PMS 2.0 1496 - Bill Belichick Not Elected to the Hall of Fame, Brock Lesnar, JJ Watt, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Tirico, AQ Shipley, Darius Butler, & AJ Hawk

Summary

The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 #1496 – Detailed Summary

Date: January 28, 2026
Main Theme:
This episode centers on the explosive fallout after Bill Belichick is NOT elected as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The crew and high-profile guests discuss the legitimacy of the Hall of Fame voting process, the broader implications for the sport, and how football culture is being impacted by media-driven narratives and perceived pettiness. The episode also covers the latest NFL coaching hires, Super Bowl preview talk, Royal Rumble wrestling hype, and some hilarious, off-topic moments that showcase the show’s signature chemistry.

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Main Topics & Discussion Points

1. NFL Coaching Carousel Updates

• [00:00–03:24] Pat opens with praise for Todd Monken, the new Browns head coach, outlining his offensive credentials and possible pairings with DC Jim Schwartz. Browns = big QB questions, shoutout to Shadour Sanders rumors.
• [01:00–03:40] Mike McCarthy is emotional at his Steelers introductory press conference, “Pittsburgh’s my world. It’s just awesome to be back here.” — Mike McCarthy, [02:26]. Table notes the power of authenticity and “pulling a Bill Cowher” by bringing tears to win over the city.
• [03:02–03:25] AFC North is in flux: Monken (Browns), McCarthy (Steelers), Jesse Minter (Ravens) — all new faces, setting up a drastically different division.

2. Bill Belichick Hall of Fame Controversy

A. Framing the Issue

• [03:49–07:00] Belichick left off as first-ballot Hall of Famer. The crew skewers the Hall’s process for “holier-than-thou” attitudes, media biases, and personal vendettas — especially over Belichick’s combative relationship with media.
  • “If you put his resume up just as a GM… what are we even talking about here? He’s the guy.” — Pat McAfee, [05:00]
  • "There's an argument to be made the Super Bowl trophy should be called the Belichick." — Pat McAfee, [05:42]
• [07:00–10:20] Deep dive on the Hall’s voting system — 50 voters (mainly media), odd player/contributor categories. Hot rumors: Bill Polian led the anti-Belichick charge due to "Spygate," though Polian denies it.

B. Reactions & Quotes

• Belichick’s love for Hall of Fame: “My parents are from Ohio, from outside of Cleveland... we regularly went to the Hall of Fame in Canton.... You're talking about a guy who loves ball.” — Belichick via McAfee, [09:49]
• “This might end up good for Bill — people rallying after a year of disrespect.” — Pat McAfee, [11:15]

C. Table/VIP Guest Reactions

• [17:27]–[21:55] Darius Butler, JJ Watt, and AQ Shipley all call it a “sham,” “joke,” and “absolute mockery.”
  • “When you talk about coaching, GM, contributor—no one tops the list. Not even a debate. This is a joke.” — Darius Butler, [17:27]
  • “If Bill Belichick is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, no person in the history of the NFL deserves to be.” — JJ Watt, [34:01]
• [23:09–26:48] JJ Watt continues: “Eight Super Bowl titles... What qualifications do you want?! How do you tell the story of the NFL without Bill Belichick?”
  • “This should never be a conversation. It turns the whole thing upside down.” — JJ Watt, [29:57]

D. Process Critique

• [29:48–32:18] Table riffs on old/out-of-touch voters (especially Bill Polian), who struggle to remember or justify their votes.
  • “If you can’t remember who you voted for, you shouldn’t be voting.” — J.J. Watt, [31:42]
  • “Personal biases can’t get in the way of a job… But that’s just the reality of humans.” — Pat McAfee, [32:18]

E. Hall Voting, Legacy, and Fixes

• [33:01–33:42] All agree: First-ballot status is now meaningless.
• [35:34–37:19] Table discusses validity of Spygate/Deflategate — Hall voters grandstanding for something most "football people" don’t care about.
  • Jimmy Johnson (via tweet): “If they’re using the excuse of Spygate, that’s ridiculous. Many teams, including ourselves, tried it.” — Jimmy Johnson, [34:23]

F. Public/League-wide Outrage

• Pat Mahomes, LeBron James, and others tweet outrage in support of Belichick
• Agreement across all factions: “The first time all of ball has come together for one man.” — Pat McAfee, [27:33]
• Jimmy Johnson, as guest: “This tarnishes everything about the Hall… 10 or 12 ignorant, jealous assholes… If they’re using Spygate as an excuse, it’s ridiculous. Everybody tried to steal signals.” — Jimmy Johnson, [69:13]

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3. Wider NFL & Super Bowl Storylines

A. AFC North Landscape and Hires

• [47:02–51:03] Roundtable including JJ Watt: Discussion on Steelers’ McCarthy hire, Lamar’s Ravens future, Browns QB chaos.
  • “It’s all about QB. That’s the only question for the Steelers’ future.” — JJ Watt, [49:04]
  • “Browns just something in the water up there. I think it’s poop." — Ty Schmidt, [60:55]

B. Turnarounds and Parity

• Reminder that both Super Bowl teams this year missed the playoffs the previous year.
  • “The league’s all about fast turnarounds, but it’s so hard to develop coaches or players…” — JJ Watt, [51:24]

C. Coaching Job Quality

• [63:06–65:24] More coordinators turning down head coach jobs, waiting for “the right fit” (quarterback and organizational stability matter most).
  • “It all revolves around the quarterback. You got to have a quarterback to build around and go all the way.” — Darius Butler, [64:33]

D. Super Bowl Trench Talk

• [151:05–164:30] AQ Shipley breaks down keys to the trenches for Patriots vs. Seahawks. Focus is on rookie O-linemen, explosive defensive tackles (Byron Murphy), and how dictating line play will determine the winner.
  • “Whoever plays better on the D-line will win this game.” — AQ Shipley, [164:38]

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4. Royal Rumble: Brock Lesnar’s Surprise Call

• [12:15–15:35] Brock Lesnar FaceTimes Pat live: “I’m heading to the Royal Rumble, boys. I’m gonna win it.” — Brock Lesnar, [13:08]
  • “If you have an opportunity to do the Royal Rumble, opt out… Brock’s going to win.” — Pat McAfee, [15:05]

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5. Special Guests & Their Takeaways

Mike Tirico Interview

• Tirico explains how he prepares for football and the Olympics, shares old McAfee highlights & booth stories.
  • “For me, listening is the number one tool. Even though we make a living talking.” — Mike Tirico, [88:30]
  • “On Super Bowl Sunday, as soon as the game’s done, I host the Olympics from the field. It’s a cool Super Sunday.” — Mike Tirico, [97:39]
  • Tirico: “Bill Belichick not a first-ballot Hall of Famer? That’s not an arguable fact.” — [113:25]

Jimmy Johnson Interview

• “This tarnishes everything about the Hall of Fame... all the inductees. If they’re using Spygate, it's ridiculous.” — [69:13]
• Shares background on signal-stealing: “Everybody was trying to do it... We weren’t good at it so we stopped.”
• Emphasizes putting together a great staff, “get your players on the same page,” and relationship with Jerry Jones.
• Super Bowl pick: “Give the edge to Seattle with McDonald. I love the way Sam Darnold played.” — [82:45]

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6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (w/ Timestamps)

• “Pittsburgh’s my world. It’s just awesome to be back here.” — Mike McCarthy, [02:26]
• “There’s an argument…the trophy should be called Belichick.” — Pat McAfee, [05:42]
• “This is a joke. It’s a sham. It’s a mockery.” — Darius Butler, [17:27]
• “No person in the history of the NFL deserves to be [a first-ballot Hall of Famer] if not Bill Belichick.” — JJ Watt, [34:01]
• “10 or 12 ignorant, jealous assholes… tarnishes everything.” — Jimmy Johnson, [69:13]
• “How do you tell the story of the NFL without Bill Belichick?” — JJ Watt, [25:04]
• “If you can’t remember who you voted for, you shouldn’t be voting.” — JJ Watt, [31:42]
• “If the reasoning is Spygate, what does that mean for Tom Brady?” — Connor Rogers, [28:58]
• “Listening is the number one tool in this business.” — Mike Tirico, [88:30]
• “For me, I never won these votes. All awards you get by votes — who cares?” — Pat McAfee, [16:10]
• “If Bill Belichick isn’t a Hall of Famer, what does the Hall even mean?” — Pat McAfee, [86:21]

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7. Lighter Segments & Comic Relief

Brock Lesnar Phone Call — Royal Rumble Bombshell

• [13:08] Brock: “I’m heading to the Royal Rumble, boys. I’m gonna win it.”
• Lesnar calls show “just to check in” — the gang jokes, “If Brock’s in, everyone else should just opt out.”

Wrestling Dummy Mystery

• [114:43]–[121:19] Hilarious ongoing bit about a mysterious, toddler-sized leather wrestling dummy sent to the Thunderdome. The table debates its intended purpose, possible use as a kid’s autograph item, and later uses it for comedic wrestling moves.
  • “This is what my real son should be acting like. No emotions, steadfast.” — Pat McAfee, [122:27]

Sports Shopping & Sunday Red Merch

• Gets into the pricing and real-world appearances (or lack thereof) of Tiger Woods’ Sunday Red golf gear.

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Key Takeaways & Overarching Themes

• Nearly universal condemnation of the Hall of Fame exclusion: Players, coaches, media, fans, and even rival franchises united to call out the process as petty and broken.
• The episode showcases how "ball" (the wider football world) can unite in the face of perceived injustice or disrespect, with memes, soundbites, and social media all in sync (a rare sight).
• The AFC North and much of the NFL landscape is undergoing massive transformation, but “the more things change” debate remains — especially surrounding leadership and quarterback issues.
• Super Bowl preview is heavily focused on the trenches, but the hall debate overshadows all other football news.
• Show’s tone and humor — blends hard-hitting takes with fun, offbeat detours (wrestling, Royal Rumble, weird training dummies), always keeping it light but insightful.

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Top Timestamps to Jump To

• [05:00] – Pat’s passionate Hall of Fame diatribe
• [17:27] – Darius Butler calls it a “sham”
• [25:04] – JJ Watt’s incredulity at the process
• [34:23] – Jimmy Johnson’s Spygate revelations
• [69:13] – Jimmy Johnson: “This tarnishes everything about the Hall of Fame…”
• [88:30] – Mike Tirico on listening, preparation, TV secrets
• [114:43] – The case of the wrestling dummy

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Conclusion

This episode combines outrage, nostalgia, and comedy—and is one of the most “unified” hours in modern football media. It serves as a rallying cry for integrity and a celebration of Belichick’s legacy, while also delivering the trademark Thunderdome banter and absurdity fans love. If you want a pulse on how football insiders, legends, and fans feel about Hall of Fame politics, and wisdom on new coaching directions, this is a must-listen.

Transcript

[Pat McAfee]

Beautiful people and welcome to our humble abode, the Thunderdome on this super bowl season. Watch. Wednesday, January 20, 2026 this program begins now. Football is the greatest thing. There's so much drama surrounding our great sport. At this exact moment we have coaches getting hired in places. Congratulations to Todd Monken, the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Now there was a conversation about Schwartz, Jim, the defensive coordinator with the Cleveland being a package deal with the Cleveland Browns if you become the head coach. So if Todd Monkin is running the offense, which we know he is an incredibly elite offensive play design, play caller, you name it, he was with the Cleveland Browns in 2019. Then he goes to University of Georgia, wins back to back national championships, comes back to the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, leads Lamar Jackson to an MVP like season and some people would say greatest season Lamar Jackson has had. Now this past year obviously the defense was what it was in Baltimore but now he takes over in Cleveland with a place with a question mark at quarterback. I think a lot of people would say have appropriate Shador Sanders. That's a massive topic of conversation. What's the future look like for him and Cleveland Browns Todd Monkin though if he's got Schwartz as a DC or a good defensive coordinator with who's stacked up over there, maybe the Browns get themselves back in the big dance. And you talk about the AFC north as a whole. Coach Mike McCarthy was just introduced as a Pittsburgh Steelers head coach yesterday. Had a press conference, didn't get a word out before he started crying. Didn't even get a word out. Here's coach Mike McCarthy, the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday at his press conference before he even starts speaking, this is first time he is about to spe as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. All right, here we go. Thank you, Art.

[Connor Rogers]

I think.

[Pat McAfee]

I thought at least be able to get started. You know oftentimes coaches and players, you know, you put on new team colors and it takes. It takes a minute to feel comfortable in those new colors. But to be blessed beyond any measure one day to put on the colors you wore since you brought home. I apologize.

[Ty Schmidt]

Right.

[Pat McAfee]

I told you not to sit my.

[J.J. Watt]

Family down here in front.

[Pat McAfee]

This is so unfair. When you come home from Mercy Hospital, I do want to thank. Want to thank Art, Art Rooney, Omar Khan, Dan Rooney and the entire Steelers organization for the trust they placed in.

[AQ Shipley]

Me to represent one of the most.

[Pat McAfee]

Stored franchise in all sports. I understand and embrace the responsibility, the privilege and the weight that comes with this stewardship, this city, this franchise, this fan base Means the world to me because Pittsburgh's my world. And it's just awesome to be back here. Unbelievable. We got change in Cleveland, change in Pittsburgh. A man's emotional to be back in his hometown. Let's head to Hammer. Don Don, AP Tone, Big Pittsburgh Steeler fan. What was the reaction from the Injers after yesterday's press conference from Mike McCarth?

[Ty Schmidt]

That right there is how you win over Pittsburgh.

[Pat McAfee]

You.

[Ty Schmidt]

You put some tears on your shoulder talking about where you're from.

[Pat McAfee]

The black and the gold.

[AQ Shipley]

Bringing another one home.

[Ty Schmidt]

That was chef's kiss, brother.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, we got actual Pittsburgh dad now becoming head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Reminiscent of the Bill Coyote days. So Todd Monkin, Mike McCarthy, the AFC North, a whole new Jesse Minter head coach over there in Baltimore. He'll be joining the show, I do believe, tomorrow.

[Mike Tirico]

Okay.

[Pat McAfee]

So we'll get a chance to catch up with him. Congrats to all three parties. They're getting brand new teams. AFC north looking vastly different going forward. But, you know, new head coach in Cleveland, certainly worthy of discussion. Mike McCarthy being introduced as the head coach of his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Certainly worthy of discussion. Jesse mentor, come on show tomorrow. Worthy of discussion.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

There's only one convo lay about sports.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's right.

[Pat McAfee]

And it's about how these awards go about being given in these titles. Bill Belichick, officially not a first ballot Pro Football hall of Famer is the Pro Football hall of Fame because they like to carry themselves. And we have met all the people that operate the hall of Fame. These people love ball, they love the hall of Fame, but it precedes the NFL. You know, so it's Pro Football hall of Fame over there in Canada. It's a lot of things, the history of the game and everything like that. The people that do the voting for who gets in there, you know, it certainly feels like they're kind of getting exposed right now for maybe, you know, holding some personal biases against people instead of, you know, just giving out a vote of who should be in the Pro Football hall of Fame. You know, Bill Belichick, if he's not a first ballot contributor because it's players and then there's like contributors. This is where coaches, GM's contributions at a game. I think Madden won through this. And also as a coach, like, I think that is how he went through. So there's like different categories of how you get in coaches, GMs and contributors, I think are in their own kind of sphere of their own world. He could be two of those Things he could be a coach, first ballot hall of Famer, and he could be a first ballot general manager hall of Famer. I mean, if you were the guy who drafted Tom Brady, a pick 199, who would go on to become the greatest and then make the decisions that you make with your roster and the turnover and the ability to kind of do salary cap gymnastics before everybody else, let alone all the hall of Famers that he's drafted, coached, brought onto the team, had success with as a general manager alone. Okay. And he'll say he had people helping him. He certainly did. Okay. Every building. Turns out it's not just one person doing it, but the general managers take credit for the team that they've assembled to be able to do this. He would be first ballot hall of Famer. If you put his resume up just as a general manager and then you go for a head coaching thing, that's. What are we even talking about here? He's the guy. A lot of people have said, you know, the Lombardi is certainly a good title. Everybody's hunting the Lombardi.

[Mike Tirico]

Oh, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Lombardi is an absolute legend. There's an argument to be made that that should be called Belichick. There's a conversation about his name potentially being on the trophy that you win whenever you beat everybody else in the league. It's been a fascinating thing. Feels like everybody in the ball world has the same opinion. Feels like some of these media people hot horsing a little bit. Some of these people that have the power to write legacies, the power to change trajectories, the power to decide whether or not you're a first ballot or a second ballot or a Hall of Famer at all. Maybe feel as if they're holier than thou. Maybe the way they see life is the only way to see life. Maybe the way they want things to be handled is the only way for things to be handled. Because Bill Belichick was never really nice to the media. I mean, that was not a.

[Connor Rogers]

No, not his thing.

[Pat McAfee]

What's your tattoo you have on your bicep?

[Connor Rogers]

Braun in Cincinnati, because they kept asking him about the previous game that they lost very poorly against Kansas City, and he just responded to every single question.

[Pat McAfee]

We're on to Cincinnati. Yeah. And every other press conference that he had. He was very joyful with the media. Right. He loved talking to him.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah.

[Connor Rogers]

He wouldn't eviscerate them. He actually just decided to completely render them indifferent and not even answer their questions.

[Pat McAfee]

And that was just local people, national. Was that who was that?

[AQ Shipley]

That was across the board.

[Connor Rogers]

You could go from you preseason week one all the way till super bowl media week.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, so that's basically. That's potentially who makes up a large portion of who's doing the vote. Cuz it's one writer from each city I do believe. Then there is a select group of national reporters who cover the game that are selected to do the voting. And then there's like a senior at large where Bill Pollian, I believe Tony Dungy, a couple others, they also are in on the voting thing. Now there was some mixed reporting last night that Bill Polian was the one that was fighting against it. Cuz Spygate. They did what we thought they did. They did the unthinkable. And as a person I was in a training camp and Bill Polian drafted me. So I'm very thankful for what Bill Pulling did in my life. He saw me as a punter when I didn't think I was going to be a punter, but getting a chance to kind of watch him operate in training camp. Whenever we were outside, there was multiple conversations that happened about maybe a plane flying a little bit too low or too slow. That's Belichick. Somebody sitting in the crowd, okay, with a hat on, looking a little bit too interested. That's Belichick. There was a ultimate kind of fear that there was somehow getting hacked. There was something happening from the team up in New England. So whenever it comes out that Bill polling was standing on a table basically saying we aren't letting him be your first ballot for our thing and maybe others follow suit because you do that. I was fascinated, but I thought it was believable. Then there was an immediate report afterwards that said just talk to Bill Pollian. He said absolutely not. That's totally and categorically untrue. I voted for him. Then there was another article that came out from don von Nauta Jr. Who was at the bottom of this entire thing. And he says, Bill told me, I don't remember. I don't remember if I did. But then he also said 95% sure he voted for him. Bill Polian, I will say and I'm just learning he still does radio. He's the man drafted me. Obviously I watch tail end of his career as well. Whenever the Colts thing there interacting with him right now, I don't know if Bill polling 100% knew that he was going to be on the record whenever he was talking to Don Van Nodden. Now Don Van, not a good journalist, probably told him he's Going to be on record. But bill polling, 95% sure. I don't know if Bill polling knew for sure that everybody was going to immediately go, ah, bullshit, we know that you didn't do it. And then now the question leads, to get into the hall of Fame, you have to get 40 or 50 votes. Okay, we know who the 50 voters are. That's been projected everywhere across the Internet now.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Because everybody would like to know who doesn't deserve to have a say in this thing. Who are the people that get a for the hall of Fame, which is a massive ordeal for everybody that plays in the sport, who is mistreating or who is disrespecting their position in having the say in the matter. Everybody on earth seemingly is viewing it the same way. And maybe this is how you actually enact some change. And Bill Belichick, whenever he was coaching for the New England Patriots, he came out and talked, I assume they're playing in the hall of Fame game. He came out and talked about how his parents were from Ohio and he used to visit the hall of Fame. Here's him talking about it.

[AQ Shipley]

My parents are from Ohio, from outside of Cleveland.

[Pat McAfee]

And so we regularly went to the hall of Fame in Canton, and my dad knew a couple of the people there that, you know, he had known from his Ohio connections. And we went out into the basement.

[Jimmy Johnson]

Of the hall of Fame and they.

[Pat McAfee]

Would show us their collection of books, which was other than the Library of Congress, I think it's the largest collection of football books. You're talking about a guy who loves ball.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Loves the hall of Fame. And I think he understands the hall of Fame isn't its voters. The hall of Fame is the museum that is kept by people who love ball. But it's certainly an interesting thing as somebody who loves history of ball, knowing that he's not going to be a first ballot. We reach out to Bill. Sounds like Bill is still a massive fan of the hall of Fame, understands the history, the tradition. He. I think he didn't really say that he was confused by it all, but he certainly wasn't. You know, he wasn't like, he wasn't letting. They were recruiting. I mean, he was out recruiting. He's just going to kind of move on. I think that's what Bill Belichick kind of does in this entire thing. But it has provided an opportunity for a lot of people who have a lot of respect for Bill Belichick to come out and go to bat for him when maybe over the last year and a Half or so, they have felt a little shy to do as such. So this has really seemingly been the one where everybody's kind of like, man, they've been kind of burying this guy for a long time and then all of a sudden, oh, he's not. So Bill Belichick is not a Hall of Famer. Okay. It kind of feels like the one that kind of tipped the thing where everybody's like, we need to stop the disrespect and the slander of Bill Belichick for what he did in New England. So in the end, I think publicly this might be a good thing for Bill Belichick that's happening because everybody's kind of rallying around it. But ultimately, legacy wise, Bill Belichick, is he worth a damn? He's not a first ballot hall of Famer talks to the table at Boston. Connor at Ty Schmidt, Con man, massive Patriots fan. Your thoughts on it all?

[Connor Rogers]

I think it's cool to see what you just mentioned. Everybody basically coming out and saying, hey, the hall of Fame is not a crock of shit, but it is completely tainted. I think it's interesting, the standard that they're holding Bill to Mahomes tweet there. LeBron James, I believe he also tweeted and basically said, what are we talking about? So seeing everybody universally agree on something, I don't know if we've had that possibly ever. Especially in the last 10, 15 years. 10, 15 months. But also just the two eras, you know, thinking about the coaching changes just between this first three Super Bowls to his last three Super Bowls, I mean, it's just. It's remarkable. And in the end, he will be in the hall of Fame.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, I think he will be in hall of Fame. Let me say, hey, we are live. We're live. We're live. We're live.

[Debo]

Is that Bill?

[Mike Tirico]

It might be, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Belcher. This was like a pretty cool thing to say to people. Brock Lesnar School.

[Ty Schmidt]

Oh.

[Mike Tirico]

What up, Brock?

[Pat McAfee]

Hey, Brock. The boy say what's up? The boy say what's up? Hey, what are you doing, dude? What are you up to? Are you still doing that stupid podcast? It's not okay. It's a show. It's a full show now. We're. We're doing a full show. All the day. Yeah, all the time. All the time. What are you doing? I'm just calling. I was just calling to see what's up, man. Well, I'll hit you back sometime. It's great to hear from you. It's great to see you what are you doing? You look like you're in great shape. I'm always in great shape, man. No, I'm. I'm heading to the Royal Rumble, boys. I'm gonna win it. Oh, you're in the Royal Rumble? You're in the Royal Rumble. I'm going. Yes, sir. Okay. Are you prepared? Are you ready? We haven't seen you do much, right. Have we? Have we?

[Ty Schmidt]

No, no.

[Pat McAfee]

I might have missed. I haven't seen you do much. Are you ready? That's a lot of dudes. 30 men. 30 dudes. You being one of them. Are you ready to get your. A lot of young bucks out there, too, Brock. A lot of young bucks out there, Brock. I'm in shape, brother. I'm in shape. We're gonna do this. All right. Safe travels. I'll call you back. All right, man. All right. See you. Oh, that's big. What a legend. That's big news breaking. I haven't seen Brock's name pop up on my phone in months, maybe even. Yeah. Long time.

[Debo]

Had to answer.

[Pat McAfee]

So as. Yeah. And. Yeah, had. It feels like that. Had to answer. That's one of those phone calls. So great to hear from him. And then him just being like, hey, I just called and say, what's up, dude? How you doing? Life good. I think he was probably going to ask if I was. If I had to guess, that was. Hey, are you. Who's all do we know?

[Debo]

I have seen some odds, some rumblings for what you may be making an appearance.

[Pat McAfee]

No, no.

[Connor Rogers]

Okay.

[Pat McAfee]

We can make sure we know that. That's okay. But Brock Lesnar going in the Royal Rumble. I think he was on the posters. I think he was on the posters. Oh, I think he's in the Royal Rumble, though, officially now. I guess that's why he just said he's going to go win it. Fantastic. There's a Hall of Famer in multiple things.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Now let's get back to the task. Brock. Brock's gonna win the Royal Rumble, by the way.

[J.J. Watt]

He better win.

[Pat McAfee]

I'm sick of Gunther.

[J.J. Watt]

He better win this thing.

[Pat McAfee]

Gunther? Gunther's not in the Royal Rumble.

[Ty Schmidt]

I don't think he's wrestling AJ style.

[Pat McAfee]

I thought he was in it. I saw the list. Send it in, you bonehead. Listen, just. Let's have a little bit of respect and appreciation out here for what's about to happen. The Royal Rumble is the greatest event of the year. If you just like nostalgia and pop and surprise and magic. And now that this. Whatever his music is going to hit.

[Ty Schmidt]

Honestly, they should cancel it, though.

[Pat McAfee]

Why?

[Ty Schmidt]

Because he. He. What are we doing? You think Brock's going to lose? I mean, the only guy I could maybe see him tossing over. Tossing Brock over the. The top rope is CM Punk. So I hope it doesn't come down to those two guys at the end. But what are we even doing? Why would you even enter now?

[Pat McAfee]

If you. If you have an opportunity to do the Royal Rumble, we suggest you opt out.

[Ty Schmidt]

I agree.

[Pat McAfee]

Right now, Maybe the other 29 just say we're not doing it.

[Connor Rogers]

Maybe just do Punk Lesnar. I mean, that'd be like a Rushmore matchup if it was them two versus each other. That would be exactly what you want.

[Pat McAfee]

That would be something that everybody would be looking forward to. Top four, maybe. Top four out there in the history of the business. Let's get back to top four. Top two. Top one, probably. Whatever you're talking about. Congrats to Brock. That's Good news for WWE.

[Ty Schmidt]

Certainly.

[Pat McAfee]

That's great news for ESPN. 2pm on Saturday. It's great news to us too. 2pm On Saturday. We'll certainly watch that. But I'm excited to call him back, see what else is going on in his life. He lives in the.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah. Near Saskatoon, right?

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah.

[Connor Rogers]

The sticks.

[Pat McAfee]

He chooses to.

[Ty Schmidt]

Middle of nowhere.

[Pat McAfee]

Middle of nowhere.

[Connor Rogers]

Way out Skin and wolves.

[Pat McAfee]

All right, let's talk about top one all time Bill Belichick. Darius, you were drafted by this man, this program, this franchise, the New England Patriots. D. BU 9 year NFL vet. I consider you to be one of the smartest ball knowers of all time. I assume you attribute a lot of that to the time in which you're with Bill Belichick and how they went about doing your business and then obviously developed in your own ways there. But for this travesty.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

To happen in a popularity contest now, congratulations on getting in Broward county hall of Fame.

[Debo]

Thank you. Thank you to the voters as well.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, exactly. Anything that's voted upon.

[Debo]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

It's always an interesting feeling like for me, I never won these votes. Okay. So I think all awards that involve people voting and the people that are doing the voting normally hate my guts. Like I didn't even win male athlete of the year at my high school. I had scholarship offers in three sports. I don't know how often that happens. And my school is not like pumping out athletes all the time voted by teachers. Okay. So that didn't happen. Ray Guy award. Okay. That's where I met this guy. 12 year NFL vet. AQ Shipley. The guy who won didn't even have enough punts to qualify, really, for an average on the Internet. But it was just, no way is that asshole winning. So, like, I have been on the wrong side of a lot of these votes, so it kind of makes me feel like, who cares? Who cares? We gotta judge the people that are doing the voting. But getting that honor bestowed upon you for your legacy is obviously something that is very, very special.

[Debo]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

So I've kind of always been indifferent about these titles that are voted on by people that I don't think understand what's going on in the reality of the sit. This particular predicament. It feels like everybody's kind of viewing it the same way. And it's like, how do you think you are too good to put in the greatest of all time? There has to be a flaw in the system of some sort, if that makes sense.

[Debo]

This is an absolute joke. And you've heard people, you mentioned, anybody who knows ball, whether you hate the Patriots, whether you hate Belichick, Tom, Everyone has come out and said pretty much the same thing. I grew up a Dolphin. I'm a Don Shula guy. Perfect season, super. All that. Don Shuler is obvious. Don Shula is obviously one of the goats. But when you talk about coaching gm, a contributor, there is no one who tops the list who's. It's even really a debate when it comes to Bill Belichick. The same way it is with Tom Brady and quarterback, in my opinion. So this is a joke. And then the part of it about, like, how much he respects and love and how much reverence he has for the game of football, we all remember, like, the top 100 when he was sitting at the table in NFL films and him just doing. Just going through all the football. I remember being a player, probably my rookie year, we were going to play either the packers or the Lions. And this dude had on film from, like, the 1950s, you know, talking about. I believe it was the packers talking about the evolution of the forward pass and the history of Lambeau and all these different things. So this is the type of guy that he is, the coach. We always felt more prepared than the other team. I. I can't. This, this and that. I thought the rules were changed for Bill Belichick to be able to go into the hall of Fame scene earlier. Like, literally. I thought this was. This was why it was changed. Same thing with Kraft as an owner, but Bill being left off first ballot. We've seen it happen with players. Terrell Owens is the first one that comes to mind. Like he was, I thought, a no brainer first ballot. But we know his relationship with the media, so we thought maybe it would be some of that. But this is a joke. This is an absolute joke. It's a sham. It's a mockery.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, I think there's a lot of words that you could use to describe it and they'd all be accurate, especially if it seems like it's a fraud. Like now everybody's questioning the hall of Fame as a whole, which is not good because the hall of Fame is a special place. The hall of Fame is a special jacket to wear. 12 year NFL vet, Super bowl champion player. Coach Jackie Moon of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, AQ Shipley. Hey, Koosh, Obviously you were seventh round draft pick as well. You did win the Remington that night. Congratulations. You deserved it back there. Whenever we were doing the ESPN College Football Awards down in Orlando, great time. Your thoughts on Bill Belichick not getting in there. And now the conversation that's surrounding the hall of Fame as a whole. Because that did seemingly become the thing. When the voters aren't the hall of Fame, though, the voters are just kind of handed the baton of who gets in and who doesn't. There's a lot of olds in there that have been around a long, long time that I wonder if they start to think that it's their hall of Fame as opposed to the Pro football's Hall of Fame, kind of an ownership type deal. Because we've been here so long and this is kind of our world. I think they kind of get excited about that type of power. I think there are certainly some people in those positions that have that.

[AQ Shipley]

Yeah, certainly. And I think my thoughts echo everybody else's sentiments. I mean, listen, Bill Belichick's arguably the greatest person, not just gm, not just coach, the greatest person that's ever been involved in football. And I know every single time I played him as a player, never beat him, always went into those games think, yeah, we're going to beat him. Then you come out of the game and you lose, 49 to 7. It's like, of course we weren't going to beat him. He was going to take away our best player. He was going to bracket this guy. He was going to make us play with our left hand and there was no chance at us beating him. But again, you just look at his record and you look at his time in New England, it seemed as if they were in the super bowl every other, every other year. And if you look at the numbers it basically comes down to that. I know it doesn't work out that way, but I think it was 10 Super bowl appearances or super bowl, whatever, championship. You get what it is, right? But I mean, I think whenever you think about Bill Belichick, it's not just the greatest head coach. It's not just the greatest gm. It's not just the greatest contributor. He might be the greatest person that's ever been involved.

[Pat McAfee]

Offense coordinator. You met with Tom talking special teams, obviously had great knowledge.

[Debo]

So 16 conference championship coach as a. 3 as a coordinator, 13 as a head coach. That was a himbo.

[Pat McAfee]

Here's another stat from himbo. Bill Belichick has an above.500 record against every NFL team in the NFL. Yeah, yeah, he beat everybody. And I mean, the list goes on and on about accolades, but also just topical references. We would meet a new head coach that got a job somewhere, and our immediate reaction would be, that guy's gonna beat Belichick. That was literally, that guy's gonna beat Belichick. It was almost like Bama. You know, it was very similar to, like, Bama is in college. Everybody gets big wins. Like, we want Bama. That's was. Was Saban in the NFL. It was like, they're going to beat New England. And Bill was the general manager and a coach and sounds like potentially partially DC Whenever he was there on the entire. This is wild to think about, but remember, people these ilk are voting on a lot of things, so we got.

[Debo]

To remember that quarterback coach. Shoot. Don't forget that Tom Brady always talks about how he, like, how critical he was to him. His. His evolution as a quarterback, and then obviously drafting him, then making that decision to go from Drew Bledsoe, who was the top pick, one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league, to move on and go with the young Tom. We never get that with 90% of the head coaches that have been in that position.

[Connor Rogers]

And there's a story, you know, we talked about him being coordinator and, you know, head coach, because that's two of the main. Two of the three main jobs. Gm, of course, being off the field, up in the booth. But on the field, when Lawrence Taylor, when he was with the Giants, before he became the DC with the Giants, there's a story about how they hired Belichick, and he was either a defensive assistant or a special teams assistant. And Lawrence Taylor went in to the front office, he's like, hey, what the hell are we doing? Like, I'm not going to be, you know, taking my orders from this Young Bill Belichick guy, like why the hell would I do that? And they told Lawrence Taylor like no, the. The defenses that you've been running the past two years, this guy is the one that's been making them, giving them to the defensive coordinator. And you've had your most successful seasons. Like it's not even just when he is in those positions. So you really can't even fathom what he does contribute. And that goes to what DBUT says. He can coach any single position.

[Pat McAfee]

Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who had the same thoughts as us. Can't wait to hear him depict it. Cuz he's a future first ballot hall of Famer maybe.

[AQ Shipley]

Well, hopefully.

[Connor Rogers]

I don't think so. I don't think so.

[Pat McAfee]

That's right. Maybe if you're lucky enough to have similar mindset and ideals as the people who are voting you in to a fraternity that they are not in, but act as if they own. Ladies and gentlemen, J.J. watt J.1 day you'll get into this media run hall of Fame. Not the Pro Football hall of Fame, the Media Voter hall of Fame. Maybe you will. Maybe you will. You're tweeting a bit too much. You're getting a little loud on Twitter.

[Connor Rogers]

Careful.

[J.J. Watt]

That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying.

[Mike Tirico]

Did I tweet?

[J.J. Watt]

Did I tweet a little too loud? Did I upset the apple card a little too much? I mean what are we doing?

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, so you have the same reaction as everybody else whenever don von Nada Jr. DVN Jr. Reported it. I think I thought it was fake. I'm like well how does he know? Do we already know who it is? Next Thursday night I believe they'll be naming the official hall of Famers. We might have them on program Friday morning for a game show actually. Now do we have a spot reserved just in case there is a change of opinion before now and then we shall see. So them reporting that he wasn't in there early, I was thought it was a lie but then as it was getting picked up and repeated it was like how is this even possible? Jj this does feel like the one that felt like a sure fire lock that goes the other way and it sometimes you need that type of situation to kind of drive a little change in something. Do you think there's any way to fix this? Change this or what is kind of your thoughts of the current reality of the Pro Football hall of Fame?

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah, no, there like you just said, there are literally like two, three People in history that are absolute, no brainer locks whatsoever. Bill and Tom being two of those. And I saw something where one of the voters was like, why should the votes be released? What are you going to do? Because you shouldn't have a vote. If you have Bill Belichick not making the NFL, the Pro Football hall of Fame, you should not have a vote for the Pro Football hall of Fame. The guy has eight Super bowl titles. There's only been 59 of them. He's got eight rings from 59. Like, what are you doing? What qualifications do you want? How do you tell the story of the NFL without Bill Belichick? Yeah. If you didn't have him on your ballot. And I get this whole like, well, there was three spots. And you can only put like, I don't care if there's only three spots. Bill Belichick is spot number one, point blank, period. You figure out who fits in the other two. No other matter should happen. He is in the hall of Fame first ballot, no matter what. The guy beat me left, right and center multiple times. I should have every reason to hate him. He's. He's a first ballot hall of Famer, without question.

[Pat McAfee]

Stupid. It feels like all the ball is coming out and saying this right now, you know, because there's a lot of people, obviously for the last year and a half or so, even the final years, maybe at New England, who started to feel a certain way about Bill Belichick and how, you know, the way he did handle the media and the way he operated in the public eye versus the way he operated with his team. It seems like very different, but in the public eye, he didn't want anybody to like him. He didn't care if anybody liked him. He's here to do a job. Let's keep it moving. Whenever you're not winning as much, whenever you act like that, people throw that in your face a lot. Like, hey, look at this, look at this. So people have really celebrated and danced on the downfall almost in their eyes of Bill Belichick. Now, Bill Belichick will say that he's building something in North Carolina. It's gonna be great. He was literally on the recruiting trail this morning. They tried to run him out of that job 100 times. I mean, there was multiple different things about that. Obviously, his personal life was talked about very, very. It feels like this is the first time where all of ball has come together and acknowledged Bill Belichick for what he is. Do you not agree with that, J.J. it's.

[J.J. Watt]

It's hands down, the best PR that he could have right now. At a time where obviously it hasn't been the greatest PR for him the last year or two here with everything that's going on. And it is a galvanizing. I mean, have you ever seen Twitter come together?

[Pat McAfee]

No.

[J.J. Watt]

Anything 100% altogether at one time. It's been incredible to watch this reaction because it's such that. That's, it's such a no brainer. This is. I mean, it's the stupid now for Bill Belichick.

[Pat McAfee]

I'm happy he's getting a chance to get his flowers.

[Mike Tirico]

Yes.

[Pat McAfee]

You know, and I hope he does get to experience that. Which is basically why I wanted to call this morning. As they were on the recruiting show, I'm like, hey, I just want you to know, like, everybody is going to bat on your side for this. Like, I don't know how much you follow it. I don't know how much you know, but literally everybody in ball, including Hootie, including Hoodie, is coming out. He's a Dolphins fan. He's coming out on your side. It does feel like he's getting a lot of flowers right now that maybe didn't get because there's that documentary. Well, yes, there's the, all the other stuff that kind of. It's been a very negative post leave of New England for Bill Belichick.

[Connor Rogers]

And that's why after the documentary, like then, which was two years ago, like, not that long ago, after that documentary came out, everybody was basically like, hey, hey, Robert Kraft, what the hell are you doing? Like, why did you guys decide to paint Belichick in this light? And a lot of people in New England had a lot of qualms with Bob Kraft for years because of how they painted him. So you'd assume that maybe they learned something from that. Just not even, you know, the Kraft, because the Krafts did, they basically called their mistake and hired Mike Vrabel. But you would assume other people would say, hey, everybody who tries to bury Bill in the end inevitably loses because all the football people not know how much he means to the game as a whole. So the fact that they still came out and did this is ridiculous. And now if the reasoning, which maybe we'll find out, maybe we won't, if the reasoning is, you know, Spygate and Deflategate, what is that set for next year with Tom Brady? Like, what's the president there? Because he was a part of it.

[Pat McAfee]

I think he's 2 years, 20, 28, actually. That was me from earlier misquote. But it will be fascinating how the precedent is set now. You know, how is breast in sex?

[J.J. Watt]

Didn't they let in 20 people like, like a couple years ago?

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, post company. Yeah.

[Ty Schmidt]

Because of co. And then there was.

[Pat McAfee]

A. Cuz there was a backup.

[J.J. Watt]

There was like a class where there were 20 people going in and. But Bill J. Belich's not in.

[Pat McAfee]

Like, what?

[J.J. Watt]

I mean, like, if you, if you got in or like if you're in there, you're like, oh, well, hang on a second there. Should I even be here? Because Belichick's not here. Like, do I deserve to be here? No, because I don't have eight rings. Like, like, if I. Oh, James thinks.

[Pat McAfee]

There'S a chance he's not making it now. J Is like, hold on now.

[Debo]

Well, he was using that thing.

[Ty Schmidt]

Oh, the bionic arm. I am, I am curious though, for like, guys like JJ who like, you should unequivocally be a first ballot hall of Famer. But after something like this comes out, like, does that even matter anymore? Like, it seems like the whole idea of being a first ballot hall of Famer, like, that doesn't mean anymore.

[J.J. Watt]

Well, that's what this does. Like, that starts this conversation where it should never be a conversation. Like a first ballot hall of Famer should be the most highest honor, biggest thing. And the guys that. That are no brainers should be no brainers. And now all of a sudden, it's completely switched this whole mindset and it's turned the entire thing upside down. And to your point of how do you fix it? I don't know. Because what now we're just going to wait a year and they're going to have a vote and he's obviously going to get in next year and then they're going to do a ceremony like nothing happened and he's going to go up there and he's going to not act like these people didn't screw him the year before. And I'm sure he's going to do. He has such respect and reverence for the hall of Fame and I'm sure he'll do it it. But like, we're all just gonna act like, oh, yeah, like, no, you go back tomorrow and you say, okay, commissioner's decision, we screwed up. I don't know how you fix this. This is absurd.

[Connor Rogers]

Well, and that's why I like, Bill Polian's taking on the shins. But it wasn't just Bill Pollian. Like, I am under the assumption that if you needed 40 out of 50 votes. There were 10 to 12 people who had qualms with Bill, and they thought, like, I'm gonna be the only one. I'm gonna be the one that doesn't vote. Vote him first ballot so that when it comes out, it wasn't, you know, unanimous. First ballot.

[Pat McAfee]

Heroes.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, heroes. Exactly. And then turns out 12 people ended up having a qualm, and Bill Polian's taking it, and that's because he's the only one with his name on it. And that has done an interview and stuff. And, you know, sure. If he didn't vote for him, whether he did or not, that doesn't matter as much like, he doesn't know. He. Yeah, he doesn't know. But there are.

[Pat McAfee]

There are 11 people. Change, please. Connor's in the middle. We don't need.

[J.J. Watt]

He doesn't know.

[Mike Tirico]

Nobody doesn't know.

[Pat McAfee]

He's 95. He's pretty sure.

[J.J. Watt]

He doesn't know.

[Pat McAfee]

95% sure. Okay. Is that not enough for you people?

[Ty Schmidt]

He maybe shouldn't be voting anymore if that's the case.

[J.J. Watt]

I don't think you should be voting if you don't know who you voted for.

[Pat McAfee]

That's fair. He was 95% sure. The guy woke him up. He was in the middle of a nap, just had some milk. He's 83. Ovaltine. He's 83 years old. We've seen this guy at these games, these Colts games. It is news to me that he's doing a radio show. Okay. I'm very grateful for him.

[J.J. Watt]

It's news to him. He voted for the.

[Connor Rogers]

They might have woke him up from a nap and be like you, like Bill.

[J.J. Watt]

I mean, I can tell you that clearly I'm off his ballot in however many years I assume.

[Connor Rogers]

Maybe not.

[J.J. Watt]

Maybe he'll forget.

[Pat McAfee]

See, the issue is, like, any personal biases getting in the way of a job that you're not supposed to utilize. Those is certainly just a reality of humans. I think that. Which is why, like, we can't be having you right there, say Jesus even matter anymore if you're a first ballot hall of Fame. We can't have that happening. Okay? It's already starting to happen to the Pro Bowl.

[Ty Schmidt]

Bowl.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay. It's already starting to. It's already happening to happen.

[J.J. Watt]

That's been done for years.

[Pat McAfee]

And JJ, I will say, as somebody that was in a Pro bowl with you, J. Known for taking Pro Bowl, I don't want to say seriously, but treating it for what it is. Celebration of ball and sport. Won a truck, wanted to win the truck won a truck.

[Connor Rogers]

Still got it.

[Pat McAfee]

And defensive end, pass rusher is certainly a position in which, if you were to go, you could steal a truck at the Pro bowl every single year if you really wanted to. So I respect that. But, like, Pro bowl is dead and gone. Tuesday night, flag football. And I saw. Was it Sean Merriman, maybe that put the post out about what the Pro bowl used to be. That was real from Sean Merriman. I grew up wanting to go to Hawaii to go to the Pro bowl thing because of how cool it looked, how awesome it looked. When I make it to the NFL, I'm like, all right, I just want to get to Hawaii, do this Pro bowl thing, and then obviously make it. First time I make it, it's in Arizona. And we had to drive out in the middle of the desert. It was freezing cold. Love Arizona. But it just didn't even have the full hotel rented. JJ couldn't even hang out because there was another convention happening in the hotel. It's like, this is not what I thought this was going to be. And then everybody's like, well, the players aren't taking it serious. Well, it feels like the NFL's not taking any seriously. We can't even sit at the lobby bar because there's a. There's a T shirt convention happening at the same exact time at the same hotel. So I feel like everybody contributed to the Pro bowl becoming ass. I think everybody contributed to that. We can't have that happening to the hall of Fame. Is how I feel. J. That's how I feel.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah, I agree. I. I agree. I mean, my. I'm hopeful to be in it one day, and I'd love for it to hold the prestige and value that it's held my entire life. And because of all the unbelievable names and legacies and legends that are in there. But I. That's why this is so blasphemous. Because if Bill Belichick is not a first ballot hall of Famer, no person in the history of the NFL deserves to be.

[Pat McAfee]

Jimmy Johnson said, I don't want to hear it.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah. He said Bill Polian was telling him how to cheat before as well.

[Pat McAfee]

Well, let's read his tweet, please. Okay. Let's make sure we get the words right. If they're using the excuse, he wanted to emphasize that of Spygate. That's ridiculous. Many teams, including ourselves, I'm in the hall of Fame. Tried it. Howard Mudd at Kansas City, who later coached for Bill Polian and Tony Dungey, gave us the idea he was the best. Rest in peace, by the way. We didn't get anything and stopped, but many teams gave it a try. Jimmy Johnson will be joining us, I believe in like 30 minutes or so. A little bit more about that doing do some journalism. But that is a f. Cause whenever this was all coming out publicly, media wise, I think fan wise, the Spygate, all the gates gets very loud with these people. And then everybody in ball was like, not that big of a deal. Still gotta execute. Still gotta execute. Let's keep it moving, let's keep it moving. Even the Conor Stallion stuff, it was very much like, let's keep it moving, let's keep it moving. And I'm not saying everybody is cheating. Okay. But there are certainly a lot of people that were potentially trying these things that were like, let's not look into this too deep. Let's go ahead and just keep it moving. How we're doing it here. So the Spygate felt like that from within a building. Do know there was people that thought it definitely crossed the line. So I don't know where the Spygate thing falls in all this. I assume it certainly held over his head.

[Ty Schmidt]

But. But isn't that also the part, like, you're just grandstanding if you're one of these voters? Because, like the only people who truly could be about the Spygate stuff would be other front office executives, coaches, stuff like that. Guys who, what, maybe two or three of those guys were actually in the league at the same time. A bill that have a vote. Like, it's all these other people who are saying, like, this isn't right, this isn't right. Who weren't in a football.

[Pat McAfee]

Napoleon, I guess, would be the person.

[Ty Schmidt]

Right.

[Pat McAfee]

In that particular instance. Jade, your thoughts on that? As we talk about, like the football culture as a whole, they're treating the Spygate scandal as like a punishable scam. That. That must be the. The reasoning, the logic that they're utilizing in their voting. I would assume.

[J.J. Watt]

There is no logic. There is no reasoning. Like, I don't get it, man. The guy has eight super bowl rings. What are we doing here? Like, this is.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, man, Jimmy Johnson's gonna tell us. He's been doing it the whole time, though.

[J.J. Watt]

Mud bought a serious stray there. He wasn't expecting to wake up today being pegged with some.

[Mike Tirico]

Wow.

[Pat McAfee]

Rest in peace to J. I know.

[J.J. Watt]

Oh, sorry.

[Pat McAfee]

Actually, I will say. I will say that Howard Mutt and his family would laugh at what you just did right there. Yeah. So that is. Don't feel Terrible. But.

[Mike Tirico]

But he's rolling over in his dad damn grave.

[Pat McAfee]

That Bill Belichick. He said.

[Mike Tirico]

He said, hang on. Was that my name being thrown around?

[Pat McAfee]

How money is tough enough to do that?

[Debo]

Everybody knew about Coach Mud.

[Pat McAfee]

Really?

[Debo]

Oh, yeah. On the sideline, he was. Yeah. Getting all the signals. Coach, what everybody was trying to do.

[J.J. Watt]

It'S doing it, man.

[Connor Rogers]

You got.

[J.J. Watt]

They're literally spy reports for every single team. You're doing everything. But now I don't know how far it went.

[Pat McAfee]

Don't say this, don't say this. You're still up to vote. Now is not the time.

[Connor Rogers]

They didn't even win the super bowl during the spy game gate year. And then the other gate is deflate gate. And they came out and that happened in 2014. And then in 2015, they did a study of all the footballs in the cold weather and said like, oh, this happens every single cold game. Like even deflate gate was basically cast.

[Pat McAfee]

Out of the week. Spygate, you would assume that they've been doing.

[J.J. Watt]

You definitely have no ties to the situation. Connor. Like, you're.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, I got a Bruin shirt. I got the pad. Tell him with all this. But still, like, even the default. Yeah, I got my helmet right here.

[Pat McAfee]

And the hall of Fame helmet.

[Connor Rogers]

Even you. Yeah, actually that's a great point.

[Pat McAfee]

The Canton Police, they're good people.

[Connor Rogers]

I think they're still up here somewhere. But, but seriously, the deflate gate, like that entire study about the footballs comes out after the fact. And they say like, yeah, actually what's crazy about air pressure is that when it gets colder, the air pressure, you know, goes down.

[Ty Schmidt]

Ideal gas law.

[Pat McAfee]

Any, any, any punter or kicker or catcher or thrower would be able to tell you that about balls whenever it gets colder. But the original report came from Bill Nye Science Guy, bro.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Bill Ny Science Guy told me that it's too much that, that it doesn't move that much.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah. And you know his middle name.

[J.J. Watt]

Anybody with a car that lives in the Midwest or anywhere cold will be able to tell you that. Because when it's cold outside and you get in your car, it beeps at you saying your tire pressure. Drive around for a while, pops right back up.

[Pat McAfee]

I'm gonna be honest, mine's done like 28, 27 right now.

[Ty Schmidt]

Me too. But you know, you gotta do. You just ride it out. By the time we go home tonight, it'll be back up 30, 31.

[Pat McAfee]

You'll be fine. We have a couple non car cover people in the office. Tough Morning. The other morning.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah. Geez.

[Pat McAfee]

Geez Louise. We're talking a foot on the hood, driving the whole way clean out one side. It's not moving. That thing's frozen. It's like, can you see on that thing? It doesn't even worry. But we got a couple of that. Need that thing to get warm. Need the car to get warm. It is unbearably cold right now.

[Mike Tirico]

It is.

[Pat McAfee]

And it's only starting where you're. You're not in it anymore.

[Ty Schmidt]

Ah.

[J.J. Watt]

A minute here and there. It's been cold. We had snow days. Sure.

[Pat McAfee]

You're not in your locked cabin up in Wisconsin.

[J.J. Watt]

Don't worry about where I am. Don't worry about where you're not in.

[Pat McAfee]

Your log cabin up there in Wisconsin. I know that. I know. Because those were the good old days. Whenever you turn on J.J. watt, lives in a log cabin, freezing. This guy's an actual lumberjack.

[Ty Schmidt]

Ice bass in the lake.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. I'm like, holy hell, I love this guy. Paul Bunyan. We got Paul Bunyan. And then I saw the. The.

[J.J. Watt]

I saw you bundled up with a nice scarf yesterday to go outside. What were you doing?

[Pat McAfee]

I had to go clean a little thing off or two. You know, little blue. The dog that we have, his energy doesn't wait. You know, he ain't got the time. So you got to get him out there and run a little bit. So I had to get him out there and running. Snot frozen. That's where we're at.

[Mike Tirico]

Oh, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

We're at snot freezing time, and there's another one coming. And I don't have a lot of cold weather stuff because I don't really get cold. Cold. So that was everything.

[J.J. Watt]

You don't live.

[Pat McAfee]

What's that?

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah. You live in a place that you wouldn't need it for sure.

[Pat McAfee]

J. I don't get cold.

[J.J. Watt]

Cold weather stuff, brother. Get some car heart on you. Holy.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, I know.

[Ty Schmidt]

I need.

[Pat McAfee]

I need a little car heart on me. Okay. I need it, but I don't get cold. Really. And if it's not, I just put a hoodie on. I got some gloves. I'm good. That one face had to do the full on a scarf. That was from Travis Kelsey. I believe he sent me a gift back.

[Connor Rogers]

Oh, nice.

[Pat McAfee]

Thank you, Travis, for doing that. Pulled that out of a box. I'm like, do I have one of these things? What can help me?

[Ty Schmidt]

Me.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, Travis. Super fashionable. Did that entire thing. Yeah, I felt pretty good about it, but it's cold as it's cold. As out here.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah, no, I, I, I believe that.

[Pat McAfee]

Hey, you're hiring an American, I heard, for your team. Espanol.

[Mike Tirico]

We'll see. We'll see?

[Pat McAfee]

What do you mean, we'll see? Diego Luna deserves a spot.

[J.J. Watt]

We're working on. We're working on a few different things. We got some ref issues going on. We're trying to try to figure some things out here.

[Mike Tirico]

Been some.

[J.J. Watt]

Been some questionable things happening, and we're trying to make sure that everything is on the up. And we're not getting little club syndrome here.

[AQ Shipley]

We're.

[J.J. Watt]

We're going to stand up to it.

[Pat McAfee]

What you're getting. You're getting little broed by the refs. You got what's.

[J.J. Watt]

We're not, we're not taking that. We're not taking that. We're looking for some answers. We'd like some answers.

[Pat McAfee]

What are they saying? Excuse me? Espanol. Why don't you shut up? I don't know how they say that in Spanish. Hoshite. Is that what they're saying to you?

[J.J. Watt]

I mean, it's just. There's just been some questionable calls lately that we'd like some answers to. We don't like, we don't like just sitting there and taking it. So we're hoping to get some answers and some understanding of why things are happening the way that they're happening. So we'll see how that goes.

[Pat McAfee]

Who do you meet with? The commission territory.

[J.J. Watt]

New territory here.

[Pat McAfee]

This is very new. Are you guys sitting at a desk? Like, are you doing the whole, are you guys going to be across the table, like, litigation type situation, or are you via zoom calls?

[J.J. Watt]

It's the early, early. It's an early process. It's an early process. And I, I'm. We'll see how far the process goes. Yeah. But Manolo had his thoughts, and I appreciate him sharing them.

[Pat McAfee]

Ownership backing, Espanol coach Manolo's thoughts, in which he shared. In which he says, seems like there's one club that always gets screwed and nothing ever happens. Would like to know how this works. J. I'd like to say, as somebody that's been around you a few times times, your presence in the room is certainly worthy, I think. Six, seven. J.J. watt walks in to meet with the commissioner of La Liga. I think that's not a bad play. Maybe do a little, you know, couple of these on the desk. Hey, so how does this work? You're saying, same old Espanol. Okay. There are good people down there. They don't want to do this. I'LL snap you in fucking hair. Yeah. Is that what you're going to do? Is that what ownership's.

[J.J. Watt]

Our boys are working. Our boys are working. They're putting in shifts. They're trying. All I'm asking for is a fair opportunity for him to go out there and play. That's all.

[Pat McAfee]

Nothing wrong with that. It's good ownership. Hey, that's good ownership, boy. J Way go J. Sign American Dumpy.

[J.J. Watt]

I saw you got to see Mike McDaniel yesterday. That was cool.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah, it was nice to give him.

[Pat McAfee]

A nice send off. He deserved that. He was awesome. I liked him. I wish it would have worked out genuinely. How do you feel J about him going to la? That feels like a great hiring. Also, best hiring in DBUT's eyes is actually in Tennessee.

[Debo]

Yeah, my favorite right now is Brian Dava, OC for Cam Ward down there in Tennessee with the defensive head coach Robert Sala. So I would be interested to know, jj, what's your favorite hire so far in this cycle?

[J.J. Watt]

They built a good staff there, man. The Tennessee has, has built a nice staff there. How crazy is it? I was thinking about this right before I came on. How crazy is the NFL? We just had two championship games on Sunday. Everything that comes with that, we know who's going to the Super Bowl. We have head coaching hires going left and right and those things are are pushed down, down, down the media ladder because we have a bigger story on our hand. Like bigger story than the championship games, bigger story than the super bowl upcoming, bigger story than these head coaching hires. But in terms of who these head coaching hires, I mean I saw today the Browns obviously hired Monken. Jim Schwartz, in my opinion then seemingly would be available because I believe he interviewed twice for the Browns head coaching job this cycle and didn't get it.

[Pat McAfee]

So I have a very hard time has been reported. He. He's out.

[J.J. Watt]

So I mean there's another guy available right now for people looking at DCs and obviously been a very successful defensive coordinator in this league. So that would be a hot name to look out for. Who knows where that ends up. But this cycle has been really, really interesting to watch. I mean, obviously the Buffalo situation just happened there. They were looking for a new vibe after everything and I think Joe Brady's a great coach. I think he has potential to be a great head coach. A lot of people had him on his radar, but I just don't know if new vibe is from within the same building. I don't, I don't.

[Pat McAfee]

We will have Joe Brady on tomorrow, I believe at like 1:30 Eastern or so. I think he has a presser and then he's going to join us. I've been told immaculate vibes. Now what does that mean?

[J.J. Watt]

He is great. I've talked to him a bunch this season because we had a bunch of their games. He is great. There is no doubt that he, he's been a head coaching candidate for a long time for a reason. He great. But what I'm saying is when you go out and do a press conference about the reason that you fired a coach, being going in the locker room and seeing the vibes being down and feeling you need new energy like that, you can just see how optically that's just an interesting.

[Pat McAfee]

Well, then there's another optic to it as well. Connor.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, not to mention JJ when the owner comes out and says, like, hey, the, the coaches, they liked Keon Coleman, not Brandon Bean. And you think, well, Sean McDermott's a defensive head coach, so the coaches that like Keon Coleman would probably be the offensive guys. Which would then lead you to, to think, well, the offensive coordinator is Joe Brady. So Joe Brady love Keon Coleman. So Terry Pula just once again throwing his guys without even knowing it under the bus.

[Pat McAfee]

No, it's just a master class out of, hey, I'm just going to shoot from the hip up here.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

And you're allowed to do that if you're an owner, especially if you got a new stadium coming and everything like that. But Joe Brady with his great fade taking over up there in Buffalo, I think is potentially special hiring if he can get it right. Like we've seen some of these Liam Kings. Cohen, what we've seen Liam be able to do down there in Jacksonville, now, obviously they're not playing for the super bowl, but still, what Ben Johnson was able to do, and I'm not saying that that's an exact, you know, comparison because Ben Johnson was belle of ball for head coaching role for like three, four years. Everybody knew he was going to be a guy. But if Joe Brady can bring a little bit of fresh energy, a little bit of a reset with Brandon Bean still doing his entire thing, maybe the Bills win it all. Maybe the Bills win it.

[J.J. Watt]

I heard Jim Leonard's name thrown around for D.C. i think Jim Leonard is going to be a phenomenal defensive coordinator in this league. He obviously Wisconsin, man, but that's a guy who, whoever hires him as a defensive coordinator, I'm very much looking forward to watching their defense play.

[Pat McAfee]

How'd you feel about Pittsburgh Yesterday? Big Mike McCarthy getting emotional before the first words even come out of his mouth. Obviously, T.J. pittsburgh, Steeler, obviously. J.J. watt has attended a lot of Steelers games, called a lot of Steelers games. Massive turnover. First time in longer than 19 years. McCarthy takes over. Got emotional. Say love the Ste. City. And it feels like he won over some people in the city with his emotion and raw, authentic love and passion for the Three Rivers. What are your thoughts on Big Mike McCarthy getting the gig and his initial reports?

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah, I mean, I've seen everybody's reactions to the initial hire and the understanding of everything that's gone on from that standpoint, but I'm with everybody else. But when you watch that press conference, and we know it's not about winning press conferences or anything, anything. But the man had some moments. The man had some great moments in that press conference. And it was. I mean, the hospital line is just as good as it gets from an opener. And then he finishes it with, we're going to start the championship parade at my childhood house or whatever. 1137 Greenfield Avenue, I think it was. And he's got the entire McCarthy family tree there, which is a large tree. Irish, I don't know. He crushed it. It was a really cool press conference. It was great. I think people are starting to come around on it a bit. Obviously the offensive coach that'll be cool to watch in Pittsburgh for the first time. Haven't really seen that. So he did as great of a job as you can do at that press conference to get people on board.

[Pat McAfee]

How do you feel about Pittsburgh Steelers chances in a very new AFC North? Jesse Minter will be joining us tomorrow, new head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. They obviously have high hopes and everything they have cooking up there. Move on from Harbaugh. You know, Monkin just gets hired in Cleveland right now. Schwartz is going to be out, the big bad wolf, potentially for that Cleveland defense. He's leaving the city. Very new AFC north with Zach Taylor and Joey B. Still sitting there in Cincinnati. What are your thoughts on how it kind of looks from this point of view as we know nothing about the actual rosters?

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah, that's the, that's the ultimate question is I do like, I understand the qualms about Mike McCarthy and I completely get it. I also think that in the desire for somebody new and somebody exciting and somebody huge, there is a little bit overreaction in the fact that Mike McCarthy is a good football coach still. Like, it's not like the, oh my gosh, how could we possibly go with that guy? Let's not take it that far, the other direction. But they. It's the quarterback. Like, are you going to go with Will Howard? Are you going to go. Is it going to be Rodgers again? Who's going to fulfill that position and how do you build that for the time first future. That's the only pertinent question. There is the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, how that goes in Baltimore, you've got Lamar Jackson, so you add Jesse Minter on the defensive side. Defense would imagine be sure not see who the offensive coordinator is. But at the end of the day, you have Lamar Jackson. That's going to be great. Cleveland, they got to figure some stuff out. Obviously their defense is going to be great. They have Miles Garrett, but I mean, they have work to do.

[Pat McAfee]

Pro bowl quarterback, please.

[Connor Rogers]

Jerry Judy James.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah.

[J.J. Watt]

And then you got the Bengals who are running it back and weren't able to make it, obviously. But Joe Burrow's back, healthy and ready to roll. One of the best in the absolute business when he's healthy and running. So going to be a great division per usual. And I would imagine I'll probably be covering a lot of their games like we were last year.

[Pat McAfee]

J.J. watt, north, you know, I can't wait to hear it. You also had some AFC south stuff as well. Obviously a lot of Texans games, they were undefeated with JJ on the call. Huh? Maybe we should look into that. Maybe the hall of Fame voters will do some actual digging into things. How come all JJ's teams win whenever he's on the call? We'd like to get to the bottom of that. You know, you talk about the Cincinnati Bengals there with Joey B being one of the best in the world. They went from outhouse to penthouse. Joey B gets hurt his rookie year, comes back, they end up going to the Super Bowl. Almost win that thing if Aaron Donald doesn't wreck the game. The Cincinnati team kind of gave hope to a lot of different fan bases this year. Feels like that's been even more emphasized. Go ahead, A.K.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah.

[AQ Shipley]

Both teams in this year's super bowl did not make the playoffs last year. Now they're in the Super Bowl. What team or teams do you see that didn't make the playoffs this year, Maybe having that same success next year?

[J.J. Watt]

Oh, man, that's a great question. It's definitely one I wish I had time to prep for.

[Pat McAfee]

A little bit.

[J.J. Watt]

I mean, I would say that the Ravens are certainly in that. I would say that the Kansas City Chiefs are obviously in that. I mean, you're immediately looking at those Types of teams that didn't make it this year but are stacked and ready to roll for next year. But it also speaks to this league, man, it speaks to this league that this is what's capable of happening. And we talked about with all the head coaching turnover, like everyone expects you to win now. And if you don't win within your first two years, sometimes your first one year, you are gone and they are looking for somebody else. It is I, I think it's great to watch and from a fan standpoint and somebody who's a fan of the game, I love watching this. But from somebody who also took some time to develop myself and if I was on this type of would have been kicked out of the league. Like it's so damn hard to develop coaches, to develop players, to develop organizations properly when you are doing things on this fast of a timeline and the expectations are this high this quickly.

[Pat McAfee]

Fernando Mendoza with the Raiders, you know, might turn them completely around. Who's their coach? Who knows? Maybe the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe they go on a Super bowl run next year. Nah. Yeah, maybe the Arizona. Arizona Cardinals do it. The jets, they've hired offensive defense coordinators. Obviously don't see it. First year coach. Tennessee Titans. Cam Ward. Huh. Possibly maybe has an opportunity here with day ball calling the place. Jackson Dart. New York Giants. Sexy Dexy. Sexy Dexy going very ham on the Internet at the moment. They got Jackson Dart. They got Harbaugh. Do they have a complete culture shift to make this thing? Bruce is nodding his head yes as a zooaholic. A little 11 Windsor bus. Can you show your hat to the camera?

[Mike Tirico]

Zufa zufaholic, baby.

[Pat McAfee]

11 was her bus fight Sunday night. So maybe the Giants make a run at this thing and then Washington Commanders. Obviously you think Jaden Daniels shuck came on at the end of the season, goes crazy down there in New Orleans. I mean, that's parody of the NFL Shoddy Cowboys. Dallas, Dallas has a chance.

[Debo]

Baker, Dallas, Detroit. Easy quarterbacks.

[Mike Tirico]

It's so hard.

[J.J. Watt]

It's crazy to look at this graphic because I'm like sitting here thinking like, all right, who's their offensive coordinator? Who's their D coordinator? And the guys they got like, you can't even do that right now. There's so many teams that don't have everything in set or there's so many things that have changed. It's crazy to look at this and try and figure it all out right now.

[Pat McAfee]

And not mentioned here is the Indianapolis Colts because we don't have our pick for the next two Years.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's right.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay. And there's a chance we make the playoffs next year. There was a one team that nobody agreed upon, which is a shame because JJ's got great history there. Ty has a last question for you about an open coaching job still.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah. Jj, just curious. I know you played there for a little bit and I guess this would be partially to you and aq. Do you think Arizona is ever going to be worth a again? It kind of seems like the last couple times. Well, I'm just saying.

[Debo]

Good question.

[Ty Schmidt]

They're kind of that team you circle and it's like, boy, does any coach want to go take a head coaching job there. Because chances are are two years he's going to lose a bunch of games, then he's going to get fired and they're kind of just going to run everything back. They don't have a quarterback. The area is beautiful.

[Pat McAfee]

Beautiful.

[Ty Schmidt]

The stadium is beautiful. It seems like it'd be pretty easy to get people to want to go there. But what, what does Arizona need to do to kind of get back on the right track?

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah, I mean, right now they need to find out what their quarterback situation is for the future. When you're a head coach and candidate and you're sitting there and you're looking at opportunities, the number one first thing you're looking at is who's the quarterback of the team and is this somebody that I can build off of? Am I going to tie myself to this and my personal success knowing that this might be my only shot at the apple? Can this be my future? And then after quarterback, you start to look at the organization as a whole and if you like how it's run and if you think there's potential for them to add an influx of cash and everything to help build this roster to be as good as possible. And the staff. But number one comes down to quarterback. And right now they don't have that solution for what their quarterback future is going to be. And so that's what makes it tough. But everything else, I agree with you, man. There's a reason I went out there. I thought we had a chance to win. We started out 7 0. We were very successful. Everything was going great and then it kind of fell apart. But like you said, it's a beautiful place. It's a great place to go. And when you get the players right, everything can happen. But that's why it's still vacant in my mind right now. And that's why it's not necessarily super attractive at the moment, because you don't have an answer for what that quarterback future looks like.

[Pat McAfee]

Maybe J.J. watt becomes the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

[J.J. Watt]

Ooh, maybe that's a lot of time commitment. I do not want to be a head coach. I really enjoy my current work life balance. It's beautiful.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay. I'm happy to hear you're happy. Now, some places need a little change. Sounds like La liga is one of them. J. Get to the bottom of the officiating. You'll be doing it for the good of sport as a whole. We appreciate the hell out of you. Are you going to be out at the super bowl next week?

[J.J. Watt]

No, I will not be. Will you?

[Pat McAfee]

Yes.

[Connor Rogers]

You know the part.

[Pat McAfee]

Biggest part of our. It's our whole thing. We do radio row Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

[J.J. Watt]

You don't know you're going to be at the Royal Rumble too, huh?

[Pat McAfee]

Nice.

[J.J. Watt]

Congrats.

[Pat McAfee]

Now Brock Lesnar is going to be in the Royal Rumble.

[Debo]

There are rumblings.

[J.J. Watt]

JJ I thought that you were going to also take that big jet of yours and pop it over this and go with him.

[Pat McAfee]

No, no. Brock Lesnar is officially in the Royal Rumble. We learned that at the beginning of the hour with a cold facetime from Brock Leslie Lesnar. Okay, I. Not Brock. Yeah, and by the way, Brock's gonna win that thing. Is J.J. in it? Oh, we'll see. That's. Are you?

[J.J. Watt]

I don't. Nobody's told me.

[Pat McAfee]

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[AQ Shipley]

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[Pat McAfee]

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[AQ Shipley]

It's good to be right.

[Pat McAfee]

Must be present in certain states.

[Mike Tirico]

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[Pat McAfee]

Welcome back to. Oh, yeah, that's a pepper thing. First up, we've got Harrison wrapping his.

[Unknown (brief interjection)]

Dr. Pepper in a tiny quilt so.

[Pat McAfee]

It feels at home.

[Mike Tirico]

Oh, how tender. That's a pepper thing.

[J.J. Watt]

And over to Becca, who's whispering affirmations to her can.

[AQ Shipley]

You're sweet, you're unique.

[Pat McAfee]

You're the best thing I ever poured over ice. She swears it makes it taste better. It's not a science thing, but it's a pepper thing. Why do they all do it all for that sweet, delicious, truly one of.

[Mike Tirico]

A kind taste of Dr. Pepper.

[Pat McAfee]

It's a pepper thing. Football is the greatest. We got hall of Fame controversy. We got a Super bowl match up ahead. We got new coaches in different places and we got optimism around the league that maybe next year could be the year that their team goes on a Lombardi hunt. This, this year it's only going to be the New England Patriots fans or the Seattle Seahawks fans who are going to spend all off season prancing around peacock and party to party saying we are the world champs. Will it be McDonald and Darnold or will it be Drake, May and VRA? Will it be the return to a dynasty for the east coast or one for the left coast? It's a magical matchup. It's a magical time for ball. Todd Monken just got named a head coach of the Cleveland Browns. They enter another rebuild sorts in Cleveland. The Browns fan base, the dog pound h. Lot of barking up there. They got a little leprechaun, okay. A little mascot named Bronnie, right? He's a little leprechaun.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Is that what he is?

[Connor Rogers]

Yes.

[Ty Schmidt]

I believe he's an elf.

[Pat McAfee]

There it is. An elf. I. I couldn't think of the other word. I knew it was similar to a leprechaun. Bronnie the elf in front of the dog powder. They sell out their stadium. They fill that place up. They have had zero continued success since I have been alive. A lot of quarterbacks have obviously come through there. Some have had success, they immediately get shipped out of town. Seems like there's a multitude of curses that could potentially be on the Cleveland Browns football team. But it does not turn the Cleveland Browns fan base away from being fans. Mike the Miz Mizanin, WWE superstar, former real world legend. He has belief every year that the Cleveland Browns are gonna super bowl even in the middle of the season when Shador Sanders was playing football, winning a game there or two, and although his stats weren't saying he was doing great, they had some sort of magic that was kind of running through them and they were winning. Miz thought there was a chance they were going to win the super bowl last year. These Browns fans are die hard. Hopefully Monkin is able to bring them something that's special on the offensive side with Miles Garrett on the defensive side. Hopefully they're able to be great and it would be cool for those Browns fans if the Browns were good. But let's head to hammer. Don Tom, Is that ever going to happen, Tone with the Browns?

[Connor Rogers]

No.

[Pat McAfee]

No.

[Ty Schmidt]

I mean, I don't.

[AQ Shipley]

I don't.

[Ty Schmidt]

And this, and this is nothing against Todd Monk, and he's a great offensive coach. Obviously they have great pieces on the defense side of the ball. It's most likely a good hire as far as coaches go. But I mean, there's just something in the water up there. I think it's poop, to be honest with you.

[Pat McAfee]

Chance that is. It's just never going to work up there. And we all know that there's not poop water up there. I mean, there's four teams that have.

[Ty Schmidt]

Never been to the Super Bowl.

[Pat McAfee]

Browns are one of them.

[Ty Schmidt]

Lions, Titans and Jags are the other two. Just in case people didn't know that. But Titans have been to the bowl. Tony.

[AQ Shipley]

Sorry, Jags and Texans.

[Pat McAfee]

I get the stupid AFC south confused.

[AQ Shipley]

Sometimes, but no, I just.

[Ty Schmidt]

I just don't think, you know, it's.

[Mike Tirico]

Ever going to work there.

[Pat McAfee]

All right. History would tell us that it's never going to work. That's Pittsburgh Steeler fan Tony Diggs. We appreciate you. Let's go to talks table at boss of Connor at Ty Schmidt. Ty, how do you feel about the new hires? 10 coaching changes this cycle. Two still remain, Arizona and Las Vegas. Monkin being the most recent. Your thoughts? From Harbaugh to Monkin, all the hiring in between, which one gets you most excited? Is it Big Mike back in Pittsburgh?

[Ty Schmidt]

Honestly, I think it's Jesse Mentor going to. Well, I mean, Big Mike is the easy one because that's kind of a close, personal connection. Yeah, yeah, personal ones, exactly. Because, you know, I still have quite a bit of affinity for him from when he was the head coach coach of the Packers. But something about Jesse Mentor to me just kind of screams, I really like this guy. The. The bigger question I really like. Again, I kind of just asked JJ that. Like the, the Raiders, I guess, you know, they have the first overall pick and you have Tom Brady there and everything. But boy, who wants, who wants the Raiders job and who wants the Cardinals job? Because like even like Clint Kubiak, we were talking about him and the timing of things I think is going to make it so he's probably not going to get one of these jobs. And I think I said it out there, just kind of thinking off the top of my head, I was like, you know what? I could see Clint Kubiak sitting this one out, waiting until next year. Bengals can, I can't even. Zach Taylor and then Clint Kubiak is the Bengals head coach. But like he was the guy we were hearing about all year, like, hey, it's his time, it's his time. Look what he's done with Seattle's offense. I, I just, I don't know who wants the Cardinal.

[Pat McAfee]

Phoenix is a great place.

[Ty Schmidt]

It is.

[Pat McAfee]

Got a nine year NFL vet, Darius J. Butler. A lot of coaching jobs these days, seemingly getting turned down by guys, guys very rarely did that in the past. Felt like whenever you got a head coaching opportunity, you would certainly take it. It's a bigger paycheck, it's a chance to run your thing. You don't know when this is going to ever happen again. With now, with no coaching salary cap for these teams, it feels like assistant coaches, coordinators can get paid a pretty good amount of money and then kind of pick and choose. Ben Johnson turned things down a lot. We heard this year a lot of people turning down head coaching interviews and staying in the coordinator one world. It's a fascinating little development as we move forward about which job's a good job because we've seen so many jobs be shite jobs for people in the past.

[Debo]

Yeah, and it's much more, I guess, reporting around it too. So we get much more insights of who, who's getting interviews, who's taking their names out of the hat, which like you said, you don't really hear that in the past. And a lot of coordinators, I think, and coaches, they're going to stay with like winners because winners they will always be plucked from. So if you have good alignment from the top down, from the ownership level, from the coaching level, and then it all revolves around a quarterback. All these turnarounds that we're talking about, they are all connected to young, talented quarterbacks. And then you get the coach in there. So like I'm looking at this list like Harbaugh, Jackson, Dart, we saw some glimpses, we saw some, some flashes. If he can stay healthy, they have some other pieces with veteran players who have played well in this league that they can go and make a run at. We know the NFC east is always a tossed up year in and year out. So these coaches, they want to find the right spot from the top, but also that quarterback to. You got to have a quarterback that you can build around and go all the way. So Joe Brady with a, you know, MVP winner, you know, he. You're obviously in a great spot. You already have that relationship there as well.

[Pat McAfee]

And The Steelers, Mike McCarthy, they don't know what the quarterback situation is going to be. He was open to Aaron Rodgers, definitely would love Aaron Rodgers, but that's an Omar Khan situation. Love Will Howard, love Mason Rudolph, whatever the future is. Salah with Cam Ward, there's obviously a chance there. Monkin, I don't think they know. Half lead down in Miami, I don't think they know. Stefanski in Atlanta, I don't think they know. You know, it's a fascinating mentor.

[Connor Rogers]

Mentor.

[Debo]

You got Lamar Jackson, great news.

[Pat McAfee]

And then Vegas. I think you have Fernando.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, for sure.

[Pat McAfee]

And I am a believer in Fernando. Not that I'm an NFL scout or anything like that, but I think he's going to be very good in the NFL. I think he has the traits to be great in the NFL. I think he loves football. I think he's obsessed with film. I think he likes breaking down plays. I think he's big. I think he's athletic and he throws darts. So I think he has the NFL qualities and I think he's built for it.

[Debo]

For sure. Sure. But looking at Fernando, in my opinion, he is a quarterback and a prospect. And this goes for 95% of prospects. You gotta have the good shit around him. You gotta have a good offensive line, you gotta have play. He's not like I felt like Cam Newton, for instance. Cam Newton was going to be successful damn near any way he went. Andrew Luck, like those guys were going to be successful regardless of where they went, if you just weren't totally incompetent. But most of the other. The other guys, you need the other pieces around. We've seen him. Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, we've seen it with all these. Jared Goff, he was good. But then once he got, you know, in Detroit, even though you had McVay, once he got in Detroit, different pieces, different play action. They. They played his scheme with Ben Johnson, you saw him kind of elevate his game. I. I would put Fernando Mendoza kind of in that same vein, but he can definitely be a piece where he can have your team in contention year in and year out.

[Pat McAfee]

So I think that's a, a nice piece there. Arizona, you have no idea. Now 12 year old NFL offensive lineman, also king of the wedge and super bowl champion player, coach for the Buccaneers, AQ Shipley's here. Aq. Some of these places have terrible offensive lines too. We talk about the quarterback not having a chance a lot of places that means it has a bad offensive line. We saw a quick turnover for offensive lines in multiple different places. It is possible, right?

[AQ Shipley]

It's very possible. You just have to get one or two pieces sometimes. A lot of these teams have three guys and now all of a sudden you get them one or two extra points. Piece is you get somebody through the draft, you get a guard through free agency, you have two bookend tackles already in a center and all of a sudden you got a great offensive line.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. And I think if you have a good offensive line, you have a chance. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who's a college football national champion, super bowl champion Ryder cup winner, and the all time leading tackler for the Green Bay Packers, AJ Hawk Hawker. Obviously we just went through all the coaching hirings. We'll certainly have a lot more time to chat about that. Let's talk about the main story of the morning and I'm excited to get your take on this thing. As somebody who was also in the NFC north with Brian Urlacher at middle linebacker, all time leading tackler for the Green Bay packers, but I do believe whenever it comes Pro Bowls, all those other nods, you certainly were not getting the votes for your particular division because Erlacher was also there when you were playing. So I don't know what your mindset is towards any popularity vote type award to begin with, but Belichick getting kind of slighted here in everybody's eyes has certainly taken the entire sports world by storm. Your thoughts edited, AJ on how this whole process has turned out.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[AJ Hawk]

So you just said getting kind of slighted. I don't know if anyone, even someone that hates Bill Belichick like the the most would say kind of slighted.

[Pat McAfee]

It's not kind of slighted.

[AJ Hawk]

It's no question, no brainer. First ballot hall of Famer Bill Belichick is. When you look at the, the body of work this guy has produced. I mean, come on now, just check the graphic out. Yeah, I mean I, I guess JJ said this is the best PR he can get because this happens and all of a sudden everybody comes out, even non Patriots people And they say this is nuts. Like, what is this even? Like this doesn't mean anything anymore when you do stuff like this.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, it kind of questions the credibility and legitimacy of everything whenever you have this big of a flub for a process as a whole. Obviously, Bill Belichick knows that he's supposed to be a Hall of Famer. You know, Bill Belichick respects the game. And to your point, about people that aren't just Patriot people coming out in support of Bill Belichick, one of the goats, a Hall of Famer himself, a man who's a two time super bowl champion, a national champion, coach and player in college, living legend, TV icon. Ladies and gentlemen, Coach Jimmy Johnson. Yeah, Coach. How you doing, Coach?

[Mike Tirico]

How are you, man?

[Jimmy Johnson]

How are you doing?

[Pat McAfee]

I'm fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us. So we put the request in to talk to you because we thought you were obviously perfect for the moment as a Hall of Fame coacher, but also with what you said last night on your Twitter account where you said if they're going to be using Spygate as an excuse for this entire thing, they're going to have to dig into basically everybody's stuff who is potentially trying this. Could you elaborate a little bit more on how con and this type of thing and why did it make you so upset that they left Bill Belichick off the first ballot? Hall of Fame?

[Jimmy Johnson]

Well, first of all, I think this tarnishes everything in the hall of Fame, all of the inductees, everybody in the hall of Fame, just because of, you know, 10 or 11 or 12 ignorant, jealous assholes who did not vote for him. I think it tarnishes everything about the whole of fame as far as if they're using the excuse of the Spygate, you know, before they had the electronic communication between the sideline and the players, everybody was trying to steal signals. You know, a lot of people would not admit to it, but every team had an individual trying to get the signals or doing one thing or another. And then one of the scouts for the Kansas City Chiefs talked to us, they said, hey, we, we've got the system. Howard Mudd is the best at the doing it. They had a camera and they would film the opponent's signal collar and match it up with the film. And then they would get their signals. And we noticed, we watched the Kansas City huddle. The offensive guard would look to the sideline and Howard would go ahead and give them a signal, whether or not it was, you know, man coverage or zone coverage, et cetera, et cetera. Now, Howard Mudd left, Kansas City left, and actually went and worked for Bill Pollion and Tony Dungy. Now, I'm not accusing doing it, but there were a lot of teams doing it back then before they put the electronic communication from sideline to the quarterback and the linebackers. And so if they're using that excuse to not put Bill Belichick in the hall of Fame, it is absolutely ridiculous.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, I appreciate you coming out and saying that.

[Jimmy Johnson]

And by the way, we tried doing it. We couldn't get a whole lot out of it. We weren't real good at it, so we stopped doing it.

[Pat McAfee]

We're wasting so much space and energy on these films that we can't. We have. No. Does anybody know what this means? No. Okay.

[Jimmy Johnson]

Well, the thing about it, it happened so late. You only had, you know, a few seconds to get the signal in. Like I said, we really wasn't very good at it, and we were spending more time on it than we needed. So we said, to hell with it. We stopped doing it.

[Pat McAfee]

But I appreciate you coming out and saying, like, hey, this is much more common than we would believe, because I feel like I've been an NFL fan my entire life, growing up in. In Pittsburgh, playing for the Colts now talk about it every single day, I don't think, until I saw your tweet, really, how prevalent it was. And I knew Coach Howard Mudd, rest in peace. So I think I appreciate you saying that, being transparent about it, but also explaining from a point of like, hey, if that is going to be the reason why you hold this guy out, you might need to look into some other people that are potentially in here. What is the precedent, you think, going forward here, Coach, because you said this diminishes all this with how it is. Like, does this change, Change going forward? What are your thoughts on the hall of Fame as a whole? Because there are a lot of people saying the hall of Fame is like, fraud now, which is kind of what you were scared of happening as a Hall of Famer yourself and us all understanding what it is.

[Jimmy Johnson]

When I talked to two or three of the voters today, and of course, every voter is going to say, I voted for him, you know, which is bullshit. You know, a bunch of them. Bunch of them are lying. You know, the thing about, I guess, the process, they had five candidates and they could vote for three. And I think some of the voters probably say, well, it's a slam dunk. You know, Bill Belichick is going to get in with all of his accolades. 8 Super Bowls 6 of the head coach, on and on and on. And so they assumed, you know, that he was going to get in. So they voted for one of the candidates that they liked. And then it's fell through the cracks that he didn't get in. But it's a real. It's a crying shame because one thing, I know Bill personally, and no one knows the history of the NFL more than Bill Belichick. No one loves the NFL more than Bill Belichick. And it just pissed me off that it wasn't a slam dunk him going into the hall of Fame. He'll go in next year, granted. And when everybody says, well, hey, he's got Tom Brady, you know, well, very few hall of Fame coaches, you know, go in without a great quarterback. I had Troy Aikman, so to use that, well, it's, you know, it's Tom Brady. Hey, Tom Brady needed Bill Belichick. Bill Belichick needed Tom Brady.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, I think those are all very valid points. And for him going in next year, we're not. We're just going to act like it's his first ballot next year. Jimmy, you think we should all just agree to do that whenever we talk about it? First ballot hall of Famer here, Bill Belichick, as we move forward, it ought to be.

[Jimmy Johnson]

I saw him at the national championship game. Miami and Indiana, by the way. Way, congratulations. Indiana and Miami had a great year as well. And Bill, you know, I walked away and I was talking to him and he said, hey, I hope to see you in the hall this year. And, you know, I thought it was going to be an automatic, so I chartered a jet. I was going to go up there, to hell with it. I'm not going this year.

[Pat McAfee]

Jimmy. This can't be what this becomes. We can't. We need to stop this. We need to correct this, okay? A.J. has. We can't have Jimmy. Jimmy Johnson not going to hall of Fame. You are, Jimmy. You are football, brother. You are just a part of ball. College player, national champion in Arkansas. Coach, national champion. You were doing the entire thing 2 time for America's team. You are a part of ball, okay? So we need to make sure that you are not getting turned off by this entire thing. We got to make sure we fix this, Jimmy. We got to fix this thing. We got to make it right somehow.

[Jimmy Johnson]

I love football. Now that I've retired from Fox, I've got four TV set up. I've got 12 hours on Saturday, 12 hours on Sunday. No one comes in the room. I only leave the room to get a little bit of food. I love football and. And I appreciate, you know, greatness. And that's what you had with Bill Belichick, greatness. I'm a coach, you know, and if some of the players don't get in, it doesn't bother me that much if a player doesn't get in. But for a great, great football coach not to get in first ballot, that was wrong.

[Pat McAfee]

All right, well, hopefully they make it up to you. AJ Has a question.

[AJ Hawk]

Coach, have you and any of your fellow hall of Famers, have you. Have you spoken to anybody, you reached out to anybody at the hall of Fame and tried to, I don't know, kind of wrap your head around this whole situation?

[Jimmy Johnson]

I've talked to a few people. In fact, you know, Troy and I texted back and forth a little bit, and everybody had just shocked that Bill didn't go in first ballot. I haven't talked to a single individual that's even on the borderline. Every one of them saying they're shocked that he didn't go in. Look at all the accolades. Look at what he did. You know, that's really the reason why someone goes into the hall of Fame, and I just don't understand it.

[Pat McAfee]

All those things that you're looking there, earned, you know, on the field, the accolade to get into the hall is something that other people are going to judge upon. Obviously, there's some personal biases or lapses in the process that they miss it. Hopefully, they're able to get it right. Because just like Coach Jimmy Johnson, living legend, is saying, there's a lot of people saying, well, the hell with the hall of Fame as a whole. If Bill Belichick is not considered a Hall of Famer, and we can't have that, we got to preserve these things. Pro bowl has to remain the hall of Fame is. We need something. Jimmy, you know, we lost his Pro Bowl. Pro Bowl's gone for Jimmy.

[Jimmy Johnson]

Pat, I know that, you know, Bill at times, you know, he wasn't the most friendly guy to some of the media, and so maybe some of them voted against him, you know, because they didn't get an interview of him. I don't know. You know, maybe there's a little tension between Bob Kraft and Bill, you know, and maybe there was some lobby in there. I don't know the reason for it. I don't need to know the reason for it, but it should not have happened. Happened.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. Pro Football hall of Fame feels like it. Coach, can we pivot to a couple other Football questions now that we have one of the greatest minds in the history of Ballon.

[Jimmy Johnson]

What you got there?

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, you got it. Debun has a question for you about ball boss.

[Debo]

Hell yeah. Coach, thank you first of all for your service. Growing up in South Florida as a Miami Dolphin fan, Miami Hurricanes fan, thank you. We got a new hiring cycle now. Eight new coaches hired. Four first time head coaches. Four coaches. Now that I've already been on the job. What are you doing day one on the job? Whether it's press conference, reaching out to teams, putting your staff together, what are you doing day one and then kind of a second part of how the hell do you win in Miami as a head coach in this environment?

[Jimmy Johnson]

Well, I think Miami's got their work cut out for them because of the salary cap and their quarterback situation. I think for every new coach. Well, first of all, it's ridiculous that we've got 10 over openings. There's not that, you know, there's not 10 bad coaches in the league, you know, but anyway, for a new coach going in, the number one thing, he's got to get his players all on the same page, set the stage. Here's what you can expect from me. This is what I expect from you. I think a lot of these owners are saying, hey, I've got to get, you know, change the head coach because our fans are upset and I can't lose our fans. That has a lot to do with it. But the other thing is hiring the right staff. You know, I was fortunate. Every place I ever was a University of Miami or whether or not it be Dallas Cowboys or Miami Dolphins, I had some outstanding assistant coaches and that's the reason I went in the hall of Fame. I had great players and I great assistant coaches. But you know, they've got to put together the right staff. And that's very difficult to do nowadays because coaches are under contract, you can't talk to certain ones. But putting together that staff and getting your players on the right page, that's the first order of business.

[Pat McAfee]

Good luck to all these parties who have to win within the next 12 months of their asses are going to be on the hot seat. Yeah. Jacksonville Jaguars made, made the playoffs. Chicago Bears one on a run. Mike Vrabel, first year, they had four wins last year. You're expected to do the exact same whether the situation is similar or not. It's a crazy time any NFL, but it's a good time in the NFL. We talked about, you know, you being a legend in football. A lot of Us remember you from your time with the Dallas Cowboys. Obviously Miami. You looked cool, great tan.

[Connor Rogers]

Oh yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

The hair was remarkable. You know, look great. But with the Cowboys where you did so much damage and left so much history, you know, obviously you still keep up with everything going on over there. Connor has a question for you.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, Coach, how do you feel about the state of the Cowboys? It feels like Shotty got in there in his first year and, you know, had successful success, but injuries hurt him a little bit and they got off to that slow start. But where do you see the Cowboys going? What do you think of, you know, Dax? CD Hopefully George Pickens again. And also just wanted to say miss you, miss that hair on tv. Coach is remarkable to see it.

[Jimmy Johnson]

It was such quick notice. I didn't do my hair today.

[Pat McAfee]

No, you did. Yeah, you woke up like this. That's kind of what we're talking about. Unbelievable.

[Jimmy Johnson]

But as far as the Cowboys, you know, you know, Brian Schottenheimer did an outstanding job in a difficult situation last year. They were just horrible on defense and I think if they could make some corrections on defense. In fact, I talked to Jerry Jones not too awful long ago after the season, I said, you can make some corrections on that defense and you know, it may not be that you're going to be dominant, but if you're just good, just so, so you're going to be so good on offense. If you can keep Pickens, if you can keep him and get the running back situation going, yeah, you can have an outstanding team. You can make a run at it because you're that good offensively. But they've got to make the corrections on defense.

[Pat McAfee]

How do you feel about the Micah trade? I don't think we've got a chance to chat with you now. We've seen how it works out. What are your thoughts?

[Jimmy Johnson]

I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. But you know, of course him getting injured, maybe it was the right thing to do. But you know, because he's a little bit undersized, he's had a couple of injuries. I just, I just don't think you get rid of game changing players, somehow some way you find a way to keep them. And he was a game changer. He, he really could dominate the game. Just him individually, but without Micah, you know, they picked up, you know, some draft picks, they got a lot of salary cap money. You know, they're going to be able to add some players. So Jerry, Jerry made the right move.

[Pat McAfee]

You know, for what it was because.

[Jimmy Johnson]

They were at an impasse as far as Micah Parsons. Like I said, if they'll make some improvement defensively, the Cowboys can make a run at it.

[Pat McAfee]

Obviously, your relationship with Jerry is very publicly documented. I think, you know, in the hall of Fame, there was a moment there and there's been more. What is it?

[Jimmy Johnson]

How is it today? I don't know.

[Pat McAfee]

That's what I was about to ask. That's what I was about to ask. Like, how do you keep up with Jerry? Do you talk to Dallas or you. Are you just locked in your room with four TVs and only Instagram? How is that?

[Jimmy Johnson]

Jerry and I talk on occasion and we're fine. We're good. Every time I talk to him, he says, man, I need to talk to you more.

[Pat McAfee]

Hey, I love to hear that.

[Jimmy Johnson]

My number.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, well, he's got an act. He's in Landman. You know, he's got a. I think there was a natural gas.

[Connor Rogers]

He's searching for it down.

[Pat McAfee]

He found. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Johnson]

He's got that Comstock. I've got a little bit of. I've got some stock in that myself. We would like to hope he does well.

[Pat McAfee]

We would like to let you know that the John family does hope that Jerry does find said honey hole that he's.

[Jimmy Johnson]

That he has weather by everybody. That natural gas price is going to go up.

[Pat McAfee]

It's good information to have, actually. Let's go ahead and write that down. Let's dump that so nobody else hears it. Let's take advantage. Let's talk about the super bowl before we let you go here. Coach Patriots, Seahawks, obviously Vrabel comes in, turns that culture so quickly. McDonald, just some defensive mastermind with some Seattle. Your thoughts on these two teams and how do you think the game goes?

[Jimmy Johnson]

Well, you know, I think just like everybody, the edge is going to go, you know, to Seattle with McDonald. He did a great job defensively and I love the way Sam Darnold played. I mean, it's so good to see Sam Darnold, you know, with all of his travels and being cast off three or four different places to play as well as what he played. And so I'm going to give the edge to see. But you look at the two coaches. McDonald just did a great job coaching their Seattle. And Mike Brable, hey, Brable did a good job at Tennessee, you know, and people may want to criticize him there, but if he had had the quarterback situation in good shape, then he could have done even better at Tennessee. But he's an outstanding Football coach. Some people are going to knock him a little bit for the schedule this year, but, hey, they're a good football team. They're well coached, and they'll have a strong shot at it.

[Pat McAfee]

Jimmy, thank you so much for taking time with us. You're awesome. You're an inspiration right now, honestly.

[Jimmy Johnson]

All right, Pat.

[Mike Tirico]

All right.

[Pat McAfee]

I hope my hair turns that Bob Barker white. Yeah. You know, that Jimmy Johnson white. That radiant white. And if you get a good tan, you know, with our Caucasoid skin, that thing pops out like that. We appreciate you, Coach. You're the man.

[Jimmy Johnson]

Okay, talk to y' all later.

[Pat McAfee]

Coach. Jimmy Johnson. Yeah.

[J.J. Watt]

Coach.

[AJ Hawk]

82 years old, the goat not getting that jet. Not taking the jet up.

[Pat McAfee]

I booked a jet to get out of this island. I live on an island. It is great. This is what you work for, by the way. I scheduled a jet to go up there, celebrate Bill Belichick, greatest coach of all time. We're gonna do this for the coach committee. Cancel that. I'm not going. I don't like that. This is already happening. I didn't expect Jimmy Johnson to be like. I saw people on the Internet being like, the whole hall of Fame's not worth a damn thing.

[Connor Rogers]

Okay?

[Pat McAfee]

That's why I see people on the Internet saying. Because they're, like, attacking, obviously, because how stupid this whole thing is. Now we got Jimmy Johnson there being. I'm not fucking going. You think I'm going back to Canton, Ohio? Nope. Not doing that.

[Connor Rogers]

Come on.

[Pat McAfee]

Am I even supposed to put my jacket on? Am I supposed to even put it on? Do I even. Should I even wear one? If Bill Belichick. Tom Brady said something similar. Tom Brady said, okay, so no coach is allowed to be in hall of Fame, then. If Bill Belichick's not allowed in hall of Fame, then the first time he's available to go in the hall of Fame. What does this even mean? I don't think I fully understand. It has been the same exact point of view from everybody in ball. That's awesome. Hey, that's awesome, actually.

[Connor Rogers]

Great.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah, that's very rare. Very rare.

[Pat McAfee]

I think that's a good thing. You know, there's always, like. There's situations where very bad things bring people together for the first time. Long time. Like funerals. I think about this. Friend passes away. A celebration of life takes place. I see people for the first time in, like, 10, 15, 20 years. There's positive that comes from the very negative, from something that you didn't wish would happen. The positive from this entire situation is ball has come together. Ball has come together.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

And it does feel like there is 50 names, okay, that represent an entire thing that kind of everybody has turned against me. Like, who the hell do you think you are actually? And that's very rare. I think that is a very rare thing to happen. Now, Ty, you might be disagreeing.

[Ty Schmidt]

No, I agree. It's just unreal. Unfortunately, like five years from now when we talk about this and like all this stuff kind of floats away. Like it's still going to be. Bill Belichick wasn't a first ballot hall of Famer, you know, and it's like, it'd be nice if either the hall of Fame or like the commissioner could come in and just retroactively be like, you know what? No, like he is. But you also can't open that Pandora's box because then where, where does it stop, you know? The next time some someone who we all believe should be a first ballot hall of Famer doesn't get in, does the same thing happen? Like, that is what should happen today. Someone should come out and be like, hey, I understand that we do this, but like, this should have been a slam dunk.

[Pat McAfee]

David Baker should come out.

[Ty Schmidt]

Exactly.

[Pat McAfee]

But should knock on his door.

[Ty Schmidt]

He should, and say, hey, I'm taking.

[Pat McAfee]

This one for me.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, for Ball.

[Pat McAfee]

He's going to look down at Bill. Congratulations, bro. He's going to do the entire thing. That's what we need in the this moment.

[Ty Schmidt]

Because, like, you're right, everyone is coming together. But like, eventually, like once the media cycle passes and we get past this, in a couple years from now, like that, that won't be the conversation anymore.

[Pat McAfee]

Joining us now is a man is going to be in every hall of Fame that he is up for, we think. I don't know anymore. I mean, honestly, who knows? Guy is going to be calling the super bowl, obviously, and then he's going right into the Olympics and then, oh yeah, every human on earth is going to hear him and see him. And how's to he going to handle it? Perfectly. Smoothest guy on television. I have no idea how he's capable of calling every single thing that he does. He can host the talk show while calling speed walking, then a primetime football game. Give you the most energy and juice, and then wake up in the morning and break down an entire political affair if he had to. One of the greatest on the mic ever. Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Tirico.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Mike Tirico]

Thank you. Morning, boys. How we doing? How good was Jimmy?

[Pat McAfee]

Dude? 82. Oh, my God, he's 82 years old. Old.

[Mike Tirico]

I'm like, blow past me. Keep going with Jimmy. I don't care what I have to say. This is too good.

[Pat McAfee]

Well, that's interesting that you say that, because in my mind, I was thinking, we got Jimmy Johnson and Mike Tico in the same hour. Somehow we are so, so thankful. You need to know that's how we view you, brother. That intro that I just gave.

[Ty Schmidt]

Thank you.

[Pat McAfee]

I tried to hit you with, like, a bevy, a bang, bang, boom, boom, boom, because you are incredibly smooth at what you do. What. What do you think is, like, your main focus or the reason why you're able to kind of be in any situation? Can I give you what I think it is?

[Ty Schmidt]

Please?

[J.J. Watt]

Come on.

[Pat McAfee]

I think you listen. I think you're actually listening. So whenever you and Chris Collinsworth do the Open where you talk about a team, he's giving an answer, and you are always appearing to actually listen so that you can pivot off of what he says to go into something else. Whenever you host the Olympics, I think there's probably people that know more about the individual sports than you do. You listen to what they're saying? Are you hosting? Always listening. Do you think that's your secret weapon? And why are you so confident being able to do that as opposed to force shit that you want to get out?

[Mike Tirico]

I'm kind of glad that you said that. Thanks. Because I do like to listen. I don't know. I don't know stuff. I just kind of gather it and share it, and I love to hear what people think. And for me, listening is the number one tool in this business, even though we make a living talking. So I love that you picked that up. I do love to listen to people who are smarter than me. That's why I love listening to you guys.

[AQ Shipley]

Can.

[Mike Tirico]

Can I just bring up something, by the way? No, no, you know, I can't.

[Pat McAfee]

You.

[Connor Rogers]

You.

[Mike Tirico]

You know, I'm gonna do it anyway. You know, I'm a part of one of the great moments of McAfee on the field, right?

[Pat McAfee]

No. Which one?

[Mike Tirico]

Tackle the golf swing.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, yes, yes, yes.

[Mike Tirico]

Golf swing in Charlotte, I believe. Panthers game.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, yeah, it was rain.

[Mike Tirico]

I. I blew you up for about 20 seconds, and you delivered with an inside. The fire punt and the golf swing.

[Connor Rogers]

That.

[Mike Tirico]

That was me. That's. That's my first McAfee. That's my second. My first one was your first backyard brawl.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, first one, freshman year, it was negative 10 or something like that.

[Mike Tirico]

That's exactly right. And Morgan, can you name the announcers for your first backyard brawl?

[Pat McAfee]

You and all people.

[Mike Tirico]

You know me, Herbie, Aaron Andrews.

[Pat McAfee]

Yes. Because you guys are spending Thursdays with us. There was a little bit of a run on Thursday night on ESPN where we were kind of like the Thursday night special, I think. Yeah. We had the legendary crew back then. I forgot you were the play by play guy, though. That's kind of. Hey, that's on me. That's how good you were. That's how good you were. That's all right.

[Mike Tirico]

I just. Every time I see the golf swing in the little tees, the little open little thing that runs, I'm like, that was us. That was us on a Monday night. I remember that. And you delivered because I think I said something about how good you were pinning people not just inside the 20, but inside the 10. And then you did it on cue, and then you gave us the seven and. Yeah. So that's why I've always had McAfee real close to the heart the whole way.

[Pat McAfee]

Well, I want to let you know. Me too. Yeah, put me over. I appreciate you doing that. It's very, very kind of you. That is abnormal, as you've come to realize with people in your position and normally how I am. But let's talk about why. I think you are also great. Not only listening thing. You talked about putting me over for inside to 10. You seemingly are always prepared, you know, and you pulled me aside. You were the only play by play guy that pulled me aside out of the networks and be like, hey, see, you're doing direct directional punting here. What are you trying to do? What is the aim? What is the target? Feels like you're always prepared. Do you do that with everything? Do you feel like you're naturally more inclined to do that? Do you feel comfortable doing that? And how much is that kind of different, you think, than what other people do?

[Mike Tirico]

I. I think everybody does it. I. I think our business has gotten a lot better in the 25, 30 years I've been doing it. Just like kicking has gotten to become a science. Just like doing shows like this have changed and evolved. I think we all do it in our own different ways. I've got a curiosity for special teams, so I want to learn more. And fortunately, you find out real quick that special teams coordinators and kickers and long snappers, they're like offensive linemen and defensive linemen. They may give you the best stuff of anybody because nobody comes. Every comes talk to the quarterback, right? Every comes talk to the Star receiver. Everyone comes talk to the sack guy, but when you talk to the meat and potatoes, these people, they tell you everything. And I've always found that to be the most interesting and enjoyable conversation. So I didn't know much about kicking or special teams, so I started to take an interest in it and talk to guys like you and coordinators around the league. I. I love doing that. That's fun for me. So I do love to. I love to dig and find stuff, but this job isn't that hard. We all kind of do the same thing in different ways. And I love the fact that our business, our part of the business has never been better. More good people doing great work on a regular basis. And it's just a nice time to be doing this.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, but there are separators, brother, and you're certainly one of the one that separates yourself.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah, you're nice.

[Pat McAfee]

Well, it's an enjoyable viewing experience. How much are you thinking about that while you're calling it and how much are you trying to read, like, the moment? Because obviously we saw a game winner. I forget which one was most recent. Maybe Chicago. Caleb. Yeah, that Caleb call. With that play, you lose your mind. And it's like everybody else is also losing, losing their mind. But you also don't go over the top and sound like caricature. It feels like you have a great sense of feel. How much are you thinking about that for people at home? Or is that your natural reactions that are taking place?

[Mike Tirico]

I appreciate you saying that. That means a lot. It's. It's still fun for me. I'm still fan. Like, I still like to go to games. We live in Michigan. I go to some Detroit Tigers games. I don't cover baseball. I love going in a ball cap and having a beer and still being a fan. And what I miss the booth. I'm play by play guy journalist. But we're still there as fans. And that's what I love about being with Chris. Like, I love hearing a great play after a great play. Collinsworth, laugh.

[Pat McAfee]

Stop it.

[Mike Tirico]

Right? We both love the game, right? And I'm still into the game now. I'm not a fan of a team. I'm a fan of the game. And I love when people make big plays. And I think, Pat, our business has changed a little bit. People now want you to, to be in there with them and excited and be in the moment. So, like, I'm right there with you. I. When Caleb Williams makes that play, it's like there's no way he can throw the ball that far backpedal and he does. What are you going to say? Touchdown. Oh, that's, like, amazing, right? So if in any way it's being genuine, I just. I've stopped thinking about how is it going to sound, and just try to do it and just try to react the way I would when I'm sitting at home watching the game on tv. So if that comes across, look, we. You got a thousand things at your thumb to go watch, right? You can go watch some show on Netflix. You can watch something on Peacock. You watch something on Hulu. We have to be. And you guys are the kings of this. We got a little fun and be entertaining along the way. So if you feel like you're along for the ride with us, then. Then we're doing the right job.

[Pat McAfee]

I think you do an incredible job at all of that. You're hitting the mark on what you're trying to do. Last question for. For me, for the boys, I'll have some. You're. You're a legend in our eyes, Mike. You need to know that you. You are beloved amongst the Thunderdome. Like, actually. So when you make your move to go over to NBC and they talk about how, oh, he's gonna be doing more things the Olympics, he's gonna be doing golf. I think hockey was potentially on the horizon of conversation, but you were certainly not doing football anymore. We all knew that as NFL fans, as football fans. So we were bummed out about it. You took the decision. Decision to work on everything else, I guess, and then we'll get football whenever Sunday Night Football opens up, which is the biggest show in town. Like, how was that time whenever you were waiting to get back? And we are thankful that you are back in bo.

[Mike Tirico]

I'm thankful to be a part of it, too. I'll give you the straight. The straight answer here was 25 years at ESPN, 10 years on Monday night, and I loved it. And I didn't want to leave a big chair in the NFL doing Monday night, but NBC had a lot of things that were items and events that I hadn't done before. And part of the deal was I was at that time, NBC was doing Thursdays and Sundays. So Al and Chris were doing, like, 31, 32 games a year Thursday night and then Sunday night. So part of the deal was I was supposed to do Thursday night for a bunch of different reasons that I don't exactly know the real answer yet, but it didn't happen. So I ended up doing some Thursdays and Sundays. So Al didn't do all 31. Al didn't. Did 24, five, and I did maybe a half dozen. But I got to do Notre Dame football in that stretch and that was one of the great experiences I have ever had. Like, going to South Bend on those home Saturdays was awesome. Like, you guys know what Morgantown's like. A.J. you know what the shoe is like, you know what special place is. I live in Ann Arbor. I know what Michigan Stadium's like to go to South Bend. And ESPN wasn't doing games there because it was just the NBC contract to have five or six years of doing games in the Cathedral College College football. Notre Dame Stadium was awesome. And then along the way, we did the NFL studio show, got to work on the Olympics. Bob Costa stepped away from the prime time hosting of the Olympics earlier than I thought was ever going to happen. Pat, I'll never forget. I'm on the road In Foxborough, that one lane, Route 1, driving into the stadium there, and I got a call from our boss, Mark Lazarus, and he said, hey, Bob's, Bob's gonna step away from doing the primetime Olympics we'd like you to do. And I'm like, I'm drafting a Route 1 here in Foxborough, and I just got the Olympic job. Like, what the hell's going on here? That's so that happened before I ever thought it would happen. And that's become like a huge part of my life. Like, the stuff behind me over there is all pictures from the Summer Olympics, places that we've been. We got a Paris and a Tokyo and Rio over here. You can sing it for me now. Those are, those are life changing experiences. And we got another one coming up up here right after the super bowl in Italy. So I love, I love the time I spent at espn. People like Herby, like Fowler, like Reese Davis, those are people who are some of my favorite. Shawn McDonough, those are still some of my favorite people and still friends. And I cherish all that time. But this 10 years at NBC has been off the charts and, you know, like a month like this with the NBA and the super bowl and the Olympics, like nobody's ever had a month like this. So I'm just blessed to, to be a part of it.

[Pat McAfee]

You're getting a chance to showcase that range, brother. You're all over the place. And obviously we missed you in the NFL. We're thankful that you're back. You never talk down to anybody. Doesn't feel like you're talking down to the people that are watching. It's A It's an elite ability to be able to talk about anything and have everybody follow along. AJ Has a question for you. Mike.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah, Mike, I know you have a huge Super Bowl Sunday coming up on the horizon. Can you explain a little bit what your day is going to look like? Obviously before, during and then after the game on? I know you have plenty of work that day and going to be on TV a little bit.

[Mike Tirico]

Well, one of the cool parts, A.J. that I can't wait for, it sounds crazy, is I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night and watch see if Lindsey Vonn can win the downhill. Because the women's downhill is like, I think it's 4:30 in the morning, west coast time. But I'm waking up because if that happens, that might be the greatest thing that's ever happened in the Olympics. And it sounds stupid to say that until you start thinking about it's 16 years after she started competing. Competing. She's 41. She has a titanium knee. Four years ago she was on the set with me at the super bowl at Sofi talking about the Olympics, and then she was working as a commentator for us on the Beijing Games. And now she's back and she's winning. And if she comes back and does this with a titanium knee, it's one of the greatest things we've ever seen at the Olympics. So I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night, watch that, get to the stadium, obviously do the game, hang with Chris the whole afternoon, soak up every second of my first super bowl to call, and then as soon as the game's done, go right down to the field and be a part of the Olympic primetime show. We're going to host the Olympic primetime show from the stadium. So as the confetti is on the on the field and people are reuniting with families and all that, we're going to do our primetime show, which is the best of what happened that day at the Olympics. And maybe it's Lindsey Vaughn winning gold, maybe it's something else from figure skating, but we're going to do that right afterwards. And then when we're done with that, hop on the plane to Italy and be there for the last 13 days of the game. So it's going to be a cool, a cool super Sunday. I keep thinking about it and the closer it gets, it still doesn't feel real. It's going to be a blast.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, it sounds like a great 24 hours there of sport, you know, for the good of Sport for the love of sport, which we all have. You obviously, clearly have as well. Is Nathan Chen still skating, or do we know if he's out there?

[Mike Tirico]

That's nice. Pulled by you. He's not. He's not what? He's the gold. He's the rainy Goldmaster. However, I got something even better.

[AQ Shipley]

Okay.

[Mike Tirico]

Ilya Malinin. Do you know Ilya Malinin's name, Pat?

[Pat McAfee]

No, I do not, but I'll never forget it. It sounds like.

[Mike Tirico]

Dude, he's known as the quad God. He does. Now, it's not just his quads, okay? It's not like a Saquon Barkley quad situation.

[Pat McAfee]

Hamstrings.

[Mike Tirico]

It's the rotations. He does the quad in figure skating as many times as anyone has ever done it in his pro program. So he.

[Ty Schmidt]

Program.

[AQ Shipley]

Sorry.

[Mike Tirico]

So he could. He could fall. He's so good. He could fall and still win. That's how difficult his program is. He's amazing.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, so his name is Eliam. What?

[Mike Tirico]

Ilya Malin. And he grew up in Virginia. He's one of ours.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah.

[Mike Tirico]

You got to watch Quad God.

[Pat McAfee]

Quad father out here. Yeah, he. So he. It was like Simone's was so. Her thing was so difficult, right? I'm trying to. I'm trying to remember her. Her stuff was so difficult. So, like, her points, even if she didn't hit anywhere near a perfect one, would still outscore everybody else. You're saying this about Mr. Ilium?

[Mike Tirico]

Ilya. Ilya Malin. Oh, there he is. There's. There's my guy. Watch him.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, Ilya.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah.

[Debo]

Go, go.

[AQ Shipley]

He's doing back.

[Mike Tirico]

He's unbelievable.

[AQ Shipley]

Feral.

[Pat McAfee]

He does kind of look like Blades of Glory story here. Ilia.

[Mike Tirico]

Ilia Malin. Great dude. Great dude. I've been around him. World Championships in Boston last year, event in D.C. met him a bunch of times. Such a great, great young man. America will love this guy. He's got. He's the favorite to win gold and figure skating.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, so he's. Yes. I love this man. Yes. That's my first time seeing his face. Ariel, let's go, dog. Let's go. We need you on that ice. We need gold coming home. On that note, There you go. 1 27.7 million, I believe, is what last year's super bowl was. I assume everything's up and to the right. Don't get nervous out there, Tirico. Don't get nervous out there. First Super Bowl. Don't get nervous. What is the thought of something that vast? And what are the Olympic numbers? Because I know we all watch, everybody does. But what are like kind of the numbers you're about to head into here?

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah, the numbers are in the 20s on a regular basis for primetime Olympics. But like, it's. Are you going to do a different show if you know the audience is 50, 80 times? No, you're. You're a guy who knows. If I'm just myself, then that's what I need to do. I'm not going to sit there and go, oh, my God, Chris, 120 million people are watching. Don't screw up. I just, just kind of talk to people. There's the, the only person I. I'm thinking of on the other side of the camera is my mom. My mom's sitting home. She watches every game. She's sitting on her couch watching the Super Bowl. That's. I talk to one person. I always tell young people along the way. So I got to take my own advice. I guess at some point, like if you're anxious or there's more adrenaline flowing, which there will be until you get that first hit, until you call that first play, you're going to be thinking it in your head. Unless you just kind of just chill and just say, talking to one person. So I. Look, the audience numbers are great. We were doing 52 million at the end of the Bears game. Bears ran Rams game. It didn't affect one for one second what either one of us said. I think maybe you're just more prepared, more careful. But I, I don't worry about the numbers. I hope we break a record. I hope next year that Joe and Troy and the ABC ESPN show breaks a record. Just the more people in the football tent, the better off we all are, man. And I think Football Nation has proven that this year for sure.

[Pat McAfee]

Good for ball. You're great for ball, but you're great for ball. Great for sport as a whole. Ty has a question for you about that.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, Mike, you just mentioned how no one's really had a month like this. Like, do you. Do you even get time to really, like, catch your breath? You go from the NFL season to the super bowl to the Olympics. We know you're doing stuff with the NBA. Now, I know you said you don't do baseball, but I believe NBC just got like a Sunday night baseball package. So.

[Pat McAfee]

So guess what?

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, maybe keep your. Keep your summer open. Like, and Pat talked about your preparation. Preparation. Like, so I, I don't think you can really kind of just turn your brain off during the week. Like, do you get a chance to kind of just sit back and relax or is it kind of always preparing for the next thing? Because it seems like you work non stop.

[Mike Tirico]

This was my half hour and you guys screwed it up.

[Pat McAfee]

Hell yeah.

[Mike Tirico]

So thanks. I appreciate that.

[Pat McAfee]

Hell yeah. We're not gonna be a part of your rest. If you want us all just to chill, we'll take a nap with you. Yeah. Sleep with you, Taro.

[Mike Tirico]

Okay.

[Pat McAfee]

That's what we'll do. Great. Come.

[Mike Tirico]

Come have a salad with me. No. Yeah. You know, Ty, this week, honestly, this week I've hunkered down at home and I'm just. Just doing prep stuff for the. For all three events because we've got the Lakers and the Knicks on Sunday. We start our Sunday night basketball. So, like, Sunday night football's over now. It's going to be Sunday night basketball until the playoffs end for us in late May. And then it's going to be Sunday night baseball. And NBC's like every Sunday night. Tonight we got some big game on the network. So being a part of that is really cool and fun. So I prepared for Lakers, Knicks. Then doing some time on like today is the Seahawks offense for me, the Seahawks defense yesterday. I'll do Pat's defense and Pat's offense the next two days and just try and plan it out and all that stuff and Olympic stuff along the way. So it's not. Look, we talk about sports on tv, like we're not.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, but you can't sound like an Asshole, dude. 128 million people watching. And in the Olympics, you're representing sports that feel like they don't get the proper coverage year round. So if you were to, for instance, I, on game day, you know, get dropped into this cult society, which is college ball, you say somebody's name wrong. Why is this asshole allowed to have a microphone when we got literally 100,000 people in this building right here that know how to pronounce this guy's name? It's like you can disrespect people just by not having. Having information. So, like, the amount you have to prepare especially for these. Figure skating.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Skiing, Alpine skiing. All these things you have to know a lot of. Because if not, you'll be like, get this guy off of our tv. He's not worthy of the microphone. Don't you agree with that, though?

[Mike Tirico]

I do agree with that, but I think you kind of know what you need to know, right? I mean, AJ probably spent hours and hours and hours studying opponents, but there's a point where you're going to get diminishing returns. And you're going to stop yourself from doing what you do best. So over the years, you'll learn what you need to take into the booth, what you need to take onto the set. We've got like the greatest team of researchers. You know what the researchers are like at ESPN with game Day. Pat, we've got an awesome research team for Olympics and Super bowl and they provide you stuff. And then you figure out how do I fill in and fit in along the way. And you just be smart about it. Like you said, you nailed the before. I can't go on the air and tell you that I know exactly what you need to do in the bobsled or the luge or the skeleton. But we have people who do know. So you read about it, you ask them a question or two as a curious person, and you just try to bring it home to tv. Like I said, like, we're. We're.

[Pat McAfee]

They ever put your ass in there? You ever do any of these things? They ever throw you in that bob?

[Mike Tirico]

No, I've curled. Have you. Have you done curling before?

[Pat McAfee]

I've seen it, obviously. I loved one curling Maddie Hamilton took down.

[Mike Tirico]

Did you ever. Did you ever go in Green Bay? Because that Green Bay Curling club was right across where you guys practice.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah, there is a Green Bay curling club. A known player on the squad actually got drunk and got a concussion curling at one point in that club.

[J.J. Watt]

So I.

[Mike Tirico]

Curling is getting injured.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah.

[Mike Tirico]

Pat, you should take the whole Thunderdome to a curling. There's got to be a curling club in Indy. You got to take the whole group.

[Pat McAfee]

I think there is one up here because whenever curling, Maddie Hamilton and the boys were doing it, we certainly got all in. And we have a Canadian here in Gumpy. So whenever we beat them in curling, we really wanted to kind of hammer home that the hammer is really ours.

[Mike Tirico]

The hammer.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. So we. I love curling. I've never. How were you? Were you good at it? Were you a good one of these?

[Mike Tirico]

I was good at that. I was. I was a very good sweeper. I was very, very good at that. No, it was fun, actually. We got the hang of it. Our Monday night group, when we would do a game in Green Bay, our producer at the time, Jay Rothman, we would rent out the Green Bay Curling Club. We do brats and beers and curling and it was pretty damn good. It was fun. Gruden was with us at that point. That was the all time great. Gruden, Curly. It was classic.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, quick Grude. Because There is another question or two that need to come so we don't need full answer. Gruden not being back in ball is crazy. I thought he was going to get, get hired. I thought college or NFL somebody was going to hire him. I personally thought that. Did you feel the same way?

[Mike Tirico]

I. I'd love to see John back in coaching. I know that's what he loves to do. I especially, I think John with the right college team would be something crazy, right? NFL knowledge and we're seeing more NFL stuff and it's become like the NFL because your team is changing every year and you know, a lot of football now is nil recruiting, you know, getting a, getting a group of people behind. Like there's no person you want to kind of be in that arena of a winning football team with who's any better at connecting a group than John. So I'd love to see it. I hope it still happens. Man, he was so good. I got a PhD in football. Those years with John, he taught us so much. He made our group so much better. And he still remains a friend. I get, you know, texts from him all the time. There's nothing, nothing like time around John. For sure.

[Pat McAfee]

You guys are a great booth. Great booth. Now, speaking about booth, we thought maybe somebody was going to be in the booth this year with you guys. Debut has a question for you.

[Debo]

Absolutely. Mike, Before I even get to that, you mentioned Columbus, Morgantown. We got AQ Shipley here too. Happy Valley. Obviously you don't remember those nights in the Rent. Special environment out there in East 2030, people watching, relax, have some.

[Mike Tirico]

Go Huskies, man.

[Pat McAfee]

Right off I84.

[Mike Tirico]

Let's go to the Rent. Come on.

[Debo]

I love hearing that, especially from former Syracuse alumni now, but pivoting to, to back to the NBA and Michael Jordan, obviously, that was a huge part of the announcement. And I grew up. I mean, I was born in the 80s. Big Brother forced me to sit down and watch basketball at that time. So I remember mj and we're going to hang on to every word that Michael Jordan says. How did that all come together? What's been your favorite part of it? And have you seen the reaction of it kind of being that one long interview being chopped up, what's up? Kind of that whole. That's a big question. But what you got for me, Mike?

[Mike Tirico]

No, no, no problem. A lot of people thought it was going to be something that we never said it was going to be, which is fine because that's the way things happen.

[Pat McAfee]

That was us. That was us. Yeah, that was us. That was 100% on. We were a part of that group, too. Yes. We're saying.

[Mike Tirico]

I was trying to be. I was trying to be passive aggressive there.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, we heard it. Yeah, we heard it. We owned it. We owned it.

[Mike Tirico]

Listen, listen, listen.

[Pat McAfee]

So.

[Mike Tirico]

So of course, Mike. Michael, anytime he talks about basketball is going to make people stop and listen. Michael's above the day to day. Hey, Sean said Giannis is going to be on the trade block. That's not Michael Jordan. Right?

[J.J. Watt]

Come on.

[Mike Tirico]

So Michael was interested in doing this because of his connection and legacy with NBC. If Michael's going to do anything, it's going to be different and special. Michael's not going to throw himself into the ring to be one of the seven or eight guys making comments. That's not who MJ Jay was, is or probably will be. So the chance to go down and get Michael really wanted to talk about where the game is and where it's going. And he had some feelings about that he has not expressed publicly. And as I said, look, of course we do that, right? And the thing is, every time we do roll out a new piece of it, people are like, oh, Michael said this. This is interesting. And talked about it.

[Pat McAfee]

Clip.

[Mike Tirico]

So it makes sense. So was it great? It was awesome to hang out for a couple days and talk basketball and life and all the stuff with Michael off the. Off the charts good. But I think what I got out of it personally, other than being able to hang with Michael. You showed the clip. I got great Jordans out of it. Did you see my shoes?

[Pat McAfee]

Are you on Team Jordan now? What a move by you.

[Mike Tirico]

I'm not on Team Jordan. Look at my shoes there for a second. My kids will tell you that is not dad at all. And it's. It's great. So now I do bring them to almost every NBA game. I do. I wear my Jordans and kind of walk around.

[Pat McAfee]

You need to get multiple pairs. You've been rich for a long time now. Get some new shoes. But also, I know, I know you should have been pitching Team Jordan when you were there. Actually, that. That should have been. You would potentially be perfect. Team Jordan member actually is the only people that would make it there. Did you guys golf whenever you're down there for a couple days, or was it all hanging?

[Mike Tirico]

We did not. The golf course was closed. The golf course was closed. They've changed and adjusted some stuff for the golf course. So we didn't. But I hope. I hope to get an invite back at some point and go Back down. I will tell you, honestly, hanging with Michael is just so cool and so normal and just talking about his NASCAR team, talking about the NBA, talking about those Bulls days, talking about TV stuff, it's just there are very few people who you're around, and you go, this is really, really cool. And that's still the way it is when you're around Michael. He's pretty special. Special dude.

[Pat McAfee]

That's how we felt with you last 25 minutes. So we appreciate the hell out of it. The goat.

[Mike Tirico]

Thank you, bud.

[Pat McAfee]

On a microphone, potentially, when it's all said and done. Hey, Bill Belichick didn't get voted in. Do you have a vote? Are you going to stick up for your Syracuse grads that did the voting?

[Mike Tirico]

I don't think any Syracuse grads are on. I got to check. I got to check the list. Yeah, that's. That's wrong. Like everybody said on the show today, how do. How do you not have a Bill Belichick as a first ballot hall of Famer? If you want to go to Spygate, that's fine. There's such a body of work above that. And like Jimmy said, I thought.

[Pat McAfee]

When.

[Mike Tirico]

Now, Pat, that they have people on there who have played or have been a part of the game. It's not just media members. I didn't think something like that would happen. It's. I assume it's true. Nobody's confirmed it from the hall of Fame side yet, but that's true.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, they did pivot me. No, it was never.

[Mike Tirico]

I did go to Syracuse. I'm a journalist, so I do have to point that out just to keep my journalism card. There we go. But it's. Look, it's not. It's not right. The guy should be in there. He's. He's as good as it gets when it comes to coaching in the history of this league. Period. End of statement. That's not an arguable fact.

[Pat McAfee]

We can't wait for you to get into all the hall of Fames. You get into, paisan. We appreciate the hell out of you, ladies and gentlemen.

[Mike Tirico]

Thank you, boys. Appreciate you.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. He is so good. Good at everything.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Legit everything. And he talks about just talking sports. Yeah, sure, I know the fourth fastest speed walker in the world from 1989. But, yeah, researchers are telling me that this is what I should know. It's like. Yeah, people get information to people all the time. It's the act of retaining it and keeping it and studying it and taking the time to do it. It's like That's a work ethic that also matches a skill level that the goats have in sports in other fields. Facets. It's like he. He's got. He can do anything.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's the big thing. Cuz you could really look like an. If you're covering the Olympics. Oh yes, Big time. You know, he's not watching downhill skiing every day of the week, but he.

[Pat McAfee]

Has to act like it.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

And he has to pass the test. Will we pass the test of you coming back tomorrow?

[Connor Rogers]

Who knows?

[Pat McAfee]

Goodbye. Did not know we were that close.

[AJ Hawk]

Nice.

[Pat McAfee]

I think I got. I think I got it in there. There's a. There's a little thing that's been staring at me all show though. I. It's kind of an interesting. There's a thing aq.

[AJ Hawk]

Sounds kind of weird.

[Pat McAfee]

You've noticed this too, right?

[AQ Shipley]

I have. I thought it was a wrestling dummy, but it's a little small.

[Pat McAfee]

It's like little voodoo dolls just been shipped.

[Connor Rogers]

Oh no.

[AJ Hawk]

Is that like a little Jiu Jitsu practicer?

[Ty Schmidt]

Yes, it is.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, but it's way too small, right? I mean it's like a for. Is that for ants? Who is fighting?

[Ty Schmidt]

I actually offered it to AQ's son. I said, hey, does Quay want this thing? Maybe, you know, practice a couple doubles legs. Couple single legs. Listen, you know, Iowa wrestling team sent me a little gift box. Okay. And you know, I said, well, this thing's pretty heavy. I don't think it's going to fit on my desk. I got a bunch of other up here. So where am I going to put it? I got. Put it down there and it's pretty cool. But you know, I'm willing to, to.

[Pat McAfee]

To Penn State. You're going to give that to a Penn State? Yeah. I don't know if you should do that. Feels like you guys gave the Big ten wrestling to Penn State anyway, so I don't know if you should be doing that.

[Ty Schmidt]

From what he's been saying, aq, it sounds like young Qu maybe needs it.

[Pat McAfee]

What?

[Connor Rogers]

This kid.

[Debo]

It's too small. It's too small.

[Connor Rogers]

This kid.

[AQ Shipley]

This kid's really got to become a lot tougher if he wants to do anything in life.

[Pat McAfee]

This is your boy. Oh yeah, You're a little worried, huh? Little worried at Nice Life. He's got a. He's got a built in trampoline in the backyard. Got a beautiful pool. The shipyard there. Full thing green, putting green in the back. He's living. Is that what you're saying? I'm worried about this with my children as well. Is this what we're staring down here?

[AQ Shipley]

I'm not worried about it for all my kids. Cuz my girls are. They're dogs. They're animals. This kid. Hey, just go cry to your mother. Get away from me. We'll talk in.

[Pat McAfee]

Come on.

[AQ Shipley]

Come on. Go cry to her.

[Mike Tirico]

Get away from me.

[AQ Shipley]

He's three and he's the softest three year old I've ever been around him.

[Pat McAfee]

You can't be giving up on it. This can't be happening. Dude. Go to mom. What do you.

[AQ Shipley]

I did one of these the other day. You know like when you do like the wrestling, you put your hand on their head.

[Connor Rogers]

Right?

[AQ Shipley]

Like I did that.

[Connor Rogers]

I like this.

[AQ Shipley]

And he just goes, get away from me.

[Pat McAfee]

Thank you. You need to start guiding me.

[Connor Rogers]

I'm trying.

[Pat McAfee]

Letting him say you don't cry from that. Now granted, maybe this little voodoo wrestling doll that has been staring at me all out of nowhere. I'm. I literally didn't notice it till maybe 15, 20 minutes in. I'm like talking yada yada doing the thing. What are we doing? Am I even looking at anything right now? Potentially looking through people. And then there's a little human down here.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's right.

[Pat McAfee]

Going on down here.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah. Kind of weird.

[Pat McAfee]

Jimmy Johnson, I think was giving an answer and I think like bobbled a little bit. I'm like. The little's moving. Okay. Because it's got little arms down there. It got the whole thing. It was. It's been quite a day. So I want to let the Iowa Wrestling Club know.

[Ty Schmidt]

Easy. Iowa wrestling class ain't some intramural slap dick. Okay.

[Pat McAfee]

What's it say on there? I mean technically, yeah, it says Hawkeye Wrestling Club.

[Ty Schmidt]

But the way you.

[Pat McAfee]

It's been staring at me.

[Ty Schmidt]

The way you phrased it was like it's some slap dick thing that mid-30s guys do on the weekends. Okay. Is it. Ain't that. All right. So show maybe an ounce of respect to it. Okay. I understand it says Hawkeye Wrestling Club on it.

[Pat McAfee]

That's what it is.

[Ty Schmidt]

It was wildly, wildly disrespectful.

[AJ Hawk]

The way you like some intramural old man's league or something?

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah. AQ's basement, buddy.

[Pat McAfee]

I didn't mean it that way.

[Connor Rogers]

Basically.

[AQ Shipley]

Basically. I should take that.

[Pat McAfee]

I did not. How. I bet that what I meant was the Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Camp.

[Ty Schmidt]

There you go.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay. Best bet them sending us little voodoo wrestling dolls. We do appreciate. I like the fact they're showing you love. Cuz you do show them love on a regular basis.

[Ty Schmidt]

They sent me this Dan Gable bobblehead. This, I think this is maybe like one of ten. This is a 1972 Olympic gold medalist. You can see it there. And it looks like. I mean. I mean, I don't want to say it. I might sell this thing on eBay for 100. 100k, 150k.

[Pat McAfee]

I don't know.

[Ty Schmidt]

We'll see. We'll see what we got in that.

[Pat McAfee]

But I take the Pawn Stars, Rick.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, exactly.

[Pat McAfee]

We don't know how big the market is, obviously how long that'll be sitting, but there's a chance you're holding gold right there on your. On your table. And it's also dented, so it does look like it's the original.

[Ty Schmidt]

Well, the package was. I don't know if it was in transit. There was actually a Gable, a 12 ounce beer in there because Dan Gable has a. A beer that. You know a brewery around there does that. That was popped open. Everything was soaked in beer in the bottom, so. But I'd have it no other way. You know, that's just.

[Pat McAfee]

That's Hawkeye wrestling.

[Mike Tirico]

Exactly.

[Ty Schmidt]

This hat, which is also Hawkeye Wrestling Club, this thing was soaked in beer. I'm be smelling like a brewery when I get home. But that's just. That's the cost of doing business. That's the price you pay.

[Pat McAfee]

Certainly because of that hat. Now, now, whenever you go to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, they've been doing it since 73. Training the next gold medalist is the name of it. So you got some like, I think pretty elite established stuff here. I don't. I still don't understand what that little thing is supposed to. Supposed to do.

[Ty Schmidt]

Me neither. To be.

[Mike Tirico]

I've seen full size ones.

[AJ Hawk]

Aq. I'm sure you've seen the full size.

[Debo]

Yeah, yeah.

[AQ Shipley]

It's for like. Yeah, that's what I thought.

[Ty Schmidt]

Boom.

[AJ Hawk]

Can AQ show us some moves on them? Like some holds?

[Pat McAfee]

Like, what are you supposed to do with this thing?

[AQ Shipley]

You gotta straddle it and then you.

[Pat McAfee]

Gotta do the whole. What are you fighting a toddler? Like, why the would you fight. Why would you practice this thing? This thing's been staring at me. It's a. It's a weirdly size thing.

[Ty Schmidt]

It's because you're looking for precise blows.

[Connor Rogers]

When you're in the ground.

[Ty Schmidt]

Okay. Yeah, you can have a full size adult. What do you think's gonna happen when you're aiming for a quarter inch space on someone's forehead?

[AQ Shipley]

How old is this thing aim small missile.

[Pat McAfee]

This is what a two year old. It's not a human being.

[Ty Schmidt]

I mean it's a training tool.

[Pat McAfee]

But I'm like, what am I training to a 2 year old? That's what I'm saying. Like this right here. What am I doing?

[Ty Schmidt]

That's what I'm saying. You're, you're, you're looking at precise spots. And then that way when you actually get in, in a match or you get into a street fight with somebody, you're cutting open someone's forehead big time with those 12 to 6 elbows.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, you're not going to think you're doing it to a toddler though, whenever you're actually doing it to this size thing. Bill's back there with a camera right now. Bill. Bill probably has a couple of these at home.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Something to think about. Is this like a toy? What do you think this is, Bill? I, I don't know.

[Ty Schmidt]

Like I, I get that it is.

[Connor Rogers]

A, a gimmick in this situation.

[Ty Schmidt]

I don't understand where the gimmick would have originated from. Like who was going to make, make a 1/5 scale? This for any reason. So this is because, guess what dumb kids in Iowa start wrestling when they're two years old. When they're that big.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, so this is a kids training tool.

[Ty Schmidt]

I don't know. I'm just saying that would be. If you just use a little bit of context clues and think about it a little bit. They're not sending that to 18 to 25 year olds and thinking.

[Pat McAfee]

I said it to you. How old are you? I got kids. Oh, okay.

[Ty Schmidt]

Christ, man.

[Pat McAfee]

Dude.

[Mike Tirico]

So are you gonna take it home?

[Ty Schmidt]

We'll see. I mean, I, that, that thing's kind of heavy. I don't really want that to get.

[Connor Rogers]

How heavy is it?

[AQ Shipley]

You said it's heavy. Is it heavy?

[Ty Schmidt]

I don't want that getting swung around. And you know my.

[Pat McAfee]

Because they couldn't ship my 14 month.

[Ty Schmidt]

Old, you know, taking one off the, off the head. So we'll see.

[Pat McAfee]

Leather though would be good too for dog, you know.

[Ty Schmidt]

Absolutely not.

[Pat McAfee]

I know we're not gonna do that. I'm just saying, I think it would be. This is a crazy sized little human that you're supposed to beat up. This is a hard thing to comprehend.

[Ty Schmidt]

Thanks. Sweet.

[Pat McAfee]

It's cool. It's mysterious all day.

[Ty Schmidt]

I know.

[Pat McAfee]

Think about his little arms.

[AJ Hawk]

Paint a little face on him. Put a little face on him. Someone should paint something there.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Hawkeye Wrestle Club. We are Fans. But we. We just don't know. I think what this is. Let's take a break.

[Mike Tirico]

Where are you going to put it now?

[Pat McAfee]

I mean, that's.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah, just hold them.

[Ty Schmidt]

We can do like Elf on the Shelf with that. Just kind of hide it in different places around the office.

[Pat McAfee]

Pound it right in his little mouth.

[Connor Rogers]

Give it to. Give it to AQ for when he wants to beat his son for crying. He can just whale on that thing. And this.

[Pat McAfee]

This is what my real son should be acting like. Okay.

[Ty Schmidt]

Look at the fucking traps on that thing.

[Pat McAfee]

No emotions. Steadfast. Try to be. You need to start guiding the child. Combat sports International legged grappling dummy. 35 pounds, 50 pounds, 70 pounds, 120 pounds. This ain't any of those.

[AQ Shipley]

Those are the big ones.

[Pat McAfee]

This is. So this is like a toy version of what back. That's a. Yeah.

[AJ Hawk]

Because imagine trying to ship that thing to Tyler. Got to get a whole crate proper.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay. So this was just like, hey, there's a bigger one on the way. This is a child. Well, it looks like there's a dad on the way. You can beat up.

[Ty Schmidt]

Think maybe age.

[Pat McAfee]

Didn't you used to train with these little.

[AJ Hawk]

I never. No, I never really did in my extensive MMA training.

[Pat McAfee]

Open a couple gyms. This guy.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

This is weird. This one's weird.

[Ty Schmidt]

Well, once again, you ain't. I ain't looking a gift horse in the mouth. You know, I wasn't going to get on here and. And moan about it. They sent it to me. It was, you know, free 99. I was very, very, you know, happy about that.

[Pat McAfee]

The hat's sick.

[Ty Schmidt]

I do like the hat a lot.

[Pat McAfee]

The hat is sick.

[Ty Schmidt]

Wrestle town, usa.

[AJ Hawk]

The little guy is weird. Now that I think about. He's saying like a merch box with his little person in there.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. I mean, it's literally, like, right here. I mean, it's half. You know, this is practice trying to. They should get this to high schoolers whenever they're thinking about going, you know, letting the swimmer swim. Just say, this is what your life is, you know, here.

[Debo]

Straight.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, it's good. Okay, well, all right. Doing this one.

[Ty Schmidt]

No one ever accused wrestlers of splitting the atom. So let's. Let's keep that in mind as well.

[Pat McAfee]

There's no reason for.

[Ty Schmidt]

Well, I'm just saying, you know, it's a good point.

[Pat McAfee]

This is awesome toy, though.

[Ty Schmidt]

It is cool toy.

[Pat McAfee]

It's 100% leather.

[Ty Schmidt]

I mean, it's genuine leather. I actually, you know, I didn't want to say It. I might and strip that thing off and, you know, put a fresh layer on my baseball glove.

[Pat McAfee]

I don't know.

[Connor Rogers]

Not bad. Good idea.

[Mike Tirico]

We'll see.

[Pat McAfee]

Get that snowblower.

[Ty Schmidt]

No, no, no, no. I'm gonna wait a little bit for that one.

[Pat McAfee]

Price might go down.

[Ty Schmidt]

It might.

[Pat McAfee]

All right. We'll be back on the other side. This is the greatest. That's one of the best things we've ever been sent to the Thunderdome. Especially cuz it's a little toddler drenched in beer when it gets here.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

That was a weird thing, age. It was literally just sitting there. Out of nowhere, pops up. I thought I was tripping balls.

[AJ Hawk]

I'm like, did he say you didn't know about it until it showed up on set?

[Pat McAfee]

No, I didn't know about it till I saw it on set.

[AQ Shipley]

You looked at me five different times.

[Pat McAfee]

Throughout the first two hours.

[Mike Tirico]

Like, what, What.

[Connor Rogers]

What is that?

[Pat McAfee]

Like, that's not normally here. That. That's what my brain was thinking. Like that. That is abnormal. It's what my brain was thinking the entire time. I can see it. Yeah. And it was, turns out. Yeah.

[Ty Schmidt]

Put it there yesterday after the show.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Little baby Gable. Little baby gable.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's right.

[Pat McAfee]

100% leather.

[Ty Schmidt]

Exactly. Genuinely.

[Pat McAfee]

For a low, low cost of 100, how many would you get rid of? The. The bobblehead?

[Ty Schmidt]

I'd consider bidder bid starting at $150,000.

[Pat McAfee]

What if this was bundled with it?

[Ty Schmidt]

Well, I saw that that was, you know, retails for.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, 399.99.

[Connor Rogers]

So.

[Pat McAfee]

No, that was triple the size of this one. I don't know.

[Ty Schmidt]

We'll see. We'll see what I can get out of it.

[Pat McAfee]

Good hat, though.

[Ty Schmidt]

It is good hat.

[Pat McAfee]

And also, we love wrestlers because their commitment to sport is insane.

[Connor Rogers]

Bingo.

[Pat McAfee]

Remember, they're going to get rid of wrestling. When was that? A couple years back?

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, in the Olympics.

[Connor Rogers]

They should get rid of.

[AQ Shipley]

Of Iowa's wrestling after Penn State beat him 30 to 6 earlier this year.

[Ty Schmidt]

They do that to everybody, though, AQ.

[Debo]

Yep.

[AQ Shipley]

You're right.

[Ty Schmidt]

They should maybe actually look into that. I don't.

[Connor Rogers]

I'm not.

[Ty Schmidt]

I'm not so sure.

[Pat McAfee]

We.

[AQ Shipley]

We don't.

[Ty Schmidt]

You know, we got a bunch of Dagestandi guys, you know, just coming over here. Don't speak any English, don't know anything about anything, and they're wrestling at every weight for Penn State.

[Pat McAfee]

You're talking about the Penn State Wrestling club.

[Ty Schmidt]

I am. And that's undocumented. I'm almost positive they they don't have any Dagistani guys pull the roster.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they don't. But the Dagestani guys are the guys that took over the ufc, right?

[Connor Rogers]

Correct. Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Just in better shape than everybody. Yeah. Actually training in frozen rivers with bears and.

[Debo]

Correct.

[Pat McAfee]

Like, coming out, like. Yeah, we. We. This is all we do.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah.

[Connor Rogers]

Well, they do other stuff, too, which.

[Pat McAfee]

Is well documented as well.

[J.J. Watt]

All right.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. I don't think we're checking the roster. We don't see any Dagestani wrestlers for the Penn State Nittany Lions Wrestling Club.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, I know.

[Mike Tirico]

There are none.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah.

[Ty Schmidt]

Oh, these boys are winners, though. Yeah, I was aware of that.

[Pat McAfee]

Hey, this is the one in Kel Sanderson.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah. Kel Sanderson.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah.

[Ty Schmidt]

What state did he come up in?

[AJ Hawk]

He went to Iowa State, right?

[AQ Shipley]

He did.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, he's Iowa State. He's Cyclone.

[AJ Hawk]

He is undefeated. Never lost.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, yeah. And then he came as a coach and did same thing. Right. Of Penn State.

[Ty Schmidt]

Iowa State for a long time.

[AQ Shipley]

That's why we went and got our football coach from Iowa State was we. We had to team them back together.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, Cyclone coming to Happy Valley.

[AQ Shipley]

That's it.

[Pat McAfee]

It's a cyclone of success.

[AQ Shipley]

That's exactly right.

[Pat McAfee]

The other side. We got good seg. Good seg on the other side. Super bowl trenches. Trenches in the super bowl suit. Trench. Super bowl warfare. Trench Bowl. Fair try to name it properly. But it's the trenches, basically, in the Super Bowl. What did we land on? Do we remember what we. Super bowl trenches. Smart.

[AJ Hawk]

Okay, there you go.

[Pat McAfee]

Got a breakdown of the offensive defensive lines for both sides here. The Patriots and the Seahawks coming from AQ Shipley. We also got to wrap up all the other sports stories happening around the sports universe. College basketball had a great night last night. Lot of comebacks. First time, long time for the amount of comebacks from the ranked teams. And sports are incredible. We'll continue to talk about them. Be a friend. Tell a friend something nice might change your life. Take fight.

[Unknown (brief interjection)]

It's the last call for football on FanDuel. One final Sunday, one last kickoff, the final chance to place your bets before the NFL season closes its tab. This is Super Bowl 60, and FanDuel is making sure you are in on it. If you're a new customer, bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets if you you win. So whether you're backing the favorite, riding with the underdog, or building one last same game parlay, make it count. Because after the super bowl, the season's over and Football is officially done. Last call for football on FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of Super Bowl 60. Visit FanDuel.com podcast to get started. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rghelp.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chatincut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org In Maryland, hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-550 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-Hopeny or Texthope NY in New York. As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop. Stop by.

[Pat McAfee]

Football is the best. That's A.J. hawk. The toxic tables here at Boston Connor and at Ty Schmidt, a man who's a nine year NFL vet, an absolute stallion of a Yukon Husky representative, Darius J. Butler is here. Hey, what are you wearing there, man? Is that Sun Day Red?

[Debo]

Yeah. I don't know if you've been reading Internet. Up to the right.

[Pat McAfee]

I, I have heard that the Sun Day Red brand is up and to the right with Taylor made. Ain't that right?

[Connor Rogers]

Yep.

[Debo]

Tiger, what did you expect?

[Ty Schmidt]

Who else?

[AJ Hawk]

Expectations, right? Exceeding expectations, of course.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. I mean, just in Nuclear Golf reported Tiger woods clothing brand Sun Day Red is growing faster than expected and is exceeding all revenue targets. TaylorMade CEO David Bellis tells Front Office Sports the brand is now looking to expand with a full roster of athletes to wear its product in competition. Okay, Sunday Red starting to get into the action a little bit more. I've never seen anybody actually wear it outside, outside of the Thunderdome.

[Debo]

Well, you know, you, you don't golf.

[AJ Hawk]

Me either.

[Debo]

You're busy.

[Pat McAfee]

I don't really get out out there much, I guess, but I don't see like a big wave of Sunday Red in my feed with golfing stuff that happens out there too.

[Debo]

How many of us are in the.

[Pat McAfee]

Building right, right now? There's like 14, 13. 13, 13.

[Debo]

Okay. Out of 13, we got 1, 2, 30, and then tone over Hammer Danton.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah.

[Debo]

So that's four out of three. That's pretty good.

[Pat McAfee]

About a third of the Thunderdome wearing it. But I think you guys just read it or wore it because of how we all reacted to the pricing of it, right?

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Isn't that kind of what happened? Nobody's wearing it, Pat.

[J.J. Watt]

This is a lie.

[Pat McAfee]

There's no way people are wearing it. I've never seen one person in the wild wearing it. You go to their website, you look at just a standard sweatshirt, and you go, holy, that is way overpriced. I ain't wearing it. You see a golf polo, I ain't wearing it. It is incredibly overpriced. And like you said, never seen anyone wearing it in the wild. But on that note, Tiger woods is a part of it. So still want to kind of have a piece of it? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. We love Tiger woods, and it's his brand or whatever. Aq. You live in Arizona. A lot of golfing out there. How much sun red are you wearing?

[AQ Shipley]

Well, I'd say about 70% of my closet is sun red, of course. And my shoes. Got some shoes yesterday. Great shoes.

[Pat McAfee]

Sunday Red shoes.

[J.J. Watt]

They have shoes.

[Connor Rogers]

Are they two grand or how much shoes? Golf.

[AJ Hawk]

Like golf shoes or regular or both?

[Debo]

Golf shoes.

[AQ Shipley]

Golf shoes.

[Debo]

They're fair. They're fair. Fairly price.

[Ty Schmidt]

Bit of a tornado.

[Pat McAfee]

Just had to. Had to get it off of the chair, you know, It. Didn't even know. I don't know if anybody's doing it. Wrestling club. Oh, boy. Sunday Red, though. Congratulations. I love that Tiger going to continue to grow his business and brand. I didn't expect Sunday Red to be what Sunday Red was, though. Whenever it got launched, I thought we were. I thought it was actually going to take over my golf closet. Like, I'm like, all right, I'm gonna definitely do that. Tiger woods is. I'm in. That is what I'm gonna do. That's why everybody started wearing the fucking red. That's why everybody started wearing Nike. That's why everybody stopped wearing collars, because he launched it. He basically was the influencer of golf wear. Basically. It was pretty obvious to tell from outside looking in. So as soon as he starts his own, I'm like, hell, yeah, I'm gonna do that. And then, just like, foxy, I go to the website, I go get the T. Come on. I can't do that. I can't.

[Debo]

Hey, as Ty would say, this ain't a soup kitchen.

[Pat McAfee]

Right? Ty would say that. Ladies and Gentlemen, there are sports happening around us right now that we need to start putting appreciating more because there's one football game left.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yep.

[Pat McAfee]

12 year NFL vet until we got.

[Ty Schmidt]

The Pro bowl games on Tuesday.

[Pat McAfee]

Have we, have we come around to how we feel about it? Are we going to give it an opportunity? Are we going to be open minded? Shador Sanders about to go for four or five touchdowns on Tuesday night? Flag football, Pro Bowl. Okay. Yeah. Who's all playing? Do we have anybody? Do we know who's playing? Do we know what's going on, what the coaches are, who the coaches are? Are there any other events? Are we, are we doing a tug of war at any different time? Are we jumping off a diving board? Remember we were trying to make this entire thing what it was. We were catching water balloons. Do you remember that? At one point for the Pro Bowl? I don't like what has happened to the Pro Bowl. Okay. I don't want to be old man yelling at clouds. But we obviously learned too much about the potential risk of injury from these Pro Bowls. We started paying too much money. We started finding out things, then obviously opt out, started becoming, becoming just a normal part of the process because it's good for business. Can't blame people. Then the NFL, I think, stopped caring about the Pro Bowl. I talked about us going to Phoenix and having to split a hotel with some conference and they, you know, it used to be in Hawaii. So I think a lot of different people went into making the Pro bowl. Not what it used to be, but we need to make sure we take care of that. We need to figure that out somehow. You know, I feel like it's dead and gone, but I would like to figure that out. And maybe Tuesday night night's awesome. Maybe Tuesday night's awesome. AJ we got to think about that.

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah, I mean, I'm going to give it a chance for sure. But what is the flag advisor there, that role? What does that person do?

[Pat McAfee]

Well, obviously they come from the flag football world, so they actually know the rules, know the game. When I got a chance to be a part of the Pro bowl games a couple years back, it was in Las Vegas, I do believe there was like flag football people that were there on site to be of assistance for the game of flag football because it's a little different than race regular football. But I do remember them never getting asked any questions.

[AQ Shipley]

Sure.

[Pat McAfee]

And I do remember them being like, we could certainly, you know, like, hey, there's a couple things here with the refs. And like this type of thing that we could go through. I think they did end up getting a chance to speak, but I don't think they were being consulted with nearly enough in my eyes, whenever I was like, hey, this is a different sport. These people with the reffing and how, what looks good, what doesn't look good. But I think obviously over the span of the last couple years, it's probably become a little bit more, hey, flag football is a different story. Maybe we should try to learn some things if we're going to try to play it, Especially with how prevalent flag football is becoming in, like, the world of football. You know, it's a whole thing. So maybe Tuesday is bigger than it's ever been because flag football matters now. Yeah, maybe this is this, Maybe we need, maybe it's perfect timing for this. Maybe it does need a little bit of eyeballs. Maybe it does become a content creation place. But all we need to know is, can we, can we find a way to celebrate the best in the AFC and the best in the NFC every single year? Because it does matter, I think especially whenever they, they judge people going into the hall of Fame. But if you accomplish everything there is to accomplish, will you get into the hall of Fame? What's real, what isn't? Oh, no, A.J. i don't want to get in that rabbit hole.

[AJ Hawk]

I know AI could just announce the.

[AQ Shipley]

All Pro teams and just leave it.

[Pat McAfee]

At that and keep it moving and have like, who votes on the All Pro teams?

[Ty Schmidt]

Tony.

[Pat McAfee]

Tony Romo?

[Connor Rogers]

No.

[Ty Schmidt]

Tony Diggs?

[Pat McAfee]

No. But I'm saying, who votes on the hall of Fame?

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah. I wonder how much overload.

[Pat McAfee]

Not me. I'd like that to be, be known. Him just sitting there staring at the camera. Just would like this to be very much understood that AP Tone does not stand for anything with the hall of Fame or college football either. Just strictly AP Awards in the NFL. NFL honors is his night to shine. Okay. He doesn't get invited to it, but it is his votes that are certainly happening with that. But it's always media, right? The All Pro is all media.

[Debo]

You usually get it right, though.

[Pat McAfee]

I'm gonna tell you, for our my position, they don't. So, like, I, I, I think, you know, offensive line, I think people would say they don't get it right. You know, it's like positions you don't really know about. It's kind of hard to get it right because then you got to pay attention to like every single snap. I'm not saying me in particular getting screwed out of any all Pros. But it's like who's voting for the best punter? You're just gonna. Whoever you know. Yeah, like whoever you know is gonna be an offensive lineman. It's kind of the same. Same thing.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

So it's like, what fair? So what matters? Get rid of them all. No, cuz we should celebrate the greats.

[Jimmy Johnson]

Yeah, I agree.

[Debo]

Do we just. Do we just use pff. Is that just our go. You know what? Oh, every play, every snap, every game, that's the end all be all.

[Pat McAfee]

And then their ranking at the bottom, actually that really matters. They don't get rid of it. Actually, they promote it even more. This is all we got.

[AQ Shipley]

They should make. Make a committee. Former players, every position make a committee.

[Debo]

But do all the foreign players watch though?

[Pat McAfee]

No. And also a lot of former players. I'm not going to just bury all former players because we are certainly in that department. But there is a crew of former players that don't necessarily like the next generation maybe being considered better than them. So you got to make sure you get the right. How do you make sure that you get the right haters out there? A lot of haters out there. Especially when you get on this and it goes real big. It's like, oh, wait a minute, I can do that again. So if I say this group soft, oh, fuck, there's an angle. Okay, I'm just gonna do this for a living. That has happened in the past. Not with everybody. We're just saying we have seen that in the past with sports. So if we were to get the right. My immediate thought is like, how do we keep. Create something that becomes something that actually means something and matters. How do we do like a Football for the Good of Football museum or something like in Las Vegas, where it's like actual. You get put into it. But the amount of time it would take for it to become credible and respected is just way too long. I don't know if you have enough time to build that because like the Pro Football hall of Fame, the reason why it's so impressive is because the vault in the basement actually has like the original documents from. We thought we saw. Clark Hunt had his own shit in his office, I guess. But down there, it's like the history of ball is there, which is why it's so sacred. So can you just create something new? I don't, you know, that's like an interest. I thought about that last night for way too long, I would say. I thought about that for about an hour and a half. About like could you create something that actually matters. But then how do you make it matter? Well, you would have to have the right people. Would you ever have the right people?

[Debo]

That's the hardest part.

[Pat McAfee]

And you never. I don't know how you do it. That's why was sacred that we had it. And then now we can't have. We can't have this. Ruin the entirety of the hall of Fame.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, I think they could do it.

[AQ Shipley]

I think it just.

[Connor Rogers]

Bill and Tom. If Bill comes out and says he's going to start his own kind of museum, hall of Fame, like you're saying, and then Brady opts for that one instead of the Pro Football hall of Fame, I feel like that would do it. Like Dion, we've heard before talking about how, like, there are tears. There needs to be tears.

[Pat McAfee]

He went to different halls.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, tears to the hall of Fame. Exactly. And if Bill was like, you know, know what? You're right. And this is going to be the one. That is only for the, you know, Brady's and Belichicks, which there are none. But still that would be the standard. Like, I feel like that could gain legs. But Bill has too much respect for the Pro Football hall of Fame, so he won't do it.

[Pat McAfee]

Exactly. Like, I think even Bill. I. I doubt we're going to hear a single negative thing from Bill Belichick about the Pro Football hall of Fame because of how much he respects. And we will not hear a single negative thing about that because he knows it's a. It's. These current voters aren't the Pro Football hall of Fame. That's been there for. These are the keepers of who gets in at the moment. So he won't hold it against it. It's like, that's why it's sacred, because everybody's like, it's the pro football thing.

[AJ Hawk]

Have any. No. Have any of the. The. No voters come out publicly and said, I voted no.

[Pat McAfee]

And this is why now in. You know, Jimmy Johnson said they're all full. You say everybody come out and say they didn't.

[Ty Schmidt]

Ignorant.

[AJ Hawk]

Jealous. Jealous.

[Pat McAfee]

Jimmy threw heat today right away. I loved it. I. I read his. His tweet and I'm like, wow, Jimmy's got some real passion here. He really does. So we. We send out Hail Mary, you know, like Hail Mary to Jimmy Johnson, shout to Fos. Getting the connect. Shout out to. I believe Shrags helped in this entire thing as well. I believe Shrags. So we're very grateful for the most interesting man in sport, Peter Schrager, making The connection there. But, yeah, we get him on. And I'm like, I. As he's talking, I'm like, I forgot how awesome just Jimmy Johnson is. Like, I forgot how awesome he was, which is not good. And then as he keeps going and he, like, doing it and still having the juice fire complete. No flubs, like, hey, how you doing? Keep it moving. Like, how old is this guy? Yeah, 82 years old. He pulls up on the M. I'm like, golly, 82 years old, still throwing it. Plus having this much passion and talking shit. It's like, this guy. This guy's got to figure it out. It feels like Jimmy's a legend. Absolutely.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah. And his hair looks unbelievable. And when you think about the floor Fox show the entire year, it's like, how is Jimmy Johnson the one that got the boot when they were adding.

[Pat McAfee]

People, they were four.

[Connor Rogers]

Four or. I wouldn't say four. There are three guys up there that Jimmy Johnson blows out of the water.

[Pat McAfee]

I think he decided. I believe, if I recall. And that was a very emotional. I remember those videos.

[Ty Schmidt]

They did the AI thing.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, my God. I got, like, emotional for the guy, and I don't even know him. I'm like, hey, thank you for your commitment to sport. And I think we Forgot he was 80 years old. How much he spent. Spent to. And how much he committed to ball.

[Ty Schmidt]

And it. I mean, if today was any indication, like, if he wanted to. That's why I think it. It is pretty clear that he just. He was like this, I'm gonna retire. I'm gonna walk away now and do what I want to do. But, like, he could do that for another seven to 10 years.

[Pat McAfee]

Like, we would certainly.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's what I'm saying. He's still as sharp as a tax.

[Pat McAfee]

So you know Ian o', Connor, who's been on top of everything from the Giants news, despite this column I wrote on how Eli Manning deserves to be in the hall of Fame. Word is the Giants QB didn't make the cut this year. What? Wow. How's it getting out on who made it, who didn't make it? More specifically, hopefully Eli will go in next year with his old friend Bill Belichick, who I'm thinking will get 50 out of 50 votes the second time around. Ian O' Connor said they'll be get it right because they were publicly called out. And those types of cowards usually don't get called out. So that's why they're able to do what they want to do. And then once somebody calls them out, then they grandstand completes the opposite way. And that's just like natural behavior by these particular group of people, I would assume. But Ian o', Connor, they're talking about Eli Manning not making it. We assumed multiple Super Bowls is a Manning. Just we assumed, you know, that that kind of would be the case. So he's out, Bill's out. Who's in?

[Debo]

How many years is this for Eli now too? That he's.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, this will be his second time. Okay, so he's not first ballot or second ballot. When do they stop saying the ballots? This is like for kids with months of age. Oh, when do you stop saying it?

[Connor Rogers]

Like Dan, you're after first?

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. Cuz I was nominated. I was nominated three times, so I could have been the third ballot, I guess. You know, then I just. They cut me off. AJ's first ballot still. Well, second ballot next year. Yeah.

[AJ Hawk]

What do you say, 18 months? Is that when you stop saying months for kids?

[Pat McAfee]

Year and a half feels like. Yeah, that's probably the right time. You've, you've had 10 kids. When did you start stop doing it?

[AJ Hawk]

I don't even know now. Probably 18 months. Yeah, I'd say a year and a half.

[Pat McAfee]

Did you ever buy any of the kids one of these little. Stop.

[Debo]

Once they start walking, whatever month you're at, then you hit one or you hit, you know, a year and a half.

[Pat McAfee]

How long would this thing survive in the Hawk house?

[AJ Hawk]

My kids would love that thing. Are you kidding me? They would try to rip its arms and legs off. No question. Day one.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, that's what we're talking about.

[Connor Rogers]

Wow.

[Pat McAfee]

So what we learned was this is for kids to take to get autographs.

[Debo]

Oh, okay.

[Ty Schmidt]

I don't know if I 100% buy that.

[AJ Hawk]

Who said that?

[Ty Schmidt]

You know, I know. Like it, it says that on there. If that's just an autograph thing, like, why is it that weight? Why does it look like that? I mean, because you know what you could do to get autographs? Like get like a pennant or like, or a hat. Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Well, there's a pennant right in front of you there.

[Ty Schmidt]

So that, that's.

[Pat McAfee]

Do you think anybody signing the arms, like has a really good left arm drag? Sonic left arm, right?

[Connor Rogers]

Maybe.

[Pat McAfee]

Maybe that's me. Now these things pretty, I mean, you know, stable, very high quality here.

[Ty Schmidt]

I think that was. That thing is built for young Axel Hawk to just roll with that thing all day long.

[AJ Hawk]

Things so small. I mean, that's for, that's for an 18 month old kid. Pretty much, yeah.

[Connor Rogers]

It is when you start.

[AJ Hawk]

Oh, easy.

[Mike Tirico]

Oh, in a plank position.

[Connor Rogers]

Jeez.

[Pat McAfee]

Unbelievable.

[Ty Schmidt]

Never gives up getting back up.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah.

[Connor Rogers]

Hey.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, yeah, I got. Still up.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yep.

[Pat McAfee]

Not out. You're not going to beat me now. Yeah, it did kick out.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Did see that? Did see that.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

I mean. Oh, there you go.

[Connor Rogers]

One, two.

[Pat McAfee]

No, no, two, two.

[Connor Rogers]

Good kick.

[Ty Schmidt]

Still up.

[Pat McAfee]

See, I'm undefeated. Yeah, it's unbeatable. It's unbelievable. Maybe you should take that to little baby Quay.

[AJ Hawk]

There we go.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, what are you doing now? Welcome home, son. Stop crying, little boy. Okay, so that's, that's what you did in the basement. That's what you did.

[AJ Hawk]

That would hurt.

[Connor Rogers]

That was.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's it.

[Pat McAfee]

Did you guys have full size those things?

[AQ Shipley]

Oh yeah, full size.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay.

[Ty Schmidt]

So that's what it's for.

[Pat McAfee]

Though maybe you do take that to the boy. So you get your full size one. You get the, the one for a boy. You guys are hopping and elbow dropping all over the place.

[Connor Rogers]

You're next.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. And then if he does, he doesn't want to, you can say, oh, get out of here. Send one of your sisters in here to beat the out of this thing.

[Mike Tirico]

That's exactly what's going to happen.

[Pat McAfee]

Last night college basketball had a big one. No lead was safe is how it was being reported. Cream Abdul Jabbar, do you remember him? Oh yeah. Indiana State legend. Whenever he now goes to St. Louis. Yeah, he transferred with his coach whenever his coach moved off from the miraculous run he had a few years back. Well, don't you worry, he's still doing it in the specs for three.

[AQ Shipley]

Bang.

[Pat McAfee]

We win. Shout out to Avia. Getting a huge, huge dub. Six AP ranked teams overcame double digit deficits. That's the most in one night over the last eight seasons. This is really starting to pick up. I see Michigan State up there. Foxy this kid, incredible story. I believe he got shot and now he's back playing ball in Michigan State's. For real. Yes sir, that's Jeremy Fears. I believe it was two seasons ago. He got shot in the leg, was out for the year and now he is our best player. Last night we're at Rutgers. We are down 12 with 10 minutes to go. Jeremy Fears had 27 second half points. Takes us to overtime and we win that game. He's an absolute dog on a long list of really good Michigan State point guards in our history. He's up there at the top. Okay, Arkansas, I see them getting a big win last night. That's Calipari's boys Right, Howard? They was a squad pretty solid.

[Ty Schmidt]

I mean the sec, you know, there's the sec. I don't think this year is quite as good as it has been. Holy. I'm going to sneeze very badly here.

[Pat McAfee]

Looking at the light, looking at the light.

[Connor Rogers]

Look up, look up.

[Debo]

What does that do?

[Pat McAfee]

I don't know. It either makes you sneeze or makes you not. No, it stops it stops it.

[Ty Schmidt]

It stopped it. But yeah. Coach Cal's big thing as of late has basically been like, he's trying to preserve like I'm going to, I'm going to recruit high school kids. Okay. I'm sick and tired of these 27, 28 years old old kids coming in. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing. But I mean we know co coach Cal, come tournament time, Arkansas, you know, the, the Razorbacks, they're always going to be a threat.

[Pat McAfee]

Nebraska was undefeated until last night. They were 12 and a half point dogs or 10 and a half point dogs. Going into a game against Michigan as an undefeated squad. They lose by three, but get the COVID Congrats to Nebraska on an insane start, I would imagine.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, it's, I mean it's crazy how good they are. Like if you just watch them play, just by the look of them, you'd be like, like man, this team, it's, it's just weird. They should like Michigan has been just beating the, out of everybody for the most part. But offensively they just, I mean Fred Hoiberg's got those boys really, really playing well. And I mean they'll be one of those teams we're talking about come March.

[Pat McAfee]

Connor, what's first half point scores of these games?

[Connor Rogers]

I mean Nebraska, Michigan was ridiculous. That was the first college basketball game I've watched all year. Not really a college ball guy till March Madness rolls around and it was like 50 to 45. All of a sudden I thought, okay, they, they learn how to play offense in college, maybe I can buy into it. And the teams are so good.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, they're getting ex pro players in there as well, you know, that'll certainly change it. Virginia gets a huge win over Notre Dame and Miami preserves its undefeated streak. Right. Miami of Ohio started undefeated. Miami of Ohio they get a win over UMass. UMass had a chance to win it at the end. Talk about a massive upset over the undefeated Miami. No go.

[AJ Hawk]

No good.

[Pat McAfee]

UMass Minutemen lose again. Some people are saying they're not impressed by Miami because they only got by UMass by 2. I heard that in the Thunderdome, I hear people trying to diminish what the University of Miami of Ohio has been doing on a basketball court because they haven't played anybody. I hear a lot of that happening around time.

[Connor Rogers]

Not to mention the UMass Minutemen. There hasn't been buzz like this since Marcus Camby is walking the campus. Okay, so this team is legit. I would look out for UMA Matt as a. As a sleeper when the Torny comes around.

[Pat McAfee]

Best season start by any program in Mac history. The Miami Redhawks. Congratulations. That's good basketball team.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's right.

[Pat McAfee]

We might talk to the coach here in the next coming days or coming weeks or whatever. We can't wait for that. College basketball is going to happen. Which, remember, we got to enjoy that. We do enjoy that. Especially when nights like last night happened. First time in eight seasons. And then we look ahead to 11 days from now, the super bowl, the Patriots and the Seahawks. Just like, like any big game that matters in football, it's going to come down to who can control the line of scrimmage. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to go super bowl trenches with AQ Ship. Hey, Kyush, let's talk about these trenches, shall we? And what we should maybe be paying attention to on both sides of the ball, who has the advantage? Who's potentially going to get God.

[AQ Shipley]

Yeah, we're going to break down both sides. And I do think, I know we say this all the time, it always comes down to the trenches. It's cliche to say, but I do believe this game more than any other game is going to come down to the trenches. And when you talk about New England, you have to talk about Drake May's legs. He is part of the run game. So right here he's pointing out obviously this backer to the right side. But the big thing here, you're going to get a quarterback draw. Garrett Bradbury has been fantastic. Watch him get skinny, 65, climb up on a linebacker, and then he sees a butt and he finds the end zone. We got one more run. On the next run we got J. Jared Wilson. Take a look here. This all rookie, left side cap, guardian cap on.

[Pat McAfee]

Smart. Likes to preserve his brain. This guy's got a big brain here.

[AQ Shipley]

Yeah, it doesn't look so cool, but let's take a look at him climb on the second level. Now watch this. Stop it right there. Now watch him get his head back to the front side, run his feet and bury him in the ground.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, this seems like a little holding maybe.

[Connor Rogers]

No, that's Good technique.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. Seems like he was holding a little bit. I like the big shot coming in here from six. You're saying Drake May in the run game for the Patriots. Certainly a problem. They got two back here. They got two back here that they use.

[AQ Shipley]

I think the big thing. Yeah, their fullback's fantastic. And whenever they get in their two back run game, that is when they're at their best or multiple tight end sets. And that is going to be key. But then we're going to take a look at Seattle's defensive line and this is how you have to block them. You have to block them by taking care of this five man front. Do we see five guys across? Point them out.

[Pat McAfee]

Like the burger joint.

[AQ Shipley]

There it is. This is what they're gonna do, guys.

[Pat McAfee]

Hey, I want that thing. Double stack. Give me a little bit of fries there. I like a little cheese maybe.

[AQ Shipley]

That's exactly right. It all starts with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy. That's their two studs. But I got Byron Murphy circled. Leonard Williams gets all the hype. Let's watch three clips here of drop knee technique. Technique. Look at this. See that little drop knee ricochet that play. If we can rewind this one more time. This is so good because if you watch this, he's going to drop knee. Pause it when his knee hits the ground. Keep a little bit more right there. Now the double team. The whole point of the drop knee is to get the double team off. You see the double team, the guard coming down to hit him. It's to get him off. So when he comes off now he's supposed to ricochet back to the right, but then the back scoots out the backside. Still has enough wear with.

[Pat McAfee]

So he hits a drop knee to make that guy think he's already blocked and he's out of it. This is a feint of some sort.

[AQ Shipley]

No, the whole reason for it is because now they. He knows the double team is. And so you do it to the main guy, which is the post guy. Now the double team guy comes in, you get lower than him so now he can't move you. That's how you hold your ground. And then you wait for him to come off because he's climbing. He's climbing to Ernest Jones, the linebacker. And you wait for him to come up and then you ricochet back off to make the.

[Pat McAfee]

That's an insane play right there.

[AQ Shipley]

Insane play.

[Pat McAfee]

Now I thought taking a knee back in the day was bad for D line and now it's being weaponized is.

[AQ Shipley]

What you're saying it's being weaponized. And now there's a couple more clips we got. You'll see they do a good job of taking the center. I think this is the clip right here. He's going to motion down. So there it is. There's the five man front. This is how they handle the run game.

[Mike Tirico]

There it is.

[AQ Shipley]

And now we let this thing run and then watch him do what he does to the center. You see that he posts the center. Ricochet pulls him through, gets him back on the drop knee. So watch, watch him pull the center through right there. Now there's the drop knee. Gets back in the gap and is still able to climb and get in on the tackle.

[Pat McAfee]

So he's an, he's an animal.

[AQ Shipley]

Byron Murphy, they, they draft him in the first round out of Texas and they pair him with Leonard Williams. We got one more. Here is not the five man front. This is when they go true nickel six man box, four up front, two linebackers. And again we get another drop knee. Let's watch this. There it is. Knows the double teams coming. Get off ricochet, get back in on the play.

[Pat McAfee]

Jesus Christ guy. Yeah, he's sitting like faints in here and then bang. Oh, I'm done. No, I'm not. I'm gone. How much does he weigh? Can we get a weight dims on this guy?

[AQ Shipley]

He's not huge. He's like, he's actually a twitchier guy. He's like a 6 3, 300 pound guy. Kind of reminds me, I know he's out of the league right now. Of Christian Wilkins. That's who my comp was of him when he was coming out.

[Pat McAfee]

I mean it's unbelievable explosion to be able to get down that quick, get up that quick while still not getting buried by professional offensive linemen.

[AQ Shipley]

The reason I wanted to show this versus New England's run game.

[Pat McAfee]

6Ft 305.

[AQ Shipley]

There it is. Yeah, smaller guy. There it is.

[Pat McAfee]

Smaller guy. 305 pounds. Dropping to a knee, hopping right back up.

[AQ Shipley]

Most nose guards are 350, so when you see this 300, he's a great pass rusher. Like this guy's a twitchy guy. But the reason why I wanted to show this New England's run game is heavy double teams. So you're going to see this double team. And I think the key is if you can get him moved off the ball, get low on him and he move him off the ball. Move Leonard Williams, you can get a little run game started for New England.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, so you think Murphy good for what New England does.

[AQ Shipley]

I think he's very good. I think it's going to be a problem trying to block him. And I think if they can find a way to get low, because the key is right there. If we take a look at all those ones on the drop knee, the double team, the second guy coming in always hit him in the shoulder. The key on a double team, to move them, you got to get low and hit the hip. See how he's up on the. The shoulder. If he can get low, see how low he is and get the hip.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[AQ Shipley]

That's how you move the guy.

[Connor Rogers]

And that's the thing is I'm watching these. None of these old linemen are knocking his dick in the dirt. And that's what the Patriots have been doing all year to D tackles. Dick in dirt, and that's how you bury him. And maybe that's just the Rams Mo. I expect Vrabel to have the trenches a little more ready.

[Pat McAfee]

I mean, what a play. What a move, though. How long's this taken? Knee move been going on?

[AQ Shipley]

Drop knee's been going on for a while, but this guy's one of the best I've ever seen. When I say I saw that when I was watching this film, I was like, holy.

[AJ Hawk]

Most guys can't get up like that.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah.

[AJ Hawk]

Like, people do it, but most guys can't get up or they take that knee and they get pushed, you know, two, three yards into the linebackers.

[Pat McAfee]

So this is something that is very rare, I would say. Absolutely.

[AQ Shipley]

Absolutely. That's what in this clip in particular, that exact clip right there. Because if we watch this here, if I stand up here.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah.

[AQ Shipley]

So let this run a little bit and rate whenever he gets the ball in the handoff.

[Connor Rogers]

Oh, yeah.

[AQ Shipley]

Okay. So right there, this ball's supposed to hit here. That's why the double teams come in there. So once he comes off, you're supposed to ricochet back here. But then we talk about what juicy is cutting football.

[Pat McAfee]

Is this backside A.

[AQ Shipley]

There it is. So now he goes to hit that juicy cut. And still. So he ricochets one way and then gets back off this side, guys.

[Pat McAfee]

Like a whiplash hunter.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Debo]

Crazy part, getting off of it.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah.

[Debo]

Because usually if you can get down there, I've seen big fellas get down there and just hold on and keep the double team. So now that backer can get over the top and make the play. When you can do that and get back up and make the tackle, that's. That's elite.

[Pat McAfee]

I Mean what a base. He's a. How old is he?

[AQ Shipley]

He's young. This second year in the league that.

[Pat McAfee]

Was from that Texas defense a couple years back, right? Tone, how many guys on that defense from a couple years back? I remember the big bodies were definitely talked about him being one of them.

[Mike Tirico]

Yeah, it was him.

[Ty Schmidt]

It was Tavandre Sweat who went to the Titans. That that whole front for them has been. Was awesome and it's been awesome in the NFL.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah. He 23 three years old, that guy.

[AQ Shipley]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

So sweet neck tats from this photo that I'm seeing.

[AQ Shipley]

Oh, he's a stud man.

[Pat McAfee]

Sick nectar. If that photo is accurate. I mean we're talking absolutely. If you could do a drop knee like. Yeah, I'll tell you what, you can do whatever you want, can't you?

[AQ Shipley]

He's a stud. But I do think whoever performs better on the defensive line is going to win this game. Let's take a look at Seattle's run game. Kenneth Walker finally gets his opportunity to be the guy. Look at this combo block. Gray Zable I know we talked about about him gets the rookie trenchy this year. Charles Cross paid at left tackle. We get him moving now we get the little handoff. Look at. Okay, so if we rewind that one more time right when he gets.

[Pat McAfee]

Sounds like he just got bodied right there. I. I just saw who is blocking who here?

[AQ Shipley]

Dude, he's getting s. I mean he just took him nine yards across. That's incredible. To cut back off of him. It's incredible.

[Pat McAfee]

You're saying what he did was good Right there. Hold on.

[Debo]

Good block.

[Pat McAfee]

It's a great block cuz it just.

[AQ Shipley]

Gets a great block. They just took it. They just took the detecto 9 yards. The cutback went right off it. Yeah, it's incredible. That's a double team brother.

[Pat McAfee]

I like that getting that way out. But it appears as if he's this is able right.

[AQ Shipley]

That's able.

[Ty Schmidt]

Y.

[Connor Rogers]

They pushing him left.

[Pat McAfee]

So is he. So he's getting blocked out of the hole. The rams guy just say you know what it. I'm just running into bodies. Whatever I got to do. So.

[AQ Shipley]

Okay. So it. It's funny that you think that that but the cold key to offensive line play in the NFL is horizontal movement. We're not trying to take take guys 20. This isn't high school football where we're taking guys 20 yards down the field. His gap. So go back to the very beginning. This defensive tackles gap is right there. Right there. Hold right there. Let's watch where he finishes, he will be on the other side of the line.

[Pat McAfee]

Look where Zabel ends up at.

[AQ Shipley]

He is along for the ride, but still part of a double team. That's a good double team. He just took him 10 yards.

[Pat McAfee]

I like that. If they're going to just get people to go run willy nilly like that, I mean, that's a great win. That's a mental as well.

[AQ Shipley]

But the key is Kenneth Walker. Let's take a look at Kenneth Walker right when he gets the ball and comes to where he go to school.

[Pat McAfee]

Michigan State. Go green for one year.

[AQ Shipley]

He was waiting for us before and then they didn't. Yeah, and then they go. Then he goes to Michigan State and he was unbelievable. He's been unbelievable for the Seahawks, too.

[Pat McAfee]

Did you hear that?

[AJ Hawk]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Oh, yeah.

[Debo]

It's the chant. I can't leave Maggie.

[Pat McAfee]

What's the chant, Foxy? What is it? Go green. Thank you.

[J.J. Watt]

Debug.

[Connor Rogers]

Crazy. Watch.

[Pat McAfee]

That's crazy. All right, perfect.

[AQ Shipley]

Look at this move.

[Connor Rogers]

Come on.

[AQ Shipley]

Look at that move.

[AJ Hawk]

Come on.

[AQ Shipley]

I mean, there's nothing else to say. 48 unblocked.

[AJ Hawk]

Especially how you look, how he turns his shoulders to the sideline to get you running early. Watch this. Watch his initial move. He gets the linebacker open up. Oh, see, I take off and you're already like out of bounds. Terrible.

[Debo]

Brutal.

[AQ Shipley]

There's nothing else to say. I mean, that is. Just let that clip do the talking. It's incredible. Kenneth Walker does. He does both Michigan State guys, too.

[Pat McAfee]

Levy on the bell a little bit there. A little patience in the back.

[Debo]

Patience makes. Makes the extra guy miss in the backs. That's what the special ones do. The. Obviously, you know, a lot of most backs in the league can run when it's blocked up well, but when you have free hitters and you can make them miss, make them look silly like this. This was James Cook. That's a great. All the great backs do this, but that's. That's. I mean, it looks like a. Not a huge play. That's a big time run in the NFL.

[Pat McAfee]

Congrats to Kenneth Walker coming back.

[AQ Shipley]

That's huge. That's huge. But again, we talk about this all the time. I like this group up front. I like both groups up front. But they both have had some guys that haven't played their best in the playoffs. Anthony Bradford, supposed to get to that linebacker. Doesn't get there. Number 75. I sent a clip to Connor of a pass rush crush play during the game. That guy, if they can take advantage of him, he's the he's the weakest link on their own line. And then Will Campbell needs to step up too. But again, they don't have edge guys like Will Campbell seen the last couple of weeks. So the interior defensive line on both groups is the problem. Now let's take a look at the Patriots interior defensive line starts with Christian Barmore. Starts with Milton Williams right here. Look at Christian Barmore on the backside here. First of all, they're going to slant the line to the left. There it is. Handling line movement. Point is key, but there is no movement. If we look at that group, just watch them. If we can pause this on contact a little bit more right. Keep a little bit more right there. Okay. Look at Milton Williams. Look at Barmer. Look at them. They're all extending with two hands. No movement. That is the key. Defensive lineman gotta play with extension. Boom. Stalemate. There it is. And then get off the ball and make a play. This Patriots group is as good as anybody at doing that.

[Connor Rogers]

Bulain, fill in the gap too.

[AQ Shipley]

Holy little later in the game, obviously. Second half we got the elements question.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Offensive line like the elements.

[AQ Shipley]

Offensive line like the elements. In terms of pass rush, it's tougher in the run game because of the footing. So the pass rush now you've slowed the defense down.

[Ty Schmidt]

They can't get the get off.

[AQ Shipley]

But in the run game, it probably benefits the defensive line because you can't get your footing.

[Pat McAfee]

Got it.

[AQ Shipley]

And that's why I think this is super impressive. We got good on. Good. Barmore versus Quinn Miners right here. Watch him not give up any ground right there. Just extend. Get off. Make the play. That's one of the best. That's your first team all pro guard going against Christian Barmore. He just gets off. Two hand press, extend. Find the ball, get off, make a play. We got one more clip. Big Tonga.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, we love big Tonga.

[Pat McAfee]

And by the way, as a fullback.

[AQ Shipley]

Yeah, he's a great fullback, but he's a great. Okay, so he's going against Luke Wattenberg who just got paid at center. Center reaching a front side shave by himself. Nightmare. Yep. Get pressed 3 yards in the backfield. This defense is a problem too.

[Pat McAfee]

Fourth quarter, less than seven minutes left. First and 10. Denver's on New England's 33. Could be driving. Nope. Let me actually stop you right there.

[Connor Rogers]

Miss field goal on this drive.

[Pat McAfee]

Unbelievable stuff. I love watching just like freak athletes do. Freak athlete. And this is one of those.

[AQ Shipley]

And this is. And this is an absolute nightmare block. And again, I don't know if you guys remember Brandon Mebane, he was a hell of a nose guard for the Seattle Seahawks. But this block versus Brandon Mebane, this block versus any good nose guard is a. It's one of the hardest blocks in football.

[Pat McAfee]

You talked about the run game in the snow. Not easy for the offensive line. Tonga had better get off air. Had to leverage immediately and just like, gave him a snow ride.

[Debo]

Nine, seven. Right next to him, Williams, he did the same shit right to his right.

[Pat McAfee]

This guy's unbelievable.

[AQ Shipley]

Unbelievable.

[Connor Rogers]

Well, and that's the thing. They're fresh. You know, you don't see Barmore on there. Yeah, you don't, because right there it's Leonard Taylor, Tonga and Milton Williams, they. They got Barmore, they got another guy, Durden, Corey Durden, who's been unbelievable. Like, the dudes they have up front, they rotate in and out and they're always fresh.

[Pat McAfee]

All right, well, sounds like we got a great trenches warfare coming up in the Super Bowl.

[Mike Tirico]

We sure do.

[AQ Shipley]

It's going to be fun to watch. But again, my prediction, whoever wins the defensive line, whoever plays better on the defensive line, will win this game.

[Pat McAfee]

Okay, and who is that? Don't tell us. We'll see you next week. We appreciate you all for allowing us to do this for a living. Thank you for spending your wat Wednesday here in super bowl season with us. AJ what's your best big takeaway from today's show? What'd you learn from the day?

[AJ Hawk]

I mean, just. Just some recency bias.

[Connor Rogers]

I feel like.

[AJ Hawk]

Obviously the D line thing, that was great to see, but how square that Patriots defensive line is. Like their shoulders square to the line of scrimmage. That's so impressive to me because then everything behind you is very clean and there's nowhere to go and just like boom, boom, boom. Just bullets filling gaps.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, it sounds like they're technically sound. That's what they said about the Indiana defense.

[Connor Rogers]

That's right.

[Pat McAfee]

Like the Indiana defense is always where they're supposed to be. Seattle Seahawks defense doing the same damn thing. Debo, what was your big takeaway from today's program?

[Debo]

Just the trenches. I love just getting schooled up on the trenches. Watching it from. Usually from zoomed out. So zooming in. And then the edge guys always get all the love on the D line. And these are two of the best interior guys on the D line on both sides. So I'm interested to watch this matchup.

[Pat McAfee]

I like that you're teaching a lot of people a lot of things here from the super bowl trenches. Ty, how about You. What's your big takeaway today? Other than having. Having a little voodoo doll thing?

[Ty Schmidt]

Jimmy Johnson doesn't with the hall of Fame anymore.

[Pat McAfee]

I don't think. I think a lot of people are.

[Ty Schmidt]

I think he's out permanently. He can be one back until he decides. Yeah. To go back. But as of right now, where we stand right now, he's done with him.

[Pat McAfee]

I don't like that fans are already saying they're done with it.

[AQ Shipley]

Yeah.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Mike Tirico]

It's bummer.

[AJ Hawk]

Oh, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Connor, what you learned today? Anything.

[Connor Rogers]

My. My biggest thing is goodbye, Nathan Chen. Hello. Hello, Ilia, whatever the hell his name is. The quad God. I mean, we got. We got the guy again. He's doing four. Four rotations and backflips and front flips and all that.

[Pat McAfee]

Cool.

[Connor Rogers]

All that with all that pizzazz and the way he looks is awesome.

[AJ Hawk]

So.

[Connor Rogers]

I can't wait for the Olympics.

[Pat McAfee]

Shout out to jj. Shout out to Tirico. Shout out to Jimmy Johnson. How about Tony Romo yesterday, Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar called. I just call you back. How about him? Hey, what's going on, man? What do you got going on? Just doing a show, man. What do you. You mind if I. Yeah, sounds. Hey, I'm going Riyadh. I'm gonna go win that thing. Yeah. All right, boys. I'll talk to you later, dude. All right. Just such a casual. Hey. Yeah. I'm gonna go win the Royal Rumble. I don't think he knew that we were on necessarily there. Probably not good time to tell the world that he's in Royal Rumble, perv. Exactly. How do you stop him?

[Ty Schmidt]

You don't.

[Pat McAfee]

I think we're probably gonna talk with a gun. Yeah, that's it.

[AJ Hawk]

I want a large gun.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, a large. I could see, you know, Bron Breaker sneaking one in his singlet. Shoots him in the leg and throws him over.

[Ty Schmidt]

Maims him.

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah.

[Connor Rogers]

Maims him a little bit.

[Debo]

Is that enough?

[Connor Rogers]

Is that enough to stop him? Does it have to be between the eyes?

[Pat McAfee]

I don't know. I don't know. That's a really good question. I have no idea. We'll find out. Saturday, 2:00 Eastern.

[Connor Rogers]

Boom.

[Pat McAfee]

Brock Lesnar is in the Royal Rumble. All right. And he's going to win it.

[AJ Hawk]

He said.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, easy.

[Pat McAfee]

You think Brock Lesnar's flying all the way to Rio in Saudi Arabia not win the Rumble?

[Ty Schmidt]

No.

[Pat McAfee]

How far is that flight?

[Ty Schmidt]

What, 18, 22 hours?

[Pat McAfee]

22.

[Connor Rogers]

I could see Triple H winning.

[Pat McAfee]

I'll tell you what.

[AJ Hawk]

Is he in?

[Pat McAfee]

That would be a Good gimmick, actually.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, I'm hoping.

[Pat McAfee]

Vince McMahon. You know, whenever he was running shit, he. He blew both his quads running down to fix the Royal Rumble.

[AJ Hawk]

Yes, he did.

[Connor Rogers]

He did.

[Pat McAfee]

I don't know if he ever booked himself to win the Royal Rumble, but there was a time there where he was in charge of everything and running everything, both on camera and off camera, where him winning the Royal Rumble would have been right on.

[Ty Schmidt]

Oh, yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

For it to happen.

[Debo]

Was he a First Battle hall of Famer?

[Pat McAfee]

I don't think he's in the hall of Fame.

[AQ Shipley]

Really?

[Pat McAfee]

I do not believe he's in the hall of Fame. He also didn't allow anybody to say his name during their hall of Fame speeches. That was like one of his things. And he did win the Royal Rumble in 1999. Okay. Yeah. So that would make a lot of sense. Thank you, Nick, for that information. In the back. Yeah.

[J.J. Watt]

Me. Yeah.

[Mike Tirico]

That's crazy. Who's winning?

[Pat McAfee]

Who's winning? Me. Who's the last one thrown over your ass? Yeah. That is just the thought about 99. That's good wrestling, baby.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah, exactly.

[Pat McAfee]

So if Triple H was to win it, I. I would be excited to see where they head with it, you know, I'd be excited to see cuz. You know, entertainment.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

And real sport.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah, for sure.

[Pat McAfee]

Be your friend. Tell a friend something nice. It might change tone.

[AJ Hawk]

Do we know if the Miz is in there? If he's going to make it?

[Connor Rogers]

They're saying he might win. Yeah, he's plus 200,000 right now.

[Pat McAfee]

Apparently they love Real World season, whatever that was in Saudi Arabia right now.

[Connor Rogers]

It just came out.

[Pat McAfee]

Good to see you. Be Hammer down. Is going to be great today, huh?

[Mike Tirico]

Always is.

[Pat McAfee]

Be a friend. Tell friend something nice. It might change in life. We're in this thing together, aq. Anything you say to team. Great work today, buddy.

[AQ Shipley]

Hey, football season never disappoints. One more game to go, boys. This is one of my favorite things to do every single week.

[Connor Rogers]

Come here.

[AQ Shipley]

Spend the time with you boys.

[Ty Schmidt]

I promise.

[AQ Shipley]

Appreciate the opportunity. Let's go have a week next week, huh, boys?

[Pat McAfee]

Yeah, we'll see it. Super Bowl. I like that a lot. Debo. Great work this week.

[Connor Rogers]

You too, brother.

[Pat McAfee]

All right. Hey, thank you for battling.

[Ty Schmidt]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

Hey, Snow.

[AJ Hawk]

That made it.

[Debo]

No, no place I'd rather be.

[Pat McAfee]

Maybe warmer. Would have been okay this week. Yeah, Thunderdome did have do some battles.

[Debo]

He's still battling.

[Connor Rogers]

Was it was that hall of Fame.

[Pat McAfee]

Coin just fell, doll? I think it actually was. Yeah.

[Debo]

I was working.

[Mike Tirico]

All right.

[Connor Rogers]

Yeah.

[Pat McAfee]

It's a little challenge.

[AJ Hawk]

Look at the doll down there.

[Debo]

This is.

[AJ Hawk]

Man his arms up.

[Debo]

Entrant number two.

[Mike Tirico]

That's what I looked.

[AQ Shipley]

That's what I looked like whenever I broke my neck.

[Pat McAfee]

He was entrant number two. Vince McMahon.

[Debo]

Threw over.

[Mike Tirico]

Stone cold went your ass.

[Pat McAfee]

That's exactly it.

[Ty Schmidt]

That's good bucking.

[Pat McAfee]

No, that's exactly what happened.

[Mike Tirico]

Me.

[Pat McAfee]

Who's getting turned? You. God damn. Team on me. Team on three. One, two, three. Team goodbye.