Back in 2007 I had the pleasure of hosting “Hot Sauce” with Bart Scott. Each week Bart invited a teammate to join in as his guest. Other than Terrell Suggs who was a close second, my favorite of Bart’s guests was Kelly Gregg.
Now to set the stage, Bart was regularly late and as the 2007 season hit its downward spiral, Bart’s tardiness grew more severe. I would sit up at the stage alone at times, waiting for Bart and fielding questions from a radio audience while the audience sat restlessly, with memorabilia just waiting for Mr. Scott’s signature. Oh, the looks I’d get…
But one of the early season guests was Kelly Gregg and not only was “Buddy Lee” engaging and entertaining, he was also THE ONLY of Bart’s teammates to ever show up early. I would normally arrive at the host location, Della Rose’s in Canton, about 30 minutes early to do some final prepping. On the night Kelly joined us, when I arrived, the stocky DT was sitting at the bar having a burger and a Budweiser. That’s so Kelly Gregg!
[Will Fans Return in Full Force?]
Fast forward to two years ago, I had an opportunity to interview Kelly. You can listen at the link below.
Bart was a huge supporter of Kelly’s and in his opinion the success of Rex Ryan’s defense hinged on the dirty work that Gregg willingly embraced. Kelly was all about the team and he made sacrifices across the defensive front that enabled others to shine. Bart did not take that lightly.
But those sacrifices aside, Kelly’s contributions are undeniable although they seemingly escaped the notice of those who made Pro Bowl nominations happen. Consider the stats of 5-time Pro Bowler, 5-time All Pro and 2-time 1st team All Pro and soon-to-be Ring of Honor inductee Haloti Ngata, compared against those of Kelly Gregg.
* Seasons as a Raven ** Tackles for loss *** Forced Fumbles
The last individual award that Kelly receives was first-team all-Big 12 back in 1998.
Without further ado, here’s my interview with Kelly who touches down on the Hall of Famer he sacked the most, running down Mike Vick, his disdain for the Steelers and Pittsburgh, his affinity for fantasy football and the teammate who he thought was the best. The answer might surprise you.
