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This is Matt and Myron, the podcast. You've given Chubawamba a lot of press on this show, much more so than they've ever had in a long time. It's Matt Byron on ESPN Radio, presented by Progressive Insurance 888. Say ESPN is a Dr. Pepper call in. It's the same song we've been playing all year. Tyler Childers, White House Road this has been the intro since September. Never see you pay attention to the show.
C
It's been Wu Tang Clan every single time.
B
No, no. They play one country song occasionally for me, that's that one. And then they play Wu Tang for you. Because whatever reason you want to think, that's why they do that, but they usually start with Wu Tang and ease in the country.
C
Today they just said let's just start country.
B
Well, they're welcoming back. I'm in Middlesborough, Kentucky, where it is snowy and a little and cold. You're in Minneapolis where it is freezing and you are wearing a beanie like you're a skateboarder listening to some 41 this morning. How are you doing, Myron?
C
I'm good, man. Some 41, that's an old school group. It's just, it's like 35 below, man.
B
But you're in your house. Why are you wearing a beanie in your house?
C
No, I like wearing hats. I just, you know, I understand, but.
B
I always wear a hat. But I've never seen Myron in a beanie. Like I feel like a beanie is what you wear when you go outside.
C
Well, you just got to be prepared here because you never know. Like it's once, it's 35 below. Like I keep my jacket closed. I keep a hat on just because it's that extreme.
B
All right, I'm gonna whisper this folks, because my, my parents are in the other room. I'm at my parents house and I don't know if y' all are like this when you go to your parents house. It is 800 degrees in this house.
C
Yes.
B
I don't know what it is about parents. This house. I don't know When I left, I left years ago. I don't know when they decided to turn this into a sauna, but they had. I got up this morning, went downstairs, they have the temperature set at 78 degrees. 78 degrees? Who keeps their house at 78 degrees? Parents. Parents.
C
You better not touch it either. You better not touch the thermostat either.
B
I'm like about to walk around with my shirt off in my parents house. Like come on now. All right, let's get started. Let's go. Off the top. What are we thinking about? I'm trying to think, but nothing happens. Nothing happens.
C
Time to find out.
B
This is off the top. Flash off the top with Matt and Myron. Now the moment everybody has been waiting for. The winner of the 2025 Heisman Trophy is Fernando Mendoza. I swear to you, I honestly thought that was Donald Trump when you started talking at the moment that we've all been waiting for, the winner of the Heisman Trophy, Fernando Mendoza. Tell me that didn't sound like him.
C
I didn't know. I'm sorry.
B
Play it again real quick.
C
Just listen. Just. I don't know.
B
No, no, go play it. Now the moment everybody has been waiting for, the winner. He's number one player, trophy 2025. Fernando Mendoza. Tell me that doesn't sound like it might.
C
I mean he's talked all week about sports, but I. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a clip.
B
He's the greatest. He throws it the farthest. All right, so Fernando Mendoza. Trophy, Indiana get football gets their first Heisman Trophy winner, beats out a Vanderbilt player to get it. Did you think it went to the right person last night?
C
Yeah, I mean, best play on the best team. I thought Jeremiah Love was the most important player in America at Notre Dame. Diego Pavia. Wait a minute, really?
B
I mean I would think he might have been the best, but Mendoza and Pavia turned their programs around, right?
C
No, they were obviously very, very good. Like you couldn't have gone wrong with either guy. I mean, but I think Jeremiah Love, if you look at like what Notre Dame was, carried the load to me that would have been my pick. But you can't argue against Mendoza having the best.
B
I'm really shocked you would say that because to me Notre Dame has somebody good all the time. But these are two of the greatest doormats in the history of college football. And they have become relevant really based especially in Vanderbilt's case, but even in Indiana's case on these two guy back, two guys backs. I mean, to me the Heisman Trophy Ceremony last night sort of signified the changing college football in the Nil era, that all of a sudden, two guys from nowhere can end up at the Heisman race, and two programs from nowhere can end up in the playoff consideration because of how Nils played out.
C
No, I love that he won it. I mean, I love the story. I mean, I love Mendoza and what he represents. You know, his. His part where he talked about his mom, Like, I think that's all really heartwarming stuff. And, yeah, who would have ever thought Indiana in football would be in that position? So I think you're 100%. They were.
B
Arguably, you could make an argument that in the last 50 years, in terms of major conferences, those are the two worst programs of the last 50 years. You could have made that argument going into it in terms of Power 4 programs, and then they end up with the 1, 2 in the Heisman race. I think it's. I think it's one of the more astounding things that's ever happened in the sport, actually.
C
It is. And it also shows what happens when, like, your real money people can get involved. I mean, because I think that's the other thing about those two programs is people didn't realize how much money was behind those schools. And now they know because they're racking up talent. I think Mendoza is a great representative for the Heisman. Diego Pavia, again, I think there are a lot of people who wanted Diego because of everything that comes with that. But when you watch Mendoza go undefeated.
B
To watch the ceremony because of the Kentucky game, was his. Was his mom. Was she, like, doing the pose like she did during that football game before? I didn't see.
C
I didn't see mom doing the pose. I did see him with, like, nine brothers. There were like, 19.
B
Yeah.
C
And they all worked out, like. I don't know.
B
They walked out like it was a boxing match. Yeah. They all three were surrounding him. Yeah.
C
Like, did they all think they were going to be on stage? I don't. I don't know what Diego told them, but it was. I guess I got to the point, Matt, last night, where I was like, okay, this is too much. Diego Pavia. Like, I reached my point yesterday where I was like, you know what?
D
This.
C
This is a. This is a.
B
You have Diego Pavia saturation.
E
Yeah.
C
I just. I hit my mark when. When they showed them walking in, I was like, this is too much for even me. I can't.
B
I don't know how much more I can take. Did he still. Am I wrong? Didn't he file a lawsuit to try to play for another year. Am I.
C
He's the guy the junior college. Yeah. He's the guy who proved really open the door for juco guys.
B
Yeah. But I think it's more than that. I think he's like contemplated just trying to play in college forever. He's trying to be like Van Wilder. Like, I think he, I, I could be wrong, but I think I at least heard him talk about wanting to play like a seventh year. He like never wants college to end.
C
Listen, when you're Diego Pavia and this is probably the peak. I don't, I don't know if you saw the clip where he was asked to, you know, talk about some NFL quarterbacks, which one he would take, like Lamar, Joe Burrow. And he said, he kept saying me. Like, he kept saying me. Like anytime they mentioned an NFL quarterback, he'd be like, I would take me. It just, it just became a lot. Maybe it's too much for everybody. Like, I wonder if even the Vandy people maybe are a little bit like, you know, this is, this is great, but we gotta. It's time to move on. It feels.
B
Yeah. Well, all right then. The, the NBA Cup. Did you know that was going on last night? Does anyone know what's going on?
C
Yeah, I watched it. It's in Vegas. I watched it.
B
It was a heck of a game actually. Wimby it was. Leads the spurs back. They give the Thunder only their second loss of the season and they. It'll now be for the final on ESPN radio Tuesday at 8 o'. Clock. You will have Spurs, Knicks as your NBA cup final. So I want to do a quiz for you here. Meyer, this will be the third NBA cup winner. Can you name the first two? Did the Timberwolves is a prestigious event. The Emirates NBA Cup. People have banners for this.
C
Yeah, The Timberwolves, I think won one year.
B
The Timberwolves did not win.
C
Did not win. They were in it.
B
Okay, well, everybody was in it. All 32 teams. The warriors win in this.
C
The Golden State warriors win.
B
Golden State warriors did not win. You are over two did not win the NBA Cup. The first NBA Cup. You don't remember who won the first one. It was. They raised a banner.
C
I. It's, it's slipping my mind.
B
It's a team. You may not have heard of them. They're new. The LA Lakers, they won the first one.
C
Oh yeah, the Lakers did. The Lakers.
B
They are new to the league now can. All right, you're a sports guy. Can you tell Me, who won the NBA cup last year. This is just 12 months ago.
C
I mean, the NBA cup to me just kind of fits into the regular season.
B
I understand, but it's not.
D
It's.
B
It's a cup and it's Emirates and it's the NBA and it's on ESPN radio Tuesday night. And we're trying to say it's a big deal.
C
It is a big deal. I just can't recall. Seems like it just can't recall.
B
Yeah, it's a team that you're supposedly a fan of. The Milwaukee Bucks. They won it.
C
The Bucks did win it, man.
B
So this is Myron's NBA cup knowledge. He doesn't remember the inaugural one or the one. Let me be clear, that his own team won last year.
C
They're gonna trade Giannis. So it is the Bucks. People are texting me and saying, the Bucks. So I'm getting. I'm getting messages from people.
B
Why are you telling you who it is? Why are you asking other people? I'm the. I'm your.
C
No, I'm not. I'm getting. No, I'm not asking anybody. I'm getting texts from Milwaukee. People who are saying, the Bucks. How could you miss that? That's what I'm saying. Good point.
B
Be a part of Matt Fire Nation on the Dr. Pepper calling line. 888, say, ESPN 888-729-3776, ESPN nations, brought to you by Dr. Pepper. It's not college football season without the delicious taste of an Ice cold Dr. Pepper. College football. It's a Pepper thing. It's Matt Jones. I've got some 41 guitarist Myron Metcalf. And it's time to figure out, how do you end an era? Like when something wonderful happens and it comes to an end? How do you do it? We'll tell you the right way next here on ESPN Radio.
C
Matt and Myron, the podcast.
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B
It is Matt Myron here on ESPN Radio. You are listening to. You may not be able to hear this, you certainly can't see it, but this is John Cena's theme music last night. He finished his WWE career on Saturday night's main event by get tapping out to Gunther in a very emotional moment. You know, John Cena says never give up, but he actually did last night. Tapped out to the chokehold of Gunther. People were crying in the crowd. Tyrese Halliburton looked like he was going to cry and then he walked away and says he will not wrestle again. Myron, I know you're not a wrestling guy like me, but you are a John Cena guy. You've had a lot of thoughts on his retirement run. What did you think of his loss last night, disappointing his thousands and millions of fans?
C
One thing I'm always wondering about is how is Tyrese Halliburton at every WWE event? Like he's at Raw, SmackDown. He's at every Washington too.
B
This was in Washington D.C. i mean.
C
He'S at every event. I don't know how he does it, but no, I thought it was just cool to see the respect. You know, CM Punk comes in and, and and hands him the the belt and Rhodes comes in and gives him the belt. He holds it up. I think it's always going to be a little weird to feel like Gunther Is the guy that he ended Goldberg's career.
B
Gunther is a legend killer.
C
Yeah. But like to me, if he's going to go against Gunther, the. The match can't end like that. And I think that's why people really booed Triple H, you know, when he got up to hug Cedar, because it was like, well, why can't you know?
B
You know, in the wrestling world, there is a. There's a slogan. Do you know the slogan about wrestling?
C
There's a lot of slow.
B
There's one slogan slogan that applies to this is you always go out on your back. Okay, so, okay, that's.
C
Y' all agreed that that was the best slogan. Did y' all have a meeting? Because first of all, this is not my slogan.
B
Okay. This is the slogan.
C
Y' all thought about changing the slogan?
B
Well, I mean, look, the wording can be disputed. Who can?
C
But the premise, that's the exact person that came up with that.
B
The premise of the slogan of you always go out on your back is you always leave wrestling when you retire with a loss. So as you leave, you give someone else a push. You give someone else the rub to be able to get. Get better off of it. It's called you always go out on your back. And so virtually every major wrestler has lost his final match. And it is notorious that the ones that don't are considered selfish. So I was 100% sure he was going to lose last night. Because the non selfish wrestlers, Myron, go out on their back.
C
Yeah, I mean, I'm fine with him losing. And I don't know that he gave Gunther a push. Like Gunther's just going to be Gunther. I mean, it's kind of like Gunther's.
B
Going to be Gunther. Gunther.
C
I know that all of a sudden he's elevated because.
B
But I mean, that match was going to be one of the most watched matches. And Gunther, having one becomes a bigger heel. You understand? Like he becomes even more Gunthery.
C
I think most people saw that and felt like it could have ended differently. I'm fine with Cena losing. Like, I agree, go out on your back, whatever y' all came up with in that meeting. But I also feel like let Cena go out kinda on his sword, so to speak. Like let's Cena go out in a battle. Not go out, go out in a different submitting like that. I just didn't. For a guy who his entire career was the antithesis of that, that's the part I didn't like.
B
People do it though, you understand? That's why you do it. It's because that was always. That tells you how good the Gunther is in his little one piece skivvy. Right? Like he's out there making people tap in his skivvy. And now people will boo him even more.
C
But I don't. It doesn't do a whole lot for the wwe. It's more than anything, I think people were ready for Cena to go. They knew it was coming. The people crying would have cried no matter what. Because you have cried. Is that.
B
Let me. Here's my question. So I've seen a lot of people online criticizing the people crying.
C
I, I get upset at people who.
B
Get mad at people for crying about wrestling because they'll say something like, it's fake. And you want to know what my answer. What my answer to that is, Rachel? The. Does it. Do you think it's weird that people cry when they, When, when, when they see wrestling?
G
So I, I thought it was weird. If you're crying because he's leaving, that's one thing. Because he's like your hero. You've watched me whole life. If you're crying because he lost.
B
But why have you ever cried at a movie? You know that nobody.
G
Here's my thing. You knew, like, if the saying is you, you leave on your back, like, you know he's going to lose.
B
Well, a lot of people didn't. I don't think a lot of people knew that saying. For instance, Myron didn't know the same because he found it a little weird to say you always go out on your.
C
Most people probably find it a little weird. Outside of the wrestling community, you all just don't interact with other people.
B
With other people.
C
You all need to invite some outside voices, I think, to your next meeting, because going out on your back.
B
You mean to our.
C
Probably in 2025. Yeah, y' all need a new slogan meeting. But I don't. I don't think the crying was just that he lost. I think it was how he lost. I think people thought, he's got to get pinned. One, two, three. But it was like, ah. He tapped so I could see, too. If you're not watching on tv, do you even know that he tapped? Like, depending on how you're watching.
B
He tapped his shoulder.
C
Yeah, but, like, it's hard to see.
B
Listen to my. Like, listen to Michael Cole. Michael Cole was on SportsCenter. He announced it. Here's what he said about it.
H
John Cena said that tonight was not about John Cena. It was about the future of the professional wrestling industry. It was an opportunity to put over all the stars of the future. We had a number of superstars from our developmental show NXT on our card tonight. Gunther, of course, is now the present in wwe and that's what Jon wanted. He wanted to leave the business at a better place than when he got here and he did just that. And then there was just this tremendous outpouring of emotion when our locker room emptied and came out and surrounded the ring. A great video package, a tribute to John Cena. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as John Cena wrapped up his career here tonight.
B
See, how beautiful is that? Leave the b. This is something you need to learn, Myron. When you leave the sports radio business, you need to give the Gunthers of the future a rub. Right? You need to be able to give them a chance to.
C
What?
B
That's what.
C
Give them a what? It's a. What do they. What do they say? Give them a rub.
B
Yes, that's what they say, y'. All.
C
That when y' all need an emergency meeting on Monday because. Because all this is coming out for the first time and I.
B
For the first time. This is terminology for a hundred years.
C
And that's the problem. Y' all were doing it a hundred years ago and you kept it. You all need to go into 20, 26 with some new phrases going out on your back. And giving somebody a rub is not exactly what you want to take I think into the next 100 years. Because I just don't. Y' all need. Do y' all have a meeting every 100 years and y' all don't do anything to update things? I don't know that that's the best.
B
We're having them updated phraseology for the new generation coming up at 100, 100.
C
Years ago we shouldn't do anything probably that we did 100 years ago.
B
One question for you before you give.
C
More that old dusty handbook of wrestling that y' all passing around. Update it. Somebody go make a new copy. Come on, man. You probably can't even read the words anymore.
B
Is this the worst? Do you think this is the most anti climatic sports? Indy Never. Can you think of a word like where the moment was there to go out in a blaze of glory and then it fizzled at the last second. Can you think of one?
C
No, no, it's pretty bad. I was trying to think of who.
B
Was a great like you know, John Elway won his last game.
C
Yeah.
B
I was trying to think if there was somebody that lost their last game.
C
Like that Cena deserved a better way to go out. In my opinion. He was going to lose. But there was a better script than I think what they had last night.
B
And he did what he was supposed to, which was give a rub. And that's what you gotta do. Grandpa returns to the huddle. That's right. We will talk about grandpa coming back on the scene today in the NFL.
C
That's next.
B
I'm Matt Myron on ESPN Radio. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the a gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day. You know, give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch.
C
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See mint mobile.com this is Kevin Clark from Manscaped. The holidays are rolling in and if your wish list is missing a little something, Manscaped has you covered.
B
Folks.
D
It's December. It's the holiday season. You've got to be game ready for not just a bunch of holiday parties, but I mean, my wife is asking me to take all sorts of photos in front of the tree with my son. If you're not game ready, it could be some bad angles. Guys. These are bad angles. If you're not grooming exactly the way you should, if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. That's, that's my philosophy this time of year. I've had some bad photos. I saw one from last year. I'm not, I'm. I got the beard. It's too heavy. And I got these great pajamas. Everything should look awesome. And guess what? My face isn't up for it. My face wasn't game ready. From the beard hedger to lawnmower trimmer, manscaped precision tools keep you looking sharp, feeling confident and ready for every event and celebration. Right now at Target, get 20% off the Handyman Shaver Beard Hedger and the Chairman Plus Essentials Kit. A must have for a smooth face shave. Hurry. Offer ends December 27th.
B
No little chumbawamba here. It's Matt Myron on ESPN radio. Remember, we have a text machine where you can send text to us. That is 772-774-5254. And I read some of them. One person writes, matt, I'M glad I'm not the only person. I was listening to Heisman Trophy presentation on the radio, and I genuinely thought it was Trump and didn't know it wasn't until you just said it. Yeah, that's exactly right. It's what he's for the greatest player. I've created an award, it's called President's Award, and I'm giving it to Diego Hernando. And then that would have been him. I could see it.
C
Don't give him any ideas, man, because, you know, that could be the new football.
B
He likes awards. All right, well, maybe we'll give an award the oldest player to return to the NFL, because if so, I think you would get Philip Rivers today. Philip Rivers is coming back to start for the Colts today. He is 84 and he will be playing in his first game in five years. I think I'm going to watch this. He plays against the Seahawks. Not only is he playing today, he's playing against a pretty good team in Seattle's defense. How do you expect, literally, old Man river, how do you expect him to play today?
C
I mean, I'm not expecting much beyond that, though. I think what it proves is, like, men over 35, if you call them and say, hey, you want to get on the road and do something? They go, yes. Like, I don't even think the coach said, we want him to come in and play quarterback. I think they just called him and said, hey, Philip, can we get you on a plane? And then he said, honey, I'm out now. He didn't even know the details. He just wanted to go and hang out with the guy.
B
Does he have how many kids does he have?
C
A lot. It's a double digit.
B
Is it like 10?
C
Like double. It's like 10. He's a grandfather. You know, that is the first. I mean, maybe one of the first grandfathers to ever play in NFL history.
B
I'm convinced. Why? Tittle was a grandfather, whether he was or not. I mean, he had a horseshoe haircut and he was playing quarterback. So I think he probably was a grandfather. I. He's not like. Here's the thing. What's amazing about this story is there's only one of two endings for this. Either he comes out and plays pretty well because he's Philip Rivers. And you go, man, you can take five years off of football as a quarterback and still play. At which point, like, a whole set of dudes might be asked to come back to the league. Or B, he looks bad and it proves that you can't do like the guys at home who go, if they let me play, I'd take them to the basket. Like, I, I think this will be feast or famine in my view. Yeah.
C
And all the older guys, no matter what happens, are going to say he was great. Like, they're, they're all going to see this as inspiration.
B
I mean, her reality. Herm may play next week.
C
Herm could play.
B
Her may play next week. Because Herb already could play.
C
No, Herm. Herm would be ready to play. I think to me it's like, how did you get to this point? It's hard for me to imagine that you, that you go from Riley Leonard to five years. There's not a, there's not a UFL quarterback, a CFL quarterback. There's not a, a quarterback sitting somewhere, you know, that's played recently that you couldn't call. That's the part to me is it almost feels like the Colts want this to be a story, but they could.
B
Be a playoff team still.
C
Why they playoff team?
B
That's a combination of a couple of things. Number one, I think it has to be the Colts. Remember, I mean, the Colts are the one who brought Jeff Saturday to be the coach, even though he never coached.
C
Right.
B
Like out of the booth. So like the Colts kind of have a history of this for whatever reason. Second, I think you hit it. It needs to be a team that's a potential playoff team because they don't want to just try to find somebody for the future. They really genuinely believe they can win. So if you're doing that, I guess the question is if you're trying to win, Myron, not for the future, but you're trying to win today, just literally today. Does it make more sense to have a guy that age than to try to build someone from the UFL?
C
It only makes sense if that 44 year old can move and he's played at some point recently. I mean, it's the delay more than the age for me. Like if Philip Rivers were 39 and hadn't played in the NFL in five years, I would still have a lot of concerns about it. Okay, but 44 on top of the hiatus and you're in a position to get into the playoffs. To me this signals, in my opinion, almost like you're throwing the season away when I just have to believe there were more capable quarterbacks out there.
B
I don't know what quarterbacks do when they're done play, but I don't think this is a situation like golf where you retire, but maybe you still Go play. I would assume once you retire, Philip Rivers is not out there running drills, right?
C
No.
B
So, I mean, and he's obviously not facing defenses of the speed he's going to face. So, like, there's no real way. He can't even get like playing at the Y reps. Like, people don't just go and start playing tackle football on the street like he. This is, it's just hard for me to imagine this goes well.
C
Yeah. And here's the thing to your point though, Matt, in his prime, he wasn't this elusive mobile quarterback who just kind of escaped.
B
But maybe that's, maybe that means he can still do it.
C
Yeah, but, but I think if that wasn't the case in his prime, and remember in those last years, Philip Rivers showed his age. I mean, he left the game.
B
He did. He was not good last year. Yeah, he wasn't as good as last year.
C
So I don't think football's a sport. I don't think there's any sport, but certainly there's no sport where you don't play it for five years, come back at 44 and somehow you're better. And football will be at the top of my list of the sports where there's no way to be better.
B
No, I think it would not just be the top of your list. It would be in sole possession of top.
C
Yes.
B
I mean, of all the. The only thing I could think of that would be worse is I don't know that I could see a guy taking five years off of baseball and then being able to hit like a 91 mile an hour sinker. I don't know if they could do that. But, but if you took.
C
You told me Barry Bonds just had to play trying to get on base. I'll take that over Philip Rivers trying to run an entire offense.
B
Well, here's what he say, here's what he has to say about it. On trying to come back and play.
I
As simple as can be as a coach that I love and an organization that I really enjoyed being with. You know, Mr. Irsay believing in me in that year in 2020 when it didn't go so good in 2019, shoot. The teammates that I was able to. Were able to play with.
B
Shoot.
I
14 of them are still here. Training rooms the same. PR guys are the same. Equipment room's the same and they wanted me.
B
I just got a text message that says, Matt, some of my kids, some of the kids my son plays football with play under Coach Rivers and say he still has a rocket for an arm See, there you go. We've got kids who play for Coach Rivers, so he's going to be good.
C
But, but you, you said about golf, there's a 58 year old golfer, 58 year old golfer who will drive at 300 yards today. I mean there's a pro who could still drive the ball.
B
Freddie Couples is in his 60s and still near and sometimes makes the cut at the Masters. Like that can happen. It can't happen. Yes, it can't. It just.
C
That's the challenge. And I think the danger here is Philip Rivers. I think Jim Mercedes death probably has a lot to do with this and his connection to him. The Colts did give him another shot. They're asking him to do it again. There's a lot of emotion involved where on that field. None of that's going to matter. No one's going to say this is a great story. I'm not going to hit Philip Rivers because this is a great Disney movie. They're going to try to destroy him, man. And he hasn't played in five years.
B
Well, we will find out. We will also find out if a dynasty has ended. The same time an old man returns. Are another set of old men heading off into the sunset? We'll deal with that. Plus Herb Edwards shows up and ready to rock next here on Matt Myron espn.
C
Matt and Myron the Pod.
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Meet the computer you can talk to with Copilot on Windows. Working, creating and collaborating is as easy as talking. Got writer's block? Share your screen with Copilot Vision to help spark inspiration and use Copilot voice to have a conversation and brainstorm ideas. Or maybe you need some tech help with Copilot Vision. Copilot sees what you see. Let Copilot talk you through step by step guidance so you can master new apps, games and skills faster. Try now@windows.com copilot.
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This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Listening to this podcast. Smart move. Being financially savvy. Smart move. Another smart move having State Farm help you create a competitive price when you choose to bundle home and auto bundling. Just another way to save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state.
B
All right, let's do this. We get tuned in for a football doubleheader today. Bears host the Browns, followed by the Lions at the Rams. Coverage begins at noon Eastern on ESPN radio stations. By Matt Jones Meyer Metcalf Herm Edwards is in the house. He missed this segment earlier because he had to go tell stories. That's okay though. You were telling stories about Muhammad Ali. That's right.
E
I'm listening. Yes, sir. And I'm listening. That music you're playing too. You guys don't know.
C
Hey, it's Jimmy.
E
Wait, wait, wait, wait. You don't know nothing about Jimmy. Now.
B
What do you mean I don't know?
C
I know about Jimmy.
B
No, no, no, no you don't.
C
I know about Jimmy.
E
No, you don't.
C
Come on, I know you. I know you saw him. But I've been to the museum and.
E
I saw him live at the Monterey Pop Festival. Thank you very much. When he burnt the guitar.
B
Were you a hippie? Were you a hippie?
E
Her grew up in that era. I went to Cal Berkeley. What are you talking about?
B
See, I knew.
C
I'm a big music guy. I know a lot about Jimmy. I'm jealous of that.
B
We all don't have to out Jimmy each other. Let's just, let's just talk about. Let's talk about a little bit of football.
E
Yes. What do you want to talk about?
B
The 44 year old Philip Rivers. All right, 44 years old, you've been around the game your whole life. Can a 44 year old been sitting on the couch for 5 years come in and play against an NFL defense?
E
He can play, but you didn't say can he play good?
B
Can he play good?
E
He can play. I don't know. And I'm a Philly Rivers fan, competing against that guy many a times when I was with the, with the jets, obviously I worry about this. You know, we brought back Vinnie Testaverde and we called him at halftime of a Jet game. He was down in Florida and he saw the game. I said, vinnie, he said, when can you get here? I get there tomorrow, coach.
B
I said, okay.
E
Now he was 37, but the thing you realize is that, and I worry about this with Philip Rivers, when he gets hit and he hits the ground, he's going to get up out of that pile. He's going to say, this really hurts. Because it hurts. It really. And he ain't fell on the ground since 2000.
B
When you did that with Vinnie, was the timing off or his timing?
E
No, he could throw the ball. Okay, Philip Rivers be able to throw the ball. It's when he gets hit. When he gets hit and he goes on the ground, it's going to be like, ooh, this really hurts. Yeah, it hurts a lot. So this is if he went, if he. If he should win this game, they need to stop the game at the end. Put him in a Hall of Fame. Just put him in right now.
B
Stop the game.
E
Say you're going to the hall of Fame, man.
B
All right. I like it.
E
No one, no one in the history of football, no one would have ever accomplished what he's going to accomplish if he wins this game. At 44 years old, being away from football since 2020 or whatever. It's 21. Are you kidding me?
C
It's amazing. He actually reset his hall of Fame clock by doing this. He's got to wait another five years. That's crazy.
E
Shows how much you put him in after the game. If he wins this game, stop the game and say, you're going to the hall of Fame right now trophy.
B
Bring him the bus to the game. Give it to him.
C
So there's a lot about the nostalgia of this, the emotions of this. I don't think anybody on that Seahawks team cares about that. If you were getting ready for Philip Rivers, are you just sending blitz packages all like, what are you doing in this situation?
E
I'm sending six, seven right now.
B
Elder abuse every time.
E
Yeah, I'm. Right now.
B
Yeah.
E
And the crowd's gonna be loud. I mean, if they get in the third line.
B
Did you say you were gonna. Hang on. Did you. Are you trying to, like, play to the kids, saying you'd send six, seven.
E
No, no, no, no, no, no.
B
I wouldn't wait because you just, you know, you just said the coolest thing to middle schoolers.
E
Oh, I didn't know that. Six, seven. That's a new word. That's.
C
How many guys are doing, like, a new thing?
E
That's a new thing.
C
Kids are doing it.
B
It's just a crazy one. That's okay, Herm, go ahead.
E
I'm sending them. I'm sending them where if he holds the ball for, like, 1,001, 1,000, almost two, he gonna get hit. And you know what? I'm gonna tell the guys. Just go to the echo whistle. If you hit him a little late, you hit him a little late, we'll take the 15. Oh, you go ahead and do it.
B
So you wait.
C
You wanna.
B
You're doing a shot.
E
No, I don't wanna. No, don't hit him. Illegal. Don't take his knees out. Don't. But just hit him. He has to. He has to go on the ground. You want him to feel the ground.
B
He's already, by the way, third shortest odds to win comeback player of the year on draftkings well.
C
Oh, he wins it. If he wins today. If he wins today, he wins.
E
If he wins today, just put him in the hall of Fame. Don't even mess with.
B
Different question than old man. Because he's not an old man.
E
He's a mature man.
B
I'm old. He's almost as old as I am.
E
I'm old.
B
No, I'm old footballer.
E
I'm old. You guys are not old. You guys are in your 40s. You're not old. I'm old.
B
Yeah, well, that's true.
C
He also resembles Matt, too. Have you seen him? Have you looked at Matt Jones and Philip river side by side? There's a resemblance and people are talking about it.
B
People are.
C
People are talking about, like, the resemblance.
B
There are. People tell me I look like the older brother of Riley Leonard. I've heard that a lot this week.
E
Well, there's another saying in the neighborhood, but I won't even go there. But I'll leave it alone.
B
I'll get in trouble.
C
You look like Philip River.
E
You know, we won't go there. I'll go there. Off there. So anyway. Okay, let's go.
B
Next question. I'm very curious what that is. I'll tell you.
E
I'll tell you off the air.
C
He does have a resemblance.
B
It is going to be bone cold at some games today.
E
Yes.
B
Cincinnati, I was just telling him, has the coldest per 10 coldest temperature in the world vis a vis normal days today.
E
Yes.
B
So it's colder today versus normal days of anywhere else in the world. And in Chicago, it's going to be potentially negative 15 wind chill. You've played in games like that. What is it like to play football in that level of coke?
E
Well, you know this defensively you have an advantage because you don't play with the ball.
B
You don't.
E
You don't play with the ball. They play with the ball. They gotta. They gotta catch the ball, they gotta run the ball, they gotta hand the ball off, they gotta touch the ball. Punt returners, you're scared to death of a punt return right now, right? Trying to. Trying to feel the ball now. The only thing you gotta worry about defensively, you gotta make sure you guys wrap up. There's a lot of missed tackles in the cold, too.
B
Why is that?
E
Because they don't wrap up. They hit with the shoulders. A lot of guys bounce off. So when you're playing a team, this is why the running game shows up. Running games and defense show up when it gets cold. And that's when you're A team that plays outside in the north, right? You know, I've got to build a team that can play in the elements. Cause it's going to get cold and we play outside. So with that being said, you got to go, okay? And on offense, you got to tell yourself, I got to be able to run the football.
B
Because does it hurt more? Does it hurt more to play in the cold?
E
The hits and everything. Once you start playing, you don't really realize it. You know, once you get going, your body temperature. The key is when you leave the field, get back on the bench so you can sit on them heated benches so you can stay warm. That's the whole thing about when it's cold. How long are you off the field? Because then you're, you know, your toes. What gets you is your toes and your fingers. Those are the first that go. Because you need to have feeling. And that's why I say the offense is at a disadvantage because they play with the ball. They have to feel the ball with their hands. Defensively, you just go take. Go after the ball. You'll see a lot of fumbles, a lot of drop balls. Punt returns are critical. Oh, man. Lot of drop punts when it's cold.
B
Probably like, it's like kicking and catching a rock, right? It's hard. Yeah.
C
Coach, you didn't have heated benches, though, did you? All didn't have those?
E
Yeah, we had some.
C
You had heated benches?
E
Yeah, they had some. Yeah, they had some heated benches.
C
I thought y' all were a little tougher than that. Coach.
E
You all needed those couple years that we did those luxuries, but then we got them. But you know what? Half the time you sit over there, and because of the stuff they put in there, I don't know what it was like. Felt like gas. You almost like hallucinating over there, man. I want to sit on.
C
They told me you guys played in short sleeves and shorts in that weather. I didn't realize you all had the luxuries.
E
I didn't have no Lux. All I wore was a long white shirt and a helmet. Shoulder pads. I didn't wear no thigh pads. And that's how I played cold. And I'm west coast guy. I just played that way.
C
I'm good sitting on the heated bench, though. It changed a little bit about that toughness talk, baby.
B
A little bit.
E
You couldn't, because the guys that weren't playing, they were sitting on the heated benches.
B
Well, that's a shame. The offensive defensive lineman, they're out there in the cold. The Divas like the receivers in the secondary, like Herb, like they're out there, you know, they're trying. They need their heated benches.
E
That's, you know, why you better. If not, you gonna pull a hamstring. You think about that. You gotta run. Them big guys move two steps. You gotta run, man. That's why, that's why those teams like, you know who we couldn't wait to play?
B
Who's that?
E
The Dallas Cowboys.
B
Why is it? Oh, cause they were.
E
When it's cold, oh my God. Handle it. They didn't want nothing to do with it. Tom Landon came in there with the big fedora on and long hat and the gloves.
C
I said war.
E
These guys got no shot today. They had no shot. They had no shot. It was, they would. The game was done at the pregame warm up. I said, these guys got no shot, man. They don't want this cold.
B
It's too, it's too cold.
C
It was.
B
So they're playing in Chicago. Two quarterbacks. I want to know where you think they both are. It's Caleb versus Shador. Caleb lost last week, but I actually thought they looked. Bears look pretty good even losing to the Packers. And then Shador didn't look great for a lot of the game, but then came on at the end. How do you think those two youngsters are doing?
E
Well, I think obviously Shadors played in the, in the weather in Colorado, so he's not worried about the weather now.
B
Now, you know, Caleb was in la.
E
Caleb was in la. I mean it's always sunshine in la.
B
I mean, you know, but.
E
But not. But Caleb's got really big hands. He got real big hands now and I think he's playing really good. I love this bear story. Obviously, you know, they're still trying to. They're in a division with the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay packers and everybody thought those are going to be two teams in Chicago right now is, you know, half a game behind Green Bay because they got the, they got the tie, I guess. But I think the Bears are a better football team than obviously than Cleveland. But I think Shedeur brings a lot of energy to the fan base, to the players. And then they got that one guy over there. He gonna break the sack record, right?
B
Miles Garrett. Does he break it today?
E
I don't know, but he's going to break it. I mean he's, he's fat.
C
Could happen.
E
Yeah.
C
Am I crazy to think that Packers, Broncos could be a Super bowl preview? No.
E
I mean, when you think about it, guys, there's 21 teams that have six or more wins.
B
Yeah.
E
So if you're.
B
Is this the most open that I've ever seen it?
E
Yeah.
B
Yeah.
E
So you do the math. It's a four game season for all these teams that have six or more wins and they know it. If you can win out, you're like, oh, boy. Now there might be a team or two that has 10 wins that might not get in because of all these teams where they sit, but that's a heck of a deal, man. 21 teams. You're still in. You're still in this thing, right?
B
Yeah. It's the most open I've ever seen it. Now, a team that though it might be over, is the Chiefs dynasty done? I mean, they're not going to make the playoffs this year, but just in general, is it done?
E
I think the run of it is probably run its course and they'll have to. They'll start it again. But long as you got Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and. And what they'll do drafting players.
B
Andy Reid, 70, though. How much longer is he going to coach?
C
Well, he wants to get Shula.
A
He want.
E
As long as he enjoys it. I mean, I'm a year older than him, you know, I'm 71. I'm doing radio and I'm not doing coaching. I'm doing radio a lot easier. I ain't got to worry about wins and losses.
B
Yeah, you don't even have to be here on time.
E
Well, I was doing another radio show. You know, people like me around here.
C
Really, they do.
B
Maybe not.
E
Maybe not you two guys, but.
B
I.
C
Just didn't realize y' all were a little.
E
I never got through telling my Muhammad Ali story. And I have to tell you guys later, off air, it was a great story.
B
I need to know the other story, the one that you did that you didn't want to mention.
C
Yeah, I don't know. You tell that story.
E
Okay, about the quarterback.
B
Thank you very much. We will come back, we'll talk a little Patriots, Bills, that's next on ESPN Radio. Matt and Myron, the podcast, Monster Energy. Everybody knows White Monster, Zero Ultra, that's the OG it kicked off this whole Zero Sugar Energy drink, but Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian Sunrise and Vice Guava. And they all bring the Monster Energy punch.
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Episode: "Hour 1: It's OK to Cry"
Date: December 14, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones & Myron Medcalf (with guest Herm Edwards)
In this first hour of their Sunday morning show, Matt Jones and Myron Medcalf bring humor, analysis, and candid emotion to an episode themed around transitions, endings, and the emotions that go with saying goodbye in sports. From the improbable Heisman Trophy outcome to John Cena’s tearful WWE sendoff, and the return of 44-year-old Philip Rivers to the NFL, they explore fan sentiment, changing landscapes in college football, and what it means to go out with dignity (or not) in sports.
Focus on emotions and expectations during wrestler John Cena’s tearful retirement match, which ended as per tradition, with Cena "going out on his back" (i.e., retiring with a loss to boost the next generation).
Why fans cry: Discussion about whether it’s weird for grown-ups to shed tears for wrestling, with Matt equating it to crying at movies.
Michael Cole’s take (quoted):
They debate whether Cena’s loss provided enough “blaze of glory” or felt anti-climactic—consensus: fans wanted a different finish.
True to their signature style, Matt and Myron bounce between quick wit, genuine emotional insight, light roasting, and relatable cultural references (from Some 41 and Wu-Tang, to wrestling, to NFL nostalgia). Herm Edwards’ guest appearance adds coaching wisdom and colorful stories, making for an episode that’s as much about the heart of sport as the scores.