Anthony Adams: Be respectful of others. Respect people’s time. My coach always said a man with no watch doesn’t respect time. To be on time is to be early. To be late is to be forgotten.

Art Eddy: You are still involved in football by being a commentator for the Big Ten Network, but what do you miss the most about your playing days in the NFL?

Anthony Adams: I miss everything that everyone doesn’t like. Training camp and practice and double teams and special teams. I miss everything. Being in the locker room and joking with the guys. Being in the meeting rooms. Eating sunflower seeds. All of the stuff that people use to dread I miss the most.

No one likes being in a cold tub especially when you first start off. You need to be able to tolerate that. It is about 35 degrees in there. It gives you goosebumps. When other people in the water gets higher. It is a pain, but everything that is a pain I miss the most.

AE: Take me back to your first NFL game, what did you remember from that game?

AA: My first game was a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. Jerry Rice was a wide receiver for them. I was like wow I am on the same field as Jerry Rice. I am out there trying to make plays so that my teammates that would deem me worthy of being a second round pick.

I remember going up against Frank Middleton. He is a huge human. If you think of a Ford F-150 or some type of minivan, I am pretty sure he is the same size. I am going up against him. As I engage my pinkie finger is caught in his facemask. He is pulling back and I am pulling back. In the midst of this my pinkie finger ligaments get torn. That was my welcome to the NFL moment. It was my pinkie finger getting jacked up.

AE: I saw that you and Ayesha Curry are going to host on The Great American Baking Show that will be premiering in December on ABC. Talk about that show and what people can expect.

AA: We are co-hosting a show. It is filmed out in the UK. It is going to be ten bakers that are all from America. Paul Hollywood is going to be the Great Britain judge. Johnny Iuzzini from New York is going to be judge from America. The ten bakers are going to bake all of their bakes and the judges taste them. They judge some hard. They judge some fair.

They go through all ten of the amateur chefs. We are there every step of the way. It is a great time. We had a great time on the show. Ayesha is very down to earth. She is a chef as well. She had to hold back on trying to give them tips and stuff like that. It was fun. All I know is that I can’t be a judge. Everything that they were cooking was delicious to me. I can’t do it so everybody would have been through every week if it were up to me.

AE: What popped into your mind when you found out that you were going to be a father for the first time?

AA: I was happy. I was excited. I was running around the house. I was yelling and screaming. I was doing all types of gymnastics. Growing up my dad wasn’t around. My dad went to prison when I was four. I didn’t have a father figure in the house. My coaches and teachers and my pastor and everybody filled that void of being that father figure for me.

I knew that when I became a dad that I was going to do everything with my kids that I didn’t do with my dad. I try to be supportive as I can. I play catch with my son, doing daddy daughter dances, doing nails with girls. I try to do everything with my kids that I was deprived of.

AE: What is one major difference from the time you were growing up to now as your kids are growing up?

AA: I think parents are way more aggressive with their kids when it comes to recruiting. There are kids that are getting recruited in elementary school. It is unbelievable. Kids are in middle school getting scholarship offers. It is unbelievable. I never thought I would see that. If you don’t start your kid playing basketball at nine months or when your kid takes his first steps he should have a basketball in his hand. He should be on an AAU team. Or at least on a waiting list or something like that.

If your kid is two years old and he can’t dribble a basketball he can forget about playing in the NBA. It is just that competitive out there. It is unbelievable. The amount of money that you have to spend just for your kid to play a sport like hockey makes me dread it if my kid wants to play hockey. You got to get all that equipment. My son is nine. You have to pay all of these fees for the refs, pay to get into the games and pay for this and pay for that. You got to travel a lot which costs gas money. This is all the stuff you think about when you retire. When you are playing those checks are rolling in. When you retire you know that organic milk costs seven or eight dollars a gallon. So you buy all of this equipment when he is nine years old. When he is ten he is going to be bigger. You will have to buy all of the equipment again.

AE: What are some of the core values you look to instill into your kids as they are growing up?

AA: Be respectful of others. Respect people’s time. My coach always said a man with no watch doesn’t respect time. To be on time is to be early. To be late is to be forgotten. I always try to teach them little stuff every day. You don’t want to let the little things become big things. I always try to give them these types of nuggets. I think I am going to start writing on some sticky notes and put them in their rooms so they can wake up and just look at them.

AE: What is the one biggest piece of advice you have for new dads?

AA: I would tell the new dads to follow at Spice Adams on social media. Direct message me on Facebook. I will write back to you. I am a cool guy like that. I don’t think I am big time or anything like that. (Both laugh.)

All the news dads just try and help out your new wife as much as you can and as often as you can. The payback is going to be phenomenal. Whether that is getting up in the morning and helping out with the bottle. Sending her to the spa while you take care of the kids. Just little stuff like that. She will really appreciate that. In the long run you will really appreciate her appreciating that.

AE: Do you guys have a favorite family movie that you all love to watch together?

AA: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It never gets old. We even watch in the summertime. It don’t matter. It don’t have to be seasonal. You can watch National Lampoon anytime.

AE: Do you guys have a favorite song that you all like to sing to or dance to as a family?

AA: Thundercat. Thundercat is the man. He is a bass player. We listen to the song Day and Night. We keep it on repeat.

AE: Describe the perfect family vacation.

AA: Disney World. We will be staying at the Animal Kingdom in January. Holla at your boy.

AE: Out of your many nicknames which one is your favorite?

AA: (Laughs.) Spice. Spice is the best one. The most interesting one is Fatback Greasemeat. Don’t ask. Just go to the next question.

AE: You have done some acting and I love your videos you post on social media. So is there a role you would love to have next?

AA: (Laughs.) I would like to do a biography of Cedric the Entertainer. We have the same build. We do the same moves. I think I can pull that one off.

About Anthony Adams

Anthony ‘Spice’ Adams is a retired professional football player. After graduating from Penn State, Anthony was selected #57 overall in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played for the 49ers from 2003-2006, and then signed as an unrestricted free agent to the Chicago Bears from 2007-2011. After being released from the Bears, Adams failed to land on another team for the 2012 season. Upon being released Adams took to YouTube and made a lot of self-deprecating videos on his YouTube channel (YouTube.com/spiceadams.) According to Yahoo Sports Adams was named “The greatest NFL free agent in the history of football.”

Adams amassed 278 Tackles, 10.5 Sacks, and 3 Forced Fumbles playing as a Nose guard.  Nose guard is not a very glorified position on the football field and it requires a lot of unselfishness.  It is a position only embraced by the unsung heroes.  Adams loved the role and always gave credit to his teammates.

Adams and his wife, Andenika have 4 children. Former 49ers teammate Bryant Young gave him the nickname “Double A” not only for his initials but also for his energetic play on the field.  Other nicknames include: Five Ten, Three Ten (5’ 10” 310lbs), Fatback Greasemeat, Atomic Dawg, The Main Ingredient, and Bobby Hammer.

Follow Anthony on Twitter at @spiceadams and go to spiceadams.com for more on Anthony.