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00:00Inside the Big Game continues. I am Gable Maranci. We're kicking it live in New Orleans.
00:05Countdown to kickoff is on Sports Grid Radio and Television Network, Sirius XM, channel 159.
00:12We're sitting beside a man that knows this town very well. He's played football here for five years.
00:18A five-year NFL vet, New Orleans Saint. And to me, I'm even more excited about the fact,
00:24a former Michigan Wolverine in the house, Gold Blue, Cesar Ruiz.
00:29What's up, my man? Thanks for taking the time to be with us, man.
00:32Of course, of course, of course.
00:33Hey, man. So we're in New Orleans. We've had a great time so far this week.
00:38What's it like? I know you'd rather be playing in the game this week, man.
00:42But what's it like having the football world come to the backyard?
00:45I think it's great, man. I think it's great. The city is, you know, New Orleans is already an amazing city.
00:50So you're doing a great job adding New Orleans flavor to the Super Bowl.
00:54You know, it's great. You know, I got off the plane yesterday and saw the airport.
00:58So, I mean, it looks amazing. So, you know, shout out to them for doing such a great job.
01:01So listen, there's a lot of talk about Cooper Cup getting traded.
01:04Yeah.
01:05I saw a segment on TV last night. What's a good fit for him? Where should he end up?
01:10For people tuning in right now, if there's a player out there, an agent out there,
01:14you sell the Saints and the city of New Orleans. What's it like playing for the New Orleans Saints?
01:18Man, it's great playing for the Saints, man, because you got, I tell people all the time,
01:23we got some of the most passionate fans, if not the most passionate fans in the entire NFL, man.
01:28You know, this city loves the Saints, man.
01:31This city is the Saints, right?
01:32Yeah.
01:33You guys are the city, huh?
01:34Yeah. And it's about time we started doing something special for the city.
01:37Now, listen, last year, this past season didn't go the way you guys wanted.
01:40Pretty much whatever could go wrong kind of did, right, for you?
01:43How tough was it?
01:44Yeah, it was weird, man.
01:45Because you started to play well, and then, boom, the carpet gets pulled out, right?
01:48Yeah, it was such a weird, like, so many weird things kept happening.
01:51It was just, yeah, it was just so unfortunate, man.
01:55It was just, I can't put it into words.
01:57Especially after being a player, it's like, you know, things start going well,
02:00and the next thing you know, you see things not go so well.
02:02So, man, it wasn't a good feeling.
02:09I guess, though, being in the league for five years, it's the way it is.
02:12Not all seasons are going to go your way, right?
02:14And also, in this league, you can go from worst to first.
02:16You can turn things around in a hurry in a national football league.
02:20There's a lot of talk about Kellen Moore being the new coach of the New Orleans Saints.
02:26Obviously, he's got some work to do this weekend.
02:29What can you tell us?
02:30What are you hearing about the future of the coaching situation for the Saints?
02:33Yeah, I'll be honest with you.
02:35I haven't heard a thing.
02:36So, you just know what you hear in the media, right?
02:38I'm finding out from what the media is saying.
02:41So, I don't know how much you can say.
02:43That's the word on the street, bro, that the day after the Super Bowl,
02:46Kellen Moore is going to be the coach.
02:47Yeah, I know.
02:48You take it with a grain of salt.
02:49But, like I said, whoever is our coach, I can't wait to meet them.
02:55You know what I'm saying?
02:56Whoever our coach is going to be, and I'm going to embrace him.
02:58I can't wait to meet whoever is going to be.
03:00So, speaking of coaches, your former college coach, Jim Harbaugh,
03:05in the National Football League right now, a lifelong Michigan Wolverine fan.
03:09Loved Harbaugh when I was a kid.
03:11As a quarterback, knew he was going to put the program back on the map,
03:14and you were part of that foundation.
03:16You could have went to a lot of schools.
03:18Yep.
03:19And Michigan wasn't at the top of the chain then, right?
03:21Right now, they're throwing big money around and all that, right?
03:23Yeah.
03:24Before, it was like, and you got to earn your spot there.
03:27You're not promised a starting position when you commit to the Michigan Wolverines.
03:31What was it about Coach Harbaugh and Ann Arbor and the Wolverines that sold you, man?
03:35Yeah, it was like I think what sold – I was talking about this earlier.
03:40I think what sold it was how authentic Coach Harbaugh was.
03:44When I was talking to Coach Harbaugh and I would take all these visits –
03:46I went to Michigan a bunch, but I would take these visits
03:49and I would talk to Coach Harbaugh and I would talk to his staff.
03:51I didn't feel like somebody was trying to sell me something.
03:56I didn't feel like –
03:57Is he who we see on TV?
03:59Is he like that genuine?
04:01Because he seems to be just the real deal.
04:02He's just an authentic, very authentic person.
04:06He never was like, you're going to come in here and start,
04:09or I never was pressured to like, hey, commit right now.
04:12A lot of schools I went to, I felt pressured.
04:15I was at Michigan.
04:16They were like, hey, man, enjoy the facilities.
04:17Enjoy where you're at.
04:18We love you as a player.
04:20Just there, I always felt so comfortable there.
04:22I was like, this is where I want to be.
04:23It feels authentic.
04:24That held true through my three years there too.
04:27Everything that I thought it was going to be, it was what it was.
04:30Can you share, tell us the funniest or a funny Harbaugh thing about him
04:36not wanting to eat chicken and drinking as much milk as he does?
04:40Did he get in your guys' face about this stuff?
04:42Yeah.
04:43It was actually funny because a chicken is a nervous bird.
04:46Yeah, he said.
04:47Too twitchy, right?
04:48Yeah.
04:49He said, chicken is a nervous bird.
04:50And, you know, being young, I was like, yeah, chickens are nervous.
04:54I was like, yeah, chickens are nervous, man.
04:55I've eaten steak.
04:56But it was great.
04:57I think the first meal I ever had at his house,
04:59I believe I had a meal there and we had milk.
05:04There was a bunch of milk.
05:05I think all the early enrollees, it was milk and steak, I believe.
05:08I think that's what we had.
05:09So it was awesome, though.
05:11But he had his philosophies, he had his beliefs, and I love it
05:13because he loves the game, he loves ball, and he loves his guys.
05:17I've got to ask you about the game that's coming up this weekend
05:20with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
05:24How do you feel, what do you think when you see the media
05:27and a lot of people sort of making the Kansas City Chiefs villains
05:30because they're winning?
05:32And there's a lot of people that, oh, the refs are helping them
05:35and this and that.
05:37Listen, bro, it's hard to win as much as they do by accident, right?
05:41Yeah, you don't do that on accident, man.
05:43I put it like this, man.
05:46Obviously, as football fans, as humans, you like to see different things,
05:51like to see change, like to see a new winner.
05:53It's good for the brain, you know what I'm saying?
05:56I just put it like this, man.
05:58As bad as people don't like to see the Chiefs' success, I mean, they earned it.
06:02You know what I'm saying?
06:03I mean, these guys...
06:05What is it that makes them so good?
06:07It seems to me that they don't make mistakes in the execution.
06:12They execute simple plays time and time again, nothing complicated,
06:15just simple plays over and over.
06:17Yeah, I mean, they have their blueprint, they have their philosophy,
06:21and they do it well.
06:23And what about the Philadelphia Eagles?
06:25You guys played the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this year.
06:28You guys had the Eagles on the ropes.
06:30And Saquon did the Saquon type of thing that he does, right,
06:33and popped a couple of big runs.
06:35What was it like playing against the Philadelphia Eagles?
06:37Man, they got some brutal dudes on the defensive side of the ball, don't they?
06:40Yeah, they have really good defense, young, talented defense,
06:43a lot of talented guys on that defense.
06:46You know, it's funny, when I play against Philly, I'm from South Jersey.
06:49Camden, right?
06:50Yeah, from Camden, New Jersey, so I grew up around Philly fans my entire life.
06:53Every time I play the Eagles, it's always like, oh, I'm playing the hometown team.
06:56But, you know, playing against Philly is always fun.
06:59It's always fun and competitive.
07:01Like I said, those guys are super talented.
07:03I mean, this year's game was a nail-biter.
07:05It was a close one.
07:07Were you an Eagle fan growing up, a Giant fan?
07:10No, no, I didn't have a favorite team growing up.
07:12I just loved football.
07:14I just kind of liked football.
07:15And I know, listen, something you're very proud of is your Dominican heritage.
07:19Yes.
07:20Man, I tell you what, I covered a bunch of all Expos.
07:23Vladimir Guerrero, a legend, the Alus, legends.
07:26Baseball players are basically, a lot of kids grow up wanting to be baseball players,
07:31be Major League Baseball players.
07:33How cool is it for you that there's going to be kids in the Dominican Republic
07:36and say, you know what, maybe I can play in the NFL, too.
07:39I've just played baseball.
07:40Yeah, and that's awesome.
07:42I love being an example for them.
07:45I love being like, hey, listen, you don't have to limit yourself to one thing.
07:50It doesn't even have to be sports.
07:52I'm feeling like, hey, you can really just do whatever you really want
07:55to set your mind to.
07:56You can do whatever you want.
07:57I think that's for kids from Camden as well.
07:58That's for sure.
07:59Exactly.
08:00You can get to where you want to go, right?
08:01Yeah, that was my big thing when I got drafted, too,
08:03just making sure I spoke to the youth.
08:05Since I got drafted, I sent out a message.
08:07I made sure I spoke to the youth like, hey, you can do whatever you want.
08:10I chose to play football, and look what I did.
08:12You guys can do whatever you want.
08:14And that's kind of been my message to a lot of young people.
08:17Just anybody that has dreams and aspirations,
08:20don't let anybody tell you you can't do it.
08:23All right, Ceaser.
08:24I think we've got about a minute left here,
08:25so I've got to get a prediction from you.
08:28Is Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs,
08:30going to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row,
08:32or Saquon and Jalen going to get it done?
08:35I'll be honest.
08:36And Brandon Grant, man, a little blue love right there.
08:38Yeah, yeah, a little blue.
08:39My guy, BG.
08:41Man, I'll be honest.
08:43I hate to be the guy, but I don't even know, man.
08:48I probably won't even watch the game.
08:49Really?
08:50Nah.
08:51A little bit?
08:52I probably won't even watch it.
08:53I'll wait till the end.
08:54Really, huh?
08:55I'll wait till the end.
08:56You have a little party or something?
08:57You going to chill on Sunday?
08:58Nah, man, because I'm mad I can't play.
08:59You know what?
09:00So you're just going to check in a little later in the game, huh?
09:02I might switch the channel like a couple times.
09:04What about the halftime show?
09:06The halftime show at Kansas?
09:07That's what I'm watching.
09:08You're going to watch that, man.
09:09That's my favorite artist.
09:10So I'm watching that.
09:11I'm going to make sure I'm there for the half.
09:12You're going to make sure you're there for me.
09:13Yes, sir.
09:14Five years in the NFL.
09:15Five Grammys for having me.
09:16You're the man, Caesar.
09:17Yes, sir.
09:18Go Blue.
09:19Go Blue.
09:20Go Blue.
09:21Go Blue.
09:22Go Blue.
09:23Go Blue.
09:24Go Blue.
09:25Go Blue.
09:26Go Blue.
09:27Go Blue.
09:28Go Blue.
09:29Go Blue.
09:30Go Blue.
09:31Go Blue.
09:32Go Blue.
09:33Go Blue.
09:34Go Blue.
09:35Go Blue.
09:36Go Blue.
09:37Go Blue.
09:38Go Blue.
09:39Go Blue.
09:40Go Blue.