The Best Of 2 Pros & A Cup Of Joe

On this episode of 2 Pros & A Cup Of Joe, Brady Quinn & LaVar Arrington recap the Browns unique plan of starting Deshaun Watson one game & Shedeur Sanders the next for preseason. Plus, the guys chat with Albert Breer as he still is visiting NFL teams training camps and reports on what he has seen and who impressed him, discuss the Lakers being sold yet again in a year span this time to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, and more!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, thanks for listening to the Two Pros and a
Cup of Joe podcast with LaVar Arrington, Jonas Knox, and
myself Brady Quinn. Make sure you catch us live weekdays
six to nine am Eastern or three am to six
am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. You can find your
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(00:20):
us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching
fs r's give this.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
All there's Two Pros and a Cup of Joe. I'm
Brady Quinn. That's LeVar Arrington.

Speaker 4 (00:49):
Dude again again. Come on here we go, come.

Speaker 5 (00:56):
Ya waiting on a Thursday.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Get them up.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
That beat in and by the way, every day truck
and bus drivers, they're out there keeping America moving and
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America's pros rely on you. Paid for by FMCSA var Okay, yeah, man,

(01:32):
we got some more news coming out of training camps.

Speaker 5 (01:34):
We're getting a little bit I guess we're.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Getting closer to some teams making some decisions as to
who's gonna lead their teams, lead their offense. And I
know we're gonna talk about a team that you love.
It's somewhere near and dear in your heart because you
grew up as a young boy in Pittsburgh probably hating them.
And that's the Cleveland Browns.

Speaker 4 (01:55):
I didn't hate them.

Speaker 5 (01:57):
You didn't hate them.

Speaker 6 (01:58):
Okay, No, I didn't hate them. I liked her so much. Yeah,
just more of a rival, yep.

Speaker 5 (02:04):
Okay, all right, that's say it is.

Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, that being said, though, Todd Munkin, the head coach
of the Cleveland Browns, has made the decision to start
Deshaun Watson for the first preseason game. Now, that doesn't
mean that he's gonna get to start in the next one.
In fact, the next preseason game will be started by
Shador Sanders.

Speaker 5 (02:24):
But the quarterback.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Battle looks like there's a slight edge to DeShawn. I
think that's how i'd look at that. Is that how
you see that by Deshaun Watson getting the first crack
at it as a starting QB?

Speaker 4 (02:36):
Yeah, I believe so.

Speaker 6 (02:37):
I believe that it's it's more in favor of him starting,
which I think we've all said that it it skews
his way, you know, So yeah, I mean, like you said, though,
this is more like stage management right now. Like I
think they believe it's going to be Deshaun Watson that starts,

(02:59):
but for him to for Monkin to say they're both
going to get a half, it's just gonna be watching
this week, It'll be Shador next week. They're both going
to get a two minute drill. Like the idea of
it is is that he's he's managing it. And and
I just again, if you're going to name a starter,

(03:21):
name a starter if you're not, which it doesn't sound
like he has. He hasn't named a starter, So maybe
he genuinely genuinely doesn't know who he wants to start. Q.

Speaker 5 (03:35):
Do you think that's it?

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Like, is it about genuinely not knowing or is it
about knowing winning the job? So he's waiting for that moment.
Your coaches sometimes talk about that moment, that scrimmage, that practice.
I mean that again, not trying to throw the little
bit that I've helped out with our eighth grade football
team this year, but we had a scrimmage last night
and went back watched over the film. And then there's,

(03:57):
for example, I'll just be transparent, there's a receiver who
you know, he kind of got a late start into
joining the team, but you know, the one thing I
told him he could do is block his tail off
every time in every running play. And there was times
when he messed up some of the past routes, but
you know what he did every single running play. He
blocked better than anyone on the entire field, that include

(04:19):
the old line. I mean literally pancaked a few kids
a few times, and I'm sitting there going there. It
is like, that's the kid that I sit there and
go if he's coachable, if he's gonna do the things
that you ask him to do, you're gonna thrust him
in there. So he kind of had that moment for
me like hey man, there's a lot to work with here.
And so as a coach, I feel like I'm looking,

(04:40):
I'm thinking, yeah, he's starting now. Like I'll show that
on tape today to these kids and I'll say, this
is what you got to do. If you want to
play like, you've got to be coachable, You've got to
do the things we're asking you to do and you
got to help out your teammate. And I know that's
at a rudimentary level, but you know, even at the
NFL level like right now, I think Deshaun Watson pro
probably gets the first crack at it, and it's not

(05:02):
Schador out of the gate in the first preseason game
because they most likely feel confident about the experience of
Deshaun Watson, and from listening to a lot of the
folks in Cleveland who are at those camps who are
talking about the Browns, that seems to be the one
thing they're hanging their hat on because if it's between
the two throwing the football right now, there's a lot

(05:23):
of people who feel like Shador throws the better ball
he's had, you know, equally at times as good of
a camp with not better. So to me, I look
at this go maybe it's just the fact that they
haven't had that moment where one of the two quarterbacks
hasn't separated themselves, and that could very well come in
one of these preseason games. I just wonder if there's
still going to be that experience factor that's hard to

(05:45):
overlook that Deshaun Watson has.

Speaker 4 (05:48):
All Right, So.

Speaker 6 (05:50):
How do you if you haven't had that moment yet,
how do you really get to that moment? Like, don't
you got to have a good Like you referenced coaches,
I'll go back to referencing coaching. When when I did
I knew who my starting starting quarterback was going to be.

(06:12):
Now I didn't like that he was going to be
my starting quarterback, but nonetheless I made him my starting quarterback.
Did I did I try to develop onw more guys?

Speaker 1 (06:24):
He was going to be your guy? Well, because he
wasn't good? So why was he a starting quarterback? Because
he was the best, the best good we had?

Speaker 5 (06:35):
Gotcha? Gotcha?

Speaker 4 (06:37):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (06:38):
And so and and what ended up happening is what
anybody else would do. I ended up having to put
our best athlete at quarterback at some point during the
season to try to save our season, you know. And
I just know the first thing I thought, and I
had kind of kind of slipped my mind. It's like,
I know you're a new head coach, but tell me,

(07:01):
at what listen, take this with a grain of salt.
I guess these days just because of what the Pro
Bowl has become. But if I came in as a
new coach, What is one of the first things I'm
looking for when I look at my roster or who
are my elite players? And if I'm looking down that

(07:23):
roster to see who my elite players are, you know,
I'm looking for who my All pros are, who was
named All Pro, I'm looking who got any awards, who
was named to the Pro Bowl. Like, you have a
Pro Bowl quarterback from last season. What other position would
Todd Monkin have come in and said, you got to

(07:46):
battle it out for your position after you're coming off
of a Pro Bowl season. Now, whether he deserved the
Pro Bowl or not, that can be debated, certainly, but
nonetheless he dig get get the alternate role of being
a Pro bowler.

Speaker 4 (08:05):
You're base.

Speaker 1 (08:06):
I mean technically, technically, Deshaun Watson's been a Pro Bowl
in the past.

Speaker 5 (08:11):
And can I read you the stat line for hold on,
let me read the stat line.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
For Shador because it does feel like it's a little
bit like, I don't know if that counts. So in
seven games he completed fifty I'll give him fifty seven percent.

Speaker 5 (08:24):
Of the passes.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
It's not even that high of a number through seven
touchdowns to ten interceptions, had a quarterback rating of sixty eight,
had a QBR of eighteen point nine, which is very
not good, not good at all. Was sacked twenty three
times in those games, so so basically sacked more than
three times a game. That is not a Pro Bowl

(08:50):
stat like that. That sounds to be like, hey, he's
just one of the guys who wanted to play and
picked up the phone. If we're being honest, and because
there's a fan component and everything else.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
I understand it's debatable.

Speaker 1 (09:02):
In fact, I'm not even quite sure we've ever had
until this past Pro Bowl. Would have to look this up,
so don't quote me on it, but I think logic
would tell us. I'm not sure we've ever had a
negative touchdown interception ratio like we had last year with
Shador and I don't think we've ever had a quarterback
represent in the Pro Bowl with those numbers.

Speaker 4 (09:24):
And maybe it's time to discredit the Pro Bowl. Maybe,
But I'm just saying, within.

Speaker 6 (09:31):
The realm of logic, at what point in time is
a Pro bowler fighting for their job the next season?

Speaker 4 (09:41):
That's all I mean, I get it. I would see
this one. I did lead with that. I did lead
with it.

Speaker 1 (09:48):
Good, No My point is this, I think they're like, look,
if no one's won the job out right yet, then
then you look go.

Speaker 5 (09:57):
Through the preseason games how things go.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
But there tends to moments like I could tell you
my moment when I was in Cleveland quarterback battle with
Derek Anderson.

Speaker 5 (10:04):
I know the exact moment.

Speaker 1 (10:05):
We were playing the Tennessee Titans, and you know, we
were still kind of battling things out.

Speaker 5 (10:10):
I got my opportunity in that.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
I think it was the third preseason game, and you
know I remember throwing a skinny post to Braylin, hit
him right on the numbers touchdown.

Speaker 5 (10:19):
It was kind of that drive that that was it.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
And honestly, coming into that season in that quarterback battle,
you know Eric Manngei took over as our head coach,
and I was told by our quarterback coach, Carl Smith
we call him Tater. He was like, yeah, Eric really
likes Derek and he mentioned exactly what you just said.
He goes, you know, he doesn't understand why he can't
be a Pro Bowl every year. You know, he watched

(10:42):
the two thousand and seven tape. Obviously this was in
two thousand and nine, so it was a couple of
years before that, but he was still talking about that
and how he would He basically wanted Derek to win
the job, and it didn't work out that way. But
his first sign that we struggled offensively, he benched me
and put Derek in, and then Derek struggled mightily because

(11:02):
it wasn't just me, it was our entire offense. And
we had a first time play caller, you know, as
a player, so there was a lot of working out,
you know, what his identity was, how he was going
to call plays. We had obviously an offensive line that was,
you know, young in some spots. Alex Mack he was
a phenomenal player. He was still a rookie. So there
are some still some things we're working on our kinks.

(11:23):
We had some new guys too that'd come in and play,
in particular on the right side, right guard, right tackle.
We had moved on from guys like Briylan Edwards, guys
like Kellen Winslow, guys who were big time playmakers for us,
and so all those things kind of led to us
being like, dude, we were starting over again.

Speaker 7 (11:41):
You know.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
We got two rookie wide receivers who are one and two,
and so it was really really hard to you know,
find ways when and you know this, when you have
played even just a season in the NFL and you
go through that, then you're going into kind of your
next year.

Speaker 5 (11:54):
It's like once you played.

Speaker 1 (11:55):
Long and if you realize, you know, there's a lot
that you didn't know when you're a rookie and you're
still growing, you're still learning, and so it becomes hard
to make that come altogether, and especially on an offense
where there's a lot of thinking involved.

Speaker 4 (12:08):
So you know, let me get you this.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
That was kind of my moment with it, and then
it was kind of like, all right, well, that doesn't
mean anything that once you get in the season, because
once you get the season, people's jobs on their lines,
so a lot of things can change over the course.

Speaker 5 (12:21):
Of the year. Two.

Speaker 6 (12:23):
Off of the log logic that you just used with
your own moment and just that experience, I bet we're
all curious, how did it make you feel like you
knew that a coach another coach liked the other guy
you get the opportunity you win the job, was that

(12:45):
on your neck when you went into the game that
they liked Derrick Anderson More and how did you feel
when they benched you to put Derrick Anderson in?

Speaker 4 (12:55):
And how did you feel after? Like to me, these
are the reasons.

Speaker 6 (13:00):
Those are the very thoughts to me that make it
a very very difficult proposition for the guy in that
position to be successful. I just don't see how you
can have any type of real solid feelings of trust
or solid feelings of like being able to play your

(13:22):
game loose, which is when you play your best games
is when you're loose and you low the things to
flow and what you've worked on, and yet you know
that looming is if I make a mistake, especially after
they did it, like, oh, you weren't playing well, they
did it. They did what you were probably thinking, how
did you like? How did that make you feel?

Speaker 8 (13:43):
Like?

Speaker 6 (13:43):
Because that, to me is the most important piece of
this because that's probably what both of these quarterbacks are
feeling right now.

Speaker 5 (13:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (13:50):
And the similarity is the fact that you know it
was a new coach, just like Todd Munkin, right, we
had just gotten Eric Manjini, so you're still building that
trust with that coach. The hard thing for me, though, too,
was I had a big escalator in my contract, so
if I played a certain amount, I was going to
get a big bump in my salary or a bonus,

(14:10):
I should say, And it is so basically, it was
a playtime incentive. And one of the toughest parts was
when when things got started off that season. You know,
there were there were some rough spots because we're still
ironing out the offense. You know, there was even times
where we practiced certain things that we didn't even run.
Like I remember opening up against Minnesota that year, we

(14:31):
had practiced kind of this five wide no huddle, and
we didn't run until the very end of the game
and we drove.

Speaker 5 (14:35):
Right down and I think I'd throw a touchdown pass to.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
Robert Royal, and it was like one of those deals
where you're saying, all right, like there's a lot in
this operation that's kind of frustrating because we're not running
the things we're actually practicing. And I don't know if
that's a lack of trust in me, a trust in
our offense, a trust in you know, calling plays. Right,
when you're a first time off's coordinator, you feel like
every single time you're calling a play, it's kind of

(14:58):
on you. It's it's part of your resume because you're
putting it out there on tape two. So there was
a lot of questions just about the entire operation, how things,
you know, if you could trust you know, a coach
asked for a quarterback battle is like, hey, it's your job,
take it and go.

Speaker 5 (15:14):
You know that whole thing that they can say that
to you.

Speaker 1 (15:18):
But I know in the back of my mind he
wants the other guy ultimately, or that's what he thinks.
So even after thinking that, it's like, all right, we'll
see like if those true awards are truly you know, real,
or if that's going to change. So as we got
through it, and look, we played again a good Minnesota
Vikings team. Adrian Peterson I think ripped off almost a
bajillion yards that that game on as Brett Farbes's first

(15:40):
game there. You know, you've got week two or playing
Denver in Denver and that was the year they kind
of ripped off that really hot start with Josh.

Speaker 5 (15:47):
McDaniels as their head coach.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
I think they went six and o right to start
the season and kind of fizzled out, but still like
really really tough beginning the season.

Speaker 5 (15:55):
They beat New England that year too.

Speaker 1 (15:56):
There was a whole big, you know story about that,
and so we get a ball tomorrow after that, which,
again this is back in two thousand and nine. Baltimore
is still rolling great defense. Obviously offensively, they still can
make some plays. I think I was like six for
eight with like one poor decision up being a pick,
you know, got fooled on coverage. And when we go
in halftime and he had said, hey, I'm gonna put

(16:17):
Derek in the second half, I was kind of like
thinking to myself, man, like one one decision, that's it.
And I felt like there was a lot of other
issues other than me. So as I'm watching the second half,
go you know, Derek throws three more and you sit
there and just go okay, like I'm gonna get another
crack at it the next week. And so after the game,
when he's like, no, we're actually gonna go with the

(16:37):
other guy, I'm thinking that you could have done differently. Yeah,
well that at that point you're just going like, well
I didn't do that, Like, I mean, you also one
didn't give me the chance to.

Speaker 5 (16:48):
Throw more in it.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
But if if I threw three picks, I would have
understood it and it could probably could have been four,
but like, like, I didn't do that. So you come
back the next week You're like, Okay, I have to
prepare as a backup, and then I'll As things continue
to struggle offensively, you're like, all right, well it's not
just me, and I obviously want to try to find
a way of getting an opportunity. So all you can
really do is wait for your next chance, you know.

(17:12):
And I remember there was a couple of guys on
the scout team, you know, I kind of got closer
to as we would run different you know, things like that,
and we would just try to torch the defense. And
then it got to a point where you also lost
all trust in the coach and anything that he said.
And then I think it as well. And then and the
problem was as Derek and I got closer even through
some of that because of what he was.

Speaker 6 (17:33):
Big now, yeah, both looking at him on the same page,
looking at the coaches like that.

Speaker 5 (17:37):
And that was the biggest thing.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
Is I remember like getting dinner together and go and
just talking about what they were each kind of saying,
and you're just like, man, you can't trust any of
these jokers like that. That's how we felt and so
then it became more of like a we were just
trying to help each other out. Like I was obviously
like dude, we just got to make the best of
what we can and that was it. And unfortunately for me,
like I sat out, which is this was this was

(18:00):
not fitter to him. Like I remember, we went to Chicago,
and if I didn't play in the.

Speaker 5 (18:05):
First half, there's no way I can earn that incentive.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
And sure enough, after the first half goes by, you know,
Derek had I got to get kind of a rough game,
and then again they're like, hey, go in and I'm
like okay.

Speaker 5 (18:18):
So so they kind of knew how the season was
gonna be.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
It wasn't gonna work out great, and then they were
just gonna reset after the season, but let's make sure
we don't have to pay him his incentive.

Speaker 5 (18:26):
So there was a there's a portion of that that too,
was about the contract.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
We got asked about it a lot, and there's not
really much you can say at the time, but I.

Speaker 5 (18:32):
Think everyone really knew what that was about.

Speaker 1 (18:34):
And they can you know, they can deny whatever they want,
but the reality is, like our offense started to you know,
pick up play better after that, you know, we lost
a couple of closer games.

Speaker 5 (18:42):
To Detroit, to.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
To San Diego, where like, you know, I was playing
better at that point, and then I got hurt, you know,
so that that was kind of it. And then Derek
went back in. So there was just it was a
constant evolving door. But when you go back and look
at like that season and just the Browns where they're at.

Speaker 5 (18:57):
Now, it's the same thing. And part of that's the
fact that the record.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
We went, I think there's a five and eleven, four
and twelve something like that which really reripped off all
the wins at the end of the season.

Speaker 4 (19:10):
That might be exactly how it happens this year.

Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yeah, and that's why that's why ultimately, like we can
talk about the Browns and who they decided to go with,
but it's probably not going to be the last start
that they have.

Speaker 5 (19:24):
I mean, if history tells us anything.

Speaker 4 (19:26):
And wildly and the last one standing.

Speaker 1 (19:30):
And he'll probably get some to some time in there
to play quarterback at some point, right, I mean, either
via injury, either via poor play.

Speaker 5 (19:37):
I mean, that's the truth is.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
I don't think Todd Monkin wants to wait for these
guys to figure it out, and it is a bit
interesting that they've just kind of casted Dylan Gabriel to
the side. It seems to only be about the Shaun
Watson and Shadoor Sanders. And maybe you say, well, yeah,
they don't feel good about Dylan Gabriel, But there's times
when you see me and he plays and operates the
offense well, and it's just odd that he isn't more

(20:01):
part of that conversation. But again, those guys are the
ones of valuating and they're behind closed doors so they
know better. But that's the only thing I can take
away from my experiences. There has to be a moment.
But even in that moment, and even whoever they announce
is the guy, it may not work out to be
that way. You know, it may change at some point,
and it probably will change if again, history tends to

(20:22):
repeat itself.

Speaker 5 (20:24):
So I wish I could say this all far.

Speaker 1 (20:26):
I wish I could say the Browns were embarking on
a new frontier, but it feels like the same Browns
that well they.

Speaker 6 (20:33):
M yeah, I mean, if they were respected that way,
they would get that type of you know, that type
of feeling. But everything and every team isn't built the
same way. And you know, well, you want to get
a Frontier, a Nissan Frontier because they get the job
done without making a fuss. And well, that Nissan Frontier,

(20:55):
it's built for your work week and it's ready to
load you up in that tail on the weekends. Make
sure you check out the twenty twenty six Nissan Frontier.

Speaker 5 (21:07):
Coming up next on Two Pros and a Cup of Joe.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
We obviously got the announcement Kyler Murray will be QB
one for the Minnesota Vikings.

Speaker 5 (21:14):
Well, what's JJ McCarthy's response. We'll tell you on the
other side.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Errington, and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio.

Speaker 9 (21:31):
App sete gouts here I have a podcast empire. It
continues to grow and I have brought it here to iHeart.
I'm also doing a live radio show from three to
five pm Eastern because.

Speaker 4 (21:44):
My wife wanted to kick me out of the house.

Speaker 9 (21:46):
It's called Stegatz Company Live, which is available on podcast
form right when the show finishes every single day. Some
of the biggest names in sports. A lot of phone.

Speaker 8 (21:58):
Calls, I love you got your show. It's one of
my favorite.

Speaker 9 (22:00):
A lot of interact shit guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
expect from Stu Gottson Company and Steve Gotson Company Live.
So listen to stew Godson Company Live and our original podcast.
Please subscribe, rate and review Steve Gotson Company and god
Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. You do it

(22:22):
today and you can check all of those out on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 5 (22:34):
I'll said a hip. It's two pros and a cup
of Joe.

Speaker 1 (22:40):
Actually, no Joe, just LeVar and I. We're just high
holding it down right now working with the Playoffs Club.
We're gonna invite Cla into the club right now. With
the one and only Albert Brier, the senior NFL reporter
league content strategists for the Monday Morning Quarterback dot Com.
You can find them an at Albert Brear. Albert's been

(23:04):
all around the country on his NFL training camp tour.

Speaker 5 (23:07):
Albert, where are you today.

Speaker 8 (23:09):
I'm looking right now at the beautiful skyline of Buffalo.

Speaker 4 (23:14):
New York.

Speaker 5 (23:16):
Oh what a bit. Now are you able to see it?

Speaker 1 (23:19):
Or are you obstructed sitting in Highmark Stadium by some
of those seats up there?

Speaker 8 (23:24):
That?

Speaker 4 (23:24):
Oh?

Speaker 8 (23:25):
No, no obstruction from my view on my deck here
at the a Loft in downtown Buffalo.

Speaker 5 (23:32):
Oh got you, gotcha.

Speaker 1 (23:33):
But if you've heard those complaints, I mean, I've heard
that scoreboards are tiny too, They're not as big as
they thought they'd be.

Speaker 8 (23:39):
Yeah, and you know what sucks, Brady is like now
when you go on social media and that stuff and
that stuff, you can't really tell what's AI and what isn't,
which is kind of a scary thing, you know. But yeah,
I've seen the complaints about the scoreboards. I've seen the
complaints about some of the obstructive view seats.

Speaker 7 (23:57):
I actually I asked the bills. I'll keep you guys
updated on this.

Speaker 8 (24:00):
I asked the those if I could get a look
at the stadium myself, so I want to. I might
go in there and check it out a little later
today after practice.

Speaker 5 (24:07):
Well, hold on, hold on, hold on, hopefully.

Speaker 1 (24:11):
Yeah, we just we just talked about AI the last segment,
are you trying to say the photos that are circulating
where half the end zones cut off or they've.

Speaker 8 (24:18):
Got like a railing No no no no no no
no no.

Speaker 7 (24:21):
What I'm saying is like, okay, so like how.

Speaker 8 (24:24):
Many people were really upset about it.

Speaker 7 (24:27):
And how much of it was like, you know, people stamming.

Speaker 8 (24:32):
The internet with like fake complaints or whatever.

Speaker 4 (24:34):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 8 (24:35):
Like it's like now, I feel like anytime something like
that goes viral, you'll see, like I don't know a
lot of accounts that may or may not be real
popping up just kind of parroting whatever's already being said.
I guess amplifying the message.

Speaker 7 (24:53):
That makes sense.

Speaker 5 (24:55):
Yeah, sure, that makes sense. That makes sense. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:59):
What is your X men dictation for the Buffalo Bills
this year with Joe Bridley as head coach? I said
this earlier this offseason, like I at least knew what
they'd be defensively with Sean McDermott, and I'll say, as
Joe Briddy is their OC, there was a certain level
of anticipation there. Now is Joe Brady with the head coach,
I'm kind of like, all right, I think there's more
questions about the Bills this season than I had the

(25:21):
year prior.

Speaker 5 (25:22):
Is that a fair thing to say?

Speaker 7 (25:23):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (25:23):
And I think it's like, it's always interesting because there's
a couple of things that are different about this versus
other you know, other teams that are going through coaching changes.
Number One, usually a new coach comes in and takes
over something broken. This wasn't broken, right. And then number two,

(25:44):
generally the coach is coming in from the outside, and
this coach isn't coming in from the outside, you know.
So you know, I guess you could kind of equate
it to I don't know, I mean, like Mike Martz
taking over the Greatest Show on Turf when he was
already the coordinator. You know, there's just there. It's just
a different type of situation.

Speaker 7 (26:06):
And so, you know, when I'm interested to.

Speaker 8 (26:08):
See Brady, and I think back to like when Sean
Payton went to New Orleans, right, And I don't think
like we all knew exactly what Sean Payton was capable
of because he called plays in a Jim Fossil in
New York was stripped to play calling there, and then
he goes to Dallas. What Bill Parcells and he's the

(26:31):
Cowboys offensive coordinator for three years, and because he's working
for those head coaches, there's a certain amount of amount
of there's a certain amount of control they had over
what he was going to do. And then he goes
to New Orleans and we see all of it. And
I think that could be an apt parallel just because

(26:51):
that's Joe Brady's mentor, right, And so like I, there's
part of me the wonders, Okay, are we going to
see different version of Joe Brady, a different version of
the Joe Brady offense? And are we going to see
a team that is markedly different just in its makeup?
Because Joe Brady has all these ideas.

Speaker 7 (27:12):
That now he can put on full display.

Speaker 8 (27:15):
And I think one thing that's interesting is he brings
in a defensive coordinator who I think has the same
sort of attack mentality that he has and Jim Leonard,
and so like I, that to me is what's most
interesting about the team is like, do they look markedly
different than they did a year ago despite the fact
that A it wasn't broken and be this isn't a
guy coming in from the outside.

Speaker 6 (27:38):
Aby, you were just in Cleveland talk to me about
They named Deshaun Watson the starter of the first half.
He'll get a two minute drill. Next week, Shador will
be the starter of the first half, but Deshaun will
also get to start and get the two minute. They
want them to both get a two minute drill. When
you were there, I guess the biggest question is is

(28:01):
there more confidence? Can you see if there's more confidence
in one of those qbs versus the other from from
Monkin and the coaching staff, I.

Speaker 7 (28:11):
Personally think there's still a lot of questions with both.

Speaker 8 (28:15):
Well, now, that doesn't mean they haven't made progress, right,
So I think for DeShawn one of the things that's
really helped him is I think, you know, what they're
doing now is a little closer to what he really
excelled with and Houston under Bill O'Brien. O'Brien would give
the quarterback a little bit more control and flexibility of

(28:37):
the line of scrimmage. Todd munkins that way, and so
I think it's at least from the from what I've
heard from the people there, it's enabled DeShawn to kind
of feel a little bit more like himself out there
again and and regain some that. Now, can you do
that consistently? That's a question. And then they should doors
made progress just in speeding things up, right, like in

(29:00):
getting through his progressions faster and being quicker with his
with his pocket movement, and so those things are coming
along with him, and again like how does that translate
now over to the games? So I think both guys
have made progress, but they're both there are questions with
both of them, and I think, like really like they're
not just competing against each other, they're both competing to

(29:22):
be part of the equation.

Speaker 5 (29:23):
Next year too.

Speaker 8 (29:24):
You know, I think there's still a pretty pretty decent,
you know, likelihood that the quarterback of the Browns in
twenty twenty seven is not on.

Speaker 5 (29:32):
The roster right now.

Speaker 8 (29:34):
And you know, you look at where they are and
kind of what they've got, and I don't know they
get enough credit for the draft class eight they put
together last year with Carson Swassenger and Mason Graham and
quin Shawn Judkins and Harold Fann and Dylan Simpson and
so they've got a nice dace there the young guys
they got this year and Concepcion and Boston and Fano

(29:56):
look like they can play, and then they got two
first round picks next year. So you know, regardless of
of of how this plays out, you know, whoever does
wind up winning the quarterback job.

Speaker 7 (30:10):
Is going to have to play well to hold on
to it.

Speaker 8 (30:12):
This year and play really well to be part of
the equation next year.

Speaker 1 (30:17):
One of the quarterback battles that's been kind of quiet
is the Atlanta Falcons. Is that by design because the
injury to Michael Pennix? Is that more just because again
a new head coach and Kevin Stefansk.

Speaker 5 (30:30):
You're trying to figure it out. Why has there been
much on that front? Yeah?

Speaker 8 (30:35):
And I mean Tool was banged up to you know,
so which it.

Speaker 7 (30:38):
Has been kind of part for the course. I just
think it's it just.

Speaker 8 (30:43):
Hasn't clarified itself because you know, both guys have been
sort of limited.

Speaker 7 (30:48):
And you know, what does this look like when we
get to the start of the season.

Speaker 8 (30:51):
I'm not sure, you know, I don't think this one like.

Speaker 7 (30:57):
I would tell you like I think Minnesota, just to
use that as.

Speaker 8 (31:00):
An example, was plainly, the best player is going to play.

Speaker 7 (31:05):
We need to give our team the best answer right now.

Speaker 8 (31:08):
After what those guys went through last year period.

Speaker 4 (31:10):
End of story.

Speaker 8 (31:11):
I think the Atlanta is a little more complicated, just
in that the organization is already invested in Michael Pennix.
You kind of have an idea of what Tua art
Tua is, and I think for Matt Ryan and Ian
Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski in their first year, by the
end of this year, they want to have an idea
of whether or not Penis is their future, and so,

(31:33):
like I how that plays out over the course of
the year, I don't know. I'd be pretty surprised if
they didn't give themselves an extended look at Pennix, whether
it's starting.

Speaker 7 (31:43):
In week one or at some point later in the year.
But you know, I think the injury situation with both.

Speaker 8 (31:51):
Guys is sort of clouded the picture a little bit.

Speaker 4 (31:57):
All right, So have we heard anything else about Aaron Donald?

Speaker 8 (32:03):
Yeah, so I think we're right in the window now, LeVar,
Like I wouldn't be surprised if we see a decision
in the next couple of days. Could drag out a
little longer, but I should up to you guys and
kind of where that's at. You know, he and Sean
mcday have a detailed plan for the way this is
going to go if in one he decides to come back.

(32:24):
You know, I don't think he would be still. He
would still be going through all of this and getting
himself ramped up and ready to encouraged with where he is.
And he has done a lot of that work at
the team's facility, and so that's been pushing himself and
seeing if he get himself to a place where he
feels like himself. Then the flip side of that is
he does want to feel like himself, and the bar

(32:46):
for Aaron Donald to feel like himself is probably higher
than the bar for any defensive tackle in NFL history.
So like, can he get himself to a point where
he feels that way, we'll see. I think he's gotten
closed and again I think we're right in that window.
But they have a very detailed plan for what it's
going to look like if in one he does come back.

(33:07):
Some of it's based on how they ramped him up
when he was coming back from holdouts in seventeen and eighteen.
That was Sean mcfay's first two years there. He won
Defensive Player of the Year both years, and they have
a plan for what it's gonna look like when they
get to the season too. Remember, like with Kobe Turner
and Braden Fisk and Tyler Davis and Punaford, the guys
they have there in place already, they don't really have

(33:31):
to play him full time. They can rotate him, and
I think ideally, at least to begin with, the idea
would be to play him thirty to forty snatch the game.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
Albert Baker Mayfield looked really good according to all reports
against the Jets.

Speaker 5 (33:48):
And their training camp joint practice.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
Is it over as far as the potential for them
to work out a deal before the season.

Speaker 5 (33:56):
I know he set that fictitious deadline.

Speaker 1 (33:59):
Are you hearing anything like they're still kind of talking,
You're still trying to figure something out or is it?

Speaker 5 (34:03):
Is it done? It's just like, Hey, that's what you wanted.

Speaker 8 (34:06):
I don't think the Buccaneers have closed the door on it,
you know, I I know he did, But I mean again,
I think Brady, you got to look at the recent
history of the team. You know, the recent history of
the team is that they do do deals during camp,
and they did a deal with they did a deal
with with with Tristan work during camp Yeah, they did

(34:26):
a deal with Flupiadecki during camp. They did a deal
with lion Zion McCollum during camp. That's just the last
two years, right, So like they've been able to get
deals done closer to the start of the season. And
I mean, generally what will happen. And in some of
these cases you'll see where like there's been a I guess,

(34:47):
like an attempt that failed to do something before camp.
A lot of times, once you get through like the
media training camp, and you get to the point where
and you guys know this, there's that point where guys
are moving out of the hotel and every thing else,
and you know, you get to more of a regular
season schedule. That'll that will generally be when a team
might circle back and revisit it. So I think the

(35:11):
I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Buccaneers did
that and and and took a second stab at it. Now,
Like how Baker's going to respond to that, I don't know,
But I mean, if he puts what they want, if
they put what he wants in front of them in
front of him, I don't know. I mean seems to
me like it could be hard for him to walk

(35:32):
away from it. I do think he wants to stay there.
You know, he moved his family there and everything else
and was really committed to being what the franchise quarterback there.
So I guess i'd say never say never on that one.

Speaker 4 (35:46):
Abe, how many how many places have you gone thus far?
How many? How many franchises?

Speaker 8 (35:52):
I can do it well if I'll take you through
it real quick. Seattle, Arizona, Sampord Fan, Cisco, Cowboys, Chargers, Rams, Raiders, Broncos, Chiefs, Texans, Lions,
Colts or Bengals, Bears, Packers, Vikings, Browns, and the day Bills.

Speaker 4 (36:19):
Who was the most impressive team that you saw so far?
Out of that list, I'm.

Speaker 8 (36:26):
Gonna say this with a caveat. I was there on
the day, on a day where the Rams were managing
their guys, and so the day I was there, Matthew
Stafford wasn't practicing, Miles Garrett wasn't practicing, Devonte Adams wasn't practicing.
I'd say the most impressive team I've seen thus far
would be the team that won the whole thing last year.

(36:47):
Seattle's just deep and balanced and big and fast everywhere,
and you just I mean, you know, I've used this
sort of anecdote with people over the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 4 (37:01):
I you know, I.

Speaker 8 (37:02):
Walked over to where Adam Derdey was their defensive coordinator
and and he's he's he's running sled and the d
ns are over there, and they lost boy him off.
He's a really good player and got twenty million a
year from Cincinnati, And despite losing a twenty million dollar
defensive end, they're in that drill are DeMarcus Lawrence, Derek

(37:24):
Hall and Jenna Uosu and Dante Fowler. And it's just
like you look at that like and it's like they
lost a twenty million dollar defensive end and they're still
four deep at like a premium position, and it's just
and then you know, you look at like they lose.
They lose Kenneth Walker. Okay, they drafted judaium Price in
the first round out of.

Speaker 7 (37:44):
Notre Dame, and they're going to get Zach Sharbone back.
They lose, you know, they.

Speaker 8 (37:48):
Lose Kobe Bryant at safety. But then you look at
like what they're bringing back there, and they're they drafted
Bud Clark out of TCU. They've got nick emn worrit
the coming off the ankle surgery. It's just it's a
It's a team that's really well conceived. It's a team
that's really well built, well coached. It feels to me

(38:11):
like they're going to be right back where they were
last year. I'd be surprised if they weren't a top
of the league team.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
Again, I have to interject because I believe was it
between Cleveland and Cincinnati where you stopped in Columbus and
you got some pizza?

Speaker 4 (38:23):
Is that?

Speaker 5 (38:24):
What is that? What it was?

Speaker 8 (38:25):
It wasn't pizza, It was wings. I'm Detroit and in Cincinnati.

Speaker 5 (38:29):
Ye, what's that supposed to be? You can't get pizza
and Columbus.

Speaker 8 (38:33):
I wouldn't get put I I had a very very
difficult time finding a decent slice of pizza and Columbus
when I was there.

Speaker 6 (38:41):
Huh.

Speaker 1 (38:42):
First off, you you didn't go to the place I
recommend it to you. You don't look at tavern style
as its own style of pizza, which is its own
separate category.

Speaker 5 (38:51):
If you're gonna have a conversation about.

Speaker 8 (38:52):
The way that barpied that, the little ones right like
that are kind of like, yeah, have like they're kind
of burning the edges, right, I love I love the
pizza for sure.

Speaker 1 (39:01):
All right, I mean you could have went to JT's.
I tried to throw that up to you. It is
absolutely lay up. They're like, no, we went to Gallows.

Speaker 8 (39:07):
No my buddies, No, that's wrong, because my buddies, we
were going to go to JT's. And then they called
an audible.

Speaker 7 (39:14):
And you didn't bring up JT's to me.

Speaker 8 (39:15):
They brought up JT's to me, and then.

Speaker 4 (39:17):
You vouched for JT's.

Speaker 1 (39:19):
Yeah, because I didn't respond at the moment in which
you texted about I was busy. But once your friends
you should probably cut off all ties and relationships too.
Told you to go to Gallows instead. I'm sorry, Like
that's where I was like, okay, what are we doing here?
Like I don't know how long you've been friends with
these guys, but you go to JT's if you get
a chance every time.

Speaker 8 (39:39):
All right, Well, I'll keep that in mind from when
I'm back there. But I Gallows is good. I went
to Gallows before the Notre Dame game a couple of
years ago, and I.

Speaker 1 (39:48):
Don't know, I think Gallas now it's good luck I
see what it is now, it's good luck.

Speaker 5 (39:51):
Oh we won, so it's good luck.

Speaker 8 (39:54):
I had a yeah, No, Gallows was like I thought
the wings were really good that we got to see.

Speaker 4 (40:00):
How would like your wings a b.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
W hot?

Speaker 8 (40:05):
I would want to bill here in Buffalo tonight last night?

Speaker 7 (40:08):
That was good too.

Speaker 4 (40:10):
Crispy or slimy?

Speaker 8 (40:13):
Oh? I like I like the sauce on them all right?

Speaker 4 (40:16):
Well done though?

Speaker 6 (40:17):
Or do you like them like like kind of like
more like you know, kind of like you have to.

Speaker 5 (40:23):
No, No, I don't like them.

Speaker 8 (40:27):
They're kind of burnt now, not all.

Speaker 6 (40:31):
The way burnt, but like more crispy or type of
feel to it. I mean the fat boy coming out
with me.

Speaker 8 (40:43):
You know what the lvar like.

Speaker 7 (40:44):
I know what you're saying, Like, you can.

Speaker 8 (40:47):
Also screw that up though, So it takes somebody's skill
to do them that.

Speaker 4 (40:51):
Way, you know what I mean. That's that's what considers
it a good wing. If it's a great like I.

Speaker 8 (40:56):
Don't have that are really good. But I feel like
there's a lot of people who there there you can
there are a lot of places that maybe try to
do it that way then screw it up. Is that fair?

Speaker 1 (41:10):
That's fair, but I'd rather have it overcooked and undercooked
just out of the risk of whatever I'd be contracting,
you know what I'm saying that.

Speaker 8 (41:17):
Might be true? Yeah, yeah, all right, it's gotta be plump.
It's gotta have a lot of meat to it, you know, And.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
LaVar knows, trust me, he's he's been deep into that
rabbit hole many times as far as the juiciness and
the plump miss of most things in his life. Back
to Cincinnati, Uh, is this kind of their year? And
if it's not their year, do you look at them
and just kind of say, I wonder what happens after
this year? Or is it like a two year window?
Like what would you say is their window in Cincinnati

(41:46):
based on all the off season additions to the defense
and how this offense looks.

Speaker 8 (41:51):
Yeah, I mean I think they've pushed their chips in.
That's that's for sure. And like you look at the
last three years and it's almost you almost forget, you know,
that they went back to back AFC Championship games. You know,
I think people sometimes forget that, Like it wasn't just
the one Super Bowl year. They went in the arrowhead
the next year and damn near beat the Chiefs again,

(42:12):
you know.

Speaker 7 (42:12):
So, and since then you had two.

Speaker 8 (42:15):
Years where Joe Burrow missed significant parts of the year
and then the other year he could have won the MVP,
and the defense was historically bad, you know.

Speaker 7 (42:25):
So I think the sense of urgency.

Speaker 8 (42:27):
There is born from the fact that those guys Joe
Jamar r T like those guys now have kind of
the perspective to see that these shots of the championship
aren't endless, you know. And I think that's ramped up
the sense of urgency. And you know, certainly like they're
doing business in a way they haven't done business in

(42:47):
the past. They restructured Joe Burrow's contract, they haven't done
that before. They traded a top ten pick for a
player that's way out of character for them, and so,
you know, all of these things just kind of I
think build into like the time's got to be now.
And you know, I I think the early the early
signs are good that that that the defense is going

(43:09):
to be what they were they've been hoping it could be.
And it doesn't need to be a top five defense,
but if it can be the tenth or twelfth or
fourteenth best defense in the league that might be enough.
You know, Dexter Lawrence looks like a real difference maker.
And what they really need is, like the guys on
that side of the ball.

Speaker 7 (43:28):
Some of the younger guys to come along.

Speaker 8 (43:30):
So it's the young linebackers Dimitrius Knight and Barrett Carter.
It's it's guys in the d line like Shamar Stewart
who's been nicked up now in camp. It's the young corners,
you know, Dax Hill and DJ Turner who played well
at the end of last year. They need to take
another step too. So, you know, I I think that
that question Brady's going to linger is like, what does

(43:52):
this mean for Joe Burrow? Will there ever be a
point where Joe Burrow wants out? I'll lah, you know,
Matthew Stafford in Detroit, I would just say, like, the
urgency level there is is very high based on all
the all their actions this offseason. And you know, I'd
also say this, like Joe the way he's talking is

(44:17):
feeding into it, you know, and that and and that's
an intentional thing by him and saying like we should
have a sense of urgency. The time should be now,
you know, I think he's very much feeling that, like.

Speaker 7 (44:31):
You know, he he he needs to be he needs
he needs to have a team.

Speaker 8 (44:35):
Now that's that that that's ready to compete for a championship.
And and if if that pressure is going to be
there in November and December, well you might as well
put the pressure on everybody in August.

Speaker 5 (44:45):
Yeah, it makes sense. It makes sense, Albert.

Speaker 1 (44:48):
Do you have to ask you one more question while
you're in Buffalo. It's obviously not one of the seven
Wonders of the World. However, people do call it the
unofficial eighth eighth Wonder of the world. H Do you
go by Niagara Falls when you're there? Are you just
all football? Are you just a straight football guy?

Speaker 4 (45:01):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (45:02):
I mean Niagara Falls is like a little bit out
of the way, and I have a I've been on.

Speaker 7 (45:07):
The road for so long I would actually like to go.

Speaker 8 (45:11):
I haven't been. The last time I was at Niagara Falls,
I was probably and you know what, like the.

Speaker 7 (45:18):
Last time I went.

Speaker 8 (45:19):
Was when I just started working for the Dallas Morning
News and seven and the It was a classic Monday
night game between the Cowboys and the Bills.

Speaker 5 (45:32):
Here.

Speaker 8 (45:33):
I think Trent Edwards was the Bills quarterback and Romo
was like the new starter for the Cowboys, and a
bunch of the guys I worked with in Dallas had
never seen Niagara Falls, so they all wanted to go.
So that was the last time I went, and then
before that it was as a kid. I just I
don't have the time to do it today. I've been
gone for three weeks. I really do want to just

(45:54):
get home. But maybe next time I will see.

Speaker 4 (45:58):
I will see.

Speaker 8 (45:59):
I will see the ninth under the world though Himark
Stadium with all.

Speaker 5 (46:05):
Views.

Speaker 1 (46:06):
Yeah, the report back and let us know about some
of those views and if the jumbo trons are anything
but jumbo.

Speaker 5 (46:13):
Albert, I'm always a pleasure.

Speaker 8 (46:15):
I'm going to text you a picture of the Buffalo
skyline from my from my from my from my balcony
here after I get after I get off the phone.
No obstructive views up here.

Speaker 5 (46:26):
Okay, awesome, Thank you.

Speaker 1 (46:27):
That's Albert Breer, senior reporter and lead content strategists with
the Monday Morning Quarterback. Albert, as always, thanks so much. Man,
enjoy your visits and save travels. It's time to get
your financial portfolio game ready.

Speaker 5 (46:42):
With we Bowl, you can.

Speaker 1 (46:43):
Get powerful investing tools in real time data, all in
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LLC member s I p C Finra Investing involves risk.
For more information, visit we bowl dot com. Backslash disclosures
come in next year. On Two Pros and a Cup
of Joe. I know this isn't gonna be the first
time it happens, and it's surely not the last, but

(47:05):
we've got an NFL team putting their quarterback on blast.

Speaker 5 (47:09):
We'll get to that on the other side of this break.

Speaker 2 (47:11):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Arrington and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 6 (47:33):
They're up because it ain't nothing but a jay thank you.

Speaker 1 (47:40):
It's two rows, no Joe. We kicked Jonas's white past
the ass to the curb. We're not sure if he'll
ever be back. Honestly, right, one of the reasons why
I'm so amped up this morning. Okay, M drive All right,
If you don't know about M Drive, you better because
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Speaker 5 (48:13):
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Speaker 1 (48:15):
Okay, we talked about going into the last break. A
team that just sold a year ago that's sold again,
and that's the La Lakers. One of the greatest franchises
in sports history, was bought by Mark Walter last year.

(48:35):
He bought he i should say, he bought a controlling
interest of the La Lakers, which was vied a ten billion,
and he's now made the decision to turn around and
sell it just a year later for twelve point five billion.

Speaker 5 (48:49):
So simple math, folks.

Speaker 1 (48:51):
At least, just based on evaluation, two and a half
billion dollars in.

Speaker 5 (48:55):
A year's time, that is one hell of a business deal.
Now he's selling it. And this is where it gets
a little.

Speaker 1 (49:04):
Bit controversial to John Kushner and Bob Iger. Bob Iger,
obviously the CEO of Disney, John Kushner, has relations back
Kushner family Jared Kushner, which is tied back.

Speaker 5 (49:14):
To the White House.

Speaker 1 (49:15):
So obviously people start to get very up in arms
about that. But both Iiger and Kushner were actually involved
in the expansion process for a Las Vegas NBA team. However,
they pivoted quickly and rather aggressively to try to buy
the Lakers. Now, the sale still needs approval from the
NBA's Board of Governors, which could take like a few

(49:37):
weeks probably, But I mean, who's going to say no
to a twelve and a half billion dollar valuation on
NBA franchise? Like that's that high tide that raises all boats.
And I would assume that everyone else on the board
is going to look around.

Speaker 5 (49:48):
And be like, yeah, we're okay with that, Like we'd
love for the.

Speaker 1 (49:50):
Lakers to be valued at that, which puts them amongst
some of the most valued franchises in all of sports
around the globe.

Speaker 5 (49:57):
Now, again, here's where things get kind of interesting.

Speaker 1 (50:01):
Mark Walter, who built his financial empire on the insurance industry,
well he's under federal investigation for alleged tax fraud by
other companies tied to the billionaire. US prosecutors and Manhattan,
or examining whether the Delaware Life Insurance Company and the
clear Spring Life and Annuity Company failed to disclose that
their private credit holdings were backed by other Walter controlled ventures.

(50:23):
Now there's also a simultaneous SEC investigation going on too,
So the thought is that maybe there's kind of a
quid pro quo that's an arms length away where maybe
these investments investigations will go away now because of the sale,
and so Walter makes his profit, doesn't have to worry
about the investigations into how he was able to buy

(50:47):
the team in the first place in exchange for selling
the team with this legendary franchise to Kushner and Eiger.

Speaker 5 (50:54):
So that's the backstory. While there's a lot of people
who are kind.

Speaker 1 (50:57):
Of upset about that here well, and that's the other
part of it is there's a thought that maybe there
was pressure on him, he was forced to sell it,
and there's a lot of conspiracy theories around it. So
we could take it at face value or we can
go down that rabbit hole. My thing is, either way,
I'm not sure. I guess this is a good thing
for the Lakers. Maybe it's not because we've had ownership

(51:20):
changes over the past couple of years, and typically this
doesn't happen.

Speaker 5 (51:23):
But I look at this and just say, all right,
the valuation.

Speaker 1 (51:26):
Makes the NBA look extremely healthy for the Lakers to
be value at twelve and a half, but that's great.
My question is, like, Dude, Kusher and Igre have enough
capital to invest into this team to make them what
they can be. Because we also have a story about
Matt Ishba who's lost about six hundred million of wealth
over the past couple of years betting on basic interest

(51:48):
rates going down, and that's going to have an impact
on the Phoenix Suns and how that team is run
and the ability they have to build out a roster.
So that's kind of the bigger picture conversation is is like,
when you pay that much for a franchise, are you
still gonna be liquid enough to be able to help them?

Speaker 5 (52:03):
And really, Luka Dancy build around this team.

Speaker 4 (52:08):
I don't know.

Speaker 6 (52:08):
I don't know if they have the resources to do it,
but I do know this, they had the resources to
get it, as you mentioned, and that's some serious resources.
What you do from there, I don't know that it
even really matters. Q. I mean the economics of it
math out right, This guy just just cashed in for

(52:30):
two and a half billion profit on his investment.

Speaker 4 (52:35):
The value of this team is it would take.

Speaker 6 (52:38):
A cataclysmic happening for it to lose the value that
it holds. I mean, the Lakers brand is an established, historical,
strong anchor brand and it's an amazing market. So to
get your hands on this type of an asset, I

(53:02):
mean we often have the conversation sometimes do owners really
get into it to win games? Or do they get
into it as it's an investment? Is it a place
to place your money or whatever it may be that
they're you know, what their financial plan or or what

(53:23):
they want want their outcome to be. I sometimes wonder
if winning is even even part of the equation. You
would hope so, and you would think so, because that's
what's equated to sports. But there is another side, like
some of these people that own these teams, they.

Speaker 4 (53:40):
Don't even like sports. They don't relate to athletes.

Speaker 6 (53:44):
It's an investment and it's purely based off of a
business decision and they have the resources and the means
to be able to do it. So and people that
don't relate to athletes. They're very different. They're they're very
different than people who are athletes will relate to it.
So I would say, if you're able to get a

(54:07):
hold of an asset like this, I don't even know
that it matters if they can put the resources behind
it for the team to win.

Speaker 4 (54:14):
They got Luca, so they have.

Speaker 6 (54:16):
They have a franchise guy, and as long as they
can keep him healthy and market it the way that
they need to. They still have Lebron James as well
for now, so to speak, and they just have leverageable
you know, assets on the team that also can go
with saying that you know we're at least trying to

(54:37):
brown team up.

Speaker 4 (54:39):
Well that's Lebron.

Speaker 1 (54:41):
Ron.

Speaker 5 (54:41):
Yeah, But I mean we're not saying that.

Speaker 4 (54:44):
I was gonna say, though I saw what sure, I
was going.

Speaker 1 (54:48):
To question if you think that they would have built
the roster the way they did after this offseason.

Speaker 5 (54:55):
Like we got a lot of white guys. Let's just
throw what it is like it drew a lot of
interest from folks.

Speaker 4 (55:01):
I was going to go that direction, but I mean.

Speaker 1 (55:04):
I'm just asking you, like, do you like they just
bought the team, Like was that an encouraging thing, because
clearly they paid two and a half billion more than
what Walter did.

Speaker 5 (55:11):
I would have thought the value went down.

Speaker 6 (55:14):
I mean, they might have looked at how they made
those moves and made it an all white squad, was like.

Speaker 4 (55:18):
You know what, this is the perfect time to buy
you know what. I don't know. I don't know what
their vote, but.

Speaker 1 (55:26):
I would have thought based on what they did this
offseason they would have sold they would have sold it
a loss for like two billion, not making a half billion.

Speaker 5 (55:33):
I'm just saying, like, we go the short surmount. Look,
I mean, we'll see what they're able to end up doing.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
I don't want to downplay it, but I just you know,
Lebron's not there anymore. You seem to think there's such
a windfall. It's like he left and all of a sudden,
the franchise got more valuable.

Speaker 6 (55:49):
I don't know if that's like that the brand, but
the brand just holds its value, that's what I would say, and.

Speaker 5 (55:56):
Keeps increasing in value.

Speaker 1 (55:57):
Or maybe when Lebron left, they left Bronny on his
own and that's how it increased in value. They're like,
all right, now we got the younger James that will
carry on the legacy as an LA Laker. Okay, I'm
just saying it was interesting to see all of this,
and we don't see unless there's some sort of scandal,

(56:17):
unless there's something that happens that illegally that would tarnish
the league with that particular owner, you don't see these
sorts of transactions happening in three hundred and sixty five days.
It just doesn't. I believe Mark Walter bought this team
back in October. I mean, dude, it's August. It wasn't
even a full calendar year. Yeah, And so to think

(56:38):
that even Kushner and Eiger and their conversations could pivot
that quickly from you know, looking at having to try
to put a franchise or expansion franchise in Las Vegas,
maybe how difficult that would be, maybe the cost of that.
Maybe they thought their money was better spent with what
they currently have with the Lakers.

Speaker 5 (56:56):
And I do tend to believe there's less risk.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
Right, Like, you're buying a storied franchise that carries you know,
over generations and obviously where it's at the number two
media market everything that goes along with that, even though
you're sharing the market with the Clippers, although they're kind
of an afterthought, there is something too that, hey, maybe
it was this was an easier decision for them because

(57:19):
they don't have to start anew They don't have to
start with trying to figure out how you're going to
build up to be a competitive franchise in a Las
Vegas market that's going to be welcoming a baseball team.
It's already got a football team that's struggled so far
to really find their feed or find their ground. It
just it seems like kind of a well, there's that

(57:42):
that's true. There is that the hockey. The hockey expansion
team didn't have any issues having success, But I think
it would be harder in basketball. I mean, they'd really
have to bank on trying to get a superstar to
go there.

Speaker 5 (57:53):
But I just look at this and think it's a
no brainer.

Speaker 1 (57:56):
But also how quick this changed, and looking at Mark
walter situation, it's hard not to be suspect. I mean,
it comes off and feels that way like, hey, if
I sell this man, maybe all this will go away
and I'm gonna make a profit off of it, which
is kind of wild to think.

Speaker 6 (58:12):
And it's already done right, it's it's solidified, it's done.

Speaker 1 (58:15):
It has to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors, and.

Speaker 4 (58:20):
They they will approve it.

Speaker 6 (58:22):
Why turn it into a messy It's bad for business
if they turn it into a messy situation.

Speaker 4 (58:27):
Right, Yes, it's.

Speaker 1 (58:31):
Just you know, I look at this and think you
also have you know, Bob Iger's not young. Byd he
means he's seventy five years old, and I'm not saying
that that he should be able to purchase the team
because of his age, but obviously John Kushner is way younger. Well,
the reality is is like.

Speaker 5 (58:48):
If it was just okay, I'll put it this way,
if it was.

Speaker 1 (58:51):
Just John Kushner buying the franchise, which I'm I'm assuming
he needed more help in raising some of the capital
even though he's got Thrive capital and he's been extremely successful.
He's a billionaire in his own right for what he's
been able to do. But I'm sure that Bob Iger
portion of this helps with the NBA giving Kushner the
approval to buy because they need that steady, veteran wise

(59:16):
hand behind all of this, and and so Kushner obviously
extend out. But like Iger at seventy five, is he
going to be as involved in the day to day operations.

Speaker 5 (59:24):
I don't know. Time will tell, but I.

Speaker 1 (59:27):
Look at this and just wonder, are you a little
suspect too if there's there a conflict of interest? Obviously
Bob Bob Iger spent a long time at Walt Disney,
right ESPN, Like is that is that a good thing
or a bad thing? There's just there's a lot of
things that you know, you wonder if there's not a
conflict of interest, but if Disney ESPN is gonna get

(59:50):
you know a little bit of that that kind of
better treatment and looking at for the different rights, even
though the NBC now has some of the broadcast rights.

Speaker 5 (59:58):
So it's just the whole thing draws a lot of
questions more than answers. In my mind.

Speaker 6 (01:00:03):
Well, cool thing about sports that I've always loved is
that we're it's gonna whatever is going to be, It's
going to happen, and it's going to develop, and as
you mentioned the other day, the media is going to
cover it, you know, and you'll ultimately sometimes we'll find
ourselves saying, what are you ultimately trying to learn or not?

(01:00:24):
What do you want to know about it, or what's
left or what's on the other side of it. Sports
media jumps on everything, and this is one of those
stories that while it will go away, much like any
other story that's out there, while it will go away,
there's always that one reporter, that one person that's paying

(01:00:47):
attention to all of the stuff that's going on behind
the scenes, and if something drops, if something hits, they're
going to report it and then we'll.

Speaker 4 (01:00:55):
Be here to talk about it. So that's the beauty
of sports.

Speaker 6 (01:00:58):
And as this thing unf folds and plays out, I'm
sure we'll get as much information as we're privy to
through those people that handle these types of media stories.

Speaker 5 (01:01:10):
Coming up next, on Two Pros and a Cup of Joe,
we will talk to.

Speaker 1 (01:01:13):
You about a team in the NFL that's still trying
to make their quarterback decision. And I'll be honest with you,
it doesn't look like there's any light at the end
of the tunnel.