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00:00he's a hall of famer he's also got hall of fame farms.com because the man has the best beef
00:08in the business uh and literally the tagline is the best beef you've ever tasted joe thomas
00:14welcome to the show friend well thanks for having me on nick and i think we just decided on a
00:20new
00:20guarantee there if it's not the best beef you've ever had in your life you'll get your money back
00:24but we can save that because we know nobody's going to be sending anything back it's the best
00:27stuff you've ever eaten and i'm happy to be on the show with my brother nick now i gotta ask
00:32you
00:32does this mean that joel batonio is getting a hall of fame beef basket is like a congrats on the
00:39retirement or has he already gotten too many freebies well he's already taken too many freebies
00:44from me let's be honest but i think in honor of the retirement and to be able to put a
00:50bow on just
00:51an incredible brown's career i feel like i just need to send him a whole steer we'll just keep we
00:55won't even process it into burgers and steaks we'll just send him the whole thing right to his
00:59door we'll tie it up front and just let him do whatever he wants if he wants to turn it
01:04into a
01:04pet and let his kids ride it around the neighborhood we can we can allow that because the man deserves
01:10it
01:10one of the greats of all time not only just with the cleveland browns but in the nfl for a
01:15guard i'm just
01:15so proud to have been said that i could play next to him for a few of those years and
01:20then
01:20in retirement get to watch just an incredible career play out right in front of our eyes
01:26how's the day like today for joel it seems almost like it's weird because your your sports career
01:30is gone but like you yourself aren't gone and so there's a lot of people are they're talking about
01:36your accomplishments they're kind of acting as if this chapter of your life is gone and will be
01:40forgotten forever but it's obviously not yeah i remember when i retired in 2018 i did it in march
01:46and it was funny it was it almost had that little sense of being at your own funeral a little
01:50bit
01:51right everyone's talking about you they're getting up saying your accolades and things like that and
01:54it's a bit somber you know a little bittersweet um and so i'm sure it does feel a little bit
01:59weird
01:59for joel to be hearing people talk about him and be talking about himself which it's kind of something
02:05that's a little unique as an offensive lineman we really aren't usually talking about ourselves unless
02:09we got a penalty or gave up the the sack fumble that lost the game you know usually we get
02:15a chance to
02:15highlight everybody else so it's definitely a unique experience for a line but i think for joel
02:19and i remembered this in my own career like it still felt normal in the off season because you're
02:25not in the building all the time like you are during the season and so it feels like life is
02:29kind of
02:29normal until training camp starts your buddies start going off to games uh to practice and you're at
02:36home you're with the family you're watching them on tv that's when i think it really sinks in
02:41joe uh i want to take you all the way back to the dewey slopes of uh 2014 you guys
02:46actually had a
02:47really nice offensive line already and then they draft joel batonio second round i think it was pick
02:5335 out of nevada just what were your first impressions of of young joel batonio welcoming
02:59welcoming him into the offensive line room well the first thing i thought was man we got a pretty
03:04good old line we don't need more alignment we need some of these other positions how about you get us
03:08a
03:08quarterback a receiver a running back uh but i tell you what joel was the best choice they possibly
03:15could have made because right from day one he shows up and he just had an amazing attitude right he
03:19was
03:19there willing to work i always say the best rookies they come in with their eyes open and their mouth
03:23shut because they're there to learn they're they're going to ask some questions they want to find out
03:28what can i learn from all these vets that have been around that can share that wisdom
03:32and accelerate my growth and it didn't take long before he was that solid starter because he just picked
03:37things up so quickly even though he started as a tackle in college and he just was such a fantastic
03:43athlete that he made that switch over to guard and he could run he could hit he could figure out
03:48that
03:48technique and dial his body in so that it was one with his hands and he could pass block i
03:55mean he
03:55really could do everything you could ask for and he was a massive man right i remember when we were
04:00playing in 2014 kyle shanahan was our offensive coordinator he wanted us to run right we're doing a lot of
04:06outside zone and so he needed fast athletic linemen and joel certainly fit the bill such an athlete
04:12that later on in his career they bumped him out the left tackle for a little while in a pinch
04:15and he
04:15did a pretty good job 6,400 consecutive offensive snaps you obviously had your uh snap streak as well
04:22like you think he learned that from you the the toughness and how important that is to just play
04:26every single snap and and not take plays off so i remember him telling a story that was it was
04:33pretty
04:33cool right because it just makes me reminisce about uh those days when we had my best offensive
04:39line when i was there it was me and then joel at left left guard alex mack at center multiple
04:44time
04:44all pro of course as well john greco never was given the credit that he deserved as a great right
04:50guard and
04:51then we had mitchell schwartz at right tackle a multi-time all pro super bowl champion and i think you
04:58know i've never missed a snap alex played i don't know six seven years in a row never missed a
05:02snap
05:03john was an iron man too mitchell schwartz same thing and so i think joel just kind of walked in
05:09and said well i guess this is just how it is i guess i just play every snap and don't
05:12ask any
05:13questions keep my head down do my job and i think that's that's the best message that any offensive
05:18lineman can learn is just come in do your job you're expected to be out there you're the bodyguard
05:23for the president so you don't have any days off all right joe i know that you've previously talked
05:28about the advice you've given joel about retiring because he's been pondering this for a couple years
05:33now take us through when he when he told you officially that this was going to be it what was
05:38your reaction and and did did you give him any advice on how to succeed after football yeah we talked
05:45a long time last off season when he was pondering retirement and you know i gave him the same wisdom
05:51that some of the older guys gave me when i was considering retirement and they basically said
05:56hey man you know you go through the grind of a season it's tough it's hard you're exhausted
06:02mentally physically um and it can be easy to say you know what i want to do something else my
06:07body just
06:07doesn't have it anymore but you want to play as long as you can because once it's over it's over
06:12you don't get those locker room moments back you don't get another opportunity to go on that
06:17practice field with your brothers arm and arm sacrificing personal gain for the group's success
06:23that ability to be just an incredible servant for your offensive teammates and to be a great leader
06:28in that situation like the sports locker room the football locker room especially it's one of one
06:33and it's what people try to recreate in every other walk of life but it's never as good as you'll
06:39have it
06:40in the nfl so the last thing you ever want to do is hang them up before you're ready because
06:44you will
06:45definitely regret retiring before you're ready for the rest of your life but you'll know when it's
06:51time you'll know and it'll be right it'll feel right because there's no consideration to do anything
06:58else because you just you just don't have it anymore um and i was happy that joel came back last
07:03year i
07:03know it wasn't the year that he had hoped but i thought he played some of his best football he
07:07was
07:07clearly the best browns offensive lineman and i feel like for him to be able to go out with such
07:13an
07:13incredible season like he played last year i think he's got to feel really good about how he finished
07:18because the one thing that i always was worried about a little bit at the end of my career and
07:22it's one of those things you've seen guys like you know paid manning at the end of his career even
07:26tom
07:26brady a little bit you're kind of the last one to realize that you can't play at the level you
07:30used
07:30to and for a competitor for an all pro like joe joel it's hard to go out there and not
07:36be able to
07:37play at the level that you're expecting of yourself anymore um and i think for for a lot of
07:42offensive linemen that i talk to they say you know that's the big thing you can always go and
07:46steal a paycheck for a year or two at the end of your career um but you don't want to
07:51go out like
07:51that so i think for joel it was the perfect time he's definitely ready he played an amazing
07:56season last year and it's time for him to transition to that next phase of life and the
08:01advice that i give all those guys is hey you need to find another purpose right you're a young man
08:06you're retired from the nfl you know in that locker of you're old but you're not old when you go
08:11out
08:11there and enter civilian life and so you got to have a purpose you got to have something that gets
08:16you up out of bed every day and if if that purpose is self-serving you're not going to be
08:20happy for
08:20very long but if you can be a great servant which will the people that love you in your life
08:25your
08:25communities give back any way you possibly can and have that great purpose that drive for something
08:32that you love now that football is gone you will feel joy every single day in retirement and the guys
08:38that struggle are the ones that don't find that next thing that they fall in love with
08:40you're a one helmet guy joel's a one helmet guy uh we're seeing more and more just harder
08:45miles garrett you know not a one helmet guy now uh like a great players it's just it's it's not
08:50the
08:50norm to just stay with one team your entire career do you find as we're seeing less and less of
08:56that
08:56is that cooler in hindsight now to you i know it was cool at the time but is it cooler
09:00as it's like
09:01aged in sports where it's just incredibly rare to see what you and joel have done
09:05yeah i think you're seeing it less and less uh and so every year i think it means a little
09:10bit
09:10more especially with my bond with cleveland you know three of my four kids were born there we lived
09:1512 years in cleveland still keep a place there for when i'm back home uh working browns games seeing
09:23my guys at training camp handing out my hall of fame beef sticks to all my boys in the media
09:28on the
09:28sideline and it's just so special to know that like my heart is not conflicted i didn't have six or
09:34seven wives right i had one i have one girl the whole time i stayed in cleveland one helmet and
09:41you're always tied and your legacy is always linked with that fan base with that team and that's really
09:46really special i think it's something that maybe you don't always appreciate when you're playing um
09:50for whatever reason but the more you're away from it the more you see great players who either leave
09:56voluntarily or like miles get traded you just appreciate the rareness and the specialness
10:01of being able to do it in front of one fan base your whole career so i i'm not a
10:06hall of famer i
10:07know that's going to shock you there in any way not yet not yet that's fair i got time i
10:12still got
10:12some eligibility left as well um just waiting for that chance i do want to know though i know media
10:18members can lobby for players and personnel when when the big votes are coming up in the the hall of
10:24fame i don't know are it can players go to the the voters themselves and kind of lobby for a
10:30player
10:30i'm asking if you're going to lobby for joel to get to the hall of fame basically yeah i appreciate
10:34the long-winded question but i'm absolutely going to be lobbying for joel now it's a good question
10:38because you know everyone's got the voters i think there's you know one from each city beat writer and
10:44then there's a few uh floats i guess you'd call it that get to be part of that process and
10:49the cool
10:50thing is for me as more guys that i played against get a chance to get up for the pro
10:55bowl or excuse me
10:56the hall of fame um i get asked by a lot of the writers in their hometown so like luke
11:01keekly last
11:02year dwight freeney a couple years ago demarcus where my year where you get an opportunity to kind
11:07of pitch your case and and tell them hey why do you think this guy is worthy of the hall
11:11of fame
11:12and i i'm not in those meetings i don't get to be one of the voters to decide who makes
11:17the hall of
11:17fame but i got to think that's pretty powerful when you have another respected player that went head to
11:22head and battled with that person to give a few pieces of quotes and thoughts about why you feel
11:30this person is one of the greats of all time um and i can't wait for that opportunity to talk
11:35to
11:35some of the voters about joel and his candidacy because i know it'll probably be a little tough
11:39for him just the fact that as a guard um it's like how many all pros did you make and
11:45it's almost
11:46just you're comparing that number to the number of the guys that are in possibly the class that
11:52you're competing against and it's it's challenging if you don't have that super bowl if you don't have
11:58something that really differentiates yourself but i'm going to encourage them just watch the tape
12:03talk to guys that he played against talk to the aaron donalds talk to those other great defensive
12:08linemen and just ask them hey who do you think the best cards you ever played with were and played
12:12against and i guarantee joel's name is going to be coming off the lips of every single one of those
12:17defensive linemen that played in his generation joe i do got to ask because i saw you pretty
12:22passionate online about it uh miles garrett in the trade what made you so passionate about it
12:27obviously somebody you're close with you know you saw for so many years here with miles uh but what
12:32got you fired up about the trade look i was as bummed as anybody about seeing miles leave and not
12:38wearing that orange helmet anymore i mean my dream was the same thing as it was for me and joel
12:43to
12:43have miles waltz into the hall of fame with one helmet as a cleveland brown um but unfortunately that's
12:51not the reality of what's going to happen anymore um he was a great friend when we were playing
12:56together we've maintained a good relationship i got to help him a lot as a rookie after i got hurt
13:00just thinking about the game through the eyes of an offensive tackle thinking about how to break
13:05guys down on film and then how to set him up during a game to beat him in the fourth
13:10quarter
13:11um so i just loved watching miles week in and week out and being able to see him in the
13:16facility when i
13:17was in there so i was really broken up about it but i think you got to step back and
13:21then look at
13:22the situation from the perspective of the team and understand you know what's best for the team right
13:27now and i think the browns very obviously we're we're in a building mode right now we've got a new
13:33head coach coming in not sure exactly who the quarterback's going to be this year we brought in
13:37a bunch of good guys that are going to add to the offensive line we've got a good defense still
13:42um but you know miles is getting up there not that he doesn't have a lot of great years left
13:47but
13:47if you have an opportunity in a phase right now that you are building we don't feel like maybe you're
13:53necessarily a super bowl contender this year to be able to stockpile those draft picks because you need
13:59that young talent and to get a guy like jared verse who's a great up-and-coming outside linebacker
14:05pass rusher defensive end who's a lot younger than miles a lot cheaper it allows you to build that team
14:11faster and continue to be honest with yourself in the moment but continue to build for great success
14:18and a foundation that you can build on down the road so it was a tough trade to hear about
14:24as a fan
14:24it's tough as a friend and as a fan of miles garrett um but i think it was the right
14:29trade
14:29for the team and sometimes you got to remove emotion from the situation and be able to make
14:34those tough decisions that are in the best long-term interest of the team you know joe i as i
14:39do every
14:39time you come on i'm perusing halloffamefarms.com and i'm seeing here ass kicker beef jerky oh baby
14:46uh i'm gonna need a little more information on this because it sounds like i might want my ass kicked
14:52yeah you definitely want your ass kicked uh because it is some of the best jerky you will
14:57ever have in your entire life it is mouth-watering and if you like that little bit of kick it's
15:03got
15:03the kick that you want everybody loves the meat snacks these days our beef jerky our beef sticks
15:08are second to none and we actually have a hall of fame beef jerky subscription these days you can
15:14go quarterly you can go monthly you can go a couple packs you can go nine packs whatever you want
15:19to
15:19customize fit your flavor profile we got it and the great thing about the subscription is
15:23you know you want it you know you're going to eat it it's going to be part of your healthy
15:27snacking
15:27wellness routine and once you sign up you don't have to think about it anymore and you don't have
15:32to worry about picking up your beef jerky or your beef sticks every single week because we can ship
15:37it right to your door on the minute every single week making you happy and that delicious bundle of
15:44joy shows up and one of the cool things we're doing as summer kicks off right now is we put
15:48together a hall of fame wagyu burger bundle because everybody's looking for more burgers in the summer
15:52right beef prices are all-time high you go to the grocery store you're paying 10 11 bucks a pound
15:58for
15:59regular commodity beef who knows where it came from argentina brazil mexico nobody knows but
16:04we're offering right now our i think it's an 18 pound hall of fame wagyu burger bundle i think it's
16:10like
16:10190 bucks so pricing competitive with what you're going to get in the grocery store but you're getting
16:15japanese wagyu beef raised on my farm in wisconsin raised the right way and whether you're keeping
16:21it for yourself or you're cooking for a big group for the fourth of july there is no doubt that
16:27is the
16:27best bundle that you can go online and get shipped right to your door to make you and your friends
16:32and
16:32family extremely happy actually we just launched a little uh giveaway today i don't even know if we put it
16:37up on the website yet but the next five people that are going to order our hall of fame wagyu
16:42burger
16:43bundle we've got these kick ass fourth of july hall of fame beef red white and blue hats that we
16:50sold out in like two days last year we brought them back i'm signing them and we're putting them in
16:54the orders for the next five people that order so that was a long-winded explanation but i get pretty
16:59excited when i'm talking about my beef brother i gotta tell you your beef's pretty darn good there joe
17:03that's something to be excited about joe we appreciate you buddy thanks for the perspective
17:07on joel thanks for being you awesome thanks for having me on guys have a great day appreciate you
17:11buddy
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