Deebo & Joe - Part 1: Dick LeBeau on Hall of Fame Playing Career, Zone Blitz Scheme & Legacy

Summary

Club Shay Shay Podcast: Deebo & Joe – Part 1

Episode Title: Dick LeBeau on Hall of Fame Playing Career, Zone Blitz Scheme & Legacy
Release Date: April 6, 2026
Host: Debo Harrison & Joe Haden
Guest: Dick LeBeau (Pro Football Hall of Famer, legendary defensive coordinator)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on the legendary Dick LeBeau—his life in football as both a player and coach, especially his pioneering impact on NFL defenses. LeBeau shares stories from his 14-year NFL playing career, the origin and power of his famed Fire Zone Blitz scheme, and the enduring legacy of his coaching philosophy. Together with hosts Debo Harrison and Joe Haden, LeBeau offers behind-the-scenes insight into his methods, mindset, and what made his defenses, particularly the 2008 Steelers, legendary.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dick LeBeau’s NFL Journey: From Player to Coaching Legend

[04:47 – 10:59]

• LeBeau was a 5th-round pick in 1959 by the Cleveland Browns, but was cut before the season.
  • “They sliced me right out down the road, man.” (06:31, Dick LeBeau)
• At the time, only 5 defensive backs per team; to even make a roster was elite.
  • “There was actually 60 guys in the world that were making any money playing defensive back, okay?... to be the last guy cut... I didn't feel too good about it.” (06:55, Dick LeBeau)
• The sting of being cut motivated LeBeau to work harder and ultimately secure a legendary playing career with the Detroit Lions.

2. Early Lessons and Mindset

[07:00 – 10:08]

• LeBeau describes the harsh realities of NFL roster cuts and the decisions afterward.
• Emphasizes mental resilience as key: “You going to go and hide in the corner? Are you going to work a little bit harder... and see what you can do better? I wasn't ready to go south.” (08:00, Dick LeBeau)

3. LeBeau’s Defensive Philosophy – Preparation and Instincts

[11:00 – 15:31]

• Famous for calling defenses without a call sheet; relied on deep study and memory.
  • “I would get a hold of every film I could get... I didn't want to have a great big long list of all our defense. We had 50 blitzes.” (11:15, Dick LeBeau)
  • “I always tried to put the words in the call that meant something to you guys... that way I could carry so many blitzes.” (12:09, Dick LeBeau)
• LeBeau would custom-build his defensive game plans weekly, using opponent-specific prep.

4. Coaching Without a Call Sheet – Decision-Making in Real Time

[20:57 – 24:53]

• Debo describes LeBeau on the sidelines recalling obscure training camp defenses in key moments—purely from memory, not analytics.
  • “He'd be just sitting there on the side... 'Hey y’all, remember defense we ran in training camp?'... It already be in this Rolodex. And we ain't did it since training camp.” (20:57, Debo Harrison)
• LeBeau’s gift: tailoring calls to player strengths and situations dynamically.

5. Walkthroughs, Memory, and Blitz Diversity

[21:48 – 23:25]

• Walkthroughs are critical for embedding a huge variety of blitzes and coverages.
  • “I would continually go to Bill and Mike... and say, give me a little more walkthrough time... If he gave us an 8-minute walkthrough, we could hit 50 plays.” (21:49, Dick LeBeau)
• Attributes his success to smart, coachable, close-knit defensive units.

6. The Intellect and Communication Behind Great Defenses

[24:30 – 28:44]

• Deep trust and nonverbal communication, especially among Steelers defenders (notably Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark).
• Team culture of shared success and blame, and giving players the freedom to react and adjust.
  • “We were a group that we shared a success and we shared failures.” (23:27, Dick LeBeau)
  • “Wherever Troy went, Ryan was always there to fail safe him.” (26:53, Dick LeBeau)

7. Playing Career: The Cornerback’s Reality and Toughness

[28:44 – 34:05]

• LeBeau’s 62 career interceptions—a feat few achieve, especially when teams “didn’t throw much more than 15 or 16 times a game.”* (29:55)
• On toughness and conditions: injuries, cold weather, rudimentary equipment.
  • “After that season, man, your hands were freezing anyhow, so. But you had the... the flip side of that was the receiver... had to catch [under] the same weather conditions.” (32:26)

8. Defensive Schemes: Fire Zone Blitz and Modern Football

[35:08 – 36:22]

• LeBeau disputes claims that his zone blitz approach wouldn’t work today.
  • “The more they spread it out, the better we liked it, man. Thin it out inside that we're going to come... We're going to get DBs that can tackle... you got to get us the next time.” (35:25)
• Emphasis on unpredictability—never letting the offense know what to expect.

9. 2008 Steelers Defense & "Legendary" Book

[42:04 – 47:48]

• LeBeau wrote "Legendary" about the 2008 Pittsburgh defense, which was statistically unmatched.
  • “Of my 11 key areas, they led the league in nine. No one's ever done that. No one's ever going to do it again because you can't do it. But they did it.” (44:46, Dick LeBeau)
• The book includes breakdowns of all 19 games, stats, behind-the-scenes insights, and is recommended for serious fans.

10. The Goal Sheet, Accountability & Coaching Approach

[47:57 – 54:20]

• LeBeau’s “goal sheet”: a set of 14 categories to objectively evaluate defensive performance.
• Committed to honest feedback; used stats to motivate, never to shield from reality or pamper.
  • “They shouldn't have thrown it away. Can't just throw it away because it's not giving you the results you want. These guys gotta know you're doing bad, you're not doing what you need to do. You need to improve.” (48:59, Debo Harrison)
• LeBeau focused on teaching (“tried to coach the way I wanted to be coached”), tailoring techniques for each player and being data-informed but player-centric.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On getting cut by the Browns:

  “They sliced me right out down the road, man… first time anybody ever said to me, athletically, you're not good enough.”
  (06:31, Dick LeBeau)

• On game-day adjustments without a call sheet:

  “It don't do you any good to make the ball you're shooting at right now if you can't have a shot on the next ball… always thinking, what happens on this down controls what I do on the next.”
  (12:09, Dick LeBeau)

• On legendary communication between defenders:

  “I don't know how they communicated sometimes because I watched them and it wasn't verbally, I guarantee you. Troy would go like this and Ryan would go like—yeah, it was a little head nod.”
  (27:12, Dick LeBeau)

• On the reality of NFL cornerback play:

  “If I'd have called as many as I dropped, hell, I'd have went by night train into my third year playing.”
  (32:03, Dick LeBeau)

• On the fire zone blitz legacy:

  “The more they spread it out, the better we liked it, man. Thin it out inside that we're going to come.”
  (35:25, Dick LeBeau)

• On why he wrote ‘Legendary’:

  “I just wanted to tell the story of my guys, man, to be honest with you.”
  (47:48, Dick LeBeau)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Dick LeBeau’s NFL Journey: 04:47 – 10:59
• Coaching Philosophy & Call Sheet Discussion: 11:00 – 15:31
• On-the-Fly Adjustments Insight: 20:57 – 24:53
• Building & Leading Legendary Defenses: 24:30 – 28:44
• Career Interceptions & Playing in the Old School NFL: 28:44 – 34:05
• Fire Zone Blitz Scheme & Modern Offenses: 35:08 – 36:22
• 2008 Steelers “Legendary” Defense & Book: 42:04 – 47:48
• Goal Sheet & Statistical Accountability: 47:57 – 54:20

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Key Takeaways

• Dick LeBeau’s unique blend of memory, preparation, and player empowerment set his defenses apart.
• Culture, trust, and honesty—LeBeau’s legacy as a player’s coach is clear in every story.
• The 2008 Steelers defense, a testament to his system, remains one of the most dominant—and is now immortalized in his book.
• Great defenses are as much about intellect and communication as they are about talent.
• “If you’re trying to guard everything, you’re guarding nothing.” (Joe Haden, 54:07)

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For those who missed it:

This episode is a masterclass in the art of defense—rooted in wisdom, humility, preparation, and love for the game. The chemistry between LeBeau and his former players, and their mutual respect, illuminates the true greatness behind gridiron legends.

Transcript

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human on the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little best friend compatibility test. Okay, how long have we been best friends?

[Dick LeBeau]

Since the day we met.

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

As the League1 volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, serving Pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Open your free iHeartradio app, search serving pancakes and listen. Now presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Lily Herman]

Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential driver strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful day. Decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Kahn, the singer songwriter behind the multi platinum global hit Stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today.

[Noah Kahan]

Talking about the mental illness stuff. It used to be this thing that I was ashamed of getting to talk about. This is not common for me right now. I need it more than ever.

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Peace to the planet. Charlamagne Tha God here. And listen. We are back. The Black Effect Podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard. Yeah, and the full lineup is nuts. We got the Grits and Age podcast, Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Kat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague and the gang. Don't call me White Girl. Mona will be there. Keep it positive, sweetie. With Crystal, we're. We got Reality with the King with Carlos King and yes, drink champs will be in the building. Plus, you know we're gonna have a lot of guests, so you need to join us. And we got the Black Effect Marketplace, the picture podcast and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast Festival. Tickets are on sale right now. Go get [e-mail] podcast festival. Don't play yourself. Okay, pull up.

[Lori Siegel]

I'm Lori Siegel and this is Mostly Human, a tech podcast through a human lens. This week, an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

[Sam Altman]

I think society is going to decide that creators of AI products bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to the products we put out in the world.

[Lori Siegel]

An in depth conversation with the man who's shaping our future.

[Sam Altman]

My highest order bit is to not destroy the world of AI.

[Lori Siegel]

Listen to Mostly Human on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows, foreign.

[Debo Harrison]

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[Joe Hayden]

Show 89. I'm doing great. It's gonna be a great one. We I'm gonna let you. You know what I'm saying, you go ahead pop off because I know let me go ahead and get out the way.

[Debo Harrison]

Y' all know we got a special guest with us today, Joe.

[Dick LeBeau]

Hey.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes we do.

[Debo Harrison]

He is a national champion from the Ohio State University Buckeyes.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes sir.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

Yes sir.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes Sir.

[Debo Harrison]

In the fifth round in 1959, a quarterback for the Lions for 14 years.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes, he did.

[Debo Harrison]

And he is also the Lions all time interceptions leader with 62. That's tied for seventh in NFL history. That's football hall of Famer.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Debo Harrison]

Is the greatest D coordinator of all time. The father of the dreaded fire zone blitz zone defense.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

Yes.

[Debo Harrison]

Coach, 45 years in the NFL. Architect of the greatest defensive play in super bowl history, the immaculate interception and the pride of London, Ohio. Joe. Yes, sir. Give me a hand in welcoming the great Dick Le Bo. Yes, sir. Join us, baby.

[Joe Hayden]

Yeah.

[Dick LeBeau]

Good afternoon, man. It's an honor to be in the presence of two great NFL players, man. And I had a field full of guys like you when I was coaching. And that's why I'm still get around on some of these shows, man. Come on, coach me up fine and dandy.

[Debo Harrison]

Hey, coach. Hey, Coach, look here. What Joe don't understand is you was drafted in the fifth round and that was when they had like 30 rounds back then, so that was hot, okay?

[Dick LeBeau]

Now it's the second round. Now it would have been the second round.

[Debo Harrison]

They don't understand right here. Coaches. Look here, coach. Let me say this for him, coach. If I'm not mistaken, 1959, you was drafted by the Cleveland.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Debo Harrison]

And they cut you, Is that right, Coach?

[Dick LeBeau]

They sliced me right out down the road, man.

[Debo Harrison]

Cleveland been up since 1959.

[Joe Hayden]

Promise you. I saw that he was drafted to Cleveland. I'm like, how did Coach Leau end up playing for Detroit then? And it says you got cut, Coach Leau. What happened there? Was it. Did you. Did you. Were you hurt? Were you injured? I know you, you, you never are hurt. What happened to Cleveland?

[Dick LeBeau]

My feelings were hurt. But I did play in 170 straight games. But one thing that I'm always quick to point out, There were only 12 teams in the league, okay? And the roster size was 31 players, so there were only five DBs on everybody's roster, okay? That meant that there was actually 60 guys in the world that were making any money playing defensive back, okay? And to be the last guy cut in when there's only 60 guys in the world playing the position, I didn't feel too good about it. I'll tell you what, man, it was the first time anybody ever said to me, athletically, you're not good enough. Yes, sure. I said, I drove my car up to the training camp at this little town called Hiram, Ohio, and I had my car spring loaded in the on position, man. Because the way they cut you in those days, they called you in they call in about 12 guys and then they cut maybe three. But they started calling me in about three or four times before the final cut, you know, so I knew that I was ripe on the fire. And you talk about tightening you up a little bit in your coverage. You know, you can't let this guy get a three yard hits today. Or I'm down the road. But driving home, I never forget from. I was about. In those days, about a four and a half hour drive because there weren't any interstates because, you know, as James has already pointed out, it was 1959. And I said, well, LeBeau, you got to make your mind up here, man. Somebody then told you they didn't want you. You going to go and hide in the corner? Are you going to work a little bit harder and. And get in a little better shape or just see. See what you can do better. And I wasn't ready to. To go south. And in those days, you had still. I think it's still the same way. There's a 48 hour waiting period before anybody can claim you.

[Joe Hayden]

Okay.

[Dick LeBeau]

Or you become a free agent.

[Debo Harrison]

You got to clear.

[Dick LeBeau]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Hayden]

And clear waivers.

[Dick LeBeau]

Yeah. And I. I think that's still the same. But when my 48 hours were up, about four teams called me and said, we'd like you to come be on our practice squad. And I took Baltimore because they were. They were the closest team to call me except for Detroit. And I had a good buddy of mine, Howard Hop Along Cassidy, who won the Heisman Trophy in college. And Hoppy was in about his. I see. I think I was a freshman his senior year. And I called him up and I said, what's it look like on the defensive back situation up there in Detroit?

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

Oh, he said, dick, they're young and they're good. We really got great defensive backs. And I said, well, I said, they calling me about coming up there and been on the practice squad. Oh, he said, I don't know, Dick. So I said, well, Baltimore was a defending world champion at that time. So I said, I got a chance to go with the best. So I go to Baltimore. I went over there, but it ended up I went right straight to Cleveland and. Or, excuse me, I went. I went to Detroit, but. And that. I was asking hopping about the DBs at Detroit, and I had to. It's a long time ago, man. I got to get.

[Joe Hayden]

No, no, that's all right.

[Debo Harrison]

That's all right. Coach, coach, coach. I've been telling Joe that you are the only D coordinator that I ever seen not use a call sheet on the sideline. How were you able to do that and be successful?

[Dick LeBeau]

Well, the way I called defenses, I. I researched my history with every. I looked up and found out who was calling the offense for the people we were playing that week. And, you know, if they were in your. Your division, you. You knew how much. What he was going to call and what he liked and stuff like that. But I would. I would get a hold of every film, I could get a hold of the guy that I was going up against. And I didn't want to. I didn't want to have a great big long list of all our defense. We had 50 blitzes. And you would enjoy.

[Joe Hayden]

Oh, for sure.

[Dick LeBeau]

Of course. Corner. All he. All he got to worry about is just how who I got, you know, who I got.

[Joe Hayden]

And please get after the quarterback, make sure the ball come out fast

[Dick LeBeau]

so I would familiarize myself for that game. I tried to prepare for the game like I asked you guys to, James, and you guys always did a great job of studying everything that we gave you that week. And I had a knowledge of what I wanted to do against the team we were playing and that I was very constantly. I was like, shooting pool. It don't do you any good to make the ball you're shooting at right now. If you can't have a shot on the next ball, yes, turn the table over to the other guy to make one ball. So I was always thinking, what. What if what happens in this down is going to control what I do on the next down? And I didn't need a call sheet for that because every now and then with. With 50 blitzes, I would forget what we called some of them, so I'd have to have a list of them. But I always tried, and you remember this, James? I always tried to put the words in the call that meant something to you guys. One word meant something to the line. 1. One meant something to the linebackers, and one meant something to the DBs and the coverage rotation, things of that nature. And that way I could carry so many blitzes because I didn't want to ever get caught. One of my early days of coaching, and we'd lose one in the fourth quarter, a tough game, you know, you ain't going to sleep. And I think, why the hell did I do that? You know, why didn't I do this? And I didn't want to have that night where you said, I should have done this or I should have done that. You want to have your alternative ideas Ready to go right there on Sunday afternoon. Because when what you're calling is not working, there ain't no sense leaving that gun unshot. So you got to pull the trigger. And I just start calling different stuff. And I would have that pre thought the week that we were going into the game, so I didn't need a call sheet because I wasn't exactly sure what was going to. What I was going to call the next day. And my experience playing helped me a lot in that because I was blessed with a good memory and I remembered mistakes that I made and I remembered some stuff that we did that was successful. And I said, well, if. If that's not working, let's go to this. And it wasn't like getting one of the magic eight balls, you know, and shaking and you say, oh, hey, let's try 300. Know you. You have to have a rhyme or a reason. No, the reason that, that I came to that chain of thought I could sleep with that. That I knew that I had prepared myself as much as humanly possible. There's only 24 hours in the day.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

But I didn't just sit there and say, oh, well, why didn't I do this? I was going to do it. So, yeah, listen, Joe, whatever, let me coach.

[Joe Hayden]

That makes so much sense, Joe.

[Debo Harrison]

We would be on the sideline, bruh, and it'd be a defense that we had did in training camp.

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

On the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little best friend compatibility test. Okay, how long have we been best friends for? Since the day we met. As the League1 volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. We really are like yin and yang, vodka and tequila. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Today we have Logan Lednecki. I feel like our fan base in general is very connected.

[Dick LeBeau]

Just like a comforting feeling getting to play at home.

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, serving Pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Jordan Thompson had that microphone. Oh, God forbid we make mistakes or cuss at our coach like one time or two times. Open your free iHeartradio app. Search serving Pancakes and listen. Now, this has been Serving Pancakes and we'll catch you on the flip side. Okay. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Khan, the singer songwriter behind the multi platinum global hit Stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today. Noah opens up about the pressure that followed his rapid success, his struggles with mental health and body image, and the fear of starting again after such a defining moment in his career.

[Noah Kahan]

It's easy to look at somebody and be like, your life must be so sick, man. You have no clue. Talking about the mental illness stuff. It used to be this thing that I was ashamed of. I'm just now trying to unwind this idea that I have to be unhealthy physically or in pain in some emotional way in my life to create good music. If someone says that I did a good job, I'm like, yeah, I'm good. Someone says that I suck, I'm like, I suck. Getting to talk about this is not common for me right now. I need it more than ever.

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lily Herman]

Ready for a different take on Formula one? Look no further than no Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pocket of F1, including the astrology of the current grid.

[Dick LeBeau]

Lewis Hamilton, Capricorn Sun Cancer Moon Wouldn't you know it, Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun Cancer Moon, the story

[Lily Herman]

of the sport's most consequential driver. Strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom and was Daniel Ricardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both?

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

He started getting all this attention and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better.

[Lily Herman]

And plenty of other mishaps, scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dick LeBeau]

1010 shots fired city hall building.

[Jay Shetty]

A silver.40 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

From iheart podcasts and best Case Studios, this is Rorschach. Murder at City Hall.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How could this have happened in City Hall?

[Dick LeBeau]

Somebody tell me that Jeffrey hood did it.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

July 2003. Councilman James E. Davis arrives at New York City hall with a guest. Both men are carrying concealed weapons and in less than 30 minutes, both of them will be dead.

[Dick LeBeau]

Everybody in the Chambers abduct a shocking public murder. I scream, get down. Get down. Those are shots. Those are shots.

[Joe Hayden]

Get down.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

A charismatic politician.

[Sam Altman]

You know, he just bent the rules

[Dick LeBeau]

all the time, man. I still have a weapon, and I could shoot you.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

And an outsider with a secret.

[Dick LeBeau]

He alleged he was a victim of blackmail. That may or may not have been political. That may have been about sex.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

Listen to Rorschach. Murder at City hall on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lori Siegel]

I'm Lori Siegel, and on Mostly Human, I go beyond the headlines with the people building our future. This week, an interview with one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

[Sam Altman]

I think society is going to decide that creators of AI products bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to products we put out in the world.

[Lori Siegel]

From power to parenthood.

[Sam Altman]

Kids, teenagers, I think they will need a lot of guardrails around AI. This is such a powerful and such

[Lori Siegel]

a new thing, from addiction to acceleration.

[Sam Altman]

The world we live in is a competitive world, and I don't think that's going to stop even if you did a lot of redistribution. You know, we have a deep desire to excel and be competitive and gain status and be useful to others. And it's a multiplayer game.

[Lori Siegel]

What does the man who has extraordinary influence over our lives have to say about the weight of that responsibility? Find out on Mostly Human.

[Sam Altman]

My highest order bit is to not destroy the world with AI.

[Lori Siegel]

Listen to Mostly Human on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Debo Harrison]

And coach would come to the sideline, and he'd be just sitting there on the side and he'd look and he'd be like, okay, he'll come to the sideline, get everybody together. Hey, y' all remember defense we ran in training camp? Everybody be like, okay, yeah, we remember about to run that. We may not have it. Ran that for three, four, five, six weeks. But he'd come and it already be in this Rolodex. And we ain't did it since training camp. And he like, oh, this right here. This blitz. Go kill him. Let's do this.

[Joe Hayden]

That's not having a.

[Debo Harrison]

He ain't using no analytics.

[Joe Hayden]

No, for sure.

[Debo Harrison]

He's using what he done learned and

[Joe Hayden]

saw you saying the memory and playing in the game and not already having a preconceived plan. Like, I'm going to run this regardless, knowing if they do this, I have this bull in the chamber. Let's go back to this. Like, not having it. I love that. I love that thought process.

[Debo Harrison]

And you got to realize, coach, coach is so smart.

[Dick LeBeau]

We are going to attack you.

[Debo Harrison]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

That's why I carry so many blitzes and these guys had to learn them. But, but I utilize fully walkthrough, period. And I would continually go to Bill and Mike, my bosses, and say, give me a little more walkthrough time. And for a situation like that, I didn't like to call a defense that we hadn't run for a while. But James is absolutely correct. It was something that we had done somewhere. But I would walk through, walk through, walk through. And guys didn't have to take but three steps to show me that they knew what, what I was calling.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

And that way we could, you know, if he gave us a, you know, eight minute walkthrough, we could hit 50 plays. The guys didn't have to go ahead and rush all the way through and everything like that. Secondary would rotate and show me they knew what they had. And then the line would work their blitz pattern in with the linebackers and the backers would go to their coverage. And that was something that we almost didn't run without at least walking through it. I love to walk through because we could hit so many different things. But James is totally correct when there's a couple of times that I was saying that. You remember when we were playing Baltimore and, and, but I was blessed not only with the best athletes, but they were smart, all of them, and they, and they worked together and they knew that if it, if it blew up, I was going to take the blame anyhow if I was throwing something on them that they hadn't done for a while and great.

[Joe Hayden]

That's what great coaches do, Coach.

[Dick LeBeau]

Well, we were, we were a group that we shared a success and we shared failures.

[Debo Harrison]

That's, that's, that's 100 true, man. He would, he would call a defense and he'd be like, okay, hey, I'm calling this right here. This is where the weakness is at. If they hit it, it's on me. Tackle the catch, they may get 10, 12 yards. And that was, you know, that was, that's a loss to us. You know what I'm saying? That's a loss to us. But, dude, Coach LeBeau is so smart that when people talk about, oh, we, we playing chess, Coach LeBeau is playing chess. He's playing chess against himself. Because he's sitting over there and he's saying, as a D coordinator, if I do this, I have to know all aspects of what this dude would do. So now he flips to the other side and says, this is how I would attack that. So in return, he comes back to the other side. He's playing chess against himself. So if at some point the defense that he's putting in or thinking about putting in doesn't translate out to that, it's going to be something that's successful, he doesn't use it, you know. So I'm assuming, Coach, that you've watched the Steelers over the last couple years,

[Dick LeBeau]

the defense, I watch him, root for him every time I tee it up.

[Debo Harrison]

How much of that defense can you recognize from watching it be played as far as scheme and responsibilities of defenders? Because I was telling Joe, dude, I don't know what I'm looking at right now. Like, I'm thinking that this guy should be here, that guy should be there, and it's something totally different.

[Dick LeBeau]

Well, I'd been gone for. For quite a while, and, you know, things are going to change and that it changed when you was talking about playing chess and checkers and everything like that. Yeah, there's a chain of thought that I tried to apply, you know, against who I was calling against. And if he did this, I would say he was a simpleton. But if he was doing this thinking because I was going to do that, he would be once removed from a simpleton. But if he then did that because he thought I was going to do that and he did that, and then I did that, we were twice removed from a simpleton. So we were simpleton each other. Well, back and forth for 60 minutes. But that was the fun of playing. That's one of the things that you miss most when you get out of the game. I miss the games a lot. And the only thing that I miss more than the games is I miss the players. I miss the sessions that we're having right here. Because you've both been down the same road and you both have paid the same price, and there's. There's a silent law between players. I mean, one look will tell you everything that he knows exactly what. What's happening and what you're thinking when we. When you get real good and you can keep the same group together for several years. You have the best of all worlds, and you can do the things that we did that James was alluding to. We could adjust quicker than most teams because I just say one or two things, and if there was any questions, they. They would work it out. I knew. I knew they knew what to do. And you Know when you had Troy, sometimes he was better off with him just going wherever the hell wanted to go in. So it worked out for us because we had Ryan Clark playing with Troy. Ryan Clark, he should get two of the shoes that Troy got for going into the hall of Fame. Because wherever. Wherever Troy went, Ryan was always there to. To fail safe him.

[Debo Harrison]

And they always kept communication and they

[Dick LeBeau]

were they that talking about preparing preference for a game, man. And they're each godfathers for each other's kids. I mean, they were close and they. They would just. I don't know how they communicated sometimes because I watched them and it wasn't verbally, I guarantee you, that Troy would go like this and Ryan would go like. Yeah, it was a little head mouth. Coaches be calling me in the off season say, dick, how you do that with.

[Joe Hayden]

With.

[Dick LeBeau]

With Troy when. When you don't have this going in behind it. And I said, well, I don't know.

[Debo Harrison]

Ryan already know Troy, get a head. Not I see something cover everything back there.

[Dick LeBeau]

Yeah, yeah, but. But we. We had the best of all worlds because we had James and Woodley outside and they were my bookends, man. And you. You couldn't get away from them. And we had Casey Hampton in the middle. You couldn't block him. And at Footdog and. And James Ferrier, they always knew where the hell the ball was going before they snapped it. And one of them guys or Ryan and. And Troy, who was in the middle of field, they were going to get to whatever was left to clean up. There wasn't much left because Aaron Smith and Brett Kiesel, they weren't blocking them the line. It was fun to coach, man, because you just call the defense and get the hell out of the way and let them go, man.

[Joe Hayden]

I love it, Deebo. Everything that you saying, dosable, Bo. I can feel the love right now. I'm fortunate that I unfortunately didn't get to play for you. But just the way that you're talking now, the way that Deebo speaks about you, the way that every player that ever played for you speaks about you, it just says everything. And I could feel it right now, like, I wish I was able to play for you, but I'm gonna say your coaching thing, amazing. I'm so impressed by your football career that you played. And I think that's what's also so relatable because you did 14 years. You played 171 consecutive games in a row. The longevity at corner, like. And that's the reason I played. And you 62 picks is not a game. I had 29 picks. Darrell Reavis had 29 picks. Once you get to the number, like, 60s, there's only 10 players in NFL history that have 60 career picks. So I played corner. I know how hard that is. When I'm looking at you, I'm like, how did you get 62 picks? And do you have, like, any of the most memorable ones? But the. The 62 career picks, for me, I just. I could. It's. It baffles me, Coach.

[Debo Harrison]

Hey, they weren't even throwing like that back then, Joe.

[Joe Hayden]

62. I'm not. That's.

[Debo Harrison]

They throw three times a game, Coach.

[Dick LeBeau]

They didn't throw much more than 15 or 16 times a game. Back in those days, everybody was two tight ends or hardly any wide receivers. One or two wide receivers in every formation, and it was. It was more of a ground game. And you had to take advantage of the situations when you had teams where they had to throw, and that's where you're going to get your picks. And we. We had. I played on great defenses, played for the Detroit Lions all 14 years of my career, and we really had good pressure. That's why I was a pressure coach. I saw the results that.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

The only. The only way you're going to affect that quarterback, you got to make him say, ooh, this ain't practice now. You know, you got to make them feel it. This ain't what they were doing on the practice field. When they were showing us what this defense was going to be. The first thing I would tell our guys is, we're going to try to balance up this playing table and level the odds a little bit. Instead of us having to worry about where they going all the time, they're going to have to worry about where we going.

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

I said you had to spend some extra time learning some stuff. But we ain't going to. Wherever we are pre snap, ain't where we're going to be after they snap it. And sometimes we're going to be behind a step or two. I'm going to take the blame for that because I don't want the quarterback to know what we're doing, because if you tell a quarterback what you're in, National Football League, it's over, man. And that's the way we worked. But I was lucky playing that. I always had a good front seven in front of us to get some pressure on the quarterback and then. But you gotta. You got to be a decent athlete to pick off.

[Joe Hayden]

Come on. Yes.

[Debo Harrison]

Yeah.

[Joe Hayden]

Don't Short yourself.

[Dick LeBeau]

Now, let me tell you something, though, Joe. If I'd have called as many as I dropped, hell, I'd have went by night train into my third year plane. People said, well, you must have great hands. No, you know. Well, let me ask you this. After about how many tackles you make? 500 tackles. So, you know, your hands are all beat up anyhow.

[Debo Harrison]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

No, you're right that you would normally catch. It ain't the same.

[Joe Hayden]

Yep.

[Dick LeBeau]

And you. We were playing in Chicago and we were playing in Minnesota, and we were playing outdoors. There weren't any indoor stadiums. And after that season, man, your hands were freezing anyhow, so. But, but you had the, the, the flip side of that was the receiver, he had to catch this same weather conditions and everything.

[Debo Harrison]

Yeah, but he wouldn't have to tackle nobody all, all season long. So. Yeah, he had, he had a little bit, he had a little bit easier. Of course, back then, y' all could, y' all could really hit him then. You could really, you know, he played. Leather helmet. Did it even have any cushion in it, Coach?

[Joe Hayden]

See, that's crazy.

[Dick LeBeau]

I, I, I see some of them helmets we wore, but it was what they called a suspension helmet, you know, and actually, it wouldn't have done any good for them to give me a helmet like they wear today anyhow, because I couldn't. You had to run chase these guys all over the field, man. I wanted the lightest thing I could get. That's what I, I got a little foam rubber and cut it for my thigh guards. And I didn't wear no pads, man.

[Joe Hayden]

And usually you're a real db. We don't want. No, no, no pads. No, wait.

[Dick LeBeau]

I like that. When, when artificial turf came in and it was, it was like playing on cement with a little linoleum flower over it or something. But I loved it because you were never going to trip. You were never going. Because we spend half, half the day backpedaling, you know?

[Debo Harrison]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

And I said this. How can you beat this, man? This is like covering some dude in your front room.

[Debo Harrison]

I like that.

[Joe Hayden]

That's why I know you're an athlete. You just wanted your foot footing. As long as your footing's good. I'm. You're straight.

[Dick LeBeau]

Oh, yeah. And I, I played, I played in high, high tops, man, most of the, most of my career. Why? Because when I'm living them low, low cuts, man, you could fly in them, but you get the least little bit of sprinkle on mud, you weren't going to stand up, man. And then slipping and you're going to slide, slip and slide. And like I say, if you slipping and sliding, peeping and hiding, that wide receiver gonna be sliding by you, man. So I gave up a step or two so that I could always be there. I. If I couldn't get the ball, I could get him. Yes. Get him on the ground so. So that my James Harrison's could go sack your ass the next play. You know,

[Debo Harrison]

look, it's. It's people today that say your. Your defensive scheme the way we. We did defense under your true fire zone, you know, blitz on defense. That. That wouldn't be successful against offensive schemes today. What. What do you have to say to that?

[Joe Hayden]

Crazy.

[Dick LeBeau]

Oh, I'd say the more they spread it out, the better we liked it, man. Thin it out inside that we're going to come. Now, you might, you might hit us, but we're going to get DBs that can tackle and when they get you on the ground, you got to get us the next time. And do I think I, I think this James and. And no one could have a greater respect for the group that we had there collectively. And with you guys, hell, we could have run straight four, three, cover three and they wouldn't have done too much moving that ball because it couldn't block you. And I wrote that book just because I knew the statistics that you guys put up was so unusual. I was always a stat guy.

[Debo Harrison]

Yes.

[Dick LeBeau]

And I recognized, I said this is ridiculous what these guys are doing. Plus, the schedule that we had that year was the toughest preseason schedule from the previous year. The way they rate difficulty of schedules is what did that team record the year before?

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

On the Serving Pancakes podcast, conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little best friend compatibility test. Okay, how long have we been best friends for? Since the day we met. As the League1 volleyball season heads towards its final stretch, there's no better time to tune in. We really are like yin and yang, vodka and tequila. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Today we have Logan Lednecki. I feel like our fan base in general is very connected. Just like a comforting feeling getting to play at home. Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, Serving Pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Jordan Thompson had that microphone out. God forbid we make mistakes or cuss at our coach. Like when talking. Open your free iHeartradio app. Search serving Pancakes and listen, now this has been serving pancakes. And we'll catch you on the flip side, okay? Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Khan, the singer songwriter behind the multi platinum global hit Stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today. Noah opens up about the pressure that followed his rapid success, his struggles with mental health and body image, and the fear of starting again after such a defining moment in his career.

[Noah Kahan]

It's easy to look at somebody and be like, your life must be so sick, man. You have no clue. Talking about the mental illness stuff. It used to be this thing that I was ashamed of. I'm just now trying to unwind this idea that I have to be unhealthy physically or in pain in some emotional way in my life to create good music. If someone says that I did a good job, I'm like, yeah, I'm good. Someone says that I suck, I'm like, I suck. Getting to talk about this is not common for me right now. I need it more than ever.

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lily Herman]

Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor rac racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid.

[Dick LeBeau]

Lewis Hamilton, Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it? Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon.

[Lily Herman]

The story of the sport's most consequential driver. Strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom. And was Daniel Riccardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both?

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

He started getting all this attention and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this. I'm better.

[Lily Herman]

And plenty of other mishaps, scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dick LeBeau]

1010 shots fired. City hall building. A silver.40 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

From iHeart podcasts and Best Case Studios, this is Rorschach. Murder at City Hall.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How could this have happened in City Hall.

[Dick LeBeau]

Somebody tell me that.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

July 2003, Councilman James E. David Davis arrives at New York City hall with a guest. Both men are carrying concealed weapons, and in less than 30 minutes, both of them will be dead.

[Dick LeBeau]

Everybody in the chambers ducked.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

A shocking public murder.

[Dick LeBeau]

I scream, get down. Get down.

[Noah Kahan]

Those are shots.

[Dick LeBeau]

Those are shots. Get down.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

A charismatic politician.

[Dick LeBeau]

You know, he just bent the room all the time. I still have a weapon and I could shoot you.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

And an outsider with a secret.

[Dick LeBeau]

He alleged he was a victim of slapdown. That may or may not have been political. That may have been about sex.

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

Listen to Rorschach. Murder at City hall. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lori Siegel]

I'm Lori Siegel, and on Mostly Human, I go beyond the headlines with the people building our future. This week, an interview with one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

[Sam Altman]

I think society is going to decide that creators of AI products bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to products we put out in the world.

[Lori Siegel]

From power to parenthood.

[Sam Altman]

Kids, teenagers, I think they will need a lot of guardrails around AI. This is such a powerful and such

[Lori Siegel]

a new thing, from addiction to acceleration.

[Sam Altman]

The world we live in is a competitive world, and I don't think that's going to stop even if you did a lot of, of redistribution. You know, we have a deep desire to excel and be competitive and gain status and be useful to others. And it's a multiplayer game.

[Lori Siegel]

What does the man who has extraordinary influence over our lives have to say about the weight of that responsibility? Find out on Mostly Human.

[Sam Altman]

My highest order bit is to not destroy the world with AI.

[Lori Siegel]

Listen to Mostly Human on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite show.

[Dick LeBeau]

Yeah, our, our, our record that year was the toughest one ever up till that date, and that was 2008. And let me tell you something, it's now 2026, and it's still the toughest schedule that any team went into preseason playing against teams that had one loss records. And when I said with this schedule that we had, and we had a good offense that could move the ball, you know, and that helps the defense too, but it was phenomenal. I said, somebody got to put a record of this down where people can read about this some point in time, and that's what I did with that and that's why I wrote that bit. But to do that, I, I got all 19 of those games and looked at them again because I, you know, I was writing the book 15 years after when we did it, and nobody, nobody could do anything against you guys. I mean, it was, it was fun to watch. You know, when you're working and going through it, you just, you focus on the game. The game's over you right away and good job. And we go to the next week and you don't have time to sit there and just relook at play after play after play of a defense that is just flat everywhere at the same time. And they had the ability, sure, they hit us some, going to hit any defense, it's a national football league. But we always got stronger as the game went on. And that was the mark to me of a great group of athletes. And they were special. And that's why these guys, they all stick together today. Anytime any of them is going anywhere near each other, they gonna get together. Hey, yeah.

[Debo Harrison]

Hey, Coach, let me give people some insight what coach is talking about. Here is the book legendary that coach wrote. We got it. We gotta, we got a picture of that, right? Because we could put up. Yeah, put a picture up. The book of legendary.

[Joe Hayden]

Okay, it's up there.

[Debo Harrison]

Debo, make sure. Okay, you guys, check this book out. Like coach said, it's about the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers defense. It's matter of fact, Coach, you go ahead and tell them the whole thing behind it, you got a better, you know, you got a better under. You got a better Jill or spill of it than. Than I do. You know, me and Troy just did the forwards, that's all.

[Dick LeBeau]

Well, I had categories like I told you. I was always a stat man. And I had 11 critical areas that a defense had to compete well in to play well. All I was ever looking for as a coach was a way to evaluate a defense's performance so that when I got up in front of you guys on Monday after the game, our goal sheet, I was giving you a realistic statistic based on what was successful past, present and probably in the future in the National Football League. And that was going to be what we had to reach those levels in order to be a successful defense. And you can't, you can't be a successful team without good offense, defense and special teams. But I was focused on defense because that's what we were all. And that's the only time we were getting on the field. And I wanted to be able to evaluate our performance so that if I was an upset coach that I could give them statistic reasons that this is why we didn't play well or If I was very happy with the performance, I wanted to be able to substantiate to them. This is why we did well, and this is why we succeeded. And in doing that, I had a collection over. I coached for 45 years. So I had a lot of defensive records. And this particular group of people in that 2008 defense, which ended up being the world champion team, they were. It was unheard of. Of my 11 key areas, they led the league in nine. No one's ever done that. No one's ever going to do it again because you can't do it. But they did it. And they did it against season opponents that had the highest percentage of wins from the previous year. It wasn't like they were playing slapjacks, cream of the NFL. That, to me, warranted a book. And when I always said that someone should write a book about that year, and I didn't know I was going to coach Till I was 80 years old, man. So when I got to be 80 and retired, I said, nobody ever wrote. Wrote that book. I'm going to write it. And in doing so, I went back and looked at every play of every game and took as much time as I wanted to for each game. Actually, we split it up into 19 chapters there each after it was a game. So it's. It's a good, easy read. It's a light read for sports fans.

[Debo Harrison]

Great read. It's a must read. Y' all make sure y' all go get that book. Y' all don't want to miss it.

[Dick LeBeau]

The book's done well. And I didn't. I didn't really care if it sold one book. I just wanted to tell the story of my guys, man, to be honest with you.

[Debo Harrison]

Hey, Joe, remember I was telling you about the. The gold sheet?

[Joe Hayden]

Yes.

[Debo Harrison]

You never had one, right?

[Joe Hayden]

I don't think we had a goal sheet.

[Debo Harrison]

Okay, so like he said it was. I thought it was 12 or 13 categories. Whatever. I thought it was 11. It's 11 categories. All right.

[Dick LeBeau]

Yeah, well, there's 14. But there was 14. Super key. Okay.

[Debo Harrison]

I thought it was more. Okay, so it's 14 categories.

[Dick LeBeau]

You're right, James.

[Debo Harrison]

So it's 14 categories, and these categories are basically like, what's going to make you what it was. A coach, Like a top five defense or top ten defense.

[Dick LeBeau]

How.

[Debo Harrison]

How was it?

[Dick LeBeau]

It was an average number from the top 10 of the previous year.

[Debo Harrison]

Right. So it was the average number of

[Dick LeBeau]

defense of the top 10 defense, each category.

[Debo Harrison]

So if you had the average of that, then you. You Obviously were going to do well. That sheet got thrown away in like 15, 16, because we couldn't even get.

[Joe Hayden]

We couldn't, we couldn't touch it.

[Debo Harrison]

We couldn't touch it.

[Joe Hayden]

Yeah, I think I remember that.

[Debo Harrison]

It got thrown away.

[Dick LeBeau]

Yeah. They shouldn't have thrown it away.

[Debo Harrison]

I know they shouldn't. Can't just throw it away because it's not giving you the results you want. These guys got to know you're doing bad, you're not doing what you need to do. You need to improve. And instead of making them improve, they said, hey, let's just get, let's stop looking at it. Yeah, and got rid of it.

[Dick LeBeau]

Well, that's the only reason that I carried them, because to say, why did the team win that game? You know, and there's. If you're, if you're a team coach, which I like to think that I was, because I wanted only team players is all I wanted to be working with. You know, that you have to execute well offensively, defensively, in special teams, it's a group effort. But as a coach who was working with a group of men who only played defense, I wanted a way to evaluate what we were doing with the other defenses in the league. And I didn't, I didn't do it to say, oh, well, we did this, but we still lost. And the other. If the other guys would have done.

[Debo Harrison]

And we've had times where we've, We've caught a lot of goals and we've, you know, we sitting up there, like he said, With 11 goals and we lost the game and we didn't. Hey, and it's still our fault because our job is to stop them from scoring and they score. Period.

[Dick LeBeau]

Nowhere else that that's what we would stand by. But at the same time, as a coach, I didn't want to be ripping the hell out of my guys if, If I, if statistically I've given them a goal and they're, they're reaching, most of them. And I felt that's the way I coached. And I said, look, we need to do better here, here and here. I spent more time talking about goals that we didn't make then the ones that we did. But I would go over those after every game. After every game. That was the first thing we did on Monday. And fortunately with that group of guys, we were usually smiling and laughing quite a bit. James.

[Debo Harrison]

Yes, definitely. Definitely. What was the average if we got between 9 and 10 of the 14, it was 80 something percent win chance or something like that. What was the coach.

[Dick LeBeau]

Well, the, the big figure on that percentage was if, if you get score a point, if you, if the defense scores a touchdown, you're going to win 90% of your games. If you can score on defense. And that's just, that's what I call kind of unimportant stats. But I'm a stack guy and I would, I would always stress you with stuff like that. But, but what the big thing was yards per carry, yards per throw, points of course is the number one thing. But if you, if you making up all the other stuff, they ain't gonna be that many points. And I never didn't count, in my mind, I didn't count the points. If they recovered a fumble on our three yard line, you got bonus points if, if you held them to three, but if you, if they scored on that, the defense. I tried to evaluate everything from a defensive standpoint because that's what I was coaching and that's, that was the purpose of getting all those categories and that was the purpose of writing that book. Because when you see the numbers right there on the pa. First, first, first, first, first. And what happened after studying a lot of years of the stats, one team would be maybe up in two or three areas, but then they may be 14th or 15th in, in yards per catch allowed, percentage of passes completed. That was always an important thing for me is how much were they getting every time they. And you had to figure in sacks into that and take the negative yards off of that and how, how effective was your past defense that game? And it was, it was a relative number that fluctuated week to week. But I still. There are 32 teams today and every, every week the ones that aren't on by are putting those stats out there. And you're going to have, at the end of the year you're going to have what everybody in the league average. What was good and what was not good. And that's what I was looking for strictly when I could tell my guys, hey, we're below average in this situation. We cannot win with that. We've got to get rid of that number or we're leading this thing. Keep that there. But here's what we got to get better. And that's, that's, that's all the purpose that I had for those things. But when I got done that super critical ones, I, I'd say it's 11. We were number one in nine of those categories. I mean it'll never happen again.

[Joe Hayden]

Yeah, you, you speak on it. Me and Debo always talk about this. And I think it's like you was giving them tangible results, tangible goals, like you against your contemporaries, against people in the league. And you were giving it to these guys, and you're giving them love because they had to go out and execute. You're not telling them nothing. That's impossible to do. Some things like you said, we might get hit on this play. That'll be fine. We can't guard everything. If you're trying to guard everything, you're guarding nothing. So being able to have a coach, like, knowing, okay, we're here, we might get hit on this one, get him on the ground. We're going to the next play. Because you got things that you're already playing, like the. You called it the triple back and double back. Like, y' all are playing games with the other coaches that you already know. So I wish I could have played for you, because everything is saying right now, I feel like I'm sitting at a fire pit and I could just be listening to you talk, because we speak the same.

[Debo Harrison]

Hey, don't you love everybody, Joe?

[Joe Hayden]

Love the game?

[Dick LeBeau]

Well, we love the same. We played the same position.

[Joe Hayden]

Played the same position. Like you play, you a Cornerback. You have 62 picks. So now when I'm listening to you talking about how you approach the game, how you would. Would set up the defenses, how you just think about ball, I'm like, I love that. That makes so much sense. Everything Debo says makes complete sense.

[Debo Harrison]

You.

[Joe Hayden]

I see why I will follow you through a brick wall, because you.

[Debo Harrison]

You.

[Joe Hayden]

You get it. You understand what's going on and the players you got.

[Dick LeBeau]

That's very humbling, Joe, for you to say that. But I tell you what, the other thing that I know. I know you would have enjoyed. I tried to coach the way I wanted to be coached, and I had enough experience of both sides of that ball. And I tried to teach from the film, and I didn't. I just. I just didn't say to a player, well, you got to do this. You got to get better at this. You got. I would show him why what he's doing is putting his half a step behind where he needs to be. And a half a step for. For a corner is a whole lot of yards. When you get down to where the ball's going to be completed.

[Sam Altman]

Oh, yeah.

[Dick LeBeau]

And I would. Each guy is different. I didn't have one standard stance or one standard shift or plan or pivot or whatever. I tried to tailor everything that I taught around his physical capability. What I. What I knew he could do best.

[Joe Hayden]

That's what great coaches do.

[Dick LeBeau]

And the same thing was was true with with guys that James's position I tried to call I invented defenses that let them do what they could do the best. Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance. And now we're customizing this rush hour ad to keep you calm, which could help your driving. And science says therapy is great for a healthy mindset. So enjoy this 14 second session on us. I think you've done everything right and absolutely nothing wr. In fact, anything that hasn't gone your way could probably be blamed on your

[Narrator (Rorschach Podcast)]

father not being emotionally available because his

[Dick LeBeau]

father wasn't emotionally available and so on. And now that you're calm and healing,

[Noah Kahan]

you're probably driving better too.

[Dick LeBeau]

Liberty, Liberty.

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

Liberty.

[Dick LeBeau]

Liberty.

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

On the Serving Pancakes Podcast, Conversations about volleyball go beyond the court. Today we have a little best friend compatibility test. Okay, and how long have we been best friends?

[Dick LeBeau]

Since the day we met.

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

As the League 1 volleyball season heads towards its final straight stretch, there's no better time to tune in. You'll hear unfiltered analysis, behind the scenes stories and conversations with leaders making an impact across the sport. Whether you're following the final push of love season or just love the game, Serving Pancakes brings you closer to the action and the people shaping the future of volleyball. Open your free iHeartradio app search serving pancakes and listen. Now presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Lily Herman]

Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Joining Join me, Lily Herman as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential driver strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Khan, the singer songwriter behind the multi platinum global hit Stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today talking

[Noah Kahan]

about the mental illness stuff. It used to be this thing that I was ashamed of getting to talk about. This is not common for me right now. I need it more than ever.

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Peace to the planet Charlamagne Tha God here. And listen, we are back. The Black Effect Podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard. Yeah, and the full lineup is nuts. We got the Grits and Eggs podcast, Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Cat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague in the gang. Don't call me White Girl. Mona will be there. Keep it positive, sweetie with Crystal Renee. We got Reality with the King with Carlos King. And yes, drink champs will be in the building. Plus you know we gonna have a lot of guests so you need to join us. And we got the Black Effect Marketplace. The pitch, your podcast and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast Festival. Tickets are on sale right now. Go get [e-mail] podcast festival. Don't play yourself. Okay, pull up.

[Serving Pancakes Hosts]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.