Crossover (Mon 8/10 - Seg 1)

Summary

---

Middays With Matt: "Crossover" (Mon 8/10 - Segment 1)

Date: August 10, 2026
Host: Matt McMaster & NRGMedia Crew
Guests: Ben, Connor, Michael
Podcast Theme: Nostalgia, Broadcasting Memories, Sports Talk, and Revisiting Old Sports Takes

---

Episode Overview

This lively "Crossover" segment features Matt’s colleagues—Ben, Connor, and Michael—digging into sports broadcasting nostalgia. They swap stories about memorable broadcasts, compare predictions on sports drafts, and riff about the quirks of radio history, show rundowns, and sports stats. The tone is bantering and self-deprecating, with a lot of inside jokes and friendly roasts, making it entertaining even for casual sports fans.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Broadcasting Rings and Recognition

• Celebrating Josh Hodson’s Vacation:
  • Michael and Ben good-naturedly tease each other about their colleague Josh finally taking a break, highlighting the dedication of radio professionals (01:11).
• Championship/Souvenir Rings:
  • Discussion about who gets championship rings, including radio crew (01:41–02:34).
  • Ben laments not receiving a Big East championship ring after calling numerous games (02:23).
  • Quote:

    “If you are the most recognized voice of Cron baseball, I feel like you deserve a ring for sure.” — Michael (02:52)

2. Broadcasting School/Yesteryear Memories

• Radio Broadcasting Workshops:
  • Michael, Ben, and Connor recount optional workshops and classes they attended, and how critique sessions shaped their broadcasting skills (03:27–04:45).
  • Michael relishes moments of discussing sports takes and analytically challenging students (04:06).
  • Quote:

    “We had kids who were like, ‘I want to talk about this,’ and Michael would say, ‘Well nobody cares about that, so don’t talk about that.’” — Ben (04:06)

• Early Influences:
  • Recollections of mentors Dirk Chatelain and Andrew Ward, and how attendance and engagement made a difference (04:46–05:18).

3. Old Articles, Columns, and Nostalgic Sports Coverage

• Saving Work & Finding Old Rundowns:
  • The group discusses saving old articles, rundowns, and how digital archiving (or the lack of it) influenced what survives (06:41–07:19).
  • Connor can pull up rundowns for specific dates, turning into an impromptu "This Day in Sports Radio" segment (07:24–08:44).

4. Nebraska Football Memories & Painful Games

• Iconic Nebraska Games:
  • The team rehashes painful games like the Nebraska vs. Texas "Red Out Around the World" (08:25–09:26).
  • Connor recalls doing a Nighthawks game and watching Nebraska drop a crucial pass (09:02).
  • Quote:

    “That game sucked.” — Ben (09:24)

5. Deep Dives into Past Show Notes & Guests

• 2010s Rundowns:
  • Topics from October 2017 show: Big Ten teleconferences, Mike Riley, Bill Moos hired as Nebraska AD, Diaco’s defense breakdown, and comparison to Notre Dame’s defensive sizes (09:40–11:22).
  • Connor presents detailed comparisons of Nebraska and Notre Dame football defense sizes (11:01).

6. Nostalgic Sports "Firsts" & Injuries

• Hayward’s Injury:
  • Vivid memory of Gordon Hayward’s horrific injury in the NBA opener (12:01–12:13).

7. The Case for a ‘Vintage’ Show Recap Blog

• Fans Want More:
  • A listener suggests Michael should create a Substack or blog with old rundowns and show notes (13:46).
• Camp Chatter:
  • Archive drills into Nebraska’s depth at wide receiver, historical rankings, and open practices (16:01–18:11).
  • Quote:

    “That's when [Mission Impossible] started that little run they went on where it was like all the agents that Cruz thought he had killed in the past ended up actually like having a crime syndicate.” — Michael (17:14)

8. Football Draft Nostalgia and Bad Takes

• NFL Draft Reflections:
  • Michael and Connor read out old mock drafts and player scouting reports – highlighting both their good and bad predictions (22:04–29:45).
  • Michael admits missing hard on Aidan Hutchinson, thinking he had already peaked by college (27:53–28:33).
  • Quote:

    “He’s fast, but I don’t think he has a high ceiling…He’s already a grown man…he’s already hit his peak.” — Michael (27:53)

• Connor’s 2018 Draft:
  • Picks: Sam Darnold to Cleveland, Saquon Barkley to Giants, Baker Mayfield to Jets, Josh Allen to Denver; discussion on how those careers turned out (25:36–26:50).
  • Reflexive amusement at how wrong or right those predictions turned out.

9. Celebrating Birthdays and Looking Back

• Segment on "This Day":
  • Iconic August 29, 2014 birthdays (John McCain, Rebecca de Mornay, Liam Payne, Bob Beeman, Carl Banks, Will Purdue, Lea Michele), media events (Obama’s "tan suit" uproar), and reminders of viral trends like the Ice Bucket Challenge (20:08–22:04).
  • Quote:

    “Remember when Obama wore the tan suit? That was a big controversy.” — Ben (21:27)

10. Closing Reflections

• ‘Josh Rosen’ Moments & Quarterback Takes:
  • The group closes with self-aware evaluations of QB scouting reports (J.J. McCarthy, Daniel Jones, Malik Willis), noting that even if players get written off, they sometimes rebound as starters (30:22–31:02).

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Sports Radio Critique:

  “You would just let kids have their sports takes, and then you would pick them apart analytically and numerically and be like, ‘This is why you’re wrong.’” — Michael (04:06)

• On Broadcasting Rings:

  “If you announce four Creighton basketball games… and they end up getting Final Four rings…would you want one?” — Michael (01:56)

• On Archiving Old Show Notes:

  “I have all my rundowns…You could go back.” — Connor (07:16–07:22)

• On Being Wrong About Draft Picks:

  “He’s fast, but I don’t think he has a high ceiling. I just don’t think he’s got a high ceiling.” — Michael, on Aidan Hutchinson (27:53)

• On Self-Reflection:

  “It is so bad how I wrote those things. I mean, it sounds like a robot. That was terrible.” — Michael (25:00)

---

Important Timestamps

• Josh Hodson Vacation/Rings Banter: 00:50–02:34
• Sports Radio Workshop Nostalgia: 03:10–04:45
• Old Show Rundowns & Archiving: 06:41–07:22, 08:44–09:26
• Nebraska Football Game Recaps: 08:25–09:26
• 2017 Rundown: Big Ten/AD/Defense: 09:40–11:22
• NBA Injury/Start of Season Memory: 12:01–12:13
• Birthdays/Tan Suit/Ice Bucket: 20:08–22:04
• 2023 NFL Draft Notes: 22:04–24:41
• 2018 Mock Draft Retrospective: 25:36–26:50
• Drafting Misfires (Hutchinson, etc.): 27:51–28:33
• QB Scouting Final Thoughts: 30:01–31:02

---

Episode Flow and Tone

The conversation is boisterous and familiar—a mix of sports history class, locker room bull session, and media archive dive. The hosts roast themselves for bad old takes, boast gently about their wins, and fondly recall how much media (and sports) life has changed. Perfect for listeners who love behind-the-scenes media stories, NCAA and NFL nostalgia, and hearing pros critique their own work and the evolution of sports coverage.

---

Useful for those who missed it:
This episode is a nostalgic, self-effacing trip through sports broadcasting and prediction blunders. It's entertaining for sports radio veterans and newcomers alike, with a conversational flow that keeps the sports past and present feeling fresh.

Transcript

[Grainger Announcer]

When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Ben]

Crossover.

[Connor]

Oh, killer crossover.

[Michael]

Just crossover.

[Connor]

Just crossed him over nastily. Another victim to the crossovers.

[Ben]

Cross him up, sit him down. Time for the crossover with Matt. Not Josh. Matt. Jake.

[Michael]

Yes. Very happy. Josh Hodson is on vacation.

[Ben]

You keep saying that. Josh. You're so happy for Josh. Oh, he's on vacation. Makes me feel like you' not happy.

[Michael]

No, I am genuinely.

[Ben]

Because every time I met you, Josh, you're like, I love Josh. Thank God he's on vacation.

[Michael]

I'm. Because I'm happy for him. I'm trying to be a genuine human. I'm trying to be a nice.

[Ben]

That goes unspoken.

[Michael]

I'm trying to be, you know, and I'm very happy that he's on vacation. He is the hardest working person in 1620 zone and he deserves it.

[Ben]

The hardest.

[Connor]

Jamaican. He's Jamaican. He has the most jobs.

[Michael]

He does have the most jobs.

[Connor]

He also jobs.

[Michael]

Has he. Did he send you the ring for the. I was Western reivers. It is.

[Connor]

That's huge.

[Michael]

That thing is a Zamboni. It's insane. I texted that to him. I was like, that. I was like, that is a. I called his Ambodian. He goes.

[Ben]

He.

[Michael]

It's actually bigger in person. That's what he was trying to tell me.

[Ben]

It's crazy. Josh gets a ring.

[Michael]

It's so awesome. He gets a ring.

[Connor]

It's the one that you get. Like if you're for example, the Storm Chasers, right, The team gets a ring. Then there's a mock ring that everybody else gets.

[Ben]

I don't even care. I just wanted.

[Michael]

And I got.

[Connor]

I have two of those. I have two of the storm chaser ones.

[Ben]

I haven't got nothing for nobody.

[Michael]

If you announce like the players era, a classic, and you announce like four Creighton basketball games this year with John Bishop and they end up getting final four rings. Hypothetically, if they were to make it, would you want one?

[Ben]

Would you.

[Michael]

Would you throw your head in the ring? Would you try and throw your head in the ring to get one?

[Ben]

Of course. I'd be angling for that, like months out. Yeah.

[Michael]

Would you see it? Like, you're like, holy crap. This team might be like a three seat.

[Ben]

We want it. We want it. We want a Biggie's championship in baseball.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Ben]

I did not get a ring, and I'm still mad.

[Michael]

Those.

[Ben]

I put it on the Internet that I'm mad.

[Connor]

Got.

[Ben]

I should have got a ring.

[Michael]

You should have gotten a ring.

[Connor]

Radio crew should definitely get it.

[Ben]

Put it on the Internet.

[Connor]

You don't get the real one, but you get the.

[Michael]

Were you. Were you the most or second most baseball games announced last year?

[Ben]

What do you mean?

[Michael]

Wait, did you announce the most. Your second most baseball games last year for cr.

[Ben]

Most. Most than who? Most of what?

[Michael]

Most of. Did you announce more than John?

[Ben]

John.

[Michael]

Okay, then you should.

[Ben]

For the last two years, if you are the mo.

[Michael]

If you are the most recognized voice of cron baseball, I feel like you deserv ring for sure. Undoubtedly. I wore. I've worn.

[Ben]

I called a Biggie's championship alone on a. On a patio.

[Connor]

I listen to that.

[Ben]

I watched in Ohio.

[Connor]

You got a video. I watched.

[Ben]

He's like, you actually do a nice job.

[Connor]

I was watching this. I said multiple times, you do a very good job.

[Michael]

I've heard. I've heard that Michael said a nice thing about me today, but yet none of you are. Are willing to reveal what nice thing was.

[Connor]

I was early in the show.

[Ben]

I remember that far back.

[Michael]

That's ridiculous.

[Connor]

What? I don't remember that far back.

[Michael]

The nicest thing you said to me is how much you defend me.

[Connor]

Oh, I. Yeah, I know.

[Ben]

Michael said he knew you. He thought you were good when you were badgering him about all the things that he's. You thought.

[Connor]

When I first met you in the classroom, you walked in and immediately you were telling me I was trying to give tips, and immediately you were counting everything with what you thought. And I was like, this guy's gonna be good.

[Michael]

A million percent. I mean, you were. You. You definitely. You definitely developed as a teacher. You definitely went through that process.

[Ben]

I forgot that you did that.

[Connor]

I told you all the good stuff. And you just, like, said this guy

[Michael]

would drive to Lincoln and listen to everybody's radio show. A bunch of crappy college radio shows. Come back with notes for everybody.

[Ben]

One thing about Michael, he listens to everything and.

[Michael]

And tell everybody what they needed to do and what they. And then you would sit down and you would just let kids have their sport takes. And then you would pick them apart analytically and numerically and be like, this. Is why you're wrong. And then, and then you would tell them. We had kids who was like, I want to talk about this. And Michael would said, well nobody cares about that, so don't talk about that. And then like just move on. It was incred. It was probably cuz they didn't hear that. It was one of my favorite classes I've. I've ever taken. It wasn't really a class. It was like an optional like workshop

[Connor]

that you could go.

[Michael]

I went in every.

[Connor]

In residence every week.

[Michael]

I could go. I was. It was him. It was.

[Connor]

Did Dirk do it?

[Michael]

Andrew Ward? Well, yeah, Dirk did it, but.

[Ben]

Well, what's that mean?

[Michael]

I mean he didn't really.

[Connor]

He didn't.

[Michael]

He showed up initially and then it just kind of.

[Grainger Announcer]

Dirk?

[Michael]

Yeah, he didn't show up as much as at the end. He showed up every week. There was one week though where you didn't show up.

[Connor]

I believe I was very mad. The day I had there was the

[Ben]

day I don't drink beer anymore.

[Connor]

I was doing big red wrap ups. I think I did on Tuesday.

[Ben]

You did.

[Michael]

You didn't show up in a day.

[Connor]

And so I.

[Michael]

And I was pissed.

[Connor]

I was like, I must have been on the road.

[Michael]

Was like, like Michael's.

[Ben]

No one learned from Andrew.

[Michael]

Andrew Ward showed up every single time. Like it was very impressive how much he. But he was right there in Lincoln.

[Ben]

Andrew lives in Lincoln.

[Michael]

Yeah. I wrote.

[Ben]

I had nothing to do all day doing all the morning tv.

[Michael]

I wrote a column about Ben Simmons. Like a, like a feature column about Ben Simmons and him being a baby back. You know what. And over NBA and, and I. And I want. I sent it to Dirk hoping that Dirk would critique it and you know, whatever and all that stuff. But I never, I never got my critiques.

[Connor]

Dirk was very busy.

[Michael]

Oh no, I'm very well aware. I'm very well aware of that. But I was just like. I always wanted to know how my Ben Simmons column looked according to Dirk. And I just. I never got that satisfaction.

[Ben]

Read it to us now and Full

[Connor]

Full Circle are going to sign him as their 12th man.

[Michael]

They actually.

[Connor]

That's the rumor.

[Michael]

That's insane. This is a 76ers fan.

[Ben]

This is.

[Connor]

This is why. I know this. Okay? This is why. Only reason, because I am on a whats with a bunch of Philly fans. Draft Gibronis it's called. And someone put it in the. Put it in the chat that maybe he's gonna sign.

[Michael]

I think I still have. I think I still, I still should have this Ben Simmons article that I wrote.

[Connor]

You should have. I save everything. I'm sure you do too. WordPress.

[Michael]

There is. So I look up Ben Simmons and a bunch of different files from 2022.

[Ben]

The problem is that Google Drives didn't exist when I was in college. Well, they did exist. They weren't as popularly used when I was in college and high school. So this stuff just went. By the way. They were all Word documents and they were on previous computers and they're gone. Which is great, to be completely honest.

[Connor]

Kind of. I did my papers on a brother's.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Connor]

Word processor thing. That's what we did modern on.

[Ben]

So you still have them? No, exactly.

[Connor]

But everything. Everything that's after like 19. What? So I started working here in 2004. Everything pretty much after 2004. I can probably find it.

[Michael]

Wow.

[Ben]

I.

[Michael]

For whatever.

[Ben]

Like daily.

[Connor]

Yeah, I have all my rundowns.

[Ben]

Your daily show rundowns. So if I picked a day.

[Connor]

Yep.

[Ben]

You could go back.

[Michael]

Yeah. Let's do. I don't. Let's do. What is February 18th?

[Ben]

For sure you're gonna pick September 11th.

[Michael]

No. February 2001.

[Connor]

Before I get it.

[Michael]

2022.

[Ben]

What?

[Michael]

No, 21.

[Ben]

Come on.

[Connor]

February. What?

[Ben]

It was like three years ago.

[Michael]

Okay. What you want one from? I don't know. You pick.

[Ben]

2011 or 10? How about 10? Were you here in 10?

[Michael]

See, I wasn't willing to.

[Connor]

I was here from 2004 to 2014.

[Ben]

Geez.

[Connor]

I left for five, four, five years and then came back.

[Ben]

So the K State. K State Blow. Blowout was what, like September 20th? Something on the Thursday night. Give me the Friday after the K State game.

[Connor]

So I wasn't here. We actually were flying to a wedding in. In Canada. We were going to a wedding. So we went to the game. My whole family. And then we drove to Kansas City, spent the night and then flew out to Canada the next day.

[Ben]

Okay, that's. So I remember that game very well. Unfortunately. Then my next request is going to be to the. The Monday after the Texas game.

[Michael]

Okay. That. So I just looked up it be December 7th.

[Ben]

No, no, no, no. Not that game. The. The red out around the World Game, 2010.

[Connor]

Give me the date.

[Ben]

So that would be October 18, 2010. I won. October 18, 2010. That had to have been a nightmare because that was personally one of the worst Nebraska games I've ever experienced.

[Michael]

It was only a seven point game though.

[Ben]

Oh, it was not a seven point.

[Michael]

That's what everybody told me.

[Connor]

That's the game that Hague picks up Right. And runs it back.

[Ben]

Yes.

[Connor]

I was actually so pissed. Here's what's great about that game. I was actually doing a Nighthawks game and at the exact same time. And I had the Nebraska game up and Niles Paul drops the pass.

[Michael]

Remember that?

[Ben]

Yeah, yeah.

[Connor]

And I. I went, oh, my God. And the person I was doing the game with looks at me and goes, nothing is happening on the field. It was Smitty.

[Ben]

Oh, my God.

[Connor]

Smitty and I were doing the games together. And Smitty looks at me like I'm crazy. And I'm like, he just dropped the pass.

[Ben]

Sorry. I'm watching another game. While I'm watching.

[Connor]

I apologize. I'm watching another game.

[Ben]

That game sucked.

[Connor]

That game was brutal.

[Ben]

Terrible, terrible game. Do you have anything on your rundown?

[Connor]

I don't. I can't find anything on there. October 18, 2010.

[Ben]

Yeah. So it would have been the Monday after.

[Connor]

I have an October 18, 2017.

[Ben]

Well, that. That probably does a trick.

[Connor]

Let's see what this was.

[Ben]

2017 would have been really, really bad. That would have been after the. That would have been after the Ohio State game. Complete nightmare.

[Connor]

So I had as my number one headline, the Big Ten. Remember teleconferences?

[Ben]

Yes, Big Ten teleconference.

[Connor]

I had notes from the teleconference from Mike Riley.

[Ben]

God, I miss. I miss teleconference.

[Connor]

I had new. New Nebraska athletic director Bill Moose. Contract was signed that Friday.

[Ben]

Oh, exciting.

[Michael]

Crab Creek Chronicles.

[Connor]

So we had that. We talked about Nebraska basketball being picked 13th in a poll of 28 conference beat writers. This is in what year this was, whatever you said. 17. 2017. 2017.

[Ben]

They ended up actually being good that year.

[Connor]

Yeah. And then what else did I have? Who was a guest? Oh, it was a breakdown. I had a breakdown of Diaco's defense.

[Ben]

Oh, yikes.

[Michael]

And the best coach on campus.

[Connor]

I had. Yes, exactly. So I had about. I went. I did the average size of a 34 defense when he was at Notre Dame.

[Ben]

They were so small.

[Connor]

I did it. Notre Dame and showed the comparison of what Nebraska has.

[Ben]

Remember, they had the dude up front, the big nose tackle for Notre Dame. They were awesome.

[Connor]

Lewis Nix. They also had Stephen. They had two. It was on that defensive line.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Connor]

Yes. And at linebacker, even Prince Shimbo was 250. Ishaq Williams was 255.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Connor]

So I did a breakdown of that comparing.

[Ben]

They. These dudes had, like, Deontre Thomas, who was like 185 pounds in 2007.

[Connor]

The average 2010 Notre Dame, the nose tackles were 61 2. 93. The defensive ends were 6428 0. The outside linebackers worried 240. Inside linebackers were weighed 237.

[Ben]

Yeah, that defense was Nebraska.

[Connor]

And I compared it to Nebraska. Much smaller.

[Ben]

Yes, much smaller.

[Connor]

Much smaller.

[Grainger Announcer]

And this is.

[Connor]

This would have been Goldenberg with the biggest.

[Ben]

So October 18th would have been the Wednesday after the Ohio State blowout. So we're basically. Yeah. Moose had just got hired.

[Connor]

Yep.

[Ben]

Basically we're just on a death march at this point. So for.

[Connor]

For Riley, sadly, it's also the first day of NBA. And I wrote in. First day of NBA marred by injury.

[Ben]

Oh.

[Michael]

Oh, what was this?

[Ben]

2017.

[Connor]

2017.

[Michael]

Wouldn't. This. This would have been. Well, Kyrie was hurt, right? He was hurt to begin the year. No, no, that actually would have went down for Boston. He did.

[Connor]

That's what happened. That.

[Michael]

Yep.

[Connor]

It says, ironically, the best player that was traded from Boston, Isaiah Thomas, is still coming back from injury.

[Michael]

And then I remember.

[Connor]

I remember that game dislocated his ankle and fractured his tibia.

[Michael]

That game was a big deal.

[Connor]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Because Kyrie had. He had gotten. Did he get traded yet?

[Ben]

No.

[Michael]

Yeah, Hayward, he was there. But then Gordon Hayward, I remember that was like the first game of the year. That was very big deal. Yeah, he goes up for a lot.

[Connor]

Yeah, goes up.

[Michael]

So he went. And the thing. So they cut to him. So he falls down. And the cut. The initial cut on the camera, you see his ankle just completely twisted the wrong way. And I just think they. I don't think the crew. The camera crew knew at the time the severity.

[Connor]

They just.

[Michael]

Yeah, so they. They cut and it gets on national tv and everyone. And I forget who was on the call, but the announcer was like, oh, my God. It was like the Louisville one on the Kevin Ware. I've never seen that one, so. And I refused to watch it.

[Connor]

Guests on the show are Jeff Sheldon, covering Nebraska volleyball, stoop hospital, talking some high school football. Who else did I have on the show?

[Ben]

So what show would that have been?

[Connor]

This would have been the World Herald. This was the bottom line at the World Herald.

[Michael]

Oh, wow.

[Connor]

I was doing that then. Yep. I had Kirsten Bernthal. Booth was a guest. I'm sorry, Kirsten. I know, I know. I had her on. Hey, nobody else had her on. Scott Doctorman.

[Ben]

Nice.

[Connor]

When he was with landofn.com.

[Ben]

oh, land of ten with Hetty. Mm.

[Connor]

Yep. Landoftin.com.

[Ben]

what a time.

[Connor]

Dirk Chatlin was my one o' clock guest. The columnist with the Omaha World Herald. What a horrible way to start the NBA season. I start off with Dirk with Gordon Hayward getting hurt.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Michael]

I'm looking at my 2023 Preakness breakdowns here.

[Ben]

What.

[Michael]

Which I used. I'm now going through my drive and

[Ben]

just looking at stuff. By the way, Chris writes in on Twitter. He says we need to get Michael to do a blog or a Facebook page with the rundowns and other old show content and info. It would be huge. Would you like to do a vintage Michael Severe Facebook page?

[Connor]

What is the thing that people do now it's called again? Substack.

[Ben]

Substack. You could do a blog. People would sign up for this day.

[Connor]

Today is August 10th, right?

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Connor]

Yep. 10th.

[Ben]

Yeah. Do this day in Michael Severe History. 2013.

[Connor]

Let me see.

[Ben]

What were you doing?

[Connor]

Let's go like this.

[Ben]

Where were the camp story lines?

[Connor]

The camp storyline. That's a good point.

[Ben]

2013. I mean, Nebraska was about to. They were just a couple weeks away from only beating Wyoming by three.

[Connor]

God, that game. Oh my God, that game. I thought that Smith quarterback guy was gonna be great.

[Ben]

I'll be too.

[Connor]

I thought he was gonna be great.

[Michael]

I have. I have pulled up my 2023 keys to the game. Nebraska versus Minnesota.

[Ben]

Article 2020. What?

[Michael]

2023 keys to the game.

[Ben]

Okay, so that would have been. Oh, that was the first.

[Michael]

The first game of the Matt Rule era disaster.

[Ben]

What were the keys contain?

[Michael]

His name was a Brevin Spann Ford, right?

[Ben]

Oh, yeah. Tight end. Yeah.

[Connor]

And so Giant Titan contained dude.

[Ben]

Yeah, I think they contained him. Let's go take a look. They did actually do a pretty good job.

[Connor]

They did a good job.

[Michael]

Yeah, they did be aggressive up front.

[Ben]

Oh, that's a good key.

[Michael]

They do a.

[Ben]

Do a pass that Jeff Sims drops.

[Michael]

No, no.

[Ben]

And then they throw it to Jeff Sims or whatever.

[Michael]

I did not say fail. Lateral. That turns into a massive success.

[Ben]

Give up. Basically no drives or yards until the last drive of the game when that guy made that great catch.

[Michael]

What was that guy?

[Grainger Announcer]

Daniel.

[Michael]

Daniel something. Who made that insane catch against Hart Z. Davey. Daniel. Daniel.

[Connor]

Davey something.

[Michael]

Daniels.

[Connor]

Oh, Daniels.

[Ben]

Daniel Jackson.

[Michael]

Daniel Jackson.

[Connor]

I don't even know who that is.

[Ben]

Dude, Daniel caught that ball from Minnesota.

[Connor]

Dude.

[Michael]

He had it.

[Ben]

Oh, I don't remember that catch routed hard.

[Michael]

Zoga.

[Connor]

So you got. You got.

[Michael]

Didn't he have two touchdowns in that game? Just one.

[Ben]

Daniel Jackson had one touchdown.

[Connor]

August 10, 2015 and we had an. Oh, we go open practice.

[Ben]

Oh, this is good. This is first.

[Connor]

Before the first game of Riley Tommy is number one.

[Ben]

Oh, yeah.

[Connor]

Outside of learning the nomenclature, toughest part of the system. Throwing with accuracy to his left. He had problems with strong side. His deep ball was okay.

[Ben]

I was probably at this practice that day.

[Connor]

A.J. bush was getting better. You had Zach and Riker.

[Ben]

Yep.

[Connor]

Depth at wide receiver, I talked about as part of the thing I had. I probably had handwritten notes. That's why I didn't put them in here.

[Michael]

Well, they had.

[Ben]

They had Stanley alonzo Moore.

[Connor]

Oh, 2014 was.

[Ben]

I mean, you said 15, right?

[Connor]

15. So 2014 was the last year where you still had Quincy right or Quincy left in 2013.

[Ben]

Quincy was gone after 2013.

[Connor]

2013, you.

[Ben]

The. The receivers that year would have been. Oh, it would have been Western camp.

[Connor]

Yep.

[Ben]

Riley, Alonzo Moore. Everyone wanted to give the ball to see the Carter every time. And I love. See that was what, freshman year? Stanley or sophomore year?

[Connor]

Stanley Morgan, 2015. Yeah, freshman year.

[Ben]

Right. Yeah.

[Connor]

The number one movie was Mission Impossible that weekend.

[Ben]

Nice. Rogue Nation. Things have not.

[Michael]

Oh, that was a good one.

[Connor]

That's when it started coming back.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Connor]

Yeah.

[Michael]

That's when they started that little. That little run they went on where it was like all the agents that Cruz thought he had killed in the past ended up actually like having a crime syndicate.

[Connor]

Did a pretty great movie interview with Henry Cordis about Nebraska UNO's finances. How bad you and O's finances was a bad time. Yeah, I was doing that. They were struggling.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Grainger Announcer]

Yeah.

[Connor]

That was an interview with him. Camp chatter was about Seth and Carter. Who was ranked. I told you he was ranked number 10. Josh Banderas is ranked number 11. This is like Greg McMullen was ranked 9. This is the Omaha World Hero List.

[Ben]

Greg McMullen was soft guy that could

[Connor]

set the edge, though. He could actually because of his size. He was like 6, 5, 2, 70, something like that. Yeah, he could set the edge. At ESPN Power Pole, the Jays were in Italy and I had Rob Anderson on.

[Ben]

Whoa.

[Connor]

Yes.

[Ben]

Rocky from Italy.

[Connor]

Yes. Milan, Venice and Florence.

[Ben]

So this was their bounce back here. I mean they would have been. They would have been terrible the year before that. But they were. They kind of bounced back. I think they went to the NIT that year. 15, 16.

[Michael]

Okay, I've. I have. I have found some things in my.

[Connor]

Let me give this.

[Michael]

Go ahead.

[Connor]

You do all your stuff. 143 wide receivers in the NFL have caught a TD since the last time a Chiefs wide receiver had a receiving TD.

[Ben]

That's a great one.

[Connor]

It was week 14 of 2013.

[Ben]

That might still be true?

[Connor]

I don't think so. Don't think so. I do not think so. And the name of the segment when I had on Tom Chatel was it's five o' clock somewhere.

[Ben]

If you don't count Tyreek Hill, that stat is still true. Not true.

[Grainger Announcer]

I have.

[Michael]

I have found. I have found in my files. Michael Severe, always putting family first.

[Ben]

It's a Michael Severe. It's a column about Michael.

[Michael]

This is a column that I wrote about Michael.

[Ben]

That's more of a profile.

[Michael]

It's very much a profile that I wrote about Michael back 2020.

[Ben]

All right, come on.

[Michael]

It be.

[Ben]

Give me something.

[Michael]

The road to a successful broadcasting career is not a linear. Linear one. Unlike the leagues that sport. The leagues that sport broadcasters follow. Everyone's career does not take the same road from high school into college and eventually the big leagues.

[Ben]

You should do an audio book.

[Michael]

Every broadcaster has a different story. Michael Sevier, the radio host for 1620 KN, is no different. There you go. I don't. I don't think I put anything very

[Connor]

interesting about my kids.

[Michael]

Yes, yes, yes, I do. I also did found a Sam McEwen reflection in which Sam spoke to us at a. At a class. And I had to write a reflection about Sam's talk with us. Reflections in which I wrote how many. I think I wrote, like, I don't know how to find out how many words you have in this article, but I wrote a very long reflection on Sam.

[Connor]

Hey, Connor, this is for you.

[Ben]

Okay.

[Connor]

August 29, 2014.

[Ben]

Good one.

[Connor]

Birthdays.

[Ben]

Oh, yeah.

[Connor]

You love some birthdays.

[Michael]

I do.

[Connor]

No longer Alive. Senator John McCain. Yeah. Rebecca de Mornay. Who didn't love her back in the day. Liam Payne from One Direction.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Ben]

Wow.

[Connor]

Bob Beeman, the longtime long jump holding record.

[Ben]

Sure.

[Connor]

Carl Banks, New York Giants linebacker Will Purdue.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Connor]

Leah Michelle was only 28.

[Michael]

Wow.

[Connor]

Yeah.

[Ben]

And what'd you say? August 29th.

[Connor]

It was August 29th. Yes.

[Ben]

Let's see what the updated birthdays would have. Oh, wow. Is Michael Jackson. How come he didn't have him on?

[Connor]

Because he was dead.

[Ben]

Well, I mean, he still gets a birthday.

[Connor]

No, I don't put the dead people on here.

[Ben]

Well, you put. Well, I guess Liam hadn't died yet. Liam is now dead. Did you know that?

[Connor]

Yes. I'm saying. Yeah. No, I did not know that.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Connor]

But in John McCain, I probably hadn't died yet either, so that's why he's on the list.

[Ben]

That's true.

[Connor]

Yes.

[Ben]

You have multiple people that are on that list who have died.

[Connor]

Since, oh look, I wrote. Oh my God, this day. I wrote this. This reminds me of when Bill Callahan wore beige to a press conference. President Obama wore tan suit to a press conference on Thursday which launched the Twitter hashtag tan suit.

[Ben]

Oh, what a great day that was.

[Connor]

How about that?

[Ben]

Remember when Obama wore the tan suit? That was a big controversy.

[Connor]

That was a big controversy.

[Michael]

Why was this a controversy?

[Ben]

Well, because things like that used to

[Connor]

be they don't wear, they don't wear tan suits. As a president, not very presidential. One of the worst things a president ever done.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Connor]

It was also, by the way, ice bucket challenge time. Donald Trump had been called out to do the ALS ice bucket challenge at the time and he did it with, believe it or not, Miss Universe and Miss USA together. They did the ice Bucket challenge.

[Ben]

Interesting.

[Connor]

He said, let's go ladies.

[Ben]

Remember the ice bucket challenge?

[Connor]

It was awesome. It's back.

[Ben]

It's.

[Connor]

It is, it's back now.

[Michael]

Okay, so I, I have found my 2023 draft night notes. Okay. These were football for the NFL.

[Ben]

Okay. I'll see how all these aged.

[Michael]

So here is my, my top 10, my predicted top 10 for the 22023 NFL Draft. I predicted Bryce Seal to go to Carolina.

[Ben]

He did. Did you predict him to be good?

[Michael]

I don't think I have any specific notes on.

[Ben]

Oh, you just predicted where they were getting drafted.

[Michael]

Just my top 10 mock draft. I do have a bunch of other notes here. That one is very funny. I will read later.

[Ben]

I want the takes on like what you thought of these players.

[Michael]

Okay. So here's one that I read about the Texans. Just because you need a quarterback doesn't mean you need to draft one. Demiko Ryan is a six year contract. You don't get more than one shot at qb. Typically, if you don't like the qb, you're ahead of you. You shouldn't draft one if he doesn't take defensive player in Will Anderson. An underrated story is that Houston has a 12th pick so they can hypothetically take their QB if they feel.

[Ben]

So they trade up anyway.

[Michael]

And they ended up getting both Will Anderson and C.J. scroud.

[Ben]

That's right. I did produce out in his weird legs.

[Michael]

I wrote this about the Colts desperate for a quarterback. Chris Ballard knows his job is on the line. He's been a good gm, but he knows that winning is all they did with luck. They need to trade up for a quarterback in this draft.

[Ben]

They did that and that was horrible. Yeah.

[Michael]

And that ended up being Anthony Richardson, who's terrible.

[Connor]

Who I Who they just announced is going to be moved either traded or cut.

[Ben]

Yeah, he's. He's. I don't have any moved out of the league.

[Michael]

I don't have any specific takes. I do say that Peter Skaronski is too small to play tackle guard.

[Connor]

Yeah, we all talked about.

[Michael]

And then he ended up being a guard. And then he just signed a big contract expansion. Oh, here's one. This is a good take by me.

[Ben]

Take. I go be a bad take.

[Michael]

They have been a. I predict the Falcons take Bijan Robinson number.

[Connor]

That's a good one.

[Michael]

Seven.

[Connor]

Nice. Perfect.

[Michael]

From Atlanta.

[Connor]

I think that was the one they expected.

[Michael]

Yeah, I went Stroud, 3, Richardson 4. But I predicted the Raiders to take them, not the Colts. Jalen Carter 5. He ended up going 9. Christian Gonzalez 6. To the Lions. Tyree Wilson from to Arizona. Miles Murphy or, sorry, Beaton Robinson, Falcons.

[Ben]

I don't like this.

[Michael]

No, not really. I don't have like a hot take here on this. On this thing that ended up being.

[Grainger Announcer]

Okay.

[Michael]

I'm trying to find. No, I don't have any hot take other than Falcon should take Bijan Robinson.

[Connor]

No, you nailed it.

[Michael]

I didn't name it, unfortunately. No bad hot takes here for Matt McMaster. Maybe I was just on my stuff today.

[Ben]

I don't know. I'm sure there's something in there. There's a lot of words in there you're just not telling us.

[Michael]

I was a terrible writer. This is awful, by the way. This, like, note taking.

[Connor]

This is always terrible back and see how much you've come along.

[Michael]

It is so bad how. How I wrote those things. I mean, it sounds like a robot. That was terrible. I'm sorry.

[Connor]

I don't.

[Michael]

I just can't match Michael in terms of the. Everything I have in here is way too recent,

[Connor]

kid. I mean, what do you want?

[Michael]

I'm a recent individual.

[Connor]

You're a recent person.

[Michael]

Do you have anything happen? I imagine your things would be.

[Ben]

Oh, my. In like my Google sheets.

[Michael]

I imagine your things would be very entertaining.

[Ben]

Oh, I don't have any idea because, like, I've only been doing this since 2020. A lot of it is just stats that I keep during a football season and things of that nature.

[Connor]

I did. So here's a mock draft from 2018.

[Ben]

Nice.

[Connor]

2018 mock draft. Okay. I had Cleveland with the first overall pick taking Sam Darnold number two. I had the Giants taking Saquon Barkley number three. I had the jets taking Baker Mayfield. I have Baker ranked as the third best quarterback in the Draft fairly accurate and a plus arm.

[Ben]

Well, it's interesting how that all turned out. I mean, Baker ended up going number one, Saquon two, Darnold three. Baker's had an interesting career, as has Darnold. I mean, I don't know. I don't even know who wins that at this point.

[Connor]

I had Josh Allen going five to Denver.

[Ben]

I remember my Josh Allen pre draft takes, which is crazy now because I love Josh Allen so much. But I was like, hey guys, if you're looking for a bust, I know who it is. It's Josh Allen. It has to be. He is the bustiest quarterback out of all of them.

[Connor]

Number six, Indy. Quinton Nelson. My favorite player in the draft.

[Ben]

Yeah, he was. He's awesome.

[Connor]

Denzel Ward. It's either Ward or Mika Fitzpatrick here to Chicago at 8.

[Ben]

He went. Ward went forward to Cleveland.

[Connor]

So San Francisco. Roquan Smith. With Reuben Froster in legal trouble, this pick makes sense.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Connor]

Oh, Josh Rosen. This is good.

[Ben]

Oh, man.

[Connor]

UCLA quarterback. I still think he might be the most ready to go for the league of the top picks.

[Ben]

I was a fan. I was a fan of Josh Rosen too. He was the worst. He was terrible.

[Connor]

Oh, Via Va. I have Via Veda going 13. He's a two down nose tack. Will be a great run stopper.

[Ben]

He went 12 and is a great run stopper.

[Connor]

Lamar Jackson sits one year and then takes over the Cards offense. Getting drafted 15th by Arizona, I mean,

[Michael]

that would have been a very smart thing to do.

[Connor]

Baltimore, Calvin Ridley. Alabama drops too many passes. Never liked him.

[Ben]

Nice. Well, you ended up going to your favorite team.

[Connor]

My favorite team, Atlanta. All right, nice.

[Ben]

Okay.

[Connor]

Who do I have the Saints taken? That was a horrible trade. The Saints moved up in that draft and took Marcus Davenport. Oh, I was so pissed. I thought they were moving up to take Lamar Jackson because Lamar Jackson was falling. So they were moving up for that. I had the Saints taking Dallas Goddard.

[Michael]

Okay, I have found. I have found some NFL draft scouting reports that I wrote. All right here. I'm just going to read the bad ones. Aiden Hutchinson. Oh, I'm out.

[Ben]

He's big. Any reason why?

[Michael]

He's fast, but I don't think he has a high ceiling. I truly, I truthfully, I watched this guy play and I don't think that's him. I don't see him getting stronger. I don't see him being faster. His weaknesses, according to scout reports, is his iq. He has fast hands but not a good counter. He's going to be a good player, but I Am out on him being the number one player.

[Ben]

I love how you're just like, I. I have no reason, but I'm out.

[Michael]

No, I said that. I just don't think he's got a high ceiling.

[Ben]

But why?

[Michael]

I think that he just kind of hit like he was an NFL player already in the college is I think, what my reasoning was. But I don't see. Think he's gonna get any better. Like, he's already a grown man. Like he's already. He's already hit his peak is what I thought.

[Ben]

I was wrong.

[Michael]

All right. You wanted the bad ones.

[Connor]

2020. Real quick. 2016. This was in the newspaper. St. Louis Rams number one overall pick, Jared Goff. I think Goff is better than the other quarterbacks.

[Ben]

He did go number two.

[Connor]

Philadelphia. Carson Wentz.

[Ben]

He did go number two.

[Connor]

Number three would have been Laramie Tunsil. But of course, we know what happened with Laramie Tunsil. He had the gas mask. Yep.

[Ben]

Being Joey Bosa.

[Connor]

I had Dallas taking a Jalen Ramsey. I had Jacksonville taking Miles Jack.

[Ben]

Dallas took Zeke. That was the year.

[Connor]

That was the Zeke one.

[Ben]

Yes.

[Connor]

The one I had that I really liked in here was. What was the one? Oh, Indianapolis. No, Jets. Where's the other one I have. Oh, I know. Here's number 23, Minnesota. Laquan Treadwell. Struggles with separation, but he does go up and get it.

[Ben]

He. They did take him. And he sucked.

[Connor]

And he sucked.

[Ben]

Yep.

[Connor]

Yep. I had Connor Cook going at the end of the first round.

[Ben]

Oh, man, that guy sucked.

[Connor]

Still. Still could. That's when they're having a problem with Kaepernick. And so I had that.

[Ben]

Oh, I would have never been able to take Connor Cook high because of his performance against The Brad.

[Michael]

Exactly.

[Connor]

2015 Oscar player predictions. Malik Collins being the best player for the Husker players in this draft.

[Ben]

Good take.

[Connor]

I have him as the fourth best interior defense lineman. I had Alex Lewis getting drafted somewhere in the fifth round. I had Vincent Valentine going somewhere in the sixth round. I had Andy Janovich as a possible going in the seventh round.

[Michael]

All right, your Josh Rosen moment.

[Ben]

Last one. It's time to leave.

[Michael]

It's time to leave your Josh Rosen moment. My J.J. mcCarthy scouting report.

[Grainger Announcer]

Oh,

[Michael]

a ton of talent. A ton of athletic ability, good measurables. His film has shown flashes, the ability to be a great quarterback. He can move outside the pocket. He's got a really good arm.

[Ben]

There are some people who believe he's

[Michael]

shown that he can make the right plays and he's a winner.

[Connor]

It's not over.

[Michael]

He's got a ton of tools and a makeup to be a high level quarterback in this league. It's all there. Just not at a high enough level. Like everything is okay, but nothing is great.

[Connor]

It's not over.

[Michael]

I wasn't completely off.

[Ben]

I would argue that it's not.

[Connor]

There's a lot of guys recently. Daniel Jones.

[Michael]

Yes, Connor. I think most people would agree that it's not all there.

[Connor]

Daniel Jones, Baker Mayfield. There have been a lot of guys gotten through. Malik Willis that got thrown to the trash and have come back and they're starting.

[Michael]

Apparently he's winning the quarterback battle.

[Connor]

That's right.

[Michael]

Now is what I read that he is currently winning.

[Connor]

Fans are pissed.

[Michael]

They're very mad at Kyler.

[Connor]

Mad, yeah. But God doesn't look at the playbook. So.

[Michael]

Of course. Also there was a feature on Tyler Schuck today being like the next group Breeze and CBS Sports.

[Connor]

I don't know about all that, but I like him.

[Michael]

Congratulations. All right, thanks, guys. This is fun. Appreciate it as always. All right, see ya. Midday's Mac. Coming up next year on 1620 Zone radio network.

[Grainger Announcer]

Granger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail. Filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.