Latest / FOURTH & BONILLA / Ep. 27 - Former Don Bosco, Tennessee Vol, and New York Jet - Matt Simms
Transcript
- speaker-0: Woo! speaker-1: Welcome back to Fourth and Bonilla Podcast What up folks? Yes sir. We're here with another fantastic guest. Can't wait. Jersey legend. Dude, let's welcome Matt Simms to the podcast. No man. How we doing? How we doing? How we living man how's everything? speaker-2: Everything's good. All good. All good. speaker-1: first let's start off with the trades 'cause I'm really excited to hear like your your feedback on it. What do you think about the Rams future? Are they just going all in at this point? Or like w what's the mindset there? 'Cause it seems like the GM it just has a very different approach than anyone else in the league. speaker-2: Dude, it's I I totally agree. I think that they are they're not afraid. That's what I love. That's the first thing that I notice, just like with the type of moves that they make. They are not afraid of people's opinions and what experts say. They trust and what they see and what they believe. And that's why to me they're one of the more entertaining teams in the NFL right now. And that's why like every move they make, I wanna learn more about what it is that they're doing. I mean, first of all, it started with Trent McDuffie. Right, getting him into the house and just him being probably one of the most underappreciated nickel back/ secondary players in all the NFL. And and of course, rightfully so, he played with Patrick Mahomes there in Kansas City, so he constantly gets looked over. Now with them getting Miles Garrett, first of all, trading Jared Verse, who is a very good, young, promising football player that has a ton of talent. But then again, you're trading a young, talented player that has a high ceiling for a guy that literally is generational. And For them to be able to trade for him, to give up next year's first, the following year's second, and then the the year after that in 2029, I believe a third round pick for that. I mean, dude, that is just like, you know, hey, how you feel about that Ty Simpson pick at thirteen now? Like who cares? Right? 'Cause no thirteenth pick at that position is gonna have an impact like Miles Garrett's gonna have. So for me, they clearly had a plan. that was a little deeper rooted than people give them credit for. They clearly pick Ty Simpson, knowing that, hey, with our schedule, which is one of the tougher ones in the league, we got a really capable, talented young football player to go with our other star franchise quarterback, who is still like peaking, it seems like. And and now you got one of the best defensive players in our generation on the edge right there. And just so you guys know too, like when you start to add players like Miles Garrett, Coaching staffs literally will spend hours just figuring out ways to format play design formations, protection schemes. Okay, hey, this is a great play concept. Okay, what are we gonna do about about Miles Garrett? You know what? We're gonna change this play now because we gotta put this guy and this guy here to make sure that we're chipping and then do so. That's like the stuff where you're just creating more of a distraction. Right, which then allows the rest of the guys on their team, like Braden Fiske, who's a phenomenal football player. of course, Kobie Turner is talented as hell and a young guy too, as well. That's really up and coming. Nate Landman, right, at the middle linebacker position, phenomenal. Kamren Kinchens at the safety position. So man, they are absolutely loaded on both sides of the football now with their star quarterback. So you got the the best offensive player from a year ago. The best defensive player from a year ago. I thought Miles Garrett should have been the MVP last year. speaker-1: Same. speaker-2: They got two MVPs on their football team. That's the way that I see it. speaker-1: And then after seeing the McAfee Show I'm wondering if, you know, Aaron Darnold's gonna make a show after this. I saw that he was thinking about it. If he does, I mean, genuinely, do you think that that's even a possibility? Like, he has to be thinking about it. speaker-2: Honestly, I like I at this point I wouldn't put it past him because of just like how intentional he is with staying in shape and staying locked in. And and honestly, you know, at this this point in his career, if he did run it back or run it forward, right, as Mike McDonald says for the Seattle Seahawks, yeah, like if you can get twelve, fifteen really good snaps out of him, with Miles Garrett on the field, with Brayden Fisk and all like, yeah, hey, why not? You know, I I can see it happening for sure. speaker-1: And and one quick question on the Miles Garrett, when you get a talent like that, because you kind of alluded to it, but like how does that lift up a locker room when you're there? Because it's you know, you're obviously around the top talent in the league, right? But like when he walks through the room, he's clearly drawing attention to himself. And right you're you're seeing that and you want to be able to like, you know, obviously match his level of of of progress in the league and his, you know, everything that he's accomplished. just your thoughts on that. Like I I'm sure you've been in plenty of locker rooms where you just see a guy and you're like, All right, it's time. Like I really need to show up. speaker-2: I mean, first of when dude walks into the room, you're gonna be like, is that Miles Garrett or is that the WBC like heavyweight world champion of the world? You know, like that's what I and to me, like that's what I tell people all the time, like the reason why boxing isn't a great product right now is because every great boxer is playing defensive end or D tackle or like linebacker in the NFL right now. So like when Miles Garrett walks in, it's gonna be like Apollo Creed walking into the room. It's gonna be like, Wow, like he's that dude. You know, and man, he walks the walk, he talks the talk, and he he's great against the run, he's great against the pass, he gives great effort. I mean, dude, when you are that committed to your craft and you're playing like that in Cleveland, when you know there's nothing to really play for halfway through the season, that just tells you that the dude is a pro beyond what what the measure of a pro means. And now when he's got a a room full of cats around him where like, hey, we can win it all, man, that just means that like this guy is gonna just go even that much deeper into the tank to give everything that he's got for this crew. speaker-1: Yeah. I'm I'm super excited about it. And like you don't know how many more years about like Stafford's gonna have too, right? It's like obviously he's playing incredible still, but that that sometimes just makes a turn and and could take a turn at any point. So I I hope they do it. I I I'm having seen a lot of promise in them, so we'll see, you know, where it goes from there. okay, quickly the other two and then we'll get into, you know, the full Simms story that I really want to hear. So AJ Brown to the Pats, yeah. Thoughts there. speaker-2: Thoughts there. when we start hearing rumors in the NFL circle, like, dude, just start just start listening to them a little bit more because of course, like this was something that we kind of felt was was brewing for a long time. And of course, a lot of the experts are, you know, who have inside information, you know, are kind of like manipulating the media a little bit. But dude, he wanted out. It was a fact. It we can go back to like when they won the Super Bowl and he's reading a book on the sideline. That was just like the beginning of his exit phase, right? So, and the truth is too is that like, hey, whatever was going on, there is definitely something between AJ Brown, the offense, Jalen Hurts, the style of play, all that. Like, you know, Jalen Hurts is a really good quarterback, and Jalen and AJ Brown was still upset that he wasn't a good enough quarterback to get him the football more, or his style didn't match what he wants to see from the quarterback position. So two things can be true. Two things can be half true and half false. It worked well, but hey, it also just didn't work well enough either to keep him happy. So in the end, the Eagles get what they need, the Patriots get what they need, and man, the Patriots skill group is really all of a sudden one of the more formidable groups across the board, too, because like Eli Raridon out of Notre Dame, super talented young football player that went underappreciated because who the hell throws the tight ends in college football? other than Brock Bowers at Georgia. But like he's phenomenal. Hunter Henry, Kayshon Boutte had a great year. they they are really set up, right, to to do some special things up there in New England. speaker-1: man. It's just so exciting. I mean exciting to a certain point. I'm a Jets fan and you know, through and through, so when I see the Pats get another weapon I'm not happy about it. speaker-2: Yeah, I mean it was a good it was a good off season for the Jets and still they're speaker-1: I can't wait to get to the Jets. Like I really want to understand like your your feeling on that, honestly. Like 'cause obviously you've been in the locker room, so you so you know. All right, last one, Giants, OBJ and Juju. What you think? on that whole thing. And then Berrios I guess, too. I love Berrios He was yeah, good guy in the Jets as well in Miami. He's got a good career. speaker-2: Yeah, I think really the Giants were kind of like, all right, now we have Darius Slayton, who's done a great job for us, right? We got Isaiah Light. speaker-1: Injury prone a speaker-2: A little everybody in the NFL is injury prone, right? You got guys like him, and now I think the biggest thing was is that like what is who are gonna be some guys that we can really depend on on in an everyday, every down basis while Malik Nabers is kind of getting his feet underneath him. And I think ultimately Shane Harbaugh made the choice of like, yeah, hey, Berrios, Juju, and OBJ might have lost a step in their career, but like, we don't give a damn. We need guys that can make contested catches, that can play tough for us, that can find the soft spot and zones, make these big time catches for our young quarterback, and also for our young quarterback to hear from an OBJ who's literally been through it all, right? from a Braxton Berrios guy who was like, kind of came into the league and like found his own way and made his own path, right, as far as being useful on teams. Juju just being one of those guys that like he's got nine lives, man. Like no matter what you really do this guy, right? So like that's where I think the mixture of the coaching staff, veteran players, you know, it's great for the team overall. And now you really gotta think, okay, all the guys that are in question to that group, the Jalin Hyatt's of the world and all that and that receiver group, Beaux Collins It yo, the hey, the clock has started. Like, I'm just letting you know. As soon as they sign those three vets, just know that like the trust tree is a real thing, and it's gonna be very difficult to persuade the team to keep you over guys that they have seen as a known commodity for a long time. speaker-1: Right. Yeah, I I feel like they have a loaded locker room, but that can bring positives and negatives, right? Like we've we've seen it all, but I feel like OBJ has kind of graduated past that. I I think we'll we'll see. He's definitely right. He definitely It seems like okay, good. That's that's what I'm thinking too. So I think he'll bring his veteran presence between those three guys. They're looking good shape, man. They they their roster's stacked. speaker-2: And like think about it this way too, like AJ Brown, right, Stefan Diggs, like, you know, OBJ, as these guys kind of get later into their career, you see that shift from like kind of the diva receiver mentality to Like the yeah, I am all about the team and I I will do these things, right? And like be up front and part of it. And listen, it's because why? You you don't want the music to stop, right? So it's gonna stop at some point whether you like it or not. The question is, are you gonna kinda adapt and start playing like the long game right to your career? speaker-1: Right, right. No, and it seems like yeah, you're right, he's adjusting to that a little. Go ahead, Pete. Yeah. No, I was gonna say he has Vrabel and and hopefully he'll be able to bring him down to earth a little bit there too. But dude, let's Dial it back, there's no it's no secret that you come from a football household. you have your dad, two time Super Bowl champ, Phil Simms for the New York Giants, and then Chris Sims, your brother, former NFL quarterback. For you, like what was like growing up in that household. and then were there any other sports that you liked outside of football? speaker-2: Yeah, yeah. I I played the big three growing up, basketball, baseball, football. for me, really didn't give a damn about football until like eighth grade. I enjoyed playing it but was never like, yeah, this is what I'm gonna do. growing up in that type of household, definitely strange. Like I thought being a professional football player was like a normal job until I was like nineteen or twenty. so that was strange. And then like ultimately, yeah, like my childhood, no doubt I had a silver spoon in my mouth and had some great opportunities, but also had like, you know, slightly like strange targets on me too at a young age where it was kind of like, Why is this grown adult talking shit to me about like the giants stink and like the cowboys are the best? Like what? Like, you know, so there was a lot of those random things like in sixth seventh and eighth grade, you know, where it's just like, why is everyone so confrontational about you know, who I am and all that. But, you know, with the pros, you know, came some of the cons as well. but, you know, ultimately it came down to like my father's a great man, he's a great father, and he's a humble person. And I was fortunate enough to be raised in a household where where a gentleman like that understood the weight that his name carried and never persuaded or pushed me in any direction athletically. and really just said, Hey, whenever you commit to whatever it is that you want to do, just do your best, right? Have a great attitude, bring enthusiasm and energy to it, make an impact, be valuable, right? Improve the situation. And, you know, that's stuff that now to this day, you know, I'm passing down to to my children as well. So my father I think was was very wise beyond his years, considering that he was just like a young kid from Kentucky that got drafted in the first round at seventy nine and was fortunate enough to really hang in there and be tough and do some awesome things at Giant Stadium. speaker-1: obviously his values, his principles are instrumental in the way you grew up and and yeah, you're right. Like because of that last name that you had on your jersey, you definitely had to deal with adversity as well in terms of your expectations. so speaker-2: No doubt. speaker-1: I'm dude, I'm I'm thinking like at so you weren't even I I could have sworn you would have been like, I'm gonna be an NFL player, like that's just what I'm gonna do. And it didn't seem like that was the default for you. But at what point do you go from like, all right I'm just playing these three sports to okay, I'm kinda good at football, to I'm gonna go to Don Bosco. Like what made you choose Don Bosco? speaker-2: Yeah, great question, Pete. I think for me, so I quit football my seventh grade year because I was just not having fun and I was like, F this, I'm out of here. And started playing baseball and played a lot of baseball, played so much baseball that I was like, okay, now I'm worn out from playing too much of this. and then went back my eighth grade year, just kind of like rejuvenated, refreshed, and essentially went to my father on an evening, in our our old home where I grew up in. And I just I remember too, he was on he was on this green couch, right? And he was hanging out. And I'm like, you know, Dad, like I I really wanna like get better at football. Like I really wanna do this. I wanna get better. I want to improve. I wanna play well for my eighth grade year. And he says, All right, sure. He goes, no problem. He goes, now this is the this is the deal. He goes, I'm never gonna ask you to do anything. He goes, if you wanna work, you wanna throw, you wanna do this, you wanna train, he goes, you gotta tell me when you wanna do it. So right then and there, he kind of put everything on me as far as like if I want to get better at this, I gotta own it. I gotta commit to it. And that was like the first time that I really made like a conscious choice and decision that way of like, this is what I want to do, and I'm gonna go and I'm gonna attack it. And that's where really for me and my father, we really started developing a another type of relationship that is is deeper than just like. father son, you know. so it kinda shifted a little bit in that way. and it was really cool. It was really awesome. And he was extremely patient. And yeah, I think what ultimately then led to me going to a Don Bosco was me being successful in my eighth grade year, having a great season and really then starting to realize, okay, like I really, you know, found football again. Like I really love it. I'm enjoying this whole thing. And that's where I was introduced to phenomenal coaches like Coach Gibbs there at Ramapo, who, you know, at first I really did not want to go to Ramapo at all just because I was not a huge fan of a lot of the kids that were in Wyckoff, New Jersey as I was growing up at that time. Frank Lakes and Wyckoff, New Jersey are the two towns that go to Ramapo High School. And like I'll just keep it real, like I just did not like them at all. And I couldn't see myself going to school with them for another four years because I just really didn't click. a lot of that I think was like their own insecurities too as far as who I was as a person and all that. So it wasn't like it would have been better if I actually went to Rampo. It like that was just my own mind kind of creating these hurdles for me. but lo and behold, I had the opportunity to work out for Nunzio Campanelli and for Coach Greg Toal speaker-1: Legend. speaker-2: And I heard them talk and I was like, I really like these guys. later that year The Crusade comes out, which is produced and edited by Mike Quick, who is a dear friend of mine, and someone that also reappeared in my life later on in my career and is like a huge mentor to me now. he did a documentary called The Crusade that was about Bergen Catholic. and this was solely about Joe Sandberg and his career and kind of the fact that he was like a an underappreciated great player. In the state of New Jersey, that for whatever reason didn't have offers, right? Even though he was the best player on their football team. And I watched this show and it's phenomenally done. And if you've never seen it, like please go check it out. The Crusade, it aired on MSG. Mike Quick was absolutely like ahead of his time as far as like a in-seam documentary, hard knock style type of thing. But the cool thing was is that the antagonist of the story. was Greg Toal and Brian Toal. And every time they showed Bosco, I was like, Who are these dudes? Like, I like this style. Like, it was told like Fred Stengel like, you know, good old teacher driving the bus, hanging out, like really nice guy. And then you see Coach Toal and we know that. And it was kind of like, whoa, who is this guy? Dude, speaker-1: Night and Day speaker-2: you I like it, you know. so that was really where the curiosity of going to a Don Bosco really started to get like cemented in my brain of like if I'm gonna be good at this sport and if I'm gonna be as talented as I think that I am and really get to that end goal, all right. Well I gotta go like learn how to cut my teeth with with these type of people. So as I share with people all the time, I didn't go to Bosco to be an Iron Man. I went to Bosco because of the Iron Men that were there, right? And that that speaker-1: Bro, you got me hyped right now. my god, keep going. Well, I'm You got me hyped. speaker-2: Let's go, man, because that's what it was about. Like, nobody gave a damn about our high school back in the day. they were literally just being like, Here, you could go to school here, right? Like, they were kind of opening the door for whoever they could because at that time, I mean, let's be real. Bosco probably wouldn't be in business right now if it wasn't for Coach Toal Bosco probably would have closed down like Paterson Catholic, you know? So that's the importance of sports, the business of sports as well. and now they're up there and Ramsey, like. Counting that money and good for them. But like a lot of that really was based off of the fact that like Coach Toal was able to see just this unbelievable untouched gem. And he really did change it, it seemed like overnight. And I'm like extremely proud and grateful that for whatever my young wisdom in eighth grade was to say, sign me up for this. Now, no doubt it was hard as hell. And like there was some. And I played quarterback and I still thought it was hard. You guys talked to Corey Wootton and some other guys that really had to go through some other stuff that if I had to do that, I I don't know if we'd be talking about it like this right now. speaker-1: Well you know what's funny, they laid the foundation and and one of the people that laid the foundation was the guy that played the position right before you, which is Mike Teel Yeah. and and speaker-2: And really more so before that, Steve Levy was the OG quarterback of our state. Steve Levy was an all state quarterback and an all state linebacker. Dude played both sides of the football speaker-1: It was absolutely speaker-2: Crushing people, right? And like he was a phenomenal player. So yeah, you're right. But like Pete, like the ri reality is that like Steve Levy was really like the main reason why the Ironmen were able to kind of pick up this momentum into our generations. Guys like him, Ryan Grant, D'Amico, some old school tough dudes that listen, if you're in an alley, just turn and walk back the other way 'cause those guys were were different. They were. speaker-1: we have Ryan Grant coming on the on the show in in a couple of weeks, so we're we're looking forward to that too. speaker-2: Awesome. speaker-1: Yeah, dude. Mike Teel like yeah, Steve Levy you're right, Steve Levy like literally without him there is like that n the program doesn't start without him and Greg Toal Yeah. but yeah, Mike Mike Teel went twenty f twenty three and right before you, wins a state championship and now they're like giving you the reins as a sophomore. Yeah. You know, like that Talk about pressure from just the last name and then talk about pressure from like here's this program that's like on the uppity uppity and you have to take the reins. Like and I sophomore year was was tough, no? And then junior year you bring it to the state championship and then senior year, undefeated, and win the state championship against St. Peter's, dude. That t just tell me a little bit of that feeling like going through those years. speaker-2: I think the biggest thing was freshman year, playing varsity football and really experiencing just the intensity of it. I was fortunate enough too, because we were so talented with that class, that senior and junior class that were ahead of us, right, Peter, that like man, they really gave me an unbelievable launching pad to feel confident in who I was. And also knowing too that like Yeah, I was part of a bigger structure. And I just needed to hold my my end of the of the pole up, right? And like that's where I think like being a part of that, being a part of sports, being a part of football too, it's like the greatest lesson too of just being something being a part of something that's great in yourself and making sure too that like you're holding up your end of that partnership and the collaboration as best as you can. I played in every single game as a freshman in the varsity level, except for the state championship game. And I almost threw for a thousand yards as a freshman. Playing only in second half of games because they would just absolutely annihilate football teams with Teel with Marquise Liverpool, another underappreciated guy, right, from that generation. Eric Cumba who was absolutely phenomenal at right guard, a monster of a human being. He would have been an easy division one football player nowadays, right? Before they had Michael Ray Garvin, speaker-1: Garden. speaker-2: Michael Ray Garvin, and we are we already know Mikey Ray was like on his way because no one runs a 4.2 And like it was like legit four or two. Right. And man, those guys were just so awesome. And I remember like getting a lot of experience, definitely getting my ass kicked a lot in some of those games. I remember I played in Bergen Catholic because they listen, it was Berg us and Bergen like one and two. And Brian Toal had five total touchdowns in the first half of that game. I think he had he had one receiving, two rushing, and then I wanna say he had like A fumble return for a touchdown and then like a pick six or something like that. Like, dude was just like taking over the game. And then they throw me into the game and they still got their starters in there. And I was like, shit, this is like real football now. And I drop back to pass. I go into scramble mode. I get a good little chunk on the ground. And I remember Brad Dussault who was like this old school. Badass middle linebacker, like typical Jersey dude. He ran and hit me helmet to helmet and lights out. Lights out. Lights out. Lights out. And now I fumbled the football like literally before I hit the ground. And all I remember is like waking up and it being like Mitch Albom like five people you meet in heaven. And I'm like, I'm looking up and it's like, there's there's Mr. Ray Garvin, there's Coach Toal. There's the trainer, and then like a f and probably Nunzio and a few others, and I'm just like, God, you know. I get up and I'm just like, What the hell happened to me? But those type of experiences, you know, me showing that toughness and and being willing to do that and all that, like, even though I got knocked out and that was like a dangerous like moment as we look back to that now, right? Like, that gave me a ton of of just like street credit for our football team and for our school in general. Cause I showed up to practice the next day, got after it, went back to work, and people were like, you know, he's not afraid. He he went for it. Now listen, he got blown up, but at least he went for it. And, you know, that to me I think was like a a a good moment. It's a good wake up call to know too that like all right, this is different. I gotta adjust how I play. but also to just like getting getting kinda a galvanized type of vibe off of that because I wasn't scared. I continued to pursue it and was very fortunate. Sorry, I really rambled on with that answer. I apologize, gentlemen. speaker-1: not at all. Are you kidding me? Those are great memories, man. And I'm just like stories. You say it and in such in such a descriptive way, and that like I can remember being there and watching you guys, and it's just like the intensity that you felt on the field is almost the same intensity that like fans felt because it was that big of a deal. Like like and we try to explain this all the time, right? Like if you talk to anyone who's gone to the like local high school and not n you know, nothing against people's local high school, it's just different, right? Like Yeah. You just don't get it until you you get there. And for us, we were from Rockland County, so we were on the New York side and then we went to Jersey. And right like from the basketball side, it was the same thing, right? We talked about it our on one of our previous episodes when Tyrell Biggs was on the court and John Oates and all these guys. And you're like, Right. This is just different, man. Like you just you you really can't compare it. And it really speaks to Jersey football in general. But this is a nice transition to the question that I I wanted to ask in terms of the high school. Like you're getting to your peak, right? Like And I was looking at the com the the quarterbacks in the same class. I mean, you're talking about some real talent here. Like I I'm seeing Tyrod Taylor, Cam Newton was there at one point, Ryan Mallet, Jimmy Clausen. Yeah, and you're up there, man, in the stats. Like, we're not talking about, you know, you just playing at Bosco. Like you really played and competed against these guys. What I want to know is there's different players at that time and how they compare. So is it are you the type of player that like looks at the competition and says, like, how do I stack against these guys? Or are you just focused on your game that entire four years and just like getting better every day, the whole, you know, Ironman mentality, Greg Toal, that that kind of you know perspective towards the game. I wonder what type of player you were. speaker-2: Yeah, that that's a great question. I mean, like the guy that you see in front of you now, like Peter can Peter's being very kind right now. Like when we were in high school, Peter, I mean, be honest, like, was I really like an open book that was just ready to talk to anybody? speaker-1: You you you know, you've matured. speaker-0: Yeah speaker-2: But like he said that in a polite way. The truth was is that like when I was at that age and my teenage years and like of course like a lot of our lives were changing and a lot of things and all that, right? But like I always was like, what does this person want from me? Right. They want something. So I was very closed off and I definitely was just like, you know what, I'm gonna do my thing. Please get out of my way. I need to do this. And You know, that's where for me, I think, unfortunately, like in my high school career and like the development of me of being a human being, was, you know, I I hindered my own personal growth a little bit, because I thought I was protecting myself, you know. And to some degree I was, but to another degree it was like unhealthy. So that's where like a few teachers were very instrumental in kind of like opening me back up a little bit. Like I think about Sister Mary all the time. Like, Sister Mary was a phenomenal human being to me, and You know, I shared with her my notebook and how I just liked drawing. And she was just like, Why are you not in my art class? And I'm like, Wait, we do art here at Bosco? Like, I didn't even know that. Like, and she's like, Yeah. So I was fortunate enough to get transferred out of Spanish, which is funny now too, because I'm married to a Colombian woman. But like I get transferred out of Spanish to go to art class, but she saw something in me, right? And and the way that I was expressing myself. And that outlet that I needed. And she really gave me the room to do that. So like that was a huge thing for me. And you know, and and and why I'm saying this, Mike, is that like I was very focused. I really had no time for like anybody's BS. like, even to this day, at times, like, you know, it's just like, okay, that's great. That's funny. Let's keep going. Right. Like, but definitely in high school. It was all just like it was all gas. There was no break. And it was just like let k let's get better. Let's keep working. Let's keep improving. And I also knew too that like I was talented. And by the time that I did get to my junior and senior year, I knew that I was like very talented. And I wasn't going to like mess that up. And I remember specifically too, like going into games against teams that we knew we were gonna beat. And people like, like, take it easy. And I'm like, No. Like, no, that's not what you do. You don't just take it easy because the opponent's like a an easy opponent. So, like, even then, people were trying to kind of influence me that way. And I just like kept pushing for harder and harder away from that kind of narrative because I just wasn't gonna allow that like mediocrity to like come in. And it hurt me though, because I I didn't really actually open myself up to like more powerful relationships that guys like Peter and like teammates like Steve Dorn. were able to create at Bosco. I was definitely very isolated. I had a strong crew around me. That's all I did. And that was it. And the other guys that you talked about in that quarterback class, I knew them. I knew they were talented. I didn't give a damn. You know, I didn't care. I was just like, all right, let's go. So what? And I really was kind of playing into the fact of like representing Jersey football, my ranking reflecting the fact that they don't respect our state overall. so I I find that funny, you know, a lot of the times too, 'cause I I remember one guy who was a scout just being like, Yeah, you know, you're a pretty good player for for the talent you play against. And I'm like, All right, that's just your opinion, man, because you don't get it, and that's fine, you know. But that's why I really took a tremendous amount of pride too in like being a part of Bosco's story, being a part of Bosco's narrative to changing the way people view the game of football in our state, and really leaning into that very heavily. speaker-1: Dude, that's a perfect transition because the Jersey talent was unreal at that time. could you name some of the players that you played against that like some other people won't know, like Brian Cushing, Will Hill was it from Saint Peter's? That's speaker-2: I mean, yeah, Will Hill was speaker-1: crazy. speaker-2: Will Hill was a phenomenal football player, probably one of the better football players I've ever seen in my life at that point, and like literally was a game changer to where like he could win the game by himself. So that was like like here I am thinking I'm the shit, and I'm like, no, this guy actually doesn't even need the other ten guys on the field sometimes. He's just gonna do it by himself. And that was like, whoa, okay, there's like a different level to like what he can do on the field. And he wasn't even a quarterback playing quarterback. And that was what was impressive too. but phenomenal football player. The McCourty twins, of course. And, you know, there was just so many really good, solid FBS, D one double A type of players at that time that probably went D two or D three just because there wasn't enough of that traction yet within the state. so it's And listen, a lot of that traction and why it started in the first place was because Mike Quick, the gentleman who I mentioned with the Crusades. yeah. One of the most watched high school games and sporting events in the late nineties was actually my brother's Ramapo football team playing against Hoboken in the state championship game in ninety seven, ninety eight. And Mike Quick tells a story too of like that game did better numbers in the tri state area than like a playoff hockey game. that took or a a a a game what was it like a a playoff baseball game or something like that that was going on at the exact same time. But he was like, that's how big of a moment that was for the state to like kind of get that whole thing going. so I was just really bought into just being a part of like really being someone that could be a force multiplier and how we see our our team and our our view and of the world. speaker-1: Mike Quick was instrumental. You're right, 'cause he had MSG varsity, like it was basically a monopoly for that tri-state area and we didn't have Instagram. speaker-2: Snapple, broadcast. It was speaker-1: Snap there. speaker-2: like the OG of Snap. Like they were just selling it out of Bodegas, right? So it was like it was different, right? And you're right, like Mike Quick was like absolutely a player player in the game and what we see today, none of this is possible without him. So he really is like the godfather of storytelling for for football in that sense. speaker-1: were great. Yep. it they were fantastic. Did some epic interviews with Greg Toal. would love to hear your favorite Coach Toal story. speaker-2: favorite coach toll story. There there's a lot of man, that's a good question. speaker-1: He's thinking about the ones he can tell and the ones he speaker-2: Well that's what I'm being I'm being a little I'm being a little careful here, all right. 'Cause unlike some of the other guys that have been on the show, like, you know, I I am gonna protect my guy 'cause that is my family, right? Brian toll married my sister, so it's like that's family, bro. so I'm in practice. I believe I'm a junior when this story takes place. Yes, I'm a junior, right? So sophomore year we lose in the CA championship game to Bergen Catholic, we lose thirteen thirteen ten, I believe, was the final score to Brian Cushing's senior year football team. That was a team that was interesting too because that's the only team I've ever seen get bigger, faster, and stronger from the first time we saw them in September. You know, go figure. They were an enhanced football team. Let's just call it what it was, right? But I remember like literally the first nap of the state championship my sophomore year and being like, Holy shit, this team like is massive. And like they got that much more jacked. Since we saw them. Meanwhile, it's like most teams are declining. They're like, Yeah We just hit a new PR you know like I'm like, Yeah, 'cause you guys are on steroids, that's why. But which is facts, like let's not even pretend, right? no. speaker-1: It's the truth. speaker-2: And but it listen, it worked. They got away with it. And but I remember my junior year, of course, it being like a really big year because it's like, all right, hey, like we're we're the best team in the state. We absolutely were. We had all the pieces in place. You know, Sam Griffin at right tackle, Justin Trattou at left tackle, the best defensive end in the league. you know, an unbelievable robust front seven, right? Both sides of the football, tough as hell, a good running game, a good skill group, all that. And I remember being in practice, it was raining extremely hard. And this was the great thing about like Coach Toal type of practice. Like, you know, they used to say, like, you know, hey, Coach Toal, talk to the big man upstairs. You know, everything's gonna clear up by the time practice starts. Now the truth was is that like He talked to the big man upstairs and he said, We don't give a shit what weather you give us. We're still going out there and practicing, right? So we're out there in the pouring rain. I take a snap from center. I fumble the snap and it falls to the ground. I back up because it's like a bunch of hyenas, like just like diving in, they're like, like getting the ball. So I'm like, okay, like, yeah, I fumble the snap. It's on me, coach. You know, whatever. And before I can even turn to walk back to the huddle. speaker-0: Hey, hey, hey, hey. speaker-2: I'm like, shit. Let speaker-0: Hey, hey Sid. speaker-2: me ask you something. Are you more important than our football team? No, coach. So when the ball hits the ground, you're just gonna back up and look at the football? I was like, Coach, I fumbled a snap. I made a mistake, no doubt. I'm not gonna break my hand reaching in there trying to grab a football when everyone on the team is is going again. I was like, it's practice. And he goes, so practice isn't important, huh? Okay. right. Hey, give me that football damnche, right? Throws the football to him. Football speaker-0: Hey, this f- speaker-2: is more important than your life. Okay. No one's more important than the team. You ain't worth more than the team at all that, right? And he used to always say that too. Like, you ain't worth more than you know the penalty. Hey, you ain't worth 15 yards, right? So he goes, Okay, Sims, we're gonna work on your ball security. Pouring rain. The whole team's watching, right? Just me and him in this interaction. And he drops the ball like right in front of me. And he goes, Get on the football. So I go, I like get on the football carefully. I'm in like a fetal position on the ground. He goes, Secure the football. So then like I tighten up the fetal position more. And he's like, Okay, get up. And I hand him the football. He smacks the football out of my hand on the ground again. He's like, speaker-0: the ball. speaker-2: So then of course, like, again. Into the penal position. Yeah. And I'm like, everybody's watching. speaker-0: and speaker-2: I get up and I'm like, okay, exercise is done. Here you go, coach. Get on the ball. speaker-0: ball. speaker-2: Do it again, right? Get up, coach. He goes, Do you want to stand now? And I'm like, Yes, coach, I understand. And he goes, What do you want to stand? I'm like, Coach, the football is everything. I am nothing without the football. I need to protect the football. I and he goes, That's your number one job, Sims. Protect the damn ball. All let's start practice up again. Let's go. Blow the horn, Maranji. Yeah. That was that was a very small example of what it was like. And now speaker-1: Talk about the leadership, right? Like how many people would actually like put you in on that test, right? They they probably see your last name. There weren't many people that were there were willing to do that at that time. And he was just like, F that. I don't care who you are. speaker-2: Well, I remember one of the like the greatest compliments that I received from Coach Toal like very early on in my career is that like, Hey shit, you know, you might be as tough as your father, right? And like the way that he said that and him recognizing that, I wanna say this is after a scrimmage we had against Hackensack, where I wasn't like a live quarterback, but yet like as the scrimmage went on, it kind of turned into a game and then they started hitting me. But like we didn't complain and like Coach Toal was like, Hey, what the fuck? Guys could just gonna hit my quarterback like that? Hey, if that's true, we're gonna hit your quarterback. So then that changed because they were like, okay, you're right. We won't do that anymore. Right? Because they knew like if we sent the dogs on end, that was a problem. So, but he I remember like he was like, Hey, Sims, you okay? And I'm like, Coach. No, no worries, man. I was like, they they can't do anything to us. They can't hurt me. We're good, you know? And he'd be Yeah, that's right. My fucking guy, right? Like, you know, he kind of like doubled down on it. So that was like one of those first things. But yeah, there's no doubt, like. Nick Saban has a great saying. And he's just like, whatever you allow, right, on the field, whatever you allow in the circumstances of like your collaborations or your network or your family, whatever, like, hey, you're just giving permission for that, for that mediocrity to happen all the time. And I think that's the biggest thing that like I learned from Coach Tole is that like he didn't allow that BS to happen. And as soon as it happened, it was, it was not. constructive criticism, but it was constructive correction like immediately. And this is why like our practices was hard as hell, but our games for the majority of them were on the easier side. Right. And why I was fortunate enough too throughout my high school career to only participate in three losses, you know, and that's like wild to say. And those three losses no doubt were like deep and they hurt my heart to this day. But like the other great wins that we had wouldn't have been capable without that type of approach and his awareness of the little details that matter the most within the game of football. speaker-1: It really is incredible how much he's how much he's done for high school players. And I just people I feel like people don't really recognize how important that is now for kids and how impressionable that is now for kids at this age. Like you look back and you truly like understand that you're like you mentioned it earlier, you're going through so much at at the high school age, right? Like you're what, fifteen to nineteen, eighteen? Like anyone can resonate with that if you've gone to the point where you have you know, you're you're grown up, out of college, have a job, have a family and all that. So I think we're just missing that somehow. And and and honestly it we'll get there at a certain point. but I I hope that that's probably something that you're incorporating in your Sims Complete camp with with the guys 'cause it seems like it is resonating through the messages and the clips that you're showing on social media. It really is, man. You're doing a great job with that. speaker-2: I really appreciate it. And I I think too, just like that's definitely for me a little bit of like a full full circle moment too of kind of like getting back in touch with that aspect of me as the football player and like what it means to actually like challenge someone for their benefit, for their improvement, and not challenging them just to like show them that I am better or I know more. And like Coach Toal was like an an unbelievable example of that. Coach Toal knew X's and O's, but he wasn't an expert in that field. But he did know Johnnies and Joes very well. And he did know coaching talent very well. And he also knew how to coach coaches, which was another skill. Because, you know, you guys probably haven't heard, but like we would be in meeting rooms and some of the the the the rippings that you've heard from guys like Wootwin and Leonte and all that, the coaches got it just as equally as the players did. And that was one one of the more like Eyebrow raising things that I experienced like early on as a freshman of like, man, he's crushing the players, crushing the players. And then all of a sudden, like he like crushed Coach Lopez, who was an unbelievable high energy like guy for the defensive side of the football. And he absolutely just like laid into him. You got you're not doing a good enough coaching job. These guys are underprepared because you're not preparing them the right way in practice. You need to do a better job. You need to sharpen up what you're doing in individual drills in front of the whole team. And you know what he did? He sat there and said, Yes, coach, you got it. No problem. And then he turned to the group, he'd be like, We're getting after it today in practice. You better be ready to go. Right. And you knew, you knew though, shit, feel bad for that crew today, because no doubt Coach Tole's gonna be watching him and he's gonna be watching his players and they're gonna get after it. But we all knew that, like, hey, It's just gonna improve the team and I think that's what's really, really special too. speaker-1: Yeah, I mean the accountability is just off the charts, right? Like it's one thing to hold different players on the team in terms of, you know, five star recruit or one star recruit, whatever it is, to the same. But to do that for the coaches, I mean that's yeah, like that's incredible. I I actually didn't hear that side of him, so it's pretty cool that you're you're showing that insight. speaker-2: I'm unbelievable. And like the storytelling, the story and and really w when you're talking about great coaches, I know, I'm sorry, Mike. listen, this you know, the other guys like this is what I do. I talk for a speaker-1: Don't be sorry, dude. Are you kidding me? This is amazing. speaker-2: Like what was really, I think, a lesson that now I have really understood later in my life, what great coaches do is they create a a vibe or a feeling for the team to feel as a collective group, as a collective consciousness. And he knew exactly how to be the conductor of that orchestra. He knew how to how to poke. the star player at the right time to like re-engage his focus. He knew how to put his arm around others too. Cause that's the other part too that like no one's gonna share those stories with you because they're not fun, right? Or they're not like sexy as far as that goes, right? But like his ability to like bring it down a notch and be like, hey, hey, you're doing good things. You know, you're working hard. It just keeps showing up and it's gonna work out for you. Like That was real. Like he really did have that ability to go to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, depending on what that person and the group needed at that time. And like, listen, he shed tears, he got emotional, like he was vulnerable. You know, that that was real. Like that was a guy that really was pouring his heart and soul out to a ton of people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures and all that stuff. And that was like the true power I think of Coach Toal is his ability to take all these dudes from Spring Valley, from Franklin Lakes, from Fairlawn to Jersey City and say, you know what, guys, you're better together, right, than you are right in your own individual little neighborhoods that you are. Right. And that that to me is, you know, super powerful to this day, just understanding that that's really his superpower was creating vibes, feelings, And like genuine real emotions for the team to to galvanize around. speaker-1: I love that you said that 'cause Pete, what do we always say with like sports, right? It's the ultimate equalizer. Like you're all the same here. And it doesn't matter if you're black, white, Spanish, it really doesn't matter. If you're ready to ball and you're better than the guy across from you, then you're gonna play. Especially at Bosco, which is like the top talent that you're gonna, you know, encounter. So it's just and speaker-2: We weren't even that talented. That that's the thing too. I love sharing. We were not as talented as people think that we were. We were not. But I know one thing. We were a scary group. And as a group, we were very, very scary, right? And that's where I think to me again, like just the power of the mob mentality, right? The power of the herd. Like that's a real thing. We were not overly talented, no doubt, right? We were fortunate enough to have a few D one football players. And and for me and Justin to survive long enough to play in the NFL level, but like overall, we were just very hungry, we were very selfless. And as Coach Toal says, right, and I'm sure you've heard this saying coaches that love coaches, coaches that love players, players that love coaches, and players that love players. And that was a real thing. And every time that I say that, I still get goosebumps at the back of my neck. And it brings me back to the first time that I said heard that. in that crappy ass team room up there, upstairs, in that rickety ass wrestling room that smelt like sh!t That where they were where Coach Chucky Granitel was smoking marball reds like right in front of us as we're doing film breakdowns. Like that was real. That was something different, you know, and it was special. It really was. speaker-1: Talk about that with like the film, like the because that that's obviously a a part of Sim's complete, but did you start falling in love with film in high school or was it college, you know, when when you do your stint in Louisville, then you did a Juco and then Tennessee? speaker-2: Yeah, one of the other, you know, ten schools that I went to in college, right? speaker-1: But and this is before the NIL speaker-2: This is before NIL, but yeah, we'll get we'll get to that. But yeah, I think what was interesting about film with Don Bosco is yes, the awareness of, you know, getting better by watching what we were doing as a collective unit, understanding what the person next to me, to the right, to the left, what my back's all that, what they were responsible for doing, that was super impactful, right? Because you really did then understand like the part you had to play, right, for for it to all work. And you know, we had to sit there and we had to listen to defensive meetings. I had to listen to special teams. And that information really wasn't totally necessary for me at times to know like all the things that we were doing. But then again, like it really was because now I knew like, okay, we have these fake punts in, we're thinking about running these fake punts at these times in the game. We're doing this on special teams, we're doing this on defense. We have this call and this call to really stop this player from making big time plays. When you hear this call, just know that like we're probably going to force a turnover and we're going to go back onto offense and be ready to go. And by the way, we're going to call this first as the first play when we go back on offense and try to score on sudden change. So he really started to lay out the fabric of the game before the game took place. So now no matter what happened, yeah, good. I I know what's going on. Whether it's on the field or off the field, I hear, it's this. I already know. Defense is sending the house and that quarterback get rid of the football because he's gonna get lit up if he doesn't. And then sure enough, all right, here we go. First down offense. Let's go, here we go. Let's go, let's put one on the board, you know. So it was very impactful that way, the process in which we did that as a collective group. speaker-1: Dude, you ended up in the SEC that's literally the top conference at that time. Yeah. LSU, some some major schools. Like, where was the hardest place that you played? speaker-2: Hardest place that I played in. Georgia was legit. That was legit in Athens. between the hedges, that is a formidable place. I would say LSU and Death Valley was definitely the most the most challenging place to play. and that was an awesome experience in itself. that was a week in which we were a struggling football team. I was fortunate and unfortunate to be the starting quarterback of Tennessee because we really weren't a great football team. We were kind of on the rise and gonna get better. My starting offensive line were all freshmen across the board. So this was back when the SEC, like, no, there was no NIL or Transfer Porto. Like their second and third team was all NFL football players in the waitings, right? Yeah. So there there was no like breath in the SEC back then. and I remember in that game, we had Morris Claiborne at right corner or left corner. We had Patrick Peterson at right corner. They had Reed at safety. They had another talented safety too that I can't remember what the hell his name is, but he played in the league too. The whole secondary played in the league. And then our coaches came into the meeting room and they're like, all right, they got this rookie in the slot, this freshman. He's the weakness of their secondary. We're gonna attack him. The the the weakness of their defense was Tyron Matthew as a freshman, right? And for all of you who don't know about Tyron Matthew, like we're over here saying Caleb Downs is the future. Go back and watch Tyron Matthew at LSU. All right. And watch Tyron Matthew early on in his career. He's one of the best football players of our generation at the safety position, right? As far as getting the football, ripping the football out of people's hands, making plays in the special teams on defense. And yeah, that was the weakness of that team. And I remember dropping back. I looked at the OTB, the over the ball route. And then I progressed to my next progression. I was going to throw it to Daenerys Moore on a curl to my left. And I was getting ready to throw it between two defenders. And I was going to rip it as hard as I could into this tight window. And as soon as I did this, and I'm like, holy shit, I'm on the ground. What the hell just happened? Like, what happened? Burkevius Mingo absolutely decapitated me off the edge. And I remember like, holy shit, where's the football? And like there's a there's a scrum over here. We got the ball back, so we were able to punt. So that was a good thing. I remember standing up and being like, shit, all right, like, yep, we're good. Everything's still intact. All right, we're good. And I look like towards the line of scrimmage again to kind of be like, Yeah, like that would have been a completion if I got a chance to throw it. And one of their middle linebackers. Who oddly enough, I think actually like ended up being like a Miami like SWAT commander later in his career, according to one like LSU teammate that I was teammates with later in my career, said. But I stand up, I look, we lock eyes with each other, and he goes, You like that? He goes, You better stay down, mother effer. He goes, You better stay down. There's more of that. There's more of that coming. And I was just kind of like, Hey man, you keep bringing that. And I I was like, Okay, I'll be here all effing day. And then he turned and looked at me and he kind of like went like this and he goes, I like that. And I was like, shit, I'm leaving. Like Yeah. speaker-1: He's matching that energy. speaker-2: So we we both did this back and forth thing, and like that's how that went. We really should have won that game. We lost that game. When we lost that game, I knew it was only a matter of time before I was gonna get benched. so that was really unfortunate part of my career in a lot of ways because I I didn't play great in that game statistically, but I played tough as hell and I managed the game well. So I was helping us win it in a different way, and that was like a big moment for me. But, you know, unfortunately, we lost that game in a heart heart-wrenching way. And I remember at the end of the game, we had a chance on fourth and one to Seal the game to win the game. I almost threw a pick the play before where I should have thrown a touchdown. So that was on me. Right. Now we're in a position of we're just gonna run the football to hopefully win the game. And I remember the play called, I get in the huddle, and because we were winning, and they were like the number two or three team of the country at the time, half the stadium left because we were gonna win. But then when they came back, the stands filled back up again, like it was the start of the game again, right? Who the hell was running the ticket counter there that day? But I remember getting into the huddle, getting ready to call the play, which was like Bob, like back on back or like weak side lead type of concept, right? And I remember getting in the huddle and the crowd noise going so loud that like the helmets were shaking. And I remember calling the play and all of us saying break, and I'm like, I don't know if anybody fucking heard me because I didn't hear myself. So we break the huddle, and I'm like, okay, everybody's in the formation, so they must have heard me, right? And then again, the noise is getting louder and louder and just more crazy. And I remember like doing the snap count as loud as I possibly could, and like literally being like, yelling at the center, like raising his ass up, like, give me the ball. And handing it off and that same like linebacker that I was talking shit to earlier in the game just like whack just crushed our running back in the backfield for a loss. So turnover on downs, they went down the field, won the game, but like that was for sure the wildest col college, you know, situation that I'd have ever been in. definitely a memorable one, but again, on the wrong side of that that story for sure. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: Dang, that's amazing, dude. speaker-2: was wild. It was wild dude. And I survived Merke V S Mingo's hit, man. You know, I said that was Yeah. That was the first win that day. I survived that one. I survived that car crash. But man, that was wild. Yeah. Yeah, so Brad's assault, mango, hey guys, you know, appreciate it. Send some flowers, you know, send a sorry note, you know. speaker-0: You speaker-1: That's that's how this podcast started. Cory Wooten hit Steve Dorn so hard, he mentioned it on one of the podcasts. And Corey's like, Dude, I'm so sorry. If you guys want me to go up come jump on the podcast, then we're happy to jump on. speaker-2: my God. Corey is such a phenomenal human being and I I was so fortunate enough too to play against him in a preseason game, later on in our careers. And so that was just like one of those like wow moments. Like playing against Justin at Florida was amazing. well we were home actually, but playing against Justin while he was at Florida, while we were at home in Tennessee was awesome. Playing against Corey in the NFL level was just like truly tremendous. So really special. speaker-1: Yeah, he's an awesome dude. I speaker-2: Awesome. speaker-1: love that you're talking about the talent that you were playing in in college and who you played with. And I was looking through and I'm just thinking about the El Camino experience there and and Kenbrell Thompkins Like, talk to me about him. Like I mean, obviously he was one of your favorite receivers, like over sixty nine passes, a thousand yards. Like, talk talk to me about him. speaker-2: So yeah, me and me and KT really had an awesome relationship. I remember when I came out there, like me being labeled as a bounce back, right, from a division one school to a junior college at the time was like kind of like a big deal. Like mainly junior college was for guys that just wanted to get their grades a little bit better, you know, have a year to develop. there was no prep or anything like that to the degree that it is today. So that was like a developmental year. Get your grades right, maybe create a few more opportunities, division one, division two, whatever for yourself in your career. so for me being a bounce back, you know, I met K T and K T is like just straight out of Miami Northwest, like gold grill, you know, just an awesome dude At first I was like, I'm not sure what this dude is saying. The slang is just super strong. And you know, but then of course as time went on, I was like, okay, I'm starting to figure this out, right? And then I of course, like by hanging out with him so much, I was like, we were both speaking this this broken English language together, right? Which was cool. But that was an awesome experience. And he was a phenomenal human being. And I remember when I first met him, just like we immediately connected and like really saw each other. cause he was very similar to me, like very serious. Like when it was time to like go. Like, no, it was like, no, we're we're doing this. So we really connected, I think, without even really being aware of it. Like we were we were kindred souls that way. And I dropped him off at the apartment where he was staying at, off Crenshaw Boulevard, there, like in the hood in LA, three blocks away from our school. And I remember dropping him off going up as the apartment and it being one bedroom apartment, one room. With like two crappy ass mattresses on the floor, like microwaveable noodle cases everywhere, and it was him and ten other people on the team in that room. speaker-1: Wow. speaker-2: And you know, for me, that was kind of like a whoa, like let's go. I gotta I gotta get the hell out of here. You know, like I gotta I gotta do my stuff in school, I gotta play well, and We gotta go. We gotta win. I was like, we all have to win. Right. Cause that's another thing too. Like for for like a coach toll thing. The spoils of war is a real thing. You win the war, you win battles, everybody gets the spoils of war. Right? So for me, that was like my first thing that I told to the team. I was like, We gotta win. And when we win, we're all gonna win individually. You know, and I remember KT after school one day. He walked up to me and he goes, he goes, Matt, I'm living with you. I'm like, what? What do you mean you're living with me? And he's like, I I he goes, I gotta I gotta leave that apartment. And I'm like, all right, man, get in the car, let's go. So he literally moved in with me to my one bedroom that I had in Hermosa Beach, right? And I was like living this like nice cali life outside of school, right? And he slept on my couch every damn day. And We essentially were just like best buddies, you know, that way. We were truly the odd couple. You know, there's the receiver from Miami Northwest, like, you know, and then here's, you know, pretty boy from New Jersey. And we just like clicked and really got together extremely well. And then that turned into another teammate then sleeping on the couch. And then that turned into like, okay, the night before games, I got like the whole starting offense like sleeping on my floor of my apartment together. And now we all go to the stadium together, right? and that was awesome. And that was also like another great example too of like my father. Like he would come out and he'd be like he'd be like, Tell the whole damn team to come. And we would literally have the whole team at a diner down the street from us and he'd be like, Boys, get whatever the hell you want. And like we would just have feasts and I was like, Wow, holy shit, my father's a cool dude, 'cause like he is absolutely spending like ten G's right now on our whole fucking team, just to feed them. Because he didn't care about us winning. He just knew that like these boys needed support. They needed like another guy in their lives just showing them like love and appreciation. And, you know, that was just an unbelievable thing to witness, you know, and to take place. And and you know, extremely grateful for for being able to witness those things 'cause he was awesome and you know, guys like Kim Brown were extremely, extremely grateful for it and oddly enough too Later on in my career and my brother's career, being in the scouting department for the New England Patriots, my brother calls me and goes, Tell me about your boy KT from from El Camino. Right? So this is the funny thing about the speaker-1: These are the connections. speaker-2: this is what happens in the NFL world, a lot of these things. This is why Juju Smith with Matt Nagy going back. He trusts him, he knows him. I told my brother, I was like, listen, I said KT at the NFL level might not be able to separate at a high level like some of these other speed guys do. But I was like, he's tough as hell. He's gonna know his assignment. He's gonna run solid routes. And he's gonna catch the ball in traffic. And he goes, That's all you need to say. Done. And the Patriots signed him like a few weeks later. And yeah, it was just amazing. It was such a cool thing, like that. There's my brother with the Patriots at that time, helping one of my former teammates, you know, live that dream of being in the NFL. And not because like It was something that was gifted to him. That was something that like K T earned that that he earned that respect from the speaker-1: Peace of mm. speaker-2: team. Put himself in that position and there was that was the easiest seal of approval I could give for a football player. Right? I'm just saying, I trust him with my life and you could trust him to run a few routes for you guys. And it was pretty cool. It's pretty awesome to see. speaker-1: You just gotta love full circle moments in sports, man. It's like there's just nothing better than these stories. I I just every time we cat we catch we catch a story on like, you know, E sixty or just whatever it is, it's like it it just doesn't get any better than that. And then you can't really like find anyone who has more hunger than those types of guys, man. They just it's different for them, right? And for you guys to embrace all of them and and that whole crew to get together, like it's about camaraderie, right? And you can kind of see that come out. Obviously with the experience that you had at at JUCO and then, you know, everything that happened afterwards. So that's incredible. so why don't we transition to the to the NFL at this point? you go undrafted, but you fought your way onto the Jets roster. Yeah. Talk to me about that fight. Talk to me about the talent that was in the QB room there. Cause I I mean I it seems like Gino, right? Mike Vick at one point, Sanchez. Just like talk to me about that experience about getting on that roster. Being in in New Jersey, Met Life again, you must have that must have given you the feels. Just yeah, give me give me something there. speaker-2: So for me, I was of course I like like I share with you, I struggled at Tennessee. I was benched twice. I I really felt like at times I I did kind of get used like as a scapegoat at that time. But I also didn't help myself either by the way that I carried myself. And Peter definitely could share this with you too. Like there are times, like probably at Bosco and like with people like, you know, I I'm not exactly shy of like sharing exactly what I think like at that moment. And sometimes in football, that did not work in my favor. with Coach Tole and with other coaches as well. I left Tennessee really jaded, funny enough, so full circle again. Link up with my college coach, Derek Dooley, working for ESPN radio, like just two years ago, and we had a huge heart to heart moment. Totally just like one of those and it was really interesting too, like sorry to to to to kinda go in a different direction here. speaker-1: Not at all. speaker-2: Is it was funny how like I'm doing radio, they like me at ESPN because of my quick, that's how it started, right? So that was like why he's a huge mentor. speaker-1: Another connector. speaker-2: And I was fortunate enough like to establish a good rapport with ESPN. So now one of the co-hosts is leaving to go do TV. And now it's just me and Matt Shick, right, that is doing the radio show. Our producer goes and like, hey, we're gonna add a third. For next year probably, and we have a coach in mind. I was like, Okay, great. I was like, Who's the coach? He goes, Derek Dooley. I said, Get the fuck out of here. Are you serious? I said, Derek Dooley. I said, That's the coach you're talking about? And he goes, Yeah, you know him? I'm like, Yeah, I played for him at Tennessee. And he goes, He goes, Do you like him? And I'm like, Yeah, I like him. Right? And now this was what was funny too. He goes Do you want him on the show? Because if you don't want him on the show or think he's good enough for the show, we don't have to have him. We'll get someone else. And I said, No, I want him on the show. I was like, I want him on the show. I think it would be awesome. I think he's really good. And I said he's got a great southern draw too. So my jersey thing and his southern thing is gonna work great. But really what it was though was I really feel like kind of like one of those like life tests where I knew it was like God was watching me and he was like, What are you gonna do, bro? You're gonna run away from this conflict that you had? Or are you gonna embrace this and like really start to like get back into this? And I said, yeah, have him on the show. We chatted on the phone and caught up. I get a random call. I answer the phone. Hey, Matt, it's Coach Dooley. What's up, man? Coach, what is up? Holy like, I can't believe this. And here he is asking me questions on what this radio and broadcast life is like. And I was just like, Coach, don't worry, man. I was like, you do your thing. I was like, I'll know the players. You know the coaches. You know that. And I was like, we'll play great off of each other. And it was one of the most fun years I've ever had covering the game of football, rekindling that relationship. And I remember too, like before one of our shows just being like, you know, Coach Dooley, like, you know, I really did not do you right. Like I I did not play as well as I should have. I didn't treat you. The way that I should have. Like, I was in the wrong a lot of the ways, my behavior, I was immature and all that. And I was like, I just want to tell you, like, I'm sorry, I should have done better for you. You know, I was like, you should still be the coach of Tennessee. If I played better for you, I really believe you'd still be there, you know? And he was just like, Matt, he goes, first of all, I really appreciate that. He goes, but don't get too reflective on me now. Right? And I'm like, I'm like, all right, man. I was like, I really left the door open for you there. And he's just like, I know what you did. He goes, Matt, trust me, I love you, man. Don't worry, it's all good. So it was like a really cool moment for us. But okay, so now fast forward, right, to the Jets. Benched. I think I'm gonna get drafted in the seventh round as like a a Brock Purdy, like Mr. Irrelevant kind of a thing. The Jets end up going a different direction. Then in priority free agency, they go with another guy over me. So I went from being like their last draft pick to like not getting drafted, to then being like, I'll be a high priority free agent to Not that either. And then being like, can you just please invite me to the rookie minicamp? I was fortunate enough to go to the rookie minicamp back when the rookie minicamps really were like true like mini camps where like there was like real football being played. And I remember competing and being like, Well, they definitely picked wrong. I'm way better than this kid, and I'm gonna show them every single second of it. And I balled out. And they kept the other kid because they didn't want to be wrong, and that's part of the NFL's problem too. They don't like being wrong. but I remember specifically Dave Zott, who is a New Jersey legend, remind me to share his contact with you guys as well. Talk about another New Jersey legend that gets underappreciated as an all state football player and a, I believe an all state champion wrestler as well at the heavyweight division. But Nonetheless, Dave Zott, phenomenal human being, absolute like at the pyramid of like what New Jersey football is all about. And I remember him coming up to me and a great New York Jet himself, just being like, listen, he goes, when we were talking about players to keep, he goes, I stood up and said, Sims has to be a New York Jet. Because he goes, You balled out. He goes, you were exactly what we wanted the quarterback position. He goes, Not only did you play great, but your impact off the field. The way that you carried yourself as a leader, he goes, I just want you to know that I stood on the table for you and you know, and and you're gonna make it. And I was like, Zoder, my guy, like forever indebted to him, right? Forever. speaker-1: Amazing. speaker-2: And sure enough, that first year I go to camp. That's the year that we had Sanchez, Greg McRoy, Tim Teebow in the camp with Tony Sperano as our offensive coordinator. Phenomenal human being. May he rest in peace as well. And I just remember thinking like, damn, like I can do this, but I wasn't really able to like click it all together and have enough experience and confidence to really piece it. So I play in the last preseason game. That's the only experience I get in that preseason. I don't play well, and they cut me. Fortunately, though, they're like, We really like you. We like a lot of your talent. You showed us a lot this whole offseason. We're gonna keep bringing you back around. So essentially for that whole year, every time that they worked out a receiver or a running back or whatever for the New York Jets facility, which usually takes place like every Tuesday at a facility on the off day, right? or a Monday or a Tuesday, I would be asked to drive down to the facility and to throw at the workout. So I got essentially like 10 free workouts with the Jets during that fall. Hoping that every time I was like, okay, this will be the time they sign me. And be like, nope, nope, nope, nope. So I got denied a ton. And then finally, towards the end of the year, they were like, All right, our quarterback situation is terrible. The Tim Tebow experiment failed miserably. and they were just like, We're gonna bring you back for OTAs and for camps. So we're gonna sign you to essentially like an off-season deal. And that was the offseason that that really changed my life because I was ready to go. The whole NFL world wasn't overwhelming to me anymore. I was ready. I knew what I had to do. Marty Mortingweg was then named the offensive coordinator. And Marty really saw my talent for what it was and was very, very instrumental in giving me opportunities in practice to really show off my talent, which was unique. Like the truth was is that I was a better thrower than Mark Sanchez, right? Despite the fact that he was a first round talent. Like, and I know that because I trained with Mark and with Coach Bob Johnson at Mission Viejo when I was at El Camino. So I would drive down to Orange County on the weekends to train with Bob Johnson, who was like an OG quarterback guru. And Sanchez would be at the groups. And I remember like the throwing workouts going on and Johnson being like, You go to El Camino? And I'm like, Yeah. And he's like, Holy shit. He goes, Like, are they? Are they building a good offense for you? And I'm like, I think so. I don't know, you know? And he's like, all right, you're and I remember like having multiple workouts where like I'm going throw for throw with Mark, and he's like extremely phenomenal, like polished and like making it look super easy. But I'm hanging in there. And I remember after one of our throws, there was like two or three other guys from like across the country that were like that came to work out with us that were really, really good, highly tattooed football players. And one was just like, I can't believe like how good these guys were. And I'm like listening to this from afar. I hear this. And I remember Bob Johnson giving me the best compliment ever without saying it to me, being like, Hey, that guy Sanchez is gonna be a first round pick next year. And I said, and he goes, and that other guy Sims, he goes, Shit, he should be a first rounder with how much talent he has. Right? And I remember like, damn, thanks, coach. Appreciate that, you know? So, but like that was one of those, again, like Wow, small world, because here I am now in a quarterback room with Sanchez all over again. And he's kind of like, hey, it's you again. And I'm like, Yeah, it's you again, you know. but that was a great experience. I played phenomenally well every single time I played in the preseason, every time that I practiced. I was absolutely on fire. And I remember going into the preseason game against the New York Giants and them telling me. The second half of this game, Gino's gonna start. The second half of the game is all you. And he goes, Yeah. And he was like, he goes, Hey, we are going to he goes, I'm gonna highlight you. He goes, I'm gonna make the game about you. And I was like, damn, really? And he's like, he goes, we are gonna light it up. And he goes, and then the following week against the Eagles, we're gonna really throw it and light it up again for you. And was like, damn, all right, coach. That's what I'm talking about, right? speaker-1: You fired up. Yeah. speaker-2: So here comes the game. Geno struggles. Geno throws like two or three picks in the first half and really struggles. We come in at halftime. I'm like, all right, here we go. Like, I'm about to like outshine our first round or first pick of the second round quarterback here on preseason football against the New York Giants, my father's team. Like, talk about just like, let's go, right? And we come out in the second half, they're on offense, we get the ball back. And s and Mark Rex Ryan goes, Sanchez, you're going in. I'm like, what? So Rex Ryan sends in Sanchez because he thinks that if Sanchez goes in and just does like baseline good, no competition, no argument with the GM. Sanchez is the quarterback of the future. There's no debate. We know this, right? And think about this too. Sanchez had played in two and AFC championships games before this, right? So like think about how crazy that is, right? Yeah. And So he goes in, but Mark, you know, really is not prepared. Like Mark should have protected himself and said, hey, no, the plan was never to play me and I'm not I'm not playing. But he was a good soldier. He went in there, even though he really wasn't like prepared to play. And the third play that he was in there on third down, he scrambled to his left and got absolutely rocked in his throwing shoulder. And he was out for the season. We didn't know it at the time, but he was definitely out for the preseason game. And I go in like the next drive being like, wow, that was like really unlucky for Mark and like super fortunate and lucky for me. So there's again that weird just yin and yang of like his shortcoming and failure in that moment was really the moment I needed to take advantage of here. And You know, the rest was history. I went out there and like I absolutely balled out. I was definitely the best player on the field that day, no doubt. and that that includes guys like Eli Manning and Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez. Like I was the best quarterback on the field that night and I was locked in, I was prepared, I was ready to go. And Marty Mortiweg absolutely called the game in a way for me to really show my unique talent. And funny enough, who's on the other side of the ball playing against me in that preseason game. speaker-1: Is Justin Trattou Justin Trattou Right. speaker-2: And I remember I made a big ass play scrambling away from him. He won his one on one. I scrambled away from him and I threw a pass to Ryan Spadola, Lehigh guy, and I ripped it across my body like thirty five yards down the field on the line. And I remember throwing the pass and be like, Yeah, Justin, you like that shit? You're right, like kinda talking shit to him. And you know, that was kind of like some of those moments that really like kind of catapulted me into making that Jets roster that year. speaker-1: my god. And I I actually just watched that last night, that clip, and I'm like, Wait, is that Justin Trottel? I'm like, my god, it is and I saw you turn back right after that play. I was like, yeah. speaker-2: Talked a lot of shit, yeah. Now Justin, when we played Tennessee, Florida, Justin almost broke my collarbone on like the second play of the game of that game. Cause I moved up to the pocket. I went to go throw, and as I threw, he caught me. And he did this on purpose too. He won't say this, but like he wrapped his arms around me and then like kind of went like that. speaker-1: Little Yeah, a little dig. speaker-2: I was like really fortunate that I didn't break my collarbone. And I said that to him like years later too and be like, Bro, you almost like and he goes, Yeah, I know And I'm You're such speaker-1: Like you're such a you're such a Use a maniac in college. speaker-2: But no, like hey, he you know, that's again, that's the way that we were trained to play. And even though he was my brother, he wouldn't be my brother unless he went out there and gave it his all. So you know, that was one of those things where it's like, Can't fault you, bro, I know what you're doing. Hey, you gotta let the quarterback feel you, right? So unfortunately I was just that quarterback on that play, but yeah. It's pretty it's pretty cool that that moment being able to play against him in that in that setting there. speaker-1: I feel like he had a he had a switch on the field, like more than others. I feel like we've heard that from a couple players now. speaker-2: I think the biggest thing that like you gotta keep in mind too is that just like the depth of any human is way deeper than what we would give credit for. And just because of like what the guy you see here, you know, doesn't mean that we we all don't kinda have that switch, you know. You really do need to kinda tap into that that dark side energy, right? That Sith energy when you go to that football field, you know, and you can label it however you want. But like there's no doubt there's like a gladiator dark energy. Like when you go on that football field, yo, you gotta you gotta be ready to go. Like you gotta put your brain and your mind in that type of set and setting and embrace like the chaos that's about to take place. Cause if you're not ready, yeah, yo, they're they're they're gonna get you. Right. So and even when you are ready, they're probably gonna get you. But you know, that's just something you really gotta like coach yourself and guide yourself through as you go through this and and why I used to wear The Batman shirt, you know, when I used to play back in the day. speaker-1: that's a good that's a good story there. Yeah. any Sexy Rex stories? Anything besides him making that mistake by putting Mark in there? Well I guess it wasn't a mistake, it was fate that you got in there. speaker-2: No, I mean listen, he he was trying to do what he thought was best for the team at that moment. And, you know, in that moment, it's it's tough to calculate all the pieces that kinda happen there, right? In real time, right? We're so quick to to judge coaches like, Why did he do that? In some cases it's like, okay, it was pretty obvious like that wasn't the right choice. But in other cases too, it's like, dude, you got like ten seconds to make this You know, and it it's really all about just your preparation and just your trust and instincts. And some guys just have better instincts and and awareness of those things. But like in Rex's case, he did what he thought was right at that moment. And unfortunately, the violence of the game, you know, made it an unlucky choice for him. And but like overall I I think Rex was extremely instrumental in my career as a football player. The another like funny connection too, like My father played against Buddy Ryan, right? And Buddy was the defensive quarter for the Philadelphia Eagles. And that whole network again being tapped into, right? And our family lineage and him understanding where I was coming from and why, you know, the name and our career and the same thing for him as well. So we really did connect, I think, on that level, really, really well. And I also think too that he just liked the fact that like I I was ready for it. You know, I think he knew that I was someone that would like, Hey, let's go. Like, I got your back. I'll do this, you know, and I just I really appreciate guys like Rex, guys like Marty Morningweg, guys like Dave Zott, who really did a great job of empowering me as a young football player that really did not have a great college career at all. Right? More blemishes than than pretty moments. And they I think did a phenomenal job of coaching me and getting the most out of me for that time being. speaker-1: Dude, you you had some really good stories. I saw one story with Matt Ryan and he mentioned how you put your hand up every single time, you had it at your side, and then you would put it up when you're ready to hike the ball. Right. were there any other tells like that? Little things that that I'm sure these NFL players are just looking for. Is there anything that any of the quarterbacks taught you? Well aside from that one story. speaker-2: yeah, I mean there's no doubt that you you pick up just like through osmosis, right? Or just natural absorption of just the people that you're around. And it's interesting, like, you know, my quarterback teammates in New York with Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy, Tim Tebow, Mike Vick, Brady Quinn, David Gerrard, phenomenal human beings, all of them. And then to go from there to rekindle. Right. Again, that that connection with Tyrod Taylor and Buffalo to meet Matt Castle up there. played great in a preseason game, but threw a pass forty yards backwards. So I knew I was getting cut the next day. and that was funny too. Like I remember going on the bus after I played great in this game. I played awesome. But I fumbled two snaps, right? Coach Toal would not have been happy. and then I threw a pass backwards, like literally like forty yards backwards. And super embarrassing moment. But I was balling. And I remember getting on the bus and Sanjay Lal coming up to me and being like, Hey, don't worry about that pass. I was psh, I'm not worried about that pass. I was like, I fucking balled out, man. Like, if I'm not making this team, then I that's on them, you know? So I was kind of pissed at myself for what happened, but I was also just gonna like fight fire with fire. Now my ass got cut like nine a.m. the next day. But either way, I was fortunate enough to get a call from Kyle Shanahan on the ride home from Buffalo as I was driving home. And then that's where I was introduced to Matt Ryan and then the Falcons. Falcons. And Matt Ryan really was like it's really it's honestly it's kinda sad too, because I was in a weird time in my life. the my relationship with the game of football at that time was not super healthy. I feel like my relationship with football at that point kind of turned into like a jaded, like, you know, what about me type of mentality, like a poor me kind of thing. And or at least that's how Coach Toal would label it. But I just got into this weird funk. But Matt Ryan was like so awesome with me. And again, because of my transparency, because of my ability, I think to be, you know, somewhat vulnerable and just like say exactly what I felt and what I saw at the moment, we really connected and bonded. And he really, you know, opened himself up as he says to me, he's like, You know, I I shared stuff with you and you know that I I'd really never felt comfortable talking about with anyone in our quarterback room before. And it got to the point where our relationship was where like he he'd pick me up for our away games from my apartment. I'd drive with him to the airplane, and when we got home, hey, my job after our our road trip was to drive the star quarterback home in his car and to get it home safely. And then to take his car to back to my apartment to the and then to the facility the next day and then, you know, to drop it off and then get dropped off at my house, right? But like, you know, he really opened the door as far as just sharing with me how challenging it was to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, how to demand more of yourself and like the people around you, that sense of accountability and just like that standard. Right, that everybody talks about, he was absolutely phenomenal. And he's like one of those guys too, you could tell that like the coaches that were coaching him were probably learning just as much from him as they were in the other way around. And I think that was extremely, extremely impactful to see. And we also had Matt Schab in that room too, who, you know, if if young people out there watching the show who are not aware, you know, Matt Schab is like probably part of like an all decade team. As far as quarterback goes at that time period with the Houston Texans. And if it wasn't for, you know, Belichick and how good they were in New England, you know, the Houston Texans were fighting for, you know, division championships and AFC, you know, contention like every year. So then his wisdom and his ability to be present in that room was awesome. And that's where for me I learned the ability of New York, I was absolutely like hungry and was like, yeah, Geno you're my guy. I'm gonna help you. But it's also like, I want your job and you know that. Like, so there was that relationship, which was good for both of us as well, because we both didn't know what the hell we were doing. But then like in Atlanta, it was like very clear, like, if I'm gonna get the job, this guy needs to like get hurt, and then this guy needs to get hurt because they just are better pros than I was. And that's the facts of it. Right. And my talent was good. They knew my talent was good. Right. Every time I played, I knew they were like they were they were watching. They wanted to see what like I was gonna do because they knew I had that game changing type of ability. And but at the same time, I knew how to switch like my role as far as the impact of what I needed to do for that team in Atlanta. So Matt's Doing all the stuff standard wise, what you need to do, the team, all this, right? And like setting the bar high, and it's awesome. Shab essentially being like a great caddy, as Sean Payton would say. Great backups are great caddies. Hey, they can play the game probably just as good as the guy playing, but they're really good at helping the the great player be like even more special, right? And he was awesome at that. And for me, it was like, okay, how do I make an impact now? My impact was like, I'm gonna be a great mediator and delegator to the coaching staff and to our quarterback room. So I was telling the players what the coaches were telling me, and I was telling the coaches, right, what the players were telling me, and kind of bridging that gap between the two worlds when I felt like we were worlds apart. And I was able to then create enough of a rapport with Schab and Matt Ryan to where. Yeah, like I'm able to put my input of like, hey, that's a great concept. We should do this and this to it. And like, yeah, hey, draw that up. Yeah, that makes sense. Let's present that to coach. And then be like, shit, like my play design just made our install. shit, like here we are later in the game. He's calling the play that I helped design. This is awesome. And you know, I essentially turned into a little bit of like the Joker of our room, right? Where the focus was high, the intensity was high. And I was just great at like little comedic timing with just kind of like, okay, everybody like let's not take ourselves too seriously here. And I was very valuable in that sense. I really was. And I'm not sure how they would see it, but I definitely called it how it was. I definitely was very transparent with them and I built tremendous trust with him. And Matt Ryan is no doubt one of the greatest teammates that I've ever been around. and one of the better human beings that I've ever been around. So there's no there's no doubt that that connection of like human talent on the sport talent absolutely collide and make make special people. And I think we're also seeing that with guys like Wen Banyama right now and Jalen Brunson in the NBA finals, who really are great examples of that exact same thing. They're phenomenal human beings that are talented and that's why they are special. speaker-1: You felt it when Wemby was crying, man, making it to the finals. Like this guy's really pouring his whole life into this. Yeah. and he's just like obviously a generational player, right? Like everyone knows that. Yeah. But to know that he you could feel that he's a genuine person through the T V, that's just different. speaker-2: And you can tell that he's like he's wired different than most NBA players are right now too. Like he's g he's a little bit more cut from that cloth of like how Jordan and them were, right? At that time of like kind of that toughness, that mental toughness. And you know, like that that's why too, like I marvel at Matt Ryan too, 'cause like, damn, you know, I I think about that Super Bowl and just like how good he played, what he did for our team that year winning the MVP. And I remember that was the first time that I cried in a really long time post the game. And I remember like crying in that locker room and everyone be like, don't worry, we'll be back. And I'm like, No, we won't. Like, this is it. Like this team is not going to run it back. Because I just knew that like the group that we had there was so unique and the season did play out like just perfectly for us to to make that run. And Kyle was leaving to go to San Francisco the next year. Half the staff was gonna go with him. and I knew it just wasn't gonna be the same. But like, man, Matt Ryan, phenomenal player. And and to me, like, man, borderline first ballot Hall of Famer. I know he's a Hall of Famer, but like borderline first ballot Hall of Famer, and I just don't know if people really understand like how good of a player he is. speaker-1: Feel like he doesn't get enough credit. everyone like focuses on some of the the cons that he's had in his career, but like the guy is just unbelievable. I mean you can tell you know what I could I I feel like I actually see it more in his T V like portion of it now. For the the way he just talks, you could tell like the if he did that in the locker room, you're getting everyone's attention. When you can get like a bunch of men in the NFL's attention, it's different. It's just different. It's a skill. speaker-2: It's a skill. And you he he gave me another phenomenal compliment too where he was just like, you know, Matt, I know you wanna be me one day 'cause I told him one day, like I was on his back porch, like talking with him and he was really shooting the shit with me. And he's like, You know, so what do you want to get out of the game? And I'm like I'm like, Matt, I was like, all honesty, I was like, I wanna be you, bro. I was like, I want your job. I was like, I wanna be a superstar quarterback and all that. And he goes, All right. He goes, I get that. He goes, All right, now hey, what happens when that doesn't happen? And I was like Well, damn, that's a great question. I don't know. And he was just like, he goes, I don't say this lightly. And he goes, listen, take whatever you want out of it. He goes, I think you should get into coaching. He goes, I really believe you should get into coaching. And that went like right over my head, like Drax of the Destroyer, where like nothing gets over my head, right? But like I remember it being just like, man, like what's he talking about? Like F coaching. Like I want to play, right? But He saw something in me and my ability to communicate and connect and teach because that was like I think one of my more proud moments as a coach before Sims Complete ever started, before I really ever started coaching QBs and all that. Matt Ryan came up to me and said, I want you to go back, look at me from years past, at my motion, my technique. And then I want you to present to me what maybe I can do to help my technique and how I can improve. And I was like, no shit. You really want me to do this for you. And that was an unbelievable moment because I did the work. I presented to him. I showed him this, this, and this. And that's what catapulted him into seeing quarterback gurus that summer and kind of changing the way that he approached his work ethic as far as his throwing ability. And He went on to win the MVP the next year. So I was like really, really proud to just be like very small piece of just kind of like that reinvention of himself and him telling me like I went through some dark times that year before and I really worked hard to kind of get my career back on track. And I'm just really proud, right, that I was able to to be a part of that and to witness that. speaker-1: That's an incredible story, man. my God. Seeing that different side of of Matt, like is obviously incredible to see the inside, and we love to hear those stories. But that's really cool that you got to experience that. this is like a perfect transition to Simms Complete, and thank you again. You've given us been so gracious with your time, Matt. Really, really, really appreciate it, man. one I I would I would regret it if I didn't ask you about the Jets now and where they stand now and the whole coaching staff and who they picked up and if it's even worth Cheering for them or not in the future. Like, talk to me. Do you number one, do you think Aaron Glenn's the real deal? Do you think like that goes anywhere this year? Or do you think he's just not the guy, frankly? and then though talk to me about the draft because I'm really excited about it. I know I've said that like a thousand times throughout the years, but I genuinely think that they're on the right trajectory in terms of the players that they're bringing in and the mindset and the coaches and all of that. speaker-2: Yeah, I mean I think last year went so poorly that there's just so many things that that need to be improved upon for them big picture wise. I think bringing in Geno Smith is a huge thing for them. I know a lot of people maybe weren't like super excited about that, but like those people that aren't excited about that, like just don't know football well enough. And that's the facts. And Jets fans, like at times, I'm just sorry, like you just don't know football well enough, right, to even criticize at times, right? Because you just can't even see the big picture. Because Hey, Sam Darnold was trash. Yeah, so was Gino. So was this guy. Listen, like Gino is a really good football player, super talented. And when there's good pieces around him, like every good quarterback in the NFL, he does great things. So I think for Aaron Glenn, got his head a little bit over his skis a little bit as far as just like the Justin Fields experiment. Like, you know, as a guy that watches film, like just as a viewer of the game and talking about a serious XM NFL radio. not sure what Aaron Glenn saw, right? And really took a bold step in trying to to make his his mark with Justin Fields, right? And I think he did a better job now of like, okay, let me get a quarterback that really has like shown when given a proper surrounding cast can make some big time plays. Gino Smith is that guy. And at a bargain price. So I'm excited. speaker-1: And with a chip on his shoulder. speaker-2: And with a chip on his shoulder. You know, so I'm happy for Gino. I think Aaron Glenn, it's a big year for him. There's no doubt that he has talent as a coach. I think the problem is is that you're never prepared to be a head coach. And the question is, will you have enough time to develop into the position the first time around? And that's that's the biggest question. So that to me is why that was the that was a it was a sketchy move to go with Justin Fields with your first go around of an unproven player at a very important position. Yes, he has a high ceiling, but he has a very, very low floor. And that's where as far as big picture wise, you know, I think he just got a little too aggressive with saying, you know, no to Aaron. I'm gonna do it my way. And I respected him when he did that because I was like, listen, I was tired of Aaron's crap too, right? Because Aaron's all he did was complain about the Green Bay Packers, and yet he brought the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets. And I was like, Well, you wanted more talent, but yet you brought the same people here. What the hell are we doing? Right? Yeah. speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-2: You know, I think he was just in a tough situation. He tried to establish himself. He tried to kind of, you know, draw his line in the sand. It backfired on him. The draft picks this year are awesome. Gino's gonna be an absolute upgrade at the position. There's no doubt about it. of course Frank Reich as a play caller is an upgrade at the position as well, too. And I look forward to it. I think they'll be more competitive. The question will be can they win three out of those Four to five games that kind of come down to like the one possession, it seems like, for every team. And when you look at a season, there is usually that group of like four or five games that really do define And sometimes they're against opponents that you expect them to beat, but they're still like very important wins as far as creating momentum as the season progresses. speaker-1: Yeah. Unfortunately it's like they play Tennessee the first game, right? So I just feel like Jet fans and the whole media, New York media is gonna just go nuts if they lose that game and then it ends up being this like cloud over their head as the season starts. It's just like unbelievable. But I share your sentiment with all of that. I I genuinely think that Gino is gonna be an upgrade and that they should be better, right? Obviously next year they're talking about the whole quarterback class, so that's also interesting, which speaker-2: Which is another silly thing too as well. Because it's like, what are we talking about for next year? Because last time I checked, Drew Aller, Cade Klubnick, and Garrett Nussmeyer were all projected first rounders this time a year ago. And they should just be happy as hell that they're on rosters right now. So this whole projection thing is like slow down. It's cute, and yes, it's good for the the media part to talk about it. It's great for ESPN because No doubt they need those clicks and that's why they try to say a certain name as much as they possibly can. But the truth is too is that like that doesn't mean anything. It doesn't. And they need to play the game out the way that they do and then figure out where to go from there. So everybody needs to slow down about this this next year thing. Just take care of the right now, because if you don't play well this year, don't worry about it. Someone else is picking the quarterback for you. So let's just keep it real. You know, that that's for real. That's really where they need to focus on. yeah, next year, that's great. If you don't do well this year, you're not even picking that person. So don't even worry about it. If if that person even is available to you. So it's true. Yeah. It's a little silly, like I feel like it's a media thing, like, mock draft seven point six. It's like, yeah. Okay. speaker-1: Year in advance. Who cares? Like they haven't even played the college year. speaker-2: Lenora Sellers, another guy. Lenora Sellers. he's a first round pick. Lenora Sellers was like, you know, he really struggled. He really did. I wouldn't even say that he was like a top six quarterback in the SEC last year. So things can change and things can change very quickly. And wouldn't be shocked if like a a a random quarterback that's no one else is thinking about, like a Ty Simpson, comes out of nowhere and ends up being the the talk of the town in a lot of these cases. speaker-1: Yeah, I mean that's happened how many times already, right? Like we see these top prospects and then they end up shitting the bed. And then you see this guy drafted in the fourth round and he ends up being, you know, a star from the league. So speaker-2: Yeah, you never know. Never know. Absolutely. speaker-1: So Pete, you wanted to go to the Sims Complete to to wrap us up, right? Yeah. So I just want to know how this was born. Like how did this come about? I know you have the podcast with your dad, Phil Sims. Yeah, yeah. You know, just a speaker-2: So speaker-1: how did that start off first and then the mechanics, like training, boot camp? like give us the story behind. Sims complete. speaker-2: Complete started as like just basically, Hey, we're going to I'm gonna help QBs in the local area because my career is ending and I'm not sure what the hell to do with my time. So I might as well kinda give my experiences, my lessons and all that to people that were interested in learning it while I'm still staying sharp. And even like an early iteration systems complete, I'm coaching kids, but like I'm out there throwing two, right? And be like, Yeah, do it lit this way, right? Like So that was pretty interesting as well. And I was still just like super hungry to play and also like scared to move on in my life, right? So there was those things that were kind of like all unfolding at the same time. But it started out as like helping out local kids. There was no like real company set in place. There was no marketing or anything like that. It just turned out like the kids that I helped out had really good years and then all of a sudden people were like, Well, who do you go to see? And then they're and then all of a sudden it kinda caught fire from there. And here we go, fast forward seven years later. And, you know, went from helping guys in the off season, because I do stuff during the fall, like as my normal nine to five with Sirius XM and with ESPN and all that, to then yeah, like now recently doing pretty much a whole rebrand and getting away from just quarterback specific field training and getting more into human development through the veil of sports. And really Putting in the effort and the curriculum to establish the lessons that you've heard through a Coach Toal, through a Matt Ryan, through a Rex Ryan, through the Marty Morningwegs, bundle all these things up with the technical side of on the field, with the technical stuff in the classroom, the X's and O's, but then also to just like those life lessons and the overall human development. And like I share with you, all the stuff that I felt like. I closed myself off too earlier on in my career because football was the end all be all. And now you kids are definitely better at this now of being able to see like, you know, I could do this, this, or this, and they definitely have a better like herd mentality or hive mentality of just like everyone doing better, we all do better. and that's where I feel like the shift of my program is more along the lines of like, I'm gonna challenge you, I'm gonna make it hard on you. No, I'm not gonna record you just so you can put it on your social of the one good rep that you had. I don't care about that at all. It's all about like how are we improving the overall community together, making you a more well-rounded individual. And as I teach you these lessons, right, I'm also learning how to reinforce those lessons for myself as well. So as I teach, I learn more about myself. As I teach and help more people, they learn more about themselves. when they learn more about themselves, they can then teach that lesson onto them. So it's really about creating a cyclical ecosystem that way where we're constantly evolving and improving and getting better for each other through sports constantly. So that's really the focus and and the passion and what we're doing here now and into the future. And it's really fun the creation phase of it 'cause it's not like set in stone. It's a ever evolving thing. but there's no doubt like we made a tremendous impact in a very short period of time and I'm really excited about how how we continue to to grow and expand this moving forward. speaker-1: Dude, there's no doubt I could like feel your passion and your authenticity. I mean, I was looking at the Sims Complete post and you mentioned hey, camp starts tomorrow. Visualize your drive to the to the camp. Visualize how you wanna approach every drill. And I was just like, man, the mental state, like just the thoughtfulness in that I was like, he's just he's gonna win. Like there's just no doubt there. Like you have the mechanics, you have the experience, and then you have the intangibles, So I'm really excited for you in this endeavor. that's it's really cool to see your evolution. one one hundred percent. One of one of I wanted to ask another question, which was the transition. Like what's your advice for a former NFL player or just a former football player? going into media because that's one thing that all of the Sims do really well. I don't know if you guys just had media training like I mean Yeah. I mean Where does speaker-2: Peter, like speaker-1: that come from, dude? Like you you guys are so articulate and speaker-2: I was always being interviewed. You know, like that's the thing. Like again, that's like goes back to like why my guard up was in high school. Like everyone was always like, Hey, what was your father? Like, woo Like I was always kind of like, you know, giving the old like you know, everything is great and like you know, so like I I definitely learned that ability early on and probably a lot of it vicariously through, just like the fact of being a quarterback Being a public speaker, because that's essentially what you are as a quarterback, is you're a public speaker, right? You have to get outside of yourself and relay a message, a greater message to other individuals and to make them buy into it. And how do you buy into it? You have to believe in it in the first place, right? So it's like that stuff naturally kind of helped create and polish along with all these other experiences to make it like, you know, its own thing. And at first I didn't want to go into media. Because I was like, everyone in my family does that, and like, who gives a shit about my opinion? Right? But then Quick was like, No, like, your story's unique. The way that you deliver it is different than Phil and Chris could. And there's a different edginess to you. And why not share that story? You know? And and that was really, you know, an awesome moment for me, and really kind of the start of this whole media career too, as well, with him. So he was extremely, extremely instrumental in helping me find myself and unravel talents that I tried to compress and hold down because I thought I was protecting myself by not participating. speaker-1: Dude, he's he's spot on. So I'm happy that he gave you that advice. quick, let's do some rapid fire to get you out of here. Bosco Bosco Rushmore four top four at Bosco, in your opinion. speaker-2: Ow, dude, good question. The Bosco Mount Rushmore. Holy crap. Steve Levy. Brian Toal? I'm gonna say Marquise Liverpool. We're talking about the football team, right? speaker-1: Yeah, football team. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But someone did bring that up to me before. They were like, Mike, is this football or is this? speaker-2: I'm glad we asked that because like if it wasn't football, that would be even more challenging for me to do. speaker-1: Totally. Yeah. speaker-2: Number four on that list. you know what? speaker-0: I'll speaker-2: P not I shouldn't say a random one, but probably maybe someone that wasn't anticipating, but just like Wait, I don't know. Should I do that? There's a few. There's a few that like it's it's kinda I'll throw Justin Trotto up there. But it's tough. It's tough. I can't lie. Cause I think about guys like Tony Jones as well, who never lost a high school game in his career. I think about guys like Brett Kneef. You know what? speaker-1: nine. speaker-2: Wow, yeah. Okay, that's that's that's tough, man. I don't know. Levy and and and Toal are there, no doubt. And then like Hunger Game style for the next two spots. Right? Like that's kind of how I feel right now. But there's no doubt there's some people that I'm kind of forgetting about right now that I probably should be considering more heavily. even like a a Dave Granitel, right? Waxy Granitelle who maybe isn't known as a superstar, but like talking about a guy who really invested a ton into Bosco and their career and their future and his influence and getting guys like Toal over there. So he's another guy that like kind of a uncer unseen hero, but like definitely a huge part of why Bosco's successful. but yeah, that would be yeah, I think Kneef has to go up there. I Kineath might have been one of the best QBs out of all of us because of what he was able to do. speaker-1: Really? Wow. Yeah. He was a beast. That's a big statement coming from you. Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no. He he was a beast. but like speaker-2: I so was Tommy. Tommy was awesome. So was Nova, Kneef, Teel Levy. Like, you know, I'm happy as hell to be a part of just like a really awesome list of of talented quarterbacks. But like Kneath was a a very unique individual. And also too, Keneath. speaker-1: He played baseball too. speaker-2: He played baseball, he was division one baseball player, so that's part of the why. And then also he was really we were the first team to play out of state, right? When we played St. Joe's Philly and when we played Centerville out of Ohio and then Spring Valley Military Acad or Valley Forge Military Academy. but Kaneep was a part of those teams that like traveled to St. X and really started to get into like the the whole like national scene like way more aggressively. And I think for a young man to be put in that position and still have the success that he had, like, definitely have to tip your cap and super influ influential in in in our our our progress as as a program. speaker-1: He definitely kept the quarterback lineage going for sure. speaker-2: No doubt, no doubt. Peter's been waiting all night for this one. speaker-1: Dude, favorite receiver in high school and favorite receiver professionally. speaker-2: Receiver professionally is really easy. It's Julio Jones. I've never seen a human being like that ever in a football field, and also have never seen a human being better off the football field. tons of stories to share about him and my experience with him. Phenomenal human being. I just like I I've said wow so many times watching him play. It just like it got it got old, honestly. You know, but I saw him do some unbelievable stuff. Best receiver ever, no doubt. And was damn proud to just throw him anything at practice. and I used to wear his visor during practice too, 'cause I was like I was like, Hey, Julio, that's a cool visor. Can I wear it? He's Yeah, sure. Yeah. I only have I have seventy, no problem. speaker-0: haha speaker-2: But yeah. And I got this great picture of us too, like kinda like doing like a step brothers like handshake and like we both got visors on like at a at a Falcons practice. Like that's pretty dope. But speaker-1: You gotta send me that. I was gonna say definitely send us that. speaker-2: Favorite receiver in high school, I'll say Steve Dorn. Okay. All right. Speedy Stevie. Speedy Stevie. but I would say that in a close second, probably Brian Callahan will be up there. because Brian Callahan was speaker-1: Did not practice, did not do I mean I'm I don't wanna say he did practice, I don't know that for sure, but the dude was he was showing up with Tim's unless game speaker-2: I'll say this. speaker-1: day and he would just crush it. speaker-2: He was the the best way to describe Brian Callahan respectfully here on this show is to say that he was an enigma and he was kind of like the Bill Murray of our football team. You weren't sure if he was gonna show up or not, but man, when he showed up, he was gonna steal the show. And he was never running fast, but yet he made a lot of people look really, really dumb on a football field, and that was like I remember throwing one pass to him and him running and be like, it's a gain of six and be like, it's twelve. It's fifteen. He's not even running fast. And yet speaker-1: And they can't tackle them. speaker-2: Yeah, it was really He was like the greased up guy from Family Guy. You know, like it really was. Like you just couldn't grab him and bring him to the ground. It was unbelievable his ability to slip through tackles. It was truly, truly special. speaker-1: He's one of my all time favorite Bosco football players. Honestly, like seeing him play was unbelievable. speaker-2: He was a legend. He was a legend. He was a legend for more reasons than one, but he's a legend, no doubt. Yeah. Fourth and Bonilla after dark, we'll share those stories. yeah. speaker-1: Yeah. Awesome. Well we we end the this show with the traditional question. Bones always finishes this one off. Yeah, so Matt, you're you're at your peak. You you just got told by the coach that you're starting against, let's see, the Patriots and you need to get hyped. What song are you putting on your headphones to get you hyped? speaker-2: Man, good question. What was I listening to? man, what was that one song? There was definitely the song when I was in the Jets preseason where like it was absolutely my jam. Where it was like it was kind of like that country techno song. like dunno my life is like man, I can't remember exactly what it was, but I remember just being like, This is my thing, and I'm gonna play great today. Right. I gotta I gotta I gotta go speaker-1: Ripped you. speaker-2: I gotta go back and check out what that song was. but damn, it was a good song. Honestly, I don't know if I really was like one of those people that like really cared about like the music that I was listening to a ton when I played. It was more so about like, dude, when I put on that shirt, it was over. All right. We speaker-1: And you talk like this. speaker-2: were speaker-0: Alright. speaker-2: gonna was protected. All right. Like so that's that's for me like I wasn't much of like the music kind of getting me into it as much as other people were where I was like locked in my headphones, like in my own world. It was kind of like as soon as I put on that shirt, like, dude, we're good. We're gonna win. Right. So I really approached it that way. Like that was my way of kind of switching into the character that I needed to be, to get after it and and to do some wild things at the football field. speaker-1: I love that. I'm gonna g I'm I have a little something special for you on the on the post on the social when I put a song on it. We're gonna have to figure out something. speaker-2: I gotta I gotta figure out what the hell that song was. I'll do a speaker-1: You better. Yeah, now you now you gotta tell me. speaker-2: And listen, I got more stories for you, so we'll re we'll we'll run this back again, right? Totally. Got got some great stories too, even from from that the the Batman shirt and some things I did there. I actually almost got kicked out of Bosco because of that, in a weird way. Not almost got kicked out, but like I definitely was like, you know, getting a nice little slap on the wrist there, but Stanzak definitely saved me. So he was an awesome dude for that one. speaker-1: Love that. Well perfect. Perfect way to end it and also get a little teaser for the next episode. speaker-2: Try teaser for the next one. We're ready to go. See, I I know I know how these things work, you know. speaker-1: You're the man. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: Dude, thank you for your time, bro. really appreciate it. You're a legend. and until next time, my friend. Hey, Peter. speaker-2: Really appreciate it. I, you know, really think that for me it's like great through this process of of getting to know you again, right? And, you know, really actually getting to know you. So we were acquaintances in high school and I really appreciate the fact of like guys like Dorn being that tether that keeps us together, you know, these years later. So super special and just really appreciate you guys. having me on and and sharing the the platform with you. So I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. speaker-1: Thanks, brother. Thank you, man. Have a great name. Have a great night. Thank you too. Tootles, as Coach Still would say. Tootles, okay. speaker-0: Toodles! Toodles!