The Burn Podcast by Ben Newman
Join Ben Newman, highly regarded Performance Coach, International Keynote Speaker and 2x WSJ Best-Seller, as he takes you into the minds of some of the highest performers in sports and business to tell their full story. The "Burn" is something we all have, but rarely do people uncover and connect to it. Ben helps people from all walks of life reach their true maximum potential.
Ben has worked with coaches and players from the last 6 Super Bowl Champion teams and currently serves as the Performance Coach for the Big 12 Champion Kansas State football team in his 9th season (3 National Championships at North Dakota State) with Head Coach Chris Klieman. Ben served 5 years as the Mental Conditioning Coach for the 18x National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Lastly, Ben also has served at his alma mater as a Performance Coach for Michigan State University’s football and basketball programs.
For the last two decades, Ben has been serving as the Peak Performance Coach for the top 1% of financial advisors globally and for Fortune 500 business executives.
Ben’s clients have included: Microsoft, United States Army, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Quicken Loans, MARS Snackfoods, AstraZeneca, Northwestern Mutual, AFA Singapore, Mass Financial Group, Frontier Companies, Wells Fargo Advisors, Great West Life Canada, Boston Medical Center, Boys & Girls Club of America, New York Life as well as thousands of executives, entrepreneurs, athletes and sales teams from around the globe.
Millions of people and some of the top performers in the world have been empowered by Ben through his books, educational content, coaching programs, podcast, and live events.
The Burn Podcast by Ben Newman
The Fight of the Underdog: Will Compton's NFL Retirement Episode
Buckle up, because today Will Compton, former NFL player, and Co-Host of Bussin with the Boys podcast, and my first ever NFL Player I coached... is getting REAL. This conversation takes us on an emotional journey of his life on and off the football field.
In our candid conversation, we navigate through the vivid recollections of Will's rookie years, and he opens up about the mental and physical toll of the game. Yet, his tenacity shines through as he shares how he tackled challenges head-on, especially as an undrafted player. We delve into the world of football mental psychology, discussing its pivotal role in shaping his career. We also explore the unwavering support of his parents, whose sacrifices laid the foundation for his dreams and aspirations.
As we transition from the stadium to the podcast booth, Will shares insights into his retirement and his exciting new venture into podcasting. His gratitude for the experiences and the people that shaped his career is palpable as he contemplates his evolution as an individual. Will’s story is a powerful reminder about the essence of self-belief, resilience, and the power of never giving up. So, tune in to this episode, where we journey through Will Compton's career and the lessons he picked up along the way that continue to motivate and inspire.
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Ultimately, what I wanted to do is I wanted to have a mentor of mine. On his name is Ben Newman. Those times of adversity, when you doubt yourself the most and there's a lot of anxieties, he helped me Re-center, rebalance, recalibrate, you know, get back to talking to myself the right way, daily habits, all of it. Right he was. He was there to help guide me.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to a very special episode of the burn. I am Ben Newman and you know how we do this. Every single week we're bringing you a story of an athlete, an entertainer, a celebrity, somebody performing at their highest possible level, who has recognized that why in purpose is not enough. It's that underlying burn that ignites your why in purpose and causes you to be disciplined on the days that you don't want to do it and Especially after you win. You have heard me say many times in the past this is a special episode. Today is a very, very special episode. Not only will this be the longest episode of the burn in the burns history, as we approach 200 episodes in our fifth season. This is a special episode that really highlights the why and the how. We are here on the burn, the why and the how I've been able to do all of the work that I've done in Collegiate football and in the NFL. It's the how and the why that Compton Jersey is hanging behind me in my office.
Speaker 2:Will Compton is the first NFL player who gave me his trust that I could help him think differently, show up differently and embrace the improbable when he was an underdog, as an undrafted free agent heading into his rookie season in 2013 with the Washington Redskins seven out of seven on the depth chart he believed, and I believed the first day that we met. What you will hear is a special interview that he's given us permission to share. When I flew down to Nashville for bussin with the boys, will and I one-on-one talking about his career, talking about our relationship, our work together, our friendship, and Talking about the underdog mentality that I know will help you on your journey. These stories will resonate. These stories will impact you. These stories might change your life. Will's story has changed mine. I Wouldn't have had the opportunity to do the things that I've done in sports, as I mentioned, without will Compton's trust. For that I am forever indebted to him. This won't be the only time my eyes get wet. They do in this episode as well, because it's special, because it's real and you get to go behind the scenes with us. Will Compton has now officially announced his retirement from the NFL. He and I joked during this episode that now the clock begins For the five years before he's on the ballot to get inducted into the pro football Hall of Fame. Now, that may never happen, but I believe Will Compton truly belongs there because of the underdog mentality and the example that he set for so many players who didn't believe in themselves, for so many young men and women who didn't believe in themselves and saw his story. It gave them hope, it gave them fight, it taught them to persevere Will and I will always be connected because the bond of our mothers. I'll never forget the day that he contacted me when he was with the Oakland Raiders To let his let me know that his mother had passed away.
Speaker 2:Bill and Kathy Compton are amazing people. Kathy was a special woman, just like my mom. Her support, love and challenge for will has made him the man that he is today, just like my mother, and her Fight and her perseverance made me the man that I am today. Kathy, this special episode is for you, bill. This special episode is for you For raising a son the right way for raising a son to constantly challenge himself, to understand what's possible and to be his best and Will. I can never thank you enough For your trust, your friendship and I promise you, brother, you are only scratching the surface. I am in your corner forever and the best is yet to come. Congrats on an incredible nine years, really ten. Congrats on that clock starting for the Hall of Fame. I Love you, brother. We are in this fight together forever. Enjoy this very special episode of the burn.
Speaker 1:The day has finally come for your boy Retirement man. You're probably wondering why there's two hours attached to this thing. Trust me, I've asked the same question over and over. But Ultimately, what I wanted to do is I wanted to have a mentor of mine on. His name is Ben Newman and he was my mental coach. He was like he was my sports, mental, performance, psychology code, whatever you want to say. He was that guy for me throughout the majority of my career, especially in those early moments of my career, a lot of core moments that shaped, you know, my time in the NFL, and what I wanted to do is I wanted to reminisce and capture those conversations and Reminisce on the glory days, right, like he was somebody who is, who helped me think big. He was somebody who helped me think beyond myself. He was somebody that you know, in those those times of adversity when you doubt yourself the most and there's a lot of anxieties, he helped me Recenter rebalance, recalibrate, you know, get back to talking to myself the right way daily habits, all of it. Right he was. He was there to help guide me and I thought it'd be cool to have him on for you know, just to reminisce on the career that I had and talk about some of those stories, those high-level stories, and I thought it'd be cool to do it for a few reasons, for three reasons. First, personally, like you know, I think one day, when I'm old and Wanting to reminisce on the old days and reminisce on some of the memories that were had, I think it'd be cool to pop open a cold one, pour myself some whiskey and just Sitting and relive those glory days. You know, those days that'll come where the world doesn't. You know, the world forgets about you. They forget about these years, they all of it. It's just gone right and honestly, it's like to be frank, I don't know how I'm gonna age. I don't know, I don't know. Like, as you age, memories fade right, you forget your memories and then you definitely forget details of those memories. So I think it'd be cool to be able to reminisce on some of these, on some of these memories, while I still have the memories that I have at 33 years old, birthday month Going on 34 and number two, I think it's the same with my family.
Speaker 1:You know I have a daughter, siruli, and shout out, shout out, rue, shout out, you, rue. If my wife and I are friends. Shout out Rue. Shout out you, rue. If my wife and I are fortunate enough to have more kids yeah, I'll have other kids that'll grow up and you know, if they want to be curious about their old man or their dad, or if they have kids and their kids want to be curious about their grandpa. And you know, I know my old man, my dad. He's a very proud father. He's very proud of me. I know he loves the reminisce on the good old days and my brothers. They'll have, hopefully, big families of their own and maybe you know, my nephew's niece is whatever. They might want to know what their uncle was about, but I thought it'd be cool to capture those.
Speaker 1:And and lastly, man, it's like I like to believe that if you're at a place of, you know you've been able to Go about the path and achieve. You know, dreams that you had. Like I got to live out my biggest dream and that was being an NFL player, and with that was a lot of. You know a lot of adversity and trials and tribulations and hurdles and you know a lot of things that everybody goes through in their own life, right and Getting to. I think it's important to share those things, I think, aside from all your achievement, I think it's just as important, if not more important, on what you leave behind and how you can share what you learned throughout the journey.
Speaker 1:And there's this. You know, there's this story in the book called the warrior of the light and if you get a chance to read, it's a phenomenal book. But there's a story about the warrior and he's sitting around the fire with the couple of his, the couple of his mates, a couple of the boys and one of his friends asked him. You know, they're reminiscing, they're talking about their, their conquest, their successes, their you know their struggles, their strategies to overcome. And you know, one of his boys asked him, while they're all sitting around the fire you know why, why share all this? Why share all this? Because you're ultimately giving strategy to others, your you know what if there is no, what if there is nothing? At the end of this, why share it if it means nothing? And the warrior essentially looked at him and smiled and and basically said that the day where we get to the end and we find that there is no paradise, he doesn't want his struggle to be for nothing.
Speaker 1:And so I think, sharing these stories and sharing the struggle, the highs and lows and everything else. I think it's. I think it'll be cool to look back on fondly one day. And If anybody gains Inspiration from it, pulls from it, gets to lean on it, that's fucking awesome. Or, and if anybody in my family gets curious about any of this shit, one day, it'll be cool to have this. But yeah, man, I'll go ahead and kick this over to my, to my conversation, and and and you know my podcast with Ben Newman Feels like a weird.
Speaker 2:It's just like a fucking deep breath or something.
Speaker 1:I know it feels like a weird air. We're sitting in here Talking about the retirement of it all, but everybody who's tuned in welcome to a special little episode of bus with the boys. As you guys know, as like I just said in that little clip, before I am officially done with the NFL, I have my guy Ben Newman here who is a speaker, he's an author, he's somebody that was a mentor of mine in core years of my my NFL life, basically the start of it, from rookie year, I mean heavy into you know, going into like year seven. We've obviously always been like family since then. But Having this kind of conversation and talking about it, just to have it in the vault and kind of Reflect on one day when I'm old and gray and when Rue gets older and you get the kind of she gets to see your old man at 33 retiring, here's where it's like it gets a little weirdly emotional. But yeah, that's always important for me to have you on and kind of talk about it all.
Speaker 2:I know we're gonna get into it and it's gonna make both of us emotional right away, but the stories that your mom would tell have taken you to the camps. Taking you to the camps. You know we're gonna start from the mom angle right out of the gate.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's just it's. It's one of the connections that we had. Yeah was yeah family connection, like it's one of the things I respected so much. Like you wanted to honor your family, you wanted to be an example for your brothers, you wanted to be able to do this and provide this and an example for kids in Bontair, and it was always bigger than will and as much as, like you, you wanted to have that jersey on. You wanted to make a roster so many of our conversations that we'll get into. It was always bigger than you and I always respected that about you and how you showed up and wanting to give back and wanting to speak and wanting to, you know, build something beyond the game of football and you've done it. But you always put action behind it.
Speaker 1:But it's cool to look back on you coming in my life. My rookie year was so for context, like I really got into the mental psychology of sports, going into my senior year, going into my senior year wrecked in college at Nebraska. Rex Burkhead always carried himself in such a way that was so confident and he always everything seemed like it was water off his back, like if he got coached hard because we were coached by Bo Polini. I mean he was a motherfucker, he'd motherfucker. You and I know when you're young going through that, there's a lot of times where you're like, oh, you can't miss this tackling space or you don't want to mess up, you play not to mess up, you play not to mess up.
Speaker 1:And then, as I like learned in that book called the mental edge by Kenneth Baum, is we use our brains so much as a disadvantage because we just naturally think like if we think about failure, that failure will come to us in some certain way. I talk about that book because I asked Rex like, hey, do you have anything going in going into our senior year? And he hands me this beat up book, the mental edge, and he's like read this. And I read and my mind was blown away from it. It kind of helped. That's what helped. I think that's what helped me make me feel more confident in my career and more confident in my career. My mind was blown away from it. It kind of helped. That's what helped set all my vision and goals for pro day when I didn't get invited to the combine. So I always love the idea of the mental psychology of sport.
Speaker 1:And after OTAs and mini camp with the Redskins, my rookie year- yeah one of one of my buddies connected us on Twitter and, yeah, in your bio you're talking about speaker, author, all this stuff. And you DM like, hey, hope, all as well, if you want to get together when you're in Missouri would love to. And here I am reading your DM thinking like, oh, this would be awesome. I can work with somebody versus reading it out of a book. I can work with somebody one-on-one on all this mental stuff because, again, like I was at the bottom of the, you're at the bottom of every fucking depth chart, like special teams, third string, you know line back in the linebacker room yeah linebacker room was uh, we were seven deep and you had London Fletcher Perry, riley, keenan Robinson at that time, brian Keel.
Speaker 1:You had all these guys and then even another undrafted rookie ahead of me in my spot, being an undrafted rookie, and I was seven out of those. You know I was basically there's three teams and then I got to rotate in with the threes every now and then. But you know you're like at the bottom and you're just thinking like, yeah, there's no way I'm gonna make this fucking team ever in a million years.
Speaker 2:And essentially, once we got together after those OTAs it's the first question that I asked you said you know what's on your mind. Yeah, and if you remember, you look at me and you're just like, well, you know, if things don't work out with the Redskins, there's 31 other teams. And I was like man, I got his ass. I knew, because here I never worked with an NFL player like what's the angle gonna be like? I know I have these mental training tools that I used in the corporate world that work, but never really this deep in sports. And as soon as you said that, I knew it and I just I'll never forget. Just we're sitting across from each other in the booth and I look over at you and I say, hey, man, like what if you forget about the 31 other teams? And every day you wake up and you look yourself in the mirror and say I'm a linebacker with the Washington Redskins and you, like your eyes got big, like I thought you were gonna jump over and you don't want to tackle me, and you're like that's what I'm gonna start doing, I'm gonna start saying it every day. And then that next day you literally texted me. I was pulling into a restaurant called Bristol. I mean, these are things like why our relationship is so special. I remember every detail.
Speaker 2:I'm pulling into Bristol wearing the damn suit again because I'm still a financial advisor and I'm pulling in and I get this text message hey, do you drink coffee? I'm like what the hell kind of do I drink coffee? What kind of a text message is? I just met you yesterday. I'm like, yes, I drink coffee, having no idea where this is gonna go. You then say great, post-workout drink, coffee, whey protein and honey. I'm looking at my phone like what the like? Where is this going? I said, sounds great, I'll try it. And you responded back that's what a linebacker with the Washington Redskins drinks. And I thought, holy shit, like this kid. But you made the choice to say I'm gonna start thinking differently.
Speaker 1:Every Monday. We'd meet, yeah, every Monday, at four weeks until three weeks you'd have me do homework when I go home.
Speaker 1:You know, we're like working out. I'm having my little brother Wyatt. He's like timing me and all my gassers because we're preparing for this awful conditioning test. It makes me want to lay on railroad tracks thinking about it. But we'd have to run 10 half gassers and then it'd be a 45 second rest. But while you're resting 40 seconds of it you're planking. Then you get up and you have to run another one. You got to make them in all these times and we're just running. You know you see how you feel humid and hot. It is out there like Wyatt and I. He's out there timing me, getting ready for training camp and everything else.
Speaker 1:And yeah, man, like a lot of that stuff helps shape my thinking going into training camp and that training camp like it's like you know people, people ask, like you know, if you're undrafted, I'll have undrafted guys DM me. It's really cool that I get to talk to those guys because it's just a world of man. It's like to play in the NFL. You have better chances against struck by lightning and it's like if you're a low round undrafted cat, even to make a roster, it's like insane right and everybody always wants like this formula and there is like luck and timing that is involved with it, because I don't even have the opportunity.
Speaker 1:Unless Keenan Robinson goes down on day one of training camp, he tears his peck. Yeah, again, london Fletcher pray, riley, keenan Robinson is there, he came. He was coming off IR from the year before a fourth round, third, fourth round pick out of Texas who was a stud, and he tears his peck opening day. And so right then and there I go, from seventh on the debt chart to now where I'm, I get to solidify myself working with the threes and then even then, like all this stuff we were doing, right now I'm, I'm prepared, I'm like you know, I've been game planning or offense all off season doing all that sort of thing.
Speaker 1:So anytime I did get a few snaps during practice, I would be loud, proud, vocal, probably know what plays coming, because you're running against the threes, they're trying to run basic install stuff. And then the guy, the undrafted rookie had to meet Jeremy Kimberle shout out the boy, jeremy, he tears his hamstring and he go, he's out for like two to three weeks because it was a bad hamstring injury. And then I get thrust it into the twos and just like that, you're like getting your opportunity to play. That's when. That's when everything you do work for you have to be ready when your opportunity comes. You just don't know when it's ever going to come.
Speaker 2:See, that's one of the unique things about you. You embraced an underdog mentality when, really for the first time in your life, some of those Nike camps that you went to, like you may have questioned yourself but coming out of Bontair, missouri, you were a huge recruit. I mean both let's just let's call it what it is both Polini flew the damn plan to watch bowl games. I mean you were a highly taught after recruit. University of Missouri was pissed off that you didn't commit. There you go and become one of the all time leading tacklers in the history of Nebraska football. You're a captain. Like when you're told, like you're undraft, a lot of guys they can't handle that. And then for you to embrace that, show up to camp and be prepared for that moment, like you own that underdog mentality. You know people don't want that and I think a lot of these guys who now reach out to you is because you become such a great example, because of the fact that you were ready, that you didn't say hey. I know the underdog gave you that chip on your shoulder and I think that's something you embraced and you tackled.
Speaker 2:What are the little things that I can do? And I remember asking you that first meeting I'm like, hey, what made you a captain at Nebraska? And you were like, hey, I used to pay attention to nutrition. I used to read every day. I would break down and I said, well, let's start doing those things again. And then you did, as opposed to saying you know, woe is me. I'm on the depth chart, man, I ain't gonna make it. I mean, I appreciate what you're saying here, but, like, this ain't happening for me. And you stayed focused on what you can control and you were ready for that moment yeah, it's hard.
Speaker 1:You talk about like embracing the underdog mentality too it's. It's definitely like there's a lot of pride with that. I look back now and I'm more proud of coming from that situation than I was at the time. I know, at the time, you know, I remember one of my best friends, john he. Him and his wife came into town and I remember telling him like hey, this is going to be the only year I play like this fucking sucks.
Speaker 1:I hated training camp. I hated. I just it wasn't fun. The reason why it wasn't fun is because I wasn't seen as a guy. And then, and then the ball bounces your way, and then when you're running with the twos and then you're getting some opportunity the moment that I'm sure we'll get into and talk about and then you start getting seen as like you know, oh shit, this kid can play. You know I was on practice squad that whole year, but anytime you're behind the eight ball, it's not fucking sucks. It's like when I didn't get draft, it's not not. Not even to get draft apart, when I didn't get invited to the combine, like that was a tough pill to swallow because, again, I was just mad at the at the world. It's just like you know, but you ultimately have to understand that the sun rises the next day and you have to either change your outlook on it and start progressing toward whatever you want, like whatever you have written down um but what actually in that moment, like that mindset, the eggs, that was far before.
Speaker 2:You know, I appreciate when you try to give me credit and things, but you always did the work, you always did the thinking, but well before me, was it your mom, was it your dad who instilled that belief in you well, without getting emotional.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, it was, it was them. Do my best not to make a joke. Um, yeah, it was Be real. No, I know, I mean make a joke for crying.
Speaker 2:No, I'm saying I want you in this moment. I want you to be real for your mom yeah, she's listening to you.
Speaker 1:Well, it's tough to fully do that because you start, just like you start losing you the words. But yeah, man, yeah it was. You grew up in this little, this small fucking house in Park Hills and it would just be. You don't know it at the time but your parents are like. You know they're working there. You know they're working their dick off to to provide. You don't know like that, you're poor or low class or nothing, because you don't know any different and it's small things.
Speaker 1:It's like I remember my mom saving up box tops from cereal boxes and doing all the new tricks of the trade to save money, cut costs. And you know they busted their ass to put every amount of money into our sport camps. I fucking hated wrestling. My dad loved it. We were solid at it. My brother was the fucking animal, my dad's in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hated fucking working out and my dad making me work out. He made you make me work out. Like you know. They wanted us. We figured out that we could play sports and I wanted to go to football camps and they did whatever they could to travel baseball team.
Speaker 1:And you wouldn't know it at the time when I'm getting, when I'm with my buddies traveling to baseball tournaments. And then you look back on, realize like, oh, my parents just couldn't afford to go to those tournaments and stay in the hotels and everything else. And those moments that you did do it, it's just they always found a way to provide and again, you don't know it at the time that this is all molding, molding us in a way that we're able to utilize and find our own motivations and chip on our shoulders. But it was. It was like those. It's like a subconscious thing that comes in the back.
Speaker 1:My mom listening to Dave. My dad lost his job, you know, throughout the beginning, half or middle, middle, middle of the road in high school and he's trying to teach himself selling insurance and doing all these things and he's out of a job and it's a stressful fucking time. And my mom's got Dave Ramsey radio on every every morning figuring out how you do this snowball effect, the baby steps, and I never cared to hear it. I wonder my? I wanted an allowance. Everybody else is getting a fucking allowance wearing stupid ass, abercrombie and Hollister, and why do I got to wear aeropostal? You know what I mean like, and again, you don't know it. You don't know it then, man, but it like those are things that you reflect on them when you do get the opportunities.
Speaker 1:It's like, fortunately, my dad showed me Rocky at a young age and talked about Walter Payton that he would run hills until he puked. And when I get in trouble back, well, walter Payton, when he'd show up and not have the dishes done in the middle of the night, they'd wake him up out of bed. And you had all this storytelling based on motivations, because I love football. So there was, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like them, it's hard to articulate everything they did, but, recalling all these stories, it's when you grew up in a county like St Francis County and I'm not not the shit on it, but you're in a small town, the closest cities, an hour away. You're not, it's a generational. It's a generational area, not that people don't get out and they're bums and everything else, but you don't know any different because you don't leave a whole lot. You don't know how to think big. The only way to think big is movies and sports. And oh, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1:My dad buys a whole DVD set and then I'm watching these documentaries and you're just thinking, man, this is the coolest fucking thing in the world like how do I do that Writing? I want to be an NFL player on when I'm in eighth grade, on when we're in career classes and knowing that everybody thinks like you know this fucking kid's ridiculous. Being a, I was a down. You know your boy was a stud running back back in the day I'm talking in a pub, but I wanted to be the next Walter Payton. I wanted to be Eddie George because I knew I was taller and bigger and you want to be the greatest running back of all time, only to find out you're a defensive guy. But you just knew when I was going to the next phase, nebraska, that there were people in our area that, like we'll see what he does, people always fizzle out. Nobody ever really makes it. So that accumulated with learning that kind of background I know I kind of went off on tanges there.
Speaker 2:I just want to just capture some. It's a huge testament to your parents and capturing that mindset that's one thing. To see the movies, but it's another thing. I know how hard your parents worked but also hammered and kept instilling those values because not only you, there were three collegiate athletes in your house and there were three kids in your house, yeah, so it's a pretty amazing thing, you know, when you look back at how amazing your parents are and the job that they did.
Speaker 1:It's insane man. But one day you look, you look back and then all these memories that are coming up, it's like it does kind of get in grand to your mind about the sacrifices they made, but at those moments they're not the heroes in your movie. Now it's like they're the fucking only heroes you want to reflect on.
Speaker 2:She's so proud of you.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:Dude, it was the, you know. I think back to just the number of times because you are so freaking high maintenance and you try to play this off a bro like my god, are you high maintenance?
Speaker 2:I mean like mom's gotta bring your truck out to you know, it's just the number of the sacrifices your mom made. I mean it was like if you were moving like, your mom would have been like get me the U-Haul, put it on the back of the truck, I'll drive the truck out, we'll go do your thing. I mean your mom was just just lived a life of sacrifice. I mean being a teacher, being a principal, being the leader of your family. I mean she was an amazing woman who, dude, she would drop anything. The big tailgate she would throw were like freaking, all of Bon Terres coming.
Speaker 1:We got word he's sitting. There's 250 people from Bon Terres sweetheart, you were there, my wife is sitting back there and we had 200 to 250 people at the Kansas City Chiefs game, washington at Kansas City prime time game and I'm not even playing in the game like that special teams bro, I'm the backup and there's like my mom's like oh, you know, you gotta come to the hotel. Like we ran out the conference room for dinner. People came, they want to. You know you need to go in and show face and say hi and see.
Speaker 2:That's why I think it's so important that you know now, you know as a parent, that you know will never be perfect, right, I'll never be a perfect husband, I'll never be a perfect father, but you try your best and instill these lessons because you were listening, you know, and it did change your life and you know those practices that you hated you know how many times, with those messages that actually got you through, because you and I have talked about it. There's so many people you know I've, you know you were the first one, but now I've been blessed to continue to work in this league and help and mentor so many players. And but there's, there's guys that just break because they don't know how to think they didn't have those lessons, they didn't have that push, they didn't have that example, they didn't, and it's it's amazing that you took it and you and you just ran with it. It's it's incredible. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:Um, can I take you to a moment? Yeah, training camp. Which one? The first one I think we got to dive into this moment yeah, one of the core moments of my career.
Speaker 1:It's like you know, if you look back, what are some moments that allowed the breakthrough and everything else? Um, I got saying earlier, keena went down with the pack, I get to go with Therese and now, mind you like, when you're an undrafted, when you're an undrafted player, um, you need things to go your way. You need injury to happen, you need, you need those things to happen if you're going to get any fucking opportunity. Because again you're at the bottom, like you, getting put on the team. The focus is on the draft picks and the guys who are going to be on the 53 man roster. You're once and twos. That's who they really care about. Like, let's polish this up, let's get going, let's get ready for the season. So, as an undrafted guy, you either they either find a diamond in the rough if you execute, or it's he is who he thought he was. Cut him, go to the next guy. It's just a revolving door. So when you do get your opportunities, there are few and far in between. So when I'm working in with the therese or working with the therese, you're only getting a few reps a day. You fucking better be right when you're out there, even when you are again, it's all right. Once back in you, ready to see the big dogs, ready to see, at that moment, my rookie year, ready to see RG3, st Tana, moss and London Fletcher and all these cats, man Brandon Merriweather, d'angelo Hall, dawes, again, perry Riley, and you know, when Kimbrough goes down and I get to go in with the twos, it's fuck, I'm getting an opportunity. This is real. I, now I get to run with the twos and you have a. You put a practice or two together, good practices, and again nothing's being said to you because you're not a focal point.
Speaker 1:And I remember tweaking my hamstring.
Speaker 1:I remember tweaking my hamstring in a one-on-one base, got wide, I leaned and felt the pop like up top of my hamstring, like in my ass, in my ass basically, and I was finally getting my opportunity to run with twos. And that night, man, I could barely walk in my hotel room to where I'm literally in tears because I'm so disappointed that this is happening. Then I'm finally getting my moment to be out there with the second unit while other people are down, because the best ability is availability. When you do get that shot, you better fucking run with it, especially if you're a bottom guy, because you only get one life. You only get one life when you're when you're on the lower inch line of guys. And I was just in tears, man, I thank God you come, not that I'm gonna quit and fucking leave and everything else, but I remember that last visit we had after the four weeks of meeting in the summer, yeah, hey, man, I would love to come out during training camp for a few days and just make sure your head's on straight.
Speaker 1:I was like oh man, I love that I fired up like again. You've like taught me some thump and I'm like hell, yeah, hell, yeah, you're driving this fucking Mercedes and wearing this suit. Like I'm enamored. If you're selling something on the network marketing level, I'm buying all in. And I was like man, that'd be awesome. And it just so happened that day is the day you flew out for the next morning because that walkthrough I had to hide behind. Now, when you're doing walkthrough in the morning in training camp all the rookies and scout team guys they're the ones running the carts and walkthrough for the vets like you're again, you're, you're at the bottom, get the fuck out there where the jerseys. You're doing the walkthrough for the vets, I'd like hide and kind of not show face and be in the back. So I didn't get out there because I couldn't. Not, I was in. It was brutal.
Speaker 1:And I remember going to Elliot Dr Evil, elliot German I hate that I'm butchering your last name, brother, but I call them Dr Evil. That's a long paying homage to Dr Evil, nebraska. Mark Meyer and Elliot was my Dr Evil watch. And I remember like laying there like hey, please don't tell anybody and try to like we I please help me figure out how to have my hamstring in a place just to practice, because I have to be out there, and he worked with me and ultimately it was like we had to figure out a way to like duct tape. My leg, essentially is what I like to say like to where, if you're doing like leg swing, skip. I couldn't like lift my leg that high because if I got overextended that's where it hurt. But if I took enough, I'm taking toward all, like a some vet gave me toward all I'm doing this stuff. So I could just be out there because you come for that lunch and you. You might remember a little bit more than me, but I remember and I remember being like man.
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:I remember you texting and you were like man, it's bad. You said meet me at the team hotel and I go over to the, to the team hotel. Man was pouring down rain that day, just pouring down rain, which you know, even for conditions. If you're hurt like you're, even more worried like man, it's gonna be pouring down rain.
Speaker 2:I got a slick field I got to play on and I remember I walk in and it was one of those things for those who don't understand what Will's talking about having to have that doctor that you can trust. Nobody on the god forbid a coach finds out.
Speaker 1:If you're seven on the seven on the depth chart, you're gone like in my mind, in my, in my movie I'm thinking of a bunch of them cut a coach hears dude's got a bad handshift like you're out.
Speaker 2:Well, you don't again, you don't want to be in the training room. You don't want to be anywhere, seen in an environment like that. And that part I knew intuitively and so I remember when we walk into the hotel and I said, man, let's go over here, and we sat right on right, like kind of in this lobby area where I cross from the Starbucks right outside the restaurant and I remember we just sat there and I was like man, like you brought me up to speed and how you're feeling, everything you just shared and I'll never forget.
Speaker 2:I looked at you. I said can you go? And you looked at me and you said yeah, man, I think I can go. And I said no, no, no, will I. Can you go without hurting yourself any further? Can you go? And you look at me and you said I'm going, I can go? And I said, okay, do you have the doctor you can trust? And you said yes, I've got him. I said what's he gonna do? And you were like me he's gonna strap this thing up and he's going as high as he possibly could. I said then you go out there and you just attack the opportunity and that you know we look back now and that was that was the practice where you made the red skin. So why don't you tell him what happened?
Speaker 1:that afternoon. There's no fucking question, bro. Tell him what happened, dude. So this is we go out to that practice and that practice. I have two interceptions and another PBU that should have been picked off. I pick off Kirk Cousins, I pick off RG and almost get RG again, and I have two interceptions that day. And when we get done with that practice, I'm on cloud nine.
Speaker 2:One, you return for a touchdown.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're in seven on seven.
Speaker 4:There's a yeah you're right, you're right, you're right, turn right and take that shit to the house.
Speaker 2:Hey, I've got the film to show it.
Speaker 1:When I come off to the sideline and I'm fired up, I'm smiling like this and Ben just fucking punches me in the chest and I feel a little tinkering the nose talking about it and he's like man, I'm so fucking proud of you. And yeah, man, that was, that was a moment. That was truly like a moment of, because then that night we stand which is awesome we're here in Nashville right now, but our first, my first preseason game of all time, is in Nissan Stadium and we're getting ready to play that game. And that night, in those meetings by linebacker coach, you didn't really mess with me. I mean, I was a young rookie, he was a vet guy. So he again it I don't know if I was going to be in his plans or not and remember him saying like hey, will some coaches want to see you play? You're going to work with the twos for this game against Tennessee. And I'm thinking like, oh shit, this is awesome. I wish I had a little bit more confidence from my position, coach, but I was fired up and we go to Tennessee and that night, the night before the game, coach Shanahan comes up to me. Mind you, you know you're, you're not it? This is my first conversation ever with Mike Shanahan, super Bowl winning coach, and he's like oh, mr Interception, and I'm thinking this motherfucker is calling me Mr Interception. This head coach, that again a Super Bowl champion, somebody that's, like you know the Shanahan name Coach Terrell Davis, shannon Sharp, john Elway and I would watch.
Speaker 1:I played with the Denver Broncos on Game Day 96, back on PlayStation With my old man when he'd take me to Toys R Us on and off, when he would skip work and he'd take me out of school. And that head coach is calling me Mr Interception and he said, hey, let it rip tomorrow. And you know the game happens and obviously I just make the practice squad that year. But that moment, that practice led to the pre-season of me getting to play like with the twos and twos and threes and playing in the fourth pre-season game, the entire game and a scalbin. Hey, you have an opportunity to make this roster. You're going to have to black out on defense, this before the fourth pre-season game. You're going to have to black out, but you have a shot in the dark to make the roster. Didn't end up making the roster but again, man, like even making the practice squad, it doesn't happen without like that story Back then a lot of people don't realize.
Speaker 2:after COVID it went to 16. Even making a practice squad was stuff. It was what? Eight guys, Eight guys in practice squad then miserable.
Speaker 1:Shout out to boys who get to do 16 now, like that eight was bullshit.
Speaker 2:I mean, it was a blessing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you get cut. You're bummed about that and you know you get to make.
Speaker 2:you get to make practice squad Because you really did almost make the roster Like they wanted you on that roster.
Speaker 1:I wasn't good enough on special teams man. I sucked on teams and I could play backer and that was ultimately why I didn't make the team. And then the next year I get to meet Adam Hayward. Logan Paulson was a pivotal vet for me that took me under his wing. Read Doughty, this white safety, no name cat, undrafted as well, Would teach me some things. But Adam Hayward, I remember, put his arm around me and taught me teams. He's like hey, if you're going to be in this league, you're going to have to play special.
Speaker 2:Huge shout out to Uncle Wood. Huge shout out to Uncle Wood.
Speaker 1:He was the one who started to be a wolf, like fucking wolf, the wolf pack mentality and this that the other, like he, he was a dog but yeah, he taught me how to play special teams because ultimately that's what allowed me to make the team the next year. But yeah, that shit, yeah, that rookie year was, was wild, his pivotal kind of like look back on.
Speaker 2:You were literally renting a room from Dejan Goems, right I?
Speaker 1:mean, he goes. He goes, you're as I watched his English Bulldog. He would allow me to rent his apartment for seven hundred dollars, which was a steal when these are parts of the story.
Speaker 2:People have no idea that, like they would think, like you're probably living in some palace, right, because you're not on practice.
Speaker 2:Yeah you're college teammate, yeah. And then we start doing this visioning and I'll never forget. I mean you're talking about, I'm going to be a speaker, I want to give back to the community, I want to throw camps. And then you look at me as the first time you said it to me, you're like man, I got to take advantage because when you're playing in the league, man, you're better looking in. Your jokes are funnier.
Speaker 1:I've been saying that.
Speaker 2:That's been your line forever.
Speaker 1:But I mean, that is, that is the fucking truth. But yeah, and then?
Speaker 2:you wrote down everything and then we went to the dinner.
Speaker 1:Then we went to the dinner where he liked Kings. That's, that's just a tangent. Then by the end of the year I get finally get my opportunity to get called up and then I finally get to get active. I'm active for one game week six, week 17, at New York and I back up London Fletcher's last game of his Hall of Fame career and have get in the stepbook, get one tackle and finish out the year like being active, right, like it's like this.
Speaker 1:I remember calling my dad and being teary eyed and like I'm getting active, like I'm playing. I'm playing in the NFL for real, not in a preseason game. I cried when I got the phone call. Yeah, you, you, I cried, you know, I know we both get, we, I cry a lot. Now too, it seems like. And yeah, I remember fired up to tell my dad like I'm going to be an NFL player. My number goes from 46. I get it's now 53 for my first game and see my jersey, see it hanging in the locker After the games. I remember asking London for a photo because I knew he was done and it was the coolest fucking that we lost.
Speaker 2:But that's so stupid but it's so true. Like you look back, like when you wrote those things down, you believed it. Like you knew you'd be an NFL player, you believed it. I mean, all these years you said you wanted to play, you believed it. I mean it's a testament to you, like so much of what you've done. Like I know sometimes you'll pull back from the reality of it, but like when you believe in something, you put your work behind it and you go after it full steam, right. Then it became I'm a captain of the Redskins. I mean it just, and became a captain of the Redskins, which we would have said that the first time I pulled up in the Mercedes with the suit, you would have been like, bro, I'm just trying to make the roster, I'm saying, hey, I need to talk to somebody else.
Speaker 1:This dude is fucking delusional. But yeah, like going into year two, I remember I had to redo rookie mini camp and I was pissed off about that because I'm like, why do I? Got to do rookie mini camp again. Like, that's so, I'm going to be the second year play. It's like a sophomore having to go back and do freshman year again. Right, you're around. You're around these first year guys and it's like, again, an ego shot.
Speaker 1:However, the silver lining became we didn't draft an inside linebacker that year. So my linebacker coach, who was brand new Kirk Alvedotti, who has been, who was probably the most pivotal coach in my career as far as when I did get my opportunity, but it was Kirk Alvedotti's first year he got to work with me first before any of the vets, right, jim Haslett was our deco-ordinator, since they didn't draft anybody at the inside linebacker spot. They got to focus on me. Like I got to be the starting micbacker for the rookie mini camp, right, but they got to focus on working with me and game planning. Like I got to take my game planning and put it, put it back into practice and being loud and proud and communicating with the safeties, and I remember having to do that rookie mini camp again because I was upset at doing it and it turned out to be again another moment of of like damn, I'm glad I had to do that shit because I got to work with them and Jim Haslett comes up to me and goes hey, will KO, kirk Alvedotti KO, and Haslett pulled me aside before that third practice or maybe after rookie mini camp. They're like you know, you can make this team. And I'm thinking in my head like, yeah, I, just if I can get some, get an opportunity or something that I, you can make this team. They're like are you on special teams? I was like, no, I'm not on, I'm on like the third, third team from every special teams. When the vets come in that next week, I'm on first and second unit of every special teams unit.
Speaker 1:And from that moment, from that rookie mini camp stuff, I got to be like a second, second teamer and I got to get my opportunities on special teams and fortunately again, my tag team partner, my partner in crime at the time, adam Hayward. We got to work second unit together at his linebackers and then play special teams together and fortunately he was the. He was the captain of special teams. Like he ran the room right, he sat in the front, will sit by me and do all this stuff. And coach Ben Kawika, our special teams coordinator he was trying to figure me out still, but I didn't have like the respect that he had for Hayward that helped thrust me and give me into those roles.
Speaker 1:And again, like I got to make the team outright. In that moment, again you're so scared of getting cut again. I remember missing a couple of tackles that fourth preseason game, thinking like it's over Jim has, was like hey, you made the team Like I don't know what else, relax, relax out there. You're going to back up either spot going into the season. Like you've made the team, stop putting too much pressure on yourself. Cause again I was in that moment of I have a shot to make the team If you black out right. I'm kind of in the same mindset the year before. Like you want to make the team so badly. In that moment it's like then I get the call that I made it and then I get to make the team that year and that year, year two, I got to start five games, two of which I played like a backup KO reminds me after those games it was the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans Like, hey, you played well, but you play like a backup. Your next step will be how do you push for a starting role? How do you play like somebody you need to have on this roster?
Speaker 1:I remember I had a three game stint toward the end of 2014. And in those three, in those three games I think I had like I had 14 tackles, nine and 12. And then the last week, perry Riley comes back or whoever was injured comes back, and I don't play the last week of the game, but had a hell of a fucking three game stint. That was like you know, has they? I had my exit meeting and I sat down on my exit meeting that year because we ended the year shitty right, like that was the year Dallas Des Bryant, the catch, green Bay Packers championship game.
Speaker 1:But I remember being in that exit interview before I'm packed up and loaded to drive home with mom and he goes Kirk, all of a daddy coach, all of a daddy goes. Hey, look, you're not going to win this job in spring. You're not prettier than any of these athletes were going to draft. You're not prettier than anybody in a helmet and shorts, but I expect you to win this job. When the pads come on and training camp, essentially like hey, you're not the best athlete, you're going to have to win some in some other form of fashion. However, I'm going to try and get you as many opportunities as possible to do so, and you know I didn't. I don't win the job outright that third year, but I eventually get to take over. I think it was week eight and year three that's when I start, nine games, I believe. And then the next year was yeah, yeah, that shit is nuts to look back on and the fifth year you were captain.
Speaker 1:Year four. Year four year four was captain. Year five was when Zach Brown comes, I get benched, I go to the, I go to the pine. And that was when I was extremely bitter and got a bad taste of the business because I thought to myself you know, in year three I take over and play eight or nine games and almost a mass of a hundred tackles and I'm like yo, this is fun, I can play, I belong in this league.
Speaker 1:How do I become like Luke Keekley? How do I be the poor man's Luke Keekley that plays from the neck up, knows all the stuff, can't quite make these places, motherfuckers out there making, but that's it goes back to writing all the stuff down. Like there's a little bit of delusion you need to have on trying to go after some of these ambitions. And it was, even though I was never going to be like Luke Keekley. But it's like why fucking not? Why can't? Why can't I do everything possible to try to be and then to play in those games and start or sitting the last half of the Dallas Cowboys game, week 17. After I have that interception with Kellen Moore on Kellen Moore, j Groom comes up to me and goes who would have thought that you'd be standing here. We're resting you for the playoffs from you being practice squad a couple of years ago, and I'm sitting there with a backwards head, looking ridiculous and I'm like yeah, I know it's awesome, Right, and we lose with Green Bay the wild card game.
Speaker 1:I was there for the game. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I can go off on a tangent, while we should have beat those motherfuckers but we lose in the playoffs. But again that next year I started every. You know they didn't draft anybody. I got to be the guy. I was voted captain, which is the biggest honor and biggest honor I've ever had, like I've had ever. That is crazy to think about. And then, year the year five, 2017, you kind of just think like they're going to do right by you. You know, I'm a captain, I'm a starter, I was undrafted. Like maybe I'll get a contract, maybe I'll get an extension because they pegged me as an exclusive rights free agent. You kind of like learn, like why in the fuck am I having the? Why are they treat me like that? And then you kind of just don't know the game, like that.
Speaker 1:You're still this kid, that's wanting to get next step, next step, next step. And then when Zach Brown comes in and you kind of get benched for reasons of him being a pro bowler, but they move, foster over to my spot Mason was a hell of a linebacker. And to get told that you're going to go back to the bench when I had had a hell of a training camp in year five I'm not sure you want to hit on something in your four, but getting told that and getting told the reason for getting benched was Mason got out of bad situations better than me, which is true. It goes back to that tangible and tangible thing Like it was. Will you have to be perfect before the snap and at the snap to have success? And if not, you get behind a play and you don't have those tangible things that get you out of those bad situations. You don't have the long arms, you don't have the top end speed, the hips, the turning and running you got to. That's why I had to lean on and study, so much is. You had to play from the neck up and be ahead of the game and you got out there because you couldn't have room, much room for air, not with these freaks that are fucking out on that field. But when I got told that and then I was just super bitter and hated everybody in that 2017 year and I got to have that middle finger game in Seattle where I picked off Russell Wilson yeah, the middle finger game and I just remember being on the bus and be like fuck them all and feeling like I knew I could.
Speaker 1:Still, I knew I could do because the week before Mason Foster placed for like six, seven weeks, he tears his labrum in the St Louis Rams game and I'm thinking I'm going to go out there and get, I'm going to get now my opportunity Again. You never wish for nobody to get injured, but again, when you're in the spot like this, you need to get opportunity Again. You need somebody to go down because you're not thought of as the guy you're going to. Hey, we need him to start. We need to move somebody off the starting lineup. It's like that's, that's the world I'd live in the entire, my entire career, which is fine, it's whatever. But Mason tears his labrum, ends up picking somebody off, ends up picking a I forget the quarterback golf. He ends up picking golf off at the end of the game, has a big heroic moment I'm like fuck, if only I could have been in because he went back out. He tore his labrum, goes back in the game dog and he ends up going on IR because his shoulder bothered him throughout the year. It's just painful and everybody's kind of dicking with him, with with his training room coaches that's like that's a whole another conversation. But he goes down and then they split reps with me and spate in 2017.
Speaker 1:Spate, good player, however good, good, good man, good dude. But it was almost like a slap in the face of me because when I got benched it was going to be like hey, you're the first guy in it, either spot type of thing. Like I had still played the the two years that I had. I had started 30, you know, 20 upper like 25, 30 games at that point. So I'm thinking I'm going to be the first guy in. But when Mason goes on IR, they end up splitting reps between me and spate and I'm thinking what the fuck? And I'm on my restricted free agent year. So I'm on my last year with Washington and it's like we're not going to you start to play the game in your head. Are they not trying to play me, since it's going to be my last, my last year. I'm not going to be in their future plans. They want spate because he's still on his rookie deal.
Speaker 1:And I was pissed. I remember going into KO's office being like hey, like basically fuck you. I was like why, why stop blowing smoke up my ass? Cause when they benched me I was like you know, I just wanted to go in the meetings, take all the notes in the world, not talk to the coaches, just be amongst the boys. Be amongst the guys and not be who. I should have been Honestly looking back on, but again I was felt, I was mad. I was mad at my own situation again and when it became time for me to get to play, I played base reps. Spate played nickel reps and if you know about this day and age of football, you're out there and nickel package is more than base. Like I'm getting 15 snaps again compared to spate, who's getting 35, 40 or whatever. And when they split reps for us in Dallas, I was fucking so pissed that I go into KO's room and I was like why you guys just keep blowing smoke up my ass? Why do I have to learn in special teams meetings what the our situation is going to be in our room before I hear it from you, and if I would have known this, I would have tried getting out of here when we could have had a bye week. But everybody just says you're the next guy if something happens. And now something happens and it's me and Spate splitting reps, and not only that, but Spate's really the guy, it's not me Again.
Speaker 1:Like mad, right, but also like being the victim. I'm just being like a little. I feel like I'm being a now that I'm talking about. I'm like, oh, I'm being a little bitch, going into the coach's office being upset about my situation. I remember, leaving his room upset, jay Groom comes in and he's like, oh, what's wrong with Comp? And I kind of just blow by him and he's like, hey, you know we, everybody can use a hug. And I'm like, oh, don't touch me. And Minnesky comes out Comp, what's wrong? And I just kind of go off and go to practice, do my thing at practice.
Speaker 1:They're like, hey, we don't know if you can play a full game. Like you haven't started this whole year. We need to get your wind. Yada, yada, yada. I'm like just leave me, be Like I get this. Like just let me, because, no matter what my thought, even though as mad as I am, I'm thinking to myself.
Speaker 1:I'm thinking to myself, if I don't play well in the few, in the base reps that I do get against Dallas, who will run base and 12 personnel and bigger personnel because they're going to run the Rock was Eek If I don't play well in my small reps, I'm ultimately going to confirm that that is spate that needs to be out in the field. So you're still in this spot that you were mad, that you have to be in that because you're like I have to, I have to, like, make them, I don't know. And if I do play well, I have to play well enough to show those motherfuckers that, hey, you do need to be playing me, but if I do play bad, it's like I'm proving them right, that they're making the right decision. So you're still in a spot where I have to play to, where I'm helping them out, even though you want to give the middle finger to them and not play well for them. And we play Dallas and I play well in Dallas and the role that I was in and that next week KO calls me and he's like hey, you're going to be the guy for Seattle and so I was like fuck yeah.
Speaker 1:And then I got to play Seattle. I had 10 tackles Sweet, are you there? She knew how I get emotional thinking about that moment, because I was mad dude, I hated, I just hated it. I hated the situation. I felt like I was wronged. You know how it is you start pointing the finger at everybody else except yourself and you want it to go your way.
Speaker 1:We go to Seattle 10 tackles and interception three PBU's should have had a. I honestly should have had another pick. I say PBU's like it was a baller move, but I should have took rust of the house, that one one play that I just dropped. We win the game and we're diluted, we're depleted on the O line. We have starters back against the wall going into Seattle the 12th man and we had players down the Angel Hall play safety that game and we both just have like a middle finger game. And I remember again going on that bus, getting back to the, getting on the bus and call my dad. I remember talking to Kenny Bell, even Charo, my wife, like you're just like fuck them all. You just showed it. You showed that you still belong in this game. Ko calls the next week hey everybody, here's you. You got the keys. Like you're the guy now. Rest of the year. Fucking, blow my foot out against Minnesota. I are never see the field again. That was the list, frank. That was the list, frank. That was the list, frank. That sucked.
Speaker 2:I was so happy I got to never forget, because I didn't realize how serious of a thing it was.
Speaker 1:I thought somebody took a fucking gun to my foot.
Speaker 2:I remember you were like no list, frank is about as bad of a foot injury as you can have because it's going to linger. It's going to take a while to come back from it. It was devastating.
Speaker 1:I needed my wife to be at the house pretty much every day, helping, helping me do everything while I played video games and sat in my sulk, sat in my shit being bummed. The silver lining of that guy a player like Zach, vigil, neck up guy, gritty guy, never got his opportunities. He gets to come back because I'm now an IR and they need somebody to fill in. Zach comes and ends up getting 80 tackles, averaging 10 tackles a game for the rest of the year. There was some not resentment. I always pumped for him because he got a shot again. He got to come back.
Speaker 1:In my opinion, he should have been on the team with us, been on that roster with us, but I remember thinking, man, if I could have put together 10 tackles a game for the rest of that year just with the middle finger going into free agency, that would have been awesome. I didn't get to though. I got injured, got on IR Rest of the year. They thought it could be a four, six week injury, but it was. I mean, it was my foot. I still feel arthritis in my foot, but then that's when, ultimately, I go to Tennessee Sign with Tennessee. Can I mention one?
Speaker 2:thing this sets up Through all of this you did always because I remember I mean you would, you'd be one of those veterans who would help other people. I mean you were a captain for a reason because there was nobody who brought your heart and soul and for the boys really started in that locker room.
Speaker 1:Yeah, with Taylor and myself, man, we would like we would, we would train together because Dobson being in Nashville, james Dobson was like another father to me in the training realm. I always I got a lot of strength Strength coach at Nebraska. My strength coach at Nebraska. Yeah, that's another godly thing yeah.
Speaker 1:He's in Vanderbilt, he's the head strength coach at Vanderbilt at the time when Polini staff got fired at Nebraska and I get to get reunited with Dobson and I'm in their culture and getting to know guys there and Taylor and I trained there in the summer with Dobs and Taylor and I would always be like hey, what are the boys doing? Today we're sending each other inspirational videos on YouTube Connor McGregor, law of attraction, fucking, all the motivating things in the world, right, and we were trained again to be hey, what are the boys doing today? The boys this, the boys that, hey, come over to my house, the boy, the boy we're always recalling doing all this stuff. And we kind of had this, this culture that was getting ingrained in our training camp embracing the suck because it fucking sucked playing for Mike variable in that first year, like it was hard and it was. You're in, you're in a fight, right, you're like. You're trying to make the team, you're trying to prove yourself, not only like I feel like I'm going to be on the team, but I'm competing. Where Sean gets hurt, hurts his hamstring, so I'm in there with the two, sometimes the ones and busting my ass to try and carve out a role on the roster and for Rashawn to come back, even with the hamstring Mrs All of training camp, and he still gets thrust it into the starting job. And again I was fucking a bitter little bitch when he comes in because it's like, oh, it doesn't matter what happens, the first rounder is going to get, they're going to put him in there, no matter what, no matter where he is in there.
Speaker 1:And yeah, that was a grind and that's where the whole for the boys stuff came Like. You're just kind of embracing the suck. Would Wesley, would you bring it up? When we break it down on logos, we always met at the middle of the field after warmups and everything else and what would be. I can't break it down or he would be. I. Hey, for the boys on three started off strong. I got that year's kind of. I forget how we started, we did, we ended, we lost to playing it in an in an end game against the Colts that year. But yeah, this whole for the boys mentality kind of cultivated that year which obviously has built this whole for the boys brand now for the boys that already started getting rolling.
Speaker 2:You and Luan really started getting tight and and then I remember it was our third episode of the burn and literally on that episode and we're going to get you the clip for this you literally talked about starting a podcast and kind of back to the Dijon goams. I'm going to speak, I'm going to do like you always had these vision, but you followed through and on the frickin burn you were like more players need to be doing this. Like I'm going to be one of those players who actually starts a podcast and does this, and sure no.
Speaker 1:so what you've done that year, I didn't again. When you're in that position, you need somebody to get hurt, you need an opportunity. I didn't get that. So now I'm six years in. How old am I at the time? 28, 29. I don't know. But that year I don't get to play, and Charles, my wife, knows how much I was not having fun playing on playing that year. It just wasn't that fun.
Speaker 2:I remember you were just. You had always said I'm going to play till I'm 30 and you were like scratching and clawing to do everything you could just to get to that 30.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I just wasn't having fun going into work and you know, for whatever reason, like it just wasn't. It wasn't an ideal year, wasn't an ideal year for the boy? And I was a special teamer throughout the entire year. Rashana Wood, nobody gets hurt. They stay healthy, which is awesome. But again you need somebody to go down and get a spot. I didn't get in.
Speaker 1:I remember you know, charles, and she's probably thinking that some of these days where I'm trying to figure out what I want to do and I'm ordering these real estate books and trying to figure out I'm DM and Airbnb hosts get kicked off like two or three Airbnb's because you can't get in there and essentially just have messages about how you, how are you doing this business without renting an Airbnb? So I'm getting kicked off a two, three Airbnb's because I'm trying to figure out what I want to do. And I know when I was on IR in Washington, when I had that Liz Frank, I really got ingrained into the bigger pockets podcast. Shout out to boys at bigger pockets. I love podcasting, which is where this all comes together. So that year still listen to the pods. And Charles had told me like, do a podcast, just do it, like Taylor would tell me Derek Morgan, logan Ryan, kevin Byrd, you should have a podcast. That was in passing and that was kind of the weird validation I almost needed from peers, because you want to listen to your people, like any Fark is my wife is telling me this like people like you, take a chance and do it why not? And almost in the back of your head you're like you don't want to fail and you don't want to look dumb in front of the guys you actually the guys that you're respecting in your industry, and all that was kind of like some of the validation I needed to like, okay, I need to start ideating some of this stuff, and so I started writing it down. Like, as much as I'm writing down some of this real estate stuff, I'm writing down the podcast stuff. What I want it to look like because that's where I've always started is writing things down, whether it's the football stuff that you've recapped and anything I've ever done, it's writing stuff down. It's like what do I want it to look like? How do I want it to feel? What do I want it to be? How do I figure out how to get these pieces in place? If it's going to be because of podcasting and production.
Speaker 1:There's a whole amount of things that you kind of don't know about going into it. It's not just getting on the microphone part, but you know, I was inspired by guys like JJ Redick and the McAfee's of the world and these athletes who had, who had did it and pivoted. But if I'm going to do a wall playing, like figuring it out and you know, fortunately Taylor had wanted to join in, he's like, if you're going to do it like I'll do, I'll do it with you. Because I had asked him and he was kind of on the fence about it and I remember being like, hey, I'll do it with you. And we shook hands at this China, this China, this China's Chinese spot. I was going to say China buffet, or great wall, best wall, best walk, china spot, chinese spot at like 11 or 12 at night. It was after we lost the winning in game against the Colts and we shook hands and the next week he was like, hey, I'm leaving for California to go train or Canada or something. I was like what the? I said, hey, if you're going to do it, I'll wait for you. Kind of like Titanic, I will wait for you. But if not. I truly need to do this Because, again, jokes better looking, you can shake more hands. You're funnier better looking can shake more hands when you have the shield on you.
Speaker 1:And getting done after year six, there was that part of me that didn't want to do training camp anymore. I didn't want to be a 90 man roster guy trying to make a 53. I was over that. I was over grinding hard to do that. I feel like the resume I put together, the joy that was kind of taken out of it for me that year. You know you're, you're just like if it happens, it happens.
Speaker 1:However, whatever my pivot is, I need to start doing it now, as close as I am, cause if that's my last snap after six years, then you know, hopefully I get this thing going now. So I told Taylor like I need to do this now, but if you're truly going to do it I will wait, cause Taylor had just signed a big deal to be the biggest paid NFL player. So Taylor brought the juice of, like that notoriety of a player on there that we had, this chemistry and relationship from the locker room that we wanted to bring the life, bring the locker room to life, be an athlete owned podcast IP owned by athletes for the athlete. If, thank God we fucking did it right Cause then I got the balance. You know, year eight, year nine, all this stuff that's came about it.
Speaker 2:I have got to throw this in here, One of the things I'll never forget this conversation. Going into year seven, you call me and you're like bro, I'm not going to training camp.
Speaker 1:What you call me. You're like hey, what's the deal? What are you hearing? Yada, yada, and I'm thinking myself like man. I'm really not in the mental of this passion that Newman has at all times. The fucking, what do you need from me? He sent me voice messages firing me up and I'm kind of listening to him at this point Like I'm not into the fucking fired up stuff. He's doing what I would needed him to do, but I'm losing that. I almost don't want to come off like that to him because I don't want him to think that I'm not this gritty motherfucker anymore that's wanting to fight for this 53. And so I start yeah, now you can try and count. I'm kind of telling him like I don't want it like that anymore.
Speaker 2:And I mean you flat out told your agent now I look back on it, I mean it's pretty hilarious. I mean you literally tell your agent like you better drag this thing out, like I'm not going to training camp. I remember you telling me this I'm like no, you need to lock in and do that. You're like no, like you really were resisting it.
Speaker 1:You're like when you did the burn, when we did that episode, and we're building bust with the boys, the Jaguars, the Eagles, all these teams call one.
Speaker 2:I'm like you've got to go to camp and you're like I'm not, you know, in spring.
Speaker 1:And I was like I don't want to do that. And my agent was fine with that. He's like you don't need a risk. Like, unless you do a one-on-one workout and they're going to sign you with intention to sign, I think you've done enough. Like that's what we'll get for. And the summer, sane's called right before camp Eagles. Again, they want to bring me in and they're like is it a group workout? No, so yeah, neil was like he would drag it out. I remember Avery Williamson Terzys Knee in New York in 2018 or this is 2019, and the Jets call and I'm like, no, I don't want to go to New York. And they're like, man, you know, at some, you know when are you wanting to play? They're kind of questioning because I don't really tell my agent that I don't. I want to drag it out as much as possible. I almost like not answering the phone because my ah, fuck, now I have to go back and play.
Speaker 1:I'm excited now about the podcast. I'm like, oh man, this is kind of dope. We've had on some. We've had on some cool guests. The variable cut your dick off for a Super Bowl goes viral. Barstool DMs us and the Sane's called for a third time because I say no. Again they're like are you sure you don't want to do this workout in New Orleans? And I'm like my wife can tell you. I'm like no, we say no and they're like all right, we'll make sure it. They're like it sounds like unless you're working out by yourself with the intent to sign, you don't want to go anywhere. I was like, yeah, let's do this as much as we can. And the Sane's called for a third time and I fly out there, draw a nose, you don't necessarily sign.
Speaker 1:After the Shawn Johnson interview, we sit down and interview Shawn Johnson and Andrew East, olympic gold medalist Our first one of only females we've had on and the Saints call. That morning my agent calls like hey, two linebackers get hurt in the second preseason game. They want you. You're working out by yourself. They want to sign you as long as you're in shape and I had been training like I'm keeping up with everything and they need a guy for week one to start, like potentially start in their base package, and like fuck. So I don't answer. I don't call my agent back because I want to not only do the Shawn Johnson interview, barso is flying in to meet with us that night about podcasting, about a contract situation or potential working together. So I don't call my agent back until like later in the afternoon. I'm like, oh sorry, I've been. You know, I've been working out, I've been like caught up and I'm just like lying because I didn't want to have to get on a flight that day to fly out, because I wanted to go to these meetings and do the podcast. So sure, should enough to. We meet with Barstool and they want to talk about a partnership and not talking numbers. They just want to get to know us what our plan is going to be. And we're like we have episodes backlog that we're going to run throughout the rest of the year and see what happens. And then the Saints, we say yes to that.
Speaker 1:I flout, crack a dawn, first flight next morning, go out there, crush the workout and they want to sign me and I, hey, can you play, mike, can you play? What do you feel best? That I'm like either one, whatever you want me on. Like two days this is 48 hours before the third preseason game. This is where it's fun, because this is couch. And Charles, no, charles, like I call that night, they have the contract in my room because I don't sign until the next morning.
Speaker 1:There's a part of me that truly actually doesn't want to play because the fire is just not burning there like it was. It's almost like I wanted to know I could get this call and feel like I could go, but not do it, and I just wanted my wife to say, come on, but she's like you will regret not doing this. That's where somebody like her comes in. She's been in the picture, but this is where somebody like her comes in. This stuff like this, because when I didn't want to go to New Orleans and sign with New Orleans, when I didn't want to go to Oakland, out to California, and you almost just want a reason and not go, and she's just like you got it you got to see this through. Why would he? This is what you wanted to do. You wanted to be a podcast and play football.
Speaker 1:Why not do it? It seems a little scary because we're not out there, your people's not out there and you're in a new environment. I hate that. I'm fucking crying, but this is where you know, sweetheart, you know this is where you helped. I know you know that, but it's almost like you need that person to say that because you travel, you fucking, you're in the hotel, you're fighting for these opportunities. It's like man, I'm not. I didn't get to be the guy. I wanted to be in the league. I'm now like that role player insurance policy.
Speaker 1:So I sign, go out the next day to walk through, I don't do anything. Then we travel to the New York Jets for a preseason game three. It's one of those things where I'm talking with Charo and I'm like this is where I get to prove that I can learn something and play at the drop of a fucking hat. And now I'm nervous because, okay, I've said that, but now I have to put. It's like that put up or shut up type thing where, okay, if I don't play well against Dallas space going to be the starter, I have to play well. In my one package I get because if not, these motherfuckers will be like well, you know, you're not playing better than them. So I have no pressure, by the way, which is the best place to be in. I have nothing to lose and I'm just learning in the classroom about some of their install.
Speaker 1:And the coach asked me hey, would you want to play in the third preseason game? I'm like, fuck it, why not? Hey, we're going to play you, but would you, are you? You feel comfortable? Yeah, why not be ready to go? So I'm playing in on, I think, special teams second half.
Speaker 1:Like go out to New York for preseason game three. All of a sudden we're in the fourth quarter. That, hey, do you want to go in? Fuck it, why not? We go out there and you're, I'm executing and I make this open field tackle and two minute drill to keep this shifty running back in bounds. And these coaches, the coaches and the sideline was fired up about it and they were enamored. The next day, when we're watching film, that, hey, will, the coach goes. You opened a lot of eyes with this play and I'm just thinking, what are you? What are we talking about right now? Like the running back should have fucking got out of bounds. His dumb ass ain't doing it, thank God. But again it's like can will play in space, this, the tight hips, all this stuff. You make a play and it's on film Now. It's like, hey, people were really impressed with this moment right here. And it's like, oh shit, awesome.
Speaker 1:And next practice, I'm running with the one unit in base with the Saints, to Mario Davis, one of the best backers in the fucking league. Cam Jordan, one like I was there for a cup of coffee. I ended up getting cut right. But one of the best player ran locker with Craig Robinson, the special teams ace, the guy I was going there to not replace with being for him. If it works out, maybe they cut him, who knows? But he welcoming this open with open arms. Hey man, I'm a big fan of yours. I'm fired up. You're here, I'm going to get this hamstring right. We're going to. We're going to. We're going to make some shit happen again. But we're low key in the same spot. But I'm like man, something like. It was a cool locker room, a cool team to be a part of for that brief situation.
Speaker 1:Sean Payton, you're seeing him, or you're seeing Drew Brees work for real, in real time, and you know, you're getting to know some of these players. And then I get to go into the fourth precinct game and I, hey, we're going to throw you in there. You're going to play the first half, not continuing to knock Rust off, because you obviously you haven't played. You haven't played since December of last year and I fucking get hurt playing the first quarter and your boys out there. Like five tackles. I think I'm going to make this awesome TFL that's it fires me up to watch it. But this tackle falls on me and fucks on my ankle and I knew from that moment damn it, I'm going to get cut because they need a linebacker. They need a linebacker for week one and they got four guys hurt. I'm me one of them now and that's when they had to trade for Kigo Alonso. Give me an injury settlement.
Speaker 1:I go up to get cut and the guy who cuts me, terry I forget his last name Look up the, if you can, mitch, look up the GM of the Falcons. But he's like the president of officer. He's like I'm gonna get something ahead of scouting or whatever he. He cuts me and he's like I walk in, but look he, I'm fine because I just put together some awesome tape for the 20 plays that maybe I did in the third and fourth pre-season game, but I did it on not practicing. And so I'm like, oh, I'm going to get a deal once my injury settlements up.
Speaker 1:And he's a man nothing, you did nothing wrong. He's like you're a type of guy we want to bring in, like we'd want to bring in late in the year to go on a Super Bowl run Like. This is a Super Bowl type team and you know it too. It's like I think they lost in first or second round to Minnesota that year, but that was a team that you knew could do some damage. You're a guy that you could fill out a roster with and you need for late in the year because it's like next to you guys get hurt. And is that it?
Speaker 1:We see the. Is he the GM of the Falcons right now? Right down the street.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, him for the Falcons. I didn't know he was the guy for the Saints at the time. Well, whenever the whole year 10 comes up, he's now the GM for the Falcons. So it's like you not only do you know Arthur Smith, but these guys kind of know you, which is like the perfect storm. But I'm like coach or I'm like man. I appreciate it. I know like I. There's truly nothing like whenever I get this right within a few weeks, I'm ready to go. Bring me back, bring me back. I like this team. They don't call. They're like yeah, yeah, we're going to. They don't call he has motherfuckers, dude. I actually don't get a call until I go out to Oakland and I come back. Man, yeah, like that's when Oakland happens.
Speaker 2:That was another couch to TV though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember that one. Isaac and I were my son Isaac's here with us and I remember watching some of that and I'm just like you won't believe this. I'm like Will's making every tap.
Speaker 1:He was on the fucking couch like two days ago, like this is nuts On base for the Oakland Raiders that year, like that's right, come back.
Speaker 2:I think there was a big goal line staying too in that game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like somebody makes a big play on the goal line.
Speaker 2:He was just on the couch. It's nuts, man, nuts.
Speaker 1:And I remember when I got cut from the Saints and come back to I'm doing rehab every day. You know you're doing all that stuff. Like that was the year I was very much wanting to play. I just had, like, these things that pulled me away, that would this doubt and stuff would enter my mind to make me be like, do I want to go play? Like man, I don't know if I want to, but only because I knew it was hard and I knew it was scary, a little scary in a way. Right Like you. Just you tell yourself anything to talk yourself out of it because you almost don't want to be in that suck. You almost don't want to be in that bubble of performance, like getting having to take care of your body every day, and the Charles like identifies that and is like, hey, you're going to. You regret not going out there, you regret not doing this stuff, and California will make it work. Yeah, it's a long flight and it sucks, but we'll make it work. But before I go out to Oakland is when we start doing those tailgates for busting with the boys.
Speaker 1:Matt Neely, rip, who's no longer with us to late Matt Neely, who would be ecstatic about where we're at right now. But he's like dude, while you're here, he'd like joke on me. He's like, oh, here we go, you know, unemployed, probably never play again, looking for a job where everyone's to sign them, stuff like that. But he's like we should do tailgates, like the locals would love it. He's like dog they would love it and fan base would eat it up. And he was somebody that was in intertwine, interwoven into the tights fan basin. He's like man, I'll get it towed out there, I'll figure it out, put it all on me. Put it all on me. And so I'm like man, how insane is this going to look? We're sponsored by a local Anheuser Busch at the time and we're out here throwing a tailgate, drinking and I'm trying to earn a spot in the NFL. Like how ridiculous is that? We're going to look to coaches. So I was kind of scared of doing it. However, it's just like fuck it. It was one of those things. Again, it was tears like hey, man, if this is the last time you like this is the last time it happens and you want to go all in on this. Like do it man, like you got an injury settlement, a three, four week injury settlement, like you were going to if something happens and it happens if not, you get to point to this If you're at peace with it and believe it. And it was like stuff like that They'd be like, okay, let's do the tailgates, we're doing the tailgates, I'm sitting, you kind of getting that motive. Hey, this fall is nice, the weather is nice, the weekends are nice, this is fucking nice. And the Raiders call sitting around 500.
Speaker 1:One of those teams to where, if you're fighting for an opportunity to get in the playoffs, you call a vet that can. That is proven that you want to try to make the playoffs with. If you look, think you have a roster that you're going to essentially start over with. You're going to bring in rookies and give different opportunities because you're going to rebuild. Raiders wanted to get in. You went to try for the playoffs, right. And so Oakland calls same situation Go out there.
Speaker 1:Workout goes well, watch the. That week I'm starting on base. I go in at practice on Wednesday. John Gruden, he's running these walkthroughs so I could kind of get some reps and I'm out there playing base. Just a little small package for myself get like four tackles against the Lions that Sunday and that year I was going into it. Like, charles, like you know, if this is your last year, then so be it. Like, go, like, just have fun. And so I'm not taking care of my body, I'm rolling out, I'm doing the things in the building, but I'm saying I'm not anal about how, on top of everything, I need to be. It's more like, let's enjoy it.
Speaker 1:If this is my last year, my young self with you know all the stress that I always carried throughout my career. Like, am I going to play this week If I mess up with somebody? Are they going to replace me? Is you know? Am I good enough? Man, they want me in split reps. Does that mean they want spate? Now they don't want me anymore. Are they going to extend me? Why did they move Mason in front of me? Man, am I really not that fucking good? Fan base is talking shit about me. They bringing Zach Brown to this Does that mean I'm not good enough? Uh, I'm finally playing. But, you know, are they going to draft somebody even though I'm playing, or they're going to draft somebody next year? All these insecurities I always had.
Speaker 1:It's like, man, just go have fun and we go out to Oakland. I'm like, let's just play special teams, spread the good news with the boys and try and get it in another audience. Max Crosby knows who bust with the boys. He's like, oh man, you're big time. And they're like you know they're. What are you talking about? He's all now watching every week and you're like, oh, that's kind of fucking cool, max Crosby, who he is now.
Speaker 1:It's like we hit it off and dog the fucking Mike backer, ty, your whitehead, who played well. He just he adds there's some internal conflict with him in the DC and there was just, you know, getting in the right place, right time and they didn't want him to be the Mike linebacker anymore. And they're like, hey, can you run the green dot? I was like, yeah, I can run the, we can run the green dot. You need to read that. And the D coordinator at the time was Paul Gunther. He was really good friends with J Gruden so they knew about me Like John Gruden. I sat with him as a Gruden grinder on Monday night football once and had tears in front of him Right Again, back to my crying.
Speaker 1:I'll never forget that moment when he did that was yeah, and so John coach Gruden knew about me. Obviously, j Gruden, you know he's on those phone calls. He's a big reason probably why I'm out there. They, a lot of the staff is, they're in relationships with guys that I've been with and so, man, I get to rock the green dot for like the last three games and I think I average like around nine tackles, man, and kind of have, like you know, defense plays well. I want to say we might even lost two out of the last three and it was a the, the. The stipulation moving up to it was that the offense was playing well and the defense just wasn't fucking cutting it. We got to shake the tree type of thing. Defense. We get some stability. We lose in other situations, but it's like people were in a good mood the way the defense was playing, because ultimately the defense of staff jobs are now safe for another year. It felt like and so you feel like you're a big part of that and you're kind of like I got fucking did it again, like because there's a part of me on Tennessee. I didn't get my opportunity and I wasn't really seen as somebody who could be looked to as somebody on defense. You go to the Saints and they're trying to implement you into the plans. You go to the Raiders. They're trying to impute mention to the plans on week one, seeing you as somebody that you were in Washington, you kind of get a little bit of that like mojo back right, that love for it, and I'm like man, if I'm playing like this and I was just and I'm just rolling out in the room and trying to take care of my body, get some good sleep and I'm living in this bullshit ass extended stay. That smells like homeless people, cigarettes and sex. It's like, doug, I might have just bought myself another couple of years. No key, I might have just earned a contract in the off season, didn't? But the Raiders, I might have found myself on home. I might be going to fucking Vegas next year and they want me.
Speaker 1:John brings me into the office in the exit meeting and he's like you know how John grew and like, eh, compton man, you're not going to be a Hall of Famer. So he starts like yeah, no shit, you don't have to say that. No shit, brother, you're not going to be a pro bowler. That one kind of touched me a certain way, because I'm thinking like, yeah, probably not, but who? Why the fuck would you say that type of thing? Like fuck you for saying that. And he's like we want you back. I'm going to get in touch with your agent. We want you back because you won the job late in the year. You came in drop of a hat, all of it. We want you back.
Speaker 1:We go into the summer and off season they signed Corey Littleton from the Rans. They've been like 40, 50 million dollars on this month, maybe 30 something I could be over exaggerating that. And then 10 to 15 million dollars on Nick Kowalski good, mike Backer from Chicago. And that is like I'm thinking what in the fuck are we doing, spending all this money on these backers? I get we might need pieces, but why spend that when you know your boy's going to? I'm going to give you a discount. We can make this thing shake for something smaller.
Speaker 1:But I'm thinking like, okay, I'm not going to be the starter or even come close, like they're paying them starter money. And so they come to me and offer me a minimum deal, zero signing bonus, and I'm just thinking I don't get the fuck you. And I was like the whole mindset is guys. Last year I went in the saints and played without doing any practice. I came to you guys and played without doing any practice. I'm going to do the same thing this off season. If it's for a minimum deal, there's zero upside for me to leave. I'm going to do busting with the boys and not bang where, put wearing terror on my body in a training camp or an OTAs unless there's incentive.
Speaker 1:And the DC Gunther is like they moved to Vegas and I, man, we fucking COVID's happening. We need you, we need you here, we need you here. It's like well, show money that says I need to be there. I'm not. There's no reason for me to sign. I'm not doing it.
Speaker 1:And I get on the phone with Gunther and we're going back and forth for a while and Gunther, he was awesome about it. He's like man I don't control and he's trying to frame it to where he goes. Man, you got, he goes. You got a Aguilar who was the second round pick I believe maybe first round who signed from the Philly. He's signing on a one year minimum deal. You got Prince of Muka Mora, nebraska boy Shout out, prince. He signed on a one year deal minimum. He was a first round pick. You're not those guys, but that one didn't.
Speaker 1:It didn't phase me, like he probably was hoping, and I was like, okay, let's compare me to somebody in our room, ty, your whitehead, whose job I overtook late in the year and won the job from, who just signed a one over a million dollar signing bonus to go to Carolina. That's who we should be comparing me to. And we went back and forth. He said man, can you get on the phone and call Jay Gruden, call John, call John about this and say the exact same stuff, because Paul's just wanting me back but he can't make the decisions. He's like man. Can you say all the same stuff to Gruden? Because he's like man.
Speaker 1:We're sitting here arguing back and forth over why isn't Will Compton here, and he's like over somebody that's not going to be. You know. He's like no disrespect, not a lot of amount of money. Why are we arguing about this? Why isn't he signing? Why doesn't he want to be a raider? Does he even want to be a raider? And so John calls me. My family comes in. We're about to go down to Chattanooga for some white water rafting and families in town.
Speaker 1:Coach Gruden gets me on the phone. He's like Will Compton. He's like you're harder to sign than Kee Sean Johnson, man, and I laugh. I was like, coach, how you doing? And I was like, yeah, I'm sure you're offering, I'm sure you're offering more than a minimum contract and a Subway gift card to Kee Sean Johnson.
Speaker 1:And he laughs and he's like he's like, look, man, what is it? I was like, coach, just show me the value. Here's where I'm coming from. I don't have to come to practice. I want to be a raider. I want to. Here's what I told him, because my agent was prepping me for it. And he's like not only do I want to be, play and be a raider and end my career, I want to end my career as a raider. I want to scratch and claw and I want you guys to have to pull me off the fucking field to tell me my career is over and I want it to end with the silver and black. Not only do I want to end with the silver and black, I want to perform well enough to where you want to hire me as a coach. After I'm with the silver and black, shout out Neil Cormorant. She's telling me my age is prepping me for this. And I'm saying all this.
Speaker 1:He's like I just need to see where the value is, because here's where I'm at. I don't need to show up in training camp if I'm going to play for a minimum, because I've already proven that I can do that and the injury rate in the NFL is 100%. Somebody's going to need a linebacker at the beginning of the season. And then, of course, I'll sign for a minimum, zero signing bonus. And he was trying to talk to me about listen, if it ain't practice.
Speaker 1:Because he's like do you not want to practice? You don't got to practice. You don't want to play in the preseason games, you don't want to play. You don't have to play in the preseason games. I just want the guys to see how you command the huddle. Oh yes, you're going to back up Nick Kwiatkowski, I want to see how you operate all this stuff. It sounds great. Man, you know who my agent is. I'm ready whenever you are. And again, no offer. Long story short, nothing goes up because there's nobody in the market that wants me. So, unfortunately, the market dictates that they're not going to value you if nobody else is valuing you. Fair. Tennessee Titans call year nine. Wait, year eight starts to take shape.
Speaker 1:Year eight starts to take shape and Tennessee calls go and do a workout on five to fuck up. We're going back with the boys. They just went to the AFC championship. Let's go Go back, knock out a workout with them. They want to sign me. We finally get them in a little bit of a battle for minimum, for a minimum contract, but now we get the max out the vet minimum signing bonus. Maxing out the vet minimum signing bonus means I can go on the books for free. They still get to put zero in the books. However, that ain't a zero on the Will Compton's books. That's not a zero on our finances. We get to get like a hundred and something thousand dollars. But the silver and black tried, the Raiders tried.
Speaker 1:But Satya had a super good relationship with him. He wanted to know why I wouldn't sign back and ultimately, when I stayed with Tennessee, it was like hey, why didn't you come back? And it's like man, I feel like to be transparent. As much as I enjoyed working with that defensive staff, I felt like there was some instability there. So I kind of give him that and again, I don't have to leave Tennessee. I bought myself years, so I got that point again. The fire's not there. I'm all.
Speaker 1:At this point I'm fully in the bus with the boys. I'm excited for that. I'm excited I got to do. I'm excited I got to go out and play those three games in Oakland and fucking be like dog, not like I. Am that motherfucker. But I prove myself right again. Against whatever chip I put on my shoulder, whatever bullshit, fake, untouchable enemies that I create in my head of, he can't do this, he can't do that. That's going to be forever with everybody. Like everybody gets doubted in anything that they do.
Speaker 1:But it was one of those like I was at peace now with playing and then, when I was training in the off season, I remember telling Taylor everybody it's like it would be cool to get an offer to go play and then walk away from it. You always want to walk away from the game and you knew you still had it right Cause you get to leave before they leave you. I remember when the Raiders offered that minimum though signing bonus. I'm going back and forth with John Gruden and everybody else. It's like there's like, hey, congratulations man, now you can, you can retire, you can do your thing, and there's always that little part that like pulls you back in because you get you taste the the upside with being with, with playing ball, and when you're doing it for reasons, that of enjoyment other than stress, it's like it takes it off of you.
Speaker 1:But knowing that I had that and then getting to play with Tennessee for that ninth year, ninth year, right, eighth year, that was fucking awesome. So I go to Tennessee, we have our year and again special teams backup got to have a nice little fun game in Baltimore where I had like fucking nine tackles in one half Awesome. And again you get fired up and you get to, and that was after being cut by Tennessee. Tennessee cuts me on one practice squad for a couple weeks. David Long goes out with COVID and I, hey, will, we got to activate you this week.
Speaker 1:I do a simple little walkthrough behind everybody and then next thing I know Jay on brown fucking breaks his elbow right before the half-in. So now I'm out there against this insane run game of the Baltimore Ravens and Play well, thought I was gonna get to overtake that job and I fucking fuck up. I recap of rapes a little bit and he's like I think you're, you didn't play that bad, but I trip and fall on the ground and you can't be out there flopping ass, dude, when you're trying to win a job and David long gets it for the rest of the year. But I was like, am I gonna get to do this again and stroll, string out Another year of like playing and get to do enough for free? So I always want to make proud. You know what I mean. It's like you always wanted his respect, like I want to play with him.
Speaker 3:So I had a question just sitting here during that bathroom break. You keep talking about will, like how you went. You had all these Like stance of like yeah, like am I about to do this again? Like I came in for three days Like, but hardly had any practice, and now I'm out here and I'm making legitimate plays nine, ten tackles a game, like in multiple games in a row. But it sort of seems like you were fighting that, yeah, I can keep doing this. Like and I'm proving myself like, yeah, I can keep doing this. But it's like, did you ever have that mental fight with yourself like, do I want to keep doing it? Do I want to keep, yeah, like staying in shape throughout the season and then getting a call late in the season and putting my body essentially through hell and Like car crashes all the time, like proving you can do it. But it's like, did you ever get to the point like, yeah, I don't really want to anymore because of the podcast and stuff yet going on outside?
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, I mean, it would come down to, yes, I don't need to do this, and the business would come into my head and everything else. And then it was the question I would ask what would my ten-year-old self think about this? And, dog, I loved, I was obsessed with football growing up, and I would all of us. I create myself on these video games. And I loved football to where, like yo, I'm a fucking NFL player. I married a cheerleader, which is when you're young and doing all this other.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna You're playing the little car game on the rug and you're like, I'm gonna be an NFL player, I'm gonna be this number, I'm gonna be gonna be the best running back ever, I'm gonna marry a cheerleader. You're like saying all these things right and it's like, once you have perspective, and then, and then I would just tell myself like man, just Go fucking, do it and have fun and try to enjoy it. Not try to enjoy it, but like get over the showing up and the stuff that you don't necessarily want to do, like being a pussy, and Enjoy it while you have it, because the moment this game is over, there's no intermurals for football, there's no, you don't get the boys together and go back in the league.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's no men's league. You don't get the boys I mean, maybe on Thanksgiving for a turkey ball, but you don't actually Get the boys back together for some fucking competitive ball. You just don't. When this, when football ends, it's over, it's done, everybody has to retire at some point.
Speaker 1:But I'm sitting here Balancing these opportunities of, yeah, I don't have to do it, and they're it got to a point where it's like, okay, I can make more money doing this, I'm making more money doing this than playing, and hey, why risk it? You know you got the, the brain stuff, the body, like you could have enough. You go out there and risk. So you're going to be against motherfuckers that are at the bottom of the hill, hungrier than you, young, bigger, faster, stronger, darker, and it's like you. There is an element of that right towards. I, hey, why do it? You can do this.
Speaker 1:But, man, when you, when, then you're bouncing the perspective of but you also had the opportunity to go do it to put on a fucking NFL helmet. And it doesn't matter if you're just playing special teams, but sit in and be in meetings and Influence a couple guys maybe, but just kind of being the suck with the boys. You don't get that, you just don't. You don't fucking get that anymore. You can create, you can try and create it somehow. I know we try to do cultural stuff with bus and everything else, but those moments, especially playing ball, like playing football and being in that shit with everybody you don't get that. So when I am thinking about it, my wife is talking me into it and you got to get yourself to that conversation. It's like dog Fucking, go play in the NFL until Until you can or until the moment feels so right. It's just done like you did it.
Speaker 2:So then let me ask you this question it's done, seasons about to start, it's over. You're not getting what you just described. So how does that feel? I?
Speaker 1:Feel at peace because I've been ready for this moment. It's more so just putting it to bed. It's more of like you know, there's a part of you that wants to year 11, you're 12, like wanting to be like 40 years old, saying you're 18, like just joking around, and but there's also that part of you that wants to do right by that kid that was Would run around the house with saying, like I wanted this face mask Because Thurman Thomas had it on the Buffalo Bills, why I like them, I had no clue. Then my dad turns me on the Dallas Cowboys when they were taking over in the 90s and when they would win the Super Bowl again, I referenced it early but he'd get the VHS set posters and we love football and I love football. And that kid who was inspired by the doc, the Walter Payton's, the Ray Lewis, is the.
Speaker 1:You know all those cat watching the Miami Northwestern documentary, high school football, hoping, like our team could be Studs like that, like watching Tim Tebow come out and go to Florida and you're gonna see some of these guys.
Speaker 1:You see the rivals world. You see the headlines, the hard work that some of these guys put in and man, I can be that I can do that and you want that dream of the NFL forever and again. It's like you wanted to emulate all your favorite players growing up with the Facebook, with the swag, with the gloves, with the Friday night lights, being booby miles on your high school team, like you want to do right by that kid and that man. You really fought your ass off and you have a career that you should be proud of, and I, you I do use humor a lot to Defend or deflect insecurity at times and being proud of my career because you know, you, you, you see, like, oh, you ain't no good, you're not gonna do this. And it's like, yeah, I mean I might not ever be one of those greats, but I'm gonna say something to that regard because you know.
Speaker 2:It got to the point, I think after your six, where you had grown so much in your development to where, yeah, I would still leave you the voicemails and things like that, but it wasn't needed as much. And then, you know, you did start to defend the With kind of what you're explaining here. You're not allowed to speak for a second. If you would have Talk about that 10 year old boy or you and I sitting In that booth that first day we met, if I would have had a crystal ball and I would have said, man, this is exactly how this is gonna play out Same thing you said earlier. You would have been like bro, like you got some wrong with you, like I'm out, and Even though I know you wish you would have had more years with the green dot and more years with the sea on your chest and more. You're starting when you look at this bussing with the boys community Dude, the number of training camps that I go to speak at, nfl kids like the Dolf the last two dolphins, rookie classes I've been able to do rookie Basically, the rookie mental conditioning for the dolphins last seven straight years and none of none of my work in the NFL would be Possible without you. So the thank you I have to you for believing in me and not going, dude, with the suit, you kind of roll. I mean none of this would have happened. I never would have spent five years in Alabama and national championships in Kansas State and none of it would have happened. It wouldn't. And these last couple years at the dolphins, I remember a rookie last year. He's like I share your story and I share a lot. I mean you know how I do it. And he said you know will captain, and like you've motivated these kids to go sit in that seat and these are like the rookies who are the kids, were the undrafted guys this year, garrett Nelson shout out to Garrett Nelson with the dolphins, like a black shirt, that people don't know that you do this. Like you know, you go back to Nebraska and this kid looks up to you more than probably any other player. And you can mention the Ray Lewis You're Ray Lewis to that kid Because you were a black shirt and the number of people that you've motivated and the support from this bussing with the boys community, dude, it's unfucking believable and that makes me so proud that we, you know, to sit in Dijon Gomes apartment and for you to say you would do these things and we joke. But like dude, you've done it, like speaking engagements paid like really good money speaking engagements and the career that you built. You're gonna do so much off the field and this story and the way that you've recapped this and how people have been able to be on, they felt like they've been with you. They've worn those jerseys with you, they've been with you. They've worn those jerseys with you, they've worn those Titans jerseys with you, they've worn those Raiders jerseys. I mean, they've all feel like they've been with you and you've brought them along.
Speaker 2:And when you got your red skin second kind of I'll never forget I was flying to Philadelphia for a speaking engagement and you had texted me that morning and you're like, bro, do you believe Everything I wrote down? Man, it's happened. And I remember I'm like, yeah, I said hold on, I got something for you and I still have it on the notes on my iPad from all these meetings We've had. I took the screenshot and I sent it to you. I finished my workout. I fly to Philadelphia. When I landed in Philadelphia, I go on Twitter and you had sent me a screenshot because you had written all of these notes about how you felt Now, having lived some of what you said you were gonna do and it was like four fricking pages and the Washington Post fricking post this Article. You remember this?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, and one of the last thing you said and this is what makes me emotional and you said always bring others along Through your doubts, through your fears, through the uncertainties, through the pain, through not wanting to do it. One of the last things you said, it's one of the last things when I read this, that's just the power of those words you said. And always bring others along, and that's the will count. And I was talking about earlier when I said it was always bigger, bigger than will, and your, your story and what you've done. This underdog perspective, bro, it is gonna last night. I don't, you can make jokes because it'll diffuse it, but you need to hear it.
Speaker 2:It's gonna live on and it's gonna help kids and it's gonna continue to blow your mind which you've done for, for kids who never thought they could do it, and I couldn't be any more proud of you.
Speaker 1:Thank you, man.
Speaker 2:I.
Speaker 1:Appreciate you more and you know, brother, yeah, I appreciate that man. It's wild. It's wild. It's not like it's some fucking dying, but it is crazy to. It's crazy to look at and to your point it is. It's almost like why you want to do this.
Speaker 1:Right Is For those guys. It's the guys who play on fourth down, the practice squad, the backups, the, the ones who lay up restless Wondering if they're gonna make a team, and the overachieving motherfuckers out there that you know Don't get the press conferences when they're done and they don't have any like the platform and you get from the press. You get forgotten, right, get forgotten quick. Just because you're not the great, you're not one of the greats, you're not in the Hall of Fame and you know the backbone of Dnfl, those pissing, vinegar, gritty motherfuckers. It's. It's fun to talk about this stuff because that's what I feel like I come from and so, as bittersweet as it is, like I'm ready for my next chapter and and it's just fucking cool that I got to play this long, because I never thought that I would and, honestly, like Me on paper a guy like that doesn't and I'm proud of the overachievement that I've had. I take a lot of pride in being an overachiever and being a gritty motherfucker that tries to find a way. And that doesn't mean that doesn't come with a lot of insecurity, doubts and opportunities to victimize yourself at every turn. But it's at those turns that Decisions had. Hard decisions have to be made and you have to fully commit if you're going to make any progress. And it's fun to look back and know that I did that, that I fucking did that and it's just cool. It's just cool like my young, my young Young will he be? My dad would say Would thank God. He lived the coolest life. Now it's time to pour into the teams of busin and home and bar still sports and all of the adventure ahead. But it's, this has been awesome. Thank you, man, for doing this with me. Thank you and thank you to everybody who stayed in. If you stuck around the whole time, and thank you.
Speaker 1:You know myself, if you're watching this one day and you can't remember some of these memories, it's time to fucking. It's time to get on top of that shit, brother. It's time to get on top of that shit. You can't be, you can't let there and just let your brain melt away. You got to be, be intentional, be active. Be active If any family is watching this, you know this. If you're watching this before I'm watching it again. Help my, help my old ass out.
Speaker 1:But legit, like looking back, listening to these stories and everything else, I think I Think the biggest takeaway outside of belief and you know writing shit down in the process and you know living, living up to a certain standard and and having that, those that good self-talk, those action steps, all of that shit, I think, aside from all of it, you finally get to where the dust settles. It's all over, and you either live a life of regret or a life of gratitude, and you want to be able to. You want to be able to look back on your memories and what you accomplish. You want to look back on them fondly because the game ends one day.
Speaker 1:Man, the game is not forever. None of it's forever. All of our phases right, but the game is not forever. One day is going to be the last time you ever practice. One day is going to be the last time you ever Snap on a helmet. One day is going to be the last time you hug your teammates and you might not even know it's the last time and I think it's the same for every phase in our life, right? None of it lasts forever.
Speaker 1:How your high school days, your glory, your own glory days, college, your group friendships that you had, all of your relationships right, the career, the dreams you might have captured for a fleeting moment. It feels fleeting when you look back on and you just want to know that you and your teammates know that you enjoyed it while you had it and I enjoyed it while I had it, man, and it's, it's really fucking cool. And and when that forever does knock on your door, you want to be able to close that door and look back at it all fondly and know that you gave every fucking ounce of yourself and I did. I think I got everything I fucking could out of my genetics, all of it. I think I got every ounce of myself out out of myself for the career that I had and that's, ultimately, that's what I wanted.
Speaker 1:And it's a. It's a. It's bittersweet, but I'm excited for the next chapter, this game, this process, all of it. It's all set me up for my next chapters and I'm excited. But yeah, man, it's not forever. Enjoy the moments that you do get with everything, with what you love, and Be able to look back on them fondly and with gratitude. But shout out to you guys big hug. Signing kisses, be a fucking wolf.
Speaker 4:Hey, willie B. Well, my favorite daughter-in-law of all time gave me an opportunity to say a few words. So I was thinking today, going through a lot of memories, and I found a letter I wrote you when you first went to Nebraska. I don't know if you ever read it or not, but it's crazy looking at it and seeing just how things came to fruition and then more. But I want to read it to you. It's been a wonderful journey so far to watch you grow into the great young man that you are.
Speaker 4:I look at you in a thousand memories flood from my mind, from you coming on my carrots as a baby, playing for hours in the backyard pretending we were the Dallas Cowboys playing with the Ninja Turtles I don't know why in the hell I put that in there. Our three-play Will Left, will Right, will Up the Gut Black Football team I think we won every game, by the way, wrestling the RGFL stellar performances on Friday night. I could go on and on. Your mom and I knew from an early age, will, that you were special. We knew that you had a gift. I know many times that was hard on you because it actually frightened me at times that what to do as a father is someone with your attributes, I thought it was my job to make you tough as quickly as possible. I'm truly sorry for those times.
Speaker 4:As the father of my first son, I made many mistakes. I was in the poem entitled Footprints in the Sand. I'm sure there was only one set of footprints. Many times as a father, because I know God intervened. The way you have turned out is true. For that. I'm very proud of how you have handled things through high school, such as saying no to temptations and handling conflict without physical confrontation. Maybe that's not all that true after I've heard some things, but you made it cool to do the right things most of the time. You have been a great leader for many. I'm also very proud of how you grasped the opportunity set before you and made the best of them. It's also made me very proud of how you conducted yourself with other adults. Your character, fortitude and leadership will take you as far as you want to go in life. For the few mistakes that you made, you learned from them.
Speaker 4:In moving forward. Grasp every day with passion. There will be days where you're going to hate it and feel like giving up. At that moment, look up to the sky, smile and ask for more. Learn to love the feeling the grind, as you always call it.
Speaker 4:Thank God that you have been fortunate enough to be put in the position to endure. There are very few that do. That's what separates you from the good and the great. You have great people around you to help you. Above all, keep God in your life, read something spiritual every day and pray. You should learn that from your mom. You can be a great athlete having a great physically and mentally, but the person who has a physically, mentally and spiritually look out.
Speaker 4:I truly believe God has had a plan for you and through the gifts he has given you, you will be able to inspire and touch the hearts of many, which you have Always. Look for those opportunities. Always stay close to family. It has warmed my heart to see the bond you have with your brothers. We've always been a tight family and in the way we are, we need to stay tight as we forge ahead. Will I thank God Every day for enriching my life with you. You've been a true blessing. I can't tell you how much I'm proud of you. I know your mom still is. I miss you was here. I miss you was here. Thanks for being you. Yeah, it's crazy, I mean for backyard football to nine years in the league doing the best pods out there. Yeah, I can't tell you. I can't put any words up for out. I love you, son, you're born. You're born at point A. You died. Point B Kick maximum ass, congratulations. You did it, so move.
