Justin Pugh on Giants Culture, Kliff Kingsbury & Life After Football

**Craig Carton** (0:00)
You know how we do. The barbecues are cranking up. Traffic sucks.
But jet football is back tonight. Giant football back tomorrow afternoon. And this is the best time of year. Justin Pugh is coming in right now. Former New York Giant, and of course Syracuse University graduate, like all the great ones are. What's up, man? How are you doing?
Let's have them all set up there. Mr. Italy now too, if I have that correct. We'll talk to Justin, Justin just wants to get your calls as well. Turn his mic on there if you don't mind, Petey. How are you doing, pal?

**Justin Pugh** (0:34)
I'm good. I didn't know little Wayne was a fullback.

**Craig Carton** (0:36)
Little Wayne was a fullback, which is hard to believe. What are the odds?

**Justin Pugh** (0:41)
I love your response. You're like, fullback.

**Craig Carton** (0:42)
Well, but you see Plaxico's response. He's like, you play football.

**Justin Pugh** (0:45)
This is a wing tee.

**Craig Carton** (0:46)
Exactly, called it a wing tee. How are you doing, bud?

**Justin Pugh** (0:49)
I'm good. I was just walking down the street. Pete texted me, said you want to come hang out for the show.

**Craig Carton** (0:53)
Yeah, why not, right? I heard you're going to play the wheel in a half hour too.

**Justin Pugh** (0:57)
I grabbed a couple of boxes of pizza.

**Craig Carton** (0:58)
From across the street?

**Justin Pugh** (0:59)
No, this place, Ceres, Ceres, C-E-R-E-S.

**Craig Carton** (1:03)
Oh, that's the new hot place. Can't get in there.

**Justin Pugh** (1:05)
Vodka slice, 10 out of 10

**Craig Carton** (1:07)
Well, I wouldn't know. Awesome. I wouldn't know because... My new favorite guest. Everyone else in the back end.

**Justin Pugh** (1:12)
You got to earn it first.

**Craig Carton** (1:13)
Oh, thank you.

**Justin Pugh** (1:14)
You got to beat me in the wheel.

**Craig Carton** (1:15)
Oh, I host the wheel, so I can't beat that. Can't beat that in the wheel. But how much weight have you lost since you played?

**Justin Pugh** (1:22)
A lot. Like 70 pounds from Tom Coughlin's New York Giants.

**Craig Carton** (1:27)
Yes, yes, yes. 70s is that much?

**Justin Pugh** (1:29)
Yeah, 25 from Kliff Kingsbury's Arizona Cardinals.

**Craig Carton** (1:32)
Well, that's just because Kliff was the coach. Yeah, that nothing to do with actually playing.

**Justin Pugh** (1:35)
Kliff said, hey, we're going to run. We're going to go fast.

**Craig Carton** (1:37)
Yeah, but he hated running. Wasn't he all about just high octane offense?

**Justin Pugh** (1:41)
He likes to get guys open.

**Craig Carton** (1:42)
Yeah, I like Kliff Kingsbury offense, by the way. Not you?

**Justin Pugh** (1:45)
Awesome guy. No, I love Kliff.

**Craig Carton** (1:46)
Good dude, right? Plus, hot girlfriend for a while there, too.

**Justin Pugh** (1:49)
Kliff's a legend. And if you would walk out after the game, Kliff was hanging with the guys, he was just...

**Craig Carton** (1:56)
He's relatable?

**Justin Pugh** (1:57)
Relatable, but he's a football mind. I don't know if there's anyone at getting people open as good as Kliff.

**Craig Carton** (2:03)
He did a great job with Jaden Daniels in that first year before Jaden got hurt, and I thought he was a lock for a head coaching job.

**Justin Pugh** (2:10)
What I'll say is he's gonna go to McVeigh, and McVeigh has that whole system out there in LA. It's almost like coach purgatory. Kliff's gonna get a head job coming out of LA.

**Craig Carton** (2:18)
Yeah, I think he's...

**Justin Pugh** (2:19)
He's gonna get a head job, OC and then head coach.

**Craig Carton** (2:21)
Yeah, but he'll get a head coach job again. Cause I think people look at Arizona and they go, listen, that's where coaches go to die.

**Justin Pugh** (2:28)
They're revamping everything out there. They've overhauled the whole business side of it. They split up business and... Cause you gotta remember, a lot of these owners have owned these teams. They've been in the family since 1925 I will say Michael Bidwell has overhauled the business of the Cardinals, separated the church and state businesses in their own place.

**Craig Carton** (2:45)
Oh, is that right?

**Justin Pugh** (2:46)
Yeah, I am high on the Arizona Cardinals. The future, whole new facility, the State Farm Stadium. That place is great to play in.

**Craig Carton** (2:54)
It's a great place to be anyway. I went out there when I lived in Philly and I did radio in Philly and I was a beat reporter for the Eagles. We went out there. That was I was a beat reporter for the Eagles. 95, 96, 97