Latest / Dialed Up with T-Mobile / Rob Gronkowski on the Power of Teamwork & Friday Night Lights | Ep. 2

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Rob Gronkowski on the Power of Teamwork & Friday Night Lights | Ep. 2 · Dialed Up with T-Mobile

• 0:00
  - I get nervous sometimes because I'm like,"Dang, I'm not that good." But then you got to remember, like, I'm a whole different person.
• 0:05
  I'm a whole different teammate.
• 0:07
  You have the trust of your teammate and they have the trust in you as well, no matter how much talent you have.
• 0:12
  - That's what I see in business as well, being a great teammate.
• 0:15
  Really playing your position and being supportive of the broader team.
• 0:18
  - Very similar roles, I see that play out from the football world, all the way to the business world as well.
• 0:25
  - Talk to me a little bit about the chemistry of teams, and how do you take talent and coaching and weld those two things together to produce greatness and great performance?
• 0:33
  - That's what, you know, Coach Belichick set in New England.
• 0:36
  He set a great culture. It was like being in the military.
• 0:39
  I needed that type of structure in my life.
• 0:42
  I was a maniac.
• 0:43
  - You and Tom Brady, I mean, you guys were the stars.
• 0:47
  You got these other guys that if you didn't have them, there is no team.
• 0:51
  The right tackles, the left guards.
• 0:54
  How do you keep them, like, engaged?
• 0:56
  - I mean, that one's easy.
• 0:57
  You just gotta bring a sandwich every day to the offensive lineman and then they're happy.
• 1:02
  (upbeat music)(upbeat music continues)- Welcome to "Dialed Up." I'm John Freier, Chief Operating Officer at T-Mobile, and I'm really excited to host today's conversation because it's largely about football.
• 1:27
  And for me, Friday Night Football is personal.
• 1:31
  I grew up out in West Texas in a small town called Odessa and went to Permian High School, also known as MOJO.
• 1:39
  And if you grew up around that, you know that high school football isn't just a game, it's community.
• 1:45
  The students, parents, teachers, businesses, and people who've lived there forever all show up in one place to support their team.
• 1:54
  It's a moment of pride that you can really feel.
• 1:58
  And that's what I love about T-Mobile's Friday Night 5G Lights.
• 2:02
  It's a competition we created as our way of saying to smaller communities across the country that we see you, we see the pride you have in your school, and we want to help you rally around it.
• 2:14
  Whether that's better fields, better equipment, school grants, whatever it might be, it's all about giving kids and communities access to something that can make a difference.
• 2:24
  So I can't think of a better person to have this conversation than our guest today.
• 2:30
  He's a four time Super Bowl champion, one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a longtime friend of T-Mobile and ambassador of Friday Night 5G Lights, Rob Gronk Gronkowski.
• 2:47
  Welcome to Seattle.
• 2:48
  Thank you for coming to T-Mobile and spending some time with us.
• 2:51
  - Yeah, thank you for having me, man.
• 2:53
  I'm very impressed with the headquarters here in Seattle.
• 2:55
  It's super cool, and I feel honored to be here, man.
• 2:58
  Thank you.
• 2:59
  - That's awesome. We radiate magenta here.
• 3:01
  I don't know if you saw it last night, but this whole campus is full of magenta.
• 3:05
  You can, I think, maybe see it from space or something.
• 3:08
  - I love that because you had that word used in the campaign too, the Friday Night 5G Lights campaign.
• 3:13
  Patrick Mahomes was saying the word in one of the scripts,"Magenta," and he loved it.
• 3:18
  Every time he emphasized it, "Magenta," I forgot exactly what it was for, but the word magenta was used in the campaign as well.
• 3:25
  So, hey, that must be the slogan around here.
• 3:28
  Be Magenta here at T-Mobile.
• 3:28
  - That's it.
• 3:31
  - I love it.
• 3:32
  - I saw you in Dierks, Arkansas last November when we did the Friday Night 5G Lights 1 million grand prize to that school.
• 3:42
  And you've been involved in this program for, gosh, since we really kind of started.
• 3:46
  And you've been a big supporter of this between what we've been trying to do, but also with Gronk Fitness and donated a number of things to the schools.
• 3:57
  Tell me, why this program? Why is this interesting to you?
• 4:01
  And you got so many things you could be a part of.
• 4:04
  Why be a part of Friday Night 5G Lights?
• 4:06
  - Well, the Friday Night 5G Lights program/campaign just lined up perfectly with my life, and when this was brought to my attention, I literally lit up like a light bulb because it was right on track with everything that I do.
• 4:17
  So, my family and I, we started the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation about 10, 12 years ago now, and it was to give back to the kids.
• 4:26
  So, I had a wonderful childhood growing up.
• 4:28
  I had access to everything I needed to be a successful athlete, from equipment to kids in the neighborhood to play with, my brothers to play with, my brother's friends to play with, play sports at any time in the backyard or at their house or in our basements or go to the fields or be in a league.
• 4:48
  And I was fortunate enough to have all that to be successful.
• 4:50
  So the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation was established to give back to the kids that aren't as fortunate enough that I am.
• 5:00
  So I can give back to, for example, a Pop Warner team because they're not gonna play that year because they don't have the money to buy the equipment.
• 5:09
  And also we give back to high schools that need a weight room.
• 5:12
  There's no weight room, so we donate a weigh room to the high school.
• 5:15
  So in this case, when I saw this program, it lined up perfectly as well with the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, and it was just absolutely amazing to be a part of it for the last three, four years now.
• 5:26
  And it's just such an incredible campaign.
• 5:28
  And I thank you guys for putting on and having me be the face of it, and just to get the word out there to all these high school kids, hey, you can win a million dollar makeover for your football field.
• 5:39
  And that's like one of the coolest things ever, especially if you win.
• 5:43
  And there's also so many other prizes for so many other high schools.
• 5:46
  - I love it.
• 5:47
  We're a company that just thrives in energy, and just kind of our magenta and the spirit, and there's no bigger personality and energy in football than you.
• 5:58
  And so we're just so glad that you've agreed to be a part of it, willing to be a part of it.
• 6:03
  And when we went to Dierks, Arkansas, have you ever been to a place like Dierks, Arkansas, like a town of like less than 1,000 people?
• 6:10
  - I've never been.
• 6:11
  I've only thought that those towns, you know, were only in movies.
• 6:14
  That's what it felt like.
• 6:15
  It amazed me to be in such a place in Arkansas, in such a town.
• 6:22
  But what was so interesting about it is when we showed up to Dierks High School, how many people were inside the gymnasium?
• 6:29
  - It was cool.
• 6:29
  - How many people came together from wherever they were living?
• 6:32
  Because I don't think I saw a house when I was in Dierks, Arkansas.
• 6:35
  I really, I don't think I saw a store or a restaurant.
• 6:38
  And just to see the passion that everyone brought, all the family members, you know, all the parents, all the kids, you know, everyone, I swear the whole town was there, from, you know, within probably a 40-mile radius because-- Yeah, the whole county.
• 6:53
  - The whole county. There we go.
• 6:54
  And just how much enthusiasm they brought when we were there was just surreal.
• 7:01
  It was awesome.
• 7:01
  And it just shows how amazing this campaign is, because it brings together the whole entire community, and that's what it's all about as well and it gives them something to cheer for.
• 7:11
  But then also the winner, you know, like I said, it brings the whole entire town together, the whole entire community, county, and they go absolutely nuts, and it brings that school spirit to a whole nother level.
• 7:21
  - What we saw in Arkansas is the whole state rallied.
• 7:24
  You know, the governor of the state of Arkansas was rallying behind the state, and there's just so much advocacy and sponsorship.
• 7:31
  And then the year prior was a school in Northeastern Oklahoma, Inola, Oklahoma.
• 7:38
  And I talked to the assistant principal there and for, I think the last 20 or 30 years, they've never won a playoff game.
• 7:45
  They won the grand prize back in 2024, and in 2025, because of that investment and because of the confidence that I think it built into the community, they actually went to the playoffs and won, you know, a playoff game.
• 8:00
  It's a cool story.
• 8:01
  - It's actually one of the most amazing stories.
• 8:03
  When I heard that, like, I jolted up a little bit.
• 8:06
  It made me want to be part of this campaign even more, and it also made me feel better about myself being a part of this campaign even more, because it's true.
• 8:14
  I mean, I played in high school.
• 8:15
  I played at some of the worst fields in the world.
• 8:18
  And you don't get as excited going out to play the game.
• 8:21
  You're like, "Oh, all right," you start making jokes.
• 8:23
  "All right, guys, you don't sprain your ankle.
• 8:25
  You're about to hit five divots on this field." Like, "Watch out," you know,"Be aware of where you're stepping." Like, that doesn't make the game of football fun when you're walking out to a field that looks like you're playing in the woods, basically.
• 8:38
  Like, to have that new field at Inola High School, it brings that passion back out.
• 8:43
  It brings that excitement out.
• 8:45
  "Hey, guys, you want to go work out in the weight room by Gronk Fitness?
• 8:48
  Like, it's a brand new weight room. Let's go get strong.
• 8:50
  Let's go build ourself up because it's a brand new facility." You want to go and work out there.
• 8:55
  Not, "Oh, should we not go in the weight room today?
• 8:57
  We might need a," what is it,"Tetanus shot after."- Yeah, exactly. (laughs)- Because there's so much rust on the equipment that when we're lifting it, we're gonna get diseased.
• 9:05
  - We're gonna get injured.
• 9:07
  - Yeah, we're gonna get injured somehow, some way.
• 9:10
  And when you have a brand new football field as well, let's go out to practice.
• 9:14
  Just the excitement when your eyes see that new beautiful field, it gets you excited to go out there and play.
• 9:19
  And that was the same thing with me when I was in high school.
• 9:21
  If we played at a beautiful facility, oh, man, you would get so excited to go out there and play.
• 9:27
  You want to go out there and dominate and you want to play together as a team, and you want to show off in front of the whole community because everything just felt right.
• 9:35
  But when you're at a crappy field, you know, you can still get it done, but it's not as special as what, you know, Inola had, and that's why I believe they went to the playoffs the year after, what, first time in 20 years?
• 9:47
  - Yeah, forever. Decades.
• 9:48
  - Because they finally had excitement around the program because of the Friday Night 5G Lights T-Mobile campaign.
• 9:54
  Unbelievable.
• 9:55
  Those are the stories that I love and make me want to be a part of it even more.
• 9:59
  (upbeat music)- You know, what we've been trying to do for the last five years is to really invest in rural America.
• 10:10
  And we felt like as a company, that rural America has been left behind.
• 10:13
  There's a big digital divide.
• 10:15
  If you don't have access to the internet, you fall behind in education.
• 10:18
  So we've been investing tens of billions of dollars in network infrastructure, building distribution, new stores, jobs, et cetera, in rural America.
• 10:29
  And one of the things that we wanted to do that helped us kind of inspire this whole notion around Friday Night 5G Lights is to be able to give back to these communities.
• 10:38
  That if we're gonna be a business that is thriving for our investment in rural America, then it's incumbent upon us to give back into rural America.
• 10:48
  So this whole notion of Friday Night 5G Lights was about taking towns of 150,000 or less and investing into the high school football programs.
• 10:57
  And what we found was that so many of these budgets, they're just non-existent.
• 11:03
  These schools have no money.
• 11:06
  They have no money for the fields.
• 11:07
  They have no money for uniforms.
• 11:09
  They have no money for equipment.
• 11:11
  And just with giving out 5K Fridays,$5,000 a week this year to 100 schools per week, that's life-changing for these schools, just $5,000, much less 50,000 or 250,000 or a million bucks.
• 11:26
  It's just incredible what can happen when companies like T-Mobile or anybody else can invest in rural America and change the lives of these children.
• 11:37
  - Yes, definitely.
• 11:38
  And it's not even a big sum, $5,000, but it's still $5,000.
• 11:43
  I mean, it's not close to the grand prize of a million, but $5,000 still can give you that kick of jolt, like,"Hey, we're noticed out there in the world.
• 11:51
  Like, T-Mobile, the biggest cell phone company, basically, in the world, just singled out our small town high school, saw us, and gave us $5,000 for being a part of the campaign." Like, that's energy that you're bringing to the high school, because then, hey, they felt like they didn't waste their time rallying around campaigning to be winning the grand prize.
• 12:14
  And then also, it gives them confidence,"Hey, what else can we get out in the future?
• 12:18
  We are noticed, like, this campaign gave us $5,000.
• 12:22
  Hey, what else is there in the future? What else can we do?
• 12:24
  What else can we get our community to do to rally and come together as one?" So that's what it's all about.
• 12:30
  And it's not just about winning the grand prize, it's about bringing communities together and having a mission and a goal to just keep accomplishing and keep stepping up in this world.
• 12:40
  - Like, I couldn't agree more with that, that this world is so polarizing today.
• 12:45
  There's so many things to drag us apart and, you know, there's a lot of toxicity and polarity in the world.
• 12:51
  But the one thing that I have found as someone who grew up in a small town in West Texas, no matter what your beliefs are, no matter what you think about this or that, the community comes together under those Friday night lights.
• 13:04
  Everybody in the community can be united behind their high school and behind their mascot and winning football teams, winning football games, and being teams that build character for the youth in their community.
• 13:19
  Is that kind of how you see it as well, these communities coming together as a result of this game?
• 13:25
  - I mean, I don't just see it like that, I mean, I felt it like that, because I was that person going through it in high school.
• 13:33
  It really does bring the community together.
• 13:35
  I couldn't wait my very first time to play on the varsity football team because I wanted to play in front of my town.
• 13:41
  I wanted to play in front of everyone in the stands.
• 13:45
  I got four brothers total, but I got three older brothers.
• 13:47
  I used to go to their games when they were on varsity when I was in middle school, and I always was in awe, like, oh my gosh, they get to play in front of all their friends, all their parents, even the school that they're playing, all their students in the stands as well.
• 14:01
  I just noticed, like, yeah, JV's cool, but you got like 20 people in the stands.
• 14:06
  It's not bringing the whole community together.
• 14:07
  Modified's cool, but when you get to varsity, that's what it's all about.
• 14:11
  And I was always in such awe of my brothers just being able to perform in front of the town, in front of the community.
• 14:17
  And that's when I first noticed when I was in middle school, like, wow, this game of football is so special because it brings everyone together and it's not polarizing at all.
• 14:28
  Everyone has one goal and it's to win this football game.
• 14:32
  It's to beat that team across the field.
• 14:35
  And that's their goal as well.
• 14:37
  And what's so great about football too, yeah, it's rival schools, but it still brings everyone together, even if it's rival schools and two different, you know, zip codes playing against each other, because in the end, you show respect to each other, and that's what the game of football is.
• 14:52
  And it leads to, you know, sticking together as one in the future too, because you play versus each other.
• 14:58
  You might have hated your rival, you might have hated your opponent, but like, I'm older now.
• 15:02
  Like, high school doesn't matter.
• 15:04
  I see these people that I used to tackle in high school that we used to just basically brawl out on the field verse.
• 15:10
  And now we see each other and we dap each other up and we give each other respect.
• 15:13
  And it's still bringing us together to this day, because, you know, you talk about the memories like,"Yo, remember I made that catch on you?""Oh, Rob, you remember, like, I'm the only person in all football to ever run you over or make you miss on a tackle?" And so that's what's so special about it, is that it lasts a lifetime as well.
• 15:32
  - And all these years later, do you still remember these...
• 15:35
  Are these high school memories for you still seared in your memory?
• 15:38
  - I'll tell you this.
• 15:38
  My very first memory.
• 15:40
  I was on JV. This is my very first game on varsity.
• 15:43
  So I played JV my freshman year, but then they go to the playoffs, so then our season ends.
• 15:48
  So they call up a couple of the guys to practice with the varsity team throughout the playoffs.
• 15:53
  And I was one of those because they're like, "Oh, Rob, you're gonna be on varsity most likely your sophomore year, so we want you to practice with us and, you know, start getting used to it so you're ready to go next year." So I'm practicing, but they didn't really have a guy to, you know, kick the ball off, and I was the kicker as well.
• 16:07
  I was a toe kicker, by the way. I was old school, baby.
• 16:10
  But I could boot the heck out of the ball.
• 16:12
  I did punt, pass, and kick growing up as a kid, so I could actually toe kick the ball and just boot it off the tee.
• 16:17
  So I was the kickoff guy.
• 16:19
  So I was in practice and they're like,"Well, you can be the kickoff guy for us actually, you know, in the playoffs.
• 16:24
  And that could be your first game ever in varsity and, like, that's just your role." And I was like, "No problem." I was like, "This is great." Like, I get to get in, get to play five, six plays.
• 16:34
  Very first play, we're playing Lancaster High School.
• 16:37
  It's the Toilet Bowl playoff, so they didn't make all the...
• 16:39
  They didn't make it to the real playoffs.
• 16:41
  So it's like a little extra round where it's like four teams, you know, the four bottom tier teams that are just playing to win like fourth place, you know, in the sections.
• 16:50
  I kicked the ball off. I'm a freshman.
• 16:53
  My brother's on the team as a junior.
• 16:55
  I kick it off, run full speed down the field and make my very first varsity tackle.
• 17:00
  And it just felt so good.
• 17:00
  - Wow.
• 17:02
  - And just to see that respect I gained from the coaches right there on the spot, from the players, and everyone looked at me like,"Oh, we're gonna have a hell of a team next year'cause we're gonna have this guy out there with us as well, and he's only gonna be a sophomore." So that just, like, it installed so much confidence in me that I could be the young buck, but also still be dominant.
• 17:22
  And those confidence lasted with me throughout my college career, you know?
• 17:27
  I went in as a freshman, and I always thought about that moment.
• 17:30
  And I went in as a freshman at the University of Arizona, dominated, started as a freshman.
• 17:35
  I went into as a rookie in the NFL, dominated, started as a rookie as well.
• 17:39
  So that moment, though, right there, led to all the confidence I needed for the rest of my career in the NFL to get me started whenever I reached a new level.
• 17:48
  - Wow, wow. That's incredible.
• 17:51
  Wow.
• 17:51
  - So that just shows, man, this Friday Night Lights campaign, you know, you're doing more out there than you can even imagine.
• 17:57
  Like, for real.
• 17:58
  Like, to get a new field out there for whatever high school wins, it's gonna give them that much more spunk to go out there and play the game and just have a memory for a lifetime.
• 18:08
  Every school, Dierks High School is gonna remember that, what do we have, that campaign.
• 18:13
  Not the campaign, the rally.
• 18:15
  - The rally, yeah.
• 18:15
  - The rally, in their gymnasium forever.
• 18:17
  - Yeah, we brought that artist in and, you know-- Exactly.
• 18:20
  - Right, all of that, right.
• 18:20
  - Bailey Zimmerman.
• 18:22
  - Bailey Zimmerman, right.
• 18:22
  - What a guy. Love him.
• 18:24
  He brought so much juice to the table.
• 18:26
  It couldn't have been a better guy to bring to the rally at Dierks High School than Bailey Zimmerman.
• 18:32
  He killed it, and all the kids loved him.
• 18:34
  - Absolutely.
• 18:35
  When both of you guys, like, when you stepped out, like, they were just, they're just...
• 18:40
  I still have their faces just, you know, seared into my memory of when you walked out.
• 18:45
  One, they were just...
• 18:47
  They just could not believe you were there.
• 18:49
  And two, Bailey Zimmerman, like, came out and sang the song to them, and they just couldn't believe it.
• 18:53
  It was just incredible.
• 18:54
  - And I thank you for bringing Bailey Zimmerman as well because, yeah, I'm the face of the campaign, but I don't got talents, you know, like Bailey Zimmerman.
• 19:02
  So I go to the rally in the gymnasium.
• 19:04
  Yeah, I can say a few words and take pictures, but they also want, you know, some entertainment as well.
• 19:07
  - Correct, right.
• 19:09
  - I can't sing. I really can't dance.
• 19:11
  Yeah, I was on "Masked Singer" before and I beat Chaka Khan and Lil Wayne, but it was just, you know, for giggles, that's why they kept me going, because they were laughing at me 'cause I was so bad, so they voted me on purpose just to see how terrible I could keep being.
• 19:26
  I figured it out.
• 19:27
  But I mean, I listened to myself sing. It was terrible.
• 19:29
  So thank you for bringing some entertainment as well'cause I couldn't be the show.
• 19:33
  I don't got talents like Bailey Zimmerman, so that made the show that much more special.
• 19:36
  - Listen, you're a pretty good joke teller.
• 19:38
  I've seen you on a roast before.
• 19:39
  You know, that's pretty good.
• 19:39
  - Oh, yeah, yeah.
• 19:40
  I'm the decent there. I'm decent there.
• 19:42
  But hey, that wasn't a stage to be roasting people.
• 19:46
  - (laughs) Exactly.
• 19:46
  - Yeah.
• 19:48
  I mean, I bet you the kids would've loved it if we started roasting the parents on the right side of the gymnasium.
• 19:53
  - (laughs) And you believe that.
• 19:55
  - They would've loved it.
• 19:55
  - Oh my God.
• 19:56
  They would've totally loved that.
• 19:57
  (upbeat music) Hey, Gronk, we have a question from one of our team members.
• 20:05
  This is Patrick from Bismarck, North Dakota, but he's got a great question for you.
• 20:09
  - Yeah, let's hear it.
• 20:09
  I love fan questions.
• 20:12
  - Oh, yeah, awesome.
• 20:12
  - Those are my favorite.
• 20:12
  Ask me anything.
• 20:13
  (John laughs) Oh, here we go.
• 20:15
  - Yeah, check it out here.
• 20:17
  You're gonna hear it directly from me.
• 20:18
  - I get to see him too.
• 20:18
  - Exactly.
• 20:20
  - This is technology.
• 20:20
  - Technology.
• 20:22
  - Now we're talking.
• 20:23
  - Hey, Gronk, Patrick here. Huge fan.
• 20:26
  My question is, do you remember your first touchdown, and how did you celebrate it that day?
• 20:31
  - Yes. Patrick, what's up, man?
• 20:32
  I appreciate you being a big fan of mine.
• 20:35
  And yes, I remember my first touchdown of my career to the exact T.
• 20:38
  It was actually my very first game in the NFL and it was my very first catch.
• 20:42
  It was about a two yard touchdown catch.
• 20:47
  We were on our opponent's goal line.
• 20:50
  It was versus Cincinnati Bengals.
• 20:51
  It was about the third or fourth quarter from what I remember, and I just had a jolt route right to back of the end zone, to the corner of the end zone.
• 20:57
  It was just go 'cause it was a play action.
• 20:59
  And then Tom just throws the football up in the air, and I go up and make the play.
• 21:03
  And I think it was versus a pretty solid, well-known linebacker in the Cincinnati Bengals as well at the time.
• 21:10
  I went up, made the play.
• 21:12
  My very first catch of my career, baby.
• 21:15
  - Bam!- Boom! Didn't even Gronk Spike it.
• 21:17
  The Gronk Spike didn't even come about until my second year in the NFL, and went and high-fived all the fans thinking I was so cool.
• 21:24
  - That's awesome. (laughs)- Yeah, I mean, I'll remember it for the rest of my life.
• 21:28
  My very first touchdown in my career, I just turned 21 years old.
• 21:32
  - Wow, wow.
• 21:32
  - Yeah, big time.
• 21:34
  - Wow, wow, wow.
• 21:34
  - I know, it was awesome.
• 21:35
  - So Gronk, there's another question here from one of our guys.
• 21:38
  His name's Brian.
• 21:39
  He's down in Frisco, Texas, which is down in the Dallas area.
• 21:43
  And I'd love to see if you wouldn't mind taking his question.
• 21:45
  - Hey, Gronk, my name is Brian. I'm a big fan.
• 21:48
  My question for you is, what was your welcome to the NFL moment and who gave it to you?
• 21:54
  - Oh, man, Brian, shout out to Brian.
• 21:57
  He's a big Patriots fan as well.
• 21:58
  He's wearing the Patriots hat.
• 22:00
  He's also a T-Mobile fan, he's wearing the tee right there.
• 22:01
  - Exactly.
• 22:02
  He's a great guy.
• 22:02
  - He's like me.
• 22:04
  Two great teams right there.
• 22:06
  But Brian, you're a great guy.
• 22:06
  And that's a great question.
• 22:09
  What was my welcome to the NFL moment?
• 22:11
  Oh, man, I've talked about this plenty of times before, but it was in practice, my rookie year, and I was just trying to prove myself.
• 22:18
  I wanted to block everyone.
• 22:18
  I wanted to catch every pass.
• 22:21
  I wanted to gain the respect of my teammates.
• 22:24
  And it's called a wham block.
• 22:25
  It's when they let a defensive tackle free and he thinks he's just gonna run at the quarterback and just make the play, because they don't ever just get to be free.
• 22:33
  He just thinks in his mind,"Oh, they forgot to block me, misassignment by the offensive lineman." But then the tight end comes and just whams him and blocks the defensive tackle.
• 22:43
  And here's the thing, that the defensive tackle is 360 pounds, so I can only block him if he's not looking at me if it's kind of more of like a blindside.
• 22:51
  So in practice, Vince Wilfork knew the play was coming.
• 22:54
  So he got let go free and he knew I was coming, and he was side-eyeing me like, "Oh, this is great.
• 23:00
  Like, Gronk thinks, this rookie thinks, like, he's gonna get me on this wham block and take me out." And he's 360 pounds, he's an absolute freak of nature, Vince Wilfork at this time, lowers his shoulder, he's in his prime, and ba-boom, he sends me backwards six yards in the air.
• 23:16
  Yeah.
• 23:17
  That was my welcome to the NFL moment right there in practice throughout training camp my rookie year.
• 23:22
  Brian, thanks for bringing back that PTSD.
• 23:25
  - Yeah, exactly.
• 23:25
  - But great question.
• 23:27
  - Does your body, do you still feel it?
• 23:29
  - I gained the respect from all my teammates and coaches.
• 23:31
  My tight end coach, the next day, we played it on film, he goes, "You will never have to block him again." He goes, "But the way you went in there and how vicious you were and how you were determined, we appreciated that and we respect that, you'll never have to block Vince Wilfork again." I go, "Thank God."(both laughing)- That's awesome.
• 23:50
  - They were just testing me to see where I was as a rookie.
• 23:54
  They were testing me to see if I was willing to go in and take on that assignment.
• 24:00
  And I was, and they didn't have to test me again.
• 24:03
  - Wow. That's awesome.
• 24:05
  Hey, let's change topics a little bit.
• 24:08
  I'm so interested in getting your thoughts around, like, the psychology of teams.
• 24:15
  At T-Mobile, we kind of talk about this all the time.
• 24:18
  Our business is a big team sport.
• 24:20
  This is not golf, this is not tennis.
• 24:22
  All of our teams across the entire company have got to work together to drive great experiences for our customers, to bring new products and services to the market.
• 24:32
  And this is a big, huge team sport.
• 24:35
  And we're always talking through teamwork and the psychology of teams and how to build great cultures.
• 24:43
  And I know it's very different than sports, of course, but I'm wondering if there's some parallels in how you think about teams and in sports and in business.
• 24:54
  And it's always just really interesting to me that you think about teams in the NFL or potentially in college football, that have got all the talent in the world, and it's just not clicking.
• 25:10
  Have you experienced that?
• 25:10
  I'm sure you've observed that.
• 25:12
  I'm not sure if you've experienced it because you've been a part of winning teams for a very long time.
• 25:16
  - Yes.
• 25:17
  - So, talk to me a little bit about, hey, the psychology of teams and the chemistry of teams, and how do you take talent and coaching and weld those two things together to produce greatness and great performance?
• 25:33
  - Actually, and John, I know exactly the route you're going down.
• 25:35
  I know exactly what you're talking about, man.
• 25:37
  And like you said, sometimes you can have loaded rosters and they just can't click.
• 25:41
  They just can't play together.
• 25:43
  There's too many personalities, there's too many people wanting the ball.
• 25:45
  I mean, I remember the...
• 25:47
  Well, it was like 2012 or 2013, the dream team with the Eagles.
• 25:51
  I mean, they had everyone on that roster.
• 25:52
  They were already predicting Super Bowl for them.
• 25:55
  I think they went like seven and nine last year and they missed the playoffs.
• 25:58
  There's really never been a super team or a dream team that's ever made the Super Bowl.
• 26:03
  And then this year, we have the Los Angeles Rams, and I even said, "I think this is gonna be the first super team to make it to the Super Bowl." And then you already saw what happened week one.
• 26:12
  - Already lost.
• 26:12
  - I mean, I'm not counting them out, but they got demolished.
• 26:14
  It's like, no, they should never be getting demolished like that.
• 26:17
  But it just shows everything is all about playing together.
• 26:22
  It doesn't matter how talented of a team that you have, it doesn't matter how many great players that you have, great coaching staff, it's all about playing together as a team and having one goal and one mission, and that's to win.
• 26:35
  And sports are very similar to the real world, I believe.
• 26:39
  I love, you know, people that have played sports throughout their career because they understand what teamwork is, because teamwork, I believe, is everything in life, even outside of sports as well.
• 26:52
  And I took everything that I've learned about being a team player and I applied it to my next, you know, chapter in my life as well.
• 27:00
  And when you do that and when you take what you learn from sports and you apply it to the next chapter as well, I feel the tendency of success always coming my way, and building the right, you know, program that I want to build for my future.
• 27:14
  And when you got everyone clicking together, that's what it's all about.
• 27:18
  And it's not just the players on the field.
• 27:20
  It's with the coaching staff.
• 27:20
  It's with the ownership.
• 27:23
  It's with everyone in the front office.
• 27:25
  And it's everyone on the same page, from the top to the bottom.
• 27:29
  It's the people in the training room as well.
• 27:32
  It's our cafeteria workers.
• 27:32
  Everyone's on the same page.
• 27:36
  Everyone respects each other in the organization.
• 27:38
  It doesn't matter what title you have either.
• 27:41
  And everyone knows their role, and they're doing their role to the T.
• 27:46
  I knew what my job was as an NFL player on the New England Patriots, and I knew when to step down, you know, like, if things are starting to heat up a little bit, and I knew when to step in into situations as well.
• 27:58
  And you figure that out as you go.
• 28:00
  And you got to be humble at the very beginning.
• 28:02
  You got to earn your respect from your peers and your coworkers and coaches.
• 28:07
  But the biggest thing is that I apply from football, sports, all the way to the next chapter of my life, is being a great teammate, you know?
• 28:17
  - That's what I see in business as well, being a great teammate.
• 28:19
  So, knowing your position, playing your position, helping people in their position if they need your help and want your help, but really playing your position and being supportive of the broader team.
• 28:31
  And then how do you, like, you and Tom Brady, I mean, you guys were the stars.
• 28:40
  How do you keep the guys, and I don't even know their names, the right tackles, the left guards, how do you keep them engaged when you guys are...
• 28:49
  You're in the spotlight.
• 28:50
  You got the whole star power, and you got these other guys that if you didn't have them, there is no team.
• 28:56
  You have to have those guys.
• 28:57
  - Yes.
• 28:57
  - How do you do that?
• 28:58
  - I mean, that one's easy.
• 28:59
  You just gotta bring a sandwich every day to the offensive lineman and then they're happy.
• 29:04
  You bring some spaghetti and meatballs.
• 29:05
  - Food.
• 29:06
  - Yeah, food, couple beers, they're happy.
• 29:08
  Those offensive linemen, they gotta keep the weight on.
• 29:10
  So, they love to eat and drink.
• 29:13
  But no, I mean, it's just personalities as well to...
• 29:17
  I see a general manager, a head coach, how they build their team.
• 29:23
  I mean, they're also interviewing us players, throughout our...
• 29:26
  You know, going into our rookie season, we have interviews.
• 29:29
  So it's all about having personalities as well.
• 29:32
  So like you said, you can have a super team, but everyone's personalities are clashing, no one wants to work together, boom, you're not gonna win, because a team with less talent that's playing together as a team, they can dominate you because they just know the game better because they're playing the game better together.
• 29:50
  - So, like, personalities clashing or personalities cooperating, the difference coaching?
• 29:57
  Is it just, is that it?
• 29:58
  Just the head coach, the coordinators, like, that's the magic of coaching?
• 30:05
  - Actually, that's a good point.
• 30:06
  That is majority of the magic of coaching, is getting everyone to clash together in a great way and not letting the personalities get in each other's way, because every locker room, there's 53 guys on a roster, there's 53 different personalities, I can tell you that.
• 30:21
  There's no doubt about that.
• 30:23
  There could be team guys, there could be a me guy, and you can still work them in if you have great coaching and you have a great culture.
• 30:30
  That's what it is too, a culture.
• 30:33
  And that's what Coach Belichick set in New England.
• 30:35
  He set a great culture in New England like,"Hey, it doesn't matter who you are.
• 30:40
  We're in this together.
• 30:41
  You may not have any catches in the game, but we're gonna win that game, and we don't want to hear about it from you because we won the game.
• 30:51
  That's what it's all about.
• 30:52
  It's not about your stats, it's about winning.
• 30:54
  But your time's gonna come as well." That was always stressed too like,"Hey, I know you're not shining right now, but we're gonna need you in the future." But it's all, I would say, yeah, the coaching, gaining the respect from the players for the coaching to be able to handle all the situations and personalities out there, and also the culture of the organization.
• 31:13
  That's huge, to be able to go in and just feel the atmosphere and know what you got to do.
• 31:20
  And in New England, there was definitely a culture of you better show up and you better perform.
• 31:25
  - Or pack your bags.
• 31:25
  - Yeah, or pack your bags, no doubt about it.
• 31:28
  And you better put the team first.
• 31:31
  And that's what it's all about.
• 31:32
  And that's how you form championships teams.
• 31:33
  And you could feel the culture was a little stiff sometimes in there too, but that's all right, that's all right, sometimes you need it if you want to have championship runs.
• 31:40
  - Did you feel that same dynamic when you went to Tampa Bay?
• 31:44
  - It was actually totally different.
• 31:45
  It was a total different dynamic.
• 31:48
  It was like being in the military in New England, and then it was like being at a country club in Tampa.
• 31:53
  But that's what I needed.
• 31:55
  I had the perfect career. I really did.
• 31:57
  The first nine years, I needed that type of structure in my life.
• 32:02
  I was a maniac, I was a kid.
• 32:02
  I was trying to go out, party.
• 32:06
  If I had a T-Mobile phone on me, by 4:00 AM, I would have no reception because
• 32:12
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: 00 AM.
• 32:15
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Put it that way. I'd be in the middle of nowhere.
• 32:17
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You thought I'd be in Dierks, Arkansas, put it that way.
• 32:20
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And some were even more remote.
• 32:22
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So I needed that type of structure when I was in New England.
• 32:26
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Then I was older, I wanted more relaxed. Tampa was so great.
• 32:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But the two things, though, that were very similar, every time you hit the practice field, you worked your tail off and you did everything that you could possibly do to be the best player and be the most ready you could be on Sundays.
• 32:42
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yeah. Has anybody else done what you and Tom Brady did?
• 32:46
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Went from New England, four time, multi...
• 32:51
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: How many Super Bowls did you have in New York?
• 32:52
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yeah, Tom is seven. He had six in New England.
• 32:55
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I had three with New England.
• 32:57
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then we went down to Tampa and then he got seven and I got my fourth.
• 33:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Exactly.
• 33:01
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I don't think that's ever happened between a tight end and a quarterback that's done that at the same time.
• 33:06
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - No, I mean, it's very difficult for a quarterback to just leave and win it, especially in their first year.
• 33:13
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, I think Peyton Manning did it in his first year with Denver.
• 33:16
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But that team was kind of already established.
• 33:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Tampa Bay was a program that hasn't been to the playoffs in 12 years.
• 33:22
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They were one of the laughing stocks.
• 33:25
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They were what the New York Jets have been over the last 10 years.
• 33:29
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then went down there.
• 33:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But no, I don't think it's really ever been done before, and that's what made that run so, so, so special.
• 33:37
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Like, it really did.
• 33:38
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But we did kind of low-key walk into a great situation.
• 33:41
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They were a pretty good football team.
• 33:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They just didn't know how to win.
• 33:45
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They were seven and nine, I think, the year before we got there, but they lost like, you know, five of the games by like three points or less.
• 33:52
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I'm not sure that that's statistically right on, but I know it was something like that.
• 33:56
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But, like, they had the players.
• 33:59
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They just didn't know how to win.
• 34:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then having Tom go down there, myself, I felt like it boosted up the program, but especially Tom going down there, you know, it took it to a whole nother level.
• 34:08
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - He instills a culture of winning, I'm guessing.
• 34:11
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yeah, exactly. He set the culture.
• 34:13
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And what he did, I feel like it was too relaxed.
• 34:18
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You know, I wasn't there, but I felt maybe too relaxed, like, the details didn't matter as much.
• 34:23
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: When he got there, he made sure he set the culture that every details matters.
• 34:28
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And Tom, he could do that.
• 34:29
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, the respect he has, you know, not just in New England, but throughout the whole league, that when he got to Tampa, boom, it was the Tom show.
• 34:36
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It was all about, hey, how is he practicing?
• 34:38
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: How is he preparing?
• 34:39
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that's how everyone else was lining in place as well.
• 34:42
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Can you have a great team without trust?
• 34:47
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - I don't think you can.
• 34:47
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: There's absolutely no chance.
• 34:49
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that's what it's all about as well, is the guys trusting you.
• 34:53
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Put it this way.
• 34:54
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I didn't play my rookie year because the coaching staff and my teammates didn't trust me.
• 34:59
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I was going in the office like,"Hey, Billy O," who is our offensive corner, like, "Yo, I need more catches." He's like, "Yo, you need to play more, but we can't play you because you don't know the plays.
• 35:07
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: We don't trust that you're gonna do the right thing out on the football field." I didn't play-- Wow.
• 35:11
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - I had 20 plays my rookie year that were designed for me to go out there and go out and perform, because they knew I knew those 20 plays.
• 35:21
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They were basic.
• 35:23
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, I never had a playbook like I had in New England.
• 35:27
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Like, it was shocking to me. I couldn't pick it up.
• 35:29
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then all of a sudden, week 10, just everything clicked.
• 35:32
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: The whole playbook clicked.
• 35:33
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Every assignment I was doing in practice, I was doing it right, and they were like,"All right, we trust in you.
• 35:38
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: We're gonna start you this game and we're gonna keep you out there the whole game." Absolutely dominated.
• 35:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Went out there, performed, had a touchdown where they told me it was gonna come to me on this play on third down in the red zone, had a touchdown versus the Bears, versus Brian Urlacher, and boom, I played every single play from there on out throughout my career because they finally trusted in me that I knew what I was doing.
• 35:59
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They said, "Hey, we can't have you make a great play, and then the next play, the offensive lineman is expecting help from you in the blocking game, and you're over there blocking a guy out in the secondary, the wrong guy.
• 36:10
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That just ruins everything." So, trust is key.
• 36:12
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You can't play until you have the trust of your peers or you have the trust of your teammate, and they have the trust in you as well.
• 36:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: No matter how much talent you have, that's why sometimes you don't see these rookies play.
• 36:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That's why a rookie quarterback, I think Fernando Mendoza, for example, they're gonna gain.
• 36:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They trust in him already to be a great quarterback, I would say, but they don't trust in him that he could run a complete offense yet.
• 36:38
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, I bet you he can get the job done and put product out on the field, but they want to be able to trust in him to where he knows that playbook inside and out and knows what to do in every situation so they know what they're getting out of him.
• 36:51
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - And then once you get this trust of the organization, I'm guessing as a player, you're gonna do everything you can to not have people second guess the decision to put the trust in you.
• 37:02
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Exactly, imagine being a coach and calling a play and just second guessing for the whole 20 seconds before the play.
• 37:09
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: What's the fun in that?
• 37:10
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: The greatest thing in a coach, I've never been a coach, but I bet you one of the greatest thing is, "I'm gonna call this play.
• 37:17
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I know what my guy's gonna do. I trust him so much.
• 37:20
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I'm gonna just sit back. I'm gonna relax.
• 37:22
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I'm gonna smile when the ball's up in the air because I know this is gonna be a touchdown, or I know this is gonna be a first down." That's the type of trust that you want to have within the organization, there's no doubt.
• 37:32
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And to have that credit, it takes a while.
• 37:35
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It takes a lot of hard work.
• 37:36
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And it's not just about doing something great one time.
• 37:40
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: This is how you gain the trust in your teammates.
• 37:42
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's about doing it great and doing it at a high level on a consistent basis every single day.
• 37:49
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I remember Coach Belichick, you had a great play, you had a great catch, and then he would show it.
• 37:55
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It would be in filming, and then he'd be like,"All right, well, let's see if you can do it again tomorrow." You know, this is training camp.
• 38:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then you do it again and he shows,"All right, let's see if you can do it again on the fourth day.
• 38:05
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: All right, let's see if you can do it again in another week." And then that's how you truly gain the trust within a football organization, is showing that you're consistent on a weekly basis.
• 38:15
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So then when you hit it on Sundays, it's just a natural process, you know?
• 38:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It really is.
• 38:20
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: (upbeat music)- I want to talk beyond your NFL career in just a few moments, 'cause you're doing all kinds of things, but I'm kind of curious, have you ever thought about going into coaching?
• 38:33
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - I never have.
• 38:34
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I think the coaching life is kind of a little crazy.
• 38:39
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's a little outrageous.
• 38:40
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, NFL coaches, they're there at 6:00 AM in the morning, sometimes sleeping over at the facility, and they don't get out until about 9:00 PM.
• 38:47
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You gotta be born, you gotta be designed for that type of life.
• 38:52
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I'm kind of not.
• 38:52
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I kind of like going hard for like four or five hours a day and then going home and relaxing.
• 38:58
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, that coaching style life, I don't really see that for me.
• 39:03
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But I mean, I could see myself, if I have kids one day, coaching their football leagues, like flag football, or coaching at their level, like high school or something, because it's like, you know, three, four hours a day, and then you get to go home.
• 39:15
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, no, I don't see myself dedicating my whole 12-hour days for six months straight.
• 39:21
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, that's a little bit too much.
• 39:23
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But like I said, coaches are born for that in the NFL.
• 39:26
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That's just their personality.
• 39:27
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You got to have that in order to be a coach.
• 39:29
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - When you look at some of these guys, I mean, Andy Reid, how many years has he been an NFL coach between Kansas City and Philadelphia?
• 39:37
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I think it's been...
• 39:38
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: What's it been, like, he's pushing 30 years, I think.
• 39:42
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: As an NFL coach, as a head coach for the NFL, it's unbelievable the grind that you have to put into these jobs.
• 39:48
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yes, he's amazing.
• 39:48
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Mike Tomlin just came out of being the coach for the Steelers for, gosh, I don't know how long.
• 39:55
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, I think I saw a stat yesterday, or maybe it was on Sunday, that the Steelers have only had four coaches since 1969 or something like that.
• 40:03
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, just these guys that spend so many years putting in the grind of coaching, it really is unbelievable.
• 40:12
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - It really is. And I bet you Mike Tomlin's sitting back.
• 40:15
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You know, he's on NBC now,"Sunday Night Football." He's probably sitting back like, "Oh my gosh, I get to show up to work once a week now and I get to just watch games throughout the week and I just show up.
• 40:25
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I get paid now just to talk a little football, just talk what's going on.
• 40:28
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And if I'm wrong this time, it doesn't even matter, as long as I sounded good."- Exactly.
• 40:31
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - So he's probably like,"This is a hell of a job." But it was also earned.
• 40:35
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yeah, totally.
• 40:35
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - That was also earned.
• 40:36
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Unbelievable.
• 40:36
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - To get that job for him, also earned.
• 40:40
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And he gained the respect throughout the whole league, and that's why he's there now.
• 40:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But he's probably sitting back like, "This is great." But there's some coaches, like I said, they're just born different, where they're like,"This isn't enough for me.
• 40:51
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I need to be around football all day." It's just naturally who they are.
• 40:55
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Is there one more intense than another that comes to your mind?
• 40:57
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Football coaches? Oh, yeah.
• 40:59
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, there's variations of a lot of coaches.
• 41:01
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: The most intense coaches are never head coaches.
• 41:03
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Oh, really?
• 41:03
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - No, there's always like a offensive coordinator, assistant coach, or a persistent coach.
• 41:08
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - That's just crazy.
• 41:09
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - They just have every screw loose.
• 41:11
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They were probably an ex-player.
• 41:13
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They're running through a wall every single day.
• 41:15
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They never need to be a head coach because they're just shot out of a cannon every single day.
• 41:20
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And they're probably, they're just assistant coaches for 40 years in the NFL, and they just love what they do, and they love getting after it.
• 41:27
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And as a player, you love those coaches as well, because they bring that passion out of you.
• 41:33
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They bring that juice out of you.
• 41:34
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, having a great coach is a lot, it has a lot to do with a skilled player or a positional player having success, because if you're showing up football, you can be beat down.
• 41:47
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: If you have someone to get you over that beat down to bring your spirit up, like, to bring your mental game up, that's a huge advantage to have, to have a great coach like that, that brings the juice every day for you and you could feed off of his juice.
• 42:01
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Wow. Right on.
• 42:04
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Post your playing career, you've done a number of things.
• 42:07
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're doing TV, you're doing podcasts, businesses, partnerships, you're doing a lot.
• 42:12
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: How did you decide to get into all these things, and how do you decide what's, like, you?
• 42:18
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Because I'm sure there's endless options, but you have to decide what's gonna work for you and what's gonna be authentic for you.
• 42:23
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: How does that work in your mind?
• 42:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yeah, well, definitely you had to play it out throughout your career too.
• 42:27
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I did some things early on where I'm like,"Ah, I didn't like doing that," you know?
• 42:32
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: "Oh, that one didn't fit." Like, "Oh, that was stupid.
• 42:34
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That was never gonna work.
• 42:35
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That campaign for me, I mean, I just did it because I was getting paid and I had to show up and do it," and I was like, "I didn't like doing that at all." Or, "That product, I was just doing it because they wrote me a check, and so I went and represented that product, but really, I don't even use that product.
• 42:53
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I didn't even want to be a part of it.
• 42:54
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I didn't like the people at all that were a part of that product too." But I was just doing it because I was young and I was thirsty for the check.
• 43:04
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that will run out eventually.
• 43:04
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That's what I figured out.
• 43:06
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I'm like, "Hey, if I want to be in this long term, I gotta pick and choose who I deal with, what represents me, how I represent these companies as well." And I love to just work with companies, like I said, great people around that I love to work with, great product, and just love their mission statements.
• 43:23
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And this T-Mobile campaign couldn't have fit me any better in my life as well.
• 43:29
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Just this Friday night 5G Lights campaign.
• 43:31
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I played football Friday night throughout my high school career.
• 43:35
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Loved every moment.
• 43:36
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I already talked about some of the memories I had that I'll have for a lifetime because of it.
• 43:41
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And just giving back to these communities as well.
• 43:44
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Like I said, started a foundation to give back to the communities, to give back to the kids.
• 43:47
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, that couldn't have represented me any better.
• 43:50
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that's how I want to represent companies and that's what keeps you around long-term as well.
• 43:54
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Is there another sport that's more popular than football?
• 43:57
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, there's a lot of popular sports, but, like, in this country.
• 44:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - In this country, no, football is king.
• 44:02
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Football is king in this country. It always will be.
• 44:05
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's the best. I mean, it's modern day gladiators.
• 44:08
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Totally.
• 44:08
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - That what we are.
• 44:10
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that's why I'm glad I got out clean, man.
• 44:12
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I got out clean. So, I'm a clean slate.
• 44:14
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, I do deal with my bumps and bruises, but being modern day gladiators, that's why America loves it, because you don't get to see another sport where people are just trying to tear each other's heads off of each other every single play.
• 44:27
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that's what's so great about it.
• 44:28
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - It really is amazing when you think about it.
• 44:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're just like, all right, you're just watching the TV screen, everybody's lined up to basically tear their heads off.
• 44:36
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, it's just, yeah, it's crazy.
• 44:38
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Do you think about your legacy and your contribution to the game?
• 44:41
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And did you think about it years ago?
• 44:45
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And if you did, do you think about it differently today in terms of how you want to be remembered and how you're contributing to the game, not only as a player, but everything you're doing today for the game?
• 44:57
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - When you're in it, you're in it.
• 44:59
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You just want to be the best you can be at that moment.
• 45:02
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: If you're thinking about your legacy, you're thinking about, you know, how am I gonna be remembered after my football career?
• 45:10
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're kind of out of it then.
• 45:12
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're kind of not being your best self.
• 45:14
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: To be your best self, because it's such a grind, you got to get ready for your opponent next week.
• 45:17
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You don't have time to really think about the future.
• 45:20
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I would've never said or guessed in a million years while I was playing, "Hey, I'm gonna be an analyst on Fox after my football career." I had absolutely no clue I was gonna be doing that until the offers came to me after I was done with football and I was like, "You want me to be an analyst?
• 45:35
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You want me to talk football?" I didn't even understand the job, really, at first, when it was brought to me, because I didn't even think about it at all.
• 45:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I didn't even forecast that far into my future.
• 45:46
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But now looking at it now, totally different, like, totally different.
• 45:51
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Seeing the legacy that, you know, I put on the game of football with just how I played the game of football, just my little bit.
• 45:57
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, there's so many people that have made this history and made the game of football of what it is, and just to be, you know, a small percentage of it, you know, is special.
• 46:08
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And to be remembered as the guy, you know, who went out there and played the game of football the way that needed to be played, and played with passion every single play.
• 46:17
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And I know that, you know, there's definitely some legacy out there of being known like that, because if I go out of country and I run into people that aren't even, like, really football fans, they just call me that football player.
• 46:31
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They're like, "You're the football player." They're like, "You run people over. You break tackles." And I'm like, "Yeah, you're definitely not a true football fan." They're like, "We just see highlights. You run people over." And they're just showing me respect in that way.
• 46:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, just to have that type of legacy impact on how the game of football should be played-- Wow.
• 46:48
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Is definitely an honor, man.
• 46:50
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Big time.
• 46:50
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Wow.
• 46:51
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's hard, this Fox analyst, you know, my guess is it's hard to grab a microphone and stare in that camera and be good at that.
• 47:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're awesome at that.
• 47:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But that takes work, right?
• 47:03
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - It takes a lot of work.
• 47:04
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And you want to know what makes it harder, is being around the best guys in the league that are the best at it.
• 47:11
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, Michael Strahan's not just the best at it on the football side, he's the best at it in anything in the world.
• 47:16
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Journalism, right.
• 47:18
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Journalism. He's a true journalist.
• 47:20
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: The way that he can ask questions to anyone, any CEO in the world, any president in the world, any sports athlete in the world, it's unbelievable.
• 47:28
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And I'm sitting next to him, and sometimes he just speaks, I'm like, "Dang." The way that he can speak is pretty phenomenal, that, like, I get nervous sometimes because I'm like,"Dang, I'm not that good." But then you got to remember, I'm a whole different person.
• 47:40
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I'm a whole different teammate.
• 47:41
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: More personalities have to clash.
• 47:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They have to bounce off each other.
• 47:44
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that's what I started learning. Don't be intimidated.
• 47:47
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, they've been there forever as well.
• 47:50
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They started the show.
• 47:52
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yeah, like 25 years ago or something.
• 47:53
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - 32 years ago.
• 47:53
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - 32 years ago, wow.
• 47:54
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - 32 years. So I'm intimidated.
• 47:56
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Like, how am I supposed to be this good?
• 48:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Am I doing a fine job?
• 48:01
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Because they started this show, so they probably want me to make sure that I'm on the same culturally, culture-wise, that I'm still doing what they kind of want me to do to continue this success.
• 48:12
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So it was very nerve-wracking at first, for sure.
• 48:15
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - And you succeeded Jimmy Johnson.
• 48:17
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yes, exactly. Like, an absolute legend there.
• 48:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: A guy that can speak well, he can coach well.
• 48:22
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: He knows the game of football like no other.
• 48:25
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But to also be around him though, you learn so much.
• 48:29
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And also, they're such great teammates.
• 48:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They help me out so much.
• 48:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They pick up my slack.
• 48:33
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They want me to do good.
• 48:34
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They help me out with whatever I need help with.
• 48:36
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: If I have a question, if it's my turn to go, they make sure it's my turn to go.
• 48:41
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And I just learned so much from them.
• 48:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They're the four best crew, the three guys, and then Curt Menefee as well.
• 48:48
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's the best crew to be around in terms of just being a great person, but also being great at what they do in the journalism world.
• 48:56
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - It's incredible. I mean, it's a staple of my life.
• 48:58
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, to your point, like 30 something years, it's a staple of my life when you think about as an adult, I've been watching basically the same guys, minus Jimmy now, with you, for my entire adult life.
• 49:10
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Every Sunday during football season, you're watching these guys on "Fox NFL Sunday." It's incredible.
• 49:16
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yes, it is really incredible.
• 49:16
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's still mind-blowing.
• 49:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: 33 years ago they started. Yeah.
• 49:22
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, and Terry Bradshaw, and they're still going to this day.
• 49:27
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, they're gonna go down...
• 49:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, all Hall of Famers too. Are you kidding me?
• 49:33
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That's what makes it even more...
• 49:34
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They're not just Hall of Famer football players, they're Hall of Famer post-careers too.
• 49:37
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Absolutely, right. Absolutely.
• 49:39
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It was amazing to see these guys do this or John Madden do it.
• 49:42
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, it's just incredible.
• 49:44
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: (upbeat music) Maybe the last question or two.
• 49:50
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: How do you see technology changing the game?
• 49:56
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Is it the same game from like 25 years ago, or...
• 49:59
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Now the game's different because of technology's influence on the game and how people are playing the game and getting better at the game and perfecting their craft.
• 50:07
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Well, what's great about sports is that once the whistle's blown in between the lines, technology doesn't matter.
• 50:13
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's all about how good you are as a player, how prepared, how talented you are, who's the better team?
• 50:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That's what makes sports so great too, because sometimes technology in this world, you can get caught up in it a little bit, and boom.
• 50:26
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Then you can get away from it from watching a sporting event or playing a sport.
• 50:30
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But in terms of preparing, technology has absolutely changed the game in that aspect.
• 50:37
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It's not gonna change once the whistle's blown and once you're actually competing, but it can change how you prepare.
• 50:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It can change how you train.
• 50:46
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And it makes it a lot easier as well.
• 50:48
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: For example, you can go on social media platforms and you can type in, "How to train for soccer," and then, boom, there's probably a million videos that pop up right there on the spot, and you're just a kid, you're 15 years old, you want to know where to start, and boom, oh, here you go, there's probably 50 million, or not like 50 million, probably like couple thousand videos on what drills to perform to be a soccer player, to start learning how to get the footwork down, how to pass a soccer ball, how to kick a soccer ball properly.
• 51:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You could find that so easy now.
• 51:21
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Before, you would have to get coached.
• 51:23
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You would have to go to practice.
• 51:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Your parents back in the day would have to drive you up to the school for practice that was announced, this is when there's gonna be a coach up there to learn.
• 51:31
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Anyone can learn at any time now the skill sets and how to play these games and how to build up your skill level by just going on social media and typing in drills, and then performing those drills right in your backyard.
• 51:44
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: The access to being a better player is right there, right in front of your face.
• 51:48
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then also, schemes as well.
• 51:50
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Technology can break down a defense like that.
• 51:53
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It can break down the film work so much faster these days from when I first started playing football.
• 52:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You see it on the sidelines.
• 52:01
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Back in your day, no one had an iPad, looking at the defense and what they did, how they blitz schematically-wise.
• 52:09
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Now, you get to the sideline, the defense is out on the field, offense is on the sidelines, you're breaking down film of the blitz that the opponents brought.
• 52:17
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're breaking down how they covered you.
• 52:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're breaking down how you can get around them, who to block, right there on the spot, and that's because of technology.
• 52:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So it has implemented change as in you can prepare at the highest level so much quicker and be on top of your game.
• 52:31
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - It's gonna be fascinating just to see how the technology changes over the next five years, because our belief here is that you'll see more technology over the next five years, and the evolution of technology over the next five years, than you have the last 25 years.
• 52:46
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And this pace of technology and everything that's happening around AI is just changing so dramatically, and it's gonna be fascinating to see what it does to the sport.
• 52:57
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: All right, last question.
• 52:58
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, four teams that will be vying for the Super Bowl this year.
• 53:03
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - My pick this year was Los Angeles Rams, a super team that was not super in week one versus the Baltimore Ravens, who I said was gonna be a revamped offense and they're gonna finally perform to the level that they were gonna perform at.
• 53:15
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, one side looks great and one side doesn't look so great.
• 53:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And that's what makes football so special, because your predictions are never right.
• 53:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, when they are right, you actually feel so good about yourself, because it's hard to make the right predictions in the game of football because you never know what's gonna happen.
• 53:32
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: But also, I have the Rams winning, but as of week one, so far, it looks like the Baltimore Ravens would absolutely smack the Rams.
• 53:38
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then I got the other two teams, I would say, I got the Buffalo Bills.
• 53:43
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They're definitely up there.
• 53:44
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I would say they're top four, especially after that win going into Houston versus Houston defense.
• 53:49
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - And Josh Allen, it's gotta be this year, right?
• 53:51
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean... (groans)- It's gotta be this year. I'm from Buffalo.
• 53:55
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Yeah, but I mean, I wasn't a fan playing against him though.
• 54:00
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I like whooping on him.
• 54:01
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And then another team from the NFC, I mean, San Fran or Seattle again.
• 54:07
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I mean, those teams, phenomenal, man.
• 54:10
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Also, you can't count out the Chiefs.
• 54:11
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: That Kenneth Walker guy that they got from the Super Bowl winning team, Seattle Seahawks, it looks like he just boosted that team to a whole nother level.
• 54:19
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: They boosted the Chiefs to where the Chiefs can be the Chiefs again, Kenneth Walker, out of that backfield.
• 54:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Unbelievable.
• 54:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Big time.
• 54:26
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Gronk, we can't thank you enough.
• 54:27
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're like one of the best players that's ever played the game, you're incredible in your post-playing career, and we couldn't have a better spokesperson and representative of Friday Night 5G Lights.
• 54:39
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: You're awesome. We can't thank you enough.
• 54:42
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And just thanks for stopping by here in Seattle and just chatting with us today.
• 54:45
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Yeah, thank you to you guys here at T-Mobile, and thanks for putting this wonderful campaign together as well, Friday Night 5G Lights.
• 54:50
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: It just aligns so perfectly with my life, and I love giving back to the kids, because like I said, I had a wonderful...
• 54:56
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I had the best childhood growing up.
• 54:58
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: I had access to everything, and I want to give the chances to all the kids out there in this world, the same access that I had.
• 55:05
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: And being part of this Friday Night 5G Lights campaign helps gives these kids the same type of life that I had growing up, and the same chances that I had to have the same memories for the rest of their life.
• 55:18
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: So, thank you guys for having me be the face of it and part of it.
• 55:20
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Oh, you're very welcome. All our pleasure.
• 55:22
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: Thanks, Gronk, appreciate it.
• 55:22
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: - Thank you.
• 55:24
  who knows where I was gonna be at 4: (upbeat music)