Beyond The Helmet

On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by 10 year Tight End in the NFL, Logan Paulsen.

Logan overcame long odds as a undrafted rookie free agent. Not only did he make the Washington roster over drafted athletes and veterans, he capitalized each and every year to be a mainstay at tight end for 6 years in D.C. We talk about how he was able to find a niche on the team and prepare as a multi-faceted player. After Washington, Logan would go on to play for Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and Houston.

Paulsen felt the grind of being with 5 times in 5 years. The business side of the game took its toll on him and his family. We talk about how the decision to walk away became easier for him than it is for many. As he gets settled into life beyond being an athlete, it looks like he may get into commentating - but he has many doors open.

Check Logan out on social media and be sure to give us a follow + share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by former All-American and 9 year NFL offensive lineman, Vladimir Ducasse.

Vlad’s story is special. He emigrated to United States from Haiti as a teenager with a love for basketball and a desire to get a great education. Football just happened to fall into place for him as he grew into his frame. As a late bloomer and being late to the sport in high school, he didn’t have much fanfare until his senior year when he committed to UMass basically because it was the closest school to where he was!

Ducasse continued to develop to the tune of becoming a 2nd round draft pick to the New York Jets. He would ultimately have a 9 year career that also included stints with the Vikings, Bears, Ravens and Bills. Vlad now has re-enrolled back in school where he plans on getting his degree and pursuing a role scouting for a football program.

Check Vlad out on social media and be sure to give us a follow + share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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Juwann Winfree talks Broncos 2020 Football. On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by second-year Denver Broncos wide receiver, Juwann Winfree.

Juwann ended his rookie season in 2019 on the IR - not the way he drew it up. He heads into 2020 ready to show what he’s capable of now that he’s fully healthy again. We talk about the road that led him to this point as he prepares for year 2.

Winfree opens up about learning a new offense this off season from Coach Shurmer. The whole off-season, from learning a new offense or being acquainted with new teammates, has all come from Zoom. Juwann is intent on not letting it slow him down as he looks to stand out among the crowded wide receiver corp for the Broncos.

Check Juwann out on social media and be sure to give us a follow + share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by NFL/CFL Veteran, Super Bowl Champion and founder of the Athletes Forward Foundation, Selvish Capers.

Selvish Capers was a basketball player who decided to try playing tight end. Fast Forward a few years later and he’s an all conference offensive lineman at West Virginia. He moved to offensive tackle while Coach Rich Rodriguez was leading the Mountaineers on one of their best runs in school history. In his second year in the NFL, Selvish would go on to win a Super Bowl with the New York Giants.

Capers would play in the CFL after a few seasons in the NFL and then ultimately move on to life after being an athlete. He has tried a few professional endeavors but a clear passion for helping other athletes emerged. For the last few years the Athletes Forward Foundation has helped high school athletes build life skills outside of sports to ease their transition out of being an athlete when they have to ‘hang it up’. Selvish focuses his work in the Louisiana area.

Check Selvish out on social media (@SelvishCapers60) and be sure to give us a follow + share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by 9 year NFL veteran, speaker, author, and entrepreneur, JJ Birden.

JJ had his work cut out for him at 5’10” / 157 pounds. It didn’t stop him from walking on to the football team at Oregon where he was on a track and field scholarship. He worked his way into being drafted by the NFL. With world class speed, he worked for 2 years on practice squads before getting his break with the Chiefs where he had the bulk of his career. 

The mindset he honed to and through professional sports prepared him to be successful off the field. Birden has gone on to be a successful entrepreneur in multiple businesses on top of being a successful author and public speaker. Clips of his different keynote speeches can be found at jjbirden.com and they all stem from the success he has been able to create time and time again.

Check JJ out on social media and be sure to give us a follow + share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by former professional basketball player, entrepreneur, author and podcast host, Malcolm Lemmons.

Malcolm recently finished his second book and it is available on Amazon on July 21st, 2020. ‘Impact Beyond the Game’ is his second book and it focuses on helping athletes monetize  their brand, build influence and create a legacy. Most of Malcolm’s professional life has been geared toward helping athletes leverage their platform more efficiently and effectively.

MalcolmLemmons.com houses the many articles he’s written along with his podcast. Lemmons is no stranger to putting though provoking ideas out to his audience and our conversation here is no different. This all comes after he was an honorable mention for an All-American in college and pursued his pro basketball dreams overseas in Japan for a few years.

Check Malcolm out on social media and be sure to order his book. Don’t forget to give us a follow + share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by former All American and current offensive coach at Arizona State University, Adam Breneman.

Adam has already had a heck of a football journey. As a former 5 star recruit, he had his pick of schools to play at and ultimately chose Penn State. By the time he actually began playing at the school, Bill O'Brien became the coach and at the end of his 3 years there he spent most of his career playing for Coach Franklin. That being said, he spent most of his time at Penn State battling through injuries, particularly his knee.

Breneman's knee was bad enough that he retired... Until he grad transferred to UMass a few months later. His two years at UMass were insanely productive - he's the school's all time leader in production from a tight end - and there he earned his All-American honors. After exploring some broadcasting opportunities, Adam joined the Arizona State staff to start his coaching career under the tutelage of Herm Edwards, among many other great coaches there.

Check Adam out on social media and be sure to give us a follow + share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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Coach Tommy Bowden speaks on leadership and success on this episode of the Beyond the Helmet. Coach Bowden reflects on his college football coaching success.

Tommy Bowden is most notable the former Clemson Tigers head football coach. He hired Dabo Swinney to his staff who coaches Clemson today and was Tommy’s successor there. Before Clemson, he was the head coach for Tulane where he led the team to an undefeated season.

Bowden also has 2 decades of being an assistant coach before taking the aforementioned head coaching positions. Coach is the son the Bobby Bowden, the famed football coach most notably for Florida State University. As a man of devout faith, we also covered how he has intertwined this belief into his approach to running a program.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by 2 time Big-12 Champ and Baylor legend, Bryce Petty.

Bryce tore it up at Baylor. After RGIII put Baylor on the map, Bryce led the team to being named twice the co-BIG12 champion in his 2 years of starting there (the only Big 12 titles that Baylor has ever won). He was top 10 in Heisman voting for these two years. We talk about his journey to Baylor and the winning mindset he developed backing up other players for his first 3 years on campus.

Petty was drafted in the 4th round by the New York Jets in 2015. The majority of his NFL career was with the Jets but he did sign with the Dolphins before becoming injured. As the injuries began to take their toll, Bryce became open to other professions and ultimately moved toward real estate. He is now at AMR Capital where he is the Director  of Capital Markets.

Check Bryce out on social media and be sure to give us a follow/share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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On this episode of the Beyond the Helmet we are joined by former NFL athlete and Clemson star, Ricky Sapp.

Ricky had a stellar career at Clemson after being a highly touted prospect coming out of high school. While he overcame a an injury at school, Ricky unfortunately suffered a knee injury just months into his NFL journey after being drafted by the Eagles. While this plagued his career as an athlete, it left the door open for the next stage of his life.

Sapp will tell you that you he did not have a smooth transition out of being a full-time athlete. It looks years of a mental battle to come to grips with he had a new love to pursue; working with children. Today he is a motivational speaker, dancing substitute teacher, funs his foundation (therickysappfoundation.com) and hosts interactions on social media like his ‘Talk to Tuesday’s

Check Ricky out on social media and be sure to give us a follow/share this episode with someone who will enjoy it.

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