49ers GM John Lynch: Hall of Fame Safety to NFL Exec San Fran Super Bowl & Brock Purdy

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Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:09Speaker 01

  I remember telling my boss, it'll be good for the brand when leads were slow. Yeah, it it wasn't.

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• 0:30Ryan Clark?

  The 49ers is one of those lucky teams that's had different eras of greatness though. You know what I mean where.

• 0:35Channing Crowder?

  Oh, Joe Montana set the shit up.

• 0:37Ryan Clark?

  Right, you win. You win five of them and then you go and you have like a second iteration where you're a dominant team again, you know?

• 0:45Channing Crowder?

  No Shanahan come in.

• 0:46Ryan Clark?

  Not everybody gets that.

• 0:47Channing Crowder?

  Motherfucker put three tight ends back on the field, everybody nut up.

• 0:50Ryan Clark?

  Man, turn around, hand it off, people can't figure it out. Guys, it's a run play.

• 0:56Channing Crowder?

  I'd be like, hey, guys, they're running a zone. Just stop them.

• 1:00Speaker 04

  Try and do it 40 times a game.

• 1:01Channing Crowder?

  Give them that gap, yeah, just.

• 1:03Ryan Clark?

  As soon as you stick you on it, they gonna stick that ball out right here. They have George Kittle deep crossing.

• 1:08Channing Crowder?

  George Kittle about to run by 17, it's over.

• 1:12Fred Taylor?

  They lean on Debo a lot.

• 1:14Ryan Clark?

  Trent Williams.

• 1:18Channing Crowder?

  He hell.

• 1:21Channing Crowder?

  So he's better at left tackle than everybody else in their position.

• 1:27Channing Crowder?

  You probably got it right.

• 1:28Ryan Clark?

  Cause he's 99 on Madden.

• 1:31Channing Crowder?

  Because you can't be that big and pull.

• 1:32Ryan Clark?

  Cause they put him in motion.

• 1:33Channing Crowder?

  And they pulling.

• 1:34Ryan Clark?

  But they put him in motion.

• 1:36Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 1:36Ryan Clark?

  And hit the little, the little end.

• 1:38Fred Taylor?

  He's so light on his feet. When he was coming out the tunnel with Debo dancing.

• 1:42Ryan Clark?

  When they used to go hoop in Washington when he was there, he used to bring it up. You know how most time when you play with like the big cat, they had to play the big cat.

• 1:50Channing Crowder?

  Trent Williams ain't running point.

• 1:52Ryan Clark?

  Okay.

• 1:53Channing Crowder?

  Trent Williams ran the point.

• 1:54Ryan Clark?

  Point guard.

• 1:55Channing Crowder?

  Man, ain't no way.

• 1:57Speaker 04

  What up, brothers? How you doing, man? How you feeling? Uh, like you got baby here, that's what, man. Go, what's up, ladies? Good? All right, now.

• 2:08Channing Crowder?

  Walking around like, y'all niggas get that work here. Like, we, we straight. Well, JT, Zach and Junior never early on, they'd be in the drill, but they really wouldn't do it hard. But they was just there. Now they just be like, y'all don't need that shit.

• 2:20Ryan Clark?

  Hey, me and Troy.

• 2:23Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, them tap out the shit, yeah.

• 2:27Ryan Clark?

  One on one tackle.

• 2:30Channing Crowder?

  And hitting.

• 2:31Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, you had to. The dude running the ball real hard. Yeah.

• 2:36Channing Crowder?

  I was like, Coach, can I tag off? You better not tag off. Keep doing your thing, man. I appreciate it. Oh, yeah. Keep giving it, dog.

• 2:45Speaker 04

  He watches them every day. This is all he lets us watch.

• 2:51Channing Crowder?

  I don't even be, man. I don't even be here, dog. I don't even. That's facts. Facts. Right, right, right, right.

• 2:57Fred Taylor?

  I watch all shit. I watch. You know, I'll be there tomorrow. Appreciate that.

• 3:02Channing Crowder?

  We just keep working, dog.

• 3:03Fred Taylor?

  Correct. That's how it is.

• 3:04Channing Crowder?

  You be knocking motherfuckers to sleep. That's what I like. Yeah, that look cute shit nowadays. I appreciate y'all, though, man. So, man, y'all keep on, dog. Yeah, y'all help a motherfucker out.

• 3:11Fred Taylor?

  Good luck this year.

• 3:12Channing Crowder?

  Oh, yeah. So, appreciate that, my dog. Come, come, come to holla at the man.

• 3:18Channing Crowder?

  Yeah. Let's go on, my friend, Tay. How you doing, man?

• 3:21Speaker 04

  I'm good, man. Nice to see you guys.

• 3:22Channing Crowder?

  Yeah. We got, we got some stories. Yeah. All right, all right. We'll have a good time talking.

• 3:28Ryan Clark?

  My man, good to see you again, brother. How you doing, brother? Yes, sir. Good to see you again.

• 3:32Fred Taylor?

  Good, good, good.

• 3:33Ryan Clark?

  When I see other safeties, I realize how little I was. I realize.

• 3:36Channing Crowder?

  Lynch was just big.

• 3:37Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, I realized I wasn't big enough to do the job the right way.

• 3:41Speaker 06

  Herm was up here for Taylor Swift. He brought his daughters up the other night. He and I were back there.

• 3:46Ryan Clark?

  Oh, did you go?

• 3:47Speaker 06

  Oh, yeah.

• 3:48Ryan Clark?

  You went too?

• 3:48Speaker 06

  Oh, yeah. I, we have three daughters. But two of them were here and they were not going, so. And because Herm was there, I went. It's actually pretty damn good. That, that girl can. She held that crowd around that three and a half hours. They never sat. They know every word.

• 4:05Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 4:05Speaker 06

  It was actually pretty cool. I saw just like joy on people's. She's got something special to her.

• 4:10Ryan Clark?

  She sold out like multiple nights in different cities.

• 4:13Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 4:14Ryan Clark?

  People were going to see her like two and three times.

• 4:16Fred Taylor?

  From other places going in.

• 4:18Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, man.

• 4:18Fred Taylor?

  I heard, I saw a few articles where the city officials, they talk about her presence, what it does to their local economy. It's crazy.

• 4:26Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 4:27Ryan Clark?

  Which is a Swifty. You a Swifty.

• 4:28Speaker 06

  I'm a Swifty.

• 4:32Ryan Clark?

  Well, thank you so much for your time during training camp, for what you've accomplished to give us an opportunity to be here. I think it's amazing. You are putting together two Hall of Fame careers in different areas, much like Ozzie Newsome was able to do as the Baltimore GM. Obviously Chan, Fred and myself, we thank you. I want to go back to something that's probably not necessarily the greatest football question or GM question. You said that Linda wrote you letters for every game that you played and also were the color commentary for. Does she write them still, Coach, as the GM?

• 5:15Speaker 06

  That ship has sailed.

• 5:18Speaker 06

  I wish you would. It's gotta be a real big one. But I'll tell you what, you guys know it. You know, when you have spouses, when you have families, they go on this ride with you. And, you know, I was very fortunate and blessed not only to marry the love of my life, my best friend, but she kind of got it. First of all, she had four brothers. Recommend it to anyone who's marrying someone. Four brothers is a good thing. They kind of taught her the ropes. Second of all, she was a collegiate athlete. She played on the tennis tour for a little bit, so she knew what I was going through. And, you know, people laugh, but I tell them like, you know, when I was studying, she was the one asking me questions on flashcards. And so she was very invested in it and extremely supportive.

• 6:02Speaker 06

  And I'll never forget, John Madden, somehow, one of my teammates told him that if you look over before a game, Lynch is reading notes. And we always wondered what they were, and they found me out. And I started having success as a player. And so they were laughing at me at first, then I started having success. Next thing you know, I look over before the game and every damn person in that locker room reading a note.

• 6:44Speaker 06

  But you know Madden asked me one time, what is she saying? Is it lovey dovey? You know, it's only John Madden. I said, no, it's actually stuff like key the guards, read your keys. Cause she was the one doing all the flashcards and I love it. But it always just kind of settled me before a game. Also, I, I used to think about them every time I, I stepped on a field. Herm Edwards, he used to say autograph your performance, Lynchburg. And to me, that meant you're representing a lot of people. You're not only your team, your teammates, you're representing your family. I always wanted to make them proud. So I get, I even right here, you know, that's something special to me because she cared. She, she, they went to most of my games. She was, she was, she was in it. And even when I took this thing, you know, that was a big deal.

• 7:29Speaker 06

  I had a pretty good life.

• 7:32Speaker 06

  As a broadcaster and all that, and I had to get everyone on board. But like always, she said, well, is this in your heart? Well, then let's go do it, you know? And we've done it together.

• 7:40Fred Taylor?

  Yeah. So the story has it is that you were afraid to tell her that you took the job because you took it before telling her.

• 7:48Speaker 06

  Well, you got good sources.

• 7:51Speaker 06

  Yeah. She said, is it in your heart and all that? It took a little while because she knew what a commitment this would be. And we had kids in high school, recommendation to anyone, never move a girl who's a senior in high school. And I'm still paying for that one. And thank God she's, she's a good sport. But she left a boyfriend and all that, and it's tough. But I think that's, you know, the story that when we go do this, it's not just us. It's our families and, and it takes a lot of sacrifice and a lot of commitment from everyone. And, and I've been very blessed, not only with the parents who raised me, but the family, you know, got four unbelievable kids and, and you know, they've, they've been very much part of this journey.

• 8:31Channing Crowder?

  And Coach, why would you do this, John? Cause you played all pro. I'm sure those four kids aren't struggling to eat dinner at night. You know what I'm saying? I'm, I'm sure the Lynch family is set financially. Like, why would you jump back into 12 plus hour days?

• 8:44Speaker 06

  You know, I really think playing ball and playing the position I played where you gotta go next play and you gotta forget what happened. I was able to rest my head at night and feel pretty good. You know, you've given it everything you can and as long as you're doing that, you're living right. You know, I can, I could lay my head down and feel good, but something was tugging at me. I didn't know what it was. And, you know, I had been exposed to it a bit by my friend, John Elway. He had, you know, John and I went to Stanford about 10 years ahead of me. I went there as a quarterback. I had played for his high school coach. And so there was some connection. And when I moved to Denver, he looked out for me. And when I retired, I started playing golf with him.

• 9:25Speaker 06

  And then he took the leap into running the Broncos. And, you know, somewhere down the line, he said, Johnny, you know, I'm doing this and I'm, I'm working with a lot of people that I've never worked with. We talk ball all the time. Would you help me out? I said, yeah. You know, what do you want me to do? He said, just take the safeties this year and write them up. And I said, well, I don't, I don't know how to write a report. He goes, sure you do. You know, football, just write what you see. And so I took the safeties that year. And I'll never forget, it was like Mark Barron, Harrison Smith, whatever that year was. I mean, some good players and I wrote them and took a lot of pride in how I wrote them. And John was impressed. So the next year, he said, hey, take, take the entire DB stack. And I was broadcasting. So it was great practice for me to stay in

• 10:08Speaker 06

  practice, study college players. And I love watching it, just like you guys do. And so I did the entire DBs. The next year, he says, why don't you come in-house and see what it's all about. And so I went and I did. John Fox was the head coach. Elway was there. And I went and sat in draft meetings and went to the combine and, and did the whole deal with the Broncos. And that kind of got me going. And kind of a yearning for, man, I miss the scoreboard. I do a broadcast and would feel really good about it and, and communicating my love for the game and knowledge for the game with people. But something was pulling at me and I finally figured out that's what it was. And that led to me calling Kyle

• 10:49Speaker 06

  Shanahan when I thought he was going to get this job and just saying, hey, man, you know, I don't know if you'd ever be interested, but it sounds like you're going to get that San Francisco job. You know, I've admired you from afar. I've called a lot of your games. But if you've ever be interested, you know, I think I'd like to be a GM. And I remember him saying, why would you do that?

• 11:11Speaker 06

  You got a good life, you know, you do. I know you're really good at the broadcast, you know, at least I think so, and I don't know that world. Like, why would you do it? And then he called back about two hours later, and he said, "Man, I'm not trying to talk you out of it, because I would love it. Like, let's keep talking." And next thing you know, I get a call from the owner here saying, "Hey, fly on up here. I'd like to talk to you." I talked to Kyle. Next thing you know, I'm on a flight cross-country, going to meet with Kyle. We decided in that meeting, we're gonna do this thing, and the rest is history.

• 11:40Ryan Clark?

  That's amazing.

• 11:41Speaker 06

  Pretty cool.

• 11:42Ryan Clark?

  Anybody who knows me well knows that John Lynch has basically lived the life I want to live, right? I wanted to be a hard-hitting safety. I'm doing TV now, and eventually, that's the job I would love to have. I would love to have an opportunity, like you said, to be able to see the scoreboard again, and walk home, whether I won or lost, knowing where I fared that week. And I think you're doing an absolutely amazing job. I'm gonna backtrack a little bit, though, because I love the way you played the game. I just do. And so many times, and I know you see it, your phone call on draft night changes people's entire lives. Not just the guys you call, but their families and their generations

• 12:24Ryan Clark?

  after them. He spoke of your Lynch set of kids eating. You were also eating well, too. Back when, you know, your father and, you know, where you guys lived, and you guys were affluent, and you were getting to go see Eric Coriel and all of these different things. In San Diego, quarterback. All right, you had Denny Green and Bill Walsh kind of mentor you. But I heard your pops was like a mother effer, bro. You know, you're playing Notre Dame, you get a little banged up. Concussion protocol was not what it is today, and your pop encourages you, and maybe not the nicest way, to get back out. You pop Jerome Bettis, he fumbles. You pick off Rick Meyer, and everybody knows Stanford Notre Dame is a

• 13:06Ryan Clark?

  big deal. Talk a little bit, man, about what inspired you and the reasons you went so hard at football, when it wasn't necessarily something you needed to do to have a good life.

• 13:20Speaker 06

  Yeah. I think my parents, you know, so my dad... He grew up with not a lot, you know, and made a success of himself. Was 11th round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

• 13:31Ryan Clark?

  The other best organization in the world.

• 13:33Speaker 06

  That's right. I can't argue with that. That's one of those iconic organizations, man. And my love for it will always be there. Because my dad was drafted there. I'll never forget. I was doing one of your games and was in there with Mike and everything and Mr. Rooney, Dan, came in. And, you know, I never really heard of my dad as a player because he just had a cup of coffee. And he came in and he said, you know, your dad got hurt, but he was one hell of a player. And that was pretty cool for me. And, you know, my parents raised us with good values and they raised us, you know, with hard work, you know. We were lynchings. We didn't get seeds, you know. You don't miss school. You know, we go to work. He took me to the Boys and

• 14:17Speaker 06

  Girls Club. He wanted me to grow up. And the other thing, he didn't come into money until I was about a freshman in high school. So I wasn't always used to that. But he wasn't going to raise soft kids. And that's my older sister, my younger brother. He taught us good old fashioned values. And, you know, I'm always, he was always there. That's one cool thing. He built a big radio company and started in sales and ended up owning a big broadcast company where they had 26 radio stations at one point across the country. And I remember what I remember most about my dad. He's building this company. So he had to go to New York a lot and raise money. But he was always my little league coach. He didn't coach me in football. He coached me in baseball. And I'd be looking like right

• 14:59Speaker 06

  before the game because if he wasn't there, I didn't feel right. And inevitably, sometimes it was five minutes, sometimes it was right after the first pitch, but he'd come running out of that car and he was there. So whether you grow up rough, whether you grow up with some privilege, you know, I think there's something innate and I think there's something learned in how you're raised. And I always innately, I liked competing and I liked winning so much to the, you know, that a lot of time when he's my little league coach, I was sitting because I'd throw my helmet. And I remember my mom really panicking like, John, what's wrong with him? And much like your coach used to say, Ryan, Mike Tomlin, you know, he talks a lot about, we were talking about practice with Chan and Fred about, man, we, these guys come,

• 15:43Speaker 06

  they're old school, and sometimes we gotta pull them back. And Mike says it's a lot easier to teach woe than to sic them.

• 15:48Fred Taylor?

  Yes, sir.

• 15:49Speaker 06

  And that's basically what my mom used to say, Kathy, don't worry, it's a good thing. We'll learn how to channel it, channel that energy. So I always had that. I never took anything for granted because I wasn't allowed to. I was expected to work hard in everything I did. And we, you know, we were, we were taught, my mom and dad, that you gave 100% if you were going to do something. They also taught us great values about giving back. And that's a responsibility, not just a nice thing to do. And when that's reinforced, when I get to the league by older players who I'm, who I'm trying to model, or Tony Dungy, who talked a lot about that, those things stick with you. So.

• 16:21Fred Taylor?

  Since we're talking about the Steelers organization and Mike Tomlin, talk about Mike, the winningest coach in the history of the game from a consecutive season standpoint. Your first time meeting with Mike?

• 16:35Fred Taylor?

  When he was on the Tampa Bay staff.

• 16:37Speaker 06

  Oh, man.

• 16:38Fred Taylor?

  Do you remember that meeting?

• 16:39Speaker 06

  Yeah, yeah, I do. I remember it well. You know, I was always a do right, pretty coachable guy, but.

• 16:46Speaker 00

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• 16:56Speaker 01

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• 17:03Speaker 00

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• 17:16Speaker 06

  But, you know, I don't think I was feeling myself, but we had lost Herm Edwards. Herm went to be the head coach of the New York Jets. And so there were big shoes to fill. And I will never forget being at the Pro Bowl, and this is old school before there were cell phones. And so I came back up, and that blinking light you see in the hotel was blinking. And I also had a bunch of notes I needed to call back to my facility, Tony Dungy. And I'm like, Linda, they're going to cut me at the Pro Bowl. Because that's what I thought was happening. But instead, it was, hey, we finally, we got you a heck of a coach. And I said, well, that's awesome. Because they had interviewed like 30 people. They knew they had big shoes to fill. When you're, when you lose a Herm Edwards, you better bring someone with some teeth. And we had myself and Ron Day, we had some vets in there, Brian Kelly.

• 18:01Speaker 06

  And so they bring Mike Tomlin in and Mike came in there confident, ready, but then he takes us out for drills and I, he wanted to change everything. Like he wanted, he wanted me to put my hands on the ground when I, when I, when I was coming out of breaks. I said, I'm not doing that, man. And so we butted heads for that mini camp. But at the end of mini camp, I was flying back to San Diego. I used to train in San Diego and Mike came to me and you know, the, the get better tapes that coaches give to players and say, hey, here's some things. And here's this brand new coach. Um, you know, I've just had these three days, it's kind of butting heads with him. And he gives me, and he says, I want you to open this when you're on the plane back to

• 18:40Speaker 06

  San Diego. And I open it up and man, there are four pages, like 72 plays of things I could do better. And I'm feeling myself coming off an old pro year and feeling really good about myself. And this guy's just eviscerating my game, you know, saying, you got no pass rush skills. You've been bull rushing for 10 years. It's finally time we learned some pass rush moves. And I was so mad. And I remember getting off the plane and my wife knew something was up. And she said, I told her what's up. And she goes, well, did you read it? I said, no, I got angry and I put it down. And she said, let's go home and read it. Yeah. So I went home and I read it. And I said, I'll be, damn, this guy's exactly right. And, uh, you know, that led to an unbelievable relationship.

• 19:21Speaker 06

  And you appreciate people that first of all, have the knowledge to kind of dissect your game. But then the fortitude, even though you're playing really well, say, you know what? I think you can even be better. And so that was the start of a great relationship. And I, I was, I was so lucky. I mean, I think on that first Buck Staff, Tony Dungy's our head coach, Monty Kiffin's the D coordinator, Rod Marinelli at D line, Lovey Smith at linebackers, and Herm Edwards at the defensive back coach. I mean, it was just, it was something special. And, uh, you know, to, to be able to go from a guy like Herm and then to go to Mike and Mike, Mike made me a better player at that stage of my career. And sometimes you need a little kick in the ass and he gave it to

• 20:01Speaker 04

  I say you were pissed.

• 20:03Speaker 06

  I was.

• 20:05Speaker 06

  You know, Herb was on, our D-line used to be over there working, but Herb had played, you know, so we'd do some individual and then Herb'd say, "All right, fellas, come on up here, we're gonna have a little theory." We'd be talking, looking at cards, and D-line would be so mad. Mike had us working like college kids and, but, you know, I know Ronde, Ronde's gonna have him in Canton because he knows how much Mike had an influence on his life and I'll forever be appreciative of Mike. The other part of that call, Tony and Monty were on the phone, along with Rich McKay, our GM, and they said, "We got good news and bad news." And I said, "Okay, what's the good news?" And they said, "We found you a heck of a coach, Mike Tomlin, you know, he's been, I think he most recently had been at Notre Dame." And I said, "Well, what's the bad news?" And they said, "You're two years older than

• 20:50Speaker 06

  him." So, I said, "Well, can he coach?" And that's all I cared about. And, you know, we got over that really quick because I knew he could help me get where I wanted to get.

• 20:59Fred Taylor?

  You also mentioned pitching. So, you were drafted by the Marlins in the second round of the '92 draft.

• 21:06Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 21:07Fred Taylor?

  I usually have on my Marlins hat every episode, but I just found out you threw out the first pitch in the organization's history, which is crazy to me. Why not baseball?

• 21:17Speaker 06

  I was actually a much more talented baseball player. I could always throw hard, I could always hit, and so that always came naturally. I honestly think, talked about my dad and what a great influence he was. I think there's a part of every little boy who wants to be like their dad. And there was also a lot of naysayers in football. I was a quarterback and, you know, highly recruited and all that, but there was always a, "Yeah, but he should be playing baseball." And that kind of would motivate me all the more to want to go play football. And sure enough, I get drafted higher in baseball, and that happens after my junior year. And quarterback didn't work out at Stanford. I was the number two, but I didn't want to do that anymore. My junior year, I go in, talk with Denny Green, and he tells me to stay patient. I come back the next day, I said, "I'm done being patient.

• 22:02Speaker 06

  I'm either gonna go play baseball and try to get really good at something, or we need to find me another position." And he tried again, but then he finally said, "All right, where you want to play?" And he said, "How about linebacker?" I said, "No, safety." I wanted to go play safety. So that was, that was the start of that. My heart was always in football, man. I tell people a lot. I love baseball. I was up late last night watching my Padres, which is a tough deal right now.

• 22:26Channing Crowder?

  Yes, they got all this talent.

• 22:27Speaker 06

  A lot of talent. Can't put it together. And I, I love baseball. I love everything about it. Played at, at Stanford and,

• 22:35Speaker 06

  but man, to me, baseball is like football is all the time when it's three, two bases loaded. I, I just love that. I love the energy. I love, you talked about, we, we were season ticket holders at the Chargers growing up. And I remember sitting in the stands and how it would bring people together, black, white, rich, poor. They were Charger fans on that Sunday. And my dad was up doing radio. So he was usually entertaining up in a suite and us three kids would sit down there and those people were like our parents. They were like our family. We sat with them for, you know, seven, eight, nine years. And, and I, I always felt, and I think I really gravitated towards football because of its ability to bring people together. And to this day, that's one, one of the things I love most about it.

• 23:17Channing Crowder?

  And you talking about those names with the, with the Tomlin's and the Kiffin's and just historic coaches, Hall of Fame type coaches. But then the guys, like Freddie's telling Sap stories. He talking about Ronde Barber. The names were thrown out like they're just, you know, normal names. D. Brooks is out there. At the time, what's the saying? You can't see the, the forest through the trees. Did y'all know that? Cause historically, what is it? 2000 Raiders, he gonna bring up his Steelers. Y'all were hell. Your Steelers team was hell. I wasn't gonna say that. He gonna bring it up. But that Steelers team, that Ravens team, that, that Bucks team, oh two. Like, did y'all know y'all were that good at the time? Or y'all were just playing ball?

• 23:51Speaker 06

  By oh two, we did. Prior to that, you know, you knew Sap and Brooks were good. I mean, if you ever watched them play college football, those guys, those guys were ballers, man. And, you know, we were, people forget, you know, Sap likes to say, we took it from a third world country to the Taj Mahal, because the Bucks were the yucks. You grew up in Florida. You grew up in Florida, man. There were some lean years. And I came in there in 93. Sam Weish, I go to, I go to the Bucks and I don't have success right away. Back then, unless you were a top pick, usually kind of bought your time, played special teams. I did it. Like going into my third year, I hadn't been a full-time starter and finally figured it out in my third year and they gave me opportunity and I started ascending.

• 24:33Speaker 06

  But then all of a sudden that 95 draft, I'm sitting back and Warren slipping and Warren saying, I'm saying, please, please go get this kid. Please go get that and bam, Warren, Warren sap. And then all of a sudden, we got another pick in the first round. I didn't know as much about Brooks, but I had seen some tape and I remember this undersized linebacker that was flying around and killing people. And I'll never forget, after we drafted him being in Johnny Lynn was our DB coach and I was at the facility and those guys, you know how they fly the top, top first round picks. We came in this room and Brooks was just nodding his head like he does. And Sap comes in, you're that hard ass white boy that be knocking people out. And he says, he says, you ready to go? And I said, let's

• 25:15Speaker 06

  go. And I knew it was gonna be fun right about then. And then it took a lot of hard work though. They had, they had lost for so long there. You had to, you had to get rid of, man, all that losing culture. And the best thing they could have done was bring in young guys like that. And, um, you know, it wasn't always easy because there were vets that, that, you know, had lost for a long time and kind of were just collecting checks and we had to kind of take over that team. And fortunately those guys, um, they gave us, gave us the ability to do that. Um, the thing that I love most about that group is the way we play. Uh, some really talented. Now there'll be four guys in the Hall of Fame. Played with guys like Simeon Rice and the role players, Greg Spires. I mean, people forget about the role players, Shelton Corals, Brian Kelly, all these guys. Old school.

• 25:59Speaker 06

  They were, they were great players, man. We held each other accountable and like, man, I, I tell people, you talk about people running to the ball. That was kind of all our hallmark. And we'd start every practice nowadays, the, the health and performance guy would come grab you off the field because pursuit drill. That's how we started. They toss it and we'd all turn and run. And there was Marinelli and, and Lovey and there was either thumbs up if everyone was sprinting through the line. I'm talking D lineman too or boom, and you had to go back in that Florida heat, man. But that forged us. We played the right way. Really, really proud of that group.

• 26:30Ryan Clark?

  John, you got to the pinnacle of the game as a player. And there's a feeling that comes from that of accomplishment because everybody wants to do great individually, but when you mentioned the type of names that you have to accomplish that goal together in what is a brotherhood and a family in that locker room is amazing. As you take over as the GM, you know, trying to figure out things with Kyle late in the season, you get an opportunity to get Jimmy G. You guys had struggled to that point. He wins five straight. You do a great job of signing him. You have some injuries, some things happen and then you get there against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. You're probably a post route away from, from winning the Super Bowl. What was that feeling

• 27:15Ryan Clark?

  like for you? Feeling like, man, we really put it together in the, in the image that we wanted. We're right there and just not finishing the game after three and a half really good quarters. What was that feeling like walking off the field that day?

• 27:28Speaker 06

  Yeah, it lives in here and it lives in here. And I think that's why I'm still here. Otherwise I would have taken that broadcast money than the game.

• 27:35Ryan Clark?

  Last year, you know, had I won one.

• 27:37Speaker 06

  But man, I, I really enjoy this first and foremost. And then, um, you know, when I signed up for this, I came to this organization because it was one I always admired. And we had an owner who was going to allow us to do things the way we wanted to do it. And I've had a head coach that I, that I felt could be special. And then have had the opportunity to work with him and he's even more than I could ever have anticipated. I knew he's an offensive genius. I didn't know how he'd lead. He, he's, he's a special cat. And, uh, you know, we've, we've grown really close putting this thing together. We spend a ton of time together. We challenge each other. Um, but those things never go away, just like the 1999. I have nightmares of Ricky Prole catching. We bring four week and, and

• 28:22Speaker 06

  Kurt Warner runs a hitch and go to Ricky Prole in the back of the end zone. I think his first touchdown that entire year, Ricky was a heck of a player. And, uh, you know, those things, they never go away. And so you're fueled by them and I'm having a blast doing this, man. It is really fun. And, uh, you know, you're trying to find the Sapses, the Brooks. You're trying to find the Rondé Barbers. It's a real fun process and I, I'm proud of the way we do it. We've, we've got a, you know, a lot of places, there's friction. Between management and the coaching staff. I think it's my nature. You know, I talk a lot about bringing people together. That's the way I like to roll. And, you know, being a game analyst, I, you know, one, one great lesson I got, you know,

• 29:07Speaker 06

  I think is getting a real global outlook at the league as players. You know how you did it in Jacksonville. You were there for a long time. You know, the Steelers. We all know where we've been, but people, you don't know a whole lot. I knew how they did it in Tampa, how they did in Denver. Being a game analyst, I'd go on the road every Friday, get to meet with head coaches, get to talk with GMs. And the places that were successful, everyone worked together. The places where perennial losers and all that, that the head coach was going, man, if I had any players and the GM was going, if they just coached them up.

• 29:37Speaker 04

  And, you know, you go up to Seattle and John Schneider.

• 29:40Speaker 06

  And Pete Carroll are kind of.

• 29:41Speaker 04

  Boxed up.

• 29:42Speaker 06

  They're, yeah, they're, they're completing each other's sentences when one's not there and they're speaking the same language. And so it's not, that's not brain surgery. You gotta work together. It's hard enough and, and, but those, you know, things like that, that Mahomes loss, I mean, it makes you go back and say, okay, we gotta get better. As good as that team was, you gotta find a way to get better and we, we keep it, we keep that. The right type of guys, talented guys and feel really good about this team, but we gotta go do it.

• 30:06Ryan Clark?

  John, you have put together, I was talking to Kyle about it. You probably have the best all around tight end in football in Kittle. You have the best left tackle in the world, running back, linebacker Fred Warner, Talanoa, backside. Like you've just done a great job of putting a team together. And then last year, Brock Purdy.

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• 30:35Speaker 01

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• 30:56Ryan Clark?

  Mr. Irrelevant and the kid just can't lose. And what you guys were able to do in getting to the NFC Championship and obviously something that was totally out of your control put your team in a place where it's very difficult to beat someone like the Philadelphia Eagles with me now having to play quarterback because everybody was so banged up. How much excitement though do you have heading into this year knowing that you guys unlike all teams like not every team knows that they can win it knowing that you guys have an opportunity to do something extremely special here?

• 31:29Speaker 06

  So Kyle's dad, he's Mike, he's here a lot and that's man, what an awesome opportunity to soak in his knowledge. I played for the man and one thing he used to always say, guys, not everybody in this league has a chance. And he wouldn't tell you that every year, but he on the right years when I was in Denver, he would say, guys, we have a chance and that's all you can ask. Now it is what you make it. It's the ownership you take as a team and we talk the same way to our players and I do know we have a chance. We've got, we've got the firepower to go get this done. Now it's what we make of that opportunity and it's breaks, it's staying healthy and all those things, but you know, that's, that's a lot of hard work and it's, it's, it's, it's having an ownership who allows us to do things the right way. You know, one of the most important things I knew when we got here was that Kyle and

• 32:14Speaker 06

  I, we didn't, we didn't really, a lot of people assume we knew each other for a long, long time. I played for his dad, but Kyle was off playing at Texas at the time. I really knew him from calling his games and spending time with him and production meetings. And Kyle and I would always kind of have really good conversations. He would ask, hey, can I not do it in person? I go home on Fridays to see my family, but I'll call you at 10 o'clock and, and we'll wrap as long as you want. We'd end up talking for an hour, hour and a half. And so I started to, to really follow this guy and, but when we got here together, we said, man, we, we gotta, we gotta, we have to be able to articulate what we build, what we believe builds a championship team. And we got to challenge each other to do that. So we spent a lot of time. We brought a Stanford professor down.

• 32:59Speaker 06

  I had taken a class and this guy would make you do a vision statement for your life or a company. And I said, Kyle, I know someone who can help us do this. And we sat in that draft room for hours upon hours. And it started with 10 people, you know, our trusted kind of right-hand men and all that. And it came, he kicked everybody out. It was just Kyle and I. And we came up with this for our first draft, this vision statement. And the great thing at a place like this, there was a, there was a roadmap because of people like Ronnie Lott and Kena Turner and Steve Young and Joe Montana and Charles Haley. So we knew about the 49er way, but we also know and knew that we couldn't rest on their laurels. We had to go recreate it because this place had gone. And so we had to start bringing in and we just started at the, that the brass, brass tacks, you know?

• 33:44Speaker 06

  And let's go through every position. What are we looking for at this position? What are we looking? And we got a really good profile. And I think when you do things together, and nowadays there's so many things at your disposal with technology. And these R and D guys that are just brilliant, like, hey, my eyes are seeing this. Is that what the data is seeing? And there's a, there's a real good collective spirit of working together. And when you, when you have that, you can find the George Kiddles in the fifth round. The Fred Warner's in the third round, the Dre Greenlaw's in the fifth, the Jawan Jennings in the seventh. Because we're all speaking the same language and, and no one cares who gets the credit. I'll tell you, right out here on, on Brock Purdy, you know? I think there's about three people who really get that credit. And in my mind, it's Brian Greasy.

• 34:28Speaker 06

  He was a first year quarterback coach. Kyle had conviction. He played for his dad. Kyle had coached him a little when he was at Tampa or had been on a staff. Kyle was like a quality control and said, and this guy's one of the smartest dudes I've ever been around. Brian comes and coached and Brian just falls in love with this kid. We're going to take a quarterback late or have a free agent that year. And Brian, on these Zoom meetings, the play he really liked, but then on these Zoom meetings, just loved the kid. And he said, there was this quiet confidence. Without the ego that man just impressed him and he said this kid's obsessed with winning. There's another guy like people never hear these guys Steve Sloick,

• 35:07Speaker 06

  who had Iowa State and he'd go in there and Matt Campbell, who's a really good source and done a heck of a job changing that program. He would say this guy changed this entire program and and people will say if you're so convicted, why'd you draft him in the last pick of the draft? And they're right. I just say that to illustrate it takes everyone working together and and you know, fortunately, we've had more hits than misses, but we also understand we've got a long way to go. You know, I didn't come here and leave a good life just to put together good teams and get close. I did it to win the whole dang thing and we're motivated to do that and our players are motivated to do it.

• 35:47Fred Taylor?

  Making those hits are fun. You celebrate those, but you know, you were in the locker room, you know, as a former player, you would see those guys taking a journey down the hall, you know, and how their livelihoods was affected. Now they gotta relocate or what have you after their cut and release. How difficult is it for you when you have these guys come in, you establish relationships? And then sometimes it's a numbers game, sometimes it's no injuries and all these different things. How difficult is it for you to have to make that call to say, hey, I gotta let you go?

• 36:21Speaker 06

  Gut wrenching. I just did it. One, one, one young man sat in that chair today and he's a rookie free agent and we got, we have some guys out on the D line and the kids doing everything we're asking of them. And that's the hard part when guys are doing everything you ask, but there's just circumstances and we have to make a move or we're getting too light at defensive end and you bring the young man. I think the greatest lesson I learned, some places will have a younger scout do, do those duties. Go get the playbook. Tony Dungy taught me. It's not going to make it easier, but at least they can understand if they get to talk to the people who are making the decisions. And so Kyle's got a lot to do, but he'll hit most of them. I try to hit every single one of them because if they can look at the guy

• 37:03Speaker 06

  who's making the decision, I can tell them, here's why we're doing this. And some guys, I have to have the uncomfortable conversation that, hey, man, you may want to think about doing something else because you've got a lot to offer. I'm not sure it's in this. And that's very seldom because you don't want to kill people's dreams. And I've seen people who you thought could never succeed, come out of the ashes. But I think when they can look in the decision makers' eyes, that goes a long way. And it doesn't make it any easier, but I think they can respect it and say, at least they looked me in the eye on the way out. And so I've tried to do that the seven years here. And that's something I'll never stop doing.

• 37:40Ryan Clark?

  One of the best conversations, football conversations I ever had was with his former coach, Tom Coughlin. Came to the New York Giants. After my second year, I'd played a lot, nickel, dime. And I was really excited that the next year would be it for me. It's OTAs. And he sat in front of me and told me all of those things. He told me, you know, maybe it could happen for you on special teams. We don't necessarily think that you're ready to play the safety position for 16 games. And he gave me all that through total honesty. And I was able to walk out with my head held high. I knew I had worked extremely hard, but also knew he gave me some tidbits that if I could do these things, maybe I have another chance. And when I got my opportunity, no, there was a little bit of part of me that

• 38:24Ryan Clark?

  was like, I wanted to show him as well. But when I got the opportunity, I never forgot those things. I never forgot those notes. And also never forgot his honesty. And forever, I will respect him for that. Because he wasn't saying it to be ugly. He was saying it because that was his truth. And I think the fact that you take that task as personally as you do is appreciated by all of those young men.

• 38:47Channing Crowder?

  I was going to ask Coach, because you talk about like, When you talk about football now, you've said data before. You brought a guy in from Stanford, a smart guy.

• 38:54Speaker 06

  He went to Stanford.

• 38:56Channing Crowder?

  And you're not a dumb dude yourself, but then you also talk about, you know, there's analytics in it, but it's also the, you can see in the guy, the guy has his passion. You talk about how Sapp approached the game, how D. Brooks approached the game. The unquantifiable things to a player. How, how much does that have to do? Because I can go run numbers, I know 40 times, I know bench presses. You have to find more in a player that makes you draft them high. And like you say, make you have more hits than losses.

• 39:21Speaker 06

  There's something we rely a lot on at the, at the 49ers and we call it wit, what it takes, you know? What it takes to win championships. And, you know, early on, I started saying, we grade everything. If we're going to talk about wit all the time, let's put a grade to it. And so we put a grade to their wit. That's the, do they love football? Because you guys know it, the sport's too hard. If you don't love it, you're not going to succeed long-term. Maybe a couple of players that didn't love football, but they love money. And they were really, they were really good. But there's probably two of them that are right here and I won't say their name. But otherwise it's too hard, you're not going to succeed. Are they dependable? Because we've been bitten sometimes, we're all a product of our experiences and you got to learn the hard way.

• 40:04Speaker 06

  You believe in someone, but they can't do the right things off the field. And so they're not going to be dependable. Are they not going to protect your team on and off the field? Are they accountable? Are they going to show up on time? Some of those things can be learned. It's harder and harder because these kids are recruited heavily from a young age. Now with this NIL, they're recruited by their own coaches. I don't know if they're ever told the truth because coaches have to worry about them transferring all the time. It is getting tougher and tougher. The greatest thing though, man, it's easy to be a curmudgeon and say, man, we used to be like this, we used to. That's the thing I love about this thing. You guys saw our practice today. I mean, you tell me, Dre Greenlaw's not an old school guy. Fred Warner's not an old school guy.

• 40:47Speaker 06

  Debo's not an old, I mean, and those guys, Trent Williams, they set the tone for the entire team. And so as many things that have changed, it still comes down to the, to the same ding things. And, and we talk a lot about, Kyle and I, we don't, we don't, as an organization, as a coaching staff, as a personnel staff, we don't miss on players on the talent because I think we go to great lengths to say exactly what we want at each position. When we miss, it's usually what we call that wit, both on field and off field. That's where you can miss and, and. You know, we take a lot of pride in that, bringing in the right type of people.

• 41:23Ryan Clark?

  What has been more satisfying for you, John? Is it the winning and the accomplishments of what I've put into it as a player?

• 41:33Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 41:34Ryan Clark?

  Or now being in this position, being able to put together the type of vision that you want to see on the field? And have it be successful? How do those things compare?

• 41:44Speaker 06

  Yeah, much like you probably are, Ryan. I've always, I've always loved the game. I've always tried to be a student of the game. And then you start thinking, man, it'd be fun to try to put this puzzle together. So that's very challenging. This is harder to me than playing. Playing, I didn't have success right away and it took some time. And I, I would never disrespect the game to say it never did get easy. And I, I thought I, I lived in fear that I was getting cut, that I was gonna get embarrassed. But this is tougher because there's, there's somewhat of a lack of control. You, you can lead, you can bring people together, you can bring in the right type of people, but then you gotta let it go. So I, I think building something, but to me, I think one thing I know, this is a player's game.

• 42:26Speaker 06

  And you talk about making calls to people on draft day and seeing their families celebrate and seeing them weeping, authentic and genuine tears and knowing their story and why they're feeling that emotion. And then getting them to, to see the kids realize their dreams and what that does for their, their families and their kids and their kids' kids. And that's awesome to me, man. I love watching these kids. And then, you know, there's a, there's a, we, we always hear about the guys that are in trouble in this league. There are so many people in this league. Eric Armstead, what he's doing for our community, right up the road in Sacramento, the things that guy does for the, he, he goes and reads to these kids, he buys books, he does classrooms. There's countless examples.

• 43:09Speaker 06

  We have community corners where these guys bring their charities out. It's an awesome thing, man. And so I get as much joy out of that as I do the wins and losses. And it's, it's a bottom line league and I understand that. Everyone's job depends on that. But, but those things, it's a players league, it always will be. And seeing these guys fulfill their dreams. And in the same way, guys pour their hearts out that, that maybe sometimes gotta realize they gotta hang it up. But say, you know what? You've got a lot to offer in society, man. And don't ever forget that, because so many of our players. They kind of get lost in that transition. But man, the one thing to tell them, you know how to work hard. You know how to be a great teammate. You know how to bring people together. Go use that in the world to make something special happen. And, uh, and you know, that those things are cool.

• 43:53Channing Crowder?

  The toughest or most frustrating part about this job?

• 43:57Speaker 06

  Kick off because there ain't a damn thing I can do.

• 44:02Speaker 06

  And, uh, I used to, you got those people, right? Like Brooks is on that sap. Whether I want it or not, he's going to give it to me. And, and the first year they'd catch me and they kept me hitting the table. Uh, like chill out, man. Like you've done your work, you know? And my dad would say the same thing. Have some poise. Don't let them see you sweat. Easy to say, man. Easy to say, hard to do. You're so invested in this thing. But I, I think that, you know, you, you work really hard to, but man, come game time, there, there really is nothing you could do. And, uh, that's difficult. That's difficult.

• 44:35Fred Taylor?

  That's true. And, um, I just want to add to that. Two of the guys we've mentioned a few times on here, who I actually text this morning to try and get some intel. Derek Brooks and Warren Sapp. You know, I asked Sapp a funny story. He's like, I don't have any. You know, he, he was our leader. You know, he set the tone for our defense and he spoke with his pads. He was our real leader, our true leader. And I don't doubt that you are the same way here in this role. So I expect you to have as much success in that role as you did on the field as a player. Cause you, you scared the shit out of me. I, I definitely wasn't trying to.

• 45:09Speaker 06

  Right back at you.

• 45:11Fred Taylor?

  I wasn't trying to get hit by you, but, uh, man, we appreciate your time. We know you're busy.

• 45:15Speaker 06

  Let me tell you one Warren Sapp story because this is, this is a good one because I'm telling you now, right now, those two guys and, and so many other teammates, but those two, if I needed them right now, I could call them and boom, the phone would drop and they'd be here. And Brooks, we were always good and Sapp and I started good. And, uh, man, then it was. You know, there was the question you asked early. I mean, elephant in the room. Yeah, some people in the locker room said, he's a rich white boy, you know? And, and I was in a room where I was the one and Sap, Sap wanted to test me. And I'll never forget, um, you know, he and I, like I said, we started good. We weren't having success and Sap was being Sap. It's not always fun and roses. I mean, you walk by him, he's got a comet.

• 45:58Speaker 06

  You walk out, he's got a comet. We're on a game back. I forget where we were coming back from and there were a lot of hits in that game. We were, they were running power over and over and boom, boom, boom. And I had a hard head, but my head was hurting. So I'm on the plane and I'm doing this and something keeps hitting me in the head. And they're cards. I see these cards are going down. And I finally just said, hey, guys, man, like, fellas, I'm not in the mood, man. My head hurts. We just lost, by the way. You guys are having a good party back there. We just lost a game. I'm tired of losing. Don't do it again. And boom, and I got a good idea who it is. Warren, he's sitting on the, on the other aisle, about three seats back. And so now I look back and I said, Sap, I think it's you.

• 46:42Speaker 06

  And if it happens again, I don't care how big you are. I will jump over this chair and I will whoop your, you know what? And boom, he threw another card. Boom, I leaped out and I came cocked and ready. And I'll never forget his eyes. He said, we good. I can ride with this guy. Ever since then, we've been good.

• 47:02Speaker 04

  I love him.

• 47:03Speaker 06

  But you know, Warren, he's going to test everyone. And he's going to test everyone, but I tell you, that's one of the most loyal human beings ever. And man, that guy, he's a beauty, man. And he never changes. I hope he never does because uh, he's, he's always going to tell me the truth. And he also is always going to love me. And, and if I ever needed him, he'd be there. Just same, same for Brooks. And man, we're going to have so much fun. It's hard to leave your team when you're in this job, this time of year. Kyle came to my Hall of Fame two years ago and he said, dude, I know, I know. Training camp's a hard time to miss, but don't you ever miss this. This is too special and what makes it special is everyone coming back. And now we got a teammate going in and Rondé.

• 47:42Ryan Clark?

  You led me to my last question. And in your speech, you mentioned Derrick Brooks and where he was from.

• 47:47Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 47:48Ryan Clark?

  You mentioned, in your Hall of Fame speech, you mentioned Warren Sap and where he was from. And obviously you just said, you know, I was the rich white boy, but. Your behavior, your interaction with everyone. It shows exactly what you said, that the locker room is a place we can all come together and work for one common goal, no matter how we were raised and brought up. Can you just speak to a little bit of how that atmosphere has made John Lynch the man he is today?

• 48:15Speaker 06

  I study it all the time. I'm like, why can't our world be like a locker room? Because we have fun. Some people will be the butt of jokes, but at the end of the day, we're all a brotherhood. And I think it's because our sport is so damn hard and it's so, it hurts. Everything about it's hard, that it really strips down barriers. And what we come to know is that we're a lot more alike than we are different. And I said in my Hall of Fame speech, because it was on my heart, we're having a lot of racial strife and all that. Man, I wish these people could experience a huddle. I wish they could experience a team through the shared sacrifice, through the blood, the sweat, the tears, the bond that is created. And I talk about it with Sapp and Brooks. I talk about it, there's so many other teammates that I could talk about it.

• 48:59Speaker 06

  But man, I always feel really blessed that in that DB room, I was the minority. But you know what they did? They brought me in, they accepted me, they taught me, and I am so grateful for that. And it's just a great lesson that I think we can all apply to life. And it really, truly is one of the things I love about football. I think it's ability to bring people together and I really think it can be a model for society as a whole. And man, that's why I love it when they're doing flag football, when they're doing football for girls, the more, the better, because I've seen so many positive stories of people who've come from nothing, or people who've come from privilege, but then learned and did great things with it and didn't. And man, it's an awesome thing.

• 49:42Speaker 06

  It's why I love the game so much and why I can't quit it.

• 49:45Ryan Clark?

  Well, thank you so much. I know this is an important time of the year for you, but for us to get an opportunity to sit down, Hall of Fame player, obviously putting together a Hall of Fame GM career, but more so a person, that's what this show is about, to show the many facets of. People who play our game and live life the right way. So we're super grateful.

• 50:04Speaker 06

  Yeah, I'm equally as grateful. And that's why I decided I don't do a lot there in training camp. Brian asked me last year and Kyle and I have a deal. I kind of go away in the, in the season. But I did want to do this because I've got great respect for each of you. Not only as players, but you guys do it the right way, man. And you, you expose people to what it, what the reality is. And, and that's an awesome thing.

• 50:25Ryan Clark?

  Thank you so much.

• 50:26Speaker 06

  Yeah, thank you guys.

• 50:28Ryan Clark?

  We could have said it so much. That was good. We'll tap back in after you guys win the Super Bowl. Thank you so much, man.

• 50:37Fred Taylor?

  Do y'all own any Levi's?

• 50:40Ryan Clark?

  No.

• 50:41Channing Crowder?

  Jeans?

• 50:41Fred Taylor?

  Yeah.

• 50:42Channing Crowder?

  Oh, plenty. I get anything that's from Ross. If it said Ross, it's in my closet. I went and got some shirts for the shoulders. I got 17 shirts. You know how much it costs? $51 for 17 shirts.

• 50:56Ryan Clark?

  $51 for 17 shirts, bro?

• 51:00Fred Taylor?

  About how much is that?

• 51:01Channing Crowder?

  About $7.

• 51:02Fred Taylor?

  Cause you gotta put tax in there.

• 51:04Channing Crowder?

  It'd be something that's $2, something that's $8. I ain't going double digit dollars on a shirt.

• 51:07Ryan Clark?

  And is it all T-shirts?

• 51:08Channing Crowder?

  All T-shirts and some collars.

• 51:10Fred Taylor?

  Blankets?

• 51:11Channing Crowder?

  And some collar. No, it'd be just goofy stuff.

• 51:13Ryan Clark?

  But you really are doing an amazing job. I just look at the players on the field. You know, it's, it's hard to find the players you guys have because you have to find some in the fifth.

• 51:24Fred Taylor?

  Right.

• 51:24Ryan Clark?

  You have to find some in the third that have to hit on. And y'all have done a good job of that. George?

• 51:29Speaker 04

  What's up, bro?

• 51:31Ryan Clark?

  How you doing, man?

• 51:32Speaker 04

  You know, just on the GM balcony, hoping you guys are having fun up there.

• 51:34Ryan Clark?

  Hey, you know, listen, you can do this now. You know what I mean? They never let me on the balcony when I played though.

• 51:45Ryan Clark?

  I don't want it. I don't want no parts of it no more, bro.

• 51:47Speaker 04

  You just want to go out there?

• 51:48Ryan Clark?

  No, I don't want it.

• 51:48Speaker 04

  No?

• 51:49Ryan Clark?

  No. This is much better.

• 51:51Speaker 04

  I know. My body probably feels better, doesn't it?

• 51:53Ryan Clark?

  It does. Well, you know what? No, because that still takes it so. I was, I was about to tell a lie. No, it doesn't.

• 51:59Speaker 06

  George, you gotta bring the pivot to tight end U next year.

• 52:01Speaker 04

  Oh, yeah?

• 52:02Ryan Clark?

  We would love that.

• 52:02Fred Taylor?

  Oh, yeah, for sure.

• 52:03Ryan Clark?

  We would love that.

• 52:06Ryan Clark?

  Hey, I heard you taught, uh, you taught Kelsey how to block.

• 52:14Fred Taylor?

  That is something.

• 52:40Speaker 08

  Every game day, you show up for your team. Now it's your time.

• 52:50Speaker 08

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