September 3, 2026 • 31 mins
Jason Smith finally gave NBA Commissioner Adam Silver credit for doing something. And three NFL quarterbacks are all in the news for three different reasons!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight,
10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Eastern, 7 to 11 p.m.
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at foxsportsradio.com or
stream us live every night on the iHeartRadio app by
searching FSR. Now let's get this party started.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Greetings. Welcome inside final hour tonight. The Jason Smith show
with my best friend, Mike Harmon. I'm standing up in
the studio. Now it's time to perform another wellness check
right now because someone is having maybe the worst sports
night of the year. Monty Bolaños, biggest Clipper fan I know,
her and Ben Maller, already not happy with what happened
(00:55):
to the Clippers today because basically her franchise got nuked.
You want to go into your thesaurus and come up
with a stronger than not happy? Not exactly what Monty
Bolaños had in mind. And Will Smith just missed ending
this game in the bottom of the ninth inning for
the Dodgers against the Cardinals. Cardinals have now put up
three runs in the top of the 10th and they
(01:16):
are still batting. They are up eight to five. So
wellness check. Monsi, are you okay? I realize this is
maybe the worst sports day you've had in a long time.
Are you okay? I'm okay. No, you don't sound okay.
I'm dandy. No. Oh, see, I know you told me
that's your keyword. When you say dandy, that means things
are bad. Yeah, that's it. This is good. I'm glad
(01:39):
I'm here. Inhale. Yeah. I'm glad. Hold it. No, I
know it's a tough night. That's why I bought coffee
for everybody. You did. It was delicious. Thank you. Keeping
me awake so I can see this. You can stay
up late and watch how bad you are. So I
can see this bleep show. Absolutely. Not just now. Because,
you know, it's funny you say that because now I
feel bad because, like, whenever– if it was a bad– like,
(01:59):
if the Jets lost big or the Mets lost, whatever
it was, there are nights when I was younger I
would go like– I just want to go to sleep
and not think about this anymore and wake up tomorrow
and just attack the day and not think about it.
I'm ready to go to bed, and I'm ready to
not think about this game anymore. With an intensity unknown
to man. Yes, ready to go. Because I'll wake up
the next day, and I'll be able to think, okay,
(02:19):
for most law, I'll put it behind me. I have
a beer, and I take a shower because that's how
we do it in the NBA. But it was very
much like I don't want to stay up late. I
don't want to start watching a movie because I'm just
going to zone out and go, I still can't believe
that happened on 3rd and 12 from the 5. I
can't believe that happened. I can't believe that happened. So, yeah, no,
I feel bad. Maybe coffee wasn't the right thing to buy.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
No, it's fine.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It's fine. Things are good. It was a nice gesture.
They're not good. No, I thought that counts. Chargers are
going to win the Super Bowl. Okay, good. There you go.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
All right.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, you get the Chargers.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Hooray.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Hooray. Sandy. Justin Herbert is going to be MVP. Yeah. Yeah, boy.
And if they don't, it's all going to be Madison
Beer's fault. It really is. It really is. It's all
going to be. No, you're kidding. No, no, no, no, no, no.
I have no doubt Justin Herbert's going to have a
big year. chargers offensive line doesn't stay healthy that's a
big bookends man that's it i have no doubt justin
(03:10):
herbert unless you know you find out that who would
think that northwestern is the key just to a potential
super bowl run hey look there's video justin herbert planting
trees wow i wonder what's going on here is kawaii
there by any chance what's the extradition from uh canada
at this point Monty, do you want some a little
(03:32):
stronger in your coffee?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Okay, all right. Like what? Like tequila? Yes. Okay, all right, great.
I think there's some stash somewhere. Wonderful. It might be yours. Probably.
All right, very good. Very good. All right, very good.
Good luck. Good luck watching the Dodgers. Okay, so. Ghost runners, man.
They're bad for business. With the penalty that came out today.
on the Clippers, right? Finally, the Kawhi Leonard gate is over.
(03:56):
We know that the way the Clippers circumvented the salary cap,
the penalty is Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Red card!
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Most of the front office is suspended for six months.
They're fined $ 30 million, and most importantly, they lose five
first-round draft picks. Five first-round picks. We talked about a
few minutes ago how excessive it was. It's the excessive
penalty for what happened. Not that there didn't need to
be a penalty, but this is really too much. However,
(04:26):
that being said, I have to give a guy props
that I never give props to. This is the first
time he's actually sat up and done something. Thank you. Well,
that's the first time. I'm sure you've done good stuff before.
Name one. Well, I'll get back to you. I'll get
back to you. I got everything. He ordered the coffee.
He did. You ordered the coffee for tonight. Thank you. Yeah,
(04:47):
you did. You did, yeah. And I got it all right. Yes,
you did. Everybody got their food. Unlike Harmon, who had
to go to El Pollo Loco three times last night
to get the right chicken.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I'm going back.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
What?
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I'm going back. Last night, Harmon got a Pollo Loco
for the two of us for dinner. He had to
leave and go to pick up a Pollo Loco. He
had to leave, go back three times because they screwed
up the order. He comes back and go, where's our food? Oh,
they screwed it up. I got to go back. Okay,
so we talk. He leaves again, comes back. Where's our food?
They said it was going to be a few more minutes.
I'm like, dude, come on, man. This is a Pollo Loco. No, no, no.
(05:18):
The first one. They didn't have my order. They forgot it. Whatever. Cool.
Then they gave me the wrong order, and then I
got to go back again, and then the third time
was the charm. It was delicious. You got to go
back three times over the course of 40 minutes to
get that chicken. I had to dodge the guys that
were doing the power spraying of the building and everything.
(05:38):
I'm slipping. I thought I was going to take a header.
That was dedication to get chicken for us. That's absolute dedication.
I have to give credit To Adam Silver. The guy
never wants to do anything.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Never.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
He doesn't want to upset owners. He doesn't want to
upset players. He is the worst. Anytime there's some kind
of change, he always says, well, we're thinking about this.
Let me see what people say about it, and then
we'll decide whether or not we want to use it.
He even does that in the WNBA. He just doesn't
want to do anything, right? I don't want to help
the WNBA. No, he doesn't want to do anything. And
the fact that he came out today, and again, it's
(06:17):
over the top, but the fact that he came out
with a strong stance against an NBA team, come on, man.
Who are you and what have you done with Adam Silver?
You've been replaced by a pod person? Like, again, second
straight pod person reference we had in the show. Really,
I give him credit because I never thought he would
do this. It's a bad headline for the NBA. It's
a bad headline for him. He's going to come out
(06:39):
and say, we couldn't find anything, but here's a fine.
Here's a million-dollar fine, and I'm going to dock them
a second-round draft pick, and it's going to be, yeah.
moving on, whatever, because that's what Adam Silver does. No,
he comes out five first, like, I give him a
lot of credit for the first showing he's got a spine.
I can stand up and everything, and I can shake
my fist at you and say, you can't do this
in the NBA. I can't believe he did it, and
(07:02):
he did it. There must be a mountain of evidence
that proves the Clippers' culpability in this because there's no
way Adam Silver would do this unless it was there
because eventually we're going to find out what the evidence was.
Now that we get the decision, stuff isn't going to
be as protected. Pablo Torre will probably find out, look,
(07:23):
this is the evidence the NBA had. We got X, Y, Z, blah, blah. So, oh, wow,
so overwhelming. Look at what the Clippers did. Here was
the penalty. Because there's no way he does this unless
he's got that. Because he's not going to look bad.
I still can't believe he was okay upsetting Steve Ballmer
as much as he is a very influential owner in
the NBA, the richest owner in the NBA. I mean,
I don't know what overcame... and came over Adam Silver
(07:46):
to make this decision, but wow, was this standing up
and being a strong commissioner. For the first time, standing
up by himself and being a strong commissioner. It's easy
to kick Donald Sterling out of the league. Dude, the
guy's racist. He's got to go, right? It's easy to
do that. It's hard to stand up and say, hey,
this is really bad. We don't want people to do this,
so I'm going to come down with a hammer on
(08:08):
the Clippers. Now, you could have come down with a
little bit more of a hammer on Kawhi Leonard, but
he did this, and I am shocked. that he did this. Like,
prove it. Hey, I have a spine. I can stand up, right?
It's like in Back to the Future, where finally George
McFly hits Biff, right? All the intimidation he's done. Hey, McFly,
your shoe's untied. Don't be so gullible, McFly. Right? The McFly,
(08:29):
older in life, and then back when they were in
high school. Like, this is finally him just, you know,
pulling out a fist and punching Biff. Like, that's exactly
what Adam Silver did. He found, I have inner strength
in the spine. I'm actually the commissioner. with a wide-ranging
latitude of powers, and I can come across... Actually, I
can say something like this. Wow, I'm the commissioner. I'm
serious when I say I give him a lot of
(08:49):
credit for this. Still want to know what went on
these last couple of weeks, right? Because we had that report,
what was it, mid-August? Just a couple of weeks ago. Um,
from all the guys at ESPN, they all had their byline. Uh,
some wondering if Shams had taken his name off and afterwards, right.
Vondata and, uh, Ramona Shelbert, right. Cause Ramona had hit,
had Steve Ballmer in studio and he was talking about
(09:10):
being conned. No, yeah, yeah. I didn't know. I didn't
know anything. What do you want to, what do you want?
I didn't know. And so much for the NBA not
having any evidence, according to ESPN. That was like Don
Van Natta and the other guys going, yeah, they don't
have any evidence. Oh, oh, wait. Well, actually, sorry. They
actually have a lot of evidence. Sorry, I didn't mean no.
By no, I meant a lot of evidence. So they
might not have found the actual smoking gun, but they
(09:30):
found the artillery and the closet in which it was kept. OK,
so so that's where we're at. So with a league partner,
there's a curiosity there. Those two weeks, how much where
is this the league office saying, all right, we're not
we're not being pushed this way by by ESPN and
some of these reports. How much is still behind door
(09:53):
number two? Well, in discovery, it always comes out, which
is why you always get to settlements and whatever in
these cases. The Kawhi Leonard statement, though, is gold. And
this is the stark contrast to the 2,000 words or
thereabout that Steve Ballmer put out, basically calling it a
witch hunt. You went after us, you told us one thing,
and then you go public with this and all of this.
(10:15):
Kawhi Leonard, Integrity and respect for the game are fundamental
to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses
in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret
the distraction this situation has caused. The fans and my family. Like,
I don't know. Not written by him. It's stated. I
don't know the contract I signed. I don't know the
terms of it. I don't know anything. I don't know
(10:35):
how I got all this money. Here's a picture of
Uncle Dennis. I just wake up every day and I
look at my bank account. Oh, how did it get there?
Why am I going to ask those questions? Is he
strumming a guitar like... I'm not going to know those things.
Like Jerry O'Connell at this point, too. Whatever, Jerry. I
just want to play. I just want to play football. Dad,
you're one of those agents on the phone. Yeah, no,
I mean, really. Oh, I don't know anything. I don't
know anything.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Really. You.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
The fact that Kawhi Leonard is escaping this without any penalty,
I got a problem with that. And it doesn't need
to be game played because now you're ruining the Raptors
because now that trade is most likely going to go
through and Kawhi's going to get to play. And I
get it. You don't want the Raptors to have to...
To be fair, you did enter the trade while this
was already an issue. Yeah, no, but true. But I mean,
(11:16):
but still, the Raptors did no wrong here. And now suddenly, oh,
a player we traded for. Like, what could you suspend
him for, right? But if you gave Kawhi... A financial penalty, okay. Like,
if you wanted to fine Kawhi Leonard $ 30 million, okay,
that's a big deal. Legitimately. You take that fine from Ballmer,
you suspended Ballmer for a year. Give that $ 30 million
(11:36):
fine to Kawhi Leonard. Well, okay, even though Kawhi Leonard
is worth probably, what, $ 500 million? $ 30 million fine's a
big deal. It's a big deal. Based on a quick
look at Spotrak during this time, he made $ 378 million
from the Clippers. Yeah, it's a lot of money. Since 2019.
They kept signing him even though it wasn't working. We're
just going to keep giving you money. Let alone whatever
this other ancillary monies are, right? We know of at least, what,
(11:59):
$ 48 million? Could be much higher. That represents. 001 %
of the money that he earned just on the books. Yeah.
On the books. $ 700, 000 for him. One-tenth of 1%. Yeah.
There needs to be something for Kawhi because he obviously...
(12:20):
went along with this and knew what was going on
and benefited from this i mean really the thing is
oh hey uncle dennis said don't worry about it man
i got you what do i do no no no
no don't worry but i read in the i read
i read online that my contract was worth this amount
of money yeah don't worry about it we're gonna get
you extra what do i gotta do just show up
can you hold a plant yeah that's just one time
that's all we're doing okay i got no problem with
(12:41):
i mean come on everybody's got to be responsible for
their actions responsible for what they are And had there
been some... That's the only thing missing, honestly, is some
kind of penalty for Kawhi Leonard that doesn't involve the Raptors. Yeah, it's... when,
when the stuff started coming out, like you get bit
by bit and it's all the dribs and drabs and
it's Balmer and the Clippers and each line items like, okay,
(13:04):
eye opener. Ooh, I sat up straight in my chair. Ooh,
I inched to the edge of my chair. As soon
as you see the five draft picks, like, okay. And
then Kawhi Leonard was fine.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
$ 700, 000.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Like, Wow, that deflated the balloon. Like, there's nothing there.
That's like when the Patriots got fined or Belichick or
Kraft got fined a million dollars for Spygate, right? This is, again,
20 years, but a million dollars for an NFL owner,
and it was, well, that's the maximum amount they could
fine him, and they gave it to him. Ooh, yes.
I don't care that's the maximum amount. That did absolutely nothing.
(13:37):
That did absolutely nothing. I get it. It seems like
a big number. It seems like 700 grand for now,
but now let's go realistic. This is like, okay, If
someone who makes, you know, let's say $ 75, 000 a year, right?
Let's throw that number out there. Okay, for someone who
makes $ 75, 000 a year to be fined what Kawhi Leonard
(13:59):
got fined, $ 700, 000 for making the $ 40 million a year.
But someone making $ 75, 000 a year doing something really, really bad,
what'd you find? $ 400. $ 400. Oh, okay. To be fair,
based on the rate of inflation, that million-dollar fine would
be $ 1. 55 million. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just so you know.
I take it back. No, I take it back. I
take it back. That's a lot of money. I take
(14:20):
it back. A lot of money. A lot of money.
As soon as you get that extra. 05. I mean,
it was just one and a half million.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
No.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
I mean, that's the only thing missing from this. And
maybe because it's too hard for Silver to do, and
maybe this is where suddenly, oh, yeah, now he's back
being Adam Silver. Well, I can't. I can't fight the
players association. Well, but you get to the players union versus,
all right, Steve Ballmer's going to try to sue me.
Because that's the part that's the most interesting. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Because Ballmer wrote his big missive about how he's going
to go after the NBA. Well, there's no recourse. in
(14:51):
the way the NBA is set up. So this has
to go to a court somewhere.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
No, again, the evidence must be overwhelming for this to happen.
I can't wait to see this. He starts running around
like Chandler Bing. If I'm going down, I'm taking all
of you with me. That's Ms. Chandler Bong. Remember to
get it right. Yeah, sure. Exit out about a fresca.
Exit Swollen Dome. Jason Smith, Mike Harmon live from the
Fox Sports Radio Studios. We got a big hot take
(15:15):
on the biggest story in sports coming up next, as
well as three quarterbacks, all in big news today for
completely different reasons. That's next. Jason and Mike, Fox Sports Radio. Hey,
it's Covino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Now, in addition to hearing us live weekdays from 5
to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio, we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube
channel for the show.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
You can now watch Covino & Rich live on YouTube
every day. All you got to do, search Covino &
Rich FSR on YouTube. Again, go to YouTube, search Covino &
Rich FSR. Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that
thumbs up icon, and comment away.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m.
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Fox Sports Radio, the Jason Smith Show with my best friend,
Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Hubba.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
We'll ask the biggest question of the biggest story in
sports today coming up in a few minutes. But just
because today was dominated by the fact that the Clippers
may never win another game for the next decade plus.
Three quarterbacks in the NFL. In the news for three
very different reasons.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
All right. Let's kick things off with Fernando Mendoza, who
today we found out will not be the starting quarterback
to start the season for the Raiders. Kirk Cousins gets
the gig. Raiders making the decision, saying that they love
everything Mendoza has done, but Kirk Cousins is the guy. Now,
(16:56):
this is something that has been mismanaged since early on.
They knew they were going to have the number one pick.
They knew they were taking Mendoza. Now we're going to
sign Kirk Cousins to a crazy-ass contract, and then we're
going to give him the job. Okay, well, that doesn't
make sense, but all right. But then midway through the summer, it's, well,
we're going to leave the job open for Mendoza to win. Well,
wait a minute. Okay, then they give him the chance
(17:16):
to win the job, and Mendoza's terrible. So now we're
back to where we began the offseason. Kirk Cousins is
number one, and Fernando Mendoza will back him up. Want
to sing a little Harry Chapin with me? Oh, my
life's a circle. Look, the consistency from the front office
and Tom Brady was there. Just Kubiak didn't take that
(17:36):
note with the media. Raiders, right. But that's it. This
is the Raiders doing the opposite of what they would
have done and forced a guy on the field who
may not be ready, right? Not a lot of snaps
under center, all of those things that we've talked about.
So you go with Captain Kirk until the wheels come off.
It's like when Hover writes on his hand, do opposite
of what Bart says. No, do the opposite.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
But he's now the first quarterback since Baker Mayfield to not,
to be taken number one overall and not start week one. Well,
Baker turned out okay. He is the third, not for
the team that drafted him. He had one year. He
is the third. He is just the third quarterback in
the last 22 years to be taken number one overall
(18:21):
and and not start the first game of the season.
This has always been a red flag. When you draft
a quarterback number one overall, this is a guy you
expect to come in, be one of the top third
quarterbacks in the game year after year. Some year he's
a top five guy, but someone that's got multiple Pro
Bowls to his name. And I mean the real Pro Bowls,
(18:41):
not like, hey, these 17 guys said no, will you
please say yes? But now the fact that he couldn't
win the job out of the gate... Like what you
project for his career now comes way down. Like my
ceiling for Mendoza is if he's a league average quarterback,
that's about what you can expect because guys are taking
(19:02):
number one overall. If they're not ready to, whoa, how
are you not ready? How are you not ready to win?
Are you really that good? You can't win the starting
job with the Raiders who are starting over, want to
give you everything. You can't win that job. And Clint
Kubiak kept the job open for you. Like Mendoza, Yes,
he was the best quarterback available. He wins the Heisman.
(19:22):
He wins the national championship. He made great plays. But
now for the Raiders, if he turns out to be
league average, you are happy, which is not what you
want from a guy you are taking number one overall.
But does it make the Raiders league average?
Speaker 2 (19:36):
No.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Because if so, that's a massive thing if he's going
to get a parade down Harmon Boulevard. How many teams
are really great at Harmon Boulevard? How many teams are
really great with league average quarterbacks? Well, I mean, you
went from, you got me to great. You're talking about...
We were talking league average. You're talking about 16th or
17th best player. I didn't say we were getting great.
I said you want the Raiders to be league average.
(19:57):
You're not... Nobody is league average with a league average quarterback.
Nobody is elite with a league average quarterback. You're definitely
not getting elite. But the idea being that you got
a guy that gets you point A to B, and
if Mendoza comes along, as you're hoping for, and this
is where the disconnect or... at least from my perception
of what's being said in the facility and what the
(20:19):
plan is versus Kubiak open his mouth and given folks
nuggets to talk about. Cause it seems like this was
in line with everything going back to draft day of,
all right, we'll get the guy in the building. We're
building a roster. You've got some great component parts, right?
If his ankle's okay, cool. You've got a good backup,
a good young running back behind him. You got Bowers.
(20:42):
You start looking around going, all right, we're making progress. Now,
you're still in the AFC West, so it's still a
lot of heavy climbing.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You're still trying to get past hell in the third
place when you look at the division. So, I mean,
that's your first test. But for Mendoza, if you're allowing
him to come along and you're like, well, we're going
to be good enough in theory that we're not going
to be able to draft one of these guys next
year who we don't know if they're really any good.
Let's be honest about that, right? Because how many of
(21:12):
those guys this year that are barely making teams were
supposed to be top-end first-round picks last year? This year, right?
With Mendoza. You're probably drafting at the top again next year.
You could be! Over under five and a half wins.
I was trying to be positive, saying it's a long build.
So there's Mendoza. What's one more year after 25? Today,
Jalen Hurts.
(21:34):
Had an interview published that he did with GQ that
just makes me question what kind of season the Eagles
are going to have. Again, this is just an interview. Yeah,
because you're not a Syriana guy to begin with. Look,
the Eagles have bathed in controversy the last couple of years.
They're so comfortable in it, yet they still win. It's impressive.
But now, after getting rid of A.J. Brown and seeing this,
(21:59):
and I know it's just an interview with Jalen Hurts,
but this was so awkward and it was so weird.
I just wonder, is Jalen Hurts ready for the year
ahead of him that is going to account for him
leading the team more than he ever has before, performing
better on the field than he ever has before, not
being carried by Saquon Barkley anymore? This is a snippet
(22:21):
of the interview that he did with GQ that just
a sample of how weird this entire thing is. The
line of questioning is going on about A.J. Brown. And
in the interview, Jalen Hurts talks about how he and A.J. Brown,
their relationship is not the same, right? It fell apart.
They grew apart. And now A.J. Brown is with the Patriots.
(22:43):
Here's a good 25 seconds of. Jalen Hurts getting the
question about A.J. Brown and then listen to the big
clap that happens after he finishes with his answer. Let's
hear Jalen Hurts. One thing that will be very different
(23:04):
is A.J. Brown traded. We talked about it before. That
will make, I imagine, the team feel very different and
the offense feel very different.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
You imagine? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
I guess I'm asking. Yeah, I mean, you can't replace
the greatness that we have achieved and the presence and
the success that he's had on the field.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
But we've got to go to work. What happened? What
just happened there? So first of all, I like how
when he's– I imagine it will be different. And he says,
you imagine? So it's combative right away. And this is
not him sitting down with Eagles.com or, hey, you have
a thing. This is GQ. This is for him. This
is about him, his brand. And you can already tell
(23:46):
it's an awkward– it seems like a very cold atmosphere
with him and the interviewer. And the interviewer starts by
asking him a question about A.J. Brown. He goes, you imagine? Yeah.
And then he gives the answer about we have to
go to work. And you hear that big clap. And
what he did was it looked like he tried to
kill a fly that was flying in front of him.
Because then after that happens, he kind of just moves
(24:07):
his hand. It looks like he's trying, like he couldn't
get it. But, like, how intimidating is that? Like, it's
kind of like a drop the mic and you ask
me this question. We got to get to work. And
I'm like, what the hell is that? That was so odd.
That was so awkward and weird. And I just keep
going back over the fact, all the reports we hear,
how popular is Jalen Hurts with his teammates? How much
(24:27):
do they like him? Is he ready to lead? Like,
this interview is so awkward, and it doesn't seem like
he wants to be there to talk about it. And
I just go... Man, he's got more pressure on him
this year than he has ever had. Is he ready
for this? Well, but we've also had for Jalen Hurts
the last couple of years, you know, all these rankings
(24:47):
and lists that come out. And no matter what he's
achieved in the postseason, no matter how many wins, the
Super Bowl performances, it's always the, yeah, what else you got?
And so at some point, you probably... get a, get
a little bit bristly about that. I want to know
what the pre-interview was. Cause he's so nervous in that
first question. Like that's a pretty, pretty basic thing. Hey,
(25:10):
you lost your number one receiver. Well, that's part of
the interview that, that, that Jalen hurts was combat. You
can see how combative he was on it, but even
how intimidating he was, but even before he does the,
you know, you, you, you think? You know, kind of thing.
As he's asking that first question, it's like, well, what's
the preamble to that? Because you're already fumbling to ask
(25:35):
a very basic, your number one leaves. How's that change
the offense? Even if you're not a sports guy, you
talk to someone who is, didn't you? That would get
you to that. So I... the clap is really the
thing I want to focus on. I'm intimidating the, the
interviewer with this. Like, have you learned your lesson? You
know what it's like to lead again? I say just
(25:56):
an interview, but it's an interview that should be something
that he's comfortable with GQ. And it seemed like he
was combative and he was ready to fight. And I go, uh,
he doesn't get that this year. Like he's kind of
gotten a pass the last couple of years where, Hey,
The infighting, it's been all about A.J. Brown's gotten a
lot of bad publicity. Nick Sirianni's gotten the bad publicity.
This year now, you don't win, it's the quarterback. And
(26:17):
I see this and I go, is he ready? Hey,
he was told this was going to be a puff piece.
Good luck, man. And this guy stammered through a very
hard-hitting question. Good luck. You think Jordan Hudson was standing
behind camera going, we're not going to get into that.
I'm sorry, we're not getting into that.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
What?
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Oh, look at that. All of a sudden. No, instead,
Jalen Hurts. I mean, he didn't Dr. D. David Schultz him.
I'm clapping. Where he went John Stossel upside the head.
You think it's fake. We need to do that. I
thought the interview was going to back.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Oh, don't hit me.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
All right. I won't ask you anymore about A.J. Brown
because you clap to kill that imaginary fly in front
of me. I kind of dug that, though. It was
like he snapped back into where he was in the
huddle or doing a pregame speech. He's like, got to
go to work again. Good luck. What I do every day.
That's how I hype myself walking down the hall. And clap,
I see. Yeah, but that's by yourself. You're not trying
to intimidate anybody. Sure I am. Who are you trying
(27:05):
to intimidate? Oh, everybody. Down the hall.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Really?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah. The ghosts. There's a guy in purple shorts that
keeps clapping. Just let him clap. You know, they are
legitimately purple shorts today, too. It's okay. It's fine. The
other quarterback... is J.J. McCarthy. As Minnesota's general manager said
today that he anticipates McCarthy being on the roster week one.
He was asked if he could be the backup quarterback,
(27:27):
and he said, well, I don't want to get into
that right now, but J.J. 's working hard, pleased with
everything he's done. Okay, obviously you're not pleased with everything
he's done, or you wouldn't have traded for Kyler Murray.
I get that it's difficult. But what this tells me
is that the Vikings are saying, man, we're stuck. We
can't get what we feel is a fair package for J.J. McCarthy.
(27:50):
So we're holding on to him. Nobody's giving us what
we want. Guys, you got to get rid of him.
He can't be a daily reminder of you making the
worst quarterback decision in the history of the league. Because
that's what choosing McCarthy over Sam Darnold was. It was
the worst decision. You had knowledge to not make that call,
and you still did it. If he's not going to
be the backup, they can't even say he's going to
(28:12):
be the... He's probably going to be third string. This
guy you took in the first round, oh, we're hoping
that he sits and he learns. Sits and he learns!
Why the hell would you get rid of Sam Darnold?
It's only year three! This is awful. You still have
plenty of time. I say, when... This is in social
media where if you're moving on from somebody, if you're
(28:33):
broken up in a relationship, you unfriend them on Facebook.
You take the pictures off your phone. You take the
picture down off your dresser. You don't want a daily
reminder of, oh, yeah, yeah, we broke up, but this
is a great picture. We were together for three years. No,
you move on. And he's a walking reminder of how
badly you biffed that. I'm sorry that another team is
(28:53):
not going to give you what you want for him,
but you have to move on because he can't be
a guy, especially if he doesn't look like he's even
going to see the field, that come in every day
and go, yep, here's JJ, still couldn't get it done. Mentally,
that wears on you. give him a chance to start
over someplace else. Somebody else will take him and you
get to move on because until you do that, it's
(29:15):
just going to hang over your head the entire time.
I don't get how Minnesota, especially once they knew this
guy is just not going to be part of our future,
why they didn't find a way to move on. I don't,
but again, they knew they had Darnold and they still want,
they got rid of him. So again, Vikings, like, like
we say, Oh, Raiders, it's Oh, Vikings. Yeah. I mean,
they did fire the GM, ostensibly in bad drafting and
(29:37):
the decision to keep McCarthy and send Sam Darnold out.
But you look at this situation, you've got Carson Wentz, veteran,
you've got a roster that if everything breaks right, Kyler
Murray is the guy that he is most seasons for
about six to eight weeks. And he can sustain that
a bit. Now, we don't expect him to get through
(29:58):
a full 17, but you get Carson Wentz, who's there
as the veteran to get you through any patches as
Murray's on the mend or what have you, that for
McCarthy to just be just a guy is just a
waste for him. It's a waste for you. I mean, look,
welcome to the future where the present is the past.
(30:20):
He's just sitting out in no man's land. He's not
getting any better because he's– truly just a practice squad
guy and a taxi guy, I mean, that's not helping you.
Just send him to Harbaugh already and be done with it.
He loved him. He talked him up. Otherwise, you're going
to have pictures of, like, Sean Payton in your head
all the time of how he duped you into drafting him,
(30:41):
even though... Adolfo Menzo isn't there anymore. The memory remains.
We'll take Trey Lance. Just give us Trey Lance. We'll
give you J.J. McCarthy. We'll call it even. Then we
can at least say, well, we traded a guy we
took 10th for a guy that went third. We can
spin it that way, can't you? Yeah, otherwise it's just
right now just a bad reminder of bad decisions in
the past. Just leave them in the past and move on.
(31:03):
Although those pictures do create a rich tapestry of your life. Yeah,
that is true. Like you were saying before. That is true, yeah.
Because they were happy times and they are part of you.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Yeah. You're right.
Thanks for listening to the Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight,
10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Eastern, 7 to 11 p.m.
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at foxsportsradio.com or
stream us live every night on the iHeartRadio app by
searching FSR. Now let's get this party started.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Greetings. Welcome inside final hour tonight. The Jason Smith show
with my best friend, Mike Harmon. I'm standing up in
the studio. Now it's time to perform another wellness check
right now because someone is having maybe the worst sports
night of the year. Monty Bolaños, biggest Clipper fan I know,
her and Ben Maller, already not happy with what happened
(00:55):
to the Clippers today because basically her franchise got nuked.
You want to go into your thesaurus and come up
with a stronger than not happy? Not exactly what Monty
Bolaños had in mind. And Will Smith just missed ending
this game in the bottom of the ninth inning for
the Dodgers against the Cardinals. Cardinals have now put up
three runs in the top of the 10th and they
(01:16):
are still batting. They are up eight to five. So
wellness check. Monsi, are you okay? I realize this is
maybe the worst sports day you've had in a long time.
Are you okay? I'm okay. No, you don't sound okay.
I'm dandy. No. Oh, see, I know you told me
that's your keyword. When you say dandy, that means things
are bad. Yeah, that's it. This is good. I'm glad
(01:39):
I'm here. Inhale. Yeah. I'm glad. Hold it. No, I
know it's a tough night. That's why I bought coffee
for everybody. You did. It was delicious. Thank you. Keeping
me awake so I can see this. You can stay
up late and watch how bad you are. So I
can see this bleep show. Absolutely. Not just now. Because,
you know, it's funny you say that because now I
feel bad because, like, whenever– if it was a bad– like,
(01:59):
if the Jets lost big or the Mets lost, whatever
it was, there are nights when I was younger I
would go like– I just want to go to sleep
and not think about this anymore and wake up tomorrow
and just attack the day and not think about it.
I'm ready to go to bed, and I'm ready to
not think about this game anymore. With an intensity unknown
to man. Yes, ready to go. Because I'll wake up
the next day, and I'll be able to think, okay,
(02:19):
for most law, I'll put it behind me. I have
a beer, and I take a shower because that's how
we do it in the NBA. But it was very
much like I don't want to stay up late. I
don't want to start watching a movie because I'm just
going to zone out and go, I still can't believe
that happened on 3rd and 12 from the 5. I
can't believe that happened. I can't believe that happened. So, yeah, no,
I feel bad. Maybe coffee wasn't the right thing to buy.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
No, it's fine.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It's fine. Things are good. It was a nice gesture.
They're not good. No, I thought that counts. Chargers are
going to win the Super Bowl. Okay, good. There you go.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
All right.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, you get the Chargers.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Hooray.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Hooray. Sandy. Justin Herbert is going to be MVP. Yeah. Yeah, boy.
And if they don't, it's all going to be Madison
Beer's fault. It really is. It really is. It's all
going to be. No, you're kidding. No, no, no, no, no, no.
I have no doubt Justin Herbert's going to have a
big year. chargers offensive line doesn't stay healthy that's a
big bookends man that's it i have no doubt justin
(03:10):
herbert unless you know you find out that who would
think that northwestern is the key just to a potential
super bowl run hey look there's video justin herbert planting
trees wow i wonder what's going on here is kawaii
there by any chance what's the extradition from uh canada
at this point Monty, do you want some a little
(03:32):
stronger in your coffee?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Okay, all right. Like what? Like tequila? Yes. Okay, all right, great.
I think there's some stash somewhere. Wonderful. It might be yours. Probably.
All right, very good. Very good. All right, very good.
Good luck. Good luck watching the Dodgers. Okay, so. Ghost runners, man.
They're bad for business. With the penalty that came out today.
on the Clippers, right? Finally, the Kawhi Leonard gate is over.
(03:56):
We know that the way the Clippers circumvented the salary cap,
the penalty is Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Red card!
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Most of the front office is suspended for six months.
They're fined $ 30 million, and most importantly, they lose five
first-round draft picks. Five first-round picks. We talked about a
few minutes ago how excessive it was. It's the excessive
penalty for what happened. Not that there didn't need to
be a penalty, but this is really too much. However,
(04:26):
that being said, I have to give a guy props
that I never give props to. This is the first
time he's actually sat up and done something. Thank you. Well,
that's the first time. I'm sure you've done good stuff before.
Name one. Well, I'll get back to you. I'll get
back to you. I got everything. He ordered the coffee.
He did. You ordered the coffee for tonight. Thank you. Yeah,
(04:47):
you did. You did, yeah. And I got it all right. Yes,
you did. Everybody got their food. Unlike Harmon, who had
to go to El Pollo Loco three times last night
to get the right chicken.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I'm going back.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
What?
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I'm going back. Last night, Harmon got a Pollo Loco
for the two of us for dinner. He had to
leave and go to pick up a Pollo Loco. He
had to leave, go back three times because they screwed
up the order. He comes back and go, where's our food? Oh,
they screwed it up. I got to go back. Okay,
so we talk. He leaves again, comes back. Where's our food?
They said it was going to be a few more minutes.
I'm like, dude, come on, man. This is a Pollo Loco. No, no, no.
(05:18):
The first one. They didn't have my order. They forgot it. Whatever. Cool.
Then they gave me the wrong order, and then I
got to go back again, and then the third time
was the charm. It was delicious. You got to go
back three times over the course of 40 minutes to
get that chicken. I had to dodge the guys that
were doing the power spraying of the building and everything.
(05:38):
I'm slipping. I thought I was going to take a header.
That was dedication to get chicken for us. That's absolute dedication.
I have to give credit To Adam Silver. The guy
never wants to do anything.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Never.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
He doesn't want to upset owners. He doesn't want to
upset players. He is the worst. Anytime there's some kind
of change, he always says, well, we're thinking about this.
Let me see what people say about it, and then
we'll decide whether or not we want to use it.
He even does that in the WNBA. He just doesn't
want to do anything, right? I don't want to help
the WNBA. No, he doesn't want to do anything. And
the fact that he came out today, and again, it's
(06:17):
over the top, but the fact that he came out
with a strong stance against an NBA team, come on, man.
Who are you and what have you done with Adam Silver?
You've been replaced by a pod person? Like, again, second
straight pod person reference we had in the show. Really,
I give him credit because I never thought he would
do this. It's a bad headline for the NBA. It's
a bad headline for him. He's going to come out
(06:39):
and say, we couldn't find anything, but here's a fine.
Here's a million-dollar fine, and I'm going to dock them
a second-round draft pick, and it's going to be, yeah.
moving on, whatever, because that's what Adam Silver does. No,
he comes out five first, like, I give him a
lot of credit for the first showing he's got a spine.
I can stand up and everything, and I can shake
my fist at you and say, you can't do this
in the NBA. I can't believe he did it, and
(07:02):
he did it. There must be a mountain of evidence
that proves the Clippers' culpability in this because there's no
way Adam Silver would do this unless it was there
because eventually we're going to find out what the evidence was.
Now that we get the decision, stuff isn't going to
be as protected. Pablo Torre will probably find out, look,
(07:23):
this is the evidence the NBA had. We got X, Y, Z, blah, blah. So, oh, wow,
so overwhelming. Look at what the Clippers did. Here was
the penalty. Because there's no way he does this unless
he's got that. Because he's not going to look bad.
I still can't believe he was okay upsetting Steve Ballmer
as much as he is a very influential owner in
the NBA, the richest owner in the NBA. I mean,
I don't know what overcame... and came over Adam Silver
(07:46):
to make this decision, but wow, was this standing up
and being a strong commissioner. For the first time, standing
up by himself and being a strong commissioner. It's easy
to kick Donald Sterling out of the league. Dude, the
guy's racist. He's got to go, right? It's easy to
do that. It's hard to stand up and say, hey,
this is really bad. We don't want people to do this,
so I'm going to come down with a hammer on
(08:08):
the Clippers. Now, you could have come down with a
little bit more of a hammer on Kawhi Leonard, but
he did this, and I am shocked. that he did this. Like,
prove it. Hey, I have a spine. I can stand up, right?
It's like in Back to the Future, where finally George
McFly hits Biff, right? All the intimidation he's done. Hey, McFly,
your shoe's untied. Don't be so gullible, McFly. Right? The McFly,
(08:29):
older in life, and then back when they were in
high school. Like, this is finally him just, you know,
pulling out a fist and punching Biff. Like, that's exactly
what Adam Silver did. He found, I have inner strength
in the spine. I'm actually the commissioner. with a wide-ranging
latitude of powers, and I can come across... Actually, I
can say something like this. Wow, I'm the commissioner. I'm
serious when I say I give him a lot of
(08:49):
credit for this. Still want to know what went on
these last couple of weeks, right? Because we had that report,
what was it, mid-August? Just a couple of weeks ago. Um,
from all the guys at ESPN, they all had their byline. Uh,
some wondering if Shams had taken his name off and afterwards, right.
Vondata and, uh, Ramona Shelbert, right. Cause Ramona had hit,
had Steve Ballmer in studio and he was talking about
(09:10):
being conned. No, yeah, yeah. I didn't know. I didn't
know anything. What do you want to, what do you want?
I didn't know. And so much for the NBA not
having any evidence, according to ESPN. That was like Don
Van Natta and the other guys going, yeah, they don't
have any evidence. Oh, oh, wait. Well, actually, sorry. They
actually have a lot of evidence. Sorry, I didn't mean no.
By no, I meant a lot of evidence. So they
might not have found the actual smoking gun, but they
(09:30):
found the artillery and the closet in which it was kept. OK,
so so that's where we're at. So with a league partner,
there's a curiosity there. Those two weeks, how much where
is this the league office saying, all right, we're not
we're not being pushed this way by by ESPN and
some of these reports. How much is still behind door
(09:53):
number two? Well, in discovery, it always comes out, which
is why you always get to settlements and whatever in
these cases. The Kawhi Leonard statement, though, is gold. And
this is the stark contrast to the 2,000 words or
thereabout that Steve Ballmer put out, basically calling it a
witch hunt. You went after us, you told us one thing,
and then you go public with this and all of this.
(10:15):
Kawhi Leonard, Integrity and respect for the game are fundamental
to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses
in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret
the distraction this situation has caused. The fans and my family. Like,
I don't know. Not written by him. It's stated. I
don't know the contract I signed. I don't know the
terms of it. I don't know anything. I don't know
(10:35):
how I got all this money. Here's a picture of
Uncle Dennis. I just wake up every day and I
look at my bank account. Oh, how did it get there?
Why am I going to ask those questions? Is he
strumming a guitar like... I'm not going to know those things.
Like Jerry O'Connell at this point, too. Whatever, Jerry. I
just want to play. I just want to play football. Dad,
you're one of those agents on the phone. Yeah, no,
I mean, really. Oh, I don't know anything. I don't
know anything.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Really. You.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
The fact that Kawhi Leonard is escaping this without any penalty,
I got a problem with that. And it doesn't need
to be game played because now you're ruining the Raptors
because now that trade is most likely going to go
through and Kawhi's going to get to play. And I
get it. You don't want the Raptors to have to...
To be fair, you did enter the trade while this
was already an issue. Yeah, no, but true. But I mean,
(11:16):
but still, the Raptors did no wrong here. And now suddenly, oh,
a player we traded for. Like, what could you suspend
him for, right? But if you gave Kawhi... A financial penalty, okay. Like,
if you wanted to fine Kawhi Leonard $ 30 million, okay,
that's a big deal. Legitimately. You take that fine from Ballmer,
you suspended Ballmer for a year. Give that $ 30 million
(11:36):
fine to Kawhi Leonard. Well, okay, even though Kawhi Leonard
is worth probably, what, $ 500 million? $ 30 million fine's a
big deal. It's a big deal. Based on a quick
look at Spotrak during this time, he made $ 378 million
from the Clippers. Yeah, it's a lot of money. Since 2019.
They kept signing him even though it wasn't working. We're
just going to keep giving you money. Let alone whatever
this other ancillary monies are, right? We know of at least, what,
(11:59):
$ 48 million? Could be much higher. That represents. 001 %
of the money that he earned just on the books. Yeah.
On the books. $ 700, 000 for him. One-tenth of 1%. Yeah.
There needs to be something for Kawhi because he obviously...
(12:20):
went along with this and knew what was going on
and benefited from this i mean really the thing is
oh hey uncle dennis said don't worry about it man
i got you what do i do no no no
no don't worry but i read in the i read
i read online that my contract was worth this amount
of money yeah don't worry about it we're gonna get
you extra what do i gotta do just show up
can you hold a plant yeah that's just one time
that's all we're doing okay i got no problem with
(12:41):
i mean come on everybody's got to be responsible for
their actions responsible for what they are And had there
been some... That's the only thing missing, honestly, is some
kind of penalty for Kawhi Leonard that doesn't involve the Raptors. Yeah, it's... when,
when the stuff started coming out, like you get bit
by bit and it's all the dribs and drabs and
it's Balmer and the Clippers and each line items like, okay,
(13:04):
eye opener. Ooh, I sat up straight in my chair. Ooh,
I inched to the edge of my chair. As soon
as you see the five draft picks, like, okay. And
then Kawhi Leonard was fine.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
$ 700, 000.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Like, Wow, that deflated the balloon. Like, there's nothing there.
That's like when the Patriots got fined or Belichick or
Kraft got fined a million dollars for Spygate, right? This is, again,
20 years, but a million dollars for an NFL owner,
and it was, well, that's the maximum amount they could
fine him, and they gave it to him. Ooh, yes.
I don't care that's the maximum amount. That did absolutely nothing.
(13:37):
That did absolutely nothing. I get it. It seems like
a big number. It seems like 700 grand for now,
but now let's go realistic. This is like, okay, If
someone who makes, you know, let's say $ 75, 000 a year, right?
Let's throw that number out there. Okay, for someone who
makes $ 75, 000 a year to be fined what Kawhi Leonard
(13:59):
got fined, $ 700, 000 for making the $ 40 million a year.
But someone making $ 75, 000 a year doing something really, really bad,
what'd you find? $ 400. $ 400. Oh, okay. To be fair,
based on the rate of inflation, that million-dollar fine would
be $ 1. 55 million. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just so you know.
I take it back. No, I take it back. I
take it back. That's a lot of money. I take
(14:20):
it back. A lot of money. A lot of money.
As soon as you get that extra. 05. I mean,
it was just one and a half million.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
No.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
I mean, that's the only thing missing from this. And
maybe because it's too hard for Silver to do, and
maybe this is where suddenly, oh, yeah, now he's back
being Adam Silver. Well, I can't. I can't fight the
players association. Well, but you get to the players union versus,
all right, Steve Ballmer's going to try to sue me.
Because that's the part that's the most interesting. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Because Ballmer wrote his big missive about how he's going
to go after the NBA. Well, there's no recourse. in
(14:51):
the way the NBA is set up. So this has
to go to a court somewhere.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
No, again, the evidence must be overwhelming for this to happen.
I can't wait to see this. He starts running around
like Chandler Bing. If I'm going down, I'm taking all
of you with me. That's Ms. Chandler Bong. Remember to
get it right. Yeah, sure. Exit out about a fresca.
Exit Swollen Dome. Jason Smith, Mike Harmon live from the
Fox Sports Radio Studios. We got a big hot take
(15:15):
on the biggest story in sports coming up next, as
well as three quarterbacks, all in big news today for
completely different reasons. That's next. Jason and Mike, Fox Sports Radio. Hey,
it's Covino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Now, in addition to hearing us live weekdays from 5
to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio, we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube
channel for the show.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
You can now watch Covino & Rich live on YouTube
every day. All you got to do, search Covino &
Rich FSR on YouTube. Again, go to YouTube, search Covino &
Rich FSR. Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that
thumbs up icon, and comment away.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m.
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Fox Sports Radio, the Jason Smith Show with my best friend,
Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Hubba.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
We'll ask the biggest question of the biggest story in
sports today coming up in a few minutes. But just
because today was dominated by the fact that the Clippers
may never win another game for the next decade plus.
Three quarterbacks in the NFL. In the news for three
very different reasons.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
All right. Let's kick things off with Fernando Mendoza, who
today we found out will not be the starting quarterback
to start the season for the Raiders. Kirk Cousins gets
the gig. Raiders making the decision, saying that they love
everything Mendoza has done, but Kirk Cousins is the guy. Now,
(16:56):
this is something that has been mismanaged since early on.
They knew they were going to have the number one pick.
They knew they were taking Mendoza. Now we're going to
sign Kirk Cousins to a crazy-ass contract, and then we're
going to give him the job. Okay, well, that doesn't
make sense, but all right. But then midway through the summer, it's, well,
we're going to leave the job open for Mendoza to win. Well,
wait a minute. Okay, then they give him the chance
(17:16):
to win the job, and Mendoza's terrible. So now we're
back to where we began the offseason. Kirk Cousins is
number one, and Fernando Mendoza will back him up. Want
to sing a little Harry Chapin with me? Oh, my
life's a circle. Look, the consistency from the front office
and Tom Brady was there. Just Kubiak didn't take that
(17:36):
note with the media. Raiders, right. But that's it. This
is the Raiders doing the opposite of what they would
have done and forced a guy on the field who
may not be ready, right? Not a lot of snaps
under center, all of those things that we've talked about.
So you go with Captain Kirk until the wheels come off.
It's like when Hover writes on his hand, do opposite
of what Bart says. No, do the opposite.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
But he's now the first quarterback since Baker Mayfield to not,
to be taken number one overall and not start week one. Well,
Baker turned out okay. He is the third, not for
the team that drafted him. He had one year. He
is the third. He is just the third quarterback in
the last 22 years to be taken number one overall
(18:21):
and and not start the first game of the season.
This has always been a red flag. When you draft
a quarterback number one overall, this is a guy you
expect to come in, be one of the top third
quarterbacks in the game year after year. Some year he's
a top five guy, but someone that's got multiple Pro
Bowls to his name. And I mean the real Pro Bowls,
(18:41):
not like, hey, these 17 guys said no, will you
please say yes? But now the fact that he couldn't
win the job out of the gate... Like what you
project for his career now comes way down. Like my
ceiling for Mendoza is if he's a league average quarterback,
that's about what you can expect because guys are taking
(19:02):
number one overall. If they're not ready to, whoa, how
are you not ready? How are you not ready to win?
Are you really that good? You can't win the starting
job with the Raiders who are starting over, want to
give you everything. You can't win that job. And Clint
Kubiak kept the job open for you. Like Mendoza, Yes,
he was the best quarterback available. He wins the Heisman.
(19:22):
He wins the national championship. He made great plays. But
now for the Raiders, if he turns out to be
league average, you are happy, which is not what you
want from a guy you are taking number one overall.
But does it make the Raiders league average?
Speaker 2 (19:36):
No.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Because if so, that's a massive thing if he's going
to get a parade down Harmon Boulevard. How many teams
are really great at Harmon Boulevard? How many teams are
really great with league average quarterbacks? Well, I mean, you
went from, you got me to great. You're talking about...
We were talking league average. You're talking about 16th or
17th best player. I didn't say we were getting great.
I said you want the Raiders to be league average.
(19:57):
You're not... Nobody is league average with a league average quarterback.
Nobody is elite with a league average quarterback. You're definitely
not getting elite. But the idea being that you got
a guy that gets you point A to B, and
if Mendoza comes along, as you're hoping for, and this
is where the disconnect or... at least from my perception
of what's being said in the facility and what the
(20:19):
plan is versus Kubiak open his mouth and given folks
nuggets to talk about. Cause it seems like this was
in line with everything going back to draft day of,
all right, we'll get the guy in the building. We're
building a roster. You've got some great component parts, right?
If his ankle's okay, cool. You've got a good backup,
a good young running back behind him. You got Bowers.
(20:42):
You start looking around going, all right, we're making progress. Now,
you're still in the AFC West, so it's still a
lot of heavy climbing.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You're still trying to get past hell in the third
place when you look at the division. So, I mean,
that's your first test. But for Mendoza, if you're allowing
him to come along and you're like, well, we're going
to be good enough in theory that we're not going
to be able to draft one of these guys next
year who we don't know if they're really any good.
Let's be honest about that, right? Because how many of
(21:12):
those guys this year that are barely making teams were
supposed to be top-end first-round picks last year? This year, right?
With Mendoza. You're probably drafting at the top again next year.
You could be! Over under five and a half wins.
I was trying to be positive, saying it's a long build.
So there's Mendoza. What's one more year after 25? Today,
Jalen Hurts.
(21:34):
Had an interview published that he did with GQ that
just makes me question what kind of season the Eagles
are going to have. Again, this is just an interview. Yeah,
because you're not a Syriana guy to begin with. Look,
the Eagles have bathed in controversy the last couple of years.
They're so comfortable in it, yet they still win. It's impressive.
But now, after getting rid of A.J. Brown and seeing this,
(21:59):
and I know it's just an interview with Jalen Hurts,
but this was so awkward and it was so weird.
I just wonder, is Jalen Hurts ready for the year
ahead of him that is going to account for him
leading the team more than he ever has before, performing
better on the field than he ever has before, not
being carried by Saquon Barkley anymore? This is a snippet
(22:21):
of the interview that he did with GQ that just
a sample of how weird this entire thing is. The
line of questioning is going on about A.J. Brown. And
in the interview, Jalen Hurts talks about how he and A.J. Brown,
their relationship is not the same, right? It fell apart.
They grew apart. And now A.J. Brown is with the Patriots.
(22:43):
Here's a good 25 seconds of. Jalen Hurts getting the
question about A.J. Brown and then listen to the big
clap that happens after he finishes with his answer. Let's
hear Jalen Hurts. One thing that will be very different
(23:04):
is A.J. Brown traded. We talked about it before. That
will make, I imagine, the team feel very different and
the offense feel very different.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
You imagine? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
I guess I'm asking. Yeah, I mean, you can't replace
the greatness that we have achieved and the presence and
the success that he's had on the field.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
But we've got to go to work. What happened? What
just happened there? So first of all, I like how
when he's– I imagine it will be different. And he says,
you imagine? So it's combative right away. And this is
not him sitting down with Eagles.com or, hey, you have
a thing. This is GQ. This is for him. This
is about him, his brand. And you can already tell
(23:46):
it's an awkward– it seems like a very cold atmosphere
with him and the interviewer. And the interviewer starts by
asking him a question about A.J. Brown. He goes, you imagine? Yeah.
And then he gives the answer about we have to
go to work. And you hear that big clap. And
what he did was it looked like he tried to
kill a fly that was flying in front of him.
Because then after that happens, he kind of just moves
(24:07):
his hand. It looks like he's trying, like he couldn't
get it. But, like, how intimidating is that? Like, it's
kind of like a drop the mic and you ask
me this question. We got to get to work. And
I'm like, what the hell is that? That was so odd.
That was so awkward and weird. And I just keep
going back over the fact, all the reports we hear,
how popular is Jalen Hurts with his teammates? How much
(24:27):
do they like him? Is he ready to lead? Like,
this interview is so awkward, and it doesn't seem like
he wants to be there to talk about it. And
I just go... Man, he's got more pressure on him
this year than he has ever had. Is he ready
for this? Well, but we've also had for Jalen Hurts
the last couple of years, you know, all these rankings
(24:47):
and lists that come out. And no matter what he's
achieved in the postseason, no matter how many wins, the
Super Bowl performances, it's always the, yeah, what else you got?
And so at some point, you probably... get a, get
a little bit bristly about that. I want to know
what the pre-interview was. Cause he's so nervous in that
first question. Like that's a pretty, pretty basic thing. Hey,
(25:10):
you lost your number one receiver. Well, that's part of
the interview that, that, that Jalen hurts was combat. You
can see how combative he was on it, but even
how intimidating he was, but even before he does the,
you know, you, you, you think? You know, kind of thing.
As he's asking that first question, it's like, well, what's
the preamble to that? Because you're already fumbling to ask
(25:35):
a very basic, your number one leaves. How's that change
the offense? Even if you're not a sports guy, you
talk to someone who is, didn't you? That would get
you to that. So I... the clap is really the
thing I want to focus on. I'm intimidating the, the
interviewer with this. Like, have you learned your lesson? You
know what it's like to lead again? I say just
(25:56):
an interview, but it's an interview that should be something
that he's comfortable with GQ. And it seemed like he
was combative and he was ready to fight. And I go, uh,
he doesn't get that this year. Like he's kind of
gotten a pass the last couple of years where, Hey,
The infighting, it's been all about A.J. Brown's gotten a
lot of bad publicity. Nick Sirianni's gotten the bad publicity.
This year now, you don't win, it's the quarterback. And
(26:17):
I see this and I go, is he ready? Hey,
he was told this was going to be a puff piece.
Good luck, man. And this guy stammered through a very
hard-hitting question. Good luck. You think Jordan Hudson was standing
behind camera going, we're not going to get into that.
I'm sorry, we're not getting into that.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
What?
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Oh, look at that. All of a sudden. No, instead,
Jalen Hurts. I mean, he didn't Dr. D. David Schultz him.
I'm clapping. Where he went John Stossel upside the head.
You think it's fake. We need to do that. I
thought the interview was going to back.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Oh, don't hit me.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
All right. I won't ask you anymore about A.J. Brown
because you clap to kill that imaginary fly in front
of me. I kind of dug that, though. It was
like he snapped back into where he was in the
huddle or doing a pregame speech. He's like, got to
go to work again. Good luck. What I do every day.
That's how I hype myself walking down the hall. And clap,
I see. Yeah, but that's by yourself. You're not trying
to intimidate anybody. Sure I am. Who are you trying
(27:05):
to intimidate? Oh, everybody. Down the hall.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Really?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah. The ghosts. There's a guy in purple shorts that
keeps clapping. Just let him clap. You know, they are
legitimately purple shorts today, too. It's okay. It's fine. The
other quarterback... is J.J. McCarthy. As Minnesota's general manager said
today that he anticipates McCarthy being on the roster week one.
He was asked if he could be the backup quarterback,
(27:27):
and he said, well, I don't want to get into
that right now, but J.J. 's working hard, pleased with
everything he's done. Okay, obviously you're not pleased with everything
he's done, or you wouldn't have traded for Kyler Murray.
I get that it's difficult. But what this tells me
is that the Vikings are saying, man, we're stuck. We
can't get what we feel is a fair package for J.J. McCarthy.
(27:50):
So we're holding on to him. Nobody's giving us what
we want. Guys, you got to get rid of him.
He can't be a daily reminder of you making the
worst quarterback decision in the history of the league. Because
that's what choosing McCarthy over Sam Darnold was. It was
the worst decision. You had knowledge to not make that call,
and you still did it. If he's not going to
be the backup, they can't even say he's going to
(28:12):
be the... He's probably going to be third string. This
guy you took in the first round, oh, we're hoping
that he sits and he learns. Sits and he learns!
Why the hell would you get rid of Sam Darnold?
It's only year three! This is awful. You still have
plenty of time. I say, when... This is in social
media where if you're moving on from somebody, if you're
(28:33):
broken up in a relationship, you unfriend them on Facebook.
You take the pictures off your phone. You take the
picture down off your dresser. You don't want a daily
reminder of, oh, yeah, yeah, we broke up, but this
is a great picture. We were together for three years. No,
you move on. And he's a walking reminder of how
badly you biffed that. I'm sorry that another team is
(28:53):
not going to give you what you want for him,
but you have to move on because he can't be
a guy, especially if he doesn't look like he's even
going to see the field, that come in every day
and go, yep, here's JJ, still couldn't get it done. Mentally,
that wears on you. give him a chance to start
over someplace else. Somebody else will take him and you
get to move on because until you do that, it's
(29:15):
just going to hang over your head the entire time.
I don't get how Minnesota, especially once they knew this
guy is just not going to be part of our future,
why they didn't find a way to move on. I don't,
but again, they knew they had Darnold and they still want,
they got rid of him. So again, Vikings, like, like
we say, Oh, Raiders, it's Oh, Vikings. Yeah. I mean,
they did fire the GM, ostensibly in bad drafting and
(29:37):
the decision to keep McCarthy and send Sam Darnold out.
But you look at this situation, you've got Carson Wentz, veteran,
you've got a roster that if everything breaks right, Kyler
Murray is the guy that he is most seasons for
about six to eight weeks. And he can sustain that
a bit. Now, we don't expect him to get through
(29:58):
a full 17, but you get Carson Wentz, who's there
as the veteran to get you through any patches as
Murray's on the mend or what have you, that for
McCarthy to just be just a guy is just a
waste for him. It's a waste for you. I mean, look,
welcome to the future where the present is the past.
(30:20):
He's just sitting out in no man's land. He's not
getting any better because he's– truly just a practice squad
guy and a taxi guy, I mean, that's not helping you.
Just send him to Harbaugh already and be done with it.
He loved him. He talked him up. Otherwise, you're going
to have pictures of, like, Sean Payton in your head
all the time of how he duped you into drafting him,
(30:41):
even though... Adolfo Menzo isn't there anymore. The memory remains.
We'll take Trey Lance. Just give us Trey Lance. We'll
give you J.J. McCarthy. We'll call it even. Then we
can at least say, well, we traded a guy we
took 10th for a guy that went third. We can
spin it that way, can't you? Yeah, otherwise it's just
right now just a bad reminder of bad decisions in
the past. Just leave them in the past and move on.
(31:03):
Although those pictures do create a rich tapestry of your life. Yeah,
that is true. Like you were saying before. That is true, yeah.
Because they were happy times and they are part of you.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Yeah. You're right.
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.