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cover of episode Hour 2: The Thought of Michael Penix

Hour 2: The Thought of Michael Penix

2024/11/18
logo of podcast The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Key Insights

Why did the 4-7 Bengals and 4-7 Saints spend more time leading than the 9-1 Chiefs this season?

The 4-7 Bengals and 4-7 Saints both had more lead time than the 9-1 Chiefs, indicating that the Chiefs' dominance was not reflected in the time they spent leading games.

Why did Stugotz hate the Jets?

Stugotz expressed disdain for the Jets due to their inconsistent performance, including using four kickers in four weeks and scoring only 25 points for the first time all season despite an offensive explosion.

Why did Frank Gore believe he could avoid a flush hit throughout his career?

Frank Gore attributed his ability to avoid clean hits to his playing style, which involved playing low to the ground and off angles, allowing him to minimize direct impacts.

Why did Frank Gore decide to retire from football?

Frank Gore decided to retire after feeling that he no longer wanted to put in the intense off-season workouts required to maintain his performance level, signaling a shift in his passion and readiness to move on from the sport.

Why did Frank Gore turn down opportunities to return to the NFL in 2021?

Frank Gore turned down opportunities in 2021 because he felt he hadn't trained adequately and was content with his decision to retire, marking a personal milestone in walking away from the game on his terms.

Why did the Stanford football team's victory feel embarrassing despite winning?

The Stanford football team's victory felt embarrassing because they only had 40 fans at the game, leading to a sparse and unenthusiastic field storming, contrasting with the program's historical significance.

Why did the NFL Today crew participate in the Bills Mafia table jump?

The NFL Today crew participated in the Bills Mafia table jump to engage with the enthusiastic Buffalo fan base and experience the unique tradition of the Bills games.

Why did the insurance fraud involving a bear costume fail?

The insurance fraud involving a bear costume failed because the adjusters noticed inconsistencies, such as the bear having a human elbow and the wrong shade of brown for the local bear population, revealing it was a person in a costume.

Why did Stugotz feel that the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight was a letdown?

Stugotz felt that the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight was a letdown because it was hyped as a major event, but ultimately, it did not live up to the expectations set by the intense build-up.

Why did Stugotz believe that Stanford football had lost its prestige?

Stugotz believed that Stanford football had lost its prestige due to the decline in fan attendance and the team's performance, which no longer matched the historical success and high-profile players like John Elway and Andrew Luck.

Chapters

Stugotz shares his weekend observations, covering various sports events and notable moments, including Anthony Richardson's return and the Jets' struggles.
  • Anthony Richardson's return to the field after being benched.
  • The Jets' offensive struggles and their use of multiple kickers.
  • Stanford football's decline and its impact on fan attendance.

Shownotes Transcript

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This is the Dan Levitar Show with the Stugatz Podcast. Start of the day, start of the day, it is the start of the day. Start of the day, start of the day, it is the start of the day. Start of the day, start of the day, it is the start of the day. Start of the day, start of the day, it is the start of the day.

Dan, according to True Media, the 4-7 Bengals and the 4-7 Saints both have spent more time leading than the 9-1 Chiefs this season. Wow.

Good stat. Thank you. That's the point of the music and the reason that the stat of the day is the popular thing that it is. Also very popular around here, Stugatz's Weekend Observations. And Stugatz, we've got to do this because there's still a lot to talk about. We've got to get to the fraud involving a bear suit, which is funny. We have to get to Bill Cowher and others doing the Bill's Mafia jumping through fiery tables thing. And we have to get to a helicopter attack.

coin toss before we get out of here today. - Wow, lots to get to. - Yes, but we begin with weekend observations.

It is time for Stu Gatz to share his game notes. No one in the media will tell you what happened better than my boy Stu. Weekend observations brought to you by Miller Lite. Great taste, just 96 calories available for delivery. Dan, two weeks ago, he tapped out for a play because he had the audacity to admit he was tired.

his fraud of a coach, said Joe Flacco was the starter for the remainder of the season. Two losses and four interceptions later, Coach Phoney's hand was forced.

Yesterday, he completed 66% of his passes for 272 yards, three touchdowns, including the game winner. And Dan, just like that, make no mistake about it. Let's congratulate him together because Dan, for the first time ever here on Weekend Observations, Anthony Richardson is back.

Put it on the poll, please, Juju. Wow. Was Coach Phoney forced to play QB Tony? I mean, enough of that guy. Steichen. Seriously. I mean, how can he? First off, Anthony Richardson should have punched him in the face. He has no business celebrating with Anthony Richardson. I'm sure that would have gone over with America. You benched him. You benched him. You told your team Flacco was the starter.

And then you went against everything you said. You look like a joke in the locker room. And two games later, you're back to Anthony Richardson and celebrating with him after that victory. Terrible job. Raven Steelers. That's football. They've been playing that Raven Steelers game for 30 years. If you look up the definition of 18 to 16 in the dictionary, what you'll find is Raven Steelers.

it's what that game's all about six field goals wins it yeah when mike tomlin has a team that is converting field goals and not scoring touchdowns he has you right where he wants you he's 2-0 yeah it's funny anyway the only loser in the jake paul mike tyson fight was us boxing dead

Sportsbooks, when you congratulate me on my deposit, it doesn't make me feel any better about my deposit. Congratulations! You've lost and have to deposit more money.

I mean, I love sports books. I do. I love gambling. But don't congratulate me on a deposit. I think the sing-song way you said that, you should audition to replace the AOL guy who just died here recently. The voice of the sports book, Scratchy Stugatz, just saying congratulations, we've got more of your money. Speaking of sports books, Stugatz's personal record book. Pre-order now. Stugatz book.

Best seller. Greg Cody as well. Best seller. Already a best seller and it's not even out technically yet for the holidays. When is that? That's coming up in a minute, isn't it? Where it's like the official grand opening of You Can Get This Everywhere, not just at stugodsbook.com. A week from tomorrow. A week from tomorrow. I already found a typo in it. Oh no. Metal Lark was spelled wrong on my page. Get out of here. I mean, Stanzik, Jesus. Damn it.

Big publisher, too. Think that they're better. Right. Congratulations to the 72 Dolphins on another year as the only perfect team in NFL history. You see Zonk? He's taking over, like, for Merck. Yeah, he is. It's great. Yeah. Mercury is insufferable up in heaven right now. Yeah. Zonk is going everywhere telling everyone to bleep off. They're the best they've ever been. I love that.

Can't even make fun of them this year because it's like a too soon thing. With Merc because he just passed away. But keep in mind. Yeah, normally I'd be like, oh, go drink your champagne, losers. But no, it's like sad now. There's going to be so many more people toasting.

It's getting to that point. That guy that he was toasting with also, I think, if I remember correctly, is like a high school classmate of his. It's like a friend of his. It's not even another member of the Dolphins. Running out of teammates. You guys should look up just Zonk's resume in general, though, in terms of being more of a man than all of the other men who are roaming the earth. It's not just that he had an outdoorsman show. He was lost in the Bering Sea. Yeah. Yeah.

Didn't sweat it either. No. They just had the Coast Guard. He sucks at directions. He is a man. Didn't the Dolphins have another fullback that fell off a boat and floated? Like Rob Conrad, right? Yeah, we had a bomb. Dolphins are leading the league and former players are just getting lost at sea and surviving somehow. Yeah, but Rob Conrad was a fullback who was lost in a canoe because he took a wrong turn in the Everglades. Coast Guard had to go helicopter and find Zonk. Rob Conrad was also in the ocean. I think Conrad's story was worse. No, he was also in the ocean. I'll hit you. Yeah.

And one in a canoe. He just fell off a boat that kept going away from him. A wrong turn on a canoe. I'm standing up in, like, way steep water. I don't want to manifest this at all. I'm saying this on the front end. I'm worried about Jimmy, honestly, going out on the boat constantly because you know he goes out fishing by himself a lot. Yeah, but he's skilled. I mean... It just takes one bite, you know what I mean? The three rings.

It can be easy to be lost at sea. And I did undersell what happened to Rob Conrad, but I just say that comparatively to what happened to Zonk, it was the equivalence of getting lost on a paddleboard.

Just comparatively. Wrong turn on a canoe. How come somebody on Conrad's boat wasn't going, where's Rob? He was alone. Oh, was he? Yep. That answers that. On a canoe. That's why Billy was afraid for Jimmy. Jim Harbaugh lives for short yardage situations. Situations is what I was trying to say. LSU, until next year.

How much longer is LSU going to pretend that Brian Kelly is a good coach? Has he won a total of 10 games? He stinks. Is a total 10? No, he won 10 games the last two seasons. Right. He's got a 10 game win streak per season record that is going to be broken. He's got a $68 million buyout if they decide to get rid of him. So he'll be there for a while.

Stash this away in the Something to Ponder file. Has 81 degrees become the new cold front in South Florida? No need to discuss now. Probably should have discussed this 50 years ago. Just stash it away for a rainy day. This weekend was a cold front. It was humid. Supposed to be 71 degrees this morning on South Beach. Yeah, hot.

A hot 71. No, it was nice. It was nice. Breezy. If you say so. Texas, congratulations on both surviving and advancing. Tulane, keep an eye on them. The Green Wave. Stanford football used to mean something. Why'd you just do that? They won this weekend. Yeah, it used to mean something, though.

I mean, you cannot have 40 fans at a game and then when you win that game, have those 40 fans storm the field. It's embarrassing. It used to mean something to be a part of Stanford football. John Elway played there. Andrew Luck played there. But they won as a three-touchdown underdog against Louisville. To get their record to 3-9 or something like that. The end of that game was insane. Yeah. Louisville.

got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to put Stanford in range of a 57-yard field goal, then jumped offsides, and it became a 52-yard field goal, and they made the field goal. Can't have a tree as a mascot. I agree. I hate that stupid tree. That's a great point.

They're Cardinal, right? Put it on the poll, please. That's the mascot of the band. Can you have a tree as a mascot at Levitard Show? Can you have a band mascot? I don't know how I feel about that. James Franklin, do it against a good team. Not anyone in particular, just someone good. Anyone. Thanks. No one steals fantasy touchdowns from more deserving teammates quite like Taysom Hill.

I mean, he just steals them. He steals them. I mean, Kamara's out there. He's getting them down the field. He gets them inside the five. And then you know who steals his touchdown? Taysom Hill. Mike, a couple of weeks ago, you were saying bet at value Taysom Hill over one and a half touchdowns. Did you bet that this weekend? No, Dan.

Taysom Hill also had like 180 rushing yards. He wasn't just stealing touchdowns. He ran into a team that looked like it quit. Yes, but for his career, barely. He is a stealer of touchdowns. For more deserving players, that's all I'm saying. He only had 130. 180 combined.

It is what it is. Time will tell.

The Jets trotted out their fourth kicker in four weeks. I hate them. Yesterday, the Jets scored 25 points for the first time this season. I hate them. Despite that offensive explosion, they still lost. I hate them.

Not a matter of if, just a matter of how. I hate them. I imagine Robert Sala watching the Jets game from his couch with his feet kicked up and a big smile on his face. Dan, the S in Sala stands for smiles. All smiles. I love a full compliment of timeouts. Don't you feel better when you have a full compliment? Yeah. Yeah, it's great. The Jets never have that.

Is there a full complement of anything other than timeouts? Like, does that phrase get used with anything else? A full complement of anywhere other than with timeouts? No, that's it. Uncorked as a phrase is only used for wild pitches and wines. Is this in that category? Is this... Bats. Someone told me I have an ass that don't quit. I said, that's a full complement. Yeah.

Really? Someone told you you got an ass that don't quit? I made that up. Do you have your full complement of relievers in a bullpen? I don't know. Do you? I just did. Has anyone ever said that, though? Yeah. Really? Sounds like a phrase. I think it could be anything. You think if you're a reliever down from either injury or you used him the day before, you don't have a full complement of relievers? I'm thinking a manager before the game says, I have my full complement of relievers. Everyone's rested. I think you might be right. Yeah.

I just Googled full compliment of just to see what else would come up. And adult teeth is one of the first things that comes up. What? Wow. Greg, you have a full compliment? I do so far. You have a full compliment of adult teeth? I do, yeah. You still have a full compliment. You haven't lost any. I've got great gums. My dentist told me that I will die with my teeth. That's the exact phrase he used, which I thought he might have rephrased that to make me feel a little better.

Isaac Wilson, Zach's brother, plays quarterback at Utah. Three interceptions over the weekend. You know what they say, Dan. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. It's brothers, though, so it's a little bit different. But you get what I'm saying, right? The cliche doesn't work with brothers. Birds of a feather is what you wanted to say. Yeah, perhaps.

What I wanted to say is, Zach Wilson is the apple that dropped first and it was far from the tree and then his brother was even further from the tree. You get what I'm saying? That doesn't make any sense. Genetics is what you mean. Yep. That kind of thing. They're brothers. That's all you mean. Yeah. Louisville. Stanford. Couple of Cardinals. Cutting it up. I mean, one is a Cardinal.

It's singular. It's a cardinal sin that Stugas just made. And a tree. But one's a bird, the other one's a color. When it gets past midnight in Provo... Birds of a feather. All bets are off. That's the thing with BYU. That's what happened. They have to win that game before midnight. Because after midnight, anything could happen. Even in Provo. Especially in Provo. Did the BYU quarterback throw that nasty interception before midnight? I think he did. I think so, yeah. That was when it was the beginning of the end. The BYU Jew.

Making Hawaii play in the snow just isn't right. Put it on the poll, please, Juju, at Levitard Show. Is it right to make Hawaii play in the snow? Matt LaFleur is 11-0 against the Bears. You, of course, know what that means, right, Dan? He has their number. Good guess. Just means he's 11-0. Okay. Okay. I understand, though. I understand why you would guess that.

Having a quarterback who can get you one yard on a QB sneak might be the most underrated thing in football. Greg agrees. Look at that. I do. Amazing. Good company. Josh Allen, the rare touchdown that wins the game and the MVP. Double digit. Excuse me. Wow. What happened there? The weekend did. Mark it. Double digit leads make Mike Tomlin uncomfortable. Mark it.

That'll be a good stump to meet. It's going to be a good one. I want to hear it back. You tripped over it. You got scared. It had like four G's in it. But you agree with me, right? Like when Tom one's up 14, he doesn't like that. He wants to out coach you and out kick you in the final couple of minutes. He does. He's at his best. Here come the Kraken. Think of Mike Tyson's ass. How happy were you guys to see the Panthers smoke Winnipeg like that?

Needed those after those Devils games. Somebody had to lose between Nebraska and USC. Nebraska clearly wanted it more. Steelers, Saints, Colts. You know what the dogs were doing Sunday, Dan? They were barking. They were barking. Yeah, I can see how you're off. You guessed right the first time. Yes, yeah. Guess wrong. Fran Brown earned his shower this week.

Only Jared Goff can go from five interceptions to a perfect passer rating. The Jets are a Geno Smith away. Justin Tucker kicking his way out of the Hall of Fame. I would be okay with the Chiefs and Bills playing every single week. Same with Raven Steelers. Always delivers. Patriots walking that fine line of knowing they have a franchise quarterback but still losing.

That's what I call the sweet spot. It's a great spot. Oh, I love that spot. So you're convinced on Drake May. I am. Good game. The only guy I'm not convinced of is Caleb. Bo Nix is amazing. Jaden, very good. The thought of Michael Penix, amazing.

Pennix played yesterday. Speaking of teams that look like they quit, Mike, because I don't know how you do that with Cleveland where they lose 35-14 and you see a team that quit, but that Atlanta result looked like quitting even though it wasn't quitting. Denver did that to them. Excited to have Kirk Cousins in the studio for Football Night in America. I think he's going to kill it. I think he's going to be a great commentator. Dan, you know what the P in Doug Peterson stands for?

Pack your bags. Bill Belichick. Jacksonville Jaguars. Collision course. Jacksonville. It's happening. He's going there. Nobody loves a shovel pass like the Kansas City Chiefs. They do. They love them. Put it on the poll, Juju, at Levitard Show. Would you be fine if the Bills and Chiefs played every week? Yeah.

Justin Herbert can scoot. Bo Nix and the Broncos squarely in the mix. Bo Mix, how the hell did the Lions get 38 first downs in a single game? Speaking of hell, Art Bryles. Dan, those are the weekend observations.

Stugatz, more muscular. Mm-hmm. I have lost 10 pounds. Have you? Yeah, using my Peloton. I've had the Peloton in my house. So my daughter, she wanted me to get a Peloton. I did. She used it a couple of times. Yeah, great endorsement. But once she left to college and the Peloton was just sitting there in my office and it wasn't being used, I said, you know what? I got to use this. And I have lost 10 to 12 pounds, Billy.

So I started using Peloton as a bike. Obviously, that's like what they're known for. But recently, I discovered all of the other classes that they have. They have like a series of weightlifting classes. They have programs, which for me, the programs is great because I don't have to think about what I'm doing. If not, I just go and I pick a class at random and I don't know that I'm actually accomplishing anything. I would like some recommendations on classes because I keep going to the same class. Okay. It's the Grateful Dead class, by the way.

We do like a four-week core program with Emma Lovewell. I would recommend that one. Anyone can do that. Any level starts out easy, and then you work your way up. And then there's like a core program two that you can do after core program one if you want to do that. Yeah, if you graduate. Wait a second. You have to graduate course one to get to course two, the harder course? Well, you can start at course two if you want, but I eased my way in. I did course one first. Then you can do some strength classes with Andy. I love a strength class with Andy. He really puts me through it.

I get up and I'm like a sweaty mess and I'm kind of disgusting and I love it. You know the thing about Peloton, Stugatz? What? Peloton coaches, they walk the walk. Really? Yeah. Do they talk the talk? They have sub three hour marathon runner coaches. They have military trained athlete coaches, former college basketball player coaches, and so many other well-rounded coaches on their team.

All this experience really shows in their classes. You're never short of challenging. You can do some resistance band classes. I got some resistance bands lately. You're my teacher. Am I? Yeah. You know, no, I'm not. Well, I just go with the program so that I don't have to think because I don't actually know what I'm doing. Anyways, what's the Mr. Olympia, right? Is that what it's called? Yes. The one where you go and you're lifting giant boulders. We should talk to Magnus again. That's Mr. Olympia. Yeah. Yes. What did I say? Olympus.

Did I? I don't know. Anyways, find your push. Find your power with Peloton at onepeloton.com.

Don Levitard. I got somebody here making fun of me. How old do you have to be to reference Shecky Green? Man, I went comedically there with the funny name of a comedian. That's on you for not knowing who Shecky Green is. You don't have to know who Shecky Green is. He's your ally. No, no. I don't like my allies. The king of the borscht belt. Stugatz. I have the soul of a borscht belt comedian. I should be in the Catskills in 1945.

Opening for Shaggy Green. That's what I was destined to be. This is the Don Labatar Show with the Stugats. So get for me, please, the CBS crew enjoying itself with Bill's Mafia. It feels good to be Buffalo today. You take out Kansas City. Everyone else was playing one score games against Kansas City. Nobody knew how to beat them, but you beat them with your quarterback being the best at the end.

And, uh, you let's, uh, let's just watch here. What was happening during Bill's mafia fun as everything descended on Buffalo. And we had a bunch of people who did not know how to jump and run and fall into tables. Uh,

The NFL Today crew was jumping. What are you guys making faces about back there, Billy? Those are fake tables. The tables are definitely like pre-cut. No, it's missing hardware at the bottom. No, but look, they shouldn't separate into two pieces like that. There's hardware missing that connects those two pieces together. Right. No, no. These tables, they're easier to jump through than most. But still, I give these, for people just listening, this is J.J. Watt, Nate Burleson, Matt Ryan, and Bill Cower. And they're all doing it.

To their credit. Oh, my God. Cowher goes. They build up to Cowher. No, he's going right here. See, here's Cowher. Cowher's a little old to be doing this, I feel like. Isn't Cowher approaching 70 now? Oh, my God. That hurt. That hurt. That seemed dangerous for his head there, Cowher. You couldn't pay me to do that. Now, these guys at least have the right technique. They're just doing the classic elbow wrestling drop through a table. Ass. You break the fall with your ass. Ass first, for sure. Ass first. And now let's go to Harry Douglas. Yes.

This guy's crazy. All right. He's on top of what looks like a van, an RV of some sort. He jumps through a table. He clearly has never seen this done before. He goes feet first. Yeah.

Yeah, I don't think that Harry knew what he was doing here. This is not how you do this. Ouch! That's a good way to hurt yourself. He goes feet first. His feet fly into the air. His head goes back as if it's going to. Luckily, he did not bang his head on the ground. He was okay. But he doesn't know what he's doing here. He's doing it poorly, and he's doing it a second time. No, no, that's a replay. The best part about this is he does do it a second time. The same way. He goes back.

He does it the same way. It's not as bad of a fall, but he doesn't learn his lesson. He goes feet first. Why is he doing that? Why isn't anyone telling him? That's how you do it. Oh my God. This is such a terrible idea. And a waste of tables. We wouldn't even do that at Metal Ark. Waste of tables.

It is a waste of tables. Can you guys get for me, please, the video of the helicopter ball drop, coin drop, and just basically it's a fight at the start of a football game to drop a football onto the field and have whoever it is that gets that football. This seems like a waste of fuel. It seems like a waste of money. It seems like, what is this game? Where is this happening? This is in Utah. This is a 1A state championship game.

And it's just two players sitting at the midfield. They drop the ball. It looks like 100 feet, and it's just a free-for-all to get the ball. I love that. So if you get the ball, you get the ball first? Yes. Or you get to decide, probably, as if you won the coin toss. I'm with Dan, though. This seems inefficient in terms of funds. Good use of government money, a military helicopter being used for that. $5,000 every time it lifts off.

I imagine that that's not cheap to get a helicopter over there to do that. I wanted to switch here, though, to an insurance fraud story before we finish up this hour. I don't know if you're familiar with this, Stugatz, but there was an insurance claim that was made

and there's video proof of the insurance claim, which is a bear destroyed our property. And this story unraveled as soon as the insurance checkpoints... The adjusters. The adjusters found out that it wasn't a bear. An actual bear was just a human being in a bear costume. Yeah, these people were like, hey, a bear broke into our

car and they sent this video footage in to their insurers and the insurers were like something about this bear video is not right and they were able to do an investigation and deduced that this was in fact a person in a bear costume with it completed with a furry snouted head paws and metal tools in the shape of claws and

The bear had what was clearly a human elbow, which is where the story started to fall apart. And also it was the wrong color bear because brown bears are not common there. Black bears are, but they can be brown. But this shade of brown was incorrect. So the California Department of Fish and Wildlife was like, hang on a second.

You know what? Points for inventive fraud. Yep. I mean, if you're going to try to cheat the insurance company, go for it. You know what I mean? Yep. Good try. Yeah. Yeah.

No, I think you get an F for this. It's an F all around, and it's a crime as well as an added bonus. We're saying A for effort. That's all we're saying. I'm going to give you an A for effort, and I'm going to give the Jets an A for effort on your pain. Let's finally play the song I asked for two hours ago. All in. All in? I'm a fan of the Jets. I'm a fan of the Jets. No way.

The Jets. The Jets. Why the steam? The Jets. Ah, the Jets! The Jets! Bravissimo.

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Hey, it's me, Tyler. Bose open earbuds are stylish. The color, it looks almost like an earring. I feel like it could go with anything. The music I'm making right now feels like a holiday. I want to look like it too. Check out Bose.com for more. Dan Levatard. I want to address Tony and all men who would wear that shirt in public. Stugatz. Don't do it. This is the Dan Levatard Show with the Stugatz. ♪

Mr. Gantz, this is a Miami legend. Five-time pro bowler in six NFL seasons. Third in NFL career rushing yards with 1,600 yards. Most seasons with 1,200 yards from scrimmage. What? I'm going to tell him.

Most seasons with 1,200 yards from scrimmage, 12. He has to be headed to Canton. Most consecutive seasons with at least 500 yards, 16 of them. Most consecutive seasons with at least 600 yards. Which is it, Frank Gore? Which is the number that you're proudest of, Frank? 15,000. Yeah. 15,000 yards. That's what I'm proud of. You know, let them know, you know, they said,

Coming out of college, I only played two or three years in the league because of my injuries. And I overcame that and played 16 years. I'm going to say all my yards I'm proud of, so 16,000, the number 16,000. And when you see that number and your name and only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton are above it, when I put you in that class, that's not even something that you imagined, correct? Correct.

I never thought about it. But now since I'm not playing, you know, you look at the list and you see my number three, man, that's a blessing. I'm proud and I'd be so happy to show my kids. And also, like, you know, because I kind of helped coaching low league, part one of football. So I show my kids I coached.

you know, on YouTube, like one man. And they'd be amazed too, because, you know, they never saw me play. So I'm proud of it. Can you explain to the people how unlikely against the odds the entirety of your story is? Like, I know we've talked to you a lot over the years, but just when you think of your story being against the odds, what do you think of as the hardest things that got in your way?

Well, you know, I would say what got him out, you know, my story was, it's crazy. You know, going to the University of Miami, you know,

I went to Miami in 2001, played with the best team ever, college football team. You know, I played as a freshman. I came back next year, sophomore year. Going into my sophomore year, I tore my ACL. I got back on my feet, had a couple of games, and I tore my ACL again. You know, and a lot of people wrote me off.

Then also I had gone to the combine. I had showed up, I found out I had labrum tear in the combine. So a lot of people took me off their drafts.

I was at Jack Ward, and, you know, the 49ers took a chance on me, and everybody was saying that they took me too high in the third round. And, you know, they said I was playing two years, three years in the league, and I was able to play 16. And I tell the kids, you know, I tell the kids my story. I told them that as long as you believe in God and work your behind off and don't worry about what people say and believe in yourself, that you can do it.

And I showed them, and I showed them that, you know, that it can't happen. Let's talk about that 2001 running backs room for a second. Who was the best running back in that room?

I would never say who was the best because I think we all was good. And I think when you look at our numbers and what we did when we went to the NFL, it shows that we all can play. Because you look at our numbers, I think we all got close to 10,000 or 10,000 yards. So that takes a hat off to our coach and us, you know, just competing. And when I tell people about that room, I think that room got me prepared to go to the NFL. You know, because the NFL, they try to replace you every year and

I didn't care who they brought in the room, you know, and the 49ers at the coast in Miami, the Buffalo or the Jets because I was used to it, man, going to the University of Miami for the competition, you know, just competing with Poitiers, McGahee, Jared Payton, you know,

Najee Davenport, you know, it didn't matter to me because, you know, what I had to deal with at the University of Miami. But what are the stories that can now be told 20 years later about how competitive that was? Because you're talking about a lot of running back, professional running backs. It was hard for you to play as a freshman. It was an accomplishment that you were playing as a freshman. I would say you had to do everything right.

At that time, you had to go to class. You had to bring it every day in practice. Unless Coach Sargent wasn't going to play you on Saturday. But I will say what I took my hat off to, Clayton Portis, man. He was the starter. Me coming in as a freshman, I was one of the top guys in the nation. And he never... He took me under his wing. And a lot of guys don't do that when they see a guy who can play. I could be like...

He could be before the game because I was his roommate the night before the game. He would be like, hey, Frank, I'm going to go get 150 first half. I'm going to let you go handle the second half, you know, and stuff like that. So I take my hats off to my boy, Clinton. He was like a real OG to me. He really took care of me when I went to the University of Miami. Harbaugh's crazy, right? That's my man, Harbaugh, great coach. I don't disagree, but he's also crazy, right?

You know, you know, how ball kind of kind of kind of different. He regrets not running you more in the Super Bowl at the end. Has he told you this? Yeah, he did. I saw he never told me what I saw at the interview. I think last year he finally said that he should have given me the opportunity to run on. You know, it's all good. I wish, you know, I wish we got the win. But.

it was a great experience you know frank i'm a body language expert i've been interviewing for a long time the way that you fiddled with that pen you remember that he didn't run you late in that game and you're pretending like it was okay when it was goddamn not right okay it was not okay frank it was not it was not okay frank you were playing around with that pen because you don't want to say anything controversial and i understand that i'm bad right now how about my guy man you know i love coach how about man um i talked to him a lot you

You know, I wish him well at the Chargers, and he's doing a great job, man. You know, he's my guy. He's my guy. Frank, I need three yards tomorrow. Can you still get it for me? Oh, what are you kidding me? Yeah, I'll go get it. Yeah! My man! Yes! I'll go get it.

I have no doubt either. No, I mean, of course not. He could go get it. Was it hard at the end to let it go, Frank? Because it looked that by the end, you know, 20 years on the body in that sport, doing that thing seems like it wouldn't be hard to let it go because of how much it hurts.

Yeah, it was, you know, somebody not winning the Super Bowl, right? No, I'm just talking about the physical pain. I'm talking about what you did for a living. Yeah, football. No, I was, like, when I was playing, because I loved the game so much, I used to be scared about, you know, when I got older, about, you know, just what I'm going to do, what I'm done. But I always told myself, you know, if I couldn't work out and didn't want to work out the same,

I walk away because I take pride in how I look on Sundays. I know if you don't work out the off-season, you can't be yourself on Sundays. It was my year after the Jets. I remember when I started the off-season workout and

I just didn't want to do my second workout no more. I used to work out twice a day. I felt like the morning workouts, working out with other guys in the NFL, that's what you're supposed to do. But the workout got me over the top. My second workout, my second training, that was nobody not doing. Everybody probably partying, but I'm out training. When I was skipping days, working out, my second workout,

That's when I was kind of iffy about me going back. And I did get calls in 2021 to go back and play. And when I told them no, I was happy with myself because I never thought I'd say no about playing ball. What were the opportunities that you turned down in 2021? I had Baltimore. I had Baltimore. I could have...

I could have went to because my coordinator who I was with in my San Francisco, Greg Roman, he was the coordinator. And that went on. J.K. Dawkins got hurt.

And they called to see if I wanted to come up. And, you know, when I decided and I told him, I knew I didn't train the way I usually train. And when I told him no, you know, he was surprised himself because he know the way I love ball. But I was happy with myself. I was happy for me, you know, to walk away like that on my turns. You know what I'm saying?

Frank, you weren't done competing, though, after football. I saw you a few years ago in a small boxing gym in Broward County training for your first professional fight. I wonder how you look back on your boxing experience and what you thought of Tyson Paul. I wish. I mean, yeah, yeah. Tyson Paul. I wish I was a.

train with a different trainer who really, you know, I would say like the first fight, they didn't prepare me the right way. You know, I didn't, you know, cause I didn't know what this bet. So I'm thinking I'm doing the right thing. But I fought two times. The second fight when I, that's what made me really kind of say it was too much aggressive, too, too much for me.

But the second fight, they showed me how you really supposed to train for a fight. And, you know, it was just a lot, man. It's too aggressive, you know, especially me playing football, you know, 16 years. And I'm, you know, sparring three times a week. Once I found out the right way, how you really train, I was saying it's too aggressive. But, you know, the fight Saturday, you know,

I was, you know, it was sad. You know, I was kind of worried about Tyson, but, you know, he got through eight rounds. I could tell Jake didn't go really hard because I think Jake probably could have hurt him. But, you know, the 58-year-old man going eight rounds, getting through it, that was a plus for Tyson. What are you doing with DirecTV, Frank? Well, I joined DirecTV. We had a, you know,

Great time this weekend with the fans. We had a tailgate party before the games. I enjoyed all my fans out here in the Bay Area. We had to, you know, I was signing autographs, playing games. You know, we had free food, you know, watching early games. And, you know, just had a great time to get ready, you know, before we played Seattle. It was a great tailgate party. But the Nothing on Your Roof campaign, what is that? What is it that you were launching and why does it matter to you?

It matters to me because it's something that I'll enjoy. We've had the fans over. The fans have always been my biggest fans here. They've always been great to me. Direct TV, one of the best.

you know, TV station that sports, that, you know, you watch sports on. And, you know, just being there around the fans, man, and, you know, just enjoying them, man, and, you know, trying to get ready to cheer the 49ers on before the game. And with nothing on your roof now, you can do it satellite-free, which is super cool, right? Yep, yeah, yeah.

Frank, before we let you go, on the last note, with 16 years of running the ball as physically as you ran the ball, which part of the body is the one that takes the beating the most of 16 years of doing it the way that you did it? It's different for me because I really didn't get hit, man. You know, I played low to the ground, and also I played off angles. So that's why I was, you know, that's why I still feel good. Like, I never took a flush hit.

I know that no one hit me flush. So I can't say. So nothing hurts, Frank? It's unbelievable. Frank, you did it for 16 years, and you were able to avoid all. I need three yards tomorrow. He gets it. I can go play right now, man. Frank, my knees hurt. My back hurts. Just getting out of the car. Just getting up in the morning. Just getting up in the morning. You avoided all clean hits.

I wish we could still be training right now. I still, you know, in the summertime, I train young running backs. You know, I go out and train with them. You know, I train my son. I train with Jonathan Teller. You know, I train with a lot of other young running basketballs in college. Martinez, Damian Martinez at Miami. I wish he could come see us one time. Who came the closest to a clean hit on Frank Gore? Give me a name. I would say...

God bless his soul when I was my first year and my rookie year at Sean Taylor. But I could kind of tell he kind of, you know, he did it on purpose not to really try to kill me. You know, he kind of like, you know, hit me with his shoulder. You know, that's my boy. You know, that's my boy. He eased up on you? People talk about Sean Taylor that way in a way that's really confusing to me, the way they talk about Sean Taylor in retrospect. Yeah.

Yeah, he was one of the best, you know, guys I played with, man. One of the most talented players I ever saw play the game of football, man. I think him, he could have played any position and been like a guy, you know, in a football field, man. He was incredible. Frank, always good catching up with you. Thank you for making the time for us. All right, thank you all. Thank you, Frank.

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