Vikings Fire GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Summary

PTI Podcast Summary

Episode: Vikings Fire GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Date: January 30, 2026
Hosts: Mike Wilbon & Frank Isola (filling in for Tony Kornheiser)
Main Theme:
Tony Kornheiser is off this week, so Mike Wilbon and guest host Frank Isola lead a fast-paced discussion on the latest major sports stories, including the Minnesota Vikings' unexpected firing of General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, dramatic tennis matches at the Australian Open, a significant injury to Lindsey Vonn, a historic NBA rookie duel, and NHL heroics. The show keeps its signature mixture of lively debate, stats, and personal takes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Australian Open Men’s Semifinals Recap

[01:03 – 04:46]

• Wilbon and Isola break down the grueling Australian Open men’s semifinals:
  • Carlos Alcaraz overcame cramping and vomiting to outlast Alexander Zverev in a five-set, 5.5 hour epic.
  • Novak Djokovic, 38, ended a five-match losing streak against defending champion Jannik Sinner, also in five sets.
  • The final will see:
    • Either Alcaraz, 22, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam
    • Or Djokovic extending his record to a 25th major and becoming the oldest Slam winner in the Open Era.
• Frank: "Djokovic faced 18 break points and won 16 of them. It’s amazing what a match he played." [02:38]
• Wilbon: "Sinner has been a legit #1 in the world, and Joker at 38 to win on that surface... this is amazing." [03:35]
• Isola: "Since turning 30, this will be Djokovic’s 17th Grand Slam final. Nadal did it 10 times, Federer 8." [03:57]
• Wilbon: "If you want to talk about a GOAT in men’s tennis, it’s hard to come to any conclusion other than Joker." [04:18]
• Isola: "I loved Federer’s grace and Nadal’s work rate, but Djokovic just beats you." [04:27]

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2. Minnesota Vikings Fire GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

[04:46 – 08:00]

• Vikings fire GM a day after he discusses letting Sam Darnold depart (now leading Seahawks to Super Bowl), and after rookie QB J.J. McCarthy’s up-and-down season.

  • Wilbon: Calls the move "rash," argues McCarthy came on strong, winning his last four starts, and blames the coach for starting him too early.
    • “What the hell else do you want from the guy who selected him?” [06:22]
  • Isola: Points out that the team’s Darnold/McCarthy decision was largely financial, notes Adofo-Mensah is an analytics-heavy guy, and that no drafted Pro Bowlers under his tenure is a knock.
    • "You’re paid the big bucks. And what's interesting about Kwesi, he's a big analytic guy... really, really smart." [06:52]
  • Wilbon: "We know this comes down to quarterback. Maybe he did get the right guy." [07:35]
  • Isola: Reveals “stories are coming out” suggesting tension between front office and coaching staff, suggesting the firing was a long time coming. [07:50]

• Wilbon closes:

  • “Got two teams I can root against with great conviction every snap of the rest of the way: the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings.” [08:00]

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3. Lindsey Vonn Injured Ahead of Olympics

[08:13 – 10:49]

• Vonn crashes in her last downhill race before Olympics, raising questions about her Olympic viability at age 41.
  • Isola: “Very few of us want to do that at that speed… The crash itself wasn’t that horrific. It’s not the knee with the partial knee replacement.” [08:51]
  • Wilbon: Marvels at Vonn’s courage and public journey, hopes she’ll make it, and defends her for racing close to the Games. “She doesn’t have to do this to prove anything… But to do this...”
  • Isola: “She said, ‘My Olympic dream is not over… It’s not over until it’s over.’” [09:29]
  • Wilbon: “Lindsey Vonn is one of those stars you like watching, whether she’s competing or doing a commercial…” [09:53]

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4. NBA Rookie Shootout: Cooper Flagg vs. Con Knippel

[12:56 – 15:48]

• Recap of a historic NBA matchup between ex-Duke roommates:
  • Wilbon: “Nationalistic is what I’m gonna go with… You don’t get American kids who are that great anymore... The last seven MVPs, all international players.” [13:03]
  • Cooper Flagg scored 49 to break Mark Aguirre’s rookie record; Knippel put up big numbers for Charlotte.
  • Isola: “Do you know that Cooper Flagg right now has scored the most points in NBA history as an 18-year-old… and now has the most points ever scored by a 19-year-old?” [14:03]
  • Wilbon: “His greatness is not because he’s 18. It’s because he’s great.” [15:32]
  • First time since 1971 two rookies combined for this many points in a game; the last were Tiny Archibald and Pistol Pete Maravich.

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5. NHL: Historic Hurricanes Comeback

[15:55 – 17:56]

• Carolina Hurricanes (wearing Hartford Whalers throwbacks) score three times in final two minutes to defeat Utah Mammoths.
  • Wilbon: “Confusing for me. They’re the Whalers, who used to be the Coyotes, who used to be the Winnipeg Jets...” [16:03]
  • Isola: “My word is stunning. First time in 30 years a team has rallied from two goals down in the final two minutes to win in regulation.” [16:41]
  • Three goals in 80 seconds, two with the goalie pulled. Utah “can’t even get to overtime.”
  • Isola: “There’s been over 200 games where a team has scored three goals within a minute, but not at the end of the game.” [17:45]

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6. Rapid Fire Big Finish

[23:13 – 24:13]

• NBA: Aaron Gordon out for Nuggets, but Nikola Jokic is back.
• NFL: Jon Gruden denies reach-out from Jets; Eagles hire Packers QB coach Sean Manion as OC.
• Big Ten Basketball: Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, and Nebraska big matchups.
  • Wilbon: “Illinois is big. They can shoot it, and they can go a long way in the tournament.” [23:55]
• Australian Open Women’s Final: Sabalenka vs. Rybakina.
  • Isola: “I think Sabalenka. She’s playing unbelievable tennis. The big thing… she can control the bad serves.” [24:13]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Djokovic’s greatness:
  • Wilbon: “If you want to talk about a goat in men's tennis, it's hard to come to any conclusion other than Joker.” [04:18]
• On Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing:
  • Wilbon: “It just seems rash… Let's blame the coach. Let's put the blame where it belongs, on the coach.” [05:22]
• On Lindsey Vonn:
  • Isola: “She took six years off from racing. Do I think she could be in the Olympics? NBC is keeping their fingers crossed…” [09:24]
  • Wilbon: “She doesn't have to do this to prove anything… but to do this…” [09:53]
• On the NBA rookies:
  • Isola: “Cooper Flagg… broke Mark Aguirre's rookie scoring record… has scored the most points in NBA history as an 18-year-old.” [14:03]
  • Wilbon: “His greatness is not because he's 18. It's because he's great.” [15:32]
• On Hurricanes’ comeback:
  • Isola: “First time in 30 years a team has rallied from two goals down in the final two minutes to win in regulation.” [16:41]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:57 – Show proper starts; Australian Open recap begins
• 02:14 – Djokovic vs. Sinner performance breakdown
• 04:46 – Vikings fire GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
• 08:13 – Lindsey Vonn crash and Olympic prospects
• 12:56 – Historic Cooper Flagg vs. Con Knippel NBA rookie duel
• 15:55 – Hurricanes’ wild NHL comeback
• 20:12 – Thompson Twins birthday, NBA notes
• 21:02 – John Riggins Super Bowl anniversary
• 23:13 – Fast-paced news blitz (NBA, NFL, college basketball)
• 24:13 – Aussie Open Women’s final pick

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Tone & Style

• Dynamic, playful, and candid, mixing sharp stats with personal asides and light-hearted ribbing.
• Typical PTI banter, with Wilbon as the more emotive, big-picture observer, and Isola offering analytic, stat-driven perspective.
• Wilbon: “You should come to the Winter Olympics.”
  Isola: “I want to! I wouldn’t mind going.” [11:31]

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode expertly blends the day’s biggest sports stories, with a particular focus on the Vikings’ front office shakeup and what it says about modern NFL decision-making. Wilbon’s pointed questions about evaluating rookie QBs, paired with Isola’s front-office perspective, provide context to a headline that might otherwise seem abrupt. The tennis and Olympic segments offer appreciation for generational greatness and athletic perseverance, while the show’s midsection celebrates a refreshing “all-American” NBA rookie showdown. Listeners get a clear narrative on how each event fits into larger historic and league trends—delivered in classic PTI snap-and-sparkle style.

Essential Takeaway:
The day’s sports news is bigger than any single firing or upset; history is being made on multiple fronts, and PTI makes sure you both feel the impact and think critically about what comes next.

Transcript

[Mike Wilbon]

This episode is brought to you by Credit Karma. When it comes to your money, Credit Karma keeps you ahead of the game. You can count on Credit Karma to keep up with your financial needs as they evolve, helping you monitor your progress and giving you personalized recommendations so you can make strides towards your goals. Make sure you're on the right track no matter where you are on your financial journey. Intuit Credit Karma, Karma you can count on Download today. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Lilbon. It's National Wig Day. Frank, if you lost your hair, would.

[Frank Isola]

You wear a wig? I'm Frank Isola. I lost it 25 years ago. This thing's a snap on.

[Mike Wilbon]

It is not a snap on. You got a full head of hair. By the way, they used to call them toupees. What happened? Wig. Is that a. Men don't wear wigs. They don't wear toupees.

[Frank Isola]

That's not the word.

[Mike Wilbon]

Can we think of a person we want to out somebody that's wearing a wig?

[Frank Isola]

Elton John.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah, Elton John. Yeah.

[Frank Isola]

Everyone should thank Bruce Willis and M. Michael Jordan what they did for shaving.

[Mike Wilbon]

Shave them.

[Frank Isola]

Those guys look good.

[Mike Wilbon]

Shave it off, baby.

[Frank Isola]

They look good.

[Mike Wilbon]

Wake up in the morning. Shave it off like I did this morning. Be a man. There you go. Welcome to pti. Tony made it a whole week without working and here to handle his business is our great friend from the starting lineup on SiriusXM, Mr. Frank. I saw hair and on. Let's begin with the absolutely captivating Australian Open men's semifinal matches. Carlos Alcaraz overcame cramping and vomiting to survive Alexander zverev in a five set thriller that took five and a half hours. Then 38 year old Novak Djokovic snapped a five match losing streak against 24 year old two time defending championic center, also in five sets. So now either Alcaraz at 22 will become the youngest man to ever complete the career slam or Joker will win his record 25th major and become the oldest slam winner in the Open era. Wow, Frank, what stands out to you?

[Frank Isola]

You know, it was almost 10 hours of tennis today and Djokovic got you the microphone. He told the crowd, you got your money's worth. Alcaraz, I expected it from him now the cramping stuff. And Zverev was not happy about it. And you wonder maybe that will carry over to Sunday. Maybe that could help Djokovic. But we talked about this a bunch this week. He was gonna have to catch a bit of a break. He caught that with Musetti having to.

[Mike Wilbon]

Retire Then he created his own break.

[Frank Isola]

And then to beat Sinner, we said he was gonna have to play one of the best matches of his career. Do you know that he faced 18 break points and he won 16 of them. It's amazing what a match he played. And it was, you know, I was, I woke up early enough to watch the final four sets. And they have a big Serbian community there in Australia. I mean, there were Serbian flags all over. You could see how emotional he was. If he pulls this off, Mike, and it's not going to be Easy, but he is 3:1 on hard court against Alcaraz and he beat him last year.

[Mike Wilbon]

On the quarters of all time.

[Frank Isola]

If he does this and gets to 25, I mean, come on now, that's Roger in the Dollar Gone. That's he beat them and now beating Sinner and Alcarez.

[Mike Wilbon]

Still a mom. If. So I watched Alcaraz win the first two sets when the tie break and it's like, you know, going on 1:00 clock Eastern Time, and I'm like, you know what? I, I, I'm not going any longer. And then I hear that not only did that match become epic, which we were not expecting.

[Frank Isola]

Yep.

[Mike Wilbon]

But then Joker to beat center like that after center had beaten him twice. And let's face it, center has been a legit number one in the world. And Joker at 38 to win on that surface, I mean, he's not playing on something that slows you down like clay. He's not doing that. So this is amazing and an amazing final to watch.

[Frank Isola]

And sinner won the first set, then he's up 2:1 and Djokovic comes back, wins the fourth set and the fifth set. And like I said, he was emotional. Think about this though. For djokovic since turning 30, this is going to be his 17th Grand Slam final. Rafael Nadal did it 10 times, Roger Federer eight times.

[Mike Wilbon]

You know what all this is saying?

[Frank Isola]

Think about that.

[Mike Wilbon]

If you want to talk about a goat in men's tennis, it's hard to come to any conclusion other than Joker.

[Frank Isola]

It is. But here's what happens with Djokovic. I loved Federer. There was a gracefulness about his game. Nadal, you know, just like how hard that he works. He's a puncher. He's like Joe Frazier out there. Djokovic has been involved in a lot of controversial stuff, so he's not as beloved.

[Mike Wilbon]

But you're right, may not be his beloved, but he beats you. He beats you.

[Frank Isola]

Can you imagine now the thing you're going to get up at 3 o' clock to watch it. No, going to have to watch it on tape. All right, let's move to the NFL, where the Vikings fired GM Khwesi Adolfo Mensah just a day after he openly contemplated his decision last year to let quarterback Sam Darnold walk in free agency. We all know how that's turned out. Darnold is in the super bowl with Seattle, while J.J. mcCarthy underwhelmed in his first season starting from Minnesota. There are other decisions that Adolfo Mensah we can discuss too, Mike, but what was your reaction to the one the club made today?

[Mike Wilbon]

It just seems rash. I'm going to go straight to JJ McCarthy, because that's where I live. That's my division. That's the NFC Central. And J.J. mcCarthy, who started off his season, his career, in a preposterous win over the Bears on a Monday night for the whole country to see. He then got injured. He. He played down to what we expect rookies to play to. But at the end of the season, Mr. McCarthy won his final four starts and the Vikings won their final five starts. So maybe the pressure should not have been put on him at the beginning of the year. He shouldn't have been starting. Let's blame the coach. Let's put the blame where it belongs, on the coach. And yes, it was a bad decision to let Sam Darnold go. Many of us knew that on the way in the door. But if you want to talk about what it is you expect from McCarthy, if the kid goes out there in a tough division and wins his final four starts, what the hell else do you want from the guy who selected him?

[Frank Isola]

It's funny that you mentioned that, because I think they're basing a lot on Sam Darnold. The fact that he lost the last game of the regular season to the Lions and then he lost the playoff game. They only scored nine points. So they were looking at it. And it makes sense. From a financial decision, they're thinking, do we Give Sam Ronald 40 million? When we have a quarterback on a rookie scale, we can get other players.

[Mike Wilbon]

But you mean to tell me other people didn't sign off on that net bill?

[Frank Isola]

100%. And that's so here. You know, he's at the Senior bowl representing the team. You're fired.

[Mike Wilbon]

Can you wait till the guy gets out?

[Frank Isola]

Yeah, but my only thing would be. And that position is so different because to me, it's the most important position in professional sports. Quarterback. It looked like you had a guy. It's so hard for so many teams to get that guy. And you're paid the big bucks. And what's interesting about Koezi is that he's a guy. He's a basketball guy, went to Princeton, obviously, really, really smart. He's a big analytic guy. See, you defend some of the analytic guys because you think it's a little unfair with what they did to me, that's a big organizational decision. But they're also going to look at a lot of the players you drafted. I think they've gotten like 172, you know, career starts out of all the players he's drafted that's combined. And he hasn't drafted a Pro Bowler yet either.

[Mike Wilbon]

Okay. And all that's fine, but we know this comes down to quarterback.

[Frank Isola]

Yep.

[Mike Wilbon]

And maybe he did get the right guy. So if he got the right guy, McCarthy. Suppose McCarthy wins his first four starts next season.

[Frank Isola]

Yeah.

[Mike Wilbon]

What more was he supposed to contribute in that. In that context?

[Frank Isola]

But now that, now that they made this the firing, now the stories are coming out that there was a lot of tension with the coaching staff in the front office. So this seems like it was something that was building, especially when they didn't make.

[Mike Wilbon]

Got two teams I can root against with great conviction every snap of the rest of the way. The Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings. What about Sean, who are rooted anyway, Peyton got his.

[Kodiak Waffle Sponsor]

All right.

[Mike Wilbon]

And now let's go to some winter sports, real winter sports. Lindsey Vonn got injured in her last downhill race before next week's Olympics. Von crashed today in snowy conditions in Switzerland. She managed to ski down, but was then airlifted out. The 41 year old has won two downhills this season and leads the overall standings despite skiing on a titanium right knee. Today's injury was to her left knee. Frank, your reaction to the crash and how it could affect one of the most anticipated storylines of the upcoming Winter Games.

[Frank Isola]

All right. Very few of us want to do that at that speed. The, the, the crash itself wasn't that horrific. And like you mentioned, it's not the knee that she had. Partial knee replacement. So the women's downhill, just like the men's downhill. That's one of the most anticipated events of the Winter Olympics. For me, it's the, it's the best event. I. The downhill is an amazing thing. The courage that, that the men and women have to do that. It's 13 days away. So, you know, she's 41 years old. She took six years off from racing. Do I think she could be in the Olympics? You know, NBC is keeping their fingers crossed that she can do it. She's one of the.

[Mike Wilbon]

NBC can delay the Olympics rather than have one of their main storylines.

[Frank Isola]

They'll tell everyone, just stay at like, you know, a restaurant in Milan, drink some wine and eat some pasta. Let's let it go like a couple of weeks later. But I think it'll be, I think there's a chance that she can compete, whether or not she'll be able to win. I like what she said. She said, my Olympic dream is not over. She released a statement. Then she went a little Yogi Bear on it. She said, it's not over until it's over.

[Mike Wilbon]

Well, listen, I'm not going to speculate on whether she can or whether she can't. I hope she can.

[Frank Isola]

Yeah.

[Mike Wilbon]

Lindsey Vonn is one of those stars you like watching. Whether she's competing or doing a commercial or sitting for 60 minutes or whatever it is. Lindsey Vonn has that kind of hold on people who care about the Winter Olympics. I've covered three Winter Olympics and I have been down at the bottom of that hill to watch the finish. I've been at the top as well. The courage that it takes to even stand up there, much less go through what Lindsey Vonn has and do it again when her life is set. Come on. I mean, she doesn't have to do this to prove anything in terms of that sport, but to do this. And people are probably thinking, well, what is she doing racing this close to the start of the Olympics? That's what happens.

[Frank Isola]

Yes. Yep.

[Mike Wilbon]

In both Summer and Winter Olympics.

[Frank Isola]

That's right.

[Mike Wilbon]

And so I, I, I just, I hope she can make it. It is one of the huge stories of the Winter Games and particularly because she's been so public, talking about the travails.

[Frank Isola]

Yeah.

[Mike Wilbon]

And getting there and having to navigate.

[Frank Isola]

It's, it's such a great event because everyone understands you're just trying to go fast. It's not like the slalomy where you can get penalized. I still say one of the best sporting events I've ever seen that was on tv, Franz Clmer winning the downhill in Innsbruck, Austria. How amazing was that?

[Mike Wilbon]

You New York, you couldn't find your way to Europe to come to the Winter Olympics with the rest of us.

[Frank Isola]

And it probably was on, probably was on tape delay. Right. Unless they were skiing at night. That was a great event.

[Mike Wilbon]

But when we come back, former roommates Cooper Flag and Con Caniple tallied triple, not triple, career highs while battling each other last night. What's the word for that.

[Frank Isola]

And how to best describe the the hurricanes furiously go rally to beat the mammoth. What's the word is next.

[Mike Wilbon]

You. You should come to the Winter Olympics.

[Frank Isola]

And I want to. I wouldn't mind going.

[Mike Wilbon]

It's unbelievable. And by the way, I'll be a correspondent. The jump is every bit as. Oh my God. As a downhill.

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[Frank Isola]

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[Mike Wilbon]

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[Mike Wilbon]

Time for our version of Words with Friends.

[Frank Isola]

What's first? Last night's battle between former Duke roommates Cooper Flagg and Con Knippel was blank.

[Mike Wilbon]

Nationalistic is what I'm gonna go with. Frank, this was crazy. I mean, how about Cooper flag getting 49? I mean, he started off the year slowly, kind of slowly, and has now just exploded. Caniple because he's playing for a team nobody cares about in Charlotte. People didn't know that this kid was lighting it up from day one. I mean, he is shooting better than 42% from three. If you ask me right now who my vote went for Rookie of the year, where my vote goes, I think I say Canip.

[Frank Isola]

Really?

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah. Flat can pass him. He probably will. He's in a groove now. But here's the thing. You don't get American kids who are that great anymore. The last seven MVPs.

[Frank Isola]

Yeah.

[Mike Wilbon]

All international players. You gotta go back to James Harden in 2018. We're working on eight years.

[Frank Isola]

Amazing.

[Mike Wilbon]

So Cooper and Caniple coming to the rescue like this is sort of. You think the league will understand and maybe plan some all Star Festivities around.

[Frank Isola]

That and they're both in that game. I'm sure they might have a chance to make the big game. So my word is on the mark because last one of your Chicago guys, Mark Aguirre was getting his number retired. And Cooper Flagg, you know what he did? He broke Mark Aguirre's rookie scoring record last night by scoring 49. Do you know that Cooper flag right now has scored the most points in NBA history as an 18 year old? He did that on December 18th. Hang on a second. He did that as an 18, as December 19th. And then what, 40 days later? He now has the most points ever scored by a 19 year old.

[Mike Wilbon]

Weren't any 19 year olds either. Look, he scored 19. I don't need an age. He scored 49, that's all that matters.

[Frank Isola]

That's not impressive.

[Mike Wilbon]

It can be 50. He scored 49, that's what.

[Frank Isola]

And by the way, and he missed.

[Mike Wilbon]

The greatest high school player I ever saw.

[Frank Isola]

He missed a shot at the buzzer, which would have given him 51.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah, I'll get.

[Frank Isola]

I got one for you though. So the two teammate. So the two rookies last night, that's the most points combined by two rookies in the same game since 1971. Tiny Archibald, pistol Pete Maravich combined to score 91.

[Mike Wilbon]

How about that? How far did those two guys get? COOPER and Kadipa, how far did they get last year together playing on the college.

[Frank Isola]

I know that was.

[Mike Wilbon]

I just. I'm just asking.

[Frank Isola]

You're getting on, John.

[Mike Wilbon]

Take shots. No, Chicago's own. I'm not going to take shots. But why.

[Frank Isola]

Why are you. Why are you the guy that. You don't think that's an impressive stat?

[Mike Wilbon]

No.

[Frank Isola]

Most points.

[Mike Wilbon]

Everybody was 18 for the first 100 years of the league. No, it's irrelevant. Well, now his greatness is not because he's 18.

[Frank Isola]

But what about.

[Mike Wilbon]

It's. It isn't. And they play more. They play more AAU games. Kids now play 70 games a year. You know this. They play 70 games a year when they're 15. No, it doesn't.

[Frank Isola]

LeBron was 18 and Kobe was about to. All time legendary players.

[Mike Wilbon]

It's great because they're great players, not because they were 18. All right. Huh? All right, what's next?

[Frank Isola]

Says the 38 year old over here. Still impressive. Last night's three goal rally in the last two minutes by the Hurricanes was blank.

[Mike Wilbon]

Confusing for me, Frank. Yeah. Just because the Hurricanes and I think it's cool whenever. It's not often they dress up as who they were Hartford Whalers. That's always pretty cool to me. I'm sure, you know, it causes people to go with Twitter in Bristol. But they're dressed as the Hartford Whalers and they're having this comeback, this historic comeback, beating a team that's the Utah Mammoths, who used to be last year the Utah Hockey Club, who previously were the Arizona Coyotes, who previously were the Phoenix Coyotes, who previously were the Winnipeg Jets. It's confusing. That circle's confusing, too.

[Frank Isola]

My word is stunning. It's the first time in 30 years a team has rallied from two goals down in the final two minutes to win in regulation. Here's how they did it. The first goal, power play, but they also pulled their goalie. So it's six on four, six on four. Then they keep their goalie out at six on five. Then Jordan Stahl scores with 29 seconds to go.

[Mike Wilbon]

Redirect. They did it in regulation. Now, people who've scored that many goals just not to end the game.

[Frank Isola]

Yeah. And again to win it in regulation. Yeah. That's the impressive part. If you're Utah, how bad of a loss is that? You can't even get to overtime. You're up two goals. They scored three goals in 80 seconds, Mike.

[Mike Wilbon]

So there should be some defensive drills if they, you know, actually have some skate time before their next game. But it was just. What literally gets me is the visual of the Hartford Wheelers. And it seems like there are more NHL clubs who have just sort of moved, renamed themselves, reinvented themselves. It seems like half the league is something else. The Colorado Avalanche weren't the Colorado Avalanche forever today. Weren't they the Quebec nor Deaks at some point?

[Frank Isola]

So there's been over 200 games where a team has scored three goals within a minute, but not at the end of the game.

[Mike Wilbon]

Not the end.

[Frank Isola]

That's. That's what separated this.

[Mike Wilbon]

You know what that's like? It's like, oh, he's 18.

[Frank Isola]

It's like that being 18, being 18 isn't impressive. How many 18 year olds are scoring 40 points in a game? You're a hater. You're a hater big time.

[Mike Wilbon]

That's the final word. Let's take one last break. But still to come, the Nuggets get some bad news followed by some good news.

[Frank Isola]

There's the good news and a big one and a big weekend ahead for Michael Wilbon's Big Ten in basketball. How many 18 year olds are in that game?

[Mike Wilbon]

A lot. So they should be.

[Frank Isola]

They're scoring 40 points.

[Mike Wilbon]

So they should be not in the NBA. How's that 18 year old kids team doing? What are they doing? The Dallas Mavericks.

[Frank Isola]

I was like he doesn't have Kyrie or Anthony Davis.

[Rich Eisen]

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[Frank Isola]

Heat neat.

[Kodiak Waffle Sponsor]

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[Mike Wilbon]

Time to get Happy people. Happy 23rd birthday to Amin and Asar Thompson. Amin plays for the Rockets and is averaging 18, 8 and 5. Frank Asar plays for the Pistons averaging 11, 6 and 3. The identical twins played on the same team in high school and in the G League and then were taken fourth and fifth in the 2023 NBA Draft. They faced each other last Friday with a men and the Rockets beating a SAR and the Pistons. Fittingly, their matchup earlier this season went the other way.

[Frank Isola]

Two terrific two way players. Asar was born a minute after his brother. He is 1 inch shorter at 6, 7, but at 34 wins, he's got 5 more wins than his brother has with the Rockets.

[Mike Wilbon]

They are great defenders and now already better offensively than we thought.

[Frank Isola]

Tough. Tough as well.

[Mike Wilbon]

Happy Anniversary John Riggins on this day 43 years ago, my man Riggo rushed for a then Super bowl record 166 yards to lead Washington past Miami in the Super Bowl. The Capstone was a 43 yard touchdown run on 4th and 1 to put away the game. It was the first of three Super bowl wins for for hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs. And during his second win five years later, Washington running back Tim Smith set the new super bowl rushing record that stands today. 204 yards and a win over the Broncos.

[Frank Isola]

The big run by Riggins in that game, the defensive back on the Dolphins that he ran over, Don McLean. Remember?

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah, Riggins I saw last week. He looks like he's 35 years old.

[Frank Isola]

We were thinking today about guys that got run over. We thinking about Brian Bosworth by Bo Jackson. And remember when Earl Campbell ran over Isaiah Robertson of the Rams right here.

[Mike Wilbon]

Ran over a lot of people earlier than that too. Happy trails to last night's game for the Red Wings. Detroit emptied his net down two goals to the Capitals last night and scored twice in the last two minutes to send the game to ot. The second on a simple dump in that took a crazy bounce off the photographer's hole in the glass. At the end of the scoreless extra session, Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren went down in pain. But with Logan Thompson unavailable and only a call up in uniform, Lindgren stayed in for the shootout, made no saves, but the Red Wings third attempt hit the crossbar. The Cap scored to win all three, won the game, then carried Lindgren off the ice and down the tunnel.

[Frank Isola]

There was a lot of stuff celebrating last night because Patrick Kane got an assist. So now he passes Mike Madonna. Most points ever by an American born player in the NHL.

[Mike Wilbon]

Pre Nice distinction. Two omissions. The packers signed head coach Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Goodikins. Two extensions. And the Ravens hired Bears OC Declan Doyle to the same position in Baltimore. We're running out of show. Let's get to the big finish. Aaron Gordon is out four to six weeks for the Nuggets, but Nikola Jokic is back tonight.

[Frank Isola]

How about the job that the Nuggets have done 10, 6 without Jokic? By the way, he could still miss two more. Well, if he misses one more game, he will not be eligible to win any of those regular season awards. But it's surprised that he's back this quickly. Jon Gruden denies a report from the Athletic that the jets reach out to him about a role in their offense. Your thoughts?

[Mike Wilbon]

Best things. Much ado about nada. The Eagles hired Packers quarterback Coach Sean Manion as their new oc. Does that make sense?

[Frank Isola]

Let me ask you a question. Do you want that job in Philadelphia being a head coach and the offensive coordinator?

[Mike Wilbon]

No job.

[Frank Isola]

Under a ton of pressure. Big Ten men's hoops this weekend. I know you're going to be locked in. Number three, Michigan, number seven, Michigan State tonight and number nine, Illinois, at number five, Nebraska, on Sunday. What's the bigger deal?

[Mike Wilbon]

We don't get to talk about Illinois and Nebraska in basketball. Illinois, big. Illinois is big. It can shoot it. And they can go a long way in the tournament. I'm just saying. Last one, Sabalenka Rybakina. Meet in the Aussie Open women's final tonight. Who you got?

[Frank Isola]

I think Sabalenka. She's playing unbelievable tennis. The big thing with Sabalenka, it's always up here. If she can control the bad serves. Yeah, a couple unforced errors, she starts to fall apart a little bit. But I'm.

[Mike Wilbon]

By the way, if the Capitals had gone like this. I was with Bernie wolf, former capitalist, gone 70s, last night. Looks like he could still play.

[Frank Isola]

We're out of time. Thanks for watching. I'm not 18, but I am Frank Isola.

[Mike Wilbon]

I'm Mike Lobon. Have a great weekend, Knuckleheads.

[Frank Isola]

Hi, it's Victor Hedman from the Tampa Bay Lightning. NHL Stadium Series is coming to the Sunshine State. Watch as we take on the Boston Bruins in the 2026 NHL Stadium Series in Tampa. Catch all the action on Sunday, February 1st, on ESP. Visit NHL.com StadiumSeries for tickets and more information. That's NHL.com StadiumSeries and I'll see you February 1st.