Draft Predictions and Final Thoughts

Welcome back to Football with Ben Rothesberger. I'm Ben, he's Spence, and today, as promised, we have a very special guest. Right. If you can't tell by well, I guess the title that the thumbnail that's at the bottom, you know who it is, but I intentionally wore my baby blue. That's right. My North Carolina blue because of our guest. We are gonna say that the show's like over because it's so fast. Yeah, speedy. Because he's so fast. But welcome to the basement, my good friend, my teammate, two-time Super Bowl champion, fast Willie Parker. Welcome, Willie. Thank you for coming. I appreciate you. I got the baby blue on. He didn't have the baby blue on. It's in his blood. It's in his blood. He doesn't need to be a good neutral today. Well, thank you for coming down here and taking time. I know you're in town for um the draft is this weekend. There's some festivities going on and and whatnot. You're here. So for to take time to to talk the fans uh to join us. I really appreciate that. Man, appreciate you for having me, man. It's been a while since uh we've gotten to sit and talk and hang out and the fans probably haven't heard from you in a little while. So we're gonna dive into all things . Willie Parker . All things. Yes, sir. You ready for that? I'm ready for it. We had a two-minute drill. I'm ready. We're gonna have the family dinner at the end, sponsored by Giant Eagle. Thank you, Giant Eagle. Evan is back. The fans have been dying for Evan to come back. We've put him on a little break because it's the offseason, there's not much to talk about. But since we have a guest and it's Willie, we got food coming. Um Spence also uh as we get started for the people that haven't been tuning in recently, the true fair So we had like we talked to our merch people, held a couple back. The show for this episode and stuff. Yeah, well, we knew we had big guns coming in. So yeah, so you can get signed cookbooks while they last, hats while they last. You get this camel joint right here. You get the one Ben's wearing. Uh maybe not that actual one that looks like. But you can buy one that looks just like that. Link in the description below. Yes, that is available. So don't forget to get those before they go because there's gonna be a lot of people watching this now. Um well we typically start to show off over there, Spence. Yes. You want to do that? Well why don't you yeah, why don't you do that and tell us why? Because you told me why you picked those. Let's do that to start with, and then we'll dive into where you got those from or well I was walking through a good old giant eagle and um looking for some beers for today's episode and I wanted to get something that kind of reminded me of our guests. Now, this this brewery is from Maine. You're from Maine. No, no, no. So from Maine. Okay. Uh yeah, it's uh it's from Alagash, it's a brewery from Maine. But the first the reason why I got it was because I had this beer, and I we probably have done this on the show before, but uh it's like a variety pack. But the first time I had this beer, uh my father-in-law got it for me in North Carolina. And so I associate this brewery that's from Maine with North Carolina. So um that it was a selfish uh endeavor there, but I figured we'll we'll sample all those um since we have the Tar Hill in the building. Yeah. Sounds good to me. Let's go. While you're pouring that, they um so you're you are from North Carolina. I'm from North Carolina. That's what I thought. Where whereabouts in North Carolina? Um Clinton, North Carolina. Is that like country? Is that city? What's that by? I've never heard of it. It's a big small city. A big small city. So say a big small town. Big small town. Probably ten thousand people. Not like a one stop light kind of country type. We have probably th ree. Three stops. No, you hear him though. I say you have like one stop. Like no, we have way more than that. We have three. All right, well, again, we're gonna let you try this if you I don't know if you're are you a beer drinker at all? I'm not a beer drinker, but I'm Neither was James Harrison when he drank uh what we called unicorn farts. Okay. It was called unicorn it had glitter in it. Uhhuh. And he now he drinks it all the time. Yeah, so whether the way we do that, he drinks it all the time. I don't know. He's gonna have to come on here. I better watch. The way we do is we kinda sample like a wine tasting, right? He'll go through his whole motion, what's what do you get on the nose? He aerates it. It's carbon. I've hated a lot of them too, just so if you hate it, that's fine. You don't have to drink the whole thing. Some people do who 'll see it. Who chugged it? Like just went a pouncy. Hey, how about who chugged it? Yes. Pounce like pounce. What are we doing? Okay. So all right. There it is. This one is called Alexander. That's a wh whiteite.. Yes, That's the name of the beer. It's Alagash White. It's Belgian style wheat beer, five point two percent from the good people up in Maine. This is like a white wheat, that's why I knew it was it got a unique flavor. Yes. It's not my favorite. It's not bad. Unique. What are your thoughts there, Willie? He said it. Unique. Oh, he got the pinky out. He knows how to do it. There you go. Good technique. Oh man. So I that that's fine. I don't I mean it's it's a typical Belgian Belgian style white wheat. Yeah. Okay. You got a review for us there, Willie? Um very soft beer. Usually come off real hard for me. That's not . That's not. No matter that's not you're you like soft for me. Okay. That's approachable. Yeah. You like that one. Okay. Yeah. Okay. That's good. Soft. You like soft beer. Well, that's good. I I think we're going downhill from there, William. Yeah, it's gonna get stronger. Into in more into his territory. He likes beers called IPAs. Okay. And they're just very bitter. Um one of 'em is uh you will get there. We'll get there. Yeah. But yes, that's a very small part of the show. But there is there's some people that really like it. And so we're gonna we'll dive into the football stuff. Yes but I do I want to talk about your three stop light town. Okay. Okay . Did you , at what point did you I was trying to figure this out as I was talking to Spence about you, and obviously you're fast Willie Parker. And we know Coach Coward gave you that. Coach Cower gave you that name right? We'll get into that. Alan Fanica. What's that? Alan Faco. Alan Fanica. Okay. That makes sense. Because he you before he ever got to block, you were passable. Okay, I get that. But at what but but you you it's not like you just became fast when you got to the Steelers. Yeah. Did you and the reason I'm asking this is because I think it's I think the fans want to know because I don't know if you ever talked about this. At what point were you finally able to beat kids on bikes? Six, seven? Man, nah, um, beat kids on bike. It's funny cause I never raced anybody on a bike, but I used to do other odd stuff. Yeah. Like yeah, racing dogs. See? I knew it. I just doing stuff like that. We're from the country, so See? I used to do awkward stuff, like get a car. I knew I can jump, I can get a real jump on a car, like a little five yard jump. Yeah. Nothing, nothing major, but um used to race a car like twenty yards. Yeah. You know, like racing what was uh, 300 um ZX ? Yeah. Whatever. You just get it. What? So my next my next door neighbor, she used to um she used to race me. She used to, it ain't go too crazy. Like you wanna race today? Like, yeah, let's race. You put it in. Were you in high school at this point? Were you in high school or middle age? Um I was in middle. I was in high school. Yeah. I was in high school at this point. So you knew you always you knew I mean you were fast from day one. I used to work on it all the time. Oh, so you you weren't? I used to work on it. So it seemed like I was always fast, but I really wasn't. Really? Yeah, I used to just always run. Really? Always race people. See, I always thought see there's still hope for me. I'm gonna go work. Good luck, man. Did you know that William have something in common? We both were were clocked at about fifteen mile an hour. Were you driving? Uh no, I was playing. But that Willie had just started when he got this 50 mile an hour. But um I didn't know that I thought people were just were fast and they could like get a little bit faster. But you're you're telling me that you were not always that fast. Uh yeah, I wasn't always that fast. I wasn't always the fastest kid in the neighborhood. See. Um but at an early age though I started because I stayed running all the time. So when I started beating everybody, it was like a few people in high school that I couldn't beat, but eventually, you know, I kept running, I started beating them. Yeah, that's how that works. Like strength like like what's the key? Strength training, like resistance running, running on like in the water, to just all everything like those I think you say running on the water run on the water you were Jesus yeah nah but um I think it's more with me it was more squats and like started coming into my strength like with um box jumps and and started getting introduced to like high school working out and lifting ways and I started getting faster way faster because I was running and I I put that tied that into running and everything started like really like just started formulating for me and started so there you go. You mentioned in passing small five yard jumps. So you would jump five there's three no like he would beat him like he'd get a jump on like he was like he'd like because you know the car like you g You were racing cars. That's the greatest answer. So you don't have a I joked I joked that like when Willie was six like he he had already beat the neighborhood cat. So then it's like okay he's he's now now let's race the dog. Let's race the the the pony, the whole like just keep but with that and that's that's how I really, that's how it was, but it wasn't w really with like that, you know, I guess level. I did dog, I did uh what how did I start off? It first saw the kids in the neighborhood, and then it went to the dog. Then it went to the car. It was you know. So it was some it was silly though, but um it got me super fast. Oh my goodness. So that did you do you do track in high school too? You had to go. I did track ninth grade and eleventh grade um year. Ninth and 11th. Yeah. So just football then. Then just football. I did basketball. What did you do in 10 grade? So you did track in ninth. Were you not any good or something? Um how do you how do you what do you skip? I don't know why. But I didn't like yeah, I just didn't do it. I don't know why. And the basketball and tenth. Oh, I think my tenth grade yeah I got hurt in track. So it was early, I got hurt. I pulled my groin. So gotcha that season was kind of cash. And you played. I didn't I didn't . Um I wasn't really a basketball guy, but I played though. I was on the team. I was on the team. I I was uh I was an athlete. I get wide open. I was super fast. I could steal the ball, get wide open, miss the layup. So he was nothing to it. Okay. I was gonna say you had to, I felt like you would have been like the defensive, like the the defensive guy that annoyed the like we're gonna put Willie on the guy and annoy him. Yeah, it's like we try so my youngest Bodie is like he's a little smaller than everybody, but so he plays on these older teams, but he's smaller. And I'm like, I try and tell him, I said, and then the coach will put him on like the big guys and stuff, and I try and tell him I say, Hey, bud, you know, when you go to like if in the summertime or you're at a beach and you get that little gnat and you're like you can't get rid of that gnat, and you you think you get him and he won't go away and it annoys you. That needs to be you on the basketball court. Yeah, and I'm like, I can envision envision you being that like my little boatie. Like just always lateral, just yeah just beat 'em up a little bit. Being physical. Yeah. Were you always like like strong tour that came with the weight? I was small, but I was strong. And then I I kind of, you know, grew into myself. So but I always could move. Always. Cause you would have been one of those running backs that Tomlin would say, how what do you used to say short, not small or something, like you're you're short, not small or something like that. Yeah, he had a little saying. Yeah. You know. That would have been you, 'cause you were never s I mean that I rever remember being small. Yeah. Um but with all compared to all the other running backs small Short. Short. Not small. Because you were always solid that as long as I know. Facts, facts. Which is a little bit unusual too with the si with like the the size of your like your strengt h doesn't always translate to speed too, right? That's power and and whatever. Um do you think like so and then you go to north is was North Carolina like the school you grew up? That was a school I had a lost, yes. That was it? Yes. Yeah, the whole family. Okay. So you were it was like, we're going there. Yes. I gotcha. Um is that a phone? Is that your phone? What is that? I don't know. Oh. Okay. No, it's not . Oh yeah, there's something going on. We've we've ordered well we've ordered Chipotle on air before. Yes. That's why it's not a big deal. Uh okay, so that's why I was I figured because in North Carolina, but like what are the three schools, Duke uh Duke North Carolina and NC State and NC State? Those are all like right there. Right together. So do people grow like up they they like one of those three? They like one of those three. And you were in North Carolina? Yes. So you had a chance to go to North Carolina and you're like I'm going to North Car UNC . So it was really it won't even a decision. Um you know it I just wanted to go to UNC. Yeah, that was it. Just a family time, just a a family opportunity. Yeah. How far was your home like how far is hometown from there? About an hour. Oh, so it was even it wasn't even that far. It's like that's all I just I've had conversations with my oldest Benjamin about that where he he was talking about like school like is how far is you know he he kinda wants to go to Liberty University and it's like a I think it's like a four or five hour drive and he goes is that too far and this, that, and the other. And I was telling them that I went to Miami, uh, which we'll talk about in a little bit, because you know, we got Miami, North Carolina history a little bit. Uh and but it Miami was two and a half hours from my hometown. I was like, that was always just far enough, but close enough that you can get back to and do whatever and I I suppose being in hours you still go home get your laundry done everyone? Yeah you can go go back. I used to go home every weekend. Yeah every weekend. Every weekend was that good or bad? Did that my first year I was homesick so, I used to get back and forth uh UNC a lot. I mean back and forth home a lot. Yeah. So yeah, every weekend. And then I got redshirted, so so you played as a true freshman, so I redshirted. You got red shirt. I red shred it up. Okay. So I think so we we we we've gotta talk about this 'cause I I was trying to remember your first year at North Carolina would have been like ninety nine or two. You you came to North Carolina. No, did we? Uh-huh. Oh. You came to North Carolina. Were you playing then? I was I was in and out of the game. Okay. But I wasn't really playing. But it was like a raining game. Yeah, I remember that. I don't remember. Like that was my I think that was my redshift freshman year. So that would I would have played that game. I don't remember what ended up happening. I wanna say you torched us. Oh, did we win? You did. I want to say y'all won. That was but see the the difference the problem is the difference is that was a big game for us. We call that a Tomahawk game. Like that was one where we put on the wall like we beat this thing. Y'all were probably like, who are these Yeah. Yeah. Oh, they're not the youth. Yeah, facts. It's crazy. Um that's how we thought, but at the end of the day, at the years, then we teamed up and I see you. I'm like, damn, that team, okay. Yeah. Miami, Ohio. I like, all right. I totally forgot that we played that we played against you. Now was Jeff reed there then jeff reed was there so you were so you were teammates with jeff for a few years just a couple years probably was was jeff as like uh like as fun and funny and goofy as he was yeah he's still typical clown uh not typical typical clown.ical Typ kicker. Like being a cl like being silly and fun. Oh man. I wondered if he changed when he got there. But uh yeah, we did. We went down North Carolina. It was some sort of a storm had just rolled through or was rolling through but it was wet and rainy and nasty. I remember that game. And I didn't play Harley and I was I remember I was wishing the game got over with so quick. I was just wishing it was the rain. Yeah, I was wishing it was over. Then I didn't I didn't used to like running the ball when it was raining and storming. Yeah. Like yeah. Just because you didn't like it. I didn't like it for some reason. And running backs usually love it. Like but then the ball we'rening the ball gonna run. But then I I really wasn't I was in a different state. Did it slow you down? That did you feel like it slowed you down? Like it it brought the everyone like the the field back to you. Yeah, right. Then I didn't I was just in a different like um my mindset was just different that game. That w when I was down and out. You know, it was it was crazy. I was hoping the game got over with . It was kind of crazy. What yeah I did I did like as I was I was trying to figure out like why what happened like what made like why were you undrafted? Why like what kind of happened? And I did I read somewhere that your senior game, like your senior day game or whatever, you didn't think yeah, I didn't as a senior. Um why? Yeah. Was there anything was there anything anything you can look back on of why that happened? Oh, most definitely. Um me being a a young, immature um just athlete, I just I look back and I I could have did this, I could have did that. You know, and even when I got here with the Steelers and stuff, I was still like my mindset was still like so far behind and y'all was so much mature in the head. It was so funny. So uh so and that was my mindset because I didn't play that much at UNC. So not just your senior game. You didn't all your senior game. I didn't yeah, I didn't play that much at all at all because I was just I just used to I couldn't apply what uh uh all my gains from the gym I couldn't take it to the the field for some odd reason and um and I used to do it I know it was kind of crazy. And I used in practice I used to rip them apart, do my thing, but then um it'd be a point of the season every year I just get depressed and you know, I never felt like that about football in my life. Yeah. So it wasn't necessarily like nothing the coaches did. I think it was more me. Interesting. That's that's what I was wondering. I was like, did you ever feel like the co like it was the coaches? But you're saying it just it was more your maturity 'cause I only knew you as a hard worker. Like I wouldn't know you as anything else when you got the Pittsburgh, like if someone would ask me like what what was what kind of a teammate or or what kind of a worker, I'd say he was a great teammate. He busted his butt for his team and he worked his butt off in the weight room in the on the practice field. So that's kind of do you think that that like you got that as you got to Pittsburgh, you realized what it was going to take? Or that's what you did you is that what you're trying to say you didn't well UNC even high school I always had that work ethic. So I I still was waking up at 5 30 in the morning working out. Even when things wasn't going my way and I wasn't doing, you know, the things that I should have been doing in the field. But I still just work, constantly work, work, work. I think that was my profession. I think I love working out. Yeah? Yeah, training. I think I love training. You love you still l you still train a lot? You know? I still love it. You should have been here earlier. Should have trained me a little bit in the gym. I was just doing some cardio. Um yeah, because you know, I'm sure people know or don't know uh that are watching this, but Willie and I are the same same class in Pittsburgh. So we both came in together. Uh I remember w we had you know Max Starks and Ricardo Coakley and um I mean there's there's others, but those were you know the ones I remember most. But but Willie came in undrafted, I remember thinking like coming from a small coming from Miami and small school and and I remember seeing Willie for the first time like practicing. I'm like, this dude is undrafted? Like what what does it take to get dra like I was blown away. Like I don't understand like what's going on? And uh it was it was pretty instantly, I think, that you made a a an impression on the coaches and the players of what you had. And that's why I was so curious as to why you didn't play or do much your senior year or became a drafted, but it makes sense hearing you say that that it was just mostly because of you know you weren't ready. Yeah, I wasn't ready. I thought maybe the coaches did you wrong or something. Was there like a catalyst or a turning point when you got to the league that shifted that perspective for you? Oh, I was like my senior day, we mentioned about my senior day, um, so I didn't play at at UNC, but my senior day, it was like something was just lifted off my shoulders. So So when I look back, I'm like, you know, I love UNC. I thought at that time being a young high school athlete, that was my right decision, but I really didn't put any thought into like why I should be attending this university. Like, you know, and I tell my kid, I tell any of the little youngsters out there today, don't go to a school just because you love the school. Like you have to go to school, you have to do your research. Like what type if you got a position, what type of who's in front of you, who play that position, what type of back, what type of style they have. You know, does it match your style? Whatever the case may be. Academics, you gotta go, you gotta go down the line with everything. And I think I just made that decision and just like you know out of just not even really looking into it. Do you regret it? No. You regret I don't live in the I guess regrets. I don't yeah that word I know Yeah, that's the wrong word. Do you do you look back and think I I if I would have went somewhere else, I could have done this or I could have got further away. Some people even just getting further away from home can help. Yeah. You know, I I don't know I'm just wondering like if you if you could go dear younger me, mm-hmm you you get to talk to Willie, seventeen, eighteen year old Willie, what would you say to him? I would've I would've pretty much said, man, take your time, make a make the best decision for you and your family. Um, you know, but just don't just go head over heels just because you love a university. No, just what's best for you. Yeah, if I would have gone somewhere else, I think it would have been a whole lot better. But at the end of the day it's all about you know being at the right place at the right time so when I came up here it was the right place and the right time. Yeah. But it's gotta be hard too. Like I didn't grow up having like a a college or s like I grew up in Ohio. Everyone loved Ohio State. And they loved Ohio State so much that it actually pushed me away from Ohio State. It's gotta be hard to grow up so close with your f like everyone loving that school and you have a chance to go there. Like sometimes, you know, you you almost get like you get that that baby blue cloud over your eyes where it's like, no, I gotta like that's my dream since I'm a little kid. And how can it it's hard to tell a seventeen eight year old kid uh, hey, yeah, let's pause on your on your dream school. So let's let's look at all those things. Because that's when I went to Miami, same thing. There was a senior quarterback. I knew I was gonna, I knew I at least would have it, I'd sit for one year behind him. I always have a chance to beat someone out, but he was going to graduate. And then there there was was you know some other guys in there that were a little in between us but I was like I I it's gonna be I have a chance yeah to play now for four years at a university that has good academics. I love the head coach was a far from home, you know, all the things. So I kind of did that homework, but it kind of fell into my lap too in terms of all the things. But it's it's got to be tricky to um have that feeling. I'm always so curious about that, especially in the South, where like the y univers ities are almost a lot of times bigger than the NFL teams. Like you grow up idolizing this this school. At what point in time when you are actually attending the school playing on the team that would imagine you grew up watching, maybe going to games? Did it's did like the the shine kind of start to wear off you realize it's you start realizing all the things that you're now speaking from the perspective of yeah you know what I mean was it was it like was it that day of your senior year where you're like oh oh may not that I make the wrong choice, but like, oh, I understand what this thing is now. Or is it like a long your your time there where you're like a sophomore like, oh, okay, I understand it. It was super early. Um I started realizing that super early. And um, I was homesick first, so that was, you know, just me not being away from my parents. And then it just happened just instantly. Like, you know, um my freshman season, you know, getting accustomed to going to classes and doing this and then going to practice. It's and then my my my high school friend, he passed away. And it just just while you're in North Carolina, it was like my second year. And so it was a lot of things that were just happening and and make it was a versus it was just hitting me, you know, at a young age. And you know, as a young athlete, you have to really be mentally like, you know, stable for like the thing coaches telling you every day. Pressure you have to deal with alone on the football field. There's a lot of pressure. Like, you know, and and just to deal with it as a youngster, you know, I had a a great support team, but I just wasn't ready for it at that time. You know, maybe five years later, if I would have came out again or uh a couple years earlier, I might would have been I might would have handled it a lot better Well I think you know, you said the support staff, like you can have a great support staff, a great support family, friends, coaches, you can have great people, but if you're not willing to hear it,. it It only I mean Spence did that's what he I mean he does it. He speaks to people. He does a lot of stuff and you know he could speak on it more than than I can. But if you're you can you can speak life into people and and give them all kinds of stuff. I tell my son all the time, I can I can lead a horse to water, I can't make him drink. I can I can give you the answers to the test when it comes to practicing for golf or whatever it is, but it's up to you to do it. Yeah. Support staff, you can you can give people all the support and love and just be there for them, but if they're not I, assume that's that's accurate. They're not willing to take it, what are you supposed to do? Yeah, I and I think even having Willie say what he said through his perspective, I mean you have such a platform that there's probably somebody in a similar situation watching this and it's like, hey, you can't hear that from a better person right now. Yeah. You know, and there's so much wisdom, I think, in what you're saying, having lived it and endured it. And having, I mean, you talk about everything you just mentioned with, you know, loss of uh a cloth of a loved one uh you know moving away from home like starting uh at a really your career like these are three major life events all happening at the same time one of those things requires all your energy. And you had to do that at what? Nineteen? Twenty? Yep. Right. And so it's like dude, your brain's not even fully developed. Like it's like there's some science on the back end of all this stuff. So the fact that you can endure all that, navigate those waters and then still go on to have the career that you've had is a testament to like let's let's maybe listen to what this man has to say. Yeah. Like it's so and I think too, looking back on it, and I know we can there you can live life with what like you said, I don't regrets is a word that you don't have to use , but what ifs what if this, what if that? My son just played in a golf tournament and he's he he ended up getting to the finals or he he got to the uh playoffs. He was in first place through the through the tournament, went to the playoffs, lost in the second round of the playoff. Not I say, I say you didn't lose, you came in second. Yeah. Like you didn't lose. Yeah. But and he and so he was saying, like, oh, if I would have done this on this hole, if I'd have done this on this hole. And I said, buddy, you can't live, you can't live like that, because I think about I used to do that in football. I don't know if ever did like I'd be going through games, coming home, and sometimes I'd be it'd be four o'clock in the morning after a one o'clock game. It's not even like a night game. I'd be laying in bed like, man, if I outta if I'd have checked this play or if I'd have completed this pass or if I'd have done this and I'm like you you just can't do it and and I don't know if you ever did that in football I'm I'm sure there's definitely we always do it but the point in saying all that is if you don't go to North Carolina. you If don't have it all together, if you don't play, you might get drafted somewhere else. Yeah. You might go to another team. You don't come to Pittsburgh. You don't have been different. You don't have the longest rush in the suit in Super Bowl history. You don't have two super. You don't have all that stuff. And so that's why it's you you can't you can't sit there and live with it because it's I don't know. There's too much there's too much involved to look back. That was I don't know that was a lot of noise coming out. It's too much, but I always look at it um this way though. Everything destined to be how it's supposed to be. Um so yeah, what if I would have went here or went there, you know, some things probably wouldn't have lined up, but I think like whatever's me itant to be is meant to be. It's gonna happen regardless. But I do believe what y'all saying, you said too. Like if I didn't go to UNC, like then these things probably wouldn't happen. I wouldn't have been a draft. I probably could have got drafted. And then yeah. Anything could happen. You never know. We like to say on the show that God has a plan. Yeah, yeah. Turns out our plan, it's his plan. Turns out I'm a good producer, a terrible God. Yeah, that's that's what I've learned. Exactly. Well, uh, you know, I I obviously went I I wasn't expecting to go there, but that's what this show's about sitting there at the bar learning and and those kind of things. So I would like to well, let's let's dive into another beer before as we get into Pittsburgh, because let's because now we're we've gotten to the draft. We're in Pittsburgh now, and let's get into some Pittsburgh stuff because that's a that's what the people want to hear about too. So give us one of these nasty beers that he's not gonna like. All right, so this is in the same vein, it's a Belgian style, but it's a triple, which means it's they they essentially compound this is that was what four percent five percent alcohol this is nine percent oh the flavor's gonna be a little bit more intense it's it's gonna it's um it's gonna hit you back here But the style of beer is the same in that the flavor profile uh should be similar, just probably a little bit more intense. The last beer is a different style. It's a Belgian white as well. It's a Belgian style ale. So it's still an ale, it's still Belgium. It's a little bit darker. So it's still more less hydrated pea that you used to have to do for drugs thing. Okay. This is very hydrated. This is less hydrated. You're looking at it that way. Sorry. I thought it was a triple IPA. No. It's just a choke. Yeah. Because that would have really hit you. Yeah. It's it's probably still delicious. It's probably just a little heavier. It's a little big boy. I feel it. Yeah. Yeah, you can taste those. Flavor's similar. Very similar. Okay, but just a little stronger. A little more burnt. It's got that after this out the add those taste, I would tell you. A little linger. Yeah. Yeah . Yeah. But good. Okay, sorry. I had to see that's what we take text messages. Okay . Pittsburgh, let me ask you a question. Cause I tell this story to people a lot and it had to be a little different for you. Actually, I would love to get your perspective on this. Okay. I tell the story when I walked into the building, the south side for the first time. I remember walking in, I'm carrying like my playbook and my notebook, and I had a spiral binder on top and Bussy put it on a drone betis walks around the corner and I was kind of like oh dang that's that's like Jerome like that I mean at that time Troy would have been I think only one year ahead of us. One yeah. So Troy was still Troy, but Troy was n't Troy yet. So like Jerome was the biggest man. Jerome was a big deal. Mm-hmm. He walked over, he opened my folder or my notebook, wrote his name, wrote his number, and said some long lines of hey, anything you need, I got, you know, just holler at me. Obviously, not being in the same room as Jerome all the time. What was your and the only thing good to say? We'll edit it out, but I'm assuming you have all good things to say about Jerome. But uh other than Jerome stealing a bunch of your touchdowns by getting one yard touchdown rushes. Don't worry. He's been on the show. We've made a fun of him for us, so we can do that. Um what was your what was your first impressions? What was your experience being in the running back room with Jerome? Oh man, it was amazing experience. It um really that part right there, I think um was one of the things that I look forward to each and every day, going to the the meeting room and these guys, he actually ran our meetings. Yeah. Even though we had some great coaches though. You had Coach Ho Hope, right? Coach Hope. He was a great coach. He was a great coach. Great coach. But I hear you. But but you you got got Jerome in there. Jerome in there. And um, you know, I used to go in as a uh undrafted guy. You know, you see a you see and you hear more things than um I guess a guy that's drafted May here. So so Coach Holt, meaning Coach Holt used always talk to me. So when he he get mad at Jerome, he won't say too much the truth, bro. He couldn't me. And I used to be like, why is coach like you know, always screaming at me? I haven't did anything. I I haven't even been in practice. I haven't even carried the ball that much. So Charlie Badgers yelled at for me too. So that's crazy. And that part right there, it and it used to, it didn't used to drive. I used to be mad though. The thing about it, it was like kinda funny to me. It was like something I look forward to every day. So I I w I remember one day in the meeting room, um, just chilling. So Jerome, this is the first day. This probably it was the first week, but it was the first day I seen this side of Jer ome, like JB come in and um he always on time, always professional. And he just have he have a sleeping bag and um he took his sleeping back. He just go to the corner. He just backed up behind us and I keep looking back. I'm like, he about to go to sleep. And and the coach won't uh really say anything. And coach like, ah, he know this shit. And he like he like Willie, you ain't gonna never do this shit. He like Willie, you and get your ass cut. I'm like, I 'm over here just chilling. I'm not saying anything. He told me you get your ass cut. Quit looking at him and qu it talking to him. And Jerome, and Jerome back there, like just like looking at me like you know, like it used to be so funny though. And then he get up, like, coach ask a question, ask him a question, he'd get up, answer the question, and he'd lay right down, just chilling. Like, so Javon put in a lot of time and a lot of work, man. And um, you know, when you have that respect, man, like he was the biggest thing in Pittsburgh. Oh, you know, our first year. And when I first saw him, man, it was like, you know, I seen Jerome Bettis, man. I taught to Jerome Bettis. You know, he was like a stand-up guy from the first time I met him, even to the day he retired even to right now like you know I I I shoot him a text and stuff and just kinda laugh at him or laugh with him and he always have a joke you know like so yeah he, he was somebody, he he really was my second coach. Like when and he he used to give me hell too, but he did used to do what he's supposed to do. Like when he you passed the game down to somebody, when he Even before then, like he really like was showing me how to maneuver outside the facil ity. So and I always show 'em s so much love for that. Yeah. No, I I I you know, you got to be around him a lot more in terms of the meeting room and stuff, but I I would echo the exact same things like just a cosmic professional all the time. Had knew how to have fun. He knew how to have fun. Knew how to have fun. Laughed all the time. Like you say, jokes. But when it was time to get serious, like pro like, give me the ball. Yes. You know and and that it was it was fun to be a part. I I think about that a lot when when I um go through different things in in playing and what like how would Jerome have handled the situation? What what would Jerome have done as a teammate, as a ambassador to the city, as whatever? And so I think it was it was an a a blessing to be with him and and Deuce Staley was in that room with you too, another big I mean another big name guy. But I think you know a lot of times when you get a veteran guy, they get nervous or jealous of a young guy coming in. Maybe because you were undrafted, he didn't feel that way, but I don't know that Jerome would have been any other way, even if you were. Like it feels like he would have been like, I'm gonna teach you regardless. I think he would have been the same. And that's the energy that I got from him . I remember we was running, he didn't feel so fond of me this day. We was outside, we haven't conditioning, and um, and me, I'm super fast, so I'm just running. I'm trying to make the team. I'm trying to get impressed. So I'm just going, I'm busting my ass like, you know, like the whole condition and going back. We're doing gases. They and the runner backs run with the runner backs, quarterbacks, y'all ran with the quarterbacks and um everybody ran in their groups and the runner back man you need to slow down the tea i can't slow down i gotta keep going they like man you need to slow down like we all running together, man. Because Deuce wouldn't have one to run either. And he would have been one telling me to slow down. Like, you need to slow down. Like how many about that run? They were like, man, you can go head down there with them receivers, man. Go with the receivers. It was like Rudy. It's like the movie Rudy. Like you're trying to make the team and and these guys. Yeah, I think it's totally different. Well, you your your work ethic paid off. That was that was that's funny Jerome I and and I do I did give drome a hard time because I said Jerome do you really feel good about yourself that you would just you scored like four touchdowns in one game you had three yards rushed I said Willie did all the hard work, got you down to the one-yard line, and then you get to go in. I said, You never felt bad about that. He's like, ah. Jerome did his thing that yeah, man. Uh he scored all the touchdowns. I used to um just look at them, just do a little touchdown dance. I thought Beyond you had to be a little there had to be a little bit of you that was like, oh God, should have just got no, it just put more pressure on me. I had to take off. I I just felt I had to take off 50 yards the to get touchdown and I couldn't get caught. Like you know, I had to score. I had to finalize a touchdown. So did they ever leave you in on the one or two or do you always came out? Always came out. Always came out. It was it. Bussy, I'm you didn't have the tail bus, bus is cause as soon as he get down to that tear, he just start coming in the field. Sitting start running. He wouldn't even have his helmet. As soon as he got inside the tent, he could grab his helmet. Touchdown. That was a nice little tandem too. Um far as like what Coach Down was doing, Coach Hope was doing. And yeah, so it was all good though. Yeah. Well it's you got to learn from a the funny thing is is the the styles were so different, right? I think what people I mean people that watched Pittsburgh, they don't they either realize or they don't. I don't know if I'm saying this right, but they don't realize how good a feet he had. Yeah, so he had a big for a big dude. Yeah, he had great feet. He had great feet. It was like people would assume that he was just power, put your head down, but he had a little like that little skin. He's gonna wiggle. He had a little bit of wiggle. Mm-hmm. And in the in the in the hole. Yes. Not a lot of room and he had wiggle side, yeah. Mm-hmm. He had wiggle and he had feet. Like so people get miss up they they look at him like he just gonna run you over and that's where they mess up. Mm-hmm. Like he'll kinda slide and he kinda s turn his shoulders and get skinny in the hole. Well, let's not say skinny, but just joking bossy love you. Yeah. Yeah, I know what you're saying. He gets skinny in the hole and holding on, you know , and if he wanna run you over here, run you over. Like he had power. Urlacher that that famous know, right? Man, that that game right there was um one of those games where it's just like the halo was like the light was just shining right over . And like, you know, him and one of the biggest like defenders in the league at that time. Meeting and all snowing. Yep. It was like it was like weather. It was like the weather. Like you know, and um but but think about that. Like if you like put yourself in a in a linebacker or a safeties shoes, you got a 200 and a big bat coming at you. Yeah. And you're like, I have to brace. Like I better I better lower the boom. And then he hit you with a little little quick feet. So then the next time you got to quick feet me. And then he's gonna hit you with a boom. That's that's why I guess that' whsy he's a gold jacket guy. That's facts. Guess why he's gold jacket guy. And you know, speaking to him, that kind of leads me to Detroit getting I mean uh people ask me all the time like how special was it to to win one to for jerome it was I always tell people it was special to win jerome to help to help win jerome a Super Bowl but it was that much more special that was in Detroit his hometown and you know , you probably had a different view of it than than anybody too, just because you're in that room. But how special what that that you saw, how special was that for him? We all heard him say it, but but you behind the scenes, it was it was That was super special man just to to see the joy on his face when we went to his um parents' house you know it had good morning america and you know everything was just you know it was like just meant it's like it was written. Yes. Like, you know, and we we we all helped him, you know , with that dream, the first ring, and it was just so like surreal. Yeah. Like you know and um you couldn't you can't how do you write a street story you couldn't write it better. You couldn't write any better strip than that. Yeah. Like um he hometown walk away like you know he won one, he walked away from the game. That it was beautiful, man. Yeah, in a hometown, which is is crazy. And being so close to Pittsburgh. Yeah. I mean, I mean, liter like I don't even know if winning one if they would have had a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh, if that would have been even any better. Like your hometown feels different than the hometown gotta be like a little bit. Special. Yeah. Yeah, that's special. Well, obviously that game we we we we can't not talk about the run. Mm-hmm. I mean, still the longest, I think, touchdown run Super Bowl history? Yes. 75. 75. 75 yards. I was I went back because I was trying to remember. So I did I did look at it today. I YouTube . I'm like, let me look at this thing again. Let me let me let me break it down. And uh I I gotta I I wanna ask because I that's a I mean it's a such an iconic play for Pittsburgh. It's an iconic play for Steeler fans. It got us a Super Bowl that they've been missing for however many years. I'm sure we'll when Evan comes down, we'll ask him about this play because I'm sure he'll have some he might start crying actually. But I would like to talk about a little bit first . What I let's start with what do you remember from it? 'Cause I I have my thoughts of what I remember, but I would love to get your thoughts. Like what go go to it in your head, like what take us back there and and and walk us through the play. Like what what what do you remember? Like what I remember about the play, um, I always Or was it a blur and you don't remember anything? No, I remember everything. It was a blur too, but it's it's those blur it's it's it's funny you say a blur because it definitely was a blur at that particular time. The whole game was a blur. Like that thing was crazy. Yeah from the start yes. Like to the end. Yeah. It was a blur. And then it's over. Then we just And then you're like, what do we do now? Yeah. That's it. I know. Like so running um, I just remember um when I f we first ran it first half and um I overran the play. I was trying to do too much. I was trying to make something happen. And you say you overran it for people that don't understand, like you got because Alan pulls on that play, right? So Alan's our left guard, he's pulling, and you're supposed to kind of follow him. I'm supposed to follow him, but I'm in front of him trying to make my move, do my thing. You're anxious. You gotta go. Super Bowl.. Yeah Anxious. Um so we went in the halftime, kind of, you know, calm down, and you know, coach, he would pretty much tell me, hey, you know, you gotta you gotta chill out a little bit. Let's um, we're gonna come right back to it. And um I got you and and I could tell the way we were talking or how we were drawing it up at halftime, pretty much um this was it. They saw something in the first half that obviously I didn't see, like, but they felt that we could have did this a whole lot better. And I don't think they were um Coach Wizard Hunt was um thinking touchdown, but thinking just a big play. Big play. It's a big play, 20 plus yards. Um, so Jerome, he came to me, like, hey man, just just calm down, just yeah. I said, so I must be overrunning my rooms. I must be too anxious or something. Hey, I'm I'm gonna I just I gotta stop you because Evan's on his way down. And he's gonna want he want I know he's gonna want to hear the story. But so I'm gonna I'm gonna stop you is tell him to watch the episode. Tell him to watch the episode. Evan. I know . Well no, because I think no, because this is like I'm I'm I'm like I'm like dialed in. Like this is a good thing, I mean, yes, this nobody's ever heard this from you. Like a breakdown of the official. But I but I do, I will say this because it reminds me of um like you, like as I think about um your that play or or like because you're talking about um you getting ahead of Alan. But it had to be like if Jerome's running that play, it's a lot different for Alan than you. And it's the same thing, hey Evan. Welcome down. Good sir. Evan, this is Willie. All right. I told him we're stop we're stopping in the middle of a story because I figure you might want to hear it. Okay. Okay. But we'll let you I told him that you can just watch the episode. I don't want Willie. This is Chef Evan. Chef Evan. Willie Parker. Good sir. Pleasure. Pleasure. Pleasure. Um the well first, okay. Don't you forget what we're talking about. Yeah, yeah. This is the family dinner brought to you by Giant Eagle. We appreciate you, Giant Eagle, for this food for helping Chef Evan get us something So Evan, before he gets back into his story, which I think you're gonna want to hear, can you tell us what we're diving into here? Yeah. On the the left here is some hush puppies. A little bit of sauce for the hush puppies as well. Pimento cheeseburger. And then pulled pork nachos. So pork is in the front and then in the back is a steak. Okay. Pork steak. Yep. Okay. Thank you, Giant Eagle. Thank you, Evan. We will get into this. Um so anyway, we're talking about like block because I remember when like the line was blocking for Tommy and then me scrambling around Corbett's like, wait, Ben, you're supposed like I remember Marvel Smith, you're supposed to be in the pocket. Why are you over there? You know? So anyway, okay, get back. So he's about to so Evan, he is about he just started breaking down the Super Bowl, the touchdown run. Yeah. Okay. And he basically said in the first half he overran the play. Remember Alan Fanica polls and really got excited because the Super Bowl and he got ahead of Alan and and kind of try to go outside and shake him do his thing. Halftime coaches are like, Hey, listen, this is a big play, we see it. We're gonna come back to it in the second half. And so you were just go ahead and that's all I I'll let you get back into. So now your halftime coaches are figuring out this could be a big play Yeah, so and um so we we we break, we come, but Jerome come to me, he pretty much like, Hey man, you just need to calm down just a little bit, you know, but let's we're gonna come right back at it. And you know, only thing you have to do, just slow it down. It's a tad bit, and I promise you it'll be a huge play. And um he said it. He said it one time, then before we went out at halftime, he came back and told me again. He like, just remember now. Yeah, yeah, just remember. Just calm down, just relax and just run. Just run. Just run like you always run. Like how you do it in practice. So we we come out and um Do you remember what the play was called? Um obviously some right thirty-two or thirty-four. Either kind of thirty-four pipe. Okay. I know it won't thirty-six powers. I think it was thirty-four pipe. Okay. Kind of thirty-four pipe. Um so we come out and um you know I'm we ran first play. I'm like oh we ain't run it then second play they said kind of 34 five I was like oh shit It was the second play of the half yeah it was like second third play or th it was early gosh I don't remember. It was early, yeah. So um so I was like, oh, let's go ahead and get this. I was told everybody before we broke the um the end the before we broke the huddle, I'm like, meet me in the touchdown. I always tell the lineman, meet me in the touchdown, even when I don't even score. Like I just always tell him, meet me and just some funny shit I say. You know, Jeff Harden, funny stuff though. I'm gonna I'm gonna get back. He always like, just run the ball. Just run the ball. Jeff used to yell me too. Just run the ball. And so I looked at him, just laughed like always. Like, so we ran the play. I'm like, call the play and break the huddle. And I said, meet me in the end zone. So I took the jab, step over, Fanica come across, you know, and I'm just slow, slow, slow, slow, slow. Then I still started looking at, I looked at the linebacker, I looked at the safety. Single high safety. Say just what Wizard said. Say you're gonna come down. He's gonna seal the outside. He said don't go outside too soon. Act like you're going to put your shoulders, like you go on the sideline, and just so let him get outside. Let's take him out to play. He's gonna be on block. So he went, he ran over cross, just like we said he was gonna run over cross. I just put my foot to the ground and it was daylight. And um, I seen the other safety, like it was no match he had too far he was an yeah he he had no he had no um no chance no chance no chance so once you got like 10 once you got past that safety and that down safety in the linebacker, once you were lunch once you' youre were past them, like I I'm in. Like there's it's no way. It facts. And um Alan Fanica, he made a great block. Yeah. Uh a huge block. And um he he he was he I looked up, he's down and running, running with me you know like after I scored and stuff he like the first one to greet me. Yeah yeah like you know he out there running if he the first one yeah damn well that usually linemen if it's a long touchdown they're like we'll see on the sideline. Yeah, but not him though. He was a steal. Yeah, he always. Did Jeff meet you down there? You remember? Jeff, yeah. I'm pretty sure. Jeff, Jeff Jeff probably on his knees. He probably on his knees um just watching the play. But yeah, he I'm pretty sure he still he did his thing. The line, they made some tremendous blocks, man. They did they did what they supposed to do on that that one play. Yeah. Well looking back, Max was downfield. Max was your right was our you know starting Max starting. He was blocking the thing too. So I I mean I kinda assume that once you got through, you were like, Okay, he's not that guy's not catching me. He's got an Sadie's not gonna get me. And then you just were like, What am I gonna then you jumped in the end zone? Dived in the end zone, but let's take it back and then you're knocked the wind out of it. Yeah, knocked the wind, did all that stuff. But it w it was well worth it. It was worth it. Uh so I had a hyper extended knee before that It happened in the Denver game. Okay. And um hyper extended knee and even before the game, I was like, man, I need to be full speed. I was full speed at play. Yeah. But yeah, it just that's the same. They didn't have radar then on players. Did they have numbers on guys like they do today? No, not like they do today. What do you think you hit? It wasn't twenty two? I think I would probably about twenty-five. I never said I was moving man and um yeah I didn't feel my leg and it was just you know when you playing for your brothers it's like I gotta do my job and that's all I was in my head like I gotta score. It was a blur it was a blur because you were running fast and because it was the play. Yep. And I see the referee over there. Like, you know, so it was just a it was one of those moments that you always gonna remember . You remember the play? Oh yeah. Where were you? Just sitting in the living room with my dad. That's where most of it would happen, you know, watching the game, sitting there and what do you remember from that play? Just ecstatic, just going nuts. You know, one of those plays where it was like that just really happened. Like, you know what I mean? Like, it blows your mind. Like, we're just going crazy. Yeah, it was that was I I remember handing it off. I don't remember early, like the first it happened in the first half, like you talked about, like obviously, because I probably wouldn't remember all that, but I do remember handing it and kind of like kind of carrying out my fake, but kind of just turning to watch. And I remember seeing Alan come and then it it felt to me like from my vantage point that there was kind of a decent hole there. And Alan was almost coming through, like, like I who am I who am I gonna get? And he sealed it for you. And then I just remember like seeing you almost kind of disappear. And then you know, the obviously then all the the mass happens, and I remember looking up and being like, oh, it's it's over. Like he's not no one's and I do I mean unless he trips, nothing's stopping you. Um that's I was saying don't trip. Don't fall. Don't don't fall. Uh I didn't you know, I think too do you have a question for Willie by the way? If you want you're welcome to hangers along here. Yeah, it's just it's just a like just a basic question to me, probably for you as well. Like as a young running back, were there any running backs that you looked up to that you, you know, wanted to try to make your game after or try to emulate whenever you were playing? Most definitely. I used to look up the um Emmy Smith. I was um I'm not gonna say it anymore. I used to I came here and uh uh uh uh I um I told the Stiller fans who were my team growing up and they would they didn't sit well with them. So I'm not gonna say it right now. I I know a little better. I know I know better now. So um I grew up watching um Emmett Smith. Okay. Emmett Smith and um I really love Barry Sanders runner style. You know, so those two guys was really like you know, my guys. Yeah. You know, um being a a runner from North Carolina. Oh yeah. I used to I don't know. The good ones to good ones good ones to follow. I didn't think too. I should ask you what was going through your head when Bussy fumbled? When Bussy fumbled, we were like just oh shh. It was just like it was just strange like that was too like I wouldn't have fumbled. I just no I just I was just really like I'd never thought in a million years that would have happened on that play. Ever. Like ever. Like that was something that it was like one of those um that was one of those oh shit moments . For the entire city. We were always like, always like, no, no. But then when he fumbled, because he fumbled, everybody just looking like, oh yeah. We like, just you, you're the last line of the fence. I don't know if that is good or bad. It was hopefully bad. We like we're like on our edge, like we like fans for a little bit. Woo! Like we're gonna win this game now. I think everybody on the sideline, like far as your teammate, everybody, all uh, we're just like looking, we just dialed in. I know you were dialed in. I know Bussy would dialed in. Like everybody was dialed in. We was like, you know, like a close-knit group, like just cheering on the defense and you know, that stuff right there is that's what I really miss when it comes to football. Like, you know, not knowing the outcome, but we just going at it every single together. Like every single play. We just together and we just looking at like I'm not looking at you. Like we we just all looking right at the moment, cheering our boys on, man, and then they missed that field goal. Man, it was like that was that was um Santonio's cats probably was one of the top like plays, but that moment when he missed that field goal, yeah, man, that was just uh whoo you know that was one of those um moments, man. Because it was so much for Jerome too. Like, like it's it's not that if we would have just if if you go to that game and say, like, I throw an interception or someone does something and you lose the game or you put yourself in that situation, you feel bad because you but you felt worse for Jerome because you were trying to do it for him and it was his thing and then he fumbles. And I'm with you. I think that's what's lost on yeah hope you're so for you that that's lost on so many teams nowadays and and things like that feeling of that team where you just want to do everything for each other. There was no selfishness on that team. No selfishness. Um and and you're right, when that happens, I remember just going to the sideline and being like feeling devastated for Jerome, but then also feeling like we we gonna be all right, I think. Like like we're gonna be all right. Like our defense is like gonna step up and it's gonna they're gonna make this happen. And and you just believed in each other. And when the game was over, there was no like I's. It was all we's. We did it. We did this. And it was that team was special. Man, that was special. It was so special just to be a part of a team and knowing what it took to get to that moment. Like we really had to buckle in and like really focus on just us, like every week, every week we had to win. Yes. You know, we had to win every single week. And um just to hear like or just to be a part of something and see how the coaches approach the um practices, how we approached it, how everybody just all like hands on deck. That was our model. All hands on deck. And that was just, I always remember that. Yeah. No, I think that's always. One of the some of my special moments. in my career Yeah. I totally forgot about that. You just fell for Jerome, but then he missed you're right, when he missed that field goal, it was just like that the feeling was almost Super Bowl esque. Like maybe even I mean when the Super Bowl, I I remember when the Super Bowl, the first one especially was was kind was surreal, but I'm with you. Like it was almost like, okay, what what what now? Like it's it's over and it feels good, but it what's it supposed to be like? And I mean, I don't know. But I think after that indie game it felt more like a a bigger deal now that I look back on it. You're right. Like that was huge. It was huge, man . It was huge. Just leading up to everything working out for us, everything going out when fumble. And we like, no. Like, you know, again, you know, it was never a smooth selling for us., even during the season It was never smooth selling. Yeah, we'd go win those those last few games and get in and succeed and go into the Cincy and then Indy and then Denver and fight for something. It's crazy. From a fan standpoint, we loved it, the whole thing. We we were with you on the field. Whether you believed it or not. We were. I was up screaming at the TV whenever uh Jerome fumbled and like I was in front of the TV screaming like get him and then he hit him. And then I missed the field goal. Like my dad's like, he never misses all the things that happened in that game. It was it was an emotional roller coaster. Yeah, it was. I can I can only imagine what it was like for players. Emotional. Yeah. Emotional. Evan, this is great so far. This is great, man. So far? Yeah, so far I haven't not so shit. Do you want your burger? Okay. Okay. Um yeah. So that was I and I had to I don't know I just wanted to . That was that was just a surreal the whole I'm just going to have Jerome . Um that I mean that was that run was was something special. I mean obviously the one in Tampa was cool and San Antonio doing that, but the run that we made because 'cause every game was a playoff game. Yeah. Like we the to win all of them and doing it for drone was That was amazing. A little more special. Is it ever like do you ever see your career through the lens of like having these iconic moments, historical moments, and but going undrafted. Like you ever look at it like like us fans look at it like, man, he went undrafted to do all this kind of stuff. Like you ever look at it like that, or do you always know like, hey that what we know about you now was always in your head. It was always in my head. And it's is it's crazy, but you I have to be a little delusional. Yeah. You have to think like that. You know, if you're gonna make it and and not do anything like not even big, but just decent and be around like great guys, you have to be delusional, man. You have to think this stuff. You have to, when you work ing out, you gotta be like, like you scoring touchdowns in the biggest game. Like I scored so many Super Bowl touchdowns, like working out and running through my living room. Yeah , you know, before it actually happened, it's just it's crazy. So being undrafted, I was still delusional saying I'ma play on somebody's team. Like I'm a somebody gonna find me and I'm gonna be a part of something amazing. You know, so I always everybody that know me, like some people , you know, if you don't get a crazy, you crazy here and there, you' notre not you're really doing what you supposed to do. So yeah, so I always been that that guy that just always thought big of like a situation and you know, thought very , very highly of like what was going on. I always respected everything that was going on, but I always thought like if you worked hard enough, like you can do some things. Where where did that that come from? My father used to work super hard. He used to work in a factory. I used to watch 'em each and every day. Um it would deal with pigs and hogs and stuff, and he's come home all smelly and he 'd do it again the next day and then he'd come home like just working hard and they had a uh bring your kids to work day um and it was called Lindy's Packing Company. And um I used to know how hard my dad worked, but I never went that day, but just to hear like some of my class, like classmates talk about their father and like what my dad, what they saw my dad do ing, I was like, hm, you know, I just it's just crazy, man. Yeah. 'Cause he used to stink. So I I didn't wanna go and like for him to work that hard and come home, be that tired and um, you know, I used to always just idolize like, you know, what he did for the family. So like obviously you you're you're I think dropping gems for for people, especially young young people. Um, are you doing anything now uh in in life that that is the allowing you to pass down some of these wiz this this wisdom, some of these lessons? Most definitely. So I I speak the high school, um, high school , like um, I speak to high schools, high school football teams, um, and I also train younger athletes. So I train younger athletes and I have a foundation, 39 Legends Foundation, um, you know, like where we just go in the inner city and we just help every Christmas. We provide like, you know, Christmas toys, the family's gifts, like, you know, the underlike privileged homes and stuff. And um I've been doing this for uh uh a little bit. Thanksgiving, we we do the turkey drives and pretty much give food to the community. Like and um it's just something I love to do and and this give me the platform, it it provides me with the platform to where I can just really speak to the the youth, speak to the kids, speak to them, tell 'em, you know, my journey and the things that I've done and I've been pretty much where you're at right now. So and I I tell these high school athletes or these middle school athletes like, you know what, I used to do the same thing. I like used to scoof off and all that stuff. I was in college doing the same thing. I was like, man, you need to go ahead and start right now. Go ahead and and and don't wait. Career was a blur. It was so quick. And now that I look at it. So right now, you might be thinking you have time, but you don't have time. Like you know, it's gonna be over with before you even know it. And you're gonna be outside looking in. So make the best of it, man. So and I always do that through my foundation. Like, you know, so if um if a lot of people, anybody like you know in the community, I I'm trying to get in Pittsburgh and um, you know, and do some things in Pittsburgh as well. But like 39 Legends Foundation, if you you know, you just look me up and and just look the foundation up and just see what it is that we're doing and um if you want to help out, just donate. And um we doing some good stuff in the community down in North Carolina. Let us know if you're if you're getting up here in the Pittsburgh, let us know how we can help. We'd love to support and and be a part of that. I I think that's it's awesome when you when you speak to people like that because I think a lot of times I I I think when you hear guys talk to you know rookies, right? Rookie symposiums, things like that. I think the the thing that you you know when people give their their warnings, right? Like uh be careful with your money be careful with one or two people take it to heart. You know, because not everyone's going to take it to heart. I'm sure you you you come across that. But hopefully there's there's a few out there that that understand your story and that you've been through it and they they they take that because that's that's priceless information. I mean it's y you just can't you can't beat that. So that's that's really good to hear. Are you still are you still coaching? I know you were coaching, weren't you? I coached youth football. Okay. So I was coaching um high school football one time, but now I coached youth football. Oh. That pretty good team too. Ye Yeahah? , so I'm gonna play. I'm gonna I'm gonna connect with uh Pouncy, the Pouncy Brothers. Yeah, they got a good team. Oh yeah, you got you got a chance? No, dude, they got a chance. You heard it bounce. You heard it. Um are you the head coach? Are you coaching running backs offense? You call in the plays too? You guys never throw the ball, do you? You run the ball and no receivers. No receivers out there. Hey, majority of the time. I'm running the ball. You gotta know how you have to be able to run the ball in the fourth quarter. If you want to have a chance winning the game, you have to run the ball. You might your take might be a little different. I think you have to run the ball. I think that clock needs to keep tick ing. If you have a lead, I have no problem with that. If you have a big enough lead, no problem. But sometimes you gotta fool them and throw the ball. I I already know. I already know your take. Throw the ball. Throw the ball. Well speaking of family is is Jalen Warren your cousin or something? Yes, yes, that's my cousin. I didn't. So yeah. Like like first cousin, second cousin? Like my third cousin. Yeah? Yeah. Still. So he he he a tough runner too, man. Yeah, he is. I like Jalen Warren. He didn't have your speed though, but he's got he's got enough speed, but he'll hit your ass too. I know. I know he's got some he's got some thunder to him. Well that's good. I th well as we're uh we are gonna kinda wrap this thing up with a with a fun little thing, but I do wanna ask you because this is obviously today's Tuesday um and the draft is coming up? Um , what uh do you do follow the Steelers like a little bit? Kind of like are you still kind of I mean enough? What what do you what's your what's your prediction? What do you think they should do? Do you I mean not that you care enough, but like what should the Steelers do with round their first pick? What what position? Well If you're the GM, you have your GM hat on. If I have my GM hat on, knowing that, you know, the quarterback position is um, you know, it's kind of you know up. I heard we have a a great quarterback, a good quarterback. Will Howard? Will Howard. I know. Has he has you heard anything about how practice have gone? He's QB1 right now. Yeah, I know. No, I haven't heard anything about it. He's on the show. I like him. I'd like him . Everybody likes Will Howard. My son loves Will Howard. Um, he'd be telling me a lot of stuff about him. He'd follow everything. Yeah. So you know how old your son? He's eleven. Okay. Like so he'd be telling me like stuff that I don't even know. Yeah, of course. I'm like, okay, okay. He's like, no, y'all, we got a quarterback. So so you know, um that that could be kind of you know And one thing, one thing I would say, I want to get your take on this. You remember we had um what? What's the name? Picket? Yeah. So I know you was gone then, but um do you think he would have been a quiver better quarterback if he had somebody like you in the room? Like, and and pretty much you know how we had you when we first came in, we had Maddox and stuff. I always felt like with him, he didn't have that guy in the room, the kind of you know, so it wouldn't be so much pressure on him at the beginning, and he can just e ase into it. Or do you think I know we on air and stuff, but I always thought he was good enough to be a decent quarterback. I think at the quarterback position specifically, I would never want a guy to come in and have to play right away. Yeah. This league is so hard. I got lucky because I had a great group around me. We had a great, we had a veteran line, as you know, we had veteran running backs. We had a great defense, veteran wide receivers. I mean, other than I think Max, you know, played, you played, like the three of us, I mean, it was, it was, we had veterans. And I wasn't supposed to play. You know, Tommy got hurt and then all of a sudden it kind of got thrown in there. But again, still having Tommy in there, having Charlie in was huge for me. And and but I didn't have to have the there was no pressure on me. I think so many times we throw these young quarterbacks in there in year one because they're drafted high and we think they can do it. And I'm not saying nobody can do it because there's been some very successful guys that have played right away. But I think if you look at the the trajectory, you look at the different players, the ones that have have had to sit for a while, Aaron Rodgers sat for a while. Compared to the ones that got thrown in right away, I think you will have a better chance of guys that got to sit for a year. So I think it definitely could have helped. I think it could have helped that they had had a veteran quarterback to to to mentor him as well, just to give him a chance. But I think it was tough for him because he went to pit. It was the first year after me. They drafted him in the first round. All those things are going against him. Right. Even if he would have gone out and, you know, just he would have had and he and he wasn't horrible. I mean, it just, there was some games that were were not the best, but he wasn't. But I just think that the pressure mounted so much on him. Um, I mean, he was the first quarterback to follow a quarterback that was here for 18 years. That's not can't be the easiest thing to do. Uh, but I think if I also think if if they would have took them in the second round, there's a different pressure. There's a different pressure on a second rounder compared to a first rounder. And so I think that could even help them a little bit. But yeah, I I definitely would agree with your take that having a veteran guy in there to help even a even if it was a a quote unquote backup, a guy that you you bring in to to play for a little bit but just be a mentor would have would have been very helpful for him. So it it's it's definitely definitely tricky. He was he was put in a tough situation. We'll give him give him that. Um but anyway, are we ready for this? Anything else you want to talk about? No , yeah. No. Pleasure meeting. Everyone has a take on that situation. No. No. Evan, what do you? No, we're going to get you all. We don't have enough time. So do you so I think they should go line, man. I never got your ver told me what you thought. You you did a great roundabout. Running back. Running back? Your cousins, the starting running back. Well, not like a first rounder. Oh, okay. Now I'm asking what do you think of first what's their first round pick? First round pick. Um that's tough because I don't really yeah, you'll follow that close. That's why you go line all the time. Because line protects quarterbacks and they protect running backs. Okay, you heard it here first. Um okay, so this is the this is we're gonna finish this this thing up here. You wanna talk about your is your son a good athlete? Yes, we talk about him. Tell me what he does. What's his specialty? What's he does he play football? He played football. Running back? He's the running back? Yeah, I'm gonna talk about them too. My daughter too. Okay. Tell tell us about now. This is the family dinner. So we do it when you have family when you that's why we call it the family dinner because we talk about family things at dinner. And I love the cheeseburger. It's good. That's all you. That's all you. That's all you think about that. Yeah, tell me about tell me about your family. So yeah, so my son, um, he played football on the ball. He's 11. He's in basketball. He's 11, and he's in basketball right now. A tremendous athlete. Yeah. Yeah, he's fast like his dad. Faster. That's something that I don't have. He has the wiggle. Height. Oh. Yeah, he's a wiggle. Okay. So he really can wiggle, get in and out of places and stuff. So and he he can block. So I'm teaching them stuff. The stuff that I wasn't good at, so I teach you like so I really focus on like you know, yeah hey we gotta we gotta work on this, you know. So yeah, so he he can block, he can wiggle and he got great vision. Good for you. You know, so and he can catch. Okay, another thing. Everything that I wasn't good at I promise you I'm working on it good for you know that's something that that I really um I really like take pride in like yeah in helping them like you know that and then my daughter, my daughter, she um old is she? Uh she's nine. Okay . She's she's a real athlete. Yeah. Yeah, she's an athlete and she has a great sense of humor. Like, but she's a gymnast. Um she danced, she loves to sing, you know, and she loved just, you know , just flipping. Like she she gymnast, so we she didn't she didn't um we didn't enroll her this year to gymnastics, um, but she just stayed just flip and. she loves it Yeah, she's super athletic. She really she's really athletic. Yeah. She's the life of the party. So I um so I train um I have my speed school. So I train athletes. I always have her in my um classes racing the boys and she fast like that? Yeah, she fast. She's fast. I might send my boys down. I need a little speed. My youngest one needs some speed. He used to be the like he's got them little quick little fast. Okay, he he quick too. But but not like he used to play soccer because he would always he would never get tired. He would run, run, run. But I'm like, I think I need to get him. I I I can't I I don't think he's fast. I mean, but other people are like, man, he's so fast, but I can't tell. So I might need to send him to a little bit. We used call him tank, because he used to be like bigger. Not big, but like just like a he's like a tank. And now he's thinned out. He's probably like a half percent body fat. Like he just is just like a but he's a little crazy athlete too. Come bring him down. I might have to bring him down to get some sp ell and my daughter do footwork too. Like footwork and all that stuff . So we do my daughter plays volleyball. And so there's a lot of like jumping and moving quickly. So how old your daughter? She just turned twelve. Okay. So thir my boy's thirteen, twelve, and then my youngest is nine. He'll be ten. Okay. Um in a month, two months. Okay. And the nine year old one built like a tank. He was. Now he's just like a now he's like leaned out. He's gotten taller and leaner, but I think my daughter's gonna be the tallest one. Okay. You know, she she's kind of we we joke that she's gonna probably be the tallest in the family. Like she's just she's taking after you've built like different, you know. Like my sister's tall, play volleyball. Um, but my youngest is a my oldest does golf and basketball and he's a phenomenal golfer. But my youngest is just like the boy. He can just he just like hey catch this, throw this, do this, hit this. Like just has it somehow. It's usually I got it from the father? I could say from his mom. He got my looks and her athleticism. Okay. So she they got it all from her, trust me. Yeah, she was a college athlete. So Um all right. So we're gonna finish this off with it. Well, we're gonna finish this and then you're gonna pour one that last one to a third one, okay? Make sure you get yourself ready because this is called the two minute drill. We've done a few of these together. We've done a few of these. Um I got a little better at them when I got older, but we've done these. And I know that two-minute drills are done fast. Fast is your middle name. You gotta direct me. By the way, oh yeah. Well before we do this, I made me think of it. Coach well, Allen and and Coach Cower. So Coach Coward takes credit for fast Willie, but you're t you're telling me Alan did it. Coach Cow, he can take credit. I can't go against Coach Cowell. That's my guy. It was just uh like a Willie's fast, but he's fast Willy. Like there was no real story behind it. Yeah, uh I'm not I could tell you the story, but it's gonna discredit Coach Cowell. Uh let's hear it. Coach Cower's been on this show and it was a great show. He's he's he's great. He's a great guy. I'm gonna give you this last beer while you go ahead tell me tell me the story. So um Alan Fanaker, um, you know, when I first started mini-camus stuff, he used to always like just look come in the locker room and I'm I'm undrafted, so so he always be like that boy fast that boy fast that boy fast and then he was saying he I forgot uh was he talking to Truman? I think he was talking uh our tight end at the time. Jeremy. Jeremy Jeremy. Yeah. And um he was over there and um he was and I was getting interviewed. He was just just barking, that boy fast, that boy fast, fast Willie Parker, fast Willie Parker. And then the everybody that was talking, they went over there and they that's when it first he first introduced it. Yeah, yeah. And um so Alan Faniger pretty much, he um got everybody on that fast Willie Parker wave. All right. Well um Smash put me on my camera here. So you heard it here, Coach Bill Cower. You had nothing to do with it. So stop taking all the credit. It's all Alan Fanica . I gotta give it to Coach Cow. Coach Cow, my guy. He is. He's a he's an awesome, awesome guy. Okay. So this is what this is the two minute drill. This is well I'm gonna throw you a handful of quick questions. Okay. I need quick answers. Let's get it. Okay. And then do I have to run out of bounds? And we're gonna go. No, you gotta score. Uh no, there we we we have a I have a clock going on this. So if we get hopefully we get all the questions in. Everyone usually gets to all of them, but if you take too long, we're not gonna get to them all. Okay, let's go. Okay, you ready? Yeah. All right. Pepsi or Coke? Neither. I mean, how we can. Good start. Solid start. Okay. Pie or cake? Oh, cake. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla. Are you an ocean or a lake guy? Ocean. Favorite sport to watch? Football. College football or pro football? Pro football. Monday night, Sunday night, or Thursday night football? Monday night. Favorite sport to play? Football. Are you a car or truck guy? Car turn into a truck guy. T D catch or a long run with no touchdown? Long run with a touchdown. Cheese or pepperoni pizza? Cheese. Steak or chicken? Steak. Do you call it pop or soda ? Soda. Uh harder to coach, college or high school ? College. Baked potato or mashed potato? Baked. City guy or country guy? Country. Chips Oil or Oreos? Chips. Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes. Karaoke or Guitar Hero? Um both. Hot wings or barbecue wings? Oh, we're running out of time. Barbecue. Warm weather, cold weather vacation. Warm weather. Apps or dessert. Apps. Best quarterback you ever. Oh, we just ran out of time. Dang, we didn't get to the last one. Shoot, I wouldn't wanted to hear it, but that's all right. There you have it right there Willie Park on the two-minute drill. Spence, what is this last one we're about to sip up? This is the Alagash Hazy IPA at six point seven percent. And like a vibrant main sunset, this hazy IPA's panorama of juicy and tropical notes are brewed to help you take a moment. Take it all in, boys. That's a low. That's a low IBU. Six point seven. Oh, is it low IBU? Oh IBU. Yeah, it's different, different. Yes. Yeah. There it is. You heard it there first. Different, different. But that's not even as bitter as other ones. But that's a sad. Nope. I'm gonna put that one way up there, put that up there. Different, different. Oh my goodness. Willie is what's that? But none of them was nasty, that like super nasty. Yeah, they make good beers. It's good brewery. It's good . I used to think beer is like nasty. You're growing? Some are some are that's fast. That's not nasty. You drink wine now too? Um, I will drink wine, but I'm more to killer. Oh that's not wrong. What's your go to tequila ? Oh What's your go-to tequila? Um I like a simple um Don Julio. Okay. Don Julio. Let's go through the rest of the questions. I want to I want to hear the rest of the questions. That was it. That was the last one. We just didn't run out of time. Oh we can't look at the other questions? No, that's it. I know, sorry. No out of bounds. Like no timeouts. Usually you can stop the clock. We can't stop the clock. We have no timeouts. We have no incompletions and we can get out of bounds. Man, what kind of two we scored? We scored. That's all. We scored. That's all. Longly score. Well, I cannot thank you enough for being here. Long as we score. That was so great. Is there anything I know we talked about the third uh what you call it? 39 39 legends find 39 legends, and he'll put Spence will put that in the description for people to go to check it out. And again, if you get up to Pittsburgh, like if you I know you say you're trying to do something in Pittsburgh, like however I we the show me personally can help. I am am here for you to to help out you know you want some again anything something sign a goal whatever you want to do please let me know we'd love to support I appreciate that the show is part you you are part of the football family and we've gonna we're gonna have hundreds of thousands of people uh watching this show. And so any of you out there, get on that um uh in the description below. Spence will put all the the the details and everything, but go support your Pittsburgh legend, one of the the the best to ever do it. And don't do it just because he was a Steeler. Do it because he's a great person, a great human being, a guy that really cares about the community, cares about the next generation. He's a great father. Um he's coaching um his son's football team is gonna dominate the pouncy's uh football team if they if they stop running from you. Seems like they're ducking you. So there's a call out to the pouncy brothers. Um yeah, tell him let's schedule that. There it is. Let's make it happen. Let's make it happen. And give football the rights to film it. Yeah, there we go. But but that broadcast. Yeah. Live broadcast. We were third in the nation uh two years ago. Woo. Yeah, third in the nation. Do what do you hear that shaking? Yeah. Sounds like the pounds are shaking. So it's here. I still love you, Mike and Keith, but that just sounds like you're nervous. So let's get it. But Willie, thank you so much, man. Well, it was so much fun playing football with you. Um truly a legend and um thanks for coming to be a part of this with us. Man, thanks for having me, man. The best quarterback that, you know, played the game, man. I I really appreciate um our time we had in the huddle. I a lot of I know I was super , super, super like immature. We both we all were. Trust me. But um man um had so much time and um winning when you talk about winners, man, you you pretty much zymfied all of that, man. I'm glad I was part of it and I had a chance to experience it. We came in together, man. Um, you played a long , lengthy career. Now I was at home and I turned then like from being your teammate to being a fan. Like just watching you, how you led the room and all that stuff, led the team, man, that was truly amazing, man. It was amazing honor just being a part of like you know this. Yeah. You know, it's cool. And thanks for having me, man. I really appreciate it, man. One of the best that ever do it, man. You're too kind of my guy. You're too kind. We had a lot. Just what you guys saw, if you didn't know, what you guys saw today in the show is exactly who he was. We had more laughs and smiles playing football. Most definitely. Um is just a fun guy. So anyway, thank you guys for tuning in. We hope you appreciate the show. Uh good luck, Pittsburgh in the draft. We'll be tuning, we'll we'll come back next week and um talk about the draft. Finally give you all some football. But thanks again, Willie Parker. Check out everything that he's doing. We'll see you guys next time. Thank you. Appreciate you. Train professional. That's me. Train professional. Perfect time. Did you cut it yet? There we go. That's that's about fitting. That's what happened. That that sign's now hasn't been there except for three years. Yeah. That's amazing. I'm so glad it's still running.