Lots to Say: Country Music Artist Matt Stell

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Bobby Bones Show – “Lots to Say: Country Music Artist Matt Stell”

Introduction and Guest Introduction (00:24 - 01:50)

In the April 2, 2025 episode of The Bobby Bones Show titled “Lots to Say: Country Music Artist Matt Stell,” host Bobby Bones and co-host Matt Castle warmly welcome country music sensation Matt Stell to the studio. The hosts humorously note the presence of two “Mats,” leading to playful confusion throughout the episode. They highlight Matt Stell’s achievements, including his multiple number-one songs such as “Prayed for You,” his Arkansas upbringing, and his unique athletic background, including playing college basketball and competing against LeBron James.

Music and Lyrics Discussion (01:50 - 03:02)

The conversation kicks off with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle attempting to sing Matt Stell’s hit song “Prayed for You.” Despite their efforts, they humorously struggle to recall the accurate lyrics and melodies. Matt Stell provides corrections and encouragement, demonstrating the challenges artists face when others attempt to replicate their work without the same skill or familiarity.

Matt Stell [02:23]: "Every single day, before I knew your name, I couldn't see your face, but I prayed for you, yeah, your face."

Anecdote: Mistaken Identity at the Super Bowl (03:02 - 05:42)

Matt Castle shares a hilarious anecdote involving both Mats attending the Super Bowl. They intended to play golf if time permitted, but due to a mix-up, Matt Stell was mistaken for Matt Castle by the golf course staff. This mix-up led to humorous interactions and highlights the camaraderie and occasional confusion between the two hosts.

Matt Castle [04:21]: "It was so cool to have Matt Castle stop and play golf. The problem was, it wasn't Matt Castle. It was Matt Stell."

Athletic Background and Playing Against LeBron James (05:42 - 09:03)

Matt Stell delves into his athletic past, recounting his high school basketball days and a memorable tournament in Akron, Ohio, where he played against a young LeBron James twice. He reflects on how competing against such a formidable athlete set the ceiling for his own basketball aspirations, ultimately leading him to pivot towards a music career.

Matt Stell [06:41]: “With LeBron, you know, I'm coming in thinking, okay, I got some time to grow, but with Joe Johnson, it was just like, okay, well, this is my ceiling.”

The Lost VHS Tape and Nostalgia (09:03 - 11:25)

A humorous and nostalgic segment unfolds as Matt Stell recalls losing the VHS tape of his games against LeBron James. After finding the tape a year ago, he attempts to watch it but faces the challenge of not having a functioning VCR. The hosts reminisce about the pre-digital era of recording and the sentimental value of such memories.

Matt Stell [09:17]: “I have the tape and like, I can't remember... I want to see what movie...”

High School Athletic Achievements and The Zone (11:25 - 19:38)

The hosts transition into discussing high school athletic achievements. Matt Stell shares his impressive stat line, including scoring over 40 points in a game with numerous rebounds. Bobby Bones reflects on his own high school football experience, emphasizing the significance of being in "the zone"—a state of heightened performance and focus.

Bobby Bones [16:04]: “When you're in the zone and you're feeling it, I just try to ride that as much as possible because you're ultra-focused.”

Matt Stell parallels this with his musical performances, describing moments when songwriting and performing feel effortless and deeply connected. Both hosts explore the psychological aspects of being in peak performance states, whether on the field or on stage.

Parallels Between Athletes and Musicians (19:38 - 30:26)

A significant portion of the discussion delves into the similarities between high-level athletes and musicians. Bobby Bones and Matt Castle draw parallels between the mental states required for both professions, such as handling momentum, dealing with performance slumps (“anti zones”), and maintaining self-criticism to strive for excellence.

Bobby Bones [19:39]: “Hell yeah. 100%. I was always a big guy of when we start a game and we start early, give me some easy completions.”

Matt Stell adds that in both sports and music, the focus should be on the process rather than the outcomes. He emphasizes the importance of teamwork, decision-making, and maintaining authenticity amidst external pressures and expectations.

Discussion on Matt Stell’s Hit Song “Prayed for You” (30:26 - 35:36)

The conversation shifts to Matt Stell’s breakout song “Prayed for You,” which has become a defining piece in his career and a popular choice for weddings. Matt Stell discusses his initial intentions in writing the song, which was inspired by a co-writer’s personal story, contrasting it with how listeners connect it to their own lives.

Matt Stell [34:45]: “I'm connected with that song. Not as necessarily the person, but I love the song.”

The hosts appreciate the song’s storytelling aspect, noting how it resonates with audiences and has become a staple in Matt Stell’s performances and public image.

Personal Interests and Light-Hearted Banter (35:36 - 41:26)

A lighter segment follows where Matt Stell shares his passion for high-quality coffee, describing his meticulous approach to brewing the perfect cup. In contrast, Matt Castle admits his aversion to coffee, leading to humorous exchanges about personal tastes and preferences.

Matt Stell [37:10]: “I'm luxurious about my coffee and I don't put anything in it. It's just about the bean and where it's from.”

The hosts playfully tease each other about their hobbies and lifestyle choices, adding a personal touch to the conversation.

Comparing NFL Players to Celebrities (41:26 - 50:53)

In a creative and entertaining segment, Bobby Bones and Matt Castle compare current NFL players to contemporary pop culture figures. This analogy highlights players' personalities, playing styles, and public personas by likening them to well-known celebrities. Examples include:

• Patrick Mahomes and Drake:

  Matt Castle [42:20]: “They win constantly. Except recently. They are constantly in the GOAT conversations.”

• Jalen Hurts and Kendrick Lamar:

  Bobby Bones [42:43]: “They both were at the Super Bowl. Kendrick Lamar absolutely served up some humble pie to Drake.”

• Josh Allen and Chris Pratt:

  Matt Castle [43:37]: “Lovable, great. Athletic.”

• Matt Stafford and Brad Pitt:

  Bobby Bones [43:39]: “They're still getting it done. They're still making hits. They're still dominating their profession.”

• Derrick Henry and Jason Momoa:

  Matt Castle [44:46]: “Both superheroes. Both look great in whatever costume they wear.”

• Aaron Rodgers and Joaquin Phoenix:

  Matt Castle [48:00]: “Mysterious genius level, talent. Off the grid type people, but undeniable when locked in.”

These comparisons serve to underscore the multifaceted nature of athletes, portraying them through the lens of widely recognized figures from other domains.

Closing Remarks and Final Banter (50:53 - 51:02)

As the episode wraps up, Bobby Bones and Matt Castle engage in humorous exchanges, teasing each other about personal anecdotes and shared memories. Matt Stell mentions needing to leave for Florida, and the hosts encourage listeners to follow him on social media.

Matt Castle [50:36]: “Step by step.”

Matt Stell [38:22]: “Like, I don't know, man. I got music everywhere. You can find me everywhere.”

Conclusion

The Bobby Bones Show episode featuring Matt Stell offers a rich blend of insightful discussions on the intersections between music and athletics, personal anecdotes, and engaging banter between the hosts and their guest. Through humorous storytelling and thoughtful comparisons, the episode provides listeners with a deep dive into Matt Stell's career, philosophies, and personality, making it a valuable listen for fans and new audiences alike.

Notable Quotes:

• Matt Stell [02:23]: "Every single day, before I knew your name, I couldn't see your face, but I prayed for you, yeah, your face."
• Matt Castle [04:21]: "It was so cool to have Matt Castle stop and play golf. The problem was, it wasn't Matt Castle. It was Matt Stell."
• Bobby Bones [19:39]: “Hell yeah. 100%. I was always a big guy of when we start a game and we start early, give me some easy completions.”
• Matt Stell [34:45]: “I'm connected with that song. Not as necessarily the person, but I love the song.”
• Matt Stell [37:10]: “I'm luxurious about my coffee and I don't put anything in it. It's just about the bean and where it's from.”

Timestamp Highlights:

• 00:24 – Episode introduction and guest welcome
• 02:23 – Matt Stell corrects song lyrics
• 04:21 – Golf course mix-up anecdote
• 06:41 – Playing against LeBron James
• 19:39 – Discussion on momentum and “the zone”
• 30:26 – Deep dive into “Prayed for You”
• 41:26 – NFL players compared to celebrities

This structured and detailed summary encapsulates the essence of the podcast episode, highlighting key discussions, insights, and memorable moments, while providing valuable context for those who haven’t listened to the episode.

Transcript

[Bobby Bones]

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[Matt Stell]

That's why loyalty members get more every day with rewards for every home or business purchase. Plus shop weekly member deals and get access to free standard shipping. So what are you waiting for? Join Free Today, Lowe's we help you save loyalty program subject to terms and conditions detail@lowe's.com terms subject to change Lots.

[Matt Castle]

To say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcasts. We got lots to say we got lots to say we're beggar here and we hope you stay Cause we got lots to say yeah, we got lots to say now here's Bobby and Matt. Welcome to another episode of Lots to say. I am Bobby Bones. He is Matt Castle. We're gonna get right to our chat with country superstar Matt Stell in studio. Some quick notes. We got two mats here, which is confusing, and you'll hear us talk about some of these. He's got multiple number one songs. Prayed for you. He grew up in Arkansas, played basketball, played college basketball in high school. We played against LeBron James twice, which he has a wild story about. You'll hear us talk about that and you can follow him. Attell music. Awesome musician, great dude. Go stream his stuff and hope you enjoy the chat. Here he is. It's me, Matt Castle, and Matt Stell. Our guest in studio is country music superstar Matt Stell with hits such as I wonder if I could Sing them.

[Bobby Bones]

Sing them.

[Matt Stell]

Well, you won't.

[Matt Castle]

I will, but I don't know.

[Bobby Bones]

Will you do it?

[Matt Stell]

I will, but I don't know him.

[Matt Castle]

It's not even that. I know I will not do them justice, first of all. But when I try to sing the songs back to back, I can't. My melodies get all lost. Like I. It gets all. No, that's not true.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, me too.

[Matt Castle]

Like I'm prayed for you Never single day I never knew your name but that's the name I called I prayed for you Words probably not accurate, but the melody was kind of there.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

All right.

[Matt Castle]

What are the words? Everything.

[Matt Stell]

Every single day Before I knew your name I couldn't see your face But I prayed for you yeah, your face, your face.

[Matt Castle]

And then I've been down to London and South Beach, Mississippi and all the.

[Matt Stell]

Way Battle Beach, London, Mississippi.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, Everywhere but on.

[Matt Stell]

That's. Yeah, that's. That's like reasonably. You heard the song before.

[Matt Castle]

I know, though. I just sang. I'm not lyrics guy. I'm melody guy, so I'm not of Any of the lyrics were right. Were any of those. What are the words?

[Matt Stell]

That's pretty close. We did some different cities.

[Matt Castle]

I've been where?

[Matt Stell]

The Savannah to Long Beach.

[Matt Castle]

I said London to South Beach.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah. I said you. Like, I'm a little flattered that you. Because I know you're not a words guy.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

You're in the ballpark, though.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, exactly.

[Bobby Bones]

All that matters.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

And then how about that ain't me no. I'm losing my melodies, Dawn. That ain't me no more. See, this is where I get in trouble. Do the melody Takeover.

[Matt Stell]

That ain't me no more.

[Matt Castle]

Get that and then breaking it. Break it. Breaking it.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah. It's because you didn't play this one enough.

[Matt Castle]

I don't play anything. Break it. I don't know. But Matt has a bunch of songs anyway. And Matt is also an athlete. Former athlete, but still an athlete.

[Matt Stell]

Air quotes athlete.

[Matt Castle]

And so I'm going to tell my favorite recent story of my two favorite Matt's is that we all were at the Super Bowl. We weren't together, but we were together, but we were just together at different times. And roughly, it was like, hey, if we have time, we'll place. We'll play golf. And Stell was like, I'll set it up. And turns out Matt Castle and I had way more work than we thought we would. We were very busy. And Matt is a bunch of friends. Matt. Oh, I got two mats. This is crazy. My mind's blown right now.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, Stell will be fine. Okay.

[Matt Castle]

Still, Castle. And so Castle's got all his NFL buddies hanging out with Matt. Stell's got all his music people he's hanging out with. I got food poisoning because my bathtub's full of, like, grime or something, so I'm doing nothing.

[Bobby Bones]

Knows that sandwich. Stop.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, that too.

[Bobby Bones]

That got you. Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

And so that muffaletta they had set up just in case a tee time, and there ends up being a picture of a. Of a person that was working at the golf course. And it's like, it was so cool to have Matt Castle stop and play golf. The problem was, it wasn't Matt Castle. It was Matt Stell.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. That's pretty funny. Did she think to you you were Matt Castle?

[Matt Stell]

I. I don't know. Like, I don't know.

[Bobby Bones]

The.

[Matt Stell]

The. They were. They're super nice folks. They just probably looked at the T sheet from what it was gonna be and just assumed that, like, I mean, you know, if you squint from far away, you know, you could mix the two of us up. Tall, if. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And also resemblance.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah. And they were not. They were not. They were immigrants, so they probably think white people look the same, which I get. We. And we do kind of.

[Matt Castle]

You know, that's why I wear glasses. I'm so generic white guy that I put big glasses on. So people.

[Matt Stell]

It was one of the best compliments of my life to be called Matt Castle.

[Matt Castle]

It was on the Facebook page. I laughed out loud for a day.

[Matt Stell]

Oh, it was so funny.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. I was like.

[Matt Stell]

I mean, I sent it to you first. Like, how'd you play?

[Bobby Bones]

But how'd you play?

[Matt Stell]

Like, I shot.

[Bobby Bones]

You have the course record exactly right. Yes.

[Matt Stell]

You shot 81. You shot 81 at Latour Golf Club down Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.

[Bobby Bones]

All day, every day, baby. All day, every day.

[Matt Castle]

That was a fun memory. And I know, since I know Matt still pretty well, I. You have to tell him, like, we've never heard it. Your LeBron James story.

[Matt Stell]

Oh, man. Yeah. So.

[Matt Castle]

So he's a basketball player. College basketball player.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, I know that.

[Matt Castle]

Okay. Yeah. Okay.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, I. I used to get a bucket, and I used to think that I was like, you know, I had hoop dreams, man. You know, like. Like everybody. And then, man, my senior year of high school, I went up to play with a team in Akron, Ohio, just to play one tournament with them, and we played against LeBron James. And we honestly, we went like, it's a. You tournaments are round robin tournament, so you play your first games and then you get seeded for the tournament. And we won the first game, actually. LeBron had, like, probably 18 and 10 or whatever. But then we. We've matched up again against him in the finals of that, and he had, like, 45 and 20.

[Bobby Bones]

45 and 20 something.

[Matt Stell]

Like, it was like he had. Whatever numbers were available were the ones that he achieved. Like, it was. His usage was high, and his efficiency was high. And. Yeah, man, between him and then Joe Johnson, when I was. After I was at college, coming back and playing in a pro am league, that's when I found my ceiling. Like, I knew very. I knew very soon, like, it was very apparent that my dreams were outpacing my ability.

[Matt Castle]

You saw them, and that created your ceiling. They built your ceiling for you.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Matt Stell]

I mean, and. And at the time with LeBron, you know, I'm. I'm coming in thinking, okay, I got some time, you know, to grow 3 inches and gain 40 pounds. And. But with. With Joe Johnson, Wavy Joe, one of my favorite athletes, one of the smoothest games that ever was. And he gave that smooth ass game to me in the Dunbar in Little Ro Rock. And he just comes out and absolutely just like is better at everything and bigger and faster and it's just a level. And I was just like, okay, well this is. My dreams died today. But that's all right. I'll play. I can play guitar well.

[Matt Castle]

So LeBron goes crazy. You played LeBron? The story gets a bit better. What's cool is you got to watch it, right?

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

You competed against LeBron and you have.

[Matt Castle]

You have that your whole life to watch.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

And, and, but.

[Matt Stell]

Oh, yeah, right. So I have like, you know, they taped all the games. So I had this tape and I brought it home and like, you know, on the first game, the finals were table like that first game that we played and like we won and like I had like, like six point whatever and. But I had a nice little like layup in the lane where I kind of not so much got around it, but made a good cut and made a layup and he like tried to block it. Missing. I made the layup and you know, it's like that was just still probably the highlight of my, you know, athletic career. But then I got back and I don't know what happened, but you know, at the time that was a VHS tape. And at the time, you know, somebody, I think my dad had just gotten like a Prime Star satellite or something. And like if they ordered a movie, they were recording that movie so that it could be enjoyed. And I think it got recorded over.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, his entire game versus LeBron James got recorded over.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, yeah, that's old school VHS, right? You put it in the recorder, you're trying to record, you don't know what's on it, and all of a sudden you're like, wait, yeah, that's a memory that I wanted.

[Matt Stell]

And what's wild is like mom, the other. It's probably been about a year ago, but she found the vhs. I have it at my house. And I went and I was going to like, I want to see it, but like no one has a vcr. And I went out.

[Matt Castle]

Why you text me about a vcr?

[Matt Stell]

Yes, so. Because I have the tape and like, I can't remember. I remember it being taped over, but I don't remember like verifying. I think maybe that was. I just want to see what. At least what movie? Pelican Brief, you know, saying, pretty good movie. Yeah, well, it's probably, you know, the Client or some something. And yeah, still text me.

[Matt Castle]

Do you know, as a VCR. Yeah, 1996.

[Bobby Bones]

Exactly.

[Matt Castle]

I didn't even know what he was asking about.

[Matt Stell]

And he's very right, because I went to Best Buy. I went to Walmart. I went to. The guy from Best Buy, sent me to this video shop. The guy's, like, always sold out of a. Our last one, we knew next week. And then I walked next door to a pawn shop, and they happened to have a DVD VCR combo they wanted 40 bucks for. I was, like, in. Like, I looked online. You can't. They're expensive. And I bought it, and I brought it home, and of course, like, it doesn't work. So I have a. I have a VCR that doesn't work at the house. So I'm just. I'm on this quest.

[Matt Castle]

You may or may not be playing LeBron James.

[Matt Stell]

Yes, it is. The handwriting. My mom's handwriting says Matt versus LeBron on the sleeve and on the tape. And so, you know, you'd think that.

[Bobby Bones]

She would look at that and be like, maybe we shouldn't record anything on. Yeah, maybe they got desperate. It was a really good show.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, maybe it was a season finale of Friends or something.

[Bobby Bones]

No, it's Bobby's Dancing with the Stars. They put it in.

[Matt Castle]

Why am I getting picked on here now? Hey, Castle, did. Do you have a. Like, a high school? Tate, did you make one to get recruited?

[Bobby Bones]

It was before the era that they're in now where everything's digitized, even for my daughter. She's a freshman, and she plays in these club volleyball tournaments. They have this AI app that will literally put together your 10 highlight reels, and all you have to do is upload them if you wanted to. But back then, it was vhs, and so you're going through this grainy film. You know, it's up on the old school. And I just went through the tape and put it together myself. Really had no music to it, so there was no music. It's just me out there shooting from.

[Matt Castle]

Where is it that. Because when we would shoot, you know.

[Bobby Bones]

It'S top of the bleachers, where it's the old school tripod. Big, big camera up there. And so you're seeing, like, little people out there. You can hardly even tell what type of athlete you are. So I sent it out and said, I hope for the best. But, I mean, I got a little bit of. Get a little. Little notoriety from it. They came out to the school. Check me out.

[Matt Castle]

So who showed up?

[Bobby Bones]

I mean, honestly, there was a ton of people back then. Coaches used to come to the facility every other week. I mean from Miami to Cal, the USC to UCLA to Tennessee to see.

[Matt Castle]

You specifically, or were there other players really?

[Matt Stell]

Did you play on a really good team though?

[Bobby Bones]

Was there? No, we were, we were okay, but we're in the middle, middle of the pack. In the, like in our conference, we. There was teams that were way better than we. We only had 30, 30 guys on the team or something like that. Whereas some of these other schools, 45, 50, I mean, we were LA Unified, but we weren't known as a football school. We were known as a baseball school. That's what I originally went to high school to play was baseball. I wasn't even going to play football. Then I got the itch and said, I'm going to go off over the football team.

[Matt Stell]

Then you figured out you could throw a ball over the mountains.

[Bobby Bones]

Then I could rip that thing.

[Matt Castle]

Did if I filet mignon every night, eventually I get tired of filet mignon. Were so many coaches showing up that it wasn't a big deal anymore because a lot of the high profile schools and coaches were showing up. You're like, oh, cool, Tennessee's here this week.

[Bobby Bones]

It's just a wild experience because as a young kid you think about getting recruited, but then all of a sudden your sophomore year hits and you have a good sophomore year and then all of a sudden coach after coach starts showing up. It was always for me, something that I got excited about because it means you're doing something right. And at the same time you didn't take it for granted. But sometimes when those, when schools like Tennessee at the time or Miami or these national brands come to your school, you're like, wow. Where you're, you're familiar with the Cal and the UCLA and some of these coaches, but then at the end of the day when those teams start showing up, you're like, maybe there's something more to this recruiting thing because I'm getting recruited by national brands. So that's when you start to realize maybe I am okay and I might be able to play at the next level.

[Matt Castle]

Let's do greatest stat line in a high school game that you can remember of your own. Matt, still, you go first.

[Matt Stell]

Can we just point out that the fact that I'm being talked to like I'm an athlete sitting next to him.

[Bobby Bones]

Stop it. You.

[Matt Castle]

I sit with him every day. I do jack crap. So you're the middle. You're the one that brings us together. Me, jack crap?

[Bobby Bones]

Him?

[Matt Castle]

Pro athlete. You played college ball?

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

All right, so greatest high school stat line.

[Matt Stell]

I mean, I think I had 40 something and several rebounds. And don't be humble.

[Matt Castle]

I'm asking you for specific numbers.

[Matt Stell]

I think I had. I think I had like 40, 42 and like, I don't know, probably a lot of rebounds.

[Matt Castle]

Like, I don't know, over 10.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, for sure.

[Matt Castle]

Any chance there was a triple double there?

[Matt Stell]

No, I used to. I used to pass a little bit, but not that game. I mean, there's just not enough. Not enough shots. But yeah, I mean, like. Yeah, but it's a function of your competition, too, you know?

[Matt Castle]

Did you ever feel the zone?

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, I did. I felt. I felt in a game I lost, I was actually. I fouled out of the state tournament the first round, but I was hitting everything. I was hitting threes. I was like, yeah, I felt it. Like I could just kind of throw it up there and it was going in.

[Matt Castle]

Greatest high school stat line that you can remember, Castle.

[Bobby Bones]

Gosh. I mean, we played in the 3A championship at the Coliseum my junior year. Now 3A, that means it's kind of like the. What's the NIT division? You don't get into the Big Dog Tournament, but you're playing probably more caliber teams.

[Matt Castle]

It's not based on size.

[Bobby Bones]

It wasn't based on size. It was based on record. So like you say, you take the top eight teams around LA county that play in the upper 4A division, 3A divisions, like the Step down, because you didn't qualify. But I remember that game. I think I threw for. I had to throw for around 300 yards with three TDs, but I also ran for like 70 yards with maybe a rushing touchdown.

[Matt Castle]

Did you ever feel the zone?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, yeah. And the. The crazy part about the zone, and you probably can speak to this, and Bobby, I know you can speak this because you're always in the zone.

[Matt Castle]

Exactly.

[Matt Stell]

Stays in the zone.

[Matt Castle]

When you're like, I'm not athlete. I have to deal with all the time. He'll talk about Bobby for sure. You know, wink, wink. So this is. This is our relationship.

[Bobby Bones]

Come on, you know, go ahead, go ahead. But you, You. You're not thinking so much, right? It's just the game's coming to you. It slows down and you're hitting everything. And there's games like that that just happen. There's no rhyme or reason behind it because you kind of prepare the same way every single week, but it's just that day you're not missing. Whereas other. Other games, you know, you feel Good. But it's just not falling. The zone is something special because if you can achieve it at any point, it's amazing. But when you're in it, you. It's like you got superpowers. Right. You're Captain America out there.

[Matt Castle]

My question with you guys both being high level athletes, I was not very mid, you know, a high energy, big motor, you know, technician. Yeah. And I was fine. Very, very scrappy. So probably my best game was like 80 yards and a touchdown. Like four catches, 80 yards, a touchdown.

[Bobby Bones]

But that to me, that's a big stat line.

[Matt Castle]

Okay. Yeah. Not okay. I feel like Matt did just a minute ago and you were like, yeah, but okay.

[Matt Stell]

Then you think about who you were, who you were playing against, who was guarding, and you're like, was it that? Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

So that was like my best game in high school. Probably now. But my zone would be when in a creative space. Like if I'm doing standup and it is so effortless and everything feels so right that as soon as I start to question it, I start to come out of it. Now I wonder if athletically that feels that. When you're in it, do you acknowledge it and go, I'm freaking on, or are you in it? And you try not to even think about it. Like ball players, if someone's throwing a no hitter, they're not messing with a pitcher because I. If I'm on, God dang. I'm running from thinking about feeling how perfect it is right now, Matt, still, I mean, even as a performer, as.

[Matt Stell]

A singer, I would honestly say, like, I felt that. I felt that more even. Even not so much as like the performance side, but like the days that I go in and I feel like I really wrote a good job or we came up, we wrote a cool song and you're chasing it down and you're trying not to. Like, my thing is you obviously have to think, but I try to not to do the meta thinking. Like, I try not to think about the situation. Like I'm looking. You know what I mean? Like, that perspective to me can jar it out of there a little bit.

[Matt Castle]

Thinking about the actual situation.

[Matt Stell]

If you start thinking this is awesome, instead of start, which is like a. A level removed from you in the room, then I find that to be distracting. But if I can, if I can just stay connected with the, you know, it's less sports now. But if I, if I can stay connected, you know, with the idea of the song and. And in the moment, I mean, it's the same things you talk About. But yeah, I know that feeling.

[Matt Castle]

When it's pure and you're feeling it, Castle, do you realize it's pure and you're feeling it? It's like, I'm on. So let me just go. Or. Or do you try not to think and just go?

[Bobby Bones]

I try. You try not to think and just go. And that's why I'm saying when you're in the zone for a complete game, particularly when you're competing in sports or just like what you guys are saying, you're in front of an audience and the whole show goes off and you go, wow. I was in the zone the entire time because I've been in those games. Particularly the ebbs and flows of any situation where you have a tremendous first half and then your second half, you the bed and you go out and go, wait, I was in the zone. Everything was going great. And so you've been through both circumstances. But when you're in the zone and you're feeling it, I just try to ride that as much as possible because you're ultra focused. And then your confidence just goes through the roof every single series. But so many times there's a small misstep here or there that just changes the moment of the game that you always have to be prepared to deal with the adversity.

[Matt Castle]

Do you believe in momentum?

[Bobby Bones]

Hell yeah. 100%. I was always a big guy of when we start a game and we start early, give me some easy completions. Let me just get into the rhythm of the game. Because if you get that confidence early and you hit a few throws, now all of a sudden you feel that momentum, and you feel it throughout the entire chemistry of the team.

[Matt Castle]

Let's talk about the opposite. Where everything should be going fine, but nothing is going right. And I've had those nights where there's no reason that I should feel this clunky or awkward or I'm stumbling over words, but man, everything is going wrong. I'm not sick. I don't have any drama happening because that can affect us in all performance. But nothing is going right. It's like the anti zone. I've been there and trying to get out of the anti zones the same way. If I think about it, I don't get out of it much. Like, if I think about it, I do fall out of it on the other side, Castle. Ever have for no reason at all, you just can't stop sucking a hundred percent.

[Bobby Bones]

And it's. It's.

[Matt Stell]

Can I. Can I just. Can we get a rephrase no, that.

[Bobby Bones]

Would be pretty accurate.

[Matt Castle]

Keep our phrases. Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes. I mean, there was. There's a game we played the Patriots. I was with the Vikings, and, you know, I wanted, obviously, to have a great performance. Would go out there, go right down the field. Had a good start to the game. Next thing I know, it was four interceptions later, and they boat race us. And I just go, what the hell?

[Matt Castle]

But no elbow problem? Nothing.

[Bobby Bones]

No elbow problem. I felt confident about the game plan, everything. And it's just one of those days where I throw a pass, one would get tipped at the line of scrimmage, and it falls right to here. You make a bad decision. Oh, Reavis picks it off. Next one, the guy's running in, cut. He fades back, another intercept. It was just one of those days. And like you said, the more you think about it, I think you harp on the bad, and you now starting to play scared. The only way to come out of those situations are just have it. I used to call it the effort mentality. Like, what. What else can happen today? Like, you got to go out there and keep singing it because the guys feel it in the hu. You got to give a kind of that false bravado at times, make them say, hey, Castle's not disturbed by it. We got to keep rolling. Even though I know in the back of my mind I'm going, I'm letting these guys down. It's not a good day, but I've still got to go out there, try to get us back on course.

[Matt Castle]

What about doing a show? Live show? No reason for you to suck. You ever have a bad night where you're like, why? Why do I suck tonight?

[Matt Stell]

100. I. I do find, though, that typically, not always, but typically my worst is better than I think, and my best is not as good as I think. And so there's always some solace in that a little bit, you know, because I can. And. And honestly, sometimes, you know, like in a golf swing, you know, they say feel isn't real. That's why you. You know, that's why they tell you to do stuff that doesn't sound like it would be right, because it's not. What you're doing is what you're feeling. And I find that that is also the case when I'm, you know, like, on stage or something like that is. I can't always trust how it felt because I can listen to it back. You know, we typically have a board mix. I don't listen to him very much, but, you know, we will. Or. Or, you Know, but I take solace in that fact sometimes when things aren't going well, that it's like, well, I put in all this work so that my, you know, I'm sort of in a, in this range, right as I use hand gestures on a podcast. But I mean I'm, I'm somewhere between a six and a half and an eight and a half all the time, you know, and so the worst isn't as bad as it seems. The best isn't maybe as good as it seems. But. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Are you a self critical guy? Like you criticize yourself a little bit or would you say you're more of a self confidence guy? Bad days, you can put it behind you.

[Matt Stell]

I, I feel like I'm fairly on it. Like I don't, you know, my wife probably hears it more and she would probably say I'm pretty negative on myself. But like, I know when I feel like I did a good job now it's, it just doesn't happen that much, you know. You know, I don't think I did a bad job a lot like writing a song, playing a show, but I know what a good job feels like and I, and I just kind of chase, I chase that, you know, I kind of have to let that be my North Star. Even though it's, it's not an objective thing that, that is my best or whatever. But I just kind of know. But I'm very, I, I'm very critical and, But I try, to your point, I try to go out of my way to think something positive when something, when I feel like something good happens. I write a good song if I play a good job, you know, whatever I try to in my mind give, you know, say something positive to myself. So it's not always negative.

[Matt Castle]

What, what do you.

[Bobby Bones]

That was the hardest thing for me is I always felt when, like you went out and kicked ass during the game or something like that. I always had that mentality of, well, that's my job, that's what I'm supposed to do. Rather than really acknowledging the fact that, okay, you know, I crushed today. And so I was always one of those guys that you'd nitpick at little stuff, where can I get better? Or when things don't go well, you're really self critical, you're, you're thinking, gosh, I, I could have played so much better. And you harp on the things that you made mistakes on or the bad throw rather than you did. You could go 18 for 22 in a game, have a bunch of really Good throws, but it's that one ball that got intercepted and that was the outcome of the game. So I would say I'm more self critical than I am like of always from a positive nature. And I think it's the nature also of the business of every time you play in a game, what do we do? They don't go in there and praise you for the good place. What they do is they go in and look at your mistakes, correct them, put them up on the big board in front of the team, in front in your quarterback room and you harp on the little details and the little mistakes that really probably didn't make the major difference in the play. And so I think you just train yourself. Okay, well I've. You're. You're searching for perfection which you're never going to achieve, but you try to be the best that you can be and try to create it every single time you go out in the field.

[Matt Castle]

Did you have to learn how to be coached?

[Bobby Bones]

Yes. I was not always one of those guys that took coaching well at times, especially if personality wise. Right. Certain personalities I got along with really well. And then there's other ones that was just became more combative than anything else. And what you have to learn is you have to be adaptable. Right. Everybody's going to do it a little bit different. You got to find a way to not only accept the coaching but also learn how to communicate best with that person. It might be allow if you have a thought, and this is one of those coaches that hey, look, I'm this smart with a big circle and you're this smart with the little dot in the middle that you had to try to make it their idea. But if you try to make it their idea, they're more receptive to implementing into a game plan. Whereas if I just went and said, hey, I think we need to put this play, this play, this play, they'd be like, no, we're not doing that. We've got our foundation. We know what we are going to do.

[Matt Castle]

With different head coaches in different styles. And the parallels between athletes and musicians are, are. It's very similar. Because Matt, you have people telling you what songs are good or what songs aren't. As you had coaches telling you what play, what calls, what audibles are good, what aren't, why you should think this way and that way. Were there people that you had to listen to that you knew they did not know near as much as you, but you had to play the game and act like, okay, I'm listening But.

[Bobby Bones]

Really you weren't 100%. But you also have to be somebody that is going to take the coaching regardless of whether or not you agree with it, and somehow find a way to maneuver through the minutia and all the stuff that they're saying and get your point across. Because at the end of the day, especially for any, you guys know as a performer or a quarterback, in that you're the one out there on the field performing, you're the one that's got to make, make the calls. You also are the one that's going to be judged. At the end of the day, the coaches are sitting in the background, they've put together a game. But if you don't like a play that somebody put in, I'm. I will be very open about, hey, coach, I'm not comfortable with this. I don't know if I can make it go. And it's not because I hate the fact that he installed it. It's just like I'm more confident with something that we've practiced during the week we've repped, and now I can go out there and execute at a high level. Call this play twice, I don't care. But there's always that happy medium of not pissing people off. But at the end of the day, you're the guy that's got to go out there and pull the trigger.

[Matt Castle]

What about songs with you like you ever saw? You're same. You got a guy and executives like, I don't think this is a good song or I think this is a good song. And you feel the opposite.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, I mean, for sure. And I think I. I mean, it's my opinion that I don't like to judge or be judged all that much on outcomes. I mean, that's what people do. But it's really the process that I'm more concerned with that's going to lead to good outcomes. Right. So what I mean by that is I want to know that we're making decisions based on, you know, everyone being incentivized the right way, for one thing. Like, you know, if everyone. If everyone eats or doesn't based on the success of a song, everybody has skin in the game. You know that it's my, like label management, publishing, even band, whatever. If we're incentivized the right way, if we have a system that does that, which is just basically, you know, for me, it's been, does the song do well or do not, then at least the decision makers in the room are not. Are incentivized for that to work and not for them to be right, let's say. Because it's the. The real key difference to me between sports and music. Pop music, like we make, you know, like popular music, like whatever the genre is, but is sports is much more objective. At the end of 60 minutes, there's a final score, you know, unless you go over an overtime, whatever. But you get my point. Music is so much more. You're. You're targeting like kind of a moving target that if you chase too much, it doesn't work out and you're trying to get ahead of it a little bit. It's almost like leading a. A, A skeet when you're shooting a gun kind of. But. But it's the process that. And not so much the outcome. So if we made a good decision with the process, you got to believe that over time those outcomes are going to be more would if you hit the lottery, because that happens in our business a lot.

[Matt Castle]

I'm fascinated with you guys. The parallels and one more, one more, one more parallel. Matt, your song pray for you was a monster. It was a wedding song. It was a number one song. It's. You've had. You've put up multiple versions because it was so big. Like, I don't know, like you'd like played one with this five string instead of six. You sing it. I don't know. But it got so big, you put out all these different versions.

[Matt Stell]

It's like Oreos where they change the stuffing in it.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, yeah.

[Matt Stell]

And so concept.

[Matt Castle]

But everybody wants that from you. And you've done a lot in your career, but everybody wants that because that was your biggest thing. And so it's always like play pray for you. And with Castle, you've done so much and play with different teams and had success at places, but it's probably always like, hey, when Brady got hurt.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

I would assume that as grateful as both of you are for the opportunities that you were given, that sometimes you're like, I gotta tell this freaking story again. Any truth to that?

[Bobby Bones]

Castle, you're saying that when people say that, do I get annoyed?

[Matt Castle]

Not annoyed, because I think you understand.

[Matt Stell]

Do you think is that one thing being such a dominant part of the narrative of you outside looking in, you knowing that it's. Your life is much more complex and dynamic.

[Bobby Bones]

Right.

[Matt Stell]

What is that like? Is that what you're asking?

[Matt Castle]

You know you're gonna get asked every single time, every time you step in. You know it.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. I'm. I'm known as a patriot more than anything else that I did in my career. And I played 14 years. And it was probably based on the simple fact that it was such a polarizing time because Tom Brady won the MVP the year before. We were in the super bowl, first game out of the year, guy that hadn't started since high school. And so everybody looked at that season, particularly Patriot fans, but fans alike, and said what is this slappy going to do? And to go out and win 11 games and go 11 and five. It was a defining moment not only for me in my career but in my life. It set me up to go on and achieve other things as well. And I went to the Kansas City Chiefs. I went to the Pro bowl in 2010. Nobody even knows that, I don't think. But that's fine with me because I know what I was able to do, especially coming with the story that I had not ever started in a game in high school and then just wanting to get my foot in the door getting that opportunity the final year of my contract, which if I don't play that year, let's be honest guys, I'm not. I didn't have the career that I had at all. I might maybe get on to another team as a practice squad, but it set everything else up in motion. So I'm totally fine when people say that because it was a good time in my life and it was something that was an opportunity in front of me. It was given to me and it's whether or not you capitalize on it. And I was able to capitalize on it and the rest is history.

[Matt Castle]

Did you have a process though? Well, for a while you're like, God, I wish people would ask me about something else. But now you're you with time you can appreciate what it is.

[Bobby Bones]

I can't. You know, I think it was more so when I was still playing in the league and different for different organizations when you're starting for a different organization. But everybody still wanted to go back talk about that season because again, I know it's an interesting story. I think that was probably more annoying than what let's talk about the now what we're doing now. But as you get remove yourself from the game now it's my fifth year out. Talking about it is totally acceptable to me and I embrace it. Actually. It's a lot of fun to talk.

[Matt Castle]

About and you know you are going to talk about it every time you do a new interview.

[Bobby Bones]

100% okay.

[Matt Castle]

Matt still, you got this massive song. You got other number. It's not your Only number one. But this song is your monster.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Thoughts?

[Matt Stell]

Well, it def. It definitely defines you. And I think, you know, in entertainment, especially in music and in country music, right, the brand quote unquote ends up being. You're the. You're the protagonist in the song, you know, so I'm connected with that song. Not as necessarily the per. Like, I wrote that song about one of my co writers meeting her husband, like, the day before. Right. I'm telling that story. That's how I view the song. Like, I'm. I'm. Because that's my favorite kind of music is like, you know, storytelling stuff or whatever. Like, you know, Kenny Rogers didn't meet a hobo in a. In a train car that taught him how to play poker, Right? Like, that's a character in the same way that that. That person in the character or that person in my song is. Is not so much me, but I love the song. I mean. Yeah, you wanna. I mean, you know, you gotta play.

[Matt Castle]

It's like.

[Matt Stell]

I'm proud to play it every night, though. Like, I. I worked, so I. All I ever wanted to do was for anyone to give a. About a song I wrote, and I thought it would be about different stuff than what I. That I didn't think that would be the song that did it, but it did it. And now that I look back on it, and now that I'm married now, and it. You know, now that I'm in a place in my life where there's, like, a person that I care the most about.

[Bobby Bones]

I.

[Matt Stell]

It's. It is like that song has been refreshed to me, and like, I know what it. How big a deal it is for people to include that song in a wedding or in an anniversary or to say that that's the song that matters to them, you know? Like, it. It's even more of like a compliment. Like, I've come more than full circle on that, you know? Yeah. I didn't think I'd be the wedding song guy, but, you know, hey, it's.

[Bobby Bones]

A good thing to have. I mean. Yeah. Hey, what a song. I give it to me every time. There's a lot of weddings.

[Matt Stell]

There's a lot of people getting married. People. People get married, and sometimes they get married a lot. There's more marriages than couples. Sometimes you drink.

[Matt Castle]

You drink coffee over there, Castle, or.

[Bobby Bones]

No, no, I don't have a coffee. I already had two coffees. Stell's drinking coffee.

[Matt Stell]

I drink that much coffee every day. Of a single origin being of somewhere in a Subtropical climate and a pour over that I grind and make every day like a barista in my house.

[Matt Castle]

I hate coffee.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Will, did you ever do it with a little bit of creamer in there? I'll tell you what, it's fantastic.

[Matt Castle]

I never even tasted coffee until I did Dancing with the Stars. But because I was doing radio show training, traveling, doing stand up, and I was like, I'm about to die. I tried coffee and that's only. I was my 30s forever. Awful the fact that you got it. I can't acquire that taste.

[Matt Stell]

I love it. It's the reason I. It's the reason I want tomorrow to happen.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, I'm really. I love coffee. And it could be the worst cup of coffee. I could go into like a local gas station and just be like, this has been here for 24 hours. I'm still going to drink the hell out of it.

[Matt Stell]

I'm. I'm such a. Like, I'm like Bobby with clothes about coffee. Like, I am snooty and I am.

[Matt Castle]

What did that come from? What are you talking about?

[Matt Stell]

I am. I am high brow. I am exquisite.

[Matt Castle]

I get less and less offended.

[Matt Stell]

I am luxurious about my coffee and I don't put anything in it. It's just about the bean and where it's from.

[Bobby Bones]

You research this, I'm guessing you go, do you dive deep in the woods.

[Matt Stell]

There's coffee shops within. You know, like, I could. I could. You could throw a football and hit some of my favorite coffee shops here. And they just source these beans from all over the world. They have different flavor notes. Like, you ever hear people that are douches about wine?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Stell]

And the flavor notes, the same. It's. I'm a coffee douche.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, you know what I am? I'm a tartar douche. I just found out. You ever had like some really good beef tartare? They make it for 100 and they put like a little egg. Then you taste it. I never taste. I never had alcohol. I don't know what wine tastes like. So I never got to do the cool thing where it's like, but add some tartar made and they do it in front of you and they give you a little spoon and they're like, is this to your liking? And I'm like, yeah, that'll do. I finally got to do that and it was awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

That'll do.

[Matt Castle]

Yes, that'll do, pig. Matt, still you playing? You playing shows?

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, I got to go to Florida in the morning.

[Matt Castle]

Well, not like today. Like, this is Where I go, hey, promote your whatever.

[Matt Stell]

Like, I don't know, man. I got. I got music everywhere. You can find me everywhere. And I'm hilarious on social media. So enjoy. Enjoy that audience.

[Matt Castle]

Instagram at Matt still on Tick Tock at Matt still music.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Did you know he has, like, he studied religion. Like he's a masters. He got like, he's gonna go be a doctor, decided to do music instead.

[Bobby Bones]

I can see that. It's a brilliant mind in there. There's no doubt about it.

[Matt Stell]

So when he's just a caffeinated mind.

[Bobby Bones]

When you studied religion, what was. Was it? Religious history?

[Matt Castle]

What's the ones you didn't like?

[Bobby Bones]

What didn't you like? Yeah, let's go there. Let's get.

[Matt Stell]

All right, religions, right. Coming next.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, yeah. How did. What did you study?

[Matt Stell]

I studied. Really. I majored in philosophy and religion my undergraduate. I was interested in not so much answering questions, but I did. I didn't know this at the time, but I basically have a degree in critical thinking. Right. And you know, I come from. I come from a Christian evangelical background, and I was interested in those questions and where those kinds of things come from. And. And I learned a whole lot, changed my perspective a whole lot when I encountered new. Not even new ideas, I just encountered different ideas. But really I have a degree, I suppose, in critical thinking. My undergraduate and then my master's is somewhat similar. It's sort of in rhetoric and power struggles between groups.

[Matt Castle]

I mean, looks dumb as a rock. Smart as could be.

[Bobby Bones]

I mean, smart as can be.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, it's not.

[Bobby Bones]

I have a degree in critical thinking. Mine was just in communications, and I don't know what I really.

[Matt Stell]

That's what my master's is in communication.

[Matt Castle]

Matt still. Thank you very much for coming by.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, you're welcome.

[Matt Castle]

Appreciate it. You guys.

[Matt Stell]

Can I ask a question? Why did you. Why did you invite my wife and I to play pickleball? And then we couldn't make it and haven't since, and it's been beautiful. Is it because she is an unbelievable pickleball player and would just beat the dust out of you and us? Is that it?

[Matt Castle]

Great question. And I have a great answer for that. So I invited you and your wife to play, and I said, hey, come over, we're playing. And my phone died.

[Matt Stell]

Oh, my.

[Bobby Bones]

That is a great excuse. He turned it off.

[Matt Stell]

He's like, man, phones used to die a lot when I was dating.

[Matt Castle]

It literally died. And I was. And I was like. I told George Burge, both of our mutual friend I was like, invite him out. But I've earned anything back. And I was like, oh, my phone died. And so as soon as it came on, I was like, yeah, I'll be over. And I was like, oh, God, that's like 45 minutes ago. So on me. But then we left the country. We've been gone, and you had the flu. Yes. True or false?

[Matt Stell]

It's true.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. So you had the flu until we left the country.

[Matt Stell]

So you're saying this is just a timing issue, and it's not.

[Matt Castle]

I shouldn't read anything more. Proving it with data.

[Matt Stell]

Okay, Mr. Critical Thinking. I'm a data driven guy. I'm a slave to data.

[Matt Castle]

Yes. So if we're looking at game tape here, that's exactly what happened. And glad I asked. Yes. Castle's the pickleball player.

[Bobby Bones]

I mean, pretty strong bullet points right there.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, I got him.

[Matt Stell]

My wife is the best ping pong. I cannot score 15 points on my wife playing ping pong. And I'm not terrible. But in my defense, she grew up with a carpeted basement, so. Tells you all you need to know.

[Matt Castle]

I would choose to rephrase that. Different born. I rephrasing things different on the show, are we?

[Matt Stell]

Let it stand.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. Attell music on Tick tock. All right, thanks, guys. Here's the game. If we had to equate NFL players with celebrities, you would compare the current player with a current pop culture figure. I'd like to hear some. For example, and I have a few of these. I will go Patrick Mahomes and Drake. That. That is my parallel. And here's why. One, they win.

[Bobby Bones]

They. All they do is win.

[Matt Castle]

Except recently.

[Bobby Bones]

Except recently.

[Matt Castle]

See?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, that's what I'm going. Like.

[Matt Stell]

They all.

[Matt Castle]

They win constantly. Except. Except recently. Okay, Polarizing. Because of how much they win. They're constantly in the goat combos, even though they're not the actual goat yet.

[Bobby Bones]

Ooh, very strong bullet points.

[Matt Castle]

So I would go Drake and Patrick Mahomes, you're up.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, well, you mentioned Drake. I'm going to have to go in that same realm. I'm going to go Kendrick Lamar and Jalen Hurts. Well, why? They both just were at the super bowl and performed at the Super Bowl. Jalen hurts. Slayed the dragon, so to speak.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, good one.

[Bobby Bones]

Beat his biggest rival.

[Matt Castle]

Good one.

[Bobby Bones]

And Kendrick Lamar absolutely served up some humble pie to Drake at the Super Bowl.

[Matt Castle]

He won.

[Bobby Bones]

Even. Even if a lawsuit might come along. Who cares? That was amazing.

[Matt Castle]

He won the whole beef.

[Matt Stell]

They did it.

[Bobby Bones]

You want it? Just Right there. I mean, he performed in front of how many millions of people and just completely had Serena Williams up there, crip walking. It was amazing.

[Matt Castle]

This isn't even a competition, but you won round one. Next up, Josh Allen. Chris Pratt.

[Bobby Bones]

Lovable, great.

[Matt Castle]

Athletic.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes.

[Matt Stell]

Thick.

[Bobby Bones]

Very thick.

[Matt Castle]

Doesn't always get the critical respect that they deserve because of their, like, lovable thickness, but people love them, both of them. Of course, I would go Josh Allen, Chris Pratt.

[Bobby Bones]

I think that's a fantastic celebrity NFL player comparison. Let's go with my boy, Matt Stafford. And I'm going to go with Matt Stafford and Brad Pitt. Matt Stafford is now considered one of the elders of the NFL community. Brad Pitt obviously has been around for a really long time, been very successful. He's considered a little bit older of an actor. But guess what? They're still getting it done. They're still making hits. They're. They're still dominating their profession. And they're a little bit older, but they still got it. That's all I gotta say. They still got it. When you're older as a male and somebody, you know, like a lady comes up and says something to you, and it's like, gosh, that made me feel good. I still got it.

[Matt Castle]

That's a good one.

[Bobby Bones]

I still got it.

[Matt Castle]

Derek Henry.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, who are you going to compare to Derek Henry?

[Matt Castle]

Jason Momoa.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, I like that.

[Matt Castle]

Absolute tanks. Humans. Both superheroes.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes.

[Matt Castle]

Look great in whatever superhero or football costume uniform they are wearing. I'm going, Derrick Henry. Jason Momoa.

[Bobby Bones]

I love that. I love that. And they both have the long hair. I mean, it all works. All right, I'm gonna go. Let's see. Robert Downey Jr. And Kyle Shanahan. Oh, a coach.

[Matt Castle]

Nice.

[Bobby Bones]

I went Kyle Shan. Because guess what? They're all really well respected in their profession. Thought of as one of the top in their profession, but neither one of them have won the big award. Shanahan's never won a Super bowl. Robert Downey Jr. Has never won an Oscar.

[Matt Castle]

That's a great one. I didn't even think to go, coach.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I thought coaches sometimes might be a little bit easier, don't you think?

[Matt Castle]

I mean, I obviously didn't. Again, I didn't think.

[Bobby Bones]

Coach.

[Matt Castle]

That was really good. I'm gonna go retired Tom Brady.

[Bobby Bones]

Can I guess who you're gonna go with?

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Taylor Swift.

[Matt Castle]

George Clooney.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, darn it.

[Matt Castle]

Tom Brady. George. Cloney, ageless.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay.

[Matt Castle]

Polished, freaking iconic. Walks into any room and it's just like, that's MF And George Clooney. Or MF and Tom Brady.

[Bobby Bones]

That's that. Dude. I love it. That actually is a beautiful comparison as well. I went Taylor Swift because they're both polarizing figures. You either love them or hate them. They've got their little group like Brady's got Boston, whoever else really likes him. And then Taylor Swift has her Swifties. But other than those people, there's a lot of people that just dislike them, want to see him fail. That's why I said and a lot.

[Matt Castle]

Of times out of jealousy, just.

[Bobby Bones]

Just out of sheer jealousy, because they've been successful. They're good at everything that they do. There's nothing that you can sit there and go, oh, God, I wish I didn't do that.

[Matt Castle]

How many more you got?

[Bobby Bones]

Let's see. How about Timothy Chalamet?

[Matt Castle]

Oh, I got a Chalamet one too.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you?

[Matt Castle]

Yours is going to be better, though. I stretch with mine.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I just kind of went him with, say, a Brock Purdy.

[Matt Castle]

That's who I have. Do you swear to God?

[Bobby Bones]

Come on. I see a great minds think. Like, look, you're the very best friend that.

[Matt Castle]

What does that say? Brock party equals Timothy Shyamalan.

[Bobby Bones]

Go ahead, small frame.

[Matt Castle]

You go first.

[Bobby Bones]

Go ahead first, small frame.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Kind of up and coming. Both have proven themselves in some way, but everybody there's still always going to be their doubters because they kind of came out of nowhere.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. And I have two with Timothy Chalamet and Brock Purdy. Constantly people are telling you why they're not the person.

[Bobby Bones]

Exactly.

[Matt Castle]

Like, that's not that good. Oh, he's too skinny. I'm not Shalom. Like, he can't be in action. He does Dune too. He's freaking awesome. Brock. Yeah, I had. I had that one. Okay, okay, okay. Let me hit you with another one here. Some. Some of mine are terrible. How about Aaron Rodgers? Joaquin Phoenix.

[Bobby Bones]

I like that one.

[Matt Castle]

Weird.

[Bobby Bones]

Very weird. But both of them are very weird.

[Matt Castle]

Mysterious. Genius level, like talent. One on the. On the field, one acting. Both off the grid type people, but undeniable when locked in.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes.

[Matt Castle]

Like the Joker.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, the Method acting. I mean, it's an incredible.

[Matt Castle]

And Aaron Rodgers slicing defenses up, like when he's healthy and on.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, he's methodical.

[Matt Castle]

Nothing like it.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. So much fun to watch.

[Matt Castle]

Let's go one more each. If you have one more.

[Bobby Bones]

I've got. Let's do Kanye West. Oh, boy. And Tyreek Hill. Oh, boy. Because guess what? They beat to their own drum. They don't give a crap what other people think.

[Matt Castle]

They Beat to their own drum. That would be right. Because I think the term is drum to their own beat.

[Matt Stell]

Yeah, well, but.

[Matt Castle]

But they do beat to their own drum.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm just coming up with something new.

[Matt Castle]

Exact.

[Bobby Bones]

And maybe it's me and Kanye then. Okay? Because I say stuff, whatever I want, and I don't give a crap what anybody else thinks, okay? That's where I'm at right now. And I just think that those two, they're highly successful, they go out, they perform, but it's done in a way that it's always going to be their way.

[Matt Castle]

I'll give you one more.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. You didn't like that one as much. I can feel it in your bones.

[Matt Castle]

No, Bobby bones.

[Bobby Bones]

I can feel it in your Bobby.

[Matt Castle]

I. I do. I. They do drum to their own beat and beat their own drums. Or whatever you said. What if I did like the Rock and Matt Castle? Except I could find. No, no.

[Bobby Bones]

There's no comparison. Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Nothing.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, he's a better entertainer. He's more fit.

[Matt Castle]

Okay. Julian Edelman and Mark Wahlberg. I could see that Boston scrappy as crap.

[Bobby Bones]

I mean, Julian's from California, but you think of him. No, that's true. That's true. I'm just kidding.

[Matt Castle]

Did I pee in a single Cheerio you had? When you think of Edelman, you think of the freaking Patriots.

[Bobby Bones]

You think of Boston.

[Matt Castle]

Yes. Short. I mean, because.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes, they are.

[Matt Castle]

Wahlberg is not a tall guy.

[Bobby Bones]

No, he's not.

[Matt Castle]

Had to figure it out differently. Like, they both had to come up and figure it out a bit differently. Non traditionally, and just kind of won't be ignored type guys.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, you crushed that one because I had 100% agree with that. Edelman was played quarterback in college.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you know that?

[Matt Castle]

At Yellow.

[Matt Stell]

Kent State.

[Matt Castle]

Kent State.

[Bobby Bones]

Thank you, Kent State. And then Wahlberg was Marky Mark and Funky Bunch.

[Matt Castle]

I mean, yeah, he was. How good was that? Brother was New Kids on the Block.

[Bobby Bones]

I know. I used to love New Kids on the Block.

[Matt Castle]

I secretly did, but not publicly.

[Bobby Bones]

No. I publicly showed them love everywhere I went. I think I even did a lip sync to them when I was in grade school. Press off all four of them or five of them.

[Matt Castle]

Do you know which song? Please don't go, girl.

[Bobby Bones]

No. Step by step.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, baby gonna get to you, girl. Step one.

[Bobby Bones]

So good.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, it was good.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Thank you guys for listening to another episode of Lots to say. If you do not mind, subscribe to our show. If you're listening to this on any of the feeds that aren't the Lots to say feed, it would help us tremendously. I'm begging at this point, go over and subscribe to Lots to say, give us a rating because it helps the algorithm and there are a lot of shows out there and we're just trying to cut through. So thank you very much. Big thanks to Matt Stell for coming in and to Matt Castle. I'm Bobby Bones, and we'll see you next week. This is Lot Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.