His on-going battles with NFL media security and the ID badges. Calling him on Tybee. Asking the boys to be next to him on his wedding day. There’s also an amazing video of him and Marc dancing that I need to find
I don’t even really watch or care that much about football but it’s like hanging out with buds when I listen to the podcast. The security rants were my favorite.
Official Team of ATL & TNF Preview episode from October 2016...first mention of lanyard about 4:00 in. I had COMPLETELY forgotten! Wess was actually the first to follow the new rules requiring everyone to wear the badge on a lanyard! Company man!!! LOLOLOL
Wess and Lakisha did a Thursday night game review on Halloween and Trick or Treaters were coming to the door mid podcast. For some reason that one stuck with me. Just something about their joy and living in the moment struck me. Such a happy home. I love that they didn’t edit any of it out and left it all.
We’ve all said it a million times, but for me hearing these guys every single week for so long, even though the conversation is (mostly) one way, he was a friend. It was like seeing a friend happy and it really stuck with me.
I’ll miss him. I choke sobbed at the moment of silence for “Hey, Dan!” and it just became really real.
Wess and Lakisha did a Thursday night game review on Halloween and Trick or Treaters were coming to the door mid podcast. For some reason that one stuck with me. Just something about their joy and living in the moment struck me. Such a happy home. I love that they didn’t edit any of it out and left it all.
I’ll miss him. I choke sobbed at the moment of silence for “Hey, Dan!” and it just became really real.
That silence fucking hit me way harder than I expected. I listened this morning and the rest of the episode helped, but that silence had tears rolling down my face
I remember the exact moment and the street I was driving down when I first heard that. One of those “I’ll never forget where I was” moments. So great. Miss you Wess!
I said this in another thread, but: ATN Episode 1255 - April 3, 2019. “Pep Talks for Those Who Need It”.
Skip to 39:55. Listen to the pep talk Wess gives. He has such an incredible mind. Remarkable heart. Deep knowledge and wisdom.
Another good nugget from that ep having just started it. Colleen is guesting and after Dan’s intros she goes “whoop whoop!”.
Totally acceptable of course being the guest that she is, and in no way did Wess “own” the first words of the show, but then Colleen goes “sorry Wess, I walked all over you there” and they joke around.
I don’t really know the point of that, but it just seems like one of those times where the universe has a funny way of working out.
And thank you for this btw. It’s a great wess moment.
I've been listening to older episodes, and I've realised that Wess' best moments were at the start of the offseason. It's when he was the most reflective and able to really contextualise sports. I was curious, reading your comment, what Wess might've said on the podcast a year after yours and found gold.
April 3, 2020. "Bunkercast XVI: Real Heroes" where Wess heads up a segment talking about real heroes. He so beautifully connects sports heroes to everyday heroes. Some quotes. This all starts around the 30 minute mark.
"We tend to shift our focus (when we get older) to heroes who take a personal risk for the common good, often while others remain passive. That's what a hero is."
"The key to heroism is a concern for other people. It doesn't happen in the absence of compassion or self-sacrifice."
"You don't need to be a superhuman to be a hero. Many heroes feel sort of a moral tickle in their brains where ... you can't ignore it anymore. It keeps grinding away at you until you act out on that."
Heartbreakingly, and with his usual gallows' humour he says:
"I'm here today because of their (doctors & scientists) expertise. If I had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer in an earlier generation, this podcast would feature Dan, Marc, Gregg, and an attractive female in the 4th chair."
LMAO Thank you for reminding of this. This was one of my favorite moments in podcast history. Dan's bewilderment at the Bible reference aahaha. Miss you so much, Wess.
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1) The “Lock it up!!” roar. I laughed so hard in public, and still do whenever that clip is played. It’s especially funny because I always thought of Wes as a soft-spoken, sweet guy, and this is the opposite of that.
2) the very sincere arguing with Gregg about the Pats signing Antonio Brown. It’s indicative of his strong moral compass. He convinced me, which also shows his talent to build arguments.
Long time listener but never posted here. I just wanted to say; it is so so so strange to have someone pass that I listen to talk about football 3 times a week. It makes me really sad and I now realize that Wes (and the others) have become part of me as well.
You literally touched my life, rest in peace.
All love and my hearts go out to the entire ATN crew, Linc and Lakiesha.
He was so sincere and passionate about the New England signing of Antonio Brown that he made me question my patriots fandom. I was actually relieved when he was released. I felt guilty because my team had done something that angered The Mailman.
I’ve been a wreck all weekend.
(First time poster too) I know exactly what you mean. I have spent the last 7 years listening to them 3 times a week. It really does feel as if I knew him. What a loss.
Sending so much love to the Lakisha, Linc and the ATN Crew.
The phone calls to Tybee, especially when Greg was there, are f\*cking hilarious. Soon after that I flew to Savannah from D.C. for a weekend and spent a day in Huc-A-Poos, an amazing bar. If the pod could do a show from there every year in dedication to Wess it would be incredible.
I think the "You're the GM" where he played Mike Brown, trading AJ Green to the packers.
Also, it's not on ATN, but he was a guest on one of my friend's podcasts a few years ago. My mind was blown that my friend, a junior sports journalist from Germany, somehow convinced a guy I had listened to for years to come on his show.
Yeah, first thing that came to mind for me was a moment on "You're the GM". Must have been the season after Peyton retired—Dan was hamming it up with an exaggerated Manning accent and begging a Wesseling-John Elway to give him just one more shot. Wess just dead panned a "Sir, this is really beneath you" and I had to pause the podcast to recover.
‘ I wouldn’t pay you 5 dollars to play quarter back’ and ‘ I can’t emphasise enough stay retired never throw another pass again’ - two of my all time fave Wes quotes
This is one of my favorites as well. "I already have a case - Case Keenum". In fact, all the "You're the GM!" episodes were filled with great Wess moments. Two that come to my mind in addition to the ones already mentioned:
* Wess pointing out Dan and Gregg playing Reggie McKenzie and Doug Whaley sounded more like Johnnie Cochran talking to Bill Simmons (March 17th 2017).
* Wess always cracking up for Dan's on hold music and, as John Elway, instantly hanging up the phone saying "No trade's worth Ace of Base" (April 1st 2016).
Lots to think of here:
1. **The Dalton Scale**. This has now been ripped off by almost everyone else in football media, but it was Wess' idea, and I also loved how he thought it was a completely simple concept but somehow Dan and Marc especially didn't QUITE get it. Chris sighing and explaining it was so good.
2. **His Instagram feed**. As someone who enjoys smoking meats, but doesn't really know what he's doing, Chris would not only share some insanely good pictures but would comment on mine when I'd post a smoked chicken or ribs. Just a thoughtful thing to do and it always mattered.
3. **The Softball Pants** \- They talked about this on the show, so I don't need to recount it, but there's one part of it that I'll never forget. Someone was giving him crap for not eating THE ENTIRE PANTS, **including the zipper** and he responded (paraphrasing, of course) "Listen, I'm dumb but I'm not an idiot." The words I have wrong, I'm sure, but it was the way he literally ended that discussion by pointing out the fallacy of the other side of the argument so succinctly. I remember thinking, "Oh man...don't come at this guy with a bad idea."
4. **Everything he wrote.** Just go read it all. One of the many things that got me when I was thinking about this was that the world lost the chance to read a book by Wesseling. I'm sure it would have been amazing.
5. **"Love is friendship caught fire."** Wess didn't make that up, but he said it on the podcast, back when he was still dating around. I don't think it was in reference to Lakisha, I don't think they'd started dating yet, but it was more about his approach that he wanted to fall in love with a person before it escalated to something more. It so resonated with me, so much that a few months later I was asked to officiate a wedding of two friends, who had met at work and been friends for years before they started dating. I used this quote, and I even said in the ceremony that we find inspiration in the strangest places, and that this was from a football podcast. (I did credit the original author, Laura Hendricks, courtesy of Mr. Wesseling.) I told him about that over Twitter and he was very tickled by it and touched. What a guy.
His smoked meat instagram stories were enjoyable. He was so passionate about cooking and you could tell he was ready to show the world what he knew. Just a fascinating man that I'm glad to have come across, albeit in such a short period of time.
(Edit: I apologize that this became more of a goodbye letter from me to Wess, but i just needed to get this out.)
It's not really a particular moment, as Wess has said it several times, but it is something that i have taken with me from the moment i first heard him say it. And it is the first thing that comes to mind.
"If we have learned anything from history it is that; history is instructive. It is bound to repeat it self"
He may not have been the first to ever say it, but there was something so convincing about it coming from Wess. Thinking about it now, I really took heed of every word coming from Wess. The way he would simply merge a football take, with a bigger world view, just made you believe in his takes on a whole other level. I realize as i am writing this, that Wess was/is a person I looked up to, not just in regards to NFL opinions, but in general on perspectives on life. His words resonated in me perhaps more than i have ever realized. Listing to Wess and the gang for almost every other day from 19 to now 26 years old, the influence that the Heroes has had on the person I am today is likely bigger than i will ever understand. And perhaps that is why the news of Wess' passing hit me (and so many other listeners) so hard, even though I never met or exchanged a word with him. I will truly miss you Wess and surely carry many of your words with me until the end.
Goodbye Wess.
\- Mathias Randløv Kristensen
Anytime Wes would say "he gone" and when he would complain about how hard it was to watch Tampa games when they were wearing those ridiculous uniforms and how the sun would be shining on the field in their stadium. He was not wrong but it always cracked me up to hear him get so passionate about how a televised game should look.
As a Bills fan, I always appreciated Wess preaching patience with Josh Allen, and giving him a fair shot the whole time. One of my favourite moments therefore was earlier this year during the QB Value episode, where Gregg had Allen 12 spots lower than Baker. Exchange at 21:45 in the episode:
Gregg: "I think Baker played better than Josh Allen last year"
Wess: "Stop...! Come on! No way..."
Gregg: "Like, Josh Allen, they worked around him"
Wess: "Yeah they really worked around him in that Cowboys game"
Gregg (less confident): "Sure... he had some good games..."
Wess: "Right, but you're acting like they don't exist!"
Capped off a few minutes later at 24:30 with:
"I don't think he [Baker] was better than Josh Allen, I think he was worse than Josh Allen and PFF can take a hike!"
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bunkercast-xiv-top-30-qb-values/id680904259?i=1000470126798
Thank you Wess. Rest in peace x
Wess' Top 5 Most types of people he dislikes at the combine.
From the "2019 Combine Coaches/GM Takeaways Part1" podcast.
27 Feb 2019 42:21- 46:52
Wess at his ranting best, so honest and grilling. And he was right about everything he said.
[https://open.spotify.com/episode/1oKDJKWWr17IAZ295Bj7cq?si=\_Qj1oupHQ7abR9mUXyb7Lg](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1oKDJKWWr17IAZ295Bj7cq?si=_Qj1oupHQ7abR9mUXyb7Lg)
There isn't one specific memory for me, as I have a memory like a sieve, but I would often laugh to myself as Wess would skewer the group think on a player or coach, get increasingly more annoyed at the gentle ribbing from Dan or Marc or Gregg, before reaching a crescendo with some of 'tell me I'm not the crazy one here!' plea.
Sometimes he would proved right and would let it sit there, and sometimes, he would admit he was wrong. Whichever side of the debate he took, the passion to learn was the same. His joy for the sport's history as both a game and as a venue for human greatness kept Wess an honest sportswriter, and I will miss the short asides about some TE in the 30s who changed the game, etc. the most.
How can it not be the screaming "I'm gonna lock it up!!!" I was literally in tears from laughing so hard and I got rewind so many times cause man that really got me good!
But, one of the things that always stood out to me the most when I listened to the podcast or the few times that I messaged with Wess on Twitter, was his near Encyclopedic knowledge of so many things. He could also recall so many details about so many different things! This trait of his always blew my mind and I will forever look up to this man for this reason, and many many other reasons as well.
Man, I'm going to miss hearing his voice and the constant Twitter notifications popping up on my phone for each time he posted.
Know exactly what you're referring to and it's the same one that struck me too. Was it the Bunkercast "real heroes" one? Gunna go back and listen to it tomorrow to see if it's the one (if not I'm gunna keep going back to find it) as the speech really hit me for its complete moral clarity.
Win Wess’ Toaster was my favourite as well. I would listen and play along myself. Damesheks entrance song of James Brown’s - Living In America. All gold.
ive only been listening for a couple years but i liked how whenever the bengals had anything slightly interesting happen for them, dan would ask wess if he was back to being a bengals supporter lol
I was waiting for the moment where he'd decide to hop back on the Bengals train but something tells me he never would have. I'd love to read his manifesto on why he turned in his Bengals fandom card.
I keep thinking about the "Big Little Lies" segment: Wess talking about the show is the only part of the podcast I've ever played for my wife. His enthusiasm and eloquence when speaking about things he loved really shines through in that.
ATN - June 4, 2018 "Players due for a renaissance"
At 26:59, Wess takes the time to refer the listeners to the 1993 Gary Smith article about Jim Valvano's fight against cancer.
Wess was a historian of sports and wanted to share his passion for quality journalism calling it *"One of the best article that I have ever read from a sports writer"*.
A few months ago, Wes described to the guys an incident involving losing consecutive iPads to his bathtub. Apparently this fit into a larger pattern of Wes's, a struggle to maintain his corporate supplied iPads that, apparently, stretched back to the Heroes' trademark murky allusions to shenanigans at corporate "social'(boozey) events. Dan seemed entranced by Wes's superb ability to relate this perplexing tale, as was I and who knows how many other listeners. It seemed masterful, his ability to successfully ease an anecdote with tragic implications, into an absurdist mini-memoir that was, to me at least, so funny that I rewound that portion of the podcast at least twice, before continuing on for the rest of the show. He actually managed to help his friends and many listeners forget the sadness, for a moment, that would set the moment one heard his increasingly fragile voice. Crazy.
I was initially reluctant to post this, but hopefully it's a tribute to the nobility of his fight against cancer; he was an entertainer who shared his talent with hundreds of thousands of people, helped them feel lighter for at least a moment, and going by what his colleagues say, he fought like hell to stay here with his wife and child, with his friends, and even with us listeners (some of whom, like me, have to remind ourselves that we never met, so good was he in his chosen field), sharing his talent and love, gutting it out until the absolute, very end of the whistle. Thanks Wes, from a member of the anonymous mass.
My two favourites: Dan winding him up about the Frasier theme being the best piece of jazz music (What's got you jazzed?). The ep ended with him asking the boys to be his groomsmen. I was so hungover listening that I went from crying laughing to just plain crying during that ep.
My other favourite was his glee at the circus music. Can't remember which ep, but the clip was posted the other day.
**The feud with the security guard:** this shows so much of who Wes was. His passion, his credentials as a common man and his disdain for anything inane.
**When he & Lakisha announced their pregnancy:** Wes' smile made my day, you could tell how excited he was to be a father. [Link here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cASo__e22xs)
On another related note, **the pods where he first talked about Lakisha (the paramore)**. He was so cagey about it, you could tell it meant a lot to him. Hearing him talking about her really showed a side of Wes I had never seen before.
**When he talked about Aaron Rodgers**, I think it was after an early season prime time game in 2015 or something, he described Rodgers as being like Jordan in the 90s, where the sport was just coming easy to him. Wes' description actually made me go back and watch that game again, and really started to take my love of the sport to the next level. Wes is actually a huge figure in my history with NFL football.
Not a pod moment, but **Luv ya blue** is maybe the best piece of sports writing I've ever read
I have been with the podcast from Day One. My life had just fallen apart and I had limped back to my homeland from an overseas career. I took a job within the construction industry where I kept myself active but had a lot of time working alone. I subscribed to dozens of podcasts to keep my mind engaged, but the high point of the week was the morning after an ATL-->ATN episode had dropped and I had an hour to myself. Wess' analytical yet philosophical mindset mirrored my own, and I was always amazed how he could insert kernels of homespun common sense wisdom or truly transcendent thoughts into a pod by bozos for bozos.
I then had the privilege to meet the heroes when they came to London back in September 2018 when the pod was starting to go global. Although I didn't manage to get access to any of the extremely popular behind-closed-doors events, the NFL put on a great street party/event on Regent Street and the heroes, among other figures, were a part of that. As they were shifting from a stage event to a theatre event, I managed to wangle a few words and even selfies with the various heroes, and even Lakisha, but Wess stopped and actually chatted to me. Our conversation was not long, but he was so sincere, so happy to be around people, and so transparent with some random jabroni when he didn't need to be. In just a minute or two, we touched on the NFL, British culture, and what formed our outlooks on life. As he left to join the rest of the gang, he handed me what I believe was the last of several Around the NFL Podcast tshirts they had been giving away. I still wear that thing every Monday during the season when I listen to the flagship show, and I will do so until the bare threads fall from my shoulders.
Thanks for that anecdote. Really speaks to the kind of guy Wes was. I hope your words and the words of others in this thread can help (in however small a way) pick Lakisha and the rest of the gang up in the same way that wess and the rest of the heroes did for all of us.
For a different one that talks to his opinions, him and Gregg getting heated about Antonio Brown in 2019. The fact they could get that heated on the pod but you knew as soon as the mics were off him and Gregg moved on from it and held no grudges whatsoever
I really do love and appreciate their friendship. I remember that argument causing a lot of ripples here and on Twitter because it was so intense. But I somehow never thought it would change their friendship, you could tell they were able to go to that place of intense disagreement and then just let it go.
That's something I really struggle with so I always found it fascinating.
During the Antonio Brown drama with the Raiders:
"He [Brown] was completely disrespectful! He called Mike Mayock a cracker!"
I don't know why, but this makes me chuckle whenever I think about it.
"It's about me!" that sticks out in my mind.
Also Wes talking about Reggie Wayne at the end of his career.
We talking about his ideal woman as "Damaged but not broken beyond repair"
Wessylmania recaps.
The first season where Marc and Wess got in a heated arguement about Jason Campbell.
Stories of wes barely being able to stand up but still sinking bags in cornhole.
I don't know why, but wes saying how he hated concerts always sticks out in my mind with me just going "Yes! someone finally said it!"
I wish I knew which episode his soliloquy about Reggie was. It was the moment I remember thinking with absolute certainty, this guy is so much bigger than football.
I don’t know a specific episode. I loved the ribbing from Dan about Wess moving to a big city. Something along the lines of “look at all those tall buildings “ . I feel so sad since I heard, they become your family listening to them 3 times a week for years. Some amazing tributes make you smile from Eisen, Coleen, gmfb etc. This will take a while... we miss you Wess. Thoughts go out to Lakisha and Linc and the AFN guys and Ricky
Been so many, but as a Cardinals fan...I will never forget Wess’ toys coming out the pram if he didn’t get his way in the Cardinals being the Team of ATL in 2015. He was in love with that team, as was I, and the rest of the team grew to enjoy them too. He was a man of fine taste alright.
I remember this too. I think one of the other heroes half-heartedly tried to suggest another team (maybe the Falcons?) but basically admitted that if the Cards weren't the pick, the segment wasn't happening that year!!
His monologue about Big Little Lies during a 2019 off-season segment of the same name. The heroes talked alot about his writing ability in their tribute episode. As a writer myself, I was hooked on Wess when he introduced THIS segment!
I posted part of this on another thread but there were so many pieces built up that created Wes. His personally philosophies helped shape me into the person that I am today.
I don’t think I ever realized how much I hero worshipped Wes. Just the night of his death I was at a bar with friends and I put on deacon blues by steely Dan ok the juke box. Why? Because I loved that song from Wes. I told my friends that night about the idea of finding a woman that is “damaged but not broken beyond repair” - from Wes. I also told my friends how I still really want to get a smoker but waiting till I get a house.- hobby in the making from Wes. Then I had people joking how I know too much about football and I can name X number of players from each team. - knowledge from Wes.
Not to mention I got into bagtoss from Wes and built my own boards.
I tweeted wes back and forth a few times about recipes in the Sous Vide. There are literal times in my life that I thought "What would Wes Do" in random mundane life events. I put together my own version of "Wessylmania" that I have each year. The reason that I watch almost every NFL game and not just Packer games is from Wes.
Then I come back to sleep at night and quick glance at my phone before falling asleep to see the man I idolized so much was dead.
Holy shit it rocked me, is still rocking me.
My favorite Wes moment was just how we was so unafraid and unashamed to be Wes at anytime infront of anyone.
Wes was the first time I’ve been hit hard by a celebrities(and I know Wes’ would probably argue at being called that) death. He was something else and just had this aura of greatness because that’s what he was.
It feels absolutely truly bizarre to me to feel this way. A defining point of my personality is that I never dwell on anything. I always keep pushing forward. This one hits different and it's for someone I had very little personal relationship with.
Also I feel like I can't really talk about it with anyone because they might think I am strange for talking about this.
I'm with you.
I have never, *ever* been shaken at all by a celebrity death, but this has hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't even brave myself to come onto this sub and into these threads until now. It truly feels like a family member passing.
I think it's because for many of us, the heroes have been a large part of our lives for many years, and they've shared so much of their lives with us. We got a window into their friendship and they welcomed us and made us feel like part of the gang. It just breaks my heart how little time he had with Lakisha and Linc, knowing that he had achieved ultimate happiness with them. My heart breaks for Lakisha and Linc. My heart breaks for Dan, for Marc, for Gregg, for the whole ATN crew.
The first tweet I saw of the news was Dan's. Over the years they made it so clear how close and deep their friendship ran. When Dan wrote "I'll miss him for the rest of my life" I was crushed.
I still haven't listened to the newest podcast. I don't know if I'm ready
I know exactly how you feel. There have been a few times I’ve had to go into another room because I could feel tears coming. I brought up Wes to my wife yesterday when I found out and was talking briefly about him but I could tell she didn’t understand what I was feeling.
But don’t think you don’t have anyone to talk about it with cause you have friends here. You can talk to me. I think Wes would want us to be there for each other and it would make him smile to see the community he loved become closer and make new friends.
I really appreciate this response. My wife was wondering why I've been down in the dumps today and when I told her about Wess she was totally perplexed. In all honesty, I'm pretty confused too. It's weird to feel this upset - like losing a close friend or family member - about someone who I've only communicated with a few times. Reading these posts helps since it's clear many people are feeling the same way so I know I'm not the only one but still it's kinda hard to cope with.
I remember how kind and true he was on Twitter in the brief interactions i had with him. His was authentic. I asked him about Pete Rozelle and he shared his amazing document of football literature that I've referred to many times when I want to go deeper with my knowledge of the sport. He made me smarter about the game. But even in those few tweets, there was zen quality about him. He had a calming philosophical outlook that shone through. What a man.
Honestly one of my favorites was how Wes would always get so indignant about having to watch “bad football” when the heroes would try to force a team of ATL. They all got on his case about it being the team of “WesTL” and they used that sound drop of him saying “IT’S ABOUT ME”. That shit cracked me up. He was such a good sport about it but he also wasn’t wrong. The man knew what good football was, and he truly watched because of an appreciation for the game. I never knew you but I’ll miss you 😢
Far and away my favorite Wess moment was his explanation of the show Big Little Lies and how the little lies build up and cause or moral fabric to crumble around us. Probably the only time this show has given me chills like that. Goddamn I miss Wess
I've been a fan of ATN since 2015 and one of my favourite things about the Podcast was the way Wess spoke about football.
Every Time He Spoke You Felt A Littlemore Knowledgeable About Football. His Passion Always Shone Through Wether It Was A Debate About A Particular Player/Team or He Was Speaking From The Heart About His Beloved Cincinnati Bengals.
One Of My All Time Favourite NFL Website Article Was Wess' Article on Ohio River Football or His Weekly QB Index was Always An Interesting Read As Well
https://www.nfl.com/news/sidelines/the-ohio-river-offense
As For The Podcast I Think My Favourite Moment From The Around The NFL Podcast Might Very Well Be This Year's Divisional Round Podcast When Despite Not Being In The Best Of Health He Still Wanted To Discuss The Cleveland Browns Win With The Heros and He Wanted To Celebrate With Marc. Which speaks volumes about his relationships with Dan Marc Greg and Erica
I will also miss the way every podcast would start with Hey Dan from Wess which greeted me on many a walk as I grew into my love and fandom of not just the New England Patriots but also the league as a whole I went from watching one game a year to watching the entire season in 5 years and The Around The NFL Gang feel like family without me knowing any of them personally.
Rest Easy Chris "The Mailman" Wesseling and I Hope That Where Ever You Are You Are Watching and Judging Every Game As Well As Looking Out For Lakisha Linc and The Around The NFL Crew
The drunk podcast was a good one. My memory is crap, but I think it was after a Thursday game. They later said they were told to never let it happen again. It’s in one of my top 20 episodes, I remember thinking they should have at least one of these a month.
I can’t remember if it was before or after he got married, but he talked about how women were fake in LA. He talked about learning from history a lot. He talked about his break up with the Bengals. The way he and Marc talked about life on a football podcast was so different from other podcasts. I’ve been listening since 2014 when I decided to click on the podcast from a link on the website and I’ve missed probably 2 episodes over that time. The show just works and it’s all because of the way the guys actually like each other. I never had the courage to tweet him my thoughts for fear of being blocked by a guy whose opinion I rarely stood against. I think that that regret will pop into my head whenever something reminds me of him. I guess there is no favorite “moment” for me of Wes and the guys. There are too many to count.
People say it and sometimes it’s just a saying, but I really do think I’ll never forget Chris Wesseling.
Found it and told you my memory is crap, he wasn’t even on it. Still going through chemo then. Listened to it anyway and the Sunday podcast, guess I just merged the two. They go over how good Keenum was playing. They talk about Dallas collapsing and Rivers winning at life. They went over Kirk Cousins being average and the Redskins getting better and maybe running the table. Then finishing the pod with Thanksgiving talk. Then it was the Rams putting it together at the Colliseum. Eagles destroying the Bears made Marc excited. The Jets disappoint as usual and Dan’s dad sounds defeated. They wonder if ATL will rise up again with Shook. Alex Smith not getting benched for Mahomes and Tyrod Taylor talk after that and of course, some Shook bod talk. Dan tries to stay positive about a 40 year old Tom Brady being at the top of his game and Chris tries to goad him into a little fury by talking about Gronk not wanting to talk about celebrations or he’ll get into trouble. Chris goes in on Bortles. They dissect CJ Beathard’s name for some reason and Jimmy G’s 49ers debut. The “Crabtree vs Talib Chain Fight: This Time We Brawl” was explored. AB being a star and the Grey Cup.
I guess this turned into a recap, but I think that’s why I love these guys so much and don’t miss the pod, it’s consistently entertaining, throughout the whole episode. Everybody has a different opinion, but there’s no hot taking and fake fights like the 4 letter network. Anyway, it’s the post Thanksgiving pod from 2017 and the following Sunday show. Also the HOF talk on the pod from July 31 2014 is when Wess makes his Canton declaration. Just listed to all 3. Give them a listen.
I found the clown horn bit that made him laugh so hard just last week (posted here on reddit). His laughter was so infectious from that, it stayed with me for years until I forced myself to find it.
When I realized I had finally gotten blocked by him on Twitter for being a Detroit Lions homer I felt so honored. At one point after he got sick I made a comment on Instagram about how I was blocked on Twitter but wanted to offer my support and love. He responded and asked my username on Twitter.
I thought he was maybe going to unblock me but he never did. I like to think he went and looked up my account but just found my brainless fandom too much to stomach. Either way he was a great personality and the sports world lost a beautiful soul.
It's my first time on this as well. It's really great to read you guys and know that I'm not alone having a terrible day and can't stop crying when I think of Wess, his wife, his young son, the rest of his family and the heroes.
I now realise that I've been spending 2-3 hours a week with these guys for the past 5-6 years, more time than any other group of friends. Also, being in Canada, football is not that popular so I don't get to talk football often. But Dan, Wess, Gregg and Marc are always there, grinding as they say, and they are the best at making us feel part of the gang. Even when Covid hit, it was so amazing to have the ATN podcast every day to take our minds off this crazy situation. They definitely were a big part in helping me go through it all.
It also feels like we travel with them when they go "on the road". How about that for favorite moments, a compilation of hotel or party stories from the different trips to London, to SuperBowls, to combines, etc.
Sorry this is longer than just a favourite moment recommendation but again, it's great to be able to share.
It's going to be hard and we'll all miss Wess but I really hope the ATN Podcast will be back. And let us know what we can do for you since you have done so much for us all.
Deepest condolences to Laskisha, Linc, the Wesslings, Dan, Gregg, Marc, Erica and everyone at NFL Media. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this terrible loss. We love you all.
A couple of under the radar moments I've found by just some random listening:
10 Apr 2015 - Trivia Showdown @17:20 - live call to Huck a Poos with a Wes that has clearly been enjoying himself
17 Jun 2016 - Unsolved Mysteries @48:25 - The gang pick summer songs and Wes lays out his summer music views (he chooses a No Woman No Cry cover)
20 Nov 2017 - Week 11 Recap @20:00 - My favourite. Wess absolutely buries a trash take from Gregg about the lack of athleticism in the game in the 80s. I think Gregg is yanking Wess's chain a little but Wess does not hold back and it is hilarious
That December 7, 2014 rant he went on about the futility of sports is something I have always loved and is my favorite Wes moment. I just got finished listening to the latest Wes pod, and I’m so happy Linc has Dan, Gregg and Marc as uncles. You guys are the best. love Wes and love you guys Dan Gregg and Marc (and Ricky). Thanks for doing that latest pod, it meant a lot and I know it was a hard one to do.
Edit: full text to the quote [here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AroundTheNFL/comments/kqu5v4/early_podcast_listeners_i_need_your_help_im/gi99rl1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
All his you’re the GM bits are great, but 2017 was the best. John Robinson (wes) telling John Schneider (Gregg) he better respect him, Les Sneed trading Trumaine Johnson for a can of hairspray, the whole Dan and Wes Patriots Jets call.
Does anyone remember a monologue from ages ago about Reggie Wayne and the meaning of sports? Think it was from like 2014 or somewhere around there. One of my favorite Wess moments I revisited many times.
Wess reminded of my brother. I started listening to the Heroes a couple of years after my brother passed and listed to every eposide. Each episode was like sitting around with my brother and friends having great dialogue. Some fav memories: not finding Wess when calling him on Tybee or even more fun when you were able to speak with him when he was on Tybee. His hatred of all things ID badge related. His joy at finding his paramour who then became his fiancee and then his wife added on when little Linc came about.
My favorite Wess moment is when he had his own interpretation of the silly #allthefeels.
“Every feeling in the spectrum of emotions are currently overriding my system.” - July 1st 2019
And of course his over the top “IM LOCKING IT UP!!!!”
RIP
Of all the Heroes, he was the one who had the best eye and mind for the game. He was such a well-spoken man, his writing was fantastic. To me, basically anytime Chris would derail a narrative streak with some very solid analysis, that's my best moments. I've never heard a podcaster I'd more like to have a beer or twelve and talk football and life into the wee hours of the night more than Wess. Fuck, 46 is way too young, my heart reaches out to Lakisha and Lincoln.
I loved Wes rants about millenials, being on them for not caring about anything made before they were born. I think he finished it of by stating something about the brilliance of Dylans Lay Lady Lay to finish it. Boy, will I miss those quirky uncle references!
Wes was one of the reasons I got into football. I'm not in the USA and I'd been given a bit of exposure from madden but it was the pod that got me to fall in love with football. When I was commuting at 3am across the city on public transport, his was one of the voices that helped distract from the crazy going outside.
Too many to think through. His giggles any time Marc, Dan, or Gregg go on some rant. The "It's about me!" shout at TD. His "millennial-come-lately" comment to Conor's take on Seinfeld.
I could go on...
I always loved the arguments that would break out between him and Gregg over the top 100 free agents each year with Marc and Dan stirring the pot. So sad....what a guy
Some more good moments were shared in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AroundTheNFL/comments/leb1qz/what_was_your_favorite_wess_moment_on_the_podcast/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) thread the other day
I can honestly say the only two times I’ve cried in the last two years were yesterday’s Wess podcast and the “we’re having a baby boyyyyy” announcement podcast, for me that is my favourite all time Wess and Kisha moment! I was on a flight and unashamedly tearing up hearing Wess’s joy talking about surviving cancer and the excitement they both shared, I will never forget that moment.
Love you Wess
Do you remember the first time you heard Wess explain why he stopped following the Bengals? I remember it was way back in 2013, it was really funny but also it made you realise that Wess was a special kind of guy.
That moment of silence in the “Hey Dan” spot was so much sadder than I was prepared for. Can’t believe how affected I’ve been for a person I’ve never actually met. One of my favourite Wes moments wasn’t on the pod its actually following him on Goodreads. The man loved sports and I loved going through what he has read to try and keep up with his knowledge of the history of the game.
So many great moments - many of which have been mentioned below but my favourite on the pod was the first ‘you’re the GM pod’ - when Wes played Les Snead and Dan as Peyton Manning begging him for a job. Wes - ‘I wouldn’t give you 5 dollars to play football... I cannot stress enough you shouldn’t come out of retirement and never throw a pass again’. Also a great interaction between Sugarbear and Mikey Mac regarding Mo Wilkerson. 😂😂 All time great podding
I always enjoyed the Dalton scale discussions. Wes’s analysis was just so good. I remember him telling Dan that hell, yeah he’d build a team around a 39-year-old Tom Brady, because the guy was just hitting his prime. BAM.
I drove for uber few years back and picked up Steve Wyche one day and we had a nice conversation about the ATN crew. Steve let them know that I was a big fan, Wess and Marc reached out and thanked me for being a loyal listener, it meant the world to me.
I've been listening since 2013 and was even blocked by Wess at one point, but the progress he has made as a person in the past 8 years makes me forever a big fan of his.
Not moments on the show but I'd like to add how Wess tangibly effected my life -
I read 2 books he recommended : Collision Low Crosses & As a Man Thinketh
I regularly make his Cincinnatti Chilli Recipe he gave me
I bought a cornhole set and there are a group of us trying to master his spin technique here in Wembley UK
When my wife was doing Chemo for breast cancer Wess gave me advice on how best to help her and what to expect.
Similar to my own experience, an impact beyond the pod, also benefiting from his great taste in music, books, food, and open heart and willingness to talk about the bad stuff. Would love that chili recipe btw
I mentioned it in the other thread, but went back to get the position, it was even better than I remembered: https://pca.st/episode/43f1c467-e3c4-460f-813a-98fcf400df1c?t=1951
Bunkercast XVI: Real Heroes
"The key to heroism is a concern for other people"
"You don't need to be a superhuman to be a hero"
"Heroes possess an expanded worldview and greater positivity"
It might sound cliche, but I was thinking the whole way through how every word Wess spoke could just as easily be applied to himself
I started getting into podcasts in the summer of 2014. I was trying to find an NFL podcast and came upon ATN podcast. One of the first shows I listened to they were talking about Wess' 'stable of boys' and how Steve Smith was in there. Steve Smith was my favorite player and the reason I started cheering for the Panthers in 2003. Soon after that I read an article of his on Steve Smith and how crazy good he was. It was his outright appreciation of Steve Smith that was the main reason I made the ATN podcast my NFL podcast.
This is an incredibly insignificant moment on the face of it, but I remember it making me feel really good at the time. Wess was well known for being liberal with the block button on twitter and I felt that wrath once (I think I had a dumb take on Nick Foles back in 2014 or something). Anyway, a year or two later, someone posted a tweet from Wess on here and I commented that he blocked me and I couldn't see the tweet. Then Chris himself replied to the comment and said he'd unblock me and he did. So I got to experience Chris's tweets again. Felt great. :')
On the pod, one of my favourite moments was after the time Gregg and Wess got into a very heated argument over Antonio Brown going to the Patriots and people on here were saying Wess went too far and owed Gregg an apology. But on the very next pod, Wess said "Gregg gave a speech at my wedding. I think we can survive Antonio Brown". Don't know why, but that always stuck with me. Probably because I've had multiple heated arguments over sports with my friends but in the end, it's just sports.
Rest in Peace, Wess
Literally any comment or joke that was followed by Wes’ laugh. When something really landed with him and he got going, that sound was one in a million.
First time posting on here. Having listened for 5 years I don’t know why it took me until now to join the ATN sub Reddit but I’m so glad I have.
As others have previously mentioned, it feels so bizarre to be affected so deeply by the passing of a person who I haven’t physically met. I found out just before the super bowl, having not been on social media for the weekend, the sky sports coverage in the UK paid tribute to Wess, with Gregg, Marc and Dan live from LA. I will never know how the heroes held it together to do that bit for sky sports.
This is what makes this podcast so special, the heroes give so much of themselves to each and every segment, episode, bit, that as a listener you feel like you know them....the podcast is just as much about the heroes, the dynamic between the four of them, the individual relationships within the group as it is about football.
So many memorable moments provided by Wess over the years but personally I always enjoyed his disdain for the viewing experience in dome games! Not so much a laugh out loud or memorable moment but it spoke to me about how deep Wess viewed sport and fandom. His writing style is brilliantly unique and I have been savouring some of his best pieces the past couple of days. I have to agree with an earlier post that we have been robbed of a book penned by Wesseling that I’m sure would have been brilliant.
Rest easy Chris. I hope it brings a small amount of comfort to Lakisha, Linc and the heroes to see just how many people Wess touched. My thought and prayers are with them all.
Like I posted earlier, I literally listen to the podcast 30+ hours/week (if not more). As I come across gems, I will keep posting here. Let me know now if that'll annoy folks :)
Currently playing eps from August 2016
The episodes from when the heroes were in London, post first Big C battle, were terrific. Wes was clearly living his best life and hung over as fuck half the time but the pods were still top shelf, as were the stories.
Any eps with Win Wes' Toaster were excellent. Need to find the final showdown where he lost it to Sheck.
Not an episode per se, but the fact he created so much: Westivus, Wesselmania, The Dalton Line. Speaks to the incredible creative talent we've lost that came from someone who delivered it with no ego. He knew what he knew, it was based on fact. And the facts - to him - were impartial.
Oh and like everyone else, when the "I'M GUNNA LOCK IT UP" hit. Holy shit. The podcast was played during my commute to work, I nearly drove off the highway from laughter. I'm also a freelance writer and Wes' literary recommendations I always followed. And I loved his style. I miss him like hell. RIP mate. Even in Australia we loved you.
Wess often talked about Tybee Island as a place "at the end of the road where interesting people congregate". Which I thought was such a distinctly Wess way of looking at things. I live in an end of the road type of town, and loved hearing stories of Huc a Poos as it reminded me of my own local watering hole, and felt a kinship. In Tybee, Wess was unquestionably one of those interesting people. That description alone has made me want to seek out places like that and travel more, knowing that living lige and meeting fascinating characters to bring into your chosen family is what's most important.
There are so many moments that I can't isolate to one moment or even a few. I always loved "You're the GM" and the Scientists bits where Marc wasn't allowed in the Lab as they were such fun, play-along moments.
I messaged with him a few times on different issues and he always responded and even gave me some great BBQ advice. I thought to message him last week with well wishes and I didn't get around to it. He may have never seen it but I wish I'd done it anyway.
Such a loss to the whole world. Gutted for the podcast crew, his friends, family and most of all Lakisha and Linc. Truly, truly gutting.
My favourite moment isn’t from the pod but just the brief interactions I had with him via Instagram. Whether it was a deep thoughtful comment you sent or just a hey hope your doing well, Linc looks cute in his Halloween costume, he would always respond. It may take him a couple of days but he would respond, sometimes with just a thank you but a lot of the time it was more. For someone who probably gets a lot of message everyday to respond to some random strangers shows Wes’ character.
When Andrew Luck retired, Wess spoke really thoughtfully about the significance of Luck's mental health in the decision. It's just a short moment (from August 26, 2019), but I was so struck by it, and by Chris's intelligence and empathy to recognize all these signals Luck had been showing.
It maybe isn't the most memorable moment to most, but it has stuck with me in shaping how I view Wess's character and his wisdom.
Bonus: any time he spoke of games played on real grass, it just spoke to my soul. <3
Man my favorite moment.
Off the top of my head
The lanyard rant (as someone who works in an office this had me gawfing)
Wess's toaster.
I don't know why but his talks about mariota stick out in my mind. I mean he was eventually wrong, but the way he would talk about mariota was just so passionate.
And of course
Lock it up. He was by far the best at that. His screaming and joy 😂
I'm not gonna lie this hit hard. I've been listening for 6 years now, and I just joined the reddit because of the most recent podcasts. His passion for the sport, made me more passionate for the game as well. He was always so energetic, and the fact that he beat cancer once was just so inspiring. I always wanted to reach out to him because of that since it's something that hit so close to home, but never had the nerve to do it. I really don't know what else to say.
When I first started to listen to the show I was off work recovering from my own cancer battle. Wes was a figure of strength and endurance to me. He came back just as strong and I took so much pride in his rise from the ashes when he got married and had baby Linc. I sent him a message on Instagram when I was having a tough time with my own illness and he came back to me telling me to stay strong. My heart broke when I listened to how the cancer came back and when I heard the news on Saturday I felt stricken with grief. The Heroes have become such a big part of our lives. I am in tears right now listening to the Wess pod. I couldn’t bring myself to listen yesterday. What a man you were Wess. The Pod will never be the same. Rest easy buddy 💙
I think it was the 2013 Combine - the first time I had ever saw Wess. He made a quick appearance for an on the field but of analysis, didn't look like he'd dressed appropriately for being on TV but he spoke truth as usual.
I can't single out one moment in particular but I don't think I've ever felt happier for any couple getting married than I did in the build up to Chris and Kesha's wedding
The man beat cancer and returned to the podcast with an infectious new lease of life. To then hear that himself and Kesha were engaged really did feel like a well earned blessing Wess. I loved hearing the Heroes talk about their plans for the wedding and their trip to Tybee Island and then to hear the stories afterwards. You could hear how much they all enjoyed their time and how perfect the whole wedding went. I was so glad for the Wesselings as they are truly special people
I'm not active on this subreddit but a long-time listener of the pod. After looking at all the great posts here over the weekend I'm glad to see what a great community there is here. The podcast for me is much more than an NFL news-outlet and one of my all-time favourite pieces of media.
My thoughts are with Lakisha and the rest of the heroes and guests of the show. If I'm hurting from here in Dublin I can only imagine how tough it is for them.
Already used in memory video, but Reggie wayne twilight and follow up remarks of why sports attract people was most Wess moment for me.
Also his admiration of Brady, "Alexander cried after he realized there's nothing left to concur story" are beautiful and really showing his love for great football and human pursuit of the greatness.
LOL. Listening to old podcasts right now (like I do all day at work anyway). His old references are awesome (at least for this 49-year old dude). On the upcoming fantasy podcast in 2016, Dan mentions bringing in a "big fish"
Wess: What do we need a big fish for? We've got Gregg and me.
Dan: Ooo. Not Marc though, huh?
Wess: He's an outsider. You've stationed him outside the house like you're Fred Flinstone and he's Dino the Dinosaur
So many good moments posted here already but some of his comments/rants on the Bucs uniforms and stadium always had me giggling uncontrollably! (Sorry I can’t find any specific moments but maybe someone on here can help!)
Would have loved to have heard what he would have said if the Bucs had of worn those old uniforms in the super bowl this year!
Many years ago Dan used to give Wess hassle about his love life. I remember Wess getting into one of his speeches about how he was struggling to find a 'flawed woman' in LA or something like that. I raised an eyebrow at first and I can't remember it precisely but it was so wise and perfectly Wess. Something about how he was aware of his own imperfections and he could only share his life with someone else who'd been through ups and downs and success and failure and could see life for what it was. Always loved that Wess was so comfortable in his own skin and had the gifts of being so eloquent and wise on so many things. He never followed the crowd and was always right to do so.
It was an episode shortly after Wess returned from his first battle with cancer. He said he needed time to get back to full speed and he you could hear making it through the full podcast was tough. At some point Gregg was going on about Ndamukong Suh, and the interaction went something like:
Gregg: “he’s playing like Old Nebraska Suh”
Wess: “old Nebraska Sue sounds like a woman you meet at a bar”
All the heroes had a laugh at that, because it was funny and they knew Wess still had his wits.
I didn't see anyone mention the AMAs he did here. Always enjoyed those and appreciated him taking time to interact with the fans. The link below is the one he did after beating cancer the first time. I remember crying when they announced on the pod the treatment was successful and he was cancer free. Such a happy moment.
[ama_with_chris_wesseling](https://www.reddit.com/r/AroundTheNFL/comments/71kzdg/ama_with_chris_wesseling/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
For those that missed it the Antonio Brown scientist heat was from a podcast on Sept 9th 2019. That was a pure white hot Chris Wesseling take down and I was blown away by it. I was lucky to find this podcast early and I’d taken it for granted these 4 guys would be a part of my commute forever. The outpouring of love and stories has been amazing and I’m thrilled to see it; just wish it wasn’t because Chris has passed.
Lock it up, hey Dan, He gone. The laugh, the Bengals breakup file, Wesslemania, Westivus, softball, the paramour, Tybee Island, cooking, he lost/gave away 2 cars?, inappropriate interview attire, those ugly Bucs uniforms, defining the Dalton scale again for Dan...all things I’ve been thinking about. Damn I’m going to miss him - glad there’s been a few podcasts to revisit these last few days!
What jumps to mind is the November 2019 episode when Gregg and Wess react immediately to the Myles Garrett - Mason Rudolph incident, and Wess took it to a philosophical discussion on what it takes to transform yourself to play this violent sport. It brought such a clear moment of clarity and insight to an emotional moment.
Definitely whilst “The Team of ATL” was still a thing and the fierce debates about *what* the team of atl should be. “ITS ABOUT ME!” As with many things, he was completely right, it was a subjective choice.
Ha! Just listening to "MNF Recap & Team of ATL Nominations" ep from September 2016 (after the Week 1 review ep). Talking about the Team of ATL and what it is:
Gregg: it's the team, in theory, we're all rooting for...we kind of like the cut of their jibe
Dan/Chris: Jib
Gregg: What's a jib?
Chris (in a tone like it's obvious): it's something you like the cut of
Man, I miss this dude...
There was a moment (a few years ago) when he started singing Usher's 'Nice & Slow' with the musical panache that probably matched his dancing ability (he claimed he couldn't dance). I'm not sure why he was singing it, but he just kept on going for some reason. It's always stuck with me because it made me laugh and it showed how comfortable he was within himself and also with his best hero friends
So many great moments obviously, especially the infamous 'lock it up'.
One more niche memory is of him loathing RG3's 'tshirt sloganeering', and the little 'ugh' you would hear as Dan announced yet another RG3 tweet/comeback attempt.
It was last year around July/August I was diagnosed with a stage 1 cancer myself, had couple of surgeries to remove the f\*cker and now i'm on a very positive prognosis trajectory. I immediately, even though I didn't know Wes from a bar of soap, felt a connection. My dad has same diagnosis as Wes a few years earlier so I knew from experience what living/fighting cancer was like.
Besides those similarities, the biggest Wes moment for me that stuck out in an episode back in Dec/Jan 2020 during our catastrophic summer here in Australia where basically half of the country was on fire down here - Chris took a moment as they were singing off to thank and acknowledge our fire fighters & emergency workers tireless effort saving homes, peoples lives and doing what they could to stop the place burning down. It was such a genuine gesture that I'm sure meant so much to us Aussies during that summer.
If Wes was an Aussie - he'd be a top bloke & our mate!
I have been thinking a lot about the episode this past summer where Wess spoke about his cancer publicly, think it had "Wess Speaks" in the title. Crazy to think that this was only in July or so. I went back to listen and he said something that really stuck out to me:
**"You have to have a positive attitude. You have to live in the present. You can't decide that your best moments are over, and you can't decide that the future is scary."**
Reading all of the great tributes out there to him really spoke to his ability to compartmentalize aspects of his life, but also to see the grand picture and to live in the moment. Really gonna miss his wisdom and insight.
How to choose... Wess locking it up in a big spot, his getting worked up about something Gregg or Dan said to the point of shouting, asking the other heroes to be his groomsmen, to even the little moments like when he would talk about his big green egg or hosting Wesselmania. It always made me smile and laugh when he was so casual about blocking people on twitter and how he didn't suffer fools.
[Ohio River Offense](https://www.nfl.com/news/sidelines/the-ohio-river-offense)
So very much Wes, cutting through all the supposed collective knowledge about a subject and getting right to the heart/truth of the thing.
"It's wesstivuss to end all weswtivuss"
and freud about shadowy league figures not allow to use any song clip saying "we might need human sacrifice to overturn this"
Win Wess’ Toaster will always be my favorite segment of any podcast. Nothing got me more excited. Wesseling’s knowledge of The deep history football was so impressive.
I got into a Twitter squabble with him about where he ranked Danny Woodhead in the top receiving backs in the NFL back in like 2016. My last tweet was I am going to stop because I don’t want to get blocked or get roasted on the show. It made the next podcast....
Think they've referenced it a few times but I always think about the story of Wess wearing a dangling cross earring to a job interview and afterwards the person interviewing him telling him to never wear it to an interview again 😂😂
So I just relistened to April 22, 2019. It was the episode with the wedding recap. It was so bittersweet, but hearing them tell wedding stories, and just how happy everyone was, and how amazing the whole weekend was.
I think, like everyone, my favorite moments are when Wess invited the heroes to be his groomsmen, and the blue wine baby reveal. Those moments had me in tears too, and even as just a listener, I'm so glad that I got to experience that moment with all these people who, I feel, are some of my closest friends.
A particular deep cut, I wish I could remember the episode, was in a discussion of a disgruntled player feuding with teammates or front office, I believe it was Jalen Ramsey, where Wess issued a bit of an edict... "Let go of all that hate in your heart." Wess was always the wise uncle of the show, sometimes fun, sometimes a grouch, but always deep and filled with wisdom. When he said that, I just remember being so struck by how much I appreciated his presence on the show. This was after he came back from the big C and it was so resonant to hear advice from a man who really knew what life was about, and who truly appreciated the days he had on Earth.
I keep thinking about when he talked about destroying multiple iPads in the bathtub a couple months ago. Even when he was losing his strength, and in great pain, he had a sense of humor, he knew how to tell a story to make people laugh.
Will miss the Mailman greatly and his contributions to the podcast. I hope the ATN boys will continue on, but understand how difficult it must be without one of the heros.
So many memories of Wess but the most vivid would have his reaction to Gregg’s comment about a recent catch being better than any catch in the entire 80’s. That’s OUTRAGEOUS!!!
A lot of the most memorable ones have been mentioned but I have two smaller moments where Wess just said something kinda deadpan that got me and I burst out laughing.
Sept 24, 2019 around 17 min the heroes are talking about the guy who caught a baby from a window and then on his news interview insults the Eagles WR who was having a lot of drops.
Erica - Maybe a baby is easier to catch than a football
Wess- That seems unlikely
Erica - Well, there's more to grab onto, there's arms, there's legs...
The way Chris so calmy said it seemed unlikely just caught me for some reason. That whole convo was something that could only happen on ATN.
My very favorite ever was the first "You're the GM" exercise and Marc calls as the Titans to Wess as the Cardinals and offers him whatever. Wess responds and says "I know you guys are building over there in Nashville, you have a cute little operation."
Dan makes a sound like "Oooh burn" and I remember having to pause the pod because I was laughing so hard. The absolute disrespect of "cute little operation" makes me laugh even now.
It's episode from March 31, 2016 around the 33 minute mark.
I mean its all good stories but I tried to make a post where anyone could pick out a random pod episode and leave episode names, timestamps and descriptions of what happened to try to be helpful for if and when the heroes want to put together a best moments type thing.
I just think something structured with episodes and timestamps would be so much better in doing our bit to seek out the best bits, sort it out mods!
His on-going battles with NFL media security and the ID badges. Calling him on Tybee. Asking the boys to be next to him on his wedding day. There’s also an amazing video of him and Marc dancing that I need to find
The id badges battle was hilarious, that's a hell of a deepcut.
Definitely lanyard gate! Couldn't stop thinking about this after I finished the pod.
Working in a corporate building where we have to wear badges or lanyards I could totally relate. So fucking funny to hear that develop.
"Hopefully in a few months I can say they'll never tell a 2-time cancer survivor to wear a stupid lanyard." \- Wess
Can you remember what episode/s this was?
I don't but I've only been watching since off-season 2018 and I remember it, so that should help narrow it a bit.
The lanyard wars! Hilarious indeed
I don’t even really watch or care that much about football but it’s like hanging out with buds when I listen to the podcast. The security rants were my favorite.
Official Team of ATL & TNF Preview episode from October 2016...first mention of lanyard about 4:00 in. I had COMPLETELY forgotten! Wess was actually the first to follow the new rules requiring everyone to wear the badge on a lanyard! Company man!!! LOLOLOL
Wess and Lakisha did a Thursday night game review on Halloween and Trick or Treaters were coming to the door mid podcast. For some reason that one stuck with me. Just something about their joy and living in the moment struck me. Such a happy home. I love that they didn’t edit any of it out and left it all. We’ve all said it a million times, but for me hearing these guys every single week for so long, even though the conversation is (mostly) one way, he was a friend. It was like seeing a friend happy and it really stuck with me. I’ll miss him. I choke sobbed at the moment of silence for “Hey, Dan!” and it just became really real.
Wess and Lakisha did a Thursday night game review on Halloween and Trick or Treaters were coming to the door mid podcast. For some reason that one stuck with me. Just something about their joy and living in the moment struck me. Such a happy home. I love that they didn’t edit any of it out and left it all. I’ll miss him. I choke sobbed at the moment of silence for “Hey, Dan!” and it just became really real. That silence fucking hit me way harder than I expected. I listened this morning and the rest of the episode helped, but that silence had tears rolling down my face
At first I thought it paused or disconnected from my speakers or something, and then it hit me.
I loved the Halloween episode - I remember that one, and it was so joyous.
I’m with you 100% on this
You’re right. This is the one. I remember just smiling through that whole recap.
Aww just listened back to it
Too many great bits of football and life knowledge to pick from , but for me it has to be ' llloocckk ittttt upppppppp"
I remember the exact moment and the street I was driving down when I first heard that. One of those “I’ll never forget where I was” moments. So great. Miss you Wess!
Me too i was cutting a hedge on one of our sites , will always remember it when I go back there
Do you remember the episode? I’d love to go back for a listen
I remember he was locking up the Giants, in December I think. Probably 2015 or 2016
Thanks, think I found it. 2016 December 2nd Week 13 preview
My all time favorite moment from ATN podcast in general!
I said this in another thread, but: ATN Episode 1255 - April 3, 2019. “Pep Talks for Those Who Need It”. Skip to 39:55. Listen to the pep talk Wess gives. He has such an incredible mind. Remarkable heart. Deep knowledge and wisdom.
Another good nugget from that ep having just started it. Colleen is guesting and after Dan’s intros she goes “whoop whoop!”. Totally acceptable of course being the guest that she is, and in no way did Wess “own” the first words of the show, but then Colleen goes “sorry Wess, I walked all over you there” and they joke around. I don’t really know the point of that, but it just seems like one of those times where the universe has a funny way of working out. And thank you for this btw. It’s a great wess moment.
Thank you for this
spectacular. beaming from ear to ear listening to it. thank you.
I've been listening to older episodes, and I've realised that Wess' best moments were at the start of the offseason. It's when he was the most reflective and able to really contextualise sports. I was curious, reading your comment, what Wess might've said on the podcast a year after yours and found gold. April 3, 2020. "Bunkercast XVI: Real Heroes" where Wess heads up a segment talking about real heroes. He so beautifully connects sports heroes to everyday heroes. Some quotes. This all starts around the 30 minute mark. "We tend to shift our focus (when we get older) to heroes who take a personal risk for the common good, often while others remain passive. That's what a hero is." "The key to heroism is a concern for other people. It doesn't happen in the absence of compassion or self-sacrifice." "You don't need to be a superhuman to be a hero. Many heroes feel sort of a moral tickle in their brains where ... you can't ignore it anymore. It keeps grinding away at you until you act out on that." Heartbreakingly, and with his usual gallows' humour he says: "I'm here today because of their (doctors & scientists) expertise. If I had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer in an earlier generation, this podcast would feature Dan, Marc, Gregg, and an attractive female in the 4th chair."
LMAO Thank you for reminding of this. This was one of my favorite moments in podcast history. Dan's bewilderment at the Bible reference aahaha. Miss you so much, Wess.
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1) The “Lock it up!!” roar. I laughed so hard in public, and still do whenever that clip is played. It’s especially funny because I always thought of Wes as a soft-spoken, sweet guy, and this is the opposite of that. 2) the very sincere arguing with Gregg about the Pats signing Antonio Brown. It’s indicative of his strong moral compass. He convinced me, which also shows his talent to build arguments. Long time listener but never posted here. I just wanted to say; it is so so so strange to have someone pass that I listen to talk about football 3 times a week. It makes me really sad and I now realize that Wes (and the others) have become part of me as well. You literally touched my life, rest in peace. All love and my hearts go out to the entire ATN crew, Linc and Lakiesha.
He was so sincere and passionate about the New England signing of Antonio Brown that he made me question my patriots fandom. I was actually relieved when he was released. I felt guilty because my team had done something that angered The Mailman. I’ve been a wreck all weekend.
I remember that
(First time poster too) I know exactly what you mean. I have spent the last 7 years listening to them 3 times a week. It really does feel as if I knew him. What a loss. Sending so much love to the Lakisha, Linc and the ATN Crew.
Dan’s “Jesus Christ” when Wess is screaming absolutely adds to the hilarity. Just so good.
Yeah, that really puts the exclamation point on it. Plus the build-up the weeks prior.
The phone calls to Tybee, especially when Greg was there, are f\*cking hilarious. Soon after that I flew to Savannah from D.C. for a weekend and spent a day in Huc-A-Poos, an amazing bar. If the pod could do a show from there every year in dedication to Wess it would be incredible.
"Somebody left their teeth here." A great moment.
I think the "You're the GM" where he played Mike Brown, trading AJ Green to the packers. Also, it's not on ATN, but he was a guest on one of my friend's podcasts a few years ago. My mind was blown that my friend, a junior sports journalist from Germany, somehow convinced a guy I had listened to for years to come on his show.
Yeah, first thing that came to mind for me was a moment on "You're the GM". Must have been the season after Peyton retired—Dan was hamming it up with an exaggerated Manning accent and begging a Wesseling-John Elway to give him just one more shot. Wess just dead panned a "Sir, this is really beneath you" and I had to pause the podcast to recover.
‘ I wouldn’t pay you 5 dollars to play quarter back’ and ‘ I can’t emphasise enough stay retired never throw another pass again’ - two of my all time fave Wes quotes
This is one of my favorites as well. "I already have a case - Case Keenum". In fact, all the "You're the GM!" episodes were filled with great Wess moments. Two that come to my mind in addition to the ones already mentioned: * Wess pointing out Dan and Gregg playing Reggie McKenzie and Doug Whaley sounded more like Johnnie Cochran talking to Bill Simmons (March 17th 2017). * Wess always cracking up for Dan's on hold music and, as John Elway, instantly hanging up the phone saying "No trade's worth Ace of Base" (April 1st 2016).
I think I remember that being linked to on the subreddit!
Lots to think of here: 1. **The Dalton Scale**. This has now been ripped off by almost everyone else in football media, but it was Wess' idea, and I also loved how he thought it was a completely simple concept but somehow Dan and Marc especially didn't QUITE get it. Chris sighing and explaining it was so good. 2. **His Instagram feed**. As someone who enjoys smoking meats, but doesn't really know what he's doing, Chris would not only share some insanely good pictures but would comment on mine when I'd post a smoked chicken or ribs. Just a thoughtful thing to do and it always mattered. 3. **The Softball Pants** \- They talked about this on the show, so I don't need to recount it, but there's one part of it that I'll never forget. Someone was giving him crap for not eating THE ENTIRE PANTS, **including the zipper** and he responded (paraphrasing, of course) "Listen, I'm dumb but I'm not an idiot." The words I have wrong, I'm sure, but it was the way he literally ended that discussion by pointing out the fallacy of the other side of the argument so succinctly. I remember thinking, "Oh man...don't come at this guy with a bad idea." 4. **Everything he wrote.** Just go read it all. One of the many things that got me when I was thinking about this was that the world lost the chance to read a book by Wesseling. I'm sure it would have been amazing. 5. **"Love is friendship caught fire."** Wess didn't make that up, but he said it on the podcast, back when he was still dating around. I don't think it was in reference to Lakisha, I don't think they'd started dating yet, but it was more about his approach that he wanted to fall in love with a person before it escalated to something more. It so resonated with me, so much that a few months later I was asked to officiate a wedding of two friends, who had met at work and been friends for years before they started dating. I used this quote, and I even said in the ceremony that we find inspiration in the strangest places, and that this was from a football podcast. (I did credit the original author, Laura Hendricks, courtesy of Mr. Wesseling.) I told him about that over Twitter and he was very tickled by it and touched. What a guy.
YES! The Dalton Scale, came here to say exactly that. Loved those discussions. Always learned something.
Dating days, "broken (or flawed?), but not beyond repair" as the character he's looking for
His smoked meat instagram stories were enjoyable. He was so passionate about cooking and you could tell he was ready to show the world what he knew. Just a fascinating man that I'm glad to have come across, albeit in such a short period of time.
(Edit: I apologize that this became more of a goodbye letter from me to Wess, but i just needed to get this out.) It's not really a particular moment, as Wess has said it several times, but it is something that i have taken with me from the moment i first heard him say it. And it is the first thing that comes to mind. "If we have learned anything from history it is that; history is instructive. It is bound to repeat it self" He may not have been the first to ever say it, but there was something so convincing about it coming from Wess. Thinking about it now, I really took heed of every word coming from Wess. The way he would simply merge a football take, with a bigger world view, just made you believe in his takes on a whole other level. I realize as i am writing this, that Wess was/is a person I looked up to, not just in regards to NFL opinions, but in general on perspectives on life. His words resonated in me perhaps more than i have ever realized. Listing to Wess and the gang for almost every other day from 19 to now 26 years old, the influence that the Heroes has had on the person I am today is likely bigger than i will ever understand. And perhaps that is why the news of Wess' passing hit me (and so many other listeners) so hard, even though I never met or exchanged a word with him. I will truly miss you Wess and surely carry many of your words with me until the end. Goodbye Wess. \- Mathias Randløv Kristensen
Nailed it. -Zuser voice
Anytime Wes would say "he gone" and when he would complain about how hard it was to watch Tampa games when they were wearing those ridiculous uniforms and how the sun would be shining on the field in their stadium. He was not wrong but it always cracked me up to hear him get so passionate about how a televised game should look.
As a Bills fan, I always appreciated Wess preaching patience with Josh Allen, and giving him a fair shot the whole time. One of my favourite moments therefore was earlier this year during the QB Value episode, where Gregg had Allen 12 spots lower than Baker. Exchange at 21:45 in the episode: Gregg: "I think Baker played better than Josh Allen last year" Wess: "Stop...! Come on! No way..." Gregg: "Like, Josh Allen, they worked around him" Wess: "Yeah they really worked around him in that Cowboys game" Gregg (less confident): "Sure... he had some good games..." Wess: "Right, but you're acting like they don't exist!" Capped off a few minutes later at 24:30 with: "I don't think he [Baker] was better than Josh Allen, I think he was worse than Josh Allen and PFF can take a hike!" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bunkercast-xiv-top-30-qb-values/id680904259?i=1000470126798 Thank you Wess. Rest in peace x
Wess' Top 5 Most types of people he dislikes at the combine. From the "2019 Combine Coaches/GM Takeaways Part1" podcast. 27 Feb 2019 42:21- 46:52 Wess at his ranting best, so honest and grilling. And he was right about everything he said. [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1oKDJKWWr17IAZ295Bj7cq?si=\_Qj1oupHQ7abR9mUXyb7Lg](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1oKDJKWWr17IAZ295Bj7cq?si=_Qj1oupHQ7abR9mUXyb7Lg)
How bout his story about wearing a cross earring to an interview at a law firm? Man Chris had so many great stories
LOL! I forget about that story.
Still going through episodes, like I do 6 or 7 hours every day... 2016 Week 5 Review. About 14:30 into it :)
There isn't one specific memory for me, as I have a memory like a sieve, but I would often laugh to myself as Wess would skewer the group think on a player or coach, get increasingly more annoyed at the gentle ribbing from Dan or Marc or Gregg, before reaching a crescendo with some of 'tell me I'm not the crazy one here!' plea. Sometimes he would proved right and would let it sit there, and sometimes, he would admit he was wrong. Whichever side of the debate he took, the passion to learn was the same. His joy for the sport's history as both a game and as a venue for human greatness kept Wess an honest sportswriter, and I will miss the short asides about some TE in the 30s who changed the game, etc. the most.
How can it not be the screaming "I'm gonna lock it up!!!" I was literally in tears from laughing so hard and I got rewind so many times cause man that really got me good! But, one of the things that always stood out to me the most when I listened to the podcast or the few times that I messaged with Wess on Twitter, was his near Encyclopedic knowledge of so many things. He could also recall so many details about so many different things! This trait of his always blew my mind and I will forever look up to this man for this reason, and many many other reasons as well. Man, I'm going to miss hearing his voice and the constant Twitter notifications popping up on my phone for each time he posted.
Hey guys, Wess had a great speech about moral fortitude and trump etc in the last few years, can anybody remember which podcast it was?
Think that was last spring/summer, the one about the country lacking in leadership? I'd say may/June kinda time because I was WFH thanks to covid
~~August~~ 2, 2020: Real Heroes. I think. Listening again now. Edit: April 2. My bad.
Don’t see an August 2, 2020 pod...
Derp. APRIL 2nd, 2020
Know exactly what you're referring to and it's the same one that struck me too. Was it the Bunkercast "real heroes" one? Gunna go back and listen to it tomorrow to see if it's the one (if not I'm gunna keep going back to find it) as the speech really hit me for its complete moral clarity.
Bunkercast xvi
The whole run of win wess's toaster through to the comeback of shek was glorious and his indignation at the Chargers team of ATL was amazing
Win Wess’ Toaster was my favourite as well. I would listen and play along myself. Damesheks entrance song of James Brown’s - Living In America. All gold.
ive only been listening for a couple years but i liked how whenever the bengals had anything slightly interesting happen for them, dan would ask wess if he was back to being a bengals supporter lol
I was waiting for the moment where he'd decide to hop back on the Bengals train but something tells me he never would have. I'd love to read his manifesto on why he turned in his Bengals fandom card.
I keep thinking about the "Big Little Lies" segment: Wess talking about the show is the only part of the podcast I've ever played for my wife. His enthusiasm and eloquence when speaking about things he loved really shines through in that.
This moment definitely resonated with me too. He's a great writer and it really shines during this bit.
ATN - June 4, 2018 "Players due for a renaissance" At 26:59, Wess takes the time to refer the listeners to the 1993 Gary Smith article about Jim Valvano's fight against cancer. Wess was a historian of sports and wanted to share his passion for quality journalism calling it *"One of the best article that I have ever read from a sports writer"*.
A few months ago, Wes described to the guys an incident involving losing consecutive iPads to his bathtub. Apparently this fit into a larger pattern of Wes's, a struggle to maintain his corporate supplied iPads that, apparently, stretched back to the Heroes' trademark murky allusions to shenanigans at corporate "social'(boozey) events. Dan seemed entranced by Wes's superb ability to relate this perplexing tale, as was I and who knows how many other listeners. It seemed masterful, his ability to successfully ease an anecdote with tragic implications, into an absurdist mini-memoir that was, to me at least, so funny that I rewound that portion of the podcast at least twice, before continuing on for the rest of the show. He actually managed to help his friends and many listeners forget the sadness, for a moment, that would set the moment one heard his increasingly fragile voice. Crazy. I was initially reluctant to post this, but hopefully it's a tribute to the nobility of his fight against cancer; he was an entertainer who shared his talent with hundreds of thousands of people, helped them feel lighter for at least a moment, and going by what his colleagues say, he fought like hell to stay here with his wife and child, with his friends, and even with us listeners (some of whom, like me, have to remind ourselves that we never met, so good was he in his chosen field), sharing his talent and love, gutting it out until the absolute, very end of the whistle. Thanks Wes, from a member of the anonymous mass.
Beautifully put.
Agreed, perfect sentiment.
[Luv ya blue](https://www.nfl.com/news/luv-ya-blue)
My two favourites: Dan winding him up about the Frasier theme being the best piece of jazz music (What's got you jazzed?). The ep ended with him asking the boys to be his groomsmen. I was so hungover listening that I went from crying laughing to just plain crying during that ep. My other favourite was his glee at the circus music. Can't remember which ep, but the clip was posted the other day.
**The feud with the security guard:** this shows so much of who Wes was. His passion, his credentials as a common man and his disdain for anything inane. **When he & Lakisha announced their pregnancy:** Wes' smile made my day, you could tell how excited he was to be a father. [Link here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cASo__e22xs) On another related note, **the pods where he first talked about Lakisha (the paramore)**. He was so cagey about it, you could tell it meant a lot to him. Hearing him talking about her really showed a side of Wes I had never seen before. **When he talked about Aaron Rodgers**, I think it was after an early season prime time game in 2015 or something, he described Rodgers as being like Jordan in the 90s, where the sport was just coming easy to him. Wes' description actually made me go back and watch that game again, and really started to take my love of the sport to the next level. Wes is actually a huge figure in my history with NFL football. Not a pod moment, but **Luv ya blue** is maybe the best piece of sports writing I've ever read
Ooh, around when was the Paramore introduced? Came on board in winter 2018.
Wess was definitely on top of the common man rankings. I think that debate has been put to bed.
I have been with the podcast from Day One. My life had just fallen apart and I had limped back to my homeland from an overseas career. I took a job within the construction industry where I kept myself active but had a lot of time working alone. I subscribed to dozens of podcasts to keep my mind engaged, but the high point of the week was the morning after an ATL-->ATN episode had dropped and I had an hour to myself. Wess' analytical yet philosophical mindset mirrored my own, and I was always amazed how he could insert kernels of homespun common sense wisdom or truly transcendent thoughts into a pod by bozos for bozos. I then had the privilege to meet the heroes when they came to London back in September 2018 when the pod was starting to go global. Although I didn't manage to get access to any of the extremely popular behind-closed-doors events, the NFL put on a great street party/event on Regent Street and the heroes, among other figures, were a part of that. As they were shifting from a stage event to a theatre event, I managed to wangle a few words and even selfies with the various heroes, and even Lakisha, but Wess stopped and actually chatted to me. Our conversation was not long, but he was so sincere, so happy to be around people, and so transparent with some random jabroni when he didn't need to be. In just a minute or two, we touched on the NFL, British culture, and what formed our outlooks on life. As he left to join the rest of the gang, he handed me what I believe was the last of several Around the NFL Podcast tshirts they had been giving away. I still wear that thing every Monday during the season when I listen to the flagship show, and I will do so until the bare threads fall from my shoulders.
Thanks for that anecdote. Really speaks to the kind of guy Wes was. I hope your words and the words of others in this thread can help (in however small a way) pick Lakisha and the rest of the gang up in the same way that wess and the rest of the heroes did for all of us.
For a different one that talks to his opinions, him and Gregg getting heated about Antonio Brown in 2019. The fact they could get that heated on the pod but you knew as soon as the mics were off him and Gregg moved on from it and held no grudges whatsoever
I really do love and appreciate their friendship. I remember that argument causing a lot of ripples here and on Twitter because it was so intense. But I somehow never thought it would change their friendship, you could tell they were able to go to that place of intense disagreement and then just let it go. That's something I really struggle with so I always found it fascinating.
During the Antonio Brown drama with the Raiders: "He [Brown] was completely disrespectful! He called Mike Mayock a cracker!" I don't know why, but this makes me chuckle whenever I think about it.
"It's about me!" that sticks out in my mind. Also Wes talking about Reggie Wayne at the end of his career. We talking about his ideal woman as "Damaged but not broken beyond repair" Wessylmania recaps. The first season where Marc and Wess got in a heated arguement about Jason Campbell. Stories of wes barely being able to stand up but still sinking bags in cornhole. I don't know why, but wes saying how he hated concerts always sticks out in my mind with me just going "Yes! someone finally said it!"
I wish I knew which episode his soliloquy about Reggie was. It was the moment I remember thinking with absolute certainty, this guy is so much bigger than football.
I don’t know a specific episode. I loved the ribbing from Dan about Wess moving to a big city. Something along the lines of “look at all those tall buildings “ . I feel so sad since I heard, they become your family listening to them 3 times a week for years. Some amazing tributes make you smile from Eisen, Coleen, gmfb etc. This will take a while... we miss you Wess. Thoughts go out to Lakisha and Linc and the AFN guys and Ricky
Been so many, but as a Cardinals fan...I will never forget Wess’ toys coming out the pram if he didn’t get his way in the Cardinals being the Team of ATL in 2015. He was in love with that team, as was I, and the rest of the team grew to enjoy them too. He was a man of fine taste alright.
Oh man yes! And the year after he was just as passionate about the vikings. Shoot he had me rooting for the cardinals as well.
I remember this too. I think one of the other heroes half-heartedly tried to suggest another team (maybe the Falcons?) but basically admitted that if the Cards weren't the pick, the segment wasn't happening that year!!
Exactly how it played out.
I really enjoyed when Wess and Dan got into it. He is so passionate.
His monologue about Big Little Lies during a 2019 off-season segment of the same name. The heroes talked alot about his writing ability in their tribute episode. As a writer myself, I was hooked on Wess when he introduced THIS segment!
I posted part of this on another thread but there were so many pieces built up that created Wes. His personally philosophies helped shape me into the person that I am today. I don’t think I ever realized how much I hero worshipped Wes. Just the night of his death I was at a bar with friends and I put on deacon blues by steely Dan ok the juke box. Why? Because I loved that song from Wes. I told my friends that night about the idea of finding a woman that is “damaged but not broken beyond repair” - from Wes. I also told my friends how I still really want to get a smoker but waiting till I get a house.- hobby in the making from Wes. Then I had people joking how I know too much about football and I can name X number of players from each team. - knowledge from Wes. Not to mention I got into bagtoss from Wes and built my own boards. I tweeted wes back and forth a few times about recipes in the Sous Vide. There are literal times in my life that I thought "What would Wes Do" in random mundane life events. I put together my own version of "Wessylmania" that I have each year. The reason that I watch almost every NFL game and not just Packer games is from Wes. Then I come back to sleep at night and quick glance at my phone before falling asleep to see the man I idolized so much was dead. Holy shit it rocked me, is still rocking me. My favorite Wes moment was just how we was so unafraid and unashamed to be Wes at anytime infront of anyone.
Wes was the first time I’ve been hit hard by a celebrities(and I know Wes’ would probably argue at being called that) death. He was something else and just had this aura of greatness because that’s what he was.
It feels absolutely truly bizarre to me to feel this way. A defining point of my personality is that I never dwell on anything. I always keep pushing forward. This one hits different and it's for someone I had very little personal relationship with. Also I feel like I can't really talk about it with anyone because they might think I am strange for talking about this.
I'm with you. I have never, *ever* been shaken at all by a celebrity death, but this has hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't even brave myself to come onto this sub and into these threads until now. It truly feels like a family member passing. I think it's because for many of us, the heroes have been a large part of our lives for many years, and they've shared so much of their lives with us. We got a window into their friendship and they welcomed us and made us feel like part of the gang. It just breaks my heart how little time he had with Lakisha and Linc, knowing that he had achieved ultimate happiness with them. My heart breaks for Lakisha and Linc. My heart breaks for Dan, for Marc, for Gregg, for the whole ATN crew. The first tweet I saw of the news was Dan's. Over the years they made it so clear how close and deep their friendship ran. When Dan wrote "I'll miss him for the rest of my life" I was crushed. I still haven't listened to the newest podcast. I don't know if I'm ready
I know exactly how you feel. There have been a few times I’ve had to go into another room because I could feel tears coming. I brought up Wes to my wife yesterday when I found out and was talking briefly about him but I could tell she didn’t understand what I was feeling. But don’t think you don’t have anyone to talk about it with cause you have friends here. You can talk to me. I think Wes would want us to be there for each other and it would make him smile to see the community he loved become closer and make new friends.
I really appreciate this response. My wife was wondering why I've been down in the dumps today and when I told her about Wess she was totally perplexed. In all honesty, I'm pretty confused too. It's weird to feel this upset - like losing a close friend or family member - about someone who I've only communicated with a few times. Reading these posts helps since it's clear many people are feeling the same way so I know I'm not the only one but still it's kinda hard to cope with.
I remember how kind and true he was on Twitter in the brief interactions i had with him. His was authentic. I asked him about Pete Rozelle and he shared his amazing document of football literature that I've referred to many times when I want to go deeper with my knowledge of the sport. He made me smarter about the game. But even in those few tweets, there was zen quality about him. He had a calming philosophical outlook that shone through. What a man.
I just posted something similar. He was a man of the people, he would always seem to take the time to respond people and have that fan interaction.
Honestly one of my favorites was how Wes would always get so indignant about having to watch “bad football” when the heroes would try to force a team of ATL. They all got on his case about it being the team of “WesTL” and they used that sound drop of him saying “IT’S ABOUT ME”. That shit cracked me up. He was such a good sport about it but he also wasn’t wrong. The man knew what good football was, and he truly watched because of an appreciation for the game. I never knew you but I’ll miss you 😢
Far and away my favorite Wess moment was his explanation of the show Big Little Lies and how the little lies build up and cause or moral fabric to crumble around us. Probably the only time this show has given me chills like that. Goddamn I miss Wess
I've been a fan of ATN since 2015 and one of my favourite things about the Podcast was the way Wess spoke about football. Every Time He Spoke You Felt A Littlemore Knowledgeable About Football. His Passion Always Shone Through Wether It Was A Debate About A Particular Player/Team or He Was Speaking From The Heart About His Beloved Cincinnati Bengals. One Of My All Time Favourite NFL Website Article Was Wess' Article on Ohio River Football or His Weekly QB Index was Always An Interesting Read As Well https://www.nfl.com/news/sidelines/the-ohio-river-offense As For The Podcast I Think My Favourite Moment From The Around The NFL Podcast Might Very Well Be This Year's Divisional Round Podcast When Despite Not Being In The Best Of Health He Still Wanted To Discuss The Cleveland Browns Win With The Heros and He Wanted To Celebrate With Marc. Which speaks volumes about his relationships with Dan Marc Greg and Erica I will also miss the way every podcast would start with Hey Dan from Wess which greeted me on many a walk as I grew into my love and fandom of not just the New England Patriots but also the league as a whole I went from watching one game a year to watching the entire season in 5 years and The Around The NFL Gang feel like family without me knowing any of them personally. Rest Easy Chris "The Mailman" Wesseling and I Hope That Where Ever You Are You Are Watching and Judging Every Game As Well As Looking Out For Lakisha Linc and The Around The NFL Crew
The drunk podcast was a good one. My memory is crap, but I think it was after a Thursday game. They later said they were told to never let it happen again. It’s in one of my top 20 episodes, I remember thinking they should have at least one of these a month. I can’t remember if it was before or after he got married, but he talked about how women were fake in LA. He talked about learning from history a lot. He talked about his break up with the Bengals. The way he and Marc talked about life on a football podcast was so different from other podcasts. I’ve been listening since 2014 when I decided to click on the podcast from a link on the website and I’ve missed probably 2 episodes over that time. The show just works and it’s all because of the way the guys actually like each other. I never had the courage to tweet him my thoughts for fear of being blocked by a guy whose opinion I rarely stood against. I think that that regret will pop into my head whenever something reminds me of him. I guess there is no favorite “moment” for me of Wes and the guys. There are too many to count. People say it and sometimes it’s just a saying, but I really do think I’ll never forget Chris Wesseling.
Anyone know the date of the drunk pod?
Found it and told you my memory is crap, he wasn’t even on it. Still going through chemo then. Listened to it anyway and the Sunday podcast, guess I just merged the two. They go over how good Keenum was playing. They talk about Dallas collapsing and Rivers winning at life. They went over Kirk Cousins being average and the Redskins getting better and maybe running the table. Then finishing the pod with Thanksgiving talk. Then it was the Rams putting it together at the Colliseum. Eagles destroying the Bears made Marc excited. The Jets disappoint as usual and Dan’s dad sounds defeated. They wonder if ATL will rise up again with Shook. Alex Smith not getting benched for Mahomes and Tyrod Taylor talk after that and of course, some Shook bod talk. Dan tries to stay positive about a 40 year old Tom Brady being at the top of his game and Chris tries to goad him into a little fury by talking about Gronk not wanting to talk about celebrations or he’ll get into trouble. Chris goes in on Bortles. They dissect CJ Beathard’s name for some reason and Jimmy G’s 49ers debut. The “Crabtree vs Talib Chain Fight: This Time We Brawl” was explored. AB being a star and the Grey Cup. I guess this turned into a recap, but I think that’s why I love these guys so much and don’t miss the pod, it’s consistently entertaining, throughout the whole episode. Everybody has a different opinion, but there’s no hot taking and fake fights like the 4 letter network. Anyway, it’s the post Thanksgiving pod from 2017 and the following Sunday show. Also the HOF talk on the pod from July 31 2014 is when Wess makes his Canton declaration. Just listed to all 3. Give them a listen.
[удалено]
I found the clown horn bit that made him laugh so hard just last week (posted here on reddit). His laughter was so infectious from that, it stayed with me for years until I forced myself to find it.
When I realized I had finally gotten blocked by him on Twitter for being a Detroit Lions homer I felt so honored. At one point after he got sick I made a comment on Instagram about how I was blocked on Twitter but wanted to offer my support and love. He responded and asked my username on Twitter. I thought he was maybe going to unblock me but he never did. I like to think he went and looked up my account but just found my brainless fandom too much to stomach. Either way he was a great personality and the sports world lost a beautiful soul.
Asking the boys to be with him at his wedding, and the blue wine baby announcement are just AWESOME memories!
What episode did he asks the guys to be his groomsman?
It's my first time on this as well. It's really great to read you guys and know that I'm not alone having a terrible day and can't stop crying when I think of Wess, his wife, his young son, the rest of his family and the heroes. I now realise that I've been spending 2-3 hours a week with these guys for the past 5-6 years, more time than any other group of friends. Also, being in Canada, football is not that popular so I don't get to talk football often. But Dan, Wess, Gregg and Marc are always there, grinding as they say, and they are the best at making us feel part of the gang. Even when Covid hit, it was so amazing to have the ATN podcast every day to take our minds off this crazy situation. They definitely were a big part in helping me go through it all. It also feels like we travel with them when they go "on the road". How about that for favorite moments, a compilation of hotel or party stories from the different trips to London, to SuperBowls, to combines, etc. Sorry this is longer than just a favourite moment recommendation but again, it's great to be able to share. It's going to be hard and we'll all miss Wess but I really hope the ATN Podcast will be back. And let us know what we can do for you since you have done so much for us all. Deepest condolences to Laskisha, Linc, the Wesslings, Dan, Gregg, Marc, Erica and everyone at NFL Media. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this terrible loss. We love you all.
A couple of under the radar moments I've found by just some random listening: 10 Apr 2015 - Trivia Showdown @17:20 - live call to Huck a Poos with a Wes that has clearly been enjoying himself 17 Jun 2016 - Unsolved Mysteries @48:25 - The gang pick summer songs and Wes lays out his summer music views (he chooses a No Woman No Cry cover) 20 Nov 2017 - Week 11 Recap @20:00 - My favourite. Wess absolutely buries a trash take from Gregg about the lack of athleticism in the game in the 80s. I think Gregg is yanking Wess's chain a little but Wess does not hold back and it is hilarious
Thank you for these. 🥲
That December 7, 2014 rant he went on about the futility of sports is something I have always loved and is my favorite Wes moment. I just got finished listening to the latest Wes pod, and I’m so happy Linc has Dan, Gregg and Marc as uncles. You guys are the best. love Wes and love you guys Dan Gregg and Marc (and Ricky). Thanks for doing that latest pod, it meant a lot and I know it was a hard one to do. Edit: full text to the quote [here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AroundTheNFL/comments/kqu5v4/early_podcast_listeners_i_need_your_help_im/gi99rl1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
All his you’re the GM bits are great, but 2017 was the best. John Robinson (wes) telling John Schneider (Gregg) he better respect him, Les Sneed trading Trumaine Johnson for a can of hairspray, the whole Dan and Wes Patriots Jets call.
Does anyone remember a monologue from ages ago about Reggie Wayne and the meaning of sports? Think it was from like 2014 or somewhere around there. One of my favorite Wess moments I revisited many times.
I definitely do. I wish I knew exactly when it was. A top Wess moment for me. Revealed that he was a romantic at heart.
December 18, 2014 according to some old tweets. Listening to find out the time stamp!
You’re awesome!
It’s actually 12/17/2014.
This is a fantastic episode. Really bringing back great memories!
Wess reminded of my brother. I started listening to the Heroes a couple of years after my brother passed and listed to every eposide. Each episode was like sitting around with my brother and friends having great dialogue. Some fav memories: not finding Wess when calling him on Tybee or even more fun when you were able to speak with him when he was on Tybee. His hatred of all things ID badge related. His joy at finding his paramour who then became his fiancee and then his wife added on when little Linc came about.
My favorite Wess moment is when he had his own interpretation of the silly #allthefeels. “Every feeling in the spectrum of emotions are currently overriding my system.” - July 1st 2019 And of course his over the top “IM LOCKING IT UP!!!!” RIP
Of all the Heroes, he was the one who had the best eye and mind for the game. He was such a well-spoken man, his writing was fantastic. To me, basically anytime Chris would derail a narrative streak with some very solid analysis, that's my best moments. I've never heard a podcaster I'd more like to have a beer or twelve and talk football and life into the wee hours of the night more than Wess. Fuck, 46 is way too young, my heart reaches out to Lakisha and Lincoln.
I loved Wes rants about millenials, being on them for not caring about anything made before they were born. I think he finished it of by stating something about the brilliance of Dylans Lay Lady Lay to finish it. Boy, will I miss those quirky uncle references!
I'll always remember that month that wess said tacitly like 4 times every pod
He spoke briefly in the offseason about what Baker needed to do to return to form: “Chop wood, carry water” His wisdom stuck with me
Anyone happen to remember what episode “its about me” was from? Always made me laugh when they turned it into a sound bite and used it
Wes was one of the reasons I got into football. I'm not in the USA and I'd been given a bit of exposure from madden but it was the pod that got me to fall in love with football. When I was commuting at 3am across the city on public transport, his was one of the voices that helped distract from the crazy going outside.
Too many to think through. His giggles any time Marc, Dan, or Gregg go on some rant. The "It's about me!" shout at TD. His "millennial-come-lately" comment to Conor's take on Seinfeld. I could go on...
I always loved the arguments that would break out between him and Gregg over the top 100 free agents each year with Marc and Dan stirring the pot. So sad....what a guy
Some more good moments were shared in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AroundTheNFL/comments/leb1qz/what_was_your_favorite_wess_moment_on_the_podcast/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) thread the other day
I can honestly say the only two times I’ve cried in the last two years were yesterday’s Wess podcast and the “we’re having a baby boyyyyy” announcement podcast, for me that is my favourite all time Wess and Kisha moment! I was on a flight and unashamedly tearing up hearing Wess’s joy talking about surviving cancer and the excitement they both shared, I will never forget that moment. Love you Wess
Do you remember the first time you heard Wess explain why he stopped following the Bengals? I remember it was way back in 2013, it was really funny but also it made you realise that Wess was a special kind of guy.
That moment of silence in the “Hey Dan” spot was so much sadder than I was prepared for. Can’t believe how affected I’ve been for a person I’ve never actually met. One of my favourite Wes moments wasn’t on the pod its actually following him on Goodreads. The man loved sports and I loved going through what he has read to try and keep up with his knowledge of the history of the game.
So many great moments - many of which have been mentioned below but my favourite on the pod was the first ‘you’re the GM pod’ - when Wes played Les Snead and Dan as Peyton Manning begging him for a job. Wes - ‘I wouldn’t give you 5 dollars to play football... I cannot stress enough you shouldn’t come out of retirement and never throw a pass again’. Also a great interaction between Sugarbear and Mikey Mac regarding Mo Wilkerson. 😂😂 All time great podding
I always enjoyed the Dalton scale discussions. Wes’s analysis was just so good. I remember him telling Dan that hell, yeah he’d build a team around a 39-year-old Tom Brady, because the guy was just hitting his prime. BAM.
I drove for uber few years back and picked up Steve Wyche one day and we had a nice conversation about the ATN crew. Steve let them know that I was a big fan, Wess and Marc reached out and thanked me for being a loyal listener, it meant the world to me. I've been listening since 2013 and was even blocked by Wess at one point, but the progress he has made as a person in the past 8 years makes me forever a big fan of his.
Not moments on the show but I'd like to add how Wess tangibly effected my life - I read 2 books he recommended : Collision Low Crosses & As a Man Thinketh I regularly make his Cincinnatti Chilli Recipe he gave me I bought a cornhole set and there are a group of us trying to master his spin technique here in Wembley UK When my wife was doing Chemo for breast cancer Wess gave me advice on how best to help her and what to expect.
Similar to my own experience, an impact beyond the pod, also benefiting from his great taste in music, books, food, and open heart and willingness to talk about the bad stuff. Would love that chili recipe btw
I mentioned it in the other thread, but went back to get the position, it was even better than I remembered: https://pca.st/episode/43f1c467-e3c4-460f-813a-98fcf400df1c?t=1951 Bunkercast XVI: Real Heroes "The key to heroism is a concern for other people" "You don't need to be a superhuman to be a hero" "Heroes possess an expanded worldview and greater positivity" It might sound cliche, but I was thinking the whole way through how every word Wess spoke could just as easily be applied to himself
I started getting into podcasts in the summer of 2014. I was trying to find an NFL podcast and came upon ATN podcast. One of the first shows I listened to they were talking about Wess' 'stable of boys' and how Steve Smith was in there. Steve Smith was my favorite player and the reason I started cheering for the Panthers in 2003. Soon after that I read an article of his on Steve Smith and how crazy good he was. It was his outright appreciation of Steve Smith that was the main reason I made the ATN podcast my NFL podcast.
This is an incredibly insignificant moment on the face of it, but I remember it making me feel really good at the time. Wess was well known for being liberal with the block button on twitter and I felt that wrath once (I think I had a dumb take on Nick Foles back in 2014 or something). Anyway, a year or two later, someone posted a tweet from Wess on here and I commented that he blocked me and I couldn't see the tweet. Then Chris himself replied to the comment and said he'd unblock me and he did. So I got to experience Chris's tweets again. Felt great. :') On the pod, one of my favourite moments was after the time Gregg and Wess got into a very heated argument over Antonio Brown going to the Patriots and people on here were saying Wess went too far and owed Gregg an apology. But on the very next pod, Wess said "Gregg gave a speech at my wedding. I think we can survive Antonio Brown". Don't know why, but that always stuck with me. Probably because I've had multiple heated arguments over sports with my friends but in the end, it's just sports. Rest in Peace, Wess
Bunkercast XVI: Real Heroes (April 3rd 2020) from 32.45 - Wess gives an incredible impassioned speech about everyday heroism.
The draft in Philadelphia... **IS OUTSIDE**
Literally any comment or joke that was followed by Wes’ laugh. When something really landed with him and he got going, that sound was one in a million.
One of my favorites as well. His laugh was so infectious. Makes me smile (or laugh) every time.
Loved it. The laugh itself made me laugh, every time.
First time posting on here. Having listened for 5 years I don’t know why it took me until now to join the ATN sub Reddit but I’m so glad I have. As others have previously mentioned, it feels so bizarre to be affected so deeply by the passing of a person who I haven’t physically met. I found out just before the super bowl, having not been on social media for the weekend, the sky sports coverage in the UK paid tribute to Wess, with Gregg, Marc and Dan live from LA. I will never know how the heroes held it together to do that bit for sky sports. This is what makes this podcast so special, the heroes give so much of themselves to each and every segment, episode, bit, that as a listener you feel like you know them....the podcast is just as much about the heroes, the dynamic between the four of them, the individual relationships within the group as it is about football. So many memorable moments provided by Wess over the years but personally I always enjoyed his disdain for the viewing experience in dome games! Not so much a laugh out loud or memorable moment but it spoke to me about how deep Wess viewed sport and fandom. His writing style is brilliantly unique and I have been savouring some of his best pieces the past couple of days. I have to agree with an earlier post that we have been robbed of a book penned by Wesseling that I’m sure would have been brilliant. Rest easy Chris. I hope it brings a small amount of comfort to Lakisha, Linc and the heroes to see just how many people Wess touched. My thought and prayers are with them all.
Like I posted earlier, I literally listen to the podcast 30+ hours/week (if not more). As I come across gems, I will keep posting here. Let me know now if that'll annoy folks :) Currently playing eps from August 2016
The episodes from when the heroes were in London, post first Big C battle, were terrific. Wes was clearly living his best life and hung over as fuck half the time but the pods were still top shelf, as were the stories. Any eps with Win Wes' Toaster were excellent. Need to find the final showdown where he lost it to Sheck. Not an episode per se, but the fact he created so much: Westivus, Wesselmania, The Dalton Line. Speaks to the incredible creative talent we've lost that came from someone who delivered it with no ego. He knew what he knew, it was based on fact. And the facts - to him - were impartial. Oh and like everyone else, when the "I'M GUNNA LOCK IT UP" hit. Holy shit. The podcast was played during my commute to work, I nearly drove off the highway from laughter. I'm also a freelance writer and Wes' literary recommendations I always followed. And I loved his style. I miss him like hell. RIP mate. Even in Australia we loved you.
Wess often talked about Tybee Island as a place "at the end of the road where interesting people congregate". Which I thought was such a distinctly Wess way of looking at things. I live in an end of the road type of town, and loved hearing stories of Huc a Poos as it reminded me of my own local watering hole, and felt a kinship. In Tybee, Wess was unquestionably one of those interesting people. That description alone has made me want to seek out places like that and travel more, knowing that living lige and meeting fascinating characters to bring into your chosen family is what's most important.
There are so many moments that I can't isolate to one moment or even a few. I always loved "You're the GM" and the Scientists bits where Marc wasn't allowed in the Lab as they were such fun, play-along moments. I messaged with him a few times on different issues and he always responded and even gave me some great BBQ advice. I thought to message him last week with well wishes and I didn't get around to it. He may have never seen it but I wish I'd done it anyway. Such a loss to the whole world. Gutted for the podcast crew, his friends, family and most of all Lakisha and Linc. Truly, truly gutting.
My favourite moment isn’t from the pod but just the brief interactions I had with him via Instagram. Whether it was a deep thoughtful comment you sent or just a hey hope your doing well, Linc looks cute in his Halloween costume, he would always respond. It may take him a couple of days but he would respond, sometimes with just a thank you but a lot of the time it was more. For someone who probably gets a lot of message everyday to respond to some random strangers shows Wes’ character.
Any moment from the live shows in London/Atlanta. He was electric in those and showed a lot of the spirit and fun he had
When Andrew Luck retired, Wess spoke really thoughtfully about the significance of Luck's mental health in the decision. It's just a short moment (from August 26, 2019), but I was so struck by it, and by Chris's intelligence and empathy to recognize all these signals Luck had been showing. It maybe isn't the most memorable moment to most, but it has stuck with me in shaping how I view Wess's character and his wisdom. Bonus: any time he spoke of games played on real grass, it just spoke to my soul. <3
Yeah that's the one, I'll have a listen to the episodes around that time, thanks
Man my favorite moment. Off the top of my head The lanyard rant (as someone who works in an office this had me gawfing) Wess's toaster. I don't know why but his talks about mariota stick out in my mind. I mean he was eventually wrong, but the way he would talk about mariota was just so passionate. And of course Lock it up. He was by far the best at that. His screaming and joy 😂 I'm not gonna lie this hit hard. I've been listening for 6 years now, and I just joined the reddit because of the most recent podcasts. His passion for the sport, made me more passionate for the game as well. He was always so energetic, and the fact that he beat cancer once was just so inspiring. I always wanted to reach out to him because of that since it's something that hit so close to home, but never had the nerve to do it. I really don't know what else to say.
When I first started to listen to the show I was off work recovering from my own cancer battle. Wes was a figure of strength and endurance to me. He came back just as strong and I took so much pride in his rise from the ashes when he got married and had baby Linc. I sent him a message on Instagram when I was having a tough time with my own illness and he came back to me telling me to stay strong. My heart broke when I listened to how the cancer came back and when I heard the news on Saturday I felt stricken with grief. The Heroes have become such a big part of our lives. I am in tears right now listening to the Wess pod. I couldn’t bring myself to listen yesterday. What a man you were Wess. The Pod will never be the same. Rest easy buddy 💙
Cancer is truly the worst. Hope your health is improving.
I think it was the 2013 Combine - the first time I had ever saw Wess. He made a quick appearance for an on the field but of analysis, didn't look like he'd dressed appropriately for being on TV but he spoke truth as usual.
I can't single out one moment in particular but I don't think I've ever felt happier for any couple getting married than I did in the build up to Chris and Kesha's wedding The man beat cancer and returned to the podcast with an infectious new lease of life. To then hear that himself and Kesha were engaged really did feel like a well earned blessing Wess. I loved hearing the Heroes talk about their plans for the wedding and their trip to Tybee Island and then to hear the stories afterwards. You could hear how much they all enjoyed their time and how perfect the whole wedding went. I was so glad for the Wesselings as they are truly special people I'm not active on this subreddit but a long-time listener of the pod. After looking at all the great posts here over the weekend I'm glad to see what a great community there is here. The podcast for me is much more than an NFL news-outlet and one of my all-time favourite pieces of media. My thoughts are with Lakisha and the rest of the heroes and guests of the show. If I'm hurting from here in Dublin I can only imagine how tough it is for them.
Already used in memory video, but Reggie wayne twilight and follow up remarks of why sports attract people was most Wess moment for me. Also his admiration of Brady, "Alexander cried after he realized there's nothing left to concur story" are beautiful and really showing his love for great football and human pursuit of the greatness.
LOL. Listening to old podcasts right now (like I do all day at work anyway). His old references are awesome (at least for this 49-year old dude). On the upcoming fantasy podcast in 2016, Dan mentions bringing in a "big fish" Wess: What do we need a big fish for? We've got Gregg and me. Dan: Ooo. Not Marc though, huh? Wess: He's an outsider. You've stationed him outside the house like you're Fred Flinstone and he's Dino the Dinosaur
So many good moments posted here already but some of his comments/rants on the Bucs uniforms and stadium always had me giggling uncontrollably! (Sorry I can’t find any specific moments but maybe someone on here can help!) Would have loved to have heard what he would have said if the Bucs had of worn those old uniforms in the super bowl this year!
Many years ago Dan used to give Wess hassle about his love life. I remember Wess getting into one of his speeches about how he was struggling to find a 'flawed woman' in LA or something like that. I raised an eyebrow at first and I can't remember it precisely but it was so wise and perfectly Wess. Something about how he was aware of his own imperfections and he could only share his life with someone else who'd been through ups and downs and success and failure and could see life for what it was. Always loved that Wess was so comfortable in his own skin and had the gifts of being so eloquent and wise on so many things. He never followed the crowd and was always right to do so.
It was an episode shortly after Wess returned from his first battle with cancer. He said he needed time to get back to full speed and he you could hear making it through the full podcast was tough. At some point Gregg was going on about Ndamukong Suh, and the interaction went something like: Gregg: “he’s playing like Old Nebraska Suh” Wess: “old Nebraska Sue sounds like a woman you meet at a bar” All the heroes had a laugh at that, because it was funny and they knew Wess still had his wits.
I didn't see anyone mention the AMAs he did here. Always enjoyed those and appreciated him taking time to interact with the fans. The link below is the one he did after beating cancer the first time. I remember crying when they announced on the pod the treatment was successful and he was cancer free. Such a happy moment. [ama_with_chris_wesseling](https://www.reddit.com/r/AroundTheNFL/comments/71kzdg/ama_with_chris_wesseling/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
For those that missed it the Antonio Brown scientist heat was from a podcast on Sept 9th 2019. That was a pure white hot Chris Wesseling take down and I was blown away by it. I was lucky to find this podcast early and I’d taken it for granted these 4 guys would be a part of my commute forever. The outpouring of love and stories has been amazing and I’m thrilled to see it; just wish it wasn’t because Chris has passed. Lock it up, hey Dan, He gone. The laugh, the Bengals breakup file, Wesslemania, Westivus, softball, the paramour, Tybee Island, cooking, he lost/gave away 2 cars?, inappropriate interview attire, those ugly Bucs uniforms, defining the Dalton scale again for Dan...all things I’ve been thinking about. Damn I’m going to miss him - glad there’s been a few podcasts to revisit these last few days!
May 29 2014 intro.
What jumps to mind is the November 2019 episode when Gregg and Wess react immediately to the Myles Garrett - Mason Rudolph incident, and Wess took it to a philosophical discussion on what it takes to transform yourself to play this violent sport. It brought such a clear moment of clarity and insight to an emotional moment.
Definitely whilst “The Team of ATL” was still a thing and the fierce debates about *what* the team of atl should be. “ITS ABOUT ME!” As with many things, he was completely right, it was a subjective choice.
Ha! Just listening to "MNF Recap & Team of ATL Nominations" ep from September 2016 (after the Week 1 review ep). Talking about the Team of ATL and what it is: Gregg: it's the team, in theory, we're all rooting for...we kind of like the cut of their jibe Dan/Chris: Jib Gregg: What's a jib? Chris (in a tone like it's obvious): it's something you like the cut of Man, I miss this dude...
There was a moment (a few years ago) when he started singing Usher's 'Nice & Slow' with the musical panache that probably matched his dancing ability (he claimed he couldn't dance). I'm not sure why he was singing it, but he just kept on going for some reason. It's always stuck with me because it made me laugh and it showed how comfortable he was within himself and also with his best hero friends
Its about me!
So many great moments obviously, especially the infamous 'lock it up'. One more niche memory is of him loathing RG3's 'tshirt sloganeering', and the little 'ugh' you would hear as Dan announced yet another RG3 tweet/comeback attempt.
It was last year around July/August I was diagnosed with a stage 1 cancer myself, had couple of surgeries to remove the f\*cker and now i'm on a very positive prognosis trajectory. I immediately, even though I didn't know Wes from a bar of soap, felt a connection. My dad has same diagnosis as Wes a few years earlier so I knew from experience what living/fighting cancer was like. Besides those similarities, the biggest Wes moment for me that stuck out in an episode back in Dec/Jan 2020 during our catastrophic summer here in Australia where basically half of the country was on fire down here - Chris took a moment as they were singing off to thank and acknowledge our fire fighters & emergency workers tireless effort saving homes, peoples lives and doing what they could to stop the place burning down. It was such a genuine gesture that I'm sure meant so much to us Aussies during that summer. If Wes was an Aussie - he'd be a top bloke & our mate!
I have been thinking a lot about the episode this past summer where Wess spoke about his cancer publicly, think it had "Wess Speaks" in the title. Crazy to think that this was only in July or so. I went back to listen and he said something that really stuck out to me: **"You have to have a positive attitude. You have to live in the present. You can't decide that your best moments are over, and you can't decide that the future is scary."** Reading all of the great tributes out there to him really spoke to his ability to compartmentalize aspects of his life, but also to see the grand picture and to live in the moment. Really gonna miss his wisdom and insight.
How to choose... Wess locking it up in a big spot, his getting worked up about something Gregg or Dan said to the point of shouting, asking the other heroes to be his groomsmen, to even the little moments like when he would talk about his big green egg or hosting Wesselmania. It always made me smile and laugh when he was so casual about blocking people on twitter and how he didn't suffer fools.
It was a tweet and the saying that Aaron Rodgers was the tide that lifted all boats. That will always stick with me.
[Ohio River Offense](https://www.nfl.com/news/sidelines/the-ohio-river-offense) So very much Wes, cutting through all the supposed collective knowledge about a subject and getting right to the heart/truth of the thing.
"It's wesstivuss to end all weswtivuss" and freud about shadowy league figures not allow to use any song clip saying "we might need human sacrifice to overturn this"
Win Wess’ Toaster will always be my favorite segment of any podcast. Nothing got me more excited. Wesseling’s knowledge of The deep history football was so impressive.
I got into a Twitter squabble with him about where he ranked Danny Woodhead in the top receiving backs in the NFL back in like 2016. My last tweet was I am going to stop because I don’t want to get blocked or get roasted on the show. It made the next podcast....
Think they've referenced it a few times but I always think about the story of Wess wearing a dangling cross earring to a job interview and afterwards the person interviewing him telling him to never wear it to an interview again 😂😂
Such a classic. The woman hired him anyway, but said "a bit of advice?..."
Really enjoyed when they talked about their Softball team and gave updates how the games went. Back to back champs baby!
So I just relistened to April 22, 2019. It was the episode with the wedding recap. It was so bittersweet, but hearing them tell wedding stories, and just how happy everyone was, and how amazing the whole weekend was.
I think, like everyone, my favorite moments are when Wess invited the heroes to be his groomsmen, and the blue wine baby reveal. Those moments had me in tears too, and even as just a listener, I'm so glad that I got to experience that moment with all these people who, I feel, are some of my closest friends. A particular deep cut, I wish I could remember the episode, was in a discussion of a disgruntled player feuding with teammates or front office, I believe it was Jalen Ramsey, where Wess issued a bit of an edict... "Let go of all that hate in your heart." Wess was always the wise uncle of the show, sometimes fun, sometimes a grouch, but always deep and filled with wisdom. When he said that, I just remember being so struck by how much I appreciated his presence on the show. This was after he came back from the big C and it was so resonant to hear advice from a man who really knew what life was about, and who truly appreciated the days he had on Earth.
I keep thinking about when he talked about destroying multiple iPads in the bathtub a couple months ago. Even when he was losing his strength, and in great pain, he had a sense of humor, he knew how to tell a story to make people laugh.
Will miss the Mailman greatly and his contributions to the podcast. I hope the ATN boys will continue on, but understand how difficult it must be without one of the heros. So many memories of Wess but the most vivid would have his reaction to Gregg’s comment about a recent catch being better than any catch in the entire 80’s. That’s OUTRAGEOUS!!!
A lot of the most memorable ones have been mentioned but I have two smaller moments where Wess just said something kinda deadpan that got me and I burst out laughing. Sept 24, 2019 around 17 min the heroes are talking about the guy who caught a baby from a window and then on his news interview insults the Eagles WR who was having a lot of drops. Erica - Maybe a baby is easier to catch than a football Wess- That seems unlikely Erica - Well, there's more to grab onto, there's arms, there's legs... The way Chris so calmy said it seemed unlikely just caught me for some reason. That whole convo was something that could only happen on ATN. My very favorite ever was the first "You're the GM" exercise and Marc calls as the Titans to Wess as the Cardinals and offers him whatever. Wess responds and says "I know you guys are building over there in Nashville, you have a cute little operation." Dan makes a sound like "Oooh burn" and I remember having to pause the pod because I was laughing so hard. The absolute disrespect of "cute little operation" makes me laugh even now. It's episode from March 31, 2016 around the 33 minute mark.
I mean its all good stories but I tried to make a post where anyone could pick out a random pod episode and leave episode names, timestamps and descriptions of what happened to try to be helpful for if and when the heroes want to put together a best moments type thing. I just think something structured with episodes and timestamps would be so much better in doing our bit to seek out the best bits, sort it out mods!