#NFLVideos: Former DB TJ Ward settles who was better: Seahawks “Legion of Boom” or Broncos “No Fly Zone”

Former DB TJ Ward settles who was better: Seahawks “Legion of Boom” or Broncos “No Fly Zone”

it’s Michael Vic hey I ain’t going to
lie I got that I sacked that man that
was one of the
highlights hey hey what you I got a sack
on I was a cover three I was supposed to
be in the
flat in the back field he start
scrambling I said yeah you ain’t going
to have me in this no you better yeah
yeah you better go get it your shot I’m
out of here
our next guest is a good one I can’t say
that I’m like all the way excited
because the last time we saw this cat it
was in a big game and it went in his
favor and not ours I’m going just read
some of his res me 8-year NFL vet played
in Super Bowl 50 he’s a Super Bowl 50
winning Champion uh he is now the CEO
and co-founder of player above Sports
Group ladies and gentlemen TJ
Ward appreciate it fellas
congratulations I don’t think I ever
told you congrat Legends on Super Bowl
50 but uh you know and I’m not going to
do it today but I will ask you what was
the most impactful or important play in
your eyes or your opinion in that Super
Bowl 50 win uh I think was our first
fumbles the first to set the tone of
that game and we got the touchdown that
would just set it off it couldn’t start
no better for us honestly but before
that that
drag by um Owens that first big over
route that we hadn’t had a big play like
that all year start the game I’m not
going to lie and uh that momentum that
even the energy it gave the defense it
was like just get down there give us
three to start with we going to hold
this three as long as we can but um yeah
man pushed off on me too I mean I gave
it a veteran push cuz he was like ah I
didn’t extend it I looked at the ref was
like bro he was like I’m not calling
that I’m like okay you know how they do
man they would cuz cuz
uh you guys tight
Greg man Greg he’s you know
practice and then he get to complain and
pushing you PR it’s like come on they
all complain they all complain how did
it feel winning a Super Bowl in your
hometown yeah that was a dream come true
man it’s like my football my life
started here my football path has
started here yeah and the peak of my
football journey is ending and starting
here or whatever end the beginning but
um it was defin
um surreal like my family I had a lot of
family members there even though those
tickets I gave them all the family I
didn’t sell any of them um and just
sharing that moment after in the hotel
and stuff with them being two exits from
my grandma house
literally um it was amazing yeah that’s
cool that’s real cool could you talk
about uh cuz I didn’t even know this
until uh we did some research is that
you went to De sou High School yes sir
and so you played at de la sou when they
were like de W the 151 game winning DJ
WIlliams he went there too right DJ but
DJ was there early I mean they mauce
Jones Drew they tons of guys and so what
was it like uh was it was it pressure
there to like only never lose like what
was that what that was that experience
like it was um it was definitely
pressure to you know um be as good or
uphold that a previous class what they
doing it’s like coming behind you the
next CLI is behind DJ Willam you’re the
next class behind Kevin Simon you’re the
next class behind morrice Jones Drew and
what they’ve done it’s like okay we got
to be as good or better so it was
definitely a lot of expectations um I
think we had a lot of U mental
responsibility at a young age that I
don’t think a lot of other high schools
at that time had to deal with we were
almost like a college program there’s a
lot of um expectations
responsibilities um you know of course
no smoking no drinking none of that you
get kicked off team you know that normal
discipline type stuff but um the things
you did away from the coaches within you
know your teammates in that group extra
work pushing the guys
um
for expectations what you wanted to do
so yeah it was uh it was definitely
tough but you know you say play at De
other side I didn’t play much at all I
didn’t play at all my junior year I only
played three games my senior year I got
H the third game of the season seon and
uh that’s why I walked on that Oregan
cuz but how do you go from not playing
your junior year maybe two or three
games your senior year and then you you
go to Oregon and you ball out and then
you become a second round draft pick
like what changed from not playing to
playing or starting that sounds a lot
quicker and easier than it was man uh
coming on I got the opportunity to walk
on that Oregon because I had four um
teammates best friends that all got
scholarships and um Nick alote the de
coordinator at the time his brother was
our DEA students at delau so we had that
um connection so gab say you guys want
to you want to come up and be a
preferred walk on I said cool went up
there and at that time it’s like I got
to be better than everybody on
scholarship or I’m going to be out of
here or I’m going to be paying for
education that’s free agency mindset
exactly free agency mindset before a
free agent so I got the scholarship
after a year I was starting and I got
that first three years from me was like
a take of success and then injury it’s
like I was starting and I got hurt and
then I would come back from injury be
starting again and hurt my knee and that
happened for like 2 three years until my
junior year where I got the opportunity
to start and I had a great season I
played with Pat Chun we was yeah yeah
you know and then I stay my senior year
trying to go as high as I can to drive
and I get hurt first game of the season
my senior year Miss half that year I’m
like golly
uh so I I finished off strong and had a
good combine and everything pro day and
shockingly I did go to 38 man I’m not
going to lie I was like I was getting
told from teams second round from the
Browns the Chiefs told me second round
couple other teams told me but you know
to go 38 here 38 like cuz it was the
first year the first round was one day
and then they did second and third
remember it was first second third I
believe and then they did five six so
it’s like D I got to wait a whole
another day and then that next day it
was quick early yeah I don’t think I was
I was half sleep
still but uh no a blessing nonetheless
and uh I had a great time in Cleveland
good I had a great time in Cleveland not
not winning we didn’t win much but being
a pro uh learning a lifestyle and what
it takes to be a pro and be great
because losing you learn how to be great
you know what not to do right this is
what we’re doing is not working I bet
you experience probably helped you be
ready to deal with adversity and also
you you focused in you guys like you
said you guys were different in high
school yeah so when you get to College
you know you got to be a little bit
different to separate yourself
especially as a walk on yeah for sure
then in the league you get drafted no
matter where you at you still got once
you get in that room you still got to do
something yeah you find separate
yourself yeah that next thing to push
yourself kind of you know as Pros
individuals you guys both know you guys
are great players you got to find that
little niche that drives you regardless
of what it is um and and let it push you
and for me it is being the underdog and
being a walk on I use that um my rookie
year okay I should have been a
first-rounder I feel I could have been a
first-rounder wherever I should have or
may not I thought I should have so I
used that to push me once I got in I had
a great rookie year I didn’t make Pro
bow I’m like man he made Pro Bowl he a
rookie I had a better season than him so
just find the little things that that
push you along your journey and um
keeping it consistent I’m a DB you a DB
all three DBS right we were in Charlotte
we were thieves alley Avenue I’m sorry
Avenue I meant to say Avenue thieves
Avenue who had the better secondary the
no fly zone or the legion of boom in
Seattle and legion of boom we had the
best secondary okay I feel we had the
best secondary for these reasons okay
we played man and Zone okay we played
every coverage we played eight we played
sixes we played buzzes we played Four
those were our core defenses and we
played them all the time you never know
what you g mostly man know mostly man
with them you know what they was
in three buzz cover three I I feel if
you ask that second do what we did they
couldn’t do it but if you ask us to do
what they did we do it when I look at
the numbers and the people I agree with
you and that’s because you had a nickel
in in Roby as well who’s a first round
pick Chris Harris at the time was
balling out of his mind and of course AE
had always just been consistent and he
was just playing more and more confident
and doing what he was doing then you had
Daren Stewart shout out he’s from the
state of Alabama playing safety Big Time
Banger and then yourself so I would give
you the slight nod just because you have
Roby at the slot and then with Seattle
and the legion of boom it was really
just about Earl Cam and uh and Sher and
Browner was great too but he was just so
big but that was started to become
interchangeable and they only focused on
the three versus you guys it was about
all five and I think that’s a little
unfair to Browner cuz he really brought
the boom to the legion like him and cam
was it wasn’t even Earl early like Earl
you know he do he does his thing but
Browner and cam was the Boom in the
legion like so when you say I think more
a Browner than any other corner for sure
in that LE Browner 63 dog Browner he
was and they did it for longer period of
time you know we had it we was hot 3
years in and out you know they were
together six years so you know longevity
wise and keeping that core together um
no they did a uh management did a great
job of that so let’s transition into
your your second act after football what
inspires you to to get involved or
launch the players above Sports Group
agency and your W boy Foundation well
first with the w boy project our
foundation is you know exactly what it
is creating foundation for these kids
and making sure that they’re getting or
trying to provide as many outsourc and
res or outlets and resources for them to
be successful that they wouldn’t have
otherwise right uh we know some of the
areas in Youth Development programs are
lacking from you know time when we were
coming up unless more it’s a lot more
virtual and those type of things
computerized technology so um we have
mentorship program we have a scholarship
program provided at dsel high school you
mentioned um one of our kids actually
was in the Olympic trials that was on
scholarship um this past summer so that
was amazing to see him right it felt man
it worn me up on the inside I’m not
going to lie like that was one of our
guys so um fun raising like golf
tournaments we had a crab fee so
anything to to fund raise and and be
able to provide for these programs these
scholarships and um Symposium we had
that mental health mental Wellness
nutrition Symposium um so just trying to
create these programs and and things for
these kids man put them on the right
path and hopefully I get one of these
Super Bowl champions one day in here you
be interviewing them like yeah I came
through the war boy project so that’s
that’s really the goal that’s what it’s
all about man and then uh with your your
agency talk about that like what made
you go to there because so often players
they don’t ever choose the Agency Route
yeah uh they don’t even though but
everybody wants to help players yeah but
nobody helps them in that fashion why
why was it like it was it was tough to
get into it’s tough right now because
you think you just hop in and I’m an exp
player and players going to take the
advice from me and uh it’s not like that
man it’s like starting any other
business like you have to prove that
you’re good in this space like yeah I’m
a good player but that doesn’t mean I’m
going to be a good Agent a good manager
and a good person to take your son or
take you on this career Journey but that
being said I have been through it I’ve
done it at the highest level I’ve done
almost anything you can do um in this
league I got a great team behind me you
know they’re supportive of what you know
we do as a whole and bringing guys along
I got great recruiters they know Talent
we know what kind of players we want and
um it’s just give back in a different
aspect and more of a professional aspect
you know I’m going get paid for doing my
job of course tell me something that
you’ve learned since since doing this as
far as like recruiting and trying to get
players to come on side with you that
you that you never thought about is when
you were looking for your agent or to
something that just you just weren’t
ready for I think a lot of the
conversations I have with the parents is
more it’s like okay that relationship is
almost tighter than the relationship you
going to have with the kid like yeah
it’s like I’ve talked to a lot of
parents I talked to more parents than
kids that’s something I did not think
about and it’s so true D it’s like I’m
on speed di with parents just as much as
I am but you know when you’re playing
you’re in you don’t respond to text as
much even like when I was a player that
was my biggest um thing I get from other
people like you don’t never answer the
phone you don’t text like I’m at
practice all day or I get home I’m done
I’m tired I might look at it and thought
I responded and I didn’t my bad and
trying to understand that with these
players so a lot of time you got to
communicate through their parents yes
cuz they talk to their parents all the
time do you talked to your agents today
no I haven’t talked to him well this is
what we got to get done and they
communicate that for you or you
communicate that through them but um
definitely that part I know we got a
short amount of time and we got more
guests and I know you busy and stuff but
hey man I thank you for coming out you
thank for blessing us I’ll say it again
congratulations on Super Bowl 50 yep and
I blame he still Sal I don’t blame and I
will not say it you not going to say it
look so my brother played the next year
with the Falcons so I was part of all
that yeah and like I was talking to one
of my teams like man we remember we were
at the after party after they lost I was
like yeah that was awkward I was
like I don’t know what to do yeah I
didn’t go yeah I I’m with you bro no one
did have party we didn’t do it either I
didn’t go it was terrible yeah it was
terrible you ruined our night thank you
my
pleasure right appreciate TJ

0:00 – intro
0:30 – T.J. Ward is introduced
1:01- T.J. talks about playing in Super Bowl 50 against Peanut and Roman
2:09 – T.J. shares how he felt winning a Super Bowl in his home town
2:47 – Roman asks T.J. about playing at De La Salle during their 151-game winning streak
4:35 – T.J. explains how he went from barely playing in high school to the NFL
8:06 – Peanut ask T.J. who was the better secondary: The Legion of Boom or the No-Fly Zone?
10:25 – T.J. talks about the work his foundation does
12:01 – T.J. shares the most unexpected parts of running a sports agency

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