September 17, 2021 • 37 mins
A family members joins the guys for a few minutes to share a few wild stories about the NFL. Former NFL wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh shares his thoughts on a few teams in the NFL, but also a bit of his upbringing and how he got to the league.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ka boom. If you've thought more hours a day, minutes
a week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants
of the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He
treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the
rich pill poppers in the penthouse, to clearing house of
hot takes break free for something special. The Fifth Hour
(00:23):
with Ben Maller starts right now in the air everywhere.
We are back at it again on a Friday, Friday, Friday,
as the Fifth Hour takes no days off. Well that's
actually not true because the Fifth Hour, as you know,
it's only available Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But we have
(00:45):
the radio program every day of a week. We've got
some kind of audio content here, a spinoff of the
Ben Mallar Show, because four hours a night are not enough,
eight days a week, eight days a week. Joined by
the gentleman from West of the four oh five, David Gascott.
(01:05):
I'm making you the room, the room. I'm here, I'm here,
I'm here. It's gonna be here, very exciting. It's better.
You don't want that at all. We want well, I
typically I do not book boring guests. I book guests
(01:27):
that are you know, younger than fifty five, and uh
I have. I have booked Hall of famers, I booked
pro bowlers like the one we have on deck right now. Well, listen,
some of us were raised properly. We were raised not
west of the four oh five. We were raised to
respect legends and elders, and we look up to those
people and give them a voice. We don't just shoot
(01:49):
them away because they're past a certain age. We respect
the knowledge, the wisdom. And I want to get every
old NFL coach I can. In fact, my goal is
to get Jerry Glanville on this part. I am efforting
to track down Jerry Glanville just I don't even care
(02:11):
if we talk about anything other than his famous quote
the NFL not for long, make calls like that that is,
that's just that alone. And Jerry's Jerry's up there, so
I want to get him on. But Jim, Jim Morrow
was so good last week. I love Jim. Jim was great.
I told this the story. I don't I did not
(02:31):
realize Jim had. You know, he's eighties six, and you know, guestcount,
I'm very bad. I think everyone's around my age. Give
or take a couple of years. Even children, I think
around my age like oh kids, I'm like, oh, it's
probably close to my age. I have no concept of age.
I just think I think everyone's around my my my
number and all that. But I was around Jim before.
(02:52):
Jim's always acted even when he worked at the company.
You know, I knew him back in the day. Jim
Moore was always very related bowl young vibe and all that.
And then I reached out to him and I didn't
realize he still got it, and good for him. Good
for him. Another guy that's got it is our colleague.
He hosts a radio show at f s R on
(03:15):
the weekends as a podcast as well. And you you
know him from his days with the Cincinnati Bengals back
in the day. T J. Hush Manzada, What a name,
What a name? He led the NFL, I tied for
the lead in the NFL and receptions back in oh seven.
(03:36):
Played eight years as a white out in Cincinnati, and
that was the era where the Bengals were a playoff
team but then couldn't get over the the hump the
Marvin Lewis years. The first part of the Marvin Lewis
uh Era in Cincinnati and then went off and played
for Seattle and Baltimore finished up with the Oakland Raiders,
(03:59):
and he is now gonna spend some time I said.
He actually uh the show he does with LaVar Arrington
and Plexical Brook. We had Plexical on the podcast a
while back, and so they all get together. It's called
Up on Game. Up on Game is the name of that.
And so we welcome in t J hush Man, Zada
(04:21):
and t J the the broadcasting thing you've been I've
been doing it for a while now. And is this
as easy or is it harder than you you thought
it would be. I have not mastered it. Um listening
to guys like you and others picking up things that
(04:41):
you guys do, because obviously you've been doing it a
long time. It's not as easy as I thought it
would be when I initially got into it. Obviously reps
will make you better, but I enjoy it. I'm a
people person. Those that know me, no, I like to talk,
and so what better way to do it to talk
about something that I'm passionate about and I care about absolutely?
(05:03):
And was this your plan when you were playing back?
When you're in the NFL. Did you always have an
eye on doing some media stuff when you were done
or is this something that popped up that was not
in the plans. It wasn't in the plans. What happened
was while planning in Cincinnati, I had quite a few
reporters tell me that I should do this when I
(05:25):
was done playing. And so those reporters, thank you. Um,
they put it in my head. They started telling me
this early in my career. I wasn't even playing much,
but they always said I was a great interview. They
said I spoke well, and then I would always throw
this in. I'm like, man, I look good, so I'm
good for TV, right So uh yeah, it was the
(05:48):
media members in Cincinnati that, uh told me I should
look to get into it, and so I just took
their advice. And here we are. Look at that a career,
a career born right away. Uh we love it. And
now you've been out. You last played like ten years ago,
so you've been out of the NFL for a while now,
and I believe my last year was twelve, So it's
(06:10):
a little less. Do you get like a gold watch
on your tent anniversary from from not playing in the
NFL after you've retired. I don't know how that we
do not, but that might be a hell of an idea.
I need to contact them and the NFL offices and uh,
everybody that played over a decade to get a ten
year gold Rolex. Yes, dropping a bucket. We need, we need,
(06:35):
we need a petition to start that. I agree. Well, listen,
you're part of the the Former Players Alumni Association, so
there's some some group that you guys are all part of,
so you can you can set that up. Absolutely. So
I read and I remember watching you play for the
band Goals back in the day at t J. But
I I read you grew up. I didn't know your
your whole story. You grew up in Barstow, right? Is
(06:56):
that right? And I have stopped at McDonald's at that
fake train station out in Barstow a million times on
my way to and from Las Vegas from from Ali.
What was it like growing up there? Though? I mean
living there and and your youth and all that. It
was different that McDonald's. Man. Funny story. I used to
have a buddy that worked there and we would always
(07:19):
go into McDonald's and he would see us and try
to run to the back because he knew if he
didn't load our bag up with free Big Max and
quarter pounders and extra fries and apple pies, it was
gonna be a problem when he got off of work.
We'd order one meal and we better walk out of
there with like seven meals. Yeah. I was just is
(07:42):
that like the spot J like in in Barstow? Is
that that's where everyone's passing through there? Now that's not
it's really bar stories just really don't to do. You know,
everybody knows everybody obviously it's extremely hot. Um, but my
grandmother grew up in Texas and she relocated to Barstow.
I don't know how that came about, um, but yeah,
(08:05):
it's nothing to do. So either you're gonna play sports
or you're gonna be in the streets. Yeah that's great.
Well it's yeah, I know. I passed through there and
I'm like, wow, that's gonna be weird growing up there,
because there isn't when I do. When I drive through
there now, I literally say like, how did I live here?
Like I have no like when I go through there now,
(08:27):
I have no idea. But I thought it was fun
and so it just shows you if you're not exposed
too much. Whatever you're exposed to, you you think that's normal. Yeah? Absolutely?
And then I and you went to a j C.
Right we're in Cerritos. I believe is that right in
my career? Correct? I didn't graduate from high school because
you know, like I said, you're in the sports or
(08:47):
in the streets, and I was the ladder, you're on
the streets. And so I, uh went Serrito's College and
started to take school and sports serious. Uh. After my
first year of coach talked to me and was just like,
you're gonna go wherever you want to go. You need
to start focusing more on school. The football is gonna
(09:08):
take care of himself. And took his advice. I think
I do a good job of taking advice. Oh yeah, no,
So was that the moment you said, hey, wait a minute,
I can actually, you know, go to college and make
some money doing this with the coach that told you,
did you have an inkling that you were pretty good
at football prior to that? Anybody that knows me sounds cocky.
(09:28):
I think I'm the best of everything. I don't think
nobody can beat me and anything, and so I've always
had that confidence and he just told me, you know
you're gonna do really well the first play. I was
a running back in high school. I played one year
my senior year in high school. That was the only
time I played football, but I was running back, And
(09:49):
so when I went three those college I was actually
third string at receiver. The starter broke his foot, the
backup got arrested. I was a starter and first played
the game my Bomb. Somebody for like a yr touchdown
first played the game to start the season and they
were like, oh, we got something. And after that I
(10:09):
just started taking it serious. Not not the football thing.
It was always fun for me, and I think I
loved it because I started playing late that I wasn't
like a lot of kids that you started playing in
six or seven and you get tired of it. That
That wasn't the case for me. It was just being
proactive and making school a priority. TJ. What was like
(10:32):
when you think about playing days wise, like, what was
your best time playing ball? Was it in j C?
Was it at the D one level? Was it in
the NFL? Oh that's a good question. I I believe
the lower levels are always the best because it's pure.
It's not at least, it's never looked at as a business. Um,
(10:59):
you just have been fun playing football, obviously, going you
go to Oregon State, that's when you start to see, all, man,
this guy's a top recruit. They probably want him to play,
and you just start to see things. But I enjoyed
all of it, to be honest with you, Like I've
enjoyed my time in Cincinnati. The ship was so fun, man,
(11:21):
I really enjoyed it there. Um, I had never been
to the Midwest in my life. The first time I
got on an airplane was my recruiting trip, how to
Cerritos and I went to Rutgers, and so it was.
I enjoyed all of it, But what was the best
time for me? All of it because it wasn't a
(11:42):
position I should have been in or people expected me
to be in, and I was in it. Do you
think guys are losing the innocence of playing the game
for fun now that the fact that college has instituted
the name image and like with likeness monetization for these guys,
I wouldn't say apt because a lot of those kids
(12:02):
that are getting those deals, those kids get their ask
kiss all through Pop Warner in high school like I was.
I was at a practice last night actually, um, and
it's a team called the O G Ducks out here
in California. They're probably the best fourteen and under football
(12:22):
team in the country. They're not probably, they are the best,
and they just so happened to be in southern California.
I went out and talk to the kids and those
all of those kids are gonna go to the best
high schools out here. For the most part, I would
say seventy of them are going to be four to
five star recruits. So they're getting there behind kissed early,
(12:45):
and they're building up quote unquote there profiled and their
fan base, and so these kids are going into college
Wood close to a hundred thousand followers on social media
just off of where they are in high school and
people knowing who they are because they travel all across
(13:06):
the world, and so it changes. But the kids are
getting these deals, they think they're celebrities and now and
they're in high school. Yeah, but I guess because it
kind of goes full circle though. I mean, you get
the accolades, you get the recognition, But I guess part
of the ingredients of innocence, and you know this from
(13:26):
where he came is that you also develop a great
sense of grit and how you get your ass kicked
and then get up. Do you think there that's being lost? Man?
You know what's so funny? I told they asked that
last night. I told him pretty much. And I wouldn't
say verbatim give him or take some words. I pretty
(13:47):
much told him that last night. And yes, that's always
gonna when you're a good player. And we're just talking football.
It can't be any sport m can, but they're gonna
kis your ass early if you show signs of being
a very good player. That's just the world we live in.
(14:08):
They're gonna cater to you. You can do no wrong.
And I think that's bad for these kids because once
they face adversity, once they face that bumping the road,
they've been cowdled all the time because they've been good.
Everybody's good when you get to a certain level, and
(14:28):
if you don't have that grit, like you said, it's over.
What about what Joe Burrow? I mean he obviously popped
on the scene at L s U and then goes
to Cincinnati UM and gets his knee torn up. What's
what's it? Like working with him and what kind of
dude is he behind the scenes. Number One, the way
(14:50):
he played against the Vikings in week one was fantastic.
Sacked five times and so it wasn't like it cold
being clean. He was sacked five times in his first
game back from a knee injury. You know, My first
impression to Joe was like, he didn't speak too many
people when he got there, funk. He didn't speak to
me really initially, just hey, what's up? And so if
(15:13):
you I spent probably three and a half four months
because that was the year COVID happened, and we will
never forget. We're in the gym and he's like, all right,
I'm gone. I was like, all right, take care. We're
working out. He was like, yeah, I think I'm gonna
leave tonight or tomorrow because they're supposed to shut everything down,
no flights and on nothing. You know, nobody knew what
was going and had just started. But what I will
(15:35):
say is the first impression is the dude is confident.
He believes in him. Like t O say, I love
me some me. Joe loves him some him like he
loves himself, and he truly believes in himself, like you'll
think he's cocky, but he's just he just believes in himself, man,
And that's part of the reason he is who he
(15:57):
is as a player. Is that self belief and offindence
that he has. And anybody that's been around him, they
can attest it that he just has a self belief
and confidence about himself that it helps him. Obviously he's
a good football player, but yeah, it's the self belief
and confidence he has. That that's the first thing that
stood out to me. If all things were all things
(16:20):
were even in the a f C North, would he
be your top quarterback in that division right now? Given
the ages and experience or life they're other certain guys.
Oh you know what it's really on? What are we
judging quarterbacks on you watch? Is it wins and losses?
(16:44):
Is it the eye test? Is it the statue put up?
Or is it just what I see? And so it's uh,
he asked potential to be the best. Let me say that, Lamar.
His record speaks for itself. You know, he he gets
a lot of backlash and this and that. But you
(17:06):
tell me, I don't know who you guys are fans of,
but I guarantee you would like Lamar to be your quarterback.
Considering the record that he's had and in short time,
that division is tough, I would take Burrow over Baker.
I mean, Baker had Baker's good. Baker can play, but
(17:27):
he has a hell of a team surrounding him. You
put Burrow under center with that group of guys offensively
and defensively, he does more in my opinion, and so
big Ben obviously being a the older statesman in the
division is being good for so long. But if me
being a wide receiver and wanting to win, um, I'm
(17:51):
going with Burrow. Yeah, t J. What are the skills?
All these guys get drafted because they typically have Buzuka
arms canyons for arms when they're draft at the very
top of the draft. But for me, it's always been
just watching football. The the guy that's accurate to me
is more important than the guy that can throw the
(18:11):
long ball. As a receiver. Though, when you were playing
in the NFL, what was the what was the skill
If you were if you were drafting a quarterback, you
could make the perfect quarterback. What would that quarterback have?
What would be the number one skill that quarterback that
would it be arm strength? Would be running ability? Would
it be accuracy? What would it be? Wow, running ability
(18:34):
would not be at the top of my list. Um,
do you want a guy that's smart? Do you want
a guy that can throw an anticipation? If you throw
an anticipation that that you're going to have accuracy because
you're you're you're anticipating the guy being open. And so
I want a guy that's tough. Can't be a punk
(18:57):
because you gotta be able to stare down that rush
without staring down that rush and keep your eyes down field.
And and I want a guy that's a leader that
other men can look to them and follow without feeling
like they're less than themselves because you're following another man.
Some guys just have a natural ability to relate to everyone.
(19:21):
And so I don't think there is a perfect quarterback.
But but I will start with toughness and just ability
to relate to your teammates, because if I'm drafting you high,
the physical ability is there, I need. I need the
other things. How how weird is it teaching when you
go to do an NFL locker room and there's guys,
there's the quarterbacks that have had their ass kiss their
(19:43):
entire lives. A lot of those guys have blue ship
players go to big power schools in the Southeastern Conference.
And then there's other guys, uh much like yourself. Right,
you had to go to a junior college. You didn't
graduate high school. You had to go and fight and
scratch and claw and all that, Like what's the what's
the melting pot like there? And I know you guys
all bust each other's balls and all that. That's part
(20:04):
of being in the locker room. But but how how
weird is the dynamic there in the NFL as opposed
to like college or obviously anywhere else you played. Oh
it's different. I mean you as you play and you
navigate through college and you start to get to the NFL.
The quarterbacks are always favored. They wear a different jersey
(20:25):
and practice you can't touch the quarterback. In practice, you
can touch everybody else. We all were the same jersey
except for the quarterback. So you you get a picture
of the quarterback uh being quote unquote different early on
in your career. That that's just what it is. Um.
(20:45):
The media puts the quarterback on a pedestal because when
the quarterback and the team wins. Oh my god, the
quarterback had a great game. He did fantastic. Oh yes,
when they lose, he just doesn't have enough help. You
gotta surround him with guys that can help him, and
so they can't. They do no wrong because the media
(21:09):
will always make an excuse for him. Oh he just
the organization is not very good. The guys around him
aren't very good. And then when that changes, you don't say, oh, yeah,
he has a great team around him, like we're doing
with Baker. He has a great team around him. What
do you say? Oh, yeah, the quarterback just figured it out. Man.
You know, he went the offseason, he worked really hard.
(21:32):
Everything goes hand in hand. I think they get way
too much credit. They take way too much blame. But
quarterbacks nowadays are taught to be leaders. Quarterback nowadays, playing
seven on seven, they're coming into the league more ready
than ever. I've been saying this for years. Seven on
seven football has made these young quarterbacks come into the
league and they're ready to play. They don't have to
(21:54):
sit as much as they used to because they're throwing
the ball so much. Coming up. Yeah, hey, teach you
one of the one I want to ask you this
because one of my pet peeves is the quarterbacks that
get sacked a ton. There's this perception that it's always
if the quarterbacks getting sacked, the ton is always the
offensive line's fault. And I've known from watching football and
you know, being around guys that play, that it's not.
(22:17):
It's a lot of the sacks are not because of
the quarterback, or it's not because of the offensive line.
Uh certain percentage because the quarterback made the wrong decision
or didn't get rid of the ball in time. So
but this always blame the offensive line and it's always
the offensive line's fault. That's not the case. Am I
correcting that? Or am I talking out of my TOOKU?
(22:38):
You're correct? I mean you can watch the game for
yourself and see. I'll give you two examples. I'll say
Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger. They hold the ball, but
the majority of the time it works out for them.
They create big plays. And so you're not gonna sing
(23:02):
the blues and cry when you lose, So you can't
always just grin when you win. Russell Wilson holds the ball,
he creates a big play. Nobody on that sideline is
gonna say, hey, Russ, we need to get rid of
that ball a little sooner. You know, the offensive line
had to hold up that protection for a while, but
when he gets sacked, it's hey, Russ, you need to
get rid of the ball. You're holding onto it for
(23:22):
so long. The quarterbacks hold onto that ball and they
make it harder on offensive line. I don't mind it
because you get you create big play. Sacks are a
good stat but it doesn't tell the whole story of
the game. If I give up a sack and the
next down I can keep the ball as a quarterback
(23:45):
for six or seven sexis and create a big play,
it's worth it to me. Yeah. I actually we have
you here, teacher. I think it's it's perfect. Were a
few weeks away from the big as. We're talking in
real time here, the big show down between the Bill
Belichick coach Patriots and the Tom Brady Buccaneers. And this
(24:06):
is one of the great barroom debates TJ among football observers.
Was it the coach or was it the quarterback who
gets more credit in that relationship? Belichick, that's easy for me.
That's easy for me. But let me go back to
the last question though. If you're putting instant pressure on
the quarterback, that's the problem. But the guys that hold
the ball that's the other thing. But now this is
(24:30):
very easy for me. You can give me the best
game plan in the world. If I can't execute it,
is it the best game plan in the world. No chance,
no chances. It's not put me in a position to
(24:51):
succeed if I don't succeed, like who's faulted. Like Bill
Belichick is a fantastic coach. I've never seen him put
on a helmet. I've never seen him tackle anyone. I've
never seen him make the play. I've never seen it.
It's it's the player, it's Brady. And I've said this
years ago. I was I said this years ago, it's Brady,
(25:16):
and we saw that last year and so he had
Cam newtona it's Brady. You look at his record without Brady,
you look at his playoff record without Brady. It's self explanatory.
And this is not taken away from Bill belisheck. Bill
Blishick is a great coach. He's a great defensive coach.
I believe had Brady not gone to the Patriots, he
(25:38):
wouldn't be the Brady we know because I believe being
on that team learning from Bill just about defensive football
helped him a ton. But you still gotta go execute.
You still gotta have that and hit Brady as smart.
(25:59):
He understood hands what Bill was teaching. There's a lot
of guys that wouldn't get it. That's a talent within itself.
If we got to give a percent, I'm gonna say
seventy Brady Belichick. That's just me. Yeah, yeah, Well and
the other you know, I mean, teacher. You played for
a few different coaches. You bounced around a little bit
after you left the Bengals. If you had a terrible
(26:20):
coach but you're a great player, would you be able
to overcome that? No? No, And a good part of
going from different teams that I did at the end
of my career, you start to see who's terrible as coaches.
There's a lot of terrible coaches. What makes you when
(26:40):
I say that, people like I just looked like this,
Like I just looked like this, Like I really understand
the game of football every position, Like I really just
look like this, and I'm just a receiver, but I
can I understand protections like I'm alignment. I understand protections
like I'm a course, I understand the game of football
and its entirety every position. But you're not overcoming horrible coaching.
(27:02):
And don't get me wrong, Belichick is fantastic, and I've
said that, but when I went to different teams, Oh
my god, explain to you, well, what makes what are
some of you know? I obviously you don't name people
unless you want. You feel free to name people, But
what makes something going like that? They still coaching? I
don't want to get them in trouble, all right, all right,
(27:24):
but give me an example of what would be a
bad coaching for you that you saw. Okay, for instance,
I'll just give you an example. For instance, like you
install the play, and you install this play because you
expect them to give you a certain coverage. So certain
teams that I played on, we would say, if they
(27:45):
play us too high, too high safety that can be
covered to cover four, cover six, two man. You just
know the look pre snap. You're in a quarterback on
the same page, so we're gonna run the route like this,
and these coverages got you, so you work on it.
In practice. They give you different looks, so you're not confused.
(28:06):
If you see single high, we're gonna run it this way?
Got you. I went to teams and I'm like, so
if they give us this courage, how do you want
us run it? Just get open? I'm like, but if
the quarterback needs to throw in anticipation, he means to
know how I'm gonna run it. They literally would like,
just get open, and I'm like, really, no adjustments. At
half time you can see a team is doing this
(28:30):
like it's just it's It was astonishing to me that
they spend all this time watching film or the film
watchings is watching them, and this is the game plan
that they come up with. And as a player, a
lot of times I said something and you can't do
(28:51):
that because these coaches have friends and they start telling
their friends all man tejs asshole, he thinks he knows everything.
You don't want him on your team. That's what starts
to happen. They start to batman of you to your friends,
and so you think you're happing a teak by bringing
this up. But they frowned upon it because they think
you think I know more than you, which they probably
they do know more to me, but certain cases, nah,
(29:13):
and you've talked to any player, they all can give
you these type of stories. Yeah, but TJ. In one
sense too, I get the feeling. At least it seems
like some of the most successful coaches or even the
coordinators in the game. I mean, because you're it feels
like for all intensive purposes, you run the same plays.
But it's the combinations, it's the motion, it's the shifting
(29:36):
pre snap that really throws these defenses off. Like, why
are these coordinators, these coaches inability to adjust? Are they
just pretty much runs the same Everybody does the same thing.
What you call uh drive, I may call levels, what
(29:57):
you call panther, I may call all lying. For the
most parts, everybody does the same thing. This is the difference.
Sean Payton has this, McVeigh has his, Shanahan has this,
Andy Reid has this. I'm sure I'm leaving us some
names off, but that's just off the top of my head.
(30:19):
Is the ability to call the right play at the
right time, because you have really scouted this team and
their tendencies and what they like to do in certain
situations down in distance parts of the field you're on.
Those are the great play callers. Well, everybody has the
(30:42):
same place. It's the ability to call the right play
at the right time. Speaking of that, for all that
he has accomplished during his career, do you think Aaron
Rodgers is becoming unlikable? Nah? Man, It's like, you know,
when people speak the truth, why is it frowned upon?
(31:03):
He just told everyone how he felt. But because they
got their ask kicked, it's a problem now, you know,
And so no, I don't. He was just being honest,
Like we all say, we want our athletes and these
people to be honest. And when somebody's honest and then
they perform and lose the way they do, it's like,
(31:26):
is he becoming unlikable? No? I don't think so. He'll
win and they'll win twelve or thirteen games this year.
Week one will probably be forgotten about unless they get
smoked in the playoffs. It's just he was honest. There
are some things he didn't like. Um could he had
handled quite a bit of it differently? Yeah, probably so.
(31:49):
Had they won, nobody would say anything. But it's because
they got their butts handed to him. They got crushed
with a new quarterback starting for the Saints, that it's
frowned upon. No, I don't think he's becoming unlikable. He
was honest. He he said what he said and that's
(32:10):
how he felt, and so I don't mind honesty at all. Well,
he he's long in the tooth. And there's another guy
that's well liked that Ben absolutely fucking hates, and that's
Kyler Murray. Um, Like, does he have m v P
potential or does he have those flashes where he can
get hot and get streaky? Right now? I mean, we'd
(32:34):
have to say he has these flashes where he can
get hot get streaky. But when when you look at it,
it's similar to Baker. He has a team around him.
And you got Hopkins and A J. Green. A J.
Green can play animal straight up play a J. Green
getting open. Oh, you also have Christian Kirk and you
draft a rondal More. Offensive line should be better. Oh
(33:00):
you got Chandler Jones and J. J. Watt, Isaiah Simmons
and BUDDA Baker. Like they have a team. The Cardinals
have a team surrounding Kyler Murray. He just has to
get the ball to the right guys. What we talked
about earlier, Kingsbury has to call the right play at
the right time. Um, But he's shown us that he
(33:20):
can get hot and streak. He hasn't shown us that
he can get to that level yet. But in the
game of football, he's still very young. Taj I read
a read a story this week by Josh Allen of
the Bills that he bars before games. That's his routine.
And I've seen some other players that. No, this is
a legitimate question. I've ever been in the locker room
(33:42):
before a game you play in the NFL. What are
some of the weirdest things guys did? I assume you
had you played with teammates that would throw up before games,
But what was some of the craziest things you remember
from your playing days of guys to get set for
a game, to get this is ready for a game,
and this is post Lawrence Taylor and you I'm gonna
get you one. And I'm not gonna say this guy's
name because I think he's coaching right now. Um, I
(34:06):
don't know how it. Guys thrown before the game, Like,
I'm not that nervous. It's like it's a nervous anxiousness
type of feeling, not not I'm throwing up, but I
play with a guy. No lot of this true story
and why he would do this. I have no idea.
Dude with pee on himself on the sideline and then
(34:26):
squirt his pants with water so you couldn't really see.
He would peel on himself on the sideline and squirt
himself with water with the water bottle so nobody could
tell what he was doing before every game. Every game, Well,
teach you have I ain't gonna say his name, but
(34:46):
he's a coach right now, and then natural football, we'll
teach you. I have a guy that calls my overnight
show and then this guy Doc Mike from Chicago, and
uh he is he's a big believer and you're in therapy,
which is uh. He like drink urine and stuff. He's
into that kind of thing. But uh well, God bless him. Yeah. Yeah,
well so some would say maybe not, but make sure
(35:09):
you never take a drink from his house unless the
bottle has not been opened. He swears. But he sent
me a bunch of books, like people have written books
about that. It's wild. It's wild and crazy, dude. That's
like je Manuel Marquez when he was fighting Mayweather Manny Pacia.
He was taking all these vitamins. I'm a big boxing fan,
and he said he'll drink his urine because why did
(35:31):
he want to pee out all the nutrients that he
had taken? So he would They showed it on TV
like he would put it in a cup and drink it.
No line, They were, yeah, I mean there's actually some
people who I don't. I would rather not drink that
and not get the benefits of that. That would be
That would be bad. But your boxing guy, any celebrity
(35:54):
boxing in your future, t J Any, this is a
new thing. This is the new Michie here. Celebrities. Man,
I think I do. I think I do fantastic, But
I think the key words in there are I think,
now you got t J. The American people need somebody
to beat these Paul brothers. We need someone to go
in there and slap these guys around. These these it
(36:15):
seems like these fights are rigged the way these fights
have been going for these guys, and somebody's gotta get
in there and kick their tail. They're not fighting real boxers.
As soon as they fight a real boxer, watch what happens.
They're good for the sport. I love boxing, man Nay.
The audience and the eyes they're bringing is great. They're
making a ton of money. That's great for them and
(36:37):
their families. But when they fight a real boxer, it's
gonna be a problem. They're fighting UFC guys. When they
fight a real boy and Nate Robinson, you fight a
real boxer that's your size, they're gonna be in trouble. Hey,
t J. We gotta we gotta wrap this bad boy up.
(36:58):
I thank you. Anything you want to prom mote, anything
you got coming up that you want to yap about.
Promote nothing, man, y'all promote your stuff. Man, it was
just a pleasure. Oh, nothing to promote, man, I have
not one thing to promote. No, it was just my pleasure,
you know, coming on with y'all enjoyed it. Awesome. Thank you,
(37:18):
t J. Appreciate it. Yeah, no worries day. Take care
of brother, See your saturady. You be there Saturday. That's right,
let's right, I'll be there a lot. I'm proud dude,
see you Saturday. Man, make sure you get in the gym. Awesome.
We'll tag you on this. It'll be up on it'll
be up on Friday morning at six. So I got you, man. Yeah,
(37:41):
take care of my pleasure. Y'all stay safe. Yeah, thank you, Yes, sir,
Ka boom. If you've thought more hours a day, minutes
a week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants
of the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He
treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the
rich pill poppers in the penthouse, to clearing house of
hot takes break free for something special. The Fifth Hour
(00:23):
with Ben Maller starts right now in the air everywhere.
We are back at it again on a Friday, Friday, Friday,
as the Fifth Hour takes no days off. Well that's
actually not true because the Fifth Hour, as you know,
it's only available Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But we have
(00:45):
the radio program every day of a week. We've got
some kind of audio content here, a spinoff of the
Ben Mallar Show, because four hours a night are not enough,
eight days a week, eight days a week. Joined by
the gentleman from West of the four oh five, David Gascott.
(01:05):
I'm making you the room, the room. I'm here, I'm here,
I'm here. It's gonna be here, very exciting. It's better.
You don't want that at all. We want well, I
typically I do not book boring guests. I book guests
(01:27):
that are you know, younger than fifty five, and uh
I have. I have booked Hall of famers, I booked
pro bowlers like the one we have on deck right now. Well, listen,
some of us were raised properly. We were raised not
west of the four oh five. We were raised to
respect legends and elders, and we look up to those
people and give them a voice. We don't just shoot
(01:49):
them away because they're past a certain age. We respect
the knowledge, the wisdom. And I want to get every
old NFL coach I can. In fact, my goal is
to get Jerry Glanville on this part. I am efforting
to track down Jerry Glanville just I don't even care
(02:11):
if we talk about anything other than his famous quote
the NFL not for long, make calls like that that is,
that's just that alone. And Jerry's Jerry's up there, so
I want to get him on. But Jim, Jim Morrow
was so good last week. I love Jim. Jim was great.
I told this the story. I don't I did not
(02:31):
realize Jim had. You know, he's eighties six, and you know, guestcount,
I'm very bad. I think everyone's around my age. Give
or take a couple of years. Even children, I think
around my age like oh kids, I'm like, oh, it's
probably close to my age. I have no concept of age.
I just think I think everyone's around my my my
number and all that. But I was around Jim before.
(02:52):
Jim's always acted even when he worked at the company.
You know, I knew him back in the day. Jim
Moore was always very related bowl young vibe and all that.
And then I reached out to him and I didn't
realize he still got it, and good for him. Good
for him. Another guy that's got it is our colleague.
He hosts a radio show at f s R on
(03:15):
the weekends as a podcast as well. And you you
know him from his days with the Cincinnati Bengals back
in the day. T J. Hush Manzada, What a name,
What a name? He led the NFL, I tied for
the lead in the NFL and receptions back in oh seven.
(03:36):
Played eight years as a white out in Cincinnati, and
that was the era where the Bengals were a playoff
team but then couldn't get over the the hump the
Marvin Lewis years. The first part of the Marvin Lewis
uh Era in Cincinnati and then went off and played
for Seattle and Baltimore finished up with the Oakland Raiders,
(03:59):
and he is now gonna spend some time I said.
He actually uh the show he does with LaVar Arrington
and Plexical Brook. We had Plexical on the podcast a
while back, and so they all get together. It's called
Up on Game. Up on Game is the name of that.
And so we welcome in t J hush Man, Zada
(04:21):
and t J the the broadcasting thing you've been I've
been doing it for a while now. And is this
as easy or is it harder than you you thought
it would be. I have not mastered it. Um listening
to guys like you and others picking up things that
(04:41):
you guys do, because obviously you've been doing it a
long time. It's not as easy as I thought it
would be when I initially got into it. Obviously reps
will make you better, but I enjoy it. I'm a
people person. Those that know me, no, I like to talk,
and so what better way to do it to talk
about something that I'm passionate about and I care about absolutely?
(05:03):
And was this your plan when you were playing back?
When you're in the NFL. Did you always have an
eye on doing some media stuff when you were done
or is this something that popped up that was not
in the plans. It wasn't in the plans. What happened
was while planning in Cincinnati, I had quite a few
reporters tell me that I should do this when I
(05:25):
was done playing. And so those reporters, thank you. Um,
they put it in my head. They started telling me
this early in my career. I wasn't even playing much,
but they always said I was a great interview. They
said I spoke well, and then I would always throw
this in. I'm like, man, I look good, so I'm
good for TV, right So uh yeah, it was the
(05:48):
media members in Cincinnati that, uh told me I should
look to get into it, and so I just took
their advice. And here we are. Look at that a career,
a career born right away. Uh we love it. And
now you've been out. You last played like ten years ago,
so you've been out of the NFL for a while now,
and I believe my last year was twelve, So it's
(06:10):
a little less. Do you get like a gold watch
on your tent anniversary from from not playing in the
NFL after you've retired. I don't know how that we
do not, but that might be a hell of an idea.
I need to contact them and the NFL offices and uh,
everybody that played over a decade to get a ten
year gold Rolex. Yes, dropping a bucket. We need, we need,
(06:35):
we need a petition to start that. I agree. Well, listen,
you're part of the the Former Players Alumni Association, so
there's some some group that you guys are all part of,
so you can you can set that up. Absolutely. So
I read and I remember watching you play for the
band Goals back in the day at t J. But
I I read you grew up. I didn't know your
your whole story. You grew up in Barstow, right? Is
(06:56):
that right? And I have stopped at McDonald's at that
fake train station out in Barstow a million times on
my way to and from Las Vegas from from Ali.
What was it like growing up there? Though? I mean
living there and and your youth and all that. It
was different that McDonald's. Man. Funny story. I used to
have a buddy that worked there and we would always
(07:19):
go into McDonald's and he would see us and try
to run to the back because he knew if he
didn't load our bag up with free Big Max and
quarter pounders and extra fries and apple pies, it was
gonna be a problem when he got off of work.
We'd order one meal and we better walk out of
there with like seven meals. Yeah. I was just is
(07:42):
that like the spot J like in in Barstow? Is
that that's where everyone's passing through there? Now that's not
it's really bar stories just really don't to do. You know,
everybody knows everybody obviously it's extremely hot. Um, but my
grandmother grew up in Texas and she relocated to Barstow.
I don't know how that came about, um, but yeah,
(08:05):
it's nothing to do. So either you're gonna play sports
or you're gonna be in the streets. Yeah that's great.
Well it's yeah, I know. I passed through there and
I'm like, wow, that's gonna be weird growing up there,
because there isn't when I do. When I drive through
there now, I literally say like, how did I live here?
Like I have no like when I go through there now,
(08:27):
I have no idea. But I thought it was fun
and so it just shows you if you're not exposed
too much. Whatever you're exposed to, you you think that's normal. Yeah? Absolutely?
And then I and you went to a j C.
Right we're in Cerritos. I believe is that right in
my career? Correct? I didn't graduate from high school because
you know, like I said, you're in the sports or
(08:47):
in the streets, and I was the ladder, you're on
the streets. And so I, uh went Serrito's College and
started to take school and sports serious. Uh. After my
first year of coach talked to me and was just like,
you're gonna go wherever you want to go. You need
to start focusing more on school. The football is gonna
(09:08):
take care of himself. And took his advice. I think
I do a good job of taking advice. Oh yeah, no,
So was that the moment you said, hey, wait a minute,
I can actually, you know, go to college and make
some money doing this with the coach that told you,
did you have an inkling that you were pretty good
at football prior to that? Anybody that knows me sounds cocky.
(09:28):
I think I'm the best of everything. I don't think
nobody can beat me and anything, and so I've always
had that confidence and he just told me, you know
you're gonna do really well the first play. I was
a running back in high school. I played one year
my senior year in high school. That was the only
time I played football, but I was running back, And
(09:49):
so when I went three those college I was actually
third string at receiver. The starter broke his foot, the
backup got arrested. I was a starter and first played
the game my Bomb. Somebody for like a yr touchdown
first played the game to start the season and they
were like, oh, we got something. And after that I
(10:09):
just started taking it serious. Not not the football thing.
It was always fun for me, and I think I
loved it because I started playing late that I wasn't
like a lot of kids that you started playing in
six or seven and you get tired of it. That
That wasn't the case for me. It was just being
proactive and making school a priority. TJ. What was like
(10:32):
when you think about playing days wise, like, what was
your best time playing ball? Was it in j C?
Was it at the D one level? Was it in
the NFL? Oh that's a good question. I I believe
the lower levels are always the best because it's pure.
It's not at least, it's never looked at as a business. Um,
(10:59):
you just have been fun playing football, obviously, going you
go to Oregon State, that's when you start to see, all, man,
this guy's a top recruit. They probably want him to play,
and you just start to see things. But I enjoyed
all of it, to be honest with you, Like I've
enjoyed my time in Cincinnati. The ship was so fun, man,
(11:21):
I really enjoyed it there. Um, I had never been
to the Midwest in my life. The first time I
got on an airplane was my recruiting trip, how to
Cerritos and I went to Rutgers, and so it was.
I enjoyed all of it, But what was the best
time for me? All of it because it wasn't a
(11:42):
position I should have been in or people expected me
to be in, and I was in it. Do you
think guys are losing the innocence of playing the game
for fun now that the fact that college has instituted
the name image and like with likeness monetization for these guys,
I wouldn't say apt because a lot of those kids
(12:02):
that are getting those deals, those kids get their ask
kiss all through Pop Warner in high school like I was.
I was at a practice last night actually, um, and
it's a team called the O G Ducks out here
in California. They're probably the best fourteen and under football
(12:22):
team in the country. They're not probably, they are the best,
and they just so happened to be in southern California.
I went out and talk to the kids and those
all of those kids are gonna go to the best
high schools out here. For the most part, I would
say seventy of them are going to be four to
five star recruits. So they're getting there behind kissed early,
(12:45):
and they're building up quote unquote there profiled and their
fan base, and so these kids are going into college
Wood close to a hundred thousand followers on social media
just off of where they are in high school and
people knowing who they are because they travel all across
(13:06):
the world, and so it changes. But the kids are
getting these deals, they think they're celebrities and now and
they're in high school. Yeah, but I guess because it
kind of goes full circle though. I mean, you get
the accolades, you get the recognition, But I guess part
of the ingredients of innocence, and you know this from
(13:26):
where he came is that you also develop a great
sense of grit and how you get your ass kicked
and then get up. Do you think there that's being lost? Man?
You know what's so funny? I told they asked that
last night. I told him pretty much. And I wouldn't
say verbatim give him or take some words. I pretty
(13:47):
much told him that last night. And yes, that's always
gonna when you're a good player. And we're just talking football.
It can't be any sport m can, but they're gonna
kis your ass early if you show signs of being
a very good player. That's just the world we live in.
(14:08):
They're gonna cater to you. You can do no wrong.
And I think that's bad for these kids because once
they face adversity, once they face that bumping the road,
they've been cowdled all the time because they've been good.
Everybody's good when you get to a certain level, and
(14:28):
if you don't have that grit, like you said, it's over.
What about what Joe Burrow? I mean he obviously popped
on the scene at L s U and then goes
to Cincinnati UM and gets his knee torn up. What's
what's it? Like working with him and what kind of
dude is he behind the scenes. Number One, the way
(14:50):
he played against the Vikings in week one was fantastic.
Sacked five times and so it wasn't like it cold
being clean. He was sacked five times in his first
game back from a knee injury. You know, My first
impression to Joe was like, he didn't speak too many
people when he got there, funk. He didn't speak to
me really initially, just hey, what's up? And so if
(15:13):
you I spent probably three and a half four months
because that was the year COVID happened, and we will
never forget. We're in the gym and he's like, all right,
I'm gone. I was like, all right, take care. We're
working out. He was like, yeah, I think I'm gonna
leave tonight or tomorrow because they're supposed to shut everything down,
no flights and on nothing. You know, nobody knew what
was going and had just started. But what I will
(15:35):
say is the first impression is the dude is confident.
He believes in him. Like t O say, I love
me some me. Joe loves him some him like he
loves himself, and he truly believes in himself, like you'll
think he's cocky, but he's just he just believes in himself, man,
And that's part of the reason he is who he
(15:57):
is as a player. Is that self belief and offindence
that he has. And anybody that's been around him, they
can attest it that he just has a self belief
and confidence about himself that it helps him. Obviously he's
a good football player, but yeah, it's the self belief
and confidence he has. That that's the first thing that
stood out to me. If all things were all things
(16:20):
were even in the a f C North, would he
be your top quarterback in that division right now? Given
the ages and experience or life they're other certain guys.
Oh you know what it's really on? What are we
judging quarterbacks on you watch? Is it wins and losses?
(16:44):
Is it the eye test? Is it the statue put up?
Or is it just what I see? And so it's uh,
he asked potential to be the best. Let me say that, Lamar.
His record speaks for itself. You know, he he gets
a lot of backlash and this and that. But you
(17:06):
tell me, I don't know who you guys are fans of,
but I guarantee you would like Lamar to be your quarterback.
Considering the record that he's had and in short time,
that division is tough, I would take Burrow over Baker.
I mean, Baker had Baker's good. Baker can play, but
(17:27):
he has a hell of a team surrounding him. You
put Burrow under center with that group of guys offensively
and defensively, he does more in my opinion, and so
big Ben obviously being a the older statesman in the
division is being good for so long. But if me
being a wide receiver and wanting to win, um, I'm
(17:51):
going with Burrow. Yeah, t J. What are the skills?
All these guys get drafted because they typically have Buzuka
arms canyons for arms when they're draft at the very
top of the draft. But for me, it's always been
just watching football. The the guy that's accurate to me
is more important than the guy that can throw the
(18:11):
long ball. As a receiver. Though, when you were playing
in the NFL, what was the what was the skill
If you were if you were drafting a quarterback, you
could make the perfect quarterback. What would that quarterback have?
What would be the number one skill that quarterback that
would it be arm strength? Would be running ability? Would
it be accuracy? What would it be? Wow, running ability
(18:34):
would not be at the top of my list. Um,
do you want a guy that's smart? Do you want
a guy that can throw an anticipation? If you throw
an anticipation that that you're going to have accuracy because
you're you're you're anticipating the guy being open. And so
I want a guy that's tough. Can't be a punk
(18:57):
because you gotta be able to stare down that rush
without staring down that rush and keep your eyes down field.
And and I want a guy that's a leader that
other men can look to them and follow without feeling
like they're less than themselves because you're following another man.
Some guys just have a natural ability to relate to everyone.
(19:21):
And so I don't think there is a perfect quarterback.
But but I will start with toughness and just ability
to relate to your teammates, because if I'm drafting you high,
the physical ability is there, I need. I need the
other things. How how weird is it teaching when you
go to do an NFL locker room and there's guys,
there's the quarterbacks that have had their ass kiss their
(19:43):
entire lives. A lot of those guys have blue ship
players go to big power schools in the Southeastern Conference.
And then there's other guys, uh much like yourself. Right,
you had to go to a junior college. You didn't
graduate high school. You had to go and fight and
scratch and claw and all that, Like what's the what's
the melting pot like there? And I know you guys
all bust each other's balls and all that. That's part
(20:04):
of being in the locker room. But but how how
weird is the dynamic there in the NFL as opposed
to like college or obviously anywhere else you played. Oh
it's different. I mean you as you play and you
navigate through college and you start to get to the NFL.
The quarterbacks are always favored. They wear a different jersey
(20:25):
and practice you can't touch the quarterback. In practice, you
can touch everybody else. We all were the same jersey
except for the quarterback. So you you get a picture
of the quarterback uh being quote unquote different early on
in your career. That that's just what it is. Um.
(20:45):
The media puts the quarterback on a pedestal because when
the quarterback and the team wins. Oh my god, the
quarterback had a great game. He did fantastic. Oh yes,
when they lose, he just doesn't have enough help. You
gotta surround him with guys that can help him, and
so they can't. They do no wrong because the media
(21:09):
will always make an excuse for him. Oh he just
the organization is not very good. The guys around him
aren't very good. And then when that changes, you don't say, oh, yeah,
he has a great team around him, like we're doing
with Baker. He has a great team around him. What
do you say? Oh, yeah, the quarterback just figured it out. Man.
You know, he went the offseason, he worked really hard.
(21:32):
Everything goes hand in hand. I think they get way
too much credit. They take way too much blame. But
quarterbacks nowadays are taught to be leaders. Quarterback nowadays, playing
seven on seven, they're coming into the league more ready
than ever. I've been saying this for years. Seven on
seven football has made these young quarterbacks come into the
league and they're ready to play. They don't have to
(21:54):
sit as much as they used to because they're throwing
the ball so much. Coming up. Yeah, hey, teach you
one of the one I want to ask you this
because one of my pet peeves is the quarterbacks that
get sacked a ton. There's this perception that it's always
if the quarterbacks getting sacked, the ton is always the
offensive line's fault. And I've known from watching football and
you know, being around guys that play, that it's not.
(22:17):
It's a lot of the sacks are not because of
the quarterback, or it's not because of the offensive line.
Uh certain percentage because the quarterback made the wrong decision
or didn't get rid of the ball in time. So
but this always blame the offensive line and it's always
the offensive line's fault. That's not the case. Am I
correcting that? Or am I talking out of my TOOKU?
(22:38):
You're correct? I mean you can watch the game for
yourself and see. I'll give you two examples. I'll say
Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger. They hold the ball, but
the majority of the time it works out for them.
They create big plays. And so you're not gonna sing
(23:02):
the blues and cry when you lose, So you can't
always just grin when you win. Russell Wilson holds the ball,
he creates a big play. Nobody on that sideline is
gonna say, hey, Russ, we need to get rid of
that ball a little sooner. You know, the offensive line
had to hold up that protection for a while, but
when he gets sacked, it's hey, Russ, you need to
get rid of the ball. You're holding onto it for
(23:22):
so long. The quarterbacks hold onto that ball and they
make it harder on offensive line. I don't mind it
because you get you create big play. Sacks are a
good stat but it doesn't tell the whole story of
the game. If I give up a sack and the
next down I can keep the ball as a quarterback
(23:45):
for six or seven sexis and create a big play,
it's worth it to me. Yeah. I actually we have
you here, teacher. I think it's it's perfect. Were a
few weeks away from the big as. We're talking in
real time here, the big show down between the Bill
Belichick coach Patriots and the Tom Brady Buccaneers. And this
(24:06):
is one of the great barroom debates TJ among football observers.
Was it the coach or was it the quarterback who
gets more credit in that relationship? Belichick, that's easy for me.
That's easy for me. But let me go back to
the last question though. If you're putting instant pressure on
the quarterback, that's the problem. But the guys that hold
the ball that's the other thing. But now this is
(24:30):
very easy for me. You can give me the best
game plan in the world. If I can't execute it,
is it the best game plan in the world. No chance,
no chances. It's not put me in a position to
(24:51):
succeed if I don't succeed, like who's faulted. Like Bill
Belichick is a fantastic coach. I've never seen him put
on a helmet. I've never seen him tackle anyone. I've
never seen him make the play. I've never seen it.
It's it's the player, it's Brady. And I've said this
years ago. I was I said this years ago, it's Brady,
(25:16):
and we saw that last year and so he had
Cam newtona it's Brady. You look at his record without Brady,
you look at his playoff record without Brady. It's self explanatory.
And this is not taken away from Bill belisheck. Bill
Blishick is a great coach. He's a great defensive coach.
I believe had Brady not gone to the Patriots, he
(25:38):
wouldn't be the Brady we know because I believe being
on that team learning from Bill just about defensive football
helped him a ton. But you still gotta go execute.
You still gotta have that and hit Brady as smart.
(25:59):
He understood hands what Bill was teaching. There's a lot
of guys that wouldn't get it. That's a talent within itself.
If we got to give a percent, I'm gonna say
seventy Brady Belichick. That's just me. Yeah, yeah, Well and
the other you know, I mean, teacher. You played for
a few different coaches. You bounced around a little bit
after you left the Bengals. If you had a terrible
(26:20):
coach but you're a great player, would you be able
to overcome that? No? No, And a good part of
going from different teams that I did at the end
of my career, you start to see who's terrible as coaches.
There's a lot of terrible coaches. What makes you when
(26:40):
I say that, people like I just looked like this,
Like I just looked like this, Like I really understand
the game of football every position, Like I really just
look like this, and I'm just a receiver, but I
can I understand protections like I'm alignment. I understand protections
like I'm a course, I understand the game of football
and its entirety every position. But you're not overcoming horrible coaching.
(27:02):
And don't get me wrong, Belichick is fantastic, and I've
said that, but when I went to different teams, Oh
my god, explain to you, well, what makes what are
some of you know? I obviously you don't name people
unless you want. You feel free to name people, But
what makes something going like that? They still coaching? I
don't want to get them in trouble, all right, all right,
(27:24):
but give me an example of what would be a
bad coaching for you that you saw. Okay, for instance,
I'll just give you an example. For instance, like you
install the play, and you install this play because you
expect them to give you a certain coverage. So certain
teams that I played on, we would say, if they
(27:45):
play us too high, too high safety that can be
covered to cover four, cover six, two man. You just
know the look pre snap. You're in a quarterback on
the same page, so we're gonna run the route like this,
and these coverages got you, so you work on it.
In practice. They give you different looks, so you're not confused.
(28:06):
If you see single high, we're gonna run it this way?
Got you. I went to teams and I'm like, so
if they give us this courage, how do you want
us run it? Just get open? I'm like, but if
the quarterback needs to throw in anticipation, he means to
know how I'm gonna run it. They literally would like,
just get open, and I'm like, really, no adjustments. At
half time you can see a team is doing this
(28:30):
like it's just it's It was astonishing to me that
they spend all this time watching film or the film
watchings is watching them, and this is the game plan
that they come up with. And as a player, a
lot of times I said something and you can't do
(28:51):
that because these coaches have friends and they start telling
their friends all man tejs asshole, he thinks he knows everything.
You don't want him on your team. That's what starts
to happen. They start to batman of you to your friends,
and so you think you're happing a teak by bringing
this up. But they frowned upon it because they think
you think I know more than you, which they probably
they do know more to me, but certain cases, nah,
(29:13):
and you've talked to any player, they all can give
you these type of stories. Yeah, but TJ. In one
sense too, I get the feeling. At least it seems
like some of the most successful coaches or even the
coordinators in the game. I mean, because you're it feels
like for all intensive purposes, you run the same plays.
But it's the combinations, it's the motion, it's the shifting
(29:36):
pre snap that really throws these defenses off. Like, why
are these coordinators, these coaches inability to adjust? Are they
just pretty much runs the same Everybody does the same thing.
What you call uh drive, I may call levels, what
(29:57):
you call panther, I may call all lying. For the
most parts, everybody does the same thing. This is the difference.
Sean Payton has this, McVeigh has his, Shanahan has this,
Andy Reid has this. I'm sure I'm leaving us some
names off, but that's just off the top of my head.
(30:19):
Is the ability to call the right play at the
right time, because you have really scouted this team and
their tendencies and what they like to do in certain
situations down in distance parts of the field you're on.
Those are the great play callers. Well, everybody has the
(30:42):
same place. It's the ability to call the right play
at the right time. Speaking of that, for all that
he has accomplished during his career, do you think Aaron
Rodgers is becoming unlikable? Nah? Man, It's like, you know,
when people speak the truth, why is it frowned upon?
(31:03):
He just told everyone how he felt. But because they
got their ask kicked, it's a problem now, you know,
And so no, I don't. He was just being honest,
Like we all say, we want our athletes and these
people to be honest. And when somebody's honest and then
they perform and lose the way they do, it's like,
(31:26):
is he becoming unlikable? No? I don't think so. He'll
win and they'll win twelve or thirteen games this year.
Week one will probably be forgotten about unless they get
smoked in the playoffs. It's just he was honest. There
are some things he didn't like. Um could he had
handled quite a bit of it differently? Yeah, probably so.
(31:49):
Had they won, nobody would say anything. But it's because
they got their butts handed to him. They got crushed
with a new quarterback starting for the Saints, that it's
frowned upon. No, I don't think he's becoming unlikable. He
was honest. He he said what he said and that's
(32:10):
how he felt, and so I don't mind honesty at all. Well,
he he's long in the tooth. And there's another guy
that's well liked that Ben absolutely fucking hates, and that's
Kyler Murray. Um, Like, does he have m v P
potential or does he have those flashes where he can
get hot and get streaky? Right now? I mean, we'd
(32:34):
have to say he has these flashes where he can
get hot get streaky. But when when you look at it,
it's similar to Baker. He has a team around him.
And you got Hopkins and A J. Green. A J.
Green can play animal straight up play a J. Green
getting open. Oh, you also have Christian Kirk and you
draft a rondal More. Offensive line should be better. Oh
(33:00):
you got Chandler Jones and J. J. Watt, Isaiah Simmons
and BUDDA Baker. Like they have a team. The Cardinals
have a team surrounding Kyler Murray. He just has to
get the ball to the right guys. What we talked
about earlier, Kingsbury has to call the right play at
the right time. Um, But he's shown us that he
(33:20):
can get hot and streak. He hasn't shown us that
he can get to that level yet. But in the
game of football, he's still very young. Taj I read
a read a story this week by Josh Allen of
the Bills that he bars before games. That's his routine.
And I've seen some other players that. No, this is
a legitimate question. I've ever been in the locker room
(33:42):
before a game you play in the NFL. What are
some of the weirdest things guys did? I assume you
had you played with teammates that would throw up before games,
But what was some of the craziest things you remember
from your playing days of guys to get set for
a game, to get this is ready for a game,
and this is post Lawrence Taylor and you I'm gonna
get you one. And I'm not gonna say this guy's
name because I think he's coaching right now. Um, I
(34:06):
don't know how it. Guys thrown before the game, Like,
I'm not that nervous. It's like it's a nervous anxiousness
type of feeling, not not I'm throwing up, but I
play with a guy. No lot of this true story
and why he would do this. I have no idea.
Dude with pee on himself on the sideline and then
(34:26):
squirt his pants with water so you couldn't really see.
He would peel on himself on the sideline and squirt
himself with water with the water bottle so nobody could
tell what he was doing before every game. Every game, Well,
teach you have I ain't gonna say his name, but
(34:46):
he's a coach right now, and then natural football, we'll
teach you. I have a guy that calls my overnight
show and then this guy Doc Mike from Chicago, and
uh he is he's a big believer and you're in therapy,
which is uh. He like drink urine and stuff. He's
into that kind of thing. But uh well, God bless him. Yeah. Yeah,
well so some would say maybe not, but make sure
(35:09):
you never take a drink from his house unless the
bottle has not been opened. He swears. But he sent
me a bunch of books, like people have written books
about that. It's wild. It's wild and crazy, dude. That's
like je Manuel Marquez when he was fighting Mayweather Manny Pacia.
He was taking all these vitamins. I'm a big boxing fan,
and he said he'll drink his urine because why did
(35:31):
he want to pee out all the nutrients that he
had taken? So he would They showed it on TV
like he would put it in a cup and drink it.
No line, They were, yeah, I mean there's actually some
people who I don't. I would rather not drink that
and not get the benefits of that. That would be
That would be bad. But your boxing guy, any celebrity
(35:54):
boxing in your future, t J Any, this is a
new thing. This is the new Michie here. Celebrities. Man,
I think I do. I think I do fantastic, But
I think the key words in there are I think,
now you got t J. The American people need somebody
to beat these Paul brothers. We need someone to go
in there and slap these guys around. These these it
(36:15):
seems like these fights are rigged the way these fights
have been going for these guys, and somebody's gotta get
in there and kick their tail. They're not fighting real boxers.
As soon as they fight a real boxer, watch what happens.
They're good for the sport. I love boxing, man Nay.
The audience and the eyes they're bringing is great. They're
making a ton of money. That's great for them and
(36:37):
their families. But when they fight a real boxer, it's
gonna be a problem. They're fighting UFC guys. When they
fight a real boy and Nate Robinson, you fight a
real boxer that's your size, they're gonna be in trouble. Hey,
t J. We gotta we gotta wrap this bad boy up.
(36:58):
I thank you. Anything you want to prom mote, anything
you got coming up that you want to yap about.
Promote nothing, man, y'all promote your stuff. Man, it was
just a pleasure. Oh, nothing to promote, man, I have
not one thing to promote. No, it was just my pleasure,
you know, coming on with y'all enjoyed it. Awesome. Thank you,
(37:18):
t J. Appreciate it. Yeah, no worries day. Take care
of brother, See your saturady. You be there Saturday. That's right,
let's right, I'll be there a lot. I'm proud dude,
see you Saturday. Man, make sure you get in the gym. Awesome.
We'll tag you on this. It'll be up on it'll
be up on Friday morning at six. So I got you, man. Yeah,
(37:41):
take care of my pleasure. Y'all stay safe. Yeah, thank you, Yes, sir,
Host
Ben Maller
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