Turley Article CNN/SI

Brock · 09-13-2006, 12:14 PM

Kyle Turley was on his way to get a massage, but it wasn't what you think. "Trust me, it's not gonna be fun," the Kansas City Chiefs' left tackle was telling me last Saturday afternoon as we finished our meal at Dick Clark's American Bandstand, a diner in Overland Park, Kan. "It's gonna be painful -- at least, it had better be. I'm trying out this guy, and if it turns out to be one of those 'relax and let me rub on you' massages, I'll be royally pissed."

Turley has been dealing with severe back pain since 2004, when he underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk. He reaggravated the injury at the start of training camp that summer and missed the next two seasons, dabbling in acting, TV commentary and the music industry (he played drums in a death-metal band, Perpetual Death Mode), and contemplating comebacks as a defensive end and/or tight end.

In June the eighth-year veteran finally signed to play his old position with the Chiefs, who shortly thereafter lost their starting tackles, Willie Roaf and John Welbourn, to retirement. (Welbourn may return after a six-week suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.) Turley is lean and mean and opinionated as ever, beginning with his steadfast belief that weight is overrated. As if to illustrate the point, after I asked our waitress for a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake, Turley ordered a salad.

Michael Silver: So how much do you weigh?

Kyle Turley: About 270. And trust me, that's plenty. People are fixated on my weight, but the last time I checked, football is a game, and the guy who has the best technique almost always wins. I don't care how big you are -- it's about leverage and body control. If you get lower than your opponent, you're almost always gonna win that battle. I mean, I've watched 380-pounders get thrown on their head by much smaller dudes. I saw big Kevin Gogan get lifted off the ground and tossed on his ass by John Randle. If it was just about weight, the Chiefs could've walked into any bar and signed some 300-pound f--- to play left tackle.

Silver: When we talked last year, you were done with football. What brought you back?

Turley: When the doctors told me I could rehabilitate my back and play football again and it wouldn't require another surgery, I did everything I could to make that happen. Playing in the NFL was a dream I had as a kid, and to have a chance to end my career on my terms meant everything. So I took the same approach I took at San Diego State after my redshirt freshman year, when I decided to switch from defensive line to offensive line -- because Ed White was my position coach, and I thought he'd give me my best opportunity to make it. This time I was 235 pounds, and I brought that same intensity to the weight room and got with Mark Verstegen at API [Athletes' Performance Institute] in Arizona, and then in L.A.

Silver: What about steroids? Or HGH?

Turley: I've been offered steroids my entire career, and I've never taken them, though I was tempted in college. At San Diego State we were so close to Mexico, guys used to go down to TJ [Tijuana] for lunch and stop at the pharmacy and pick up their stuff. Then they'd grab some lobster and go into the restaurant bathroom and shoot each other in the ass. I thought about doing it too, and I finally decided it would be unfair to myself if I did. When I made it to the NFL, I didn't want anybody to be able to say I had an unfair advantage. I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I had done it all on my own and take pride in that. And I still feel that way today, about all that stuff.

Silver: Do you think a lot of NFL players are using?

Turley: On every level, on every team, you're always going to have a couple of cheaters. It's like when you were in school -- a few people always cheated on the tests. But I don't think a lot of players do that stuff. For one thing, there's so much to be done now with diet and lifting and all the legal supplements you can buy at GNC. And though steroids might help you in the weight room, I really don't think it makes any difference come game day. At that point it's all about heart and desire and technique and intelligence.

Silver: I've never taken 'roids either.

(Turley looks at my physique and nods.)

Silver: I know you're not a big Gene Upshaw fan. What did you think of Bryant Gumbel's comments about Upshaw being Paul Tagliabue's dog?

Turley: Bryant Gumbel is a f------ moron. He's just trying to create controversy to raise his own profile, like he did when he made those ridiculous statements about the Winter Olympics. But it is true that tons of players have that same opinion of Upshaw. The majority of players are guys who are underpaid, who go to camp with split contracts and have to sign their lives away when they join a team and don't have any protection when it comes to severe disabilities. That's the majority -- but the union takes care of the fortunate ones.

I don't like the NFLPA because they turned their back on me when I was disabled and fighting for my benefits. But I have come to terms with the fact that it is a business. I'm learning through my years to get over things I can't change. I tried. I was in the union for three years, but then I realized it was useless. They have their agenda, the same way that teams do, and what it boils down to is that it's not about the players the way the union and the teams would have you believe. It's about the almighty dollar. The NFL is a multibillion-dollar industry, and everybody wants a piece of the pie.

Silver: Speaking of cash, what's up with your music career?

Turley: Well, I've started a record label, Gridiron Records, and I'm planning on kicking some ass. I had a lot of downtime when I was out for those two years, and I'd made a lot of friends in the music industry. I hooked up with this guy named Mikey Doling, who had founded a band called Snot out of Santa Barbara. They had played Ozzfest and were gonna be huge but the singer got in a car crash and died, and that was that.

Mikey's a killer guitarist, and he and I would see these phenomenal bands in Hollywood that were still unsigned, and that set the wheels in motion: 'Dude, we need to start a label.' So, now we have our own MySpace page [http://www.myspace.com/gridironrecords], and we're signing three kinds of bands: rock, hard rock and super-heavy. We have this band called Harebrain Scheme that sounds sort of like death metal mixed with the Beatles, 311-style reggae and Queen. Fred Durst heard them and was blown away; they're gonna be all over the radio. And we have a super-heavy band called Asesino that's like the Mexican Slayer -- all the lyrics are in Spanish, and the musicians all dress up as different characters. It's awesome.

Silver: That's the same word you used recently when we were talking about your new coach.

Turley: Herm Edwards is awesome. He played the game. He understands where we're coming from as players, and he treats us like men, which is a rarity in the NFL. Most coaches, especially coaches who come into a new place, rule with an iron fist. That s--- doesn't work, especially with a veteran team. With Herm there's no nonsense, no overworking and no underworking. It's right where it needs to be. You don't dread going to practice. You know he's gonna take care of you, and his assistants are cool, too. We don't have a------ drill-sergeant coaches.

All of that pays off later in the season. Come December, the teams that are overworked, if you're on the bubble, those guys are the ones who are gonna have the U-Haul packed up and ready to go. I know; I've been on those teams. And the guys with big egos, if they're coached by a guy they don't respect, they don't play as hard. They say, "Why should I?"

I know everybody in our locker room will go to war for Herm Edwards. If we win, it'll be great. And if we lose, there's gonna be a bitter feeling in the locker room that we didn't win for him. You just wait for a coach like this your whole career. All the older guys in the locker room, we sit around and go, "Where was this guy when we were younger? We wouldn't have all these aches. We'd be fresh." If I'd had him in St. Louis, I wouldn't be where I am right now, coming back from a two-year absence, that's for damn sure. This is probably going to be my last year, but the only way I'll come back and play next year is if my body feels good and Herm Edwards is my coach.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ley/index.html

NewChief · 09-13-2006, 12:16 PM

Turley hangs out at Dick Clark's? That's right by the hotel we stay in in OP all the time. Never really figured it for the type of place that attracts NFL players.

JBucc · 09-13-2006, 12:16 PM

Quote:

If it was just about weight, the Chiefs could've walked into any bar and signed some 300-pound f--- to play left tackle.

**Baby Lee** · 09-13-2006, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewChief

Turley hangs out at Dick Clark's? That's right by the hotel we stay in in OP all the time. Never really figured it for the type of place that attracts NFL players.

There was a time that they had some amazingly good meals for great prices. Top Notch all around.
Their decor is a little . . . worn, though.
Last time my parents went, it got an 'it was all right.'
Dunno if it was an aberration.

Halfcan · 09-13-2006, 12:22 PM

I like his commet on Bryant Gumball.

HC_Chief · 09-13-2006, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewChief

Turley hangs out at Dick Clark's? That's right by the hotel we stay in in OP all the time. Never really figured it for the type of place that attracts NFL players.

Heh, I thought the same thing. My office used to be there, across Metcalf. I never went.

htismaqe · 09-13-2006, 12:33 PM

Why did we sign this shrimp?

We could have had LJ Shelton!!!

JimNasium · 09-13-2006, 12:33 PM

Looks like we'll be looking for two new tackles next year if this is his final season.

**dirk digler** · 09-13-2006, 12:33 PM

Great article but it looks like we are going to have to be replacing 2 tackles instead of 1.

**dirk digler** · 09-13-2006, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimNasium

Looks like we'll be looking for two new tackles next year if this is his final season.

damn beat me to it

StcChief · 09-13-2006, 12:42 PM

We didn't expect more than 1 from Turley....
he was a stop gap.

ChiefaRoo · 09-13-2006, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBucc

300lb fu*k? - Paging Jordan, Mr. Jordan Black

ct · 09-13-2006, 01:01 PM

This guy is real. Love this guy!

**the Talking Can** · 09-13-2006, 01:15 PM

cool interview...

ChiefsCountry · 09-13-2006, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Why did we sign this shrimp?

We could have had LJ Shelton!!!

Please we all know we should have had Orlando Pace as Roaf's backup.

09-13-2006, 12:14 PM
Brock Say hello to my little friend Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Larryville Casino cash: $9598422	Turley Article CNN/SI Kyle Turley was on his way to get a massage, but it wasn't what you think. "Trust me, it's not gonna be fun," the Kansas City Chiefs' left tackle was telling me last Saturday afternoon as we finished our meal at Dick Clark's American Bandstand, a diner in Overland Park, Kan. "It's gonna be painful -- at least, it had better be. I'm trying out this guy, and if it turns out to be one of those 'relax and let me rub on you' massages, I'll be royally pissed." Turley has been dealing with severe back pain since 2004, when he underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk. He reaggravated the injury at the start of training camp that summer and missed the next two seasons, dabbling in acting, TV commentary and the music industry (he played drums in a death-metal band, Perpetual Death Mode), and contemplating comebacks as a defensive end and/or tight end. In June the eighth-year veteran finally signed to play his old position with the Chiefs, who shortly thereafter lost their starting tackles, Willie Roaf and John Welbourn, to retirement. (Welbourn may return after a six-week suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.) Turley is lean and mean and opinionated as ever, beginning with his steadfast belief that weight is overrated. As if to illustrate the point, after I asked our waitress for a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake, Turley ordered a salad. Michael Silver: So how much do you weigh? Kyle Turley: About 270. And trust me, that's plenty. People are fixated on my weight, but the last time I checked, football is a game, and the guy who has the best technique almost always wins. I don't care how big you are -- it's about leverage and body control. If you get lower than your opponent, you're almost always gonna win that battle. I mean, I've watched 380-pounders get thrown on their head by much smaller dudes. I saw big Kevin Gogan get lifted off the ground and tossed on his ass by John Randle. If it was just about weight, the Chiefs could've walked into any bar and signed some 300-pound f--- to play left tackle. Silver: When we talked last year, you were done with football. What brought you back? Turley: When the doctors told me I could rehabilitate my back and play football again and it wouldn't require another surgery, I did everything I could to make that happen. Playing in the NFL was a dream I had as a kid, and to have a chance to end my career on my terms meant everything. So I took the same approach I took at San Diego State after my redshirt freshman year, when I decided to switch from defensive line to offensive line -- because Ed White was my position coach, and I thought he'd give me my best opportunity to make it. This time I was 235 pounds, and I brought that same intensity to the weight room and got with Mark Verstegen at API [Athletes' Performance Institute] in Arizona, and then in L.A. Silver: What about steroids? Or HGH? Turley: I've been offered steroids my entire career, and I've never taken them, though I was tempted in college. At San Diego State we were so close to Mexico, guys used to go down to TJ [Tijuana] for lunch and stop at the pharmacy and pick up their stuff. Then they'd grab some lobster and go into the restaurant bathroom and shoot each other in the ass. I thought about doing it too, and I finally decided it would be unfair to myself if I did. When I made it to the NFL, I didn't want anybody to be able to say I had an unfair advantage. I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I had done it all on my own and take pride in that. And I still feel that way today, about all that stuff. Silver: Do you think a lot of NFL players are using? Turley: On every level, on every team, you're always going to have a couple of cheaters. It's like when you were in school -- a few people always cheated on the tests. But I don't think a lot of players do that stuff. For one thing, there's so much to be done now with diet and lifting and all the legal supplements you can buy at GNC. And though steroids might help you in the weight room, I really don't think it makes any difference come game day. At that point it's all about heart and desire and technique and intelligence. Silver: I've never taken 'roids either. (Turley looks at my physique and nods.) Silver: I know you're not a big Gene Upshaw fan. What did you think of Bryant Gumbel's comments about Upshaw being Paul Tagliabue's dog? Turley: Bryant Gumbel is a f------ moron. He's just trying to create controversy to raise his own profile, like he did when he made those ridiculous statements about the Winter Olympics. But it is true that tons of players have that same opinion of Upshaw. The majority of players are guys who are underpaid, who go to camp with split contracts and have to sign their lives away when they join a team and don't have any protection when it comes to severe disabilities. That's the majority -- but the union takes care of the fortunate ones. I don't like the NFLPA because they turned their back on me when I was disabled and fighting for my benefits. But I have come to terms with the fact that it is a business. I'm learning through my years to get over things I can't change. I tried. I was in the union for three years, but then I realized it was useless. They have their agenda, the same way that teams do, and what it boils down to is that it's not about the players the way the union and the teams would have you believe. It's about the almighty dollar. The NFL is a multibillion-dollar industry, and everybody wants a piece of the pie. Silver: Speaking of cash, what's up with your music career? Turley: Well, I've started a record label, Gridiron Records, and I'm planning on kicking some ass. I had a lot of downtime when I was out for those two years, and I'd made a lot of friends in the music industry. I hooked up with this guy named Mikey Doling, who had founded a band called Snot out of Santa Barbara. They had played Ozzfest and were gonna be huge but the singer got in a car crash and died, and that was that. Mikey's a killer guitarist, and he and I would see these phenomenal bands in Hollywood that were still unsigned, and that set the wheels in motion: 'Dude, we need to start a label.' So, now we have our own MySpace page [http://www.myspace.com/gridironrecords], and we're signing three kinds of bands: rock, hard rock and super-heavy. We have this band called Harebrain Scheme that sounds sort of like death metal mixed with the Beatles, 311-style reggae and Queen. Fred Durst heard them and was blown away; they're gonna be all over the radio. And we have a super-heavy band called Asesino that's like the Mexican Slayer -- all the lyrics are in Spanish, and the musicians all dress up as different characters. It's awesome. Silver: That's the same word you used recently when we were talking about your new coach. Turley: Herm Edwards is awesome. He played the game. He understands where we're coming from as players, and he treats us like men, which is a rarity in the NFL. Most coaches, especially coaches who come into a new place, rule with an iron fist. That s--- doesn't work, especially with a veteran team. With Herm there's no nonsense, no overworking and no underworking. It's right where it needs to be. You don't dread going to practice. You know he's gonna take care of you, and his assistants are cool, too. We don't have a------ drill-sergeant coaches. All of that pays off later in the season. Come December, the teams that are overworked, if you're on the bubble, those guys are the ones who are gonna have the U-Haul packed up and ready to go. I know; I've been on those teams. And the guys with big egos, if they're coached by a guy they don't respect, they don't play as hard. They say, "Why should I?" I know everybody in our locker room will go to war for Herm Edwards. If we win, it'll be great. And if we lose, there's gonna be a bitter feeling in the locker room that we didn't win for him. You just wait for a coach like this your whole career. All the older guys in the locker room, we sit around and go, "Where was this guy when we were younger? We wouldn't have all these aches. We'd be fresh." If I'd had him in St. Louis, I wouldn't be where I am right now, coming back from a two-year absence, that's for damn sure. This is probably going to be my last year, but the only way I'll come back and play next year is if my body feels good and Herm Edwards is my coach. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ley/index.html
Posts: 47,314

09-13-2006, 12:16 PM	#2
NewChief In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Fayetteville, AR Casino cash: $9730204	Turley hangs out at Dick Clark's? That's right by the hotel we stay in in OP all the time. Never really figured it for the type of place that attracts NFL players. __________________ In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. - H. L. Mencken
Posts: 21,758

09-13-2006, 12:22 PM	#5
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	I like his commet on Bryant Gumball.
Posts: 43,200

09-13-2006, 12:33 PM	#7
htismaqe 'Tis my eye! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Chiefsplanet Casino cash: $10269900	Why did we sign this shrimp? We could have had LJ Shelton!!!
Posts: 100,022

09-13-2006, 12:33 PM	#8
JimNasium Voodoo Chile Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: At the crossroad Casino cash: $2913902	Looks like we'll be looking for two new tackles next year if this is his final season.
Posts: 6,875

09-13-2006, 12:33 PM	#9
dirk digler Please squeeze Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Clinton, MO Casino cash: $3264644	Great article but it looks like we are going to have to be replacing 2 tackles instead of 1.
Posts: 66,278

09-13-2006, 12:42 PM	#11
StcChief Playing for #1 Draft Pick Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Just West of Lambs land Casino cash: $10004900	We didn't expect more than 1 from Turley.... he was a stop gap. __________________ sig test for this screwy schema
Posts: 25,901

09-13-2006, 01:01 PM	#13
ct u b illian Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: DooDah Casino cash: $10009436	This guy is real. Love this guy!
Posts: 7,287

09-13-2006, 01:15 PM	#14
the Talking Can Supporter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: street Casino cash: $10022208	cool interview... __________________ Clark Hunt: "Thank god for the Dominican pool boy"
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