The following is a presentation of play Fly Sports properties in Michigan State Sports Properties.
Um, well, welcome everybody. It is Tuesday, July eleven,
twenty twenty three. We are the only show about Spartan Dogs hosted by Spartan
Dogs. This is Sparta in man shoe. I mean holdt. Jason Straightharn
played during the Perlis and Saving era as a center and team captain. Couldn't
do this about my two dogs in the fight who both join us today.
I couldn't do it without Otis Wiley, the Big Boss, Paul Hawking hard
hidden safety from the John l and Mark D'Antonio aris with his mate ju Chow
Chow culprit. He just holds a single season touchdown record as a running back
from Michigan State. Yes, this is your first time, we welcome you.
If this is not your first time, we thank you. Don't forget
to follow us on all of our social media platforms. At this is Sparta.
MSU hit that click, click that like and subscribe button. We need
you. Let's do that. The party is in the chat. We're ready
to roll on this thing because we got a jam pact show. Fellas,
we have a jam Pact show. The big news coming out of you know,
East Lansing with you one of our guests that's coming up next. Right
now, we want to just comment talk about Musin Louhammad, a Spartan dog
has now been entered into the Ring of Thing although Panthers Hall of Honor for
the Carolina Panthers. Let's just you know, let's talk about that. Don't
have a graphic, you gotta say, gotta be fluid here. He's a
great, He's a great wide receiver, a great Spartan great and he had
a heck of a career, you know with the Carolina Panthers. You know,
I helped lead them to that to their only like only super Bowl that
they've been to. Um. So, you know, really really good player,
really good uh, you know Spartan and you know, congratulations him as
old as to say kudos to him. Get you like that old um.
Yeah. So if you think about Moose Man, uh, remember the story
of coach Saban talked about, you know, giving up on players like may
have had some bouts when they were there at Michigan State. And he talks
about Moose uh and how Moose turned his life around and obviously, uh,
now it's about to be inducted into the Panthers Hall of Honor. Man.
So it's good to see another Spartan dog, former player putting off for the
white and still doing that, you know as he's hung up the shoes and
retiredent was good to s so muse Muhammad, congratulations. Man. Got to
give him on this show as a guest and just talk to him about this
great honor. We'd love to do that, Moose, We're coming at you
real soon. Look, he was a great player. They're watching us in
d C. Fell Let's go d on the line here Florida, real real
quick. I want to give a quick shout out to uh you know this
is Sparta MSU podcast fam. Tom's Story invited me to a golf out in
yesterday. Uh Met, some new new listeners are gonna be jumping on Jenny
Patrick O'Brien. We didn't win the tournament, but we had a lot of
fun. Let you shoot, Let you shoot wonder as a team. Ye
shout out to Tom Story, Good job Tom, and then watching us out
in Hawhite. Yes, sir, guys had a couple of Spartans drafted in
the MLB Major League Baseball draft. You know, let's give kudos to Mitch
Jabb who went forty second overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yeah, that's short
stop right there. That's that's awesome. And then first baseman Brock Brandenburg to
Miami the Marlins, number seventy eight overall. But look, we got actually
three guys now we just had the one added in guys as a lady.
Yeah, catcher Brian Broker Tampa Bay three overall and round thirteen. And it's
look, anybody who's able to take that next step to their professional ranks and
their sport. Uh, that's that's a huge feat with Mitch Man. So
that's the highest draft pick we've had apparently since nineteen ninety eight. That's what
I'm seeing. Is that correct, Creis Beef, I'm wrong. Anybody seen
that? Hey, look, you know better than we do. Yeah,
so we gotta get coach Boss on there because that you know, for this
year, you know, we talked about we followed them, we covered them
a little bit and finally getting back to the Big Ten tournament. Uh,
you know, the program is in great hands. We talked about a revent
and staff and bringing in people that are able to train and develop our guys.
We got to bring coach Boss in and get some highlighting love to that
program. So stay tuned. He will be a guest later down in the
month of August probably, So congratulations, Fellows, I'm taking that next leap
in your professional career. And we all know Major League Baseball is a different
beast when it comes to that whole Minor is going up all the ways in
Major so people think you're going straight to the Major's man right to grind it
out Man and Jordan had to do it. Michael Jordan's stent in the you
know baseball world was doing doing You're right, you know, Jake Boss doing
a phenomenal job. They're brought in Adam Eason and look, I mean now
he got all this Major League you know, I mean this is different Michigan
State on the baseball man. We love it. Jared Jackson Fellas was selected
to Team USA for the FIBA Men's World Cup FIBA FIBA met Hey, that's
just you know, another you know, product of from coach Izzo. You
know, Spartans going Spartan things. You know. Congratulations to uh Jaren and
uh you know he's going to represent well you know, he's had a tremendous
career in the NBA so far here, tremendous career you know at Michigan State
is just going to continue and this is just building adding to his, uh
you know, legacy as a basketball player. I don't know that fellas like
we didn't like winning season when you got like every level of some spartans showing
showing up. You know what I'm saying. It's just good to be a
part of it. Man Like, it's a it's a brotherhood, sisterhood in
any sport, you celebrate our own. But that's it's always a two tests
in to Jaren Jackson. Uh, you know, he's the face that chise
man Like. Obviously his running mate you won't bring up, you know what
his running mate was going through. I have been through. But you know,
Jared Jackson has been truly year over year improving um with the defensive player
of the Year, where like, this guy's truly has changed the tide.
And uh it's good for it for him and his his brand, but good
for the Michigan State basketball brand too. The time is a effect, absolutely
right. We see Jay Chevy coming on checking in from Atlanta, Hartsfield Jackson
Airport, the DC. What good luck that man airport. It's a little
thing. It's a little bit of airport. Or Atlanta. Atlanta Airport has
some of the best food. Now go now, I don't know. I
don't there's just a ton of good food there, you know. Okay,
so you don't have them pop shops. Bojang was every time Bojangles. That's
that's my stop in Charlotte. If I happened to make a connecting, I'm
gonna stop in Charlotte and hit that Bojangles. Real quake, stay last little
guys. Like Friday was a special day. You know, we had a
commitment ceremony. It was Nick Marsha's commitment with Mama trying the whole family down
the River rouge. You know, we were there live and it was a
phenomenal video that we were able to see that he had. We can't play
it because the music, which it burns me up, but that song is
that song perfect? But that was my weekend theme after that, you know,
everyone then like, okay, we've heard at the best part is like
they were like, Nick, where are you going? I was like,
oh well, that was further into let's bring them on on. We have
Nick Marsh and Mama Tron joins this, Shollo, what's happening? Hey?
What is welcome? Welcome officially, Well, welcome to Spartan Nation. Thank
you. It's bad. You're muted. You're muted. I'll get it right,
I'll get it right. Let's see. Okay, here we go.
There you go. There, you hit the calories in. You gotta you
gotta get ready for that that Spartan dog meal plan. Ready. Oh he's
there. You're good, You're good right now? Yeah? Um, next,
so let's let's jump into it. You know, like we said,
you know, congratulations to you on that. Um you were committed to Michigan
State early? Do you de committed because you know, you wanted to check
out the process, check everything out what went on behind after the d commitment
and uh, and then what brought you back to mission? Like after the
D commitment, you know, I just got back out there, joined the
recruiting process really and I just got a chance to see everything out there and
being able to come back home and realize that it's like nothing like home was.
It was a great feeling, you know, coming off the official visit.
You know, it was. It was a great place to be and
you know, Mission State was always my first love, so I felt great
coming back home. M Then talk about uh when you were able to give
Coach Hawk call after you did it or before you did it, like talk
talk talked behind the scenes. I know he was I know he was probably
gigging too. And me and Coach Hawk, we just talked one on one,
you know, every now and day. You know, we get real
deep, you know, Uh, me and Coach hawks conversations. Uh,
you know, we just we just you know, chop it up here and
there. Uh, you know, we just really got into like the depth
chart. Uh, you know, things I can do and at you and
you know how how great I could be there. And just having that talk
with him really, you know, made me realize, you know, what
chances I had, you know, to be the best version of myself there.
So me and me and Coach I just had those conversations every now and
there speaking of that, you know, when you're talking about you know,
the family atmosphere, you're talking to Coach Hawk and the staff obviously, but
the moment that everybody goes back to it. On your official visits to East
Lansing. When you're in Spartan Stadium and you you're on the field with your
grandma, grandmama trying right here. You know, how do you beat this?
Talk about this moment right here? Nick? Wait, you said them?
Do you say that woman talking the moment when you're dancing on the field
with grandmama tried in Spartan Stadium. We just you know, anytime we hear
some music, we just get to dancing. And it was just one of
those moments here. You know, we just let our feelings to get to
it and we got the umpment and we got to you know, doing our
littlement. So it was just a great moment to share my grandma. You
know, that was my first officially taking her on, so you know,
it was a great moment to experience with her. You know, I wanted
her to get out to see a little bit more, you know, to
show her what I was doing. And you know what with football, you
know, our opportunities come with you know, I just wanted to start out.
We shared a great moment throughout the whole official visit. You know,
she had a lot of great energy. You know, it went throughout the
whole business. So it was pretty fun. You know. The really big
thing. We talk about this on the show and this is for you,
Mamma Tron, and we talk about you know, Coach Talker and his staff
has done a really good job with not just recruiting the player, but also
recruiting the entire family and having the seeing a moment like that on the field.
You know, the family out there, you know, able to participate
in that all the attention, Yes, what's on Nick, but not all
on Nick was also on the entire family wall. How did that, you
know, really affect you and help you guys, make you discussion that family
atmosphere, it was It was major because like Nick said, my mom,
she's not a big traveler, doesn't like their planes, and her hurt was
always there major will like she was there the entire visit, Like, yeah,
I hope he's here. I love Coach talk I love Coach Tucks and
just being able to have that family atmosphere and they always it's always like that
with the girls with Nick's sisters, like they love it there. The people
know us, the staff knows us, the coaches know us. So that
was that was real major for us, that official visit. It was just
like, like Nick said, like coming home, everybody felt like this is
it? The entire family. Um My sister who usually comes to the games
with us, she was there and she was like, man like it hasn't
changed. So yeah, that was major for us. Yeah, I guess
when you have that moment of mother knows your son's best, right, Like,
you know, you know what he was dealing with as a young man
making this decision for his future and for him to make a family decision of
staying home nable for y'all to come and see him, and you know,
if he was to go elsewhere, you have to deal with any traveling issues
or getting to across the state lines, whatever the case may be. But
when did you feel like you had a sense of like, I know where
Nick's hearts at and I know he's gonna make a decision. Was there a
moment in time that you had that already inclination, that mother intuition. It
was after that phone call with me, right, so she was trying to
get it out of me so bad. I was like, I have no
idea, I don't know. So this by far was the hardest thing because
I can feel in my heart what I want him to do all day.
But at the same time, I can't explaining to people like, this is
where he's going to be the next four years. I can have that that
feeling in my gut, but I need to know that he has it as
well. And so it was that tom or I just like had to step
back and be like, all right, let's see if he come on back.
But you know, just let him make that decision because he got to
throw the ball. He has to get the degree. So we all were
in our heart like, okay, where is he going to go, but
at the same time just letting him have that time. The moment I knew
that he was set was I think it was Thursday. Thursday, Yeah,
Thursday night, well, Thursday morning Nick went fishing for like the whole day,
which he usually already does, but that that day he was up early
and he was gone the entire day till his phone died and it had to
be about ten o'clock. And I'm like, I said, let me go
down here, because he usually give me a call or you know, have
somebody come pick him up. And so I get down there and sure enough,
he's still casting. He see me pull up, and when he gets
in the car, put all this equipment in the car. He said,
I'm ready, So my heart is on the steering wheel. What you're ready
for? Son? He said, we're gonna talk about it when we get
home. And I was like okay, and I had to, like had
to calm my nerves. I came in and he said, I'm staying home.
I damn near fell out, y'all to my friends, I almost fell
out. I almost fell out. And then we were trying to keep it
from my mom until the next day. But she was walking around here with
her cap and he was just walking around the house. She's like, y'all
not telling me something. And I was like, she said, staying naty.
I said, he might be, I know it, dancing around our
house just like just going so, you know, just for him to be
able to make that decision on his own and not have the outside influence.
Even us as a family, you know, weigh it down on him,
like you got to stay home. Like whatever decision he would have made,
we would have stuck by him. We had a close knit family. Nick
is the only grandson out of sixteen granddaughters, so oh wow, yeah,
yeah, he's surrounded by a special moment there. You know, we talked
about all those moments that we got a chance to see when we were you
know, live from your event, which was especially that. You know,
it seems like now the page has been turned a little bit. Now there's
been a focus shifting to recruiting the rest of the twenty four class. Um.
Some sources are saying that Mama Tron and Mama Hall are out there,
you know, talking to Perspective recruits together. Now I'm gonna be in a
part of the staff. Is that what's going on? I even hear Nick's
doing some dms out there. Oh yeah, oh yeah, it's good.
Hey Nick, you know obviously that that video, Um, you know,
what's one of the you know, best recruiting videos, best commitment videos I've
seen out there. Um, you know what went into it? How much
fun was it? And you know your mom talked about your mom and I
talked a little bit today about that video and it took a lot of the
last minute editing, and you know, because the decision had to go in
last How fun was making that video? And uh, you know what what
did you take away from that? Then? Making a video was so fun?
You know, we got to you know, go around to different places,
like the barberside of the gas station. He's at the bus stot with
my grandma. We got to run across the park, you know, hit
up the little we practice and you know, just you know, during that
time of filming, you know, we got to make a lot of memories
and you know, I think that was like the best part of it.
I was at the bus stop talking to my granny and she was like,
you know, just bring me back and coffee wherever you're going, And like
making that video was like it was hilarious and it was like fun at the
same time, you know, and then just just being able to sit there
with everybody and you know, but then haven't watched it and actually think it
was interesting. Was pretty fun. You know. We put a lot of
work into it. Hyah. I felt like, you know, everybody liked
it. You know, that was that was like the best feeling. So
just making that video, we just had some crazy moments and it was really
fun. And Nick you you you didn't get a chance to see to too
up north and I kill you not man the entire video, that man was
out here, like I mean the whole time, he's just like Bobby,
He's like yeah, and I look, I was the guy of the group,
like man, in my heart, I feel like I knew it.
But I was like, man, I hope, I hope. The Lord
himself though, like another decision, Why we're doing this lie and you'd be
like missy state, Nope, I'm going somewhere older oldest was scared about that.
So I actually I actually told him like, we're not doing that.
Happen minute we got joy, that's disrespectful. We're not doing that happy.
We all we got a shout out to Lucas right like he is the goat,
let's go. It was so dope because I had a vision and I
told Nick said, man, let's come around, like I want you to
have a video, and he's like you sure. I'm like yeah, I
said, I got it all in my head. And to talk to Lucas.
When me and Lucas get together, like it's magic. I literally describe
everything that I wanted to happen, how I wanted it to happen around the
community, and Lucas like, okay. By the next morning, he had
a script ready already and I'm like, man, nailed it, And well,
people don't know that video was made over I seek like three months because
the Thistle visits, we were gone almost a month. And so when we
come back, Lucas is like, I got this day three Well, we'll
have nick clothes already ready, Like if you pay attention to close detailing that
video Nick Harret and sock change like Bob six songs, like his hair and
his socks changed so many times. And so I'm like, man, I'm
like, you think people don't notice? People Like, I'm gonna make sure
they don't notice. So just being able to catch up with everybody's schedule in
hours to be able to get that done, and then Lucas have it all
together the night before it was like he's really to go And it turned out
exactly how I envisioned it, and it was too the team, team effort.
Yeah, I know, yeah, because I know when you make that
a commitment, we got one more year to work to do before you get
here. Right, So what a coach hawk talk to you about working on
for this offseason going into your last senior football season. Then obviously your next
step coming to be slanting. What do you tell you need to work on?
What you think you need to work on he just told me, you
know, just getting faster, you know fast, you know, quick twitchy,
uh, and just working on the speed really, you know, the
forwards there, just sharpening up, you know, catchings there, just sharpening
everything up, honestly, you know, just trying to take everything to the
next level to be you know, great at the next level. And that's
that's pretty much it. But you know, just keep robbing us how you
usually do, uh, and you know, just be ready to compet at
the next level. On Nick moam trying. We are so excited to have
you guys here with thankful that you are committed to Misial State. We can't
wait to have it Gilardon Stadium, we can call those games and cheery stunts.
You're gonna be scoring and green and White. Tell you guys, I
went back and rewatch and it's so funny because after the picture dropped, you
guys kind of see where Hattie had on the delayed Yeah, she was like,
what we seeing teleratory beverage when you say you I didn't want to go
before, you know, so I'm trying to pull out the hat. I'm
looking at the video. I was so into the video that I think,
man ready and ready. I'm ready to take out the hat. I'm I'm
just sitting ready to take out the hat. You know, watching the video,
got caught up in it. Oh man, it was a great video,
great video. All those elements that you thought of Mama trying did come
out. I said, those are special landmarks that he's going to. You
could tell that it meant something being in the community of River Rouge and so
many people there to speak great words about you too. That's tells you the
kind of character, young man, you are, So keep doing that.
That's what That's what it's really gonna take. Because the football is just not
the destination. It's part of the journey. You're gonna gonna open a lot
of doors for you, young man. You gotta bright future head, and
we're having to see it unfold in green and white and East Lancing. Thank
you, Grandma trying what's that? What up? Oh yeah, we gotta
get it. You're trying to figure out what Twitter is? Tell me on
friends, now, I'm joking, only joking. Get ready for your senior
season and keep founding. That's all right? Oh yeah, Frank and look
me and shoot you covering high school at football. So we're gonna be talking
about our dogs. Man on Friday nights. We're gonna we're gonna have you,
alrighty man, appreciate you. Man, go greed, all right,
go right, alright, there you go, all right, there you go.
All right, Nick Marsh and Mama Tron. Guys, that's a special
family right there. With that, you don't just get a great player,
you also get another recruiting staff an extension. Now you know that you don't
have to pay for U technically right right right too. Froze up on us
because you got so excited. Man, I don't know what happened, but
uh, you know, I think from a standpoint like family matters, like
let's go back to the the nitty gritty of making your decision, Like the
family matters on when you make that decision. And I had to make that
decision too, Like yeah, I could have went elsewhere, you know,
somewhere else. But I think it's an opportunity to say my family can now
hit hit the highway and come see me, take a day trip and don't
spend their entire weekend, come come visit. But it's a good opportunity to
show that hey, Michigan State, we're deeper than just you know, the
glitz, the glam. It's all about family um in the brotherhood. So
sid of hanging up. Welcome Nick Marsh back to to to the Spartan nation.
Yeah, I mean great, great family. Glad to have them here.
We got more Spartan dogs coming out. Another dogs coming right after this
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take a shot. First down to tenith of Ohio State thirty three cook,
drop it back deep you'll take that shot. Touch oh the ship man shake,
you know calling that one has Indianapolis Big ten championship that punched the ticket
to the Rose Bowl. Tony Lippett joins this the Spartan man shoe. Welcome
to the show, Tony, free shape, having me fast having what's that
was your man? Jilly? How are you doing man? I mean you
talk lip lips Detroit and Crockett's finest man. You're doing good? Yeah you
are. You know, like, let's talk about Michigan State. Your decision
to come out of the PSL and in Detroit and choose Michigan State well led
to that decision. Um, Michigan State was one of my first offers.
Um, coach, you know it's recruited me then you know with him,
Um, I don't know what. Oh you know what, wait just wait
wait because he gonna he gonna love it that, you know again, was
a primary recruiter. That was my recruit coordinator. He was real cool man.
It was cool guy. Um, they embraced me. Man was kind
of felt like home when I went up there. You know, the culture
felt good. I liked the program. I like where it was that I
can see where it can go. I can see, like, you know,
the hunger that the the guys had. I can see the trajectory of
the team and I just want to be a part of something. You know
that was great and I knew I knew, like I said, I knewere
it can take. I knew we can go with it. And um,
it felt like home. It felt like Crockett. It felt like grind me.
But you know, still like it still still can you know, make
plays and and it have fun with it. So that's basically why I feel
like the coaching staff was cool. I feel like they was good. I
feel like they cared about their players. Um, coach d definitely. UM.
So yeah, I feel comfortable with it. And I chose to just
make that decision. So before he jump into something, how was that?
How was that coach ENO's visit? Like, because I know the type of
guy Coachino like, he's a funny dude, like sitting around, So how
was that? How was he coming and talking into you, you know,
coach You know, it was like a smooth guy, glasses on kill,
kind of call low key but not low keyed. That was kind of you
know, quiet but not quiet. I mean he recruited me. He came
up to Crocket a couple of times recruiting me. But I remember this one
visit he came to attract me. I had attracted me that Central High School
and he was sitting on the side this is before they offered me, and
he was like, you know, we want you to run fast. You
know, he was just saying this, you want you want to see open
up and you know, we want to see you do this and do that,
and I'm just like, all right, cool, you know, you
know it's kind of talk. So um, yeah, we ran the race,
not the words. He was like, I mean like we've seen man
like that. I like that. You see the explosion, We see the
see that. So he was real like cool with it, like he wasn't
like, you know, overly too if he wouldn't like kind of stand off,
and he kind of liked treating me like I was already a smarting dog.
And I kind of I liked that because I liked their hands on type
of coach and I don't like to kind of stand off and shit back.
I just not want to say nothing, but he was he kind of embraced
me. I'll rock with that. And that was just a funny visit because
we was running the what was he running the two hundred? He just came
on like a random tuesday, you know, at tracked me like a random
Tuesday in March or April and he just came up there and I was like,
that's dope, because ain't nobody ever came to attract me. They probably
come to a game or a basketball game, but they ain't gonna come and
attract me. It might rain. It might you know, you never know.
So I thought that was dope and because you know, it was a
cool guy and they came out, they pulled up man. The rest is
history. Talking about growing up obviously in Detroit and knowing that we have the
school done a role that you know people kind of look at as well.
But like thinking, talk about your options you had. You know, you
said Michigan State was your first offer. But then you know it always happens
when you get that first offer, It's it's a ripple effects. They start
coming out, you know, and start in drones and giving you offers.
But talk about, you know, growing up in Michigan and being in Michigan,
or we just had Nick Marshawn and you know he's staying home. He
said, how important was to stay at home? And talk about who did
you support fully growing up? And then what made you turn where? Like
I want to be a dog, want to be a green wife. It's
funny because like I watched like Michigan State football and Michigan football, but I
didn't really like choose a school. I didn't pick a school I didn't really
like. I used to like UFC, like like I'm part of watching Reggie
Bush and man Wayne Jared and I'm I remember watching them guys. And I
like Oregon too with Dennis Dason because I played quarterback in high school. So
like, I didn't play wide receiver in high school. I played in little
leagues and things like that, but I didn't play quarterback. I'm not I
didn't play wide receiver. So um, I didn't really, like I said,
I didn't really pick a school. I kind of it was like I
had I had offers for how I think I had like ten ten offers,
maybe like ten offers, but I had like four at quarterback and I had
like six as an athlete, So I didn't know if I was gonna play
wide receiver, dB whatever it was. But um, like I said,
I just felt like Michigan State was cool. As I started to like choose
get offers and start to see like the programs go to the schools and things
like that, I only went to one offers Michigan State, which I enjoy
I embraced it. It felt good for home. Um that's just what it
was like. Yeah, like I said, I ain't grew up like either
school, but I did watch him. I did watch Michigan State and Michigan
Ohio State. I just watched a bunch of college games. I didn't really
I didn't like pick a side, but the side obviously. And Tony you
talk about, you know, getting offers and playing quarterback um, and then
when you came to Michigan State you had an opportunity to you played receiver and
you played corner um. How did that help? How did it playing quarterback
help you, you know, as a receiver. And also when you were
on the defensive side of the ball, did you feel you had added advantage
because you played the quarterback position. That's a great question, honestly. Yeah.
I mean when I played quarterback, like, I had to know just
more than my job. I had to know what the wide receiver is doing,
what the lineman was doing, with the tight end was doing. I
had to actually read the defenses as well. I had to know the cause
and know the adjustment. So I had to know so much more about the
whole team than just you know, playing wide receiver and running a route,
you know, or like, I had to know what both sides this rod
ran. This wide receiver du well, he was good at what the tight
end was good at what the running back was good at So I watched a
lot of films growing up, even though we probably had like cassette tapes,
and it wasn't like it is now. You got the hot path and all
this, and it wasn't hot field. It was sideline. You can barely
see it. But I watched it though, because I knew it was gonna,
you know, translate to the next level. I knew I wanted to
play at the next level, and I knew like if I wanted to be
great, you know, you had to watch film. You had to study
the game and study your opponents and study yourself. So I would say quarterback
definitely helped me because it it made me think about a lot of things that
was just more than just playing one position. For me, I had to
think about everybody. I had to think about the d n over here on
the backside, I had to think about this linebacker over here. I had
to think about so many things, and it just opened up my mind to
a lot of things. So I can definitely say it helped me by understanding
the offenses and defenses and seeing it from both sides of the ball as well.
Yeah, you know, Coach d always talked about one guy back in
Ohio State, Chris Gamble. That's all I ever heard when they brought your
name up. I heard Chris Evil's name because he was a two way player.
Yeah, for those who are listening, don't know, it's highly unusual,
very rare for players in the college level, especially the Power five level,
to play both ways. And you talk about a very none chaline like
you know it helped me do this, but like what kind of you know,
compact conditioning capacity have to be in in order to play receiver and defensive
back at a high level, because you know you're you're either the playmaker you
have to prevent those plays from being made on the defensive side. My conditioning
was crazy. I may I always like and you guys, if you ask
guys about me in practice, like our practice, Like are you feel me
like I would run sprints. I always want to be out there and in
the gas, your tests with coach Man, and I would want to win
them, like I would compete in practice just as well as I competed in
the game, And like I didn't want to be tired, you feel me
I didn't want to make a play and didn't come out the next play like
this play right here like I was in the next play, Like I didn't
want to come make a big and be that guy that come to the sign.
I'm like, oh, I'm tired now, you know, I want
to go and make another play. So there was times where I knew that
if I should be the best incredible catch that's a tough catch, just so
people know that catch, like running this way and over the head, Like
that's a tough catch there. That's a drill that to do with the combine.
Yeah, like that, you know that's something that you know that's a
play right there. I don't. I didn't like the way that you let
the ref dbo you out the way I wouldn't. I wasn't even looking at
it. Not ain't dancing and all coming. I didn't even give a little
chest point without him coming to try to college. But no, it's like
I just you know, he said, like I said, nonchalant, but
like I always see myself being great. You feel me like I played I
played offense and defensive high school too. A lot of guys there's a lot
of guys played that in high school. But I knew, like I wanted
to if if I could, I would do that in college too, so
I remember Coach D coming to me and telling me, talking to me about
the Corey gamble, I mean Chris Chris because I remember watching Chris gamble too,
like I watched Ohio State. I remember number seven on both sides of
the ball, like the whole thing. So I was familiar with it.
And I know, like I can play both sides, you know, and
I think I'm smart enough to do that. Why not do it? He
kind of he keep running that to me, though I didn't come to him
and say, you know, I want to get both side. He came
to me with it, and I was like, shit, let's go Coach
D. Because D is, I would say, the most critic, like
he's the most he's he doesn't lend those things out freely, right like when
it comes when he comes to you, like he sees something that you didn't
probably see in yourself sometimes where you were like, oh really, like you've
been thinking about that for me? Okay? Cool? And then and then
he go out and do it like it's almost like him, such riddles,
those riddles he gotta get you, like you know, he said, well
we are. That's another another topic for another show, but man. Yeah,
but I want I want you to touch on like you know, people
people felt to realize the greatness of the chemistry that y'all had on that squad.
And you know you see Connor Cook which is a gamer and just a
connection where you see that in the end of play where he's like, no,
he turn it up, turn down the field, go down the field.
I got you, like talk about in the huddle and like Connor Cook
coming in and kind of leaving that that offense with all y'all in there and
you have weapons, but talk about that chemistry between you and Connor cook Man.
It started. It started after spring ball, before spring ball in the
summer, like we would me and CEC was cool off the field too,
Like we was really cool off the field as well. So we would come
in on a random Wednesday. I remember, like the weave lights was off,
but you know, like you could the sun was out, like the
lights was off, but it was enough sun reflecting from the top where you
could see like we would be in there like throw in the dark like we
were game. All the wide receivers, you know, most of us,
and we would work every day like after practice, after running conditions, after
running the stadium stairs. We would run routes and throw routes and just work
on certain things. And that's just something we wanted to do because we wanted
to be connected, like we wanted everybody to be connected. We knew that
we could be great. We knew that we can bust this offense open.
You feel me Like we had lank Fur we had monthly Aaron Burbers that came
in mcgarrey, King's Benny Foller, and we had we was like deep to
AJ Troupe to man, I can go all and know Max stell Barker like
we was like we used to really like put it in work. Like I
said, we would be out there at nine o'clock in the morning or whenever
it was, and it would be not just me and Connor, it would
be all of us out there for like two hours throwing, Okay, we're
gonna run curls today, We're gonna run out routes today, We're gonna run
deep boss today. And we would do that often to where training time got
there it was home like we was already ready to go. You wasn't stopping
us in nothing, so we was already there. So I just translated on
the field to where like Okay, like you said, he pointed up already
knew likes Okay, I'm about turn it up, man, Tony, A
question for you. So you you did all this work, you know,
in the offseason with their quarterbacks, and so I'm going back to, you
know, playing both ways and what people don't realize and tell us a little
bit. You know, how did the week go? Because you had to
go in the offense for game plan for offense, and then you had to
go for the defensive room for the game plan for that, you know,
and people say, you know, athletes, m you know jobs, but
you have to be smart to play the game of football. And how was
the week? You know, when you you're playing both offense and defense,
how did you split your time? Like? Man, Like on Tuesdays,
I would, you know, that's like the install I would go to both
meets, like I would be on offensive meeting, but I kind of knew
offense. I knew defense too, but I knew offense. Like it's just
I'm good, kind of good with that, but I still want to the
game plan and I would go on the defense and there Coach Burnette and all
the defensive guys in there. I would be over there as well, and
in practice, I would be on offense for this couple periods and I would
be on defense for this periods. And I would just do that all the
way from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I would do that. I
would take both tests and the catalog. On Friday, I got I gotta
take I gotta take the test for the wild I was And it just kind
of got my mind right to like I would rep it every day, so
I kind of knew what was going on, like I wasn't. It wasn't
a shocker to me, Like I knew the signals, I knew the calls
like, but I had to be out there and practice with it. I
had to split time and practice with it. And even after practice and even
going and kicking it with the guys at their house, and you know,
okay, what this mean. What we gonna do on this versus a stack
coverage? We gonna do when they come in motion over here, like we
would always like dive into that even off the field. So yeah, it
was tough, man, but so well, I got something there. I
got a question. Huh, straight out of question, he said, you
gotta do you want to listen so you can answer this question like nobody else
can once and for all. What is harder mentally being a skill player on
offense or a skill player on defense skill player on defense? Because it's like
you, you wouldn't you wouldn't. First off, I would say corner is
one of the corners. Yeah, I ain't listen, listen, listen that
corner got that sideline as his friend out like we got numb but open field
left the right all around us. Feel you feel me so? And we
gotta tackle your kick behind too. I just but I I would I would
say I would say corner is tough. I would say being a deep defensive
skill guys tough because you're spending all your time react like you don't know what
the guy's gonna do, Like it don't matter about it split, It don't
matter about the motion, It don't matter about the down and distance, It
don't matter about their Tennessee. Sometimes sometimes they just gonna do whatever they whatever
they're gonna do. And sometimes you're gonna guess wrong, and you have even
when you guess wrong, you gotta go. You gotta react to that too.
You feel me if you i'mna about to run it out, and then
you running in, you still gotta chase him down and then you've got to
tackle them wide receiver. You know he's gotta make a move that, do
this, do that, And I would saying I would ask your question.
Defense is definitely because if you, like I said, you spend most of
your time react, you're reacting to a whole other guy. You're the resident
expert on this tone serious man. But speaking of the chemistry, you know,
this year mark's a ten year anniversary for that rose ball team, and
I know that they're gonna be celebrating you. We're gonna celebrate you during the
season. Are you looking forward to maybe reconnected with some of the players from
that team that you just named out the list of Oh no, man,
I'm definitely uh looking forward to it. I mean we were we was a
tight team, man, even even my class, like and not even just
my class, the classes came after that. We was like tight, man
Like we could go at each other and be in the cafeteria laughing it off
right after that. You feel me like, we we this is how we
played even in the game. We played just like that in practice, like
we would go at each other and That's just how it was. We would
be off be a vid with each other in the smith, off the field
everything. So we was a tight connected group. You know, a lot
of guys from those teams still in contact with each other. I'm in contact
with a lot of those guys as well. So it's gonna be good to
you know, come back for a ten year. It's crazy like then I
was ten years ago. Man, But man, man, it was that
atmosphere. By the way, we just saw the Rose clip that atmosphere you
can talk about that. Oh man, I was live. Man. I
remember just pulling up to it and it's like you can see the arena because
you like, we start off up top and we're driving down and you can
just see it. I'm just looking like, man, and then you get
into the arena and it's like a hundred what is it? I think it's
like a hundred k and there hundred thousand people. I'm like, man,
this is like and Spartan Nation show out. Like I think Spartan Nation was
there more than Stanford was there. Man. It was loud, it was
live, it was fun. Man. I was definitely one of them lives
games I was. I was a part of definitely knowing how I went,
the ups and downs, the back and forth, and I was a live
game man. I didn't feared with live man. You couldn't do nothing but
make plays. And I feel like that, you know, I was with
their you know, rich Homie, Quand's there. We got. I had
that rich Homie and to say to um, yeah, I mean it was
it was dope because, like I said, we had started playing his song
in the locker room. It was probably like week four, week five is
week five is around that time. We started to like getting this groove and
we started to play. Then we started to vibe to it like and then
we started to put it on film. Man, it got bigger, and
then he kind of reached out to us, and Quaids already knew. So
it was like he were talking about like man gonna come to the game,
and Quid like man gonna come, Quiz trying to keep it a secret and
Quiz be so so we kind of thought he was gonna come, and he
may come, he may not. And then we get to the game,
we come out, you know, we're singing the national anthem. Guys didn't
like rich Homie here like wearing he literally sitting right behind our bench in like
third Road, just killing It's like him like four other people, like it's
about to go down. They're just having him in the locker room and him
being able to turn up with us after that win. That was a legendary
experience for a lot of guys that locker room. Obviously, you know that's
it's just a lot of things like you remember, but there's some moments that
you you know that's gonna go down with you forever. And that was one
of those moments for me for sure, And I can definitely say that about
a lot of those guys in the locker room. That's one of those moments
that they don't, you know, remember for the rest of their life.
So it's gonna be a good turnout when we get there. Just kick with
all the guys out of office line the defense line, and were probably gonna
be talking to you again. It's gonna be live, man. I can't
wait for sure. You know, Coach d man, only very few people
can get be coach d dancing, and then the president of the university dance
too, like you got Travis Jason doing it. Yes man, y'all,
y'all have y'all just hurt. Y'all made that that whole ride is fun,
man, Like you like you know, you really love football, and y'all
was winning the right way, gritty but like you knew who was coming off
the bus every game, and there was no question, there was no hesitancy,
like y'all knew y'all was gonna give it, y'all thousand percent, and
and it was just a good I had a great opportunity of just being on
the sideline, like I'm out here crying on the sideline radio broadcasting like you
know, it could have been up man, like it was. That was
a that was right. I want to know your best coaching our Duzy story,
because everybody like coach our Dugi is a he's a wild dude, man
like passion about football. But you got any crazy story that people don't know
about coaching our due First of all, man, you aren't no dudes.
Man, man, you are if you know dudes that you know dudes.
But I'm gonna just think I'm gonna just bring up this just kind of reminded
me a little bit. I remember we as in a locker room, and
this was before the new locker room got there, so this is the smart
locker room of the morning locker room, and we kind of bunched up on
each other. Oh, we know, we know it was It was one
game and I think it was at halftime, like we wasn't r d our
team just wasn't playing. I think it was around two thousand and twelve.
We wasn't playing up to like how we should have been playing. And we
come into the locker road and you know, they upstairs, they're coming down.
They're gonna talk real quick. We relaxed and we come back in and
he got the projector out. He vibing and he talking and then he's just
snapped, which he usually do, but he knocked the projector over and broke
the projector and then it was I think coach. He looked out, come
on, man, he was like this, this was dudes, He's saying
in the middle of his in the middle of him being bad. He was
like, shit, my man. I was like, man, and you
know, we and they're serious, but at the same time, like we
like kind of laughing, like bro, he's funny as hell. It's just
like he knocked the projector over, like like we got another projector and this
in the middle of it, like we still ain't even went to the text.
You feel the text. He's just kind of fat d it. How
many of those did he break at halftime games? I mean I was I
had two of them, and I was sitting role like I was like,
I was like blasphem my eye, like I don't I don't have what to
do on the other side, like there was another side, because that's when
they did a little little bit. But I don't have a story like that.
But I remember the first game Coach D's first game coaching at Michigan,
say, you know your junior year oldest my senior year and we're playing I
believe it was U A B or E. No, that was the first
game of you and uh, We're in warm ups and Coach D is standing
there. Doozy's walking up to him and he's like, hey, Mike,
you know how he's all talking chewing gum that tight had soft because he's like
what and then he's like he's softer than baby, you know, please?
And then D'antoni's like out there scout in the pre game. He didn't he
didn't, he didn't follow him. One. There was times where I knew
when he would come down from the press box when he had access, like
you didn't have to take no elevator if he was away game where and he
would be running down and I remember he was on he was on the sideline
and we kind of looked and everybody was like, Doozy on his way and
everybody gonna be like and I just visualized, like he just starts to tumble,
like I was like, there's gonna be that one time he gonna just
bite it. And he never did, but he used to run real fast,
like man, them calves don't keep him balaging like this, I'm like,
no, why Like his coach cast, we were messing. We ain't
talk about that that Baylor game. Yeah, Buddy Cotton Bowl, Oh man,
that was one of the best ones, one of the best ones.
Yeah, used come back, man, Yeah that was great. You're down
in Texas Stadium, right, you know where the Cowboys play and there was
a interception was that an interception or block kick that you're you're part of the
block punt and there was a field goal. Now yeah, I don't know
if we have that video that we can show where Tony laid the wood on
somebody from the Bailor Bears. Now we already know my man still thinking about
this now to this day. He tweeted after the game, I'm alive.
I was like, you know, it's crazy though. If that was to
happen today, that's what exactly what I was gonna say. It would have
been a legal blind side and it have been called back and then they would
have got the ball back, but they probably would have kicked me out of
the game. Yeah, yeah, well I know they were talking about target
it, targeting, but h but I j yeah, talking through that,
talk through that for sure. Um, this was like I said, I
think we was down by six at that time. They had just got like
a penalty, and it took him out of rain. I think RJ through
it like a sideline pass to I think it was a good, good one,
good man, a good one and RJ hit him on the outside.
They made it to like a forty time of year field goal, and we
just like shit, I mean, we didn't block a couple of field though,
so we know, like we can definitely push and get a block,
so I'm not mistaken. I think rush block Marcus rush block did I think
he did? And and the thing is like if you watch me on that
plate, I'm literally trying to lead RJ to the end zone. But my
eye I seen him flashing. If I wouldn't have got him, I think
he would have tackled or tripped up RJ. And RJ wouldn't have took it
thirty yards down the field after that, I think he would have tackled him
because he was flashing through the screen. So I'm I'm I'm going and not
just see him at the corner of my eye and I just kind of refers
out and I'm like, shit, I'm about to lay him out head like
panatistics because he was just running like he went on the floor. You got
to watch on somebody. You can't just being you ain't about to get hit
so and you know he had kickers. That was the kicker, so he
like, ain't touch me. I'm like, no, I'm about touching.
So I so I hit him, and I knew I got a good lick
on him, but I ain't know like him rolling over and rolling back until
until I seen it after the game. But as you see me as like
we running, he running, I kind of turned back to see like did
he get up where he had what's going on? I see him on the
ground. I'm like, dang, I hope you all right. But we
got to win this game. So I mean I was a big play Like
you said, I was a big play man. We had to kind of
had the momentum. It was only it was like under a minute left,
a minute a half, whatever it was. It was kind of a minute
left. That was like gonna be like the last real drive of the game,
and we had to make a play. We had to make that happening.
I was glad to be a part of that. We got it coming
up right here. So like look like I'm like, I turned, I'm
out and I see him flash what to play that? As a lover of
kickers, Tony, you don't know how lunch, this makes me feel so
good that you did that to that kicker. Oh man, hey, he
on the football field match. You gotta keep his hand peeled back. Oh
my god, bro, he was running so hard too. He was not
gonna catch RJ at that point. He might have tripped them. Like the
song, Like if you watched the big screen and then you see it like
he was closing and you think, yeah, I just look at the ref
the ref like now the bill was yah yah, yeah, it was over.
Oh man, that's awesome. I was. I was on the sideline.
I was like, RJ, why ain't you cut in to score?
Because he was just running straight to the sideline. I was like, bru,
when you'll vision that, he was like, its kind of like the
old place, you know, you know that was bailing. Hey, they
snapping the ball and so he was game though. Man, that was definitely
a big game. Yeah, but you know that that that was a big
comeback in that. So what was the feeling like on the sideline when you
guys were down like that and then started to make that comeback? What was
that feeling like on the sidelines? Um, when we was down, I
felt like the energy was there, but some people probably was a little down
and like a little out. But we were still locked in because we know
we could win. Like we knew what type of team we was. We
knew like we knew better was a good team. We knew that was air
raided. There was gonna throw the ball all over the field, but we
knew they couldn't stop us some offense, and we knew like if we just
made a few stocks, we could win. But you know you're going you're
going into the fourth quarter down by twenty. You know, some people might
chalk it up so like, hey, you know it's into the game.
But I remember having the conversation with Lane on the sideline lane for the running
back when we was down. It was the beginning of the fourth quarter.
We downed by twenty, and I'm like, I'm looking at it, I'm
talking to him. I'm like, Hey, this is gonna have to be
one hell of a mad and come back, bro, And like that's where
I was at. I'm thinking, like, Bro, we could still win.
Like you feel me like, we could still win. We just gotta
score and get stopped. We gotta score and get stopped. It's gonna be
tough because we see that they could put up points in ten seconds. You
feel me like, I think one of their first plays out of the out
of half time was like an eighty yard bomb to Katie Cannon. So they
could really strike the band at any time. But we're like, bro,
we just need to get some clutch stops right now, and if we get
this momentum going, they might get tighten because they probably got the game still.
They thinking like they got like oh, as you said, on the
sideline, they were talking jump. Oh, so what you think, what
do you think? How do you think that was feeling when they was up
by twenty were talking about the sideline because remember they had that hype squad like
that, Yeah, and they was always like the sitting in the middle of
the game and the whole game. And then we started to come back and
that dancing was kind of like start and then our side war and took that
momentum and they we dance it sorry, and you know, like the energy
and the energy and the stadium is real, like you can feel it.
You can feel if you if you locked in and you wired and you aligned,
you can feel that energy shift. And it started to shift. We
started to make plays, We started to make catches, We started to you
know, make stomps. And then it came down to right before a month
sport. It was it was a fourth and ten, like we had went
three straight downs, no yards, and then it was fourth and ten and
this was the way this is for us to even like get to months scoring
the ball. I'm like, man, we gotta make a play, man,
we gotta do something. And that's when, uh, you know,
kind of threw the smash fade to me on the sideline on the sideline,
and that was one of our brand butter players like we we are. We
connected on that like in our sleep because we ran it so much in June
and July and in May, like we was locked in on that, so
we knew like how to work it up. But like I said, man,
that game was so live man, and energy shifted and we was ready
to win. So we had to lock in. You can't win that game
where you ain't locked in. You can't come back like that if you ain't
locked in. So we had to be locked in enough to come back down
twenty specially on the team that throws the ball in five seconds. From saying
so right, man, did you know I mean you talked about the work
you guys put in the summertime, spring, summer and fall and all in
the championships that you had. Did you realize you were in a golden era
of Michigan State football at that time? Yeah? I did. I did.
Like I would tell people, I would tell people, I think it's
a little Michigan State take right here. I think thirteen, fourteen and fifteen
is like some of the best years at Michigan State history. In Michigan State
football, I think we was to win this class. I think we you
know, we won a Rose Bowl, we won a Cotton Bowl, and
then we went to the playoffs. The next year we lost, but we
went to the playoffs. Were still a top four team. Was a top
four or five team going into it. If the playoffs started in the Rose
Bowl, we would have been in the National Championship and I think we would
have won. Who would be played Florida State or I think we wouldn't be
FLI to State. I think Winston, like we was that type of team
that could, you know, go against anybody. So like I said,
um, you don't feel it in that moment because you end it. But
like as I had time to reflect, you know, take a step away
from the game, I could definitely, I definitely would put those three years
of Michigan State football up against any three years of Michigan State football in history,
you know. And we put out a lot of guys in the league.
We had a lot of guys, you know, all Big ten,
all Americans, and we you know, we had had a lot of great
guys that actually you know, jailed and rock with each other still to this
day. Like there's a lot of guys on those teams that are still cool
to this day. And like you saying it at the at the ten year,
you're gonna see like we all kind of titlan, We're gonna talk to
junk just like if we was in Case Hall. This is gonna be just
like that even though ten years. Yeah, so quite the visionary of coach
D. And we talked about like he does some Coach D does some outland
just things to get us motivated, like we've seen this right, And so
he took a trip out prior to that season and he this is me.
I feel like cell phone on the video start to kind of you know,
go go catching way basically, and he did a video saying you will be
the ones and that was your like you did that video, show y'all to
that. But like when you saw that video, talk about just a feeling
of coach Coach D speaking into existence that you gotta think, Philip be great
and you guys will be the ones to truly turn the tide of the Michigan
state football history and win a national championship or the Rose Bowl. But like
talking about that video, itself, like you gotta have a vision, you
know, like you gotta you gotta want to reach something. And you know,
Coach d put that out there. He put that out there like,
hey, we need to be in the Rose Bowl. You feel me.
If it ain't the Rose Bowl, it's National Championship. We need to be
in this game. And he made us believe like we had the squad to
do it. But he he made us believe that we could and we had
the guys. And like you said, he's always say these little things and
it don't make sense to you at the moment, but later on you kind
of realized, Okay, I understand that more now. Maybe it's ten years
down the line, maybe you understand it now what he was saying in two
thousand and ten or two thousand and eight. Maybe he said some things to
y'all that didn't register at that moment, but years down the line kind of
think back, like, Okay, that was I needed that, even though
I didn't understand that I needed that. So he planned that seed, you
know, and I feel like he felt like we had the squad. He
felt like we had the guys coming back. In two thousand and twelve,
we lost five games from a total of like ten points, were losing games
by like one point. We had like an up and down years, but
we had a bunch of guys that could really play football, you know,
and we had a bunch of guys that was leaders. Like even if you
wasn't the captain, you was a leader. We can go to the Nico
s Allen. We can go to Marcus Rush, you feel me. We
can go to Quiz, we can go to Max. We can go to
Benny Fowler, we can go to even Penalty my boys, we can go
to Travis Jackson, we can go to Jack Conklin like I can go on
and on kind of cruise Donoman Clark, I can go on and on.
We had all these guys that wanted to win. You feel me, Like,
you can't just spring that on somebody that you probably don't think that can
reach that. We had a bunch of guys that really wanted to win,
and we just had to, you know, continue to build our confidence on
where we was going. And it was good for us winning that bowl game.
But two twelve, so we can roll into the off season like,
okay, now we can start to what we really want to do and that's
being a Rose Bowl. And he planned that seed on us. He put
that vision in our head and everywhere every drill we did from winn A conditioning,
every every practice we was prepping to win the Rose Bowl, were prepping
to go to the Rose Bowl. And like I said, it started with
coach d and um. He instilled us with that confidence even though a lot
of us had confidence. But you know, sometimes you need that extra push
like hey, you can be a national championship champion if you want to.
And then you started to planning like, oh man, I can You know
I can get a four point though, but you gotta say it first.
You gotta believe it, you gotta feel, you gotta be in here with
it. So you know, coach he always got them sains man. He
got the sins man to where you like, you feel it and they didn't
do the look. You know, he'd say something, You're like, what's
he talking about? And he was incredible and even going back to the the
banquet the year before when he said you will be the ones, that was
really a prophetic moment by Mark D'Antonio. You will be the ones. The
next thing, you know, you guys go to the Rose Bowl and win
it. But you know, you know, before we let you go,
we do want to talk about I mean, look, you were drafted in
the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins. You had a great NFL pro football
career. Talk a little about what Michigan State did to prepare you for that
and how the difference with the differences between college game and the in the pro
game. Um college game, the difference is, first off, there's NFL
players and as college players, that's the difference. I mean, college players
are great, but NFL players are the top every position, are the top
top guys. Like I know, you got a lot of guys in college
that wasn't man they high school and now you've got a lot of guys in
the NFL that's them guys. So the speed of the game is faster,
they're they're older. You're not playing against twenty one year old, twenty two
year old something. You're going into the league and now you're playing against the
thirty one year old. I've been playing this for eight years, so it's
different. It's like it's the pros um that's a big difference. I've got
the first question do I would tell me? I would say this preparation,
man, like it taught me how to watch film, what to look for,
like, how to practice, you feel me, how to take care
of your body, like really, how to compete at a high level every
day. Like that's what coach d build, like competing at a high level
every day, Like like keep competing against each other, challenging each other,
even if that's in a cone drill and winter conditioning. It's just like competing
and you're getting better. So I would say that because there's something. You
know, some schools that don't practice that's hard, or that don't compete that's
hard, and you can tell when you're playing against them. I'm sure y'all
played against guys and they don't play as hard as you because you practice hard.
Like we we we we lie attacking, we had real Like I'm from
the era of real two days. I know, y'all. Oh yeah,
I know, y'all. Like my last year, I think my last year
was like the last year of two days. But I'm from them days where
it's two and a half practice, two and a half our practice in the
morning, and it's two and a half our practice at night too, and
it ain't just all the team drills and morning especial teams at night. No,
we're gonna do the same thing, the same script. So I'm from
that. It just taught you how to compete. It taught you how to
you know, challenge yourself, how to overcome obstacles, you know, chase
greatness. So you know, I'm straight aheaded. You know you were drafted
by the Dolphins. So you're in Miami. The big question. Everyone wants
to know, a night out in my Ami in South Beach or a night
out in east Lands? Oh boy, hey man, you know you know
I love my east Lands. I love you know, I love a lands
man. My Miami is Miami live you This is this is a final question
because I know you just recently uh put out you know, social statement of
you hung the cleats up right at at any given moment, and every player
that plays this game, it's gonna be a time where you have to hang
them up and and not hang them up half you know, half off straveling
offense. You got to make that decision and you got to live with that.
But talk about that process and then finally come into that uh that fire
stage of like, hey, the game has done so much for me but
talk about that that that post and making that decision. I mean, you
know, as an athlete, man, you never you never okay with you
know, giv it up. You never like preparing for that moment. You
know, you know, you don't know what it's gonna happen. You don't
know when you're gonna stop getting a call. You don't know nothing that you
don't prepare for it, like you don't prepare to get fired from your job.
You know, you just it happens and you just have to you know,
react to it and respond to it. So um, you know,
it took it took it took a while. It took a while to you
know, come to turns with it because that's something I've been doing since I
was ship before I was probably about five. I was playing football when I
was four or five years old in neighborhood and that was one of my that
was my first love for sure. So it was kind of hard to,
you know, come to this point. But I can honestly say I don't
have no regrets. I feel like, you know, I left it all
on the field, like I enjoyed what I did on the field. I
feel like I made plays. I feel like I made people around me better.
Um, I didn't cheat the game, you know, Um, I
just trying to give it my all every time my step out there. That's
playing offense, defense, special teams, that's being a gunner one week,
if that's being you know, quarterback in practice for Michigan week, if that's
being a scout team whatever over here, if that's playing one hundred and twenty
snaps a game, I can honestly say, you know, I left it
out on the field, and you know, I'm proud of what I did.
And it took me some time to come to that moment because, like
I said, doing something twenty five years, twenty five plus years that you
kind of like don't know how to separate yourself from me. But I enjoyed
my time when the field I had it. I was able to like actually
look back at what I've done, you know, and smile and laugh and
you know, enjoy that, enjoy that moment even more it is. You
know, there's times what you're doing you can't enjoy it because you're already looking
at the next week. You're not you can't enjoy that pick you had in
the back of the end zone versus the dame because you got to play next
week. You feel me, you gotta make a play next week. You're
already talking about the next week. So when you actually be able to take
a step, take a deep breath back from the game. I was able
to smile, you know, and show, you know, show my doory,
like, hey, you know, your daddy made a lot of plays.
Whatever level I was ating, it was high school, little league,
pal college, you know, NFL, whatever it was. You know,
I left it out on the field and I was okay with that. I
was okay with that. I enjoyed my time. You know, you know,
it's time to give my knowledge, you know, to you know,
the next generation and generation after that. But yeah, man, it clicks
is up. Man, you know, well, hell of a career,
hell of a career away. What's next though? Oh man, there's a
lot of things, man. Kind of want to do a lot of things.
I know. I want to train kids. I want to give them
the knowledge that I have, um, you know, and just help them
as much as I can, whatever it is, if it's a release here
or backpedal there, or whatever it is. I just want to help them
on and off the field and give them the knowledge that I do have.
UM, I would like to coach later on, later on right now,
but I definitely want to train. I don't want to coach as much right
now. But kind of just been kicking with my family, you know,
lady, keep doing with my daughter. Got a seven year old daughter,
so I've been spend a lot of time with her. But like I said,
it's gonna be a lot of things. I don't know exactly, but
there's gonna be a lot of things. Definitely a lot of things. Keep
having test with that, you know, absolutely, man. I mean this
note to all the youngsters out there listening. This is why we tell you
got to leave it on the field, because that is the place that all
of us get to, right You have to get to that point where you
have to hang those fleets up, and it's much easier to do it when
you know you left it on the field, like you just described so eloquently.
Lived that was great. We really love having you on the show.
Man can talk to you for a long time, and we got people in
the chat asking and you know, spend four hours with you. So definitely,
thank you very much. I got stories with days man. Appreciate y'all.
For having me on. Man whenever, y'all, whenever, y'all me
all man, let me know, man, wet time. We all good,
y'all don't know. I got some got some story, I got some
jump to talk. Man. We'll see it in a few weeks. We'll
see it in a few weeks up here for the ten year of reunion,
the anniversary, I will be there talking John. All right, you spend
time with us. Man, All up, brother man, all that Tony
Lippid excellent. Man. Hey, you know guy left it on the field
for us. Yeah yeah, I mean too. I heard cracking his neck
like, oh man, you gotta come a bold serious in you too,
no serious series. Look, keep it keeping within five yards to go line.
Basically you said, right, yeah, yeah, I get that jumper
package. That was Oh yeah, I mean, y'all, don't hurt your
one arm was heavy and uh no, that was just look, man,
I love just to see like we saw him grow up, like as a
young freshman and being at you know, working at Michigan State doing radio and
I mean straight, you got a lot of guys that have came through that
you've seen developing now into adulthood. Me and too, as you know,
as proof and to see the full circle, like Coach d always said,
full circle. I've talked to those coach Duh D'Antonio isms where you got to
complete the full circle. And when you do complete it, like you said,
you didn't, you don't leave nothing, uh, you know out on
that field and no regret um because that's the deepest part of you know,
the sparer and some you know, depression, is that you regret things that
you should have done. It should have cut it right. Uh. For
for a guy to to still be young, but also make that decision for
his future, I mean that's a huge test because we all went through that
full life journey of making that decision. Like, I still got some many
I still got something you like, no, bro, Like it's it's it's
it's it's done right. And so just to hear the stories, to hear
like everything he talked about was facts for us to be as former players watching
it unfold and knowing that what happened, what we saw was what exactly what
was happened on the field in the locker room and like that squad man,
like we got a lot of dudes that we're gonna bring back from that squad
to interview because like to he started name dropping, Like man, they were
absolutely deep Start, but these were gritty guys who had to work for everything
that they earned, and I think that was the mindset. So I'm excited
to celebrate them. But crazy has already been ten years like that, that
flies really fast, but too well, what's your father thoughts on it?
No? I thought it was a great show, and I appreciate, you
know, Tony for coming on, and you know, it just shows exemplifies,
you know, what it is to be a Spartan dog and what this
show was about gathering like that. And to answer your question, Art,
don't worry, we got some stuff in the works for that. So he
was to be for the Starter has a season kickoff show in these lanes and
so we all can probably we got something in the works or don't worry.
I gotta state the whole time because Art does that irish extra real fast too.
Yeah, man, I mean you said something that that that Rose Bowl
team does have a ton of names. He rattled off a huge laun of
your list and didn't even include any linebackers. I think they had a few
good those guys like Elsworth, Bullo, Darian Harris, all kinds of guys
at the core as well. That would be great interviews. But look,
I mean, look, that was a great show. Guys. Um awesome
job. Great to have Mama Tron on here along with Nick obviously Tony Lippett.
You know we have I think Brian Hoyer is coming up on Thursday,
right and Harriet Dean Honor absolutely yes on Thursday. You know, thank everybody
for joining the show. Don't forget to click the like and subscribe buttons and
follow us on our social media platforms. That this is part of the ms
You Frodisju Tuchcom, Jason Strayhorn, This is part of MSU. Have a
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