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00:00Let's do this thing. I am Gable Maranci. We're kicking it live in New Orleans.
00:04Countdown to kickoff is on, and we're getting fired up. We're still days away
00:08from the big game, but I've been really looking forward to throwing it down with
00:11the man that's sitting beside me right now. Former second pick in the NFL draft,
00:16Washington State Cougar freaking legend, Ryan Leaf steps up and in with us. Ryan,
00:21I've seen you around Meteor Row for a couple years, man. I've always wanted to
00:25get you on. It's never really happened, but I'm fired up to have you here.
00:28Well, thanks. Yeah, we missed last year. We had our baby last year, like at
00:31Thanksgiving, and so we stayed home for the Super Bowl, like for the first time
00:35and since Super Bowl 50, so we're back for a couple days doing some work with
00:39Sirius, and then this is just a great opportunity to, you know, kind of
00:43showcase what we're doing and trying to be of service. One thing I know about you
00:46too, you just love the sport of football, don't you? You love talking to football
00:50players. You were at the Senior Bowl last week. You're here at the Super Bowl right
00:53now. A lot of guys, when they're away from the game, they're away from the game.
00:56They're done. You just love the sport, don't you? Well, I do. I love football. It
01:01gave me everything, and I think for the longest time, it was pretty toxic for me,
01:05the way I viewed it, when in reality, football was never the
01:09problem. I was the problem, you know, and so once I got okay with myself and liked
01:15who I saw in the mirror, you know, football came back to me in the
01:18absolute greatest way, you know. I get to, you know, be an analyst, and then I get to
01:22call games, and that's, I think that's my favorite thing to do, is
01:26call NFL games, and I had a lot of fun doing that last couple years.
01:30Now, you've been through a lot, obviously, and I see you defending current players
01:35online, and there's never been a lower, lower of the low than now, is there, Ryan?
01:40As far as the vitriol is concerned, as far as just people getting viciously
01:45attacked online, and or something you responded to, guys sitting on their
01:50couch like me telling Josh, you know, Josh Allen should have done this, right? Should
01:55have, could have, would have. I know my place. I give picks, Ryan. I get my opinion on the
01:59game, I get picks. I'm not gonna tell Josh Allen, you should have looked left, you
02:02should have went right. How much does this stuff bother you? It doesn't really
02:07bother me. For me, it kind of, it's all kind of a bit, you know. I'm funny.
02:11Yeah. I don't think a lot of other people maybe think I'm funny, but I think
02:16I'm funny. You've been passionate about defending your program in
02:19Washington State, as well. Yeah, you know, I'm very passionate about that, you know.
02:23It cost me my job at ESPN, you know, being that passionate about it. I'm more
02:27than happy that that was the case, you know. There's just, there's something
02:30about loyalty these days that just doesn't exist. Also, listen, you know, for
02:35the last 10 years, I think you've probably gotten a pretty good idea who I
02:38am, you know. I've told everybody and shown everybody my scars, you know. I've
02:44owned up to everything I've done and will continue to do so when I mess up.
02:47It's got nothing to hide, you know. And so, when you don't have that, when you don't
02:51got nothing to lose in that mindset, you really, you're okay to speak truth to
02:55power and just be honest, you know. And people can listen or they
03:00don't. A lot of times, I'm just confused at why people actually listen to me, but
03:03it's funny. Well, I'd rather listen to somebody that's actually, that has
03:07experience, that has life experience, than somebody that hasn't been there and
03:11done that before. Did, when you were at the Senior Bowl, did anybody lean on you
03:16going through the draft process? Did you share any experiences with, I saw you
03:20with Riley Leonard, do you share an experience in saying, tune out the
03:23outside noise, don't worry what people are saying about you? How did you
03:26interact with the the QBs at the Senior Bowl? Well, this is something that Jim
03:30Nagy and I have been trying to get into place for a few years now, a
03:33schedule, where I would come in and speak to the entire two teams. And we finally
03:38were able to make it work this year, especially with the Super Bowl here. We
03:40could just drive right over. Yeah, a stubborn swing, right? Yeah, we would drive right over from
03:44Mobile and it was powerful. What was even more powerful is before I started
03:49speaking, I asked for a show of hands of how many had heard my talk before. And
03:55about a third to half of the room raised their hand. And I've been doing this for
04:00seven years now. Nick Saban was the first coach to have me come speak to his team.
04:04And I've been in front of so many programs now that this is the result.
04:08There's individuals in that room that have heard it before. That really says
04:12something actually, Ryan, too, because a lot of football players don't know other
04:16football players or don't care. Yeah. I heard a story that Cam Newton didn't
04:19know who Boomer Esiason was. And he told him, I'm on TV. I talk about football. He
04:23goes, oh, you do? He goes, I played in the Super Bowl. You did, huh? He had no idea.
04:27So I was gonna ask you, like, the younger kids, they know your story. Well, I asked
04:31him that question and I asked him, do you know who I am? And they
04:38say, yeah. And I said, do you know me for negative or positive reasons? And for the
04:41longest time, it's been for negative reasons. And this last year, I spoke at
04:46the Big Sky Conference kickoff and I asked that question to all 24
04:51athletes that were there. And for the first time that's ever happened, those
04:56that knew who I was raised their hand for the positive aspect of things. And I
05:01think it goes to prove, when you're speaking to these kids, too, just breathe.
05:04Like, this too shall pass. That's the best way to put it. Like, you have a bad
05:10game. You respond negatively in a situation. You can overcome.
05:15You can get past it. And that's a great teacher. And I was in their
05:20shoes 27 years ago. Right where they were at. Probably in a much better place
05:24because I was about to be the second pick in the NFL draft. So I know
05:28the answers to the test. I know all the right answers and I know all the
05:32wrong answers, too. And so I want every one of them to be successful. And so
05:36that's what the speech is about. Controlling the things you can control,
05:38your attitude, your behavior, your effort. And then the relationships I've built
05:42with some of these guys. Like, I spoke to Duke a few years ago and Riley Leonard
05:46and I developed this relationship. We talked after every week of the college
05:49football playoff. Just staying in touch, kind of talking about the things that
05:52we're going through. And sort of, you guys, I would imagine, too, I can't
05:56speak for your passion for religion, though, but he's a very religious
05:59person who hasn't, like, hasn't done a lot of things you've done. Like, you're
06:03polar opposites, basically. Well, it's, you know, that all, yeah, exactly. We're
06:08polar opposites. I'm pretty much kind of an atheist, you know. I don't believe
06:11like in an omnipotent being, you know. But I just know there's something greater
06:15than me out there, you know. Or otherwise, I wouldn't still be here.
06:17Where he's very, you know, self-effacing and forward with it. And it
06:22doesn't matter. We're both, we both get along just as well and just as great. So
06:25I'm really excited for him. He had a really great week last week. So I was
06:28gonna ask you about that, actually. Because every senior bowl, there's always
06:31a quarterback. Jake Haner, a couple years ago, won the guys over, you know, sort of
06:36wins the practice week. Daniel Jones got drafted pretty high because he had a
06:40really good senior bowl. Jackson Dart, there was a lot of talk about him. You
06:45just talked about Riley Leonard. What your take, what can you share about the
06:47quarterback class? And a lot of people disparage before they've really been
06:51given a chance to prove themselves. Yeah, and it's like, oh, this class sucks. How
06:55do you know? We're not even at the combine yet. Yeah, I, no one can say, I just
07:00can't get over to like the idea of like, you know, someone actually saying these
07:04these great football players suck at anything, you know. And it's funny. I
07:09think this is probably going to be a draft class and when it comes to
07:13quarterbacks, that's not going to be, you know, six first-round guys. Yeah. Yeah, I
07:17don't know if there's necessarily a guy that actually has a first-round grade
07:21this year, to be honest with you. And that doesn't mean they're not gonna get
07:24drafted in the first round because general managers are living the constant
07:28fear of FOMO and missing out on the next big thing. And so this week was very
07:33important for for the guys that were invited. Cam Ward declined, which I think
07:38was a huge mistake. He was gonna have it to himself. His only competition is gonna
07:42be Shadur Sanders and he doesn't show up either. Also, the Giants GM was there. The
07:48Giants offensive coordinator, the Tennessee offensive coordinator, like you
07:54had a chance to work for a week with the guys that you could be possibly working
07:56with if you want to be the first. And the number one picks up for drafts. Yes, it's
07:59a huge part of it. So if that was you, you would have been there. Well, if I could
08:02have played in the Senior Bowl, you know, they didn't accept juniors back then.
08:04Imagine being able to play that game Peyton against me in that. Imagine the
08:08hype, huh? Right? How did the Senior Bowl not do that? Like, how did they know
08:12for marketing go, hey, we're gonna let juniors in this year because we're gonna
08:15we're gonna pit Peyton and Ryan together before they even get on the field of the
08:18pros. What's your relationship like with Peyton Manning now? It's wonderful.
08:23After all these years. Yeah, it's just wonderful. You know, he's been a
08:26special person in my life. We've been, you know, connected since we were 20 years
08:30old. He wrote to me while I was in prison. He was there for you over the years.
08:35He's always been. Him and his family, you know, he invited me to his Hall of Fame
08:38induction, so I got to be a part of that. That was really special to see because I
08:42know how hard it is to do what he did and to be so great. And then finally, you
08:46know, we're both 48 years old. And ironically, you know, you can
08:50compartmentalize with where things went right for him and wrong for me, but we're
08:55both 48 years old with two kids, a boy and a girl. We're both... And most
08:58important, you're both happy in life. That's all you get to do. I see you sitting here, whether it's
09:03Super Bowl ring or not, whatever. And to me, bro, the same thing. Anybody that's
09:07been selected second in the NFL in draft, you've already succeeded.
09:12Same with Jarmarcus Russell. People are Jarmarcus this. You know, I wish I had Jarmarcus Russell in my career.
09:16But let's be real. People are just jackasses. Let's go. We're just calling out what our
09:20career has picked on the other side.
09:33We're kicking it live in New Orleans. We're throwing it down with the legend
09:42Ryan Leaf. And Ryan, before we get to your Super Bowl prediction and
09:47your breakdown of the game, Washington State. These guys just keep
09:51getting pushed down and getting back up. Pushed down, getting back up, losing
09:55cornerbacks, losing coaches. But it was a hell of a year this year in Pullman. I
10:00live in Vancouver, BC right now, so I get the Seattle news coverage,
10:07follow the Huskies, follow the Cougars closely. But man, the Cougs. Just a great
10:11year this year. It was a great year for them. They beat the
10:14Huskies over in Seattle. They started off where as high-ranked as 15th and then
10:19unfortunately kind of took a swoon there at the end.
10:24They had a chance the college football playoff as an independent. Wild. It was
10:28wild. But also through the process, Teresa Gould, the PAC-12 commissioner,
10:32steadfast, kept the brand, added more teams. And I think a lot of people are
10:37going to be really surprised when the media rights deal comes out here soon on
10:41what the PAC-12 brand still can garner when that's negotiated.
10:46So speaking of Washington State, everybody knows I'm a big Michigan
10:50Wolverine fan. I wasn't at the Rose Bowl that you guys played in. I wasn't at the
10:55Rose Bowl last year against Alabama. But I know you played a lot of big games. I
10:59mean, your first game in the NFL, you played a lot of big games in your life.
11:01But this being Super Bowl week, I was thinking in your life, this is, you know,
11:05that was sort of, you're playing for the National Championship essentially in a
11:07Rose Bowl in such a high-profile football game. Does the clock just tick faster in
11:13a big game when it's the last game, championship game? What's it like being a
11:16player in that moment? You know, it didn't. It just, it felt like
11:22every other game. It wasn't for everybody else though. There was,
11:27you could tell. Nerves got the best of some of your teammates. My wide receivers all
11:32year long would come back to the huddle and say, I'm open, I'm open, I'm open. All
11:36the time, they'd tell you though. And in the first half of that
11:39football game, guys were coming back and pointing to like, ST's open, like CJ's open.
11:44Well, the other guy's open because I ain't open. But they were saying that and it was so
11:48foreign and I was just like. That was almost a fetus strike there. Well, it's just,
11:52we had a few drops that normally wouldn't have occurred and,
11:56you know, it was a well-fought game. That defense was incredibly special. We were a
12:01team that was averaging almost 50 points a game and they held us to 16. You know,
12:06Charles Woodson was on that team. He was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. But
12:09no, once you play in front of, I don't care, 1,500 people, there's no difference
12:14between 1,500 and 110,000. It just doesn't. It feels the same size.
12:18Yeah. It's the Gene Hackman part from Hoosiers where he measures everything and shows
12:22everybody. He goes, goal post, the goal post, there's the end zone, right? Yeah, it was the same and
12:25then we went to work. We really did in the second half and, you know, it was a
12:30great football game and I think a lot of Cougar fans out there still believe
12:33there's two seconds out there somewhere waiting for us. So, you have the
12:36the last mile on here and I also want to cross over. I'll talk about this on the
12:40way out as well. But everybody, you know, life is about getting second chances.
12:44And not everybody's Patrick Mahomes is going to go to the Super Bowl every year.
12:48This is a second chance for Jalen Hurts. This is a second chance for the
12:50Philadelphia Eagles, Nick Sirianni. They didn't have Saquon Barkley last time.
12:54This time they do. How do they, how much can you take from the last game?
12:59You know, they're different teams right now, right? So, what do you think
13:02about this matchup this time and what can, will Philadelphia be more
13:05comfortable, do you think, now this is their second Super Bowl in three, four
13:08years, etc.? Well, you go look at the roster. There are only a handful of guys
13:13that were on that that team from two years ago. Yeah. You know, so there's a
13:16huge roster, you know, turnover in terms of things. Where Kansas City has got guys
13:21that know what this is going to be like. Know that little things like half times
13:25longer because of the big deal and Kendrick Lamar is going to be here. So,
13:29it's going to be a little bit longer. You got to learn that you just don't come in,
13:33sit down, kind of take a breather, get a coach's point, and then you go back to
13:36work. I mean, you're in there for a while. You're gonna have to warm up differently
13:39and things like. So, having that knowledge is super important. I think Saquon's a
13:43difference maker, but I also think that if he could run for 200 yards and they
13:46still lose, you know, that's what probably should have happened in the
13:48divisional round against the Rams. You know, if they don't fumble a couple
13:52times and, you know, that game's a different, total different monster. So, I
13:57think it all comes down to Jalen Hurts, period. You know, his ability to get the
14:01ball out on time, you know, in rhythm and accurately down the field. Exactly how he
14:06did in the NFC Championship. He was spectacular. And so, I think this is a
14:11great football game. I think they go head-to-head like they did two years ago.
14:14Bottom line is, there's just no evidence out there, no proof anywhere that
14:19Kansas City can't and won't win this football game. There just isn't
14:22any proof to that that exists anywhere. Isn't it crazy though, Ryan? Like, on paper,
14:26it seems time and time again, the opponents are better. Completely.
14:30It's like, well, look at San Francisco. Defense, offensive line, defensive line,
14:34running backs, Buffalo Bills, right? You know, it's all the Bills. Shoulda, coulda,
14:38woulda. They just find a way. 17 consecutive one score victories, Ryan.
14:43That can't be my mistake. Or the referees, because everybody, what do you
14:47think about that? Because everyone's, oh, the referees are on the chief's side, blah, blah, blah.
14:51Yeah, those are idiots. Those are people who are pissed because they didn't win their
14:53bets. I think that the bottom line is that they're the best team that
14:59exists. And when I say team, I'm talking about front office all the way down.
15:03There's not a better coach and quarterback combo that deals with
15:07end-of-the-game scenarios, time management, game management, than what
15:11they do. And for whatever reason, people will look at Kansas City and the fact
15:14that they win one possession games as a weakness. Yeah, yeah. Oh, they don't
15:18blow anybody out. Why in baseball and in basketball, you win games by one
15:21possession or one run. You are, that is unbelievable. That is a strength like
15:25nobody's business. But in football, no. You know, you didn't win by enough. You know,
15:29you only went 15-2. Well, that's almost the betting
15:33aspect and the fantasy aspect. Obviously, he's not a great fantasy
15:37player, so he's not a great player. Yeah, and they don't care about stats. You saw
15:40what Kelsey did in the divisional round. Is that what makes Mahomes start to jump in?
15:45Because I know we don't have a ton of time, but what makes Mahomes so great
15:48that he doesn't care about stats? Another thing is, every year he has new wide
15:52receivers, or almost every month he has new wide receivers. Like a lot of teams,
15:56right? You know, like Joe Burrows got his guys. Mahomes just makes people better.
16:01Is it not the sign of a great player, great quarterback, that you make people
16:04better? There's usually a concept that I invest in greatly, and that's
16:07players over plays. I just think it's different with Kansas City. I think it's
16:12plays over players. I think they've got great players, don't get me wrong. I just
16:15think the scheme and everything is so good, and you have the best guy
16:19orchestrating that at quarterback, and they don't care. They just want the W.
16:23There's no pictures in the reunion book that shows what that
16:28win looked like. If it's ugly as hell, they don't care. It's a W. A W is a W, so
16:32it sounds like you don't want to get in front of that Kansas City Chief cheering
16:36right now. No, you don't. It's Kansas City 31-28, high scoring, fun football
16:41game. Yeah, I'm excited for it, though. Ryan, it was a pleasure. Let's do this
16:45again sometime, man. It was awesome talking to you, man. Yes, sir. Thank you very much.
16:48Best of luck in the future. The last mile with Ryan Lee.