Jared Goff - Written Off, Chanted On - [Glue Guys, EP.29]

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Holy smokes. Like, this is what you want. That feeling of like someone breathing life into you and telling you how excited they are to have you on their team and what an opportunity we have here to build this thing up from the ground. And that right there, that moment I'll never forget being like, all right, let's do this. Like, let's fucking go. Like, I can. I can be a part of this.

You're gonna appreciate this. I told my kids you were coming on. They're big football fans. I was like, what do you guys want me to ask him? And they're 12, 12 and 10. And the older boys are like, ask him if Jameer Gibbs or David Montgomery is going to get more carries next year for fantasy football.

It's a great question. I don't even know that answer. We'll see how it goes. I mean, I could see them both getting exactly the same amount of carries. They're both studs.

Jared, by the way, also distinct honor, first active player on the athlete side. Like, first guy that's, like, still in it.

All right.

You know, we've talked to a bunch of has beens like us, so, like, this would be cool. This will be cool to talk to somebody that, like, is still in it.

All right, good. I'm honored.

I was going through your stuff, your numbers. It's insane.

Oh, thank you.

It's an insane nine years. I know, you're coming up on 10, which is a big number, I think, for anybody who's played professional sports. But to start off with, dude, with a funny story I was telling these guys when you jumped on, I first heard about you. I. I've told this story. Brett Ve, who's now the GM for the Kansas City Chiefs, would come in, and I'll never forget when Patrick Mahomes was, like, freshman, kind of sophomore. He would come in, you know, during the season, we would always ask about the college guys. And really early on, he would talk about Patrick at Texas Tech, like, distinctly, obviously really liking him and being, you know, thinking a lot of him. But before that, he didn't do this about a lot of guys, by the way. Like, this was like, very, like, select players. The first person he ever did it about, I'll never forget it was. It had to be like, 2014, maybe. He comes in. It wasn't. I don't know if it was your freshman year or sophomore. He comes in anyway, and we were asking about, like, who's out there? And he goes off. He's like, there's this kid at California that can just, like, flat out sling it, right? Like, he was like, all about. He's like, this kid's gonna be a star. He's like, dude, so talented. And that was kind of the first time I ever got introduced to you. And then, like, every time, you know, they're. They're going forward, if you were on tv, whether it be college or pros, like, obviously tuned in. And I've had the pleasure, you know, obviously getting to know you over the careers and play against you.

And.

But at what point, and this is. I'm asking this because it's. It's been so different, especially for Shane and I. At what point did it ever become clear to you or a possibility to you that you could play professionally?

Oh, it's a good question. Yeah. And. And thanks. Thanks to Mr. Veach for. For the early recognition. I appreciate that. But, yeah, I think professionally became real to me, you know, late in high school. And certainly once I got to college, my dad played professional baseball. So I did have a path at, like, what it looked like to play professional sports. I played baseball and football in high school, and I was good at both, but I was much better at football. And as soon as I got the full scholarship for football, it was kind of like, all right, we're going. We're going that direction. And, yeah, I think once I got the scholarship, I said, okay, you know, let's See how this college thing goes. And, and from there, you know, I could see myself playing professionally, I think. You know, once I played as a freshman and played, played pretty well for a freshman. We, we won one game, but I threw it around quite a bit. Literally, we won one game, one in 11, but, but I did throw it around quite a bit, and I was like, all right, I think I can do this, you know, beyond this level, and just got better from there.

Who'd you, who'd you beat?

We beat. We won the, we won the second game of the year against Sac State. No, no, no, it was, it was Portland State. It was Portland State.

Did you think about playing both football and baseball or were you just committed all gonna be football?

Yeah, you know, I considered it maybe my freshman year to try some stuff with the baseball team. It was just, you know, there's so much spring ball and stuff. It was, it was enough to try to, you know, be good at football. And, and, and don't get me wrong, I was, I was good at baseball, but I had to, I had to work to be good at baseball. I was, I had a, you know, I, I was a good fielder, but I had to work to be a good hitter. And it would have taken a lot of, A lot of time and a lot of effort to be able to play at any level collegiately, but I still think I could have done it at some level.

What was that like? You kind of just, you modestly brushed that over as playing as a true freshman. Starting as a true freshman in a, you know, the Pac 12 at the time, there's just not that many guys at quarterback.

Right.

Like, they're just, it's, it's incredibly rare. But you come into school and right, right away, you're the man. And you're playing in this air raid offense, which for everybody out there, doesn't know football. Like, you're throwing it all over the yard. Like it's, it's, you know, there's no run game to speak of, and it's. We're trying to hang 50 on everybody. Like, what was that like?

Right.

That's kind of exactly what it was. And our defense kind of struggled that year as well, so it was, you know, times two. But yeah, I got to give coach Dykes and my coordinator, coach Tony Franklin a lot of credit for, for going with me as a true freshman. We had seven guys in the room, I think, and, you know, I showed up seven QBs. Yeah. At first, when I got there in the spring, so I graduated early and I think that was kind of the Earl right when that trend started was. Was kind of my senior year of high school of graduating early. And, you know, there was at least, you know, I was only got in my class. We had at least one or two in the next class, at least one or two in the next class and so on. So, yeah, I think it started with seven. A guy or two transferred. This was Coach Dykes, his first year as a head coach at Cal. So there was a lot of transition going on, and I think he had kind of no allegiance to anybody. So he was going to see whoever won the job and give it to that guy. And ultimately I won the job and won it in the fall, though I didn't win it until, you know, maybe two weeks before the first game and, you know, find out you're going to start and you're a true freshman. You're kind of playing in your hometown in a lot of ways. I'm like, oh, boy, here we go. But yeah, it was a cool thing. It was a huge honor. I learned a ton of very similar to playing as a rookie. You know, you just kind of get your ass kicked and learn a ton. And that's what happened that year. Who.

Who were the Nor. The NorCal QB Heroes?

Was it.

Was it always Brady? Was it Rogers?

I'm talking to one right now for sure. No, certainly.

I mean, he's a soft Southern. He's a soft Southern California quarterback. No, Northern California. You guys are way tougher.

No, I was thinking the other day, I was talking. I was. I was hanging out with Drew. We were playing golf together, and we were talking about the. The playoff game where you threw it to. To Vernon, right?

Yeah, the New Orleans game.

Yep. Yeah. And I'm like, I was. I remember where I was watching that game, fired up that the Niners won. Like, I grew up a Niner fan. Die hard. But before Alex, obviously, like, you know, Joe and Steve and. And all those guys. Aaron being a cow guy, like, when I was. I'll. I'll tell this story quickly. Alex will like this. I think I may have told Alex before, but I was 10 years old when that draft happened. What was it, 2003?

Yep.

Four. Four. Going into five.

Yeah. Yeah. So I was 10 years old, and I was a huge Cal fan, and I'm a huge Niner fan. So I'm like, they better take Aaron, you know? Like, you know, they better take Aaron. And I vividly remember finishing up a little league baseball game and one of my buddies who was also a Cal fan with me came over and he said they didn't take them. And I was like, what do you mean they didn't take? He's like, alex Smith. And I was like, all right, I, I guess I got, you know, I got. I gotta support this new guy. But. Yeah, you're. You're one of them for sure.

That's awesome.

I didn't realize you were a cow fan.

I was a 10 year old and I was devastated.

That's so funny, dude. My first. Do you know this? I don't know if I told you this. My first college start was against Cal and Aaron.

Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah.

Ever on, it was like a Thursday night national TV game. My very first start my sophomore year.

Yeah, dude.

So you go on like just a insanely prolific college career again, throwing it all over the place. You guys, steady kind of improvement to your sophomore year to junior year as far as wins and dude. And then you declare to go pro, right? Like the dream is a reality. And the Rams, I mean, trade up, move heaven and earth to get up to the number one pick because they want you and then they take you. Right? And it's, it's Jeff Fiser. You're the number one pick. You're the future, the face of the franchise. Like, what, what was that entire process like?

Yeah. So it's a whirlwind, you know, I mean, it's, it's wild. And I, I had known I was going to come out for the draft probably like halfway through my junior year. I wasn't sure before I, I had gotten about halfway through and I was playing pretty well. And I remember my dad and I had a quick conversation. He's like, what do you think? All right, I think I'm going to declare. So I declare. You know, you get the agent, you get the trainer, you do the combine training. You're doing all the stuff, you're doing all the meetings, you're learning. A guy you may know, Ryan Lindley was helping me out, kind of getting me transitioned to, you know, San Diego guy. Yep. And yeah, so that whole time is just such a whirlwind. It happens so fast. And I had a feeling I'd be a first round pick. But I never, never in my head thought I'd be, you know, number one overall.

No way.

No way.

There wasn't at any point. You, like, you read the mock drafts and you, you, you envision, like, maybe, maybe there's a chance I'll be the first pick.

So the Titans had the number one overall pick and Marcus Mariota got drafted the year before me.

Yep.

So I was pretty certain I wasn't going to go there. Yeah, Cleveland had the number two pick and they needed a quarterback, so that was a possibility. So, yeah, I guess, you know, I knew I'd be, you know, probably top half of the first round. But yeah, like you said, as time goes on and that Rams made that trade, you know, that's when it kind of clicked. Like, oh, shoot, this, this is real. This might happen right now. And they traded to one. And I think a week later, Philly traded to two. And it was very clear they were both going to take a quarterback. So that's when I was like, all right, it's. It's either. It's either one or two. Here we go.

Oh, my gosh.

What was. What would for me? And I've talked about this a lot, like, turning pro, the number one pick, the weight of really, it really affected me, man. Like, I became cautious and like, I was so terrified. Like, the fear of failure really kicked in. I thought I had to like, constantly validate, you know, the decision. And it was heavy. Like my, my rookie year especially, like, it was hard, man. Like, really hard. And you went from, again, I mentioned it, like in college, like, just we're hanging 40, 50 on everybody. I'm throwing. You're throwing for 400 yards, four touchdowns. But then you, you do and same thing, you go play for a defensive head coach and it is very different playing quarterback for a defensive head coach. The mentality is different.

Right?

Like, yeah, it's protect the ball, shorten the game, help the defense. Like, again, you're a rookie. Like, did. Was there any of that there for you?

Certainly. And I think the thing you said was trying to validate the decision. And, you know, you're confident yourself. You're like, yeah, I can play, but I want to, you know, I'm. You're going to make me the number one pick. I need to make it look like I'm the number one pick every day. And that's just not reality. And I think it happens a lot more to guys nowadays, these rookies that come in. I don't care if you're the number one pick or you're the third round pick. Like, you've got, you've got a lot of learning to do. And that's why it's like, you know, so impressive. When a guy, like a couple years ago, Stroud did what he did as a rookie, it's like, holy smokes. Like, you know, and he's Got a good thing around him and he's, you know, that year he's, you know, they're helping him out but still like it's hard man. And I think, yeah, you're trying to validate, you know, man, I need to make sure that, you know, they're, they still are happy with their pick and you know, you're trying to, you know. And at the same time, I'd never been in a huddle before, you know, before I got to the NFL, it was all in. I'd never done, I'd never truly done a cadence. So like you're learning all that on the fly and thankfully I had a really good veteran Case camp. But Case as like a. I think he was probably in his sixth or seventh year and had a lot of playing experience. Was, was like so valuable, so, so valuable for me to lean on and not have to play right away. Like I can't imagine having to play 7, 16 games that year and having to learn it, you know, I wasn't ready in training camp. There was no way I was ready to go and got to sit and watch him do it for nine games and plugged in there for the last seven and did my best and learned a ton and got a lot better by the way.

It just hit me that like my rookie year like when I was like constantly nauseous and like trying to impress the Niner fans, like I was trying to impress 10 year old Jared and that's what was giving me so much anxiety, you know, like all the 10 year old Jared's out there in the, in Northern California that I was like they were pissed we didn't take Aaron.

That's right.

You are the source of trauma for Alex and now it's a post traumatic growth, you know.

That's right.

I'm sorry on that note, by the way, and I didn't expect us to talk about this but like just for Ravi and Shane. Case Keenum by the way is like sneaky maybe go down know I get a lot of credit for like the mentoring thing obviously with Patrick. He's. He not only was with Jared when he was early in his career, he was with Josh Allen early in his career and then was also with CJ Stroud.

Right.

Like his early in his career. I played with Case one year in Washington. It was the year I was out. I was hurt, but got to know him really well and like is a baller in his own right.

Right.

Like I still hold, I think he still hold to a record for passing but. And this Is no offense to Case. Like, he's not 6 5. He's not Josh Allen.

Right.

Like, so he has to do it a different way.

And that helped me, like, that. That, like, taught me a ton about, like, I don't need to throw it so hard every time.

Yeah.

If I know if I can, like, eliminate coverages quickly before the ball starts, like, I'm only throwing it to that guy or that guy, and the ball can come out early and. And that, like, was like, a really big light bulb for me as a young player.

Was it always clear that you were going to start. Come in later in that year? Was it clear to Case, too? Because the thing that you said early was he was so good to you. He taugh and. But you guys are competing, so I'm trying to get it, like, what was. What do you think his mindset was or his expectation was, you know, in that moment or that time?

Yeah, I think, you know, when you're. When you're picked number one, like, that's. The writing's kind of on the wall that this guy's gonna play eventually. And it may not have been that year. If we would. Had a good year and he would have played well, I don't. I don't think they would have taken him out and put me in. And we started off 3 and 1, and he was playing really well, and then we hit a little slide, and, you know, the head coach is kind of knows he's in his last year. I'm kind of his last little hail Mary here.

And unwrap the new toy, man.

That's right. I go out there and we lose the next four, and then he's. And then he's gone, unfortunately. And I love dish, and. And he obviously made my dreams come true, but, yeah, he was. He was let go, and it sucks.

But.

But yeah, I think Case handled everything like a true pro and taught me a ton as. As how I want to handle it with younger players, too, where, you know, I know he was. I know he was upset when he was bench and I was put in. I know he was. And he was upset for, like, a day or two, and then he came right back around. He's like, all right, how can I help you? How can we make this thing work?

That's an amazing skill. I mean, an amazing, amazing skill. You know, it may be, like, the most underrated talent that a, you know, a backup quarterback or really any backup in any position can have is just the. The humility to step. Not even step aside, but just. But Be supportive and be ready. Supportive, but ready. Which is the most difficult thing to do. And be enthusiastic about that. So, like, that's, you know, maybe the most underrated find you could find as a gm. Right?

Right.

Dude. Shane, I don't think you could put a value on it. Like, to be honest, for all the money that these teams spend on. On just not just the roster, but coaches and just stuff. You know, like, things in the building and, you know, all kinds of ice bass and cryo, like, getting. What are they?

The peanut butter jelly sandwiches?

Yeah, crustables.

Crustables.

And it's funny. Like, it wasn't a mistake. Like, the Texans had the same philosophy. Like, listen, we're drafting C.J. stroud. We're gonna go get Case Keenum. Like, there just aren't many guys like that on the planet that are. The combination of. Again, like, I. He's a baller. Like, like. But again, he does it a different way. He does. Not gonna. He doesn't have a rocket arm. He's not running a 4, 3. He's not 6 5. Like, and so he has to play so smart so fast and find his edges. And then he's such a good team guy, like, on top of that. Right. And again, that. That duality is so blue guy, right? Yeah, for sure.

One thing that I think is really cool about it, Jared, that I really appreciate is sort of like, you know, when you hear these stories of he was good to you, you can imagine these people as, like, perfect people who always. Who never think about anything other than just helping the team. But the idea that he was, like, he has pride. He wanted to play. He was pissed. Right? All that's, like, very authentic. The thing that he did was, like, he came back a day or two later and said, okay, I'm in. What can I do to help? And I totally agree with you, Shane. Like, that's the part that's unique. And I think that I love hearing the details of it, because otherwise it's, like, unapproachable. It's like, oh, man. Like, if I ever feel anything other than perfect support for my replacement, I'm an asshole. It's like, no, this guy's an amazing, amazing guy. He was pissed. He's a competitor, but then he, like, bounced back and did the right thing. Like, I don't know. It's a much more approachable story, you know, when you get the details right.

I think. I think to touch on what Alex said, like, to have a. To have a guy like him, and we're still talking about Case. Case will get a lot of airtime. This is great. He. He has the ability, like you said, to drop the ego, too. Like, he knows he's coming in to help the starter now, right? Like, he's not. He still is balling his ass off in practice. Like he's trying to tear the defense apart in scout team, but he. There's. There's a. There's a. There's a, you know, chemistry in a quarterback room where, like, there is one guy in charge. There should be. And. And you need to know where you're. Where you. Where you fit in that. And he certainly knows. And I think a lot of times these guys towards the end of their career don't want to give in to that at all. And then they don't get the opportunities anymore, and it sucks. And it's not, you know, the way it should be or how it's supposed to be, but it's the reality. These guys don't want to sign guys that are looking to play when they're just trying to help the young guy learn how to play. And I think that piece by Case, not that he doesn't want to play, he will play if he has to. And I don't want to speak for Case too much, but I think he knows that his value is so grand in what he provides to a young quarterback.

Do you think that year imprinted on how. I mean, you, you obviously, you talked about it. Nine games in the room became yours. And I talk about with these guys like you, you become the guy that sets the tone in the quarterback room.

Really, it does. It's like overnight, you're the starter and you have to really.

Yeah, I think, you know, I was so young, like, it took me maybe a few weeks, but like. Yeah, like now it's. It's, you know, if. If the quarterbacks are going to work out a certain time, I'm going to tell them what time we're going to work out. You know, you're kind of setting up all the stuff. Hey, we're going to watch film at this time. Hey, we're going to do this. Hey, I need your guys's help with this, all that stuff, you know.

You know what's interesting, guys? You know, Jared, it might not be obvious to you, but the two has beens on the phone on the zoom. But there's a never was also on the zoom, right? So, you know, I don't have the same experiences in athletics that you guys did, but, you know, in business we have boards of Directors, there's like actual places where people who are formerly have done it can contribute and it's like the explicit purpose of what they're supposed to do. And you know, you guys actually don't have that, that same kind of thing in sports. And it makes me wonder if it's missing because the role definition of like you're a board member is like, you ain't the CEO, you are not the main person. Your job is to help this person, you know, and that is the sole job. And I, I think it's pretty valuable because like the definition is such, like you said, like, you know, you're not supposed to have, you're supposed to bring the experiences, but there's no expectation that you're going to go and you know, play, you know what I'm saying? And you get the benefit of a lot of wisdom, you know, from some of these people who played before and you know, or did business before. And I don't know, I wonder, like, I think, I wonder if there's a place for that sometimes in sports that maybe it doesn't exist yet. But like, I don't know, how cool would it be if, yeah, Steve Young was around, you know, giving like day to day advice as a advisor. I don't know.

Be amazing.

What are you laughing at, Alex?

I'm so lucky. I have, I have Mark Brunello as my quarterback coach. Like, I get that for free. It's, it's, it's amazing.

Yeah.

No, and, and I think that's probably what good coaches are supposed to be. Ry. Like, I think inherently like especially your quarterback coach because then you have a play caller like, and to have a guy like Mark Brunel who's, you know, played for a long, long time, that is kind of that, right? Like, that he's done playing and now his job is to help. And, and some of that stuff's just not X's and O's anymore. Right.

It's kind of, it's, it's like 90, not X's and O. It's like he's my therapist half the time he's, you know, just helping me get through the day. And, and we talk about it a lot. Like if you aren't the guy and you aren't behind center for, you know, a handful of years, you don't quite get it to the extent that he does that I do that you do. And it's impossible to explain or, or really, you know, relate with somebody unless they've kind of been in the fire because it's hard, man. It's hard at times.

It's so gray. I think, like, when you're back there, it's so freaking gray. And then, you know, you go watch it on film. Like, we talked about this last week. Like I was telling him, you know, you go watch from the All 22, and it's so sterile and clear because it's like the eye in the sky and like the pause button and slow mo. Why didn't you throw it here? And you're like, you don't understand. Like, it's very different from ground level, like in the middle of the pocket. Like, that's not what it looks like.

You know, Like, I didn't throw it there because I couldn't see him because there was four 300 pounders, like. Right.

Alex always talks about the. The biggest difference between the. The collegiate game and the professional game are the defensive tackle, the defensive line. He's like, you just. You just don't see those animals in, in NCAA or, you know, in the pack 10. Right. What was the biggest surprise from a mental standpoint that, that either you didn't realize that you knew or, or you had to get better at when you became the starter you were kicking year.

Yeah, I. I think, you know, I didn't. I never really knew how to watch film or how to take notes. And really, I would say that, you know, it took years to kind of find my rhythm of how I want to do it. Case helped a lot with that. But then the next year, you know, Case is gone, and. And now it's me and Sean Manion trying to, you know, do the same thing. So I'm learning from him a little bit as well and learning what your weekly cadence is. Okay, what do I want to watch on Mondays and Tuesdays and then Wednesday morning, Thursday morning, Friday morning, and so on. But I'm still tweaking it, you know, you're still finding little ways to improve it and do things. And I would say it took me, you know, a few years before I felt comfortable with. All right, this is how I want to do my work weekly. This is how I want to organize my notes. This is how I want to review my notes in. In what pattern? And it's. It's something that I didn't do in college and never learned how to do.

I don't know, like, your, you know, child story on this, but, you know, I'm trying to envision, like, you know, you're really good at multiple sports. You get the college scholarship. You start as a freshman Then you get drafted. Number one was there. Did it always come relatively easy to you growing up and. Whereas, like, I'm envisioning something where the NFL is sort of the first time that there's something you care deeply about that you're struggling with, or do I have that wrong? And you're like, no, dude. Like, it was. I had moments all throughout my childhood that were like that. What was it like?

Yeah, in sports. I mean, I had pretty good success in sports most of my life until my freshman year of college, which we went one in 11. Like, I lost four games in high school, I think, and I lost 11 my freshman year. So it's like, right. Smacked in the face. Like, okay, this thing's hard. Like, you know, if it was easy, everyone would do it. Like the classic, you know, this. This is hard. This takes a lot of work. You know, winning can fix everything and, and, you know, finding ways to win after that. But no, I think you go through different adversities. And I think the baseball thing, too, like, I was. I was good, but I was never, like, the best player on my team at all times. You know, I was. I was good. And then basketball, I had to stop playing because I was a 6:2 white guy who couldn't really shoot or jump. So I was just. I was just a hustle guy. So I kind of stopped that. And so that could be some adversity right there. But no, I think my freshman year really kind of smacked me in the face of, like, all right, this thing's going to be hard time to, you know, really go to work.

Was your. Was your rookie year like that? I'm just trying to envision how. How at the end of your rookie season, where. Where were you at mentally, again? Because, like, as I know you talked about you lost a lot of games your freshman year of college, but you still. You played awesome. Right. Like, you were playing great personally.

Sure.

You know, you end the rookie season, where were you? Obviously, coach gets fired. You said that, like, where were you at from a confidence standpoint?

Pretty low. You know, trying to. Trying to figure out what. What just happened in the last six months, but excited about the future for sure. I never lost confidence in, like, my ability to do it. I knew I could always do it. Was very fortunate that they hired Sean and he was such an offensive mind and created this offense that works so well for us. But, yeah, I think a lot of. A lot of these young quarterbacks now get. Get left out of the league because they get hired, they get a bad head Coach, they get, you know, they get this, they get that. They get, you know, bad surrounding pieces. They have a battle line. They get a new coordinator every year. Like, that stuff's hard. I was lucky. I got a new. A good new coach and went from there. But, yeah, to answer your question, it was, you know, my head was spinning a little bit after that rookie year and trying to figure out, you know, all right, what's next? How do I figure this out? But, you know, part of me feels like I was so naive to, you know, how bad it might have been, you know, like, now looking back at the numbers, and if I ever happen to see the tape, I'm like, holy smokes, what was I doing? But I think at the time, you don't really know any better. You're just like, all right. I felt like that play was good. I can build off that. And, you know, having that internal confidence is so important.

So McFay McVeigh comes in. Talk about, like, becoming a contender, you know, like, do, do you feel the team, the locker room getting better? Like, look, winning. Winning cures all. There's nothing like a, A winning locker room, you know, especially on the road. That's what I miss the most. Like, winning a road game, having a beer in the shower. Like, it's, it's the. It's the greatest. It's the greatest. So talk about becoming. Coming to training camp, thinking, yeah, man, we got a shot this year.

Sure. Yeah, I think we. We knew we had a good roster, obviously. Gurley, you know, gave us a ton on offense, and our line was much improved. We signed Andrew Whitworth that offseason. We signed Robert woods that offseason. We drafted Cooper cup, so, like, you gain a whole ton of pieces. Our defense was pretty stout already, but, yeah, you come in and you're like, all right, here we go. And, and, and we kind of, you know, I, I, I can't remember how we started. I think we started two and two, so we're kind of still figuring out. And then we won, like, five in a row. I think we finished 11 and five and won our division, and then, you know, kind of got to the playoffs, and we're a young team in the playoffs and lost in the first round, and it kind of smacked us in the face again right there. But, yeah, we were able to put some pieces around it and figure it out for a year there and got better after that.

Alex, you know, question for you, too, is how different is playoff football if you've never, if you never played in the playoffs, like, is the intensity more? Is the preparation more?

Yeah, make it real too. Like, assuming it's super different. Like, what makes it so different?

What makes it say something quick. And then Jared could jump in on this because he played a lot. He's played in a lot more playoff games than I have. So you first off, like by the format now there's seven. There used to only be make six. Right. You look at every other professional league, NBA hockey, like, there's way more teams make the playoffs. I mean, half the 10 teams, if you count the plan now make on each conference in the NBA, make it right. Like in the NFL, you were the division winner and then you had two wild cards and like that was it. And so it was first off, it was just really hard to make it. But then the big. The big crux is it's single elimination. Every other league plays a series, right? Like, you get multiple cracks at it. Like this is. You get one. You've been working. You worked your ass off since March, right, To come back around. Almost full calendar now you're in January and like does the regular season goes, you goes. It doesn't matter your record, right? You go to zero wins and it is like single elimination. Here we go. And you better bring it that day. And there's so much weight because if you have a. If you have a bad day, like that's it. Yeah, like that's it. Or a bad break or ball get tipped up in the air like, you know what I'm saying? Like it just. It. And that's hard to try to block that out. At least for me. That was. That was hard.

Yeah, I think, you know, we. We learned that all too well this year as the one seed with a buy and you lose in the first or second round, but our first game. And yeah, you just, you don't. You're off a little bit. You don't have your best day and. And you're kind of just. Just everything's just a little bit off and you can't quite figure out why. And then it's over. You know, you were the one seed. You won 15 games. And it's like for what? And you know, you look at it and it sucks. It's. It's the worst. And like you said, the single elimination thing sets it apart as, you know, a little bit more high stakes and whatnot. But that's also what makes it great. And that's also, you know, why we love it. And I've always said like the. And you can speak to this as well. Like the first game of the year, it's fast, like things are moving. You get to week eight through 18 now, it's, it's, you know, comes down to pretty level speed. You get to week one of the playoffs, it's right back to the top, right back to that high speed. Everyone's moving a little bit quicker, everyone's a little bit more urgent. The crowd's a little bit louder. And it's fun. It's the best. There's. There's nothing you want more. And like you said, winning on the road's great. Winning a playoff game on the road is, is the greatest. And, you know, you hope to have a lot more of those memories real.

Quickly before we get to Detroit. Like you mentioned, obviously, Sean McVeigh comes in and it's a rocket ship, right? Like, to use the startup analogy, Ravi, like, it, it. This thing takes off, right, like you're lighting it up. This offense is revolutionary. Then your third year, you go to the super bowl, right? Like you. I'll never forget the shootout. You beat Patrick, you beat the Chiefs. That's like one of the greatest regular season games I've ever watched. And, and again, like young head coach, young qb. Like, it looks like this, you know.

This thing is, it's like a dynasty in the making. That's the way it feels. He's. As a fan, like, I'm talking straight. Like, you're like, this is holy. These guys are so good. They're be so good for so long.

Yeah. Yeah. Like what? And then I, I think before, obviously we get to the, the end of the time in la. What was that like at that ride? And you're, you're three. You're on top of the world. You're going to the Super Bowl. Obviously it disappears. Disappointing loss of the Patriots. But I'm sure you're thinking, I'm gonna be back a bunch.

Yeah, no, I, I think, you know, right prior to that super bowl is kind of where I'll stop. But up in those two years, you know, call it 36, 40 games, whatever it was, you know, we, we felt like, you know, you're going into the game with that confidence, like it doesn't matter. Like we're gonna find a way to win. You know, Aaron's gonna make a play or, or at the time, Marcus Peters is going to make a play. You know, I'm gonna make a play, Todd's gonna make. Like it's gonna happen. Like we're just gonna go out there, we're working hard don't get me wrong, we're not like, just roll the ball out. We'll play like we're working really hard. But you get on those feelings on game day where it's like, it doesn't matter what the score is, what the game's like, we're gonna find a way to win. We have so much faith in our coaching and our players, and we're gonna. We're gonna figure it out. Yeah. And then. And then old Bill Belichick just told us, not so fast. You know, you guys gotta. Growing up to do, and certainly we all did.

You played at such a high level. You had played. You had fulfilled the number one pick. Right. You signed the extension. You probably think you're gonna play there a long time, maybe the rest of your career, you know, and then the trade and. And as someone who's been shipped off twice, can you just take us through that? Honestly, like what. What that was like when. As it happened and obviously moving on. And then from the outside perspective.

Right.

No offense to both Shane and you. Like you shipped off to purgatory.

Easy, careful. Use your words wisely.

QB pur. A franchise that hasn't done anything in, you know, forever, right?

So he doesn't care about Detroit. He's from Miami, remember? You know, he's not a Detroit guy anymore.

Choose your words wisely.

What was that? City? Yeah, yeah, sure. I mean, it. It was. It was a shock. It was your world getting flipped upside down all at once. I think context matters, right? So we lose the. The playoff game to the packers in 2020 in the Divisional round. I believe we won the wild card game. We lose in the divisional round, and then I didn't have any contact with anybody until, hey, we're sending you to Detroit about, I don't know, two weeks later after that.

Oh, wow.

Yeah. And I think that's well documented. I don't. I don't believe I'm. I'm breaking any news here, but. Yeah, so nothing until I get the phone call from Sean and, hey, we're gonna trade you. I'm like, what? Like that's the. That's the reason you're calling me. I was. I was shocked. And I'd like to hear your stories, Alex. On, like, when you got moved twice. Yeah. If you were involved in that, if you knew. But no, I didn't know. So, yeah, you're kind of like, holy smokes, your world's turned up upside down for, you know, a little while and trying to pick up the pieces a little bit. Luckily My wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, was. Was. You know, as soon as I was like, will you come to Detroit? She was all in. And, you know, that helped a ton, and she's been kind of a rock in this whole thing. But, yeah, so we moved out there, and, you know, you meet Dan and you meet Brad, and. And really that night. So I get traded. Let me. Let me give you the whole story. And before I go too quickly here. So I get. I get the phone call from Sean. A minute later, it's on Twitter. Not. I mean, not even 30 seconds later, right before that. So it was like. With all this, within a minute, it was like, sean, my dad called. My dad knew before Twitter knew. Somehow he got it from somebody else. He's like, is this real? I'm like, yeah, it's just. I just got the call. Now it's on Twitter. Now everyone knows. Agents calling Brad and Dan were calling me, but I was getting a million phone calls. I was kind of like, just like, declining everything at that point. So my agent texts me or is on the phone. He's like, hey, Brad's trying to get a hold of you. Brad Holmes or gm. Can you answer his call? Like, he keeps getting sent to voicemail. And I'm like, oh, yeah, sure. So let me. Let me feed. Okay, got it. Okay. So I. And he's on the phone.

Hey, Jared.

Jared, you know, he's so excited. He's like, finally, I got you. You know, we're so excited for you. We're so excited to have you here. And then I can hear Dan, Jared, you know, I can't wait to have you here. We're so excited. And then, like, right then, it was like, holy smokes. Like, this is what you want. That feeling of, like, someone breathing life into you and telling you how excited they are to have you on their team. And what an opportunity we have here to build this thing up from the ground and be a part of that foundation forever. If we're able to build it up in the way that we have now at this point, four years later. But that right there, that moment I'll never forget being like, all right, let's do this. Like, let's go. Like, I can. I can be a part of this. And if those two guys believe in me, then that's all I need.

Well, Jared, I found out from Twitter I got traded. Okay, so at least you got a phone call. There you go.

At least I got a phone call.

When I was in Houston, and it was in last year, my Deal. Said I had an idea that I was going to get traded, and it was trade deadline. I'll never forget this. I was at my house in Houston, trade deadline day. We didn't. We had an off day. So I literally started drinking beers because I'm like, I know I'm getting moved. And, you know, the trade deadline was like, two o' clock Central. And so I kept refreshing my phone. Like, 12:30, nothing. Okay, 1:30, nothing. 140, nothing. 155, nothing. 158, Central Standard Time. I refresh my feed on Twitter, and it says, shane Badier has been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Hashim Thabit and a bag of basketballs. Right? I'm like, you got to be kidding me. You've got to be kidding me.

This.

I found out. I'm like, this is. This is where I'm going. I'm going back to where I started. And so, you know, my wife was pregnant at the time, and I kept calling her. I'm like, nope, I haven't heard anything. No one's called me. And then, you know, as soon as I saw it, I called my wife and, like, that was the saddest. The saddest phone call I ever had. She starts crying. I'm like, honey, it'll be okay. And so she got put on bed rest the next day. So I get shipped off back to Memphis with my wife on bed rest. But, you know, I. I share your pain. I share your pain. When you get traded, your first. Your first emotion is like, what did I do? Like, why don't you love me? Right?

Yeah.

It's like, you got dumped, you know, And. And, you know, I love that Brad was so excited. Dan was so excited, because that's the only medicine that makes the trade feels. Feel better, you know, and we talk about trades and fans talk about them all the time, but they. They don't realize, like, you know, families are. Are moved around, and there's more than just swapping positions or swapping quarterbacks in this case.

And. Right.

You know, that's. That's great to hear that you felt better for talking to Brad and Dan.

Oh, yeah. No. And that changed everything. And then from there, you know, I went out to Detroit, I don't know, a week later, and got to actually meet with them and talk to them. And it only intensified from there and became more and more. And now today, our relationship's so good. And trust those guys a hell of a lot.

You gotta. You've talked about this, though. You got a Hit on yours. He asked you about.

I. I'm. Honestly, I don't. I didn't. I mean, I've heard the, the cabo stories of McVeigh and Stafford and Cabo, and that's where it went down. And like, I don't know all the details, but I just. Again, I've been traded twice. Like, it was. It was a very different experience. I. I, in both occasions picked my next destination. Right. Like, I had a lot of time to process that. Okay, I was going to get traded.

Well, that's the way it's supposed.

Privately. Privately process it with, like, my family and then. Okay. And then be a part of it even and have. Be empowered a little bit to, like, okay, I get to. They're gonna let me pick. You know, there's. There's a few suitors out and. And I really like this one. And then both organizations making that happen.

Must be nice. Must be nice to have that power.

I cannot fathom, by the way. I'm just thinking about, like, this. Like, you've won a playoff game, you've signed an extension with this team. Like, you've played your falls off, and it's two weeks after the season. You find out 30 seconds before, you know, my guy Shefty, puts it out there. You have this. You have no time to process this. You have no power. Like, you have no input. You get shipped off. They tell you where you're playing. They'll. I love, like to think about all the emotions of that side of it, right? Like. Of just being like, you're in shock, I'm sure. And then you have this new side, like, loving you. Right. Like, they're like, you know, open arms again, but you had no say in this. This all happens in a matter of minutes. And then I think the unique thing too, in this is like, you get swapped for another quarterback. Like, I got traded for picks, right. Like, it wasn't, you know, Shane, I know you mentioned getting traded for a player, but, like, a guy in the same position, it's unique. It's still. It doesn't happen very often at all. Like, I. I just think there's. That's a wild ride emotionally to think about.

Yeah. And. And you're going from, you know, what you felt, feel like is a pretty good team to. You don't know what this team is. And by all accounts, you know, they were towards the bottom of the barrel.

And we can say they were terrible and.

And their quarterback requested a trade for a reason, and you're like, holy smokes. Now I gotta go deal with whatever he wanted out for. And now, granted, it was kind of, you know, it was, it was new ownership. Sheila Ford had kind of taken over and, and Brad and Dan was all the new energy and Chris Spielman and the whole thing was all brand new. So that changed everything once I realized that. But yeah, it was kind of coming into, you know, what was, you know, you don't want to call it a rebuild, but there was a lot to work. There was a lot of work to.

Do as a Detroiter. Thank you. Okay. I'm using this platform just to say thank you. All right? I'm from Detroit. These guys always give me crap about being from Detroit. And I think that you've been there long enough. Now there's a pride of, of being from Detroit, being from Michigan, that is very, very strong. And unless you grew up there, you don't get it. You know, I tell people my dad grew up in the. I grew up in the auto industry, right? My dad ran a trucking company. And so everyone in Detroit is, is associated with the auto industry. And like, it's cliche, but like, there's such a blue collar assembly line mentality, right? That's pervasive. And whether you're a white collar, blue collar, you're still blue collar being from Detroit. And so the, the, the pain that we, we have felt for so long is so real. It's, it was, it's. It's so real. You know, I mean, I lived and died with Barry Sanders. I lived and died with Wayne Fonts and Daryl Rogers and the Silver Stretch offense, Herman Moore. I mean, you know, the Charles Rogers pick, the Mike Williams pick, you know, the, the hope every single year that this is, this is the guy, this is the guy that's going to change everything for us. And we were always disappointed. And, you know, the last couple years have just been so magical. So magical. And like, I've cried.

I've.

I've cried when I've witnessed playoff wins. And I'm not ashamed to say that, you know, because all I envision and this is, I'm not, I'm not alone, you know, watching the games with my dad and just like, man, I, I wish my dad were still around to see us. I wish my brother was still around to see this because, like, this is euphoria. And so I, I know, you know, every time you go to the grocery store, people are, are singing your praises and telling you so I just want to say that on behalf of, of a long suffering Lions fan, it's been. It's been. It's meant more to us than you'll ever know. And we're behind you 100% and keep it going.

So.

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, man. I appreciate that. It means a ton, and I think, you know, it kind of, you know, encapsulates how I feel now that, like, the trade was the best thing that ever happened to me because I get to experience stuff like that. And, like, our fan base is so great, and Dan and our staff and the players and everything, it's the best thing that ever happened in my career. And, you know, being able to play in front of a group of people like that in Detroit, and that. That holds you accountable, too. Like, it's. It's not. It's not all love. Like, if you. If you struggle, they'll let you know, but when you're playing well, they'll let you know. And it's. It's. It's awesome. It's a lot of fun. And bringing them victories and playoff wins and hopefully a Super bowl very soon.

And kicking the Rams ass a couple times. Like, you know, leave that out, man. I love it. Not leave that out, I love it.

I can say two things. There's two things that are crazy from that story, right? One, Shane, in all seriousness, like, the. The. The. The thing that people don't understand about sports who are not into it is what you said about, like, man, I just think about watching this with my dad and my brother. Like, there's just no substitute for that in life. Like, you know, like, that. That's why this is important. It's not just one thing. It's, like, brings families together. Like, it, like, you know, that's why I like Duke basketball, like, makes me think of my family. It's the only thing that, like, you've done for my whole life, you know, like, and I'll do it for the rest of my life. I do it with my kids.

I.

But then, Jared, the other thing that's so crazy on, like, the. We're, like, huge Dan Campbell fans on this podcast. Like, we like this guy. He's so cool. But you think about it, it's like, dude, you're going from LA to Detroit, which on paper is not an obvious move that people are enthusiastic about on paper, you know? Shane, right? You're going from a good team to a bad team, right? You have just gotten traded. And it's like, you know, I would imagine there's some elements of, like, not embarrassment, but there's something. It's weird Right. To be traded, you know, and then in one fucking phone call, genuine enthusiasm for you changes your entire mood. Like just two human beings genuinely being enthusiastic about getting to work with you, right? And making you feel that all of a sudden your mood goes from whatever it was to let's fucking go. And you're like, damn. Like, think about what that. Think about the lesson in there for all the people being victims on their company of, oh, we can't do this, we can't do this. We. I can't do this. In my life, all it took was two people actually fucking saying, I really want to work with you, man. I'm so excited. And you believing them and your whole mood changes, you know? Like, I don't know. There's just so much in there of, like, totally Brad and Dan being great leaders.

Totally, totally.

What is the most Dan Campbell thing? Can you just tell us? Give me the most Dan Campbell thing that has happened in the four years. I mean, because he's such, like, a incredible.

He's mythical at this point. He's mythical. He's a mythical.

Yeah, he's mythical. I mean, we send out texts about him. Shane sends it out for our golf trip. You know, like, you just. I just. I just need you to believe in me, you know, so give us. Give us something.

I mean, there's so many moments that, like, you could just go down. I mean, it's hard to pinpoint one. I think my favorite thing he does is in team meetings. And again, Alex will really understand this. Like, in OTA team meetings, it's like, what are we talking about? Like, we're, you know, we're talking about culture and whatnot. We're talking about situations and whatnot. But you kind of get mundane. You're in these meetings in April for stuff that's going to happen in the fall. And in those meetings and even some in training camp that get even more mundane, like, he'll just put on. He'll just start playing his favorite music or, like, music that makes him think of certain things. And this will go for, like, 10 minutes. You know, he'll just kind of be flipping through some songs, and we're all kind of sitting there, like, waiting for, all right, what's the. What's the message here? Like, what's he getting at? And he'll kind of like, all right, hey, this song was playing when, you know, I was going to my senior football game in high school. And he'll kind of, like, sit there and envision that. And, like, you know, he'll Kind of go through. It'll play for a minute. It'll be, you know, AC DC or, you know, Metallica is who he likes. And then he'll play, you know, another song. They'll be like, this song was the song. I don't know. I'm making it up at this point, but that. That was playing when my daughter was born. And, you know, he'll kind of, like, listen to this and. And then he'll play, like, some, like, modern stuff that, like, our guys like, and he'll be like, I heard you guys like this song. And he'll play that song, and guys will kind of start, you know, going. And we'll do that for, like, 10 to 15 minutes. He's done it a few times in the last few years, and then it's just over, and it's like, all right, guys, break it up. And so, like, I. You know, he's got such a unique leadership ability to know when it's time to, like, dig into us and let us know that, you know, we need to do this better. We need to do that better. And then to know, like. Like, hey, guys, these guys need just like, some. Some fun and. And some. Some. Some relief from what's going on. And his ability to. I call it, like, emotional intelligence. It's the highest I've ever been around, I've ever seen and probably will ever see, to know when guys need what. And, yeah, he'll. He'll have fun team meetings like that, and. But then at the same time, he holds guys extremely accountable and is really, really, really smart in the football sense and can handle all of it. It's really. It's really special.

There's a lot of different ways to be a leader, right? I think the number one thing is that you have to be authentic, right? And we talk about this, and there's like, you got to be true to yourself. And. And Dan, I think, epitomizes that. And it's. It's easier to say now, right? Like, with all the success and. And maybe. And I know you guys are still in it and have unfinished business, but one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of sports, certainly in the NFL history. And. But, like, it was three. You guys won three games that first year, right? Like, it wasn't. This wasn't overnight, right? And it was probably harder then to stay true to that, right? Like, I just think. And to listen to, like, you have an entire team meeting where a guy just plays music, right? Like, and doesn't really even say much. I Think that, like, right. There's so many guys that get in that position and always think they have to say something and the words matter and they have to talk. But this guy's always been authentic. I just think there's such power in that. Like, I think there's a great example in that. I know for me, like, I. Harbaugh was similar. Right? Like, this guy's like, one of a kind. It really helped me feel comfortable with who I was.

Right.

It was like a great example. Like, I'm enough, right?

100.

What have you learned and how have you grown since being in Detroit? Just as a professional, as a leader, like, what have you learned?

I think exactly. I mean, not to just piggyback off what he said, but, like, exactly that, that, like, I'm enough and, and, you know, I'm always improving, always trying to get better, but there's a million ways to skin a cat. I think when you're in one place for. I was in LA for five years and really with Sean for four, you think, you know, that's the only way to do things because we had success. And then you get to Detroit, we're doing things a little bit different, but, but it's working and you're like, oh, okay, I guess you can, you can do it this way. The schedule can be this way. We can practice in a certain way and it still works. And you learn that, you know, there's many ways to do things. And then I think from a leadership standpoint, I've learned so much from Dan as far as knowing how to approach different people and, and everyone meeting everyone where they're at type of thing. Like, you know, I, I, I have to, I've learned to lead differently for different guys. And, and, and maybe when I was younger and you're, you know, three or four, you're like, well, Peyton Manning does it this way, so I have to do it this way. And Tom Brady does it like this, so I'm doing it like this. And then you learn your own style. And the way that Dan does it, like, I just touched on of, like, having the high emotional intelligence where he knows how to push and pull is. I've taken a lot from it and known, you know, hey, this guy, I just need to try to get this guy to, like, line up correctly. You know, it's not. Saint Brown is like, you know, I can, I can talk to him very sternly and very, you know, hey, I, I need you to do this. And he can give it right back to me, hey, I need you to throw it like this. And I'm like, damn right. Let's go where there's other guys, you know, that are younger, where you're like, hey, I'm just trying to get him to trust me on this one thing and, you know, just learn in different ways like that.

I was just trying to think about, like, the. You're enough. There's enough there. You can do it your way. Do you think it's going to make you a better dad, too? I know you got your first baby coming, and, you know, we. We think about this like, you know, our jobs are our jobs, and they're great, but the things that, you know, the most important leadership job all of us have is as dads, you know, we're a little ahead of you on that. So I'm just trying to. That's, like, where my brain went on. Like, I think he's going to make you a better dad, too.

I. I think so. And I think it's going to make me a better football player and leader because my perspective is going to shift entirely, and I can't wait for that. Where my entire world right now wraps around, you know, obviously my wife and my family. But then it's like, football is a big part of my world, and winning a Super bowl is a big part of my world, and that will remain. Of course you want to win a championship, but as soon as this little girl is born, I know that, you know, your brain has, like, a. Something happens where it just shifts, and it's like, no, like, this is the very most important thing in your world. And so, yeah, I can't wait for that to happen. And I think it takes a little bit of pressure off of the football side in a lot of ways. And you guys can speak to that as dads and being. Having the ability to come home to certainly someone who doesn't really even know what happened and still loves dad and that whole thing, and I know that'll be great.

It's the best. It's the best.

And.

And at least for me, it was. Alex, I don't know about you, but it changes. You know, I played many years without it, without. Without a child, and my son was born. It was. It changed overnight, and it was. It's spectacular. It's. It is spectacular. I'm very excited for you.

Thank you. Yeah. No, I can't wait.

I would describe it as. I felt like I. For a long time, I was a guy that was, like, holding on too tight to it.

Right.

And. And. And, like, so many Things in life, this isn't about want to. Right. Like, I wanted so badly, almost too much. I was like, obsessive that I wanted success. And again, that validation and, and then becoming a father, I think was finally, it was a moment like, certainly for perspective of like, what's, what's really important. But to me, Ravi, I, I go to like, what you ask your kids, like, when you, when you ask them, like, is this making you proud?

Yeah. Are you proud?

And then for me, I think for so long I was so dominated by fear, right? Like a fear of failure. And like, becoming a dad finally, like, was like a true, like, it's time to start like living the right way. You know what I'm saying? And it's not just in football, but in all areas of your life. And like, I'm not, I'm not living in, you know, like, we all still deal with it, don't get me wrong. You know, but like, I'm just not to live there. And so it got me in a better mindset for sure for the rest of my, I think, no doubt my career improved when I became a dad.

Well, I can't wait because you're like, who knows? Yeah.

Hey, dude, on that note, like you mentioned, obviously the 15 win season, which is crazy, not many people have ever done that in the history of the NFL. And just, I, I, you know, you guys became America's team. We, you know, obviously you can see the passion Shane has for this. But dude, I mean, you know, the end sucked. We just talked about it, like, you know, you lose in the, you get to buy and lose. That's really, you know, beat up. And there were so many reasons and it, I think it's such a binary deal. Like, you guys had this great year, right? Like, it's, again, there's so much to be happy about, but also, like, it sucks. It's over. It was, you know, the idea, like, was it just for nothing? I know it's obviously still pretty fresh. Like, have you had a chance to kind of process it at this point?

Yeah, I think so. And there's still, you know, there's still the grieving process going on as, as time goes on, but yeah, it's, it sucks, man. And, and you know, I wish, I wish there was an easier way to swallow it. And you're kind of like waiting for what the lesson in it is because, you know, maybe that doesn't come for a long time, but there will be one, you know, as you go, you'll learn what that is. But right Now, Yeah. I don't know. You know, it sucked. And I'll be the first to say, you know, I. I know I didn't play well enough to give us a chance to win. And had I played better, would we have won? I don't know. Potentially, probably. And that's the part that just eats you alive every night. And that's the part where you gotta, you know, kind of work through those emotions and get through it. But I don't know if you ever will until, you know, until I'm maybe done with it. But it's a. It's an opportunity that we certainly let slide and something that I'll think about for a long time and hopefully use as motivation for this year and be more ready for. For those times our team will be. And when it happens.

Well, Jared, the craziest thing happened when I won my first NBA championship. That, like, when you don't. When you never won an NBA championship or NFL championship, you don't actually know what it. The effort it takes to get there. All right? We all think we do. We all think we're working to the best of our ability. We're maximizing. But until you do it once, you don't really know the formula to do it. And the coolest thing about winning a championship was when that clock hit zero and we won. It was like, oh, crap. So that's what it took, right? And that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in, in this, in this sport, you know, and there's a beauty, like at that single moment, you understand the gut wrenching losses, right? You understand the pain you go through and the sacrifice. And like in that instant, it all makes sense. But until that moment, you're. You're left wondering. And so like, I tell that to anybody who's still playing. Like, it's the purest moment in your. Your journey as an athlete that when you finally win, you know, it might be like that for your IPO launch, Ravi, but like, man, I, I finally get it. And so, like, that's my hope for you, that you, you have that moment. And you know, besides the confetti and the, and the Lombardi trophy, you. You have that moment of, of self realization, self actualization. Like, man, I understand it now. And it's the best. It's the best moment, right?

That's, that's what we're all working towards, man. And you know, I, I'm not, I'm not naive to that. At one day this ends. So, you know, I'm kind of Pedal to the metal.

Until then, I don't know that anything compares to the. The highs that you guys have the chance to feel. I do think that I get to talk to a lot of people who are like, you know, they've sort of had a good moment, right? They've had a good professional moment, and then they don't have the same motivator that they had before if I want to make this much money or whatever. And it's so interesting because all they, all of them basically end up saying, I just want to work on stuff I like with people I like. At the end of the day, like, fundamentally what it comes back to, like, when. When you've accomplished whatever. And even in the moment of the ipo, like, the thing that made it good was just like, being around these people, having accomplished something with people you care about. And one thing, Jared, I'll tell you that it seems like you, like, are feeling in the moment that is so cool, is like, you are doing something you like, you guys are doing it super well and you're doing it with people you, like, love and trust. And like, that is. That's it. Like, there is no other, like, level to the video game. You know what I'm saying? And so it's kind of cool to watch you get to appreciate it during it, you know, of, like, yeah, you guys didn't hit the goal that you wanted, but you're. You get to do it again together with these people. And like, I don't know, that's like a pretty special thing that you seem to appreciate in the moment, which is pretty awesome.

Yeah. Thank you. No, I. I do, and I. I realize that the coaches I have and the teammates I have are special humans. And I've been lucky to be on a. On a team that has a. Has people in charge that are bringing in the right type of people. And I know that's lucky because I know not everyone can say that. And I know a lot of these quarterbacks come in and they get surrounded by just, you know, poor level of. Of management. And, you know, I've been pretty fortunate in that regard.

We obviously talked about the time in LA and then to get cast off and like. And then you see Stafford, they win it, right? Like, buried in this. But to then now, I mean, you're. You just had one of the best seasons in the history of the NFL, right? You were an MVP candidate, finalist, right? Like. Like right there. 15 wins. I mean, they are chanting your name all over. Detroit, right?

Detroit.

Midwest.

Alex. Greater Midwest.

Have you had A chance to, like, at all, like, digest that, I guess.

You know, I don't. I don't know. I mean, it's. It's hard, right? Like, you. You are so in the middle of it, like, and the chant thing has been just so crazy. Like, so crazy. It's like. It's, like, hard to believe that it's, like, happening. And I don't know how much it's been happening since we lost in the first round, but, you know, it was happening for a long time.

Oh, it's still happening, Jared. My sister. My little sister is a seventh grade teacher, and on their field trip last week, I'm saying, I'm actually talking to our quarterback today. You know, what do you want me to ask him? She's like, well, tell them. Last week we're going to a field trip to Greenfield Village, and everyone started selling Jared Goff. Jared Goff. So they're still saying it. Don't worry, it's not going anywhere.

It's. It's. It's been. It's been crazy. I guess I'll touch on that for a second here. Yet that started in that. That playoff game against the Rams, or totally organically, I can't. I mean, that lead up to that game was. Was something else. Like, there was a lot of. A lot of electricity around that game. It was the first home playoff game in Detroit in a long time. Detroit obviously hadn't won a playoff game in a long time. Obviously. The thing with me and Matthew, he's coming back. He had already won the Super Bowl. You know, we're trying to make our way. And so there was a lot around it. There was. There was a ton around it, and it was really, really hard to just make it about the game. And I had to focus on that, really, throughout the week, really just be present, make it about the game. And that was. That was a challenge. But anyways, I'm coming down the tunnel and it kind of started. I heard. I was like, wow, that's pretty freaking cool. And to be honest, I thought, like, okay, that's the end of it. That'll. It'll. You know, that was cool. They did that, and they're showing, like, all right, we. Hey, we see you kind of thing. Like, you know, we. We understand, you know, kind of what. What you had been through in the last however many two or three years, and, you know, we see you and you're our guy, and we got your back today. And that was kind of the messaging, I think. And for I, I, again, I thought it Was done, you know, okay, cool. They did it. Whatever. We play again the next week against Tampa at home and the same thing. And I'm like, all right, like, cool. We win. We go to the NFC Championship. I'm like, all right, that's for sure done now. Like, that was. We're in San Francisco for the NFC Championship game, and it starts up again, and it's obviously Detroit fans, but I'm like, are they doing it again on the road? Like, holy smokes. And so then again, I'm like, all right, cool, that's over. Like, whatever. That's done. And then obviously, it took on kind of a life of its own this past year and became, you know, something I've never even gotten close to experiencing. And I don't know if I ever will again. I keep saying, okay, now it's over, right? And of course, it. You know, it probably isn't.

It's not over.

I. I am so appreciative of the support and. And what the. What these fans mean to me. And I think the origin of it being, like, we see you, we relate to you, we can understand that struggle and that, you know, perseverance to overcome, and now, you know, we're in this together. I think that'll always stick with me. And, you know, it's obviously become kind of funny at this point, but. But I think that origin of it is. Is really the strong part.

Well, Jared, you are.

You.

You are us. All right, well, you know, whether. Whether you.

You.

You ever knew you were going to be us, all right, you are. You are us. And so I think that's why the city has so much love for you and. And everyone on this team. And it is organic, you know, and, you know, we've all been around sports a long time, and it's very easy to get cynical about this business and this profession, but this is, like, as pure as it comes. So, like, yeah, don't. Don't underestimate how organic it is. So, you know, it's okay. It's okay to look around and say, this is cool. This is cool.

Yeah, no, you're right. And in that moment, winning that game, that playoff game was as cool as a moment I've experienced with. With, like, fans like yourself that are, you know, in the crowd crying and telling stories of, you know, I wish my dad could see this. And. And the whole thing. And, you know, it was. It was absolutely insane, that whole game. And it felt like. It didn't feel like a football game. It felt like it was, like, much more and that's what the hard part was, was like making this. This is just 60 minutes, 100 yards. You could feel the stadium was like, no, no. This is. This is our whole lifetime waiting for this moment. Yeah. For us to win that game again, especially against my former team and the way we did. And it felt good.

It's special, man. Special. So cool. Jared, the something we ask all our guests, right? The show's called Glue Guys. The people that always get celebrated on teams that make teams great. Who are some of the Glue Guys? It can be glue gals again. Yeah. Glue people in your life, whether it be in sports or personally, that have made a difference.

My teammate in la, Tyler Higby, is tight end in la, and he's still there and he's doing a whole job, but he's like the ultimate. Like, doesn't probably get enough credit as he deserved deserves. He's been there now. He's going into year 10. He's one of my best friends. We talk almost every day. And he is as glue guy as Eric gets in a locker room. And his ability to lead, his ability to work, to persevere. He came off an ACL injury and came back and played great last year. And having guys like that on a team, you. You can't get enough of them. As many guys like that as you can get. And I keep trying to whisper in his ear to come play with me for another year, and I don't. No, I love him. And. And then I think in my life, I mean, my. My wife's the easy answer, right? She holds it all together. She really does, and allows me to be me. And. And then, you know, when I'm pissed off about a game or practice, she's able to be there for me in that way. And. And then, you know, in any other problems that come up in our life, she's. She's as strong as I get. And I think the example she said early on of, like, being my girlfriend, like, let's go to Detroit. And she was. She had work in LA that she, you know, abandoned and. And said, you know, I'm gonna come with you to Detroit and do this thing. And it doesn't get much more glue than that. And I'm so thankful for her, and she's been as important to me as anybody.

Jared, this has been unbelievable, man.

I.

You have three huge fans here. We. We see you. We see you, Jared, like, and honestly. Oh, yeah, can't wait to see what. What's ahead for you.

This Jerry, you don't know it, but this only comes out when you guys need it. Okay? This is not in every. It's not every Sunday thing. This only comes out. All right, big third down, the heck rallies, and it's. It's worked. Okay? So I, you know, I take a small part in a credit in the 15 wins last year because of this hat. So just. Just know I'm here. And it's. It's magic power is always there for you.

I need one of those.

You got to know, you inspire people that are not on the football field, too, and you inspire people that. I'm a Bears fan, and you inspire me, and I think in the business world, to the resilience, the being a star and a glue guy, and just the. The way that you're appreciating it in the moment. This is amazing stuff, and we really are grateful, and we hope we get to play golf with you someday. This would be good for some.

Yes, it would be. I'm in. Count me in.