Jeff:00:06:00:22

Welcome to the Season Pass, the AF1 official podcast. Levack is my name. I'm joined by Tom Goslowski. You lovingly know him as Gos, or at least I do. You might know him as Todd McCloskey. It's great to have an alias, right? I mean, come on, it's perfect that you got that already.

Goz:00:22:00:30

Yes, thank you, whoever I am. Levack, whoever you are, we're back for another edition of the regular season finale of AF1.

Jeff:00:31:01:33

That's absolutely correct. Week 13 in the books, week 14 ahead of us, but let's talk about what happened because if you wanted drama, if you wanted the most possible open scenarios you could get for week 14, week 13 happened exactly how you wanted it to. Things got underway in Dodge City, the Southwest Kansas Storm hosting the Salina Liberty. This thing, I mean, to say things are heating up is probably an understatement. This is a game that came down to the wire, you know, people arguing over refs' calls, things of that nature. But 65-63, the Liberty beat the Storm. They maintain the fourth spot. The Storms still don't have the two-seed locked up. This is literally, it ends with a fistfight. It looked like a hockey game by the end, guys. If you wanted drama, considering the fact these two teams are going to see each other again next week, you got it in spades. This is like the undercard now, and the main event is coming up next weekend.

Goz:01:33:02:21

We had earlier this season, Southwest versus Corpus Christi, ending on a hook and ladder walk-off winner. We had Albany versus Salina and the walk-off first overtime game in the history of AF1. However, this game, because of the playoff implications, because of the last end of game scenario, everything playing out, the rematch of the final week, what we just saw is arguably, if not the game of the year. an AF one with Southwest Kansas. All they have to do is have forward progress to win the game. They're throwing multiple passes, a interception. They think wins the game, but an illegal defense Salina lines up, kicks the game winner. They rematch again. That is quite possibly when they look back on 2025, the best game of the season. And we get it again to close out the season.

Jeff:02:23:03:17

You love hyperbole, you do, it's your favorite thing. Listen, it was a great game, was it the best game of the year? I don't know that we might have to do a top five at some point, but it won't be today. You know, I'm averse to Mount Rushmore, so it has to at least be a top five. But yeah, Celina did what they needed to do. Now this game, you know, round two coming up, gonna be pretty, pretty special. Corpus Christi, they, They needed to win to even, you know, kind of stayed alive in any way. Oregon needed to win to stay alive. 40 to 24, the lightning win this thing. They are alive. They are basically right in the middle of everything because of this game. Corpus Christi, it's looking more and more Like this is a, this is a roster that has kind of said, okay, let's, let's save it for next year. I don't want to take anything away from the lightning Dalton Cole and how, and how well they played, but Corpus just doesn't, they look like a shadow of their former selves.

Goz:03:18:04:26

They do. They really feel like they haven't recovered from some roster changes from about a month ago. There was a time where, gosh, two or three weeks out of this season. where Corpus was talked about as potentially the second best team in the league because of the talent that was on that roster. But because of roster changes and the lack of victories, the Titans just did not end up in that spot in 2025. Flipping back to Oregon. I know we're not the biggest racing fans in the world. I'm talking like, you know, actual cars, but doesn't it feel like a while, like they organ was completely out of it and the path opened up. Like they needed so many things to work in their favor just to find a seam, a road to get there. And now the past in front of it. It's amazing. If you're going to organize in, it might've been me a few weeks ago that said, okay, Look, there's way too many things in the way of the lightning to be a playoff team. They need so many things to happen for them. I believe I crossed them off. I'm like, well, everybody's got a chance except Washington and Oregon. Everybody else is in Oregon found that path and they can still be a playoff team and get to the dance. Exciting times for lightning fans. This was a big reason why.

Jeff:04:27:06:01

I think it's, you know, it's one of those things that maybe even they started playing with a little more reckless abandon, like let Cole cook kind of thing. Dalton got in the kitchen and started making things happen a little bit more. The defense has looked a lot better. I mean, it doesn't hurt that you played Washington quite a bit down the stretch, and Washington is a team that is struggling. Their front office, I would say, is one of the best in the league, and they've got talent, but it just didn't seem to all click this year. So I think that probably helped him out a little bit. Only three games in last weekend's action, week 13, of the AF1. And the final game was a Monday night special. And this, for me, this almost had a game of the year feel because of how big it was and what it meant. The Nashville Cats go two Billings to take on the Outlaws. And this is the one where if Nashville wins, they put all the pressure in the world on the Southwest Kansas Storm. They would be able to basically eliminate Billings. It would clear up the playoff picture quite a bit. Billings needed to win to stay in the playoff picture. And they did just that, 51 to 34. Guys, I'm watching this game and I will tell you, I'm not gonna mix words because Darren Arbette is a legend as the head coach and Tyler Kolka is special. And there's a lot of good talent on the offensive side of the ball for Nashville. They looked stale and boring on offense. Is that because of Cedric Walker, the pupil becoming the master? Or is that just because maybe just maybe the offense wasn't firing on all cylinders when they took on the outlaws?

Goz:06:02:07:22

It's tough to get a read on that. I'm with you a little vanilla, a little boring out of the cats. You would think it might be scheme. I'm going to lean for that for the answer for coach Walker and figuring out a way in which to slow down that cat's offense. I'm going to give billions to credit for that one because the importance of that game, you and I were texting during this game, by the way, cause we knew about the importance of what it was going to mean for this season pass episode coming up. Billions gets up 11, nothing early Prince gets in the end zone and of one really exciting part of this game. We touched on a little last week. It's worth repeating again this week. This was the game that if you wanted chaos for the final week of the regular season, the result you wanted to hope for was Billings to win. Billings wins, and this could be potentially the most fun the league could have. And fun, look, depends on how you want to phrase it. If you're a fan of the league, it's fun. Stressful, exciting, nerve wracking, all those emotions that are in the final week of the regular season. It gets turned up so much more because of the Billings win. Oh, and by the way, like billions reshaped their roster over the last month. So a billion, right? Like if billions gets into the post season, they're not going to be an easy matchup. And there's a ton of matchups for all the teams who are potential playoff squads that are very interesting storylines of the outlaws. Get that draw in a semifinals for any of them.

Jeff:07:22:08:18

You and I do a local radio show on Fox Sports here in upstate New York, and you asked me the other day, if you're Albany, who do you want in the first round? Who do you want to get that four seed? Because Albany's already locked up the number one seed. And I'm not dumb enough to go, I think we match up well against blah, blah, blah. But I will tell you, as a guy who wants to sell tickets, as somebody who wants to see 10,000 people inside the MVP arena, The return of Darius Prince and Dwayne Hollis and Malik Henry and Stephen Titus pulling into town in his now Firebird decked out Maserati. that's going to sell some tickets. You want hype, but that's the game you want. You know, no bad teams are left because it's, you know, it is, it's only eight teams. Every one of these teams can beat you on any given Saturday, but that's the matchup that I think the fans would want the most. See the, the, the former heroes, the prodigal sons returned to the Capitol region.

Goz:08:19:09:12

Yes. That's the one, you know, what, Look, from a storyline perspective, from a media perspective, all from this podcast perspective, I would make no secrets. We would like to see Billings versus Albany because it makes our job a lot easier. However, I think I can say this for coach where although he'll never give us this answer, if Albany was asked what team they may want to face in the opening semifinal round, I would lean towards on the field, on the turf. Oregon, because of how interesting that schedule has been, because they haven't played them before, because those other teams across the board have tested Albany. Nashville had a double-digit lead. Salina had them on the ropes. So again, yeah, all those teams have been, Southwest Kansas is far more improved than they were back in April. So I think Coach Ware wouldn't tell us that, but I think he'd prefer Oregon. But I think from a fun perspective of storylines, Billions would be a very interesting forward seed.

Jeff:09:12:10:06

Coach Ware would go Mike Tomlin. He would go full Mike Tomlin. It's not about who we want to face. It's about who wants to face us. We are the standard. We are the team that is 9-0, looking to be 10-0. We are the team looking for perfection. We are the team that, you know, the worst thing that could ever happen to this league is us losing a championship in a mall a year ago. For those of you who don't know, dead on. I just nailed it. I nailed it. It is the AF1 season pass right here on Evergreen Now. Levack and Goss here with you. We are gonna get into week 14, all the match-ups, what's on the line. We're gonna do an in-depth, just how the seeding plays out in that week. AF1 official podcast, the season pass right here, Evergreen Now, Rod Villa-Gomez, man of the street, if you will, talking to the quarterback from Nashville, Tyler Kulka. That's right, a little Kulka mania for you right here on the season pass.

SPEAKER_04:10:11:10:25

Season pass has caught Kulka Mania as we are joined by the Nashville Cat Signal caller, Tyler Kulka. Tyler, welcome to the show. And I know that this is an audio only podcast. However, I must say the shirt, Kulka Mania, nice touch.

SPEAKER_02:10:26:10:27

pretty awesome, huh?

SPEAKER_04:10:28:10:43

It most certainly is. And I hope the rest of the world can catch Kulka mania with us because so far Tyler, this has been a hell of a ride for you. You you've been having a lot of fun in Nashville with the cats. So let's just talk first about how much fun you've been having in this league so far.

SPEAKER_02:10:44:11:16

Oh my gosh. Arena football is a blast. I never thought I would have this much fun. I always, it always looked like fun to me and I love, obviously I love the sport of football, Holy cow. Arena football is so much fun. It's so fast. My, my, my mom, it was so funny. My mom used to watch me in college and she was just like, Oh, you know you know, I'll watch when the offense is out there when Tyler is out there, but she's just like arena football is so fast. I have to watch the whole game because Tyler's out there in five seconds. So, but it's just a blast lightning fast football and, and throwing the ball over the place. It's just what I love to do. It's great.

SPEAKER_04:11:16:11:39

Yeah. Again, as somebody who has spent your fair share time under center in some crazy places, no less. And we'll get to where your football journey has taken you all across the land. I mean, to be playing in Nashville, to be playing in front of these fans. I mean, and, and have the kind of following that you've gotten in the success that you've had. I mean, arena football, right? This is, this is something that a lot of people don't know yet and need to know. Right.

SPEAKER_02:11:41:12:08

Oh yeah, a hundred percent. And you know, I, I've, you know, I've talked to Jeff Fisher about it as well. Like this, this is bringing back the AFL and I'm so excited about it. And you know, it's, it's, it's in for a great ride. And I think, you know, he's, he's, he's told me that, you know, there's, there's a lot of really good things coming for the AF one in the future. And, you know, I, I can't discuss all those obviously, but you know, I think there's a lot of really good things coming and I'm really excited to bring this back to what it was, you know, back in the day. So it's, it's really, really awesome.

SPEAKER_04:12:08:12:27

Yeah. And we, as fans enjoy watching it too, but you talk about the ride, your ride has been, well, let's just say it's been a crazy ride to get to this point where you started off. You didn't even start off playing football. You started playing hockey and couldn't even play football right away. So talk about the early days of Tyler Kolka in the sports world.

SPEAKER_02:12:28:13:30

Well, you know, I, I, I was just, I love competitive sports. So, you know, I always wanted to play. I grew up in Detroit back in, back when I was young, that was when the red wings were, you know, the coolest thing in the world. They were riding high, winning the Stanley Cup. And, you know, so for me, it was like, that was the coolest thing. I remember watching all that stuff. And, you know, so when, for me growing up, it was, you know, football was all the football leagues were on Sundays. And so my parents felt like it was, you know, more important for me to go to church. And, and I, you know, I, I don't disagree. And I'm, I'm glad that the, all those morals and stuff like that, I'm, I'm, you know, Christian and have very good faith in, in God. God and stuff like that. And so, you know, that was a really big thing for me. So, you know, hockey was, was the next thing. And I was, I got to, you know, play hockey all growing up and it was, it was a blast. You know, I, I love hockey and, you know, at the end of the day, you know, when the time came to make that decision, football or hockey, it was, obviously football. Cause I love football, but now I'm playing arena football on, on a hockey rink pretty much. So it's, it's fitting, right?

SPEAKER_04:13:30:13:37

You've come full circle. I mean, you, you were playing in hockey rinks and now you're playing in hockey rinks again. It probably felt like home when you stepped off for the first time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:13:37:13:41

Oh yeah. A hundred percent. It was just like me when I was three years old, learn how to skate. It was great.

SPEAKER_04:13:42:13:49

Well, and so you have an edge where a lot of the other players don't is that those boards don't scare you. You've been hit against them by some pretty, pretty vicious people.

SPEAKER_02:13:50:14:04

Oh yeah. With less padding, it was, you know, and, and, you know, where there's no padding on those boards and hockey. So, and not only do you know, have I gotten hit in those boards, but I also have given some pretty hard hits into those boards too. So for me, those boards don't scare me at all.

SPEAKER_04:14:04:14:13

And that's the thing too, because everybody's like, Oh man, those, those boards, they they're unforgiving. They're, they're not, they're undefeated. And you're just like, hit me, go ahead. Yeah. It's easy.

SPEAKER_02:14:13:14:14

I love it.

SPEAKER_04:14:14:14:19

It doesn't bother me. I'll bounce right off and take a slap shot and score. So we're good to go.

SPEAKER_02:14:19:14:19

You got it.

SPEAKER_04:14:20:14:37

No. So, okay. The, the, the football folks were lucky enough to get you after playing hockey a little bit and you played and you really weren't, you were more of a defensive player than you were an offensive player growing up. So what was it? What was the drive for you to want to actually be a quarterback full time?

SPEAKER_02:14:37:16:10

So for me, it was actually, before I even started playing football, I wanted to play receiver, because that's what my dad did. My dad actually had an offer to go play at Central Michigan. He ended up not taking it coming out of high school, but I used to watch his high school highlight tape all the time, and I always wanted to play receiver, because that's what my dad did. And, you know, going into my first year of football, I was just, you know, really big and tall and, you know, stuff like that. My dad was like, you should play quarterback. And I was like, I could spin it pretty good. So I kind of gave it a shot and, you know, got that chance and, you know, played quarterback and linebacker, played both ways. And like you said, that defensive, defensive background or whatever, played a little bit of both. And, you know, I really fell in love with the game, you know, from both sides of the ball, you know, and, I, I'm just a guy that loves the game of football. And so being able to play both ways and learn the game from that way, you know, until getting into high school, it was like, Oh yeah, you're going to do both. But at the same time, like, you're like the second string linebacker, but you're the starting quarterback. And then it was like, you know, it was just, it was a lot of that. And so, you know, I just was a football player through and through, and then going to college, it was like, no, I'm, I'm a quarterback and that's, you know, going into it for me, it was like, I love playing linebacker. Cause I knew where the holes were, but I was never a, a punishing hitter. Like that wasn't really my thing. I, you know, I'd make the tackle. I was a great tackler and you know, I had four interceptions my senior year. So I, you know, I had a knack for the ball, but you know, I think for me, it was like going into college was like, no, I got to stick to one. And what it's going to be as quarterback, because I have the size for it. I have a great arm and you know, I'm, I'm a smart player. So that was kind of where I kind of came into my own as a quarterback.

SPEAKER_04:16:10:16:39

I mean, you just wanted to get the ball back for yourself. Let's, let's just be honest. You wanted to intercept it and get the ball back on offense and throw it out a touchdown pass for it. Exactly. See, you got it. It's not hard to understand. I mean, it's, it's definitely right, but no. So again, so you were able to, to do all of that, play both sides. And I know that it gives you insight to also to be able to know what this linebacker is looking for, especially when you're standing on the other side of the ball, right? I mean, you're, you're looking at them going, I know what you're thinking and I'm going to do the exact opposite.

SPEAKER_02:16:40:17:16

exactly. I know, I know what your keys are and I know what you're looking for. So for me, you know, for, from a run game perspective being able to check the play at the line and stuff like that, because I know what, what their keys are. They're looking for a guard pulling or they're looking for something specific. And so once you kind of can pick that out, you're like, okay, you know, now I can say, oh, I can check the run to this side or, you know, in the passing game is the same thing where they have a specific drop and they have to get to a certain spot on the field. And so, you know, finding ways to combat that and be like, okay, I know his holes there. I know what he's looking at. So I can look this way and I can throw it to this way, this place that, you know, that he's not going to be at. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:17:16:17:26

It takes defensive study to a whole new level when you can look at it and go, okay, well this is the reasoning, or I can tell my lineman, Hey, check, or my, my offensive lineman. Hey, check this guy. He's about to, you know, he's about to come at you.

SPEAKER_02:17:27:17:48

He's blitzing. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So it, it, it really, you know, it's helped my team out from a perspective from the outdoor game. And then coming into the indoor game, it's been a lot of fun because it's like, Oh, it's interesting. His keys are a little bit different because he can't drop that far. And it's just, it's little things like that, which is, is really interesting. And I'm starting to come into my own and learn the game more. And it's, it's, Oh my gosh, it's just a blast.

SPEAKER_04:17:49:18:03

I mean, it are look, you sound like you're having fun. It already makes me want to have fun along with it, but exactly. No, I will come watch and I will be safe on the sidelines. I don't need to get it. I'm not like you. I don't have a death wish for the wall. I'm good. I'm good.

SPEAKER_02:18:03:18:05

Hey, the wall's not that bad. I'm telling you.

SPEAKER_04:18:06:18:39

I'll take your word. I've been there. I've been on the sidelines. I know what that looks like. It's intimidating. No, but listen, so you actually, you got to do something and that a lot of the folks that, that joined the Nashville cats last season got to do, and that's start up an entire football program by yourself. And, and in and of itself, that's a difficult task, but you in college got to resurrect this program and, and lead it from its birth to basically the time you left, what did you take away from your experience in college that helped you, you know, get through the professional career here?

SPEAKER_02:18:39:19:50

I think it's a lot of just like, you know, getting, getting through the fact that like, you know, there's going to be there's knowing there's going to be tough things. There's going to be tough things that are going to happen. There's going to be things that aren't going to happen exactly the way you want it to. But when you roll with the punches and you stick true to what you're going to do, you can build something really special. And that's what I think, you know, the AF one as a whole is doing, you know, the Nashville cats did last year. And it's, it's really cool to kind of jump in right now and continue to help build that because, you know, I've done it before. So I've seen the little things, you know, I remember when I first got to Lawrence Tech, you know, we didn't have a locker room and I had to, you know, hang my pads outside of my room, you know, like little things like that, that just like, you know, people would complain about it. But at the end of the day, like, I get to go practice and play a sport. Like, you know, like I get, I don't, I don't have to pay for all of my schooling because of it. Like, it's just, it's so fun. And it's a, it's a blessing in and of itself. And you got to look for the positives in it because at the end of the day, you know, there was one of the, my junior year, we had, we had, we had a chance to make the playoffs and stuff like that and had a really good year. So, you know, building that program from, from nothing into something was, you know, was a lot of fun for me. And, you know, it's, it's an experience that I'll never forget, you know.

SPEAKER_04:19:51:20:23

And young leagues, young players, young, a lot of, a lot of people take that kind of stuff for granted and that you are building something new. There are, it's not an established form of, of anything yet, right? You have to build what it's about to become. And I think the patience gets lost. And I think also when you're dealing with the, the arena game, you're, you have to be patient because things happen quickly, but you have to slow them down for yourself and know that You know, they're going to score probably as quick as you scored. So you got to be patient and build toward the end of the game. Not just the next drive.

SPEAKER_02:20:24:21:26

Exactly. Very different than the outdoor game where it's like, you know, some games you have games where it's nine to six, you know, but in the arena game, it's definitely not like that. Like you could be dominating a team and the score is you know, 60 to 50, like it's, it's, it's very much that way. And it's, you know, it's very fun for me because it's high scoring. You know, I love throwing the ball over the yard and stuff like that. It's a blast. But at the end of the game, it's, it's, it's a learning curve of like, you know, people can score really fast in this game. And they, within, you know, certain times you could be up 20 points and then that 20 points are up is gone. And so it's, It's so fun. I think for the fans though, because no one's ever out of the game. And so, you know, you have that back and forth that fans love to see. I know, you know, when we played Corpus Christi a couple of weeks ago, I know that was a game that like everybody was at the edge of their seat, like who's going to win this game. And, you know, at the end of the day, we ended up coming out with it and getting the W, but man, like, that's, what's so fun about watching the arena game. There's just so much back and forth, so much high scoring, so much, so much cool stuff, you know, going over the boards is a blast, you know?

SPEAKER_04:21:28:21:31

watching your kicker kick deuces. That's, that's another blast, right?

SPEAKER_02:21:31:21:35

That's awesome. That's awesome. That's not a thing in the outdoor game. So that's the coolest thing in the world when our kicker does that.

SPEAKER_04:21:36:21:43

I mean, what do you tell your kicker? Like, can you slow down? Cause I got, I need a little glory myself too. You, you know, you're scoring all these points and I, you know, give us some love.

SPEAKER_02:21:44:21:58

Exactly. I mean, I would never, I would never, I'm not a big glory guy myself. So, you know, I, I'm more like, Hey man, more power to you. Keep kicking them. So the more points we score, the better chance we have to win and a bit closer we are to, you know, winning a game and being undefeated.

SPEAKER_04:21:58:22:08

So, which, you know, again, so far you've been doing enough of to keep yourself in the playoff conversation, but I want to talk real quick. You played in Japan. What was that like? How was that?

SPEAKER_02:22:09:23:17

Japan was awesome, man. I have, I have no real bad things to say about it. The only thing that people say sometimes is the fact that, you know, everything's so spread out. I was over there for 10 months and I think I played nine games in those 10 months just because of how their season works and stuff like that. For me, it's not, it's, it's, you know, from people say it's not enough bang for the buck of like you're over there for 10 months. You only play nine football games now, but The football over there, the talent level is great. And the food over there, oh my gosh, like sushi and, and ramen. And, you know, they have like, like these places where you go and it's, you know, they have the little hot pot that you put in there that you put the noodles in the, in, oh my gosh, like. It's, it was, it was so cool. There's an experience I'll never forget. Tokyo, I lived in Tokyo, so that was also really, really cool. And, you know, getting shabu-shabu all the time from our owners and stuff like, it was, oh my gosh, it was, it was so cool. Playing ball was sweet. And, and the food was great. And, you know, the lifestyle of being in Tokyo, you know, you can get anywhere in Tokyo on the train. So, you know, I was visiting all these cool places and stuff like that and getting to play football while I do it. So cool.

SPEAKER_04:23:17:23:39

I mean, oh, so I was in Korea for a little bit, so I can relate to the food, man. I absolutely loved the food over there. It was fantastic, right? Oh, like take me back any day and just go ahead and let me eat like all the ramen, all the chicken fried rice, all the stuff. Like bulgogi cooked right in front of you. And oh, sorry, you're getting me all excited about going back to Korea.

SPEAKER_02:23:39:23:50

Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, oh my gosh, like that was probably one of my favorite parts was just the food and, and you know, how healthy it is over there, how clean it is over there. It's, it's just such a, it was such a cool experience.

SPEAKER_04:23:50:23:56

Yeah. And again, like you said, you get to play football in Japan. Like that's exactly, you know, the game that you love.

SPEAKER_02:23:56:24:06

And the league's established over there. The championship game every year has around 40,000 people at that game and they fill that Tokyo dome to the, to the brim. It's, it's a special atmosphere over there in Japan and they love their football.

SPEAKER_04:24:06:24:12

Yeah. And you stepped in and helped win the rice bowl almost immediately. Right. And, and, you know, almost went back to do it again.

SPEAKER_02:24:13:24:35

Yeah. Yeah. We ended up losing in the semifinals, you know, my second year that was, that was pretty rough. And, but, you know, I was able to win a championship over there and, you know, it was, it was a lot of fun. Japan, Japan was a blast. And, you know, I, I, you know, I wish I could go back and win more, one more rice bowl for that team, but you know, it wasn't in the cards and, you know, playing AF one football is, has been a blast. And now, now the focus is winning a championship and arena bowl for the Nashville cats.

SPEAKER_04:24:36:24:50

Let's talk about that. Let's talk about your time in Nashville. The fans over there, very, very adamant about their Nashville cats. Cause they remember the lineage of that team. What's it like to step on the field, wear that helmet and know the history and know the future that you want to give this team.

SPEAKER_02:24:51:25:32

Well, I think, you know, you gotta, you gotta respect the people that came before you. And, you know, when, when, when the cats were around back in the day, like, you know, they, they, they were part of the AFL when the AFL was in its heyday, played Kurt Warner and all that stuff. And so, you know, you have to respect this, this cast team for what it is. And then the goal is to build it back to where it was. And that's obviously what the AF one is trying to do. And I really think they have a good plan for that in the future. And with that, we're going to continue to do what, do that with the Nashville cats. You know, we have a great ownership group and they're doing a lot of great things for us. And we're just going to continue to build this thing and, you know, keep riding the wave. I'm, I'm really excited to hopefully be a part of the cats in the future as well.

SPEAKER_04:25:32:25:48

So as somebody who grew up loving football, obviously you grew up loving the name Jeff Fisher. You knew it well. Now, now you could pick up your phone and call Jeff. What does that feel like? Is that what, what kind of feeling is that that you could just pick up Jeff Fisher and call and have him on the line on the other end?

SPEAKER_02:25:49:26:37

Oh my gosh, it's so cool. And, and, and the, and the thing is, is like, you know, talking to him in person, cause, cause Jeff comes to our practices too. And so being able to have that relationship, be able to talk to him about, you know, you know, him back in the day when he was, he was talking about his, his younger childhood where he almost was going to play hockey. And then, you know, he ended up playing football and said like, it's just like, it was just so cool. And being able to have that relationship with him where, you know, you thought you never would have thought that, you know, back in the day where you're going to be playing arena football and be able to have a relationship with Jeff Fisher. And, you know, he's, you know, came up to me after the Albany game and, you know, so we got to protect you better, man, you're a warrior, but you know, it's just little things like that and little action, little interactions like that, you know, make it amazing. You know, Jeff Fisher is a great dude and you know, he's got a great vision for the F1 and it's, it's really, I'm really excited to see what he has in store for the future of the F1.

SPEAKER_04:26:38:26:44

Yeah. And your coach kind of a little legend in and of its own, right. What's it like being coached on the sidelines by an AF1 legend?

SPEAKER_02:26:45:28:01

Oh my gosh, he is. He is my receiver, Mr. President Grizz. You know, Antoine Grant says he's, I can't think of what he says specifically, but he's just, he's just has a mind that like he's, his psychology for us as players is just insane. Like he's just, he's always three steps ahead. He knows sometimes, it's so funny, he'll rile us up in practice and he'll come up to Grant and give him one of these. He'll give him a little wink. see what they're going to, how they're going to respond to that. And it's just like little things like that, where it's like, yeah, we need that. We need him to rile us up because guess what? In these games, in these big atmospheres, and when we go into play Albany, hopefully in that championship game or whatever the case may be, we need to be prepared for everything. And we need to be prepared for you know, we need to not get on each other when, when the chips are down, we need to be able to build ourselves up as a team and stay together. And, um, you know, it's just little things like that that just like, man, I just, I respect that man so much. You know, he's taught me so much about, you know, being a head coach and, you know, you know, he knows the arena game so well and being able to pick his brain and, you know, see what he's thinking and help, help me with little things that playing quarterback and stuff like that. It's just, it's so cool being able to play under a guy like that.

SPEAKER_04:28:02:28:07

Yeah. And you talk about your teammates. You talked about Antoine brag about your guys brag about the guys around you.

SPEAKER_02:28:08:29:07

Oh my gosh. I got a great team around me. And you know, we brought in new players since Antoine Grant and Rob Jones got hurt. Those are my guys. We're actually my roommates. So love those boys to death, you know, and losing them was pretty tough in that Albany game. And, you know, having to go, you know, build back a team, you know, obviously, you know, Gandhi's a stud, you know, he's, he's, he's a great guy. He's, you know, my little safety blanket, as I call him, just like a, he's just consistent, man. I love him to death and, you know, bringing in Milton Williams and, and, and, and Nye and Nye Jackson. And, you know, they're just, they're great players, man. And then DJ coming up, he's, he's a Nashville, he's from Nashville and he's stepped up in a big way. It's called three touchdowns for me. He's just in a big way, stepped into a role and it's just, man, I have a great team around me, deep at receiver, you know, our, our fullbacks and our whole line protecting me like love those guys, man. And they're just, they're hard workers. They want to take care of their team and they want us to win a championship. And everybody on this team wants to win that championship and they work hard to do it every day.

SPEAKER_04:29:07:29:31

I mean, again, like I said, with a story franchise like that, you definitely want to put another banner up in that arena for sure. So I know you're working hard toward it. You got a big game coming up this weekend. One of the biggest ones you've probably had. I know they're all big. I get it. I know the line. Every game is big, but this one has a little extra something on it. What, what are your preparations like going in? I know you just got done with practice a little bit ago. How's the mindset? How are you guys feeling out there?

SPEAKER_02:29:32:30:10

Well, it's, it's, it's a do or die game for us. It's a big one, just like you said. And, you know, I think, you know, last week was a tough one for us. We came out flat and we, we made little mistakes that ended up giving up, taking away the game from us. And we cannot do that as a team. And so we talked about it a lot today, harping on the little things, focus on the little things and because the little things become really big things, especially in arena game where people can score like we just talked about. And so, you know, for us, it's, it's focusing on the little, little things and not beating ourselves because, You know, I think billions is a great team and more power to him, but we beat ourselves on, on Monday. And so it's a short week. We got to get focused up and we can't go beat ourselves again this weekend because it's, it's a playoff game for us.

SPEAKER_04:30:11:30:17

Yeah, again, it is, it's a win, win and in pretty much and, and win and be able to, to advance and, and keep your season going.

SPEAKER_02:30:18:30:21

So I still have a shot for a home playoff game too. Hopefully we can bring that home playoff game to Nashville.

SPEAKER_04:30:22:30:29

Oh, that would be electric. That crowd. How are the fans treating you? I know cocoa mania is running wild, but, but how has it run wild on people, man.

SPEAKER_02:30:29:30:44

And you know, last game, it was awesome. I had all these little kids come out to me with a little coloring book pictures of Kalka mania and I got to sign all those or whatever is the coolest thing in the world. So, you know, those fans are amazing. They love football. You know, we love them too, and hopefully we can put on a good show for them this weekend.

SPEAKER_04:30:45:31:02

I absolutely think you will. All right, Tyler, we're gonna let you get back, get prepared. Say hi to Antoine for us. He's out there. I know he was a veteran of this show, but yeah, definitely excited to watch you take on Corpus Christi this Saturday. Oh, Tyler, it was such a great time talking to you. Thanks for coming on.

SPEAKER_02:31:03:31:06

Yes, sir. It's been a blast. Thank you so much for having me. We'll have to do this again.

SPEAKER_04:31:06:31:08

All right, we'll be right back with more season pass right after this.

Jeff:31:12:32:15

One of the best to sling the rock this season, Tyler Kolka right there with Rod Villa-Gomez on the season pass. All right, let's do it. Let's talk about week 14. This is the one. It's almost like the playoff start now for a lot of these teams. Guys, I broke it down for us. I went through each and every game, and here is what's on the line for each game. We'll break down the scenarios in detail in a second, but here's the deal. Week 14, you start on Saturday the 14th, 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, The Corpus Christi Tritons go to the Nashville Cats. What's on stake for the Tritons? Nothing. Bragging rights, honor, you can be part of ruining Nashville's season. Nashville, they win, they could be the two seed. They could get all the way up to the two seed. A win, and they're guaranteed the playoffs, but a win could put them all the way up to two. Nashville very much needs to win this game to put everything right on their season at the end.

Goz:32:16:32:57

This seems too obvious that it should be a Nashville victory because of all the things that are in play for the Cats. Corpus Christi feels like the season ended the exact opposite way they wanted. Disappointing. This feels like a big win for the Cats and you wonder if it goes back to what you said a little earlier in the show that Wow. That cat's offense seemed very vanilla. That didn't show us much. Why weren't they, were they keeping all of those things in line for this matchup against Corpus Christi while also being aware of the playoffs are around the corner? I think a more, uh, creative offense we may see from the cats. This is likely a double digit, two touchdown plus victory for Nashville rolling in that one.

Jeff:32:57:33:33

I feel like part of the reason that offense has taken a step back is they had one of the best Swiss Army Knives in arena football, in Antoine Grant, and then once he got hurt, it kind of changed that. Like I've seen, they've tried to put other people in that role where, you know, you could run Antoine, you could throw into him in the flat, you could hit him down the seam. He… You know, he's had a lot of injuries in his career, but when he's healthy and right, he's a special offensive weapon. And I felt like he was Tyler Kolka's best friend out there. Kolka manias needed a, you know, a macho grant out there to get it going. If you know what I mean. Grant was going to be a first league pick.

Goz:33:34:33:52

It was going to be all league. You've laid out a lot of things. He does. Well, it's always been a fantastic route runner as well, especially I'm going to call him the green zone, the red zone for outdoor football fans, that area where you got to drop play. He's always been so good. I think that's spot on there because that's an all league calendar wide receiver who has missed time for that cat's off. And so they haven't been able to replace him.

Jeff:33:53:34:53

Just an hour later, and these first two games you'll see on Evergreen now, this game is, I mean, for lack of a better term, it kind of feels like an anointing. Like everybody kind of assumes it's going to go one way. The Washington Wolfpack will travel cross-country to take on the Albany Firebirds. What's at stake for Washington? Really nothing except for this is kind of their championship game. You end the perfect season for Albany, and it changes everything in your offseason. You can then go to players and go, hey, you may look at us as somebody who didn't make the playoffs, but we hurt Albany. We did what nobody else could do. We put a ding in Albany. What's on the line for Albany for this season? Really nothing. They're the number one seed, they could rest players, but history is on the line. No A1 team, no top league team has ever gone undefeated and won the championship. There was one, but they were stripped of their championship for salary cap cheating. This could be a historic win for Albany.

Goz:34:54:36:11

an undefeated regular season to add their names to one of the all-time great teams ever is on live for the, for the Firebirds in this matchup. I'm scheduled to be on the call to see how the rest of the show goes. I'm scheduled to be on the call with Andrew St. Louis. I can't give a pick for this game. But this is, I know coach wear won't think of it like this, but this is one of the most challenging coaching matchups he has to do. Cause the Firebirds come off a double bye week and then flip around to the post season against the team. That's the last place team in the league. So are you going to bust out trick plays? Are you going to do what Nashville did? Are guys going to rest? Are backups going to play? How much is too much rest? Are you really going to have some of the best players in the league? Basically not play for nearly a month for three weeks until you get to your semifinal matchup, the double bye week storyline is going to hang over the fire bridge going forward. And if Washington beats them, it's everything you just said, but the Firebirds stay in first place. This is, and Firebird fans, it's an odd thing to say because the team's been so good. Maybe the least impactful game, one of the few times, maybe the only time this season, or the eyes of the league aren't on Albany, they're going to kind of take a back seat in comparison to these other teams storyline-wise and playoff-wise in this matchup.

Jeff:36:12:36:56

All right, three games on Saturday. The final one is gonna be 9.30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This one, guys, is gonna set up one of your favorite moments. Whoever wins this matchup is going to be eyes glued to Vice TV on Sunday, because whoever wins between the Billings Outlaws and the Oregon Lightning, they are a Salina loss away from the four seed. Win, and you have a chance to be in. Lose, and you done, kid. So basically, here's the deal, you win it, you run out of whatever, here we'd probably go to like Apex Entertainment or Recovery Sports Grill or Hooters, you know me, and we would all watch with eyes glued to what's going on Sunday. But this is legitimately a playoff game right from the rip.

Goz:36:57:37:56

I know Southwest Kansas and Salina rematching feels like the game of the week, but it's odd to say that this one's more important. It is the game of the week. It should be the best game of the entire schedule to round out the regular season finale for what you said. This is setting up to be a playoff game before it says playoffs. If you want to go play for a championship, this is the game you have to win. Can we get the AF one executives bosses? Can we get our, our people advice and evergreen to set up the camera wherever the winning team is going. I love that during the NCAA German selection show or the brackets or the playoff finding out how the fans and coaches and players are reacting while the game's going on, who's going to get in, who's not going to get in. If I had to take a team in this game, it feels like billions is the play here. It feels like because of how good the outlaws just played, how much talent is on that field, I'm leaning towards billions in this game to potentially be the final playoff team because of how they just recently looked.

Jeff:37:57:39:59

It's, it is interesting. If you look at what the Billings Outlaws have done this season, you've lost, you know, great players like your fullback, McFarlane. You've changed your quarterback. You've added Darius Prince and Dwayne Hollis, just to name a few. There was a moment in the season where it looked like You know, that championship game, that new league hangover was gonna just bury Billings. This is the best version of the outlaws. Your buddy, the mouth of Montana, Steven Titus, has pushed all the right buttons. He has said, hey look, come out and support this team or else. I watched, there were more people at that game than there has been. And they were loud, and they were rowdy, and they had horns, and they had bells, and all that stuff. But guess what? you gotta do this one in Oregon, and you gotta do this one against a team that knows they aren't supposed to be here. Some guy named Todd McCloskey, Tom Koslowski, he ruled them out three weeks ago. There are people on the AF1's official season pass podcast that ruled them out weeks ago, and here they are with a chance to win and potentially punch their ticket in the postseason. This game is gonna be so much fun to watch. It's a late game, so I'll be able to watch this one after the Firebirds game, which is pretty exciting for me. But again, let's remember, it's all gonna come down to that Vice TV Game of the Week on Sunday, 6.30 Eastern time, round two, ring the bell, it's like Rocky and Apollo Creed, put the mouthpiece in, make sure the gloves are on tight, because the Southwest Kansas Storm will now go to the Salina Liberty, and here's what's at stake. Southwest Kansas, you win, you're the two seed. You lose, and if Nashville's already won, you fall to the three seed and you're on the road for the playoffs. Celina, win, you're the four seed. Done, you're in. Congratulations, you get to go to Albany a week later and take on the Firebirds and maybe, just maybe, get revenge for that earlier season game where you played your butts off. So this game is going to actually decide it all. Everybody's gonna play. for a chance to see how it's all going to go in the end.

Goz:39:59:40:57

As often as I've taken Salina after calling that game a few weeks ago against Albany. I'm going to give the advantage to Southwest in this game, the Kansas store, because they, I know they're the dog. I think they could be considered a dog because they most recently lost in this game, but they're supposed to be the better team. They're currently the two, right. They're supposed to get the two seat. They're supposed to have home field advantage. They were playing the best besides Albany for a majority of the last six to seven weeks. And they probably believe they should have won last week, one or two more plays. They win that game and they don't put Salina in that spot. So I'm going to lean towards taking the storm. But this is going to come down to the fourth quarter. This is going to come down to some wild clock management and some big plays lock in. This is the game we're looking forward to. So, Lovac, I guess I got to play back my scenarios in my head here of what the playoffs, I guess, are going to look like for me after my predictions. I got Albany at one. Southwest.

Jeff:40:57:42:48

Hold on, hold on. I can give it to you if you want. I can tell you exactly what's going on, then you can tell me as we go, because obviously, again, a big part of this game is going to be Nashville. Like, if Nashville loses to Corpus Christi, Southwest is the two seed, and all of a sudden, maybe Southwest doesn't, doesn't put their foot fully on the gas. I mean, you really, you can't play your deep bench. There's, you've only got 21 active rosters. So, you know, you got 24 and 21 on game day. So, like, they can't go too deep into the bench, but they could, they could kind of take their foot off the gas. Here on the season pass, I will have you know that last night I went full-blown, beautiful mind, and I had the string and the pen, and as the game was playing out, like, oh, all right, Billings is gonna win, this is what's gonna happen. Oh, look, Nationals come back, this is what's gonna happen. Here is how it all works. Your number one seed is locked, and they have been for a while, it's the Albany Firebirds. 9-0, they've got the one game, doesn't make a difference in the standings, they have the one seed. Currently, your two seed is the Southwest Kansas Storm. They're seven and four. A win and an Ori-Nashville loss is the two seed. A loss and a Nashville win, they become the three seed. Those are their playoff scenarios. Three is Nashville, they're five and four. A win and a Southwest Kansas Storm loss, they're the two seed. Win, Kansas win, three seed, loss, and Celina win, they fall to the four seed. But if Nashville were to lose, Celina and Billings win, Nashville is then eliminated from the playoffs. Because then Billings and Nashville will be tied with a 500 win percentage, and Billings now has the head-to-head tiebreaker. I just saw Gaza's eyes explode. There is a chance that Nashville, who has been either the two or three team all year, could miss the playoffs if they were to lose against Corpus this weekend.

Goz:42:48:43:12

As wild as that scenario would be, and we're gonna get all that action for AF1, if I had to mock my playoff scenario because I gave results for each game, I think we're gonna, next time you and I speak, this time next week, I have Albany at one, Southwest at two, because they're going to win on the Vice TV finale. I've got Nashville at three, they'll beat Corpus, and I've got the Billings Outlaws.

Jeff:43:12:44:49

I've got Billings. Yep, okay, so what you're saying, so on this scenario, they're five and five, a win and a Nashville loss, they're the three seed, a win and a Nashville win, they're the four seed. However, if they lose, then whoever wins the Billings Oregon game would take the four seed. Corpus and Washington are eliminated. So right now, there is, like if you're Albany or whoever, and you're sitting there going, okay, who's coming to town? No idea, no idea. If Gaz is right, it's Billings, it's Darius Prince, it's Steven Titus, it's Cedric Walker, it's the Outlaws. It's a rematch of last year's, well, wait, no, there was no last year. It's teams that don't like each other very much. and have history in a place long, long ago, far, far away. If Celina wins, it's a matchup of one of the best games of the year this year. So it's gonna be crazy. And right now, Kansas, Southwest Kansas and Nashville are fighting for a chance to host a playoff game. Save a ton of money, make money, have your home crowd ringing bells, blowing horns, getting crazy. It's all gonna come down to this week, and it's gonna be insane. Cannot wait, cannot wait. So if you're right, again, Albany would host Billings, Southwest would host Nashville, and then the winner of, well, if Albany were to win, they would host the championship game of the winner against the Storm and the Cats. However, if Salina were to win, then the winner of the Storm and the Cats would host the championship game, because they would be the higher seed.

Goz:44:51:44:56

Hopefully you all wrote that down. Thank goodness. This is a podcast. You can rewind and get all the scenarios again.

Jeff:44:56:45:58

I'll tell you what I'll do. I'm going to go to my ex account at the Jeff Levesque. I'm going to post the scenarios on the ex account so you can see them right there. I'm almost positive they'll get re-exed, retweeted, redone by at Tom Goz, T-O-M-G-O-Z-Z. So we'll get those scenarios out there for you. But it's, It's come down to it, man. Six of the eight teams still alive in the playoffs. Three of the four games have actual real implications in not just seeding, but qualifying for the postseason. For everybody who drew up how the AF1 was going to go this year and hoped we would have a surprising, exciting, and just powerful ending to the regular season, congratulations, because that all got ripped up and here we got this. It's been a long ride guys, but we're making it to the end. And it is crazy. There's a chance that you're going to call the, the game where a team has a chance to go. Perfect. The first round of the playoffs and potentially a championship game this year.

Goz:45:59:46:23

I'm very excited about that. We were a long ways away from that. I'm going to be on that call again with Andrew Santillo for Washington. I was joking around with you about a day ago, but I want to be bouncing around like what's going on over here. What's going, I don't know if I'm going to have to worry about that. It's going to play out on Sunday. It's going to play out late on Saturday night and AF1 fans the whole weekend long are going to have their scenarios and each game is going to have its own unique storyline. Figure out what the postseason is going to look like.

Jeff:46:24:48:38

I mean, in all sincerity, you could see a watch party in upstate New York because the Firebirds are not going to know who they're playing until they see the results of Storm versus Liberty. The Liberty are the gatekeepers to that four seed right now. They win, it's theirs. Or, you know, or they went in their end and it could most likely be theirs, but they're the, they're the ones that can keep the other two teams out of the dance. So it is, it's going to get crazy. It's going to be fun. And I'm so happy that we're going to get to enjoy the ride together. Thank you so much for being here for the AF1 season pass. Thanks everybody at Evergreen now for having all the content. You can see all the games from this season. And then even the ones that are on Vice, they do make their way over to Evergreen. So all your AF1 content is right there. Speaking of Vice TV, I mean, all eyes are gonna be glued on Vice TV. Sunday, 6.30, Storm at Liberty deciding the final seating of the season in the final game of the season. Those guys over in that Bush League there, what, that NFL, they've gotta schedule everything this way. Arena availability decided it for us. By the way, I love the NFL. Please don't be mad at me. How about our buddy Hulk Hogan and his Real American Beer? Love that. I was talking and everybody's trying to decide the best way to celebrate whoever wins the championship. I was like, well, if it happens here in the big old 518, I can guarantee I'll be celebrating with a tall boy of Hulk Hogan's Real American Beer, my friend. Thanks to Transfinder. They both sponsor the field in Albany and the footballs for the entire league. Thanks to Better Edge. If you want to wager against fans just like yourself in AF1 and every other sport, you can do so on the Better Edge. Thanks to our producer, Wild Bill Huffman, right here, Evergreen, he's the one who makes everything sound good. Guys, I've said this before, you guys can't see us, but we can actually see Bill while we're doing it, and Bill's reaction decides whether or not we think we had a good show. I think we're in trouble this week, guys. Bill has not even looked up once. No, we love you, Bill. We love everybody. Thank you so much. Make sure you check us out. OnX, any questions, any concerns, anything you got, at the Jeff Levesque, at Tom Gause, T-O-M-G-O-Z-Z. Have a great week. Enjoy all the Arena Football One action, and we'll be back to preview the first round of the playoffs this time next week.

SPEAKER_01:48:41:49:05

Season Pass, the AF1 podcast, is an Evergreen Podcast production. I'm the producer, Bill Huffman, and special thanks to executive producer, Dave Douglas, and our audio engineer, Nate Corson. Find all of our content on evergreenpodcast.com and stream every game of the Arena Football League One season on evergreennow.tv. We appreciate you listening.