← House Rhules
House Rhules
House Rhule #16 – Year Three Is About Nebraska Football Culture, Not Matt Rhule. | Ep. 2
00:55:23
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- [00:00]
A
What's up everyone? Great win last night for the Huskers. I got it about 5 o' clock in the morning. Ready to go attack this day. Episode two, House Rules. Sure hope you love it. Now, just so you know, the plan was to release it yesterday on game day like we will every Thursday. But you know, I just didn't feel great about releasing that on the day of the game. I thought yesterday was supposed to be about our players, about the opportunity we had and we just decided to hold it. So I, I try to follow my own rules and not get distracted by anything other than what's important. And today what's important is getting you guys house rules. Episode 2. What is up everybody? Matt Rule back here with you guys again. So good to have you back on episode two. But this is game one of the college football season and we're so excited. Now, full disclosure, we did pre record this. We have been in game week preparations. This is house rules.
- [01:02]
B
Well, it's the morning of the big game, the opener, it's house rules. He can't wait for tonight, so. But the jig's up. I gotta tell you, we're recording this couple a couple weeks ahead of time. But here is the story. This is year three of Matt Rule. Year three of Matt Rule at Temple, 10 and four, at Baylor, 11 and three. Coach, this is year three. What is it about year three that is so magical?
- [01:39]
A
Well, it's just that it's no longer, it's no longer coach rules way. Like at this point, at the third year at Temple, the third year at Baylor, you know, we played, we played all those young guys, they took their lumps, they battled through the second year, had some, had some, you know, won our last game to get bowl eligible at Temple, didn't go to a bowl. I'm still. One of the most powerful moments of my life is Kenny Harper standing up and saying, hey, next year, next year, remember we didn't go to a bowl and don't lose games, you should win. And we did that. Baylor, the second year, you know, go to the Texas bowl, beat Vanderbilt, go to seven and six and then here, you know, went through the first year. Who's this guy, Matt Rule, what's he won? He wants us to change this, change that Year two, battle through it, beat Colorado, beat Wisconsin the first time in 12 years, have the ups and downs, go to the bowl game, go to New York City, win a bowl game for the first time since 2016, get that off our back. So here we're in year three and the guys know what to expect. You got some proof of concept? It's no longer what coach wants us to do this. It's like, hey, this is what we do. And I think once the players take it over, man, it's like I'm just along for the ride now. Like I did the hard job and you know, I always feel like you do your best, best work in the first year.
- [02:53]
B
Is it culture? Like you, you by year three, you're basically describing culture. The culture is set in.
- [02:59]
A
Yeah. And I think, I think the cool thing is like, you hate going to and 10 and you hate going 1 and 11. I think you guys all get that. And like we know we were, we finished five and seven. I think we were five and three my first year here and we lost four straight to end the year. Lost on a, you know, a terrible loss to Iowa. Great kid, make the field, made a field goal. So crushing moments. But the thing is, is that the players, they see you in those moments, they're going to in 10, they're going 1 11. And yet you're not changing up on them. You're not on the radio blasting them. We need more talent, we need better players. You're right there in there suffering with them, man. You got your arm around their neck. You got, you got, you're there every, you're out there every Monday night, you know, eating, eating chicken and watching Monday Night Football. You're there every Tuesday demanding the most from them and just promising them like, hey, go through this now and someday it's going to be our turn, right? Someday we get to turn about, it'll be fair play. And so I think them going through the tough times with you and seeing the whole coaching staff have their back builds a confidence. And so year three, they know what to do. You know, you're just kind of, you're just trying to tell them where and when and trying to do a little game planning. So, man, I can't wait for this season. I can't wait for this game against a great Cincinnati team. But I can't wait for this whole year because it's been, it's been two years getting ready for this thing.
- [04:21]
B
So when does this season begin? Let's what. I'm fascinated by this. It's year three. When does year three officially begin? Right after the pinstripe ball.
- [04:32]
A
So I took the approach, you know, because, because we beat Wisconsin to be both eligible now. First time in 12 years. Like, cuz they said, hey, go get the trophy. I said, what trophy? I didn't Even know there was a trophy because we had. We never had it in our building. And you look at it just goes, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin. So, you know, guys ran over, they grabbed it. But then the next week, man, we had. We had a. We were up 10 nothing at halftime against Iowa. And we have the ball 10, 10, you know, going down the drive with the ball in the 45 yard line, 40 yard line, whatever it was to go in the game. And we fumble, we lose the game. It's, you know, everyone's coming at us, a couple coaches leave, guys go in the portal. You know, it's, you know, doomsday. And I remember. I remember standing right here being, like, breathing, like, hey, like, these are the moments now. Like, this is why they pay you. This is why they brought you here. Like, now's the time to put your back foot back on the ground and stand up and fight back. Like, this is what you're built for. This is why you went the temple. This is why you went to Baylor after a scandal. This is why you went through everything you went through in Carolina, Covid, you know, the adversity to get you ready for this moment. I mean, we came fighting back. So I believe that the start of the season was that entire Pinstripe bowl going to New York City. Like, we were guys. I got guys from. I got guys from all over the country. I'm walking down the street, you know, I grew up in the city. I'm taking a train everywhere. I'm walking down the street. I see Carter Nelson from Ainsworth, Nebraska. I see a Brock Knudsen from Scottsbluff, Nebraska. I've been to both their hometowns. Beautiful communities, but small, small, small place. Man, they're walking through Times Square looking up, and I was like, yo, guys, stop looking up. They know you're not from here. Like, just put your eyes stay the head. Like. But we went through that whole week, man, busting the Fordham, going to the Knicks game, a little bit of fun. And they were business. Not one kid was late. Not one kid had an issue. And I was like, all right, this team gets it. So it's been a fun off season, but I think it started right then. Iowa game was over. I came in the next morning, I started talking about the teams we had to play this year. Hey, this team went 5 and 7. This team went 6 and 7. We've got to do the off season better than everybody else. And we'll see if we did.
- [06:38]
B
I think we did take us to the portal. And what, what it's like waiting for the portal to close to make sure that there's, you know, nobody's leaving, nobody's looking for something. If you're capped out, I mean, that's got to be a harrowing moment as you're just those final moments waiting for the portal to close.
- [07:00]
A
Yeah. And the portals, you know, unique, right? Because I, I have some guys, like, they're not going to play. Like, coach, man, I want to play. And I'm like, hey, bro, I got you. Let's go. Let's help you go find somewhere, right? Like, so I've got some great success stories. Guys that left here got scholarships at fcs, got scholarships at other places. But when you have a guy that should be here that you've poured two years into and he leaves, like, it's a little bit of, like, it's a little bit of mourning because you're like, man, I wish, you know, I wish we could have done that. I want them to do what's right for them. I can't stand, you know, like, someone else comes in, here's a little bit more money and, you know, but, you know, guys got to do what's right for them. But it's definitely hard. Now here's a unique thing. The portal closes. But if you have a bowl game, I think it was open for like another week or another. I can't remember what it was. So, man, I'm sitting at home the last night I got till midnight and I got a bunch of great young players. And so, like, you know, people came after some of our guys and I'm, you know, I'm fighting them off, honestly, like, hey, this is what I think can happen to you. And, and I'm. It's the Georgia game and, you know, Georgia lost. I can't remember the game. I can't remember. Texas. Yeah, Texas. And yeah, I'm sitting there and all sudden I get a phone call from Jecorey Barney Dynamic, freshman, wideout. And I'm like, oh, no. Now I love Jaqori, but Jacori never calls me. So I'm actually downstairs in my baseball playing ping pong with my daughters and I'm like, hold on, guys. I walk over and I'm like, hey, Jacori called and I call him back. He didn't pick up. So I missed the call. So I didn't call him back. Don't pick up. So I text him. He was like, coach, what's the name of the steak that we get every night before the game? And I was like, I was like, so we went there. I was like. I was like, filet, medium rare. He's like, yeah. I'm like. I'm like, where are you at? He's like, I'm at a steakhouse, you know, at Miami. I said. I said. He said, what's the other thing that Kristen makes? Because our dietitian here is amazing. I'm like, the risotto. He's like, coach, you're the man, bro. I'll hit you up tomorrow. I was like, call me tomorrow and ask me that. But, like. But honestly, like, that's the relationship I always dreamed of, where guys are. Hey, Coach. Hey. Remind me again. What. We had that one night here. What? We had that one night there, but, man, for 12 seconds, my heart stopped. But you know what, though, bro? We lost some kids that I care about, and I want them to be successful, man. We brought in some dudes. We brought in some talent. You guys. You know what else we brought in, though? I brought in a couple guys from, like, fcs. And I remember. I remember Jalen George. Wait till you see this guy. He's a dynamic, explosive D lineman. I remember him sitting there. He looked at me and he was like, coach, I want to play at this level. You'll never hear me complain about eating in the training table. You'll never hear me complain about lifting. Coach, I was eating in the student cafeteria with all the students at ETSU before I got here. Give me a chance, bro. Just give me a chance. And you know what? Like, I like that. So we got some high. High, you know, recruited guys, but we got some. We got some dogs, too. And so I think. I think when the portal came out, man, we ended up. We ended up on top.
- [09:52]
B
What do you think of the new landscape? Because the one thing I love about your reaction is, like, you're not running from it. Like, you're embracing it.
- [10:01]
A
So to me, don't complain about it, man. Just be about it. And. And listen, go across the country. What is everybody else doing? Tap into your contacts. But this is an opportunity for the university. One reason why I came here. And we sell the stadium, we have more sellouts in a row than anyone else in the country. Like, we have. We have a fan base. We have the best football building in the world. We have facilities that no one. We have a fan base you can't even imagine. It's like. It's like Eagles fans, as I said before. So, like, I was like, all right, well, if this thing starts to go where we're paying the players, why Don't I go someplace that's in no debt, that has elite facilities that sells out every game and we haven't been winning, but they still sell the games out. So imagine what happens when we get the thing up and running. So it was a long term play for when this thing happened. I think we're about to. I think we're about to, you know, turn this thing on its head.
- [10:50]
B
Let's fast forward to the spring game, which is what it has to be. One of the most amazing sights of college football is the Nebraska spring game. Does it still you. Do you still go, oh, my. Does it still make you go, wow, third time in?
- [11:08]
A
Yeah. So, you know, and. And the first two years, I mean, 60, 70,000 people, and I was the first guy this year that said, you know what? Because we still had a spring portal. So, like, guys could, you know, I want to be here. And then also right before the spring, I don't want to be here. And so I kept hearing everyone talking about, like, hey, there's an FCS game. We need to watch this guy we know. I was like, man, why would I put my players on the Big Ten network for everyone else to say, you know what? Let's go get that guy. So I was the first coach that said, you know what? No spring game. And, man, so people crushed me. And all of a sudden, guess what next day, like, Ole Miss isn't doing. Oh, I forget who all the people were. Other people kind of followed suit. But so what we did, we went out. What we did was the guys that had to still make the team because the new ruling came out said, hey, you can only have 105 guys now because I got guys on my team saying, coach, I'm a Husker. Jacob Brand, I'm a Husker. I'll be here until the day you tell me I have to leave. So I came here my entire life with my dad. His name is on the Letterman wall downstairs. And all I dream about is that someday I can bring my kids here. They see my name on that wall. He said, so I'm. You'll have to kick me off. I'll be here till then. So I scrimmaged those guys so they could show the fans themselves what they're made of. And then with the other guys, you know, the guys who, you know, kind of established, and we did tractor pulls, we did competition, a little Pro bowl vibe to get to know the guys. And so. But the outpouring of support here is amazing. I went to a women's volleyball scrimmage the other day. I took my daughter to it, you know, you know, just stopped in real quick, wanted to show, you know, show my support for that team. Bro, the place is sold out for a scrimmage. And you know, what the amount of. We have so many All American, so many future Olympians. Like, I don't even know which team was. I mean, like, it's not even just our starters are, they're, they're elite. And so the fan base here, they are, they are impressive, but they're also used to greatness. And so our job is they're going to show up anyway. But, man, we got to give them good football to watch so that they get excited about it.
- [13:02]
B
Let's look at camp, right? Like, what are you looking at and how are you running it? Like, how do you, what do you want to get out of it? And your old, your philosophies for it.
- [13:13]
A
You know, the guys I respect in this game, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin, Tom Coughlin, who I worked for, we joint practice against John Harbaugh when I was in the NFL, they believe in physicality. You can't, you can't prepare for doing hard things by doing easy things. And, you know, there's this whole thing, oh, you got, you know, you can't get your players hurt. You can't, you get more guys hurt running on the field and just twisting their knee on the grass or turf than you do guys colliding into each other. So, yeah, I mean, there's some, there's some inherent risk to practicing, but we want to get good. I mean, like, we can't not practice and think we're going to jump from seven wins to what we want to be. So we have an old school camp. We stay in meetings for a long time. Everybody's like, oh, you know, attention spans. I'm like, well, I'm pretty sure they, I'm pretty sure that the person that's like watching our nuclear defense system, guys, I'm pretty sure he's not like taking 10 minutes and then a three minute cell phone break. Let's not always have such low expectations. Like, let's go to meetings for 90 minutes and, you know, if you got to get up and stretch, get up and stretch. But like, so we won it old school. But I also had a chance to practice against Belichick in New England. And you know what's really cool about Coach Belichick? He was like, hey, Matt, no scripts. He's like, I don't want my coordinators guys looking at your scripts and saying, what do they want to run? He's like, I'm just gonna call out situations when my guys are up and my guys will react. And so I'm watching this, I'm like, this is beautiful. So again, everything you go through prepares you for the next thing, right? I come here, I'm like, hey, all right, guys, two minute. Oh, hey, two point play. Hey. I just kind of watched the greatest of all time in the NFL do it. I just did the same thing. So it's an old school camp with a lot of situational football. Because I want my guys, when they leave here or when they're here to understand the game, not just a couple assignments. I want them to understand the game of football. And it's been a lot of fun because, you know, you get a guy like Dylan, Emmett Johnson, some of the guys, as I mentioned, Jacquari, like, they want, they're thirsty to know more about the game.
- [15:08]
B
When you look at a guy like Dylan, whose father played and at the highest level, how much is he a student of the game? Like, because I especially being a quarterback, to understand that, look, I clock is an issue. I got to get rid of the ball. I can't take a sack in this spot.
- [15:28]
A
I mean, it's, it's amazing. Just as a little life tip, if you ever get a college football program and you see a quarterback who's a five star quarterback and his dad played 14 years in the NFL and his dad had a record of I, I'm going to not do Dom service. It was like, you know, however many games in a row that he never missed a game, I mean, never missed a game out there. Win, lose, he was out there for the Lions every single week. Go get that guy. Because it's not just half that's a football player. Yeah. I mean, it's not just like, well, I'm a passer. Like he's, he's a football player. And here's what's really cool. We got a freshman quarterback, TJ Lateef, you know, came in for the bowl practice. TJ's doing the same things. Why? Because we all aspire to that which we see. Like, if we see like our parents do X, we think, oh, I should do X. If we see the people around us do Y, we think, oh, I should do. Yeah. He sees Dylan out there playing pro football quarterback. Hey, weak, check strong. Hey, two man. Go to this. But if you get blitz, go to this. But if you get zero, go to this. And he's just, and he sees the work that he puts in. Now all of a sudden, you look up and here's tj because it's not what Dylan does, it's what a Husker quarterback, what a future pro does. And that's. That's culture. So the culture is not me. The culture is getting the right guys here along with me, hopefully, where we're all on the same page, where we love the game, man. We're going to grind at it, we're going to work at it, and it's been a lot of fun.
- [16:48]
B
You did a sit down with Tom Osborne, which was incredible. It was so awesome, you guys having this conversation. I was. I was just raptured by it.
- [17:02]
A
You.
- [17:03]
B
You think it's important to incorporate what this program meant and means 42 years.
- [17:12]
A
Bob Devaney through Tom Osborne, through Frank Solich. And if you go back and look at the Bo Pelini years, nine wins every year, 10, like, 42 years of dominance. So what idiot would not say, oh, by the way, how did you do that? Like, tell me what you did. And the great, great thing about Coach Osborne is, like. I mean, like, he literally called me. He called Ron Brown, who's been on our staff for a long time, and said, hey, would you ask Matt if it's okay if I came by practice on Friday? And I was like, the building is named after him. Yes. This is all my kids. You know what he says? Is it okay if I bring Coach Solic as well? Yeah. Yeah, Coach. Yeah. Yes, I think that'd be. Probably played here, coached here, head coach here, played for the national championship. Yeah, he could come, too. So, like, how foolish would I be to not say what they did? But here's one thing people forget or don't know, maybe. So I go there. Al Golden. Al golden turned around Temple football, not Matt Rule. Al golden turned around first got us to a bowl game. Steve Adagio came in, took it to another level, and then left, and I came in. And my first year, you know, we were moving up in conference. We were. We were 2 and 10. And then my next year, you know, at P.J. walker, Dynamic Young quarterback. I tried to bring the spread offense to Temple. And we. We have a. We were bad on defense. Like, oh, we'll be an offensive team. We. We finished six and six the year that we don't go to the bowl game. And I'm sitting there one day, I'm thinking to myself, I'm like, well, what did Al do? Al said, we're going to be Temple tough. We're going to run the ball down your throat. We're going to make you quit. I said, well, Al got a lot of money. He had multiple job offers. He was really successful. Steve Adagio came here, ran the ball down people's throat. We were temple tough. I got the job at Boston College. He got, you know, extension here. I came here and I'm running the spread. Maybe I got to go back to who we are. So study what worked there. Don't try to take. And then I go to Baylor. Well, I mean, I've never been to Texas today in my life. So I go to Baylor. I hire three Texas high school coaches, like, tell me where to go, what to do. But people down there love ball. And you know what I did, cuz I said like, hey, how did. I can't be Art Browns. I got to be myself. But how did Coach Browns win? What did he do? He found speed. He put it on the field. So we changed. So what I've tried to do, every place I've gone is, well, how did he win? How did he win? I probably, you know, if I go back to my time in the NFL, it was just so hard with, you know, Covid and all those different things. Like, I was just adapting all the time. I probably didn't do a good enough job of that. If I could go back, I'd be like, hey, you know, what's won here in the past? And, you know, but, you know, those things happen. Prepare you for this. And now I'm here, I'm like, I'd be foolish not to ask Coach Osborne. I'd be foolish not to ask Eric Crouch, Ron Brown, all the people that have come through here. And so we're doing that. So, you know, we can't be exactly what we were, but we can take the strategy and try to build tactics that lend to that strategy.
- [19:57]
B
All right, so like we said, we're doing this a couple weeks before the opener. How will you feel leading into that game? Like your own emotions? You get butterflies? Are you agitated? Excited beyond belief? Calm? Like, how will you feel even after all these years?
- [20:21]
A
You know, I think it's a little different for every game. You know, like last year, Colorado, like, you know, Colorado beat us the year before. It was such a rivalry. You know, my wife and I were skiing that winter, and this young lady walked up to us, said, are you coach for. I was like, yeah. She's like, blank. You go buffs. I was like, oh, it's that type of Robert. I got it. I got it. Julie, calm Down Julie. You know Julie. Julie worked at Temple, too. It ain't Matt Rule tough. It's Julie real tough, you know?
- [20:51]
B
You know, I love, bro, I love.
- [20:53]
A
When people come to my house and they're like, ah, you know, coach Rule, we're here to fix this. I'm like, oh, you worried about me, bro? Her dad was a builder, her brother's a carpenter. Go deal with Julie like she's a lion. So, like. But anyway, you. You get what I'm saying? So. So, like, that game I went into, like, hey, man, I gotta have some swagger with the guys. Like, we're going out here. We gotta. We gotta meet swagger with some swagger. So there's some other games. You know, you're a big favorite, and the guys are loose, and you gotta be a little tighter. You know, there's some other games where the guys are tight. You gotta be loose. So I try to feel the vibe, but with the work we've done and what we've been through, man, I'm excited. I'm excited for the guys to go play at Arrowhead. Like, you know, it's kind of cool. We recruit a lot of kids from Florida, California, and they show up here right when we start. You know, school starts in January and it's freezing, and they're like, coach, was it like this when I came on my visit? I got a big parka. And thankfully, either Kansas City or Buffalo is in the playoffs every year. And so right after the first team meeting, that's. I put the game on. I'm like, hey, boys, we're just getting ready, Ready for this. And so all these guys are watching. You know, two years ago, Miami came up and played. Played the Chiefs. And it's like, you know, minus 18, whatever. And they're out there running around like, hey, guys, this is ball, man. We're getting. This is the. This is. This is law school for lawyers. This is medical school for doctors. This is. This is football school for football players. So thank God those two teams are good. So to finally get to Arrowhead, man, I tell you what. NFL Stadium, Big 12 opponent, you know, two Power 4 teams, CFP implications, first game, I'm going to be excited because I've seen how hard these guys work, and this is a hard camp. We don't do easy here. And so they've earned the right to go out and have fun. So one of the things we're going to do on almost every episode of House Rules is sit down with one of our current players. Maybe you just know Them as a helmet, a jersey number. But we want to get to know the person underneath all of that. This is office hours. What's up, everyone? Welcome to another edition of office hours here at house rules. And I am fortunate to be joined by maya and elijah, judy and their amazing son kota. And we got some big news. Yeah. So why don't we just not. Why don't we go ahead and knock that off right off the bat? Yeah.
- [23:09]
C
So we found out. We found a little minute ago. I think it was sometime during, like, summer workouts. Yeah. We're having another baby, and we found out that's gonna be a girl.
- [23:18]
A
Wow. What was wit now when you told me that you were having a girl? What did I tell you?
- [23:24]
C
Welcome to the club.
- [23:25]
A
That's it. Welcome to the club.
- [23:28]
C
When I'm old, koda not gonna be there, but she gonna be there to take care of me.
- [23:32]
A
And hopefully koda is. But I just said, I know this Bryant, who I love. I love Bryant. I love you. Bryant is not gonna be there when I'm old. It's gonna be Vivian. Leon are gonna be taking care of me someday. So does coda understand that he's about to have a baby sister or. Yeah.
- [23:46]
D
I mean, he talks about it, but I don't think, like, he fully understands. Like, I don't think he really get it.
- [23:53]
C
I think when she gets here, he'll be a lot more excited.
- [23:56]
A
Yeah.
- [23:57]
C
That way, he got another friend to play with when she gets a little older. Me and Maya, like, our. Like, both our. We all. Both of our families, they're all close in age, like, both our siblings. So, like, me and my brother for, like, a couple months were a year apart. Me and my sister's two years apart. So that way, like, when they get older, they can do stuff together because I know, like, being, like, super older, let's say, like, coach 15. He has a little brother that's like a little sister that's like eight. I don't want to take her everywhere. But now he can take her everywhere because she's of age and she can mingle.
- [24:24]
A
Everybody talk about living in lincoln, nebraska, you know, from Philadelphia. Where did you guys meet?
- [24:30]
C
We met through my cousin.
- [24:31]
A
Okay.
- [24:31]
C
So, yeah, we met through my cousin before I transferred here. And after that, we just been locked in since.
- [24:36]
A
I love it. So now you're living in lincoln, Nebraska. What's it like? I mean, you're over here with us a lot. Yeah. What's it like for you?
- [24:43]
D
It's fun for me. I mean, at first, I Was bored. I didn't have no friends. But now Gus's daughter, she's like my best friend. So we do everything together. It just feel like home. It's no different, really.
- [24:57]
A
How about for you? Same.
- [24:59]
C
I feel like home. I think I like being here way more than I like being home. Even though I have family home, I feel like here is where I'm supposed to be. I feel like league in the barracks is a place I can call home after football.
- [25:11]
A
So. But. So for those off the camera, we're have amazing outtakes. My man Koda is at that midday. I. That is. Did he have. He just got up from the nap or he's about to have a nap? No.
- [25:24]
C
Yeah, he's about to have a nap.
- [25:25]
A
I'll tell you. I. I know exactly how you feel. I know exactly how you feel. So he has emerged on our team as, like, the premier chef on our team. Does he cook at home? He can he throw? Does he. Does he. Does he put his heart and soul into it?
- [25:40]
C
It's like when I cook, it's different from when Maya cook. When Maya cooks, I'm in there helping. But, like, when I cook, I just want the kitchen to myself. I just want to put. I put headphones on, listen to music. I just cook.
- [25:50]
A
I used to be the one in our house who would do the grilling. And then Julie, my wife, went to culinary school, and after that she was like, you can't grill properly. You can't. So now she does everything. So I just show up, I eat, maybe I'll do the dishes, maybe. And she lets me do that. What's your, like, go like we had yesterday off. Like, if you have an off day, what's your specialty? Like, what is your go to meal?
- [26:12]
C
For me, I think I specialize more in, like, the meats category, but in my loves, when I make, like, my pasta, so I do like, a little rose sauce. I'll mix the marinara Alfredo and then put like you said, with ground beef, but I like it with chicken. So we'll do that as like a go to meal.
- [26:28]
A
I love it.
- [26:29]
C
But other than that, when we, like, really feel like cooking, we'll cook like soul food. We'll make, like, Big Mac, yams, collard greens, ribs, chicken.
- [26:38]
A
Come here, come here. So, so who. Who's gonna pick the name? Is it a just a joint effort? Does. Does. Does. Does Maya get to pick? Like, how do we do the name?
- [26:50]
C
Yeah, we agreed on a name. You wanna. You wanna say name or you want it weird? So we're doing you a nolo more.
- [26:57]
A
Wow. What's any significance or just you just picked it or.
- [27:01]
D
No, we just found it. We were going through, like, multiple names, and that was just one that we agreed on, one we really like. One that didn't sound too, like, familiar, like, oh, he's crying.
- [27:13]
C
So why you calling me bro?
- [27:20]
A
Talk about graduation. How was. How was. How was that for you? Graduating, having the whole. Have the whole family there? What did it feel like?
- [27:28]
C
I feel like I really accomplished something that was, like, a goal that I was looking forward to since I was really little. Like, my dad. My mom and dad really didn't graduate from actually, like, university. He went to community school, but I don't think my dad finished. But other than that, like, it just feel. I don't know. It just feels great for me. And then give something for code to look up to because I want code to do the same thing as well.
- [27:51]
A
Yeah, he, he, he. You think about how much time he spends on a college campus. Like, you're. You're probably one of our most loyal people. My. You're at practice every day. Yeah, pretty much every day. You've never seen me act crazy, have you? You've never seen me act a fool. Heavy. And so what are you like on game day when he's out there playing? Are you calm and quiet? Are you yelling loud? What do you like yelling loud? Yeah, I love it.
- [28:13]
C
You guys see her videos? Her and my dad, I think. I don't know who's allowed us.
- [28:17]
A
Really?
- [28:17]
C
Yeah.
- [28:18]
A
Can you hear him?
- [28:19]
C
No, not. Not all the time, but, like, normally when I come out, I could find them, and then when they're waving and yelling, I can hear him. At that point, we're, like, warming up and stuff.
- [28:27]
A
What'd you think last year when we used him on offense A little bit? Hoping he ever carried the ball someday?
- [28:32]
D
Yes.
- [28:33]
A
Who knows? Stay tuned. That might happen. You know, it's not very often that you meet somebody who you can actually say impacts and changes your life. My next guest, Ben Newman, I met for the first time in May. Now, I'd already read his book. One of the top performance coaches in the country, acclaimed author, speaker, makes great people. So I'm excited to have him here today. Thank you for being here, brother coach.
- [29:04]
E
It's an honor to be here.
- [29:06]
A
You know, you talk a lot. Obviously, one of the key components to what you talk about is finding your burn. It's something that I know. For me, I've had to ask you, like, several times. Explain it to me. Explain it to me as I, like unearth and really get to know myself. When was the first time that you really felt that burn in your own life?
- [29:27]
E
So before I answer that question, I want to mention something because I think it's important rather than just saying I'm honored to be here, which I am, because there's a lot to it. I'm here because of your burn, even though you couldn't express it with words. When we met in May at John Gordon's event, and I'll never forget, it was one of those, you know, the book and Dom Raiola, who we owe that exchange to, you know, big shout out to Dom.
- [29:50]
A
That's right.
- [29:51]
E
But I remember we went off to the side and it was like this closed off bar area and we just talked. It was like two men, real talk. Why are you coaching ball? What are you doing? What are you looking to do? And I could just feel the fire, which turned into an emotional conversation. And I said, okay, you know, I, I, I have been, you know, still at Kansas State, you know, doing work there as well. I've coached against you.
- [30:14]
A
Right.
- [30:15]
E
I've heard Coach Kleiman talk about, you know, I'm like, oh, man, this guy's the real deal.
- [30:19]
A
You know, when you're a head coach and especially when you're there at John Gordon, you're getting ready to speak, there's always this like, mask that you have to put on. Like I told the guys all the time, there's Matt and then there's Coach Rule. And so I'm always off being Coach Rule. I remember, like, as I was talking to you, like, almost, almost starting to, like, lose it and get emotional as I talked about what I really wanted and the causes for it. And it was probably the only people in the world that I would be that way with. You know, I mean, it was, I had met you less than 24 hours before, but like, that's, that's got to be you, right? I mean, that has to be who you are. That brings it out in people.
- [30:53]
E
Well, and so that goes back to the answer to the question is I had to face so much adversity and challenge early on in my life. And sure, we're in season seven of the podcast the Burn, and now I call it the Burn, and, and people relate to the Burn. But when I lost my mom 11 days before my 8th birthday, and my mom had to have this super courage and strength to divorce my father when I was six months old because my dad was a drug addict, alcoholic, manic depressive, Bipolar, everything under the sun. And then my mother, after she's a single mom fighting to make ends meet, gets diagnosed with a disease called amyloidosis. I mean, you talk about. I've worked with some champions. She is the toughest of anybody. And we had 24 hour nursing care in the house her last year living and coach. She would come to the dinner table with an IV stand to ask me how my day was at school. So there was this, this fire. I mean, I didn't articulate it that way as a seven year old boy, but like you just felt something. Like there was something that I gained from my mom and I would just be vulnerable and transparent when my dad moved back into the house after my mom died and had to assume, you know, the rule of dad. And it was hard and challenging, but there'd be my grandparents or teachers or coaches I'd meet in life. And every time I would meet him, it was just like this crazy level of vulnerability and transparency. So it's all I've ever known. So it's one of those things like when we're having a conversation, I'm like, there's no BS here, like I'm going for it. I see something in this man's eyes. I'm just going to ask him some deep questions.
- [32:23]
A
I think it's disarming for someone like me, really, for anybody when they meet you, because, you know, we look at you, we see obviously someone you exercise. What is it now? How many days for the only unrequired workout?
- [32:35]
E
Well, we did it. You've got a good streak going too today. For me it was 2,240 straight days.
- [32:40]
A
So you've done it. Workout 2000. I can't even say the numbers. It's so, it's so mind boggling. So, you know, I look at you like, here you are in amazing shape. You have a wonderful family, you're a great father. Like, you leave the podcast, so you leave the John Gordon event, then the athlete's first event where you're, you know, you know, headlining and you crush it and you're flying immediately to go watch Kennedy play basketball in Houston. And then you, you know, so you're balancing, you're juggling, you know, being a great father, a great husband, you know, so a guy like me looks at you, this model of fitness, this model of being a great father and husband, being great at what you do, performance, coach, mindset, coach. It can intimidate people, especially in today's world where like, everyone's perfect and yet you always Lead with the pain. You always lead with the, the, the, the sacrifice. You always lead with the suffering that you've been through. I think it humanizes people and makes us feel comfortable to hear it. And so, you know, I've had a hard time as I'm not hard time. I've had a unique time trying to figure out, reading the book. Listen to you. The difference between what's my burn? And you hear a lot of people say, what's your why? You know, how do you see those, how do you see those things as different?
- [33:45]
E
So with many people, they, they could be the same, but the burn tends to be something deeper that actually ignites the why and purpose. Right? So you could say right now, my why is to be the best father, to be the best husband, and to be the best coach I can be. And to lead Husker football back to the tradition of Husker football. That could be your why, but the burn is actually going to be something deeper. It's somebody who told you, man, you couldn't do something like that. That's not for you. You're not bringing this, this program back. And so it could be from a dark place. It could be sacrifice your parents made. Where you think, okay, my parents had to sacrifice to give me opportunity. I'm coaching ball, I'm doing what I love, playing ball. I get to coach ball. Like, I think about my parents sacrifice, that's a burn that ignites the why and purpose. So then you say, I can't waste a day. My parents did that, right? So, like, for me, I say, my mom came to the dinner table with an IV stand. My mother was dying before my eyes as a seven year old boy. And it went on for a year. I had to climb under my mother's IV wires at night to tuck her in sometimes. And I'm gonna complain about a tough day, or somebody told me, no, hey, we're not booking you for this speech. Oh, okay. But a lot of people become weak in those moments, and then they choose to do nothing for weeks. We, as leaders, we don't have that luxury. And so I think when you find that burn, whether it be the sacrifice, the pain, pain of a past position, pain of a past job. Sometimes there's a darkness to it. All of a sudden that's different than why on purpose. And when you think of that, you get on the streak that you've gotten on, you now look the way that you don't look the way you did in May.
- [35:26]
A
No.
- [35:27]
E
Well, I mean, you are literally go look at the comments online from the Husker videos. Like, I mean the whole fan base goes, what's going on with coach?
- [35:33]
A
Well, I can't look at the comments all the time. It's like, it's not good in my line of work to look at the calm. But, but you know, it's really important that you say that. Like I can sit there even like exercising for me, like, why am I doing that? To be my best self, to be around for my kids. I have a 10 year old daughter, I have a 13, 12 year old daughter, soon to be 13. There's a lot of why in there. But like every day that I have to sit there and do that 4 minute 44 second reverse plank, 6 inches, you know, there better be some burn there. And, and when I get to the push ups, I go to that dark place. I have to think about, you know, I have to think about, I think I told you I had to think about walking off the field in Carolina and people booing me and booing my kid. I had to go to those places to be like, I'm never going back to that moment. And I don't know, I don't know as men if we do a good enough job of taking the time to really look at ourselves and like, like introspect, I think we find the things we don't like about ourselves. Man, there's some, there's some strength. Like you've helped me find strength and I think I'm a pretty strong guy already, but you've helped me find strength by looking back and recognizing the things that I've been through, good and bad, have gotten me ready for this moment. When you think back about your journey, how about when you got started doing this? I mean, you're the best of the best now, but like, I mean, what were the, what were the no's. Like what were like, like, you know, what were the, what were the growing pains to build this, build this really this, this brand, this empire that you're building? Which I say that in a very positive way because I'm all bought in on it. Like, what were the growing pains and what were the nose like early on for you?
- [37:01]
E
Well, I'll tell you one of the no's and it's kind of funny that we, we bring this up and it wasn't necessarily in this business, but it's how you have to be resilient with every no that you face. And this just came up, it was last week with the family and my son had never known this. We Were on a college visit for him. And Amy says, you knew your dad was engaged before, right? And Isaac's like, you were engaged? And I was like, buddy, it was only for like, 13 hours. And Isaac's like, 13 hours. And I said to him, I said, buddy, it's the greatest no I ever heard in my life. And I said, look at your mom and I standing here with you. I said, I wouldn't be here with you if that girl didn't tell me no. I had to go through that, right? And you have the pain that I'll never meet another woman and all this kind of stuff. And that in the time. I mean, I was in my early 20s, and I was with this girl for four years. Greatest no I've ever heard in my life. And so a lot of times, I think we hold on to the pain and we allow it to break us. I've always. Because I've had to face so much of it, I always look for the positive, right? So then you just. You choose to respond. You choose to respond. So now if I get a no in this business, I just do a perspective shift, right? And it's not the girl who said no. I mean, that's. I mean, thank God that happened. I literally go back to my mom. I'm like, oh, so that you don't want to bring me in? You don't think I'm right for your audience? Because I'm not for everybody, right? That vein starts popping, and people are like, this dude's a little too intense. And that's okay, but I have to hear those no's to be in front of the right people. And, you know, we have a mutual friend in John Gordon, you know, meeting in person for the first time at his event. And, you know, I remember when John, he's mentored me since 2008, and I've got mentors. I still have two coaches that coach me every day because we always have to find ways to get better. But I remember John was like, you're never going to please everybody. He says, go write a book. He goes, go read the people who say your book was one star.
- [38:54]
B
Why?
- [38:54]
E
People tend to resist the no's or the adversity. It actually leads to more weakness. Sometimes you got to go read the pain. You got to go read what somebody said. And sometimes you find people, maybe they're right. Maybe there was something about the book or maybe there was something. Or that girl who said, no, maybe there was something in me. And there probably was. So there's things that I had to work on in me in order to now be a husband and a father who tries the best that he can and a coach and a friend who tries the best that he can.
- [39:21]
A
What is the balance? What is the jug like? How do you make it work where you can be there for your family and also be there for me? I mean, literally, you're there for me every single day via text, via FaceTime, via a couple call. You're all over the country, like, you know, how do we. How do we maintain balance in those relationships and doing them also well. How do you do that?
- [39:43]
E
So I am very, very intentional with who I spend my time with and building a team that allows us to serve and impact more so we have a significant team. You know, a lot of people think, oh, he just speaks and does this. I mean, that's what it was back in 2006 when I got paid to speak for the first time. But now we're blessed to have an amazing team of individuals who help us with podcast and, you know, shows and speeches and calendar. And so when you leverage to other people to help you protect your time, it allows you to be very intentional with your time. And a lot of people, they fear. I mean, I run a business, right? So in a business, you have to leverage somebody else's talents or what they enjoy doing, so you can go do what you want to do. So I leverage a lot, and I'll invest in great people to provide for them so that I can be there for you.
- [40:32]
A
That's one of the hardest things I've had to learn. I have a good friend, Gary Green, and he made one small suggestion in my life. He said, I never want you to walk in your house on the phone anymore. He said, you pull up if you're on a call, you sit in your car for 30 minutes. He said, but you never walk in the house on your phone. And so the first time I did it, I walk in the door, here comes Vivi, here comes Liam. Dad running up. No. They might say, dad, we love you. And then, hey, can we have TikTok on our phone? You know, there might be something right behind that. But what I found was when I walked in on my phone, they would run up, dad, oh, I'm busy, guys. And then they'd go back to what they were doing. And whenever I came back, hey, I'm off the phone. Oh, hey, dad had a good day. But that excitement, that enjoyment of dad coming home, and. And it's. It's something as small as that. It's like these little boundaries. And, you know, when you're a coach, whether you're doing performance coaching for Alabama, Kansas State, North Dakota State, you know, the fever, whether you're me working with this team every day, we get so used to pouring out to others. We have to have some boundaries every once in a while to take care of ourselves and take care of our family. And, you know, you've helped me with that, just finding some time every single day and just carving that out. When you work with people, what about people who. Who push back? You know, what about working with people who say to you, like, you know, I hear what you're saying, then, you know, the resistant to your resistance, your ideas, they don't want to go find that burn. They don't want to implement everything. How do you deal with people that, you know, need it but can sometimes be resistant to the things you're telling them?
- [42:02]
E
So I did research years and years ago, probably 15 years ago, from a guy named Max Weber, spelled Weber, W E B E R is one of the fathers of sociology, and he talked about the difference of power versus authority. Power is when we force or coerce somebody to do our will. Authority is when you empower or inspire somebody to choose what you know, they should choose to be better. So I typically, even though the way I was raised and the fingers I'd get in my face or the coaching, I could accept, I know we've talked about this. You could put a finger in my face and say, do this, I'll go, right? But it's, you can't do that anymore. And so now if there's resistance, I'll ask questions. I'll figure out what's the question, right? So let's say it's a coach, and the coach, you know, I don't want to do this, this and this, or I'm resisting this. Well, coach, what do you really want for your future? Right? Then they may say, well, what do you mean? I mean, I told you I want to win. Okay, well, are your daily behaviors in alignment with you winning a championship and being a coach? Because I believe that in order to lead somebody, you can only lead somebody to the level of discipline in which you live. So then I could say to that coach, I could say, well, you said you want to win a championship, but are the things you're doing? Is that an example of the discipline it's going to take for your players? Right? So now that rather than being combative, you have to get them to the point where they're willing to accept Oh, I can improve in this area. Okay, more questions. Are there other areas you doing at home with your kids? And then all of a sudden they start to expose what, hey, I walk in the door on the phone, I do this, I do that. I'm not really present. Okay, Coach. Well, now that we're having a real conversation, I could help you with some of these things and hold you accountable so you enjoy more in life and you win more. Would that be a good place we could go together? And then if they say no to the hat, I'm like, look, I'll go talk to somebody else. You're wasting my time. Or it's. You would just say, hey, what? With all due respect, you really don't want to win.
- [43:57]
A
What mistakes do you see leaders make as they either coach or they lead their organization? What are the most common mistakes you see leaders making day in and day out as they try to get the people that they work with to be the best that they can be?
- [44:10]
E
I think leaders who tend to struggle think that ego in a big form is necessary to prove that they're a leader. I remember there, I will not mention names, but there was a college football program, and it just so happened I was lifting there with an NFL player that I was working with. And I came back and at the time I was working for North Dakota State and Alabama football, two very, very like high levels of tradition of winning football. This head coach came in and I'm talking, this is a Power 5 program. And he came in and this team happened to have a history of losing. There was not a winning program. His ego was so big, hardly even wanted to shake my hand, hardly even wanted to talk to me, didn't ask me anything. But here I am, I'm with this player, right, that there should have been some sort of a connection to ask anything. And he basically blew me off to no end. And I looked at the NFL player and I said, this guy, he doesn't have to ask me anything. But the reality is he could ask me a handful of questions. And working in Alabama, North Dakota State, I could help this guy win in a 15 minute conversation. He wanted no part of it. He was fired a year later. And I think ego gets involved as opposed to when you really look at high level coaches. I've been with Chris Kleiman 11 years. You and I have built this fast, long relationship because you've always had people helping you find the edge in the details. Coach Saban had five. I was the only person who was not a doctor. He called Me, the mental conditioning coach. Then there were four sports psychologists, there were five of us in the building. So what was his belief? These coaches who try to do it by themselves, you end up struggling because there's things you either don't have the time to do or you really don't even want to do or you shouldn't be doing. But sometimes I think ego gets way too involved, especially in these types of seats that you, you guys sit in. And that's one of the reasons why I really was excited about the opportunity to grow with you, because you are that coach who cares so much about, well, I'll do anything for my players and that's the only way I can work these days.
- [46:21]
A
Well, I can't thank you enough, not only for what you're doing in my life, what you're doing, our players lives, but helping this team and then also joining me now, I just, I just know there's so many men and women, there's so many people out there in my stage of life who want the next part of their life to be even better than the one before them. And tapping into the things that you've brought into my own life, it might be just exactly what they need. So I'm grateful for you, my friend.
- [46:50]
E
I'm grateful for you.
- [46:51]
A
Coach, if that's you, I would just tell you, go on to social mediatinued. Fight. Continued fight. You know, we want our kids to be better, we want our teams to be better. But deep down inside, a lot of us, we want to be better. And having someone like you along the way to motivate us and also show us the way is important. So continued fight. Check out the docu series, check out all the content, and most importantly, check out this man.
- [47:20]
B
Let's have some fun. You've asked, you've answered a hundred football questions this episode. All right, let's do something called anything but football. Now, I happen to know you're a well rounded man. You are a foodie.
- [47:38]
A
I am.
- [47:38]
B
All right. And we want, in fact, we want our fans. I want fans to ask you anything but football. So I'll start.
- [47:47]
A
Okay. All right, let's do it. Bro.
- [47:50]
B
What are you eating? You're going to go to Cincinnati. All right, what will be the menu?
- [47:57]
A
I do have one thing. It's going to sound crazy when I get to my hotel room at night. I need, I need, I need a slice of pizza from the best pizza place in town. And I need wherever we go. Sounds nuts. I need the hotel's pigs in a blanket I'm just going to have one or two. But, like, it started way back when at temple. We had nothing like, hey, give me a slice of pizza now. We got this, all this stuff. The dietitian, Kristen, she's amazing. She's like, I'll get this. I'll get this. Matt, do you want it? No, no, I just want two pigs and a blanket, a slice of pizza. So, you know, good, Good habits die hard.
- [48:29]
B
Do you remember when I stopped? There was a hot pizza place in Philly at the time the deal. And John Longacre and I stopped, and baldy too, I think. And we got all those pies and we brought them up to you.
- [48:46]
A
So pizzeria badia. Man, it was all. I mean, it was. It was in, like. It was in, like, food and, you know, I mean, it was like one of the top pizza places in the country. I think it's over in. It's over in Fishtown now, isn't it? But. But yeah, Joey, like, I got his cookbook. But the deal was you had to show up. You had. You had to show up. He had two pizzas every day, and he had, like, Burch Beer and Sprite. And you'd show up, you say, like, hey, I'd like to order, blah, blah, blah. He'd be like, yeah, there'll be three hours, two hours. Because the orders are so much. But John Longacre, you know, real estate guy in Philly, South Philly, tap room, sardine bar, brought a lot of cool things. You know, he hooked me up enough. Not because I was a coach at tail, but because I was John's friend. I could at least call him, be like, hey, I haven't seen my wife in a week. I'm getting home Thursday night, 8 o'. Clock. Can I grab one pie? Grab it and go. And then you got, obviously ball to you, you guys are royalty. But yet, I mean, like, the pizza, the crust, the bread, I mean, it's just. I love when people go to Philly. I love telling them, hey, go. I give an itinerary. And if they don't follow it, I'm pissed. Like, you got. I need you to go to John's Roast Pork. I need you to go here. But I like to find that everywhere. Like, I go to Kansas City, there's a barbecue place called LC's, and there's a lot. There's a bunch of great barbecue places. But Coach Mozeez, I hired him, he was a Kansas City high school coach. He said, I'm gonna take you a different Type. Boo, man. We went in, I was like, I'm gonna have the large. And the guy goes, no, you're not. I said, no, I'm not the Lord. He goes, no, sir Trist. Trust me. I got the small, and I didn't eat for two days. So Kansas City barbecue is amazing since if we went to Cincinnati, Cincinnati ribs are amazing. But, you know, I'm gonna eat with the team. So I'll do the maybe, you know, the pesto, a little bit of filet, and call it a night.
- [50:18]
B
How do you pass the time? So when you get in, you're gonna get in the night before, the day before, afternoon.
- [50:25]
A
Yeah. So we're actually gonna go. We'll go to the stadium, we'll walk around, just, you know, the guys want to see the stadium, feel it, get a little bit of that jitters out, you know, visualize themselves, go back to the hotel, we'll do the meal, we take the guys to a movie. And you know what's funny is, like, I was sitting there watching a movie the other day with my son, and my buddy Wish works with me, and they both were on their phone the whole time watching the movie. So I was like, you know what? We should get rid of the movie. No one watches a movie anymore. And so I told the guys, get rid of the movie. And they fought back. They're like, we want to go see the movie. They're like, we just don't always like the movie. You pick coach. But. But. But I said, you guys pick it. This movie's 2 hours and 47 minutes. You guys will complain, so you guys do it. So we'll go see a movie. We'll come back. And what I always do, you can ask the guys at Baylor. I always try to tie the movie into the game somehow. I mean, we'll watch a movie like, you know, what was the movie? Double Tap. It was about zombies. And they're like, coach, there's no way. And I'm like, hey, tomorrow in the fourth quarter, we're playing Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State. When the time comes, double tap. We're playing. No, you got to hear this now, bro. Hand the ball off to J. Michael Hayes. He's still playing the league. He goes 45 yards on 33 counter. And he goes, double tap. That's a 15 yard flag. I can't yell at him. It's me. I'm the bad example. Thankfully, they didn't call it. We won the game. And I'm like, all right, be careful what you say. So we'll do that and then we'll get up. We let, we try to turn a long day into a short day. We'll do brunch. Guys can come down whenever they want. But 11 o', clock, we go to a local high school, throw the ball around, move around, just get outside, you know, like, get some, some fresh air. Like you put me in a hotel room all day. It's one thing on Saturdays because, hey, you're watching the. Now here, you're watching the 11 o' clock game that day. The first game doesn't start till 4:30, so, you know, it might be a little. They still have as the World Turns or whatever they call those. You're watching whatever's on tv. Some guys will sleep, but about four hours before the game, we'll get them down there, man. And we have pregame meal, have the optional chapel. We do that. We throw some medicine balls around, get ourselves up and running, and we go to the game. Play ball.
- [52:26]
B
That's fantastic.
- [52:27]
C
All right.
- [52:28]
B
And the last thing on a serious note, because you brought it up, visualization. I was just having a conversation, this, with my son about visualizing success. Are you a believer in it?
- [52:40]
A
Oh, absolutely. I mean, you watch, you read great books. Like the Talent Code, like as our body visualizes, like mastery and expertise is really just as our body building myelin around like, you know, back to the brain, like just developing skill. And as you visualize things, the same process happens. And so like I show our guys, I show them LeBron James, like you see LeBron James doing breath work and meditation and visualization on the side, I mean, on the side of the court before they go back out there. Like, you listen to golfers talk. You watch full swing golfers talk. Why would you not do it? You listen to the Blue Angels. I think here's the key. A lot of guys make the mistake of just visualizing all the good stuff. And I think we know adversity happens. Adversity is actually your friend, man. Like, adversity happens. It gives you a chance to adapt. So what I've done over the years is I want to visualize everything going great and then something bad happens. And I visualize my reaction. I stay calm, I stay neutral, stay in the same place, make the best decision. We react and just visualize all the things that can happen, good and bad, so that when the time comes, I'm in the right place. And with AI now, our team psychologist, man, I say, hey, I'm thinking this, this, this and this, man, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. He texts me, something I can listen to every night. And it gets me into the moment. Now, I do have to tell you, last year, first game of the year was against utep and I tried this for the first time. Well, he had one that would get you hyped up. Like, you're out there. You can feel the crowd you're breathing. And I was like, in the moment, right? Yeah. Well, I listened to it like three times before I went to bed. I did not fall asleep. Between the time I went to sleep till the end of the football game, I. I did not fall asleep. I showed up the next morning, I saw our sports science guy. I'm like, we have these float tanks. Like, put me in the float tank. I haven't slept all night. I was wired from 10 o' clock at night till the end. So you have to figure out there's a balance here. That's why you should trust an expert. Don't do what I just did. Visualization online. But so much of what goes through our brains. There's not our thoughts. It's outside thoughts, negative. And we have to train ourselves how to be positive. So when a negative thought comes in, we say, I reject that. Hey. And just staying in the moment. So, yeah, I'm glad you're doing that with your son. I think it's really important for kids. I think it's really important for all of us because we're prepared for the things that come along. If we prepare, that's it. Episode two in the can. Remember to watch us tonight or be at the game. I'll be there. And don't forget to, like, share and subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. And follow us. OUS rules on social. Until next time, this is House rules.