Latest / Inside the Charge / Inside the Charge - EP 3: Buffalo Bills Legends Ryan Fitzpatrick & Stevie Johnson Reunite After 11 Years

Transcript

Inside the Charge - EP 3: Buffalo Bills Legends Ryan Fitzpatrick & Stevie Johnson Reunite After 11 Years · Inside the Charge

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: All right, we've got Stevie Johnson and Ryan Fitzpatrick sitting
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: down with us for today's episode. Two former Bills players
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: from the early two thousands. Guys, thanks for being with us.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: I appreciate you coming all the way out here to
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: this elementary school that we're into tape of podcast.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: So we're gonna start there. Why are we here today?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Do you want to fill us in?
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, well let me start by saying we heard
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: about the podcast.
• 0:33
  Speaker 4: We heard this was episode.
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: Three, and we had the opportunity to beyond, so we
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: both flew in to be here with you.
• 0:38
  Speaker 5: But Stevie, amazing, and then we wanted to introduce our
• 0:42
  Speaker 5: new book, The Legend of Face Magic, Mister Nomadic to
• 0:45
  Speaker 5: the school and to the world, you know. So that's
• 0:47
  Speaker 5: what we wanted to do, teach and provide us sparks
• 0:50
  Speaker 5: for these kids.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: That's amazing.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Yes, we had a school assembly here today, so these
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: guys were reading to a couple of preschool classes, some
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: three year olds, four year olds, and then we finish
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: it off with a big school assembly of about three
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: hundred kids screaming their faces off, and Ryan was able
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: to tame them all because you have seven kids.
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I had some techniques to get them to quiet
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: down a little bit because they were routed so hard. Well,
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: they were so excited about Stevie being here.
• 1:21
  Speaker 4: They're so excited about the Bills game coming up.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: The book, So we just we had to try some
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: techniques and luckily, I'm well versed of mine work.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you rallied them up and then you brought them
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: down and got them up, and it worked.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: It was amazing.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: It was a really, really fun afternoon here. So this
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: is why we are taping this in a schoolroom. Pretty
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: interesting background for this, but you know, we love it.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: We go where the people are, and you guys are
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: here today, so that's why we're here. When was the
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: last time you two were together, aside from this meeting,
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: I want to know about that.
• 1:54
  Speaker 6: Maybe two thousand and twelve, I was singing.
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: We probably we probably played against each other when you
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: were in San fran Or we never did know, so.
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: Like probably twenty twelve. It's been so the.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Last year you guys played together in Buffalo.
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: It's been a really long time.
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: It's been a long time.
• 2:13
  Speaker 6: He's been he's I mean, he just retired, so he's
• 2:15
  Speaker 6: been accurate. I've been doing whatever I've been.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: Doing seventeen years.
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: I will say, though, this is like legit, like a
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: wave of emotion came over me when I saw Stevie
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: today because it has been that long, but so this
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: he contacted me and said, hey, we're thinking about writing
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: this children's book.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: I said that that's awesome, do whatever you need to do.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: And it just so happened that we're here for Thursday
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: night football. The book finished up, we got to read
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: it some of these kids. So there were a lot
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: of stars that aligned to like bring us back together and.
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: Like he's my dude.
• 2:49
  Speaker 5: Man never just like we never missed time anyway, you know,
• 2:52
  Speaker 5: so since it's been.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Like more than ten years, you said, it feels like
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: you never missed time. Is this like a connection that
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: you guys have with each other?
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: And I'm I'm sure.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: It's not with every single person that you played with,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: but there are certain people that whenever.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: You see them, it's like, oh, I feel like I
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: could pick up where we left off.
• 3:07
  Speaker 5: Indeed, definitely definitely. And it started like in the book,
• 3:10
  Speaker 5: you know, at the airport. You know, we met at
• 3:12
  Speaker 5: the airport randomly and we just happened to be this
• 3:15
  Speaker 5: this this dynamic duel that we end up creating here
• 3:18
  Speaker 5: in Buffalo. It was special, you know, that was a
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: special time.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: So the book that you're talking about you read to
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: the preschoolers today, and it's a book about Ryan coming
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: to Buffalo playing for the Bills, what he did, hear,
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: what you guys did together, and then what he did
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: in his NFL career. Was that your first time hearing
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: the book today when Stevie was reading it, it.
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: Was my first time hearing the book, and again like
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: a little bit emotional because like it was it was
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: his version of like my story and how he saw
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: it and us as teammates and like the things that
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: he thinks.
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: And feels about me. So I can't even look at
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: him right now, Like it was just like special, man.
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: That was like it was just special moment a for
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: us to see each other, but then to get together
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: and to hear you read the book to the kids
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: like it's one of those things. I can't wait to
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: share it with my wife and kids because it's going
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: to mean a lot to them too.
• 4:10
  Speaker 6: Thank you.
• 4:11
  Speaker 5: That's what's up, man, And it was just that was
• 4:13
  Speaker 5: the spark that we wanted to do for you, for
• 4:15
  Speaker 5: your family and you know, coming from the creators Charlie
• 4:19
  Speaker 5: Robers Shout out to Charlie Roberts and Zach McKay for
• 4:22
  Speaker 5: helping us out with the illustrations making everything look so
• 4:24
  Speaker 5: accurate on people may not know what you look like
• 4:27
  Speaker 5: the beers some time, so that's gonna be another rare thing.
• 4:30
  Speaker 5: They get to see Fits without a beer, you know,
• 4:32
  Speaker 5: they get the book. So it's pretty neat though everything
• 4:35
  Speaker 5: came together, it's pretty special.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Well, we're going to get into that connection that you
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: guys had on the field in just a bit. But
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: first we got a talk style because you guys both
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: have it, and I brought some some pictures with me
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: today that we can kind of go through it all sore,
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: you ready, Okay, So I pulled some looks and this
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: was kind of just me being a stalker on Instagram.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: So I've got some looks for you guys, and we'll
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: start with Fits first. And this is this is you
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: on the desk, So this is desk life. We know
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: you are an analyst pre and post game for Amazon
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: Prime Thursday Night Football. That's why you're here because the
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Bills are playing the Tampa Bay Bucks on Thursday night,
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: and you've had I think some some awesome looks on set.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: You got the loud designs.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: But Stevie, I want you to tell me what you think.
• 5:33
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I like it as already fresh.
• 5:35
  Speaker 5: It reminded me of I did something with JJ, and
• 5:39
  Speaker 5: JJ actually had a similar.
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: Sport called So we've got there, like a red velvet.
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: Sport an H for Harvard that is that's actually Liza's
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: Harvard letter sweater from college.
• 5:50
  Speaker 6: Wow.
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: But that we were doing a game show and it
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: was cal versus Stanford and I was one of the judges.
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: So that's my judging look right there. But I could
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: see you, like I think, with all these looks, maybe
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: could I see you pulling them off?
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: Like obviously is that what you think when you get dressed?
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: Steven would be able to pull that off for sure?
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Stee pull this off. Yes, I'm gonna wear it?
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: Right, would Stevie wear?
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: Would Stee do?
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Okay, here's here's here's the next one. We've got like
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: a salmon suits.
• 6:20
  Speaker 5: Like that, and we've got some details all right, So
• 6:24
  Speaker 5: like I would never, like I always choose.
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: My shirts the suits, I would never choose that color
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: in a million years. But I got a lot of
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: compliments on.
• 6:31
  Speaker 5: And he got to say to you got to go
• 6:33
  Speaker 5: to all the way to the barber, you know, to
• 6:35
  Speaker 5: the barber cut you know, you got to have and
• 6:37
  Speaker 5: everything everything coming together. And you see how you settle
• 6:39
  Speaker 5: with the with the red on the shirt.
• 6:41
  Speaker 6: It is not too much, not too much.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: It matches, it works, it goes approved.
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: It's Stevie.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: It's Stevie approve. So you pick the shirts.
• 6:49
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I pick.
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: I picked the shirts for the most part, and then
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: they'll try to match the suits up. But yeah, that
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: one I was I was unsure of.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: But it's like, are the shirts already in the closet, No.
• 6:59
  Speaker 4: A lot of them. Are not a lot of them.
• 7:01
  Speaker 6: I'm picking from squad.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: It works. It works on the desk.
• 7:07
  Speaker 6: Oh that's sir, Come on now, yeah, I like that.
• 7:10
  Speaker 6: That's how you do.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: We have like a dark green suit jacket and then
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: we have a shirt underneath. If you're picking the shirt,
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: this shirt has all the different colors and patterns.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: I think that you could.
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: Ever wish for, Yes, versace like I think it's Robert Raham,
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: I think.
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: But it was like it had texture to it too.
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: I may not have matched it with the suit Jack.
• 7:32
  Speaker 5: No matter, because all of this is like mixed match.
• 7:35
  Speaker 5: You just wear whatever over the top.
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: And also what I learned from you over the years
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: is it really doesn't matter what you're wearing.
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: Is about how you carry yourself.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: Indeed, indeed, okay, So the next one, how are we
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: carrying ourselves in this press conference where you decided to
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: steal some teammates clothing?
• 7:54
  Speaker 5: Now that right there, you know how people feel about
• 7:57
  Speaker 5: the birth of Bill's my field. That was the birth
• 8:00
  Speaker 5: of fit style fits the styles?
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, really that like joking aside, like that one
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: that kind of shifted.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: So this is this is.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: The famous look of the chain, the sunglasses, the sweatsuits,
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: it down, no shirt on underneath.
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: The quick story of that which you've probably heard. But
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: Djack walked in before the.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: Game to Shawn Jackson.
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: Okay, d Jack, if we win this game, I'm going
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: to put that on, like because he looked.
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: So cool and I knew I would look so ridiculous.
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: I mean, how do you get away with wearing clothes
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: like that? So then he made so that was the
• 8:35
  Speaker 4: birth of the style.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: And I want to I want to, you know, bring
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: Stevie into this conversation.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: As well, because Stevie, you have the fits on.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: You've got one on right now, and this is like
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: an all black look. I went through your Instagram and
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: I pulled I pulled some picks because you got a
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: bunch of them, and this is a nice.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: All black fit.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: You got the coat, you got the pants, you got
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: the shirt, you got the hat.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: You where's your style come from?
• 8:59
  Speaker 5: Just being comfortable, you know, just being comfortable whatever, whatever
• 9:02
  Speaker 5: I think feels comfortable to me, whether it was matching
• 9:04
  Speaker 5: or not, this was a simple look.
• 9:06
  Speaker 6: If it's comfortable, I'll rocket.
• 9:08
  Speaker 5: Somebody would be like, hey, that looks ugly, or somebody
• 9:11
  Speaker 5: be like, hey it's different.
• 9:12
  Speaker 6: You know, maybe I'll try it. I want to spark
• 9:13
  Speaker 6: that mine, you know.
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: But here's like I see this and I'm like, okay,
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: black pants. I put these black pants on today and
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: I was like, I don't think those are cool, but
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: I'll throw them on with the black shirt.
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: And it's got like eight buttons and the top one
• 9:26
  Speaker 4: is done. That's more like a Cali thing, right. But
• 9:29
  Speaker 4: he's learned, like a turtleneck, is that a turtle neck underneath?
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: It doesn't?
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: He's got that deal with.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: The hat and the access arizes like I could never
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: pull that off in a million years, but he makes
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: it look so cool.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: And he's got.
• 9:44
  Speaker 6: Fame jacket, two gold jackets right there. You know, I
• 9:47
  Speaker 6: have to be the you know, the black sheep.
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: But right there, no black sheep with a good stock
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: great Buffalo.
• 9:55
  Speaker 5: Let us go back to that on that day, Speaking
• 9:58
  Speaker 5: of fashion, I was dressed like that while Fitz was
• 10:01
  Speaker 5: he had no shirt on at that game.
• 10:04
  Speaker 4: Yeah, we'll get to that.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: I have a video of that on on this tablet.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Here's another kind of all black fit.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: You've got the chains, you got the hats, You've got
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: like a black a blazer on, You've got the vans.
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: But the most important part the socks and the shoes,
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: Like how he tucks him into the socks, the shoes,
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: the white and black.
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: The contrast like with some sort.
• 10:27
  Speaker 6: Of hack when first when we first met at the airport. Yeah,
• 10:30
  Speaker 6: and how did.
• 10:31
  Speaker 5: You even notice that I was even going to Buffalo
• 10:33
  Speaker 5: because of the is that white? Because the socks that
• 10:37
  Speaker 5: I had on, I had on blue sock, red sock, Like, Hey,
• 10:41
  Speaker 5: you going to Buffalo.
• 10:43
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm actually going to Buffalo. I'm Fitzpatrick. I'm going
• 10:45
  Speaker 6: to buffalo.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: So you guys, actually.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: That's the origin story when you're reading it out of
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: the book, and I was like, did this really happen
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: on the airport?
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: Now?
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: I guess socks it happened because of his socks, You know,
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: I don't know.
• 10:59
  Speaker 4: I mean this is you're two kids.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: You've got a hat on, You've got some overalls that
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: are kind of like a mustardy green, kind of more
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: of a hunter green, I'll say. And then you've got
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: like a mustard yellow sweatshirt hunt.
• 11:17
  Speaker 5: What do you what do you think about this?
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: How do we pull this together?
• 11:19
  Speaker 6: Yeah? That was a comfort thing.
• 11:21
  Speaker 5: I actually didn't want to try hard, so I just
• 11:23
  Speaker 5: got some overalls, some oversized overalls.
• 11:26
  Speaker 6: Put that on, drove the la. My son had a
• 11:28
  Speaker 6: volleyball tournament, and I was good to go.
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: So here's what I would say about that. That's a
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: big n O for me. I think it's not very stylish. However,
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: look at look at his daughter, like it's like, how
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: are you comfortable in your own skin? How are you
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: comfortable in your own clothes? It can rock whatever, and
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: I'm still going to be cool.
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: Like that's it right there?
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: All right, Well, you.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: Guys both have style and I want to bring it
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: to today's NFL. What do you think about how these
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: guys pull their outfits together, some of the things that
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: you see before games starting when NFL pregames shows are
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: on and you're watching guys walk through the tunnel or
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: walk out of a bus and they've got the look together.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: Do you think it's on another level? And Ryan, I
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: know you just left the NFL, so not much has changed,
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: but do you think these guys have kind of stepped
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: it up but notch or do you feel like you guys.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: Kind of laid the groundwork for where it's at now.
• 12:24
  Speaker 6: A little bit of both, a little bit of both.
• 12:26
  Speaker 5: I think they definitely stepped it up a notch when
• 12:29
  Speaker 5: you say laid the groundwork.
• 12:30
  Speaker 6: I can remember getting fined.
• 12:31
  Speaker 5: For wearing a hook not in Buffalo, it was cool
• 12:33
  Speaker 5: in Buffalo and other places.
• 12:34
  Speaker 6: I got fined for wearing a hoodie under.
• 12:36
  Speaker 5: My sport coat, you know, So taking those fines and
• 12:39
  Speaker 5: then speaking back about like why are we getting this, etcetera, etcetera.
• 12:43
  Speaker 5: That kind of led the way into the NFL opening
• 12:45
  Speaker 5: up to, you know, not being so strict and then
• 12:48
  Speaker 5: with that, with that happening, I think the guys just
• 12:50
  Speaker 5: got everybody got their own style, and we just starting
• 12:53
  Speaker 5: to see and I love it.
• 12:54
  Speaker 6: I love seeing it yea too.
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: And I do think the NBA had some influence on
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: it too.
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: You see these guys who like the sweet fits walking
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: into the games. I will say, though, like I'm okay
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: with just looking normal go into a game, but the
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: post game is cool to wear. This game is cool
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: you like you feel this happen when Joe Burrow a
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: couple of years who he wore the sweet suit on
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: the way in and they lost, and then he had
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: to wear.
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: His suit on the way out.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: It's tough.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: It's tough sometimes when you when you lose. But I mean,
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: Stevie's always going to handle business and have fun.
• 13:25
  Speaker 6: Right, But I don't think I'm gonna put the suit
• 13:26
  Speaker 6: on the gain.
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: I think.
• 13:28
  Speaker 6: That perfect pass.
• 13:29
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think I went back home in my union
• 13:31
  Speaker 5: for at that point.
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: Going in my jersey in my pants. I don't care
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: about it at all.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: Do we have something good picked out for the desk tomorrow?
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: I actually don't know yet, but yes, usually I've got
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: about four different options that I've already said. I like
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: these shirts, so we'll we'll look at it and see
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: what the vibe is tomorrow, and then I'll pick one.
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: I think Stevie should should have a say in it.
• 13:56
  Speaker 6: Yeah. Nice, like your style too, like thanks.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: You know the nikes.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: We want to be comfortable, but we wanted to also
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: like show I know how to I know how to
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: dress school for the kids because we're in a school assembly.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: You know, the kids know the shoes. So I got
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: to have a little bit of credit out there so
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: they can be quiet when I ton to be quiet.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: That's where it came from.
• 14:17
  Speaker 6: We'll put together all right.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: Well, let's get into the relationship between you guys on
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: the field and where it all started.
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: So I want to start.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: With the relationship between a quarterback and a wide receiver
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: and really bring.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: It to you two specifically, what do you feel like
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: you guys bring out in each other.
• 14:41
  Speaker 6: I felt like I started off.
• 14:43
  Speaker 5: I felt like we helped each other, you know, grow
• 14:47
  Speaker 5: in this game with our I guess with our star
• 14:49
  Speaker 5: power on the field, because without him I wouldn't have
• 14:52
  Speaker 5: had the time to do the things that I was doing,
• 14:54
  Speaker 5: you know. And you know when with that sacrifice that
• 14:57
  Speaker 5: he made and getting that ball there and me making
• 14:59
  Speaker 5: that play it just it just helped up and he
• 15:01
  Speaker 5: I think Fitz understood that more than any quarterback that
• 15:04
  Speaker 5: I've ever really played with. Was hey, the more you
• 15:08
  Speaker 5: do good, the more I'll look good. He wouldn't ever
• 15:11
  Speaker 5: say that last sentence, but he gave everybody opportunities. And
• 15:14
  Speaker 5: I think that makes great quarterbacks when you can throw
• 15:17
  Speaker 5: the ball around and give everybody opportunity, not feel like
• 15:20
  Speaker 5: you're making every play.
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: You know, And I'll say this about Stevie, he's of
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: all the receivers I played with, he was the most
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: unique receiver, the most unique skill set. And with that,
• 15:31
  Speaker 3: some of the stuff took patience. We could tell him, hey,
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: you're running a three step slant. The slant might look
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: different nine times out of ten. But I knew that
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: if I gave him patience and I waited on him,
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: that he was going to win. It didn't matter if
• 15:45
  Speaker 3: it was Reevus, it didn't matter if it was Richard Sherman.
• 15:49
  Speaker 4: He was going to win the route. And so I think,
• 15:51
  Speaker 4: you know.
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: Part of his coming out party as he became the
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: receiver that had a thousand yard seasons three times in
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: a row, was he had a coach believed in him
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: allowed them the freedom.
• 16:02
  Speaker 4: Just like he's talking about dressing up.
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: He had somebody that allowed him the freedom on the field,
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: and a coach and in a quarterback to be him.
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: And still to this day people come up to me.
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: And asked me about Stevie and what was like to
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: play with Stevie. And you know, if you're looking at
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: the top wide receivers of our generation, Stevie's not.
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: Going to find his way on that list with the media.
• 16:25
  Speaker 3: But when you talked to players, we talked to Richard Sherman,
• 16:28
  Speaker 3: when you talked to cornerbacks, they're like, this is the
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: one dude that gave me problems and that I was
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: afraid of going up against.
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: I think that's a huge compliment to him.
• 16:36
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: I mean, you guys spent four years together on the Bills.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: It was your entire time that you played in Buffalo,
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: and Stevie you were there for a couple more years
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: before Ryan came to Buffalo. And you had those three
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: seasons from twenty ten to twenty twelve where you had
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: one thousand yards three straight.
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: Years in a row.
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: And you as a wide receiver, you were an improviser.
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: You were able to do things that not everybody was
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: doing in that day and age in the NFL, And
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: I think you look at receivers now and you see
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: a lot more of that. The footwork, how you were
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: able to separate the routes that you ran, and how
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: you were able to kind of put your own touch
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: on it. And you had a quarterback and Ryan Fitzpatrick
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: was able to understand.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: You and get you the ball.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: And I think we see a lot of that in
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs right now on this team.
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: How do you guys look at what they've been able
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: to do in Buffalo and see similarities in what you
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: guys did when you were in Buffalo, Right, I'll start
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: with you.
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: So I'll say this, like, the quarterback receiver relationship is
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: really important, especially the quarterback and the number one X receiver.
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: That dynamic is super important to a team. It's super
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: important to an offense. So communication is always the biggest thing,
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: and I think you see that that was something that
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: Stevie and I were really good at, was the communication
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: of just talking about stuff on the sideline, talking about
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: stuff before the game, after the game, and we really
• 17:59
  Speaker 3: had a deep understanding of each other. So when I
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: look at Josh and I look at Diggs.
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: It's the same thing.
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: You know, the media makes it, you know, up and
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: down relationship whatever. They both are passionate, they both want
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: to win, and they're both great communicators with each other,
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: and I think that's where it starts with them, and
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: obviously they're both special players.
• 18:18
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 18:19
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think to piggyback off of that is definitely
• 18:22
  Speaker 5: about that, that relationship and that communication that you guys have.
• 18:26
  Speaker 5: I think the main thing, mindset wise for a receiver
• 18:29
  Speaker 5: receivers listening out there is never the QB fault go
• 18:34
  Speaker 5: into a thing, is never his fault, whatever, ball, wherever
• 18:36
  Speaker 5: it goes.
• 18:37
  Speaker 6: You got to make the play for him, you know.
• 18:39
  Speaker 5: And I think that that kept kept us, kept me
• 18:42
  Speaker 5: solid through a lot of things. Also, just the mindset
• 18:44
  Speaker 5: of it's not on him, It's all on me, you know,
• 18:47
  Speaker 5: me to make the play. He gave us the opportunity,
• 18:49
  Speaker 5: it's on me to make the play.
• 18:50
  Speaker 6: You know.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: You said communication is such a big part of the
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: relationship relationship between a quarterback and a wide receiver.
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: But is there anything that happened beyond that or.
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: Including communication behind the scenes that fans don't see that
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: you think not gets misconstrued, but you think that fans,
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: you know, should know, whether it's the time and effort,
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: whether it's the off the field stuff that that really
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: happens to be able to create basically magic. What we
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: see on Sundays.
• 19:19
  Speaker 5: Yeah, caring for each other like you you probably might
• 19:22
  Speaker 5: overlook that part of it, you know, like we really.
• 19:24
  Speaker 6: Cared for each other. I care for him and his family.
• 19:27
  Speaker 5: I care for him as a as a as a
• 19:29
  Speaker 5: free agent come into Buffalo to be one of the greatest,
• 19:33
  Speaker 5: you know, and I think he cared the same about
• 19:35
  Speaker 5: about me and my passion to you know, be someone
• 19:38
  Speaker 5: in this league.
• 19:39
  Speaker 6: And from there it goes to the putting in the work, you.
• 19:42
  Speaker 5: Know, putting in the mindset of I have to make
• 19:45
  Speaker 5: this happen, you know, like like face touched on the
• 19:48
  Speaker 5: media may make it seem like Diggs and josh Are
• 19:51
  Speaker 5: you know, a little here and there when it's an
• 19:53
  Speaker 5: ill or whatnot. But what we see as as former players,
• 19:57
  Speaker 5: we see love, Like we see the same thing that
• 19:59
  Speaker 5: we have that passion of dig saying get it to me,
• 20:03
  Speaker 5: however it's gonna be on me. I'll make the play.
• 20:06
  Speaker 5: I'll make the play. You know, that's that's the mindset.
• 20:09
  Speaker 5: That's the thing that we that we have with each
• 20:11
  Speaker 5: other are most most players and dynamic duels have with
• 20:14
  Speaker 5: each other. They first, they care about each other, and
• 20:17
  Speaker 5: they got a passion for you know what, they don't.
• 20:19
  Speaker 3: I think that relationship truly does become like family.
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: So families fight.
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: Sometimes I'm looking at AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts and
• 20:29
  Speaker 3: AJ Brown is going off on the sideline and Jalen Hurts,
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: and then the post game, Jalen's like, that's my brother,
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: Like it's okay that he yells at me. He's passionate.
• 20:37
  Speaker 3: I'm passionate. I'm competitive. So sometimes the media sees that
• 20:41
  Speaker 3: and they don't understand the deep relationship, the deep love
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: that quarterbacks and receivers have for each other, teammates in
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: general have for each other. So there may be some
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: of that fighting, but at the end of the day,
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: you can overcome all of that because you are like family.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: How has it been to watch the group, to watch
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: the Sean McDermott era, to see Josh Allen come in
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: and then get a wide receiver like Stefan Diggs, and
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: then to see the draft picks come in and the
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: choices that the GM and Brandon Bean has made. What
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: has it been like to be outside of this organization
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: now and watch it kind of all unfold and come
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: together to to be where they're at right now, a
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: group that can do whatever they want, really, a group
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: that can make a run for and a group that
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: is capable of winning it all.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: Stevie, I'll start with you.
• 21:26
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I feel I feel you know, congratulations to the
• 21:29
  Speaker 5: guys out there, But my main admiration is for the fans.
• 21:33
  Speaker 5: I think they deserve they deserve it. They they they've
• 21:36
  Speaker 5: been there supported for us through it all. You know,
• 21:38
  Speaker 5: from day one, what we was fighting for was for
• 21:42
  Speaker 5: their joy, you know, and now they get to see
• 21:45
  Speaker 5: that for the past four years now, the last yeah,
• 21:47
  Speaker 5: the past four years, playoffs, you know, the all the
• 21:51
  Speaker 5: electricity that that's going on, which we'll see you on
• 21:53
  Speaker 5: Thursday night. But yeah, yeah, I definitely feel like, you know,
• 21:59
  Speaker 5: the fans earned this, you know, I feel more for
• 22:01
  Speaker 5: the fans.
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just been it's been an amazing transition because
• 22:06
  Speaker 3: we like we were the no names when we came in,
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: and it was a bunch of seventh rounders and undrafted
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: guys out there. And I do feel you feel a
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: sense of pride like as a Bill like what we
• 22:20
  Speaker 3: did or try to do with the groundwork that we laid,
• 22:23
  Speaker 3: but like where they're at now and for me to
• 22:26
  Speaker 3: truly have a quarterback that plays the game the right
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: way and that represents this city to a te like
• 22:33
  Speaker 3: it couldn't be a better fit with Buffalo and Josh
• 22:36
  Speaker 3: and so it's so much fun for me and I
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: know for Stevie still to feel like we're a small
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: part of this, because I think all Bills fans feel
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: that way.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: Well, you've been able to be a part of it
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: in the crowd. And I want to bring up a
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: video and this was at the playoff game when the
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Bills were facing the Patriots.
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: It was super cold, but they got the big dub.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: Forty seven into seventeen was the final score, and it
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: was a perfect game on offense for the Bill. And
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: if you if you walked into the crowd or were
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: you were lucky enough to be sitting in the section,
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: you saw a shirtless Ryan Fitzpatrick with a beanieon and
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: the gloves and he was loving life.
• 23:20
  Speaker 5: You said it was really cold, but it was really
• 23:22
  Speaker 5: really really colh My god, it was.
• 23:26
  Speaker 3: So that's the first That's the first NFL game other
• 23:29
  Speaker 3: than like a Super Bowl if I brought my kids,
• 23:31
  Speaker 3: That's the first NFL game that I got to go
• 23:33
  Speaker 3: and watch as a fan. It's actually still technically on
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: the Commanders at that point.
• 23:38
  Speaker 4: But it was even more there. But I brought I
• 23:41
  Speaker 4: brought my two.
• 23:42
  Speaker 3: Boys to that game because I just I knew how
• 23:44
  Speaker 3: important it was to be there, to experience the vibe
• 23:48
  Speaker 3: of this city.
• 23:48
  Speaker 4: A playoff game, home playoff game. And then Josh goes out.
• 23:52
  Speaker 3: And score seven consecutive times.
• 23:54
  Speaker 4: So if you're going to score seven consecutive times.
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: What else are you going to get?
• 23:58
  Speaker 4: Take your shirt off?
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: Yes, of course, what do you guys miss about the game?
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: Do you are?
• 24:02
  Speaker 4: You?
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: Are you in a place where you're like, I'm happy,
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: I had my moment and my seasons.
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: I mean you were there for a million years forever.
• 24:11
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 24:12
  Speaker 5: I mean as competitors, I don't think we ever want
• 24:14
  Speaker 5: to stop playing the game, you know, or be around
• 24:16
  Speaker 5: the guys. Have that that the thought of we're about
• 24:20
  Speaker 5: to go to war, we don't know what's going to happen,
• 24:21
  Speaker 5: you know, stepping into the dark. I think that's what
• 24:23
  Speaker 5: get us going, you know. So yeah, I can answer
• 24:26
  Speaker 5: that both ways. I definitely wish I was still plan
• 24:29
  Speaker 5: But at the same time, once I work out with
• 24:31
  Speaker 5: the with my my youngins, I can't even I can't
• 24:33
  Speaker 5: even doing that.
• 24:34
  Speaker 6: So I'm cool. I'm cool.
• 24:37
  Speaker 4: I am content doing what I'm doing.
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: I think for me, it was a nice transition to
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: go straight into this Amazon Thursday night stuff because I
• 24:45
  Speaker 3: am part of a different type of team now, but
• 24:48
  Speaker 3: guys that had, you know, former players, guys that also
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: we're looking for the same thing. So that camaraderie still exists,
• 24:55
  Speaker 3: and I still will get to travel and be on
• 24:57
  Speaker 3: site every week. So to get a chance to interact
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: not just with the players, with the coaches and the
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: equipment guys and the trainers.
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: It's fun to still be You're not totally out of it.
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: What has that life been to transition to TV from
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: You're still a part of all the madness on Thursdays,
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: but you're not on the field making the plays.
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: You're getting to talk about it.
• 25:18
  Speaker 4: It's all good, man.
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: I mean, it's like seventeen years I think was it
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: was good for me? Like I don't want to say
• 25:26
  Speaker 3: I didn't want to say that, Like, I'm happy that
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: I got injured at the end, but like I don't
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: know if I ever would have quit, like I just
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: would have kept going into.
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: His twenty fifth season.
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: Just like, yeah, man, I don't like I just I
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: love playing the game so much. And this that I
• 25:43
  Speaker 3: had a hip injury in Washington that kind of signaled
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: the end of it. But you know, I feel great now.
• 25:50
  Speaker 3: I get to spend a lot more time with my kids,
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: So I'm in a pretty good place.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: What's it like to turn the TV on and see
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: him on the desk on Thursday nights.
• 25:57
  Speaker 5: It's super cool, you know, from where we started to
• 25:59
  Speaker 5: work we are now is really cool.
• 26:02
  Speaker 6: You know, seeing him.
• 26:02
  Speaker 5: On TV, me traveling different states, reading our book with
• 26:06
  Speaker 5: our partners, like guess is amazing.
• 26:08
  Speaker 6: He's sparking minds on TV. I'm sparking minds in the classroom.
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: With the book, and you being on the desk.
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: It's amazing to probably get to see what your teammates
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: get to do after football and after football ends for you.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: It's not like life is over after football. And I
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: know some people it may take a couple of years
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: to figure out what you really want to do, what
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: your next passion is to do.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: But the book has been amazing.
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: You have a few of them now and it's been
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: cool to see kind of how you've been able to
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: make a name for yourself in that way, and then
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: now you've transitioned to life on TV. We're halfway through
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: the season almost. What do you think these guys can do?
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: These guys in blue and red? The Buffalo Bills are
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. What are you looking forward to?
• 26:52
  Speaker 5: I'm looking forward to a wild game on Thursday. I'm
• 26:55
  Speaker 5: looking forward to us getting back to the hunger that
• 26:58
  Speaker 5: we had when Josh was a reo your second year time.
• 27:03
  Speaker 5: But mainly, I know I feel like we'll get playoffs. Playoffs,
• 27:05
  Speaker 5: that's when everything really begins.
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 27:07
  Speaker 6: We at that point where we're one of those teams.
• 27:09
  Speaker 6: I feel like we're one of those teams got to
• 27:11
  Speaker 6: be in a postseason.
• 27:13
  Speaker 5: The guys understand it that they can't just show up,
• 27:15
  Speaker 5: and it's being is being proven every every week. But
• 27:18
  Speaker 5: I definitely think we're a postseason team and that's when
• 27:20
  Speaker 5: we will really get the action started.
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: For me, you're gonna have to tune into Thursday night.
• 27:25
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry, you're gonna have to you're gonna have to
• 27:27
  Speaker 3: download the video app and watch because.
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: You're not getting any answers.
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: No, but I do have lots of opinions that we'll
• 27:35
  Speaker 3: be picking the Bills to win this game.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: Yes, we love that, that's what we want to hear.
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: Stevie Fitz, thank you so much for.
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: Taking the time to fly out here and to come
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: to a classroom for this podcast in this.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: Pot just kidding for being in Buffalo. It's amazing to
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: get to catch up with legends like you guys.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: I know our fans absolutely love you guys and still
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: love following you.
• 27:54
  Speaker 6: So thank you.
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: Thanks for thanks for being on appreciate having us.
• 27:57
  Speaker 6: Thank you man.