A Former NFL Quarterback On Fatherhood Values - Tyler Palko

Thank you, Matt Brownlee, for making today's episode possible!!

Today, we welcome former Pitt star QB and NFL player, Tyler Palko, to the podcast.  This episode allows two former quarterbacks to compare notes on what actually builds grit. That’s where our conversation with Tyler goes fast. Tyler played at Pitt, spent time in the NFL and in Montreal, and now helps companies grow talent as Chief Revenue Officer at Solutions 21. But the part we really dig into is Tyler as a dad: how he thinks about values, effort, and the kind of presence kids remember.

We talk about what Tyler learned growing up in Western Pennsylvania as the son of a legendary high school coach, and why “how you carry yourself” still matters more than highlights. Kindness shows up in the unglamorous stuff: shoveling a neighbor’s driveway, treating the janitor like the recruiter, and raising kids who hold doors and think about others first. We also get into the hard truth behind confidence: it’s built through work, not wishes, and you don’t get to say “can’t” if you haven’t practiced.


Thanks to his athletic talents and his knack for leadership, Tyler led his team to championships at every stage in his career. He set records, guided his team to a number of important victories, and was a 3-time captain elected by his peers at the storied football program of Pitt, which has had its share of successful leaders in their own right, including Mike Ditka, Dan Marino, and a number of other Hall of Famers. Tyler’s ambition and dedication led him to achieve his lifelong dream of playing at the highest level in his professional career -- the NFL.

We connect sports parenting, mental toughness, and leadership development into one theme: run toward the storm, because that’s where growth lives. If you like conversations about fatherhood, sports psychology, resilience, and leadership, hit subscribe, share this with a fellow parent, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Transcript

Welcome And Show Purpose

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hi, I'm Riley.

Gratitude From Spring Break Chaos

SPEAKER_01 0:04

And I'm Ryder. And this is my dad's show. Hey everybody, it's KCJ Cox with the quarterback. There's a lot of great guests ahead. If you're new to this podcast, really it's simple. It's a podcast where we interview dads, we learn about how they're arrays, we learn about the life lessons that were important to them. We learn about the values that are important to them. And really we learn about how we can work hard to become a better quarterback or leader of our home. So let's sit back, relax, and listen to today's episode of the Quarterback Deckcats. Everybody, it's KC Jacks with the Quarterback Deckats. We are in season seven, and I'm very excited for this next guest uh who is coming to us to the uh the one-known Matt Brownlee uh who made this introduction. And uh I met Matt at the water world of consulting. Uh he and I did a a uh I guess a speaking engagement together uh for friends over at Kelly Mitchell, and uh then I had a chance to talk to this gentleman from the airport, and immediately I I knew I was gonna um I knew I was gonna like him. One because we're we're former quarterbacks, and yes, that's an Uncle Rico moment, everybody. But uh his name is Tyler Palco. He's a former Pitt Panther. Uh, I actually remember seeing this dude on ESPN watching when I was all when I was washed up in my Uncle Rico days, but he spent time in the league. That's the NFL, everybody spent time up in Montreal and uh the actually the UFL. He's now the chief revenue officer of Solutions 21, but that is not why we're having Tyler on. We're having Tyler on to learn about Tyler the dad and how he's working hard to become that ultimate quarterback or leader of his household. So without further ado, Mr. Palco, welcome to the quarterback dad cast. Thanks, buddy. Appreciate it. Montreal and the UFL and and the uh the wide world of the NFL must have been but quite the journey. But before we dive into some of that, we always start out each episode with gratitude. So tell me, what are you most grateful for as a dad today?

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Oh, that uh we're on spring break. So uh grateful for the uh the the knuckleheads uh running around making a bunch of noise in the house right now.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Are we are we just staying home or we did you go anywhere?

SPEAKER_02 2:14

We are uh in Pensacola. So we're we um down in the panhandle.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Okay. Very cool.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

Fight fighting the elements right now. We had uh two two days that were um warmer in Kansas City than they were in Florida. So we're we're uh we're grinding down here in the in the cold beach beach weather.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

No way.

A Daughter’s ACL Recovery Lesson

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Oh, it'll be fine. It's just too it's too, you know how it is. You gotta navigate little uh little little detours along the way. So it was uh we'll we'll get through it.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Call Nautable.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Yeah, baby.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Uh what I'm most grateful for is uh so my daughter, um my daughter tore her ACL and her MCL and meniscus. And uh yesterday was her six-week post-op appointment. Um we're recording in March stuff, so we'll come out in a few weeks. And yesterday was the first day she could put weight on her leg. And uh to see her just like happy and like walk in the doctor, it's strong, you're good. You can start walking as you know, as much as you see, just obviously we can't run and jump, and but just to see her, you know, making the steps, making the strides, staying mentally tough, um, was just super, super cool. I was very, very grateful to one, be in a spot that the stage of my life in career could be a appointment with her, but then just to see her realize that we're we're getting one step closer into recovery.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

How um how did she how did she do it?

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Basketball? Non-contact, non-contact, intense, and she's guarding. Um, so she was um she's like a lockdown defender, loves defense, loves diving for loose balls, good three-point shooter, good ball handler, and she's guarding this um this girl named Brooklyn Haywood, who's one of our, you'll probably she's got she got a full ride to Oregon. And uh you'll I this girl might probably play in the M WNBA one day, but uh watching my daughter go at it with her uh was so fun. And we were up, we were down, we were up two uh halfway through the third quarter, and she drove and Riley was with her right there, and just bam, it's almost like popped her up in the air and collapsed, and I my heart sank because I can't remember if I shared this with you when we first met, but I lost my senior year in high school to an injury.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

ACL too?

SPEAKER_01 4:30

No, broke my foot in four spots, which is why I ended up playing Division II and um which is a that was a blessing. But to see my daughter go through the same thing, lose her senior year, and she's gonna go play basketball where I played football in college. It's like a Disney moment, man.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Yeah, man. That that stuff is uh I mean, I I I can't only imagine like thank God, not not yet with uh injuries with the kids of sports, but um, you know, you as an athlete, you you know how to deal with it your yourself, right? But I thank God I'm a hundred percent chance of injury, so it's gonna happen, just a matter of what it's gonna look like. But you can handle it as an athlete, but you know, the the kid part of it is just uh pretty gnarly.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Yeah, it's helpless as a parent. Um and then watching her, uh, and it was almost like I told people it's like a PTSD for me. Like that first week, I mean, I was emotional just because it brought me back to my journey. And the guy that actually I I beat out a kid my junior year, well, senior year, when I came back, uh he went on to but he had then had to replace me. He was gonna play tight end, he had to go replace me now. Took us to the state playoffs first time in 20 years, got game second team all league quarterback, and he broke our single season passing yardage record, and I had to watch.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Stuff makes you stronger though.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Oh, dude, one of the best things that ever happened to me. 100%.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Everybody always asked me about like what was the the moment like in your whole career that you you know, like those moments, and they're like, oh, Notre Dame game, this game, that game. I'm like, no, getting benched my sophomore year. I remember that as a I mean, that was that was the moment that I remember more than anything in in my football career was that moment of like, holy cow, like this could be taken away from you in a heartbeat. Like, stop pressing and just go play.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Yeah. Why did you get benched?

SPEAKER_02 6:23

Pressing too hard, wasn't wasn't doing, you know, it was making too many bonehead mistakes, and I I would have benched me, and it and I it was how you handle it, right? You can crow crawl into a ball and you know, be a cis or you know, face it and sit in it and be in it, and yeah, you get another chance, go back out and sling it.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Did you was that a full game or just like a half? You got benched? Series. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

I mean, it was all the things, right? It was like the the the high school the high school local kid, it was the you know, getting booed, it was the cheering for the other guy that goes in, like all of those emotions roll up into it. Oh, yeah. You had to just sit with it, right? And be, you know, just be on the bench and everybody's cheering. And and you just at that moment there was a light bulb epiphany that went went off in my head and never let it, never let it go back.

The Palco Family Huddle

SPEAKER_01 7:19

So good. I told you everybody, this is gonna be some Uncle Rico moments here. Uh and if people don't know who Uncle Rico is that is the guy from Napoleon Dynamite, we're gonna throw that football over the mountain. Um, uh, as much as I want to dive into that, we're I'm not I'm gonna resist my curiosity, ma'am. But bring me inside the Palco huddle. Tell me who is on the the squad down in Pensacola with you.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

Um oldest daughter, Aubrey, her friend Maddie, uh, both 13. Um, twin 10-year-old boys, Caden and Kasen, uh, little midget daughter who's eight that runs the house.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

And tell me how you and your wife met.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

Uh she actually was the first person that I met in Kansas City when I was going through free agency. So, like, you know how that works. When you're when you're not a highly sought-after free agent, they fly you in on like the latest, cheapest flight, you know, get in at midnight, wake up at 5 a.m., somebody picks you up in the car, poke, prodded, all that stuff, and then went down and went through that whole process and was tired and cranky and was like, man, I just want to get some food and you know, this is the town I'm gonna live in. And just went down into uh to a restaurant right down the street, and you know, she was there.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

Wow. Yeah, and then one thing one thing led to another. That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Yeah, but she's local Kansas City girl, so uh that's why my um that's why my uh my residence and has been Kansas City for the last 15 years.

Growing Up In A Locker Room

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Okay, awesome. Well, bring me back to what was life like growing up for you, Tyler. I want to understand more about the impact mom and dad had on you um and the values that were kind of taught and taught and really instilled in you now that and you as you reflect now that you're dad.

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Well, I mean, my my dad was you know one of the winningest high school coaches in the state of Pennsylvania. So I played for him growing up, right? So when I tell you that I literally grew up in a locker room, like I like took my first steps in the locker room. So was around Pops all the time. Mom was um, you know, she worked, but she was, you know, kept everything together. And younger brother, younger sister, younger brother works for the Cardinals, been there for 16 years in the front office. Uh Arizona Cardinals. Yeah. And sister works for a global manufacturing company. She likes to say that she's the best athlete of all three of us. We've all played Division I sports, but she thinks that she's the best athlete, so we'll we'll let her believe that. Um yeah, uh, just pretty normal, you know, growing up as a high school uh son of a high school coach, right? So if Friday nights were football, Saturday nights were, you know, college football, Sunday nights were family dinner and get ready to go back to the week. So pretty standard. And grew up in Western Pennsylvania. Um, yeah, pretty I mean, pretty standard. If you if if they were to to come up with uh all the right moves in 2026, it'd probably be based on my childhood. Right. So it was pretty cool. Pretty cool growing up um like that. Uh athletics were important, school was important, family was important. Um didn't have you know a pot to piss in, but you know, we had everybody, so it was great.

Kindness, Toughness, And Humility

SPEAKER_01 10:49

What were um if you if you think back of like the the values that and maybe a story that you were that really resonates with you of how you learned that value that maybe you've shared with your kids or that you has impacted you in your life through sports or through business, tell me what comes to mind.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

You know, there's so many of them. I I think probably the the biggest um the biggest one that I learned from my dad was was probably just like how you carry yourself, like being grateful, being thankful, being appreciative, being kind, like just those things you you can do, but you can turn into you know a killer on the field, right? Like, like that was the one thing that I I I always appreciated about my dad was he was one of the toughest guys I've ever met. But you know, always like you know, go shovel that lady's driveway, right? Oh wait, she gave you 20 bucks, go give it back. She you did that because you need to, right? Like just those types of things. I mean, I just I was very lucky. I my mom and dad were huge part of my life, and and like that that was one of the things that I saw him, you know, treat you hear the metaphor all the time, so it wasn't like my dad uh like made it up, but like literally cheat treated the you know Bobby Bowden coming in to recruit the same way that he treated the janitor that he, you know, uh you know, sat outside when he when he was having a smoke break and my dad went out. You know what I mean? It just that type of thing. Um curiosity. I hear you talk about it all the time. Um so it was just I was very fortunate, very lucky.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Where do you think your dad's um toughness came from?

SPEAKER_02 12:33

Probably his dad. I mean, Western Pennsylvania, my my my grandfather, two war two wars, steel mill, um, you know, that that type of thing. Um you know, just grinding for everything.

SPEAKER_04 12:49

I I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

I I just it was just it was always preached in our house, right? Like tough, mentally tough, physically tough. Like um I don't know. I that's a good question. I don't think I've ever asked them that. I just I don't know. It's a good good follow-up question to ask them.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

There we go. Well, I always I mean you meet people from Western Pennsylvania, and the uh you know there's a lot of really, really amazing quarterbacks, but and it I think one thing leads true is that there's always a toughness metaphor. Um that it's just that's the stigma that you're never gonna. I mean, and I remember watching you, if I remember, it's correct. I remember you were like a runner too.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

You were used to try to I had to, I didn't want to. I had to.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

See, I was not, but I tried to convince myself I was, and uh preservation, baby.

SPEAKER_02 13:35

Quarterbacks, you you gotta do whatever you gotta do to survive. We're we're we're like I always say Western Pennsylvania quarterbacks are like cockroaches, you can't kill them, they just just you can step on them and kick them around, but um yeah, I I'm I'm with you though.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Yeah. Um, I love the things your your dad taught you about being grateful, being appreciative of the kind. I think well, I don't think I've ever heard that's a story, but when someone goes and shovels the snow or does a chore and has to go give the money back, we would just love that.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

I I mean my sorry did you give it 20 bucks, but I mean it was hey, you're gonna go shovel driveway, yeah. We're gonna go shovel driveways. You know, four four like old lady, older ladies that were there, boom, get it done. You know, that um my grandma used to make she was in charge of the the altar boy schedule, right? So I, you know, as the you know grandson of the the schedule lady, I mean weddings, funerals, all that stuff, and you'd get this nice little envelope, you know, and you'd be like, oh man, I got 100 bucks or 50 bucks or whatever it is. Oh sweetheart, you need to give that back.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

That that's that's that's not, and I'm like now you don't in your in your professional world, you don't give when when clients pay your invoice, you don't give it back. You keep it now.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

I mean, you know, I PTSD sometimes I'm like, holy cow, this is great. I get paid for this. I'm I'm I see like my my dad and my grandma. Give back capitalism all the time, baby.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

There we go. Now are are mom and dad still with us?

SPEAKER_02 15:09

Yeah, yep. Yep. I just talked to him this morning. They were uh they went up to see my sister in uh Seattle. Um just their anniversary for 43 years, they celebrated on the 19th. So, or or will celebrate it on the 19th. So yeah, they were just uh they're still with us. Um my dad, crazy, uh he's retired for the fourth time and uh has decided at the age of 66 to come back to my high school and resurrect the program that he spent 35 years building and watched some knucklehead administrators knock it down. So he said, I just couldn't go to my deathbed knowing that my life's work was, you know, so I so he literally will die with a whistle in his mouth.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

He's gonna coach again?

SPEAKER_02 15:56

Yeah.

NIL Money And The Transfer Era

SPEAKER_01 15:56

Let's go. Let's go, Pops. I love it. I don't know, man. I I I kind of like my uh my my life right now. Uh I don't actually, I would never want to be a coach in college right now. Why? Just the whole NIL transfer portal stuff.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

So I got how about how about we go down that road for a little bit?

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Yeah. So think about this. When we were in school, right? Let's just say that you know, you got a$500 handshake, right? Take your offensive lineman out, grab some beers, wings, maybe take your you know, girlfriend to Subway, right? You know,$500, right? I mean, and you would think that you were like the the like cartel, right? If so you get caught with$500. Now these dudes are driving, you know, Lamborghinis and and they're getting paid for things that they should get paid for, right? But there's no regulation on it, right? It's a let's call it's a professional sport, right? So if you're late for a team meeting and you're getting NIL money, sorry, 10 grand, you're fine. Boom. Right? If you uh you know, if you don't, if you don't play well, you can get cut. Professional sports, there's a risk, there's a reward. I mean, like, it's out of control because they they're just handing people stuff as opposed to running it like the NFL, which, oh, by the way, is one of the argu arguably the best run organizations in all of business. So how would you not like how would you not take some of that you know and and run it? Because it is ruining college sports. But it's not like, but it's not like they don't have a like a precedent to to do, like to work with. You know what I mean? It's just it's nuts.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

I don't know what's gonna what's the pain that's gonna mention want people change, but I just my worry, and this is gonna make me I just turned 50 last week, Tyler. But like, so I know I'm like the old guy here, right? AERP baby. Um, is uh well, like I remember like my red shirt freshman year. So I played with a guy named Do you run across John Kitna in the NFL?

SPEAKER_04 18:10

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

So Kitna, I was the number three his senior year, and then split time my sophomore year, and then started my junior senior year. But like if I was like my true freshman year, I was like, oh my God, these guys are so much better. Oh my god, I'm not gonna play. I could have like gone down that path, screw it, I'm transferring. But like I learned resilience and grit, and I had to get through shitty times. And I think right now my fear is just like, well, okay, you don't like it, Johnny or Susie. We're gonna transfer. I think, and I think I heard a story. There's a dude that transferred four years in his high college basketball to the same college twice. So I'm like, so when this person gets in the business world and a client, he frust a client frustrates him, I mean, what are you gonna you're gonna keep running from stuff?

SPEAKER_02 18:53

I'm I'm with you. I mean, I think that that um there's a component that it gets like it gets compartmentalized to say like everybody should you like trans, you shouldn't be able to transfer, right? And I think that, you know, just like free agency or just like anything else, if you're not happy, you know, you you gotta get to, you know, like if you're under contract, you're under contract. If you you know, like you got to deal with it professionally. But I just don't think that they're taking advantage of these life lessons that could be learned, where you know, hey, that's great, right? Like you don't you can't play here. There's only one quarterback to get you and I would understand this. So if I'm backing you up and we're in the same class, right, and I want to play, but you're like not letting that like I either wait for you to get injured or I I move on. I don't mind that, right? Right? Like I if you want to play that, but if you're if you can't beat you know somebody out as a linebacker or you can't beat somebody out as an off and you transfer because you think that the grass is greener on the other side, as opposed to hey, you got to go earn your spot. I just think there's missed opportunities there. And and that's the thing that's frustrating for me is you see all these really good athletes like way bigger, faster, stronger, like they can do so many more things than we could, but they're weak mentally. Like they're it's like they've gone backwards like mentally and so far ahead physically, right? And you just wonder what that what the bubble is that's gonna make it pop, to your point.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

And I I think I think the when when the transfer portal, it was those scenarios, those one random scenarios of like, you know, maybe a hardship or hey, you really want to play your butt, there's not a chance you're gonna play. But like the thing that drives me nuts is when people are starters, like I hate like I think of Caleb Williams, like he tr transfers, was it was it my memory's correct, Oklahoma to USC.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

He was a starting quarterback, like but I mean, like, so he he he followed his head coach OC, yeah, there you go. So I mean, like there's different situations and scenarios about that, right? That's a good point. The stuff that drives me baddie is like these guys go into the portal, you're like you're a starter at pit, right? And you're a starter and you're getting paid. You're gonna go into the portal to go get more money. Like, see, that's the thing. Like, I get it, you should get your money, but like that that shit should be like negotiated on the side, not like, oh, I'm gonna go into the port, you know what I mean? Like that that's the thing that bothers me. Like, you committed, you're a starter, you're making money, you want to renegotiate your contract, like, but but but again, all these contracts are one-year deals, so they're having to renegotiate them as opposed to signing a deal, right? Like, if if you signed a contract and you're under contract, right, and and you want a new contract. Well, you just signed the contract last year. I'm sorry, bud. Like, you don't want to show up for minicamp? Great, I'll find you. It just it doesn't, it it doesn't there's no rules.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Yeah. I I hope, I hope for for kids' sake and for parents' sake. Um, I think there's sometimes I de generalize, and this is my I don't mean this come out wrong, but I'm sure. There's some parents out there that like are like, this is my opportunity, and we're gonna work, we're gonna mark the system. We're gonna, and I guess if they wanna make as much money as they can, go for it. We're a free society. But like to your point earlier, there's so many missed opportunities on where you build the resilience, the grit, the things that are gonna in life we need to get through tough times.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

You can go look at the NFL and look at all the guys that went the major, I bet you if you ran an analysis through AI right now, where you could say, Hey, let's look at all the NFL players that went and did like more, right? Like I want I want more to this contract, and more this or more that usually never works out well. You know?

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Yeah. No. What um what tell me what mom did?

SPEAKER_02 22:48

She worked for like a pharmaceutical company.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Uh Smith Klein Beachum in Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Now, was mom uh tough as dad?

SPEAKER_02 22:56

Not as, but yeah, in her own way.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

Yeah. I um it's funny how you I reflect my my dad, unfortunately, passed away December 29th, 2021. Um, and uh it's ironically, he this is actually people can't see this at home, but I'll show you, Tyler. This is this is this is me, his my uh division. This is like at a school called Southern Oregon. We we played, and uh, but that's where actually my son plays golf now. So that picture is right where he's so I it's kind of cool when I see it. It reminds me of obviously me and my pops. He was the dad that never missed a game, went to everything. You know. I remember even my red shirt freshman year. I was we went down to some random school in Texas, and he showed up to the the charter. I'm like, Dad, what do you what are you doing here? He's like, I go, I'm not playing, dad. I'm a I'm a three. He's like, Yeah, I know, but I'm gonna I want to watch you warm up. I mean, that was my dad.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 23:52

That's awesome, you know.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

And so like I still remember those those moments. But um, so as a as a now, is your wife an athlete?

SPEAKER_02 24:00

Uh yeah, she had ballerina.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:03

Yeah, the girl's a girl who got into dance early. So, but yeah, she's different type. Way different type.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

My my wife's a competitive dancer way back in the day. So like I always joke that like football players, like I was good for seven, eight seconds, and I got a I'm really good at resting, resting. And the the the dancers, they get it, that's where they get the stamina. That's my daughter, she gets her motors from my wife, not me.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

Yeah, it's definitely it's it's a it's a different uh it I like seeing the the competitiveness with the boys and the girls in our house. Or like, you know, the they're they're doing splits and backhand springs and front walkovers, and then you go, you know, watch the boys try to do like a cartwheel, and you're like, no chance, bud. No, come on. And that it's just it's different, the strength level that they have. And um, but yeah, like my my youngest is a uh she's like a a ball of muscle, like eats like crap, but looks like a Greek god because of all the sit-ups and pull-ups and push-ups and all the dance stuff is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Wow. So, like, I one question I always like asking like people who played at a high level is my mindset as a as a dad. And like you know what it took um to get to the highest level in in game football. Um, talk about how do you use that, those gifts you have, but also uh not be the dad that's like in their shit.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

That's hard, man. I struggle with it every day. I mean, that's funny you asked that question. I mean, I struggle with that, like uh, you know, went went for a little jog this morning and just like it's it's such a hard balance because my dad never pushed, forced, did anything. Like I had to make a decision, like if I want to see my dad, I'd have to be with him, right? Because it was just like he's married to to this the coach, right? And so like I I didn't have like a you have to do this, you have to do this. It was always me. And so I'm grateful for that, and I don't push it on the kids, but there's always, and you know this, I mean, you grew up different when with your pops than you're raising your kids, I would imagine financially and all that stuff, right? And so we we I have to remember, like, there's a whole big piece of my life, right? That I learned how to grind and grit and you know, go get your butt kicked at the park because you want to play with the older all that stuff that they're not getting because they didn't have to. So I struggle with that every day because you want them to be successful and you want them to grind and you want them to, but it's different, right? And so, like, I'm trying to figure out how to relate to that, but again, you look at it and you're like, like everything's easy, like everything is easy for you, but it's not. But in my mind, it is you know what I mean? It's just that it's hard balance, man. Because at the end of the day, all you're doing is wanting you you want to them to be better than you, right? I tell it to my boys all the time. I'm like, there's one man on this earth that wants you to be better than him, and it's me. Like, I I I hope you both are 10,000 times better than me. But um, that's a great question. I don't know. I'm you got any answers?

SPEAKER_01 27:34

I just think it's I'm a big believer of it has to be their idea. And I think your dad obviously, I mean, uh, the fact that he did that to you is uh fantastic. And I see I I find I see a lot of like people who did not play sports at a high level live vicariously through their kids. Um, and I'm I'm as like you know, people are sometimes will be surprised, like, why didn't Ryder play football? I'm like, because that is his life, not mine. You know, and I at times I like God I football taught me so much about he loves sports, he loves a diehard Seahawks fan, diehard Mariners fan. Like he's a freak, he's a really good golfer. I would say average athlete with like hoops, and but he's a good, he's a he's your grinder. He's like, you know, but I don't regret not doing it. My daughter's a hooper, so I I sucked, I would joke, my daughter, I sucked at basketball. I was like, you know, I would have got cut in high school, but uh I I think it's it's just about being curious and helping them see and helping remind them what's important to them and then giving them tools, but like they gotta want it. And like so, you obviously wanted it. So I'm curious, like, how did you like what was your spark that made you want to want it?

SPEAKER_02 28:46

I I mean, I don't know. I I I go back all the time and thinking of, I mean, because I have I we we all have selective amnesia at times, you know, the the big fish story and all that stuff. But I'm pretty I'm I'm pretty consistent about some of these things, and I'll check with my pops. I don't really know if there was like an aha moment, but like I just remember little things like, and who died? I mean, I remember his name was Jimmy, uh sorry, Jim Capazzoli and Ben Carr. So these two are the quarterbacks when I was like my dad first got there, and I would have thought that they were Joe Montana. Like, that's all I wanted to do. I wanted to play for my dad. And it's always like you have these goals and you have these things that um that you that that like push you, and I and it wasn't anything like I didn't want to be like Dan Marino at 10. I just I wanted to I wanted to be number three on West Allegheny High School and play for my dad. So I don't know. I I and then you have these moments where you go to camps, and I remember there there was like uh a quarterback coach in Michigan, Stan Parrish, um and when I was getting recruited and and like early on, and he told me, you know, he said, Hey, look, you know, there's a lot of people, this is Michigan, there's a lot of people out there that come walk here, think they can throw and jump and run. And he made a comment, he said, If you the the minute that you think you got everything figured out, that you're the best, he goes, just stop playing because there's somebody else behind you. And like that clicked for me. So I always was like, you know, the if you ran a mile, it had to be like a mile and a half, or like if everybody ran two miles, it had this. If you had to be there at six, I want to be there at 5 30. So it was those types of things. But I don't know. I don't know how you I don't know what made you like what made you do it. I mean, maybe it's like you said, it it's gotta be important to you. Whatever everybody has a passion, and I just lucked out to be able to, you know, have it with my dad.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

Do you remember who taught you like self-belief or ignited that in you?

SPEAKER_02 30:56

I mean, I I just know that my there was never like I never remember a time where like we did something, me, my brother, and my dad, like where it was like you can't, right? So there was always a not even a yep, but like, yeah, you can. Like, don't don't tell me about can't, like, you know, and it would and his response was unique. I think it was always like uh, you know, oh man, like I can't dribble with my left hand, right? Or oh man, I can't make this. And it was like, how much time did you put into doing it? Well, I didn't. Well, come back when you go, like, why don't you go to the gym? You want to go to the gym? Yeah, let's go to the gym. And I remember dribbling around the gym because I'm left-handed, dribbling around the gym with my right hand, left hand behind my back, like 500 times it felt like doing layups at every like dribble, dribble, dribble, boom, dribble, dribble, dribble, boom. And he didn't make me do it, but it was like, don't say you can't if you don't practice. So, like, I think spending that time with yourself, I don't know. Yeah, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

I um so the reason I asked that question, Tyler, is there was my my parents were always they never pushed me, they gave me opportunities. Um, you know, we didn't go on a lot of vacations. Our vacations were camping and riding bikes without a helmet and you know, the the fun stuff back back in the day. And um, but my my high school football coach, kind of Marty Osborne, this gentleman I saw last night, Coach Glenn Dakis, they're the ones that first like believed in me, like gave me unlock the belief of self-belief. And that's why people can't see this, but there's a sign behind me that says believe, which is from Ted Lasso. But I think too many parents don't instill belief in people um and and ask themselves if you believe. And so, like when you when you have that self-belief and someone outside the home believes in you, it's like, oh, now I can I can go do something. And not that mom and dad didn't, but like I think someone told me this where they said, you know, true confidence is built when someone, one person inside the home, then one person outside the home unlocks it. And that really hit home for me. And um, so I and I think just it's like when you someone could see, and that's my coaches did this. That's where I learned about visualization, self-talk, um, you know, be you know, Stephen Covey begin with the end in mind type thing. Um but a level your dad talked about can't, because I that's funny, I just LinkedIn posts I didn't get it hasn't gone out yet, but it like I created this like sarcastic phrase of five swear words that I teach sales teams or sales leaders when I go speak. And I'll say, like, these are the worst fucking swear words ever. People are like, wait a minute, you just swore. I'm like, I know, but these are fucking worse. And and they'll like, what what do you mean? I go, these these are like bad men. You don't want to say these in church at a funeral, like the I know you ready to write these down, they're like, Oh my god, what is it? And then like I kind of build it up and I say these are need to, should do, want to, have to, or can't. I in my mind, that's called an and I think of it as anxiety-based language that produces zero results that just cloud our mind. And to get rid of those words, we either say I will or I won't. And so I share that with my kids, like you, and I love your dad said that. Like, we can anybody can do something. Now, am I gonna go in the Boston marathon tomorrow? Probably not. But if I wanted to go run a marathon, well, how many have I run? Do I run a mile? Do I like no, I don't. So then why should I expect to go do that? But if I put in the effort, anybody can do it. So I mean, I think those are like great things that like have you shared those stories with your kids yet?

SPEAKER_02 34:29

Try, I mean, try, right? You know, you we we we've we have we have moments, right? And I and I again, you know, I have to temper some of that stuff because my dad always used to say like age appropriate, age appropriate, age appropriate stuff, right? But again, I always found out now as an as an adult, like I was exposed to things such at an early age. Like I'm having to think, you know, like the oh back in my day, like it literally was when I was five. Like I was in like a locker room, like I was hearing, you know, coaches cuss and I'm drawing plays up on the board, but like that's not age appropriate. But you know what I mean? So at times we have these conversations. Um, it's it's probably coming, right? With the the like out of rec league into potentially like you know, the the the club stuff, right? Where you have to make teams and you, you know, all that. It's probably coming. But um, yeah, I mean, uh the the biggest thing we've had right now is expectations and work ethic, right? Those two things, if they're out of whack, like nothing's gonna happen, right? You have high expectations, your work ethics down here. Like you get two things. You gotta raise your work ethic or lower your expectations.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Like, yeah. Pretty pretty simple. I I found with that, um, because I have a uh almost 20-year-old and a 17-year-old, and the power of asking questions before we tell a story, I think it works great in the business world.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

Hey everyone, my name is Blaise Basel, and I hope you're enjoying today's episode of the Quarterback Dadcast. In case you're wondering, I'm a fellow dad and also the president of Kelly Mitchell. Kelly Mitchell is an employee-owned technology solutions firm, and we help organizations solve complex business challenges. I think at the end of the day, we're we're focused on our team doing work that matters for our clients. And that's because the way you show up matters, the way you treat people, clients, teammates, really everyone. That shapes the experience and the results that follow. I think similarly, Casey has had a real impact on our team internally at Kelly Mitchell. He spent time with us most recently in St. Louis with our sales team. And while he was there, he asked a question that really stuck with me. And that was do you believe that what you do matters? That question stayed with us. It's changed how we approach our day-to-day, how we prepare, how we communicate, and ultimately how we follow through. That's why the experience Casey brings to his customers has made such an impact. Because whether when people believe their work matters, everything works better across the team with our clients and definitely in results. So we appreciate you, Casey. And now back to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 37:15

And it works great as a parent. So I'll say if I give an example, give me an example. Yeah, so if I'll say, hey, um, if I'm like, hey, writer, what are you doing? Why aren't you at the range? Why aren't you doing put why you like let's go? Versus, hey, would it be tell me, would it be helpful if I shared a story, bud, where I had to learn, um had to learn kind of going through some pain on something I really wanted? Sure, like oh, well, you sure? Because I mean I'll share it, but I just want to make sure you really want to listen to me. So it's like you ask a question before someone really is there to hurt. Or and I and I believe I I like like trying to like the values that really drive my life are being the most humble, vulnerable, or curious version of myself. And so when I can show those values through doing it to my kids, I think they listen more. You know, even like I think about like my daughter's injury. Like I said, Riley that her name's Riley. I said, Riley, you know, the the the the coolest thing about this is when people say, Oh man, it must be so difficult knowing what you're going through. And then they're like, No, you don't, you don't know what freaking is this. I do. I know what it's like to lose your senior year. I know what it's like to watch a team when you can't help them. So, but I'm gonna ask you questions, like, hey, tell me, you know, if you're going through a tough time, I'm here. But I don't, I'm not gonna just tell you what you're feeling unless you're ready to talk to me about it.

Tough Love And Running Toward Storms

SPEAKER_02 38:30

Now you you make you you make uh some some really great points. I think sometimes you what do you I think you said slow down to speed up, like you have that like instead of the talking, you know, talking at right, as opposed to hey, asking question to confirm it. Like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:53

And again, this is uh through failure, brother. This is through failure. I mean, I learned this like as an early parent. I was like, I remember I remember probably one of my my low parenting moments, and I joke with my son now about this, where he uh like in fifth grade. Um how I measured success when they played hoop younger is Red Face. Did you work your ass off? And I don't care if you I mean some of these AAU teams were so good. Like my son's there was one game we lost, he they he lost like 40 to two. Like just like we're in the wrong bracket. We should not be playing this team. And my son fouled a kid at the end of the game at a wide open lane and just torched him. Uh, he made two free throws at the end of the game, but it was like my most proud I've ever been. But transversely, you see a game where he did not give effort and I'm just hot. I get home, I'm like, get on your bike. He's like, why get on your bike and I'm running? And and I literally ran like five miles and made him bike with me. And I was like, I got home, I'm like, that was such a dick move. What are you doing, dude? But we joke about now. I'm like, hey, Bub, remember the bike, right?

SPEAKER_02 39:57

And uh, but sometimes you need sometimes you need those things, and that's the that's the the hard part that you go back, you know, it's like when you have a wife, right? Like, like I think that that there's the the like the counterbalance of things, yeah, right. But I just think that they're you know, and again, I'm not painting with a broad brush here. This is like two dudes talking, but like I think you need those moments, right? And I think those moments, like, think about anything that you've ever accomplished in sports that you had this interaction that was uncomfortable, right? Like, I don't I I I I I like my head coach from college now. Well, um, we we joke about things, but like I couldn't stand him when I played. I committed to him, right? I committed to this guy to play sports, and I couldn't stand him for five years in college, right? But like those moments that you have, like, and you look back on him, like he taught me a lot of stuff to where my my response was, what a dick, right? If you think back at that, right? Like, think about how many times your coach said something or did something to you, and you're like, Man, what a dick, right? And you and you're such a young kid, you can't even like separate it. But now that you're a man, you're like, oh shit.

SPEAKER_01 41:18

Like, can you think of an example of something specific that like maybe you'll use as that experience as a punk to quarterback versus a he benched me, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:28

I mean, he he literally, like a guy I committed to. I I could have gone anywhere I wanted, and he benched me, right? Like, what a dick. Yeah, but it's what I needed at that time to either go, hey, stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders and just go play football like you know how, or keep trying to be perfect and not make anything happen, right? It was like that moment where he probably told me four or five times, thousand times, hey, go play football, go play football, go play football. But I didn't hear him, right? And I was like, I I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it. And then like it got to a point where okay, maybe you'll listen now. It's like the Bobby, Bobby Knight quote, right? Ass meets bench, bench tells ass that I don't like to be here. Go work harder to get ass off bench, right? Like it's so that's probably I mean, there's probably more, but I think you need those moments, right? Like nothing ever in life was ever accomplished through comfort.

SPEAKER_01 42:37

No, tough love is a good thing. And and if people if people I think when there's a relationship built and there is tough love, people know you're coming at from a um uh the right spot. And um, I think the like I do work now in corporate rust you know coaching sales and leadership teams. I'm like, I'm not here to make you feel good always, but I'm here to help you achieve something you just don't know it's possible. I see it in you, you just don't want it. But um, and I'm paid to tell the truth. You might not like the truth. Um, but I'm I'm in your corner. I want you to win, but you gotta want to win too.

SPEAKER_02 43:08

Yeah. Somehow, so somehow that's that statement has been like diluted down to where you have to like comfort and you know arm around somebody, like like winning doesn't happen easy, right? Like, like no one, like if it were easy, everybody would be in, you know, flying around a private jets and you know, having four or five houses, right? But there's something that that that got diluted with that. Like, I'm your coach, not your buddy, right? I'm your boss, not your buddy, right? And and so I'm your dad, not your buddy.

SPEAKER_04 43:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:46

And I I think that that there's something to be said about that. You know what I mean? Like that.

SPEAKER_01 43:52

Yeah, it's um there's a phrase that kind of hit hit me. I showed my kids, I say we when you know when there's uncomfortable things are uncomfortable, that means run towards That usually means there's gonna be something good for having. So I said you either be uncomfortable on the sidelines, watching others, or get uncomfortable in the game. You know?

SPEAKER_02 44:08

Buffalo, the buffalo and the cow.

SPEAKER_01 44:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:11

You know that story, right?

SPEAKER_01 44:12

Yeah, we'll tell it.

SPEAKER_02 44:13

Well, I mean, it it's uh I'm a city boy, so I'm I may butcher this uh like hillbilly metaphor out, but um they just talk about like a buffalo or a bison, right? Nor in a snowstorm, right? They go to it because they know that like eventually it's gonna pass them, as opposed to like the cow, and they try to run away from it and the storm just crushes them. Right? It's uh it's a you know, I didn't make it up. I just probably it's probably my uh uh listening or watching Yellowstone or something. That's that's probably one of those uh thieving metaphors.

SPEAKER_01 44:49

Um as you think about your kids as they're once they keep getting older and older and older and more experienced. What tell me what would be the the two or three values you hope that you and your wife instill in them once they they're out of the house in the world?

SPEAKER_02 45:04

Yeah. Like I told, I I I want I want them to be they I want them to value being a good person, um, you know, little things, hold doors, you know, be selfless, you know, give the shirt off your back. If you know that those types of things, think of others before yourself. Um and if I had to pick another one, a value would be probably toughness mentally and physically. Like you're gonna go through shit in your life. And if you don't know how, you know, to weather the storm, I don't think that you're ever gonna realize your potential, which again, I had offensive line coach tell me, Tyler, you know where they've no, I can't tell this on it's it's not PG, but anyway, potential is stuff you get credit for that you haven't done yet, right?

SPEAKER_01 45:53

So I I I tend to try to I can make I can check the box, make this. We already dropped you a fucking if you want to tell the story. I think people might want to hear it.

SPEAKER_02 46:03

Uh no, it it I'll tell you offline and then we'll come back for part two.

SPEAKER_01 46:07

Okay. Well, you you have me at O Line Coach because the old line coaches they the hogs up front are usually the the the big uglies, and they they they got some interesting mindsets.

SPEAKER_02 46:18

But we had offensive line coach literally the hat he coached for like a hundred years, and um uh uh Tom Freeman, and he had one of his uh his old uh offensive linemen compile a old remember the playbooks we got like the old three-ring binders like this big, where all the coaches thought if I drop like seven million plays, I'm really good, right? I literally a three-ring binder of all his one-liners, like all of his one-liners. It was hull. I mean, I don't know where it is. I need to get that book, but I mean he published that book. Oh, I buy it. Oh, like what the hell are we stretching for? You ever see a cheetah stretch his hamstring before he goes out and like kills an antelope? What are we doing?

SPEAKER_01 47:06

A cheetah.

SPEAKER_02 47:07

Yeah, and then you see these offensive linemen go, I'm not a cheetah coach.

SPEAKER_01 47:11

That's so good. Um, random question. Do you ever do you know the name Verge Palumbo? His uh I worked with him for years at K Force, and he's in a Western, he's a PA guy. His dad coached in Pittsburgh forever.

SPEAKER_02 47:28

Like, like the Palumbo, like the Palumbo family, like a like the AJ Palumbo Center at Duquesne.

SPEAKER_01 47:34

I don't think that Palumbo. I don't know. He was a the big wrestling family.

SPEAKER_02 47:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 47:39

Um, but like Verge is uh he's a former guest on the podcast. He he's the dude, like this is where I back to like what your kids want to be. I hope my kids are like Verge Palumbo because like Verge would always call me on my birthday, and he'd always call me on my work anniversary. I knew it going to work, I'd have a voicemail. He's that guy.

SPEAKER_02 47:57

I love that. I I could never do that. I appreciate guys that think like that. Uh yeah, uh maybe it's because my birthday was always during training camp. I never really celebrated it.

SPEAKER_01 48:07

There you go.

SPEAKER_02 48:08

Um I love that, I love that though.

SPEAKER_01 48:10

I mean, it's simple, man. It's like going and you know, I was talking to someone right before we joined about um the stuff we're talking about. We've not talked about AI once, Tyler.

SPEAKER_04 48:21

What's that?

SPEAKER_01 48:22

We have not talked about AI once. You know, and you don't need to be nice, you don't need AI to be nice, and you don't need AI to go out and do the little the little things right. And you don't need AI to go. I mean, I get I AI is important, but I think sometimes we just still gotta be uh, I don't know, being a good person doesn't require AI.

SPEAKER_02 48:42

I think that AI is a is is again, I think to to our earlier discussion, I think AI is like NIL. If you let it get out of control, it gets out of control. I think that there's so many great things that happen with AI, right? That you can leverage it, but just like anything else, right? You have the Wild West, good luck, dude.

SPEAKER_01 49:04

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 49:06

Guy with the biggest gun is gonna end up winning that, right? So I do I do like some of the the concepts around it. Um you know, and uh to your point about the you don't need AI to be a good person, but sometimes you might need Claude or whoever you're on to be like, hey, stop being a dick. Like be nice.

SPEAKER_01 49:28

Um tell us about Solutions 21. How can people learn more about the work you're doing?

SPEAKER_02 49:34

Uh website, obviously. Um we're on all the you know, the the platforms, LinkedIn, our website and uh Facebook and all that stuff. But we're plain and simple, a lot, a lot very similar to some of the stuff that you do. We're a human capital development firm, um, but we're focused in on um you know enterprise-wide solutions. So um we uh build programs or products, if you will, that that go from the C-suite kind of all the way down through um you know frontline leads and supervisors. We have a sales academy and a sales manager academy, but um, you know, so you would think that we would be the strength coach, if you will, for a business, right? So we would you know build the programs, we do the implementation, we customize it, we provide resources back. So we're we're a really, really, really um kind of niche business if for for helping create the bigger, faster, stronger component within leadership and management. So very cool. Um would would uh would have would have been divorced if I would have gone down the uh coaching path and stuck that coaching heroin needle in my arm. Um you gotta I mean, you know, it hey honey, we got promoted. Where are we moving? Seattle. Oh, nope, I'm not going. Or we got fired, you know, some 19-year-old, you know, threw four interceptions and now we gotta go find a job in you know Birmingham, Alabama. But yeah, you got that's a special, that's a special type of person to be a a coach's wife, dude.

SPEAKER_01 51:09

Oh my god. You bigger, faster, stronger. Was that a reference to the old school weightlifting BFS?

SPEAKER_02 51:15

Oh, you caught it. You caught it. BFS.

SPEAKER_01 51:18

Three by three, five by five, five three two one, max, let's go.

SPEAKER_02 51:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:22

I was a BFS guy.

SPEAKER_02 51:24

Yeah, I I love that back in back in our day. You you had the uh the teams that were, you know, they'd go to these weightlifting competitions. You remember those?

SPEAKER_01 51:33

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:34

In high school. My dad was so anti that. He was, you know, he's like, Why the hell do I care how much you can deadlift? Can you make a tackle?

unknown 51:43

Right?

SPEAKER_02 51:43

I want you in the weight room, but like I don't want you winning a strength competition for deadlift. Make a tackle, right? Like go go catch a ball.

SPEAKER_01 51:53

Oh, that's a good point. Doesn't matter. I remember my my red shirt, my true freshman year when I showed up to camp. There was another quarterback that was just jacked, looked like Adonis, like just guns for days, abs. I'm like, I don't know how I'm gonna make it. That's does not look like me. I was 6'1, buck eighty when I got to college, and then I saw him throw. I'm like, I'm good.

unknown 52:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:18

Just like shot throwing the shot put.

SPEAKER_02 52:21

You know, I love, I love that. That that was that was to to your belief thing. My my dad, we would have this uh kind of, and I've I've polished it up a little bit, but you know, when you give these pregame speeches, and you know, I I hated that stuff. Like, there's nobody can motivate you long enough for a pregame speech. So I'd get asked to do this, you know, like, hey, can you come back and do this? And I'm like, look, I want to talk to a team, but I'm like, talk, I'm not a like, I'm not gonna motivate you, right? Like that, like you got to do that on your own. Go look yourself in the mirror. Um, but I did have this kind of mental game, like when when that stuff came up, whether it was a fight or whether it was basketball, if I turned everything into like a street fight, right? Mentally, all that meant was I'm willing to take one more punch than you are, right? And so like that mentally helped me frame that. And to your point, like, you know, uh, that's fine. You got abs, cool. Uh we play quarterback here. We're not in the cover of muscle and fitness, so I'm gonna just murk you, right? Like, let's you always find a way, right? I love that. I love that story. Yeah, I'm gonna watch him throw. Oh, gotcha. Go do go do some go do some go do some bicep curls.

SPEAKER_01 53:36

Right, exactly. Um, is there an easy way people can find you?

SPEAKER_02 53:41

Obviously, on yeah, LinkedIn, so so solutions21.com. We post uh on LinkedIn, um uh, you know, same same way everybody else does. Um so yeah, I would just encourage some some folks. Uh we we do a lot of the same stuff. I mean, and the and and we have an abundance mentality at Solutions 21. Like, you know, we we had talked earlier, you know, there's there's a lot of different successful strength coaches out there, there's a lot of successful play callers, and and you know, there's not one size fits all. So we we believe it, hey, if you're if you're getting bigger, faster, stronger, I'm happy. Um, you know, if you need some some help or you need you know a different perspective, a different lens to look through it, and we're uh we're always willing to put into work and and and start running the stadium stairs.

SPEAKER_01 54:29

Love it. There's so many parallels we've talked about today about like just sports and mindset and applying it to to the as a dad or business world. And so I love that you're taking your the the gifts, the experience that you has as a professional athlete to corporate America and train, start training professional athlete professionals to become professional business people. So that's awesome. I'm excited to make people aware of Solutions 21. People go check out his website, learn about Tyler. Um before I go into the lightning round, real quick, which is when I show you the negative hits of taking Timmy hits in college, not bong hits, but football hits.

SPEAKER_04 55:05

Uh what?

SPEAKER_01 55:07

So I live in Seattle. Your sis lives out here.

SPEAKER_02 55:10

She she works, she's there like once a month, but she still lives in Pennsylvania. She has uh Fluke, the Fluke Networks, yep. Yeah, so she worked for a subsidiary, one of their million companies that they have. Um, but she's on the East Coast, but she travels to Seattle again, like once a month.

SPEAKER_01 55:28

Okay, cool. Yeah, I'm uh born Seattle, Seattle raised. Um excited to get out because this weather's freaking killing me. Um, and as an old dude now, I I need some sunshine.

SPEAKER_02 55:40

Hey, I born and raised in Pittsburgh, dude. Florida has 300 plus days of sunshine. Pittsburgh has the inverse of that, man. So that that that's you guys at least got uh those days in Seattle. I have been there four times for football.

SPEAKER_04 55:57

Four.

SPEAKER_02 55:57

Every single one of the times I've been to Seattle, it's been a chamber of commerce day. I'm not going back. I don't want to remember Seattle for anything more than those four times that I went up there. I mean Chamber of Commerce Day.

SPEAKER_01 56:09

Yeah, on a sunny day in the summer, man. We got water, mountains, tree, it's beautiful. The golf's fantastic. Um, but like right now, it's it's we got you know, we get windstorms, you get rain, you got gray, but that's why you work so hard.

SPEAKER_02 56:25

You can go take a vacation for the sun.

Lightning Round And Locker Room Laughs

SPEAKER_01 56:26

That's right. That's right. All right. It's now time to go into the lightning realm. And uh, my your job, as I mentioned, is to answer these questions as quickly as you can. My job is to try to get a giggle out of you. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_02 56:40

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 56:40

Okay, true or false, you were recruited to Pitt to be a punter.

SPEAKER_02 56:44

False.

SPEAKER_01 56:45

Okay. Uh, true or false, you are the only quarterback at Pitt to have made a 48-yard field goal soccer style.

SPEAKER_02 56:51

False.

SPEAKER_01 56:52

Okay. Um, jock strap or no jockstrap?

SPEAKER_02 56:56

Jock.

SPEAKER_01 56:56

Cup, no cup.

SPEAKER_02 56:58

No cup.

SPEAKER_01 56:59

Wow. Now we're talking old school jock with butt cheeks hang out.

SPEAKER_02 57:02

Oh yeah. Yeah. That's it. That no, no, no, no, I mean like Lamar Jackson type stuff. Like if they pull, if I got like it was they got a show.

SPEAKER_01 57:12

Yeah. Those are actually, believe it or not, everybody, if you're if you want to try on a nice, comfortable pair of underwear that you you you kind of expose the anus a little bit, a jock strap's comfortable.

SPEAKER_02 57:23

Hey, I that's why I wore it.

SPEAKER_01 57:25

You know, and I did not anticipate selling a jockstraps on this podcast, but I guess we just did. Um, if I came to your if I came to Pensacola and found your family on vacation, hey, what are we gonna have for dinner tonight?

SPEAKER_02 57:37

Oh, I I'm the I'm that that's a a secret hidden talent of me. I I love to cook. Okay. So whatever whatever you want to cook, I'll make it. Well, whatever you want to eat, I'll make it.

SPEAKER_01 57:48

Your choice. What are you gonna make me? Your favorite thing to cut?

SPEAKER_02 57:51

Uh probably steak and pasta. Okay. Homemade pasta, um steak, onions and mushrooms, nice salad, uh, probably some broccoli.

SPEAKER_01 58:02

I love broccoli. That sounds good. Um, what would be the one genre of music that uh your former athletes, former teammates would be surprised you listened to?

SPEAKER_02 58:12

I was a RB slow jam pre-game music. I didn't, I was not, I didn't need any more Metallica in my my head. I needed to calm it down. So I was I was like, you know, uh Marvin Gay and like, you know, uh I was uh slow jams before the game. I needed to calm my my brain.

SPEAKER_01 58:33

Like don't go chasing waterfalls, TLC?

SPEAKER_02 58:36

Nah, nah, nah, uh-uh, nah. Like like old school, like RB.

SPEAKER_01 58:42

Al Green?

SPEAKER_02 58:43

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:45

Yeah, yeah. My pops loved Al Green.

SPEAKER_02 58:48

Oh, yeah. I'm it was all my dad. I mean, it was like that that calm common stuff.

SPEAKER_01 58:52

So favorite comedy movie?

SPEAKER_02 58:56

Oh uh Caddyshack.

SPEAKER_01 59:00

Solid choice. If there was to be a book written about your life, tell me the title.

SPEAKER_02 59:04

Oh, uh, if there was a book written about my life, the title would be Are You Sure?

SPEAKER_01 59:10

Okay. Now, Tyler, are you sure? Believe it or not, is Pardon me French fucking killing it? Amazon can't print enough copies. Book Barnes and Noble is sold out. Uh, every airport I go to, it's just frickin' flying off the shelf. And so Netflix is gonna make a movie about this story about Tyler Pop. I need to know who you are now the casting director. Who's gonna star you in this critically acclaimed hit new movie? Uh Tom Hardy. Okay. I thought you might go Mark Wahlberg.

SPEAKER_02 59:36

Nah, he's a he's a he's a Jersey guy. Like when you it's too close to Philly to have a guy from Jersey for a Pittsburgh guy.

SPEAKER_01 59:43

Like, I there we go.

SPEAKER_02 59:45

Maybe I mean, maybe off the shelf, not an actor, like maybe Dan Marino.

SPEAKER_01 59:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 59:50

Because he he's kind of an actor, right? I mean, he was in like ace ventura and ace ventura, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:54

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 59:55

I'm sure we can get his uh IMDB uh you know credits up.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:00

Uh okay, and then last and most important question, tell me two words that would describe your wife.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:06

Oh um patient and um precise.

Final Thanks And Staying Connected

SPEAKER_01 1:00:15

Love it. Lightning rounds complete. We both giggled. We both talked about, I talked about jock straps and butt cheeks, which is why I'm not sure. Uh I somehow almost giggled myself, but uh hopefully we've shown you that most quarterbacks we have a screw loose, and uh but why make football fun, most locker rooms fun. Man, Todd, it's been awesome learning about you, your story, your your pops, your mom, the the um your coaches. Uh I was benched too in in college, so we have that in common. I wasn't able to tell share that story, but um I'm excited for people to learn more about you, to people to follow Solutions 21. Um and uh but I'm grateful for your time. I'm grateful that Matt Brownlee and introduced us, and uh I hope you and your family have a great rest of your time in Pentacle. But I hope our path crossed again the future and have a chance to meet you in person, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:00

We got to figure out a way to do some work together, man. Two quarterbacks, like two two two quarterbacks and and uh on the stage are are are dangerous, man. We gotta figure out a way to do some work together.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:09

Challenge accepted. Let's go.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:11

Uh I'll be your backup. I'll be your backup.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:14

All right, man. Take it easy.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:16

All right, thanks, bud.