Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron

Hour 2: Sideline Reporter Myron Stops By
Date: November 9, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones, Myron Medcalf, Aaron Goldhammer
Network: ESPN Radio

Episode Overview

This episode offers a lively and insightful breakdown of the sports world, centered around Myron Metcalf's experience as a sideline reporter for ESPN Radio's Ravens vs. Vikings broadcast. With Myron joining live from Minnesota, co-hosts Matt Jones and Aaron Goldhammer dive into the craft of sideline reporting, preview NFL matchups, discuss viral sports moments, and detour into European soccer and college basketball, all in their signature humorous, energetic tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Realities of Sideline Reporting

(Starts ~00:32)

• Myron’s Sideline Gig

  • Myron joins live from Minnesota, where he’s covering Ravens vs. Vikings as the sideline reporter. Matt pokes fun at Myron’s “broadcast voice” versus his usual Sunday persona.
  • Myron details how sideline reporting is different from their Sunday show, emphasizing professionalism and being the eyes on the field.

• Sideline Hazards & Surprises (02:10 - 03:21)

  • Field awareness is crucial—dodging footballs, players, rogue kicker nets, and giant TV cameras on cranes.
  • “You just got to scramble and hope you don't get tripped up by one of the cords, because that thing will take you out.” (Myron Metcalf, 03:17)

• Getting Injury Updates & “Nosiness” (03:56 - 05:28)

  • Myron explains the “art” of obtaining injury info: hovering near the medical tent, listening to bench chatter, and observing player body language.
  • “You learn to be nosy. So you just kind of stick your head in places...without somebody pulling you aside and saying you're too close.” (Myron Metcalf, 04:17)
  • Matt jokes about “violating HIPAA,” with Myron laughing, “I don't know nothing about hippo...I'm just nosy.” (05:11)

• When Does the Sideline Reporter Shine?

  • In a blowout, the sideline reporter gets called on more to fill airtime with backstories and human interest tidbits.
  • “If it’s a blowout, I gotta come up with stories and information and, you know, I printed out my 10 storylines, so, like, I'm ready.” (Myron Metcalf, 06:10)

2. NFL Game Previews & Player Stories

(07:31 - 08:28 & 12:38 - 13:54)

• Vikings vs. Ravens Preview (with Lamar Jackson’s Return)

  • Myron expects a close, high-stakes matchup with both teams gaining momentum and key players (like Lamar Jackson and JJ McCarthy) healthy.
  • “You got two teams that need to win this game for a lot of reasons, and they're both kind of turning the corner, it feels like, at the right time.” (Myron Metcalf, 07:45)
  • Matt and Aaron discuss Lamar’s unique star power, doubting past critics who questioned his ability to play quarterback, calling it “one of the dumbest narratives in sports talk history.” (Aaron Goldhammer, 10:15)

• Other NFL Matchups:

  • Quick live check-ins on the Falcons vs. Colts game in Berlin.
  • Aaron highlights tight end Kyle Pitts as an athletic “freak” who flashes talent inconsistently.
  • “Kyle Pitts just has too many games where he catches two balls and all of a sudden they go to Germany and there's Kyle Pitts showing up making plays.” (Aaron Goldhammer, 13:05)

3. Viral & Offbeat Sports Headlines

(13:54 - 21:46)

a. NIL Money & College Athletes

• Kentucky backup quarterback Zach Calzada’s video taunting a critic (“Garrett”) with $20,000 in hundred dollar bills is discussed:
  • Matt and Aaron marvel at the brazen display, debating the wisdom of holding so much cash and sharing their own stories of unexpectedly large cash sums.
  • “If you did, you would understand that pulling out that wad of cash. I'm sure it's a feeling of, like, how I'm rich.” (Matt Jones, 15:42)
  • Matt adds levity by referencing a legal client who paid a $10,000 retainer in twenties, joking about the thrill and sketchiness.

b. NFL Celebration Fines

• Panthers RB Rico Daddle is fined for a Key & Peele–inspired “two pumps” celebration (not the three the sketch popularized), leading to banter on NFL’s joyless approach to celebrations:
  • “The NFL has no sense of humor. They should...If it had been three pumps, I understand the fine. It was two pumps.” (Matt Jones, 18:40)
  • Aaron quips: “This is like the town in Footloose. You can celebrate, but you cannot gyrate.” (19:11)

c. Ovechkin’s 900th Goal and the Stolen Puck

• Blues goalie Jordan Bennington is accused of “trying to steal” the puck from Alex Ovechkin’s 900th goal, after stuffing it down his pants.
  • “What a move. Like putting the puck down your pants...Brilliant. And third, of course you were trying to steal it. Don’t act like you were saving it for him.” (Matt Jones, 20:19)
  • The crew jokes about hockey memorabilia’s auction value and the logic behind record-breaking collectibles.

4. American Football Abroad & Basic Geography Humor

(23:35 - 26:56)

• Assessment of American football in Berlin and a brief, comedic tangent on German soccer clubs and British geography:
  • Matt and Aaron discuss why Berlin lacks elite Bundesliga teams, likening it to how famous American teams aren’t always in New York.
  • Aaron admits he previously thought most Premier League clubs were all in or around London:
    • “I thought, you know, 45 minutes in the car, maybe you get to Liverpool? No.” (Aaron Goldhammer, 25:56)
    • Matt needles Aaron’s tourist naivete, “Did you think it was West Virginia?”
    • “Basic British geography by Aaron Goldhammer here on Matt Myron on a Sunday morning.” (Matt Jones, 26:55)

5. NFL Division Races: AFC North and AFC West

(26:56 - 34:23)

• AFC North

  • The hosts break down the struggles of the division: Lamar’s importance to Baltimore, the Ravens’ defensive issues, and the unexpected decline of the division as a whole.
    • “It used to be this crazy gauntlet. The division kind of stinks this year.” (Aaron Goldhammer, 28:48)
  • Steelers’ chances in Pittsburgh, skepticism about Bengals’ playoff hopes, and playoff tiebreaker scenarios are debated.

• AFC West

  • Preview of Chargers-Steelers as a pivotal game. Debates about Justin Herbert’s enigmatic profile despite LA’s media scene, with Matt noting:
    • “I can't imagine being more anonymous and having that set of circumstances than Justin Herbert is.” (Matt Jones, 31:05)
  • Predictions for Chiefs, Broncos, and Chargers’ playoff futures are evaluated. Matt and Aaron run through each team's closing schedule and likely win totals.

6. College Basketball “Little Guy” Stories

(36:05 - 41:11)

• Penn State at University of New Haven
  • Matt tells how New Haven (capacity: 867) scheduled a Power 5 team annually, creating buzz and a unique recruiting advantage.
  • “If I were looking at a school to go to and I’m choosing between New Haven and another school like New Haven that doesn’t play Penn State on their campus, I might choose New Haven for that, right?” (Matt Jones, 38:52)
  • Aaron runs through the Northeast Conference lineup (“Who wants to go to Merrimack?”) and Matt riffs on the dour allure of Central Connecticut.
  • “If you’re the University of New Haven, you go...Come on over here to New Haven. We’ve got pizza and we play Penn State at home.” (Matt Jones, 40:41)

7. NFL Trades & Pettiness

(41:11 - 43:29)

• The show ends on a note of NFL trades and inter-team clauses:
  • Cowboys inserted an “anti-Eagles” clause when trading Micah Parsons—Matt revelling in the drama:
    • “Pettiness. I’m for it...I encourage pettiness.” (Matt Jones, 42:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You don’t want to be a meme. Right. You don’t want to go viral for somebody colliding into you or getting hit in the face with a football.”
  (Myron Metcalf on sideline risks, 02:19)

• “You’re there, but you don’t want them to know you’re there. Like, that’s...that’s the goal.”
  (Myron Metcalf on sideline reporting discretion, 05:22)

• “If it’s a blowout, I gotta come up with stories and information...I printed out my 10 storylines, so like, I’m ready.”
  (Myron Metcalf, on prepping for games, 06:10)

• “Kyle Pitts just has too many games where he catches two balls and all of a sudden they go to Germany and there’s Kyle Pitts showing up making plays.”
  (Aaron Goldhammer, on NFL unpredictability, 13:05)

• “The NFL has no sense of humor. If it had been three pumps, I understand the fine. It was two pumps.”
  (Matt Jones, on celebrating fines, 18:40)

• “Did you think all of England was within 45 minutes of each other. Did you think it was West Virginia?”
  (Matt Jones needling Aaron’s UK geography, 26:02)

• “I encourage pettiness.”
  (Matt Jones on NFL trade stipulations, 42:40)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Sideline Reporting: Hazards & Tactics:
  00:32 – 05:28

• NFL Game Previews (Ravens-Vikings, Falcons-Colts):
  07:31 – 08:45 & 12:38 – 13:54

• Viral Sports Moments (NIL Cash, NFL Celebrations, Ovechkin’s Puck):
  13:54 – 21:46

• Europe Sports Geography Tangent:
  23:35 – 26:56

• NFL Division Deep Dives (AFC North/West):
  26:56 – 34:23

• College Basketball Underdogs:
  36:05 – 41:11

• NFL Trade Pettiness:
  41:11 – 43:29

Final Thoughts

The episode delivers the perfect mix of behind-the-scenes sports journalism, NFL analysis, viral story breakdowns, and offbeat humor. With Myron’s real-life reporting stories, Matt’s legal anecdotes, and Aaron’s geographic confessions, the show keeps listeners both informed and entertained, capturing the unpredictable energy of live sports radio.