Tom Brady: From NFL GOAT to Owning A Football Club & World Cup In USA | Stick to Football 135

Hey!

What's up, partner?

How are you?Good to see you.How you doing, buddy?Nice to see you.You good?

I'm doing great.Thank you so much for doing this.Thank you.See how it works.Is this the one you always do?Yeah, with Roy and Wrighty.

So they're just coming down now.I'll never go at them because you're here before them.They should be waiting.You should be waiting for us.

Don't worry about it.It's all good.I got here early.It was an easy drive over.I've had a...My apartment's super close.

So it's a good block, obviously.It's a beautiful building.Yeah.My friend developed it.Okay.He lives in the building.

Right.He's from Boston.Right.He named his son Brady.You're the head of the table, Tom.There's a pool.

There's a basketball court.Gym, everything.Beautiful gym.There's a sauna.There's a steam room.But it was good because he's living in it.

I want to buy a net building.Is it expensive?Will we want it?You know what?This real estate keeps going up.This city, when COVID happened, it was so quiet, nothing.

And then everyone said, is New York City going to come back?And then yesterday, you saw New York and it's a zoo.It's never been busier.So, do you feel, when you come over here, are you like?

We got stuck in the traffic, me and Roy went to watch the Yankees.We went to watch the Yankees last night.What do you think of the baseball, by the way?I love it.You love it?Yeah.

It's a hard watch, eh?Oh, yeah, yeah, it's slow.

It's really slow.But it's a beautiful stadium.Oh, it is.It was amazing.And the Yankees are the best of the best.

Yeah, yeah.

But it's slow, eh?It's so slow.And it's a long game.They've tried to speed it up.I know, yeah.Like a time o 'clock was running.

It used to be really long games.Now they're much faster.There's a long history of baseball in America.They call it America's pastime.Because like in the 1920s, baseball ruled for like 60 years.And then in the 80s, our football started coming on.

Our football started, it didn't even start professionally.Our football started in America.basically in college, and college football was way bigger than pro football in America.What's the big swing then?What was the swing?What was the sort of moment of television?

And then television happened, and then American football is incredible on television.It's the perfect spectator sport.And there's only 17 games a season, and it's once a week, and it's on the weekend, and it's a three -hour commitment.The visuals on football, the gladiator aspect, the art and the science of it, really took over.How long have you guys done the show for?Three and a half years, four years.

Are they all done in the UK?

All in the UK.We've done a few over here.We did two earlier on in the week.They do well.David's been on, Rory McIlroy's been on, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, all the boxers, and Usyk.

Who else has been on?

Stephen Gerrard, Frank Lampard, all the big football players.JJ Watt came on.Dion Burnley came on.Do you know him?Very well.Yeah.

He's a good guy, yeah?Great.Yeah, he was a great player.Was he at the most, because we were talking to him, he was a defender, he had the most tackles, most tackles or something?

Phenomenal.Was he?Most defensive player of the year awards.He was incredible.Just so gifted.That big, that athletic.

I mean, think about him as a goalkeeper.I mean, you couldn't have been difficult.

Was that his position?Was he on the end?

He was kind of on the inside of the defensive line.And he was way more athletic than everybody he played against.And he's got a brother that's equally as talented.So it's like two brothers that are elite players.Both would make the Hall of Fame.Right.

Hey, Roy.How you doing, partner?

Pleased to meet you.

Nice to see you too.Big fan.How's everything?Same here.Good respect, yeah.

You good?

I'm doing great, yeah.He's not a big fan of everybody, to be fair, Tom.Is that right?Why not?For him to say big fan, that's high praise.

I do a few games, yeah.I've always loved it since I was a kid growing up in Ireland.Is that right?There wouldn't be much sports, but I was at the NFL on a Sunday.Really?So, yeah.

Why would they have it on in Ireland?

I'm not sure.Yeah, good question.

Yeah.

So, yeah, I loved it back in the day.

I'm going to Ireland on Monday, by the way.Oh, are you?Yeah.

Whereabouts?

I'm going to play golf with my dad for three days.We're going to Royal County Down.Right.And we're going to Port Marnick.

Yeah.

And we're going to Adair Manor.

Oh, cool.Not bad, huh?

Yeah.It's beautiful over there, though, the golf courses, aren't they?

Oh, my God.Have you played there on some of the courses?I think I played Port...Is it Port Rush?

It would be, yeah.

Yeah, Port Rush, yeah.I think I played Port Rush once.I played the...David got married in Ireland.Oh, what's the castle called?Where David got married, I played golf there with him.

Yeah, I can never remember it.

So that's the name of it.It's like a...Famous one.But I'm going to, you're sending me, he's sent me to Ireland in about a month when I get back to...I've sent you, I've not sent you anywhere.

Ordered me to go.He's ordered me to go.Ashford Castle.Ashford Castle.Yeah.That'd be cool, yeah.

Is that a golf course as well?That's in Galway Mayo, on the board of Galway Mayo.But you have to get the course, Kinsale, have you heard of the golf course in Kinsale?Yeah.It's supposed to be, The Old Head it's called.The Old Head, of course.

It's supposed to be amazing.

I played there a while ago.

Did you, yeah?Loved it.It's amazing, yeah.Well, I'm not into golf, but I know about the course, of course, and I like watching it.I was an Irishman, not into golf.That's because I didn't have the patience for it.

Really?Yeah.You need a bit of practice and lessons and...Yeah.

Yeah.I tried it, I did try it, but...Did you play while you were a professional?Because to be fair, he didn't like the golf.He didn't like the players rushing off to go and play golf.The idea of distraction and just four hours on a golf course and stuff like that.

So I played growing up.I had three older sisters.and my dad was gonna be a priest.And when he went to the seminary in Chicago, he manicured kind of the landscape of the golf course.So when he had a son, my dad was always into golf, and he got, when I was two years old, he was like, come on, we're gonna go off and play golf, because the girls are in the house, let's go play golf.So I always loved it.

And then I went to college, and I worked at a golf course in the summertime to play free golf.And then when I got to the pros, I was decent, Football took over, and I never played during the season.So my golf game just got worse and worse and worse.And then now, the last three years since I've been retired, I play more.What are you off?I'm pretty good now.

Three or four, probably.I'm pretty good.Straight back into it.It took a while.It took like three years.I had a lot of bad habits, and I'm tall.

Golf's not good for tall people.It's hard.You're a long way from the ball.Roy McIlroy's great.He's much closer to the ball.It's a shorter arc. I mean, all the good golfers.

Jack Nicklaus was 5 '9". Rory's probably 5 '10".You know, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer.Yeah, or smaller.You should be ideal for your 5 '4". And you'd be really good. You know, you still get a lot of that power, but like, you know, Tiger was 5 '11", 6 feet.Okay.

But when you start being 6 '3"... Tiger looks taller than that when you look at him. I've never met him, obviously, but he looks taller than that. Yeah. When you watch him. He's not, is he? He's 5 '11", 6 foot?Yeah.Were you 6 foot?I was 6 '5".What do you play often at the golf?Yeah, I was 12 when I like going back in so when I was 19 -20 and I stopped playing, did my football career and didn't pick it back up again.

Have you not picked it up at all?No, I'm going to play with Declan on Monday at Hamptons.Sabonic?

Yeah.

Yeah, incredible.Is it good?Spectacular.Yeah, I'm going on Monday.Yes, if you wanted to come by the way.Gary did invite me to go with him.

No, come with us.You should go just to see it.Just wait.

By the way, I said, what will I do when you're playing?golf?He went, you can just sit in the clubhouse.I was like, I don't know.It's a beautiful clubhouse.Is it?

For three or four hours?

We'll go putt or you could putt.You could hit some balls.Tom, could he drive around the Hamptons from there as well?By the way, the Hamptons is one of the most beautiful places.

I'm sure it is.Yeah, yeah.Why don't you go?Come with us.You've got an invite.

Yeah, but you aren't selling it to me.You know what I mean?You can watch some games.What else are you going to do?

Sit in a hotel room?

What's the best place for him to go in the Hamptons driving around if it's all beautiful?

Okay, you're in the best part South Hampton where that golf course so where that golf course is sabonic There's another one called national which is probably the third or fourth best one in the country, right?Which is next to Shinnecock where they're playing the US Open.Yeah, all three of them are you can see all of them from the same place Okay, so it's the most beautiful.Yeah, one of the most beautiful place in the world.

See you selling it better than you were Yeah, I was just saying just sit in the clubhouse sandwich The food's incredible, go watch it.

Yeah, well I might do, yeah.And have a beautiful day.Where's Ian, by the way?We did say 9 .30 start, we did say 9 .30 too fast.Don't worry about it.He's always a bit late.

Tom, what's in that, by the way?It's a potion.Water, electrolytes, minerals.I've spoken to you about this, obviously, we did a thing a few weeks ago, but it says the 80 -20 diet, and it's like completely transformed.What is that?

I'm pretty good about what I eat.You know, when I started playing, I was like, kind of like everyone else.And then I needed to like improve my processes for playing.And then I got good at it.And I met a guy who now runs our health and wellness at the Raiders, who actually runs the health and wellness at Birmingham City too.And, you know, we just, it's good food.

It's the right hydration, the right body work, the right workouts.And I played until I was 45.And we had the lowest injury rates last year.Hi, how you doing?Where you gone?We just finished.

All right.In conclusion, it was great.Thanks for having me.Did you enjoy the show?Thank you, I enjoyed it.show.

I know, these were my notes on Tom.How you doing?

Good to see you, buddy.I know, we finished everything.

Vince Lombardi, be 15 minutes early.We'll do it again if we need to.

Ian, we were just talking about, actually Mr. Golfbit, but forget that, we were just talking about Tom's diet and his 80 -20 diet and how he sort of moved from that.

We ate well at the baseball last night, had two hot dogs and some ice cream.That's good.Is that okay?It's fine.Is that part of the 80 -20?As long as you're not playing.

So when you guys were playing, when you guys were playing, did you have a lot of Working out physical training like they do in American football.

We got a nutritionist We got a nutritionist in the late 90s and we were talking about actually yesterday He got down to about 5 % 5 and a half percent body fat Wow, which was like you said it was too low.He went like into like a Complete and utter I can be a man of extremes.

So that was that was too low Yeah, and when I was playing in the midfield, I was I was people hit you and I was hitting them So I was feeling a lot.I should have that was too low.No doubt.Where were you made you do that?Probably me probably me because I used to be Used to be about, when I first went to United, I was about... 12, 13 maybe?Oh, higher than that, yeah.

I was about 18 or 19, yeah.I was carrying a bit.You were, to be fair...I was a Guinness.You weren't looking after yourself.I wasn't, Gary, no.

I wasn't a good pro, but it's not about me, is it?Back off, would you?Right.I had some bad habits though, you know what I mean?As you get older, a bit more mature.

Did you have bad habits?I grew out of them.I have no bad habits anymore.I'm just kidding.I have a lot of bad habits, none of which I'm going to tell on camera.Of course we don't want that, but like I was saying, Roy had some bad habits.

Yeah.I know.

Don't blame me.

This episode of Stick to Football is brought to you by Skybet.Before we kick off the show, I want to sayhuge thank you to our partners, Skybet, who've helped bring you Stick to Football throughout this tournament.Make sure you've liked and subscribed.You do not want to miss what's coming next.Right, let's get into it.

They didn't have a very high projection of what they thought I could become, and a lot of it was because of that combine photo.I wasn't the big...Do you want to see it?No, I don't.We've got it.

We've got it.I'm going to break the iPad.

Come on, Dave Roy, break the f***ing iPad.Thank you.

Guess what?As a 199th pick, I love beating the first -round picks.How good was that guy in college?I'm gonna kick his ass next.I'd love to learn from you guys.Why do you fire so many coaches all the time?

Don't they realize the players play?Every play's a set piece.So, if your set pieces are better than theirs...Thank you, Tom.

Thank you, Tom.Arsenal fan.

They've won the league through set pieces.It's phenomenal.When Bill Belichick walked in the room, everyone sat up.He said, do your f***ing job, is what he said.Oh, I love that line.Yeah.

You've just drafted the first pick.Yeah, we needed a quarterback.Once you're selected, it doesn't matter.Now you're just a member of the team.Now you have to develop him.

Tom fell asleep in the locker room before his first Super Bowl.For all he said the last time when I was out, he was out the night before.It's bladdered.

What do you call that?Bladdered.

Absolutely.I love you, Brit.

We'll talk about baseball.Go on then.The first pitch we've got here of Tom.Oh, fuck me.That's a good pitch.That's the worst fucking pitcher of my life.

Tom's a great pitcher.Yeah, but you can look back now and see.Tom, we've got worse than this.You're a catcher, weren't you?Pretty good one too, yeah.

Catcher was a little like playing quarterback.You're kind of in charge, you call the pitches, they don't start until you put the gloves on.You're in the action, every play is there.You get to be a little bit of a leader.It's a pretty tough part of the field.And like I said, when I grew up, my dad actually got drafted to play professional baseball.

All three of my sisters played softball, so it was just in our family.

You know what you say about the catcher, so is he telling the guy what the pitcher had to do?

Now he does, it's a little different now.I mean, it goes back and forth a lot.When I was playing, the catcher told the pitcher what to throw.There's some really cool stories about coming out that there was one of the greatest baseball pitchers in America named Greg Maddox.He played for the Atlanta Braves.He was dominant in like the 90s.

He was incredible.He would call his own pitches and he would do it when the catcher threw the ball back to him, how he caught the ball.would tell the catcher the next pitch he was gonna throw.So if he had the glove facing this way, it was a certain thing.If it was up, if it was this way, it was one thing, and no one ever picked up on his entire career.Some crazy stories.

Now they actually have, because there's a crazy sign -stealing thing, like what happened in the championship this year, you know, whatever.They now buzz in, they have like an electronic buzzer, so it basically like, between the catcher and the pitcher, they can hit buttons that just...On the watch?I don't know exactly the way it works, but it's basically some electronic communication.That doesn't allow signs to happen anymore.Right.

Do you like that?Or do you think that's getting too much technology with the sport?

You know, I love technology.I know there's like a lot going on.

And there was some last night in the baseball, wasn't there, the decision?I think that's amazing.

When I watch like Wimbledon now and they rule every ball in or out, like I love that.I mean, I think the guys work so hard year round to train and you hit a good shot and it's in.And they call it out, and you lose.And we have the technology to actually improve it.Well, why would you not do it?It's like, if it's instantaneous, and the flow of the game changes.

happens, why would you not take advantage of the technology?Which I think, like in American football, technology is really important in the game, because things happen so quick.And I think there's always a part between protecting traditions versus innovating to make the game better for the fans and for the players.

For them, sports are more stop, start.That's the frustrating thing in England, and everyone likes the fast pace.So in American football, for example, or even the tennis, it is stop -start, isn't it?A lot of that sport where soccer is, football is.So when they slow it down, it's frustrating.Like last night when they were making them decisions, we were cool, oh, why don't we take our time?

We said the baseball.But in England, they don't.But where they got to go anyway?I mean, what's the rush?Why are we?

Would you rather get it right?Yeah, I suppose so.But it's just what they're used to.Yeah.which is actually comfortable for everybody to go what we're used to but we love the innovation on our technology devices we love the innovation in our cars we love the innovation yeah in so many parts of our life but in sports sometimes we like to keep things non -innovative and it's like how can we think of these sports in the new generation, whether it's golf or whether it's American football.

What changed, Tom, for you?We're going to go to, obviously, the start of your career, where you're, I think, 199th pick draft out of 225?250, something like that.250?How did innovation change from that moment to the end of your career, which, obviously, is mid -40s?What's the biggest changes through that career in technology?

What happened in NFL?

The biggest, the most substantial change I think in the NFL from when I started to now is the contact aspect of the sport, which I kind of appreciated the physicality.And I would say most sports, the physicality is much different now than it was when we all started playing.But I think there's like physical toughness is the only thing to me that can beat skill.Because if you just make it a skills competition,then the best athletes will always find a way to win.But if you can make it a toughness competition, who's tough with skill, then I think the toughness can sometimes overtake that.

And I think just because of people being really conscientious about head injuries, and it's not my favorite thing to talk about, I think that part of what you sign up for as an athlete is You're willing to take more risks than what other people are willing to take and I played you know And I've been around a lot of NFL athletes Michael Strahan is one of my great friends.He's on TV with me Rob Gronkowski, you know guys that played in the certain area of tough football.We're great.You know what I mean?We're we work hard.We took care of ourselves, you know, we look back at our careers and I think you're real happy and I think I'm really happy about the sport that I played because It was physical, and the physicality of the sport forced me to come up with disciplines within myself that allowed me to be very healthy over a long period of time.

And now I can still use those disciplines when I retire to live kind of a really active physical lifestyle, even though I'm done.

So what are the big changes, Tom, from when you started to now?In football, there's something similar going on in England with heading the ball.Yeah.So now I think kids under 16, they're not allowed to head the ball more than maybe one or two times.Yeah.per practice?

Is it similar types of things that are happening there in the NFL, obviously, with what's happening?

Yeah, I think the biggest change is, and I've expressed this a few times, is the offensive players on a team, my team should protect myself and your team needs to protect yourself.And I think the difference is there's a physical element to play where the quarterback can make a decision with the football and try to throw it to Roy, but Ian's really close.Now Ian's coming in with a lot of force to try to knock the ball off Roy.

Yeah.

The problem is if Ian comes in too fast,and all of a sudden Roy drops his head four inches and Ian clips his helmet because he's coming in to knock the ball off him, they're going to call a penalty on Ian and they're going to penalize you yards and they're going to fine you.So now Ian's got to come in really slow and under controlled Now Roy gets to catch the ball with no ramifications.The quarterback can throw the ball in places that he used to not be able to throw the ball into because now we blame the defensive player for making the right play on the football.So to me, if you're carrying the football and you're running the ball down the field and you need a turnover, The defender has to come in with a lot of force to try to knock the ball off you.He's got to run full speed because these guys are so strong.

If you're coming in at half speed, you're never going to put enough force on the football to knock it off me.But if you brought in all your force to knock the ball off me, you're coming in at a speed which you can't change your target area if you're coming in full speed.So now all of a sudden the running back drops his helmet, you're running, you hit his helmet, and because there's helmet to helmet contact, automatically there's a flag on you and you're the problem, not the runner.So I think there should be an element of offensive players protect offensive players, defensive players protect defensive players.It's not the defensive player's responsibility to protect the opposite team.It'd be like going to a boxing match and saying, I want you to beat him, but don't hurt him too bad.

Don't knock him out.And it's like, hold on, my job, if I don't want to knock him out, he's got to play better defense.He's got to protect himself.So I just think I had this probably 10, 10 year part of my career, 11, 12 year part of my career, which was the old way, and then there was the new way.And now - The new way easier.It's just more, I don't think you're, I think you're rewarding poor styles of play and poor decisions.

All right.opposed to saying, I got to make really good decisions at quarterback to protect my own teammates, to throw the ball where the ball needs to be thrown.Because, yeah, I mean, it's really detailed.You need a chalkboard to draw some of the things up.But for the most part, that's probably the number one change.And they have tried.

Nobody wants to see people get injured.But I think we should get better at actually taking care of people.We should get better, like, why don't we focus our energy on how to get people recovered better?Why are we still archaic about that?But then let's change the rules to actually lessen the contact, where to me, contact is a big part of the game.And it's still very, it's still a lot of contact in the sport.

but we've lessened it by probably 25, 30%.

The quarterbacks, when you compare the quarterbacks to the last few years, you look at a quarterback now that they're thrown flagged, I think that's frustrating is that you must look at the current quarterbacks and they're getting a lot more time, aren't they?Because people are a bit wary of certainly hitting the quarterback.

Yeah.And I think one thing, so like there became a lot of rules to protect a lot of players, receivers, Defensive players and certainly the quarterbacks and now the quarterbacks can take the ball and they can run the ball Without much fear of getting hit really hard because anytime the quarterbacks running It used to be when I first started playing if you decided to run you were treated like a running back host and every running back They would come in knock the shit out of you.Yeah now when you run outside the bucket, they still treat you like a quarterback, which means You can slide, and if they come in and they put their shoulder, there's a flag.And I just don't like the fact that there's a lot of the most amazing players that ever played in the NFL that are in the Hall of Fame that relied on a physical style of play, that those players who are so gifted and so talented, in today's football, they would be called dirty players.Whereas all they're doing is trying to do their job really well.And I don't think you make someone a dirty player because he's playing with a lot of flags.

You know with the quarterback, because you are the main guy, so those are tough guys, they want to hit you as hard as you can because you are the main guy.They want to slow you down.That's not happening today, right?They still are.I mean, look, there's still a lot of - I'm talking about really hit them because you say - It's less for sure.

And there's less like, for example, if I were to hit Gary on the way to the ground, I have to roll my body off of you so my body doesn't land on top of your body.How do you do that?Guys figure out a way to do it.But at the same time, if the quarterback wants to hold the ball to the last, last, last second, I understand that.That's a decision the quarterback has to make.If Roy's bearing down on me, he's gonna hit me as I'm getting ready to throw it.

I want to let him come as close as possible, and then I throw it to give my receiver enough time to get open, and then you knock the shit out of me.And you knock the shit out of me, and I gotta get up and I gotta play the next play.Now, when you're coming at me, these guys wait forever, as long as they want, and as soon as the ball's thrown, Roy can't hit me that hard.And whenever Roy does hit me, when he drives me to the ground, he's gotta peel off.So you're just saying, you have to be way more under control as a defensive player, which I understand why.It doesn't mean I like it.

I like the fact that like...

But that can't be natural, can it?Because if their job is to try and get at the quarterback, get a fumble or hurt you, their instinct is different then, isn't it?

The instinct's a lot.So you have a guy, let's say this is the sideline, and the quarterback scrambles out of the pocket, and he's running down the sideline.And you have defensive players that are all pursuing him to try to...If that quarterback's one inch from the sideline, and he starts to step out of bounds and the defensive players knock the shit out of him, they will blame the defensive players.When my view is, he's still in bounds.If he wants to run out of bounds two yards before the defenders get to him, let him run.

out of bounds.It's his choice.Don't blame the defensive players for trying to defend every blade of grass.As a defensive player, we've won Super Bowls by defending one yard in the NFL.2014, we played the Seattle Seahawks.We got to the fourth quarter of the game.

It was a great game.They got the ball down to our one yard line with under 30 seconds left.If they get the one yard and they score a touchdown, we lose, plain and simple.The entire season, seven months of football, came down to who could defend one yard.We defended it.They chose to throw the ball.

We intercepted the ball.They should have run it.I like the fact that they threw it.I'm very happy the way they threw it.But to me, every yard should be important on the football field.So why let a quarterback run unabated for five extra yards?

Because these defenders are slowing down because they don't want to hit the quarterback or be called a dirty player.To me, it's like, let them play fast and aggressive.You're going to know they're fast and aggressive.As a quarterback or as a runner, you need to make decisions based on the fact that they are.But we basically have told offensive players, you guys are infallible.There's nothing you could do wrong.

You just run till you get tired.And if you want to slide, you can slide.If you want to stay up, we can't hit you that hard anyway.So I think that's the biggest difference.And I think it's created, like I said, a comfort zone for certain players that used to not exist.And the penalties are bigger, aren't they?

If you are touched, it's like 15, 20, 25 yards, can it be punished?It's 15 yards, but what they start doing is they start fining you $50 ,000, $75 ,000.And I'm saying, I hate that.I hate the fact that you sign a contract for $2 million a year, $5 million a year, and it's so easy for someone to say, give me $75 ,000, give me $50 ,000.Oh, it's your second offense, that's $100 ,000.That's your third offense, $200 ,000.

I know but I like this is like what job what job is like that in the world where you make a mistake at your job and they come in they go hey we're gonna take your salary away yeah and then people are like yeahyou should take his salary away.And I'm like, I've been finished.I know.I mean, you would think, oh, you make a mistake in your job, they fine you.So there's just a few of those little nuances that at least we can bring awareness to it.

And I think sometimes the pendulum swings too far one way and it's got to swing back the other way.

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You see that picture there?I know we've gone off a little bit of it.I'm not bringing it back because you don't like it, but where was you in your... kind of like your growth and the speed.We love that picture, Tom.Yeah, we love that picture.Because obviously you don't look very British.

No, no, no.No, we look at that picture, Tom, and we look at you now, and it doesn't look real.You don't look real.That was 36 years ago.

Tom, there's another picture.

There's a picture of you.There's a picture of you before you get drafted.It's a famous picture of you where you're absolutely immaculate.You're the greatest of all time.But your 199th draft pick, are you at that point where you can see everyone else getting picked before you?Is that how it happens?

You see everybody else get, you get told you're too, are you happy?Are you a bit like, I'm relieved, I'm struggling here because I'm last draft?

How's that feel?It's a public, it's a very public thing.

Yeah, very public.And it's not like you're, Look, it's a great opportunity to be drafted wherever you're drafted.And the reality is it doesn't matter where any of us start in our careers.You could start as the prodigy.You could start as someone who never thought would be that successful.There's an element to all of us where you never know who you are until you face adversity in life.

And you have to grow up through adversity and through challenges.And things don't always go your way.And I had a really good college career.I went to one of the best colleges in America.I played at one of the most storied football programs in America at the University of Michigan.I played in college in front of 110 ,000 fans.

I was 20 wins and 5 losses in my career at Michigan.We were really good.But then it came to the draft and then you have a lot of scouts that evaluate these college prospects and they think, well, let's project what they could become.And they saw me and they didn't have a very high projection of what they thought I could become.And a lot of it was because of that combine photo.I wasn't a big...

Do you want to see it?No, I don't.I know what it looks like.I lived it.We've got it.We've got it.

You know what I'm saying.I'm going to break the fucking iPad.Come on Dave Roy, break the fucking iPad.

Thank you.

Get rid of that thing.We'll get rid of the iPhone.Exactly.So it was like they see the picture and they go, well, he's not that big and he's not that fast.But the quarterback position, I'm tall.I'm not the most muscular.

It was just been a hard thing for me to put on all that muscle.And honestly, you put on too much muscle, you're going to get injured a lot of times too.And I wasn't really a runner.So what ended up being my biggest weakness was the fact that I wasn't that fast turned into my biggest strength, that it forced me to prepare and study better than basically anybody that played.There was a few other guys that I would compare myself to in terms of preparation, film study, anticipation.went into a system in New England that embraced all those things.

And then I could truly play field general.I could play the game between my ears.And then my physical skill within two or three years really caught up to everybody else.So I think there's a way for every athlete to truly maximize their potential.And I think there's a physical, mental, and emotional part of us that allow us to all be successful.We oftentimes over -evaluate the physical.

And we think, oh, because he's such a physical athlete and he's talented, he's going to be great.To me, I mean, you probably got along because you understood the game, you saw the passes, you saw the strategy, you saw the tactics.And then emotionally, you bring a competitive stamina, a energy and enthusiasm and optimism to the team every day.There's nothing worse than a teammate that one day youfucking great, and the next day, what happened to him?Okay, Ian, sorry.

That wasn't me.

It was always a pair.When you have that Athlete or a teammate that you know every day is gonna show up.He's gonna be on time.He's gonna train hard He's gonna be good in the locker room.He's always gonna be dependable Those are the type of teammates you want you would take someone like that over the less skilled player that or the more skilled player that has more volatility because you know what you can count on yes, so to me I was very Mental emotional was off the charts Physically, I needed a catch -up And I started to do that from those moments on when I improved my nutrition, when I was more hydrated, when I worked out better, when I recovered better.

Was there a moment where you thought, I need to do this now?

I was always part of it.It was always part of it.It got really intense.It got intense because one of the biggest moments was in my career.I met a guy who's my best friend still.I talked to him this morning.

I talked to him last night.He's running the health and wellness department for the Las Vegas Raiders now, where I'm part of the team.We have the lowest injury rates in the NFL.At Birmingham City in the championship the last two years, we had the lowest injury rates of any team.And he started to train me with a lot of recovery treatments that got me feeling back to 100 % really quickly after games, after injuries.And now we just run those protocols for our entire team.

What were they, Tom, back then?What were they back then?So a lot of it, so I'll give you an example.I was a quarterback.I threw the ball a lot.I had significant elbow pain.

It was elbow, it was tendonitis basically.And the tendon in my elbow would get inflamed.Every time I would throw, I would go in the weight room, I would lift weights because everyone says you got to lift weights if you want to be better.If you want a stronger arm, you got to lift weights.So I would do bicep curls, I do tricep pushdowns, I do bench press, I do pulls, I do all the things.Then I would go on the field.

So in the weight room, those muscles are getting stronger.but they're also getting tighter and thicker.Okay.Now I go on the football field and I've got to create this really elastic movement where all these muscles need to be really long and elastic.But in the weight room, I've changed them to be very densely tight.So now I had this elbow tendon that's like, hold on, what do you want me to do?

Do you want me to be dense and tight?Or do you want me to be long and elastic?So.This tendon is now becoming very inflamed through all the repetitive throwing motions, day after day, to the point where I couldn't throw anymore.I would have to take days off.You take this day off, and then you come back and you practice every other day.

And after practice, we're going to ice your elbow, we're going to give you an anti -inflammatory, and you're going to rest.Sounds like our careers, though.Yeah, that's what we do.Wow.Anti -inflammatory, ice, rest.And then finally, it wasn't working anymore.

Because you get older, you're like, hold on, at 19, that worked, and at 20, it worked, but at 22, it's not working that much.At 24, It's not really getting better, and it's hurting more, and it's becoming more irritating.So I meet Alex, one of my teammates, William McGinnis, who was a great defensive end from USC, a first -round pick for the Patriots, I think in 1993.He says, Tommy, we can't have you.I already won a Super Bowl at that point.He's like, we can't have you miss practice.

You're coming with me now.You're going to go work with Alex.And I'm like, what can he do that no one else has ever done for me?He goes, just let's just shut up.Just grabs me, brings me into this little side training room.And Alex says, what's the problem?

He said, my elbow hurts.Okay.Is what we're gonna do.We're going to through manual therapy, muscle work.We're going to lengthen and soften all the muscles in your forearm, all the muscles in your bicep and all the muscles in your triad to relieve the tension on your tendon.Your muscle does it.

Your, your tendon doesn't hurt because they're too weak.They hurt because they're too tight.So we need to, through muscle work, relieve the tension.So now, instead of these muscles being very short and dense, we're gonna make them long and elastic through the treatments.So now, after three or four days of him doing the treatments, I would ice the tendon a little bit to bring a little inflammation down.I stayed on the anti -inflammatory for a little bit, but then, after making these muscles a little bit longer through the muscle work, the inflammation in the tendon came down, and then there was no elbow pain.

And I was like, that was the first time in my life, since I was that boy playing baseball, that my elbow pain went away.And I was like, well, fuck, can you do it for my shoulder?Because my shoulder's sore too.I'm going to lengthen out your pec.I'm going to lengthen out your deltoid.I'm going to lengthen out the muscles in your back that you've created a lot of denseness and stiffness through working out.

Now I'm going to lengthen those out.Well, I didn't have any shoulder pain.And I'm like, well, can you do it on my knees?Yeah, I'm going to work on your calves, on your quads and your hamstrings.And we're going to create space in the knee joints so that the knees aren't in pain.And I was like, it was an unlock for me.

So it was like, okay, once I started getting the right muscle work, it was like, okay, when I go away from you, what do I do?You gotta stay really hydrated because I want your muscles to be more like beef tenderloin than beef jerky.If your muscles are like beef jerky and we put tension on that, they're gonna tear.So we gotta be really hydrated, which how do we get dehydrated?There's a lot of things that dehydrate us.Travel, certain, you know, drink coffee, drink alcohol, dehydrating.

You sweat a lot.You go in the sauna, your steam room, you'd sweat a lot.But if you don't rehydrate, your muscles get really dry.If you get dry, they tear easy.So, okay, we're going to stay hydrated.We're going to put a lot of electrolytes and trace minerals in what you drink.

And then after that, after three or four years, it was like, well, what do I need to eat?Okay, we're going to cut down on the sugars, basically.Anything that can cause inflammation in your body.we're going to try to just cut down on the inflammation.You can have a little bit of, you know, sugar and a little bit, you know, you can go out and have fun with your friends, but you should.can't overdo it all the time.

So over time, it became the right muscle work, the right treatments, the right hydration, the right nutrition.I would take kind of the generic supplements, like a multivitamin or a fish oils or things like that.And then finally, it got to, I did a little brain training exercises, which kind of came into vogue.And then I changed my workouts a little bit.Instead of doing, as I got older, instead of doing the heavy weights really slow, like a deep squat, I started doing much more band work that was more elastic and a little bit quicker.So those were probably the major changes.

I would say - What kind of period from the time your elbow was hurting you to the time where it was like, I can't feel anything when I'm throwing?Five days.You're joking.

Ian, five days.I had been in pain for 10 years.And then after this, I tear my ACL in.2008, and actually I'll give you another example.Have you guys ever had groin problems in soccer?Yeah, hernia -like.

Hernia, like an adductor?Yeah.Okay, same thing.In 2006, my groin was hurting.I was doing a lot of single leg squats in the gym, which creating a lot of density in my adductors.And then as quarterback, you move laterally a lot.

It's not a lot of straight ahead sprinting.It's more shuffling with your feet.You're dropping back, you're crossing over.So there was just a lot of tension on my adductors.And I was doing a lot of weightlifting because I was told.So I go to the, um, after the season I go and I tell the doctor, you know, my groins just really sore all the time.

Like every time I move, I can feel it just grab.And he says, and that wasn't, I was working with Alex a lot.We had developed a relationship over three years, but I go to the team doctor and he says, well, this is what we're gonna do.We're going to do an adductor release.So we're going to go in there.We're going to cut the adductor tendon in your groin.

And while we're in there, we're going to cut the other side as well.So it never becomes a problem.And I was like, okay, that sounds not like what I want to do.So I called Alex when I left the office, he was out in California.It's where he was living at the time.He would fly in to see me two days every other week.

And I said, Alex, I have this, the doctor told me to do this adductor release.What do you think?He goes, absolutely not.Just fly out here to LA with me for three days and I'll fix it.Fly out there.We worked on the adductors.

We lengthened and softened both adductor muscles, my hips, all my glutes and basically relieve the tension on the tendon.

Was it painful to do?

Yeah, I mean, when you have a tight muscle, you have a tight hamstring and someone starts working on your hamstring, it doesn't feel very good.But it gets to the point where after you do it long enough, it does start to feel good.There's a lot of relief to the relaxation of the muscle.So I worked on it, he worked on the adductors and then three days later, no more pain.The doctor said there's a 99 % chance that I'm going to have to cut your adductor tendon at some point.And to this day, nothing.

Were the club okay?Were you visiting different people, the coach, Belichick?Were they happy?Were you seeking kind of...

It was hard, you know, it's again, it's hard for these coaches to feel like they're not in total control of everybody.I'm sure Alex Ferguson wanted to be in control of everything.He still does.Tom, he still does.I bet he does.I bet he does.

Yeah.And that's probably a great quality for a coach, but it's also a little bit of a destructive quality for a coach too.

What was Belichick like, Tom, in that sense?

He was pretty good with me.No, he was good with me.At times, I think he definitely wanted to be more in control because, especially when you're successful as a coach, A lot of people will tell you how great you are.And he was great.There's nobody better in the history of American football than Bill Belichick as a coach.There was nobody I'd rather play for than Bill Belichick as a head coach.

It doesn't matter.I was a great quarterback.I wasn't right all the time.I made a lot of mistakes.I threw a lot of interceptions.The working relationship we had was always great.

He pushed me. I pushed him.There were some things he didn't like about what I did.There were some things I didn't like about the way he did.But that's life.That's relationships.Sometimes, you know, you have relationships where not everything's perfect 100 % of the time.

They were right about 95 % of the time with Belichick.And like I said, he was so good.Now, when it came to certain points with, you know, Tom's getting certain types of treatments and he was, it confused him a little bit, but it was never to the point where it, you know, bothered us that much.

Who made the calls, Tom, on the pitch in the big moments, you or him?If you're sort of the dynamic, the manager in a football team in England, they would pick the system, they would make the substitutions, but you're out there on the pitch in the big moments that you're talking about, you've had so many of them, who's making those big calls between you and him?Sort of who has that control at that point?

It's a little both.And I think at the end of the day, when there's nobody more, and I think this is, probably the right way in European football as well.In American football, I think there's nobody more important to winning a game Monday through Saturday than the head coach.He is the most important person in the organization, preparing the team, holding people accountable, getting the players to perform on a high level.On game day, there's nobody more important to winning than the quarterback.Now, everybody's important on the field on Sunday.

The kickers, the punters, the linemen, the D linemen, but the quarterback touches the ball in every play.So if your quarterback plays better than their quarterback, you have a 90 % chance of winning.The coach can't do much on game day.He's done his work Monday through Saturday.So there's always an argument that people talk about in American football.Who was it?

The coach or the quarterback?And the reality is you need both.You need both to be exceptional.If there's 32 teams in the league, if you want to be successful over a period of time, you better have a top five quarterback and a top five head coach at the same time.If you have a top five quarterback and atop 20 head coach, you're not going to be successful.

That coach is probably going to be fired.If you got a top five coach and the 20th best quarterback, you're not going to be successful and they're going to fire the coach.And once you start firing coaches, which I always think is interesting, and I'd love to learn from you guys, why do you fire so many coaches all the time?Tottenham had three coaches here.Why is everyone firing everybody?Don't they realize the players play?

I'm sure if you have Leo Messi as one of your forwards, one of your strikers, you're not going to lose that much.You know what I'm saying?So it's like all of a sudden we're like, oh no, the coach is responsible for every bits of winning and losing.When to me, the players on the pitch or the players on the football field are incredibly important to winning.But at the same time, I would say American football, and again, you guys can educate me, it's a very tactical game.There's set plays every play.

Every play is a set piece.So if your set pieces are better than theirs, you're at a big disadvantage.Thank you, Tom.Thank you, Tom.

Arsenal fan.

They've just won the league through set pieces.It's been phenomenal.

Thomas Hinton, we were going to come on to that because I remember you talking to me a couple of years ago and you said that it's a series of set pieces in American football and English football or soccer is more erratic.It's a bit more free.But Arsenal have got obviously American ownership with the Cronkite family, obviously, and obviously this season they've just won the league.Premier League title which is incredible and well done to it.Thank you very much.But they've won it and they've been criticised quite a lot for their set -piece excellence really.

I remember you saying to me it's a game of set -pieces.Does it frustrate you when you watch English football and think that it needs to be more organised?Because your discipline in your game is everything isn't it in the NFL?

The discipline in the NFL is, you know, It's very complex, American football.If you were to see the books that I had to prepare for a game, they were this thick.Were you preparing those books?The coaches were preparing them.I was taking notes.I was exchanging information.

They would give me a lot of plays they like.I would look at them.I'd say, let's change that.Let's give them back.What do you think about these?And we worked together for six days to put together a real plan.

If our plan was great, well, we just needed to go execute the plan.If our plan was poor or generic, it was a lot for the players to overcome.Always felt like on our teams.We had really good plans.Now.We weren't right all the time.

We're right more than basically anybody else Tactically, we were better on offense and defense than 95 % of the time so and if our execution was up to the standards of our tactics we would win So it's just different when I look at soccer.I look at hockey, you know, these games flow in basketball You know, so to me the spectacular players are make a huge difference.Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, you know, it's Zlatan.They make a huge difference in the ability for the team to get the ball in the back of the net.When I watch the games, I'm like, God, it seems so hard to get the ball in the back of the net, you know?And then when you watch like Haaland, it's like he plays this vertical game and every time the ball's sent into the middle of the box, the ball gets in the goal.

So some point you got to figure out how to get the ball in the back of the goal.But if there's a lot of defenders back there, you're going to need a lot of height unless you create some counterattack where there's more space and you can make a run.So again, you guys know the tactics a lot better than me. I mean, you tell me, is it the players or the coaching or not?Let's not call the coaching the tactics of soccer.How important are they for the team, Seth, compared to the skill of the players?

Well, it's still the hardest part is football, scoring a goal.Obviously, like you said, there's not that many goals in it.Coaches are very tactical now.You mentioned managers.A lot of managers now are going to games very defensively.They're frightened of losing their jobs.

You lose three, four games in England, you're getting sacked.Then there's another balance.Everyone looks at Pep.All the people want to play like Pep.So it's difficult.You need top players, you mentioned Haaland, but there's very few of them around.

That righty goal scorer is still the hardest part, isn't it?

Yeah, I think the main thing is that now you feel, even with Pep and the way they play, it seems very tactical.They don't seem to be, for a player like myself, a lot of individuality, kind of like instinctive stuff.You have to be in the right place for that person to be able to come across.And I'd find it probably very difficult to play in this time, simply because it does feel very technical.Methodical.It does.

It does feel like that.It's not flowing as much.It doesn't feel like it's flowing as much.I do like, like I say, you watch the World Cup at the moment and you're just seeing things, even like Messi's hat -trick the other day, the flow and everything and then the score, it just feels a little bit more...England and the US.Yeah, England.

And the US, two teams who've been a little bit free, I think.

You can just feel the fluidity of it, it feels like it's flowing.And I think a football match is always better when a player can be in Like especially in the last third and then you can just be, it just feels like...

You mentioned Arsenal, Arsenal have won the league, brilliant achievement, but they're getting heavily criticised for their set pieces, whereas again you talk about American football, the special teams, if they produce a big moment, which they do, everyone gets excited going what a job you've done, whereas in England there's still that element of...Set pieces, it's a bit, it's the perception, it's a bit boring.

The thing is, if you win set pieces every game, if your set pieces are better than theirs, if your set pieces are worse than the other team every game, you're at a huge disadvantage.Same in American football.We would play on special teams and like Bill Belichick, great I think he's the greatest head coach ever.I think he's the greatest defensive coach ever.And I think he's the greatest special teams coach ever.He would coach special teams and he came up as a special teams coach.

We would win special teams almost every week.It was a great feeling as a quarterback, knowing that whenever we kicked the ball,we were gaining an advantage.So as a quarterback, I don't need to force the ball all the time.I know that if we punt, we're going to change field position.I know that if we get it down there close enough, we're going to make the field goal.

I know that on our kickoff returns, we're going to have a chance to score or get us good field position where we could start our drives.There's other teams that, special teams is an afterthought.And now I'm the quarterback sitting there, and the balls, we kick the ball off to the other team, and they run it back 90 yards for a touchdown.I'm like, now I gotta run it back out on the field, down seven points, and I gotta drive the team on a 12 -play drive to go all the way down the field to tie the game.So it's a very deflating aspect of the sport, is when your special teams are a liability.I think if you make it something that's a true asset to what you're doing, you gain a huge advantage.

every single time you take the...What a challenge that must be tough.

You're not about American football when you're so far away and you've got like... 50 -odd second, you've got to try and get a touchdown, and I hear all the commentators, someone's got to get out of play.That must be so challenging, is it, for a quarterback, to get up to pitch, but you're keeping an eye on the clock as well.You might have one or two times out.I love that multitasking.Is that obviously your biggest challenge at that moment, since I'm in a big game?It's a great feeling.

Because you won a lot of your Super Bowls, even.It's been like one or two scores, isn't it?It's been tight.

All of them.Nine of the ten.So my first nine Super Bowls I played in all came down to the last drive of the game.Wow.The last Super Bowl against Kansas City Chiefs, we finally, we blew them out, which was amazing feeling, like five minutes left in the game and you feel like we got this one.But every other game came down to either us scoring to try to win or the other team scoring to try to win.

And there's just small margins of error.But I always preferred to have the ball in those situations than to see the other team with the ball.I'd rather have the ball with us trying to drive the ball down the field.And it's a really unique position for the quarterback at that time because Essentially, the coaches are very unimportant at that time.It's all about the quarterback's decision -making.But did you love that pressure?

Is that your greatness?

You thought, this is where I come alive.

Yeah, and I thought it was like, you know, quarterbacks are always defined by how they perform in a clutch and how they perform in the big moments.So, I kind of realized it was almost like a shift in my mind, a paradigm shift, where you could look at that situation and be like, shit, man, we're losing, and the defense couldn't stop, and now I gotta go out there, and I gotta go down there and drive them in the game.Or you could say, hey, this is exactly what I wanted.Give me the ball, and if we go down and score, I get to be the hero today.And I think that little shift in your mind as an athlete's really important.You could look at it as like, this is a negative, or this is a positive.

And when you make it a positive, you can see on the quarterback's faces, who really enjoys those moments.And you just see there's a poise of composure, that there's no panic, he's totally in control, and that he feels confident that he can go down the field because of his decisions, his play calls, his accuracy to go win the game.And the chemistry, would you have certain receivers go, I'm going to him?Oh yeah, always.And I would tell him, there's only so much in football, The field stays the same forever.They can only defend so much.

Dan Marino, who's a great quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, used to say, can't guard a perfect throw.It's almost like if you make a great strike on a ball and it's in the upper 90, I mean, look, you just hit it perfectly.I, in those moments, felt like I was so focused and concentrated, I could make the best throws I could make in those situations.When there was total freedom to play and make the throws, I felt like you'd come alive.

You win three Super Bowls, I think, in your first four or five years, and then you don't win one for 10 years.What's Tom like that doesn't win?I'm just trying to imagine.Pissed.Oh, angry.

For that long.

What are you like when you go home?What are you like when you don't win?Why did you stay for that long?Why did you continue to stay?We were really good still.

You're still good, yeah.

Were you getting offers, though, Tom?Were you getting people trying to come take you away?

Oh, yeah.And I think our Patriot teams had really two great generational runs.We had, there was a 20 year dynasty, but I think there was really like two 10 year dynasties.The first run that we had was kind of one group of players.And then we kind of transitioned and transformed into a second group of players that both had tremendous, you know, winning achievements.And We won three Super Bowls in my first four years I played.

In 2007, we were undefeated.You know, we had probably the greatest football team ever.We lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl on some incredible plays the Giants made.One is called the helmet catch.A guy, Eli Manning, threw the ball in the middle of the field, jumped up, guy who you never heard of, caught the ball, stuck it to the back of his helmet, fell backward, landed on the ground, controlled the ball on his helmet, had his other hand locked up, And they ended up scoring a touchdown and we lost the game.We would have been 19 -0 and we'd have been considered, I think, the greatest football team ever.

We lost that year.That was the most brutal loss of my entire career.And then 2008, I tore my ACL.It was a tough year.2009 was probably the worst year we had at the Patriots.We were not very good.

2010, we had one of the great years.We lost in the first round of the playoffs.We were 14 -2.2011, we went back to the Super Bowl and lost to the Giants again.And we had, I think, we had a lead in the fourth quarter and we lost that game.We blew it.

2012, we were in the game before the Super Bowl.2013, we were in the game before the Super Bowl.So we were knocking on the door every time.Then 2014, the Seattle game, it felt like, oh, here we go again.They got the ball down to the one yard line, Malcolm Butler makes interception, and we win instead of losing.And then 2015, we were in the game before the Super Bowl, lost to Peyton Manning, they won the Super Bowl.

2016, we won the Super Bowl.2017 we're in the Super Bowl and lost 2018.We won the Super Bowl.So we had just yeah, so silly question got really wasn't it?No, it wasn't.It was just meaning like what really is an advantage you were competing every year Yeah, we were competing and we had tremendous continuity in our program.

Yeah, we have continuity with players.We've got new coaches Continuity is the most underrated thing in sports.I think when you have the same coaches and same players, you can get really good at the nuances of the game.I think when you decide to change people, you change them mid -year, there's no accountability at that point.The players feel like, well, you know, we run the system, we run the show.Like a new coach that comes, I always like it to like the audio -visual guy.

They come in your house and one group installs the TVs and then they suck at it.So you're like, oh, I got to get a new audio -visual guy.And this guy comes in and goes, well, they wired everything the wrong way.You know, everything's wired.I can't, I got to fix everything.And you're like, hold on.

It's such an easy thing to blame the person that's not in the room.You fire someone, all the coaches are sitting there going, well, yeah, it was the guy who's not here anymore.It was his fault for all of this mess.I've never done that, Tom.So I think if you keep the accountability, do players in today's age in soccer, do they still want to be held accountable to an Alex Ferguson who's saying, you're not doing good enough.You're not prepared.

You're not working hard enough.I need you to train harder.I need you to care more.I need you to take better care of your body.Are players still responsive to that?

Not as much.Not as much.I mean, were you like that with your teammates, Tom?Were you demanding of your teammates?

Oh, yeah.

But would you have bust up when you were losing out in some of these big games?Would there be bust ups in the dressing room with players?No.No?

No.You know, I think because we all realized how hard it was to get to where we were getting to right but um But if you got sacked a few times, would you be looking?

Oh, yeah, here we go.Hey, let's come on.

Give me a wake the fuck up Yeah, let's go and what the fuck we doing Like why why are we fucking up and then let's fix it and play harder play better get more intensity get more urgency Let's go and I think when your best player is someone that every day is is getting you going, getting you going, getting you going.If you came in here and you're like, all right, what are we doing today?Who's prepared, who's not?Well, no one has to really be prepared.But if I came in there with energy, enthusiasm, urgency, we don't fuck that player up.We don't mess one up.

Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go.Well, other guys, they know when they walk in the building in the morning, they better be ready to go.So I can't be out at 11 o 'clock at night if I know that Tommy's in there the next morning.So that accountability from a player means a lot to an organization.I think when you have players that...Like a Kobe Bryant, that's what Kobe is.

Kobe, Michael Jordan.I mean, you can go Steph Curry.You can't have a Doff day.You know, you have to...You need a great environment.You need a great environment.

I think that's key.And that environment lifts everybody.And even for the people that don't want to be pushed that hard, it actually drags them along.

Tom, I've listened to you quite a bit.Did you ever lose your confidence?What was a point in your career where you just felt like you didn't want...You said before you wanted the ball in in your hands in the big moment, but was there a point where you went under a little bit, where you lost confidence?

In college.In college?In college, yeah.Because I wasn't the best.I had to develop a lot of confidence in myself and I looked at, I went to Michigan.It was a great program.

I had a very challenging five years at Michigan where I was growing into the athlete that I wanted to be.And I would very much make a lot of excuses why I wasn't performing at my best.And there was a sports psychologist there named Greg Harden.And Greg said to me, he called me into his office and he was a great athlete.Asset to the organization.Unfortunately, Greg passed away about a year ago.

He was a sports psychologist Yeah, and he said why don't you quit bitching about all the things you're not getting and how about you to do the best with?Whatever opportunities you get, you know Stop worrying about what the other quarterbacks getting stop worrying about what the coach is saying to you every time you get in there You bring the juice you bring the energy you bring the enthusiasm You treat practice like a game because if you just decide to go out there and you're blaming everybody else Where does that get you?So I started to change my attitude, and I didn't have a lot of confidence in myself.And when you don't have a lot of confidence in yourself, you blame other people.And then all of a sudden, when you gain confidence in yourself, you start pointing the finger at yourself.And I would encourage every athlete to look in the mirror after every day of practice, of game, and say, what can I do better to help the team?

What can I do better?Not, what does the coach need to do better?What does my teammates need to do better?What do I need to do better?And if you show up every day with that attitude, every player will And every player does that, you're going to have an incredible team.So through college, it was hard, and I had to change my attitude.

And when I started performing better, because my attitude was better, I started gaining more confidence.You can't have a false confidence.And you don't only gain your confidence because of your physical ability.You gain your confidence because you're prepared, because you're competitive.And then you see those things for yourself.transform into better performance on a daily basis.

When I got to the pros, a lot of people never had those challenging adversities.They just felt like, well, if I show up, I'm better than everybody.So all you have to do is show up?Well, I didn't have that.Ability I couldn't just show up and be a better anybody.I had to show up prepared.

I had to show up with energy I had to show up with my body feeling right I had to show up, you know, like I was on a mission So then when I got to the pros, everyone's like who the fuck's this guy?

But I hope that you were drafted so late with a less pressure on you.

Yeah that first year I was drafted late.So there was no fan expectation You know, I was really under the radar my first year.I got to train and and develop my body through my first year.And then when I got my chance, I always said, if they ever give me a chance, they're never going to take me off the field.Because I had learned through college that I needed to be the most competitive.I had to be the most urgent.

I had to be like a coach on the field.Then all the players started really respecting that, especially because the Patriots were one of the losingest organizations in the NFL before I got there.Then all the players who were there, they saw me come in, and they're like, hey.You keep it up.I like what you're doing.Just don't let anyone change you.

You keep going.And I had little veteran players that came up to me that was like, we don't have this right now.And this guy is bringing, he's making us all better because the way he's showing up.And that's what you call culture.I think people that are culture drivers, they drive the culture.You need culture drivers on a team.

And culture is about values.What values does Gary have?What values does Ian have?What values does Roy have?Are your values work ethic, preparation, caring about your teammates, discipline?If you have those values and you have all of us, well, that creates a culture.

I brought a different values that the team had seen players that felt similar to me began to adopt those and then we Transformed I would say a losing culture to a winning culture along with our coaches along with a lot of other players on our team Teddy Bruschi Willie me I mean I could name 20 guys that were kind of like me but at the same time Had not had a chance to really good timing for you.Yeah your time and gone in there They were just a bit bit tired a bit flat and you thought yeah brother exactly huge and when they came in it was like oh man, and then we started winning and then the great part about winning is it reinforces of the behaviors people realize that if I make the investment of time and energy and if I change my Attitude if I don't go out at night if I don't party as much you mean we win Oh, well, there's an investment that pays off.If I began to do the right things and it pays off, well, then everybody wins.I think the hard part is when you're a coach or you're someone trying to change a culture, I'm telling you, Roy, Ian, Gary, let's not go out.Let's study.And then you lose.

Everyone's like, why did we do that?Why don't we just go have fun?So the challenging part is if you try to push people to be uncomfortable and change and be better and you don't get the results, It's very hard for people to stick to those, because most people aren't very self -motivated.You were, you were, you were.You woke up every day going, God, what do I got to do?How can I be better?

And you brought that every day, which is why you look at your career and you're probably so satisfied with what you accomplished.But a lot of people, I think they leave a lot out there.I think most people probably only accomplish 50 % of what they're capable of, because they're not in that environment that pushes them to be successful.So how can we create environments for people to be successful?You need accountability.

But why are so many organizations and teams in England and sports teams all over the world suffering?Because it sounds easy.doesn't it?What you're saying, that environment, but a lot of teams don't have it.

They don't have it.High performing environments are hard.And they're hard because there's a degree of being uncomfortable every day.When Alex Ferguson showed up, you were uncomfortable when he walked in the room because he had a perfection about the way that he expected you to perform.When Bill Belichick walked in the room, everyone sat up.because they didn't want to be called out for being shitty on the field.

They didn't do their job well.And there was going to be a coach that said, I told you what to do.What do you not do?Where's the effort?Why are you not running on that play?And you're in there and all in front of all your friends.

And most guys just want to, they want to be really comfortable.I think, you know, in the NFL, we play mostly on Sundays.Most organizations want everyone to be happy and comfortable Monday through Saturday.And everyone's happy and everyone's going to be good.And then on Sunday you go and you get your ass kicked.And then everyone's uncomfortable.

But then Monday through Saturday, everyone's happy again because, oh, it's a new week.Belichick made Monday through Saturday uncomfortable.Every day was hard.So that Sunday, everyone won.And we were all happy that we won on Sunday.which is ultimately what we should be.

Did he ever have a go at you, Tom?

Was he ever calling you out?Yeah.He was?Oh, yeah.Absolutely.Did he say, do your job once or something famous?

Is that famous?

That was his mantra for 20 years.He said, do your fucking job, is what he said.

Oh, I love that line.Yeah.

That's fucking into it, right?Exactly.I love that.And he said, no one else can do it for you.You have to do it.If this is your job, there's no one else that has that job.

You have that job.You need to do it.Don't worry about everyone else's job.Do your job.So that was just his mantra.Look, if you were the running back coach.

you coach the running backs to the best ability.If you were the quarterback, you do that.So the standard was perfection.We settled for excellence.And excellence was good enough to win 75 % of the time.We didn't win 50 % of the time.

We won 75 % of the time.But the difference between winning 75 % of the time and winning 50 % of the time, is an entirely different level of accountability, of discipline, of work ethic.

We had a cappuccino, Tony Adams, and, like, you know, people are all shouting just before they go out.And I remember Tony used to say that just before you go out, he'd get really angry and scream that.

Just do your effing jobs.You know exactly what you're doing.

And it's one of those, it kind of jolts you into, you know, I've got to make sure, let me make sure that first one sticks.I want to make sure that it's the time.And that was, I remember that he said that nearly every time.at some stage, but then there'll be times where you say it with real venom.Yeah.Like, you know, he's don't want to hear the shit.

Just do your jobs.You know what your jobs are.

Yeah.

That's quite interesting.

Yeah.I think it just creates the urgency that people need to, you know, like, you know, we always look at like the military and there's such like a correlation to sports a lot because, you know, everyone wears uniforms and everyone's treated the same way.And you have a drill sergeant who's the coach and then you have a mission and you've got to go accomplish that.And it's dangerous.Yes.And I think there's a lot of ways, like human behavior, we do perform pretty well in those environments.

But again, in sports, especially now because of these phones, and everybody has social followings, and everybody can tweet something, and everybody can express their own belief, I think that creates not necessarily the team environment.Because the team environment, when you subscribe to a team, and you come on my team, a good teammate to me says, how do I not let down my other teammates?And how do I put my individual goals behind the team goals?But I think when you have a social media following, or you have a contract or money, everyone in your life tells you, what do you get first?As opposed to, do the team goals come first?And do your teammates come first?

And I think the best teams, like I watch some of these teams, like Argentina, they play so well together as a team.Even the other night, you know, it's like, you could tell, Messi's incredible.you know, argues that they're the best player to ever play the game.But it's not like every ball goes to him.The ball goes around and when it comes to him and he's got a shot, if he doesn't like it, he puts the ball to someone else.They all celebrate together.

They look like a team, you know, and there's other teams that don't quite look like a team.It looks like they try to get to the star player all the time and then...They will do anything to win Argentina.Argentina will do anything to win.

Tommy, you were 199th pick, but you've just for the Raiders had the first draft pick.

Yeah.

Fernando Mendoza?

Yeah.

Is it Raiders?Yeah.What did I say?Yeah, you said the Raiders.

I said the Raiders.What?

What did I say?You did good, you did good.Thanks, John.You've done really well.You can read.I'm a high achiever.

You're 199th pick, you've just drafted the first pick.Yeah.Is that the opposite of you?You said that it actually worked for you because it took the pressure off you.Is the pressure now on this lad?How does he cope with that?

How do you help him?A lot of pressure and a lot of mentoring.And I always have a lot of...There was another guy who was one of my favourite quarterbacks to ever play, Peyton Manning.Peyton was my age, a little older than me.He was the first overall pick.

And he had a tremendous amount of expectation.And he was like the first prospect at a high school level.to college.So his dad was a great player in the pros.So even through high school, everyone knew about Peyton Manning.Then he gets recruited to University of Tennessee, great football school.

All this hoopla around him, he delivers.He's the number one overall pick.It's drafted by the Indianapolis Colts.Tremendous expectation around him.And what I appreciate and love about Peyton is he always outperformed his expectation.It was tremendous talent that he had to be able to do that.

And he was very much like me, process -oriented, tough, disciplined, driven, accountable.And I'd say that path is harder than the path that I took.My path was challenging in different ways.Peyton, if he failed, everyone saw it right away.And he had to take that on.And he superseded all those expectations because of his will and determination.

And I love that about him.So Fernando, who we chose, he's got that same expectation.Now, fortunately, he has me there to help mentor him.And look, at the end of the day, there's only so much you can do for him.Yes.And at the same time, Roy, whether you're on the field, whoever you're on the field with, you just need them to play well.

It's not like you are passing the ball to someone going, hey, that guy's the 8 .2 rated guy and that's the 7.Who's ever out there is out there.No one cares.

What's your advice to him, Tom?What's your advice?Have you been speaking to him regularly?

Yeah, I talk to him all the time.And a lot of times I ask questions about what he needs in terms of his development.And again, I see it as three different buckets.There's a physical development.The actual skill, throwing the football, dropping, how you're training, how you're eating, all the physical parts.There's the mental part.

What do you know about that?the plans?What do you know about all the plays, your reads, your drops, your footwork, the strategy?How can I teach you and develop you all the toolkits you're gonna need to get us in the right play?And then the emotional part is I think always the touchy part about sports and athletes.You know, the emotional part of all of us that one day we perform great and the next day it's still the same guy.

We still are smart, but emotionally, we just don't feel that good today.Why not?You know, why can't we repeat great performance every day?So the emotional part is there's an emotional volatility to all of us.And I think the more you can minimise that, the better.Why did you pick him?

Because you mentioned when you were drafted, obviously people like scouting, people focus on what you couldn't do, maybe instead of going, no, let's focus on the potential, obviously.Sure.What do you see in this guy, do you think?I know you said there's a few things in the mix, but is there something that you're gut feeling going?Like Jordan, the great movie about Michael Jordan, taking risks, happy to take the pressure in the last second of every kind of game that he's involved in.What have you seen in this guy, Utah?

And I'm sure there's other people involved in the decision making, but is there one thing you looked at, you went, let's go for this kid?

It was great.And I think we're very fortunate on our team to have that first overall pick this year.I think over the scouting process, since the college season ended, he did an incredible job of making it very clear to everyone that he was the best prospect for the next level.And it's certainly we're at a place on our team where we needed a quarterback.So he was the most developed prospect and the best quarterback this year.It was very natural for us to select him.

But once you're selected, it doesn't matter.Now you're just a member of the team.Now you have to develop him.And I think most people, and probably a lot of fans, they think just because you get a player on the team, well, now he's going to be great.No, there's a lot of development that still needs to happen.Like I said, my first year, I got drafted 199.

By my second year, it didn't matter where I was drafted.Now, fuck, I was going to go kick ass.So like, to me, I don't give a shit if you're the first round pick.Guess what?As a 199th pick, I love beating the first round picks.Put another, I'd love, How good was that guy in college?

I'm going to kick his ass next.I wasn't first pick, Tom.You were?No, I wasn't first pick.Oh, that's all right.I know.

I think we like each other a lot.I mean, I like you a lot because I think you always...Yeah.had between the ears.And I think you were a great team player and you had tremendous ability to, you know, bring the whole locker room together and fill the void.

Tell him, Tom, he's very self -deprecating.He always does that, brings himself down.

But I think the part is there's a lot of really important people that always, when one plus one equals three with certain players, you know, and you lift everybody up by your style of play and humility, work ethic, I think create the best team environment for people to succeed.Not to mention you're a great player.

Can I ask you, what's the expectation of the Raiders this year?What are you expecting?Are you expecting good things?

I would expect a lot of improvement from where it's been.Last year we just underperformed in every area and it's everybody's fault.That's the reality.There's nobody who did a good job.There's not one player in the organization.There's not anybody involved that did the job to the level that it needs to be done at.

And everybody needs to improve.And it starts with me and it filters down to the rest of the players on the field and they got to go out there and ultimately they got to perform at a high level.

But would that be win five, six, seven games, playoffs, or is that all a bit...

I mean, I don't...Just improvement, just a massive improvement.A massive improvement.And I would expect daily improvement and I'd expect hourly improvement.I really would.Every day that goes by when you're on a good team, every day and every week goes by,

you should be better.Like a good team should be better at the end of the season than the beginning of the season.Or you're not a good team.If you have more time together and more practice and you're getting worse, something's wrong.If you have more time, more practice, you should be getting better.Now the problem is off season, you change players, you change coaches, and now you've got to rebuild to where you were.

Like a lot of the teams I played on, the best game we played all season was the last game of the year.That says to me a lot about, you know, what the team's all about.Peaking at the right time.

I'm guessing here, I want to mention Tampa, you obviously win a lot at the Patriots, but then to sort of what would be rid this myth that you only won because you were at the Patriots and Belgium, you go to Tampa and you win the Super Bowl, is that your greatest achievement there?Do you see that as your greatest achievement, winning a Super Bowl somewhere else?

Yeah, I think it was icing on the cake, because I mean my I was blessed.I had so many great teammates and part of so many winning teams.I mean, I would never change anything about my career.I had so much fun in Tampa.I could not imagine ending my career and not having the experience in Tampa.To play there three seasons, to go to a different conference, because the NFL has two conferences, an American football conference and a national football conference.

For 20 years, I played in the AFC.Three years in the NFC, I went to a warm weather state in Florida.I played in a cold weather state in the Northeast.And then I played, it was much more of a passing environment, and I loved that.And I played with some of the greatest players I ever played with.It was a magical experience.

And I learned a lot because I learned that what we did at the Patriots was really unique too.What we had developed over 20 years was awesome.And then I got to see another place where I was kind of like, this is different.And I could take the good things I learned from New England,try to apply them in another place, see the success.Now I'm involved in the Raiders.

Now how do I recreate the success that I was able to have with even a different team, but in a different role?So it was great learning for me.

This episode of Stick to Football is brought to you by Skybet.

Tom, are you enjoying Birmingham?Are you enjoying the football?Are you enjoying that side of it?Or is it frustrating for you?Is it like...

No, I love it.I love the competition.We had, our first year season was terrible.We changed, there were four different manager changes.I spoke about how I feel about that.We hired a really good manager in our second year, Chris Davis, we're in league one.

We had an awesome season.And then the championship is tough.And we got to the championship this year.A lot of change in player, the quality of the player, I think has been better.We just could never quite get on a run with the right momentum.The championship is tough.

It's really tough.It's a tough league.It's a tough league.You know, it's just those environments are tough and you got to put together like what Coventry did this year was amazing.Obviously great playing.They scored so many goals.

Talk about they made it look easy this year.But it was just it's a tough league.And, you know, again, I think I really I watched a lot of Premier League, you know, every Saturday I got it on TV.I'm watching you know, as many games as I can.It's just, I love sports and I love the competition and I love seeing players perform at the highest level.I love watching, all of them probably for different reasons.

I love watching Patrick Mahomes and Max Stafford.They're just tremendous.Jared Goff, I like watching.Very different player than me, but Lamar Jackson.I don't know how he does it.It's incredible.

Josh Allen, I love watching Josh Allen play.I love watching Joe Burrow play.There's a lot of guys who do it.

I used to love Eli Manning.

Really?I hated the way he played.did anything.

Just kidding.No, you know, there's a real shyness and a real kind of like introvert kind of energy about him, which was really quite nice, especially when you know the family and where he's come from.But he had a real nice kind of like, don't even want to look you in the eye kind of vibe.

Was he your nemesis?Was he like the sort of like the New York Giants obviously beat you twice?Yeah.Was he like the sort of the rivalry?They had, I mean, I love you a lot.

You and I actually have a really fun relationship.And I take nothing away from what they accomplished.And on the two games we played them in the Super Bowl, they played better than we did.But?But we played consistently better than them always.But then there were these - They just come with a game and they just - And I swear to God, some games they would play so bad.

And I'd be like, And then they would see our little Patriot helmets come on the field and they would turn in.

It's like when you're in the FA Cup, like someone plays against United and they're playing in the second division, they beat you all of a sudden, then the next week they lose against someone.Exactly.

And they were, you know, the Giants have had a great franchise too.Defensively they were great and Eli's, Eli to his credit in those Super Bowls played great football He played you know a couple of his best games in the big house.

And remember as well when you talk about somebody, look at his brother is, you know what I mean?

I know.

This is why I say, when you look at his story.

And they have a nephew now that's going to be the first overall pick, probably one of the top quarterbacks taken.He goes to the University of Texas now.Incredible.We have the dad, the two brothers and now the nephew.

Aaron Rodgers, where would you put him?

Is he in the mix?I think there's no greater passer of the football than Aaron Rodgers.It would be like someone kicking the ball.I mean, there's certain people like, you know, Roberto Carlos, the Brazilian, like the way that he kicked that ball.I mean, there's certain people you're like.you see everyone do it and then you see one person throw the ball that much better.

I mean, Aaron Rodgers was incredible.He's hard to put into words how incredible he passes the ball.The ball, the way it comes out of his hand, the way that it spins and delivers with the pace and with the accuracy.I think it's like a bullet.There's only probably three people in the history of the NFL that could do it like him.

What if you made it to the World Cup, you enter the Brazil -Morocco game, you enjoy it with your family?

Great time.I had all three of my kids and I sat with my buddy Michael Rubin, who's a great buddy of mine.We're going to be at the World Cup Final together here in New Jersey.But I love watching Brazil soccer.I was always a soccer fan.My middle sister played.

We all played growing up here.But I loved the Brazilian national team.And I loved watching Ronaldo, the original Ronaldo, play.You guys probably played against him a bunch.I mean, what a player.And then I just love watching that team.

I have two Brazilian kids.So we were all cheering them on.Brilliant.I don't know how good they're going to be.I was at the game.

They'll get better, I think, as the tournament goes on.

Tom, we always do a little quiz at the end, right?We've got some Mythbusters.Do you want to do these Mythbusters?Yeah, let's hear it.Cristiano Ronaldo.So this is true or false on Tom.

Did Cristiano Ronaldo convince Tom to come out of retirement?

Did it convince him or have a chat with him?It sounds like something they could do at that level where he could probably give him a call.We're not convinced, that's a bit strong.It might have encouraged him to convince him.The question's convinced.

I said the word convinced.

Influence, I'll say influence.Influence, I'd say influence.Tom?

Did he influence you to come out of retirement?

Oh, I knew he'd be stronger than that.He's like Kezza.Wow, he's stuck us in there.

He just listened to it for an hour.He's got a mentality of a Brit.

I know, I know, but like, you don't know.

I didn't see it.I believe he just had a nice chat with him.

You have one of the largest sports cards collections in the world.Sports cars or cards?Cards.Cards.

I'd say yeah.

He has an investment.

I'd say, I think it sounds like something he'd do.Yeah, I'm going to go with that one.Yeah.

Yeah.Tom, we love your watch collection, by the way.We're obsessed with the watch.Yeah.Cards, the cards ask for them.Yes, we think.

Have you got some?Yeah.Nice.What do you collect then?Number one cards?

Baseball, football, and basketball cards.Big business, isn't it?Wow.Yeah, it's a great business.I own 16 shops around America.I'm going tomorrow to Kansas City.

I'm actually going to probably see some of the English players.Yeah.But I'm opening a shop in Kansas City tomorrow.Oh, brilliant.16th one.

So I went to the Yankees.

Oh, someone said we got a card.Tom, we got a card, right?Yeah.It's getting valued.It's one of you, Tom.

Pass that around to Tom.Roy just passed it on to Tom.It's him.

I don't know whether it's a good one or a bad one or an indifferent one, Tom.

They're all pretty good.

It looked good to me.It's one of you, Tom, eh?

Love it.Let me see it, Tom.

It's a great card.2014, I was at the AFC Championship game against the Colts.You've got those memories that remember every match, every play.

It's ridiculous.I can see it all.Tom fell asleep in the locker room before his first Super Bowl.

It's a strange thing to say, so I'm going to say maybe it's true.

No, it's not.I don't have it.

No, he'd spin it.I don't have him falling asleep.I don't feel like he falls asleep.I think, for all he said the last hour and a half, he was older than I before.It's bladdered.

What do you call that?Bladdered.Bladdered.

Absolutely drunk, falling over, bladdered.You have the best words.I mean, your words are unbelievable.

I don't know what the hell they mean.No, I'm saying he had a power nap.I say he had a power nap.Power nap.Not a sleep, a power nap.Tom, is it true or false?

I did.

Yeah.No way.False, because not sleep on the job.No, not sleep.

He's been there, he knows what he needs to do.

It's not like snoozing with a pillow for two hours, it just happened like 10 minutes ago.

So just to explain, obviously the NFL dressing rooms are massive, they're like huge things.How many players are in there?60.

Right, okay, so where have you fallen asleep in this?Right in front of my locker.So there was a long pre -game show because it was the year of 9 -11.It was February after that, it was a long pre -game show.We warmed up early and I came in and I was like, I'm going to lay down and I fell asleep for two hours.A power nap.

Beautiful.My boy.

My Irish brethren right here.

Nice.I love them.What's the greatest Super Bowl halftime show of all time?

I love watching them.Michael Jackson.So good.Michael Jackson.Can't beat that.Prince.

Prince and Michael Jackson, I think.

Coldplay were good.

Great.Put on a good show.Yeah.OK.Tom, release it.What do you do?

How do you watch a Super Bowl when you're in?You're watching at midnight?Midnight.You're watching midnight till 3 .30 in the morning?This guy's balls is massive.

Brilliant.

Incredible.

It's a great show.

Yeah.It's a great show.

You recently released a coconut water drink called Good Nut.You released a coconut water drink called Good Nut.Good Nut.

Yeah.Good Nut.Good Nut.Good Nut sounds quite...It doesn't sound coconut.Oh, it's coconut, yeah.

Yeah.But it sounds good.Good Nut.It's a Good Nut.It's a Good Nut.Is it?

Did Tom release a drink?I love a Good Nut.Tom's got lots of businesses.He's a port and he doesn't even know it.

I...

I'm going to say it's true.I'm going to say it's true, yeah.Is it true?

True.Chocolate goodnut.Chocolate goodnut.

Chocolate goodnut.

Beautiful nut.It's good.

I love it.That's for me now, a chocolate good nut.That's all me. I should be promoting that.

Tom loves the dollar.Wow, what a business we've got.Tom, over here, by the way, that's the thing.You get called over here, we get called pundits.You get called a lead colour commentator.Is that because you're more articulate than we are?

Pundits sound so negative.It's actually made a lot of American... soccer fans is Ted Lasso.Ted Lasso?I mean, that's brought so many.I enjoyed it.My dad watches it.

I watch it.

It's amazing.My wife loves it.It's a magnificent show.Football's just a vehicle.

Tom, your punditry contract gets released over here.I know.

Why do they do that?I don't know.Crazy.What do your contracts look like?

Not as good as yours, Tom.They're not $375 million, Tom.

I can tell you that.It's so crazy.Obviously, the BBC, they have to say what people are earning, but why do people have to know?

I don't know, people shouldn't have to know that.Even in sports, why do they, I mean you look at every contract earner, you just go and you look at every player and you realize But where, why, why wouldn't I?

If my contract was worth that much, I'd be, you can release that if you want.I had to build your knife for $400.It'll take me six months to make.

It's the love of the game.

Of course it is.

Tom, your NFL contracts were publicised as well, weren't they?Yeah, by everyone.So what was the biggest contract you ever signed with the Patriots or with Tampa?

Yeah, probably with Tampa.I think I was at three years, probably like 27, 28 million a year.Nice.Yeah.So that's 90 million.Now these guys are making 55 million.

Wow.There's quarterbacks now.Patrick Mahomes just signed an extension for, look at us, now we're talking about money.

It's a lot of money.

55, 60 million.

Could you go back and play for a season now?You look fit as hell, obviously.Do you think you could go back for a while?Have you thought about it?Would you do it?

No.No.No.Finished.Yeah.Finished.

Unless he speaks to Ronaldo and he...

You guys have no fun on this show.I can't believe they're paying you guys.

Let's keep it real.Tom hates being called the GOAT.Yeah, I'd say that.I could agree with that, I don't like it myself.He's a humble guy, he won't like it.He hates being called a goaltender.

Of course he does.But you are, I mean...I do my best.Congratulations to Robin, our ITV7 winner who scooped £50 ,000 by correctly predicting all of her ITV7 selections for England versus Croatia.Next time, it could be you.Download the ITV7 app and get your predictions in now.

This is basically, we've got to name the seven most followed athletes on Instagram.OK.That's a bit easy.

Oh, is this part of our charity?

I see.Is it because we struggle so much?Is it because we struggle so much?It's easier, right?Look.Obviously, Ronaldo and Messi.

Ronaldo's won.

Ronaldo's won.

It doesn't matter where they are.Locking that in.Locking Ronaldo won.Ronaldo is number one.

I think Messi will be in there.You have to be playing.

Are they currently playing?

Are they playing?No.Tom Brady?No, no.How many have you got, Tom?

No, no, no.

How many have you got?Tom Brady not on there?15 million.It's big.No, it's not big.It's big.

Messi.Messi's number two.Becks must be on it.Not sure, he's only 80.I say only 80, I mean.That's a lot of people.

What?No, but compared to 508.

LeBron.LeBron James.LeBron James.

LeBron James, yes, number five.How many?Michael Jordan.He's struggling a bit.No.No, Michael won't be.

Oh, Virat Kohli, the cricketer.You're right, you're right.That's an amazing one.Virat Kohli is number three.

You're making the quiz team.Look at the difference though.

Insane, that's crazy.So there's no there'll be another Indian cricketer on there.You'll be a boxer.And what about I don't know baseball.

What about the lives, by the way, what about the homes?Would he not be on?Is he on social media?No, definitely not.

Holmes wouldn't have that many.No.Five.

What about the main Indian cricket?Curry?That's got a shot here.What's his name Ben?

Any females?Like Serena would probably be the most, right?Maybe.Rory McIlroy, is Rory on?No.Wait for you to lock it in.

I would have to be soccer players.

I think Steph Curry, what would you think Steph Curry would be more than Beck?Beck's would be an 88, I think.Is he below that?Yeah.

Formula One?

No.

Lewis Hamilton?No.

It'll be American football.Basketball.I don't think it'll be American football.Basketball?No.

Not Lewis Hamilton?No.Sorry, it should be.

I would say it'd be a soccer player.It should be.Soccer player?No.

Yeah, there will be.

LeMania Mall?

Oh, maybe.He's young enough.Maybe.It wouldn't be Bellingham.Is Zlatan big on...?

Zlatan's big.

He's big, isn't he?Zlatan is so good.

There's no other batsman.Maybe we go Becks, by the way.Yeah.Maybe we go David Beckham.Maybe.Let's lock him.

You want to lock David Beckham in?He's number seven.

Nice one, Becks.Well done, Becks.I called that one.87.

I've seen a few of his...

I like the writing on this.It's his best writing.It's his best writing, yeah.

When you were talking before about throwing the ball, the way Becks kicked a ball was similar to what you were describing before as throwing the ball.Very few people can kick a ball perfectly.

He could do everything.

I think there's another Indian cricketer.What's the other famous Indian cricketer?Tendulkar.yeah.

Look at Kieran's face.Yeah, but Kieran's not giving us anything.

You've got three lives, you don't need anything.He's not an Indian cricketer.

I'm not going to tell you.You've got three lives.Yeah, Tendulkar, Sachin.This is hard.Sachin, Tendulkar?

No, no, I think this is a current one.He's not the keeper, eh?What would happen to him?It would be a real Madrid.Real Madrid players have unbelievable followings, and Barcelona.Mbappé?

You think Mbappé?Maybe Mbappé.

Mbappé?Let's say Mbappé, because we've got three lives.I'd say Mbappé.Kylian Mbappé.

Let's go Mbappé.

Tom, you're absolutely right.

Kylian Mbappé.That's what we do without you here, Tom.Wow.Do you know something?Real Madrid and Barcelona players have got phenomenal followers.Do you know something?

It could be Neymar.Oh, it could be Neymar, yeah.

Junior.Neymar Junior.Neymar.You're correct.The Kohli one was the one I thought I'd have to give that as a clue Listen Roy King got to a million quicker than anybody in the world like seven hours, and I'm stuck on that Honestly, thank you so much.We've had the best Pleasure, Tom.

Come on, my brother.

Yeah, lovely stuff.

What was the game we were talking about at breakfast when they were downed?Oh, yeah.28 -3 down.You're 28 -3 down.28 -3.

That's the one when I was watching at home and I went, this is fucking done.That was the Super Bowl against the Falcons.That's the only game you ever watched.

I watched all of them.

Ian, I'll take some water back now.Welcome, brother.Nice to meet you.Enjoy your time.Thank you.Thank you so much.

It's a fun game you watch.Cheers.Good luck with everything.Look at Salford.

Salford, fuck.They're right there this year.I know.It's a disaster, Tom.

Thanks, fellas.

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