August 27, 2024 • 47 mins
"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, Ricky Proehl joins the guys to discuss the magical 2015 season, cut day, Cam Newton's leadership, what it was like to be a member of the "Greatest Show on Turf" and so much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're the thirteenth big in the two thousand and eight
NFL drafts. Karen laon Panther sellect Jonathan.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Stewart gets to Stewart, he leads touched up Stewart oh
Rough tough right, angry man out at elbows, knees.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Stewart hesitates, accelerates. That's what I'm talking about. Bit the
spass Moll football.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Nathan Stuart got running around.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Stewart, jump over a tackler at the tenth flows up.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Laura's his shoulder, keeps running. No one will touch him.
Jonathan Stewart house is up. You talk about explosive plays
in the run game. It's like the fourth of July round.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Here right now you are listening to Stu and the crew.
Now to Jonathan Stewart's and Jeremy Kelly.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Welcome everybody. This is Jonathan Stewart co host here, Jeremy Kelly.
You are now listening to the stew and the crew.
Today we have former wide receiver Ricky pro. Everybody listen here.
Seventeen year Vet got drafted in the nineties, nineteen ninety
the exact third round. I went to Wake Forest. You know,
(01:06):
I like to joke with you know Kenny Moore. Of
course I like to joke with him because I used
to call Wake Forest week Forest because, uh, at one point,
you guys played us played Oregon a long time ago.
Maybe you were on that team, Yeah you did. And
so I'm just and so as far as me calling
y'all week, it's just me being hated. I'm just hating,
(01:29):
you know what I'm saying. So but uh but yeah,
two time Super Bowl champ man. Just that just the
way that sounds just greatness.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
We're talking to it's old man, it's old.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
But welcome to the show, bro.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
It's it's it's been what six years since we uh
since you coached in the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Two thousand fifteen season. It was twenty sixteen. It's crazy time.
Just flies great years, man, a lot of a lot
of great memories.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Good guys. Man.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I talk to people all the time about that team
when we just and stud know, and I'm not just
saying that because we're on this podcast, but as coaches,
we blew that Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I mean I just look at you know that the
squad we had that season, We had.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
The kind of running back you were in the running game,
We had like they had the best two d ns
in the league that year with Von Miller and d
Wear and we're trying to throw seven step passes. Our
defense was unbelievable. Peyton, We all do respect at that
point in his career. He couldn't throw the ball twenty
five yards. And if we just played field position, man,
(02:53):
just run it at Von Miller with you just you know,
just grind it out, you know, and play field position.
And then you know, we're twice backed up and we're
trying to throw seven step drop and had two strip fumbles.
And that's not Cam's fault, that's our fault as coach,
is just understanding you know what kind of team we
had and where they were, and you know, just being
(03:16):
smart and just playing field position as.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Simple as that.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I could see the pain in your eyes, RN Man
that when you went there, you went.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
There, you have a team that is like we had
in I mean fifteen when we could have undefeated. I mean,
we didn't play our start as the last game and
Cam was on top of his game. He was the
face of the league. He was a great football player,
and we had a great football team, great defense with
Luke and Thomas and all those guys star Our front
(03:46):
seven was unbelievable and they couldn't do anything offensively.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
But when you give them the ball in the short.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Field, I mean, now, all of a sudden, you got
the best one of you know, one of the best
quarterbacks to ever played the game, and and it just.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
It's frustrating.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
And for me as a former player, sometimes I felt
like my voice didn't manage just because I was a
young coach and even though I played the game, I
know the game and I know, hey, you know, just
like a wide out. You know, in Super Bowl we
lost with the Rams. We had the best receivers in
the league, but New England stopped in the past. We
got Marshall fault run Marshall fault like to catch three passes,
(04:27):
I like, But we got to do what we got
to do and win the football game at the end
of the day.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
That's what manags.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
And so what do you think that? What do you
think that is where you know, coaches and big games,
you know, go away from what has gotten them to
those big games.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
It's just like sometimes players, it becomes you become selfish,
it becomes an ego thing, like you know what we've
been we've been throwing it around. We're going to you know,
this is what we're gonna to do.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And not to say they weren't bad. They were bad plays,
but not in that situation, not that early in the game,
you know, you know, and.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Caught up in the moment. You get caught up in
a moment, caught up in the game playing, caught up
in the sheet.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Yeah, because that happens all the time for players, where
you like, make this moment so big to where you
just start playing outside of yourself, right.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Absolutely, instead of letting the game come to you play it.
You know, let's let's even if it's ugly, even if
it's methodical. I mean, you look at the old I
grew up in the New York Giants and Bill Parcells
his Super Bowl wins were ugly, but they were wins.
You know, Grind it, grinded, play good defense, run the ball,
play field position, field goals. Whatever you got to do
is put points on the board. Belichick did the same thing.
(05:51):
And you know, and that's the one thing I really
take away stew And I know, you know Cam, people
talk about Cam all the time. And one thing I
loved Cam as a former coach, I loved how he
approached the game.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
I loved how he approached practice.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
He never he was one of the most selfless guys
I've ever been around with his status. I mean he
literally I tell people all the time, he didn't care
if he was four for twenty for one hundred yards.
All he cared about was women at w and that's
to me. And he never if a receiver dropped the
ball at the left tackle blewse assignment and he got
(06:32):
blown up, he never pointed a finger next play, let's go,
you know, always encouraging people. And that's the stuff that
people don't see. And that's like that super Bowl. You know,
I wasn't even a player and I wont two super
Bowls played in four, but the ones you lose, even
as a player or a coach, that makes me sick,
just because you deserve to be a super Bowl champion,
(06:55):
and that team deserved to be a super Bowl champion.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
And it still is a sticks with me.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Since we're on the topic of Super Bowls, Which super
Bowl meant the most that you've won.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
My first one with the Rams, just because for me,
it was it was everything that happened that season just
to kind of is my mind. I mean, I just
I had a lot of individual success coming up into
that season, and I always, I mean, I prayed all
the time that God, I just want to I just
(07:30):
want to feel what it feels like to win, you know,
like you said, wait for us. We were we had
decent years when I was there, but back then they
only had a couple of goals and we couldn't get
into them because we're our school wasn't big enough. And
then my first ten years in the league, I was
on bad teams three and three and thirteen, four and twelve,
and I just it wears on you. And as a player,
(07:51):
you just go through training camp and then you just
next thing, you know, you're one in eight middle of
the season, and it's just how much longer can I
do this? I just I prayed, like, man, I just
want to I don't care about my stats anymore.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I just want to win. I just want to feel
what it feels like to win. And then we go.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I go to the Rams and we got unbelievable Isaac Tory,
Kurt Marshall, Falk, Isaac Keem, Ernie Conwell.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
We had unbelievable skill players, and.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
I was kind of the third down guy. And everybody
on that football team. I mean I laugh at it now,
but everybody scored touchdowns. I mean from our right tackle
eligible to defensive guys.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
We had a bunch of pick sixes.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
We're the most prolific scoring offense in NFL history at
that time, and everybody scored but me.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
And like I said, I was the third down guy.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
That was kind of my role at that point, coming
in on third down, making the Cats first down, moving
the chains. And then we get in the NFC Championship
and the game score six to five. I mean, we're
scoring thirty forty points every game. We get the NFC
champions against Tampa and it's unbelievable defense and toys and
(09:06):
and I'm having a huge game. I mean I end
up having six for one hundred and I catch a
thirty yard touchdown to get us into the Super Bowl.
We win eleven to six, and then to win in
a tight game against Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
But to finally win that was.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
There was no experience like that for me. I mean
it was just like, Wow, this is unreal. And then
once you win and you get a feeling of playing
in the Super Bowl, and then to go back three
more times, but they were all equally.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It's just unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
But that one was probably the most special for me
because it was just it made.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Me realize.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
As a as a player, as a person to be selfless,
that you need like just like in the business world,
just like in your personal work, like your portfolio, your
you need to be diversified. To have a championship team,
you need to be diversified. And you know, from having
great running backs to having great receivers. You look at
(10:08):
so many great receivers they catch one hundred and something
balls during the season, but they win to getting in
the playoffs, they're just gonna they're gonna stop that guy.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Yeah, you've got the guys that can step up and
make plays.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And that's what it taught me. And it's no different
than my business. You know, you got to have great
people around you that produce, make plays or do their
jobs and and that's how you become successful.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Yeah, both man's passionate about the game. Good to see
you on here seventeen years as we just talked about,
and how many coaching six six coaching six coaching and
for you to have taken a huddle with multiple Hall
(10:54):
of famers, those that you just mentioned Kurt two eight
in the backfield.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Come which which, by the way, Marshall was the reason
why I weren't number twenty eight and I was.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You know, I played Peyton Manning probably this, you know,
Marshall Falk was next to it.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
I mean, I think equal as Peyton. But Marshall Fulk
was the smartest football player I ever played. Unbelievable, unbelievable
how he just knew the interior line and linebackers their
their sets and had had to set up blocks. He
was phenomenal. He literally you could ask Tory Isaac Oz
we love blocking for him. He made it easy. He
(11:38):
would he would he would take the defender where he
wanted and then just it would make our blocks easy
and then we'd seal him or push him out, and
he just cut off our blocks. He was. But just
the knowledge of the game as a receiver, I mean
he was just as good as a receiver as he
was a running back.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
I mean he was phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
And just to see him and being with him in
the locker room, in the meeting rooms, his knowledge of
the game is second to none.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
He seems like a like a studious guy, very stoic,
kind of doesn't have a lot to say unless maybe
you know him or you're inside the circle him. Met
him a few times and a few golf tournaments. Kind
of keeps it right to himself, close to the vest,
gonna have a stick in his hands and God and
keep it moving. Yeah, yeah, right, although I will I
(12:31):
will say this right and and I guess I touched
on my Buffalo roots here, But man, without know Thurman Thomas,
you don't have Marshall fault. And I think Thurman is
a guy as you're as we're talking about running, bas
we're talking about knowledge, we're talking about just intuition. I
(12:53):
don't think that there's many better to ever play this game.
And I think he's a guy who had he got
a ring or multiple right obviously. I think I think
we people would talk or refer to Therman Thomas like
they do EMMITTT. Smith. I think he was just that
caliber athlete him, you know him, and him and Marshall
both incredible wide, incredible receivers of the football as well
(13:16):
as rushers of the football, ability to make people miss
in small spaces, all those things. So shout out to Thermer,
Shout out the threefore. But I want to go back.
I want to go back because you were mentioning, you know,
and I brought up the Hall of famers that you
played with, and you mentioned something about Cam. You know,
you've played with a lot of high caliber, you know,
the greatest of all time. And for you to say
(13:37):
that an individual like Cam is one of the most
selfless that you've ever been around, I think that's profound.
I think it's a profound statement. And you know, maybe
it's in my role as director of Legend Affairs here, right,
you kind of protect your guys sometimes, right, And I
think we all know that there's guys that get a
bad rap because of media. There's guys that get a
bad rap because they choose to There's guys that get
(13:58):
a bad rap because of misconceptions, whatever it may be.
So for you to say that, as a both a
former player and a coach, I thought that's I thought
that's something worth noting.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
I just I mean, you know, Cam, Cam could be.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Miss I don't know what misunderstood. I understood that the
thing about Cam that I love is he makes it
about winning. Everything is about winning, Showing up to the locker,
showing up every day he was competing. He was competing
from the day before. It was like, man, the energy
level is stinky. It stinks, let's turn the energy level up.
(14:43):
Practice is gonna suck if we do not figure this out.
TV like the chirp in that practice, all those types
of things. It was about getting everyone rouled up to
get ready to go out and perform. And that's who
Cam is. I remember. I don't know if you remember this, Ricky.
My last year, I had three fumbles in one game
(15:07):
two that guy actually turned over and it was against
the Atlanta Falcons. Terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible time. And Cam
Cam comes over and he's like, hey, you okay, And
it was the first time that he's really had to
(15:28):
ask me like if something, if something was wrong, if
I was because I was off. And it was really
the first time that I looked at Cam in a
way that was like, man, he gets it. And I'm
always known that he gets it. But I'm performing in
a way that's hurting the team right mid game and
(15:52):
he's not coming over to me saying, hey, dog, check
out of that whatever. You know, he the emotional intelligence
that he actually has. I'm gonna start I'm using the
word emotional intelligence throughout this whole series because I think
it's something that we oftentimes overlook or may not have
even heard of. Right when it comes to this barbaric
(16:15):
game that we play. Being able to meet people where
they are, That's what Cam did. That's what made him special.
Whatever music that you're listening to, he's going to be
able to dance to it. Whatever food that you're cooking,
he gonna find out a way to eat it. You
know what I'm saying, Like, that's the mentality that you
(16:37):
have when it comes to a leader on a team
and a guy that changed the culture of football in
a lot of ways. And so you're talking about you know,
Cam and his selflessness like that's how he was raised,
you know what I'm saying, Like that comes from his
(16:58):
home and when people, you know, try to shut that
down and make him to be something that he's not.
Like guys that have actually played with him, been in
the locker room with him, gone through battles with him,
Like I take it to heart. I'm like, man, y'all
don't know what you're talking about. He's not gonna he's
(17:18):
not gonna defend, He's not gonna sit up all day
and try to defend himself to all the millions of
people that think something about him. But I'm glad that
we're talking about it. I'm glad you brought that up
because it's it's us that has to defend him, the
people that know him. I feel like, if there's a
discussion that's happening that's false, I'm going to speak up
(17:40):
for it. And we need more people like that out there.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I mean, people like I said, you know, he's so misunderstood.
People just don't know cam. You know, when they make
that comment, they don't know him. They don't know who
he is as a as a football player, but as
a man, like he's just you know, I think his.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
His experience at Florida, you know, I mean that was
his his dream to go to Florida.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
You know, they were, you know, one of the top
programs at that time, and I think his experience there
was you know, it's so funny because I'm not going
to sit here and but there's so many people that.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Perception is reality.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
But there's so many people that perceived certain players as
great dudes, great people because they play that role.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
But behind yeah, I know where you're going with that.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Now, And there's several people I could, but you know,
I'm not gonna name names. But Cam is that guy
that people perceive as being on the other side of
the corner. I tell people all the time, you know,
like you would think, you know, when you play seventeen
years you play, you play with a lot of amazing athletes,
(19:01):
but they're not. Some of them aren't what they think
they are. Like I've said, Deon Sanders is the same thing.
Certain people perceived him as a player because he was
flamboyant and everything he did on the football field, and
he talked, but he walked the walk. But he was
a great dude. Every time I've come in contact with Dion,
nothing but first class, nothing but respect for me, you know.
(19:25):
And I'm not even in the same category as Deon Sanders,
but just played against him.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Just a respect. Michael Irvin the same thing. You know.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
I know they're they're passionate about the game and about
life and about people, and you know, it's like, I
don't know if you've seen I saw it last night
on Instagram, Michael just going off on the CD LAMB
thing like people just destroying Ceedee Lamb saying he can't.
You know, he's got to get back on the field.
Da da da, and and you know they don't understand
(19:55):
the window of opportunities. These guys have to make money,
and you know there's no guarantee.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
I think they definitely understand. I think they just lose
what they're you know, the foundation of what they believe in.
You know what I'm saying. I feel like nowadays, the clickbait,
the commentary, the broadcasting, we're so quick to just say
what the majority is thinking. Right, the majority is staying
(20:26):
to themselves. Oh CD lamb, you're an NFL. You got
millions of dollars, you should just show up. Nah, I'm
trying to be more than just a couple of million
dollar man. You know what I'm saying. I'm trying to
be I'm trying to be like Jerry Jones. Why not,
you know what I'm saying. So I have this window
of opportunity to break the bank for what I for
(20:47):
what my value is? I know my value and so
do you. So let's let's get let's get to it.
And so like that's that's crazy to me, Like you
got Michael.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Irving, It's because.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
You know, That's where I really respect Michael because Michael
is fighting for CD like he's like got up like
this is. You know, I held out back when we
we won a Super Bowl and I held out because
that was the time. And you know there's guys that
look at I look at the era I played in
and you know, the money was was different and it's
grown so fast. But I mean, you can't, you can't.
(21:28):
That's where it is right now, that the market bare is.
You know, that's that's what you know, it's the greatest
to me. It's just it's awesome that these guys are
getting what they are getting. But it doesn't it's not
like some of these other sports where it lasts forever
or there was guaranteed contracts forever. Yeah, you know there's
(21:48):
some baseball players are still getting paid and played in
fifteen years, right, you know, but it's.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
That's you know, yeah, guarantee enough. Dark day in football,
Well been there, all experienced, well not not everybody, some
of us in here, some of us, some of us
had to get it out the mud.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Rick.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I don't know whether you were a draft picked to
undrafted free agent. The only one at the table here,
so we get Stu Stui ain't been stud been privileged,
but he earned it. He earned it.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Privileged.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Cut day, cut day, dark day in the NFL, always tough,
always bittersweet. Right, You're gonna see guys that are gonna
keep going, They're going to find themselves with other clubs.
Gonna be guys that make the team. There's gonna be
guys that say, hey, you know what, I'm hanging it up.
I'm gonna go find another passion in life. As a
former player, as a coach, what's your perspective like there?
How how tough is that on both sides of the ball,
(22:49):
watching guys exit the locker room knowing that they put
everything on the line whether they were capable of being
on a team or not. And then also as a
coach having to make those decisions sitting in his room
and let guys go, knowing, man if I just had
a little bit more time or otherwise, Well, I.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Think first to answer a couple of questions in there,
So let me let me start with as a player,
it was so hard, and I'm sure both of you
can relate. There are times where you're sitting in the
locker and got to get cut over a guy and
then someone mixed and you're like, he got released, he
made it, you know, I mean you're kind of you're
(23:28):
blown away. And some of it's some of it's politics, man,
some of it is who who got drafted, who didn't,
who they brought in. You know, it's it's it's so
hard to see these guys that work their tail off
and some of them maybe didn't get the opportunities to
(23:49):
really showcase their skill set to where they can make
the football team because sometimes on purpose. You know, I
hate to say that, but it's the truth. Just from
being on both sides as a player and a coach.
I mean, I've seen players that I was trying to
develop that said, hey, we're going to release them because
I'm bringing I brought in so and so and he's.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Gonna be on this football team.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
You know, I think.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
It's for me as a coach, I stood in front
of my guys, twelve guys and said, I'm gonna give
you every opportunity. And I can honestly say I did
that for six years. I would script my our our
our offensive plays. I would script guys to put them
in plays to where that was their strength, that they
(24:38):
could showcase their talent and make plays.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
So when we had to cut them or they didn't,
they didn't produce, so they were they knew they were
going to get released.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
And because I as a man, I couldn't look them
in the eye and say you weren't good enough when
I never give you a chance to make it right,
you know, and and that happens.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
That's real.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
There's a lot of talented guys that can play in
this league that never got the opportunity, that never got
a chance to be on the roster. And it's sad
because it does. It is some of it is political,
and it's you know, some of these guys that get drafted,
their game doesn't transfer to the NFL, but they're going
(25:20):
to make the team because they've got money invested in it.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
And that's that's that's just colhearted truth. I mean, that's
just that's real.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
And it's sad because there are guys I just wish,
you know, I know, And that's why I got I
coached in the XFL because I felt like there were
guys that I coached that can play in the league
that I wanted to help develop, to give them a
second shot to get in the League, and and I
think that I wish we still had the World League,
(25:49):
you know, hopefully you know, in a farm system that
can help these guys develop because it's so the systems
are so complex now and they expect these guys to
figure it out overnight, and it's hard.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
It's you know, especially for offensive guys.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
I mean, these guys have one words that that's the formation,
that the protection, that's the motion, the concept, and that
you can't if if a guy, I don't care even
if he's a smart football player, if he doesn't pick
it up right away, his athleticism is never going to
show up on the field.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
If he's thinking about where to line you know. And
and it's just that's.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
That's tough, and that's what I try to do as
a coach is and I just I spent the extra
hours with the young guys have walked through because my
whole approach was if you don't know where to line up,
you're never going to figure out the play because if
you're going left where my lining up, you never now
you forget what the play is. If you can at
least know where to line up, you have two three
seconds to try to process. Okay, this is what I got.
(26:57):
This is the concept two posts or you know, go
sell on a flat, you know, just stuff like that,
and and and That's what I loved coaching because I
felt like I could expect that process to help those
guys learn, to make them feel confident and comfortable in
the role they were in to where they could go
out and make plays.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
And I wasn't going to berat them if they lined
up wrong.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
You know.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I used to the mere bird. He was a practice
squad guy.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I put him in with in training camp with Cam
and they'd be looking at me, What the hell is
he doing in here with Cam? I said, learning developed developments. Yeah,
and and and and that's what I took pride in
is in the league he was just knock back down. Yeah,
Demir stilln't and not backing down like you know the
versions of the world who were often Chaine smart, like, hey,
(27:50):
there's something look at every time he comes in, Cam
throws it to him because he knows he's gonna be
where he's supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
You know what I'm saying. There's something to be said
for that.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Yeah, he's run at four to three, but he's fat enough,
he gets open, he understands the game, like there's.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
There's a place for that for guys in the lead,
for you know, for those guys.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Maybe they're not your starters, are not going to take
the top off, they're not gonna you know, make the
huge place, but you need them when guys go.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Down week nine, week eleven injuries and they can finish
the game.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
And they can.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
They quarterback believes in them and and and that's where
sometimes you know, like I said, the teams that win consistently,
they understand that they they're diversified. They understand that there's
guys that that play that role that don't say nothing.
They just you know, they work their tail off and
(28:43):
they can play three four positions. And and those guys
are important. Those guys are are and they're good for
the They're good for the starters because they're knowledgeable, they're smart,
they can you know, I just think I just think
that's where But getting back to I know I went
on a tangent, but yeah, it's hard, you guys, this
(29:07):
is because my heart bleeds.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
I had two boys. Man, I got that call as
a dad.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Yeah, tell us tell us about like, you know, you
being a father that played so long in its league.
You basically your whole life, you've you've breathed and lived football,
raising two you know, young men around football.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
What was that like?
Speaker 3 (29:34):
What was your intentionality you know on a day to
day especially as they started getting older and showing them,
you know, the ropes of what it is going to
be like and what it's going to take to be
come a professional athlete and then talk to us about
you know those the days like today which is cut day,
(29:56):
and how you had to prepare yourself to basically handle
that with your kids.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
I think early on, early on, it was tough because
I played seventeen years. I was never cut, and.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
They as they got older, they saw dad having success
even at an old age. Just they knew, you know,
my role had changed, but I still worked hard at
my craft and and.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
Well this is easy. I'm just gonna you know, we'll
play football growing up. It's gonna you know, just line
up and play.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
I'm gonna make it like it's you know, they don't
understand the whole getting cut process. And then they both
you know, get a scholarship, go to college, and and
then you know, Alstin gets drafted late Blake's a free
agent he doesn't get drafted, he's had some injuries, and
they start to have some success, but they don't understand it,
(30:55):
you know, what it really takes to be a pro.
And then they start to figure it out, the grind
of just you know, the details of just being a
great route runner, Like what what? Who are you as
a player? You got to you got to define yourself
as a player. Who are you? Are you?
Speaker 4 (31:12):
Are you an X?
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Are you a Z?
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Are you a slot guy? You know, Austin was more
you know of a slot guy.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
He was a detailed route guy, great quickness, smaller frame
with Blake six 's two, probably more of an ex
or in a Z outside receiver. Maybe not as good
a route runner, but unbelievable speed, take the top off,
but still good route runner, good hands. So just teaching
(31:41):
them the nuances of the game and what it takes
to be a pro and how hard it is. Even
though you're good you had success in college. These guys
are the best of the best. Every time you think
you've made strategy, you're pretty good, there's you know, the
CD Lambs or their brand. Then they're bringing in new
(32:01):
guys to replace you. And right when you think you
made it on the practice squad. They're going to bring
other practice squads. They're looking, you know, for guys that
fit the system. And it's it's understanding that. And then,
like you said, as a dad, as a to get
that call, hey I just got cut or I just
(32:21):
blew my knee out. Man, it's gut wrenching because it's funny.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
When you play, you don't, you know, you don't. You
don't think about getting hurt. You don't think about fumbling
the ball. You don't think about dropping the ball. When
you're a dad and.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
That ball's in the air and you know it's going
to your son, you're like, oh my god, it fall
seems like it's in the air for eternity, you know.
And when they make a play, it's just your heart explodes. Man.
It's just the joy of seeing them have success at
(32:56):
all levels. And then so when they get released they
it cut, it's that same hurt. Man, It just it
just hurts to the core. And and and I know
how hard they've worked, but it's like anything, man, you
learn from that. You learn from those experiences. And I
(33:18):
tell people all the time with my business, I learned
so many life skills through sports. And just how to
work hard that you know, and how to prepare preparation.
There's no substitution for preparation and being ready because I
think being prepared for anything breeds confidence, and in confidence
breeds success, and that's what's.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
Teaching them.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
And and as hard as a dad, because I think
both of them were good enough to play, I really do,
you know.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
I think sometimes I felt like sometimes their name hurt them.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
I wish their name was a different name, just to
see because you know, just in college, I mean people
were like scouts were asking college coaches, well, what was
dad like?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
Was he hover Dad?
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Was he calling you all the time?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
Was he want of those dudes you're just in your
office all the time telling you what.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
You need to do, and like, no, it's right, you
know so. But it was tough.
Speaker 4 (34:15):
But at the end of the day, I wouldn't change
it for anything.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
They give me so much joy in their college careers
and then even getting a chance to play and do
what they did at the professional level.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
It was just, yeah, that's got to be a dream
come true. I Mean you're seeing nowadays where Lebron James
and no all the professional athletes now being able to
play a sport, a professional sport with their kids. I mean,
you have you know the Ball family and how supportive
he is of his kids, whether people like them or not.
He's doing a damn good job of being a dad.
(34:50):
So kudos to you, man for just setting the example
and making things happen and making them shake for your family.
I'm going to tighten the thing up a little bit here.
Carolina Panthers currently, how do you feel about their chances
this year? And I want to give I want you
(35:10):
to give us a little bit of feedback on you know,
what your thoughts are in the receiver room now? Today
we got rid of Terrence Marshall, Junr who else?
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (35:28):
I think so? Jordan Matthews, matt Jordan Matthews was like
a great a good game.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
The thing is he showed up. Sometimes you know you're
playing for other teams.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
Right put that film out there, you get picked up.
And I feel like sometimes too, it could be like
an age thing to write your vet is gonna get
paid more than again guy? So it could be a
numbers game. Who knows, uh, But what's your thought pat
process right now? As far as the Carolina Panthers currently
going into this season.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Well, I think it all starts at the top and
it trickles down. It's leadership, you know. And you know,
I look at this football team and you know, anything
can happen. I mean, you look at Stupid before.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
You were young.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
I mean two thousand and three when I came to
the Carolina Panthers, I think the year before, they had
one and fifteen. I mean they were the worst team
in the league. A couple of additions here, a couple
editions there. It's leaderships. It's just like we talked about
with Cam Newton, all of a sudden, you know, the
(36:46):
Panthers weren't very good when we got there.
Speaker 4 (36:50):
I mean, you know you were there.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
They guys had struggled. And you're bringing Cam, You're bringing
a selfless quarterback. I think, you know, everybody, of course,
Bryce is going to get you know, everybody's going to
bash Bryce.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
You know. And he's too short, he's too disploy He's
still the same size he was when he was at Alabama.
I mean, he's just.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
You gotta have time to throw, you gotta have a
running game, you gotta have you know, some play action stuff.
Take some pressure off of him. I think that it's
they just gotta they just gotta try to chip away
and just you know, don't try to do too many
things too fast. And I think they got some good players,
They got some good leadership. Bringing Deonta I think helps
(37:31):
Adam feeling. They got they addressed the line. I think
that's huge. Those guys they stay healthy and start to
gel as a unit and start to.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
You know, it would make me. I would be overjoyed
just to see.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
The offense. We know the defense is pretty aren't good,
just but just to see Bryce have success. You know,
everybody's just hating on and.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
You know, I just think that.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
If they can just get a running game going, some
do some some things, some high percentage passes, you know,
and then let things start to build and get let
some momentum, get a win, get a win here, another win.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
There, you know, because that's what it's all about.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
It's it's building momentum, building confidence in your football team,
and that that comes with with coach and and and
the coaches around and who he surrounded himself with. I
think that's huge as a player, and you know, it's
you know, I spoke to a high school team the
other day, Grimsly High School has had a lot of
success in in Greensboro and they got the top quarterback
(38:47):
in the country just committed to Tennessee. And you know,
I challenge the players to be selfless. I challenged them
to play for each other. I think that's what makes
football so great, is you need eleven guys performing.
Speaker 4 (38:59):
At the same time. And what a challenge to coaches,
you know.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
I think as a player, one of the the thing
that I hated when I became a coach, I said,
I want to coach the way I wanted to be coached.
And the toughest thing when you play on those bad teams.
You drop a ball and you come to the sideline
and the coach is cussing at you. Catch it, damn
you know, hit the hole you're supposed to hit.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
What you cutting back?
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Like? Hold on? First of all, Like I'm already beating
myself up, Like you don't need to just pile on
and beat me up more with that? What does that accomplished? Yeah,
you know, and it's like here, you know, as a coach,
one of the biggest things for me, the challenge was
like Schatzinski, remember Chuck, Like he was making comments, why
(39:43):
didn't you cut? Why didn't Stu do this or D'Angelo
do that.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
I'm like, hold on, now he's seeing color like he's
down on the field. You're you're seeing it from an
airplane like that bothered me, former player, and I look
at Tony Dungee, Dick for Meal, Coach Fox, the things
that they were always encouraging their their staff. They surrounded
themselves with coaches that were positive. And that's what I'm
(40:07):
hoping Coach canut is done, is surrounded himselves with great
coaches that coach coach, that's what you're called.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Coach.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
Take these kids, Take these young men through a process
to get better. You know, like if you miss a
whole asking me the question what did you see on
that play?
Speaker 4 (40:24):
Exactly?
Speaker 3 (40:25):
You know what I'm saying. So that way, now I
can take myself through a self evaluation. And when you
teach guys to go and do these evaluations on their themselves,
they're gonna want to get better. It's going to be
their duty to be better. Yeah. Absolutely, As you.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Said, you went from the well then Phoenix, Phoenix Cardinals,
they weren't you said you golf with old guys earlier.
Today I think you want of them, how old how
old still showing up. You don't know what's sleeping seams
(41:16):
on today.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
You can probably still run a sprint, you run sprints
still at prolific.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Absolutely absolutely, I.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Mean to go. And I brought that up, you know.
I bring that up to say, you know, going from
a team that was, as you mentioned, underperforming poor, you know,
perennial losing records to being at the top and one
of the most prolific offenses of all time, if not
the right. You get to see the impact, the difference
you know, of coaching, the difference of the locker room chemistry,
(41:46):
difference that certain players that that that they make not
just talking about the stars, but those that we referred
to earlier, the guys that you need on your roster,
the glue guys, the guys that are going to be,
you know, not the talented. But he knows where he's going.
He's gonna behind the starter. Hey man, you got this right.
We all know how that goes. And so your experience, man,
(42:08):
is is just priceless. The wealth of knowledge, and I'm
sure that all those things would make you You can
tell just talking to him, man, it's like got me
you you wish you played for you did get to
play with me. I wish I played for him. I
used to be able to go to Rick and Rick.
I used to go to Rick like God'd be like, hey, man,
I know right right, I know, I know. I'm like,
(42:29):
as long as you know that makes me feel better. Yeah,
you're good, outstanding man. Well with over six hundred career receptions,
over fifty touchdowns, he knows a little bit about something.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Yeah, you know, you know a lot about a lot
of things.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
I think you know what it's funny is it's it's
like you said, when you play for bad teams, and God,
I thank God. You know you play for good teams.
You see the difference while those teams. One of those
teams lost and why. And it's no different than my business.
You know, I try to encourage the people that work
for me. I try to, you know, I wanted to
(43:04):
be It's quality of life, you know. I want them
to want to work hard for me. I don't do
I don't ask them to do anything I don't do.
And you know it's at the time I was miserable.
When you're on the losing teams, you get your head
beat in every week. And but I wouldn't train set.
I wouldn't trade for anything because I learned so much
(43:24):
through that process in that journey.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
That's right, that's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
Well, man, we go to spend some time.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
This is great. This is great, man, thank you for
your time. I do have a no while you were
in Seattle, the Chicago Bulls, the Sonics, you were in
Seattle during that time, I just want to know, from
a professional athlete that's playing in the league, an adult,
(43:55):
what was that time like experiencing the Seattle Sea Seattle
Onyx playing in the NBA Finals against Chicago Bulls.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
It's unbelievable. I mean, I mean, I think you know,
I'm not gonna sit here and talk about, you know,
today's game and how it's changed to watch. I mean,
for Kemp was unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
I mean, it was a freak unbelievable. But then just
Jordan's Jordan.
Speaker 3 (44:27):
Was that guy that you know I was.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
I mean, he made you turn on the TV, you know,
to watching Jordan's playing the night like he just he
was unreal and it you know, I grew up in
that air with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem, Clyde Drexler,
you know, I was a huge I grew up with
doctor j Fan and you look at Doc, he really
(44:50):
couldn't shoot. He just was in the air man he
got just unbelievable, like just floated, and you know, but
it it was awesome to be down with Seattle winning
and what they were doing, and then the Bulls and
then with Chicago. I played Chicago ninety seven. Jordan was there,
(45:11):
got you know, got a chance to meet him, and
but just uh, it was awesome. It was It was
a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (45:19):
Came Griffy, I mean shooting you look on the baseball side.
Speaker 3 (45:22):
Yeah, dude, like you was. You was a pro at
the right time. That's the reason I wanted to ask
because growing up in Washington, I'm always I grew up
hearing Ken Griffy, hearing Gary Payne, Sean cam like warm Moon,
like Sean Alexander, Uh, Ricky Waters. We had a story
(45:43):
about Ricky be that long. But like but it was
just like growing up, I always wondered, and so I
just had to ask you that question.
Speaker 4 (45:53):
It was yeah, it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Just uh, you know, I think that the toughest thing
for me still what I have a hard time with
as I've gotten older, is now I lose track of
where guys are at, Like I don't.
Speaker 4 (46:07):
I used to know everybody, what number.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
They wore, what team they were on, where they're you know,
and now it's you know, God, you know, it's just
hard now. I mean, guys are teams and you know,
you know, it's it's no different than college I mean
now and I l I mean these kids hopping teams
every week, hop in schools. You know, it's that that's
(46:32):
the hardest thing. I'm kind of that old school mentality,
you know, you just love because those ribbalries were so true,
Like you look at the old when I grew up,
the Sixers, Celtics, Lakers, I mean, Detroit was freaking sick.
And then, like you said, the Seattle with Kemp and
Peyton and the Glove Like, I mean, there were those
(46:53):
true rivalries and I feel like, not that they're not
there now, but they're not like it was back then.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
Be no, no, thanks, Rick, appreciate your time, man, thanks
for tuning in to Stu and the crew. Much love
to everything that you're doing.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
We gotta get out. I want to see that thirty
eighty put up on it.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
I'm trying to. I'm trying to. I'm trying to throw
this forty on you because I'm really sixteen handicapped and
I shot a forty today on the front.
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Nine, So I get you, do I get it? Sound
at Old Norse State.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
Okay, let's do it. Y'all heard it here. He's going
to invite us to go golf. So if he doesn't
do it within the next two months, you'll hear about it.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
All right, man, Absolutely, Ricky. We appreciate you, man, thanks
for doing it, all right.
Speaker 4 (47:41):
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
Ricky pro
We're the thirteenth big in the two thousand and eight
NFL drafts. Karen laon Panther sellect Jonathan.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Stewart gets to Stewart, he leads touched up Stewart oh
Rough tough right, angry man out at elbows, knees.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Stewart hesitates, accelerates. That's what I'm talking about. Bit the
spass Moll football.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Nathan Stuart got running around.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Stewart, jump over a tackler at the tenth flows up.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Laura's his shoulder, keeps running. No one will touch him.
Jonathan Stewart house is up. You talk about explosive plays
in the run game. It's like the fourth of July round.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Here right now you are listening to Stu and the crew.
Now to Jonathan Stewart's and Jeremy Kelly.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Welcome everybody. This is Jonathan Stewart co host here, Jeremy Kelly.
You are now listening to the stew and the crew.
Today we have former wide receiver Ricky pro. Everybody listen here.
Seventeen year Vet got drafted in the nineties, nineteen ninety
the exact third round. I went to Wake Forest. You know,
(01:06):
I like to joke with you know Kenny Moore. Of
course I like to joke with him because I used
to call Wake Forest week Forest because, uh, at one point,
you guys played us played Oregon a long time ago.
Maybe you were on that team, Yeah you did. And
so I'm just and so as far as me calling
y'all week, it's just me being hated. I'm just hating,
(01:29):
you know what I'm saying. So but uh but yeah,
two time Super Bowl champ man. Just that just the
way that sounds just greatness.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
We're talking to it's old man, it's old.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
But welcome to the show, bro.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
It's it's it's been what six years since we uh
since you coached in the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Two thousand fifteen season. It was twenty sixteen. It's crazy time.
Just flies great years, man, a lot of a lot
of great memories.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Good guys. Man.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I talk to people all the time about that team
when we just and stud know, and I'm not just
saying that because we're on this podcast, but as coaches,
we blew that Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
I mean I just look at you know that the
squad we had that season, We had.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
The kind of running back you were in the running game,
We had like they had the best two d ns
in the league that year with Von Miller and d
Wear and we're trying to throw seven step passes. Our
defense was unbelievable. Peyton, We all do respect at that
point in his career. He couldn't throw the ball twenty
five yards. And if we just played field position, man,
(02:53):
just run it at Von Miller with you just you know,
just grind it out, you know, and play field position.
And then you know, we're twice backed up and we're
trying to throw seven step drop and had two strip fumbles.
And that's not Cam's fault, that's our fault as coach,
is just understanding you know what kind of team we
had and where they were, and you know, just being
(03:16):
smart and just playing field position as.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Simple as that.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I could see the pain in your eyes, RN Man
that when you went there, you went.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
There, you have a team that is like we had
in I mean fifteen when we could have undefeated. I mean,
we didn't play our start as the last game and
Cam was on top of his game. He was the
face of the league. He was a great football player,
and we had a great football team, great defense with
Luke and Thomas and all those guys star Our front
(03:46):
seven was unbelievable and they couldn't do anything offensively.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
But when you give them the ball in the short.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Field, I mean, now, all of a sudden, you got
the best one of you know, one of the best
quarterbacks to ever played the game, and and it just.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
It's frustrating.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
And for me as a former player, sometimes I felt
like my voice didn't manage just because I was a
young coach and even though I played the game, I
know the game and I know, hey, you know, just
like a wide out. You know, in Super Bowl we
lost with the Rams. We had the best receivers in
the league, but New England stopped in the past. We
got Marshall fault run Marshall fault like to catch three passes,
(04:27):
I like, But we got to do what we got
to do and win the football game at the end
of the day.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
That's what manags.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
And so what do you think that? What do you
think that is where you know, coaches and big games,
you know, go away from what has gotten them to
those big games.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
It's just like sometimes players, it becomes you become selfish,
it becomes an ego thing, like you know what we've
been we've been throwing it around. We're going to you know,
this is what we're gonna to do.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And not to say they weren't bad. They were bad plays,
but not in that situation, not that early in the game,
you know, you know, and.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Caught up in the moment. You get caught up in
a moment, caught up in the game playing, caught up
in the sheet.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Yeah, because that happens all the time for players, where
you like, make this moment so big to where you
just start playing outside of yourself, right.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Absolutely, instead of letting the game come to you play it.
You know, let's let's even if it's ugly, even if
it's methodical. I mean, you look at the old I
grew up in the New York Giants and Bill Parcells
his Super Bowl wins were ugly, but they were wins.
You know, Grind it, grinded, play good defense, run the ball,
play field position, field goals. Whatever you got to do
is put points on the board. Belichick did the same thing.
(05:51):
And you know, and that's the one thing I really
take away stew And I know, you know Cam, people
talk about Cam all the time. And one thing I
loved Cam as a former coach, I loved how he
approached the game.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
I loved how he approached practice.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
He never he was one of the most selfless guys
I've ever been around with his status. I mean he
literally I tell people all the time, he didn't care
if he was four for twenty for one hundred yards.
All he cared about was women at w and that's
to me. And he never if a receiver dropped the
ball at the left tackle blewse assignment and he got
(06:32):
blown up, he never pointed a finger next play, let's go,
you know, always encouraging people. And that's the stuff that
people don't see. And that's like that super Bowl. You know,
I wasn't even a player and I wont two super
Bowls played in four, but the ones you lose, even
as a player or a coach, that makes me sick,
just because you deserve to be a super Bowl champion,
(06:55):
and that team deserved to be a super Bowl champion.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
And it still is a sticks with me.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Since we're on the topic of Super Bowls, Which super
Bowl meant the most that you've won.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
My first one with the Rams, just because for me,
it was it was everything that happened that season just
to kind of is my mind. I mean, I just
I had a lot of individual success coming up into
that season, and I always, I mean, I prayed all
the time that God, I just want to I just
(07:30):
want to feel what it feels like to win, you know,
like you said, wait for us. We were we had
decent years when I was there, but back then they
only had a couple of goals and we couldn't get
into them because we're our school wasn't big enough. And
then my first ten years in the league, I was
on bad teams three and three and thirteen, four and twelve,
and I just it wears on you. And as a player,
(07:51):
you just go through training camp and then you just
next thing, you know, you're one in eight middle of
the season, and it's just how much longer can I
do this? I just I prayed, like, man, I just
want to I don't care about my stats anymore.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
I just want to win. I just want to feel
what it feels like to win. And then we go.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
I go to the Rams and we got unbelievable Isaac Tory,
Kurt Marshall, Falk, Isaac Keem, Ernie Conwell.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
We had unbelievable skill players, and.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
I was kind of the third down guy. And everybody
on that football team. I mean I laugh at it now,
but everybody scored touchdowns. I mean from our right tackle
eligible to defensive guys.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
We had a bunch of pick sixes.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
We're the most prolific scoring offense in NFL history at
that time, and everybody scored but me.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
And like I said, I was the third down guy.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
That was kind of my role at that point, coming
in on third down, making the Cats first down, moving
the chains. And then we get in the NFC Championship
and the game score six to five. I mean, we're
scoring thirty forty points every game. We get the NFC
champions against Tampa and it's unbelievable defense and toys and
(09:06):
and I'm having a huge game. I mean I end
up having six for one hundred and I catch a
thirty yard touchdown to get us into the Super Bowl.
We win eleven to six, and then to win in
a tight game against Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
But to finally win that was.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
There was no experience like that for me. I mean
it was just like, Wow, this is unreal. And then
once you win and you get a feeling of playing
in the Super Bowl, and then to go back three
more times, but they were all equally.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It's just unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
But that one was probably the most special for me
because it was just it made.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Me realize.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
As a as a player, as a person to be selfless,
that you need like just like in the business world,
just like in your personal work, like your portfolio, your
you need to be diversified. To have a championship team,
you need to be diversified. And you know, from having
great running backs to having great receivers. You look at
(10:08):
so many great receivers they catch one hundred and something
balls during the season, but they win to getting in
the playoffs, they're just gonna they're gonna stop that guy.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Yeah, you've got the guys that can step up and
make plays.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And that's what it taught me. And it's no different
than my business. You know, you got to have great
people around you that produce, make plays or do their
jobs and and that's how you become successful.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Yeah, both man's passionate about the game. Good to see
you on here seventeen years as we just talked about,
and how many coaching six six coaching six coaching and
for you to have taken a huddle with multiple Hall
(10:54):
of famers, those that you just mentioned Kurt two eight
in the backfield.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Come which which, by the way, Marshall was the reason
why I weren't number twenty eight and I was.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You know, I played Peyton Manning probably this, you know,
Marshall Falk was next to it.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
I mean, I think equal as Peyton. But Marshall Fulk
was the smartest football player I ever played. Unbelievable, unbelievable
how he just knew the interior line and linebackers their
their sets and had had to set up blocks. He
was phenomenal. He literally you could ask Tory Isaac Oz
we love blocking for him. He made it easy. He
(11:38):
would he would he would take the defender where he
wanted and then just it would make our blocks easy
and then we'd seal him or push him out, and
he just cut off our blocks. He was. But just
the knowledge of the game as a receiver, I mean
he was just as good as a receiver as he
was a running back.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
I mean he was phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
And just to see him and being with him in
the locker room, in the meeting rooms, his knowledge of
the game is second to none.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
He seems like a like a studious guy, very stoic,
kind of doesn't have a lot to say unless maybe
you know him or you're inside the circle him. Met
him a few times and a few golf tournaments. Kind
of keeps it right to himself, close to the vest,
gonna have a stick in his hands and God and
keep it moving. Yeah, yeah, right, although I will I
(12:31):
will say this right and and I guess I touched
on my Buffalo roots here, But man, without know Thurman Thomas,
you don't have Marshall fault. And I think Thurman is
a guy as you're as we're talking about running, bas
we're talking about knowledge, we're talking about just intuition. I
(12:53):
don't think that there's many better to ever play this game.
And I think he's a guy who had he got
a ring or multiple right obviously. I think I think
we people would talk or refer to Therman Thomas like
they do EMMITTT. Smith. I think he was just that
caliber athlete him, you know him, and him and Marshall
both incredible wide, incredible receivers of the football as well
(13:16):
as rushers of the football, ability to make people miss
in small spaces, all those things. So shout out to Thermer,
Shout out the threefore. But I want to go back.
I want to go back because you were mentioning, you know,
and I brought up the Hall of famers that you
played with, and you mentioned something about Cam. You know,
you've played with a lot of high caliber, you know,
the greatest of all time. And for you to say
(13:37):
that an individual like Cam is one of the most
selfless that you've ever been around, I think that's profound.
I think it's a profound statement. And you know, maybe
it's in my role as director of Legend Affairs here, right,
you kind of protect your guys sometimes, right, And I
think we all know that there's guys that get a
bad rap because of media. There's guys that get a
bad rap because they choose to There's guys that get
(13:58):
a bad rap because of misconceptions, whatever it may be.
So for you to say that, as a both a
former player and a coach, I thought that's I thought
that's something worth noting.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
I just I mean, you know, Cam, Cam could be.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Miss I don't know what misunderstood. I understood that the
thing about Cam that I love is he makes it
about winning. Everything is about winning, Showing up to the locker,
showing up every day he was competing. He was competing
from the day before. It was like, man, the energy
level is stinky. It stinks, let's turn the energy level up.
(14:43):
Practice is gonna suck if we do not figure this out.
TV like the chirp in that practice, all those types
of things. It was about getting everyone rouled up to
get ready to go out and perform. And that's who
Cam is. I remember. I don't know if you remember this, Ricky.
My last year, I had three fumbles in one game
(15:07):
two that guy actually turned over and it was against
the Atlanta Falcons. Terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible time. And Cam
Cam comes over and he's like, hey, you okay, And
it was the first time that he's really had to
(15:28):
ask me like if something, if something was wrong, if
I was because I was off. And it was really
the first time that I looked at Cam in a
way that was like, man, he gets it. And I'm
always known that he gets it. But I'm performing in
a way that's hurting the team right mid game and
(15:52):
he's not coming over to me saying, hey, dog, check
out of that whatever. You know, he the emotional intelligence
that he actually has. I'm gonna start I'm using the
word emotional intelligence throughout this whole series because I think
it's something that we oftentimes overlook or may not have
even heard of. Right when it comes to this barbaric
(16:15):
game that we play. Being able to meet people where
they are, That's what Cam did. That's what made him special.
Whatever music that you're listening to, he's going to be
able to dance to it. Whatever food that you're cooking,
he gonna find out a way to eat it. You
know what I'm saying, Like, that's the mentality that you
(16:37):
have when it comes to a leader on a team
and a guy that changed the culture of football in
a lot of ways. And so you're talking about you know,
Cam and his selflessness like that's how he was raised,
you know what I'm saying, Like that comes from his
(16:58):
home and when people, you know, try to shut that
down and make him to be something that he's not.
Like guys that have actually played with him, been in
the locker room with him, gone through battles with him,
Like I take it to heart. I'm like, man, y'all
don't know what you're talking about. He's not gonna he's
(17:18):
not gonna defend, He's not gonna sit up all day
and try to defend himself to all the millions of
people that think something about him. But I'm glad that
we're talking about it. I'm glad you brought that up
because it's it's us that has to defend him, the
people that know him. I feel like, if there's a
discussion that's happening that's false, I'm going to speak up
(17:40):
for it. And we need more people like that out there.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I mean, people like I said, you know, he's so misunderstood.
People just don't know cam. You know, when they make
that comment, they don't know him. They don't know who
he is as a as a football player, but as
a man, like he's just you know, I think his.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
His experience at Florida, you know, I mean that was
his his dream to go to Florida.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
You know, they were, you know, one of the top
programs at that time, and I think his experience there
was you know, it's so funny because I'm not going
to sit here and but there's so many people that.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Perception is reality.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
But there's so many people that perceived certain players as
great dudes, great people because they play that role.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
But behind yeah, I know where you're going with that.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Now, And there's several people I could, but you know,
I'm not gonna name names. But Cam is that guy
that people perceive as being on the other side of
the corner. I tell people all the time, you know,
like you would think, you know, when you play seventeen
years you play, you play with a lot of amazing athletes,
(19:01):
but they're not. Some of them aren't what they think
they are. Like I've said, Deon Sanders is the same thing.
Certain people perceived him as a player because he was
flamboyant and everything he did on the football field, and
he talked, but he walked the walk. But he was
a great dude. Every time I've come in contact with Dion,
nothing but first class, nothing but respect for me, you know.
(19:25):
And I'm not even in the same category as Deon Sanders,
but just played against him.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Just a respect. Michael Irvin the same thing. You know.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
I know they're they're passionate about the game and about
life and about people, and you know, it's like, I
don't know if you've seen I saw it last night
on Instagram, Michael just going off on the CD LAMB
thing like people just destroying Ceedee Lamb saying he can't.
You know, he's got to get back on the field.
Da da da, and and you know they don't understand
(19:55):
the window of opportunities. These guys have to make money,
and you know there's no guarantee.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
I think they definitely understand. I think they just lose
what they're you know, the foundation of what they believe in.
You know what I'm saying. I feel like nowadays, the clickbait,
the commentary, the broadcasting, we're so quick to just say
what the majority is thinking. Right, the majority is staying
(20:26):
to themselves. Oh CD lamb, you're an NFL. You got
millions of dollars, you should just show up. Nah, I'm
trying to be more than just a couple of million
dollar man. You know what I'm saying. I'm trying to
be I'm trying to be like Jerry Jones. Why not,
you know what I'm saying. So I have this window
of opportunity to break the bank for what I for
(20:47):
what my value is? I know my value and so
do you. So let's let's get let's get to it.
And so like that's that's crazy to me, Like you
got Michael.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Irving, It's because.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
You know, That's where I really respect Michael because Michael
is fighting for CD like he's like got up like
this is. You know, I held out back when we
we won a Super Bowl and I held out because
that was the time. And you know there's guys that
look at I look at the era I played in
and you know, the money was was different and it's
grown so fast. But I mean, you can't, you can't.
(21:28):
That's where it is right now, that the market bare is.
You know, that's that's what you know, it's the greatest
to me. It's just it's awesome that these guys are
getting what they are getting. But it doesn't it's not
like some of these other sports where it lasts forever
or there was guaranteed contracts forever. Yeah, you know there's
(21:48):
some baseball players are still getting paid and played in
fifteen years, right, you know, but it's.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
That's you know, yeah, guarantee enough. Dark day in football,
Well been there, all experienced, well not not everybody, some
of us in here, some of us, some of us
had to get it out the mud.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
Rick.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I don't know whether you were a draft picked to
undrafted free agent. The only one at the table here,
so we get Stu Stui ain't been stud been privileged,
but he earned it. He earned it.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Privileged.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Cut day, cut day, dark day in the NFL, always tough,
always bittersweet. Right, You're gonna see guys that are gonna
keep going, They're going to find themselves with other clubs.
Gonna be guys that make the team. There's gonna be
guys that say, hey, you know what, I'm hanging it up.
I'm gonna go find another passion in life. As a
former player, as a coach, what's your perspective like there?
How how tough is that on both sides of the ball,
(22:49):
watching guys exit the locker room knowing that they put
everything on the line whether they were capable of being
on a team or not. And then also as a
coach having to make those decisions sitting in his room
and let guys go, knowing, man if I just had
a little bit more time or otherwise, Well, I.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Think first to answer a couple of questions in there,
So let me let me start with as a player,
it was so hard, and I'm sure both of you
can relate. There are times where you're sitting in the
locker and got to get cut over a guy and
then someone mixed and you're like, he got released, he
made it, you know, I mean you're kind of you're
(23:28):
blown away. And some of it's some of it's politics, man,
some of it is who who got drafted, who didn't,
who they brought in. You know, it's it's it's so
hard to see these guys that work their tail off
and some of them maybe didn't get the opportunities to
(23:49):
really showcase their skill set to where they can make
the football team because sometimes on purpose. You know, I
hate to say that, but it's the truth. Just from
being on both sides as a player and a coach.
I mean, I've seen players that I was trying to
develop that said, hey, we're going to release them because
I'm bringing I brought in so and so and he's.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Gonna be on this football team.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
You know, I think.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
It's for me as a coach, I stood in front
of my guys, twelve guys and said, I'm gonna give
you every opportunity. And I can honestly say I did
that for six years. I would script my our our
our offensive plays. I would script guys to put them
in plays to where that was their strength, that they
(24:38):
could showcase their talent and make plays.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
So when we had to cut them or they didn't,
they didn't produce, so they were they knew they were
going to get released.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
And because I as a man, I couldn't look them
in the eye and say you weren't good enough when
I never give you a chance to make it right,
you know, and and that happens.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
That's real.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
There's a lot of talented guys that can play in
this league that never got the opportunity, that never got
a chance to be on the roster. And it's sad
because it does. It is some of it is political,
and it's you know, some of these guys that get drafted,
their game doesn't transfer to the NFL, but they're going
(25:20):
to make the team because they've got money invested in it.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
And that's that's that's just colhearted truth. I mean, that's
just that's real.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
And it's sad because there are guys I just wish,
you know, I know, And that's why I got I
coached in the XFL because I felt like there were
guys that I coached that can play in the league
that I wanted to help develop, to give them a
second shot to get in the League, and and I
think that I wish we still had the World League,
(25:49):
you know, hopefully you know, in a farm system that
can help these guys develop because it's so the systems
are so complex now and they expect these guys to
figure it out overnight, and it's hard.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
It's you know, especially for offensive guys.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
I mean, these guys have one words that that's the formation,
that the protection, that's the motion, the concept, and that
you can't if if a guy, I don't care even
if he's a smart football player, if he doesn't pick
it up right away, his athleticism is never going to
show up on the field.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
If he's thinking about where to line you know. And
and it's just that's.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
That's tough, and that's what I try to do as
a coach is and I just I spent the extra
hours with the young guys have walked through because my
whole approach was if you don't know where to line up,
you're never going to figure out the play because if
you're going left where my lining up, you never now
you forget what the play is. If you can at
least know where to line up, you have two three
seconds to try to process. Okay, this is what I got.
(26:57):
This is the concept two posts or you know, go
sell on a flat, you know, just stuff like that,
and and and That's what I loved coaching because I
felt like I could expect that process to help those
guys learn, to make them feel confident and comfortable in
the role they were in to where they could go
out and make plays.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
And I wasn't going to berat them if they lined
up wrong.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
You know.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I used to the mere bird. He was a practice
squad guy.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I put him in with in training camp with Cam
and they'd be looking at me, What the hell is
he doing in here with Cam? I said, learning developed developments. Yeah,
and and and and that's what I took pride in
is in the league he was just knock back down. Yeah,
Demir stilln't and not backing down like you know the
versions of the world who were often Chaine smart, like, hey,
(27:50):
there's something look at every time he comes in, Cam
throws it to him because he knows he's gonna be
where he's supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
You know what I'm saying. There's something to be said
for that.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Yeah, he's run at four to three, but he's fat enough,
he gets open, he understands the game, like there's.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
There's a place for that for guys in the lead,
for you know, for those guys.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Maybe they're not your starters, are not going to take
the top off, they're not gonna you know, make the
huge place, but you need them when guys go.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Down week nine, week eleven injuries and they can finish
the game.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
And they can.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
They quarterback believes in them and and and that's where
sometimes you know, like I said, the teams that win consistently,
they understand that they they're diversified. They understand that there's
guys that that play that role that don't say nothing.
They just you know, they work their tail off and
(28:43):
they can play three four positions. And and those guys
are important. Those guys are are and they're good for
the They're good for the starters because they're knowledgeable, they're smart,
they can you know, I just think I just think
that's where But getting back to I know I went
on a tangent, but yeah, it's hard, you guys, this
(29:07):
is because my heart bleeds.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
I had two boys. Man, I got that call as
a dad.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Yeah, tell us tell us about like, you know, you
being a father that played so long in its league.
You basically your whole life, you've you've breathed and lived football,
raising two you know, young men around football.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
What was that like?
Speaker 3 (29:34):
What was your intentionality you know on a day to
day especially as they started getting older and showing them,
you know, the ropes of what it is going to
be like and what it's going to take to be
come a professional athlete and then talk to us about
you know those the days like today which is cut day,
(29:56):
and how you had to prepare yourself to basically handle
that with your kids.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
I think early on, early on, it was tough because
I played seventeen years. I was never cut, and.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
They as they got older, they saw dad having success
even at an old age. Just they knew, you know,
my role had changed, but I still worked hard at
my craft and and.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
Well this is easy. I'm just gonna you know, we'll
play football growing up. It's gonna you know, just line
up and play.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
I'm gonna make it like it's you know, they don't
understand the whole getting cut process. And then they both
you know, get a scholarship, go to college, and and
then you know, Alstin gets drafted late Blake's a free
agent he doesn't get drafted, he's had some injuries, and
they start to have some success, but they don't understand it,
(30:55):
you know, what it really takes to be a pro.
And then they start to figure it out, the grind
of just you know, the details of just being a
great route runner, Like what what? Who are you as
a player? You got to you got to define yourself
as a player. Who are you? Are you?
Speaker 4 (31:12):
Are you an X?
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Are you a Z?
Speaker 4 (31:14):
Are you a slot guy? You know, Austin was more
you know of a slot guy.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
He was a detailed route guy, great quickness, smaller frame
with Blake six 's two, probably more of an ex
or in a Z outside receiver. Maybe not as good
a route runner, but unbelievable speed, take the top off,
but still good route runner, good hands. So just teaching
(31:41):
them the nuances of the game and what it takes
to be a pro and how hard it is. Even
though you're good you had success in college. These guys
are the best of the best. Every time you think
you've made strategy, you're pretty good, there's you know, the
CD Lambs or their brand. Then they're bringing in new
(32:01):
guys to replace you. And right when you think you
made it on the practice squad. They're going to bring
other practice squads. They're looking, you know, for guys that
fit the system. And it's it's understanding that. And then,
like you said, as a dad, as a to get
that call, hey I just got cut or I just
(32:21):
blew my knee out. Man, it's gut wrenching because it's funny.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
When you play, you don't, you know, you don't. You
don't think about getting hurt. You don't think about fumbling
the ball. You don't think about dropping the ball. When
you're a dad and.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
That ball's in the air and you know it's going
to your son, you're like, oh my god, it fall
seems like it's in the air for eternity, you know.
And when they make a play, it's just your heart explodes. Man.
It's just the joy of seeing them have success at
(32:56):
all levels. And then so when they get released they
it cut, it's that same hurt. Man, It just it
just hurts to the core. And and and I know
how hard they've worked, but it's like anything, man, you
learn from that. You learn from those experiences. And I
(33:18):
tell people all the time with my business, I learned
so many life skills through sports. And just how to
work hard that you know, and how to prepare preparation.
There's no substitution for preparation and being ready because I
think being prepared for anything breeds confidence, and in confidence
breeds success, and that's what's.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
Teaching them.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
And and as hard as a dad, because I think
both of them were good enough to play, I really do,
you know.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
I think sometimes I felt like sometimes their name hurt them.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
I wish their name was a different name, just to
see because you know, just in college, I mean people
were like scouts were asking college coaches, well, what was
dad like?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
Was he hover Dad?
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Was he calling you all the time?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
Was he want of those dudes you're just in your
office all the time telling you what.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
You need to do, and like, no, it's right, you
know so. But it was tough.
Speaker 4 (34:15):
But at the end of the day, I wouldn't change
it for anything.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
They give me so much joy in their college careers
and then even getting a chance to play and do
what they did at the professional level.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
It was just, yeah, that's got to be a dream
come true. I Mean you're seeing nowadays where Lebron James
and no all the professional athletes now being able to
play a sport, a professional sport with their kids. I mean,
you have you know the Ball family and how supportive
he is of his kids, whether people like them or not.
He's doing a damn good job of being a dad.
(34:50):
So kudos to you, man for just setting the example
and making things happen and making them shake for your family.
I'm going to tighten the thing up a little bit here.
Carolina Panthers currently, how do you feel about their chances
this year? And I want to give I want you
(35:10):
to give us a little bit of feedback on you know,
what your thoughts are in the receiver room now? Today
we got rid of Terrence Marshall, Junr who else?
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (35:28):
I think so? Jordan Matthews, matt Jordan Matthews was like
a great a good game.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
The thing is he showed up. Sometimes you know you're
playing for other teams.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
Right put that film out there, you get picked up.
And I feel like sometimes too, it could be like
an age thing to write your vet is gonna get
paid more than again guy? So it could be a
numbers game. Who knows, uh, But what's your thought pat
process right now? As far as the Carolina Panthers currently
going into this season.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Well, I think it all starts at the top and
it trickles down. It's leadership, you know. And you know,
I look at this football team and you know, anything
can happen. I mean, you look at Stupid before.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
You were young.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
I mean two thousand and three when I came to
the Carolina Panthers, I think the year before, they had
one and fifteen. I mean they were the worst team
in the league. A couple of additions here, a couple
editions there. It's leaderships. It's just like we talked about
with Cam Newton, all of a sudden, you know, the
(36:46):
Panthers weren't very good when we got there.
Speaker 4 (36:50):
I mean, you know you were there.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
They guys had struggled. And you're bringing Cam, You're bringing
a selfless quarterback. I think, you know, everybody, of course,
Bryce is going to get you know, everybody's going to
bash Bryce.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
You know. And he's too short, he's too disploy He's
still the same size he was when he was at Alabama.
I mean, he's just.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
You gotta have time to throw, you gotta have a
running game, you gotta have you know, some play action stuff.
Take some pressure off of him. I think that it's
they just gotta they just gotta try to chip away
and just you know, don't try to do too many
things too fast. And I think they got some good players,
They got some good leadership. Bringing Deonta I think helps
(37:31):
Adam feeling. They got they addressed the line. I think
that's huge. Those guys they stay healthy and start to
gel as a unit and start to.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
You know, it would make me. I would be overjoyed
just to see.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
The offense. We know the defense is pretty aren't good,
just but just to see Bryce have success. You know,
everybody's just hating on and.
Speaker 4 (38:02):
You know, I just think that.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
If they can just get a running game going, some
do some some things, some high percentage passes, you know,
and then let things start to build and get let
some momentum, get a win, get a win here, another win.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
There, you know, because that's what it's all about.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
It's it's building momentum, building confidence in your football team,
and that that comes with with coach and and and
the coaches around and who he surrounded himself with. I
think that's huge as a player, and you know, it's
you know, I spoke to a high school team the
other day, Grimsly High School has had a lot of
success in in Greensboro and they got the top quarterback
(38:47):
in the country just committed to Tennessee. And you know,
I challenge the players to be selfless. I challenged them
to play for each other. I think that's what makes
football so great, is you need eleven guys performing.
Speaker 4 (38:59):
At the same time. And what a challenge to coaches,
you know.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
I think as a player, one of the the thing
that I hated when I became a coach, I said,
I want to coach the way I wanted to be coached.
And the toughest thing when you play on those bad teams.
You drop a ball and you come to the sideline
and the coach is cussing at you. Catch it, damn
you know, hit the hole you're supposed to hit.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
What you cutting back?
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Like? Hold on? First of all, Like I'm already beating
myself up, Like you don't need to just pile on
and beat me up more with that? What does that accomplished? Yeah,
you know, and it's like here, you know, as a coach,
one of the biggest things for me, the challenge was
like Schatzinski, remember Chuck, Like he was making comments, why
(39:43):
didn't you cut? Why didn't Stu do this or D'Angelo
do that.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
I'm like, hold on, now he's seeing color like he's
down on the field. You're you're seeing it from an
airplane like that bothered me, former player, and I look
at Tony Dungee, Dick for Meal, Coach Fox, the things
that they were always encouraging their their staff. They surrounded
themselves with coaches that were positive. And that's what I'm
(40:07):
hoping Coach canut is done, is surrounded himselves with great
coaches that coach coach, that's what you're called.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Coach.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
Take these kids, Take these young men through a process
to get better. You know, like if you miss a
whole asking me the question what did you see on
that play?
Speaker 4 (40:24):
Exactly?
Speaker 3 (40:25):
You know what I'm saying. So that way, now I
can take myself through a self evaluation. And when you
teach guys to go and do these evaluations on their themselves,
they're gonna want to get better. It's going to be
their duty to be better. Yeah. Absolutely, As you.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Said, you went from the well then Phoenix, Phoenix Cardinals,
they weren't you said you golf with old guys earlier.
Today I think you want of them, how old how
old still showing up. You don't know what's sleeping seams
(41:16):
on today.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
You can probably still run a sprint, you run sprints
still at prolific.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Absolutely absolutely, I.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Mean to go. And I brought that up, you know.
I bring that up to say, you know, going from
a team that was, as you mentioned, underperforming poor, you know,
perennial losing records to being at the top and one
of the most prolific offenses of all time, if not
the right. You get to see the impact, the difference
you know, of coaching, the difference of the locker room chemistry,
(41:46):
difference that certain players that that that they make not
just talking about the stars, but those that we referred
to earlier, the guys that you need on your roster,
the glue guys, the guys that are going to be,
you know, not the talented. But he knows where he's going.
He's gonna behind the starter. Hey man, you got this right.
We all know how that goes. And so your experience, man,
(42:08):
is is just priceless. The wealth of knowledge, and I'm
sure that all those things would make you You can
tell just talking to him, man, it's like got me
you you wish you played for you did get to
play with me. I wish I played for him. I
used to be able to go to Rick and Rick.
I used to go to Rick like God'd be like, hey, man,
I know right right, I know, I know. I'm like,
(42:29):
as long as you know that makes me feel better. Yeah,
you're good, outstanding man. Well with over six hundred career receptions,
over fifty touchdowns, he knows a little bit about something.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
Yeah, you know, you know a lot about a lot
of things.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
I think you know what it's funny is it's it's
like you said, when you play for bad teams, and God,
I thank God. You know you play for good teams.
You see the difference while those teams. One of those
teams lost and why. And it's no different than my business.
You know, I try to encourage the people that work
for me. I try to, you know, I wanted to
(43:04):
be It's quality of life, you know. I want them
to want to work hard for me. I don't do
I don't ask them to do anything I don't do.
And you know it's at the time I was miserable.
When you're on the losing teams, you get your head
beat in every week. And but I wouldn't train set.
I wouldn't trade for anything because I learned so much
(43:24):
through that process in that journey.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
That's right, that's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
Well, man, we go to spend some time.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
This is great. This is great, man, thank you for
your time. I do have a no while you were
in Seattle, the Chicago Bulls, the Sonics, you were in
Seattle during that time, I just want to know, from
a professional athlete that's playing in the league, an adult,
(43:55):
what was that time like experiencing the Seattle Sea Seattle
Onyx playing in the NBA Finals against Chicago Bulls.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
It's unbelievable. I mean, I mean, I think you know,
I'm not gonna sit here and talk about, you know,
today's game and how it's changed to watch. I mean,
for Kemp was unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
I mean, it was a freak unbelievable. But then just
Jordan's Jordan.
Speaker 3 (44:27):
Was that guy that you know I was.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
I mean, he made you turn on the TV, you know,
to watching Jordan's playing the night like he just he
was unreal and it you know, I grew up in
that air with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem, Clyde Drexler,
you know, I was a huge I grew up with
doctor j Fan and you look at Doc, he really
(44:50):
couldn't shoot. He just was in the air man he
got just unbelievable, like just floated, and you know, but
it it was awesome to be down with Seattle winning
and what they were doing, and then the Bulls and
then with Chicago. I played Chicago ninety seven. Jordan was there,
(45:11):
got you know, got a chance to meet him, and
but just uh, it was awesome. It was It was
a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (45:19):
Came Griffy, I mean shooting you look on the baseball side.
Speaker 3 (45:22):
Yeah, dude, like you was. You was a pro at
the right time. That's the reason I wanted to ask
because growing up in Washington, I'm always I grew up
hearing Ken Griffy, hearing Gary Payne, Sean cam like warm Moon,
like Sean Alexander, Uh, Ricky Waters. We had a story
(45:43):
about Ricky be that long. But like but it was
just like growing up, I always wondered, and so I
just had to ask you that question.
Speaker 4 (45:53):
It was yeah, it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Just uh, you know, I think that the toughest thing
for me still what I have a hard time with
as I've gotten older, is now I lose track of
where guys are at, Like I don't.
Speaker 4 (46:07):
I used to know everybody, what number.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
They wore, what team they were on, where they're you know,
and now it's you know, God, you know, it's just
hard now. I mean, guys are teams and you know,
you know, it's it's no different than college I mean
now and I l I mean these kids hopping teams
every week, hop in schools. You know, it's that that's
(46:32):
the hardest thing. I'm kind of that old school mentality,
you know, you just love because those ribbalries were so true,
Like you look at the old when I grew up,
the Sixers, Celtics, Lakers, I mean, Detroit was freaking sick.
And then, like you said, the Seattle with Kemp and
Peyton and the Glove Like, I mean, there were those
(46:53):
true rivalries and I feel like, not that they're not
there now, but they're not like it was back then.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
Be no, no, thanks, Rick, appreciate your time, man, thanks
for tuning in to Stu and the crew. Much love
to everything that you're doing.
Speaker 1 (47:11):
We gotta get out. I want to see that thirty
eighty put up on it.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
I'm trying to. I'm trying to. I'm trying to throw
this forty on you because I'm really sixteen handicapped and
I shot a forty today on the front.
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Nine, So I get you, do I get it? Sound
at Old Norse State.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
Okay, let's do it. Y'all heard it here. He's going
to invite us to go golf. So if he doesn't
do it within the next two months, you'll hear about it.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
All right, man, Absolutely, Ricky. We appreciate you, man, thanks
for doing it, all right.
Speaker 4 (47:41):
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (47:43):
Ricky pro
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