Ep. #4 - The Best Chicken Comes From A Super Bowl MVP

Super Bowl MVP. Eight-time Pro Bowler. And the owner of an organic, pasture-raised chicken company that’s trying to raise the standard for how poultry is grown. Von Miller joins us for a conversation that feels like Texas in the best way: honest, curious, and centered on family, food, and doing the work.

We talk about why his kids are his biggest accomplishment, how Texas A&M shaped his path, and how a poultry science class quietly became the foundation for Greener Pastures Chicken. Von breaks down what “pasture-raised” really means on their farms, including mobile coops that move every day so the birds get new grass, sunlight, and natural forage. If you care about traceability, regenerative farming, and buying better chicken without guesswork, you’ll leave with a clear picture of what to look for and why it matters.

From the kitchen, we get into how we cooked his birds and why simple BBQ done right wins: brining, seasoning, steady heat, and a glaze that doesn’t cover up the meat. Then we pivot into football life, including the mindset behind his Super Bowl MVP performance, what it was like stepping onto Dancing With The Stars at the peak of his career, and why being a great teammate is a legacy he takes personally. We wrap with hunting and fishing stories and a few Dallas-area shoutouts that any outdoors person will appreciate.

If you enjoy real talk with practical takeaways on BBQ, organic chicken, and elite performance, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Preview

Matt 0:00

Hey, it's Matt with Meat Church, and welcome to episode four of the Meat Church Podcast. This week we're joined by NFL legend Von Miller. We get into his NFL career and lots of untold stories. We get into cooking and his company, Greener Pastures Chicken, which is amazing. We get into unique stuff like his life in hunting and his career on Dancing with the Stars. Texas AM All-American, the number two overall pick in the NFL draft. And I've gone back and looked recently, a insanely stacked draft class. Seven time all-pro, eight times to the Pro Bowl, two times Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP. And one of the things I think most impressive, I'm going to ask about later, has scored two touchdowns in the NFL. So without further ado, the CEO, the owner of Greener Pastures Chicken, Von Miller.

Family First And Texas Roots

Von 1:27

Gigem, gigem. I think, you know, out of all of those, you know, stats and you know accomplishments that you routed off, I think my biggest accomplishment are my kids. You know, I love my kids. I got three kids, two boys, um, one baby girl. Valor is my oldest. Victory is my youngest boy. He was actually born on the same day as Super Bowl 50. No way. Just seven years later. So I named him Victory. You know, my baby girl, her name is Virtue. She was born the day after Christmas. So I they they they get it, you know, kids get on your nerves sometimes, but those are like my biggest accomplishments. I feel the same way about them as winning the Super Bowl. So I just had to throw that in there. I love that.

Matt 2:04

I mean, Meat Church is a family business. We're family first. I have four kids. I now have two grandboys. People don't, they're like, whoa, you're old enough to have those, and I don't know that I am, but they're the best things ever. Once you have those, then you actually, it's funny, you you kind of cast your kids aside. But we're with you. It's all we're building a new house right now, and it's all about our kids and like how they're gonna enjoy it. And uh so that's cool. I'm glad you brought that up. I appreciate that. Well, they're all local here too. You're you're back. I mean, you you've always been in DFW, even though despite where you've played at Denver and Buffalo, like your roots are here.

Von 2:34

Yeah, Texas, uh Dallas is is I'm I'm a Texas boy through and through. I went to Texas AM. Um, you know, in life you you make some bad decisions. Texas AM was definitely one of the best decisions that I've made. Um, you know, started my chicken company. We're all Aggies with um Green and Pastures chicken. So it's uh I'm a I'm a Texas boy through and through. Um I'm back all the time. I'm back each and every um year. I have my local um holiday Vaughn Miller Day. I didn't do it this year, but we've done it eight times. Um it's where we that the city of DeSotle, they gave me a uh a holiday, my own day, and we just make it like one big picnic where we have like kids come out, we have crawfish, we have like um all the food that you can think of, snow cones, and we just do it just one big picnic on um, it's usually at the end of April, but this was the year that we didn't do it. My mom, she had hit me. My mom is the one that really like get it going. And my mom had sent me a text message and she was like, hey, can we skip Von Miller Day this year? So you know, she kind of like it was kind of like a loaded like question. So she was basically telling me that she didn't want to do it this year, but that's how she asked it. So we took a year off and we'll be right back next

Bourbon Picks And Host Gifts

Von 3:47

year.

Matt 3:47

That's awesome. Well, um, we talked about this bourbon before before we started. I think we're gonna jump into this. Yeah, yeah. We'll feel good going through the podcast. So I got a couple, I'm gonna let you choose here. First, open this. It's a gift for you. Another gift, open at the top.

Von 4:03

This this guy right here, like, this guy's amazing, man. Like the hospitality that this guy has has shown us, man. Like, man, we just started podcast, but if you ever need me for anything, might not ever need me, but if you do, like I got you, man, for sure.

Matt 4:17

I'm gonna hit you up. Yeah, so Vaughn's been here all day today. We just did our cooking show. So by the time this podcast comes out, the cooking show will have already we're already uh aired. So just spin the top. Yep, there you go. So the we did uh we took we're gonna talk lots about this chicken today, but um we took the chicken, maybe what we call sticky barbecue chicken with a mix of three different meat church shrubs. We'll talk about that in a second. But that was, you know, will have already come out by now, so we've had a ton of fun today. So this is this is a whiskey Glenn Cairn, and this is a Glen Karen holder, so you can put that like in your backpack and you won't ever break your glass when you go on the road. And this is deep etch, not the cheap stuff. So you get to pick. I brought, I brought, we partnered with Buffalo Trace, so I grabbed two wellers. I got my these are single barrel picks that we have picked. So we got a Weller Antique 107 and then a football connection. This is a weller foolproof that uh Zach Martin, um, which you just went in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, right, with Zach recently.

Von 5:11

Yep. Yep. Me and uh Zach Martin played each other throughout the years. Um fierce competitor, um, but we got to be on the same team uh one. We we went into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame together. It was me, Coach P was in there too. Um a lot of guys in there, man. That class was that class was amazing. And you know, never in a million years that I did I ever think about like Texas Sports, like Hall of Fame. I always had in my heart, like I would you gotta believe in yourself. I always had in my heart that I would make it to the NFL. Like if I try hard enough, if I did everything that I could possibly do to make it, I would make it. I always had that determination, that drive, and that motivation. But Texas Sports Hall of Fame, that that was never on there. And then to go in with like Zach Martin, like Hall of Famer too. Like it's Gary Patterson, the legend of Fort Worth. Gary, Gary Pattern, Gary Patterson. And Zach, he came up. I didn't write a speech. You know, I'm not like I gotta like write a speech. I was just like, you know, I'm gonna go up there and I'll speak from my heart. And, you know, I love to talk too, especially if you give me a platform. I love to talk. So I was like, man, it's a five-minute speech. You know, I think my mom, my dad, coaches, I get in there. Zach was the very first guy to go. Pulls out this speech, boom, flip it open, and like when he did his speech, I got on my phone and I started like writing the speech. I was like, bro, like that was amazing. I was like, bruh, that was amazing. Like he blew, like he blew the roof off the place, like, and it just like it I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Like, because he was a hell of a player, and just to hear his story on how he got there, it definitely, you know, got me going. So it was uh it was great.

Matt 6:40

That's unbelievable. Well, you get to pick which ones you want to try. We try them both, but um, you know, I I'm from Texas, so I drink, but I don't know about which one would you, which one would we go? They're both great. So one is 107 proof, the full proof is that's the proof it went in the barrel came out, so it's 114. So I mean they're both delicious. Let's go 107 first and then let's do it. Let's do it. 114. Crack it open there. I mean there we go. We've been waiting too long on this, so I gotta get it going. It's kind of interesting. We've drank bourbon on every podcast so far. I'm not mad about it either, but I appreciate you, brother. I once gave Darius Rucker some really nice whiskey and a glass, and he shot it right in front of me, and I was like, it's not fireball. It's not a shot. No. I say actually my quote was it ain't effing fireball because I was mad. Oh man. That's good. Yeah, that is good. That is super good. Well, I think I think I got my notes

From Poultry Class To Business

Matt 7:45

here. I um since we were we were talking about AM and and and the chicken, let's start there. We're actually gonna talk some football stuff, but um why don't you go back and tell our audience? So you're a poultry science major and I know the history, but uh what you guys are doing is super unique. And so to lead you into this, you know, when when we cooked this chicken earlier, I went to Central Market in Dallas and bought the chicken. I know everything you guys do with the chicken, I want you to talk about that, but um, knowing all the things you do with the chicken, I thought the chicken would be more expensive. I actually was thinking I'd go in and the chicken would be $30, $40. The chicken was $20, and it was unbelievable. I can truly say that. And thank you for the swag. Yeah, thank you for wearing it, man. This is the sickest hat in my collection now. So um, but I mean, I you just gotta jump in and yes, you were a poultry science major, but how'd you get this started? And then mainly you got to tell us what you guys do with these chickens because it is awesome.

Von 8:38

Man, uh man, it's it's crazy how you know, like you just you just live life and just follow your path. Like, I never grew up on a farm. I was never outdoors with like the cows and the chickens. Like, I grew up hunting and fishing, like that that was my life, but never like in the ag or anything like that, never like growing corn or anything like that. I go to Texas AM, and after, you know, my first um year um playing football, I needed a class to help my GPA, like a lot of student athletes. I needed to take an easy glass to push my GPA so I could be eligible for the next year. And one of the easiest classes that we could take that had one of the highest grade averages was was Me Production 101 Poultry Science, and I take it, and it was an easy class. I'm falling asleep every day. My professor, Dr. Morgan Farnell, I never forget his name. He's actually helped out with Green and Pastor Chicken as well. But back then, like I didn't like the guy. He used to wake me up and make me come to the front of the class and break up in class. He used to tell like my academic advisor, like, hey man, Von gotta, he gotta, he gotta do better. Like he came into class, he just, he just, you know, disrespecting the class like that. And he would make me come to the front of class and just like regurgitate everything. Because even though I was like sleep, I was still like halfway like awake, and I was still like listening to him. But in turn, it really just made me like learn the business. It really just like made me learn like the concepts and you know everything behind poetry science. And you know, I I got an A-. I got an A minus, and I took another class after that, and I took another class, and I just needed, you know, a couple more classes to make it my major, and I did that, and here we are. I I started that to, you know, you go to college to find like your plan B. Like if I don't make it to the NFL, if you know, if something happens, if I get injured, if I don't make it, you know, I just I just be a chicken farmer. And I've been fortunate enough to, I've been blessed enough. God has blessed me enough to be able to do both. And I know I said in like a clip before that, you know, it started off to be like, you know, my plan B. Uh, it might be my plan A. And that's what we've been working on. Some of the stuff that we do with Green and Pastors Chicken, nobody else is doing. You know, I try to have parallels in my life. If I'm gonna do something, I try to be the best. If I'm gonna rest the pastor, I want to be the best. I want to go down as the best past rusher. If I got a chicken farm, I want to go in the hall of fame of chicken farm. Like, I want to be the best chicken farm, I want to have the best product. It's not just about selling chicken and trying to make some money. I want to have the best chicken. When people look up pasture race, organic chicken, greener pastures should be at the top. And that's where that's where we're at.

Matt 11:14

So tell us, talk to us about some of the practices of these chickens. And I want you to use the line you told me earlier, what kind of life these chickens lead because uh, you know, I fortunately through what I do, uh, it's very important to me to know where my food comes from. Um, I'm friends with a guy named Adam LaRoach, played in baseball, was draft pick of the Braves, played for the Nationals, and someone gifted him some beef. This was way before I knew him, and he's the one that turned me on this idea of like knowing where your food comes from. And I'll tell people I'm not trying to be some weird tree hugger or whatever, but in this day and age, it's important to know in the traceability aspect. So um we have lots of friends at Texas AM through 44 Farms, McLaren Farms, it really got me involved in that on the beef side. And I've never really had, I've never had that on the poultry side. But some of the things you guys are doing, I'd love for you to talk about that because it's really unique and amazing.

Pasture Raised Practices That Matter

Von 12:00

It's organic, it's pasture raise, um, regenerative farming. Um, we have our mobile chicken coop. We have it on the pasture, and we move it every day. So the birds have access to natural bugs, sunlight, grass. When they live a country club lifestyle, they just have uh, you know, one bad day. They really think it's a field trip and they don't they don't see it coming. They're excited. I think you could definitely taste the type of lifestyle that our birds live. And we cooked the chicken earlier today, and you know, I we glazed it up with barbecue sauce, but I'm not really like glazing on that. That was some of the best chicken that I've ever had in my life.

Matt 12:36

It truly, truly was. Um, you know, they were four-pound chickens, and so for anyone listening that hasn't gone back and watched it, you know, there'll be a link below to find that, and we'll put a card up here on the screen where you can just click and hop over there. But, you know, we took, I wanted to, we're really simple in our approach to cooking. I think good food, you know, simple food done right always wins. But we want to be a little unique. And I told you, leading up to this, I didn't want to like mask the chicken and go crazy because I wanted to really be able to taste the chicken, but I didn't want to go like super plain. So we took three barbecue seasonings. We did holy gospel, honeyhog, blanco, mix them together. And then we added some other, some herb, we added some parsley, some oregano, some coriander, and uh, and we seasoned it all our well. First thing we did, we brined them. I told that was one of my big things I told you. I said, I love to brine my chicken. So we brined it overnight in meat church, bird baptism brine. Uh, we oiled the birds up after we spatched cock them. You and I seasoned them by hand, cooked them simply at 300 on the trigger, meat church, cherry, pecan pellets, but we made a unique barbecue sauce. We took our Holy Cola and we added a bunch of stuff to it to make it more complex. Now, to your point, the glaze is on the skin. Like once the skin's gone, you're just tasting the meat. And the thing that I was blown away by, you took a bite of the thigh, and I could see out of the corner of my eye, it was like a waterfall. Yeah, it went.

Von 13:50

It went crazy. And I eat, you know, I eat I got a chicken company. I eat chicken five, six times a week. Um, so I I ate our bird, and of course, like I'm gonna say our bird tastes better than anything. But that bird that we cooked today was the best green and pastures chicken that that I've ever had. And I eat I eat green and pasture chicken all the time. Obviously, it's not you know, Matt, Matt Pittman, you know, cooking it, but that was that was incredible, man. I'm gonna try to go home. You know, one of my hobbies is is cooking. What my my favorite hobby is finding new hobbies. And you know, I got like my barbecue pit, I got it back in like February and I'm gonna cook it from the family, and I'm definitely gonna try to remake that same recipe that we did earlier for for the family.

Matt 14:32

I I think it was the best chicken I've ever had, and I just said a couple weeks ago some other chicken we made was, but I enjoyed that because I love a classic barbecue chicken when you got barbecue sauce on it, but man, it was just so flavorful. Like I truly could tell a difference. Like, you know, you're not paying me to say this. I I'm all about going to Central Market and buying this. I bought extra. Like, I'm my family's gonna have it tonight. I'm gonna make more chicken tonight, but it was it was super good.

Von 14:57

I like uh I I like I like fried chicken too. We talk about chicken. You said you come you come from that, like yes, so when we if you're doing like fried chicken like that too, like you still brine it the same way?

Matt 15:08

Yeah, we were so you asked me earlier, do I like to fry chicken? Or you actually asked me how I learned to cook, and I said my grandmother's from Alabama, Tennessee taught me to cook and it was all southern, you know, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, fried ochra, that sort of thing. And you know, I like to brine if I'm frying chicken, I like to brine it in buttermilk. And then, you know, I like to put like I want it to be really crispy, so I usually use some cornstarch, and we have a chicken fried breading, you could use that. Also like using some panko, but um fried chicken is okay. I have a friend that owns a wine company in California, Starlos and Sons, and he told me that champagne and fried chicken is his last meal on earth, and ever since he said that to me a while back, I'm like, you know what, I agree. And so uh fried chicken's my go-to. I'm sure you love babes up in Cedar Hill.

Von 15:53

Yeah, they got uh they got babes and uh what's it's in Holland, it's in the what's in Holland?

Matt 15:58

The one in Highland and Snyder Plaza is Bubba's, but it's the same thing.

Von 16:00

Yeah, Bubba's and babes the same day? Same thing.

Matt 16:02

Yeah, that that's like my birthday dinner, that's where we go. Yeah, like yes, I can't get enough fried chicken. We have a lot of fried chicken, uh, we have a lot of chicken wing recipes on Meat Church. We double fry them. That's why I debated when you came that I wanted, you know, with your Buffalo connection and knowing our buddy, our mutual friend, Pat Spinoza. Pat Spinoza for sure, yeah. You know, I gotta I'm about to show him I know how to make a good wing. So we'll put that on the next time. For sure.

Von 16:24

And I when we get done, I man, what if you got you can text me over any of those recipes, man? I would love to try to love to try to get my to try to remake it. Try to be Pat. I'm I'm gonna be Matt Pittman for Halloween. I'm gonna I'm gonna dress up, get my get my boots and my shirt, I'm gonna get my turtle box. I'm gonna get all I'm gonna get all those endorsements and I'm gonna put my hat on, man, and I'm gonna put the little wig, have my little haircut.

Matt 16:48

So I'm scheduled for a haircut tomorrow, but I feel good. I got the flip going today, so yeah, it's gonna try my best to beat Matt Pittman for the family though. So before we move on from how you take care of these chickens, I'm most blown away by the fact that you have mobile chicken coops and they move so that the chickens get they're okay, so like the dirty life of a lot of chicken plants was like they they're just like stacked up on top of each other, and I'm just gonna say pooping on each other. People don't know where their food comes from until they see how chickens are raised. Like people don't really want to know how the sausage is made. But when I look at um what you guys are doing, you move the coop so they get new grass, new bugs. That is wild.

Von 17:25

I think one of our biggest, um, one of our biggest sales pitches is we got a little card and it says, we're not this, we're that. And we show like the farm, like the typical chicken house, and they're all stacked up. You got 44,000 birds just stacked on top of each other. Then they show our farm, especially in the spring, and you got like dandelions and flowers in there, and like the grass is high, and they got natural access to like air and like bugs. Like it's a this a if you're a chicken, like you can't live a better life than that. Like you can't live a better life than that. The only thing that we're not doing is is playing music for them out there. They got everything else. They got everything else. Well, I can connect you with turtle box. Yeah, and we have a turtle box in there and play like pair them together with party mode and like 80s like soft rock in there for the guys, like yacht rock. Yeah, what's yeah, what's what's the what's the song choice gonna be for these chicks? Well, I mean, we gotta have some sweet and like you know, melodic and just have them like just chilling in there all day. But that's really the only thing that we don't do for the birds. And I and I I think you can taste the type of lifestyle that they live. Um, you know, it's it's very easy going. Um we're not rushing the birds every day. Everything is calm and easy. They get access to new grass every day. And I, you know, it's it's my company, of course. Like, I'm not being biased though. You definitely can taste the type of lifestyle that they live. We need the greener pastures chicken playlist.

Matt 18:45

Let's talk about it. That'd be great. That'd be great. We're gonna blast that out next time. So,

Learning To Cook And BBQ Roots

Matt 18:50

you know, I always ask everybody, do you like to cook? And I know you've said it's your newfound hobby, but tell me about your, you know, just growing up and who cooked, and and obviously I I know that you're super busy with football. And since, you know, I have a lot of friends that play for the Cowboys and I cook for them, I know how busy it is. I didn't tell you, I worked for the Dallas Stars as a side job in the locker room forever, like right out of college. So I got to see the pro athlete life and how serious you are about your craft and you're at your top of your game, so I know you're busy. So, okay, aside from that, but now you've suddenly got this new love of cooking. So the basic question is do you love to cook? I know you've gotten into it. So tell me your background in cooking and you know what it was like growing up and what you're doing now.

Von 19:28

I think cooking and especially like barbecuing is kind of been it's been whispering to me my whole life. Yeah, like fun. You're in Texas, like fun, come, come, come barbecue, come try it. Like my dad is he's a legend in our family. Like, he's been barbecuing since before I was born. Like, we always had these big smokers in the backyard. Um, 4th of July, like all the holidays, Memorial Day weekend, like back when we were little, lived in like the neighborhood, and my dad would have a smoker going, and the whole like street would be like smoked out. Like the wind wasn't blowing, it just had like this little haze of smoke all the way up and down the street. And on 4th of July, you got the fireworks and the smoke. Like, I've always been around cooking. My dad is the pit master of the family. Like, all of my cousins, all of my aunties, uncles, everybody, they love my dad's cooking. 4th of July. Any anytime my dad's cooking, like, he's the map, he's the Matt Pittman of my family. Like, everybody loves for him to come cook, and he's always doing it. And my brother, he went to culinary school, so he just took my dad, um, he took my dad's hobby to a whole nother level. And, you know, you go to Texas AM, like everybody was cooking on like the weekends. Like it was just me. I'm like, man, what y'all y'all cooking? Like, no, I'm about to go home and play video games and chill. But like, it's always been like whispering to me. And, you know, I have three kids now, and you know, I always have like a chef, and like I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna try it. Like, you know, they got the they got the the Traegers where it make it so easy, and like, you know, the green egg and like all this stuff. I'm like, you know what, I'm just gonna go try it.

Matt 20:55

Yeah.

Von 20:55

And um, you know, I went out there, I got a barbecue pit, and like I tried it, and it was easy. Like, it's you can't really mess up a steak either though. Yeah. Like you can't really like mess up a steak, and I like started cooking steak, and like I got it.

Matt 21:07

You can mess it up, but you're giving you must be good because you haven't messed it up.

Von 21:10

So I I haven't messed it up. Like, everybody in my family, like, they they love it, especially like my kids and you know, my girlfriend and everybody, like, they all love it. And she's real particular about like food and stuff, and she she loves it. And I got a I got a chicken company. Like, I they sell my they sell the chicken at Central Market. So right down the road. I was like, man, like I need to start cooking. Like, I got a chicken. I never cook, like, the chef will come cook, but I was like, I'm gonna start doing it. And I started and I and I love it, man. Like everything about it, from like wood choice to like um, you know, marinating and getting getting it ready for the next day. I like cooking it up, spending all their time out there smelling like barbecue smoke, and then coming in and laying it out, and it just you just sit back and see like what everybody's gonna do. And they just start like eating it, and people come over and they don't even know like I cooked it, like, and they start like, man, this is good. I just you know, it's just little stuff like that that just keep you going. and w and it makes you like want to learn more and you just you just keep going. And you have, you know, guys like you, I could just ask questions and it it really just like fuels my my flame to be, you know, a great outdoor outdoor show.

Matt 22:12

Yeah, well so and you know we'll get a bit I we'll get into your outdoor hobbies in a minute, but uh it plays with that. Like that's the thing with me. Like when I go to my Deer Lease or whatever, like I want to cook. I say that food tastes better cooked outside. You asked me earlier do I cook breakfast on my Traeger griddle. I'm like yeah like puts you in a better mood. It's kind of like if you go to church on Sunday you have a better week. Like when you go cook breakfast on your griddle like you're gonna be in a better mood and it tastes better. So you know especially when they're playing that greener pastures playlist it's all we gotta get on the show. Yeah we gotta get we gotta get working on that I'm gonna I'm gonna wheel it in.

Von 22:40

So your brother went to culinary school my brother went to culinary school and um he actually started off when I when I first got in the NFL he started off to be my chef but he can never like get out of that brother mode like he was my brother and you know if you got a work relationship with like family sometimes you can kind of like Yeah it's tough. You know he's my little brother too so it's always like it was always like a little bit stuff we we just couldn't really get out of it like that. Like you know you come home like hey man can you cook me a steak and look like man why don't you cook you cook the steak it's like but you my you myself this what you know yeah we couldn't like we couldn't like work it out and to be honest like we gotta like our relationship has always been great but it'll stay great if we don't like work together. So he went to culinary school and you know he cooks he helps my dad out whenever it's they cook every day. My dad and my brother they cook every day cook every day they cook lunch they cook dinner every day like I bring my kids down after school um down at my mom and dad's house they live down at O Villa and they're cooking something every day. Tomorrow will be Taco Tuesday um it's it's tacos is you know we go hunting and fishing a lot too it's some fish that we caught or it's some exotic animal that we that we got like it's something every single day and now that I'm involved in it too like it's it's three of us that's just chefing it down.

Favorite Foods On The Road

Von 23:59

So you you obviously you travel a lot playing football and I know the meals are fairly controlled but is there any food seen in the cities whether you know like you know when you play in Denver Buffalo LA um Washington uh or cities you visited like what's your favorite food NFL wise where you visited I know how to find the food like no matter where I'm at when I was in LA had a lot of good food now you know it's not a good lot of good barbecue out there but you can I find the food wherever I'm at I'm a foodie um it could be Miami you know I'm I'm gonna find the food they got like the oxtails beans and rice like the Caribbean food um that would have to be my favorite like type of food is Caribbean food. You got plantains beans and rice cabbage oxtails stew chicken stew beef like all that stuff I also like you know Hawaiian food is as well I know we talked about those those ribs like cut like long way if it's good food like I'ma eat it um buffalo had great food that was that was wild like because you go to Buffalo and you're like man it's just gonna be Buffalo wings and but they got really good food the the Italian food there is amazing of course the wings and stuff were good they had buffalo wild wings there and it didn't last long it was only there for like six months. Nobody went no nobody nobody went to Buffalo Wild Wings you would think like you would think like in Buffalo everybody would go to Buffalo nobody because it's it's the commercial it's the commercial like Buffalo wings but they got all these mom and pop like wing shops that everybody eats they got good Caribbean food at their good Italian food they got uh got they got a good steakhouse there my chef was was amazing Buffalo had some of the best food that I had um in the league um I would say DC had really good food as well my chef in DC she was amazing um you know you got seafood they got the blue crab out there that they eat year round whether it's from you know the Bay there and then when it's out of season in like Maryland they just ship it from Louisiana so it's the same like it's the same like crab but it just depends on which place they say you could taste the difference for me I couldn't I couldn't really taste the difference. So whether it's crawfish seafood ball um crab ball um barbecue Caribbean food Hawaiian food Chinese food like I'm a foodie so when I'm done when I'm done hanging out more when I'm done playing football I'm probably I'm either going to be 300 pounds or I'm gonna be 210 pounds.

Matt 26:17

You're gonna be in the opposite offensive line movie losing I'm gonna be I'm gonna be huge I'll I I love to eat. So do I with people like why aren't you you know how aren't you why aren't you huge for doing what you do but like it's it's literally my life struggle. Like it's you know I used to be fit and I told you I did a full Iron Man in 2010 and then I got good at barbecue and man you get a little bit older and it hit me. I ate whatever I wanted until I hit like mid forties and it's a struggle but but I love to eat. You know I I wondered that earlier too I'm like he always cooking it's always food around like why is why is this guy three I'd make a lot more money if I was a big fat guy in overalls doing what I do. Well how you do what you work out like you gotta what work out but my diet is the biggest thing like I'm very strict um I intermittent fast I try not to eat until lunchtime and then honestly like my wife and I generally eat pretty healthy so that you you're here at the tail end of like our super crazy season. So we've been busy not eating as good lately but but I grill and make vegetables every night so it's like a protein and a couple vegetables so we don't eat that bad I don't sit around eat fatty brisket all the time and you know the stuff that we do for video it's all real and I try it but I don't have a whole meal about it. I don't yeah I mean honestly when we do events I usually eat the sides like we make this potato salad that's money and I'll sit there when do an event I'll just eat potato salad. Not that that's great for you but it's better than five pounds of fatty brisket. Yeah I was wondering like how you cook all this amazing food and but you're not eating you trying it but you're not sitting there having a I can't I mean I just you know but yeah you gotta work out and and diet but the diet's a big snake I'm pretty regimen on that. Um try to just have one cheat day you know and I'm surrounded by nothing but healthy people with all the athletes that I know but so it rubs off on a little bit but it's it's tough. So try to just eat a lot of protein I eat venison snack sticks, Maui Nui venison, they're like 10 grams of protein and so a lot of times if I'm hungry at lunch, like my lunch is literally these venison meat sticks. That's not terrible for you. So it's a struggle. But then I got my bourbon habit. What do you think is not bad? It's not bad. It's good. So did you um I'll wrap up the food side but do you do you end up like hiring a chef when you so you go to a new team do you hire a chef there or do you take someone with you or how that's interesting to me.

Von 28:24

Yeah that's the that's the number one thing that I find in any city is like maids nanny chef.

Matt 28:32

Yeah like and I try to focus on your job.

Von 28:34

Yeah I try to bring my nanny I try to bring I have a nanny that I use 90% of the time but sometimes you know like it can't really like work out like that. She lives in LA and I have my chef if I could pick my favorite chef and I don't want to like disrespect anybody because Chef Nick and I got a lot of great chefs that that have that do a great job. I'm not saying I love all you guys I'm not I'm just I'm not I'm not trying to disrespect nobody but if I had to pick like my favorite chef and my favorite nanny combo is uh Chef V and uh Nanny Ra. They're they're identical twin sisters so one's a chef that's a good deal and one is a nanny and they both like grew up like babysitting and nanny and two and then Chef V broke off and she became like a chef she's huge in like LA she's she's she's chef for a lot of celebrities and um yeah that's my favorite combo because the identical twin sisters and they're both really good with my kids and if I could have my way I would just pick both of them up and I will move them to wherever I'm at and they would work so when you're with the Rams that was your combo. That was my combo that was great. And um now like I only had one kid I know but now I got three so now it's like even better. So say if I go on vacation like Hawaii like you like Hawaii I love Hawaii say if I go to Hawaii and I bring the kids I will my my identical pairing was just to bring both of them yeah kids are going to take be taken care of I can just the time commitment that that goes into it like whether it's the kids or whether it's cooking like now I could just focus and enjoy like life. I enjoy like being dad too though but like you know if you go on vacation if you go on vacation you know you want like Tom to like hang out like and go drink and like go to a bar like go do something you know some stuff that the kids can't do. Well I would love to like have both of them chef V she's great she she's my my thing is when I have a chef just don't cook the same thing twice. Like and there's some things that I would love to like twice like fried chicken. Yeah fried chicken like you know this and that but like it's free like my diet is open you can cook anything like pork I eat pork I eat beef you know I eat duck I eat whatever like I eat whatever just try not to cook the same thing twice and there's some things that we'll run back you know yeah like we would run back like you know the crab ball or like a steak here and then or like you know also also Busco like some we'll run some stuff back but like for the most part like you can just be as creative as you want and like just try not to cook the same thing twice. That's the only stipulation that I have on my shit.

Matt 30:58

That's pretty cool. My wife probably tries to put that on me also she don't cook anything she so but I got some staples that run back and forth. Alright well come guest chef whenever you land this year.

Von 31:08

Man that'd be great man like this guy right here is is amazing man I'm I'm so happy that you know I met him man like the last week of my life has been that's been incredible too coming off Kentucky Derby then we went to Miami for F1 then I came back and you know of course family was mad that I was gone in Miami F1 so I had to calm everybody down and then like we got Patrick Mahomes golf tournament here in Vegas so now everybody's back round up again he's leaving again meat church today meat church the meat church today but you're gonna go home cook for him be all right you know I so I had um so I thought you know we I had to be here at 11 so I thought that you know was gonna come like for me to say that I was kicking at Matt Pippen I didn't even like need like a whole like it hearing I just was like hey I'm gonna be there at 11 like I didn't need to know like what the rest of the day was going to be so what I thought that I was going to come was going to do the podcast and then I was gonna go. So I thought I was gonna be able to like pick up the kids and do all that but I came and we cooked uh greener pasture chicken was just one of the best chicken that we ever had and then we we drove over here we did the podcast so I'm on the phone like hey like I'm be home a little bit later than what I thought like I'm still cooking the steak and I got this seasoning I got this Blanco seasoning that I wanted that I want to try because when I cooked steaks last week the family like went crazy and I just used like some some just regular Montreal seasoning with that. Yeah and now like I'm super excited to you're taking on the holy cow and the blanco you're taking home all of it but holy cow and the blanco with with the um with the steaks that I'm about to cook on the grill like they're gonna love that. Well I gotta give you more bourbon since I'm in trouble for making you nobody in trouble this is this is great because I'm about to go home I'm about to put them to bed with these ribe steaks.

Matt 32:45

This is the foolproof Zach Martin's sack proof I love Zach too man we like just that he's a great human just that six hours that we spent together I can tell while getting his teammates otherwise teammates and everybody loved him gave I mean I messed the I I don't remember the exact stats but all I know is that he yielded less sacks and had less penalties called against him than he had all pros, which is pretty crazy.

Von 33:09

And he could have kept playing what I told him then I was like so they try to make it seem like because they said that same stat at the Texas Sports Hall of Phone tried to make it seem like you don't hold but he holds on every single play like just because you don't have the penalty don't mean you're not holding like now we're getting the good podcast I told him this I told him I said Zach man like just because they didn't call the flag don't mean like he wasn't like holding you might not have given up the sack and you might not have got the flag but he was definitely holding like but Zach he's a he's an incredible athlete super fierce like competitor like whenever we explain the Cowboys like he had the D tackles I didn't I never had to go in there and battle with him but he had all the D tackles whether it was was whether I was with the Bills or whether I was with um you know the Denver Broncos like or the Rams like when you start when you play Dallas Cowboys you know they do a lot of talk about like the receivers and Dak and like but Zach Martin was the best player on the team for a lot of years.

Matt 34:03

That's good he's such such a such a good dude uh we had a great time on bourbon trip and I I said you know you might text a guy like Zach he might take two, three hours to get back to you but you text him about bourbon it takes 24 seconds he responds right back. I didn't know that I didn't know he was a big bourbon guy like I said we you know we're teammates for about four or five hours and like I I can just tell like why all his teammates love him because you know he has their reputation around the league like all his teammates everybody's played with him they love him and you can just tell you could tell like the four the four or five hours that we're able to spend together like everybody loves that Mark I did some uh I do barbecue classes for the players during OTAs I just did it this past week but he when he was with the team he would come all the time and like he would get in there like I was cooking salmon he up there he'd season it like he didn't have to do that you know and because you got a lot of like two-year guys and I had a rookie named Brandon Aubrey at the time and Zach's up there like showing him how to season the salmon like yeah him he and Dak are like true leaders of men so I'm very appreciative

Draft Stories And NFL Going Global

Matt 34:57

of them. So we're gonna all right so we're gonna segue and we're gonna ask you some football questions here.

Von 35:01

You never know like I'm a free agent too so you never know that'll be crazy. That'd be crazy awesome I know people I'm gonna text John Stephen that'd be crazy listen you'd be so close to the facility that man I'm right down the street I'm 20 minutes from the store like on the city so you gotta born and raised with Texas AM um we had like uh you know he had like the combo like before you come out yeah like I didn't have a meeting with the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Cowboys had like the ninth pick so they they met with like all the other guys like they had the ninth pick in the draft and I was supposed to go Sahas so they never like met with me but I went in there and I like tried to force like a meeting and I like hey like you know I love the Dallas Cowboys and from Dallas like they was running 3-4 back in the day. And what's the brothers that they what's the brothers one that coached for the Jets and one was like Rob uh was it Rob Ryan? Yeah Rob Ryan and his brother what's it what's it Rex. Ryan and Rex Ryan Rob Ryan was a DC had the her I went in there I tried to like force a mean like hey you know three four is like my I would love I I would kill in a three four defense like I tried to like force a little meaning we met you they knew you were gonna be gone yeah we talked we talked for like I forced like a little two three minute meeting but I tried it you know I was like hey trade up you know they had like the ninth pick I was like hey trade up you know I love to be a Dallas Cowboy but I ended up going number two I was supposed to go number three to the Buffalo Bills which is crazy you ended up there later I ended up there anyway so it was always destined for me to go to the Buffalo Bills.

Matt 36:25

Where was the draft at that year? The draft was uh in New York. Did you go? I went I went I thought so I went to the draft last year for the first time the Cowboys asked me if I want to go and I was like what's the deal and they said you could take your son we sit we uh we send all these super fans and I was like well I'm not a super fan I mean I am but but they're like no no no it's like you and someone from Dr. Pepper and then there's these like six super fans that will be there. Would your son like it? And I was like yeah cool so we had number 12. So Sam and I went and I grew up Alabama fan and I text one of the uh local sports radio who used to be a scout for the Cowboys Brian brought us a good buddy of mine and I was like what's the word because everybody's saying tech McMillan the receiver that went to Panthers I thought there's no way he's gonna be around because I'm I'm a football nerd like and he said your guard from Alabama's in play Tyler Booker and I'm like no way because I'm like Jerry never takes Bama players I don't know why so anyway they picked him and Sam and I were related and I don't think the like super fans knew who he was but we went nuts and now they have the player come over and they have a selfie stick and it was honestly one of the coolest moments of my sports life because I held my phone up and the book was there and I said give me a roll tide and he go he goes put that on video and he hits video on my phone and he does a roll tide but but he says he says roll motherfucking tide go cowboy or no no motherfucking cowboys yeah and so I texted to like my friends like Nui Scrugs and and it goes on the news and uh they all bleeped out that part but pretty cool. Solid guy so um yeah they say he works super hard so he he replays Zach and so crazy connection but man the draft and we don't have to talk about this but now the draft is like the Super Bowl there was like 230,000 people in Green Bay like the NFL's turned it into like an event a spectacle the NFL they they want to they want to make football year round and honestly you only play football a small period of the year but they want to make it year round so after the season it's playoffs.

Von 38:12

Yeah playoffs it's the Super Bowl then after that it's the combine you got the combine and they try to make that as big as possible too that's televised. And then after that it's the draft and then after that it's the rookies going in first time like OTAs. Then after that it's uh you got training camp they they pubbed it up and they go to every single team then after that it's the preseason they try to make that as big as possible and then you got the start of the season and they just try to make it they've been doing a really good job of it's getting bigger and bigger every year.

Matt 38:40

Then they have like overseas games I was just about to ask you what do you think about this international thing? I love it. I I think we play in Brazil this year and there and I just talked with Jason McKay uh football operations with the Cowboys and we were the other night we were talking about like the safety and all this it's wild what they have to go through.

Von 38:56

Yeah we we played in Madrid last year it was the very first game in Madrid and just to go out there and experience like somebody else's culture and play our sport because usually when you travel like say when you go on vacation right like I'm in I'm in I'm a I'm like immersed in like their culture. Say if you go to Hawaii like I'm there like doing like Hawaiian stuff like fishing snorkeling whatever maybe but to go and do like what I do there like it's it's nothing cooler than that. And everybody's coming to the game to watch me do what I do. How are their fans towards you guys too in Madrid it was amazing. Like they did like they announced it in American and then they announced it like in Spanish too. Oh that's cool. So they did like back to back like like first down and then I don't know Spanish but whatever they would do like they would do like the translation to that like and then it come over like the PA and stuff. It was incredible.

Matt 39:42

Yeah yeah I'm I'm I'm pretty excited about our uh international game but I always thought the Cowboys would play in Mexico but you know never know they played in Mexico City?

Von 39:50

No I thought that's what it would be this year and then they're gonna be I would think you you got the the Dallas Cowboys will play the San Francisco 49ers. 100% with the Hispanic fans in Mexico City.

Matt 40:00

Yeah I don't know I don't question Jerry I mean you know people say what they want from GM perspective he's a brilliant businessman so I'm sure there's reasons maybe they just want to go to markets to like that's not as big to like make it bigger in like other markets. Alright so I got a couple I got some football questions and uh some of them come from from friends but um I did ask you this earlier on the cooking show but I'm gonna I'm gonna ask it again because I loved your answer and in case people didn't see the cooking show I want them to see this but um tell me like tell me about the moment you won Super Bowl MVP.

Super Bowl MVP Mindset

Von 40:29

Man so now I've been playing football my whole life um never ever imagined like you know you would go to to the Super Bowl like you on Sunday and like you have like those hey is this the last play of the Super Bowl like you just you know you just playing around on Thanksgiving like playing like turkey ball on Thanksgiving like you just you're just out there as little kids and you're just talking like but never in a many years did I think that I always believed that I would make it to the NFL but the Super Bowl was just never one of my goals like never never even thought about like so if the Super Bowl was never like one of my goals or never was in my thought process the Super Bowl MVP was just like so far fetched. And then all of my endorsements that I had like you have these incentive based um like achievements that will like give you like these escalators in your contract on all the on all the endorsements that I had Super Bowl MVP was like at the very top was like the most unattainable like thing like Defensive Player of the Year was always on there like there was always a chance that I could get defensive player of the year or like you know stuff like that. But Super Bowl MVP was just like if you get that that's like the unlock the whole like game so we we went to the Super Bowl two years before in 2015 I was hurt I was injured I had told my ACL and I didn't play. And then the next year we you know that was Peyton Manning's third year so it was a lot of time like we're gonna get it done this year. We ended up getting out in the first round of the playoffs versus Andrew Luck and the Colts then coming back in 2015 we had fired the coach and like it was just we just we wasn't like the favorites to like go back to the Super Bowls Peyton Manning I think it was his 18th year he was like we play that season it was a lot of games that we had that were super close. We won nine games within three points a list so those nine games could have easily gone the other way and we don't make the playoffs. But we ended up winning those games we go to the playoffs we play a tough like Pittsburgh still team we were supposed to lose that game um the running backs going to the end zone like getting ready to score to give it two to put up put them up two scores with like two minutes and 30 seconds left and once you score like in that range like if you up by 10 points with two minutes and 30 seconds left the game is is always over unless you're the Patriots. But Bradley Roby ended up knocking the ball out and we got the ball and then we end up going to go score and now we up about four points. They go for it on fourth down we win we beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and then we got the Patriots the next week Patriots have never lost to the same team twice. Bill Belajak and and Tom Brady have never lost to the same team twice in one season like the whole time they had been there. So we're playing the Patriots for the second time we beat them the first time we go in it's a tough game we hit Tom Brady I think we hit Tom Brady like 22 times like the most he's ever been hit in his career and the game still came down to a two-point conversion at the end of the game. Bradley Roby again he ended up getting he ended up getting a pick six I mean an interception um the seal a game for the two point conversion so now we're going to the Super Bowl so now the confidence is like really building like we got a really good team like we can do it. But we're going against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers they only lost one game the whole season Cam Newton is the MVP the guy who was picked one in your class yeah he's number he was number one I was two and weirdly for me like I always get a little nervous before the game like it don't matter what game it is I always get like a little nervous this game when I played in the Super Bowl I just knew I was gonna have a good game. Like I don't know if it was preparing For the same for the the the the one team for two weeks or whatever it was like I just felt ready to go. I wasn't I wasn't nervous at all. I slept well the night before. Um I saw my mom and my dad, like I was smiling, like That's crazy. Like I just knew, like I didn't have goosebumps or anything. Like I just knew, like, I I wore my headphones and I was like listening to music and stuff, but I I this was the one game in my whole entire life that I knew I was gonna have a good game. Like no matter what happened, like I was gonna have a good game. Didn't know if we was gonna win or nothing like that. Like I wasn't that confident, but I knew like me, I was gonna have a great game. And to start the very to start the game off, the very the second third down of the game, like the the first third down of the game, I had a really good rush too, and I got close. But the second third down, I ended up beating him and I stripped the ball out and we score, and now my confidence is through the roof. I I had like five quarterback hits, but I only like Cam is so huge. I can I only had two sacks, but I should have had like five. Like we was going crazy that game. And whenever you're doing something for like somebody else, I know I had said this earlier, like like playing for DeMarcus. Like, I've looked up to DeMarcus, I've been a Cowboys fan my whole entire life. DeMarcus Ware and Dallas Cowboys, like that was a guy that I looked up to, and now like I'm here trying to win him a Super Bowl. Peyton Manning trying to win him in second Super Bowl. Gary Kubak, uh Aggie, uh Wade Phillips, uh defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Like, I love Wade Phillips, all of these guys that I was doing it for, whenever you're doing something for somebody else, it brings like the most like out of you. Like if it's for me, like I'm like, I'll just do it next time, like, or I'll figure it out next time. But when it's like for somebody else, no, I got we gotta do this right now. Like I gotta, I gotta win right now. And that's where my mindset was that game. And I just I just play it out of my mind. Like it just it just happened like that. And you know, we get to the end of the game, and you know, I'm celebrating with my guys, and I'm getting ready to go do like confetti snow angels and stuff, and I get ready to run out there, and they like grab me like, Von, like, you the MVP. Like, and that that was I when I was in the game, like, and I was playing, like, I didn't get my second sack and be like, oh yeah, I'm about to be MVP, or like, oh, I'm doing good. Like, I'm about I never thought about that. It wasn't until like, you know, the game is over and I'm running out. We dumped like the we dumped like the Gatorade on Coach Kubiak, and they didn't even say anything about like you're gonna be the MVP. It wasn't until like the game hit zero, and I'm running out there with my guys, and like Patrick Smythe, he's our uh our PR, like director for the Denver Broncos, and he like grabbed me, he's like, hey, like, no, you can't go, you got Super Bowl MVP, come to the podium. And like, that changed like my life forever. Like, being a number two pick and playing the NFL, you get like this this level of like notoriety that already comes with that. Like Super Bowl MVP, um, and then the way that we played, and then right after that, I did dance with the stars, and like I went on every TV show that you could think of. I did the Grammys and the American Country Music Awards and like presented in the Spees, like that summer 2016, it took like my life to like a whole nother

Dancing With The Stars Pressure

Von 47:02

level.

Matt 47:02

That'd be fun.

Von 47:03

That like, bruh, like that, it like st still to this day, people would be like, hey, it's Von Miller from Dancing with the Stars.

Matt 47:08

No, literally, I told my wife you were coming, she's like, he was on Dancing with the Stars. Like, it's Von Miller from Dancing with the Stars. He's got like 140 sacks. Like, let's talk about that.

Von 47:16

Yeah, it's it's crazy. Like, that was that was pro that was a really good decision to do it too. Cause usually, you know, you don't do dance with the stars until like your career is over with. And I'm at the I'm at the prime of my career, and I'm doing dance with the stars. And, you know, they only asked you to come on there one time. But how scary was that? That was extremely tough. Like, I couldn't do it. You got six days, so you got six days of work, one off day. And really, that off day is really not an off day because you're planning for the next week. You got six days of work, eight to ten hour days. You're working on the same four-minute routine. Working on the same four-minute routine every day. And like I dance, like I love going to weddings and like drinking and like having fun. But this dancing is different, it's ballroom dancing. So you're working on And everybody's watching you. You're working on Cha Cha and Viennese Waltz and contemporary, like dancing. And football game is easy. It's it's it's really 22 of us out there, and you got the refs and everybody. It's really 22 people, 20, 25 people. It's both teams, you got refs, you got all of these other elements, and everybody's sharing the same light. But dancing with the stars, when those lights go down, you got the audience, and then you got millions of people just watching you. Like that sweat that people have, it's not even hot in there. It's not hot, it's not hot on a dance floor. But the eyes that you have, and like you want to like nail it. And I was the first one to do uh Michael Jackson bat, like the Michael Jackson estate, like they never like released like any of Michael Jackson's songs to like dance with the stars. And I was the very first one to like do it. So the level of like eyes and like attention that came from Dancing with the Stars, it was incredible. Anybody that asked me to do it, like, I always like, man, I always do it. Like, it's one of the funnest, like, it's one of the best experiences that I that I ever had in my life. It's it's definitely worth it. It's one of the best experiences that I ever had in my life. It is tough. You got four months of you got four months of like six days a week, like eight hour days. Like, it was tough. I'm not gonna lie, it was tough, but it was definitely, it was definitely worth it.

Matt 49:16

Yeah, it looks intense. Carry in an arbor, ten.

Von 49:19

Yeah. Couldn't do it. Yeah, and they like, bro, they like really grading you. They like really grading you and they watching every single time. That's what I mean. It's not a joke. They're watching every single step, and like, you know, you get you you you're being vulnerable because you're getting up there in front of like America and like you got these judges like talking about you and like your personality and this and that. Like, it is a level, you gotta be vulnerable and you gotta, you know, it is different too. Cause I'm not, I play football. Like, yeah. I sack the quarterback, and now I'm cooking. Like, I'm I'm an outdoor chef and I'm a sack artist. It's coming now. So, but to dance like in front of everybody, like, you know, it take a it take it take a little bit more. And thankfully, my partner, like Whitney, she got it out of me. She was like, she was amazing. Like, she got it out of me every day, and like we worked and we laughed, and like she she got it out of me. Like, she was an amazing partner. She had won the show like two or three times. So I thought I was just gonna ride this wave of like winning the Super Bowl and like going to dancing with the stars and win again. But I lost to a guy named uh Nal Damico. He's a he's a deaf supermodel, underwear supermodel. So my Yeah, you can't compete with that on that shit. I can't I can't I can't compete. He's already handsome, he's already handsome, and he's he's deaf too. Like, and I remember like his first like like his first like show here did it, and like he he can't hear the music. So his partner was like tapping him on the shoulder, and he was like, like to change and like to change movements, like he can't hear the music. Like, so she was like tapping him on his shoulder or like grab him and like he would like stop and go. And I remember like the very first like performance that he had, and you look into the crowd and everybody was crying, and like the judges was like crying and stuff, like bro. I was like, Yep, I don't have a long time on this show. Like uh this guy's gonna win it. Like, I knew it early. Like, we you knew it early, like when he got out there and did it, and he like told his story, and he did it in sign language, and he had the translator and stuff, and he was like, you know, I went across the world, like, and I traveled the world by myself. Like, just think how brave you gotta be to like travel the world by yourself, like death.

Matt 51:21

No doubt.

Von 51:21

And um, just being around stories like that, like that changed my life too, to see like life from a different perspective. Like, I play football, like, you know, my the guys I'm around, like, you got Josh Allen, like that's the ladies fall in love with Josh Allen. You know, that's the guy that I gotta be around. But to be on, to be on um, you know, American, not not American, but dancing with the stars and like being around guys like that, like it definitely changed your life to like hear their stories and hear where they come from. It definitely changed your life and your perspective on life for sure.

Matt 51:51

Yeah. Uh speaking of NFL and underwear models, you want to hear my story that I almost told earlier? I can't believe I'm gonna say this on air. I hope we don't like it. We can edit it out. This is totally irrelevant to what you said, other than underwear model. So I cooked the masters this year. It's my third year to cook the masters. My friends at Immortal, they make these recovery chambers. You've done this. Went and cooked for them, and so I cooked this like high profile seat to dinner. It was like bougie. It was it was intense. We worked our ass off all day. And there's a lot of really cool people there, like Bodie Miller, most decorated American, downhill skier, Cam Zink, who's like the biggest badass in outdoor mountain biking. There's a bunch of athletes. No Sean Moreno was there, um, running back for the Broncos, but uh Ray Lewis was there. Uh cool crowd. So, you know, we end up cooking like all day. And uh I I'd shown up with my with my Sioux chef Gavin. We showed up the day before the dinner was on Wednesday, so we showed up on Tuesday, and they had us in a bunch of various Airbnbs. And uh Gavin and I were assigned this one Airbnb, and we go and we, you know, he and I walked in and you know, picked our rooms and went to sleep, and next day we cooked all day long, had this dinner, hung out, had drinks after, and Gavin drove me back to the Airbnb. And so this is like 2 15 in the morning, and uh he drops me off and I go in the house, and it's just like you know, all these homes in a gus, everybody rents their homes. That's just a modest home in Georgia, and I go walking down the hall, and I open up the door at 2.15 in the morning, and there stands former defensive player of the year, Ray Lewis, in nothing but his underwear in my room.

Von 53:24

Holy shit. You got a grizzly berry with a box of briefs on.

Matt 53:26

So he looks at me and goes, I think they moved your rooms. I go, Yeah, I think so. And I shut the door and I called Gavin. And so next time you see Gavin, we go play golf, you need to ask him, what was Matt's phone call like at 2 15 when he called you and said, Don't leave. Ray Lewis is in my bedroom.

Von 53:41

Oh, that's crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Matt 53:43

I always say live a good story, but the next morning I see Ray at breakfast and he just laughs. Yeah, that's that's amazing. So they had changed me houses.

Von 53:52

Changed houses, not just rooms.

Matt 53:53

Yeah, not just rooms. Oh, yeah, no, the story gets better. Like, there were three other rooms, and two of them were open, and I saw the stuff out, so I'm like, okay, that's not it. And there was another bedroom, the door closed, and I go crack that door open, dude flies out of bed. I'm like, oh, sorry, sorry, I don't even know to this day I don't know who that was. But saw him the next morning at breakfast, and uh his buddy was laughing. He was good sport about it. And then uh they're like, hey Ray, did you know Matt's the official pitmaster of Dallas Cowboys? And he gives me a hug. It's oh you need a hug. Like he felt sorry for me. I don't know if that's because I saw him in his underwear or uh that I work with the cowboys, but anyway, I'll never forget it.

Von 54:24

Yeah, that's that's that's a great that's a great massive leader there.

Matt 54:28

Yeah, yeah. Okay, I got some I got some questions that uh the you know I got a friend, a mutual friend that helped

Aggies Fandom And Being A Teammate

Matt 54:34

me write some of these. So um some some interesting things for you, and then we'll end with a little hunting stuff at the end. But this one's for me, actually. So, better fan base, Texas AM Aggies or Denver Broncos? Man, somebody's gonna be mad. Well, and that's okay.

Von 54:47

Like it's you know so what I will say, what I what I will say is both two are the most incredible fan bases in life. But they do it differently, and because they do it differently, I gotta go with the Texas AM Aggies. Like the crowd, the 12th man, the real 12th man, not the Seattle Seahawks.

Matt 55:04

Yes, I agreed with that.

Von 55:05

The real 12th man, everybody stands up for the duration of the football game. Like way back in like, you know, way back in like ancient times, you know, you had um, they used to stand up just in case like somebody got hurt. What's it uh uh uh Gil, E. King Gil. See, I got my my Texas AM history right too. You know, he's he stood up to be ready just in case somebody got hurt. If somebody actually did get hurt, and he put his football pads on, like he didn't play in the game, but he was ready to go just in case something happened again. And for the spirit of E. King Gill and the 12th man, everybody in the crowd stands up for the entirety of the football game just in case something happened. They ready to go and they ready to go in. Then we got the yell leaders, not cheerleaders, we got yell leaders, and they synchronize all the yells. So it's it's more than just, hey, make some noise, get get get crazy for the fourth down. Like, you got 105 people in unison yelling the same thing on point, and they practice these yells the night before just so they can be on point. That's what we got midnight yell um the night before. So at midnight, they all get at the stadium and they work on the yells like the night before. Then you got the game and they stand up. It is the loudest stadium in college football. And everybody that goes there, now they change it up a little bit. Now they play like uh codes on on like third down. I got code calling, and everybody gets crazy for that. That wasn't there when I was there, but like that moment on third downs is insane. And like now it's like, you know, it's it's even crazier now. So I would say the Texas AM 12 man is I wouldn't say better. It's different than Broncos Country. But the reason why they're different is everybody stands up for the entirety of the game. I wouldn't say it's better though, but I would have to go with Texas AM and and the crowd.

Matt 57:01

I've been to a fair amount of Aggie games. I'm highly impressed. I'll say that as an Alabama fan, I always say no matter what the year, what the circumstance, no matter if, you know, say Alabama was making us up favored by three touchdowns.

Von 57:13

Yeah.

Matt 57:14

I don't care. Like that it's a hard place to play. Can't hear the snap count. Been a lot, I mean, the first game I went to was Reggie McNeil upsetting OU years ago.

Von 57:22

I remember the game.

Matt 57:23

Um and then I was at, you know, I was at the Johnny Manzel game in Tuscaloosa when he beat Alabama. So I was back the next year when AM was up, I think, 20 to nothing, because I think they missed the extra point. I was like, here we go again. Um, randomly got my tickets from Cowboys Legend, Leroy Jordan, Calabam Alabama, and Cowboys Legend. But that place is insane.

Von 57:43

Let me let me do this. This right here, this was Terry McCorn. Let me see. Let me uh let me go for the podcast. One of my my teammates, Woody Commander. Let me call him right back. Yo, what's good?

Terry McLaurin 57:59

What's up, bro? How you been?

Von 58:01

Man, I'm I'm good, man. I'm sitting here with with with Matt Pittman. Pittmaster. I'm in the middle of the podcast, man. I saw you call me. I was like, hey man, let me let me call Terry, man, and let me tell him I'm gonna hit him right back after this, man.

Terry McLaurin 58:11

For sure, bro. I'm around.

Von 58:14

Hey man, I miss you, man. I hit you in a little bit.

Terry McLaurin 58:16

Alright, for sure.

Von 58:17

I miss you too, though. Alright, bro, bro.

Terry McLaurin 58:19

Alright, bro.

Matt 58:19

I love that.

Von 58:21

My dog, man. I try to I try my best. So you can talk about like the Sacks and whatever, like Saks, uh play Denver Broncos. My my um The biggest accomplishment that I like is being a great teammate. Like if it was a if it was if you had if you go to Hall of Fame for being a great teammate, like I don't like to toot my own horn in too many things. When it comes to being like a great teammate, I just I just know how to do it. I just know how to like show guys that I love them. I I know how to be like a good friend, genuine. I know how to like, um, you know, a good friendship is is give and take. Like obviously, you don't want to just take, take, take all the time, and you want to just give, give, give all the time. But a good friendship, a good relationship, yeah, is give and take. And I take pride in in being a great teammate. And if it was, if it was a hall of fame for being a great teammate, I would be the first ballot. Like, they would have my bus like up there. It's all of my teammates, I care about, I don't care about like, you know, like people gonna say whatever, but I care about what my teammates say about me. Like, that's awesome. When they ask like anybody that I play with or like my opponents, like I care, I care what I care what they say. Like, you don't care like what everybody says, but like the guys that that truly matter, I care about that. That's one of my that's one of my things that I like hold on my sleeve is being a great team, man. It don't matter what locker room I'm in there, even if I'm in there for 12 years, if I'm in there for three years, if I'm in there for half a season, if I'm in there for one season, like everybody on that football team, not just the players, but everybody on that football team from the front office guys to everybody, they're gonna they're gonna have great things to say about one. And I take that, I I hold that on my I hold that on my heart, and I try to be the best teammate that I possibly can be. And I know I'm I know I'm one of the I'm I'm the best teammate in the NFL.

Matt 1:00:08

I say that right now. So I love that. I mean, I can tell you're a leader, I know you are, um, but you know, in my time around athletes in the NFL, there's a big difference, and I'll I'll keep some names to myself from people that have been moved on and been traded, you know, from our organization here and and the organization, the staff, because you know how hard the staff works, whether it be equipment guys or nutrition guys, and and the guys that are leaders and care is what makes it go. It's a weird world we live in now. Like I know you took time today to meet um a family friend of ours who's a four-star commit, uh Jayquan Snell, to Tech AM. And I've always been impressed by him because he's in putting BS on his social media. He says, Blessed to receive an offer from TechSay and M, whatever the case may be. And it's a crazy world where I think people just want to be seen and they want the hype and they want the life, and uh, but it's a job. And like it's you know, I'm I'm inspired by how hard you've worked on and off the field. Like you, you know, the fact that you created this business that, you know, what's the joke? NFL's not for long.

Von 1:00:58

Yeah, not for long for sure. Sixteen years is like That's a long time.

Matt 1:01:01

I'm ancient. It's unheard of.

Von 1:01:03

I'm ancient in there. Like, man, being in a locker room, oh my god, like you got guys, you got guys like 9-11, like that was like the biggest thing of like my lifetime. Like watching, you know, like it was it was tragic, it was tragic, but I'm just using it as a time a timestamp. Like, I remember exactly where I was like when I'm 9-11 when it happened. I remember like the second plane hitting like the building.

Matt 1:01:28

Like, we got guys, I was in the stock market business back then. I didn't watch the first plane hit, but I could take you to where I was standing when the second plane hit watching it.

Von 1:01:35

We got we got guys that was born after that. Like I was in the seventh grade. I was in the seventh grade, and now I'm in a locker room with guys that was that was born after that. The biggest event for their lifetime is COVID. COVID, I was I was 10 years in the league in COVID. Like, you got guys who was COVID, and they was in the like second grade, they was like in the second or third grade, and I'm playing with these guys on the team. So I've always been able to like, no matter where you are on the spectrum, no matter if you're 16 years like me, or no matter if you're a rookie coming in, I can always find like common ground or whatever it is. And I take pride in being a great teammate for sure.

Matt 1:02:09

That's awesome. All right, just a couple more quick questions.

Peyton Pranks And QB Debate

Matt 1:02:12

Alright, so a couple more football questions. Peyton Manning is known to be a practical joker. Did he ever get you? Uh he did. Or did you see any or did you see any big Peyton jokes? Either way.

Von 1:02:26

He did. Peyton Manning, he did, but it's been so many jokes that he did, like I kind of forgot them. Like I remember, like, I had forgot this, but we had gone back and did like our Super Bowl 50, like reunion. And it was a time where I was late to like the weight room. And like they wanted to find me. But we had like this um this mock court case, right? And Peyton Manning was like, he was the on the other side, like, like going against me, like why I should get fined, and like, and Coach Kubiak was the judge. Like, he had the final decision. But my lawyer was a keep to leave. And like, a keep to leave, like, if you know, if you know Akee, he's a great teammate too. Like, he was like fighting my case, like, for me, like, and like Peyton and he was just like on me about like a little stuff. But that was like, I wouldn't say it was a joke, but that was something that I had forgotten, but I was just reminded of. Um, I had pissed Peyton off too, like one time. Like, I pissed Peyton off, like, was getting ready to play the Texans. Um my third year in the league was getting ready to play the Texans. And we had gone to Houston. We had to be we had gone to Houston for two nights. You know, in the NFL, like, two nights is like crazy. Like, you fly in on Saturday, you stay in the hotel Saturday night, you play in the game on Sunday, and you fly back home. But we went to Houston on a Friday. So I'm I'm you know, I'm from Texas. Went to Texas in. I'm like, hey, we should go out. You know, they said everybody said no, so we snuck out anyway. Peyton Manning is super close to breaking like the record for like touchdowns. So we go out, it was real selfish, but we go out, and like they um they like ended up calling us. We was like, man, we already in trouble. We might as well just stay longer. So we ended up staying to like two, and you know, we went to like What's you know, Whataburger is is people don't know about What's like for us, it's like What is like What we eat What are all the time? But we went to Whataburger at like 2.30 in the morning, came back. Gigantic fan. Oh, Whataburger. Best hamburger ever. And then we came back, and they like, you know, we had a meeting the next day, and Peyton was like, man, send these guys home, man. They not, they not like, he was pissed off. Like he was red, like send these guys, they not here to play football like this. We ended up playing, and um, you know, we ended up winning the game, and Peyton ended up, you know, breaking a record and everything, but they were pissed off. But they did, so Peyton did have the hotel, he pulled the footage from the hotel. Like, so we coming home drunk, like in the elevator, and they like played it in the team room, like everyone. He pulled the footage. Like Peyton, bro, like Peyton, one of the best teammates that I ever had, too. Well, like Peyton, yeah, he's he's the sheriff. Like he he make he makes it, he can make anything happen, he makes it all go for sure.

Matt 1:05:03

That is wild.

Von 1:05:04

He's a member at Augusta, too.

Matt 1:05:06

Oh, I know. So I saw him. I saw um, so Todd Williams, the head of football operations for the Cowboys, he was his long sniper at Tennessee. Came here to Cowboys to be interned, never left. Yeah. So uh he's the one that told me that you know you don't get to pick your job at the Masters, and he was a he was having to be a greeter at Berkman's place. I think last year and this year, yeah, yeah. Aikman saw him too. Like several people saw him, and yeah, he has to be out front like saying what's up. And you know, like he's probably really good at it.

Von 1:05:30

Yeah, he's great. It's you know, that's what he does. But you know, like it's like a little rule, like, hey, if you ask to like play Augusta, like have you asked one of the members, they gotta invite you. Yeah. Like if you ask them to like play, you'll never you'll never get to play. So, like, I saw him.

Matt 1:05:45

I did food content with the masters this year on the course, and then I did mornings at the masters of CBS through the all through the masters. That's hard. Yeah, it was cool. But if you go look back at social, we posted it. People are like, Oh, so you broke the time honor tradition of no phones on the course. I'm like, I'm Working with the masses. That's why I hate social media comments.

Von 1:06:03

Bro, that's that yeah, the comments is crazy. But I did I saw Peyton and I was like, hey, like. And Eli. They both remember. I said, hey, Peyton, you remember that August? He's like, yeah, I remember. I was like, man, hmm. You know, it sure would be nice, man, to play like Augusta one day. He was like, Oh, you you want to play? I was like, man, you know, like, you know, it's on you, man. I don't know. Like, if you want to take MVP, if you want to take me, like I would, you know, I would love to, but I don't you know, I don't know. It's not that's on you.

Matt 1:06:30

I feel like he's gotta make that happen.

Von 1:06:31

Yeah, you gotta like, you know, you can't just be like, hey man, like I want to play, but you know.

Matt 1:06:35

This is unfair from a friend, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. And then we got two easy ones. You've played with Peyton Manning and you've played with Josh Allen both in their prime. Who would you start a football team with? Who would you build this football team around?

Von 1:06:49

Man, y'all trying to, y'all trying to I would say today, like, I would go with Josh Allen in today's game. And then like in the game where Peyton was like a giant, I would go with Peyton. It's two different games. Back in from 2001 to like 2000 and I say from 2001 to like 2015, Peyton Manning all day. But from 2015 on, like, you gotta have a quarterback that can that can extend the play. Peyton's not gonna extend the play. But Josh Allen's not about to get up there and checky, checky, checky, and just beat you with his arm all game either, though. So I would say for both of those guys and their problem, like, it depends on. I want to be a GM when I'm done. So it just depends on where the game is, like, which quarterback I would pick. Peyton Manning in today's game, like, just to sit there, no offensive line can sit there and block any of these defensive ends for six, five, six seconds. Like, it don't matter who you got. It could be Zach Martin, it don't matter who you got. Like, they're not about to sit there and block for like five, six seconds. You need a quarterback that's gonna extend the play. These DBs, like, they locking, they bro, they they locking shit down for the first three, four seconds. So if my line can't block for four seconds and the DBs are locked down for four seconds, I need a quarterback that's gonna get in and out. You know what I'm saying? Like, I need a quarterback that's that's the hidden element of all of this stuff. So I would say in today's game, I would go Josh Allen when Peyton Manning, if I was a GM back then, from his whole like career, I would go with Peyton Manning.

Matt 1:08:27

What's crazy? That's a very, you could say PC answer, but it's it's it's not. It's like that's the game's evolved. Yeah, it's evolved.

Von 1:08:34

Like Peyton Manning in today's, no. Yeah, Eli, especially Eli. Like Eli had nothing to do with this, he catching it straight. Like Eli right now, you just get close to him and he falls, like everybody would love to play against Eli. Like, but Josh Allen back in like the old days, like, they would like, they would like eat him up.

Matt 1:08:52

Well, there's something you can do for me. He's on E uh Peyton's on my short list of people I want to cook for. Yeah, for sure. Easy. We'll hang out one time. Easy for sure. Two more questions, only one football. When you get selected to the Hall of Fame, who's your presenter?

Von 1:09:09

Man, if it had to be like family or something like that, I would go like my dad. My dad knows like, you know, my struggle. Like, I played every single position on the football field, offense and defense. He knows like it was times where like football, like playing in NFL or playing football period was just so far off. Like, and he's been there with me every important decision that I've ever made in my life, whether it's my chicken farm, whether it's with team I'm gonna pick, whether it's anything, like, he's been there for me. Like, I've I'm lucky, I'm luckily, because you know, in today's age, to like have that relationship, I know so many of my colleagues that have never even met their dad. So to have like a dad that has been there with me every step of the way from as long as I can remember since I was like a little baby to like now, like I would have my dad be my presenter. If I had to have like a football coach or like somebody that I worked with, it would have to be Coach Richard Smith. Um he was my first coach with the Denver Broncos and he showed me how to play football. Like I thought I knew I was number two pick coming in. Like he showed me. He showed me what it meant to like playing the NFL, he showed me how to tackle. Like you would think, like coming in, like you know how to tackle it. He showed me how to be a great teammate. He showed me how to like build relationships with strength and conditioning coaches or athletic trainers, because all of this stuff matters. All of those people help you be like a better player. And like sometimes you got you get players that come from like big schools where you have like these equipment guys or athletic trainers that like cater to these guys, where they don't really even like build a relationship. Like shoes are already done, like Jersey already ready to go. Um he showed me how to build a relationship with all of these guys and like to show them love and then turn you get love back. So I would say like Richard Smith, like he showed me how to play for he's still coaching too. He's still he was with the Bears last year, still coaching, got all white hair. He was still like he's still coaching, he's still kicking. So if I had somebody present me for the Hall of Fame, and it had to be like somebody that I played with that knows my career, that I work with, it had to be Coach Richard Smith. And if it had to be like, you know, a family member of somebody removed, it had to be my dad.

Matt 1:11:19

So now I've just had someone move above Peyton. I'm gonna cook with your dad.

Von 1:11:23

That'd be that'd be crazy.

Matt 1:11:25

I'm coming over to the Miller family cookout. Yeah, that'd be crazy. He's the he's the villa.

Von 1:11:29

He's the pit master in the family. Like, I should have brought like, I don't know why, like, I should have brought him like over here just to like hang out and like we'll make that happen. We're close, we'll just chill out. Like, like I said, bro, like you hunt, you fish, you cook. Like if you play golf, like we would be like best friends, bro. Like I've just play golf now. I'm telling you, man, like we'd be best friends, bro. Like, I would be tied to your hip, but takes you every morning, takes you every night, bro. Like, all the stuff that that you do, like, um, it's stuff that I like

Hunting Memories And Ray’s Sporting Goods

Von 1:12:00

I want to do.

Matt 1:12:00

Let's segue into the last question. It's gonna be fun now. I know the answer. Do you like to hunt?

Von 1:12:05

Do I like to hunt? Man, that's it's a loaded question. Man, I love hunting and fishing. Um, you know, some of my earliest memories. Have you seen that movie like Inside Out, like Pixar movie? And they had like core memories and like emotions like um anxiety and like depression and like all this stuff. Well, my core memory would be one of my core memories would be like me hunting with my dad, and another core memory was my dad like screaming, like for the Dallas Cowboys. And I know I'm I'm getting off of the hunt thing, but my core memory with football would be I heard my dad scream like in the back. Like I'm a little boy, I had to be like three. I heard my dad like scream in the back. And I like run to his room and he like screaming like at the TV. I'm thinking like he heard it something. But he watching the TV and the Dallas Cowboys had just did something amazing. They might have came back or did something amazing. And I'm looking at the screen, all I remember was the star. Like I thought football had to do with a star. I thought every team had like a star. Like, I thought football was like the sport of football was based around like the star. And I saw my daddy screaming, and that core memory was like, hey, one day I don't want to make my dad scream like that. Another one of my core memories is going hunting with my dad. We went rabbit hunting, and it was some brush that was way too tall. And, you know, my dad had us like stay in the truck. My dad was probably, he was gone, you know, as a little kid, you it feels like he was gone for like hours, but he's probably gone for like 30, 45 minutes. And I started like honking the horn. And we was like on this, we was like on this cow, like, we was like on, like I'm I'm just trying to think of where we was at, but it was like a probably a some property that had like cows and stuff. And when you honk the horn, they think that it's time to eat. Time to eat.

Matt 1:13:48

Yeah.

Von 1:13:48

So one cow comes up, then another group comes up, and like we got the suburban now. We surrounded about like a hundred, or we sounded while we surrounded by like a hundred cows, and I just remember like crying, thinking like these cows are gonna flip over like a suburban. But I've been, man, I've been hunting and fishing, I learned how to chill. How old are you then? Man, I probably had to be like three or four, too. Like my dad was taking us hunting and fishing like as early as I can remember. I I I knew how to hunt and fish before I could read it right. Knew how to tie a hook before I could read it right. That's awesome. Like my dad had us outside. He had us outside fishing and and hunting as long as possible. If you can eat it, I've I've hunted it. Same. Like I've I've been You gotta come down fish with me, my new place. Man, whatever, whenever you need to. I've been all across the I've been all across the world, South Texas. Um my dream, like my mom had us like write like these um because you you think you know your kids, but until they like tell you, like you really don't know them. My mom had this questionnaire that she sent us, like um, best memory of childhood, like bucket list thing. And like my mom had us send like this questionnaire for me, my bucket list would to go bow hunting in Africa, whether it's South Africa, Zimbabwe, anywhere, like to go on a safari and like bow hunt like in um Africa. That's that's on my bucket list. It could be anything, like, you know, like not like elephants or anything like that, but anything that's tasty, like I would love to go, whether it's impala or like Gimson.

Matt 1:15:12

When you're done, we're gonna go hunt.

Von 1:15:14

Let's go hunt, man. Let's go bow hunting man.

Matt 1:15:15

I appreciate you for having me, man. Like, hey, shout out to our our mutual friend Steven and all the guys at Ray's Sporting Goods, since we're gonna talk hunting.

Von 1:15:23

Yeah, shout out to Ray's for sure. Steven, man, like all the guys over there, man. Like, I need a I've told him this too, but I need like a part-time job over there.

Matt 1:15:31

Can you imagine if I would if I walk into Ray's Sporting Goods in Dallas and I'm going in there to buy a new gun and Von Miller's behind the counter, which, and here's what would happen. You would be packing because they're all packing. They all got the holster, they all got the holster yep. I asked one guy, I said, Why are you packing? I said, like, stuff happened? He goes, Why wouldn't you if you're allowed to? I was like, I respect. But I'm gonna I'm gonna walk in and you've just retired, you're waiting on to get in the Hall of Fame, and you're packing, you're next to Steven, and I come to you and I'm gonna pick out my gun, and Steven's gonna hook me up with the thermal and the optics. It's gonna be a good experience.

Von 1:16:02

Man, that'd be great. I remember I left my wallet in there one time and I came back, and I was like, Is my wallet still here? It's like, yeah, the wallet's still here. This is the safest place in Dallas. Come get it. This is the safest place in Dallas.

Matt 1:16:13

If you need a suppressor or whatever you need, but if you need a suppressor, you go to Rays on the computer, you don't even have to think about it. You don't have to worry, they will set up your trust. Like it is like super easy. Any gun you need, anything from a fold-down Kuna to a badass Caesar Marini shotgun.

Von 1:16:30

To a real small 22 revolver, single shot.

Matt 1:16:33

They got all the cool guns. It's old school since the 40s. They'll help you. Like I had to plug Rays. Like, I had to. Got to. They go. That's they actually Steven told me about you first before we got connected through chicken, so we got to take it back to starting.

Von 1:16:46

Shout out Steven, fellow Aggie, gig 'em. Man, they took me, they took me hog hunting too. Um, I've been hog hunting before, but never like an experience like that. Are you on the Christmas card list? I am not on the Christmas card list. I guess I'm I'm not.

Matt 1:16:57

You will be now. It's probably because you're high profile and they want to ask your address. Luckily, my wife probably won't watch SIS till the end because we're at like 76 minutes. But yeah, I got a Christmas card this year from Rays, and I was like, oh shit, I spent too much money. It's like you're a valued customer. I was like, oh, what's the threshold to get on the Christmas card list?

Von 1:17:12

Maybe they sent maybe they sent it as just like I got so many different things. Yeah, yeah. It's in your fan mail. Yeah, they got to it. They got to it. But yeah, shout out Ray's man. Like, I love those guys over there. Whether it's ammo guns, um, sighting in the guns.

Matt 1:17:24

Seriously, I told you earlier, like, I went in there a couple Christmases ago. We were, you know, on Christmas Eve, and they sold me a gun from my son at the time, he was probably 11. 6'5 Creedmore with a scope, already sighted in so that I could wrap it up, give it to my son, and we could roll out the day after Christmas and we could go hunt. Like their customer service. Just on the edge of downtown Dallas, amazing. My my probably my favorite store in the world.

Von 1:17:47

Yeah, 100%. And I live like eight minutes from there, so I spent a lot of time there. Shout out Reyes, shout out Steven, all the guys over there. Man, I love all of those guys, man. One of the guys he took me hog hunting, he set it up. He had set up the feed, like that video that I showed you. Yeah, like that, that was a plot that they had set up. That wasn't like every night, but they had like got it ready to go for when we came. Like, it'll be like, what was it like 40 hogs out there when we saw it?

Matt 1:18:10

I was like, are those all pigs? And then I heard I haven't been in war, but that felt like close to me. It was dope, man. It was dope. It was a hell of an experience. Well, hopefully this got us 10% off on our next visit. We'll see. We'll report back. Well, man, I can't think you know.

Greener Pastures Recap And Closing

Matt 1:18:24

This has been a treat. These are fun. Appreciate it, man. But this has been amazing. Thank you, man. So let me tell you guys, Greener Pastures Chicken to go way back to that. You'll go watch the cooking video, no glaze, best chicken I've ever had. I'm shocked that it was only 20 bucks. Um, despite the fact that they're organic, you know, regenerative farming, like it's insane. Like, super good. Uh, I'm sure you can get a lot of other places I got mine at Central Market. I'm a big fan of that. So uh yeah, thank you guys for being here. Thanks, guys. Giggem. Thank you guys all for watching or listening. If you're watching on YouTube, please make sure you like and subscribe. If you're listening, make sure you follow and mark downloads for automatic so that you can listen to your podcast on the go. And no matter where you're consuming this podcast, be sure to leave us a review.