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Warren Sapp
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Torre
What's your favorite snack of all time?
Warren Sapp
Ooh, I guess I had to say Blue Bell ice cream and Funyuns. I'm a fat guy now. I can't be caught snacking. But when I was 225.
Torre
No, no, I said sack.
Warren Sapp
Oh, sack.
Torre
The next your favorite sack sack.
Warren Sapp
So you said favorite snack. Already told I could have swole. You know what I think? I think I'm still hungry. But I tell you what, favorite quarterback is just the next one. They all taste like chicken. No, not ever.
Torre
But. I know, but. But there's not going to be any more NFL sacks. Which one was your best, your favorite?
Warren Sapp
My first one was on Randall Cunningham. My last one was on Vince Young, so. And there's 49 other ones in the middle of that. I don't. There's 49 different quarterbacks in the middle of that, making 1002 1/2 sacks with playoffs included. That's like your kids. I got six kids. I can't pick one set. That's my favorite Detour ratio. Okay, though. The tour ratio. Okay, though.
Torre
That might be the best question I've ever, ever been.
Warren Sapp
Honest. You's a phenomenal person. I mean, you. Legendary. I am a fan of you. My brother.
Torre
Warren Sapp is one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL. He's also become a buddy of mine. I'm on the phone with him talking about what's going on with his Colorado Buffaloes because he's working with Deion's program, helping those kids get better. We had an amazing conversation about life in the NFL, life in college football as a Hurricane and Miami as a coach at the University of Colorado. It's an extraordinary conversation that goes deep into what it is to be a professional football player and have that professional football mindset. I so love this conversation. Thank you, Warren, for bringing the real funk and the real spirit. Let's get into it. It's Warren Sapp, NFL legend on tour. SAP, how you doing?
Warren Sapp
I'm excellent. My man, what's good with you?
Torre
Yo, how has it been watching Travis Hunter, day by day do amazing things on both sides of the ball over and over?
Warren Sapp
I'm gonna tell you in the most PG way of the way I explained it to the guys that watch it with me every day in the defensive meeting room. It is an absolute m effing pleasure to watch this young man work every day.
Torre
Right.
Warren Sapp
That's just the best way I could explain. Right.
Torre
It's amazing. It's amazing. Which side is he better on or real? The real question is, which side should he focus on in the pros? Because you don't think he's going to go both ways in the. In the NFL, Right?
Warren Sapp
But the problem is they don't give you a chance to pick which side you want to go on. They tell you what side they want you on. They're now the employer, you are the employee. It for me, I would put him on the defensive side of the ball because it's such a wide open game. And if I could take one third of the fill out, that really aids me in winning a football game much more than putting him on the offensive side where somebody can roll the coverage of Dublin and he only gets two balls. I mean, no, I'm not going to allow you to take my greatest weapon out of the game by rolling coverage and double team. And now he's no longer a factor at CD Lamb and some of those receivers that look at some of that coverage, like what? I'm not getting nothing today unless it's a bubble screen.
Torre
So a wide receiver can be stopped or slowed down even if he's elite. But a great db, you can't stop him.
Warren Sapp
You run away from him. And now I have a great db. I can go double your number one and put my great DB on your number two. Hey, like that. Now that's what. Now that's where you got to throw the ball.
Torre
Do you think that's what the NFL is going to do?
Warren Sapp
Oh, that's what they should do. That's. That's what I would do. That's what any smart coordinator would do. That's why we have a luxury at Colorado, where you go over there, you want to. You go. You go messing with the unicorn to get stuck because he's definitely going to stick you. He's definitely going to win nine, if not eight. Nine times out of ten, what are.
Torre
You able to teach him defensively? Because you got an extraordinary student, but you got to know something that he doesn't yet know. So what Are you teaching him?
Warren Sapp
Oh, I know a bunch of shit that he don't know. That's the whole point of being a 50 year old brother that played 13 years in the National Football League, made two all decade teams. I seen more than I forgotten more than he's seen in those little 21 years he's been living right now. But the thing about it is you just touch him a little bit because he doesn't need much, right? When you watch, when you watch him work, Tori, you're like, I just watch him catch a deep ball. Turn around and now cover the deep ball. Now comes back and pick off a little bubble screen or a slant. You know, one of those bubble. He jumps on those. I mean anything at the line of scrimmage where you trying to do something quick, forget about it. Don't do it around him. Like that play he made in tcu on the goal line, that's right around the goal line where you went to move and tried to fool him and then throw it back. Plays like that, he eat it alive.
Torre
So what can you teach him? What are you teaching him?
Warren Sapp
Life. That's what I'm teaching him. Life. Because life has a funny way of grabbing you when you least expect it. When you riding along nice and smooth, all of a sudden there's a flat tire. Little things, little things. I haven't went going, I haven't gone fishing with him yet. But the little things, you know, just. Just little things with this and that and where he had in certain situation and he looked at me and be like, you know what? You know what you're doing back here? I say the front and the back can't work together, son. I said, I guarantee you this, you learn nothing else from me, you're only going to be as good as the front that's in front of you. Because they have to put pressure on the quarterback. Even the great Travis Hunter could be beat if that quarterback has that kind of time, right? So love on the big boys up front. Even when you go by them, just tap them on the button. Love them a little bit. Let them know that the big dog sees them. Cause that's confidence. That's what he sees me. You see what I'm saying?
Torre
You're talking about leadership and spreading energy to the rest of the team. Not anything specific about what you need to do.
Warren Sapp
But I can't teach anything about backpedaling or what the route is. No, Mathis and Dion got that. No, no, no. I'm teaching them about being the big dog on the team. That everybody looks at and goes, damn, I love watching it work. I was that guy at one point, I was that guy show the big Brooks. And Brooks made me look and say, what's his name over there? And I'm like, why do I care? He's like, cause he gonna be on the special teams and we gonna need him. Just go tap him on the button and say what's up? Just find out his name and tap him on the butt, sir. I said what? He said, trust me how far it will go. I have teammates on my team that never played a defensive down with me that we talk special team guys. I love them because I really understood that there's three phases and it's a full team thing. You know, I got three guys you don't mess with. My quarterback, my coach, and my kicker, but my special team guys who I fight with them in the day of the week or twice on Sunday because that's who does the thankless work. You know what I'm saying? That's the guy that's taking out the trash. That's the guy that's watching the windows when you walk in the a nice office building. And nobody said a word to him, but the job is done.
Torre
But you as a star on the team, just saying, what's up, Keith? How you doing, John? Good. Good job on that play 55. That just lifts everybody's spirits a little bit more that the big dog said it to them.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, yeah, like the big dog. Look, he recognized me, you know? Cause I expect him to know the quarterback. I expect them to know the defensive captains. But the special, the L3 on the kickoff team, you know, the left tackle on the punt team, punt cover team.
Torre
What else does the alpha have to do as far as relating to the team and helping the team show up.
Warren Sapp
And show out every day? Because we're all watching you. We all want to see if it's. If it's a facade or something that you, you know, you're trying to portray you are. And he does it with a smile on his face like I used to, but he does it on both sides of the ball. So I'm like. And I just watch him work. And man, you hear the coach, hey, Travis, you need one right here. He'll turn his back and just walk off. He won't even answer. He'll just turn, go to walk it off. Like, nope, going to work. I mean, won't even say anything to you. Will not say anything to you at all. And it's just beautiful to watch. It is Absolutely beautiful to watch this young man work every day.
Torre
If Shador Sanders was in the league right now, where is he on the quarterback list? Like he's not Patrick Mahomes, but he's not.
Warren Sapp
No, he can't do that. What do you mean, can't do that yet he has to play on the NFL level in college. Your windows are that big in the NFL. They're that big. You have to anticipate throws and get it out of your hand. Listen, we're looking at this Jaden Daniels kid at 82% and we're talking about Peyton Manning has to had the record for the first five, four, first four weeks of the season at like 81%. And Peyton was in like year 10 or 11. Can you, can you imagine that? That's how wide open the game has become. And if you efficient enough to read it and let that ball in the wood. In the words of the great Dan Marino, pick a guy and let it fly. Sky's the limit. For you, sky's the limit. We're looking at a wholly a totally different quarterback in Justin Fields in Pittsburgh. I mean, it's just the ability to be able to understand what are his strengths, what are his weaknesses, and let's play to him what is. Let's not put the kid in a box and make him try to fit a mold that we want. Let's take what we have and win football games.
Torre
Talk about being around your man Deion every day and watching him do his job as a coach who seems to be truly about. I am not just about X's and O's and wins and losses. I am about. And everybody says it, but I get to feel like he's really like. I am leading by example, creating men, building character, making you guys good people. Right.
Warren Sapp
That's what we trying to do. And he's leading the troops. And when you work for a man like that, you follow him anywhere because you know his heart is true and you know his meaning is there and everything about him is genuine. He's the same man every time. My office is across from me. It's the same dude every morning that music's playing, he'll come out with a little bounce in his step, smile on his face, greet you with a good morning, hug your neck. I mean, I understand why, you know, so many people are looking at it with a side eye and different things, because it's an unconventional way. It's Prime's way.
Torre
Yeah.
Warren Sapp
But I've always learned in the NFL that if you're gonna go Down. Go down with what you know in your stuff.
Torre
What is he. What is something that he's taught the kids that you were like, oh, not that he was teaching you, but like, that was. That. That was good. That's good. I, you know, I was really impressed that you said that.
Warren Sapp
It's more the faith thing, because to be able to take the Bible and turn into a 21st century rap and a groove for young men that don't even listen to our music, you know what I'm saying? Did you see that Family Feud when they had the list of the greatest rappers? Did you by any chance see that?
Torre
I don't think I saw that one. I don't think I saw that one.
Warren Sapp
Snoop was number one on the list.
Torre
Oh, we love Snoop. But he.
Warren Sapp
I really love Snoop is the number one rapper you want to party with. No doubt about it.
Torre
Yeah, yeah.
Warren Sapp
You know, if Snoop ain't a good time, I don't know what you look.
Torre
He is for sure.
Warren Sapp
But as far as lyrics. Oh, no, no, Rocky, I'm. No, none of that. None of that. This is all kids, 100 people. I was like, holy smokes. So it's a, It's a different generation. They speak a different language. And prime is so keen on that. I mean, some of the comments he made by certain players and they come back and go, you go, damn, he just told me that two days ago. He just told me that two days ago. So it's just, it's just him. It's just him. When, Listen, I remember when he told me he was going to start coaching high school football and he was going to have to drive 90 minutes one way. I said, you've lost your mind, brother. You know, I, I love you to death. And I, I know everything you want to do and whatever. He's like, no, I got my boys. And then I said, all right, now that might be something that you know, because when we talk about the kids, we're talking about something greater than us, and we have to provide better than what was provided for us. So he went to going on this voyage, and four years later, I saw the maturation of it. I said, oh, he's hooked. It's over. There's nothing else he wants to do. And now you see what it is. So he didn't mess around and got the bug in me. I don't think there's nothing else I want to do right now either. This is fun.
Torre
The bug is in you.
Warren Sapp
So it's over.
Torre
You want to be a head coach?
Warren Sapp
No.
Torre
Why not? You could be a great head coach.
Warren Sapp
Oh, no, that's too many hours. That's too many responsibilities.
Torre
I don't want a 20 hour a day job.
Warren Sapp
I like to show up, put some spice in it, like to get the hell out of the way. How about that? And go watch some work. That's what I like.
Torre
Assistant coach. It's a lighter load. That's what you want?
Warren Sapp
Oh, no, I won't be beneath. I want to be the assistant to the assistant.
Torre
So you're not even. You don't even try to be a defensive coordinator. You're like, no, I'm a consultant.
Warren Sapp
No, no, no. Play calling. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I was around Rusty Tillman, the great Monty Kiffin. God bless his soul. Rest in heaven. I mean, one of the Ryan's. Rob Ryan. I trust me in my. My Rob Livingston. Right now. I love him. I follow him anywhere in the world.
Torre
How does this. How did this happen that you ended up at Colorado? Is it Colorado or Colorado?
Warren Sapp
Nevada. Are you really Colorado? Colorado. Colorado. Where you get Colorado?
Torre
I don't know. I thought I heard somebody say that. I just, you know, just trying to be clear since you're actually there.
Warren Sapp
How about we just say, go Buffs? How about that?
Torre
How did this happen that. That you ended up on Dion's staff up there?
Warren Sapp
You know what I go back to? I was. I was going on a trip to Texas, sign some autographs in Dallas. And so happened my autograph guy and Dion's guys. Same guy. Oh, they. They work together or something like that. And I've always told Dion I was. I would come fish with him at, you know, Lake Prime. You know, I'm coming to catch me a bass. I'm gonna make sure you got fish in that lake. Boy, I see it, but I don't see nothing big coming out of there. So I get out there, and he's coming to the autograph show. And I called him the night before. He just show up. I said, yo, what do you. How long you gonna autograph? And he told me how long it was. I said, perfect. He said, what? I said, I would like to get in the car, ride back with you, go fish. I wanna go fishing with you. What, you ain't come? I said, I'll see you in the morning. I know you coming early. I'll be there. So I go by the Biscuit place, get the big Biscuit. It's a place in Dallas called Biscuit Burger. Biscuit Bar.
Torre
You just pause one second. Where did you guys play together?
Warren Sapp
Nowhere.
Torre
You never did. So where did the friendship already get bonded to? Where you're like, yo, yo, let's go fishing. Cause you were already tight because you're.
Warren Sapp
Talking about two Florida boys that played at the two best schools in Florida and they were rivals. And then we worked at NFL Network for seven years.
Torre
So at NFL Network, you knew him from college.
Warren Sapp
I knew him from being a pro and a bad Florida boy. And, you know, following me in high school when Sammy Smith and him was racing the whole time, because, you know, that was my high school versus his high school. So we raced all over. We ran all over Florida, watching them race that whole track season. So.
Torre
But at NFL Network, you really bonded.
Warren Sapp
Oh, yeah. We became brothers at NFL Network. Cause, you know, you on the road doing all kind of foolishness and you know, okay, you need some laughs and so you're.
Torre
So you're at the pond.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, no, just.
Torre
You're just looking to fish.
Warren Sapp
Oh, because SAP fishing, he realized who you're talking with, right? But I catch the big stuff out in the ocean. He won't get in the ocean. He only catch bass.
Torre
Wait, you're like, you're like a serious fisherman.
Warren Sapp
Oh, yeah.
Torre
Like, what do you. Like, what do you, what do you catch?
Warren Sapp
You just go to the hashtag SAP fishing and check it. Come on.
Torre
What's your thing? What's your thing? What's your special?
Warren Sapp
Blue marlin is my thing.
Torre
How big you. How big have you gotten?
Warren Sapp
Not nothing over 300 pounds, but in.
Torre
In the 200 pound range.
Warren Sapp
Yeah. Easily my biggest fish is 924, a bluefin tuna.
Torre
924 pounds?
Warren Sapp
Yeah. How I missed a grander by 76 pounds, my old college number. How about that?
Torre
I don't even know how you would have the force to pull a thousand pound thing into the fucking boat.
Warren Sapp
The boat is backing up, okay? Just you, you're eating line and then he eats the line back off. Then he eat back up the line. He gets tired, he gets tired. That's basically what happens. Wow. Yeah, you just got to keep the line tight enough and taught enough on him so he doesn't spit it out of his mouth. And.
Torre
But you have to. But you got to be physically strong to pull that shit in. I couldn't do that.
Warren Sapp
Well, we're not talking about you, we're talking about me. You see the difference? I'll take you fishing and you, you'll bring one in. Not, not a 900. I wouldn't expect you to pull a 900 pound in Tory. But you know the sailfish, the mahi mahi. Yeah. Snappers. Yeah.
Torre
Okay, so you're Mr. Fishing. You're @ lake.
Warren Sapp
Oh, yeah.
Torre
Like, let's see what we got in here. Because I know how to fish it. Yeah.
Warren Sapp
So now he's not fishing with me. Me and Jamie Dukes are out in the lake fishing. And I was like, what's going on, dude? He's like, you're on the phone or something. Something going on. I was there the day Jackson State called with their president, athletic director, and everybody and tell them, you know, we'll give you the. We'll give you the program. It's yours. You. You. We gonna go with you. We're gonna go with what you got going. Come in and do us right. And I was sitting up with him and I said, so what am I supposed to do? He's like, just take the truck and drive it back to the hotel and leave it at valet and just send me a picture of the ticket. I sent somebody to get it. I said, okay. So I look at him, I say, you going right now? And he said, yeah, we gotta go. I'm going right now. I said, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold. He said, wait, what? What? I said, do you know what the key to your hole coaching career is? He said, what? I pointed at your door. I said, him. He said, what? I said, dude, how could you sit on my couch and tell me Jackson, Mississippi, is the place for my kid and your kid down there with my kid at Boca Raton, a mile and a half from the beach. And the other ones at South Carolina State. No, no. He looked at him, he said, go get your bag. So me and him, from that point on, when he first started his coaching career, I knew I had locked the bond with him. And then he brought the team down to see me in Miami, and I went to go check on the D line. Cause, you know, I want to see if I can help my brother, you know, give him a couple little secrets and smash Florida A and M. You know, nobody wants to see the football team. We only want to see the bad. So that's how we. That's how we feel about Fairview. We don't want to see the football team, but you want to see the band.
Torre
Right?
Warren Sapp
Right, right, right, right. So now he comes to me with that, and I'm watching the D line, coach. Oh. I'm trying not to get emotional because that's. That. That. That was the day. That was the day that it hit me that there's some non Coaches going around, and he was doing more cursing than coaching. And he watched this kid get in the wrong stance two times in a row in front of him. And I'm talking about dog cussing him the whole way, doing the drill and something to me and say, just see if he will, you know, correct the kid in the right way. Because I know he watched him two times do it wrong. He should know this, right? So I looked at him. I say, shouldn't he be with his ball hand down your mother to you? No, to the kid.
Torre
Go ahead.
Warren Sapp
So he goes past me on to the kid again, lights them up. I just turned and I just walked away. I just walked away. I walked up the prime. Promise what it is. I say, I'm going to get my degree. I got to fix this for you. He said, well, I say, he can't. He can't be around these kids. He's doing more cursing than coaching, Coach. I mean, I don't mind a little cussing, because you know me, I cuss a little bit, too, but there has to be a purpose to the cursing that you're doing. And, yeah, he wasn't. There was no purpose to him. He watched the kid do it, too wrong two times in front of his face. I know he's wrong. He should know it. You're the coach. Don't allow him to create bad habits right in front of you. And then you. Dog cussing because he did it right. No, no. And that. That was the day. That was today. That was the day. And then I came. I can't. I came to Colorado and saw him early before they played that TCU game. They had a wood board, and the wood board was worn from hitting it. You ain't gonna get. You ain't gonna get a lot out of a wooden board, I promise you. I never had a wooden board in front of me in 13 years. To do what with it? Do the clubhouse.
Torre
So wait, I love that. But at what point in the first. Because this is season two of Dion in Colorado. What point in season one did he call? He called you and said, please come join us.
Warren Sapp
No, no, no, no. I called him and said, I'm working on this degree, right? And when I get done, do you have a spot for me, my brother? And he said, I'm gonna work on it, you know, because he said you.
Torre
Called him in season one.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, I had. I was there week one in tcu. I came back to see the UCA USC game because I want to see the Heisman Trophy guy, Caleb. Okay, look. Oh, that was gonna play some football. I've never seen a quarterback warm up like that. Oh, boy. Boy, it was something special. That's why I called all my friends in Chicago. I'm like, relax yourself. You got a quarterback. But I was. I was. I was after the degree, so that part would be done. Okay, now it was just on him to find me a spot in his staff and get it okay. By the powers to be, because, you know, I had.
Torre
Right.
Warren Sapp
You know, the 2015 thing. And everybody wants to tell me I victimized this person, that person. I'm like, huh?
Torre
Right.
Warren Sapp
Who. Who? Show me my victim. Who's that person? No, you don't have that person. I don't have any victim unless they was on a Sunday or Monday. I didn't play on Thursday.
Torre
No, you. You. You know, when I think about you as a player, I think about mental toughness and spirit. And I wonder, what is your big message to the kids that you're talking to?
Warren Sapp
Which one?
Torre
Like all. All your kids that you are responsible to? What is your thesis to them?
Warren Sapp
Ooh, on what? Because is. If it's just football and it's the defensive line, we start with stance, alignment assignment, and then we get to the tedious repetition of the simplest movements, because alignment don't lie. But then if I'm flipping on the other side and it's the officer line, I have a different message for them because there's a different task at hand. And then if it's the wide receivers, I have a different message in the tight ends and different things, because not all of them you will touch the same, and not all of them learn the same or hear you the same.
Torre
What's your. What's your message for the wide receivers?
Warren Sapp
Oh, love life. And do not be a diva.
Torre
That's part of the wide receiver thing.
Warren Sapp
The best cop. Name me a great receiver.
Torre
Terrell Owens.
Warren Sapp
Is he a diva?
Torre
Yes. Ocho Cinco.
Warren Sapp
Ocho Cinco, you mean because he ain't getting no gold jacket? At least if you're gonna talk to a gold jacket guy, talk about men with gold jackets.
Torre
Michael Irvin.
Warren Sapp
Oh, boy. Super diva.
Torre
That's what I'm saying.
Warren Sapp
Chris Carter not a super diva.
Torre
Chris Carter ain't a diva. Randy Moss.
Warren Sapp
Oh, the fragile is super diver, but the guillotine, too. The most. Most dangerous weapon. I mean, and you can be all that and a great receiver without all that. Harold Carmichael. Jerry Rice is not a definition. Oh, don't. Don't do that. Oh, really? Jerry Rice is my teammate, and I was there Today his streak of consecutive catches in the game was broken. Yeah, you ain't never seen a baby crown the sideline like this. Yes, sir. I guess, you know, I guess when you know 10 other guys have to do their job for you to get the ball, and when you catch it, it's all about you. I guess you kind of forget about the whole team thing, but that's what I'm trying to get my receivers to understand. Running a pack as three or four or five. And always talk about your group, whatever, about yourself, always about your group. I always try to teach that more than anything. Talk about your group because your group, the little guys, will appreciate it. You know, that's the one thing that Brooks and them taught me was it can't always be about you. When we snapping the ball, it's definitely gonna be about you because you started up front. But when it's about your team, emphasize team, emphasize your teammates. Celebrate your teammates. Love for your teammates, play for your teammates.
Torre
What is your message to the QBs?
Warren Sapp
Oh, lead with dignity and the most humble being you could ever be. Because this game will humble you to your core. This game will break you down, make you drink, make you cry, make you call your mama. It's just that simple. This game's tough. It's tough. And I say that because it's 80. Mental. Yeah, everybody's big, strong, fast, all of that. It's what's between your ears that will separate you in the game of football.
Torre
Well, you were incredibly separated from other people. Always a game changer, playmaker, always had to know, where is Sapp on the field? He's gonna change the game.
Warren Sapp
Thank you.
Torre
What was between your ears that elevated you to that elite level of your era?
Warren Sapp
Derrick Brooks in my ear and Rod Marinelli in my face and Money Kiffin watching over it and Tony Dungy on the side. And then it became John Gruden. Because those were the men that I wanted to. I wanted to say, good job. Good job. One, you know, those were the men that, you know, I looked at and said, you know. Cause Derek Bruce used to have that damn highlighter out. And we was on the road together because Tony Dungy had a system to where he was going to put alphabetically teammates together. And Rich McKay, our GM, told him, say, well, you have one problem. He said, what do you mean? He said, I don't know how you gonna get B and S to come together in the Alphabet, but they have to. So they put Brooks and Sapp in the same room. It's like he's the only one. The only one but you.
Torre
I mean, and I understand these are all football geniuses, and you wanted to live up to them, but I'm like, what are you thinking about? What are you telling yourself? What's going on inside? That propelled the size and the skills to be unbelievable in every freaking game.
Warren Sapp
He'S playing in, outside of Tony Dungy pulling me and Brooks in his office and saying, I want you to be Joe Green and you to be Jack Hale. And me and Brooks looked at each other, I turned back, I said, exactly what does that entail, Coach? And he said, well, Joe Green had 10 straight Pro Bowls, two Defensive Players of the Year, and four World Championships. That's yours. Then he turned to Brooks and was. I think Jack ham had like 11 or 12 straight Pro Bowls, a defensive player of the year, and four world championships. So that was. That was what was put in front of us.
Torre
But you're. You're like, but my. I'm.
Warren Sapp
The next thing was, go ahead. The next play is mine, the next player's mine. You know, like, people ask me all the time, what was your favorite quarterback to sack? The next one. They all taste like chicken. It was always the next play. It was always the next. I was going to turn the game around with the next play.
Torre
Every play, you thought, I'm going to turn the game around right now.
Warren Sapp
Tony Dungy drilled in us. There's five plays that will decide this football game. You just don't know which five it is. So when that opportunity rears his head, you better be ready. And that's the way I live. That's the way I live.
Torre
You don't know when it's going to come, so be ready.
Warren Sapp
You have to. You have to. I mean, man, I've watched this man break down a game to the point where we. He. He knew exactly the time and place. We were going to pull Merton Haynes up and throw the ball over his head to start the 97 season. And when it happened, we all looked at each other and say, there it is again. The man. I managed to break the game down to a science, too. Oh. Oh, he made it so easy for you to just go play. Go play. You just don't know what five is gonna be. So be on your game. So when you get good and tired, tap your head and come out. Send somebody else in, because that might be the play. And now you ain't able to help us.
Torre
You were, and that's beautiful, but you were already that dog at Miami. You were already playing at an Elite. You had to be playing at an elite level to get to Miami, right? And then you were at an. You were one of the great players in a great era of Miami. So what was going on mentally and spiritually that propelled you when you were a hurricane?
Warren Sapp
My mom was on a dirt road with no cable television, no air conditioning, and a piece of man didn't deliver. We had cable now, though. We had cable. Yeah, we had cable, but it was still a dirt road and we didn't have any air conditioning. I called my mom one time. I think it was in. Right around Thanksgiving. She got on the phone, real rasp. I smell. What's the matter, man? You know, I got a little piece of 1978 banana yellow LTD. You know, the long, tough and dangerous. So that was it. I was like, that's it, it's over. I. I just. Just gotta stop. My mom worked. My mom had been working two or three jobs for 36 years. It was. It was time to stop.
Torre
You had. I have to take care of mom on my.
Warren Sapp
I was the last one on my back. I'm the baby. I'm the baby. I'm the baby. And I kind of like the idea of having your name up in lights. Cause I was from a small little town called Plymouth, Florida. And my grandma said, don't ever forget where you come from, boy. So I was gonna put it on the map because Apopka was already on the map and Sammy Smith had put Zelwood on the map, but Plymouth was in the middle. And nobody had put Plymouth on the map yet. I was like, it's my shot. It's my shot. So.
Torre
But with the mom thing, is that pressure? It's fuel.
Warren Sapp
How could. Nothing but pure jet fuel. I think I played Syracuse after I called my mom, go watch the Syracuse game. I think I took that thing over for the third play of the game. I think I. I was on it that bad. Oh, I was on it. Oh, it was on it. I was on it. I mean, it was a chance for me to tell my mom, sit down, sit down, Ma. You ain't gotta go nowhere. Whatever. Call in this lot you want, you know, My mom had never had a car in her life that nobody had farted in before her.
Torre
No, she said nobody had farted in before.
Warren Sapp
She said. That's what she said to me. When I took her to the Mercedes Benz dealership to get her first Benz. She was like, well, I never had no car. Ain't nobody farted in before. So from that point, this was 95. So from that point on, anytime a car got delivered to my mom, you know the driver's seat was wrapped in plastic, right? Right. Oh, absolutely. The driver's seat was wrapped in plastic, right, right. 1. We gotta @ least drive it around. I said, you can drive it, but just do not take the plastic off. And if you do, you better put something back on there. Cause I'm telling you, this, this is her thing. She said to me and I, I swear to God, I would never ever give her another car like that in her life. So.
Torre
I'm curious how it felt going from Miami, which had a winning tradition, which had a winning culture, which had a chip on its shoulder, right? Like you have pressure coming into Miami. Cause the big dogs are there, right? They're on the wall, they're coming in. Like we got NFL superstars who preceded us. Like we are expected to go 13, 0. Like right 12. And oh wait, if we don't win a ring, it's a failed season. Absolutely right to. You went to Tampa Bay when it was one of the historically bad teams and it had a losing culture since it came into the league.
Warren Sapp
Not all the way. There was a quick little winning period with Doug and the boys. But when I got there, yes, it was 11 straight double digit loss seasons.
Torre
Yes.
Warren Sapp
I mean Tinamo losses, 11 straight years.
Torre
And that's, that's a cultural thing, right? Like the whole building is, is, is messed up with that happens. Right? We can't just change one guy and fix it. Like that's like top.
Warren Sapp
No, no, no, no, no, no. But you need Derek, myself, Derek Brooks. In the same draft the year before that was John Lynch. They had picked up Hardy Nickerson and free agents in the 93. So there's four defenders right there. Lonnie March was with us. He was. Bruiser was one of the good ones too. But the thing we didn't have was somebody at the top that was leading us saying go this way.
Torre
You mean coach or gm?
Warren Sapp
Coach. Coach. My first year with Sam Weiss, God bless his soul, but he ran a three ring circus. And the defensive coordinator, Rusty Tillman was trying to get Sam fired because he wanted to head coaching jobs. But we started out 5 and 2.
Torre
Was it Sam's fault that things were so bad when you got there?
Warren Sapp
We started 5 and 2, started 5 and 2 and then 2 and 7.
Torre
But, but, but you do you put it on Sam and the culture he's creating and how he's approaching it.
Warren Sapp
It was Sam and his three ring circus that he was running. That's what Sam was doing.
Torre
What was the. What was the problem?
Warren Sapp
Sam wanted to run the special teams, the offense and the defense. And there was nothing you was gonna do that you had. You didn't come and have to. Okay with Sam. Sam was just a total nut, control freak. You know, he's one of those guys that, you know, they gave him that genius tag a long time ago. And, you know, it's a thin line between what genius and madness. And what he was doing was straight madness. And it was bad. But you're saying we was in there. He was reading articles from the newspaper, he was giving.
Torre
He had given himself too many jobs. You're saying he way too much. He wanted to run all these things. And football is so complicated. You have to delegate.
Warren Sapp
If you don't have a coaching staff of men that can deliver your message, deliver your words in a repetitive sense, then it's contradictions going on everywhere. Who do I listen to? Why do I listen? That's even better. Why would. Why would I listen at this point? So, you know, Sam was at a point where I give it to you. We was 4 and 2 in the middle of season. We was going to Carolina. We had to play the Carolina Panthers in their first year of existence in 95, but they don't have a stadium, so we have to go to Clemson and play in Death Valley. Clemson, if you know anything about going to Death Valley, it's a two lane highway down the middle of one of these South Carolina roads. So we. Nobody knows because nobody's been there, right? This is the week six, seven, you know, week seven. So first two months, maybe it's been three teams that's been in there so far, you know what I'm saying? So why are we gonna leave at this time? We're gonna. Look. He wakes up in the middle of the breakfast that morning and yells, we're leaving now. I wasn't downstairs. This was the first time in my life I got all the room service. We four and two. I'm like, you know what, Let me order some room service. I'm sick of this hotel. Make a hundred meals. You know how they make it, you know, banquet food that's not. That's not made with any love. So let me order me an omelet and some Belgian waffle in this mother. Yeah, I came downstairs, dog, and it was quiet as a church mouse. I was like, it's way too quiet for a football team to be here. The lady said, oh, no. They left. I'm at the hotel. I'm like, okay, I Went to the concierge desk. Nice little black girl standing down said, excuse me, can you help me out? She said, I don't know. I said, what are you doing in the next hour? She said, I'm about to get off from work. I put out 100, Bill. I said, if you can take me to Clemson Stadium, this one's yours. She said, I'm going to get my car. So while she's going. While she's going to get her car, both Doctors came downstairs. Dr. Diaco and Dr. Carson, the two team doctors, came downstairs. Okay? They was. They was eating room service, too. They left. They wanted the 22 starters and both doctors at the hotel because the head coach decided he wants to leave because he's panicked that we're not going to get to the stadium in time enough to warm up before the game. They beat me by three minutes.
Torre
So this. But this is indicative that Sam Weich is not.
Warren Sapp
But I don't fault him. I fought the Cincinnati Bengals of 1989 that went to play, you know, the San Francisco 49ers in that super bowl, and one of his players got arrested or something like that. They say he used to be a real fun, you know, players, coach. That's what Barney Bussy swears by. But the Sam Weiss I got was a nut, so.
Torre
So then is it also on the gm?
Warren Sapp
No, not at this point. Because Sam had that genius tag before anybody else, and they gave him full ring on the draft and everything. I remember talking to him on the phone in my draft. He was running the draft and everything.
Torre
So why did Sam get fired? Because they've been putting up with him for a minute.
Warren Sapp
I think it was, what, four years he was there.
Torre
Yeah.
Warren Sapp
Yeah. That's not Trick Dilfo. The one that really pulled it. Dilfo was like, I cannot. And it was the. I mean, Dilfo was that, you know, the golden boy at the time, he had a record of what, 278 passes without an interception or something like that or something crazy. But, hey, great teammate. Not a great football player, but a great teammate. So with the big Sam drove him crazy. Sam drove him crazy. And Duff was like, I want out. And I was like, I want out, too.
Torre
Yeah.
Warren Sapp
I went and told my gm. I'm like, I got to get out of here. This guy's a nut. He's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. He's like, let me. Let me go get a coach. And then you come back and see me. And that's when they went and got Tony Dungeon.
Torre
Was there more Mutiny than just the two of you.
Warren Sapp
I don't know.
Torre
Okay.
Warren Sapp
I'm sure more than just us. Us two wanted out of there. Sam was. It was either Sam or a bunch of us. I mean, Sam. Sam just. And I hate to talk about somebody that's not here, but, you know, rest in heaven, but poor you, horrible in 95.
Torre
But Tony Dungy changes the culture right away.
Warren Sapp
Oh, right at the ship.
Torre
How? What does he do?
Warren Sapp
Oh, told us exactly what was expected of us on a day in, day out basis. Told us that the one thing I'll never do is ask you to do something that was physically impossible. We're gonna work, man. I want you to look around this room. He said every first training camp, look around this room. And It'd be about 100 of us at the time when you first start. And he was like, look to your left, look to your right. This team will not be comprised of the 53 best athletes in this room. It will be comprised of the 53 men who give us a chance to win. The best chance to win. And I will take nothing less. And boy, we went to work and some of the guys that was sitting around that was just collecting a check and, you know, really not ready to work, they were gone fast. Gone. We was out there working with Marinelli running between those, those pass rush dummies going. I remember one of my teammates, I won't say his name, he came out and looked at the bags. They were standing up again. And me and Brad Copep looked at each other and smiled because, you know, like, let's go. You know, this is what we want to do. And when other teammates say, we gonna do this every day.
Torre
Jesus.
Warren Sapp
Oh, yeah, classic.
Torre
So you're there in this low period for the franchise and you write and you had the culture clash of like.
Warren Sapp
Oh, you dragging me. I got a winning record as a buccaneer.
Torre
Okay, okay. No, but just.
Warren Sapp
I got that right. We ended it.
Torre
You ended it.
Warren Sapp
My rookie year, we ended the double digit LAWSU season. We were 7 and 9. We almost had an 8 and 8. A non losing season.
Torre
Okay.
Warren Sapp
But the next year, Tony came. We went 6 and 10, and then we went 10 and 10 and 6, 11, 11 and 5. You know, did. Did, you know, started going to the playoffs, 8 and 8. Didn't have another losing season until after the Super Bowl. I only got two losing seasons in nine years in Tampa. Wow. That's almost unheard of.
Torre
Wow. Talk about playing in the Super Bowl. Just, first of all, as the ultimate game, which you've Been trying to get to for, you know, your whole career, but also the whole thing of, like, I helped build this franchise to this moment. I'm not just in and out on a good team. Like, I am an important building block in this organization, reaching this plateau.
Warren Sapp
The first pick of the onus, right on the first pick of the glaciers. So. But that never weighed on me. What weighed on me was. And I, I remember like yesterday riding in the back of the bus and I look out the window and, you know, those California rocks are going by down in San Diego and the Cactus go by. And I said, oh, there's a 50, 50 chance I get stuck tonight. I can lose this game just like, as bad as I want to win it. You know, this thing could go sideways and, you know, I have to be gracious and, you know, do the interviews and give my opponent credit. And I thought about it. I say, oh, hell no, that's not happening. But, you know, it's got to go through your mind because there is a chance you can lose that game.
Torre
What is the game plan for you? What were your. These are the things that I have to do that I want to accomplish in this game. Get to the quarterback, stop him. Like, what. What were your keys to the game for you?
Warren Sapp
Just be warm, just be warned. Be rock solid in my B guy. Be the force of my defense. Be the, Be the leader that I, that they, they want me to be, and I usually am, and make some plays and make sure my group is playing together because we can't get to the biggest stage now and become individuals. We're gonna pack a wild dog. Since day one, we gonna stay a pack of wild dogs and go out on the last day.
Torre
What was your favorite play of the game?
Warren Sapp
Me and Brooks going back to back. I go sack calls, fumble, ball come out. We try to get it, get it. Oh, we just missed it. Next play, Brooks picks it off and run to the end zone. I go up to him and I beat him. I said, ain't bad for two old raggedy ass roommates. Back to back plays in the Super Bowl. Two turnovers, sack called fomo. And an interception returned for a touchdown. I said, bad for two old dudes that, you know, still get it done. Eh, you know, he went to crying in my own. I'm like, get away from me. Don't make me cry. Yeah. So I had to push him away. That's my favorite play. Favorite back to back play.
Torre
You didn't cry.
Warren Sapp
Oh, not at that moment after the game. You know what? I don't think I cried that day.
Torre
Don't you think that that was a worthy.
Warren Sapp
I'll cry. I'll cry now watching it. I was too excited. I was too excited. I mean, maybe I don't remember crying. I don't. I don't. So I'm sure somebody got a video of me crying. No doubt about it. But I don't remember as CTE kicking in.
Torre
Sometimes I would think with everything that was building up to that moment, it might be like, damn, that was a lot like, wow.
Warren Sapp
No, it was more relief than it was anything else. It wasn't like relief for what? You know, for a lot of years. We play some very excellent defense.
Torre
Yeah. Yeah.
Warren Sapp
And they always said we couldn't win the big one because we didn't have an offense. And, you know, we weren't going to be able to hold on some of these great offenses to be able to win the game six to five. You know, that's what we was trying to win a championship game in 99, 6 to 5. Yeah. So, yeah, that's almost unheard of, you know, but. But you know, it came a time when Gruden gave us enough offense and Brad and the boys on, you know, my quarterback. And those receivers did a good job. Jerry Vicious and Keenan McCarter, you know, Mike Pittman ran it like hell. Mike Allstott ran it. You know, Dilga had tight end, you know, you know, Soul Patrol with Coleman. And, you know, Kenyatta Walker, man, we, you know, Billy, Jeff Christie's my center, you know, just, you know, Jenkins, my left guard. You know, just, you know, I'm Roman Oberlin, my left tackle. You know, those are household names. Yeah, yeah. But they get a job done because they grown men who understand what. What the task at hand. And that's what I try to teach my kids at Colorado. It's not about the man. It's about what that man is willing to do for his teammates. What's he willing to do? What's he. Is he willing to go to that wall? That's. That's what's asked in this game. And it's asked every play. It's asked every time you line up, every time we snap. That ball is ass. And you gotta have an answer. And I want you to autograph your performance at the end of it, because that's the tape. So understand what, what you're doing, you're setting your resume out there, son, and people will look at it. And the eye in the sky don't lie. Right? You sit your ass in front of me and tell me. Make your mouth say anything. When I put your tape on, does it say, yeah, Damn.
Torre
Damn. Was that game the highlight of your career or you think about. You think about other games that were like, no, that was the game.
Warren Sapp
No. When you and your teammates stand on top of the world and they call you world champions, there's no better feeling. There's no better feeling. I mean, I got. I've been going to the hall of fame for 11 years now. Nothing will ever come close to January 26, 2003.
Torre
Winning the super bowl is better than going to the hall of Fame.
Warren Sapp
Yes, because going to the hall of Fame, you're all alone. You're all by yourself. It's the worst examination of a man in the ultimate team sport that's ever lived. My phone didn't move. Michael Irvin, Marshall, Falk, Dion. Nobody called me. Nobody. My phone didn't move all day. Tori. I was. It's the loneliest feeling in the world. That's why I'm glad they came up with this ass knock on the door. At least you. You already know.
Torre
What's your. What's your favorite sack of all time?
Warren Sapp
Oh, I guess I'd say Blue Bell ice cream and Funyuns. I'm a fat guy now. I can't be caught snacking. But when I was 225.
Torre
No, no, I said sack.
Warren Sapp
Oh, sack the next favorite sack. So you said favorite snack. Already told. I could have swole. You know what? I think I'm still hungry. But I tell you what, favorite quarterback is just the next one. They all taste like chicken.
Torre
But there's not gonna be any more NFL sacks. Which one was you? Your best, Your favorite?
Warren Sapp
My first one was on Randall Cunningham. My last one was on Vince Young, so. And there's 49 other ones in the middle of that. I don't. It's 49 different quarterbacks in the middle of that, making 102 and a half sacks with playoffs included. That's like your kids. I got six kids. I can't pick one set. That's my favorite. I can't.
Torre
Who was a challenge for you? Who you were like, okay, we go get up because we got so and so's coming to town. Who?
Warren Sapp
Larry Allen. Larry Allen. Rest in heaven, my man. My hall of Fame classmate, Larry Allen. Randall McDaniel, Will Shields and Brian Waters. Kevin Kogan. Brian Bruce Matthews, Guy McIntyre. I got my first sack against in Philadelphia. Kevin Kogan, Ray Brown, household names that would. Oh, man, they would maul you. I mean, they Just I always great matter to everybody. And I say it's only Larry Allen that's in front of me so I can play. So I can play to a standard, so I can play to this level. Because if you're here and your opponent's here and you take it down a little bit and he pick it up a little bit, now you got dog fight. I was never gonna give anybody that opportunity to be on my level if I can help it. And I was very fortunate that very few. I watched those Larry Allen battles.
Torre
Who are the defensive players on your defense? Mount Rushmore.
Warren Sapp
Deacon Jones, Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White. I don't include one defensive tackle because back then it wasn't many. One many pass rushing tackles, you know, other than Johnny Randle, myself and Aaron Donald. That's three guys with 90 something plus sacks. That's it. And Steve McMichaels. Steve McMichaels had nine something too.
Torre
So, yeah, you've gotten to see back to your current situation, how NIL has changed college football. How has it. How has it changed the game? Because everybody, if we're watching a tv, we're watching a game on tv. Most of the guys hit the field are getting paid six figures to be in the game, right? Most of the D1 guys, top 20 schools.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, I would say so.
Torre
Everybody.
Warren Sapp
I'm really not that deep in it like that, because I don't want to know. That's the last thing I want to know is how much you've paid this kid. Now I'm looking at him play because for someone like me, who was the most decorated cane in school history, I got $32 a weekend. $32 a weekend. That wouldn't even fill your car up today. No, not even close. Not even half a tank. Maybe I have a tank of gas if you got the right kind of making model. But for somebody like me that got 32 a weekend, I don't want to know what they gave you, but what I want to know is what you will give to me and your teammates as your work. Because I'm a firm believer in what you put in, you'll get out. And the one thing NIL has taken the special teams, those core group of guys that you could count on five on this team, five guys that'll go through the big four, which is kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return. You know, those are the big four and a little two of field. Go figure. Block six special teams that you have and what NIL has done. Because if you don't consider Me, a starter. I'm going to transfer somebody that will. So now I don't have the depth. You know what I'm saying? I might have two guys fighting for a starting position, and one beats the other one out. So now the other one goes to special teams for you, right? No, the other one goes to the portal. It's really cut the depth of college football down. And the guys that are willing not to be the superstar work his way to get to that starting job. There's no more of that. There's nobody. There's nobody that wants to work and get. I. I'll take the twos. I'll go do the scout. I'll go whoop on the ones. On the scout. Because the scouts are where the ones are at.
Torre
Yeah.
Warren Sapp
So if you go up on the one, somebody's gonna see this, be like, yo, yo, we need to put him over there with our ones and see what he does. Right?
Torre
Yeah.
Warren Sapp
Nobody wants to do that route anymore.
Torre
Is it changing the flow of where guys go in that. Certain schools have more money, so they're going to be collecting the best guys, and we're going to see a haves and have nots of. Well, these schools are richer. They're going to get the best guys.
Warren Sapp
No, no, no. For that. For those top 20, top 30 recruits. Yeah, they're gone. But we both know football team is divided way more than three or four guys. You got. You got. You got to have a collection. Collection of guys that want to play together and do it, you know, because when you got those prima donnas that's been up there and you talk about that kind of money and why do I care? And you don't have nobody that can turn to them and say, I've been through that situation, son. You don't want to be the lone wolf in a football organization. You want to be the superstar, but you want the least of your teammates to love you. Just like the guy that's throwing you the ball or the guy that's setting you up for whatever you're getting, you know, because karma's a. The same people you step on on your way up are the same you go see as you fall your way back down.
Torre
Is it. Is there a bit of a combustible environment when you add into. There's a rock and roll vibe. We're the big college football team in the area. Everyone loves us, everyone's rocking with us. And also now we all have 1, 2, $300,000, whatever it is. Cause if the Canes had had money like that. You all were already a rock and roll band. If y'all had money, it would be a whole other thing.
Warren Sapp
Problem. Can you see us, Michael Irving riding around in A Corvette or Z28 or trans AM or some of that?
Torre
Yo, keep it real. Don't. You don't have to name names. It's a yes or no question.
Warren Sapp
Yes, I've seen space trucks. I've seen Bentleys.
Torre
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. When you think back on the wild cades that you played with, if you gave everybody on that team, let's say, $100,000 nil. Era would not you have seen at least one of the guys be like, yo, I'm gonna run a cocaine ring. I'm gonna buy $100,000 of cocaine and.
Warren Sapp
Run a side and go to distributing it as we get off the plane.
Torre
Right, Right. I'm gonna run. This is my side hustle.
Warren Sapp
Didn't the guy at the LA Rams do that? Henley. Henley. Daryl Henley or something? I mean.
Torre
I mean, don't you think somebody would.
Warren Sapp
Have said, listen, we. We. We sit in a room, there's like almost 100 of us in a cane room and we talk about this all the time. The whole thing would be like, we'd have never made it to the league. Things were so much cheaper than two, you know what I'm saying? A table dance was $5 a walk.
Torre
So, you know, but to that idea, does it not. I mean, like, I like the guys sharing in the wealth a lot better than y'all having nothing when none of it. The team, the coach, the school are making a ton. And y'all. This is much better.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, much better.
Torre
But it does lead to some. Is it not creating a ton of pressure on the high school player who has a chance to get to that? So he's got surely adults. He's got an internal voice as a sophomore thinking, yo, I could get. Blah, blah, blah, if I. If I fucking push off these next three years.
Warren Sapp
I would think it'd be the worst decision you ever could make. Because the reason we used to do hardships and leave college was to get the money. If they're giving you the money in college, where the hell you going? Take advantage because they're still paying for the telephone, the car and the apartment. When you. When. When that sunsets. Those are three distinct bills that you must pay every 30 days. Why are you in a hurry to go somewhere if your draft status ain't exactly where you at or you out of eligibility? That's what that. That's what they'd have to do for me. Because when they was talking about, you know, you could, you know, declare for the draft and just not hire an agent. I'm like I declare for the draft every year to see exactly what my stock was. Why not? Why would you not? It gives you a real appreciation of what I need to go work on.
Torre
Yeah.
Warren Sapp
So now they. They said he's supposed to go next year to some performance thing in the nil or something like that. I heard something like that.
Torre
I don't like that.
Warren Sapp
Why wouldn't you?
Torre
Because I want. Because you know what, you know if you do job.
Warren Sapp
Hold on, hold on. Let me help you out. Let me give you a piece of information. You might not know. There are kids in college without nil deals that are just down a scholarship just like I was. Just like you was. But they get the little stifling of money that you know, it's all in the collective or whatever. They have a little piece of something on the side for them. You know, nothing, nothing extravagant, nothing special. And now this young man go makes all conference and he gets nothing.
Torre
I. I feel that I also don't like performance based pay for any sort of employment. I signed up to do the job.
Warren Sapp
For you institution but that's what football is. If you get 10 or more touchdowns we'll give you X amount of dollars. You get 10 or more touchdowns usually equate to you going to Pro bowl or an all star game which now triggers more money for you because your performance warrants.
Torre
You're going to have bonuses in your contract for sure. But your base is the majority of your deal, right?
Warren Sapp
No, used to be ours was a signing bonus. You got a big chunk of signing bonus and then you lower the base for the salary cap number.
Torre
Signing bonus is different. Right. That's not a performance based bonus. Right. That's part of your package.
Warren Sapp
Your performance before that got you this signing bonus. Sure, sure.
Torre
But I mean like. Like performance within the within.
Warren Sapp
I've never had that. I never had give me my money up front.
Torre
Who had that? Somebody had that. Was it the.
Warren Sapp
A bunch of guys.
Torre
Ricky Williams have a whole performance based contract.
Warren Sapp
Somebody had one like that did not.
Torre
Work out for them. I like it.
Warren Sapp
It normally doesn't because the team controls this. I. I was on the Raiders and I remember. I will. I won't say his name. A certain receiver on my team. He was going to the San Diego game, last game of the year. We normally play the San Diego charges you know beginning and end of the Year, big time rivals for the Las Vegas Raiders. Now I was almost at Oakland again. So we were going to the stadium, and he was. He was in the back of the bus, just giddy. Oh, I'm gonna go in that and catch me one ball, and I'm gonna walk off and sit on the bench. I get me my money. Give me my 800,000.
Torre
You don't want to hear that. That's not teammate behavior.
Warren Sapp
That's the type of stuff goes on.
Torre
Yeah, but that's whack.
Warren Sapp
Oh, wait, what? Yeah, I'm sitting back. I'm sitting back there looking. I'm like, ah, ain't this some. I thought I had some bad. When Tampa, when we had to weed out, but this is. This is ridiculous. We go in that locker room, there is no shoulder pads, no jersey, no helmet. You're not playing. You have been deactivated. Oh, boy. I'm talking about the look, boy. Look like somebody had just shot his dog, slapped his mom, and raped his sister. It was really bad. I looked at him. I say, you think Mr. Davis got a microphone or something on the bus? Cause you were so wild about the little 800 grand. You were finished, man, before you ever got it.
Torre
Boy, that's a lot of money.
Warren Sapp
That's a lot of money. Yeah. Yeah. Nice 800 grand. Nice piece of chain. Yes.
Torre
You know, the Raiders are one of the great franchises in this league. You know, a pivotal franchise in this league. Al Davis was so brilliant at innovating so many things that became part of the heart of the league. You know, what was the feeling of being part of this really important institution within the NFL?
Warren Sapp
You know what? It was great to work for Mr. Davis and have conversations with him, but the game hadn't got past him, and he was in his 70s and had a bunch of young people in the scouting department that was just basically keeping their head down so they wouldn't get fired. I mean, it was not a. It was not a good situation. I won 15 games in four years. It was not. I wish we could have won more 4. Cause the old man was. Old man was classic.
Torre
Cause you are a Raider sort of player. Like, if we put you back in the 70s or the 80s, maybe even the 90s, like, you fit with the Raider ethos.
Warren Sapp
Thank you. Thank you. Once a Raider, always a Raider. But I just wish we'd have run one more. I mean. I mean, Derek Brooks hits my quarterback in his head, knocks his fifth vertebrae into a six, and Rich Gannon's gone, and I start a merry go. Round of quarterbacks that you don't even want to talk about. So.
Torre
So wait, you said something before that you know, obviously I've never been in the locker room. You said there's three sacrosanct people on the team that you cannot argue fight with whatever coach.
Warren Sapp
There's three people on my team you do not f with.
Torre
Coach, coach, quarterback.
Warren Sapp
I get it.
Torre
Kicker, kicker, kicker.
Warren Sapp
You got a 53 yard boot in you from with 4 seconds on the clock. No, that's exactly why you don't say shit to him there.
Torre
I feel like. I feel like, you know, we got 52 tough ass guys who run through.
Warren Sapp
Walls and one very finicky kicker that if you say the wrong thing to him, slap him on the ass the wrong way, he'll miss kicks for the next month. And that. No, no, no. We didn't have an efficient offense and three was enough sometimes for me.
Torre
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Warren Sapp
So. So you're not gonna. My only almost guaranteed source of points. I think he was 92% when he was with me. You forget that you leave my kicker the hell alone. Don't tell him no jokes. Don't try to feed him no food. Don't ask. Don't ask him about his kids. Nothing is that boy, leave him the hell alone.
Torre
Is it. Is he not? And I don't mean your kicker specifically, but kickers in general, are they not different culturally than everybody else on the team?
Warren Sapp
Well, normally they Spanish or South American.
Torre
That is not what I was talking about. That is not what I was referring to.
Warren Sapp
Donald. Donald Igway. Big way.
Torre
I just need the sort of person.
Warren Sapp
The end. Let's just go through some of these. You know, Mark Mosley might be the only one that.
Torre
No, no, you're. You're right, but that's not. That's not what I was referring to. There's a certain person who goes into defense, right, who chooses to go through high school, college, and like you are. You want to hit people, right? If you want to hit people, you have a screw loose, right?
Warren Sapp
You.
Torre
I want to create collisions, right.
Warren Sapp
I like to taste the blood in my. My own blood in my own mouth. Yes.
Torre
That's the defenders, right? And there's a certain type of person that goes into offense.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, the pretty boys that want to score touchdowns and date the girls. Yes, yes.
Torre
Right now, all of that. And the football guy is a certain kind of guy, right? He doesn't mind getting into a fight.
Warren Sapp
The kicker does the one unique job that those 52 other swinging divas and badasses and screw looses cannot do. So you leave him the hell alone. Torre is just that simple.
Torre
My one thing.
Warren Sapp
You don't haze him. You don't do nothing to him.
Torre
My one thing with. With. With kickers, with kicking. And this will never happen. I would like to see the NFL eliminate the PAT.
Warren Sapp
No, they did enough by moving it back to 33 yards. So it was. It was almost unmissable.
Torre
It was unmissable at 20.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, it was almost unmissable.
Torre
Why do we line up to do this? Formality? A free throw in the NFL, in the NBA is harder than an extra point, right? Like the extra point percentage is higher than a free throw percentage.
Warren Sapp
No, no, no.
Torre
Don't make me look it up.
Warren Sapp
Warren. Listen, the only reason that you have problems with free throws is no one gives a damn about them. Tell me when you've seen a high school kid come in the gym and.
Torre
Shoot free throws, right? No, that's what I'm saying. I'm talking about in the NFL level, the free. How would the PAT rate is probably like 95%.
Warren Sapp
You know what? We figured it out in an NBA game. That I can shoot more threes than you get dunks and beat you.
Torre
Yes, yes.
Warren Sapp
So that your basketball analogy shoots way. It goes out the window.
Torre
Okay?
Warren Sapp
It goes out the window. Free throws don't matter in an NBA game.
Torre
I'm so as a fan.
Warren Sapp
That's why they shoot him so shitty. It does not matter.
Torre
But as a fan, when you line up to do a PT on board.
Warren Sapp
No, no, no. Let me, let me go here. Because you went there with me. You know how important. You know what? Seven. Seven. Gotta get to seven. That's why they put the two point play in this more for Vegas. Instead of it being a 98%. It's back to like what? 85.
Torre
Yo, I would like to see more people go for two. You got a great offense. You should be able to punch it in from what you would you start on. You start on what? The five yard line? On the two yard. If you can't punch it in for the two yard line, which are running back, your fullback or short. I mean.
Warren Sapp
So Torre, go buy you an NFL team. Get you get all these badass players you want. Don't get a kicker and don't get a punter and go for it every time when it's 4th and 2 and see how it comes. See how it turns out for you.
Torre
No, that's not what I. That's not what I said I was talking about. No, that's no, no, no. I wasn't talking about 4th and 2. I'm talking about when you get the.
Warren Sapp
Ball, you get the ball to eliminate the extra point. So there goes your kicker. So now there's no more field goals either then, right?
Torre
No, I want the NFL to eliminate the pat, the field goal we are stuck with.
Warren Sapp
Okay, the pat, then. Now it's now touchdowns worth six and you're going for two, right?
Torre
That sounds great. Is that not a more exciting game than watching the guy line up and kick a fucking stick that he's going to make 99% of the time?
Warren Sapp
Not. Not look it up from 30, from 33 yards. Watch. It's. It's in the 80s. It's in the 80s. Yeah, it was 87 the first year and I'm sure it went down because they missed more. That's an 80s.
Torre
I ran into Eddie George once, who I'm sure is a friend of yours in the airport and we had a love.
Warren Sapp
No, it's an associate of mine that played in the National Football League. Friends are real tough word for me. Torre. Okay, okay.
Torre
All right. No hate, no hate, no hate.
Warren Sapp
It's almost like all black folks know each other kind of thing right there.
Torre
And he said in an NFL game, there's really only five minutes of actual action because the plays are really six seconds.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, six seconds.
Torre
Yeah, but he said that is the hardest physically hardest five minutes you could imagine in life. Is that about how you see it?
Warren Sapp
I can think of a couple of things that's worse.
Torre
I mean, war would be worse, right? I mean.
Warren Sapp
No, no, no, no, no. In sports, a triathlon would be worse. You try swimming two miles a day. Getting on a bike and ride a day. Go do a marathon. That's. That's. That's almost mindless. And then we're talking about the decathlons and the long distance runners. Come on, man, that's. Come on, stop.
Torre
But, I mean, it's. But it's.
Warren Sapp
But it's maybe why Ray Lewis took the ball from him like that in those playoffs game. Cause he is soft.
Torre
But it's very. You fucking stupid. You wait, you remind me of. I mean, maybe you're the wrong person to ask because I. You know, football is very physically punishing to the people who play it, but the guy.
Warren Sapp
Especially to the running back that all 11 of us have a beat on him. Yeah. You don't have a quarterback yet. We're gonna light your ass up. Yeah. Head. Every part of you get hit. Don't talk about it. Eddie George yes, you were the target. And we took pride and pleasure in it. No doubt about it. And I'm glad to hear that. Your ass for them five minutes was in torture. Thank you. It is a 240 pound bag.
Torre
I remember you. I know you remember this. When LeBron. No, when Tom Brady and Draymond Green were on LeBron's show and Tom said, basketball is easier because you play indoors and nobody's trying to take your head off. And Draymond said, yeah, but you guys take a 30 minute break every 10 seconds. And it was like, well, that's an interesting. That's an interesting back and forth.
Warren Sapp
Obviously, that's the biggest exaggeration you've ever heard in your damn life. And I tell. And I tell people this all the time because, you know, old raspberry Doc Rivers son started this for some reason, and somebody took it to another level, talking about how many basketball players could play football. And I just do this for anybody that had this conversation because I watched Gerald McCoy talking with Kenyon Martin, and I just. And I'm like, okay, Torre, here we go. For all you basketball guys out there, that's a file. That's a. That's a file you're going to. Yeah, that's a file. I'm just getting started with your ass on a football game. What are you talking about?
Torre
I. I took to your point. I talked to another player. His name, a defensive star. His name is escaping me this second. But he said that when he was on the football field, he was able to do things that are illegal in the real world.
Warren Sapp
Listen, it's a license to kick ass. And the police is on the sidelines saying, get him. That's a file. That's a file.
Torre
But do you. Is there work in turning the switch? Cause all week, you and everybody around you'd be like, want you to be a beast on Sunday, be a beast on Sunday. And then, okay, you get through the game Monday, I gotta be a normal citizen and somebody cut me off, say something rude. I gotta be. I gotta sit on my hands and be nice.
Warren Sapp
I think it's the person that doesn't have the discipline of waking up in the morning, going to meetings, discussing things, getting cursed out, having, you know, fights and physical, you know, going at each other.
Torre
You got it out of you.
Warren Sapp
To be able to relieve that, to be able to laugh at the person that's cutting them off. It's the person that's in his house, that's looking in his mirror every day, like, how inferior am I to be Going to this job every day doing this and somebody cuts him off. The road rage on the road is the regular citizen, not the athlete that had a bad game.
Torre
Interesting. Interesting. You got it out of you. You got it. You have an outlet.
Warren Sapp
I have an outlet. I have people that I can talk with. It's a person that's at home, that's doing the school shooting alone are in these crazy people. Not the people that have a nice social structure with people that want to see them do well and have a future that they're striving for and a plan for the rest of their lives.
Torre
So maybe, maybe this doesn't apply to you because you were bigger than most of the people on the field with you.
Warren Sapp
Really.
Torre
But like, do you worry about CTE or you're like, I was delivering the punishment. It didn't really happen. That didn't come to.
Warren Sapp
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The studies will tell you that you have around about 20 year window from the time you start playing. Because it's not the big hits that get you. It's the sub concussion hits. It's the constant banging, the practice, the actual playing of the game that you know, gets your bell wrong. Because, you know, that's what we call it, bell wrong. Seeing stars, all those are concussions, right? All those are concussions. So I have no illusion that it comes for me. But what I'm gonna do is make it better for the next generation. Because there's no reason for your son to have a helmet at 7, 8, 9, 10 years old. No reason on earth. He's still developing his brain. Do not do that to that young man. Because guess what? Football hadn't changed in 100 years.
Torre
What about you? Are you worried about your brain?
Warren Sapp
Word in the sense of when I get a little older, yeah, it's gonna affect me. It affects me now. Cause I forget things that it's right in front of me. I mean, all the time. I mean, I was driving to a friend of mine's office and totally blanked out and turned around and went home. Cause I called my friend and asked him what was his office. He went to laughing at me. I'm like, ain't some shit, you know.
Torre
I mean, I'm 50, I might do that too. Jim McMahon is a whole other thing who barely remembers that he was a Bear, right? Which is sad, right? But like it's happening to a lot of people around you. But it sounds like.
Warren Sapp
But that's before me when the one when the Bears won the 85 Super Bowl. I was 12.
Torre
But a lot of people at Junior Sale, a lot of people are dealing with. Yeah, but CTE and your fraternity.
Warren Sapp
Tory, Tory, look at the story. It's the amount of years that they played the game, the accumulative hits. Junior Seattle had been playing since he was 6.
Torre
Okay, but you had 11 NFL seasons. You had 13.
Warren Sapp
13.
Torre
Excuse me. Shoot me. Shoot me. 13.
Warren Sapp
And you had 13, 4 and 2 in high school, right? 19 years. I'm right at the door. I told you, Tori, I've done the math. I've worked with the Concussion Legacy Foundation. I've already donated my brain. My brain is gone. My. My daughter. My kids are gonna know what the game of football did to their dad.
Torre
Wait, when. When you pass away, whenever that is.
Warren Sapp
My brain is going to the Boston U Brain Bank. Yes. Why do you try to convince. And I try to convince all my brothers that played with me to donate their brain also? Because if we don't give them the brains, they won't have the data to be able to help our grandkids. Because if you didn't help your son, you won't be around to help your grandson, your children's children. And that's what I said. My son didn't play football until he was 13 years old.
Torre
Are a lot of people, your peers, doing that?
Warren Sapp
More than you would think. More than you would think. More than you would think. I, I, I think I made a little, little headwind the last five years, because when I first said it to him, they looked at me like I was crazy. I'm like, what are you gonna do? You can't take it with you.
Torre
So there is an understanding among NFL players that this is a problem, and we could be part of the solution.
Warren Sapp
Tore out of 115 brains, they've done. 113 of them have it.
Torre
Right, Right.
Warren Sapp
What makes you the exception? That's what I ask. Please. And if you are, let us study your brain, because there might be something that'll help the generation next. You never know what your medical blueprint. You might be the new. Was that Agatha Clark or Athena? What was the lady they was using? Her stuff with the cancer.
Torre
I don't know.
Warren Sapp
Alfia. Alfia or something. Okay, you've heard this story that the Tuskegee place, they were using the, The.
Torre
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I know. Yes, yes, I know the sister you're talking about.
Warren Sapp
Yeah, yeah. And they won't give our family nothing.
Torre
Yes. Yeah.
Warren Sapp
Unbelievable. Yeah.
Torre
Yeah.
Warren Sapp
So you never know. You might be that person that now for the Next, you know, 100 years, you've given us a way to fight this, because CTE has never been. It has one person, and that was Chris Dolan because he had a brain issue, and they had to go inside his head and get a piece. He was the only alive person that they ever knew to have cte, but then he was gone. You see what I'm saying?
Torre
But it's scary to you.
Warren Sapp
You know what's scary is to hear the stories and to possibly be alone one day. Because the one thing us black men barely rarely ever do is ask for help or go to the doctor and seek help. And that's the thing that I'm going to eliminate out of my life by being as transparent and open with my loved ones and my children as I can about my situation and whatever that is going on with me. Because you know that I buried number 99 and number 280. We can go to the hall and push a button, and he comes back to life for you. You know what I'm saying? But I'm a shell of my former self, and I want to be here for my daughters. I want to be here to walk them down the aisle, you know, and to do that, you got. You got to be smart enough to pay attention to the signs and, you know, do the. Do the little things you can do, whatever you can do to help yourself. And the only way I can help myself is with information and data.
Torre
When you say you were. You are a shell of your former self. You mean physically or you mean mentally?
Warren Sapp
Also a little bit of both. A little bit of both. I was never gonna build rockets after practice, so, you know what I'm saying? I'm not an engineer major or anything like that. I'll answer four or five questions on Jeopardy. A night. You know, I feel pretty good about that. You know what I'm saying? You know, around not. Not the whole night per round, I'll answer four or five questions. So, you know, I feel pretty good about that, but trust me, I got. I got. I got a new hip. I'm bone on, bone on my knee. I'm gonna need a new hip after. I mean, a new knee after this season. Listen, them basketball boys, you know, they might be able to play this NFL, but this NFL, you don't get your. Your checked at the door, you know what I'm saying? It's a lot. There's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot of skirts running around the National Football League now. But when we play it. Well, you better put some dirt on it because it's coming. I mean, it was nowhere to hide. It was nowhere to hide. It's only 120 by 53 and a third. There's nowhere to hide.
Torre
Warren, you are the best. I so appreciate you making time for me. This has been awesome. It's been an honor to freaking talk about the NFL and everything with you. Thank you so much.
Warren Sapp
Anytime, my brother. Anytime.
Torre
Thank you for listening to Torre show. Torre show gives you fuel to power your dreams. Because you can use your dreams like a rocket ship to blast you into a life you never imagined. You can make your dreams a reality. And maybe somehow this show can help. You can find me on Twitter ore on TikTok, orayshow and on Instagram orayshow. Torre show is written by me and produced by Ashley Hobbs. Our editor is Ryan Woodhull. Our booker is Ray Holiday, and we're distributed by DCP Entertainment. And we will be back with more guests next Wednesday because the man can shut us down. More Torre show content right here. Don't forget to click that subscribe button for more Toray show content every week.
Podcast Summary: Toure Show – Episode: Warren Sapp - I'm A Buffalo
Host: DCP Entertainment
Guest: Warren Sapp
Release Date: January 5, 2025
In this compelling episode of the Toure Show, host Toure engages in an in-depth conversation with NFL legend Warren Sapp. The dialogue explores Warren's transition from a celebrated football career to his current role in coaching, his experiences with team dynamics, and his perspectives on contemporary issues in football such as NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).
Key Topics:
Notable Quotes:
Warren discusses his shift from playing to coaching, emphasizing his commitment to teaching not just football skills but also life lessons. He highlights his work with Travis Hunter, praising Hunter's dedication and versatility on both sides of the ball. Warren stresses the importance of leadership and fostering a team-oriented mindset among young players.
Key Topics:
Notable Quotes:
Warren reminisces about his illustrious NFL career, sharing anecdotes about pivotal games and standout plays. He reflects on the camaraderie with teammates like Brooks and the sheer exhilaration of winning the Super Bowl, describing it as an unparalleled experience that stands above all other achievements, including Hall of Fame induction.
Key Topics:
Notable Quotes:
Warren delves into his experiences with varying coaching philosophies. Under Sam Weiss, he describes a chaotic environment due to Weiss's overextension and control issues. In contrast, Tony Dungy's arrival marked a significant cultural shift towards clarity, teamwork, and sustained success. Warren emphasizes the importance of strong leadership in transforming team dynamics and fostering a winning mentality.
Key Topics:
Notable Quotes:
Warren expresses apprehension about how NIL deals have altered the landscape of college football. He observes that the focus on individual earnings has led to reduced team depth and undermined the traditional emphasis on collective effort and teamwork. Warren advocates for reinforcing team unity and ensuring that players remain committed to their roles within the team structure despite the financial incentives.
Key Topics:
Notable Quotes:
Warren opens up about the lasting impacts of concussions and repetitive head trauma sustained during his football career. He advocates for brain donation to advance research on CTE, aiming to protect future generations from similar health issues. Warren emphasizes the need for increased awareness and preventive measures within the sport to ensure player safety and long-term well-being.
Key Topics:
Notable Quotes:
Warren shares valuable insights into effective leadership and the importance of teamwork. He underscores that individual success should align with team objectives and that maintaining a strong work ethic is crucial for both personal and collective achievements. Warren emphasizes fostering a supportive and cohesive team environment where each member contributes meaningfully to the group's success.
The episode wraps up with Warren reflecting on his legacy and his ongoing commitment to improving the lives of current and future football players. His candid discussion about the physical and mental toll of the sport highlights the urgent need for reforms to protect player health and enhance the overall football experience.
Notable Quotes:
Warren's heartfelt reflections and proactive stance on player health underscore his dedication to the sport and his desire to foster a safer, more supportive environment for future athletes. His advocacy for brain health research and his commitment to coaching the next generation demonstrate his enduring impact on the football community.
This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the conversation between Toure and Warren Sapp, highlighting key discussions, personal anecdotes, and valuable insights into the world of professional and college football.