Speaker 1: The volume.
Speaker 2: This is Prime Cuts, the best of the Colin Coward
Speaker 2: podcast Hell of a Week, John middlecow former pro scout,
Speaker 2: and I discussed Russell Wilson's image problem, and John gives
Speaker 2: us his surprise NFL bounceback team. Former Bears coach Dave
Speaker 2: Wanstat tells me why he's not exactly bullish on this
Speaker 2: year's Bears team, and one of the smart voices on
Speaker 2: New York Sports columnist Ian O'Connor on Aaron Rodgers, Saquon
Speaker 2: Barkley and the Mets meltdown. But first my top takes
Speaker 2: of the week. You know, I think the Dame drama
Speaker 2: in Portland's interesting. I think there's this sense from a
Speaker 2: lot of fans, and I always try to put myself
Speaker 2: in the position of the player. What would I think
Speaker 2: if I was the player? What would I think if
Speaker 2: I was the coach of the GM And there's this
Speaker 2: sense by I think a lot of fans that you're
Speaker 2: selfish if you leave a team like Dame, leaving Portland
Speaker 2: just to go be on a better team. And I
Speaker 2: think the opposite's true, if you're just going to stay
Speaker 2: in any franchise that's not remotely viable to win a championship.
Speaker 2: Then you're basically doing it for the Benjamins. You're just
Speaker 2: doing it for money. What's the value of that, Like,
Speaker 2: that's just that's totally about self But if you go
Speaker 2: to another team, let's say Dame goes to Milwaukee, that's
Speaker 2: not selfish. He'd be the second best player on a
Speaker 2: team that's giving. It'd be the first time the ball
Speaker 2: wouldn't go through him. That's not selfish. That's giving. He
Speaker 2: wouldn't be the face of a franchise. That's not selfish.
Speaker 2: That's giving. That's relinquishing, that's passing a baton to somebody else.
Speaker 2: That's the opposite of selfish. You know, when Bradley Beal
Speaker 2: for years stayed in Washington, that was all about comfort,
Speaker 2: making good money, and being the man. And Bradley Beal
Speaker 2: finally went to management and said, I want to go
Speaker 2: win some games. I'm going to go somewhere like Phoenix. Well,
Speaker 2: when Bradley Beal goes to Phoenix, he's not going to
Speaker 2: get the most shots booker will Durant Meygett second most.
Speaker 2: He's the third best player on a team. That's the
Speaker 2: opposite of selfish. He is giving up shots, giving up
Speaker 2: where he lives, giving up comfort, giving up friends. So
Speaker 2: I just I don't buy into this, and I think
Speaker 2: it's good for the league long term if most of
Speaker 2: your stars stay. But one of the things I've always
Speaker 2: appreciated about Lebron James is his ability to acclimate to
Speaker 2: new teammates, new coaches, new cultures, and new cities. It's hard.
Speaker 2: He didn't win first year at a high school in Cleveland.
Speaker 2: He didn't win first year in Miami. He didn't win
Speaker 2: first year back at Cleveland, he didn't win first year
Speaker 2: in Los Angeles. Lebron James was the best player in
Speaker 2: the league in all of those and arguably the best
Speaker 2: player ever. Why because moving's hard? Help the studio I'm in.
Speaker 2: I just sold this house. I will have to move.
Speaker 2: It's a pain in the ass. And that's just down
Speaker 2: the block. Can you imagine moving your family into a
Speaker 2: new city where all he's rich, rich or not. Moving's difficult,
Speaker 2: it's discomfort, it's new, this, new that. So you know,
Speaker 2: when I look at Dame, do you just want to
Speaker 2: sit in Portland and collect checks and be comfortable and
Speaker 2: be the man and get what you want? It's much harder,
Speaker 2: you say, Oh, you go to Miami, greater expectations. You
Speaker 2: won't get every big shot. You may not be the
Speaker 2: most popular player in town. Jimmy Butler is BAM's got
Speaker 2: loyalists the franchise. Riley Spolstra, you're the new guy in town.
Speaker 2: If he goes to Milwaukee and Yannis, they've already got
Speaker 2: a ring before you. How much credit will you get
Speaker 2: for the second ring. So I look at loyalty as
Speaker 2: a two way street. You know, Portland is a market
Speaker 2: that geographically pinned up in the Pacific Northwest, not a
Speaker 2: huge free agent hub. I mean, they've never had an
Speaker 2: NBA All Star Game because they don't have enough hotel rooms.
Speaker 2: Now I think they're putting in a I believe, a
Speaker 2: Ritz Carlton, so they'll finally be able to get like a,
Speaker 2: you know, an NBA All Star Game. But for years
Speaker 2: they've never had one. They're the oldest franchise in the
Speaker 2: league without ever having hosted an NBA All Star Game.
Speaker 2: It's a small town and Dame's the biggest star in it,
Speaker 2: So I don't think it's disloyal at all. I think
Speaker 2: you have to give a lot to take the risk
Speaker 2: of pressure. I mean, going to Miami is going to
Speaker 2: be an incredibly pressurized situation. Riley's an icon, Spolster's code
Speaker 2: of the Year. Bam Butler just got to the finals
Speaker 2: with undrafted guys. Dame goes to Miami and they don't
Speaker 2: get back to the finals. Who do you thinks taken
Speaker 2: that heat? It's not Bam, it's not Spo, it's not Butler,
Speaker 2: it's Dame. There is a risk involved. The avalanche comes
Speaker 2: down the hill, it's gonna land on Dame. These guys
Speaker 2: got to the finals as an eight seed. So the
Speaker 2: idea of just joining super teams, you do understand that
Speaker 2: if you take out Lebron James, the whole mobility thing
Speaker 2: in the league doesn't work as well as you think.
Speaker 2: Kevin Durant joined a team that already won a title,
Speaker 2: but then he goes to Brooklyn. It implodes. Phoenix may implode.
Speaker 2: It's okay if you want to just play for the checks,
Speaker 2: the comfort, the stardom, the fame, stay in your city forever.
Speaker 2: But I applaud Bradley Beal for what he did, and
Speaker 2: I would applaud Dame for going on a potential championship team,
Speaker 2: taking some risk, taking some heat, and letting others watch him,
Speaker 2: which he deserves. In May and June, still playing. Now
Speaker 2: time for the volumes. John Middelcoff, the former NFL scout,
Speaker 2: hosts two podcasts, Three and Out. That's his volume NFL
Speaker 2: podcast and Go Low his golf podcast, which is gaining steam.
Speaker 2: So I saw her, Mike McGlinchey, the new right tackle,
Speaker 2: former Niner. Good tackle, not great, not Tristan Wurse, but
Speaker 2: a good tackle, good right tackle, not Lane Johnson. But
Speaker 2: I saw where McGlinchey said, Okay, I changed my mind.
Speaker 2: I didn't like Russ, and now I watched this work ethic.
Speaker 2: I'm into Russ, and it is weird. When he left
Speaker 2: Brady leaves New England twenty years there, you would have
Speaker 2: thought he would have offended somebody, an executive, a sales guy,
Speaker 2: a player, a coach, a trainer. Everybody loved him. Tears flowing.
Speaker 2: Russ is there a third of the time, leaves Seattle
Speaker 2: and gets dogged by everybody former teammates. Do you think
Speaker 2: it's just as simple as people view him as inauthentic.
Speaker 3: I think that plays a part. I think they were
Speaker 3: a defensive lead team. I think the individual instances that
Speaker 3: happened in the Super Bowl, right with Marshawn Lynch, everything
Speaker 3: that hovered around that. I think without that, let's just
Speaker 3: say they win it. I don't know if it quite
Speaker 3: gets his I mean he got pretty negative. I do
Speaker 3: think people think he's kind of a weird guy. And
Speaker 3: I would say this quarterbacks. I mean, you've got a
Speaker 3: lot of theories on quarterbacks. You go back to junior
Speaker 3: high they're usually kind of the lead dog. Everyone follows them,
Speaker 3: and then by the time you get to high school,
Speaker 3: they're getting girls that are looking. Maybe they get into college,
Speaker 3: they get good jobs. If they're not able to play
Speaker 3: professional football, they just feel like the leader of the crew.
Speaker 3: And that's not always fair because just because you play
Speaker 3: quarterback doesn't mean you have leadership traits. And I think
Speaker 3: Russell really always tried to embrace that. He really wanted it,
Speaker 3: which I respect, but I don't think you can fake
Speaker 3: it if you don't have it all. And it's really hard,
Speaker 3: right like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, those guys are
Speaker 3: kind of outliers. Patrick Mahomes right, they got it all.
Speaker 3: Steph Curry, I mean, the character, the focus, the talents.
Speaker 3: Everyone likes them. They want to hang with them. It's
Speaker 3: most you know, Rogers all time great player, but you
Speaker 3: know rubs people the wrong way sometimes, and you know
Speaker 3: it's been very hit or miss over his career as
Speaker 3: a leader. I also think just anytime that you play
Speaker 3: bad and the way that it was Pete versus Russ,
Speaker 3: and I know where you stood.
Speaker 4: I was with you.
Speaker 3: I thought I'd probably bet on Russ the house Seattle
Speaker 3: going to win this trade. And it takes time, but
Speaker 3: I would say they're definitely in the lead right now
Speaker 3: when you factor in the picks, when you factor in
Speaker 3: the cap relief, when you factor in how much success
Speaker 3: they had last year. I mean Gino Smith just in
Speaker 3: a vacuum had a better season than Russell Wilson had.
Speaker 3: How crazy is that? When you really say that out loud.
Speaker 2: When Russ came out of the draft, that was in
Speaker 2: your scouting days or around that time when you were
Speaker 2: a scout in the NFL. Do you remember Russell Wilson's
Speaker 2: draft file very well?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean he was beloved. There was I remember
Speaker 3: a story from one of our scouts that went through Wisconsin.
Speaker 3: Right and when they do the measuring, now, these players
Speaker 3: don't even do half the things at a pro day, right,
Speaker 3: but he was back just ten years ago. Everyone did everything,
Speaker 3: and when he was getting measured, I think, you know,
Speaker 3: he was a shade under It started with five ten
Speaker 3: something and then they're like and they said five to
Speaker 3: eleven flat, and every scout applauded because everyone in the
Speaker 3: room was rooting for him and with the Eagles. I mean,
Speaker 3: it's been well documented over the years. Daniel Jeremiah loved him,
Speaker 3: Andy loved him, how he loved him, and I think
Speaker 3: we and I saw a recent article about how we
Speaker 3: talking about Jalen Hurts and looking back when they got
Speaker 3: cute with Russell Wilson and when you like a guy
Speaker 3: at that position, why try to get an extra pick
Speaker 3: and get a guy in the third round when you
Speaker 3: can just take him in the second round. And look
Speaker 3: what happened to the Eagles, same type deal. Most people,
Speaker 3: including myself, that Jalen Hurts in the second round that's insane,
Speaker 3: probably could have got the guy in the fourth. Well,
Speaker 3: I would say they don't regret doing it. And Russell,
Speaker 3: I mean, he was really kind of a trendsetter, right.
Speaker 3: I remember being younger and Doug Flutie, there were just
Speaker 3: weren't short quarterbacks, especially mobile short quarterbacks, so he was
Speaker 3: his time. Whether he's washed down, I will say this,
Speaker 3: and I've been to several Seattle Niner games live. I
Speaker 3: think he's one of the most remarkable players I've ever seen.
Speaker 3: In his heyday. You know, he had some Steve Young.
Speaker 3: It was just it was unreal. Now the guy we
Speaker 3: saw last year, we're about to find out. Was it
Speaker 3: all Nate Hacket or is Sean can Shawn resurrect him?
Speaker 3: Or sometimes I think we've kind of become numb. Right,
Speaker 3: everyone has a long twenty year shelf life. Well, some
Speaker 3: guys just peek out for twelve years. That's a pretty
Speaker 3: long career. That used to be the norm, right, Colin. Yeah,
Speaker 3: And what I watched Russell. The thing that struck me
Speaker 3: is that he was still very effective running. He just
Speaker 3: stopped doing it now. He would get into late game
Speaker 3: situations when Nathaniel Hackett was a coach and he would
Speaker 3: take off once or twice, and he was still very effective.
Speaker 3: I think when he got the big money, I'm going
Speaker 3: to theorize this. When he got the big money, and
Speaker 3: I'm talking you know, his contract was mahomes Ish Peyton
Speaker 3: manning ish right when he got that big money, I
Speaker 3: think Russell said to himself, Okay, this has been reserved
Speaker 3: for guys to sit in the pocket. I'm not gonna
Speaker 3: I'm not going to be run around Russ anymore. I
Speaker 3: want to prove I can do it from the pocket.
Speaker 3: And I really felt that he wanted to do He
Speaker 3: wanted to sort of pivot to a older in the pocket,
Speaker 3: can win it the line of scrimmage quarterback, when in
Speaker 3: truth he's the same size mostly as Tua, who has
Speaker 3: acknowledged publicly there are times I can't see over the
Speaker 3: offensive lineman. So I think Russ got stubborn. I talked
Speaker 3: to somebody who had looked at film of Russ, and
Speaker 3: they're like, sometimes he looked stubborn. Is that he there's
Speaker 3: much better angles, you know, slide in the pocket. Russ
Speaker 3: kind of felt like, this is my take. He kind
Speaker 3: of wanted to prove, Okay, this is a contract that's
Speaker 3: been for the great pocket passers of all time. I'm
Speaker 3: not going to be wild, crazy run around Russ. And
Speaker 3: then when Peyton got there, you've noticed he's lost weight
Speaker 3: this offseason. I think Peyton said, Russ, you know if
Speaker 3: Drew Brees could have run, he would have run. It's
Speaker 3: an asset lean into it. Well, think about all the
Speaker 3: great running quarterbacks, probably post the nineteen seventies. Yeah, I
Speaker 3: don't consider like John Elway, even though he's mobile, or
Speaker 3: Aaron Rodgers a running quarterback. I think Steve Young beat
Speaker 3: the drum the hardest. You have to win within the pocket,
Speaker 3: and he was a better athlete than even those guys, right,
Speaker 3: but he became a Hall of Famer and MVP ultimately
Speaker 3: with his arm. And I think historically would say that's
Speaker 3: how you have to transition because the Mike Vicks, we'll
Speaker 3: see with Lamar, you just take a pounding Kyler Murray.
Speaker 3: It's hard when you are kind of this hybrid running back.
Speaker 3: Now you could argue maybe the rules a little safer
Speaker 3: to run. Guys are less, you know, less likely to
Speaker 3: go Steve Atwater, John Lynch on your body down the field.
Speaker 3: I do think you can incorporate it if you do
Speaker 3: it right better than ever. Like Steve Young could not
Speaker 3: have done that. He would not have lasted as long
Speaker 3: as he did if he kept taking off like Russell
Speaker 3: did most of his career. I just think that sometimes
Speaker 3: in life, list has happened to probably most humans, not
Speaker 3: at the level in which Russell because he's such a
Speaker 3: public figure. But you get humbled in life, you really
Speaker 3: got two options, right, you kind of go back to
Speaker 3: the drawing board, because he's always been chasing greatness and
Speaker 3: trying to be like a top fifteen to twenty quarterback
Speaker 3: of all time and be a Hall of Fame guy,
Speaker 3: which he probably already is. But I just mind, is
Speaker 3: he just going to be a laughingstock moving forward? Is
Speaker 3: he a prideful guy that we saw forever and that
Speaker 3: butted heads with some of those defensive guys and wanted
Speaker 3: to be a starts. He's definitely one of the most
Speaker 3: fascinating stories in the league when you factor in his
Speaker 3: you know, the coach edition, right.
Speaker 2: All right, let's bring on the coach Dave Wanstat former
Speaker 2: Bears head coach, Dolphins head coach coordinator for the Super
Speaker 2: Bowl champ being Cowboys coach at Pitt Miami Hurricanes DC.
Speaker 2: So big year for Chicago. I think the Justin fields
Speaker 2: after two years. We know he's talented, he can move,
Speaker 2: he's got a whip for an arm, but a lot
Speaker 2: of mistakes, some not his, but there'll be a sense
Speaker 2: Dave that after this year you either go to jettison,
Speaker 2: move off him, or lean into him. You've been to practice.
Speaker 2: What is your takeaway on what you've seen.
Speaker 1: Well, I think the first thing you said, a big
Speaker 1: year for Chicago. I think the people in Chicago and
Speaker 1: I don't know if they'll get it, but it's what
Speaker 1: I'm preaching. I think this needs to be a reasonable
Speaker 1: improvement year for Justin Fields.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I need to go out and
Speaker 1: be Aaron Rodgers, okay when he was in Green Bay.
Speaker 1: I mean, he needs and to improve one hundred percent.
Speaker 1: But I think it needs to be reasonable. But when
Speaker 1: I look at Chicago, they have two number one picks
Speaker 1: next year. Everybody that they free agency, plus the draft picks.
Speaker 1: There's not a player on their roster that they signed
Speaker 1: that was older than twenty six. And I spent about
Speaker 1: an iron with Ryan Pooles, the general manager, for about
Speaker 1: a week ago, two weeks ago, and you know that
Speaker 1: they have purposely built a young football team and it's
Speaker 1: not talked about, but I think that, yes, Justin Fields
Speaker 1: needs to perform. I think it's the Philadelphia Eagles blueprint,
Speaker 1: you know. I mean, let's let's all if we're all
Speaker 1: honest with ourselves, me included. Before last season, I wasn't
Speaker 1: sure if Jalen Hurts could beat the guy and the Eagle.
Speaker 1: I don't think the Eagles thought that either. Calin and
Speaker 1: they're sitting there with two number one picks and they're
Speaker 1: saying to themselves, I promise you, if he's not the guy,
Speaker 1: we're going up to the first, they can get a quarterback.
Speaker 1: The Bears. I don't think it'll happen. No one's talking
Speaker 1: about it, but they have the draft picks to do something.
Speaker 1: If it doesn't work out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the listen, I will say. By getting Robert Tanyan,
Speaker 2: they now have two tight ends Cole Commit by getting
Speaker 2: I'm not a huge Chase Claypool fan, but I do
Speaker 2: love DJ Moore. I think Mooney is more than capable.
Speaker 2: I went and looked at the PFF grades for their
Speaker 2: offensive line. It's not as bad as say the New
Speaker 2: York Giants or the Tennessee Titans last year. It's kind
Speaker 2: of middle of the pack. I think they found a
Speaker 2: left tackle last year in the draft. So my takeaway
Speaker 2: is I don't need Justin Fields to be a playoff quarterback.
Speaker 2: But I don't think if he struggles, we can blame
Speaker 2: the personnel, Dave. I think the Bears have given him
Speaker 2: good enough pieces to work with and win ten games.
Speaker 2: Is that fair?
Speaker 4: That's fair?
Speaker 1: And you know what, when I was up there, Dj
Speaker 1: Moore made three catches that Bear receivers haven't made in
Speaker 1: three years. And the guy that was smiling the most
Speaker 1: and won the head coach and won the general manager.
Speaker 1: It was just the fields, you know. So they have
Speaker 1: really connected from the standpoint of a confidence between quarterback
Speaker 1: and receiver. You mentioned Robert Tunyan. I think he might
Speaker 1: be this you talk about a stealing free agency they had.
Speaker 1: They sure if Clay Poole comes on, fantastic if he doesn't.
Speaker 1: When I saw Robert Tunyan and they've flexed him out
Speaker 1: like they used to do with todygan Zalz back in
Speaker 1: the day, and he can beat safeties one on one.
Speaker 1: I mean he is that type of athletic tight end
Speaker 1: or you bring him in tight so he that's a
Speaker 1: heck of a signing for the Bears. It truly is. So.
Speaker 1: I think they feel real good about their passing game
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, and they're going to be committed
Speaker 1: to run the ball, the whole key, and I was
Speaker 1: upper and Luke Jetsey, you know, the offensive coordinator. He
Speaker 1: worked for me at FIT. I got a great four
Speaker 1: with him and and he said, you know, we got
Speaker 1: to take the next step. We're going to take the
Speaker 1: next step. We got to be balanced. We've got to
Speaker 1: be balanced in this and so it's it's exciting. But
Speaker 1: I do agree they do have the weapons.
Speaker 2: What's the typical Chicago Bear fan reasonable not liquored up.
Speaker 2: If you said, would they be disappointed with nine and
Speaker 2: eight and justin fields showing improvement, Yes.
Speaker 1: Yes, they probably would. But I think it's seven eight
Speaker 1: win team. I think they're a seven eight win team
Speaker 1: with justin Field showing improvement. I'm concerned about the Bears defense.
Speaker 1: I'm not concerned about the rump. I mean their defense coach.
Speaker 1: The leading guy soccer for him was Brisker the strong
Speaker 1: safety last year.
Speaker 4: I never heard of that.
Speaker 1: I think got the most sacks on your team is
Speaker 1: a strong safety. That's scarely No. They added they're gonna
Speaker 1: have They got three free agents on the defensive line.
Speaker 1: They drafted to defensive linemen, the Stevenson kid. I'll tell
Speaker 1: you what. The guy they drafted in the third round
Speaker 1: out of Miami kay Tyree Stevenson. This kid, when I
Speaker 1: was at practice, he's going to be a starter at corner.
Speaker 1: And this is big. I was talking to head coach
Speaker 1: Matt Eberfluss, and they run a steam that's kind of
Speaker 1: like what we did at Dallas and kind of like
Speaker 1: what Tony Dungee did at Tampa. It's a combination of two,
Speaker 1: with the point being that they have to get pressure.
Speaker 1: With their four guys, they're always going to be one
Speaker 1: of the least blitzing defenses in the NFL. So the
Speaker 1: guy that really important is that nickelback. He's the most
Speaker 1: important guy in their defense, and that's Kyler Gordon. Last year,
Speaker 1: Kyler Gordon bear fans know this. He played corner, then
Speaker 1: they put him at nickel he was now guess what
Speaker 1: he's full time. You're the nickelback. Don't worry about anything else.
Speaker 1: We got Jalen Johnson on one side, and we got
Speaker 1: Tyreek Stevenson, who had today I was the guy had
Speaker 1: an interception for a touchdown, knocked down three balls. This
Speaker 1: guy from Miami, he's he's gonna be a big time player.
Speaker 1: That was a great pick for them, and it's going
Speaker 1: to fit into their defense perfectly. But it's go to
Speaker 1: come down. Can they get a pressure? You know, I
Speaker 1: don't see it. It's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough.
Speaker 2: Well, the good news Aaron Rodgers is out of division,
Speaker 2: Dalvin Cook will be out of division. Detroit moved off
Speaker 2: DeAndre Swift. I still think they're Detroit. I think we're
Speaker 2: overvaluing them a little. They didn't make the playoffs. I
Speaker 2: think they win a couple more games, but it's a
Speaker 2: winnable division. Coach Minnesota is not gonna go eleven to
Speaker 2: zher in one score games. That's not happening again. So
Speaker 2: I don't think. I mean, I just think this is
Speaker 2: the year for Chicago. I think they could be a
Speaker 2: ten win team. They've got to cut down on mistakes
Speaker 2: and let's be honest, Justin moves. He's got to stay healthy.
Speaker 2: I worry about that a little bit.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I like them. I love them. In the opener,
Speaker 1: you know, they open up with the packlers Jordan Love
Speaker 1: right here at Chicago. Wow, that's gonna be an excite
Speaker 1: I mean, there's gonna be a lot of pressure on them.
Speaker 1: I like the Bears are. I kind of disagree with you.
Speaker 1: One thing. I'm picking Detroit. I like Detroit to win
Speaker 1: this division. I'll tell you what they You know, obviously,
Speaker 1: they drafted Gibbs, the running back from Alabama to transferred
Speaker 1: from Georgia Tech. But they got David Walker, and David
Speaker 1: Walker is an angry David. I'm sorry David Montgomery who
Speaker 1: was with the Bears. And this kid's a heck of
Speaker 1: a football player. So they got the rookie Gibbs the
Speaker 1: number one pick, and they got David Montgomery the running back.
Speaker 1: They that's they got the receivers back, you know, they
Speaker 1: got Marvin Jones, they got Saint Brian coming back. They
Speaker 1: drafted this Laported kid, and I know it was Iowa,
Speaker 1: but he's not just the number one tight end. He
Speaker 1: had the most receptions of any tight end in the
Speaker 1: Big Ten Conference. And this kid is a player now
Speaker 1: and no one I can't get aim body excited. But
Speaker 1: my guy for defensive player of the Year in the
Speaker 1: Big Ten Conference for the last three years was Jack
Speaker 1: Campbell and they drafted him in the first round. A
Speaker 1: big linebacker. No one's saying Jack Campbell. This guy gets interested.
Speaker 1: He's six ' five Look at his calm. Anybody's out
Speaker 1: there it's questioning me. Look at the guy's combine times.
Speaker 1: The guy makes interceptions, he makes sacks, he makes one
Speaker 1: hundred plus tackles every year. He graduated like six years ago.
Speaker 1: I mean, the guy's brook. This guy, I'm telling you,
Speaker 1: I'm excited. And then who does Detroit get. They get
Speaker 1: the Branch, the safety from Alabama, who I thought was
Speaker 1: it going to be a second round pick or some
Speaker 1: people at him higher. They get him in a third round.
Speaker 1: This guy's going to commit and play for them. He's
Speaker 1: a heck of a player. Taught the saving about him.
Speaker 1: I think Detroit did really well in the draft. I'm
Speaker 1: on their bandwagon. I wrote him.
Speaker 2: Every year I make picks, and my woe pick of
Speaker 2: this year in the NFL, the surprise pick is I'm
Speaker 2: taking Miami to win the division first. I think Vic
Speaker 2: Fangio right now is maybe the best defensive coordinator in
Speaker 2: the sport. They saw by bringing Jalen Ramsey over, they
Speaker 2: solved the corner issue. I don't love their offensive line,
Speaker 2: but if you look at Mike McDaniel's system, it's Kyle
Speaker 2: Shanahan's system. It has always been better day for quarterbacks
Speaker 2: in the second year of it, it's pretty complex. I
Speaker 2: look at what Miami put together. I watched them play
Speaker 2: the Bills three times last year. They beat them once.
Speaker 2: They could have beaten them a second time with Tua
Speaker 2: and Skyler Thompson played them close. And my takeaway was,
Speaker 2: I don't feel right now that Buffalo has had a
Speaker 2: good last five or six months. Stefon Diggs's complaining they
Speaker 2: lost one of their safeties. I have questions about McDermott,
Speaker 2: his rigidity. Leslie Fraser just said get me out of
Speaker 2: here because McDermott wouldn't let him call plays. There's a
Speaker 2: little bit of coaching tension. I if Tua's upright, I
Speaker 2: saw I put on about fifteen pounds. You tell me
Speaker 2: your thoughts. I think Mike McDaniel in year two of
Speaker 2: that offense. I've watched Shanahan in Atlanta, I watched them
Speaker 2: in San Francisco. It's that second year, Dave. I think
Speaker 2: Miami's gonna be a handful.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you. I mean we'll start with uh,
Speaker 1: you know, adding Ramsey. But the best addition they had
Speaker 1: is Vic fan Joe. You know. Now in Vic's defense,
Speaker 1: and I know pretty good. Vic's defense is not a
Speaker 1: blitzing defense. I mean, you know when they were there
Speaker 1: with with Brian Flores, it was pressure, pressure, pressure. This
Speaker 1: is not that. So having the extra corner, you know,
Speaker 1: having Ramsey teamed up with Howard, I mean, that's a great,
Speaker 1: great combination. Uh. But they're gonna have to generate rush
Speaker 1: up front. To me, Bradley Chubb is the guy. He's
Speaker 1: this guy's got to show up. You know, last year
Speaker 1: they made the big trade for him. They got him there,
Speaker 1: and I think Vick will be the guy that'll be
Speaker 1: able to push the right buttons to get a big
Speaker 1: year out of him. But they've got to generate. They're
Speaker 1: gonna have to generate pass rush with the guys up front.
Speaker 1: That's one point. The other thing that I think has
Speaker 1: to happen is, you know, Mike McDaniels, you mentioned the
Speaker 1: Buffalo games calling. It really bothered me. They had Skyler Thompson,
Speaker 1: who you get, that thirteen quarterback in there, and they
Speaker 1: threw the ball twice as many times as they ran it.
Speaker 1: And I'm watching that game and I remember when I
Speaker 1: got the Bears job, you know, and I was out
Speaker 1: and the lake Chuck Noll had just stepped down from
Speaker 1: the Steelers and we were playing golf and he said, Dave,
Speaker 1: never forget why you get you're a head coach. No,
Speaker 1: never forget why you're a head coach. I said, what
Speaker 1: do you mean? He says, when you got hired because
Speaker 1: of your defensive expertise. So I'm watching that Dolphin Buffalo
Speaker 1: game and I'm thinking to myself, Mike McDaniels was the
Speaker 1: run coordinator run coordinator at San Francisco, and they aren't
Speaker 1: running the ball. If they run the football, I'm convinced
Speaker 1: they were. So the only question I have is, you know,
Speaker 1: they're going to have to be balanced. And when you
Speaker 1: got Tua and you got the firepower, you know, Tyreek
Speaker 1: Kid and all the waddle and everybody, it's real tempting
Speaker 1: to want to get them the ball. Big plays, big pellies.
Speaker 1: But I'll tell you what this is good Mike mc
Speaker 1: if he wants to win big, he's gonna have to
Speaker 1: be balanced, and he's gonna have to continue running the football.
Speaker 1: I don't he's gonna show me that he'll do that.
Speaker 1: I'm not convinced he wants to do it. Well.
Speaker 2: It's interesting. Kyle Shanahan has Debo and George Kittle and
Speaker 2: Brandon Ayuk and Christian McCaffrey, and he commits to the
Speaker 2: run despite how having those options. I mean, when I
Speaker 2: think of the Niners, I think of a physical run game, yep.
Speaker 2: I don't even think of passing no.
Speaker 1: And you know the other thing too, with the Tua.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Tua, and I'm not gonna blitz him. I'm
Speaker 1: not going to take a chance of trying to cover
Speaker 1: Tyra kill one on one. But I'll tell you what's
Speaker 1: going to happen. Tua in his mind, if you went
Speaker 1: through the concussion stuff that he went through or anybody did,
Speaker 1: that's going to be on your mind. And they're going
Speaker 1: to be saying, get the ball, why quick, right, don't
Speaker 1: take a chance. They don't run up. He's not running
Speaker 1: quarterback read stuff. So put that aside. That's not going
Speaker 1: to happen. But get the ball out quick. He's gonna
Speaker 1: see man press coverage. I would play him man and
Speaker 1: I would lock up those receivers and knowing that the
Speaker 1: ball is going to come out quick, and so he's
Speaker 1: gonna you know, he makes good decisions, makes good decisions.
Speaker 1: We're going to find out how accurate he is. He's
Speaker 1: going to have to be real accurate this year because
Speaker 1: I don't think he's going to get very many wide open,
Speaker 1: easy throws. Well.
Speaker 2: The other thing with Tua is because his injuries are
Speaker 2: a concussion base that you can't bring him back with
Speaker 2: another concussion for four to six weeks. So to your point,
Speaker 2: I think McDaniel realizes that they'll run it more and
Speaker 2: it'll be a lot of a lot of what Brady ran.
Speaker 2: Just get the ball out Garoppolo by the way, one
Speaker 2: thousand and one, one thousand and two, let it ripe.
Speaker 2: And I also think McDaniel's knows his weakness is his
Speaker 2: offensive front in a division with Buffalo's pass rush, the
Speaker 2: Jets pass rush, and Belichick's defensive front. So I do
Speaker 2: think there's a way Miami will play run it quick,
Speaker 2: passing protect to it because he goes down. You know,
Speaker 2: they brought Mike White in for the Jets for a reason.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so in near minds, they probably got a good backup,
Speaker 1: but it's not to us. So it'll be interesting to
Speaker 1: see if McDaniel's can do that.
Speaker 2: So you're from Pittsburgh, coached the Panthers for years, you've
Speaker 2: got a lot of friends there. Still I went, and
Speaker 2: the other day I went and sort of burrowed down
Speaker 2: on the Steelers. There's a couple of things that are interesting.
Speaker 2: Number one is they win. Over the last three years
Speaker 2: when TJ. Watt plays, they win seventy five percent of
Speaker 2: their games. And although he was banged up last year,
Speaker 2: in his history, he doesn't get hurt. And one of
Speaker 2: the reasons I lean Steelers over Baltimore for the while
Speaker 2: the card spot is if you take their eight best players,
Speaker 2: and I include Najie Harris, their tight end, Kenny Pickett,
Speaker 2: Minka Fitzpatrick, I go Cam Hayward, I go down the line.
Speaker 2: None of them have an injury history. And virtually all
Speaker 2: of the Ravens' best players except tight end Mark Andrews,
Speaker 2: do have a playoff history. And I don't know if
Speaker 2: Tomlin is more measured at practice, but the Ravens have
Speaker 2: been banged up for four years in a row and
Speaker 2: the Steelers are rarely hurt. And I went back and
Speaker 2: I looked at Pittsburgh's last six games last year. I
Speaker 2: didn't from beginning to end watch all of them, Dave,
Speaker 2: because the AFC has so many more compelling teams. At
Speaker 2: the end of last year, Kenny Pickett was pretty good.
Speaker 2: The defense was great, Kenny Pickett was pretty good. What
Speaker 2: are you hearing?
Speaker 1: Well, I know this for a fact. Last year, at
Speaker 1: this time going into training camp, he was getting the
Speaker 1: third team more reps. I mean, was Mitch Trubisky, It
Speaker 1: was Mason Rudolph, and it was Kenny Pickett. So his
Speaker 1: practice time was a third And you know, I don't
Speaker 1: think I think they went into that thing. Mike Tomlin
Speaker 1: said that Mitch Trubisky is a starter, which he did,
Speaker 1: and so I look at that and say, you know,
Speaker 1: that's a lot of time for a rookie not to
Speaker 1: be getting the reps that he needs. And then the
Speaker 1: guy that's probably going to be his top receiver, and
Speaker 1: then what's his name got hurt. Deontay Johnson was hurt.
Speaker 1: Okay Uh Pickens, George Pickens, the second round pick out
Speaker 1: of Tennessee. He's a star. This guy. He it took him,
Speaker 1: They tell me it took him two or three, you know,
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks into the season before he started
Speaker 1: getting the field for the thing. I mean, they were
Speaker 1: hoping that Claypool, they were hoping to Chase Claypool was
Speaker 1: the guy. You gotta remember, Chase Claypool went from their
Speaker 1: number one receiver to two to three, and so all
Speaker 1: the sudden, now all of a sudden, you're seeing Pickings
Speaker 1: getting more reps and Deontay Johnson they're getting him boo
Speaker 1: and then they find out how good friar move. You
Speaker 1: mentioned him the tight end from Pat Steak. Yeah, this
Speaker 1: kid is a player. He's got phenomenal him. It wasn't
Speaker 1: until about that halfway through the season where Pickets getting
Speaker 1: enough reps. Pickings is picking up the offense and now
Speaker 1: they're realizing, hey, we got a tight end too. So
Speaker 1: I think I like Pittsburgh. I mean their offense, they're stars.
Speaker 1: The guys we're talking about are all like twenty five
Speaker 1: years or younger, right, So I mean the arrow is
Speaker 1: definitely up for that offense.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's did you like, can he pick
Speaker 2: it out of college? I've always said he feels very
Speaker 2: B plus at everything. He's got a good enough arm,
Speaker 2: good enough size, good enough mobility. I don't I don't
Speaker 2: see a lot of special but I don't see a
Speaker 2: lot of Dave. I don't see any holes. I don't
Speaker 2: I don't see anything that he can move left, he
Speaker 2: throws right, he's mobile, he can take a hit. My
Speaker 2: takeaway is, you know, there's a little bit of a CJ.
Speaker 2: Stroud where I'm like, he looks good enough at everything,
Speaker 2: maybe great at nothing. What did you hear from your
Speaker 2: pit people about Kenny coming out.
Speaker 1: I was back there at pitt when they were practicing
Speaker 1: and sitting in there and talking to Pat and Ardouzi,
Speaker 1: the head coach, and the offensive court and all the
Speaker 1: intangible things that you mentioned, and then put a layer
Speaker 1: of toughness. This guy is a street tough kid, and
Speaker 1: this kid is a competitor. And I think that you
Speaker 1: know you talked about he's got good enough arm strength,
Speaker 1: he understands the game, he gets the big picture, on
Speaker 1: and on and on. But now you put in that
Speaker 1: toughness and those those intangible things, they're real. They are real.
Speaker 1: And you know they share the facility back your pit
Speaker 1: and the Steelers share facilities, so they're in the same
Speaker 1: building where they're eating, and they're on the practice field
Speaker 1: on leave and the other ones. No one had better
Speaker 1: exposure to Kenny Pickett for his whole career than Mike
Speaker 1: Tomlin and the Steelers and Kevin Colbert at that time
Speaker 1: in the whole Steeler organization. So they know what they're
Speaker 1: getting there, and I know they are excited.
Speaker 2: Well, he's my favorite East Coast voice. Ian O'Connor a
Speaker 2: four time New York Times best selling author the book
Speaker 2: on Coach k Derek Jeter Belichick three for three, All Fantastic,
Speaker 2: New York Daily News, Now The New York Post, USA Today, ESBN,
Speaker 2: known him, loved him for years. He is now joining us,
Speaker 2: and we got a lot to talk about. So I
Speaker 2: remember when I lived in Connecticut. You're really in the
Speaker 2: belly of the beast, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Phillies. It's
Speaker 2: just sports talk is driven by it out West. It
Speaker 2: is not. It's more of an NBA NFL discussion. But
Speaker 2: the intensity in the passion is redeemable. And I missed
Speaker 2: so much not hearing Sports Talk Radio New York. After
Speaker 2: the Mets late inning Melton against the Phillies, I watched it.
Speaker 2: I just happened to stumble on it. Good hell Ian
Speaker 2: that is as hits batsman walks one hit, multiple runs.
Speaker 2: What was that? The tipping point? Is Buck Showalter in trouble?
Speaker 2: After that moment.
Speaker 5: I don't know if it's a tipping point, Colin, because
Speaker 5: it feels like I live with a fatalistic Mets fan.
Speaker 5: My wife's been a diehard Mets fan for forty five
Speaker 5: fifty years basically, and so it feels like they just
Speaker 5: run into each other and I can't differentiate.
Speaker 4: One from the other.
Speaker 5: And I don't think it's the tipping point as far
Speaker 5: as Showalter is concerned, because last year he won one
Speaker 5: hundred and one games. That's the second most victories in
Speaker 5: the history of the New York Mets franchise. Davy Johnson
Speaker 5: won one hundred and eight nineteen eighty six, and nobody's
Speaker 5: done better than Showalter did in year one. So I
Speaker 5: don't think you can fire him in the middle of
Speaker 5: year two. I really don't, and so I think he
Speaker 5: deserves the rest of the season. However it unfolds and
Speaker 5: it's getting uglier by the hour, and then have the
Speaker 5: conversation in the offseason is he worthy of year three?
Speaker 5: But I think to whack him in the middle of
Speaker 5: two would be doing him a real injustice because just
Speaker 5: based on his track record, he did so much good
Speaker 5: last year and I think, actually you could make a
Speaker 5: case I remember the general manager of the Mets, Steve Phillips,
Speaker 5: did this in nineteen ninety nine. The Mets were unraveling
Speaker 5: and one night he decided, I'm going to fire all
Speaker 5: of Bobby Valentine's coaches, and the Mets went on an
Speaker 5: absolute tear, made the playoffs and almost made.
Speaker 4: The World Series that year.
Speaker 5: You could argue it makes sense to fire a coach
Speaker 5: right now, or maybe they should have done it last
Speaker 5: week and try to ignite the team that way, keeping
Speaker 5: Showalter and the GM Billy Eppler in place at least
Speaker 5: for now, I think that made that makes more sense
Speaker 5: in firing showld.
Speaker 2: You know, they're not hitting, they're not getting the ball
Speaker 2: in play, if Pete Alonzo's not healthy, they don't have
Speaker 2: any power. It's pretty simple. They're not doing anything particularly well.
Speaker 2: But I would argue, if you look at the Verlanders
Speaker 2: and the Shrsers, they were built for late season baseball.
Speaker 2: They almost assumed they would be good late in the year.
Speaker 2: They built this team, you know, for July. You know,
Speaker 2: I would say August fifteenth on to be ready to go.
Speaker 2: So you know, when I look, I always feel you
Speaker 2: can buy relevance. It's very difficult to buy wins. Lindor's
Speaker 2: not playing well, they're not hitting. I was thinking about
Speaker 2: this before the interview today. I can't remember the last
Speaker 2: because the Mets team last year really struggled to put
Speaker 2: together runs and rallies. It wasn't a great hitting team.
Speaker 2: It lacked power. When is the last Maybe it's just again,
Speaker 2: you would know this. When's the last Mets team that
Speaker 2: was an offensive power?
Speaker 4: That's a good question, and I'm going back to two thousand.
Speaker 5: They're in the World Series against the Yankees, and They've
Speaker 5: had a few teams here and there that I would
Speaker 5: put in that category at least close to it, certainly
Speaker 5: not this one. And you're right, Lindor is now a
Speaker 5: three hundred and forty one million dollar player, though he's
Speaker 5: been playing better lately, and that's part of the problem.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 5: Steve Cohen just had a press conference. I'm not sure
Speaker 5: why he called that press confersen, because they really say
Speaker 5: a whole hell of a lot other than he's fortunate
Speaker 5: to have found Billy Eppler's general manager. Yet I'm still
Speaker 5: looking for a president Baseball Operations to effectively replace him,
Speaker 5: So I'm not sure how that makes much sense. A
Speaker 5: lot of people in baseball believe David Sterens and the
Speaker 5: Milwaukee Brewers will be the guy in the offseason when
Speaker 5: he's finally a free agent. I think Steve Cohen's been
Speaker 5: trying to hire him for a couple of years. And
Speaker 5: then you go from there. But it's starting pitching. The Mets,
Speaker 5: who used to be known for starting pitching. That's really
Speaker 5: what's failed them colin this year, and it's been a
Speaker 5: domino effect from that point. It's Verlander, he gives you five,
Speaker 5: he throws a hundred pitches, he's got to come out,
Speaker 5: and now you have to go to the middle of relief.
Speaker 5: That's been a real problem on this team, trying to
Speaker 5: get to the good back of the bullpen arms. And
Speaker 5: even last night with Hardway coming in the game as
Speaker 5: tied game and right away you're trailing.
Speaker 4: That's been the problem.
Speaker 5: It's saying to Verlander and other pitchers, the starting pitchers
Speaker 5: not giving you any length, and then you're using the
Speaker 5: worst players on your team as a bridge, and it's
Speaker 5: a very wobbly one at that and that's really been
Speaker 5: a big part of why the Mets are where they are.
Speaker 2: You know, I think one of the things I learned
Speaker 2: when I lived back out East, and I actually miss
Speaker 2: it is the intensity of the media and the intensity
Speaker 2: of the pressure. For all the money the Mets have
Speaker 2: now and for all the money the Yankees have had
Speaker 2: for years, I couldn't say the last time the Yankees
Speaker 2: drafted and developed an ace. They just they went and
Speaker 2: purchased pitching. And I understand that. You could say they
Speaker 2: have great revenue, but so do the Braves, and they
Speaker 2: do it. So to the Dodgers, and they do it.
Speaker 2: Braves have no problem with that. It's not just a
Speaker 2: revenue issue. Is it possible that? And I saw this
Speaker 2: with the Brooklyn Nets. The downside in New York is
Speaker 2: it's expensive to live there, it's expensive to travel. You
Speaker 2: need to win. People aren't going to spend money on
Speaker 2: those tickets. When there's two NFL teams, two Baseball teams,
Speaker 2: two NBA that some of what has happened in New
Speaker 2: York Baseball is just a pressure cooker in the reality
Speaker 2: of this baseball centric market. It puts enormous pressure on players.
Speaker 5: Well, certainly that's part of it, and particularly when baseball
Speaker 5: is the ultimate like golf, the ultimate game of failure.
Speaker 5: And on top of that, the twenty four to seven
Speaker 5: scrutiny and the social media age. New York being the biggest,
Speaker 5: loudest market is certainly in there among the reasons that
Speaker 5: you could rank at the top of the list as
Speaker 5: to why the Mets in particular are unraveling this season.
Speaker 5: I think the Yankees with that third wildcard, are going
Speaker 5: to make the playoffs every year, and that third wildcard,
Speaker 5: And with the Mets, who should keep you If you're
Speaker 5: spend ending X amount of dollars, you should be in
Speaker 5: the tournament. And in baseball, as you know, we saw
Speaker 5: last year with the Phillies, and of course they made
Speaker 5: a change in the middle of the season firing Girardi.
Speaker 5: Once you get in anything can happen, particularly in baseball.
Speaker 5: It's like, and I had this conversation with Alex Rodriguez
Speaker 5: years ago, and to some extent with Aaron Judge. In
Speaker 5: baseball or in basketball, you give Lebron James and his
Speaker 5: prime the ball every time up the floor in a
Speaker 5: big spot. You can't send Aaron Judge or a rod
Speaker 5: to the plate every time in the ninth inning in
Speaker 5: a big spot in October.
Speaker 1: It's not the way baseball works.
Speaker 5: So there's a lot on the individual superstar in baseball,
Speaker 5: like Gay Lindor is not really a superstar.
Speaker 4: He's not playing like one.
Speaker 5: Or any of these guys to try to carry a
Speaker 5: team because they can only do so much.
Speaker 4: It's the nature of that sport.
Speaker 5: So I think there's a lot of pressure on the
Speaker 5: stars in baseball because they can't impact winning and losing
Speaker 5: like a quarterback in football or a two guard in
Speaker 5: the NBA.
Speaker 4: New York magnifies that in baseball.
Speaker 5: And I think again, going back to the Mets where
Speaker 5: they are right now, is that they didn't develop the
Speaker 5: picture that they did develop the Grom left, of course,
Speaker 5: and Matt Harvey was good for a while they developed him,
Speaker 5: and right now they don't have a top pitching prospect.
Speaker 4: So Cohen realized that when he bought the team.
Speaker 5: So I'm going to go out and spend a ton
Speaker 5: of money on the Max Scherzers and Justin Verlanders and
Speaker 5: try to do it that way. The problem is it
Speaker 5: leaves you with a four hundred and forty five million
Speaker 5: dollar bill at the end of the season that could
Speaker 5: be a sub.
Speaker 4: Five hundred season.
Speaker 2: You know, you tweeted something the other day about Otani
Speaker 2: and the Mets, and it's kind of understood. The Dodgers
Speaker 2: this offseason pulled back. They let Cody Bellinger go. Kershaw's
Speaker 2: contract was quick, justin Turner. They pulled back on revenue,
Speaker 2: and the feeling was they were saving another seventy five
Speaker 2: million for the Otani deal. A remarkable player, but the
Speaker 2: Angels are literally the least talked about franchise in Southern
Speaker 2: California outside of the hockey teams, So the Dodgers. There's
Speaker 2: a real sense that Otani and the Dodgers are working
Speaker 2: behind the scenes. Though though the Angels have said we'd
Speaker 2: never trade for him, I'm not sure or trade him.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure why if I could get if I
Speaker 2: could get something for Otani knowing he's leaving, So there's
Speaker 2: a sense in Southern California he'll be a Dodger. They
Speaker 2: certainly have the revenue streams. They outdraw I think the
Speaker 2: second place Yankees by seven thousand people per game. I mean,
Speaker 2: the Dodgers are an enormously popular franchise like the Yankees
Speaker 2: in New York. It's a it's an ATM machine. Boston
Speaker 2: doesn't feel like they can compete financially. John Carlos Stanton.
Speaker 2: It's not a miss, but it's not worth what they
Speaker 2: paid for him. Garrett Cole's not a miss, but it
Speaker 2: doesn't feel like it's been a hit. Sure'ser not a hit.
Speaker 2: Would the match of the Yankees be willing to spend
Speaker 2: the most money ever on a baseball star? Would they?
Speaker 5: I think the Mets will and the Yankees will not
Speaker 5: be willing to do that. I think Eric call I'd
Speaker 5: push back a little bit on that. I think he's
Speaker 5: had a couple of shaky postseason moments, but he's I
Speaker 5: think he's lived up to the terms of his contract,
Speaker 5: and so I think Steve Cohen, now this is more
Speaker 5: reason for him to god and spend god knows what
Speaker 5: six hundred and fifty million dollars to try to outbid
Speaker 5: the Dodgers for Otani. This is going to be fascinating
Speaker 5: to watch because the Mets are going to miss the
Speaker 5: playoffs or eight and a half games behind the third
Speaker 5: wildcard spot, which is really hard to believe at four
Speaker 5: hundred and forty five million when you include the revenue
Speaker 5: luxury taxes that Steve Cohen is paying.
Speaker 4: So is he going to double down when his farm.
Speaker 5: System is not producing great talent right now, at least
Speaker 5: on the pitching front. And we'll see about Alvarez, who
Speaker 5: I think will be a really good catcher for the
Speaker 5: next dozen years for the Mets. Baby will see. But
Speaker 5: I do think Steve Cohen now has more reason to
Speaker 5: go all in on Otani and try to outbid the
Speaker 5: Dodgers and just spend them into oblivion. Is a guy
Speaker 5: who's worth eighteen billion dollars or close to it. So
Speaker 5: that is going to be a deathmatch in the offseason
Speaker 5: between the Dodgers and the Mets.
Speaker 4: I think the Dodgers will win it.
Speaker 5: They're certainly the leader in the clubhouse, but I think
Speaker 5: Steve Cohen is going to make them really sweat on
Speaker 5: that one and spend a lot more money than they
Speaker 5: really want to spend.
Speaker 2: All right, pivot to football. The early season schedule is
Speaker 2: rough for the Jets. Aaron's never played behind a mediocre
Speaker 2: offensive line. One of the things New England and the
Speaker 2: Packers have done is established consistent top ten O lines
Speaker 2: without drafting offensive linemen in the first round. So I
Speaker 2: mean he's had Pro bowlers all over the O line.
Speaker 2: So this old line is Elijah Vera Tucker. Major questions
Speaker 2: at both tackles. I believe a rookie center, not a
Speaker 2: ton of depth. I think it's a little bit of
Speaker 2: an undoing for this. This is going to be first
Speaker 2: defensive coach for Aaron Rodgers, first suboptimal O line, really
Speaker 2: tough division and a harsh city that's not terribly forgiving.
Speaker 2: What is a realistic expectation for the Jets nation? For
Speaker 2: the people you talk to when you write a column,
Speaker 2: the reaction, It's easy for me to just say, I mean,
Speaker 2: I think it's a nine win team. The division's probably
Speaker 2: the best in football. What say you and a New
Speaker 2: Yorker who's a Jets fan? What is realistic that will
Speaker 2: satisfy them at year end? Take a Super Bowl out.
Speaker 5: I'll say ten and seven, make the Wildcard, finish second
Speaker 5: behind Buffalo, and win a Wildcard round game and then
Speaker 5: losing the divisional round at Kansas City at Cincinnati, get
Speaker 5: whacked in that second playoff game.
Speaker 4: But I think that's the problem is look at that schedule.
Speaker 5: I mean, the first ten games, they could be three
Speaker 5: and seven and not be playing that poorly, playing both
Speaker 5: super Bowl teams right Philly and Kansas City. They're in
Speaker 5: that division, they're starting against Buffalo, but at home, so
Speaker 5: that's a game they really almost have to win if
Speaker 5: you look at the first ten games. So I think
Speaker 5: the formula for success, at least the way I define
Speaker 5: it is go four and six in those first ten games,
Speaker 5: and then they're winnable games those finals seven. They can
Speaker 5: go maybe five and two sixty one, sneak into the
Speaker 5: playoffs as a wild card, win a game, and then
Speaker 5: face the end in the division around at Kansas City.
Speaker 4: So I think that's a successful season.
Speaker 5: And then add to enter year two of Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 5: as one of the Super Bowl favorites to get out
Speaker 5: of the AFC, I think that is at least somewhat realistic,
Speaker 5: but maybe to too optimistic perhaps, And talking to some
Speaker 5: Jets fans who are used to I always say this,
Speaker 5: they hate when I say it. The Jets have not
Speaker 5: reached the super Bowl, never mind win one since man
Speaker 5: stepped on the moon.
Speaker 4: That was a long time ago. They're used to.
Speaker 5: They're wired to feel the worst is going to happen.
Speaker 5: But I'm going to be pretty optimistic and I'll say
Speaker 5: ten and seven and make the playoffs.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it'll be really interesting. Because the Packers furnished him
Speaker 2: with very good protection and two offensive coaches. Say what
Speaker 2: you will about Mike McCarthy, there is We're seeing this
Speaker 2: in New England with Belichick, who's virtually tone deaf to
Speaker 2: offense made a DCDOC can't draft skilled players to save
Speaker 2: his life. Even the best defensive coaches, they really they
Speaker 2: don't talk the same language. So this is Aaron's and
Speaker 2: Nathaniel Hackett's coming off for bruising, ugly performance in Denver.
Speaker 2: So I do feel the pressures really on Aaron to
Speaker 2: run the offense, and he's okay at that, but he
Speaker 2: can also be a little aloof and a little disengaged
Speaker 2: at times. Here's the thing that I've noticed about Aaron
Speaker 2: that I don't think he's a bad guy. He can
Speaker 2: be a little bit of a finger pointer, a little
Speaker 2: passive aggressive when things go south. New York is going
Speaker 2: to force you to answer tough questions. A green Bay
Speaker 2: Midwestern media in is just not the same.
Speaker 4: Like you drive.
Speaker 2: I can remember driving to work when I was at ESPN,
Speaker 2: and I would turn on New York radio and it
Speaker 2: would set the tone for the discussion of the week,
Speaker 2: like it's a tone setter, And I think you can
Speaker 2: kind of roll your eyes. If you're Aaron Rodgers at
Speaker 2: the small market, you know, Green Bay, relax, you go
Speaker 2: relax to New Yorkers, that's not gonna play like they're
Speaker 2: don't relax. What they're known for is intensity. How do
Speaker 2: you think the Aarin media thing will play out?
Speaker 1: Well?
Speaker 4: So far, it's been a really good marriage.
Speaker 5: I think he came in wanting to make the best
Speaker 5: possible impression on the New York market, the fans, and
Speaker 5: the media. I think the New York media thing is
Speaker 5: a little bit of a mid since I've been in
Speaker 5: it for thirty seven years. In that I think there's
Speaker 5: just more of us would probably judge you a little
Speaker 5: more harshly than every other market outside of Boston. But
Speaker 5: I don't think the New York media is unfair. It's
Speaker 5: large and it's tough, but not unfair. So he's got
Speaker 5: an opportunity here. I think if you ever won a championship,
Speaker 5: what would that do for his legacy? I mean, you
Speaker 5: have Tom Brady's sitting there on the top of the
Speaker 5: mountain with seven rings and Aaron's at one. If you
Speaker 5: want to close that legacy gap to win a Super
Speaker 5: Bowl for the New York Jets would go a long
Speaker 5: way towards doing that, and so I think Rogers he
Speaker 5: may have been disengaged in Green Bay, particularly at the
Speaker 5: end he does. He has occasionally pointed fingers in a
Speaker 5: passive aggressive way, but he hasn't been that figure so
Speaker 5: far in New York at all.
Speaker 4: I went out to all.
Speaker 5: The open OTAs and by all accounts talking to players, coaches, executives,
Speaker 5: he has been fully engaged in meeting rooms and practices
Speaker 5: and just watching him. He's constantly talking to receivers, the
Speaker 5: tight ends, offensive linemen, Hey do this. Let's talk about
Speaker 5: that cut you just made coming out of your route.
Speaker 5: I kind of like you to do it this way.
Speaker 5: There's been a ton of that so so far. It's early.
Speaker 5: Obviously we haven't started training camp yet. He has been
Speaker 5: a very very good leader on and off the field
Speaker 5: by all accounts. Let's see if it holds up, and
Speaker 5: let's see how that translates on the field in September
Speaker 5: when they play for real.
Speaker 4: But as much as people.
Speaker 5: Have talked about what an all time great quarterback can
Speaker 5: do for this hapless franchise, I think there's a lot that.
Speaker 4: New York Jets can do for Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 5: Like I just said, if he somehow can win one
Speaker 5: in the two or three years that he plays here
Speaker 5: in New York and gets ring number two, it's going
Speaker 5: to feel like he won four rings. It's almost like
Speaker 5: what Messier did coming to New York in ninety four,
Speaker 5: even though he had won five in Edmonton.
Speaker 4: He wins a Cup ends a.
Speaker 5: What a fifty fifty four year drought, and the one
Speaker 5: cup people talk about when they talk about his legacy
Speaker 5: is the one he won for the Rangers in New York.
Speaker 5: And he'll tell you that too. So I think that's
Speaker 5: the kind of opportunity that Rogers has. Let's see how
Speaker 5: it plays out.
Speaker 2: I want to get a Knicks discussion in because the
Speaker 2: free agent stuff today. When this airs on Friday, the
Speaker 2: free agent opens up. I've said this, I believe Jalen
Speaker 2: Brunson is the perfect New York Knicks star. So when
Speaker 2: I lived in Connecticut and I still have friends in
Speaker 2: New York, the Knicks were actually the most popular team.
Speaker 2: Here's why. Because my baseball friends were split and my
Speaker 2: NFL fans were split, Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets. Everybody had
Speaker 2: the Knicks as their favorite New York team or second
Speaker 2: like some people would be big Yankee fans, but the Knicks,
Speaker 2: the Nets were irrelevant the Knicks. Every friend I had
Speaker 2: in the Northeast love the Knicks. It's an incredible baseball market.
Speaker 2: It reminds me of Golden State. I grew up with
Speaker 2: the Rick Berry, Al Addles, the coach, Clifford Ray, Jeff Mullen,
Speaker 2: Keith Wilkes teams, and then they were bad forever, and
Speaker 2: people forgot how great the Bay Area is at a
Speaker 2: basketball city. When I lived out East, I couldn't believe
Speaker 2: the Knicks would sell out. They were poorly owned, poorly run,
Speaker 2: not likable, couldn't get tickets. And I said a couple
Speaker 2: months ago, I said, Jalen Brunson is literally like Phil Simms.
Speaker 2: He's becoming a star in New York, and I don't
Speaker 2: know how great he is. That guy fits that city
Speaker 2: like Villanova, late rounder, tough, accountable, almost better in big spots,
Speaker 2: like better in the fourth than the first quarter, better
Speaker 2: against the heat than he would be against the magic.
Speaker 2: They have Julius Randall, there's Josh Hart, there's RJ.
Speaker 4: Barrett.
Speaker 2: To you, Randall feels like an expensive two. He's probably
Speaker 2: more of a three. Do you think there is a
Speaker 2: deal around Brunson that feels like because Brunson's going to
Speaker 2: need another high end player? Is there something? Is it
Speaker 2: a zion be a fortune teller here? What do you
Speaker 2: think feels right?
Speaker 4: I wrote this a while back. I always thought Carl
Speaker 4: Anthony Towns would end up a Nick.
Speaker 5: Grew up in New Jersey ties with Leon Roseho's running
Speaker 5: the Knicks now as his former client. And obviously it
Speaker 5: didn't work well with Tibbs the first time around in Minnesota.
Speaker 5: They clashed, and I think part of that was Jimmy Butler.
Speaker 5: But I think that I know for a fact that
Speaker 5: Tom Thibodeau would be more than willing to coach Karl
Speaker 5: Anthony Towns again. Now the question is how much better
Speaker 5: do you think kat is than Julius Randall? Is there
Speaker 5: a significant difference between those two players. I think he's
Speaker 5: better than Randall and Randall Colin if you look at it,
Speaker 5: and his two playoff opportunities with the Knicks hasn't played
Speaker 5: that well. Now, he did restore most of his value
Speaker 5: this year after last year's near disaster or but he
Speaker 5: played at a really high level in the regular season
Speaker 5: this year, and I think he does have value around
Speaker 5: the league to some extent. So I think you could
Speaker 5: package him with the Knicks have a lot of draft
Speaker 5: assets and some good emerging young players to get a
Speaker 5: Carl Anthony Towns if you feel like I do believe
Speaker 5: now that I didn't think this when they got Jalen Brunson.
Speaker 5: I think you can win a championship with Jalen Brunston
Speaker 5: as your second best player. I did not think that
Speaker 5: when they signed him. I don't know how you felt.
Speaker 5: I just can't get over how impressed I am with
Speaker 5: him and everything you said I agree with about Brunson
Speaker 5: on and off the court.
Speaker 4: Brunson, See, here's the problem with the Knicks. To me,
Speaker 4: it's almost an RJ Barrett problem.
Speaker 5: R J Barrett is a good player, and he's going
Speaker 5: to be a good player for a long time, but
Speaker 5: I don't think he'll ever be a great player. And
Speaker 5: the problem is when you're six to six in the
Speaker 5: NBA in today's NBA, and he's a good athlete, but
Speaker 5: he's not explosive athletically, and he's not a good outside
Speaker 5: shoot now a good shooter from three. So I think
Speaker 5: when you're six to six in the NBA. To'd be
Speaker 5: great or at least very good, you have to be.
Speaker 4: One of those things.
Speaker 5: And so he represents the franchise the right way. He's
Speaker 5: a hard worker, he's a good player. I'm just not
Speaker 5: sure he's ever going to be more than that. So
Speaker 5: if he's positioned to be your third star, I'm not
Speaker 5: sure that's good enough. So if you yes, should they
Speaker 5: try to be in on Zion Wimson. Absolutely. I think
Speaker 5: Zion always wanted to play for the Knicks, and you
Speaker 5: could bring him in here and say, just get in shape,
Speaker 5: and you can take New York away from the two Errands,
Speaker 5: Judge and Rogers.
Speaker 4: This city will be yours.
Speaker 5: Because I was there in the nineties when the Knicks
Speaker 5: were good, knocking on the door and never won a title.
Speaker 5: They were bigger than the Yankees, who were winning titles
Speaker 5: both on the MSG network. The Knicks were the number
Speaker 5: one property on that network. So it can happen. Zion Williamson,
Speaker 5: you come to New York, which is where you wanted
Speaker 5: to be coming out of Duke, get in shape, play
Speaker 5: seventy out of eighty two games, and you can take
Speaker 5: this city away from the two Errands.
Speaker 4: I think that's that's certainly possible.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think Carl Anthony Towns is more offensively skilled
Speaker 2: than Julius Randall. He doesn't give you the consistent effort.
Speaker 2: Julius is one of those players that plays hard every night,
Speaker 2: and that is so important in the regular season, but
Speaker 2: when everybody plays hard in the playoffs, his dominance is
Speaker 2: reduced and he becomes a really solid player. He really
Speaker 2: is an effort guy. He just out works people and
Speaker 2: ends up with twenty three points in the regular season.
Speaker 2: So I think he's a and he's pretty expensive. I
Speaker 2: like Julius Randall. I feel like the league sort of
Speaker 2: left him, like he gives you a bucket, not a three,
Speaker 2: And I feel like the Lakers kind of bailed on him.
Speaker 2: And I had a conversation with a Laker executive once.
Speaker 2: I'm like, you know, nobody plays harder, nobody shows up
Speaker 2: every night. He just needs to be your three, not
Speaker 2: your two or yr one. So I'm with you. I
Speaker 2: think if they get a one Jalen Bruns into two,
Speaker 2: I think they'll move RJ.
Speaker 1: Barrett.
Speaker 2: I'm with you. There's not really a there there. Like
Speaker 2: there's a lot of guys in my years of being
Speaker 2: a sportscaster. There are guys in the NBA. I mean
Speaker 2: Andrew Wiggins. Was this in Minnesota? You got twenty four
Speaker 2: a night. You didn't remember a bucket, You just didn't,
Speaker 2: And it's just like, how did he score? There was
Speaker 2: a player Sharif Abdul Raheem. Do you remember him the four?
Speaker 4: I do?
Speaker 2: Yeah, sure, twenty four a night. I don't remember any
Speaker 2: of the points. And then there's guys like Julius Randall
Speaker 2: or Brunson. You remember all of them. They're very impactful.
Speaker 2: So I think Karl Anthony Towns works and they also
Speaker 2: the Knicks also have some big athletic guys like Obi Toppin.
Speaker 2: They're not great players, but they certainly can be excellent
Speaker 2: rotational players in a place like Minnesota. They've got some
Speaker 2: size and athleticism in youth.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Mitchell Robinson is a good room protector, although he
Speaker 5: might have to go in a deal if you're getting
Speaker 5: cute at But I also think if you look at Minnesota,
Speaker 5: what's Anthony Edwards is still twenty one years old? The
Speaker 5: guy's averaging twenty five points a game at age twenty one.
Speaker 5: You got Gobert there. I think Julius Randall is a
Speaker 5: better fit with Gobert than Karl Anthony Towns is. So
Speaker 5: you try to look at it. What's realistic and it's
Speaker 5: not realistic to get certain players in the NBA to
Speaker 5: New York. I think now that they've established some credibility
Speaker 5: there and Dolan hasn't talked about as much as he
Speaker 5: was years ago. I think Kat is a big name
Speaker 5: that is realistic for a lot of reasons that we've.
Speaker 4: Talked about here.
Speaker 5: Now. Whether or not he's a guy who can get
Speaker 5: you to the NBA Finals with Brunson, I don't know.
Speaker 5: You might have to upgrade Barrett alongside those two two
Speaker 5: to get to that point, but I think it's a
Speaker 5: start
Speaker 4: The volume