a starting quarterback in Tennessee who
understands that
he may not be the starting quarterback
all that much longer. We'll get to that. I want to begin
though, with Ryan Tannehill meeting with the media and
talking about the aftermath of
that three interceptions, performance against the Bengals
in the playoffs. And this is important. Because look, this
is the kind of vulnerability. I think helps people who
are going through
dark places in their own lives, too.
Recognize number one, it's not
abnormal. And number two. It's fine. If not useful. If not
advisable
to,
to talk to somebody, to help yourself process through,
right, those bad times. Here's Tannehill, talking about what
he did
to get through, the aftermath of his three interception
performance against the Bengals. In the divisional,
round of the playoffs.
It's a scarf. It's a deep scar, you know, it was a lot of
sleepless nights.
Every time I close my eyes, I was, I was re watching the game
in my head
didn't get a whole lot of sleep for four weeks and weeks. After
the game
was in a dark place and took me awhile, and a lot of work to
get out of it. You know, it wasn't something that
they went away easily,
man. It's still scar that that I'll carry with me,
you know, throughout the rest of my life, you know, but
just like a
cut on your arm, you know, starts off as a wound.
You're able to He'll from it and
it turns into a scar never leaves you. But it's always
there and it can remind you. And now it's fuel for me. It's
fuel for me to
work and get ready with
with a passion and come into this season with a fire and,
you know, a desire to win. Like I've never had before took
a lot of work to get through it, you know, wasn't wasn't a date,
wasn't a week. It was weeks and weeks and weeks to,
to get through,
you know, a lot of sessions and, you know, at this point,
I can look back at it.
It for what it was and learn from it and move on.
Repeat, been something you've done before. Ryan was that, you
know, I've, you know, been doing that
for a little while now, but definitely
You know, I think.
This is the first time that it probably.
I absolutely needed it to pull me out of a dark space.
You know, I'm impressed by his willingness to talk about that.
So openly he wasn't doing it with the intent, right? Express
to help other people, but that's kind of thing that helps
other people because there's still a reluctance men and
women a reluctance to
take time out of your normal routine,
show that you need High. Don't need help. I'm fine. I'm fine.
This is fine. Everything is fine. Right? I'll be fine.
Sometimes you won't be fine. And sometimes you do need to
talk to somebody when he was talking about. The aftermath
that playoff.
Oscar's, I was
reminded of
what you said years ago. Now how that lost to Washington in
the playoffs 2005 season that that has still never gone away
for you. No, it doesn't. You know,
I think, you know, we've heard a lot of great players and
coaches over the years talk about right, the losses, sting
more Bill Parcells, right? I mean, it's part of the reason
he retired, he's just can't get over the losses and he's not
enjoying the
winds. Right? You've quoted that a lot of times
it, it'll drive you crazy. You know, I think the first thing
is quarterbacks as a whole,
you know, they're they're usually pretty analytical people
their quarterbacks because of that, you know, they analyze
themselves the situation there perfectionist, you know, we
talked about earlier this week, you know, a lot of the great
quarterbacks are insecure. Yeah. I mean not, you know,
I wasn't great or anything like that either
but insecurities did wake me up in the morning and got me
going. Oh, damn, I got to get going if I want to play in
the NFL. Oh man. This guy's out there playing. I got to I got
to be better than him
all those things. So you put your life and soul into it.
Then you get into that situation like that, where you
go. Wait, we got a really good team and I've been playing good
football and all the sudden the door just slams and hits you in
the face. And you go. Oh my gosh, we lost the game
because of me and I played the worst game of his career.
You know, there's the other aspect of it too.
It's not only is it a big game? And yes, I lost, I lost
the game for the football team and then I'm sure that's how Ryan
Tannehill fell. But I think the other aspect for him
personally, is,
you know, think about it. Mike. I was trying to think about
this. Us again on the ride in this morning, like
he's never had a really a moment like that in his career.
He's been pretty consistent. Not that he's played in the ton
of big games, but he certainly hasn't had games. Where we went
man. He's a disaster. He lost them that game that was one of
the first for him to have to deal with that as well. And of
course it was the big stage.
So it is cool to see him talk about this. And these are some
of the these guys are humans. And these are the struggles
that the guys who really love the game and
live it and really bring it home with them. My father did
and I know so many great players in the NF L do now.
These things eat away at players for
weeks at a time and it's cool that he's kind of opening up the
the
closet door there to let everybody know the feelings and
the struggles he went through.
Well, and it's one of the realities of the postseason.
You have a great regular season, the Titans emerge from
the AFC with the number one seed
and you get your week off. Congratulations while you're
sitting home not playing the Bengals or winning a playoff
game and right Wireless rubbed in your face on warrants. Yeah.
Oh, yeah, they're ready
to show up and take you out. And that's one of the dangers
of being the one seed. You can get caught flat-footed. You can
have a bad day
and your entire.
He's in crashes, down
in that one moment. The Titans have been on the other side of
that against the Ravens a couple of years ago. There's
a lot of pressure to being the number one seed. In that first
game. If you don't come out and establish a lead and hold it
early,
you find yourself. I think psychologically.
Yeah. Feeling that entirety right, everything? You've
accomplished everything you've worked for.
It's also what the hell is going on? That feeling of what
the hell is going on and the Titans have that all day? Even
though it was a close game. Game, they had that all day.
Yes, and those three interceptions,
without those good chance they win. And the team did a good
job of propping him up and it's not all on him. And it's
other guys. Respond. Look, some of the play calls weren't ideal
that resulted in the interceptions, but it's just
a good reminder that there are things in life that
we need help getting through. And it's
okay, if Ryan Tannehill who, you know, from the outside
perspective. Hey, this guy's got it made, he's made
Millions. He's been
In the NFL for ten years, he's made millions and he's really
not all that good. People would say he's better than then,
I think he gets credit for us. Right? But really the fact that
he'd show, that that willingness and
talk about is not required to talk about. I do not required
to say anything about it. He wasn't required to do that
press conference. And the good news for Titans fans, is he's
there. Now,
with the team for the offseason program. He had been gone for
phase one.
But but, you know, he didn't he didn't have to, to show that
side of himself and
And open himself up to what you know, who was it?
Wasn't it
didn't Dak Prescott. Speak openly about needing help after
sure brother died and like that.
Idiot. Skip Bayless. I don't want him being the leader of my
team. He's a
little loose around here. Yeah, get the hell out of here with
that nonsense. I mean get out of here with that. It's
a point. I think that we should admire not scorn when
someone
Peels back the layer a little bit and shows that there's
a human being inside. So I applaud Ryan Tannehill for
talking about it. Openly and hopefully it will. I don't need
to Hope. I know, it will
inspire people who need help anybody who's hearing this
listening to this watching, this use that. As an example.
Let this be the day that you resolve
that you're going to make the phone call that you're going to
do the Google search. You're going to do whatever you have
to do and find somebody who can help you process. Something
that that is bothering you and it's okay if something's
bothering. During you, it's not okay, if you continue to
internalize it and let it
cause other problems in your life. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Right, it's good. You gave everybody a little Playbook of
a, I went through a struggle, mentals, tough spot here. I was
in a dark place. I had to do something about it
and I really applaud him for saying it one, like because
what you're talking about it gives everybody confidence, you
know, so many men in the world are like I'm a man and I can't
go seek help. I'll figure it out. I'm a man. I'm just going
to be quiet and it just. Yeah, course you
keep It quiet and it boils over and all the sudden you're
why am I a jerk? What am I mad at?
I mean, there's just too many issues that can go there
but wanted to it's a great, you know example Setter there just
by doing what he's doing there. He's showing, you know, I think
the Tennessee fans. Hey
I care I think that's going to go over well with that that
the fan base are gonna go down. This, you chose right there.
He's emotionally invested
and you know, it shows it players care in general.
They don't go home and just go. Oh, I'm a professional.
I don't care and that we lost the game. So what
do the Heartbreak that is heartbreak? Heartbreak? Not
only because you feel like you failed for yourself your
family. You feel it for the rest of your
team. That's the worst thing about it. You're in the locker
room going
man. Everybody's going home kind of cousin me. And
we and that's just that is not easy to live with
and then think about this
you get it rubbed in your face all week. Eek, oh, wait,
I turned on, let me see how the AFC Championship where they
talk about. Well, they're showing my interceptions. Well,
great. Great. Oh, now, I'm turning on AFC Championship
Sunday. This is great. Let's watch. Oh, they're showing
the highlights from the game last week. There's
a, I screwed it up again.
Oh, I gotta watch this game now.
Oh, gotta watch the Chiefs, the team we kicked, but we killed
them during the regular season. I can't play there, man. We
should have beat the Bangles.
And now the Bangles are in the Super Bowl and he's sitting
there going. Well, damn. I mean we lost this team and we kick
their butt the whole game and we lost It is, it's, I'm sure
it took him five or six weeks to really get over it and not
have a, like, a pit
in the stomach.
That would be my experience with it. And, of course,
I haven't played as much football as he or some of the other
great quarterbacks.
I wouldn't have watched another game. It's hard. All right,
I would not have turned on the TV. I would not have had any
interest
in what? Especially AFC playoff games, maybe NFC.
Yeah, but I wouldn't have watched any of the remaining
AFC playoff games, and I definitely wouldn't have watched
the Super Bowl featuring the team
that that outscored us, but didn't beat us. All right, beat
us because I beat us. I would not have watched that Super
Bowl game. If I was Ryan Tannehill,
no, and
I don't know whether he did or didn't, but I would have had no
interest in watching any of it. But he's processed the issues.
He's ready to go. And that's good news for the