I'm real Mike Rob, and this is the R and B Podcast. Drop that bag. Yeah, oh no, no, yeah, Well I had a one day not really trying to go by my lady. Got a dressed up for a night on the town. Now, but that ain't going down. See now, baby, I got some staffs and I was some real players. Super special fast for your teacher at this game go down. As they had a Liz the winners, they might shout my name around because you're bad mommy. We can jump tune into the R and B Show. We shout the tune. Tune into the r D Show to tune all season long. That never gets Oh we got our old song, man, we got our old song. I wish we had own money, but we got all. We got the off season too, all season long, and the off season. I'm telling you, bro, I'm real Mike Rob. Nate is still on vacation. We have a pat show today, co hosted by Rank Gatling, the one, the only you know, Rank Gatling with all the information you got anything to give us, man, we got all kinds of t spells. Okay, okay, okay, That's what I'm waiting for. And we have two special guests. I'm a fan of both Okay one Giants, Running Back, Um by Day, a word Smith Poet by Night with Shan Jennings in the building with Shan. Thank you for being here today, you know what I'm saying. And we have Jacksonville Jaguar stud wideout number thirty one on NFL Networks Top one, jump Out the Gym, jump Out, jump Out the gym, uh ninty line all that. You know. I got love for this dude and his last name is off the chain, Alan Robinson A rob Thank you for coming to Day's brother. That's what's up man. Uh. This is the R and B Podcast, an NFL show from players and insiders. It's like we're in the locker room. So it's the sports podcast meets hard knocks. You know what I'm saying, Ran, We're here for everything. We run the game, and we usually go all over the place. Man. So they give me the sheet, right, and we're supposed to look at this and we're supposed to talk about about your stuff. Man, But a lot of the times, bro, it go all over the place. So be ready. You're all ready for that. You're ready for some ad lives and all that. So this is what we're supposed to talk about today, but I don't know if we're gonna get to it all. H we're gonna get to know both of y'all. Um, the increase of media in the sports world. Working out who you guys working out with? TV has this special segment or no, and um, actually TV tell the people what they need to do to get involved with the podcast man, for sure. What you need to do, guys, is go play some Pokemon. Go. Actually, I'm kidding right now we're using that to pull off on Robberty, So don't play another friends the world. Which you need to do is check out R and B podcasts describing iTunes and Stitcher, uh enjoy, Google play wherever wherever it is you listen to shows and uh comment and spread the word. Support the movement. There it is TV. Thank you, man. Drop a beat. Let's get into it. Man, let's go. I'm a sound like I'm a rap, right, but it ain't gonna actually happen. I'm the hype man they hate to hear. Man, So I don't you know, Oh oh, TD getting funking with it, the beat going, Uh oh, I wish someone of y'all a rap right now, come on, you got the big change. Oh man, you look like a rapper right now. You got the love. They definitely got the look. Shot you got something for I got no fresh style. The fresh style I got right. You got a spoken word. We talked about more than just sports. You on R and B. So let's get to know the men first. Shan, tell us about your journey with the spoken word and with poetry. Man, Yeah, so I kind of I'm an auditor that like, I love to learn. I can't help myself. I'm attracted to it. And so every off season and even in college, I picked up some type of new craft just to keep me busy. And in college one time I picked up the guitar, never put it down. Another semester I picked up card tricks and I never put it down. So like during the every all season the NFL, I pick up stuff. And last last year, last all season, I picked up um archery and poetry and the rhyme on purpose. But so I just it's just something that it expands my mind, gets me away from football. It's fun for me, and I just rolled with it. It started off as a joke in the locker room. Everybody always freestylinge everybody. I'm the music guy in the locker room. So I got a big old box. It ain't supposed to be in there. I got that thing cranked up. So on Friday, everybody come over. We freestyling, and so I'm the hype man. They know I'm a hype everybody, y'all, room room, They're going, you know what I'm saying, Yeah, I know you got something trying. Yeah, yeah, away. But now that's that's kind of a start into somebody's life. Shot you freestyles like now I'm too poetic for y'all. And so it was a joke, well let's hear some poetry. And I was like, all right, give me a topic. So we just started planning around there and that's where it started at. So you basically can hear a topic and go in. So it's like something poetry. Yeah, like at some point I come back to it. It ain't off. Yeah, that's something. That's what I'm saying. That's feel like. It's it's kind of like I wrote all right, So playing the guitar, I just wrote a couple of songs and I had somebody else catch the melody and sing writing a song and writing poetry a completely different and how they sound like, Yeah, to get it to go together. You know that cats are using ghostwriters these days. There's a need out there. Yeah, that's true. Man, maybe you get ann That's fine. I'm playing nothing but slappers from Young Drake's and I'm not angry. Well that's how the poetry it's Uh, it's something that you said you each year look for something new to build upon outside of poetry, archery. What are some other things you've learned in the past that have become passions of yours? Oh, to become passions? Uh? Well, I mean I'm philanthropically driven, like I do a lot of stuff through foundation of my community. Because I was a short, overweight, chubby kid man with glasses and asthma. Had a point six g p a average on one point of time two seventy five pound fifth string running back talking about when to play in the NFL. So I had to overcome a lot of adversity to get here. And um, if I didn't have somebody come in my life not to change me, just got me in the right direction, I wouldn't be here right. So I'll focus on mentorship because that helped me and and if I didn't, you know, start taking ownership and responsibility with my academics and have people help, I wouldn't be here with that point six. So through the foundation of focused on reading, the education and literacy because I had to reading comprehension Death of Sip and then my little chubby self, you know, I had to learn how to eat right and take care of my body. So health and fitness is a part of my foundation too. So that's really that's like my heart passion that I put a lot of attention to it on the all season. That's beautiful, man. Well that's dope. Man, that's dope. That's dope. Man. You got something like you. And I always tell people, man, find a purpose other than football. Like I always tell young guys, find a purpose other than football. I know, we we all loved it and thought of us a great career, money, all of those things. But you have to find another purpose, especially when you get to me being retired, bro, because if not, you know, you think, oh wow, it's no more football. I mean, what do I do now? You know? Me and Marshawn just had this conversation this past weekend, like he's like, Bro, I'm having fun. You know, I'm doing my thing, man, but that gets to a point where you crave that schedule. You crave something else to get you to get you going. But at first it was football. Um let's flip gears go to Alan Ay Alan. You appeared on UM Tattoo Competition master U. When'd you get your first tat and what is your favorite? My first tat, I want to say I got I was about fifteen. You want my sign for that? She did, Well, get out of here. You gotta cover it out now, I still got it. You got a good tat. It was one of my money. Um like this, I was really I was really struggling with UH in school and stuff. So then like, but I wanted this tattoo. So my mom just figured She's like, the only thing that would possibly influence me will be the text. Let you get the tape. She told me, if I had my GP at a certain uh certain percent, that I'll be able to get it. Okay, I got it done. That makes sense. That makes sense. You sleep out now. I don't know. I don't really have nothing on the outside of my armors, man, but my favorite tattoo probably be the Michigan catch. Oh. You got that on you? Oh did you do that? Yeah? I seen it. I saw it on Twitter. I was at that game too. What was it? Four over times? Yeah? Man, that's just that Pans State love. We're not gonna talk about Pans State Okay. That was almost a set up for Rand and dig In getting us right there. Alan, We're not We're not gonna set it up that way. You know what. I want to jump into this now, man, t D. I'm sorry about this. Okay, I'm gonna jump into this right now. I gotta get Alan's take on this. Man, wild outs, I think you like in the top five right now? Give me your top five man, including me or excluding me. You gotta include you. You You gotta include yourself. I'm talking about be real. Let's make it one hunting if if it's your top five. Yeah, if you're in your top five, of course you include yourself. Okay, I was just checking. Yeah, So I would say, I gotta go a B Julio. Oh that's tough. Uh, A B Julio O'Dell me and Hop I like that no Green in there. I had to say him and him and Hop got to be five five b A man Hop Hop had a year. Yeah, crazy and dude and dude can get open. And he had like quarterbacks too. I mean seriously, that he's been that productive with that many quarterbacks. It's crazy. You guys got a special thing going down there in Jacksonville as well. Man, all the young talent that's out there. Like I remember I told you before we came on. I spoke to you right before you got drafted, and we were talking about where we thought you should go, and you know, all these things, and you have this very quiet confidence about you, like there was no braggadocious element to him. It was just like, i'n go out there and dominate, like people don't believe it. I'm gonna kill it. And I was before his rookie year and he went out there and crush it. So it's got to be special for you knowing that you know, people did sleep on you, you you had a chip on your show. You went out there and proved that you're one of the elite towns in the league. But now you look across the other side to the bar and got a guy like Jalen Ramsey, guy like Myles Jack Maybe now those are the guys that have the impact on the defense that you did on the offense. What's a buzz down, buzz like down there in Jacksonville right now. I think that's what's special about us right now? You know, um in practice, you know, it's I don't know, iron, you know, with us now going against going against Jayalen Ramsey and then and then when I see on the other side of the field, you know, Hern's making plays. You know, it's just a constant, you know, challenge within the team, you know, as far as making plays. Yeah, So I think that's what's special. So that's dope. Man. I tell you one thing y'all all have. I'm gonna keep it real. You ain't got no excuse this year. Y'all better win the South. Dog, I got at least from my you know, I'm picking y'all to win the South because I like us and all that, Us Bradley and all that. But ro Sorr he mentioned O'Dell in that um uh in that list, I think he's right up there too. Uh. Top receivers in this league. I'm hearing that you kind of like mentoring them a little bit, kind of showing them how to be a pro. Talk about his growth this uh this off season and what can we what can we expect from him next year? Yeah? Man, does he's special. He really is special. Remember his rookie year. You know it is as a veteran you start to look at rookie is a little different than like cheer him on and try especially which free agent got a chance to make the team. So we're watching. It was me and Peyton Hillis at the time when I first got to um to the Giants and when watching everybody running, O t s O'Dell ran a slant. He missed the ball right, but the way he ran a slant, I tapped, I tapped Pete. I said, hey, man, who is that kid? And uh, sure enough found out you know that's Odell and uh but he's special, man. But the thing about him that I like is he is he known as being a real flash. He likes playing the game in a certain way. He has fun. But uh, he never get recognized for how hard he worked. And when he got hurt his first year, he came up to me. It was like every shot I see you take care of your body? Will you teach me how to take care of you? Take care of my body? And for a kid to have that much talent and then to understand and look, man, I gotta I gotta get my stuff right. And um, you know, he gets with me with a lot of stuff. He used the same m at specialists, am assize therapist, excuse my chelf. He everything I do, he just takes it and uses it. And um, you know, I just watched a kid go out there on a judgment before practice, after practice, do all this stuff. He practices catching the ball in awkward position so you can do it when it's win his game time. So I commend him for that. There's a special player, man. So last night I was at an event that he threw at Maxfield. It was him, Mike and Mary's a fashion designer, and they did this joint release for I think it's a line they might be doing. But his creative passion kind of shines through too. And usually if you're the kind of person that's got like passion in life, it's going to translate the different realms. And you can tell that he's just as passionate about his fashion stuff as he is about football stuff. I knew Jervis Landry into a story on him coming in the League two and he talked about how they pushed each other kind of how he said, it's in Jacksonville and the two of them, the competition they've always had along the way, even though they were very dear friends. I think it elevated them to kind of like that next tier. Jervis is another receiver who's not maybe not you know, top five guy, but he grinds man. He's running the ball like a running back. Yeah, it's good. It's good that they got folks looking out, you know, old heads now right, you're thirty three. I'm an old head now. But yeah, guys that look back and trying to help the young cats understand how to skip steps because we didn't get to do that. But but but that's the reflection of a traditionally an organization that uh put good veterans in their locker room. Has there been a difference in culture now that you got Ben McAdoo as the head coach? Uh not. I wouldn't say too much. Um, you know, obviously, you know when when we talk about coach Couflin, that's a Hall of famer, and um, you know that somebody can't replace m But we definitely got the right person in position. The way he's articulate, the way he can command a room. Um, he's in the house. We have a good team and um, we just need to pick up after you know, we did a lot of things well, but they were overshadowed by what we didn't do right so well and losing six games in the last ten seconds anybody. So. Um far as the culture, I mean, we just filled in some spots and defense we thought we needed to address. Got a new new wave of rookies ready to rock, and everybody just excited, really excited to get the taste out of mind from last year. Get a role on how we know we could play. That's what I'm gonna say. With those new defensive guys. Yeah, it's gotta be a different energy out there right now. Oh yeah, absolutely, Yeah. We are better defensively. I mean, I'm just gonna keep it really defense great last year many Yeah, it is what it is. But you talk about mentoring Odell and Alan, I want to swing it to you. Who is who down there in jacksonvill Has there been that guy um that kind of mentored you. I know you will receive a coach and coach suing man. He was with me and San Francisco, and that's the guy that's gonna drive you. He's gonna challenge you every day. Um, has there been anybody like that for you? I would say player wise, you know, Mercedes and Julius Thomas, you know, just especially from Julius, you know, coming off of a team that went to the Super Bowl, you know, coming off with two Pro Bowls, you know, playing at the highest levels, you know, in the same Mercedes, you know, um, playing at the high level you know for for a ten plus years, you know. So player wise, Um, those guys are kind of some of the guys who lead our offense, you know, as far as as far as vocal leaders, you know, we have a lot of young guys, you know, And I think what's especially about that is, you know we don't have anybody where everybody kind of lead they ego at the door, you know, and it's and it's all about for us, you know, just going out there and doing whatever it's best for the team. You know. So if so if somebody needs to speak up or something like that, is it's never any any confrontation as far as you know, UM, one person you know, not seeing eye the eye, you know, we know that's the offense, you know, first and foremost, we have to all see the offense, you know, through through Blake set the eyes. That's something that everybody knows and that we're okay with. So I think for us, you know, we got a lot of understanding with our young offense as far as everybody coming together, coming together and bought in really with the system. You like Chris Ivery now and the man or whatever. You bring a a player like that into the offense, you know, another weapon, you know, who's who's real on four plus yards to carry you in the past? What m since two thousand ten or something that you know. Whenever you add that element, you know, it really helps us out. Yeah, he's he might not be in my top five running backs, but he probably like it my top fifteen. And I managed to hear your top five running back seeing it being a running back. That's tough. That's top five, top five, top five dog, and it's it's even tough when you probably didn't know you had to answer that question, Manol. Guys out there in no particular order, but Adrian Peterson definitely up there. Um, I like to girly, Yeah, he's on my top special man. Um, who else you gotta put in there? In the top five. You like, you know, you know who I like? It is old guy in Atlanta, Oh Freeman. Yeah, Man, you know he's a screen I love the way he runs screens. Bro Like he's smaller guy, fantastic. Ye last year they're talking about slitting carriage between he and Tevin Coleman. You think about that. Coleman flashed a lot last year to the lightest, put the ball on the ground a lot. But they got two backs. They got two backs that are that are special down there. Should change the dynamic of the offense. Who else you got shot? Uh, let's see who else we got. It's hard, right, I mean, because then, I mean we didn't see him last year. But you got to think about Jamar Charles, I mean you know what I mean, Yeah, exactly, shady Sadie. You know what I mean that is McCoy had his you know, I mean, you got guys that get hurt. I like Aaron Foster, Yeah he got you know, it's so it's hard to say, like justify what I'm saying. These you know, we talked about this all the time. They always try and get us to do. You know, who's the best player at the ZIGN never. It's almost never that I say he is the best, because so many different guys do things well and they're the best at this thing, whether you're possession, receivers, be received, whatever it might be on the receiver round in the running background, we got dudes, it can cut back real well. We got dudes, it can run with power real well. So I just like appreciating the top players. But the top three you mentioned definitely in the mix. We had to do two more shady at Pete gotta be in that top shady. Yeah, I got shady like here. I mean because to me, you look at a guy like Matt four take just you know what I mean. I still think he got juice left. Yeah, he go. You know what I mean? I think he just maybe not the shotgun runner they wanted him to be last year in Chicago. But I think he can still go. And this is early, but a player that everyone is real hype about, David Johnson down there in Arizona. He had to David specially big fast play. All you mentioned with Odell when you saw him, like, hey, who's that guy? So a personal point of view, is there any money back that you saw in practice when the game and you were like, let's do it special, let's do it different. Um. As far any running backs that just had something about them that like, Man, I ain't I haven't seen that a while. I don't know. Man, listen, O'Dell's is just such on another level from what you see from this dude. It's um and anybody anybody to play with him and tell you like, he's one of the most athletic people I just watched, you know, just move around. Yeah, um on the field. But um, you know what, we got our our guy, you know, Paul Is, he's gotta like he's got a little swag about him. That's different my forefront draft pick. Paul's Parkins, He's I think he's gonna be a good player for us. That um so today one of the things we talk we like talking about on the show, like, uh, the increase of media in sports and life, etcetera, and how it impacts all of us. How do you guys feel like it's an oversaturation? You have so much media around you at all times, you gotta be in your p's and ques. We now have Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, everything. These are all platforms that you can use to empower yourselves and grow your platform. But also we've seen guys in the past frag themselves not using them properly, and there's people ducking around corners with camera phones all the time. How do you navigate that world? At the end of the day, we're all humans, we all have moments that we'd rather not be photographed in. And yet you guys kind of gotta deal with this New York City, big market tax of a little bit differently. But you know, people know who you are down there. So what's it like dealing with that world these days? I would say, you know, it's it's very overwhelming at times, you know, I think, um, for the most part, you know, it kind of benefits a lot of athletes, you know, as far as like you said, as far as like the brand and things like that, you know, and even by being in a small market, you know, through things like fantasy football, you know, with it being such a big thing, you know, um on people like seeing on Twitter fantasy leagues and and things like that. You know, So I think it's very beneficial. It's just it's making get overwhelming, you know, But that comes with it. Yeah, you do a good job of interacting with people on Twitter as well. Tell you I've been saying you do interviews and stuff over Twitter, just you know what I mean, answering questions. Yeah, what about your perspective shot? Um yeah, I definitely can even bigger back off because I spent four years in Jacksonville, so my first four years and you know, the media exposure really wasn't it's it. I've been there, I get it, and but with exposure, that's it. It's exposure. So it's what you make of it. I truly believe, you know, especially when it's coming from your voice. Now, when you talk about other people's opinions and interviews and other people's cameras and stuff like that, that's for the other side of it that you can't control. And that's the other side of you talking about being on your p's and que you know, we can talk, we can talk for days about that. But for me, I appreciate it. Um. I think you get it to voice opinions, you get to show character, you get to show who you are on outside of XS and ohs. And for me, especially in New York, I'm in a Mecca. Man. Yeah, I feel like I'm a kid and a canny like I've been able to open up doors that a degree would have never allowed me to drink. You know, I got a cartoon with Nickelodeon coming out and the show, Um, y'all watch the TV show Power. Yeah, of course about to be in that. Oh that That's what I'm talking about. Get us any spoilers I want, I don't want. Hey man, go to Tommy supposed to get the fighting this eason like that. I know, you can't say nothing. It's fun Like I'm a kid for for all when I talked about being an auto that Audero that like, I got a big box full of ideas and wishes and all kinds of stuff, and I come back to it every year based upon a networking where I'm at and I keep adding to it. And being in New York now I get to actually go present these two people. So, I mean, media is great to me, but it also scientifically means bacteria. I gotta keep that amount well. I mean, I mean even on the flip side of that man, and even I find myself kind of with this dilemma. You hear, you see what's going on and just in our country, let's keep it. Really, you see what's going on in our country. Do you guys sometimes feel like I want to say something, but I can't tweet this because all the time, you know what I'm saying all the time, you know what I mean? And how do you how do you deal with that? How is it? Do you have somebody that you're lean on and say, look, man, should I tweet this? Because I mean I lean on my wife, you know what I mean, she tells me don't do it. I got months of feeble, but don't do it, you know what I mean? So how do you guys deal with that dynamic? I mean knowing that your people of influence, UM, and people want to hear what you gotta say, But yet you skate that fine line because I mean potentially a job and you've been kind of outspoken about a number of issues. So for you, you know, you're probably a litle a different answer alan the place that you're in your career, especially by I mean being a real young player. Is it's funny that you say that because I mean the person that I just talked to UM very soon a situation about that. Yes, it was my dad. So that's kind of a person you know who always you know, kind of kind of got me in the right in the right direction with a lot of things. That's dope. But what do you about you? Yeah, man, that's yes, answer your question. Yes you do. Gotta you do, gotta kind of watch what you say. Unfortunately, but I always take the approach of you know, I know I'm in an awesome responsibility, but in position I'm in a special position. Ain't nothing special about me. It's just a position. Anything I say it's magnified. So after occasionally I might want to go off and say some crazy stuff. I got family, I got friends, I'll go off at them. We laugh, but then like I'm okay, how can I sincerely address this and influence people to to kind of come to either common ground or or or influence them to see what I want them to see? Right? So two things, that's special that you think that way, so clearly something special about you. In two you don't stay around in the league as long as you have without having something special. So I like the humility. But we definitely got something going there. It's good to have players and to talk. We talked about these things all the time, and we always talk amongst ourselves. Mike obviously played the game at a very high level for a long time, so did Nate and a lot of things that we get into her in the social realm, and so this kind of directly ties in for me. Um. You know, we talked about this all the time. I when I worked in politics, I worked with lady named Jackie Parker. She was a godmother of the United States Black Lettuce Stative staff Caucus. I think I got there right. The shop been up there since the sixties. And she worked for Senator Karl Levin from Michigan. So she was like, uh, she met me and I was working for Republican and I said, hey, you know, I don't like working for the Republicans. I got placed in this office. Can I work for the Democrats? At the time, I thought it was a Diard said okay, I'm gonna work with you. You know, tell me your story. Told her and she said, wait a second, you pass You can walk into rooms and hear things that we don't hear. And it's true. I ended up walking in the rooms and hearing things that you guys would never hear because they can't tell where my you know, um allegiances lie. Right. So it's that piece of the puzzle is really important to me because there's that which we know about and we see and we can put our hands around, and then there's that which people don't know, this kind of like behind the scenes and more nefarious. And the fact that you guys are out here using your platforms in any way to shine some light on the problems we have in society and the fact that we need to do better. I think there's always a place for that. We just got to figure out individually how far we can go and spreading that message. That's dope, well said t D. I know you gotta beat from me, man, Nobody want to rap. Nobody still even though you got two big, big, big chains. You know what I'm saying, might have spent a few bars in college. You know what. Tyler Lockett is another spoken word guy man ty to Locket, Seattle seaw wide receiver man. He he goes in I mean literally, he was doing his footwork drills. I'm interviewing him and he just goes into something. I mean all spoken word man that left Bell on the show. He's actually has a mixtape out. Yeah, didn't he rap about he might be the first back getting might be wanting back to get it I said that you were talking about it, right, Yeah, man, he might be the back to get it. Man, he does enough in this league. I mean catching the ball, blocking, running the football. Man over two thousand yards every year, just saying he could do it. TV you got for us today? Man, yes, sir? You know or no, I actually got what's going on social media or in publica what you're in if you're down to agree with it or not. So this question I have today is coming up Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors. Foo you guys, I guess already know Mike's answers. Do you guys have any problem with athletes teaming up with other great athletes or not? Come on, what y'all think about that? So? So, if I think it's tough to say, well, football is hard, I think sports. I think that basketball is just really like it's magnified because the amount of people on the court are so small. Like in football. If you say, for a receiver, know in free agency, he goes play with play with a real good quarterback or something that you know, it's not breaking news Allen Robinson to the Giants. Yeah, so you if you went to the Giants breaking news would go to the Giants be on the other side of ode. I mean all the receivers you know, see ye come open up the wrong game. Would you do that for a little less money? Because I mean, would you do it me? Per se? No, that that feeling you just had when I said that, that's what you would have thought that Kevin Durant would have had. Like, Man, I don't know if I want to do that or what what is it about for me? I don't care that he left go somewhere if you if you think you're gonna you go to a better situation, so be it. But I just have an issue of the fact that he went to go to State. That's the only thing. You were up three one. You're a top five player. Top five players have something to do with whether you win or lose in in that late you know you have something. You were up three one, you lost three games straight, which means you had something to do with you losing three games straight. And then you go to the team that dogged you the three games straight. Man, I'm so excited about it. Man, Okay, So look, so look, if they don't to me, if they don't win eighty games in the championship is not eighty game eight. They want something. They were like a real true to life Hooper though. You can speak to these chemistry issues, right, yeah, I can help me solid because for them, I think that Golden Stay in general, they're an unselfish team and they know that every time they step on the court. Kevin Duran is the best player on the floor, right And do you think they know that? You think Steph Curry know that too? After two m vps back to back, especially this finals, I think Steph Curry, no, come on, man, I but the ain't no way man. My thing is this too. I said the same thing with like Miami. With Lebron won in Miami, I think it was it was just his connection with Dwayne. It wasn't. It wasn't like if Miami had been the number one seed that year coming out to the East or the number eight seed or regardless. I think he still goes to Miami and didn't think it was just Katie connect. Maybe being an m v P doesn't mean you're the best player on the court. That's true, you know. I think, yeah, like he want to win a championship. I'm sure I mean that everybody three or four. Yeah, so y'all think that one basketball that is only allowed on the court can go around enough so that all those that means the US Olympic team basically what they assembled. Uh, you think they all can have a shot and do their thing and be the man? Three three. I just want to know this why the NBA players seem to hate the East so much, Like the West keeps getting stronger. The West is crazy and the East is the Calves. And I think they should do playoffs in the NBA, just top sixteen teams, right, Yeah. I mean my thing is like the Cavaliers didn't lose their first game to the Eastern Conference finals. Yeah, like in the whole playoffs. Yeah, I mean, but they I mean they got the best player in the world though he he willed them to that championship. I'm just saying the West the West. I'm a Blazers fan, so I got selfish interest here. I'm sticking to the the West being so strong. Wish Katie would have gone East. They could take STEPH two the East though, they need somebody like that man. Hopefully, um, the Nicks come around a little bit, hopefully. Yeah, that's an interesting squad up there. They can stay healthy. Obviously a lot of guys are dealt with injury issues where they can stay healthy. It's interesting. How do you guys feel about all the free agency NBA fe agency? Hey, actually, so I got a real I got a real question for you guys though, So this is important. I've been reporting on the Von Miller situation, the Eric Berry situation for a very long time. Eric Berry or von you can pick either one. How do you guys feel about the way the situations are playing out here? We are running into the tag go ahead? Okay, So so picking when you look at the situation, we're coming up to the that's the deadline for them to get a multi year deal, or they gotta play on the tag where they got to decide to sit out, or they can negotiate a one year deal. Right those are options. Well, right now, it does not appear from anything we've been able to see that the Eric Barry situation is moving for in any meaningful way unfortunately, And the Von situation is we're kind of a stalemate. We're much closer. So I'm not gonna get into specific specifics, but there was a big gap and there were long periods of time where these two sides were not having conversations at all. This is a Super Bowl MVP didn't. That's why I say, I mean, I think I think Vaughan, I think von situation is a lot more. You know, clear not taking anything away from Eric Berry, but I mean this guy watching even watching Super Bowl game, watching the playoffs, he is just a huge, huge factor to that team. So so um if you don't if you have a player like vn On on your team, non quarterback, but I mean literally the man right and you see this going on upstairs, how does that affect you in the locker room? And he said that you're watching, You're watching this play out knowing that you may have a contract coming up at some point. All of that, I think, I think you got to be kind of frustrating. I mean, you know, like you see your I mean, you see the person that you you know, playing aside with you know what I'm saying, play as the best defensive player in the league. Players to see all the hard work in position and see what he's brought to the table, you know, and how he not will but you know what I'm saying, kind of I mean, he was just the main callous of that defense. Yeah he wanted to see right, see it be such such a such a tough you know what I'm saying. Process, It's you know, it's kind of frustrating just to just to watch, especially especially from a from a from a teammate perspective, right, Like it's like and then you see the other side of it, like Alan Herns, you know the work he put in, you know what he brings the table every day, you know, for him to get you know, um blessed with the contract that that he got. You know what I'm saying, it's just you know, I mean those things should happen. Yeah, you're watching a younger a younger guy especially watching it all happen. I mean obviously older you get more perspective. Stand but a younger guy watching a vet the works hard, plays hard, m VP of that, you know, doing the right things, and it ain't happening. It's like subliminally it is sending a message that like all right, uh, you know that's how they're gonna do me, Like that's our guy, right, you know, give us a give us, show us something, give us pay the person you want to see more of, you know, right, give something worth mimicking. Yeah, and it's like it becomes frustrating in the locker room. So we got to break that down to the younger guys, like, look right, right, there's a play. So let me ask you this then. So the mechanism that Vaughan Eric Berry number of brothers are currently you know, being held hostage. Boy, let's keep it real is the franchise tag. So is that something that's next round of CBA negotiations that you guys are like, you know, if we could do away with the franchise tag, that would really help because if a player played like von situation, played out five years right, played his best football, arguably in his last year's contract, here you're supposed to get paid, and they said, you know, we're gonna rant you for a year for fourteen whatever it is, four fourteen, whatever the number is. Wait a second, Olivia Vernon got X right, Flatcher Cox Gott why not. What's interesting about it is when they started these negotiations, the number was like, let's just use the sue number. That was the number that it had to be to get it done. So let's say sixty one. Well, now we got a seventy five million dollar guaranteed contract out there, and Andrew Luck and Fletcher Coskas says three and a half, So all of a sudden, now goes up longer you wait. Think about it like that's a wise man once said to me, you don't get the benefit of yesterday's market today. It's not like it was yesterday. It's a dollar fifty today and you gotta pay that price. So it'll be very I want to say this franchise title and unique situation, it benefits some players like Kirk Cousin. I was about to say, Kirk Cousins probably loves it a one year number, well, because he's probably gonna get franchise franchise twice. Let's people be real. He's gonna have a what thirty two games to prove himself to see if he wants a big time contract. Because the market for the quarterback contracts are just continuing to escalate, right, and so he could possibly make a little over forty million and two years. So here's for quarterbacks, which is crazy money. But here's the interesting again. If okay, if you yeah, I know it's crazy. If you look, if you look at the Luck number and you say, okay, that's the top of the market of the quarterbacks the whole league. Then the Cousins situation might be a better deal for him, but we don't know that yet. You can't really evaluate until you get a couple of years down the road and see how it plays out. Well, you don't you don't You represent yourself right? Yeah? I try to stay get away from agents as much as I can. Why is that? Why? Why why did you decide to go that way? Uh? Well, being a player rep you understand. Yeah, yeah, you're proving to a lot of knowledge. So you know you find out that all right, a rookie minimum every year we're paying as an NFL union YouTube as well as you know you did. Um, we're paying three point seven of rookie minimum to our union right to handle all our endeavors there there as our offices, we make the calls. That's our entity. Then I'm gonna turn around pay three two another person to pretty much handle some of the same endeavors that the three point seven five can. I'm gonna try to gain as much money as I possibly can while I'm here. I like to learn. I believe I know how to intellect and I know how to call a company if I feel like, hey, so I just feel comfortable knowing that I'm this this cyber shog in his inkside is working as hard as the guy on the field. And I can't I can't promise you that every agent is doing. A matter of fact, I know every agent it's not. I mean, have you actually had to talk to your general manager like on your on your behalf for yourself. Is that a weird conversation if you did? Nah, I mean, it's not as strange, and you can have a buffer, you know, you could put somebody there, so you're not right, you know what I mean. But at the end of the day, everybody knows what we're trying to do. If you, if you play play well, you want to go find a contract. That's that's fair, and general managers want good players to go play. That's really it at the end of the day. And you know it's all gonna happen, um, but it does. It's a part of I just feel that three percent. Boy, when it hits you, every single person in that locker room there, I was like, why am I paying my agent? What is he doing right now? What is he doing? And that's that's that's been the argument for a very long time now and then don't get me wrong, there's some good agents. Yes, there is a place for agents. Agents are needed, but not every single one. Some people are really playing the game. I was gonna say this point, it's like eight hundred plus agents that were registered at last check. That's a lot of agents. Seventeen hundred and semi players in the league. So you know, if you think about a guy, uh, there are agents out there who represent a hundred players, ninety players, fifty players. So if ten guys have half the league, that leaves you know, seven hundred and ninety fighting for everyone else that exist. So I understand your point. The flip side is Russell Oakum. The deal that he just did and I didn't look into details, but really tough deal. Here's just Eric Flowers. I'm training down there for a lot of death. He was training there own coming out. I'm playing with the John's. We had no idea we're gonna be on the same team, but he just pulled me soide I was talking to me about stuff and um being a player up and everything, and he kind of was toying about, Man, I don't know if I want an agent broke it down to him, encouraged him not to get Asian, and why because rookie contracts is slotted anything it can't you know why slotted because we're paying three point seven for union to make sure we're okay. So he did it on his own and he thanked me. He said, a shot man, look at this three percent to the contract he had. Look how much money I save. Now with this, you can go and best you can go. You know, you can go, hire people to continue to work on your bath, do what you need to do. It's interesting dope um On on the situation that you're coming into coming into the league. You know what I'm saying, Like if you're kind of like, you know what I'm saying, a twinter player, things like that, you know what I'm saying, not knowing where you may go in the DRAYM. I think it's a lot of other factors into whether you like what I'm saying. You're a solid top ten player, that's definitely like top ten by you know what I'm saying. By all you know, it's a lot of different variables that you know what I'm saying that going to a being you could be second round, third four. Well, there's other stuff too, Like I can tell you from my perspective. You know, I work with a lot of agents through the course of what I do in terms of like gathering information and figuring out what's going on behind the scenes, etcetera. There are some guys out there front office cast for twenty five years, like they came up, Like they met when dude was an area scout and he was a young agent, and then when I had bears in mobile and they kicked it in Indianapolis every year for twenty five years. You know, you get to the top. It's his player. He can pick up the phone, Yo, John Dorsey, Let's get this done. You know, we've been known each other for a long time. Let's figure out a way to get this done. Whereas when you look at you know, this situation with von Miller right now, he's got a very capable age and he's got a J D. M b A running the show for him. So I got it's very intelligent, has a lot of ability, and it's a very contentious negotiation and Van now understandably, so it's taking a lot of it very personally. It has taken a lot of it very personally. You know over this time because it's personal. He goes out there and he lays his body on the line every single day and betterment of a team goal, and when it comes time for the team to pay him, he feels like he's being disrespected. I get it. I've been through that. So for me personally, I've always wanted somebody between me and whatever organization I have to negotiate with, because the organization's job to always tell you you're actually not as valuable as you think you are, and it's my job to prove to them that I'm more valuable than I think I am. And if you don't have somebody in the middle, off you're an emotional person and I am, it's gonna go bad. Quit because I'm not gonna listen to somebody tell me I'm not great. Guy. I want to be great. I'm gonna push to be great. IM gonna work hard to be great, and at the end of the day, if I can prove on paper I'm great. For you, guys, I had X number of yards from scremers, I did X y Z. This person is making fifteen million a year for less. That's to me. I want my fifteen million, Like now I'll give you thirteen will rant you for a year. It's problematic. So the franchise tag is something that's got to be addressed at some point by the players because if it continues to be the system where it's gonna continue talking about these situations like Vomlar, Eric Berry, others, where these guys deserve to get paid. I'll take the other side. Who deserves to get paid more than Eric Berry? You know, Vomillar definitely deserves get paid. Overcame Hodgkins and Fauma. You know what I mean. He came back. He played better ball than he did in the first Like you know, if you know, if we give up, if they the owners are gonna look at it, We're giving up the franchise. You gotta get Yeah, and that's that's gonna that's gonna be the game. It's complicated. Here's the reality. This is true. This is the only way the players will ever get any massive concessions from the owner is if services would help. That's it, period. And that's the only time you see anything changed during lockouts. You heard it from there. It is Look, I mean, it's true. Call the spade to spade before we let you all go. We need to tell you fans the funnest thing you guys have done this off season, they rob you up. For me, it was it was it was Hawaii for sure. Hawaii. Yeah. Man's just gonna do with my family and stuff like that, and being able to you know, to play in that game, just experience, you know, um, the island itself, you know special Allen replaces Calvin Johnson obviously being a Michigan guy. I'm sure that was big for you, right, I mean just getting there was was big. You know what I mean. I mean if I had to replace anybody else you know, or or the circumstances of that, you know, it was just it was getting there was the most thing for me. And so on this resume now to the Pro Bowl. About you shot funnest thing this offseason. Three big things happened. Um. One, I got a chance to speak at the White House. That was humble, and and I got that's to I was asked by my college, um to come be the keynote commencement speaker. That's awesome. Respect. And I bought my parents at home congratulation. That's what's upthing ain't now you're on the R and B podcast. You know what I'm saying, That's what I'm talking about. Well, that's it for this week's show. Big thanks to Rashard and Alan and remember to subscribe on iTunes, comment, retweet, spread the word with hashtag r A N d B. We are out of here. We're gonna