August 29, 2025 • 52 mins
Bun B makes it official as co-host of Unglossy, and we kick things off with a legend: Buffalo Bills icon and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Andre Reed. From a small-town kid in Allentown, Pennsylvania to four straight Super Bowl appearances and a gold jacket in Canton, Reed’s story is one of grit, growth, and giving back.
In this first part of our two-part conversation, Andre takes us through the real playbook behind his success—relationships, mentorship, and showing up when nobody’s watching. He reflects on the wisdom of his Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy (who just turned 100), weighs in on Micah Parsons’ contract standoff and the high-stakes “game within the game” of NFL negotiations, and breaks down how rule changes like the kickoff shift and the tush push have reshaped football forever.
We dive into what it was like lining up against Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, and Darrell Green, the brutal six-week training camps of the ’80s, and the difference between recovering from injuries then versus now. Beyond the field, Andre shares the roots of his purpose—his years as a Boys & Girls Club kid, the founding of the Andre Reed Foundation, and the legacy he’s building with a park, a street, and a stadium all carrying his name back home.
Four straight Super Bowls, seven Pro Bowls, and zero regrets—because whether or not the scoreboard went his way, the world was watching.
🎙️ Tap in. This is Unglossy.
"Unglossy: Decoding Brand in Culture," is produced and distributed by Merrick Studio and hosted by Bun B, Tom Frank and Jeffrey Sledge. Tune in to hear this thought-provoking discussion on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UnglossyPod to join the conversation and support the show at https://unglossypod.buzzsprout.com/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Last week on Unglossy .
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You ever catch a fly?
Yeah, you think you're MrMiyagi Rob.
Yeah, I think I catch them allnow.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
We're building something special here and I'm
excited that you're on board.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I think we're like-minded people, but I think
we have different perspectives.
I think we're interested in alot of the same things.
I think we're curious about howdifferent people kind of walk
their walk, and I think that wecan get some great interviews
done because we're going to bethinking similarly but
approaching differently.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
And I think the key word you just said that about
all of Merrick Studios iscuriosity From the top.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm Tom Frank, I'm Jeffrey Sledge and I'm Bud B.
Welcome to Unglossed From thetop.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I'm Tom Frank.
I'm Jeffrey Sledge.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And I'm Bud B, welcome to Unglossed.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Real stories, unfiltered dialogue and the
voices moving culture beyond thegloss of hype and headlines.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So buckle up.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Unglossed starts now, First and foremost, we got to
welcome officially.
Bun B is no longer a guest, buthe is the host of Unglassy.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Thank you, guys.
I am so honored to be anofficial host of Unglassy.
As you can see, I got my newbackdrop, yep Right, this is my
host backdrop, right here.
So this is how an office veryfew people see unless they come
into the house.
Not that I got nothing to hide,but I don't really have people
at my house like that.
So my wife is more than enoughcompany for me, my grandkids
(01:32):
they keep me busy enough as itis.
So I'm really you know, this isa couple of different keepsakes
, things from different pointsof my life.
You know what I'm saying.
But I thought it worked as abackdrop so I wouldn't have to.
I don't really like going greenscreen like I'm like I got a, I
got a wall somewhere, right, Igot a wall somewhere.
So Queen was like just use youroffice.
(01:52):
I was like, oh, yeah, right,that's what that's there for the
first place.
So, yeah, no, I'm excited to behere.
Man, this is my first episodeand I can't lie, if this is
gonna be my first episode, I'mstarting off with a bang.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
I'm starting off with a bang.
We are starting off with a bang.
Absolutely.
We are very.
I say we just dive in becausewe have so much to talk to this
guy about that we need everyminute of this episode to dive
in.
So today, on Unglossy fellas,we are joined by a true legend.
This is a Buffalo Bills icon.
He's a pro football Hall ofFamer.
(02:24):
He's a seven-time pro bowler, afour-time Super Bowl contender
and one of the toughest widereceivers to ever play the game.
His career has been defined bygrit, resilience and an
unshakable commitment toexcellence.
But beyond the record books andhighlight reels, his story goes
way beyond that.
It's about giving back.
He's the founder of the AndreReid Foundation, where he's
(02:45):
focused on empowering at-riskyouth through mentorship,
education and characterdevelopment.
He's a champion for literacy,an ambassador for the Boys and
Girls Club of America and a firmbeliever that the next
generation deserves a real shot,both on and off the field.
From the roar of Archer Park,which I'm going to tomorrow and
(03:06):
I'm so excited about, toclassrooms and communities
across the country, andre Reidcontinues to lead by example and
we are absolutely honored tohave him with us to talk
football, to talk culture and totalk the future of the game he
loves and the impact that he'sgoing to continue to have on the
youth.
So welcome to Unglossy, mrAndre Reid.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Thank you, guys.
I surely appreciate thatintroduction, but you know now
that I've been out of the gamefor 25 years now.
I can't believe that this is 25years.
It's been that long.
Wow, 25 years, wow, 25 years.
Yes, I came in the league at 21, and I left the game almost at
38.
So I'm 61 now.
(03:46):
So you know what and Bun canprobably attest to this all the
things that he's seen in hislife, as far as you know, all
the things that he's done.
You see people, and people havean impact on you and sooner or
later you're going to see thosepeople way down the road again.
And I tell these young kids inthe league that it's important
(04:09):
that you develop theserelationships right now,
especially the young guys,because you never know how long
you're going to be in this game.
And Bun can tell you that gamethat he's in is a different game
too, and it develops because ofyour passion.
It develops because of yourpassion.
It develops because of peoplearound you.
My head coach at the Hall ofFame this year just turned 100
(04:31):
years old.
Wow, wow.
And Marv Levy not only was amentor of mine, a head coach,
but I consider him a familyfriend, his whole family Just to
be there in Canton with him tocelebrate 100 years on this
planet.
Anything 100 years is ablessing, but I know I got off
(04:53):
on that because we were justthere.
But you know what a blessingit's been for me, not only to be
able to play this game I love,but to be able to be mentors for
the younger generation and theguys after me, because there was
guys before me that I loved.
You know, when I first met JimBrown, it was like meeting the
biggest icon ever, and obviouslyJim Brown is the biggest icon.
(05:15):
He's like the Michael Jordan offootball and a lot of these
guys that I've met over theyears.
I'm like why?
Me, you know why am I?
This kid from Allentown,pennsylvania, nobody knew
nothing about these.
Things happen to and if youapply and you're around the
right people, there's no doubtthat you can grow.
(05:36):
And that's, uh, that's whatI've done.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Amazing.
It is amazing and I think youhit it right on.
Let's start at the beginning.
Here you, pennsylvania guywhich by the way.
I am as well.
I am as well.
I'm, I'm from.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I'm from state college, pennsylvania okay, you
from the, you from the west, I'mfrom around philly, allentown
bun.
You ever been to allentown pa?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I have not been to allentown, pa.
I've sang about allentown withbilly joel but I not been to
Allentown.
That's it, that's it.
That's it, billy.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Joel.
Actually, Kevin Hart wasperforming at the PPL Center a
couple years ago.
I didn't get to go see him.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
But we'd love to have you perform over there.
Bun, for sure hey have rap,will travel.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
And guess what?
You were in my Rolodex man.
You were in my headphones a lotbefore games, so I just want
you to know that.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Oh no, look, that was my prime time in those 90, 92,
96, 97.
That was my prime time.
I didn't wear a lot of startersjackets but I was a big Bruce
Smith fan so I had that big bullon my back.
But I had to because we lostour team in 96.
So I had to because we lost ourteam in 96.
So I had to like adopt.
So I couldn't really pickanother team, I just kind of
(06:48):
went by players I liked.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
Yeah, what do you, what do you like with Houston
right now?
I mean, is it you?
You know Dallas Houston.
I mean, which one are you?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
No, I'm Houston for life and right now I think we're
in one of the best positionswe've ever been as far as being
a sports city, because I believethe Astros are perennial
playoff contenders, I believethe Texans in their division
they're going to always becontenders and I believe now,
with Kevin Durant added to theRockets, we were number two seed
last year in the playoffswithout him.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
That's right.
I completely forgot about that.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
The cost of living.
You know the tax situation.
Houston is a destination as faras sports right now, so I think
we're in a great place.
Dallas, by the meanwhile, gaveaway Luka and got Anthony
Edwards Like they've got a lot,and of course they're the home
of the Cowboys, so yeah, so theygot to figure it out up there
(07:45):
and they're about to lose Micah.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
You know what?
Here's my take on that Please.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I want to hear this.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Here's my take, and I've never met Micah Parsons.
I know he went to Penn State,which isn't too far.
It's State College, that'sright.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
That's right where I'm from.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Obviously where I'm from.
Obviously, Micah Parsons is aonce-in-a-generation type of
player.
Jerry Jones knows that.
Don't let him think he don'tknow.
Jerry Jones knows that.
But in our game it's all aboutplaying hardball.
And playing hardball with youknow the player against the
owner, against everything else,and it's how you play that game
where it's going to benefit youthe most.
(08:27):
When I came in at 85, there wasno game to play.
You showed up, that's it.
This is what you get,da-da-da-da-da.
And then you got to work hard.
You still got to do that, butwith all the influence.
Now, in sports in general,there's a lot of different
things going on that couldeither alter how a team is going
(08:49):
to talk to you or not, and itdoesn't seem like that really
what happened, but what'shappening.
But that's the game and you'vegot to play the game.
So I think Micah's not going togo nowhere.
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Let me ask you this question, andre, about this.
I'm talking about this, mike, Ithink.
Now, what do you think?
The what's the word?
I'm looking for?
The leverage, I guess, of theCowboys letting this drag out
this far, like why don't theyjust work the deal?
That's the game.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
That's the game, bro.
That's the game they play.
Yeah, and again, guys, when Icame into the league in 1985,
the game was a lot different,just like when Bun came in.
What he did before the game wasdifferent.
And now the game has stepped upbecause of influences from the
outside.
And you know, in the rap gameand in the football and in the
(09:42):
sports world we all go hand inhand.
But you know we're like this.
Of course we come out of thesame community.
Yeah, so you just got to playyour cards.
You know it's all about dealingthe cards getting the cards you
want and the ones you don'twant, you throw them back in and
you got to play hardball.
So my thing on Mike I don'tthink he's going to go anywhere.
It's all rhetoric right now,Jerry Jones either going to put
(10:06):
up or shut up before the seasonstarts, and that's, you know, a
couple weeks away.
But I don't think he's going togo anywhere.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
Are we better?
I'm sorry, Tom.
No no go ahead, bud how muchdoes, making this a public
situation help him.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Does that even really , if you're saying that all of
this stuff is kind of going toplay out like it's going to play
out?
Does making this a publicsituation even allow him any
leverage in this situation?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Yes, yes, because look at basketball Same thing.
There's leverage of all theseguys, even though basketball
seems like, even though KevinDurant now is in Houston.
But Kevin Durant's been withfour or five teams the last five
years.
It seems like they're alwayschanging, but again they only
have 10 players.
They don't have 49, 54 guysthat they have to deal with
(10:55):
every single year, every singleday.
They're in the building.
So it's a give and take gameand you got to push, they got to
push.
You got to push game and yougot to push, they got to push,
you got to push back, they gotto push back.
We know value.
Value is very important,especially in sports the value
of this guy right now and downthe road.
(11:16):
What does he bring to the team?
We already know, michael, whathe brings to the team.
How's he going to makeeverybody else around him better
?
We all know that he makeseverybody better.
Now the negotiations have toplay into that of what Jerry
wants to do by keeping him.
What kind of cap space they'vegot.
All those things factor in.
(11:37):
But, like I said, I just thinkMichael Parsons is not going to
go anywhere in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
And so four preseason games and week one.
Michael Parsons is going to togo anywhere in Dallas.
And so four preseason games andweek one.
Michael Parsons is going to besuited up in that blue and
silver.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
I don't see how he can't.
I don't see how they play.
They'd be crazy.
I would love to start theseason without this guy?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Thanks, man.
There's a lot of things thatcould happen in three weeks or
four weeks before the seasonstarts here, in another month
from now, but Micah is playingthe role the way he should be
playing it, and he's waiting forJerry Jones to make the move.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
I'm sorry.
You like Andre's, you likeMicah's approach to the
negotiations because look at TJWatt boom.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Do you like Andre's or Andre's, you like Micah's
approach to the negotiations?
Because look at TJ Watt Boom.
All these other players thatgot paid that are on the same
line and the same athleticismmaybe not, they're the same.
Tj Watt, micah Parsons who'sthe other kid that just got paid
?
And Micah Parsons, he's athree-down guy.
He can get down on his arm, hecan get down and he can stand up
(12:50):
too.
He's kind of like if I had toreally put him in a category and
maybe this is a stretch he'skind of like a young Lawrence
Taylor.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I would kind of agree with that A little bit.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Yeah, Because LT was on the ground and he stood up.
And when he stood up, youbetter watch out.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
That's right, so do you think this is better for the
game today or worse for thegame?
Speaker 4 (13:18):
I think it's the way, the game.
You can't stop it.
Number one you can't stop itbecause every team is going to
do it, every single player thatis in the same situation.
And then these guys look ateach other and what they're
doing on their teams and ifthey're up, then they go.
Well, it's always been likethat.
It's always been like that.
(13:39):
What this guy gets, somebody'sgot to be the benchmark.
Right now, tj Watt is thebenchmark for guys like Michael
Parsons.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
For sure, for sure.
How much of this is a shiftfrom your era, like when a guy
in your era had a paydiscrepancy.
What leverage did you guys haveback then to try to get to the
top?
You had your teammates.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
That's one thing you had.
Everything else is going toplay out the way it should now.
Mind you, they had the moneyback then.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
That they got now the tv, the advertising and all
that they didn't have that moneythey didn't have that money, so
somebody got to get paid.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
They got to give that money to somebody.
If I were to wish something, Iwish I would have been born like
10, 15 years ago.
10 years ago, 15 years ago, I'dbe right in the middle of all
this stuff right now.
But God didn't make it that way.
God didn't make it that way.
God made me the way I am.
I'm kind of glad for that.
(14:43):
But again it's just a push andpull.
Again it's him with the ropeand they're just pushing and
pulling.
He was going to give up first.
Yeah, that's just.
Every team has one guy that'slike that, especially when they
look at other guys at theirposition and they have to pay
somebody.
They got to pay him.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
So now, looking at your career, you started at a
division two school.
How does that?
I mean that's a huge.
I mean coming from Kutztown tothe NFL.
Like what was that transition?
Like I mean that's that's, youdon't see that, yeah Um.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I used to.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
I tell people I used to go cow tipping.
You ever cow tip, bumby, cowtipping right.
So all the guys my rookie yearI said, yeah, I used to cow tip
A couple of my friends fromPhilly.
These dudes never probably sawa cow except in the grocery
store.
That's the first time theyprobably never saw a cow
(15:40):
sleeping, standing up.
So we would go hit them andknock them over and then run.
I'm telling you right now, cowcan't move.
But knock me over when I'mstanding up, sleeping.
I'm coming after you, that's it.
I'm coming after you.
But I went to a cow tippingschool and it was about 30
minutes from my house because Iwas really a homebody kid.
I loved to be close to home.
(16:01):
I was a young kid graduatingfrom high school.
I was the youngest kid prettymuch in the class graduating and
wasn't mature.
So it was conducive for me tostay close to the house and you
know my mom held me back oneyear.
So I gained a year.
Bottom line is it turned outpretty good.
So I got lucky for that.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
So you get drafted into the NFL.
You show up.
I mean, what was that?
It had to be kind of a culturalshift for you.
You went from a pretty smallschool to now you're playing for
the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Also, what round were you drafted in?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Fourth round.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
So back then they had 12 rounds Bun.
Let me tell you, you think thedraft is long now A lot of
players.
Dude, my rookie year, there was16 receivers in training camp
and 22 defensive backs.
That's a quarter of the teamalmost all new recruits, just
like free agents draft choices.
(16:59):
We have 12 rounds.
Right, you might have two picksaround, so you can at least
dude.
There was 128 guys on the field, wow.
So guess what?
Your chances of making a squadhave been diminished because of
128 guys just based on numbers,just based on numbers based on
(17:24):
numbers.
So if you were a free agent,well, you almost have to put
wings on and fly to stand outthat's a lot of.
Those guys went on special teamsand came down, just gangbusters
, just would bust.
That's when they used to getthe wedge.
They can't do that, no more buta wedge.
And you would be in, used toget the wedge.
(17:45):
They can't do that, no more buta wedge.
And you would be in the middleof the wedge and you would just
bust heads wide open.
Man, that's how you made theteam.
If you were a free agent,special teams.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Did you start off on special teams?
Speaker 4 (17:59):
or no?
Yeah, I did pump return andstarted at receiver and I said,
yeah, this pump return thingain't going to do it because
nobody was blocking.
And I was like bruh, you werekilled back there.
Yeah, hey, bud, I used to lookup and look down and see them
coming Nobody blocking.
I was like I got to get off ofthis squad.
(18:21):
No way, yeah, I did so.
128 guys and you might have hadtwo or three chances to catch a
ball To get your spot To showyou were in the spot, yes, wow.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
So, andre, tell us a little bit Yep and training camp
.
That's what I was going to askyou.
Tell us a little bit about thattraining camp.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
That's what I was going to ask.
Tell us a little bit about thattraining camp.
Training camp was six weekslong.
Two days pads, damn.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Much different today.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
These guys just got there and they already left,
that's true, they can't even geta rhythm going, Like they just
show up and say what's up, we'regoing to be here for a minute
and then we out.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Wow, Crazy man.
So, why is that?
Why did it change?
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Is it the players?
Just like I'm not doing thisanymore.
I think the Players Associationhad a lot to do with things
that happened years ago.
A couple guys actually one guy,corey Stringer I don't know if
you remember Corey Stringer uh,went to Ohio state big offensive
lineman.
He died.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
I do remember that.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
He died during training camp heat exhaustion,
wow, so they cut all.
They cut all the two days out.
And um, it's not that theydidn't cut the two days out,
they cut the pads out.
So these guys have shells now.
I mean, they're in pads everynow and again, but they're not
in pads like they were when Iplayed bro.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
No, not down here.
It's 93 degrees outside.
They ain't giving it that.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
If you were in Houston or New Orleans, they
find you floating down theMississippi River.
So it was brutal, but for everyperson, for everything that
happens, that's good.
Somebody made it good for them.
Somebody made it good for them,so yeah, All right, so we got
(20:22):
to dive into.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
I think if you're a football fan or not, the one
thing you do know is the BuffaloBills went to four straight
Super Bowls Unheard of Unheardof Never happened again.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Why not?
That's a good question, becausewe could sit here till next
week, Bun, and I could tell you.
I just think number one the waythe game is, you look at how
there's a different rule changeevery year the kickoff thing I
can't even understand that.
I don't understand that.
(20:58):
So guys like Devin Hester, whojust got in the Hall of Fame two
years ago, you'll never see aDevin Hester ever again in the
NFL as long as they have thatkind of rule on kickoff, on
kickoffs, Is that?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
rule here to stay.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Definitely.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
So that stays, so that, and the tush push stays, I
don't even know what that is,man.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
I can't understand that.
When I first saw that, I waslike we got 11 grown men against
11 other grown men, and even toplay you should get a yard.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
It's rugby.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
If you don't get your .
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Yeah, go ahead, bud.
No, I was saying Tom'sabsolutely right, I was going to
say the same thing.
You're pretty much playingrugby out there at that point.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Yeah, and there's a rugby.
There's a pro rugby team herecalled the Legion and I go to
some of the games and basicallywhen they get in them, scrums
that's what a tush push is.
So I don't know if they haveoutlawed it or they just nixed
it or not, because I know acouple players See what they do.
(22:20):
When you get in the trainingcamp they have different rules
and it's not that you vote onthem, but you kind of give your
opinion on what these rules meanto you.
Like, should the NFL have theserules?
Because when I played therewere no rules.
You know some of the rules theyhave with the quarterback and
the defenseless receivers.
(22:41):
Ronnie Lott was not going forthat.
Y'all remember Ronnie Lott.
He cut his finger off the play.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Bun you ever hear that I did?
I love to rap, but I'm gonnaeat these things.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Yes.
So he got his finger stuck inthe helmet this part of his
finger and it was almost comingoff and he went into the locker
room and said just cut it off.
And he went back out there andplayed.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
I got a pretty decent pain tolerance.
I don't know if it's cut offpiece of my finger.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
You wouldn't cut a finger off to go back.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I'll perform with like a fractured elbow.
You know what I'm saying?
I got a couple of box offractures on my hands from
fighting things that don't fightback.
But that's another day, dude.
Hey, you can't even cut arecord with that finger.
No, sir, I lose my dexteritygrabbing the microphone without
the pinky.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And we'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Welcome to Merrick Studios, where stories take the
mic and culture comes alive.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
We're not just a network, we're a family,
bringing you smart, soulful,unfiltered conversations.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
And this season we're bringing the heat with our
biggest lineup yet.
Whatever you're into, music,sports business, we got you
covered.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Merrick Studios, where the conversation starts
and keeps going.
Check out our full lineup,including unglossy with bun b,
jeffrey sledge and myself, tomfran, now streaming at.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
We are merrickstudioscom master the art
of lyricism with pendulum mink,the first school for rap.
Learn elite techniques throughimmersive lessons, real world
exercises and guidance fromhip-hop icons.
This, this is where MCs sharpentheir skills and glow boldly on
the mic.
Ready to level up?
Visit PendulumLinkcom and startyour journey today.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
So, these rule changes every year.
Yes, they make it better forthe game, but thank you, no,
thank you for what you did forguys 20 years before that they
used to kill quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
But you think they're .
They're behind the ball on someof this stuff a very, very not
in.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
They're not even in the same vicinity.
So you look at tom brady.
He played 20 years in the NFL,greatest quarterback ever, seven
Super Bowls.
You know resume out, you knowwhatever.
When's the last time when TomBrady played?
Somebody actually tattooed him.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Nobody, nobody did?
Speaker 4 (25:18):
They changed the rule .
Speaker 5 (25:19):
The last person that they changed the rule.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
They changed the rule Because of the last time
somebody tattooed him, that'sright.
So guess who tattooed him?
He that's right.
So guess who tattooed him?
He played for the Bills.
Nate Clemens Went to Ohio State.
Brady comes around the cornerand Nate Clemens almost
decapitated him.
His helmet came off I thoughtit was his head, jesus and you
(25:46):
couldn't touch Tom Brady with a50-foot pole after that Guess
what?
You got fined.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You got fined, and so that was basically sending a
message, more than anything.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Yep, because Tom Brady, when he comes in the
stadium just like Michael Jordanbrings money brings dollars.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
So even if they're not scripting games which a lot
of these younger kids like tosay they're scripting these
sports outcomes there's stillsome type of way where they have
to interject in the flow of thegame and be like you can't do
it like this.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
Oh yeah, you just can't play this game like this
right now, Really subtly though,so you can't see.
Yeah, it's kind of like the guythat played the game like me
can see it.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
When did the quarterback become the most
important player on the field?
Because I feel like that'swhere the shift comes in.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
Yeah, exactly because you build from the outside in,
you get the quarterback first.
Every team in the NFL that hasa good quarterback Mahomes, josh
Allen, burrow, lamar, herbertLamar you build around them, you
(27:02):
get a good receiver one or two,you get a good running back and
you get a good receiver one ortwo.
You get a good running back andyou get a good defense behind
that and your team can go to it.
Just so happens, the KansasCity Chiefs have gone to the
Super Bowl so many times overthe last seven years because of
coaching.
Number one Andy Reid is a heckof a coach.
Are they as talented as everyother team in the league?
(27:25):
In a way they are are, but theymake it work because that,
because the offensivecoordinator, defensive
coordinator, special teams guyknows how to work with the head
coach.
That's number one.
They're on the same page.
If one's off the page, youbetter jump back on.
They work together like that.
That's why kansas city wins andmahomes.
(27:47):
He's a heck of a quarterbacktoo.
Good you gotta have that guy tostart.
If you don't have him, you'renot going anywhere.
I don't care how good yourdefense is, because they're
gonna get tired sooner or laterright, yeah that was our problem
for a while.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
You know, I'm saying we had a great defense but they
were too tired because ourquarterbacks could not get it
done.
We didn't really have anybodythat could be put a couple of
consistent wins together untilreally sharp, you know.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
But then at that point we didn't.
I love seeing that, but wedidn't have an O-line.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
That became the problem.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
See you need.
Now.
The first thing you do is youget the quarterback and then you
get a left tackle.
You got to get the guy thatprotects his blind side.
You get that guy.
That's why every team has a bigold boy at left tackle.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
We had Dwayne Brown, I think, for a couple years
Dwayne Brown was awesome.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
We had a guy named Howard Ballard back in the day.
Howard went to HBCU school andhe was 6'6" 350 on a good day.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
That's a lot of man boss.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
Can you imagine, bro?
It was like trying to getaround the building.
You know the building you're inright now.
It's like trying to run aroundthat and get somebody on the
other side before he runs 6'6"350.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
To your team, right?
I want to get back to the SuperBowl thing.
Okay, when you look at whenpeople talk about the best teams
to ever be in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
They don't put us in there.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
They don't put you in there.
Where do you think you shouldsit in there?
You didn't win a Super Bowl,but you went to four straight
Super Bowls.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
So, yeah, us, the Vikings right, the Vikings
playing four didn't win.
But what was everybody doingduring that time?
They were watching me on TVFour straight years.
Yeah, yeah.
Yes, I got a Hall of Fame ring.
I don't have a Super Bowl ring.
(29:53):
It just wasn't meant to be.
But I'm not going to letsomebody else tell me that my
career or what I did or what ourteams did didn't mean anything
because we didn't win.
Yeah, that's the main thing,that's what you go play the game
for.
But you were sitting downeating your Cheetos, drinking
your beer, whatever you weredoing watching me.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
True.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
So guess what?
Whether or not you thought yourteam was better than my team,
exactly.
So guess who wins.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
You're right.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Look everybody, if you know, we come from the music
industry.
Thousands of albums get madeall the time but only a couple
of people get nominated for theGrammy.
It all said that everybody elsesit at home and watch me in my
tuxedo.
Clap with somebody else, win,but you still watch me.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
I was in the building , you watch me, I love that in
the building.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
You're still watching me.
I love that analogy, bro.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I love that and it's funny because when I retired
people were still, you know, theInternet is undefeated, bun,
you know that they undefeated.
So people are going to saystuff about you and I don't like
to get in them kind of warsbecause I just don't like to do
that as much as I want to.
My wife is like, don't saynothing back and I'm just like,
(31:12):
yeah, they say it because theydo it behind closed doors and
all that.
But I have no regrets, zeroregrets.
I'm a kid from a small townthat wasn't supposed to be
anything.
Why am I worried about whatthis dude thinks?
Because he was watching medrinking beer with a fat stomach
(31:33):
.
Why should that guy bother me?
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That's true, I know that's right.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
So I played with some of the greatest players.
I played with seven other Hallof Famers.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Wow, there were seven Hall of Famers from that team.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
Seven If we were that bad, none of us would be Hall
of Famers.
Wow, there were seven Hall ofFamers from that team Seven.
If we were that bad, none of uswould be Hall of Famers Facts.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
That's perspective right there.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
That is perspective.
Yeah, None of us would be.
How close are you to those guysto this day?
Speaker 4 (31:59):
Really close.
I just saw all of them inCanton last week.
Big shout out to Sterling Sharp, who I had plenty of battles
against in Green Bay, jaredAllen, eric Allen and Antonio
Gates, so they went in this year.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
What a great thing, man, just to be there.
And again, when I put that goldjacket on guys, it's like going
up for the Grammy.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
That's crazy.
Even if you don't win Likethat's a little acknowledgement
Even without the Super Bowls,even without the trophies and
all of that, you played the gameat the highest level against
people playing at the highestlevel.
That's right.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
And when I get accolades from my peers, I don't
care less what anybody elseover there says.
And Deion Sanders gave me oneof the greatest accolades a
couple years ago when he was ona podcast.
They asked him who the toughestreceivers were he ever played
against, wow, and he mentionedme and I was just blown away
(33:05):
because when they asked me whowas the toughest defensive back
ever went against and I got abunch of them.
But deon, rod woodson, darylgreen these guys are all in the
hall of fame yeah that's true.
I was not gonna get to, I wasnot gonna get the fourth corner
corner on me.
Every game I'm getting theirbest guy.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
They're trying to have you out on the island out
there.
Oh yeah, Me against.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
Deion.
What do I got?
So that's how I put things inperspective.
When people say things likethat, to a certain point you can
go on the Internet and find outwhat I did.
I don't need to brag on.
Look at all the albums Albums,some of them songs.
(33:58):
I'd still be bumping them.
Songs, yeah, heck, yeah, I'd bebumping them.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
I got the nomination, but I ain't got the trophy.
I got the little medal Guesswhat.
I got the little participation,but I ain't got the trophy.
I got the little medal Guesswhat.
I got the little participationmedal, right there.
Let me tell you something Letme tell you something.
Speaker 3 (34:12):
It'd take everything to get that.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
It'd take everything to get that, and guess what?
Only you know.
Only you know that.
So if somebody wants to youabout it, get in my shoes and
see how that feels.
Since you ain't in my shoes,you don't have no idea how that
feels.
So, uh, you need to.
(34:35):
You know, move on with it.
So I don't, I don't.
Um, oh yeah, bumby was alwaysup in mind.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Andre.
Like Andre when you so whenyou're considering for a game to
go up against Dion.
What's that?
Like best against the best?
Speaker 4 (34:52):
It's hard to find little small intricacies on a
person of that stature, butwhatever I did find, I tried to
exploit it as much as I can.
I was a pretty good guy atwatching film.
You know I watch film a lotbecause, obviously, against
those guys as much as I can.
I was a pretty good guy atwatching film.
You know I watch film a lotbecause obviously, against those
guys, you got to be 100% onpoint and you got to try to find
(35:17):
something that they do theydon't do as well, they don't do
well, and that's hard to find ona guy like Dion or Rod or Daryl
Green.
So it was always a battle.
I loved it.
That's just what competition isabout.
To me, the three probablygreatest corners that I ever
(35:37):
played against was those threeguys.
But you had to do your studying, man, you know, and you had to
do.
You had to put in the work andI always thought that if I did
put in a work that I had an edge.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Yeah Well, I want to shift gears a little bit,
because a lot of guys retire and, who knows, some of them
struggle with it, a game thatyou love.
Then all of a sudden you're notplaying anymore.
What's that?
What was that transition?
Like going from being the guyto now like being kind of a
normal guy.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
Who's?
I played 31 years of footballguys.
31 years from seven years oldtill I was 38.
So every year, every fall, itwas putting the pads on, getting
ready to go.
It was hard because that's youknow, it's like anything you do
in life.
You're so used to it that itjust became second nature.
But when it was over it was abig shock.
(36:34):
You know to say, any guy thatplayed as long as I did when it
just abruptly stops like that,okay, you're not going to Camp
United to say that they're ohyeah, I'm good they're lying,
because it's kind of embedded inyou, it's part of your DNA.
It's part of your DNA.
It's part of your DNA.
It was part of my DNA when Icame out the womb to be a
football player and I wasfortunate enough to play as long
as I did.
(36:55):
God gave me that you know thegrace to play that long.
And you know I turned everystone over, I crossed every T, I
dotted every I, um and um and Igot lucky.
You know I missed 11 games inthose 17 years.
Wow, wow so, and I wouldn'thave missed them, but I got.
I got, uh, kind of folded alittle bit and tore my groin and
(37:18):
did a lot of that almost.
Yeah, it was a really badinjury, but I came back the
following year and finished outyou.
I was not going to let that, toa certain point, be my demise,
but yeah, I just I would justsay guys, I got, I got pretty
lucky, yeah, got pretty lucky todo that.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Yeah, from that position, to have that few, to
have missed that few games isinsane, because that's literally
one of the most unprotectedareas of football.
For your position.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
It is fun it is.
There was no protection on thereceivers.
There's really no protection onquarterbacks.
It was like a free run most ofthe time.
Guys like Ronnie and I talkedabout Ronnie, steve Atwater I
don't know if you remember SteveAtwater hell yeah, six, six,
three, two, twenty, comingdownhill from about 15 yards to
(38:12):
disenlage your head from yourbody and then before me you know
guys like Jack Tatum and thosekind of guys.
I mean there was no rules.
So basically you're kind of abattering ram, but I was blessed
to play as long as I did andnot be injured that much.
That's insane Because one guyyou know guys nowadays that get
(38:36):
the injury bug you guys everhear of the injury bug?
Yeah, so they get one injuryand it just injury after injury.
It just sticks with them.
You just can't get away frombeing in the tank.
I was fortunate enough not tohave that injury bug.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
I keep hearing about conditioning, like off-season
conditioning.
Oh yeah, is that something thatcan kind of stave off that kind
of?
Let me ask you this Are guyspurposely and consciously
leaving rehab early to get backin the game?
I mean, maybe now the medicineis advanced enough where they
(39:14):
don't have to, but from your era, right Like, a guy probably
needs four or five weeks ofrehab to really get that knee or
that hip back right, but he's,like I got to get back in this
game and start playing yeah,well, you know guys that tear
their knees up.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
They come back the same year because of technology.
You tore your knee up when Iplayed.
Most of the time, you're done.
You're done for the year.
I mean rod woodson to talkabout rod a couple uh, during
his playing days he was playingin the first game against
Detroit and he was trying totackle Barry Sanders that's like
(39:48):
good luck with that Right andhis foot got caught in the turf
and he tore his knee ACL injurySupposed to be out the whole
year.
He played in the Super Bowlthat year against the Cowboys.
Supposed to be out the wholeyear.
He played in the Super Bowlthat year against the Cowboys.
So that was kind of like stateof the art for a guy coming back
(40:11):
the same year to play in theSuper Bowl.
Now these guys can come backand play.
Look at Aaron Rodgers two yearsago tore his Achilles.
Dude, you an Achilles, and he'swhat?
37, 37, he was 37 years old.
You don't come back from that.
You done that's it.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
That's what I was going to say, like and to be
fair, you know, obviously Iwould imagine the average nfl
athlete is more physically fitthan the average guy walking
around working a nine to five,but at that age your body
doesn't react the same way.
You don't rebound like that.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
It doesn't heal.
It doesn't heal that way atthat age.
But again, technology.
I never thought that AaronRodgers would come back after
blowing his Achilles.
I saw that on Monday NightFootball, I remember watching
that.
For a 38, 37-year-old man.
Dude, sit it down, You're doneand he's playing.
(41:07):
And he's still playing.
Yeah, he's starting, yeah, soI'm like.
So when I came in, lee, youtold your Achilles you were out
for the year and that could becareer ending.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
And in basketball it still could be a year yeah it's
more prevalent in basketballthan in football.
Speaker 4 (41:29):
You got them tall lanky guys.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
Didn't.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Kevin Durant do it.
He tore his Achilles right.
Who just?
Speaker 1 (41:34):
did it this past year .
There was a number of guys whodid it this year Alliburton.
Speaker 5 (41:39):
Yeah, jason Tatum, and.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
Tatum.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Somebody from the Celtics right Jason Tatum.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
Jason Tatum, jason Tatum so you got basketball guys
that are 6'8, 6'9.
That Achilles is elongated evena little more.
The elasticity of it is not asas a guy that's 6'1 or 6'2,
you're 6'8, 6'9.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
Kevin Durant's what 6'11, six, nine.
Yeah, he's seven feet Sixeleven, six, ten Dude.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
His Achilles tendon is longer than some people.
How tall they are In my leg,yeah.
So that thing without the rightthing, without the right stuff
that he's supposed to be doingwith it.
Not saying he wasn't supposedto be the stuff he was doing.
All that takes is a quickmovement, boom, he's done.
And that's what happened toTatum, that's what happened to
(42:27):
Halliburton, all those guys.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
Kobe yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
And Kobe too.
Happened to Kobe.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (42:37):
So it's a real unfortunate injury, but these
guys can come back from alltheir knees and their Achilles.
And I separated my shoulder oneyear, never got surgery.
I came back in three weeks.
Shouldn't have did that, but Idid.
Oh, I hit it, I fell on top ofit, felt like somebody just took
their foot and justcontinuously kicked me in the
(42:58):
shoulder for about 10 minutes.
For about 10 minutes.
God, it hurt so bad and I'm outthere trying to play and I
played, but that was probablythe wrong thing to do Wait with
a shoulder injury.
Yeah, this thing was sticking uplike that.
It was up there.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
You have no range.
You're losing more than 50% ofyour range, because not only can
you if it's your left shoulder,not only can you if it's your
left shoulder, not only can younot go left, you can only go so
far to the right.
Speaker 4 (43:27):
Not only that, bro.
It felt like this was on astring and somebody could have
took my arm and pushed it down,and it would have just went like
that.
It was fun.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
So I don't know Right hand.
He can catch with his righthand Exactly All right.
So I got to ask you aboutBuffalo.
You are still the king ofBuffalo.
You were a big part of thatcommunity.
You started the Andre ReedFoundation.
Tell us a little bit about thatand the work that the
foundation does.
I wasn't and you guys were boysand girls club kids?
Speaker 4 (43:59):
I was not.
I was a Boys and Girls Club kidfrom age 7 to 16, so 7 to
almost 10 years I was a Boys andGirls Club kid.
Every day after school I wouldgo by the Boys and Girls Club.
What I was taught at home wastaught differently in the Boys
(44:22):
and Girls Club because of allthe different kids.
Didn't matter what color youwere, didn't matter what you had
you were treated the same.
I credit them because withoutthem I wouldn't be talking to
you guys, Because they taught mea lot about life.
They taught me a lot aboutrespect.
They taught me about thingslike you know never burn a
(44:46):
bridge, because sooner or lateryou have to cross that same
bridge.
And all the mentors and all thepeople that were in my life
most of them were Boys and GirlsClub, like volunteers, and they
were so instrumental in my lifethat in 2015, I got inducted
into the Boys and Girls ClubAlumni Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (45:13):
Without that, I don't make the Pro Football Hall of
Fame and six other Hall of Fameswithout the Boys and Girls Club
Hall of Fame Wow.
So they were so important in mylife, they saved my life, put
it that way.
Way because I wasn't supposedto be anything.
I was destined not to bedefinitely not be a professional
athlete, there's no way.
(45:33):
But I had the right peoplearound me.
That showed me how importanthard work is.
That showed me that you gottawork hard for what you want.
You're not going to get itright away, but there's a
process you go through to getwhat you want in life.
There's not too many peoplethat just show up and get
(45:55):
something and then they leaveand it's like, okay, I'm good.
No, it doesn't happen that way.
You got to work hard.
And that's what I try to tellthese kids when I talk to them.
You got to work hard.
And that's what I try to tellthese kids when I talk to them
that my plight was synonymouswith how I was taught in the
Boys and Girls Club, what myparents taught me and the big
(46:16):
word respect.
And I think the word respectgoes every single day in your
life.
Every single day in your life.
There's a respect factor youhave to have and our kids
nowadays don't know what thatmeans.
A lot of them don't know whatrespect means, so I'm here to
tell them what it means.
It's the bottom line.
(46:37):
We all know our respect factor,what we do, and I was taught
that.
So that's what I try to tellthese kids.
Man and I've spoken to kidsfrom alaska all the way down to
florida about it, um, and I'vebeen blessed and that's why I'm
a club kid and I always will bea club kid but you're still
giving back to allentown as well.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Like I see you have park in allentown.
First of all, you know Icommend you on that because I've
been trying to figure out howto get Chad Pipsy a park or
something named.
Jeff actually spoke at hisfuneral and told the mayor we've
had three other mayors sincethen, jeff, but we still don't
have it.
Still don't have it, but youhave a park and not only do you
(47:19):
have a park, but your park isavailable for the youth as well.
In terms of sports engagement,it's a do you have a park, but
your park is available for theyouth as well.
In terms of, yes, sportsengagement, it's a multi-faceted
type of park.
Speaker 4 (47:27):
Tell me about that a little bit, and the park is
right across the street from myhigh school, which they named
the street after me, so it'sandre reed way, wow Way.
And Andre Reed Park on the samestreet.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
That's amazing, that's legacy.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
So the 15-year-old me in high school or at high
school standing out there.
If somebody told me you know,in 25, 30 years from now they're
going to rename this streetafter you and that park is going
to be renamed after you, I'dhave been like who?
Who are you talking about Me?
No way, it just.
(48:09):
It just goes to show you thatthe people in your life are so
important.
Have the right people in yourlife that show you the right way
.
And our kids nowadays don'thave the right people in their
life and they're not going outto you know, they're not going
out to find the people.
So you got to go find thepeople that make you better,
(48:29):
that make you more than youthink you are, in a positive way
.
So seven other Hall of Fames, astadium, my college stadium is
named after me.
That's right.
My high school field, thestreet and the park From a kid.
(48:49):
That wasn't supposed to be, Jackwasn't supposed to be anything.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
My friend it's an amazing, lasting legacy to you,
for sure.
Speaker 4 (48:57):
So that will be there forever for the next
generations and generations, andgenerations to inspire them to
be great, to be respectful anddo for others.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
That's what that means.
I got to start working harder.
No, you don't, bud.
I thought I put enough work into get a park.
I thought we put enough in toget a UGK park.
So let me get back on the clock.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
It also shows, how obviously how people look at you
and respect your journey andrespect what you've done and
know that putting your name onthese type of monuments is a
good thing, because you're goingto do your part to uphold that
your name.
It's not like why are we namingafter him and he's doing this,
(49:46):
and that, of course, it showsthat you're like a solid, for
lack of a better term just asolid person who gives back to
the community.
Speaker 4 (49:55):
That's amazing man, seriously, and when I go to the
hall every year, when I put onthat yellow jacket not going to
lie to you y'all I'm a littledifferent person when I'm around
all the Hall of Famers, Just alittle bit different Right from
the start.
I'm amongst greatness 120 guyswhose journeys maybe have been
(50:17):
similar, maybe not, but we allwent through something to get to
that point.
Bun, you went through a lot toget to your point, Absolutely.
You went through adversity.
You went through people sayingthis and people saying that and
whatever.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
You just button the lip and you go about your
business.
Then what?
No, I love it.
That's the kind of way I wasraised.
Like you know, I grew up in ageneration where men got up,
they went, did their job, theycame home.
They didn't expect to be pattedon the back.
You know, it's not going to bea parade of people when you get
on for work.
Speaker 4 (50:56):
You just did what you were supposed to do you know
what you're supposed to do andit doesn't go unnoticed.
Right, I think it sometimesgoes.
It doesn't go unnoticed becausethere's going to be a kid or
two or maybe three, four, ten,fifteen come up to me and say I
remember what you said to me inthe boys and girls club in
(51:16):
kansas city, or I remember whatyou said to me in new y or
Philadelphia or Miami, or in theMidwest, in Chicago.
I remember that and I want tothank you for that.
Guess what my job is done.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
It was done.
It's crazy because sometimesyou don't even you may not
remember exactly what you said,you may not remember the actual
interaction.
But you know the intention thatyou walk around in this world
with.
Speaker 5 (51:45):
Even if I don't remember it.
Speaker 2 (51:46):
I'm pretty sure this kid isn't lying.
I'm pretty sure this kid cameup to me at that point in my
life.
I was of the frame of mind togive him something to grow on.
That's it.
Speaker 4 (51:57):
That's what God wants us to do.
Are we perfect?
Ain't nobody perfect?
He's perfect up there.
He's the only perfect.
But you can go by what he saysand what he guides you to.
Speaker 1 (52:10):
That was part one of our conversation with the
legendary Andre Reid.
We'll be back next week withpart two.
Until then, follow the show onInstagram at unglossypod, and
leave us a comment.
Subscribe to Unglossy on Apple,spotify, youtube or wherever
you catch your podcasts.
Unglossy is hosted by Bun B,jeffrey Sledge and Tom Frank.
It is produced and distributedby Merrick Studios.
Last week on Unglossy .
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You ever catch a fly?
Yeah, you think you're MrMiyagi Rob.
Yeah, I think I catch them allnow.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
We're building something special here and I'm
excited that you're on board.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I think we're like-minded people, but I think
we have different perspectives.
I think we're interested in alot of the same things.
I think we're curious about howdifferent people kind of walk
their walk, and I think that wecan get some great interviews
done because we're going to bethinking similarly but
approaching differently.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
And I think the key word you just said that about
all of Merrick Studios iscuriosity From the top.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm Tom Frank, I'm Jeffrey Sledge and I'm Bud B.
Welcome to Unglossed From thetop.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I'm Tom Frank.
I'm Jeffrey Sledge.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And I'm Bud B, welcome to Unglossed.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Real stories, unfiltered dialogue and the
voices moving culture beyond thegloss of hype and headlines.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So buckle up.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Unglossed starts now, First and foremost, we got to
welcome officially.
Bun B is no longer a guest, buthe is the host of Unglassy.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Thank you, guys.
I am so honored to be anofficial host of Unglassy.
As you can see, I got my newbackdrop, yep Right, this is my
host backdrop, right here.
So this is how an office veryfew people see unless they come
into the house.
Not that I got nothing to hide,but I don't really have people
at my house like that.
So my wife is more than enoughcompany for me, my grandkids
(01:32):
they keep me busy enough as itis.
So I'm really you know, this isa couple of different keepsakes
, things from different pointsof my life.
You know what I'm saying.
But I thought it worked as abackdrop so I wouldn't have to.
I don't really like going greenscreen like I'm like I got a, I
got a wall somewhere, right, Igot a wall somewhere.
So Queen was like just use youroffice.
(01:52):
I was like, oh, yeah, right,that's what that's there for the
first place.
So, yeah, no, I'm excited to behere.
Man, this is my first episodeand I can't lie, if this is
gonna be my first episode, I'mstarting off with a bang.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
I'm starting off with a bang.
We are starting off with a bang.
Absolutely.
We are very.
I say we just dive in becausewe have so much to talk to this
guy about that we need everyminute of this episode to dive
in.
So today, on Unglossy fellas,we are joined by a true legend.
This is a Buffalo Bills icon.
He's a pro football Hall ofFamer.
(02:24):
He's a seven-time pro bowler, afour-time Super Bowl contender
and one of the toughest widereceivers to ever play the game.
His career has been defined bygrit, resilience and an
unshakable commitment toexcellence.
But beyond the record books andhighlight reels, his story goes
way beyond that.
It's about giving back.
He's the founder of the AndreReid Foundation, where he's
(02:45):
focused on empowering at-riskyouth through mentorship,
education and characterdevelopment.
He's a champion for literacy,an ambassador for the Boys and
Girls Club of America and a firmbeliever that the next
generation deserves a real shot,both on and off the field.
From the roar of Archer Park,which I'm going to tomorrow and
(03:06):
I'm so excited about, toclassrooms and communities
across the country, andre Reidcontinues to lead by example and
we are absolutely honored tohave him with us to talk
football, to talk culture and totalk the future of the game he
loves and the impact that he'sgoing to continue to have on the
youth.
So welcome to Unglossy, mrAndre Reid.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Thank you, guys.
I surely appreciate thatintroduction, but you know now
that I've been out of the gamefor 25 years now.
I can't believe that this is 25years.
It's been that long.
Wow, 25 years, wow, 25 years.
Yes, I came in the league at 21, and I left the game almost at
38.
So I'm 61 now.
(03:46):
So you know what and Bun canprobably attest to this all the
things that he's seen in hislife, as far as you know, all
the things that he's done.
You see people, and people havean impact on you and sooner or
later you're going to see thosepeople way down the road again.
And I tell these young kids inthe league that it's important
(04:09):
that you develop theserelationships right now,
especially the young guys,because you never know how long
you're going to be in this game.
And Bun can tell you that gamethat he's in is a different game
too, and it develops because ofyour passion.
It develops because of yourpassion.
It develops because of peoplearound you.
My head coach at the Hall ofFame this year just turned 100
(04:31):
years old.
Wow, wow.
And Marv Levy not only was amentor of mine, a head coach,
but I consider him a familyfriend, his whole family Just to
be there in Canton with him tocelebrate 100 years on this
planet.
Anything 100 years is ablessing, but I know I got off
(04:53):
on that because we were justthere.
But you know what a blessingit's been for me, not only to be
able to play this game I love,but to be able to be mentors for
the younger generation and theguys after me, because there was
guys before me that I loved.
You know, when I first met JimBrown, it was like meeting the
biggest icon ever, and obviouslyJim Brown is the biggest icon.
(05:15):
He's like the Michael Jordan offootball and a lot of these
guys that I've met over theyears.
I'm like why?
Me, you know why am I?
This kid from Allentown,pennsylvania, nobody knew
nothing about these.
Things happen to and if youapply and you're around the
right people, there's no doubtthat you can grow.
(05:36):
And that's, uh, that's whatI've done.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Amazing.
It is amazing and I think youhit it right on.
Let's start at the beginning.
Here you, pennsylvania guywhich by the way.
I am as well.
I am as well.
I'm, I'm from.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I'm from state college, pennsylvania okay, you
from the, you from the west, I'mfrom around philly, allentown
bun.
You ever been to allentown pa?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I have not been to allentown, pa.
I've sang about allentown withbilly joel but I not been to
Allentown.
That's it, that's it.
That's it, billy.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Joel.
Actually, Kevin Hart wasperforming at the PPL Center a
couple years ago.
I didn't get to go see him.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
But we'd love to have you perform over there.
Bun, for sure hey have rap,will travel.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
And guess what?
You were in my Rolodex man.
You were in my headphones a lotbefore games, so I just want
you to know that.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Oh no, look, that was my prime time in those 90, 92,
96, 97.
That was my prime time.
I didn't wear a lot of startersjackets but I was a big Bruce
Smith fan so I had that big bullon my back.
But I had to because we lostour team in 96.
So I had to because we lost ourteam in 96.
So I had to like adopt.
So I couldn't really pickanother team, I just kind of
(06:48):
went by players I liked.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
Yeah, what do you, what do you like with Houston
right now?
I mean, is it you?
You know Dallas Houston.
I mean, which one are you?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
No, I'm Houston for life and right now I think we're
in one of the best positionswe've ever been as far as being
a sports city, because I believethe Astros are perennial
playoff contenders, I believethe Texans in their division
they're going to always becontenders and I believe now,
with Kevin Durant added to theRockets, we were number two seed
last year in the playoffswithout him.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
That's right.
I completely forgot about that.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
The cost of living.
You know the tax situation.
Houston is a destination as faras sports right now, so I think
we're in a great place.
Dallas, by the meanwhile, gaveaway Luka and got Anthony
Edwards Like they've got a lot,and of course they're the home
of the Cowboys, so yeah, so theygot to figure it out up there
(07:45):
and they're about to lose Micah.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
You know what?
Here's my take on that Please.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I want to hear this.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Here's my take, and I've never met Micah Parsons.
I know he went to Penn State,which isn't too far.
It's State College, that'sright.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
That's right where I'm from.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Obviously where I'm from.
Obviously, Micah Parsons is aonce-in-a-generation type of
player.
Jerry Jones knows that.
Don't let him think he don'tknow.
Jerry Jones knows that.
But in our game it's all aboutplaying hardball.
And playing hardball with youknow the player against the
owner, against everything else,and it's how you play that game
where it's going to benefit youthe most.
(08:27):
When I came in at 85, there wasno game to play.
You showed up, that's it.
This is what you get,da-da-da-da-da.
And then you got to work hard.
You still got to do that, butwith all the influence.
Now, in sports in general,there's a lot of different
things going on that couldeither alter how a team is going
(08:49):
to talk to you or not, and itdoesn't seem like that really
what happened, but what'shappening.
But that's the game and you'vegot to play the game.
So I think Micah's not going togo nowhere.
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Let me ask you this question, andre, about this.
I'm talking about this, mike, Ithink.
Now, what do you think?
The what's the word?
I'm looking for?
The leverage, I guess, of theCowboys letting this drag out
this far, like why don't theyjust work the deal?
That's the game.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
That's the game, bro.
That's the game they play.
Yeah, and again, guys, when Icame into the league in 1985,
the game was a lot different,just like when Bun came in.
What he did before the game wasdifferent.
And now the game has stepped upbecause of influences from the
outside.
And you know, in the rap gameand in the football and in the
(09:42):
sports world we all go hand inhand.
But you know we're like this.
Of course we come out of thesame community.
Yeah, so you just got to playyour cards.
You know it's all about dealingthe cards getting the cards you
want and the ones you don'twant, you throw them back in and
you got to play hardball.
So my thing on Mike I don'tthink he's going to go anywhere.
It's all rhetoric right now,Jerry Jones either going to put
(10:06):
up or shut up before the seasonstarts, and that's, you know, a
couple weeks away.
But I don't think he's going togo anywhere.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
Are we better?
I'm sorry, Tom.
No no go ahead, bud how muchdoes, making this a public
situation help him.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Does that even really , if you're saying that all of
this stuff is kind of going toplay out like it's going to play
out?
Does making this a publicsituation even allow him any
leverage in this situation?
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Yes, yes, because look at basketball Same thing.
There's leverage of all theseguys, even though basketball
seems like, even though KevinDurant now is in Houston.
But Kevin Durant's been withfour or five teams the last five
years.
It seems like they're alwayschanging, but again they only
have 10 players.
They don't have 49, 54 guysthat they have to deal with
(10:55):
every single year, every singleday.
They're in the building.
So it's a give and take gameand you got to push, they got to
push.
You got to push game and yougot to push, they got to push,
you got to push back, they gotto push back.
We know value.
Value is very important,especially in sports the value
of this guy right now and downthe road.
(11:16):
What does he bring to the team?
We already know, michael, whathe brings to the team.
How's he going to makeeverybody else around him better
?
We all know that he makeseverybody better.
Now the negotiations have toplay into that of what Jerry
wants to do by keeping him.
What kind of cap space they'vegot.
All those things factor in.
(11:37):
But, like I said, I just thinkMichael Parsons is not going to
go anywhere in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
And so four preseason games and week one.
Michael Parsons is going to togo anywhere in Dallas.
And so four preseason games andweek one.
Michael Parsons is going to besuited up in that blue and
silver.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
I don't see how he can't.
I don't see how they play.
They'd be crazy.
I would love to start theseason without this guy?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Thanks, man.
There's a lot of things thatcould happen in three weeks or
four weeks before the seasonstarts here, in another month
from now, but Micah is playingthe role the way he should be
playing it, and he's waiting forJerry Jones to make the move.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
I'm sorry.
You like Andre's, you likeMicah's approach to the
negotiations because look at TJWatt boom.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Do you like Andre's or Andre's, you like Micah's
approach to the negotiations?
Because look at TJ Watt Boom.
All these other players thatgot paid that are on the same
line and the same athleticismmaybe not, they're the same.
Tj Watt, micah Parsons who'sthe other kid that just got paid
?
And Micah Parsons, he's athree-down guy.
He can get down on his arm, hecan get down and he can stand up
(12:50):
too.
He's kind of like if I had toreally put him in a category and
maybe this is a stretch he'skind of like a young Lawrence
Taylor.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I would kind of agree with that A little bit.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Yeah, Because LT was on the ground and he stood up.
And when he stood up, youbetter watch out.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
That's right, so do you think this is better for the
game today or worse for thegame?
Speaker 4 (13:18):
I think it's the way, the game.
You can't stop it.
Number one you can't stop itbecause every team is going to
do it, every single player thatis in the same situation.
And then these guys look ateach other and what they're
doing on their teams and ifthey're up, then they go.
Well, it's always been likethat.
It's always been like that.
(13:39):
What this guy gets, somebody'sgot to be the benchmark.
Right now, tj Watt is thebenchmark for guys like Michael
Parsons.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
For sure, for sure.
How much of this is a shiftfrom your era, like when a guy
in your era had a paydiscrepancy.
What leverage did you guys haveback then to try to get to the
top?
You had your teammates.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
That's one thing you had.
Everything else is going toplay out the way it should now.
Mind you, they had the moneyback then.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
That they got now the tv, the advertising and all
that they didn't have that moneythey didn't have that money, so
somebody got to get paid.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
They got to give that money to somebody.
If I were to wish something, Iwish I would have been born like
10, 15 years ago.
10 years ago, 15 years ago, I'dbe right in the middle of all
this stuff right now.
But God didn't make it that way.
God didn't make it that way.
God made me the way I am.
I'm kind of glad for that.
(14:43):
But again it's just a push andpull.
Again it's him with the ropeand they're just pushing and
pulling.
He was going to give up first.
Yeah, that's just.
Every team has one guy that'slike that, especially when they
look at other guys at theirposition and they have to pay
somebody.
They got to pay him.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
So now, looking at your career, you started at a
division two school.
How does that?
I mean that's a huge.
I mean coming from Kutztown tothe NFL.
Like what was that transition?
Like I mean that's that's, youdon't see that, yeah Um.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I used to.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
I tell people I used to go cow tipping.
You ever cow tip, bumby, cowtipping right.
So all the guys my rookie yearI said, yeah, I used to cow tip
A couple of my friends fromPhilly.
These dudes never probably sawa cow except in the grocery
store.
That's the first time theyprobably never saw a cow
(15:40):
sleeping, standing up.
So we would go hit them andknock them over and then run.
I'm telling you right now, cowcan't move.
But knock me over when I'mstanding up, sleeping.
I'm coming after you, that's it.
I'm coming after you.
But I went to a cow tippingschool and it was about 30
minutes from my house because Iwas really a homebody kid.
I loved to be close to home.
(16:01):
I was a young kid graduatingfrom high school.
I was the youngest kid prettymuch in the class graduating and
wasn't mature.
So it was conducive for me tostay close to the house and you
know my mom held me back oneyear.
So I gained a year.
Bottom line is it turned outpretty good.
So I got lucky for that.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
So you get drafted into the NFL.
You show up.
I mean, what was that?
It had to be kind of a culturalshift for you.
You went from a pretty smallschool to now you're playing for
the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Also, what round were you drafted in?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Fourth round.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
So back then they had 12 rounds Bun.
Let me tell you, you think thedraft is long now A lot of
players.
Dude, my rookie year, there was16 receivers in training camp
and 22 defensive backs.
That's a quarter of the teamalmost all new recruits, just
like free agents draft choices.
(16:59):
We have 12 rounds.
Right, you might have two picksaround, so you can at least
dude.
There was 128 guys on the field, wow.
So guess what?
Your chances of making a squadhave been diminished because of
128 guys just based on numbers,just based on numbers based on
(17:24):
numbers.
So if you were a free agent,well, you almost have to put
wings on and fly to stand outthat's a lot of.
Those guys went on special teamsand came down, just gangbusters
, just would bust.
That's when they used to getthe wedge.
They can't do that, no more buta wedge.
And you would be in, used toget the wedge.
(17:45):
They can't do that, no more buta wedge.
And you would be in the middleof the wedge and you would just
bust heads wide open.
Man, that's how you made theteam.
If you were a free agent,special teams.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Did you start off on special teams?
Speaker 4 (17:59):
or no?
Yeah, I did pump return andstarted at receiver and I said,
yeah, this pump return thingain't going to do it because
nobody was blocking.
And I was like bruh, you werekilled back there.
Yeah, hey, bud, I used to lookup and look down and see them
coming Nobody blocking.
I was like I got to get off ofthis squad.
(18:21):
No way, yeah, I did so.
128 guys and you might have hadtwo or three chances to catch a
ball To get your spot To showyou were in the spot, yes, wow.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
So, andre, tell us a little bit Yep and training camp
.
That's what I was going to askyou.
Tell us a little bit about thattraining camp.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
That's what I was going to ask.
Tell us a little bit about thattraining camp.
Training camp was six weekslong.
Two days pads, damn.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Much different today.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
These guys just got there and they already left,
that's true, they can't even geta rhythm going, Like they just
show up and say what's up, we'regoing to be here for a minute
and then we out.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Wow, Crazy man.
So, why is that?
Why did it change?
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Is it the players?
Just like I'm not doing thisanymore.
I think the Players Associationhad a lot to do with things
that happened years ago.
A couple guys actually one guy,corey Stringer I don't know if
you remember Corey Stringer uh,went to Ohio state big offensive
lineman.
He died.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
I do remember that.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
He died during training camp heat exhaustion,
wow, so they cut all.
They cut all the two days out.
And um, it's not that theydidn't cut the two days out,
they cut the pads out.
So these guys have shells now.
I mean, they're in pads everynow and again, but they're not
in pads like they were when Iplayed bro.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
No, not down here.
It's 93 degrees outside.
They ain't giving it that.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
If you were in Houston or New Orleans, they
find you floating down theMississippi River.
So it was brutal, but for everyperson, for everything that
happens, that's good.
Somebody made it good for them.
Somebody made it good for them,so yeah, All right, so we got
(20:22):
to dive into.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
I think if you're a football fan or not, the one
thing you do know is the BuffaloBills went to four straight
Super Bowls Unheard of Unheardof Never happened again.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Why not?
That's a good question, becausewe could sit here till next
week, Bun, and I could tell you.
I just think number one the waythe game is, you look at how
there's a different rule changeevery year the kickoff thing I
can't even understand that.
I don't understand that.
(20:58):
So guys like Devin Hester, whojust got in the Hall of Fame two
years ago, you'll never see aDevin Hester ever again in the
NFL as long as they have thatkind of rule on kickoff, on
kickoffs, Is that?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
rule here to stay.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Definitely.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
So that stays, so that, and the tush push stays, I
don't even know what that is,man.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
I can't understand that.
When I first saw that, I waslike we got 11 grown men against
11 other grown men, and even toplay you should get a yard.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
It's rugby.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
If you don't get your .
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Yeah, go ahead, bud.
No, I was saying Tom'sabsolutely right, I was going to
say the same thing.
You're pretty much playingrugby out there at that point.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Yeah, and there's a rugby.
There's a pro rugby team herecalled the Legion and I go to
some of the games and basicallywhen they get in them, scrums
that's what a tush push is.
So I don't know if they haveoutlawed it or they just nixed
it or not, because I know acouple players See what they do.
(22:20):
When you get in the trainingcamp they have different rules
and it's not that you vote onthem, but you kind of give your
opinion on what these rules meanto you.
Like, should the NFL have theserules?
Because when I played therewere no rules.
You know some of the rules theyhave with the quarterback and
the defenseless receivers.
(22:41):
Ronnie Lott was not going forthat.
Y'all remember Ronnie Lott.
He cut his finger off the play.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Bun you ever hear that I did?
I love to rap, but I'm gonnaeat these things.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Yes.
So he got his finger stuck inthe helmet this part of his
finger and it was almost comingoff and he went into the locker
room and said just cut it off.
And he went back out there andplayed.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
I got a pretty decent pain tolerance.
I don't know if it's cut offpiece of my finger.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
You wouldn't cut a finger off to go back.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I'll perform with like a fractured elbow.
You know what I'm saying?
I got a couple of box offractures on my hands from
fighting things that don't fightback.
But that's another day, dude.
Hey, you can't even cut arecord with that finger.
No, sir, I lose my dexteritygrabbing the microphone without
the pinky.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And we'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Welcome to Merrick Studios, where stories take the
mic and culture comes alive.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
We're not just a network, we're a family,
bringing you smart, soulful,unfiltered conversations.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
And this season we're bringing the heat with our
biggest lineup yet.
Whatever you're into, music,sports business, we got you
covered.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Merrick Studios, where the conversation starts
and keeps going.
Check out our full lineup,including unglossy with bun b,
jeffrey sledge and myself, tomfran, now streaming at.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
We are merrickstudioscom master the art
of lyricism with pendulum mink,the first school for rap.
Learn elite techniques throughimmersive lessons, real world
exercises and guidance fromhip-hop icons.
This, this is where MCs sharpentheir skills and glow boldly on
the mic.
Ready to level up?
Visit PendulumLinkcom and startyour journey today.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
So, these rule changes every year.
Yes, they make it better forthe game, but thank you, no,
thank you for what you did forguys 20 years before that they
used to kill quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
But you think they're .
They're behind the ball on someof this stuff a very, very not
in.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
They're not even in the same vicinity.
So you look at tom brady.
He played 20 years in the NFL,greatest quarterback ever, seven
Super Bowls.
You know resume out, you knowwhatever.
When's the last time when TomBrady played?
Somebody actually tattooed him.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Nobody, nobody did?
Speaker 4 (25:18):
They changed the rule .
Speaker 5 (25:19):
The last person that they changed the rule.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
They changed the rule Because of the last time
somebody tattooed him, that'sright.
So guess who tattooed him?
He that's right.
So guess who tattooed him?
He played for the Bills.
Nate Clemens Went to Ohio State.
Brady comes around the cornerand Nate Clemens almost
decapitated him.
His helmet came off I thoughtit was his head, jesus and you
(25:46):
couldn't touch Tom Brady with a50-foot pole after that Guess
what?
You got fined.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You got fined, and so that was basically sending a
message, more than anything.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Yep, because Tom Brady, when he comes in the
stadium just like Michael Jordanbrings money brings dollars.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
So even if they're not scripting games which a lot
of these younger kids like tosay they're scripting these
sports outcomes there's stillsome type of way where they have
to interject in the flow of thegame and be like you can't do
it like this.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
Oh yeah, you just can't play this game like this
right now, Really subtly though,so you can't see.
Yeah, it's kind of like the guythat played the game like me
can see it.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
When did the quarterback become the most
important player on the field?
Because I feel like that'swhere the shift comes in.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
Yeah, exactly because you build from the outside in,
you get the quarterback first.
Every team in the NFL that hasa good quarterback Mahomes, josh
Allen, burrow, lamar, herbertLamar you build around them, you
(27:02):
get a good receiver one or two,you get a good running back and
you get a good receiver one ortwo.
You get a good running back andyou get a good defense behind
that and your team can go to it.
Just so happens, the KansasCity Chiefs have gone to the
Super Bowl so many times overthe last seven years because of
coaching.
Number one Andy Reid is a heckof a coach.
Are they as talented as everyother team in the league?
(27:25):
In a way they are are, but theymake it work because that,
because the offensivecoordinator, defensive
coordinator, special teams guyknows how to work with the head
coach.
That's number one.
They're on the same page.
If one's off the page, youbetter jump back on.
They work together like that.
That's why kansas city wins andmahomes.
(27:47):
He's a heck of a quarterbacktoo.
Good you gotta have that guy tostart.
If you don't have him, you'renot going anywhere.
I don't care how good yourdefense is, because they're
gonna get tired sooner or laterright, yeah that was our problem
for a while.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
You know, I'm saying we had a great defense but they
were too tired because ourquarterbacks could not get it
done.
We didn't really have anybodythat could be put a couple of
consistent wins together untilreally sharp, you know.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
But then at that point we didn't.
I love seeing that, but wedidn't have an O-line.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
That became the problem.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
See you need.
Now.
The first thing you do is youget the quarterback and then you
get a left tackle.
You got to get the guy thatprotects his blind side.
You get that guy.
That's why every team has a bigold boy at left tackle.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
We had Dwayne Brown, I think, for a couple years
Dwayne Brown was awesome.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
We had a guy named Howard Ballard back in the day.
Howard went to HBCU school andhe was 6'6" 350 on a good day.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
That's a lot of man boss.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
Can you imagine, bro?
It was like trying to getaround the building.
You know the building you're inright now.
It's like trying to run aroundthat and get somebody on the
other side before he runs 6'6"350.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
To your team, right?
I want to get back to the SuperBowl thing.
Okay, when you look at whenpeople talk about the best teams
to ever be in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
They don't put us in there.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
They don't put you in there.
Where do you think you shouldsit in there?
You didn't win a Super Bowl,but you went to four straight
Super Bowls.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
So, yeah, us, the Vikings right, the Vikings
playing four didn't win.
But what was everybody doingduring that time?
They were watching me on TVFour straight years.
Yeah, yeah.
Yes, I got a Hall of Fame ring.
I don't have a Super Bowl ring.
(29:53):
It just wasn't meant to be.
But I'm not going to letsomebody else tell me that my
career or what I did or what ourteams did didn't mean anything
because we didn't win.
Yeah, that's the main thing,that's what you go play the game
for.
But you were sitting downeating your Cheetos, drinking
your beer, whatever you weredoing watching me.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
True.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
So guess what?
Whether or not you thought yourteam was better than my team,
exactly.
So guess who wins.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
You're right.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Look everybody, if you know, we come from the music
industry.
Thousands of albums get madeall the time but only a couple
of people get nominated for theGrammy.
It all said that everybody elsesit at home and watch me in my
tuxedo.
Clap with somebody else, win,but you still watch me.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
I was in the building , you watch me, I love that in
the building.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
You're still watching me.
I love that analogy, bro.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I love that and it's funny because when I retired
people were still, you know, theInternet is undefeated, bun,
you know that they undefeated.
So people are going to saystuff about you and I don't like
to get in them kind of warsbecause I just don't like to do
that as much as I want to.
My wife is like, don't saynothing back and I'm just like,
(31:12):
yeah, they say it because theydo it behind closed doors and
all that.
But I have no regrets, zeroregrets.
I'm a kid from a small townthat wasn't supposed to be
anything.
Why am I worried about whatthis dude thinks?
Because he was watching medrinking beer with a fat stomach
(31:33):
.
Why should that guy bother me?
Speaker 2 (31:36):
That's true, I know that's right.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
So I played with some of the greatest players.
I played with seven other Hallof Famers.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Wow, there were seven Hall of Famers from that team.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
Seven If we were that bad, none of us would be Hall
of Famers.
Wow, there were seven Hall ofFamers from that team Seven.
If we were that bad, none of uswould be Hall of Famers Facts.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
That's perspective right there.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
That is perspective.
Yeah, None of us would be.
How close are you to those guysto this day?
Speaker 4 (31:59):
Really close.
I just saw all of them inCanton last week.
Big shout out to Sterling Sharp, who I had plenty of battles
against in Green Bay, jaredAllen, eric Allen and Antonio
Gates, so they went in this year.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
What a great thing, man, just to be there.
And again, when I put that goldjacket on guys, it's like going
up for the Grammy.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
That's crazy.
Even if you don't win Likethat's a little acknowledgement
Even without the Super Bowls,even without the trophies and
all of that, you played the gameat the highest level against
people playing at the highestlevel.
That's right.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
And when I get accolades from my peers, I don't
care less what anybody elseover there says.
And Deion Sanders gave me oneof the greatest accolades a
couple years ago when he was ona podcast.
They asked him who the toughestreceivers were he ever played
against, wow, and he mentionedme and I was just blown away
(33:05):
because when they asked me whowas the toughest defensive back
ever went against and I got abunch of them.
But deon, rod woodson, darylgreen these guys are all in the
hall of fame yeah that's true.
I was not gonna get to, I wasnot gonna get the fourth corner
corner on me.
Every game I'm getting theirbest guy.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
They're trying to have you out on the island out
there.
Oh yeah, Me against.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
Deion.
What do I got?
So that's how I put things inperspective.
When people say things likethat, to a certain point you can
go on the Internet and find outwhat I did.
I don't need to brag on.
Look at all the albums Albums,some of them songs.
(33:58):
I'd still be bumping them.
Songs, yeah, heck, yeah, I'd bebumping them.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
I got the nomination, but I ain't got the trophy.
I got the little medal Guesswhat.
I got the little participation,but I ain't got the trophy.
I got the little medal Guesswhat.
I got the little participationmedal, right there.
Let me tell you something Letme tell you something.
Speaker 3 (34:12):
It'd take everything to get that.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (34:14):
It'd take everything to get that, and guess what?
Only you know.
Only you know that.
So if somebody wants to youabout it, get in my shoes and
see how that feels.
Since you ain't in my shoes,you don't have no idea how that
feels.
So, uh, you need to.
(34:35):
You know, move on with it.
So I don't, I don't.
Um, oh yeah, bumby was alwaysup in mind.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
Andre.
Like Andre when you so whenyou're considering for a game to
go up against Dion.
What's that?
Like best against the best?
Speaker 4 (34:52):
It's hard to find little small intricacies on a
person of that stature, butwhatever I did find, I tried to
exploit it as much as I can.
I was a pretty good guy atwatching film.
You know I watch film a lotbecause, obviously, against
those guys as much as I can.
I was a pretty good guy atwatching film.
You know I watch film a lotbecause obviously, against those
guys, you got to be 100% onpoint and you got to try to find
(35:17):
something that they do theydon't do as well, they don't do
well, and that's hard to find ona guy like Dion or Rod or Daryl
Green.
So it was always a battle.
I loved it.
That's just what competition isabout.
To me, the three probablygreatest corners that I ever
(35:37):
played against was those threeguys.
But you had to do your studying, man, you know, and you had to
do.
You had to put in the work andI always thought that if I did
put in a work that I had an edge.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Yeah Well, I want to shift gears a little bit,
because a lot of guys retire and, who knows, some of them
struggle with it, a game thatyou love.
Then all of a sudden you're notplaying anymore.
What's that?
What was that transition?
Like going from being the guyto now like being kind of a
normal guy.
Speaker 4 (36:09):
Who's?
I played 31 years of footballguys.
31 years from seven years oldtill I was 38.
So every year, every fall, itwas putting the pads on, getting
ready to go.
It was hard because that's youknow, it's like anything you do
in life.
You're so used to it that itjust became second nature.
But when it was over it was abig shock.
(36:34):
You know to say, any guy thatplayed as long as I did when it
just abruptly stops like that,okay, you're not going to Camp
United to say that they're ohyeah, I'm good they're lying,
because it's kind of embedded inyou, it's part of your DNA.
It's part of your DNA.
It's part of your DNA.
It was part of my DNA when Icame out the womb to be a
football player and I wasfortunate enough to play as long
as I did.
(36:55):
God gave me that you know thegrace to play that long.
And you know I turned everystone over, I crossed every T, I
dotted every I, um and um and Igot lucky.
You know I missed 11 games inthose 17 years.
Wow, wow so, and I wouldn'thave missed them, but I got.
I got, uh, kind of folded alittle bit and tore my groin and
(37:18):
did a lot of that almost.
Yeah, it was a really badinjury, but I came back the
following year and finished outyou.
I was not going to let that, toa certain point, be my demise,
but yeah, I just I would justsay guys, I got, I got pretty
lucky, yeah, got pretty lucky todo that.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Yeah, from that position, to have that few, to
have missed that few games isinsane, because that's literally
one of the most unprotectedareas of football.
For your position.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
It is fun it is.
There was no protection on thereceivers.
There's really no protection onquarterbacks.
It was like a free run most ofthe time.
Guys like Ronnie and I talkedabout Ronnie, steve Atwater I
don't know if you remember SteveAtwater hell yeah, six, six,
three, two, twenty, comingdownhill from about 15 yards to
(38:12):
disenlage your head from yourbody and then before me you know
guys like Jack Tatum and thosekind of guys.
I mean there was no rules.
So basically you're kind of abattering ram, but I was blessed
to play as long as I did andnot be injured that much.
That's insane Because one guyyou know guys nowadays that get
(38:36):
the injury bug you guys everhear of the injury bug?
Yeah, so they get one injuryand it just injury after injury.
It just sticks with them.
You just can't get away frombeing in the tank.
I was fortunate enough not tohave that injury bug.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
I keep hearing about conditioning, like off-season
conditioning.
Oh yeah, is that something thatcan kind of stave off that kind
of?
Let me ask you this Are guyspurposely and consciously
leaving rehab early to get backin the game?
I mean, maybe now the medicineis advanced enough where they
(39:14):
don't have to, but from your era, right Like, a guy probably
needs four or five weeks ofrehab to really get that knee or
that hip back right, but he's,like I got to get back in this
game and start playing yeah,well, you know guys that tear
their knees up.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
They come back the same year because of technology.
You tore your knee up when Iplayed.
Most of the time, you're done.
You're done for the year.
I mean rod woodson to talkabout rod a couple uh, during
his playing days he was playingin the first game against
Detroit and he was trying totackle Barry Sanders that's like
(39:48):
good luck with that Right andhis foot got caught in the turf
and he tore his knee ACL injurySupposed to be out the whole
year.
He played in the Super Bowlthat year against the Cowboys.
Supposed to be out the wholeyear.
He played in the Super Bowlthat year against the Cowboys.
So that was kind of like stateof the art for a guy coming back
(40:11):
the same year to play in theSuper Bowl.
Now these guys can come backand play.
Look at Aaron Rodgers two yearsago tore his Achilles.
Dude, you an Achilles, and he'swhat?
37, 37, he was 37 years old.
You don't come back from that.
You done that's it.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
That's what I was going to say, like and to be
fair, you know, obviously Iwould imagine the average nfl
athlete is more physically fitthan the average guy walking
around working a nine to five,but at that age your body
doesn't react the same way.
You don't rebound like that.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
It doesn't heal.
It doesn't heal that way atthat age.
But again, technology.
I never thought that AaronRodgers would come back after
blowing his Achilles.
I saw that on Monday NightFootball, I remember watching
that.
For a 38, 37-year-old man.
Dude, sit it down, You're doneand he's playing.
(41:07):
And he's still playing.
Yeah, he's starting, yeah, soI'm like.
So when I came in, lee, youtold your Achilles you were out
for the year and that could becareer ending.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
And in basketball it still could be a year yeah it's
more prevalent in basketballthan in football.
Speaker 4 (41:29):
You got them tall lanky guys.
Speaker 3 (41:31):
Didn't.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Kevin Durant do it.
He tore his Achilles right.
Who just?
Speaker 1 (41:34):
did it this past year .
There was a number of guys whodid it this year Alliburton.
Speaker 5 (41:39):
Yeah, jason Tatum, and.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
Tatum.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Somebody from the Celtics right Jason Tatum.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
Jason Tatum, jason Tatum so you got basketball guys
that are 6'8, 6'9.
That Achilles is elongated evena little more.
The elasticity of it is not asas a guy that's 6'1 or 6'2,
you're 6'8, 6'9.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
Kevin Durant's what 6'11, six, nine.
Yeah, he's seven feet Sixeleven, six, ten Dude.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
His Achilles tendon is longer than some people.
How tall they are In my leg,yeah.
So that thing without the rightthing, without the right stuff
that he's supposed to be doingwith it.
Not saying he wasn't supposedto be the stuff he was doing.
All that takes is a quickmovement, boom, he's done.
And that's what happened toTatum, that's what happened to
(42:27):
Halliburton, all those guys.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
Kobe yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
And Kobe too.
Happened to Kobe.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (42:37):
So it's a real unfortunate injury, but these
guys can come back from alltheir knees and their Achilles.
And I separated my shoulder oneyear, never got surgery.
I came back in three weeks.
Shouldn't have did that, but Idid.
Oh, I hit it, I fell on top ofit, felt like somebody just took
their foot and justcontinuously kicked me in the
(42:58):
shoulder for about 10 minutes.
For about 10 minutes.
God, it hurt so bad and I'm outthere trying to play and I
played, but that was probablythe wrong thing to do Wait with
a shoulder injury.
Yeah, this thing was sticking uplike that.
It was up there.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
You have no range.
You're losing more than 50% ofyour range, because not only can
you if it's your left shoulder,not only can you if it's your
left shoulder, not only can younot go left, you can only go so
far to the right.
Speaker 4 (43:27):
Not only that, bro.
It felt like this was on astring and somebody could have
took my arm and pushed it down,and it would have just went like
that.
It was fun.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
So I don't know Right hand.
He can catch with his righthand Exactly All right.
So I got to ask you aboutBuffalo.
You are still the king ofBuffalo.
You were a big part of thatcommunity.
You started the Andre ReedFoundation.
Tell us a little bit about thatand the work that the
foundation does.
I wasn't and you guys were boysand girls club kids?
Speaker 4 (43:59):
I was not.
I was a Boys and Girls Club kidfrom age 7 to 16, so 7 to
almost 10 years I was a Boys andGirls Club kid.
Every day after school I wouldgo by the Boys and Girls Club.
What I was taught at home wastaught differently in the Boys
(44:22):
and Girls Club because of allthe different kids.
Didn't matter what color youwere, didn't matter what you had
you were treated the same.
I credit them because withoutthem I wouldn't be talking to
you guys, Because they taught mea lot about life.
They taught me a lot aboutrespect.
They taught me about thingslike you know never burn a
(44:46):
bridge, because sooner or lateryou have to cross that same
bridge.
And all the mentors and all thepeople that were in my life
most of them were Boys and GirlsClub, like volunteers, and they
were so instrumental in my lifethat in 2015, I got inducted
into the Boys and Girls ClubAlumni Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (45:13):
Without that, I don't make the Pro Football Hall of
Fame and six other Hall of Fameswithout the Boys and Girls Club
Hall of Fame Wow.
So they were so important in mylife, they saved my life, put
it that way.
Way because I wasn't supposedto be anything.
I was destined not to bedefinitely not be a professional
athlete, there's no way.
(45:33):
But I had the right peoplearound me.
That showed me how importanthard work is.
That showed me that you gottawork hard for what you want.
You're not going to get itright away, but there's a
process you go through to getwhat you want in life.
There's not too many peoplethat just show up and get
(45:55):
something and then they leaveand it's like, okay, I'm good.
No, it doesn't happen that way.
You got to work hard.
And that's what I try to tellthese kids when I talk to them.
You got to work hard.
And that's what I try to tellthese kids when I talk to them
that my plight was synonymouswith how I was taught in the
Boys and Girls Club, what myparents taught me and the big
(46:16):
word respect.
And I think the word respectgoes every single day in your
life.
Every single day in your life.
There's a respect factor youhave to have and our kids
nowadays don't know what thatmeans.
A lot of them don't know whatrespect means, so I'm here to
tell them what it means.
It's the bottom line.
(46:37):
We all know our respect factor,what we do, and I was taught
that.
So that's what I try to tellthese kids.
Man and I've spoken to kidsfrom alaska all the way down to
florida about it, um, and I'vebeen blessed and that's why I'm
a club kid and I always will bea club kid but you're still
giving back to allentown as well.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Like I see you have park in allentown.
First of all, you know Icommend you on that because I've
been trying to figure out howto get Chad Pipsy a park or
something named.
Jeff actually spoke at hisfuneral and told the mayor we've
had three other mayors sincethen, jeff, but we still don't
have it.
Still don't have it, but youhave a park and not only do you
(47:19):
have a park, but your park isavailable for the youth as well.
In terms of sports engagement,it's a do you have a park, but
your park is available for theyouth as well.
In terms of, yes, sportsengagement, it's a multi-faceted
type of park.
Speaker 4 (47:27):
Tell me about that a little bit, and the park is
right across the street from myhigh school, which they named
the street after me, so it'sandre reed way, wow Way.
And Andre Reed Park on the samestreet.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
That's amazing, that's legacy.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
So the 15-year-old me in high school or at high
school standing out there.
If somebody told me you know,in 25, 30 years from now they're
going to rename this streetafter you and that park is going
to be renamed after you, I'dhave been like who?
Who are you talking about Me?
No way, it just.
(48:09):
It just goes to show you thatthe people in your life are so
important.
Have the right people in yourlife that show you the right way
.
And our kids nowadays don'thave the right people in their
life and they're not going outto you know, they're not going
out to find the people.
So you got to go find thepeople that make you better,
(48:29):
that make you more than youthink you are, in a positive way
.
So seven other Hall of Fames, astadium, my college stadium is
named after me.
That's right.
My high school field, thestreet and the park From a kid.
(48:49):
That wasn't supposed to be, Jackwasn't supposed to be anything.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
My friend it's an amazing, lasting legacy to you,
for sure.
Speaker 4 (48:57):
So that will be there forever for the next
generations and generations, andgenerations to inspire them to
be great, to be respectful anddo for others.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
That's what that means.
I got to start working harder.
No, you don't, bud.
I thought I put enough work into get a park.
I thought we put enough in toget a UGK park.
So let me get back on the clock.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
It also shows, how obviously how people look at you
and respect your journey andrespect what you've done and
know that putting your name onthese type of monuments is a
good thing, because you're goingto do your part to uphold that
your name.
It's not like why are we namingafter him and he's doing this,
(49:46):
and that, of course, it showsthat you're like a solid, for
lack of a better term just asolid person who gives back to
the community.
Speaker 4 (49:55):
That's amazing man, seriously, and when I go to the
hall every year, when I put onthat yellow jacket not going to
lie to you y'all I'm a littledifferent person when I'm around
all the Hall of Famers, Just alittle bit different Right from
the start.
I'm amongst greatness 120 guyswhose journeys maybe have been
(50:17):
similar, maybe not, but we allwent through something to get to
that point.
Bun, you went through a lot toget to your point, Absolutely.
You went through adversity.
You went through people sayingthis and people saying that and
whatever.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
You just button the lip and you go about your
business.
Then what?
No, I love it.
That's the kind of way I wasraised.
Like you know, I grew up in ageneration where men got up,
they went, did their job, theycame home.
They didn't expect to be pattedon the back.
You know, it's not going to bea parade of people when you get
on for work.
Speaker 4 (50:56):
You just did what you were supposed to do you know
what you're supposed to do andit doesn't go unnoticed.
Right, I think it sometimesgoes.
It doesn't go unnoticed becausethere's going to be a kid or
two or maybe three, four, ten,fifteen come up to me and say I
remember what you said to me inthe boys and girls club in
(51:16):
kansas city, or I remember whatyou said to me in new y or
Philadelphia or Miami, or in theMidwest, in Chicago.
I remember that and I want tothank you for that.
Guess what my job is done.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
It was done.
It's crazy because sometimesyou don't even you may not
remember exactly what you said,you may not remember the actual
interaction.
But you know the intention thatyou walk around in this world
with.
Speaker 5 (51:45):
Even if I don't remember it.
Speaker 2 (51:46):
I'm pretty sure this kid isn't lying.
I'm pretty sure this kid cameup to me at that point in my
life.
I was of the frame of mind togive him something to grow on.
That's it.
Speaker 4 (51:57):
That's what God wants us to do.
Are we perfect?
Ain't nobody perfect?
He's perfect up there.
He's the only perfect.
But you can go by what he saysand what he guides you to.
Speaker 1 (52:10):
That was part one of our conversation with the
legendary Andre Reid.
We'll be back next week withpart two.
Until then, follow the show onInstagram at unglossypod, and
leave us a comment.
Subscribe to Unglossy on Apple,spotify, youtube or wherever
you catch your podcasts.
Unglossy is hosted by Bun B,jeffrey Sledge and Tom Frank.
It is produced and distributedby Merrick Studios.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com