Hour One of the Good Morning Football Podcast begins with hosts MJ Acosta-Ruiz, Kyle Brandt, Isaiah Stanback and Matthew Hatchette discussing if the New England Patriots can get back to their winning ways in 2025. Browns CB Greg Newsome II joins the show and talks about what he’s seen from their QBs, Shedeur Sanders, and facing Aaron Rodgers. Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin joins the show and talks about the company, events, and the grind.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Good Morning Football is the production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to GMSP, everybody. I'm m Jay Acosta Ruiz here
in Los Angeles, dark and early with Isaiah Stanback and
former wide receiver Matthew Hatchett. But don't you dare call
him Matthew No hat only Okay, So we've established that
right off the bat. And our guy, of course, Kyle Brent,
hanging out in New York.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Kyle, what's happened and thought, It's always great to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Isaiah, You're the man. And listen, Hatch, I loved watching
you play.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I remember you catching touchdowns in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
I know you're into the high school game now.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
It's everything we love about football, and we're going to
talk about it for two hours this morning. Let's start
the show, friends, GMFB.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Let's go, Let's go.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Let's Good Morning Football.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
He's been the playing around the field far and away.
Today the study punch, pressure game about.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
The channel, perfect time from Drake May May Dang May
sits in there.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Pressure.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
It throws a perfect strike in the middle where there's
money to bedd Wad.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
We walked France.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Pressure because I'm pitching this movement relent so ready.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Inside of it, Drake May allude to defender trying to
keep the play a line pulling down.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
He trust to the end.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
It's got it. Oh my god, Drake May. And there
it is.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
If you were wondering what we were going to be
chopping it up about on this Tuesday in June, we're starting.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Right there, everybody.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Once again, I'm doing a Costa Ruiz Isaia. It's on
back hatches, Mate, Meudet and Kyle, with us always looming
above it, almost like the Wizard of Oz. I love that,
especially with the green today. Exactly those were the vibes. Kyle,
I knew it.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
I knew it right off. Some bat didn't.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
I didn't know that was there. You did not.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I didn't know there. He kind of scared me. Kyle,
I had no idea. I didn't know the big screen.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It's fantastic And that is exactly how you start the
lead block.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
All right, guys, we're gonna.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Get started right in New England with quarterback Drake May,
who was entering his second year in the league. He
had an impressive rookie season, being named a Pro Bowl
replacement after his twelve starts just last year. Now, the
Patriots are expected to improve from just four wins in
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
I mean, you got it right.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Let's take to that by spending the most money in
free agency this year, plus having hired Mike Rabel as
their head coach. Now May says, you want high expectations.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
I think that's what you want.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
I think to see the other Patriots are used to winning,
and that's what we're trying to get back to. I
think you want and you want people to expect you
to play good. And I think that pressure is kind
of what will fuse it to be out here. We'll
fuse you to get the rep right and practice. What
fuels you to work hard on the meetings or work
hard in the light room or kind of not what
happened last year happened again.
Speaker 6 (03:03):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Look as a football analyst, of course, this is an
important question, But as somebody who literally cheered in the
same division as the Patriots for their rival the Dolphins,
it's a little tough for me to actually ask are
the Patriots going to return to their winning ways in
twenty twenty five because they terrorized the entire division for
so so, so, so long.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Isaiah.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
Yeah, No, their time obviously expired. Obviously during the end
of Tom Brady. Obviously Bill Belichick leaves. But now you're
in the Drake May era, and now you're also in
the Mike Rabel era. We all understand the lineage of
Mike Grabel. He's been through there. He has all the rings,
he has thanos in the building. But can he bring
back the winning ways along with Drake May? And I
believe that they can get on track. I'm not sure
(03:42):
that it is all going to happen in this first
year with Mike Rabel, but I believe that those things,
those core characteristics, the ethos of those Patriots.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Teams is within Mike Grabel.
Speaker 6 (03:51):
He's going to come back.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
He's going to be disciplined, he's in company, he's going
to be a paid attention to detail. All those things.
Now they're surrounding Drake May with resources. They've given him receivers,
they're giving him an offensive line. They're going to get
back to trying to run the ball right. Defense is
going to be absolutely solid because they added some goons there.
So take the ball away, protect the ball offensively.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Pay attention to details, do your job.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
That's what they've always said in New England, that's what
they said when they're winning championship. That's what they said
when I was there, and I believe that's what Mike
Vrabel was gonna bring back to this organization.
Speaker 8 (04:20):
Wow, what's the definition of winning though, that's the question.
Right in New England it's Super Bowls. So they go
nine to eight this year, is that winning? Sure, it's winning,
right because the percentage wise, But I don't see them
getting back to Super Bowl soon, right, that's the catch.
You have to have a little bit more I guess,
you know, talent on offense. By personal opinion, they're not
ready to get there in that division in the AFC.
(04:42):
I think they have a long road to go. So
we'll see, you know, they might be around that eight
to nine, nine and eight mark. So that's better than four,
you know, and what is it four and thirteen? Which
is better? That's what he's saying, which is cool, But
I still they're not the top of the AFC, unfortunately
for them.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I look at the Patriots now and they're one of
these teams that's hard to talk about without talking about
the past. And I think that's why it's interesting that
Drake May specifically started talking about the fans are used
to winning here, and he's right. I also just think
it's time to move on. Tom Brady now is an
owner of another AFC team, and we'll walk into Foxborough
(05:18):
week one looking to burn that place down. Rob Gronkowski
has been gone for seven years from the Patriots. Bill
Belichick is a college football coach at a basketball school.
The last five years, the Patriots have played one playoff
game in which they were annihilated by a Bills franchise
that they used to own. It is time to turn
the page for this organization. It is time to start
(05:39):
a new era. It listen Boston Reference. It reminds me
of Rick Patino saying, look, Robert Parrish and Larry Bird
and Kevin McHale are not walking through that door. Neither
is Brady Gronk and Edelman vrabel Is.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
But he's the coach. He doesn't have the pads on.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Was this franchise built up by this magical sixth round
pick that they made some twenty five years ago or
are they more?
Speaker 6 (06:02):
I think they're more.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
The Patriots were super Bowls before Tom Brady. Robert Kraft
had this team in a Super Bowl before Tom Brady.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
But it is time. It is time to win.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
The AFC is tough, I get it. With the NFL
is tough, Josh and Lamar and Burrow. So what you
have a coach, you have a quarterback.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Mac Jones was in the playoffs as a rookie. Are
you telling me Drake May can't do it in year two?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I don't believe it. And I'll say this about Boston.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
The Red Sox are not good, the Bruins were terrible,
the Celtics are broken.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
It's the Patriots.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
They're supposed to be the standard and the prodigal sun
came home and he's supposed to start cracking skulls as
the head coach and get this back to where they're going.
Never mind where they've been, where are they going. I
think the future is bright. I think the quarterback is talented.
I think this team is more than Tom Brady once was.
I think they should win this year. I'm not afraid
of anybody in the AFC East outside of Buffalo.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
It's sitting there. It's time to make the jump or
forever live in the past.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, And to your point, Kyle, it is tough to
talk about this team and not look at the past.
But just like Hat said, that is a benchmark that
they have set because while it feels really far removed,
it really wasn't. It's so it's so up top right,
it's so relevant in our recent memory that it's.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Like, wait, what is this Patriots team? But this is
where we are.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And I love that you mentioned talent because both May
and as head coach Mike Fable spoke about Patriots wide
receiver Stefan Dicks.
Speaker 9 (07:29):
Figure out where where everything is and you know, what
his role is and making sure that as we add
those situations the third down and no huddle and the
red zone, that he's staying up on it. It's working
hard in his in his rehabit. When he can certain
drills he can be out there, and there's certain drills
that he he won't be. But I think he's engaged
(07:49):
and they're there.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You know.
Speaker 10 (07:51):
I like his energy.
Speaker 7 (07:52):
Yeah, he seems like, you know, awesome teammate. You know,
he's he's my next door to my locker locker mate,
so he's you know, one down from beside me.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
You know, we talk all the time.
Speaker 7 (08:00):
He's a veteran of this League's made a lot of plays,
playing a lot of big time games. So just an
awesome voice for for the receiver room for this offense.
He's playing some playoff games, He's had some big games,
and I think, you know, once he kind of recovers
and just getting back out there, I'm looking forward to
you'll be able to throw the foo footballs and uh
just it's always good having a guy like that in
your team.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And May stop just short, he corrected himself, almost calling Digs.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
An old head.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I was like, let's let's call down. I mean, he's
the context of perhaps this week and someone like May
who's only going into the second season. Sure, but we
know the type of work that Diggs puts in, and
it is tough coming back from an injury. But I
do think this is going to work with Diggs once
he's come back healthy from this rehab with this Patriots team.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You know, I'm going to wait and see moment. Right now,
I'm kind of kind of on standby right now.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
I don't like standby lines, but right now I'm gonna
stand by with the New England Patriots and Stefon Diggs.
I have no questions about his ability to make plays.
I have no no questions about his ability to go
out there and be an asset to this offense. It's
the leadership aspect for me. I mean, I think that
they're thrusting him into a position where he is being
forced to be a leader. They're asking him to be
(09:10):
a leader, and I'm not sure that he necessarily wants that.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Right I can't sit up here and speak for the man, but.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
I know he's still living his best life right now,
and I think I know he has a lot to
focus on right now in terms of getting himself healthy
and trying to get back to who he was as
a player so that he can contribute.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But when you tally that along with.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
The fact that, hey, we want you to be the
voice of reason in this room while you're still dealing
with your rehab, while you're trying to remember the good
old times, and while you're coming into a receiver room
that actually already has some veterans in it, I think
they're asking a lot of him, and I'm not sure
that he necessarily wants that, But I think that he
will be a huge asset because when you talk about
his play prior to him getting injured, he's that dude
(09:48):
we've always talked about steffon Dide's ability to make plays.
Prior to him tearing as Aco, this dude was on
track for a thousand yard season with the Texas.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
He was doing good things with CJ.
Speaker 6 (09:56):
Stroud.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
Now he has to go out there and learn a
whole new system, get healthy, and then be productive member
in that meeting room as well.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, I'm not sure on the leadership.
Speaker 8 (10:06):
Yeah, Like I said, for him, I think we all
know that the veteran receiver is different than that second
third year receiver. He's going a second third year receiver.
You're going home, you're getting your rest, you're eating right,
you're waking up to the facility early. Right now, He's like,
I've done all that, So I'm kind of, like I said,
living my best life, enjoying being an NFL receiver. I
(10:27):
don't know if that helps the team, because this team
they need him to be a Pro Bowl, all Pro
type of guy. I don't think he's going to be
that this year. I don't think you have the offense
set up for it. And if you're not that, then
you're just a Okay, you're a one B, You're not
a one A. If he's not top five in the
NFL this year. Then that offense is going to be
very stagnant, and they need him to be like a.
Speaker 6 (10:49):
Top five guy.
Speaker 8 (10:50):
They need fifteen hundred yards, they need fifteen touchdowns. I
don't see that happening in leveling in that offense.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Well, first things, first, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going
to sit here and allow a player who's born in
nineteen ninety three called an old head.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
If that's an old head, we are all in a
lot of trouble.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I don't want to hear Diggs referred to as old
head or unk or og, none of that stuff.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
This is a thirty one year old man.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Enough with this.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
He's all okay, none of that. So I'm not gonna
sit here and stay for that. Get your walk, K
We're good, No, I'm fit. I'll go.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I'll drop right now to one end, said Jack Towns.
That's a reference from forty years ago. Just trust me,
all right now, that said Drake May. He's got that
uh that first date glow right now about Stefan Diggs.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
That's great too, made he's great. I love it. He's
playing a lot of big games, and I get it.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Drake May has that and Stefan Diggs has that magnetism.
I've met Diggs several times, maybe you guys have. He's gregarious,
he's funny, he's outgoing. The relationship starts very well. Make
no mistake, when Diggs leaves New England, he's no longer
a Patriot. Whether it's a nine months, six months or
five years, it will probably end really badly. It's that's
(12:05):
the book on him. It's going to end badly. He'll
be burning your clothes in the front yard. That's okay,
But before then I think it will be really good.
I'm someone who I believe in Diggs as a player,
and you say that, and everybody outline says, oh, he's
crap and off the field, he's a distraction, he's a diva,
blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
I think it's a little more nuanced than that.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
But what is not nuanced is the effect that he
has on young quarterbacks the second he gets there. Josh
Allen was a reckless, out of control gunslinger. Steph shows
up in the COVID season and turns Alan into a
prolific player.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
He helps him get there. Was doing the exact same
thing last year for Stroud. I think you hit on this, Isaiah.
People look at it. Stefan Dickson was like some kind
of busts in the Houston. He wasn't at all. He
was prolific before he got hurt.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I genuinely think that for his flaws as a person,
whatever they may be, he is really good at taking
young talented quarterbacks and saying I'm going to be open,
get me the ball, and they do.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Make no mistake, guys, it will end badly.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
But I believe and have a big year this year,
and I think this is not the first time he
has done it, as in a new place with a
new quarterback who's just finding his way in the league.
I think the Patriots knew this and that's why he's there.
I believe in Diggs. I don't care if everybody online doesn't.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
No, I do too, Kyle.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I'm so glad you said that, because I was, like,
have I've been interacting with a completely different person, like
for the past decade or however long, like this is insane.
I actually do see him as somebody who rises to
the occasion, who outworks people, who is a leader, right,
especially as I'm going in and out of locker room.
It's like, I hear stuff I talk to guys, you know,
but you did mention the group and the past captag there.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
So let's talk about that pay and what that what
those dynamics look like for the page.
Speaker 8 (13:43):
I I hear what you're saying, Kyle, but he can't
do it by himself. Sure, and be a one A
in the NFL. To get the coverage role to you,
to get double team, to get bracketed, you have to
have a certain skill set, right.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
We haven't seen it.
Speaker 8 (13:58):
We don't know if that's going to happen in New
England coming off of an injury, right, getting older at
the position, and don't forget when everybody says, yeah, these
older players, they're doing their thing. They're still good, they're
still good by name. But you also have the younger
players say, I don't care. I'm twenty two, I'm twenty three.
I'm twenty four. I'm younger, more.
Speaker 10 (14:17):
Energetic, and I'm not scared to cover this guy.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
Right.
Speaker 8 (14:20):
So again, I think Dix is still a great receiver, right,
But I just don't think if you're not going to
get an All Pro performance, it's really not going to
help that offense.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
Yeah, I'm more concerned about how he's going to be
utilizing this offense, right, because when you think about Mike Rabol,
it's a defensive mining coach, right, great defensive player in
the league, defensive mining coach his time in Tennessee. They
run the ball, right, His style is protect the ball
on offense and then have short runs on defense. Right,
Let's go out there and get the ball back three
and out, get it back in their hands, keeping on
the ground, don't turn the ball over that's in this
(14:51):
thing with a thirteen play drive that took seven minutes
off the clock. Right, I'm not sure that step On
Diggs the style is going to be utilized in this
style of offense. We're going to see. We're going to see.
I don't think that anybody at this table or any
other table can say that Stephan d this is not
a playmaker. He is a genuine playmaker. Right, But we
have to wait and see how this offense is going
to be going to be put together. We know that
(15:12):
they want to keep this thing on the ground. Now,
can he go out there and do the small things?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Is he going to block?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Is he going to be selfless in the style of
offense that's not necessarily focused on him. He'll have his opportunities,
but I don't see him getting ten plus targets a game.
This might be you know, hey, you might have five opportunities.
Speaker 6 (15:28):
What can you do with those?
Speaker 8 (15:29):
Yeah, you have two tight ends too that you have
to take the ball to. Josh McDaniels is creative enough
to get him the ball. But is it, like I said,
ten targets, eight targets, twelve targets or is that creativity
run game inserting him in the box kind of like
when Larry Fitzgerald was coming to the end of his
career in Arizona, how he was really that third blocker
(15:50):
in the run games. He wanted the smoke and he
wanted that right now, will Diggs accept that in a
Josh McDaniel's offense.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, I think what we have not mentioned very clearly
here is that all of this is contingent on how
Diggs returns from an full rehouse.
Speaker 10 (16:04):
Of this Injury.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Grounds mini camp kicked off today, So let's touch straight
there to brand see how things are going with our
body new Friends of the show, Brown's cornerback of Greg
Newso the second Proud Papa as money money all right,
Greg I'm gonna I'm gonna put you like one of
our reporters and ask you the very first question we
always do.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Set the scene for us.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
What is the vibe in the building right now, especially
today over there in Brea.
Speaker 6 (16:35):
Yeah, the vibes are very high right now.
Speaker 11 (16:37):
I think we had a great start to Ota one,
two and three, and now going into mandatory mini camp.
Just getting everybody back in the building is going to
be It's gonna be a great day today.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
There you go.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
All right, man, we have to ask you be do
you know all the QB situation? You guys have had
cameras all over the place. You guys have about seventeen
qbs on the depth chart. We need to know from
the defensive perspective. Give us an idea of how you
have perceived all these guys to be different. Right, you
got Flato, you got Picket, you got Gabriel, you got Sanders.
What have you seen from these guys from then the
entire depth chart from the defensive side of the ball.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Yeah, like you said, I think they're all different.
Speaker 11 (17:15):
You've got Flecco, who's a season that still has an
incredible arm, can make pretty much any throw.
Speaker 6 (17:22):
I mean you got Kenny Pickett.
Speaker 11 (17:24):
Who's a who's a proven guy, who's one games in
this league, a guy who's not going to make too
many mistakes. They got the two young bulls and Dylan,
Gabriel and Shador, which has been fun to watch them
grow and they all do something a little bit different.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
So it's been amazing just to watch.
Speaker 11 (17:40):
And we're super excited because I feel like with competition,
you're going to bring the best out of everybody.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Greg, shout out one of them, who's looked really good?
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Who have you liked?
Speaker 3 (17:49):
You're watching these guys who looks sharp?
Speaker 11 (17:52):
Yeah, I like, obviously I haven't went against your door
too much, but you know, just watching the film and everything,
he's been doing an amazing, amazing job. And then the
rets Dylan has been getting against us and show and
really everybody been doing a pretty good job. But I
think everybody commands the offense in different ways. So it's
been super fun to watch them all go.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Yeah, I bet it has.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
You know, Shador is this thing where he he might
be the most famous fifth round pick in you as
a corner like his dad is Dion, and he's just
he's this culture personality and he's everywhere.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
What is he like just as a guy as a teammate,
what's it been like?
Speaker 6 (18:31):
Yeah, No, he's been amazing.
Speaker 11 (18:34):
A sponge I would say, it's just crazy that guy
is young with this much notoriety can just.
Speaker 6 (18:40):
Handle media and things like that.
Speaker 11 (18:42):
I think his dad has really taught him how, you know,
to be that guy in the spotlight and understand that
what comes with it. And I think he's been doing
an incredible job of just learning and getting better each day.
Speaker 8 (18:56):
Nice hey, also on the defensive side, right, you guys
just signed Miles Garrett of course to a monster deal.
Like what type of teammate has he been in locker
room lately?
Speaker 6 (19:05):
Yeah, he's a monster.
Speaker 11 (19:07):
He brings a lot of energy to his locker room
where people don't see behind the scenes, like just always
playing with everybody. He's a guy easily reachable to everybody
on the on the team, not just the defense. He's
not just a guy that says to himself. He's a
guy that brings the energy and is a He's a
huge leader for us out there.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
On the field.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
All Right, I have to ask you this question, man.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
You the game of football, right, we visualize a lot,
right we man to kind of manifest us making plays
and now all of a sudden, you know, your division
rival goes out there and science Aaron Rodgers a k
A A a ron a john Wick. And have you
visualized yourself picking off Aaron Rodgers And if so, give
us a rundown of how that how that kind of
played out.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 11 (19:51):
You know it's the Steelers, you know, that's that's our
that's our hard nemesis. So definitely see that happening both
in Cleveland and in Pittsburgh. So you know it can
happen in the multitude of way. The tip pass by
some of the great d linemen. We got just a
great play, you know against a guy like DK Metcalf
(20:12):
and Friar moved.
Speaker 6 (20:13):
So I think there's a lot of different ways.
Speaker 11 (20:15):
But I'm super excited because I think, you know, this
is the best division in football.
Speaker 6 (20:19):
So adding a guy like him, she's gonna make it
even tougher.
Speaker 9 (20:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (20:23):
So I grew up in Cleveland, so I hated the Browns.
My favorite team was the Steelers, as crazy as that sounds.
But so again, now you have Rogers in the conference,
have Burrow and Lamar of course, so rank them from
three to one. Which one would you most want to
get a pick off of? And any of these, like
(20:43):
you know, like a ball that you would get signed
take home or anything like that.
Speaker 6 (20:47):
Yeah, for sure. Well since I got Lamar, I got him. Okay,
well we'll take him down a little bit. Yeah, but
you know, I'm gonna go Joe.
Speaker 11 (20:55):
Burrow first just because we played in week one, so
you know, I'm trying to I'm trying to get off
to a great start. Yeah, he's a guy that I
love going against my entire career and has been super fun.
And then honestly, a Rid's right there up there with him.
That's a guy that's you know, one of the top
five greatest quarterbacks ever. Lace him up so that that'll
(21:17):
be super amazing too.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Well, let's put this on the on air right now.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
If you pick off a Rod, we're gonna get you
a jersey swap off after the game with a Rod
if you pick them off.
Speaker 6 (21:27):
Yeah, I definitely.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Are you making guarantees here? Yeah? I don't know. I
will not be there to have nothing to do with it.
So yeah, I'm just like, let's walk in it now.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
He said it, not mean we're not making those kind
of guarantees, but jerseys leads right into what I'm very
curious about for sure, because you know I love a
tunnel fit and I need to get your take on
one from last year. Because your girl just went to
the Cowboy Carter tour right across the street right here
at Sofi Stadium.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
This is very much Cowboy Carter vive.
Speaker 10 (21:58):
So walk us through this one, my friend, right, explain yourself.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Man.
Speaker 11 (22:07):
The crazy part is before this game, I was like,
you know, I was training out in Dallas door rehab,
you know, before the season, and we just happen to
get a Dallas Cowboys first. I was like, you know what,
why not come with a statement statement piece? So, you know,
I got the cowboy hat, got the boots. The day
before the game. I kind of just put it all
(22:28):
together the day before the game. I kind of wanted
to just start the season off, you know, with a
with a statement.
Speaker 12 (22:33):
Piece, and with the love of God, will you put
on a shirt? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Let it?
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, yeah, let the world see it.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Listen, if I had a six pack like that, I
won't even own a shirt.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
That's all right, go ahead, go off.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
We talked a lot about your teammates and rookies and
your clothes.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
You do some pretty cool things off the field too.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
You're also an ambassador for the Browns for girls flag football.
We also understand you are now a new girl dad.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
That's very very cool. Why was it important to get involved, Greg.
Speaker 11 (23:13):
Yeah, that's just something I've always been prideful about, you know,
from my sisters playing to my time at Northwestern.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
That was just something that I always wanted to highlight.
Speaker 11 (23:22):
You know, I think women in general, not just football,
women in all industries of life doesn't get the you know,
recognition that they deserve when they're just as qualified, not
or even more qualified than men. So that's just something
that I just wanted to continue to do and that's
something that I will continue to do in my career.
Is just trying to highlight, highlight women, you know, in
(23:44):
multiple industries as best as I can as I continue
my career.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
And with that, Greg is invited back to the show
whatever he wants. Fantastic ending there, Greg, thank you so
much for your time and for joining us. Continued luck
at minicamp and keep bringing us the team we love
to see it.
Speaker 10 (24:02):
We have more.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
Yeah, no shirts, man, put on a shirt in the back.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Hi, good morning. We're coming to you live from New
York City. There's a lot of tourists in town right
now in the summertime in New York. And if you
are in New York City next weekend, you have to
go to Fanatics Fest. I will be there, and certainly
the guy running it will be here. We have Fanatics CEO,
mister Michael Rubin.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
What's up baby? How are we doing? How you doing?
Speaker 12 (24:34):
Man?
Speaker 10 (24:34):
Great to be here.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
I'm fired up to have you.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
I feel a little bit like it's uh I'm with
Santa Claus before Christmas. Like you are the guy who
runs this thing. It's one of the biggest things in
all of sports. Tell anybody who may not know, I
see you got the shirt on.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
I've been full.
Speaker 10 (24:48):
FACS Festival day. Yeah, it's super exciting. So we realized
about five years ago there had never been a sports festival.
There's been lots of trading card shows, there's music festivals,
there's Comic con, but there'd never been a sports festival.
And we said, why not sports Fans de Service. So
we launched it last year in New York City at Javits.
For the first time Fanatics Fest we had seventy thousand
(25:11):
fans come out for our first Fanatics Fest last year.
Next weekend is number two, our second Fanatics Fest ever.
And you have every sport coming showp in the biggest
way with incredible activation. So the NFL would be there,
the NBA, Hockey, Baseball, UFC WW, they all came last year.
(25:32):
New coming this year is USTA Premier League, FIFA F one, Nike, Dix,
Sporty Goods on top of all the leagues that were
there last year, and they have incredible activations. And then
you have literally last year we've had about one hundred
and fifty. This year you have two to three times
the amount of athletes, celebrities, artists, all comings, So people
(25:52):
like Kevin Durant, Victor Minyama, James Harden, Carl Anthony Towns,
Lebron James tom Brady, Michaeh. Parsons, Jade and Daniel C.
J str Russell Wilson. I mean, just who's who. It's
incredible across all sports and it's just like as a kid,
(26:13):
I would have dreamed of like living here end of
the year. I mean, this is like what you dream
of doing, and you know, you look up and you
know there's Jay Z or there's Travis Scott, or there's
Kevin Hard, or there's Tom Brady, or there's there's you know,
Caleb Williams. So it's like all these people coming together.
It's it's pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
When you're talking about it, the kid from Philly comes
out like, I fell the kid in you and you
now you are doing it. Fanatics Games. We're gonna do
something different this year. There's gonna be competition. And we
were talking during the break Michael maybe wants to break
some news this morning about what's going to go on
with the Fanatics Games.
Speaker 10 (26:45):
Tell us, well, first, this is the first year we're
doing the Fanatics Games. Where the Fanatics Games are. We
basically took eight sporting competitions, they say a couple of minutes.
EAT's like a throwing competition in football, a accuracy competition
in baseball. How's your WW walk out, How's your UFC punch?
How how's your soccer kicking accuracy? You take the eight games,
(27:08):
you do all eight of them. You take your best
six scores, you drop your worst two scores. So whatever
you really suck at you get to drop right okay,
and then you've got fifty athletes, artists, celebrities competing and
fifty average Joe fans. That we picked one hundred people competing.
First prize a million dollars cash walk out of Finacs
(27:28):
Fest with it really. Second prize five hundred thousand dollars
Ferrari driving out of Fanatics Festival Funday afternoon. Third prize
two thousand and three tops rookie Lebron James Carr. That's
worth about two hundred fifty thousand dollars. So it's going
to be one hundred people fighting for these prizes. Now,
there's been a lot of smack being talked. Michael Parsons
called me a few times, like I'm training for this,
(27:49):
I'm leaving like I promise you, I'm leaving with that
bag of money. But both Tom Brady you're competing in
this and Eli Manning and my team said to me, like, WHOA.
The way we do is we pair two people to
kind of go through the competition together, just like in GOP.
So you're competing on your own, but repair two people operate.
So you've definitely paired Eli and Tom up. No reason
to not have them bring it back. Yes, And so Tom, Eli,
(28:10):
hope you guys are now aware that you're gonna be
compete against each other. That's gonna be a lot of fun.
I might personally come watch that little eight Games of.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
Competition because Eli just rides Tom like he has beat
him in two Super Bowls.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Is the only person who really can say that to Brady.
Speaker 10 (28:23):
He's got to just say this now that I've officially
told Tom I Gary, And he's on a trip with
his kids right now going around the world. He's going
to be the gym every day practicing.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
For sure.
Speaker 10 (28:32):
That is one guy who does not like to lose
it anything.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
He just put down some sort of skinny margarita and
he's now training on the beach. You have that grind
in you too, Michael said, sound I know your father.
I say, it's Father's Day weekend. What do you doing
for others?
Speaker 3 (28:44):
He's just grinding, just grinding, ready for rise and grind
all in.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (28:48):
Look, this is the hardest thing we do in our
business putting this together. And it's such a great give
back to fans. I mean, it costs sixty bucks to
come as a fan. It's just there's gonna be probably
one hundred and twenty five one hundred and fifty thousand
people coming to this over three days. And when you
see these incredible smiling faces and all these by the way,
we saw four generations coming together in a family last year,
(29:08):
and you see people coming dressed impressed. One of the
things we do at finags Fest is anyone who comes
dressed as a super fan, crazy super fan, are in
a full team outfit. We picked the best dressed person
for the weekend, and that person is going to get
to go to the super Bowl, the World Cup Final,
ww WrestleMania ringside, all paid for by fanatics, first class tickets, hotels,
(29:30):
all the tickets, and then every hour on the hour,
we pick the best dressed fan, we bring them back
to meet one of their favorite athletes, celebrities, artists. And
we see some kid who you know is a giant
fan of Eli Manners, We're going to bring him back
to meet Eli Manning. We see some kid as a
giant fan of Jade and Daniels, We're going to bring
him back to me meet Jaden Daniels. So if you're
coming to finags Fest, you're going to come dressed to
a press because you got a chance to meet one
(29:51):
of your biggest sports heroes, or actually go to the
super Bowl, World Cup Final and ringside at WrestleMania.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
It's got like a Wonka chocolate factory feel to it,
like there's magic for sure. You could just get tap
on the shoulder and be like, hey, want to meet Brady.
Can you look really cool in your clothes? And yeah,
of course I do, unbelievably cool. And I know you're
inventing stuff all the time and your energy is contagious
across the table. Can we for a quick second talk birds?
I know you're at the super Bowl it was an annihilation.
(30:21):
What was it like for you as an Eagles fan
to see them just smack the Chiefs around?
Speaker 10 (30:24):
Yeah? I found it fairly peaceful, Like I really enjoy
peaceful game like that. You get very few of those.
And obviously I'm a huge Patrick Mahomes fan and he's
such a stud and a piece. But you know, growing
up in Philadelphia, having that be my hometown team, having
to be the better outcome for business. The Chiefs have
won so many times, there's only so much Chiefs aparel.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
People don't buy.
Speaker 10 (30:43):
A lot of the money was a lot of the
money was on the Chiefs, so it was stacked being
from Philadelphia. Much better outcome for fanatics, for the fangear business,
much better outcome for the betting business. I was all
in on the Eagles and it was just peaceful. I
was like hanging in the suite just talking to the
people that were with us, and it was like, this
is great. Like I get very few games like that
in my life where I can just be a piece.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Well, because the last Chief super Bowl and then the
Brady super Bowl, even you was fingernailed by the edge
your seat the entire time.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
You just got to chill. We're crushing them. That's like
what you work for.
Speaker 10 (31:14):
You dream of situations like that. By the way, it
happens very unusually. I do just go to Champions League
final this past week with the owner of PSG in Munich,
and that was five no. So that was a relatively
peaceful game. But I, you know, I dream of these
peaceful matches when I need them.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Do you have that piece after fanatics vest is over? No, never.
Speaker 10 (31:36):
As soon as we're gonna say, okay, with all the
things we got wrong, how do we make it better
for next year? How do we keep you know, improve
what we're doing, and then you you're back to your
day job, and look, we are grinding every minute. How
do we build the best betting app and fanatic sportsbook?
How do we keep building our collectible's business. And we
have the launch of NFL Trading Cards coming April first
(31:56):
to next year. We couldn't be more excited for that,
NBA coming October Fest of this year, we just launched
a premier league as we speak, so super excited about
that and the growth of the trade in cards business,
all the innovation that we're doing, and then in our
first business, what we call an ex commerce with your
fangr business, there's so much for us to do. So
I think as a company, like a lot of people
talk about the things you do right, we actually think
(32:17):
about what are the things we're not doing well? What
are the things we're going to improve upon? And I
think if you're not unrelented at making yourself better, you're
gonna get killed by your competition. I think there's like
our job and our core responsibility is to do every
like Look, our brand purpose is to relentlessly enhance the
fan experience, and so for us, we're always thinking about
how can we do things better. By the way, there's
(32:38):
a lot of things we do on there's a lot
of things we don't do well. We've got to keep
figuring out how it can be better. And so we're
at that, you know, twenty four seventh, three hundred and
sixty five days a year.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
You guys are always changing it up too. I find
this fascinating.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Part of your personal brand, Michael, is the White Party,
the Fourth of July party. Everybody sees that, all the
celebrities and everybody goes there.
Speaker 10 (32:57):
And yet I hear you're not doing it this year. No,
We're worts in every other year. So that we started myself,
Jay Z, Robert Kraft, meet Bill started the Reform Alliance,
the Criminal Justice organization that's changing the broken probation and
pro laws. So we did our first GALLA in two
thousand and twenty three. It was two months after the
White Party, and it was literally like the White Party ended,
(33:18):
IM like, I cannot believe I'm doing this Reform Gala
two months later. And so at the end of that
we said, hey, we're going to rotate these over the year.
So we did White Party in twenty four We're doing
the Reform Galla September thirteenth this year. By the way,
the weekend's performing for three hundred guests credit loss. Yeah,
and then White Party is July fourth, twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Okay, so we're still doing it. It's just every other year.
Speaker 10 (33:38):
Yeah. And look for us, we do super Bowl is
a massive event for us. We have you know, the
party of the of super Bowl weekends. I know, you know,
we have you know, we bring in that's a you know,
big hard party to put together. We bring in a
couple hundred the most important guests for us. So we
do a lot of super Bowl weekend. Now we have
Fanatics Fest. Then we're going to rotate the Reform Alliance
Gala and the and the White Party every of the year.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
I have one more question I want to ask you
and if you unlimit questions. Oh okay, great, thank you
very much. I love that because this is the best
guest energy. Unlimited questions. But we have a lot of
young people watching, and I think that they may see
you online and it's it's wealth and it's famous fans,
and it's excess and it's success and everything, and they
may say, like I want to do that someday, Like
(34:23):
I want to do what Michael Rubin does.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
What do you say to them, what is your advice
for young people?
Speaker 10 (34:27):
Well, first thing is you got to go for it,
like you just got to like you can't dream about
you just got to go do it. And the thing
for me is I've been working. I've been working my
ass off since I've been eight years old, and I
love it. It's not work to me. I'm getting to
live my absolute dream. And so I think a lot
of people talk about what they want to do, they
(34:47):
dream about what they want to do. For me, I
just go out and do it. By the way, a
lot of things work, a lot of things don't work.
You can't be scared to fail. You just have to
have the aggressiveness, the courage to go out and you know,
go after your dreams and make them a reality. And
you got to realize too, a lot of times you're
gonna get smacked in the face. Things aren't going to
work out. It's not going to go the way you anticipate.
But that's okay, that's part of the journey. That's fun
(35:08):
for me. And even like I was in a meeting
a couple of weeks ago with a company I'm a
big investor in, and they made a significant change. It
seems like it's not working. I'm just like, hey, it's
not working. Who cares? Go back? Don't be afraid. So
to me, I love the thing I love about young
people today. They used to only aspire when I was
a kid to be an athlete. You know, how could
(35:29):
you be that NFL player, How could you be that celebrity,
how could you be that really famous artist? You know,
today I think people do aspire to be business people,
and I think that's great because I think, you know,
we can change the world. And the thing I'm most
excited about I'm fifty two. I'm doing this till I die.
I'm never selling my company. I'm going to build this forever.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
And I love it.
Speaker 10 (35:47):
And you know, I remember watching the Nike Air movie
a couple of years ago and googling how old Phil
Night was. I was like, at this time, it was
like eighty five. I was fifty. I'm like, wow, look
think about how much more I can do in the
next thirty five years, assuming I'm alive, of course. So
you know, to me, for the young person, it's just like,
you know, go after your untre dreams, but you got
to realize it comes like I work harder than anybody.
(36:07):
I work seventeen hours a day. You know, I do
it seven days a week. You know, maybe people see
the fun things. People see the White Party, people see
the super Bowl, right, they think I'll have fun and
anyone for the thousands of people we have twenty two
thousand peopleho work at Fanatics. You ask anyone who works
at for X how I'm like first in, last out.
I'm grinding more than anybody, but I'm honored to do that.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
It's so fun.
Speaker 10 (36:27):
I'm getting to live my dream.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
It's incredible advice. I hope you guys are listening.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Wildly successful guy saying I work seventeen hours a day.
It's not all about white parties and champagne and private jets.
Inspiring and listen, Fanatics. Vest is going to be huge.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
I'm going to be there this year.
Speaker 10 (36:44):
I'm I'm excited to have you. I'll be there from
before it opens every day till after closes out every day.
I'll be there before it's I'll be micromanaging. I'm like,
I go to my executive producer, you know, it's like
this should give me a walkie talking at this part,
and I'm just walking around because like I want to
make sure people are the time of their lives. And
I'm talking to thousands of fans when I'm there, and
look for anyone who hasn't been to this, you got to.
(37:04):
It's an incredible sports festival. It's an incredible give back
to fans. I would say everyone who came Lester had
a great time. Other than we screwed up some of
the things with the autograph and picture lines.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
We're get it right this year too. Yeah.
Speaker 10 (37:18):
Again, like nothing always works the way you want to.
You got to make it better and keep grinding at it.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
But it's good.
Speaker 10 (37:23):
People will have the time of their lives. If you're
a real sports fan, you cannot have the time of
your life.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
At finance an incredible pitch.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
My wife and kids will be going, I'll be going,
and everybody dress well because you're going to tap on
the shoulder from this guy and say you want to
go meet your hero.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
It's a magical time. It is next weekend.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
It is Fanatics Fest and we have Fanatics Founder and
CEO Michael Rubbins.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Always awesome to have you man right back at you, man,
Good Morning Football is the production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to GMSP, everybody. I'm m Jay Acosta Ruiz here
in Los Angeles, dark and early with Isaiah Stanback and
former wide receiver Matthew Hatchett. But don't you dare call
him Matthew No hat only Okay, So we've established that
right off the bat. And our guy, of course, Kyle Brent,
hanging out in New York.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Kyle, what's happened and thought, It's always great to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Isaiah, You're the man. And listen, Hatch, I loved watching
you play.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I remember you catching touchdowns in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
I know you're into the high school game now.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
It's everything we love about football, and we're going to
talk about it for two hours this morning. Let's start
the show, friends, GMFB.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Let's go, Let's go.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Let's Good Morning Football.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
He's been the playing around the field far and away.
Today the study punch, pressure game about.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
The channel, perfect time from Drake May May Dang May
sits in there.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Pressure.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
It throws a perfect strike in the middle where there's
money to bedd Wad.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
We walked France.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Pressure because I'm pitching this movement relent so ready.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Inside of it, Drake May allude to defender trying to
keep the play a line pulling down.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
He trust to the end.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
It's got it. Oh my god, Drake May. And there
it is.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
If you were wondering what we were going to be
chopping it up about on this Tuesday in June, we're starting.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Right there, everybody.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Once again, I'm doing a Costa Ruiz Isaia. It's on
back hatches, Mate, Meudet and Kyle, with us always looming
above it, almost like the Wizard of Oz. I love that,
especially with the green today. Exactly those were the vibes. Kyle,
I knew it.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
I knew it right off. Some bat didn't.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
I didn't know that was there. You did not.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I didn't know there. He kind of scared me. Kyle,
I had no idea. I didn't know the big screen.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It's fantastic And that is exactly how you start the
lead block.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
All right, guys, we're gonna.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Get started right in New England with quarterback Drake May,
who was entering his second year in the league. He
had an impressive rookie season, being named a Pro Bowl
replacement after his twelve starts just last year. Now, the
Patriots are expected to improve from just four wins in
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
I mean, you got it right.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Let's take to that by spending the most money in
free agency this year, plus having hired Mike Rabel as
their head coach. Now May says, you want high expectations.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
I think that's what you want.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
I think to see the other Patriots are used to winning,
and that's what we're trying to get back to. I
think you want and you want people to expect you
to play good. And I think that pressure is kind
of what will fuse it to be out here. We'll
fuse you to get the rep right and practice. What
fuels you to work hard on the meetings or work
hard in the light room or kind of not what
happened last year happened again.
Speaker 6 (03:03):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Look as a football analyst, of course, this is an
important question, But as somebody who literally cheered in the
same division as the Patriots for their rival the Dolphins,
it's a little tough for me to actually ask are
the Patriots going to return to their winning ways in
twenty twenty five because they terrorized the entire division for
so so, so, so long.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Isaiah.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
Yeah, No, their time obviously expired. Obviously during the end
of Tom Brady. Obviously Bill Belichick leaves. But now you're
in the Drake May era, and now you're also in
the Mike Rabel era. We all understand the lineage of
Mike Grabel. He's been through there. He has all the rings,
he has thanos in the building. But can he bring
back the winning ways along with Drake May? And I
believe that they can get on track. I'm not sure
(03:42):
that it is all going to happen in this first
year with Mike Rabel, but I believe that those things,
those core characteristics, the ethos of those Patriots.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Teams is within Mike Grabel.
Speaker 6 (03:51):
He's going to come back.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
He's going to be disciplined, he's in company, he's going
to be a paid attention to detail. All those things.
Now they're surrounding Drake May with resources. They've given him receivers,
they're giving him an offensive line. They're going to get
back to trying to run the ball right. Defense is
going to be absolutely solid because they added some goons there.
So take the ball away, protect the ball offensively.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Pay attention to details, do your job.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
That's what they've always said in New England, that's what
they said when they're winning championship. That's what they said
when I was there, and I believe that's what Mike
Vrabel was gonna bring back to this organization.
Speaker 8 (04:20):
Wow, what's the definition of winning though, that's the question.
Right in New England it's Super Bowls. So they go
nine to eight this year, is that winning? Sure, it's winning,
right because the percentage wise, But I don't see them
getting back to Super Bowl soon, right, that's the catch.
You have to have a little bit more I guess,
you know, talent on offense. By personal opinion, they're not
ready to get there in that division in the AFC.
(04:42):
I think they have a long road to go. So
we'll see, you know, they might be around that eight
to nine, nine and eight mark. So that's better than four,
you know, and what is it four and thirteen? Which
is better? That's what he's saying, which is cool, But
I still they're not the top of the AFC, unfortunately
for them.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I look at the Patriots now and they're one of
these teams that's hard to talk about without talking about
the past. And I think that's why it's interesting that
Drake May specifically started talking about the fans are used
to winning here, and he's right. I also just think
it's time to move on. Tom Brady now is an
owner of another AFC team, and we'll walk into Foxborough
(05:18):
week one looking to burn that place down. Rob Gronkowski
has been gone for seven years from the Patriots. Bill
Belichick is a college football coach at a basketball school.
The last five years, the Patriots have played one playoff
game in which they were annihilated by a Bills franchise
that they used to own. It is time to turn
the page for this organization. It is time to start
(05:39):
a new era. It listen Boston Reference. It reminds me
of Rick Patino saying, look, Robert Parrish and Larry Bird
and Kevin McHale are not walking through that door. Neither
is Brady Gronk and Edelman vrabel Is.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
But he's the coach. He doesn't have the pads on.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Was this franchise built up by this magical sixth round
pick that they made some twenty five years ago or
are they more?
Speaker 6 (06:02):
I think they're more.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
The Patriots were super Bowls before Tom Brady. Robert Kraft
had this team in a Super Bowl before Tom Brady.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
But it is time. It is time to win.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
The AFC is tough, I get it. With the NFL
is tough, Josh and Lamar and Burrow. So what you
have a coach, you have a quarterback.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Mac Jones was in the playoffs as a rookie. Are
you telling me Drake May can't do it in year two?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I don't believe it. And I'll say this about Boston.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
The Red Sox are not good, the Bruins were terrible,
the Celtics are broken.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
It's the Patriots.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
They're supposed to be the standard and the prodigal sun
came home and he's supposed to start cracking skulls as
the head coach and get this back to where they're going.
Never mind where they've been, where are they going. I
think the future is bright. I think the quarterback is talented.
I think this team is more than Tom Brady once was.
I think they should win this year. I'm not afraid
of anybody in the AFC East outside of Buffalo.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
It's sitting there. It's time to make the jump or
forever live in the past.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, And to your point, Kyle, it is tough to
talk about this team and not look at the past.
But just like Hat said, that is a benchmark that
they have set because while it feels really far removed,
it really wasn't. It's so it's so up top right,
it's so relevant in our recent memory that it's.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Like, wait, what is this Patriots team? But this is
where we are.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And I love that you mentioned talent because both May
and as head coach Mike Fable spoke about Patriots wide
receiver Stefan Dicks.
Speaker 9 (07:29):
Figure out where where everything is and you know, what
his role is and making sure that as we add
those situations the third down and no huddle and the
red zone, that he's staying up on it. It's working
hard in his in his rehabit. When he can certain
drills he can be out there, and there's certain drills
that he he won't be. But I think he's engaged
(07:49):
and they're there.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You know.
Speaker 10 (07:51):
I like his energy.
Speaker 7 (07:52):
Yeah, he seems like, you know, awesome teammate. You know,
he's he's my next door to my locker locker mate,
so he's you know, one down from beside me.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
You know, we talk all the time.
Speaker 7 (08:00):
He's a veteran of this League's made a lot of plays,
playing a lot of big time games. So just an
awesome voice for for the receiver room for this offense.
He's playing some playoff games, He's had some big games,
and I think, you know, once he kind of recovers
and just getting back out there, I'm looking forward to
you'll be able to throw the foo footballs and uh
just it's always good having a guy like that in
your team.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
And May stop just short, he corrected himself, almost calling Digs.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
An old head.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I was like, let's let's call down. I mean, he's
the context of perhaps this week and someone like May
who's only going into the second season. Sure, but we
know the type of work that Diggs puts in, and
it is tough coming back from an injury. But I
do think this is going to work with Diggs once
he's come back healthy from this rehab with this Patriots team.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You know, I'm going to wait and see moment. Right now,
I'm kind of kind of on standby right now.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
I don't like standby lines, but right now I'm gonna
stand by with the New England Patriots and Stefon Diggs.
I have no questions about his ability to make plays.
I have no no questions about his ability to go
out there and be an asset to this offense. It's
the leadership aspect for me. I mean, I think that
they're thrusting him into a position where he is being
forced to be a leader. They're asking him to be
(09:10):
a leader, and I'm not sure that he necessarily wants that.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Right I can't sit up here and speak for the man, but.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
I know he's still living his best life right now,
and I think I know he has a lot to
focus on right now in terms of getting himself healthy
and trying to get back to who he was as
a player so that he can contribute.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But when you tally that along with.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
The fact that, hey, we want you to be the
voice of reason in this room while you're still dealing
with your rehab, while you're trying to remember the good
old times, and while you're coming into a receiver room
that actually already has some veterans in it, I think
they're asking a lot of him, and I'm not sure
that he necessarily wants that, But I think that he
will be a huge asset because when you talk about
his play prior to him getting injured, he's that dude
(09:48):
we've always talked about steffon Dide's ability to make plays.
Prior to him tearing as Aco, this dude was on
track for a thousand yard season with the Texas.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
He was doing good things with CJ.
Speaker 6 (09:56):
Stroud.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
Now he has to go out there and learn a
whole new system, get healthy, and then be productive member
in that meeting room as well.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, I'm not sure on the leadership.
Speaker 8 (10:06):
Yeah, Like I said, for him, I think we all
know that the veteran receiver is different than that second
third year receiver. He's going a second third year receiver.
You're going home, you're getting your rest, you're eating right,
you're waking up to the facility early. Right now, He's like,
I've done all that, So I'm kind of, like I said,
living my best life, enjoying being an NFL receiver. I
(10:27):
don't know if that helps the team, because this team
they need him to be a Pro Bowl, all Pro
type of guy. I don't think he's going to be
that this year. I don't think you have the offense
set up for it. And if you're not that, then
you're just a Okay, you're a one B, You're not
a one A. If he's not top five in the
NFL this year. Then that offense is going to be
very stagnant, and they need him to be like a.
Speaker 6 (10:49):
Top five guy.
Speaker 8 (10:50):
They need fifteen hundred yards, they need fifteen touchdowns. I
don't see that happening in leveling in that offense.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Well, first things, first, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going
to sit here and allow a player who's born in
nineteen ninety three called an old head.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
If that's an old head, we are all in a
lot of trouble.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I don't want to hear Diggs referred to as old
head or unk or og, none of that stuff.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
This is a thirty one year old man.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Enough with this.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
He's all okay, none of that. So I'm not gonna
sit here and stay for that. Get your walk, K
We're good, No, I'm fit. I'll go.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I'll drop right now to one end, said Jack Towns.
That's a reference from forty years ago. Just trust me,
all right now, that said Drake May. He's got that
uh that first date glow right now about Stefan Diggs.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
That's great too, made he's great. I love it. He's
playing a lot of big games, and I get it.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Drake May has that and Stefan Diggs has that magnetism.
I've met Diggs several times, maybe you guys have. He's gregarious,
he's funny, he's outgoing. The relationship starts very well. Make
no mistake, when Diggs leaves New England, he's no longer
a Patriot. Whether it's a nine months, six months or
five years, it will probably end really badly. It's that's
(12:05):
the book on him. It's going to end badly. He'll
be burning your clothes in the front yard. That's okay,
But before then I think it will be really good.
I'm someone who I believe in Diggs as a player,
and you say that, and everybody outline says, oh, he's
crap and off the field, he's a distraction, he's a diva,
blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
I think it's a little more nuanced than that.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
But what is not nuanced is the effect that he
has on young quarterbacks the second he gets there. Josh
Allen was a reckless, out of control gunslinger. Steph shows
up in the COVID season and turns Alan into a
prolific player.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
He helps him get there. Was doing the exact same
thing last year for Stroud. I think you hit on this, Isaiah.
People look at it. Stefan Dickson was like some kind
of busts in the Houston. He wasn't at all. He
was prolific before he got hurt.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I genuinely think that for his flaws as a person,
whatever they may be, he is really good at taking
young talented quarterbacks and saying I'm going to be open,
get me the ball, and they do.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Make no mistake, guys, it will end badly.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
But I believe and have a big year this year,
and I think this is not the first time he
has done it, as in a new place with a
new quarterback who's just finding his way in the league.
I think the Patriots knew this and that's why he's there.
I believe in Diggs. I don't care if everybody online doesn't.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
No, I do too, Kyle.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I'm so glad you said that, because I was, like,
have I've been interacting with a completely different person, like
for the past decade or however long, like this is insane.
I actually do see him as somebody who rises to
the occasion, who outworks people, who is a leader, right,
especially as I'm going in and out of locker room.
It's like, I hear stuff I talk to guys, you know,
but you did mention the group and the past captag there.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
So let's talk about that pay and what that what
those dynamics look like for the page.
Speaker 8 (13:43):
I I hear what you're saying, Kyle, but he can't
do it by himself. Sure, and be a one A
in the NFL. To get the coverage role to you,
to get double team, to get bracketed, you have to
have a certain skill set, right.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
We haven't seen it.
Speaker 8 (13:58):
We don't know if that's going to happen in New
England coming off of an injury, right, getting older at
the position, and don't forget when everybody says, yeah, these
older players, they're doing their thing. They're still good, they're
still good by name. But you also have the younger
players say, I don't care. I'm twenty two, I'm twenty three.
I'm twenty four. I'm younger, more.
Speaker 10 (14:17):
Energetic, and I'm not scared to cover this guy.
Speaker 6 (14:19):
Right.
Speaker 8 (14:20):
So again, I think Dix is still a great receiver, right,
But I just don't think if you're not going to
get an All Pro performance, it's really not going to
help that offense.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
Yeah, I'm more concerned about how he's going to be
utilizing this offense, right, because when you think about Mike Rabol,
it's a defensive mining coach, right, great defensive player in
the league, defensive mining coach his time in Tennessee. They
run the ball, right, His style is protect the ball
on offense and then have short runs on defense. Right,
Let's go out there and get the ball back three
and out, get it back in their hands, keeping on
the ground, don't turn the ball over that's in this
(14:51):
thing with a thirteen play drive that took seven minutes
off the clock. Right, I'm not sure that step On
Diggs the style is going to be utilized in this
style of offense. We're going to see. We're going to see.
I don't think that anybody at this table or any
other table can say that Stephan d this is not
a playmaker. He is a genuine playmaker. Right, But we
have to wait and see how this offense is going
to be going to be put together. We know that
(15:12):
they want to keep this thing on the ground. Now,
can he go out there and do the small things?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Is he going to block?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
Is he going to be selfless in the style of
offense that's not necessarily focused on him. He'll have his opportunities,
but I don't see him getting ten plus targets a game.
This might be you know, hey, you might have five opportunities.
Speaker 6 (15:28):
What can you do with those?
Speaker 8 (15:29):
Yeah, you have two tight ends too that you have
to take the ball to. Josh McDaniels is creative enough
to get him the ball. But is it, like I said,
ten targets, eight targets, twelve targets or is that creativity
run game inserting him in the box kind of like
when Larry Fitzgerald was coming to the end of his
career in Arizona, how he was really that third blocker
(15:50):
in the run games. He wanted the smoke and he
wanted that right now, will Diggs accept that in a
Josh McDaniel's offense.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, I think what we have not mentioned very clearly
here is that all of this is contingent on how
Diggs returns from an full rehouse.
Speaker 10 (16:04):
Of this Injury.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Grounds mini camp kicked off today, So let's touch straight
there to brand see how things are going with our
body new Friends of the show, Brown's cornerback of Greg
Newso the second Proud Papa as money money all right,
Greg I'm gonna I'm gonna put you like one of
our reporters and ask you the very first question we
always do.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Set the scene for us.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
What is the vibe in the building right now, especially
today over there in Brea.
Speaker 6 (16:35):
Yeah, the vibes are very high right now.
Speaker 11 (16:37):
I think we had a great start to Ota one,
two and three, and now going into mandatory mini camp.
Just getting everybody back in the building is going to
be It's gonna be a great day today.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
There you go.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
All right, man, we have to ask you be do
you know all the QB situation? You guys have had
cameras all over the place. You guys have about seventeen
qbs on the depth chart. We need to know from
the defensive perspective. Give us an idea of how you
have perceived all these guys to be different. Right, you
got Flato, you got Picket, you got Gabriel, you got Sanders.
What have you seen from these guys from then the
entire depth chart from the defensive side of the ball.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Yeah, like you said, I think they're all different.
Speaker 11 (17:15):
You've got Flecco, who's a season that still has an
incredible arm, can make pretty much any throw.
Speaker 6 (17:22):
I mean you got Kenny Pickett.
Speaker 11 (17:24):
Who's a who's a proven guy, who's one games in
this league, a guy who's not going to make too
many mistakes. They got the two young bulls and Dylan,
Gabriel and Shador, which has been fun to watch them
grow and they all do something a little bit different.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
So it's been amazing just to watch.
Speaker 11 (17:40):
And we're super excited because I feel like with competition,
you're going to bring the best out of everybody.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Greg, shout out one of them, who's looked really good?
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Who have you liked?
Speaker 3 (17:49):
You're watching these guys who looks sharp?
Speaker 11 (17:52):
Yeah, I like, obviously I haven't went against your door
too much, but you know, just watching the film and everything,
he's been doing an amazing, amazing job. And then the
rets Dylan has been getting against us and show and
really everybody been doing a pretty good job. But I
think everybody commands the offense in different ways. So it's
been super fun to watch them all go.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Yeah, I bet it has.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
You know, Shador is this thing where he he might
be the most famous fifth round pick in you as
a corner like his dad is Dion, and he's just
he's this culture personality and he's everywhere.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
What is he like just as a guy as a teammate,
what's it been like?
Speaker 6 (18:31):
Yeah, No, he's been amazing.
Speaker 11 (18:34):
A sponge I would say, it's just crazy that guy
is young with this much notoriety can just.
Speaker 6 (18:40):
Handle media and things like that.
Speaker 11 (18:42):
I think his dad has really taught him how, you know,
to be that guy in the spotlight and understand that
what comes with it. And I think he's been doing
an incredible job of just learning and getting better each day.
Speaker 8 (18:56):
Nice hey, also on the defensive side, right, you guys
just signed Miles Garrett of course to a monster deal.
Like what type of teammate has he been in locker
room lately?
Speaker 6 (19:05):
Yeah, he's a monster.
Speaker 11 (19:07):
He brings a lot of energy to his locker room
where people don't see behind the scenes, like just always
playing with everybody. He's a guy easily reachable to everybody
on the on the team, not just the defense. He's
not just a guy that says to himself. He's a
guy that brings the energy and is a He's a
huge leader for us out there.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
On the field.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
All Right, I have to ask you this question, man.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
You the game of football, right, we visualize a lot,
right we man to kind of manifest us making plays
and now all of a sudden, you know, your division
rival goes out there and science Aaron Rodgers a k
A A a ron a john Wick. And have you
visualized yourself picking off Aaron Rodgers And if so, give
us a rundown of how that how that kind of
played out.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 11 (19:51):
You know it's the Steelers, you know, that's that's our
that's our hard nemesis. So definitely see that happening both
in Cleveland and in Pittsburgh. So you know it can
happen in the multitude of way. The tip pass by
some of the great d linemen. We got just a
great play, you know against a guy like DK Metcalf
(20:12):
and Friar moved.
Speaker 6 (20:13):
So I think there's a lot of different ways.
Speaker 11 (20:15):
But I'm super excited because I think, you know, this
is the best division in football.
Speaker 6 (20:19):
So adding a guy like him, she's gonna make it
even tougher.
Speaker 9 (20:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (20:23):
So I grew up in Cleveland, so I hated the Browns.
My favorite team was the Steelers, as crazy as that sounds.
But so again, now you have Rogers in the conference,
have Burrow and Lamar of course, so rank them from
three to one. Which one would you most want to
get a pick off of? And any of these, like
(20:43):
you know, like a ball that you would get signed
take home or anything like that.
Speaker 6 (20:47):
Yeah, for sure. Well since I got Lamar, I got him. Okay,
well we'll take him down a little bit. Yeah, but
you know, I'm gonna go Joe.
Speaker 11 (20:55):
Burrow first just because we played in week one, so
you know, I'm trying to I'm trying to get off
to a great start. Yeah, he's a guy that I
love going against my entire career and has been super fun.
And then honestly, a Rid's right there up there with him.
That's a guy that's you know, one of the top
five greatest quarterbacks ever. Lace him up so that that'll
(21:17):
be super amazing too.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Well, let's put this on the on air right now.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
If you pick off a Rod, we're gonna get you
a jersey swap off after the game with a Rod
if you pick them off.
Speaker 6 (21:27):
Yeah, I definitely.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Are you making guarantees here? Yeah? I don't know. I
will not be there to have nothing to do with it.
So yeah, I'm just like, let's walk in it now.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
He said it, not mean we're not making those kind
of guarantees, but jerseys leads right into what I'm very
curious about for sure, because you know I love a
tunnel fit and I need to get your take on
one from last year. Because your girl just went to
the Cowboy Carter tour right across the street right here
at Sofi Stadium.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
This is very much Cowboy Carter vive.
Speaker 10 (21:58):
So walk us through this one, my friend, right, explain yourself.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Man.
Speaker 11 (22:07):
The crazy part is before this game, I was like,
you know, I was training out in Dallas door rehab,
you know, before the season, and we just happen to
get a Dallas Cowboys first. I was like, you know what,
why not come with a statement statement piece? So, you know,
I got the cowboy hat, got the boots. The day
before the game. I kind of just put it all
(22:28):
together the day before the game. I kind of wanted
to just start the season off, you know, with a
with a statement.
Speaker 12 (22:33):
Piece, and with the love of God, will you put
on a shirt? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Let it?
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, yeah, let the world see it.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Listen, if I had a six pack like that, I
won't even own a shirt.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
That's all right, go ahead, go off.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
We talked a lot about your teammates and rookies and
your clothes.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
You do some pretty cool things off the field too.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
You're also an ambassador for the Browns for girls flag football.
We also understand you are now a new girl dad.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
That's very very cool. Why was it important to get involved, Greg.
Speaker 11 (23:13):
Yeah, that's just something I've always been prideful about, you know,
from my sisters playing to my time at Northwestern.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
That was just something that I always wanted to highlight.
Speaker 11 (23:22):
You know, I think women in general, not just football,
women in all industries of life doesn't get the you know,
recognition that they deserve when they're just as qualified, not
or even more qualified than men. So that's just something
that I just wanted to continue to do and that's
something that I will continue to do in my career.
Is just trying to highlight, highlight women, you know, in
(23:44):
multiple industries as best as I can as I continue
my career.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
And with that, Greg is invited back to the show
whatever he wants. Fantastic ending there, Greg, thank you so
much for your time and for joining us. Continued luck
at minicamp and keep bringing us the team we love
to see it.
Speaker 10 (24:02):
We have more.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
Yeah, no shirts, man, put on a shirt in the back.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Hi, good morning. We're coming to you live from New
York City. There's a lot of tourists in town right
now in the summertime in New York. And if you
are in New York City next weekend, you have to
go to Fanatics Fest. I will be there, and certainly
the guy running it will be here. We have Fanatics CEO,
mister Michael Rubin.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
What's up baby? How are we doing? How you doing?
Speaker 12 (24:34):
Man?
Speaker 10 (24:34):
Great to be here.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
I'm fired up to have you.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
I feel a little bit like it's uh I'm with
Santa Claus before Christmas. Like you are the guy who
runs this thing. It's one of the biggest things in
all of sports. Tell anybody who may not know, I
see you got the shirt on.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
I've been full.
Speaker 10 (24:48):
FACS Festival day. Yeah, it's super exciting. So we realized
about five years ago there had never been a sports festival.
There's been lots of trading card shows, there's music festivals,
there's Comic con, but there'd never been a sports festival.
And we said, why not sports Fans de Service. So
we launched it last year in New York City at Javits.
For the first time Fanatics Fest we had seventy thousand
(25:11):
fans come out for our first Fanatics Fest last year.
Next weekend is number two, our second Fanatics Fest ever.
And you have every sport coming showp in the biggest
way with incredible activation. So the NFL would be there,
the NBA, Hockey, Baseball, UFC WW, they all came last year.
(25:32):
New coming this year is USTA Premier League, FIFA F one, Nike, Dix,
Sporty Goods on top of all the leagues that were
there last year, and they have incredible activations. And then
you have literally last year we've had about one hundred
and fifty. This year you have two to three times
the amount of athletes, celebrities, artists, all comings, So people
(25:52):
like Kevin Durant, Victor Minyama, James Harden, Carl Anthony Towns,
Lebron James tom Brady, Michaeh. Parsons, Jade and Daniel C.
J str Russell Wilson. I mean, just who's who. It's
incredible across all sports and it's just like as a kid,
(26:13):
I would have dreamed of like living here end of
the year. I mean, this is like what you dream
of doing, and you know, you look up and you
know there's Jay Z or there's Travis Scott, or there's
Kevin Hard, or there's Tom Brady, or there's there's you know,
Caleb Williams. So it's like all these people coming together.
It's it's pretty incredible.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
When you're talking about it, the kid from Philly comes
out like, I fell the kid in you and you
now you are doing it. Fanatics Games. We're gonna do
something different this year. There's gonna be competition. And we
were talking during the break Michael maybe wants to break
some news this morning about what's going to go on
with the Fanatics Games.
Speaker 10 (26:45):
Tell us, well, first, this is the first year we're
doing the Fanatics Games. Where the Fanatics Games are. We
basically took eight sporting competitions, they say a couple of minutes.
EAT's like a throwing competition in football, a accuracy competition
in baseball. How's your WW walk out, How's your UFC punch?
How how's your soccer kicking accuracy? You take the eight games,
(27:08):
you do all eight of them. You take your best
six scores, you drop your worst two scores. So whatever
you really suck at you get to drop right okay,
and then you've got fifty athletes, artists, celebrities competing and
fifty average Joe fans. That we picked one hundred people competing.
First prize a million dollars cash walk out of Finacs
(27:28):
Fest with it really. Second prize five hundred thousand dollars
Ferrari driving out of Fanatics Festival Funday afternoon. Third prize
two thousand and three tops rookie Lebron James Carr. That's
worth about two hundred fifty thousand dollars. So it's going
to be one hundred people fighting for these prizes. Now,
there's been a lot of smack being talked. Michael Parsons
called me a few times, like I'm training for this,
(27:49):
I'm leaving like I promise you, I'm leaving with that
bag of money. But both Tom Brady you're competing in
this and Eli Manning and my team said to me, like, WHOA.
The way we do is we pair two people to
kind of go through the competition together, just like in GOP.
So you're competing on your own, but repair two people operate.
So you've definitely paired Eli and Tom up. No reason
to not have them bring it back. Yes, And so Tom, Eli,
(28:10):
hope you guys are now aware that you're gonna be
compete against each other. That's gonna be a lot of fun.
I might personally come watch that little eight Games of.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
Competition because Eli just rides Tom like he has beat
him in two Super Bowls.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Is the only person who really can say that to Brady.
Speaker 10 (28:23):
He's got to just say this now that I've officially
told Tom I Gary, And he's on a trip with
his kids right now going around the world. He's going
to be the gym every day practicing.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
For sure.
Speaker 10 (28:32):
That is one guy who does not like to lose
it anything.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
He just put down some sort of skinny margarita and
he's now training on the beach. You have that grind
in you too, Michael said, sound I know your father.
I say, it's Father's Day weekend. What do you doing
for others?
Speaker 3 (28:44):
He's just grinding, just grinding, ready for rise and grind
all in.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (28:48):
Look, this is the hardest thing we do in our
business putting this together. And it's such a great give
back to fans. I mean, it costs sixty bucks to
come as a fan. It's just there's gonna be probably
one hundred and twenty five one hundred and fifty thousand
people coming to this over three days. And when you
see these incredible smiling faces and all these by the way,
we saw four generations coming together in a family last year,
(29:08):
and you see people coming dressed impressed. One of the
things we do at finags Fest is anyone who comes
dressed as a super fan, crazy super fan, are in
a full team outfit. We picked the best dressed person
for the weekend, and that person is going to get
to go to the super Bowl, the World Cup Final,
ww WrestleMania ringside, all paid for by fanatics, first class tickets, hotels,
(29:30):
all the tickets, and then every hour on the hour,
we pick the best dressed fan, we bring them back
to meet one of their favorite athletes, celebrities, artists. And
we see some kid who you know is a giant
fan of Eli Manners, We're going to bring him back
to meet Eli Manning. We see some kid as a
giant fan of Jade and Daniels, We're going to bring
him back to me meet Jaden Daniels. So if you're
coming to finags Fest, you're going to come dressed to
a press because you got a chance to meet one
(29:51):
of your biggest sports heroes, or actually go to the
super Bowl, World Cup Final and ringside at WrestleMania.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
It's got like a Wonka chocolate factory feel to it,
like there's magic for sure. You could just get tap
on the shoulder and be like, hey, want to meet Brady.
Can you look really cool in your clothes? And yeah,
of course I do, unbelievably cool. And I know you're
inventing stuff all the time and your energy is contagious
across the table. Can we for a quick second talk birds?
I know you're at the super Bowl it was an annihilation.
(30:21):
What was it like for you as an Eagles fan
to see them just smack the Chiefs around?
Speaker 10 (30:24):
Yeah? I found it fairly peaceful, Like I really enjoy
peaceful game like that. You get very few of those.
And obviously I'm a huge Patrick Mahomes fan and he's
such a stud and a piece. But you know, growing
up in Philadelphia, having that be my hometown team, having
to be the better outcome for business. The Chiefs have
won so many times, there's only so much Chiefs aparel.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
People don't buy.
Speaker 10 (30:43):
A lot of the money was a lot of the
money was on the Chiefs, so it was stacked being
from Philadelphia. Much better outcome for fanatics, for the fangear business,
much better outcome for the betting business. I was all
in on the Eagles and it was just peaceful. I
was like hanging in the suite just talking to the
people that were with us, and it was like, this
is great. Like I get very few games like that
in my life where I can just be a piece.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Well, because the last Chief super Bowl and then the
Brady super Bowl, even you was fingernailed by the edge
your seat the entire time.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
You just got to chill. We're crushing them. That's like
what you work for.
Speaker 10 (31:14):
You dream of situations like that. By the way, it
happens very unusually. I do just go to Champions League
final this past week with the owner of PSG in Munich,
and that was five no. So that was a relatively
peaceful game. But I, you know, I dream of these
peaceful matches when I need them.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Do you have that piece after fanatics vest is over? No, never.
Speaker 10 (31:36):
As soon as we're gonna say, okay, with all the
things we got wrong, how do we make it better
for next year? How do we keep you know, improve
what we're doing, and then you you're back to your
day job, and look, we are grinding every minute. How
do we build the best betting app and fanatic sportsbook?
How do we keep building our collectible's business. And we
have the launch of NFL Trading Cards coming April first
(31:56):
to next year. We couldn't be more excited for that,
NBA coming October Fest of this year, we just launched
a premier league as we speak, so super excited about
that and the growth of the trade in cards business,
all the innovation that we're doing, and then in our
first business, what we call an ex commerce with your
fangr business, there's so much for us to do. So
I think as a company, like a lot of people
talk about the things you do right, we actually think
(32:17):
about what are the things we're not doing well? What
are the things we're going to improve upon? And I
think if you're not unrelented at making yourself better, you're
gonna get killed by your competition. I think there's like
our job and our core responsibility is to do every
like Look, our brand purpose is to relentlessly enhance the
fan experience, and so for us, we're always thinking about
how can we do things better. By the way, there's
(32:38):
a lot of things we do on there's a lot
of things we don't do well. We've got to keep
figuring out how it can be better. And so we're
at that, you know, twenty four seventh, three hundred and
sixty five days a year.
Speaker 3 (32:47):
You guys are always changing it up too. I find
this fascinating.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Part of your personal brand, Michael, is the White Party,
the Fourth of July party. Everybody sees that, all the
celebrities and everybody goes there.
Speaker 10 (32:57):
And yet I hear you're not doing it this year. No,
We're worts in every other year. So that we started myself,
Jay Z, Robert Kraft, meet Bill started the Reform Alliance,
the Criminal Justice organization that's changing the broken probation and
pro laws. So we did our first GALLA in two
thousand and twenty three. It was two months after the
White Party, and it was literally like the White Party ended,
(33:18):
IM like, I cannot believe I'm doing this Reform Gala
two months later. And so at the end of that
we said, hey, we're going to rotate these over the year.
So we did White Party in twenty four We're doing
the Reform Galla September thirteenth this year. By the way,
the weekend's performing for three hundred guests credit loss. Yeah,
and then White Party is July fourth, twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Okay, so we're still doing it. It's just every other year.
Speaker 10 (33:38):
Yeah. And look for us, we do super Bowl is
a massive event for us. We have you know, the
party of the of super Bowl weekends. I know, you know,
we have you know, we bring in that's a you know,
big hard party to put together. We bring in a
couple hundred the most important guests for us. So we
do a lot of super Bowl weekend. Now we have
Fanatics Fest. Then we're going to rotate the Reform Alliance
Gala and the and the White Party every of the year.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
I have one more question I want to ask you
and if you unlimit questions. Oh okay, great, thank you
very much. I love that because this is the best
guest energy. Unlimited questions. But we have a lot of
young people watching, and I think that they may see
you online and it's it's wealth and it's famous fans,
and it's excess and it's success and everything, and they
may say, like I want to do that someday, Like
(34:23):
I want to do what Michael Rubin does.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
What do you say to them, what is your advice
for young people?
Speaker 10 (34:27):
Well, first thing is you got to go for it,
like you just got to like you can't dream about
you just got to go do it. And the thing
for me is I've been working. I've been working my
ass off since I've been eight years old, and I
love it. It's not work to me. I'm getting to
live my absolute dream. And so I think a lot
of people talk about what they want to do, they
(34:47):
dream about what they want to do. For me, I
just go out and do it. By the way, a
lot of things work, a lot of things don't work.
You can't be scared to fail. You just have to
have the aggressiveness, the courage to go out and you know,
go after your dreams and make them a reality. And
you got to realize too, a lot of times you're
gonna get smacked in the face. Things aren't going to
work out. It's not going to go the way you anticipate.
But that's okay, that's part of the journey. That's fun
(35:08):
for me. And even like I was in a meeting
a couple of weeks ago with a company I'm a
big investor in, and they made a significant change. It
seems like it's not working. I'm just like, hey, it's
not working. Who cares? Go back? Don't be afraid. So
to me, I love the thing I love about young
people today. They used to only aspire when I was
a kid to be an athlete. You know, how could
(35:29):
you be that NFL player, How could you be that celebrity,
how could you be that really famous artist? You know,
today I think people do aspire to be business people,
and I think that's great because I think, you know,
we can change the world. And the thing I'm most
excited about I'm fifty two. I'm doing this till I die.
I'm never selling my company. I'm going to build this forever.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
And I love it.
Speaker 10 (35:47):
And you know, I remember watching the Nike Air movie
a couple of years ago and googling how old Phil
Night was. I was like, at this time, it was
like eighty five. I was fifty. I'm like, wow, look
think about how much more I can do in the
next thirty five years, assuming I'm alive, of course. So
you know, to me, for the young person, it's just like,
you know, go after your untre dreams, but you got
to realize it comes like I work harder than anybody.
(36:07):
I work seventeen hours a day. You know, I do
it seven days a week. You know, maybe people see
the fun things. People see the White Party, people see
the super Bowl, right, they think I'll have fun and
anyone for the thousands of people we have twenty two
thousand peopleho work at Fanatics. You ask anyone who works
at for X how I'm like first in, last out.
I'm grinding more than anybody, but I'm honored to do that.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
It's so fun.
Speaker 10 (36:27):
I'm getting to live my dream.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
It's incredible advice. I hope you guys are listening.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Wildly successful guy saying I work seventeen hours a day.
It's not all about white parties and champagne and private jets.
Inspiring and listen, Fanatics. Vest is going to be huge.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
I'm going to be there this year.
Speaker 10 (36:44):
I'm I'm excited to have you. I'll be there from
before it opens every day till after closes out every day.
I'll be there before it's I'll be micromanaging. I'm like,
I go to my executive producer, you know, it's like
this should give me a walkie talking at this part,
and I'm just walking around because like I want to
make sure people are the time of their lives. And
I'm talking to thousands of fans when I'm there, and
look for anyone who hasn't been to this, you got to.
(37:04):
It's an incredible sports festival. It's an incredible give back
to fans. I would say everyone who came Lester had
a great time. Other than we screwed up some of
the things with the autograph and picture lines.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
We're get it right this year too. Yeah.
Speaker 10 (37:18):
Again, like nothing always works the way you want to.
You got to make it better and keep grinding at it.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
But it's good.
Speaker 10 (37:23):
People will have the time of their lives. If you're
a real sports fan, you cannot have the time of
your life.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
At finance an incredible pitch.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
My wife and kids will be going, I'll be going,
and everybody dress well because you're going to tap on
the shoulder from this guy and say you want to
go meet your hero.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
It's a magical time. It is next weekend.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
It is Fanatics Fest and we have Fanatics Founder and
CEO Michael Rubbins.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Always awesome to have you man right back at you, man,
Hosts And Creators
Jamie Erdahl
Jason McCourty
Kyle Brandt
Peter Schrager
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