00:00It is time for myself and Alec and Jacob Ray to have a conversation with our friend,
00:04former All-Pro Edge rusher turned MMA promoter, Sean Merriman.
00:07Sean, how's everything going today, man?
00:10Hey, what's up, my man? How you doing?
00:12We're doing fantastic. I got my, usually my producer, Alec, working with me today,
00:17my co-host, Kevin. He's in Jacksonville right now, hanging out with family.
00:20Is Jacksonville a great place to vacation or no?
00:25It's a warm Buffalo.
00:29No, I'm just joking. That was always a joke when I visited out there.
00:33Now, Jacksonville is nice, man. I always enjoy my time out there.
00:36I used to go out there once a year for Tim Tebow's charity event, so I used to have a
00:41good time.
00:42Nice, nice. Now, we are in the place right now.
00:45It's kind of a weird place after free agency, between now and the Combine.
00:51Go back for me just a little bit to that place where you did the Combine
00:55and then the Draft is a little ways away.
00:57What's the life like for a rookie as they're getting prepared for the Draft now?
01:04Do you just kind of spend time hanging out?
01:07Are you training for anything?
01:09What's that life like before the Draft?
01:12No, I mean, this is the best time for rookies coming in because the work is done.
01:16You know, you leave right for your college football season.
01:19You start training, you know, getting ready for the Combine.
01:23The Combine, you put your work in, you do everything, you talk to the teams, meet with the teams.
01:27Now you're just sitting back and waiting for your name to be called because all the tough work is done.
01:31And then, like, so is there a lot of video game action or you just kind of get involved with
01:36other stuff?
01:37What did you do during that time?
01:40Well, it's the first time you had any real money, so you put that to use for a little bit,
01:46right?
01:47But, you know, what I would try to recommend for a lot of guys because they don't understand when you
01:52get done with the college season,
01:54you don't have an offseason for a long, long time, right?
01:58They always call it hitting that rookie wall because it's not a stop.
02:01I mean, I really didn't get a chance to sit down and catch my breath until after my rookie year
02:05because you go right into, you know, the spring training, the OTAs, the rookie minicamps,
02:10so you go right to the training camp before you know you're in the season.
02:12So it's like a whirlwind.
02:14You don't really have a real time to sit down and take it all in until your rookie season is
02:19done.
02:19Sean Merriman joining us here on the KNC Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan.
02:23Now, Christian Parker, new addition to the Cowboys defense as he's the new defensive coordinator,
02:29and he wants some different things for this look.
02:32And now we're talking a little more of a 3-4 than they were a 4-3.
02:36Obviously, we're seeing a lot more going on with the nickel and star.
02:39We had a conversation about that at the Super Bowl radio row.
02:43But now we're starting to see some additions.
02:45And the Cowboys went out and got Jalen Thompson's safety from Arizona to add to the mix.
02:51And then they make the trade for Rashawn Gary.
02:54Now, I've watched Rashawn Gary enough to know what he's capable of,
02:57but we're looking at this defense right now,
02:59and the Cowboys are still missing a variety of middle linebacker pieces, in our opinion.
03:04I'm still looking at it going, who's this left defensive end?
03:07Because as you moved Oso Diggie Zouai out and you move Quinn Williams over just a little bit,
03:13and then you've got Kenny Clark as your anchor, who's your left defensive end, guys?
03:17We're trying to figure that spot out.
03:19Rashawn Gary in the 3-4 defense, how much of the stand up and put your hand in the ground,
03:24how much does that become part of the thing?
03:26Is that left, that outside linebacker over there?
03:29You know, it's funny because one of the best outside linebackers to ever play down,
03:32obviously, is DeMarcus.
03:34If you remember when DeMarcus came out of college, he was a typical hand in the dirt, right,
03:394-3 guy that had him to stand up.
03:41And it was a little bit, it was tough.
03:43It was awkward for him dropping the coverage and rushing from a two-point.
03:46And then he kind of came into his own, but he was always great with his hand in the dirt.
03:49For me, it was the complete opposite.
03:52I was used to standing up, and I had to get used to putting my hand in the dirt.
03:55But over time, those outside linebackers have to be able to do two things.
04:00Rush to pass, obviously, number one, roll up that front foot, explosion up the line of scrimmage,
04:04and also hold up against the run and be able to drop in the flats,
04:08be able to run with a tight end down the scenes that need to be.
04:11So there's a lot of requirement out of that outside linebacker job.
04:14So you're looking for a specific type of guy that you don't have to take off the field.
04:18That's the key.
04:19If you can get a guy that can play the run up first, second down,
04:22and also roll off his front foot in that third down situation,
04:25and also if need to be dropping the cover four, cover two to the flats,
04:29or cover tight end down the scene, you've got to win it.
04:31But it is a tough task.
04:32You've got to find the right guy.
04:33And also that left defensive end spot specifically,
04:36because Gary can play it out there on the edge a little bit,
04:38but that left defensive end spot and what you want in that 3-4 defense,
04:42because we also picked up one of the defensive tackles from the Chargers
04:45to add to the mix here because you need big bodies.
04:48What kind of body frame and body types are you looking like?
04:51Because it does feel like it's a little bit different than a 4-3 on the size front.
04:56Yeah, it's a very dirty position, and those guys don't get a lot of credit
05:00because you've got to go down there and take on double teams, split double teams,
05:04be able to pass rush and have some kind of interior pressure on long passing situations.
05:10But they don't get a lot of credit.
05:12I play with one of the best D tackles that I think people really don't talk about
05:15as much as Jamal Williams.
05:17Jamal was so good, and every time I talk about my career and what I was able to do,
05:21I have to bring him up, man, because he just made a lot of things possible.
05:25He put pressure on that interior pass rush situation.
05:28If you talk to any guard or center that the play against Jamal,
05:31they'll tell you that he was one of the best to do it.
05:33So it's a very dirty position.
05:35It's an unsung hero.
05:36They don't get a lot of credit, but they are everything in that defense.
05:39Corey just alluded to the fact that the Cowboys are probably going to have to
05:43draft a linebacker that's going to be asked to play a lot and probably start for this defense.
05:48What is the hardest part for a rookie coming in learning an NFL defense?
05:52What is that most difficult jump from the college to the pro game defensively?
05:58It's how quick you have to understand it.
06:01I remember I actually didn't show up to close to the first game of the season,
06:05and I was looking at the playbook like an encyclopedia, right?
06:09Because not only do you have to download and retain all this information,
06:13you also have to be able to react when there's an audible or switch or strength call.
06:18Down a distance situation, clock management.
06:20I mean, it's the speed of the game in which you have to pick up where it becomes second nature.
06:25So the first thing that everybody's going to have a problem with is speed,
06:27even though they're fast.
06:28It's having that information mentally readily available and still being able to play fast.
06:34That's the biggest thing that a lot of these guys will have a problem with early on.
06:38I've been watching a lot of different things on defenses,
06:41especially trying to learn Parker's defense a little bit.
06:43And they're in the vein of Jesse Minter and McDonald up in Seattle as well.
06:48And I'm watching guys do things like they're showing a disguise up front,
06:52and then all of a sudden they drop into a dime like 20 yards deep.
06:56Is that the evolution that we're seeing?
06:58Is we're just trying to figure out more ways to make the time for quarterbacks
07:03to be able to figure out what you're doing even shorter, even after the ball snap?
07:08Yeah, because this whole thing gets centered around a quarterback,
07:11confusing him and being able to put pressure on a quarterback
07:13because the NFL now is just so reliant on great quarterbacks.
07:18You need other players too, but man, a great quarterback can take you far.
07:22So this whole thing is about how fast you can come up to the line of scrimmage,
07:25maybe step up into that A or B gap, show coverage, and drop that,
07:29like you said, that middle linebacker deep, and bring a safety off the edge.
07:33It's having these guys confused because the quarterbacks are so good now
07:37that if you don't cause a problem for them pre-snap, they'll just pick you apart.
07:42And part of those problems that you can cause pre-snap is we've strayed away
07:47from the idea of base defense almost totally in the NFL.
07:51These defensive coordinators are changing their looks so much
07:54and giving you different fronts and whatnot.
07:58Do you think that we're ever going to get back to that place
08:01where base defense even matters anymore?
08:03Because you're asking safeties to do so much at this point.
08:06You're asking linebackers, like Corey was saying,
08:08hand in the dirt versus dropping back.
08:10Is base defense almost irrelevant at this point?
08:14Well, it is in some cases, but when you've got four down linemen who can win a 1-on-1
08:19without having to get exotic on the defense, that's always the best-case scenario.
08:23Always.
08:23Because you can keep a certain amount of guys back in coverage.
08:26You don't have to do anything to jeopardize a deep ball or a big hit.
08:32And if you've got a 4-D lineman who can win up front, you don't have to create havoc.
08:38Right now, don't get me wrong, in third and long situations you have a safety
08:42like the Chargers had with Derwin James who can play a linebacker spot if you need him to
08:46and blitz off the edge.
08:48You have those guys who can do it, but it's always best when you have players up front
08:52who can win 1-on-1 battles.
08:54I was checking out Troy Aikman, did some work with the Miami Dolphins,
08:59and he said it kind of scratched the itch for wanting to work in a front office.
09:02You've gotten the opportunity to work on a very high level, working with your promotions.
09:08I'm just kind of curious, have you ever thought about being in a front office
09:12with one of the teams in the NFL?
09:13Would it have to be the Chargers, or is there other options for you?
09:17I thought about it a lot, especially after I retired.
09:22And for one, I think the natural thing that most people think someone would do
09:27is going after being a coach, because I've got so much knowledge of the game.
09:31But my brain and my kind of movement and how I've kind of been maneuvering
09:35after I retired has always been to have the opportunity to be in a front office
09:38one day, but I'm open to whatever.
09:41I'll go down and help out the Chargers this year in training camp.
09:44I think I'm going to visit the Rams for a couple days.
09:47My son is actually top quarterback in the country, class 2029,
09:51so I'll be spending time with him.
09:52But if that opportunity ever presents itself to work with a front office,
09:57I'll definitely look at it.
09:58The other thing, too, is a lot of your life as a player,
10:02you have coaches that you look up to, you respect,
10:06you find a good relationship with them,
10:08you find teammates that you become friends with.
10:11And then whenever you're done playing the game, you look at,
10:14I want to be a mentor to some of these guys.
10:16I want to give these guys lessons of things I may have missed in the past
10:20and things that I should have done differently.
10:22How far does mentorship go in the NFL?
10:26It's everything.
10:27I really do, and I'm not speaking for everybody else,
10:29but me personally, I do feel like I have a responsibility
10:32to pass on some of the knowledge, whether it's football-wise
10:35or maybe some of the things that you could have done better
10:37as a player on the field and off the field.
10:40So I think there's a responsibility.
10:42I don't want to sit up here and say that guys, former guys, old players,
10:46but, man, you've got so much information and knowledge.
10:49Why not pass that on and help a couple guys out along their career?
10:54And taking a step back here for just a second,
10:57I don't know if you saw the Logan Paul incident
10:59where he was trying to get in the boxing ring with an NFL player,
11:04and he started throwing out some wild names like Miles Garrett and whatnot.
11:08So I want to ask you, with all of your fight promotion experience,
11:11you get to take one of your former teammates
11:13and turn them into an MMA fighter.
11:17Who would it be?
11:21Probably Quentin Jammer, man.
11:25Actually, Jam, he's been doing jiu-jitsu for a long time.
11:29And, in fact, I've talked to a lot of former guys who have retired
11:32to pick up some form of combat sport.
11:34You hear all the stories about how we struggle moving on
11:37to the next part of our lives, man.
11:39And the biggest part is because the regiment and the competition is gone.
11:42So I encourage a lot of the former guys to pick up some form of combat sports
11:46when you're done.
11:47Hey, Sean, we always appreciate talking to you.
11:50I love the insight when it comes to what we're hoping to see
11:52from the Cowboys here in the future.
11:54And just really appreciate your time, man.
11:55We hope you have a good one today.
11:57You got it, man.
11:58Thanks for having me.
11:58There you go.
11:59Sean Merriman, our friend that we've –
12:01dude, I don't know how we've been able to build this relationship with him,
12:04but it's just like, hey, can I hop on the show?
12:06Say hi.
12:07I'm like, what's up, dude?
12:08He's awesome.
12:08I love to see him, even though that one moment in New Orleans
12:12may have been in the way for just a little bit.
12:14But, dude, love to hear.
12:15Love to hear that he's got a son that's going to be coming up like that.
12:20Yes.
12:20We're going to be keeping an eye out on that,
12:22seeing where he is as one of the top recruits in the country.
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