Buck Reising and Veejay Huskey talk NFL Training Camp, Jalen Hurts the the Eagles issues, and MORE!

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Ber Hello.

Speaker 3 (00:07):
Hello, I am Tracy Sandler, joined by Brandon joint Deutsch.
Today we got chrisper Fett, we got Brianna Muau, we
got a very fun group of people talking all of
the things. We have talked a lot about NFL training camp.
We just love football in this country. I mean, it
rains supreme. But there are those of us that also
love the baseball. There's a lot of us that also

(00:28):
love the baseball. And we are less than a week
removed from the trade deadline.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
We are a week removed from.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
The Dodger trading for Trek scooball I and the Dodgers
have yet to win a game since that happened.

Speaker 4 (00:39):
But it's been kind of an exciting week, Brandon.

Speaker 5 (00:43):
Very exciting. I'm loving this Dodgers losing streak as an
Angels fan, but we are an Angels fan. Unfortunately, Yes,
don't even know that was a thing. Yeah, well, unfortunately
it is. My dad was born in Anaheim, so I
have to suffer through the pain. But we all know
the Dodgers are going to be in the world's This
happens every year. Everything happens every year where they lose
like seven out of ten and then now it's seven

(01:05):
in a row. But even if they go eight in
a row, nine er, it doesn't matter. All that matters
is their healthy error in September.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
In October, I mentioned at the top of the first
hour that today is eight eight, the lions Gate portal
best day to manifest things. And I am manifesting what
you just said, that the Dodgers will be in the
World Series and that they will win it. I realize
that may not be what the Lionsgate Portal had in mind,
but it's what I have in mind. So that's what
I want. Trek Scooball had made made some headlines this week.

(01:34):
He made his first start as a Dodger, and he
was very good by all accounts. He gave up a
total of two runs. It's not his fault. The offense
doesn't like to score runs for their ace pitchers. But
he also made some comments about his forward team, the Tigers,
and potentially going back.

Speaker 6 (01:50):
I would love to play my whole career in Detroit,
you know, I would love to. And hopefully those negotiations
can pick back up in November, you know, once the
playoffs are done, and we'll see where that goes. You know,
hopefully they're involved with everything. You know, I would love
to return. I got nothing but good things to say
about the city of Detroit, and you know, the manager,
the coaching, the staff, the trainers, the teammates.

Speaker 7 (02:11):
Like, yeah, it's.

Speaker 6 (02:12):
It's tough, you know, and I'm going to try not
to cry right now, but yeah, I mean, I.

Speaker 7 (02:17):
Love all those guys.

Speaker 6 (02:18):
So hopefully they're involved in November and you know, we'll
see what.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Happens then and Dodgers fans have a collective meltdown. I
have very different take on this Brandon and friends, and
I think it's going to potentially surprise you guys. Maybe
not Brandon because I mentioned to him earlier, but I
might surprise everybody else. And that is I don't think
it's that big a deal. He was asked about his
time in Detroit. He had spent his whole career career

(02:43):
in Detroit. He was the back to back cy Young winner.
That is where he thought he was going to finish
his career. It may be where he finished his career.
He's going to be a free agent, so I wouldn't
expect him to say I would.

Speaker 4 (02:57):
Never go back there.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
I don't want to go back there, blah blah blah,
like he also had as an agent. And I believe
Scott boris who is what are the tougher ones and
wants there to be a market out there and probably
a sweepstake, so to speak.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
But I don't think it's that big a deal.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
I don't think what he said was bad, and I
understand why he said it.

Speaker 4 (03:17):
So there's my take.

Speaker 5 (03:18):
I don't I don't hate it. I mean, the thing is,
I'm less concerned about him saying, oh I loved my
time there, I miss it. I mean, obviously he was
there start his career right like for a long time,
so that makes sense. However, we all know, unfortunately that
the Tigers will probably not meet the price. They won't

(03:39):
once the lockout is complete or whatever or whenever free
agency begins, They're not going to meet the price. So
it's like it's a hypothetical that just won't happen. And
I feel like it was never his fault that he
was moved. It was the Tigers organization, who they have
plenty of money. They didn't pay him. And I didn't
like the part where he said we'll see in free

(04:01):
agency focus on the team you are on right now.
That's my that's my issue with that. I'm not I
don't think it's like Dodger fan shouldn't be having a
meltdown about.

Speaker 4 (04:09):
Oh they're having a melt down.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
Well, but then Edwin Diaz created a second meltdown, so
it has helped.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Yes, Diaz is every other year.

Speaker 5 (04:16):
Is that one ERA one year, and then I'll have
a four ERA the next year, and then he'll be
back to being the best closer in the league next year.
But yes, I didn't have that much of an issue
with it. But I do think focusing on what's at hand,
Like we all know he's going to test for agency,
Scott boris client, he's going to go to the team
that's going to pay him most money, probably the Dodgers
or Yankees, right So I don't even think he should
bring that up though right now at all, Like maybe

(04:39):
I'll go back then free agency. That's not even it's
not happening. They're not going to pay him the money,
So that was my That was my only concern with that.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
I agree with you, they're not going to pay the money.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
But I also feel like he was being interviewed, asked
about the you know, I think it was or asked
by the time the Tigers.

Speaker 4 (04:52):
I think he was just talking.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
And I understand that these guys have to do that
a lot and they say things, but I just take
it as this, and I definitely want to go back
there because I don't know that's true or not true.
I just I didn't have a problem with that either,
because I think he was just asked a question and
he was he was answering it. And it doesn't as
far as Dodger fans are concerned. It doesn't mean he's

(05:15):
not going to pitch well for the Dodger. I mean
everyone's acting is if the converts or the comments meant like, well,
now he's not going to really picture us, he doesn't
really want to be here.

Speaker 4 (05:23):
That's that's not true.

Speaker 8 (05:25):
I mean, that's what pro athlete means. It means you're professional.
Showing up where you want to play is like kind
of secondary. I disagree on like the Tigers might. I
mean it's very unlikely they will. But again, we've got
several things going on here. You've got a Scott Boris client,
You've got the lockout coming that almost virtually coming up.
That could change things. And if there is a salary cap,

(05:46):
then maybe that changes a willingness. I will also say
this from a Tiger's perspective, I don't know Scott Harris
is going to be there very long at this point.
If if this is so, I mean, a new president
might change outlooks on things either way, though this isn't
first off, this isn't new for Scooba as far as
his desire and Detroit. He said it before the trade
deadline happened that he wanted to play for his career
in Detroit he views himself and the Tiger. He's also

(06:07):
not the first legendary cy young pitcher to desire to
stay in Detroit. Justin Verlander had a lot of these
kind of similar comments, and he's obviously, you know, taking
his sweet time around the league, but he came back
to Detroit for what are probably going to be the
closing years of his There's something about that organization that
guys want to come back to to play for that

(06:28):
particular crowd. I know that coastals will hear this and
roll their eyes, but there is passion in a lot
of those Midwestern teams, and like, yeah, Tiger's fans aren't
happy with Tiger's ownership either on this regard because they
see this kind of stuff and they see two guys
coming in between, you know, a desire because all the
fans want wanted Scooble to stay in there, and the

(06:49):
Tigers you know, have belted out a few wins and
they're still going to be in a wild card and
even al Central race for all of this too. I mean,
at the end of the day, Scott Boris client off
of a lockout, like Dodgers fans should be like, of
course you got you got him for a rental and
you knew exactly what was going to come was this
lockout right after that. I don't even think he'll be

(07:13):
a Dodger again after this season, just given like the
the variables of a Boris client on the open market.
Unless the Dodgers just started out bidding everyone again and
Boris and schoobl decide that's what's most important for their client,
is that money.

Speaker 3 (07:27):
Well, I'm sorry, I just say it would also be
interesting is knowing a lockout is coming no matter who
wins the World Series, whether or not the Dodgers have
gotten Schooble, doing a lockout is coming. If the Dodgers
made a very good offer, or that contract would be
a pre lockout, pre new CBA rules contract, would he

(07:48):
would he take it to be there?

Speaker 4 (07:49):
That is, I think we don't.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
Even know what contracts will look like once baseball ball.

Speaker 5 (07:53):
There's not going to be a salary cap. The players
Union that there's going to be certain restrictions. Of course,
some way, I'm sure deferrals old they won't let the
Dodgers defer money anymore. Other teams probably like they'll be
maybe a salary floor. But I wanted to say, like,
I think this is regardless a win for the Dodgers
because if they win a World Series, I think it's
a win for both sides. Because one, look, if they

(08:15):
win a World Series, they're not going to care about
giving up Zaire Hope. They have four other outfield prospects
that are incredible, and I think Zyre Hope's going to
be a great player. But you know, if they win
a World Series, it's not going to matter. That's why
you made the trade. That's why they made the trade
for Machado years ago. It's why they made all of
those I know now, but but I get it from

(08:36):
that perspective. Also, think Tigers fans like, yes, they could have.
They're mad about this. They could have waited till Monday
to make that deal. Maybe they could have, you know,
gotten more from the Dodgers. But zyr Hope is going
to be really good for them. They got a lot
they did for a guy, for a guy that is
not guaranteed to resign. He's entering free agency. You could
argue that what the Angels got for Soriano was more.

(08:58):
People were saying that that was well, Soriano is two
or three years more of control. That's the thing, right,
Like school ball is excellent. He's a much better pitcher
than Soriano, of course, but that was the thing. They
didn't want to go into free agency losing him for nothing. No,
I disagree on that the Tigers. The Tigers lowball got
low balled on this.

Speaker 8 (09:17):
Like the pitching prospects they got are virtually like I'm sorry,
Like those aren't real prospects. Any pitching prospect is not
a real prospect the end of the day, I think
they got more for trading Casey Mice to the Padres
at the end of the day, for what they got
back from from that trade, Like this was just it
was really brutal. And again, this is what drives a
lot of the Detroit anger right now is with this ownership,

(09:40):
is not just that you were cheap on how you
dealt Scooble, but then it was cheap on what you
were kind of getting back. And again, Brandon, you brought
it up the impatience to not wait till Monday, or
even if you had your mindset on not paying Scooble,
like not doing this last year either. It just feels
like a series of unforced errors, which is why Scott

(10:01):
Harris's job should probably be on the line. But that's
also up to an ownership that is not as not
as aggressive payroll wise as his father was in Mike Yelich.

Speaker 4 (10:13):
That's fair, that's fair.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
Well, I want to switch teams, which is shocking, I know,
because I could talk about the Dodgers.

Speaker 4 (10:19):
All day long and often do.

Speaker 3 (10:21):
But I want to talk about the Boston Red Sox,
who are the team that started this losing street for
the Dodgers. This team right now is unbelievable. At some point,
it's going to have to cool off. I mean, though
I don't know. I mean, couldn't they go four months
like this? Because it started. You say, like you started
a month or so ago. I think, so you think

(10:42):
it can't I mean the al is it?

Speaker 9 (10:45):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (10:46):
I mean if they were that or maybe not. But
I think I think are they going to the World Series?

Speaker 5 (10:50):
I would, I said this yesterday, I would pick them
versus the Dodgers right now, I would.

Speaker 4 (10:56):
That's because you're an Angels fan.

Speaker 2 (10:58):
No, that's not why.

Speaker 5 (10:58):
But also the Red Sox should think the Angels because suck.
They were Red Sox were almost they were in last
place and they played the Angels. They swept them and
that started the winning. So they should thank the Angels
for their for their win streak.

Speaker 4 (11:11):
Originally they should.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
Well.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
I mean, the Dodgers saw two teams this week that
I think are surging and look really good, and that
would be the Red Sox and the Cubs. I think
the Cubs are another team that is, yeah, the Cubs.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
The Cubs are great.

Speaker 5 (11:25):
One thing on the Red Sox too, is like Peyton
Tolly's incredible, Like he had fourteen strikeouts yesterday. Saydan Rafaela's
turned into a star. Defensively, he has always been good.
It seems like everything's coming together together. They gave up
a lot and Craig Breslo. Their GM got some flak
for giving up a lot for Adlei Rutchman, but it's
they needed a guy like that for a while. Yeah,

(11:47):
a consistent catcher, one of the best defensive catchers, a
guy that could still get an eight hundred ops and
have a big war at some point. So like, I
like their team. Jared Duran hasn't even hit yet. They
have some guys they could bring up at certain times,
but Durban's starting to hit. And I know they gave
up a lot for Durbin and the offseason people were like, oh,

(12:08):
it's a horrible acquisition, all of a sudden. His OPS
is over eight hundred the last month. So I don't
know this team. They have a good pen, Tracy. I
think if I were to pick right now, I think
they would go to the World Series.

Speaker 4 (12:20):
Oh, I think they would go to the World Series too.
I mean right now.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
And because I'm thinking about the American League and I
really can't think of any other team that really even
comes close to them.

Speaker 8 (12:30):
It would probably be the Yankees. The who has the
so the Red Sox right now have the best run
differential at eighty nine. Yankees are at eighty two, and
then of course the Tigers and the Yankees.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
Could get healthy. If the Eggs get Aaron Judge back,
they get.

Speaker 2 (12:42):
Tigers have plus seventy seven.

Speaker 8 (12:44):
Like yeah, I mean it's mostly health for the Yankees,
but I mean that division will go down to the
wire on that too. I think the Rays are kind
of likely to drop off. But like I think you're
looking at those two teams. It's Red Sox and Yankees.
I don't I find that fascinating. Those are the only
three teams I can find here that have more than
a fifty run differential at this time of the year.
Even the Rays are sub plus fifty.

Speaker 2 (13:05):
You know.

Speaker 8 (13:06):
It's it's something that I think really speaks to just
how how much this team has come on.

Speaker 5 (13:13):
You know who I wouldn't sleep on, Tracy, tell me
if you agree with this, okay, because they're pitching. I know,
they're fifty six and sixty one, okay, and they just
had a catrou at sixty home runs last year. The
Al West is bad. I think the Mariners may have
a chance.

Speaker 3 (13:28):
I mean, here's the reality of baseball. They can be
fifty six and sixty one right now. You just got
to get there. I mean, once the playoffs start in baseball,
it's literally a different sport. It just is because now
you're getting your best four man rotation, your best everything.
So I think if the Mariners get hot and just compete, yeah,

(13:48):
I don't, I don't.

Speaker 4 (13:49):
Disagree with you.

Speaker 3 (13:50):
I'm as Chris was talking, I'm in my head envisioning
this Yankees Red Sox alcs, which just sounds fun.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
I would love that.

Speaker 4 (13:59):
I mean, that would be really on Chris.

Speaker 2 (14:02):
No, they're not speaking of socks.

Speaker 8 (14:03):
And I know they've been on a bit of a
skid here, but like, I don't know, I feel like
if you're having a skid right now, it's rough, but
they're going to be probably in a still a decent
position in the Central I'm still not writing out the
White Sox from anything right now, just with the acquisitions
they've made, it would be a place they've never gone before,

(14:23):
which is but I mean we could have said that
about the Mariners last year as well, and the Mariners
ended up like, you know, taking the Jays down to
the with the.

Speaker 2 (14:31):
Ja's the Jay's down to the buire. Yeah, so this
is a like, I mean.

Speaker 4 (14:35):
Boy, they've really fallen off.

Speaker 5 (14:37):
It's sad, I mean, but even they have a chance
in the al if. The Red Sox remind me so
much Tracy of the twenty nineteen Nationals, where they were
like under five hundred towards the break and then all
of a sudden they won like eighty five percent of
their final games and then took that into the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (14:54):
You're correct, No, you're you're not wrong about that. It's
it's going to be very interesting.

Speaker 4 (15:00):
Kids.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
Baseball is just a funny sport because you could be
hot and then you could be on a skid. And
like with the Dodgers right now, I'd rather than be
on a skid now and then be on a skid later. However,
I'd also like them to get that bye week.

Speaker 4 (15:12):
I mean right now. I saw a thing earlier.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
The top five biggest threats to the Dodgers, in my opinion,
the biggest threat to the Dodgers right now is the Dodgers.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
They don't really have a catcher. I mean they do.

Speaker 3 (15:23):
They have two guys that they brought in in Bentroad
Vet and Hunter Fiducia, who are fine, but they're not
Will Smith and Dalton Rushing. Adult rushing probably isn't going
to catch again this season. He should be able to
hit but not catch. Are they going to be able
to get Will Smith back? And then you can't be
And I never ever criticized show hey Otani, and I'm
certainly not going to start now. I'm just going to

(15:44):
make a statement, and that is like, you cannot be
hitting into.

Speaker 4 (15:47):
Double plays with the bases loaded.

Speaker 3 (15:49):
Freddie Freeman can't be hitting into double plays the bass
is loaded. You can't have your quote unquote ace closer
giving up game morning home runs. That went to be
honest to you, it almost doesn't worry me as much.
He's just coming off the il. He's trying to find
his slider. I know that makes me sound really smart.
I watched Dave Roberts talk all about it last night
that the fastball looking is looking good, but he's still
trying to find a slider. So he's trying to find it.

(16:10):
So I'm not like as worried about that. The offense
worries me the post because they can't this grounding into
double plays, not taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

Speaker 4 (16:21):
That's the problem.

Speaker 3 (16:22):
There should never be a situation if your pitcher gives
up four.

Speaker 4 (16:25):
Less runs that offense should be winning the game.

Speaker 5 (16:28):
My dad was always telling me that the Dodgers this
year might have to win games two to one in
the playoffs with their staff because you know, Bett's obviously
elite defensive shortstop.

Speaker 4 (16:37):
But no, he's been hot.

Speaker 5 (16:38):
He's been hot, but he hasn't been the same player
over the course of the year. Now, if he always
if that's a September October question, if he gets hot
in September October, him and Freddie, I mean, who knows
about this team. There's no beating him, right, but we'll see.
I mean Pa has kind of, you know, since the
first month, hasn't really been the same.

Speaker 3 (16:56):
No, he's been great defensely, but he hasn't. Thing with
Pajas though, is if he makes some defensive cashes, You're like,
that is unbelievable. How did he make that?

Speaker 4 (17:03):
And then he doesn't make ones, You're like, hell on earth?

Speaker 2 (17:06):
Did he Jo Adell?

Speaker 5 (17:07):
He's like Joe Adell in that sense obviously the three
robbery game and then he had one where it hit
his glove and went over for a home run. Yeah,
So there you go.

Speaker 3 (17:15):
And Kyle Tucker, if Kyle Tucker, if Big if can
get hot I mean, there's a lot of ifs with
the Dodgers, so right now I think their biggest their
biggest foe is themselves, and so we're going to see
how that goes.

Speaker 4 (17:26):
So lots to see.

Speaker 3 (17:28):
It is getting exciting in Major League baseball. I love
baseball all year round, but now it is like I'm
I'm living and dying by it as if I wasn't
since March twenty six. But whatever, living and dying you guys,
we have much more to talk about. We're going to
talk about some running backs and is that position becoming
just more and more valuable. Tracy Sandler, Brandon Deutsch, don't

(17:48):
go anywhere, don't.

Speaker 1 (17:50):
Listening to Fox Sports Ready Radio.

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Speaker 11 (18:05):
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Speaker 10 (18:25):
He's Veja Husky. I'm Buck Rising hanging out here with
you on this Fox Sports Saturday. We hope you're having
a good one. We were just talking about the Philadelphia Eagles,
Lane Johnson considering retirement. Nothing official, not quite Aaron Rodgers
levels yet, but we were having a conversation about where the
Eagles are and how much success they've had. VJ and
I mean it is I don't feel like I'm taking

(18:47):
a terribly strong position to say, you know, we might
be on the backside of this thing when you consider
the run that Philadelphia and Nick Sirianni have been on.
They have been in the playoffs every year. They last
last year lost in the wildcard round, which paused Eagles fans,
of course, great contention, won the Super Bowl the year prior,

(19:08):
in which you mentioned they just kicked a snot out
of the Kansas City Chiefs, and they have been a
double digit team win in every year but Sirianni's first season,
in which they went nine to eight and still finished
in second place, lost in the wildcard round that year
as well. I am curious to see how much longer
they can keep going. And you mentioned Jalen Hurts. Jalen

(19:30):
Hurts has had an incredible story, one of the most
bet against players I can remember in quite some time,
and at every turn as a college player as a pro,
he has found ways to overcome and rise above and
prove people wrong. And I sit here, you know, looking
at this and thinking, do I really want to be

(19:52):
the guy betting against Jalen Hurts? Every turn he kind
of tells you to Chevin and finds ways to overcome,
and it's not necessarily a bet against Hurts. The other thing, well,
I guess where are you on Jalen Hurts as far
as his abilities and how much further he can elevate
a roster that maybe is not I mean, their defense
is loaded, right, their offense is starting to kind of

(20:14):
fray a little bit. Still got some of the most
talented players in the sports. You bring a Devonte Smith,
he was their leading receiver last year. I two am
optimistic about mackay Lemon in the role that they've had
have him in. They traded for Dontavian Wicks prior to
trading aj Brown away this offseason as well, so they
find ways. Howie Roseman well deserved, has the reputation as

(20:36):
the best executive in pro football right now. But specific
to Hurts, how much further do you believe he can
elevate a team.

Speaker 12 (20:43):
As much as his teammates allow him to elevate them.
I guess a team game, right, and we always point
and look at the quarterback. But guys got to run
your routes, catch the ball, block, tackle, like, do your
job the old Bill Belichick model, right, the Patrio way.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Do your damn job. Do what we have you do
in your in your.

Speaker 12 (21:03):
Little two x four box area, right, and don't worry
about trying to make up for somebody else to trying
to make up for someone else's mistake. But of course
it goes on the quarterback, because we talk about the quarterback.
They make the most, they're in the commercials, they get
the most endorsement money, they get the girl, the pretty girl,
they date the model. They we know that Jalen Hurts
though number one, he's shown nothing but class. He's shown

(21:24):
nothing but class personify ever since he got bitched for
two otakoba aloa back in Alabama. I mean, and then
the guy just comes off the bench when you call
him done, complain don power comes in wins instance SEC
Championship game like like you said that every turn when
people keep questioning him. Sixty nine thirty six and one,
the best starting record since he's been a starting quarterback.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
That's over Pat Mahomes.

Speaker 12 (21:46):
That's over Josh Apple, turnover Allen, that's over Lamar Jackson.
That's over Lo Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, all these other
quarterbacks we love. But this guy continues to just win games.
And that's what we ask quarterbacks to do. Listen, this
this connection with him and the new offensive coordinator, it's
going to be pivotal. Their defense is going to be fine,
their special teams is going to be fine. I think

(22:06):
their skill position players are going to be fine.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
Can you put.

Speaker 12 (22:10):
Your quarterback in the best position against good defenses to
win football games? That's the name of the game. As
an offensive coordinator, it's not about what you call. It's
when you call it and how you call it. And
that's going to show. Listen, they keep changing offensive coordinator,
so something something's got to change eventually. And every year

(22:31):
they want to blame Jalen Hurts. But if that's the case, fine,
go find another Jalen Hurts. No, guess what, they're not
growing on trees. He's a top ten quarterback. I have
my top ten list I made up a few days
ago going to the season. I haven't at number seven.
I think he's the second. I would put him at
number seven. Is as far as top ten quarterbacks in
the NFL. Like I said, guy's got the Schoper Bawl.
Been to two of them and all he does fourteen

(22:52):
to one, eleven and six, eleven and four, twelve and
four over the last four years.

Speaker 2 (22:55):
Like it.

Speaker 12 (22:55):
Namely somebody else other than Pat Mahomes and Josh that's
doing that.

Speaker 2 (22:59):
It's Jalen Hurts.

Speaker 10 (23:01):
So he he's an interesting figure here because you know,
you have covered the league for a long time. This
is my eleventh season covering one team and obviously covering
the NFL by extension. I do talk to a number
of different people in different training camps, different organizations, just
to kind of keep myself updated since you know, obviously
we're talking about the league in general here on Fox

(23:21):
Sports Radio. His reputation Jalen Hurts has taken a little
bit of a hit locally in terms of because I think,
and I happen to know having covered Aj Brown as well.
AJ is an easy target and I'm not saying Aj
is blameless by any stretch of the imagination. I'm very
familiar with his behavior. I understand that it can be polarizing.
I understand what it can do to a locker room.

(23:42):
I understand that his words, he is comfortable saying things
and then you know, going back after the fact and
maybe explaining what he meant, or cleaning up what he
had to say, or whatever the case may be. Jalen
Hurts is getting off a little clean here in this
fallout between AJ Brown and the Phillladelphia Eagles locker room.
Based on my understanding. Now, I'm not in Philadelphia on

(24:04):
a day to day basis, and I have not covered
Jalen Hurts on a personal level, so I'm going off
secondhand reporting of people that I trust. But in Philadelphia
he seems to be question and Philly it has no
problems questioning people on a regular basis. But the personality,
the demeanor, the leadership of Jalen Hurts has been brought
back into focus again. This is something that he has

(24:25):
found ways time and time again. As you mentioned, throughout
the course of his collegiate career and his pro career,
he has proven that he is capable of doing that,
but in the same way that not everybody is good
at everything for the entire duration of their career. Sometimes
there are opportunities that require reset. It's reset. It sounds
like Jalen Hurts does need to find ways to reiterate

(24:49):
his level of leadership, his level of control, his level
of stabilizing presence on that locker room VJ to me,
which is one of the lesser discussed talking point. It's
around Philadelphia nationally, but something that locally they seem to
be hyper fixated on this year.

Speaker 12 (25:06):
You know what, a wise man and a wise woman.
My mother and my grandmother once told me, somebody is
always gonna have something to say. If you go to
the left, there's people gonna say you should have went straight.
If you go straight, there's people say you should have
went right, And if you go right, there's people say
you should have went backwards.

Speaker 2 (25:24):
My thing is this.

Speaker 12 (25:24):
I hear all the things that there's nothing wrong with
what you're saying, But all I say is, Okay, if
this is it, then put a name on it, like
who give me the examples of where he's a bad leader.

Speaker 2 (25:35):
Just you can't just throw that out to me.

Speaker 12 (25:37):
I'm not a guy that believes reports like that's one
of the worst words in our business nowadays, because anybody
can just say it now.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
Anybody can say sources or you.

Speaker 10 (25:47):
Know, anonymous sources.

Speaker 12 (25:50):
Right, anonymous sources. Nine times out of ten is someone
saying how they really feel. They just don't have the
they don't have the grapefruits to just say this is
how I feel.

Speaker 2 (25:59):
You see, I'm do radio that way.

Speaker 12 (26:00):
If I feel some way, I'm gonna I'm gonna say it,
especially about whether I think somebody is a bad leader
or not. Where I haven't heard a teammate say it, though,
show me the eight or nine teammates. I don't want
to one, because you can always make one guy to
fifty three mad. But show me where the locker room
is so called divided. Show me where even twenty five
percent of the pie is, well, he's not a good leader.
I keep hearing these things, but all I keep seeing

(26:22):
is winning. And we keep asking our quarterbacks. We has
our quarterbacks to do certain things, but we as our
quarterbacks to beat our beat the rivals, beat the division, rivals,
win a division, get to the playoffs, win playoff games,
eventually get to a conference championship game, win that eventually
get to a super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (26:36):
And win that.

Speaker 12 (26:37):
He's done all of that repeatedly, like multiple times, and
we're still questioning him. So fine, if we're gonna question him,
no problem. I don't want to be the biggest Jalen
Hurts defender. All I say is, okay, people show me
what you're talking about. Give me the evidence of where
he's Does he leave early, is he late? Does he
fall asleep in meetings? Is he getting like he is he?

(26:57):
Is he treating staff members back? He showed me where
leadership is questioned. Because we could just throw it out
there and run with it, I just choose to say,
you got to show it to me, man, and then
I'll go, okay, well, yeah, if he if he cussed
out the towel boy or the equipment manager, or you know,
he's blowing off the media. I had a chance to

(27:19):
cover the Rams and the Eagles here and I had
a chance to speak to Jalen Hurts in the back
ways of SOFI Stadium, and then the presser couldn't have
been more nice, couldn't have been more professional. And I'm nobody, man,
I'm just starting out my chrison on my fourth year Covernant, NFL.

Speaker 2 (27:32):
He could have blown me off.

Speaker 12 (27:33):
But stopped, took his time before he got on the
bus because I missed the question and the presser and
just wanted to talk to him ot side. Stood there
for five minutes to talk to him. Man, all I
can just fill off. The guy was all right, man,
he didn't even have to do that, but he did it.
Doesn't know who the hell I am, but in Fox
Sports radio, Oh no problem, man, Yeah, what's your question.

Speaker 2 (27:49):
I know you had your hand raised and they cut
me short. Blah blah blah.

Speaker 12 (27:51):
When I see things like that, okay, cool. Now you
got to show me the other side. People got to
show me this other non leadership side and not just saying.

Speaker 10 (27:58):
Well, I think that we do have a very public
example of that that we can get to coming up next.
But I think we have Chris on updates to get
us caught up.

Speaker 8 (28:07):
That is right, guys, And for me, this is actually
perfect timing because they're about to post the Whitney Sorry
horse horse racing degenerate over here, so.

Speaker 2 (28:13):
I'm want to leave that to the side. I'm so hurt, Chris.

Speaker 8 (28:15):
I know, I know I told you too much about
horse racing the other week, and now you're just not
letting buck.

Speaker 12 (28:19):
I was trying to get I was trying to get
into horse racing and learn the business, and Chris told
me too much of it.

Speaker 2 (28:24):
And now I'm full sorry for these for these stallions.
Now you feel sorry learning that it's paramutual bedding. That
part was that was the bull. That was the bull
when I found that part out.

Speaker 10 (28:35):
It's, uh, both things could be true. I think a
little bit of a hesitancy on both sides of that.

Speaker 8 (28:41):
You just got to be clear to eyed about yeah,
everything everything you're getting into love animals. Anyway, we got
to get to the human sports out here. Let's start
real quick with the w NBA Links are on a
nine to one streak in their last ten games, as
they trounced the Aces ninety eight to eighty seven. I
believe they clinch a playoff berth off of that. Meanwhile,
keeping an eye on the Fever who beat the let

(29:05):
me just lost my notes here. The Aces ninety eight
eighty seven, however, Caitlyn, oh, sorry, I said Aces, that
is wrong. The Chicago Sky ninety to eighty six, however,
Kaitlyn Clark earned a technical foul running into an official.
Sophie Cunningham also got very hard fouled, but that is
Clark's eighth technical of the season.

Speaker 2 (29:24):
She will be suspended for one game.

Speaker 8 (29:27):
NFL injuries to talk about, Zay Flowers suffered a quad
contusion in practice.

Speaker 2 (29:32):
He is now day to day. Commander's left tackle.

Speaker 8 (29:35):
Laramie Tunsel left practice after getting dinged up in the
shoulder and neck regions.

Speaker 2 (29:39):
He's going to undergo.

Speaker 8 (29:40):
Testing baseball scoreboard right now. The Yankees have closed out
the Braves five to four, taking Game two. They're currently
an early one nothing lead for the Blue Jays over
the Phillies. Marlins have opened up a seven to nothing
lead on the Angels bottom of the eighth inning, and
the Athletics six to two too.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
Over the Red Sox.

Speaker 8 (30:02):
Finally, Raiders head coach Clint Kubiak said Kirk Cousins and
Max Crosby violated team rules by fighting yesterday's They were
both held out of practice on Saturday. Kube exit both
those players will be participating on Monday.

Speaker 2 (30:15):
Back to you.

Speaker 10 (30:15):
Guys, Appreciate you, Chris, He's VJ Husky, I'm Buck Rising
hanging out here with you on this Fox Sports Saturday.
So I'm not endeavoring to turn this into the Philadelphia
Eagles Hour on this Saturday. And I do think we
have a way to transition into other teams and NFL
stories that are worth talking about, and an easy way
to do so, VJ is the conversation around Jalen Hurst

(30:38):
that we've been having. AJ Brown is as close to
an example of what you're talking about of somebody who
is trying or passively aggressively putting his name on calling
Jalen Hurts out? Is AJ Brown to you? And I
have thoughts on this as somebody. And again AJ has

(30:59):
been in Philadelphia now longer than he was in Tennessee.
So he's had children since then, got married, since then,
he's grown up as an adult. He may be a
completely different person than the person that I covered here
when he was drafted in the second round to Tennessee.
Is Aj though too flawed of a messenger to be
calling Jalen Hurts out given the way that he does

(31:20):
it and the way that his messaging is at times poor,
even though I think he's the example of exactly what
you're talking about.

Speaker 12 (31:29):
No, Because look, I played receiver a coach receivers in
high school and listen, man, I've been watching football and
covering football long enough. Receivers are just what they're gonna be.
They just are, man. Most of them are divas. Most
of them are going to want the ball, and most
of them talk passively aggressively. We get shocked when receiver
like really goes all out and pulls a Terrell Loans, right,

(31:51):
that's like, WHOA, what's going on here? But justin Jefferson
did it hall last year with JJ McCarthy, everything was
passive aggressive, even in the offseason and he got asked
about doing a mini camp and OTAs.

Speaker 2 (32:02):
It was all passive aggressive.

Speaker 12 (32:03):
That's just the way receivers are because it's just it's
just their their personality.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
I don't see I like AJ Brown. I'm not against
a J. Brown.

Speaker 12 (32:12):
I didn't want the Eagles to trade AJ Brown, but
I understood why it needed to be done. So, you know,
if he has his personal experiences with someone I can't
speak on that. He's the one that has this personal
experiences and what he feels.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
Now.

Speaker 12 (32:26):
I will say this though, Buck, if you got something
to say, is my pops Glenn Thomas used to say,
if you got something to say as a man say it.
It's okay, just go just say what you're gonna say,
because the passive aggressive thing means that you wasn't even
real enough to say it to the guy, because now
you're gonna go publicly passive aggressive. I would say, listen,

(32:46):
if I said it to him, now, I'm gonna say
it to y'all the way I said it to him,
So there's no flip flamm in fluff, there's no unevenness
of all. Well, he didn't say it to him like
that way. Hey man, you ain't you gonna say it
to me like that?

Speaker 2 (32:57):
Buck?

Speaker 12 (32:57):
Why you get on the radio and say like no, no, no,
no no, I said it to you. I said it
to the nation just like I said it to you.
I would like him to do that, But I don't
ask for too much out of receivers as far as
accountability when it comes to wanting to put the blame
on somebody, because that's just the way I've been watching
this game and covering his game way too long to
know them. Every year, we're gonna have one receiver that's

(33:18):
gonna pull that. So it just it just kind of
is what it is.

Speaker 10 (33:21):
Well, and It's it's one of those things VJ. Where
you're damned if you do, damned if you don't, if
you're a player in that situation. Right, Because, on the
one hand, I agree with you. I am somebody who
is in locker rooms every day, right, I'm at practice
every day. I cover a team on a day to
day basis, and I am constantly bothering these guys and
asking these guys questions and things that may catch people's

(33:44):
attention or that you appreciated somebody who's working with them
on a day to day basis on a local level
get blown up, and that they get killed. For an
example of this, and again, a flawed messenger, Will Levice
gotta oh god, oh god, this past stay. I know,
listen and all you've seen this clip making around stadium practice. Yeah, man,
it's it's to bless his heart. He's just he his look.

Speaker 12 (34:08):
I like confidence. I like confidence, but it'd be smart
about your confidence.

Speaker 10 (34:13):
Well that's what I'm saying, right, VJ. He gets up
to the podium. We haven't talked to him in a
calendar year. He had a he had a sprain day
c joint last year. He elected to get the surgery
right before training camp last year. He was gone for
a calendar year. We haven't heard from him since, and
that's a good thing on a number of different fronts.
But Will, in his first media availability, gets up there,
I guess this was a week ago today it practice
and says, yeah, I don't believe that there are thirty

(34:34):
two better quarterbacks in the NFL than me, and I
believe him to be honest in what he was trying
to say, right, And then he has a moment like
he does yesterday, and he becomes a meme yet again
as one of the most memorable quarterbacks I've ever covered.
And you kill him for it. You kill him for
it when he says it, even if even if it's
transparency on his part, and then you kill him for
it after the fact because he he trips over himself

(34:56):
on the turk he's trying to roll away the coverage.
It makes it pass against self awareness and transparency, two
different things. I think it's just such a tough spot
for athletes because very rarely do they benefit at all
from being truly honest with us in front of microphones
and television cameras.

Speaker 12 (35:14):
I'm sorry, you're right, but you know what, though they
don't say nothing in Buck, seriously, don't say nothing.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
I am okay with the qui leader.

Speaker 10 (35:21):
Which is usually what they do, right right.

Speaker 2 (35:23):
I'm okay with the quiet leader.

Speaker 12 (35:25):
One thing, even covering my favorite part of covering the
NFL is the post game. Yeah, the free food and
the skybox and walk in the field post games. That's
awesome stuff. I never dreamed that I would be doing
that when I started doing radio. But my favorite part
is the post game because I like to phase my
questions in a mental thought way. I always ask what
was the thought process or what do you think about this?

(35:47):
Everybody else is gonna ask about the third and eight
pass you completed in the fourth quarter. There's thirty guys
in there that I want to ask that question. So
I'm not asking that question. I want to ask a
question that is gonna make that you have to answer,
because if you ask questions that they don't want to answer,
then you're gonna get the Justin Herbert treatment. Which he's
a great guy. I love Justin Herbert and become to

(36:07):
know him very well covering the Chargers here, but he
is a very streamline guy at the podium.

Speaker 2 (36:12):
He's gonna give you ab you might get a little
C you ain't never get DNF.

Speaker 12 (36:17):
So don't even think you are as opposed to where
you get Lamar Jackson up there. I can get a
to z out of Lamar Jackson, you know, out of
Jim Harball. And if you're gonna do that, then just
don't say nothing. But once you open the can of worms,
I don't believe that there's thirty two better quarterbacks than me.

Speaker 2 (36:33):
Hey you know what, young Buckaroo.

Speaker 12 (36:34):
Good for you to have that type of confidence, because
that's what I teach my kids. But you better be
able to back that up. And you can't roll out
and trip over yourself in the NFL. This isn't the
XFL with Vincement. Man, this isn't Pop Warner, this ain't
the Snoop Dogg League. What are you doing now? You
look foolish because you just told the world there's thirty
two quarterbacks not better than you. But you're the only

(36:55):
one we see in trade of camp tripping over his
own feet on a rollout that you've been doing since
you were eight years old. So self awareness, as you said,
just come kind of comes into play. But Will Levis
should probably yeah, he should probably just stop talking and
work on his game.

Speaker 10 (37:08):
God bless him. 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 our shows.
Hit that thumbs up icon and common away. Let us
know whose takes you agree with and even those who
you don't. Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube and
subscribe today. So we've been talking a lot about the NFC,

(37:29):
the Eagles in particular. I want to stick with AJ
Brown and the case you mentioned a can of worms. Man,
if he's not walking into a can of worms that's
existing in New England. But how real is the pressure
of that on a Super Bowl participant from a season ago.
We'll get to that coming up next. He's VJ Husky.
I'm Buck Rising. This is Fox.

Speaker 13 (37:47):
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.

Speaker 10 (38:03):
Welcome back on this Fox Sports Saturday. VJ. Husky sitting
in for Fitzie. I'm Buck Rising, talking little NFL here
with you on this Saturday evening. Hey, with the iHeart app,
you can stream us wherever you are, catch us and
all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty four
to seven in the new and improved iHeart app. Just

(38:24):
search Fox Sports Radio in that app to stream us
live all day, every day, and be sure to select
Fox Sports Radio as one of your presets in the
iHeart app so it always pops up at the top
of your screen. Again, just search Fox Sports Radio in
the iHeart app. So VJ, we've been talking a little
bit about AJ Brown in relation to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Let's talk about the team that he's actually on. The

(38:46):
pressure in New England this year. There is always pressure
when you coach and you play for a championship organization.
This is arguably one of the, if not the most
dominant organizations in NFL history, with the run that they
were on with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Even as
we get further and further removed from those basically two

(39:07):
decades of football dynasty, Rabel got there last year and
took them to the Super Bowl, in which they got pantsed.
But now the expectation is that they are regularly competing
for Super Bowls again. Now. Mike Rabel has been the
topic of much discussion in this offseason, and you know,

(39:28):
as we get further and further removed, even though Aaron
Rodgers has brought it back to the forefront. I'm sure
you saw that on the Pat McAfee show. Over the
course of this week, Mike Rabel had a situation where
he and former NFL reporter Diana Rassini had a relationship
that most of us, to put diplomatically, would be considered
improper over an extended period of time that has since

(39:51):
come to light and caused a lot of strain and
a lot of strife on people personally and professionally. This
is the part VJ where I provide my regular disclaimer
every time we talk about this story. Diana is a
close personal friend of mine. She regularly appeared on my
local show. Mike Vrabel is somebody that I've known for
a long time, who I covered as his entire career
here in Tennessee. I know his family well. I do

(40:13):
not endorse the behavior of either party. I am able
to talk about this in a way that I think
you know, understanding that I have some blind spots here
for a friend and for people that I like and
who I have covered in my career. Understanding that there
are consequences here and that these things still need to
be discussed with in the context of the impact on

(40:33):
the football, what does Mike Vrabel need to prove this
year as the head coach of the New England Patriots,
Because I'm not naive, right, I'm not going to pretend
that the locker room is going to be all pearl
clutching the way that so many of us have been
as we have watched the way that this thing has
played out in page six and TMZ NFL locker rooms,
pro sports, locker rooms, pro sports as an environment are

(40:54):
not the same world the US regular people live it.
We can put we can put our naivete to this
side on that part of it, but there is some
level of Mike Vrabel needing to prove something to himself
because the reporting has been and reporting with names on it,
not the kind of reporting that we were talking about
with Jalen Hurts, but that Mike Frabel has not necessarily

(41:17):
been the same kind of person in the building in
the aftermath of all of this stuff swirling around him
and his family and his personal life at every turn.
So to you, VJ as in the football context of
what they need to accomplish and understanding that they are
in a pressure cooker in New England. What does that
coach have to prove.

Speaker 12 (41:38):
I don't think he's got to prove anything. And let
me tell you why I say it like that. Number one,
I normally stay away from personal stuff.

Speaker 2 (41:44):
I really do. If it comes up, it comes up,
if it's got nothing to do with the gang, if
it's got nothing to do with the end of the
resulting score. Because we're all human being. We're all human beings.

Speaker 12 (41:53):
And you know, if you could walk around with white
gloves on with a catch up popsicle and not get
you gloves dirty, Okay.

Speaker 2 (42:00):
Oh you're good, but most of it nobody else can?

Speaker 10 (42:02):
You know?

Speaker 12 (42:03):
That's not the life I live. And I understand as
grown men, we're gonna make mistakes. As far as the
reason why the stories are coming out, he hasn't been
the same. Is what that tells me is the man
cares about his family because, as you know, as.

Speaker 2 (42:13):
A family man, I'm a family man. His family man.
In this business.

Speaker 12 (42:15):
When your home's not right, it travels with you, it leaves.
It takes a cold hearted guy to be able to
still go on to work and still produce and still
do things. But you can tell it doesn't affect him
about what's going on. We've seen it with Tom Brady.
We've seen it with Kobe Bryant. We've seen it with
Michael Jordan. We've seen it with big name, the best stuff,
the Bet, Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods.

Speaker 2 (42:35):
We've seen it with the best stuff, the best.

Speaker 12 (42:38):
When your homemade type man, as a family man, and
you love your lady and your kids, it's gonna travel
to work as far as on the field goes. Look,
I'm a Dolphin lifelong fan. Bit of Dolphin fansin is
nineteen eighty four. Damn Marino just made me fall in
love with the sport of football. Him and Anthony Carter
from University of Michigan. And that's why those are my
two teams. And those are the two guys that I
first fell in love with first as far as football
is concerned. So it takes a lot for me to

(43:00):
say something good about the Patriots. But I like this team, man,
I do. I like this team. I like Drake May
and Carolina. I like Drake May and even in this
rookie year and then last year completed seventy two percent
of his passes and really lead in that office and
having some games where you're looking at this six four
to six y five gun, you're like, Okay, they got
a guy. They got a signal caller, AJ Brown, Romeo, Dobbs, Hunter,
Henry at the tight end. Offensive line needs the tighten up,

(43:23):
especially at the tackle position, that left guard. I hope
they can solve that this year. But Rabel knows defense,
and Gonzalez is one of the best safeties in football.
So you got to you gotta Kyle Hamilton type player
back there, Derwin James type of guy that can change
games and take away portions of the opposing offense. And
so I don't think he's got much to prove as
a coach.

Speaker 7 (43:42):
Now.

Speaker 12 (43:43):
If they go nine and eight, all right, we got
some stuff to talk about. Even ten and seven, they
go ten and seven, all right, we got some stuff
to talk about. How'd you guys go from ten to
seven to you know, being in the Super Bowl the
previous year.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
I think what he.

Speaker 12 (43:54):
Can lean on this year though, and it kinda is
kind of a cop out, but but they can lean
on Super Ball hangover and as you go through history
and look the last team to return to a super
has only been two franchises ever, not ever since nineteen
ninety three. I believe that could return to the Super
Bowl a year after losing it, and that is the
Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots. So for them

(44:16):
to get back, they're gonna have to defeat a lot
of history.

Speaker 2 (44:19):
And if they.

Speaker 12 (44:19):
Don't, we could just kind of table this says that look.
Man started in the offseason a lot of noise. They
bring in AJ Brown. Now I'm gonna tell you a
guy that's not gonna be happy, and that's gonna be
AJ Brown if it.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
Goes south this year.

Speaker 12 (44:31):
Cause it's like, wow, hold up, man, I wanted to
could back and come play with you, coach and get
up here.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
You guys just got the.

Speaker 12 (44:35):
Super Bowl and I get here and now it's this,
you know. So I don't know how much he has
to prove. I like this team a lot. I think
they have positions and skill position guys everywhere, as I
mentioned in tackles, left guard. But they got their quarterback,
and they got their defense, and they got their coach.
Nothing's gonna happen if very well, if it was gonna happen,
it would have happened already, so I don't think he's
got much as a football coach to prove. But you

(44:57):
know it's a tough AFC, AMC stacked. It's stacked this year.

Speaker 13 (45:01):
Man.

Speaker 10 (45:02):
Well, it's fascinating because I'd still favor the NFC, right
or you're looking at the rams that were in Los
Angeles with you guys, and that is the clear and
obvious Super Bowl favorite. We talked about the Philadelphia Eagles.
There may be strife, but Philly will always be in
the conversation in the mix, whether it be Wild Card
or competing for the top of that division. So you
would still probably favor the NFC representative. New England is

(45:25):
probably the biggest regression candidate that I would look at
based on what their schedule was right and just understanding
they were incredibly healthy throughout the course of this past season.
We can continue to talk about super Bowl caliber rosters
and what New England will be able to do. I
also want to get to a story out of Las

(45:45):
Vegas that I think is interesting for a number of
different reasons. We've got VJ. Husky hanging out here with
us on Fox Sports Radio. We're grateful for him. Stick
around the NFL giveth and the NFL taketh away from
time to time. Welcome back on this Fox Sports Saturday.

(46:08):
We're talking regression candidates in the NFL based on last
season's results and heading into a new one in twenty
twenty six, with the preseason getting ready to get underway
in full swing. I don't got to tell you who VJ.
Husky is. You know this man. He's been hanging out
on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch him and Steve
Hartman on Sundays on a regular basis, and he's kind

(46:30):
enough to lend his time and his talents to this
silly nonsense for the last hour. One more hour to go.
So I mentioned to you VJ at the end of
the first hour that I think New England is the
biggest regression candidate in football this year for a number
of different reasons. And you brought up correctly how difficult
it is to even get back to the postseason after

(46:51):
you've had the kind of run when you've played as
much football as postseason participants do. It's a lot of wear,
it's a lot of tear, brain drain. You lose coaching
a tree to the cycle, you lose free agents of course,
as every team does, it's very, very difficult to do.
Last year, my biggest regression candidate was the Commanders, and
for no other reason because I just simply didn't think

(47:12):
that they would stay as healthy as they did in
Jade and daniels first season, where he brought fresh air,
fresh life into a franchise that has been long dormant,
one of the most historically successful franchises that has been
in disrepair because, if not the worst owner in professional
sports was finally run out of town. One of them

(47:34):
finally got and got his ass out of DCOR. I
guess landover Maryland, and finally you started to see what
the Commanders and their fan base of old could be
when they had an exciting young quarterback to help guide
them through it. Now, they struggled last year because Jade
and Daniels health was a week to week proposition. They

(47:55):
are now adding Stefan Diggs to the mix in a
division that is interesting. We spent a lot of time
already today talking about Philadelphia. I mentioned that they were
the division favorites. The Cowboys close second there. Philadelphia or
excuse me, Washington is favored over the Giants, who of
course are a bit in a transitional phase under John

(48:16):
Harbaugh coaching his new team, a new team for him
in for the first time in eighteen years. Stefan Diggs
as a difference maker in twenty twenty six. Where do
you fall on that man?

Speaker 12 (48:28):
It's going to depend on how Jaden McDaniels approaches this year.
And as you mentioned, he had multiple injuries last year,
and he had the elbow which ended it, but he
had the outer knee injury, he had the ankle, so
he had three different things last year that that kind
of got him beat up this year. Stefan Diggs, I

(48:49):
think he's a serviceable WR two. I don't know if
I'll put him in one. I was still think Terry
McClaren's the WR one there.

Speaker 2 (48:55):
But it does give you another guy that probably got
a chip on his shoulder.

Speaker 12 (48:58):
He's from the area. He's from the DMV area, went
to University of Maryland, grew up in Landover, right right
outside the stadium. He's from PG County, same place Kevin
Durant is from. You know, I think it's a homecoming
for him. This is probably his last contract. You notice
is a one year deal. It's kind of approve it season.
He would probably have to go out and have eighty
five plus catches and maybe twelve hundred yards eleven fifty

(49:19):
something like that to garner another at least multi year
contract from Washington or another tier move, another team moving
on forward, so you know, solid solid w R two.

Speaker 2 (49:31):
I would have liked.

Speaker 12 (49:32):
To have seen him hold on the deebo who wants
some of debo. I would liked to have seen that happen.
But you know, they made a smart move. You got
to have weapons out there for your quarterback. But like
you said, it all starts with All starts with Jaden
Dave's nice call last year too, because I thought they
would be just as good. I didn't think he would
get beat up as much as he did. And as
you know, Buck, you lose your quarterback in this league,
you don't have a shot.

Speaker 10 (49:53):
Well, you know, I hardly want to take credit for it,
because it it's just I'm betting the odds, you know,
like with health being to me, it is the most
important thing in all of sports, right and most is
the thing that you can count upon the least as
far as trying to decide the outcomes of these things
before they actually happen. It factors in on everything, and

(50:14):
in a lot of situations, it is almost as important
to be lucky health wise as it is to be
good in whatever professional sport or college sport that we're
talking about here. With Jayden Daniels, I'm fascinated by him.
I'm in sec country obviously. I watched him a great
deal when he transferred to LSU. One of the most
electric college football players I've ever seen in my life,

(50:37):
and he brought that to the next level in ways
that I didn't necessarily think should have been as easy
for him to translate at the NFL level. McLaurin is
the wide receiver one there. I would agree with that assessment.
Terry is probably a low end wide receiver one. That's
not to take anything away from him. I just think
if you're talking about the caliber of Jamar Chase and

(50:58):
Justin Jefferson and ute guys, right, there's there's there's levels
to right.

Speaker 12 (51:04):
And yeah, there's five guys we just threw out right there.
He's not close to those guys. He's not those guys.

Speaker 10 (51:08):
And these wide receivers are everywhere nowadays, his positions get
more and more specialized. I don't have to tell you
as somebody who coaches youth sports and youth football in particular.
Diggs was asked, I believe this was courtesy of NFL Network,
a visit with them at training camp about where he
was in his career. So I'll let Stefan Dick speak
for himself. Here with one of the newest Washington commanders.

Speaker 2 (51:31):
They made they sound like five guys today.

Speaker 10 (51:32):
So you're you're you're a.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
Veteran here, look at me, you mean, look at me, Stefan.

Speaker 10 (51:36):
Diggs joining me, Mike Garafalo and Brian Baldinger.

Speaker 9 (51:39):
H A's been going, man, it's been going great. You know,
it was only my second day. I can't speak too much,
but I know the energy is there. A great team,
great group of guys. They're all pushing in the right direction,
I guess, And you know, I'm just happy to be
I'm thankful, you know. Gratitude eliminates entitlement, you know, being
somewhere new, being being home, it's just a different kind
of energy, and I'm thankful.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
His quarterback is pretty special, Oh for sure. I'm sure
you watched him.

Speaker 14 (52:00):
I don't know if you've ever called a pass from
someplace else and Pro Bowl or whatever. But I was
just curious, like, what that like catching it, you know,
for the first time, is it Is it a different
type of ball? Is it? What does it matter to you?

Speaker 9 (52:12):
It's definitely different. He can spend it one hundred percent.
He can spend it. He got those traits of superstar
in them, you know. And I don't want to speak
too soon, but we've all seen it. So the success
that he has had and that mock seeing that energy,
I like it.

Speaker 7 (52:23):
I gravitate to that feed off it.

Speaker 9 (52:25):
And it's it's just that that balance of that receiver
quarterback and then you got scary terror on the other side.
You got some guys that can work the middle. It's
just it's a good tand them out there. And I
just like the energy. And uh, he's a hell of
a player. Hell of a kid too, you know, he's
a grown man, but he's a head of a kid.
I've been the league a little while now.

Speaker 1 (52:39):
Yeah, how much do you know him before you got him?

Speaker 7 (52:42):
A little bit? Not too much. I was actually closer
with CJ.

Speaker 9 (52:45):
Stroud, and you know, CJ spot highly of him as
far as you know, they knew each other and they
you know, I kind of like did my homework on
him a little bit, but he was a great kid.

Speaker 7 (52:52):
I only heard great things about him. And you know, just.

Speaker 10 (52:57):
So, that is Stefan Diggs talking with the NFL network
about the new Landing spot and Jayden Daniels. Obviously, so
I have left this man for dead several times. If
I'm being completely honest, I didn't think that he had
much left when he went to Houston. He ended up
being their leading receiver until he tore his ACL and

(53:18):
obviously missed the rest of the season. Then I said, well,
you know, he's an aging wide receiver. That position in particular,
it's like a sports car. You get the check engine
light a bunch once you get on the other side
of thirty. I don't know how much of an impact
player he can be in New England. And of course,
the man is the number one receiver on a team
that desperately needed him. Not a huge impact player in
that Super Bowl, but there is no question that they

(53:40):
do not get to that Super Bowl without the efforts
of Stefan Diggs. Their wide receiver corps is in desperate needs.
Scary Terry is a quality player, has been for a
number of years, but they brought back Diami Brown. He's
been a disappointment to somebody who was drafted there then
left now is back on a one year deal. I
have covered Traylon Burks, the AJ Brown will play or
what was supposed to be the AJ Brown replacement. Bless

(54:03):
his heart. He has had a long, storied career so
far in the NFL of just disappointment and after disappointment,
his body has regularly.

Speaker 12 (54:12):
He was severely overdrafted Trailing Burgs. I remember him coming
out of Arkansas. He was and I'm a huge in
college football. I had I watched from sun up to
sundown every Saturday, and as my one day off, Trailing
Burgs was just severely overdrafted.

Speaker 10 (54:26):
Yeah, and just put in an untenable position right in Tennessee.
Compounded with the fact that his body has failed him
on a number of different points, and hoping for his sake,
because not a bad guy by any stretch the imagination,
I'm rooting for Trailing to to try and revitalize his
career again on a prove it deal in Washington in

(54:46):
that division. How what do you make of the Commander's fortunes?
Because I feel very confident about the Cowboys, the defense
is something that desperately needs fixing. If they get the
league average, though, that's a Super Bowl contender. We've talked
at great length about Philadelphia. I don't think the Giants
factor in a real way this year. Where are you on, Washington?

Speaker 12 (55:05):
I think this is a fourteen like super race split
in two, right. I think two teams are going thirteen
and four, twelve and five, and that is Philly in Dallas.

Speaker 2 (55:15):
I'm gonna tell you something about Dallas. Dallas.

Speaker 12 (55:18):
Caleb Downs falling to them. Yeah, made me fall I
fell off my sofa. I see, you gotta be kidding me.
Caleb Down should have been off the board. I don't
care what you need when you have Caleb Downs, a
guy that's gonna come into this league and then listen,
if he doesn't get hurt, it's guaranteed he's winning Defensive
Rookie of the Year. This kid can flat out play
the game of football. He's not a position guy, He's

(55:39):
a football player. Dallas just needs a sixteenth ring defense.
They can get to the conference championship game. They just
can't be thirty first. You know, they can't be the
worst defense in the league. Washington. I just I like Jalen,
and I'm watching I've watched Quarterback this season on Netflix,
so I watched every episode. I love watching that and receiver.
He seems like a really good kid man. He seems
like he's very well manned farewell, like all those intangibles

(56:02):
that you want. But I I, God, don't kill me
on this. I just see Robert Griffin their over and
over again. I really do, man, I just see RG three,
same team. I'm from the DMV area. I was living
there when that whole fiasco happened with him there after
his rookie year, having a great rookieyear, taking Washington to
ten and six, beating Minnesota on the last game of

(56:23):
the year with the big scramble down the sideline, hot
stepping into the end zone, and then the playoff game
against Seattle happened and he got hurt and he was
never the same again. Jalen Davis will have to go
out this year and prove it, like he's got to
show it. So I'm gonna put Dallas over them because
Dak's better. They have a better offense. They have two
certified number one receivers and Pickings and CD. Even though

(56:45):
CD aka drops, he drops the ball a little too
much for me. I think Washington finishes third. But don't
right off the Giants beating Washington out for third because
I love their defense, don't love the quarterback, don't love
the running back, and we got to see about neighbors' legs.
But the coach, I'm in love with the Harball family,
and I think he turns that thing around to at

(57:06):
least seven maybe seven eight wins. And Washington won five
games last year, so if Jally don't regained that form,
this could be a seven eight win team. But give
me then the division, I think it's a two team
race to thirteen twelve wins in Dallas and Philly.

Speaker 10 (57:21):
He's VJ Husky. I'm Buck Rising, hanging out here with
you on this Fox Sports Radio. Another regression candidate that
I think is worth talking about for a number of
different reasons. The San Francisco forty nine ers. We have
news on Kyle Shanahan, who gave an update on his
own status after a car accident has cost him a
couple of weeks and of work. We will get to

(57:42):
Kyle Shanahan and the possible regression of the San Francisco
forty nine er.

Speaker 13 (57:47):
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.

Speaker 10 (58:02):
Welcome back on this Fox Sports Saturday. VJ Husky sitting
in for Jason Fitz, which we're very grateful. I'm Buck
Rising hanging out here with you as well. I'm looking
forward to getting out your way, VJ. I'm headed to California,
headed to San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, the hell
with the Niners. Titans and Niners have joint training camp

(58:25):
practices ahead of the preseason opener for both teams at
Levi Stadium. Always enjoyed joint training camp practices. It's, as
you know, as close to real football as we can
actually get. People think that's preseason, not in fact so,
given that how rarely we see starters during preseason. And

(58:45):
I'm very much enjoying the fact that Robert Sala, who's
a new coach here in Tennessee, not new to the
NFL certainly, but Sala's having the Titans practice. We're in
joint training camp practices with three teams this year, the Niners,
Love Bears, and the Seahawks. It should be I think beneficial,
hugely beneficial to both sides, and we understand that coaches

(59:06):
see great value in that. Kyle Shanahan has been again
a fixture of the offseason. This an off field story,
but that does have on field implications. He was in
a car accident on July fourteenth, suffered a concussion among
other injuries. As a result, he's been away and in
unlimited capacity from the team throughout the early part of

(59:29):
training camp. He did give a health update earlier today.
If I'm not mistaken, yes, today he said that his
plan was to coach the preseason opener this Thursday against
the Titans. I have been thinking a lot about the
San Francisco forty nine ers. We all have, right the
jokes about the electrical substation, this massive substation that they

(59:51):
practice in the shadow of, and how much it may
or may not be related to Niners injuries. They've dropped up,
certainly last season they got twenty players. Twenty players didn't
keep it keeps happening, So I know, I'm telling you.
We we had a we had an open stadium practice
here last night for for fans to be able to
go to and Sala, who I heard is a bit

(01:00:13):
of a conspiracy theorist, so I was hoping we'd get
a better answer on him on the substation from him,
but he he said, you know what, it's overplayed, And
that's exactly what I would be telling myself too if
I was taking my you know what.

Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
The players thinking about it. As the captain goes, so
does the crew. If the captain's panicking, then you panic.
If the pilot don't say nothing, just buckle your seat belt,
enclose eyes, and say well for them, big dude upstairs.

Speaker 10 (01:00:39):
What should be the level of panic in San Francisco?
Because they are an aging roster, they are already an
injured roster, and for reasons that that defy comprehension. Last year, PJ.
They were able to defy all these different injuries that
they experienced throughout the course of last season, make it
to the postseason, beat the Philadelphia Eagles on the road,

(01:01:01):
and you didn't win the Super Bowl or make it
to the Super Bowl last year, but still put up
more of a fight than I think most people were
expecting to. I think they're as fraud as they've been
though in quite some time. I wonder what your position
on the Niners.

Speaker 12 (01:01:13):
No, No, this is a great question, a great topic
because I'm gonna go back. I'm gonna pull a radio
trick and go back to the first segment where your
team that you think we're seeing the end of their run.
I'm gonna use that as the forty nine ers. Now
you want to talk about a team that's been on
a run. These guys have been on a run. They've

(01:01:34):
been to Super Bowls, they've been to conference championship games.

Speaker 2 (01:01:37):
They finished with twelve.

Speaker 12 (01:01:38):
Wins, thirteen wins, fourteen wins. They've had the best running back,
the best left tackle. You had de Bo, you had
Jimmy then that went to Brock comes onto the scene
as mister relevant and sets the world on fire. He's
got people calling him the next one. Remember Brock, Party
was supposed to be the next one. He was gonna
be better than Herbert, he was gonna be better than

(01:01:58):
Trevor Lawrence. He was gonna better than Too and better
some of these other and he was gonna be the guy.

Speaker 2 (01:02:03):
Right And now you're starting.

Speaker 12 (01:02:04):
To see what time and what age starts to do
to a franchise. And listen, how did Shannahan even do that?
Last year. How they even get to where they got
to last year? That thing was held together. I thought
I was watching an old mcgiver episode from the eighties.
That thing was held together with a firecracker, a toothpick,
and a stick of gum in a fight, and you know,

(01:02:25):
and some duct tape. That's and then you just turn
and gave the ball to the running back. And I
think that's a team that I look at and say,
we're seeing the end. Guys like their their windows. I'll
say now that windows closed. They're not going back to
a conference championship game. They damn sure not getting to
a super Bowl, and they're not making the playoffs this year.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
That's an out of playoff team.

Speaker 12 (01:02:47):
Shanahan's not gonna lose his job because he's just done
too good of a job in the York family, is it.
They're good owners and you got lynched there, and he's
not gonna lose his job. But they gotta they're gonna
have some questions, think about it. They traded, they got
rid of Debo, and then they brought him back. Right
this Hi Yuk stuff that's going on even with Trent.
Did you really want to pay Trent that much? Money
again at left tackle. At his agent he misses time.

(01:03:10):
If there's a team buck that, I would say, hey man,
we're looking at the end. I'll go further. I'll close
the window on the Niners. I think there are seven
eight win team this year. They don't make the playoffs,
that would be a stunner. But again, this has been
such an incredible run. To your point, people people have
unrealistic expectations. I think for how long competitive windows in

(01:03:33):
the NFL are supposed to be open between the Niners
the Eagles. Another example of this we talked about earlier
in the show Lions. But yes, absolutely Lions. I mean,
my god, right right right, all that talent, all that skill,
but defense, offense, special teams don't coach great city? But
when when are you going to and you let Jayden

(01:03:56):
Daniels in this crew go in there and hang a
forty plus burger you I mean, I think the Niners
said this could be the end.

Speaker 10 (01:04:03):
But well, the thing that concerns me it's, you know,
it's multi pronged, and you've laid out several of those
points there. The Niners are the second oldest roster in
the NFL by average age. Did you want to guess
who the oldest roster in the NFL.

Speaker 2 (01:04:18):
This year is, Kansas City.

Speaker 10 (01:04:20):
Washington, who we talked about earlier in the show. Washington
has an average age of twenty six.

Speaker 12 (01:04:26):
I might cash in on that third place, maybe fourth
place finish in the nfcas.

Speaker 10 (01:04:30):
I'm telling you, they're hanging on with the threatning AARP membership,
But the Niners just as bad. Right Their solution to
their wide receiver depth issues without Brandon Ayuk was thirty
three year old Mike Evans, who again is going to
be a Hall of Famer, But Mike has been dealing
with hamstring injuries these last couple of years, is coming
off one of his least productive seasons since he's been

(01:04:51):
a pro, and is in a place where there Again,
I don't want to breathe more life into the conspiracy
theory of the substation necessarily possible, but I'm telling you
that's not good for an NFL football player to be
practicing in the shadow of that thing. Okay, there has
to be some kind of residual effect there that we're

(01:05:12):
not actually talking about, no matter how many people want
to tell us otherwise. That's my reckless speculation for the
day the roster is aging. The quarterback is very, very
dependent on his situation. That doesn't make him elite in
the decision or does not make him any less elite
in the decision making that he provides to that offense.

(01:05:33):
But his skill set, his talent level is not one
that will help elevate you much beyond what the system
provides to him. And that's not a knock on brock Party.

Speaker 2 (01:05:43):
That's the vast majority of player.

Speaker 10 (01:05:46):
You know what I'm saying. They're all system quarterbacks. Rock
Party just has to be are a higher level of
a system quarterback, right. That's not a slur, even though
we've been using it as a slur for many, many years.
It feels like, so I look at this Niners team
and I you know, they have enough ingenuity, I think,
to again keep themselves relevant, keep themselves competitive. But this

(01:06:09):
does feel like the end of a highly successful era,
not one that ended in a championship, and that is
a championship caliber organization. I don't know that I could
agree with you more on the Niners.

Speaker 12 (01:06:19):
Yeah, and I love that it's Hartman, my partner's feeling
in nets. He'll be on He's in here early. I'm
sitting looking at him across from the glass. He looked
at me when you said system quarterback, Buck, I wish
I've been doing sports talk with you for years, buddy,
because I've a guy for my fifteen year career. I
hate system. It's all a system. Joe Montana was in
the West Coast offense.

Speaker 7 (01:06:39):
What's that?

Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
It's a system?

Speaker 12 (01:06:41):
People more mooning him had the running shoot in Houston.
It's a it's all a system. Rpo I formation on
West Coast offense, all a system.

Speaker 2 (01:06:52):
But you're right, you said it.

Speaker 10 (01:06:53):
Sorry, Steve, I feel like I've had a trigger here.

Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
Sorry because I love that.

Speaker 12 (01:06:57):
I love that you said that because I get because
you're right, we've made it a derogatory term. What did
current warnt to play in? He played in Mike Martz's system.
That's what it's called. We have to install our what
our system? That's the words we use. But with Brock
pretty right. It doesn't make his decision making any less elite,
but it's every everything around him. Much like to and

(01:07:18):
I'm a Dolphin fan. I love too. I did, guys,
but he's gone so boom. I'm wanting to elite the freak.
That's the kind of fan I am. Once you leave
my squad, I wish you well. But hey, brother, I'm
not talking about you no more. You play for them,
you don't play for my squad no more.

Speaker 10 (01:07:29):
But even with.

Speaker 12 (01:07:31):
Oh that's man, Listen, I go all the way back
to Liberty University. I covered him when he was in
high school, so I know a lot about Maliite, the
freak Willis. I'm very looking forward to the year they
could have there. But even with Tool in Miami, like, everything.

Speaker 2 (01:07:43):
Had to be right right. Wattle had to be on
Tarreek had to be on.

Speaker 12 (01:07:46):
The running game had to be on the time, it
had to be on Brock Party's that kind of guy.
He's got a little more mobility than what Tool had.
But everything's kind of got to be right in sanfran
this year, and that's one team I'm really tab is.

Speaker 2 (01:07:58):
Listen, they're gonna fall, guys, it's just the injuries we do.

Speaker 12 (01:08:00):
You have twenty, like twenty two guys out right now,
and then Pearsol's done for the year.

Speaker 2 (01:08:04):
So you talk about the receiver room. The receiver room
is stripped.

Speaker 12 (01:08:07):
They might want to make up with Brandon or whatever
the case is, or maybe go grab somebody else that's
still not sign right now at the receiver position. They're
gonna have to give him. And Kittle missed time last year.
He's starting to age.

Speaker 10 (01:08:21):
We are going to the Niners have leaned heavily on
their running back situation. Running back contracts have been very
much in the news. We're gonna dive into the conversation
around the running backs. Coming up next VJ Husky, Buck
Rising hanging out here with you on Fox Sports Radio.
But first, christ Us caught up.

Speaker 12 (01:08:38):
I mean to get highlight that, Chris, you know how
I am about system cord my bad no no, and like, look.

Speaker 8 (01:08:42):
You launched the Lions in there, but like you know
that you want to talk about injuries though.

Speaker 2 (01:08:46):
That's been a team that's been as a sign of
d backs off the line, off the street straight years too.

Speaker 12 (01:08:53):
But they've had enough, They've had enough time and enough weapons.

Speaker 2 (01:08:57):
They should have gotten the one.

Speaker 8 (01:08:58):
This is a lot of we we talked about this
on our last Sunday show. This is a lot of
a big proven year for several people on that lines,
especially especially for Jared goff Under yet another another offensive
coordinator three in three years. All right, let's get caught
up on everything that's been going around here. We'll start
with baseball, where the Athletics blunted the red hot Boston

(01:09:18):
Red Sox seven to three. Boston takes his first loss
in quite a while. Other scores that have been going
around the Marlins blank the Angels seven to nothing, Yankees
outlast the Braves five of five to four. Currently ongoing
Brewers with an early one zero lead on the Twins,
Reds and Nationals scoreless, Blue Jays two to oho over

(01:09:39):
the Phillies right now. Pro Football Hall of Fame induction
ceremony was on Saturday, and Roger Craig revealed during his
tape acceptance speech that he had been diagnosed with vascular dementia.
He said his doctors believe his condition came apart from
concussions he sustained during his eleven year career as a
running back. He said the changes were gradual and were
initially dismissed as normal aging.

Speaker 2 (01:10:01):
So other news.

Speaker 8 (01:10:03):
Around the NFL, two time Super Bowl champion Eagles tackle
Ling Johnson to a reporter that is this upcoming season
will probably be his last. Several injuries during training camp,
Za Flowers suffered a quad contusion Laramie Tunzel left practice.
He's undergoing further evaluation. Luther Burden for the Bears limped
off of practice after a really getting tangled up in

(01:10:23):
a hit and a little bit of WNBA news. So
the Fever beat the Chicago Sky ninety to eighty six,
but Caitlin Clark was assessed her eighth technical of the
season when after missing a layup, she bumped into an
official and was immediately teed up. Clark is claiming that
it was incidental contact and the and the Fever are appealing.

(01:10:45):
I've watched the play a little bit. It is, you know,
you should see for yourself.

Speaker 2 (01:10:49):
It is.

Speaker 8 (01:10:49):
It is fascinating to see it here. But Max, she
she bumped her, She bumped her, She bumped her. They
can't playing all the right. There was there was something
with Sophie Cunningham as well. I think she got she
was on the wrong side of a flagrant as well.
Just a very weird, chippy game. But anyway, back to
you guys, it's been fun to hang out here for
these two hours.

Speaker 2 (01:11:05):
See y'all start CPC you tomorrow, baby.

Speaker 10 (01:11:09):
Thank you, Chris much appreciate it, I said, so refreshing.
I'm an Indiana Fever fan. I went to Indiana. It's
the basketball is the only sport we really care about
in the state of Indiana. It's so refreshing to have
a story about Kaitlyn Clark. It's about basketball something heye,
my own basketball.

Speaker 2 (01:11:30):
It was actually about the game.

Speaker 10 (01:11:32):
It's so nice.

Speaker 2 (01:11:33):
Where is he gonna talk about the actual game in
the w n B A already?

Speaker 10 (01:11:36):
Oh wow, Let me not linger too long before somebody
buzzes my shot collar and we have to start talking
about ingis character? So with the quickly for the best
pregame show every weekend, be sure to tune into Fox
Sports Radios Countdown presented by Bett MGM every Saturday and
Sunday morning from nine am to noon Eastern that's six

(01:11:56):
to nine am Pacific. We will count you down to
all of the biggest games of the weekend. Tune into
Countdown presented by BETMGM every Saturday and Saturday morning right
here on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart app VJ.
What is the value of a running back in the
modern day NFL? And I don't necessarily mean that just numerically,

(01:12:17):
but as we talk about system quarterbacks and the way
that trends, schematic trends, football trends EBB, and flow from
year to year is defensive coordinators and offensive coordinators adjust
to one another. What is the value of the running
back in the NFL? Buck?

Speaker 12 (01:12:33):
I lived by very simple VJASM football rules. Man number one,
run the football, Number two, stop the run. Those are
my first two principles of football. Run the football, stop
the run. You win a lot of games, you get
a lot of possessions for your offense back. And that's
how important the running back position is done. I did
a show on here about two and a half years ago.
Remember when when the running backs had to zoom? When

(01:12:54):
Eckler led him with the zoom because they weren't getting
paid Martin Wiites And we went on air and went
stick on a Saturday night for three hours about it
because I was I was talking about those principles.

Speaker 2 (01:13:05):
How do you guys think you could get along without
a running What kind of football are we talking about here?

Speaker 12 (01:13:11):
But see, that's when football started to look pretty everybody
was in shotgun.

Speaker 2 (01:13:15):
No one's running the ball.

Speaker 12 (01:13:16):
Everybody's just throwing the ball around because the defensive backs
can't touch receivers anymore.

Speaker 2 (01:13:20):
I get it. I play the game, I see the game.
I get it.

Speaker 12 (01:13:22):
But I need a running back, man, I want to
give I need a twenty five Why put to the
twenty five to thirty carry guys, now buck, We're saying, Oh, well,
if you get a twenty carry guy, twenty carry guy. No,
I want a twenty seven carry guy. I want a
thirty I want a Ricky Williams. I want that like
I want a guy I can just give it to
when I need to, not because I have to forced tour.

Speaker 2 (01:13:42):
The game dictates me too. So to me, it is
still the.

Speaker 12 (01:13:45):
Most important position other than quarterback is your running back,
because not only does he need to run the ball,
now they're throwing the ball around. We saw a gentlemen
that went into the Hall of Fame. That's always been
in my all time top ten, the first thousand thousand
guy and Roger Craig. We've seen it back then, back
in the eighties. You need your back man. So to me,
the importance of running back, I'm glad to see it

(01:14:05):
coming back. I'm glad to see these guys getting money.
I thought Detroit jumped the gun a little bit with
Gibbs in that contract, But I get it. He's eleven
hundred back yard last year with thirteen fourteen touchdowns. Hey,
kid wants his money. He's next up. I believe in
next up. So to me, Buck, it is always, still
is and always we will be about running the football.
To me, it's number one.

Speaker 10 (01:14:27):
Those those twenty five to thirty carry guys, they don't
exist anymore. But I've covered one of them and he's
still doing it, which is crazy to me.

Speaker 2 (01:14:34):
But but they do they do? They do? They exist? Buck,
we gotta have to. Yes, if we get back to it,
if they went back.

Speaker 12 (01:14:42):
To it, I can name me ten guys that could
be twenty five carry backs in the league. Right in
eight Davon Ah could be a twenty five back carry league.

Speaker 10 (01:14:48):
Well, I want to I want to ask you this
within that context though, because I think this is an
important distinction. They can do this. Yes, we have seen
teams and frankly teams of or rather the player's representation,
trend away from wanting their guys to have that much work,
that much wear and tear on their body, which I

(01:15:10):
think inherently VJ to me, has hurt the running back
contract value because you've never had more of a split
carry situation with basically every team in the NFL than
you do right now, because you mentioned we talk about
this within the context of the running backs getting paid.
Jamiir Gibbs got his contract most recently. He's now making

(01:15:30):
twenty two to five on an average annual basis, but
Jean Robinson in Atlanta right before that, Jonathan Taylor got
a two year extension to get him up to twenty
two a year. That's still Jamir Gibbs at the top
of the running back market. VJ is making two and
a half three million dollars less than Peter Skuransky, who

(01:15:50):
is a guard here.

Speaker 12 (01:15:52):
In Tennessee, who just signed this contact yesterday, paid yesterday.

Speaker 10 (01:15:57):
Yes the Atlanta Falcons side and Matthew Berger on to
a contract averaging more money a year than Bajon Robinson,
who I think is the best running back actively in
football right now. Twenty four million dollars a year for
Burg're on twenty two point two five for Bajon Robinson.
I think it's a weird spot that running backs are

(01:16:19):
in because, yes, self preservation, that's a very violent position,
and you understand it out of necessity. I think you
are absolutely spot on in that running back is critically
important to the NFL. I'm watching cam Ward drop back
fifty times a game last year because they cannot support
him with a running game, and how detrimental that is
to a quarterback of any age. No matter what your

(01:16:40):
experience level is, you have to play complimentary football. And
yet these guys, because of the split of carries and
understanding self preservation, they are hurting their market value to
some extent. Again, we mentioned danned if you do, damned
if you don't. Within the context of the first hour,
and reporters getting quotes from athletes. I think running backs
are in a similar situation.

Speaker 7 (01:17:00):
They are.

Speaker 2 (01:17:00):
But I'll tell you this, this is why I'm so
hardcoreing this.

Speaker 12 (01:17:03):
I'm the old guy. Get off my line now I am.
I'm almost fifty, so I am. I'm transferring into that
guy that I'm all about change. I'm all about evolution.
I'm all about adapting. I'm a dad, so I don't
have a choice but to be there. I'm a dad
and a husband. I don't have a choice but to
learn how to adapt. Okay, but I don't have to
change my old school tough morals about what things could
still be if more people got back on the old train.

(01:17:26):
I'm sitting here and I'm looking at the top backs
last year, only four backs with three hundred plus carriers.
Why why did Jean have more carries? Why did say
Quan have more carriers? Why didn't ask Jitsy have more carries?
Travis at and Kyra Williams.

Speaker 2 (01:17:39):
Why are you not giving them the ball more? They're producing?

Speaker 12 (01:17:43):
Those backs all started seventeen games for you, So I
don't want to hear about the injuries. They can do it.
We got football too pretty to throwing around. And honestly,
all the new coordinators, the new wonder kids, the ones
that are creative, the Mike mcdaiels, the lafleur that everybody
coming from, the McVeigh.

Speaker 10 (01:17:58):
Troot, Sean Payton's been doing this for years, right, yeah,
but but Sean, right, Sean, and Sean Payon is but
he's on Hall of Fame coach.

Speaker 12 (01:18:06):
I don't know if any idiot full the floor McDaniel,
I don't know if these other guys are gonna be
in a hall that's a Hall of Fame coach. He
just this quarterback just went in this morning, so I
know he's coming in right behind him, but he also
has some backs too that was total in the rock.
I just think that it can be done. And that's
what's hard, right. It's hurt the contract market. But when
you get back to it, man to move in the NFL,

(01:18:29):
what the see also did?

Speaker 2 (01:18:30):
What last year? Who wanted? Who wanted the Super Bowl MVP?

Speaker 12 (01:18:33):
They're running back their their quarterback was off and they
turned they had a guy that could tote that.

Speaker 2 (01:18:38):
Thing man and put it down.

Speaker 12 (01:18:40):
First down, first down, first down, keep the chains, keep
the ball, and ended up winning a Super Bowl MVP.

Speaker 2 (01:18:46):
It can be done.

Speaker 12 (01:18:47):
It's the mindset of the game and the coach is
in my humble opinion, buck, if we come and get
out of this soft era, get back to I formation,
where's the fallbacks?

Speaker 2 (01:18:57):
There's no fallbacks in the NFL anymore.

Speaker 3 (01:18:59):
Run.

Speaker 12 (01:19:00):
Everybody wants five tight ends, but most of thirty thirty
two coordinators, you can't coordinate five tight end offenses, so
stop it. But you saw somebody else do it, so
now you want to go try it. But now you're
hurting your running game, and you wonder why you're not
in eight. You wonder why you can't run the ball.
In December in January at Kansas City, at Denver, at
New England, at green Bay Cold stadiums at Seattle where

(01:19:20):
it's loud. You wonder why you can't do that because
you're doing this soft stuff. Sorry, that's my old man.
Run the ball ran for today.

Speaker 10 (01:19:27):
No, listen, I cover a franchise with Betty George Derek Right.
You know what I'm saying like that, that's the DNA. Eh,
you know what I mean. CJ. Twok, it's what it is.

Speaker 2 (01:19:38):
Turn in hand the ball.

Speaker 10 (01:19:40):
Yeah, absolutely, football got too pretty. PJ. Husky.

Speaker 12 (01:19:43):
Third and three, I'm running the ball. Damn a ten
yard post. I can't get three yards.

Speaker 10 (01:19:49):
Come on now, especially with the way that some of
these pass rushers. Right, man, you're setting yourself up for
failure if you're right, if you think those guys aren't
getting in there so much faster. Yeah, we have. I
had a lot of fun talking ball. Unfortunately, the way
that this dumb little show works is then we got
to play a dumb little game coming up.

Speaker 1 (01:20:06):
Don't listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 10 (01:20:11):
Let's put a bow on this bad boy for this
Saturday evening. VJ. Husky has been incredibly kind and generous
to spend some time here with us. Appreciate him, VJ. Man,
it's been a lot of fun to work together. We
had a lot of fun talking ball to that.

Speaker 2 (01:20:26):
It's been great.

Speaker 10 (01:20:27):
Man.

Speaker 12 (01:20:27):
Like I said, we probably could have did four hours.
I love your football energy. We see things that we see.
We see a lot the same, man, So I love it.
Thanks for having me, thanks for allowing me to come
in and send it. For fritzing, man, I appreciate it.

Speaker 10 (01:20:38):
Anytime. Anytime Fitz has open heart surgery, we welcome you back.

Speaker 2 (01:20:44):
Well, if that's the case, I'll see you later.

Speaker 10 (01:20:50):
I'm just claddy. I'm just glad that caught it, man.
I mean, in all seriousness, I'm making jokes because he's okay.
But oh my god, yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:20:57):
We all knew about it.

Speaker 2 (01:20:58):
We all found out him. I was like, what yeah,
so h prayers to them, Hello.

Speaker 10 (01:21:01):
No doubt. I think I bek Fitzi's back next weekend,
we hope. So we'll look forward to catching up then.
But in the meantime, we've been very grateful for Vj's insights,
Thank you and his energy. We have a dumb game
that we play at the end of every show, VJ.
So let's get to go a little. Would you rather?

Speaker 1 (01:21:17):
It's easy, guys, don't think too hard on would you rather? Bucket?
Fix it?

Speaker 5 (01:21:24):
All right, guys, So we have a would you rather today?
That's a little different than previous weeks. Fuck J probably
don't know what we did last week, but it was
it was pretty interesting. Anita didn't know what she was
going to pick on a few of them, right, buck
So would you rather wake up in a completely random
outfit every day? Or have your phone randomly change your

(01:21:46):
wallpaper to an embarrassing photo?

Speaker 10 (01:21:49):
Oh, VJ, I'll let you leave.

Speaker 12 (01:21:51):
I would rather have my phone change my pictures an
embarrassing photo.

Speaker 2 (01:21:57):
Absolutely?

Speaker 10 (01:22:00):
What was the first option of good Brandon?

Speaker 5 (01:22:03):
Completely random outfit every day was the first option?

Speaker 10 (01:22:06):
Oh yeah, because at least with the phone, right you
can you can hide the embarrassing photo from people because
the phone is within your control. The outfit, if it's
just at random, you're subject to public humiliation just by
walking out of your house. So I think I'm with
re each. I think I gotta go with your person.

Speaker 2 (01:22:24):
Get a privacy screen for your phone. You're fine? Oh yeah, good,
you're cooking? Yeah all right, beat the system. There you go.

Speaker 5 (01:22:31):
How about this next one? Would you rather always get
exactly what you want but never be surprised, or constantly
be surprised but rarely get what you expect.

Speaker 10 (01:22:44):
That's I'll want to let you go first every time. Man.

Speaker 12 (01:22:48):
Nah, you know, nah, give me what I want and
never be surprised, because damn it, I didn't. I didn't
try to be surprised too much in my life and
nothing and that don't work out.

Speaker 10 (01:22:58):
You not.

Speaker 12 (01:22:58):
Hell No, I'm olding of now. Listen, this is what
I want in this eye and this color.

Speaker 2 (01:23:03):
Just give you to give me.

Speaker 10 (01:23:06):
That's that is the right answer. But I feel like
I got you know, I gotta. I gotta have a little.
I gotta have a little you know, I gotta have
a little danger in my life. Okay, go ahead.

Speaker 11 (01:23:14):
I need.

Speaker 10 (01:23:15):
I need. I need to roll the dice every once
in a while and see what comes up. And it
may be terrible, it may not be in my best interest,
but you know what, it will be something different and
I can have a different set of expectations. Every day.
I get bored. Day is my problem.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
When they wake, I'm not knowing what you want to wear?
And there you go.

Speaker 10 (01:23:33):
You know what that is? Counter back me into a corner.
So yeah, we got.

Speaker 2 (01:23:38):
Time one one more? Okay?

Speaker 5 (01:23:41):
Would you rather have your ex narrate your life or
your parents provide commentary on every date you go on?

Speaker 2 (01:23:48):
Oh that's funny as hell.

Speaker 10 (01:23:51):
Oh that's cooking a day. Yeah you know what.

Speaker 2 (01:23:55):
Yeah, let my ex is tiding. Go ahead.

Speaker 12 (01:23:58):
Yeah I'm not God, yeah, already talk to her, tell everything.

Speaker 2 (01:24:02):
I'm not tripping to see the thing is this.

Speaker 12 (01:24:04):
I get the girl, I get the date back alone
at some point, and then I can rebuddle and get
my story together for everything she.

Speaker 2 (01:24:12):
Told you, So have have that as we are.

Speaker 12 (01:24:15):
I do not want my parents knowing and commentate what
I was doing on dates?

Speaker 10 (01:24:18):
Hell no, yeah, I think I think I'm with him.
You know what, because we want VJ. We won. Let
the exs narrator. They're gonna have it's it's gonna be
worse for them than it will be for us because
we won. Damn it.

Speaker 2 (01:24:31):
Lay a little hate ass sit up there and trying
to throw sop my game. You make yourself look beast hot.

Speaker 10 (01:24:38):
Oh my god, I like that game.

Speaker 2 (01:24:40):
That was fun.

Speaker 10 (01:24:41):
That's a good one.

Speaker 2 (01:24:43):
Actually have time for one more?

Speaker 3 (01:24:44):
Do you?

Speaker 10 (01:24:45):
Okay? I don't know? Should we? That was a really
good one to hand on. You want to you want
to risk it?

Speaker 2 (01:24:51):
No, no, no, no pressures on. Okay, let's go, Kobe.

Speaker 5 (01:24:56):
Would you rather have one incredibly embarrassing moment happen every
month or one mildly embarrassing moment.

Speaker 2 (01:25:01):
Happen every day?

Speaker 12 (01:25:05):
Oh wow, I'll take every day, because that once a
month could be a doozy. And if they're just minor embarrassments,
I'm an embarrassment anyway, of riches in certain ways in.

Speaker 2 (01:25:16):
My life, So I'm cool. You can't nothing happen to
me that ain't happened to me already, So I'm all
right there. But them big monthly ones, Oh no, that's
like rent. That's like rent.

Speaker 10 (01:25:28):
You have to have shame to be mildly embarrassed. And
I don't think you're getting me with mild embarrassments anymore.
I'm not quite as as experienced, we'll call it as
vej in thirty three years of life. But you know what,
I don't think you're getting me on much anymore. I
don't think you can mildly shame me anymore. So I'll
take these mild shames. Give me your best.

Speaker 2 (01:25:47):
Shot, give me your right, give me your Ben shot.
We do sports talk radio for a living. We already
get mildly shamed.

Speaker 10 (01:25:53):
Madja, I've had so much fun. Yes, thanks for hanging out.

Speaker 2 (01:25:57):
Thank you for having me. Man, God bless you and
your family.

Speaker 10 (01:25:58):
Brother stick around is Fox Sports right,

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