Beyond The X's And O's With Trent Dilfer
To be a great quarterback, you need to do more than just make throws. You have to be a leader. You have to set the tone for an entire organization. But what does it really take to be great? After a 14-year NFL career and Super Bowl Championship, Trent Dilfer has spent the past decade coaching and mentoring some of the most talented and dynamic young quarterbacks in the country. He's traveled the country watching players and coaches figure out how to be great. This show gives all football fans a chance to learn how the QB position works, and what it takes to be special. Young QBs, parents, coaches and anyone who loves the quarterback position, get ready to take out your notebooks and absorb hard-earned knowledge and wisdom. You'll hear from guys with gold jackets, guys who are dominating the game right now in the NFL and college, and those who hope to reach those upper echelons of greatness one day soon.
Episodes
Josh Heupel joins Trent to discuss his experience playing junior college, what the game means to those who take that route, playing in and winning the National Title, getting drafted and what the process was like for him, and what it means to be the head coach of a program like the University of Tennessee.
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June 30, 2022 • 49 mins
Luke Fickell talk with Trent about his career as a state champion wrestler, how that translated to the football field, playing in 50 consecutive games at OSU, playing in the Rose Bowl, and building a process and culture at Cincinnati.
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Lincoln Riley joins Trent to discuss the importance of playing multiple sports when young and the lessons you can learn from it, the various coaches he learned under from Mike Leach to Bob Stoops, the responsibility he feels to make sure he is bringing his all for his players, what its like to coach players with extreme talent, and what it means to him to be a Trojan.
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Notre Dame Head Football Coach joins Trent to share his story, starting with his All American playing career at Ohio State, through Draft Day in the NFL, and all the way through his coaching career culminating in his head coaching job at Notre Dame.
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June 9, 2022 • 41 mins
Mel Tucker joins Trent to discuss his early experiences as a head coach, Michigan State culture, the current state of NIL feeling like free agency, and much more.
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Current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, joins Trent to discuss his football beginnings, how he came up as a defensive coach, why working his way up through the ranks was so important, and then touches on his time at Oregon. Kelly also talks us through his own playing days and how he transitioned to becoming a coach, the lessons he learned early on as a coach and the value of learning to teach. Going into a new era of college football, ...
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January 6, 2022 • 82 mins
Drew Bledsoe joins Trent to discuss his high school football experience, not being recruited until his senior year, and the decision to go to Washington State University. He discusses his first completion in college being in a JV game and what it was like playing against USC in the Coliseum in his very next game.
They go on to discuss his college journey ending with him being the number 1 overall pick in the draft, what it was li...
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December 30, 2021 • 57 mins
Atlanta Falcons and former Alabama Quarterback A.J. McCarron joins Trent to discuss his football journey, which began around when started walking. He explains why playing multiple sports through his high school career led to becoming a successful NFL quarterback, his views on winning and losing, how relationships changed as he received multiple college offers, what team his father led on as he was being recruited, and ultimately wh...
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Former Jets and Dolphins Quarterback and two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year Chad Pennington sits down with Trent to talk through his journey from high school to Marshall to the NFL. Pennington dives into his experience climbing up the depth chart, his successful senior college season, and his transition into pro football. He relives moments with long time friend Randy Moss and what it was like to attend the Heisman ceremony. ...
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Brad Johnson on Basketball, the QB Classic, and his Super Bowl Ball Controversy | Beyond the Xs & Os
December 16, 2021 • 49 mins
Super Bowl Champion QB Brad Johnson sits down with Trent to discuss how he went back and forth between basketball and football before ultimately deciding to focus on playing quarterback, the good times and lessons learned while playing for Bobby Bowden at FSU, and how playing in the World League forged him into the NFL quarterback he was always meant to be. Plus, Brad tells a hilarious story about why he got blamed for cheating in ...
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Newly-inducted College Football Hall of Famer and No.1 overall pick Carson Palmer joins the show to share his perspective on what it took to win a Heisman, become a franchise quarterback, and leading teams deep into the playoffs. He talks about his early days in high school, what he learned about leadership there, his days at USC and the turmoil that occurred when former coach Pete Carroll took over, then talks through his NFL pre-...
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Three-time Pro Bowler and iconic Virginia Tech and NFL quarterback Michael Vick sits down with Trent to explain how switching numbers became his “superhero cape”, why his HS coach didn’t speak to him for 6 months, and why he got chills before his first start for Virginia Tech. He also explains how a last-minute and surprising draft change was the best thing that could have happened for him and his family, plus talks about his influ...
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November 25, 2021 • 62 mins
College Football Hall of Famer Greg McElroy joins Trent to talk about the “lonely work” he put in in high school, explain why he decommitted from Texas Tech to go to Alabama, and what it was like during Nick Saban’s first year as the head coach of Alabama. He also discusses the ubiquitous presence of Tim Tebow in his life, from high school to competing against him with New York Jets to his role as a TV analyst.
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Matt Hasselbeck on Competing w/ Trent in Seattle & Missing a Combine Invite | Beyond the X's and O's
November 18, 2021 • 65 mins
Seattle Seahawks legend Matthew Hasselbeck may have been a 6th round draft pick, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a starting QB in the NFL. Matthew joins Trent to reflect on his time growing up around the NFL, shares his thoughts on how valuable being a multi-sport athlete can be and talks about what it was like not being invited to the combine. Matthew & Trent end their time together by looking back on their time in Seattle ...
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Lions QB Jared Goff may have been the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, but his journey to being an NFL starting QB was not a conventional one. Jared joins Trent to share stories from his journey, including why he played several sports at once, how he didn't start as a QB in high school till his junior year, hearing Mel Kiper declare him ready for the draft before Goff himself was, meeting Jeff Fisher knowing he'd go No. 1, and his adju...
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November 4, 2021 • 62 mins
Former No. 1 overall pick quarterback, Alex Smith, joins the show to walk us through his unlikely football journey -- because not everyone goes from being a 5’7 high school freshman considering joining the cross-country team to the top pick in the NFL Draft. Alex talks about his high school playing days with Reggie Bush, making his way to Utah and switching styles under Urban Meyer, working with Trent and Norv Turner in San Francis...
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September 30, 2021 • 67 mins
Former NFL quarterback, Ryan Leaf, joins the show and tells the story of how he cut his own cast off at school in an effort to get back on the football field, becoming “baby Bledsoe”, and questioning his college decision after the hazing he faced days after moving into college.
Ryan opens up about the moment he believes his NFL career ended along with the path his life took in the years following. Throughout the episode, Ryan share...
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September 30, 2021 • 59 mins
USC legend and longtime NFL QB Mark Sanchez joins the show to talk about transferring high schools, playing for Pete Carroll, and his insane recruiting process, including stories about Notre Dame and Texas, as the first nationally-recognized 5-star QB.
He shares the culture shock he felt going from California boy to and playing in New York after being drafted by the New York Jets, and if NFL franchises should even draft Californi...
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Steve Young on Doing What You Love & the State of Quarterbacking in the NFL | Beyond the X's and O's
September 23, 2021 • 65 mins
Hall of Famer and Trent's close friend Steve Young joins the show and tells the story of his disastrous first start in high school. Young reveals that he didn't know how to throw a football until he got to college and learned by watching Jim McMahon. Young shares tales of memorable recruiting trips, including watching a freshman Dan Marino play against Army, and explains the philosophy he uses to power through difficult times.
Youn...
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Hall of Famer and 49ers GM John Lynch shares what it was like to play QB in high school, talks about getting recruited by Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and explains how playing football made him better at baseball, and how all the sports he played made him a better athlete. Lynch tells stories playing against Elway, Montana, and Brady, how he evaluates QBs, gives insight into the Niners plans to use both Jimmy Garroppolo and Trey Lance,...
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