Back in October, I had the chance to eavesdrop in on a new podcast, Throwbacks with Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara. The show debuted in September and features the former quarterback-turned-broadcaster and the co-star of the hit show Entourage talking sports and life.
The show is cool in just about every sense of the word – the hosts themselves, the topics, the guests, the delivery, it’s just a cool podcast to listen to. If you listen to a new episode, you will think you’re hearing two people who have been really good friends for many years. The truth is, Leinart and Ferrara didn’t know each other well at all. They just hit it off when the podcast idea came about and as a listener to their podcast, you’ve gotten to hear their friendship develop from the start, which is, well you know, cool.
I had the chance to catch up with the hosts before they left for New Orleans and the Super Bowl. The duo will host Throwbacks live from the red carpet of the star-studded Fanatics Party on February 8th with an expected start time of 2:30 p.m. CT.
Dave Greene: What was your relationship like before the podcast started?
Jerry Ferrara: To be honest, Matt and I did not know each other personally. Obviously, I knew who Matt was. And when we first started talking, we kind of came to the idea really quickly that we did cross paths, probably about 2003. You know, we would have been good friends. We probably would have hung out. And if there was different NIL stuff, Matt would have definitely been on Entourage. And we realized, though, later in life, we actually have more in common now than we probably would have back then. We’re both married with kids, and it just kind of started right from there, and it was pretty instant the moment we started talking.
Matt Leinart: Yeah, that was a big thing. Jerry and I hopped on a call, and it was just like instant kind of synergy, chemistry, telling stories. I think we walked away from that call like, ‘OK, this is going to work’. This is going to be awesome because, Jerry always says this to everybody, it’s like we’re getting to know each other as the pod is growing, even though I feel like we’re already boys and like we already got to know each other so well.
It’s been really awesome to kind of form that relationship and friendship over this. And I think that’s what comes across on the podcast is just the chemistry, the storytelling, the crossing of two different worlds of entertainment, sports and all the people that we know, mutually throughout the years. And that was the whole kind of point of this podcast is there’s not really anybody else out there that has those worlds and can talk about that in a fun, unique, creative way.
JF: I knew we were in good shape right away because it also occurred to me, I love sports as a fan for the entertainment of it all. That’s why I watch, and I commit so much time to it. Whereas for Matt, it’s been his career, both on the field and now when he’s on Big Noon. He thinks it’s the funniest thing he’s ever seen to see me watch the Knicks because I’m a psychopath. And I think similarly with entertainment and film and TV, Matt looks at it like entertainment. And for me, that’s just been business. And when I’m watching a movie or a show, like I’m really thinking about a million other things. So, I think it’s two real unique perspectives that not a lot of shows can say they have.
ML: Sometimes I can view sports as a fan. But like Jerry said, Jerry comes from being a sports fan. And I come more from, I played it. I have a player’s perspective. I’m a little less critical and analytical more as far as I support the teams and the play and all those kinds of things. So, it does give us two really different perspectives. And then he’s right with acting, I’m a fan. I’ve been a fan of Jerry’s since Entourage. And even though we didn’t know each other, I was a fan of that show. It was one of my favorite shows in that era. And when I watch TV, I just watch.
DG: You both seem like guys people would want to hang out with, at least that’s what comes across on the podcast. Jerry, your character was similar to that as well in that people definitely wanted to hang out with you and the Entourage crew.
JF: Well, that’s the other thing that connects Matt and I, and for whatever reason, with Entourage, which was technically a show about Hollywood and entertainment, athletes way more than actors and people in Hollywood connected with the show for whatever reason. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what those reasons are. But there were times on set when we were really popular in the heyday and Kevin Durant would just be hanging out. And I think it’s because at the end of the day, athletes, way more than actors even, get success so young and all these things open up to them so young. So, wouldn’t you love to go through that with your most trusted people? Like we always said, we’ll always go back to New York if this acting thing don’t work out, like you would be with these guys even if you were playing Division III football. So, wouldn’t you love to be with them while you’re in the NFL or the NBA? And I think that’s made for a real interesting connection with this show, too.
DG: And Matt, it’s kind of the same thing with the locker room mentality. Entourage was like a locker room environment which is why so many people who love sports seemed to love the show, and it was probably talked about in many locker rooms.
ML: I’ve told this to Jerry on the pod, they called me Vinny Chase coming out of college. One of my teammates in Arizona, because I had this Hollywood perception, which I don’t always agree with, but I understand why, because I played at USC in the time where we were, in a way, on top of the world. We would hobnob with celebrities, and we hung out and it was all very normal. So, it was very much like Entourage.
And then when I went to the league that kind of followed me, obviously not necessarily always in a bad way, because all my boys, my teammates were my guys, but one of the linebackers called me Vinny Chase. And by the way, I don’t think he called me Matt for four years. He called me Vincent or Vinny. And it just stuck.
My best friend out of high school, he went to Arizona and then I went to USC. And when I got drafted by Arizona, I was like, ‘hey, dude, you want to come out and live with me in Arizona?’ This is my Turtle to Vinny. And he rolled with me through Arizona through that time. And it was my trusted best friend, we grew up together in Orange County. I just feel like athletes just want that. They want those types of people around them that they can trust and that they can go through it with. There are so many similarities between Jerry and I and the worlds that we grew up in. And I think I think it shows up on the pod, and that was kind of the hope.
JF: It’s interesting. A lot of podcasts have such a specific lane and are great for that specific thing. I think with us, it’s going to be an interesting development period because we have so many boxes that we’re constantly messing with, which I think in turn is better for the long term. That’s why I always tell everyone just to be patient as we grow, because we have so many different lanes we’re trying to keep up with.
DG: Matt, I wanted to ask you about Big Noon Kickoff on FOX Sports as well, because that seems like another group where there is a great deal of chemistry.
ML: I think the best podcasts, the best shows are just when you’re watching guys or ladies or whoever, a group of people just shooting the sh–. That’s kind of our whole motto. We want the guy on the couch, the guy in the bar to be able to have a beer and be like, ‘oh, those dudes are great on TV’. I don’t want to be over analytical. I just want to be easy to listen to. I think that’s always the key for us on TV. Drive your point, be likable, have fun, talk a little smack, laugh, get personal, all of those things. And I think Urban [Meter] has really grown because I would say that he did not check a lot of those boxes a couple of years ago. But now that he’s fully retired from coaching, you can see that come across on TV where his guard is down.
“And that’s the same with Jerry and me. It’s just a fun listen. Unique, different perspectives, different stories, all that kind of stuff is what I think can gravitate people to come to watch you and your show. And we definitely have that on Big Noon with all those guys as well.
DG: Jerry, we will finish with you, any favorite guests of all of the ones you have had on the podcast so far and anyone on your guest wish-list?
JF: Dontrell Willis really was great because he’s that perfect balance of here’s some insight of playing in the World Series, but also ‘here’s how I would pitch Ohtani – I wouldn’t pitch to him’. So, he really was one of my favorites early on. I loved [Nick] Swisher selfishly because he has just such energy the minute he comes on. And of course, Charles Barkley was great, I mean, I’m such a basketball nerd.
Of course, I’d love to get The Rock on, but would The Rock come on and talk and chill and let the guard down like Matt said about Urban earlier? I look forward to having the friends of the show on as we continue to go forward. We have one episode coming with the Entourage guys that we did in person, which we have a lot of fun stuff around that, too. So, I think that’ll be a big one for us.
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Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
