Lots to Say: Life in the Big City with Super Bowl Champion Amani Toomer

Summary

The Bobby Bones Show: Lots to Say – “Life in the Big City with Super Bowl Champion Amani Toomer”

Date: October 1, 2025
Host: Bobby Bones, with co-host Matt Castle
Guest: Amani Toomer, NFL Super Bowl Champion and former New York Giants wide receiver

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Episode Overview

This lively episode, recorded at the NFL corporate offices in New York City, welcomes Super Bowl champion Amani Toomer for a deep-dive conversation on life in the NFL, the unique pressures and perks of playing in New York, reflections on the Giants’ legendary Super Bowl win over the Patriots, and wide-ranging NFL topics. The show mixes humor, insider stories, and candid talk about the game, with engaging banter between the hosts and Toomer.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life as NFL Celebrities in the City

[03:18–08:08]

• Getting Special Treatment: Matt Castle recounts the perks of being a starting QB in cities like Boston and Kansas City, often getting recognized and treated at restaurants.
  • “So you could go in anywhere and as soon as they recognize that you're part of the Patriots, you would never pay for a meal.” – Matt Castle (04:37)
• Celebrity Restaurant Stories: Bobby and Matt laugh about trying to use their own (or more famous friends') names to get into places like Nobu.
  • “My theory is they couldn't figure out who I was, so they didn't want to say no.” – Bobby Bones (06:11)
• Being Humbled in LA & NY: In celebrity-saturated places, even TV personalities are reminded they're small fish: “When the minivan pulls up, paparazzi goes, this ain't for us.” – Bobby Bones (06:49)

2. Super Bowl XLII: Giants vs Patriots (with Amani Toomer)

[09:26–16:15]

• Game Day Memories: Matt calls Amani “one of the most consistent guys we went up against … a true professional,” highlighting his rare combo of size and special teams skill (09:40).
• The Undefeated Spoiler: Toomer recalls spoiling the Patriots’ perfect season as massive underdogs.
  • “The only people that wanted you guys to win were the Patriots; everybody else in the league ... because it makes everybody look bad when one team wins at all.” – Amani Toomer (10:50)
• Mental Edge from Week 16: The regular season clash set the tone for the Super Bowl upset: “If we can play with the Patriots, who destroyed everybody, we can beat anybody.” – Amani Toomer (13:34)
• Aftermath: Despite expectations, Toomer went straight to bed after the big win, exhausted from the stress: “I was so stressed out and so tired … I went straight to sleep.” (14:04)
• Brady’s Grace: Tom Brady congratulated Toomer post-loss, which Toomer found humbling.
  • “That is the moment I realized Tom Brady's a much better man than I am ... he was so gracious, and I'll never forget that.” – Amani Toomer (15:15)

3. From College to NFL: The Making of a Pro

[16:15–18:05]

• Family & Ohio Roots: Amani shares how his family’s Ohio State loyalty didn’t shape him—he viewed the Buckeyes as a faded power in his youth.
• High School Powerhouse: Playing for De La Salle, Toomer describes losing his final high school game, then watching the school start its historic national unbeaten streak right after.

4. Welcome to the NFL

[18:05–21:46]

• Michigan to Giants: Toomer had to rapidly adjust, particularly in learning protections:
  • “If you get that quarterback hit, you're getting a bus ticket. That quarterback is the franchise.” – Amani Toomer (19:22)
• Old School Camps: Long, grueling two-a-days “got me prepared. … It took me three years to really see the field in the NFL just because of the difference of style.” (20:18)

5. Tom Coughlin’s Coaching & Locker Room Culture

[22:54–27:17]

• Hard-Nosed Leadership: Toomer admires Coughlin’s fairness and discipline, contrasting him with coaches who played favorites.
  • “He was the fairest … there’s nobody on our team getting a free lunch. And that was important to the morale of the team.” – Amani Toomer (25:36)
• No Soft Landing: Coughlin’s staff all toed the hard line for team unity; unlike under previous coach Jim Fassel, “once you have favorites in a locker room, it doesn't really work.” (25:46)

6. Playing (and Living) in the Big Apple

[27:17–29:13]

• Handling the NY Media: Contrary to the city’s fearsome media rep, Toomer found New York easier than expected, given the fans and press only cared about bottom-line performance.
  • “If you go out there and play well, you don't have nothing to worry about … being in New York, I could be anywhere. I know what I had to do.” (28:34)
• Celebrity Status in NY: Giants players didn’t get special treatment at clubs unless they were winning.

7. Cold Weather Football & Game Conditions

[29:13–31:10]

• Freezing NFC Championships: Toomer gives vivid recollections of the Giants’ icy showdown in Green Bay.
  • “I’ve never felt any cold like that. That was the worst I've ever been ... first quarter, I try to lift my arms ... my arms didn't move, and the ball hit right off my chest.” (29:22, 30:43)

8. Consistency & NFL Records

[31:10–32:30]

• 90+ Game Reception Streak: Toomer was unaware of his streak until after it ended, focusing instead on the moment and details of the game.

9. New York Giants QB Talk & Rookie Judgment

[32:40–33:47]

• Toomer is intrigued by new Giants QB Jackson Dart, applauding his energy but insists on a “wait and see” attitude until defenses adjust.
  • “If they don’t have a book on you ... it takes four games for them to come with the book.” (33:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Super Bowl Momentum: “We didn’t take the undefeated Patriots to the mat to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.” – Plaxico Burress via Amani Toomer (12:56)
• On Tom Brady: “He’s a much better man than I am … he was so gracious, and I’ll never forget that about him.” – Toomer (15:18)
• On Coughlin’s Culture: “You had to buy into the culture or you were gone. And I loved it. … Best pro coach I ever had.” – Toomer (24:46, 25:36)
• On Playing in NY: “If you go out there and play well, you don’t have nothing to worry about.” – Toomer (27:51)
• NY Club Scene: “I showed them my player card…‘The Giants? Man, get in the back.’” – Toomer (28:34)
• On Cold Football: “I'm open, the ball’s coming ... and my arms didn’t move, and the ball hit right off my chest.” (30:43)

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Other Fun & Insightful Segments

Food & New York Stories

[35:13–37:25]

• Bobby recounts struggling to order at a fancy Italian restaurant in NY due to his dairy allergy and unfamiliar menu: “I ate a slab of tuna.” (36:16)
• Discussion of Americanized vs. authentic Mexican and Italian cuisines.

NFL Life: Travels, Temptations & Team Rules

[37:32–39:27]

• Castle recalls his first start in the Meadowlands and the frenzied media attention.
• Stories about curfews, players sneaking out, and the human side of maintaining discipline on the road.

NFL Week 4 Power Rankings & Storylines

[40:00–52:28]

• Hosts analyze the Bengals’ QB situation and the pressures of fielding a competitive team vs. “selling off players.”
• Power Rankings:
  • #1 Philadelphia Eagles
  • #2 Buffalo Bills
  • #3 Los Angeles Rams
  • #4 Detroit Lions
  • #5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Discussion on wide receiver psychology and keeping “alpha” WRs engaged.

College Football Environments

[52:28–54:40]

• Matt Castle describes the Penn State whiteout as “the most intense, incredible environment” he’s witnessed, comparing it to major SEC rivalries.
  • “There's 110,000 people. Every single person is dressed in white. … the energy is just something that you're like, yeah, let's go.” – Matt Castle (52:42)
• Bobby shares his Oregon Ducks "big bones" formation sign story.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Getting restaurant perks as a player: 03:18–08:08
• Super Bowl memories & Patriots upset: 09:26–16:15
• Tom Brady’s post-SB class: 15:05–16:15
• Transition from college to the NFL: 18:05–21:46
• Tom Coughlin and team culture: 22:54–27:17
• NYC media & playing for the Giants: 27:17–29:13
• Playing football in extreme cold: 29:13–31:10
• Wide receiver streak & mindset: 31:10–32:30
• Current Giants QB talk: 32:40–33:47
• Food/city anecdotes: 35:13–37:25
• NFL traveling life: 37:32–39:27
• AFC/NFC power rankings: 40:00–52:28
• College football environments: 52:28–54:40

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Summary

This episode offers a thoroughly entertaining and insightful look into the real life of NFL players, both on and off the field. The conversation with Amani Toomer provides rare stories behind the Giants’ Super Bowl upset and the character of Tom Brady, exposes the odd perks and humiliations of being a pro athlete in different cities, and gives a raw look at what it takes to survive and thrive in the league’s toughest markets. Combined with fun tangents about food, travel, power rankings, and more, this episode is equally valuable for diehard football fans and anyone who loves colorful behind-the-scenes storytelling.

Transcript

[Bobby Bones]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[Drew Franklin]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game.

[Matt Castle]

What was that?

[Matt Jones]

Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen to NFL Cover 0 with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Greg Rosenthal]

The NFL is rolling. That's right. And you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 60. It's in the name NFL Daily so you'll have fresh content in your feed all season long. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, in an all star cast of co hosts for previews and recaps of every single game. NFL Daily will keep you up to date with everything you need to know so you can sound smarter than all your friends.

[Matt Castle]

Learn.

[Greg Rosenthal]

Listen to NFL daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Matt Castle]

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited ends 2 8, 26 open to legal residents of the 50 US states and DC 18 and over. For complete details, how to enter prizes and official rules, visit toyotasgamedaygiveaways.com Lots to.

[Bobby Bones]

Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast.

[Greg Rosenthal]

We got lots to say.

[Matt Castle]

We got lots. Hey, we're glad you're here and we hope you stay. Cause we got lots to say.

[Greg Rosenthal]

Yeah, we got lots to say.

[Bobby Bones]

Now here's Bobby and Matt. We are at the NFL corporate office in New York. It's the first time we've been here.

[Matt Castle]

New York City, baby.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, it's not winter, so we like being here.

[Matt Castle]

It's actually beautiful out.

[Bobby Bones]

The first note I have on our episode today, I wrote castle, raw dog. Why do you think that is?

[Matt Castle]

Castle, raw dog. I mean, I've got a lot of.

[Bobby Bones]

Thoughts going through my brain, but they're.

[Matt Castle]

Probably none of them are accurate.

[Bobby Bones]

We flew up here together because we came to do some podcasting, what they call upfronts for the show. And as we're flying up, I look over at you. You have no headphones. No headphones and you're doing crossword puzzles on your phone.

[Matt Castle]

I sure was.

[Bobby Bones]

It was the most 85 year old person thing I've ever seen.

[Matt Castle]

You know what? I've got to get my wordle in every day and I've Got to get my crossword in.

[Bobby Bones]

Why don't you bring headphones? You're going full ride.

[Matt Castle]

I had headphones, dude. One of those guys that. I'm a conversationalist. I thought we were going to sit on the plane, get to know each other, even on a deeper level. Immediately, I see you five minutes into the plane ride.

[Amani Toomer]

Boop, boop.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, right there. You probably were watching a show. Were you watching a show?

[Bobby Bones]

I went to sleep.

[Matt Castle]

Well, at first. You were.

[Bobby Bones]

I have a job in the morning. Did that job.

[Matt Castle]

That's right.

[Bobby Bones]

Woke up very early. I knew we would have an evening, and I was like, I'm get on the plane. Take a nap. And I took a nap.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. I was ready to conversate. So then it took a hard left turn, and so then I was like, you know what? I'm just going to sit here and be an old man right now and dominate these crossword puzzles.

[Bobby Bones]

I woke up to go to the bathroom, and I walked up to the. And I looked over, and you were on your phone doing a crossword puzzle or whatever you were doing. And I was like, no headphones on a crossword puzzle? Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

So good.

[Bobby Bones]

Nothing says Castle more. What'd you guys do last night?

[Matt Castle]

We went around the corner from where we were staying and went to, like, this pub, sports bar. It was great. Got a seat right up there. Got to watch the games. It was a fantastic meal. It went cheeseburger with bacon on it. Yeah. It was a cheat day, for sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you not do that when you're with your wife?

[Matt Castle]

No, I'd probably have the salmon. Just kind of make her think that I'm trying to be fit and definitely up to the task.

[Bobby Bones]

I heard, and you can tell me if this is true or not, that it was hard to get a table and a fan, a Patriots fan, recognized you, and that's how you got a table.

[Matt Castle]

Yes. At first, we walked in, and there was, like, seven booths available, all of them supposedly reserved. And as we sat down for at least the first 30 minutes and ordered some apps, still nobody in those booths. And then finally, this gentleman came up who must have been a manager or worked there. Boston guy. Loved Boston. Guys on the east coast came up and said, hey, Castle, you guys want a table? I was like, yeah, we sure do. And we went out, got a table, and the rest is history.

[Bobby Bones]

When you were starting at quarterback, either for the Patriots or the Chiefs, could you do the call in, get a reservation anywhere in town? Because you were the guy.

[Matt Castle]

I hated doing that, especially when I was In Boston, I was obviously, I wasn't the starter for the first three years. I was because Brady went down my fourth year. But that city was so electric in terms of they love their sports. It was the ultimate sports town. So you could go in anywhere and as soon as they recognize that you're part of the Patriots, you would never pay for a meal.

[Bobby Bones]

But how would they know? Obviously, you're a big guy.

[Matt Castle]

Yes. And I'd say more. So early on, it was when you went in with the big guys, right? The 300 pound guy. And then all of a sudden they recognize a face or something and they come up, hey, you guys want to drink this, that and the other? It was fantastic.

[Bobby Bones]

You never wore your jersey?

[Matt Castle]

I always tried to early on, like, that was my deal. Like, maybe they'll notice me if I wear the 16 jersey with the castle on the back too and just really put a stamp of approval on it. And then Kansas City was great. You could call basically anywhere and they'd get you in another great sports town. And it was a good time. Just understanding. Yes, you had a little pool because you're a starting quarterback. At the same time, I never tried to really take advantage of it unless people came in and we had a big party and I was like, hey, yeah, this is Matt Castle from the Kansas City Chiefs.

[Bobby Bones]

Can you call yourself?

[Matt Castle]

No, I definitely have my agent or somebody call.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, because if you get rejected, it doesn't hurt as bad.

[Matt Castle]

It doesn't hurt as bad, but it's so awkward.

[Amani Toomer]

It's awkward.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, but how many times do you do that?

[Bobby Bones]

Let's be honest, I have never done it as myself. I've called before under, hey, I'm representing Bobby. Like, in dire times. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've done the fake voice, I've done the big voice.

[Matt Castle]

This is Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

I am representing Bobby Bones, who happens to be a toe. And my deep voice is no better than my normal voice.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, they definitely heard your voice immediately.

[Bobby Bones]

It just hurts when you get rejected or when they're like, who? That's always a little ego punch. And I never do it unless it's like dire, like someone's in town. I would say I have about an 85% success rate. Because you can all once. The greatest story is because in la, nobody cares about anything.

[Matt Castle]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, they care about celebrities, but they don't care about anything because they're celebrities everywhere.

[Matt Castle]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

And so we were in Malibu and this is like my fourth year on American Idol, and we wanted to go to the sushi place. That's really famous.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Bobby Bones]

Anybody? Nobu.

[Amani Toomer]

Thank you. No.

[Matt Castle]

Boo.

[Bobby Bones]

There's a Nobu in Malibu. And so my agent calls and is like, hey. And I'm like, fifth string on American Idol. Like, I'm on every episode, but I'm not anything.

[Matt Castle]

You're on American Idol, Right?

[Bobby Bones]

It doesn't matter. And so he calls, and he goes, hey, I'm representing Bobby Bones. Is there any way we can get him a table? And they go, please hold. He waits on hold for, like, 45 minutes. My theory is they couldn't figure out who I was, so they didn't want to say no. And so they didn't say no. We pull up, and we're in a minivan, and all the paparazzi is out there. And when the minivan pulls up, paparazzi goes, this ain't for us. Put their cameras down. We walk in. The least famous free reservation I ever got was that one.

[Matt Castle]

There was one time when we came to New York City, I was coming to New York City, and I asked Brady where I should go eat. He's like, go to this one restaurant. And I forget what it was. It was really hard to get into. Well, I thought he made the reservation for me, right? So I walk in. I'm with my wife. We go in, and the maitre d looks at. I say, yeah, I've got a reservation for Castle. And they go, no. I said, is it under Tom Brady? They said, yes, but where's Tom? And I said, I think he's coming in just a little bit, but we're here, dude. He never showed up. They sat me at one of the nicest tables in the middle of this restaurant. It was packed, and I'm just laughing because they thought Tom was coming, and he put it under his name. I was like, what a slap.

[Bobby Bones]

That's a little bit dirty dog, too.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, he just screwed me.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones. I'm Drew Franklin, and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining, and twice a week, that is exactly, exactly what you're gonna get. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[Drew Franklin]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game.

[Matt Castle]

What was that?

[Drew Franklin]

Looks like something that should not be sold.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, my.

[Drew Franklin]

So that was my other big Colts takeaway.

[Matt Jones]

They sold that?

[Matt Castle]

Yes.

[Drew Franklin]

Might want to go back at the Colts stadium. Yeah, I might want to go back to the drawing board on that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I thought the shape we had.

[Drew Franklin]

With pretzels was working pretty well. It's worked for generations.

[Matt Jones]

We're just here trying to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year. And let's go.

[Drew Franklin]

I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age. He's a 73.

[Matt Jones]

He is a young 73. He is spry. I was.

[Drew Franklin]

I wouldn't fight him.

[Matt Jones]

I would listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, we're about to bring in Amani tumor on Instagram. Amanitumer81. You played. We're going to start with your question. I know you're going to bring up the Super Bowl. What kind of player was Imani in your memory of playing?

[Matt Castle]

He was one of the most consistent guys we went up against. I mean, his route running ability, he had a great feel for zone, but also could beat, man. He was also a bigger wide receiver. I think he's like 6 3, 200 plus pounds. So it was him. It was Plaxico. When you played against them, you had to realize that they didn't just have one dude, they had two guys. And he always had big games against us, too. That guy that would show up on game day was a true professional. Great, great guy, because I knew him off the field. Incredible person off the field. But when you got on the field, he was just one of those guys that could go take over a game because of his talents. And the crazy part is, at 6:3, he also was an incredible special teamer. Like, he's a guy that could get a punt and take it to the house, which you don't see a lot of that with guys that are six' three. He's just all around football player, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Hey, so first things first, Imani. And I'm going to pass this over to Matt, because what we're talking about before you got here, he's got a little beef.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, you guys couldn't. Well, you couldn't let us win that Super Bowl. Oh, I mean. And I wasn't even playing. So at the same time, I was sitting there going, man, it would have been that undefeated season. It would have been historical. And you guys just upset everybody's dreams.

[Amani Toomer]

Well, you know what nobody likes. You know, the thing about it is this. The only people that wanted you guys to win were the Patriots, everybody else in the league.

[Matt Castle]

That's true.

[Bobby Bones]

I agree with that.

[Amani Toomer]

Because it makes everybody look bad when one team Wins at all. And then it was like we were double digit underdogs. We played you guys the last game of the season.

[Bobby Bones]

16.

[Matt Castle]

And all the stars played the entire game.

[Amani Toomer]

Exactly.

[Matt Castle]

It was crazy.

[Amani Toomer]

Both teams and both teams, like we were locked in at number five. You guys were locked in at number one.

[Matt Castle]

Obviously with the bye week.

[Amani Toomer]

With the bye week. Didn't care. Either team didn't care. And I thought that was like, that was one of the most exciting games I played in. And I just remember after that we were so. I was so down and dejected after we lost to you guys in the last preseason game. Cause we'd beat the Denver Broncos like in 98.

[Matt Castle]

Right.

[Amani Toomer]

And so we'd done a good job like stopping records like that. And we beat a lot of undefeated teams other than that as the Giants when I was playing there. So I thought this was another time we're going to do that. And I was so dejected. And it was a really. We had the opportunity to play you guys again. I remember talking to Spags on the way back from the super bowl after we won and he was like, yeah, we. We didn't show the Patriots everything that we had because we thought we might play him again.

[Bobby Bones]

And in that final season game.

[Amani Toomer]

In the final season game.

[Matt Castle]

And I'm like, yeah, that idea going into it.

[Amani Toomer]

Exactly.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Amani Toomer]

And I'm like, wow, I didn't. I mean, I thought you could play to win every game, throw it everything out there, because as players, that's what you have to do.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Was there a message like before the super bowl of hey, we're the underdogs or was it just, we're professionals, go win the game?

[Amani Toomer]

Well, we were so disrespect, so disrespected. And I remember Tom Brady had a comment when Plexco Burra said he predicted us to win and he said that the score would be like 17, 21, 17. And then Tom Brady goes, we're only.

[Matt Castle]

Going to score 17.

[Amani Toomer]

We were like, okay, all right. Yeah, yeah. Okay. We got you, Tom. Yeah, yeah, we got you.

[Matt Castle]

Do you think that that game though, that Week 16 game, that. That gave you guys that momentum going into playoffs because again, you were a fifth seed. You had to play all the way through. But you guys started to put it on people.

[Amani Toomer]

It was. The funny thing about it was I was so mad that we lost that game, but everybody else was like lifted. And I remember thinking, there's no honor in a loss. How does this happen? How does this happen that people are happy that we lost And I was just so upset. And it definitely gave us that extra boost because I remember we were down in Tampa and we played our first game and we were down, I think 14 nothing. And I remember we were down 14 nothing to Tampa in Tampa on the road. And I remember Plexco saying, we didn't take the undefeated Patriots to the mat to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And then we just rattled off points and we ended up making it. Not even a game, but it was. It definitely was in the back of our. If we can play with the Patriots, who. Who destroyed everybody, we can beat anybody.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, because we're talking about the super bowl after that game. You do beat an undefeated team as massive underdogs. How long until you go to sleep?

[Amani Toomer]

It was so funny. I was like, I'm going to be up all night. I'm going to be partying the entire night. I was so stressed out and so tired. I. That me and my girlfriend, now my wife, we were like, yeah, we're gonna party. It got to like 11 o' clock and we were just like, I'm sorry, guys. I went straight to sleep.

[Matt Castle]

What did your after party look like? Cause I know that the Patriots, Robert Kraft, was ready for a Super bowl champion undefeated season because we had Earth, Wind and Fire. We had Lionel Richie, we had all kinds of acts coming up on stage. And everybody's like, man, this.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, wait, they still played, even though.

[Matt Castle]

They looked, oh, 100% because they've already hired these people to come in the entertainment. And I was always wondering, what was your after party like?

[Amani Toomer]

I don't even remember. I don't even know if we had one because I just, like I said, I was so tired. But I remember one of your running backs invited Brandon Jacobs.

[Matt Castle]

No way.

[Amani Toomer]

On the field before the game. He said, hey, why don't you go have come to our after party?

[Bobby Bones]

No way.

[Amani Toomer]

We have this person. We have that person. Oh, and I have the best Tom Brady story. The best Tom Brady story. So we win the game. You know, this is probably the worst, the hardest loss he's ever had.

[Matt Castle]

100%.

[Amani Toomer]

And so I'm walking by you guys bus. Tom gets off the bus. He comes over to me and goes, I'm standing there with one of my high school friends and he's like, you know what? I'm just so proud of you guys. You guys won the game. You had such a great career. I'm so proud. I'm sitting there like, that is the moment I realized Tom Brady's a much better man than I am, because I lost the Super Bowl. When we lost the Ravens, I didn't want to talk to anybody. My best friend in Michigan was a player on the Ravens. His name's Rod Payne. He was on the practice squad or whatever. I didn't talk to him for years after that. And Tom came up to me right after the game. I'm like, he's a much better man than I am, because I could not have done that. But he was so gracious, and I'll never forget that about him. And, you know, I went to college with him. We were from. Both from the Bay Area, so we have a little bit of history, but, man, he's a great dude.

[Bobby Bones]

Speaking of college, your dad goes to Ohio State. You don't. You go the opposite. You go to Michigan. How uncomfortable was that for him?

[Amani Toomer]

Well, you know, it's funny. I don't remember. He told me he went to Ohio State. I don't really know if he did go to Ohio State. You know what I mean? But my family's from Ohio. We're originally from Akron. And so I just. Ohio State was terrible when I was there. Like, they were down for years. People looked at Ohio State back then. Like, they look now at, like. Like a Penn State or not Penn State. Cause Penn State's a really good school. I'm not gonna say that. Like a team that once was good.

[Bobby Bones]

Rutgers, they started football. Iowa, 1800s.

[Amani Toomer]

Iowa.

[Bobby Bones]

Nebraska's a good Nebraska.

[Amani Toomer]

On the nose. They're like a Nebraska.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Amani Toomer]

You know what I mean? The team that has a lot of history, you know, they once were good way back when. You just can't remember it.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, but you also. You grew up in the Bay Area. Like, you said, you went to a school, De La Salle. Yes. At that point. What was the record of consecutive wins when you were there?

[Amani Toomer]

We had won 44. And then my last year, my senior year, we lost. And then. Get out of here. My senior year, my last game, we lost to Pittsburgh in the Coliseum in the championship. And then they won for, like 12 years. Like 160. Some games.

[Matt Castle]

Absurd.

[Amani Toomer]

So I was like fifth or. No, I was probably between five and eight years in the league. And they finally lost. And I was like, well, at least we're not the worst team anymore. But, yeah, it was a great experience. I love De La Salle. I still. I love the football program. Bob Latticer was a guy that kind of shaped my. He did more to shape my mentality than. Not more than my father, my family, or my brother. But in terms of not Being family, he was definitely the one.

[Bobby Bones]

In the end, you end up setting records at Michigan. But when you first started as a freshman, I don't know if you played your freshman or if you red shirted. Like, when did you actually.

[Amani Toomer]

I played, man. What are you talking about? I didn't sit the bench. No, I played. I played.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know if you. How quickly you adjusted and thought, oh, I can play with these guys.

[Amani Toomer]

I thought I could play with them. Like in. I mean, sometimes I get a little ahead of myself, so I thought I could play from the beginning. I never thought I couldn't play with them. And when I got into games, then I kind of realized there was another level I had to go. I was like 100, and I think I was 180 pounds, 170 pounds. And I'm trying to run in there and block, like legitimate defensive play, like bigger seniors. And I remember my first year, I just kept. I'd try, I'd throw it in there, but I'd go in there and I try to stock block somebody and they would just toss me aside. And I just got used to it. But that's what I realized. Maybe I need. I need some development going on here.

[Matt Castle]

So you get drafted by the Giants right out of Michigan, and you get in there and so what was that like making that transition? Because Michigan's a big time program, but we know when you come from a program like that, you normally feel prepared for what's to come next, especially from a competitive standpoint. But was there a moment that you were like, man, this is for real, but welcome to the NFL moment for you?

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah, my welcome to the NFL moment was we never had to learn protections at Michigan. So if the quarterback didn't point the guy, I didn't even pay attention.

[Matt Castle]

You're just running.

[Amani Toomer]

I'm just running. I mean, I know you do cover two the zones, whatever, you know, you have the route conversions. I understand that, but I didn't understand the protections at all. So I got to the league and like, the first thing they teach you is like, if you get that quarterback hit, you're getting a bus ticket. That means you're gonna get on the first thing smoking out of because that quarterback is the franchise. So I had to learn protections. I had to really learn how to run routes, because defensive line in the NFL, I mean, they don't give quarterbacks time to sit back there. We used to have these max protection, two receiver routes in Michigan that we thought, oh, so it's going to, you know, nobody's going to get home. And they didn't at Michigan. But in the league they get home.

[Bobby Bones]

Was training camp. Old school back then.

[Amani Toomer]

Oh, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And dorm it up, that kind of thing.

[Amani Toomer]

We did it for four weeks of 2A days, right? No, four weeks of 2A days. And then we had. We came like right after the combines and had a rookie minicamp. Then we had three weeks before, like we just. It was like. I think before I stepped on the field in the pros in preseason, I think I had played more football than I did my entire time in college because we were working so much. It was ridiculous. But it got me prepared. And that's why I look at now and I'm thinking, how do these guys get prepared? If I didn't have the 2A days, if I didn't have the. All this stuff coming from a non NFL offense, I don't know how I would have transitioned and I don't know if I would have even. It took me three years to really see the field in the NFL just because of the difference of style, let alone the athleticism, let alone what. The things that matter so much in the NFL, the little minute techniques. I wouldn't have had time to really adapt to them or we've been open to them. So I feel for a lot of these younger players, it's a. It's a way tougher league to crack. And that's why you see a lot of players playing longer into their careers, because it's hard to get some of these younger players up to speed.

[Drew Franklin]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm.

[Matt Jones]

Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining and twice a week. That is exactly what you're going to get. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[Drew Franklin]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game.

[Matt Castle]

What was that?

[Drew Franklin]

Looks like something that should not be sold.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, my.

[Drew Franklin]

So that was my other big Colts.

[Matt Jones]

They sold that?

[Matt Castle]

Yes.

[Drew Franklin]

Might want to go back at the Colts stadium. Yeah, I want to go back to the drawing board on that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

I thought the shape we have with pretzels was working pretty well for generations.

[Matt Jones]

We're just here trying to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year. And let's go.

[Drew Franklin]

I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age. He's a young 73.

[Matt Jones]

He is a young 73. He is spry.

[Drew Franklin]

I wouldn't fight him.

[Matt Jones]

I would listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Frank, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Matt Castle]

So you're with Tom Coughlin. He's known as.

[Amani Toomer]

Oh, he's a beast.

[Matt Castle]

He's a badass.

[Amani Toomer]

He's a beast.

[Matt Castle]

You know, I've been part of a program with Bella. Check. Similar in their approach. Did that wear on you? Did you feel like his messaging sometimes to the team, like after he gets after you and maybe your team's not doing well or whatever it might be, do you think that it always hit home or was it just a difficult environment to play in? Like, you had to be mentally tough.

[Amani Toomer]

Basically, you definitely had to be mentally tough. But coming from Michigan and in my high school, like, I was used to being coached hard. But one of the things that I come. I went and watched that play Lombardi on Broadway right after I got done playing. And a lot of the stuff that Tom Coughlin did was the exact same stuff that Vince Lombardi did when he went to the Green Bay packers from. I think it was from New York. I think it was offense coordinator or defense coordinator from New York and went over to. And I was just, like, really disappointed because I was like, Tom, just. If you would have just told us why you were doing some of the things that you did, we would have all been in line. We would have been okay. You think this matters? You think all these things matter? And ultimately they do. You're trying to get buy in from all these players to make this very privileged position of being an NFL football player. And you want it to mean something to everybody. And one thing that I loved about Tom is he made what, you know, because you've been in a lot of locker rooms, the starters care. They care very deeply about what happens. Second team, they care. The special teams guys, they're just on the. They're just on the ride. They just want to, you know, where. You know, where's the party at? You know, what did you buy? What does your car look like? Who do you know? Who did you meet? Especially being in New York.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Amani Toomer]

And so what he did was he got all those people out. And if you didn't buy in 100%, I don't know if you were it. Didn't care if you were a scout team. Didn't care if you were here for a day, two days. You had to buy into the culture or as you were gone. And I loved it. I loved it. I really did. And I always look back on the best pro coach I've ever had. It was definitely Tom Coughlin because he was the fairest. You can't be fair to everybody, right? But you can be any but Plexico or if you know who at the time had some issues in terms of showing up, meeting time, he would punish him, right? Eli. If he showed up late, he'd punish him. He'd yell at Eli like he was just. Everybody was like, there's nobody on our team getting a free lunch. And that was important to the morale of the team.

[Bobby Bones]

With Coughlin not being a quote players coach, but being a disciplinarian, was there a coach or two that was the opposite? You know, you had good cop, bad cop. Who would you go to?

[Amani Toomer]

Oh, that on that team?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Amani Toomer]

No, all his coaches were in line. No, there wasn't any. There was no soft landing there. Mike Sullivan was. Was our kind of soft landing. But he was like, hey, that's what the head man says. You know what I mean? He was one of those guys. But I had a coach before him in Jim Fossil. Rest in peace. But he had favorites. And once you have favorites in a locker room, it doesn't really work, right. Cause the favorite will come late to a meeting. Ah, it's all right, buddy. Somebody who doesn't come late to a meeting, it's a $10,000 fine. It's this, it's that. And that really eats at the consistency, you know, I mean, then you're like, well, there's nothing I can do that to have this coach like me. I'm not his favorite. And there's one story I love to tell you is like, I remember when Tom Coughlin first came and he was just. I mean, you talk about hard. He was ridiculously hard. And we ended up playing against the Cincinnati Bengals, and we ended up. We were winning the whole game. The Spangles ended up come back and winning. And one of the players came, and then we eliminated us from the playoffs. And the players came up. To me, he's like, oh, man, I'm so mad that we lost. I can't believe. And he's like, but I'm happy he lost. So I was like, there's something wrong here. This is not. You can't have our own player, our own team rooting against our head coach. So he was gone, by the way, after that year, but it was just one of those things where, like, you got to get the buy in.

[Matt Castle]

You played your entire career here, which is a blessing in itself.

[Amani Toomer]

I didn't want to.

[Matt Castle]

I know you're trying to come with Me, dog.

[Amani Toomer]

I know what happened.

[Matt Castle]

You couldn't hold. I mean, I didn't have the keys to the car. Hey, we brought you in.

[Amani Toomer]

Couldn't help a brother. I was trying instead.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, I mean, we went out season pretty.

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Kansas City Chiefs. We didn't have a lot to work with, but nonetheless. So you play your whole career here, but talk about this media market, because so much is made of being in New York in this media market and how it can eat players from the inside out if you're not able to manage that aspect of it.

[Amani Toomer]

It's funny, I never played anywhere else, but I always thought it was so easy to play here because it's all the bottom line, ultimately, is the bottom line. So if you go out there and play well, you don't have nothing to worry about. If you go out there and show the fans that you're all about ball and you're not about other things. Because, you know, New Yorkers, you know, we don't have time for anything, right? They don't have time for, you know, they got the Knicks, the Nets, the Yankees, the, you know, the jets, the Giants, the Islanders. If you're not good, they just put you on the back burner, Right? So it's not like. I remember when I first came here, I'd go to a club, trying to get in the club, and I showed them my player card, and they're like, what team you on? I'm on the Giants. They're like, the Giants, man. Get in the back.

[Bobby Bones]

You know what I mean?

[Amani Toomer]

It wasn't one of those things where you're like, oh, Giants. That's what you expect, like, coming. Going to the NFL. But they're like, I don't care about the Giants. And so I just feel like you gotta focus on what you can control, which is the only thing that you can't control, which is how you play. And so when I look at the Giants and I look at playing in this city, I thought it was very easy because there's nobody going to be harder on me than me. And so I was just like, I'm going to do it my thing. I don't. I don't care what other people think, because I know who I have to look in the mirror about every day. And being in New York, I could be anywhere. I know what I had to do.

[Bobby Bones]

It's cold here. So when you go to, I think maybe the NFC championship against Green Bay, I think that's the game I'm thinking of where it was, like, below. Yeah, yeah.

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Is that cold? Does that feel colder than what you're used to when it's really cold here?

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah, I've never. I went to Michigan, right? And I've never felt any cold like that. That was the worst I've ever been. And I remember we had a guy on our team named Dave Deal. Great player, but he was a sweater, so he sweat every time, no matter where he sweat, right? So we're in the. We're in the. In the. You know, right by the goal post, right before the game. He has icicles coming from out of his helmet down to the back of his thing. And I'm like, yeah, it's pretty cold. And I remember when we went. We're getting on the bus to go, and they were talking about how cold it was going to be, and they're getting on the bus, and we had a guy named Jim Phelan who's like. I think he works for the Giants. I think he's been working there forever, since he was a little kid. But anyway, so we walk to the bus and he has this hot coffee and he just goes. And he throws it up in the air, and it comes down like snow. And I'm like, why did you do that, Jim? Like, we got a game to play.

[Matt Castle]

Were you a sleeve or no sleeve guy?

[Amani Toomer]

I was a sleeve guy. Definitely a sleeve guy.

[Matt Castle]

I never understood how those dudes could go out there in that type of weather. I know the linemen have an extra.

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Extra layer.

[Amani Toomer]

They got that insulation.

[Matt Castle]

But wide receivers, when these dudes go out there with no sleeves and it's, you know.

[Bobby Bones]

Did it help, though? Does a sleeve help when it's that cold?

[Amani Toomer]

It helps a lot.

[Matt Castle]

It does.

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah, it does. You'd be surprised how fast the heat goes out of your body when you don't have your sleeve. But I remember. I remember in the first quarter, I ran a route, and I'm coming. I'm open, the ball's coming, and I try to lift my arms like I ordinarily do, and my arms didn't move, and my. The ball hit right off my chest. And I'm like, okay, this is serious. Like, it was. Because you never really know. You're always kind of evaluating how really cold is it. And it was. It was brutal.

[Bobby Bones]

We got two final questions for you. So you caught a ball basically every game. That was the thing, I think over 90 games. Is that right?

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Were there ever games where it's in the fourth and you're like, you gotta give me the ball. Like, 78 in, 79 in.

[Amani Toomer]

I didn't even know until after the game that I had a streak that got broken. So, I mean, there's so many things to think about when you're playing football. Like, you have to, oh, was the safety here? Was he gonna quick jam me? What coverage did they play? It's third. And this. What are you doing? There's so many things that are going through your mind. And I was never like a super stat guy, so I didn't really care that much. But when I, when the, when the streak ended up getting broken and then all the reporters were asking me about it, I went and com Coughlin's office, I'm like, look, you know, we gotta talk about this. Because I, Because I said something before that got misconstrued. So I wanted to kind of have like a unified front to kind of understand what was going on. But it's so many stories about the stuff that goes on behind the scenes that it's just. It's funny how human it is that playing football is very human interaction. You're with a team with a whole bunch of humans. And all these different interactions was what makes. Made my experience great in the NFL. A lot of. None of them had to do with statistics or anything like that. Except the super bowl. That was.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, yeah, let's be honest. I'm gonna keep that one Super Bowl. All right, current state of your New York Giants right now. What are your thoughts?

[Amani Toomer]

A lot of people like myself were kind of curious on why they, you know, chose Jackson Dart over Shador Sanders or some other player. But after seeing that game, I could see what they were thinking. Like they wanted a dual threat quarterback that can run. He does have, like an energy about him. I was impressed. But you know how it is in the NFL if they don't have a book on you, you're just playing against vanilla defenses. It takes four games for them to come with the book. And after that, four games, then let's come back and reevaluate. Because every time he was running, you know where he runs, how he runs, where he holds the ball when he runs, where does he like to escape, where does he look in his reads? They're going to all figure all that stuff out.

[Matt Castle]

Tendencies, right?

[Amani Toomer]

Exactly. And so now that's why there's a lot of quarterbacks that come off like he's some backup quarterback, like they'll be great for a little while, and then the tendencies come out and then you have to start playing left handed. And I just am withholding Judgment. I definitely was excited, but I'm withholding judgment until after these processes take place over and over again.

[Bobby Bones]

We appreciate the time. Congrats on the Super Bowl. Sorry, Matt.

[Matt Castle]

One fair and square miss.

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

I really appreciate it. I was a big fan of you while you play. Thanks for the time.

[Amani Toomer]

Appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Foreign.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones. I'm Drew Franklin, and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining, and twice a week. That is exactly what you're gonna get. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[Drew Franklin]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game.

[Matt Castle]

What was that?

[Drew Franklin]

Looks like something that should not be sold.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, my.

[Drew Franklin]

So that was my other big Colts.

[Matt Jones]

They sold that?

[Matt Castle]

Yes.

[Drew Franklin]

Might want to go back at the Colts stadium. Yeah, I want to go back to the drawing board on that.

[Amani Toomer]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

I thought the shape we had with pretzels was working pretty well for generations.

[Matt Jones]

We're just here trying to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year. And let's go.

[Drew Franklin]

I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age. He's a young 73.

[Matt Jones]

He is a young 73. He is spry.

[Drew Franklin]

I wouldn't fight him.

[Matt Jones]

I would Listen. NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Frank. The iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

Went to an Italian restaurant last night. My agent who is here was like, hey, I don't see you very much, so why don't you come to Elios?

[Matt Castle]

Sounds about right. That's what we. That's my first guess out of the.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, thank you.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And so we go. And Matt Lauer and Brian Gumbel were eating there.

[Matt Castle]

Really? Yeah. Did you go up and get level five?

[Bobby Bones]

I did nothing. I just stared at him for a little bit, and I was like, that's Matt Lauer, Brian Gumbel. And then so we sat, and I don't. I don't like. I like Italian food, but I like very Americanized Italian food. I've realized.

[Matt Castle]

So what is an Americanized Italian? Like a pizza.

[Bobby Bones]

I can't eat cheese, so that's difficult.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, that?

[Bobby Bones]

No dairy.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But what was hard for me was I didn't even know what the menu said, and I didn't want to ask. And it was packed. I mean, it was like 40 tables in this place, and the room held 10. It was one of those environments. Yeah. So I'm crammed in. It's people I don't really know, and I don't understand the food. And so because I have a dairy allergy, I ordered the tuna and I thought it would come with, like, sides. Here's the thing.

[Matt Castle]

A la carte.

[Bobby Bones]

It doesn't.

[Matt Castle]

You literally.

[Bobby Bones]

I ate a slab of tuna.

[Matt Castle]

A slab of tuna. There was no buttered pasta, nothing on the side.

[Bobby Bones]

I can't do butter, though, so I have to do it.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, my gosh. Then Italian is not the route you should go.

[Bobby Bones]

And so I like my. I like Americanized Italian because it's like, I lived in Texas for a long time, and there's a difference in American Mexican food and real Mexican food.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, 100%.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Real Mexican food. Not really for me. I like American Mexican food.

[Matt Castle]

I like the real Mexican.

[Bobby Bones]

I like my queso yellow when I could eat cheese.

[Matt Castle]

And that actually hardens if you don't eat it too.

[Bobby Bones]

That's like the Mexican guy. That's a real Mexican. The hard cheese, they don't put.

[Matt Castle]

They don't really use queso in real Mexican places.

[Bobby Bones]

True. True enough. Yeah. It's just. It's not even called queso.

[Matt Castle]

It's called.

[Bobby Bones]

In Arkansas, we had cheese dip. That's what we called it.

[Matt Castle]

Were you ever one of those guys? The. What's the cheese whiz that you put on a cracker?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, yeah, we had cheese whiz. What do you mean? Was I one of those guys? I'm from Arkansas. We're all one of those.

[Matt Castle]

My buddy from Alabama that used to do this crawfish bore oil, and he'd bring out the cheese whiz and put it on these crackers before you get the crawfish out. And I was like, that's disgusting, but that's not weird.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, what you just said is just the expectation.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, I didn't know the expectation.

[Bobby Bones]

I just realized California boy.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, it's a true statement.

[Bobby Bones]

What was your life like playing in New York? Any good New York stories when I. Yeah. Playing against the Giants against the Jets? Well, my.

[Matt Castle]

My first start ever was at the Meadowlands against the Jets. And actually every preseason we would play the Giants because of just the proximity. So it made it easy on travel. So I got to start that game because Brady wouldn't start the fourth preseason game. So I had of familiarity playing the jets and all that stuff. And actually the only reason I probably was on the team was that I played well in those games and was able to stick around for a little bit. But my first start was in the middlelands against the Jets. And it was a crazy scene because this place was packed, right? The entire stadium's packed because they think we've got a chance to beat the New England Patriots, which they hadn't done a good job of at all throughout the year. But that whole week leading up was just absolutely insane media attention, Brady's down, and we went out and beat Brett Favre. And it was the greatest moment ever.

[Bobby Bones]

When you would stay here, would you stay in the city? Like, what is an NFL situation like for an away team?

[Matt Castle]

I think we would stay in Jersey and then drive in.

[Bobby Bones]

That seems more reasonable.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, we'd stay in Jersey. We would never stay downtown. In New York, were there ever cities.

[Bobby Bones]

You would go to? And I won't say the coach, but, like, the team would go, hey, hey, Atlanta, they got great clubs. You ain't going. Were there ever cities you had to, like, keep your players from going a little too hard?

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. I remember when we came here with the Dallas Cowboys and we got out, I think a day before, maybe two days before, but we went over and saw ground zero, did a tour, took a ferry, and then we went up to the top floor and we had a huge dinner that night. And Jerry Jones put on this beautiful dinner. He spoke about him buying the Cowboys and talked about the family. And it was actual beautiful time to be able to come out and experience that moment. But I remember after, I think a lot of dudes went out and checked out the clubs because we were a little bit slow the next day, to say the least.

[Bobby Bones]

I think as fans, we don't actually understand that the players are human.

[Matt Castle]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

That there are temptations to stay up late, even to play video games.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, man, there's this curfew, without a doubt, there's always a curfew. But there's ways around sometimes those curfews that some people have figured out. Not to say that I was ever a part of it, but at the same time, you might be a guy that doesn't fall asleep until 2 o' clock in the morning. So it is somebody, they come check your room and then they're gone. So it's not one of those things that grown, grown men can't get out and do something.

[Bobby Bones]

Let's go back and forth for a couple. I'll start. I'm gonna start with Cincinnati. I think it's probably time for Cincinnati to open up and say we might want a quarterback and not just because they've been performing. We'll call it less than adequate. Since Burrow went Down.

[Matt Castle]

I'd say it's pretty inadequate these last two games. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But because they can still win the division, you're looking at the best team in the division being a one and three.

[Matt Castle]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

Which is Baltimore. Let's just.

[Matt Castle]

And The Bengals are 1 and 3. Right.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Let's hypothetically say they get a Rush or a Cousins, which I don't think they're going to pay that much of. Cousins contract, they'd have to eat a bunch of that. And Cincinnati is not really known as the team that wants to invest a whole lot of money. Like, I don't. I'm not sure if their water fountains work.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. I mean, Jameis Winston. Why not. Why not go out and get a guy like that?

[Bobby Bones]

Why not go get Russ Or Russ.

[Matt Castle]

Russ contract. Probably not as much either as maybe a Kirk cousin. So, I mean, Russ would make more sense as well.

[Bobby Bones]

I think they can still win that division if they move on a quarterback quickly. I think If Baltimore was 3 and 1, 2 and 2, I think that it's a whole different situation. But being 1 and 3, it's still open to. Cincinnati can actually be competitive because Cleveland, their defense is great, but they ain't that good. And they're going to have to switch from Flacco, probably.

[Matt Castle]

Right. And Price sooner than later. But in addition to that, with Cincinnati, you start to look at the team itself. Jamar Chase, your superstar wide receiver, he's getting frustrated. You can see him having arguments on the sideline with his head coach. And so in order to keep just the entirety of your team together, you've got to make a move at some point, if your offense continues down this path, to go show people that you care and that you're just not throwing away because you've got veterans in that locker room. And I remember always looking around and when something. Something like this happens and you're not performing and you got the backup quarterback in, then those veterans are going, well, what are we doing as an organization? Because my timeline's ticking and we're only in week four of the season, so we still have plenty of time to go play. But we are going to have to improve in this area if we're going to be competitive at all.

[Bobby Bones]

It seems like it's one of two ways. It's go get a quarterback or sell off players and just throw it all away. But you're right, they paid. Yeah, they. Trey, obviously, but they paid a lot of money for Jamar Chase and T. Higgins, 100%. So it's kind of hard to sell when you just invested so much, they.

[Matt Castle]

Invested so much, but it's. It's hard to sell. Especially Hendricks. They finally brought him back, but you know that by next year, he's going to be a free agent and he's going to be moving on anyway. So can you get draft capital for him and build for the future? But once again, that sends a message to your team that we're throwing the season away and we're only four weeks in. It's really difficult to do that. But if they go out and at least get a quarterback, a competent quarterback that can come in and hold down the fort and make you competitive in these games and get more than 100 and whatever yards they have the last two weeks per game, well, then that gives hope for this team.

[Bobby Bones]

And one final thing on the Bengals, when Amani was here, we were talking about how they get enough games to be able to notice tendencies. And I think now there's enough games on the quarterback of Cincinnati because, you know, obviously, two years ago, he came in and performed really well, wonderfully. Didn't have to play a lot last year because Burrow was healthy. And I think. I think they got him now.

[Matt Castle]

Well, it's. The expectation for him was really high for me after he came in and performed the way that he did in his first outing. And then these last two weeks, they're just out of sync. They can't run the football. There's all these dynamics that come into playing good quarterback play. But when you're surrounded, like you said, by Jamar Chase and T. Higgins, you got to figure out a way to make this thing go. And he hasn't been able to do that. And so that's where all the focal point is going to be.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, you're up. What do you got? What do you want to talk about?

[Matt Castle]

You know, we talked about all these theories of who might do the halftime show, and how about your boy Bad Bunny getting it done? Dude, didn't you guys hang out?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, I mean, we used to go to middle school together.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Back in Puerto Rico.

[Matt Castle]

100%.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

What do you think about that?

[Bobby Bones]

I love it, but I don't think everything has to be for me. I don't know Bad Bunny's music. I'll be honest, I don't know Bad Bunny's music, but I also don't think everything has to be for me. I'm not one of those people that goes, okay, this halftime show doesn't meet every requirement that I personally have. I'm going to be outraged. I Love that the NFL is staying relevant with the halftime show. I think I really like Kendrick. I thought that was great.

[Matt Castle]

Yes. I did, too.

[Bobby Bones]

And the halftime show is something people don't like to praise. They just like to complain about.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, they just bitch.

[Bobby Bones]

The history of it is who can complain the most in the loudest and get the most retweets or shares or.

[Matt Castle]

If it's not the genre that you're used to or you should have thought this. But every time they come out, it's an incredible performance. And I love halftime shows. And any party that you ever go to for a Super bowl party, it's almost the most exciting part of the entire party coming in, and they all sit down to watch the halftime show.

[Bobby Bones]

So I personally am not a bad Bunny guy. I'm way more of a Kendrick guy.

[Matt Castle]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

But I can also understand because I have the capability to go, not everything is made specifically for me, and I don't need to get angry about everything. That's not for me.

[Matt Castle]

And this guy is worldwide.

[Bobby Bones]

I think He's a top 10 streaming.

[Matt Castle]

Artist in the world, 100%.

[Bobby Bones]

And I think it matches to what the NFL is doing internationally.

[Matt Castle]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

So, you know, London, obviously coming up, a lot of the European games, but even, you know, doing what, three more years in South America, like, it makes sense. But aside from that, he's one. He's also Puerto Rico's America.

[Matt Castle]

Right. It's. By the way, if you guys didn't know that Puerto Rico is America.

[Bobby Bones]

Puerto Rico is America. So, yeah, I'm good with it. I'm good with it.

[Matt Castle]

I'm good with it.

[Bobby Bones]

I did a power ranking. So we're going to do top five teams. You can fight me if you want. I'd be curious to know who your number one is, though, because I've already put mine down, so I can't change it. Who is your number one NFL power ranking team of the week?

[Matt Castle]

Give me the list of 32 real quick.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay.

[Matt Castle]

It was Chargers last week until they went in and got beat by the Giants. So I still think they're a really good team.

[Bobby Bones]

They're number six on my list.

[Matt Castle]

Number six. They drop that far.

[Bobby Bones]

They have a loss. And. Yes, Philadelphia. Philadelphia's at 1.

[Matt Castle]

Yes, I'd say Philadelphia. I mean, regardless of how people want to critique the inefficiency at time on the offense, they turn on one half. They turn up. They know how to win ball games. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Inefficiency four and.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, inefficiency four.

[Bobby Bones]

Zero.

[Matt Castle]

If you got to run it 50 times. Look, I've got A.J. brown on the fantasy team. He gets no points.

[Bobby Bones]

He's got 12 catches the whole year.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, my gosh. And I'm sitting there going, come on, babe, we need a heavy hitter. But at the end of the day, this is a team that knows how to win. They play really good defense. If they need to go to the passing attack, they can go to the passing tack. They showed that if they want to run the football, which they haven't done at a high clip this year, but they still have Saquon Barkley back there, and he's at some point going to bust through.

[Bobby Bones]

So Philadelphia number one, you mentioned AJ Brown. Let me ask you a question. So AJ tweets out, basically, hey, I'll paraphrase. Not doing much, so might just give up. Did you see the tweet? I can actually read it to you if you want to hear it. Do you see the tweet?

[Matt Castle]

No.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, even better. Okay. AJ Brown tweeted, if you're not welcome, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene, Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. Now, they've been winning, but he has been known to, even while winning, if he is not being included, to be unhappy. Did you ever have a situation like that in your days, if you're winning, where you're winning but the receiver is just like, you got to give me the ball. Like, I don't care if we're winning or not?

[Matt Castle]

Well, those Alpha wide receivers, those guys that are the top of their game, they want the ball every single game. And I remember, even with DEZ Bryant, DEZ Bryant was a dude that if you didn't get him involved early, he. He would even come over the side. I remember one time in Washington, this was probably the extreme case was we had a blitz zero, which means they're bringing max pressure. And I threw the ball to Beasley in the flat. He crossed. He actually got across the DB's face. While I was anticipating. These guys sit the corner sits with inside leverage when it's blood zero. So I wasn't going to throw the slant, thinking it's a quick, quick game. I don't. I don't think he's going to be able to cross face. Well, he did. He comes over and he's taking off his shoes like, you guys aren't going to throw me the ball. I was like, oh, man, dez, I'm sorry. But then, of course, you got to talk him off the ledge a little bit. He comes back out, he has a Huge catch down the sideline against Washington in that game to set up a field goal to win the game. So he's just one of those guys that you somehow. And the offensive coordinator's got to know as well. We got to design something to get him involved early, give him a little nugget, because if you do that, his competitive nature takes over and then he's a dog the rest of the game. And when I say dog, I mean in a good way. But if you don't get him involved early, it was the same thing with Randy Moss and guys like that. Randy needed to get involved early, but that's why we tried to throw him a slip screen, get them involved in a jet sweep, something to get those guys going because they're just wired different.

[Bobby Bones]

I feel like it would be frustrating as the alpha male that I am, obviously, to run 20 routes and not have a single ball come at me. Like, go and run as hard as you can. Run your route. Nothing comes at you. That will be frustrating.

[Matt Castle]

That'd be frustrating because you're there to catch balls. And also they take a lot of pride in going, blocking in the run game, putting their body out there and going digging out of safety, doing all these things. And then if there's got to be a way to design a play because he doesn't primarily just have to play outside, you can put them at slot. You can put them on different variations to where they can't always just key on him to where you can get him a ball. But that would be frustrating for me as well.

[Bobby Bones]

Number two, Buffalo. Can't argue that.

[Matt Castle]

Can't argue that.

[Bobby Bones]

You could argue that.

[Matt Castle]

You could argue they're one. Sure, I could argue they're one. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So Eagles in the NFC at one. Buffalo, afc.

[Matt Castle]

I agree.

[Bobby Bones]

Two at number three, have the Los Angeles Rams. Their only loss is to Philadelphia and.

[Matt Castle]

They should have won that game. They were kicking the go ahead field goal.

[Bobby Bones]

Fair enough. Yeah, fair enough.

[Matt Castle]

I like the Los Angeles Rams and I like where they're at. And because if Stafford remains healthy, they'll have a chance to go make a deep run and even go back to the Super Bowl. I think that they're young, talented defense. They get after people. But Puka Nukua, he is.

[Bobby Bones]

He's everywhere.

[Matt Castle]

He's unbelievable.

[Bobby Bones]

He's everywhere.

[Matt Castle]

And Sean McVay does a tremendous job of understanding that they can move him around. He's like a chess piece as well. They never keep him stationary in one spot. And so when they're able to move him around he's incredible. He gets up in verse man zone. He just has a great feel for the game.

[Bobby Bones]

You played with Stafford in Detroit?

[Matt Castle]

I did.

[Bobby Bones]

What's he like as the guy?

[Matt Castle]

He's. He's a dude now. Like, he. He has incredible leadership qualities. He's a motivator. He's a guy that does it physically and also. And when I say physically, he plays through anything. You know that if he's not playing, it's because he's absolutely incapable of not playing. And he shows up every day, he works his ass off, but he's always prepared. So he holds people accountable, he makes them better. And he. He's just an incredible quarterback, and I got nothing but respect for him and for the Lions.

[Bobby Bones]

I think we can now stop on, is Dan Campbell the guy? Or. Whereas coordinators, the guys like, it can all work together, and it worked together wonderfully. But Dan Campbell's a guy.

[Matt Castle]

Dan Campbell's the guy. And the way that they're playing, the physicality that they do, they're healthy on defense. They've got everything going for them.

[Bobby Bones]

F5, the Bucks.

[Matt Castle]

I like that. I like that a lot. I mean, they had some injuries, obviously. Mike Evans was out and I think somebody else.

[Bobby Bones]

But look who came back. You have Wurfs and then wide receiver Emeka Abuka. No, Abouka's out, Godwin's back. So it's like two came in. It was like the club, two in, two out. But eventually, when they're whole again, they're going to be even better. And Baker is.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, I love watching that game. Angry, awesome player he is, and how he runs around and just makes plays. His ability to maneuver through a pocket and then break up and the throw to Bucky down the sideline that long, that's all Baker just maneuvering through the pocket, buying time, and then also keeping his eyes downfield. You know how hard that is. The guy is a true competitor, and that team's really good.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, Bucky Irving's awesome.

[Matt Castle]

He's awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, last year, I think, was a bit of a surprise to people that didn't watch him in college, but now this year, he's the guy. And they're splitting. They're platooning that backfield.

[Matt Castle]

Right?

[Bobby Bones]

And he's awesome playing half the. Getting half the carries.

[Matt Castle]

And it's not only can you do it in the run game, but he is such a weapon in the passing game.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, so two final things I want to go to you first, because you did go and you went to the wide out at Penn State this past weekend.

[Matt Castle]

Sure did.

[Bobby Bones]

I need to know what that's like because I've been to some pretty crazy SEC scenes, but what's Penn State like? All white, and they lost, but the game was awesome. Double overtime.

[Matt Castle]

It's probably the most intense, incredible environment that I've ever been to. Playing or just being a part of, you go there. There's 110,000 people. Every single person is dressed in white. And just loud as all can be. You can't hear anything on the field, and the energy is just something that you're like, yeah, let's go. I could get out there and play right now. And then I see how big these guys are, and even in college, I'm like, no, I'm good. It's. It's pretty magical.

[Bobby Bones]

I text Dan Lanning after the game, and I was like. Like, congrats. Because he was fired up.

[Matt Castle]

You think?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, he had me fired up.

[Matt Castle]

He looked like he took something and just was like, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And so I was like, what up? Congrats. Watching you fired me up. And this is how, like, with it and aware that Coach Lanning is. He text me back, thanks, Bobby. Hey, sorry about your razor packs.

[Amani Toomer]

Just right off, right?

[Bobby Bones]

They're in the same message. Like, he was like, hey, man, it's gonna get better. Like, he was. He was consoling me.

[Matt Castle]

How do you not want to play for a guy like that? His just. His energy's contagious. He's motivational, and he just brings it every single time I've ever been around him. And I'm like, I'd want to go to Oregon. They also have an open checkbook through Phil Knight. That's pretty helpful. But at the end of the day, he's. I mean, that program is on the way. This continue to just climb.

[Bobby Bones]

I have the sign in my office, and it's up my head.

[Matt Castle]

Shocker.

[Bobby Bones]

I know. But I didn't make the sign. Oregon football made the sign, and they would hold it up for a formation of my head, you know, when they have everybody's faces or cartoon characters. And so he signed it and mailed it back to me, and now I have it in my office.

[Matt Castle]

Did they ever use it during a game?

[Bobby Bones]

They did. No. It was like the bones formation. It was like big bones. So goal line. When they held my head up, that was big bones. Go in.

[Matt Castle]

That's actually cool that they used it in a real game.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. I took pictures from television to prove to people they actually used this.

[Matt Castle]

They actually used this.

[Bobby Bones]

Look at this.

[Matt Castle]

And it's goal line. We're going to get down there, we're going to be physical, tough, get into the end zone. Love it.

[Bobby Bones]

So in my office, when you see my big old head, it wasn't me who did that. It was Coach Lanning.

[Matt Castle]

I'll have to ask Lanning when I see him if you actually made that yourself.

[Bobby Bones]

From the NFL offices. Matt Castle Kickoff Kevin Brandon Ray, I'm Bobby Bones. We've had lots to say. Thanks to Imani Toomer for coming by. We will see you guys next week.

[Amani Toomer]

All right, bye, everybody.

[Matt Castle]

Foreign.

[Bobby Bones]

Lots to say With Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcasts. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amani Toomer]

Get almost anything you need delivered with UberEats. What do we mean by almost?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, you can't get a well groomed.

[Amani Toomer]

Lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parmesan delivered.

[Matt Castle]

A little escape? No.

[Bobby Bones]

A delicious bowl of grapes? Yes. Yes, that.

[Amani Toomer]

An afternoon stroll?

[Matt Castle]

Sorry, no.

[Amani Toomer]

A burrito bowl? Happily, yes.

[Bobby Bones]

A day of sunshine?

[Matt Castle]

No.

[Amani Toomer]

A box of fine wines? Yes. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats.

[Bobby Bones]

Order now. Alcohol in select markets.

[Amani Toomer]

Product availability may vary by region. See app for details.

[Drew Franklin]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm.

[Matt Jones]

Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[Drew Franklin]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that?

[Matt Jones]

Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining and twice a week that is exactly what you're gonna get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Greg Rosenthal]

The NFL is rolling. That's right, and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 60. It's in the name NFL Daily, so you'll have fresh content in your feed all season long. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, in an all star cast of co hosts for previews and recaps of every single game. NFL Daily will keep you up to date with everything you need to know so you can sound smarter than all your friends. Listen to NFL, NFL Daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Matt Castle]

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Ends 2826 open to legal residents of the 50 US states and DC 18 and over. For complete details, how to enter prizes and official rules. Visit toyotasgamedaygiveaways.com this is an iHeart podcast.