Russell Wilson | Ep. 83

so like it was like our first like probably month that we were dating and and we're out and about I'm sitting there and I'm walking me and her are walking and you know it's a lot of people and that and everybody's like oh my God Sierra Sierra Sierra Sierra and all of a sudden like the this girl was like her bodyguard is really hot and and Sierra starts laughing she oh thanks for being my bodyguard today all right guys welcome back to another episode of not just football with Cam Hayward we are joined today by Super Bowl winner now Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Russell Wilson thank you so much for coming man I appreciate you guys man we're sitting here in lro and uh it's a it's a beautiful night out man just good to hang out with you bro man I can't believe we got I can't believe I can't believe you came soon as you asked me I was like let's do it I know okay so we'll start off with this easy one who's most more talented you or Sierra oh man uh Sierra The Way She Moves I you know I the dancing and she's athletic she's a track star you know she she she's pretty I can't I can't move like her you know what I'm saying but maybe I'm not maybe I'm not supposed to maybe I'm not supposed to I'll hop in the chit talk every once in a while I do it like once every year maybe once every two years but before before I move on with that I got to make sure I shout this out Josh Cashman our editor oh I love Josh is J's editor yes okay crazy story about Josh has he told you no no he has okay so Josh obviously I played in Seattle as you know we played in Seattle and this guy was you know this guy was this kid was some kid was like his name was like like Cashman or something on Twitter I couldn't figure what it was and anyways he was blowing up everything he released was like 30,000 likes 50,000 which is a lot of likes on Twitter right it's like just off the chart numbers yeah so anyways so he this kid keeps calling this Cashman kid keeps calling me out he's a huge fan he's like hey he wants wants to play um like Mario Kart brothers or something like that with me and I'm like all right I don't play video games to be honest with you but I'm like all right let's do it so I invite him to the office I had office in Seattle he comes to the office and anyways this Twitter Phenom okay blowing up a Seahawks fan everything else comes in we're battling having a good time and I'm like and as we're playing I'm like hey so what do you you know what do you do for a living what whatever whatever he's like well I don't really have a job or anything like that I'm trying to make money but really I'm just I'm just a college kid just trying to make it trying to pay my college bills so fast forward I'm like I'm playing against him and you know we're vibing he's cool dude and we're laughing having a good time he's a huge Seahawks fan like I said I'm like you want a job and he's like wait what I said you want to come work for me and I said you can come work for me I said I know you got what's your schedule like what's your school schedule he told me that certain days he had school and everything else and he he said listen I'll come up and I said if you can come up and drive up to Seattle I'll make sure I pay you and I'll you know I'll take care of you so you can start paying off the college bills so fast forward so fast forward okay so Cashman helps me you know helps me blow up some of my social dude's crushing it he's working for me yeah and so so then Co hits and I'm like you know I'm like okay you know I I want to make sure that you continue to Excel and I'm like hey go go do what you want to do man like if if you want to go to La like take a chance and he's like I I think I want to go to La this and that didn't know what was going on in the world and I'm like go take a shot and sure enough he did he dude he's doing your podcast he's doing I think he did something with Shaq like this dude man is the this is crazy so uh small world Cashman you're you're my brother for life and I'm grateful for you man I did not did not know this yes crazy small world yeah uh back to Sierra how competitive are you two oh super competitive I think I'm well I'm I'm definitely we're both equally competitive but I'm probably more of an about it you know like are you just a little bit you know like I got a little got to rub it in yeah you know mean I got a little I got a little bit of that in me but um but no C is uh C is super competitive she loves winning she loves what's the one thing she beats you in well any dance move um that for sure uh um I mean you know what she's really good at yeah I don't know if she beats me all the time but we love playing each other or playing other people is we're really good at pickle ball so I know if you and your wife want to play pickle ball against us we're ready uh let me know okay um but uh but yeah so we'll we'll we'll we'll enter you in some some tournaments yeah some local Pittsburgh tournaments how about that yeah do it after the Super Bowl I like that good answer favorite Sierra song before you were married and favorite Sierra song after you were married easy ride there you go there you go great video kids do not watch um and um after I would say um level up I mean see C was pregnant she was trying to decide what she want to do with a label and you know traditional labels and everything else they kind of run a lot of things for you and everything else and and I remember we sat we were sitting there talking about what she wanted to do and we were like hey let's you know go for this independent thing build your own and uh we looked up stuff remember us researching we were in La at the time researching up you know famous people with famous artists with you know their own independent labels and everything else and uh Sierra wanted to you know build her own so we talked about how to do it and everything else and she did it and then next thing you know she dropped level up it was a massive song she flew all the way to uh to New Zealand um to shoot it um just got up it's like let's go and found all the dancers put this whole thing together boom one of the biggest songs she's ever done uh so yeah she's got a lot of great songs I love but that I'm just proud of that one because she took a chance on herself and I think anytime somebody takes a chance on themselves and takes takes risk you know it's a great example and I think it also it shows our kids to take risk you know challenges and obstacles and um go against the grain sometimes and I think that she uh she does that all the time speaking of Taking Chances let's go back you're in college playing for NC State Y how the hell do you wind up at Wisconsin that is a chance in itself yeah well a good move man yeah I was playing uh both Sports at NC State um and uh you know at the time you know my you know it was a blessing because my dad was really sick I got to NC State my dad got really sick um and uh my first week of school um he had diabetes and my first week of school his legs swell up and he had to get his leg amputated and uh it was a tough time because I was trying to make the football team I was I was the fifth quarterback basically on the roster trying to make the team and trying to do all this stuff at the same time I also was playing football and baseball had to go compete for the starting job and all these different things and my dad was on his death bed essentially because his his prosthetic leg fell off hit his head on the corner of a marble table in a coma for for three and a half weeks crazy story my mom starts singing the song All by grace to him in his ear and next thing you know um you know my my dad wakes up out of it and that's when I really started believing in and Taking Chances in Miracles and all that stuff and so fast forward you know I went to NC State the blessing was I was driving cam every every Friday no every Thursday night back when my dad was in the hospital Thursday nights on the lowkey to see my dad in the hospital sometimes and a lot of times what I would do is come back early in the mornings and and so the the fact that my dad was close to NC State and he was only two and half hours away meant a lot to me well when he passed away it was a challenge because I just got drafted in baseball July uh no June 8 2010 the next day June 9th 2010 my dad passed away and so it was the highest of the highest the lowest the lows of my life within 24 hours and that's when decisions kind of started happening for me I had to become a grown man and kind of figure out okay what is where's life going to take me and um fast forward I played my last year at football at NC state that that following football season played well U won the bowl game played West Virginia and then I had to go to Big League spring training and so I went to Big League spring training had a great time was with the Colorado Rockies organization um and I remember you know being around some big Leaguers like cargo and tulowitzky and these guys and Todd Hilton and being lock I felt like baseball was G to be the direction I was going to go at the time yeah and I just remember waking up it was April 27th um of 20 of 2011 I remember waking up and I was in Rome Georgia okay playing for it's a crazy story I was playing Rome Georgia playing for uh the Colorado a organiz organization the Asheville tourist and I remember waking up in a holiday in and calling my football coach and saying hey coach I'm coming back and he said no and he said he said no you're not and I said what do you mean I'm not coming back he said no you're not you're not coming back you need to just focus on baseball we're going uh with Mike Glennon we're going with somebody else and I said well I want to come back for my senior year he said no you're not you're not coming back that's than that so I said okay uh you know what you know do you not want me to compete for the starting job he said no you're no matter what I do I I can't win the Serge he said no so then that fast forward I said Okay I want my transfer papers that was that day on the seven 730 a.m. I never forget I was on the third floor of the holiday in I think it was the holiday in express to be funny and I'm sitting there Rome Georgia and I I remember it was about 8:00 and I hung up the phone saying okay I I I'm going to need my transfer papers well a month be a couple months before that my Agent Mark Rogers had said there's a loophole in the NCAA that if you graduate early nobody's really ever done this before but if you graduate early you can transfer to go to any school and he just mentioned that to me well when he told me that he didn't want to come back I I said okay I need my transfer papers and and then fast forward I um I said okay all right I'm gonna go do this I'm gonna take this risk I go hit B BP four o'clock I'm in the first pitting Group by 4:15 the ESPN breaking news Russell Wilson's transfering comes in I have a call my first call is from Auburn Tigers and I'm sitting in my locker and I'm like who's calling me right now it's an Alabama number I pick up the phone and I just miss it the message I listen to the message and uh it's like hey call me back so I'm like call me back I'm like who is this so fast forward I I I called the number back I just I'm sweating as hot as heck it's Rome Georgia it's like 103 degrees Georg do and I'm like hello and he's like I this is uh this is Jean chisik from the Auburn Tigers and I'm like okay Coach how you doing he goes hey I hope I'm your first call because I want you to know that Auburn Tigers we want you to be the next quarterback of the Auburn Tigers and we think you can win the Heisman Trophy and win the national championship here and I'm like I'm like this is awesome that's my first call and then the phone just kept ringing so then I had like 30 he went to Wisconsin so I had 30 teams looking at it and I looked at it and I was like okay my brother did pros and con sheet with me and it I really kind of narrowed it down between two schools who were the schools Auburn and Wisconsin and the reason why Auburn was interesting because they threw the ball a lot they were spread out all this kind of stuff and Cam Newton had just won the Heisman Trophy there and then fast forward uh Wisconsin was interesting because one they had a really good offense I mean our offense they run the ball well their their offense check this out they had they had they had Ricky Wagner at left tackle uh they had Travis Frederick at left guard Peter KH at Center um they had uh zitler at Right Guard and they had um havenstein as a right tackle not playing league and then Oglesby was the other guy too so they had a lot of good guys and Nick T was the receiver ABA darus we had we had three star running backs we had Monty ball James White and Melvin Gordon and I'm looking at the roster I'm like hm and my dad used to always tell me I was young I was about seven eight years old hey son you need to check out this school you know Wisconsin I'm I'm from Virginia he's like you need to check out this school Wisconsin you'll love it uh there's this guy named Barry Alvarez up there he's a Hall of Fame coach and I'm like I don't I don't even know where Wisconsin is on the map fast forward fast forward just amazing how God works I go visit um and I go visit I meet with all these guys Brady you all these pro pro mentality guys I loved it Paul Chris was the offensive coordinator Brett be was a head coach I fell in love with it and I go to dinner with my brother and my brother was living in Chicago and I sit I'm sitting down having dinner I'd already visited Auburn and now I'm visiting I only had like two off days CU I was playing pro baseball at the time and so the time as I sit down and dinner with my brother my brother kind of looks at me and smirks and he says you know what today is right I said no it it's today and you know he goes you don't know what today is I'm like I'm trying to look at the clock and he goes uh you know he goes today's the day the dad passed away a year ago and that's when I knew that I needed to go there that's when I knew besides meeting all my teammates and the great guys and the and the the coaches and the just the I mean Wisconsin football Camp Randall everything else that moment I knew that that was where I was supposed to be where my feet were and I I had been traveling so much for baseball i' been so busy trying to figure out okay where does life take you and I've been praying about it thinking about it crying about it thinking through it there was you know it's it's a blessing and a curse to be able to play both Sports because what do you decide as a young kid I was a 5'11 you know black kid from rich Richmond Virginia there weren't that many 511 quarterbacks in the league besides Drew Brees who was 6 foot Michael Vic was before then and really that was it at the time and there weren't many African-American quarterbacks and then the baseball I was a prototypical second baseman shortstop I was bigger I was fast all that so I had this tough decision to make and I was you know what I need to take this chance because of that and uh sure enough I did man it was the best six months of my life it was uh some of the that's the case I would have got you I would have called you at Ohio State hey I had known that shoot and so it just worked out and uh you know now I get to it's going to be my 13th year plan playing ball man always it's a blessing we talk about gifts and curses um you've had the gift of playing in two Super Bowls uh winning one losing one um let's go with the high first winning that first Super Bowl in Seattle how how special was that and what do you remember about that the journey I just remember it was my second year you know it was a we were so locked in as a team you know we had so much Edge you know obviously legion of boom guys like Richard and Cam and Brandon Browner and Earl these guys were dominant every day at practice I mean how they locked in every day going against them just made me better and better and better um guys like Bobby Wagner who was this heart and soul the center of that defense young with me as well and just um was consistent every day in his approach um we had defensive lineman we had the rotation of guys from Clemens to me Bane and uh just Michael Benn and Cliff averil just guys rushing the passer and just guys that were so dedicated um you know through those years you know of time and I think we just had a blast man we we worked our butts off we were a little bit crazy too um I think you got to have that you know um you got to be obsessed obsessed with the job yeah you got to be obsessed with the task and I think that when when in that Super Bowl what was it like I think the best thing about it was um we knew when we walked off the bus we were going to win every game we literally y'all shocked the world I I'll say that right there we knew every time we stepped off the bus that we were better than everybody else that's that's how we felt we felt that we were more physical that we were going to be explosive in offense we felt like our defense was going to get us the ball you know and and do things and um and just uh when the game was on the line we felt like we were going to make plays and uh sure enough we did you know and I think going to that Super Bowl was in New York City um metti and uh it was supposed to be snowing like crazy that night yes I do remember that and we were like worried that it was going to snow like crazy CU obviously Denver from being from there they're used to snow and all that and Payton and everything else but um sure enough it didn't yeah and uh I just remember the best part one of the besides holding the trophy obviously winning uh and pouring the Gatorade on Coach uh the the one of my favorite memories is is actually walking out for the coin toss I go out for the coin toss and you know I'm walking across and uh it's we're going out and um Heath Heath farwell's with me and red big red Bryan we're going going out and walking across is pton Manning chant Bailey um um I I'm trying to remember who I think maybe in Demarcus s I'm trying to remember who else they had coming I think Demarcus s's on the other side and they're all coming out and and uh just I mean these guys that I've always looked up to and watched over the years and there's this guy in a mink coat I'm like who the hell was that like you know it's far away I'm like the mink coat walking out with him and so anyway so I get out to the coin toss and and the referees like hey you know we got welcome to the you know Super Bowl 48 we got you know the the we got the the AFC champions the Denver Broncos you know we got the NFC champions the Seattle Seahawks everybody's going crazy and the lights are flashing you know that thing you see on TV when you're a young kid and the and the and the ref's like well guys we have a we have a p tonight you know we got the one and only uh Joe neth here you know and I'm like this is Joe neth main coat Joe and um and sure enough he's like he's gonna do the he's got the honors to do the coin toss and he takes the coin and flips the coin and and I'm calling it right he flips just grabs the coin flips it and the ref grabs it midair he goes whoa whoa whoaa Joe Joe Joe Joe go heads or tails and he looks at me goes hey Wilson I always had a quick release and Winks this is the coolest thing so um you know I think those memories um those things uh just celebrating you know knowing that hard work pays off yeah and now we got to talk about I know it's tough to talk about because I couldn't imagine losing the Super Bowl um losing that Super Bowl to New England what was that like what do you remember I think it's a challenging um thing to lose when you've gotten that farh you know it's it's one of those things that you know um you know even even the game we were up and they they come back you know late I'm like okay we got 21 o'clock like like I wait I live we live for these moments I live for these moments like here we go let's go win it first play actually you know give Marsha a double move he go makes a play down the field I throw it to him he runs like a Sluggo you know boom catch a couple plays later boom boom boom next thing you know obviously the ball tipped and make the play and um and then the next play We Run uh like 19 week runs to the left or whatever and gets tackled um right at the one yard line or whatever and and uh you know obviously you guys know what happens next that you know it's it's really the a You Know cover zero answer and um they were showing that and it didn't work um but I think the hardest part is you know you feel like you let people down and you know you let people down you feel like it's all on you all the time and um but also too I think the part that you grow the most is through the valley yep when you go back in the locker room and sometimes uh you know you you feel that lonely space um and you have certain guys that come up to you and you know guys like Robert turban guys like you know certain guys that I that was close with you know um they show you the love and everything else despite all that I think that you know the hardest part is knowing that you didn't get to win the second one you know like Winning is Everything it's everything I think about it's everything I ever want to do and never really cared how we do it I just I just love winning I'll make go make a block for a guy I'll do whatever and just didn't work you know and I think though um what I learned from it well anything else is that people will love you one day and they'll hate you the next yeah and Jay-Z says it best they'll love you and then they hate you and they'll love you again and I think that they love you again I I think I think that part of it is is that you have to be really balanced in your faith um I remember waking up the next morning and be like okay God you know what and I remember this when my dad passed away when my dad passed away it was the hardest moment in my life and the next day I remember waking up and I had to go to CVS or something and I was like man I was struggling and my and I just remember just kind of like I feel like God was speaking to me say you know what the sun still comes up in the morning and I remember waking up the next day after we didn't win and I remember just saying you know to myself the sun still comes up in the morning yeah and I think that you have to make a decision you know how are you going to when I was young as third year in my NFL you know how you going to decide how the rest of your career goes and how are you going to elevate and how are you going to grow and how you going to learn and how you going to overcome and knowing that it's going to be obstacles in the way and so coming back from that year we started off slow the next season and I just felt like you know I got to put my head down and block out any noise and just get hot yeah sure enough we did um got high and I just felt like you know from a quarterback position I got just got I got better and better and better and learned a lot um you know overcame obstacles and that's what life's about and uh I think a lot of times um you know you go through those things but I think the best moment that I've had in the recent years was going back to see Pete um you know and we've always been really close me and Coach Carol and just to when he got when they got let go from Seahawks I I went back to see them I got to see a lot of the guys you know Sherman Bobby and DK and these guys that I that I'm really close with um especially like you know DK is one of my close I talk to him all the time every week probably and guys like Bobby and um but you know guys like Doug Bal and just different guys I got to see and just we just fellowshipped over football and life and seeing kids and that's just what life's about and so but my mindset right now is I still got a lot more ball left in me we we got more Super Bowls to win and you know what you can't look back you got to look forward you got to look in the moment and and uh we got a great team here I'm looking forward to it well it's funny like you know I brought up like your Lowe's and like I've talked to like a lot of Steeler players you know I think it was like they won the two first two Super Bowls and then they always thought like they're always going to win and they said through that loss you just start to understand the NFL mortality of it and understand that like man I'm not guaranteed at this I'm not guaranteed to go to Super Bowl every year and so it uh to watch you continue to just keep battling back and continue to just keep putting out you know good performance after good performance while being a good human you know that that's that's a story in itself yeah I think that it's just um that's where faith comes in like I said I think that just trusting in God that you know what God you're going to take me through every peak in every Valley and you're going to be with me through it all and just waking up thankful every day having gratitude at the Forefront of your heart knowing that you know God you chose me for this you chose me to be here doing what I get to do one of 32 guys in the world every day like I'm going to I'm going to worship you I'm going to praise you through it all and uh I'm not going to let up on it and uh some people will love it some people won't but you know what God like you love me you care for me and just I think thinking about that constantly and you know you have to know that it's going to be obstacles on the way you talked about Pete Carroll is there any similarities between him and Mike two uh yeah I would say there's definitely some similarities I think both of them love winning obviously but the but how they do it how they teach it the inspiration every day you know yeah you know coach coach Carol would always you know have motivational things inspirational things would have ways to get there too and have different people come in and this and that um obviously coach Tomlin I think his ability to be blunt I mean to be to be really blunt but also to be he sees it all yeah I mean he sees it all from just and Coach Carol was all like that way but Mike has this interesting Dynamic where he's sitting on the back porch with us here in l trobe you know sitting and he's telling me a story about how he grew up and how it relates to you know me as a father and you know our son and this and that and just the things that he understands and processes um I think his motivational how he walks in a room he's got a certain Swagger and so both of them are amazing coaches and I've just been blessed to be obviously play Under coach Carol but now playing with Coach Tomlin it's it's an amazing honor and treat to be able to take notes every day of him you know and learn from him and obviously being around guys like you TJ um some of the greatest to do it in this game I I learn a lot from just observing and hearing and that's been a blessing um you don't have to go too far into Denver but talk about you know you're in Denver and then you get cut how was that free agency process yeah um well obviously Denver didn't go the way that you know I hoped and prayed for and everything else but you know what sometimes it does in the sense that God moves you and puts you in somewhere new Brandon um and he puts you in a place that's um you know fresh start and I think for me um it was as soon as I got released from Denver team started calling and it was one of those things okay like time to play ball kind of thing and uh I remember um the Steelers are actually one of the first teams um and I was really excited because I had always admired coach Tom and admired you I admired TJ I admired the players that on this team and I admired the organization I admired the the history of it all I'm I'm a I'm a football buff and I love just ball and I grew up on the East Coast I saw all the black and yellow play the time I knew actually Troy palalo some because you know he you know he lives in San Diego yeah and just I kind of um saw the tradition of the game you know um you know Franco Harris and just these guys that were you know all time great Ben rothenburger I grew up watching them as was a young kid you know um you know so there was these Legends I I remember Watching Terry Bradshaw not watching him play necessarily but I remember being on stage with him when I went to the Super Bowl and he was giving me advice of how to how to go win it and just these moments of time and I just like how does this all correlate what did Terry say to you well we got I gota figure out what Terry being on stage and and just talking to him and and he said just said you know keep keep the guys Focus you know don't you're not you know you haven't done it yet you know basically he was telling me but I think that a big part of it is um you know the history of the game here is really spectacular the roonies and everything else but I was gravitated towards the the level of um detail in winning I think that when any team has won as much as this team has won over the years and there's more winning to do but the consistency of it I think consistency is evident um I think that's really important to watch when organization is won for seven eight nine 10 plus years I think it's 17 now whatever it has been I mean that's that in itself is is interesting then just the small amount of head coaches they've had I think the players um and then I got to talk to you I got to talk to you I recru he fanes himself I mean we didn't go on a date we didn't go on a date but we had a FaceTime no Nappa Prime no Wu no I facetimed him for like two hours we literally FaceTime for two hours and and uh I remember I remember just getting off that call and I looked at C I said this is where I'm going well I I remember I didn't Su I was like bro we go to Latrobe like this is like we we practice like Gladiators it's not like oh yeah you got like a Miss fan here no it's like we about to get out of the mud yeah for sure and I love that about football I mean anybody knows me I'm obsessed with the game and just I love the the detail of it I love practice I love you know just and then so I got to talk to you I was like this is where I'm going and then I got to talk to TJ and Minka and I what did TJ and Minka say I I want to know M's in his car he's whipping around he's in like Miami or whatever he's at and he's like hey three you like to compete I said man you already know me come on come on man and he's like all right cuz we go we go talk that stuff and PR all right let's get it and um and so we were laughing having a good time uh he you know and just that part of it was cool um you know he was chill you know everything else and then uh TJ and I just we obviously we played at Wisconsin and we knew of each other gone against each other the respect there and everything else um the love for Wisconsin alone but I think that um a big part of it was uh just you know he really wants to win you know you really want to win like not just like yeah of course we want to win everybody wants to win but what are we going to do to get there how do it look there's a process there there's a thought process and I think the leadership here was exciting for me exciting to just be a part of it and just um and just come in and just you know help us win and help us find a way to do what we all desire and that's the hold the trophy and um that's my mission every day we wake up okay I'm gonna have some fun with this uh TJ Watt great player right mhm um oversized ego and so you know we we joke in meetings all the time and he talks about he played quarterback at one time you've heard that right I've heard this yes he thinks he could go back in high school right now what he knows go to Texas play quarterback and win a state championship is that possible if he's running the ball who's going to tackle but um you know I haven't seen him throw I think I actually saw him throw the other day and what' you think yeah I don't know if he's winning in Texas yeah maybe New Hampshire yeah we said Wisconsin too Wisconsin probably New Hampshire I'm just you went New Hampshire small state nothing against New Hampshire just a smaller State there's less quarterbacks um but you know I don't know Texas is like a lot of great quarterbacks out of Texas you know California some good ones out of Virginia you know but I'm just saying like Texas he went for it yeah yeah but um yeah I don't know if they're tackling him I still think I still think you you guys need to come on offensive side and get a fullback of zero and just run downhill I still think we need to line TJ outside and do a little tight end you know signal him and just go make a play especially like what they used to do with I asked you guys that the other day I asked you at the game well you got you ran the ball once on a kickoff and we're told never again though right yeah well like we were playing Baltimore and I was on kickoff turn and they kicked it right to me and I ran I was like this is my what I got 11 yards okay 11 yards we just need two we just need two one yards at the goal line exactly so I can make somebody Miss we don't need you to make anybody miss we need to run through somebody we don't want you to make anybody miss I don't think you're going to make anybody I don't think if you got the I don't think you're going to make me miss you're just probably going to stiff arm me and throw me out the way Russ I'm going make you miss I'm sorry I'm sorry Russ I hate to break it to you I'm going to make you miss what's that shoe you wear 16 yeah those aren't going to make anybody miss I'm going make you miss and then you just going to be grabbing at my 16s which is going to be crazy um you've played with a lot of great receivers um what is it about George pickings and what's it like getting to know well I think the the best thing about him is he has this Natural Instinct uh for the ball his ability to track the ball his ability to effortlessly get open um in certain spaces and then the other thing that's interesting is is that as I've watched a lot of tape of him um and then obviously seeing him out here is I don't think he ever gets tackled the first time I literally think I I don't think he gets tackled I I don't think I've seen it and so my point is is that his ability to escape and move and you know move his body is you know and make people Miss is is uh speaking about making making people Miss is his ability to do that is is really remarkable um and then I think that he's just growing he's growing I mean he's young he's he's talented um you know he he wants to be great and I think that it's you know it's also I feel like part of my responsibility to push him every day to what it's going to take you know and and that's the part that I love man just I love being around great guys that want to want to be great every day and uh you know I've been around guys like DK um who was a you know he's a monster guy who wants to just be great every day um you know guys like Tyler Lockett who want to be great every day um guys like cland Sutton who want to be great every day um Doug Baldwin you know in my younger younger years but just just how how detailed Sydney rice um was a guy who was you know near the end of his career but just he's so smart at the game and understood it so I think George has has every bit of potential to be one of the best to play this game and I think that it really takes it takes work though it takes Obsession it takes wild wild Obsession um and I I think that uh he's on he's on that track and uh it's been cool to watch his growth even from OTAs to now and just it's it's been you know he's I don't know old he's probably 23 something like that and just it's it's pretty cool just to watch you know that growth in front of our own eyes you bring up all these wide receivers and then I start thinking about like the games we played against each other and I'm like we didn't win a lot of those games like I remember the Seattle game in Seattle or yeah in Seattle crazy game it was crazy going back and forth I remember before the game like I'm I'm about to spill some te um two players one of them was AB at the time and they Rel late to the game uh the other one my teammate you know he was freaking out like oh my gosh I just missed the bus and they get in the car they're taking the Uber to the game yeah and he's freaking out and ab's just you know calm as ever ab's like well they can't play without me sure that's very true and like then was so nonot about it came in a mink coat to the game walked in regular had 120 probably out he went nuts yeah that game was a good game funny thing about that game is is that that was on my birthday um and happy birthday that game was on my birthday and I think it was Sunday night Monday night whatever it was and I was sick as a dog I was throwing up I was everywhere it was it was one of those things that like I had tell me that I got a sack on I know probably yeah so we'll leave it there but uh I I had the stomach FL my stomach was crushing me bro I had multip I had like four IVs that game um and literally it I was sitting on the sideline just like okay like let me know when it's time to go back out there and uh it was back and forth Big Ben and I were going back and forth it was good game playing you guys CR was going you know what the thing thing about the Steelers fans is we travel so well we travel just unbelievably well I remember one point in the game I had to go silent count which is never had happened in Seattle uh in C link or whatever and it was like okay I gotta go silent count right now this is the first this is the first um but it was uh it was just a back and forth game and I think we won it with you know like seconds ago was crazy you had I think got messed up on one play and you broke out and you picked up the first down end of the game yeah it was on a third down I I just remember that play being like damn it you you've lost sleep over that one hav I have I have you think about those moments when you give up contain or like you give up like a inside hole and you're like oh this is not going to be well um but yeah yeah do you uh you got to Welcome to the NFL moment my first game I'm playing it's Fourth and 14 playing Arizona in Arizona and JR Sweezy was our Right Guard he just he was amazing he was amazing guard for years and but he had you know Jr played NC State with me he had played defense his whole career so this is his first NFL game playing Right Guard and uh Darnell beats him and jard had battled with him the whole game but he you know this guy's you know Big Time defensive attack play in the league for so long darn Daka and he beats him on this rep and I had to stand in there and just Bo I get crushed I throw the ball at first down to Charlie Martin first down fourth we run Aggie St he stops in the middle boom he catches it first down but like Darnell do is breathing down my my you know his breath and everything he's like hey welcome to the league Playboy and pushes me down kind of put his hand and U you know but uh I just remember that that that was the first real hit I took I was like you know you take that hit and it's you know takes everything out of you uh we got the first down and everything else but um that was like the first moment you know um and then like I I would say like as my rookie year we played in Chicago there's two moments I felt like I was really ready we played in Chicago Chicago Bears defense was great we were going back and forth this game and we had you know we're on the one yard line 99 yards to go you know with like two minutes to go take us all the way down we score Take the Lead they kick a field goal overtime and um we're playing in the game and I got you know we end up winning the game in overtime that that defense for Chicago they had eracer they all these guys Tillman and we won that game I was like okay you know I feel like I'm ready and then the I think the following week or two weeks later maybe the week before that we had played uh Patriots at home and we came back from behind and won those so I was like okay it's time it's time you know and uh I'm just remember those kind of moments that hit by Darnell Dad I'll forever remember I can still feel it and those two games were like okay I feel like it's time for me to be to be who I'm who I want to be and who I'm destined to be I got a couple raer fire questions and then one big question at the end um let's go rap ifier best dressed on the team I haven't seen it yet but I'm I'm guessing do uh well EOB not best dressed but going to try to be best dressed okay worst dressed [Laughter] EOB uh best cook on the team best cook on the team guess I'm going to I'm guessing you yeah I'm guessing you oh no don't you can't cook from what I've heard today that is I I can cook I'm just not the best okay uh who you think is the worst I'm going to go with uh I'm gonna go with Trice Cory Tri I'm just thinking Trice he's tall skinny probably doesn't make much food I don't know this is my guess oh um person you you don't want to room with person I don't want EOB person you do want a room with um I'm I'm GNA say I feel like TJ I feel like he'd be really clean now he may not talk very much I don't know if only thing about TJ is he has a lot of PE breaks so you're gonna be deal with that all day especially in the trobe it's GNA flush flush flush flush yes Larry's been having to deal with that a lot so um last question for Rapid where is it at okay we'll scratch that um what do you think this team has to do to WI a Super Bowl I think we have to be um I think we have to be really efficient on offense I I think that you know um just to be really honest and blunt I think that we have a great great defense um for years here and just what you guys do the numbers the history The Players you know um you know all that um but I think if we can just be efficient on offense when we get in the Red Zone light it up you know I mean like just let's score every time like not literally but that mentality that they they fear us when we get in the Red Zone every time I think that that's a really key thing um I think we're going to move the ball well I think we're going to run it well I think we're going to you know make our shots and we think we're going to hit our layups and all that but when it's time to to get in that red zone and score we got to be efficient as ever because you know we get up with our defense and you guys rushing the passer I like that it's not a good feeling for a quarterback if we get up early and often so I think that's going to be really key I think the other part is this is and I really believe this is not blinking you know like from a fan base standpoint from a player standpoint when the game's on the line and we're down 10 and we need it we're going to get it done and uh I just really believe that I've always believed that I've always spoke life into that I believe that uh the fourth quarter is is time to rise it's time to uh you know shine and do what we do best um I've always loved those moments I loved it when it's we're down by five down by six we got to win the game and uh and uh they know it too the other team and uh I think that's a key thing that you got to you got to know that and you gota you you gotta you got to be that you know and um we're working on that right now as we sit in L trobe and how to get there and I think it's a process but um you know I think that those two things I think I think this efficiency in the red zone and I think this Relentless belief that we're going to get it done and it's supposed to be hard it's supposed to be challenging it's supposed to be difficult it's never going to be easy every time but um and not why we play the game you know and that's worth it you say that now I got follow-up questions he set me up um one with the offense how's it been like with Arthur Smith it's been great man I think that we we we share a lot of the same thoughts you know and over the years and experiences and and uh how to attack a defense um so that's been really awesome you know I think that his terminology his thought process you know um you know guys are really working they're they're they're studying like crazy and getting better so you know we we have we as players will have to fulfill it we have to do what what we're what we're called to do and I think that's um the part of the game that that we love you know and uh going out there and doing it so uh it's been great though just the time that we've been able to spent um you know and and spend together and he's uh he's he's super funny actually he's really sarcastic um and uh you're like read him but you know now I've really understood like who where he comes from his thought process everything else but more so from ball standpoint we both love it I'm obsessed with it so that's that's the cool part funnier question and I'm just poking fun right now um we've heard Broncos Country let's ride yeah where you stay for the Steelers I'm just gonna say here we go if anything I'm not there you go stay in pocket and uh you know I think uh you know hopefully we get to hold that Trophy up and then we'll we'll go and we'll say Here We Go Again hell yeah before we get out of your R we play a game here with all of our guests ask cam anything you can ask him whatever you want Football Life anything nothing's off the table so go for it multiple questions is hot or however however you want to do it it's your your of rest with what you got first question is how many more years you playing this year and two three more okay I love it Steelers you hear that mm okay good man that's a good man right there yeah I mean I can't it because a lot of it because of you um okay so but um okay so that's good question uh second question is what are you doing after are you going to coach are you going to be on TV are you going to run your own business what's what's next oh man um I know you've thought about this I'm not coaching um but I think I'm having fun you say it like that yeah I'm not coaching I'm am not coaching I see the hours they put in I'm not putting in those hour man I I love football um I think it's you know it's been very good to me but I don't want to go through what they're going through right now it it's it is very demanding um and we give a lot of time we we we give up a lot of time for our family so I need to be a lot more in tune with that once I'm done playing um but I think there's Endless Possibilities whether it's you know TV podcast I think it's having fun getting to hear great stories like like this and like you know exploring that um but uh I'd like to be able to flash some rings before I retire so that's the goal all right we need to get at least two and three what you're telling me got to start with one got to start got to start with one okay um last two questions last two questions damn Russ love thisn just he brought me on here and he told me I could ask you questions Cas you hear this too oh he's going to cut this up for socials make place that you could live any place in the world where would it be oh um you may have gone there you may not have gone there but like you had a dream place you're taking that you're taking your wifey on like and live there live there live there not just visit for a week I'm saying you're going to go live and pick up your bags and you're going to go live there for three years see I can't live on the west coast cuz I am just a little bit more like on edge and everybody's way too calm everybody's way too calm for me um probably New York New York City of all the place in the world I I love being that busy I love it I love being that busy and it's like it's a different Adventure every single time I go and you know we just introduced our kids to New York and that was an adventure in itself yeah and so um yeah I think New York would probably be my place I've been I've lived in Atlanta um I'm not going back there yeah I got you okay last question yes okay how did you meet your wife how did I meet my wife wow um freshman year in the dorms at Ohio State um I stood on the corner um you stood around the corner you're big no my roommates went in first and like we're like oh we got girls we got girls in the dorms you just creeping like this yeah and I was like hey what's up and you know couple months later she came a girlfriend couple years later she gave my wife yeah okay I like the order there well how did you meet your wife well a good friend introduced s ever since um when we first met who is this good friend that you owe everything to I'm not you're not going to drop the name what you're not going to drop no your podcast is way too big shot um so anyway so um so we get introduced and ever since I met her and ever since I like when I first met her I was like she's the one and I had been single for about a year and a half at that point and I was like okay like I'm trying to I remember like three days before I wrote out I was with my pastor Jude and I wrote out like my non-negotiables like what do I want in a wife like what do I want in a woman and this and that and I wrote number one was a woman of Faith number one was a woman who was faithful just meaning like to whatever she does if it's if it's music if it's whatever like she just she loves it um number three is in woman who's independent you know um their identity wasn't just around me or anything like that but just had their own identity whether if it's volunteer work if it was singing like see or whatever it was they had their own identities things that they loved uh number four was a woman that would love me the way my mom loved my dad when he was on his deathbed I got to see my mom go through what she went through and the caring the touch and the love and the and the fight um that my mom had my dad used to always say to me you know son you know if I don't if I'm not here any longer she'll she'll forever be able to take care of you my mom and so the fifth thing was um I wanted a woman who would tilt the room when she walks in the room all the furn slides her way you know and uh she definitely tilts the room so those are my five things and three days later I met C I like well she hits all five and uh that was um that was it you know and uh it's just been the best time um were you like on Christian Mingle or something no you're not GNA get this out of here um but you know the best part was is that you know I think you know I think the best part about love is that there's this constant just learning of each other this constant growth there constant just um care and um just God is good man he's he's his grace his Mercy is his love um and all that too and uh it's been it's been cool okay last question right here last question I can see her all night um has there ever been a time where she's embarrassed you embarrassed me yes or made you feel so uncomfortable her being the star she is uh no no funny thing put you out of your comfort zone never never out I don't really get out of my comfort zone um but there was one part that was actually really funny so like it was like our first like probably month that we were dating and you know I'm you know I want Super Bowl people know me I'm like okay you know whatever like and we're out and about we're actually at Disneyland Disneyland yeah not Disney World we're at Disneyland and I'm sitting there and I'm walking me and her are walking and you know it's a lot of people this and that and everybody's like oh my God Sierra Sierra Sierra Sierra and she didn't embarrass me at all but it's funny this story but she's like it's sier it's Sierra it's sier you know and uh and all of a sudden like the this girl was like dang his bodyguard her bodyguard is really hot and and I'm like body we didn't have a body at the time and she's talking about me Sierra starts laughing she oh thanks for being my bodyguard today but you know so um but yeah man I I think that um you know C is the greatest supporter yeah um you know you know what it's like you know have a wife that's you know a supporter um she takes care of everything that you can imagine for your family but also too um she wants to see you whenn I want her to see her win every day you know she's on tour right now um and everything else and she's just been rocking and rolling and it's been cool to watch her success and her continued success because she was successful before she I even met her and just to do life together I always say sports and music are the two most entertaining things the world and we get to live it every day together and uh and uh just to have kids we have four beautiful children I'm I'm I'm I'm trying to get her to have a fifth you know what I'm saying he hey bro that's you I'm not pushing any more kids on anybody hard on the TR right now to get that done but uh but maybe when I get back wow um I will say we need to have a Super Bowl i in it and she's let's not just be in it let's win it win it and she's in it and she's yeah I'm with it let's do it I love half time show would be amazing she got some hits NFL make that happen let's make that happen yeah well I think I think Russ has earned this today hat know I love my hat official official not just football official friend of the show check me out not just football okay I may have to wear this tomorrow for practice you know me I love my hats I'm a baseball guy so there we go make sure you guys get your hats not just football watch our podcast my God appreciate you man cut that Josh Josh cut it up thank you guys again this is not just football with Cam Hayward and Hayden wsh and we just have Russell thank you so muchy thank you guys for having me man it's a pleasure y