Two for the Win
Mike is a U.S. Navy Veteran and Bryan has more than a decade of civil service experience. Together, these blue collar guys dissect the latest sports headlines and events.
Two for the Win
Two For The Win - S2.49 - Special Guest D'Shawn Wright!
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A World Series that refused to end, an NBA week that felt like a live wire, college rankings reshuffled by the hour, and an NFL slate punctuated by a 68-yard laser—this one had everything. We break down Game 7’s turning points, from a defense-first veteran becoming the unlikeliest ninth-inning hero to an all-in pitching carousel that paid off in extras. Then we zoom across the leagues: early NBA chaos and what it reveals about depth, discipline, and bench scoring; college football’s rankings churn and how one red-zone moment can rewrite a season; and the NFL’s blend of late-game madness, injuries, and bold trade deadline swings that could reshape December.
The heartbeat of the episode arrives with our guest, Deshaun Wright—professional bodybuilder, coach, business owner, and community leader. Deshaun doesn’t romanticize the grind; he defines it. Bodybuilding, as he puts it, is a full-life commitment where sleep, meals, and mindset matter as much as any lift. He shares how he went from sleeping in his gym with his kids to running two thriving locations, why your why must be strong enough to carry you through the days you want to quit, and how coaching is less about trophies and more about transforming lives that ripple far beyond a stage. His five core principles—never quit, learn from losses, earn everything, push beyond comfort, and believe until results follow—map perfectly onto how resilient teams survive tough stretches.
We tie it all together: how a clutch at-bat, a second unit’s surge, a special teams record, or a locker room’s trade response echo the same habits Deshaun teaches daily. If you’re chasing a PR, a playoff berth, or a personal reinvention, you’ll leave with practical fuel and a sharper compass. Tap play, subscribe, and share this one with a friend who’s building something hard. Then tell us: what’s your why?
November 5th, 2025. Welcome back, everybody, for a very special episode of Sports Banter with us. The clocks may have fallen back, but we have not fallen off. I'm Brian with an eye. And I'm Mike. And we are two for the win. Mike, we have a very special episode tonight. What we've got going on. Yes, we do.
SPEAKER_01:Just for you guys, we have a special interview with Deshaun Wright, professional bodybuilder and business owner. Be sure and stick around for that. We had a game seven in the World Series. NBA season is off and running. And as always, we got some football to talk about.
SPEAKER_00:Football. Football is the devil, Bobby. But before we get started, I'd like to say thank you to our sponsors and partners. Body by D Gym in Yorktown and Gloucester. Deshaun's a great owner, former bodybuilding champion, and training other bodybuilding champions in their own up-and-coming right, as well as many other things happening out of the gyms. Our good friends Katie and Christian over at Solace Outfitters, two young athletes, basketball players, in fact, also building a brand at very young age, teenagers, 18 and 19, I believe. Good job, guys. And the Giving Tree Chiropractic down here in Virginia Beach. Justin's very good at what he does, making chiropractic services accessible to everybody. Thank you all for being our sponsors and partners, and we look forward to continuing doing business with you guys in the future. Mike, let's kick this thing off, bro.
SPEAKER_01:Alright, let's start with some baseball, man. Because we just had one hell of a World Series. Now, granted, one hell of a World Series. I will be the first to admit, and I will tell you, that I was rooting for the Blue Jays. I kind of want to see them win. And for more reasons than one, man. So one of the reasons I want to see the them win was the fact that uh Don Mattingley. Don Mattingley does not play baseball anymore, but he is a manager. He has been in baseball for many years, and he was one heck of a player. Over 40 years, in fact.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Around the sport and in the professional sport.
SPEAKER_01:For those who remember him playing, he was a darn good player, and he played for the Yankees before they started becoming a powerhouse and winning all those championships in the 90s. So he was not there to win a ring. He never got a ring. He never won. Never even made it to the World Series until being a coach with the Blue Jays. That's right.
SPEAKER_00:He was there to win a hat.
SPEAKER_01:He was he was hoping that after 40 years in baseball that he would finally know what it's like to win one. But he didn't, he didn't get the success. I'm kind of ruining the lead end of what happened in game seven. But there was another reason I was excited for Blue Jays to win, is I heard where their young first baseman, whose dad used to play baseball as well. That's right, Vladimir. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., obviously senior played baseball and he was a good player in his own right. Uh, he never won one. And he said if he won, he was going to give his dad his World Series ring. Because if it wasn't for his dad, he wouldn't have been a major league player. He said he was very crucial in getting him into the mindset of being a professional player and being accountable and you know putting the work in. And obviously it worked because he was a tear throughout the playoffs and throughout this series. It just you know sometimes it doesn't come together.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you know, how noble of them. I hear they connect quite a bit of money through um pawning, but you know, you can give it to your dad.
SPEAKER_01:Whatever. No, no, it had nothing to do with any pawning.
SPEAKER_00:You know, it had everything to do with and you know that aside, the the Vladdy story is sweet, but back to Mattingley, you know, this just goes to show in any professional sport is not guaranteed, right? No, it's never guaranteed. You can be there a hundred times and still never get there.
SPEAKER_01:Right, right. So obviously, we had a game six and seven. Game Obviously. Game six ended in such a wonky way, man. There there was a catch in the outfield, and the left fielder, Kiki Hernandez, threw the ball to second base, doubled up the runner that was on second to in the bottom or in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Dodgers the win, forcing a game seven. So we were treated to a game seven here recently. Uh and this game seven, you had Yamamoto being the starting pitcher for for the Dodgers, and the Blue Jays decided to send Bieber up. And it was a it was looking like, okay, Blue Jays came out hot in the beginning. You know, they they looked like they were going to take this thing all the way because there just was nothing happening with the bats of the nothing. Yeah, with the Dodgers in the beginning of it. But the game drug on. Drug on. And the Dodgers just chipped away, chipped away, and they finally made a comeback to tie it, and they wound up tying the game in the ninth inning. And what's crazy is Miguel Rojas, who was he wasn't really in there for his bat so much as his defense, and he's kind of an aging player, but the most unlikely of heroes to come up in the ninth and get a hanging slider and hit it deep to left and get them tied up to send the game into overtime. It was just crazy. Like, I it it's one of those things that like it's it's like a movie, you know, like when you see a sports movie and it's like, hey, that guy that hasn't played all year, get up there and bat, and he hits a home run, you know. Like, I'm not saying you didn't play all year, he's maybe we should have played this guy sooner. But no, I mean they just they they just came together at the right moments. And the crazy part was everybody was going for it all. They were throwing in starting pitchers. I mean, you had Otani start the game, you had Glass now come in, you had Snell come in, you had well actually I I misspoke. Otani started this game, not Yamamoto. Yamamoto was the one that came in and closed it out, pitching, pitching this second day in a row because he just pitched before. He pitched the day before. So the fact that he came in and did what he did is impressive, and not only that, he wound up getting MVP for this game because the Dodgers. The Dodgers Dodgers in the 11th inning scored and held off the Blue Jays to win. There was a there was kind of a crazy situation in left field though, when when Blue Jays were trying to make a little comeback. There was a ball hit and Kiki was not in the right position. He's running back to get this ball, and they just put Pajes in. Paes runs over and basically runs over his his own teammate to get the ball. And you're you're you're watching this, and we've seen this many times as baseball fans, where two outfielders collide and then it causes chaos.
SPEAKER_02:Chaos.
SPEAKER_01:But in this situation, you know, Kiki said after afterwards, he's like, he ran me over, and then he he said he says, Paja says to him, Are you okay? And he goes, I am if you have the ball. Yeah, he's like, Yes, I have the ball, then I'm fine. He gets up and runs off the field. But like just running over his own player, he's like, screw it, we're getting this win. I'm not letting this happen.
SPEAKER_00:But taking this into my own hands.
SPEAKER_01:And and the fact that we go to game seven and it goes into extra innings is just crazy. Like this this whole series, yeah. We had an 18-inning game in this series.
SPEAKER_00:That's like two games right there alone.
SPEAKER_01:Right. So, I mean, they're the catcher for for the Dodgers actually is now holding a record for most innings caught in a World Series because of that. Congratulations to him. I don't think anybody's gonna want to touch that record. But this this was one heck of a series. I mean, albeit the Dodgers won, I I'm I hate that they basically bought it, but you know, and I know people are gonna be like, well, we didn't buy it.
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, these other players this was one of the most competitive and um entertaining, quite honestly, World Series in memory uh in in recent years. I mean, to for the Blue Jays to take the defending champs, the Dodgers, all the way to a game seven, and one of those games that go 18 innings. I mean, I I think the Blue Jays can actually they can hold their head high because they really, really played their butts off.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I I hope nobody says the the key phrase that is so so aggravating for most fans when you say, Oh, don't worry, they'll be back. Ask Dan Marino how that worked for him. He went to the Super Bowl once and never went again. Yeah. So don't don't tell me, oh, it's okay, you'll be back.
SPEAKER_00:It certainly is not okay.
SPEAKER_01:And then you don't ask Don Mattingly after 40 years.
SPEAKER_00:It's kind of like, yeah, it's kind of like discounting all the work you put in in a single season to get to that point, and then you gotta start all over from ground zero next season. Exactly. It just really discounts, I think, the level of work it takes to get to that point. So and to compete.
SPEAKER_01:For me, the one thing I do like seeing out of this is it's probably gonna make a stronger Hall of Fame case for Freddie Freeman for when he retires.
SPEAKER_00:Freeman.
SPEAKER_01:So, and speaking of Hall of Fame, uh, there is actually something pretty cool going on.
SPEAKER_02:See pretty cool.
SPEAKER_01:So you have the contemporary ballot that comes up with the Hall of Fame, where they take a second look at players who have had chances to get into the Hall of Fame and they give them another shot. And the they recently announced that the players Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Venezuela are getting another chance at becoming Hall of Famers. And I really hope Fernando makes it because with the Dodgers just winning the World Series and Fernando Mania back in the 80s, this might be his chance to really get a push to get in. Because it really was, you know, like things stopped in Los Angeles when he was pitching. Like everybody wanted to see Fernando pitch.
SPEAKER_00:I'd like to see Fernando get it as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Well, unfortunately, he's not with us anymore, but you know, you would like to see for his family to see that honor and his yeah, just solidify his legacy, you know. Exactly, exactly. So we're hoping the best for those players, you know, hopefully it happens. Um Braves recently announced that they have a new manager. The Braves, but it's not really a new manager, it's a face they've seen. They have moved up one of their coaches, Walt Weiss, is now gonna be the manager of the Braves. And fun fact, he played for the Braves.
SPEAKER_00:This seems to be the theme of the offseason for baseball. A lot of these teams are hiring uh general managers who they've already been familiar with before in the past. Oh, he's not general manager, he's just gonna be the coach. Well, yeah, he's or the the manager, the skipper, but a lot of these teams are hiring uh people in within within that have already been familiar with uh prior in the past. So I'd see this as a theme going on with some of these.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's not it's not his first uh go-round as a manager because his first rodeo. Well, he was he's been a uh manager with other organizations, but he he was actually the manager of the Rockies a while back. And and the Rockies were successful when he was manager. I mean, not to the point where they won a World Series, but they were decent. They weren't like they are now. They were actually winning games then. Anyway, let's uh let's roll over to the NBA real quick and see what's going on.
SPEAKER_00:Roll over and sync like never mind. I'm not gonna go anywhere with that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it didn't seem like I was going anywhere.
SPEAKER_00:I thought I was, but we're not anywhere.
SPEAKER_01:Anyway, uh man, I gotta point this out. I don't know if you saw this highlight or lowlight or whatever you want to call this in the Magic Hawks game. Uh, but there was an altercation in this game where you had Desmond Bain, and he basically turned into pro wrestler in this game, man. Because so the Atlanta Magics are taking the ball up court, and the Hawks steal it, and they do a lob pass to one of their own other players who's still back at the other end with Desmond. And Desmond tries to jump up, misses the ball, but when the Hawks player goes up, Desmond like hooks his arm and like slams him to the ground, or kind of throws him to the ground, and then while he's being thrown to the ground, spikes the basketball at him like a volleyball, you know, just stares him down.
SPEAKER_00:If you look at this clip, I think there's room to say that maybe it wasn't on purpose, but clearly, I mean, clearly, Bane is a villain because his name's Bane, so it belongs in the Batman universe. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01:Look, look, man, all I know is like watch this clip. If this was the NFL, he was definitely getting 15 yards for unsportsman like contest.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It was crazy. Like, just go watch the clip. Desmond Bain basically spikes Hawks player on onto the court.
SPEAKER_00:Uh it is a hell of a play to watch. I mean, I don't think it's a good thing.
SPEAKER_01:It's not a good thing, but it's one of those things that you you kind of want to see it.
SPEAKER_00:I'm just kind of like, why? Why do that?
SPEAKER_01:Why? Well, let's say for what it is, the magic of not being good this year. So this year's just getting started. I know, but this is a team that a lot of people were had high hopes for coming into this season, and they just have not been clicking.
SPEAKER_02:We got high hopes, we got a lot of things.
SPEAKER_01:And Desmond Bain has not been as effective as they thought he would be. Sorry. I was reminded of a song. Anyway, so they kind of bounced back anyway. Uh they'll get they'll they'll figure it out. They'll bounce back, they'll get a bit.
SPEAKER_00:Figure it out. Yeah. But that's okay.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we'll we'll let we'll let him, you know, sometimes you gotta do wrong and have somebody tell you to get right. You know, sometimes you gotta take some lumps and deal with the consequences of your actions, and this is just one of them.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. I'm reminded of another song, but I won't sing this one.
SPEAKER_01:I think the l listeners are probably saying thank you.
SPEAKER_00:I think they love my generational songbird voice.
SPEAKER_01:I don't think you're listening to the same things we're listening to. By the way, the Orlando Magics lost that game against the Hawks 127 to 112. They do to kind of give you an idea that they're not doing great.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And on second note, everything sounds better in my head.
SPEAKER_01:Like well, of course, everything always sounds better.
SPEAKER_00:I don't hear it for what it is, and that's the bliss that I live with. Are you trying to say ignorance is bliss? It is ignorant. I am ignorant how I actually sound outside of my own head. Is it the non-filter between? To me, I sound like Lou Frigdo.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, Jesus. Anyway, uh you totally derailed this. Let's get back to NBA, man. Yeah, so NBA. Let's get to the other side of teams that are doing well. The Chicago Bulls.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, boy.
SPEAKER_01:Man, the Chicago Bulls are kind of on a tear, right? So they started the season 5-0. First time since Jordan was with the team.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So that's saying something when you can say, hey, the team's 5-0. We hadn't seen this since Jordan. You know you've done something because it was a while ago.
SPEAKER_00:That's pretty good. I hope they keep it together too.
SPEAKER_01:But they recently had a game against the Sixers. Again, you know, Sixers kind of come out kind of a hot team. They actually had the Bulls down at half by 24 points. But the Bulls, thanks to Josh Josh Giddy having a triple-double, they came back and won this game 113 to 111, beating the Sixers. So capping off a good comeback. And it wasn't just Giddy alone. I mean, Vucevic and and it just the cast. Like they're getting production off their bench, which is a big thing because if you you could be a good regular season team with just your front five and win a lot of games. Yeah. But when it comes playoff time, you need to get production even when your stars are not on the floor. That's right. By that point, you got people that are hurt, playing through being hurt, and people that are just tired.
SPEAKER_00:You need points on every drive.
SPEAKER_01:You need points where you don't normally get points. You need to see your guys on the bench perform, and they've been getting some points out of the bench. They really have. We really do. We want to see more out of this east. Spoken like a true fan, Mike. Well, no, because like think about it. The East, we kind of had an idea that like the Knicks and the Cavaliers, like we we knew they were gonna be like kind of tops, right? Nobody had Bulls being in there. Nobody had Sixers kind of stepping up and I mean, Sixers, yeah, they were kind of good last year, but you never know what you're getting out of Joel Embiid. And to have Maxie coming off and Edgecombe coming off this season and a tear, like you're getting pr you're getting good production from them. Yeah, and Embiid's holding his own, but they're not relying on him like they have in years past. So you're getting some good play out of some of these teams in the East. You know, you really are. I mean, not not to throw any shade at the West, but lots of shade on the West.
SPEAKER_00:It's very shady out west.
unknown:Lord.
SPEAKER_00:But anyway, I was gonna say, I was I was looking at this game down here while you're talking. Uh I'm looking at the Raptors and the Bucks. Raptors beating the Bucks 128 to 100. Madness. Madness on November 4th. Raptors coming up there. Bucks are a notably, you know, decent team, so I thought that was pretty cool. Um, what else are we going through here? We're looking at last week still, we're looking ahead to next week.
SPEAKER_01:Well, not to not to undersell it, but the Knicks did beat the Bulls recently in a uh pretty decent game. Let's see. I think it was on Sunday. There you go.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. 128-116, Madison Square in New York.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well, and here you go. Suns topping the Spurs. That's another one. 130 to 118. Remember the Spurs. The Spurs came off hot too in their first five. So to have the Spurs lose to the Suns, I mean, it's not like the Suns don't have you know some talent on their team, but come on. You know, nobody's nobody's been mentioning them as one of the top teams in the West.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. But they covered up here. We had Jazz beat the Celtics 105-103. That was Monday night.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Celtics, they're just not until they get Tatum back. I just don't know what that team really is. You know, like and and there's no guarantee they're gonna get Tatum back this year. You know, that Achilles tear, we just don't know. Some people can bounce back and they're back with it within a few months. Some of them it takes over a year.
SPEAKER_00:And then here again on Monday night, the Heat beating the Clippers.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and we had Lakers beating the Trailblazers.
SPEAKER_00:That's right, yep. Lakers beating the Trailblazers, that's kind of expected. 123-115. But give it to the Trailblazers for kind of keeping it within a few points there.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, without their coach.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Right, yeah. Yeah, conundrum.
SPEAKER_01:Which he's not getting paid while he's away.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, conundrum they're in right now. Fun.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Well, let's move on to college football.
SPEAKER_00:Let's talk some college football here. I'm sure we've got some good matchups coming up here this week uh in the NBA as well, but we'll go ahead and move over to college. Let's talk about a little bit of college football week 10, Mike. Let's do it. What was one of you like we saw some good games here this past weekend?
SPEAKER_01:Did we?
SPEAKER_00:There were some good ones on.
SPEAKER_01:Well, we had we had Ohio State playing Penn State. That's right. And Ohio. With Ohio State winning 38 to 14. So Penn State just after their early rank, it's just not looking good. And Indiana's still doing what it's doing against Maryland, popping them off 55 to 10. So Maryland. I mean, Maryland's not ranked, and Indiana's number two up there. But how about Florida kind of keeping pay pace with Georgia, who's who was ranked five at the time, and with a final score of 24 to 20. So, you know, tight contest from a team that's not ranked, but not coming away with the victory. And then Battle of uh South Carolina, Ole Miss, with Ole Miss coming out 34 to 14.
SPEAKER_00:30 to 14. Yeah, 30 to 14. How about uh Virginia, UVA, sitting right here at number 15 ranked? Uh facing California is unranked, but UVA kind of having a good football season this year. In fact, we'll get to in a minute, but the playoffs ended today, they would be in the playoff bracket.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Vanderbilt beating Texas. Or no. Sorry, correction. Texas beating Vanderbilt. So Texas edging him out 34 to 31.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, number 15. 2020, Texas taking over number nine, Vanderbilt.
SPEAKER_01:So Archie getting a uh getting a crucial win, I guess.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Let's see here. Notre Dame beating Boston College, 5-10.
SPEAKER_00:Oklahoma beating Tennessee, another upset there. 18 knocking off number 14.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, not good for Tennessee. That's gonna hurt them in the rankings. We'll get to the rankings in a minute. Uh, how about Utah? Utah beating Cincinnati. Cincinnati was ranked 17, Utah 24. Beating the pants off. Beating them 45 to 14. So we might be seeing some Utah Utes moving up.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Michigan holding tight over Purdue. Uh, let's see here. Houston trying to hang with West Virginia, not quite getting it done.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, West Virginia won.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_01:West Virginia 45. Houston 35. Yep. So how about that, West Virginia?
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. What else we got down here for last week's matchups. There was a lot of good football on. And we kind of here at the bottom, there's not a whole lot of good matchups.
SPEAKER_01:I'm sure we could pick out matchups all evening, though. I know we could. I know we could.
SPEAKER_00:Let's jump over to let's jump over to current rankings real quick.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, let's see how the rankings have shaken up with this recent.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. We'll go ahead and read off the top ten. Number 10, Notre Dame. Damn, however you say it, jumping back into the top ten there. Coming in at nine, Oregon. Notre Dame previously not ranked. A lot of previously not ranked teams up here on this list. Uh number eight, Texas Tech.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know if that's true because these teams doesn't seem seem right when you have Ohio State up here. They were ranked.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so was Indiana. So I don't I don't know what that is. I don't know. Maybe we need to redo this page.
SPEAKER_01:Anyway. Nope. It's just whack. It's just gone whacked. Anyway, so BYU.
SPEAKER_00:BYU. Number six, Ole Miss. Number five, Georgia. Number four, Alabama. A lot of SEC teams up here in the top ten, Mike. Like always. But number three, Texas AM.
SPEAKER_01:And number two is Indiana. And number one, as always this year, Ohio State. Ohio. Running away with it. So, you know, let's see if any teams cracked into the oh poor Tennessee. They dropped all the way to 25 after their loss. Yeah. And then once again, UVA sitting at 14. Vanderbilt, who was nine, has dropped back to 16. Yeah. Good. Texas. Texas moved all the way to 11. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Texas moved to 11. Notre Dame moved to number 10. I like to see them sitting where they're at.
SPEAKER_01:Utah, who was previously just made the ranking last week, has moved up to 13. So, you know, this is just proving with this new, new new ranking system. Like, if your team can just catch fire and beat a ranked team, you might see yourself in the rankings. I mean, obviously, you need to have the record too. You can't just be in there with, you know, like five losses or something. Like, you got to have the record. Most of these teams that are ranked, uh, actually, all of them except for Tennessee, have two losses or less.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and again, you know, going to the larger top 25, I see more SEC teams on this list overall than any other conference. Now, the ACC's well represented, so is the Big Ten, but just not nearly as many teams. SEC's just taking over the top 25 rankings here and the top ten. Well, Big Ten and Big 12 have some representation. They do, yeah. I would say they're well represented as well, but there's more SECs up here than anything else.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I mean, you always have the independent Notre Dame.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. They're the only one representing themselves. Themselves.
SPEAKER_01:Which is kind of smart because then they're not pigeonhilled to any anybody's group. And they don't have to just they don't have to share anything that they win.
SPEAKER_00:All them. Let's see, you're coming up this week. Uh we already had November 4th games, which nobody cared about anyway.
SPEAKER_01:Tonight's game. You don't know that. Maybe somebody did want to see Miami of Ohio.
SPEAKER_00:Maybe on Tubi. Maybe on Tubi, he says. Friday, Houston.
SPEAKER_01:Get to the Saturday matches, man.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, the Saturday matchups are really what we're looking for.
SPEAKER_01:All right, here we go. BYU and Texas Tech, a seven and a eight at noon.
SPEAKER_00:That'll be good. I'm actually looking forward to this Penn State, Indiana matchup.
SPEAKER_01:Uh, Indiana's gonna whoop them.
SPEAKER_00:Probably, but I still look forward to it. I'm telling you, they're gonna just mollywop. Colorado and West Virginia going at it. JMU Marshall.
SPEAKER_01:Let's see. Ohio State going against Purdue. City really not gonna be much of a struggle there. Keep going, keep going. Let's see, Texas AM and Missouri. Missouri's ranked 22nd. Texas, Texas AM is three. Got Oregon, Oregon. We have Oregon, a number nine, going against Iowa. They're 20. And it's at Iowa, so that might be a might be a sleeper-trap game there going into Iowa.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you're right. You know, we'll see how that works out for them. I think Oregon can pull it out, but you know, um that's a good matchup right there, Iowa and Oregon.
SPEAKER_01:Vandy against uh Auburn. I mean, Auburn's not ranked, but maybe this will give Vandy a chance to rebound from their loss.
SPEAKER_00:Andrew Luck Stanford taking on Bill Belichick's Tar Heels.
SPEAKER_01:Well, let's see if Andrew Luck can beat him.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, considering he's nowhere on the field. Would it have Navy in Notre Dame? That's a good one right there. Oh, that's classic. That'll be good.
SPEAKER_01:That's uh that's the uh late game.
SPEAKER_00:LSU Alabama, yeah, that's one of the late games.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah. LSU Alabama, that should be a fun matchup. Yes, we got LSU is kind of falling off and not ranked, but yeah, so we got some good matchups coming up here, Mike.
SPEAKER_00:Uh so you know, good old time. Uh we had a thing here. Who would be in the playoffs? So if playoffs started today for college football, these are the teams that would be in it, right? Uh just saying for reference, okay. Uh your top four, or else I'll just read. Yeah, I'll just read down the list. Number one would be Ohio. They got number two is Indiana. Number three, they have as Texas AM. And number four, they have as Alabama. Those would be your first round buy teams. And then down here, uh number five, which would take on number 12. Number five, Georgia matched up with number 12, Memphis. Uh let's see here. Number six, Ole Miss matched up with number 11, Virginia. Number seven, BYU matched up with number 10, Notre Dame. That's a brutal matchup in the first round of the playoffs. And then uh number eight, Texas Tech matched up with number nine, Oregon. Uh so a fairly interesting playoff bracket for college football if it were to start today.
SPEAKER_01:And right now, the first teams that would be on the outside looking in would be Texas and Oklahoma at 11 and 12. So they these are usually when you're sitting there, you're the teams that are in the hunt. Yeah, yeah, you're right there. You just need something to come together. This is not the time to be losing games because we only have like a handful of games left. Yeah. You do not want to get a loss at this point in the season because you're pretty much almost guaranteed. You start losing games at the end of the season, you ain't making a playoff.
SPEAKER_00:And speaking of getting lost in the season, Mike, can you believe how far along we are in both college and NFL? We're coming into week 10 of the NFL, week 11 of college football. Time just seems like it goes faster every year, my friend.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think part of that has to do with getting excited about the matchups. Yeah. Things that have happened. I mean, we've not we have not been short of interesting storylines and interesting games when it comes to the world of football.
SPEAKER_00:No, not at all. Nor short of storylines outs off the field either. Oh, geez. We got plenty of those. Uh, but speaking of coming into week 10 of the NFL, we're gonna talk about the NFL week nine.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and and so it kicked off with a Thursday night game between the Ravens and Dolphins, which it was all Ravens all the whole day.
SPEAKER_00:And welcome back, Lamar Jackson. Hitting three tight ends for four touchdowns uh throughout the game. Uh happy tight, happy, belated tight end day to you guys. Well, showing that Mark Andrews can still actually play. Yeah, he got two touchdowns. Uh Isaiah likely got touchdowns, some other third string tight end got a touchdown. I said he's gonna throw it to anybody but his tight ends tonight. No, I don't know, man. Forget my fantasy team.
SPEAKER_01:Look, you want to talk talk about a game that was just insane. The Bears Bengals game was just nuts. Yeah, that was crazy. You're talking multiple touchdowns within two minutes of the end of the game. Yeah. And you gotta, if you're if you're a Bengals offensive player, you gotta be looking at your defense like, bro, can't y'all just get a stop?
SPEAKER_00:One stop. One stop. That's Caleb Williams, my friend. He looks like he wears a dress. Just get a stop. One stop.
SPEAKER_01:Look, Caleb Williams was looking more like Patrick Mahomes out there with the way, you know, back in the early days when they were just throwing it up. Because, you know, you had you had Loveland getting like a 58-yard touchdown from Caleb Williams late.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, Lovelin absolutely went off. And Romo Dunze, not even, I think he had three targets, didn't even catch a single one. Their number one receiver to this point of the year was blanked.
SPEAKER_01:I think he was just sitting on sitting on the bench eating eating some nachos or something.
SPEAKER_00:He's trying to get out of there. It could be, but do we call him Caleb Mahomes or Patrick Williams?
SPEAKER_01:What do we do? I don't think we have to do anything but call him Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams. Like, look, you don't have to like his antics, but if you're a Bears fan, you're liking the fact that your team is five and three now because of this new regime and Caleb Williams looking like an efficient quarterback. Well, semi-efficient quarterback. I'm not gonna say he's totally efficient because they do have three three losses.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, it is only his sophomore year, but he's got quite a number of weapons. He's got a high-powered offense they're trying to implement. They're putting up 47 points.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know, that might be because of that bum Bengals team.
SPEAKER_00:Well, maybe, but if you look at their last few games, they put up an average of like 35 points through week 10 to this point. Like, they're killing it, man. Even their defense has been relatively uh serviceable. They've been putting up points too. Well, fantasy.
SPEAKER_01:Except for the fact that they gave up 42 points in this game. But like they did they did get a stop to get them to win, unlike the Bengals.
SPEAKER_00:Like, I mean, even giving up 42 points, just talking fantasy statistics, even giving up 42 points, they still finished, I think, with 11 points on defense, so they were still getting things done, even though they got outscored. Uh well, they didn't get outscored, but even though they got scored on quite a bit.
SPEAKER_01:So I gotta make an admission here. I have to I have to give a little bit of an apology to the Vikings.
SPEAKER_00:We need sad music.
SPEAKER_01:I I have to give an apology to the Vikings, man. I have to say sorry, because I didn't think they had a chance in this game against the Lions. I did not think that they were gonna come in here with JJ McCarthy and beat the Lions.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, even more so. I did not think that was gonna happen. I did not think JJ McCarthy was even gonna look for his tight end. DJ Hawkinson, touchdown, 48 yards.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, TJ finally got one. Yeah. But I mean, the final score in this one was 27 to 24. And I it wasn't just that. It did like the the defense for the Vikings just kind of showed up. You know, they kind of they made it difficult all game long with uh you've got to help me here. I'm forgetting his name, the quarterback.
SPEAKER_00:For who?
SPEAKER_01:Lions.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, Jared Goff.
SPEAKER_01:That's it, Jared Goff.
SPEAKER_00:Jared Koff because he likes to choke.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, good Lord, good lord. Oh horrible. Horrible. That was great. Jared Goff all game long was just being harassed, it seemed like. You know, like they just they they just didn't seem like they were putting it together early on in the game, and they they just couldn't make a comeback. But kudos to the Vikings because with their division so tight, with most of the most, if not all the teams being five wins, they're right there. Oh, they needed that win. They're right there.
SPEAKER_00:Because if they would have fell to three and five, you can bet their playoff hopes are on the brink of being bye-bye. Speaking of a team with playoff hopes. Ooh.
SPEAKER_01:Panthers? The Panthers!
SPEAKER_00:The Panthers.
SPEAKER_01:The Panthers, though. Look, the Panthers, the Panthers are five and four. And in case nobody has picked it up yet, they're five and four, which means that they beat the Packers this past Sunday, which they did 16 to 13. It was a low-scoring affair.
SPEAKER_00:But the Panthers. By the way, the Panthers are this year's team where you're like, I don't know how they're doing it, but they're doing it. They're just like stumbling their way through wins and staying relevant. Bryce Young is playing like Bryce Young, even been out a couple times. We saw, you know, a cameo appearance by um what's his name? Redhead, the red rocket. Andy Dalton. We saw Andy Dalton come in for a brief time and act helped contribute to this win right here. I believe.
SPEAKER_01:He broke his thumb. No, he didn't. He broke his thumb. Oh, this was Bryce Young's win. Bryce Young's win. Uh, but Rico Doddle has been like an unsunk hero for them because their run game under Chupa Hubbard was not doing so hot. But Dowdle, he's been having a year and making the Cowboys look silly for letting him walk out.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, Dowdle really, yeah. I mean, Dowdle might be the X factor of their winning season right now.
SPEAKER_01:And the crazy part is they did this in the Packers' house, in Lambeau. So you're you're coming into their house and walking out with a victory. I know.
SPEAKER_00:They don't even have Jaden Daniels, and they did that.
SPEAKER_01:Tip of the cap, fellas. I mean, way to go.
SPEAKER_00:Tip of the cap. I like it though. Broncos getting a very serviceable win over the Texans. I like that word serviceable, Mike. That's gonna be my word for a little while.
SPEAKER_01:Well, unfortunately for the Texans in this game, CJ Stroud left early with a uh concussion, so we don't even know if he'll be playing this next week through the concussion protocol.
SPEAKER_00:We got confirmation already. We'll not be playing this week.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Well, he's not playing. But is their team has just been banged up all year. They have just been a little bit more.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, this the story of like half of the NFL right now, they're banged up, got bit early by the injury bug, bit hard, actually.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's not it's not like we haven't had injuries before, but this just seems a bit expensive. This is excessive. We got players that haven't even played yet. I mean, Joe Mixon of the Texans hasn't even played a single down, and they're talking like he might not even play at all this year.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You know, yeah, you're right about that. It just this year just seems a little worse for pla for player injuries overall. Uh, the Falcons, we never know which version of the Falcons we're gonna get from week to week at this point, but it looks like we got the version that's not gonna be winners.
SPEAKER_01:I I I have figured out who they are. They are a bipolar person. You don't know what you're getting with them. I agree. They need some medication to settle out their bipolar.
SPEAKER_00:I agree, because one week they'll beat the pants off somebody, then the next week they'll get their pants beat off. It's like some weird But they'll get beat by somebody that doesn't make sense.
SPEAKER_01:You know, like when they got beat by the by the Patriots, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And by the way, nothing. This win by the Patriots puts the Patriots the Mike Vrabel led Patriots are now seven and two and tied for the best record in football. This has been a hell of a turnaround, especially in year one.
SPEAKER_01:Well, let's give kudos to the front office. Yeah, because they didn't necessarily go out and get the best free agents. They went and got the best free agents for them. You know, players like Spillane, Landry for their defense. You know, the offense, they go and draft a new left tackle that most people in the in the draft were given crap because they said he had short arms, but he ain't playing short armed when he's out there pushing. All I know is they they made some intelligent moves at picking up some players. You know, they picked Stefan Diggs up, and you know, just to give kind of a veteran presence, and they probably weren't expecting much out of him, but he's been playing pretty good this year, you know, and they've been getting contributions out of Booty and out of Douglas as well in their receiving game.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, their their run games kind of struggled a little bit.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, they've managed the run game.
SPEAKER_00:They've managed to stay, they've managed to move the chains when they need to. Right. Uh getting production out of Booty up until this last game, Booty had a touchdown in like the last four games straight, I think.
SPEAKER_01:And Drake May looking like a viable franchise quarterback.
SPEAKER_00:Looking like the number one overall quarterback to me from a couple years ago, from last year, actually.
SPEAKER_01:We're gonna get into the trade talks here in a minute, but I wanted to, since we're talk talking about the Patriots, the Titans were one of the teams that were considered sellers at the trade deadline, but they came out and said they sold nobody. No, no, they that they sold some players, they traded them. They would not do business with the Patriots because they did not want to debate any business with Rabel.
SPEAKER_00:I know the NBA can have some salty feelings and some stuff going on in there, but that is some true like saltiness going on from Vrabel just two weeks ago was in their house beating the pants off of them.
SPEAKER_01:Well, remember, he left not on not so great terms from the Titans because the Titans kind of screwed screwed him over by giving him a lame duck team and then firing him the next year.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and who ironically, Vrabel's in year one of his build. The Titans are in year one of what or year two of what should be their successful build, expecting a step forward. And Vrabel comes in, beats the pants off of them in their house after leaving on bad terms. Like, I I wouldn't want to do business with them either, but I understand. I would actually here, you give me a player, I give you a player, you know.
SPEAKER_01:Anyway, we got to talk about this game because I am so happy about this game. I am also happy about this game. The 49ers and Giants faced off in in the Giants House, Meadowlands, with uh the 49ers coming away with the 34 to 24 win, and it was the run game. The run game was showing off. I mean, even uh your old running back, Brian Robinson, he he got a touchdown on rushing touchdown.
SPEAKER_00:That's because the Giants can't stop anybody. Uh they're just they're just not good in the run. They can't stop anybody on the run. And they can't even stop the pass. But let me tell you what, uh, thoughts and prayers. They've had a lot of injuries on their second. They have. And you know, our thoughts and prayers go out to all boy Scat, which we talked about last week. Oh Lord. But uh Is he like your man crush now? He is. I don't know if it's him or him or Jackson Dart, but I am definitely now getting a Washington jersey custom made with Scataboo's name.
SPEAKER_01:I think you just need to get a shirt that says Scataboo is my boo.
SPEAKER_00:Scattaboo is my boo. That's good. That's good. We're gonna we're gonna trademark that. And we'll cut him in on the royalties since it's his name.
SPEAKER_01:Anyway.
SPEAKER_00:And then we're gonna sell a lot of them. Specifically on NFL.com.
SPEAKER_01:Right. Okay. Moving on to the next game, the Steelers and Colts, which it was a tight contest, but man, the Colts just kind of looked flat in this game. Man, I They wound up losing 27.
SPEAKER_00:If there was one game that I called this week, first of all, hold on, and I didn't call this in a good way. If there's one game that I hugely predicted was gonna go one way, it was this game, and it did not go the way I wanted it to. Okay, I just knew, I just knew, Mike, that the Colts were gonna win this game. In fact, I knew so hard Michael Pittman, who has a touchdown in every single game to this point, did not even score a touchdown. I put a parlay on that man with confidence.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, Lord. That's why they lost. You bet on him.
SPEAKER_00:No, that's why he didn't get a touchdown. That's not why they lost, may have contributed to the loss.
SPEAKER_01:Well, all I know is Dan Daniel Jones or Indiana Jones look more like Danny, his old self Danny Dimes.
SPEAKER_00:I saw a meme, right? It said the Steelers put Daniel Jones back in factory reset mode.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, jeez. Jeez. Look, not taking away from the Steelers. They got the win and they earned it. It was not, it was not a it was not like it was a rail, like they railroaded the Colts. This is just one little setback. I'm sure the Colts will get back in their winning ways next week. And the Steelers are five and three now, bro. But talk about another game is a little surprising. Chargers like having a close one against the Titans. Yeah, the Titans coming in.
SPEAKER_00:The Titans are playing to keep their jobs now, so it's a whole different ballgame for them. Okay.
SPEAKER_01:See, like most of the people in-house, I don't know that they're gonna lose their jobs. It's not a surprise that they're bad. I mean, what do they have? What do they honestly have?
SPEAKER_00:They actually, I think they have some very good young pieces. They just don't know how to put it together yet. They need a little more protection. They need a better running game for one. Their run game sucks. Uh they need better protection up front. Their defense is probably mediocre, middle of the pack. They need some pieces back there too. But honestly, as far as weapons, I mean you got Cam Ward. He was a good quarterback in college. I still think he can be a good NFL quarterback. He has flashes. Yeah, I mean, you have Dickie and Ayamon are two young rookie uh playmaking receivers who had a history in college of being playmakers, so they should hopefully translate to the NFL. Oh, you know, Calvin Calvin Ridley is still out there. Um you know, veteran presence. So they have a handful of pieces, but I I think they're better than they get credit for. Uh, but I don't think they're there yet, if that makes any sense. It does. Um you know, the the Panthers, they have a really strong defense, so they they can kind of mass some of their offensive issues. The Titans don't have that right now. Panthers don't have strong on anything. They they got good defense.
SPEAKER_01:They top sure, top half. Sure. Because, you know, when you're one and eight, you have a good defense.
SPEAKER_00:Well, the the Panthers are five and three.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and have a possible chance to go to the playoffs. Yeah. Anyway, moving on to the Rams and Saints. The Rams and Saints, to nobody's surprise, the Rams walk away with a 34-10 victory over the Saints. The Saints are just in rebuild mode. It it is what it is. They started shocked at quarterback, and they just they don't look like the Saints of old, you know. So, and the Rams, the Rams, unfortunately, I think uh I think Puka Nakua got hurt in this game, too. He did. So that's not good. You don't want your star receiver getting hurt. I mean, it's not like they don't have Devontae Adams, but you don't want your key pieces on offense to start getting hurt when you're trying to make a push for the playoffs.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_01:You know, or it to win the division, too.
SPEAKER_00:So but yeah, it it wound up. And down here we have ourselves, even though the Jaguars in five and three, we got a nice toilet bowl match here, the Jaguars and the Raiders. Uh high scoring match between two very bad teams. What are you talking about? Jags are five and three, man. Yeah, they still suck. I think that they fluked. I thought they were gonna take a step forward this year. They got some problems. I don't think the Jaguars are five and three. I think they just fell into five and three. I honestly think they should be more like two and six. But, you know, I digress.
SPEAKER_01:Anyway. Most notable for the Raiders is they finally got Bowers back at tight end, and he had a hell of a game. I think he had two touchdowns.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he did have a good game come back. Uh, he was the only tight end, he got the tight end player of the week, and the only reason he and he beat Colson Loveland by like a point and a half for it.
SPEAKER_01:But the four o'clock game or four twenty-five game that everybody wanted to see was Bills and Chiefs.
SPEAKER_00:I must not be part of everybody.
SPEAKER_01:I guess not. Well, you don't you don't count, you're a Washington fan. I don't count. Anyway, so Bills and Chiefs, everybody wanted to see this game because they want to see how the Bills would stack up against the Chiefs. And Bills walked away with the win. Bills walk away with the win. Bills walk away with the 20 28 to 21 win. And what was kind of notable in this game is the Bills were almost daring Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to run the ball. They were putting in seven DBs all game long and saying, go ahead. Go ahead, run the ball.
SPEAKER_00:Look, the Chiefs can't. The Chiefs have a very glaring problem right now, and when they figure it out, they will return to dominance, okay?
SPEAKER_01:Bro, they're five and four, and if they lose if they lose their next game, they'll be 0-3 in their division.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and the problem I'm speaking of is their run game.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:They have a very explosive offense, but they can't run the ball. Outside of Kareem Hunt.
SPEAKER_01:No.
SPEAKER_00:And Kareem Hunt is the backup.
SPEAKER_01:And Kareem Hunt only really gets you maybe a handful of yards each time. He'll get you like four, maybe five. It's not like he's busting off big runs like he used to. You know, he's not and is they they even referred to him as Kareem Bunt because they put him in for those short yard situations and get the first down.
SPEAKER_00:Look, everybody loves cream on their donuts and cream in their coffee, and that's why Kareem Hunt is with the Chiefs. That was awful. That was great.
SPEAKER_01:Anyway, Chiefs are going into their bye week. They got some figuring out to do. I mean, Andy Reid off of a bye is usually gets the win the next week. They better hope so because at 5-4, that ain't looking good for making a playoff run. I mean, you can you can get a wild card, but you can't be like that when your division. What do we always say?
SPEAKER_00:The Chiefs are a second half team. Look for them to get hot toward middle end of November. Okay.
SPEAKER_01:You got Chargers that are six and three and already have a win over them. You got Broncos that are seven and two and leading the division. Yeah. So, and I believe their next game is against the Broncos. So if they don't they don't shape up, they can ship it. They're gonna have a very, very awkward end of the season.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, I I agree with that. Um speaking of awkward and possible.
SPEAKER_01:Do we have to talk about this? We have to. It was a Sunday night game. God damn it. The Sunday night game was the Seahawks and Command.
SPEAKER_00:We did so well without cursing this whole episode until just Seahawks and Commanders 38 to 14. Look, this game was over before it even started, okay?
SPEAKER_01:The score, the outcome of this game, it it's not the story of this game. The story of this game was the fact that your quarterback was still in there in garbage time and suffered a serious injury.
SPEAKER_00:Well, if you if you listen to what Dan Quinn said, and his his logic isn't necessarily far-fetched, although I still don't agree with it. Um, they wanted to try to get some kind of rhythm to carry into the following week. That's what he said. I don't know that I agree with that. Like get some. If you're you're down as far as if it's garbage time and you're just down as far as you are, go ahead and put your backup in. But Mariota's not a young quarterback either. So he wasn't desperate for the reps. So maybe he was just like, but now one thing I do see here, this injury happened on a play in which Daniels refuses to slide, okay? He goes head first. I think if he slides, this injury doesn't happen.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and let's also remember that Daniels was coming off of injury, so this was actually him getting reps, too. Yeah. So this might have been also too, let's get some stuff on tape to talk about, and you know, we go into practice this week, we have something to build off of. Yeah. So I get what he's saying. I understand the thought behind it, but if he did slide, and and you know, we could play the what if and the hindsight 2020 game all over the place. We will play. The only person ain't gonna play is your quarterback because he dislocated his elbow on that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, along with the rest of the team.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, well, and I think Lou Vu got suspended.
SPEAKER_00:Actually, that was overturned. I was just about to mention that. It was overturned, and the fine reduced to like 100,000 or something like that. I forgot the basis on which it was overturned, but he uh he appealed it, he was successful, and he is not suspended. He still has a small fine, but you know, it's not a game check.
SPEAKER_01:That's not even what I'm most concerned about. I'm most concerned about can somebody please take the eye black away from him? I like the eye black. No, no, somebody Especially during Halloween. Look, normally you put like one little line of eye black under both eyes.
SPEAKER_00:Have you seen JJ McCarthy? No, I I I know what JJ McCarthy is. He only does it to one side. He's bipolar as hell.
SPEAKER_01:And so does Dart. But that's not the point. The point is, I'm trying to point out the fact that Louvu, he does the whole face. Yeah. He does the whole face. And you're lucky he has a beard, because if you didn't have a beard, he'd do it down there in the jaw, too. I don't understand this. Why is he eye blacking the whole face? Like, somebody needs to go up to him. That's enough, bud. Give it back. No. No means no. You have a problem.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Stop with the eye black. The problem is that you can't fucking win. That's your problem.
SPEAKER_01:Hey. They need to tell them you get more eye black when you get us a win.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. Now, you know, the commanders four game slide, four game losses. Do you think we're at a crucial point here? Before we go to the Monday night game, Mike, do you think the commanders are done for the season? I think they're done for the I mean, your starting quarterback's down, your number one receiver's been down. It doesn't seem like he's coming back anytime soon. And now there's really no rush.
SPEAKER_01:Um especially after you paid him.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, Debo's in and out. Yeah, Debo is in and out. McCaffrey's got a broken collarbone. You got a couple pieces on defense you're missing. Like, this team seems to be. Finish that name, sir.
SPEAKER_01:Luke McCaffrey. Don't you put that bad, Juju.
SPEAKER_00:What'd I say?
SPEAKER_01:You said McCaffrey. You didn't say Luke McCaffrey.
SPEAKER_00:Look, we're talking about the Commanders. Everybody knows which McCaffrey we're talking about.
unknown:Sir.
SPEAKER_00:We're talking about the Commanders McCaffrey. Don't put that badness. Nobody cares about your McCaffrey right now. A lot of people do. Hmm. Anyway, whatever. I digress. Let's move on to the Cardinals and Cowboys. By the way, who lost, who are 3-5-1 through nine weeks, which is very hard to do. The Cowboys have been doing some very hard things, and I approve. Notably having a losing record.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, of course you approve because you don't like the Cowboys.
SPEAKER_00:But they were 3-3-1 through seven weeks. It was very hard to do that, be 500 through an odd number of weeks.
SPEAKER_01:I'll tell you what team likes the Cowboys right now, and that's the Cardinals, because the Cardinals went in their house and showed them up with the 27 to 17 victory.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, and did you see that game? They played their butts off. Look, Jacoby Brissett is the guy.
SPEAKER_01:Look, all I know is I feel like Kyler Murray isn't hurt. I feel like this was a soft benching. I think they sat him down and because they're liking what they see out of Brissett. And to be honest, I like what I'm seeing out of Brissett because Brissett, not only did he lead this he led this team in such a way that the offense looked more efficient than it has all year long. All of a sudden, Marvin Harrison is looking like a number one, you know, pick, like a first-round wide receiver pick, and looking like he should in the NFL. Which mind you I don't know if you saw this in this game. Marvin Harrison got an instant reaction out of CeeDee Lamb, who was watching the he was watching the Jumbotron and seeing how bad Marvin Harrison Jr. Yeah, you talk about the CD Lamb? Puts the moves, puts the moves on the highest paid corner on the Cowboys and Derog Bland. And I mean, it dude, it looked like his face, it looked like he broke Bland's ankles and just kind of walked into the end zone.
SPEAKER_00:Puts him on skates, and you know, it's funny because they panned over to C D Lamb's face, and even C D was like, damn. Like Yeah, CD was like, oh, oh. CD was like, oh, he's like that.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Like, damn. You know, when when you got top performers in the game looking at what you wasn't Pickens, I think actually it was Pickens. No, it was CD Land.
SPEAKER_00:I thought it was Pickett because he had the thing hanging out like Pickens.
SPEAKER_01:No, no, no, no. It was it was CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee Lamb was admiring that move that happened to Bland, and Bland just looked inept. It was great. That's funny. Oh, it was hilarious. I loved it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, before we get into next week, real quick, we got some transactions. We were at the trade deadline, Mike. And by the way, a very busy trade deadline in this 2025.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, yes, it was. I mean, some moves some lower key moves happened before the deadline. Yeah. But the ones that happened around trade deadline were nuts.
SPEAKER_00:Who do you think wins? Who do you think won the trade deadline? What team do you think is better? What team do you think made out the best overall of all the teams that are involved in trades?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I could tell you from my perspective, and it all depends on what happens from this, but to me, the Jets kind of made out.
SPEAKER_00:I was gonna say I think the Jets are on top here.
SPEAKER_01:Now, understand that you also need for this to be wise picks. You need to make some good decisions when you make these picks. But not only did they get those picks, but they also got uh Mitchell, a wide receiver, they got a Donna Mitchell, can you and they also got uh uh Smith from the Cowboys, who was who was a number one pick. So they technically got a number one pick defensive tackle who's gonna get a reset and coming to them and maybe have a chance to to come out better. So they got two first round picks for Sauce Gardner.
SPEAKER_00:Can you imagine a Donnay Mitchell's reaction when he goes to bed eight and one, thinking he's on his way to a Super Bowl, and then he g he wakes up one and eight as a jet? Yeah, he's probably like what he's probably like, I fucking quit. He's like, I'm out, bro. Forget this mess. But yeah, I I can imagine the frustration there. And then Sauce Gardner's teammates, you know, Brees Hall watching his teammates who got traded go off to be winning, you know, players. Uh, you know, I I think that's all that whole dynamic is funny. I think also the Cowboys had a good trade. I don't know if those players are gonna help them as much as they want them. I don't think so.
SPEAKER_01:Not with I mean, Logan Wilson was he lost his job. He literally became a bench player, you know, so I don't know what you're gonna get out of him. And I hate to say it, I mean, yeah, they got Quentin Williams, but Quentin Williams is not Micah Parson, and he's just another defensive tackle. He's good, but he hasn't been what you expect for a player that you draft as high as you did. You kind of expected him to kind of turn into you know Aaron Donald-esque.
SPEAKER_00:Not Aaron Donald, but like esque, you know, like akin to you know, simile, you know, like you have you have the name brand and then you have the store brand serial, you know, like how about this one down here, the Seahawks picking up Rashid Shahid. I was just about to very explosive receiver for the Saints.
SPEAKER_01:So I love the move for two reasons. Okay. For two reasons because now you cannot just double up JSN by you know all game long, because if you do, Shahid's gonna blow the top off and you're gonna get burned. Now the other reason is now that you have JSN and Shahid who can take the top off the defense, you watch. Cooper Cup's gonna feast on this. Yeah, and and there are two tight ends, Bonner. Bonner is gonna get some catches, and I forget the other tight end's name, but Bonner for sure and Cooper Cup are gonna just feast underneath when Cooper Cup comes back. Yeah. And it's just just a great low-key pickup that could turn out to make their offense even better with the with the possibilities that you get out of this. And not and don't forget, he's a return guy. So now you get special teams help too.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, to me, the Seahawks are saying that they're ready to win now. And the Eagles picking up some secondary help, getting Jalen Phillips, Jalen, Jalen Phillips from the uh Dolphins and Jair Alexander from the Ravens. Well, I did not expect the Ravens really to be sellers.
SPEAKER_01:Phillips is a is a edge rusher, edge rusher. Yeah. Let me let me not.
SPEAKER_00:Well, yeah, he's a he's an edge rusher. Yeah, my bad. But they got some secondary help in Jair Alexander. Um, I did not expect the Ravens to be sellers. Now they didn't sell anybody crucial to what they do.
SPEAKER_01:I do like the low-key charger pickup of Penning so they can get some offensive line help because he wasn't really playing so well for the Saints, but coming over to Harbaugh and his offensive line, that might add some extra protection for Herbert going down the stretch run. But one we kind of glossed over was the fact that Sauce Gardner went over to the Colts. So now you have Sauce Gardner. Yeah, Sauce Gardner going to the Colts. They have Travarius Ward. He's been hurt, but when he comes back, you're gonna have Travarius Ward and Sauce Gardner as your top two corners. I like that. Not to steal a line from Kirk Cousins, but I do like that. And Jacoby Myers going to the from the Raiders to the Jags. I guess you know they packed up his locker and sent him away with the with the Jags after they lost. But that that's gonna add some extra support in the passing game since they're not gonna have their rookie playing for a couple weeks since he's on IR. And let's see.
SPEAKER_00:Demondre Jones going to Draymond, Draymond Jones. That's who the Ravens replaced Jalen Phillips with. Just moving players around, probably switching in and out. I don't see that being a significant move.
SPEAKER_01:Well, Jalen Phillips went from Dolphins to Eagles. We have Titans to Ravens for the Oh yeah, you're right.
SPEAKER_00:The Ravens sent somebody. Oh, never mind. It's hard to see. Words are hard, numbers are hard. Life is just hard.
SPEAKER_01:The thing that's interesting about Alexander going going to the Eagles is they they brought him in expecting for him to be something. And then they sent him over to the Eagles. So obviously he wasn't a good fit. And it almost leads to the question when the Packers were like, no, we don't want to pay you, it almost leads to, man, did the Packers make a smart move and not paying him.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know. Maybe it's a scheme thing. I I have trouble believing that Jair Alexander was a good fit for the Packers, but not a good fit for the Ravens or Eagles.
SPEAKER_01:Sir I'm mad at this.
SPEAKER_00:What?
SPEAKER_01:We missed something.
SPEAKER_00:Well we missed.
SPEAKER_01:A record.
SPEAKER_00:Oh yeah. Oh. Records were set this weekend. Little records. Little records were so.
SPEAKER_01:Not so little, but little.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:As in Cam Little hitting a 68-yard field goal in that that uh Jacksonville Raiders game.
SPEAKER_00:Yep.
SPEAKER_01:Making the new record for field goal 68 yards.
SPEAKER_00:Longest in NFL history. Congratulations, Little.
SPEAKER_01:And funny enough, in the Monday night game, Aubrey had a chance at a 68-yarder and he missed. So he could have he could have.
SPEAKER_00:And you know, if there's anybody who would have hit it, you know Aubrey could have hit it. But congratulations to Little, you should change your name to Big. You are now Legatron.
SPEAKER_01:And we also missed a chance to talk about what happened with the Browns. The Browns have uh Stefansky letting go with the play calling duties for offense and giving it over to his uh his OC instead of him doing it. Which I honestly might be a good thing.
SPEAKER_00:Honestly, that's not mad. I mean, you talk about the head coach is supposed to be the head coach. Let your offensive coordinator handle play calling. That is kind of his job, right? Now, if he wants to delegate it to somebody else, you know, that's one thing. But I say let the DC run the defense, let the OC run the offense.
SPEAKER_01:And kind of a low-key thing that most people probably didn't see Asante Sample Jr., who was drafted by by the Chargers and has not been picked up by anybody, we finally found out why. He's been getting better.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. He's been healing.
SPEAKER_01:So he's trying to find himself a new team and could be a liccup later in the year for a team that may be hungry for a little corner help. Well, is he honestly? You know, there are some teams out there that could use the services.
SPEAKER_00:Well, is he like fully rehabbed? Like he's got the Do you think a team will pick him up with a s with a uh procedure like this under his belt?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Because Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl with fused vertebrae.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he was a quarterback.
SPEAKER_01:And they get hit a lot. A lot more than a corner does.
SPEAKER_00:Well, Manning did get hit a lot. His offensive line did lack a little bit when he was around, so I'll give you that one.
SPEAKER_01:But anyway, he you know, a team like that's banged up on the secondary, such as uh, you know, the Lions, yeah, they could use him. You know, any any any team that I mean we take him over on the commanders. Look, I'm not over to Commanders. This is not me fanboying.
SPEAKER_00:I'm a fanboy.
SPEAKER_01:This is not me fanboying, but he would fit in the 49ers Robert Salah defense quite well.
SPEAKER_00:I think he'd I think he'd fit in our defense as long as somebody takes play calling away from Joe Witt.
SPEAKER_01:Well, here's something about you know what about the fact that after the way that Tua played this past uh Thursday night, what do you think is gonna happen with him?
SPEAKER_00:So this is interesting to bring this up, Mike. Uh so cutting Tua this offseason would actually create a record-setting$114.2 million in dead cap for the Miami Dolphins, which would surpass the Broncos'$85 million hit for releasing Russell Williams, Wilson.
SPEAKER_01:It doesn't seem like that affected them at all, man, because you see how they they are with Bo Knicks. I think they're just fine. But more so now if because you know he's probably gonna wind up being moved on from and as well as Mike McDaniel. As well as Mike McDaniels, but but we also might see Kyler Murray get moved on from after this offseason.
SPEAKER_00:Could the Dolphins take another quarterback from the Cardinals? We remember the Josh Rosen era.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know, we don't. Nobody remembers that. I well I people just remember the temper tantrum he threw on draft night when the Cardinals drafted him ninth overall, and he's like, or tenth overall, or wherever he got drafted. He went to the Cardinals and he's like, all these other teams ahead of me made a bad decision, and I'm gonna show them. Yeah, he showed them. Showed him play out the league.
SPEAKER_00:By the way, they they can't cut to a before June 1st, but if they do wait till June 1st, uh they could spread that hit out 55 and a half million over, you know, in 2026, and 61 and a half in 27. They would, regardless of what happens with Tua career, Tua's career uh moving forward, the Dolphins will be on the hook for this dead money.
SPEAKER_01:So if given the choice, would you take Tua or would you take Kyler?
SPEAKER_00:You have to choose one. Well, one of them can't remember any other anything, and the other one can't see anything. So I'm gonna go with the one they can't see.
SPEAKER_01:At least you can put you know Are you talking about the one that looks like a toddler running away like he took something?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, Kyler Murray.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, okay. Okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. Yeah, I wrote it.
SPEAKER_00:I thought I thought Tua should have called it a career, maybe after the second concussion, maybe even after the first. I mean, this man has been through four consecutive concussions in one season.
SPEAKER_01:That's what he's done in the NFL.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's just what's done in the NFL.
SPEAKER_01:So I mean I he's probably had a few in college as well.
SPEAKER_00:I honestly think that Tua could be a a good coach or analyst. He has the personality and the camaraderie to get to be successful in either.
SPEAKER_01:He'll be the next Tim Tebow doing analyst work.
SPEAKER_00:No. I hope Tim No, we're not gonna put that on that man.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Well, would you ma rather me say the next Brady Quinn doing analyst work?
SPEAKER_00:Maybe the next Derek, maybe the next um what's Carr's brother's name again? TJ Carr.
SPEAKER_01:David?
SPEAKER_00:David Carr. Good lord. David Carr. The next David Carr. Sorry, it's been so long.
SPEAKER_01:Good Lord.
SPEAKER_00:So it's been so, so long. You know, when you're into you know, these things.
SPEAKER_01:Maybe you're the one with the concussions.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, it is possible. I'm not saying I don't have any. I mean, this is a couple motorcycle accidents. I was I was a wrestler for a while. I'm pretty sure I got slammed on my head. Maybe even as a child on concrete.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's a little late to be calling child services, man.
SPEAKER_00:Well, sucks a suck. Here we are. Here we are, and we live with we live with what we've got. But let's go ahead and do next week's rundown before we jump into our super special interview of the night. First match coming up this weekend. Tomorrow night. Raiders, Broncos. Provisional matchup. Who are you taking?
SPEAKER_01:Broncos.
SPEAKER_00:Duh. Come on. 7-2 versus 2-6. I don't blame you all day. Falcons, Colts. Which version of the Falcons are we going to see on this?
SPEAKER_01:They just this is an international game, so we're getting this one from Berlin. From Berlin on Sunday morning. So you wake up on Sunday, there's going to be football on.
SPEAKER_00:9 30 Eastern time. If you're not in that time frame, I don't know what time it's going to be for you.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, you might not miss much because we're going to get the Colts just beating the Falcons.
SPEAKER_00:Unless the Falcons show up, because the Colts just dropped one against the Steelers. I don't know. The Falcons have been streaky. I'd like to see the Colts get it. They're going to need to get it to stay on top, but you know, we'll see. Now moving on into Sunday slate. First game up, one o'clock slot. We're still in Sunday.
SPEAKER_01:That was the first Sunday game with the Berlin game.
SPEAKER_00:Sunday afternoon slot.
SPEAKER_01:Saints and Panthers. Panthers, they're probably going to walk away with the win, but it's a divisional game, so you never know what you get out of that.
SPEAKER_00:I like the Panthers for the win on this one. I especially after trading Rasheed Shahid. The Saints are just in get to the end mode at this point. Honestly, if they had Scataboo, I'd give the Giants a real chance, but I'm taking the Bears here all day. Yeah, Bears probably walk away with the win there. This is an interesting call here.
SPEAKER_01:Divisional matchup between the Jags and the Texans. I'm taking the Jags only because CJ Stroud is not going to play in this game. And the Jags defense against their backup, David Mills.
SPEAKER_00:I'm taking the Texans for one reason and one reason only. Willie Marks, my friend. That man's been stepping up in the absence. I think he's going to run all over the Jaguars.
SPEAKER_01:Not likely. Moving on to another divisional matchup between the Bills and Dolphins. Bills and Divisions. Sorry, Dolphins.
SPEAKER_00:I'm sorry. The Dolphins haven't stopped anybody. They're not going to stop the Bills either.
SPEAKER_01:Anyway, uh, so Ravens, Vikings. This is an interesting one. Ravens and Vikings, you got a three and five, three and five Ravens, a four-and-four Vikings. Neither team can really afford to lose this game. You know, if they weren't going to be able to get the River.
SPEAKER_00:The Ravens got to make up some ground. I think the Ravens having Lamar Jackson back gives them a very favorable matchup.
SPEAKER_01:But I think this is in the Vikings house.
SPEAKER_00:And this is an all-purple matchup, two purple teams. The only two purple teams in the NFL. This is the Royal Purple Bowl. This is the Royal Purple Bowl. I'm taking the Ravens for that one. Oh, why not?
SPEAKER_01:I'll take Vikings. Moving on to the Browns versus the Jets. This game's gonna get flexed.
SPEAKER_00:This game's getting flexed to tubi. Watch, guys. This isn't gonna be on cable. The Browns, the Jets, I'm not even gonna pick a winner of this game. This is just a waste of our time here, okay?
SPEAKER_01:The only thing that probably would come out of that game is them talking about Shador on the sidelines. Moving on to the Patriots and Bucks. That'll be a good matchup.
SPEAKER_00:This is gonna be a good matchup. I think a trap game for the Buccaneers who are coming off a bye week. I like the Patriots get the win here. They're rolling hot. Buccaneers a little beat up. The Patriots are ready to go now.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think the Patriots are coming away with the win on that one. Um Cardinals, Seahawks. We got divisional matchup again. This is this is an interesting game because the Cardinals coming off of a good win in an opponent's house, and now they're going to Seattle to face them in their house.
SPEAKER_00:And this is the game of the week, Cardinals, Seahawks, right here. I like the Seahawks to get the win, especially with Sheikh. I don't know if it's the game of the week, but game of the week's at 4.05.
SPEAKER_01:No, at 425.
SPEAKER_00:Well, there's not two games of the week. Maybe there is. There's usually three to four games at the four o'clock slot. But the game of the week's at.
SPEAKER_01:You call it what you want. All right. Whatever. Anyway, moving on. It's my game of the week. The game of the week for me is watching these 49ers play against the Rams. I'm sorry, bro. I'm picking the Rams. Y'all are beat up. I'm going with my Niners. As you should. Yes, I should. And the sorry for the lost Lions against the Congress.
SPEAKER_00:Hey, look, the Lions are taking a vacation trip to DC. They're not even going to play. They're just going to show up, maybe see some museums.
SPEAKER_01:They're going to put the second string in.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, they're going to put the second string in.
SPEAKER_01:So Steelers, Chargers on Sunday night football. I'm leaning towards the Steelers coming away with that win only because the Chargers offensive line has been so banged up. And unless they can figure out a scheme to get Herbert to move and run and get away from the pass rush of the Steelers, they could easily make life hell for him all game long.
SPEAKER_00:I'm taking the Chargers for two reasons. One, Kimani Videl, and two, Gadson, that tight end. I think they're going to rock and roll all over the Steelers.
SPEAKER_01:And the Monday night game, Eagles Packers, which will be interesting for Jair Alexander because he's going back home from the Green Bay. That's right.
SPEAKER_00:I got the Eagles winning this one.
SPEAKER_01:I think so too, only because the Packers meant y'all just lost the Panthers.
SPEAKER_00:My faith in you has just died. The Packers have pretty much relied mostly on their run game, and I don't think they're going to have as much success against the Eagles run defense here. Uh so agreed. We'll see how that goes. But I think the Eagles got that. They're going to be 7-2 after the weekend. So but speaking of which, uh moving on into our next segment. I said everybody, we have a very special evening tonight. This is a very special episode. We're doing our second, we have our second guest host of all time. This is kind of like the next phase uh of what we're trying to do with this podcast, Mike, okay? So uh everybody, let's welcome the champ himself. He's a bodybuilding champion. Uh he's a coach, he's a business owner, he's uh the special assistant to the sheriff in uh Yorktown and Gloucester. Uh Mr. Deshaun Wright, welcome to the show. Uh appreciate you showing up. Uh Mike, you want to go ahead and kick this thing off?
SPEAKER_01:You're a bodybuilder, been for many years and had success, obviously. Uh can you talk about the challenges of being a bodybuilder? Like what does it take? Because it doesn't feel like it's a half in, half out kind of thing. You gotta be in it. Like you can't half.
SPEAKER_04:Uh first of all, great question, Mike. Great question. Yeah, bodybuilding is definitely one of those, like, it's an extreme sport. Right? It's an extreme sport. Well, but like anything, it depends, it's the levels, like different levels, right? If anything, it's different levels. If you're um, I've been blessed to compete at the highest level of it. So the higher you go up, then obviously the harder that it is, and the more extreme that it that it is, and the more sacrifices that you have to take in order to get certain things that you want to be able to get. Um, so that's it. Yeah, definitely. It's um it's one of those sports, too, you know, so like so like basketball, um, while you're in the gym, and then once you walk out the gym, pretty much, other than recovery, you're you're pretty much done, right? You did your work for the day. Bodybuilding's that one thing that you gotta take outside the gym, too, because what you eat is how you sleep. So it's more than just that hour in the gym. It's like, it's a lifestyle. So to really be super competitive and be able to like compete at a level and be able to, and to really push yourself, you have to be able to, you have to live it. It's one of the things you have to live, if that makes sense. So that's one thing I tell people, if you and people all the time who who I help to want to train to be bodybuilders, um, I'd be like, yo, I was asking why do you want to do it? That's the first thing. You gotta know your why. Because by understanding your why, because this is hard. And in the days you don't want to work out, days you don't want to eat the food, days you want to have those cookies when you can't have those cookies, and you gotta be like, but what's what's your why, right? Why why are you doing this? So your why is gonna create the how. So I always try to focus on what's your why.
SPEAKER_01:So what what kind of regimen would you be on when you're training as far as food, sleep, like what what would the outside the gym look like for somebody who's trying to be a bodybuilder? What would you tell them, like, this is how you need to set yourself up outside the gym?
SPEAKER_04:Okay, so you know, again, I'll find out what what go what's their goals and what level they're trying to what they're trying to do, you know what I mean? So I would try to find out. Um what I try to do is try to meet people where their lives are. Uh, what's your life? What's your real life like? You know what I mean? And then what can we do to make this work in your real life? But someone who like just say, for example, like things that I've done five to six meals a day. I remember one time, one prep, like um my coach had me like waking up and like one, two in the morning and having a meal. Okay, so I've done the stream stuff. One, I mean, sleep, wake up. Like, wake up and have this chicken breast and rice. And so I had a stream like that. We had one coach, we are running around on the way to a show to make weight. Like, I'm running in a car in a parking lot. Running around. So it's been, it's been some, it's been some fun adventures, but it's been at the end of the day, when you come out on, you know what I mean, on top or bodybuilding. I always tell people you can't let a trophy tell you how nice you are, if that makes sense. Like, I summer, I've been blessed to, I won Mr. Virginia. So Mr. Virginia I won Mr. Virginia was a big time, I won Mr. North Carolina. Um, national, I won a national champion bodybuilding. Then twice a couple points away from becoming an IFB pro, like I got second in bat-to-bat national contests. So national contest, you have like about 900 people competing in this. So it's people from all over the world, not just America. So it's the best of the, so it's like AAU. So it's the best AAU teams from other places competing against, you know, the best AAU teams. So everybody there, you gotta be a champion to be there. So it's the best of the best. So to be able to, one in New Jersey and one was in Pittsburgh, and then we got twice, we got second in both of those. It was a big deal. Yeah, I was super excited for I was an honor to get up there because I've done national shows before, and I know how it is to not place. So, because you you see people, Mike, you see people, where they're from, they're the big dog in that gym, right? You know what I mean? Or that area, whatever. And then now you go in with the other big dogs at, and guess what? You may not be a big dog no more. So you're seeing people outside in the parking lot, they'll be crying because they've been, they don't know like that. They got smacked in the face. So now what you're gonna do, this is that like, what's your why, right? What is your why? Why are you doing this? Because that's the one thing I love about bodybuilding. It's definitely gonna challenge you, and you always gotta put your best foot forward because you never know who's gonna show up. It's all about who shows up. So as long as you put your best foot forward, you can't, or you that's all you can do. You can control what you can't control.
SPEAKER_01:So, how did how did you get into bodybuilding? Like, man, my dad and my brother.
SPEAKER_04:My dad and my brother, my dad and my brother competed. Um, my brother was I'm definitely, my brother was high level too, he's competed. So, me being the youngest, and for a while, they used to always try to get me to work out. I can I can stand out like I don't want to work out, play basketball. I was like, it's gonna mess up my basketball game, it's gonna do this, I didn't want to play. You know what I mean? Well, this is back before we really knew about like what working out does for you, right? Sports science. So I was like, I don't wanna do that. But one day, my dad was like, he kept on me. And then one day, coming from school, he was like, You wanna go to the gym? I finally said yes. One day, for some reason, I said yes. And from that day forward, I was just hooked. After I went and got into it, they got me hooked. So they the ones that got me into it, and then um had early success with it. Like my first contest, like, I was like eating um Walmart chicken, and I just stayed away from candy. I didn't know what I was doing. But I went first in my class. I didn't know what I was doing. But it was a gift and a curse because you're like, man, I did this, and then you realize as you moved up, it was like, no, that's not how it works. You gotta, you know what I mean, work harder to get, you know, it's one of those things. But anyway, but um that was funny. But that's it. My parents and my family got me involved.
SPEAKER_00:How old were you when you started it?
SPEAKER_04:When I started working out, that was my senior uh senior year in high school. So I was like 17, 18 when I started working out. I just started competing until I was like 19. So we still have this something called Young Men Division. It was like 19 through 22. I competed in that. So then I did um, I was in that as far as my like age group, because nobody like it was like nobody was messing with me. Yeah, I was one of Virginia, one North Carolina. It was just like, it wasn't, it was fun. Then it was time to move up as you got older, but those were those were good times for that. Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_00:Nice. Uh, how younger were what age were you when you won your first? 19. 19? That's pretty incredible, man. Been doing that for a while now, huh?
unknown:19 and less.
SPEAKER_04:So are you from around here? From Hampton. From Hampton? Aberdeen Gardens. Same place. Alan Irison's from. What's we called a bubble chuck?
SPEAKER_00:Oh yeah. What high school did you come up with?
SPEAKER_04:South of the same bubble chucks, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:We Virginia Beach folks, so I'm less familiar. Yeah. South side all the way. You're what, Salem? Timberland Land.
SPEAKER_04:Green Run, okay. I trained a kid from Green Run a couple years ago. Um two years ago, Kassan Farrar. Kassan, the quarterback, Kassan goes to Yukon now. Okay.
SPEAKER_00:I think I'm slightly familiar with it. I haven't kept up with them in so long.
SPEAKER_04:They're killing you football for the five. They've been killing it since I graduated. Okay, so they've been good for a minute.
SPEAKER_00:They were not good when I was there. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:Green Run's really good too.
SPEAKER_00:They're making up for lost times now, I guess. So um the stallions. Yeah, stallions all day, bro. One of my totems. Okay, it's a good thing. Um so you've had quite a bit of success doing this. And you do other things, right? You're a business owner. Yes, sir. Um, you're involved in the community. Yes, sir. Um what everything, what is everything you got under your belt? You're a very busy man. What are you, what's everything you got going on? What is it like? How do you keep up with all of it?
SPEAKER_04:Well, um, I don't you really, you really don't keep up with that. Oh, that's why they did an answer. I thought you finally wanted like a Socrates answer, but you really don't keep up with all of it, but you just gotta shoot from the head. You kinda like, you honestly. You you throw yourself in the fire and um I got my better half over here, Ginny. What we always talk about, we we we figure it out. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. People all the time be like, man, how do you do this? How y'all do that? I'm like, man, really? You just you figure, you figure it out, you know what I mean? But when you wanna do something and you're passionate about something, guess what? You figure it out, right? So that's the way that I'll try to tell anybody, like, do things that you you that make you that you're passionate about, and the things that you enjoy. Because if your plate is full of things like mutane you don't want to do, you're not gonna wanna, you're not gonna do them. But things you like to do and enjoy, you're gonna push for it. So, I mean, I want to be part of the community because like um I was homeless. I was homeless a couple times. I was homeless, I was sexually abused, um, divorced, you know, just been through a lot of things of where I come from, Aberdeen Garden. So it's a lot of things that were stacked up against me. You know? So, but a lot of people was in my corner and blessed me. And I wouldn't be why I'm a sum total of so many people just pouring into me and believing in me and supporting me and pushing me. That's where I am. So once you bless, I believe you should be a blessing to others. That's something I really stand by. So that's why we're so big in the community of giving back. Because I know how it is to not have, and I know how it is for someone to come to you and be like, hey, I got you. And that makes me want to like make sure we take care of so many different people. So that's why we're big in the community. We just we do stuff with bullying, we do stuff with homelessness, obviously. Um, we give a lot back to the kids. Um, we do like a care closet going on right now. Like a lot of kids, people don't realize, don't have like clothes or just like toilet, small things that you would that we take for granted, right? The kids don't have it. So we have a closet that we're doing up enforcement to help these kids be able to come and pick stuff out and everything like that. So that's what we have. Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_01:So uh for those who might not know, uh, where could they find that?
SPEAKER_04:So we would go to the care closet if we're not knowing that. That's in at um middle school. It says Hold on one second. Ginny in the middle school for that, but we're gonna talk about the care closet. So the care club.
SPEAKER_01:We could always put a link a bunch of.
SPEAKER_04:We'll put a link, yeah, yeah. I can think of the actual life school portion. But a couple of things we do, we do stuff with the boys and girls club. We're connected with the boys and girls club. Uh, we do a lot with them. I'm also, I serve on with the York County Sheriff from the special assistant to the sheriff in your county. So, what that job is, and we created something called the CAC, the Citizen Advisory Committee. What that is, I actually got started from the whole incident with George Floyd that happened a couple years ago. So, what it is, uh, Sheriff Montgomery, also sheriff here in York County, he was trying to find ways where the community and the sheriff department can like meet together, right? And kind of like formulate like something in the middle. The sheriff program. So he wanted to be something that showed how can we um the community and sheriff department, how can we become, you know, uh bridge the gap, right? Bridge the gap. You know, a lot of people are afraid of law enforcement, you know, for various reasons, right? And then ultimately law enforcement is afraid of a lot of people in the community, may have different stereotypes or whatnot. So the whole thing is bringing it together to see, because it's hard to hate up close, right? So I can't hate you, Brian, because I know you, even though you're a commanders fan. So you give me good reason to hate you. But I can't the first time I've heard a good reason to hate you, but I can't because I like you. I know you, right? So That's what we believe in. It's hard to hate from up close. Stereotypes are created. Why? Because people don't, you don't know, right? Right. And so they just stick. I remember one time we went to West Virginia. First time we went to West Virginia. And then so many of my friends, my black friends, were like, Yeah, what are you going to West Virginia for? Like, what's what's out there? Black people don't go to West Virginia, right? And I was like, but then I was like, have you been? And they was like, no, I ain't never been. So I was like, how do you know how it is, but somebody else said, somebody else said. So anyway, we get out there, some of the nicest people I've ever met. We had a ball. We go there almost every year. I love West Virginia. It's one of my favorite videos. I've been there myself.
SPEAKER_00:Morgantown.
SPEAKER_04:West Virginia's a beautiful state. I love it. We absolutely love it. But my point is, that's how stereotypes are created by people who don't even go places. But if you meet someone, learn, then you're like, oh man, it's not what I thought it was. And that's the whole point of life.
SPEAKER_00:I think that's incredible, man. And you've you're doing a lot. Now, just jumping over real quick to the business over here. Um what made you, you probably could have done any number of things, uh, as well as your bodybuilding career. What made you want to open the gym?
SPEAKER_04:Well, it's kind of something. I mean, I when you you're raised around it. I'm like I said, my dad was very active, my family's very active and working out. So being around it, and then one day I was like, man, I wanted to have my own. I'm big in the writing, I'm big in the goal setting and writing your goals down. I believe you believe it, you can achieve it. But how's good? However, things start, well, you gotta see it first, right? You know what I mean? If you see it, it means something. So it was like uh, like like your podcast when you first told me, I was like, what's the name of it? And then you told me came in because that puts it, that makes it real, right? So that's the whole point. But anyway, but that's my whole point of saying, like, um, you gotta see something and that's tangible and then you believe it. So I didn't know how I was gonna start a gym. I didn't have the capital for it, I didn't know. But it was a goal, and then one day, this building has been here. We've been in business 16 years, but the building has been here like 20 plus years. So I was working for a place here called um On Deck Training Complex. They actually bought me here. So I used to train for them. This would be a baseball complex. So I trained a lot of baseball. That's how I got started, trained a lot of baseball players. And uh, so it's bad cages, everything in here. So this is the gym. So I was the manager of the gym. But anyway, one day, the landlord of the actual building had a meeting, and she asked me to be in the meeting with them. I was confused because I was like, I work for them. I don't know why you want me in this meeting, but she wanted me in the meeting. So after the meeting, she came to me, her and her husband, and was like, hey, we want you to, we're gonna part ways with them, but do you think you want the gym? Don't forget, I wrote down on a piece of paper, like I want to own my own gym. Yeah. So I'm like, what? What you mean? You know what I'm saying? And so she was like, Do you think you could do it? So it started off with me sitting in there on this 3,400 square feet. And then I was like, absolutely. You know what I'm saying? So ran with it, slept in the gym. Uh my kids and I slept in the gym for months until we were trying to figure this out. And then next thing you know, we just got more and more people behind us supporting us, supporting us. Then we end up getting a whole building and got two locations. So it just that's right. Now you got two of them. Yeah, that's how I started.
SPEAKER_00:And you know, business seems to be doing well. This is not like your average runner-of-the-mill gym. Absolutely not. I really like what you guys do here.
SPEAKER_04:Appreciate Brian.
SPEAKER_00:Um, you do, especially with how much you guys do in the community. And you train other bodybuilders here now. What has that journey been like going from, I'm sure you still compete from time to time. What is what is it like going from competing mindset to coaching mindset?
SPEAKER_04:Oh, that's a good question. Really good question. So I'm really like, I love to see, I love to see other people succeed more than me. Does that make sense? Like, you know what I mean? Um, obviously, I love, I get kicks off like sharing people's success and just being like, yo, let's go. I mean, that's just I get more kick out of that than this than just me. I just love being a part of it, being like somebody to push somebody, black man, go do, yo, you got it. Look what you just did. So that's what the mindset is. So it's nothing like seeing someone change their body, change their mind, and that changes their mind, their body changes their life. And that is just so fulfilling. You know what I mean? So fulfilling when you see that. And I always try to get them to know that's bigger than, like I said, it's bigger than the trophy. It's like, it's what you get from the journey. It's like so the people who buy into what they get from the journey, it changes their lives.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think that's incredible. Um, now, obviously, you've uh, and you've mentioned here and there, you've gone through some trials and tribulations on your path to here, uh, you know, some of it from your upbringing, some of it just from life, uh, the beginning of the business. What was it like uh living with your kids in the gym, trying to get past that hurdle? Let's dive into that a little bit more. Like, what was that um constraint like trying to get past that and make it all work, figure it all out?
SPEAKER_04:So, first I mean, first of all, it's it, you know, you got to get past the feeling of embarrassing. Does that make sense? It does. Because you just just to be honest, you know what I mean? A lot of people don't want to. I really don't even talk about that part because a lot of times it's like, man, what am I really doing? Like, I have my kids here, and then you know, and when people ask you certain questions, you have to answer that question, right? You know what I mean? So, and then you get that, people look at you like, like, why would you do that to them? And you know, this and that. So that's that part is like a little weird and whatever. So you have that part, you know what I mean? That just an honest part that you have as a human being. Little doubt, like, what am I really? Yeah, like am I making the right decision? Correct, right? So you have that then, but then you have the fact of like once you get past that, and you was like, you make it like it was a little like journey, a little adventure, and then it was like, oh man, okay, it's not as bad. It's not as bad. And you start getting the routine. At that time, though, my kids and I, we got so we're very close to this day, but that we really got close because we we had to. I needed them. Like, I wouldn't be, they pushed me. Like they without them, I wouldn't be where I am because I wanted more for them. And then I was like, I had a good friend of mine always told me, he said, Joshon, you sacrificing so much. If you gonna if your kids can't see why you did it, you're gonna have a that you're gonna have a problem with their relationship with them. I thought that was powerful. I was like, man, he said they need to see why you sacrifice so much, why you put them sleeping at a gym and all that. If they don't see it, I think it's got a problem. So that may be motivated me even harder to be like, I gotta show them like that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I'm sure they see it now. Well, yeah. So based on those hurdles, like when you first got your first success, what was the first big thing you did with your success that really was like, Man, I think I'm making the right moves. I think I'm heading the right direction.
SPEAKER_00:Like, what was the Yeah, was there was there an aha moment where it's like, all right, this is working, this is what we're gonna keep doing.
SPEAKER_04:So uh one of the big aha moments, it was like when we this started this area, and then we moved into the other area. So it was like, okay, okay, we we I think we're doing this. And then obviously I was able to go into a house, you know what I mean? So we was like, get out the gym. It's like, oh, this is kind of working. Those moments was like, okay, so we're here. And then just more and more different people that were affluent people start coming aboard, being involved. I was like, ah, okay. I remember one time when I first got here, people told me to get with the, not the sheriff now, but the sheriff was back then. It was like, you need to get with him. So I remember meeting him. He kind of was like, you know, he kind of, he blow me off, but he was like, nice to meet you, you know, whatever that up. But then he saw me a little later. Stuff started buzzing a little bit, my name getting out there, our name, the business name, and people, and then he sees me, and then next thing you know, he's like, hey, yeah, Sean, you got my phone number? I was like, I was like, those little things, like, okay, here we go. You know what I mean? So that's when um you realize about certain stuff about success, and just like when people start noticing it yourself. If it were easy, everybody would do it. If it was easy, everybody do it. But that's the whole point. You get you can't be afraid to be to look silly. I tell somebody, were you looking to be successful? You know what I mean? I remember like, you know, just you know, just when you all talk, well, I remember when you first told me about throwing your potty, I said, man, you just gotta start, bro.
SPEAKER_00:That's one thing we actually talked about. I was like, man, we we go have some hiccup. And especially, you know, us, we don't really do a lot of editing. Uh we're not good editors. We let the we we kind of just let it rip, and whatever we get goes on air. You get us raw and honest. And just go from there. And we and I think some people like that. Yeah, man. Honestly, it's just there's no special effects to it, it just is what it is.
SPEAKER_04:So all but one day you all gonna look back at one day, and then y'all gonna be like, man, that was us. Yeah, like, man, look at us now. I'm saying I can't say certain stuff I look back on, be like, dang, that was crazy.
SPEAKER_00:I know you guys so we're such trash. Yeah. If you go back and listen to episode one, and then you listen where we're at now, it's a night and day difference. So you can hear it. To me, it's hearing the progress as we beautiful, right? It's beautiful, right? It's like something just blossoming out of out of the. But what's the main thing?
SPEAKER_04:You had to just you had to what though? You had to get what you get started. You had to get started.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, do something. You had to get started. So, who who were some of your like people you looked up to growing up? Like, I mean, bodybuilding. I mean, yeah, we have NFL stars, you you know, you see NFL stars, it's like, okay, you can go to somebody and say, Who's your favorite quarterback? They'll be like, oh, Patrick Mahomes. Like, but like in bodybuilding, you the names aren't really out there unless you really follow, you know. Like, who were some of the people that when you first got into it were like, won't be like him. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:So I mean, obviously, first was like my my dad and my brother. Right. So I was first and my brother. So my brother, like I said, my dad played football here at Alabama. So my dad was part of that. So I come from an athletic background. But then like my brother was a champion bodybuilder. So me being the youngest brother, you know, you got the sibling rivalry, you want to be like, for a while, his name is Chucky. And um, people used to be like, when I first started, like, that's Chuck's brother. And I was like, one day he's gonna be Deshaun's brother, and that was a goal of mine. I mean, like, I mean, so that motivated me to like, you know, push. But my brother was definitely our early mentor. Um I have a guy named David. Uh I had a lieutenant colonel Robert Berger was another good guy who just like, like Mickey. He was like my Mick. Like, he was like my Mickey, like in Rocky. He was just like, yeah, it was just go, yeah, just go. Go, no girls rock. Yeah. Like that. He was like that person. But then that, um, you know, bodybuilding, and that's um Kevin Perrot, who was a local person, somebody who was like big, that was tangible. He was a person I saw that had gems. He was like one of the first persons we saw that was a bodybuilder that I knew that had gyms around here, got in Butch Marshall, too. So these are like some local guys. Some bigger, just you just specifically talking about bodybuilding. I have mentors all over. We're talking about bodybuilding. But my favorite bodybuilder, actually, of all time, my favorite bodybuild of all the time is Dorian Yates. Always loved Dorian Yates. Uh, they call him the shadow. I actually got a chance to meet Dorian Yates at an Arnold class at one time. I've been blessed to meet a lot of different people. He was one of the few times I got kind of like star. I was with my brother, walking around my brother, and I was like, yo, it's Dorian Yates. I said it just like that. And he heard him. He turned around and he was like, yo, meet me in my booth. So I was met him at the booth, got his picture over there, and it just that was awesome. So Jay Cullen, Jay Cullen's huge for us business. As far as the business aspect of it, Jay Cullen is definitely somebody in bodybuilding I look up to as far as like the business part of it.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. I think that's incredible, man. You've had a lot of success here, and you're still going, still doing a lot. Uh, let's talk a little bit of sports real quick. Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Well, what what sports are like the ones you're passionate about? You have teams that you follow.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I'm all, I mean, I'm a you know, I mean, basketball's the number one sport. Yeah, baseball's the number one sport. Um, but you know, baseball, I'm a San Francisco Giants fan. You know what I mean? I'm a San Francisco Giant fan all day. Um, you know what I mean? All the days, I mean, you know, I mean, all the days of Barry Barnes and you know manager. I know they got a new manager, you know what I mean, Dusty. So I mean I'm all about the you know the San Francisco Giants. 13 years ago, we won the World Series, so it's the last 13 years ago. But anyway, but uh San Francisco Giants, because it's baseball time, so that's my team. One thing about baseball, I wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be talking without baseball. Because I trained a ton of baseball people. That's what got the really bodybuilding started. We'd helped like 28 people get scholarship athletes all the way from University of Virginia Tech to seeing you. So we've been blessed to help black kids. I trained a couple pro athletes, Chad Pinder. Chad, who coaches now, he's a coach now, but Chad went to Picosa. I trained while he was Picosan. Then he played at Tech, and then he went from tech and then he played for Oakland A's. His picture's hanging up there. I mean, we went to on Baltimore game, we got a chance to install him in person. Chad's a good friend of my brother. His brother Chase, too. Chase, um, Chase made it at um minor league. He made it to um, he didn't make it to the pro, but he was made into minor leagues. Um we trained um Jake Cave. Jake Cave ended up playing for the Twins, and then he played in Japan last year, so he's another one. Just Ethan Carter was like a Gatorade national player of the year. So it was like baseball's really, really popping over here for a while, and um I was blessed. So then without baseball, I love like man, without a huge sport, man. I love baseball. It's a big money sport. Especially in this area, too. It's a big money sport. It was it was more on you, you all side, south side. South side's always been big. Yeah, it's getting more bigger. Actually, when this started, I was like, I don't care nobody, we take credit. When this started over here, it started like kids start getting little big D1 scholarships here, but they wasn't getting that at first. It's all be like you all the Uptons, rights, all of them over there. Yeah, that's how it used to be. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:How about uh basketball? That season just started.
SPEAKER_04:Yes, man, friends, stay blessed. I'm a LeBron James fan of basketball. So you like wherever he's at. Well, I'm gonna that's it. Wherever LeBron at. It's kind of like how it's kind of like how I am with LeBron. Selt this is my team. Celtics is my team. I'm a like Larry Bird, my second favorite player of all time. But LeBron is by far my favorite.
SPEAKER_00:That's kind of how I am with Kevin Durant. Like wherever Durant is. And I like Rockets anyway, too.
SPEAKER_01:I always tell him I love I love the trash talk stories of uh the Celtics when you had Larry Bird. Larry Legend. The way he would say stuff to people. Larry Legend. I thought I had a story last week where he he he walks into the All-Star game and he's gonna be like the doing. He goes, which one of you bumps? Yeah, he did.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. We actually got a chance a couple years ago. Um, Christian, it's one of the um college visits he had. We was out there in Southern Indiana. So we had a chance to go to Frenchlet. We had to get each other Frenchlet with Bird From and got a chance to see all of that. That was super cool. The street, the school. I was like, because I'm a big Bird fan, so that was super dope. Yeah, that was super dope.
SPEAKER_01:Most awkward shot ever.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I know, man. Larry legend.
SPEAKER_00:I loved it.
SPEAKER_04:I loved your always trash talking. Oh, Bird was the man. Yeah, Bird was the man. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's not bad. We're a little early in basketball season, make predictions. Uh, but we're halfway through NFL season. I know you're a Cowboys fan. Nah, I'm a Giants fan. You're a Giants fan? Oh, I saw the star on the door.
SPEAKER_04:Ah, definitely. No Giants, no star, no Cowboys fan.
SPEAKER_00:I actually like the Giants right now. Okay. I'm big Dart and Scatabo fan. Okay, okay. I thought about getting a Washington fan and put Scatabo's name on. Okay, I'd probably get rocks thrown at me, though.
SPEAKER_01:They'd be like, wait, what?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I'm a G Bo fan.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. How are you feeling about y'all season?
SPEAKER_04:I knew I knew it was gonna be what it was gonna be. Yeah. I'm like, they're not gonna be, it's gonna be a while for that turns back around. But the Beat the Eagles a couple weeks ago, that was a big game, but then should have been Buffalo. Had that game against Buffalo, but you know, it happens. Yeah, it happens.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we are we on a three-game skid on our side. So surprise. I like Daniels though.
SPEAKER_04:I really like Jaden though. Yeah, I like Jaden.
SPEAKER_00:He's good. I like him when he stays healthy. Yeah, yeah, I like him. It's crazy because I remember 2012, which seems like yesterday to me. So I'm at a point in my life where 20 years ago seems like yesterday. So like it was not 20 years ago. Yeah, it was like 15 years ago, 16 years, close enough, you know, whatever. We're close enough to it. So seeing it going through the Shanahan era and even the early 2000s era of this team up to this point. Uh it's crazy. Yeah. The RG3 era, the Jason Campbell era, the Jim Zorn era, all those crazy things, man. Uh, you got a favorite for the Super Bowl? Who's gonna make it?
SPEAKER_04:I think Philly will make it again. They're an easy pick. I think Philly will make it again. I just think Philly is solid. You know what I mean? Yeah, they're all right. I think Philly's solid. You know they don't come on the NFC.
SPEAKER_01:Who's gonna be on the other side?
SPEAKER_04:Ah, I mean, you you mentioned somebody earlier. As long as he's playing, uh you can never say my long as Mahomes playing, you can never like question him out. So you think it's a rematch? I just think, I mean, as long as he's playing, it's always an opportunity. It's just like he, I mean, he was like Brady. As long as he's playing, just I don't care. You you throw the records out. Long as them two is in the game, it's a chance. I believe that's a chance. I mean, I think they can't say this definitely lost a lot. You know what I mean? They're not what they were, but I mean that Mahomes is just who he is, though. Yeah, but it's still dangerous. Mahomes is dangerous. Yeah, he is who he is.
SPEAKER_00:I had the bills pegged, but they kind of been slow over.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, they got a big win battle, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but you gotta you gotta have up and down for the season.
SPEAKER_04:Long as you get hot. That's why as long as you get hot at the right time. Get hot at the right time.
SPEAKER_00:Keep you keep your uh your record semi-level, then get hot at the right time, you slide right on in.
SPEAKER_04:They just choked to me though when it's big, the bills, so that's why it's just hard for me to pick them. Yeah, just yeah, they should have been in the Super Bowl a couple years already. On paper, on paper, they should have been. Yeah, on paper they should have been.
SPEAKER_01:Well, what about your young quarterback? How do you like him?
SPEAKER_04:I like him. I like them. I like Dimbles in Mississippi. Yeah, I like them. Yeah. Think he's gonna be something? Yeah, I like Dimmers in Mississippi. I like them, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I think I think Dart and Scatabo were very underrated coming into the I like them in Mississippi.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, during your training, did you ever have any cute stuff? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, good question. Yeah, really good question. Absolutely. So one show, um, we haven't compete, we didn't compete for a while, and it was actually just getting ready. Everything was looking good. Then I ended up having to get like this, um, I got this infection in my chest, and it was like weeks out of the show. And I know people like were trying to get me not to do it because it was like, yo, you got this or whatever. Was in the hospital the week. We had like three surgeries, like three major surgeries. But I stayed on my diet. Danged her, she kept my food coming. I stayed on my diet the whole time in there, and I was like, if the doctors say if I can do it, if it's not gonna hurt my health, then I did it. I wasn't worried about the outcome of like, you know what I mean, of like what I was gonna place or whatnot. I was just like wanting to prove it more to myself and the people would be like, yo, man, you just push through, like push through, right? Just teach you to push through. And that's what happened. Did push through, got third, um, got third at, got third, and then yeah, got third and third, got third in both those in that show right there. I was okay. Um, that was like one of those people like, yo, how are you upset? I was like, no, I'm like, why would I be upset? Like I wasn't 100%. And I said, Well, we did, it was just, it was so hype to be back on stage, and it was good. So a lot of people were like, they was confused. They're like, you get a different coach? I was like, why would I get a different coach? I was like, yo, I like everything was good. I like this happened. We was on target, this happened, whatever. What that did, so then the next year, though, right? Next year, same judges, next year. Come do the Virginia. And guess what? The same judges like remember me from that show, and it was like, I have blood coming out my chest because I still had a surgery, like a scar. And they were like, yo, your transformation from that to this, it was like, it helped me and definitely getting a win for that. So it would just always tell people like, if without doing that, I learned so much. Like I said, it's the shows I didn't win that when people ask me my biggest accomplishments in bodybuilding, it's like, there's so many just the shows I got second in or didn't win. I learned so much about myself. Like, I know we gotta go. But one of my major shows, I did the first time I I competed in the NPC, NPC is like a big time. I was competing in something like a lesser division. First, NPC is like one like, just like put it like it's almost like the major league of it, all right? A bodybuilding, right? IVB is the major league, but the NPC is like right under it, right? It's like the division one of it, right? So it's like the triple A. It's the triple A or the Division One of it, right? The high level division one of it. Like a, you know what I mean? So, uh like a Power 12, like or whatever, right? So like that. So over there, right? So my first time, and I'm doing the Virginia. This is sure doing the Virginia. In the back, I see all these dudes pulling off their clothes. I'm like, dang, these dudes big. Like, I'm talking to myself, right? I'm in the back, like, man, maybe, man, maybe what am I doing a little bit, right? Yeah. So my confidence don't get shaken a lot. She can tell you that. But that was one of my times was a little like, okay, maybe, but if your dreams don't scare you enough, right? You're not, you're not dreaming big enough, right? So anyway, so we're there. So then we get on stage, and this is something called call-outs. So a call out is say it was like 12 people. So the judges will call out the our first five or first three. So that means you're in the running to get a place in. Like everybody doesn't get a place. Like that, you get top five. So I got the first call out. I was like, okay. I'll like, alright. So we like, okay, so that called me, I'm like, are we good? I know at least on a place, right? I know I'm gonna do whatever. And then they set us back, but then they called us out again. This time they only called three. I was one of the three. And then next thing you know, I started like posing, posing, and then the people were like, yo, wow. So at the end of all of that, I ended up getting second that show. The guy who beat me won the whole thing. He was a national level at that time. I was a national level at that time. He was national level, he was supposed to have one, he was national level at that time. But I even though I pushed him and I beat all these other 11 people, other 10 people, like, you know what I mean, by how because I was posing better and everything started popping out better. So it just gave me that much confidence just to show up and show out, and then that's whatever. But that was one of my biggest, and that showed me that I belong. You know what I mean? That was one of those like I belong moments. It was like, okay, I like, okay, we ready, like we good. Like, cause I'm like, because it was definitely like, what am I doing? But then it was like, oh yeah, we here. You know what I mean? We're here. Yeah, it was a great feeling. That call out, when you get that call out, it's one of the best films in the bodybuild, because you know you're like, me. You're like, yeah. And then they call me again in movement, and then when I got off say it, people was like, yo, we had you in this place, but once you kept posing, you was like, yo, you start, we can see you was walking them down, and it was like, I got second.
SPEAKER_00:That's awesome.
SPEAKER_04:And I won the Virginia. So me saying that my, I give more credits on the one I got second than the one that actually won it. Yeah, yeah. Well, would you say the community is supportive? Like Bodyman? Absolutely. Yeah, the people at the top are. The people who are really, the people who are really good at something, usually they cheer on other people, right? You know what I mean? It's the people who really that are not that gives it, that gives it a bad name. That makes sense. In anything.
SPEAKER_01:The small pond. In anything, yeah. That's that kind of mentality.
SPEAKER_04:That trying to like, I'm trying to stay whatever.
SPEAKER_01:Trying to step on you to get it. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:But the people who like really do it, like in anything, that's not just a vibe. I learned that in anything. The people who really do it, those are people that want to collaborate. You're not looking to compete, you're looking to collaborate. You're looking to give credit to somebody who's done, because you know what it takes. So you're like, man, good job, man. Let's go.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. So that's anything. Yeah. People who compete are people who, like, mindset, just we're trying to collaborate. You know what I mean? Because we can get more together than we can.
SPEAKER_01:It's a hard life. You can run into jerks anywhere.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, literally everywhere. Anyway, but I always tell people, it's people who, it's never somebody who's doing more than you that really try to bring you down. It's somebody who's always doing less than you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, true.
SPEAKER_04:Always somebody who's way less. And you know, why are you gonna do that? Yeah, yeah. Why not, right? Why not though, right? Why not, right? And a lot of times it's the people that you that you know, and that's what bothers you, because you got people on social media who you can never met will always be like, but they may be your biggest fans, but it's the people you know are the ones who really like, you know, don't support it. Because the reason why you can't look at this is what I learned. The people who are around you and know you, sometimes they try to keep you in a box. They remember you as who you were at a certain time in your life, right? So they never want to let you grow up. You they just like, so when you start growing and getting out of that box, they don't like it. Because guess what? They still in that box. There you go. Still in that box. So you make them realize, like, yo, what am I doing? You know what I mean? Like, we come from the same, yeah, but they decide to do something else, and I'm doing this. So they're really more hateful at the decisions than really are you, but they were never just mad.
SPEAKER_00:And I mean, but they could do it too, you know, if they find something. But like you said, if it were easy, everybody would do it, but everybody's not that motivated.
SPEAKER_04:But again, people have to be willing to look silly. Yeah. And people are afraid to keep themselves out. People are afraid of willing to look silly because they worry about what people say too much. And people are gonna talk regardless. But everybody started off when they looked a certain way. You know what I mean? Think about, you know, I mean, when the Wright brothers talk about flying, you don't think people was like, yo, what? That's the craziest joint. You know what I mean? Alexander Graham Bell talking on something, like, who am I talking to? Like, yeah, yeah. He looks silly, right? But now, look, we it's all those ideas. Somebody looked silly at one time, but look at you now. So we do a lot, man. Like I said, we we do a lot. You got five principles that we believe in. One that never quit, never surrender. Losing is for losers. So we'll explain that real quick. Never quit, never surrender means that, like what Bay Rube said, you can't be the person who never gives up, right? You know what I'm saying? So never quit, never surrender. Losing's for losers. It's not saying like you're a loser if you lose. That's not it. It's saying you're a loser if you don't learn something from the loss. That makes sense, you know what I mean? And now you're a loser.
SPEAKER_00:You don't grow from it.
SPEAKER_04:Don't grow from it, right? You know what I mean? We're talking about sports. So, what about like how many coaches you be like, you see in the NCAAs or like basketball, these teams that go undefeated during the season, but then in March Madness, what happened, they lose, right? You know what I mean? Because but a lot of times with that loss, when do you learn? You learn from losses, though. You don't learn from if you're always winning, right? You know, you because you figure what you're doing always work, right? Or even coaches can see something and they're telling people, like, y'all gotta tighten up, but they're looking like we won. What are you talking about? But then when you lose, you like, now, I could be like, This is what I was telling you. You know what I mean? So that's what we tell people. So, you know, as long as you learn from it, nobody's gonna give it to you. I always tell people, nobody's gonna give it to you. Uh we always say something, the person who won the lottery even had to go buy the ticket, right? So you gotta get something to give something. So nobody's gonna give it to you. Go hard to get hard just mean push yourself out there, push what you want out there, and if you believe it, you can achieve it. That's one of the five principles that we believe here in the model. One of the things we love about here, this is bigger than like working out, it's mental. A lot of these things, these the same principles we use to push people, they are able to use in their everyday life, and it helps them to go out for their goals in life. They want to go back to school, they want to write a book, um, they want to get their fitness, whatever, whatever. They want to start a business. You see so many of these things, people go out and do bigger things than other than here, but this is what's the foundation of it, because just that makes sense, you know what I mean? So that's what we do.
SPEAKER_00:I will say that's one thing I love about coming here, is everybody, like you say, is not just here to work out. Everybody's chasing something, everybody's pushing for something here. Uh like specific. I mean, you got the wrestling school, you got bodybuilders, all the baseball teams, the youth youth stuff going on here. Everybody's pushing for something.
SPEAKER_04:Weight loss, whatever it is. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And that's one thing I love. It's not just an average run-of-the-mill gym.
SPEAKER_04:We got dog shows here, so I mean we do everything. That's right. We do everything here, yeah. That's right. I remember the dog shows. It's a good time here, man. Yeah. But that's one of the things we love that we love diversity. So and then um I love one thing that we wanted this place is to show that diversity and the many interests that I mean. I have a lot of many interests, so everything here that is here is an interest of mine. So to be able to have it here and to make some money off of it, but now we make some money off, give somebody else a platform is like a beautiful thing. So I mean, help somebody out. And I believe in helping others again. So it's a community. So you know what I mean? It's a community. If I can help you and the turn you helping me, then we all win in, correct?
SPEAKER_00:I'd say that's on our agenda too, taking up some community projects in the future as well, especially once we start to get a little more of a following going. There you go, man.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it's all about the more you the more you put yourself out there, the more it's gonna come back. And like I said, it's just that's the way it goes. I we wouldn't, without a community building, everything we're doing, I just want to be here. And I know um we like um I serve on the board, Governor Youncan appointed me. I serve on the athletic trainer board. So, like, it's a lot of things, man. It's things that I look back on black crazy that I've done. Oh, I was like, Yeah, where I come from, I'm supposed to be doing it. So we just a lot of things that we do. Yeah, I think it's incredible, man. Uh fostering relationships, too. Like a lot, all this stuff is coming from fostering relationships with people. So everything just kind of starts from there, and just and that people like yo, just built, you know what I mean? So, like Dan Young, the guy that hairs the Langley Kennel. He's I used to train him, start a relationship, and then I seen he was doing something, and then one day I just reached out to him about hey, you want to be a part of yes. All about relationships. I tell people foster relationship is the key. Um you get more for respect and you're you're in business, people think it's about money, how you get ahead. You get more from people knowing your reputation and your character. We give you further more opportunities to anything. Like, for example, like um Jenny and Mike, they own um Drain Wizard, which is like uh um it's a plumbing company, but just a couple weeks ago, just because who they are and their name, somebody came to them with an opportunity to acquire like an electrical division of that, just because of like who they are. You know what I mean? And they got an opportunity and they're including that in with their plumbing. So it just like that happens like so much like that. Like the Gloucester gym, like I mean, real quick story about the Gloucester gym, how I got the Gloucester gym. So the Gloucester gym, this is just to show you how God works. And people always ask me all the time, how you do it? I like God. So just God. The Gloucester gym, lady who used to uh this guy, a friend of mine was working out somewhere, and then he hit me up because somebody asked him about taking over the Gloucester gym in front of people who had it before us, right? But he was like, nah, but I got somebody. So then he reached out to me. He reached out to me. So, yeah, okay, whatever. We met up with the lady and whatnot. The lady lived, Lele actually worked for the Pentagon. So she worked for the Pentagon. So she was always. But anyway, so she just wanted to get rid of it because she wasn't around, right? So she gave us a price. She gave us a price for it. It's like, okay, price wasn't bad for the you know, included membership, including pricing. But I was like, that wasn't bad. But me just, my partner at the time was like, man, let's go, let's hop on this price. I was like, let's wait a little bit. Let's meet her and see whatever. So she worked for the Pentagon. This was cool. So we had them actually going to the Pentagon, you know what I mean? And actually got a visit of the Pentagon, which was really dope. Like she took us around. Yeah. So we was like, this is super dope. So we was all around these halls, hallways. I know we ain't supposed to be in on, but we was on them, you know what I mean? It was like, this looks a little too little too high fancy for, but it was cool. But anyway, but took us around there. So the end of all of that, the interaction, the family, she's like, you know what? Walked out. She was like, you know what? If you want the gym, she was like, I'm just gonna give it to you.
SPEAKER_00:Dang.
unknown:Dang.
SPEAKER_04:That's incredible. She was like, I just want to give it to you. I was like, what do you mean? Like, she was like, I just don't want it. Like, I just even I just want to be done with it. Signed off and just gave us the gym. God, that's just a foster relationship. But another thing too is just going after that extra mile of going to DC. I had to do we had to do something, dog. We had to go to DC to visit her. If that never happens, yeah, that don't happen. See what I mean? So you had to do something. People like yo, well, you got it. Yeah, but without going there, you know what I mean? That would be more.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, if you don't do that, you don't have that gym. That don't happen. Speaking on that a little bit, before we wrap up here in a second, uh, you're gonna expand some more? Do you want to expand more?
SPEAKER_04:Not right now in the moment, yes. Uh once once kids get a little more subtle, right now we're in that stage of just enjoying all of that and um putting a lot of resources into that. But once the kids get a little more subtle and then and then, you know, get subtle going to what college and doing whatever, then then I always say I would like one out of state, like just one more out of state. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00:What do you think about the Southside? You'd kill it down on the Southside. People always try to break us over there. It'd be it'd be a lot more expensive. Yeah, I know. People always ask to look at the city. This would, this would, what you do here would thrive on the side.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, people, I get that all the time. They're like, man, you gotta come out there, Southside. I know. But I don't know, but Southside's a nice area too. I like Southside. But definitely I'll just, I don't know, I'll like one like somewhere like West Virginia, maybe Tennessee. Yeah, much more. A reason to go, another reason to go there. You know what I mean? Yeah. Reason to go hang out, another reason to go there. It's probably cheaper out that way. Yeah, way, way more economical. So that's be what that's why. We're working towards a lot of things. We're building, we're building all our businesses up, try to get us there. So got a grandbaby on the way. Congratulations. Appreciate it, man. Super excited about that. So that's another process. That's a huge deal. A lot of fires in the pot, man. But you know, figuring out God is good, though. God is good.
SPEAKER_00:That's how I like to spread everything out. And that's and he can tell you that's why I sometimes get overcommitted sometimes. Uh, because I like I'm just trying to make that work, make that work. There's opportunity everywhere for me. So I'm like, you, I'm like, just put a lot of, put all the fires in. I'll spread out something's gonna hit, we go with it.
SPEAKER_04:And once hit, you roll with it, right? Yeah, you know what I'm saying? I like that. Yeah, I say busy is good. One thing I like to say too, though, just don't be what I've learned, I've probably learned the hard way. Um, I just give advice to anybody that's as far as business and life, don't be afraid to say no, though.
SPEAKER_00:Yep.
SPEAKER_04:Because what happens is because people who try to do everything, like you you can mess relationships up because sometimes you like your intentions are good, but you just can't really do it. Right. And then you told somebody you want to do it and you don't do it, and it makes you look like the bad guy, right? You know what I mean? It can't be part of it. It can't be. I've I've learned that. So you just sometimes you gotta say no to certain stuff, like I just can't do it. You know, I'd rather just say, because I don't want to ruin my intentions, are good, but you just want to ruin because you just can't do it.
SPEAKER_00:People actually appreciate the honesty.
SPEAKER_04:They appreciate it better more than you taking it on and failing then. And when it fell in the mind.
SPEAKER_00:I've learned that lesson before to like just be up front, like. Oh, I can't come to this event.
SPEAKER_04:Like, I'm sorry, I can't come today. I can't make it. You know what I mean? Just be like, I can't make it. Other than I'm gonna try to just, you know, I've learned that just work within your limits. Just work within your limits. Well, you gotta know your limits too.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I'm gonna be there. And you where you at? Well, you oh, I'm sorry, couldn't make it.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, just say you just say you couldn't make it. Just say you couldn't come. Yeah, it'd have been not that just say you couldn't come. And we it's understandable. Nobody's holding you gun. But that's things you learn as you grow, right? You know, as you grow, and it just and as you grow. And then another thing too, I want to tell you what I've learned. You know what I'm saying? Never sell your brand short. No accomplishments, a small accomplishment. Whatever you accomplish, you cheer it on and believe in it and be successful. Because that's the problem. People take, people think they be like that to their mind, they try to downplay you. She's like, you know, no, no, that's not a big deal. Like, I haven't done it before, so that's a big deal. That makes sense, you know what I mean? So I'm like, I just I had one kid ask me, he said, man, do you get like the new, I mean, you know, because I've been blessed to be in the media and done a lot of different stuff. He like, does that get old? So no, everyone, I'm excited, like the first one. Because guess what? Like, you all don't don't didn't have to take the time to come interview me. I look at it like that. So I don't look at it like I've done this like that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we we view it mutually. We say, you know, we because like you, you didn't have to take the time to sit down and talk with us. So we were both mutually ecstatic about this.
SPEAKER_04:But that's the point. But if you keep that, it's gonna make everything just yeah, and other people feel that, and they want to be a part of that when they like they know that you're like excited. Because we live in a generation that everybody's too cool, right?
SPEAKER_00:They don't want to make it seem like they're like, Yeah, don't let them see you crack, right?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, they want to feel like they're not cool. I'm like, nah, I'm like, I'm a fan of people. I like I love so I always appreciate those opportunities. So that makes sense. You know what I mean? So just I was one advice I give never let nobody sell you short and be like, yo, and never look at whatever something you're doing is small because it's not because it just everything. If you if your goal is to get to California from here, no matter if you're flying, train, car, you gotta go through all these different other states to get to it, right? So it's the same thing in this journey. Everything is a step. Yeah, yeah. So long as you're going progressing, that's the only thing that really matters. Yeah, I don't care how tiny you may think it is or how big you think it is. That's our perspective. Success, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. So, how you look at it. So just remember that. Two for the win, baby. That's everything. Two for the win. That's it. Hell yeah. Two for the win. Thank you so much for the time, man. Thank you, man. I appreciate you, man.
SPEAKER_00:You've done a lot. You're still doing incredible, still going. That is good. Yes. We real we both admire you. I know a lot of people admire you. Appreciate it, man. Thank you. Thank you again for taking the time to join us. Thank you, man. Uh, talk with us and our listeners. We hope everyone enjoyed it. Uh, as always, a pleasure doing business with you, sir, and a pleasure uh having somebody new on the show. Uh look for the link to Comfort Clause, as we discussed earlier. Uh, you can go to our social media pages as well as our website, twofor the wind.com, to find the information on that. Uh, once again, everybody, thank you for joining us for another another episode of Sports Banter. I'm Brian with an I, and I'm a Mike, and we are two for the win. Thanks, everybody.