Husky Talk- Jordan Younger

Episode Transcript
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(00:04):
I know. I can't.
I know I can't eat. What I want?

(00:28):
To be actress but nothing comes easy it takes much practice
like. What up CT is former UConn start

(01:10):
running back Andre Dixon and nowthey're like, what the hell has
Andrew been doing since he stopped playing football and
toting the Rock for UConn? This is what I do now.
I own dynamic human performance.But we get back to adults, kids,
athletes, I mean, anybody looking to improve their overall
health and Wellness. All right, listen, man, we got
athletic development classes, small group class, individual

(01:33):
classes. We have pop up yoga.
I mean, we got everything going on here.
Make sure you check out our app and check out our website so you
can get your athlete in here or even you in here if you're a
parent, so we can get you in tiptop shape.
All right, let's lock in baby. I still bring that same moxie
that I used to bring at Rich thefield too.
Let's get it. Hello and welcome to another

(02:11):
episode of Husky Talk. Yes, it's been a while, but we
are back in business. I'd like to thank our sponsors
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They specialize in wealth management and employee benefits
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(02:33):
President Sean Rabinowitz, proudsupporter of Husky Talk.
This is Steve Culley, the best podcast host in the universe,
here to talk to you about Procyon Partners.
Procyon Partners, they specialize in employee benefits,

(02:56):
wealth management and retirementplanning.
They are one of the top 50 fastest growing companies in the
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(03:17):
If you need any service, go to his website procyonpartners.org
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(03:40):
us since the very beginning and I hope they will stick with us
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dominate just like Procyon Partners are.
This is Steve Cully, remember when life gives you lemons,
don't make lemonade. Take two oranges and throw them

(04:01):
back at life. We also have Pete Finch in the
Finch Law Firm. If you've ever been in an
accident, if you've been hit with a beam at a construction
site, if your mother-in-law tried to run you over with a
car, Pete Finch is the attorney for you.

(04:21):
He is won legal battles all overthe state of Connecticut and
will get every penny that you deserve.
We also have Dynamic Human Performance, which is owned and
operated by the man himself, Andre Dixon, UConn legendary
running back. He is currently promoting an

(04:44):
athletic development program. Boys and girls, all ages, Andre
will take you to the top. He has gotten people's
scholarships all over the country.
Doesn't matter the sport, Andre will get you where you want to
go. And we also have Julius
Trenches. Julius Williams, former UConn

(05:06):
defensive lineman, played in theNFL.
He runs the Trench mob. He has some of the best
offensive and defensive lineman I've ever seen.
If you want to be the best, if you want to go to a Division One
school on a scholarship, Julius will get you there.
He has got kids at Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee,

(05:27):
Clemson. He is one of the best coaches
that I've seen. He's got an incredible team and
if you're in Decatur, GA, you want to be a great lineman, go
with Julius. Greetings, This is Julius
Williams, former UConn Husky andnow CEO of Trench Mob Football.
On the field, I was a force to be reckoned with, and now I'm

(05:50):
using that same drive to help the next generation of athletes
dominate in the trenches. At Trench Mob, we're not just
about building football players,we're building champions.
We've helped over 250 athletes secure scholarships and take
their talent to the next level through intense training in our
nationally ranked 5V5 competitions.

(06:12):
We give alignment the national exposure they deserve, competing
against the best in the country.But it's more than football.
At Trench Mob, we prepare athletes for life beyond the
game. We teach financial literacy, NIL
basics, and mental well-being because success off the field is

(06:36):
just as important as what happens on it.
If you're ready to compete, gainexposure.
Most of all, thrive. This is your moment.
We are trench mob. We don't just play the game, we
change it. Join the movement.
And now, finally, the man of thehour, Jordan younger JY himself,

(06:58):
all the way from Canada. Are you in Canada now?
Yes, about 30 minutes outside ofToronto in a city called
Pickering. Pickering ON.
JY is a Yukon legend. He was one of the best defensive
backs we've ever had and had a great career up in Canada.

(07:19):
So this is, this is awesome to have you on and it's going to be
great for me because I, I don't know your story.
Where are you originally from? I'm from Trenton, NJ.
Oh, you're from Jersey? OK, from Trenton, NJ, part of
the sign with UConn back in the Skip Holtz era.

(07:40):
Right, right, right. Did you?
Did you play right away like when you were Pop Warner?
Do you play? No.
So I I didn't actually start playing football until I was a
sophomore in high school. Oh my God, really?
I didn't start playing football until I was a sophomore in high
school. I went to the Hunt School of
Princeton Prep school. That's a great school.
Wow. And yeah, had a, had a.

(08:02):
So you're smart too. You went to the Hunt school?
Yeah, not, not, not academicallychallenging the same.
No. Like being at at Hunt.
I was a soccer player, you know,a soccer player.
Oh. OK, wow.
I I not picture that. So you played soccer all the way

(08:24):
through? Soccer, basketball and track.
Baseball. Like I played everything except
football. You know my dad, my mom
definitely was against it. Yeah, situation was weird.
I started a number of games as afreshman on the on the varsity
soccer team, but the make up of the team we had two freshmen and

(08:45):
9 seniors or graduated 9 seniors.
So it was going to be a, you know, a really big rebuild that
one year. I kind of, you know, reached the
limits of my, you know, soccer interests and, you know, and
just wanted a different challenge and.
We had to. They recruit you to come and
play football with the coach. Why you?
Actually, I, I, I'd say time. The head coach's name is Bill

(09:08):
Long. Great, great man.
I'd probably say he didn't want me.
Wow that's that is so crazy. But he had no desire to recruit.
You. Not at all.
Not at all. I had a friend, his name was
Amir Du. He wound up going to Pittsburgh.
Running back at Pittsburgh, verytalented running back.

(09:31):
One of my better friends at the school at the time, and it was
almost off of a, you know, like a dare kind of thing.
Like, look, I'm not. He was like, well, you're not
doing anything, You might as well play football.
So yeah, you know, he kind of talked me into it.
Lo and behold, he ended up transferring he.
Did he talked you into it and then he transferred, walked.
Me into it and then ended up transferring to another school,

(09:54):
which then you know, which then opened up the door, you know,
opened up a running back spot. Right, right.
So, you know, Bill Long, you know, the head coach, like I
mentioned, very intelligent, great football coach and just
knew kind of what positions to put me in early, you know, kind
of what positions to keep me away from what situations.

(10:16):
So, you know, a lot of the game came easy because of the
decisions that he made. So I was able to like, you know,
get on some some radars pretty quickly.
He put you in a position to succeed.
He knew what he was doing because especially being new to
football, so he he protected you.
You always want to make sure that you were in the right spot.

(10:37):
That's that is so crazy because I could never imagine just
starting as a sophomore, just a new sport and then becoming
great at it. And the Hunt school is such a
good program. They always put a turn out kids.
So did you did you? You must have took to it pretty

(10:58):
fast. Yeah, so I came out, started it
defensive back right away. So a lot of the footwork,
because I had played soccer, a lot of the footwork, you know,
came naturally. I didn't really, you know, know
a whole lot about, you know, the.
Coverages and everything. I was, yeah, it was fast and I
had good feet so I could stand up in front of most people and

(11:18):
run with them, right. So, you know, a little bump and
run corner made it easy that way.
And then, you know, in spots just set up the game plan.
You know, we had a very good running back, very good
fullback. We ran triple option.
Oh my God, wow, the one score and the triple option.
So I wind up being kind of that counter, you know, flip, toss

(11:41):
back. So, you know, one-on-one on the
perimeter a lot. So I just just be an athlete.
Right. You know, scheme, scheme that up
really well and then was able toget recruited because of it
because, you know, just showed up on film.
Yeah, it was different back thenbecause they what?

(12:03):
They wasn't so dependent and relying on camps like they are
now. You got to go to camp and
everything. And then?
It was sending the film out and that's how really you got
noticed and you ran and you're in track, Yes.
What did you run in track? So I was 100m runner, 200m
runner, long jump guy, did a little bit of everything for

(12:24):
high jump, 400 meters when we weneeded it.
But yeah, Mercer County championPrep a state champion in 100
meters. Oh my God, that's amazing.
So the so the speed was I guess certified, right?
Like that, that, you know, if there was a stamp, if I was raw
as a football player, the athleticism and the speed was
kind of certified by the other sports.

(12:47):
So you, it's just that you're a natural athlete.
You could have done anything because you were such a good
athlete. They like baseball.
Like, were you an outfielder? Yeah, center fielder, center
fielder, baseball. Baseball got boring, man.
Like, like there's a, there's a point in baseball where the
pitching, the level of pitching just improves to a point where

(13:08):
you really have to be dedicated in order to be good at it.
Like, right, right. Yeah.
So it was just, yeah, I just kind of got bored with baseball,
got bored with soccer. Track came natural.
It was something I used to just kind of stay in shape, right.
My dad ran track. So it was just one of those
things that I gravitated towards.

(13:30):
Yeah. Like I, I could have ran track
in college. Actually did ran run track at
UConn as a freshman indoor track.
Yes, yes, Laban told me that. So yeah, man, it was, it was.
I had some opportunities becauseof, you know, yeah, I was a
pretty good athlete. So you ran the triple option,

(13:50):
you started to get noticed afteryour sophomore year and then?
Yeah, First offers came rolling in my junior, so sophomore year
I just played offense in spots, right?
It was, you know, all, you know,you know, Bill Long call the
game on offense, set up things nicely and it was time to run a
counter or run the toss, run thepitch.

(14:13):
You know, I was a decoy multiplejunior year, you know, role
increased, started on defense again and my role is, you know,
as a running back increase. We did a little bit of, you
know, I formation stuff. All right.
And then, yeah, junior year, I think started offers started

(14:34):
coming in my junior year. That's amazing because back then
if you got offered as a junior, I mean you were really good.
They didn't offer a lot of juniors back then, I read
because I remember it. I was a big Syracuse fan and
they had offered Rob Conran, I remember as a junior, and

(14:54):
everyone was just saying, well, what a big deal that was.
Nowadays they offered 8th graders.
It's so crazy now. Yeah, completely, completely.
So did you go on any official visits your junior year?
Senior year, just senior year. So my official visits my senior

(15:16):
year wound up being UConn, Maryland and Hofstra.
Wow, did you like Hofstra? The visit was tough.
I went up there doing exams. Oh, OK.
It was dry. Like, you know, a lot of people
that left campus. Yeah, it was an incredibly
boring trip. It was.
It was the worst time. To get all these people, great

(15:38):
people, you know what I mean? They were.
They were great hosts. They they had a good, they had a
good program too back. Then yes, yes, that was that
was, you know, at the height of their program.
Maryland was a lot of fun. That that visit was a lot of
fun. It's a big campus though, right?
Maryland campus and a lot going on in that area, yeah.

(16:06):
Everyone says that. Everyone that I've talked to,
even guys from the different generations, everyone says the
official visits just sold them. Like that was it.
Everyone had a great time and everyone has said that it was so
different because it was like a family atmosphere.

(16:27):
Everyone hung out. Together, that was that was one
of the things that stood out about, you know, my business was
like the football team was close.
You could see it. It was, you know, the old
lineman hanging out with some ofthe little guys, little guys,
not with the big guys. Like it was, it was.
It was fun to see. And who?

(16:48):
Who recruited you from UConn? It was Spencer Prescott at the
time. All right, peace, OK.
He was running back coach. He he, he's no longer with us.
Yeah, he he passed away. Oh.
Man, OK. So it was it was it was
Spencer's. Prescott was the one that was,
you know, in charge of my recruiting.
And then, you know, once it got tight, everybody kind of got

(17:09):
involved. Skip Nick Rapone at the time was
the defensive back coach. So he didn't do a lot of the
talking during recruiting, but he was always close by he.
Wasn't the DC? No, not at that time and when we
came though, right? Who was the DC when you were
there? We had, I want to say we had an
assistant, DC Thomas Sala came over.

(17:31):
OK, Versity, I can't remember who it was before that, but
after that Nick Rapon came in later and then and then when
great. And then when Skip left, you
know it was Randy that came in. Right, right.
Everyone loved Skip. Yes.

(17:51):
And then and I actually interviewed Randy and Randy did
say like he he tried to come in like Tom Coughlin and was a hard
ass. And he was really, he admitted
it and that he was, he was tougher on the guys that were

(18:12):
there because he just, he felt like he had to make a point.
And they it was funny that he admitted that, but Skip and
Randy were like polar opposites.Polar opposites like.
Skip was a player's coach. Yeah, he's player.
Friendly, you know what I mean? Not, not a pushover by any

(18:33):
means. You know what I mean?
Not a pushover by any means, buta, a good communicator.
And most importantly was just down to earth, man.
It was like you could have certain conversations, you know,
with Skip that you you couldn't even approach.
No, no, no. And that was tough because, you
know, we, we kind of had, you know, worked so hard to build up
the culture at that point. Yes, Randy came in and changed

(18:55):
everything. He did.
He did. How many years did you get?
You had three, three years with Skip, right?
Skip. And you didn't red shirt, right?
No didn't red shirt. Did did you commit right on your
visit? Shortly after, shortly after my
visit, I want to say maybe two weeks later and.

(19:16):
Wow. OK, so you come in as a freshman
and did you did you play right away?
No, so, So what happened was we,we know we do the testing,
right. So I was recruited to UConn as a
running back. Oh, I didn't know that.
Yeah, so the year before, you know, I'm coming in my freshman
year, the the previous year, Tori Taylor had his breakout

(19:39):
year. Yes, right.
Hezekiah Faison, Tori Taylor, Chuck Mears That he did with a
running back. Oh, you had all those guys.
OK. So we get there.
We do the testing right, so we do the 40s.
Oh boy. And I and I do really well in
the 40s, right? It's not like really.
Oh, yeah. So I run 2.

(19:59):
Like I did so well, I ran 2 and they made me run a third one.
Oh. Jesus.
Just to be like, all right, let's just make sure it was
legit. So it's, you know, ones were
consistent. Immediately after we ran the
40s, we're going back into the weight room.
Skip pulls me to the side and was like, you know, you're going
to have an opportunity to play as a freshman if you decide to

(20:21):
play on the defensive side of the ball.
I know you came here as a running back, but you know,
right after that. So, you know, that's how you
know, that's tough on a freshmanto hear, you know what I mean?
Yeah. I mean, that's that's.
In front of a freshman and you know, I took the bait and it was
a tough transition because I what I wanted to play running
back. Yeah, right.

(20:42):
But I. And you, you could have too.
I mean, you would have been a great right back.
You know, hindsight being 2020, I was more my skill set.
The way I see the game, I was more geared to be a defensive
back. Oh yeah.
I mean, you were. You were.
You were locked out corner. I mean, you were special.

(21:02):
I didn't embrace it at the at the time, you know?
Nobody would. That's so hard.
But I mean, at least he had a conversation with you and.
He gave me the choice he gave. Me to just throw it at you.
No, and it wasn't the ultimatum like do this or you won't play.
It was just all right. Well, we got three, you know,
solid running backs on the roster in front of you, right,

(21:25):
You're going to red shirt. We're not going to be able to
get you on the field if you playon that side of the ball.
Right. So, you know, like the that
because Bill Long and Hon used me in such a situational manner,
I didn't really understand the XS and OS the way I needed to
right in order to impact as a freshman.

(21:47):
So I didn't end up playing much some special teams roles.
Punt return, not really as a returner, as a hold up guy.
Punt team as a gunner didn't do a whole lot.
Started playing. Would you rather, Richard,
hindsight being 2020 and you say, OK, knowing that you'd
have, you know, professional aspirations, you know, the

(22:09):
ability to do that? Yeah, I would have.
I would have liked to take that extra year, build my body up and
then come back with the, you know, the four years eligibility
after that. So then how are you guys your
freshman year, Was it a good team?
Did you didn't win the conference then?
No, no, we weren't. We coming off a really

(22:30):
successful year right prior. So, you know, we came in
confident and everything. And then I want to say we were 5
and 6 maybe. Oh, OK.
Yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't, wasn't the outcome that was, you
know, people were looking for and then kind of had to regroup.

(22:51):
I think we had another good recruiting year and then, you
know, we just tried it. We started to build after that.
The other thing I wanted to ask you, because I couldn't believe
this, talking to guys before you, they were telling recruits
that we were going in the Big East and they were going to
build a stadium and everything. Did they tell you that when you

(23:12):
were? That was that was part of that
was part of the recruiting pitch, right?
I think that's crazy. It was, you know, Uconn's, you
know, they wanted to go DivisionOne, you know, as part of like,
you know, like the little, little asterisk and you know, in
the recruiting profile is OK, wehave intentions of joining the
Big East one program. So that definitely, I guess

(23:35):
maybe if there was any negative connotation with, you know, you
kind of being one AA at the timethat kind of for the guys that
had one A offers, right. This, because they told so many,
they told everyone that, and I just thought that's so messed up
that they're like, oh, you're going to be playing in the Big

(23:55):
East by your sophomore year or your junior year.
I just thought that they were telling guys that in like 1990,
and I had no idea that they had planned it so long and it took
ten years before it actually happened.
Yeah, it was. It was, you know what, to be

(24:16):
honest with you, like once you're there, once I was there,
like we had so much fun, man, that it it didn't really matter
anymore. And then, you know, football has
a way of humbling the best of us.
You know it. Does it?
Sure as hell does. You're going to be one of those
one A, you know, stars and you had one AA.
And if you think it's beneath you get embarrassed.

(24:37):
Really. Yes, you do.
You're 100% right. So then you go into your
sophomore year, that's when you started.
I start, I get on the playing field.
So I'm I'm on the nickel package, you know, getting more
playing time, you know, just a bigger part of the game plan.

(24:59):
My junior year, full time starter.
Is that when Rapone Rapone took over?
Yes. OK.
You guys had so much talent, youknow, with Shane was just I, I
still think he's one of the bestquarterbacks.
Shame, especially. Really, I, I do, I do a show
with him too. I I love him.

(25:21):
You had Shane. You had freaking Shank.
Was there the receiver? Tori, Taylor, Ricolin, Ricolin,
Wright, Renell. I mean.
Fitzsimmons. Fitzy.
Yep. Yep.
You guys brought, I mean they had brought in so many good
recruits like you said. And your junior year you, you

(25:43):
really came into your own. That was the year, right?
So it was, let me see, we were junior year.
Yeah. That was the year we had the
most success. We, you know, made the run into
the to the one AA playoffs. And it was my first year.
They they they used me as a returner.

(26:04):
Oh, OK. So prior to that had been Tori
Taylor was the primary return man for kickoff returns and I
believe Greg Yodis was our was our part returner and I was
first, yeah, first kickoff return was U Mass at U Mass.
I was at that game. In the fall, and it was first,

(26:27):
Yeah, first one was a return fora touchdown.
Yes, I was there. I was there.
I, I went to both games. I went to one as a UConn recruit
and I went to the other as a UMass recruit and the UConn
coaches talked to me more than the UMass guys did.
UMass offered me, but Coach Googs, the second he saw me, you

(26:53):
know, he talked to me and that game was so incredible.
Both games. I I remember them.
Yeah, the first one I think wentto overtime game with the
overtime. Yes, yes.
That last game was also tight until.
Oh my God, it was, it was unbelievable.
It was unbelievable because I like I, I didn't even know you

(27:18):
kind of had a football team and they, you kind of offered me the
junior going into my senior yearthat summer.
And I remember I got I got the letter and my my father was like
confused, says we want we want to offer you a scholarship.
And he's like, what? What does that mean?
They want to are they offering? And we, we called and they're

(27:43):
like, yeah, we're we're offeringhim a scholarship.
Like U Conn's got a football team.
And then that year, because I followed it, because I was
offered, my God, you guys were so dominant.
You, you just beat the hell out of everyone.
And that was the that was the best team in UConn history, the

(28:04):
only 10 win team they ever had. And I just remember you rolled
and dominated and on both sides of the ball, you offense, they
they were the first team. I remember that like was base 11
personnel. You know, they had three
receivers out there, one tight end and RC and Barry Chandler,

(28:29):
Great man. Plus we had a 1-2 punch in the
backfield if you doubled 1 receiver.
So say you double Carl. You know Carl Bond, you're over
here, you know, double Shank, you know Fitzsimmons is giving
you trouble on the other side. Fitz and Tori Taylor.
Yes, it was. Yes.
Like Tori. Yeah, it was.
It was. It was.

(28:49):
Yeah, They were a good group because Tori had made the move.
The receiver too. It was just, you know, thrived
off a big play, big play offense, right?
We weren't. Shane was Shane was so smart and
he always knew where to go with the ball.
And like he, he told me like he had a lot of freedom to check
things and, you know, he always got the offense in the right

(29:11):
play. And then and that was a
testament to skip holes, right? Yeah, 100%.
His offensive system was like, again, player friendly.
The way he taught it was, you know, easy to understand and he,
he always did a, a really good job.
Like when I look back at, you know, the way our style of play,
he did a great job setting playsup.
He was for the play action, you know, run it early, you know,

(29:34):
and then have a, you know, a setof players, you know, that that
really complimented, you know, the run game and what we did
well. So it was, it was, it was
special. It was special time.
Yeah. And the the offensive
coordinator was that fit Fitch? Fitch was there and then I think
it was the receivers coach, the guy that's in the NFL now,

(29:57):
Barrel. Oh bebble.
Yes, Bebble was there as well. He was almost right.
That's right, Bebble was the only holdover that Randy kept.
I remember that. But that 98 year, the only game
obviously was Georgia Southern and everyone says that it was a
heat that just killed. Everything.

(30:18):
It was, it was. It was not just the heat, the
heat definitely played a factor in it.
You. You thought they were that good?
That their style, it was such, so they were, you know.
The triple option. Option, you know, borderline,
you know, double wing, triple option is a really really kind
of unique offense yes, you know think Army Navy, you know, like

(30:42):
style wise. It was a tough match up for us,
right, because they had a the type of offense that could keep
our offense off the field. Off the field, right?
They were going for it every 4thdown.
So it was you play well, you know, 3 yards, 3 yards, 3 yards
first down. Right.
So we did end up getting tired, but it was one of those things
where we just hadn't seen any team that that was so good

(31:05):
stuff, that style offense that yeah, it was just, it was a it
was a tough match up for us. I remember I, I, I think it was
Ryan Temco. I when I had him on he, he said
he still believes that they, youguys change the entire defense
to try to stop that offense. And he said he believes that if

(31:27):
you just played your base stuff,he thinks that you would have
been much better off. He said they tried to install a
whole new defense that week. Basically because they were a
perimeter option team and like in very, very little passing, we
moved our safety is the corner and played the corners at

(31:48):
safeties. Oh, they OK, so that played the
safety down. You kind of change the personnel
so safety is out there to kind of set the edge right, get off
blocks better. And it was working great.
It was just, you know, the game point in time where they made a
few adjustments after halftime. Yeah.
And then they, I remember they hit us with like a like one

(32:10):
tough play action pass. It was like 1 big pass the whole
game, but it was, you know, theyhad it, Adrian Peterson at the
time. Yes, that's right, He.
Was, you know, NFL running in the NFL and he was special, man.
It was like they had good personnel and they had a really
good system, you know, that was designed in a way that, you

(32:32):
know, was a great counter for the way we were built.
Right, right. But I still remember UMass wins
the Nationals championship and you guys beat him twice.
You guys beat him twice. You you always had an answer for
them. And I was at both games and it
was just incredible. So the the funny story I had the

(32:54):
Roy, Roy Hopkins on. Roy tells the story.
Randy comes in and you guys get your rings and he just.
Was throwing them at you? Basically, yes, that's that's.
The funniest thing I've ever heard.
That is so disrespectful. Randy, Randy wild, Oh, he was
wild. Like it was, it was such a

(33:16):
concerted effort to re establishthings that like I understand
wanting to put your footprint onit as a coach.
Like now that on this side of the ball, like I definitely
understand, but it was an established culture.
Absolutely. You had good leaders.
You had people that worked hard,right?
You had, you know, you know, traditions, the way we fight,

(33:39):
song, all, you know, all all these, like he changed
everything. So everything, yeah, everything
that the uniforms, the fight song, the locker room.
You couldn't. You couldn't play softball.
You guys just play softball. The Berkshires, I remember and
he wouldn't let you do that. When he came in, did he actually
meet with everyone one-on-one? No like like.

(34:02):
No, he didn't. Like, so there were some players
who were borderline, like maybe eligibility wise, academically
had to do some things. So I remember at that time I was
struggling a little bit. So like, I was one of those guys
he had a meeting with and it wasjust boring.
I, I, I, I, I remember too, I, Igot called into his office more

(34:25):
times than I wanted to. And you're right.
It was always like you're you'regoing into to see the prison
ward. Yes, it was, it was tough that
way, man. It was tough that way.
And it was, you know, I, I think, you know, being young
men, we still men, though. Exactly.
Yes, you're grown men. You would think that or not

(34:48):
necessary thing. I, I, I know that there's people
who, who move like Randy did, but it would have been nice to,
you know, have you, I guess to explain his kind of methodology
as opposed to just. Being a Dick pair.
Everything up and just staying my way or the highway.
Yeah. And what always, you know, IA

(35:08):
lot of the guys said that and what bothered me too, because I
came in, we had enough talent in99 where we, we could have made
a run. And he was just so hard on
everyone. Like I, I remember Hoffman, poor
Hoffman, he just Brian, Brian was good and he, he messed with

(35:34):
his head so much. I remember they had him seen a
sports psychologist. He treated him like it was like
an NFL team and he could just cut.
Him. He did.
He used to say that. Yeah.
He's like, yeah, if you're not working hard, it's like you're
taking your paycheck behind yourback and everyone's looking
like, what the hell is he talking about?

(35:54):
Yeah, it was, it was, it was. He's a standout figure in the
coaching world, right? Like.
Yeah, or 100 percent, 100%. Like, you know, it's, it's a
small circle, you know, even being up here in Canada, like
we, you know, yeah, you know, most of the, most of the, you
know, all the American cultures down here play down South.
So you have, you know, everybody's one or two people

(36:18):
removed from maybe every coach in the country.
Absolutely. It's, I mean, it's a, it's a
culture, I mean. Randy.
Football coach. Randy's XS and OS were solid,
right? But yeah, I don't know anybody
in the cosine. For him is like being a a good
person like a. Well, he just treated your, you

(36:41):
guys so poorly. And he ran so many guys off too
deliberately. Yeah, Yeah.
And after that year, he, there were so many guys that had 50
years. He didn't, he didn't take them
back. And I, I was so shocked by that
because I think even Hoffman could.

(37:02):
Hoffman had another year and he didn't want them back.
And I, I always thought Hoffman was good.
I thought Hoffman was good enough to win.
Yes, like every, everything about his body of work leading
up to that says if this guy keeps trending upward, he's
going to be a viable, you know, quarterback at this level.
There was no, you know, there's no indication that he couldn't,

(37:24):
you know, he didn't fit the bill.
So like, again, a lot of those moves and because Hoff was one
of our leaders, yeah. And you handle one of our
leaders like that. Like, that's tough, you know
what I mean? That automatically puts, you
know, some people inside of the fence and, you know, yeah, it
was it was a tough situation. Because Hoffman stepped in a

(37:45):
couple of times in 98 when Shanewas hurt, Yes, he played great.
Yes. And he played, I think he played
EU, one of the UMass games he started.
Listen Play had some made some big plays for him, he was.
He was a good athlete. You would say you would think
that and then right? Like it was, it was so many
elements of, of Shane Stafford'sname that kind of filter down

(38:07):
the hall, like exactly. So, yeah, I look back and I, I
don't understand why, you know, there's more to it, I'm sure,
but I don't understand why he, he, he went that direction with,
with Hoffman. Yeah, I, I, I, I exactly the
same way because it, it just felt like 99 was just a

(38:28):
throwaway here. Like he didn't care about it.
He just wanted to get get through it so then he could get
his own guys in. So I I got a story for you.
So after that season, right? So now you know I'm, I'm.
Yeah, he wouldn't help anyone Goto the pros.
No, I. Remember, not only would he not
help, he changed the date of ourpro day last minute.

(38:50):
Oh my God, he did. Change the date of our pro day
last minute. So I was one of those guys.
Didn't get a combine invite, right?
So yes, right. You know, I had a couple teams
come individually to work me out, right for the UConn pro day
where you know, you're looking for influx of, you know, a
number of teams. Yeah, a bunch of guys come.

(39:11):
Right. I, I, you know, I, I want to say
it was about 7 or 8 teams that were going to come scheduled to
come and he changed the date of the pro day like 2 days before
it. So those teams aren't going to
reschedule to come back. No.
Absolutely. Not so.
It was like, you know, I just remember them having like all of
the, you know, the everything set up and nobody was there.

(39:32):
Oh. My God, do.
You still want to work out? Like, what do you mean you still
want to work out, right. So yeah, that was that was, you
know, everybody is a long shot in that situation, but you want
to have a chance. Yeah.
Oh, like 100%. Did you?
Did you sign with an agent rightaway?
Yes, I I wound up signing with an agent and then.

(40:01):
Right after the draft, I got calls from the Chiefs in the
car, right? Kansas City did.
You want you went with the Cardinals, right?
We're going with the Cardinals. I remember watching you in the
pre season. They had, yeah, they had.
I think the situation was a little more favorable at the
time. Signing bonus was a little bit
better. So I wound up taking, you know,

(40:22):
as undrafted free agent to go towith the Arizona Cardinals.
Did you? Because I know a lot of agents
do this. Did you, did they pay to say
have you go? Train.
No, no. I did everything you.
Did it all on your own. This is this is Randy for you.
So I was doing all of the training at UConn.
So Randy went. Randy wouldn't let me use the

(40:43):
football like weight room after we were done.
You're kidding me. He wouldn't let you go in.
They're working out at the you. Were in the students.
Yes, I was in the student weightroom.
It's. Awful.
Work and my my agent at the time, his name was Robert.
Robert McManus was his name. He was a good dude.
Was he a Connecticut guy? Philadelphia.

(41:04):
So I was from, right? So he was, you know, right
across the bridge in Philly. And the workout that I think he
got, I ran at Temple. That's what I figured because
you probably went to someone else's pro.
I went to Temple University's pro day and that I did really
well there. So I think that was the, you

(41:25):
know. Were you?
Were you a 4544? No, I wasn't legit 4 three guy.
Yeah, that's why I remember that.
So, yeah, you, you you were justa speed demon.
Yeah. So were you, Were you satisfied
with your agent at the time? Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I, you know, my primary,like it wasn't my defensive back

(41:48):
play that got me a shot. It was like I had AI had done a
really good job in that short amount of time as a returner.
Yes, yes, you were a great return.
Yes, pressed down a couple big, big returns over, you know,
basically a year and about four games.
So made an impact that way and that's kind of how I got my shot

(42:09):
to go to the NFL so. I remember you went with the
Cardinals, right? Yes.
Did did you end up on the practice squad?
You're playing with them, right?Yeah.
It was, it was a situation where, you know, I get there,
I'm on the practice like I'm, you know, I'm just at training
camp and I was able, you know, just force I, I was, I was so

(42:31):
far over my head, right. It was such a, it was such a
like a leap, right, Like the, the required football IQ in
order to get on the field was just so far like it was, it was
so much above where I was at that I was, you know, kind of
swimming. I didn't really know how I was
doing. Like I didn't, you know, but I

(42:52):
had made a few plays and some situations against, you know,
David Boston at the time, Rob Moore, right.
I was able to make a few plays against him.
So I I did enough to at least stay on the radar.
And the last, our last preseasongame, we had three DBS go down
with season end injuries. Oh.

(43:13):
My God, I think it was 22 Acls and a broken leg.
Holy crap. 2 Acls and a broken leg.
So at that point it was like, all right, well, just for
numbers. I think they needed to keep me
around just to be practice. Yeah.
So you so you got to play in that.
So I said, So what happened was I just was on the practice
roster all year. You know, I'm a if, if I need to

(43:36):
be Ozza King this week and I'm in my playing receiver, I'm him.
You know, I, I go over to the other side of the ball and that
part of the game, you know, likecame natural to me, like the the
the competition aspect. So like it looked like I was
working really hard, but I guessI was just like I was in my
element because it was, I didn'thave to think it was.

(43:56):
Look at the card you were. Turning the card right.
So I was able to cut like that was easy, right?
That was easy. So like, I was able to kind of
stand out and practice enough for them to, you know, keep me
around all year. So you had you were on the
practice squad, but but you would do both you they'd use you
on offense and defense. That's on defense during the

(44:19):
week. Wow.
And yeah, like I never, I never really got close to getting on
the field that year. Right, right.
And I, yeah, I kind of knew it, you know?
Well, it's a huge, it's such a huge adjustment.
Did you, did you have a good experience?
I mean, did you like the guys? I, I had AI, had a good
experience in Arizona and it was, it was, I think they, they

(44:42):
treated me fairly like I, yeah, I did the work.
And I think what ended up happening is I got allocated to
NFL Europe. Yes, yes, I played in NFL Europe
too. You know, they sent me to NFL
Europe and at that time the NFL draft occurred before the NFL
Europe season started. So you guys over there but you.

(45:02):
Wouldn't they'd hate it? I remember that that everyone
would be watching the draft. Right, everybody.
So you wouldn't really know whatyou had, which you got that went
to Europe and you draft like they weren't a part of the plan.
Exactly really well in NFL Europe and came back but they
drafted 2 DBS, 1/3 rounder and a7th rounder.

(45:24):
So you knew that it was going tobe a tough.
Long shot coming that next season.
What teams you play with in in Europe?
I was with the Rhine fire. You were at the Rhine, OK.
Yeah, I went, actually went. I went to NFL Europe three
seasons, so I went. You played three seasons?
Three seasons. So I went allocated Cardinals my
first year. And a free agent.

(45:45):
And then a free agent the next two.
So I played for the Rhine Fire twice and Amsterdam Admirals my
my last year NFL Europe and thengot picked up by the Redskins at
the time. Went to training camp with the
Red 2003. Did you like NFL Europe?

(46:05):
I I absolutely liked it. I had a great.
Time too oh man like and we we were fortunate to be in one of
the cities that had like a good following so Ryan.
Fires Dusseldorf was awesome. And, and I had a good football
coaster that was where like my, my understanding of X's and O's
like football, like strategy. They yeah, they taught you

(46:26):
pretty. Well, so when I came back that
next preseason and next trainingcamp, I was ready to go.
But it was just a numbers game at that point.
It was nothing I could do, you know.
Yeah, no, 100%. I, I always loved it.
The German fans loved football, loved American football and we

(46:48):
we always had good crowds. I mean, we would get 30,000
people right? And it was always a blast.
And I for me especially like it.It felt like being in the NFL.
Yes, no one. There. 100%, man, it was.
It was. Such a great experience.
Such a great experience man. Like I, I could remember we had

(47:11):
a we played Frankfurt Galaxy. It was a Ryan Fire.
Frankfurt Galaxy was the was therivalry game.
Yeah, we were like 3435 thousandone week and then we broke a
record. It was like 52,000 the next week
and. Frankfurt.
Yeah, the the two. The stadium at Ryan was huge.
The stadium at Frankfurt was huge.

(47:34):
I played in Cologne and I'm trying to think, did you play
was Barcelona in like Scotland? Well, I was before they
consolidated NFL Europe, kind ofmade you know everything kind of
in the. Central It was Germany, right?
Yeah, it was the Rhine fire, Berlin Thunder, Franklin Galaxy,
Scotland, Scottish Claymores, Amsterdam Admirals and the

(47:55):
Barcelona Dragons. Right 16 Right, right, right.
Did you like Barcelona? Not not as much as like it was
beautiful to look at, but it wasn't like, no.
It wasn't. There wasn't a football place.
Like, yeah, like when you when you wanted to just get away from
football, take a walk on the beach, like, that stuff is
beautiful. That stuff was cool.
But it wasn't. Yeah.

(48:16):
It wasn't like, no, not, not notat all.
As as as fun as as Ryan Fire wasn't do something or or, you
know, we, we went to a couple clubs in Cologne.
Yeah. We went to a couple clubs in
Amsterdam. Yeah, yeah.
So I'll tell you a funny story. We played Amsterdam.

(48:36):
After the game, I have to go to the red light district.
So I go to the red light district.
I, I'm just like, I can't believe this is real.
So I pick my lady and you know, go up.
I get on the bed. 2 minutes, I break the bed.

(48:59):
She, she, she, she freaks out. They throw me and I get thrown
out. I'm like, I paid, I paid.
I go up. Two minutes. 2 minutes I break
the bed and I get I they throw me out.
That was my red. That was my red light district
experience. I think I think we all have

(49:20):
everybody that went to Europe. Every other guy has a red light
district as just kind of to see what it was like.
I don't have any intentions of going in anywhere.
Remember wind up I I was in it and I took a picture and like
that man look when I say the bounces and everything ran out

(49:41):
of. They go nuts, right they.
Go nuts. I was.
I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't know that this was the
rules. Like I understand now.
I'm sorry, I apologize, but theywere ready.
They were. Ready they they don't mess
around they don't mess around there they.
Were ready to get at me. So yeah, that's that's funny.
Amsterdam. So funny.

(50:03):
So when did you end up going to Canada?
You went to camp with the Redskins?
I went. To camp with the Redskins, this
was. 01. 03/03 OK yeah. So Cardinal, yeah, Cardinals in
2000 and 2001, out of NFL for two seasons.
Come back in 2003 with the Redskins, get cut at the end of

(50:28):
training camp. And I think I played one arena
season, so I played for the Indiana Firebirds.
Oh my God, you did. Or arena, Arena football, like
it was just trying to stay active.
You have to, that's the thing. I.
Want to go back to New Jersey atthe time, so I was just trying
to be active in one season with Indiana Fire.
Did you like Arena? Yeah, I guess like it was, it

(50:52):
was football, man. Like it was not like your
traditional football. My position was two way, so I
got to play offense and defense.Oh, so OK, so.
I made it a little bit fun, right?
It made it like a different challenge, Like we had a good
group as well. I didn't mind going to practice.
It was pretty laid back that way.
Who? Who?
Who's the head coach at Indiana?Was that Steve De Berg?

(51:15):
Yes, Steve de Berg. He was awesome.
We had Adrian McPherson out of Florida.
Florida State was our quarterback at 18 years old.
Oh my. God, that's right, I. 15 years
old. I just because I played arena
too, and Steve de Berg used to he, he came to scout our team

(51:36):
and he, he went out with us after and he just got bombed,
just got absolutely bombed. That's Steve the Berg.
Yes, she faced. He was, he was, he was a fun
dude. Yeah.
So yeah, right after that, rightafter that season in Indiana, I
got the call while I'm you know what?
In mid season, invited to come up to Toronto for training camp.

(51:59):
Because the money was better andmuch better in Canada than
Arena. Yeah, at the time.
So you, you still, like at the time you still hadn't had to,
you had a year or two to prove yourself to get the good money.
So like, I mean, at the time I want to say the league minimum
was maybe $55,000 or something at the time, right.
So why not coming to Toronto, you know, about halfway through

(52:22):
the first week of training camp and came into a like I came into
a group Toronto Argonauts. That was one of the best
franchises. Out there, yes.
So, you know, we played at the Skydome where the Blue Jays
played. It was.
The city was very supportive. At that, at the time, the city
was incredibly supportive. We averaged 30,000.

(52:46):
Toronto and Montreal were, I played it in Edmonton and I just
remember Toronto, Montreal were like the best cities and they
had like the biggest crowds. Yes, so like.
I hated Edmonton. Edmonton I played one year in
Edmonton I played. Edmonton there was a dump.

(53:07):
I played 8IN Toronto and one in Edmonton.
It's just slow. Yeah.
I mean, it's just and you know, they they they were one time one
of the story franchises in the sea.
Yes, you know, they, they just went on a long kind of nosedive
as a, as a organization, But youknow, a friend of mine is a
general manager over there now. So they they, they building

(53:29):
stuff back up, man. They turn it around, ain't?
Going to turn it around, yeah? So you you played strictly
defense in Canada and it's 12 guys on the field, 3 downs.
Was was that an adjustment for you?
Believe it or not man it it's really not that big of an
adjustment like. Coverages were the same and

(53:49):
everything. Not a cover.
Yeah, Yes and no. Yes and no.
So a lot like this is what tendsto happen.
Like the NFL, believe it or not,trends start in Canada.
Offensive trends kind of start in Canada.
And. Then yeah, and they copy it.
Down to the NCAA and in the NFL ends up picking him up right.

(54:13):
So offensive football, the 12th man on the field, it's really
the motion is what takes the thebiggest challenge, the biggest
adjustment. But the down and distance, it's
just like starting on 2nd and 10.
Exactly. Mentality.
It's like every drive starts 2ndand 10.
If you if you brought that mindset to it, you'd be fine.
Right. And I was trying to think I I

(54:37):
heard this. I don't know if it's true RP OS
started in that's what I was right?
Doug Flutie, Damon Allen. So Marcus Allen's little brother
was a quarterback up here. So they run the zone, right?
And it's called it's called the Sally Rand play.

(54:58):
So Sally Rand was back in the United States.
They used to have like a want tosay the big convention that was
in Chicago, the yearly yes. Yes.
So she was a stripper. She was a performer at the at
the so, so like the play was called Sally.
So that was that was the origin of the play.
We we still to this day. That's hilarious.

(55:19):
Read Sally and a lot of teams will still call it Sally.
Oh my God, that's. Crazy that started like based
off the way the you know, the the play side in on the backside
end slash down to try to make the play booty just started
pulling it right right. And then he was, oh, OK, at that
time, there was a lot less structure in the offensive

(55:43):
football. So like Doug Flutie would in the
huddle sometimes design his play, give me this two man side,
give me this combination, pull it.
And then we got A2 hitches. We got a out and a go, right.
So, yeah, like, you know, Doug Flutie was able to, you know,
put up astronomical numbers. He was, he was unbelievable.

(56:05):
That's down 6000 yards in the season.
So yeah, RPO, you know, originated here in Canada.
Because the lineman can go down fields.
Right. So they, yes, they can move the
rules now. Well, the thing was you get the
same number of referees, but youstill got that extra guy on the
field, right, Right. So it's a it's a little bit more

(56:26):
for the referees to try to keep track of, especially with the
most. Right, right.
Like, you know, it's no sense intrying to call at that time
where they didn't have the technology and the replay
ability to try to make those calls.
So as long as the offensive lineman doesn't engage right,
you can, you know, he can be downfield.
Right, OK, so that's how it worked.

(56:47):
That's crazy. I because I did hear that all
that stuff originated in Canada and then it trickled down to
college and now it's in the pros, but.
Match Coverage Match coverage also originated here in Canada.
The the where you pattern read yes.
Pattern read coverage because the field is so big, you can't

(57:08):
just play cover three. You know, it's just too much
space. So you got to find a way to
match the routes up. So it turned up match up cover
3, right, right. Was kind of the origin of, you
know, again what you know, I've been running for 20-30 years
now, but match. Were you playing corner?
Yes, I was, I played corner in my first five and then I, I

(57:31):
moved inside to what they what, what would be considered a
nickel right. And I finished my career at free
safety. So.
And you had you had a great career, right?
I mean, did you win a Grey Cup? Yes.
So I came in first year and we won a Grey Cup.
Last year going out won a Grey Cup.
That's all that's amazing. And you loved it up there.
I mean, that's why you're still there.

(57:52):
Yeah, I'm still here. I got, you know, I got a, you
know, I have a family here, livehere with my girl and my son.
Are you, are you a, are you a Canadian citizen now?
No, I'm a permanent resident of Canada, still have my US
citizenship, but my son's Canadian, right?
When we do the paperwork, we'll have both Canadian and US
citizenship. But yeah, man, it was just so

(58:14):
Toronto, such an amazing city. I.
Just I have so many stories, 88 years here, nine years here as
a, you know, as a player, it's your.
Home. So many stories, right?
So many, you know. Great players too.
And yeah, and it just wound up, you know, kind of being, you
know, becoming home. And then what wound up happening
is how I got the Winnipeg is oneof the all time Argo

(58:39):
linebackers. His name is Mike O'Shea, you
know, Hall of Fame CFL linebacker got the head coaching
job Winnipeg. So he just happened to be my
middle linebacker for for my. So we had a really good
relationship that way. He brings me to Winnipeg and
then, you know, I was, that was 2018, now I'm DC.

(58:59):
So wow, so you came in at 2018 as you were like a position
position coach? Yes.
So my my first year of coaching in Canada was 15.
So I coached 15 and 16 in Toronto, was out for a year and
then came back in 2018, moved, made the move to Winnipeg and
I've been there ever since. And were you the DC when you

(59:22):
came right back? Came came in as a defensive back
coach, right Was a defensive back.
Was up until last season. Last year was my first year as a
defensive. Coordinator, that's awesome.
Was it a big learning curve to be ADC?
Because you you, you said like you struggled sometimes with XS
and OS and now you're in DC? Time by the time I got to Canada

(59:46):
and that team I played for. So when we won that Grey Cup
that that rookie year, my, you know, understanding of the game
accelerated so much because of the leaders we had on our team.
Like we basically we had a greatdefensive coordinator.
He was kind of one of the originators of match coverage.
Right. Maybe Richard Stubler or RIP?
He passed away last year too. Richard Stubler was here, one of

(01:00:10):
the originators of match coverage.
So we were, you were running high level stuff like my first
year in and we, you know, I was in that system for five years.
So you, you, you were like a Navy SEAL by the time you were
in DC. Yeah.
By the time, you know, I got to the, you know, Winnipeg job in

(01:00:32):
2018, like there was coverage, Yeah.
Like there's no aspect of coverage that I'm not.
Very well versed. Yes.
So, you know, from a coverage aspect, you know, we can cover a
lot of bases because of, you know, the experiences I've had
and the the system. Yeah, my God.
I mean, you played everything, NFL arena, NFL Europe, Canada.

(01:00:57):
So I mean, you must have learnedso much and you probably taking
taking pieces from everywhere that you've been and that makes
you a great coach. Yes.
And like, you know, some of the best experiences I had was so,
you know, my, my, I guess my fellow, like my football, like
my, my, my strategy, my philosophic philosophy was set

(01:01:22):
based on my experience when I first got to Canada under
Richard Stubler. But my last year I played under
a guy named Chris Jones. He's on the the Bill Belichick
staff at North Carolina, Right? Correct.
Right. I'm so Chris Jones.
He is a like the opposite of Richard Stubler.
So we were high pressure, almostzero blitz.

(01:01:43):
Oh wow, defense. So I didn't.
Think anyone did that up there Iwas.
Able to have Oh yeah like that we.
They just send the house. Plus one is as a as a staple
plus one coverage, Yeah, designed to beat Doug Clooney,
to kill the to kill the RPO game.
So playing in that system gave me kind of the, the, the, the

(01:02:06):
mindset where, OK, we can get this done more than one way.
Mary, you know, I don't got to, you know, live in this one
philosophy. I can take pieces of both of
these and, you know, take the best of each.
And it just makes us a little harder for offenses to prepare
for. How?
How is your relationship with the players?
Oh man, I'm, I, I'd like to think I'm a player Player

(01:02:31):
friendly as we get. I, I sincerely believe,
especially at the professional level, right?
There's no there's no need to step on men, right?
Treat men like men. You got to treat men like these
are grown men, got kids, got families, houses, bills to pay
and all of that. Nobody's trying to, you know,
step on their necks and, and, and, you know, run it like a

(01:02:52):
dictatorship. Really, what we do, what I try
to do is make it as, you know, interactive as we possibly can.
You know you, you identify. You're transparent with
everyone. You identify your best players,
you're open about, you know who these guys are, how you building
around them, and you know, you just always take into account,

(01:03:12):
you know what they like doing, you know what I mean?
So if they, you know, if, if youknow, sometimes you got to sell
them on it a little bit, you know, a we're going to run this
new front, we're going to run this new coverage.
You might have to sell it. But I think as long as you know,
you're open with all right, these are going to be your
challenges, right? And then the ultimate, you know,

(01:03:32):
read is are you make, are the guys making plays?
Like if they're making, they're going to roll with you 100% hard
and they're struggling, you're going to lose them 100%.
You know, we, we've been fortunate enough for Winnipeg to
have a lot of success and, and we've got guys that that are,
you know, completely bought in. I coached at the college level
for 10 years. I coached at Holy Cross and

(01:03:55):
Colgate Dartmouth. What's the like weekly structure
for coaches up there? Is it?
Is it? Is it a grind like it?
Can be, it can be like, I'm fortunate enough to be in a
place where we, we, the culture is established, right?

(01:04:15):
So the players do a lot of the work for us.
So you don't have to necessarilypolicing, but I mean the basic,
I mean week, we'll go day beforeis your prep day, right?
We're looking at film. We're breaking down.
And they have the day off, right?
Monday or Tuesday? Yeah, coaches will get together
day before We'll go through all of the, you know, essentially
all of the, you know, the situation and stuff.

(01:04:37):
Right, the formations and plays.That's where we're at on the
field, that that kind of thing, right?
Well, what we want to do, right?You got your staples that you
installed on training camp, and then you got your stuff that you
had week to week. The.
The situational, the red zone, third down, all that stuff.
And we go day one, right first and 10, day 2, second down, day
three, red zone. Red zone, right?

(01:04:59):
Or is the day before prep day and then game day?
So yeah, it's it's similar. It's similar.
Thing every, you know, everywhere you go, pretty much
The thing is like, like CFL Staffs are a lot smaller.
Yes, the Staffs now are outrageous.
Yeah. You kind of has 20 coaches.

(01:05:20):
And yes, you got to the corner. Blows my mind.
The left corner has a coach, theright.
Every every player has a coach, yes.
So and I you know, to, it's not a knock.
So we, we've got 4 on our defensive staff.
So we've got. You don't need more than that.
I I I just think. Each level and then the

(01:05:41):
coordinator, it would probably be cool to have one more
analyst, right, right, One guy who did nothing but like just
the breakdowns and everything right.
So like a lot, a lot of the bit the grind for coaches is the
busy work. So you have to, you know, input
all the stuff for the film, I mean.
I don't have to input everythingright, but I do have to go

(01:06:04):
through it. You still got to wait on it,
right? Like you got to wait for that
guy to get done his role before you can look at it and kind of
use the, the, the, the statistics, you know, take it
down watching the games. Right, right.
What? What do they use like DV sport
up there? Or DV.

(01:06:24):
Sport. I love DV sport.
DV sport, right? The players use 360.
They do they get like a tablets like they no.
We have, we have like essentially a computer like set
up in the oh, OK, so because most of the guys have their own
tablets, phones or whatever, so they get access to it on that.

(01:06:45):
Oh OK, I got. You come in to the stadium, they
have access to the computers. All you know, all around you
know do. You guys have, are you pretty
good facilities, Yeah. Winnipeg is, you know, probably
Saskatchewan, definitely premierfacility.
Oh. Saskatchewan.
Really. Yes, Saskatchewan.
Like they they. Used to be a dump.

(01:07:06):
You look at. You look at them now though.
I'm going to, I'm going to look it up now.
I I can't believe that. It got one of those, you know,
the, the the locker rooms with all the LED lights.
Oh my God. Well, I I can't believe that
motorized cabinets for the lockers and stuff yeah, they.
They never would have thought that.
Winnipeg has a really nice stadium.
Not quite as high tech as Saskatchewan is, but very, you

(01:07:30):
know, relatively new stadium open in 5th 20 say 2014, 2015.
Oh, OK. So it's relatively new.
Designed really well and yeah, the players got everything they
need. Do you?
Do you stay on the sidelines? Are you?
Do you like to be up in the box?I'm on the sidelines.
I hate the sidelines. Like so I need.

(01:07:52):
So the the benefit to being up top is your global view.
Yes. You're detaching the game
emotionally. Yes, yes.
You're just looking at it like the overview, like it's all, you
know, the all 22, you know, we call it all 24.
So the all 24 like it's a video game almost.
It is really I I love. For the sideline, because I I

(01:08:15):
like looking at players eyes, I can tell.
You. Right, that you don't want to
run that. You know what I mean, right?
You know, I look at the calls, Ican look at the body language.
One of the benefits in Canada iswe actually see in the NFL, you
got to look at still shots. They they still won't allow you
to look at videos. Right, they don't.
You know, we look at on the, we actually get the, you know, the

(01:08:35):
stream. As it's happening.
Yeah, so we get Oh my God, you know, sometimes depending on the
stadium and you might get both views, you might get the type
view and the and the all 24. That's amazing.
So you you get it during the game.
Because we're able to use the iPads, the tablets and and see
video like I like being able to problem solve off of.

(01:08:57):
That yeah, you can make adjustments as it happens.
Next time we get this look, nexttime we get this motion, this is
what we're going to do. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
And I think like being on the side, it takes a middle man out
of that. The other thing is Winnipeg is
an unusually loud stadium, right?
So we've got incredibly loud, incredibly, you know, high, low,

(01:09:21):
100 decibels, like ears ringing for the rest of the night.
Oh my God. Because of the way it's built
and designed and it's you can't talk to anybody on like, so if I
want to call one of the players down on the field right to talk
to them, they can't. Hear they can't hear God.
Wow. It's just, it just yeah, it just
makes communication easier. Whatever I'm, you know, whatever

(01:09:43):
benefit I get from being up top looking down, I think kind of
what you know is, is is washes itself out versus the ability
to. Get the film.
And communicate quickly and efficiently like with the with
the guys right there. Yeah.
I mean, you really progressed. Do you have aspirations to be a
head coach up there? I'm not chasing it right.

(01:10:06):
I like. You're happy where you're at.
Yeah, like we, we, we, you know,as as a first year DC, we had
the number one scoring defense, you know #1 again, you know,
yards. We, we went to the championship
game. Didn't win it this year.
But you know, we, we playing at a high level and I've been
around that. I think I have a very good idea,
very good template for how, you know, what's important for, you

(01:10:28):
know, an organization to franchise.
And you know, like I got a, you know, great model and Michael
straight ahead coach for the Blue Bombers.
So yeah, natural transition. I'm just not chasing it, you
know what I mean? Right.
I'm going to let that happen organically.
And if you know, if it's in the cards for me, it's in the cards
for. Me, I like that because I, I
always used to drive me nuts that, you know, in the college

(01:10:48):
level guys were always chasing another job.
Always, always the, you know, they everyone couldn't wait
until the end of the season to see who was getting fired so
they they can try to get anotherjob.
And it was, you know, I, I definitely don't get it.
Don't get A twist. That's a lot of money in this
game, man. No, 100 percent, 100%.

(01:11:09):
It's a very lucrative industry. Financial incentives to you
know, take making that you know that bump or making that leap
from, you know, mid major to major, but I also after being a
football that will crush your soul, you get.
Oh, it kills you? Yes.
Right. You know, and once you find
somewhere where you're happy andyou're peaceful and likely as

(01:11:32):
far as coaching goes, this is low stress as I feel like a
coaching job can be where I'm Winnipeg.
So I'm I'm I'm happy, I'm content.
And again, I'm not, I'm not looking to making good money.
So I'm not, I'm not looking to. You're not chasing anything.
You're not looking for anything.If it if it happens, it happens.
And then and then college football, like, you know, I
definitely have an interest in it, but the, the that's.

(01:11:54):
What I was going to ask you. Would you ever go back in that
recruiting aspect? It's awful voice.
Was right like I don't I don't like I'm not really built for
that. Yeah, it's awful.
My my personality type, the way I communicate.
Like I, I have a hard time beingfake.
Yes, and I've just been on the good.
Base, like, I'm not really good at that, right?
So yeah, I'm not, I'm not reallyinterested in that.

(01:12:17):
And in college, like you do a lot of unnecessary busy work
during the offseason. You do?
Yeah. Just just to act like you're
doing. Something.
Yeah, just to stay busy, so. Yeah, you got.
That's right. You guys don't have to do that.
Well, so yeah, the data season'sover in Winnipeg, right?
We have our little exit meetingsand we go and then everything we

(01:12:37):
do is on Zoom, right? Yes.
We can do everything at home. Right, so I, you know, now I'm,
I get to spend a whole lot of time with my son, pick him up,
drop him off, which is huge, huge man huge to me so.
Because if you were at college. You none of that.
My head coach at Holy Cross, when I interviewed there, he
told me everyone, the interview,he said you, you just so you

(01:13:02):
know, your wife is going to be awidow and your son is going to
be an orphan because you are mine.
And that's how it was like you, you, the guys never saw their
families. And I I don't, I don't think.
I don't get it. I.
Don't think it needs to be that way.
It doesn't. Football's not that complicated.
I used to say when we were watching the film for the 48th

(01:13:26):
time, I'm like, this is ridiculous.
And it doesn't change. It's the same thing.
It is, yeah. Strategies change, but at the
end of the day, like all of the don't give up big plays, right?
Don't turn it over. Tackle, tackle, you know, tackle
the ball carrier, right? Absolutely.
And then no penalties, right? Like like, Yep, do that.

(01:13:48):
You know that's a formula where you'll always be around 500 if
you just do those things. Absolutely.
And that's why college recruiting I, I hated because
everyone lies, Every coaches lie, the, the kids lie, the
parents lie. It was just such a dirty
business. And then, you know, I got out

(01:14:09):
before Nils came in the transferportal.
I, you know, we, we talk about it on a couple shows.
I just think it's ridiculous nowbecause it's basically free
agency. Guys will just leave after a
year. UConn has guys that have
transferred twice. And I'm like, why would you take

(01:14:30):
a kid if this is his third school?
Like you would you would say that right?
You would think that that would be a, you know, a red flag.
Yes. Now, now you understand that
like OK. That's how it is.
Hey, you know, we think back, Randy got on that, like when we
left the Fiesta Bowl, Randy was on the plane.

(01:14:51):
He was on, he was on the midnight train.
But like, you know, if, if the coaches like the, you know, like
we just talking about the, you know, every year we're waiting
to see who gets fired and who's.So it's it's just the same thing
now, both levels. Right.
No, you're absolutely right. It is in.
Both levels and you know, for whatever you know, is it good

(01:15:11):
for the game? Arguably, you know, no.
Probably. I think it's awful, but but it's
not going to go back. It's a lot more equal now.
You know, from the level to the players level, right?
I think that NIL thing they theygot, they're going to have to
like get some standardized rules.
I I I agree. I think like.

(01:15:32):
I'll recap like exactly yes, to do some things like that in
order to make it, you know, viable, like sustainable for
long term. Well, 'cause this is the first
year that schools are going to be able to pay kids off of the
television revenue. Yes.
So now like the SC CS got a billion dollar television deal.

(01:15:53):
So now they're going to have I, I think the, it's $20 million is
the Max you can pay. The only schools that have that
much money are the SEC schools. They have that and the nil on
top of it. So it's so much money.
And I keep thinking like five years from now, they're they're
going to be spending like $70 million and.

(01:16:16):
Like I said, you just got to useit.
And the other thing is like you probably looking at the
structure of like Division One football changing, you know what
I mean? It's going to be who's got the
money and who. Doesn't it is That's what it is
and that you know. In order for it to be fair.
And you know, I, I, I, I talked with Burton all the time.

(01:16:37):
Burton, God bless him, he jumpedin and really took over the NIL
stuff for UConn and he he's doing so much and you know,
we're trying to fundraise and get more donations going in.
But that's the thing, we really got to go back into a conference
and he's really pushing for that.

(01:16:59):
He created, it's a store Centralis the RNIL.
You can be a member and you get like inside information and then
you can also donate. But that's where, you know, we
really were deficient and Mike took over and he's done a great
job. He got the the quarterback

(01:17:19):
transfer, Nick Evers, he came from Oklahoma.
He would he didn't really play that that well.
And the other guy was a graduatefrom Maine, Joe Figuiano.
He played well and he ended up starting in the bowl game.
But Maura only wants to like transfers.
He only signed 12 freshmen and he brought in 30 transfers.

(01:17:44):
Why would like nobody I? Don't get that?
Well, to me, no coaching staff is getting the full four to five
years. It would tell Phillip, you know,
freshman into, you know, a a, you know, high level fourth
year, fifth year senior. Absolutely.
Getting that long, Yeah. So it's like, OK, if you still

(01:18:04):
got a limited number of scholarships and you're giving
out money, you want to get more mature players, you want to get
older guys that are ready, made ready to step in right now.
That's that's Morris philosophy 100%.
And now they're going to go to 100 scholarships.
Yeah. So like if, if you don't, if
you're not talking about a athlete that has a unique
physical abilities, I'm not bringing in any freshmen either.

(01:18:27):
If I'm in that situation, I'm right as they have, you know,
reps that I don't have to teach,you know, they don't have to get
accustomed to the game, right? So all they just got to learn
the XS and OS like. You got it.
You got them ready made. I get, I get that, I get that.
And U Conn definitely benefited and they did.
Mike did a great job in the portal they brought in,

(01:18:51):
especially this year. They brought in a really good
running back from Eastern Illinois.
They got a defensive lineman from Iowa State.
Like Mike. He's just awesome with how he
does it and he really works handin hand with Maura to try to,
you know, how much do we need for this guy You like?

(01:19:11):
And that's why, you know, we, wehad such a good year.
So you would you think at some point you'll be able to come
back for a game? Yeah, man.
Listen, this is, is is I guess I, I was going to try to make
the bowl game this year. That was awesome.
Didn't make it, just didn't workout family wise, right?

(01:19:34):
Because you guys go until when October.
We're done. No, so the if you if you plan
the Grey Cup champs, sort of theGrey Cup championship game is
the the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Thursday.
Oh, it's that late? OK.
So like go up until then. So then I want to say the bowl
game was what, mid-december or like?
Yeah, yeah. Besides, I see.
Yeah. So there's no way you can.

(01:19:54):
Come, I've just gotten home. I've been home maybe 3 weeks.
I want to be able to bring, you know, the family to the game
with me. Yeah, absolutely.
Because I, you know, I just spent six months away from my
little guy, right? Yeah.
Well, they come in for the games, you know, on the weekends
sometimes, but it's a lot of time away.
How old is he your kid? That's turning 6.

(01:20:15):
Just turned. Oh God bless you man, that's
awesome. Appreciate you.
Thank you. You just turned 6, a great kid.
Is he playing any sports? Just starting.
So he's playing soccer. That was his first sport.
Get his feet right. Awesome man, you know.
Get his feet right, get his feetright, get that that
coordination together. Like the upper body is a lot
easier to, you know, the, the train than the lower body.

(01:20:37):
So start him off with something you know, you know, low, low key
and then you know as as he takesto it, we're just going to try
to get him in as much as we can.Absolutely, Yeah.
And then, well, I have to say, Jordan, you have just had an
incredible career. God bless you.
Thank you from from you were just such a incredible athlete.

(01:20:58):
I still can't believe you didn'tplay in your sophomore year in
high school and you would you you would just dynamite and you
know, you came to UConn had justan incredible career and you
don't play professionally. That's an like 10 years you

(01:21:19):
played professionally, right? Probably more county, NFL,
Europe and everything. It's amazing.
I always tell the young players I I went to 17 training camps.
Yeah, that's exactly. As a professional.
Yeah. Team training camps for UConn
mean. So I've been in a lot of locker
rooms and I just want to send a shout out to all the UConn guys

(01:21:40):
is one of the. Best.
Everyone listen man, everyone loves you.
Everyone asks about you. Everyone has told me that, you
know, they wanted me to get you on the show.
Shane wanted me to say hi. He loves you.
We just had a, we had a special group, man.
We had a special group. We had a really good run and you

(01:22:00):
know, like I have a great time sitting back kind of watching,
you know, a lot of the guys and the kids having success.
Yes, I mean guys having professional success.
Like it's really fun to see. I will tell the guys and listen,
everyone loves you. Everyone always asks about you.
I'm so glad that I got to have you on.

(01:22:21):
And I just, I'm amazed that the incredible career path that you
have and you're going to be a head coach one day.
I am. It's so amazing.
It's so amazing. So thank you again for for being
on. No, thank you for having me,
man. This was this was fun.

(01:22:41):
You know I. I just hearing your story man,
it's so crazy. A lot of the times, you know,
when I'm talking to the media orany, any media aspect of the
media, it's yeah, it's usually, yeah.
Like like like Beta usually has a a dark kind of it's awful, you
know, like on the negativity andthey try to get that kind of.
So it was nice to, you know, just have a.

(01:23:03):
That's all it is. Absolutely.
Absolutely. So I think I got all my sponsors
in dynamic. Julius, Pete Finch.
Yeah. Oh, Fresh Fold laundry mat.
Ned Von Young. Fresh.
Fresh. Yes.
I think he bought a laundry mat and he did.
Of course it's fresh. They called Fresh Fold Laundry.

(01:23:25):
Yeah, it's not this fresh is my guy, man.
He's awesome, man. Oh, man, I used to call him
Bundy, right? Talk about what he did in high
school. Yes, call him Bundy now.
That's my guy. I'm really happy for him.
I saw that the, you know, on Facebook.
I was in with the fresh fold. So yeah, it's in.
It's in Carrboro, NC. It's amazing.

(01:23:48):
He's got an online service whereyou can schedule to go to go to
go in and get a machine. They wash, dry and fold your
laundry it like land speed records.
He's offering specials to all college students.
You can go there and get everything done great packages

(01:24:08):
and it's he the business is justblowing up and he just opened in
January and he's he's doing fabulous.
So we absolutely go to fresh fold laundry if you're in North
Carolina and we love Ned Ned Vaughn young.
So for the man himself, Jordan Younger, great conversation, an

(01:24:29):
incredible career. He's going to be a head coach
and then he's going to bring me in his own, his own line guy.
So I'll be I'll be waiting for the call.
Absolutely, but I keep you on the short list.
All right, Thank you, Jordan. And remember when life give you
lemons, don't make lemonade. Take two oranges home back at

(01:24:50):
life. Absolutely.
That's my, that's my clothes. Hi, I'm Pete Finch from the
Finch firm. I've been a lawyer in
Connecticut for eight years now.I go to war for my clients when
they're injured in an accident, serious accidents like dog
bites, slip and falls, car accidents.

(01:25:10):
I go to war for my clients. I get them everything that
they're deserved, and then I go the extra mile.
Always remember, in a pinch, call Finch.
I'm. Going to do that?
Hi, I'm Pete Finch from the Finch firm.
I've been a lawyer Connecticut for eight years.

(01:25:31):
I love when my clients call me because that means that they
trust me. Although they're in a crisis, I
know that they're relying on me.So I stepped my game up.
My clients are injured in slip and fall accidents, serious dog
bites and catastrophic car accidents.
I battle these insurance companies like David battled

(01:25:53):
Goliath. I leave everything on the field.
I go to war for my clients just like I did back in the day
playing football and just like Iwill for you if you become a
client. And just like I do every day for
my clients. And remember, in a pinch, call
Finch.

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