New England Patriots Mike Vrabel Joins, Memorial Day Tribute, Bielema Extension & Clemson Preview

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Triple Option – Episode: New England Patriots Mike Vrabel Joins, Memorial Day Tribute, Bielema Extension & Clemson Preview

Episode Overview Released on May 21, 2025, The Triple Option podcast hosted by Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone delves into the dynamic world of football. This episode features a special guest, Mike Vrabel, the head coach of the New England Patriots. The discussion spans a range of topics, including a heartfelt Memorial Day tribute, insights into locker room culture, the extension of coach Bret Bielema at Illinois, and a comprehensive preview of Clemson's upcoming season.

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1. Memorial Day Tribute and Military Support

Honoring the Military: The episode opens with a poignant discussion centered around Memorial Day, emphasizing the deep connection between college football and military communities. Both Urban Meyer and Mike Vrabel share personal anecdotes and expressions of gratitude toward the men and women who serve the country.

• Urban Meyer reflects on his upbringing in a military family and his ongoing commitment to supporting veterans:

  “For every year I was a head coach, I was the basis of our team. Because if you can get a team of selfless people like the men and Women who serve our country, guess what, pal? You're not going to lose many games.” [00:30]

• Mike Vrabel echoes this sentiment with intense admiration:

  “We are forever in debt to you guys. So thank you so much and we love you and happy Memorial Day.” [02:36]

Supporting Veterans: The hosts discuss their involvement with veteran support organizations, particularly highlighting the upcoming Catch A Lift fundraiser in New York City, aimed at assisting post-9/11 combat-injured veterans.

• Rob Stone elaborates on the initiative's impact:

  “It’s helped Thousands of post 911 combat injured veterans regain their mental and physical health through gym memberships in home gym equipment, personalized fitness and nutrition programs, and a peer support network.” [04:08]

Personal Stories: Mark Ingram II shares a touching story about his wife paying respects at a military graveyard, underscoring the importance of honoring those who have served.

• Rob Stone adds:

  “We need to understand why we have [Memorial Day] and pay our respects to those who helped us.” [05:15]

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2. Interview with Mike Vrabel: Insights into Coaching and Leadership

Introduction to Vrabel: The conversation transitions to welcoming Mike Vrabel, celebrating his illustrious career as a three-time Super Bowl champion and his new role as head coach of the New England Patriots.

• Urban Meyer introduces Vrabel with enthusiasm:

  “Welcome to the Triple Option presented by Wendy's. Excited to welcome one of the best to ever wear the scarlet and gray, three times Super Bowl champion and the new head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel.” [09:09]

Locker Room Culture: A significant portion of the discussion centers on locker room dynamics and the establishment of a championship-caliber culture.

• Urban Meyer shares his admiration for a past locker room under Bill Belichick:

  “Coach, our job in the locker room, we don't put up with Anything. In this locker room, we find players, we hold people accountable.” [11:00]

• Mark Ingram II emphasizes the importance of investing in people and building personal connections to foster accountability:

  “The more I get to know Mark and the more his family and the things that he cares about... it's like, mark, get your pads down, man, and run through contact.” [13:00]

Adapting to Modern Players: The hosts discuss the challenges of managing modern players who have more autonomy, contrasting it with the traditional team-first mentality.

• Mark Ingram II addresses the shift:

  “But the ability for them to kind of move when they want to move right is taking the team aspect away... the team is critical in this case.” [14:14]

• Vrabel appreciates the adaptability required:

  “I wouldn't question you if you told me that I would figure out how to get my...” [13:54]

Personal Anecdotes: Mark Ingram II recounts his first coaching interview experience under Urban Meyer, highlighting the importance of perseverance and adaptability.

“I had no idea. And he's like, that is the worst thing I've ever seen. He goes, I want you to go home, figure this out and come back at 6 in the morning.” [19:56]

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3. Bret Bielema's Extension at Illinois

Contract Details: The podcast touches upon Bret Bielema securing a six-year extension with Illinois, underscoring his commitment to the program.

• Urban Meyer humorously compares Bielema’s contract to sponsoring Wendy's:

  “7.7. That's like what Rob gets or the markets for the triple option. That's a pretty good buy.” [32:42]

Coaching Philosophy: Urban Meyer praises Bielema’s traditional approach, fitting seamlessly with Illinois’ current trajectory.

“He's going to be control the line of scrimmage, run that rock and play great defense. That's who he is and that's who Illinois is right now.” [32:51]

Historical Context: A brief nod to Illinois' past successes and Bielema's role in reviving the program:

“I've always wondered why Illinois couldn't win. You know, there's a nice little tradition there. But Illinois in my time was not very good and that's great to see.” [34:01]

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4. Clemson Tigers Season Preview

Win Totals and Predictions: The hosts provide a detailed preview of Clemson’s upcoming season, setting a win total of nine and a half for the team.

• Rob Stone breaks down the Crystal Ball for Clemson:

  “The over you can get for minus 125. The under for plus 105. So again the win totals at nine and a half for Clemson right now.” [35:59]

Key Players and Strategies: Discussion highlights Clemson’s Heisman-worthy quarterback, Cade Klubnick, and Coach Dabo Swinney’s strategic moves, including tapping into the transfer portal.

• Mike Vrabel supports the potential of Clemson’s roster:

  “They will hit the over on this mark in my opinion. They got receivers coming back, Dabble hit the portal and some key positions.” [36:52]

• Urban Meyer emphasizes Clemson’s NFL draft pedigree:

  “Todd McShay has six Clemson, six first-rounders. That's pretty impressive.” [37:05]

Strength of Schedule: Acknowledging Clemson’s challenging non-conference games against LSU and South Carolina as key factors for their season performance.

• Rob Stone and Urban Meyer discuss the implications:

  “They got a tough schedule.” [37:35]

Final Predictions: The hosts express optimism about Clemson's strong start and potential for exceeding expectations with strategic coaching and talented players.

“I'm blown away with them. They play good defense... If it's really six first rounders, yeah, they're going to have a hell of a year.” [38:50]

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5. Notable Quotes and Highlights

• Urban Meyer on Locker Room Leadership:

  “Clear, clean, concise and direct. And direct is the most important.” [26:10]

• Mark Ingram II on Coaching Challenges:

  “But the ability for them to kind of move when they want to move right is taking the team aspect away.” [14:14]

• Mike Vrabel on Player Accountability:

  “That's how you know that you got a good locker room, though, when you can get guys from the outside coming in like that and they feel at home.” [16:37]

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6. Sponsorships and Advertisements

Throughout the episode, various sponsors are acknowledged:

• Wendy’s promotes new Frosty Fusion flavors:

  “Try Wendy's new frosty fusions with flavors like Caramel Crunch, Oreo brownie and Pop Tart Strawberry Memorial Day edition.” [03:08]

• BetMGM offers a promotion tied to NFL playoffs:

  “With BetMGM Second Chance promotion, you'll get your stake back in cash if your first field goal score scores second instead.” [07:00]

• Additional sponsors include Abercrombie & Fitch and State Farm.

These segments are seamlessly integrated into the conversation, maintaining the episode’s flow without detracting from the main content.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Triple Option provides an engaging blend of heartfelt tributes, in-depth coaching insights, and strategic previews of upcoming football seasons. The candid discussions between Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone, and guest Mike Vrabel offer listeners an insider’s perspective on leadership, team culture, and the evolving landscape of college and professional football. Whether you're a die-hard football fan or new to the sport, this episode delivers valuable content that underscores the passion and dedication inherent in the game.

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Presented by Wendy’s

Transcript

[Urban Meyer]

So we're playing Wolverines in 2012. It's probably five degrees outside. I look over at Mike. His face is, like, bruised up and he's like, got a little mark on his face right there. And I'm what the hell happened here? Found out that the players were all headbutting each other and someone got right in the middle of it. His name was Mike.

[Mark Ingram II]

It was right here. It split me up. I had six stitches and they wrapped like gauze around my head and they put a beanie on.

[Rob Stone]

Welcome to the Triple Option presented by Wendy's. Try Wendy's new frosty fusions with flavors like Caramel Crunch, Oreo brownie and Pop Tart Strawberry Memorial Day edition. It's coming up in a couple days. Happy early Memorial Day weekend to you guys, all those who served out there, looking forward to it. Welcome to the Triple Option presented by Wendy's Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II with you. Thanks as always for being part of our family here at the Triple Option. We encourage you to rate subscribe over at Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Wherever you find your podcasts, you can find us on social media 3x option show new episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, wherever it is you get your podcasts. Coming up on this week's edition of the Triple option, we'll have New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will join us. But first, we get strapped in, presented by nhtsa. Not wearing your seatbelt could cost you a ticket or your life. Don't risk it. Click it or ticket. Memorial Day, as we mentioned, right around the corner, college football community, the military communities, Coach, They've always kind of come together. They always kind of seem to hold hold hands, if you will. Great relationship between these two awesome products. So I'll start with you, coach, then to Mark. What does. What does the military mean to you?

[Urban Meyer]

I was raised in the military family and it's been a part of my life as far back as I can remember. And I serve on two foundation boards. It's. It's by choice. It's the Folds of Honor and Veter Veterans Golf Association. And Rob, you and I are going to head to New York City and speak at Catch a lift, another veterans. Veterans foundation or charity? Charitable program. Supporting program. So I've also, in a selfish way, Mark, I've used the United States military as the ultimate form of selflessness and dedication with my teams. For every year I was a head coach, I was the basis of our team. Because if you can get a team of selfless people like the men and Women who serve our country. Guess what, pal? You're not going to lose many games. And so much respect, much love for the men and women who serve.

[Mike Vrabel]

I agree with you 1000%, coach. The men and women who have served our country and who serve our country, I have so much admiration and respect for them, for the selfishness, like you said, that they have to go out there and protect our country and give us, you know, the freedom that we have. So super thankful to all the men and women who serve. All the men and women who have served. We are forever in debt to you guys. So thank you so much and we love you and happy Memorial Day.

[Urban Meyer]

You know, Rob, I. I wish, I wish we could take, you know, on those two USO trips to go see in Kuwait is where I went and to watch what they do. Remember now, this is away from your families and they're doing the hard. That's all you can say. Underlying the heart, what they're doing.

[Mike Vrabel]

Those USO tours are amazing, Coach. I made one in Italy and Germany and it was amazing experience, man. And I had to go out there. Yeah, I went out there with the German shepherd, had him on there. Then they made me run from him and he yanked me down. Oh, help me. Help me, please. But no, it's just amazing experience. And shout out to all the men and women who have served our country and are serving our country. We love you for sure.

[Rob Stone]

And Coach, I do appreciate it was an ask on my behalf for one of my friends. You're. You're coming to New York City this week. You and I are going to get together for the Catch A Lift fundraiser in. In the city. Catch A lift? Is it 2010? No, no, you're always. You'll get you. We'll get you next week.

[Urban Meyer]

I'll just play.

[Mike Vrabel]

I'll just play.

[Rob Stone]

It's helped Thousands of post 911 combat injured veterans regain their mental and physical health through gym memberships in home gym equipment, personalized fitness and nutrition programs, and a peer support network. And we forget that, you know, when you serve to give back, right? It's just because you've left the military. The military is still in you and there's still some. Some scars in there. There's still some healing that I can't wait, Stoner.

[Urban Meyer]

Thanks for having me.

[Rob Stone]

Mentally or physically, you're going to love it, Coach. It's the Catch A Lift fund and.

[Mike Vrabel]

Oh, them hearts, Coach. Throw up their heart, Coach.

[Rob Stone]

It's awesome. It's awesome. And one last thing, as we close it on Memorial Day weekend, I want to give a shout out to my wife. She did just an awesome thing a couple years ago during Memorial Day weekend. I was out of town and she had all four of the kids and she said, guys, the Memorial Day weekend is not about a three day barbecue bender. Right. It's about honoring and paying your respect to those that have essentially paid the ultimate price or those who continue to serve your country. And up near Westwood, near the campus of ucla, there is a huge military graveyard, for lack of a better term. And she took them out there and they placed American flags and they walked around and they had some moment of introspection.

[Urban Meyer]

Awesome.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, I think more people need to do that. You know, we went to Normandy a couple of years ago after covering a Women's World cup, and we're like, yeah, all of us, let's go. We're gonna, we're gonna go down to the, the beaches, we're gonna find these foxholes. We're gonna take this tour. We're gonna go, you know, to these graveyards and, and, you know, pay your respects, man, to these people who have done so much to, to put us in a position where we can have a, have a great three day weekend. And we need to understand why we have it and pay our respects to those who helped us.

[Urban Meyer]

So, amazing job. Yeah.

[Mark Ingram II]

Here we go.

[Rob Stone]

Good job. To my wife, Lynn Stone, by the way. All right, coming up next, we talk to a patriot, but of a different type of meaning. The new head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Fraebel joins us next. If you love Wendy's Classic Frosty flavors, we have got some big news for you. There are all new Frosty Swirl and Frosty Fusion flavors. So, yeah, it's the same creamy treat that you've always loved now with a flavor refresh. So what are these new flavors?

[Mike Vrabel]

Well, Stoner, thanks for asking. There are a lot, so I'm just gonna list them. Okay, we've got the Frosty Swirls strawberry brownie batter and caramel. Then we've got the blended Frosty Fusions, Caramel crunch, Oreo Brownie with swirl thick brownie batter sauce and crunchy Oreo cookie pieces and pop Tarts strawberry with a street strawberry sauce and chunks of crazy good Pop Tarts pieces.

[Urban Meyer]

You know your flavors. Not to mention that, yes, you can still get your classic vanilla. Try them all and find your favorite.

[Mike Vrabel]

Are you going to be a strawberry swirl girl? A Caramel craze Fanatic Brownie batter Buff Pop Tart Strawberry Fanatic Oreo brownie steak.

[Rob Stone]

These are all really, really good questions, Mark. Anyway, whatever flavor you're craving, odds are we've got a Frosty for it. So check in for sweet treat time with Wendy's. All new Frosty Flavors. A refresh on a classic. Gotta be Wendy's. This postseason BetMGM, authorized gaming operator of the NBA, is making first field goal score wagers more exciting with Second Chance. With BetMGM Second Chance promotion, you'll get your stake back in cash if your first field goal score scores second instead. Yeah, that's right. Simply bet on any player to score the first field goal during any playoff game. Any game. Doesn't matter. And if you're right, you win. But if your pick scores second instead of first, you get your stake back and you get it back in cash. Grab the chance at getting your stake back at BetMGM. See betmgm.com for terms. This U.S. promotional offer not available in D.C. mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario or Puerto Rico. Gambling Problem Call 1-800-Gambler available in the U.S. for New York, call 877-8-HOPE NY or text hopeny 467-369 For Arizona, call 1-800- NEXT STEP For Massachusetts, 1-800-327-5050 For Iowa, 1, 800, bets off. For Puerto Rico, 1-800-981-0023. For West Virginia, visit www.1-800gambler.net Subject to eligibility requirements in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

[Mark Ingram II]

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[Urban Meyer]

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[Mark Ingram II]

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[Mike Vrabel]

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[Mark Ingram II]

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[Mike Vrabel]

Welcome back to the Triple option presented by Wendy's. Excited to welcome in one of the best to ever wear the scarlet and gray, three times super bowl champion and the new head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Variable. Man, we appreciate you joining us. Thank you Big Dog.

[Mark Ingram II]

Appreciate you having me, man. I was going to wear the hoodie, I just figured I couldn't cut the sleeves off.

[Mike Vrabel]

Hey, I don't want you showing me up. I know you still stacked up dog, so you know I am.

[Urban Meyer]

Mark, you said you got a little piece of rabel or he got a little piece of you over the years? Which one?

[Mike Vrabel]

Yeah, man, we had, we had our share of run ins, man. I respect them a lot as a player and expect him a lot as a coach. I know what his teams are built on. The ones that I played against, the Ravens, the Titans, we had some, some battles from head to head. So I know what he's about. And he's a coach that I would have loved to play for for sure.

[Mark Ingram II]

He kept saying he we should trade him in for Derek Henry. We should trade him and Derrick Henry. He said, I'm the real Bama running back.

[Mike Vrabel]

You know what's up. Hey, I helped you have that. You know what I mean? I helped you groom that right there.

[Mark Ingram II]

Perfect.

[Urban Meyer]

Hey, hey, Mike. I want to hit every. I think this is going to be a really good story, but in 05, I get a phone call from Bill Belichick. I just take the Florida job from Utah with Alex Smith and he calls me and he says, hey, this is Bill Belichick. And I said, yeah, this is Pete Rose. I started joking around and saying. And he said, no, it's really Bill Belichick. I'm like, oh, damn. And he said, I've studied your offense. I want to bring Josh McDaniels down. We're going to study some of the spread offense you guys are doing. So he comes down, we strike up a great relationship for years. He invites me up in spring of 06 for minicamp. And I think to this day I still share that. That's the arguably the greatest locker room that's ever. I've ever witnessed and I think that maybe ever existed. You had Tom Brady, Bruce Keev, Rabel, Rodney Harrison, Vince Wolfork and many others. But I was dealing with some stuff. Like all players, like all coaches, you had lazy, just, you know, just shit going on in your locker room. In 05 and 06, this is the first time I met you. I sit down with you and I remember it was you, Brusky and Tom Brady. And I said, guys, just let me grab you for five minutes here because I was amazed. This is after watching a mini camp that, I mean, I saw Mike Vrabel with a beanie on his head running down as hard as he could on scale kickoff. I see Tom Brady acting like a two minute drills, he's trying to win the Super Bowl. Brusky's running the entire defense. And here's what Mike Vrabel told me. Coach, our job in the locker room, we don't put up with Anything. In this locker room, we find players, we hold people accountable. It's my job, our job, to keep it off of Bill Belichick's desk. That's what he told me. And I looked at. I used that with my team. We won the national championship that year. You remember when I was a coach at Ohio State, I told people the stories about that locker room. Great players, great coaches come and go. Great locker rooms are, I think, damn near impossible to get. Tell us about. Take us into that locker room and tell us how. How in the world do you get that going again at New England?

[Mark Ingram II]

Well, I think that that's the biggest question, right, is not what it was. It's how do we recreate that. And I think that I was always trying to search for that. And I think you start by investing in people. I think you have to. Again, you have to be able to have some talent to play in this league. You can't win games without talent. But I thought we were very intentional and in free agency, you know, we had to reinvigorate some of the talent on this football team, and some of the people that we brought in hopefully can do that. Right. Because my job and your job, when you were, you know, a coach, is to protect the team. And that's the most important thing is the team. And so if the players are willing to do it, great, and if they can't, then that's where I have to be able to step in and. And do my job and hold people accountable and put them in the right places. And hopefully, if you get enough of those players and they compete and they embrace that. Right? And I think the closer that you become to each other, the easier it is to hold a guy accountable. If I don't know Mark, and I'm like, mark, you're not really running that hard or you're not finishing runs, he's going to bow up and he's going to be like, I don't. Why are you. Who are you to tell me this? But the more I get to know Mark and the more his family and the things that he cares about and the things that are important to him, then it's like, mark, get your. Get your pads down, man, and run through contact, and you're going to have to break. We can't block them all. And then he starts to say, you know what? He's right. I am not. I'm not finishing like I should. And so I think it does start with the connection piece that I think is critical so that you can do that. From a teammate to teammate perspective and then from a coach to player perspective.

[Mike Vrabel]

Hey, coach, I wouldn't question you if you told me that I would figure out how to get my.

[Mark Ingram II]

Well, because you're old, you know, I mean, we're getting a different player now. We're. I know you want it because I know where you. How you were raised and how you were coached and. But it's different. Like, we are getting a different player. This is a. That I think the players should be paid, I think they should be compensated.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yeah.

[Mark Ingram II]

But the ability for them to kind of move when they want to move right is taking the team aspect away. And that's okay. Like, we'll figure it out, but we just got to figure out which behavior we can actually change when it gets to the league. Because we. The team is critical in this case. It's a long. It's a long season, It's a tough season. And the team is the only thing that's going to get you through, you know, some of those tough times.

[Urban Meyer]

Hey, before I turn over to Mark, I just want to really stay in this locker room conversation because I'm still mesmerized by it. So I remember Coach Belichick and Matt Patricia very close with. And they would take maybe a player, you know, he actually used these words, a peripheral type player. And a peripheral player is maybe that has a reputation of being selfish or, you know, we're all selfish, but I mean, just maybe not a team first player. And then you see New England take these guys back in that era and they became team players. And I remember hitting Mike Frable, I remember hitting you guys with that. And you said you would go to this staff. And I think Brady even said this somewhere. I'll handle this guy. You know, this is the way we do business here. It's because you got grown ass men running a locker room, not children. So hit us again.

[Mark Ingram II]

So I think what we found out, like, Corey Dillon was a great teammate. And Corey Dillon. Only thing I knew about Corey Dillon was that people in Cincinnati or somebody didn't like him in Cincinnati or said the media said like. But when he got here, I was like, this guy runs his ass off. Like, he tries to break people's face masks with his form. And I'm like, you know, or Rodney Harrison, like, Rodney showed up and I'm like, whoever said this guy couldn't still play should never evaluate talent ever again. Like, this is crazy. So I think all you do is you have an open mind and you can only evaluate. Like, I don't care how they get here. All I care about is what they do when they're here. So if you can spread that message, like, who cares what you did or what people said about you? Like, whatever you do here is what I'm going to evaluate on you on, and your teammates are going to evaluate you on. So I don't even think any of these guys that Randy Moss, you know, Corey Dillon, any of these guys that came in, like, I don't, I thought they were, like, that had been with us for, for since 2001.

[Mike Vrabel]

That's how you know that you got a good locker room, though, when you can get guys from the outside coming in like that and they feel at home. That's how a locker room thrives. That's why you guys are so successful.

[Mark Ingram II]

And some of these great players, like, they just want to be. They're just competitive. And if they were in a bad situation, like, people, people lash out for different reasons. Right. And so they maybe had a bad situation or again, there's a contract, this or play time or this relationship with the coach. Like, I don't know, it just. And it was never a problem.

[Mike Vrabel]

Right.

[Mark Ingram II]

I mean, I think that just those types of players were ultimately competitive, and they were great players, and they came here and, you know, we, we built a team.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yeah, I know we kind of talked about, like, the new day and age, the new school player, how they can kind of choose where they want to go and how that dynamic kind of, you know, we'll have to change their mindset kind of going to the NFL. But I know you're close to coach Bill. What's your guy doing, man? Going down to the Tar Heels, man, trying to get involved in this college era of nil and all this.

[Mark Ingram II]

I, I don't know. Like, I haven't, I didn't talk to Bill about his decision. Like, I meant, we, we talk and, But I, you know, we'll. We'll see. You know, I mean, I think that, you know, three years in college was enough for me, and I, I, I took off for the NFL and, you know, I'm sure Urban told you Urban didn't want to hire me. You know, I mean, he'll tell you he didn't want to hire me or that was just his way of motivating a good job, because I learned a lot there and. But I just, you know, just felt like the pro game was where I wanted to be. And if Bill feels like he wanted to go down to North Carolina and try to recreate that, you Know, I wish him all the luck in the world. So I played Ohio State.

[Mike Vrabel]

So there was no thought about you returning to the college ranks?

[Mark Ingram II]

Not right now, no. No.

[Urban Meyer]

All right, I gotta, I gotta speak my piece here. So when he says, I didn't want to hire him, I got hired Ohio State. And I'm, you know, he's trying to put himself. You're damn right I am. And, and so Luke, I'm blown away with them. They play good defense, and I, so I decided to keep Luke, and I love Luke Fickle and, and he said, I got one, one guy I'd like to keep, and it's Mike Ray. Was. Oh, man, Mike Ray was a great player. And I said, I don't, you know, we gotta, we gotta, you know, I just don't want to have too many guys from the past, and you just gotta be cautious about that. So I, I, I said, sure, we'll talk to Mike. We talked to Mike. But I'm going on record. Mike's one of the finest. And, and one quick Mike Ravel story is so, the intensity. He's still damn near a player at this point. Big sucker. And so all of a sudden, we're playing the Wolverines. And you know where I'm going with this, Mike? So we're playing Wolverines in 2012. It's probably five degrees outside, Mark, and we, you know, to get the teams out of their damn mind. And we come out, we're playing our ass off. I look over at Mike, he's got a, A hat on, not a hoodie. Like a stock. Yeah. And his face is, like, bruised up, and he's, like, got a little mark on his face right there. And I'm, you know, I don't have time to, you know, I mean, we're going, we're coaching and all I can. I looked at my car, I said, what the, what the hell happened here? Then later on, I found out that the players were all headbutting each other before the game. Mark. And someone got right in the middle of it. His name was Mike.

[Mark Ingram II]

It was right here. It split me up. I had six stitches, and they wrapped like gauze around my head and then put a BB on. And I mean, I was, like, out of it and had on the Betadine, and I was like, yellow and it's like dripping in my eyes and stuff. So Urban's like, okay, I'm going to interview you in the morning. And, and I tell this story to every person I interview to kind of like, drop the shield a little bit. I Said, however you do in this interview, it will never be as bad as my first interview. I had never interviewed. I coached for a year. And basically what I did is I coached the linebackers, but I really just made sure that they were. They went to class and they showed up at practice on time because Luke coached the linebackers and was the head coach. So I was like, kind of figuring my way out. First interview, Urban, in front of the whole staff that he had just hired. I get up there, I mean, I draw this little circle, this little T. Talking about A three technique. And I mean, I just pissed down my leg. I had no idea. And he's like, that is the worst thing I've ever seen. He goes, I want you to go home, figure this out and come back at 6 in the morning. And I was like, I go home. I said, jen, I don't know if I'm gonna be coaching much longer. I said, that was the worst thing I've ever done in my life. And so then I stayed up. I went back to the office, stayed there all night, had a teaching progression, figured out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to explain it. And then they said, let's try this again at six in the morning. And we did a little better.

[Urban Meyer]

A lot better.

[Mark Ingram II]

I said, whatever interview you have, it cannot be worse.

[Urban Meyer]

You still use that story every.

[Mark Ingram II]

Every time. Every single time.

[Urban Meyer]

Wow, here's an All Pro. What sold me was an All Pro. Here's a guy that doesn't have to do this. And he stayed there all night. And him and Luke. I mean, obviously a great success story. How about the Buckeyes winning the title and still got to beat that Dean Damn team up north, you know, I.

[Mark Ingram II]

Mean, they just pissed him off. I think at least they used them to piss him off. And they. The tournament. And I was there yesterday. I met. There's just a lot of players. There's a lot of talent. I mean, the thing that I'm most proud of, coaches, you know, Doug Marone is our offensive line coach. And Doug Marone was with us on the visit to Pro Day.

[Rob Stone]

Wow.

[Mark Ingram II]

And he loved. Doug loves history. He loves just. And so you walk around there and he's looking at the former players and I'm showing him Buckeye Grove, and I'm showing them all the. All Americans. I'm showing the Woody Hayes chalkboard. I mean, this guy, you know, he's been around football his whole life at a high level, and he's taking pictures of all this stuff. And a tradition at Ohio State And I'm like you. You kind of take it for granted. But then when somebody else that hasn't been there, that loves the history of the game is kind of taken aback, you're like, yeah, I guess this is pretty special.

[Lynn Stone]

Yeah.

[Mike Vrabel]

Coach Man. Two time All American at Ohio State. Three time super bowl champion, NFL Coach of the Year. Now you're back where you started. The New England Patriots just signed Stefon Diggs. What are you doing, man? From your experiences, not only as a coach and as a player, what are you enforcing? To what message are you driving home before the football is even snapped going on right now?

[Mark Ingram II]

Right? And to me, it's about building a program. It's about building a program that the players, when they show up here in a week are proud of, that they want to protect and that they want to be a part of. Like, that's the first thing that we're doing is. And somebody asked me, what does success look like? I get it. When it's wins and losses, it's either this or this. And that's in the season. But in April and May, success is that the players believe in what we're doing. They believe in the departments that are helping them. They believe in the coaching. They believe in the workouts. They believe in the message. They believe in what we're teaching them. Like, to me, that's the most important thing is that they believe in what they're doing and that they believe that the stuff that we're doing is going to help them support their families, and then in turn, the better they play, the better the team's going to play. So that's the message right now is, is that we want to make sure that, you know, we're supporting them and we're giving them everything that they need to improve.

[Urban Meyer]

Do you have to be cautious about. And I always tried to do this because players told me that before. You have to be cautious about. This is the way it used to be. Constant, constant. Because the players at some point will say, enough of that.

[Mark Ingram II]

What I want to do is, again, we. There's six banners that hang out in our stadium, and I've said this, that those are going to. None of the. None of that is going to help us. Right? But what that is, is that's a blueprint to. To success and how hard you have to work and what you have to do and the sacrifices that you have to make. I. I try not to ever live in, man, this is how I did it, or this is how so and so did it. Because that's I just have never felt like that has helped. But, but I know that the, to be able to draw on some of those experiences from that success is, is going to help us, but not how it's going to been. You know, you don't want to do things the way we always have because you'll, you know, get what you always got. But you want to have a reason for why you're doing things. You want to make sure that there's, you know, again, that there's a clear message, right? It's clear, concise and being direct. And those are things that, that I learned early on from you and about how important teaching is in these mobile classrooms that we do and the walkthroughs and the screens and getting them up out of a traditional classroom setting. And you know, there's a lot of things that I learned, you know, early on as a coach that I've, that I've carried with me.

[Mike Vrabel]

Coach, man, we really appreciate you.

[Mark Ingram II]

Sound familiar? Coach?

[Urban Meyer]

Clear, clean, concise and direct. And direct is the most important. And that came from one guy, Woody Hayes. I remember the day I walked into Ohio State in 1986. And that is, Mark, you know what direct teaching is? It's teach the teacher. And that's when you know, you know, so many times you walk in and Mike became excellent at it. You walk into a, a room where a coach is coaching and he always says, everybody got me good. You know, like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Everybody got what? You know that coat. The players got to be able to spit back what the coach just said. And that came from Woody. That's a Woody Hayes ism. And I carried it with my entire career.

[Mark Ingram II]

Tell me the next time somebody says, hey, does anybody have any questions? Tell me how many people raise their hand. There won't be one single person that raised their hand. Everybody's looking to get the hell out of there. So I get hired and Urban's like, hey, I want you to speak at the Ohio High School Coaches Association. And this is. Ohio is a, is a good football state, right? And I mean they come down here and they come for the weekend. And so I've got the time at 4 o' clock on Friday, right? Which is probably the worst possible time you could have because there's 600 high school coaches looking to get to happy hour and drink beer, but they got to listen to me speak at 4 o' clock. I said, fellas, I'm going to be as fast as I possibly can because I know you guys are itching to get to happy hour. And they started laughing. I was like, well, at least we're off on the right foot here. I said, they're just setting me up for failure. These guys at 4 o' clock before Happy.

[Mike Vrabel]

Hey, coach, man, we appreciate your time. We know you're busy, but what we do on the show is, man, you know, we've been shooting you a question for 20 minutes now. You got a chance to fire one back at us. You can ask coach, you ask myself whatever you want.

[Mark Ingram II]

Yeah.

[Mike Vrabel]

And we'll give you the opportunity to shoot one back at us.

[Mark Ingram II]

Who. Who was the. If you had to gain one yard, which lineman would you want to run behind your career?

[Mike Vrabel]

Oh, man, I. I think I've ran behind a couple hall of Famers, man. So I'd have to go Jerry Evans from the Saints or I'd have to go Marshall Yonder from the Ravens. Those were two of the best guards to ever play the game.

[Urban Meyer]

And how big. How big were they?

[Mike Vrabel]

Man, they were, you know, probably like 295.

[Mark Ingram II]

305, you know, not big guys like Marshall. Yonder was. Was like. He would have been like in the outside zone world.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yeah, but. But just to follow them on a traditional power level. Yeah.

[Mark Ingram II]

What was your favorite run? What. What would you want Urban to call?

[Mike Vrabel]

Man, I love the power. I love the counter. I love my pullers. I love my pullers. But I also love the inside zone. I just want the rock, coach. I just want to rock, man. So I love the inside zone. You get to press, you get to use your vision, you get to feel, to cut back.

[Mark Ingram II]

Get back behind the B block.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yeah, man.

[Mark Ingram II]

So get back behind the beat.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yes, sir. And then get vertical and then make it. Make your magic happen. But I'm.

[Mark Ingram II]

I'm an offensive guy now, you know, I mean, I spent six years in Tennessee, head coach, consulting.

[Mike Vrabel]

I loved your offense at Tennessee. I'll just tell you that. The way you would hand the ball to Derek 30 times a game, that's me, man. I love that play action.

[Urban Meyer]

Are you.

[Mark Ingram II]

It sounds like every running back that's ever carried the ball 30 times.

[Urban Meyer]

Are you a 3, 4, 4, 3 on defense, Mike?

[Mark Ingram II]

I mean, the base, which is only 20% of the time, will be like a, you know, 34 structure. But I mean, most of the games played the substituted defenses anyways, like, these nickels are becoming the most important position or one of the most important positions.

[Urban Meyer]

It's.

[Mark Ingram II]

It's a playmaking linebacker that can blitz, that can cover. That's instinctive. There's so many bubble relief throws that they got to be able to tackle and you know there's trying to find guys that can play man also in a slot.

[Urban Meyer]

Well thanks for your time brother. Love your family. Wish you best.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yeah thanks for joining us.

[Mark Ingram II]

If you guys ever need anything, you want to come up, maybe do the podcast from training camp or something.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yes sir.

[Urban Meyer]

See you Mike.

[Mark Ingram II]

Wait till it gets more urban. Likes that sun, right?

[Mike Vrabel]

Me too.

[Rob Stone]

Driving without a seat belt could cost you everything, but despite that, there are still drivers on the road who just won't buckle up. Some of those drivers will be pulled over and they'll be given expensive tickets by law enforcement. Some of the drivers not wearing their seatbelts will be involved in crashes. Some will survive, some won't. Wearing your seatbelt could be the difference between making it home to your loved ones and not making it at all. Every day when you get in your vehicle and decide whether to buckle up, remember that it is the single most effective way to protect your life in the event of a crash. Make it home safely to the people you care about. Don't risk it, click it or tick it.

[Lynn Stone]

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[Rob Stone]

Welcome back to the triple option presented by Wendy's Urban. Mark Robb back here with you. Time now for treat of the week presented by Wendy's. Try Wendy's new frosty fusions with flavors like a caramel crunch, Oreo brownie and pop tarts strawberry. How about the news out of Champagne the other day? Illinois locking up Brett Ba for another six years. That'll take him through the year 2030. His salary, 7.7 mil a year. It begins at in his four seasons in champagne. I know that's big numbers. 28 and 22, 18 and 18 in the big ten. So these are just kind of, these are 500 type numbers. I understand where Illinois is, but last season they matched a school record with 10 wins. They went 10, three, becoming just the fifth team in 133 years to reach double digit victories in Champagne. Coach, what, what do you think and what do you like about the fit with Belema in champagne?

[Urban Meyer]

Well, 7.7. That's like what Rob gets or the markets for the triple option. That's a pretty good buy. Big numbers, hey, we keep running it.

[Mike Vrabel]

Up, you know, who knows.

[Urban Meyer]

So there's coaches that are, that are fits for places and there's coaches that are not fits. And sometimes you see people hiring you like that that's not going to work. That just doesn't fit. I was in the big, I first Got hired in 2012 at Ohio State and Brett Bielamo was a coach of Wisconsin. They were, they were best team in the Big Ten. Remember they had a couple of Big Ten championships. They had incredible run of running backs. I remember Melvin Gordon, but they had many more than that. White and incredible run at Wisconsin. He leaves, which everybody was shocked and went to Arkansas and that was one of those ones you scratch your heads, that's probably not a great fit. And then he comes to Illinois and I knew it. I got a lot of respect for him as a coach. He's old school. He's a guy that, you know, he doesn't need the flash. He's not that way at all. He's going to Be control the line of scrimmage, run that rock and play great defense. That's who he is and that's who Illinois is right now. I've always wondered why Illinois couldn't win. You know, there's a nice little tradition there. But Illinois in my time was not very good and that's great to see.

[Rob Stone]

Before your time. They were pretty good, man. They had some defensive studs rolling through Champagne. Simeon Rice and company.

[Urban Meyer]

You're talking about a long time ago.

[Rob Stone]

I'm talking a long time. I'm talking a long time. That, that offense just hasn't been able to define its groove in a while.

[Urban Meyer]

In a while.

[Rob Stone]

But he does seem like, I think that's the perfect description of Brett Bielema at Illinois, Mark. It's like the dude just fits there. Like it, it makes sense. You know, him wearing the, the orange and the blue. And by the way that, that program, Mark, they're, they're due for a visit from Big Noon.

[Mike Vrabel]

Hey, we somebody, I was talking to somebody who was like we need to come to Champagne. I'm like we'll pull up the champagne. We will pull up the Champagne if you give us a reason. You give us a reason and we will come. So now with Brett there 10 win seasons just last year. Last year. So maybe a trip to Champagne is on the horizon.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, a strong start for Illinois and you know, team Big Noon. Kickoff is going to be looking at a trip to Illinois. The triple option Crystal ball is brought to you by BetMGM. The NBA playoffs are in the conference finals. Here's an offer for basketball that you won't find anywhere else. Pick the player you think will score the first first in the game. If it's not your player but he scores the second field goal of the game, you get your stake back in cash. That's brought to you by BetMGM. So time now for the Crystal ball. We turn our focus to the ACC and the conference champion Clemson. Their win total is set at nine and a half. The over you can get for minus 125. The under for plus 105. So again the win totals at nine and a half for Clemson right now. Last year they went 9 and 3 in the regular season. Their losses, Georgia, Louisville, South Carolina did beat SMU in the ACC title game to make the college football playoffs before they fell to Texas in the first round. I think the interesting story Mark, is a they've got a Heisman worthy quarterback in Cade Clubnik and, and Coach Sweeney decided to finally buck his own personal trend and Dip his toes into the transfer portal.

[Mike Vrabel]

Yeah, man, like you said, Cade Klubnick, you talk about forgoing his. He, he, he chose to come back instead of foregoing his eligibility and possibly being one of the best quarterbacks in the draft. And I think that is huge reason why Clemson will hit the over on this mark. Stoner. They will hit the over on this mark in my opinion. They got receivers coming back, Dabble hit the, hit the portal and some key positions. They got some key guys on the defense coming back, two in the secondary, two on the D line, a linebacker, four starters on the old line coming back. And the ACC in my opinion just hasn't been that strong as of late. We saw Florida State have a down year. They got to do better this year. Miami with Cam Ward just leaving. So I think this is their time. I think their prime positioning to make a run at the AC Championship. Not only the AC Championship, but also maybe make some noise.

[Rob Stone]

There you go.

[Mike Vrabel]

Football player for a national title. So with this quarterback with Dabo and his pedigree and how they have addressed the off season, I think Clemson is in their best position in a long time to go shoot for a national title.

[Urban Meyer]

Well, Todd McChay has six Clemson, six first rounders. That's, that's pretty impressive. That's Clemson of old. You know, they went on a dry spell there for a while where the NFL draft came and gotten you and Clemson didn't make a impact. If they get six first rounders, I put them well over the 9.5 that Vegas has them at. However, I give Dabo and I give Clemson credit. They're playing LSU and at South Carolina. Those are their non conference games. That's a rugged, that's a real one.

[Rob Stone]

Hey, let's, let's rip.

[Urban Meyer]

They got a tough schedule.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, let's rip through it real quick. They opened lsu. Yeah, they opened with lsu.

[Mike Vrabel]

It's verse lsu. It's not at lsu. It's not at lsu.

[Rob Stone]

So we'll just versus lsu. Yeah, we'll put a pause in that one. That's the, the Tiger Tiger showdown.

[Mark Ingram II]

All right.

[Rob Stone]

Versus Troy win dub at, at Georgia Tech win versus Syracuse dub. Okay. By the way, do you hear your hesitation? Like to me that's saying the ACC is better, right?

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah.

[Rob Stone]

I know they are. We know Syracuse is going to be better. Guess what? And then they've got the fight in Bill Belichicks in Chapel Hill.

[Urban Meyer]

What do you say there? I want to hear this.

[Rob Stone]

You're going to give him a dub. You want to give him a dub you're going to give it up. So that's four at Boston College, five versus SMU rematch Home though. Dub six versus Duke Dub Dub versus Florida State Dub eight at Louisville Dub nine versus Furman ten at South Carolina. At South Carolina. Dub wow.

[Mike Vrabel]

Carolina at South Carolina.

[Rob Stone]

That's always Carolina's gonna be sneaky good too.

[Urban Meyer]

If it's really six first rounders. If it's really six if it's really.

[Rob Stone]

If it's really six rounders.

[Urban Meyer]

If it's really 6 first rounders, yeah, they're, they're, they're going to have a hell of a year. They'll be deep in the playoffs, man.

[Rob Stone]

I think people need to be talking more about Clemson. They're going to hit double digit wins for sure. Remember, they got Tom Allen now. They dipped into the coaching transfer portal as well. Went out of the program, pulled Tom Allen out from Penn State to take over their defense as well. So Clemson, here we are, Memorial Day Week. We got high hopes for you come August, September, October, November. What's that?

[Mike Vrabel]

Get that crystal ball, man.

[Rob Stone]

The crystal ball likes what it sees in clems. Follow subscribe rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts as well as across social media. You can find us at 3X Option Show. Thank you as always to our great sponsors, Wendy's, BetMGM, NHTSA. Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.