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00:00Been looking forward to this for a long time. Ladies and gentlemen, new head coach Todd Munkin in studio with
00:05us as we get ready for a 2026 NFL season. Coach, thanks for joining us.
00:11Appreciate you having me.
00:12You can watch him live on YouTube, 92.3 The Fan on YouTube. First off, how do you feel after
00:17the draft?
00:19Fantastic.
00:21Did you find it odd that you were asked if you got the best offensive lineman in the draft considering
00:25he was the first offensive lineman off the board in the draft?
00:30For sure, we feel like we got the best offensive lineman in the draft.
00:33I would imagine.
00:34And I said it afterwards that how cool was it that we were able to trade back and get two
00:41other picks and still get the player that we were looking to take when we were drafting at six.
00:46I'm hearing a lot of good things.
00:49I thought the first two days, I was just so excited, so surprised about how it fell to us in
00:56the first two days.
00:57And then day three, Parker Brailsford's a guy that you guys are really excited about, the center out of Alabama.
01:03Can you tell us a little bit more about him?
01:05Well, I think if you get beyond the size, I think that's the sticking point for some teams.
01:12He falls below the line in terms of size that they want.
01:16For us, I don't see it that way.
01:18I think Tyler Linderbaum was not the biggest center, and he just got $27 million per year.
01:25We like athleticism.
01:27If you turned on the tape from last year and you didn't know it, it wasn't an issue.
01:34Now, there'll be some things, obviously, if you get a zero no's and you're playing some odd teams.
01:39It's not ideal, but there's ways of working around that, and we were jacked to get him when we did.
01:45Coach, your role in the draft room, I know there was an embedded reporter that was kind of laying out
01:52what you were saying at times.
01:55I'm sure not all of it was something you wanted everybody to be privy to, but just you getting to
02:01be in these rooms over the years,
02:02how has your role evolved from, hey, you're an offensive coordinator to now the head guy, the head coach, and
02:08how much were they leaning on you?
02:09Well, most of the role changed before the draft more than during the draft, I would say.
02:18At that point, Andrew's making the selection.
02:20That's what he's paid to do.
02:21I mean, he's the general manager.
02:23Would he run things by me and say, hey, this is what I'm thinking?
02:26Or I'd say, what are you thinking?
02:27We're five picks out.
02:29What are you thinking here?
02:31Well, we're thinking this, this, this.
02:33If not, we're going to make this trade.
02:35We're going to do this.
02:35Because what I was super impressed with was how proactive Andrew is.
02:41One way or the other, moving back, moving up, talking to other teams, him and his team that were a
02:49part of it was very impressive.
02:51I've been in other rooms, and I thought it was as well done as anywhere I've been.
02:58And it fell the right way in terms of, for us, in terms of what we were hoping, the picks
03:04that we got.
03:06And it doesn't always work out that way, but it was great when it did.
03:08Well, to even have a rival exec and someone you work with, like Eric DaCosta, lavish praise on what the
03:14Browns did.
03:15And I thought it was also interesting.
03:16I mean, you're there, and you've been in other rooms, or you've seen it.
03:19This seemed like a Wall Street simulation.
03:21What can you tell people about the outfit, Andrew Barry and everybody, being able to put together something like that
03:29that goes through every single scenario when it comes to trade downs?
03:33I think people would be amazed to think about how sophisticated the system was.
03:38Well, each team does it a little bit differently, but I would say this, that I think not only with
03:47the place I was before in Baltimore and also here, what you see is you're trying to eliminate anxiety.
03:54That's all you're trying to do is you've already in a lot of ways set the board who you would
04:03take if it felt a certain way.
04:05Now the only part of that is in the trades that comes in, that changes the landscape.
04:11If nobody ever traded, it would be easy to just fall like, all right, I'm picking this, picking this, picking
04:17this.
04:17But when the landscape changes, I think Andrew and his guys did a great job of working through the other
04:24scenarios that led to the picks that we ended up with.
04:27And then what is it like having the top guy in the room next to you, Jimmy Haslam?
04:33Oh, it was really cool.
04:34I realized I was the head coach.
04:35I mean, I'm right next to the owner and in between the general manager, I guess that's what I do.
04:40I'm the head coach.
04:42But really at that moment, besides a sounding board, I was just there for the fist bumps and second guy
04:48on the phone.
04:48That was really what I was there for.
04:50And again, that's their job.
04:53And I've said it a million times, you know, just like Andrew's going to trust what we do on fourth
04:59and one, we're going to trust the picks that he makes.
05:01And now it's up to us to develop the players.
05:04Do you think, Tom Munkin joining us in studio, how important is play calling?
05:09And the reason I ask it is because in my world, okay, if you win, you will get zero credit.
05:16We won't even think about it.
05:17If you lose, there will be call after call about what you did on third down.
05:23Now, we're just watching on Sundays.
05:25He knows, I know.
05:27There's a lot of things that goes into that that the general public doesn't know.
05:30So on the base of everything, how important is play calling during a game?
05:36Well, my wife always says, why don't I just call the plays that work?
05:40It seems so simple.
05:41Why would you ever call plays that don't work?
05:43Which I would agree with that.
05:45It's more fun that way.
05:47I think where it really becomes critical, just like I would say even in the draft, is when the landscape
05:53changes.
05:54Just like in the draft, trade proposals, making decisions, when the landscape changes in a game, whether it's situational, two
06:04-minute, four-minute, are you going to go for it?
06:06Are you not?
06:08When are you going to run a trick play?
06:10When are you going to take chances?
06:12I think that's when it comes up.
06:15Calling rundown plays, I mean, I'm calling it off the sheet.
06:20I mean, there's variances of what you're going to call run pass.
06:23They're all on there.
06:24We all think they're pretty good.
06:26To me, it comes down to reminding yourself touches, who you want to get the ball to.
06:32That can certainly get, you know, you can get clouded, you know, looking at the whole call sheet of who
06:38you need to get the ball to.
06:41So, again, I think it's important.
06:43I think it's a little bit overblown because if you've got good players and you've done a great job during
06:49the week in your preparation,
06:52so the players and you've created a system that lets their talent shine,
06:56I think that's really the most critical part of it is during the week and developing a system and getting
07:02really good players.
07:03So then Sunday is just a byproduct of the work you put in.
07:06You've been a play caller.
07:07You've been an offensive coordinator a long time.
07:08And I know you've been a head coach before, okay, but I think I've seen in some cases around the
07:14league where guys,
07:15they go from offensive coordinator to head coach, and they sometimes get caught maybe not managing the game maybe the
07:21way they should.
07:22You're in the area where you go from yards and points to like, hey, I've got defense and special teams.
07:26I've got to take care of each other here.
07:28How do you plan on balancing that on a Sunday as the head coach now?
07:32No, it's certainly a challenge.
07:34There's no way around it.
07:36I still find myself every now and then referring to myself like I'm the offensive coordinator.
07:42You just do.
07:43When I say like we, it's like, well, hell, I'm in charge of it all.
07:48And ultimately, I'm now in charge of winning.
07:52When you're a coordinator, you're in charge of scoring or stopping them.
07:56When you're a position coach, you're in charge of developing your position room.
08:00That's it.
08:01But the winning is now solely on the head coach.
08:04So that is a part of it.
08:07I've already been through it for three years at Southern Miss.
08:09So we're going to find out.
08:13Todd Munkin, head coach of the Browns, in studio with us.
08:16When somebody new takes over, whether it's a college program or the NFL,
08:22they've got to make it their identity.
08:24They've got to build this in their identity.
08:25Is there something, and this doesn't have to be a dig at who's been here before,
08:28but is there something you came in immediately and said, I want to do it this way,
08:33and I'm going to make this my own, whether it's something, accountability,
08:37whether it's a messaging, whatever it is,
08:39is there something to put the Todd Munkin stamp on the Cleveland Browns?
08:44Well, first off, I have a ton of respect for Kevin Stefanski.
08:48He is a fantastic football coach.
08:50You don't get to be a head coach in the NFL and not be a fantastic football coach.
08:58An identity is a little bit strong.
09:01I've said it before that I think I've said this a ton of times,
09:09but I really believe this.
09:10As much as I love winning and I hate losing, I despise crappy football.
09:17And I just think that it's just such a bad look for coaching.
09:22You know, it just is.
09:24You look dumb as a coach when you put bad football on the field.
09:29You want it to look like you want it to look like.
09:31If we ran power 62 plays in the game,
09:36they might be pissed off that we ran power 62 times.
09:39But if it looks like that's our identity and we're going to be a physical team
09:43and it looks like you want it to look like, you can live with it.
09:46But when you go out there and if you're jumping off sides, you have 10 on the field,
09:50you've got 12 on the field, the quarterback has anxiety at the line of scrimmage,
09:55guys are going the wrong way, and that's an indictment on coaching.
09:58And that's an indictment on us.
10:00So that's the starting point.
10:01You want to give yourself a chance.
10:04And that's – give yourself a chance.
10:06More games are lost than they're won.
10:08And that's the starting point for us as a team.
10:12Todd Munkin joining us in studio right now.
10:14So I want to, again, clarify, and I think you've said this before,
10:17you do want to have a starting quarterback on your team that you know is on your depth chart,
10:22number one, before training camp, correct?
10:24Would love to.
10:25Okay, you would love to.
10:26You're not necessarily stuck in cement on that idea then.
10:31Well, I would love to have that.
10:34I'm not there yet, so I can't say that.
10:37We still have.
10:38We've been on the field three practices, which was awesome.
10:42And to get out there with our players.
10:44I was talking to Carson yesterday.
10:45He said, it feels so weird that we got from phase one to get on the field,
10:49and then now we're back off for three weeks.
10:52But it's always changing based on what you see.
10:58I don't have a history with any of our players.
11:00I know where this is heading.
11:01I mean, but I don't have a history with any of the players.
11:04They're all external to me.
11:06Just like when I interviewed coaches for the coordinator position,
11:10there was no internal candidates.
11:12I wasn't here.
11:13They're all external to me.
11:14So all the players are external other than Tylan Wallace, who was with us.
11:19So at the point is, what I've seen after three days, okay,
11:22that gives us a little bit of a 40,000-foot view of where we're at.
11:26But that can change.
11:30Once we get back on the field for four weeks at the end of this spring,
11:33we'll have a better idea then.
11:35But there's only so many reps you get.
11:37You've got to start to target towards who's going to start opening day.
11:41Now, that can still change.
11:43And that can change even if someone's getting two-thirds of the rep
11:48to someone getting a third of the reps
11:49because you're still going to play preseason games.
11:51You're still going to want to see those guys at quarterback
11:54and see how they play.
11:55Why is it important for the rest of the team to figure out who that guy is
11:59before training camp actually starts?
12:05I think you're talking about our players.
12:07I think it's important for them to have an idea of the identity of the team
12:12and have a belief in whoever that is.
12:15Ultimately, the ball's in that player's hands every down.
12:19And you're going to come down to four-minute, two-minute, end-of-game scenarios.
12:23You have close games every week, a belief system that this guy's going to
12:28take us to the promised land, which is starting with a winning team,
12:32winning the division, winning a Super Bowl, all those things.
12:36I don't think players care.
12:38I just think they want to know who's going to give us the best chance to win.
12:41Who do we believe in that's going to give us the best chance to win?
12:45Because through all the money and all of that,
12:49there's nothing like the feeling in the locker room when you win.
12:52And I think that's what players still crave, to be a part of winning
12:56and to be able to wear your Browns gear with pride.
12:59Hey, I'm a Cleveland Brown.
13:01You know, before a big trial, a judge will instruct a jury.
13:04You've got to be impartial.
13:05You've got to delete anything you might have heard about this case.
13:09Get it out of your mind.
13:10Can you possibly do that and be that objective when it comes to two quarterbacks,
13:17both very, very famous dudes?
13:20Everything that Deshaun Watson has been through
13:22and the stuff he's put on tape six years ago
13:25and the stuff he's put on tape with the Cleveland Browns over the last how many years
13:28and then Shador and everything that comes along with Shador Sanders.
13:31Can you possibly be that objective?
13:33Well, I think there's levels of being objective.
13:37I mean, I'm not Patrick from SpongeBob.
13:40I don't live under a rock.
13:41I mean, I sit there and I hear things.
13:44I see things.
13:45You're part of that.
13:47But I've learned over the years in coaching is your job is to let it play itself out.
13:55I said that many of times.
13:58Like, I'm going to let all of the students take the test.
14:04You know, I'm not going to walk in the classroom and before they even take a test,
14:08I'm going to observe the students and give them a grade based on what?
14:13How they look, how they dress, like nationality, male, female.
14:20My job is to let it play out.
14:23And sometimes players have a, you know, they have a fresh start is maybe the best way to put it
14:30or a different style or a different system.
14:33So it's my job to do that.
14:37And to me, it's the only way.
14:39Now, you can have, you can be so, again, I would just say there's levels of being objective.
14:47Right?
14:47There's levels where you're like, okay, I believe this player has something more in there
14:53or there's others where I'm just going to be stubborn and say, no, this isn't it.
14:57This isn't the direction we're going.
14:59And I think that's unfair to every player.
15:00I don't care.
15:01I know we're talking about quarterbacks, but I'm talking just in general with the players
15:04is it's our job to put the best players on the field to give us a chance to win.
15:09And how are we going to do that?
15:10By being objective.
15:11Well, Ken lectured me earlier today and said the internet isn't real.
15:14And so I see when I come in today, Browns international headlines like Shiloh Sanders,
15:20sexist comment, draws backlash, tells Browns reporter to go make a sandwich.
15:24How can you make sure to disassociate any of that stuff with a very serious competition that you are having?
15:32Because, you know, everybody has a platform now and everybody's weighing in on every decision.
15:36We had it happen with the prior coach.
15:37How can you make sure that that stuff doesn't bleed into what you guys are doing?
15:43Well, we're talking about on the ride up here.
15:45First off, I think it's awesome.
15:49I mean, it's why we get paid so much.
15:50I mean, we get paid so much because fans care and you talk about it.
15:55If it wasn't talked about, I sure as hell wouldn't get paid what I get paid.
15:58So that's part of what we do.
16:00But if that's going to bother me or it's going to bother Shadour or Deshaun,
16:07they have no chance of being either the head coach here or the quarterback at the Cleveland Browns.
16:11I mean, for God's sakes, it's the world we live in.
16:14I think someone told me years ago that if the president has a 55% approval rating, he's killing it.
16:21Fine.
16:22That comes with the territory of what we do.
16:25And ultimately, what we do on the field is what matters most.
16:30And I said it and there's more to it than just saying, but it really is.
16:35You want to stop the narrative?
16:37Play well.
16:39You want to stop a narrative?
16:40Win.
16:41It's really that simple.
16:43Now, there's more that goes into that because I got scrutinized by just saying, oh, winning.
16:48I know there's more to it.
16:49I get that.
16:50But ultimately, that's what it is.
16:53It's any narrative.
16:55But you don't have to talk to anybody about that stuff, making sure that stuff doesn't enter into a psyche
17:02or, hey, I kind of don't want family members saying this type of stuff because, you know, we've got a
17:09football team to worry about.
17:10Do you have to address the team at all about that kind of stuff?
17:13No.
17:15No.
17:15I don't.
17:16That's a man making a comment on social media.
17:22That's someone reporting something they believe.
17:26That's their opinion.
17:29Fine.
17:29Not my opinion.
17:31I didn't say that.
17:33But our daily inner workings with the quarterbacks and the players is going to mean more than what is said
17:42outside of there.
17:44Ultimately, do I believe that our players look at social media?
17:48Of course.
17:48Do I?
17:49Yes.
17:49I mean, do most of us?
17:51Yes.
17:51That's the world we live in.
17:53But ultimately, with the players, like, I think that has changed over the last few years of how do you
18:01get your players to deal with things that are being said about them, good or bad?
18:07How do you manage that?
18:10I think that is a real challenge.
18:11But ultimately, like I said, if that's going to be what defines you, then you're going to struggle to be
18:17either the head coach, be an offensive coordinator, or be our quarterback.
18:22Tom Munkin joining us in studio.
18:24Head coach here at Cleveland Browns.
18:25So, last week you mentioned 2019 with us during the draft.
18:28I know from an NFL films clip I saw you mention 2019.
18:32I didn't ask you to rip anybody from 2019, all right?
18:34I mean, if you want to, fine, go ahead.
18:36What do you plan on doing different, though?
18:39Because I know 2019 bothers you.
18:40That was supposed to be a real good football team, and it wasn't.
18:43What do you plan on doing differently?
18:47Well, it's a different staff.
18:49It's a different moment in time than then.
18:54And, again, I owe a lot to Freddie for hiring me.
18:58And Freddie Kitchens is a good football coach.
19:01We just didn't do it well collectively.
19:04Myself included.
19:07We just didn't do it well enough.
19:08And the players.
19:09But we had talent.
19:11And we were at a position where, with the right group, we could have ascended.
19:17I really believe that.
19:18But it was close.
19:20And then there's been some ups and downs since then.
19:22And I really, truly believe.
19:25And when I took the job and I talked to Jimmy and J-Dub and Andrew, I thought,
19:30I think we're in a position now, if we can stack another draft together, I think we can really start
19:36to ascend.
19:37And I believe that in my heart.
19:39I believe it when I took the job.
19:41That we're at the point now where I think we can get back on track, stack drafts together.
19:47And then, because really it's about draft, develop, and coach better.
19:52The last part's the coaching better.
19:54But you've got to draft really good players, and we've got to develop the heck out of them.
19:57No one gets a ready-made roster.
20:00And then we've got to coach.
20:01We've got to stay on the cutting edge of what's going on in the business.
20:04And then give yourself a chance every week by playing great football.
20:09All right.
20:09I've got one more quarterback question for you.
20:11This is different, though.
20:12How do you plan on making Taylor and Green?
20:14Because we actually got in a shouting match with each other on Monday over Taylor and Green.
20:17So you're saying a shouting match was only on Monday?
20:20It feels like it's kind of commonplace here when you guys get into a little bit of a shouting match
20:25only one day.
20:26What time are you driving in together?
20:27I was just driving in earlier, and I heard you guys.
20:30So I don't know how we discern between what days are shouting and what days aren't.
20:33But okay.
20:34Sorry I cut you off.
20:35No, you're fine.
20:36You're fine.
20:37His face turns different hues of red.
20:39Yeah, exactly.
20:40Depending on the threat level of the discussion.
20:42I get the same way, so I appreciate that.
20:44I see 6'6", monstrous athlete, okay?
20:48And I'm going, well, he's drafted as a quarterback in the sixth round.
20:51I don't give a damn.
20:52He's a quarterback.
20:53He starts off a quarterback.
20:54Well, I've got the head coach in front of me here.
20:55How do you plan on mixing this guy into the offense?
20:57Because this is a hell of an athlete we're talking about here who can do a lot of different things
21:01for you.
21:02And I know it's like, hey, he's got to make the team.
21:03Then we've got to figure it out.
21:04But how do you plan on getting him acclimated to the offense, getting him acclimated to the football team, everything?
21:09Well, you nailed it.
21:10But how do we get enough reps to assess where he's at?
21:15That is.
21:15That's the hard part.
21:16But in the sixth round, there was a lot to like with this player.
21:22His character, his work ethic, his athleticism, how far he's come as a thrower.
21:28Number of people stood on the table for him.
21:31So now, first things first, let's see where he's at in terms of command of the offense, command of, okay,
21:40what skill set he has that is his superpower.
21:45I wouldn't say that it's running yet because I haven't been around him.
21:48You would say that, boy, he's athletic.
21:50He's fast.
21:51He can do some things with his legs.
21:53Let's see where he's at.
21:54The real challenge is in a given practice is how are you going to tailor to what he does when
22:01initially you just want to see what he has.
22:03That makes sense.
22:04So the reps he's going to get may not play to his strengths per se because you want to see
22:09what you have as a complete player.
22:12Then organically you'll see some of the athleticism.
22:16And then when we get to that point, you'll call it accordingly or you'll script it accordingly in practice, if
22:21that makes sense.
22:22Yeah.
22:22Because you won't – we're going through that now with Dylan Gabriel.
22:26He's a lefty.
22:27Like when I'm scripting, in my mind I have to think, well, there's certain things we do with the right
22:32-handed quarterback, certain things you have to do with a left-handed quarterback.
22:34But in the early part, you're just trying to see what they have.
22:39We're already going through that with Dylan because he's lefty and a righty in certain throws.
22:44And so we'll have to do that with the young man we drafted.
22:47But you talked about character, and it seemed like reading a lot of the reporting, the orange dot, you know,
22:53the prevalence of that,
22:54making sure to really identify the guys that are good character, could be great for the culture.
22:59Is that really important for a first-year head coach in establishing a culture?
23:04Because we know in the NFL, can't all be choir boys, right?
23:07And so you've got to take some chances here and there.
23:09But it seemed like this draft was definitely highlighted with a bunch of orange dots.
23:15Well, if you're looking at football character and then work ethic character and then off-the-field issues,
23:27there's almost like talent, how they work, and then off-the-field.
23:31There's like three pieces to this.
23:34And so what would you love?
23:37Obviously, everybody's looking for big, fast, physical, smart, tough, works his rear end off, got a great family,
23:43already married, got two kids, goes home at night, watches the voice.
23:48Hell, I don't know.
23:49But with their wife.
23:51But that doesn't always work.
23:54But you'd love to have great football character along with the work ethic that allows them to develop faster.
24:05The self-awareness of where they're at as a player, where they want to get to, able to set goals,
24:11right?
24:11Has a coach-me-coach mentality that embraces coaching, correction, fighting everything that gets in the way of winning football,
24:21be that individually or collectively as a team, the more guys you get on the team that feel that way
24:29and work in that direction, to me, the better off you're going to be.
24:32I know we got to get you out of here soon.
24:35You got a lot of stuff on your schedule, like getting ready for the Derby.
24:38Did you ever know that your love of horses is what may have tipped all of us off in the
24:44first place,
24:44that you would be the head coach?
24:46Listen to this.
24:46You're going to tell me that, what, the Calci markets are going to be swayed
24:50just because someone's horses are going to be boarded here?
24:54What is that?
24:55Todd Munkin.
24:57Stop beating around the bush.
24:58Is right now the favorite, but it's close.
25:00You're doing Slippery Wizard things.
25:02All I know is this.
25:03Todd Munkin is an owner of multiple horses, and the horse community right now is talking.
25:12And boy, are they talking.
25:15And then Liva said that you were basically, there's no basically about it.
25:19He said you were getting the job because he talks to horse people.
25:23If that was the only reason I got the job.
25:25No, that's not the reason you got the job.
25:25I've been going about this the wrong way.
25:27I mean, I should have been owning more horses.
25:30And I will give you a funny story, though, so when I was at, I'll get back to the horses.
25:36So, I'm at Georgia, and the season ends.
25:40We win a second national championship, and I had gotten to be good friends with, and my wife had,
25:46with the basketball coaches, Tom Crean and Steve McClain.
25:50My wife, Terry, had gotten to be good friends with their wives.
25:52Well, it just worked out that Tom Crean's wife is a Harbaugh.
25:58Okay.
25:58So, Ravens let go of, you know, Greg Roman.
26:04It couldn't have been a day or two later, and Joni Crean, Harbaugh, calls my wife and says,
26:10would Todd be interested in the Ravens job?
26:13Well, I'm going to call John and tell him this is the guy he's got to hire.
26:17And I'm thinking, man, I've been going about this all wrong.
26:21I mean, I need to put my wife out there, get to know wives, and give myself a chance at
26:25some of these jobs.
26:26But that is a true story, that it started off with, not that I hadn't been in the NFL,
26:32not that Jon would have known who I am, but I'll be damned if it wasn't, you know,
26:36my wife and Joni Crean's relationship that started it and got me an opportunity.
26:40So now, the next job I get is because of the horse people, which I think is awesome.
26:45And Shadur got me that horse, which had nothing to do with horse racing.
26:48I still have no idea.
26:49He said he just liked it, wanted to send me a gift, I guess, for my birthday.
26:55And it's still sitting up there amongst the helmets.
26:58But I don't think it had anything to do with horse racing.
27:01How many horses do you have?
27:02I don't have any now, which is really sad.
27:05You got rid of the horses?
27:05Well, I did.
27:06Well, eventually, we sold the last one we had, which was a really nice filly.
27:10But eventually, we got rid of it with the idea of her becoming a broodmare.
27:17And it was time to just get rid of her.
27:19I didn't have a big piece of it, but it was an expensive horse.
27:21But I started back in horse racing when I got here in 19 with Matt Shire,
27:28a trainer out of Louisville.
27:31He's boarded at Churchill Downs.
27:33He's from the area, played basketball in the area.
27:36And I started then.
27:39So it's really been a seven-year deal off and on with thoroughbreds.
27:43And so I really enjoy it.
27:46So it's just a hobby that I have that I enjoy.
27:50And everybody has something that they enjoy, whether it's fixing the yard
27:55or woodworking or golfing.
27:57And I like horse racing.
28:00That is.
28:00Okay, I'm glad you just got rid of the horse because you were just getting rid of the horse.
28:04I didn't want you to get rid of the horse.
28:06You people can't keep a secret, so I can't keep the horses here or anything like that.
28:09I'm glad that that was the reason.
28:10No, I don't have them in my backyard.
28:12You don't actually own them.
28:14They don't have a field.
28:16You don't walk with them.
28:17They're down at Churchill Downs and in a barn, like in a little stall.
28:25And what I did find out, though, that the ownership part of it really isn't as cool as you'd think.
28:31I like it, but it feels like, for instance, you either need to pick the horse or feed the horse
28:43or clean up after the horse or ride the horse or train the horse.
28:50In my opinion, it feels like you're a part of it.
28:53I've been in coaching.
28:56Like when the horse wins, there's an almost part like I actually now know how like Jimmy feels.
29:03Or an owner feels like you're from above.
29:07You provide the resources, the funding, and you have the same frustrations that an owner has,
29:13but you don't have anything really to do with it.
29:15You're not the day-to-day part of it, and that's hard when you're used to the day-to-day
29:21of it
29:21because then you're as an owner, you're sitting there when the horse isn't winning,
29:26and then you get a bill that says the horse isn't smiling in the winner's circle.
29:31I mean, hell, forget the dental work.
29:33You know, you start looking at every bill, and you start trying to figure out, like,
29:38why aren't we competitive?
29:40What is it?
29:42The cool thing that the trainer I've had, Matt Shire, is I've been in the business of that,
29:47so I understand that.
29:48I'm not an irrational owner when it comes to when a horse doesn't perform.
29:54I go through it on a daily basis and a yearly basis.
29:58Do I like it?
29:59No.
29:59Do I understand it?
30:00Yes.
30:03But my wife would prefer that I don't get another horse.
30:06But I'm open for business.
30:09If there are any trainers out there, Matt's been slow to get me another horse.
30:14So I'm talking more Churchill as much as I love Thistledowns.
30:18I'm not really thinking the Thistledown Racino.
30:21I'm not, you know, putting a little downer on Thistledowns Racino,
30:25but I'm looking a little upgrade there more towards Churchill.
30:29Do you have a favor for tomorrow?
30:31I'm still working through it.
30:34A few days ago, I was on Renegade.
30:36I'm like, okay, I like the turn of foot.
30:40I obviously had it a few weeks ago and bet it, really felt good about it.
30:46Obviously, it's an absolute, in some ways, a guess with 20 horses coming out of the gate.
30:54Now, it's changed since they went to one main gate as opposed to two.
30:58For the horses on the inside, that makes me feel a little bit better about Renegade.
31:03But it's so hard to drill down on a four or five to one with 20 horses.
31:12My man, Chuck Martin in Miami of Ohio, who loves horses as well, he's got it down to a science.
31:18So what he'll do, and of course, I've bet the Derby for now about 25, 30 years,
31:24and I think I've made money like two or three times.
31:27I mean, that's about it, and I've bet on it.
31:30I'd be retired by now if I didn't get into horse racing.
31:35But Chuck will pick like two or three horses that are 10 to one or higher,
31:39and he'll pick them to finish first or second in an exacto with the field.
31:45And it'll be like, let's say it does a $2 exacto, there's 19 other horses, that's 38 on top,
31:51it's 38 on the back end, 76, you know, and he'll pick three of them.
31:56And if the exacto comes in with another long shot or long shot, he'll win a decent amount.
32:01Like he had Rich Strike, who won it a few years ago, who got into the field,
32:05was actually number 21 and won it.
32:07It was five grand.
32:08Because the exacto paid with like a 50 to one with like the next horse.
32:13I'm not saying that's the direction I'm going to go,
32:16but I've got to change something from what I've been doing.
32:20But we used to have, I'm going to tell another story while we're here.
32:22Well, we're on the Derby.
32:24And there's another Chuck Martin story.
32:26And to this day, Kerry Lombardi and Tony Lombardi,
32:29who when I was at Eastern Michigan,
32:32Tony was our defensive coordinator and his wife, Kerry.
32:36So, back then, you didn't have phones.
32:38You couldn't bet on the phones.
32:39You had to be a real degenerate to go to the track.
32:42So, we would have a Derby party at Eastern Michigan.
32:46And Chuck and I would drive up to Northville Downs, a buggy track,
32:50and we'd bet everybody's bet.
32:52We'd get everybody's bet for the Derby.
32:54We'd drive up there, bet the Derby.
32:56Well, on the way back, we're 20 minutes down the road,
32:59and Chuck Martin says, man, we forgot to make Kerry Lombardi's bet.
33:05She wanted charismatic for Kerry.
33:07And I'm like, screw it.
33:10We'll just book the bet.
33:11We'll just tell her we made it.
33:12It was a $5 bet.
33:13We'll just book the bet.
33:15You know, you and I together.
33:16Okay, fine.
33:17No one knows but us.
33:20Everybody else has their bets.
33:21We're good to go.
33:23I'll be down the stretch.
33:27Larry Colmus, whoever's calling us,
33:28because hand on the stretch, it's charismatic,
33:31and we're looking at each other like, you've got to be kidding me.
33:34It's like a 30-to-1.
33:35And at that time, $150 for us was a decent amount.
33:38I mean, now screw it, fine, whatever.
33:40But back then, it was like we had to pay her cash,
33:44and we're the only ones that knew that we didn't make the bet.
33:48We made the mistake, didn't make the bet,
33:51and charismatic won the Derby.
33:54And we were at $150 or $155, whatever the heck we paid.
33:59I can't believe you love horses this much.
34:01This is outstanding.
34:02Coach, I wish I had more time.
34:04We've got to let you go.
34:05You've been wonderful with your time.
34:07Thank you so much.
34:08And obviously, we'll talk to you during training camp.
34:09We wish you the very best.
34:10Thanks for coming in.
34:11Appreciate you guys and all your support.
34:13I mean, it makes the sport go.
34:15I mean, fans, these shows that get fan interest, you know,
34:20it's part of what we do.
34:21And that's what you try to tell the players,
34:22that this is a part of what we do.
34:25And if you can't handle that part of it,
34:27how are you going to handle game day in front of 60,000 people
34:31and playing against the best in the world?
34:33I mean, if you get into a shouting match with people, right,
34:38on social media or what you all do, I mean, you're wrong.
34:42I mean, it's not going to be productive into where we want to get.
34:46Coach, thank you again.
34:47Appreciate it.
34:48Thank you, guys.
34:49Head coach Todd Munkin joining us in studio.
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