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00:00:01
TNT with Meat Mafia leader, Blake Blackmar
33 Plays8 months ago
Pete and Chuck talk football and BBQ with former NFL player and Pit master, Blake Blackmar.
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Transcript
Intro and Casual Chats
00:00:00
Speaker
Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Without thinking, what's your favorite football video game of all time? Tecmo Super Bowl. Tecmo Super Bowl. Favorite fast food burger? Thick and Hardy. A1 Thick and Hardy. Favorite place to get new plays? Mad 19. Did we just become best friends? Yep. You want to podcast in your kitchen? Yep.
00:00:24
Speaker
Pete, what's up, man? How's it going? It's going good down here, man. I'm wishing we had your weather up in Arkansas down here right now. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Got to do some fishing yesterday.
00:00:37
Speaker
Caught some bass off the beds. They're starting to get on the beds up here and had a good old time. Yeah, we keeping any? We having a fish fry at the at the car household?
00:00:48
Speaker
We always have a fish fry, man. i'm You know, I grew up poor enough that we eat bass. It's okay. It doesn't have to be crappier catfish for us to eat it. Yeah, mean, I'll eat bass all day, baby.
School and Sports Changes
00:01:00
Speaker
So you're you're still in soccer, I'm assuming. You still got a few games left? Yeah, man, we're still in soccer. we ah We actually just won our fourth straight, which considering we started 0-3-1, it's pretty nice. We got it turned around and clinched the playoffs with this last victory.
00:01:19
Speaker
Not just clinched it. Honestly, we were down 2-0 halftime to a team that I mean, we know we're we were definitely better than them. We were just playing down to their level and made one little adjustment, had good a good little halftime, hey, let's get our heads out of our butt speech and come back at one four to two So that clinched it for us. We're at least a four seed.
00:01:46
Speaker
and We got three more games left in the season. if we Two conference, one non-conference. If we win the next two conference, which we could, ah we could pretty easily, then we'll go in a three seed.
00:02:00
Speaker
Cool. I dig how it's called conference in Arkansas, not district. And not district. Yeah. So like in soccer, in soccer, we're north, south, east, west for three. a That's it. Okay. Okay. Yeah.
00:02:15
Speaker
It's, it's way different, man. You talk about 30 schools versus in Texas, you know, hundreds of schools in a, yeah. In a district. we just I'm sorry, classification, and classification. Right, right.
00:02:28
Speaker
We just ended our baseball season was over Friday. So as of this podcast, we'll be full on seven on seven from here on out. So ah it's an exciting time of year, I guess, to kind of get the guys back out there and get them back in the flow of things. We can start getting them.
00:02:49
Speaker
um, doing football skill work and positional work and stuff during the athletic period, uh, in the morning. So getting them up there before school to get their lifts in still so they can, we can do that, you know, it's the key. So obviously yeah first grade athletics is, is a big help in that category.
00:03:06
Speaker
Well, I'm going to tell you, man, we're like, um, we're in the middle of, of revamping, actually redoing the way things have been done at our school, to be honest with you.
00:03:18
Speaker
Um, And just the whole mindset. And, uh, this last in the last couple of weeks, since we talked last, um, the offensive coordinator, I got named DC.
00:03:31
Speaker
So as, as it sits right now, going into the season, I'll be the DC here at, right at, uh, Raiderville and Riverview. Um, And the offensive coordinator and I actually put together organized summer workouts, which in the past has just been the weight rooms open. Somebody will be here, come do a workout.
00:03:49
Speaker
And so this is the first year that they have a expectation to be here, that we have drills and skills ah going to be ready for them. Good. But another thing that's different here, and I'll be honest with you, I don't necessarily agree with it. And I know that could get me in trouble if the wrong people hear this, but,
00:04:09
Speaker
They need to hear it. But ah the spring sports don't get the athletic period for boys or girls. So if you're in soccer in the spring, well, you still got to go to football during the athletic period and then soccer starts after school.
00:04:27
Speaker
If you're a multi-sport in that way or basketball, you got to to basketball. If you're a baseball kid, you got to go to football or basketball and then go to baseball after school. And I think that's unfair for those coaches and those kids. It's something that – Yeah. Anyway, I don't – who knows? it it was changed to this and a point. and I'm like, I don't know if we could ever get it changed back. But right now, that's the way it is.
00:04:51
Speaker
Is that kind of a – is that something you see at a lot of schools up in Arkansas or is that just kind of a Riverview situation? I think it's a little bit more of review situation. Okay. I got you. I got you. So I won't appreciate any more about it, but I got I just think it's something that was with well intentions of building up that program.
00:05:12
Speaker
Right. Exactly. But there's other things I think we've figured out need to be prioritized. Summer workouts, our off-season program, the way we do some things that – the head coach and talking with us is like, man, I, I think I see some value in doing some of these things a little differently.
00:05:32
Speaker
I got you. Well, it sounds good, man. You ready to bring on our guests? I know you're pretty excited about it.
Blake's Journey in Football
00:05:38
Speaker
I'm stoked, man. I can't wait to bring a, so we've got Blake black bar and Pete.
00:05:44
Speaker
Anyway, you've known this guy longer than me. I'll let you tell everybody little bit about him. Yeah, I've known him a little while at this point now. So I met him a long time ago. He's one of my best friends brought him ah to our hometown. And we, me and my dad bought a crap load of snow's barbecue. And we ate it at my grandfather's house. It was a long time ago.
00:06:01
Speaker
the first time I met him. Snow's baby. Lexington, Texas. Lexington, Texas. That's right. Miss Tootsie just had her 90th birthday. I think anyway, uh, So he played college football at Baylor with one of my best friends from from my hometown here in Rockdale. and ah We've kind of got to know each other since. how Josh married has married his sister, so now it's kind of a natural thing that but people are going to be around. you know so ah and We do a little barbecue competition, and me, you, him, and and Josh, you know the the meat mafia. so ah and He has a unique outlook on some football things, played a little bit of professional football after after playing for the Bay Bears. so
00:06:38
Speaker
Without further ado, Mr. Blake Blackmore.
00:06:43
Speaker
Yeah, man. Can you hear me? Yeah, we're all good. Yeah, man. I hear you. How's it going, brother? Good. First time I met Pete when we went and um I knew I was with somebody when you walk up and skip the line at Snows.
00:06:56
Speaker
so oh Oh, these guys got some clout.
00:07:02
Speaker
honestly's Honestly, I probably. that day
00:07:07
Speaker
Unfortunately, I think I've maybe only had it about one or two more times since that that time. It's been a while since I've had it, to be honest. Yeah, I mean, when we walked up, there was at least 200 people in line. They had a band playing, and Pete just walks up with me and Josh. and you know I didn't realize that he brought us to security because so many people got butthurt that we cut the line.
00:07:29
Speaker
Walked up, picked up our package straight from Miss Tootsie. said, you know, i didn't even know who she was at the time. Then I left and now I've dove full, you know, feet first into the barbecue world. I'm like, holy crap.
00:07:41
Speaker
You know, we met the legend before. Well, she was already famous, but I didn't know she's famous yet. Yeah. Man, Central Texas has got, like, they've got, when you start throwing names around out there, and if you get into the, if any you are in the barbecue world or start to Google people, man, Central Texas has got it going on as far as barbecue names.
00:08:03
Speaker
It's like coaching trees in any sport, you know, because you have, like, a pit master, like, Louie Mueller and, uh, ah
00:08:15
Speaker
louis like Franklin studied at Louis Mueller and then Franklin has had his own like coaching tree of barbecue you know pit masters that have spread out from them and you can kind of follow the ah follow the coaching tree up you know up to the ah trunk and find like all the OGs who were kind of you know putting putting everyone on game it's pretty it's pretty interesting yeah man they you know They go learn a trade from somebody. you go You're going to want to go learn from the best.
00:08:44
Speaker
Central Texas has and some goats, man. they got some We got some goats down here, Chuck. It's way better than that. Let me tell you, brother, I loved my time in Central Texas.
00:08:55
Speaker
I ain't going to talk about how much weight I gained. Let's it like this. Tonight, I ate. Gravity just hits a little different in Texas. it It does. Tonight, I ate.
00:09:08
Speaker
a chicken thigh, like a grilled chicken thigh and a spring mix with baby spinach salad and stuffed artichokes. Right. So that's all because, you know, the doctor has not gotten on me about my weight, but, uh, I always said I weighed 200 and none of your business pounds, right? And that none of your business part keeps getting bigger. It keeps going up.
00:09:36
Speaker
Which, Blake, I'm going to tell you, man, the first time I met you, so I'm not a little guy. You know what I mean? I'm, like I said, 600 and... None of your business.
00:09:49
Speaker
Six foot, 200 and none of your business pounds. And I'm like, you know, thinking to myself in my mind, thinking, you know, if you stretched my frame up to six, six, I'd look like any of those lineman guys.
00:10:04
Speaker
And then I meet Blake Blackmore. Yeah. When Blake walks up, I'm like, son of a bitch, they're built different, man. but that's a different That's a different kind of beast than ah I would be stretched up to six foot six.
00:10:21
Speaker
Yeah, definitely of a big wide body over here. So I'm going to tell this story on you real quick. So I meet Blake, never met him before. um which said his gets his pit set up and he looks around and he's wearing a a fishing shirt that's unbuttoned down about three buttons, like you said.
00:10:41
Speaker
Like he's going to have some kind of cross of David's david star, ah Jewish star in his chest. But then he just starts splitting wood and I'm like, um dude, do you hook can like can I do something? Can help with something?
00:10:56
Speaker
And this is what comes out of his mouth. He goes, nah, when I show up, I like to i like to establish my authority. Yeah. You got to assert dominance. Let everyone know. Let everybody know I arrived.
00:11:10
Speaker
That's hilarious. was just eyeballing those dudes cooking on a pellet smoker, and i was like, yeah, they're going to know.
00:11:19
Speaker
This is how real men cook. yeah know that has That has evolved into about the 1 a.m. ah wood splitting Olympics. and That was hilarious. I remember that vividly because I wasn't participating. and I didn't feel like it was a good idea for me to have my hands splitting them all while y'all were doing that.
00:11:39
Speaker
Well, heck, last year old Jody P hopped on there and showed us all how to frigging split wood. so I forgot about that. so We could do an episode on barbecue, and I would be ecstatic. But like part of our goal here is to is to share something useful.
00:11:58
Speaker
Yeah, talk a little football. So Pete's got some ah awesome questions lined up. So I'm going to let Pete lead this thing. Go for it, Pete. Yeah, man, the first one, and probably the one that, you know, a lot of people get asked all the time is, you know, you played high school football here in Texas, which is, you know, that's the holy holy place to play high school football. What's the what's the biggest difference between you you were offensive lineman, between playing O-line, you know, 6A or five I think you were 6A, correct? and Yep. 6A high school football to Division one Big 12 college football.
00:12:34
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, a little bit of context. You know, i went to a big, big 6A high school football in Houston, a very competitive area. And, I mean, we had like nine guys on my team that went and played Division or Division II football, and we never went to the playoffs. Yeah.
00:12:52
Speaker
Now, you know, part of that might be because the top end of the team, we were pretty top heavy. You know, we had some talent ah up there at the top and we had some some guys that ah were, you whose parents were complaining about how much money they donated to the booster club and my kids not getting the playing time equitable to my donation.
00:13:12
Speaker
And so when you got that kind of that kind of little chicken, you know, ah you know That kind of BS going on on the back end is not conducive to a winning environment, in my opinion. But it was a – Hey, Blake, I'm sorry. i want you to say that one more time so people hear You had how many Division I football players on your team?
00:13:35
Speaker
ah Yeah, we had like – I think between D1 and D1AA, D2, we had nine guys on my senior year that went played somewhere. Nine guys and you didn't make the playoffs?
00:13:47
Speaker
No, I never won more than six games. I want y'all to hear like, Hey, Florida, California, screw you, dude. Did you hear what that man just said? Nine division, like big time college players. and the but I'm sorry. Go ahead. That just blows my mind.
00:14:03
Speaker
Number one tight end in the nation. Four of the offensive linemen on our O-line went and played. And yeah, i mean, we were, we We never – we only had one season. I only had one winning in season.
00:14:17
Speaker
Wow, that's incredible, man. You know, so we had we had a good weight room. We had, ah you know, money in the program, right? It's not like we were working with nothing. And then you go to college and kind of like the first, you know, thing is just like you always hear that like football is going to be your job when you go to that next level.
00:14:37
Speaker
ah You know, they're like you're a student athlete, but really you're an athlete student. But, man, I tell you what, it was – like, you you were – it's just – the mindset changes when, like, you are there to play football, right?
00:14:51
Speaker
Like, you got to take care of the grades and everything. But, like, your whole focus is on, like – it should be on ball and – ah you know, being where you got to be and everything just happens so fast.
00:15:04
Speaker
And you just kind of, you got to make a whole lot of life adjustments. You know, you're living on your own for the first time. You're with a whole bunch of guys you don't know. Some guys are wanting to chase ass and all this other stuff. And they get those guys, if they can't play, they get gone real quick.
00:15:18
Speaker
That first know yeah summer school, you'll, you'll lose two or three guys right i'll write off that kind of can't get their head screwed on straight. from a And that's just kind of like an environment, a lot of life change thing.
00:15:31
Speaker
As far as like actually like putting you know getting on the field, it's just the speed of the game. Because you're playing against everyone's all-star, right? Everyone you're on that team with was the best player on their high school team. Right. And
NFL Transition and Challenges
00:15:46
Speaker
you'd be 17, 18 years old playing against 22-year-old guy. Right.
00:15:50
Speaker
And, you know, so there's, it's just, it's kind of the speed of everything picks up. I mean, when we, that first summer when I was there, they didn't let us ah lift very heavy because they don't know what your weight room background is in high school.
00:16:04
Speaker
So they got some guys who come from a program who, you know, you were coached up well and you're not going to hurt yourself. And you got some guys who, you know, never lifted a weight. And so they, we whole summer, where you're all in you know, intro to weightlifting class. And you're, as a freshman, you're doing all this stuff.
00:16:20
Speaker
And so the only thing we were allowed to do with the greater team was run. And, you know, I was real good at picking up heavy stuff. I wasn't a world beater running 110s. And so that whole first summer, people kind of thought I was a, you know, fat sack of, you know,
00:16:39
Speaker
they They thought I was was pretty useless. And we even – we did like a team – like a draft thing at the end of summer workouts as like kind of a joke. Or, you know, just like a fun day and couple of the team captains – or like four guys draft like a team out of the whole – everybody.
00:16:56
Speaker
And the senior offensive lineman who I'm counting on to pig me pick me picked the team chaplain, this 45-year-old dude in front of me. That was the last pick. And I was like, I'm upset. I'm taking that personally.
00:17:08
Speaker
But then you put the pads on and you put hands on some people and people's minds get changed real quick. You'll see there are some workout warriors that are pretty damn impressive that can't play football for a lick, you know.
00:17:21
Speaker
And there are some guys that aren't that impressive in workouts that like, oh, that guy ah guy knows ball, you know. And so some of those – All those things kind of play into a factor. But when you're putting your hand in the stance in the dirt and you're looking at somebody crossing, you're like, that's probably the most athletic dude I've ever had to block.
00:17:42
Speaker
And then it's like, you also got ah you know, the blitzes start getting more complicated. You've got multiple things on your mind. It's just everything happens so quick. And so you, you really got to kind of,
00:17:53
Speaker
Just work, you know, control what you can control and work on like what's in front of you. Don't try to do every single technique right the first time, you know, because coach is going to give you all these coaching points, right?
00:18:05
Speaker
Just try to do like one thing right and do it do it right repeatedly, build a habit, and then move to the next one. they're, you know, I remember trying to do my first, this like our first scrimmage, right? I was running with this with the second string.
00:18:19
Speaker
ah And, you know, because i i I'd impress some people initially. And so I get thrown in there with the second string and I'm like, uh-oh, and we're going against the ones.
00:18:31
Speaker
And I'm like, OK, let's go. They call a play. And Baylor used to do this thing where they wouldn't tell the they wouldn't tell you the the play. like They wouldn't give you a playbook. You had to write down and just kind of learn the playbook.
00:18:43
Speaker
So then all the vets also, they're not like sitting there spending a whole bunch of time telling you exactly what to do on every play. And so I get tossed in there with the twos and I'm like, basically look at the center. I'm like, Hey man, what do we got? And so he kind of gives me like, all right, you got to block him, but it's also a SIF call. So you got to keep an eye on the linebacker.
00:19:02
Speaker
And, you know, it gives me all the, all the, what I got to do real quick is run the line. And I'm like, OK, I'm still processing. Set to you know, heights the ball. So I just kind of set back.
00:19:13
Speaker
Andrew Billings and Sean Oakman were basically our two best defensive linemen, were the two guys I might be blocking. And they screw up a stunt. They both come in the B-gap. And so I'm like, I got to pick one. I didn't make up my mind. So I just grabbed both of them and thought I was just going to be Superman. That was the wrong choice. I went backpedaling. All three of us went past the quarterback, past Coach Browse, back 15 yards because was just trying not to get put on my butt.
00:19:41
Speaker
And so I was basically just running backwards, holding on to them. I was holding the hell out of them. And we were it was comical on film. And I was just kind of like, you know, I was what the first first or second day of pads. And I was like, yeah, welcome to welcome to college football, son. Sean Oatwin, you know, I was six, five, three, 40, never been put on my ass a day in my life. And now I'm like running it for my life backwards, trying to keep that streak alive.
00:20:10
Speaker
So how does ice great how does that, like like you said, never been put on your butt in your life, and you know, like in the back of your head, hey, these are the best like these are the best of the best in their schools, right?
00:20:23
Speaker
But how does that... Like, how do you reconcile that in your mind? You know what I mean? If I could go back, I wish I could go back and kind of slap myself around a little bit because I had a kind of a mental block even through college, but in high school of, like, always got to look like, you know, always got to be a badass, can't be beat, you know, got to...
00:20:45
Speaker
You know, got to have that hard edge. And, like, I think it made me play tighter. Like, ah if i think I wish I could go. Well, it's one of my, you know things I kind of figured out a little later in my career that I wish I could go back early and be like, it's okay to make a mistake.
00:21:02
Speaker
You know, it's like, just play fast, like just play fast and like throw your hands. Cause I did a I'd spent a lot of, lot of reps basically being like, ah I know i if I do, you know, kind of my own thing a little bit, I probably won't be a beat.
00:21:19
Speaker
But like, I might not dominate, right? But like, I know I won't get beaten, look bad. And so like, it's kind of getting over that mental block of like, hey, so what if you look stupid? Like, just just fire, you know, fire the gun, right? Just pull the trigger.
00:21:35
Speaker
Oh, yeah, man. That's something that a lot of kids struggle with. I try and tell kids all the time, like, especially at practice, like you're going to mess up. But messing up and stopping in the middle of play or, know, you're going 60% speed through the you know through practice because you don't want to mess stuff up. Like, dude, go full speed.
00:21:55
Speaker
Like if you mess up going full speed, we'll figure it out. If everybody's running full speed, going all out, and it'll be all right. You just go. First time in my life I'd ever been told I was uncoachable. And ah and I'm like – and it's I'm doing exactly like – The play, you know, this was in the NFL, right? this ah But, you know, this O-line coach is yelling at me, ripping me. He's saying, I'm on coach. Well, I've never been told I was on coach in my life. That was my thing. I'm going to do exactly what coach says as far as the scheme goes.
00:22:24
Speaker
And, like, I was, you the technique he was teaching was different than what I had done in college and what I was comfortable with. But I was really busting, you know, busting my butt trying to do it correctly. Right.
00:22:35
Speaker
And he was basically calling me on coachful because I wouldn't because I was hesitating too much. And this is at the this is at the NFL level. So, you know, I'm not it's not like I'm stopping in the middle of a play or anything. I'm still going. Yeah. Yeah. You know, 98 miles an hour. But he's like, you you cannot have you could have to be going 100 miles an hour.
00:22:55
Speaker
you You cannot have that little hesitation of thinking. at you know And it's like just that like and then throwing your hands just that much is just is enough for him to say, you know, start yelling about cutting you being like, you're uncoachable. And I'm like, I took that to heart. I was like, I've never been told like my I've never had myquet my effort or like my attention question before.
00:23:17
Speaker
yeah Before that, it was all just like more physical ability or whatever. So um along those lines, and and Pete, you were just talking about it you because I catch myself doing that.
00:23:29
Speaker
On one hand, you're trying to coach a correct technique. You're trying to help the kid get in the best possible position right to do what you're asking them to do. But on the flip side, you're kind of like, yo, dude, go play ball.
00:23:41
Speaker
You know what I mean? I'll tell you what, especially getting to the – it's definitely something college, but then you'll see it in the league too. Coaches will have a technique, and they'll be on you to get that technique.
00:23:52
Speaker
But, like, if you're also just getting the job done and it's, like, you're just kicking someone's ass, then all a sudden, hey, that's my technique, you know? There's a lot of, and like, you you they'll be like, you know what? You are kind of doing the technique, you know? Here's some good things you're doing. Like, our coach, at my second O-line coach in college, you know, he coached Joe Thomason for the Browns ah for a while, right?
00:24:20
Speaker
And so he would play – film of us. And then he'd go to Joe Thomas highlights. And I'd just be like, are we going to be, are we going to Joe Thomas when this is over? Cause that dude isn't actually doing the technique that you're coaching.
00:24:34
Speaker
He's just ungodly good at football. Yeah. Yeah. But you principles of what he's teaching are, you know similar right it's just it's just different like them being applied at that level by joe thomas look different than what you know your our 65 year old coach de leon was trying to get us to do but like the principles and all that like you're playing within the framework right the parameters of the coaching right so if you're talking about i'm trying to get a vertical set or we need to do a 45 or a flat set like
00:25:08
Speaker
how It might look different, but as long as you're playing fast and physical and and you're not just flat out getting an MA on the play, you can you can definitely work with it. And there's plenty of guys that have like the perfect – I played with this dude who was in college. you He was like 28 years old. He came from England.
00:25:27
Speaker
He was like a ah m MMA rugby type guy, just a big frame dude, got scholarship. And that guy, you know, I remember walking in my first day at Baylor and that guy's doing pull ups with his feet above the deal.
00:25:41
Speaker
Six, five, three hundred and ten pound. And I was like, Jesus Christ. um Am I going to look like that? Or else I'm screwed. And that guy was doing exactly what coach said.
00:25:55
Speaker
But like, he didn't really, he didn't have the background playing football. And so he would, he it didn't look natural at all. It's like technically you were doing what coach said. Right.
00:26:06
Speaker
Golly, man, just please, just and let's actually talk think about blocking the guy instead of two post steps and then a punch or whatever, you know. He was thinking so much, like, if I do this technique, it should work. And it's like, at the end of the you do have to play football. You got put hands on people.
00:26:22
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, his mind was working too slow. You can you can't. I mean, you can't think about you your post-step and your punch. Like, you just got to do it. It's just got to happen. And it's repetition. You dr drill the technique so that when you're doing it live, you know, you get you're not thinking. your coach I've had multiple coaches always say, like, don't think, just be aware or react, right, because you've got play fast.
00:26:47
Speaker
Drill the hell out of the technique and practice so that when you're actually doing live reps, you're not thinking about it that much. Yeah, that's what he used to say to us, Chuck. Go ahead.
00:26:57
Speaker
i was going to say, like on the defensive side of the ball, good tacklers is a mentality. Like we teach good tackling technique over and over with circuits and And all this stuff. but man, some guys just know how to get people on the ground. and They don't care. They'll hit in the thigh. They'll hit you in the knee. They'll get a roll. they'll do You know what I mean? It doesn't matter.
00:27:17
Speaker
They just get them on the ground. can cover up a ton of sins with just phenomenal effort, right? Right. If you still apply phenomenal effort to practice and drill work, you will get better at the techniques and everything.
00:27:31
Speaker
But if you were just running to the ball and just running through people, playing through the whistle, ah like, you'll you'll be okay. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:27:42
Speaker
Like he used to preach to us, Chuck. He used to preach, ah you know, we'd practice our kids so freaking hard at Taylor. I mean, hard, you know. They'd be dying in the middle of practice, you know, not literally, but.
00:27:54
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And, yeah. and And, you know, his big thing was, you know, when the bullets start flying, they're going to revert back to their base level of training. So their base level of training is hard as shit in practice and it's hard and it's demanding, well, then they're not going to freak out as much when the games start. Their base level of training is hard and demanding and frustrating and they got figure it out on the fly and fast. Well, then, you know, that that turns into better gameplay out of those kids, you know.
00:28:26
Speaker
I agree. Yeah. And that was, of course, we came up and talk about coaching trees. You know, there you go. sit Two branches off the same tree. But yeah, for sure. But that's how we've handled offseason, you know, especially with the young kids with the seventh and eighth graders.
00:28:40
Speaker
I'm like, this is so freaking hard and mentally challenging to you right now. When we start practice, it's going to be a piece of cake. Like when we start practice, you're going be like, oh, this is way easier than, than what we had to do. And every time we messed up, we had five up downs the first time, 10, the second, 50, the third, you know what I mean? And so that if we compounded problems, they compounded on us. And now when we make a mistake, if we'll just set our mind to go against it, it'll cost us five yards and we go on with our lives.
00:29:10
Speaker
If you put, if you put in the work on the front end, then like once you're into that middle of the season, end of the season, Like the practices, you know, at the at the higher levels of competition, the practices aren't going to be killing you. Right.
00:29:25
Speaker
It's going to it's going to be very mental because you're already semi beat up from the season and all that. So you're going to going in. you're It's going to be very mental. You're going a lot flown at you because you've got a whole season's worth of film that you've got to break down and watch and be ready for.
00:29:40
Speaker
But like the the burden will shift because you're you're still going to feel pretty tired because, ah you know, you're three quarters of the way through a football season. But practice-wise, it's like, yeah, you might only have one padded practice and you'd be in shells the rest of the time.
00:29:57
Speaker
And you're going to have a bunch bunch of walkthroughs and and all that. I mean, in the league, you get through training camp and you only got 14 padded practices the whole year. Yeah. Wow.
00:30:09
Speaker
That's crazy. Well, heck, at Taylor, we got to where after about, what, week three or week two? we i mean, we were just shell the rest of the year. We did. We got to where it was. We would still thud up and everything. yeah.
00:30:21
Speaker
but so i'm a but I'm a big proponent of not being a track team, right? Like, especially as an offensive lineman, I never really got the – even if the whole team was doing, a you know, was just doing thud or, like, no no one was going to ground, that then never really applies for the O-line. Even if you're just doing a helmets type deal, if you're doing any kind of live competition with the defense, it becomes full speed. So, at that point, I'm like, let's just put on pads. Yeah.
00:30:48
Speaker
Yeah, I'm wishing there. Like, coaching the O-line, like, I don't care what the situation was. You tento that D-lineman. And, yeah, buddy, were you know what I mean?
00:30:59
Speaker
And the D-lineman's complaining. You know what's funny is, like, especially, you know, these stud D-linemen outside linebackers, edge rushers, they get all butt hurt when they get tentoed.
00:31:10
Speaker
When it's just good like that in practice, I'm like, ah, screw you, dude. I'm like, The next evolution is like, all right, we're we're just in helmets. No bull rush on this pass pro. What's the first thing that's going to happen? Long arm. Oh, yeah.
00:31:24
Speaker
Yep. Well, chance transitioning transitioning into my next one, and it's it's been a while. You've had so much coaching at the secondary level you know after high school, but what is you know speaking to a guy, Chuck, who's who's coached offensive line and ah me, who who goes over and helps and you know have to have to help my ah offensive line coach out a bunch, what is – What is something that high school offensive line coaches maybe overcoach or undercoach if there's something that sticks out from your perspective?
00:31:55
Speaker
So in my opinion, the and we've already kind of touched on it, there's a lot of – I've been through a lot of coaching where that's like you're just mashing all these footwork drills, right?
00:32:08
Speaker
Which is great. like You want to do a lot of that. But then it's like you get guys who like are going to block a linebacker and they're doing this like short, choppy steps. but no And I'm like, at some point, you've got to be an athlete because that guy's a better athlete than you.
00:32:22
Speaker
So if you're if you're running at him and you never actually run, you're just doing these little choppy steps, gonna be he's going to juke you out of your jockstrap. And so it's like, i mean, this was, and I even, know, I thought I was okay at this. And then I go to the NFL and the coach, my online coach there is basically like, after those first two to three steps, I just want you running.
00:32:45
Speaker
Like, you're not not even to get alignment, like, through a run block. Like, you get those first two steps in the ground, you've made contact, and then he's like, screw your base. Like, if you're doing all this wide base choppy stuff, you're just going to get rolled up, and
NFL Memories and Team Dynamics
00:32:59
Speaker
then we're going to be paying your IR settlement.
00:33:01
Speaker
He's like, you'd be running through, just try to run through people. Because at that level, the athletes are so hot, are so good that, you know, it doesn't take much for that that hole to be gone. Right. And so, and so, and that's kind of you know, I just did coach, to you know, volunteer camp or whatever.
00:33:18
Speaker
And I see these kids coming out and they've, you know, they've had some coaching and it's just pop up. They're just so choppy. And I'm like, look, it was great to work the footwork. But at certain point, if you take 10 steps and you've made it three yards, it's like, we got to go.
00:33:33
Speaker
And so, yeah i get it you know, my, my opinion is like, you know, work the boards, work that footwork, you know, you want to be take, you don't want to be taking these big sprinter stances and stuff. And like, you know, your first steps have got to be short in the ground. Cause that's regenerating power. Right.
00:33:50
Speaker
But you also, like, we don't need to extrapolate this into, like, we're duck walking 20 yards, right? Once, like, we're still playing football. We're still athletes.
00:34:00
Speaker
Like, once you get it going, get growing, you know? And so, like, that was that was kind of a – Because if you get to, and I've just seen it so many times where guys like, it's kind like you technically, you're like, I'm doing the technique, but you're not getting, you know, you're not actually getting the job done, right?
00:34:19
Speaker
Right. or And I think being able to transition that from like, okay, this is the technique, but let's do this with like violence and speed versus like just technical precision. I would much rather have violence and speed and effort than precision and when it comes to something like this.
00:34:37
Speaker
Nice. For sure. The other caveat to that, I would say, is do whatever you can to get someone to fire their hands on pass pro. Like that is the biggest. I never, you know, I was I'm about to, and then I'm just going to reach out and grab because I'm stronger than you. So like, just come into my chest. You're not going to knock me over. I squatted up 600 pounds in high school. Like you're not going to bull rush me.
00:35:01
Speaker
If you want to bull rush me, that's fine. And that that was a bad habit, right? And, you know, you get college, NFL, and guys can bull rush you. And so whatever you can to get someone to just throw their hands, because you make that D-line and deal with you before he gets his third foot in the ground, then you're in a much better position.
00:35:24
Speaker
Okay, I like that. I'm writing that down, son. like especially because, you know, I started on the D-line, and that's our first coaching point. Close the distance. If they get past pro, you can't swat hands, you can't bulldoze, you can't rip, you can't club rip. You know what I mean? You can't swim until you're in contact with this guy.
00:35:44
Speaker
So you got to close the distance first. I mean, and from an offensive line standpoint, i was like, dude, I hate – like, I just – I need to be on the guy. Like, the longer he's away from me, the more nervous I am, the more likelihood – the higher the likelihood I'm going to get juked out of my shoes. I'm gonna be looking silly.
00:36:04
Speaker
So it's like – but, like, if it's kind of different. you and If you're a tackle, you know, you kind of can't avoid it to some extent. So there's a lot – you know, playing offensive line, there's a lot of, like, body position and, you guards and centers are going to set the depth of pocket, all this stuff, right? Never get beat inside, all that crap, right? There's all kinds of stuff you can break it down.
00:36:25
Speaker
But it's like the defensive guy – if you let him get momentum, going to run through your chest or he's going to make you, you're going to worry about him running through chest. You're going to overcorrect and then he's going to come inside.
00:36:38
Speaker
so it's like, the net i mean, there was this guy played with at Baylor. Guy was six three ah not very impressive in the weight room, decent athlete, but not not crazy.
00:36:50
Speaker
And, ah you know, he he played some for us, had some real good potential to play more, but he playing tackle, and he looked so – he looked out of like out of place because he wasn't one that big, didn't have the crazy big frame.
00:37:04
Speaker
He had like a wingspan. And that dude could freaking, even though he didn't bench that much, he could freaking mess with the defensive lineman, the defensive end, while like while he's still getting his second, third step in the ground.
00:37:20
Speaker
And it's a hell of a lot easier to just start blocking someone from that standpoint versus you get two kicks and then that guy's on his fifth step and it's like, you know, that's when it's like your, your squat and body position is important. And you can't always like, depending on the ah play and the phase of the game, like you will get put in that position, right? You can't always just be on someone immediately, but right the vast majority of the time,
00:37:47
Speaker
if you If I can touch the defensive lineman, even and it doesn't have to be a massive punch. I was a big pop and then replace guy, but yeah I was also a guard, so we were in close quarters a lot of the time.
00:37:59
Speaker
Right. But like if you can make that defensive lineman already start trying to do this Aaron Donald hand fighting shit, like he's not running through your face. Right.
00:38:10
Speaker
You can deal with that.
00:38:13
Speaker
I love it, man. All right. Well, last one. We already know your favorite NFL memory. We'll ah we'll get that one out of you in a minute. what's your favorite college boy What's your favorite college football memory? ah I mean, you got a bunch of good stories. And it's kind of funny, you know, once you get out of it, all your favorite memories are like – the shittiest the times you ever went through. They're just the best stories to tell you.
00:38:37
Speaker
You remember going through the mud and the muck way more than like, ah you know, flying high and scoring a bunch of points. Right. But, you know, my favorite.
00:38:48
Speaker
My college football memory would probably be just kind of the Texas Bowl. We played the Texas Bowl my senior year, you know, kind of the culmination of a lot of the career at Baylor, you know, came in as a freshman. We won a Big 12 championship, ah started as a I didn't I've registered that year next year.
00:39:10
Speaker
Ton of talent. Got a second teamer. Ended up starting at the end of the year. Had some injuries. So we only went I think we went like 10-3 or something. ah But still good season. Yeah, 10-3. Only 10-3, you know. That was the year we went to the Russell Athletic Bowl and played North Carolina. And we had no – we we are We were on our fourth string quarterback, and so we just ran a triple option. And, you know, that was like the second game I started, and we ran for like 600-something yards. but
00:39:41
Speaker
And it was it was just awesome, right? There's no no better feeling as an offensive lineman. was just absolutely just running down people's feet. Blake, was that the game? yeah ahll quarter Y'all the receiver playing quarterback.
00:39:55
Speaker
Because all three of our starting quarterbacks were down. Yeah, remember that game. It was like we either have a walk-on quarterback or who's like, you know, i think he was ah he's my class, so he was like a redshirt freshman.
00:40:09
Speaker
And where we have like a fifth year senior receiver who played a little quarterback in college. I yeah remember that game, man. Until you just said that, I was like, yeah.
00:40:21
Speaker
Oh, we basically just had him play quarterback. I think he threw like five passes, but we mostly were just running like wildcat. But that was pretty sweet. But then like next year, the coach gets fired, have an interim coach. And then coach rule comes in and we go one in 11 and And then my senior year, you know, up and down, but we wind up winning the last game, getting Cliff Kingsbury fired. We go to the Texas Bowl, and then we we're like 6-6, and then we win that game to go 7-6, and it was like – ah you know just the To me, it was like ah it was just the culmination of of the career. We went out. yeah you know
00:40:58
Speaker
We just ran the ball down Vanderbilt's throat. you know I played a great game. was back in Houston, so a bunch of friends and family came. Uh, and we just pounded the rock. Uh, you know, I graded out really well that game also, like it did well. And then, uh, it was just, you know, it was just, it was a fun game. It was very close. It was, we had to score like every time we got the ball.
00:41:22
Speaker
Uh, it was just a, it was just a really fun game. I got a buddy who was, uh, uh, he's like, uh, he's still playing, but he's like, since it's kind of like the off season right now for the NFL, he's like doing uh,
00:41:36
Speaker
um Not really like a real GA is like kind of doing an internship at Baylor. So he's going back through some of that film. He's been sending me clips. We also that season, just a fun fact. We were 36 for 36 on quarterback sneaks, positive yards.
00:41:50
Speaker
And so ah we were wow we we were basically doing a tush push before it was cool. Yeah, right behind Blackmore. Oh, yeah. but And he sent me one, and it was just – I jumped the hell – you know I'm going before the center goes. But we we're getting that yard.
00:42:07
Speaker
Yeah, that was ah that was pretty sweet. Winning the game, holding up the trophy, being in front of the hometown and all that, you know, last go around. It was a lot of fun. Yeah, that's awesome, man. Especially, you know, ah you kind of touched on it, but going from Bryles to the interim and and and then into the rule, you kind of were – You know, that such a big wave of what, you know, what the heck's going on with Baylor football type of era. It felt like we were leaving – it felt like we were leaving like – the program on the upswing and like we had helped establish the culture. And then the next year they go and win the big 12 championship and do really well. And so was like, you know, it really was a turnaround for you I mean, honestly, brought under browse, it could have had the one win season, but then the next year, know, took off, you know, don't know we've talked about this, but we're going have this guy on. So I got to like plug it real quick.
00:43:00
Speaker
But a buddy of mine was actually on the campus rules first season. that coaches in Brazil, Alex. yeah Yeah, Alex. And anyway, we'll have him on soon. He was around during the Browse era too, I think.
00:43:16
Speaker
So he he got to see kind of both sides of it a little bit. Yeah, he he was pretty floored just by the what you guys learned and the concepts and stuff, the way that Rule had it designed. But anyway, sorry, we're go we got him coming on. So there's my early plug from boy Alex in Brazil that we'll have coming up here in a couple weeks.
00:43:38
Speaker
um Yeah, man. Go ahead, Pete. You definitely, you know, you in that class and and definitely left it on the upswing because it could have went a whole lot of different ways when everything went down there. Obviously, you know that's a story for another day. But, oh you know, it could have went to just complete dog crap.
00:43:55
Speaker
And it just, I mean, obviously there was a little dip there. and There was a dip there, but you but the the fact is you all stuck it through, you know. And I know it really wasn't the transfer portal like it is now, but I guarantee if that happened now, whoo.
00:44:08
Speaker
It'll more than one year. Because my daughters are on campus, Blake. I don't know if I ever told you that. Yeah, we told her about it. Yeah, it was on campus when all that happened.
00:44:20
Speaker
um and She became a a yeah host for visiting, you know I mean? Yeah. Gave tours stuff like that by rule, second year. But anyway, go ahead, Pete. Sorry.
00:44:33
Speaker
Well, you want him to go ahead and tell the Khalil Mack story or we want to save that after Mark you I've got hear the Mack story, brother. Go for it. I love those stories. Yeah, so now, you know. to to kind of tie everything together, you know, I parlay my good bowl game experience into and the getting picked up by the Bears, go there. I'm on the – Do OTAs and training camp and all that.
00:44:58
Speaker
oh Doing pretty well. We get to – you know, we're getting close to the season and we're doing ah just an inter-squad scrimmage and I'm running with the two, so we're going against the ones. And, you know – The NFL is very particular, right? So you definitely – you're going full speed, all this other stuff, but you better not take someone to the ground.
00:45:18
Speaker
Well, $2 million, dollars it's a business, right? That's a lot of money on the ground. man, yeah. And so it's like you but you've got to master – like you'll see guys get cut for holding the bag wrong, right?
00:45:30
Speaker
Like, and so if you're if you're like holding the bag or doing this other stuff, you'll get cut just for doing that wrong. I thought I was going to, I was doing a one-on-one drill with Kyle Long and I'm playing defense and his, I did a spin move, which probably I'm sure it looked elegant, but his thumb got stuck in my Jersey and dislocated.
00:45:48
Speaker
And then we ended up getting into a fight. And that's the first time I thought for sure I was going to get cut. Yeah. uh didn't now then kyle and i you know we went cooked a steak drank a few beers and uh you know now we're you know we're friends and everything so that was actually pretty sweet but there's an art to learning how to practice and you'll see real quick guys that don't guys that are just going out there and like playing balls to the wall unless you are very very good you will be gone immediately Because if your're play if you're out there jeopardizing, I mean, these guys some of these guys' contracts are just big investments, you know? So if you're out there jeopardizing that, you're out of there.
00:46:28
Speaker
And so we're doing this scrimmage. And, you know, this is how you know, like, I've worn knee braces my whole life, right? And you get to the league and it's like, screw the knee braces.
00:46:40
Speaker
I need to be fast. And if I get hurt, I get paid now. And so, thankfully, you know, I've never had a knee issue and I'm glad I don't. But that was the mindset, right? And so, where we they call a a draw.
00:46:54
Speaker
And so, my job, I'm playing left guard. I got to go get the middle linebacker. uh danny trevathan who was very fast yeah that was the other thing you'll learn we uh you know i played with some fast linebackers at baylor but then you go play with some guys who are like six three two forty and that fast not six foot two two fifteen and fast i'm like it's a different animal and so uh i got it's like him and roquan smith but i got danny and so was like all right i'll take danny
00:47:25
Speaker
ah So, you know, it's two sets and then, you know, dip and rip, get out, go yeah go get blood, right? And so ah I'm freaking – I'm out of there. I'm feeling athletic, went through my hair, and I'm eyes locked on Danny. And he's not even – he's like – He's just turning around.
00:47:44
Speaker
And, you know, I'm probably still five yards away. I'm like, that's his ass. um I'm going to stick him good and I'm to hold him up because we're not, you know, I'm not getting i'm not getting cut over this. Right. And then I just feel this, like, bump on my left shoulder.
00:47:57
Speaker
And I was like, bam. i was like, what was that? And then I go, like, you know it messed up my hit on Danny. I was kind of pissed. I just kind of, like, grabbed him and they're blowing the whistle. I turn around and Khalil Mack is, like, just flat on his back.
00:48:09
Speaker
And I'm like – oh shit, did I do that? And then I'm like, because that's the one, that's the guy, right? highest as bro ten You know, he's making more money than the quarterback. and thequi He's got like a Jordan deal with Nike or
Barbecue Stories and Techniques
00:48:22
Speaker
something.
00:48:22
Speaker
So like in the equipment room, part of his deal, you know, the equipment rooms in the league are cool. You know, they've got those like rotate, the like pillars of shoes and equipment that they'll like open and close.
00:48:33
Speaker
And a fifth of the entire like ah lock or equipment room is just donated, is like, designated to his like contract with Jordan. Like, so he's not even this kind of guy, but like in the contract, he, yeah like he had enough pairs of shoes in there that he could have worn us different pair of shoes every single day. If he wanted to.
00:48:53
Speaker
Wow. He, he, this dude, you know, Khalil was super like down earth. Great dude. was giving some of the rookies like haircuts and fades and stuff like just not not the type of dude the not the prima donna type at all but that's the level of like importance this guy is to the team and so i was like oh my god like that might be it for my boy and then he does like the super athletic like there's no need for this but he does the thing where he like rolls up on his shoulders and then kicks his feet and then lands on him
00:49:24
Speaker
Oh, that makes sense. In full pads? Yeah. yeah but There's no need for that. All right? He just hops up and he's like, hey, it was a good hit, big man. to remember that. And i was like I wasn't even supposed to hit you.
00:49:37
Speaker
But what he basically read the play so fast, he beat the middle linebacker to the point of contact. And I just didn't see him. And so I just cold cocked him. coldco So who's looking for the outside linebacker on an inside draw, right?
00:49:51
Speaker
Well, he should have been the tackle. The tackle is supposed to influence him out. And, you know, he's – and so then the next play ah they call a pass.
00:50:02
Speaker
And I'm like – and I just look out and Khalil is lined up outside the tackle and he checks the defense into this, you know, screwed up look to where now, you know, there's like a shade on the center.
00:50:17
Speaker
And I'm like, all right, you know depending on the play or whatever, I'm supposed to block him. Khalil is out there in like a seven technique. And then has Floyd... ah Floyd Leonard from Georgia, walk up outside of him.
00:50:32
Speaker
And I'm like, you guys play on opposite sides of the ball. so I'm like, this is bullshit. And so now that forces us to make some check. So now I got to block Khalil Mack from a left guard spot who's in a wide seven because the tackle's got to go to the wide nine.
00:50:48
Speaker
And I'm like, Chase Daniels, the backup quarterback. And I was like, Chase, Chase. We don't even have a call for this shit. you if you can have that value for that If you value your life, you're going to want to do something about that.
00:51:02
Speaker
And so they chased. It was like, I mean, it was crazy. this probably all happened in the span of 10 seconds, but Chase makes a check. Then Khalil makes a check, check, check. And I'm like, You know, my responsibility is changing from slide side to fuck, slide side to I'm screwed, slide side to sack. And, like, basically we got it off and, like, technically at that point time I was not supposed to block Khalil.
00:51:25
Speaker
So I did not. I blocked Akeem Hicks. Khalil Mack got a sack, but it was not my – it was left tackle, but not me. was just like – But it was the it was like so demoralizing watching Khalil Mack do one-on-ones playing pass pro because it would be like his hands were so good and he was so fast.
00:51:46
Speaker
it It's like the least violent thing you've ever seen. it's It's almost like a pillow like because you know guys would be hitting these sets, throwing these powerful punches, and he's just like – He's just like catching your hand and moving it like that. And it's just enough for him to just let's go right by you. It's like no one hit anybody.
00:52:06
Speaker
And it's just like it's the most – it's like the least violent thing ever. And it's like how do you – it's like, man, yeah we just got to send a tight end over there. You just got to chip that old game.
00:52:19
Speaker
My favorite part of that is just, dude, it's imagining the like check, check, check, back and forth between him and Chase. And you get there going, oh, God, there's 100 checks. And I was so I chewed a hole in my mouthpiece. I was so like like nervous. And then for the next two days, my butthole was freaking so tight because I was like, I've seen guys get cut for less than that.
00:52:45
Speaker
Oh, that's awesome. I think the Ohio coach basically just came up to me. He's like, hey, I know you look like frickin you look like a hero on that freaking draw play, but let's try not to dress sorry to keep the $100 million man off the fucking ground. Yeah, that sounds exactly He's how about see you do that in a preseason game instead of in practice against our own freaking guys? And was like, yes, coach. That's awesome. i would I would love to do that a game too.
00:53:13
Speaker
Yeah.
00:53:15
Speaker
Oh, man. right, we ready for some barbecue questions? What do we think, fellas? Yeah, baby. That's what we do best now, right? but we let's Let's be real.
00:53:26
Speaker
Blake is like the pit master chef, and the rest of us kind of run around. and And Blake's a super nice guy, so when you're messing up even – He just kind of kindly goes, ah that line I asked for five minutes ago, can we get that cut now, please? Like, definitely.
00:53:49
Speaker
Let's just say that the – I'll just speak for Pete and I. won't speak for Josh. Josh would be able to be with us tonight. But I won't speak for the fourth member of the Meat Mafia, but let's just say for Pete and I, how many times we looked up and like, oh, I'm sorry, did you ask for something? um My bad. We were doing something completely different.
00:54:07
Speaker
The flow of the competition works out really well because, you know all the stuff I tend to handle is all on day two. So we get there Friday night, and it's like seafood, margarita, and like, hey, we're just having, especially the margaritas, you go through a couple of trial runs,
00:54:23
Speaker
Oh, yeah. We're just having a good time. So it just sits the sets the tone. After you cut the wood, after you split some logs, Captain America a few just to let the people know. Then you pop a few margs and, you know, just it's a good time, man.
00:54:38
Speaker
Yeah, it is. Absolutely, man. right. So. Binders, yes or no? i already know i already know your answer, but the people need to know. Binders, yes or no? And then mustard mayo, if yes.
00:54:54
Speaker
On a brisket binder, so let's hear it. Okay, so binders, I'm out on binders, right? I'm out. If you season every... like you know You can use a binder. I've used binders you know to great effect.
00:55:09
Speaker
But the vast majority of the time, like if you just salt it and let it sit for five minutes, it'll it will be wet enough that you're not going to be losing season and everything, right? I've done a couple of hot sauce stuff. I've done like even just spray it with a little warm water to tack it up. Like, cause the whole point of a binder realistically is just to get seasoning the stick to it. Right. Just keep your seasoning on. Yeah.
00:55:32
Speaker
Like, you know, the vast majority of the time, like, not going to have a problem with it. um As far as like, like it's not adding flavor, right? I've done the experiments and I've watched a bunch of other people do experiments via the YouTube and what you spritz with binders, all that.
00:55:51
Speaker
Once you're talking about something that's in the smoker for 10 to 12 hours, it's not going to have like, you're only, you're not going to get these little nuanced, like crazy levels of flavor, right? You're going get the main, like,
00:56:04
Speaker
Parts of, ah you know, the you the main, I forget what the word is, but basically like the main seasons, right? Salty, sweet, heat, like peppery, you know, peppery kind of with the spice.
00:56:17
Speaker
Those are what you're going to get. You're not going to be getting a ton of like umami mushroom powder bullshit. And so like... I've done hot sauce, I've done water, I've done mayo, mustard, all of it. And ah for my my two cents, I basically just do no binder the vast majority of the time.
00:56:36
Speaker
Now, i'm with what what I have done and that has worked out really nice is if you do want to do something where you kind of want it to, like, base the meat or whatever, I have done mayo.
00:56:50
Speaker
And so, like, for a lot of, like... See, I'm mayo guy on the briskets especially because I'm a mayo for the... The seasoning I use, which I don't make my i own, and I'm not. Right. You know what I mean? I'm not that level. I use i use ah a bot from Fire and Smoke that I have to order for them. I can't find it anywhere.
00:57:08
Speaker
but um But because of that, I use mayo because I feel like, A, it's the best chance of keeping a little moisture, and B, it works well just to hold that stuff on.
00:57:20
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, my thing with mayo is it it like it is basically just oil. And so ah it's like whipped oil. And so like it will just melt off. So like it does base things. So for like a longer cook, like a brisket, I don't really see that much of a use case because you should be keeping the fat cap on there.
00:57:38
Speaker
And like the fat cap should be doing that for you. But for thing like if I'm grilling, if I'm just grilling chicken thighs or if I'm doing like a shorter cook, Uh, like if you're doing like a turkey breast or like, uh, if, if you want to do like a little prime rib roast or something, something that's going to be like a little leaner, like I've done a little mayo slurry, rubbed it all down and let it go like that.
00:58:03
Speaker
Uh, do I, do I do it every time? No. Is it like the absolute best thing ever? No, but it's a nice little tool to have in the tool bag, you know? It's the same thing if you're doing like,
00:58:14
Speaker
If you you know you're getting a little ethnic and doing like some tandoori chicken or whatever, and you're marinating the shit in Greek yogurt, it's just ah all that is is just adding fat to a relatively lean piece of meat. It all melts off when you grill it.
00:58:27
Speaker
It just gives you a nice little crust and all that. got you. I got you. Sounds good. That's the answers I was looking for right there. All right. Excluding brisket, what's your favorite item to barbecue? Mm-hmm.
00:58:43
Speaker
if And it might not be brisket to begin with, but excluding brisket, what's your next favorite? In general, my favorite thing to cook, you know because I do a lot of like just regular cooking in the kitchen as well, but my favorite thing to cook, period, is brisket.
00:58:58
Speaker
It's not always my favorite thing to eat. I mean, it's up there not most of the time. uh like sometimes you know i just eat two like i'll cook a brisket and i'll eat two slices and just be like yep that's what i'm looking for and that's all i'll eat right i out of a 10 yeah i i read that's cooking it for the love of the game right cooking it for the love the game at this point it is like for the like it's like practice reps but um my favorite thing so i will say for this question i'm going to uh, I'm going to define barbecue and grilling, right? I'm really high heat cooking. Uh, like, you know, if you're doing burgers and dogs and all that, like you were, we're grilling chicken.
00:59:43
Speaker
That is grilling barbecue. We're talking, we're, you we're not directly over five. Well, you can do, you do direct heat, I guess, if you're doing like a whole hog, but but we're doing lower and slower, like, uh,
00:59:55
Speaker
you know, lots of smoke and air circulation. And so my favorite thing to barbecue outside of a brisket I mean, as far as effort to yield beef ribs, just because they're so good so little effort.
01:00:13
Speaker
It's so expensive, though, man. Oh, yeah. that's a really It's a real punch in the wallet. yeah but and Honestly, I've only done it a few times, but done a suckling pig a few times, and, man, it's...
01:00:26
Speaker
Like over the Kohl's. I know piqued your interest a little bit there, Arkansas Chuck. Dude, I'm telling you. Did you like sit up here? that is That's my dream. So, like, I got the five others coming up. We built a cinder block pit at my dad's place.
01:00:43
Speaker
Burned some down, shoveled the Kohl's in. And, man, it's – Oh, dude. Like I said, I've done it twice, but it was fantastic. Get that crispy skin, vinegar sauce on it.
01:00:54
Speaker
Dude, I'm flying you up for my 50th birthday. You've done it. You already messed up. I'm buying the ticket, buying everything you need, and you're going to teach me how to do a cycling pig or a whole hog. We'll get active, man.
01:01:09
Speaker
We'll get active for sure. Heck yeah, whole hog. All right, three keys for the everyday barbecue. Like I'm not talking like big fancy stuff for competitions. What are what are some keys to me and Chuck want to go outside?
01:01:24
Speaker
We want to cook a good, i don't know, ribs, chicken, and brisket. What are the keys to making sure we don't F it up and everybody hates it? My first piece of advice to almost everyone who's starting, ah you know, because a lot of people have like some form of a pellets. They have some form of an easier way to cook, right? pellet smoker or something.
01:01:45
Speaker
sure But like, you know, you can do this with anything, but if you're cooking something big, like a brisket, pork butt, anything like that, my advice every day of the week is going to be cook it the day ahead.
01:02:01
Speaker
Like, so if you're going to, if you want to eat Sunday at lunch after church or whatever, Saturday at noon, put that thing on, cook it till it's done. should probably be around 10 o'clock midnight, wrap it up,
01:02:14
Speaker
put it in your oven on warm and let that low, that long heated rest, that thing will like, that thing will ah smooth a lot of sins. And then it's like, you're avoiding the classic trope of like, Oh, brisket's on and now dinner's five hours late, but it's real good when it comes off. You know, the thing is ready to go.
01:02:35
Speaker
ah you you know, you get a nice night's sleep, go to church, whatever you got going on, come home, pop open that brisket and, dinner's ready on or, you know lunch is ready on time.
01:02:45
Speaker
You're a hero. ah It also helps you with fat render and all bunch of other like level two shit. ah Second is I would say ah to make sure your food is like well salted.
01:03:01
Speaker
So like, don't, you don't have to go crazy dumping seasoning on there. And for a lot of people, you know, they go, they'll go get like some rubs, meat church or something. And all that stuff is great. But like,
01:03:12
Speaker
if you're Especially if you're kind of learning your smoke or something, like figure out the flavor profile that you like and how much flavor you get out of your pit. So just season something with just salt pepper and then cook that, and that's like your baseline.
01:03:26
Speaker
Then can start adding things to it. Oh, that's good. You do a rack of ribs, and you'll be in um with just salt pepper, and you'll be amazed at they how how red they turn out. They'll come out cherry red.
01:03:40
Speaker
And you'll think that people will think that you put like, you know, paprika or one of these rubs, it's got all this stuff in it. And like, they'll do that naturally. And so to to me, it helped me simplify a lot of barbecue, right?
01:03:54
Speaker
Cause I went down all the rub train, had a rub sponsor, all this stuff. And then I was like, you know, I just started using salt pepper. And then like, you just, you know, if you want something sweet, just throw a little sugar in there in the wrap or something. And like, man, it turns out really well.
01:04:09
Speaker
Number three, i would say to always have a cold beverage. ah Because that you know that just greases the pipes. you know it sir Because at the end of the day, this like barbecue, grilling, it's a means to an end. It's putting food and on the table for the family.
01:04:29
Speaker
But you might as well have a good time doing it, right? hey really i cook and You're a friend of mine. I started to say that's, and to put it in context, just for people that don't know.
01:04:41
Speaker
So when I started cooking with these guys, I lived in central Texas. I was 20 minutes up the road. The competition we did here just a couple of weeks ago, I drove eight hours yeah to go down to hang out with these guys. And it was, yeah, the food I knew was going to be phenomenal. we Producing good food, that was going to happen.
01:04:59
Speaker
But it was the hangout time. with these guys that I'm like, dude, it's worth every, my poor wife. I say poor wife. I mean, she said, she stayed by herself in a hotel room. So I'm like, no, I'm out here with the guys tonight. We got a brisket cooking and you know, we got to put ribs on at six. I wouldn't have been at six. I didn't go until four, but to be fair, I don't think she was just saying,
01:05:25
Speaker
They're all night with us anyway. But I will say, ah you know, my honorable mention, which is probably the answer that most big cooks will say, is that cook to internal temp, not time.
01:05:39
Speaker
So if everyone was like, long is this thing? Like, just cook to – just figure out you the internal temp you need to hit and go off that. You can get ah you know you can get a ballpark based on it. Yeah. Uh, if you, just cause you put something on the smoker for six hours, doesn't mean it's going to turn out correct.
01:05:56
Speaker
That's right. Right. Well, man, look, the proof is in the pudding. I just went and wrote down the stats real quick while he was talking. Four years of competition here in Rockdale. Ribs have gotten third, fourth, second, first. Okay, placing basically the top four every time.
01:06:13
Speaker
Chickens got fourth and third. Seafood, we won one out of four. Exotic, we got first out of four. Overall, we've got second three times.
01:06:24
Speaker
Brisket, we got second three. Brisket, we got second two years in a row, and then this year, for whatever we were whatever reason, we were just on the final table. And then the the first year, they didn't do brisket. They did pork loin. We were eighth in pork loin.
01:06:38
Speaker
So, I mean, proof's in the pudding, boys. It's right here. in the guy know The guy knows how to barbecue.
NFL Draft Insights and Team Strategies
01:06:46
Speaker
Yeah, I got to tell some people I'm a professional fat guy at this point. I'm a...
01:06:52
Speaker
I should be losing weight, but, man, I still like picking up heavy things and eating too much food. But ah we we yeah we're going to get that first-place brisket this next year. i just My thing is I refuse to sauce my brisket. Agreed. know a lot of that competition stuff people do. So, like, we just got to cook a brisket. that's And that's the good thing about coming to that Rockdale competition.
01:07:15
Speaker
Rockdale's a beef town. So there's there's a lot of people that know know the correct way. They know a good brisket when it's put in front of them. I think we know the trick to the chicken next year. i think we'll cut it into bites first and cook it. That way every bite's got the crispy skin.
01:07:33
Speaker
But yeah, I think we got that one figured out. Hey, man, I'm telling you, that is so I love. like Like I said, I grilled chicken thighs today. That is like my. Dude.
01:07:44
Speaker
Chicken pies are a top-tier food item. I mean, I buy them because eat i buy em always bone-in skin on, and if I just want bone-in, I'll de-bone them and cut the skin off and save it for stock and just make them bone broth for the right now. But like you grill them, smoke them, just so versatile.
01:08:09
Speaker
It's so good. Top-tier food. Absolutely. All right, so I want to throw one quick one at us, Pete, real quick. I know we're getting close to time here. Yeah, yeah. um NFL draft.
01:08:22
Speaker
So, like, I'm going to tell you, I feel okay ah feel okay about what the Chiefs did. I think if Simmons is healthy, that's a steal. Like, they got a heck of a deal there. Yeah.
01:08:36
Speaker
I'm not quite as sold about the defensive tackle, but i'll you know what I mean? I'll wait and see. We'll see what happens. Yeah. So how about them Cowboys? What do you think there, Pete? How'd your boys do in the draft?
01:08:48
Speaker
It was predictably as boring as it could have been. i think I think once Gentey and the Arizona receiver, Tett McMillan, or whatever the heck his name was, once once those two guys were were picked before the Cowboys picked, they were either going to trade down or pick the best offensive lineman.
01:09:08
Speaker
Right. So, I think they did – What they set out to do. Was it what the fans are clamoring to see? Probably not. But, you know, they addressed it. They addressed all their needs except the one glaring one that's going to make me more mad than any of the rest of them, and that's they didn't address receiver.
01:09:24
Speaker
And C.D. Lamb's out there running against three defensive backs on his side of the field every freaking time. So until they address the receiver too, i don't think anything's going to matter. So it's my opinion. What about you, Blake? we what Any thoughts from well what you saw? Well,
01:09:40
Speaker
So, i you know, I kind of have split loyalties, right? So I like to whoever the Cowboys are playing, I like for them to win most of the time just because I grew up around so many damn Houston fans or Dallas fans.
01:09:54
Speaker
um I have some Houston loyalty ah just, you know, growing up in Houston as the Texans moved there, you know. But, like, I'm not diehard by any means. And then I do have some loyalty to the Bears because I played there.
01:10:09
Speaker
Um, and to be honest, I don't remember the bears doing much except I just know they had like two second round picks. Now think most of theirs were done through free agency. Most of the time. I mean, I like what they did in free agency, but the bears have been winning free agency for the last few years and it has not translated.
01:10:29
Speaker
Um, The Texans, I was a little like they basically drafted a bunch of receivers and like one lineman.
01:10:39
Speaker
And I would have expected, I'm like, we need to get all the offensive linemen in here. Granted, you know yeah ah Ryan Poles for the Bears, you know everyone was on his ass, you know castrated him in the media because he his O-line was so poor in front of Caleb Williams. And I'm like, well, technically, the guy has spent a lot of draft capital on offensive linemen in the past three years. It's just only one of them really lived up to expectations. Right, panned out. um So now they're going the opposite. They're going and getting all their O-linemen in free agency.
01:11:13
Speaker
I don't yep really think the Texans have done a lot in free agency other than let go their best two offensive linemen. Yeah. it' so So I'm a little nervous. I don't really know what the plan is, although I i am a Nick Casario fan, you know, and he just he just paid my boy Jalen Petrie. So he's doing he's definitely making some good decisions. Yeah.
01:11:38
Speaker
I'm still a little hesitant on, you know, they might need my ass to go out there and get in the way on. Just bring it back. Blake, back with heart. I'm retiring, baby. I'll give you a hometown discount.
01:11:51
Speaker
Yeah.
01:11:55
Speaker
Yeah, the the Cowboys and Texans need to trade draft strategies for sure. Yeah, I mean, that is one thing. like Jerry will sit there and piss a bunch of people off, but like the dude does generally draft good offensive linemen, and like their draft in general is usually pretty good.
01:12:10
Speaker
Yeah, the problem with the Cowboys is they don't do anything in free agency. So they sat through the whole three months and didn't pick up anybody. don't do anything in free agency, and they wait to pay me. Right, yeah.
01:12:21
Speaker
They end up overpaying for everybody, so then their team is super expensive. But they do they draft well. Yep. For sure. And the the whole Shadur stuff, i know you're going ask about the Shadur stuff. Here's the Shadur thing, though.
01:12:35
Speaker
If you're the Browns, and they were expected to possibly pick him in the first round, yeah and you still got him the fifth round, But didn't they also draft a quarterback in the third? Yeah, they drafted the dude from Oregon. don't even remember his name. Tyler Hill. Dylan Gabriel.
01:12:51
Speaker
Yeah. I could have told you. It's so hard to keep all that shit straight with a transfer portal. But my whole thing is, he was going – to meetings like what's been reported yeah how he was going into head coaches meetings supposedly with the giants where they sent them like install stuff to go over and learn so they could talk about it in in the meeting with the head coach and the oc and he basically went in and like didn't even turn it on or watch it and basically just like thumbed his nose up at him i don't mean i don't blame him if he was doing that to everybody then i don't i can see why nobody was picking them early
01:13:28
Speaker
At a certain point, the guy and work the guy didn't work out for anybody, right? He didn't do any workouts. He didn't go to the pro days. He didn't work out at pro day. He didn't work out at the combine.
01:13:40
Speaker
um All he did was film some content of him throwing with Malik Arnawa. Who went number one? Travis. Cam Ward.
01:13:52
Speaker
Yeah, Cam Ward. So him and Cam Ward did all the offseason stuff together. ah Cam Ward went and competed at every single one of those things. And I'm like, and you know, a lot of football guys, any football guy is going to say, that's what I want to see out someone I'm going to invest in.
01:14:07
Speaker
Right. And so it's hard to tell with all the, you know, the media is going absolutely batshit crazy with all the allegations of he was doing this, or it's, you know, the NFL is being racist because they don't like an outspoken black man or, you know, all this, there's just all this BS on social media.
01:14:26
Speaker
So who, you know, we might never know the, we might not know what actually went down those draft meetings until a couple of years later when someone's doing a tell all.
Meritocracy and Team Dynamics in Sports
01:14:34
Speaker
That's kind of what I was thinking. Yeah. I'm with you on that. I don't know that any of us know what I mean? Exactly. What was going on or what the process was. Because, that you know, GMs and stuff, they'll also, or maybe not the GM, but someone in the GM's you know office will put out fake information all the time and say like. Oh, yeah. know, it's like when the Texans, you know, they didn they've never admitted to this, but when they put out ah all those reports about, um
01:15:01
Speaker
geez, my CT is kicking in. What's the quarterback's name for takes the Texans? Deshaun? talking about Deshaun Watson? No, Deshaun Watson. The guy there right now CJ Stroud. CJ. You draft it. You know, it's Hammer Bryce Young, number one. Oh, yeah, yeah. CJ Stroud failed some IQ test. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:15:18
Speaker
All this other stuff comes out. And, that you know, all a sudden there's questions about his character or something. And the Texans take him number two. then they take Will Anderson, you know, right after it.
01:15:29
Speaker
And they're like, both those draft picks were dynamite, you know. Right. Yeah. In actuality, the Texans might have been the ones putting that out there so that to make sure Bryce Young is number one. Yep. Sure could have been.
01:15:42
Speaker
Could have been. The world may never know, but it could have been. Hey, man, it's a business, right? I do have a hard time because I think overall, you know, coaches will say this all the time.
01:15:54
Speaker
professional sports is the ultimate meritocracy. Like if you can play and we believe you can play and help us win games, man, they overlook a lot of things. Oh yeah. If they believe you can play. There's an interesting, uh, there's like an interesting level to that. Right. know, that I've kind of seen through my own experience.
01:16:15
Speaker
Definitely at some point, like, yeah, if you can play, you know, a lot of things can get overlooked, but, uh, you know they' it's like the ultimate meritocracy for like the upper 50%.
01:16:29
Speaker
Okay. lot of you know If you're like a ah practice squad guy or like you know just like ah that like last guy, you know someone who is like that bottom 10 to 15 spots on the roster, sure i if you just get in where you fit in and you get in with some guys that trust you, ah like you can have a little career there. If you like if you're that dude, Will Compton, right?
01:16:54
Speaker
Just a guy ahead yeah oh yeah up in play, you know started for a year or two. But vast majority of his career is just basically being a good locker room guy and a special teamer.
01:17:04
Speaker
And like there's plenty of guys that can play the position better than you. And you know I saw it when I was in Chicago. There were guys that get kept, these vets and stuff that get kept, because it's not really based on how they performed in camp or in preseason. There are other guys that...
01:17:20
Speaker
maybe can perform better, but guys know that, Hey, we can trust that guy when shit hits the fan and like, and the value or the amount we have to invest is pretty minimal.
01:17:34
Speaker
ah And, you know i know, the game, right. They might get cut. They might get dropped and picked up multiple times throughout the season based on death chart issues. Whereas like, You know, because there's so much good talent coming into the league every year in the form of the draft and all that stuff.
01:17:51
Speaker
ah If you get cycled out after a year, you're basically that, you know, that's kind of it. Like it's it's pretty hard to get back in once you get cycled out. and But there are guys that, you know, you look at and you'll be with and you're like, man, that guy is like if in the right scheme.
01:18:08
Speaker
That guy's great. But like, you see you know, you see it all the time with offensive linemen. Someone will go get paid and they'll go to a different scheme. And all of a sudden they're they're kind of a problem. Like they're not that great.
01:18:20
Speaker
It happened, I think, twice with two New England linemen back in the day when they were really good. And then when Bill made them. they'd go somewhere else. Like I remember one of them, I think was solar and we went to the giants, which the giants kind of a bum franchise. So, but he went to the giants all sudden he's just getting exposed left and right. Cause the, they're not running that play action, scheme all the time. Right.
01:18:44
Speaker
Uh, and so it happens happens all the time with guys. And so it's like,
Conclusion and Sign-off
01:18:49
Speaker
it's just an interesting caveat, right? Cause it is the ultimate meritocracy. If you can ball, like,
01:18:55
Speaker
you'll find a way. But if you're at that level where it's like, man, I'm better than that guy. But like that guy's got six years in and like, he's got people that trust him and stuff. And the difference isn't huge. If you're like, sure. Right. Yeah.
01:19:11
Speaker
You're going to go, they're going to take that vet every day. Cause they're like, that guy can also, I know I can put that guy at left guard, right guard or center. and not have to worry about him having a freakout at halftime because you know all of a sudden like you know his circumstances have changed drastically.
01:19:29
Speaker
Right. yes Right, man. Awesome. well What a talk, man. What an interview. Dude, so much fun. Like, yeah, this has been an absolute blast.
01:19:43
Speaker
We're running against it time-wise. want run an interview, that's the one thing. But, I mean, it's just good hanging out with the boys and talking ball and barbecue. For sure. Absolutely. Hey, that's two of the best things in the world right there.
01:19:56
Speaker
We could throw the third one in, but this is a PG show. don't want to break with... But, no...
01:20:05
Speaker
but now Man, Blake, it has been a ball. Thanks for coming on and and just spending time with us, man. Yeah, of course, man. Anytime. Pete, I'm flat out of things to say. i know that kind of surprises you. What about you, bro?
01:20:22
Speaker
Yeah, man, this is great. We're going to have to do it again, get Josh on here and and ask him the Sean Oakman story. Yeah, Josh has got a good Sean Oakman story too. Maybe let Blake and Josh kind of trade some embarrassing Baylor moments back and forth together. That would be pretty fun to have on here. I'm all about it. Yeah, this is a good one. This is going to be a good episode for us, Chuck. I know we just do this kind of to hang out with each other, but this will get a few pops on the old social media.
01:20:51
Speaker
Oh, yeah, we'll have to pick a couple of highlights out of here for sure. It'll be a good one when we get Josh on here and we just talk about how much I was like, man, I wish I played at a small school after hearing in like high school after hearing his like, you know, his high school life. And I'm going I want to ask you guys about some of the stories I heard.
01:21:10
Speaker
I'm like after hearing his high school life versus mine, you know, because like I said, I was the, you know, best player on the football team and no one gave a damn. Right. You know, like no one, we had an art orchestra went to want a national championship or something. And everyone was hyped about that. Yeah.
01:21:28
Speaker
like You hear me? I just played 600 pounds. Isn't that cool? And they're like, yeah, okay. They're like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Big guy, shut up. The orchestra's playing. Yeah. Let me play a sad little violin for you.
01:21:41
Speaker
Yeah. The world's smallest violin. It was my dance thing. Right? All right, guys. Hey, it's been a blast. Honestly, again, Blake, so much fun. Pete, a blast as always, brother. Yeah, man.
01:21:56
Speaker
We'll wrap it up. And thanks for our dozens of listeners still following Totes and Throws. And we'll get with you guys next time. Yeah, man. We'll see it