Thursday Night Tailgate, NFL Legends Podcast

On this week's show, we're joined by former Titans Pro Bowl DB Blaine Bishop, former Patriots Pro Bowl RB Tony Collins, Sirius/XM NFL Radio Host Zig Fracassi, and former Chiefs & Bucs DB Charles Mincy.

We start our time with Blaine Bishop talking about his early playing days in high school at Cathedral High in Indianapolis. Blaine then shares why he started his college days at St. Joseph's College but transferred to Ball State a year later to fulfill his dream of playing Division 1 college football. He played so well there that he's now in their Sports Hall of Fame. We talk about his rookie season with the then Houston Oilers including his first career interception off Steve Young and then playing against Joe Montana and the Chiefs in the playoffs. We also get his memories of the rivalry between the Oilers and the Steelers.

Tony Collins leads us through our 5 Star Picks of the Week for the Wildcard Round of the playoffs.

Zig Fracassi shares his thoughts on what we saw in the National Championship game between Georgia and TCU. We also get his thoughts on the Cowboys/Bucs upcoming playoff game, if San Francisco would consider going back to Jimmy G. if he's healthy, and the incredible start by the Boston Bruins in the NHL.

Charles Mincy shares stories from his college days at the University of Washington and their win over Iowa in the 1990 Rose Bowl. We got his thoughts on USC and UCLA leaving the PAC-12 for the BIG-10. We moved on to his days playing for the Chiefs and what it was like having a coaching staff that included Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, Herm Edwards, Bruce Arians, and Marty Schottenheimer. We also discussed their 4 consecutive appearances in the playoffs in the early to mid-90s and why they came up short.

NFL Legends Blaine Bishop, Tony Collins, and Charles Mincy share insights on their former teams plus the NFL Playoffs...

NFL Legends Leonard Wheeler & Tony Collins Plus the Dean of Atlanta Sports Talk Radio Beau Bock & Pittsburgh Broadcast Legend John Steigerwald Join Us...

Beau Bock shares his thoughts on the Falcons season and shares why he believes they are going in the right direction. He also talks Hawks, Braves, and the need for better sports media in Atlanta.

Tony Collins leads us through our 5 Star Picks of the Week for Week 18 in the NFL.

Leonard Wheeler played in the NFL from 1992 to 1999 for the Bengals, Vikings, and Panthers. He shares his thoughts on all 3 of those teams. He tells us why the Bengals are going to be tough to beat in the playoffs. He talks about the enigma that is the Vikings and the situation going on in Carolina with their QBs and the vacancy at Head Coach. Leonard is one of our all-time favorites and you'll hear why.

John Steigerwald is a media legend in Pittsburgh. He's from Pittsburgh and has been covering sports there for over 45 years. He talks about witnessing Roberto Clemente do something in 1956 that hadn't been done before or since. He talks about walking out on Bob Gibson's no-hitter that he pitched in against the Pirates in 1971 and why Bob Nutting isn't to blame for the state of Pirates, Major League Baseball is.

In this episode, we're joined by baseball legend Fred Lynn, former Patriots Pro Bowl RB Tony Collins, former Dodgers GM Fred Claire, and former Lions & Cowboys Kicker Eddie Murray.

Fred Lynn shares stories from his college days at USC, winning 3 straight College World Series, and the day they came back from 7-0 down in the bottom of the 9th to beat the University of Minnesota who had Dave Winfield on the mound. We also get his thoughts on what the Red Sox need to do in order to get back into the AL East race next season, and the state of today's HR or strikeout game.

Tony Collins leads us through our 5 Star Picks of the Week...

Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire shares his thoughts as well on the game today. We get Fred's thoughts on player salaries, ticket prices, and the game pricing the average family out of being about to attend live games. We also go back to the origin of Dodger Blue, opening day in 1977, finally beating the Yankees in the 1981 World Series, and his battle with cancer. 

Eddie Murray shares his excitement about the Lions surging toward the playoffs. Eddie talks about playing with 2 of the premier RBs in League history, Billy Sims and Barry Sanders, plus what he's doing now with the Hope Network.

Off the microphone, Christine Lisi is a huge Buffalo sports fan and a tremendous baker. She shares her thoughts on the Sabres season so far and their emerging young star Tage Thompson. We also get her thoughts on the Bills, RB Devin Singletary, the big home-field advantage they have in January, and not being able to watch the Super Bowl highlight films that ESPN replays every year during Super Bowl week.

Tony Collins leads us through our 5 Star Picks of the Week for Week 15.

Gus Frerotte talks about his new venture with the NFL Alumni. We get his thoughts on two of his former teams, the Commanders and the Vikings. Plus we get his thoughts on Keny Pickett and whether is it better for a rookie QB to sit and learn his first year versus learning on the job.

Jim Everett joins us and shares his insights on how Baker Mayfield was able to sign with the Rams on Monday, arrive in LA on Tuesday, and start on Thursday. He tells how the Coaches and Baker found a play scheme he was familiar with and played the game in the 2-minute offense. Jim also shares his thoughts on whether it was worth it for the Rams to mortgage the future to win it all last year and the extent of the injury to Matthew Stafford. Plus, could we see Jim Everett with a headset on pacing the sidelines one day soon?

NFL Legends OJ McDuffie, Tony Collins, Don Beebe, & Mark Collins Join Us...

In this week's episode we are joined by former Pitt and Chiefs Pro Bowl DT Bill Maas, Indiana State Hall of Famer and former Chargers, Saints, Vikings, & Giants FS Vencie Glenn, and former UNC and Dolphins LB Dwight Holler. Plus, former Patriots Pro Bowl RB Tony Collins leads us through our 5 Star Picks of the Week and check out our Spotlight on the Positive segment to hear 2 more great stories of players making a positive impact in their communities.

In this episode, we're joined by Pittsburgh Sports Talk Radio Host Paul Alexander, former Patriots Pro Bowl RB Tony Collins, FAMU Head Coach Willie Simmons, & former Dolphins Pro Bowl LT Richmond Webb.

Paul Alexander shares his insights on the Steelers coaching staff, how much longer OC Matt Canada is likely to be around, Kenny Pickett's development, how important TJ Watt is to the defense, and the surprising lack of targets George Pickens receives.

Tony Collins leads us through our 5 Star Picks for Week 11 in the NFL. We go through: Jets at Patriots, Cowboys at Vikings, Bengals at Steelers, Chiefs at Chargers, and 49ers at Cardinals.

Florida A&M Head Coach Willie Simmons is back and we talk through the great season they're having. They've won 8 in a row and are currently ranked #24 in the FCS. We hear about their big rivalry with Bethune Cookman and their upcoming match-up in the Florida Classic. We also talk about recruiting against Deion Sanders, what it means to put on the FAMU uniform, and his passion for developing great young men who are positive influences in their communities.

Richmond Webb shares his insights into this year's Dolphins team. We talk about the great WRs he played with and what he's seeing from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. We talk about the growth he's seeing from Tua. We also talk about the pressure he was under being a 1st round draft pick expected to not only start right away but also protect Dan Marino's blindside.

NFL Legends Greg Lloyd and Delvin Williams, Plus Guardian Caps Founders Lee & Erin Hanson Join Us...

Greg Lloyd shares his disdain for "this game you call football now." We also get his thoughts on the current state of the Steelers, plus we get the story behind his now famous "I wasn't hired for my disposition" t-shirt. 

Delvin Williams talks about his college career at the University of Kansas and talking with the 2 star RBs that came before him, Gale Sayers and John Riggins. We hear about what it was like growing up poor in Houston's 5th Ward, being drafted by the 49ers, the hurt feelings when they traded him to Miami so San Francisco could trade for OJ, and the difficulty of being suddenly retired when you're cut and the phone doesn't ring again.

Lee & Erin Hanson take us back to when and why they designed Guardian Caps which you see now on every helmet during training camp and practice. We hear about the long journey to getting their device approved by the colleges and the NFL, plus other safety-related products they're working on.

Leonard Marshall, Tony Collins, Mike Pritchard, Mark Collins, & Vance McDonald Join Us...

Leonard Marshall started off talking about his admiration of former AFL star DT Ernie Ladd, who it turns out was married to Leonard's second cousin. We also get his thoughts on the Giants hiring Bryan Cox as a new Assistant Defensive Line Coach, what the Giants need to do in order to compete for an NFC East Division title, why LSU had to fire Head Coach Ed Orgeron, and why Leonard isn't in the Giants Ring of Honor.

We wrapped up our season Prognostication Championship with Tony Collins this week. Tony fell just short, being caught from behind by Bob for this year's title after Tony went with the Bengals in the Super Bowl.

Mike Pritchard shared his thoughts on the Super Bowl and what makes Cooper Kupp such a great WR. He also shares his insights on the Raiders season, and how fragile success is in the NFL.

Mark Collins talked about his memories of winning 2 Super Bowls with the Giants in 1986 & 1990. Mark also talked about what it was like dealing with the extended half-times in Super Bowls, what has driven him to be successful in college, the NFL, and broadcasting. We also get some happy memories of his block that sprung George Martin's 75 yard pick-six against Denver and his own 78 yard pick-six against former teammate Jeff Hostetler when Mark was in Kansas City and Jeff was with the Raiders.

Vance McDonald rounded out the show. We talked with Vance about how he ended up playing his college ball at Rice. We also hear about his day as a long snapper, and what it was like being drafted by the 49ers as they were coming off the loss to the Ravens in the Super Bowl. Vance also the story of when he found out he was traded to the Steelers, the Steelers/Ravens rivalry, his legendary stiff arm on the Bucs Chris Conte, and why he walked away from the game at age 31.