Eddie Robinson Jr. Explains His Coaching Philosophy, How Alabama State is Responding to Expectations

I told you we had something different for you this Friday and instead of having our typical game of the week prep we're going to bring on Alabama State head coach Eddie Robinson to break down his team and the orange blossom classic oh yeah it's locked on HBCU play my music you are locked on HBCU your daily podcast covering HBCU Sports part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what's going on family welcome back to another episode of the locked on HBCU podcast your number one daily OneStop shop for everything HBCU Athletics Monday through Friday part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and I of course am Daren gray aka the mouth of the South Texas Southern Alum and former TSU Herold sports editor and current contributing writer at USA today's Saints wire thank you for going on this journey with me mega lock on HBCU your first listen of the day every day and remember just because the mic cuts off does not mean that the Journey's over just means it's time to follow me on Twitter at South exclusives starts with an S and ends with an s today's episode is brought to you by 5 Hour Energy 5H Hour Energy fixes tired fast and with zero sugar and in a convenient portable size it's the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done go to 5our energy.com and use the code locked on CFB to get 20% off your first order the offer is only valid until September 30th and not good with other promotions go to 5our energy.com today oh my gosh this was a fantastic interview that I did with Eddie Robinson Jr it was very insightful very entertaining we got to carry on a conversation that we had at The Shrine Bowl about the role of a head coach and that's where we start but we finish with the moment that led to me redecorating my background and making this mouth of the South sign visible which I should have done a long time ago so whether it's getting the Insight or getting decorating tips I guess Eddie Robinson was a great guest so let's get to it all right coach Robinson or better yet known as Mr tour to fronts we over here talking about cycling and bike riding before we came on the show um I'm trying to get like you riding around the city fingers crossed very soon but we had a very brief in my opinion to- short conversation at The Shrine Bowl about the relationship and the role that a head coach has in working with his offensive and defensive coordinators and I would love if you had the opportunity to expound on that yeah I mean that's that's a pretty good uh good way to start it I mean I think the biggest thing is you know uh I I tell my guys the offensive coordinator his job is to try to score 30 points a game uh defense coordinator he's trying to pit a shut out and as a head coach I'm trying to win by one point so that's that's kind of our three different roles and um I I pretty much let those guys do it I have a lot of confidence in both of the guys I have you know coach Ryan Lewis has been with us uh since year one since we first got here so he's going on his third year and has a lot of confidence in what he does the kids really believe in him so I'm just gonna pretty much give my my game management stuff you know hey man let's let's ease up on the Zero Blitz or hey let's bring more pressure or I'mma I'll remind him of the situation and it's the same thing with Barnett on the other side uh hey you know this is this is four down territory you know it's third down but you got a third and a fourth down in your back pocket or um you know before the two- minute War I mean before the end of the half like hey you know what we don't need to play defense again so we want to get points but the biggest thing make sure we work the clock and that type stuff so they don't have another chance offensively so we'll I'll give them the tips I'm more the game manager and they call the plays and I think uh it works pretty good for me I wouldn't want to be a a head coach that was also calling plays you know have my input on the plays like hey we need to run it let's take a shot you know we we've been a little bit vanilla those type of things hey let's bring pressure quarterback's not moving off a spot so I just kind of put those uh those little Keys into the into their head but then hey I trust them all week they've been looking at a whole lot more film than me on the individual side of the ball because I'm looking at everything and then ultimately they have to make the call do you ever feel a little antsy when talking about the defensive side knowing that you're a defensive guy want to give a little bit more input and you like okay no I need to trust the guy that I hired to go ahead and make this decision on his own yeah I mean I I always felt like you know coaching younger kids and everything and just looking at the NFL and with the connections I had I always felt like I would be an NFL linebacker coach that was probably you know my zenith of I said hey all right you want to you want to be a coach what you want to do because because that way you kind of own the room and the linebacker position is is such a fun position to play like I played at and as the coach because you get involved in everything I mean you you working the pass rush to D lineman know you're dropping with the corners and safeties you're playing all the Special Teams uh so to be a linebacker coach was was kind of where I wanted to be so now uh as a as a head coach and I'm still like me and Bubba from last year Bubba Adams we would always meet and watch extra films I'm gonna do the same thing with Cunningham and Rico this year just kind of giving them my input as a as a linebacker and a head coach and so um defensively yeah you you kind of but you got to trust those guys you you at certain times like hey coach won't we try this hey man this looks good or or we this blitz from back in the day when they had this look we did that and so I think you got to give the input and the suggestion uh but at the same time you know you have to trust those guys you hide them there're they're sitting there watching it every day they know the players and and and they have that connection so you have to believe with what they're doing everybody has to pull pull in the same direction and I heard somewhere that you were discussing about how calling games helped you learn how to be a better coach before you even became one so I wanted to ask you this calling games versus playing games which one do you feel like had a greater impact on the coach you are today well I think it's two different aspects of I think the the playing in the game kind of lets me relate to the player so I know what it feels like to run in two a days I know what it feels like to to run sprints at the end of the end of practice and like man coach why we got to run another that type of stuff and so and the in the toughness and the physicality that it takes to be a good football player so that that part of it was that but from the standpoint of actually managing the game yeah but me being a broadcaster you know for like eight nine years and you got to think if I'm doing sometime two games a week you know 10 15 games a year I mean that's that's and I'm talking to both head coaches so now I'm getting the philosophy of both head coaches uh college coaches and I'm getting you know what their blueprint is to try to win and then I'm just second guessing them all the time that's all commentators do they they second guess you know he went for two well I think he probably should have kicked the field well you said that after I went for two you know what I'm saying so like it's easy for you to say what I should have did when I didn't get the two-point conversion but that's what commentators did but from that standpoint I was always trying to analyze to figure out hey what's the best way to get this team to a victory and giveing my opinion of it and actually studying the teams during the week I put a lot of time into it and so now when you get into those end of game end of half situations you know is is not foreign to me and I did the same thing as a player you know I was the guy on the field that was telling the coach hey Jeff man let's got get a get a timeout you we can make him punt get one more possession so I was always kind of thinking the game like thinking a couple series ahead and that's the fun part of it you know middle of the first quarter I'm already thinking about how to get us out of here at halftime what's going on middle of the third quarter I'm already thinking about the timeout situation of how we end the game you middle of the fourth quarter I'm trying to I'm in the last minute I'm looking at possessions going back and forth I'm like way ahead of the game all the time and so I think that's how you have to be try to anticipate what's going to happen you try to manipulate it as much as you can and of course you have the interaction with the ref which is always is entertaining to say the least look now you mentioned your playing days and I got this picture from coach James and I want to flash it up here and I'm gonna tell everybody who's on the audio side exactly what this is and I want you to take it from there this is a picture of Coach Eddie Robinson coach James Williams coach Bobby mcdal and Coach Chris Dishman right so you have Alabama State Texas Southern and the I guess I'll say the prayer viw Panthers those guys up 290 you know what I'm saying but but look what does this picture represent more than just for coaches who are in the southwestern Athletic Conference I mean so you know you know I was I still was living in Houston my kids were were raised in Houston and uh love H I'm from New Orleans but I love Houston it's like a second home to me and uh you know to love your blue days with the Houston Oilers and those those guys you know of course Dishman and Bubba were the two older guys and James and I we were young guys you know that 93 team and still trying to figure out figure out where we good enough to play in the NFL where was our Niche but having those veteran guys like that and and always just talking about swack football you know we we talked about the swack we bragged about the swag you know those those other guys at the bigger schools you know Bubba coming from Miami a dish coming from Purdue man if I was in the swack I would have done this man you was in the swag you would have failed out of school you wouldn't have went to class on time so we always gave him hard times going back and forth but for all four of us to to coach now uh to be in the same conference and with three head coaches and of course James is my assistant head coach and he's about as close to a head coach as you can be without being a head coach uh for what I rely on him to do so it's just a great picture for us to be at that swag media day who would have thought it you know like all all these years later now we're all coaching in the same conference the swag conference no less and I want to get into your roster man I want to get into some of these guys and I'm gonna start it off with Andrew B y'all know I'm a big Andrew body fan you I told you at The Shrine Bo Andrew body fan I ain't gonna say everything that we talked about at at The Shrine B but what what do you feel like body brings to you on this team that maybe you didn't have in previous Seasons that could take you over the top who I think is the leadership ability I mean we've we've had some talented quarterbacks over the last two years um and so one of them's at gramlin one of them's now UTSA so they're talented guy so the talent aspect was there and those guys were good leaders I mean they did a good job job of bringing everybody together getting in a huddle but I think what body has goes a little bit beyond that and I think it's just natural I think it's just his personality you know some leaders you can teach a kid how to be a leader you can encourage them to be a leader and some kids just naturally have it and so he's just a natural you know leadership ability I don't I don't think I'm sure his parents put a lot into him you I know both his mom and dad and they did a great job with them but a lot of that is just him it's just his personality of what he is and and I think that's just his character so I think that part of it you know coming out here working running the hill during the summer you know doing I mean he was running and lifting like he was a linebacker and so but that impresses the other guys when you have the quarterback that's competing at the same level that you are he's not over there saying hey I'm a quarterback don't want to bang up my knee don't want to do this he's in there grinding it out and I think uh when it comes to clutch time you know people play hard for a guy like that and the quarterback is an extension of the the head coach and offensive coordinator because on the field he's delivering the message he's delivering it with confidence and he's getting everybody to move into that same direction so he does a great job of of bringing that to the football team yeah now I'm I'm gonna say what I think I ain't expecting you to say this because then you know you gota you're the coach these are your your guys I genuinely believe that Andrew B brings that quarterback position to a level that's gonna take y'all over the top this is this is this is just my personal opinion um you ain't got to say nothing to that because I know you had guys in the past I don't want to be disrespectful to them but I didn't have those guys I think think that this is going to be the person who takes you over the top but I want to flip over and look at the defensive side of the ball too because you're a defensive guy I consider myself a defensive guy and I want to do that a little bit more as we continue with locked on [Music] HBCU today's episode is brought to you by Factor Mills and the whole I'm too busy to eat healthy used to be a good argument a while ago and 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your car into the my garage section which means if it doesn't fit your car your money back comes your money comes back guaranteed so go to ebaymotors.com that is eBay motors for anything you need with your car let's ride as we continue rolling on today's episode of lock on HBCU I appreciate you for making this your first listen of the day every day for your second listen make sure checking out lockon college football it's here it's time to listen to Spencer mclin because he has everything you need to know on the FBS level and I already know that you're checking me out for the HBCU let's get the full entire picture and I'm here with head coach Robinson Eddie Robinson Jr you flashed up the Eddie Robinson book before we got on here man and I'll ask you this I'm kind of curious about this right of course you know the whole Eddie Robinson Eddie Robinson Jr I'm sure you got used to people asking if that's your dad especially being a coach now but growing up in Louisiana was there ever any idea of like I don't want to go to Grambling because of this like I don't want to hear that if I'm at Grambling n so I grew up going to the Bayou class but my dad um went to sunno Southern University of New Orleans and most of the people in New Orleans are southern fans just because of the proximity and the band and we sent a lot of people there to play football but also to be in the band and so my dad worked at the super doome so I was going to the Bayou Classic every year as a kid and we always rooted for southern so I was always rooting against Grambling from like eight n 10 years old and so you know back in those days you talking about the late 70s early 80s when Eddie Robinson was a Powerhouse they were winning nine and 10 games every year and and Southern would have the best band we we the band won but you know most of the time gramlin win the game so I grew up not being a gramlin state fan I mean being an Eddie Robinson fan because of him just being a classy guy and everything he was doing in college football but not really growing up so the thought of me going to gramlin probably never crossed my mind I have went to Southern way actually I applied to go to Southern i' have went to Southern way before I went to Grandma well you know what there you go you got fun facts always was always curious about that man uh but we said we were going to talk about some defensive players and your linebacker you got Rico doer out of the transfer portal you had Demarcus Cunningham coming or excuse me he was still over here from last year Bubba M Bubba Adams is gone right how are you evaluating that linebacker room going into 2024 yeah I mean I think uh Rico and and Demarcus can probably be the the best tandem of linebackers in the conference I think both of them play at a really high level and and they're more of what you want out of the modern linebacker and back in my day when we were playing you know I guess the old folks say that um when it was more eye formation physical um Bubba would have fit perfectly and I told Bubba I said man if you were you were 20 years younger you'd have been a fourth round draft pick it you'd have fit perfect in what the NFL wanted but now you with the speed and everybody playing on the edge and everything going fast so now you're looking for those guys you know more 6 feet 212 215 who can run a four5 and that type of thing and I think if you look at the skill set of Demarcus Cunningham we'll start with him I mean he was the guy that was right behind Bubba the last two years in tackles and just you know when we first got here he wasn't playing a lot playing on special teams and then just evolved and and just to see the the transformation of it of it clicking and I remember talking to him I was like I was like man I said I said you you you right there like you you looking like you see the play you thinking the play you got the answer to the test but but then you hesitate it's like you thinking too much I said just go he said man my girlfriend told me the same thing I said man listen to your girlfriend you know what I'm saying so I guess he listened to me and her and and you could just tell like once he kind of got that taste of blood and made that first play and the rest is just he's just been flying around ever since then and then Rico was a kid you know we watched him uh in 22 2022 we play Pine Bluff for um for Thanksgiving day and he probably had around 15 tackles and I was like man who is this 57 kids just like we blocked everybody but him and they ended up winning uh on Turkey Day Classics I he reminds me of that all the time but he's from Abbyville Alabama and so uh he's coming back home that's right down the street going towards Dothan uh so him and kiny who's our running back they both went to high school together so uh to get both of them guys especially Rico here back on campus I'm trying to figure out how we let him get out the state to start off with but at least it back home now you wasn't there coach you wasn't there that's that's what happened pull them in man also you got to send some love over to to Mr Cunningham's girlfriend because you know you didn't get through to him it was I didn't it wasn't me because I had told him that same thing a couple times and so I guess once he heard it from her and she must have told it I'm I'm GNA find out because she must have told him that like the day before I did because he was like coach she just told me the same thing and then the rest of it just kind of hit but he's a when I tell you a great kid I mean he's on track to graduate U from B City just just love coaching him he's just walks around with a great attitude and he's one of those guys like he has a really serious mean streak like when you see him he's like yes sir no sir real quiet and I think one time he got like mad at somebody and practice and just went all the way I was like I was like I asked his linebacker coach coach gushman like man this cutting kind of me oh yeah coach he mean now don't let the don't let that soft spoken the fool you now so kind of reminds me of myself I was like that just um more like an intellectual guy the rest of the time but then when the lights came on then you got to be a different person to be a middle linebacker so man I know that had to be special see being able to see these kids who remind you of yourself that's got to be different man yeah well it's it's it's it's beautiful when when they when they can't do something and then you explain it to them and then they tried and it don't work they tried it don't work then they try and eventually get it and it starts to work and then they like Coach man it's like for me that's that's like great that and when they graduate it's kind of like the the proudest moment of as a coach when you say hey man I've made an impact on this kid I've changed life I I helped him to go into a different direction that that he maybe not have meant but wouldn't have went to if we didn't have this conversation as interaction yeah and you know first game of the year right let's get into some of the football season a little bit before you really lean in on segment three but first game of the year North Carolina Central Miami Florida Orange Blossom classic you I'm I hear how coach Oliver speaks about his conference and how his attitude is to it and I feel like this didn't come from from anywhere but just hearing him speak I feel like these type of games mean more to him because it's about me Supremacy do you feel something similar as far as saying hey we're the top dog as far as conference wise in black college football when you have these games against the Makia yeah absolutely and that that kind of goes to uh you know I always tell people you have a philosophy and an identity you know uh the philosophy is what you what you think you are that's what you put on paper that's what we're trying to do then your identity is what's on film that's what happened and so for us you know and I think the swag conference I say us like all of the swag teams you know historically the swag conference you look at the number of Hall of Famers we have number of guys going to the NFL all those type of things I mean the swag was always the preeminent HBCU College uh conference for football and the Mia was in my opinion always a little bit behind us I'm talking about 60s 70s 80s 90s stuff like that right um then there was the switch where the Mia really kind of turned it on you know he had that run with North Carina & uh South Carina state had a had a good run you know Hampton was really good so you know so it was just one of those things where you know the Mak was was getting the better of us you just look at the M swag challenge just look at the the record I mean they were winning like 11 to two at one point 11 to three in which we won the last two and so it has to have a level of importance to you just from a standpoint when when you're a swag school and you're playing out of conference schools you got to get W's you know you you have to get back to that level and and now we're working to get there and so um but then still the last couple years you know uh Jackson State lost the last couple uh celebration bowls and so and Trey did a great job with with getting North Carina Central ready to win that game and then South Carina state did it the next year so uh for us and I say us like the swag conference yeah we got this is a big game for us and so I have the the same sense of urgency he has to win the game to represent the M I have that exact same sense of urgency for us to win the game to represent the swag and I think that's the beauty of the game um you know he went to North Carina Central so he's not just playing for a coaching for Central he's coaching for the Mak as he should and I'm doing the same thing you I'm a swag guy and I'm coaching for the swag As much as I'm coaching from Alabama State and so that should make it a fun match up because we both really want to win this game know besides it's the first game of the year and it's a Mia school and we wna we want to show that the swack is better and that's what that's what we're gonna do and and it gives us the opportunity to go out there and do it but that's what we that's what we down there for we're going down there to win the game first and foremost but then to represent Alabama State and represent the swag conference you know I'm since I got you here I always got things I always wanted to ask you man like the Shrine Bowl was what four months prior to this this more than that it's been a while it's been a while so I've been thinking about interview you know the a lot of people make the whole what is swack thinger thing right it's been over a year did you think that would carry on because to me I thought it was gonna be a moment but I didn't think it was going to be as long lasting as as it's been no it caught me off guard I didn't even think it was going to last till the time I went to the tailgate after the game you know keep in mind that was homecoming I was I was obviously upset you know and so it was just a something that I said I've said it a hundred times before I mean I can go all the way back to when Steve McNair was in the locker room with the Oilers you know Steve had a swag tattoo on he was 100% swag and so uh we would go around and when the guy would make a good play another team was was Ashley Ambrose who who were with the um with the coach at the time out Mississippi Valley or Nas Williams he made an interception we watching the film we man that swack right there that's swack I'm swack that's that's what we would say and when we would greet somebody what's up swack how you doing and occasionally you would have a Chris Dishman one of those guys a Bubba McDow hey man I'm swag n man you ain't swag you ain't go to swag school you can't say that now if you went to HBCU we would allow you to say it so it really goes like way back it's not something that I just created that night that's why I was so comfortable with saying it and so but to answer your question I felt like by the next morning it would have cycled off the news channel but I guess it wasn't much else to talk about and then of course you have you know with the megaphone that Deion Sanders has with with everybody you know loving coach Prime I think that's what really made it uh go and and and we got to give him credit too because for him to come back with the song with who is swack like within less than 24 hours I was like man this it was it was I I'm sure that that got it going as much as everything but it it's been pretty cool that that everybody is still on it and and people kind of get it you know people that went to HBCU if they went to a swag school or M School SI they kind of get it like they they know exactly they don't have to ask me what did you mean they know what I meant they kind of they totally understand so yeah and I I saw how regular it was because when I called coach James or when coach James called me for the first time he said what up swack I said what's up swack exactly it was regular you know but it became this huge moment you know and it it's carried on and I would you do anything different if you knew where it was gonna be today like would you just been like I'm just gonna leave it alone no it had to be said I think it was just just it was a moment emotion yeah it just it was just a moment um you know I think it was you know football is an emotional game and I think what happens and I tell my kids this which is why after the games you know people don't realize you know we're we're normal people we're normal you can't take all of the energy it takes to be a football player and a football coach you can't take that to Walmart on Friday you know what I'm saying you can't you can't go to the grocery store on Monday because you're gonna want to skip the line and hit somebody with your basket you know so you have to get down to be like a normal regular citizen all right but then when it comes to football you got to really be a different person so after the games I've had plenty NFL games where I've played 70 80 plays and I mean I'm exhausted but I'm laying in the bed and I cannot go to sleep like my adrenaline level is still like way high you know what I'm saying so I'm just you just reviewing like everything that that went through your head it's like I guess the the most I could I could relate it to the average person if you were in a car accident and you felt like you were close to dying and it was a big but then you were okay and so you go home that night and and the whole night you're just thinking about man what happened what I so it's kind of like that so after that game I'm still like up you know what I'm saying just cuz the game over you sit down and and you may physically get your heart rate down but you still you're still in the moment for like quite some time uh until you probably the next morning when you kind of really settle down and get back to being a normal person again man look I ain't gonna spend too much time on it I think too much time spent on it already but I did want to ask you that because I got you here and you know this is what we this is when we ask these type of questions but let's move forward and really do lean into the game that you have coming up you got North Carolina Central I want to ask you about that game a little bit more and then also ask you about rest of the season as we continue with locked on HBCU today's episode is brought to you by Five Hour Energy early mornings maybe you have to you know what forget it we talk about early mornings and and early afternoons what about when you in school what about when you had to pull a all night or night shift or something of the sort right because I know we have college students I know we have people all the way in their profession and everything in between either one of those things Five Hour Energy 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energy.com today as wrapping up today's episode locked on HBCU I appreciate you for making this your first listen of the day every day making it all the way to segment 3 and I thank you two times for that thank you thank you we got Eddie Robinson Jr head coach of Alabama State here with us thank you again for coming on you know I I had coach James a little bit ago now we got you coming on in preparation for the orange blossom classic and you know how difficult is it preparing for the first game of the season when you don't have as much tape on this current rendition of a team as opposed to week five six you know you didn't seen who this guy or who these players are by then well I think uh you know coach oler talked about it the same way um you know the first game is the first game and and with the transfer portal and the turnover in college football you know it's a whole lot of guys you know it could it could be a wide receiver that we haven't seen you gotta watch him in warm up you got so it's just it's kind of like the old plane in the neighborhood you just watching and see hey man they look pretty big oh man they may be tough that type of stuff and so we know a lot of the guys they know a lot of about guys the returns but at the same time it is an element of what exactly are they going to do what type of changes they may have made from the last year and so the biggest thing is you have to work on yourself you got to make sure that that you're really good at what you do and you understand you know your your scheme and then be able to make adjustments real quick if it comes to that but the biggest thing is just just making sure that that you're covering all the bases as a coach know we do a lot of situational football so right now we're covering a lot of different situations hey backed up punt you know taking a safety you know the onside kick how do you prare prepare for onside kick who can recover onside kick so all those type of things and and half of them will not happen in the first game but as a coach you don't want anything to happen in that game and you can't say I prepared my team for it I didn't do a I didn't do a period of it we didn't practice it so uh that's the thing for me I'm I'm big on being prepared if you're prepared then I think it puts you in the in the mindset of to go out there knowing that I have a great opportunity to win then just got to add the physical part of it and then football is football you know sometime it bounces your way sometimes it doesn't but that's why you get 60 Minutes you just play hard the whole time and you get more breaks than you lose so let's let's focus on you then let's let's take North Carolina Central out of it and focus on yourself I was talking to Gerald Huggins right draft HBCU frequent uh collaborator on the show and he said that this is the best defense that you've had he felt confident in saying that this is the best defense that you've had since being at Alabama State do you agree yeah well we'll see uh I feel like I feel like talent wise um we're probably a little bit better than last year and so defense is such a is such an attitude you know it's it's is a lot of it is I'm in position to make that tackle but how bad do I want to make that tackle how hard do I want to run the ball and so I think that part becomes contagious you got to see one guy with a big hit and then everybody has to want it and so you you really have to have 11 guys fighting to make a tackle it's like whoever makes this next tackle gets a prized and they all have to be fighting to make that tackle and and only one person gets the prize and if you have if you can have that type of attitude where everybody believes in each other nobody cares if if you make the interception they're all happy if I get the fumble we're all happy and that's that's something that that that goes from Friendship uh liking each other having camaraderie that type of stuff so this team is a is a really close- bonded team I think much more so than the first two years and so now if you have that type of healthy competition where we competing and see who play but at the same time I'm rooting for you to make that sack just like I'm hoping I get a chance to make one and so I think that gives us a chance to be better than we were the last two years you know I want to ask you this from your coaching or from your playing days what game did you always have circled on the schedule every year I'm going I'm circling this game or did it change year by year well for us I think um the city classic is always the the biggest game you know for me I tell the guys that's the biggest game of the year you know so I love that game I think for us when we were playing Jackson State they were such bullies in the swag back then they had won like 28 straight swag games and so and all of our coaches had came from Jackson State uh I think three of our coaches was players there coach Markham used to coach there so we we were circling Jackson State as the team that we had to beat because they they had won the slack Championship four years and and had had not lost a swag game in four years so I think everybody had Jackson State Circle you know what saying they were just dominating the conference but but the Mad City Classic was always and has been a huge game for us I think us going into this season in the last two seasons I think you always Circle that m city class it's just a beautiful game uh just a great time to be in Birmingham everybody gets involved with it the whole city does for the whole week and it's just it's just a fun game to play in then Coach you know you said how back in the day outside of the Magic City Classic you would Circle that Jackson State game now it was pretty easy for you to say you did that as a as a player but when you ask the coach hey what what game y'all got circled on the schedule coach you know we just the next game the most important game you know I'm just trying to make sure the most important game that we got circle is week one I'm just worried about North Carolina why is that such a different answer you know why can't we just say what it is no I'm not gonna give you that answer the the the Man City Classic is the most important game of the year I tell everybody that the Magic City Classic like that's the game not to the to the locals because the turkey day classic we're coming on the 100th turkey day classic and we're playing Tuskegee it's the oldest historically black college classic so for the locals who have grown up in Montgomery you know since kids since the 1950s and 60s the turkey day classic that's their game now and and if you're playing Tuskegee it's absolutely you have to beat I'm talking about back to when Booker Washington was at tuskeegee you know that's how that's how far back this game goes and so it's a lot of history in the African-American Community here in Montgomery over the turkey day classic but but for me it's the mesty classic that's just the biggest game you know now of course you know I'll go to my scripted answer you know the next game is the most important game and nobody trust me I'm not even thinking about A&M I could I could I hope they win this week that's all I can say you know what I'm saying but I can care less what they're doing right now we're 100% focused on Central but just looking at the schedule I mean once you get to that game you get two weeks to prepare it's just a big week around campus last question before I get out get you out here actually two more I w't talk about this this pendant behind me but um uh what is it called The Crest behind me uh but look Alabama state has more expectations on them this year than they've had in your tenure with the Hornets how are you guys dealing with being projected as the best team in the swack East yeah Manan I love it I mean I think um it's where you want to be you know who wants to be pick to finish last you know what I'm saying that that that would be motivation too you know we would pick the Finish Last hey man those guys don't don't respect that type stuff so I think being picked the Finish First it's just uh you go out there and play football but but if trust me if we achieve the expectations that we have on ourselves on the T as a team and the expectations that I have for this team we will far exceed all the expectations that anybody else has picked for us and so we have very high goals and I tell the kids hey set high goals U speak it put it into existence because once you say it now you have to work hard to achieve it if if you say hey I want to have eight interceptions and lead the conference well get up in your defensive meeting and tell everybody my goal is to have eight interceptions and leave the conference so you know what now you put yourself on blast now you got to go out there and work because if not people going to be critical like well how come you have a goal and a dream but now your work ethic doesn't match your dream and so what I tell our kids hey we set a goal we set a dream but now we have to have the work ethic to match it because if not we won't have opportunity to achieve it and that's the biggest thing for us as just as long as I see that the guys are working towards it and we're giving everything we can as players and coaches and at that point you can never be disappointed in the outcome you may not like the outcome but you won't be disappointed in it because you know you've done everything you can do like football is like life nobody can guarantee that their team is gonna win a championship even if you are on paper the better team because I've been on Plenty of playoff teams when we weren't the better team and then we won and unfortunately I've been on some playoff teams but were the better team and then we didn't get the job done and that that's what I love about football that is such a work ethic sport if you put in the work you will always have a chance to win the football game now I'm gonna go ahead and take this down move the microphone with me now I never miss an opportunity though I claim to be from Texas because this why I was raised my pretty much my entire life uh I never get a never missed the opportunity to tell people and I was born in Louisiana I was born in Kenna right so I'm not that too far but you New Orleans right so we talked about this said you has something you want to talk about I'm I'm just gonna hold it up they don't need to see me they see me every day go ahead coach absolutely so I mean that's that's that's who that nation and I'm I've been the saint season ticket hold like I said my dad grew up working at the super doome and I I go back from the it was a joke that the Saints would win a Super Bowl and even when I was playing in the NFL for 11 years I'm still always rooting for the Saints to make it to the Super Bowl and I promis myself if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl I would be at the game so I took my mom we went to the game in Miami when we won the Super Bowl in 2009 and just hoping to get back I mean it's I was at the game when the Rams had the had the bad call and we walked out the Super Dome sad crying wondering if maybe we can sue the NFL and get them to change the call but it it's it's been it's just I always with my Saints hat and the good thing it matches my black and gold with ASU and so most time I'm either have on my ASU hat or a Saints hat but I I'll say this man and when I first saw your show um you know just flipping on YouTube picking up the podcast I'm like oh man this brother got a TSU flag and he got a Saints flag you so you had my attention right there and most people don't know um when I graduated well when I when I left Alabama State I had like two more classes to finish my chemistry degree and you know Dr Booker he knew um Dr Marilyn who was my professor and Dean here at Alabama state so I was able to take my last two classes at Texas Southern uh had a great time hanging out with the qes on bler street and so back in Third Ward and so uh I mean I've lived most of my adult life in Houston probably other than about eight years when I when I went to Jacksonville and Nashville but then I moved back to Houston after that and uh raised my kids there so uh I love the city of Houston man I love Texas Southern it's a great University I took a couple classes there and it's just it's just a a great City and and then when I saw the TSU flag and the New Orleans flag then then you you had me as a fan I was like And subscribe from there and then but then you had to like I tell the kids that just got you in the door but then you you do a great job of doing with your content and with different guests so then you know I'm always a fan you're doing a great job man definitely keep it up now I appreciate it hey y'all don't play TSU this year I can root for we don't that's why I love TSU so much this year it's like I like let's go Tigers you know but when we play them then of course you know not I'm G tell you a funny story man we went down there um my first year and but that was the that because we didn't play him the last two years and of course you know James Williams great friend man we we met on the on the swag tour um as Juniors and we went both years and he's from Baton Rouge I'm from New Orleans and so and he was at Texas Southern I was at Alabama State we played played together played against all four years then we were together with the Oilers and always remain friends so then when I got the job here we he came to coach and just has been done a great job so then we go we're playing Texas Southern and so and we end up winning the game close game we pull it out at the end and so then the Alabama State we're playing the Alabama State Alma Ma and so I'm like James would it feel like to beat your own school man so he never lets me lay that down he said man I had my hand in the air but I was crying on the inside ghost James that's my guy man I rock I rock with him he he all right man look you too Saints fan couple classes at TSU allaround solid guy we appreciate you genuinely AB genuinely do we uh we got to find some time either either sometime in the bye I don't or after the season we got to come back on and recap and do this again because this was a pleasure genuinely uh I appreciate you go ahead and follow him er50 on Twitter um you G play TSU so good luck all all year man exactly put it like this if we play TSU we we're both in the swag championship game and we're both happy so I can tell you right now I will be there if T she makes the swag championship I will be present I don't care if it's in Montgomery I don't care if it's in Houston I prefer to be in Houston it's a sort of drive for me but uh I will be present but thank you and thank everybody for listening I hope everybody enjoyed this we doing a live chat hope hope everybody is talking it up and enjoying this I'll be there watching you know I'll be checking out I probably ain't talking too much but in the meantime in between time till next time we here each other family take care stay blessed peace