02-07-25 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST Hour 2
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All right, everybody, it's here. The march to spring training and opening day is officially upon us. Hey, I'm Rob Bradford from Baseball Isn't Boring, and we'll have you covered every single day with instant reactions to late-breaking signings, determining which players are, yes, truly in the best shape of their lives, and behind-the-scenes stories from all the excitement and intrigue that spring training brings. Follow Baseball Isn't Boring in the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Almost Friday. Oh, it's been a week. It's been a week. It dawned on me.

That normally when I go to the site of Radio Row and I'm there on scene, like I was last year in Las Vegas, that we don't start our coverage from Radio Row until Tuesday. And so I would normally, typically what I've done in places like San Francisco, Houston, Minneapolis. Oh my gosh, it was so cold in Minneapolis, but I got to see my Grammy after the work was done. Let's see, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago.

And then Vegas, every single week that I traveled to Radio Row, I would work Sunday night into Monday and then have Monday off so that I could take the first flight out on Tuesday morning.

So I had an opportunity on Monday. First of all, I didn't host, but I also didn't record interviews. I wasn't working for the most part. I was packing and getting ready and preparing for what we had on the schedule. So then I would be on Radio Row Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, do the shows Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night, and by Friday morning would be done.

Well, we started our interviews early this week because I'm here in studio and because I had the equipment to be able to record the interviews in the afternoon at the After Hours Super Secret Home Base. But that meant we started Monday and I did not take Monday night off. So every single day this week...

I've basically been up by lunchtime. I don't normally go to bed or fall asleep. Sometimes I'm in bed. I try to read because it helps to settle my brain, settle my mind. But I'm not normally asleep until 845 Eastern. So nearly three hours after we get off the air. And then to have to wake up right after lunchtime and be ready to have coherent conversation. Yeah.

I realized since last Saturday night, I've not slept more than five hours at any point. Contiguously. It's a good word, isn't it? Ryan? How can I possibly come up with words like that when I haven't slept more than five hours at a shot since last Saturday? Lots and lots of coffee. Lots. Actually,

Not more than normal, but I have had a couple extra Coke Zeros, that type of thing. I may need one to get through tonight. I feel like my voice, you can hear it. I could be wrong. I asked my husband, do I sound like a raspy lounge singer? And he said, no, you sound like you just woke up. Great. That's much better. Thank you. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence at ALawRadio.com.

Any of the conversations that you've missed from this week are pseudo radio row, if you will, but leading into Super Bowl 59, we've had some really cool connections. Of course, Ron Rivera on Monday and

days after we talked to him, he takes a job back at his alma mater, Cal. So congratulations to Riverboat Ron. I know he was at the NFL Honors. He also was on Cam Newton's podcast on Thursday. As it turned out, this is kind of fun. I don't know if you all saw it or heard it. Cam, based on last year in Vegas, boy, when he holds court, the entire conference center can hear it. I mean, it's loud. People gather around. I would say it rivals Pat McAfee in terms of circus.

And so Cam had Greg Olson, his former tight end,

Also had Luke Keekly, who was there for NFL honors. And then, no, wait, hold on. It was Jonathan Stewart. He had Jonathan Stewart, Greg Olson, and Ron Rivera all sitting on set. So it turned into this kind of pseudo reunion for the Carolina Panthers, which is really neat. Anyway, so I know that he was there as part of USAA Salute to Service. And so that's awesome. It was George Kittle who won their Salute to Service award there.

So there, Ron Rivera, that was timely because he got a job right after. We have talked to former players, champions. We've gone outside of the NFL. We talked to Adrian Smith, who is...

She's decorated as the wide receiver for the Boston Renegades. She's also won a couple gold medals with Team USA, flag football, tackle football, and it was a perfect time to have her on the show in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. We still got Johnny Damon to come in the final hour of the show, honestly, and I told him this previously.

He's the last person I would have expected to be offered up as a guest this week, but it'll be perfect. We'll wait until the final hour because not only did I talk to him about the Red Sox,

He was part of that Cowboy Up team in 2004 that reversed the curse. He then went on to win a championship with the New York Yankees. So two World Series rings. Rare feat, though, to do it for two arch rivals. But if you forgot, he was drafted by the Royals, and he spent the first part of his career in Kansas City. So all of that we talked about. And then in honor of the trade deadline in the NBA, this idea that one day you have a teammate and the next day you don't.

So I talked to him about that business side of professional sports and he

And he has a new passion. He's an entrepreneur. He and his wife, Michelle, they have a new passion. And I will let you hear from him what that's all about because it's really cool. He's always been a passionate guy anyway, and he's very candid, very frank. He tells it like it is. You will love this conversation with Johnny. Even if you don't remember him playing or didn't watch him when he played, he's got a lot to say about,

not just his career, but about the state of professional sports and also one area where he feels as though he's stepped into a void and created a niche with, again, his new business passion. So that's coming up in our final hour. And then still to come this hour.

He just retired in 2019, former Pro Bowl tight end and Broncos Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis, though he didn't finish his career with Denver. He was there for a short time, spent most of his years in San Francisco and then in Washington. So also good conversation with him. He is playing host to a party, a big tailgate coming up on Saturday. A little lot still to do on this edition of the show.

And we'll make this easy for you. If you're waiting on the show announcement, we'll do it in our next segment. So that's coming up about, we'll call it 12 minutes from now. Just make sure you don't miss it when we come back from our commercial break. I want to make sure that I mentioned this too, because it was significant for the football world, for the NFL world at 102 years old.

Bears owner Virginia Hallis McCaskey passed away. She inherited the Bears from her father, George Hallis. She really didn't spend a lot of time in the spotlight, though she was the principal owner. Her family made this announcement on Thursday. She's owned the Bears going back to 1983. But what a long life, a life of impact, a life in which...

She was able to support many families. She was able to write a lot of checks, put a lot of meals on tables, and also, I think, rode the wave with Bears fans. There were times when people, fans of the Bears, would say to us, she needs to sell the team, or this is poor ownership, or la, la, la, la, la. But she was a staple in the NFL.

I mean, your dad was a co-founder of the league. Incredible. The tradition, the legacy of the McCaskey family or that like the Hallis family, but Hallis McCaskey. And I love when it's a family business. There are other franchises in the league that are owned by families, not like some of what we've seen say the, and this is not a knock on the commanders, but their ownership group is not family. It's just a different way to do it.

But I do like it when it's all in the family. And so she had given operational control and made her son, her eldest son, Michael the president. And then his brother took over in 2011. Bears did win a Super Bowl going back to the mid 80s. That's actually the first Super Bowl I remember. And then also a couple decades later, got back to the Super Bowl. We had just talked about that one with

Ron Rivera, since he was a coordinator on that team. She was a matriarch. I love that word. I love all the implications of that word. And again, the fact that her father was so instrumental in the foundation of what we know today as the NFL. The words that I've heard used to describe her. Class, dignity, faith, full life. 102 years old.

As someone who lost my Grammy Helen at 100, it was such a monumentous occasion in my life to be able to celebrate, to mark that with her. And how amazing that the McCaskey family, the Hallis family, that they had her around for so long. I'm in awe of her, even though she didn't want the spotlight. Her official title, Secretary to the Board of Directors. Yeah.

She kept a low public profile, but still all in the family. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I want to mention this too, because while it's not a name that people outside of our company here will know, you'll certainly recognize his impact when I tell you that one of our longtime engineers, Bob, passed away this week. We got an email from...

Our manager. And I was shocked to read it. I haven't seen Bob in maybe a year just because the hours and he works spotty sometimes on weekends, sometimes nights, but the engineers, there's a rotation there, what six or seven of them and they work different hours, but not always here in the building when we're here. But I had worked extensively with Bob back when I was early in my career.

what would you call this, my tenure with the network, just because there were more engineers in the building nights and weekends, Bob was so committed to making sure that anytime I did a remote broadcast, I had the right equipment. He would check the case. He would make sure I had all the cords, all the pieces that I needed. And then he would insist on us testing it.

From the site where I'd be doing my remote broadcast every single time, going back to the winter of 21. So Christmas of 21, I did my first shows from my mom's house. I just did this over this past Christmas too, but here's why it was a lot easier to manage in Christmas of 21. I,

Where I had normally been driving into downtown Houston and using the studios that are affiliate, Sports Radio... What's the... Hmm. Why can I not remember? Is it 670? No. Sports Radio 610? Yeah, I think it's Sports Radio 610 in Houston. Don't yell at me if it's not right. But we had...

So I'd been driving to downtown to do the shows whenever I was in Houston, including when I was there for Super Bowl week, going back, what, eight years now. Well, because of business cuts and financial challenges, a lot of our local affiliates no longer staff people during the hours of my show.

So they didn't have anyone to help me get in the building, make sure I was set up in a studio. Instead, I needed to work from my mom's spare bedroom. This was the first time ever in 21. I took the equipment to Houston, drove down there and Bob insisted that

on spending half hour on the phone with me to make sure we had a clear connection, to make sure that I was all set up and I wouldn't have to worry about anything when I turned on the equipment late that night. And here's what else he taught me. And this is something I've shared with you on the air. Bob is the one who taught me how to stack pillows around the microphone. Bob is the one who said, grab as many pillows as you can find,

and put them behind the microphone and all around the room. That way, and this past Christmas we called it the after-hours super secret pillow fort, I had every pillow in the house stacked around the room. He said that way it mutes the sound and it makes it more studio quality. And boy, was he right. A little trick, he said, I learned from an engineer who taught me the ropes.

He was in our business nearly 50 years. He worked for this company through various name changes and sales, different iterations, different buildings. He loved radio and he loved the creative process, but also making sure that it sounded perfect, as close to perfect as it could possibly be. He had very high standards. I enjoyed my conversations with him. He always stopped to talk to me. Sometimes,

longer than I wanted to, but he was kind. He was helpful.

And I'm really sad to hear about him passing away. He was a cancer survivor more than once. I know going back about three years ago, I'd been praying with him because he was fighting cancer again and he beat it. He was cancer free. It was in remission. I don't know if that's what happened and that's why he passed away. But I do know, even though he worked behind the scenes, he made a lasting impact on me and he's made my time here at the network forever.

smoother, more professional, and more enjoyable. So Bob will be missed. Coming up, special show announcement to share with you at ALawRadio and also on our Facebook page, 855-212-4227. Vernon Davis, back half of the hour. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

I suppose at some point we have to talk about the game, right? This is our last few hours together until we get to the actual Super Bowl postgame show. And so the next time, well, not the next time because I'm still here until 6 a.m. Eastern, 3 a.m. Pacific. But our next show will be Super Bowl postgame show coming up on Sunday night, 8 p.m. Eastern.

into Monday. A lot of you responding to Josh Allen as the NFL MVP. I'd love to hear from you. 855-212-4227. That's 855-212-4227. NBA trade deadline now in the rearview mirror. And...

We'll wait to see what the fallout is. They're going to play a few games. Some of these guys won't even get on the court with their new teams before we take that all-star break, which is next weekend, right? So next weekend is all-star break as well as Daytona. So it's a big first huge weekend. Once the NFL has vacated, once the NFL has exited stage left and has left the premises, well, then you've got other sports who really start to get active and we'll

We're not that far away from pitchers and catchers reporting to their respective spring training sites. It's not spring, at least not where I am. Ryan, I don't know about your drive home on Thursday morning, but mine was fairly dicey. It took me about an extra 15 minutes. It was freezing rain here in New York City, but I live in higher elevations in New Jersey. So by the time I got out of the city and into New Jersey, it was right about the freezing mark and freezing.

People were going very slow. Huge semis on icy roads. That's about the only time I get nervous. I don't generally worry about trucks. But yeah, there were a lot of trucks out and it was really icy. I got in my car and turned on the radio and there was a traffic update.

And it was like major, major spin outs. And it was like, it was like eight of them. I was like, okay, I'm going to drive very slowly miles an hour the entire way home. I'm going to be like an old man who can barely see over the wheel. Two hands, 10 and two. Yes. 10 and two white knuckle driving at times. You know what I find is in those tense moments and sometimes it's weather. Sometimes it's just general New York city traffic. I will realize I've been hunched over and,

not like an old man, but I've got the 10 and two and I'm so tense. I start to feel it in the muscles running from my neck because that's how tense it's been for who knows how long while I'm driving. Like everything's clenched because you're, you're worried about what's happening all around you. Though I,

will always say, no matter what, if you can drive and navigate and figure out New York City, you can do it anywhere. Now, Ireland was crazy. I was on the other side of the car, so the steering wheel, and this is driving stick, so the stick is...

you're shifting with your left hand, you're on the other side of the car and you're on the other side of the road. So that, that took a little bit of getting used to, especially in Dublin where I don't think traffic rules apply. It was pretty crazy, but I was really proud of myself for that too. But yes, I guess it's true. If you can navigate New York city traffic and do it successfully without losing your mind,

well then you can drive pretty much anywhere so it has given me confidence over the last 12 years it's after hours with Amy Lawrence I don't know really how to say this so I'm just going to say it I have gone around and around with the right way the right time the right words I don't think there's an easy way to say this so I'm just going to tell you Super Bowl Sunday night is the last show that I'll do here on the network

It was my choice. I've been working without a contract since the end of the year. The company asked me to stay through Super Bowl, and so I will, and I'm looking forward to crowning one more champion before I'm done. Again, I don't want you to think this is the company pushing me out. They offered me another contract.

such as it were, but I had already decided that I needed a change for a lot of reasons. I won't go into all of the reasons, some of them personal, some of them professional, but this is something I've been thinking about for a year and a half now. So long before I was married, I had already started thinking about needing a professional change and a large part of that is working overnights.

I've been doing this same shift for the last 12 plus years. I'm going to tell you a secret, something I told my family and friends when I, and so when I started, I was doing Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights. I did that for all of 2013, all of 2014.

When we started 2015, I moved to the five night a week in the same time slot. So it's been 10 plus years, five nights a week. Before that, it was three nights a week and then other fill-in opportunities. So essentially now we're going into year 13. When I started the five night a week schedule,

I told family and friends, I'll do this for five years and then I'll figure out what's up next. And there have been, I would say three, maybe four, three and a half opportunities for me to move to different time slots. This is going back to previous bosses, Eric and Mark, who hired me when the network launched. They, at different times, considered moves for me. And the most recent one was when Scott Farrell left the network and

Was that six years ago? Five years ago? This is pre-Ryan. So he doesn't remember. Please forgive me. That doesn't even matter really. But forgive me for not remembering exactly. When Scott Farrell left, the bosses came to me and we talked about moving the show to the 7P Pacific, 10P Eastern time slot. And ultimately decided that for mostly professional reasons,

It was best to keep it where it was. We have built an incredible audience all over the country and internationally. I am so humbled by the support and the encouragement that you all have given me for 12 years. It means the world to me. When I started here in 2013, I was coming off of another network gig, but this is where I grew up. I learned a lot of the ropes at ESPN Radio. I learned the bread and butter.

how to navigate a national audience. But I grew into a host, grew into someone completely different. I don't want to say I don't recognize the woman that I was when I started here, but I'm very different now as a host. It's been quite a journey, a metamorphosis. If you haven't read my latest blog post, I'll retweet it here in a bit, but it's 12 Lessons Learned

In 12 years of After Hours. And some of them are applicable to creating an entertaining radio show. Some of them are points I use with my Syracuse class. And I will be teaching again in April. Some of them are life lessons. Some of them can be applied even outside the studio. And so I enjoyed kind of looking back over the last 12 years.

I don't want to say it's been hard to keep the secret because that's not true. I really didn't want these last six weeks to be about me. I just wanted to go on and do the show and enjoy the last six weeks. But I will say I'm limping to the finish line, crawling maybe. I don't know how I did this for 12 years.

Overnights are hard. Anybody who knows, you know, overnights are hard and they've gotten infinitely harder since I got married and being on opposite schedules. I'll have a blog post after Super Bowl Sunday and I'll explain more of some of my reasons and I have more that I'd like to say, but I wanted to let you know because I know not everybody is online. Not everybody reads online.

Sunday night, Super Bowl Sunday night, we'll have that show together and then I will be done here. I don't have any future plans to announce yet. I will, working on some things. I'm not retiring. I'm just going to go do something different. Radio is my first love and I can't imagine doing anything else.

And so I'll let you know as soon as I have some firm plans in place. Been talking to people in the industry. Though weirdly enough, the word's not gotten out. I guess my company decided that it wasn't worth sharing. So they've at least allowed me to tell people on my own terms. And that includes you. So...

Thank you again for all your support, your encouragement. I hope that my next radio show is one that you will also listen to and also enjoy. And of course, I'll let you know when I know. Vernon Davis from New Orleans straight ahead here. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Here's our latest sports update. You are listening to the After Hours podcast.

Oh yeah, that was a crazy play. I don't know, I really don't know what to say, but

Hey, like I said, nothing but God after the thing. Thank you guys. And I'm out. After Hours tackles the Big Bowl in the Big Easy all week long on the Infinity Sports Network. What a moment. You can't even hear anything. You just know it's Hail Mary because there's a whole lot of yelling and screaming. That's the Commander's Radio Network version. And then Jaden Daniels winning playoff.

of the year on behalf of the commanders for that Hail Mary. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You can find me online at ALawRadio and on our Facebook page. For now, those are still operational. If they change, I'll let you know. How did you

to catch up with Vernon Davis, the longtime NFL tight end and Super Bowl champion in New Orleans on Thursday. He's partnering with Smirnoff for the longest tailgate that comes up on Saturday, the day before the game. And with Vernon, I was thinking about his career.

It's been nine years since he won the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. So, of course, I had to bring that up. Vernon, what do you remember most about nine years ago winning a championship, finally a ring with the Denver Broncos?

Oh, my gosh. Winning the Super Bowl in the Broncos. I remember that like it was yesterday. It was the most amazing experience I've ever had. I mean, I played in Super Bowl XLVII, but actually winning the game and watching that confetti come down, my teammates jumping up and down, their families running on the field with their kids. I remember my son running on the field and hugging me. Daddy, daddy, you did it.

So special. So special. You won in your 30s. How different is it when it takes almost a decade, I guess, to finally get to the top of the sport? Yeah, it takes a long time. It takes time. There's no guarantee that you'll actually win a game. So when you get there, you have to definitely be grateful for the experience because it's like it's not guaranteed. I know teammates...

who's never been to a playoff game or Super Bowl. So for me to be able to get there twice is just a true blessing and it's something I can take with me for the rest of my life. There are a few members of the Chiefs who are in a Super Bowl for the first time, like DeAndre Hopkins, for instance, and is in his 30s. The Chiefs, even though they've been around for so long, every year it's kind of neat that there are players who are experiencing it for the first time.

Yeah, it is. It is. Especially a guy like DeAndre Hopkins. I love that guy. Incredible talent. Also an incredible person. Like I said, it's beautiful. If you can get there, it doesn't matter how you got there. As long as you get there, that's all about it. The last team you played for, the Washington, well, I guess it was football team and then it was commanders, right? Did you play under two different names when you were there? Yeah, I played with the Washington Redskins. What's your reaction to them being kind of the new it team in the NFL? Yeah.

I think it's awesome. I think it's awesome. Organization, watching them grow and evolve is tremendous. I didn't expect them to do as well as they did. But when you got a guy like Jay Daniels, you're only going to win games. He's incredible. His IQ for the game of football is few and far between. And he's only going to get better. If he did better in his first year, imagine what he's going to do in his second, third, and fourth year. He's going to be a fun talent to watch over the course of these next five, ten years, however long he plays.

How long does it take for a rookie, whether quarterback or receiver, maybe even a tight end? Brock Bowers had a huge year for the Raiders. But how long does it take for a rookie to really get acclimated to life as a pro in the NFL? It can take as long as two years, three years. It took me two years to really get acclimated. I didn't find that comfort until after the second year. But some guys just get it right away. Jaden Baines is one of them.

Yeah, and C.J. Stroud being another example last year where he just settled in really quickly. Yeah, he did. He did. He settled in really quickly. He's one of those special players as well. One of those guys that just comes in and it just clicks for him.

I feel like if I don't ask you about playing with Peyton Manning, my audience will be mad. Again, it's crazy that it's been almost 10 years. You weren't in Denver for very long, but a ring is a ring, and that was Peyton's last season. What was it like to be part of his last ride with the Broncos?

It was beautiful. It was beautiful. Not only did I get a chance to watch history, but I got a chance to witness a true leader in Peyton Manning. Everything he did for the team, everything he did as a player, it was special to be around. And watching him win, especially before he decided to retire, he deserves it. He definitely deserves it.

Travis Kelsey is obviously decorated at your position. He's got some rings. People keep asking about retirement. He says he's good. How difficult is it, though, at that position, your position, to maintain a high level of play over the course of a decade plus?

It's tough. It's tough. It's tough. The biggest part to it is making sure you can stay healthy to make it that far. Because if you can't stay healthy, then you don't have anything. And I think these guys are starting to understand it even more that it's all about how fast can I bounce back and be able to help my team win games. Travis has been doing that. He's been the ultimate pro. I love watching him, and hopefully we can continue to watch him a little bit more, especially if Taylor Swift's going to be there.

Nice. So you're not one of those people that breaks out in hives every time she's shown on TV? No, no, no. I'm not a Swifty. I'm not a Swifty. Here's the part that blows me away about him, Vernon. Somehow, I don't know how the defense loses him, but somehow he finds openings, pockets in the defense, and continually when Patrick Mahomes needs him, he is open. How does that happen? How do you lose a dude as big as Travis Kelsey in your defense?

Yeah, Travis has a unique ability to be able to find that soft spot. So when you're, as a quarterback,

You know, I'm really relying on my wide receiver or tight end to find that open zone, right? It's all about zones, understanding the defense and knowing where you need to be. That's a big trust factor when it comes to the game of football. And Travis is better than anyone in doing that. That's why we've been able to see him get open so much and find those soft spots and zone coverage. Even in man-to-man, he's been effective.

I don't have anything but great things to say about Travis Kelsey when it comes to playing this game at a high level.

Super Bowl champion, former NFL tight end, Vernon Davis is with us from New Orleans. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. How long does it take to develop a relationship like that between a quarterback and a receiver or a tight end? It's like they're an old married couple and they can finish each other's sentences. Yeah, the problem is that connection you're looking for, it takes a little bit of time. It starts in practice, but once you get it going in practice, then you get it transferred over to the game.

And one game at a time is when you continue to evolve. I say over the public, maybe two to three games. Then you can really find like that sweet spot when it comes to you being able to be on the same page with the quarterback. Yeah, they've definitely found that. Some of the talk from New Orleans yesterday was about extending the NFL regular season to 18 games. And I heard the pushback. Right. I hear it from you from the NFLPA team.

Why are players against that? According to Lloyd, he says no one wants to expand to 18. How come? The game already. I mean, guys have a hard time staying healthy. If you push the 18 games, we're talking about more wear and tear. I mean, I don't think it should be 18 games as brutal as this game can be. I mean, these guys are playing at the highest level. So if we can...

not add, but keep it where it is. We stand a better chance of seeing guys stay more healthier over time. Think about what the Chiefs and what they've done. So they've played the 17 regular season games, but even when they have the buys, they continue another month plus. They've played almost another full season of games since Mahomes arrived in Kansas City. Yeah, yeah. I mean, Mahomes is special. Like one thing is it's hard to find

a fantastic quarterback. If you find one, then you consider yourself lucky. So what Kansas City has in the homes is beautiful. That's why they've been able to win so many games in the first place. I'm not saying he can, he's the only piece. It takes a lot of different pieces in order to make it work, but he's one of the biggest pieces they have in that effort. What do you miss about the football routine or about playing the game?

I miss the locker room. I miss getting up, going in, and being in that routine, that routine that I had. Everyone has a routine. What do you like to do from the time you get up and get going, walking through the doors of that facility? What do you do? Even on the day before the game and game day, I had a consistent routine for 14 seasons. So I miss that.

I do. Does it take some time to adjust to life as a civilian? I'm using my air quotations, but life outside of football? I mean, it does for some people. I mean, I feel like for me, I started before I retired. I had a lot of things going on. Not a lot of things going on, but a lot of seeds I started to plant. Nice. For when I was done playing the game. So I was able to just leave and just walk right into various different opportunities. And I think that's a

That's a great thing for guys to really make sure they understand.

the essence of being able to like walk away from the game and just find opportunity. That's the best way. Yeah. You got to make sure you share that with younger players who need to hear that. That's really smart to do. So you don't wait until you're done. Longtime NFL tight end, former pro bowl and super bowl champion, tight end Vernon Davis. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. You've been working with Smirnoff for a long time. You get a chance to hang out with fans coming up on Saturday, the longest tailgate. What are fans in for when they join you?

Well, they can go to Smirnoff.com to find out more information, but Smirnoff, the longest tailgate, is going to be epic. I mean, we're talking about a 60-foot truck bed. I hear you laughing. It's crazy, right? It's amazing. Flo Rida's going to be there performing. It's going to be incredible. I can't wait. You know, we do game days. That's what we do. And I'm excited about it. They're always full of surprises and nothing

You never know what you're going to get. We've got the Smirnoff.com, the longest tailgate on Saturday. What is a Smirnoff Extraordinary Drop? Smirnoff Extraordinary Drops. This is something they did with Complex Magazine. That was a great opportunity for me. It was a lot of fun. But basically, I had to find prize possessions that I wanted to give away. I did. So we took kind of like a tour through the house to kind of see what those items were in a fun way.

Yes, it was amazing. It was a great experience. They can go to SmirnoffDrops.com. SmirnoffDrops.com. Vernon Davis, Super Bowl champion. That's nice when you can walk around Radio Row as a champion and part of the longest tailgate on Saturday with Smirnoff. It's going to be epic, as you heard. Vernon, great to catch up with you for a couple of minutes. Thank you so much. Oh, you as well. Thank you.

Lots of variety in our conversations this week. Some from New Orleans, not all from New Orleans, but Ryan and I were just thinking about it. Coaches, players, media members, and then Johnny Damon.

Well, and both male and female football players too, which is pretty cool. So great to catch up with Vernon. Had never had a conversation with him. So first time talking to the former Pro Bowl tight end and Super Bowl champion. Of course, do you remember him from that Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos? And I just knew it as I was going through our conversation. Oh,

All right. I know I already asked him about the Super Bowl and I have to backtrack. But if I don't ask about playing with Peyton Manning, someone's going to yell at me, if not more than one someone. So that was cool. And if you missed any of our conversations, for instance,

You want to go back and listen to very decorated wide receiver, Adrian Smith, who's got gold medals and eight championship rings, both tackle and flag football. She was on Wednesday morning here on the show. Well, that's easy. No, Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning, Wednesday morning. Oh my gosh. They all blend together. She's podcasted. Ron Rivera's podcasted. All of our interviews are podcasted separately. So that's neat.

Also, many of you have reached out to ask me about the Madden Cruiser special, A Bayou Adventure with Bill Belichick. My DVR is set. It airs at noon Eastern time, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox. So it's part of their pregame coverage. By the way...

80% of you, nearly 80% of you weighing in on both of our social media sites. We had roughly 1,500 people weigh in with this poll. Heavily trafficked poll. 80% of you plan to watch not even one full hour of Super Bowl pregame coverage. I think it's because you're getting it all here on our show. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.