by Jay Mohr

Updated: February 5, 2008, 4:58 PM EST 11 comments

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I wanted to ask Kyle Turley what he will miss most about playing in the NFL. I wanted to know more about him than the average fan. I wanted to put the spotlight on one of the guys down in the mud who cleared the way for the "stars" of the NFL. Offensive linemen really only get their name mentioned when they're called for holding. So with the full understanding that I would write anything he told me, I had an interview with a retiring Pro Bowl tackle.

Jay Mohr: When did you start playing football?
Kyle Turley I only played my senior year of high school. I was a defensive end. I wrecked dudes. I loved it!

JM: When did you first know you could go pro if you wanted to?
KT: As soon as I got a scholarship, really. Pretty much that was it. I figured if a school wants me this bad, I must be pretty good.

JM: Why did you choose San Diego State?
KT: I had a great visit there and when I realized that I could surf after school, I canceled my other school visits. I just wanted to play football and surf, man. I had a free ride waiting for me at Iowa State and at Fresno State, but once I saw the ocean it was all over. I was a California kid (Turley is from Moreno Valley High School) and I just wanted to stay local.

JM: Was the switch from defensive end to offensive tackle hard?
KT: Not really. I had a great coach named Ed White who really knew how to speak with me. He was like a father. Ed was always level and told you what needed to be done in a way that made you want to do it for him and yourself. I was a wrestler in high school, so I guess wrestling helped me switch positions a lot, too.

JM: Who was the best coach you ever had at any level?
KT: Ed White, no question. I don't even have to think about it.

JM: Who was the worst?
KT: Mike Martz. That guy was a real snake in the grass, man! Did you know he accused me of faking my back injury? I still don't have feeling in my right foot. I had a herniated disc in my back and it still affects my sciatic nerve. My entire right leg gets pins and needles and my right foot is half numb all the time.

JM: Why would a coach accuse a player of faking an injury?
KT: I have no idea. I never experienced anyone as ... he's just diabolical, dude. He would tell the media he didn't know why I wasn't practicing after the trainers told him what my back problem was. ... It could have ended my career. That injury has ended a lot of careers, man.

JM: Didn't you once say, "Out of the 32 coaches in the NFL, I would rank Mike Martz 33rd?"
KT: (laughs) Hell yeah, I said it. And I meant it. I still mean it. They need an expansion team for that guy to get a head coaching job. He was the worst, man. I just never met anyone that just freakin' had it out for me before. It was (expletive) bizarre. He told me once, "I know you came here just for a money grab. You aren't injured, you're just rich." I went crazy. I wanted to kill him.

JM: Did you tell him that?
KT: Yeah. He called the security guys at the stadium and locked himself in his office like a big (expletive), I was home when someone called me and told me they were talking about it on the radio.

JM: Did you ever use steroids?
KT: No, never.

JM: C'mon bro. Tell me the truth. You're retired now.
KT: Seriously man, I never did them. Hell, if I did I would probably be playing for another five years. It's mostly the older guys that take them anyway. The supplements are so good now and guys weight-train with such intensity, the younger guys didn't really need them. It's usually the older guys that you see making plays in their mid-30s. All of a sudden they have a fourth gear and they have this new motor.

JM: You just explained the entire Patriots defense.
KT: Yeah, probably. Some of those guys are pretty old man. Honestly, I don't know who takes what. I would tell you.

JM: Rodney Harrison tested positive earlier in the year, you knew that. At least you read about it.
KT: That's right he did, didn't he? Well, I'll tell you what. He isn't on anything now. Once you test positive, they are all over you. A second positive and your ass is gone at that age.

JM: Did you ever smoke pot with Ricky Williams?
KT: No. I never saw Ricky do anything. I couldn't understand it. The stuff I read about him wasn't at all the guy I knew. Ricky was cool, man. Me and Ricky got along real well.

JM Who is the most overrated defensive end you ever faced?
KT Jevon Kearse. He wasn't a freak. I didn't understand the hype. I abused that guy.

JM: Who was the most underrated defensive end you ever faced?
KT: Kevin Carter. That guy was a freakin' beast. When I was on the Saints and we played them, he was pretty nasty to handle. We couldn't keep having everybody help on the assignment, so I started cut-blocking him. I swear to God, I counted. I cut-blocked him 15 times in one game.

JM: Who did you love going against?
KT: Strahan. Michael Strahan. The first time I lined up against him was my "welcome to the NFL" moment. I handled him pretty well I thought. After it was all over I realized he had two sacks. So I guess it didn't go so well after all. You can maul a Hall of Famer for a whole game, but if he gets two sacks people say you couldn't handle him. Sometimes a sack isn't your fault at all, either. The QB can get flushed out and run right into your guy. You see it all the time.

JM: What did you hate the most about the NFL?
KT: The politics.

JM: What do you mean?
KT: Just the politics, man. It's gross. Why wasn't I playing this past year with the Chiefs? Was I suddenly not good enough? Politics.

JM: Secretly, how much pleasure did you get from ripping off Damien Robinson's helmet?
KT: None. Seriously at the time I thought my quarterback (Aaron Brooks) was going to die. Robinson had his (expletive) head twisted around and you could hear Aaron sort of cry out like he was gonna die. Look at that film, dude. His head was on backwards! I didn't get any pleasure out of it. That was my teammate, my family, my brother. It's war. I was protecting my brother. I regret flipping the bird. I wasn't flipping off the fans like people wrote. We were the home team, bro. I was flipping off the fact that I was ejected for standing up for what was right.

JM: You played in more than 100 games. You were a Pro Bowler. Any chance you will come back?
KT: None.

JM: What if a team offered you a one-year, $3 million contract?
KT: I would play another year! But I would have to be able to skip mini-camp.

JM: That just makes you sound like a (expletive).
KT: I have been a tackle for 10 years. Both sides, left and right. I know what needs to get done to get myself ready. Older guys shouldn't have to do freakin' two-a-days. What the hell for? Strahan missed all of mini-camp this year and look at the year he had. The older guys know what it takes to get game-ready. The rules should be a little different for the older guys. I would have played one more year if I had an offer from Denver.

JM: Why Denver?
KT: They don't have to wear pads in mini-camp in Denver.

JM: If the pads are too heavy, maybe it is time you retire.
KT: (laughs) I know, right? Look man, I had a great career. I got to make a ton of dough playing a game, man. I loved playing in the Superdome. That will never not blow my mind. I loved the Superdome. Hell, I love football. I just hurt, man. My body hurts. I think when guys get to my age and start saying "one more year" and then "just one more year," that's when you can't pick up your kids and stuff.

JM: No regrets?
KT: No way, man.

Best of lucky,

Jay Mohr