Latest / Go Long Podcast / George Wilson, UDFA to Beloved Bill

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George Wilson, UDFA to Beloved Bill · Go Long Podcast

• 0:00
  [music]
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: That's right, George Wilson.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's great that we get to still see you, hear you.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent in-game studio host there at New Highmark Stadium.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: You're doing a hell of a job too, George.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: That can't be an easy job.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Live mic, you know, 60,000 plus all around you.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Something could malfunction.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: You don't know what's going on in the field here and there.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: You got to have a certain, you know, game day readiness in your job today, don't you?
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you got to be flexible and agile, definitely.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm having the time of my life, Tyler.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'm thrilled to be back in the fold and to just play a small role in
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: the game day experience and just be able to sit around and talk ball like I do
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: with my family and friends.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: And now I just get a chance to do it in front of the people in the stadium
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: and people online in the post-game show.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's great to see you, hear you, and for those who Maybe don't live in Buffalo.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure everybody here in Western New York remembers your playing days.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: 04 to 2012, you're with the Bills.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Originally came into the NFL, UDFA with the Detroit Lions out of Arkansas.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Is that right?
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, Arkansas.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then post-Bills, you had a couple seasons with the Titans.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's a long career, man.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to feel blessed, and we'll get into it all.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: But when you really reflect back on it, George,
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: how are you able to Break into the NFL against the odds, right,
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: just to make a damn team, but then to last as long as you did, like a decade plus.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was a blessing and,
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: you know, great timing and opportunities when they presented themselves.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know,
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: during my career,
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if it's changed much,
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: but average playing career was about three and a half seasons.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: So to be able to play,
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: have nine years of playing experience on the field plus two years on
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: the practice squad,
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: 11 years total of being able to say I was able to live out my dreams is such
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: a blessing and just a testament to,
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: the work ethic that you got to have,
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: but also the relationships in the locker room,
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: in the front office and in the community to really maximize the opportunity and
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: to create opportunities like what I'm able to have now and be able to be back with
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: the organization in a game day, you know, media slash media organization.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: But it all goes back to relationships.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: I got my opportunity initially, like you said, with the Detroit Lions.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: And in Detroit is where I actually learned the business of football before I actually got there.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: And that helped me to sustain my career because I understood the impact
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Of draft picks and free agent signings and salaries and how those things can,
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: are taken into consideration when the general manager and
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: the head coach are putting together their 53 man roster,
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: you know, and just understanding the business and the science behind it.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: That helped me to understand who I was competing against
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: for what role I was competing for and how I could stick.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Just by making plays, not repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: But just understanding the business of football first and foremost.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then just having opportunity extended to me to change positions
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: from wide receiver to safety.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: The guidance of Coach Dick Duran,
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think without that position change,
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sitting with you here today,
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: Tyler, let alone on the Bills game day broadcast team either.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: You never know what opportunity is gonna change your life.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: And fortunate for me, I seized on that moment and seized that opportunity.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: And as a result, I've been able to say that I was an NFL player, made some plays.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Saw a lot of different roles from practice squad to special teamer
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: to eventually becoming a starter and a team captain.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: I've seen it all from both sides of the ball as well as special teams.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I have a unique perspective on the game and the business on and off the field.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Man, take us into that first conversation then, George.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: When was the idea first broached to you to change position?
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: So
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: actually our very first conversation about
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: a position change didn't even take place in Buffalo.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: It actually took place on the practice field in Detroit.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I was a practice squad wide receiver.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: I gave I made great effort and Wednesday,
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Thursday, Fridays were my game days because I wasn't playing on Sunday.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: And so they loved my physicality.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: They loved my aggressiveness that I played the wide receiver position.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so one day during practice,
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Coach Duran,
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: who was the defensive coordinator in Detroit at that time,
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: him and Sherman Lewis,
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: who was the offensive coordinator, they pulled me to the side.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: It was like, hey, George, have you ever given any thought to moving positions to safety?
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know,
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: at that time,
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a bubble guy,
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: not really, you know, well experienced or well versed in the business or the game.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know,
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: I told them, I say, hey, coach,
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: like I appreciate the opportunity, but, you know, I'm trying to find a way to stick.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: And if it doesn't work out,
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: I would feel better knowing that I came in doing what got me here,
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: playing wide receiver.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: And if it doesn't work out, I can look myself in the mirror and live with the results.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so they...
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, honored that.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, the conversation didn't really go past there.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: But Tyler, like maybe like two weeks later, we had some injuries on the defensive line.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I was the casualty of having to bring in another defensive lineman to the practice squad.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I was cut a couple of weeks after that conversation.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so I ended up coming to Buffalo.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Ended up coming to Buffalo.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: And within two years, Dick Jerron would be the head coach in Buffalo.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And after his first season, which was 2006, I come back for off-season program in spring of 07.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: And Coach Jerron comes into the locker room.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, George, I'd like to speak with you in my office.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: Can you come upstairs before you go work out?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so I go up there.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: I speak with him,
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: he's like, hey,
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: I know we've talked about this before,
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: but I wanna revisit it with you about the position change.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: I know in Detroit, it was still young and fresh, but we love you here.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: We love your attitude,
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: we love your leadership,
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: we love your work ethic,
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: and we just wanna try to find a way to help you stick around.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: And right now, we have a lot of money invested in the wide receiver room.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: You know, at best, you'd be trying to make the team as the sixth wide receiver.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of teams don't carry six.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes they only carry five into the season.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so he was like,
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: we just want to try to give you the best chance to stick,
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: you know, stick around and hang around a bit longer.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I asked him straight up.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: I was like,
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: Coach Jerron,
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Is this a real opportunity to make the team or is this a numbers thing?
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: You're just trying to move me out the way to eventually cut me.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: Because it happens sometimes in the NFL just based on how the numbers go and the ball bounces.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: And he assured me immediately, was like, George, I came into the NFL as a running back.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: I ended up moving to play corner,
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: and I played 10 years,
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: and I see the same potential in you,
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: which is why I'm revisiting this conversation with you.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: So go home, think about it, and let me know something when you come to a decision.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: We'd like to try to do this sooner than later since it's the offseason.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: And that was kind of the conversation.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: After I spoke with him,
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: I went next door or around the corner and spoke with John Guy,
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: who at that time was our director of pro personnel.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: So John, in his office, he used to have the dry erase board all around his office.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: He'd have everything categorized from rookies to first year,
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: second year, third year, and beyond.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so you see all these names, it's a bunch of names in rookie, in that rookie category.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then a bunch of names in year one,
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: in year two, in year three, it starts to get a little smaller.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: And then there's a noticeable difference between the number of names on the board
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: at year three and at year four.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Because remember, I told you the average playing career was like three and a half seasons.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so John is like, how'd the conversation go?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Because obviously they had the conversation before Coach Jerron spoke to me.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: And he's like, how'd the conversation go?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: I shared with them some of my initial thoughts and reservations.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: And John just pointed up to the board.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: He said, George,
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: do you want to be in this year three category or you want to be
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: in this year four category?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: And it was pretty clear to me what they were saying that the best chance
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: to extend my playing career was to make this change.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: And lo and behold, I come back the next day.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: After giving it some thought, because I'm like, hey, I'm three years in.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't caught a pass,
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: haven't scored a touchdown,
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: hadn't seen any meaningful reps on the offensive side of the ball.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe this is the opportunity that I've been waiting for.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I make the position change.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I had some great guys to really help me out.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: George Kataboulos was my position coach.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: Who did a great job of spending extra time with me after meetings to make sure I had
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: a good grasp of things.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: But I had two teammates that really stepped up for me.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I know I'm getting a little long-winded Tyler, but I need to give these guys their flowers.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: But one guy named was Kawaki Thomas.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: He was our nickelback.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: He came in from Jacksonville the year before.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: And Kawaki and I were good friends because we knew some people in common.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: But Kawaki started staying with me after workouts.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: After we get done lifting weights,
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: he'd go out on the practice field with me and help me to work on my back pedal
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: and my DB technique just to make sure that I had some comfort level
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: with what they were going to be asking me to do.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then as far as the X's and O's,
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: Jim Leonard,
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: who's now the Bills defensive coordinator,
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: was already a safety making plays for the team,
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: and Jim was a – He was a coach on the field.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: That was kind of his reputation.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: He understood the defensive scheme intimately, and Jim helped me.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: Refine it and simplify it to where I could go out there and play without having to overthink.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so once Jim really helped me to condense it down into digestible information
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: that I can recall and understand where I need to line up and what my job is
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: on every given plate,
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: then I was able To leverage my background in wide receiver and playing on offense
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: because I understood splits.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: I understood the weaknesses of the coverage.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: I understood the correlation between the drop of the quarterback and the depth of the route.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: The body language of a wide receiver when they're looking to block
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: or they're scanning the field for coverage when it's passed.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was able to leverage that offensive background and coupling that with
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: the new scheme that I was learning.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that helped me to shorten my learning curve.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I ended up going on to start nine games that 2008.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Seven season,
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: and I think I had,
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: I can't remember if I had two interceptions or four interceptions,
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: but I got my hands on some footballs,
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: got some meaningful playing experience,
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: and I just would not have been able to do that without Coach Jerron, one,
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: extending that opportunity to me,
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: and two,
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: having teammates like Jim Leonard and Kawaki Thomas to take that extra time to work
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: with me,
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: especially,
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: A guy like Jim who I'm competing with to make the team,
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: to be able to get on the field,
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: that just shows his respect for the game, his respect for the fraternity.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: That being an NFL player entails and him helping me to achieve my dreams and feed my family.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm just so grateful for guys like that who dirtied their shoulders for me.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I in turn did that for other younger guys who came in after me.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: I was in the same position that Jim was one year when we drafted Dinor Searcy as a safety.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: I had to train Dinor and teach him just like Jim did for me.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: It made it easy for me to be able to do that when it was my turn
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: because Jim dirtied his shoulders to help me.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just such a blessing to have guys like that in the locker room.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: How rare is that, George?
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're right, it's a cutthroat world, pro football.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: They're always looking to replace you,
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: always drafting somebody at your position, signing somebody.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, the average career length is three years.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Boy, for Jim Leonard to take you in, somebody that is going to take his job, compete for reps.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: I got to think that is rare in an NFL locker room.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you saw it so many years.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: How competitive is that world?
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: And what does that say about the Bills' current defensive coordinator?
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: I imagine you probably saw those early signs.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this guy's going to be a coach one day.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: I always thought that Jim had coaching in his background,
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: but I think it happens more than guys, more than the public knows.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it's not always at the same exact position,
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: but when you have young guys coming in,
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: You see a guy working hard, he has great natural ability, has a great attitude.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: As a young guy, you just want to earn the respect of your teammates.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: When you're a veteran and you see a young guy that's doing it the right way,
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: that's putting in the time and the work.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you pull them aside and say, hey, man, let me help you out.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: Let me do this.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: Let me show you this.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: Let me teach you this.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know,
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: just out of respect for their effort,
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: but also just trying to preserve the game and ensure that guys get a fair shake
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: and make the most of their opportunities to be able to live out their dreams on
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: the NFL field.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Boy, you had some moments too, man.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: I know we can look at the records of those Bills teams.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you're in the throes of the drought, and it could be this miserable time.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: But, I mean,
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think now a lot of Bills fans,
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: a lot of locals look back to those teams with nostalgia.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you gained a cult following of your own and kind of look back at a pick six
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: against Dallas on Monday Night Football.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: What moments do you really cherish to this day?
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: What moments do fans bring up to you?
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: When they kind of look back to your several years with the Buffalo Bills.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely the Dallas Cowboy,
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: the Monday night game against Dallas, the pick six, the kickoff the game.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: It was the third game of the season.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: I think, excuse me, third play of the game.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it was the first time Monday night football had been in Buffalo for like several years.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: Forever.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: Over a decade.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so I just remember arriving to the stadium.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: It was electrifying.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: You could feel the energy in the air.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: And the fans got the tailgate all day.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: And it was just, I mean, it was loud.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: It was electric.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: And to kick off the,
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: set the tone for the game with that pitch,
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Kick six is something that a lot of people remember,
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: you know, being there in the stadium and just experiencing that.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: We didn't end so well with the last second kick to rip victory from our grasp.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: But another one would be 2011 when we finally beat the end of the streak against the Patriots.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: We got about four interceptions off of Tom that day.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: I got one of them.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: But I remember at the end of the game, the fans didn't go home.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know,
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: people were just hanging out,
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: just taking in the moment and just appreciating the work that that team put forth
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: to get to that point.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think we started off that season like 4-1 or something like that.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Came out the gates really fast.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: We were able to, you know, got hit with some injuries, so we weren't able to sustain.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: That momentum,
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: but just those moments,
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: and it just kind of just showed and revealed the connection between
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: the Bills organization and the community.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: And that connection still is live and well and thriving now.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Even if my memory serves me correctly,
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was around that 2011 season that The fan base came up with
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: the original name, Bill's Mafia, around that time, too.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I know during the drought years,
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: we didn't have much to show for it as far as wins and playoff appearances.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: But hey,
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: the name Bill's Mafia came up during that time,
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: and it was just a great time to be a part of the community,
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: and feel that energy and that connection.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's one thing that I always valued and cherished.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: About being a Buffalo Bill is the passion that the fan base brought.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: We weren't winning.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: We weren't winning consistently and playing for playoff contention most seasons.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: But you couldn't tell based on the passion and the energy
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: that those fans brought week in and week out.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: This organization and this community deserves a winner and it's just so great.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: To see the players now and the team's success and how it's truly raised the morale
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: and the quality of life experience for Bills fans and all of Western New York.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've talked to Stevie Johnson about that group that you had there too.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: And like the way he put it is you guys like lit a flame to the energy
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: that You see today and today's bills and Dell and Breon and Bill's mafia
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: and everything that was created.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think to be, there's an excellent docu-series on there kind of tapping into that fandom.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: It did take on a life of its own,
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: but there was something about that,
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: that crew that you had, you went six and 10, right?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: You did start four and one and five and two and Fitz gets the big contract
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: and everybody's excited about the present and the future, then injuries.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely hit,
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: but I can't think of another six and 10 football team that had such
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: an indelible mark on a community.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like what about you, George allowed you to connect with locals in a special way.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: And, and really that, that group, uh, that, that entire group was able to do the same thing.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: Right, yeah, we were active in the community.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: On our days off,
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: we'd go to the children's hospital or go visit schools or do blood drives,
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: do events with the veterans.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: And we were just a team that was connected to the community.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: We were active in the community or even after games,
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: going and hanging out at the Big Tree Inn and having some wings and just interacting
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: and engaging with fans on a personal level.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: And you're able to do that because of that passion and because of that connection.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: In most cities, most guys would probably go home.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: But I would tell my family and friends that are in town,
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: hey, just after the game, I'll be a little while.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: Go to Big Tree Inn, I'll walk over, ride over, we'll eat and hang out for a little bit.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean,
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: you go in there,
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: win or lose,
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: you go into a place like that or an environment,
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Fans are high-fiving you,
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: hugging you, just saying, hey, hang in there, or great win.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: It was always uplifting,
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: and that's what makes the game so special are the relationships that you build,
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: not just in the locker room,
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: but in the community because of your proximity to people
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: that you otherwise would probably never cross paths with.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you were known as the senator, is that right?
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, John Murphy gave me that nickname.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Murph gave me that because I was a good interviewer.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: I helped write their stories for them.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: I never shied away from the difficult conversations,
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: but unlike most politicians,
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: If I fell short or the team fell short, I took responsibility.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't try to talk around it or deflect from the question.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's kind of why the media always gravitated to me because I was
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: a good interview and I didn't shy away from the difficult questions.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: And those could be some bleak times in a locker room.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: I've covered the Bills beat.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: That would have been...
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: 2015, Rex's first year, but I was on the Packers.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: Granted, they were winning a lot of games.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're covering a team like that,
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Bill's team in 15, I think they were 8-8, but there was just craziness.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: You didn't know what the hell was going to happen for the Rex Ryan football team.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: Is LeSean McCoy going to talk about the no weird orgy thing party?
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Richie Incognito was like the 178th craziest thing on that team.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: There was a lot of other stuff going on.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: But as it kind of would drag on,
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: oh my God,
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I remember doing a story like talking to guys who said Mario Williams cared more
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: about his remote-controlled cars than playing for the Buffalo Bills.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like as a season's kind of doing this...
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: It can get pretty dark in there and it's hard to find players who just want to like,
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: yeah, talk after a loss.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember coming, I was at the Buffalo News.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: I remember,
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: Solly and Bucky and everybody who had been there for years talking
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: about George Wilson.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's all man, George, he'd always shoot it to you straight.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: Win or lose, and there were more losses than wins.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that is so appreciated,
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: not just in the media, but like conduits for the fans, for the public.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it seems like you kind of understood that.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like your fans, they want answers, and you were willing to give them those answers.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: And we had a great PR team to be able to help us navigate those type of situations.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: And they gave us a piece of advice.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: That I always, you know, led with when I was responding to questions.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: And that was,
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: if you get asked about a teammate or you're asked about the team in general,
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: respond to the question as if your teammate is It's standing right beside you or
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: the team is right in front of you listening to your responses.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: And that way you won't come across as you pointing the finger or throwing anybody under the bus.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: I always try to speak in context of we and us and not him or them because it is a team.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: You win together, you lose together.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: And even when a teammate makes a mistake,
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: You don't lose a game because of one play and you don't want that narrative
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: to be out there that it's one guy's fault or one play determined the outcome of
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: the game when there's 60 or 70 other plays that took place that could have impacted
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: the outcome.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: And so I enjoy my teammates,
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: I enjoy interacting and engaging with the media as well as the fans
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: and conducting media interviews is a part of nurturing those relationships.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: Were there,
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean maybe it is 2011 when you're four and one and five and two,
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: but what were those moments you kind of thought that things might be turning
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: the corner?
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Through this 17-year playoff trip.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: That had to have been the moment.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: It was that year.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because I want to say we went on the road to Kansas City.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: I believe maybe Kansas City.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: We went on the road and we were just talking about being 1-0.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then we won another game and another game.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: And we were starting to build some confidence to say, hey, maybe this is the year.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: That we could end the drought.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: That we can change the narrative.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I think we even went into the bye week.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: I want to say we went into the bye week maybe like 6-3.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe coming off of the Toronto game where we played Washington, I believe.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: 5-2 after the Toronto game.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then, yeah, I think we won one other game the rest of the season.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: You know,
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: we got hit with a bunch of injuries and we just never were able to fully regain
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: the momentum that we started the season with.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I remember,
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: you know, back,
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: I think that was the year that the Eagles had loaded up with,
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: you know, Michael Vick and all those guys over there.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: They came into Buffalo, I think like week two.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think we went Chiefs, Raiders, and I think the Eagles may have came in.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: And we handled the Eagles pretty well.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: And then I think we may have played.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: The Patriots not too far, not too long after that.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was Chiefs 41-7,
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: Raiders 38-35, Patriots was actually week three, 34-31, that comeback.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: Then you lost at Cincinnati.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then, yeah, you took care of those Dream Team Eagles 31-24.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: So it was like really after those first four or five weeks,
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: we were like, hey, we have something here.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: We had a good mixture of some young guys that came in and some veteran experience.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: We had good special teamers.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: We just had a good culture and we enjoyed being around each other.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: It was definitely the highest of highs because that was some of the most success
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: that we had had early on in the season.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of seasons we'd dig ourselves in a hole and then have to dig ourselves out.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: But that was a season that we started fast.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: We started on fire and we were just unable to stay healthy enough to maintain
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: that throughout the entirety of the season.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: But man,
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: it was just some great times and I just remember Realizing during that season
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: the real connection between the team and the community.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because when we won, it was a great work week.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that was just a vibrant energy around the city, and it was noticeable.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said,
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_01: I just wish we could have done that more or was able to sustain that because,
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: man, when that time does come, It's gonna be madness in the streets.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: I can only imagine what that's gonna be like,
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: but I'm hopeful that it can be this season that we can finally get over the hump
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: and be able to have that celebration as a community, as an entire region actually.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: So do you live in Western New York or do you travel for the games?
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: I just travel up for the games.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I travel up for the games.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_01: Usually come up a day or two before the game and maybe leave the day after unless
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: the Beals have something for me to do in the community.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm just having the time of my life coming back.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm able to reconnect with friends that I have in the community still.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_01: Go to some of the restaurants I used to go to as a player.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: I ride by my old neighborhood where I lived at and just reminisce every now and again.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: It just helps to just reconnect to The young adult years of my life where I was able
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: to realize my NFL dreams and be able to build a life that I'm still able to enjoy
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: to this day.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because, I mean, you can relate to this.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the Bills are at a bye week right now as we're recording this.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: They're five and one.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: Josh Allen may be the best player in the sport.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it doesn't feel like they're 5-1.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like the fan base, there's a large chunk of it.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of changed.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: I can remember in your day, gosh,
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: wasn't there a Trent Edwards team that one year started 4-0 and then
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: that 2011 team 5-2 and it's...
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: I feel it's Super Bowl.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: We're clearing out Delaware.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: Get it ready.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: Get the parade revved up.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: In a weird way, I do respect it.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: The fans have kind of learned to demand more.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: It is Super Bowler bust for a majority of people here because it's been since 2020.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Banging at that door, trying to bust it down.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have any sense of like your finger on the pulse of just how that's changed?
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: Where through your years, it's like looking for any surge of hope.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like that Patriots game felt like a holiday for so many locals.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's kind of like, okay, defense, got to pick it up.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: Got to find the next George Wilson.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: Got to find a safety.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: Got to find this, that.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's a little more demanding, which I don't know, kind of a double-edged sword.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: Part of me does respect it.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: You should want more.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Part of me is like, well, The Bills are in pretty damn good shape right now at five and one.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean,
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: when you raise the level of play,
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: when you set a new standard, the expectations are more.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: They are higher.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: And when you made it to the divisional round or made it to
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: the AFC championship game,
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: you're one or two games away from the big dance, you expect to be back there.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know,
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: continue to make moves season in and season out to build a roster,
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: a Super Bowl or championship caliber roster.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: And when you have Josh,
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: at the height of his career and his prime of his career,
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: you want to see the fruits of the labor.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know, he's not going to be able to play forever.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: He's not going to be able to play this style forever.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: So you got to take advantage of this window of opportunity that you have now.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, It's going to come.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: I firmly believe that.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: We've just been a few plays here, a few plays away there from getting over that hump.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_01: I look at this team this year.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: You can see there's been some intentional moves to create some changes,
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_01: set a new culture, set a new path forward to hopefully get over the hump.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, everything is not going perfect.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_01: Everything is not going according to plan,
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: but It shows the character and the resolve and the resiliency of the men in
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: the locker room and on the coaching staff that through it all,
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: they've still been able to make it out five and one.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_01: And with all the goals that they've set before themselves in
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: the offseason are still right there in an attainable way.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_01: So they just have to, again,
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: stay healthy,
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: continue to believe in each other, continue to put that work in day in and day out.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: I firmly believe and expect for the defense to get better.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: Now, will it end up being in the top 10?
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe that's not in our cards.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: But if we can get a few more series of complimentary football where
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_01: the defense goes out,
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: get a three and out,
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: or gets a Get the ball back to the offense where they can go and convert it
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: into points, field goal or touchdowns.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: But if we can get two or three more of those complimentary series,
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's going to give us 10 more points.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_01: On offense and fewer points on the scoreboard on defense.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe it's not that we're going to be a dominant,
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: you know, only giving up 200 yards of total offense defense.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: But if we can reduce those opponent opportunities.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's going to create more quality field position for Josh and the offense
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: to be able to go down and convert those drives into points.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's that happiness.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: If we can get our overall defense in that 15 to 20 range and be able to get the ball
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_01: in more favorable field position for our offense,
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: then Josh and Joe Brady and the offensive players have shown the capacity to be able
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: to score points in those situations.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: So if we can, like I said, the main thing is to stay healthy.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: If we are able to do that, we'll certainly be there and have a chance.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think that counterpunch is for Jim Leonard?
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: He played with him.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know him as a player.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now you know him as a coach.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think the shift to his style of defense made all the sense in the world,
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: and I talked to Greg Rousseau,
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: some other players about this recently, wanting to attack, right?
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: Send more pressure.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: Look, if we give up a big play,
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: the ball's going to be put right back into Josh Allen's hands,
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: and you hope to have more sacks, more forced fumbles, more interceptions.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day,
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: get stops that way as opposed to kind of keeping it in front of you,
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: making teams go the length of the field.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: But it does seem like Jim,
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: Leonard,
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: and the staff,
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: they're still kind of working through what they want to be schematically,
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: how much you can really put on players' plates
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: because his playbook is probably really thick with the pressure package that he has.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_00: Out of a bye,
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: what do you think his next move really is then with the scheme
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: and maybe even how he uses some of these players on the roster?
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's definitely some adjustments that you can make during the bye week.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: You do a lot of self-scouting to figure out what are we doing really well?
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: What are we doing poorly that we need to improve upon?
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: And those changes, is that changing in personnel?
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: Is that changing in play calling?
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_01: Is that changing how we're practicing?
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: It can come in a variety of ways,
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: but I think the main thing is having guys to understand, yes,
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: not just what your job is or your role is,
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: play in and play out,
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: but also how is the offense trying to manipulate you or dictate you
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_01: to do certain things on those given plays.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_01: And you can't really do that a whole lot without really time
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: and experience You know, on that field together.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: You don't really get that much with the offseason structure the way that it is,
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_01: and then with the injuries that we were dealing with during training camp and
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: the preseason.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_01: So these guys are having to work on the,
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_01: work to build that cohesion and that connectivity on the job,
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: and that hasn't always been pretty.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_01: But the young guys like IGB with Igman Olsen,
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_01: you can't throw it all at them early in the season.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: There's so much to consume that you want to just try to put them in a position
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: to be able to play fast,
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: play physical, and play the way that That got him to this moment.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_01: But as he gets these games under his belt,
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_01: and I think you kind of saw that a little bit last week against the Raiders,
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: where primarily up to this point, we've been a zone-dominant team.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_01: But last week against the Raiders,
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: The Raiders, yeah,
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_01: we were zoning early downs,
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_01: but in those gotta have it downs,
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_01: those third downs, those red zones, we went man coverage.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, we gave up some plays, had some penalties, but we also made some plays.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: What you wanna see is guys going out there competing.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I kinda said this in the post game show after the Raiders game,
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: the corner or the football player that Igbenosin is gonna be in December
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_01: and January, it's gonna be night and day difference from what you saw in September.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_01: And that goes also for the rest of the guys.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: The more comfortable they get in the scheme,
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_01: The more connected that they feel to their teammates in
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: that zone coverage versus man coverage and knowing when you have to carry
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_01: a guy versus when you passing them off.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: You have that and you turn on the film, you see that.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's one player here and one player there.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: The more we can have all 11 guys on the same page,
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_01: doing the same thing,
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: executing their jobs to the highest of their ability,
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: we'll win more of those reps and we'll win more of those series and get off
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_01: the field.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said,
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: I understand the process of it,
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_01: and I know fans want to see drastic changes,
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: drastic differences week in and week out.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_01: But as a player, that's not always reasonable or feasible to do.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_01: With a bye week where it is right now,
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: that gives the players and the coaches time to be able to do a self-assessment,
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: self-scouting,
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_01: and be able to re-energize themselves for this last push to finish out
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_01: the regular season.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said,
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: I have the utmost confidence in Coach Brady,
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_01: in Jim, and the guys in the locker room.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: That they understand the opportunity that's before them.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: And they're going to do everything they can to ensure that they're ready week in and week out.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: You mentioned him, George.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: Davis in the Ibn Osun corner, Ohio State.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think you kind of knew he was a fighter.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know,
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: the second to last year with the Buckeyes had a ton of penalties,
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: improved it in his last year.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_00: And you can see him on the boundary.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_00: He's not afraid to get combative out there.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: May give up the play, but he's going to make some plays.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: What do you like about him?
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he seemed to be a player that could factor into a turnaround
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: if this defense is going to turn things around.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: He has great size.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, good length, tall guy, long arms, competitive spirit.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: He gets up there.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: He can get up there in the face of the receivers and challenge them.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: Having that length and that size forces those guys to go wider on their releases.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: So that helps him if they do an outside release.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: He needs to use his size and strength to push them into the boundary and use
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_01: the sideline to his advantage.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: But then also,
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_01: he's played football at a high level at Ohio State,
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_01: and he understands what it means to compete at the highest level.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so he has that fiery spirit that you need to have as a quarterback in the NFL.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think outside of quarterback,
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_01: it's the hardest position to play in football because
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: of how much you are challenged.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: And the thing about it is, You can't just show it one time and think that you've done anything.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: In the NFL, they're going to test you again.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_01: Just because you got it right one time, they're like, hey, I'm coming right back to you.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: Next play, next series, or next game.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's a prove it business.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's a production based business and they're gonna make sure that you're on top
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_01: of your game at all times as a young guy.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: They're not gonna let you relax.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_01: But I love the competitiveness that he brings and you can't tell on
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: the next play what the outcome of the previous play was.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: He's not a moper.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: He's not a guy that has bad body language.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_01: I really love the intangibles that he's shown so far and I know the sky's the limit
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: for a guy That has the right attitude,
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_01: who's willing to put in the work to be able to understand and perfect his craft.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: Does he remind you of anybody from your playing days,
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_00: whether they were in Buffalo or on another team?
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_01: I won't say that he necessarily reminds me of anybody in particular,
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_01: because I don't really like to compare.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_01: But again,
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_01: when I was in the league,
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: it was the emergence of the tall,
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_01: long, wide receivers, you know, the Yeah, that's right, yeah.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_01: They're able to do so much because with their wingspan,
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_01: they can get their hands on you so good to help disrupt your release.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_01: And then also their window to be able to get past breakups and be able to get interceptors.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_01: He has
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_01: some of the physical makeup and now it's about trying
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: to grow your football intelligence and understand what the offense is trying to do
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_01: to you when they do a reduced split or when they motion a guy down.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_01: They're trying to get you to soften up for a reason,
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_01: so just understanding When they do something to you, what is your counter?
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: What is your plan pre-snap?
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_01: And how do you adjust that plan during the play to be in the best possible position
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: to win the rep and to make a play on the football when it comes your way?
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, and you know what?
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_00: You were with the Titans there those last two seasons, George.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, first of all, how's your health?
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: How are you feeling after all your years playing football?
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: I almost forgot you played with Chris Johnson.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: I can't imagine what goes through your mind.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_00: Seeing Chris' battle with ALS,
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think it all kind of gobsmacked everybody who has watched football to see
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_00: The fastest player maybe in the history of the sport in the battle for his life.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's just a brutal disease.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: You don't wish upon anyone.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: But how are you feeling?
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: And did you have a relationship with Chris when you were teammates with the Titans?
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: Did you keep in touch with him at all?
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, well, first off, I'm feeling good.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_01: I try to stay busy and keep my mind occupied just
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: to fend off any potential issues down the road.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_01: I just believe in living an active lifestyle, trying to Keep everything fluid and useful.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm blessed to be able to still have a quality of life,
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_01: you know, that's favorable for what I need to do in my daily life.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_01: But, you know,
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_01: I also played while I was in Tennessee,
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_01: I played with another guy,
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_01: special team or linebacker named Tim Shaw,
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_01: who, you know, Also was diagnosed with ALS.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so while I was there,
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_01: he came back and
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_01: I've kept in touch with him online and I've seen him a couple
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: of times since.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_01: But when the news came out about Chris, it was shocking.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_01: I was shocked just like most NFL fans and just Like you said,
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_01: your picture that you have of him is outrunning everybody on the football field
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: and rushing for 2,000 yards in a season and just being an elite playmaker for
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_01: the Titans.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_01: I was able to play with them for one season.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_01: Chris was a great teammate,
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_01: just a great guy,
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_01: a guy that loved to laugh,
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_01: loved to work, and he showed that world-class speed every day in practice.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know,
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_01: I just, you know, put my, you know, my thoughts and prayers are with this family.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_01: I know, you know, it's challenging for his wife and kids to see him that way.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a guy who was, you know, their hero and their Mr. Do Everything.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_01: Now being in a state where he's completely dependent on them to care for him,
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: I know that's challenging mentally and emotionally to have to experience that.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: But at the end of the day,
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was not something that he wanted to keep to himself just
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_01: to help bring awareness to The post playing career of a lot of NFL players,
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_01: but also to just people around the world that are dealing with ALS and its impact on
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_01: the entire family.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think him being selfish.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_01: He's helpless enough to be able to step out and put himself and his family out there
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_01: to try to raise awareness,
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_01: to raise resources to help find a cure,
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_01: try to help families who don't have the support system that Chris and Tom have,
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_01: and Tim,
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: excuse me,
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: Tim has,
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_01: just to be able to help those families that are in a similar position as they are.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: You're right.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_00: They're going to help lives, hopefully save lives.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's the bravest thing.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_00: You can do him and his wife both.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: Can't imagine the fight that they have inside of them.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: So beautifully said, George.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_00: Man, thank you so much for hanging out like this.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_00: Let's end on this note, though.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_00: You said when you come back, you got your go-to spots to eat.
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_00: Where are those spots?
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: Give them some love on here.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: Buffalo is so underrated.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_00: The entire Western New York.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: Region is underrated when it comes to food.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_00: And these listeners have heard me talk about 9-11 Tavern enough.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: They know that's where I send people for wings.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm sure you've got your own spots.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I go to Buffalo Chophouse was my place when I was playing.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_01: I usually was there a couple of times a month, if not more.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_01: But I used to go to Duff's.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_01: Anchor bar and big tree for the wings.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like with my family, my friends and my cousins always came up.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_01: They always were trying to find the best wings or some place to go eat wings.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, hey, you're never going to run out of places to do that.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: But man, the food culture there in Buffalo and Western New York is so extensive.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's probably overlooked by many people.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_01: But I had just a great time going out to dinner with my teammates,
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_01: going to rookie dinners or DB night out.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_01: Really just, you know, being in the city because most of us lived out in the Orchard Park area.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_01: So to go in,
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_01: off of Elmwood,
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_01: off of Hurdle and,
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_01: you know,
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_01: really experience the culture of Buffalo and the cuisine
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_01: of Buffalo is something I always enjoyed and I still look forward to.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you were kind of pre-social media too.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: You could do that without fear of,
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_00: yikes, I can't do it because my picture will be on Twitter in four seconds.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: I know Twitter, it was 09.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I remember we was on the frontier of social media.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_01: I remember one night I was at the Buffalo Chop House and Twitter had just came out
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_01: and I put out a tweet.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_01: I said, hey,
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_01: the first 10 Beals fans that meet me at the Chop House,
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'll cover dinner for tonight.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_01: And...
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_01: Man, they came rolling in.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_01: It didn't take me long to get 10 Bills fans to meet me for dinner.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember we sat down.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_01: I told them, hey, order whatever you want.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: We had steaks.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_01: We had lobster.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_01: We had some drinks.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_01: And really just connected in a way that it's really hard to now that social media is
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_01: so widespread and prevalent.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know,
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_01: to be able to connect on an intimate level in
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_01: an impromptu setting was something I enjoyed and I was able to do that.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a very fond memory of my time in Buffalo and specifically at the Chop House.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: What was the final bill?
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_00: Do you remember?
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_01: I don't remember the final bill.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_01: It was a couple of thousand, I believe.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't remember the exact number,
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_01: but I think we were probably in the $2,500, $3,000 range, maybe.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_00: No shock that George Wilson ingratiated himself to all of Buffalo
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_00: and Western New York and Bill's fans.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's phenomenal, man.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much for carving out all this time to hang out with Golong.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_00: And best of luck the rest of the season.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: Keep doing your thing.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said,
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_00: that's not an easy job, and you're so smooth on the mic in front of all these fans.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_00: So congrats on the gig, and best of luck the rest of the way, George.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thank you, Tyler.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_01: Keep up the great work with your Go Long podcast, and Go Bills!
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate it.
• 48:42
  [music]