am I capable in life? In life? But certainly on
the field. Right, You know, you look across down scholarship too, right,
what you say.

Speaker 4 (46:58):
But Jak, I think with that not to cut you off,
Where did that come from? I think that come from
we being athletes. We always been guys. When you was
in high school, he was a guy. When he was
in high school, he was a guy. When you went
to college and started excelling, you was a guy, Johnson Stewart,
you was a guy.

Speaker 1 (47:15):
Was a guy South Carolina. I was a guy.

Speaker 4 (47:18):
Now when you get to the pro level, we all guys. Yeah,
everybody guy like everybody. Then some guys are a better
guy than you. You just have to face the fact.
When I got to the NFL and I've seen some
of these guys in the locker room and seeing some
of these guys run, seeing a John Stewart being two
hundred and ninety pounds five, seeing a guy really you

(47:43):
look up his forty time, I look up my forty time.

Speaker 2 (47:45):
Like you start thinking, you just a guy, man, this
guy faster than me. Just a jag, you know, just
a jag.

Speaker 1 (47:51):
But like.

Speaker 3 (47:53):
The term of don't be a guy, being a guy
a guy, And that's where like it becomes something deeper. Right,
we had beson on last week yeah, the rent throw wall.

Speaker 1 (48:07):
That's how it is. Man, Man, I miss John Beson, Bro.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
You had a lot like listen our defense like from
two thousand and eight all the way through when I
played basically right our defense legit had this heartbeat that
just like like the sweat like of just greatness.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
Man it.

Speaker 4 (48:26):
Man, it came from guys like John Beson, Thomas, David H. Keigley,
Julius Peppers, even Charles Johnson. Like, man, those guys they
really like installed in that defense. And when I say,
I was so like locked in when I played with
those guys because I didn't want to let those guys down,
and they hail me accountable, like it was so much

(48:48):
accountability on that team and on them defenses because I
didn't want to let those guys down. You had a
guy like not to cut you off, like man Stu.
We had guys like John Beeson. He used to send
pictures in the group chat, videos in the group chat.
He working out, Yeah what y'all doing? What y'all doing?
Like what's wrong with him? No, But that's it's Friday.

Speaker 2 (49:10):
Man.

Speaker 4 (49:10):
I'm like, Man, I'm out, I'm being real. You came
down there in Florida, yeah. I'm like, man, I'm out, Like,
what are you talking about that?

Speaker 2 (49:17):
Man?

Speaker 1 (49:17):
I'm working out, y'all. Y'all don't want to be great,
right man? Man all season?

Speaker 3 (49:24):
I'm just I just want to go tied on the
couch too.

Speaker 1 (49:27):
That's leadership. That's leadership.

Speaker 3 (49:29):
Bro.

Speaker 1 (49:29):
Then you you tap me on guys like TD.

Speaker 3 (49:32):
Yeah, come on, man.

Speaker 2 (49:34):
You gotta you gotta rise to that level before before
stud you go back, because when I when you mentioned
two thousand and eight and you start naming guys on
the roster, you can go down the list. But there's
a cat that you mentioned who was joined us this
past weekend, Chris Gamble.

Speaker 1 (49:49):
Oh man, hands down, that's my o G. I want
to ask you.

Speaker 2 (49:52):
I want to ask you about this because you shared
a room with him, and I think he's a name
that doesn't come up often enough. He don't get enough.
And I had to as a Buckeye fan growing up.
You know, it was the first major college campus to
ever step foot on. I got to meet Chris and
Coach Tressel and Mike Dawes and he's cast that.

Speaker 1 (50:09):
You know.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
That was a two thousand and two national championships that
beat State Miami I'm sorry, excuse me forging. Yes, be Miami. Yeah,
you got to share a room with Chris. He was
one of the most electrifying athletes in college. And when
he got it's like, what what type of athlete was
Chris Gamble? You know because he again you just mentioned
you just mentioned that the caliber and I know Chris

(50:30):
is you know he was. He was a He was
a great professional player too. So where does he land,
Like what was that experience?

Speaker 4 (50:37):
Like Chris man gam He was a he didn't say much.
Quiet guy. Quiet guy like gam would be in here.
He he'll laugh at Stoodio. He went same with gam Yeah,
but when he spoke, you knew.

Speaker 1 (50:56):
It was real.

Speaker 4 (50:56):
More like a Julius Pepper a little bit when they speak.
It's like, but gam Man athleticism, the person.

Speaker 1 (51:05):
He was on the field and off the field.

Speaker 4 (51:08):
He was my og because he taught me a lot,
and he took me onder his wings in that room
and talked like really showed me everything. He showed me
how to watch film, He showed me all these different things,
how he studied people, tendnessees. He really was the true
pro man. He was a true pro and on the
field man that first step. I never seen the corner

(51:30):
with the first step like Chris Gamble. When he sees something,
he go throw a hitch. You can't throw a hitch
on Chris Gamble. I knew I was getting all the hitches.
Me if I was opposite Chris Gamble. Oh, man, I
ain't throwing the hitch over that going over there, nah,
because he gonna go.

Speaker 1 (51:45):
The other way with it.

Speaker 4 (51:47):
His three step read the best in the business. He
read that three step. He going the other way.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
Me.

Speaker 4 (51:53):
I'm like, I don't believe it. No, they ain't doing it.
I'm questioning it. Gam just went he played man and
to this day, Man, I don't think he gets the
respect that he deserved. He still know what number one
all time panther interceptions be right about that. He's still
number one.

Speaker 1 (52:08):
That went up Matt, We can put Matt on that.

Speaker 4 (52:11):
I think I think he's still number one. He don't
get the respect that he deserves. Sometimes because he went flashy.
No game went loud. Gam don't talk that much. You know,
DB's normally the great dbs. Oh they gonna let you
know about you know, we're gonna let you know. Oh yeah,
I'm the best.

Speaker 1 (52:29):
I'm him.

Speaker 2 (52:31):
I thought it was worth calling out Man because he
is that type of player.

Speaker 4 (52:34):
And Gam was special, no question, you know, and people
don't talk about how he was a little bit of
Travis Hunter two.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
He played both ways very much. He played both ways.

Speaker 4 (52:44):
You know, everybody bring up Charles Wilson. You know Charles
won them, don't get me wrong, you know everybody Champ Bailey, No,
great guys, Chris Gam should be in a conversation too,
just talking about Chris.

Speaker 1 (52:54):
Gam in the hall, in the College Football Hall of fam.

Speaker 3 (52:57):
If not, he should be.

Speaker 1 (52:58):
He to definitely being consider race for that.

Speaker 4 (53:00):
You should be man gain with special mass. That's my
og shout out to my og man.

Speaker 1 (53:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (53:07):
Uh, continue the twenty thirteen season though, Like as far
as your career, you know, because after that year, you
had a great year and then you tested the free
agency the next Minnesota. Yeah, and then you ended up
coming back to Carolina. Talk about because I know, going

(53:28):
to Minnesota, like Stu.

Speaker 4 (53:30):
I cried like a baby. I'm being real with y'all.
I cried like a baby.

Speaker 1 (53:35):
Yeah. I told a couple of guys this story before.

Speaker 4 (53:41):
In free agency testing the water, we get a new
GM here and he liked bigger guys hog mallages whatever
he used to call log mall. He didn't like smaller guys,
and I'm small. So texting the Free Agency waters Water,
I go to Minnesota.

Speaker 1 (54:00):
I call coach McDermott. I called Coach Rivera.

Speaker 4 (54:04):
I'm sitting in the gym office in Minnesota. I'm like
a little kid. I'm like, man, can I.

Speaker 1 (54:09):
Use the restroom?

Speaker 4 (54:11):
He's like, yeah, sure, you know it's down there because
they negotiating the country, trying to give me the state.
I'm calling coach McDermott and Coach Rivera in the bathroom,
like yo, coach man. They offered me something. I can't
turn it down. Can y'all what's going on? I don't
want to leave. I didn't want to leave Carolina because
I was coming off my best years and the coaching

(54:31):
staff knew me well. They knew how to put me
in a position to make plays, and I played against
it with some guys like Louke Keigley, Thomas Davis. I'm
at the nickel making plays like yo. They had me
in my bag, like I really was in my bag.
I didn't want to leave, So that's why I go
to the bathroom, and hey, coach McDermott, man, can you
please see what's going on? Like, can y'all offer me something.

Speaker 3 (54:53):
Like a last ditch effort?

Speaker 1 (54:54):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (54:55):
And when it didn't work, I went back in and
I ended up signing my contract. I was happy that,
you know, I finally got something that that I deserved absolutely,
But in the back of my mind, Stuart, I really
was hurt. Yeah, like I really like cried man like
I went back to that hotel rooms in the like.
Now I gotta moved cities. I don't know nobody up here.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
You know.

Speaker 4 (55:19):
I got my college roommate, you know, he played for Minnesota,
but I really don't know nobody.

Speaker 3 (55:23):
Yeah, gotta start over.

Speaker 1 (55:25):
It got start over. I got comfortable leaving. Man. It hurt.
It hurt me, man, I promised Stuart. I was hurt.

Speaker 3 (55:34):
JK.

Speaker 4 (55:34):
I was hurt big time. Who get who be hurt?
And they going to make four or five million dollars
a year.

Speaker 3 (55:40):
I was hurt because I didn't want That's how special
it was. So going to twenty fourteen, Yes, twenty four
when we played y'all.

Speaker 4 (55:49):
In Minnesota, old Boy, and then another thing I didn't know,
another thing I ain't know. I didn't know he was
playing outside. I didn't know we was playing outside. I
would have never signed that, dame. Man listen Stu, you
know me.

Speaker 3 (56:06):
Would have read the article, read something.

Speaker 1 (56:09):
Man. After I signed that countrack, I'm looking.

Speaker 4 (56:11):
I'm like, so, just the metro down is due diligence,
wasn't that. I'm like, the metro don't gonna be ready,
so is the number on the paper?

Speaker 1 (56:19):
Listen? That was like, Oh no, we're playing at the
University of Minnesota. Whoa it ain't a down. Yeah. I
would have never man.

Speaker 4 (56:25):
Listen, the coldest place I ever played in in my
life when we played, y'all. Man, Listen, I knew y'all
was in trouble. Y'all came out there tough, coming out there.
We ain't wearing those sleeves this and that. I'm sitting
there like, bro watch how mean that I have on?
I didn't play up here.

Speaker 3 (56:41):
I didn't go out for initial warmups, man, JK Man Listen.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Listen, man, it was so cold dealing was there that year.

Speaker 4 (56:50):
Yes, Adam Thinen made a name for itself exactly gets y'all.

Speaker 1 (56:53):
So I'll take it back. So I'm gonna all infuse
a little bit here.

Speaker 2 (56:56):
So twenty fourteen, I had gotten an opportunity. My agent
had made contact with with the Vikings GM and they
bring me in for Ricky minnicamp. So basically a tryout,
and so I'm trying to get back on the roster
and get flown into Minnesota. Hold no, now, I'm from

(57:16):
Buffalo at the school in Maine, So I don't care
about the cold. I'm just worried about that opportunity. Yeah,
you're trying to get back in the league, right, I
had been out for a little over a year now,
and so get an opportunity to go up in there
in North Turners, Yosi.

Speaker 1 (57:27):
At this time. Yeah man, right, oh, North Man, North North.

Speaker 2 (57:30):
I've never been in the offense with so many shifts
and motions or you had to be on your stuff, right,
trying to confuse the defense three different formats. Yeah right,
So I get there. You know, wide receiver room wasn't
it wasn't It wasn't. It was a great opportunity. I'm
looking at my chops singing, they don't have a big

(57:51):
wide eye. I can go get I can go make
some noise. And I knew NORV loved big White House
right in San Diego. He had the Vincent Jackson's, the
Cassell Good he had them, guys, and I and I
knew his background. So get there and I see this
kid dealing, and I'm thinking, hold on now, he was
on the practice squad last year.

Speaker 1 (58:10):
Why is he here a rookie camp right? Obviously he
wasn't safe.

Speaker 2 (58:17):
And you could watch Adam Thling then at twenty thirteen
or twenty fourteen, excuse me, and they had dealing at
the at the Z. I was at the X. They
had just drafted Teddy Bridgewater and we we had There
was a little bit of chemistry out there.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
Man.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
When I tell you Feling had it, he had it.
You could just see precise route, runner efficient with his
movement in and out of not a blazer but caught
but but but quick like it was, and get in
and out of breaks.

Speaker 3 (58:49):
It was crazy, stude like and practice.

Speaker 1 (58:54):
I was wonder why he went playing.

Speaker 2 (58:55):
Look, dealing was crafty, yes, yes, and so Charlie Martin, Yes,
he was like that.

Speaker 3 (59:01):
Yeah, Charlie Martin was the same way.

Speaker 4 (59:03):
The same way, yes, But Steinland had a little bit more, yeah,
a little bit more in toughness and so I say,
you know, I tell you when when he signed here
last year, right, it was It's been amazing to watch
his career blossom because I remember at that time, I knew,
you gotta be mad that you're here right now as
a practice squad guy.

Speaker 2 (59:20):
And they made you come back either mad or motivated. Yeah,
and obviously he took and went on to make the
most of his career. Man, So shout out to him.
But but we just missed each other. And you're lucky
because I probably would have stuck block you.

Speaker 4 (59:32):
And he's crazy. You know you're crazy, man, You crazy.
I got little Man Syndron real bad.

Speaker 3 (59:37):
Everybody was you Was you trying to tackle that game? No,
I knew he wasn't.

Speaker 2 (59:41):
No.

Speaker 4 (59:42):
I was so happy, y'all was falling for y'all got
to meet man. Listen, man, that game was so cold.
That one was the coldest game I was playing. And
the coldest game was we played in twenty fifteen. We
played Seattle and we sw yeah, we spell. If we
won that game, would have came to play, y'all. I
was would have been out out. Y'all end up going
to the Super Bowl, though. Shout out to y'all, but

(01:00:04):
that was the coldest game I ever played in. It
was like negative twenty nine when we played Seattle, like Ki, Yeah,
I lost ten to nine. But I don't put it
on him. I missing sack that game too. That it's
your fault. That's I'm that type of guys. I'm hard
on myself. You know that I'm hard on me. Yeah,
shame on me. When I signed back here. You know,

(01:00:24):
Dave Gelliman, he brung up that ding gonna play I promise, like,
come on, man.

Speaker 1 (01:00:30):
I was way in Minnesota. Was your fault, man? But
playing up there in that cold man, it really.

Speaker 4 (01:00:38):
It made me a man. I felt like I can play. Yeah,
well Alabama so Alabama?

Speaker 3 (01:00:45):
Yes, Race wann and Race. You are still local here
in Charlotte. You got a podcast going on right? Hold on?

Speaker 1 (01:00:57):
Am I the only one without a shame ak?

Speaker 4 (01:01:00):
Listen you look, I ain't know what side to get you.
I know Steward was an extra large because I just
bought his show. JK, you got you're probably about two
x bro.

Speaker 1 (01:01:09):
I'm excel man, No way, I'm going on to up here,
all right, get me go ahead, get you gonna.

Speaker 3 (01:01:17):
Get your shirt.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
I appreciate it, man, it's some nice you know.

Speaker 2 (01:01:21):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I can help you out with
we can get with the market and we can help
you out with that.

Speaker 1 (01:01:26):
But that's what I needed. I like it help.

Speaker 2 (01:01:32):
I love it, man, look like and I want to
I want to go ahead, and I want to ask
one question because we did. You did just touch on
your second stint here, right, And that's very rare that
guys get to go back.

Speaker 1 (01:01:41):
Yeah, man, that man.

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
If there was one word that you had to sum
up your time in Carolina while you made it home today,
what what what is.

Speaker 1 (01:01:52):
That for you? Man? Oh man? I say family, man, family,
There was family.

Speaker 2 (01:02:04):
Man.

Speaker 4 (01:02:05):
You got guys like Stu Thomas, Davis, Luke Keighley, the
Greg Osen, Charles Johnson, the Mike Toberts, guys that are
still around here. Man. And you know, at some point
we always tap in with each other, know we always.
I don't care when is it. You know, Stu might
hit me off of random. It might be on ig

(01:02:27):
just to check on me. Hey, look cap tho little
little subliminate. Ma Hey, look cap, how you doing? You
know what I'm saying for real?

Speaker 1 (01:02:32):
And it's good to hear. Yes, It's like the relationship
that we we built. We built with each other. Man.

Speaker 4 (01:02:39):
That makes us like, like, man, we can not talk
for three four months, we see each other's like just
like we've been talking the whole time.

Speaker 1 (01:02:48):
It might be a year. Like we see each other's
like the whole time. Just pick up.

Speaker 4 (01:02:51):
It's just pick up, man, And that's what it is
with me. It was the family. That's why I came back.
I missed those guys, man, I missed them holding me
account of or some of my actions even when I
didn't make the right decisions sometime off the field, they
help me accountable.

Speaker 1 (01:03:07):
I had guys like stud like yo, cap man, like
do this? Do that?

Speaker 4 (01:03:11):
Like he helped me. He don't even know. Sometimes, you know,
I went through some stuff in my life. But sometimes
even just talking to Stu, he helped me through some
stuff he don't even know about. Well, just checking on
me and like, yo, man, it's gonna be all right.
You know everything, hey, man, it happens, bro. Even words
like that that helped me get through some stuff because
sometimes I'd be like, man, I don't know, man, what

(01:03:33):
the dude. Man, just man, it's gonna be all right.
You know, it happens, bro, it's what you're gonna do. Now,
what's your reaction gonna be? And then you know, not
the too truth your own horn. But hey, man, like
the stuff that you're doing with this legends things. Man Like,
kudos to you, bro, Like, we didn't have that, Bro,
We didn't have nobody. We had the guys that we

(01:03:53):
knew already. Like the stude Like, that's easy, stude me tober.
You know, we always ran into each other. The connections
that you're making with the guys that we haven't seen
in a long time.

Speaker 1 (01:04:05):
Man, we've seen Charles Godfrey bro Like, for real, Bro,
a couple of rocks. Brother, But I'm just saying, bro.

Speaker 4 (01:04:13):
Like, yes, then you know guys like Martin this used
to be the same draft class, right Everic Brown Like,
same draft class.

Speaker 3 (01:04:23):
Yeah, you know, it's just good to be able to
connect with guys that you blood, sweat and tears with, man,
and that you like grew up with. You know what
I'm saying basically, like, this is such a we came
We came here at a very opportunistic time because obviously
Carolina's is the market here is growing. Everybody want to
be here. We got drafted here. That's a jackpot in itself. Yes,

(01:04:46):
and so now you know being able to like create
his brotherhood not just through good times but bad times,
bad times.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
Really when we start, man, what you're doing to hey, man,
you're going somewhere like man man forger fracture.

Speaker 4 (01:05:02):
Yes, yes, And then I think about stuff like this
to Stu and JK is like, Bro, I've been to
Carolina for sixteen years almost think about it.

Speaker 3 (01:05:14):
Bro, that's your home, that's my home.

Speaker 4 (01:05:16):
I've been into Carolina since two thousand and six. Yeah,
so I spent most of my life in Carolina.

Speaker 1 (01:05:22):
Really came an adult.

Speaker 4 (01:05:24):
Oh so this is what I really like grew up.
This is what I really learned how to become a
real man, like for real. I had my kids like
like for real life and just to be here man
like man, I man listen, I went to I went
trade this for the world man, I first family football man.

(01:05:47):
Appreciate you, cap man to take us out.

Speaker 1 (01:05:49):
Cap.

Speaker 3 (01:05:50):
That was awesome. Thank you guys for listening to Stu
and the crew. Captain Mandland was able to come through
and share with us his journey where he's at at, inspired,
inspiring these kids, the youth which is so important and
make sure you check out No Capping with Cap, his

(01:06:11):
new podcast. Hopefully, hopefully he invites me on.

Speaker 4 (01:06:14):
Man, I'm trying to get you on any time. You
want to be all right, let's go listen Man, Stu,
you're gonna get Hollywood on it. Man, you got to
go to Oregon and do all this other stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:06:23):
We want to support you.

Speaker 3 (01:06:24):
Everybody tune in, like subscribe all the things for Cap.

Speaker 1 (01:06:29):
We'll see you next time, sir. Thanks for having me. Man,
appreciate you, sir,