Can USC Build A Team Like The Early 2000s Again? Matt Leinart Explains | The QB Room

[Music] welcome to the QB room uh brought to you by happy Dad um fired up for our guest this week Matthew lert mod day SC handful of teams dad TV analyst and uh two-time National Title winner Heisman Trophy winner uh and fired up for you to join us today Kyle's not with us um he thinks there's a chance Josh Allen gets benched this week if he doesn't get it together by the second quarter and he's going to have to go in so he just wanted to yeah okay make sure he went over third down protections extra I think he's a little busy we're good he's busy they got a lot going on this week um but they're not traveling that's good got to play uh the Chiefs at home which I think we're all fired up to see how that shakes out but um Matt thanks a lot you and I've known each other forever man uh I don't remember when we met I don't remember I don't have a cool story or anything but I I don't know we were kids yeah um played with my brother at USC played with my brother in Oakland with the Raiders um and uh I've had an incredible career and I you know you're only like a year older than me I think or two but still growing up in Orange County playing quarterback there's a lot of names and stuff and so you're always kind of chasing who did it ahead of you uh you probably chased my brother y um and uh and I uh I chased for a second and then drifted off into the distance behind you um in uh in in the way that we do it but thanks you're doing just fine dude you're doing just fine man I appreciate it um well I wanted to talk to you a little bit today uh and kind of get into USC I know this isn't you know the the you know America is not talking about USC football right now we're talking about the NFL playoffs and right kind of the Portal's kind of done now recruiting is kind of done now coaching cycle in college is like I think pretty much Set uh maybe there's one or two um NFL is a different story different timeline we had talked a few weeks ago we talked about the portal it's crazy how in college football the playoffs and the championship uh the coaching cycle the portal and recruiting all happens at the same time yep and NFL that's just it's not it's you know the drafts in April free agency closes here championships are you know next month um and so it's bananas and so now it's kind of now that the dust is settled instead of talking about what could happen we kind of know what's going to happen now and then obviously there'll be updates and stuff as we get to the spring but when I look at USC I grew up an sc fan watching Rob Johnson play right playing for his dad um they've won one pack 12 championship in the last 15 years until our producer Connor threw this in the script I I would have guessed differently right um I didn't realize that uh hasn't won a championship since' 04 a national title um so let me throw you a question why is it so difficult to build something in LA with the resources with the tradition and all the stuff why is it so difficult cult right now in your opinion to build a championship team in La um as opposed to how I guess it used to be well yeah I mean if you think so if you think back in kind of our era when I played with your brother when Pete was hired I I look back now and I look at that staff and you look at Pete who obviously is an elite recruiter uh you look at Ed Ojon who's an elite recruiter and look what he's he did throughout his career won a title with LSU a couple years ago you look at we had young Lane kein who's one of the best Recruiters in college football we had a young Steve sarkeesian who's one of the best Recruiters in college football that was all 20 years ago we had when I look back I'm like damn like we had an elite coaching staff but we had an elite recruiting staff and so obviously that helped and then when you won we started winning Carson Senior Year you know that was the first year when we really kind of took off we beat Iowa in the Orange Bowl and it was just a Snowball Effect we just started getting all of these players and all these recruits and we didn't really miss on on hardly anybody um so a lot of that had to do with the staff um also a lot of it too back then you know we were kind of the show in La there wasn't a football team uh the Lakers were coming off you know they were coming off I think the second three Pete was Shack and Kobe so they were kind of down the Dodgers weren't as good as they were now so like we were USC was like everyone wanted to be a part of USC and la so when you look at the staff and then the development of the players that was key so then somewhere it all got lost right over the next kind of decade and uh Urban Meyer actually tells a pretty interesting story I I remember when when Pete was there his goal was to build the fence around Southern California right all the way Orange County you're talking about all the great quarterbacks and skilled players from South Orange County up um all the way to LA and you build a fence out there and you don't let the top players leave you just don't that is where from San Diego yeah Reggie from San Diego and if you look back at our roster like like and and his thing was we're only going to go get NFL D1 or uh first round draft picks out of state that was his philosophy um obviously you know you miss on some guys so he built that fence and urban had told me you know now now working with Urban at Fox he's like Matt we didn't even touch La we didn't even go out there because we knew we weren't going to get the top QB or the top running back or the Reggie bushes of the world so they really didn't recruit this area and that was a lot of the top and he was he was at Florida at the time I think when they were rolling out there um so but when obviously Pete left and then sanctions happened and we went through kind of keif and Sark and then and then the Helton era um we kind of lost and I say we USC kind of lost track of how to recruit and there's a lot of stories go back inside that building of that kind of you know um that era where they just missed on a lot of guys and you you know a lot of that staff wasn't recruiting the local player you know you hear the stories from like Bryce young and dju like some of these guys weren't even really recruited that hard by their by their their by the school that they loved growing up and watching um which obviously to me as a Trojan was like are you kidding me how does that happen so it was just a different philosophy in recruiting obviously um that staff just wasn't able to perform like the previous one like the one I was fortunate to play with um so that really took that really took them step back and if I go back I think maybe you SE the last time they won a pack all Championship might have been S darnold I think right was that when they won um it might have been that when Sam had that Sam had that crazy year where he just carried that team like he won three or four games nine straight or something like yeah and then they beat Penn State in that epic Rose Bowl game um that that was a lot of Sam you know Sam was terrific that year um and then now in this era of nil and you mentioned the transfer portal it is really hard to keep keep a roster I mean you look at look at Alabama just in the last 24 hours Nick Sabin retires and they lost damn near half their starters that are Big Time Players because he left and like so the portal and nil has affected how you build a team and how you coach a team and you build a roster and all those things and it's affected the mindset of a player I think I think I still believe NL is a great thing for the college athlete but um when you look at those two things and you look at the state of USC now and what Lincoln has been able to do uh Lincoln has recruited fine obviously this year he's this off season he's made the necessary adjustments on the defensive side of the ball uh which they had to get better from a staff uh standpoint um and you know they're right there you know they they went to they were a hamstring away I say two years ago from going to the playoff you know Caleb obviously we at that game uh unfortunately that happened and then last year just was a major disappointment but I think that's what it is man it's just different now you know if you if you have a good Collective and you have an ability to spend money and get the top tier player um you know you're going to be fine if you don't it's it's kind of a work in progress and that's that's where USC is right now going into year three with Riley so when you look in the 2000s 88 and 25 record from 2002 to 2005 two national titles three Heisman Trophy winners four conference championships right like I'm not saying those exact number but like can you do that like okay with that with nil with the collective the changing landscape it's the wow wow West everything's different it's evolving like we all know that like can do you think it can be done in La well yeah I mean it sure can it's just hard like and and this is why I love where college football's going because of obviously um you know going to to the playoff expanding the playoff where there's gonna be a lot more opportunity and this year was a perfect example and I know you follow college football close enough that like you know Georgia May still have been the best team in the country they didn't make it obviously we know the Florida state situation but Washington had a great run Michigan wins a national championship and everyone really didn't give him a shot earlier in the season um it there was a lot more parody this year in college football and that was due to the portal and due to nil it really was so I think there's going to be even more so when that playoff expands and it the level the playing field is going to be L I mean look at Alabama now like kin deor is fantastic like he's terrific but that's a tough like like I don't know if Alabama's going to be the same is what we've known in the past two decades or decade with Nick so if he does his job they won't right he it's the coach is the it's an extension of his personality what he believes and I played for Mike Price who went to Alabama for 45 minutes and had a crazy deal go down and then came to UTEP but like I was with him for three years I've heard all the stories I know how it and so like just this West Coast guy this Pacific Northwest guy not that kayin deor is a from Seattle but like it he go he's like every single thing was different yeah you know I mean going from he's a Washington state forever in Alabama like so what was different um absolutely every single thing I mean to go from what Su sou Falls Wisconsin I think he was at Fresno State and then and then Washington like he's he's great now he's he's a heck of a coach man and he's he's a he's a football guy you know what I mean so I think this is an opportunity well Michigan's coach proved that like was good at USD he was good at Stanford he was good with the ners he was good with you know what I mean so he I mean he know he knows how to build a program and but but is I mean as you're saying like it is different like it's it's way different to recruit to Alabama than it is to Washington and you know those those those in-house visits are a lot more different you know in the South and uh so it's just you know I think USC I have faith um you know year three I think I think we kind of like we came out the gate and year one it was 11 and two and holy crap like we get Caleb for another year and we're there we're there we're there and you I mean you know this like like he just masked a lot of inefficiencies on an offense it's a little bit like Bryce young a couple years ago when he was at Alabama like they were just so good that you just won a lot of games because of how good they were and last year unfortunately I think when you have tape you understand how you can kind of contain Caleb to some degree um they just it was just a massive disappointment so I think you know fans are just so quick to jump ship and we stink and this and like like it's going to take a little bit of time to build a little bit and uh they had they hired a heck of a staff on that side of the ball man like like really um Elite defensive coaches in my opinion and now they just got to go get the players man I mean that that's what they got to do and you got you got to you can't rely my my thing is you can't rely on the portal so much like you just like you just can't build a team that way and you look at look at Prime in Colorado heck of a job it's the draft in free agency it's like you can't build in fre you got do both real quick this episode is brought to you by prize pi and we are doing a new segment called Jordan's picks now prize pick is super easy to play I can make all of my Selections in less than 60 seconds this week's on prize picks I've got three selections I'm picking three quarterbacks the first one CJ strad 244.50 yards I'm going more then I know it's going to be cold and windy and I know Baltimore is good but if you look at the last 3 or 4 weeks of this football season you could make an argument that CJ Stout is playing the best football not out of the quarterbacks in the NFL second one I'm going Jordan love at San Francisco 248.50 yards I love Jordan love he is balling playing at a high level but I'm going less than because I think the pass rush is going to play a huge role in this thing so he's going to take what the defense gives him and I think that's the difference in the game lastly Josh Allen I was surprised to see this more or less than 235 points .5 yards I'm taking that one I'm hammering more look I don't even care what the weather is he can throw it in every single element he's at home ton of energy ton of juice ton of momentum on a five or six game heater right now I'm going more than so those are my three picks prize picks is daily fantasy sports Made Easy Go to prize.com QB download the app and use the code QB for a match of up to $100 all right so now going to the Big 10 um pretty gnarly schedule too how does this change it how much harder does this make it now going to the big 10 now actually you know I I know what it's going to do for college football it's gonna be awesome I can't wait for the Michigan fans to hate thec fans and for Penn State fans to hate Oregon fan like it's just going to make it better but from in terms of developing a program I mean they got LSU Michigan Penn State Washington Notre Dame on the schedule next year right and then some other team they play is going to be really good too and be better than we thought it's going to be in Arizona that they play against you know where you're like damn playing by week nine these guys are really good um how much harder does it make that that process yeah I mean it's challenging it's different you know it's different and Lincoln knows this but it's different ball in the Big 10 now now look I I think like I cover the Big 10 you know every week almost so you still like any other conference you have your your top two three four teams and then you have the middle of the pack and the bottom of the pack that are that are similar to to the same as as the Pack 12 now the Pack 12 was phenomenal this year and I think USC I mean that was that was a tough tough schedule obviously they got exposed but it it's it's a physical conference like the SEC and the difference that I saw up front from those guys and people would say the same thing about the SEC is up front is the o line and the dline and just the size of those guys we USC has the quarterbacks you know that that'll be an interesting battle this year but they have the skill players they can get those guys but it's the guys up front that's the difference and if USC doesn't fix both sides of the ball they are going to they are going to struggle once again next year they just will because Michigan loses guys and and Jim Harbaugh's probably gone I mean I think we all know that they're still going to be really good um you know LSU is going to be really good I mean it's just different you know it's a different game so you got to recruit a little differently uh and and again like I keep saying they are they're building the staff out which is the most important thing you got to have Elite coaches that can develop and then you go get your guys and you recruit and uh it's going to be fun but I think sc's going to struggle next year too like I just it's it's a challenge you lose Caleb and whether it's Miller Moss or miva like like it's still it's still a challenge for them next year I I hope guys this time of year I'm doing draft prep right so I hope guys go from college to Pro and I don't care what pick you are what round you go and how good you were in college when you go from college to Pro you know this first round pick there's a lot of newness I call it there's just a lot of new things some new coverages you're in a new city new team new staff new schedule you don't have school anymore yeah right now not so much with nil but before nil oh you have a bunch of money now that's new right and it doesn't just affect you it affects the people around you and in your circle and so there's a lot of newness well I think it's the same thing for these conferences as they realigned where you know SC can have all their processes in order right any of the teams moving now you go to Big 10 like your director of football Ops is booking hotels and cities he's never been you know what I so there's just like a it affects everybody there's a lot of newness weather travel things equipment weather travel obviously the big thing they know like and I know they'll favor the schedule of the West Coast teams when they have to go to the east coast but just everything logistically uh the style of play uh the weather um it's different it is different I think I think it's exciting you know like like obviously it's bittersweet the Pack 12 um I mean you know that was kind of our West Coast Conference I mean I play played in it and um and it it's kind of a bummer to see it dissolve the way it did it was just unfortunate and you do have to just adapt and move me this is the way college football's going but um I think there is a there is an excitement for the newness of it as you're talking about um uh you get to play those teams the exposure uh Michigan coming to the Coliseum like Ohio State coming to the Coliseum I think you know for for and you know this I mean USC fans like like you know we have a good fan base but like you know if you're winning they'll come out if you're not they're not going to show up it's it's not like that in the Big 10 they show up regardless like it'll be 100,00 people if you're two and 10 or 10 and two so like to have the fan bases come I think it's exciting for USC it's exciting for the potential recruits to come to LA and be like hey you're goingon to you know like these teams are coming out here you're going to be on National Television damn near every single week you know because of the because of the conference so uh the newness is exciting but yeah it's it's going to be a challenge for for sure yeah all right quick State of the Union so 8 and5 last year generational quarterback Talent right and and went eight and5 according to on three they had they were 18th in recruiting 40th in the transfer rankings didn't sign any of the top six instate high school recruits I'm just reading what it says you talk to people all the time you live in LA you run into people you do speaking engagements all that stuff when you meet when you run into some pessimistic SC alumni fan and they just [ __ ] on them and they're like this is like what what do you do to give them optimism or what do you have hope in like what do you going if this happens and it's all good well yeah I mean dude like I think we're gonna I tell everyone like I think we're gonna struggle next year I just look at the schedule and and you just talked about you lose Caleb Williams who's once in a generation type Talent obviously and you lose some other key players too not just him um I think we're going to struggle I would say the optimism is is this one the defensive staff is Elite in my opinion it it just is now they got to go out there and prove it and come together and all that but but you know they just get Henderson from the Rams who's great Lynn from UCLA is young but like I know UCLA tried really hard to retain him because he's that good so they got guys now that are going to develop I I believe that so that might take time and look I look at like I look at what you know sarc just did at Texas and Texas might be the most unrealistic expectation there is outside of Michigan who just won a championship but Michigan hadn't won since 97 but it's every year's National Championship are we stay it's we have to like like it's just not realistic now and then what we just talked about like it's harder to win and be consistent because of transfer Port N sarc in year three got his team to the playoff and it was just a steady little build you know I think what seven and five or whatever then last year they were closer and this year was his hot seat Hot Seat playoff Hot Seat Hot Seat every year and then boom and then the most talented roster he's had and by the way they're getting players now because that's just the way it works so like and that's going into year four next season so like like there you just have to be patient which is a word that no one likes to use in sports I mean NFL college I mean nowadays but like I do I do think Lincoln made the changes I wish you know they probably would have happened prior to this past season but they happen now um you know they got a a few portal guys and maybe they can build around Miller Moss is good man like I'm excited maybe he's a guy for a year to like like I I just you know like who knows man um I think next year will be another kind of growing paint to set up for potentially the next couple years where um you know I think they're going to be good man I think they'll be back and I think they'll be in that kind of playoff conversation I really do yeah and I another thing too is and I've talked about this with a couple people uh that really know SE football my brother was on the show like a couple months ago and we we had talked about this was I don't think people give Lincoln Riley enough credit for for what he stepped into okay Caleb William masks a lot of things and you know Playmakers and all that stuff this is the thing sc's been having white outs come through there I mean JT Daniels was throwing to like four NFL starters you know what I mean Alan ra had 1400 yards this year you know what I mean but I don't think people give him credit for and you look at Lincoln who's going into his third year Dan Lanning going into his third year right Dan Lanning took over a program in Oregon that was much harder like Ross harder than SC and what happened under Hilton is I I I mean I'm around this I do pro days I'm always checking out like I'm just like SC is so soft oh my gosh yes so soft and so and we saw it Sam darnold's last year in college when they were really good and they missed a couple close games all that stuff and they go to the Bowl game and they play Ohio State and they just get picked up and thrown on the ground by adults and so whereas chrst ball say what you want about Chris Ball and what he does and doesn't do those dudes in Oregon play hard they play together they fight they're tough as [ __ ] you know what I mean and so like I don't they didn't Dan Lanning and and Lincoln Riley did not inherent and walk into the same situation right right and so that doesn't get fixed with six players in the portal dude I you're so right I I mean it was a dumpster fire what Lincoln walked into trust me you were around it I was around it I talked to the coaches like like it was it was like it it they just didn't recruit players man and and again there were some good players and there was some Talent here obviously but like up front and and urban I remember urban urban was coaching that team and he goes dude he goes I remember when we were uh pregame and he was watching SE at the time and he goes oh my God we're gonna beat this team by 50 points like like he already knew because he could just see it as you know you can just tell uh he he took over a a team that just they just weren't ready and you brought in a couple good couple players Caleb being one of them and won 11 games and and then the bar was just set and I think that might have been just the issue it's like they got out the gate almost too fast now um so so I think people just need to understand like they're going to recruit nil's is is kind of getting into place they're doing a better job um you know he's always he's gonna he's got you know Juju Lewis the number one player in the country that just reclassified coming in in a couple years um you know the Big 10 yeah next year after this season yeah yeah so he just reclassified to 25 so like like just patience he's making the changes it takes time to build it just does no one comes in in year one or year two I mean look kayin dor is actually I mean coach dor I mean last year you're great this year went to the playoff and two years at Washington um it can be done but it's hard you know so like people just need to calm down man like we're se's gonna be fine um everyone can be disappointed in the last year I sure as hell was to uh but again he inher he inherited a mess man like and that's that was a mess that was tough to clean up I think fans don't understand this for your favorite team you can not win very many games and be heading in the right direction AB both of those things can be true at the same time yep but when it when we when we score something off of just the result and I understand this is a results driven business you can be the hardest working quarterback in America and if all you do is turn it over you suck so like I understand that that it's result driven but you can win 11 games and then win eight games and lose these players but be heading in the right direction at the same time even if that takes 12 more months to do that um my optimism is found I'm not a fan of really any school or team I don't know I'm just kind of not never really was but um but I follow it and I want the best for everybody and so when I look at SC my optimism is uh I I said this I've only said this about one player ever when they were going through the Elite 11 process uh I said Caleb Williams is the best one I've ever seen and we've had everybody come through there right Trevor and Justin and all Tua and all these guys come through I'm like that's the best one I've ever seen Julian's the second one I'm saying that about be out here in a couple weeks spend time with Julian um and so if this is a growing pains year right but they get tougher and they tackle better and they take better Pursuit angles and they you know just like the dumb little [ __ ] you work on in Spring that wins you game look at Philly everyone's talking about the tackling in Philly like I know turns out they lost in the playoffs because of [ __ ] that you work on in March so if that's the case then I think you every every USC fan should look at you know what's your opinion of the program gauge it over the next 24 months not 12 I agree and and real quick fair and I last year as you just said like it was so bad basic fundamental football and I think that's what frustrated fans and just college football fans like God when you watch USC play in particular on defense out of place uh wrong angles M just it was just it was painful to watch and it was week in and week out and you could say it's a talent thing a coaching thing it is what it was I think with the it's essentially watching your favorite team commit unforced errors yeah hard and so missing layups that's what exactly missing free throws missing layups and I think to your point this coming year for me I just want to see them like I'm I'm re as as an analyst or if I step back and just say like I'm an sc fan I'm realistic that they could lose four or five games this year I just Dam it's a tough schedule and I don't know if we have the roster but I want to see like tackling I want to see the defense play hard for four quarters I want to see uh USC be more physical at the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball and then and then as you said like you're like okay now we can see where this is going whereas the last two years have kind of been just well [ __ ] it's a craft shoot Caleb we won 11 this year like we're gonna we have Caleb again we'll be fine and then you know all of a sudden you're not so uh it's a good point man I just patience man next couple years UFC is going to look a lot different in my opinion awesome let's shift over here uh to the QB room so Caleb and Malachi Nelson are gone Miller M showed out in the Holiday Bowl um and then you got Jordan is it Maya Maya right yeah Maya coming in um any concerns Lincoln didn't get some shiny quarterback from the portal or you you like the move you feel like it's all under control I I I you know look I I think there was only really um you know there's some couple good players cam Ward was a really good player and I think you know he went to the draft and now he's at Miami I I think cam Ward and I'm sure you'll be studying him a lot more as he goes to the draft like he he's got first round like he he's a good player really good player um that was kind of like the guy in the portal this year if he didn't get you know you you kind of went with some other guys um I I like this because one I love I've known Miller Moss since he was little he went to my camps when he was little he is he is he's a high IQ guy he's a good football player and he bowled out against a good a good defense in a Holiday Bowl with the only opportunity he's been given uh and he just doesn't I've T he just doesn't care like he's like I'll compete with anybody if I don't if I don't if I lose a job I'll be a good teammate and I'll be a good like he that's his mindset um it's almost like M Jones Is Right sat there for three years was a good teammate when he got his chance and the players love him man like the players love him in that locker room and then you get miva who's young and who's got a couple who's got I think three years or so so like I I like I like that if that and if he's really he was very good last year if he develops or Miller whatever you have a you have sustained you have a quarterback that's there for a couple years instead of Caleb we had two years but instead of going one and done like a lot of teams are doing you know like I just to me like I just don't think you can win year in and year out like that like I think you got to develop guys and then you talked about you have Julian Lewis coming in so all of a sudden you might have a four or five or sixe window where you only have two quarterbacks going through the system which I think is fantastic for any team is instead of you you look at some of these teams and you're just going year portal year portal you're getting the next best guy I just don't think that's sustainable So to that point I kind of like where USC's at you got a guy who's been there who's been in a locker room who's who's got a lot of confidence and swag to him um and then you got a young kid who's played a lot of foot who played last year uh who bowled out and and and fits Lincoln's system so like it's gonna be an interesting battle uh I kind of like where they're at man I really do and then you got you know the big time kid coming in in a year or two yeah it's interesting where you got the older veteran in the room Miller Moss has won start and then you got the young guy but he's the young guy is the one that has the experience right and so it's just kind of interesting dichotomy right where he played I'm sure he played what 13 games or something however they play yeah I think he was the conference Player of the Year freshman player of the year so he he can ball um yeah it'll be interesting man and and and I know for a fact like that is an open competition and Miller will have every opportunity to win it there's no doubt that's great uh shift gears we're going to play a little game here this is called more or less all right I'm throw some things at you uh and this is presented by prize pick um I'm going to give you a statement you tell us the answer more or less than the number I give you okay all right seven and a half Heisman winners from USC more yeah it's eight with Reggie just want to see how you counted it come on dude um one and a half hours per day that you spend creating Tik Tok content uh less you got a team that's that's yeah and that's that's facts I'm not lying I I believe you uh 0 five more seasons that Pete Carroll coaches college football so basically does he coach again in college less all right um he coached nine Seasons needs 10 to be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame fun fact I don't I don't see it I don't think I don't think he gives a [ __ ] about that um four and a half years until you have more Instagram followers than Richard Jefferson you're at 165 he's at 46 46 he's at more than that isn't he Instagram he's what does he have an Instagram 486 oh 486 yeah what was it what was the number you're 165 and what was the one and a half years oh four and a half years you think in the next five years you'll have more oh yeah less less okay I like it uh 50.5% so basically more than more or less than 50 perc of the time that you pull up on set for work at Fox and you know it doesn't matter what anybody says you know you look better than Brady today Brady Quinn you guys are two of the handsomest really good players ever I gotta be honest Les he he is he is always put together man he's always put together he is your typical Midwest collar vest khakis with the boot like that's like that's how he is I am literally as you we're probably the same I in a t-shirt flipflops everywhere I go yeah you're more like Carson though where like it also doesn't have to match and like these shoes might be 14 years old I might have borrowed him from my son you know what I mean dude I never I actually really quick story I'll never forget my rookie year at Arizona I come in and I'm wearing like dude like how I would normally dress t-shirt like shorts flipflops like baggy phase too where sweatpants were super baggy rainbow rainbows and I'm just coming and I was like the the number 10 pick and I'm like dude I could care less and all my boys like I remember all our draft class like we had Leonard Pope who went to Georgia and they're like they just started ripping me like dude the really I'm like man this is I'm from Orange County man I don't care what I look like it was so fun um 05 million made by college athletes through your company Hall of goats over more or less than a half a million bucks oh uh less okay give us a little plug and detail I've seen it I don't know a ton about it people ask me about it so yeah so um actually a lot of new stuff going on we actually just I'm GNA G to post uh later but we just launched our storefront uh with some of the merch and and the the new hats that we got I'll have to I'll send you address they're I got you they're pretty cool we got a lot of different colors um and then we were so we're making a college football video game we've pivoted a little bit just a you know obviously we're going with the nft model all that but um we are we are about a year year and a half out from the video game launch which is really cool so the whole thing is kind of just a a lifestyle video game merch brand um that were we're building out so Caleb Williams was a part of it obviously and still is and uh we're pump dude so a lot of things we had to kind of just slow down and kind of reevaluate where things were going but um we just launch the storefront shop. Hol goats.com so go buy a hat man you know support the cost I will I'll I'll send I'll send you a hat for free you can tell someone else to go buy it you send me one for free and I'll buy one that's usually way I do my buddies start stuff um all right over or more or less 3.5 years until SC wins the Big 10 uh oh that's a good question um I'll say less all right three three years okay and then last one four and a half days that you were a Buffalo Bill were we at the same time uh one year apart I think I was less you were five days what a what a miserable week for me so let's tell the story so dude I remember you texted me I was like [ __ ] on my way to the game dude so so go ahead you go okay so I'll I'll start so the year before Dave dun calls me and I'm pretty much done who's also my agent at the time yeah so Dave calls me I'm on the elliptical dude at 24-hour fitness and I'm just like I'm still working out but like I was I was pretty much done dude I'll never forget I'm in there 24 in yeah but you're not training with troll at the yard you're paying $14 a month for a membership I was pay no I was paying a day I was just going for the day I paid like 20 bucks just to work out that I was literally chilling and then I think Kevin Cobb it was Kevin Cobb I think he had a concussion right he was out for the year something happened and so uh uh hack it right hack it the OC and anyway Dave's like hey dude Buffalo like they want they want to give you a workout can you fly it was a red eye it was like three hours later I was like you just I'm like I'm like yeah like dude I I'll try like it is what it is uh so me and actually um God who did I have the workout with um John Beck me and John Beck did the workout um they they signed me and they're like oh you're going to start you know four in 4 days so I was like I was was kind of fired up but I was like mentally I was gone dude like I was just like what am I doing dude I I you know and I was pretty smart like I was picking up the offense like in a couple days you giving me a chance and hackit was great I actually knew hackit from from before but like just completely went out there and just actually the funny thing is dude is the first play of the game and this is the fourth preseason game against Detroit in Buffalo fans greeted me they were pumped like oh you're gonna be the Savior I'm like I don't know dude if I'm gonna be the Savior but uh the first play of the game dude I throw a go route and ier it right in the hands dude like literally 4550 yard go route in the hands and it was like a good play but kind of dropped and it was just it was a tough play but could have been caught and since then I ended up finishing like three of 10 with like three picks and it was the worst outing and I remember sitting there in the second half on the sideline I kept my helmet on cuz I was embarrassed I was like I didn't want to be there I was done and I'm just like I cannot and I actually and I tell this too I just met my wife now Josie we just started dating like that summer and that this was in August and like I knew she was the one so I was like I wanted to get back to my oldest son Cole at the time I wanted to get back to my girlfriend I was checked out but it was the worst four days of my football career by far then fast forward to you and you call me the same [ __ ] the same week the safe situation and I think I told you the same thing like I don't know dude you might be good luck bro good luck bro I I don't I don't know how you're GNA make this they just need an arm you know maybe that was like I think they just needed an arm with me like hey we'll give a shot like whatever wasn't I don't know how your experience what was yours though what was your week mine was I was a bear and I had a great off season they they at the start of the offseason March trestman's like you're our two we're not signing anybody Josh mcau bald out and just left and then I tear my Peck in no T throwing a flat route at the time had no idea how now I understand the body better whatever and so I just couldn't throw and so I come back to camp and I got healthy they had to sign they signed Jimmy Clawson who in this process became a really good friend and I don't know if you know Jimmy but of course love and and so I tear my peack I'm coming back I'm doing this art machine all this crazy [ __ ] Brandon Marshall's got me on and uh I come back but I just don't trust it and so we go through training camp and it's dead even Jimmy and I every category it's dead even and marks after the third preseason game literally everything's even and he's like I can't go into the season wondering if my backup quarterback is going to tear his peek and I I just like you're not so here's what we're do I'm gonna let you go but I've made a call I don't even think this was legal he goes you're not flying home you're flying to Buffalo tonight they're gonna sign you and at this time it was ejan Manuel who had put together a little string of some Seasons where he really struggled Y and so I'm like all right interesting Buffalo doesn't know anything about my pack so I fly from Chicago to Buffalo on Tuesday night practice Wednesday the final preseason gamees always on Thursday so I was there for three days and so if you count the land at night drive to random doctor office for physical if you count that as one of the days well the practice before the last preseason game is not practice it's a walk through they're not practicing they kind of already got their roster set they they got to make four or five decisions after this game that's it I this is like year seven for me I I I get what's going on so uh it was Nathaniel Hackett who was awesome and everybody's wrong on him he's a great dude and super brilliant mind yeah um and then Todd drawn a blank on his name he's an OC right now but he was the QB coach monin no no dude anyways so me and Todd um pulling all nighter and and so I go to practice and it's walkthrough I'm learning everything and they kind of give me like four run plays two screens three drop backs and two Quicks call it a day yeah and and they're like how much do you want to play and I was was like I I'd love to just get a couple snaps but all these players and dude this is Sammy Watkins Robert Woods like there were some horses in that huddle yeah and they're like they were pretty down on EJ at this point and so the whole practice are like I I really fired up to see what you got and and I'm calling my wife and I'm like I one I'm making this team too I I'm gonna start here this is crazy so so you only so you were going only going to play a couple snaps I was going to play a little bit in the fourth quarter and here's what happened four EJ was going to play the the majority of the game they needed to get him reps in development he starts one for 14 or something like that and the place is booing so loud the head coach Doug Marrone who's clearly a former offensive lineman and if you know Doug he's gonna tell you that he's from New York and he used to whoop a lot a lot of ass in every conversation whether it comes up or not total I I don't I have some disdain for this guy like fifth series of the game Palmer you're in and there's no other quarterback suited up so all of a sudden I go from I'm going to get a series or two to I play like 11 series and I go four for 26 with three picks two of them to the house and I I got Maris Goodman I got all these guys I'm like hey 88 are you converting versus this they're calling plays and I'm going like I don't know that play and then they're going so EJ Manuel who I love by the way I think e great dude totally screwed you in that game you were set I was isn't that wild cost me like 900 Grand yeah I was like isn't that wild like I just remember going like Tom Brady was awesome at that time and I'm like I think if you put Tom Brady in this same situation he doesn't do well so last season when I see Baker Mayfield go to the Rams and play on Thursday night it changed my whole perspective on Bakerfield he B baled out and I go I and then Josh dos this year I'm like this is harder than NFL quarterback back cuz you it is way more about prepar like you can move a player to a new NBA team and they can go for 36 and 12 easy but quarterback and so you and I had identical situations and I think I told you I'm like I'm debating right now driving myself to the airport from the could I couldn't I could not get out of that meeting fast enough the next day dude and I was with Doug and I and morone and the GM and I was like even Doug was like I was like man like honestly Doug like appreciate you just I just I checked out dude and he was like he it was it was like they just knew but I was like it was so embarrassing well a good thing came of it for me Doug wayy was the GM yeah wayy was great and Russ And Russ Brandon was the team president yeah those guys run the XFL and one of the first things they did was bring me in to handle quarterback development for the XFL those guys were awesome man full circle the way I handled myself in that situation blah blah blah turned into like here I am 39 years old and it's a great you know business uh Initiative for me so funny that you and I this the only thing you and I share in our careers cuz I I didn't get a lot of trophies or CH I don't have a lot of rings so good or any but um yeah that's awesome man well dude thank you so much for carving time out of your day and talking about SC talk about it all the time um but uh relationship means a lot to me I appreciate you joining us sorry C could be here the show is always better with Kyle um good luck with uh everything you got coming up this offseason man appreciate you buddy thanks for having me man [Music] a

Channel: The QB Room

Views: 12,914

Keywords: podcasts, sports podcasts, football podcasts, football highlights, NFL highlights, Monday night football, football commentator, full send, happy dad, Jordan palmer, new podcasts, espn, espn highlights, quarterback highlights, quarterback interview, NFL interviews, NFL, matt leinart, NFL playoffs, Super Bowl, USC Football

Id: vzBg8Oar-aA

Length: 43min 41sec (2621 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 18 2024