Alejandro Villanueva on his NFL Career, Serving in Afghanistan and Blocking James Harrison | EP 46
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Way sports entertainment we are your host some travel closes my big brother Jason Kelsey at cleveland hyo. Hi u this house no new episodes come to you every single wednesday were a little late this week because we're filly and we're getting ready for bearable. So sorry, we're get this tea a little lap but glad we got to to you subscribe by youtube wherever you get a podcast and follow the show and all social mini platforms add new hyde show with one. As Jason tell, when we got coming up.

we got a great episode as always. That's right. We're going to get to everything you need to know that happened to try and you we're going to touch on and off, of course, are not dumb questions submitted by all of our ninety two percenters.

And most importantly, we going to get to our guests today, mr. ala. Hangzhou William waver. Man, I don't know of those actions are still do in those most interesting man in the world, commercials. But if they are, we have the real one right here.

But before we get to our guess, we're going to get to add of the house. I don't know if you can guess what the other house is, but it's travel. Go into nash fields in a sea for time. And you who who do you mean?

I dog dr. ut. Playing the first round rapidly to the buffo bills. And john, comparison to you maybe in that hybrid, uh, receiving you know really good.

receiving tight and to have a lot of questions. You .

didn't ask me one single question, just absorbing everything you know was a rocky. And most mean, when I was a rookie, I wasn't aslog questions. I was just trying to figure IT out any courter back there uh yeah we are josh Allen, sam dorales um who he showed up um yeah we have some good kids. Is IT just .

a happy sense? Two cortecs s three cortecs s that also could play tight and yeah.

literally all three have been.

Titan.

great athletes. men. So what is your plan? Titan, that is counter back, work out that was cool in terms like meeting guys.

I'm prety familiar with the majority. The guys in the league plane in tighten nowadays. But I did. I did get to see rob grand kosky talk about some football man you want to talk about, not as the gold man.

What was the biggest thing he gave that you took away .

from his IT sounded like he was just the ultimate fuck teammate man. He was so willing to do whatever the team needed him to do at any moment and making sure that he was always ready.

Fish, very unselfish. dude. Men, yeah, he was .

awesome here. And i'm talk ball and just talk about how you need in the building and how accountable you need to be in the desire that you need to have to be that especially when you got, you know, great players around you, you got a chance to win. You know I mean, yeah, so he was awesome here in him and talk through some place on now on the on the screen.

is he talking through running place routes to?

He was talking, he was talking through really what was robbing house skies like greate players highlight tape. So he was like a summer stuff, and he was his fun. What here?

What you're going to want to you going to get the shit .

out of this db. Yes, he would use his size, obviously talking through using his size and just tightens, being able to use their size and road running and yeah, and things like that. And when you have a ball, yeah, I mean, fascinating stuff.

I love to hear everything. What teach the do that? I found out that I found this out three years ago. Really, i'm not a great teacher.

Not a great teacher. No.

i'm not a great teacher. I think that I can teach. But when I washed myself on video team, like what the fuck is this got .

talking think you're giving yourself a little bit of you're not the right of money put up. I've heard from other titans on our team that have went, they said that you actually have some really pointed things about coverage and why you .

run out and things yeah this register for somebody is difficult for me to be able to articulate how I like to look at the game, how I like to do IT. Because i've never said there in to make IT make sense IT just makes sense for me, right? So we would be able to yeah be able to know, discuss that in front of a group.

And I have everybody in the room understand that and let alone haven't understand that, but be able to take that with them, take what i'm saying to be able to translate into their game. Years past, I talked about a lot of you know what we do in cans of city and kind of what i'm the the everyone say the the adjustment, I would say the adjustments that I make, but the the ability for me to go off script and the freedom that I have in my office. Guys don't have any freedom in their office, let alone if you trying to and so to try and to .

tell him and andy give you or did you .

just I feel .

that way works like jj, nobody has a license to back door tackles on the, on the one place. Do you do want to keep doing that?

Yes, I would say I did that more in practice than I did in game.

Want to pray you do.

I want to do this in games?

All move? yeah.

Basically, i'm not afraid a yet during practice, but I would I would tell them things that I did that kind of make me a Better player. And they didn't have that freedom in in their office be able, or at least they were trying to make the team to where they didn't want to use the reps that they were getting to. You know no screw upper, maybe do something unscripted yeah. So I try to make this year a little bit more of like how to change your own professionalism and just give kinds keys and note to what I how I like to run certain versus and coverages. So I oh no, I try to make a more reliable for everybody in the building or everybody in that room, instead of just kind of directing this towards the the .

style tide that I am. Yeah, well, are you in donnell washington?

Friends of washington, maybe just didn't go to you.

I didn't. I didn't mean, I don't think I met him. Did you learn to block? Yes.

I finally figured that out. I got my tile drill.

I got my drill. What's tile drill?

Is the kid's? No.

you go the table.

No, no, down on the floor.

Tell on the floor. Yes.

if you do the town on the fall, you set your angle. IT helps you with foot work and be able to angle to end anybody. Everybody has a board at the house.

Yeah.

i'm going to use that to my van, need .

that kind .

of stuff a guy like me, not in the top five minutes because .

I can't fuck a block if like he .

do you have anything .

else to advertise in you before we in the segment bag do is so much fun.

I just want to thank all the guys for coming out.

Is IT fun because you're teaching tighten you is a fun because is a .

national day is fun because the everybody really does get come out, go out there with the intention of gathering as much information as possible, like the how everybody, their attention, the questions, the attend, like the ability to go out there, workout, sweat, really kind of get after their craft and trying get Better. I think that's what makes tighten so much fun. And then on top of that, yeah, the parties are free at the end and we .

raise a lot of money for a lot causes. Troy.

yeah, and I was, I was a little as a little wasted when they the pomas.

what do they given out? tropes?

Yes, they gave out trophies. H, everybody in the group decided to are voted on who is kind of like the number one titan or forget with the actual trophies s name was but basically.

yeah so in your head, the trophy was just on the best side of but does not what .

actual time I think that I was. I don't get to take a with me this. They said they're gonna grave, my name, I wanted get instance to me. So again, I was a little little drunk.

I think that about perhaps up tight. And you, as you can see, a lot of reverting conversations and good time in topics where they talk blocking about running, catching balls and .

of course, drinking.

We're a try. Guess now this one hundred thousand.

something way more exciting and interesting for Jason. Everybody give you up up for Jason for ruling another segment today.

We are joined by a man that grew up in spain, graduate of a westbury academy, served three tours in afghanistan, was an army. Anger and IT all earned him a bronze star. And if those life achievements ments warned enough for one person in their lifetime, he then decided to play in the nfl for eight seasons, making due probos with the pitzer stealers as one of the best left tackle.

Les, in the nfl, ninety two percenters. Yeah, it's a big one this week. Now the two percent is please welcome mr. Ala ho via. Was that good .

emphasis for being unfairly?

Yeah, that passes in being. What s you gonna do in this life? There is a fruit m now performer.

pick over the farmer industry perhaps.

Um no, but I don't think, I don't think. And the resume sounds a lot Better than what .

do you actually prety.

We're going to get to the new news. As always, we hit with a new news, new, new as all of our guest to do their own new news. So we've got to hear your new news charme, my new news yeah you what everyone say yeah .

the wagner group, uh, have an attempt. A coup is another direction .

I was not prepared .

for is no new news.

It's definitely no news jup .

the section off. We're even going to say new news. I'm going to say new news. Then you're going to hit your time of the new.

new news. We can go back to the way group and you be ious.

Do you have .

going to say new news? Yeah.

new news about the news back to the way?

yeah. So .

your farmer.

now I am a farmer. You played eight hundred and the end of film, certain the military overseas, and now you farm fruit in florida. How's that going? What should what do you have to tell us about the farming industry that you ve aren't?

What I feel like it's a very broad question.

I mean, let's see how you answered, and i'll see if I narrows that.

I feel like the transition out of the world is extremely difficult, is very similar to the transition out of the military, for example, where you have to find a new identity. And I think that farming always bit of my family, I think that farming is a something that I always consider very noble and something that the united states always considered a priority yeah to make sure that we don't uh depend other countries to feed our people.

And so for me, farming uh has been a passion that i've always had uh in soft ta h represents a very niche type market that offers tropical fruits that are not offered anywhere in the united states. And so for me has been an incredible transition. And so i'm very excited about this in the chapter my life for share.

What is the biggest part of owning a fruit farm besides eating a lot of fruit?

I think that's the bigger farm. But I I I think that you know, as a football player, you oh in tune with fans and what the fans want you if you have a good game, you'll get certain feedback. You have game, you have difference of feedback. When you creating a product that people consume, you're here in a different type of feedback. G, and you're appealing to a very specific type of consumer, and you learn about the consumer markets. And so you you get embed IT for the first time into the economy, not as a product, you know isn't like we want to buy your jersey and we want to see you catch touchdown one and do the little ducky you we want to we want for the first time to to to consume what you producing and we want to value ate you on on on the type of products that you make out of your farm. And so obviously been in a subtropical area like mi florida and appealing to the ah the community of miami is is extremely interesting because you can connect with your community and you can connect with with the consumer market that is very interested in what you have to offer.

This guy sounds like you pretty button up already ounds like about .

the killing unch before the july told me before we go to do this, whatever that you're gonna spain for the fortunate, do you always go overseas for the like fortunate?

Unfortunately, however, you anna frame IT, i'm still in the nfl schedule as a month to relax. I guess now I can go in August. I guess I, and yeah, but i've always found to be extremely rewarding to celebrate for the july in europe was a robot in their face. Yeah.

no. But I actually american.

I do. I always celebrated for the O. F. I've always seen the celebration of further july happened in my hometown of the road and ail station, which is a joint base in spanish navy, in the american navy.

And they put in a big show, fireworks, all the things that have historically done in the united states. And so for me, is always awesome to not only be my hometown in the in the hot months of july and August, which are extremely popular, but also be around the U. S.

Military, which is not for me, sort of like my my first home. I feel very uncomfortable what i'm in the civil environment, what i'm inside, the confidence of a military insulation, always feel at home, at home. I like.

how many plays .

have you lived?

So my amy is the eighteen th city that I lived. And so I lived in eighteen and cities um for six months or longer.

I admire that. I love travellin. I love me.

I love playing in different play. I'd like getting out the house. This guy, he could stay .

in one city for the rest of ve.

I've I mean.

I do feel like a lot of military kids will will say, you know, what's for me is twenty four thirty. They been around for other life. I grew up in the military environment. And then when I became an adult, I served in the military. I was always move in from one place to the next IT almost seems that I can never stop moving to a different place.

After two years, you almost feel like your body saying, like kay, what's next? But I think I settled in add, been incredible to me, been an amazing place, a lot of culture and a lot of people from in different places. And so hopefully I can, hopefully can give my kids a little more stability that I did not have grown up a respected.

We got to get to movement.

As you've noticed, this is an an actual interview. We just sit down and we chat and k IT up and talk about some bold topics. Men, see what you are up to, James, when you start off with some of some of your time with the eagles. Men.

my first love.

yeah, I think that we start with your first stop.

IT wasn't my first stop. My first stop was actually since and adding, yeah, I got invited to go to that was right after college, right that was actually turn college, was a turn college yeah. So the military academy you graduate usually, uh, late may and rookie mini camp happen a little before that. So I don't know how i've got invited to go to a rookie mini camp with since and I the main gresham was the first dog and I remember it's of crazy. Both know, and you probably forgot about this, but you recommend campaign showing up to the airport and getting picked up the by the team staff and and get into your locker is at an .

incredible and in surreal .

moment in your name right? Cause for me lab and I was able to to become a coin IT with with such incredible group of men. And that was my first experience. Then after my first deployment, uh I went to um the chicago bears yeah ah shama killing was the first one pig on jeffrey was the second pig. And so for me was a as a title by the way, both of these were, both of these were tired. I play why receiver in college my last year yeah so because I play why tackles well in college, supply defensive and tackle and why receiver tighten seem to be the best uh combination all three .

you do at all and what you can do IT all they .

put but that my first actual um my first actual opportunity to to make in turn of harasser was with phil delpha and and I say that was my actual first you change because I was longer than a rock mental camp and so I was a camp with the eagles obviously wear magician here and there was an incredible experience I mean I know that for you you prove seen so many players .

go through your entire no that first O T A you had just got there. You were two hundred and what sixty pounds you first is like maybe and um said you're plane D N you're an armour range. You serve three, two years and gas.

So way different right there. You were still in the mode of running. What was that like six miles every morning. yeah. So you would be out there would be out in the morning running laps like around the field, around the state, like all that like what's .

going like this there? I feel .

like anybody who runs, we understand, is in terms of there's an addiction, the run is high to be able to run and being into in that mode where you just like in a subconscious state. But when I was filled out, if I was still a little so monday through thursday, because chip Kelly did I have to is on fridays.

two guys were in. That was chip kell's offence. You guys were. And like two hundred .

places a day, the defend, they want a big three, four, D, N, D. Take notes like OK.

It's space is. Bb, yeah. So monday .

through thursday I ve got T.

A, and then thursday of the Price is one P, M. I've get to my car, and I would drive ninety five self all the way from illy, the savana George. Through the night, I will show up in the morning, the formation, I will have a day of work on friday, and then on sunday I would sign out on leave again, just so that my leave time that I have accumulator over the five years I was in the military would surface to be able to complete O, T, A in training camp and perhaps have a chance to make them into any of harassing. I do think that is crazy if you imagine doing that.

James, no, this is i've gone through today. I've always been even I can't even breathe, let alone function mental. And you're out here working to this. I guess how did you .

end up and filed off IT was a Billy Davis, was a geria as an arrow was a chip Kelly. Like, how did you end .

up and filly okay. So when I got when I got done with my third deponent, uh, with the rangers, I came to I came to a realization that I mean, I don't have this controversial to say, but I knew that we were not onna win or have a clear the size of Victory in afghanistan. And so at that point the army was having a what's called a black movement, so that we're reducing the size of the force.

So each progne in the army we have nine divisions. So each division was downsizing from four brigades to three brigadier. Know this is all going over your head, but what IT means is that they were down.

The army was downsizing. yes. And when you downsize, do you going to have an excess of officers? And so my my time in the army, I spent at all in the infinity.

Uh, try to be as close to the action as possible. And when I was time for me to transition to my next career, my phase, I had to wait eighty months to get command because I went to a light inventory unit. I had to go to a heavy infant unit I had to go to for hood.

I have to go, have to be in a tank. And that obviously, as you can tell, panic me and and I and I just got married. And so I I didn't know if I wanted to give my kids the same experience that I had of always picking up and leaving.

I have an identity and I have in a home. I have any other. And so like most officers that I that I ever you know out of west points, ks, I I think like seventy five percent officers leave after five years, really.

yeah. So if it's appear, man, you know, I mean, the higher you get to the top, the less officers want to be. So I decided to get out of the military, and I wanted to, you know, one of the things that I found out about you just said, I want to join the other phone. no.

Is he even crazy than that? So one thing that I realized about higher institutions like harvard, yl, stanford, no, is that you always competing with your classmates, whether you are at the academy, which you have a rank while you're at the academy, of course, after the academy, you always competing, you know, like how to do my husband. So I was, uh, I think I was in the hundreds academy ally.

I was made of the pack physically, and I was almost debt last. Military, which is the three category. That is, what's .

million? You mean military .

means they grade you on how you did on your assignments as as as a leader of the academy. So you have doing the summers, your cathartes. So you instruct the nude ts on how they should behave themselves, how to march, how to salute, how how to do all the all the basic drills.

And during the academic year, you have um a lot of a lot of assignments too. They could be like you could be the company command for your company is so you're in charge of all the know. They divide the corporate ts into regiments and into companies.

no. And so you're in charge of your classmates, you in charge of the activities. yeah. So I did not perform as good as I should have activity obvious. I was very focused on .

on on foobar with some absolute ichael heads.

No, I mean, I do think the army football is an incredible, very fascinating subculture of the academy. Imagine if you are a fool, all player, and you have your own. The values of the workroom in the n fell are very similar to the values in any any N A room. Imagine if sinan, adi, you're like a you in charge of these kidz, these students from universities, and and and you have to mentor them, and you have to advise them on and and you have to be in charge them based on how late he was today.

I know for A I.

A .

long distance.

And do you play baseball?

Baseball ball is.

yeah I was actually lucky that a dad made me be a, uh, athletic trainer the year that I was in eligible for football because the best ball team was forced to be on cross country team if they weren't playing a spring sport, at least go to cross country practice and I was like, man, because think dad made me train to try i'm in here tape and ankles and hand .

in our water nice.

nice yeah yeah so um do you think that the same structure and leadership styles and teaching styles that work in the military or the best ways to teach players and take that football?

That's an amazing question that that i've asked myself many, many times because has been always hilarious to see how and fell teams utilize Terry and use a lot of linger, like, who going to war? boys? Little different. This is one hundred percent super science.

super science.

My understanding, what I always tell people, because for me, was interest very important. Tl, you know, as a european coming to united states and walking into a calls, foobar team, and seeing how people do in practice, you and the printin each other do in practice, like one of once you, I really like, you know, that you've been, I want to want is like that. I know when I did .

a little bit of research .

a .

lot about myself against yed .

jay frequent strong as .

one of my favorite team. I tell you that dude, every single time he went up against me, told me, as he was run to pass me that three, he just sack the quota again. Is gas? You need a few mal cheese bear.

Is the mall .

demand. I had ten yesterday. You know what? What I thought about football is that football was created out of the lack of war between men, in between war period.

And so men, in order to feel themselves as no war, there are whatever they came up with this game of foobar, which includes a lot of the same concepts as the military. And so football and the military have always been, you know, we've use the same values, we've use the same structures. So it's extremely similar. Now in reality, is not the same at all. But but screaming doing a drill, like why you screaming .

doing a drill on board?

no. But like this is .

let's .

go inducing stress into the player in order to so good.

this is good, right? Yeah, but that's good.

But that's what to do. What do doing basic train? Yeah so when I felt when I was going to to drills and were sounds like like i'm going through basic training.

so I was very did you have a problem with that type of leadership in basic training?

I think the military is always ahead of society. When IT comes to everything, I think the military is always because the military truly represents the country in the nation. And so the military, years and years ago, they realized that if you scream IT a millennial, the millennium is a mild and say, pro was wrong with you.

You know why you so angry? It's much Better if you explained to me rather than screen at me. So the military transition before the N, F, F. In that aspect.

And so when I went through training camp of the eagles, and there was a always, always I mean, if you look at in terms of social progress, the military is always been leading. They're usually ahead of the curve. They use IT because they have to recruit people from the american population.

And so they have to understand with the american population wants and needs and how they Operate, and they have to cater their to them up. And so when I went to the n. Fels, I why you luger's as an arrow like.

cream is going to touch on him next.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You're a defense event to two sixty. Like, do you think if we would have started you out as an office align and you tight and you would have never heard to have the guilty? 哈哈哈。

you.

I would break my way into my excuse .

because I never got a chance to play. I just touch ones. I, I, exactly.

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In a quiet suburb, a community is hatred by the death of a loved red wife and mother. But this tragic loss of life quickly turns into something even darker. Her husband had tried to hire a hit man on the dark web to kill her, and he wasn't the only target, because buried in the debt of the internet is the killer st.

A cash of chilling documents containing names, photos, addresses and specific instructions for people's murders. This podcast is the true story of how I ended up in a race against time to warn those who lives were in danger. And IT turns out convincing a total stranger someone wants them.

Debt is not easy. Follow killer st. On the wall. Wherever you get your podcasts, you can listen to kill list and more exhibit cy true crime shows like more bds early and add free right now by joining one three plus check out exhibits in the wind out for all your two listening this, hilary, so i'm in the military. I want to get out.

I want to find a way to pay for business school. That's my goal. And then I got two choices, that american, I, A horrible singer, and this black conversion that have with my teammates in savanna, georgia, they do.

They got this thing called the regional combine. And the regional combine found me from a lot to say this, an notice. I mean, he was a scan, basically, he was like opening up the ability to planning in a fl. anybody?

What's the game though?

This, me, is the fact that you not going to go to the. So you pay three hundred and eighty box.

Oh.

so they make you pay you, they make you pay. So when that so is crazy, I was so you pay, they make you pay to run a forty and to do the five shadow drill and to do so when I was just like jack with the, you know, not and so I I paid this this emission fee and I went to a trial in floured branch alena, which is the the, the falcon facility. And I, around forty five, one five.

no, no.

no for that. And then I want a couple minutes. I think I drop one out of three and then I ran the five, five, fifteen, whatever.

And then the the staff at the regional comment like, know what? I like a story. Can you? Can you? Can you long snap? No, I say, yeah.

But somehow I worked out and I was able to go to the, are you ready for super regional combine, which was another? Is that one? I think he was like, a hundred dollars. And I did I paid off in the end.

Yeah, but I had the flight to detroit and then I did the same exact uh, work out, which is kind of like a onal, like a combine the like you have bar tenners there that have been watching T, V forever going like I can play the I can that can score, touch down. You know, you got p teachers. You got random people just trying out the nfl. Yeah, so I was one of those guys. Yeah and when I tried out for in the.

when you walked into that room, did you like, look around like I can got this?

No, no. I, I, I, I ve never been. I mean, maybe in the back of my head, I was going through the motions.

But I knew that I was, that I, I knew that there was a sin I knew. Have a forty one year old bar tender, or P, E. Teacher, you know, play safety for the know.

I is on a corner. Al IT is impossible, you know, is extremely competitive. And I have the experience of the mini camps to know that you have to be a incredible athlete.

I think I think you're resume on to stood out a little bit more than the bar tender.

And you know what? That's all they were looking for. They were looking for stories that they could promote in this region, country, to other players.

Yeah, I feel a little of like a script of currency type. Like, y know, like, come on in, you try you can you be the so I tried that for the super visual combined. And IT just happens .

to be a scout .

for the eagles. Was there.

who? What do you? Member, who was? Ele.

but the fact that I was in the military attracted .

the eagles and search for stories .

all day was a story know. And they invite me to do a workout during my block leave. So everything matched, and I was able to hide everything from my china command.

And I went to filled delpha and do a tight workout. So about my tight gloves, they did not do a time workout. And I did.

I office line work out with that line, and he was like, you too light, you know was like, okay, well know, sucks then and then I did A A deline workout and jerious and arrow said, i'll take that out of fucker. yeah. IT was IT was a great moment, I guess, in my in my intentions. But all I did what I was in the parking land after to do in the work, I was google the starting defensive limon .

for the field of eagles, and I was like.

flare, coxe brand and gram. And then on top of that, once I assigned this this contract, which felt like, OK you, maybe there's a chance here. Then they sign two defensive limon and tailor heart, yeah.

BAllen, yeah. So at that moment, I knew that for a fact that was not going to make IT, but I was able to staying with the team throughout L. T.

A. In training camp. And for me was in this room. Yes, for me, I mean, coming to united states has always been like like a movie for me. And being able to be, you know, being in A N, F, L. Team and realizing the personalities, the characters, the different places that people are from IT was unbelievable.

I think I still remember all the players you know that the video of those other math s was one of my favorite human beings that were made, uh uh h you know of uh, Jason Peters, you know, go against these players was amazing. But I knew in the back of my head that I was not going to make the roster now. And I was very unfortunately, because when I accepted and I signed the contract to become a camp body, which is what I was, I knew that I was resigning on my military career that I put so much effort into. So I was an X, L home.

You sign that your.

the moment I signed, that the military initiated a process to separate from the military. And that's when I start to drop back and forth from savana to phil delpha. And so I was kind of like unfortunate, the fact that I couldn't say no to the opportunity planning and fail, but at the same time I knew I was not going to make F, L. I knew they were not going to say, flesh, you know, very job here. But you know, like, we ve got this new player here from spain who is three seconds later, after the ball, every single .

time you definitely were Green. You had not played in a long time. You you never played that position and trying to figure that out. But you are also one of the first players and provide the only player that i've seen cut because you're kind the third briseis ing game or second .

third priest I was the first place of yeah but you told me about this.

So when you got cut, you were one of the first players i've ever seen. Where other players are they? What do we do in? Is a big, tall, as little strong dude like he just start playing football six months ago.

Why are we given this guy a longer stint? And to see and what he can do, we like a full off season, and they tried to come back in sign to practice. What a belief, right? Yes, 那 you had already signed a deal with the dealers。

I was, I was in the stealers office about the sign of practice that deal. And then they call me from the eagle like I, I like I already drop the big. But I was feel bad telling this men in front of me, i'm not going to stand with the back. The filly, but for me, was an incredibly emotional moment, because leave you in the military is extremely scary.

You know, you know, you you you no longer have brows around you, which is you take that for granted to be able to wake up every morning and have, but even you the person who sits next to you in the locker, the person you eat breakfast with, I mean, I feel like that. So one of the biggest problems with man, you know, today, the fact that they don't have brows around you and you fail, and you, all these personalities, I made your brother, your brother, actually, by the way, was the person that told me that I was going to get cut, I remember, but the eagles told them down the security still. He told them that I was going to get cut, for him to tell me that was going to cut.

And so after the third precession game, we play the PyTorch dealers. We finish the game and your brothers and we ent out to bar, we got to absolutely blitz. And in the midnight in the middle.

the third Prices, not a lot left for the start, right, right? 对。

in the middle of.

like the I love you, man, you Better do he do drops.

how do you know, you know, just give me you the warning. I onna cut you them and I was like hom and like, you mean they're onna keep the cops like.

what do they think of what? Like crazy .

and so at that moment, this is crazy. This is like every man's, every film, they have person's dream. Kelsey said, do let's go out tonight.

And we were both were in flip loves, and we were both were from the same out of work right now. And we went out in filly. And I went, I got a chance, I got a chance to go out and fully with keli.

That's incredibly like, that's amazing. Everybody knew he was. We got into everywhere. I mean, for me to realize that failed deal is the city of brothers love through jasie Kelsey. I mean, it's incredible. And so the next day I went to practice, which is of a IT, was of a dig move to let you finish practice.

But I did recognize, and I want to give out sort of props, the chip Kelly in this, chip Kelly had a philosophy that he was going to cut players I day before the rest of the ffl, in order for those players to hit the portal one day before the arrest. So you would have a chance, then maybe catch on to another team the next day. I've got the finger on the shoulder.

Go grab your playable, you know, the hard knock sort of like old wow, this is seem surreal and I was like a IT was like a moment when you like o wow, like happened going coaches geri's an area told me that I should join the susa hand. I see my profiling all ty and IT was hilarious how every other person I talked to that day, and this is the only thing that I got away from that day, which is a pretty, pretty terrible day, especially for most players who end their dreams that day, has been playing foot since were three years old. And you can cut every single person that I talked to was like to, you did incredible.

You did absolutely everything that we ask you for, like, is there anything that we can do for you? This is, we feel terrible. They are anything in the world that we can do for you.

And i'm like, I know you're doing things the right way.

So you spot.

Back my head, I got .

got in .

the next day. No, he was like, the stereo picture like to give you, greg. yeah. yes.

So greg gives you a black plastic bag and you go to your locker and then you pack up all your things and you walk him, was like a summer. I like, this is raining. We walk in the rain to your car.

And then the media, they were taking pictures like first person to get cut. You know, we got former range of, you get car from house. I was of the military and I feel so I get tomorrow i'm going to go find a job, but they don't have internet. So I had to go the public livery to go apply for jobs in the public library. And i'm sitting there out of my resume. I don't know, know know what a resume is and that's when, you know, a couple of days later, that's when the stealers call me and they were like, know, we want to bring for a work out and so was a very, a huge blessing, I guess, in the whole story.

And did they work you out as an open alignment right away? No, no. What does they start you? So .

surprisingly, I got a two quarter back hits and three tackles .

against that's .

one I think I was called brain and grams going to a cut. You know, they worked me out as a defensive line on mike A, A legended defensive line coach, I think did finish the workout and he saw that know my potential as a defensive line and always to be capped by the fact that I just not get off. And mike moch, who's a kura on, he's just a phenomenal human being, he worked me out. He did a couple of those like, combined tears of, like, put your hands behind your .

back into a set squad. Sead.

yeah. And so when he saw that, he was like, yeah, I I can use them in in the next day, you know, came to practice how a had a number in a locker. And then I was in, I was, I was in practice squad. I was a reading carton, you know, glad IT.

So were you still at two sixty or not at all?

Both lane johnnson and I were just as insecure about a weight, and we were just stuff in ourselves every single meal. Try again as much way as possible. And so I, I, I went into the phillip ele at two sixty five to sixty, and then I left the eagles around three hundred. And that by the time practice quite year was over, I was a three forty four.

You've got really big in peace erd.

My issue was that I did not have the experience. And so I remember chip Kelly made everybody do a heart red variation p test and wait every single day.

No.

that's A I was order. But I ever one day doing doing the weight behind Jason Peters, and I saw that he was three forty, yeah. And so I said to myself, and Jason Peters was my my inspiration. I member one day doing one to once against him, and he said, and he looked at me, he said, I want to put .

in the trunk .

because nobody want to go against someone to once. And I was like, I go against them. move. And but I always .

thought I looked .

at the Jason Peters so much, he was so talented, who was meant to play the tack, opposition, matter, fact, my stance, my sets, everything was after day's Peters, right? And so I thought three, forty was the weight that you have to achieve because you could overcome a lot of, you know, technical deficiencies.

if you just really big on the man.

exactly. So I thought, if I wait through forty, then I will overcome a lot of my, my, my deficiencies in technique that I do not have, because I never played the position for very long. So I always try to gain way, even though now looking back is IT makes no sense. There's no need to be tough, heavy to obviously get really tired, really. But three, forty was the way that I had .

to achieve three game pounds in one, two years.

in a year. Yeah, yeah. By the time was.

by the time I was.

did you feel that?

Did you feel, you know, we were talking about early, where the bar is very difficult to recreate, pain is very difficult to create. Everybody always looks me like, and you feel Better like you can. I cannot imagine what I was like when I was ready. I do remember that to use the toilet, I would have to put my hand and with my legs, like for myself, because much, but three, forty was, if you six, that. I mean, another thing that that I must say is not beneficial to be so tall playing tackle.

not to be .

I to be a title for the cancer trials.

But I was, you know.

I I was, I was a little bit too tall. And so for me, I thought that talking about Andrew work worth, I saw guys, and I, I, I was an obsession that I when I was playing, I was, I was to make sure that I was as big as possible to be able to absorb the number one and only move the ninety nine nine, nine nine percent of s russia use, which is bore lib, exactly.

So you go to pit for, especially the is in north, that's a borri's. You go to second year b on your turn, right? So you initially got in the game.

yeah yeah. Ah, so first you're practice what I mean. I would have to say that the practice squad year now, looking back, was the most amazing year that I spent in the n film because I was, I was, I would get two tickets to the game that steals, don't allow the practice players on the sidelines, so you have the stance, so go cited the stands, get absolutely house, you know and I was in, like next to my brother.

be here in college yeah.

yeah, yeah.

I my brother, girl, on play. This is a pass. Comes the reverse. But I was something I was awesome to to to go to the games. And pitcher g, to fill the energy to watch the game from the school, one hundred percent IT was incredible.

The tailgate, and you, to be able to go to the bars before and after, get to experience the city of its work, which was the first city that I actually lived in, you know, after the military, so that the consider becoming a veteran is a process. And I thought there was no Better city than pittsburgh, because pitch burg had the highest concentration of vietnam veterans. Really IT dear, hundred generation IT was you go to the meals or you go to N.

O. And so vietnam, for any inference, man, especially there was born in one thousand nine hundred and eighty eight, was kind of like the reference of the the most romanticized ed version of an infant reman. All the training that you do in the military was always based on vietnam doing a patrol base crossing.

And I was like, there's a little rivers of ghanian. An amazing a chance to, I mean, I think I thought, made my my career, my confidence to be a place attack position is the fact that you know, three days into my practice squad days, James Harrison decides to come out of retirement during the first dealers. So so I got a chance to go against James Harrison every single data and practice. And James harson is an incredible human being, know in his own ways, but is a phenomenon of foobar player has a lot, and he's very .

smart and say.

and so for me, I was really IT was really interesting to learn how to observe outside line backer by by going against James Harrison yeah doubt to me was incredible. Know if you knew that this slide was and we're going to look to technical. But if you knew .

if you you knew the sly was common, the guard has you're inside .

exactly what he would do is he would get he, he would start to the inside so you would not set out, you know, no, he would start getting inside thinking, you you going to do an inside move. yeah. P, E, stop for you. And then .

he try .

to pit.

yeah break your ARM .

and then spin around in pivot to .

the those of you that did not watch James Harrison with any type of technical a standpoint. He had the most vicious dip and rip move for about a decade, I mean, and he would give so low he would lock this in, and he was so strong. But I was locked in there. He then.

just just off the ground, actually .

wasn't as much .

of a ble russia as he sit you .

up for you. So that I said.

the different is.

is move. That's one like we planned cancer city. He needs to get a sacks to win the game.

He's going to dip and rip and he lays.

I feel, very privileged ged against the player who was also and drafted and also had a very unconventional way to go into the fl. incredible. He would never give you any compliments on everything, but he had his own ways of being able to in the right direction. So for me, I been a whole year practice against blocking him, blocking him. And so once I felt that I could block him, and I will say, IT, if I would face them in a game, I want to block.

That's a bold statement .

of time to his faces.

The first time is what he was coming with.

I guess what you had to do was hide your outside shoulder. Just don't let me get that. Let that show him, show him the square and the last minute, turn your shoulder and hide IT away from and he would try to get IT, you know but he couldn't get IT.

So you have to blog and like this yeah but again, obviously just talk a smack right now. You never know what happens, but he was a huge part of my development. And so a piz were had an incredible offence of line keys, pouncer markets, gilberto Foster, David the castro. There were late coaching .

month or the top of the league for a long time.

I hate rankings.

You P, F, F. Pays agents.

Yeah yeah, but this never knows that counts. Right, right.

right. But what what I what i'm seen is the offensive line was very established and they were very mature and they had a culture of work that was a that was established through incredible leaders.

And because that I was able to identify some of the the common themes in the military work card and um in in fortunately unfortunately, you know my whole goal, you know obviously we know we talked about business school when I was in practice, but all I was doing, I was applying to business ols get in my G M. And how to get my gm down like thirty seven times to be able to get into carting men, which was you know in pitch and and start my M B, A. And so in the way we work, when b you ve .

got to work two, you're two job kind of guy.

But I never thought I was going to make the nfl. I never thought for even when .

you stop James hairs and pray you're .

I was always like because here's the reality of our the nfo is that you get labeled as an a draft of guy yeah it's not the same as being a draft.

It's hard to it's hard you got to do above, beyond to break yeah break through right?

I'm twenty six for you.

If Kevin beach never get hurt, if you don't get that opportunity. E maybe, who knows.

right? But not only killing beaching is hurt, mike atoms went to have also got hurt. So two guys in front of me get hurt, right, in order for me to have a chance to play. Now, I I know I was never in my plans to play the on the field. I just wanted one salary, which back then was four hundred eighty thousand dollars, to be able to pay for business school and then move on with my life. That was my only goal out of the, if I didn't want anything out of the nfl other than paying for business school IT just happened that pitzer g had an amazing business school right there there and corning a melon. And so just care about the weekends when Kevin beaching is studying the playbook and doing the test that I was to my homework and I and I was for money in class, but one day he gets hurt, you know, he gets hurt and playing against the cardinals and is like one of those like, hey, i'll come on the school and that's when the.

我们的 this is happen。

Frie .

human hurray.

Yeah, before start one hundred percent, you get a nice inside one hundred percent.

I got this spin. I now remember this because when .

you go in there.

Now I remember, I remember go into the field that was coached, and mancha taught. Here you go, like he's got an inside first down side, been like to say, balls out. That was my first start. And then after that, I started the rest of the season.

IT was incredible because we made A A good play of one, and I thought that year were going to, in superb, had to not been for pain manning given himself up, standing up and converting a third down, which I think leader got changed, I think, is the pain manning rule. Now there's a in many years, I think if you give yourself up as A A bag, you give yourself as a quarter bag. Yeah because I think I think the James heron somebody was about the second or a William gay on a blitz was about the second, but payment and gave himself up like, he went down to the ground. Yes.

so he was. So he went down, went the ground.

No, no. He went down us. And like, don't please murder me. Yeah and so the nickel barker, just not like rand by him and then he stood .

up oh so they didn't ball a dad employed and that was .

the fourth quarter we're about .

to win the game. Can like.

man.

Play against the mockers. Where are going to want to play against incredible foobar players? And so, you know, I was IT was a really cool process to be able to go from.

I'm trying to play for all so I can pay for business school to, like now I gotta hide. In fact, i'm going to business school. Want anybody to think, like, are you really paying as much attention to?

Ah, because before we pass up this for you play for my time and for seven years years, what was was like my .

family is is a one of a kind. I think sometimes sometimes I get a little pistol on A C M. Because I know that he can have a much bigger role in society than being coach. He's got incredible leadership skills.

incredible charisma and mike .

Thomas selling himself short. No, how much for sure but I think he sees people for you know from he's he was a college uh, he appreciates and he values when coaches have been to college because not only have they're been able to coach a player, when they have no one else. Your coach in the nfl is that I draft me another center.

sure. Coach tom was somebody who believed in coaching and he believed in being a part of your success story. know.

So for me, obviously, you know I can test that uh but he's also incredibly interested in in geography and where people are from within the united states. And so because that I was always extremely fascinating, know he could say that guy comes from George. He played in the c.

He achieved a lot of success. The transit ini feels in A B X, you know. And so that to me was was incredibly fascinating and know how incredibly relationship with them held me out tremendously. He wants to be part of your dream in the vision that you have for yourself. So for me was, was, was an amazing, amazing, amazing time to be able to spend time with with somebody as as as remarkable on this.

And I mean, i've had a few conversations with him and I know everybody speaks absolute of a man coach down and needed to run for president. So hundred percent. Hello, ladies and gerber, boys and girls, the grinch is back again to ruin your Christmas season, which is the grand holiday pod cast after last year.

He's learned a finger to about hosting, and he is ready to grant against Christmas cheer and rose his celebrity guests like chestnuts, fun and open fire. You can listen with the whole family as guest stars like john ham, britany rosky and danny to vito. Try to persuade the mean old gunch that there is a luck to love about the severable holiday season. But that's not all. Somebody stole all the children of who builds letters to santa, and everybody thinks the greg is responsible. It's a real who bill who done IT can send luu and max help clear the grange es name, grab your hot coco and cose find out follow to the grand holiday podcast on the wondering APP or wherever you get your podcast, unlock weekly Christmas mystery bonus content and listen to every episode ad free by joining wander plus in the wondering APP spotify or apple protests.

Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of seria that's living in your fridge or by nearly every house in amErica has at least one game of mono introducing the best idea yet? A brand new podcast about the surprising origins of the product. Eur, obsess with, listen to the best idea on the wonder, or wherever you .

get your .

podcasts. Foobar, career, obviously in a couple party journey. But the beginning, I guess, football career, that was that army, right? The first time you play. Foobar.

no. So this is, I ent, the most fascinating high school that I think, and obviously you, both of you went to prove successful high school.

prompting by, I want, I want .

to high school. Bell.

actually, high school I .

did year in the canary islands, a year in road and nail station in them. The last two years I was in in belgium at a high school called shape. Thanks for supreme headquarters.

I powers europe. And I was an american high school for all nato kids. So all the kids they were in my class were from all the different nature countries. So I would have a germin kid .

next .

to my you to sit .

next to me .

to over.

Yeah, IT is an acronym.

M so my high school experience was incredible. And an obviously will LED to me decided to the united states. Discovering football was also when I discover europe. So I got a chance to go to the vatican watching the chapel show for the first time .

on a parable DVD play. And they're .

place 我们 现在 来 逛 the bus.

which I did. What I mean for me.

for me was, if I was, I was discovered american culture. And then I was discovering all of europe.

He started to discover american culture with day shabelle. This is fucking awesome.

Hundred person was incredible. And so for me was amazing to to, to, to see western culture through through the high school, you know, to travel all through europe. I guess football was like A A way, a medium for me to the american culture.

And the obvious. Ly, when I went to west point in was the same way. Because in west point you have an uh uh a fairly equal representation of the united states within each graduating class.

So you go right to west point.

Why do you go to west point? Yeah so it's interesting. So no, I had a euro Molly when .

I was in high school. The euro Molly, yeah, I have the .

difference from the euro molt .

and the euro .

mola is not as .

just have jAiling IT no is not as, is not as obscene maybe as the american eighties mullets. It's more like .

the soccer player mullet. And .

speaking very well, obviously my mind was, you know, I was european. You know, like I was was a around the european culture. And then when we play naples, so we we took a trip, we stayed in a jam, and we'll in the jam.

And and that is the time where people had the portable DVD players. He was a kid in the foot in team captain who was watching the movie black hog down. And he was watching the movie and he was in tears. He was just completely crying watching the movie and I was like, i've never me personally is with my family. I cry know that maybe he tells a different but I for me crying is like that like why you cry, you don't mean this guy and um he said something never forget you know I know why you cry what's in the movie that happened in nineteen ninety whatever something happened and he said you i'm up cannot be there to help them you know is watching a movie and he suffer because you cannot be there to help yes. So then I started realized, and you know, the sentiment that the people to join the military have, which is very different from the rest of the world, in the sense that is at all volunteer force, you know, people volunteered red to be in the united y's military, and that's a huge concept because a lot of militaries have a stock races or or families that are into the military, and then the is in the military and in amErica is anybody you know.

meanders or service, right, whatever IT.

And so um my math teacher, who is one of my favorite, a teachers from pittsburg as well, you know, he told me, you know I I was I was going to looked at to play basketball, to play to play football in the united states and he said, don't go to college to play sports, you know, play sports to go to college sure for me was really difficult to understand this concept because most european sports are not playing in college.

They play of a club level. But athletes have to up to education to play sports. But in the united states is paid up in the united states of the N.

C. Level and and is a little of controversial. You know, you can argue that in thousand different ways, but the fact that they're educating athletes is a huge advantage in life.

And so for me, he was an opportunity to be able to go into an amazing school if I was willing to serve. And so I went to, uh, both the naive al academy and the, uh, military cademy always wanted to be marine. A marine was my dream.

No, I was want to to be a few. The proud marine, I went to the naval first, I went to the national academy first OK. They barely yeah, and they knew I rode a nail station was because they wrote as a naval station.

So they were very familiar where I was from. And they were like, yeah, know, to play cost football, you gotta be like an athlete. Ly, you know, this is not something you just sign up for so that we're not very welcoming during my visit.

But then I just drawing up all the way to west point in west burn was incredibly welcoming. And I think one of the traits about the armies is that in the army, you truly have to know where your soldiers are from. Not only do you have to love them, but you have to know everything about them in order to love them.

And so there were extremely interested that about where I was from. There were very interesting that what about my background? I got a chance to spend a night with a player who volunteer to host me for the night.

And I know the most college host know so of events are like crazy and parties, but do we just set in a laptop and we watch videos of the iraq war, you know? And he was telling me how excited he was to join the army so he can fight alongside his brothers. And so at that moment I found cause, and I said, you know what? He told me about the range regime.

He told me about the range of culture. He told me about the united states on me. He told me about all the different divisions.

The infinity in that moment I saw is like, okay, you know, this is the second time that I see this. If people are so committed to serving, they're committed to serve in this type of way. You stick in their face in the fan. I don't care if i'm sixteen now, I want to do this. And so seventeen years old, I applied, I got accepted um and I just took a flight one day lend into new ork wink at the statute liberty on my way in and I and I started a west point so that was so sort of my venture and the the amErica with the same talent of like not coming back from this know i'm coming here and I want to make my future.

I don't know anybody in this country um i'm going to try to make the best out of IT and in the inventory the rangers, the culture of of of of being able to be in the front lines to the dispute was always something that was very, very much in in the forefront of of of my thoughts and IT was a different time as well. You have to recognize back between the age two dozen, six, two thousand and ten, one of the academy between all the other males or westbourne, there was a race to get the combat IT. Wasn't the people who are shine away from combat, people who are trying to get the combat before the war was over.

And so thankfully, I had a good enough class rank to select the unit of my choice, always drafted, you know, to the to to to the division that I want, IT, which is tenth man division. Why you want to go there? Because I got a tip hours before I selected that unit that they're going to get resigned from my iraq into afghanistan and they were going to go to zi district in kahan, which is the the most cannet place in the war.

And so I said I got ta be in tef month division and division of one, the units that deploys the most, also one of the units in a in black hot down yeah and so you know, I said i'm take on the vision that is upstair new york not an ideal place for most uh, you know cadets usually want to go to italy. They want to go to place that are fun. I wanted to go to this.

I knew they were deploy. So I graduated and may took a couple weeks of leave, short my leave in order to accomplish all my training as fast as possible because I knew that they were deploy in march and I complete on my training, uh, inventory, basic office relationship course, ranger leadership course, are bones school. And then I shot up to my unit and the police a week later.

Man, that's crazy.

but it's not is not that crazy .

when you take an account that everybody was trying to do that I was just able .

to be nobody in your server.

everybody in the instructions of west burn cost two thousand and ten, which graduated. Yes, they were all trying to go.

That was one of the most connected areas. What do you mean? But like what made that area like yeah so it's it's such a point.

Yeah so afghanistan, an interesting country called the grave, the graveyard of empires. It's been A A country that has been many imparts, have try to conquer afghanistan. And throughout throughout the ages, IT sits in the middle between asia and europe.

And one of these know this court quote trade routes now between two so has always been a very uh natural area of interest for all empires to control. The center in kenda r is one of the older cities in uh western IT was founded officially, I guess, by Alexander the grade. Alexander the grade named IT after him, like many other cities throughout, you know, his territory.

So kenai actually comes from east dar, you know, which is how you pronounce Alexander in their language. And from from economy, you develop kenya. So kena r is actually the defective capital of afghanistan, the sense that IT does have the most influence in the culture of afghanistan.

Ghani stan is a country that is divided into many different tribes, many different um you know a areas um the ethnic groups, the patios are the ethnic group that was generating the most amount of insurgents they were protecting. The terrorists that we were going after in kenya was sort of the defective capital. So mula all mar, who's the founder of the taliban, was from the village that I was in from sari district.

And so because that obviously was a uh, tremendous, uh, strong hold for the television that they had to they had hold that to maintain a lot of variables influence this, the fact they're very close to pakistan. So just like vietnam, you know, able to go the summer, conduct attacks on U. S. Forces and then retreat back to pakistan, weather safe um made kenai and all the provinces that were on the border with um with pakistan the most connected areas, meaning there was the most amount of incidents where you have attacks on on ice forces .

and you you were there for how many .

months first point was twelve months and then and then I deployed to R C E. So the the way the united tes divided afghanistan was into regional commands so you have a regional command self. Uh, i'm looking to travel his faith right now.

I'm not much different on the. Then you you Better than me. So they invaded .

afghanistan, ducting Operations. They divided the country into regional commands. So regional government south and uh, I think involves aboo kahan, helman province.

Maybe her at i'm i'm not sure about her at R. C, east was all the provinces. They are on the eastern border.

Uh corner uh bactec a kaz gazi ward ag r cy north. So you you you have different areas of of the country that you could be assigned. sure.

Just think that is a chess marry the middle of chest port, the east, south. Just think of IT like.

right, right, right. So my first plan was to cy south, and that's the desert. So the desert is now I could be, I could be a weather in for afghanistan. Right now it's going to be a hundred and ten degrees every single day and Sunny, you know and and it's and it's there's nothing for yeah it's that means a desert but but IT is incredibly interesting.

Ten times of you .

warn you for you sweating as much as you can, you start actually questioning whether and I remember against the science, is about like drinking water. No thought that the whole thing about drinking water was promoted by bottle water companies and gathering one a.

you think you didn't need to drink water.

If you drink a lot of water, you going to be sweating a lot. You going to be losing a lot of water, and you going to be incredibly uncomfortable. The afghans are not drinking water.

pan water. So you're in.

I didn't. I drink as much water either when I was in the N. F. Playing or when I was in. I can think, because I do not want to sweat consistently. Now I I T yeah go to afghanistan on seventy pa gear long sleep boots, and start doing patrols up and down for fourteen hours a ton.

Brady said that some burn is a direct result. I I .

get summer. No, I don't know about you get .

I don't .

get that right, so will get torch. But by canada was was an incredible city, not only because of the history that just mentioned is one of the oldest settlements of a human civilization, but because they grow grapes and tell about the farming thing.

There they go, grape water.

The water comes from the mountains.

Do you understand how grapes?

Yeah, I can't like the nupper value, very, very mountains out in the east and other water melt.

The grapes are Better .

when there's no rain teaching .

you and out no fit former too. He grow up.

But they had there was, there was an agricultural, a community. They grew pomegranate, they grew grapes on the legal side. And on the illegal side, they grew a lot of marijuana, and they grew a lot of appeals. So remember.

show me a picture right of a marijuana plant taller than.

yeah, I took way too many marijuana .

pictures when I was over there yeah I mean, wasn't pretty oppressive marijuana ah it's when you you take the pumpkin into the state fair yes.

this is but i'm not gonna a street credit from I was videos and you're walking through fields that are miles and miles long enough and I wanted plans and they get hash out of that supplies, you know, all the european markets. Uh, but kena hr was a very fascinating. And the first thing you notice is that looks like the bible.

So IT looks to that. Mean, how's the matter of mod? People are very know, rusted sort of lives, know, except for cell phones and motorcycles. Know you think that your ham's time?

yeah. So you did the end of doing three doors in afghanistan. What ways that I transform you, and to know who you are today, I, yes, every infant.

three man, every person that goes into afghan's for the first time, they have this romantic size idea, what is like to be a soldier. You know, you do have this idea of all the movies that you've watch that you going to make a huge difference, that you're going to be rambo.

You Better not even rambo, but you gonna doing something for your country that is going to have a direct relationship with the safety of of those at our back home, right? And then when you get to have again, and you realize that is a lot more complex and nothing is what IT seems, you know, I mean, just to give you a perspective, right now we are having a relationship with the talent, you know, yes, we supply them and we we try to help them. And you don't know who's a good guy.

You don't know who's a bad guy. The people from afghanistan always had the backs of the taliban. The taliban is is the son, daughters, daughters, but their sons, you know and and I was very frustrated to be able to go to a country where your mission was to protect the people from our district and everything that you do, and then get to a country where you not being welcome and not CoOperating with the information where you feel like colonies.

So you guys don't want us to be here liberating you guys from the table. My first employment was very frustrating in that sense. You know, we were what's called the battle space owners.

So we had A H we had an area of Operations, in my case was IT. IT was Sandy village. We had a cop that was around highway one and we conducted Operations, you know daily out of the cup.

And you know at first you just trying to be like you were going to deny the tell freedom of movement. We know there's a lot of people and going around here, we're going to kick out of here, you know Better. You realized that the people from the city of Sandy are you you host in these people on their help and given information.

And so then you start questioning OK. So, so, so, so what what are we doing here? And then you stand up, the afghan police and the afghan national army, and you realize that their motivations are are not alone with what you to do.

You hear from politicians that you, there a nation build. No, that was one of the biggest things that they always, you here, the nation build. But we were nation building. No, so you not trained the nation build.

You know you train to conduct fire drills and you conduct you're trained to do, uh, you know, manuvre on the enemy and that's not at all what we were doing. And so that then kills a little bit your romantic dream, you know, of the things that you are going to be doing. Then you start understanding a little bit of more like how the united ties Operates.

So you understand that very quickly, that almost the majority of people that you seen, afghanistan, our military contractors, then APP people in uniform, you know, with the U. S. Flag, the military contracts that are contracted, uh, because it's cheaper for united government to contract somebody and to give them benefits for for life. And so when you start seeing that, then you start questioning, you know what what what of the effort know? We all a line on a clear objective.

And when you start seeing the amount of money that has been generated and amount money that has been made, defense country tors, then you start question in whether everybodys on the same page, you know, and a lot of people maybe or not, you know, as is interesting and finishing the war or having a clear strategy, and I think that was the one of the biggest teams, is that you didn't think that there was a clear strategy to come up with the uh, the size of wind, yeah football, whoever got the most points wins. But the biggest question enough, canon, was, what does winning look like? know.

What does winning in afghanistan look like? What is going to look like in the end? And I thought, you know, after I served one of the training camps, you know, the castro, I used to watch documentary and training camp, and we watch the vietnam documented by can burns, which one of the latest documentation that have ever see.

And you watch, there was a lot of the same themes, you know, between vietor war in afghanistan and how, in the end, the relationship that we have a vtm over the years was able to sort of know, even after the war, you know, you are able to establish a good relationship with with the country, vietor. And so even though IT didn't look like a win, know for the american people in the end, IT IT was very positive. So maybe as a veteran and i'm waiting for the end result, know that we will have a good relationship with you going to in the future.

However, IT looks that I will be able to go back with my boys. You know what? I'm older and i'm able to to go hike the mounts of against. And that will be incredible.

But you know, especially in in the last few years when the war ended, when you saw those images of people climbing, climbing out to the planes, IT was not uneasy pill to swallow. You know, the fact that you have, you've done all this, that you you have, you were completely, you know, about IT to this cause. And they did not ended up painting out like you thought I would when you were tone, when you were old.

So, you know, uh, a lot of interesting concepts about how the military, the U. S. Military Operations. And I crazy, because I was born out of that sort of cause, states, cells, weapons in aircraft, the nature countries and in those pilots have to come stay the train and that's how was born.

You know IT is kind like a full circle sort of um you know situation scenario but you know very unfortunate. You know I I feel extremely passionate about all the soldiers who lost their lives in the world, afghanistan. I also feel extremely a passionate about the loss of life and the loss of of, of, of, of a way of life that that we cause and we inflicted, and the people from. And and so ultimately, I think americans have extremely romantic ideals. But the reality is a lot more complicated than than those know um black out down, saving private right and set type of um moments .

that the the .

motivate something. Let's bring this down a little bit. Um you became a ranger. How does one become a ranger? So there's .

actually two sort of versions of a rangers. So the rangers were in all volunteer force, dorn, wilber. two.

They were created story major. But I think they were. And I had to know, this is one point. But there were west point me.

So the stars in an ireland, you know? So if you watch the movie, so in prior in those were arrangers, they were all volunteer soldiers who became part of A A unit that was that was task to do a different type of mission sense. And so the rangers have an incredible history and incredible reputation, quite professionals and not about making movies and be on podcast name.

name of of the what regiment is about making .

movies regime, not know all, Jacoby. All units in the military incredibly different and unique in their own ways, like the rangers are very an interesting unit because they both serve, especially an officer in the conventional army, and then they also serve in the range regiment. So they go back and forth. And in the charter of of of the rangers is to be able to bring the values, the techniques and the tactics from the ranger regiment into the big army.

So ranger, the ranger regiment, you ranger culture created a ranger school which say, uh, you know, if if you go straight through the three month course leadership course, what they put you into a lot of different h stress situation that teach you how to control, and they evaluate to do that and that gives you the ranger time and then if you want to join a ranger, a unit and you have to go through, uh ras, which is ranger assessment selection process. Uh explains in for bending georgia and then you become a member of a range of anger unit so we currently have three regiments and and a support train to italian uh first range batan out of savana georgia hmr field ritual of luis uh washington and third age biton and a forebear georgia no and so for me know they are not a big unit. During the years of the war, they rotated every four months.

So every, you know, four months you deploy IT. Eight months you home, four months you deploy IT. And so for me was the fastest way to get back being a leader in combat. And so that's why I wanted to go on their angers.

And was that a fourball ning where you get hunted for like what a week or something like that where they have to you have to train lucky caught no.

no, that's that's a full rocker. That's yeah that's a training to do as possible for pilots in and for people that are in situations where you where you you know you have to resist you know, torture and yeah yeah you know, I I did venture school.

airborn school, six ten.

a hard man, hard yeah well. Let's go to the um you don't have the answer.

but we can ask him. This is the signal .

where we actually ask your questions that you don't have the answer. First one, did you really teach juju s missus's .

how to drive? I did not teach jj minster or how to drive is an excEllent uh, video game player but I did teach him and I did help him get his driver's license because he was still in the elemental ity that he can uber everywhere. You know he had to go through the process of drive license.

crazy. I don't know them. Did you get the dealers to use the quote, dilly dilly from the like commercials.

as you both know, because you guys are both office of players. Cats is like an office attackers best friend. But if you have an experience of us, a line, if you hear monday, january ofa, yeah, yeah it's going to be alone. Give to the that you have a here monday, monday, monday, know and you have A A player from sentier o state was a rookie, you know, come from the practice, but it's all want you know I mean, sorry, I am the F.

C. To change our yeah the .

commercials .

on like the the whole daily daily things so we used to and I think I guess we can envie because tape in all was the third game, I think and then .

we uh we actually did we did a filly fully special law legal ay, I mean, they didn't call to OK call who complains?

More troops of football .

players also complained. It's only way we can get through life.

It's a miserable position.

honors.

The upside is you do your job.

yeah, yeah, yeah. The downside .

is you get .

crushed and for you a penalty when you make a mistake. So, you know, IT no utilized. The fense mechanism is going to complain.

Pensive and ond is through shared missoury hundred.

I saw just complain a lot too. So I don't know, maybe I want to handle with that one because they both complain a lot and both APP the company.

which complaints are more warranted. Soldiers are of back to .

the area early. I did feel one of the things about the, you know, the war that that I felt the most guilty about, yeah, was standing in front of my men when they would ask questions like, sir, what do we do in here and have to give them like a political speech? sure. You know, that's all the things that we were doing, empty promises, and one not and so I think their complaints are more warranted in .

the Carry little more way in for her make sense um is a huge controversy in the world, but mostly on the show. How many holes does a straw have?

Two, did you just count the ends?

Or did you actually think about IT .

the definition of a whole in how many of that you living here.

suppose? Be really quick question. So keep moving.

Do you do you believe .

that you don't need to use body wash when taking a shower?

The word armer. So I don't use you, just you don't use the other. I don't use the .

brothers.

Why is, why is nine denis one time? And that doesn't make .

a sense of brush in the morning, I don't eat anything all night. I get brushed in at night.

I feel I have, I have zero because I feel when .

you come .

to another states that everything is consumerism and trying to sell you something, brush the bottled water, I think, is just things in speaking that if .

you guys are looking for extra energy, you guys need to check out accelerator, the natural way to take an energy and caffeine. Three mogin ics. My base on jet.

I didn't want to ask one, what? What is the harder transition? Leaving the military or leaving the nfl?

So I feel like most people decide to become a soldier bright before high school. yeah. When they look at their choice is very, very few service members always knew that they want to become a soldier.

I'm obviously inditing that into my son. He will become an era ranger. He has no choice, we know.

But people decide to become a foobar player from a very early age. And I noticed that, I noticed that their identity becomes a foobar player. So i've seen picture of you, both of you, little, most players.

So you were sick to.

you got IT. exactly. I been to both the .

super .

ball wins so you come next year.

but felt .

that, uh know most of of the plane and a felt they start playing A P V. football. Their identity was obvious. Ly, when they were college, they were not there for the academic and they would just to play .

college football. J Jackson college.

yeah ah yeah.

I don't think so, maybe for using these things before. A lot of players, they just like football, their only way in life. And so because that most players in in the army do five years and then they get out.

But in the N, F, L, man, the journey to get extremely and there is no longer foobar IT become a very difficult transition into people don't call you as much you because you don't need tickets. Know when they need tickets to call you the first time. Hey, travel, you know, I get free dickeys for the kinda city charges game.

You don't mean like it's it's a lot different when you transition to fill the sense that you definitely lose your current fans, know, but both of them are are very similar in the sense that IT is you take you away, your uniform. Maybe it's the kind of uniform and be is the camel uniform, but the but it's a completely different life and the both very similar in the way that not only the resemble each other, how you practice the things we talked about, but change of you and you could come full. Farmer .

boys, they don't .

like the bro, the bro lifestyle know gan beer stake there are on the .

no deoderant, though hundred percent. Last thing before we wrap up, ala. Hang hou, we wanted to be a part of our favorite segments. No dumb questions because there is no dumb questions.

Just do people from evil on twitter.

What is your amount? Rushmore of summer activities, like at a barbecue. I think what she's going for is things that you would do IT about. I go to the beach.

You are like that, uh, at a barbecue. So i'm not a summer barbecue. That's a .

very american concept.

a barbecue. The concept of of the forth july taken a week and off to go back to work in your summer job and the europeans take june, july.

August off. Do you just told me how excited?

July.

god, have a barbecue.

OK barbecue. So I like barbecue. So cornall corn home. yeah. OK spite ball, bike ball above .

anything else. I I am a huge Spike le guy is the strategy I can't .

really understand .

than in the ball, the .

net.

It's a lot of movement for a big follow.

No, no, no. I play a bike. I was, yeah, you speak was the .

fun is game .

in the .

world behind .

table, table. No, OK thought I was. I like to be the arby cue first. Well.

you like to be the the barbecue. I .

like to wear .

your sandals .

like a tongue special. No burgers. So I like, I like to be the guy in the girl.

Do you like .

bar sauce? no.

Can you know? What do you put on your mates?

Catch up now?

I mean, can the city with .

burger is cheese burger catch up buns if you you ever make ribs and we talk about like does not i'm thinking of, I like a easy, simple barking, smoking to pig and that's .

yeah so .

much rush more is barone .

what like .

pool can .

like it's .

like a barbecue .

yeah I .

guess I can.

Beers can put up .

my put beers, right?

Is IT before Spike ball? Is Spike ball beaten .

and some bears? These are not done questions. These are incredibly question.

Yeah, uh, I have to win a Spike ball. I have to be the king. I have to be.

I think I played IT.

We used to played in the locker, who in my my tma was chase clap. He was was my team is, yes.

amazing theat range.

And we used to play to cover IT year, which is the fun is year and history to play Spike hours before .

practice hours. What's the strategy? Despite the service to service, the service I thought .

had been easy. Then if you make this service too easy. So you have to make the serve as complicated, you have to play game theory, you know, you have to thread to make a really hearts serve and then do a little, a little little yeah.

So then so they're like really far a way they can make. And if this serve is ninety percent of all in psychology, you mean you have to you have to intimate your teammates, your opposing team, personal, what's girlfriends? Yeah, it's all above whatever makes me insecure. You keep trying .

until you fine. no. Well, doing you're.

you're the best.

You're the best. Do the most interesting man in the world. And I appreciate you. Now there is in your home.

It's the same. I've never SAT down with you and not been thread in throw and whatever you saying.

because a great bullshitter .

speak the languages .

this every, every day, every person's interesting, equally is interesting.

I don't about equally. Don't P, F, F. I'd like to, if your P, F, F rating .

on level .

of interest no brought, how much is the age? Already, that of all helps up this episode new heights. Thank you to allah, dr.

A von. A wave up we're sitting in with this this week. Make sure to described on youtube and the new hyde channels. You know, when all the new episodes are coming out, this is described where rich a podcast. And remember, next week we will be releasing our special ocean drive episode, which will feature the new heights beer bow.

Once again, new heights is is presented by waste force entertainment. Follow the show on all local media. Follow the show on all social media platforms, add new high show with one s for fund clips throughout the week, and things are production crew always good and thank you all the ninety two percent of two name baby. Enjoy your weekend, guys, please.

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