The All-Pro Philly Players Show w/ Rick Lovato - 12/23/24

Jerrold Colton is LIVE from Chickie's and Pete's in Marlton, NJ with #Eagles long snapper Rick Lovato! Rick talks #Eagles loss to the #Commanders, #Cowboys coming up, and more.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you get a wager on it, we're talking about it.
It's The Gambler, The.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Fox Sports Radio, The Gambler. Fox Sports Radio in Philly
is The Gambler. The Gambler, Philly's home for all things sports.
Gambler's coming to you live from Chicky's and Pete's in Marlton,
New Jersey, every Monday Night. It's the All Pro Philly

(00:25):
Players Show.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Now Here are your hosts, Gerald Colton and Eagles inside
him Dave Spadero, Marlton.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
New Jersey and the All Pro Philly Player Show. I'm
Gerald Colton Normy with my co host Steve Spadaro. But
we got a little upstage today. But it's all right
because we have an amazing guest and really interesting to
talk about both the Eagles and all sorts of aspects
of football that you don't always hear about. So without
further ado, a guy who's been with the Eagles, I
guess you're now the second or third longest tenured player, Yes,

(00:59):
behind Lane and all right, and then VGs. We don't
know whether he's here in the future.

Speaker 5 (01:03):
So it's getting closer.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
To along anyway, And I think now we've changed numbers,
but number forty nine, right, long snapper Rick Lovado.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 4 (01:15):
It's so great to have you and I really appreciate it.
You joined us last year and we had so much
fun with you. I think you joined another form of
the show a year before too, so so, and we
love having you here.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
I love coming on the show. I appreciate you guy.
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
Chickis and Pizza where the players go. You know what
a great job Pete and his staff do in hosting
your player the players and hopefully you and your family
get to visit it sometimes.

Speaker 6 (01:37):
Oh after every home game we usually go, but this
year has been a little tough ever since I had
a baby, but you know it's it's been special.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Chickis and Pizza is my go to for sure.

Speaker 4 (01:45):
Well we will get into the baby and a whole
lot of other stuff that's going on in Rick Levada's life,
but let's talk a little bit about yesterday's game, and
unfortunately you are here for the first time in eleven
weeks on a non victory Monday. But it has been
a sensational season and you know, those things happening rather
now than than getting in January. So it was a

(02:09):
strange game. I was in Washington watching it. I love
I love going to Eagles road games. I love you
home games. It's a really special feeling. I mean that
your whole sideline was just all Eagles stars. I mean
it looked like like in financial I mean, it was
on fire over there. It was almost like a high
school football game where one side was right or at least.

Speaker 5 (02:29):
Seventy five percent for Washington.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
On the other side was Yeah, it was a lot
of behind us. It was audre, but.

Speaker 4 (02:35):
It was still strange, and it wound up being a
beautiful December day. It really was for everybody but maybe
the kickers and.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
From a weather stand. Boy.

Speaker 4 (02:44):
So let's let's freak it down. First things first, that
is a strange stadium to begin with. It's it's it's
a stadium that was a failure from the start when
they first opened it, and it was somewhere in the nineties.
Dan Snyder, who may go down as the worst owner
in the history of sports, at least in football. He's
being challenged by the current owner of the Commanders in
basketball terms.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
But we'll get right.

Speaker 4 (03:05):
That's my pip, Peeve, and I warned you that I
might have to take a few shots at Josh Harris.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
But we will.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
But let's talk about that stadium first of all, when
they opened it, because the Redskins at the time, I
think I can say that on the air, I just
can't just can't call them that exactly.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
I will find if the FCC has a problem.

Speaker 4 (03:22):
But they had played in RFK Stadium in downtown Washington
since nineteen sixty one, and so they played there for
about thirty five thirty six years one. At that point,
I guess they had won five or three, three Super Bowls,
five championships overall, and they haven't had any success since
they moved to Landover basically such for FedEx Field. But

(03:44):
it's in a suburb, almost like a swamp land and
really really hard to get to and from the time
it opened it was such an eye store in horrible
to get to it. And they went from one of
the most prestigious season tickets and franchises to where they're
you know, changed a couple of names had their owner kick.
So the stadium itself from a player standpoint, though, does

(04:04):
it feel different than other stadiums.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
It's a weird construction and configuration.

Speaker 6 (04:08):
Yeah, it's a tough stadium to play at it's not
everyone's favorite field. They had just redid the sod because
the Army Navy game was played there the week before,
and apparently they brought that sod in from North Carolina,
I think, that week, and it wasn't in the great
greatest condition and usually never is, you know. Ever since
that game where Jalen almost got like five fans almost

(04:30):
fell on him because the gate fell over, that still
sits in my head. It's it's crazy that that stadium
just continues to have issues year in and year out.
It was tough to play the you know, the wind
was was humming a little bit on the field and
it got cold when the sun went down, and yeah,
just an eerie feeling when you play there. You look
up at the top of the stadium. It's not even

(04:52):
like actually filled bleachers. It's like very weird like gates
and you de fences. I have why, okay, and that's
why it's such a weird.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
Look.

Speaker 4 (05:01):
They've got these like brown walls all over the like
it look like I don't know, someone's backyard of the
fence and they're all over the stadium. When they were
first opened, like I said, redskin tickets were a really
prestigious thing passed down from generations, all the all the
politicians in tow would.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
Want to get them.

Speaker 4 (05:19):
That's that stadium seated about one hundred thousand people, but
then it's started to be real empty, so they closed
off a lot of their stands, and that's what that is.

Speaker 6 (05:28):
That's like, that's I never would have known that, And
I don't know why they did that for so long
and why it looks that way. It could have made
it look right. It doesn't look great when you look
straight up. You look like they look like they're purposely
trying to shut things off to make it you know,
I don't know more.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
Exclusive, like you said, but I guess, well, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (05:47):
They want less less people, so it doesn't look so empty.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
True, that's I mean, that's.

Speaker 6 (05:51):
Why, which is why there's so many Eagles fans over
Washington fans for sure.

Speaker 4 (05:55):
And by the way, so so Washington is a strange
fan base. It's a strange city sportswise anyhow, because it's
very transient. But he didn't hear from watching people all
game until they scored that winning touchdown and then they
were chirping like like, you guys haven't won anything in forever.

Speaker 6 (06:13):
All they talk about is you know, Jayde and Daniel's
final drive and all that, but they forget about you know.
They turned the ball over five times. And it was
a game that again just it was a weird game,
you know, back and forth between you know, getting like
we scored points and they came back a little bit,
fumbled the ball. There's opportunities we miss, there's opportunities they miss.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
You know.

Speaker 6 (06:36):
There was a lot of calls by the reps in
that game as well. It's it was a very interesting game.
A lot of our players went down and I just
kept seeing the blue tent go up and down, up
and down all game.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
It was tough. It was a tough one.

Speaker 4 (06:48):
I thought they were blacking off more stands. Oh that
was for your player, Yeah it was. It just had
a strange feel. But I will tell you this, it
was entertaining.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yes, no great.

Speaker 4 (06:58):
Now, a lot of people it's like it's just a
bottom line win or lose to premiums where they enjoyed it.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
But I took my son down.

Speaker 4 (07:03):
We had a great time wahing through the stadium and
he had never been there. He goes, what a dump.
But anyway, so let's get back to a few points
you made. One is about the sun. I've always wondered
this rick. They usually put the home team on the
non sun side on the benches, and it's because to me,
in the early season, when it's real hot, they don't
want to be in the sun. But yesterday your sideline

(07:26):
was completely in the sun and Washington's was in the shade,
which you said, as the sun went down and the
game ended, you know, it was still early in the
day where it ends, yet it's dark because it's because
of this time of year, especially as the sun goes
behind the stadium. Did you notice, Like I'm just curious,
if you were designing it, wouldn't you rather be on
the sun side as the winter months go on?

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Or Am I wrong to think that?

Speaker 3 (07:47):
No?

Speaker 1 (07:48):
I think you're absolutely right.

Speaker 6 (07:49):
And it's interesting when we walk out from the locker room,
usually we warm up on the closest side to our
locker room and they are warming up, and I even
got confused.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
And I've been playing there for the last nine years.

Speaker 6 (08:01):
And it's it's such an interesting setup that, like you said,
like Tampa has a huge advantage for us when we
played there early in the season. We were in the
on the entire time, and they were in the shade
because in that standpoint, you want to be in the shade,
but up here when it's cold out, you definitely want
to be in the sun for longer. Because as soon
as that sun went down completely on the field, it

(08:23):
got very cold. So it's it's interesting that they do
that for that for that home stadium.

Speaker 4 (08:28):
And it is also interesting that you mentioned as the
sun guy went down, it was getting colder as a
game went on.

Speaker 5 (08:34):
For sure, you know, well.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
Towards the end of the game.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
But by the end of the game, my feet are
cold like crazy. But I'm not playing the game, Just curious,
are you? What are you doing on the sideline to
stay warm and make sure that you're not feeling like
I was.

Speaker 6 (08:46):
In the stands, We thankfully have those heated benches. We
have the big heaters on the sides of each benches
and even little ones by the kicking nets for us,
and the big jackets always keep you warm. And again
I'm in those jackets for as long as I can
until I have to go warm up and go out.
And same thing with a lot of other players as well,

(09:07):
before they go out offense, defense. Those guys are in
those jackets until they have to go out, because they
may play a lot and then come back out. But
when you're sitting there for ten fifteen minutes, you're gonna
get cold again. Especially these guys are you know, barely
even wearing sleeves and you know, just gloves and no sleeves.
Is in that weather is it's tough, tough.

Speaker 4 (09:27):
And I'm sure it takes. It's toll mentally too. I
personally can't focus that well in the cold. Now when
you're playing in an NFL game, it's it's a whole
different thing. But it can't be easy for anybody for sure.

Speaker 6 (09:37):
Yeah, it plays an effect on your mind because you're
you have to think about it. It's something when you're
playing football. Usually you want to just focus on your job,
but you're thinking about how cold it is. You know,
whereas indoor stadiums, you know, you don't have to do
that at all ever, which is why you think most
of these cold areas would have indoor stadiums. But people
love football weather and I don't blame them. I like

(09:58):
playing out in the cold weather. It means you're you're
getting close to that playoff time. And I've been fortunate
enough to be here long enough where you know, I've
been a part of not or yeah, seven seven teams
of the nine seasons i've been here, you know, we have.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
Gone to the playoffs. That's pretty great.

Speaker 4 (10:15):
And again keep that streak going on down Philadelphia is
very happy and and love it. And it's been a
great Eagles season, even though of course one loss and
everyone's jumping off bridges, right, we will be already, you know, Rick,
when that seemed to it with the weather before we
turn a couple other things is weird things go through
as I'm watching a game through my head sometimes and

(10:37):
you know, knowing I'm going to be sitting with you
or another teamy.

Speaker 5 (10:40):
There was a point that game I say, man, no, look,
I can't.

Speaker 4 (10:43):
Ever really imagine getting hit by an NFL player period,
But there's a point in that game where like, you
don't want to get hit right now.

Speaker 6 (10:50):
Yeah, there were some hits in that game where I'm like,
I do not want to be that guy, because when
it's colder, it hurts that much more.

Speaker 1 (10:58):
Same thing with the ball.

Speaker 6 (10:58):
You know the ball's colder or you know it hits
your hands differently you know, it's everything is different in
that cold weather game. And again it was it wasn't freezing.
It was around thirty degrees, and we've played in much
colder games.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
But it's it's tough. It's still tough.

Speaker 6 (11:14):
You know, it's still it still wears on you a bit,
and you know, and this time of year is it's
getting even colder.

Speaker 4 (11:20):
So well, that was a hard hitting game, like especially
hard hitting, right, I mean it seemed that way to
make yes, you're a.

Speaker 6 (11:25):
Division rival game like that, guys are coming out to play.
As you could see, there was a few scuffles during
that game because of the intensity that we have against
each other. You know that our fans don't like them
and their fans don't like us.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
And you had at least a couple of concussions, which
is unfortunate. Obviously your starting quarterback going on. Yeah, that
was a very significant part of the game. You know,
people are ripping. A lot of people are your backup
quarterback who stepped in. But I thought he did a
really good job.

Speaker 1 (11:52):
I agree. I can't imagine.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
You haven't played all year, really, and now all of
a sudden you're thrown in that situation and you don't
get the time to prepare.

Speaker 5 (12:01):
It's unimaginable and how difficult that is.

Speaker 6 (12:03):
Yeah, I mean Kenny stepped in and I think on
the first play through a first down to AJ, and
then through a touchdown a couple of plays later, and
U and I trust Kenny a lot. Kenny's from my area,
New Jersey, and I've known Kenny for a long time
and he's won a lot of games with the Steelers too,
so I know him stepping in there, he's and watching
him in practice. He's gonna be a quarterback that can

(12:23):
come in and play. And it's very unfortunate what happened
to Jalen, but we all just have to be accountable
and we have to go in there when our when
our numbers called, and and play the best of our ability.

Speaker 1 (12:32):
And even the.

Speaker 4 (12:33):
Jalen concussion, the way it all played out, it seemed weird,
like it looked like he was coming back in and
they grabb off the sideline. It was just a day
of strange occurrence.

Speaker 1 (12:42):
For sure. For sure, he was he looked completely fine.
He went out.

Speaker 6 (12:46):
I saw a video of him coming out celebrating the
touchdown that AJ just scored two plays later, and then
he walked into the locker room, and you know it's again,
I don't know the severity of what happened with his injury,
but it's it's tough. You know, you're tough when you
lose your starting quarterback and we're had all the momentum
to start that game on offense and defense. It's tough

(13:07):
when that happens.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Yeah, and concussions are just tricky things. And yeah, and
that's you hate seeing anyone get it. And absolutefully he
gets over quickly, but you got to be very very cautious,
no doubt. We see what can happen over long term,
and fortunately they become much much more aware. And certainly
in the past he probably doesn't miss a play actually,
and right, oh for sure.

Speaker 6 (13:28):
Back in the day, I mean a lot of a
lot of players aren't missing. If they're able to walk around,
you know, they're they're still playing, which is it's sad
because that's you want to protect players. And I understand
that now, you know, Ever since I got concussed in
twenty eighteen, it's scary, you know, like you get knocked
out and you know you want to go back in.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
I felt fine, like I could go play again.

Speaker 6 (13:50):
But you know that's for your best your best interest
to go back in the locker room and just shut
it down for that game.

Speaker 4 (13:56):
Well, our our good friend Ron jaw Whisky, who I'm
sure you know, also longtime Eagles back in just escape
over our community. Hee by his own account, had about
seventeen concussions.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
Wow, no joke, and he's still so sharp.

Speaker 4 (14:07):
Yes, for sure, but you know who knows that it's
to ald that takes right now, talk about your concussion.

Speaker 1 (14:13):
You didn't even miss a game.

Speaker 6 (14:14):
Though, I did not miss the following game. So this
was in twenty eighteen against the Saints and we were
getting he smacked that game. I think it was like
forty to nothing and then we scored a touchdown and
had to go for two.

Speaker 1 (14:25):
This was late in the third quarter.

Speaker 6 (14:27):
I think it happened, and yeah, I got I think
I got need and I went out.

Speaker 1 (14:32):
I was completely out. I couldn't see.

Speaker 6 (14:34):
When I got up, and then my vision finally came
back and I was walking towards the wrong sideline. You know,
it's scary, and people had to direct me back to
the other sideline. And once I got back to the sideline,
I felt okay. I did all the tests, and I
thought I had passed all of them. But again they're like, yeah,
you went, you were out, You're not coming back in
the game. I'm like, okay, that's that's the best thing

(14:55):
to do. That's the best thing to do. So I
go back in the locker room. And it's tough, you know,
as a long snapper. There's only one of me on
the team, so I want to, of course go back
and help my team however I can. Fortunately, in that game,
you know, they didn't really need me. We were down
by so much already in that game late in the game.
But yeah, it's tough. You know, you want to play
so bad, but it's for your safety.

Speaker 1 (15:17):
Who jumped in for you. There were no more snaps.
There was no more snaps in that game.

Speaker 6 (15:21):
They didn't even bother to punt because we would just
go for it on fourth down. And I think when
we I think we scored after that, and they just
went for two because again, there was no point of
even punning in that position when they were just trying to,
you know, get into position to score points down by
that many late in the third and fourth quarter. But Rick,
there has to be an emergency lug snapper. There is

(15:42):
Grant Calcatara, and he's done a great job. We get
reps with him in practice. We do that a lot.
And Cooper de Gene is our backup holder when Covey's
not available, but yeah, he's There's a lot of guys
that can do it all. And we have some really
great athletes and really great players on the team that
want to go out and do that. You know, they

(16:04):
they come and do it every week because they know
that just in case anything happens, they need to be ready.

Speaker 1 (16:09):
Who's our backup kicker is that? I guess it.

Speaker 6 (16:11):
Would be Brandon Man for if Jake went down, and
then if that, if they were both down, then I
don't think we would have anybody. I think anyone who
could get the ball to the twenty yard line on kickoff,
it would be the next person.

Speaker 4 (16:24):
And Jake's probably the backup punter. I guess right, Yes, yeah,
he's that case. Right, He's done that a few times
in our in my career as well.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
So.

Speaker 4 (16:31):
But he also mentioned Cooper what a ridiculous affe. He
was here last week with us, and he's just such
a sensational young man, and right.

Speaker 5 (16:39):
It's you know, you're you're you get a little to
be the grizzly bed.

Speaker 4 (16:43):
At this point, he still has a young man, a
young thirty two year old man.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
But I mean that kid.

Speaker 4 (16:48):
Comes into twenty one and he's just You've got these
guys on your team you included, they're just too good
to be true.

Speaker 5 (16:54):
He's such a sensational young man.

Speaker 4 (16:56):
I can't believe the maturity and the wisdom and but
what a great apple.

Speaker 5 (17:00):
I've seen his basketball. Have you seen him play?

Speaker 6 (17:03):
Yeah, we we've I think Nick showed them in a
in a team meeting, I think before the season started
and we were grading who had the best highlights, and
Cooper I think was I think won it.

Speaker 1 (17:12):
But he's he was so quiet when he first got here.

Speaker 6 (17:15):
Now he talks a little bit more with everyone, and
I mean a lot more with everyone. But he's, uh,
he's such a like you said, in a phenomenal player,
phenomenal person, and he.

Speaker 1 (17:25):
He's really just a player.

Speaker 6 (17:27):
You like him and Quinnon and all these young guys
and Jylex Hunt. You know, these guys are coming in
at such a young age and making a huge impact
like that. It's very hard to do at at their
age and at this caliber of the game. Sometimes it
takes a young guy, you know, a few years to develop,
but they're they've been ready.

Speaker 1 (17:47):
Since day one.

Speaker 4 (17:48):
Well, it's a credit to so much about your club,
to the organization from top down, and obviously the great
job how he's done and planing together this roster, and
and it's it's a versatility so that you've got the
Greek Terans, you've lost three veterans, I mean you lost
you lost Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelsey off for the Lifters,
You've a guy step into leadership roles and it's it's

(18:08):
been an amazing thing to watch.

Speaker 5 (18:10):
And it's also been like you know, finding the Zach
bonds and things like that.

Speaker 4 (18:13):
I mean, we've had We've had so many different great
guests here and I've just been amazed by all of
them because these young guys of as we mentioned Cooper,
but Quinyon, who I think is defensive Rookie of the
Year in my opinion, I agree, and really headed to
a Hall of Fame career as long as he stays healthy.
I mean, he's he's ridiculous, iculous how good he is.
And Jay Looxan, who nobody really knew about comes from

(18:33):
this small school and couldn't.

Speaker 1 (18:35):
Be a better guy.

Speaker 4 (18:36):
But if we've had even the personalities and the and
the correct quality young man we had Nikobe Dean in here,
they're just everyone has been sensational and it's got to
feel really good to be a part of that team.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
Oh absolutely.

Speaker 6 (18:49):
And you're just seeing a bunch of different levels of players,
Guys who've either been on the team.

Speaker 1 (18:56):
For a year or three years, or five years or
ten years.

Speaker 6 (19:00):
They're playing so well, and it's it's really, you know,
like you said, a testament to the organization, Howie and
and mister Lurry and our coaching.

Speaker 1 (19:10):
You know, this coaching staff.

Speaker 6 (19:12):
Has really made our players the best that they can
be right now. And you can't ask for much more
than that. And we look as a team way better
than we did this time last year. You know, everything
is you know, some I think it's going to work
out very well for us, but we just have to
continue to play the way we know how to play,

(19:32):
all right.

Speaker 1 (19:32):
Just that spins off in so many directions I want
to ask you about.

Speaker 4 (19:37):
So first of all, you've been here through super Bowl championships,
super Bowl losses, and then a season that started so great.
Last year that wound up not very well. Right this
season's that's going great, hopefully continues. You mentioned last year.
What difference is a feeling right now than it was
this time last year when things were going in the
wrong direction.

Speaker 6 (19:57):
Yeah, it's it's definitely been the account acountability of every
player for themselves, uh, and and not pointing fingers, not
doing any of that, not and having that connection with
their coaches, whether it's their their personal coach or the coordinators.
We have a connection like we've had in the Super
Bowl runs that we've had in my career here, and

(20:20):
that's what you want to see this late in the season. Uh,
guys coming together, guys always doing things off the field,
on the field in practice, always making sure we have
each other back, are each other's backs for everything that
we're doing.

Speaker 1 (20:36):
This.

Speaker 6 (20:36):
This is a special team and I think that I
see this same type of play style, play like just
everything about the players that I have on super Bowl teams.
So it's it's tough. It's it's tough to always say
what team is going to make it far and what's not.
But this team I have a really really good feeling about.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
And you know, you actually do know, it's not just
wish you'll thinking. You experienced the high of winning to
Bowl and the crushing low of losing them, and this
and this team to me has felt like something very
special and hopefully continues.

Speaker 1 (21:06):
You've also there's some other guys I just.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
Want to give mentions because they've come up in our
conversation already. You have had a lot of guys fill
in for injuries, and that's really the hallmark of whether
a team can win.

Speaker 1 (21:17):
When this team won the Super Bowl, as you know,
but here, you know he had a lot of players
down there.

Speaker 4 (21:21):
You know, nobody would have ever thought Nick Foles was
going to be your quarterback winning the Super Bowl. And
yet he's historical, will always his statue is there forever
that's Misseruri.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
But he was and he wasn't the only one of
that team.

Speaker 4 (21:32):
You had a bunch of other guys, right been And
so it was then you're having some of that this
year where you know BG goes out and BG's having
a tremendous year. And then you mentioned j Alex He's
come up a couple of times already.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
Because Smith smith tremendously.

Speaker 4 (21:46):
And then you also mentioned Grant Calcatara, I mean to me,
I just watched the guy and he's like a jack
of all trades.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
He is better right now than I ever thought he
was going to big. He's he's you see the market improvement.

Speaker 4 (21:59):
He does whatever it is you need right Yes, he's
popping on a fumble or he's he's doing whatever.

Speaker 6 (22:05):
He's always around the ball, and the ball is what
we talk about in every team meeting.

Speaker 1 (22:09):
It's all about the ball.

Speaker 6 (22:11):
And Grant is a just a ballhawk when it when
it even on offense, you know, he he gets open,
he finds those little seams and gets open, does his
job and he blocks and he's just such a football
guy because all his celebrations after we score, because he's
such a team you know, he's so team oriented. He
wants to win and help help any way he can.

(22:31):
You know, after not being the starter. Obviously we have
Dallas Goddard. It was a phenomenal tight end.

Speaker 5 (22:38):
Everybody's forgotten how you have apps, right.

Speaker 6 (22:40):
And then you know Grant steps up and and does
a phenomenal job. And we've had that and like you said,
in multiple positions, we've had a couple of linemen go
down here and there.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
Thankfully, nothing too serious.

Speaker 6 (22:51):
But you know, guys like Tyler Steen and Fred Johnson
have really stepped up and gag.

Speaker 4 (22:59):
Was not to use this term disrespectfully, but almost picked
up off the scrap. Heap never played the position, and
I think he's an All Pro.

Speaker 6 (23:07):
Linebacker, career special teams player for the Saints, and he
has made so many plays this year that I'm like,
how has no one noticed that he could play as
good as middle linebacker as anyone else has and that
I've seen in the last five ten years, especially on
this team so well.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
And I love t J Edwards.

Speaker 4 (23:24):
He did the show with one whole year tw years ago,
your Super Bowl year and TJ's fabulous. With all due
respect to TJ, this guy is having a better year
than anyone has for a long long time. And I
don't want to take away from Nacobe Dean. Also, the
two of them together for sure, and Ni Kobe came
into this season questionable whether he would live up to
his draft status. Right now, I mean, I think the
two of them together should both be All pros.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
I agree, it's unbelievable.

Speaker 6 (23:47):
I mean, they made the right decision at the beginning
of the season. You know, Devin White was supposed to
be our starting linebacker, and these two guy, young guys
stepped up knowing exactly what they needed to do and
the scheme that we were going to and because Vic's
defense was very different than what we'd run in the past,
and they trusted two young guys with not a lot
of experience, almost no experience, and are are now i'd say,

(24:12):
in the top ten to fifteen linebackers.

Speaker 1 (24:14):
Zach's probably in the top three to five. It's it's crazy,
it really is.

Speaker 4 (24:19):
I'm just so happy for both of them, two fabulous guys.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
I agree.

Speaker 4 (24:22):
And you have so many different personages but all great
personalities on the team, and I don't want to I
don't want to scoot over a guy that I can't
wait to see back on the field who's had a
tough year, and that's Brittain Covey, because he's that other
guy who is such.

Speaker 5 (24:33):
A team guy, will do whatever it takes.

Speaker 1 (24:35):
Just the fact that he.

Speaker 4 (24:36):
Made the NFL, his size is unbelievable, and he's become
such a good returner, and then he was looking like
he could have a real role in the offense.

Speaker 1 (24:42):
And I'm fortunately caught a break.

Speaker 6 (24:44):
With that injury because because he plays so hard and
is willing to take those hits. I mean, unfortunately that's
what caused him the injury. But you can see it
on his punt returns. He's fearless. He will take those
hits from those players. But still all it takes is
I think five have the seven yards to be one
of the top returners in the average in the in
the NFL, and he was doing that by a long shot.

(25:08):
And every year he's played since since he's got here,
And like you said, he wasn't really utilized a lot
on offense until we had some injuries. And he's a
great utility player. He knows how to get the ball
and work up field. Whereas a lot of guys like
to dance, he goes straight up field and gets yards.
That's what you want, That's what you wanted the player.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
His hands are ridiculous and he'll eve him block for you.

Speaker 6 (25:28):
Yes, yeah, he had the rams when when Saquan scored
that that touchdown.

Speaker 4 (25:34):
We don't have him in the middle of the toush push, butright,
he'll he'll try his hardest. All right, we're going to
take a break in a second. But but before we do,
you mentioned Devin White. He's going to be a forgotten
part of this team because he was signed and he'd
been a former All Pro great player. It didn't work out,
but he, if I recall correctly, you were forty five
in all your previous years of and then he stepped

(25:57):
on the field with that forty five.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
He did, he did.

Speaker 6 (26:00):
We had a discussion and he told me how much
it meant to him and his father had passed, and
how he's dedicated that number and his you know, whole
just everything about him. He absorbed that forty five in
his career. And I'm like, dude, I completely respect that.
You know, I'm I want you to have this number.

(26:21):
So you know, we made we made a little bit
of a deal, but he he deserved it, and you
deserve something. The deal I have negotiated those on behalf
of players I represented.

Speaker 1 (26:33):
Is that right? I'll give you one was I forget.
The name will come back to me.

Speaker 4 (26:39):
He was number ten quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers a
while back. A different kind of personality now, Mason Rudolph
was out further further further back. Don't come to me
if I'll check it during the break, but I was
representing a guy named Henry Burris, and he was a
backup quarterback when Chicago Bears wearing number ten. This is
in the early two thousands, and they acquired the quarterback
John Jayantsa. You there, you pay attention to me? No,

(27:01):
he's not okay. I thought he could look it up.
But they acquired the quarterback from Pittsburgh who were number ten.
And he said to them, and he was very arrogantly,
said to them, look, maybe your family knows he was
number ten, and maybe they have a few number ten jerseys,
But my number ten, I can't.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
Even remember the game guy's name.

Speaker 4 (27:19):
He said, my number ten is known all over the world,
like he's messy numbers. Yeah, right, so and so I
got him fifty thousand dollars. Wow, yeah, wow, I'm sure
you got more from Devin White the Trunk of Change.

Speaker 1 (27:34):
It was good.

Speaker 4 (27:35):
And the guy didn't even like last loss. Yeah, it
was very Hey, we're gonna take a break. I got
so much more to talk to you about it. I hope
you're enjoying it, because we're loving having you. We are
Chickens and Peach in Marlton, New Jersey, where we are
every Monday for the All Pro Philly Players Show. We
are here with Eagles long snapper Rick Levado and the
twelve and three Philadelphia Eagles.

Speaker 5 (27:54):
Stick around. We'll be right back after this.

Speaker 3 (27:56):
Sprat's totals and all the prop that's in between. It's the.

Speaker 1 (28:10):
Rick.

Speaker 4 (28:10):
He really likes his music and it's sorry not to
let it play out sometimes anyway, but toime keeps on slipping.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
If I let the music go, we don't get tired
to talk.

Speaker 4 (28:19):
Welcome Buck to the All Pro Philly Players Show, live
from Chickens and Peats in Marlton, New Jersey, where we
are every Monday and throughout the football season. It's been
such a fun season. I can't tell you how how
much fun we've had. You know, it's been. It was,
like I said, ten straight victory Mondays. It's just been
a great twelve to three season. And we're back to
get back into the winning track next week, for sure.
That's right, I know, I know. That's certainly the attitude

(28:41):
all around the team, and as you've got two division
games to finish with, and they're important games to you
because right now you're still playing for hopefully best record
or it's somewhere Jockey for position as well as a
division title.

Speaker 1 (28:53):
That's right.

Speaker 6 (28:54):
Yeah, the nfcas they call it, the hatt and T
shirt game because it's it's important. But obviously the most
important thing is the playoffs for us, but seating is
definitely important. We want to be home for as many
games as possible, and the one seed would be great,
But it's it's it looks tough right now with the
way that the Lions and the Viking schedules are set up,

(29:16):
because they do play each other, I think the last
week of this season, and the Vikings play the Packers
this week, which actually just got flexed for our four
to twenty five game is now one o'clock, So yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:28):
There's do you prefer that? Does it make a difference
to you?

Speaker 6 (29:31):
I do enjoy a one o'clock game, just just because
the four to twenty five, especially this late in the season,
it's already dark, it's already cold, and this I think
we're actually supposed to see some rain on Sunday, which
is unfortunate, but it is what it is. I mean,
still football, and we got to go out there and
play to our best ability.

Speaker 1 (29:52):
But yeah, it's it's still the Cowboys.

Speaker 6 (29:54):
You know, we have to go out there and play,
and they I think have been four and one in
the last five games they played. And and they're a
tough team and they're not going to come in here
and just fall and fold over because they want to
ruin our season. And uh, you know that's that's something
that's always been a part of that that Cowboys team.

Speaker 4 (30:12):
It is Eagles Cowboys is always a special week. I
actually I'm one of the few people in Philadelphia region
that actually has friends in the Cowboys organization.

Speaker 1 (30:20):
I actually like.

Speaker 4 (30:20):
Them, and I know that's really taboo to be hosting
the show that way and live in this area. But
just as people come game time, I'm always room to
get and they and they know that.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
But I go to dinner with them on the Saturday.

Speaker 4 (30:31):
Night every year before they they're game, and normally it's
either a night game or four thirty as it was
going to be.

Speaker 5 (30:37):
I can't time was one o'clock.

Speaker 4 (30:38):
So when they grow up, say they're about to flex
us and you know, we might not be able to
do dinner. But they also did make a comment, like
you know, we were talking about after the game, is
it worse for us to win? Which they did last
week just the fact that that's in their mind is
actually good.

Speaker 6 (30:52):
Live right right exactly, because I mean, now they're really
there since they're eliminated. Yeah, well, I mean, of course
they're playing for pride and all that, but they're they're
also losing draft stock as well, so you know that's
that's tough for teams like that. But you're not again,
you're not gonna lose games on purpose just for a
draft stock.

Speaker 1 (31:11):
I hope teams are.

Speaker 4 (31:12):
Unless you're the Philadelphia seventy six Years owned by Josh
Harris about ten years ago doing the process, and now
he owns the Washington Commanders, and I just can't stand up.
But if you come to Chicki's and Pete at seven o'clock,
you'll see the six Years and the Spurs on TV.
It's good to watch, but you don't ever root for
Josh Harris's other teams, which are the devils in the Commanders.

(31:32):
Now back to our regularly schedule football show. I'm sorry,
just drives me crazy. You're never going to intentionally lose,
except we intentionally lost for four years here.

Speaker 6 (31:42):
And now we'll drive anyone insane, especially as a fan,
especially as a season ticket holder.

Speaker 4 (31:47):
Exactly big money and then as soon as they get decent,
they double your prices. Okay, I digress to you first
of all, switching over after this is your number ten
for you, right or eleven?

Speaker 1 (31:59):
This is ten? Yeah.

Speaker 6 (32:00):
I got in the league in twenty fifteen, jumped around
for the first two years, but ended up here in
the end of twenty sixteen.

Speaker 1 (32:07):
All right.

Speaker 4 (32:07):
And in that time up till now as a PHILADELPHIAO,
you were wearing forty five, and you talked about how
it meant more to Devi and Whitey you gave it
to him. Did you have a chance to get it
back when he was released or you don't want to
go back.

Speaker 6 (32:18):
Exact So, unfortunately, by rule of the NFL, you can't
change once. I believe this, the roster has been set,
so it was available, but I couldn't get it back.
So I always tell our equipment manager Greg to make
sure it's held for next year because if I am back,
and I hope hopefully we'll be back. But yeah, I

(32:42):
definitely want that number back. It's just it's just been
a part of me for you know, the last nine
ten years. That's why it was tough to give away
in the first place. Have you bonded with forty nine
at all? I have because it was my college nunumber,
so it was something that I had connected with before.

Speaker 1 (32:58):
But yeah, it's different. You know.

Speaker 6 (32:59):
I would love to have that ability to have a
forty five Super Bowl jersey and a forty nine Super
Bowl jersey that we've but we've won, you know, kind
of like a like a Michael Jordan year when he
was forty five and then twenty three.

Speaker 4 (33:13):
That would be pretty cool. And a lot of people
do compare you to Michael Jordan, so that's no, no,
he did.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
It was his forty five, So right, I love that.
There you go.

Speaker 4 (33:22):
I like it, And just out of curiosity, the Lovado family,
have they bought forty five or they're waiting for you
to get back to them.

Speaker 6 (33:29):
A few of them have held on to their forty fives,
are they They definitely held on to them. They're still
still in waiting, but a lot of them have bought
the new forty nine jersey because again, it could be
just a one year thing. We win a super Bowl
and then go back to forty five.

Speaker 1 (33:43):
We'll see.

Speaker 4 (33:44):
I'm saying, I'm thinking at forty seven is put the
difference so that you have a teammate already in that.
It's just great and no matter what, just to have
had the span of your career here as a Philadelphia
Eagle and so close to home. So yes, and talk
a little bit about where your families are, where your
wife is and who comes to see you o game days.

Speaker 1 (34:03):
Yeah, so we are.

Speaker 6 (34:05):
I'm from Linkcroft, New Jersey, which is about an hour
and five ten minutes from here, And unfortunately, no one
in my family grew up Giants. I'm sorry Eagles fan.
They're all Giants and Jets fans. Really easy conversion, yeah,
easy conversion for a lot of them. And it took
my dad, who was a lifelong Giants fan. It instantaneously

(34:25):
became an Eagles fan once I became an Eagle.

Speaker 1 (34:27):
He didn't have to wait for say Kwonda.

Speaker 6 (34:29):
No, no, no, but yeah, it's it's cool to be
close to home. And my dad went to Temple, my
mom went to Rowan, which was Glassboro State at the time.
So having that, you know, ability to play in a
city on the East Coast an hour from where I
grew up, it really is a blessing. And I've been

(34:50):
so so fortunate that I've been a part of this
team for as long as I have, because you know,
as a kid, I never thought I'd even be a
long snapper. I didn't really you know, know that was
going to be a part of my life until like
my junior year of high school. I just did it
because that's what you did as a player, you know.
It didn't become like a specialty position to me until

(35:10):
until I started going to camps and stuff. But going back,
you know, my wife's from Tampa and we met she
was living in New York City and we met down
here when I won the job in twenty seventeen, right
around May before four OTAs, and yeah, so we've been
together ever since I became a full time member of

(35:31):
the team, and it really is so cool to look
back on all my years here.

Speaker 5 (35:37):
Rick.

Speaker 1 (35:37):
It's interesting. My son Griffin right over here, wake up.

Speaker 4 (35:42):
He's sitting up here, and he actually went to both
rowing and Temple.

Speaker 1 (35:45):
Is that right?

Speaker 3 (35:46):
There?

Speaker 1 (35:46):
We go? So we gottbing them both, there we go?

Speaker 4 (35:49):
He did anyway, But you got such a Philadelphia and
South Jersey flavor already in your life even before you
were born.

Speaker 6 (35:56):
So oh, no doubt, no doubt, it's been a part
of me and Jersey is a special place because people
from Jersey love New Jersey and have a strong passion
for New Jersey. And that's north south Central. I say,
I'm from Central. A lot of people don't believe Central
Jersey is a real place, but that's where I'm from.

Speaker 4 (36:15):
So I went to Rutgers, so I know Jersey very
well born and raised in Cherry Hill.

Speaker 1 (36:21):
Uh, have lived in Philly for a long time.

Speaker 4 (36:24):
My parents were West Philly and Overbrook and they came
to Jersey.

Speaker 1 (36:27):
And then I went back.

Speaker 4 (36:31):
And Uh, you hit. You hit on so many points
that are so interesting to me.

Speaker 1 (36:36):
But part is taking you back to when you made it.

Speaker 4 (36:40):
You know, as a long snapper, you're not drafted and
you didn't go to a big school. Nobody from your school,
James Masson, had ever made it to the NFL Old Dominion.

Speaker 7 (36:49):
You know, I'm okay, okay, it's a terrible And we
had a couple of guys make practice squad for a
little bit, but no one had ever played a regular
season game until.

Speaker 1 (37:02):
Yeah, until I got there.

Speaker 6 (37:03):
At the end of the twenty fifteen season, I played
for the Packers and my second game was against my
roommate in college Taylor Heineke, who became, you know, a
player for Washington and a few other teams. We came
in together all four years at Old Dominion. We're roommates
for three of the four years there, and yeah, we're
still very good friends to this day. So it's it's

(37:25):
cool that to see now that there's been a lot
of players from Old Dominion to come and make it.
But yeah, it's pretty special to be like, yeah, I
was the first player to play from Old Dominion in
the NFL.

Speaker 1 (37:37):
Absolutely amazing.

Speaker 4 (37:38):
So but you make it to the NFL, but it's
not until later in the season, right as an injury replacement, and.

Speaker 1 (37:44):
That happens for your first two years.

Speaker 4 (37:46):
What was it like to finally make the NFL and
know you had arrived? And because as a fan, most
people think, you know, it's a dream come true, which
it is. Pretty much every male or maybe even female
well in the United States goes up as a sports
fan would love to be able to play in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (38:04):
Sure of the few thousand who gets the experience, it
takes so much to do it.

Speaker 4 (38:07):
And I don't know that everybody can understand what great
athletes and what the competition is.

Speaker 5 (38:11):
But it's also a meteoric life change.

Speaker 4 (38:13):
To make it from a standpoint of financial and everything
that sets up for the rest of your life, and
not only to make it now as you have, but
to last for double digit years is just crazy impossible.

Speaker 5 (38:23):
And we're not stopping.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
Yeah, I hope it can.

Speaker 4 (38:27):
But tell me that feeling of when you finally me
and probably that you feel every year when they cut
down the garage.

Speaker 1 (38:33):
Yeah, so it was. It was so cool.

Speaker 6 (38:36):
So I got signed after the draft, I was undrafted
to Chicago, made it all the way through training camp
and played two or two preseason games, and then got
cut after the third game. And I didn't play at all,
and I didn't snap a single field goal snap, and
I kind of knew that that was okay, I'm on
my way out here, but it was it was devastating

(38:58):
because I thought that would that was probably gonna be
my last time I ever strapped up for football, and.

Speaker 4 (39:05):
Had that happened, then that's something you're telling your grandchildren.

Speaker 5 (39:08):
Hey, look, I got this picture right.

Speaker 6 (39:10):
In camp, I played two games and only snapped on
pun snaps like three or four times, and but yeah,
you know it credible, It is incredible for sure, it's
an incredible, credible thing, but it just doesn't pay well.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
Exactly.

Speaker 6 (39:22):
I was working at my dad's subshop right after I
got cut, and you know, every day people would be asking, hey,
what are you gonna ge sign when you're gonna sign
Cacause not a lot of people understand what it's like
to be a free agent in the NFL, especially as
a as a rookie free agent long snapper who has
no game experience besides those two preseason games. But I

(39:43):
was so fortunate to have a workout later in the season,
like week fifteen, and it was a.

Speaker 1 (39:50):
Friday, and I did really well.

Speaker 6 (39:52):
It was just me and one other guy who I'd
grown up going to long simming camps with, and I
had done really really well. But I'm like, okay, that's great. Hopefully,
you know, I get a chance and do another training
camp whatever. But that's the thing with my position. Guys
stay in the league for so long. It's it's tough
to you know, break in. Two days after my workout,

(40:13):
he gets hurt and I fill in, and you know,
call it luck, call it timing, whatever you want to
call it. It was an I just I couldn't even
believe it. I started crying as soon as they called me,
and I called my dad and called my mom and
just couldn't believe the fact that, you know, I'm now
getting a shot of playing in the NFL and during

(40:33):
a regular season game, and yeah, it was.

Speaker 1 (40:36):
It was just an amazing feeling.

Speaker 6 (40:38):
And then after that point, the things that still happened
to me. I got cut again, and then I was
a free agent again. But I once, once that happened,
I'm like, I know I'm good enough to play in
this league now, so I hope I keep getting those calls,
and those calls kept coming, and fortunately enough, the last
call was from Philadelphia in twenty sixteen. I was I mean,

(41:01):
I was with the Redskins for ten days because their
snapper got hurt for a little bit, but you didn't
like them. I didn't like it, you know, And I'm like, Eh,
there's something about this place I don't want to be
a part of. And then two weeks later I got
a call from Philly and been here ever since. And
it really is crazy to look back on, but yeah,
that's the life of a long snapper is very interesting.

Speaker 4 (41:23):
And there's just again, like everything you say, it permeates
in so many different directions.

Speaker 1 (41:28):
One of course is that.

Speaker 4 (41:30):
There was incredible like the ten years for the philip
Eagles of long snappers, and by my count, there's only
been three in the twenties.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
That's right.

Speaker 4 (41:39):
It was a great one in Mike Bartram, who was
an all pro pro bowler.

Speaker 1 (41:44):
There was John dorm Buss, who.

Speaker 4 (41:46):
Is a magical guy like everywhere and pro bowler, and
followed by you. And if it was Bartram, I think
two thousand and two thousand and six, and then Dorbus
two thousand and six to twenty.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
Sixteen sixteen, and then you from from.

Speaker 4 (41:59):
Two twenty sixteen to twenty fifty seven, and it's really well,
let's take a year by year, but the bottom line
is that's incredible, incredible. It's like the Pittsburgh Steelers of
Chuck Noll, followed by yeah, all the way to Mike
Coward and Mike Tomlin.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
Only right, three guys.

Speaker 4 (42:16):
That's unbelievable stability and greatness at the center position.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
Yeah, long snapper, Yeah for sure.

Speaker 6 (42:22):
And I'm so fortunate enough to be able to meet
Mike and know Mike very well.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
Because he was a coach for US as a tight
ends coach I.

Speaker 6 (42:32):
Think between twenty eighteen and twenty twenty, so it was
awesome to be able to meet him talk to him
and then John of course me and him competed against
each other, but I still see him all the time.

Speaker 1 (42:43):
He's coming to the games. He even did a.

Speaker 6 (42:45):
Little magic show for us this year, and he's just
it's just so incredible that, like you said, it's only
it's been twenty some years and there's only been three
of us, whereas a lot of other teams have had
many more than that.

Speaker 1 (42:57):
And we're all Pro Bowlers, which is pretty cool. So
a Travis Folgham.

Speaker 4 (43:02):
I got that name from John Jansen, our producers sneaking
me and Foe. Yeah, and he also gave me Cordel
Stewart when I couldn't come up with the name. Also
as a guy who Henry Burris bought or that was
sold number ten two with the Chicago Bulls or Chicago Bear.

Speaker 6 (43:16):
Yeah, Travis moved into my room in my house that
Taylor Heineke and I were living in after my senior year.
Travis moved in and then he jumped around a little
bit and ended up with Philly and I treated him
like my own little brother when he came to Philly
and uh came and watched his dog when he needed
his dog watch. And Old Dominion is such a again

(43:39):
a small group of of of family because you know,
we're a smaller school, and all those guys, you know,
really really cool to see them in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (43:49):
I think everyone's clamoring for that room at Old Dominion
now though exactly what it wants to be in that house.

Speaker 4 (43:55):
Something something's in the top water or something that's that's crazy.
I want to talk to dorm Buss just for one second,
because he's he's just such an incredible story for an
incredible person and in so many ways. And I saw
him just a couple of months ago because he had
he had a show at the Academy of Music in
Philadelphia opening for Ellen Degeneress. I mean, it's unbelievable what

(44:17):
this guy has done with his life.

Speaker 1 (44:19):
And you talk about the magic.

Speaker 4 (44:20):
Tricks, but he's but I do I refer to him
as magical in every way. I mean, you know his
background where his everyone knows that he's not shy about it,
where his father took his mother's life and John had
to deal with that and testify and then go from
Foster Home to Foster Home where one of them encouraged
him to take up magic, taught him magic, and he

(44:41):
used that as a way to cope with what he
was going through.

Speaker 1 (44:44):
And then the rest is history is to make it
to the NFL.

Speaker 4 (44:47):
And now he told me a long time ago that
he was going to make more money and be more
successful in magic than he was in the.

Speaker 5 (44:54):
NFL, which is pretty pretty great to do that crazy.

Speaker 6 (44:57):
To think that that's that would work for him. But
he's such a entertainer as well. It's not just because
he can do magic. He's so good in front of people,
and like you said, his story you know, and makes
it because he puts that in his act and it's
something that you're just blown away by because not too
many people go through what he has in a life
in a lifetime, let alone one lifetime. You know, like

(45:20):
he's done so many incredible things in his life from
such a you know, a horrible thing that happened. He
could have gone so many different ways, but he used
it to his advantage and excelled in life with magic
and football and using someone else's tape as a long
snapper to help him get into school.

Speaker 4 (45:40):
Well, that's a story I want to tell that people
don't know. He's told that privately. Yeah, I've never heard
him tell that publicly.

Speaker 1 (45:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (45:46):
So you know, look, this is your craft. You're one
of the best thirty two in the world, and you
got to stay that way because there's kids all over
the country practicing to try to replace you. But his
pet to the NFL being a long snapper was just
as crazy as his magic.

Speaker 1 (45:59):
That's right, go ahead, that's right. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (46:01):
So he back then when there was your your film
was on VHS so you can really put put out
and it was grainy, you know, you really couldn't see
who what number was which. And he would put his
teammates long snapping film or on you know, on his
his VHS of his his highlight tape.

Speaker 1 (46:21):
Uh, and then sent it out to a bunch of schools.

Speaker 6 (46:24):
And and I think UTEP was a school that offered
him a scholarship to go there.

Speaker 5 (46:28):
And it's your linebacker, I think, coach.

Speaker 1 (46:30):
I think, yes, Bobby Bobby King was there.

Speaker 6 (46:32):
And I didn't know that until he came to our
our facility, in our our team meeting and did our
did his own show. I didn't know Bobby was there
with him, so it's really cool to see, you know
that that part of his life and how that turned
turned out for him. He became a phenomenal long snapper
for a very long time and then became an even

(46:53):
better magician. And like you said, it is making probably
more money doing that than he had in his entire
career playing football.

Speaker 1 (46:59):
It's not to minimize the talent it takes to do
what you do.

Speaker 4 (47:02):
But he taught himself to long snap after he got
a scholarship and it.

Speaker 1 (47:05):
Never long snapped.

Speaker 6 (47:06):
That's absurd, that's absurd, And it worked out for him
pretty well.

Speaker 4 (47:12):
And interesting I had the honor of representing David Acres
during his playing career, and you know, we got arguably
the best kicker of all time for the Eagles. The
guy you worked with, Jake, is pretty darn good too,
and we'd like to have one into the.

Speaker 1 (47:25):
Other as the best ever.

Speaker 4 (47:26):
But so David had both Bartram early in his career
as his long snapper and then John fill and interestingly enough,
and I say this is all due respect, and John
went disagree he wasn't as good. He got so much
better over the years because he really didn't have that
much experience to right and how itself, and then he
became just a terrific long snapper. But I'm getting back

(47:48):
to a point we made earlier because I'm still curious
about this. Yesterday, the ball didn't travel well, and we
talked about it before.

Speaker 1 (47:56):
We went on the air, but we didn't talk about
on the air.

Speaker 4 (47:58):
It was a beautiful thirty two green day, but chili
and obviously the chill affects it.

Speaker 5 (48:03):
To me, it didn't seem like it was windy.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
But I know from.

Speaker 4 (48:06):
Acres kicking here that whenever you get to the stadium
in the morning, he'd call me with a weather report.

Speaker 1 (48:11):
I mean he was a meteorologist, as much of every
specialist is.

Speaker 6 (48:14):
And the wind, especially especially the kicker and the punter,
they know exactly what the weather is going to be
that day, at what time, the wind everything, and when
you're when you're on.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
The sideline, when you're when you're you know, in a stadium.

Speaker 6 (48:30):
Uh, it's it's different from when you're sitting down on
the sideline or in you know, in the crowd, and
you get on the field and I felt it multiple
times in that game. You're getting gusts of wind and
it was probably about ten to fifteen miles per hour
gusts during that game. You could see it on the uprights.
The flags are blown every which direction.

Speaker 1 (48:50):
You also have to play.

Speaker 6 (48:51):
Into the fact that the wind kind of swirls around
the stadium because it's a big, you know, circle, big oval,
So that wind is moving every which direction in that stadium.
And when it's cold like that, balls to flate a
little bit. It's it's harder to kick. The balls get harder.
They're not kept warm or anything like that. It's just

(49:12):
it's tough. This time of year is very, very tough.
And to kick a football, to throw a football, to
catch football. But not a lot of people understand that
they're sitting in home watching from a couch or like, oh,
you know that kick should have went through, or you
know that was so easy of a catch or whatever.
You don't understand it until you're out there playing and
you really feel every single you know bit of what

(49:37):
how cold.

Speaker 1 (49:38):
It is and how windy it is and how whatever
it is. So and I know you're checking the conditions.
You're looking at those flags.

Speaker 4 (49:44):
Everybody looks at the flags at a baseball stadium, but
they don't really think about it at the football stadium, right,
unlike the specialist suit year right right, yeah, and.

Speaker 6 (49:52):
They and sometimes they might not be even moving a lot,
but the wind is still blowing inside the stadium.

Speaker 1 (49:58):
So it's it's as a specialist, I feel.

Speaker 6 (50:01):
Like we're the only ones who truly understand that because
it's our job, whereas a lot of people, you know,
fans in general, just are like, oh, why you know,
what happened with that kick or whatever?

Speaker 1 (50:12):
Because when a kick goes through, nothing said.

Speaker 6 (50:15):
But when it doesn't, you know, everything's like, oh why
why why didn't that happen, you know, or why didn't.

Speaker 1 (50:20):
It go through? So there you go.

Speaker 6 (50:22):
It's because of those little tiny details of what happened.

Speaker 4 (50:26):
But Rick, the margin for er, for you specialists is
so small it's ridiculous. I mean, the guys have gotten
so good miss field goals don't happen if they do
their like, you know, tragic these days.

Speaker 1 (50:39):
The punters are so good and.

Speaker 4 (50:40):
The long snappers don't miss it, and that's changed over
the years for sure.

Speaker 5 (50:44):
Do you feel pressure in that it's just what you
do and you expected.

Speaker 2 (50:48):
No.

Speaker 6 (50:48):
Yeah, I've seen a huge jump from the beginning of
my career till now. Like I think it's because those
special like when I started going to those camps my
junior year of high school, those camps have grown massive
in the last ten to fifteen years, and expectations for kickers, punters,
and long snappers have slowly and slowly just increased because

(51:10):
guys have gotten so much better from all these very
intricate techniques that they've learned and all these you know,
camps that they're going to, and how much they've practiced it.
And again, a specialist has always been their job is
always to be perfect, but now it's really to the
degree of it's broken down to a science and everything
about it is, you know, perfection.

Speaker 1 (51:33):
You have to be perfect or people start talking about you.

Speaker 4 (51:36):
We've had a great time talking Rickle about it, but
I'm not telling you no.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
Don't start backing away. I know you're.

Speaker 4 (51:41):
Smelling your chickens and peas to go food. But there's
two other highlights of your life. I just want to
touch it before we go, and I'm not going to
shift your wife, so I'm sure your wedding was one
of the highlights.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
Give her a shout out.

Speaker 6 (51:54):
Jordan, I love you, Our wedding was phenomenal, But our
birth of our.

Speaker 1 (51:59):
Child, that's what I was that much better.

Speaker 4 (52:02):
I'm not sure she would agree, because in October you
had what, to me is the greatest.

Speaker 1 (52:06):
Highlight of any life, absolutely, and that is the birth
of your first son. So talk about that. It was
so special.

Speaker 6 (52:12):
It was she went into labor on a Wednesday, thank goodness,
and not a Sunday. But it was such an incredible
feeling becoming a father, watching you know, the miracle of
life happen right before my eyes, and it was it
was something that you can't describe until until you experience
it yourself. And I'm just truly blessed to be a

(52:33):
father and see how much he grows every single day,
every single week, and yeah, it's just it's it's his
first Christmas in a couple of days, and his first everything,
so it's every little bit of it is so special.
And since it's our first, every everything is brand new
to us. So that that's what makes it so incredibly

(52:54):
Uh yeah, special.

Speaker 4 (52:55):
Well, Rick, I happened to have the greatest honor in
the world of being a father of four songs. And
I can tell you the first one that was born
my little son Tucker thirty years ago was the greatest
moment of my life. Now hanging over Griffin back there,
number two at twenty. But every moment thereafter even actually
got better. And as they grow and now they're my
three zeroser young man. Actually the fourth is about to

(53:17):
be a young man. The couple are engaged about to
get It just gets better and better and better. And
welcome to the greatest part of life. Because you've lived
a good life up till now. Oh it's the best,
and now the greatest part has begun, no doubt. But
the other greatest part to Philadelphi Eagles fans of course,
and to you, I'm sure also another great highly is
winning the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (53:34):
So we want to do that again.

Speaker 4 (53:36):
So just talk for everybody who to remind us on
a little bit of a down one day, to remind
us what was it like to win the Super Bowl
as a Philadelphia Eagle.

Speaker 6 (53:46):
Yeah, that was the most incredible experience, you know, going
through what I had gone through, I jumping around on
teams and then finally making it in Philly that that
season and playing that regular season, playing that playoffs, and
playing in that Super Bowl. It just was a swarm
of emotion after that game and beating one of the best,

(54:08):
if not the best player to ever play the game,
and Tom Brady in a shootout, and that was just
on I can't even describe into words. Still not as
good as my son's birth, but it was. It's right there,
it really is. Winning the Super Bowl is so satisfying,
and then really like lose and then losing the Super

(54:31):
Bowl as well. That puts into perspective of winning the
Super Bowl. You get both sides of it. So I'd
really like to go back to that winning side. Uh,
and hopefully we can get that done this year.

Speaker 1 (54:42):
It won't ever get tired or you will ever get
tired of it. Brady didn't, no doubt, no doubt. So
let's do it again. And I love your team.

Speaker 4 (54:49):
I feel really great about the team, as we talk
about every week that the fans of Philadelphia can really
feel good about, Rudy, for you're an excellent group of people,
but a great football team that gives its all we
are very proud of. So thank you so much for
joining us, Thank you so much for the years you've
given us, and we expect you to continue to and
hopefully in February you'll get to experience that feeling again.

Speaker 1 (55:09):
That's right. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 4 (55:11):
That's Ladies and Gentlemen number forty nine, maybe forty five
in the future.

Speaker 1 (55:16):
Number one of.

Speaker 4 (55:16):
Your hearts, the best long snaper the National Football League,
Rick Levado, Thanks Rick, Thank you so we got to
shut it down on be half of everybody here Chickens
and peace. Thanks for coming. Have a great Christmas, have
a great Holly. This is your first first Christmas as
a father, first Christmas as a father, yep.

Speaker 6 (55:32):
And very excited excited for him to see the.

Speaker 1 (55:37):
Gifts that he's he's gonna get.

Speaker 6 (55:38):
I don't think he'll be able to open it.

Speaker 4 (55:41):
It's all so exciting. Next year will be a little
more excited for him, because.

Speaker 1 (55:44):
Then he'll be that's really aware. And it just gets
better and better, like no doubt.

Speaker 4 (55:47):
That's why it's so great the first time, and it
just gets it and happy Honick everybody all right and
anything else anybody celebrates quants, et cetera.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
Thanks to Mike Powers.

Speaker 4 (55:57):
Over here, puts us up there on the boards at
Chickens and peach In and all these streaming networks around
John Jansen who always helps us get on the air
and sounds so great and help me with some facts.
I forget all the staff. You're Chickis and Peaks. Thank you,
Thank you for taking care of us all year. We
will be back between Christmas and New Year's after this
game and heading into your last regular season game and

(56:17):
then looking forward to the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (56:18):
Thanks for all the people will come out.

Speaker 5 (56:19):
Remember Chickis and Peach is where the players go.

Speaker 4 (56:21):
The best place for sports games, food, drink anywhere in
the Dillor Valley, and I'd say any sports bar in
the United States of America. So on behalf of Rick Lovado,
who was our very special guest today. We missed that
would have been Dave Spidera right next to you, So
salute to our guy Dave, and I am Gerald Cole
and say thanks for listening.

Speaker 5 (56:39):
We'll catch you next next week. Happy holies.

Speaker 3 (56:41):
Everybody sprats totals and all the prop that's in the tweens.
It's the Gambler.