February 24, 2023 • 38 mins
Chris and Rob discuss Devin Booker’s assertion that the addition of Kevin Durant doesn’t necessarily make the Phoenix Suns a Super Team and tell us why Damian Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers should absolutely consider tanking. Plus, The Athletic Seahawks reporter Michael Shawn-Dugar swings by to discuss Russell Wilson’s alleged attempt to get Pete Carroll and John Schneider fired in Seattle, how Seahawks fans really feel about Wilson, the perception that Wilson is ‘fake’ and much more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Fox Sports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every night on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR. You're listening to Fox
(00:24):
Sports Radio. It is the Eye Couple. I'm Chris. He's
rob Our number three of a funky Flashback Friday. We're
live from the tirerag dot com studios. Tirerach dot com
will help you get there. They've got an unmatched selection,
fast free shipping, free row hazard protection, and more than
(00:48):
ten thousand recommended installers. Tirech dot com. It's the way
tire buying should be. And I guess rob the cats
out of the bag. I won't be here next week.
I will be in sunny Jamaica, Jamaica queess or Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica. Wow,
(01:09):
how what is the Jamaica What Jamaica West Indies? No,
Jamaica West Indies. Yeah, yeah, Jamaica is a country, correct, right,
but it's in the West Indies. I think you gotta
that's why you say Jamaica West then no, no, no,
you know what you say. And that's why Chris growing
up in New York and being from Jamaica Queens as
(01:29):
you know, and your wife is from Queens as well,
but Queens is a huge place. Your wife is from
Jamaica too, Jamaica Queens. And you have to always say
Jamaica Queens, Chris, because there are a lot of people
in New York from Jamaica West Indies. Oh yeah, yeah.
So so if you ask somebody where you're from, you
don't just say Jamaica and they automatically think Jamaica Queens.
(01:51):
You gotta say I'm from Jamaica Queens. And if you're
from Jamaica, Jamaica fun, Jamaica fun. And Tom Bra was
about Jamaica Queen was Alice. Can you find that Tom Brown? Next?
Oh that's a great song. That's a theme song right there, Yes, yes, indeed, um.
(02:12):
But yeah, so my wife and I going on vacation.
Our show first things first is dark next week you
know how it is? Rib on FS one you saw
this week Undisputed was Dark. The Herd Colin was off,
so you had Nick Wright and Joy Taylor filling in
for him, and we're off next week. So yeah, we're
headed to Jamaica. So looking forward to that. I do
(02:34):
want to say to announce again we got our King Movement.
We got the King Men's Summit Men's Conference. Uh, you're
welcome wherever you are in the United States of America.
There will be men there from all over the country,
but specifically if you're in the Philadelphia area because that's
where it's at, Uh, Philadelphia, March tenth and eleventh. So
there's a few weeks from here a great men's conference
(02:57):
to strengthened men and uh just really being in the husband's,
father's leaders, citizens, role models that you were created to be.
So come check it out. There's a basketball tournament, they'll
be hip hop, but great workshops and speakers on these
various times. Can you sell empower men? Which sounds like
a fabulous convention, But stay off the basketball court, please,
(03:21):
I don't want to Chris be don't do it. Okay,
I want to hear the tever. Don't you can't afford it. Okay,
I haven't played ball rob in three years. Okay, you
know what I mean. You've seen all these guys. I
wanted to go out there and tearing achilles. You know
how many guys age do that, Chris, I know it
(03:44):
happens all the time. I'm not saying I'll never play
like some five on five again, but I gotta get
in shape before, you know, like basket some type of
basketball shape play. I can't just roll up and play
when I haven't played in years. But I might be done.
I don't know, but yeah, I'm out. But you can
register at king Summit dot org. You can register for
(04:05):
the tournament and the conference as a whole. King Summit
dot org. Rob Brian Dawkins, the Hall of Fame football player,
will be speaking, Jason Avant, former wide receiver speaking for
the Eagles and the Chiefs, and Eddie George, the Heisman
Trophy winner, will be there as well as a speaker.
So gonna be some great things going on, So check
(04:27):
us out king summit dot org. All right, Rob, we
got Michael Shawn Dugger. Dugger. Michael Shawn Dugger the Seahawks
reporter for the Athletic We all over the Athletic Today.
He's also the host of the Seahawks Man the Man
podcast obviously we'll ask him about Russell Wilson and gets
all that, all right, Rob. Speaking of questions, Devin Booker
(04:48):
of the New Look Suns was asked the question recently,
I think it was yesterday about the Sons. Of course,
Kevin Durant will be back with or be with them
next week. They had their full practice, first full practice yesterday, supposedly,
you know, reportedly. Little hints that the reporters dropped is
that they looked phenomenal and everybody's excited about having Durant there.
(05:12):
So Devin Booker was asked, Rob, are the Sons a
super team? And he had a witty answer. Did you
hear his answer? No, I did not let me hear it.
His answer, We don't have the sound. But his answer
was no, we only got one all star, Kevin Durant,
and this year they did only a star. Answer. But yeah,
(05:35):
but but they're not a super team. Uh. Booker was
drafted there. They traded gave up other pieces for Chris
Paul and they traded for Kevin Durant. Like, I don't
they're not a super team now, Well, yeah, that's obviously
your Your definition of a super team is stars coming
(05:57):
together of their own volition, almost being mercenaries. Right, But
you do call Golden State the superteam when they had
Kevin Durant, Yeah, because they had already started and he
came there. They didn't give up anything to get Kevin Durant.
I think that's the big thing, Chris. They didn't give
up if they had to trade two or three big
(06:18):
pieces to get Kevin Durant. I don't think I look
at it the same way. But they got him added
on to a team that was already already won a championship. Technically, Uh,
the Heat did trade for Lebron technically, you know what
I'm saying. Now, Look, it all depends, right, No, I
hear you. It all depends on what your definition of
(06:40):
a super team is. If we judge, if the definition
is what Lebron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh did in
Miami back in twenty ten, this is not that. Or
even like you said, Kevin Durant joining a team that
had already won a championship in won seventy three games,
this is not that. But is that? Like, did did
(07:02):
you consider Brooklyn a superteam? Roun? No? Okay, because now
I mean they don't have three like bona fide Although
I wouldn't call Chris Bosh a superstar Chris, but he
was a star on one of the teams. Star but
not a superstar. Um, But I would say here's what
(07:24):
I'll say about it, because I do like if if
you want to haggle over the what's the definition? Do
they meet that definition? Okay, I might give you that
that they don't, But I think of him as a
superteam rob because Chris Paul now, granted not in his prime,
but still a good player, not you know, a top
(07:45):
point guard at this point, but still a very good player.
Fourteen points, eight assists the game. I mean you could
do a lot worse than they still one of the
league leaders in assist uh. Devin Booker a bona fide star.
Now again, you can haggle over as he's superstar. He's
a legitimate perennial All Star and basically a perennial All
(08:09):
NBA guy. And Chris is actually averaging nine assist the game.
Chris Paul DeAndre eighton not a star, I give you that,
but darn close nineteen points ten rebounds a game. Don't
have to run plays for one of the better centers
in the league. I mean, the best centers in the
league are Embiid and Yokich. Do you count if you
(08:33):
count Anthony Davis, obviously he's one of the best. But
then after that, Eighton's right there, so he's a man
arguably a top five center in the league. And Rob.
It's a team that won sixty four games last year.
It was a team that looked like it was headed
to a championship last year and then essentially choked in
(08:53):
the second round of the playoffs. And Rob two years
ago looked like they were heading to a championship up
two in the finals. And I don't know that they
choked because Milwaukee may have just been a better team.
But you're up to old it's looking great and then
you just you give up the ghost. So I just
and and also here's the the last point about this robe.
(09:16):
Look at the NBA today, I mean, there isn't a
team that has more than two stars. Boston's got Tatum
and Brown. After that, I mean, Phillies got Hardened, who's
a bit older, and Embid. Then you gotta go to
(09:37):
the I mean Chris Middleton, he's hurt, Drew Holliday, Okay, star,
I guess, but you know in Yannis, Denver's got one star,
Memphis has one star, Sacramento I like Demontus a bonus.
I liked Aaron Fox. Are they stars yet? I know
(09:57):
they made the All Star Game, but are they stars? Yeah?
A little iffy. Those are the top three seeds in
the West Golden States all banged up. Uh. The Lakers
got two stars, but they're banged up. The Clippers have
two stars, Dallas two stars, Minnesota, we don't even need
to talk about them, and everybody else, you know, Portland
(10:19):
one star like they've got. I think when you could,
if if you, if you, if you really want to
just talk. Obviously, Durant and Booker stars Chris Paul and
DeAndre Ayton together because Chris Paul certainly was a star,
a superstar, and Ayton is close. They got three stars
(10:42):
as far as I'm concerned, and so I I hear you,
Rob again. If you want to break me down on
an absolute definition, they probably don't meet that. But I
do think of them as a superteam. Yeah, I just don't.
I think it's the way it's assembled, and when when
teams make trades and you have to give up to
get that's what makes it different. Well, they didn't give
(11:06):
up any stars, they still had to give up there
to give up other pieces. Yeah, I just I don't.
I don't look at them as a superteam like they
were good last year. They didn't they you know, wet
the bed. Uh, they still have it. I don't think.
I don't look at Chris Paul the same way. Maybe
I'm being naive. I don't. He's not. I don't don't
(11:27):
good same way. But you know, if this was three
years ago, then maybe it would be different. But I
don't look at it that way. I don't feel like,
oh my god, look at this team. There's no way
that they can't win. I don't have that feeling. Do
I think that to win? Right? But but I think
they're the best team in the West on paper, But
I don't. Yeah, but I don't think that it's automatic.
(11:48):
Well it's never automatic, no, But you know you had
to say only two out of four, right, I just, yeah,
I don't have that feel about them. I don't. I
don't consider them a superteam. All right, let's throw it
out to the listeners. Rob eight seven seven ninety nine
on Fox eight seven seven nine nine six sixty three
sixty nine. Simple question. Are the Phoenix Sons of Kevin Durant,
(12:13):
Devin Booker, Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton that kind of
a big four as far as I'm concerned? A super team?
Your thoughts? Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox, It's
the Eye Couple of Chris and Rob. Fox Sports Radio.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific. Here we go. Rob requested it. DJ Alex
(12:37):
Tysher delivered it. I'm Dom Brown. That's one of my
favorite songs all times. Oh this is UH love it?
And they talk ab the mall Street Chris on one
hundred and sixty four Street, That mall mall. All right,
it's the Eye Couple of Chris and Rob. On the
Funky Flashback Friday, eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox,
(13:00):
You're turning the way in. Are the Phoenix Suns a
super team now that they have Kevin Durance? All right,
here we go, let's uh kick it off with uh,
Dwight and San Antonio. You're on the odd couple of
Fox Sports Radied. What up? Dwight? Hey, I love the couple.
(13:23):
I listen to you guys every single night. Thank you. Yes,
we appreciate that. No problem. No problem, fellas when y'all
talk about super teams, them that shopping team, k No,
but those were trades though. See Robin, I have different definitions.
(13:47):
I agree with you. I think that was a super team.
I think Magic Kareem Worthy, Bird mcgrail, Parrish in the eighties,
I think those were super teams too, exactly you were
remember they were there. They were two of the top
ten players in the league at that time. You know.
That's why, that's why Lebron had to go to Miami
(14:08):
to team up with d Way, because he wasn't gonna
beat that team with before he stayed if he stayed
in Cleveland. Man, now I plot him for going back
to get the ring. But you wouldn't. You weren't gonna
match up good with that super team Boston had. And
as far as the signs right now, I really I
agree with Rob I don't. I don't think that's a
super team because again, thinking a lot of assets to
(14:29):
bring in KG. You know, but they they I hear you.
But they did get to keep all of their like
they kept their core together, and I get it. Mcaal Bridges.
We talked with Carrie Killers yesterday. Right, he may become
a star, right than they didn't have to break up
their core. And that's you know that, that's a benefit
(14:50):
when you get a guy like Kevin Durant. All right,
let's go to Joe and Boise. You're on the couple
of Fox Sports Radio. What up, Joe, Thank you so much.
Appreciate you. Yeah, I appreciate you guys. I got to
give you a really quick compliment, really quick. Man. I
listened to you guys through COVID and then the whole
George Floyd thing, and man, you guys did such a
(15:11):
good job on that. So I just want to like
the whole time, and thank you. We got a lot.
We lost Fox Sports in Boise for like six months
by travel to LA for work, so I would listened
to you and then we finally got you back in Boise.
So it's just awesome to have you back. And I
really love what you guys do, and um, thank you. iHeartRadio.
App that's right, So you always remember that even if
(15:32):
you're not yet. I'm old school with the kids taking around,
you know, but hey, the super team thing. You know,
I don't think they have time to form a super team.
In the tragedy of this whole thing is that Kevin
Durant was on a super team in San Francisco with
the Warriors. So I was so disappointed that. I don't
know if there was some selfishness or what was going
(15:54):
on there, but he took off. But that could have
been a beautiful thing. Man. We could have had like
seven eight titles if he would have stayed. But I
don't know if he's past it now, and it's just like,
what do we try to He had it, We had
a superteam, so I had it. I don't think Rob,
even if you don't Durant Kyrie a superteam. I definitely
(16:15):
considered Durant, Kyrie, and Harden a superteam. Yeah, okay, maybe
with them, but I had said the other two. I
didn't think, Yeah, I want they added him, probably right,
Rafael in Cincinnati, you're on the odd couple of Fox
Sports Radio. What up? Rafael's going on? Cats? Um, I
(16:35):
do not have the Phoenix Suns with Durant coming in
as a superteam. I have him as a good team.
Durant coming to a team can only make you better.
I think the issue is going to be this next
twenty games or whenever Durant comes back, it's going to
be a sprint playoff seedings and then the games get
a little bit more intense and then going into the playoffs.
My wordy concern is CP three because when he and
(17:01):
ran out of gas against Yanistnam, you know, and I
think that for him up Top and Garden, some of
the other younger point guards, I think it may be
a detriment to the team for them. Of course, Duran
and in Book will have to pick up the pace
on defense, but they will be able to score. But
the defense part in the playoffs is going to be key.
(17:23):
And I really think it they match up against the Clippers,
they're not going to beat them in a seven game
series because I think the Clippers with Karen's man up top,
and I think Westbrook is going to be coming for
blood and Kawhi is extremely healthy now, he looks great
that the Norman pound him with the second unit. I
think the Clippers they're my dark horse coming out of
(17:43):
the West, and I think the joker them all right.
Appreciate that, Raphael, Thank you so much. Leo in NYC.
You're on the couple of Fox Sports Radio. What up, Leo?
How's it going, guys? Are you good? Mary? Good? Good? Good? Good?
How forward for your rob? Yes? Yes? How? Yes? Why? Yes? Okay?
(18:06):
This is definitely a super team. It doesn't matter how
you acquire retalent. What are you left with on your
team when once you get him? If this Sun team
is not a super team, then the Warriors were not
a super team because at ten, when they got Kidd,
they lost the Death of the Bench because of salary. No,
they already won a championship, and then they got arguably
(18:26):
one of the two or three best players in the league.
I think that's totally different than Sons having won Jack.
I'm sorry, even even with those three guys, I don't
look at them that way. But you have three guys
that are that are superstars on their own right, and
you at the Henry now rising stars. I don't know,
(18:47):
I don't know if what you called Chris Paul is
still a superstar. I know, I know it might have
been superstar. He's obviously not in his prime, but he's
still thirty eight years old, a very good point guard.
I'm not saying that right, but I'm just saying, you know,
all right, thank you for the call. We appreciate that.
It is the I Couple. We got our man, Michael
(19:08):
Shawn Duger, Seahawks reporter for the Athletic, joining us in
a few minutes. Be first, be sure to catch live
editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harman weekdays
at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio and the iHeart Radio Hip. It's the Eye Couple.
We're live from the Tirek dot Com studios. Our next
(19:30):
guest is a Seahawks reporter for the Athletic, host of
the Seahawks Man to Man podcast. We welcome in Michael
Shawn Dugard. Mike, how are you man? I'm doing good? God,
how are you guys doing over there? Doing great? Right? Man?
Good again? Yes, all right, let's get right to it. Um,
(19:50):
you didn't write this article, but there was an article
on the Athletic saying that Russell Wilson wanted Pete Carroll fired.
I don't know if you can if you know that
for a fact, but talk to us about that and
what they're related. Yeah, g M. John Snyder two. Yeah,
(20:12):
you know, Russell Wilson and Seattle kind of reminds me
of like I don't know if I mentioned this analogy
on here before, but like, fuck that movie I Robot,
kind of where we make the robots and we tell
them all, this is what we need you guys to do,
like we create them, and then the robots grifly get
to looking around the world and look at out humans
get down. They're like, wait a minute, you guys just
(20:32):
kind of screwing this planet up. Maybe we should be
running things over here even though we created them. That's
kind of what the Russell evolve too. Yeah, thank you.
I've been working on that one, um, but I think
that that's the best analogy I can I can give
because Russell was not just gonna be a bona fide star,
you know, Ego tripping coming into a league. It's the
third round pick who everyone said was too short, right,
(20:54):
but then he evolved and Pete Carroll gave him the
space to evolve, and then somewhere along the line he
was like, oh look this old guy, I know what
he's doing no more. And I think part of that
was taking too many hits. Part of that was not
having the receiving corps he wanted. Part of that was
the defense just basically falling off a cliff after the
twenty seventeen season. There were all these parts where rest
(21:14):
just lost faith in those guys to help him achieve
his goal winning the championship. And yeah, it got to
the point where he was like, yo, Jody Allen, you
own the team, right, I used to pick them old dudes,
or you pick me the franchise quarterback. And she's you know,
put that FedEx stamp on his forehead and sent in
the Denver m How what what is he? Public envy
(21:36):
number one? Especially like, how are people looking at him?
Just what a happy flop? I mean, it's a quarterback
who one year Super Bowl got you to a second
I'm talking about the fans, of course. What does the
feel and what do people say about Russell Wilson. It
feels like most of his good will is going out
the window. Yeah, that's a good question, man. You could
(21:58):
just see it when he got why Hill on the
Monday night football game. And then someone like Bobby Wagner
comes in at the end of the year and it's
much more. It's a warmer welcome. I mean, I don't
think they were cheering Superlot for Bobby. I mean, he
was on the Rams that they don't like the Rams
right here, but the reception was different for that reason
Russ did. It's not that he burned bridges, It's just
(22:19):
that people could kind of see through the act and
we're less one to put up with the corniness and
stuff and the phoniness when he was on somebody else's team,
you know, when he's kind of dorky, Russell Wilson posting
the video naked with Sierra after he signs the deal. Hey, Seattle,
we gotta deal doing stuff on Snapchat, changing his hair corny,
you know, mister unlimited stuff. Let's all finding dandy. When
he's on your team and your team is winning, he
(22:41):
goes some Rulston's like yeah, I don't know, man, that's
stuff that's kind of lame in it. And then on
top of that, Seattle fans, we're understandably so rooting for
the Broncos to just suck so that Pitt could be
a lot higher. I don't know if that had much
to do with Russ as much as it was just like,
we are rooting for the best possible draft outcome, so
we would like the Broncos to go in seventeen. Just
on top of that, Russ was just thinking to join
(23:02):
the process. So he's become a polarizing figure here. You've
got some people who know that contract just added one
of the best quarterbacks ever in this franchise, super Bowl
champ and there's some we are looking in the short term,
like all right, Mike, but wouldn't you say the best?
That's not saying the toil for Seattle, but he's who's better? Jim,
Jim Craig, No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, I mean, let's slip,
(23:27):
go ahead, go ahead. I would say he's the best. Yeah,
I would say he's the best. But I was born
in nineteen ninety two, so you would have some older Jim. Yeah,
they're going Zorn out there, and you know the haffleback
Home Good Teams. I'm wish I think it's rough, but
I think some of the locals here would be like, yo, Mike,
you two young really know how Zorn was slinging that?
(23:49):
And I'm like, no, you guys, I'm not. I got
Internet just like y'all have now. And yeah, and so
how shock were you at how poorly he played? And
you might say, while Nathaniel Hackett was bad from Jump Street.
You could use a lot of different things, but he
played poorly early on. How shocked, And that's putting it
(24:10):
kind I know I'm being nice, but how shocked for you?
And how poorly he played? You know, I actually thought
Russell would actually be very good, and I do think
he can be very good. But I think I underestimated
the value of having a veteran coach because that's where
he had here in Seattle. Like as much as Pete
gets a bad rap for his offensive philosophy, and I'm
(24:31):
part of the people giving him that bad rap. The
dude does no ball right like, he's then just luck
into the situation. Dude seventy years old has been coached
for fifty years. He knows ball, and not to say
Nathaniel Hackett doesn't. There's just so many things that go
into being the head coach for the first time. Just
to stop right there, head coach being the first time
that's a lot different than what he was dealing with
in Green Bay. Okay, now you're gonna be the play
(24:52):
caller on top of being the head coach. Dang man,
that's a lot to deal with. Oh now you gotta
deal with an eager driven the quarterback who wants to
have him on private coach. He wants to have an
office on the second floor right next to yours. He
making more money than you. You know, Russe Wilson two
hundred and forty five mill. I don't know what hackn making,
but it ain't that so all that's tough to deal with.
So when you factor in that, it wasn't surprising that
(25:14):
Russ got off to a bad start and there was
no one helped fix that. And it's not just that
Russ was missing reeds or whatever he got hurt. The
deep Vault wasn't there early on. I think Hackett's rolling
that they're connected. You need he needed someone like he's
getting in Sean Payton, who's been there, done that, to
help him along the way. Russ not just superman, who
can you know, be autonomous, separate from an OC. So
(25:35):
I think I wasn't surprised later on when I kind
of put all that contact together. Now you mentioned Russ
and all the corny stuff he did. Look, there's being
corny is one thing. I mean, Rob is corny, But
I don't have any corns on my toe. I'm good.
But you also mentioned phony. There's a difference between being
(25:58):
and being corny. And he looked at as a phone? Yeah,
do you think? And is he is? He looked at
as a phony up there in Seattle? And do you think.
I don't know how well you how much you were
around him, But is that the case because right now
I would say that's the perception nationally that he's phony. Yeah,
I think so. Locally that was an issue too. There
(26:18):
just wasn't that much authenticity, and I think it was
working against him in Seattle. And this part isn't his fault.
He was playing alongside perhaps the most authentic football player
in the history of football, and Marshawn Lynch, like Marshaw, Lynch,
was just so unapologetically Marshawn. No matter if he was
talking to me and you outside of a liquor store
or if he was interviewing doctor Faucia about the vaccine,
(26:39):
he just always got the same version of Marshawn. And
with Russ, he's almost like a chameleon. He's like, all right,
I'm gonna go to the church's hospital. I'm in this bag.
If I'm talking to my teammates in the locker room,
I got this othern accent from doing a press conference.
I'm signing like the president and everybody was just like,
all right, dude, just be you looks like you if
you beat you, you know, And he just never did that.
He kind of does who he thinks he should be
(27:01):
in that moment. One of my colleagues sists and jenks,
who who's on this story that kind of we're talking about.
He wrote a story a long time ago a Russ
called why Russell Wilson Behaves as if someone is always watching,
and it's a really good article. I to just everybody
to go peep that, and it kind of puts into
context why Russ is kind of like a walking press release.
You know how press lease is supposed to function. You're
supposed to say what people want you to hear, or
(27:23):
it would say what you think people want to hear.
That's what a press release is designed to do. That's
kind of like Russ. Russ like a press release with legs.
And again, while he's winning and he's on your team,
that's cool. When he's demanded trades from your team and
then goes somewhere else to kind of like, ah, I
don't know if I like that stuff. No more so
what did the article say was the reason for that?
(27:43):
So to summarize some of the stuff that Jason uncovered,
Rush got that from his dad. His dad at a
young age. Was at six or seven years old, he's
teaching Russell how to maneuver through press conferences, and not
just maneuver through press confences, but maneuver through press conferences
as a quarterback. Like here, son, you're gonna grow up
and be a Fames quarterback. Here's how you handle that.
And I ain't got no kids, but I think that's
(28:04):
some weird stuff to teach a kid at seven. I agree,
but who when you teach the kid that stuff at
seven he gets to be in seventeen and twenty four
and twenty seven. You can see why he's just so polished.
From everything to like what color tie he picks for
a press conference, to having a slogan almost like someone
running for office, whether it's Bronco's Country r Ride or
(28:25):
Go Hawks, like, all of that stuff has been ingrained
in him. He also has a mental conditioning coach or
he had won the late Trevor Moad passed away in
twenty twenty one, but Trevor would train Russell's brain to
be like neutral all the time. So you got like
this guy who moves like a presidential campaign. A presidential
candidate also has a brain coach, and that's where you
(28:45):
get all this stuff. So he kind of behaves and
think of how politician does his politician behaviors that someone's
always watching. So Russell was trained, He's like programmed to
be the way he is. I don't even know if
that's necessarily his fault, because I mean, once you how
many of us are product of what our parents are
teaching us at five six seven? You know, but that's
why Russ accidentally? How about Pete Carroll and how how
(29:07):
much is I mean, obviously people up there they love him,
you know, they want the super Bowl and went to
a second one. But when when it all looked like, okay,
the franchise is going the other way, and uh, you
know they they he makes Geno Pizza work, you know,
out of nowhere, and they make the playoffs. I know
it wasn't a pretty playoff game, but they make the playoffs.
(29:28):
What did people say? Did they wind up loving Pete
Carroll a little bit more and and reconfirming his his
position there? You know, what I mean as coach in Seattle. Yeah,
I mean if Pete was always kind of he was
all just on a trajectory to have like a statue
outside the facility here, maybe outside Looming Field. Uh, Now
(29:49):
he really get one, you know, because the perception of
him was kind of rocky there. There was almost an
internal civil war, that's what I thought. Yeah, it was
like are you on team Pete or are you on
team Russ in the way, and then it kind of
forced people to choose. And then Pete, to his credit,
he was just like he politely asked us I just
the media, but kind of the fans as well, like, Guys,
I've been doing this, if USC's that long ago. I
(30:13):
did it with John David Booty, I did it with
Mark Fantill, I did it with Carson Palmer. He was
like different. I mean, you know, he hadn't been hadn't
been great in the prose until he got Russ. No.
That and that's true, and that's why it was such
a great debate. But from peace perspective, he was like,
I know, ball, trust me, and he kind of said
it politely and then he you know, he retools the defense.
(30:35):
You know, he finds a diamond in the rough light
Tarique Woolling. He gets rid of a Bobby Wagner, and
the defense, uh doesn't just like fall for Cliff. It
was back a little bit, but then completely fall for Cliff.
You know. He pulls Gino up out of nowhere, and
then Gino wins Comeback Player of the Year. When Pete killed,
has might yet taken that victory la publicly? And if
I was him, I would be because boy I was
one of them people up here questioning how much he
(30:57):
knows ball, And then he looked back like, you know,
maybe I gotta remember I was born in ninety two.
Maybe I shouldn't have been questioning, of all things, whether
Pete Carroll knew what he was doing. But I think
a lot of people came around this last year not
just because of how Gino played, but because of how
the culture contributed to how they played. Whether it was
the rookies or some of the veterans who took over
as leaders to Geno Smith, it was just like, Wow,
(31:20):
maybe the legion of boom thing was not just those
guys being talented, do also they were a results of
this culture that this guy named Pete Carroll created and
he reinforced that last year and basically any benefit of
the doubt he lost last offseason, he won it all
back this far, we got a minute for you. They
were a cute little team this year at nine and eight.
He did a great job with Gino. But what's the future, Like,
(31:42):
how are they going to get better? Gino gonna be
their guy going forward? And do they do they think
he can take them to at least I mean, heck,
the NFC is wide open. Can they you know what
they gonna do to compete for that NFC title. I
think a team like the Seahawks looking at someone like
the Eagles as the blue not necessarily go trade for
an A. J. Brown, But in the sense that if
(32:03):
you guys remember just two years ago, the Eagles had
just got their butts whooped by the Bucks, you know,
in the wildcard round. I believe they finished nine and
eighth that year. There were some questions about whether the
quarterback they had, which was Jalen Hurts, was the guy
or maybe they should trade someone or go trade for us.
Even that was a conversation this time last year. And
you look at what the Eagles did. They had a
good draft, They made a couple moves in free agency,
(32:25):
but not too many. They made a good splashy trade
and they built around their quarterback and what you know,
they made that jump. And I think that's a luther
for the Seahawks. This here. Yeah, you were nine and eight,
you got your button whooped and then the wildcard round.
But you're not too far away. You're like three to
four moves away from being where you want to be,
a wide open mc west. So I think that's there.
(32:46):
That should be their goal. Keep Gino and build around you,
you know, not just try to go fish for his replacement.
Kind of like opposite of what Green Bay did. Don't
do that. Don't be green Bay, be like the Eagles.
All right, that's our man, Michael shot and du guard.
Great stuff man with Buddy Man. I appreciate you guys
having me. You guys have a good weekend. YouTube all right,
brought YouTube piece. Uh Rob Dame Dallas says, no tankid here,
(33:12):
not in Portland. Maybe a sure reconsider though, that's next
a couple of Fox Sports Radio. Be sure to catch
live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harman
weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven pm Pacific. It's the
I Couple, Chris and Rob live from the tirec dot
Com studios. We're brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Progressive
(33:34):
makes bundling easy and affordable. Here's how it works. You
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Do we're wrapping, he flashed back Friday. Go ahead, Rod,
(33:56):
this is good right here. It's bringing back memories of
Rob at his wedding. No, I was in Uh, I
was in school, grade school, I think, or I don't know. Yeah,
this this definitely sounds like some seventies, seventies this is
this is one I used to listen to Disco ninety
two in New York. Chris Radio Disco ninety two w KTU.
(34:21):
Here we go, Here we go, quake this you got, Robbed, Chris,
Here we go. All right, I know I need baby.
Yeah yeah, let's before we get in trouble. Let's move
I know, right, move on to the Blazers. All right, um, Rob,
we talked about the Trail Blazers yesterday and uh, the
(34:42):
issues that they had, you know, on the plane and
so on and so forth. A lot of people thought
that the Blazers were taking and uh, Dame Dollar went
on Twitter, as he's apt to do when you you
say something about him or or them, he'll he'll respond,
and he went on Twitter and simply said no way,
(35:02):
which I like, Um, they're not tanking, and Dame, you know,
is all hard and all that, But I'm gonna say this, Rob,
I'm not gonna advocate tanking. But where are they going home? Dinner?
Maybe a show? I mean, what what are they doing? Like?
(35:23):
I love Dame's loyal to the soil, wants to win
one for them. And I guess if you're a Blazer's
front office guy, Rob, you know, he's arguably I mean,
maybe it's Bill Walton because he led him to a championship,
but he's arguably their most the biggest Blazer ever, right
(35:44):
like the Williams you are. You know, Drexler obviously led
him to the finals a few times, but I would
say you can argue whether or not he's mister Blazer.
I think again, Walton led him to a championship. I
don't know, not too with them. Remember that was brief
what you just said, and probably remember that team was
(36:06):
pretty pretty good. Oh yeah, they lost to Detroit and
the finals, and they lost to Jordan in the finals.
I agree, I think Drexler was better than the finals.
He didn't have a second star. I mean, they had
good players Terry Porter and guys, but he was the
only like real, like perennial all star on that team.
(36:29):
But my point is this, Damien may very well be
more beloved right because Drexler didn't play his entire career
with Portland Dame has. He's been a great player. They've
had some success. They haven't gotten to a finals, but
they had some success, and maybe the executives robber like, look,
it's important in a small town like this. He's he's
(36:53):
our Mistress Blazers for this generation at least, and we
need to keep him. But arived from a basketball standpoint,
they're a mismatched squad. They got these young guys that
are good. They got Shaden Sharp, they got uh, Anthony Simons,
you know, they got a few other young guys, and
then they got Dame. They got a few older guys,
(37:14):
but they aren't like great players. And Jeremy Grant, you know,
he's he's a good player on a good team. He's
when he puts up the big numbers, they don't win,
you know. And so I I really think that, And
I know Dame wants to stay there and God bless him,
but it just might be in their best interest Robe
to trade Dame to a situation where he could win
(37:37):
and get some you know, young players or or picks
where they can really rebuild around Simons and some of
their other young players. Yeah, that's always one of those things.
And do you really want to, you know, give up
a star like that, because then you're looking for a star.
I mean, you're not winning, but then you're set up
(37:59):
front and you got a guy who doesn't want to
leave there, and you might not have that with somebody else.
He would probably be like Kevin Garnette route, like if
he ever did leave and found himself in a great
situation at one he'd be like, man, I loved this.
I should have done it earlier. But all right, Rob,
have a great week. Brother, We out Vaca
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Fox Sports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every night on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR. You're listening to Fox
(00:24):
Sports Radio. It is the Eye Couple. I'm Chris. He's
rob Our number three of a funky Flashback Friday. We're
live from the tirerag dot com studios. Tirerach dot com
will help you get there. They've got an unmatched selection,
fast free shipping, free row hazard protection, and more than
(00:48):
ten thousand recommended installers. Tirech dot com. It's the way
tire buying should be. And I guess rob the cats
out of the bag. I won't be here next week.
I will be in sunny Jamaica, Jamaica queess or Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica. Wow,
(01:09):
how what is the Jamaica What Jamaica West Indies? No,
Jamaica West Indies. Yeah, yeah, Jamaica is a country, correct, right,
but it's in the West Indies. I think you gotta
that's why you say Jamaica West then no, no, no,
you know what you say. And that's why Chris growing
up in New York and being from Jamaica Queens as
(01:29):
you know, and your wife is from Queens as well,
but Queens is a huge place. Your wife is from
Jamaica too, Jamaica Queens. And you have to always say
Jamaica Queens, Chris, because there are a lot of people
in New York from Jamaica West Indies. Oh yeah, yeah.
So so if you ask somebody where you're from, you
don't just say Jamaica and they automatically think Jamaica Queens.
(01:51):
You gotta say I'm from Jamaica Queens. And if you're
from Jamaica, Jamaica fun, Jamaica fun. And Tom Bra was
about Jamaica Queen was Alice. Can you find that Tom Brown? Next?
Oh that's a great song. That's a theme song right there, Yes, yes, indeed, um.
(02:12):
But yeah, so my wife and I going on vacation.
Our show first things first is dark next week you
know how it is? Rib on FS one you saw
this week Undisputed was Dark. The Herd Colin was off,
so you had Nick Wright and Joy Taylor filling in
for him, and we're off next week. So yeah, we're
headed to Jamaica. So looking forward to that. I do
(02:34):
want to say to announce again we got our King Movement.
We got the King Men's Summit Men's Conference. Uh, you're
welcome wherever you are in the United States of America.
There will be men there from all over the country,
but specifically if you're in the Philadelphia area because that's
where it's at, Uh, Philadelphia, March tenth and eleventh. So
there's a few weeks from here a great men's conference
(02:57):
to strengthened men and uh just really being in the husband's,
father's leaders, citizens, role models that you were created to be.
So come check it out. There's a basketball tournament, they'll
be hip hop, but great workshops and speakers on these
various times. Can you sell empower men? Which sounds like
a fabulous convention, But stay off the basketball court, please,
(03:21):
I don't want to Chris be don't do it. Okay,
I want to hear the tever. Don't you can't afford it. Okay,
I haven't played ball rob in three years. Okay, you
know what I mean. You've seen all these guys. I
wanted to go out there and tearing achilles. You know
how many guys age do that, Chris, I know it
(03:44):
happens all the time. I'm not saying I'll never play
like some five on five again, but I gotta get
in shape before, you know, like basket some type of
basketball shape play. I can't just roll up and play
when I haven't played in years. But I might be done.
I don't know, but yeah, I'm out. But you can
register at king Summit dot org. You can register for
(04:05):
the tournament and the conference as a whole. King Summit
dot org. Rob Brian Dawkins, the Hall of Fame football player,
will be speaking, Jason Avant, former wide receiver speaking for
the Eagles and the Chiefs, and Eddie George, the Heisman
Trophy winner, will be there as well as a speaker.
So gonna be some great things going on, So check
(04:27):
us out king summit dot org. All right, Rob, we
got Michael Shawn Dugger. Dugger. Michael Shawn Dugger the Seahawks
reporter for the Athletic We all over the Athletic Today.
He's also the host of the Seahawks Man the Man
podcast obviously we'll ask him about Russell Wilson and gets
all that, all right, Rob. Speaking of questions, Devin Booker
(04:48):
of the New Look Suns was asked the question recently,
I think it was yesterday about the Sons. Of course,
Kevin Durant will be back with or be with them
next week. They had their full practice, first full practice yesterday, supposedly,
you know, reportedly. Little hints that the reporters dropped is
that they looked phenomenal and everybody's excited about having Durant there.
(05:12):
So Devin Booker was asked, Rob, are the Sons a
super team? And he had a witty answer. Did you
hear his answer? No, I did not let me hear it.
His answer, We don't have the sound. But his answer
was no, we only got one all star, Kevin Durant,
and this year they did only a star. Answer. But yeah,
(05:35):
but but they're not a super team. Uh. Booker was
drafted there. They traded gave up other pieces for Chris
Paul and they traded for Kevin Durant. Like, I don't
they're not a super team now, Well, yeah, that's obviously
your Your definition of a super team is stars coming
(05:57):
together of their own volition, almost being mercenaries. Right, But
you do call Golden State the superteam when they had
Kevin Durant, Yeah, because they had already started and he
came there. They didn't give up anything to get Kevin Durant.
I think that's the big thing, Chris. They didn't give
up if they had to trade two or three big
(06:18):
pieces to get Kevin Durant. I don't think I look
at it the same way. But they got him added
on to a team that was already already won a championship. Technically, Uh,
the Heat did trade for Lebron technically, you know what
I'm saying. Now, Look, it all depends, right, No, I
hear you. It all depends on what your definition of
(06:40):
a super team is. If we judge, if the definition
is what Lebron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh did in
Miami back in twenty ten, this is not that. Or
even like you said, Kevin Durant joining a team that
had already won a championship in won seventy three games,
this is not that. But is that? Like, did did
(07:02):
you consider Brooklyn a superteam? Roun? No? Okay, because now
I mean they don't have three like bona fide Although
I wouldn't call Chris Bosh a superstar Chris, but he
was a star on one of the teams. Star but
not a superstar. Um, But I would say here's what
(07:24):
I'll say about it, because I do like if if
you want to haggle over the what's the definition? Do
they meet that definition? Okay, I might give you that
that they don't, But I think of him as a
superteam rob because Chris Paul now, granted not in his prime,
but still a good player, not you know, a top
(07:45):
point guard at this point, but still a very good player.
Fourteen points, eight assists the game. I mean you could
do a lot worse than they still one of the
league leaders in assist uh. Devin Booker a bona fide star.
Now again, you can haggle over as he's superstar. He's
a legitimate perennial All Star and basically a perennial All
(08:09):
NBA guy. And Chris is actually averaging nine assist the game.
Chris Paul DeAndre eighton not a star, I give you that,
but darn close nineteen points ten rebounds a game. Don't
have to run plays for one of the better centers
in the league. I mean, the best centers in the
league are Embiid and Yokich. Do you count if you
(08:33):
count Anthony Davis, obviously he's one of the best. But
then after that, Eighton's right there, so he's a man
arguably a top five center in the league. And Rob.
It's a team that won sixty four games last year.
It was a team that looked like it was headed
to a championship last year and then essentially choked in
(08:53):
the second round of the playoffs. And Rob two years
ago looked like they were heading to a championship up
two in the finals. And I don't know that they
choked because Milwaukee may have just been a better team.
But you're up to old it's looking great and then
you just you give up the ghost. So I just
and and also here's the the last point about this robe.
(09:16):
Look at the NBA today, I mean, there isn't a
team that has more than two stars. Boston's got Tatum
and Brown. After that, I mean, Phillies got Hardened, who's
a bit older, and Embid. Then you gotta go to
(09:37):
the I mean Chris Middleton, he's hurt, Drew Holliday, Okay, star,
I guess, but you know in Yannis, Denver's got one star,
Memphis has one star, Sacramento I like Demontus a bonus.
I liked Aaron Fox. Are they stars yet? I know
(09:57):
they made the All Star Game, but are they stars? Yeah?
A little iffy. Those are the top three seeds in
the West Golden States all banged up. Uh. The Lakers
got two stars, but they're banged up. The Clippers have
two stars, Dallas two stars, Minnesota, we don't even need
to talk about them, and everybody else, you know, Portland
(10:19):
one star like they've got. I think when you could,
if if you, if you, if you really want to
just talk. Obviously, Durant and Booker stars Chris Paul and
DeAndre Ayton together because Chris Paul certainly was a star,
a superstar, and Ayton is close. They got three stars
(10:42):
as far as I'm concerned, and so I I hear you,
Rob again. If you want to break me down on
an absolute definition, they probably don't meet that. But I
do think of them as a superteam. Yeah, I just don't.
I think it's the way it's assembled, and when when
teams make trades and you have to give up to
get that's what makes it different. Well, they didn't give
(11:06):
up any stars, they still had to give up there
to give up other pieces. Yeah, I just I don't.
I don't look at them as a superteam like they
were good last year. They didn't they you know, wet
the bed. Uh, they still have it. I don't think.
I don't look at Chris Paul the same way. Maybe
I'm being naive. I don't. He's not. I don't don't
(11:27):
good same way. But you know, if this was three
years ago, then maybe it would be different. But I
don't look at it that way. I don't feel like,
oh my god, look at this team. There's no way
that they can't win. I don't have that feeling. Do
I think that to win? Right? But but I think
they're the best team in the West on paper, But
I don't. Yeah, but I don't think that it's automatic.
(11:48):
Well it's never automatic, no, But you know you had
to say only two out of four, right, I just, yeah,
I don't have that feel about them. I don't. I
don't consider them a superteam. All right, let's throw it
out to the listeners. Rob eight seven seven ninety nine
on Fox eight seven seven nine nine six sixty three
sixty nine. Simple question. Are the Phoenix Sons of Kevin Durant,
(12:13):
Devin Booker, Chris Paul and DeAndre Ayton that kind of
a big four as far as I'm concerned? A super team?
Your thoughts? Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox, It's
the Eye Couple of Chris and Rob. Fox Sports Radio.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific. Here we go. Rob requested it. DJ Alex
(12:37):
Tysher delivered it. I'm Dom Brown. That's one of my
favorite songs all times. Oh this is UH love it?
And they talk ab the mall Street Chris on one
hundred and sixty four Street, That mall mall. All right,
it's the Eye Couple of Chris and Rob. On the
Funky Flashback Friday, eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox,
(13:00):
You're turning the way in. Are the Phoenix Suns a
super team now that they have Kevin Durance? All right,
here we go, let's uh kick it off with uh,
Dwight and San Antonio. You're on the odd couple of
Fox Sports Radied. What up? Dwight? Hey, I love the couple.
(13:23):
I listen to you guys every single night. Thank you. Yes,
we appreciate that. No problem. No problem, fellas when y'all
talk about super teams, them that shopping team, k No,
but those were trades though. See Robin, I have different definitions.
(13:47):
I agree with you. I think that was a super team.
I think Magic Kareem Worthy, Bird mcgrail, Parrish in the eighties,
I think those were super teams too, exactly you were
remember they were there. They were two of the top
ten players in the league at that time. You know.
That's why, that's why Lebron had to go to Miami
(14:08):
to team up with d Way, because he wasn't gonna
beat that team with before he stayed if he stayed
in Cleveland. Man, now I plot him for going back
to get the ring. But you wouldn't. You weren't gonna
match up good with that super team Boston had. And
as far as the signs right now, I really I
agree with Rob I don't. I don't think that's a
super team because again, thinking a lot of assets to
(14:29):
bring in KG. You know, but they they I hear you.
But they did get to keep all of their like
they kept their core together, and I get it. Mcaal Bridges.
We talked with Carrie Killers yesterday. Right, he may become
a star, right than they didn't have to break up
their core. And that's you know that, that's a benefit
(14:50):
when you get a guy like Kevin Durant. All right,
let's go to Joe and Boise. You're on the couple
of Fox Sports Radio. What up, Joe, Thank you so much.
Appreciate you. Yeah, I appreciate you guys. I got to
give you a really quick compliment, really quick. Man. I
listened to you guys through COVID and then the whole
George Floyd thing, and man, you guys did such a
(15:11):
good job on that. So I just want to like
the whole time, and thank you. We got a lot.
We lost Fox Sports in Boise for like six months
by travel to LA for work, so I would listened
to you and then we finally got you back in Boise.
So it's just awesome to have you back. And I
really love what you guys do, and um, thank you. iHeartRadio.
App that's right, So you always remember that even if
(15:32):
you're not yet. I'm old school with the kids taking around,
you know, but hey, the super team thing. You know,
I don't think they have time to form a super team.
In the tragedy of this whole thing is that Kevin
Durant was on a super team in San Francisco with
the Warriors. So I was so disappointed that. I don't
know if there was some selfishness or what was going
(15:54):
on there, but he took off. But that could have
been a beautiful thing. Man. We could have had like
seven eight titles if he would have stayed. But I
don't know if he's past it now, and it's just like,
what do we try to He had it, We had
a superteam, so I had it. I don't think Rob,
even if you don't Durant Kyrie a superteam. I definitely
(16:15):
considered Durant, Kyrie, and Harden a superteam. Yeah, okay, maybe
with them, but I had said the other two. I
didn't think, Yeah, I want they added him, probably right,
Rafael in Cincinnati, you're on the odd couple of Fox
Sports Radio. What up? Rafael's going on? Cats? Um, I
(16:35):
do not have the Phoenix Suns with Durant coming in
as a superteam. I have him as a good team.
Durant coming to a team can only make you better.
I think the issue is going to be this next
twenty games or whenever Durant comes back, it's going to
be a sprint playoff seedings and then the games get
a little bit more intense and then going into the playoffs.
My wordy concern is CP three because when he and
(17:01):
ran out of gas against Yanistnam, you know, and I
think that for him up Top and Garden, some of
the other younger point guards, I think it may be
a detriment to the team for them. Of course, Duran
and in Book will have to pick up the pace
on defense, but they will be able to score. But
the defense part in the playoffs is going to be key.
(17:23):
And I really think it they match up against the Clippers,
they're not going to beat them in a seven game
series because I think the Clippers with Karen's man up top,
and I think Westbrook is going to be coming for
blood and Kawhi is extremely healthy now, he looks great
that the Norman pound him with the second unit. I
think the Clippers they're my dark horse coming out of
(17:43):
the West, and I think the joker them all right.
Appreciate that, Raphael, Thank you so much. Leo in NYC.
You're on the couple of Fox Sports Radio. What up, Leo?
How's it going, guys? Are you good? Mary? Good? Good? Good? Good?
How forward for your rob? Yes? Yes? How? Yes? Why? Yes? Okay?
(18:06):
This is definitely a super team. It doesn't matter how
you acquire retalent. What are you left with on your
team when once you get him? If this Sun team
is not a super team, then the Warriors were not
a super team because at ten, when they got Kidd,
they lost the Death of the Bench because of salary. No,
they already won a championship, and then they got arguably
(18:26):
one of the two or three best players in the league.
I think that's totally different than Sons having won Jack.
I'm sorry, even even with those three guys, I don't
look at them that way. But you have three guys
that are that are superstars on their own right, and
you at the Henry now rising stars. I don't know,
(18:47):
I don't know if what you called Chris Paul is
still a superstar. I know, I know it might have
been superstar. He's obviously not in his prime, but he's
still thirty eight years old, a very good point guard.
I'm not saying that right, but I'm just saying, you know,
all right, thank you for the call. We appreciate that.
It is the I Couple. We got our man, Michael
(19:08):
Shawn Duger, Seahawks reporter for the Athletic, joining us in
a few minutes. Be first, be sure to catch live
editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harman weekdays
at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio and the iHeart Radio Hip. It's the Eye Couple.
We're live from the Tirek dot Com studios. Our next
(19:30):
guest is a Seahawks reporter for the Athletic, host of
the Seahawks Man to Man podcast. We welcome in Michael
Shawn Dugard. Mike, how are you man? I'm doing good? God,
how are you guys doing over there? Doing great? Right? Man?
Good again? Yes, all right, let's get right to it. Um,
(19:50):
you didn't write this article, but there was an article
on the Athletic saying that Russell Wilson wanted Pete Carroll fired.
I don't know if you can if you know that
for a fact, but talk to us about that and
what they're related. Yeah, g M. John Snyder two. Yeah,
(20:12):
you know, Russell Wilson and Seattle kind of reminds me
of like I don't know if I mentioned this analogy
on here before, but like, fuck that movie I Robot,
kind of where we make the robots and we tell
them all, this is what we need you guys to do,
like we create them, and then the robots grifly get
to looking around the world and look at out humans
get down. They're like, wait a minute, you guys just
(20:32):
kind of screwing this planet up. Maybe we should be
running things over here even though we created them. That's
kind of what the Russell evolve too. Yeah, thank you.
I've been working on that one, um, but I think
that that's the best analogy I can I can give
because Russell was not just gonna be a bona fide star,
you know, Ego tripping coming into a league. It's the
third round pick who everyone said was too short, right,
(20:54):
but then he evolved and Pete Carroll gave him the
space to evolve, and then somewhere along the line he
was like, oh look this old guy, I know what
he's doing no more. And I think part of that
was taking too many hits. Part of that was not
having the receiving corps he wanted. Part of that was
the defense just basically falling off a cliff after the
twenty seventeen season. There were all these parts where rest
(21:14):
just lost faith in those guys to help him achieve
his goal winning the championship. And yeah, it got to
the point where he was like, yo, Jody Allen, you
own the team, right, I used to pick them old dudes,
or you pick me the franchise quarterback. And she's you know,
put that FedEx stamp on his forehead and sent in
the Denver m How what what is he? Public envy
(21:36):
number one? Especially like, how are people looking at him?
Just what a happy flop? I mean, it's a quarterback
who one year Super Bowl got you to a second
I'm talking about the fans, of course. What does the
feel and what do people say about Russell Wilson. It
feels like most of his good will is going out
the window. Yeah, that's a good question, man. You could
(21:58):
just see it when he got why Hill on the
Monday night football game. And then someone like Bobby Wagner
comes in at the end of the year and it's
much more. It's a warmer welcome. I mean, I don't
think they were cheering Superlot for Bobby. I mean, he
was on the Rams that they don't like the Rams
right here, but the reception was different for that reason
Russ did. It's not that he burned bridges, It's just
(22:19):
that people could kind of see through the act and
we're less one to put up with the corniness and
stuff and the phoniness when he was on somebody else's team,
you know, when he's kind of dorky, Russell Wilson posting
the video naked with Sierra after he signs the deal. Hey, Seattle,
we gotta deal doing stuff on Snapchat, changing his hair corny,
you know, mister unlimited stuff. Let's all finding dandy. When
he's on your team and your team is winning, he
(22:41):
goes some Rulston's like yeah, I don't know, man, that's
stuff that's kind of lame in it. And then on
top of that, Seattle fans, we're understandably so rooting for
the Broncos to just suck so that Pitt could be
a lot higher. I don't know if that had much
to do with Russ as much as it was just like,
we are rooting for the best possible draft outcome, so
we would like the Broncos to go in seventeen. Just
on top of that, Russ was just thinking to join
(23:02):
the process. So he's become a polarizing figure here. You've
got some people who know that contract just added one
of the best quarterbacks ever in this franchise, super Bowl
champ and there's some we are looking in the short term,
like all right, Mike, but wouldn't you say the best?
That's not saying the toil for Seattle, but he's who's better? Jim,
Jim Craig, No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, I mean, let's slip,
(23:27):
go ahead, go ahead. I would say he's the best. Yeah,
I would say he's the best. But I was born
in nineteen ninety two, so you would have some older Jim. Yeah,
they're going Zorn out there, and you know the haffleback
Home Good Teams. I'm wish I think it's rough, but
I think some of the locals here would be like, yo, Mike,
you two young really know how Zorn was slinging that?
(23:49):
And I'm like, no, you guys, I'm not. I got
Internet just like y'all have now. And yeah, and so
how shock were you at how poorly he played? And
you might say, while Nathaniel Hackett was bad from Jump Street.
You could use a lot of different things, but he
played poorly early on. How shocked, And that's putting it
(24:10):
kind I know I'm being nice, but how shocked for you?
And how poorly he played? You know, I actually thought
Russell would actually be very good, and I do think
he can be very good. But I think I underestimated
the value of having a veteran coach because that's where
he had here in Seattle. Like as much as Pete
gets a bad rap for his offensive philosophy, and I'm
(24:31):
part of the people giving him that bad rap. The
dude does no ball right like, he's then just luck
into the situation. Dude seventy years old has been coached
for fifty years. He knows ball, and not to say
Nathaniel Hackett doesn't. There's just so many things that go
into being the head coach for the first time. Just
to stop right there, head coach being the first time
that's a lot different than what he was dealing with
in Green Bay. Okay, now you're gonna be the play
(24:52):
caller on top of being the head coach. Dang man,
that's a lot to deal with. Oh now you gotta
deal with an eager driven the quarterback who wants to
have him on private coach. He wants to have an
office on the second floor right next to yours. He
making more money than you. You know, Russe Wilson two
hundred and forty five mill. I don't know what hackn making,
but it ain't that so all that's tough to deal with.
So when you factor in that, it wasn't surprising that
(25:14):
Russ got off to a bad start and there was
no one helped fix that. And it's not just that
Russ was missing reeds or whatever he got hurt. The
deep Vault wasn't there early on. I think Hackett's rolling
that they're connected. You need he needed someone like he's
getting in Sean Payton, who's been there, done that, to
help him along the way. Russ not just superman, who
can you know, be autonomous, separate from an OC. So
(25:35):
I think I wasn't surprised later on when I kind
of put all that contact together. Now you mentioned Russ
and all the corny stuff he did. Look, there's being
corny is one thing. I mean, Rob is corny, But
I don't have any corns on my toe. I'm good.
But you also mentioned phony. There's a difference between being
(25:58):
and being corny. And he looked at as a phone? Yeah,
do you think? And is he is? He looked at
as a phony up there in Seattle? And do you think.
I don't know how well you how much you were
around him, But is that the case because right now
I would say that's the perception nationally that he's phony. Yeah,
I think so. Locally that was an issue too. There
(26:18):
just wasn't that much authenticity, and I think it was
working against him in Seattle. And this part isn't his fault.
He was playing alongside perhaps the most authentic football player
in the history of football, and Marshawn Lynch, like Marshaw, Lynch,
was just so unapologetically Marshawn. No matter if he was
talking to me and you outside of a liquor store
or if he was interviewing doctor Faucia about the vaccine,
(26:39):
he just always got the same version of Marshawn. And
with Russ, he's almost like a chameleon. He's like, all right,
I'm gonna go to the church's hospital. I'm in this bag.
If I'm talking to my teammates in the locker room,
I got this othern accent from doing a press conference.
I'm signing like the president and everybody was just like,
all right, dude, just be you looks like you if
you beat you, you know, And he just never did that.
He kind of does who he thinks he should be
(27:01):
in that moment. One of my colleagues sists and jenks,
who who's on this story that kind of we're talking about.
He wrote a story a long time ago a Russ
called why Russell Wilson Behaves as if someone is always watching,
and it's a really good article. I to just everybody
to go peep that, and it kind of puts into
context why Russ is kind of like a walking press release.
You know how press lease is supposed to function. You're
supposed to say what people want you to hear, or
(27:23):
it would say what you think people want to hear.
That's what a press release is designed to do. That's
kind of like Russ. Russ like a press release with legs.
And again, while he's winning and he's on your team,
that's cool. When he's demanded trades from your team and
then goes somewhere else to kind of like, ah, I
don't know if I like that stuff. No more so
what did the article say was the reason for that?
(27:43):
So to summarize some of the stuff that Jason uncovered,
Rush got that from his dad. His dad at a
young age. Was at six or seven years old, he's
teaching Russell how to maneuver through press conferences, and not
just maneuver through press confences, but maneuver through press conferences
as a quarterback. Like here, son, you're gonna grow up
and be a Fames quarterback. Here's how you handle that.
And I ain't got no kids, but I think that's
(28:04):
some weird stuff to teach a kid at seven. I agree,
but who when you teach the kid that stuff at
seven he gets to be in seventeen and twenty four
and twenty seven. You can see why he's just so polished.
From everything to like what color tie he picks for
a press conference, to having a slogan almost like someone
running for office, whether it's Bronco's Country r Ride or
(28:25):
Go Hawks, like, all of that stuff has been ingrained
in him. He also has a mental conditioning coach or
he had won the late Trevor Moad passed away in
twenty twenty one, but Trevor would train Russell's brain to
be like neutral all the time. So you got like
this guy who moves like a presidential campaign. A presidential
candidate also has a brain coach, and that's where you
(28:45):
get all this stuff. So he kind of behaves and
think of how politician does his politician behaviors that someone's
always watching. So Russell was trained, He's like programmed to
be the way he is. I don't even know if
that's necessarily his fault, because I mean, once you how
many of us are product of what our parents are
teaching us at five six seven? You know, but that's
why Russ accidentally? How about Pete Carroll and how how
(29:07):
much is I mean, obviously people up there they love him,
you know, they want the super Bowl and went to
a second one. But when when it all looked like, okay,
the franchise is going the other way, and uh, you
know they they he makes Geno Pizza work, you know,
out of nowhere, and they make the playoffs. I know
it wasn't a pretty playoff game, but they make the playoffs.
(29:28):
What did people say? Did they wind up loving Pete
Carroll a little bit more and and reconfirming his his
position there? You know, what I mean as coach in Seattle. Yeah,
I mean if Pete was always kind of he was
all just on a trajectory to have like a statue
outside the facility here, maybe outside Looming Field. Uh, Now
(29:49):
he really get one, you know, because the perception of
him was kind of rocky there. There was almost an
internal civil war, that's what I thought. Yeah, it was
like are you on team Pete or are you on
team Russ in the way, and then it kind of
forced people to choose. And then Pete, to his credit,
he was just like he politely asked us I just
the media, but kind of the fans as well, like, Guys,
I've been doing this, if USC's that long ago. I
(30:13):
did it with John David Booty, I did it with
Mark Fantill, I did it with Carson Palmer. He was
like different. I mean, you know, he hadn't been hadn't
been great in the prose until he got Russ. No.
That and that's true, and that's why it was such
a great debate. But from peace perspective, he was like,
I know, ball, trust me, and he kind of said
it politely and then he you know, he retools the defense.
(30:35):
You know, he finds a diamond in the rough light
Tarique Woolling. He gets rid of a Bobby Wagner, and
the defense, uh doesn't just like fall for Cliff. It
was back a little bit, but then completely fall for Cliff.
You know. He pulls Gino up out of nowhere, and
then Gino wins Comeback Player of the Year. When Pete killed,
has might yet taken that victory la publicly? And if
I was him, I would be because boy I was
one of them people up here questioning how much he
(30:57):
knows ball, And then he looked back like, you know,
maybe I gotta remember I was born in ninety two.
Maybe I shouldn't have been questioning, of all things, whether
Pete Carroll knew what he was doing. But I think
a lot of people came around this last year not
just because of how Gino played, but because of how
the culture contributed to how they played. Whether it was
the rookies or some of the veterans who took over
as leaders to Geno Smith, it was just like, Wow,
(31:20):
maybe the legion of boom thing was not just those
guys being talented, do also they were a results of
this culture that this guy named Pete Carroll created and
he reinforced that last year and basically any benefit of
the doubt he lost last offseason, he won it all
back this far, we got a minute for you. They
were a cute little team this year at nine and eight.
He did a great job with Gino. But what's the future, Like,
(31:42):
how are they going to get better? Gino gonna be
their guy going forward? And do they do they think
he can take them to at least I mean, heck,
the NFC is wide open. Can they you know what
they gonna do to compete for that NFC title. I
think a team like the Seahawks looking at someone like
the Eagles as the blue not necessarily go trade for
an A. J. Brown, But in the sense that if
(32:03):
you guys remember just two years ago, the Eagles had
just got their butts whooped by the Bucks, you know,
in the wildcard round. I believe they finished nine and
eighth that year. There were some questions about whether the
quarterback they had, which was Jalen Hurts, was the guy
or maybe they should trade someone or go trade for us.
Even that was a conversation this time last year. And
you look at what the Eagles did. They had a
good draft, They made a couple moves in free agency,
(32:25):
but not too many. They made a good splashy trade
and they built around their quarterback and what you know,
they made that jump. And I think that's a luther
for the Seahawks. This here. Yeah, you were nine and eight,
you got your button whooped and then the wildcard round.
But you're not too far away. You're like three to
four moves away from being where you want to be,
a wide open mc west. So I think that's there.
(32:46):
That should be their goal. Keep Gino and build around you,
you know, not just try to go fish for his replacement.
Kind of like opposite of what Green Bay did. Don't
do that. Don't be green Bay, be like the Eagles.
All right, that's our man, Michael shot and du guard.
Great stuff man with Buddy Man. I appreciate you guys
having me. You guys have a good weekend. YouTube all right,
brought YouTube piece. Uh Rob Dame Dallas says, no tankid here,
(33:12):
not in Portland. Maybe a sure reconsider though, that's next
a couple of Fox Sports Radio. Be sure to catch
live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harman
weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven pm Pacific. It's the
I Couple, Chris and Rob live from the tirec dot
Com studios. We're brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Progressive
(33:34):
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Do we're wrapping, he flashed back Friday. Go ahead, Rod,
(33:56):
this is good right here. It's bringing back memories of
Rob at his wedding. No, I was in Uh, I
was in school, grade school, I think, or I don't know. Yeah,
this this definitely sounds like some seventies, seventies this is
this is one I used to listen to Disco ninety
two in New York. Chris Radio Disco ninety two w KTU.
(34:21):
Here we go, Here we go, quake this you got, Robbed, Chris,
Here we go. All right, I know I need baby.
Yeah yeah, let's before we get in trouble. Let's move
I know, right, move on to the Blazers. All right, um, Rob,
we talked about the Trail Blazers yesterday and uh, the
(34:42):
issues that they had, you know, on the plane and
so on and so forth. A lot of people thought
that the Blazers were taking and uh, Dame Dollar went
on Twitter, as he's apt to do when you you
say something about him or or them, he'll he'll respond,
and he went on Twitter and simply said no way,
(35:02):
which I like, Um, they're not tanking, and Dame, you know,
is all hard and all that, But I'm gonna say this, Rob,
I'm not gonna advocate tanking. But where are they going home? Dinner?
Maybe a show? I mean, what what are they doing? Like?
(35:23):
I love Dame's loyal to the soil, wants to win
one for them. And I guess if you're a Blazer's
front office guy, Rob, you know, he's arguably I mean,
maybe it's Bill Walton because he led him to a championship,
but he's arguably their most the biggest Blazer ever, right
(35:44):
like the Williams you are. You know, Drexler obviously led
him to the finals a few times, but I would
say you can argue whether or not he's mister Blazer.
I think again, Walton led him to a championship. I
don't know, not too with them. Remember that was brief
what you just said, and probably remember that team was
(36:06):
pretty pretty good. Oh yeah, they lost to Detroit and
the finals, and they lost to Jordan in the finals.
I agree, I think Drexler was better than the finals.
He didn't have a second star. I mean, they had
good players Terry Porter and guys, but he was the
only like real, like perennial all star on that team.
(36:29):
But my point is this, Damien may very well be
more beloved right because Drexler didn't play his entire career
with Portland Dame has. He's been a great player. They've
had some success. They haven't gotten to a finals, but
they had some success, and maybe the executives robber like, look,
it's important in a small town like this. He's he's
(36:53):
our Mistress Blazers for this generation at least, and we
need to keep him. But arived from a basketball standpoint,
they're a mismatched squad. They got these young guys that
are good. They got Shaden Sharp, they got uh, Anthony Simons,
you know, they got a few other young guys, and
then they got Dame. They got a few older guys,
(37:14):
but they aren't like great players. And Jeremy Grant, you know,
he's he's a good player on a good team. He's
when he puts up the big numbers, they don't win,
you know. And so I I really think that, And
I know Dame wants to stay there and God bless him,
but it just might be in their best interest Robe
to trade Dame to a situation where he could win
(37:37):
and get some you know, young players or or picks
where they can really rebuild around Simons and some of
their other young players. Yeah, that's always one of those things.
And do you really want to, you know, give up
a star like that, because then you're looking for a star.
I mean, you're not winning, but then you're set up
(37:59):
front and you got a guy who doesn't want to
leave there, and you might not have that with somebody else.
He would probably be like Kevin Garnette route, like if
he ever did leave and found himself in a great
situation at one he'd be like, man, I loved this.
I should have done it earlier. But all right, Rob,
have a great week. Brother, We out Vaca
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Rob Parker
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