Andy Furman & Bucky Brooks talk NFL Schedule Release, LeBron James Future, NFL Streaming, And Much More!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio. Okay, nine is
the number counter nine nine nine. That's the number. We'll
get to that in just about a minute. Good morning, everybody.
This is Fox Sports Sunday and Fox Sports Radio. He's
Bucky Brooks and Mandy Fermana. Obviously, we're broadcasting live from
the Fox Sports Radio studios. I May four, I introduce
my partner and friend, mister Football, Bucky Brooks. I want

(00:22):
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just search Fox Sports Radio in the iHeart App. And now,

(00:44):
without further ado, my partner, the man mister Football, Bucket Brooks. Hello, Bucky,
how are you? Can we have a little music? Can
you have like a musical intro for this guy? Really?
I mean, come on there we go? Hello, Buck? How
are you?

Speaker 2 (01:00):
I'm good? I'm good.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
What's going on, and everything is great. I'm so happy.
We're gonna get to that NFL schedule in a segment.
But I noticed that you're coming back to Cincinnati, so
I could wind and dine you this time. You're coming back.
The Jacks are coming back, right.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, the Jacks are coming back. I think they played
Week four against Joe Burrow and company up in Cincinnati.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Well Burrow probably won't be playing, but then it'll probably
be hurt. But that's okay, that's another story. We'll get
to that, but we move on. All right. The big
story right now, Okay, the big story that happened yesterday,
Aaron Rodgers. All right, finally he came out of the hut,
came out of the cave. He's coming back, and I
you know, honestly, I'm gonna admit this because to you,
I cannot fib I gotta tack. I'm jealous, okay, I am.

(01:44):
I just I read these stories and I can't believe it.
It's gonna be forty three years old December twenty second
season in the NFL, which is an amazing stat. Okay,
and he's a future Hall of Famer. To note doubt
about that one year for the Pittsburgh steel ER's Get this,
according to reports that I've read, twenty two million guaranteed
with some bonuses in there, whatever it may be, he

(02:05):
could earn up to twenty five million dollars at forty
two years of age. You know what, I'm an idiot.
Instead of yelling and screaming and being a fool all
my life, I should have played football. Look, I mean,
and you can't tell me that right now and your
retirement and your golden years. You're not someone I guess
envy as a saying man, it could have been me.

(02:26):
I was born too late, really, and I look back
right now, I could have been making big money. I mean,
I don't know if it's a gene or if it's
just a work ethic, but I think that if I
worked at it, maybe from junior high school through my
high school years in college, I could have been playing
in the NFL. Maybe I don't know. I don't know,
but I didn't even give it a shot.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
I mean, yeah, like this generation of player is certainly
cash near making a ton of money far in Rogers, though.
I think what's different about it is trying to the
reality that are forty to forty three year old quarterback
is your starting quarterback, your future at the position, and
he basically holds the hopes and dreams of the franchise

(03:11):
in his hands. I know that Tom Brady ha sport
us and that has kind of changed the expectation. But man,
that is a lot. I mean, there's a lot riding
on for the Pittsburgh Steelers, hanging hitching their wagon to
whatever phrase you want to use in terms of what
this one year deal, this one year marriage is between

(03:34):
the Pittsburgh Steelers and a four time MVP.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Well, you mentioned the future. I don't think they're looking
for him for the future. They want to win, and
they want to win now. I don't know if they can.
That's number one and number two. I mean, honestly, when
you say hitched you wagon, Tayaron Rodgers, what else they got?
You know? What's the alternative? I mean, really and truly,
there's no one else on that roster that could really
come in and get the job done. But all I'm
hearing and reading is the fact that well he's reading

(03:59):
that with his former coach, Mike McCarthey. Let's remember one thing. Yeah,
he won in Green Bay with McCarthey. He was a
young pump. He was thirty four or thirty five years
old at the time. He's going to be forty three
in December. It there's a big difference there. And you've
always told me you can't fight Father time. Can't do it.
He's not mobile in the pocket. And I don't know
why this this Stealer team is going to be any

(04:20):
better at all from a year ago. All Right, they
lost their MVP kind of Gainwell he's gone, and I
think Aaron Rodgers loved this guy right that he plays
with Rico Dawell. I mean, come on, I mean I
don't see anybody. Well, I got Michael Pittman as a receiver.
That's gonna help. It's going to take some pressure of
DK Metcalf. So other than that, I don't know what
gives this team hope to win although they were ten

(04:42):
and seven last year.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Look, man, I think one they're getting a new sense
of energy with Mike McCarthy coming in and taking up
from Mike Tomlin. He'll help. He'll help that offense out
regardless of who was calling the plays before him. He
is a more established play call, games, game plan or
play maker in terms of being able to set his

(05:06):
players up for big time opportunities in the passing game,
and then defensively they still have Look, man, they got TJ.
Watt in the building. They have Cameron Hayward, they have
Jen and Ramsey. They have some good players on that
side of the ball. There's no reason why this team
can't some of it all together from one last run
in his current iteration, I think that's what they're hoping

(05:28):
on hoping for with Mike McCartney re teaming with Aaron Rodgers,
to be able to kind of bring this offense back
and bring this team back.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
You look at the offense, you look at the offensive
statistic last year, there was something like seventeeth in yards
per play in the National Football League. When you compare
the passing offense as opposed to the running offense, the
passing attack was weaker and the weaker part of the
offense last year rather than the running game, which is
strange to me, but again, I mean, he didn't have
many people to throw the ball to anyhow.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, he didn't.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
It could have been better, and I think what they
have to do is make sure that as they're building
out this team in this offense. They're building out around
Aaron Rodgers, and he's no longer what he once was
in his prime, but he's still good enough to get
this team into the winner circle. More of it will
have to hinge on his IQ, his instincts, and less
on his athleticism and arm talent, but there's still ways

(06:24):
for this to be done and to be done successfully.
In Pittsburgh, they've started the process of being able to
do it. DK metcalf obviously was the anchor of the
passing game. They make a trade for Michael Pittman. He
becomes a big body number two, a chain mover opposite
the big play threat that Metcalf is. And in Germany Benard,
you know, signing him, drafting him early to have him

(06:46):
compete with Roman Wilson and those things. They do have
enough firepower to make it happen, but a lot of
it hinges on the running game at Rico Dotelle and
some of those other guys.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
Now we'll see what happens. So I'm not a big
fan of of Aaron Rodgers, but I think that obviously
he's the first ballot Hall of Fame, and no doubt
about that. You can't argue his statistics. But the fact
that he waited, you know, till after the draft, I
mean that to me just selfish. I mean, he's a narcissist.
There's no doubt in my mind that he is. But
you know, you know you're going to come back. There
were no real other options that had that rule that

(07:17):
they signed that that he couldn't go to another club
unless Steelers got some reimbursement money on that deal. But
the point is that they drafted a quarterback for the
sole purpose of the possibility of him not coming back.
So they wasted a pick there. That's what they did,
the kid from Penn State. So you know, I.

Speaker 2 (07:35):
Don't think I don't think they wasted a pick. I
think he drafted the kid because they wanted to develop
the kid. I think they are able to do two
things at once. It's one thing to bring Aaron Rodgers
back to operate and win now mode. It's another thing
to see if you can throw some darts and see
if you can find a developmental quarterback that maybe eventually
can be the face your franchise or not. It was

(07:56):
a little kiss, like a low risk option, didn't cost
him much of anything in the third round, So why
not take a flight on a guy who was a
former five star recruit as a quarterback.

Speaker 1 (08:05):
I hear what you're saying it, But the real reason
Aaron Rodgers came back, it's not Mike McCarthy. It's not
the money, it's not anything else, except if you look
at the schedule Week seven, they're going to play the
New Orleans Saints in France. He wants to be the
first quarterback in the NFL to play a league game
in Paris. I mean really, I mean that's just the
only reason. And I look at that schedule right now
and it bothers me. And I said, coming into the segment,

(08:28):
nine is the number? Got nine international games next year?
All right? You know the first time they did it,
I say, wow, and we see it on TV. But
you know, it's getting to me out of control, all right.
And I'm not one of those guys. I'm not coming
on here like a fireball today. But to me, if
I'm a season ticket holder and they take away one
of my home games, I'm a little p od. I'm
a little p old on that. I really am. I

(08:50):
look forward to the NFL. I go to the games,
I park my car, go to the deal and now
you're taking a game away from me to go to
Rio de Janeiro to go to London Madrid. I mean,
it doesn't make any sense to me. And honestly, what's
the bottom line. They're not going to have a franchise
in Paris. There's no doubt in my mind they're not
going to have one there. And I know it's gonna
be a big money grab. Those people over there are

(09:11):
so stupid. They have no idea. If they had eleven
guys off the street with uniforms on, they still go.
They don't know, they don't know anything about the NFL,
but it's a money grab themself of the jerseys. Whatever
it may be. I'm tired of it. Those two things
that bug me, Buck, it's the international games and the
payball games on TV. Those two things are killing me.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Well yeah, but I mean, like we have gotten to
the point where if you're a big boxing fan back
in the day, you would pay for Boxing winner's pay
per view. You pay for MMA if you were into it. Heck,
you would even pay for WrestleMania at certain stages of
its emphasy is career. So I don't understand why they

(09:52):
drives you crazy. That you may have to pay for
a handful of games each year, but okay, let's go
with that, and then with the international stuff.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
The international stuff is about growing the game.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
It's about making it a global game as opposed to
a regional game one that is just.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
Resides in the United States and those things.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
But by growing it globally, you now are extending the
reach of the game. You're lining the pockets of the
owners significantly, which then means more money for the players.
There's no downside to it. I know people talk about like, oh,
you're gonna kill the golden goops, Oh, super saturation, et cetera,
et cetera. It won't be.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
People love the game. And we're coming.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
Off a year in which all of the viewership was
up significantly, which is why they are exploring with looking
at Wednesday games to go with it. While we have
a couple of games that are in the middle of
the week as opposed to other times, the league is
in a great position, and Roger Goodell in the company,
they're taking advantage of the situation they're during.

Speaker 1 (10:53):
Look, I understand that, you know, you just kind of
like smack me around pretty good. And I get it
because you're right. I remember when Muhammad Ali was fighting
that that thriller in Manila. Everybody pay for that deal.
Everybody paid for that fight. You're right, So it's nothing new,
But you know, I guess it's the lesser of two evils.
I'd rather sit on my mariar end on my couch
at home and pay for it than fight the traffic

(11:15):
and pay one hundred dollars for a ticket. So it's
either you Dan, if you do your then if you don't,
and you're better off at home, because if you go
to a New York Football Giants game or a Jets game,
you're gonna play close to fifty sixty bucks to park
your car. That's the deal over there in the Meadowlands.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
It really is. Yeah, at a venimum, this is gonna
be problematic when it goes to those things.

Speaker 1 (11:35):
So you're going to be in London twice. You're playing
the Eagles and you're playing the Texans in London. So
it's amazing this schedule, it really is. But let's talk
about the wear and tear in the athletes. I mean,
I liter the Bengals schedule and they're playing in Madrid
and right after that. Normally they would have a bye
week after the team travels abroad, but the Bengals are
coming back and playing the Stealers the following week. I

(11:57):
don't know who you are, I don't know how old
you are. It's got to take something out of you.
Those trips are coming right back and playing again.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
I mean, I mean it does to a point. I
mean it depends on people have done it for so
long that now there's a bit of a formula for
how you travel, how you travel your guys and et cetera. Cincinnati.
You have to remember, even though because you say Cincinnati,
they're playing overseas versus who and where where they're going.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
Are They're going to Madrid and they're playing the Atlanta
Falcons in week nine.

Speaker 2 (12:29):
Okay, so Madrid lond trip. It may be a five
to six hour flight from Cincinnati, maybe seven hours, let's
just say seven hours. There's no different than a West
Coast venture. So there's a way to be able to
do that. They fly out right after the game. They'll
probably give the players Monday off kind of light when
it comes to a walkthrough on Tuesday, if anything, and

(12:51):
then they'll get back to their normal thing. It won't
take them long to readjust to the time change. They'll
probably get my later game on the weekend that next
game to give them a chance.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
So yeah, I don't see it as big of a deal.

Speaker 2 (13:04):
And coming off a year where the Rams just kind
of basically popped in almost day of the game, won
a game, and then left, there can be more teams
that experiment with different ways to maximize the travel opportunity,
either going later or going earlier. But look, it shouldn't
be a problem on the players. It'd be hard, but

(13:25):
some of that is kind of par for the course
you have to do.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
I don't think that the travel is the big deal.
I don't think it's the time factor because from Cincinnati
TLA it's about three and a half four hours, so
another two to three hours, you know, on a luxury
plane and basically it's first class. I mean, you got
your own choice's a charter, so you have no problem there.
I think the time factor is the problem with the
body has to get used to the time factor, and

(13:49):
I wonder if some of these teams travel out there
a day or two prior to the game so they
could get their bodies used to the time. Have you
done that with Jacksonville, we'll go.

Speaker 2 (13:59):
Over there or early. And I mean they've done it
a few different ways. They've gone over the week before
admitting an extended stay. They come in later and made
it more just like kind of a West Coast trip
where you go out into it. The Rams did something differently.
I mean, it was the quickest trip that we've seen
people have on an international thing. There are a few
different ways you do it, and a lot of what

(14:21):
you do depends on if you've done this before in
a lesser role, you were assistant, you're a player, then
that impacts the way that you plan because based on
the results of the game doing those previous stints, you
tend to kind of follow that regiment and routine thereafter.

Speaker 1 (14:40):
All right, and you talk about the Rams, you mentioned
that looking at the schedule, the Rams have seven games
in prime time, and I guess the reason being not
because there are a possibility of going to the Super Bowl,
but I think because they got the MVP Matthew Stafford
there and maybe it could be a swan song could
be his last year, you know, if in fact he's
ever going to play at that bad but this is

(15:01):
his last year. He's defending MVP. So I'm sure that's
the reason why the Rams are getting seven. That's a
lot of games, you know, really and truly, it was
like the NFL was always Sunday Eastern time one pm.
It's not like that anymore. You even mentioned Wednesday and
the NFL is defending Wednesday. What do the players think
about that? I mean, you know it, really players are
like in a sense, they're like machines. They know what

(15:22):
they gotta do. One o'clock Sunday Eastern time. They play
Mondays off, Tuesday, maybe they look at film, whatever it
may be. They get back to what they hit a
little bit of Wednesday and Thursday and that's the way,
and Friday they leave whatever it may be. Now, it's
all different. People have to adapt to that. I think
a Wednesday game and the season is gonna open on
a Wednesday night. I'm not so certain the players are

(15:44):
happy about that. Fans love it, Gambellers love it. You know,
it's gonna be a game almost every day of the
week right now. But I'm not so certain the players.
And where's the Players Association on this? How come they
haven't said boom?

Speaker 2 (15:56):
Because if the fans love it, it means more much
for the NFL, which means more money for the players.
They ratify, they agree to it, and I knew this.
I expected this to eventually happen, coming off of COVID,
where COVID we got used to.

Speaker 3 (16:12):
Looking at Monday and Tuesday night games.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
I absolutely said, oh, the midweek games are gonna be
a possibility, because there was absolute interest in watching those games.
Despite the I would say the wonky nature of the
timing the middle of the week is not a natural
spot for it defall, but given I mean where you're from,
you see a bunch of Mac teams play. The Mac

(16:36):
has made a killing on Mac action in the middle
of the week and doing those things. So wherever there
are games, look, the players will line up and play.
They'll bitch your moona and complain a little bit, but
it's in their best interest to play these games because
it needs to more money from the league, which leads
more money for them.

Speaker 1 (16:55):
You know, it's gonna be a pretty big on the
Seattle play in New England, and they're gonna play that
on a Wednesday night to open the season, and you
know what the storyline is going to be in that game.
You mean obviously able to be talking about their coach
and Vrabel and the whole thing. Hopefully it'll be gone.
This was a great week. I don't think I heard
about it or read about it one time the entire week,
which is good. Let it go away, you know, for
the sake of the league and for the sake of

(17:16):
my Rabel, because I think he's a pretty good guy,
you know, good guy as far as like a football man.
But you know, what he did with his wife, that's
his business. Maybe there's a reason why, maybe she cheated
on him. I don't know, it's none of my business.
Or no, I don't think there's anybody else's business. You really,
I really don't. We gobble that news up. But really,
that's his life. Leave him alone. I mean, you know,
come on, we don't want to hear about that. We

(17:37):
want to hear football. So that's going to be the centerpiece,
I think, so on Wednesday night. But what what bugs me?
And i's gotta be bugging the players as well on
Thanksgiving and the day before Thanksgiving that night they're playing
as well, Christmas and Christmas Eve, a triple header on Christmas.
You know, sometimes less is more, and I think they're
pushed in the envelope pretty good right now.

Speaker 3 (17:57):
The NFL, I mean, he definitely pushing the envelope.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
And sometimes you don't know until you hit those boundaries
that you're like, Okay, that was a little too much.
But until they have I mean a negative effect or
something is detrimental to them because of the decision they
made when it came to international games or streaming in
those things, they won't pull back. They'll continue to take
it all the way to the ads to see what
they are able to pull off, because ultimately, what they

(18:24):
do is in the best interesce of the players, meaning
the NFLPA and the league isn't do with in the
best interest of the owners and some mutually beneficial process
for both parties. It's just a matter of making sure
that you do all that without oversaturating the market with
games to the point where it becomes an albatross and
not something that is helpful in the system.

Speaker 1 (18:46):
Okay, I got a personal question. Can I ask you
a personal question? Are you ready for this? I won't
embarrass you all right, because I did. These are the
things that bug me. I look at the San Francisco
forty nine ers. They are traveling a league high thirty
eight one hundred and five miles projected for this season.
All right, can you get frequent Flyer points if you're
a player? Can you do that?

Speaker 2 (19:08):
No? I don't think so. I think everyone has a charter,
so that that charter and all those things are go
to the team.

Speaker 3 (19:15):
They don't go to the individual.

Speaker 2 (19:19):
Just like staying in hotels, they don't get they're on
your hotel stay, they're on your hotel points when we
stay in the team hotel. Nah, you don't get any
of that.

Speaker 1 (19:27):
I tried. I just wanted to. I just wanted to
see if I did see some kind of a bonus
thing when your travel picks over there. All right, did
I mention we're broadcasting live from the Fox Best Radio studios, Well,
I thought, didn't. I'm doing it right now. He's Bucket
Brooks and Andy Furman, and you can get Bucky at
Bucky Brooks, that's X at Andy Furman FSL. We'll talk
to you, we'll read them, we'll retweet him if he can.

(19:47):
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Speaker 1 (20:47):
All right, why talk now? He's gone? Why talk? Okay,
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We are Fox Sports Sunday on Fox Sports. Ready, I
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(21:08):
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Sports Radio and of course the iHeartRadio app. All right, now,
a little NBA. You know what when I mentioned NBA, No,
it's not really NBA. It's Lebron James. Lakers get eliminated.

(21:29):
I mean, no surprise there. I didn't think they beat
Oklahoma City. But the point is that the story right
now is Lebron? All right, William won't he return? I mean,
can we have a little more in depth coverage of,
like maybe why the Lakers lost instead of all about Lebron?
Are you surprised? It's all about Lebron. That's all we
talk about now, Lebron? Will he be back? Will he

(21:50):
not be? Come on? Let it go? I mean, no,
wonder why the public is down on this guy. You know.
You mentioned it the other day when we talked that
he's kind of like a lightning rod Is. There's no
doubt about that, you know, and some of the things
that he has said, you know, and that's okay, got
he's got a platform, he could do that. But you know,
when the media just keeps some pounding away. And one

(22:10):
of the stories that I read this week is that
he feels disrespected. We don't know that. And I wish
Lebron would come out there and say, look what this
guy wrote. He's full of it. I'm not disrespected. And
if I come back of some of no one's business
except mine of my families, I don't let everybody know
boom that's it.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah. I mean, look, you have a lot of people
weighing in, and it's such a story because this is
one of the greatest players who've ever played in the league.
People can debate all they want on where he ranks,
amongs the Goats, but he has to be in that
conversation given he's all time leader in so many different categories,
and we've seen with us a guy who is a
four time champion and those things. The Lakers are major

(22:51):
brand and major franchise. Some people want to know what
is going to happen with one of the all time
greats and a very popular franchise. The thing about Lebron
and the thing about Lakers fans and being a guy
who lives in la but is not a Laker fan. Look,
there's a disconnect sometimes between the fan base and the superstar,

(23:13):
and some of that is not necessarily his doing. It's
because you have people who are extremely loyal to Kobe Bryant,
so they never fully embraced Lebron as the next hero.
Even though they won a title. Some will say life
the titles one in Bubble Bubble doesn't count. There are
a bunch of different things that go along with it.

(23:33):
You bring in Luka Doncic, and there was a stretch
where Luca and Austin Reeves were playing very very well
and Lebron was the third option. People got really comfortable
thinking that that was going to be the next iteration
of this team where it was going to be the
Luca and Austin Reeves show and they would eventually find
a superstar to replace Lebron who could be a third
option and they could go on about their way but

(23:56):
I understand why he doesn't feel appreciated because if you're
in the city, you hear Laker fans talk and all
the other stuff, and so there isn't maybe the same
appreciation form here that would be in Cleveland and other places.
So some of that frustration that has been expressed in
these anonymous source pieces are legitimate things, because it's easy

(24:18):
to understand why he might feel like that given what
he's done in this league, but also given the feedback
in the buzz from the fans out here regarding his
play and his contributions to the team.

Speaker 1 (24:29):
You know, I'm really glad you brought up that quote
third option situation that was never announced by the Lakers.
I mean, that was assumed by media people who cover
the team, and certainly it looked that way if you
watch the Lakers play, So that third option thing was
a label placed on him by the media covering the Lakers.
You know, I'm not so sure Lebron liked that, and

(24:51):
certainly again look that way when they even brought in Luca,
he was the guy you no doubt about that. But
you know, at the end of the day, let's see
what happened. Lucas sitting on his rear end he had
to go overseas to Europe to get treatment. I don't
know why I can't get treatment here. And he still
didn't play, and Lebron took over big time in the playoffs.
He carried that team as far as they could go
on his back during the playoffs, which is an amazing

(25:13):
for a guy his age.

Speaker 3 (25:15):
Yeah, it certainly is amazing.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
All those things matter, you know, when it comes along
with it, Like he was able to do a lot.
There was a lot that was done in his favor
and a lot that he did to help the Lakers
kind of get over humping and win a game like
a series day weren't supposed to win.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
No one expected him really to be able.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
To knock off the Houston Rockets in that thing, but
they were able to do it. And so what you
want to do is you want him if he comes back,
you want him to come back at the right price,
and understand why he would not want to give a discount,
but you want to come make at the right price.
But you also want to be able to build a

(25:58):
team up around him and continue the process of being
able to build a team when he eventually fades to black,
he eventually retires and you're able to continue to go on.
So there's a lot of different things that are out there.
There's a lot of speculation about where he could and
who would want him in those things. It ultimately it'd
be a bit of a soap property that plays out
over the course of the summer, right.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
You know, you talk about taking a discount. I checked
this out. He made something like five hundred and eighty
million dollars in his career, and you know what it's
I can't even say it, that's how much money it is.
I got real nervous saying it. But again, he deserves it.
I mean, just just the way life is right now,
that's the price to pay for a superstar like that.
And if obviously these teams are making big time money

(26:43):
with media and television rights, you know, let's face it,
owners are socking it away as well. But who's the
show to show of players like Lebron. That's why people go.
They go to see him play. And whoever team picks
him up. If he doesn't go back to the Lakers
and it could be his swan song, believe me, they're
going to pack the arena to see him play for
one last time. That's all it is. I mean, so,

(27:04):
I think that there is some some I guess bargaining
chips in the corner of Lebron, who's a free agent
right now. Now, whether you go back to the Lakers,
I don't know, what have you heard? You will live
out there, so you know exactly, you know, what's your
feet to the ground. I mean, maybe he'll come back,
maybe he won't. But he said he's been disrespected by Polinka,
Rob Pelinka, the general manager over there. I don't get it,

(27:25):
and I don't understand how a media person can find
that out. How unless Lebron told him. I don't think so.

Speaker 2 (27:32):
I mean, look, man, I mean people are around it
enough to know, and look, it's not hard to find
out if there's some annoyance, if there's a little disagreement
between these two major brands.

Speaker 3 (27:43):
Right Lebron is a brand in it in.

Speaker 2 (27:46):
Himself and then the LA Lakers being one of the
biggest brands in the NBA given their championship success, there's
a little tension.

Speaker 3 (27:53):
There's tension that exists between them.

Speaker 2 (27:56):
It's been well documented in those things, and it's about
what what are they going to do at the end
of the day, like how much money are they willing
to pay him to keep him? How much money is
he willing to give up if they ask him to
give up? And what does the future like is this
one year deal, it's a two year deal? What how

(28:16):
do the Lakers proceed? I would say this, I don't
really know if it matters what they do with Lebron
because I look at the San Antonio Spurson ok se.
I don't know if they can close the gap on
those guys. Those two teams are hidd and shoulders above
what the Lakers are. Lebron James coming back helps the Lakers,
but he doesn't help them get closer to knocking those

(28:38):
teams off. Yeah, I mean, it looked a tough deal
for Ropolinka and the Lakers' front office to determine what
they're gonna be able to do.

Speaker 1 (28:47):
Yeah, you talk about Polinka, you know from what I've read,
and I don't know how true this is that he
was upset. Ruey Hutchemora had a five thousand career points,
a doctor had fifteen thousand points, and the JJ Reddick
won his one hundredth game, and Pulmiker came out there,
gave him game balls, and they didn't do anything to Lebron,
didn't shake his hand when Lebron broke the some scoring record.
I mean, I don't understand that. Does Lebron have that

(29:09):
kind of an ego what he has accomplished. I mean,
let's face it, the only thing he's going after now
are championships. He's done everything else. He's won every potential
record in the NBA scoring books, you know, gains played, points, scored, field, goals,
attend you named the record. Offensively, He's got it all right,
So what is he playing for right now? He's not
playing to break a record. He's playing he wants to

(29:30):
get another championship ring. That's what he wants.

Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yeah, obviously, I mean he wants he wants another championship ring.
He wants to be able to find a way to
be able to get those things done.

Speaker 3 (29:42):
And look, he still loves playing, so I understand all
of that.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
But look, given his success in the postseason, I don't
think he's going to be easily I meanable to not
only a lesser role, but a significantly revised contract that
includes let's he pay. So you have to figure out
where their sweet spot is where he gets enough that

(30:09):
he's satisfied, that he feels like he's being valued, while
also putting the team in a position to have a
lot of success by being able to bring in other
free agents and take care of the current rust.

Speaker 1 (30:21):
I'm looking at the old time leading scorers in NBA history.
All Right, career earnings, Lebron number one. I can't believe
this list here. Kevin Durant's number two, all right, Curry,
James Harden, and then Paul George. I mean, I'm shocked
to see some of these names on that list, James
Harden and Pull George. I don't understand that. But you know,
Lebron he should be number one. I mean really, I'm

(30:43):
not gonna go on record say he's the greatest player ever,
but he's a tremendous player. He's great what he has done.
And let's face it, also, I'm gonna put a little
dendum over here right now. You know, the records are great,
but the point is this, he didn't go to college,
so he had four additional years to put those points
up on the board. And people never talk about that,
and to me, that's a big deal. You know, four
more years of playing that that's a big deal. I mean,

(31:05):
just like in the NFL they said, well, if you
run for one thousand yards doesn't mean squat. They're playing
seventeen games, you know, Jimmy Brown did it like a twelve,
so you know the games mean something. I believe, but
I guess only to me. No one else talks about that.
No one ever talks about when records are broken, how
many games they've done it, except except in baseball. You know,
they're one fifty four and one's sixty two. They always

(31:27):
do that. That's the big deal. And they did it
way back when when Roger Morris was going after that
home run record in nineteen sixty one. I don't know
why baseball gets the finger pointing but no other sport does.
That's just my take, all right, And it's true, you
know that.

Speaker 2 (31:41):
Yeah, I mean yeah, I mean I don't know. I
don't know a lot of finger pointing, but you're right,
all right.

Speaker 1 (31:47):
I like the finger point And speaking of finger pointing,
did you see this story about Miles Turner from the
Milwaukee Bucks. He's ripping up on Doc Rivers, who's fired
as their coach. He says he had a lot of
discipline you know. Now, I mean, you know, do it
during the season. Maybe it would have been maybe better
during the season. Maybe we would have dumped them during
the season. Maybe that's why the team wasn't playing well.

(32:08):
But now, I mean, doesn't even coach anymore. Why that's
like kicking a guy once he's dead in the ground.
I don't understand why people do that, he says. Guys
who are laid all the time. This is what he's
saying right now. He's on a podcast with Brianna Stewart
from The New York Liberty. Guys who are missing meetings
is one of the craziest things I experienced. Don't understand.
I really don't have a lot of respect for guys

(32:29):
to do this after the fact, do it when it counts.
It doesn't mean anything. Now, I mean you've seen that,
I'm sure a lot, right, I mean, why do guys
do that?

Speaker 2 (32:38):
Well, Look, I so I have a different take on
this because I've seen there's a lot of people that
are saying, why is he snitching? Why is he doing
these things?

Speaker 4 (32:45):
Right?

Speaker 3 (32:45):
I actually appreciate him saying this.

Speaker 2 (32:48):
Okay, see, because I think we have a picture of
Giannis and Tecompo and some of these other guys that
is not an accurate portrayal of how they're living or
how they're.

Speaker 3 (32:58):
Treating their team.

Speaker 2 (32:59):
We've been sympathetic to the plight of Giannis because we're like, oh,
the team didn't do enough for him.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
But you have a superstar that.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
Is deliberately blowing off meetings, showing up late in those things.
He's not a great teammate. Based on what Miles Turner
is saying, that's problematic. It also speaks to the culture
because we expected the Milwaukee Bucks to be a much
better team.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
We now begin to understand why they underachieve.

Speaker 2 (33:26):
I think it's funny, and this has been from a
bunch of former players at all different sports saying the
locker room is the locker room, and we need to
hold people accountable. However, Miles Turner is kind of holding
people accountable because he's putting those things out there and
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (33:44):
We wouldn't have known about this if he didn't speak.

Speaker 2 (33:47):
I think we should want to know because this is
a major thing because Antakumpo is going to be a
headline story over the course of the summer as a
trade as a big trade target. I think this change
is a little perspective from us on him in those things.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
Yeah, you're one hundred percent correct, because credit detorney said
Gianni's would show up anytime he wanted to show up
at meetings, and he came in when it as he pleased.
And I get that, But that's not to say that
Giannis could reel that back in with a coach with
a little more discipline. You know, It's kind of like
the kid in school. I'm not going to do my
homework for you if you're not going to check it.
You know, when you're junior high school, intermediate school, teacher

(34:29):
gives homework and the next day you come to school,
then she doesn't collect or even ask for it. You're
not going to do it. Just just the nature of
the beast. It happens all the time. I don't care
who you are or where you are, just the way
it is. So if the coach says you know nothing
to you when you come to a meeting late, you're
going to come in late. That's just the way it is.
You know, Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (34:46):
I understand that. And I also understand this thing with
look Doc Rivers, this thing with the team and those things.
I will say really disappointed. You know what I'm saying
in terms of like doc Rivers and all that other stuff,
like just disappointed in the fact that you said about

(35:11):
a Hall of Fame coach. And if a Hall of
Fame coach is letting this go, man, it's just kind
of eye opening. It's startling that he would allow this
kind of stuff to kind of take on. So it's
is interesting. We'll see what happens in those things. But man,
I just got to tell you.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
Is interesting.

Speaker 1 (35:34):
You know. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy reading
about it. I do. I just question why you would
do it after the fact. But you're right. I mean
I love knowing about this and I'm happy he said it.
But you know, now, all of a sudden, as you say,
in some circles, he's viewed as a snitch. Perhaps, I
don't know, but I'm glad he did it because I
like talking about it. I want to know. I opened
my eyes to be honest, like you say, so we

(35:55):
do that anyway. He's Bucket Brooks, I'm Andy Furman. We
don't stitch on anybody. Are Fox Sports Sunday and Foxports Radio,
and he is the man with all the answers, what
as Bucky is next?

Speaker 4 (36:06):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live. Okay, yes, Bucky, right around the corner. That's
Bucky Brooks.

Speaker 1 (36:20):
I'm Andy fermweel Fox Sports Sunday on Fox Sports Radio,
and we're lying from the Foxborts Radio studios. It's about
maybe eleven minutes before the top of the hour, so
it's time for asked Bucky, and I think today Mike's
gonna do it. Mister Gonzales, Are you ready?

Speaker 6 (36:34):
Yes, sir, let's get into.

Speaker 1 (36:36):
It all right?

Speaker 7 (36:37):
Well you all right, Bucky. The World's Cup is right
around the corner. Yet the US has not won the
World Cup since nineteen thirty. How do you explain that?

Speaker 2 (36:47):
Uh? Look, we haven't maybe necessarily had our best players
for best athletes playing in a sport that is dominated
by other world entities. And until we select the best players,
until we have a way to take care of the
fundamental problem of you soccer and the pipeline, we're always
going to fall short. But at some point you would
like to expect the US to do what we do

(37:09):
in other sports, which is to dominate, and we won't
do that until we fix the system that provides our
best athletes to play and play at the highest level.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
Oh, you're too kind. They stink they're not good enough.

Speaker 2 (37:19):
Because they're not getting the best players. So however you
want to phrase it, Yeah, that's a part of it.

Speaker 1 (37:25):
Okay, budgets.

Speaker 6 (37:29):
The NFL had their schedule released Thursday night.

Speaker 7 (37:31):
So was it a coincidence that the NBA DENI have
a playoff game on the schedule for that night.

Speaker 2 (37:38):
I don't know. I'm sure they had other things scheduled previously,
but the series may have ended. But yeah, nah, Look,
the NFL is king. No matter what the NBA and
other leagues try to do. Whenever the NFL has a
what we call a tent pole event, a major event,
it is always going to overwhelm whatever is going on.
It's just par for the course. This is what the

(37:59):
NFL does.

Speaker 1 (38:03):
Next next, All right, give us, I'm just listening. How
may chime in once in a while, I might.

Speaker 7 (38:10):
Bucky, give us three reasons why the NFL should play
international games.

Speaker 2 (38:15):
It's a great way to grow the brand. And because
of the interest that we've seen over years, going all
the way back to NFL Europe, there's an appetite for
international games, like they sell out quickly. It's a huge
money maker. It's the revenue generated not only helps to owners,
it helps to players. And so as you're thinking about

(38:35):
extending your reach, why wouldn't you continue to play these
games because it's been proven to be a very positive
thing for everyone involved.

Speaker 7 (38:45):
All right, why is there no longer a bye week
after the international game? Next season the Bengals travel to
Madrid and in the following week they meet the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (38:55):
Yeah, but I think some of this seems from teams
sometimes requested they feel like they have a plan where
they look, we could play this international game, didn't jump
right back into our regular schedule without interruption, so we
would prefer to play without a bye.

Speaker 3 (39:09):
Week, some teams requested. So, like with the schedule, there
are some.

Speaker 2 (39:13):
Requests that teams make and the league will accommodate those requests.
And in most instances, so these are teams that are
electing not to play with a boy week because they
would rather have it at a different part of the season,
or they feel like they have a really good plan
that would allow them to be successful one way or
the other.

Speaker 7 (39:32):
All Right, the NFL is going to have a triple
had a run on Christmas Day and a thanks Thanksgiving
Eve game. Is that too much?

Speaker 2 (39:41):
No, I don't think it's too much. I think if
it was too much, they wouldn't do it. I think
the league is very calculated about the things that they introduced.
They obviously saw a few different things. COVID we had
games that were in midweek and it didn't impact us.
I think last year didn't they have a Thanksgiving the
vam or they had Christmas Eve games and they were
look rousing successes. So this is just a part of

(40:03):
the experimentation and the action upon the evidence that has
shown them that there's no such thing as oversaturation in
this league.

Speaker 7 (40:12):
All right, And last one, give us an honest answer
on how Mike Tomlin will do the former Steelers coach,
how he will handle TV.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
Oh, he's gonna be great. I mean he's gonna be
great because he has the accolades. He also is a
great orator, so his ability to uh detail what is
happening in the locker room on the field, what coaches
are thinking. I think it's phenomenal. He's gonna be fantastic
on TV.

Speaker 1 (40:35):
I agree with that. Do you think he's gonna coach
again though, Buck.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
No, I think it's over. I think he's good.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
There you go, all right, that's it's fucking good job,
my good job. Okay, we're gonna continue here because there's
a couple of things I want to get over off
my chest in the next hour, which we're gonna take
you behind the NFL curtain. That's what we're gonna do.
And I'm gonna do that and so much more where
right here on Fox Sports Sonday. Coming up on Fox
Sports Radio, Bucky Brooks, Athy Firman next, Oh, the NFL

(41:02):
Spin that's coming right up. Good morning, everybody. This is
Fox Sports Sunday and Fox Sports Radio. He's Bucky Brooks
and Andy Furman and we are broadcasting a live from
the Fox Sports Radio studios. And by the way, be
sure to subscribe to the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel.
Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube and you'll see
our best videos from all of our shows. And don't
stop there. Hit that thhones up kind of comment away.

(41:22):
Let us know who takes you like and even who
takes you don't like, just search Fox Sports Radio on
YouTube and subscribe. Okay, here he is the man himself,
mister football, my friend, my partner, mister Bucket Brooks. A
little music play, can you get it right? A little
music for this man? Really man. By the way, I
may be mistaken, but I don't think you wrote anything

(41:43):
this week for NFL dot com. You took the week off.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
I think, yeah, we took we week off. Yeah, we
took week off. So what happens is they had so
much content with the schedule that we just decided to
kind of lay back and we'll pick it up next week.

Speaker 1 (41:58):
Yeah. I thought my computer was broken. I kept on
pounding on. I was reset, reset. I wanted to see
what Bucky wrote this week. But you know that's okay.
Everybody deserves a little time. Well, if you work hard,
I know you do. By the way, did you watch
that rond dea Rousey fight last night? I'm just wondering
where your mind is at. Did you watch that?

Speaker 2 (42:14):
I did not get a chance to see that fight.
It's interesting, very interesting.

Speaker 1 (42:19):
Was it seventeen seconds and it's all over? Then she retired?

Speaker 2 (42:21):
Unbelievable, really, I mean, she had been away for a
long time. The fact that she got in the ring
and quickly issued an arm bar on Jeina Corona was amazing.
But yeah, I don't. I don't know if anyone wants
to continue to fight as they get into their forties.

Speaker 1 (42:36):
I know, right, I mean, I just would you would
you venture to go into the ring with her to
fight her? I mean, if they were if they were
half a.

Speaker 2 (42:43):
Mill No, no, it's not. I'm not at the stag
where I don't want to get beat up in here.
I'm like, no, I'm good.

Speaker 1 (42:50):
I wouldn't go in the ring with anybody. Really, I
just unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (42:54):
That's crazy.

Speaker 1 (42:55):
All right. Now, let me get into this NFL thing
for a second. Number One, how I mean you play
in the game. So maybe it's a different perspective when
I see that this schedule release is like a big
news story and drips and drabs are leaking out and
people are talking about it. First off, everybody knows basically

(43:18):
what the schedule is going to be because you know
who your team is going to play. You just several
of the non conference games you're concerned about, and maybe
the international games. But how I mean, does it does
it go to your mind and say this is unreal
to me? It does. I mean I don't. I can
never see the the NBA or Major League Baseball or

(43:41):
any league really having a schedule release on a TV
show and the interest for it. I don't get it.
I really don't. For example, major League Soccer, they can't
even get a line in the print it's age type
when when they make a player announcement, they can't. But
this league would just schedules with games, they go crazy.

(44:02):
It amazes me, it does. I'm shocked, I really am.

Speaker 2 (44:09):
Youre shocked that the league draws so much interest. Talking
about the NFL compared to others or what parties.

Speaker 1 (44:15):
Shocks And I'm more so in even an announcement over
a schedule. I mean really, I don't even know what
Major League Baseball announces their schedule. Really, it's nothing like this.
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (44:28):
I mean, yeah, it's nothing, but look, it just it
just tells you about the interest that fans have in
this game. And when you when you look at the
league and you look at just look. They just put
a report they talked about how viewership has gone up.
Everything has gone up exponentially, just coming off of last season.
This league has found a way to do it the

(44:50):
right way, and this is what they this is what
they do like. They've found a way to make sure
that the league is a very competitive league. You never
have those issues with tanking in the National Football League
that you do in the NBA. Parody exists. You have
teams that are quickly able to go from worse to first.
Look no farther than the New England Pagers and how
they quickly turn things around Mike Rabel's first year, they

(45:13):
end up in the Super Bowl. Because of that, fans
of every team feel like their teams have a legitimate
chance to eventually be a Super Bowl champion.

Speaker 3 (45:23):
You can't say that in every other league.

Speaker 2 (45:25):
The NFL has done a great job of creating the
kind of parody that leads to optimism, which fuels fan
interest and it makes them sit down in either ten
games live or watch them on TV.

Speaker 1 (45:37):
Okay, I will say this, There's no doubt in my
mind the game is great. People just love the action
of the game, and it's great for gambling. Those two
things are great factors why there's an interest in it.
But I think the bigger interest and maybe I'm off
base here, so tell me. The bigger interest is the
fact that they only play seventeen games, and every game
means so much. You play one hundred and sixty two games.

(45:58):
I mean, if you don't go to a baseball game
in Aprils, I'm not going. I'll go in July. You know,
that's the problem. You know, less is more and it's
proven in the National Football League and every game means
so much. That's basically what it's all about. So maybe
that's what it is. But when I found out about
this schedule release, and after the schedule release, each team,
I don't know if they were required to do this,

(46:19):
they had a video schedule release online, which is unbelieved.
I'm sure the league made them do that because they
were rating which team had the best video release. That
to me was unreal. I mean, they really they're on
top of it. I mean, I don't know who their
pr people are. There's social content people are, or maybe
they're just lucky because there's such an interest in it.

(46:40):
But the point is that they get it done. And
you know, you have to live in a cave not
to find out about what's going on in the NFL
almost on a daily basis.

Speaker 2 (46:49):
I mean, yeah, I mean, like it's just what it is.
I mean, you just see how many people have an
interest in the league, how many shows, how many things
are dedicated to the league. You just understand, like, look,
this is the most popular sport in the US. It
continues to dominate the competition where it's not even close.
And I mean I just expected to continue to flourish

(47:13):
as they provide more access to fans, to be able
to see it in different mediums, just because there is
such an interest in the.

Speaker 1 (47:21):
Game right and media has picked up on the interest
and made it even more so, taking it to the
next level. What do I mean by that? Like when
HBO put together the Hard Knocks that was tremendous. I
think it's kind of done its time now and it's
not as good as it once was, but it's still
decent and I watch it, but it wasn't what it
was four or five years ago. But Hard Knocks is

(47:42):
right there. I don't see any other sport doing anything
like that. I think baseball tried, they try to copy
something like that, but couldn't get it done. They just
couldn't get it done. I just don't understand what the
deal is. And look, they say less is more. I
think that college football really needs to take a good
hard look at that because they're going for that twenty
five game playoff. Please you know, I don't see it.

(48:04):
I hope it doesn't happen unless they really want to
just bury the bowl games because there won't be any
bowl games whatsoever. Well, conference championship games doesn't mean anything anymore,
so twenty four postseason games. I don't know. Maybe more
is better. I don't know what's your stance on that.
With the college expansion through twenty four games.

Speaker 2 (48:22):
I actually like it because it's no different than what
takes place at the lower levels. If you're gonna recognize
a champion, you have to have a playoff system. The
highest level was the only one that had bowl games
in those things. Everybody else operates like this. I don't
know why it's such a big deal. To me.

Speaker 3 (48:38):
It makes sense.

Speaker 2 (48:39):
It's put the best twenty four teams in there. However,
you do the automatic bids or whatever, do it, and
then you have a champion and make the champion run
through the gauntlet of having to play teams to prove
that they're worthy of being a champion. And if they
do that, then they're worthy of the crown. The bowl
system and the only reason the bull system exists is
because it's a money maker. And really it's a money
maker for the TV networks, namely ESPN. If you take

(49:01):
that away and do those things like this should is
long overdue. You have playoffs at every level. You go
to high school, they have playoffs like this. You go
to Little league, they operate their playoff systems like this.
This is what it is, and it should always be
like that. The money has clouded the situation. Eliminate the
bowl games. You've already started to eliminate the conference championship games.

(49:23):
Let's just have a playoff and decide a champion between
the lines.

Speaker 1 (49:26):
And don't they have the twenty four teams something similar
to that in Division two? In college? Did this smallest?

Speaker 3 (49:32):
Yes, they have something like that.

Speaker 2 (49:34):
I think at Loyd levels they have twenty four teams
that are playing. So to me, none of this really
makes sense in terms of why there's all this consternation
about it.

Speaker 1 (49:44):
Yeah, I would think coaches would go for that because
if your team makes the playoffs, you're not going to
get fired. I mean, basically, it's a safety net for
a coach. I would think it's the same thing with basketball.
You're expanding now, and if a coach ghost postseason, even
with a losing record, very difficult in my mind to
fire the coach. So I think it's it's kind of
an insurance factor. I think they'd be positive about that.

Speaker 2 (50:07):
Ah maybe, I mean, I still think they're higher expectations.
But look, we're in the middle of a change, and
we've talked about it, like when you're paying the kind
of money that you're paying, I don't know if your coaches,
but for players, greater expectations and you're not going to
be able to coach by a we just went to
a bowl game or no. People are forking up money
to feel their favorite quote unquote college teams. Yeah, it's

(50:31):
going to be problematic for people going forward. You must
be able to win. You must win at the high level,
the highest level, and everyone has to understand that because
that changes the dynamics and with in the way that
fans view coaches and players and the way that administration
view coaches and players. There's now more pressure on everybody

(50:52):
involved in these programs to win and no one cares
about the excuses.

Speaker 1 (50:57):
Okay, I'm going to run something by you and see
either agree with me or not. Because I've thought about
this long and hard. You got the NCAA basketball tournament,
and they play on neutral sites, all right. They don't
play games at home, which is fine, you know, it's great.
I don't understand why the NFL spends so much time
and the international thing. I get it. You know, they

(51:18):
want to put their flag on the country, and you know,
maybe just for exposure, maybe for TV. They're not going
to get a team there, I don't think, but maybe
for exposure. And they want to have the NFL a
worldwide business, all right, But why wouldn't they have the
NFL play several regular season games on neutral sites cities

(51:39):
that will be vying for an NFL franchise perhaps, but
they don't have one. You know, I'm trying to think
all the top of my head where where a possible
NFL franchise would would land. Maybe I don't know, at
someplace in Virginia. Maybe I hadn't name a city out
there that doesn't have a team that maybe would want
a team sort like city. Perhaps, I don't know. They
got NBA, they don't have NFL have a regular season

(52:01):
game and a neutral site like in Salt Lake City,
all right, why would they do something like that or
a big time college town. Really I have like a Norman, Oklahoma.
They packed the joint there. That's football craziness over there.

Speaker 2 (52:16):
I mean, I mean, that'd be fine. And normally what
they used to do is they used to do that
in the preseason. When I was with the Kansaity Chiefs,
we played a preseason game against tap Bay Buccaneers at
the University of Oklahoma. Which is funny that you mentioned that.
And this was popular, it was common when I was
in college. I mean, it was a good crowd. It
was a good crowd for a preseason game. But yeah,

(52:37):
they brought it around when I was in college. This
is before the Carolina Panthers existed. But in Chapel Hill,
North Carolina, the Washington football team took on the Atlanta Falcons,
and part of that was to drum up interest in
the league.

Speaker 3 (52:50):
So in preseason, that is.

Speaker 2 (52:52):
The time to do more of the neutral site games
to kind of set the table for possible expansion in
those things. I just don't think the league is on
expand and so I mean maybe they entertained that, but
I think it's so lucrative for them overseas to make
money that all the neutral site games that might have
existed in the past in the US, all of those

(53:14):
have now gone overseas because it's such a market and
the league is intent on expanding this global reach and
this is part of that. Also, flag football is also
a part of globalization of the game. All of these
things are really helping the league position itself and a
power where you can dominate things for the next decades.

Speaker 1 (53:38):
Well, I'm hearing what you're saying, because now you're ringing
the BELBA. Remember when I was a kid, I remember
the New York Football Giants would play a preseason game.
I think they played the Eagles, were the Jets, I
don't remember at Princeton and I went to the several
of those games in the summertime. So they did do that.
They did play on a college campus, a neutral site,
and it was pretty well packed. It really was, you know,
just just the way it is. I guess look, I'm

(54:00):
not going to change anything. I'm just thrown out of
an idea that during have a regular season game rather
than go to Madrid. Having in a city that would
love to have an NFL game there, and I'm sure
they get at least as many people in that neutral
site in the US of A than they would in Madrid.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think they would. But you know,
maybe it's different because you want to have you know,
the interest is here already in the USA. You want

(54:22):
to have the interest overseas. That's what they want to do.
Now you mentioned television, all right, and this is another
craw of my spine right now, I want to talk
about that. Now they've talk about the NFL with their spin,
the spin that they put back on the criticism of
streaming games. This to me, let it go. It's bad
enough you're streaming the games. I have no idea what

(54:43):
freaking channel to go to to a game, you know, Netflix, Paramount, ESPN,
ESPN Plus. I have no idea. Really, my bill comes
in every month. I don't even know what platforms I have.
All right, But now the NFL is slapping me in
the face by defending the expanded lineup on games on
the streaming platforms and the criticism they're getting now also

(55:03):
from President Donald Trump. All right, I think it's amazing
right now. But they were discussing it this week with
reporters and the NFL executive vice president of Media Distribution,
Hans Schroeder. Hans Schroeder said that the league has no
intention of pulling back from its partnerships with streaming services.
You know what, Hans, I could have said the same thing.
You know you're making money. Why would you pull back?

(55:24):
You know what? Do you care about me trying to
find the channel that it's on and paying through my nose.
But the point is that a lot of people feel
the same way. Don't you think, I mean you you
traveled buck. Don't you hear people saying, ah, the games on?
Look the other the other night, the NBA had two
games on. I didn't watch either one. They were both
I don't even know what platform. I didn't watch it.
Two playoff games. Not giving in. I'm not giving it.

(55:49):
You know what I do? I listened on radio because
I can get the home call on Serious XM. That's
what I do. Listen. If I can't get him on
the streaming device, I get him on Serious XM radio.
And on Serious XM you can get the hometown radio
call if you want.

Speaker 2 (56:02):
So.

Speaker 1 (56:02):
I enjoy that.

Speaker 2 (56:03):
Too, I mean, I appreciate that. I appreciate listening to
the radio. Call Andy. At some point, you're gonna have
to live in a new world. I mean, I mean,
like you're just not gonna be able to do those things.
And now I will say this, I'm the biggest sports
fan or whatever. It can be tough. It can be
annoying to kind of figure out where all these playoff
games are. And I'll just use the NBA as an example,

(56:25):
Like I'm used to watching it on either NBC or ABC,
and now there's like ESPN. I mean there's so many differently, Amazon,
you have Peacock. I mean, you have a lot of
different things that you have to track, and each and
every night it is different. That has made it challenging
to kind of keep up with it. And I'll admit
sometimes it get lazy and I'll just wait for the
score to come in depending on who's playing. But some

(56:48):
of those games that have not appeared on what I
would call mainstream services, it has been harder and more
challenging for me to kind of keep up with it.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
You know what, I think you hit it on the head.
I don't think I'm upset with the with the streaming.
I'm not even in the building of the streaming as
much as like the difficulty of finding it going during
the Ntuba basketball tournament. You know, I never watched True TV.
I have no idea where it's at. And you not have
to pay for True TV. It's on your cable system.
I have no idea where it's at. I think on
Spectrum it's number forty. I think, you know, I think

(57:20):
I've written it down somewhere so I know when the
Ntuba Tournament comes on. In basketball, I know where to
go to. I never watched True I don't even know
what's on True DV. I don't even know if they
broadcast during the year except for basketball. I don't know.
But that that's the difficulty right there, Not so much
the billing. I agree with you. Yeah, it's all about
what platform is on and the NBA it's got the
worst because it changes on a daily basis. And honestly,

(57:43):
I do pay if I could see Charles because Charles
Barkley to me, is better than the game. He's the entertainer.
I like watching Charles and Kenny the.

Speaker 2 (57:53):
J Yeah, I mean I like watching I like watching
both of those those guys. Those guys are funny. Their crackups.
So yeah, it's interesting, right.

Speaker 1 (58:05):
I can't believe President Trump's getting involved with with the
with the broadcast. Well, I can't believe it because you know,
he got Jimmy Kimmel can for a week. So that's
another story for another day. Okay, could we take a
look at some of the breakdowns and the team's schedule,
because you know, the releasing of the schedule is great,
but I think the people that listen to us want

(58:26):
to hear about their team, this specific team, and what
the good or the bar is with the schedule. Could
we do a little bit of that. Are you ready
for that? If I gave you the team and some
of the highlights or low lights of their schedule? Is
that okay? So you would have the answer as a player? Yes,
let's talk with the Indianapolis Colts. Starting in Week nine,
they play three of their four games at home, which

(58:47):
is pretty good, I think, right, But they're playing the Cowboys, Dolphins,
and Giants. But they do have the latest bye week
and that's in by and week fourteen. I don't think
that's such a good deal. I'd rather have the bye
week in the first five six weeks, not week fourteen.
By that time, some of you guys are banged up
pretty good.

Speaker 2 (59:06):
Yeah, I mean, like the perfect world is obviously you
want it right in the middle of the season, so
that's critical, and so just depending on how you line
it up, it would be a nice reprieve, but you
can work around it depends on when you have these
primetime games and those things that can help you, because
sometimes if you have a Thursday night game, it gives
you an extended week. Some people call that the mini

(59:27):
by week. So there are a few different things that
can kind of help you navigate in a long season.

Speaker 1 (59:34):
All right, let'st but not least here because we'll pick
this up in a little bit. But I'm looking at
Christmas Day and I think that's a day for family.
All right. The players, Okay, they realize they're not having
Christmas data, But you got three games Bear's Packers, Broncos, Bills,
and ram Seahawks. I mean, that's a lot of football,
especially when families getting together having dinner. I mean, I

(59:56):
guess you have the TV on, but you know, can
you just back it off of the little bit? Maybe two?
Don't you think three is a little heavy duty for
Christmas Day? Maybe I'm crazy. I don't know. It's a
lot of football.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
I mean, like, who doesn't like football on those days?
There's a lot of football. And look, it's a bit
of a smortgage board. It's one of the things that
the league hadn't done, but that used to be reserved
for the NBA. But the league has just stepped in
and took over. Like this is kind of a gangster
move from the league. But they certainly have jumped in
and said, we don't really care about other entities. We
are going to promote our league and you have to

(01:00:28):
deal with the fallout NBA and others.

Speaker 1 (01:00:31):
Well, I hear what you're saying. You know, I even
forgot that the NBA was playing that day, really, because
the NFL is king. That's what it is, all right.
He's Bucky Brooks and Andy Furman. We're brotesting live from
the Fox Best Radio studios. By the way, in this
hour we will have na the playing game. In that
one umber three. You can get Bucky at on x
at Bucket, Brooks at Andy Furman FSR eight seven seven

(01:00:51):
ninety nine on Fox. You must have a comment. I
would think you got a comment about streaming. I mean,
unless you're brain dead, you know. Really, Not that I'm
begging for phone calls because we really don't need any,
but I would like to hear someone out there that
has some sort of an opinion about paying for streaming
of devices. I mean, really, am I the only one
the numbers eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox which

(01:01:12):
translates to eight seven seven nine nine six sixty three
sixty nine. That's it? Okay, Now, it was a hell
of a rookie year for one guy. We'll tell you
all about that next all right, pulling back that schedule curtain,
we'll get to that in just about a minute. All right,
this is Fox Sports Sunday. He's Bucky Brooks and Andy Furman.
We are live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. We're
gonna have you an a in about ten twelve minutes

(01:01:33):
from now. And for the best pregame show every single weekend,
be sure to tune into Fox Sports Radio's Countdown presented
by bet MGM, every Saturday and Sunday morning from nine
am to noon Eastern six to nine am Pacific. We'll
cut you down to all of the biggest games of
the weekend and tune of the Countdown presented by BETMGM
every Saturday and Sunday morning right here on Fox Sports
Radio and the iHeart Wrap app and of course asking

(01:01:55):
you shall receive. Pedrico is here, wants to talk to
Bucky Brooks on Fox Sports Radio. Hello Pedrico, Hello, ogny Errick. Yes, hey,
you know Bucky was talking before about Giannis and oh
no you no Doc Rivers Hall of Fame coach.

Speaker 6 (01:02:12):
So it's so unpredictable how these things keep happening. Doc
Rivers is terrible.

Speaker 4 (01:02:17):
Doc Rivers won one championship with one of the greatest
teams ever assembled and against.

Speaker 7 (01:02:22):
By the way he detleeted Lakers.

Speaker 2 (01:02:24):
Whatever.

Speaker 6 (01:02:24):
But Doc Rivers is everything.

Speaker 1 (01:02:27):
He touches dives.

Speaker 6 (01:02:28):
The Clippers like were horrible with him.

Speaker 2 (01:02:30):
They had everything to make a move.

Speaker 1 (01:02:32):
Everywhere he goes, but they suck.

Speaker 6 (01:02:34):
I don't know why people keep watching this guy.

Speaker 7 (01:02:36):
It's ridiculous.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
More than that, I'm surprised he keeps on getting He
just keeps a rebounding and getting jobs. Really, I mean,
he's just been recycled. I agree with you. He won
the championship with the Celtics, who was a great Celtic team.
I think that you could have coached that Celtic team. Really,
there's no doubt in my mind. And look, I don't
see the positivity in what he has done with the
work of his career. I don't see what he is

(01:03:01):
that he hasn't done anything. He gets jobs, which is great,
and he's probably a nice man, but he hasn't been
really successful as an NBA coach.

Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
Yeah, I mean, look, I'm not sitting here advocating for
Doc Rivers. What I'm saying is it's an indictment of
the culture of the Milwaukee Bucks that Jannis ante Compo,
who people have talked about being one of the best players,
not the best players in the league, blows off meetings,
shows up for planes and those things. And so it's
more of a shot at Giannis and what we're talking
about and people clamoring for him. But now if we're

(01:03:33):
go talk about Doc Rivers, if we're gonna judge everything
by ring culture, then look, I think it's going to
be very, very difficult for anybody to do it. I
know he has one thing that other people don't have,
and that's championship rings. There've been a ton of great
coaches in this league who never won a title, and
we can talk about how great that Celtics team was, etc. Etc.
But he won. It's one thing they have a great team,

(01:03:55):
and not when it's another thing to win it any won.
I can't say that those Clipper teams were great before
because the Clipper teams that he took over weren't great.
Clippers don't have a history of winning. They hadn't won
a championship before, and they haven't won a championship after
Doc Rivers. There the same thing with Philadelphia, because I
think Nick Nurse is a great coach. Nick Nurse says

(01:04:16):
won a title. He won a title in Toronto. Nick
Nursey won a title in Philadelphia where Doc was at.
So look, we can talk about a bunch of different
things and players and coaches and all that, but look,
I don't mind taking shots at Doc Rivers. It's fine,
like you won a title. I'm just saying that this
was an indictment of the culture that the Milwaukee Bucks
have if their best player and other players are not

(01:04:39):
able to show up the meetings all the time, because
it's the ultimate sound of disrespect to your teammates.

Speaker 1 (01:04:44):
Okay, but let me run this by You played the game,
You've seen it usually guys that are superstars, and let's
say Giannis is somewhat of a start, not a superstar.
He's just they kind of watched to their own drummer,
don't they. I mean, is that true? I mean, I
just I gotta believe, not.

Speaker 2 (01:05:00):
Only I mean yeah, I mean, you can be a superstar,
but you ain't gona win a championship operating like that.
There's no team that operates at a championship level that
has a dysfunctional culture where you allow that to happen.
The fact that Myles Turner is talking about they never
even knew if the plane was going to take off
on time.

Speaker 3 (01:05:17):
No, it never works, and it never works like that.

Speaker 2 (01:05:20):
You can't out talent a bad culture environment, a bad environment,
you can't. And so like, no matter how talented your
best players, if it's dysfunctional and disjointed, you're not going
to win.

Speaker 3 (01:05:31):
So now it is I understand why they sucked.

Speaker 2 (01:05:35):
Because if your best player is not on part and
not on task, yeah, the rest of the team is
not gonna falls.

Speaker 1 (01:05:41):
You have talent to win, I'll give you an example. No,
when I work for the Ford Lord of the eld
Strikers in the North American Soccer League. We had one
of the greatest players on the globe in George Best.
He never showed up. I mean he going binges. He
was an alcoholic, but he rest in peace. But when
a game time came, he played. Coach Dever sat him down.
This practice all the time. Really, how we went to

(01:06:02):
the playoffs we didn't win at all. We went to
the players. I don't remember any player on the team saying, well,
George didn't come to practice, why is he playing? They
look to George. They needed George. Really yeah, and.

Speaker 2 (01:06:14):
You told me they didn't win a championship, right, So
we're talking about competing at a championship level. At a
championship level, everything has to line up. Not only have
to be talented, but you got to be connected. And
so the team with George couldn't win a championship because George,
as the best player, was the poorest example of a leader.

Speaker 3 (01:06:30):
And most of the time your best players.

Speaker 2 (01:06:33):
Are not your leaders. Naturally we anoint them the leaders,
but they're not the guys that really set the example.
It is rare that the best player is the hardest worker.
And we'll use Giannis as an example. If Giannis is
in the locker room telling people, hey, man, we got
to pick this up, We got to go.

Speaker 3 (01:06:50):
They look at him and say, hold on, how you
going to tell us about what.

Speaker 2 (01:06:53):
We need to do when you can't even hold yourself
accountable to doing the same things that you're asking from us.
It doesn't work. Everything has to be in alignment. And look,
doc Rivers is to blame for this, like look, everybody
plays a part in it.

Speaker 3 (01:07:06):
Doc Rivers is to blame. Giannis is to blame.

Speaker 2 (01:07:09):
His teammates are to blame for not challenging him when
he wasn't doing it. Everyone knows what it looks like.
But if everyone is going to bear their head in
the sand, then you're going to get the results that
they got this year when they were absolutely horrible.

Speaker 1 (01:07:21):
Right now, but we didn't win it, not because George
didn't show but practice. We didn't win it because Peley
was playing for the New York Cosmos. That's why we
didn't win it.

Speaker 2 (01:07:29):
Really maybe, but you also didn't give yourself the best
chance to win. Now, doing all the things right doesn't
guarantee winning, but you have no shot of winning if
you don't do those things right, If you don't show
up and give great after you not accountable to your teammates.
If you don't have a level of trust between teammates,
it never works because it's a team sport. Now, if
George was running track and it was just him and

(01:07:50):
he just needed to win one hundred or the two hundred, great,
he can live how he wants to live, and he
may be able to do it. But when other people
are counting on you, nah, you gotta be a great
tea because that's the only way it works.

Speaker 1 (01:08:01):
You know, I'm gonna look this a little closer. Right now,
let's look at teams like how you live in La
so you know that. Do you Thinktani is a leader?
He's a great player, But is he that? First of all,
he doesn't even speak English. How could he be a leader,
doesn't have to.

Speaker 2 (01:08:16):
Do anything happens they have to do in anything, like
most of the leadership is nonverbal.

Speaker 3 (01:08:21):
It's the examples that you set.

Speaker 2 (01:08:23):
I would say, I absolutely believe that shone Atani is
a great leader, and I would use an example from
last season, two seasons ago when they talked about him.
There was a video that went viral where he was
serving water to his teammates. He was getting water because
everyone was playing. He wasn't playing. He was serving water
to his teammates. Great leaders uplift their teammates. They think

(01:08:44):
about team, teammates, then self, and so if you think.

Speaker 3 (01:08:47):
About that, if you operate like that.

Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
You're gonna win. Let's look at the current NBA set
up with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.
It's interesting that both of them have similar environments because
Sam Presti spent a lot of time in San Antonio.
The first thing in San Antonio you have to do
is get over yourself. You have to be about the
team instead of about your own individual stuff, and you

(01:09:09):
have to be able to take the roles that are
given to you without creating a disruption. When you look
at Oklahoma City and how the connected they are, you
look at San Antonio, how connected they are. You ain't
get no shot. You're not gonna beat those teams if
you're not connected like that. In team sports, yeah and
one to fifteen, you got to be connected.

Speaker 1 (01:09:30):
They got a superstar on each team. Okay, they got
SGA there in Alahoma City. But I will say the
advantage that those teams have. They got tremendous depth, and
they could have interchangeable players playing or on the bench,
could start. That's how tough those two teams are. They
got eight nine guys on that team, both of those
teams that could be interchangeable and play right.

Speaker 2 (01:09:52):
But this right. But you know what they also could be.
If I'm good enough to start, you know what I
could be doing behind the scenes. I could be bitching
and moaning about playing time. I could be sucking and
pouting because I'm not playing. I could be a disruptor
to the team chemistry because I'm like, well, why do
I care? He's taking all the shots. It's not fair.
Why is Sga at the star? I'm just as good

(01:10:12):
as him. If I got my chance, I could disrupt
the chemistry and the floor of what we have going
because selfishly, I'm putting my own interest over the team.
But we're not hearing that. We don't hear any disruptions
from Oklahoma City about their players not being on board
or people not being willing to buy into the stuff.

(01:10:32):
If anything, we hear stories and reverse So, yeah, talent matters,
but talent only can get you so far. You're not
winning the championship if your team is not connected.

Speaker 3 (01:10:42):
It's been proving time and time again.

Speaker 1 (01:10:44):
And I'm glad you said that because what you've told
me right now proves to me that the Pittsburgh Steals
will not win the Super Bowl because of Aaron Rodgers.
How do you like that?

Speaker 2 (01:10:54):
I mean, look, I think they have a tough time. Now.
I'm not in that locker room. I don't know what
he does. I don't know if he blows off meetings
or those things. But no, it's harder to win if
your best players are not on the same page.

Speaker 3 (01:11:06):
I won't go so far as to say Pittsburgh can win.
I just don't know enough about them.

Speaker 2 (01:11:10):
Like, he may annoy me, but he's a four time MVP,
and I can't say that. Look, his presence disrupts the
flow of the whatever, but I can say that it
doesn't appear to be like conducive to operating at a
championship level. Now, time will tell, after it's all said

(01:11:30):
and done and what people really say about him, But
right now I'll say that. But yeah, like, I think
it'd be very difficult for Pittsburgh to operate at a
championship level if he is not a great leader, and
if they don't have great buy in from every player
on their team.

Speaker 1 (01:11:45):
Okay, so my question is this, can McCarthy make him
a great leader? I mean, because they play, you know,
they work for each other in Green Bay. Can you
see a coach that could really make a difference, not
play calling, but controlling that locker room and creating a leader.
All right, I'll tell you right now, I've changed my
stance over the years on Zach Taylor. These players love

(01:12:08):
him in Cincinnati. Hasn't won, they have made the playoffs
in a bunch, But the point is that he didn't
lose his job. Everybody was saying, well, media will say, well,
you know, Mike Brown's not going to fire him because
he's got years on his contract. No, I don't think
that's the reason. I think because he does still come
in respect. The players like him, and that's why he
has not lost that locker room.

Speaker 2 (01:12:28):
Well, I mean, look, it's a big part of it.
And no matter what it is, and no matter how
you go about it, within your own personality, you have
to get a level of buy in from your team.
There has to be the kind of commitment to operate
at a championship level. You got to buy into operating
with those standards, championship standards. You gotta have championship habits.
You also have to have a level of accountability where

(01:12:49):
you hold yourself and others to meeting those standards every day.
When you have the commitment and the accountability within the team,
then you begin to have the trust within the team
and people will share credit, blame all of those things
because they know, Man, I can trust my teammates, they'll
gonna be able to get it done. But if we
don't have all of those things involved, we're not going

(01:13:11):
to operate at the best space. We will win some games,
but we can't win in the championship because ultimately, winning
the championship is about, at some point, overcoming a level
of adversity, a storm that requires you to dig deep.

Speaker 3 (01:13:24):
And the only way you can dig deep is.

Speaker 2 (01:13:26):
To know that the people to the right and left
of you are just as committed, just as devoted, just
as tough as you are in those moments.

Speaker 1 (01:13:33):
And I've seen that now in Cincinnati when Joe Burrow
has gone down, they didn't quit. Maybe they may not
have won, but they didn't quit.

Speaker 2 (01:13:42):
I mean, it's a big part of it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:44):
I'm hearing you're saying, you know, you kind of shed
a new light on this, And I really like that
because I think that too many people, too many sports
fans point fingers, and media people as well, point fingers
where they're not supposed to be pointed in that direction.
I'm learning from you, So we continue in that, all right,
And I love that, I really do. Hey, we're broadcasting

(01:14:04):
life from the Fox Best Radio studios. He's Bucket Brooks.
I'm May Furmanent time right now. It's ya or a
and it's next all right, ya una, coming right up.
It's about ten twelve minutes before the top of the hour.
That would be eight am on the East Coast. And
of course these Bucky Brooks and May firmanive live from
the Fox Sports Radio studios. We're going, yeah and A
coming right up.

Speaker 4 (01:14:24):
Let's do it, Okay, let's figure out rack those brains, gentlemen.

Speaker 1 (01:14:29):
These stories need an ass I.

Speaker 3 (01:14:31):
Think we need a ruling on this.

Speaker 1 (01:14:33):
Yay or nay? All right? MG, are you ready? Are
you ready for y a?

Speaker 4 (01:14:38):
Una?

Speaker 6 (01:14:38):
Yes, sir, let's do it. Let's get into it, all right. Andy.

Speaker 7 (01:14:43):
The mass that choose its port authority announced it will
celebrate the FIFA World Cup by constructing the world's largest
soccer ball.

Speaker 6 (01:14:50):
It's gonna be forty five feet Yeah your name.

Speaker 1 (01:14:53):
I say nay, because you know what, White waste your time,
money and effort. Who cares? Really, people care about the game.
Stop doing these side deals. It's like a side hustle,
that's what it is. We don't need it. Who's gonna
go see it? Really? You know what's gonna happen is
either gonna be destroyed, or someone's gonna put straight paint
on it, or it's gonna be stolen. Really, that that's
what's gonna happen. So don't do it. Don't waste your time.

Speaker 2 (01:15:16):
Yeah, look, I think he's unnecessary. I don't know if
anyone's gonna tune in it that much to check it out, Like,
I don't know if it has venture.

Speaker 6 (01:15:22):
So yeah, I'm good on it, all right, buddy.

Speaker 7 (01:15:26):
For drivers who dread getting caught in traffic without a bathroom,
electric vehicle makers Sears took matters into their own hands.
They patent an on the go toilet hidden right behind
the driver's seat. When nature calls, the driver simply says
start up toilet function, and the sliding seat springs to life,
complete with its own built in fan and exhaust pipe

(01:15:47):
to clear the air.

Speaker 2 (01:15:48):
Yeah, your name, that's a lot in the car. How
big is the car? I mean, I mean it just
seems like a lot. I'm not a fan. Look, there's
always some where we can pull over over that if
you have to. Yeah, yeah, I'm not a fan. I
would not want to be in that car because who's
doing clean the toilet when you do use it? Who's
doing the cleaning?

Speaker 1 (01:16:11):
I'm not a fan of that's in a First of all,
you gotta go pull over to the side of the
road and go. That's basically what you do. That's what
most people do. Really, I mean, come on, bucket, is
that what you do? You go down a side street
at night, no one's seeing you. You just unzip it
and just do it. Right, I'm not doing this in
my car. I don't want any of that stuff in
my car. Really, I'm sorry. Yes, don't have to carry

(01:16:33):
toilet paper in my car right now? You can't be really,
I'd rather wear a diaper than have to do that
in my car.

Speaker 6 (01:16:41):
All right, Andy.

Speaker 7 (01:16:42):
But in Irvine, California, a man was arrested for pulling
off an unusual retail scam. He would purchase Lego sets
from target, carefully remove the valuable minifigures and pieces, sometimes
replace them with the way of dried pasta, and then
return the items for a full refund. The scheme cost
the retailer roughly thirty four thousand dollars before the authorities

(01:17:03):
caught on and booked him.

Speaker 1 (01:17:06):
Yeah, your name, yay, because this is pretty freaking creative. Really,
anytime a guy's created whatever he does, even a criminal,
I like it. This is big and you know legos
are big. Now, Legos a big time money. I don't
play Legos, I don't buy Legos, but I've seen this.
I mean it's expensive to buy a Lego said right now.
So this guy was onto something right there, So I

(01:17:26):
give him a YA with a star next to it.

Speaker 2 (01:17:30):
Yeah, I mean it's that's a lot. I mean it's
a nice scam.

Speaker 3 (01:17:34):
It's a nice scam. Very expensive.

Speaker 2 (01:17:36):
Yeah, I see, I'm not down with it, but that's
off to him for finding a way to maybe avoid
the system.

Speaker 7 (01:17:42):
Weird, all right, and last one here, Bucky, a Michigan
lottery player, said the set of numbers that won him
a one million dollar Power Bowl prize came from an
unusual source, a Zulter fortune telling machine. Stephan Husson, fifty
five years old from Michigan, told lottery officials the numbers

(01:18:03):
he used to buy his take online was the same
digits he had been using for a decade. He said
that thirty years ago he was in Las Vegas and
got a fortune from his old term machine and there
was a lucky set of numbers. So he has been
playing those numbers on lottery games ever since. Twenty four,
twenty nine, thirty two, forty nine, sixty three.

Speaker 1 (01:18:24):
Yeah, your name, let me get the I want to
copy those down because I played a lot of real.

Speaker 2 (01:18:29):
Absolute Look, give him credit for consistency. If you're consistent,
it worked out. His consistency certainly worked out, So pass
off to him.

Speaker 1 (01:18:43):
First of all, this guy's a fool. He goes public
to tell people he did this number one, number two.
Finally he won. He's playing for thirty freaking years. Okay,
it's about time you won. Really how much money? Maybe
he won this thing? He probably just broke even if
I think about that, thirty years to play the guys
that degenerate gamble and within five six years from now

(01:19:06):
will be broke again. Just this, suay that. And secondly,
I have no idea what a z old top fortune
telling machine is. Does anybody do you know?

Speaker 4 (01:19:12):
MG?

Speaker 1 (01:19:13):
Do you know what a Zoltar machine is? I don't
have no idea, No, Bucky, do you know what a
zold to fortune?

Speaker 2 (01:19:19):
I absolutely don't have no idea.

Speaker 1 (01:19:21):
I've never heard of it. I've never seen one. I'm
gonna try to find one. I want to get some numbers.
I don't get it, but you gotta be a degenerate
gambler to do that. They've go to a fortune telling machine,
get numbers, and then go out and play the lottery.
Now that he won, that's probably the worst thing that
could possibly happen to this guy? Right to keep on
playing it? Eventually?

Speaker 2 (01:19:42):
What it is that it will pay those same numbers
will pay off again? Can't be your favorite?

Speaker 1 (01:19:48):
Do you play the lottery at all?

Speaker 5 (01:19:50):
Not?

Speaker 3 (01:19:50):
At all?

Speaker 1 (01:19:51):
I think the best part of playing the lottery is
the dreaming aspect of it if you win? Like, what
are you going to do if you win? MG? Do
you play? Do you play the lottery?

Speaker 6 (01:20:00):
I have not in a while.

Speaker 7 (01:20:02):
Now I don't play it now my money?

Speaker 1 (01:20:06):
What about Patty Patty, you got to play it a
lot of me. I know, you do know if I
already have enough debt, I don't need gambling debts on
my end. Oh really, Bucky doesn't play. I'm like the
only one really. I mean, I enjoy playing the lottery.
I play played the power ball every week, same numbers.
Last week I won four dollars. All right, So we'll
see what happens.

Speaker 2 (01:20:26):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:20:27):
I mean, you know, if I win, I think I'll
just give it away. That's what I want to do,
you know, charity and stuff like that. You know, that's
what I want to do to win the lottery. But
I don't want to have my name announced that I want.
I don't want to do that either. I want to
do it very quietly. Pay an attorney to pick it
up for me, so get some big money. We'll see. Anyway,
we'll do that. This mandate there's a mandate now in

(01:20:50):
the NFL. It's ended. But why we'll do that and
so much more on Fox Sports Sunday, coming up right
here on Fox Radio next, keep it air. All right,
did the program really work? We'll get to that in
just about a minute. Come on, everybody, this is Fox
Sports Sunday on Fox Sports Radio. He's Bucky Bucks and
many firm will introduced the man. In just about a minute,

(01:21:11):
we're broadcasting live and the Fox Sports Radio studios and
right away, right away, right now, be sure to subscribe
to the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox
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Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube and subscribe. Okay,

(01:21:32):
get the music ready now please for Bucky Brooks. All right,
here we go the man himself, mister football coach, author, writer,
whatever it may be, scout and everything else in the world.
And at a great guy, a great husband and father,
the one and only Bucky Brooks, my partner. Hello, Buck,
how are you?

Speaker 3 (01:21:51):
What's going on for?

Speaker 2 (01:21:52):
What's that? Man?

Speaker 1 (01:21:53):
Everything is great? Everything is And by the way, our
guy Magic Mark Okay, Mark Ramsey Okay, kind of gets
us on the air every single week. He found out
what a Zoltar thing was. What was that Zoltar thing
we were talking about with the lottery tickets? You found
that out right? Where were you? What we needed you?
I was were you?

Speaker 8 (01:22:10):
I was over here running the bords if we don't crash, Okay,
thank you. Anyway, I think it's a carnival machine that
gives out numbers. I think it might have been featured
in the movie with Tom Hanks Big.

Speaker 1 (01:22:22):
Oh, that's right, that's right. I did see Big. Yeah,
that's when Tom Hanks was playing that major with his
feet of playing the piano, but dancing on a piano.
Remember that that scene?

Speaker 6 (01:22:32):
Remember that?

Speaker 1 (01:22:32):
Yes, yes, very good, thank you, thank you very much,
thank you, thank you. Okay, go back in your corner
right now. Okay, Now, there was a rule in the
National Football League, Bucket Brooks, and you'll know that I
had no idea. The NFL ended a mandate that all
thirty two teams hire a minority coach as an offensive
assistant before the twenty twenty five season. I don't get.

(01:22:55):
I mean, I never heard of this rule before. And
how come no other sport has it? And where's the
players Association or anybody else to kind of enforce this rule?
Help me out here, I mean, zoom me in. Let's
focus on this list. I didn't even know there was
a rule to hire a minority coach as an oc
an offensive an assistant coach. I thought, just a head cauch.

(01:23:15):
When did this come about.

Speaker 2 (01:23:18):
It came about because people were trying to populate the
pipeline for minority coaches in the league that is seventy
percent black. They're trying to make sure that there's proper
representation on the sideline that reflects the images of the league.
And because most of the coaches that are hired as
head coaches are coming from the offense side of the ball,
and at the time, I think there's only one black

(01:23:41):
offensive coordinator, one minority coordinator on the offense side of
the ball. The league was trying to level the playing
field to give minority is an opportunity to advance up
the ranks.

Speaker 3 (01:23:52):
And even though you can't guarantee.

Speaker 2 (01:23:54):
That an owner is going to hire someone of color
to represent at the highest position, what you're trying to
do is have enough people in the pipeline that he
does have options. Given the league's tendency to hire people
that are around the quarterback meaning quarterback coaches, offensive coordinators,
offensive assistants, anyone that's been on the offense side of
the ball, typically flies up the ladder quicker than defensive guys,

(01:24:19):
just because of the perception that we have on quarterbacks
and those things. And so it was a league wide
initiative where they were trying to increase the chances of
minorities being in prime positions to get hired. Ultimately, they
just shut it down, but that was the intent behind
the move.

Speaker 1 (01:24:36):
Well they shut it down. I didn't even know if
it were. But let me run this spire. Number one.
Have you seen the fact that they want to do this?
Number One? Why isn't it done in Major League Baseball
or the National Basketball Association, which I would think maybe
there are more athletes of color in the NBA per
capita than there are in the National Football League, don't

(01:24:57):
you think, I know there's more people there, butster in football.

Speaker 2 (01:25:00):
Yeah, but they don't have an issue when it comes
to minority hearings that head coach or the general manager
position like in that league it has been.

Speaker 3 (01:25:08):
A more diverse hiring.

Speaker 2 (01:25:12):
Pattern, and so that's why they don't have to put
these initiatives in to encourage people to at least interview
those minorities or whatever. And so before people hit me
with qualifications in those things like they want to hire
the best person in YadA, YadA, YadA. The league has
looked at the numbers and they're just trying to figure

(01:25:33):
out why there's such a disparity between those that are
on the field and those that are on the sideline,
and they're trying to level the playing field to make
sure that representation exists at every area.

Speaker 1 (01:25:45):
Okay, help me out here. You're involved almost on a
daily basis with an NFL team, do you see or
even when you played, is there a relatable factor between
white coaches and players of color team? I never knew
there was such a thing that existed. Maybe it is
more of a relationship if there's a coach of color

(01:26:07):
with players of color. I don't know. Help me out
with this.

Speaker 2 (01:26:10):
Well, I mean, like, let's go all the way back,
Like we're going to talk about a systemic issue that
goes back to the sixties, where there was segregation that
existed not only at the collegiate ranks, but in the
pro ranks where you didn't have black players. Black players
weren't allowed to play certain positions. There was a time

(01:26:30):
in the league where black players couldn't play center, quarterback,
middle linebacker because they were the so called thinking man's position,
and there was a stereotype that minorities couldn't think, couldn't process,
couldn't operate at the highest level. And coaches, if you
look back at history, coaches traditionally come from those positions.

(01:26:52):
They call them positions of centrality because they have so
much responsibility over the course of the game. So quarterback, centers, linebackers,
free safeties, they have more responsibilities where naturally when you
select coaches, you select coaches from those spots. Now, given
the quarterback position and how popular the quarterback position is,
how we talk about it being the most important position.

(01:27:13):
We give a lot of credit to those who either
call plays for the quarterback or help the quarterback grow.
Because of that, those guys then are send to head
coaching roles. And so all of this is a direct
reaction to some of the indirect actions that prevented players
from maybe a send minorities from ascending into those roles.

(01:27:38):
And so they were trying to create opportunities for those
guys to get experience and for those guys to be
around owners so they could view them in leadership positions
and say, oh, this guy may be qualified to be
a head coach, not saying that you have to hire
the guy, but you're putting people in positions to be
able to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:27:57):
All right, So have you heard or is there anything
on records saying that a coach or a candidate of
color did not get the job because of a skin color.
Have you heard that?

Speaker 2 (01:28:10):
I mean, but people tend to hire people that are
like themselves. People tend to hire people that have familiar
stories to those that they have. And so in a
league where you don't have any minority owners, with the
exception of Sha Khan, what they're trying to do is
to give owners an opportunity to see and meet people

(01:28:30):
that aren't from their necessary backgrounds. And you're hoping that
when you take that away, like, hey, let's let me
open my mind up to maybe meeting somebody who's not
exactly like me, who doesn't look like me, who didn't
have my background or experiences. Maybe I can find a
common denominator and maybe I like this person as a

(01:28:50):
potential leader of my team. Now I'm gonna say this,
there's no direct conversation where people conspire to say like, hey,
we're not going to have any minority owners or any
minorities in these positions. But what I will say is
you're trying to enhance the opportunities that are affwarded to them,
no different than we've seen, uh an influx of women

(01:29:12):
who are participating in football roles, enhance football roles at
our higher level, whether it's scouting, whether it's coaching, whether
it's in various positions within personnel departments.

Speaker 3 (01:29:23):
You've seen that, we've seen that grow.

Speaker 2 (01:29:26):
And so what they're trying to make sure that it's
not an either or proposition or hire a woman or
a person of color, is oh, let's open up the
playing field for everybody to participate in this game and
to have opportunities to have roles on the field and
off the field.

Speaker 1 (01:29:44):
Okay, was it ever enforced? Was this mandate ever enforced?

Speaker 2 (01:29:47):
I don't think until I don't think. I don't think
it was. It wasn'tn enforcible thing. I want you to
think about it as a fellowship program. So let's think
about scholarships or in cnships that are directly related to
people's backgrounds. Right, so, like whatever your background is, whatever

(01:30:07):
your ethnicity is, whatever your religious domination, whatever, Like, say
they were scholarships or fellowships offer that person with this background,
you have an opportunity to experience this thing. What they
were trying to do is create those opportunities for minority
and women to be able to serve in certain roles
and capacities. They are now doing away with some of

(01:30:27):
those programs, and some of that is at the behest
of the cure in administration, who's doing away with DEI programs, diversity,
equity and inclusion and so in a way to get
out of that phray, the League has quietly removed some
of those things so they can continue to operate without
having the scope on them as if they're doing something

(01:30:48):
that is considered funny business or whatever by some people.

Speaker 1 (01:30:52):
Okay, And you make a great point there, because in
this situation, apparently what I was reading about it, the
league was funding they will funding I guess the ball
clubs to hire a minority so that they were pay
So the scholarship situation, yes.

Speaker 2 (01:31:09):
So it's a scholarship of fellowship, That's what I'm talking about.
So they have various of those initiatives. And you know
the interesting thing about those fellowships and scholarships, it's not
just benefiting people of color. Women are also benefiting from
these opportunities, and so what they're trying to do is
the league recognizes that a diverse environment, a diverse work environment,

(01:31:33):
being around people with divergent thoughts, different thoughts, different backgrounds,
is better for the overall league. We live in a
world that is a kaleidoscope, and so what you're trying
to do is create similar things that when you look
at the game, you see something that's reflective of our
country and beyond, and so they're trying to level that up.

(01:31:53):
They're trying to provide these opportunities for others. And recently
there's been a turn, obviously given the amount of I
won't say attacks, but I would say the wiping away
the removal of some of the DEI programs that existed
within companies and others that the league is quietly following

(01:32:15):
suit because it has been such an angst and some
consternation behind people talking about, well, that's not fair to others,
everyone should be or whatever. So it's a lot of
what aboutism that has existed to wipe those programs away.

Speaker 1 (01:32:31):
But have you seen coaches of color getting more respect
or maybe be able to sell what they offer to
players of color better so than maybe white coaches. Have
you seen that. I mean, I never heard of that before, but.

Speaker 3 (01:32:49):
I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:32:51):
Relatability and all those things seems from so much more
beyond than just race.

Speaker 3 (01:32:56):
Engender in those things.

Speaker 2 (01:32:58):
Ultimately, players like to being around coaches that they feel
like can make them better. They feel like that can
help them advance their careers, master the skills that they're
learning to help become a contributing member of a championship team.
That said, because of what I talked about in the
sixties and seventies, like there hasn't been the same kind
of things where you've seen a very diverse coaching staff.

(01:33:23):
It is rare that you see a very diverse coaching
staff of all types. And I'm not just saying racial
diversity or whatever. I'm just saying a diverse coaching staff
and an effort to kind of open it up to
provide an opportunity to have diverse thoughts, opinions, backgrounds, perspectives

(01:33:44):
in those things. They have tried to encourage to have
others involved in the process because it allows you, maybe
as an organization, to have a better understanding of those
who are playing for you. And my experience is different
than your experience. So we can have two different thoughts
on a story, but my experiences may lead me to

(01:34:06):
take one take, where your experiences and background may lead
you to have another take. And what you hope is
that as a group and as a community community, we
can have a discussion to better understand why certain things
may affect certain players, whoever they are and whatever background
they come from. So you try to populate your room,

(01:34:26):
your staff with enough different people that we can serve
the players the best that we can to ensure that
they can be the best version of themselves.

Speaker 1 (01:34:35):
I think the bottom line is just a comfort level.
What do I mean by that? But I've traveled with
teams most of my life, and I've seen that after
the games, usually the white players would go out and
the players of color would go out together. Not because
of not enjoying one other's companies. They just feel comfortable
with the group that they are in. That's what it is, right,

(01:34:56):
I would say that. I mean, every once in a
while there's mixed groups, for sure about that, but more
often than not, they would state that they would hang together. Right,
That's what they did after the games. We're gonna go
off for dinner. Three or four guys go together. Guys
of color would go together. Some of the white guys
are going together. Once in a while, they'd mix and
they all go together.

Speaker 2 (01:35:13):
They do that.

Speaker 1 (01:35:14):
But isn't that the way it was even when you played?
And you see it now maybe in Jacksonville.

Speaker 2 (01:35:19):
I mean, I guess speak of Jacksville in particularly because
I'm not in the locker room. But I will say this, typically,
just like hiring, we tend to surround ourselves with our
own people from our own trap. And it doesn't mean
necessarily rachel like typically the old line hangs out with
the old line, the DB's hang out with the dbs.
Now we talk about a league that can be seventy

(01:35:42):
to seventy five percent black, where you're going to see
some things when it comes to separate in terms of
like what positions, what rooms, what position rooms are more
black than that or whatever. That doesn't mean that there's
this open thing where ay, all the black guys go
over here, all the white guys and other guys go here, etc. Etc.
And to hang with our tribes, and those tribes can

(01:36:04):
have a cross sectional part of it, where it is positional.

Speaker 3 (01:36:08):
Sometimes it's ethnicity.

Speaker 2 (01:36:09):
Sometimes it's just background and perspectives and interests.

Speaker 3 (01:36:13):
It just depends, and.

Speaker 2 (01:36:13):
So it look it varies, and I think what you're
trying to do. The best teams that I've been on,
everyone kind of operates and everyone exists. And the thing
about the locker room, the locker room is one of
the few places where people do get along. People can
have different political thoughts and interests but still set all
of those things aside and operate as one and have

(01:36:35):
brothers that do think different ways about different things and
still coexist. And what the league and what people organizations
have been trying to create is a very diverse workplace
where everyone cannot only get along, but we can learn
from one another given our ability to relate to different
backgrounds and experiences.

Speaker 1 (01:36:56):
Yeah, I think that's great. Really do did you know
a coach Brandon M Kenneth Black Black. I was looking
this up the other day and it looked like he
was a former NFL assistant coach. He got a start
through this hiring mandate. He was an assistant with the
LA Rams back in twenty twenty two, and then coach
Sean McVay promoted Black before the twenty three season to

(01:37:16):
be an offensive assistant, and he worked with the wide
receivers all right, But then the discontinued the hiring requirement
and he left the Rams to follow defensive coordinated Rahie
Morris to the Atlanta Falcons in a full time role
as an offensive assistant. All right. So he did get
a start doing that, so kind of like he got
that scholarship so to speak, paid by the league, started

(01:37:38):
working and Sean McVay hired him and away he went.
So I think it's a good thing, I really do.
I don't know why I would discontinue that. I mean,
there are people out there thinking it's favoritism. I get it,
you know, like they're giving someone a break. No one's
going to get a job if they don't know what
the hell they're talking about, right, I Mean, let's face,
I don't care what color you are, red, green, purple,

(01:37:59):
or black. You're not going to get a job at
coaching in the National Football League if you don'tant anything
about football. That's just the bottom line.

Speaker 2 (01:38:06):
Really, Yeah, Look, there's a lot to that. Like typically,
what I would say is in civilian workplaces, we talk
about it's not what you know is who you know.
Most of us When we get jobs, we're put on
by people who know us, who can vouch for us,
and who can advocate for us. Well, if we don't

(01:38:26):
have the opportunity to penetrate those walls where we have
people that know us, who can speak for us. Because
it is rare that someone can look at a resume,
It is rare for someone who can contact your references
and say, hey man, this is the right person for it.
Normally you want a personal touch, someone that can personally say,
hey man, and he's a great dude, he'd be great
for you and your organization. Here's what he did for us.

(01:38:50):
If you don't know the people in the circle, it's
hard to penetrate the circle. And what the League was
trying to do was to open up the circle to
others who may not already be inclusive or included in
the process.

Speaker 1 (01:39:04):
I would say this, There's been a lot of talk
about the Rooney rule, and I don't know if it's
been successful or not. I don't even know if it worked,
but I would think that Art Rooney, who kind of
mastermind that rule, I think he was a genius because
he realized, I really, you know, you have a league
that's seventy five percent or more of players of color.
You got to like incorporate some of those same color
people in that league to coach those people because it's relatability,

(01:39:28):
and they do relate to it. I mean, I don't
get it. I mean, why was Rooney getting so much
heat for his routey rule number one and number two?
Did it even really work? I don't think it worked,
did you?

Speaker 3 (01:39:38):
I mean, well, look, I don't look, I don't think.

Speaker 2 (01:39:41):
I don't know what kind of impact it had or
how much it can work, because ultimately, you cannot make
an owner hire anybody, and that is the thing. The
owner is going to hire who he needs to be
the most qualified, who he's most comfortable running his billion
dollar franchise. That's it. What you're trying to do is
you trying to have a networking opportunity where people can

(01:40:04):
see and engage with people that they normally wouldn't see
or normally wouldn't cross in their path of life. And
so in doing that, you're hopeful that some of those conversations,
some of those newfound relationships lead to opportunities. You can't
guarantee anything, but what you're hoping that it does lead
to some hiring so the sidelines better reflect some of

(01:40:24):
diversity that you see on the field. And I'm gonna
say this because people typically counter, well, how come there
aren't more white people or white players in the dB
rooms or wide receiver or whatever. I don't know, I
don't know why that is. Like obviously, if we're talking
about like people being qualified in those things, you would

(01:40:45):
think that if those guys could play, they would certainly
be there, and vice versa. In the end, the league
would like a kaleidoscope of people participating in the game
in whatever capacity to whatever roles that are open and
available to them. We'll just see if it continues to
expand where we see this or whatever typically their ebbs

(01:41:05):
and flows in the hiring cycle. We'll just see what
it looks like going forward.

Speaker 1 (01:41:09):
Yeah, and I'll say this, I mean, people don't realize
that there's a good portion of players and players who
retire that don't want to coach. You know, players of
color who leave the game are set for life financially,
and say, you know what, I may have had the
opportunity to coach, I don't want to do it. I mean,
you know I've done that, been there, done that I
want to relax, I want to go fishing. I don't

(01:41:30):
want to coach. I don't want to work around the
clock for seven days a week. I mean, I could
see that, right. I'm sure some guys have been offered
a coaching position by the by the coaches, the coaching staff,
but you know they say thanks, but no, thanks, I
don't want to do it.

Speaker 2 (01:41:44):
Uh yeah. But like also, and I'm to say this
because I noticed you mentioned like players that are walking
away from the league. I'm not saying that you have
to play in the league to be a coach. Here's
what I'll say an observation of mine that I've seen. Typically,
guys who have played in the league of any ethnicity,
they typically have coaching staffs that are diverse because they've
been exposed to a lot of different people during their

(01:42:07):
walk in the league. You look at Dan Campbell's staff,
you look at some of the other guys who have
played in the league. Just look at their coaching staffs
and look at how diverse they are.

Speaker 3 (01:42:16):
We talk about exposure. Exposure leads to.

Speaker 2 (01:42:21):
Expanded horizons that then may allow you to hire somebody
that you wouldn't have normally known in another walk of life.
And so when we talk about those things being reflective
of the locker room and the field and all that,
it's exposure. Exposure leads to a changing dynamic. When we
are around different people, we learn from them and in

(01:42:42):
time our perspectives changed, and so the league was trying
to potentially change some perspectives at exposure that leads to
maybe a different set of hires as we go down
the road.

Speaker 1 (01:42:54):
When you mentioned Dave Campbell Staff, that's not a coincidence.
He wanted it that way. He wanted to be a
kind of I mean, and he knows that it's successful
when it is more diverse, right, I mean, it was
a coincidence. He just did that. He intentionally wanted to
do that.

Speaker 2 (01:43:09):
I mean true for sure.

Speaker 1 (01:43:10):
Sure, Yeah, all right, very well said I like that.
He's Bucky Brooks on Andy Ferman. We're broadcasting live for
the Fox Sports Radio studios. By the way, you get
Bookie on X that bucket Brooks that Andy Ferman FSR
or eight seven seven ninety nine one Fox. That's eight
seven seven nine ninety six sixty three sixty nine. We've
got the blame game in this hour. But one college
football coach exposes the wild West. That's next, all right,

(01:43:33):
just call it the Field of Dreams. We'll explain that
in just about a minute. Good morning, everybody. This is
Fox Sports Sunny Fox Sports Radio. He's Bucky Brooks on
Andy Furman and we're live from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
And by the way, if you missed any of today's show,
you want to catch the podcast, just search Fox Sports
Radio wherever you get your podcasts. Right after the show,
today's podcast we'll be posted. Be sure to follow the

(01:43:55):
podcast rated five stars. You can even provide a review. Again.
Just search Fox Shorts Radio wherever you get your podcasts,
following the feed, and you'll find today's full show posted
right after we get off the air. All right, we're
going to get the blame game at about ten minutes
from now. But I will want to talk about this
with you because Deon Sanders came around and he said

(01:44:16):
that he sees scars on his kids should door's back
the way he was treated as an NFL rookie last year,
and I got to say, you know, I get it.
You know, he didn't have a great time of it.
He was kind of dumped down there in the draft.
But a lot of that stuff I think may have
been self imposed. What do you think about that, Buck.

Speaker 2 (01:44:36):
Look, I think there's a mix of like if we're
talking about trying to assign blame there, Look, they're a
handful of people that are responsible for all of this.

Speaker 3 (01:44:46):
I think obviously in the media, we certainly made it.

Speaker 2 (01:44:49):
A big deal for Shadur, given his status, given his popularity,
given the clickbait and how easy it was to generate
interest by having discussions about him then the pri the
draft process, but also what Schadur did on or off
the field, how he handled the interviews or whatever. There
was obviously something that took place that led to a

(01:45:09):
dramatic and significant fall down the charts on draft day.
Many people expected them if he wasn't gonna be a
first round they expected him to be drafted in the
second at the latest the third round, even on them
whatever for him to land in the fifth round. People
feel felt some kind of way about him, maybe some
kind of way about his dad or whatever, you know,

(01:45:31):
coach Prime or whatever. But it is what it is.
And I think when he talked about those scars and
those things on his back is Look, it was a
tough period for him, and then when you throw in Cleveland,
and whether Kevin Stefanski did or didn't want him, how
they treated him, the reps to play in time, all
that other stuff like, however it played out, he.

Speaker 3 (01:45:52):
Certainly experienced his fair share of adversity.

Speaker 2 (01:45:55):
Now, when you go through those things, and you go
through those storms, you can be very resilient and even
more embolden. On the other side, we will see how
this positively impacted Shularie Sanders and if he does play
like he hopes, and how coach Prime and everybody wants,
there'd be a lot of talking from that camp going

(01:46:15):
back to the people that doubted or question his ability
to be a starting quarterback in the league.

Speaker 1 (01:46:21):
I think she still got a break up. But Todd
Mounkin is a new coach, I really do. I think
it's gonna help him a little bit. But you know,
you talk about parents, okay, and parenting. I think Deon
Sanders is a prime example of what they call a
helicopter parent. He should back off. I mean, look, as
I say, some of the stuff was self imposed, but
he said, and Dion said, some of the ignorant things
that came out of the pre draft was like some

(01:46:41):
of it was a lie. He said he would never
go into a meeting with headphones on, and they said
he was. He would never go into a meeting unprepared.
I'm sure he was prepared. That's not who he was.
There's no way he could accomplish the things he accomplished
without being prepared. You know. It's great that a dad
wants to stick up for his kid. I get that
in any walk of life, you know, but sometimes you
got to back off. But Shador even said that much

(01:47:02):
of the scrutiny that followed him from the NFL Combine
through the draft was because of that, because of what
would that have to say. Look, he's a proud that
he certainly is. Dean's a proud that he played in
the league. That son's playing in the league. That's a
pretty big deal. But sometimes you just got to let
things happen, you know. But now with Monkins coach, I
think it's a bit of deal.

Speaker 2 (01:47:23):
Yeah, let's say this because let's just talk about it,
because this situation is similar, even though there's slight differences.
So coach Prime is a coach. Coach Prime certainly coach
his son, which will make it different. But there's a
relationship that coach Prime has with other people in the
league where he can advocate advice, talk about, discuss openly
his sons, pros, constraints, weaknesses, whatever you want to do it.

(01:47:46):
There was a conversation that they said Todd Simpson was drafted.
A lot had to do it Lesnee's relationship with his dad,
who is a KA coach at University of Tennessee at Martin.
Now we don't talk about the dad backing off. We
don't talk about that situation, so like either we don't
want dads to be involved or we do want dads

(01:48:07):
to be involved. A lot of this has to deal
with Dion's nature, the polarization that coach Prime has in general,
because people don't like the way that he gets down.
The flashiness to flamboyance, to confidence, whatever that is his
aura drive some people crazy. And ultimately, I believe, this
is my opinion that that worked against should do her

(01:48:30):
in some way, shape or form, that there was something
to a I don't like his dad. I definitely not
gonna like the sun. Whereas in other cases it can
be a benefit. Normally, legacy in that league is positive.
For whatever reason, it was not positive for sure Der.

Speaker 1 (01:48:47):
Sanders, I agree with you. I mean, I remember when
Dion played for the Cincinnati Reds. I love Deon Sanders.
I think it was great. I think he's great for
the game. But I gotta believe, and maybe I'm way
off face on this. I think there are college coaches
in the professional right now that can't stand him and
love it when he loses. I really believe that they
just don't.

Speaker 2 (01:49:04):
Let the night. Yeah, I mean there's plenty. I mean
there's that. I mean there's always gonna be that. Like
if you don't have any haters, you're not popping, Like
you have to be really good to have haters. Otherwise
if you suck, no one would really care about it.
And so it's no different coach Prime Lane Kiffin, any
of those scenes. When you are good at what you do,

(01:49:24):
you're gonna get some of that. Now people will question, well,
he's not a good coach, but I always say counter
to that, like, look, you want a ton of games
at Jackson State, so he certainly can coach. He led
Colorado to a thing, he has shown flashes of being
able to coach at a major program, etc. And when
you do that and when you're successful They are always
going to be critics and that's just a part of it.

(01:49:47):
And so whether it's the power depend from media guys,
whether it's coaching colleagues or peers or counterparts, you're always
going to have that. And as a coach and as
a leader, you're got to be confident in yourself and
the way that you get down that it doesn't matter,
because that's all that matters, bottom line, and how you
do with your people.

Speaker 1 (01:50:03):
You know what I need. I need more haters. That's
what I need. I need some haters too. But let
me ask it is the Cleveland Browns right now. They
got four quarterbacks on the contract for this year, but
got Sanders for sure, Deshaun Watson, Dylan Gabriel, Taylor Green,
the kid out of Arkansas. So where does he stand?
Does he get a fresh shot with the new coach Monkin?

(01:50:23):
Does he stop from square one? I think Deshaun Watson's
got the upper hand right now just because of the
money they're paying him.

Speaker 2 (01:50:30):
Yeah, that money's gonna be paid regardless. I think it's
a true competition, a rare competition. Munkin is in an
interesting seat because he recruited Sanders when he was at Georgia.
He knows him, He knows the family really well, all
those things. He is seeing Deshaun Watson operate at his
best before the injuries and before the scandal, when he

(01:50:52):
was a multiple time pro bowler. If this is a
clean slate and you allow those guys to compete, man,
you might see the best versions of both of them.
And that could create like a bit of a controversy
because how do you handle this going forward? If you
hand the ball to Deshaun Watson, you talking about him
being in the final year.

Speaker 3 (01:51:10):
Of his deal and those things. What are we doing.

Speaker 2 (01:51:13):
Is it going to be the face of the franchise
going forward? Or do we kick the tires on shooters?
And is in see what his long term potential is.
Is he legitimately a franchise quarterback. There are a lot
of discussions that have to take place in that building.
And I know that the tide has turned where we're
talking about, Oh, Deshaun Watson can be the starter. It's
interesting that that's where we're at right now. But yeah,

(01:51:34):
as a competition between a veteran and a young guy,
we'll see who wins.

Speaker 1 (01:51:38):
Okay, now this is right up your rally. Because you
played the game sort of the other day, I said,
I can't wait to ask Bucket this question. NFL players
right now they're watching some of the stadiums that they
play and get new gress fields wide. They're being installed
for the upcoming fietth of World Cup games. So now
I guess most of these players say, hey, if they
could get it, why can't wait? They want to move
away from turf. I don't know why they they don't

(01:52:01):
do it. I get money's a factor for sure. Fifteen
are the thirty NFL stadiums use some sort of artificial
turf for football games. Players have become more vocal in
recent years, as you know about their desire to play
on grass, not only play on grass, maybe even small grass.
But that's another story. But the point is that I
would say that you're paying these guys big money, you
don't want it to be injured. There's more of a

(01:52:22):
chance of them being injured, I think on turf than
on grass because grass bends with you, gives, and it's softer, right,
So why don't they do it? I guess money's the answer,
But there's got to be a movement now they're doing
it for the soccer, FIFA World Cup. Why don't they
do it for the NFL.

Speaker 2 (01:52:37):
Well, they don't do it because owners like to maximize
their value. And when you think about those stadiums, what
they're doing is, okay, we have them eight or nine
games throughout the course.

Speaker 3 (01:52:47):
Of the fall.

Speaker 2 (01:52:48):
Well, I need to figure out how to keep these
lights on, how to keep paying these bills. So I
need to have other things rodeos and monster trucks and
other events. Well, the best way to deal with all
those events and says, if I have turf, I don't
have to consistently reside the field or white people away
and do those things. That's what it is. It's a
money maker, a revenue generator for owners, but the players

(01:53:13):
don't get any of that money, and the players at
risk because they're adversely effected by playing on turf compared
to grass. That's what we have, and so it's going
to be part of the negotiation. If they want more
grass fields and those things, the players are going to
have to concede in other areas that owners are looking
to advance the CBA agreement.

Speaker 1 (01:53:31):
I got a quick question though the Pittsburgh Steelers where
they play, is that grass or turf because they'll play
high school football or college football there on Saturday, and
the Steelers play there on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (01:53:43):
I think it's grass. Now, I don't think it's a
real turf. I'm not really. Yeah, I think it's grass.

Speaker 1 (01:53:51):
I do two because when I see the Steelers on Sunday,
it looks like that feels pretty well chopped up, which
is probably grass because they have a college football game,
usually a pit he's usually playing there on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (01:54:02):
Uh yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:54:04):
Chrazier Stadium is oh Tom.

Speaker 2 (01:54:09):
Tahoma thirty one in Bermuda grass cole tolerant hybrid of
bermuda and bluegrass.

Speaker 1 (01:54:15):
All right, there we go, but we'll see I'd love
to see it grass because I think it's better. It's
better for the players, and you know, if the players
deserve it, they really do. So we'll see what's going
to be a give and take situation right there. All right,
he's Bucky Brooks, I'm iny firmaware, live from the Fox
Sports radio studios, and there's plenty to go around there.
Really is, it's time? What is it? The blame game

(01:54:36):
is freaking next? All right, blame game time right here
on Fox Sports Sunday, he's Bucky Brooks. How many firmaware?
Live from the Fox Sports Radio studios, I tell you
what blame game. But the top of the hour, which
is about twelve minutes away, you'll have countdown with Brian No,
Bill Krakenberger and Jeff Schwartz right here at nine o'clock

(01:54:56):
Eastern time on Fox Sports Radio. But right now it's
time for game.

Speaker 3 (01:55:00):
You ruin me.

Speaker 1 (01:55:01):
It's all your fault. Due, it's your fault. It is
all your fault. Maybe it's everyone's fault. Who don't see
the liar. That's why there's the.

Speaker 2 (01:55:14):
Blame game, the blame game.

Speaker 1 (01:55:15):
Let's figure out who to blame. Blame game? All right, MG,
to playing game. Let's get it going. Let's not with
Bucky Brooks. I want to hit Bucky. I really do.

Speaker 6 (01:55:23):
Let's go, MG, Let's do it Bucky.

Speaker 7 (01:55:27):
The USA national team has not won a World Cup
title since nineteen thirty.

Speaker 6 (01:55:33):
Who do you blame?

Speaker 2 (01:55:35):
Yeah, everybody associated with the program in fact that they
have one. It's problematic. Not picking the right players, not
the great coaches, don't play the right style, just don't
match up with the world. It's embarrassing. But it has
to change. It has to change quickly.

Speaker 1 (01:55:51):
You know who I blame. I blame the sport of son.
No one cares. No one cares all of a sudden,
now they care about the MLS. They're going through the games. Okay,
I get it, Hey, but the people that go are
in athletes. They never played the game. And if you
check the stands, most of the people in the stands
are foreign is. They're Europeans who brought up with soccer. Americans. Really,
you know, you know what soccer is. It's a way

(01:56:13):
for a soccer mom off to get into the van
and the jeep and take the kids over there for
a couple of hours to run around. That's what soccer is.
No one cares. Really, they care about NBA. They care
about the NFL. That's what they care about in this country.
That's what I always care about.

Speaker 2 (01:56:29):
Do it live?

Speaker 1 (01:56:30):
Yeah? Sorry?

Speaker 6 (01:56:33):
Andy.

Speaker 7 (01:56:34):
The Mets, with one of the biggest, if not the
biggest payroll in baseball can't find their way.

Speaker 2 (01:56:39):
Who do you blame?

Speaker 1 (01:56:41):
You know what, though, I blame Bucky Brooks because fucking
gave me the answer for that. I really do. Because
they got great players, they got a big fat bank roll,
but they don't have a leader. That's probably the reason
why they don't have a leader. And the manager's not
leading that. That's the key right there. I'm surprised the
manager has at goutten candy yet, I really am. I mean,
they got to get a guy to put the guys
together watching a straight line and do what they gotta

(01:57:03):
do and win ball games are not when he ballgames.
They got the talent to do it, but they're not
doing it.

Speaker 2 (01:57:08):
Yeah, I mean it takes a lot. I mean, look,
this a chemistry experiment. Do you have enough talent and
the right people to operate as one? And right now
the mass haven't shown the ability to do that. It's
unfortunate because they should be a fun, dynamic team to watch.
They just aren't.

Speaker 6 (01:57:24):
Bucky. We got nine international football games.

Speaker 7 (01:57:28):
That's bad enough, But Thanksgiving Eve and three games on
Christmas Day.

Speaker 6 (01:57:34):
We're signed for family. Who do you blame?

Speaker 2 (01:57:37):
No, I don't blame anybody. I think the NFL gets
it right. I think everyone knows that football brings families together. Normally,
we're going to open up the Presidents and do all
that early in the morning, so we got plenty of
time to enjoy a tripleheader on Christmas Day, and then look,
the night before Christmas, what are we doing. We're sitting
around trying to find old Nutcracker episodes and things to watch.

(01:57:59):
What you're saying out the chimney, Yeah, this is perfect,
It's great. I am happy that there's so many games
over the holidays.

Speaker 1 (01:58:07):
You know, this is a funny question. I'll tell you
why they had three or four games of NBA games
on Christmas last year. No one says squad because either
no one cares, no one's watching them because they're meaningless
games that no one cares about the NBA until the
NBA Finals, they really don't. That's basically the deal. So
now all of a sudden, the NFL has got three
games on Christmas Day and everybody's going crazy, jumping through

(01:58:28):
the roof. You know what, you don't want to watch it,
don't watch it, but I think it's great. You want
to blame somebody, Blame the Oldmighty dollar, the green cabbage.
That's what it's all about. You know, you make money.
That's what the business is.

Speaker 2 (01:58:39):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:58:39):
The bottom line is that the NFL is a great game.
Football is a great game. But at the end of
the day, it's a business and they're making some big money.
And the fact that the NBA used to have that
day they no longer have it. Move aside NBA that
belongs to the NFL.

Speaker 6 (01:58:52):
Now whoa all right?

Speaker 7 (01:58:56):
I like this one a lot right here, Andy, who's
going to hold the ball club for ransom longer?

Speaker 6 (01:59:02):
Lebron James or Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 1 (01:59:04):
Well that's over now. Aaron just signed. So it's gotta
be Lebron right now, I guess. But I don't think
he's at a hold of riz. I think Lebron's gonna
make a decision real soon. I think that the LA Lakers,
if they want it beat, they're gonna have to grovel
a little bit. Not so much the money, but yeah,
I have to apologize because he was disrespected, he says.
Reports say that he was disrespected. But you know what,

(01:59:25):
for a final goal around that it may very well
be his final goal around. I love to see him
go to a big well, a big market. LA is
a big market, but I just not appreciated it. Better
go to the Knicks. I'd like to see him go
to the New York Knicks.

Speaker 2 (01:59:39):
I would like to see him go back home, like
if he's gonna finish it off. I think he needs
to make the world Tour, go back finishing in Cleveland,
help them try and win. I don't know how it
can be constructed, but look, why not go back three times?

Speaker 6 (01:59:51):
All right, Bucky? In last one here?

Speaker 7 (01:59:54):
College football playoff twenty four games? Really, who do you blame?

Speaker 2 (01:59:58):
Oh? I like? I like twenty fourteen player off and
the reason why is because it's a true champion. I'm
not in love with bowl games. I look at the
bowl games. Did that even have full their quarter four?
No one pays attention to them. So let's throw all
our energy and making it the best playoff situation that
we can. And plus they already do it at lower levels.
It makes sense they understand how to do this.

Speaker 1 (02:00:18):
You know, I'm gonna go back here. Sometimes more is better,
not less is more. Maybe more is better. I think
the twenty four games is great. A you'll find a
true champion. I love that number two. You can throw
up bowl games. You know, no one goes to the
Domino Pizza Bowl. Really, I mean it's over, forget about it.
The players don't even play. The players don't even play

(02:00:39):
in those games. They really don't. So this is going
to be pretty good. I like it and I love football,
love college football. So play on, play on, young man. Okay,
fuck you have a great week. MG, thank you so much.
You've got the Countdown coming up next right here where
on Fox Sports Radio. See you next week.

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Crime Junkie

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Andy Furman & Bucky Brooks talk NFL Schedule Release, LeBron James Future, NFL Streaming, And Much More!