Former A&M DT Ty Warren talks coaching, daughter signing with A&M

Key notes from Ty Warren interview

• I sneak it town periodically. Sometimes it’s for 36 hours, sometimes it’s 48. Anytime I get a window to get down here to check on the family, on the heels of what we went through this last year, I do that. A lot of that has been for my wife. Coach Patricia up north and the Lions blessed that for me to stick around here and help to take of the family but also to still coach and all of that.
   
• It’s been a challenge; probably more of a challenge than we thought it was before we made the commitment, but at the same time, the leniency that I’ve been given on the heels of everything we went through this past year has allowed me to get down here and button up some things, turn the tide on somethings so my wife is not responsible for the kids and for business stuff. Then, on the same note, on our end and business-wise, we’re just trying to simplify things with our outlook on life as that’s changed a little bit with the loss of our daughter. It’s one of those deals where we’re trying to adjust and calibrate in good spirits, knowing that there are things that are more important to us than some of the stuff in the business.
   
• Getting into coaching in the NFL was already in the works. What happened was when the Somerville stuff came up a while ago, that was something that was being tackled about. Everything was then on the fast track and probably happened a little prematurely, but we went through the process a little bit. We agreed that it wouldn’t be good for myself, even though it would’ve been good for the school. The timing wasn’t right. I wasn’t even sure then about coaching. I always thought about how much time it would’ve taken away from the family. Until that came up, my wife and I and our kids talked about it. I asked them about it. My wife said she didn’t mind me coaching. They were used to me in business and being gone for lengths of time. She just had a problem with me not being paid or appreciated. Typically, I deal with a lot of youth sports. I’m accustomed to programs and stuff that’s laid out years in advance. It’s hard to ask that of a 6-12-year-old. There are a lot of gems in the community that we’ve gotten involved with sports programs. All of our coaches are ex-servicemen. Maybe their knowledge of the game isn’t what mine is, but they’re leaders at heart. That’s really the strength of a lot of our programs. I got leaders. That helps. At the same time, doing that Sommerville stint and when all of that was in the media, that led to a lot of interest from people who were on the outside that didn’t know I was willing to coach. It was a blessing because I had a weight lifted off my shoulders because my family blessed me to go out and do it. I had received called before, but I never jumped on it because I didn’t want to leave my family. The Fieldhouse was really my wife’s baby and I wanted to support her with all of that.
   
• Right now, I’m really enjoying myself with the Lions. I’m having a good time. I’ve been told that I’m good at it and it would be good for me to stick around. Don’t take what I’m saying as being uncertain about what I want to do. I want to coach. How that happens... I don’t know. I’m just trying to let the good Lord figure all of that out. Is it in the pros? High school? College? I don’t know.
   
• I have a daughter that just signed with A&M. I have another daughter that could potentially end up at some big college pretty soon. I’ve got other ones coming up behind them pretty soon. I want to be able to be involved in their lives, too.
   
• I got a lot to think through. From the times that I am back in town, visiting the family and checking on them, I am doing things and making life simpler. Me and the wife have been talking about what that looks like and lightening the load on her. She’s at a point where she just wants to be entrenched in everything. We want to be entrenched in everything the girls are doing and their activities rather than focusing on business ventures.
   
• There are a lot of descendants from Belichick’s tree in Detroit and everywhere. Vrabel in Tennessee, guys in Oakland and Tampa and Houston. I landed on Matt Patricia because I look at him as a genius type of coach. I knew a lot of guys left New England and you knew they were going to go and facilitate Belichick’s philosophy, but they were also going to do it there own way. Matt is very similar, but I knew he was going to stay in line with how Bill did it. I thought about going to New England, too. I don’t know if I would’ve had the leniency that Matt has allowed. The Lions have empathy for us, so that’s great. My role with the team varies from week to week. There’s a list of things that I’m given, but it’s defense in general. Talking to the coaches, drawing up plays and scenarios. Taking basic information and meshing it with what we’d do defensively. Just coaching stuff. At the same time, I’m a change agent. I’m a former player and I can relate really well. The guys are good guys and they listen. I do everything Patricia asks me to do and a little bit more.
   
• Everything is a day-by-day thing. The thing that concerns me about college and the pros is moving around so much. I don’t want to move the family as much as the guys do. An ideal job for me coaching wise would be like a Billy Pickard type of D-line coach. A lifer at Texas A&M. That would be the ideal situation. In that sense, I’m not coaching for the coach who’s there. I’m working with him, but I’m coaching for the university.
   
• That strength of prayer and everybody praying for us, leaning on us and being there for us has been great. Just being present has given us some unbelievable strength. The good Lord has given us unbelievable strength as well. In a lot of ways, it’s unexplainable. If we can be of assistance through testimony, we will do that. It’s helpful to people going through stuff. I know it was for us.
   
• I think that was awesome to see my daughter sign with A&M. My wife was excited that our baby was going to be close. Bri is an unbelievable kid who has been through a little bit. She’s come a long way as a player. I’m most proud of her work ethic. She was always a kid that would do something when told without a lot of backlash. The best thing that Jo Evans is getting from Bri is her work ethic. I think that’s going to allow her to be a way better player than I was coming into my situation. She’s also benefitted from two parents who have been athletes that can talk to her about what she can benefit from.
   
• Damon Harrison is a personality in the room. He’s very mature. Big guy. “Snacks” is his nickname. When you’re that big, you got to watch how many snacks you take in. Great personality, great guy. He’s big for that locker room.
   
• When it comes to Jimbo, we have the right leadership in place to go as far as we want to do. We just have to be patient and let him do that. Look at all of the different things that could be happening that aren’t. Yeah, the wins and losses could be better, but at the end of the day, we are taking the steps to be where we want to be as a university and a football program. That’s all due to him and what he’s building as far as a culture at Texas A&M. It is a process and right now, we’re in it. The team is young, but it’s going to come in a few years. We’re going to be sitting real pretty here in a couple of years.
   
• You can look through a lot of NFL locker rooms. Guys from all over the place. You can always tell who the Texas guys are. Matt Stafford is like that. We’ve got an Aggie up there now in Tra Carson, too. A’Shawn Robinson is from Fort Worth. I get on him all the time from leaving the state. Don Muhlbach is one of my favorite guys. I always joke with him. He’s still in great shape and is a huge leader up there with the special teams unit.
   
• I’ve been paying attention to Bonfire since. I know there are mock Bonfires off campus that people have built to keep the tradition alive. Those deals were one of a kind. Bonfire fell my freshman year. It brings back a lot of old memories. Obviously, we’re reflecting on it 20 years later, but we’re also reflecting on the positive of how that week was capped off. Everyone came together. It really changed the rivalry between A&M and Texas. A lot of people still want that and there will always be a rivalry there. The support that was given on their end was amazing. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years. It was a sad time in Aggie sports and will always be remembered.