
PMS 2.0 1283 - UNC Football GM Michael Lombardi, Shams Charania, Daniel Jeremiah, Coach Chuck Pagano, & AJ Hawk
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Pat McAfee
Hello, beautiful people, and welcome to our humble abode, the Thunderdome, on this sports Thursday, January 23, 2025. This program starts now.
AJ Hawk
Football.
Pat McAfee
It's wonderful. And obviously we got championship weekend and championship Sunday ahead in the NFL. And there's so much to talk about happening around the NFL. College ball. We got signings, we got coaches, we got general managers. We got rumors. We got this, we got that. We have a fantastic show today. Micha Lombardi will be joining us in about 20 minutes. He's currently the general manager for the University of North Carolina Tar Heel football team. How's life in college? Bison. But also, he is a guy that's pretty plugged in basically everywhere around the NFL. What's he hearing, especially about that Raiders job? You know, Michael Lombardi speaks about the Raiders a lot because that's where you got to start. And I think he has so much respect and appreciation for the Davis family and everything that Al did for him and the Raiders as a whole. And what he's been seeing out of the last couple years. He says this is crap. He says that Raiders fans get mad at him. I think they hate him. But now his guy, Tom Brady, is one of the owners and running everything. So it's like, I feel like Lombardi is going to be pretty dialed in on what's going on there. How about all the other coaching hires? What about all the other general manager hires that need to take place? What does paisan say about any of it? We will talk to him in about 19 minutes. I cannot wait to hear from him. Last week, he had his hair a little disheveled.
Boston Connor
He did? Oh, yeah.
Pat McAfee
Looked like he was in the middle of it a little bit. FaceTime with him this morning. Feels like he's okay. Feels like he's found back in it. Yeah, he's found air. You know, he's back because they have a, a lot to do in a very short amount of time as they try to, you know, kind of get used to the college football lifestyle. We'll be joined by Sean Charani in a second hour. Okay. Basketball's happening.
Boston Connor
Sure, right? Yeah, it must be. Oh, Pacers are in Paris today.
Pat McAfee
Oui, oui, au jer dui bonchon on Paces on Paris. You know, like, there is a lot going on here. Tyrese Haliburton, king of Paris this past summer, as you recall, didn't sweat one time, but he still walked out of there with gold medal.
Boston Connor
No big deal.
Pat McAfee
He was having a blast. Happy birthday. Fifth. You know, the whole thing was happening for Tyrese Halliburton taking on Wemby in his home country. I believe Netflix is also having a docu series release at some point about the Olympics, where they go into the locker room of the French and the Americans and Serbians and everything like that. So I think basketball is kind of happening, especially internationally today, 2:00 on NBA TV.
Boston Connor
Okay.
Pat McAfee
Everybody has that. Everybody has that. And I believe they're playing again on Saturday, and I think that one's gonna be on espn. But basketball is happening. We'll talk to Sham Charani about the drama.
Boston Connor
Yeah, have to.
Pat McAfee
Jimmy Butler down there in Miami. Remember, Shams came out and said, jimmy Butler wants out of Miami. Okay, break. And then Jimmy Butler's agent says, shams, he's the new guy on block. He doesn't know anything. Try to discredit Shams. Oh, yeah, try to bury Shams. Shams in a new location, a new network, at a new senior role. And this guy tried to bury Shams. And all Shams did was sit in the pocket and say, nah, my sources are good. It's been triple stamped, double stamped. Jimmy wants out of there. Then as it kind of unfolds, Jimmy wants higher. And it's getting ugly. He talked on first take this morning about how it's like a divorce. You know, right now it's just like, is this going to be a messy divorce or are they going to figure out how to make this happen? Jimmy missed the plane. Happens. He was planning on showing up on his own plane, you know, it's nice of him. Yeah, he's got. He's been suspended nine games over the last two weeks by Pat Riley in the Miami Heat or whatever. So this is basically a Shams story from day one. Even though his agent and everybody else, Pat Riley, even, I think everybody tried to bury Shums. Shums just kind of, you know, stayed in the pocket, kind of taking it all, and now only elevated himself, which we're proud of Shams because we've known him since day one. He'll join us in the second hour. And then Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, Mr. Move the sticks, a draft analyst and scout formerly in the NFL, now in the media world. Do the play by play of the combine with Rich Eisen will be joining us in a second or I'm asking some questions. Everybody's talking. Talks to people's your app boss, Conor and I touch your bin one after the Hammer. Cowboys ap. Tony's here. All the finalists for the awards that you voted on are out. Yeah, they are 36 years as a football coach, 18 in college, 18 in the NFL. Chuck Pagonis here. Chuck, everybody's talking about this Borgonzi quote in Brinker quote down there in Tennessee. Now, Borgonzi has been brought in as the general manager. Brinker is the president of football operation. Borgonzi is handling the draft and free agency. Brinker is the one that's going to cut it down to the final 53. They're very tight. They're on the same page. Brinker was on a local radio station with Ramon Foster and a few others and this is what he had to say about that number one overall pick that they have. Are you going to trade it or are you going to utilize that pick that you have down there in Tennessee? Here's the president of football operations for the Tennessee Titans, Chad Brinker.
AJ Hawk
Yeah, we gotta look at all the.
Chuck Pagano
Options, but the one thing I will say, if there's a generational talent, you don't pass that up. You can't pass that up. And if we feel that there's a generational talent right there, a what we.
AJ Hawk
Call a blue player, a guy that.
Chuck Pagano
Is a franchise type player, the player.
Pat McAfee
That tips the field in your favor.
Chuck Pagano
Every time they step on the field, like, you cannot, you cannot pass that up. But we'll also look at all the options, not only at the number one overall pick, but in all the rounds. I mean, we gotta see what the value is. We gotta see what's on the table. We gotta, you know, do what's best for the Tennessee Titans and helping us build, you know, a football team that, that can sustain over time. And, and like, I mean, I've emphasized how important the draft is that the core of this roster is going to be built through the draft. So yeah, those, we're looking at all those options.
Pat McAfee
Very interesting. You know, he was brought in 2023. Callahan was brought in last year. Now the GM Bolganzi out of Boston's been brought in, you know, this year. So everybody's at different times, allegedly bought Ganzi and Brinker on the same page. They'll be the ones creating the Russia. What's that mean for call? We shall see. But a once in a generation type player potentially at number one. Now this has obviously sent ripple effects through it all. And we'll talk to Daniel Jeremiah in a second. Is that Travis Hunter? Is he talking about Abdul Carter, who's the once in a generation player that we're potentially missing or not thinking about and how come every time they talk about quarterbacks, it's Cam Ward, Shador Sanders. Insert name a quarterback. Insert name a quarterback. Insert name of quarterback. And there's never a Will Howard. What am I missing about Will Howard? In this entire time?
AJ Hawk
Ever since you told me to take a peek at him a week ago, 10 days ago, and I took a peek at him and then I watched him, you know, watch you guys on the Manning Cat guys crushed it again. Obviously, numbers speak for themselves, you know, but anyway, I know you don't like any flowers being thrown at you guys.
Pat McAfee
Thank you. Let's keep it moving. Yes.
AJ Hawk
But, yeah, he was absolutely just incredible in that game and he's played so well. And I don't. I don't know. I don't. I don't see it. He just. The metrics were all there, right? 6, 4, 235, 240 pounds. Mobile enough. He can get out of harm's way. Quarterback runs certainly accurate. Got the arm talent. Make all the throws. Yeah. Why not a big, smart physical. I mean, and a dog, apparently. Like, all those studs around him, like, they love him and they play for him. So that's the biggest thing. Like generational talent. Brinker's talking about it. Like, I got very lucky, no pun intended, you know, when I got the job here in India. 2012. Andrew Luck sitting there. Right? Yeah. We're going to pass on Andrew. No generational talent, to say the least. Right? Yeah. So if there's a guy there and this, this may be the guy after they do the vetting process. I don't see why this guy. I think AP Tone, you got him wearing the fourth.
Ty Schmidt
I got a couple times.
Pat McAfee
That's what I'm saying. We'll talk to Daniel Jeremiah about this.
AJ Hawk
So I don't know what I'm missing.
Pat McAfee
Hey, me neither. And I've already set the table with Daniel Jeremiah, like, hey, I just want to let you know there's some heat coming, you know, because all you draft experts have left this guy out. I just want to know why. I just want. He's liked by his teammates. He's big. He shows up on the biggest stage, and he was on our show. Just cool. He's one of the lads. Awesome. Yeah, he's one of the lads. I don't fully get it. Now, granted, Shador can spin it, and obviously his dad is one of the greatest football players of all time, one of the greatest athletes of all time. And we've seen him have to grow and he's been very mature for a while. I'm not saying anything against Shador. I'm not saying anything against Cam Ward. He's played a lot of football, obviously went down to Miami, changed their entire culture and did a great job this season. And he led an offense that was very explosive. Not saying anything about Cam, but just a lack of respect at all for Will Howard. I don't. It doesn't make any sense because he's being treated as somebody that's like five'eleven he's being treated as somebody that's like five'ten Maybe he doesn't have the physical stats to be able to keep up with all the stuff he's been able to do on the field, but he's huge. He's gigantic. He can run. I don't. This one doesn't make any sense. And I guess it's going to be because he's surrounded by talent. But when he was at Kansas State his final year, he wasn't. He's a Big 12 player of the year, and that's over Quinn Ewers. That's over everybody at Texas. That's whenever, you know, Oklahoma is in a Big 12. Obviously West Virginia was in the Big 12. Somehow he won player of the year over everybody that was with the Mountaineers. It's like, this guy's a good player, played a lot of ball, seems to be cool. I just want to hear from Dan Jeremiah. We'll talk to him in the next hour.
Boston Connor
Well, in the surrounded by talent thing, like, sure, you can get that. But Shedeur Sanders, they're talking about Travis Hunter being that generational player number one, and Shadur play with him. So I don't know why that isn't a conversation at all when it comes to him. And I believe some of the other wide receivers for Colorado, they're pegged to be draft, you know, second, third round, too, so they're great players. And then you think about Cam Ward, like, sure, acc, maybe he didn't go up against the best guys, but also he was thrown to, you know, Restrepo. And Restrepo is considered to be the greatest Miami.
Pat McAfee
He has the most yards, most receptions, most touchdowns, I think for a wide receiver in Miami history.
Boston Connor
Yeah. And he's considered like one of the top slot receivers, you know, and we've seen how some of these slot receivers Lab McConkey have done in the NFL. So it's not like he's throwing the slouches either. So it doesn't really make sense. But, you know, that just happens with guys like that who transfer and then have one good year. And, you know, you can throw Chip Kelly into that too.
Pat McAfee
He had two good years though Kansas State. He was like, he had Kansas State in it. And I guess the Big 12 doesn't get talked about that way. I guess it doesn't. Even though Arizona State took Texas to the wire, it legitimately took him to the wire. They were the champion. Came out of nowhere. Byu, I think could have held their own against a lot of different teams. Big 12 obviously, obviously loses Texas and Oklahoma and everybody thinks that they're a weaker conference or whatever. It's like this dude was great at Kansas State. That's why Miami wanted them. That's why Ohio State wanted them. And then he goes into a system that is obviously more conducive for him to be a pocket passer because all the weapons they have, he has. He hasn't even really showcased his running. He started doing the playoffs there. But like he. I don't get it. I don't.
AJ Hawk
Maybe that's the thing. Maybe because of the evolution of the quarterback and the quarterback playing. You see so the Lamar Jacksons and whatnot, the type of offense that people want to run. Maybe that's. Maybe that's got a little bit of.
Pat McAfee
But he can, he can move.
AJ Hawk
He can move, but I don't see him moving like those guys move. Like Lamar moves. And some of these guys running the RPOs and the read option, the zone read. I see some quarterback run some traps, some powers. He's big. He can get the third and ones like Josh Allen. Yeah, he is pretty good. Not bad.
Shams Charania
Wyoming, you also, you also said it.
AQ Shipley
Like them, like the whole Big 12 thing. Like he, he didn't play in that Big 12 that everyone's like. It's like Texas and Oklahoma were in the Big 12 and he was the Big 12 Player of the year. And also for all like talent, you still have to show up. They beat three top five teams in a row when he was the quarterback. Like that. I don't know. I mean, I, I still think, I think he's going to go to the combine and just absolutely light it on fire. Not just in the interviews, but I think it's going to come out that he's a much better athlete than people give him credit for as well.
Pat McAfee
I think so too. I can't wait to talk to Daniel Jeremiah in about it. All big news today. All the finalists for the awards have been announced. Congrats to the AP getting that done. Congrats to AP Tone getting your votes in offensive player of the year is obviously a massive one because this normally goes to the Person that isn't a quarterback because they're a quarterback normally going to win the mvp. We all assume Saquon Barkley is going to win this, but hey, could be anybody else. Could be Josh Allen. Not even being a finalist for the Offensive Player of the Year tells you a little something, something too about this entire voting. Lamar Jackson, finalist for offense, Player of the Year, finalist for NFL MVP as well, which is Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Lamar Jackson. These are not in any order. These are just a list of the finalists. And then Defensive Player of the Year obviously was announced. Zach Bond getting in there, shout out to him, having a massive year. Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, Pat Certain II and TJ White getting in there. And then Comeback Player of the Year also finalists were announced. And this is a big one. This is a conversation because Joe Burrow, obviously injured, came back. J.K. dobbins, injured came back.
Boston Connor
Christian Gonzalez, missed 13 games, came back.
Pat McAfee
Tamar Hamlin. I think we all know what happened within the last two years, I guess was the last season. Sam Darnold, though, was active, I believe for 17 games last year. So he didn't have any injuries, any sickness, any death potentially that is also on this list within the last two years. But he is on the Comeback Player of the Year finalist list. Let's go to Petone. Tone, why do you think that is the case and what do you think inevitably ends up happening with this particular award?
Ty Schmidt
So this over the last two years, I believe it was Gino Smith and then Joe Flacco. Neither of those guys were coming back from injury. They were coming back from, you know, they just weren't playing. Whether it wasn't good, they were old circumstances, situations happen. We all know when Joe Flacco won over demar Hamlin, there was a lot of people talking. Even Joe Flacco said, like, hey, not Comeback Player of the Year. Demar Hamlin's Comeback Player of the Year.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Come back from what? Ubering my kids around. Exactly.
Ty Schmidt
So then there was the. The AP kind of put out earlier this year. You know, the kind of how the, the war, the rule should have been taken. The spirit of the award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season. Now, other circumstances, I guess you can take that however you want, but you know, a lot of AP voters took the spirit of the war be overcoming like an injury, illness, something like that. Not just, you know, not playing, but he's a finalist.
Pat McAfee
I see him as a finalist. So not as many AP voters as we had thought decided to put the guy who didn't play just because he wasn't the starter and then now he plays great into the comeback Player of the Year. UAP people got. Are you guys all on the same page over there? What's going on?
Ty Schmidt
It doesn't feel like it. I'm not allowed to reveal who I voted for yet or the top five, I don't believe. But, you know, I asked the AP about it and this, you know, situation as far as Sam Darnold goes, and they said, you know, everyone in the NFL is eligible for comeback Player of the year unless you're a rookie because you weren't in the NFL last year. But we hope the voters, you know, take the spirit of the word as how.
Pat McAfee
How it should. Okay, so we should. We should assume with that message being sent multiple times from the ap, that although Sam Darnold is certainly a finalist here and Tone won't give away his votes.
AQ Shipley
No, he won't.
Pat McAfee
But as somebody who's been very lucky enough to ride alongside an AP voter, they've changed this this year. Like, this is a this year change thing. So whenever the sportsbooks had Sam Darnold as the favorite to win the entire thing because how he's playing, they were going off what previous awards were like. People were taking their bets, sportsbooks were accepting the bets, you name it, and then once again had to come out and say, hey, what the voters are being told is, it's not like you stink now you're good again. Correct. It's like, hey, did you go through some and now you're back. So we can assume that's what the award's going to be and who it's going to go to.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah. And I tweeted it out or earlier in the year when I saw that he was a favorite. Like I said, I think the sports books. This is kind of misleading to people. You know, a lot of people reply with that. Other circumstances are that he was on the jets, the Jeff's drafted him. That's, you know, that's. That's pretty big. Other circumstances, things like that.
Pat McAfee
I mean, yeah, the more we learn. Yeah, the more we learn.
AJ Hawk
It is tough circumstances argue that.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, agreed. Brick Johnson comes in there, tells you you stink. That's going to be tough to respond. It's like when you're playing Call of Duty and a guy in the lobby says something that hits a Little bit too close to home. That's Brick Johnson football, you know. And then I think Brick Johnson is a motivator. I think if we were to understand the story from the New York Times, his athletic, he wants to celebrate people and everything. I assume he didn't just crush Sam Darnold, but I guess you could other circumstances into. This guy was in a terrible situation.
Ty Schmidt
You could if, if you wanted, wanted to not pay attention to the spirit of the, of the award. Sure.
Boston Connor
But you have to like this is a two horse race. It's J.K. dobbins and you know, Joe Burrow and I'm a Christian Gonzalez guy but like J. J.K. dobbins and Joe Burrow, unless I'm mistaken, haven't really won any all Pro or anything this year. So like I feel like it's sometimes with these awards like they're almost, you know, rewarding guys when they don't get rewarded in other places. Like Joe Burrow had an unbelievable season. Is he really going to win nothing like you would assume they're going to give him?
Pat McAfee
There's a chance Saquon wins nothing. Yeah, yeah.
Boston Connor
That's why to that point, that's why it's like, hey, he's going to win offensive player of the year because he.
Pat McAfee
Can'T just, well, what if Josh Allen wins mvp then Lamar Jackson wins nothing.
Boston Connor
Yeah, well, yeah, yeah, there's a chance.
Pat McAfee
If Lamar Jackson wins the mvp. Which All Pro Football Writers association of America has deemed Lamar Jackson the mvp. I didn't do enough research on how much that matches up with the ap. I should have first team all pro quarterback though Lamar Jackson, which is voted on by the same AP people that are voting for the awards. So let's assume Lamar Jackson's winning the mvp. So Josh Allen doesn't win the MVP again. He's on up for offensive player of the year. Right? He's up. So Josh Allen has another 40 plus touchdown year, has led his team again. Has he won three rushing touchdowns, three passing touchdowns. Week 13 or 14, first time ever that has happened at quarterback. Having the year he's having with the roster he's having, he's going to win nothing. You know, he's going to end up with nothing in this entire thing.
AJ Hawk
So maybe the super bowl bingo, which he'd say, hey, I don't need that other track.
Pat McAfee
Well, just like Saquon would say as well, if the Eagles are able to do it. How do you feel about these particular games? This weekend we went to NFL plus Premium NFL Pro and found Some of the matchups and stats that they think are worthy of being a conversation. Let's start with the NFC game here. Let's start with the Commanders taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders led the NFL in scoring with 34 points per game in the playoffs thus far, while the Eagles are only allowing 16 points per game in the playoffs. Both teams have an NFL best plus six turnover differential in the playoffs entering the NFC championship game. How do you feel about this? What does this stat tell you? It says Commanders are scoring a lot, but the Eagles aren't letting people score. That's why they make it to the NFC championship game, these people.
AJ Hawk
Yeah, but let's look at the last game. Regular season, week 16, Commanders versus Eagles.
Pat McAfee
Okay.
AJ Hawk
Down in in Washington D.C. yep. I think that was 36, 33.
Pat McAfee
It was Commanders high scoring and he.
AJ Hawk
Threw five touchdown passes.
Pat McAfee
Who?
AJ Hawk
Jaden Daniels.
Pat McAfee
Speaking of Jaden Daniels is the first rookie quarterback to have multiple playoff games with multiple passing touchdowns. And his 116.2 playoff passer rating is the best buyer rookie quarterback in a postseason in NFL history. This guy's special man. Him and Cliff Kingsbury seen the field very well. Let's go to another one here. This one's about Saquon Barkley. Saquon Barkley is averaging 162 rushing yards a game in the 2024 playoffs, which is the most by a player in a single postseason in NFL history. Some historic players in this particular role.
Ty Schmidt
He went for 150 and 146 in the games against Commanders this year. His over under on rush yards in this championship game is 130, which is the highest over under rush yards of players ever had.
Pat McAfee
And here's a big one. Great stat there from Tone. The Eagles have the league's top ranked scoring and total defense including playoffs entering conference championship week. Teams with the number one scoring and total defense entering a conference championship matchup at home are 4, 0 over the last 20 seasons.
Boston Connor
Geez.
Pat McAfee
So it hasn't happened often, but when it does happen normally, very good for the team. You got a good defense, you're going to win games, especially whenever it matters.
AJ Hawk
Absolutely. Excuse me, I didn't mean to interrupt, but pretty good, you know, formula this time of year is being able to run the ball, stop the run and pack a defense. Right. And Philly can do all that.
Pat McAfee
Okay.
AJ Hawk
Tones point. I mean Saquon had four touchdowns, two touchdowns in each of those games as well.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Against the commander.
Pat McAfee
Run the ball, stop the run. That's what everybody says whenever it matters. Especially in Philadelphia. This weekend's gonna be cold. Not that Washington isn't used to that, but it's gonna be bad weather. Can you run the rock? You know, you don't have to. You don't have to put it through the sky. Especially in bad weather. You'll be able to run it. You're good when games matter. It's old school football. Football always has been.
Boston Connor
Yeah. And there are other stats about how the Eagles defense held the commanders to like 30 something rush yards or something along those lines. And when you think about Cosby, they're kind of starting guard in the middle of that defense or that offense going up against the Jaylen Carter, best D tackle in football, Jalen Carter. That's a huge mismatch for them.
Pat McAfee
Let's go to the AFC here from NFL plus premium pro. The Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes playoff matchups have averaged 63.7 combined. Five points more than any other quarterback matchups that have occurred at least three times since 1950. They end up showing up in the biggest games. These two. The Josh Allen stats. Although he's.03 in the playoffs against Patrick Mahomes. Very good. Yes, he plays very well. This is like whenever people are bearing Kirk Cousins for so long in the primetime games and you look at his stats, it's like Kirk actually ballin'just so happens to be playing against a great quarterback on either side. Josh Allen. Same situation here in the playoffs against Patrick Mahomes. Is this the year? Is this the year? Speaking of Patrick Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes is looking to join Tom Brady 10 and John Elway 5 as the only starting quarterbacks in NFL history to reach the Super bowl five times. He's 29 years old. He's 29 years old. Unbelievable. Josh Allen. After recording A career low 22 design runs during the entire regular season, Josh Allen has recorded eight designed runs for 35 yards and touchdown in this year's playoffs. Thus far, over the course of his career, Allen has averaged 3.8 design runs perhaps game during the playoffs, up from his Regular season average of 2. Allen has also recorded 69.6. Successor. Whenever the games matter, they start running. This guy, he's tough to stop. And the Chiefs have gone eight consecutive games without a giveaway entering the AFC Championship game. That is the longest streak by a team without a giveaway since at least 1950, including the playoffs. Some historic stuff happening here in these playoffs this weekend, especially from the Chiefs as they look to do something nobody's ever done. Obviously went three straight in the modern era, Josh Allen's looking to do something they've never done in the playoffs, which is beat Patrick Mahomes. And Patrick Mahomes is doing shit that nobody's ever done by the age that he is. We're talking about history all over the place for the AFC Championship game.
AJ Hawk
Yeah. No question about it. Like you mentioned, 4 and 1 in the regular season. Josh Allen is, you know, 4 and 1 against Mahomes, 0 and 3 in the playoffs against Mahomes. But to your point, you said, okay, he's got to go up against Patty Mahomes, hall of Fame head coach and Andy Reid. Right. Hall of Fame defensive coordinator and spags, you know, so there's just. There's hall of Famers all over the place. And, you know, who are you going to put your money on? Who. Who are you going to trust in a game like this at Arrowhead in those elements?
Pat McAfee
AQ Shipley says, don't think about putting money on that offensive line for Kansas City. AQ says, this Kansas City offense, this is what he's saying. Not me. I'm just telling you what AQ saying.
AJ Hawk
Well, he also had Philly's old line. You know, it's one and then six all of a sudden.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, yeah. He. He doesn't really know what to do.
AJ Hawk
He has two teams that were ranked ahead. Right. I mean, he was off. He was. I loved the shot yesterday. He was unbelievable.
Pat McAfee
Great shot.
AJ Hawk
Great shot. 30 people, 500. I mean, beautiful. Great time of year for it. Taxes are coming, all that.
Pat McAfee
Yep.
AJ Hawk
But he's. He's crying about the flag that was thrown. You know, I'm talking about the chop and the snatch.
Pat McAfee
Well, his finger got caught in the. His finger got caught in his thing. It wasn't a crap.
AJ Hawk
But you know how these refs are taught, right?
Pat McAfee
Did not do that. Don't call anything against you.
AJ Hawk
No, no.
Pat McAfee
Is that what you're saying?
AJ Hawk
That's exactly how. A point of emphasis a couple years ago. Offensive linemen, the coaches are teaching they're going to chop and snatch. So let's. So what do the rest do? If it comes anywhere, looks like it. It's like roughing a passer. If it even comes close. And it looks like, guess what? They're going to throw it. They're going to protect these quarterbacks. And that thing looked like a chop and a snatch. When that guy goes down, guy's finger.
Pat McAfee
Got caught in a chest.
AJ Hawk
You slow it down and you have. Have the angles that we have.
Pat McAfee
Who's we? Who's we the refs.
Ty Schmidt
Are you a ref?
AJ Hawk
You had a good. You had a good angle.
Pat McAfee
I saw you talk about a year. He spent a year with the ref. So he's always doing.
Ty Schmidt
Oh, it's. We.
Pat McAfee
It's hard, you know, it's all right. You guys give credit. We get. It's.
Ty Schmidt
How are you on.
Pat McAfee
It's hard to play in the NFL. It's hard to coach in the NFL.
AJ Hawk
It is.
Pat McAfee
It's hard to. Everything in the. That's why it's the NFL. It's a high school.
AJ Hawk
Great appreciation for how hard these jobs are. And we all know what we signed up for. So there's going to be some criticisms at times. Time you're going to play really good. At times you're going to get a lot of flowers and then you, you know what you're going to play. Bad things are going to happen.
Pat McAfee
And some of these, we don't know if they're ever going to play good.
Boston Connor
Yeah, that was like.
Pat McAfee
Every time they're on tv, they're bad.
Boston Connor
Wasn't even some of them.
Pat McAfee
Not all the refs. Go ahead.
Boston Connor
The Chiefs or. That call wasn't even the worst call. The worst call of the weekend was on the commanders when, you know, Dante Fowler Jr. Tackled David Montgomery by the shoulder and they called a face mask.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. By his chest.
Boston Connor
That was crazy.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, it's unbelievable.
Ty Schmidt
That one, Chuck.
AJ Hawk
That head.
Pat McAfee
Sorry. The refs are trying, but here's the.
AJ Hawk
Here's the deal, right? Replay assist. We're at a certain point now this offseason is going to be a huge discussion with the competition committee and the coaches. Once they get to the owners meetings, that thing will get improved. They're going to add some things to that so that they can go in and look at like Will Anderson's hit, you know, on Patrick Mahomes.
Pat McAfee
Yes.
AJ Hawk
We all saw it slowed down. Right. It hit right here. And he did this where the ref is standing. He can't necessarily see. No helmet to helmet. Yeah, but it wasn't. It wasn't severe. But the thing that replay assist can't do is they can't come in and talk about severity. Right now it's black and white. Did you hit him or not? In the head and neck area, period. Now they're going to take the next step and go, okay, let this guy get involved and say there was no contact to pick that up.
Pat McAfee
Well, we were hoping that. That what they'd be doing this year, but I understand there's always steps to things. The NFL is like The Titanic. Not that it's going down, but to turn that thing, it takes forever, you know, and that is kind of the NFL's way. But this replay assist is a good advancement, I believe. Yeah.
AQ Shipley
But I also did read that, hey, they don't want to be doing replay assists in the playoffs because we can't. We need as many additional commercial breaks for, you know, of course, greedy corporate fat cats. We can't have them just, hey, let's. Let's respawn it right away and keep playing. We need that to kind of draw out, go to a commercial, get another, you know, big time sponsorship in there. So I don't know how much replace this.
Pat McAfee
As we were watching, I think replace this is only going to grow, hopefully. And hopefully that's not a part of the conversation. Because all anybody wants is them not to slow down the game. Correct. Which is why replay assist is so awesome, because it's happening in real time. Like, hey, pick that thing up and you don't lose anything. How about that national championship game? 18 play drive to start that thing.
AQ Shipley
Oh, yeah.
Pat McAfee
10 minutes, no commercial breaks. I even said on air, like, hey, they're coming. They are on their way. They are going to shove these commercial breaks. And they did kickoff commercial.
AQ Shipley
Second quarter was like an hour and a half.
Pat McAfee
Oh, my. It's. It's a business.
AJ Hawk
I felt bad for y'all. I mean, I'm sitting there going, my God.
Pat McAfee
It was a lot of standing. It was a lot of spanks. Had us, though. Yeah. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who's going to be trying to get his team, that he's the general manager of, to the national championship. Will that be next year, the year after, the year after? We don't know. But we assume it will happen because of how big this guy's brain is. Multiple time super bowl champion, current general manager of the UNC Tar he football team, Michael Lombardi.
Daniel Jeremiah
It's always good to be here with you. It's always good. Great job on the championship game. That was a long drive. You know that. That drive proves that time of possession is meaningless in football. You can have it. It matters what you do with it, right?
Pat McAfee
Yes.
Daniel Jeremiah
You got to be able to score. Look, the Eagle Washington game I heard you talking about, the Eagles had the ball 36 minutes in that game the last time they played them, and yet they gave up 36 points to the commanders and they only had it for 23 minutes.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And that's why, you know, like, scoring defense matters. How many points to Give up. It doesn't matter how many yards you give up. Red zone efficiency matters. Are you scoring touchdowns? Are you kicking field goals? Turnovers matter. Time of possession is just like, hey, dominate the game potentially. But did you do anything with it? Who cares? Let's talk about that championship game. We asked Bill, I think last week after the playoffs, we said, are you watching these playoffs as like a coach now trying to figure it out or as a fan? He said, just watching as a fan right now, haven't really dove in. What did you learn from this College Football Playoff as you're trying to build a college football team right now? What do you need? What do you think you love? And did you really learn anything that might have changed the way you think about the team you're building down there?
Daniel Jeremiah
No. I think it still comes back to can you win in up fronts? Can you have good offensive linemen? Ohio State with the injuries in their line, everybody thought the Tennessee game was going to be hard or the Oregon game was going to be hard. And yet that offensive line really did a good job. Credit Chip Kelly for what he was able to accomplish. And I think Notre Dame's to Notre Dame's offensive and defensive fronts. I think that's still the essence of the game. And one thing I do have learned from being in college football is depth matters, right? In the NFL you only dress 46 players. In college you can dress 95 or whatever the number is. And I think there's a lot of teams that are even to start a game, but the depth and the overall talent on the second and third level teams, as you're rotating becomes an issue and then teams take over. And I think really you've got to have sound depth. And so the concept of paying one player or two players or three players like we think in the NFL and then going with younger guys, that's not going to work in college. You're going to have to have really good depth to compete with those great teams from the Southeast Conference in the Big Ten and from the acc.
Pat McAfee
I heard you put up massive money for one quarterback, isn't that right? Didn't we hear that? Oh, yeah, yeah. Like 8 million or millions of dollars for a quarterb did you hear about that?
Daniel Jeremiah
No. We might have heard about it if somebody offered them.
Pat McAfee
I don't know.
Daniel Jeremiah
May it was the janitor in this building who offered it. I have no idea because I didn't offer anybody that kind of money. I think to me we're going to stick with the Patriot model. We're Going to have a good team where everybody's going to be valued. And I think more than anything, you know, you guys know this. You can't. The locker room has to feel a sense of contentment based on what you have earned. And so if you bring a player in who's not really played for your team and paying more than some of the guys that have, based on, just on hypothetical, you run into a little bit of a problem. So this thing goes both ways. You're going to negotiate contracts both ways. Sometimes you're going to give a guy a raise and sometimes because you brought other players in. Bill did this all the time in New England. I mean, Julian Edelman got continue raises based on what other receivers they brought in because Edelman or Brady were the best players on the team.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, you don't disrespect your own players by bringing in somebody who hasn't done anything yet. Not that anybody's done anything for your program thus far. But when it comes to payment, there's professionalism that is around the corner. Allegedly. Chuck has a question for you. Paison.
AJ Hawk
Yes, Lombo. You talk about, you know, putting a value on your, on your players. So we got the salary cap coming with this revenue share. I know in April there's going to be a vote. I know there's Title 9 stuff involved. I've heard somewhere like 20, 21 million. And then, you know, football's going to get the largest portion of that. Have you guys talked about that? Like if it's, let's just say hypothetical, it's 15. How are you going to divvy that up? And have you placed a value yet on your roster?
Daniel Jeremiah
Yeah, I think, you know, that's a great question, Chuck. I think you have to do it just like the draft. You know, the draft is money. Okay. When you say the guy is going to be an immediate starter and impact the team, that's a top 10 pick. And that top 10 pick makes X amount of dollars. And if you say the guy is going to be a potential backup player who could eventually start, that's probably a fourth or fifth round pick. So that comes with a value. And so whenever you have a salary cap, you have to have a value. And so if you're taking a young high school prospect who's very good, you're going to have to give them some money to entice them to come to your school. But there has to be kind of a ceiling on what you can give them. You know, we're not like Jerry Jones, we're Not in the oil drill and business business. We're not hoping to hit a well or a gusher. You got to pay for performance as you go, right? And so there's going to be a scale. You know, you come in, you earn this. If you start to play, you're going to earn more, and then you're going to earn more based on how you start. It's got to be. There has to be a rhyme and a reason to what you're doing. But if you randomly just give out, I'm paying this guy 750, I'll pay this guy a million, I'll pay. Then all of a sudden, you don't have any continuity within your program. And so that's what we're going to try to do. We'll bring young players in that we recruit, we'll pay them. But it's on speculation, right? And there's going to be a number. And then as they earn more based on their play time, based on their performance here at North Carolina, they will earn more. My door is going to always be open for conversations, because that's the way it is. The NFL. You know, we saw it this summer in the NFL, how many receivers redid their contracts based on what was going on around the league. Same thing's going to happen in college football.
Pat McAfee
Okay? The more I learned about Notre Dame through this playoff run and Marcus Freeman and who they're trying to build, what they're trying to become. Sounds awfully similar to you guys. And do you sense that, that Notre Dame and you guys are going to be in the same players pool? And how does it feel knowing that they made it to the national championship in that kind of same world that you guys are probably going to be in?
Daniel Jeremiah
Well, they've got such great tradition, but so do we here at North Carolina. We've got incredible tradition. Now. We haven't won an ACC title since 1980, but, man, we have a lot of great players, starting with the greatest defensive player of all time in Lawrence Taylor, and then going to Julius Peppers, not even talking about how many great players have been in basketball. They've got 123 titles in women's soccer. I mean, this is an incredible institution for sports, and we're going to follow that. We believe we have a national footprint. I mean, what Michael Jordan has done for the school, what the basketball program has done. You see this emblem on people's chests. You see our brand. It's a national brand. And so we need to be a national school. So we're going to be Foot to foot with Notre Dame. We offer a lot now. They've got a history in terms of winning championships and getting there. We're going to have to increase our tradition there and get there. But we have a lot of great players. We have a lot of first round picks. We might not have had great, great teams, but we're going to fix that and we're going to recruit to our traditions. You know, you can't build a team without creating a sense of belonging. And the only way you create a sense of belonging is to look to your past. So we need the Jeff Saturdays, we need the Lawrence Taylors, we need all those Quinton Kopoles, we need all these great players that played here and dominated to be part of our program. Dre Bly, there's so many of them, right, that have been here. Greg Ellis, they're all first round, a lot of them, first round picks. We gotta, we need them to build so we can walk into a home and remind players about North Carolina's tradition of great talent here.
Pat McAfee
Okay, so you, you took that a different way than I expected. I appreciate you going through that. What I was saying is the type of player seemingly. Oh, yeah, same type of people. You guys are recruiting a similar type of people. I think there's a few schools that are looking to do the same thing. Notre Dame, obviously, national champion finalist. And they're doing its things like, wait, like the type of guys I think that you guys will be trying to get.
Daniel Jeremiah
No question, Pat. I mean, look, we are, we are consider ourselves one of the professional organization. And like Notre Dame, we want smart guys that can get into school. Notre Dame has a requirement. Everybody thinks getting into school, if you, if it makes it tough on the players, you're not going to have a good team. I think that's nonsense. We want smart, tough, dependable players. So for us, if you don't go to class and you don't work hard and your other things, you're not going to be a good football player. You know, you're not good in one area and then all of a sudden be good in another area. You've got to be a complete person. Like North Carolina, like Michigan, those national schools, they recruit that and we want to be that kind of program.
Pat McAfee
How you do anything is how you do everything, you know, and how do you find those right guys is certainly going to be a part of the job. How do you retain those guys? Obviously a massive piece of the job. There is a full roster over overhaul possibility in college ball. Ty has a question. For you?
Ty Schmidt
Yeah.
AQ Shipley
Lambo. Right now, a lot of people are kind of complaining that the college football season has gone on too long. It just ended. A lot of people saying, hey, this needs to end by, you know, January 1st, maybe, because we have all these different, you know, deadlines for the transfer portal. Now we're seeing a lot of guys, you know, this. This last one here, Ohio State players and Notre Dame players entering the portal. Will you guys still be aggressive for some of those guys, or is it difficult because you had to flip, you know, basically an entire roster, and then now you're kind of, you know, the odd man out because you don't have very many spots left, even though you know you are building this brain. A lot of kids do want to come to you, but you just don't have spots for maybe some of these kids from Notre Dame or Ohio State who would be interested in North Carolina.
Daniel Jeremiah
Yeah, we're always going to save room, whether it's our cap, whether it's our scholarship, but we're going to go to 105 this summer. And once we go to 105, I think there's going to be a lot of teams that have to get rid of players at that point. Whereas we at North Carolina, who are building our program, we don't have that many players at that level. The teams that have been doing this and have a great bloodline of recruiting going on, they're going to have a hard time getting to 105. And we need to be able to be. To be there to take advantage of that situation. We have to look for all the areas of finding talent. I think that's part of what the NFL is about, too. Right. Bill Walsh used to say this all the time. You know, during the season was the best time to find players because everybody was content off season in March. Everybody was looking for players. So you were competing at a harder time. I think that's the same thing. We've got to be able to take advantage of what our situation is. There's not a claiming order like it is in the NFL. But there's going to be a lot of schools that have to get rid of guys because. Because they have too many scholarships.
Pat McAfee
Okay, so let's pivot away from college. We're obviously incredibly pumped for you. Good luck there. Let's go to the NFL. We are hearing our sources, not you, but our source says are telling us that Tom Brady very much a part of as you might be getting a call from him or maybe a recruit at this exact time. That Tom Brady is, like, running the show over there for Las Vegas for the hiring process. That's what we're hearing. Are you hearing the same thing? And what do you think? Oh, somebody needs you. You should answer that. Should you answer that?
Daniel Jeremiah
No, I'm good. Don't worry about it. You got my full attention, trust me.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, but what if that was a booster or a recruit? You never know. You never know. Lambo, if you need to take a call, you certainly could do that. We don't want to hold you up. We heard Bill Belichick signed his contract, too, officially.
Boston Connor
Hell, yeah.
Daniel Jeremiah
All that nonsense about, yeah, we're going to go back into the NFL. Can we kill that? For once and for all, We. We. Actually, I got a big shovel out there this morning, and I buried that, so that's a good thing.
Pat McAfee
Okay, good. So you guys signed your contracts at unc. Things are good to go. But let's talk about, you know, one of the reasons why everybody thought you guys were getting back into the NFL is because Tom potentially called you or Bill, who he's friends with and has a lot of respect for, to ask him questions about this hiring process. I don't think I fully. I guess I should have kind of expected this. I don't think I fully expected Tom to be running that shit over there. I thought, like, minority owner, Obviously, he's going to be around handshake, try to talk to the boys. Let's do some strategy. But from what we're hearing in the interview process, that's his meeting. That is kind of happening throughout the entirety. Did you know that? Do you expect that? And what do you think about the Raiders job as a whole now that Tom is very much involved?
Daniel Jeremiah
Well, I think Tom's never just going to put his toe in the water. I think he's going to immerse himself into it as completely because he's so competitive. He's competitive to be the best broadcaster he can be. He's looking for every way he can improve, and he's never satisfied. The one thing about Tom Brady that I've learned is there's no mantles in his home. There's no place for his trophies because he's collecting more trophies. And this whole instance to. To. To immerse himself into football because his name is on this franchise along with Mark Davis. And look, Raider fans get upset when I say this, but they have not been very good over the last 22 years. And they need somebody like Tom Brady who understands what it takes to win and what's the culture all about and how he can bring that. Now, obviously, John Spytak, who they just hired as their gm, he goes back to Michigan with Tom. He was also at Tampa Bay with him. So there's some, you know, familiarity with him. And then I think they'll hire a coach that gives them some. They need some credibility. Right. I think sometimes everybody wants the new bright, shiny object in the room, but I think a team like the Raiders, they need somebody who's got some experience, who can understand how they're going to navigate the next three years in the course. And I would think Pete Carroll would have a hell of a chance to be the next coach there.
Pat McAfee
Okay. We're hearing the same things around the coaching conversation cycle is that Pete Carroll has a legit opportunity to become Las Vegas Raiders head coach. Ben Johnson is announced as the head coach of the Chicago Bears yesterday or the day before that. Gives a speech to the team, gives a speech to the building. What are your thoughts on Ben Johnson going into Chicago? How do you think it works out? Is this the right pairing for catching Caleb in your eyes?
Daniel Jeremiah
Well, I think. I think what Ben said is so true. Forget about analytics. It depends on how your quarterback plays really, more than anything, on what you're going to do in the game. I thought that was really an important statement and a smart statement. Look, we know this. He's done an incredible job with the Detroit Lions and how he's been able to bring that team together with balance, with the ability to run and throw. Obviously, the season didn't go the way it is, but I think what he's got to do is prove he's now a head coach. He's not an offensive play caller. He's a head coach and he'll get the right defensive guy. Look, they've got a lot of good players. They need to repair their lines, and if they can do that, then they can close the gap on a very, very good division. Kevin O'Connell got a huge raise, which he deserved. I mean, that's a good team. They're going to bounce back. Same thing when you look at Green Bay. You know, Green Bay got hurt a lot. It was interesting. You know, Green Bay, we're having so many rematch games in the playoffs, whether it's Green Bay played Philadelphia, Washington playing Philadelphia again, it seems like there's a lot of repeats. And that's a good thing because coaches can gain an advantage.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I. The. I hope Kevin O'Connell didn't sign his deal before Ben Johnson. You know, Ben Johnson allegedly signed for 13 million. That's what the reports are. I don't know how accurate reports are of coaches contracts normally are. Kevin O'Connell, I mean he could have went in there with a blank check. Yeah, he is so good. And then MC DC obviously he's going to have to reset cycle. Aaron Glenn gone. Ben obviously gone in the same division. It's like NFC north football is problematic. I mean there are very, very good teams in there in the floor.
Daniel Jeremiah
I mean Ben had leverage. I mean, you know this as a negotiator. Ben had leverage. I mean, so Ben could ask for it. In the Bears, you know, they needed to make a statement with their coaching hire. I mean they've been through this. Whether it's been John Fox, whether it's been, you know, Matt Nagy, whomever it's been, you know, they need to make a statement. They're taking a risk paying them as much as they are on a first time head coach. But, but I think Kevin Warren and Ryan Poles, I think everybody believes that Ben's the right guy for their job. So they've got to go all in. Look, here's what I would say. The same thing applies to players. You can't overpay a great coach. You cannot overpay. You know, if you hired Bill Parcells or Bill, you can't overpay great coaching. The problem you get into like the problem with players. You overpay a good player, then it becomes a problem. A great coach, great player, you can. And I think Kevin O'Connell is great.
Pat McAfee
I think Jerry Jones said everything that has ever been worth it, people have told me I've overpaid for. So just whatever the case now again, he's overpaid for a lot of other shit too. But things that are great, keep them in your building. I'm happy the Minnesota Vikings are doing that. Aaron Glenn goes to the New York Jets. He played there. I believe Wilkes is going to join him as the dc. Obviously there's early reports that he would be a fan of Aaron Rodgers sticking around and then maybe getting a younger quarterback. That all has to get played out. But there's a AFC south conversation taking place. Connor has a question for you.
Boston Connor
Yeah, Lombo. Mike Borgonzi gets hired as the GM and now a lot of stuff has come out. I believe the president of football operations, Brink will have final say. Brinker, excuse me, will have final say on the 53 man roster. But then Borgonzi will be responsible for the free agents and the draft process. And then of course Brinker will report to Strunk, not sure with Borgonzi. What does this say kind of about the Titans whole operation? And then where does this kind of leave Callahan just because he is the head coach? What is his role? Is he going to be involved, do you think with the draft or anything like that? Or is this kind of a three headed monster in Tennessee now?
Daniel Jeremiah
Well, you know how I feel about committees, you know, and they've never dedicated a monument to one. So this sounds like a committee to me. Look, I, I think Brinker's been running the team. I think even when Ran Cartham was there, Brinker was kind of in charge of pretty much everything. So he's going to remain there and obviously his background is going to have to find a way to utilize his skill set as a guy who can draft and develop a team. I think the real question comes into what kind of team do they want to have? You know, they transitioned into a Cincinnati Bengal team and it cost Ran Carth on his job. Essentially they got rid of the big power back. They went to Nickelbacks and Spears and Pollard and so their offensive line couldn't really, they couldn't run the ball. And they're counting on Will Levis to be a good player. There's a lot of calculations that need to come true for Tennessee to be good. They better make sure they're right about Will Levis and that's Brinker's job to do because he was there when they drafted him. He's been a part of it. And I think that's ultimately going to be tied to what Callahan does. I think Cincinnati, if you copy their offensive program, you better be damn sure the quarterback's good because Burrow makes that thing go. It isn't the play design, it's the quarterback design and how he plays. So the Tennessee, in terms of all the moves they made in the past, they can blame him on Ran Cartham, but somebody else was signing off on him. So it's going to be interesting to see how it goes.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And what do you think about Callahan, Chuck? What do you think about Callahan, the coach's position, this entire thing?
AJ Hawk
Yeah, anytime you can tell right now like these coaches are coming in together with the gm, anytime it's one of the other head coach in place, new GM or vice versa, unless there's a prior relationship there and like whatever, like just win Cali. Just, just win and win big.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, you win quick.
AJ Hawk
Been down that road.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, you have been down there. GM comes in not with you. New GM lose a quarter Quarterback. Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Lost a few games, and that was dash.
Pat McAfee
Lame duck.
Daniel Jeremiah
Shock is what they were saying Pat will hear. Everybody's on the same page, but there's a difference between being on that. What Pat with coach is saying is so true. What. What you find is everybody's going to tell you in Tennessee they're on the same page until they lose a game. As being on the same page is meaningless. Being aligned is what matters most, and alignment can only come from the GM and the head coach. Being tied at the hip, philosophically, now, they're going to argue and go back and forth, but they got to see the game the same way. And this is where I think most teams make many mistakes. I mean, Brett Veach does an incredible job in Kansas City for Andy Reid, but he's tied to Andy Reid. Philosophically, they see the game the same way. And so that allows you to find players. Because, remember, scouting is not about finding. Scouting is about eliminating. And so you eliminate players you don't want, you find. You don't find players. You eliminate the guys that don't fit. And when you're not on the same page, you argue about who you're eliminating, and that becomes a rift within the building. Look, I think Tennessee went through it. They wanted to change to become Cincinnati's offense. I don't see how anybody can be Cincinnati's offense unless they bring Joe Burrow with them.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, and Joe Burrow, obviously is a weapon, and we'll be excited to see what awards he wins, if he wins any awards at NFL honors. Up for comeback Player of the year. And I believe offense, whatever the case, lame duck down there. Such an interesting situation because you brought up Andy Reid and Brett Feach, how they're on the same page and Brett Veach and obviously the Chiefs front office. We have that here. Chris Ballard came in from the chief's front office. Andy Reid, supreme commander there.
Daniel Jeremiah
Absolutely.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
Daniel Jeremiah
Look, and what Andy's so good at. Everybody thinks when you hear Supreme Commander, that they want to do everything. No, Andy Reid gets everybody aligned. It's the most. It's what Bill Walsh did. Everybody was aligned. It's what Belichick does. Everybody has to think philosophically. This is where we're going. Doesn't mean we're not going to disagree on things, but we're going to be aligned on where we're. How we're going to get there.
Pat McAfee
There's seemingly no Supreme Commander in Tennessee, right? No, but none. Borgonzi said he and Brinker have great relationship and admiration for each other. Since 2009 never worked together, but since. Since 2009, they've had a lot of admiration for each other, right?
AJ Hawk
Yeah, just through the. Through the circles and doing what they do.
Pat McAfee
But this one has free agency and draft. This one has final 53. And then this one's got to coach them all. Okay. That's a lot of people that have to get on the same page. That's weird. Good luck. I think it'll happen.
Daniel Jeremiah
I think this whole notion about who has control of the 53 is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. I mean, it's so stupid, right? You can only dress 46. Six players. Right. And so what you. What Ron Wolf did in Green Bay with Mike Holmgren is the smartest thing to do. He told Mike Holmgren, look, Mike, you got 50 players. You dress whoever you want. Joe Gibbs did the same thing with Bobby beathard, but player 51 to the rest of the team. That's really for the personnel department to decide on who's got a future, so we can develop talent. But you're not going to hurt your roster. Currently, like, I control roll the 53. I mean, seriously, that's just a power grab. I mean, those seven guys can't dress anyway.
Pat McAfee
All right. Sounds like it's going to go great down there. Yeah. You know, Borgonzi is from Everett, Mass.
Boston Connor
Which is great football town. A lot of history. A lot of great players have come out of Everett, Mass.
Pat McAfee
A lot of Italians, right?
Boston Connor
Yeah. Too many. Some would say. Some would say. I didn't say I did.
Pat McAfee
I just want to let you know, you seemingly said that that was coming from your mouth.
Boston Connor
I said some would say.
Pat McAfee
Okay, last question here from an Italian. Ap. Tone has a question for you.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah, Lambo. The last jets playoff win was the 2010 season. The OC at that time was Brian Schottenheimer. I believe he was up for some head coaching jobs at that time, never ended up taking one. And now, 15 years later, feels like if you read the tea leaves, he may be the Cowboys next head coach. How do you feel about that move down there in Dallas if it is shoddy?
Daniel Jeremiah
I think Brian's a really good coach. I think Brian comes from a great, great tradition of coaching. His father, Marty, is one of nine human beings who won 200 games in the NFL and he can't get himself into the hall of Fame. It's a complete injustice. And so I'm rooting for Brian to get this job, to carry on his father's legacy, who was an outstanding Coach. I mean, Marty was able to win games and Brian learned from him. And so I think sometimes when you kind of have this rise and all of a sudden you don't get a job, you kind of learn the essence of the job. I'm sure he's more ready to be a head coach now than he ever was. And I think it would be a smart move for Dallas because it would keep Dak in line. Plus, I know Brian understands how his father ran the operation. Brian knows that Marty was running pretty much everything. It was a philosophically aligned organization. I think it would be a great hire for the Dallas Cowboys. I really do. You know, people get so caught up in, well, what was his offense ranked? What was he. Does he throw the ball on first down? We're talking about leadership here. We're not talking about play design. I think Brian can be a great leader.
Pat McAfee
We had Shotty and Indy. He was on your staff, right?
AJ Hawk
Yep.
Pat McAfee
I loved him.
AJ Hawk
Me too.
Pat McAfee
What do you think?
AJ Hawk
I think you do a great job.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
To all the points that Lambo just made. Yeah. And. And I don't think Jerry likes major turnover. There's a lot of continuity that makes. Makes sense in keeping a guy like.
Pat McAfee
Shoddy, especially at the age of 82. And you know, Zimmer is down there on contract, we assume, for defensive coordinator. Zimmer and Shoddy, I assume, have a good relationship. We would assume.
AJ Hawk
There was some rumor that Zim was contemplating, you know, going back to retirement. He's got a farm, I think. Well, they only signed.
Daniel Jeremiah
They only signed. Everybody in Dallas is. Was on a one year contract. Zim came in on a one year deal. They all did. So that, you know, Jerry wasn't going to give more than. That's what took so long to hire a defense coordinator. So now if he wants to bring Zim back, I think certainly he could. But, you know, Zim's a good coach. There's other good defensive coaches out there that Brian could hire as well.
Pat McAfee
Got it. So we don't know. We don't necessarily know who's with who there. How about Josh McDaniels going back with Rabes?
Boston Connor
Oh, yes, commander, that.
Daniel Jeremiah
I think that's a great hire by Mike. You know, Josh does a great job with the quarterbacks. He's been there. He's familiar with the. He's familiar with the surroundings. He's won at New England. You know, I think if there's anybody else but Vrabel, I'm not sure Josh could go back there because the Vrabel Program is similar different than to the Belichick program. And I think Josh is most successful when he's working in that environment.
Pat McAfee
All right, I got these cards. Okay. Yeah. Called Head to Head football trivia. Ooh. Sam got me these for Christmas. I may or may not have forgotten that we got them until I opened a bag and saw a bunch of Christmas gifts in there, sir. Okay. So you need to tell me when to stop.
Daniel Jeremiah
Okay.
Boston Connor
On you stop.
Pat McAfee
All right. What did cornerback Darrell Green stuff in his socks claiming they made him run faster?
Daniel Jeremiah
Oh, that's a great question. I don't know the answer to that. I thought when he was coming out of college, he stuffed weights in his socks because he wanted people think he was. He weighed more than he actually did coming out of Texas A. And I Tootsie Rolls coins.
Pat McAfee
Oh, here, this is second question on here. Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest food consumption day in the United States behind Thanksgiving. Is that fact or fiction?
Daniel Jeremiah
I would say that's fact.
Boston Connor
Really?
Pat McAfee
That is correct. Yeah. Next question. Over 67,000 high school football players in the US suffer what, each year a concussion? That is correct. Sounds like they're trying to build narrative.
Boston Connor
Yeah, hold on.
Pat McAfee
I don't believe that. I don't like that one. We don't want to.
Daniel Jeremiah
Hey, I'm just giving you the answers. I'm not jumping.
Pat McAfee
No.
AQ Shipley
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
I don't like that. It was in there. What is the name of the position player who lines up with the lineman but can also run out to receive a pass?
Daniel Jeremiah
Tight end.
Pat McAfee
What is the name of the orange markers in each end of the corner of the end zone pylon?
Daniel Jeremiah
Who is the markers?
Pat McAfee
Who was the 2020 regular season NFL Most Valuable Player?
Boston Connor
Come on.
Daniel Jeremiah
During COVID Tom Brady.
Pat McAfee
No. Aaron Rodgers. The king of was the mvp. We appreciate the hell out of you, Lambo.
Daniel Jeremiah
Thanks, guys.
Pat McAfee
Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Lombardi. Tough questions, Sam.
AJ Hawk
Who's gonna get that?
Ty Schmidt
D butts knew it. He texted her.
Pat McAfee
Did he really? Yeah, he knew exactly.
Boston Connor
Yeah. Okay.
Pat McAfee
Okay. That's too easy. What was the nickname for the St. Louis Rams high powered offense in the early 2000s? Who has the nickname?
AJ Hawk
Easy E. Adrian James.
Boston Connor
Final answer rapper from NWA Earl Campbell.
Pat McAfee
S1 easy. Oh, E A S Y E. Eli Manning.
Boston Connor
That's not true.
Pat McAfee
Oh.
AQ Shipley
Cause he's throwing a big Easy.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, because he's New Orleans. Exactly. Have they got the snow cleared up down here yet?
Boston Connor
I don't know. 10 inches yesterday in Florida.
Pat McAfee
In what year did the NFL have a team on the West coast for the first time.
Boston Connor
Ooh.
Ty Schmidt
1949.
Pat McAfee
Okay.
Boston Connor
72.
Pat McAfee
68.
AQ Shipley
35.
Pat McAfee
Okay. 19. 26. Wow. I assume that's who the Ners.
Ty Schmidt
That's why I said that.
AJ Hawk
49.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. I don't know. I don't know.
Boston Connor
I have no idea who.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Nope. That one's tough. When a referee puts both hands on his hips.
Boston Connor
Okay.
Pat McAfee
Just like this. And then points to the team playing defense, what penalty has he just called?
AJ Hawk
That would be a neutral zone. Infraction. Encroachment.
Pat McAfee
Offside.
AJ Hawk
Offside.
Pat McAfee
Who was the NFL leader in rushing yards during the 2020 regular season?
Boston Connor
Covid O covered CO was Josh.
Ty Schmidt
Derrick Henry.
Pat McAfee
Bingo. Donovan McNabb vomited in three out of the four games he played in the state of Florida. Is that fact or fiction?
Ty Schmidt
Fact.
Pat McAfee
Fact. I couldn't say. It was too hot.
Boston Connor
Too much soup.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Too much Campbells. Also with the humidity. Can't do it. If all 256 regular season NFL games finished a 77 tie, how would the playoffs be determined?
Ty Schmidt
Coin flip.
Pat McAfee
Coin toss is the answer. That's good work. That's good trivia.
Ty Schmidt
Good trivia.
Pat McAfee
Hour one, wrapping up here on espn. Hour two, we'll have Sham Shirania and Daniel Jeremiah. AJ Hawk, Coach Pagano is here. Are you going to give picks for these championship games?
Ty Schmidt
Huh?
AJ Hawk
Absolutely.
Boston Connor
I hope so.
Pat McAfee
How'd you do last week? Sucked.
AQ Shipley
Not good.
AJ Hawk
No.
Pat McAfee
Absolute shite.
Boston Connor
No, I think he actually did do well.
Pat McAfee
He? The dogs, I think.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
And they all three one, so.
AJ Hawk
Houston.
Boston Connor
Yeah. Yeah. Houston. Washington, Washington, the Rams and Baltimore Rams.
AJ Hawk
Was a push.
Pat McAfee
I want the opposite way on all of them. I want one in three, so I think I lost.
AJ Hawk
Lost one.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. You did good. I did bad.
AJ Hawk
But next hour's and I picked Ohio State.
Pat McAfee
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AJ Hawk
About capital gains or whatever, which is.
Pat McAfee
Sort of like holding hands. Sorry. Point is, our tax experts can make filings easier.
AQ Shipley
Tax Act.
Pat McAfee
Let's get them over with. Football it is wonderful. That's 36 years as a football coach. 18 in college, 18 the NFL. Chuck Pagano is here at coach the toxic tables here at Boston. Connor and that Ty Schmidt. Sweet. Sea turtles, pal.
Boston Connor
Hey, thanks, man. I figured, you know what? It is cold out down there in Florida and New Orleans. The sea turtles are probably not doing.
Pat McAfee
Too well, you know. You know, you used to just wear a T shirt. You remember that, Ty? It used to be like a T shirt thing.
AQ Shipley
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Now he wears these hoodies over top of these T shirts.
Boston Connor
Hey, look, it's cold out. I'm not afraid.
Pat McAfee
It's not cold in here, though. It feels pretty good.
Boston Connor
Yeah, it feels okay. I'm still. When you wake up and granted, 21 this morning felt like 50.
Pat McAfee
All the snow melting somehow fantastic. Even though it's still below freezing. I don't know how that works.
Boston Connor
Get that sun out.
Pat McAfee
It's like the snow got sick of how cold it was. Bingo. And was like, you know what? It's not above freezing, but it's definitely warmer than it was. We're gonna disappear. I looked out and saw grass. And I'm like, how the hell did that get grass? Did it go above freezing? And I looked. Never. No, no. It's still very much below. I don't know how that works. I don't know science. But I do know it has been cold. Is. I'm actually getting a little. Yeah. Because of the cold.
Boston Connor
I think that time of the year.
Pat McAfee
I think it is. Nah, fight it. Normally football season is when I get it.
Boston Connor
True.
Pat McAfee
The fact that college football. I guess we're in football season, but the fact that college football season ended and then immediately afterwards I gotta think. Good Timing shout out to my body for doing that entire thing. But I woke up this morning with a little, you know, a little bit of that. And I think everybody's probably gonna have to go through that.
Boston Connor
Yeah, that's true. December, we did have a couple colds running through here when it kind of stopped.
Pat McAfee
We had people showing up sick and.
Boston Connor
Spitting in everybody's drinks, saying that they're gonna quit. Soda and not. Yeah, I remember.
Pat McAfee
Oh, well, that's two different situations, but same person.
AQ Shipley
Yeah, we usually get the reprieve too, of like when we go do these games. Like you go to Miami and it's like, okay, we're gonna get an 80 degree day here and we're gonna be good. Everywhere we went, the weather was shitty and it was cold.
Pat McAfee
Woke up on my bus. 49 degrees. The generator died.
AQ Shipley
Exactly.
Pat McAfee
That's how National Championship day started. That was 4:45am yeah.
Boston Connor
Probably. Why Legit, actually.
Pat McAfee
I legitimately think that was the case. I might as well just been sleeping outside in la. It was cold as hell down there. It's been cold everywhere. We hope everybody's okay. Also Southern California still very much sending our positive vibes and prayers. I don't know how the recovery is going to go there. And then also North Carolina of everybody going through it. Just know that we love you.
Boston Connor
Yep.
Pat McAfee
We love you.
Ty Schmidt
Love you.
AJ Hawk
Hang in there.
Pat McAfee
One after the Hammer Cowboys AP Tone is here. Ton, what'd you learn in the first hour? Anything. Sweet.
Ty Schmidt
I learned a ton in the first hour. A lot of those NFL Pro plus Premium. Pro plus Premium stats were unbelievable.
Pat McAfee
It's very disrespectful to do that to their.
AQ Shipley
As an AP voter too.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, AP voter should have a little respect. NFL plus is the original. Then you get the premium version of that that you get NFL Pro. So it's NFL plus Premiums. NFL Pro. Which is worth it.
Ty Schmidt
The fact that the Chiefs haven't turned the ball over in eight games. I did not know that was. Oh, is it. Was it playoff?
Pat McAfee
Playoff games? Yeah.
Boston Connor
Eight consecutive games.
Pat McAfee
Oh, I thought it was eight consecutive playoff games.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
They haven't eight consecutive games without a giveaway entering the AFC Championship. So eight consecutive games. Okay. And also I believe if you go back to his playoff runs too, probably some sort.
Ty Schmidt
I know Pat hasn't.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
Boston Connor
In the division round. That was the thing. No picks. But then also we don't. We don't have it. Josh Allen's had like the lowest percentage of turnovers like in his entire career this year.
Pat McAfee
What an unbelievable run. The Program for these dudes. Josh Allen's gonna win no awards.
Boston Connor
He's gonna win the mvp. I think so.
Pat McAfee
You think the AP voted Lamar Jackson first team all, all pro quarterback. And then they said in the same exact vote, in the same exact time, they said, we're putting Josh Allen over Lamar, though, for the mvp.
Boston Connor
I think he should win the mvp. I'm hoping that he wins the mvp. Now, maybe he doesn't, but I think there would be enough people who maybe put Saquon one and then Josh Allen, too, because of the new ranking system.
Pat McAfee
You think like a voter. Yeah. Eating people's votes.
Boston Connor
Exactly.
Pat McAfee
The points the Independent party has come in.
Boston Connor
And really, especially if there's some absolute doofuses voting for Sam Darnold to win comeback player of the year. I'm sure that there were some talking.
Pat McAfee
About people in the ap.
Boston Connor
Yes. Completely not understanding the spirit of their own award. But again, that is beside. And even Demar Hamlin. I get it. But this is the previous season. What happened to him was two years ago. Unless we want to do a handout award again, that's also possible. But I just personally think Josh Allen should squeeze it out because Lamar's team.
Pat McAfee
I understand you're saying if you had a vote, that's what you would do.
AQ Shipley
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Okay. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, we're trying to say, like, what we think.
Boston Connor
No, I know. That's what I'm. I mean, I think people might have put Saquon one, maybe Josh two, Lamar three and a couple.
Pat McAfee
And then they put Lamar first team all pro quarterback.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Over Josh.
Boston Connor
Some people. I don't know how those votes.
Pat McAfee
How are there? 50.
Ty Schmidt
50.
Pat McAfee
I guess there can be a lot of.
Boston Connor
That's what I mean. If you get 30 people. Well, that have.
Pat McAfee
You know, Vinatieri was in that top hundred. First kicker ever to get in there. I voted him the number one player. How many points did he get? Probably could have gone from the number one player. Like, I. I went to the Pro bowl, first time I ever got to vote. They're like, put your top 10 players in the NFL or whatever for this top hundred. I'm a Venetarian number one. I said every time he walks on the field. But one time this year, he scored. Is that the purpose of the game? I don't know. You tell me. Is that what we're trying to do? Are we trying to score? I think he's the best player in football. So I put him as the number one player in football. I couldn't even Fathom how many points he got off of that. He ended up being like number 70 or something.
AJ Hawk
I lost a lot of sleep during my six year tenure, but it wasn't because of Adam.
Pat McAfee
Ever.
AJ Hawk
Ever.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, we should have had that perfect season. That sucks. They missed one against Tennessee week second to last week. Maybe had a perfect season going extra points and field goals rolling. Only been done once before. Gary Anderson, I believe in Minnesota Vikings. Then he ended up missing a kick in the playoffs for them to lose a game. That was his first miss of the year and people wanted to kill him for it. Oh yeah, first kick, get this guy out of town.
AJ Hawk
He still broke the points record that week though, right down at Tennessee because we gave him a game ball and I fucked it up. I said it was points for this and you got no coach. It was like all time leader in point. Oh yeah, that. That one too.
Pat McAfee
No, no, it wasn't all time. It was an all time leader. I know that because I wasn't around for that. I was, I was trying to. I was literally thinking about just staying to be there for the all time leading scorer. Right.
AJ Hawk
God, I wish you would have.
Pat McAfee
I'm pretty happy with what the decision was made. I think Vinnie ended up making it out pretty good.
AJ Hawk
I tell everybody you map this out. When you came in and said, hey, I'm done. I said, what? And you. I said, you could kick for another 20 years, Pat.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
And you go, here's what I'm doing, coach. And lo and behold, it didn't have.
Pat McAfee
A church, you know, didn't have the Thunderdome in that particular idea.
AJ Hawk
But it was pretty close. What you told me.
Pat McAfee
It felt like there was a easily seeable kind of path.
AJ Hawk
Felt like you had it.
Pat McAfee
A lot of work was gonna happen.
AJ Hawk
Your vision, you.
Pat McAfee
But with that being said, I almost stuck around for venator to be all time lane score. So I wasn't there for that. So there was probably some other record that he broke. I also do appreciate and remember you panicking one time because Vinnie didn't even get on the field one game. So like consecutive starts.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Ven had this consecutive starts record that was just like whatever it is, you know, like you numbers that will never be eclipsed. One game we got shut out completely. So Vinnie didn't even get on the field. So Chuck, like with a minute left in the game, I think he's talking to Conti, he's like, do we need to put our appearances in game? Do we need to put Vinnie in this game? Like just at some point to do we mess something up? They're like, no. Since he never showed, since he never went on the field, it doesn't count.
AJ Hawk
It don't count.
Pat McAfee
Doesn't count as a game or something.
AJ Hawk
He was like, when you, when you guys came up to me with that, it's like, like the game, we're.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, it was like a minute left and we were getting.
AJ Hawk
Okay, we got meat. Whatever. At least Vinny's good.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
His record's good.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
I may get run out of town for this loss, but Vinny's good.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. That was. Those things are. I mean, when you're talking about history.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah, yeah.
Pat McAfee
There's a lot of ways to handle that and coaches are, are right in the middle of it all. But Venator was so sweet. He's gonna be a first ball hall of Famer. Isn't that crazy? As a kicker, he's gonna be first bell hall of Famer. There's some people, I guess, that do the voting, that don't think a kicker should ever be a first ballot hall of Famer. So they'll be battling against it in quiet rooms or whatever the case is, but it's like if anybody was ever to be, he would be the one and we're pulling for him. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is the all time leading tackler for the Green Bay Packers, Ladies and gentlemen, national champion, A.J. hawk.
AJ Hawk
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Hawker. Hawker. How you doing, brother?
Connor
Oh, I'm doing great. How you guys doing?
Pat McAfee
Yeah, fantastic. You know, we're chit chatting about all the, these awards. Obviously you and I both are guys that didn't win a lot of these awards. So throughout our, I mean, maybe throughout your life, you did. I did not. I was, I was runner up for male athlete of the year at my high school. I think I was the only person that could have had scholarships in three different sports. Didn't win it. You know, Mike McKee, who won it. Mike McKee, who I have massive respect for. He went to Kent State to play basketball. Guy had a Silk McKee four, three. I mean, he was awesome. I love Mike McKee. Have no beef with Mike McKee, but certainly could have had a scholarship in three different sports. Plum isn't like a factory of things. I think I probably should have been male athlete of the year. Kind of forced me to go to this thing. Didn't win. All right, fuck these people. You know, go down senior year of college, come down this award show in Orlando. You're gonna win the Ray Guy Award, you know, do the whole song and dance Go get a suit that you can't afford. Do the whole have your dad miss work, your mom miss work. It's gonna be fun. Come down here. Some guy that only had like 15 punts on a season wins. Ray guy. Well, it's like, okay, it's bullshit. I hate this thing. Then there's numerous other times where. So I'm an anti awards guy strictly because of my life with awards. But with that being said, these things mean a lot to legacy. These things mean a lot to the future of how people are viewed in their time. What are your thoughts on all the finalists that have been mentioned and what are your thoughts on the final awards as a whole?
Connor
AJ Hawk, man, That's a good question. I guess it always. How many people are voting on him? I think is a big thing. Some awards, there's like 20 people that vote for him, I think, in college. And different. Different things, which seems crazy to me. I think 50 is a decent number for, like, Tone and the AP voters. But you're right, like, if Lamar is AP, first team all pro, right from the AP, how would he not be the MVP voted on by the same team?
Pat McAfee
Well, what Connor is saying is that Saquon Barkley might steal some of the votes. You know, independent party in here coming in to eat up some of the votes from the one particular party. So he's saying maybe that'll benefit or help out Josh Allen in this entirety. What has been proven over the past is the quarterback that's first team all pro is normally the mvp. That is normally they go hand in hand, but because Saquon had such a great year, they're thinking maybe there'll be other votes going other places is what Connor's kind of spinning.
Boston Connor
Yeah, exactly. And I don't know if this is the first year, Tone, maybe you can say, even though it was your first year, is this one of the first times they've done, like, the list 1 through 5 who the MVP is instead of just write in one name?
Ty Schmidt
I believe it is. And the only way I know that, and we'll say that is because JJ brought it up on our show and said it was one of the first. I don't know. To be honest. I don't know. I could ask and find out.
Boston Connor
And so because of that, I think people might have put, like, Saquon one, and some people would have Josh two, and then Lamar versus versus Having, like, Lamar have the most. Because if it was just one name, yes, I would think Lamar would win it. But just thinking about, especially after Seeing who some people voted for for the comeback player of the year, like I would assume there is going to be some final tally, very close race to it.
Pat McAfee
Maybe if Josh Allen is asked to donate like a weight room back to the NFL someday, he can say almost MVP weight room. Like I was going to do a poem. They asked me if I could donate a weight room. Do I want to title it? I say call it almost Male Athlete of the Year weight room or whatever. They're like, really? Like, yeah, put it on the wall. They're like, okay. I'm like, don't do that. But just know that I've never forgotten. You know, I've never forgotten. It's not the kid's fault. But it is something I think about. The awards are so interesting, man, because then you have to take into account who's voting. Like, do I want to put enough stock into this person's opinion to actually care about it? But players do. Mostly because whether or not you're going into the hall of Fame, whether or not you're being talked about as one of the all time greats, I mean, old buddy there is still pissed at Brett Far for laying down for Strahan because he wasn't able to sign autographs and make money. I mean, there is. These awards mean something, you know, they. They actually do. I hate that they do. I think it's good that we celebrate people, but they legitimately matter. Whenever you're talking about who matters in the history of the league again, I.
Ty Schmidt
Tried taking it as seriously as one possibly, possibly could because I know it means so much. And I tried using like I, I used every single resource that I could. I talked to all players at the positions with the voting and coaches and things like that. So, you know, hopefully you take it right. And if you don't take it right, if you don't do it right, kick you out.
Pat McAfee
Thanks for your service time.
Connor
Are you on a one year deal? Sorry? You're kind of one year contract. If you don't do a good job, they boot you.
Ty Schmidt
I believe so, yeah.
Pat McAfee
We had a conversation with the AP this morning. Morning. Turns out not everybody was thrilled that Tone got an AP vote from what we've been told. But what Tone has exhibited this year is nothing but full on research and effort to get it right. So we appreciate your representation of this program, Tone.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah. And hopefully I'll be back next year.
Pat McAfee
Hopefully you will be. Because you know what? They need you.
Ty Schmidt
Bingo.
Pat McAfee
Especially because there's people putting Sam Darnold in comeback player of the Year, whenever they're like, no, that ain't the rules anymore. So I. I don't. I don't want to hear it from these AP people.
Boston Connor
Yeah, same with Demar.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, bingo. Like, Demar.
AJ Hawk
And he's up there because they knew they messed up a year ago with Joe, and Joe was the first one to say, flacco, I don't deserve this. It should go to. It should go to tomorrow, you know, and so demar's up there now. So, okay, we screwed this up a year ago, so two years later, can we make it this year?
Pat McAfee
A lot of AP people, they don't like the grandstand. Right? That isn't. That's not like the Associated Press for media's thing, right? To do that? Sure. I don't think so.
AJ Hawk
It's just a popularity contest.
Pat McAfee
Which one?
AJ Hawk
Pro bowl, back in the day. Well, probably still you get grandfathered in. Once you get grandfathered in it, you could miss half the season and they'd.
Pat McAfee
Still put you on, especially at offensive line positions, which we can ask AQ Shipley his thoughts on it all. I mean, he would probably echo my sentiments on a lot of these things, but nonetheless, congrats to you. Thankful for you. Congrats, the NFL as well. It is a powerhouse. Have you seen what the projected salary cap is for next year? AJ I have not.
Connor
No. What is it?
Pat McAfee
Projected salary cap next year, $200 million. Now, here is the salary cap growth since the year 1994. Okay, not that long ago, 1994, I was seven years old. $34.6 million is how much you were allowed to spend on your entire roster. Then, obviously, you see the growth. 2010 was an uncapped year because there was a CBA lockout. There was no agreement, so they could have spent whatever that was an uncapped year. 2020, obviously, you see, that's because they weren't able to have anybody in the stands. But if you look from like, 2013 to, like, 2025, the growth of this league is unbelievable. The amount of money going out to players, significant. Now, how will it continue to grow? How do they continue to expand? Well, if they add a game and add a bye week, that's two more weeks of primetime games that they can sell to these new streaming devices. That's two more weeks of concessions. That's two more weeks of merchants. That's two more weeks of ticketing. That's two more weeks of money, which is probably what they're going to sell. $275 million is the projected cap. For next year. And in 1994, it was $34.6 million. Big shout out to all the players and coaches that have put this league on their back and, you know, made it a very profitable business. We appreciate the hell out of you.
Boston Connor
Hell yeah.
Pat McAfee
Chuck, what do you see here? Because in 2013, 123 million million salary cap was huge, people. Holy. $123 million in a salary cap. Now 275 is the projection. That is absolutely insane. Now the 2023-24 jump, 224 to 255, they're saying that's like a make good from the 2020 jump. You know, 2020 had a downfall because there was no tickets. Remember, they had the cardboard people in the stands and they said there's going to be 30,000 cardboard members in the audience and there's going to be 10 actual members in the audience. So there's going to be 30,000, 10 people at this particular game. It's like, that's not how that works.
Boston Connor
Come on.
Pat McAfee
So Sally cap drops a little bit, but then it finally catches up in 2024. Now it's off to the races. What a league. Chuck Bogano, what is your biggest takeaway as you look at this graph you.
AJ Hawk
Look at, I mean, it was just what, 8, 10 million a year? Pretty much. I mean, then you talked about COVID where they missed and then these huge jumps. Even 2024 to 2020. What is that? 20, 20, 20, $20 million, right? Yeah. I mean, it's incredible the way this league we didn't know any better. Like in 2011 when I was at the Ravens, like 120 million. And again, we weren't paying quarterback 60 million a year or what we're paying them now. So.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, but as that seller cap has gone, that's where quarterback contracts have gone as well. You know, in the new CBA that was negotiated there during that lockout. And then obviously post that the new CBA had like a veteran men. If you've been in the league for at least five years, here's what your veteran men is. Rookie men is like half of that. And what ended up happening is quarterback money went up and then the veterans actually started getting cut because all the rookie men's would be the case. So there was like some backwards effects that they thought it was going to be so much money, AJ So much, much money. Now granted, players are always going to want more, which I hope happens. I hope players are going to continue to get more. The league's obviously going to want more. But 275 million split 50 50amongst the NFL and the players for the salary cap. You can build a good team marriage. You can build a good team down there.
Connor
Yeah, I can imagine you could. You, you better be able to build a good team with that much cash. But do we know how much or what this chart would compare to say like the NBA and their salary cap or other professional sports.
Pat McAfee
Interesting. We have not.
Connor
I wonder how like are there's trending in this direction as well.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And Obviously we have 53 man rosters and everything like that versus the NBA who has what, 15 guys on there. So per player I think we would have to do a lot of you know like kind of get it active.
Connor
Or just see if theirs is is going up as much as the NFL like each year after year or they continue to grow.
Boston Connor
Yeah, theirs is definitely on like a per year basis. Like Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown six. Same team. They both signed damn near or one of them did sign a 300 plus million dollar contract, the other was right on the line. And then they're talking about SGA Oklahoma City star who I don't believe has had his super super max yet but they're saying he might be the first ever like 80 million dollar a year player. So I think as far as money wise goes, they're close just because like Pat said 15 players. But I guess here it is right.
Connor
Here guaranteed as well though. That's a big difference.
Boston Connor
Yeah, guaranteed is a massive difference.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And I mean this is where the.
Boston Connor
Luxury tax in the NBA graph in.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. 58 million there, it's 140 million now. So it looks like it's going up. You go down to 2010 to what it is, 2024. Joining us now ladies and gentlemen is a man who might know. Senior NBA insider for espn, the ever handsome sham Charania.
Boston Connor
Yeah, we bring the boom.
Shams Charania
That's all I gotta say. I saw, I saw the video that you did shout out to them.
Boston Connor
Come on.
Pat McAfee
I'm happy you got your reset. I'm happy you got your gimmick in. I like the leather jacket A. You know I like, I like what you're doing here, shams. We just did a graphic on the NFL salary cap and how the projected next year is 275 million. The only thing we ever talk about with the NBA is the fully guaranteed contracts and how seventh man on the bench is making more money than starting linebackers in the NFL is the NBA salary cap cap climb like this or how does it work Each year.
Shams Charania
Yeah, I mean, I think next year's projected at around 154 salary cap. I mean, Luka Doncic, this offseason is going to be eligible for. We have a five year, three, $50 million supermax contract extension. Chick Gills Alexander similarly is going to be eligible for a massive supermax as well. Nikola Jokic, I mean, there's, there's going to be a point in time here where 80 million per year, 90 million per year, and dare I say, 100 million per year at some point. I'm not saying that's going to happen in this decade, but the way the numbers are escalating, I just remember, you know, when, when guys like, you know, Eric Bledsoe, Derrick Rose players, you know, 10 years ago, eight, 10 years ago were signing max contracts, their deals were 70, 80, $90 million. These super maximum max contracts are much higher now. So I think we're only going to see it escalate. And obviously the TV money is going to be flushing in as well, especially.
Pat McAfee
With TV rights doing what they're doing now. They're going to have to get the ratings back and maybe when football ends, it'll go through the roof. But also, seems like there's a fascination with the NBA right now, especially revolving around a story down there in Miami that you reported on early into your tenure at espn. Your senior NBA Insider. You have to go into another team's world, okay, Woj retires. We know the Woj bomb, Shams bomb history. We understand all that. You come into ESPN Senior NBA Insider, you have news on Jimmy Butler. You say, hey, Jimmy Butler's trying to get traded out of Miami. Everybody tried to kill you. Jimmy Butler's agent tried to kill you publicly. Pat Riley tried to kill you publicly. Other insiders tried to kill you publicly. And here we are about a month later, six weeks later, and it seems like it's at a boiling point with Jimmy Butler in the Miami Heat. What's happening down there? I know you talked about it earlier on First Take, where you said it's basically like a divorce. Is it going to be messy? Is it going to be quick? How's it going to work? What inevitably happens with Jimmy Butler in the Miami Heat? And also, congratulations, Shams. Oh, yeah, sitting in the pocket. Is everybody trying to tear you down in this thing?
Shams Charania
You stick to the facts and you trust in the reporting. And I knew the truth of the situation. And sometimes you can't fully report what you know. You can go with what you have right now and, and then you let things Play out the way they're supposed to, because this stuff is all fluid at times, and things can change, things can move quicker. The Heat. There was a world the Heat could have. When they initially started listening to trade conversations in December, they could have eventually traded him. But as his trade desire became more known with the Heat, we saw Pat Riley come out with a statement, we are not trading Jimmy Butler. And that was at a point where I think the Heat were still trying to figure out a way, how can we get Jimmy Butler back engaged with this team. He had taken about two weeks off from play in mid December for an illness and reconditioning, as they called it, quote, unquote. But he made it back, and there just wasn't that same level of engagement. And the stats. There's some stats that you can point to that show that his touches, his dribbles, his demand, he's running. It's just. It's not the same. Like, something is off with Jimmy Butler.
Pat McAfee
He's not trying. He wants out of there. Classic NBA. This is classic NBA. This is what it is, right? He.
Shams Charania
He requested a trade earlier this month. He told Pat Riley to his face, I don't want to be here. He told Mickey Arison and Nick Arison, the Heat owner and team CEO, to their face that he wants to be traded. And still, you know, the Heat are listening to trade conversations. They are engaged with multiple teams. There is no Jimmy Butler deal yet. So when two people are in a relationship that they probably don't want to be in, what we're seeing play out is a divorce in real time. And the longer it continues to go, I think the nastier it gets, the uglier it gets. But the Heat also can't just trade Jimmy Butler to say we're trading him. They want to get some value for him. This is a guy five years in Miami, Jimmy Butler has spent there. And this is after LeBron James is gone. It's after Dwyane Wade is gone, and he leads them to two NBA Finals runs. Another Eastern Conference Finals birth. Over the course of five years, they had had tremendous postseason success, and obviously he was behind a lot of that. He did not get extended in the off season. He didn't get the respect I think that a lot of people in that position probably do get. And we're seeing right now how this season is playing out. Pat Riley called him out after the season, and I think everything has kind of escalated since that point.
Pat McAfee
Pat Riley kind of called out everybody down there. Durability question. And Jimmy Butler's leadership. I think like everything kind of got called out publicly by Pat Riley, who's known to run a tight ship. That's kind of the way the Miami Heat are known about. So will they handle this like other teams have handled it in the past? When our superstar wants out, let's make a deal done by any means necessary. I know they suspended him twice within the last two weeks for like nine games. He missed a flight. I assume he was going to take his own in its entirety. How does this end between Jimmy and Miami? And how easy is a deal to make? Because we've seen shit like this in the past. Superstars want out, Bang. Let's get him out of here year, no matter what the cost is. Is that how this is going to go in Miami?
Shams Charania
I mean, listen, there's two weeks before the NBA trade deadline on February 6th, and until that point, I mean, usually deadlines create urgency. And right now, the Heat from the teams I've spoken to, they're not operating with tremendous urgency, but they are engaging with teams. But they have a price too. And they have a price that they want to trade Jimmy Butler for that hasn't been met yet. I think they're going to continue to be active because this is the reality of the situation. Eric Spoelstra, Tyler Herro, Bam. Adebayo. This whole situation has really turned into a. A battle, a war, whatever you want to call it, between Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler. They're two massive alphas in that Heat organization, probably two of the biggest alphas in the NBA. When you think about the legend that Pat Riley is, and we know Jimmy Butler, he's come from nothing. He's come from a player that was unranked, played at juco, went to Marquette, got drafted in the first round, came up as a, as a really was supposed to be utility 3 and D player, turns himself into a max contract player, an all star player, a player on the verge of championships in the NBA, leading teams to NBA Finals runs. And so they're both very prideful and, and this, this relationship is, is. Is over with. As far as where they're at, I don't think you're going to put the genie back in the bottle. But the reality is the reality, he's under $49 million contract right now. He's got a $52 million player option for next season. And so if they can't get what they want, what do you do? And that's the question Pat Riley's going to have to wrestle with.
Pat McAfee
Well, the only Reason why I just assume it's going to get taken care of. Because the NFL conversation about the NBA is we're not turning into the NBA. Guys sign contracts, they don't want to be here. Too bad. They got to be here. The NBA, I think, goes back to like James Harden, obviously, with his moves. Yeah. Fat suit, going to Vegas, doing his thing. Then he had a hamstring in Brooklyn or whatever. Then he goes over to Philadelphia. Then he hates that guy gets bottle service. He hates that. And James Harden just want. We're talking about a lot of superstars in the NBA have kind of forced moves.
Shams Charania
He did something very similar. It was very similar. The way it happened in Houston, where you never want to say a guy's not trying because you just don't know.
Chuck Pagano
For real?
Shams Charania
For real. But you know, what you. What you saw from the guys before and you know, James Harden in Houston, I. But, you know, I think there is something to say. If a guy isn't fully engaged, if he's not happy where he's at, it's hard to put forth that level of effort. It's hard to be fully engaged with the team. And I think that's what we saw with James Harden in Houston. I think to an extent, that's what we're seeing here with Jimmy Butler. And by the way, that missed flight that he had yesterday, he had let the team know beforehand that he was going to do that. This is not the first time that Jimmy Butler was planning to fly guy separately from the team. This has happened before. It's occasionally happened with other stars across the NBA, but this is the heat in a lot of ways. Like literally no tolerance policies right now with Jimmy Butler. And. And they are nine games worth of suspensions just in the last three weeks.
Pat McAfee
So uncomfortable in the moment, you know, for Jimmy Butler in the team. Like, hey, I'm going to his practice. I'm gonna be an okay going this game. I'm not playing hard.
Shams Charania
And he hasn't even done that yet. That's the crazy part. We saw that in Minnesota.
Pat McAfee
Okay, so we're not saying yeah, and he took over the team. Remember, he ran the thing and then he left and said, I just cooked all these guys. That's. Jimmy Butler's a dog. It was on espn. I think he was doing an interview afterwards. I mean, Jimmy Butler's a dog. But in the moment when you're trying to get out of there, it has to be so uncomfortable. Locker room, you know, walking up the front office. I don't like you. Ownership I don't want to be here in a moment. So uncomfortable. But then as soon as you get to a new place, it's a parade. Welcome in. Welcome aboard. We can't wait to have you. So I guess they view it as a necessary evil that uncomfort in the middle of it. But we hope it all works out for him. Good luck, Jimmy. Good luck. Miami, we're pulling for you. Go ahead, aj.
Connor
Sean, staying on. Jimmy, real quick. When could we have seen this coming? When did everything start with them? Does it stem from them not extending him this offseason? And also, can you remember a time in Pat Riley's career where he dealt, he had to deal with a situation like this where a player really doesn't want to be there and he has to figure it out.
Shams Charania
I think where this probably turned was in the offseason, aj, when Pat Riley made the comments essentially telling him to shut up and play basketball.
Ty Schmidt
Like.
Shams Charania
Like, you know, if you're not going to be on the court, you don't need to be mouthing off about whether you're going to get by the Knicks or the Celtics play basketball. And that was one thing they didn't extend him. You know, you see this team is really going in on Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herron, their rising young core. And both players, I mean, Tyler Herroes look like an all star this year. So you kind of see the tide turning a little bit in Miami, the offense more geared toward those two guys. And then as the season goes on, I think the dissatisfaction that existed there was just something off between Jimmy Butler in the last year of his deal, a veteran at his age, 35 years old. Usually guys like that, they want to have their futures settled out. I mean, we've seen a guy, when a player is entering the last year of their deal, they want to figure out where am I going to get the next long term, not just money, but commitment, where am I going to spend my next three to four to five years? And clearly this is not it as far as Jimmy's concerned. And that's where we saw this, this, this really escalate.
Pat McAfee
All the landing spots still the same that you reported early, what was it? Phoenix.
Boston Connor
Phoenix?
Pat McAfee
Where else? There was a couple other sports, maybe Los Angeles. Tone has a question for you.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah, I do. About the Lakers. I know.
Shams Charania
I feel like I missed one of AJ's questions. I think I just.
Pat McAfee
Pat Riley ever dealt with this before?
Shams Charania
Oh, I know. I don't. I don't think. Not to this extent. I mean, obviously Dwyane Wade left him as a free agent. LeBron James left him as a free agent. And that was in a very public way. But from a player there internally, as much as Jimmy Butler is meant to that organization, I think this is something we have never seen before.
Boston Connor
When he was coaching the Lakers with that team on the show, on that Showtime show. There's a couple guys like that.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. When he was getting started.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
And what was real in that Showtime show and what was it that was kind of the issue.
Boston Connor
Him smoking cigs in the locker room was real.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. But I was watching it as a documentary and then everybody that was in it came out was like, this ain't right. This ain't real. That was a good show. But then it wasn't.
Boston Connor
Yeah, that's just because they didn't like the accurate depiction of it.
Pat McAfee
Oh, the portrayal. Yeah.
Shams Charania
We got to bring that back, though. We got to bring that back.
Pat McAfee
Portrayal of Pat Riley is that he's a dog. Been there, done that, worked from the ball all the way up to the top. Obviously a lot of respect. Him and Jimmy Butler on the outs right now. I think that's a big deal. Where's Jimmy Butler end up? And also in the trade market. Go ahead.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Ty Schmidt
And could it be with the Lake show? Because I know there's been a lot of talk about what they're going to do before the deadline. I know Rui Achimora's name has been thrown out there, but it feels like maybe that's not going to happen. Are they going to land a big star this year at the deadline?
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
Shams Charania
I mean, the Lakers are doing their due diligence to see what's out there. The problem is in terms of the trade market, who there can make that difference? And I think LeBron James, Anthony Davis, your two star players. I think they want to see some urgency, some activity with the Lakers in their front office to go out and go get another piece or two. And from my understanding, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis feeling that this team with the Lakers, which is now certified playoff team, they're not on the. They're not, as of right now, a play in team. They're in the six seed, five, five, six games over.500. They feel like if they get another piece or two, that they can really be legitimate title contenders. And when your best players feel that way, I think the Lakers will be active. They'll. They'll continue to do their due diligence. They have two first round picks they can play with and those picks so far out 29, 2029, 2031. The value on those picks is immense.
Pat McAfee
29 class. They got a couple eight footers coming through.
Shams Charania
That middle schooler right now is going to be ready to go. You know, I think, I think they're ready. We, we just saw the Suns trade their 2031 first round pick the other day for three.
Pat McAfee
Potentially part of the problem with the. And I love that Matt Itchmia is going to do whatever the hell he can do to win it. 2031. Yeah, you can take whatever you want. Send it. I don't even know if I'm gonna be the owner then. I might not want to be the owner if we don't win now. But that is a part of the problem with the NBA I think for us. Taking you guys serious, correct? Yeah, I think it is. And by us I mean like people that aren't die hard basketball people. It's like you're trading at 2031. Why don't you trade to 2051 too? Like why don't you, why don't you just go ahead and get rid of everything? Well, there is parameters I want you to get. Okay, doesn't sound like it. And then Jimmy Butler, superstar for Miami, right? He's with the Heat, he's undercut. He's going to be gone. It's like so is it a. What is it? What is going on? I think that's the big conversation around the NBA. Just give some breaking news right there. You get some breaking news right there?
Shams Charania
Not yet, but we might have something on this show. Not yet though. Not yet.
Pat McAfee
Oh really? Does it involve this potential? Is that what you're talking about?
Shams Charania
It might, it might, but we'll see if we get it. We'll see if we get it.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, him and Holland around here, we're able to get that. Connor has a question for you. Sean.
Boston Connor
Yeah, Sean's. Was there reports that Maverick Carter was going to basically make a rival NBA league with Saudi Arabia, I believe like an international type league. Is that really happening? And is the NBA screwed? Because if Maverick Carter does it, LeBron's going to go and then everyone's just going to watch LeBron over there.
Shams Charania
BC I hate to say it, I hate to break it on this show, but LeBron James is 100% not involved in this endeavor. Maverick Carter is an advisor for this group that's putting together a league trying to get funding, $5 billion for this league, that international league that's supposed to rival the NBA. You know, the NBA is also working on a league Itself internationally in Europe, from my understanding, Adam Silver spoken about it actually while he's been in Paris, talking about how they can build a league in Europe that's kind of going to be around, you know, the. The Euroleague and. And really be able to compete there. But eventually, potentially, I mean, he didn't close the door, but eventually having maybe elite a team, an NBA team over there in Europe as well. And he said, you know, we'll need to figure out how the travel would work in that situation. But the NBA is also expanding in Europe as well, so there's going to be competition for whatever this international league is.
Pat McAfee
Okay, so Maverick Carter is an advisor. Not a bad person to have in there. Obviously been there, done it with everything. LeBron James is not a part of the International League. He still wants to own a team in the NBA. I assume it's some point, 100%.
Shams Charania
And he's been very vocal about Las Vegas and whatever team they get. I mean, the NBA, I don't sense the expansion front is front of center exactly right this moment. But of course, two, three, four years down the line, I think it is something the NBA is going to continue to take a hard look at. And you think about Seattle, you think about Las Vegas. Mexico City is another place that has gotten some. Some consideration.
Pat McAfee
So.
Shams Charania
So the NBA is going to continue to be mindful. But of course, Las Vegas and Seattle are front and center.
Pat McAfee
Okay. I'm excited to see how it all works out. $5 billion is a lot of money, but to who? To people allegedly, potentially behind that. That ain't.
AQ Shipley
That ain't nothing.
Pat McAfee
You can accidentally just lose 5 billion. Allegedly. TRUMP changed, and Adam Silver knows that he'll be able to make it happen. We love Adam Silver here.
Boston Connor
Legend, very tall.
Pat McAfee
He's like Scott Van Peltal.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
He just kind of walks in and you go, holy. Did not know you were that tall. All. He's been very good to us. We appreciate him. We hope the NBA continues to go. You talk about expansion. I know there's one player in the expansion draft that everybody would want because of the superstar, the branding, the name, the opportunity. Ty has a question for you.
AQ Shipley
Shams, can we get an update on Zion? I think he's back. He's. He's looked great. He actually looks like he's in shape, which is huge. Are we. Are we hopeful that this is going to be like a rest of the season thing, or are we kind of penciling in him getting hurt again and missing the most important games of the season, or do we not have to worry about that anymore. And this is the. The Zion we should come to expect kind of for the rest of this season and future years here.
Shams Charania
Schmitty, listen, we. We of course, we of course need and want to see Zion Williamson play and play for extended periods of time. I'll be honest, I don't know how many important games North Pelicans are going to have for the main of the season, just looking at the record. But having Zion Williamson on the floor is the biggest thing that they need for the rest of this season, and they need him to continue to build on it. From everything I hear, and, you know, people might think it's crazy, but Zion Williamson really is in the best shape of his career. Since his rookie season, he hasn't been as light as he is. He's. He's listed at 284. He's below that right now. I can report that.
Ty Schmidt
So it.
Shams Charania
Zion Williamson is in shape, his conditioning is right, and I think over the last few weeks getting a. A sense on where you need to be. Basketball shape, your nutrition, your hydration, all the factors that keep you on the floor when it matters. I think he started to hone in on that. And, you know, the Pelicans know how important he is when he's healthy. He can. He can really, Pat. He can change a franchise's fortunes absolutely, really quickly.
Pat McAfee
He needs to get traded to Indiana. Come over here to the Pacers. They're playing in Paris. Pacers are taking on the Spurs. Wemby's back in Paris here in about 22 minutes. The Pacers are going to win the entire thing. Is that where we're at right now? Give us an update on who matters and who doesn't in this NBA.
Shams Charania
Yeah, I mean, the Indiana Pacers certainly are finding their stride again, which is good for you guys. I mean, what's the feel in Indy? I mean, that was a slow start. Tyrese Halberton, your guy, Pat, he got off to a slow start this year. What can you report on. On why there's a blizzard to a little bit of a slow start?
Pat McAfee
There's a blizzard in the locker room is what I heard. Oh, no.
Shams Charania
Was it fifth? What was it.
Pat McAfee
Was it.
Shams Charania
Was it 50?
Pat McAfee
A lot of people were saying a lot of things in the Instagram comments whenever they posted all their relationships that they're in over there in Paris. There's a lot of things said about this particular team. I think they've taken that in stride. I believe Tyrese Halliburton, we were very Much in contact with him throughout the beginning of the season. He looked like he was passing.
Boston Connor
Oh, yeah.
Pat McAfee
He looked like he was pouting. He knew that he was letting everybody down. He knew that he was not playing great. But all you. All it takes for a guy like Tyrese is just a couple. Couple shows, couple shaking bakes.
Shams Charania
Yeah, and a couple shaking bakes, baby.
Pat McAfee
No look passes. And then he's back in it. It's like the field round indies were just fine. Tyrese and the boys are gonna show up. That's fuel Round Indy.
Boston Connor
Yeah, I've heard the feel around indies more. So, like, hey, does it really matter? Because no one's beaten the Cavs or the Celtics.
Pat McAfee
Well, just real quick, we beat both of them. And also. So CAITLIN Clark won 50 of 54 from three on her birthday.
Shams Charania
I saw that.
AJ Hawk
I saw that.
Shams Charania
That's pretty good.
Pat McAfee
So Tyrese Halliburton, Caitlin Clark, Indiana basketball is doing a. Okay. All right. That is. That is how we feel around here. And we know when the playoffs come around, they're going to play their best ball, just like you, Sean. So we appreciate the hell out of you, brother.
Chuck Pagano
Thank you for staying on top of it.
Shams Charania
I do have one thing before I leave. I will say. I will say this slam dunk contest in the NBA. Andre Jackson Jr. Of the Milwaukee Bucks has committed to the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All Star Weekend. Whoa. So now it's Modest Bozelis of the Chicago Bulls, Stefan Castle of the San Antonio spurs, and Andre Jackson Jr. Of the Bucks. Those are three of the four commitments of the All Star weekend. Mac McClung.
Daniel Jeremiah
We'll see if he.
Shams Charania
If he performs in this slam dunk contest in San Francisco.
AJ Hawk
Christ.
Shams Charania
Andre Jackson Jr. Standing invite.
AJ Hawk
Back me up.
Pat McAfee
Here's. Here's Andre Jackson, Jr. Number 44 for the Milwaukee Bucks. It's not just this photo. We have a highlight of this guy going up again. Look at him. Watch him. He's coming into the frame. That's who. Come on, now. Come on.
Shams Charania
2, 3 inches above the rim.
Boston Connor
Gonna go.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, guys got some bounce. But that white boy, Mac McClung, he also swore.
Shams Charania
We'll see if he does it. We'll see if he does it. It's going to be a show.
Pat McAfee
Well, we know it's going to be a show. We know Matas Bou Zealous is coming in with the real. And then Stefan Castle the second is coming in for the real deal. And then Andre Jackson Jr. Not to be confused with Andre Jackson, senior.
Ty Schmidt
Bingo.
Pat McAfee
Who also hit his head off the rim is going to be there. This can be the greatest, greatest dunk contest of all time.
Shams Charania
We appreciate shout out to Andre Jackson Jr. Champion at UConn. The Bucks have played very well with him as a starter. He's emerged as a starter. He started most of the games with the Bucks this year, who have turned around. They play the Heat tonight.
Pat McAfee
We knew that. And, oh, eyes are on the heat. What are they gonna do in your superstore? That's how you bring this whole thing for full, sir. We appreciate you, ladies and gentlemen. Sean, don't you be saying.
AJ Hawk
Well, you don't know who.
Pat McAfee
Stepp Castle.
Boston Connor
Yeah, come on, coach.
AJ Hawk
I mean, I know you're like, watching on the date.
AQ Shipley
I mean, Boozelis, coach.
Boston Connor
He's one of the goats Buzellus from Bruce Ellis land, country of origin.
Pat McAfee
Geez Louise. The way you're saying that is a little bit aggressive.
AJ Hawk
Yeah, I don't think I got some check in me. I want to know.
Boston Connor
No, you don't.
Pat McAfee
Oh, do you, paisano? Okay. Andre Jackson Jr. That guy.
Boston Connor
Holy hell, guys.
Pat McAfee
Did you see him? Look at him. Watch him come. This guy's in here.
Boston Connor
Give me that. Going.
Pat McAfee
Jaw off it, stupid. Boom. He was going dummy.
Ty Schmidt
Mad dummy.
Pat McAfee
And then Mac McClung. We know who that is.
Boston Connor
Yeah, of course.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. That's milk boy. That goes through the sky.
Ty Schmidt
You guys went last year, right? You said it was awesome.
Pat McAfee
I wasn't there for the dunk contest. You were.
Boston Connor
I was. It was sick. The. The big one.
Pat McAfee
They need to stop with, like, 10 tries and act like it matters. You know, this is kind of the trick shot generation, you know? And I guess we do it every day. Every day out here.
Ty Schmidt
Bingo.
Pat McAfee
This first attempt. Yeah. If he makes a shot, 30 people, 500. Boom. Shot number seven. But if you make that on the first one, it's much better.
Boston Connor
Sweet.
Pat McAfee
The dunk contest, you see, guys miss, like, three dunks, and then they still do it, and we're supposed to act like we're impressed. And the Internet's like, this is impressive. It's like, in real time. It wasn't, though. We also need stars do dunk contest. But why would you. If you're the star, why would you risk getting injured? Why would you do something so explosive? You know, until the superstars say they want to do the dunk contest again, nobody's gonna take it serious. Yeah. And that's just a matter of fact. And, like, we got an issue with the Pro bowl of the NFL. Like, every time I talk to the NBA People about their All Star game. I'm always like, your guys All Star Game. Such a joke. You know, Tyree Salbert will come in here, he'll be like, you guys gonna force people to watch your All Star game again or whatever. He goes, how's the Pro Bowl? It's like valid. Yeah, that's a very valid, valid question. So I think the All Star games all mean something. I think the title matters, but it is tough to get, you know, into them nowadays.
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Back in the day, NFL wise, stars playing, all the studs are playing, trying to prove something. Quarterback challenge. I mean it was like Peyton, Brett, I mean Dan. I think all the big names were throw, trying to throw arms out. They were trying to throw their arms out. Nowadays if somebody was to do that, to be like, you need to get out of that.
Ty Schmidt
Exactly.
Pat McAfee
Same thing's happening in NBA and everything like that. So we dunk, we dunk on the NBA All Star Game a lot. I think All Star games as a whole have just kind of not figured it out.
AQ Shipley
They're never gonna fix the dunk contest either because like you said, like they, the stars need to do it. These guys make way too much money. So like it's like if they put up, even if, you know, we always talk about you got to put up some prize money, if they put up like 500k or like a million to the winner, these guys will be like that. I'm making like $8 million a game, so why the hell would I?
Pat McAfee
Yeah. So when Stefan Castle steps up to jump from the free throw line.
AJ Hawk
Let's not say he sounds like he's out of a movie. What was it?
Boston Connor
He's a Yukon national champion.
AQ Shipley
This man is a rookie.
Pat McAfee
No, that's Andre Jackson Jr. Castle all too. Oh, of course. Yeah, of course. I knew that.
AJ Hawk
Oh, that's right.
Boston Connor
I mean the, the three point contest has become the best one. Like now the three point contest is the.
Pat McAfee
Especially if we got Sabrina and somebody and Caitlyn and somebody and they start doing it. That's how you really bring it together. Caitlyn's not missing this year.
AQ Shipley
No, she's not.
Pat McAfee
So while they're all playing in three on three league, she's hanging around Taylor getting some ideas business wise. And then she's in the gym. That's what Caitlin Clark's doing.
Boston Connor
They did change the game. Now there's multiple teams. They're more so doing like an NHL type All Star game.
Ty Schmidt
Who undisputed.
Pat McAfee
And there's like there's America and then there's Europe, right? And don't they have like that Rising Stars game? Yeah, that whole thing going on Also.
AQ Shipley
For the dunk contest. I mean, no disrespect, but Boozelis can't be in the dunk contest.
Ty Schmidt
Dude, have you seen it?
AQ Shipley
I can't have that guy in the dunk.
Pat McAfee
Have you seen Magn?
AQ Shipley
That's different. Is a short white guy who can fly through the air. Well, I don't need to see a 7 foot 2 Croatian guy in the dunk.
Pat McAfee
Why not? What if he's not gonna do that?
AJ Hawk
He said seven too.
Boston Connor
He's great.
Pat McAfee
He's.
AQ Shipley
He's very tall. I. I want to see some explosion. I don't want to see.
Pat McAfee
What if this guy kisses the top of the backboard and then the very top. Yeah, then I'm smooching the top of the back.
AQ Shipley
Then I will rescind all comments.
Pat McAfee
Wembley needs being a dunk contest. He needs to just walk up to it. This.
AQ Shipley
That would be sick.
Pat McAfee
And not even jump.
AQ Shipley
Dribble. Full court and just slow though.
Pat McAfee
Slow. Just. Just one of these.
AQ Shipley
Yeah, that would be awesome.
Pat McAfee
That would be awesome.
Boston Connor
Hit Edie. Maybe throw Edie in there. Have him do the same thing.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Okay, so we're brainstorming. We'll continue to do that. Let's get away from the NBA. Let's go to the NFL. The future of the NFL.
AJ Hawk
The NFL All Star deals. Like Pro bowl stinks. That is so bad.
Boston Connor
Dodgeball.
AJ Hawk
Like we have an egg toss again and water balloons and.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, it's fun. We were approached with helping be a part of the NFL Pro bowl, like being on TV and everything. I don't think we're going to be part of the brainstorm for the games. So we turned it down. Sure. But there was a couple Mickey Mouse games they were doing that. I did not think we need to be putting our superstars through public that, you know, we don't need to make these people look like idiots. But I like that it's competitive. You know, dodgeball is fun.
Boston Connor
Longest drive.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, that one was maybe the worst one.
Boston Connor
The coolest catch.
Pat McAfee
Coolest catch. Also cool. But then when you drop one, it's not a.
AQ Shipley
And they were dropping a lot of them.
AJ Hawk
Yeah, they were going back and they listen. Dano did was cool again off of Jet Ski.
Pat McAfee
Dano. Dano is the highlight. Dan Orlovsky doing a quarterback carnival was the highlight. Yeah. Let's talk about the future of the NFL. Although we're talking about the greats joining us now, ladies and gentlemen. Is a man who was former NFL scout, but now he does it on television very well. He hosts Combine alongside Rich Eisen. He also host a podcast. He's also the color commentator for the Los Angeles Chargers. Ladies and gentlemen, move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah. Yeah, dj. How you doing, Bob?
Chuck Pagano
I'm doing great, man. I've got my phone kind of acting sideways here so it doesn't pick up my computer. I don't know. I don't know why that didn't work.
Pat McAfee
Okay. DJ Tech is obviously something we're all trying to figure out. We were just talking about the NFL Pro bowl and the NBA All Star Game being absolute shite. I don't know if they're ever going to be able to fix it again with how much money and the analytics we have. But hopefully we'll be able to celebrate great players forever. Let's talk about great players coming in this draft. I heard Brinker talking to Ramon Foster and another local radio show down there and said if you have a once in a generation talent, number one, you have to take that player. Blue players, what we call them, like once the generation got there because they have the number one overall pick. But then also we'll listen to everything else. Who's he potentially talking about there? Is that Travis Hunter, is that Abdul Carter? And whenever it comes to quarterbacks, everybody still talking. Shador and Cam Ward really are the only first round grades. And how do you kind of see it all operating?
Chuck Pagano
Yeah, for me, Abdul Carter is the best player in the draft. So when I heard that and just like blue player, you know, an elite player, someone who's going to step in, be a Pro Bowler, like right out of the chute. That was, that was what I heard. And to me, Travis Hunter is so unique in how you can use him and all the different things he can do. So that was at least perked me up a little bit that this might not just be, you know, whether it's Cam Ward versus Shador, they have a needed quarterback. It's going to be one of those two guys that perked me up a little bit to say maybe they're taking a long range view and just taking the best player. To me, Abdul Carter at a premier position, I would argue the second most important position on the field. To have a guy at that level of a talent, I'd be all in on that.
Pat McAfee
And he played through an injury playing the Orange bowl, which I respect and appreciate too.
Chuck Pagano
Dominated.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, yeah, he's a arm. And Drew Rosenau said I would have been disrespecting him and his family, if I would have told him not to play for the good of business. So it feels like he's a guy. Let's talk about the quarterbacks now, because obviously there's a lot of quarterback needy teams. Shador, Cam Ward. The only guys being talked about is that because their talent, their skill and why. Okay, you know what's coming. Why are you draft pundits leaving Will Howard out of the conversation of being a first round guy? It's because he has talent around him. Okay? That's his fault that he has talent around him. Somebody has to. On third and 11, somebody has to get the call, know that he's going to throw a deep shot, go out there, put his bang on the table and drop one into. Even if Jeremiah's open, you still got to spin that thing and drop a 30 yard ball to win the national championship, which he did time and time and time again. What am I missing? Listen from you draft pundits. Why is he ranked so damn fourth round people got him as fourth rounder. 6, 4, 2, 40. What are you guys doing? What do I not say? DJing this entire thing.
Chuck Pagano
First of all, dude, you're, you're like the teacher that calls me to tell me I failed the test that I haven't even turned in yet.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I just want to let you know. I already know. I already know.
Chuck Pagano
I haven't even posted anything. It comes out next week. But top 50, Minecraft, all that stuff.
Pat McAfee
Stuff.
Chuck Pagano
Here's, here's, here's the, here's the, here's the Will Howard discussion. He went on an epic run and I, I'm excited to get a chance to go through all the, all 22 stuff in these playoff games because he played great and I'm excited to, you know, get a chance to dig in on that. The games I'd watched earlier, I had watched. I'll just tell you, I got my notes in front of me. It was Oregon, Penn State, Nebraska. The first Oregon game. So the first Oregon game, made some nice throws. You know, he had a couple that got away from him down the field. On the, on the whole, I thought he played well. But then at the end of the game, you know how it ends. He, he takes off kind of a little bit of a brain cramp and slides and it goes zeros and they lose the game. Next game I watch is Penn State again. There's a lot of good to take from that in terms of, you know, throwing on balance, you know, some up and up and down. Throws over linebackers under safeties. But the first play of the game predetermines pick six. He's running in the end zone. Fumbles out of the back of the end zone. Then. So then I go to Nebraska. So again, I just watched three games early in process. And coach. Coach knows, you know, you. You start with three or four of these games, and then you get a chance to circle back and. And watch some more as we go in. Nebraska was the last one. He had a sack, fumble, and a ball took off on him for a pick in that game. So the size, he's 6037. So he's just at 6 4, 240 pounds, as you mentioned. He can move around. He can make all the different throws. And he got on an epic heater at the most important time. And I'm. I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm excited to dig into those.
Pat McAfee
Pat.
Chuck Pagano
He's right on the borderline of a top 50 pick for me at this point in time, but I'm telling you that because I haven't had a chance to watch his playoff.
Pat McAfee
Okay, so you're saying that I'm coming at you sideways. I'm not putting him in the fourth round. You got him a little bit higher because.
Chuck Pagano
Oh, he's much higher. He's higher than that. He's a day two guy for me as we sit right now and we'll see. Go through the rest of the process. I was a little bummed because I'm going to be at the Senior bowl next week and. Right. And understandably so. He's played 16 games. He pulled out of the Senior bowl at the last. At the last minute. So I was excited to see him in person because I've never stood next to him and get a chance to see him throw, but I'll have to wait to the combo.
Pat McAfee
So on that note, he also carried the ball, I think, 16 times in national championship, let alone 16 games. He said on our show Senior bowl next week. I'm pretty banged. I don't know if that.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah, understandable.
Pat McAfee
The best usage of his time. He's had, you know, four Senior bowls in the biggest moment, has had an incredible game. Speaking of Senior bowl, though, Chuck has a question for you. Jeremiah.
AJ Hawk
Yeah. So, D. Jeremiah, with. With nil and all these players deciding not to declare for the draft and stick around because of the. The money that's available to them. What's that doing to your pool? We got the, you know, senior bulls February 1st, I think.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Are you missing out On a bunch of guys to, you know, the point you just talking about the kid at Ohio State. But these guys that are staying in school, what's the pool look like? And then the second part would be back to Travis Hunter. Put your GM hat on. Where would, where would you take him as. Would you take him as a D back, a corner or a wide receiver?
Chuck Pagano
Well, I want to start with that one because I want to go back to you quickly on that, coach, because most times when you have guys that can do the two way thing and it goes back to, you know, Champ Bailey and Woodson, all those guys, they major in defense and they minor in offense. It's just a lot easier to sprinkle them in on offense than to sprinkle them in on defense. The challenge for me, coach, I actually like him better at receiver than I do at corner. And he's, you know, he's not big. He's going to be a little over, you know, 170, 175 pounds. So asking him, you know, even though he was able to do it in college, I think in the NFL where they're going to pull him into the run game a little bit more, I don't, you know, I prefer him on offense over defense. I'd like to sprinkle him in, but coach, I'd love to know your take.
Daniel Jeremiah
Can you do that?
Chuck Pagano
Can you go the other way and major in offense and minor in defense?
Pat McAfee
Okay. And Chuck will give his take on that. Daniel Jeremiah will continue to break down the driver draft boards on YouTube, ESPN plus Disney plus and tick tock live. We'll see you tomorrow on ESPN. Goodbye. Okay, with that being said, Travis Hunter, easier to be offense, defense guy, or do you think you're gonna see both? Hembo sent me a stat that he has been, I think, pushing throughout a lot of the ESPN folks. You know, average top 10 wide receiver at this point, top five wide receiver, 30 million. Average top five top 10 corner, like 20 million. There's a chance this guy's a $50 million player. If he's able to be top five at both positions, I think that's going to be incredibly difficult. I think everybody that's been in the NFL thinks that's going to be incredibly difficult. There's a chance he's different though, right? Is there a chance that Travis Hunter is different as a guy who grew up in Boulder and love the Colorado Buffaloes?
AJ Hawk
Yeah, I studied him DJ earlier this year, watched all his tape as a corner and then Jay Gruden. We do a deal on 33rd team. He broke him down as a wide out. This guy is a rare, rare, rare elite. I mean, what I saw him do on the defensive side, they weren't real complicated. He played, you know, obviously a bunch of press. Man, they sprinkled in some too deep here and there. So from a, you know, coverage standpoint, quarters this, that and the other, he's got some learning to do, but he, but he's rare. And don't you think. I just think it's harder to find corners than it is to find wideouts and I think you can find white out. But the true cover guys, like if you want to be a pressure team and you want to get after people, people and you want to get locked down corners and take away, you know, the, the white outs and, and play press coverage, I just think those guys are, are so hard to find. And, and to me it would be like go that route, put them on defense and then, you know, have a, have a package on. I think it's easier because a red zone.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Third down, you know, whatever, whatever that is and then go the other way. We've seen it go the other way. We've seen Belichick, you know, use Troy, use some guys that, you know, play nickel corner in a pinch, you know, if guys are injured and things like that. But yeah, the guy, the guy is rare. Wherever he goes and whatever side he plays on, I think he's going to be spectacular.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah, he's, he's coach. I love that viewpoint and I think that's kind of the, you know, that's been traditional. Right. Is that you, you, you're going to play defense? It is harder every year. We always, I always send out a tweet every year and it's free PSA for high school kids. I said every year in the draft room and every year I've been doing this on the media side of things. I'm trying to trim my receiver list and I'm trying to find corners. So if you have a chance to do one or the other, you got better odds if you go to corner of making it to the next level. So I'm with you on that. My only thing is I think of guys slender frame corners just has, that's, you know, Jason Verrett, I go back to him, was a great, great player. Just couldn't stay healthy. Denzel Ward has been beat up a lot who had a similar type frame for Cleveland. Like, this is not pat certain. This is not a 200 pound, you know, big, sturdy, physical Guy and I just feel more in the college game where you can kind of, you know, you can kind of be removed from the action a little bit more and he can cover like a son of a gun. But I feel like in the NFL with so many condensed formations and bringing these guys into run fits, that's where I just worry about him holding up over the long term. That was my concern.
Pat McAfee
Hey, forced fumble to win a game big time. He has like three, four fumbles on the year. Travis Hunter is an absolute dog. Can he maintain being that Ferrari for an entire NFL season against adults? We shall see. Special talent. Go ahead, A.J.
Connor
Daniel, what about Shador Sanders? What do you think his outlook is? Do you think he does anything at the combine? Does he need to and I guess where do you see him? Where do you see a good fit.
Pat McAfee
Would be for him?
Chuck Pagano
Well, he's, he's. There's pretty split opinions around the leagues, pretty polarizing actually. But to me, when you watch him, the things you can't that are irrefutable. He has got just a pure, pure throwing motion. He is a natural thrower. It is, it is real pretty the way the ball comes out of his hand. He's extremely accurate. It, he's incredibly tough. He got the living, you know, tar kicked out of him over the last few years there at Colorado. Those things you can't refute. Now the people that aren't as high and shooter are going to say, well, he doesn't have elite size, he doesn't have an elite arm and he's not an elite athlete. So it's like everything he does is right here. He doesn't do those other things over the line. So that's where some of the, you know, disconnect comes around the league. I think he, you get him in the right place, you protect him. He's a point guard. He can be very, very efficient. So I think him and Cam Ward, that's going to be a fun discussion. I have Cam Ward right now over him, but I have both those guys as a clear cut, top two guys and there's so many quarterback needy teams that are going to have opportunities there in the top 10. I think they both go up there in the top 10.
Pat McAfee
Cambord's number one guy. Why?
Chuck Pagano
He's just got more, he's got more life in his arm. He's a little bit more explosive as an athlete when he takes off and goes. I just think he can expand your playbook a little bit more. Both of them have played a ton of football I just think I give him a little bit of check. He's about 25 pounds heavier. He's just a bigger, sturdier, stronger dude.
Pat McAfee
What the dude. You know who I'm gonna bring up right now?
Chuck Pagano
Who?
Pat McAfee
We got Will Howard. Kenworth lost to Syracuse. No offense. No offense. No.
Chuck Pagano
It's a shit defense.
Pat McAfee
Okay, so Will Hard. He fumbled a ball. I heard Jeremiah say. Well, he threw a bad pit. It's like you look at anybody's tape looking for bad. You're gonna find it, you know, on anything.
Chuck Pagano
I mean, Pat. I mean, I don't have it in front of me, Pat, But I'm pretty sure Miami had, like, the number one scoring offense, the number one passing offense in the nation. Like, they. They. He. He's pretty good.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Playing in the acc, they stole a win against Virginia Tech. They stole a win against. Against Cal. They stole a win against. I mean, I don't. I love Cam Ward. I am not saying that Cam Ward is not a guy that I want on my team, but just acting like there is, because you guys are the ones. And once again, you didn't put your test out yet, so I guess I shouldn't judge you. But all these draft people are like, this is a bad quarterback class. This is a bad quarterback class. The. That just won the national championship, who's 64240 now we're here. He's not a good one. He's like, he's not a good one. He can run all over the yard. Yeah, he did it whenever he's at Kansas State, was a Big 12 player of the year there. He has too many weapons, though. It's like, what the. He gets the NFL is he gonna have. I don't. He's smart. He figures things out. He's in a new offensive system with Chip Kelly and Ryan Day. He's only gotten bet.
Chuck Pagano
Pat, we got a long way before the draft. You gotta pace yourself, man.
Pat McAfee
I'm not happy about it. I don't. Like. I think it's disrespectful to this guy and his.
Daniel Jeremiah
So if.
Chuck Pagano
If he. So here's an interesting one. So if you took. Did you see Ole Miss at all this year?
Pat McAfee
Jackson dart? Are you talking about Jackson dart?
Chuck Pagano
I'm saying if you took Jackson dart and this Ohio State and then AJ I'll get your take on that as someone who's a Buckeye and watches the Buckeyes. If you took Jackson dart and he got to throw to Jeremiah Smith and Tate and Abuka and had those two running backs behind him and had all those NFL line. Do you think Jackson Dart would have won the national championship?
Pat McAfee
That's cute. That's very cute. We're doing that with Brock Purdy in the NFL too. Or does brain matter in this?
Chuck Pagano
No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm just. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Look, I'm. I'm just asking a question here, that's all.
Pat McAfee
Okay. Yeah, it sounds like you're a fucking hater.
Chuck Pagano
I think. I think Jackson. I think Jackson Dart's pretty good. I think he's pretty talented.
Pat McAfee
I like him too, man. I like him too. I like Jackson Dart as well. I think a lot of the other stuff, people are going to wonder about if he's a face of a program face of a franchise. Any other stuff. Stuff is not stuff that I don't like. I love that he went out on Halloween and then two nights later threw for 500 yards or something like that. I like that he's all tatted up in the whole thing. I'm just saying there's some teams that are probably gonna be like, that's not what we want for the face of our franchise. I'm not saying that's right. I'm just saying whenever you're projecting.
Chuck Pagano
Is this because the eye black. Is this because the eye black part?
Pat McAfee
I think that is a part.
Chuck Pagano
I think that it is not a tattoo, by the way, Pat. That is. That removes itself. Like, that's. He doesn't have like the Mike Tyson.
Pat McAfee
Almost kind of wish it was full time. So now I don't know how to judge. But I'm just saying. Saying I'm not judging Jackson Dart for that. I've gone to bat for Jackson, but I'm saying NFL teams will. Which leads back to Will Howard. This guy's baby face.
AQ Shipley
Just all American kid.
Pat McAfee
Everything about him is just like, does. I don't know. I don't know. I hope Jack.
Chuck Pagano
What state, Pat? What state are you from?
Pat McAfee
Pennsylvania.
Chuck Pagano
Where's Will Howard from?
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Downington. Yeah, I'm just trying to get.
Chuck Pagano
I'm just trying to get to the core of this thing.
Pat McAfee
Hey, if you could go down now, why don't you do some research, do a little homework, project who has the most hall of Fame quarterbacks? Just go through what estate has it and then circle back to me whenever you get a chance. And that'll be a great convo. Once again, love, Cam. Love, Shador. I mean, if we're gonna throw Jackson in there. Sweet. Love Jackson. But I just feel like this guy with. We seen it. We, we watched it live. And that Tennessee defense was supposed to be, you know, like Thumpers were fast, freezing cold. So different game. We're making excuses for everybody but Will Howard, obviously. But in that particular case, he just, he looks the part. Like everything about him just looks the part.
Connor
If he was 5:10, if he was like 5:11, I would understand them saying you're like a fifth or sixth rounder because, oh, he's a stud. But you know, he might not probably have the height for the NFL game.
Pat McAfee
But instead he's gigantic. He's a huge.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah, but I've never. Yeah, but I've never said that. Fifth, sixth round, like, that's, that's crazy. Talk to me. Like, I, I think he's. He's going to be a day two pick which is a second or third round. And then if he aces it, like teams meet with him and fall in love with him and everything, then sure, who knows how high he can go? But I will say when I'm watching, when I'm watching him, guys, real quick and I'm watching, I mean, I can't take my eyes off 4. I can't take my eyes off Trayvon Henderson. That Penn State game. Trayvon Henderson on one of Will Howard's touchdown run. He puts the freaking corner from Penn State. He just puts his face in his chest and puts him on the ground. Like, that is a bad dude, man. And nobody's. That's what I don't understand. I'm looking like some of this stuff has come out. I haven't seen everything but just some of the buzz. And I'm like looking, I'm like, where's Trayvon Henderson in the first round of these things?
Pat McAfee
What.
Chuck Pagano
What am I missing on him?
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And if he's not, there's another problem. Why is everybody. Because they got Jeremiah Smith on it. And Judkins won for over thousand as well in the same bat. It's like that's their fault that they got put on a good roster. They put together a good roster. It's like they all rallied around Will too, which a whole another. And Trayvon Henderson, like, I'm cool with Jud coming in here. It's like the human aspect thing.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
You guys seemingly get lost in a little bit, I think.
Chuck Pagano
Well, here, here's. And it look, it's hard to separate someone from their situation. I will say, and this will be a point that. That is on your side of the fence for sure. On this is that we. There was people it wasn't me, but there were people that with Burrow, he's got Jamar Chase and he's got Justin Jefferson. Like how much is this Burrow? How much of this is the supporting cast? We saw it last year with Jaden Daniels, with Malik Neighbors and the other freak who went to Jacksonville. Yeah, but yeah, it was at Brian Thomas Jr. So like these, these things are, this is the way it works. Most of the quarterbacks, especially in the NIL era, where you can move around, guess what? They're going to gravitate toward where all the receivers are so they can play with them.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And those teams are going to have the money, you know, and those that money is going to be spent on probably receivers and running back. So I'm excited to see how it all turns out. They're not the only quarterback, so they're more. Go ahead, Ty.
AQ Shipley
Yeah, D.J. obviously this is a very quarterback needy draft for a lot of teams. Before the college football season started, both Jalen Milro and Quinn Ewers, you know, in a lot of mock drafts, hey, these are top 10 guys, maybe top five guys. And then as the season has went on and the process has went on, both of these guys are kind of just sliding down, best available, sliding down draft boards. And now we're looking at, I don't know, is Quinn Ewers going to be a third round pick, a fourth round pick picks, same with Milroe. Why have those guys dropped so much? And do you think there is a world where one of these teams panics, who needs a quarterback and we end up having, you know, four quarterbacks taken in the top 10?
Chuck Pagano
Well, I can't see it being in the top 10, but I could see, you know, maybe you know, in the first round or first two rounds, we'll take those individually like yours. I watched him over the summer. I was excited about him coming into this year and I felt I was higher on him than a lot of people. But I, I, I saw some good things from his tape. I saw someone who I thought had some twitch to him and, and you know, quick eyes, quick release and you know, I was hoping he was going to take that next step. Now he got hurt and one of the things that I got to try and you know, figure out and get information on as we go through the spring is, you know, how, how much of that impact him because he didn't play as well. He wasn't as urgent and quick as he played. But then he's got the oblique, you know, that bothered him. He Had a high ankle sprain. So how much did that impact it? But he didn't, he didn't play as well as. As me and some others had hoped he would based off where he was last year. And then when you get to Alabama and you watch Milroe, he just. You want him to be good so bad because everything you hear, he's a great kid. He's freaking jacked. He's a big, strong, physical kid who can run like crazy and just like, can he just take the next steps as a passer? And then, you know, just some of the decision making, you know, Oklahoma games, one that jumps out just kind of got away from him. And he's got a huge opportunity at the Senior bowl next week. He's going to be down there, so get a chance to see him. I think, you know, just the traits like you, we've seen that go sideways as of late when you just kind of go all in on traits and, you know, some of the quarterbacking stuff isn't there and you're like, okay, well, we'll just. That's going to come. Sometimes it doesn't. So that's going to be what, you know, he's a little bit of an enigma, but somebody will do it. He's going to go on day two just because the tools are so interesting.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, he's electrifying whenever he's playing great.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
And that is certainly something you would like to bet on. Potential and potential get your ass fired, you know, but potential.
Chuck Pagano
Yeah, I've heard that.
Pat McAfee
Massive piece of, you know, the entire draft process. Now you mentioned the Senior bowl there. Chuck mentioned it, but Tone wants to hammer.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah, I wanted to circle back on it. DJ I saw a stat. I think 70 underclassmen are coming out this year and then pre nil. I think the last year like 100, 130 underclassmen came out of the draft that year. And Chuck kind of touched on it earlier. What has, what has that done for the draft process in general with the nio?
Chuck Pagano
Yeah, I'm glad you brought that back because I forgot to answer that part of the question. You know, it's interesting. I think we've caught up a little bit. So what's happened is, yeah, we don't have as many kids coming out, but we also now are getting the benefit of having some seniors that would have been in last year's class that decided to stay in last year. So I feel like from a talent pool standpoint, I still think it's deep. I think especially like defensive Lines loaded, tight ends loaded, running backs loaded, offensive line is solid. It's just kind of a weird year because we've had so many years of these just incredibly deep receiver groups. But for some reason this year it's not, you know, it's not as star studded. But I don't think that's nil based because, you know, most of these top guys, they came out. The problem is just the weird part of college football. The best receivers in college football right now are all freshmen and sophomores. They're all like that big wave is coming in the next couple years. But I, I don't think it's as impactful now because I think we finally caught up. So where we might miss a couple kids that stayed in and took the money to stay in school, but we're getting the benefit of the kids that stayed in last year.
Pat McAfee
All right, well, there's also the guys doing 7, 8 years college ball.
Ty Schmidt
Sure.
Pat McAfee
Congrats to them becoming Dollar Doctors while playing football through.
Boston Connor
Oh dude.
Chuck Pagano
So here's one that I heard the other day by the way, was that these think about the quarterbacks with nil and it was talking about some of the movement that we've seen and it said people don't know like, okay, they might be getting 3 or 4 million bucks like the top top guys and maybe that's, you know, Georgia kid that goes to Miami, like he could get three, you know, million bucks around there. But people don't know is a lot of the trading card agreements that they do with either, you know, Panini or Tops, whoever they're signing their deals with with, they have clauses in there that if you are a first round pick, the value of your signature goes through the roof. So you're talking 4, 5, 6 million dollar kickers if you end up being a first round pick. So if you're a quarterback and right, you don't have, have a great year, you're like, I don't know, I'm maybe a second round pick. Like, okay, I can stay in college, I can get a guaranteed three or four. I go in the first round, I might get a five or six million dollar kicker on this trading deal that like. It's insane, dude.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Domo regatto, Mr. Roboto through the end there. That was fantastic. I don't know what's happening with your audio, but I love that because that's potentially Drew Aller, right? I mean Drew Aller goes back at Penn State, could have left, went to the NFL, has the game end the way it ends. Where he throws a pick and then they kick a field goal. Obviously against Notre Dame, it's like, you're definitely going back to school. He can continue to grow and ascend and do his thing. I'm excited for everybody. College football is in a great place. Daniel, Jeremiah, we're in a good spot with you breaking down players. I still think you're full of with Will Howard, but I'll be excited to see where you land on him legitimately. I will be excited.
Chuck Pagano
You're the best, man. I love you guys. I'll see you guys later.
Pat McAfee
You too. Ladies and gentlemen, move the sticks.
Boston Connor
Yeah, D.J.
Pat McAfee
I called him this morning. As soon as he answered FaceTime. Haven't talked to him in months. Answers it. What the. Your guys's problem? He goes, what? I go, will Howard, a fourth rounder. This is unbelievable. You guys don't know ball anymore, is it? What? We don't watch film. We don't look for good players. What are we even talking about? He goes, I don't have him as a fourth rounder. Just so we have that clear. I'm like, so he's a first rounder. He goes, I don't have him as a first runner either. I'm like, what am I missing? I did the entire thing. He obviously answers anytime we call him. We appreciate him, but he's like, in those rooms, you know, has been. He's been very accurate, too. Whenever he makes his projections for drafts. So whenever he's speaking, we will certainly listen. We appreciate him taking time. And I understand Jeremiah Smith's a real deal. He is. Igboka is the real deal. He is. Carnell Tate. He is. Judkins is. Henderson is. Offensive line is. But that's not his fault. Like, that's what this is going to become. Whenever you're a quarterback that transfers and gets paid a bunch of money because you're not the only position they're paying a bunch of money to. Ohio State's paying every position to try to be as good as possible. Now, they're not the only school, obviously. We just Learned Miami's paying 3 to 4 million down there for Carson Beck. How much you guys spend on defensive side down there? Gumpy, how much you spending down there? Zero.
AJ Hawk
Not enough.
Shams Charania
Not with that D. Who's the new.
Pat McAfee
Who's the new D.C. they got him from Minnesota. He's actually very good. Stoked for that because the last guy stunk. You're a Miami guy.
AJ Hawk
That's a positive. They need it.
Pat McAfee
Defense. Oh, yeah, that was tough to watch.
Shams Charania
Which Is weird because Crystal Ball was.
Pat McAfee
Supposed to be a defense. Yeah, but he speaks Spanish, so he's good fit down here.
Boston Connor
Yeah, it won't matter either way.
Pat McAfee
Cam Ward's a real deal, though. Cam Ward almost went to Florida State. Right. Instead goes to Miami. Think if Miami would have got dj, that would have been a little bit of a different situation. We assume going forward, Cam Ward flips that entire program down there. Then the football gods start blessing them. They're getting lucky, you know, Win, win, win. Defense wasn't able to stop anything. Cam Ward in that offense, electrifying. I'm not saying Cam Ward, great player. I'm not saying Shador isn't a great player either. But it's like, you can't just play the game. You drop Jackson Dart in that. You think they turn on Jackson Dart after the losses? You think he motivates the boys? You think he gets along with the locker room? You think he has celebrations with everybody? Maybe. I'm just saying we can't just do that, that game. It's not Will Howard's fault.
Connor
I mean.
AJ Hawk
Go ahead. Sorry, A.J.
Connor
No, Chuck, you go, please.
AJ Hawk
No. So, like, when we draft a quarterback to one of these club, all we talk about is surrounding them with what?
Pat McAfee
Weapons.
AJ Hawk
Okay, so we're not supposed to give a kid in college or. Or. Or the NFL weapons.
Pat McAfee
Speaking of.
AJ Hawk
So he has a. Speaking of a couple weapons.
Pat McAfee
Speaking of weapons. Whoa.
AJ Hawk
What timing. Sorry, AJ Tone digs.
Pat McAfee
Tone digs on a diet. He's eating baby carrots for snacks. Yep. And he's almost got me to join in. Then Chuck today shows up with some of these apple.
AJ Hawk
Oh, my God.
Pat McAfee
Oh, my God. And then this is going to show up after the show. I know. Fat Pat's continuing for at least another week in beers.
Boston Connor
Had some. Had some macdo.
Pat McAfee
Oh, yeah. But I took off half the muffin.
Boston Connor
Oh, yeah.
Pat McAfee
You know, it's just protein.
AQ Shipley
You're good.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Just egg, Canadian bacon, cheese.
AQ Shipley
That's.
Pat McAfee
I'm okay.
AQ Shipley
It's actually, like, super healthy.
Boston Connor
It's keto.
Pat McAfee
I'm trying to get better.
AQ Shipley
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, exactly. People would say that that was a spirit. A smart play by me. Right? A healthy play by me.
AQ Shipley
It's like eating, like, a kale shake. Almost.
Pat McAfee
Exactly. And maybe I'll take the. Just the top of the pizza off would just be cheese and there you go. Pepperoni. Sure. And I'll just eat that.
AQ Shipley
Just eat the cheese and the pepperoni.
Pat McAfee
A little bit of sauce, a little tomatoes, the fruit. So I don't eat that But I'll tell you what. Team Pizza or Team Wings? How about team Both?
Boston Connor
How's that sound?
Pat McAfee
How about I'm on both sides and if we're gonna pick, I'm definitely on Team Bone in. In Wings, then Team Chicken Nugget with sauce on top of it, but mad respect for all parties.
Boston Connor
It's all the goat.
Pat McAfee
What's the score of the Pacers spurs game currently taking place in Paris, France? Bonjour, Messi beaucoup. Oui, oui. Tyres Halliburton. I don't know if you saw that. They took their families over there. Yeah, significant others.
Boston Connor
Pretty cool.
Pat McAfee
They took photos posted on Instagram.
Boston Connor
Obi Toppin got engaged.
Pat McAfee
Nobody has nobody congratulated any of them for the comments? I saw the. Yeah, I didn't know what that was.
AJ Hawk
Who they playing over there?
Daniel Jeremiah
Spurs?
Pat McAfee
Wemby. Wemby's back.
AJ Hawk
Did they bring their families?
Pat McAfee
I assume so.
AJ Hawk
Is it. Is this just a circus trip? Like.
Pat McAfee
All right, that's Obi Topping. Got engaged down there. Congratulations. Well, he's in love.
AJ Hawk
I haven't been paying attention, but have we won 10 or 12 in a row or whatever? So we're good with just going over and having a field trip and having.
Ty Schmidt
Fun playing a game. You know how the NFL you have to go play in London? Did you have to go play in London?
Pat McAfee
Yeah, we had to go play Jacksonville.
AJ Hawk
We didn't leave the hotel. No, we didn't. We had curfew, bro.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
We're over there to win a damn game.
Pat McAfee
I got a massage with Joe Philbin, remember?
AJ Hawk
Yeah, God damn right.
Pat McAfee
You didn't sneak out to have a pint Chuck.
AQ Shipley
Fish and chips.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
Boston Connor
See, look. You did.
Pat McAfee
Did. Yeah, I do.
Boston Connor
No wonder you got canned.
Pat McAfee
I didn't. I want to let you.
AJ Hawk
You know what? I was about to say, please. When I looked over there a minute ago, and I'm just looking at, like, how sweet his hair looks right now, and I'm picturing, like, a lot of blue paint on his face.
Pat McAfee
Okay. Yeah, hold. What do you think?
AJ Hawk
He looks like William Wallace.
AQ Shipley
Braveheart last night. It's funny you mentioned that.
Pat McAfee
Did you really?
AQ Shipley
I did.
AJ Hawk
Every time. TNT or one of the. I mean, it's on. Can't turn it off a dozen times a year. I watch.
Pat McAfee
How do you watch all these things?
AQ Shipley
Oh, because I've seen it, like, a hundred times, and I just know, like, okay, I'm gonna watch the start where Mel Gibson kills, like, 50 people very violently, and then I'll kind of just zone out. I'LL go.
Pat McAfee
I'll be.
AQ Shipley
I'll be in bed by 9:30.
Pat McAfee
Got it. Do you watch it on like 2x speed?
AQ Shipley
No, just normal. I know where all the good parts are.
Pat McAfee
We need to go back and watch that last 44 minutes of top Gun.
Boston Connor
Boom.
Pat McAfee
I need to go watch that.
Boston Connor
Good call.
Pat McAfee
That's good. Have you seen it? Yeah. When they're taking off the carrier from them. Taking off the carrier all the way to the end.
AQ Shipley
Yep.
Pat McAfee
Worth it. Just so much fucking America. So much Tom Cruise. Mai Tai doing his thing.
AQ Shipley
Hangman saving the day.
Pat McAfee
Oh, you're welcome, man. I kind of want a little watch right now. I don't believe you. They have not tipped off yet in Paris. You know how that go.
Boston Connor
Paris go that French town.
Pat McAfee
It is two nothing. The Indiana Pacers. So maybe the field trip was worth it. Chuck. As you continue to question the Pacers motives. Wemby cross up into paint dish. Great D. Smack the floor. This American power. What a shot over Mathurin there. Two. Two in Paris.
Connor
So one game and then back home.
Pat McAfee
They got a game on Saturday as well. I don't know if it's in Paris or if it's somewhere else.
Boston Connor
Believe it's in Paris.
AQ Shipley
Yeah. And they play the spurs again, don't they?
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Comes off a pick. He needs to pull up from right there. We saw him in the Thunderdome. Shoot from there and he didn't miss. Shoot that bucket don't like the board. We didn't. We didn't have anybody really.
Boston Connor
That is Castle, I believe right there. The dunk contest.
Pat McAfee
Gotcha's dribbled out. Bounce.
Boston Connor
Bingo.
Pat McAfee
Tell you what. Hard to watch here. Yeah, this sticks, boy. It's in France, so it's a little different.
AJ Hawk
These guys ain't locked in well.
Boston Connor
Yeah, they are teasing. Peace to Greg Popovich.
Shams Charania
Welcome to watching the NBA.
Pat McAfee
Best team in the city.
Boston Connor
Coach keys.
AJ Hawk
And peace to Pop Load Management. Load this.
Pat McAfee
No, they're different. Not the Spacers. The Spacers. Teams play, they play. Carlisle has the boys running.
Ty Schmidt
Bingo.
Boston Connor
There it is.
Pat McAfee
Pop that, Tyrese.
Boston Connor
God.
Pat McAfee
I mean, Miles.
Boston Connor
Yeah, right.
Pat McAfee
I don't know why you're doing that in Wemby's time. I don't know why you're doing that.
Ty Schmidt
Take a charge at Barnes.
Boston Connor
Yep, still do.
AJ Hawk
We play.
Pat McAfee
What'd you say, Edge, earlier?
Connor
You said it's on NBA tv. We all have that.
Pat McAfee
We do.
AJ Hawk
Where do you find that? What stream of life is that?
Pat McAfee
I'm not 100% sure, but I know that that is not where we thought this game is going to be. Step back.
AJ Hawk
Oh, my.
Pat McAfee
Keep it.
AJ Hawk
It looks like AQ shooting.
Pat McAfee
It does look like a Q. That might be a part of the NBA's issue right there. Can't find it. And when I do turn it on, it's crop. It's absolute crop. Tyrese needs to be shooting that fucking ball. Why is he passing it? Yeah, we'll be back on the other side. Chuck's gonna make his picks. Pacers will take the lead. We're an international show all of a sudden.
Boston Connor
Boom.
Pat McAfee
Bonjour, Sava. Sava bien. Merci beaucoup.
Ty Schmidt
This episode is brought to you by Allstate. Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking Allstate First. Like, you know, to check the date.
Pat McAfee
Of the big game first before you.
Ty Schmidt
Accidentally buy tickets on your 20th wedding.
Pat McAfee
Anniversary and have to spend the next 20 years of your marriage making up for it.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah, checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote.
AJ Hawk
That could save you hundreds.
Pat McAfee
You're in good hands with Allstate Savings. Vary terms apply.
Ty Schmidt
Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, IL.
Daniel Jeremiah
From ESPN Podcast and Omaha Productions, Coach is a new, groundbreaking educational football podcast hosted by NFL legends Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia, and Michael Lombardi. In each episode, the coaches break down game changing situations and front office management.
Pat McAfee
Tactics, sharing insights from decades of coaching.
Daniel Jeremiah
Experience and opening up the Bill Belichick Encyclopedia of football Knowledge, created by football legends for football fans. New episodes of Coach Drop Weekly. Listen wherever you get your podcast.
Pat McAfee
Football is awesome. That's AJ Hawk. The toxic tables here at Boston. Connor, not Ty Schmidt. One half of the Hammer.
AJ Hawk
Done.
Pat McAfee
Cowboys. AP Tonus, you're wearing a Duquesne football hoodie. I saw you got a ring.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah, I'm an A10 champion.
Pat McAfee
What? Wow. Where'd you put the ring at?
Ty Schmidt
It's still my house. I'm gonna bring it in here.
Pat McAfee
Okay. So Duke Caton sent you a championship ring, a hoodie and a helmet. Yeah. Wow. Go Dukes.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah. Great people. Great day to be a Duke.
Pat McAfee
It is a great day to be a Duke. You're a champion. 36 years in football as a coach. 18 in college, 18 in the NFL. Chuck Pagana is here, baby Charles, we got a chance to watch some NBA there during the break, obviously. Over there in Paris. Wemby has gone apeshit since we turned the game off. Hit a three, then followed up with a two. Tyrese has also hit a Step back three. We need more of that. Has it been an electrifying Day in your mind talking about this NBA, the association. What a sport, what a game, what a league. Jeez, what the hell, Chuck? Jeez, Lou, I don't know.
AJ Hawk
I don't know how anybody. Until the playoffs, I will not watch a game.
Pat McAfee
Okay, listen, that's Chuck Pagano. And to you basketball people, there's a lot of people that feel that way. And I think you shouldn't be mad at Chuck. I think you should just understand that's reality of the situation. But if Tyrese Halliburton starts cooking and Miles Turner starts doing his thing and Spicy P and Carlisle, the coach starts doing more press conferences, this Pacers team's gonna be must watch. Must watch. And you know why? We only got three football games left.
Boston Connor
Yep.
Pat McAfee
Two of them on Sunday.
AJ Hawk
That's so depressing.
Pat McAfee
Agreed. That's why we're starting to do this whole song and dance here about the NBA, you know, trying to. Zion.
Boston Connor
Yeah. The Celtics.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Cavs.
AQ Shipley
Yeah.
Boston Connor
OkC.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Cool story. Jackson Jr. Yeah.
Boston Connor
Houston.
Pat McAfee
That's what we're starting to do here, Chuck. You can sense it.
Ty Schmidt
Hockey's cooking.
Pat McAfee
Hockey is awesome. People need to talk about it more. Pittsburgh Penguins on fire right now.
Ty Schmidt
Bingo.
Boston Connor
Fire sale.
AJ Hawk
They're not very good, are they?
Daniel Jeremiah
Big win against the LA Kings.
AJ Hawk
Dealer. Doing who? Jocko?
Boston Connor
H, It's Sako, you bag of bones.
Pat McAfee
Did you hear about D?
AJ Hawk
Is he still the head coach?
Boston Connor
Is he still the head coach?
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Are they on a runner?
Boston Connor
They just lost five one.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, let's. Let's not talk about just the boss of Bruins. Did you hear about D over there?
AJ Hawk
About what? D D's.
Ty Schmidt
Almost had him.
Pat McAfee
Got Coach Saban. Got Coach Sabbath shaving during a commercial break at game day. Oh, yeah.
Ty Schmidt
Forgot about that.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I completely forgot about. Until it came into my mind during a commercial break and I was like, hey, D. Wanted to talk to you. He goes, D who? I go. And I just look away. And it was like two minutes later. Fuck you. You got it. Coach Saban's the man. Did you see him on the pivot?
Connor
Oh, I did, man. I saw. I love that crowd. I mean, I love crowd and what he does. But yeah, the bathroom stories is pretty awesome.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Channing Crowder saying it was. Oh, yeah, here. This clip from the pivot about Coach Saban is a great depiction of who he's a football guy through and through who happens to become the greatest of all time in college coaching. One of the greatest leaders of all time, one of the greatest teachers of all time. But at the end of the day he's a football guy from West Virginia. Here's him on the pivot talking with Channing Crowder about their times at the Miami Dolphins. Speaking of Terry, I don't know if you remember this interaction in the bathroom. I was in the bathroom at a dolphin facility and I was playing on my phone. That little bathroom right by the front door by the team meeting room. And you walked in and I saw you through the crack. Cause I was in the stall and I knew it was you. And I said, I have to go out here. And I walked out and I went to the sink and I started washing my hand. I looked over and I knew I had to say something to you. You're the head coach of Dolphins. You're nicknamed Saving. And my first thought, in all the meetings, you used to talk about Ms. Terry, you talked about your wife. And she brought us cookies. She brought cookies to the team. Yeah. And Coach, I looked over and this is about 10 games into the season. And I think it was. I forget it was Buffalo running back, but I end up giving up a third down catch to the running back on the option route. And this is Wednesday at practice and I'm washing my hands, I look over, I say, hey, coach, how's Ms. Terry? And you looked at me and said, she'll be a lot better if you can cover her fucking back on Thursday. That's right. She wanted to win. But it always blows my mind. When you saw me, that was. Had to be three days later. That's. You thought about me giving up that third and seven when I asked you, how's Ms. Terry?
AJ Hawk
Yeah, you gotta get off the field on third down.
Pat McAfee
What an answer. What a response. I'm happy Channing and he had that moment, obviously. But after getting to hang out with Saban every single week. Dude is awesome. You can see why he was so successful. What a run he's been on. I hope he talks more. I hope he does more leadership stuff. But Ms. Terry too, like, yeah, she knows. Got to be able to get off the fucking field, bub. Yeah, life will be a lot better for all parties we win there. That's the whole thing about families and coaches. It's like they ride the of everything, right? And that can change. They try not to.
AJ Hawk
They say, hey, we don't. We're not gonna. But hell yeah, they do have to. Have to.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
There's no way around it.
Pat McAfee
Ms. Tina is awesome. Now, Gr, you've said some things on this show about her this year that I don't think is Necessarily. Great. But, you know, we're talking past that. Well, we can bring it right back up. We won't, though. That's what our show does. But what I think she does, she.
AJ Hawk
Forgot about it to. I mean, we don't need to bring it up.
Pat McAfee
Well, you're calling her. I don't. I. I don't think you're forgetful, Ms. Tina. I. I think you had a great brain. I think you're very happy. I think you understand what Chuck did this year while giving out picks, waffling with the syrup and everything like that. But I do know that your championship pick picks are about to be the best you've ever had. How'd you do this past weekend? Three and one, I believe so. Chuck Leona was three and one this past weekend. You're seeing the board. You're seeing it clearly. Let's talk about these championship games and what your expectations are. Coach.
AJ Hawk
Yeah. So Philly and Washington, they split in the regular season, right? I just think Washington is playing so much better team football right now. I think Philly, obviously, they can run the ball. They've struggled. Who'd have thought that they would have beat the rams, right? And A.J. brown and DeVonta Smith would have six catches for 35 yards between the two. Like, they just. And Jalen's holding the ball and holding it and holding it, and there's nobody. There's nobody getting open. They know each other. So there may be a wrinkle, like they talked about a wrinkle here or there on both sides of the ball, some little gamesmanship, whatever, but I like, I like. And again, Washington 30th and run defense throughout the course of the year. This guy had almost three hard 300 yards rushing and four touchdowns in two games Saquon did on these guys. But I like, I like the commanders and the points in this one.
Pat McAfee
You continue with the dogs because I.
AJ Hawk
Just think that all the pressure is on Philly. They're at home. The expectations with Sirianni. And I love coach Joey Pananzio. Mike Bison from home, Are you kidding me? But all the pressures on them in Washington, they're playing with house money. They've exceeded expectations by 2 million to this point. And that'll change next year, obviously. But this kid's playing so free. He's mature beyond his years. Jaden Daniels, yeah, Lattimore, he's gonna go shadow, you know, A.J. brown and. And all that stuff. So they'll make just enough play. Louvu. Oh, yeah. What he did to Goof, I mean.
Boston Connor
Turned him into a goof.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, turn him back.
AJ Hawk
He should have been called.
Pat McAfee
Commander's beating the Lions. I assume that was on your ref call the one that you're on every week saying, how do I stick up for the refs every week? I appreciate you doing that for them. It should have been called obviously defenseless player, even though he's trying to make a tackle.
AJ Hawk
They missed that.
Pat McAfee
Them beating the Lions gave me a thought that Notre Dame could beat Ohio State. I was like, you know what? Commanders just beat the damn Detroit Lions. Detroit Lions more healthy than been for a long time. Detroit Lions the most dominant at home. They got Eminem there. They got. Whoa, whoa, you know, jello ball performing up there. They got it all. I didn't think there was a chance, chance the Commanders are going to win that game. I didn't think there was either. And I didn't think the Lions would turn the ball over as much as they did. That was the key to the game. They did not take care of the ball. Five turnovers, obviously. Three interceptions from Jared Goff, one interception from Jameson Williams and add in a fumble on that. That's impossible. But also the Commanders out physical. Yeah. The Detroit lines like they showed up.
AJ Hawk
They keep it really, really simple on the defensive side. They don't do. They don't do a whole lot. They're going to play a bunch of middle field closed, single high, mix in some two here and there, little fire zone, three under, three deep. But them some play hard and they play fast.
Pat McAfee
You know who else feels the same way you do? I think he was leading towards it hard as soon as the game was announced. A.J.
Boston Connor
Hawk.
Pat McAfee
Ain't that right? Yeah.
Connor
Six points. The six points definitely, definitely has me curious about this commander's team.
Pat McAfee
No question he's a big fan of the Commander squad. I mean, how could you not be after the wins that they just got right there? And is it a team of destiny?
Connor
Yeah.
Boston Connor
If they win win, they'll be the third ever team to win against the three seed, two seed and one seed, the other two being the 2005 Steelers and the 2010 AJ Hawk Packers.
Pat McAfee
And what did they do?
Boston Connor
They all won the Super Bowl.
Pat McAfee
Interesting. History says if the boys were able to get a win here in Philly, which is going to be tough against the Johns, especially with the 30th rush defense. That's not good. Especially with what Philadelphia is and they know what they are. It's like this commander's team could be anybody. They proved that last week and obviously that's Football, any given Sunday, especially championship Sunday. Now let's go to the afc. Patrick Mahomes taking on Josh Allen. Man, how do you see it going? Chuck Pagano.
AJ Hawk
Yeah. I mean, everybody would love to see Josh Allen and this Buffalo Bills try to get over the hump. But, like, I'm not. I'll take Kansas City. I just.
Boston Connor
Wow.
AJ Hawk
Until somebody knocks him off and beats them.
Pat McAfee
It's the first favorite.
AJ Hawk
They had 212 yards. They lost the third down.
Pat McAfee
Battle.
AJ Hawk
Battle. They lost the rush battle. The only battle they won last against Houston was the penalties. But anyway, I'm not gonna say.
Pat McAfee
What are you gonna say?
AJ Hawk
Go ahead.
Pat McAfee
You want to Joe mix in this thing real quick.
AJ Hawk
212 yards. I mean, it looked like, I mean, nothing. And they win by eight or nine points still. You know? You know what I mean?
Pat McAfee
Yes.
AJ Hawk
Until somebody goes in there and you knock Pat Mahomes off. And Kelsey's hit his stride when he came on your pro program and he said, I feel like I'm 22 again. By God, he looked 22.
Pat McAfee
We didn't know Caitlin was going to be there, too. Yeah. Who's number 22?
Boston Connor
She might be there again.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, maybe. We'll see. Here's some stats from Hembo. James Cook. In his four playoff games with Joe Brady as offense coordinator, he's averaging 92 scrimmage yards per game on 22 touches. And 53 out of 87 total touches are on first down. James Cook. Let him. Cook first. Highest touchdown interception ratio in playoff history. Minimum 300 attempts. Number one all time, Josh Allen. Okay. Number two all time, Patrick Mahomes. Chris Jones has only sacked Josh Allen once in their seven meetings, but he's pressured him 25 times and created 20 incompletions. Wow. While being doubled 55% of the times. Check 95. Mike's 95. Chris Jones episode. Doug Hollywood Brown was targeted only twice. Had zero catches on 20 routes against Houston. Going to have to get him back into everything. Amari Cooper just gave an interview for the first time yesterday. Did you hear that?
Boston Connor
Yeah. It was impressive.
Pat McAfee
It was. He was talking about the last game of the season. You hear the win or lose. He was talking about the finality of championship. He said, I've been a part of it two times, maybe three times. Amari Cooper's won a lot. Remember, Nick Saban told us that throughout his entire time with. Amari Cooper is in Alabama football team member. We talked. We had zero. One conversation.
Boston Connor
One. Yeah.
Pat McAfee
He never talked. Super quiet guy. Which I think has led some people to Believe he's checked out. And Nick Saban's like, he's not checked out. He's very much locked in. He's just quiet. He gave an interview and he talked about championship mentality and what it takes. He's a full team guy. Yeah. Amari Cooper in the Buffalo Bills. Perfect. Seemingly a perfect marriage up there. Amari Cooper has been targeted nine times on 60 rounds. Routes run across his last five games. What's that all about?
AQ Shipley
I don't know.
Pat McAfee
What's Josh Allen doing? Give him a wall?
AQ Shipley
Well, I mean, last week, offensively, you know, I mean, Josh Allen only threw for what, 124 yards?
Boston Connor
Like it.
AQ Shipley
You know, they just.
Pat McAfee
Like Pat.
AQ Shipley
Yeah, exactly.
Pat McAfee
Just like Jalen.
AQ Shipley
Right.
Pat McAfee
Not a lot of pass yards.
AQ Shipley
You know, you win the turnover battle, you know, for nothing.
AJ Hawk
And don't expect it because if they stay in in base defense, McDuffie will travel and I think he'll line up across, you know, from. From Amari and. And take him out. When you go to nickel, then McDuffie goes in inside the slot, and that'll be a good one to watch. Him and Shakir.
Boston Connor
Shakir?
AJ Hawk
Yeah, you know, cuz, I love Shakir. I mean, he's a Boise State Bronco. This some is a war daddy.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, he is. Came out of nowhere.
AJ Hawk
I mean, he catches a ball and guess what he does.
Pat McAfee
What's that?
AJ Hawk
North and south.
Boston Connor
Turns up field.
AJ Hawk
He doesn't go sideways and get.
Pat McAfee
State. You think?
AJ Hawk
What's that?
Pat McAfee
Because you want the boys to stay. To know he loves Jesus.
AJ Hawk
I don't know what it's become, but the guy's a dog.
Pat McAfee
Have to love Jesus. Your boy's estate. Amen.
AJ Hawk
Facts.
Pat McAfee
Who's the coach over there?
AJ Hawk
Spencer Danielson.
Pat McAfee
Hell of a coach. Hell of a program. Young guy, right? 30.
AJ Hawk
What, 37, 38. I mean, very young.
Pat McAfee
How old's Buddy at Arizona State? 30. What?
AJ Hawk
Oh, four.
Ty Schmidt
She's young, right?
Pat McAfee
Dan Lanning. What's he, 31. What?
Boston Connor
38 too, I think.
Pat McAfee
Marcus Freeman. What's he, 39. Ryan Day is 45. I mean, there's a youth. And then you got Bill Bellich. Yeah. Coming in. Coming in. 70.
AJ Hawk
Walker Media.
Boston Connor
What the shock?
AJ Hawk
I'm just Josh. And you know, I love coach.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Absolutely love him. Respect. Appreciate him. You. That's the first favorite you've picked is Kansas City Chiefs, you know, for the last two weeks. You want Dog? Dog? Dog?
AJ Hawk
No, no, no. I took Baltimore.
Boston Connor
Baltimore.
Pat McAfee
That was your one loss?
AJ Hawk
Yep.
Ty Schmidt
That's just because you're home.
AQ Shipley
Oh, so, yeah. You just hate the Bills. Yeah, makes sense.
Pat McAfee
You don't believe in the Bills.
Boston Connor
Well. And the Pagano family is on the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Commanders.
Pat McAfee
Why is that?
Boston Connor
Well, you coach for the Ravens then. Isn't. Doesn't your brother coach for the Commies?
Pat McAfee
Oh, isn't that interesting?
AJ Hawk
But.
Pat McAfee
But we thought we were running a.
AJ Hawk
No. You remember during the season, I was sitting right over there and you know who was sitting right here?
Pat McAfee
Who?
AJ Hawk
Jelly. First name Jelly, last name Roll Bubba. Who's down like a 200 pound. Looks.
Pat McAfee
Looks amazing. Up downs on the stage.
AJ Hawk
Jelly. Hell yeah.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. I don't think Jelly's watching.
AJ Hawk
Remember we were taught and then all of a sudden you said, hey. And I said, wait a second. Sick. You go, oh, what? Remember I switched.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I remember. That was when we almost got to the whole like in a butt thing. Yeah.
Ty Schmidt
Remember?
Boston Connor
That's a bad flop.
AJ Hawk
I got chewed out after that one.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, okay. I like that.
Boston Connor
I bet you loved it.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, she did. Gnawing on that thing.
AJ Hawk
Oh, my God. Yum, yum, yum.
Pat McAfee
All right. Shuck the wrong with you on that note.
AJ Hawk
Pizza Hut's coming. That's all I'm thinking about. Yum, yum, yum.
Pat McAfee
I can sense it's on its way.
AJ Hawk
Bone from last week. Guess what?
Pat McAfee
What's that?
AJ Hawk
No, no.
Pat McAfee
What?
AJ Hawk
Garlic, pepper, Bunch of them. Soggy lemon. Let me.
AQ Shipley
They weren't soggy, old man. Jesus Christ.
AJ Hawk
Okay, now you're going to start. Hold on.
Pat McAfee
Well, you. You're taking a shot of pizza. Yeah, exactly.
AJ Hawk
Here. There was some derogatory statements about my nationality earlier.
Pat McAfee
What he say? What say what?
Boston Connor
Did I say?
AJ Hawk
Call me God.
Pat McAfee
You. He did not. Yeah, I heard.
Boston Connor
It's egregious.
Pat McAfee
I did hear that.
AJ Hawk
Hey, guinea.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, he did. He did say that.
Boston Connor
You can't lie.
Pat McAfee
I heard. Whoa.
AJ Hawk
I said, excuse me.
Pat McAfee
He said, am I here?
AJ Hawk
Am I what Is like my ears are in.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I can hear.
Boston Connor
That's a lie. That is a bold faced lie.
AJ Hawk
You said it and I still come out.
Boston Connor
I didn't say shit to Chuck.
AJ Hawk
Tell me. Looks just like brilliant Bruce Willis or whatever his name is.
Connor
Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson.
Boston Connor
Jesus. William Wallace. This guy's lying through his teeth. I've never seen that too.
Pat McAfee
Oh, my God. All right. Anyways, he wasn't talking about you. He was talking about others. I believe if you.
Boston Connor
Those words never. Those words never crossed my lips.
Pat McAfee
Okay, all right. All right.
AJ Hawk
Well, I'd like to fact check that couple. Your homeboy.
Pat McAfee
Was he talking about guinea pigs? Maybe I Think you said something about guinea pigs.
Boston Connor
No, I was thinking about. Look, I was thinking about vacationing in Papua New guinea, and then he thought that I was.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I. I did hear him say the word. I didn't know what context it was, though, so I just trusted what Chuck said because Chuck did do an. Excuse me. Am I not here right now? Am I not right here in front of your face?
AJ Hawk
Like, really?
Pat McAfee
That was unbelievable. I didn't like.
Boston Connor
That's the name of the country and.
AJ Hawk
And Italian of the year.
Pat McAfee
Like, coming on the hill today at the Italian festival. The Italian of the Italian.
AJ Hawk
We were in Lake Geneva not six.
Pat McAfee
Months ago, and then this guy right in your face, and all of a.
AJ Hawk
Sudden he pops me with that.
Pat McAfee
I don't like it. I'm not thinking about going to Popping New Guinea. Yeah.
Boston Connor
What do you offer me or that other country in the Olympics? Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. That was a country. You remember that? Yeah, we all learned that together. That. That is a country. Country.
Boston Connor
Go see what all those guineas are about over there.
Pat McAfee
What's that? You know what they are the people of the country.
AJ Hawk
Keep it up.
Pat McAfee
What?
Boston Connor
It's the name of the people who live there.
Pat McAfee
Nationality. What? It's a country. It is a country. Yeah. Papua New Guinea. And then there's another country.
Boston Connor
People who live there are guineas. What?
Pat McAfee
Guineans?
Ty Schmidt
Yeah.
Boston Connor
I think it's just guineas. For sure.
Pat McAfee
No, I think what you're doing right now is taking some liberties in the entire.
Boston Connor
Look, I can't confirm or deny.
AJ Hawk
I want you to know I'm sick to my stomach. Not over this, but just to the fact that, like, it's 2. 45 and we got three games left. Three in a national football. Three games left.
Pat McAfee
Two on Sunday. 12 weeks from then.
AJ Hawk
My last trip to Indy. I'm. I'm sick this year. I have no. I have no idea. I'll see a New Orleans. But unless we have an epiphany or something. But I'm sick. I don't know what to do in. The season's over.
Pat McAfee
I know. Me neither. Neither do we, honestly. That's why.
AJ Hawk
What do you do, you know?
Connor
What do you do?
Boston Connor
You know what he does?
Ty Schmidt
Break down draft.
Pat McAfee
Wait.
Connor
Ride your bike. Ride your bike around Italy with Ray Lewis again.
Pat McAfee
That was fun.
AJ Hawk
I'd like to do that. I think we're gonna go to Mallorca next.
Daniel Jeremiah
Wow.
Pat McAfee
I was just there.
Boston Connor
It's awesome.
Ty Schmidt
It's beautiful.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Is that. Yeah.
Pat McAfee
They have that food, right? Mallorca is like a. A certain type of food. The best steak I've ever had in my life. Yeah, I think they do, though.
AJ Hawk
You ever had a good paella?
Pat McAfee
I don't think so. I went to a Brazilian place this weekend, though. Fogo, Cho tera gacho. Similar, similar, similar. It's got the Brazil green light, red light thing. We did it in the afternoon, the wife and I, we went to go to a brunch place. Packed, couldn't get it. I don't know what everybody was doing this weekend. It seemed like everybody was out of the house. Then there's this new Brazilian place up north. Tara Gaucho, I believe is what it's called. It's a Brazilian steakhouse. One in there. Great. Okay. It was phenomenal.
AJ Hawk
They don't do like hibachi style, is it?
Pat McAfee
No, they bring out the swords. They do. They bring out the meat and you like kind of grab it or whatever. You know what I'm talking about.
Boston Connor
With the tongs.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And you have the green light, red light, kind of do your thing. They walk out there. Spanish food is what? Paella, you're saying Brazilian food. They had good. It was like super Brazilian stuff. What's Spanish food?
AJ Hawk
Foxy Roll.
Pat McAfee
I was eating steak the whole time. Spain?
Shams Charania
Yes.
Pat McAfee
Don't they have that? Don't they? What?
Ty Schmidt
That's rice. It's rice, basically.
Pat McAfee
Got it, got it. Empanadas. I don't know if that's from Spain. Is it from Spain? Spanish? Yeah. Spanish dish. Spaniar, the language. Spanish is spoke by a lot of people, I think, Right? Correct. I don't know. I'm not going to get. I have empanadas there as well. Okay, so there you go. Spain thing. Yes. I always get so confused, cuz. Like the Spanish language. Can I say something's Hispanic, right? Is that what that is?
Connor
There's Hispanic food. Hispanic food aisle in the grocery store.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And is that. Is that like Central America? Like, you know, I never. It's tough, you know, from families from Cuba. So I don't. Yeah, that's a very. I don't know about that, to be honest with you. Hispanic is interesting.
Ty Schmidt
Hispanic is term used to describe people who are descended from Spanish speaking populations.
Pat McAfee
Okay. So Hispanic counts everything.
Ty Schmidt
Yes, it does.
Pat McAfee
Got it. So empanadas are Hispanic.
Boston Connor
Okay.
Ty Schmidt
Bingo.
Pat McAfee
Say. Got it.
AJ Hawk
Solve that one.
Pat McAfee
Hey, same with the Mexican. Grilled cheese is so much better than ours. Quesadilla? Sure. The American grilled cheese.
Shams Charania
Cool.
Pat McAfee
Two pieces of toast. We do the whole thing.
Boston Connor
Also good.
Pat McAfee
Also good. Solid.
AJ Hawk
What kind of cheese?
Pat McAfee
American?
AJ Hawk
No. You ever done it With Velveeta.
Pat McAfee
Velveeta cheese.
AJ Hawk
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Charles.
Boston Connor
Where they serve that.
Ty Schmidt
Singles.
AJ Hawk
I know what Velveeta is.
AQ Shipley
Oh, yeah.
Ty Schmidt
What are you talking about? Velveeta, singles. Are you talking about the block of Velveeta?
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Then you got the. That little cutter with the wire on it.
Ty Schmidt
Sure.
AJ Hawk
Put it on there.
Pat McAfee
Butter the bread, Put on the.
AJ Hawk
Oh, my God.
Pat McAfee
Put on a thing. Are you using Texas toast? What type of toast you using?
AJ Hawk
That's a lot of toast.
Pat McAfee
Agree.
AJ Hawk
It's wonderful, but it's a lot of bread.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. I can't have some Ovaltine right there. Next.
Boston Connor
Yeah, there you go. Little applesauce.
Connor
Ovaline's good.
AJ Hawk
Oh, my God.
Pat McAfee
What is Ovaltine? Chocolate. Yeah, it's chocolate milk.
Connor
I used to drink Ovaltine, chocolate milk and school a lot.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, chocolate milk used to be a big thing. Remember chocolate milk had a big push, like, gotta chug one of these after a workout through this entire thing. I don't know. Are they still pushing chocolate milk?
Boston Connor
I don't know if they're pushing it, but it still hits.
AJ Hawk
No.
Pat McAfee
So good. So good. I love chocolate milk so much at one point in my life that I said I could do the gallon of milk challenge if it was chocolate milk, is how much I love it. And I took it all down, and I puked up cold chocolate milk.
Boston Connor
It was awesome.
Pat McAfee
Tasted. Yeah. I got to enjoy it twice.
Boston Connor
God. Double.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. It was still cold coming out of the mouth. That's how.
Boston Connor
So good.
Pat McAfee
Did not last very long. But that's. I. That's how much I love chocolate milk at that particular time. Yeah.
Boston Connor
I'm with you.
Pat McAfee
I'm not in that point anymore. It sounds like you were still there.
Boston Connor
I'm not still there. Where I'm, like, going in the fridge and I got it. But on, like, a Sunday, you're a.
Pat McAfee
Hot coffee guy now.
Boston Connor
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. This whole week, I've been hot coffee. First time, really?
Pat McAfee
Because how cold? It's normally cold. Iced coffee.
Boston Connor
I'm an iced coffee guy. Yeah. Through and through. But this week, I've kind of dove into the hot coffee. I. I've loved it.
Pat McAfee
You know, my wife is brought back into my life here. Hot tea. She likes hot drinks, but she doesn't want to drink as much coffee, so she just hammers coffee because she likes hot drinks. She's like, this is too much, though, caffeine. I. Then you get the decaf coffee, and it's like, all right. Too much. The same flavor. Now she's making hot teas at the house tea's good. Tea's great.
Connor
I love tea. I'll drink tea.
Boston Connor
Vanilla chai tea.
Connor
No, green tea.
AQ Shipley
Black breakfast tea.
AJ Hawk
You like the matcha?
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Matcha tea.
AJ Hawk
The matcha. Hot matcha.
Pat McAfee
I don't know. What is it green?
Connor
It's like green, right?
Pat McAfee
Is that green?
AJ Hawk
Green, yeah.
Boston Connor
No.
Pat McAfee
Tastes like grass. You know, basically all.
AJ Hawk
You put sweetener in it.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
Ty Schmidt
Nick, you're doing it wrong.
Pat McAfee
I don't want sweet grass.
AJ Hawk
You put a little maple syrup or honey in that thing, you don't want anything.
Boston Connor
Vanilla chai is delicious.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Yeah. Is that.
AJ Hawk
Might as well just go to Dairy Queen.
Boston Connor
I don't know what's in it. I thought we were just talking tea.
Pat McAfee
Blizzards. I love.
Boston Connor
You're the one saying, add sweetener and.
Connor
Sugar Ice cream cake.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, because that's a little different because we're talking hot stuff. But if I'm going to Blizzard's Hot Eats Cool Treats, we treat you. I would. I would go with a blizzard, though. I would never get a tea from Dairy Queen.
AQ Shipley
I'd maybe try it.
Pat McAfee
You would take a hot tea?
AQ Shipley
Yeah, I'd try. DQ doesn't make anything bad on the menu, so.
Pat McAfee
Agreed. I agree with what you're saying, but I don't know if they'd ever open a Hot Teeth.
AQ Shipley
I don't think you could get a Hot Teeth there.
Pat McAfee
But if they did.
Boston Connor
If they did.
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I tried like. Like Pizza Hut.
AQ Shipley
Exactly.
Pat McAfee
If Pizza Hut did a hot tea, we understand it'd be good. I'd get it just like when they did the wine.
Boston Connor
Just like their wine.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
Boston Connor
That was a hit.
AQ Shipley
It was.
Pat McAfee
There was a hit. It was a hit.
AQ Shipley
Finished on my Pizza Hut wine glass right here.
Pat McAfee
Is there any left in there?
AQ Shipley
I wish.
Ty Schmidt
No, I keep the bottle opener just to smell it sometimes.
Pat McAfee
Just to. The. The bottle opener smells. Yeah.
Ty Schmidt
This is the Pizza Hut wine bottle.
Pat McAfee
Bottle opener. Yeah. And he can smell it.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
Boston Connor
Just like Tuscany.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Does smell like dust. Speaking of Tuscany, a man that was born and raised there, it's going to attempt to win. Now, Tuscany, where's that at? Italy. Yeah. Italy. Yeah. Bingo.
Boston Connor
Here you go, Charles.
Pat McAfee
Ladies and gentlemen, an Italian man is going to attempt to win 30 people 500 on this glorious sports.
Boston Connor
Come on, Chuck.
Pat McAfee
Here we go. Charlie, Chuck has buried basketball all day today whenever he's got the opportunity. Now all he has to do is bury a football into a basketball hoop in 30 people win $500. Chuck, how do you feel wearing the Sean Cafferty Construction? We know that you worked A deal with this guy to do something around the house. Now you're wearing his hoodie. Is he going to lead you?
AJ Hawk
The job's already done. He built our home. Thank you, Sean Boise, the best home builder in all of Idaho. He's main out of Boise. Built our home. He's unbelievable.
Boston Connor
And I just got a new kid kitchen.
Pat McAfee
Well, guess what?
AJ Hawk
Guppy just turned 66 a couple days ago.
Pat McAfee
Happy birthday, Sean.
AJ Hawk
And you guys, when you guys come to Boise and you stay with me.
Ty Schmidt
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Because I have plenty of room.
Ty Schmidt
Can't wait.
AJ Hawk
Come. You got your. Oh, you'll love it.
Pat McAfee
It'll be in Sean Cafferty's house.
AJ Hawk
It'll be in Sean Cafferty's.
Pat McAfee
And I do appreciate. So last week. Got to get this in. I owe Sean the hoodie on the show. I'm aware.
Shams Charania
It told him all season I was.
Pat McAfee
Gonna wear his hoodie. I got this sec.
Boston Connor
It was his birthday.
Pat McAfee
And look at the house. Look at the villa. It's cool. The sec. I mean, it's a good logo by Sean. They got. Builds a good estate guy. Builds a good estate.
AJ Hawk
When and when they do the insulation, you gotta. You got to be around when you build a home.
Pat McAfee
Okay.
AJ Hawk
Every step of the way.
Pat McAfee
Right?
AJ Hawk
Like the foundation. That's. Like these programs, these new coaches, they got to make sure on the front in that culture that found that foundation.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
It's got to be built on rock.
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
AJ Hawk
Sand. Not sand. You put one up on sand, you see those places on the beach?
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Needs to be built on stone. Strong.
AJ Hawk
Strong.
Pat McAfee
That's right.
AJ Hawk
There's a Bible verse, the. The insulation. Those guys were there for like two. Two weeks.
Connor
That spray foam, Chuck.
AJ Hawk
Yeah. Oh, yeah, that foam. Foam.
Pat McAfee
Oh, yeah.
AJ Hawk
Oh, my God.
Pat McAfee
Sean. Caffy boys, they know how to spray.
AJ Hawk
Let me tell you something. It's not cheap.
Boston Connor
Spray their foam everywhere.
Daniel Jeremiah
It's not cheap.
Connor
You're right. No, it's not.
Pat McAfee
It's worth it.
AJ Hawk
You know, it costs to build a.
Pat McAfee
House these days a little cheaper when you wear a hoodie on a show. What's that? This guy's the new tile.
AJ Hawk
Most humble guy. If he knew I even had this on, he'd be pissed.
Pat McAfee
No, Sean, Sean, you earned this. Sean.
Boston Connor
Come on, Sean.
AJ Hawk
Eight brothers. He has holy grail.
Pat McAfee
That's an Irish name. Cafferty.
Boston Connor
Yeah, probably.
Pat McAfee
Oh, it sounds like.
Boston Connor
I mean, I feel like I know a Mick Cafferty. So, Cassidy.
Ty Schmidt
Sean's an Irish name.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. So it's an Irish family coming in there, working.
Boston Connor
Good people.
AJ Hawk
You're welcome Horse guy, too.
Pat McAfee
Horse guy?
AJ Hawk
You want to go ride a horse?
Boston Connor
Oh, he's definitely through the mountains.
AJ Hawk
And a horse.
Pat McAfee
That's so much money if he's a horse guy.
AJ Hawk
Holy congrats, Sean. Way they're not racing. They're like just.
Pat McAfee
No, just. Horses in general are an expensive hobby. Gotta take care of this. You gotta hire people to take care of. Yeah. I'm glad he's not an Irish gypsy.
Ty Schmidt
Well, he might be.
Pat McAfee
I mean, don't write. What's that?
AJ Hawk
I think I can bury it from right here.
Pat McAfee
Whoa. In that Sean Cafferty hoodie. 30 people. 500. All right. No, you can't.
Boston Connor
Oh.
Pat McAfee
How about that?
Boston Connor
Came out a little Woburn.
Pat McAfee
What's that all about?
Ty Schmidt
Does it feel good?
Pat McAfee
Nah, that's the old. That's the OG that's the OG we couldn't find enough supplies to get. That's the new one. Yeah. You want to throw that one?
Boston Connor
Yeah.
Pat McAfee
This one's good. Yeah. Smart. You got this one waiting for you. This one wants to find a hole. You're going this way? I don't know. All right. 30 people, 500. Connor has something nice to say about you.
Boston Connor
I don't, actually. I said this last week. This whole gimmick is. It's getting old. Okay, brother?
Pat McAfee
Which one?
Boston Connor
So the whole, hey, Chuck might win. He might make it this week. It's like, dude, just shut up. Get through these balls, because you stink at this.
Pat McAfee
What?
Boston Connor
Just try and make.
Pat McAfee
I don't like that. I don't like. That's not the type of vibes we like.
Boston Connor
You just got to fire that thing. You think too much about it. So you're going back to, how would.
AJ Hawk
You like to be a ball player? And you're, you know, you have an opening, and all of a sudden you hear, hey, they just hired ball. Boston Connor, he's the most positive. He'll build you up.
Boston Connor
I'm not a coach, K. I'm. I'm a Phil Knight. So sue me. That's my style.
AQ Shipley
Bob Knight.
Boston Connor
That's what I meant.
Pat McAfee
Phil Knight as well.
Boston Connor
Billionaire accountability. Yeah, we're talking about Nike.
AJ Hawk
Get used to being uncomfortable. Is that your.
Boston Connor
No, that's bad.
AJ Hawk
Johnson gets comfortable being uncomfortable.
Boston Connor
I'm gonna make you uncomfortable and see how you perform.
Pat McAfee
Geez, this guy's a militant. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nonetheless, what he's saying doesn't replicate how we all feel about you. We have nothing but love and respect for you, Chuck. That's why we know when that ball goes into the hoop right over there. 30 people are going to be so happy to win $500. Okay. When the 30. Okay.
Boston Connor
You see what I'm saying?
Pat McAfee
He's waffling.
Boston Connor
Can't win with this guy, man. Can't do it. Won't do it.
Pat McAfee
This is tough.
AQ Shipley
Can't do it.
Pat McAfee
This is tough. My nose is running. I'm dying slow in front of everybody. 30 people. Oh.
Boston Connor
Oh, close again.
Pat McAfee
That was Baby Duke 2.0. That.
Ty Schmidt
That one.
Pat McAfee
That's Baby Duke 2.0. That's a good ball. Yeah, I think this one right here. AJ Hawk has a message for you.
Connor
Coach, just take everything con man says. You're just stacking chips on your shoulder, you know? You want to prove him wrong? Let's. Let's see it.
Pat McAfee
That's right.
Boston Connor
Some players are like, hey, you're.
Connor
I can't hear you, Chuck. I can't hear you.
Pat McAfee
Chuck. Your rubber. He's glue, okay? Everything he says, you got me.
AJ Hawk
I saw him collecting receipts.
Pat McAfee
That's right. Hey.
Boston Connor
Okay. I hope so.
Pat McAfee
Hey, they tried to write you off. You didn't write back. Chuck, all you gotta do is put that football into that hoop right over there and 30 people win 500.
AJ Hawk
I'm gonna do you, con man.
Pat McAfee
What?
AJ Hawk
Just like. Just like Big Ben's gonna do the Fleur next year.
Pat McAfee
Geez. Ben Johnson, old man. Man, not keep your pants on. Oh, okay. That would have been the best one of the year. That would have been the best one of the guys.
Boston Connor
Always so close.
Pat McAfee
Close counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and bocce. And bocce is obviously a sport that this man is very good at. I am assuming. I've actually never seen him play. That's kind of on me. He's super Italian. I assume he's good at bocce. Guy can roll a bocce ball. Is that accurate?
AJ Hawk
We took second. Second.
Pat McAfee
Okay. Amongst two Italians or just normal folks?
AJ Hawk
Big bocce fest that Friday up there.
Pat McAfee
Italy town, Lake Geneva. Yeah. This guy, man won the Italian man of the Year at the Italian festival. Took second in the box competition.
AJ Hawk
Prospero family took first.
Pat McAfee
Well, good bossy players shout to the Prospero family. The Prospero family. They roll good. Bocce ball.
Boston Connor
Prosper.
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Pass it down through the entire.
AJ Hawk
We lined up against them. We knew on these shoes.
Pat McAfee
These shoes. Talking about these shoes.
Boston Connor
These shoes.
Pat McAfee
Chuck. 30 people. 500 all. You just put the ball into that hoop right over there. You're the Italian man of the Year. Will you be the man of the year for 30 people who win 500. We knew this one was coming, huh? That was the one. Last shot. We know this one.
Boston Connor
Last shot character, Charlie.
Pat McAfee
Ty Schmidt has a message. Schmitty has a message.
Boston Connor
Here you go, Schmitty.
Pat McAfee
Schmitty.
AQ Shipley
Yeah, shout out shams for that, Charlie. Listen, AQ had been the. You and him were kind of neck and neck for worst at this all year.
Ty Schmidt
Don't forget me.
AQ Shipley
Yeah, but you're not doing. You're not doing it weekly, okay?
Pat McAfee
They are.
AQ Shipley
They are. And AQ finally kind of broke the seal yesterday. So if you miss this, you're officially going to go down as. Not only did you have shitty picks all Thursday, what, all year long?
Pat McAfee
He had some good ones.
AQ Shipley
He had some good ones. Early on. You were hot. And then quite the Schneide. Lost a lot of people a lot of money. And then now you have a chance to kind of win that money back. But if you. If you don't make this, we're looking at just a. An astronaut. Economically. Bad season.
Ty Schmidt
What?
Pat McAfee
I don't think. I think he had a great year thus far. No matter what happens. And I love you. I love you. That's Middy's thoughts.
AQ Shipley
You know that.
Pat McAfee
That's big Schmitty's thoughts.
Connor
Come on.
AJ Hawk
You know how good I'm feeling about myself right now.
Pat McAfee
Absolutely. Walking on air. I hope he's got a pocket. Got a pocket full of sunshine. 30 people, 500. Chuck. He might have gone 2. 0 on the championship picks.
AQ Shipley
We don't mind if he might of.
Pat McAfee
We'll find out right here. 30. Oh. Oh. Never got above the hoop. Going right at him.
Boston Connor
Nice try, Charlie. You lose again.
Pat McAfee
Nerf ball. Okay. Oh. Didn't even have to put out how many winners?
Boston Connor
So close.
Pat McAfee
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Pro bowl games. Duke.
Ty Schmidt
Hell yeah.
Pat McAfee
Wow. Officially certified by Roger Goodell, NFL ball. Chuck Pagana is an NFL guy. 18 years of college, 18 years in the NFL. But he consulted for the NFL, for the officials, and obviously is part of the 33rd team of the NFL.
Chuck Pagano
Right.
Pat McAfee
All he has to do is put that ball into that hoop right over there and 30 people win $500. Tone, how do you feel about it?
AJ Hawk
Great.
Pat McAfee
You should. 30 people suck it, Carter. Yeah. Yeah.
Connor
Make him suck you up, Chuck.
Pat McAfee
Boom, boom, bang. Suck it. Yes. 30 people, $500. And they should all say galazi to Paisano. Chuck Pagano, who is on the Commanders plus six against the Eagles in the Chiefs, minus two in the AFC Championship against the Bills. And he just won three. 30 people, $500. What a season. What a day. We appreciate the hell out of you, coach.
AJ Hawk
I love you guys. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this.
Pat McAfee
We love you too. All you gotta do is repost this post, say something nice to somebody on X, and you could potentially be a winner. If you put the easiest way to pay you digitally, 30 people, 500 bucks. What a great way to end this. All right, be a friend. Tell a friend something nice. It might change your life. We're just sing together. Team on me. Team on three. Chuck, we appreciate you, buddy. Love you, Chuck.
Boston Connor
Good work, Charlie.
Connor
Love you, Chuck.
Boston Connor
Love you, Chuck.
Pat McAfee
One, two, three, team.
Podcast Summary: The Pat McAfee Show - "PMS 2.0 1283"
Release Date: January 23, 2025
Introduction and Overview
In episode 1283 of "The Pat McAfee Show," host Pat McAfee, alongside co-hosts AJ Hawk, Boston Connor, Ty Schmidt, and AQ Shipley, delves into a comprehensive discussion of the latest happenings in the NFL and college football. The episode features esteemed guests including Michael Lombardi, the General Manager of the University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels football team; Shams Charania and Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network; and Chuck Pagano, a seasoned football coach.
Interview with Michael Lombardi
Timestamp: [27:08]
Pat McAfee kicks off the episode with an exclusive interview with Michael Lombardi. As the GM of UNC Tar Heels, Lombardi shares insights into his transition from the NFL to college football. He emphasizes the importance of building a strong foundation, akin to the strategies employed by successful NFL teams like the Kansas City Chiefs under Brett Veach and Andy Reid. Lombardi discusses his commitment to fostering a national footprint for UNC, drawing parallels to Notre Dame's storied program.
Notable Quote:
"We believe we have a national footprint. I mean, what Michael Jordan has done for the school, what the basketball program has done. You see this emblem on people's chests. You see our brand." — Michael Lombardi [27:20]
Discussions on NFL and College Football News
Throughout the episode, the hosts discuss various NFL rumors and coaching hires. A significant portion is dedicated to the Tennessee Titans' recent front office changes, including the hiring of GM Mike Bolganzi and President of Football Operations Chad Brinker. They explore the implications of these hires on the Titans' draft strategy, particularly regarding the pursuit of a potential "generational talent" at quarterback.
Notable Quote:
"If there's a generational talent, you don't pass that up. You can't pass that up." — Chad Brinker [04:57]
Awards Finalists and Analysis
Timestamp: [12:32]
The conversation shifts to the announcement of award finalists. Finalists for Offensive Player of the Year include Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, and Jared Goff. Defensive Player of the Year finalists are Zach Bond, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, Pat Certain II, and TJ White. Comeback Player of the Year includes Joe Burrow, J.K. Dobbins, Christian Gonzalez, Tamar Hamlin, and Sam Darnold.
Notable Quote:
"The spirit of the award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time." — Ty Schmidt on Comeback Player of the Year [13:02]
The hosts express skepticism about some finalists, particularly Sam Darnold and Demar Hamlin, questioning whether their situations truly align with the award's intent.
Playoff Matchups Analysis
Timestamp: [18:18]
A deep dive into playoff statistics highlights the upcoming NFC Championship between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders lead the NFL in scoring with 34 points per game, while the Eagles boast the top-ranked defense, allowing only 16 points per game.
Notable Quote:
"Teams with the number one scoring and total defense entering a conference championship matchup at home are 4-0 over the last 20 seasons." — Pat McAfee [19:33]
In the AFC, the anticipated showdown between Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is scrutinized. The Chiefs have maintained an eight-game streak without a turnover, the longest since 1950, positioning them as formidable opponents.
Notable Quote:
"Patrick Mahomes is looking to join Tom Brady and John Elway as the only starting quarterbacks in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl five times." — Pat McAfee [21:22]
NFL Salary Cap Future
Timestamp: [23:02]
Pat McAfee and co-hosts explore the trajectory of the NFL salary cap, noting its exponential growth from $34.6 million in 1994 to a projected $275 million in 2025. They discuss the implications of this growth for team-building, emphasizing the balance between veteran contracts and rookie salaries.
Notable Quote:
"The NFL is like The Titanic. Not that it's going down, but to turn that thing, it takes forever." — Pat McAfee [25:49]
NBA Discussions: Jimmy Butler Trade Saga
Timestamp: [77:07]
Shams Charania provides updates on the high-profile trade saga involving Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Butler's desire to leave Miami has led to intense negotiations and public statements from both Butler and team management. Charania likens the situation to a "divorce" in real-time, highlighting the complexities of trading a star player who has been integral to the team's recent success.
Notable Quote:
"When two people are in a relationship that they probably don't want to be in, what we're seeing play out is a divorce in real time." — Shams Charania [80:48]
Draft Prospects and QBs Analysis
Timestamp: [82:05]
The hosts engage in a heated discussion about quarterback prospects, particularly focusing on Will Howard, whose stock appears lower than expected despite impressive college performances. Chuck Pagano defends Howard's potential, arguing that external factors like supportive teammates and strong offensive systems may obscure his individual talent in draft evaluations.
Notable Quote:
"I think he's a rare, rare, rare elite. ... Wherever he goes and whatever side he plays on, I think he's going to be spectacular." — Chuck Pagano on Travis Hunter [113:26]
Conclusion
The episode wraps up with light-hearted banter, trivia, and discussions about various sports anecdotes. Pat McAfee emphasizes the importance of aligning team philosophies, whether in college football or the NFL, and underscores the significance of recognizing true talent amidst the turmoil of coaching changes and player trades.
Notable Quote:
"How you align your team philosophically is what matters most, and alignment can only come from the GM and the head coach." — Daniel Jeremiah [47:22]
Final Thoughts
Episode 1283 of "The Pat McAfee Show" offers a blend of expert analysis, insider interviews, and candid conversations about the current state and future of football and basketball. From draft strategies and playoff predictions to high-stakes player trades and salary cap dynamics, the episode provides listeners with a thorough understanding of the intricate sports landscape in early 2025.