Lots to Say: Super Bowl Champion Ryan Succop

Summary

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The Bobby Bones Show – “Lots to Say”: Super Bowl Champion Ryan Succop

Date: October 15, 2025
Host: Bobby Bones, with Matt Cassel
Guest: Ryan Succop (NFL Placekicker, Super Bowl Champion)

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Overview

This lively episode features Ryan Succop, veteran NFL kicker, Super Bowl Champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and “Mr. Irrelevant” from the 2009 NFL Draft. Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel (Succop’s former teammate) explore Succop’s unique path through football, including his underdog draft status, pressures of kicking in high-stakes moments, life after football, and hilarious behind-the-scenes locker room stories. The conversation is genuine, humorous, and candid—shedding light on what it means to be a kicker in the NFL and a competitor far beyond the field.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ryan Succop’s NFL Journey & Mr. Irrelevant Experience

• Drafted as Mr. Irrelevant:

  • Succop recalls not understanding the “Mr. Irrelevant” tradition at first, but learning quickly as he was “the very last pick of the seventh round.”
  • The Newport Beach “celebration” is more like a roast:

    “I'm already a place kicker. My last name’s Succop…like, they didn't need any more ammunition.” (07:01)

  • Embarrassing parade entrance in a tiny canoe, full headdress, in front of hundreds:

    “I’m coming up into the beach in a canoe. It was really embarrassing.” (07:01–07:44)

• Draft vs. Free Agency:

  • Succop sometimes wondered if it would have been better to go undrafted so he could choose his team, but appreciated the underdog status.

    “America loves the underdog…anytime they hear Mr. Irrelevant…they wanna cheer.” (08:12)

• Weighing Opportunities:

  • Considered location and roster needs when teams called as the draft wound down:

    “You’re kind of sizing up…what’s their kicker situation look like?...You’re 21, 22, just trying to guess.” (09:18)

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2. Career-defining Highs and Challenges: Pressure & Recovery

• Super Bowl Season and the Pressure to Perform

  • Succop was cut by the Titans after a knee injury, unsure of his football future. He landed with Tampa Bay just before the season—and they promptly went on a run to win the Super Bowl.

    “I got cut in the 2019 season in Tennessee…sure enough, end up in Tampa, two weeks before the season started…that’s the year we won the Super Bowl.” (03:00)

  • Playing with Tom Brady heightened expectations:

    “I saw the way Tom was working…you don’t want to disappoint your dad. I didn’t want to be the reason we lost a game.” (04:03)

• Playoff Perfection & “Prove-it” Year:

  • Succop didn’t miss a single kick (field goal or PAT) during the playoff run:

    “It certainly was pressure, Cass, for sure…but it made you better.” (04:03)

• Comeback from Injury:

  • Challenging mental and physical hurdles after knee surgery.

    “I had the worst game of my career…just wasn’t where I needed to be. That was how I ended up in Tampa…was like, ‘can I still do this?’” (44:06)

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3. Athletic Background & Multi-Sport Foundation

• High School Standout – But Not in Football at First

  • Soccer, basketball, baseball, golf—only ended up playing football after persistent requests from soccer coach and trying out days before the first game:

    “I played everything except football. I played…basketball, baseball, soccer, golf…My soccer coach made me try out…week of the first game.” (10:08–10:57)

  • Managed soccer and football simultaneously, usually just one football practice a week.

• Golf and Soccer Recruitment:

  • Succop was an all-state soccer player and had college golf opportunities:

    “I had some chances to play college golf…My wife would sit me down like, ‘Ryan, don’t you dare…you are in the NFL!’” (13:04)

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4. Kicking: Art, Science & Psychology

• Kicking & Golf – Parallel Mindsets

  “Kicking, golf—you’re out there on an island. It’s an individual sport…There’s a lot that goes together mechanically, too, with rotation and timing.” (19:22)

• Pressure & Resilience:

  “What’s going to determine how long you play is how do you respond after the missed kick.” (20:24) “You have to go out there with the mentality of: I’m not allowing [a miss] to affect my mentality on the next kick.” (20:24)

• Superstitions:

  “I know a lot of guys were superstitious…that never—I was never that way. I’d just say a little prayer before the game.” (50:59)

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5. Game Day, Weather, and the Kicker’s Unique Experience

• Kicking in the Cold:

  • Kansas City’s frozen fields, no heating coils, “rock-hard” footballs in December:

    “You’d have to figure out what kind of plant shoe to wear…kicking a ball that is a rock…” (22:21)

  • Staying warm on the sideline:

    “I’d go get one of those big parka jackets…stand right in front of the heater.” (23:26)

• Make or Break Moments:

  • Thrill of the fourth quarter game-winner:

    “That’s probably the one thing I miss…It’s a rush I haven’t been able to replicate anywhere else.” (24:54)

• Famous Game-Winning Kick:

  “Coldest game in Arrowhead history…had a 53 yarder with no time left to beat [the Chiefs]…just the perfect one, man.” (26:09)

• Icing the Kicker:

  • Prefers being “iced”—more time to prepare:

    “It allowed me time to go out and visualize…wasn’t going to make me more nervous.” (27:24)

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6. Locker Room Life & Pranks

• Mountain Lion Hoax (Kansas City):

  • Succop and Dustin Colquitt pranked teammates with a mountain lion photo from a random trail cam, sparking real alarm and eventually making local news:

    “They opened up sports talk radio like, ‘If things aren’t bad enough in the locker room, now there’s a mountain lion roaming Arrowhead Stadium…’” (34:28)

  • Even had to clarify with the Department of Wildlife.

    “That was probably one of my prouder pranks.” (36:19)

• Locker Room Culture:

  “There’s nothing like the locker room…doing it with your boys, you’re working hard together…especially on an away game, game-winner…just can’t really create that anywhere else.” (29:06)

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7. Life After Football: Golf, Competition & Identity

• Post-NFL Competition – Celebrity Tour:

  • Competes in a new pro athlete golf series with other former athletes (e.g. Tony Romo, Marty Fish, Joe Pavelski, Greg Maddux).

    “It’s like a true tour…if you play well enough, you qualify for the final event…guys are grinding, we’re trying to win.” (14:48)

• Golf Handicap:

  “I’m probably about a plus two and a half right now.” (14:35)

• The Need for Competition:

  “It gives you something to chase…scratches that competitive itch.” (16:48)

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8. Fun & Memorable Moments

• Steve Spurrier Golf Story (South Carolina):

  • Coach Spurrier lured him to campus with a challenge to beat him in golf, then ultimately defeated Succop in their match on Spurrier’s 63rd birthday.

    “He beats me…he was competitive, great player…that was cool to get to play with him.” (31:29)

• On Being a Kicker in Football Culture:

  “We think of kickers unfairly as the least athletic…most kickers I know were dominant athletes until they got to college.” (09:47)

• Kicker Stereotypes and Respect:

  “A lot of times you only get credit when you have a game-winning kick…otherwise, that damn kicker got one job.” (28:49)

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9. Specialist Life, Kicking Science & Changes in the Game

• Evolution of Kicking, Equipment, and Rules:

  • Modern preparation means better-trained, younger kickers, and improved equipment:

    “The guys coming up, they’re better athletes. The NFL just switched the rule this year…kickers now get to break in all 60 balls all season instead of six new ones right before the game.” (48:16)

• Blocked Fields Goals – Who’s at Fault?

  “My mentality was always hey, it’s on me. I wanted my linemen to know I appreciate them…last thing you ever want is to blame those guys.” (52:21)

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Notable Quotes

• “NFL…we always say doesn’t stand for National Football League, but ‘not for long.’” —Ryan Succop (03:00)
• “America loves the underdog…any time they hear ‘Mr. Irrelevant’…they wanna cheer.” —Ryan Succop (08:12)
• “Your heart rate gets up too high…you have to stay steady through big moments.” —Ryan Succop (24:54)
• “If you can be that guy…they can count on you, you can stick around a long time. But…it does not take much, one or two games, and…they’re moving on.” —Ryan Succop (45:10)
• “That was probably one of my prouder pranks.” —Ryan Succop (36:19) (about the mountain lion hoax)
• “There’s nothing like the locker room…getting to celebrate with your boys.” —Ryan Succop (29:06)
• “If there was one person I’d let marry my daughters…not at your age…but the type of person, it’s Ryan Succop.” —Matt Cassel (55:30)

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Timestamped Segment Highlights

| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|-----------| | 01:21 | Matt Cassel introduces Ryan Succop and his career highlights | | 03:00 | Succop recounts getting cut from the Titans and joining the Bucs before the Super Bowl win | | 04:03 | Discussing pressure of a “prove-it” year and playing alongside Tom Brady | | 07:01 | Hilarious Mr. Irrelevant parade story | | 10:08 | How Succop, a multi-sport athlete, stumbled into kicking days before his first game | | 14:35 | Succop reveals his golf handicap (plus 2.5) and talks about the pro athlete golf series | | 19:22 | Similarities between golf and kicking, the mental side of both | | 24:54 | Succop describes the unique adrenaline of the game-winning kick | | 26:09 | Most memorable game-winner: 53-yarder vs. the Chiefs in subzero Kansas City | | 27:24 | Thoughts on “icing” the kicker; says it can be helpful to refocus | | 34:28 | Detailed mountain lion locker room prank story and its fallout | | 38:46 | Playing in the cold: “Cold is cold, you do not get used to it.” | | 41:03 | Tom Brady story about sharing treatment time and personal humility | | 44:06 | Struggles returning from injury; worst game of career after surgery | | 45:10 | Explaining the pressure that comes from being one of just 32 NFL kickers | | 48:16 | How rule changes and better equipment have led to longer kicks in the NFL | | 50:59 | Superstitions: Succop’s routine before games (prayer, no quirky superstitions) | | 52:21 | Who’s to blame on blocked field goals? Succop says: “It’s on me.” | | 55:30 | Matt Cassel showers Succop with praise for his playing ability and character |

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Tone and Style

The tone throughout is playful, friendly, and honest. Bobby, Matt, and Ryan balance NFL insight with personal anecdotes, self-deprecating humor, and a warmth that highlights their genuine camaraderie. The banter is natural and easygoing, punctuated by moments of heartfelt respect and reflection, especially when discussing high-pressure situations, locker room culture, and life transitions.

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For New Listeners

This episode gives a behind-the-scenes look at the mental and physical demands placed on NFL specialists, explores what it’s like to be an underdog turned champion, and reminds us that professional athletes—especially kickers—are far more than their snap-through-the-goal stats. Fans will enjoy the stories, laughs, and humility of a man who’s kicked through the highs and lows of the most pressure-filled position in football.

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Transcript

[Bobby Bones]

This is an iHeart podcast. Lots 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?

[Ryan Succop]

We're glad you're here and we hope you stay.

[Bobby Bones]

Cause we got lots to say. Yeah, we got lots to say. Now here's Bobby.

[Ryan Succop]

And welcome.

[Matt Castle]

Welcome.

[Bobby Bones]

We did two episodes this week, so if you're just hearing this one, go back and hear the prequel. That's what we call it.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, the prequel.

[Bobby Bones]

The prequel. It's way before Jar Jar Binks. This is the one with Jar Jar Binks, the sequel. That's Matt Castle. I'm Bobby Bones. Glad you're here. We are gonna talk to. Well, you already set him up. I don't need to set him up. So we'll just go to the interview now. This was awesome. And it was. It was a good one. Have we had bad ones?

[Matt Castle]

I don't think we've.

[Bobby Bones]

We've had weird ones.

[Matt Castle]

Weird.

[Bobby Bones]

But if they're all. Only if they're like, not FaceTime, Zoom. And there's like a weird connection.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. There's a pause here and there. They can be just kind of.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, here we go with Brian. Suck up. All right, so this is your friend?

[Matt Castle]

Oh, yes, he is my friend. At least most days you'll claim me.

[Bobby Bones]

You can introduce him then.

[Matt Castle]

All right, today we've got Ryan suck up, 14 year NFL vet. He also is a Super bowl winning place kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We are teammates for six years. An extraordinary human, a great golfer, a great kicker, and we're happy to have you here today. Ryan, thanks for coming, bud.

[Ryan Succop]

Oh, man, thanks for coming.

[Bobby Bones]

That's the best intro he's ever given anybody.

[Matt Castle]

But I didn't even mention. Wait until you hear this voice. I mean, he could do.

[Bobby Bones]

He sounds like Josh Turner a little bit.

[Matt Castle]

I mean, it's just. It's just this beautiful voice that you could read children's books to.

[Ryan Succop]

Can y' all make sure my wife listens to this?

[Bobby Bones]

Do you sing?

[Ryan Succop]

I would. I would love to be able to sing. That would. So when I was in Tampa, I would fly home every. We'd play on Sunday, obviously. I'd go to the team meeting Monday morning. I would catch a 12 o' clock Southwest flight from Nashville to Tampa every week to come see my kids, come home for a day. I'd be home 24 hours, fly back, practice, and without fail, you sit on a Southwest flight and they see you going to Nashville. You sit down, you talk to somebody random, and within five minutes they'd be like, oh, man. Like, are you. Are you a singer?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Succop]

Gosh, I. I wish. I. I cannot carry a tune at all. I wish I could, but they only.

[Bobby Bones]

Get a bass voice. Well, like, you'd be like the.

[Ryan Succop]

Well, I would need a lot of. I'd need a lot of work.

[Bobby Bones]

Then you went to the super bowl champion with the Bucks?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Who's your coach?

[Ryan Succop]

Bruce Arians. Won it with Bruce Arians.

[Bobby Bones]

So wait, did you went with Brady?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, damn.

[Matt Castle]

He was there, dude.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, we're big Brady fans. We don't like Brady's backups around here, but we're big Brady fans.

[Matt Castle]

That's true.

[Ryan Succop]

Backups are a different story. But Tommy's awesome, man.

[Bobby Bones]

So how many years were you with the Bucks before that season?

[Ryan Succop]

Oh, see, that's a great question. I timed it right, so I got cut. I played for the Titans. I was just finished my sixth year with Tennessee. It actually is a pretty cool story, man. I. I had surgery on my kicking knee that season. Just didn't come back from the surgery the way I wanted to. NFL, we always say, doesn't stand for National Football League. We say it stands for not for long. Right. Like they're always trying to find somebody young or somebody that can do it better than you. I get cut at the end of that season and my wife and I, she was like, gosh, I can't believe they'd cut you, man. You've been, you know, you'd had a nice run here, and you get hurt one time and they. They move on from you. And so anyway, I got cut in the 2019 season in Tennessee. Sure enough end up in Tampa two weeks before the season started. And that's the year that we won the Super Bowl.

[Bobby Bones]

That's crazy.

[Ryan Succop]

It worked out really well. It was good.

[Bobby Bones]

Pretty.

[Ryan Succop]

Pretty cool how it happened.

[Matt Castle]

We'll talk about that year too, because that was a year you got picked up on a one year deal and it's a make or break year for you. And you go out and you ball out, right? You don't miss a field goal or a field goal attempt or a pat during the entire playoff run. And it was an incredible run. But also just talk about the pressures going into that season, knowing, hey, I got to go out and perform.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, it was that. That was. Certainly was pressure cast for sure. And you know how that is in the NFL when you're on a one year deal. It's a prove it year for you. You want to keep playing. But I'll tell you what was kind of unique about that year was when I. Before I signed there, I was even a little nervous about signing because I was like, man, like, I hope I'm healthy. You kind of have. You kind of play that game where you have some doubts, and you're like, man, I think I'm recovered, but I haven't done this in six months. Like, and with Tom and that team, all the games were prime time games. You were always on the national spotlight, and so it kind of. It kind of made you better because it was like you were the pressure of it. I think guys, some guys either, you know, you can go one or do one or two things when pressure happens. And for me, I think it really helped just increase my focus. I did not want to be the guy. Like, I saw the way that Tom was working. I saw the way that he was practicing every day. And it was kind of like, your dad, like, you don't want to disappoint your dad. That was kind of how I took it. And I was like, dude, this guy's busting his tail. Like, I don't want to be the reason that we don't win a game. And so for me, man, it was a blessing. Had a great season. Obviously, the team had an amazing year, and that was really special to be a part of that year.

[Bobby Bones]

When did you two start to play together?

[Matt Castle]

Actually, it was my first year in Kansas City, and it was your first year in the league. You got drafted by Kansas City that year as Mr. Irrelevant.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Talk to us a little bit about being Mr. Relevant, because it's a pretty big deal. Did you understand what that meant when you got drafted?

[Ryan Succop]

No.

[Matt Castle]

Last in the draft.

[Ryan Succop]

I didn't know anything about it when I got drafted. Then within, like, 10 minutes, I learned a lot about it. So they. Obviously, I was. I was the very last pick of the seventh round. Mr. Relevant had to, you know, very last guy picked. Well, they have a whole week for you to celebrate you out in Newport Beach, California, out by, you know, your neighborhoods, gas. And what I learned about it is that they actually, I say celebrate you. It's really to kind of roast you and toast you. And the. The problem is I'm already a place kicker. My last name suck up. Like, they didn't need any more ammunition, and I'm just, like, giving them layups. And so anyway, I mean, it was an awesome week. It was an embarrassing week. They have a parade for you out at the Newport Beach Yacht Club. You'll like, this podcast. I don't know how much time we have, but I have all the time spread out. So I literally. They have a. The whole town of Newport beach gets behind this thing. And so I'm sitting on a. They're like, hey, we're going to take you down to the Balboa Yacht Club and we're going to bring you in on a boat, and everybody's waiting for you at the beach. And I'm like, this is awesome. Like, I love this NFL thing. Well, what I don't know is that we're walking past all these, like, beautiful yachts, these beautiful sailboats, and we keep walking past them. I'm like, which one are we getting on? And we. And we. We pass all of them, and we go out to the end of the dock and. And I see this little dude in a little canoe with a, like, 5 horsepower Johnson handheld engine on the back of it. And I hear him coming around the yacht club and kind of like that, right? And I'm like, wait, I'm getting on that, aren't I? And they're like, that's yours. And so, because I was drafted by the Chiefs, they say, hey, canoe, I had to. You probably couldn't do this nowadays. I had the headdress on the whole thing, and that was my grand entrance into the end of the beach. And there's, like a thousand people there. And here I am coming up into the beach in a canoe. It was really embarrassing.

[Bobby Bones]

But do you have to go to that?

[Ryan Succop]

You have to go. It's mandated by the league, so if you're Mr. Relevant.

[Matt Castle]

I didn't know that.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, it's put on by the league. And I remember. I remember, like, going into Todd Haley's office, and I'm like, hey, like. Because it's during OTAs, and I'm like, the low man. I mean, I'm literally. I'm a. The last pick of the seventh round. There's already another kicker there. Like, I'm scrapping and clawing. It's no guarantee that I'm going to make the team. And I'm like, hey, like, I know you're probably aware of this. Like, I'm not going to be here next week because I. I got to go to a relevant week. And that's, like, not the thing that you really want to go to. Like, can you imagine Todd, of all people? Yeah, I didn't really go tell my head coach that. But thankfully, like, he's like, no, we know. It's. It's mandated by the league. You got to do it, like, have fun. And it was. It was interesting. It was a good week.

[Bobby Bones]

I can't believe that feels like there's. That. You get like a. A golden raspberry or whatever that thing is in Hollywood if your movie sucks. And sometimes they go, and sometimes they don't.

[Ryan Succop]

If you.

[Bobby Bones]

I figured that was like that. Like, if you had the extra time and you were near, you just swung by.

[Matt Castle]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

I can't believe the league makes you go.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, it's mandated by league. You got to go.

[Bobby Bones]

So would you just rather not been drafted? Not about Mr. Irrelevant and that in that whole pad, the pageantry of that amazing event, but would you have rather not been drafted in general so you could have picked your spot?

[Ryan Succop]

Okay, great question. So there's an argument to be made for that. And I actually remember kind of as the later round, like, in the. As the seventh round was going on, I had teams call and like, hey, we're probably not going to draft you, but we want to sign you as a undrafted free agent. And I remember, like, being kind of nervous because I'm like, man, I've got three or four teams that are all good options. I don't really know what I'm doing. I got to make a decision. So for me, it was kind of a relief when they called because it was like, all right, I don't have to make the decision, which was great. And it. You know, it really did work out. I mean, it was. It was a great opportunity. I never would have met this guy over here if I didn't. Didn't end up in Kansas City. And. And more than that, I think it was. It was kind of neat because whether you really are an underdog or not, like, I feel like America loves the underdog. And so anytime they hear the name, like, Mr. Irrelevant, people are kind of like, oh, this guy. You know, they kind of want to cheer. They kind of want to pull for the underdog. So it was. It was a cool experience and something that I. I'm really. I'm grateful for it. It was cool.

[Matt Castle]

Of those teams that called, because as a kicker, I'm sure that you're looking and evaluating everything, including environment, because Kansas City get. Yeah, right. It's windy all the time. It gets cold later in the year. Was that something that would have factored in your decision for going somewhere else as a free agent?

[Bobby Bones]

Dome.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. Hell, yeah. Give me a dome.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, Dome domes are nice. Yeah, I think. I think it would have. At the same time, I was also looking at it like, hey, where do I have the best chance to make the team? You're kind of looking. Hey, you're kind of sizing up, hey, who? What's their kicker kicking situation look like? And you don't really know because you're a college kid, you're 21, 22 years old, and you're kind of trying to guess it the best you can. But, yeah, I mean, I think if you. Sometimes there's an argument to be made if you're undrafted, you kind of have that decision, and maybe you can go somewhere that's a better fit for you.

[Bobby Bones]

We think of kickers unfairly as the least athletic person on the team, but most kickers that I know were, like, dominant athletes until they got to college and they had to just focus on kicking. What were your senior year of high school and you played football? What position did you play?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, so I only kicked.

[Bobby Bones]

No way.

[Matt Castle]

Talk about when the coach came back and got you and you. Because you weren't going to play football, right?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah. So fair enough. So I. People ask, they're always like, hey, how'd you get into football? And honestly, I. I played everything except football. So I played. Growing up, I loved. I played basketball, I played baseball, I played soccer, and I played golf, and those are kind of sports I loved. And my freshman year, high school, I was in north. I grew up in North Carolina, and football and soccer were both in the fall. And so I'm trying out for the soccer team, and I'm, you know, whatever. I'm going to make the soccer team. And soccer coaches, like, all summer. He's like, man, you got to go kick for the football team. And I kept telling him no. I was like, look, I'm not. I said, look, I'm playing soccer now. I'm going to play basketball in the winter, and then I've got baseball and gol in the spring.

[Bobby Bones]

But you were a super athlete.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, stud.

[Ryan Succop]

Well, I don't know about that, but I. I loved playing sports. I don't know how good I was, but I love playing. And. And finally, the week of the first game, he made me go to the first football practice. So I went to my first football practice.

[Bobby Bones]

The week of the first game?

[Ryan Succop]

Yes, I went to. I went to my first practice on Tuesday, and they were like, hey, this looks great. And I had never played football before. I had kind of messed around doing it with my friends, like, in the backyard, so I kind of knew what I was doing. And I. I'll never forget. We had a soccer game Wednesday. We had soccer game Thursday. I go to the football game Friday. We played at eas. It was an away game. I get to my locker, like, two hours before the game. I have no idea. This is when you had to wear the girdle with the hip pads, the butt pads, the th. I literally am, like, asking one of my buddies. I'm like, dude, where's all this go? Like, I've never done this.

[Bobby Bones]

How do you snap this in 100%?

[Ryan Succop]

I never put pads on. And we won that game. Seven nothing. I had one extra point, and that's how we. That's how we got into it.

[Bobby Bones]

You never practiced until the first week of the first game.

[Ryan Succop]

That was the first time I went to football.

[Bobby Bones]

Was it weird to kick that shape?

[Ryan Succop]

Not really. Like, I think soccer definitely helped. Having a soccer background, kind of. I would mess around and do it on the side with friends and that type of thing, but I had, like, absolutely not done it any. At any, like, organized level. So that's how I fell into it.

[Matt Castle]

So you played soccer that entire season while football season's going on, you just basically went to a practice or so and then went out and played on the weekends?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, on Friday nights, yeah, I would go to. If I was lucky, I would get like, one football practice a week because we'd have soccer games Mondays and Wednesdays.

[Matt Castle]

Awesome.

[Ryan Succop]

So usually. Usually I'd go to the Tuesday football practice, and that was. And then I'd show up on Fridays.

[Bobby Bones]

When did you become really good your senior year to where you thought. And maybe you never knew because you didn't play enough to know actually what was really good. It's not like you'd been around a bunch of other football kickers. When did it start to happen where people were going, hey, you're good enough to actually play outside of high school?

[Ryan Succop]

Honestly, probably after, like, my freshman year, I think I kind of. I kind of realized, like, hey, God's kind of give me a little gift to do this, and maybe I should, you know, really try to refine this and perfect this a little bit. And I think I started going to maybe a camp or two. That guy after my freshman year, went to a couple camps and kind of thought, okay, if I, I, you know, if I work at this, maybe I could be pretty good at it. So I would say that was when I kind of realized.

[Matt Castle]

Was there ever a decision to be made to continue to play soccer because you were an all state soccer player for what, three years?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

You were a really good, really good soccer player. Not just like, A guy that went out and I'm, I'm good at soccer. I'm not great, but he was a great soccer player. Were you getting recruited for soccer as well?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, I had some, I had some chances to play soccer in college, and I, I, I was, I could have played somewhere small for soccer, but probably not. Definitely not football. But the one that, the one that haunts me is I love to play golf. And I had some chances to play college golf. And even, like my first couple years out of the league, I'd be, We would, we would go back to Charleston, South Carolina, off season, and we didn't have kids yet, and I'd be playing golf four or five days a week, and I, I would, I would start being like, man, I wonder if I should have done this. And my wife would sit me down and like, Ryan, don't you think about it. Don't you dare. You are in the NFL. You are not going to go try to be a golfer. And. But that's the one that always look back on because I just, it's probably because I just love the game so much, but that's the one I always look back on and wonder, were you.

[Bobby Bones]

A soccer, Were you a striker?

[Ryan Succop]

I played center mid. Yeah, I played center mid and forward in soccer.

[Bobby Bones]

So you were also kicking the ball?

[Ryan Succop]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

That's wild.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

That football just kind of happened.

[Ryan Succop]

Yep.

[Bobby Bones]

And then it became your thing. I think of J.R. smith, though. Like, you know, he played in the NBA, then went back and played college golf.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, at like 35 years old. Yeah, we were. When you walked in. Most people don't notice that the set that we shoot this on is actually a big golf simulator. And there's a huge screen behind us, and it just actually turned into a really cool place that we could shoot the show. And you said it almost immediately. And I was like, oh, you must play golf a lot. And Castle's asking me your hand. Then you start. A good golfer, like, doesn't want to say he's good. That's like the general.

[Matt Castle]

That's exactly right.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. If anybody's ever like, I'm good at golf and he's modest. Yeah, I know they're not good at golf if they say they're good at golf. But you kind of, you know, hemmed and hawed about it. What, what is, what's your handicap?

[Ryan Succop]

Oh, man, I'll probably about a plus two and a half right now. You're a plus plus two and a half.

[Matt Castle]

And, and he just got, he just Got a coach to help him refine his swing at a plus two and a half.

[Bobby Bones]

Refine what?

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, exactly.

[Ryan Succop]

Hey, so interesting enough, you said J R Smith just a minute ago and actually I think it's this hat I'm wearing. In the past year, there's a group that's gotten together and they've started a. A golf tour for current and former professional athletes. So we've had three tournaments so far, roughly 25 NBA guys, 25 NHL, 25 MLB and 25 NFL. And J.R. smith is one of the guys that plays. And it's been really cool. We're this. Coming up in 26, we're going to have a full tour, six events. If you play well enough on, you know, in the events you are high enough on the money list, you'll qualify for a seventh event and then an eighth final event. So it's going to be like a true tour and guys like JR that are really good players, we're all kind of grinding and that's where I'm at. I've played in a couple of dreams come true. It's a dream come true, man. I'm so fired up about it. And there's guys like, I love to play, but there's guys that are better than I am, and so it's like I'm chasing them. And that's why you played like Marty Fish at all. Yeah, so Marty played. He, he finished in the top five. We just had an event in Alabama like a month ago. Marty was in the top five. Joe Pavelski, the hockey player. 1. Tony Romo's really good. Matt Ryan's really good. Mark Mulder, the pitcher, Greg Maddox, John Smoltz, all those guys playing. There's small.

[Bobby Bones]

Sounds like a small course in his. At his house.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Succop]

So smoking the back. Scholz is actually. He's the commissioner for the year. He's the commissioner of the league, of course. And he is, you know, he really is. And he's doing an awesome job. He's putting so much energy into it. And guys like me, we're like all fired up because it gives us something to chase. And so we're, you know, we're.

[Matt Castle]

Plus, you can win money, can't you?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, there's. Yeah, there's. There's a prize. Each tournament has like a. Has a decent, decent purse.

[Bobby Bones]

You put your own money in. No, like a cash game. That's because you're all rich. So that was like a big, Just a big cash game you call a tournament.

[Ryan Succop]

No. Yeah, actually, no. This is like they've got some sponsorship behind it. They've got some companies behind it. We're hoping that it gets picked up on, you know, one of the networks here in the next year or two. We'll see what happens there. But yeah, it's, it's. There's actually like a pretty decent person. Guys are, we're grinding, man. We're trying to, we're trying to win. That's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

And it probably scratches that itch to that, the competitive itch.

[Ryan Succop]

100. That's like, for me, it just gives you something to work. Like literally yesterday I was out at the golf club of Tennessee working with Brian Lackey, working with, you know, swing coach out there. Like, I'm trying to get better. So it's, it's fun.

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[Ryan Succop]

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[Matt Castle]

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[Matt Castle]

Okay, so talk about you have that golf background and it takes a certain mentality of focus and everything like that. And you have such a specialized position, kicking the football and big time moments. Do you think that there was any carryover from that background of playing golf and then the position that you played in the pros?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, I think so. I think kicking golf, you're kind of out there on an island by yourself. Like when you're playing golf, it's an individual sport. Kicking obviously is a, I mean, football obviously is a team sport. But at the same time, like, what I do is very, like, if I make a kick or miss a kick, it's 99% of the time it's on me. And you kind of have to be able to deal with that, right? Like the pressure that comes with it. And so for me, I think they, they definitely go together. Believe it or not, a lot of the, a lot of the lessons I learned, you know, mechanically kicking a football, kind of relate to hitting a golf ball, the timing of it, the rotation. There's a lot of things that sort of go together where, you know, I think I look at a lot of these golfers that are really good that are playing in our events. A lot of them are kickers, quarterbacks, pitchers. Guys are like those rotational athletes that are used to timing it up. And I don't know, I think it definitely goes together.

[Bobby Bones]

What about guys who psychologically have to be able to forget the last shot or the last kick because you can't have it affect the next shot or the next kick. Like, I hear the similarities, like in your brain as much as I do anything mechanically.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I had a coach my rookie year in Kansas City and he was like, hey, like, if you kick long enough in the league, you're going to, you're going to have some valley moments and like you're going to miss kicks. But what's going to determine how long you play is how do you respond after the miss kick. And so like, you're exactly right. It's sometimes when you miss one, it's really easy to like fall into that pit. Man, what did I do wrong? Overthink it over correct and then it affects the next one. So that's something where you have to, I've learned like, hey, you trust your technique, you trust your preparation, and sometimes you're going to miss, but you have to go out there with the mentality of, like, hey, I'm not. I'm not allowing that to affect my mentality on the. On the next kick.

[Matt Castle]

I mean, your rookie year, didn't you set the NFL record for most kicks made by a rookie of any franchise in any. In the history of the NFL? I mean, it's pretty good deal. How about this? We're third. I think it was the third week of the season, we're in Washington. We needed to rely on this guy. I think he had five field goals in that game. We actually ended up getting the win. And so after the game, they come over to interview me. I don't know why they should have been interviewing him. And. And for whatever reason, I have just a complete brain fart. And they're like, like, so talk about your kicker. I was like, yeah, Ryan Suck off did a great job. I literally called him Ryan Suck off three times. And he comes up to me, hey, Cass, it's Suck Up. And I was like, son of a gun, dude. I'm so sorry.

[Ryan Succop]

Well, it is true. And what's funny is one of my best buds growing up, his grandfather, who was like 85 years old, he would call me this. He'd be like, hey, how's Suck off doing? How's it.

[Matt Castle]

You know.

[Ryan Succop]

And so, like, it wasn't the first time I'd heard it, but it was a little more embarrassing when your starting quarterback says it to the media not once, but three times. So there wasn't a lot of.

[Matt Castle]

There wasn't a lot of interaction, let's be honest. Because this. They call themselves the specialist, right? It's usually the punter, the place kicker, and then their snapper. They kind of do their own thing.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

And you don't. Like, we don't spend a lot of time in meetings together or anything like that. So early in the season, Ryan's there, and of course, I know who Ryan is, but then all of a sudden, the moment came to say his name correctly, and I was like, I kind of know how to say it, but I'm just going to go with Suck Off.

[Ryan Succop]

Yep. Suck Off. Suck Off.

[Bobby Bones]

It is when you get to Kansas City and it gets cold. Did things change with how you prepare? Like, it gets cold at a certain time of the year, not just the city, but you get like, November starts to.

[Matt Castle]

So it's cool.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, it does. It gets cold out there. Yeah. I think the hard part is, like, a lot of times that field out there would kind of stay frozen. Like, you get into December because they didn't at the time, I think they've changed it now, but they didn't have like the heating coils under the field. So you would go out and you'd have to like try to figure out what kind of plant shoe to wear because the field is literally frozen. So that was always like the hardest thing. And then obviously you're kicking a ball that is a rock. That doesn't help. You get no compression when your foot hits it. So it's definitely more challenging. But thankfully those heaters on the sideline are pretty nice, Cass. And they.

[Matt Castle]

Well, let's be honest too you, the kickers don't wear anything, right? They're always. It looks like they're wearing shorts because light, lighter, they're not going to put a bunch of pads or anything in there. So I can only imagine how cold you get because you might kick once in the first quarter and it might not be until the biggest kick of the game in the fourth quarter that they're asking you to come back in. How do you stay warm in the. During those moments you're just sitting by the heater. I see you kicking all the time on the sideline.

[Ryan Succop]

I don't know what's going through your mind. No, I would, I would definitely have one of those big, the big parka jackets. You know, those things would keep you on. I'd go get one of those and stand right in front of the heater and just open it up and just take all the, all the flame from those heaters which was, which actually worked. And then just try to keep moving because you're right, Cass. It's like, man, you may have a kick in the first quarter and then you may not be up till the third or fourth quarter. So you got to stay in the game, you know, obviously mentally, but physically as well.

[Bobby Bones]

So if you miss like a 28 yarder, do you feel like a loser?

[Ryan Succop]

I've had some, yeah, I've had some bad self self talk over the years. You know, you miss a short one, it's. You can be hard on yourself for sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Like what would be the reason you had missed a short one?

[Ryan Succop]

Honestly, most of the time probably like a lack of concentration. Just not like I would, I remember I would always be the. If I had a pregame where I didn't miss in pre game. Like you go out and hit 20 in a row and hit them perfect. Those are the games that would sneak up on you and you'd miss one in the game. Likewise, like the Washington game, the one you're talking about. Matt that went well for us. I remember I had like a terrible pregame. I was missing kicks left and right and then it was like, oh man, I better lock in. Like, I better lock in and then you out and have a great game. So I think on a short one, I think it's just like a discipline of like really locking in and not taking it for granted.

[Matt Castle]

Is there an adrenaline rush for you when you get to the fourth quarter and you see the team in a two minute drill and know, man, this might be a really big moment for this team if we can go down, get, get ourselves into position. Obviously you're like, get me inside that 35. Don't, don't give me the 50 yarder, but give me inside. But do you feel that energy inside of you and how do you kind of suppress that as, as it's going on?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, that you definitely feel it. That's probably the one thing I miss. I was. I'm maybe a little different or maybe a bit of a sicker. I like that like, I kind of like that feeling of like coming down to the. It's. It's a rush. Like it is a rush that I haven't been able to replicate anywhere else. Maybe this golf thing will, if I can get in contingent, maybe that'll scratch that itch a little bit. But yeah, it's a rush. And I think the thing that I had to learn like early on where I would mess up is I would get too like, emotionally involved into it. Right, like before it. And so one of the things I had to learn was like, hey, I got to stay really, really steady the whole time because if I get too high with the excitement of the game, then it's like my heart rate gets up too high. Now when I'm out there for the kick, I'm. I'm not how I'm usually am in practice or how I usually am in the game. So like, trying to keep that, you know, really steady was something I had to learn how to do. And you know, the more that you do it, like anything, the more comfortable you get with it. And that was kind of a little bit of a learning curve for me for sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you always want the ball? Meaning did you always want the kick or at times would you have rather they just scored the touchdown and you not have to worry about it?

[Ryan Succop]

Most of the time I would want the kick unless it was like a 30 mile an hour wind day and it was raining. And then I was like, man, let's just go ahead and punch this in the ends like those are the days where I would, I would be just fine if we, you know, just scored.

[Matt Castle]

You. You kicked a ton of game winning kicks throughout your career, obviously. Or is. Do any few stand out or any one in particular.

[Ryan Succop]

Great question. Probably the one actually. When I was here with the Titans, we're talking about weather. It was the coldest game in Arrowhead history. It was zero degrees at kickoff and I think the wind chill was like 20 below 18 or 20.

[Matt Castle]

Spit was freezing. Yeah, you'd spit and it would freeze on your face mask.

[Ryan Succop]

That's how cold if you, if you took a shot of the water bottle and you missed, by the time you would wipe it off your beard, it would be. It'd be kind of frozen in your, in your beard. But anyway, we, I had it and it also was sweet because Kansas City had cut me a couple years before that. I started my career in Kansas City. They had cut me, which is part of it. And long story short, we had a. I had a 53 yarder with I think no time left to beat him. And that was like a kick where it was just. If you gave me that kick 10 times and I said to the time, like as cold as it was that day, like I don't know how many of those I would have made, but made. But it was just like, it was just the perfect one, man. It just timed up and was able to put it through, which is pretty cool.

[Matt Castle]

That was awesome. But didn't. Did they call a timeout right before? So they tried to ice him? Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

In an icy day, they double ice.

[Matt Castle]

But he, he kicks the first one and it misses. But they coach iced him.

[Ryan Succop]

Right.

[Matt Castle]

So they, they called the timeout. So then he gets the re. Te boom through the goal posted. It was wild. It was big.

[Bobby Bones]

How do you feel about icing the kicker?

[Ryan Succop]

Great question. I like it like if you call the timeout, it allowed me time to go out and sort of like I'm a big visualization guy and yeah, it wasn't going to make me any more nervous. Like it would allow me to go out, take my steps, visualize, make sure the plant, you know, where I'm planting is good, see what the wind's doing. It just gave me a little bit more time to prepare. So I always liked it when I would get iced. If I was a head coach, what I would do if I had a timeout left or two timeouts left. I would sit over there by the official and look like you're going to call it and not call it. That will mess with a guy.

[Matt Castle]

Does it mess with you? Well, you kind of.

[Ryan Succop]

I had to learn, so I had to learn not to ever look over there. So I had to get in my head, like, if they had a timeout left. If you allow yourself to play the game of like, man, I wonder if he's going to call a timeout. I wonder if not, you're not going to be focused and then he doesn't call out, you're gonna have a better chance to miss that kick. So that would always be my strategy, but like calling the timeout right before the snap, like, like that one in Kansas City. Like, I knew that he had called timeout. And I'm like, well, I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna hit one. Because it's like, you guys play golf. Like, the second tee shot's always easier than the first. Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

My mulligan always.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead. I'm gonna go ahead. Yes. Hey, that's the second guy. He can play. That second guy. He can play. Oh, gosh.

[Matt Castle]

I mean, I remember that day. That, that was a crazy day in the weather and everything else. But I was so happy for you after that game. Is there anything better than kicking a game winning kick? Because, you know, like, you guys don't get all the credit in the world. And a lot of times you only get credit for when you have a game winning kick.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

Or if you do something where you.

[Ryan Succop]

Miss a field goal.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. 100. Oh, damn kicker got one job.

[Ryan Succop]

That's right.

[Matt Castle]

But when you do get it done, and I mean, everybody on the team feels that and you're like, I just remember coming out on the field on those types of moments and celebrating and what's that, what's that feel like for you?

[Ryan Succop]

Oh, it is. It's awesome because you're doing it like you know how it is. Like, there's nothing like the locker room. Like, the locker room is the, the most awesome place, man, where you're. You're doing it with your boys, you're working hard together. Especially like on an away game, a game winner on an away game where it's like just your guys in the locker room after the game, the plane ride home. That's just a. Like, you can't really create that very many places. So that's, that's what you miss is like those. Those moments where you're just getting to celebrate with your boys. And it is, it's a, It's a cool feeling, for sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Let's go back to college. You play South Carolina?

[Ryan Succop]

Play South Carolina.

[Bobby Bones]

Were you, as a kicker. Were you, like, big man on campus, football player as a kicker at South Carolina?

[Ryan Succop]

I don't think so. I. No, I mean, listen, the South Carolina was great as far as, like, the fans, they love their football team. They love. You know, they love supporting it. It was an awesome place to play. Had a great experience. But, no, I tried to. I tried to lay low. I wanted to be, you know.

[Bobby Bones]

Who's your coach there?

[Ryan Succop]

Steve Spurger?

[Matt Castle]

Spur.

[Bobby Bones]

You got any communication with him? Like, did you talk with him?

[Ryan Succop]

Yes, because Coach Spur is a huge golfer, and so he knew that I played golf. And actually, when he recruited me, I was actually getting ready to go to Auburn. I got offered by Auburn really late. Coach Spur came to my house, did the visit, and he's like, ryan, if you come to South Carolina, he's like, I'll. I've always give my players that are good golfers, I always give them a chance to beat me. Me, because I've never been beat. Because Spur loved to play golf. And I was like, man, like, it's not the reason I went to South Carolina.

[Matt Castle]

But I was. I'm a stick, too.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Ryan Succop]

But I was thinking, like, man, that would be cool to, like, play golf with the head coach. Long story short, I end up committing to South Carolina. I go to school there. I'm going into my senior year, and we've never played golf. And in the back of my head, I'm like, man, that dog, like, he was just trying to get me to come here. We're never gonna play golf. Well, sure enough, the spring game of my senior year, he comes up to me and he's like. He actually called me Sucky. That was my other name, Sucky. He said, hey, what you you doing tomorrow? And I'm like, coach, I got. I got nothing. I mean, you know, he's like, all right. He's like, Tomorrow is my 63rd birthday. He goes, I'm playing 63 holes of golf. Why don't you play the first 18 with me and see if you can beat me? I'm like, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, like, man, I hadn't hit a golf ball in six months. Like, I'm in college, I'm playing football, but I can't say no. If I say no, I'll never get a chance, man. I go out, I'm like, five over through the first three holes. He's even par. We're playing his TE's. Like, I can't get dry. I'm hitting three iron off every tee. You know, it's just like he's, he's got it. So anyway, I end up like playing a little bit better on the back nine. Get it, I think all tied up and then I, I end up hitting a shot on a par three over the green, make bogey, he makes par and he beats me.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, wow.

[Bobby Bones]

You missed the game winning kid.

[Ryan Succop]

I know. And he, he, he beat me. And you know, that was. He, he, he loved it though. He was competitive, he was a great player. And yeah, it was, that was cool to get to play with him.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you get a picture of that day, like afterward with you and coach Barrier?

[Ryan Succop]

You know what? I don't think I did, man.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, you missed out.

[Ryan Succop]

That would have been, that would have been huge. Yeah, that would have been cool. I don't think I got a pick.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah. So locker room, like you said, is a very interesting place. And I know that you and Dustin Cole quit were. They were like two pranksters and they would do all this stuff in the locker room that nobody ever really knew about until you actually figured out the prank was on you. So tell me some of your favorite memories being inside that locker room. Some of the pranks that you used to pull on people.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, well, let me just say Dustin was one of a kind. Tennessee Tennessee Vol. I'm sure a lot of people around here love Dustin. He was great. I, I think the one that comes to mind was the one that was kind of, you know, like the best pranks are usually like on accident almost. And I'll never forget, I'm driving into the facility and in Kansas City, the, the practice facility, you kind of have, you have the Royal Stadium, you have Arrowhead and then you have the practice facility. They're kind of all, all together. And I'm driving in one morning in probably about this time of year, probably in October, and there was a little field right across from the practice fields. And I look out and there's like a really nice whitetail deer, like an eight point buck out in the field. And I love to bow hunt and kind of come. I, you know, enjoyed doing that. So I go in and tell Dustin about. I'm like, dude, there's a nice buck out there. Like, we need to set up a trail cam. So when Matt and everybody else were in offensive and defensive meetings, you know, we had two hours before practice with nothing to do because we're specialists. And we go down to the bass pro shop, that's like 10 minutes down the road, we get a bunch of corn, we get the trail cam, we set it all up, and we start getting like. I mean, we're getting pictures of, like, beautiful deer turkeys. You know, you might have, like, the neighbor's cat on there show up. We're getting all these pictures and guys started taking interest in it. So we would put the. We would print the pictures out of all the wildlife and we would put it on the board in the locker room. Because everybody would always be asking, hey, what'd you see last night? Because we go out and check the card. Well, I'll never forget. We're getting ready to play New England on Monday Night Football. And I'm eating pregame meal, and I think it was Brandon Albert. You remember Brandon?

[Matt Castle]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Succop]

Was he from, like, Brooklyn, New York? I think?

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, he was a New York kid.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah. And Brandon's like, hey, suck up, man. What else you guys seen on that trail cam? And a buddy of mine, like, 30 minutes before that had just randomly sent me a picture from, like, a random trail cam. It was like going around the Internet of a mountain lion that had a deer by the throat, this gnarly looking mountain lion. And it just, like, hit me. It was like that light bulb moment. I'm like, brandon, you're not gonna believe this. And I pull up the picture and I show him the picture, and he's like. His eyes get this big and he's like, you saw that out outside, outside our facility? And so. And I just. I just. I'm like, isn't that wild? Like, I just kind of let it go. Well, sure enough, we go play New England. I think we. I don't think we won that game. Get back, you know, early Tuesday morning. Like, I go into work on Wednesday and I have like five or six guys come up to me and they're like, hey, what's the deal with this mountain lion? And so I'm like, man, look, like, don't worry about it. I'm like, man, these things, you know, I said, they're only. The only time these things are even moving is either at dawn or dusk. Like, the rest of the time they're just sleeping. Like, don't worry about it. And I know that the guys get there. They get there at sunrise, they leave at sunset.

[Matt Castle]

So, like, so.

[Ryan Succop]

So Dustin's in on it. We got. We got three or four guys that are in on it. We're all, you know, sticking to our guns. Well, sure enough, I'm driving into work one morning and I start noticing in October It's. It's typically still hot, so you would want to park up against the tree line in the parking lot so that you would get a little shade. And I drive in one morning, I start noticing, like, nobody's parking along the tree line anymore. They're all parking, like, as close as they can. As close as they can to the door. And so then I sat there and watch them. And, you know, you'd watch guys get out of their car, not that they would, like, sprint, but you could tell it was like a brisk walk to the. You know, to the facility. They were worried about this thing. So Dust and I, we thought it was hilarious. Todd Haley actually was in on it. He loved it. He thought it was hilarious. Well, sure enough, this goes on for, like, three weeks. I'm driving home from work one day, and on the local sports talk radio, they start talking about how the mountain line. Yes. First of all, they're like, we had lost, like, two or three games in a row, and they opened it up. They're like, if things aren't bad enough in the locker room, now they have to contend with a mountain lion that is roaming Arrowhead Stadium. So this gets on the news, and I'm sitting, think I'm like a second year guy, and I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is not good. Like, I'm responsible for this. Like, don't be a distraction is what Scott Pioli would say. All the guys, don't be a distraction. I'm thinking, I'm a distraction right now. Like, I'm gonna get, you know, whatever. Well, sure enough, the. The media ends up asking Todd Haley about it in the Friday press conference. He played along with it, basically. He was like, yeah, I've seen the pictures of the cat. I've told all the guys coming or leaving the facility. The buddy system is in effect. So this thing, like, this thing goes. This thing goes everywhere. You read articles about it about the mountain lion that was roaming the chief's facility. The neighbors that lived in the area ended up getting concerned. So the department of wildlife ended up calling the chief to find out to see the pictures. And that's when we had to tell them, hey, this is a locker room joke. There is no mountain.

[Bobby Bones]

Excellent.

[Ryan Succop]

It was. That was probably my. That was probably one of my prouder, you know, that was one of my prouder pranks.

[Matt Castle]

It's a great moment right there.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, it was pretty good.

[Matt Castle]

It made the local news.

[Ryan Succop]

I mean, it was pretty good. Plus, fake news, Fake news.

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[Ryan Succop]

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[Bobby Bones]

When you win the super bowl, you're in Tampa. You win the Super Bowl. Obviously it's not as cold down there.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Is it weirder? Is it even more harsh when you have to go somewhere cold? When you don't constantly live somewhere cold?

[Ryan Succop]

No. Like, so people would always say, like, oh, you're in Kansas City. Like, you get, get used to the cold. Like, no, you do not get used to the cold. Like, it cold is cold. I don't care how often you do it. So, like, even when I was in Tampa and we would like the NFC championship, we played in Green Bay and it snowed like five inches that morning. And thankfully, by the time the game started, The. The snow had cleared out, but it was really cold. And we were coming from Tampa and we like. I was fine. You know what I mean? It was. It was still cold. But I don't think it necessarily would have helped to have been there all week to practice. I just. I feel like it's gonna be cold no matter what you do.

[Matt Castle]

What was the after party like for the Super Bowl?

[Ryan Succop]

Well, it was.

[Matt Castle]

It had to be epic.

[Ryan Succop]

Mountain Lions.

[Matt Castle]

Mountain Lions.

[Ryan Succop]

Hey, a lot of.

[Matt Castle]

A lot of cougars run around those parties.

[Ryan Succop]

Castle. You're not right, man. So, interestingly enough, the super bowl, we were. It was in Tampa. We played the super bowl in Tampa, so we were like the first team to win it in our home stadium. And it was awesome to do that, but it was also the COVID year. So the super bowl party had to be outside. Had so. Because there were all these rules and all this stuff. So we had it at like the Tampa Aquarium or something on the water. And I'll never forget, like, you're going to the. The super bowl gets over at whatever time. 11:00 clock at night. By the time we get over there, it's midnight. My wife is like seven months pregnant. You know, she's exhausted. She's been taking care of our other two kids all night. And we walk in, but my family's there. We walk in and it was. I think Ludacris was playing. And Migos. Is that that, Is that okay? Yeah. And so they come in, they're playing the music, we're all hanging out. And I. I'll never forget. I look over my dad. I mean, he's probably 70 years old now. He's whatever, 67, 68. And you know, here's Migos rapping. And I just see my dad, he's just kind of. He's just kind of digging the music. And he's like, man, this. This Migos guy's really good. He's. He's awesome. But no, it was awesome. I remember we probably left the super bowl party at like 2:33 in the morning. We were staying in a hotel because you stayed in a hotel the night before the super bowl, even though we were in Tampa. And I just remember it was. It was kind of this like, surreal moment because you get in at three, I'm wired. We just won the Super Bowl. Can't sleep at all. And then I have two young kids and they're up at like 5:30, just ready to rock and roll. They could care less. They just wanted to go to the park. So we at, like, 7am we're at, like, some random park in Tampa, just, like, pushing my kids on the swing. And they could care less about the super bowl, but I guess that's what was sweet about it.

[Bobby Bones]

Can you give me a Tom Brady story from that year?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah. Let's see. Okay. This is. This is probably, like. I don't know if this is one is, like, exciting or anything, but this is Tom. And I always share this. Like, he. Tom was unbelievable leader, unbelievable teammate, but I don't think a lot of people know, like, he is a genuinely good dude. And I'll never forget he has his guy, Alex Guerrero, who, like, takes care of all his tissue work, his nutrition. Like, he's been with Tom for, like, what, 16?

[Matt Castle]

When I was in New England.

[Ryan Succop]

He's been with him for forever. And Tom would always work with him, really every day of the week, but particularly on Sunday on game day. And so Tom was, like, generous enough to let other guys work with Alex when he wasn't using them. And I'll never forget, I would always try to get the stadium, like, super early because I never wanted to, like, be in there and be in Tom's way. And I. We were playing the Vikings my first year. I think it was my first year down there. And I get there, you know, 8:00am for a 12:00 clock game or whatever. Alex is on. I'm on the table. Alex is working on me. And Tom came in early that week because I guess he was dealing with something. So he comes in to get some tissue work, and I'm trying to get off that table as fast as I can. And Tom's like, no, no, no. Like, hey, you're good, man. Like, you finish up. I'm like, no, no. Like, hey, you come get your work in. Like, I'll come back later. Like, I. I know where I stand in this deal. And Tom's like, no, no. He's like, I'm serious. He goes like, you guys take all the time you need. He's like, we need you to feel good. Because if you feel good, man, that's gonna help us. That's gonna help us win today. And I look at Alex and Alex, like, you heard him, like, you know, sit back down. So I'm laying on that table. Tom's just sitting there. He probably waited for, like, another, I don't know, 10, 12 minutes while Alex is, like, finishing up. I feel super uncomfortable. But then, like, like, sure enough, he's, like, so gracious about it. We go out. I think we ended up hitting A field goal, like, pretty late in the game, not to win it, but kind of put. Put the game away. And that's just kind of who Tom was like he was or who he is. Like, he was so great to all his teammates. Like, really, like, genuine humility to let other people. I don't know. That story just always stood out to me, like, what a real leader he. He is to let somebody as low of a position as I was to sit there and him wait on me. I don't know. That just always, like, stood out.

[Matt Castle]

He always kicked me off the table immediately, and then he didn't even need the table.

[Ryan Succop]

He was like, you off the table?

[Matt Castle]

You. I don't know your name.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, well, you guys also played the same position, Cash.

[Matt Castle]

Like, even. Even when coach would try to put me in for a few reps at the end of a period, he'd be like, hey, I need this one, coach. I was like, really? You just had the whole practice. Like, they're literally handoffs.

[Ryan Succop]

That was also kind of his mentality. Right.

[Matt Castle]

Oh. He didn't want anybody else to touch that position. And I understand it. He always said, you never want to see somebody else playing your position, which held true. That's how he got his job.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

When you hurt yourself. Yeah. Your knee issue, Jeff. Surgery.

[Ryan Succop]

I did. I had surgery. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

I gotta think that's as much physically as it is hard to come back that mentally. You gotta trust it again.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

How difficult was that?

[Ryan Succop]

It was. It was hard because I was. I. The timing of it, like, I had the surgery probably five or six weeks before training camp started, and I was hoping to get back in time, and it just. Just some things happened where it just didn't go the way I wanted it to. And so then you're, like, trying harder, and then you're, like, stressing harder, and then that's, like, the worst thing to try to heal and to recover is when you're, like, stressed on top of it. So it was just kind of a culmination of all that because you want to get back so badly, but at the same time, you're physically just not there. And that's. That was a hard year. I learned a lot that year.

[Bobby Bones]

Did it take a minute to get the confidence back?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah. Like, I tried to come back and play probably halfway through that season, and actually, my first game, I had the worst game of my career. I missed three. I missed three field goals that game, and then I played probably four or five more games that season. It just. It, like, I Just wasn't where I needed to be. It did not go well. And that was, that was how I ended up in Tampa. And that was probably where I had some doubt going into that final season. Was like, man, am I, can I still do this? Like I'm, you know, I was probably 34, 35 at the time. Was kind of on the older side. You start kind of having those like real doubts. And so I think it was a blessing for me to get an entire off season, you know what I mean? Like, that happened in the middle of the season. I got five or six months before I had to do it again in when, you know, when the bullets were really flying. So that was, it was hard.

[Matt Castle]

But talk about the psyche too, because look, there's only one place kicker or one, one field goal kicker on the team every year. And they're constantly bringing people in, especially as you get older, your salary increases and all of a sudden they want to go younger. Talk about like just the competitive nature of that position because there's only 32 of you in the entire league. It's not like you have a backup and a third string guy that you can make a roster, do something like that. It's really one guy per team.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, no, you're exactly right. There's. There's one guy that's going to do it. And it's, I guess that's what's so like awesome about the position is that like, if you can be that guy, like if you can show a team that, hey, you can handle the, the stressful, the stressful kicks or you know, you can, they can count on you, you can stick around for a long time. At the same time, it's like, like that's where the pressure comes from because it does not take much, man, one or two games and it's like, dude, they're, they're moving on. So you have to, you have to be dialed in like every week for 17 weeks and then playoffs because it just doesn't take much for them to, to lose faith.

[Bobby Bones]

Let's say you kick off because you were kickoff specialist too, I'm assuming.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, I did for my first, like, probably my first 11 or 12 years. I was, I was doing it all.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, the guy breaks, it's you.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And it's him. What the heck's going on in your mind?

[Ryan Succop]

Okay, so you know what I, you know what I learned? And again, I was not good at this like early on, but I figured out if you just get down there and get in the way. So like The I would kick off and if I knew they were running out, I would try to hightail it down there. Because if I could be the top of the triangle and just be a body most of the time those guys would cut one way or another and somebody else would make tackle. But if I hung back, if I.

[Matt Castle]

You're the last man.

[Ryan Succop]

And they had space, like I was going to embarrass myself because those guys, those guys move a lot better than I move, and I didn't want that. So I would just get in the way and I would just pray that they would go left or go right. And every now and again, you would have to just sit there and just kind of take it. Like, you know, like on field goal.

[Matt Castle]

We say, oh, yeah.

[Ryan Succop]

We say to the lineman, like, die the slow death. Like the offensive linemen are going to get killed on field goal. And I would just kind of have that in back my mind. Like, dude, just, just take it. If you just got to take one, just take one. And most of the time they'd go one of the other way. So that was kind of my strategy.

[Matt Castle]

What's the hardest hit you've taken in that type of situation? Or did you always just basically never hang back back and always just acted like you're in the way so that they could run for a touchdown if they had to?

[Ryan Succop]

The hardest hit I ever took was actually in college. It was against lsu. I was punting and I. I out kicked the coverage A little bit trend on holiday was the returner. He. He returned for a touchdown, but there was a. There was a. It got called back for a hold and I was actually like hightailing it to the sideline. Did not see a guy. Got totally blindsided, totally decleated. It was one of those moments where like, everything just went black for a second. And it was right in front of the LSU bench. And it was. I think it was Ali Highsmith. He was their all American linebacker. That. And I remember when I opened my eyes, he was standing over me like this and I saw the all the LSU bench just go.

[Matt Castle]

Oh.

[Bobby Bones]

And I remember thinking, flexing on the pun.

[Matt Castle]

He was.

[Ryan Succop]

And exactly what I was like.

[Bobby Bones]

I like.

[Ryan Succop]

And I was like, dude, yeah, you laid me out like you're. I'm the, I'm the kicker, man. Like, come on.

[Bobby Bones]

That's like Arch Manning of Sam Houston when he, when he goes over the top of him.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

You punted and kicked in college.

[Ryan Succop]

I did, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Could you have been an NFL punter?

[Ryan Succop]

Maybe? I. I think I was More comfortable kicking. I actually did have a couple teams that wanted me to punt instead of kick, but I'm. I'm thankful I didn't go down that road. Punting's hard. It's. It's hard to stand back there, and you got to have really good hands to. To mold the ball.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't.

[Ryan Succop]

I don't think I would have been as good as a punter, so.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, three final questions. I'll go first. So I know Cam Little a little bit. He's from Arkansas.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So I spent some time with him. He made that 70 yarder preseason, which was pretty unbelievable.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Do people just kick farther now?

[Ryan Succop]

Are.

[Bobby Bones]

Or are the balls, like, what's happening, man?

[Ryan Succop]

Okay, so great question. It's. It's both. All right, The. The kids that are coming out now, like, obviously Cam is super talented. It's a combination. The guys coming up, they're better, dude. Their training's better. They've been doing it at a younger age. They' better athletes. All that at the same time. The NFL just switched the rule this year. So when I played. When I played, you know, like, we had it so hard, Matt. But in all seriousness, when I played, we would get the. You have the quarterback balls and you have the cables. So the quarterbacks get their ball. They get 15 balls on Monday, and they have all week to break them in. The cables. We would get six cables for the game, brand new, out of the box, 60 minutes before kickoff on Sunday. And your equipment guy would have 60 minutes to break in six footballs by doing what?

[Bobby Bones]

Like dirt?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, rub dirt. The brush. You would try to. You would try to break the seams in as best you could. So find like a, you know, the corner of a table and try to bust the seams as much as you can. You're trying to break that ball in as much as possible so that when it hits your foot, you can get more compression because that's what's going to make it go farther. And so when you only have 10 or 15 minutes per ball, there's only so much you can do. So we were really kicking, like, pretty hard footballs. Well, now they changed it and they get all the kicking balls. They get all 60 of them at the beginning of the season, so they have the entire season to break them in. So, like, like, not only are the guys better, they are better, no question. But you are going to continue to see monster field goals because you give me a ball that you have broken in three months to break in or all week to Break in. It's going to be a big difference. Wow. Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

I didn't even realize that. I didn't even think about it. I mean I, I figured it would be.

[Bobby Bones]

You think about kickers, quarterback, you know.

[Matt Castle]

I, I was always, I was always the backup holder. Just God forbid, like I had to go in there and fumble that, that.

[Ryan Succop]

Hey, hey. You, me and Ben, we had a good little thing, didn't we Ben? With on Thursday practice.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, Thursday practice. They put me in there and Benny would be the back of snap.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

And it usually. He would always yell at me too. He's like cast a little bit more to you A little bit more. I was like, beat it, bro. I'm just trying to put it in the dirt where you just told me right here. I'm usually off my spot. But we'd make, we make some good kicks.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, we did. We teamed it up, man. We did our best.

[Matt Castle]

What was your go to cleat? You know, I know that there's always two different cleats that you guys wore. I always told him he should wear like a cowboy boot with a spur on the plant foot.

[Ryan Succop]

That would have been legit.

[Matt Castle]

Like just to add a little flare to the whole thing.

[Ryan Succop]

But we did always say Cass, if, if we knew my last year and we were still playing together in Kansas City because this would be well received in Kansas City. We were going to wear Luc Casey on the left foot 100 and maybe that would be my first sponsorship deal.

[Matt Castle]

And clean it up.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

And have you smoke on the sideline.

[Bobby Bones]

And like I feel a fine coming though.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, absolutely. Matt said he would cover it for me.

[Matt Castle]

I'd cover it. We just put the Nike swoosh on it.

[Bobby Bones]

Last question.

[Matt Castle]

What?

[Bobby Bones]

Kickers, golfers, tennis players. Like anybody that's on an island because you play, it's a solo sport. Like you said. It's not a solo. Football's not a solo sport. But a kicker is a solo sport inside of a team game.

[Ryan Succop]

Yep.

[Bobby Bones]

Superstitions, you had to have them.

[Ryan Succop]

You know what, Honestly, I know a lot of guys were superstitious. I mean, I knew guys that would like, they had to wear the same boxers every game or they had to eat at the same place. Like, I don't know, man. I, I, I, that never, I was never that way. I would always, you know, I'd say a little prayer before the game. That's, you know, that was kind of my thing. And I just leave it up to the Lord and try to go out and, and be free. But I I really didn't have, like a. Had to do this or do that. I. I really wasn't that way.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, final. Final question.

[Matt Castle]

Final. Final.

[Bobby Bones]

Final. Final question. Ever have a ball that's going in and for some reason it just hooks like crazy at the end and you're like, what the crap?

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah. Yep, 100%. I remember one really, like, I remember one really well that, like, I hit it. I looked up, it was going right down the middle, and I was, you know, gave it a little one of these. Look down to get my holder a high five, and I look, see, look on his face, and I'm like, did that not go in?

[Matt Castle]

He looked at you like.

[Ryan Succop]

And I looked up and it hit the right upright, and I was like, oh, that was a gut punch. So, yeah, that most of the time, you know, like, 99 of the time when you hit a ball, like, you know, whether you made it or not. And that was one where I thought for sure I made it. And it was going straight and it, like, took a right turn really hard. I don't know. I still don't know what happened.

[Matt Castle]

Okay, last question.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, last. Last, Last.

[Matt Castle]

Last question.

[Ryan Succop]

Okay.

[Matt Castle]

When. When a field goal is blocked, how much of it is due to the trajectory of the actual ball being kicked? Low versus protection breakdown?

[Ryan Succop]

They're all. It all depends. Now, I'll say this. Like, my mentality was always like, hey, it's on me. Like, I. I just think that's the way to be.

[Matt Castle]

Like, hey, I would never say that. I'd be like, dude, that's on you guys.

[Ryan Succop]

Here's. Here's the thing. This was always my thing. Like, field, little protection. It. You talk to any lineman or tight ends on field goal protection, they will all tell you that is the worst playing. Like, that is the hardest playing football because they just get teed off on those guys. Like, after every season, you better believe I'm going to the best steakhouse. I'm getting gift cards for all of them. Like, I wanted them to know, like, hey, y' all have a hard job. I really appreciate this. And the last thing you ever want to do is sit there and try to blame it on one of those guys because they're blocked for you next game. So, like, my thing was always like, hey, it's on me. Because then they would, you know, they're. They're going to have that mentality like, hey, this. He's. You know, he's not going to blame it on us. We're going to go out and fight harder for him. That was my approach, but there's no doubt, like, I've had. I've had balls that got blocked, that, like 100 were on me. I. I didn't hit a good ball. They were low, whatever. And then I had somewhere. I'm like, man, I hit that ball good. That would have been, you know, And. And so it's just part of playing football. It's just like other guys on their team, they're getting paid, too. They make great plays. And sometimes it just, you know, know, they just. It goes both ways, man.

[Bobby Bones]

So no more questions. But this is in parentheses. This is my question in parentheses, since we're done with all the questions, in parentheses. If you got called today, and they're like, we. The Titans, they're like, we know you're close games in an hour. Like, where would you kind of cap.

[Ryan Succop]

Out at as far as, like, Range?

[Bobby Bones]

Distance.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Distance.

[Ryan Succop]

Well, I'm. You know what? I'm actually filming something here in about two weeks, so I'll. I will report back to you and let you know. But I don't know. That's a good question. It. I hadn't kicked the ball in time, so I've been focusing on the golf. It would. It would take a little time to.

[Matt Castle]

Warm that give us a range. All right.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Don't.

[Matt Castle]

Around the bus.

[Bobby Bones]

40 yard are pretty easy.

[Ryan Succop]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can still do that. I think I still do that. I still try to, like, you know, I mean, I'm not castle over here on the tunnel five days a week.

[Matt Castle]

But I've got to get it in.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, I try to try to stay moving a little bit. I think I could still. I think you're right there.

[Bobby Bones]

You're like a ripped dude.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, yeah. But he's a freak of nature.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. It's like him and I, like, look like we're in shape. How you doing, buddy?

[Matt Castle]

Well, I'm working. That's why I'm on the tunnel five days a week.

[Ryan Succop]

It's just a couple of retired professionals, athletes.

[Bobby Bones]

Like.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, look, I'm living my life to the fullest.

[Bobby Bones]

Hey, we both got championships. I got a mirror ball.

[Matt Castle]

Hey, I'm.

[Bobby Bones]

He's got a Super bowl ring.

[Ryan Succop]

That's right.

[Matt Castle]

I've got three national championships, but that's way back. That's not even professional, is it?

[Ryan Succop]

Bobby, I must. I must tell you this. I don't know if you know this about cast, but how long have y' all been doing the show? A year or two?

[Bobby Bones]

Feels like ten, but, yeah, whenever.

[Ryan Succop]

This was like, a year And a half ago, too. We're at our. Our boys play baseball together, and I'm talking to Cass one day, like, what you up to, man? He's like, I'm doing this and this. He's like, man, they want me to do this podcast. Some guy, he's, like, pretty big on, you know, country music and radio, and he's got all this stuff. And I'm like, who is it? And he's like, bobby. Bobby Bones. I'm like, castle, like, you. You need to do that. Like, you need to go do that.

[Matt Castle]

I definitely didn't say it like that, dude.

[Ryan Succop]

Bobby Bones.

[Matt Castle]

You know, Bobby Bones is Billy Jones, right? I'm like, Billie Jean King.

[Ryan Succop]

Golly, I love them, but sometimes, you know, these. These cows, we got to help them out.

[Bobby Bones]

I've learned now.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Matt Castle]

That's why. That's why I'm here.

[Bobby Bones]

We really appreciate the time, man. This has been awesome. I'll let you in this, though. This is your guy.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, he is my guy. He's one of my favorite people I've ever played with. And I'll tell you, he's so humble, and he's got such a great humility about him that he'll never talk too big about himself, but he was an incredible player, incredible teammate. But also, when you see him interact with his wife, his kids, and anybody around, the respect that everybody has in the community for him, it's just. It's always something that you strive for. And I'd say, I always tell people this. I said, if there was one person that I'd ever let marry. Marry my daughters. Obviously not at your age now. Wow. But the type of person that you'd want to marry your daughters, it's Ryan, sucker.

[Bobby Bones]

That's. I. There's nothing more I can. Greatest intro and outro in the history of our show, man.

[Ryan Succop]

I need to come hang with you guys more. I feel. Feel better about myself today, man.

[Matt Castle]

Well, that's. That's the whole point of this, okay? To lift you up, and then as soon as you leave, we're going to tear you down.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, we didn't record this. Your wife just asked that we do this to build you up.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah, your microphone actually is not working, Ryan.

[Bobby Bones]

Thanks, man.

[Ryan Succop]

I appreciate it, guys.

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[Ryan Succop]

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[Matt Castle]

Liberty. Liberty.

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[Bobby Bones]

All right, that was it. Ryan, that was awesome. Have you played golf with him?

[Matt Castle]

Multiple times. And I don't like to. I. I like to watch him play golf. But when you play with him, he. He just makes you feel like such a golfer because he's so good.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Jinx.

[Bobby Bones]

You me a Coke.

[Matt Castle]

All right, I'll get you a Coke. Yeah, that's why. But it is. He's a sight to see on the golf course. And I'm not. I'm talking about his golf game.

[Bobby Bones]

Is he. Because he is so good, does he still make you feel worthy?

[Matt Castle]

100%. A great shot cast. Great shot cast. Ass. Hey, you're all right. And I'm like, dude, beat it. Like, if I was that good and I'm playing with my buddies, I'm talking so much smack to you. Like how you like that ball. Like, you know, I'm just. Just a nice guy. That's What? I am?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Yeah, you are a hugger, that's for sure.

[Matt Castle]

You better believe it.

[Bobby Bones]

I have a friend named George Burge. He's got a couple number ones in country music, and he played golf at Texas. University of Texas.

[Matt Castle]

That's a pretty big deal.

[Bobby Bones]

He's awesome. But the craziest thing about him, because he's probably a plus one, right? Because he gets to play a bit on the road. He's out. The craziest thing about him is he's such a nice guy when he plays and he roots you on so hard that even though he's so good, you like playing with them. Which is a bit counterintuitive because you think if you were playing with somebody that was so good, you would feel so inferior that it would be bothersome.

[Matt Castle]

I do feel inferior when I play with him.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

But. But he doesn't make you feel that way, is what you're saying.

[Bobby Bones]

Not at all. If anything, you're like, man, I'm just a couple swings away. Being like you, George. No, Reality. Never. That's never the. Once I did a deal with a certain golf brand, and because I had a sponsorship deal with him and I'm not a very good golfer. Like, I'm a 12, and so. But I like to play some. And I'll play a lot for a couple months, and I haven't played at all in, like seven weeks, so. But I was doing an Enough. And I was playing some of the celebrity games at the time, back when I was a celebrity, and they were like, hey, we want to. So I did a deal with them and I said, hey, I want to do this series with our guy Kevin, and we'll try to do, like, break 90, because Kevin was just, like, playing golf for the first time. And so they sent Kevin all these clubs. He got them fitted. Like, thousands of dollars worth of clubs. Yeah, Whole thing. We never did the series.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, man. Can you pitch them again? Because I need some clubs.

[Bobby Bones]

We just. Can we just never. I, I, I don't really know what happened. I'm not with them anymore. That's not why.

[Matt Castle]

I wonder why.

[Bobby Bones]

But we just never. Yeah, we, we filmed like one day.

[Matt Castle]

And then it just kind of fizzled.

[Bobby Bones]

Out when we were on.

[Matt Castle]

I mean, that's just the name.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm not even. I'm not even sure. Yeah, it's like, that's cool.

[Matt Castle]

That's how you guys get free stuff around here.

[Bobby Bones]

It wasn't on purpose.

[Ryan Succop]

No.

[Matt Castle]

That's awesome, though. And the fact that you got new clubs. That's. Oh, you got.

[Bobby Bones]

They're a plus. Yeah. I mean, can I give like a. Like a. I wouldn't plug them because then if somebody's listening from it, they'd be like, no, I'm saying, oh, yeah.

[Ryan Succop]

Price range. I mean, probably all together, about 3, 500 bucks. Bucks. Good.

[Matt Castle]

Good group of. Yeah. Good group of clubs.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

We were supposed to do us, but they never even were like, hey, where's the Deb? I think they just throw so much stuff out to the people they work with. And then I stopped working with them.

[Matt Castle]

That's amazing.

[Bobby Bones]

My deal ran out. Well, we gotta figure.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, they forgot. Because I definitely need new clubs.

[Bobby Bones]

No, no, we're not doing. We're not. I'm not going back to club. I don't have a deal with them.

[Matt Castle]

I was. Promote you in whatever capacity I have to Bobby. Bobby's already committed to the show.

[Bobby Bones]

I'll say this one final thing, and don't do it now. You never change your Instagram name. That's how. That's how little you think of us.

[Matt Castle]

No, I think of you. And I asked because it's so weird.

[Bobby Bones]

Because who is M. Underscore Castle? Like, nobody knows. And when I'm like.

[Matt Castle]

Knows that.

[Bobby Bones]

But if I was like, B. Underscore. B32O.

[Matt Castle]

It says my last name.

[Bobby Bones]

If it said even Matt Castle. 16. But when I'm like, hey, I'm doing this show. You should watch. Here's a clip of me and Matt Castle. Castle. They're like a clip in me and underscore mCastle. I don't think people know who that is. I think it's hurting us.

[Matt Castle]

All right, I'll get it together once again. I already went and talked to my social media. No, I literally talked to him. He's like, I think that you're the. Where you're at right now. Enough people know that this. When they come to this page, it's that it would be this, that, and the other to change it. So it's probably more to it than that conversation, but I swear on my love for my family that I did have that conversation.

[Bobby Bones]

It's fine. I'm just saying when I tag you and stuff, it annoys you. No, I have to write. Hey, I'm doing the show with. And I have to write your name, Matt Castle, parentheses, M. Underscore. And it looks like. If you don't know, it looks like Cassel.

[Matt Castle]

No, it does. It always has. Always has. I just changed it in my phone last week.

[Ryan Succop]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

To 1L. I have them in my phone as M. Cassell. You know what I mean? All right, we're done. Thank you, guys. Thanks to Ryan. What'd you call him? Suck Off.

[Matt Castle]

I did. I felt so bad.

[Bobby Bones]

Thanks to Ryan.

[Matt Castle]

Suck Off.

[Bobby Bones]

That's Matt Castle. That's Kickoff. Kevin, that's Brandon Ray and Bobby Bones.

[Ryan Succop]

We'll see you next week.

[Bobby Bones]

Bye, everybody. 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 podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.