Texans All AccessOriginal Texan Seth Payne goes deep | Texans All Access
What's happened? Everybody.
Welcome to a money edition of Texans All Access from the MONDAYE Texans Radio Studio. I'm your host, John Harris, football antle sideline reporter for your Houston Texans. As we are ten days away from the NFL Draft. Cannot wait. It's a lot. I know what people are like, Oh, it's your Christmas right, I said, No, it's more like childbirth, Like you're really excited, you're anxious, You're just ready for the draft. Baby to be born and see exactly what happens. Boy, girl doesn't matter. Just good healthy child. It's the same thing with pick number twenty five. Just a good healthy child coming in play football for your Texans. So we got that to look forward to in about ten days. Tomorrow night, we're gonna have JJ Watt Goat Talk. That is gonna be awesome if you haven't heard it. Some good excerpts from that goat Talk with j Jo and Andre and of course the man himself, Jay J.
Watt.
But tonight's show was a really fun one because it's all about Seth Pain. Now I know of Seth. Here's that he's just gonna he's gonna gag. He's gonna throw up.
In his mouth.
But it's really not like case, Seth, who do you think Texas are gonna draft to twenty five?
It's more like, Seth, how did you grow up?
Where are you from? How did you get to where you got to? What was radio like? How did you get started in radio? In fact, I was one of two guys that Seth first came on the radio at a competing radio station about fourteen years ago. And I was always excited to talk to Seth because he'sn IVY leaguer and I didn't know him at the time, and so I always thought he was so cool. So we decided why not have Seth on and just go just talk, just figure out what makes Seth Seth?
And it was awesome, really really good stuff.
So here's me and Mark with Sports Radio six tens, former Jaguar, former textan.
More importantly, our guy Seth ce Pain all.
Right, joining us now, Seth Pain And and this is not your normal Seth Pain type visit where we talk about it's game day. Everybody's at fever pitch right now. The hair is standing up on the back of my neck. It is anyway, but for different reasons. Because we're going to talk to Seth about his life and career and the rest of it.
Seth, how's it going.
It's good. I'm flattered that you would have me on. Thank you. Well. I never do interviews about myself anymore, so I'm a little out of practice.
Yeah, exactly. You know, when you were a player, you were a go to guy because you were such a good interview and I'm sure you still do, and I know you do a lot of out of town stuff about hey, what's up with the Texans this week's game or the draft or whatever, but it's not really about Seth Pain. What was it like when you were a player and people peppering you with questions and a lot of that was about the game too, but you got a lot of life of Seth Payne type interviews as well.
That was always interesting, and it's nice that people are interested in you. I guess the one thing I remember learning very early on my rookie year, because it wasn't like that had a bunch of interviews in high school or college because I didn't go to high profile schools and I wasn't a high profile player. I remember I remember just kind of philosophizing about how there's certain parts of getting a college education that are either probably overblown or at least overrated the system. I think perhaps maybe over I remember just kind of casually just talking about it, and when that's put into print form and it's the pro football player says going to college is overrated, I was like, Oh, I got to be really careful about how I discussed these things, because it's not like these days where you can have a podcast and talk about it for forty five minutes. I tried to talk with Nuance about something that ended up being kind of something that somebody people were angry about, so that there was always when you're an athlete, and when people complain about bland quotes from athletes, it's that usually most of them know and understand that, like any little thing, any answer I give about this is going to be blown up and dissected so many different ways that I'm just I'm just gonna go the Bland route.
Seth.
If you'd have been a player now and you talk about podcasts, there's so many different players with podcasts now, and I always kind of cringe when I'm like, oh God, somebody said on his podcast about this.
And that the other.
I mean, I'm on Ross Saint Brown and his brother Equanimius. There's always something that happens between them. Would you have ever started your own podcast as a player?
No, no, no, because I was. I was the opposite, I think, just with the dynamic that I just talked about. And then also, I mean it was a different time too, where there was still more of there were clear lines between the media and players, and there was always a feeling that you don't want to be uh. I won't use the term that you would use, but basically somebody who was a little too liberal with the media. You're like a media hussy. Yeah, And I always I always felt that, you know, my first response ability, first and foremost was to my teammates. And as I got older, I actually probably be started being less and less available to the media, just in that I never wanted to be the guy, especially if you're on a struggling team that that gave one of those sound bites or something that could be used the wrong way. So I definitely I would have shied away from it just because I wouldn't want to do it. And you know how it is, when you get on a podcast, you get, you get, you hit that forty five minute mark and all of a sudden, you forget that you're talking into a microphone. And that's when all of a sudden, yeah yeah, unintentionally criticize a teammate or something. So I probably I probably wouldn't have been into it all that much.
That is so well said. It's kind of like the Runners High.
You know, you reach a point where it doesn't matter anymore, and I think your right sets we need a term for that at the forty five minute mark approximately of a podcast, where it just all breaks down, all the walls come down, the filters are off, and that's when the good stuff really comes out.
I've got a physiological explanation for that too, because the Runners High, it is around the forty five minute where your body kind of kicks into burning fat more than carbohydrates, and you do it's a different feel and whatever however that happens psychologically, I think the same thing happens around forty five minutes. When we had when Sean that were interviewing Rusty Hardin and Ye made a comment about the legality of certain things that can happen in the massage. It was like at the forty seven minute market the interview.
Yeah, that and that was the money.
It was the money quote absolutely, and I thought, oh my gosh, he just destroyed the whole industry with one quote.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly affected it.
I should say, not destroyed, because I guess it's still going on.
Yeah.
I mean set you go from you know, a podcast where you talk pretty much, you talk.
For four hours.
How comfortable have you gotten in doing that every single day and finding topics that you could talk about where you know, obviously you take breaks every fifteen to twenty minutes or or though it might be, but I know, listen to you guys, I know the pattern from seven to seven forty one, you guys go straight through. Do you have some of those same kind of moments when you guys are going at that pace?
I think no, because I mean, for one, so much of it is about the person you're paired with. Like obviously, you guys have an awesome chemistry, and there's a trust factor that starts to build into it where you don't worry about it. And with Sean, I mean, for one, Sean is so good at preparing and getting ready for the show that I never feel like we don't know where we're going and really, for the most part, as long as we have a couple bullet points about something, I know. It's the way it works with Sean, and I is almost like he's my teacher and he's giving me reading assignments, and by and large, I'm pretty good at you know, Like I don't, I try to have more than a surface level understanding of what we're going to be talking about. So I'm reading articles, I'm watching extra I'm trying to seek out other people's opinions, and so for us, it's usually it feels like there's a lot of meat on left on the bone, Like we have a we have a hard time getting to our break on time because we always feel like there's something extra to talk about. Uh. And I've and I've been lucky because I've only had two co hosts, and Meltzer and I were kind of that same way. So I don't I can't really speak to what it would be like if I was with somebody that I hated, that wasn't saying things that that tweak your tweak my mind. Like I always go into a segment knowing that Sean's going to say something that I didn't think about or have a perspective that I that I hadn't thought of. So it's it's fun because it's just you can be curious, you know, and you can kind of approach things with an open mind and have an actual conversation. So that that part of it for me, just by virtue of having a really good co host. I don't like. I never it's hard to explain to people like I hate it when I hate it, when I hate it when a non sports radio listener asked me what I do, because it always ends up sounding vapid, but like, hey, so what do you do? And I'm like, well, oh, you know, talk about sports and stuff every day for yeah, yeah, yeah.
But people don't understand how difficult it can be because four hours is you know, half the hour.
Because four hours.
Man to keep coming up with things that will engage listeners for four freaking hours.
That's tougher than people think. It is absolutely tougher. And you know, Sean is so well organized, like Seth says. But Seth, one of my most memorable shows I felt like was filling in and you were driving. I think it was when you were with Meltzer, but you drove and I sat in the passenger seat or the shotgun seat or whatever you want to call it. And I love that day because you were just riffing and you know, you were kind of all over the place in a good way.
Though.
It was awesome. I mean, I forget what we talked about, but it was. It was a memorable show because it just felt so stream of consciousness. And sometimes I like those two but it's hard to do that every day.
You can't. Don't try this at home, right yeah, no.
Yeah, And it's a it's a different dynamic, you know, if you've got And that's the fun thing about right now, is there really are no rules when it comes to like, if you're a young person that wants to make it in sports media, there are a million different routes you can take via social media or television or radio or anything else like that. And you know there's people doing things now and very successful at it that twenty years ago, if he said this is what I'm going to do on sports radio, every single suit in the industry would say, oh, you're an idiot, You're not going to make it. And now some of those guys are making like millions of dollars a year doing it, but it is. It's a matter of just like, ultimately it's be interesting and in sports radio, because so many people are listening in your car, you got to figure out a way to keep it within the guide. The guide rails enough that you know, people can latch onto it and listen and not be taken off on so many different tangents within a you know, a ten to fifteen segment of time.
Seth We always talk about this when we were on a team where like, oh, yeah, that guy's good and Mark mentioned it. You were kind of to go to back where you're playing with the Texans, and we think about this all the time. So this guy would be great in the media when he's done with his career. Oh, this guy would be fantastic in the media. There's some guys that you would think, no, that guy shouldn't even be in the media, and then it gets in it and you're like, oh, he's actually pretty good. When did you have an idea that going into the quote unquote media sports talk business was something that you thought a you'd be good at and be you would enjoy it.
Was I want to say this two thousand and ten or twenty eleven, when I was just I was doing my own thing, and I had a couple of different businesses that I was kind of, you know, partly involved in, but not really doing full time stuff. And I was kind of still searching because I had a plan for what I wanted to do and I was done playing. And I realized in about six months, like no hate it, just search for what I wanted to do. And John Granado ended up calling me about some issue. I think the issue was. It was when Tony Dungee was calling out the Texans for taking injuries to stop drives. So Granado called me up to just have me on, and he started having me on weekly. Some time around that period.
With me with me, you came on Withever.
At one time it was John and you, and then another time it was John and Sean yep. For a while and I started to realize, you know, and John gave me some encouragement, and at the same time, Mark started calling me up to ask me for some things, and Mark gave me encouragement. So I just ended up. You know, I had a talk with my wife and I said, let's just let's take a trip to Houston and meet some people and see what opportunities there are. And so I came down to Houston in twenty eleven, I think twenty twelve, and Mark, you know, I went, I went on every radio station in town. We have like nineteen different rated sports radio stations in Houston, and get the point. And Mark, Mark like really put a good pitch together for me to come do some work with Sports Radio six pen So and I got a lot of encouragement from Mark and so I, you know, Brandy and I and just decided, all right, we're gonna pick up. We're going to move back to Houston and and see what happens. We'll give it a season to see what happens. So and Mark put me on and I was really I didn't have a lot of confidence at all. And Mark allowed me to do a lot of stuff way before I thought I was ready to do it, and gave me a lot of opportunities. So by the end of yeah, by twenty thirteen, in January of that year is when, you know, Mark was with the Texans at the time, but Sports Radio sixtent offered me a full time job to be the middays of Mike Meltzer. And I still i'd say about three years into it, I felt like, Okay, I might I might actually be an actual solid citizen at this job.
So this is good stuff.
And it's all coming back now because in twenty twelve, that was the first year of Texans Radio as we understand it now, and you and Ted did a show, Seth and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and we put it on Wednesday nights. It was one hour Ted Johnson Seth Payne talking football and it was awesome. I mean, these two guys just talking ball, and I thought this should be on every day, should be a full time show. This is better than anything I'm doing at the time. This is before you were a glint in my eye, Johnny, So that that was fun, and obviously you had the aptitude to do it.
You're doing a great job at it. Right now.
Let's go back, though, Let's go back a little bit here and we'll bounce all over the place. But I want to go back to Clifton Springs because I get a real George Bailey and Bedford Falls vibe from Clifton Springs, where you are from.
That's the name of the town, right.
Well, I was born in Clifton Springs at the hospital there, but I grew up in Farmington, New York, and Victor in New York, same school district.
Okay, all right, will you tell me what it was like growing up there for Seth pain because we hear you.
Talk about farming. We hear this stuff, and I think the people need to know, Seth.
All right, Well, that's a it's a long and winding road because I okay, So the farming side of it was my dad's side of the family. So when I was born, I lived on a dairy farm with my mom and dad, and then my his family, you know, his cousins is great uncle, and I had like three different branches of the family, all had farms up in upstate New York. And when I was around five or six years old, my family moved to North Carolina. They picked up the whole operation, moved to North Carolina, and I lived down there for a couple of years. Then family split up and I went back with my mom where you know, she moved back up to where we were from, but where I still had a lot of farming family up there. So at any given time, I was either you know, in summers, i'd be in North Carolina with my dad at his farm. And then as I got older, up in New York, where my main residence was, I still had all the people in my family, my cousins that were farmers, and I would and my grandfather still had his farm up there. I would work on their farms in the summers and after schools at time and everything. So it was it was kind of cool because, you know, I had a single mom and my mom, my mom busted her butt like she was going to school, going to college, taking night classes for years before she finally got her bachelor's degree, but also working full time. But I also had the support group of you know, my grandma was still there. I'd go to her house after school. I'd have my grandfather on the other side of the family to go on their farm and spend a lot of time with them. So it was I was like single, you know, grew up in a single parent household, but I also had a boatload of support from my grandparents, which was looking back on, it was just vital and crucial. I just I had a lot more structure in my life than a lot of other kids did. Seth.
Have you ever talked to Kate Stover about this?
Because Caid grew up on a farm, and in fact, that's what he wants to do with his life when he's done, is raised cattle on his farm. I don't know if you've ever had had a chance to talk to kid, but how did how did growing up on a farm change you as a player?
Did it?
Yeah? I think? You know, with Caid, I think And I haven't talk to him about the farming side of stuff. I want to. I'd love to just go up and just do like a video project on his farm. For one. I'll say this, I was always jealous of the beef farmers because it just seemed like a much less I don't want to say it's a less labor intensive life, but it's a less labor intensive life than dairy farming. Dairy farming, it's just those damn cows have to get milked every damn day twice for three times a day. Or beef it's a little bit more. You raise your crops to feed the beef, you let them be. So I'm always I was always jealous of beef farmers, which he is. But the big thing about it is, you know, regardless of weather, you know, if you've got livestock, they've got to be fed every day, and it doesn't matter what the weather is, and it doesn't matter how tired you are, You just you have to do it. And as a kid, the I think maybe the most valuable part of it is that the responsibility that you're given is that a lot of your chores are like you're you doing a good job at your chores have a specific cause effect on whether that animal thrives and it even survives, or whether they get sick or anything. And then the other side of it is just like the really hard physical work when you're and it's not just that it's hard physical work, it's hard physical work when you're also miserable because it's either hot out or it's zero degrees, and it kind of sets the bar for what difficulty is and anything everything else is pretty much below that, other than wrestling practice. So like you kind of so if you can wrestle and work on a farm, there's nothing you do in sports that ever feels nearly as hard as that. So a lot of the stuff that you do in the way you operate on a team, I think they used to love, you know, when there were more farm kids around. Coaches loved farm kids because they do anything you ask, and they'll do it at one hundred miles per hour and they don't complain about it because that's just it's kind of the way they've been trained to do it from the time they were five years old.
Wow, Well said, hey, how does your brother fit into all this?
So my brother he toughened me up by beating the crap out and he was a much better wrestler than I was too. He's three years older than me. But Dan was a really really good wrestler. He ended up being an All American at Clarion, a Division one All American, and then he started he was doing really well wrestling internationally before he kind of he just one thing to find about wrestlers is they reach a point where they're like, I've had enough. This is like I've been sucking weight my whole life. He just got fed up with it. But yeah, he was like classic older brother that we we got a lot. We got along a lot better as we got older, you know, when he stopped being my tormentor as much as a mentor. And the biggest thing that, especially as I got into high school and he was somebody I really looked up to. He was the kind of guy that I realized, like man, there were times where my I realized my brother believed in me more than I did myself. And when somebody gives you those pet talks and tells you what you can do and what they think you're capable of, it's it gives you that ability almost like empowers you to believe in yourself in a way that maybe you don't naturally. And that's the lasson I've always tried to remember when you're talking with either when you're an athlete and you're working with athletes younger than yourself, or you know, you're a ten year vet and you're talking to rookies, it's a man just just believing in somebody in and of itself can have a huge effect on them and can raise them up above and beyond where a lot of other people might believe they could be, just because you because if you genuinely believe in them and you see the good in them, it's like it's something I see with Demiko. You know, Dimiko, I think he really he believes in these guys' strengths and he wants to see them achieve it, and it just it's it carries so much more power than any of the words you say, necessarily, as long as it comes with a real belief.
Wow, I have so much to say about your brother relationship because well, first of all, All American at Clarion, that's a big time wrestling school. Because they were in that, they might still be in that e w L, the Eastern Wrestling League. Penn State was in that league before the Big Ten, and that was a separate league.
It was just wrestling. It was East.
Stroudsburg and Lockhn and Clarion and Penn State. It was wild to have all these kinds of schools in this big time wrestling collegiate league. But he was an All American and rugby became his thing after he graduated, right, and he played it professionally, coached it. Now he's CEO of Rugby International whatever the outfit is he was.
Yeah, he was rugby CEO of Rugby USA and then also COO of Rugby America's I believe for a while, like now he's semi retired, but yeah, he's one of these guys. He's just a he was like a crazy one of those super competitive, good at everything type of athletes. But he was a late bloomer. So he never really he never really blossomed in football because he had he had a growth he had his growths for late high school. So wrestling was kind of the perfect sport for him. But he got Yeah, he kind of he he picked up rugby in away on the mental side of things that I think was freakishly fast, so he was able to kind of grasp the sport. And then because he was a wrestler and he had the endurance for it, he really picked up. He ended up playing on the Rugby World Cup, you know, within a few years of really picking up the sport and launching himself into a full time and ended up making it his career.
SE's one of the things I'd love to write a scouting report, especially on an offense. Deeven's a lineman is state championship wrestler. Yeah, never lost about of wrestling. And I know we talked to Justin Britt about this a few years ago and he was more of a mindset that the wrestling was. It was more about the one on one competition as opposed to anything technical. But it feels like the wrestlers, like you see guys on the football field. You can tell oh, that guy was a wrestler, and I remember doing that at the Senior Bowl. I told a guy who's a wrestler a stand by some media. I was like, you wrestled, didn't you? And he's like, yeah, how'd you know? And these media asked me afterwards it's like, you can just tell, how did wrestling help you as a football player or did it?
I know one hundred percent it really really helped. I mean the biggest thing, especially an interior defensive line or interior offensive line, is that you just learn the importance of body positioning and just how much you like having your weight in the right place really matters. And then you're just you're constantly just trying to figure out ways to move people. And your hands are really important too, So like all that stuff, it's kind of it's I mean, it's a martial art. Really you don't people don't really think of it, but it's a martial art, just high school and Olympic wrestling in and of itself. So there's that side of it, and then yeah, there's the mental toughness side of it too. Is just that you're out there on your own in front of a bunch of people and it's it's emotionally devastating when you lose when you're a young kid, because it's embared. It's like getting beat up in a fist fight, you know, and you have to learn how to process all that stuff and how to come back from it. But the the hand fighting, because I wasn't a good athlete at all by defensive tackle standards, but because I was able to use my hands really well and to use my body weight, it made a big difference. And yeah, you see it with like Mason Graham. Mason Graham was a high school wrestler. Was he not attack with my house state? I think you see it clearly with him. I was kind of surprised that Gray's Abel wasn't a high school wrestler because there when I when I saw him the first time, I was like, oh, that kid looks like a wrestler. So he kind of knows how to uses he knows how to us his hips and use his body like a wrestler.
But what he doesn't do what you pointed out and is dead on, he doesn't use his hands very well. And wrestlers know how to use their hands really well, which I always find sort of sort of fascinating because you know, growing up, we didn't have we didn't have wrestling here. But I get to Brown and Mark you you were at Penn State for a while. You see what kind of psychomaniacs those dudes are. Yeah, they're there unbelievable. Like our full back, his name is Chris Tikarski. He played at full back at two fifteen two and fifteen pounds. The season was over and even before the season was over he started cutting. But by the time they got to wrestling season, he was one seventy seven.
Oh my god, I was like, you do that?
It blew my mind.
Just wrestle heavier because because.
The heavier guys are sucking.
Down the wrest exactly.
You know what about that though, John The biggest thing that honestly, you can try to tell high school kids this all the time and they just don't want to believe it because everybody's so obsessed with the bench best as a wrestler, you know, pull ups and the peg board and all that stuff. That's the thing. And as a bigger guy, I was a bigger, like a longer, lengthier wrestler, Like I was never nearly as good at pull ups as a lot of the smaller guys, and you just you're always you want to be able to do a bunch of pull ups. That's a big thing. You want to be able to do the peg board. And I look as a as an NFL, I was considered a pretty strong guy. That was more my calling card. And I swear I was never a good bench press guy, but I could do you know, when I was three hundred and fifteen pounds, I could do weighted pull ups. And there's a lot that comes with the push and pull that It served me really really well when it came to hand fighting and some of the more physical sides of the game that like if you're a high school kid alignment especially that can whip out fifteen pull ups. That's freaky strength for a three hundred and fifteen pound dude. It and it has way more of an impact than football than people want to believe because they just they want to have the big bench press.
That was really fun, But we got more including how did Seth turn himself into a kididate to be an IVY League football player.
It all started his senior year. We'll get to that next on Texas All Access.
We are back on Texas all Access from the Texas Radio studio. John Harris Footbay on a sideline reporter with you, and it is all all about Seth paying today. We've had a great time learning about Seth, getting to know about Seth. There's a lot of people know because they've watched him play. They listened to months for TREEO six' ten not stories people probably can, recite but other than more About seth than OUR i don't, know hour and fifteen with, him maybe.
Maybe as longer than, that including.
How did you become the flavor of the month In cornell's eyes starting in your senior?
Year all?
Right So, seth take us through senior year of high school and the decision to go To. Cornell i'm here with TWO ivy leaguers And i'm The Boston university.
Guy, yeah but tell me Why? Cornell how did that? Happen all?
Right so my senior year in high, SCHOOL i played real, well but we had a head coach who probably wasn't the best high school. Coach good, guy good. Guy he got fired and they had really zero discussions with him at all ever about playing in college or. Anything it just Wasn't we weren't like a pipeline to. Colleges So sean O'Day AND i were working out another offensive, lineman a friend of mine who we were big weight room partners and. Everything we're working out in the weight room on our own and we look in the coach's, office the vacant coaches office was a stack of questionneers on the from. Colleges So i'm, LIKE i Don't i'd talked to a couple of The DIVISION iii schools in the, area Like hobart And university Of. Rochester they go around and they look at, like you, know All Greater rochester. Team SO i just started kind of shuffling through and we just we just we filled out our own questionneers and sent them off to those, schools And cornell was one of. Them SO i GOT i got a visit from The cornell coach a few weeks, later and he was watching film with you, know one of our position coaches in the office and coach To. Stefano he'd end up being my defensive line, coach and AND i kind of got called in And i'm, Like i'm trying to figure out if they they figured out my RUSE i built this thing, Out And i'm like If Dave connon was the position, coach And i'm looking at, Him i'm, LIKE I i hope he didn't say. It, oh we didn't say. That. Obviously seth filled this out but coached the. Step AND i was watching the watching my film with, me and he's, like, so, uh who's uh who's been talking to? You AND i listed the. Local he's, like so that's, uh that's. It Huh, okay let's, uh let's schedule you for a visit and and he put on the full court. Press SO I i kind of was in a spot WHERE i didn't. KNOW i didn't know for sure THAT i even wanted to go to. COLLEGE i knew that IF i wanted to go to, college LIKE i did really well with my grades and, everything and THAT i had a lot of family members that went To, Cornell so there was an appeal there just Because i'd been To cornell games WHEN i was a. KID i had my uncle played football At. Cornell, Uh but it WASN'T. I i really was in a mindset WHERE i wasn't sure WHAT i was going to do after high, school AND i THOUGHT i was thinking about going up to work on a fishing boat In. Alaska for a year or two and THEN i was gonna enlist in The. MARINE i kind of had an appetite for an. Adventure and, uh but but you Know. CORNELL i got Into cornell and they wanted me to play, football SO i went that. Route but it was it totally wasn't like any kind of a focused approach or anything like. That it really was just a good blend of circumstances with a little bit with a little bit of low grade fraud by.
Me, well after after four years of making the mistake of going To cornell instead of going to a place Like, brown.
You are now AN nfl draft.
Prospect AND i REMEMBER i was In jacksonville and at the, time AND i was thrilled anytime an ivy leaguer is mentioned as a you, know day, two day three potential, Pick Like I'm i'm all about, it AND i was so. Excited but when for you did THE nfl become any kind of, reality, Like, hey this actually might be a thing THAT i need to be THAT i need to consider with my. Life BECAUSE i know a lot of guys that you played. WITH i don't know, personally BUT i played with a lot of them At brown that were the kind of the same way of we're gonna player four years and that's. It we, know we're going on to some kind of financial investment, job or we're going on to work for you, KNOW Jp, morgan or somebody's gonna go be a, lawyer whatever the case might. Be there are many of us that ended up to BEING nfl, Players but you Did when was that a reality for? You when did you, see, oh my, gosh this actually might come to?
FRUITION i, think.
You, KNOW i ALWAYS i you, KNOW i worked really hard at football BECAUSE i loved, it and you, KNOW i just loved being on the. Team BUT i didn't really have THE nfl aspirations my first couple of. Years and at that, point you, know there's a period where nobody had been drafted out of THE Ivy league in fifteen years or, SO i, think in a long. Time but my junior year, scouts that's when scouts come, around AND i got some positive feedback from some scouts that you, know had said that they were interested or. Whatever but we also at the same time got a new strength coach Named Tom, howley who was the first time that the program had a full time strength coach like that's how that's how kind of behind the times THE Ivy league was at that. Time But Tom howley had he had played At Wake, Forest, no he played AT twu, lane but he'd been A division one strength, coach and he told, me you, know in my position Coach pete The stefano had conversations with me about how this is a real, thing and SO i kind of put myself full bore into it my junior year and then in that offseason headed into my senior year AND i stayed stayed At cornell in the, summer which wasn't typical at the time, either but just working With Dis stefano as a position, coach and he was an, awesome awesome position. Coach he taught me much better. TECH i had better technique coming to the league than the vast majority OF sec, guys big ten, guys anybody like. That But Tom howley kind of just transformed my body and my. Approach so that that spring before my senior year and then summer before my senior, year that was that was my. Goal but it hadn't been my lifelong goal or. Anything it was just kind of the seed was planted by junior. Year.
Wow so the seed was, planted you end up going to the fourth. Round what was draft weekend like for? You because this Was Saturday. Sunday it was rounds, one, two three On, saturday four through seven On. Sunday what was that weekend? Like did you think MAYBE i go in the third and Then saturday Ends you're, Thinking oh my, gosh what's gonna?
Happen how did that play out for?
YOU i was blissfully. Ignorant especially there wasn't you, know the level of coverage online and everywhere. Else it just wasn't the same as it is. Now SO i just knew from my agent THAT i had a chance of going probably somewhere between the third and sixth. Round you know WHAT i wasn't prepared. For it was just how long the process. Is BECAUSE i KNEW i wasn't going in the first, Round but you sit there on that first day In. May it's a long. Time. Yeah, yeah because every time you see somebody else, go you're, like, yeap that definitely wasn't. Me it's just rejection after rejection after. Rejection AND i want to say that at that, time the first three rounds were on the first, day and then four seven were on the second. Day SO i got a call from THE i got a call from The cowboys defensive line coach sometime during the third round that that year or that day on the first, day and then he, said, Hey, seth you know you're the. Last this will be interesting And john will probably remember this exact. Scenario he, said you're the last defensive tackle that we would consider, drafting AND i just want to let you know if we draft the defensive, tackle we're either going to take you with our last pick in the third round or our first pick in the fourth. Round and THEN i sat AND i watched and and then lo and behold they end up taking the kid out Of, Syracuse antonio something or other with the third round, pick a defensive. Tackle and what the hell is this all? About? YEAH i, kinda AND i STILL i was just A i was a. RUBE i didn't know what was going on on or. Anything SO i had bigger, right we'll wait and. See and so the fourth ROUND i got taken relatively early that, day and that is just a. Whirlwind but The cowboys, coach to his, credit called and, said, Hey, SETH i REALLY i feel bad about. THAT i just want to let you know we'd had that guy off our board because of injury, concerns but the owner stepped in and said, that uh, no we're going to go with the guy from the bigger school at this. Point So Jerry jones meddled with me AND u AND i would, didn't Thank, god BECAUSE i would have been a disaster In. DALLAS i wasn't mature enough to handle that.
Environment oh, really now it all makes.
SENSE i, mean nineteen ten makes all kinds of.
SENSE i, mean you got the ultimate revenge Against Jerry jones and The.
COWBOYS i, mean.
Oh, YEAH i carried it with. Me yeah. YEAH i felt jilted AND i screwed over by The cowboys my entire.
CAREER i, mean first of, all you're you're AN Ivy league. Player and, then like you, said you have.
Passed did you how much of a chip on his shoulder did you play with throughout your?
Career seth.
Pretty? BIG i, think you, know the first WHEN i got in a training, camp the first THOUGHT i, had and, honestly and, WRITERS i remember telling a couple of writers this and they kind of chuckled at. ME i, was LIKE i, said, HONESTLY i felt like practice in The Ivy league was harder than going against some of the rookies and, yeah, Whatever LIKE i don't, know those, guys like some of those offensive, linemen they weren't gonna ever make it in THE nfl because they were six foot, tall but they fought their butts. Off, yeah and in The Ivy. League the one thing about it, is you, know now there's a lot more you, know technically there's no, scholarships but there's a lot of there's a lot of there's a lot of kids that aren't paying to go to school. There, yeah but like the kids LIKE i took out school loans to go to college and play, football and there was a scrappiness AND i think there were a lot of guys that were real tough athletes that were six foot tall but would fight you, yep and And i'd go up. Again and so, honestly the THOUGHT i had was a lot of especially WHEN i was going against rookies or guys that were drafted higher than, me it was like this, dude this dude got a scholarship and got drafted just because he had an overactive Pituitary, glenn but he's a punk And i'm gonna kick his. Ass, oh AND i kind of carried that with me for a long, time especially with high draft. Picks i'm, like, oh you know, what because you went through puberty a couple of years earlier than, Me you got a, scholarship and you went to a big high, school and you got and you got treated like a, prince and then here you are in THE. Nfl i'm going to kick your ass AND u and that it's a good attitude to have in.
Life i've heard The coughlin.
Stories andre talks about it because he was in camp once with The, jags that if you're five minutes, early you're ten minutes, late stuff like. That and you've talked About coughlin from time to time on the, Show but what kind of impact did he make on your career and life playing For Tom coughlin And.
JET i think the biggest thing With coughlin, was you, know he came out of THAT partcels school where it's like they want to keep you uncomfortable all the. Time they just they never want you to feel, like they don't want you to feel too good about. Yourself you, know it's very very old, school but it's, Man it's it's like going through basic. Training you just you learn to be not only, tough you learn That i'm Not i'm not fighting for scraps or praise or anything like. That you're just supposed to do your, job and that you're constantly going to be you're no matter how well you're, playing you're going to be under constant. Scrutiny and the thing About cofflin that was cool was it was he was consistent with. It he did not play favorites at. ALL I rememberselli telling me that That cofflin had never once told The selli that he had a good, game you, know like it's just it's it's not the WAY i would operate IF i were a, coach but it's you, know and it's. Different there's different ways to do, it and you can be successful in a lot of different. Ways but as a, player you just you had to learn to be really really mentally tough because it wasn't and and just take a lot of pride in doing your job and doing things for your teammates and that you're just you're never safe and, uh and it teaches you to kind of that constant like a healthy paranoia that all, right, boy, whatever that's. Great, yeah did a good, job but, MAN i got a there's somebody gun in for me next, Week.
Seth you went to an expansion, team well, twice but it started In jacksonville where you go to expansion. Team you got there in ninety seven, seven so that's your first year that they had only been playing for a couple of. Years but the year, prior in ninety, six they ended up going to THE Afc Championship. GAME i mean that was a year WHERE i mean, IT i, WAS i lived, THERE i saw the whole. THING i was, like this is incredible an expansion team getting to that, level but it still was an expansion.
Team what was that?
Light going down To jacksonville place where they only had THE nfl for the three years before you got.
There it was really. Cool and you know it, again you just as a college, kid you just don't know what you're getting. Into so everything that, happens and especially when you go to a smaller, school there's so many things that you've never done, before like play in front of seventy five thousand people and play. AGAIN i remember one of the first, games well the first preseason GAME i ever. Had Jim kelly was doing the color. Commentary SO i had a production meeting With Jim, kelly AND i grew up A bills fan throughout that whole, era And Jim kelly had just, retired and it was just it was. SURREAL i was SITTING i was sitting in a meeting With Jim kelly asking me questions about things about, me AND i was kind of blown away by. It so like that the whole experience of being a rookie is kind of mind. Blowing but The jacksonville environment was cool, because for, one they still very much had a lot of old SCHOOL nfl veterans LIKE i got hazed the way not as bad as The saints back in the day or anything LIKE i. Got you, know you're still a, rookie and you better know your spot and know your role and shut up and don't you, know don't act like a. Rookie you, know better to be seen and not heard all that type of. Stuff but you learned a lot from guys like Like Jeff logman And John yorkovic and all those guys in that Defensive line meeting. ROOM i had a lot of, crusty old old SCHOOL nfl veterans that kind of like in line with playing For Tom. Cofflin it was just it was a bygone. Era it was like a last fumes of a bygone era of THE. Nfl But i'm GLAD i got to see a little bit of, it all.
Right so you played in AN afc championship game nineteen ninety. Nine The jags have a phenomenal, season but lose twice to The titans in the regular, season and here you are again with, them and you almost had a shot at The bills if The Music city miracle never, occurs so that would have been, interesting but you lose to them for the third. Time Dom capers is the defensive. COORDINATOR i remember him telling me how Tough steve McNair was to deal with in those. Games but when you look back on that, set because, man The texans have never played in AN afc championship, game AND i often think if you lose AN afc championship, game it's got to be almost worse almost than losing The Super, bowl because at least you went to The Super bowl and you can say we won THE.
Afc but what do you look back on that?
Season what kind of eyes do you look back on that season, With, hey we were fourteen and, two we were. Outstanding we made it to THE Afc Championship. Game or is it just total bitterness that you lost at home to The.
Titans, NO i think a lot of it. Is. Man you just you really learn how hard it is to just capitalize on everything and for everything to come all. Together because we were that. Year our defense was extremely good for the first three quarters of the, season and then a couple we had some bad injuries that hurt, us and then we fell off towards the end and we weren't the same defense in the. POSTSEASON i think as we were in the regular season that that you just you really learn how hard it. Is and then the big thing really AND i don't know what's to be done about, this because it's just human. NATURE i THINK i can remember so many veterans saying to the young guys like, me, like, hey, man this doesn't happen all the. Time you got to really seize the opportunity and seize the. Moment but, Meanwhile i'm, like, ah you go to the playoffs every, year we'll be back what uh you? Know and then you fast forward to seven years later And i'm The i'm the. Death i'm the old guy being, like, Listen, sonny this is.
Hard you gotta you gotta.
Really seize the day THAT i got when When Will, Anderson Will anderson gave an interview where he talked about wanting to do right by the older guys in the room in the playoffs and The Deniko autrees and The Jerry hughes and all those, guys and it actually almost made me a little teary here And Will anderson talk about, it Because i'm, like, oh this this guy gets, It like this is a young guy that just genuinely gets and understands how much it means to the older guys and how hard it is to get. There that, is it goes it just it goes by in the blink of an. Eye and you just never know any given year when when you're going to be on that potentially great team. Again you just you can't squander any. Opportunity.
Man there's more to that if you want to get it at our podcast Page Houston texas dot. Com seth was a tremendous. Sport he is a great, subject great. Friend we'd love having him. On it was a really fun. Show all, right we get. Back there's news in THE. Nfl as we get towards THE Nfl, draft we'll do discuss next On Texans All. Access all, right here we, go Well monday inite To Texans All access almost in the, books but we got a few minutes here before we turn it over To area forty five. Tonight they could talk all about what a great weekend was for The. Astros, rory McElroy man And mark we're. Here we probably would have talked a little golf h for, sure because that was incredible in a SENSE i won't say it Was. CHRISTINE i mean it was the literal definition of roller coaster Because rory hit three of the greatest approach shots ever in a major tournament at fifteen seventeen in the, playoff but he also double bogie the first he double bowie At Raised creek where hit the ball in the. Creek then his approach shot at eighteen before the playoff hits it in the sand trat like he's in perfect shape to get.
Up and down and win a tournament right.
There, anyways either, WAY i think sometimes it has to be that way when you win your First so that's WHY i think to get to THE Afc Championship game for The. Texans if we related to, THAT i feel like it might be some funky kind of, game but they finally come. Through and then once they break, through then they can do some great things from that point. FORWARD i Think wory's gonna go on and win a couple. More, actually now he's got the, first he can settle in and. Play congratulations To. Rory rockets will take On warriors Or grizzlies in the first round of the. Playoffs that's gonna be really. Cool So warriors and grizz playing to play in. Tournament see who comes out of there. Winner we'll head To houston to take on The rockets in a. Playoff so love it is a great weekend against The Los Angeles angels Of anaheim out In, california whatever their title.
Is, Now so there you, go.
All, Right ron THE nfl this, NOTE i love. THIS i saw this pop up speaking of The warriors With Steph, curry my file in, law my two brothers in, law both With, davidson and so they're always Filing. Davidson they knew About Steph curry for, anybody And Steph curry was hired as the assistant general manager With Davidson. Basketball, Well Eastern michigan today announced That Max crosby will Be Eastern michigan's assistant general. Manager it will entail evaluating high school, prospects transfer portal. Prospects crosby will also serve as a special assistant to the athletic director in, fundraising alumni, relations student athlete. Support, also they're renaming the defensive end position in a lot of, defenses it's called THE. Leo it's not gonna be called The. Max and that player will now get to wear number ninety, two Which wass's jersey number At Eastern.
MICHIGAN i thought that was the coolest. Thing you're seeing guys get involved in all the. Matters just A.
Gm look is He you know he could Be he can call up his guys and, say, Hey I'm Max, crosby would love for you to come To Eastern. Michigan Man university's got to do everything they can now to get their. Players so That tennessee With Niko Yamalaba, malaiava it was not a good. Situation, uh But Max crosby doing that for his all Modern Eastern. MICHIGAN i thought that was really cool. News Patrick peterson has. Retired he is, done And Michael parsons showed up for the start Of cowboys, workouts SO i think it was a little surprising for, people but good for him to be there as The cowboys started off their. CONDITIONING uh for this offseason all, right big thanks To Seth, Payne he's the best. Man that was a really fun segment To, mark to all of you see tomorrow body and as, always Go.
Texans
