Larry Izzo, Former New England Patriots Special Teamer

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Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. And away we go, hour number three of our radio program. It is the Zach Gelb Show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL once again, but this time we do believe that the GOAT is walking away for real. And now joining us is a former teammate of TB12. The duo did win three Super Bowl championships together and Larry is of course did make three Pro Bowls as well during the course of his NFL career.

Now he's coaching as the special teams coordinator coming off a successful season with the Seattle Seahawks. Larry, I know it's been a while. Really do appreciate you carving out some time for us today. How you been? I'm good, Zach. How you doing? I'm doing fantastic. So when you saw the news earlier this morning about your former teammate in Tom Brady that he's walking away after 23 seasons, just how'd you process it?

How'd you react to it? You know, obviously it didn't come as a shock just based on, you know, where things were, you know, from last year to this year. Obviously I'm happy for him that he came to a decision that he's happy with and, you know, his career has just been so remarkable and so many people have just benefited from, you know, what he's done on the field that I'm just happy for him that he's in a place where he's ready to walk away. As a fan I'm a little, you know, you're disappointed because you're not going to get to watch Tom Brady play ball anymore and that's, you know, a little bit disappointing from a personal level but obviously you got to look at it from his angle and it's time and nobody could have done it better than he did so I'm happy for him. I'm actually a little bit surprised today. I thought he was gonna go on one of these free agency tours and pick a new team or maybe just go back to Tampa Bay. I thought he was gonna go for one more year, Larry. I really did.

Yeah and I wouldn't have been shocked if that were the case either. So I want to take you back to 2001 because you were there at one Patriot place as the Patriots were going on out there and having this magical season. Bledsoe gets hurt. Brady comes in. Just all these years later, like when you're looking back on that, when did you know that Brady was gonna be able to help lead that team and do a good job filling in for Drew? I think we all knew pretty early. He had had a great camp. In fact, you know, Damon Heward had been signed on the offseason to kind of beat it back up to Drew and then throughout the offseason and training camp, Tom kind of elevated himself above Damon and so going into week one, you know, it was Drew, Tom, Damon.

So at that point right there and I've been around Damon for a long time. You know, I haven't played with him in Miami so I knew the capabilities that he had and then for Tom to, you know, outperform him in that period, he was playing at a high level. So, you know, the quarterback Drew goes down and then Tom comes in. Obviously, no one could sit here and envision that he was going to have the 23 years that he, you know, a career that he's had but we all knew he was capable. We'd seen it.

We'd seen it every day in practice and then it just slowly built as that year went along. You know, he got more and more confident and, you know, obviously at the end of the day, you know, we go down to New Orleans and, you know, he leads us down the field to win the game. So, I think we were all confident in him but, you know, you can never envision that it was going to turn out the way it did, obviously. No doubt about it, Larry Izzo here with us and I also wonder like if that story played out today in the year of 2023 with like social media. I know Belichick doesn't give a rat's ass about that stuff but Bledsoe was ready to come back that season.

He's a hundred million dollar quarterback even though that Brady got hurt in that AFC title game and Bledsoe comes in and throws that big touchdown pass and helps punch that ticket to the Super Bowl. I just wonder what the backlash would have been like with everyone having a platform with social media if that would have played out 20 something years later. Oh yeah, it would have been interesting. It would have been an interesting week and then remember we didn't have because that was the 9-11 year. Yeah, no bye week. So, there was no bye week. It was just we went straight from Pittsburgh, we went back to Foxborough, packed our bags and then we were in New Orleans on Monday and then it's remarkable that, you know, what Tom did to get back, you know, he had an ankle I believe, you know, a high ankle.

Those aren't easy to come back from and then by Wednesday we're in full pads practice in that Tulane I believe or Loyola or one of the colleges down there and Tom's out there practicing and so then obviously, you know, that the decision was, you know, was made at that point when he went out there and showed that he can get it done but that was pretty amazing for him to come back from that injury in such a short period and then yeah today's world it would have been an interesting week for sure. The leadership of Brady is always what's talked about the most in the early years and obviously with success and with the notoriety he became a better and better leader and obviously a lot more well-respected in the league and well-known. What type of leader did you see early on out of Brady? Obviously, he's a natural leader. I've never met a more competitive person, you know, this guy hates to lose more than anybody whether it's football, ping-pong, whatever. If you're competing, he hates to lose. So, you know, when you have a guy with that kind of competitive drive and the natural leadership skills that he had, it's easy to follow and so although he was, you know, we had a number of leaders there, you know, that was a year, you know, you got Loyer Malloy, Willie McGinnis, Brian Cox, Bruschi, you know, older veterans that kind of carried the torch a little bit from that standpoint in terms of leadership and then Tom slowly kind of evolved into that and for sure on that first year but at the end of day your quarterback is your leader.

You know what I'm saying? So, by playing that position at the level that he was playing it, he was leading the team. Yeah, the three Super Bowls, Larry, in four years. Like, were you able to like appreciate that in the moment or did it just seem like that this magical run was happening? No, yeah, we appreciated it for sure, you know, in the moment. Yeah, it's pretty remarkable. Now, looking back on it, it's, you know, it's been since the Philly Super Bowl that anybody's repeated. So, yeah, it's extremely hard to do what we did and there's something very obviously very proud about the accomplishments of that team and so when you do, yeah, when you're in it for sure you're feeling it and you're aware of, you know, what you're doing in terms of how it relates to history and whatnot.

But, yeah, that was a special team as a special group that was able to, you know, stay together for a long period of time and have a lot of, put a lot of W's out there. You're a competitor, he's a competitor, we all know that, Larry Izzo, but with how long he played, like, you were able to have a second career go from a pro baller as the special team's demon to then eventually starting your coaching career with the Giants and you actually were coaching against Brady in a Super Bowl. Was that, I know you got a job to do and you were looking to win and you did so, but was that just like bizarre leading up to that week preparing against your old team and a lot of guys that you knew in that locker room?

Yeah, no doubt. That was 2011, that was my first year coaching and so, yeah, we end up, I was with the Giants, we end up playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl and so, yeah, I had a lot of former teammates on the other side and obviously Brady's out there. So, yeah, that was for sure a unique experience for me, especially as it was my first year coaching and here I am going up against my former team.

Definitely surreal. Brady away from the field, Larry Izzo, because I know you guys have done, I think, a few Derby trips together. What is he like away from the field?

He's awesome, awesome, awesome to be around. In terms of that competitive spirit shows up, I'll give you an example, like early days, I think it was 2002, we're at some bar during training camp after, you know, one of the nights off and we're, you know, having a little bit of, you know, socializing going on and we start talking, you know, in terms of chugging beer, you know, and so I'll tell you, I've never seen anyone that could chug beer like Tom Brady. I'm telling you, I used to feel really good about my skills chugging beer.

In fact, we start competing and, you know, one-on-one, you know, man versus man chug contest. Rabel's even got my back, he's betting on me because he's seen my work and Tom whooped my ass. Great time. I couldn't, I couldn't beat this dude. I couldn't beat him. It was amazing. So, I don't know, just in terms of being around him, he's a great dude to be around, always has a lot of fun.

The energy that he brings is special and so he's just got that personality that you want to be around him. Safe to say Brady wasn't on the TB12 diet back then. Yeah, that was pre-TB12 for sure. You got to laugh probably all these years later with how strict he is on that diet and all this avocado, avocado smoothie nonsense. You were probably chugging beers and eating burgers with him back in the day. Yeah, that was early Tom Brady days, that was before TB12, but obviously that paid off for him for as long as he played.

He figured it out pretty good. Talking to Larry Izzo right now, former teammate of Tom Brady, the two won three Super Bowls together in the early 2000s. The relationship with Belichick, I saw Belichick released a statement today saying that Brady's the ultimate winner and he entered the NFL with little to no fanfare and leaves as the most successful player in league history. Do you think their relationship and a lot of people think there's a dislike between the two just got blown out of proportion throughout the years?

Yeah, I would think so obviously. You know when you're around, when you're with someone for so long obviously there's going to be some ups and downs and nothing lasts forever so eventually you know people are going to move on. But as far as their relationship, I can't really speak for it personally, but I'm under the impression that it's a solid relationship. The mutual respect between the two of them that they've both accomplished so much together.

The history that they have obviously you know it's a strong relationship as far as I would assume. So let's say 20 years from now someone comes up to you Larry Izzo and they said hey I wasn't able to be alive when Tom Brady was playing football. How would you describe the type of player he was in your relationship with him? How would you describe him? I've never been around someone with the competitive spirit and the drive that he had and as far as how that fueled him into working to what he became because it was a process. You know the Tom that I played with in 2001 evolved into you know the Tom that played in 2022 and a lot of that was through just hard work and dedication and to be able to do what he's done to play as long as he did at such a high level. You look at what he did on the field this year.

I saw it firsthand when we played him in Munich. It was like he was you know I felt like I was watching you know him playing in the early 2000s just the way he was dicing it up. But so to do that it takes a work ethic that is unmatched and so I would say this was the hardest working most competitive person that I'd ever been around and he played the hardest position in sports at the highest level that anyone could ever play it and he's the best player to ever put on a uniform and go out and play on Sundays in the NFL in the history of the game.

That's how I would describe him. He's just one of a kind and there's never gonna be another one like him. You knew that this was eventually going to end you just never knew when it was gonna come to fruition because he was like fine wine like you were saying he just kept on getting better and better with age. Is there any part of you today that goes yeah I'll believe that he's actually retiring when you don't see him play football coming up in the fall?

I'm gonna go with I think you know I think he's comfortable with the decision I would I would think you know he doesn't he's not looking to drag things out you know in terms of what happened last year to this year I would think that you know that he's done. I also got to ask you about the Seahawks you being the special teams coordinator you guys had such an unbelievable season and just from afar watching you guys no one gave you a chance before the start of the season. I know that in this league it's always Super Bowl or busting and you think that way but you guys got to be really proud what you accomplished this year.

Yeah it was a fun year um obviously as you said if you're not you know playing in that last game of the year it is a disappointment but in terms of you know outside expectations that we exceeded that was it was fun to be a part of we got a young team it's an exciting time up here in Seattle got a lot of young good players and that are hungry so it was a fun year great group of guys to be around obviously we just wish that we were still playing but we're excited about the direction that things are going in. Last one before we let you run Larry Izzo and I think this is the most important I ever a question I've ever asked someone there's this story about Belichick once giving you a game ball for taking a number two on the sidelines can you tell us that story uh you know I'll just keep it short in terms of it is a true story it happened um and as it relates to my role in the story is like I wanted to do whatever it took to win the game and that's what I did I had there I was not going to be a guy that was unavailable to his team because he had to run off to the bathroom and and you know I didn't want to be that guy so I did what I had to do and it was appreciated obviously by the head coach and my teammates and it was recognized in the form of a game ball which I still have to this day in one of my prized positions because it is a great story. Ted Johnson once told me that that game ball is probably on a mantle in your office or something like that. It's in my house it's in a mantle in my house but you know it's a funny story it happened but I am proud that I was there when I did not you know can you imagine it's like your punt team's running out on the field it's like where's Izzo and oh he's in he's in the bathroom I didn't want to be that guy so I just take things into my own hands and and get things done in front of 70,000 people in the Georgia Dome and hopefully nobody noticed too much. Not to get too personal did you use toilet paper or were there you just have to use the towels on the sideline? I'm very thorough regardless in that department and so yeah everything was cleaned up properly with excessive towel use. No wet wipes on the sideline I guess. Larry Izzo really do appreciate the time thanks so much for doing this.

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Learn more at Goalie.com today. The biggest game of the year the Super Bowl is on Odyssey and Westwood One brings it to you streaming live for free Sunday February 12th on the Odyssey app. The Eagles have been the NFC's best team. Touchdown Travis Kelce! It's the Eagles versus the Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs. The Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl. Catch all the action from Westwood One. Your Super Bowl your Odyssey.

Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. The biggest game of the year the Super Bowl is on Odyssey and Westwood One brings it to you streaming live for free Sunday February 12th on the Odyssey app. The Eagles have been the NFC's best team. Touchdown Travis Kelce! It's the Eagles versus the Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs.

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl again. Catch all the action from Westwood One. Your Super Bowl your Odyssey. Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. When you go on holiday there is no finer achievement than doing absolutely nothing.

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