Best of The Odd Couple

Today on The Odd Couple, it's Ben Maller in for Chris Broussard! He and Rob Parker open the show reacting to Brian Flores' response to Tua Tagovailoa's viral comments about him. Then they get into some Pittsburgh Steelers talk, debating whether the starter at QB should be Wilson or Fields, or if they're just screwed either way. USA Today NFL reporter Tyler Dragon joins the show to weigh in on all of the biggest stories from around the league as the season inches closer. Finally, the guys discuss recent comments from Tom Brady, where he said the NFL has 'dumbed the game down' to help rookie QBs start early. That leads into a discussion on how the guys think Brady will do in his first year as a broadcaster.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yo yo, yo, yo, yo yo. Welcome in.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
It is the odd couple on a Trash Talking Tuesday,
a very special odd couple, Rob Parker and the legend himself,
Ben Mallor filling in for Chris Brussard who's still vacationing,
and we're broadcasting live from the ti rak dot com studios.

(00:27):
Ti rac dot com will help you get there an
unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, and
over ten thousand recommended installers. You heard me right, tire
rack dot com the way tire buying should be. What
a program we have for you on this Trash Talking Tuesday.
E from Salam the former NFL offriends of Lineman, and

(00:49):
of course Fox Sports Radio Weekend Superstar will be joining
us in about twenty eight minutes. Tyler Dragon, who covers
the NFL for USA today, he will show up make
an appearance in the second hour, and Martin Weiss we'll
have trolling o' rolling in the third hour. So we

(01:09):
have all of that ahead of you and some great
debate and sports talk. But first let me welcome in
my partner for this day, a friend of mine, mister
Ben Maller.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Rob Parker, my man Robert, this is an astonishing night
of radio, no doubt.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
Yeah, it's gonna be fantastic. I can't take.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
It's like a little earlier for me, rob As you know,
I'm not used to coming on when everyone's sleeping, but
there's people actually awake, so it's it's a little different here.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
This will be great, always great. And I gotta say this, Ben,
I know, before me and you get into it and
and and do our things, I'm just gonna pay homage
to you first, Okay, can I do that? Well?

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Let's I want to stop you, right? You know, why
would I stop?

Speaker 1 (01:56):
I'm gonna praise.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
You, all right. It makes you make sure you don't
miss a spot.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Go ahead, right?

Speaker 2 (02:01):
You know, Ben Maller one of the all time great
radio guys. Just a great person. Seriously, you work at
a radio network. You know a lot of people, But
are you really friends with them? Are you really friends
with them?

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Ben? You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're like work friends. But I
feel like we've crossed over.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
We crossed over.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
We're not just work friends now. We hang out socially
from time to yes, we do. We always at the
Ugly Sweater Party every year. You're a staple and you
always The great thing about you, Rob is you go.
I don't want this to be like we're nice to
each other, cause people don't want to hear that. But
but you do go out of your way, like you
travel a lot. People that listen to the show know
that you're always on a plane right normally not checking

(02:40):
bags in and you fly somewhere. But but you always
make time to come and hang out with us. And
we love that no doubt.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
And Ben has the greatest wife, Aaron is just a joy,
what a what a nice person she really is. So yes,
Ben Mallor who came him and his wife made it
to my sixtieth birthday party in Las Vegas. That was
a was a lot to me. Seriously, that was raw.
That was amazing.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Uh Seriously, I've been to a few birthday parties over
the years, but nothing quite like that. And I don't
know anyone that had their own hall in Vegas and
one of the major casinos there, and that was a
who's who.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
It was something. It was a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
All right, let's welcome into the odd couple crew, Ben,
because we wouldn't be able to do this.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Fine little radio program without him and Ian one of.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
My former students from USC, who's uh is producing. It's
the first time you're producing na here right, Ian.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Was the first. First time I'm doing odd couple. Yes,
first time doing Ben show. Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
So yeah, we broke him in over now. Ian's good
to go, no doubt about it. I'm sure Ian. You
know Ian, I wasn't a terrible professor at USC, right,
just just say it.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
No, not terrible, terrible? There you go?

Speaker 4 (03:54):
That was who was the worst professor?

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Names?

Speaker 4 (03:57):
Come on, I'm not going to do that.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
Engineer is Mark Marky Mark is back for back to
back nights.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Mark did to see you, And Brian Finley is.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Here as well, off of his honeymoon to Hawaii and
all the other good stuff that happened, and I got
to celebrate in his wedding.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Ben. We were down there in San Diego or was
that Tijuana? I'm not so. We were so far down
I'm not sure where we were.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
But I thought he I thought he left the coming.
I didn't realize he was still here. I had no
idea he was still here. Yes, you were communicating. We
spent was it two hours? I believe in traffic, yes,
to get there.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
But we made it. We made it and it was great.
All right.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Uh, let's go Brian Flores he respond to Tua yesterday.
Ben I basically said that I thought Tua got the bag.
He's the franchise quarterback. Why why even go that route?

Speaker 1 (04:51):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (04:52):
He won, Brian Flores got fired. He's the franchise quarterback.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
He was wrong.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Okay, you know, and whatever you want to say do
that's fine personally, but publicly, I didn't think there was
a place. But Brian Flores, who spoke Ben uh said
his feelings were hurt.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Let's take a listen.

Speaker 5 (05:10):
Yeah, you know, specific to uh, you know the comments
that were made by Tua. I just want to say, look,
I'm genuinely happy for the success that Too has had
and I really wish him nothing but the best. And
you know, player relationships are very important to me.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
Well, Robot I, Well, first, I love I disagree with
you a little bit because I thought it was great.
We so often are given, we are fed a constant
buffet of bullshoy, Rob right, And it's good for guys
like me and you because we can kind of cut
through all the bs and for Tua to come out

(05:47):
and break the decorum of the NFL to to go
after a guy.

Speaker 4 (05:53):
And we had heard rumors.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
I'm sure you heard the same thing when when he
was with when Flores was with the Dolphins, he was
not happy with Tua.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
They he didn't want them to draft him. And I
get it.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, okay, I'm the first coach who didn't want somebody draft,
but he.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
Never like went on the record and said it. And
so you know all these niceties that everyone uses. Well,
then Tua comes out and throws an absolute haymaker.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Only problem, Ben is if you do that after you
win the super Bowl, maybe I'm with you, dude, you
just got a contractause you don't have a playoff win.
What is the what is the stick in your chest out?
Because you got paid? You know what I mean? Like,
that's the part that I don't understand. It's a time
and place if you want.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
Why I did it, Rob, he got paid. That's why
that is the money now. But he's not gonna win
the super Bowl, so you don't have to worry about it.
If he's waiting to win the super Bowl, he's gonna
be an old man. Yeah, I guess you might be
right about that. There's there's nothing.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
To wait right for.

Speaker 4 (06:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
But the thing that it's fascinating is that Tua is
also it's a confessional to me, is that he's admitting
he's like he cannot handle that hard line coaching style,
which you know, I'm I'm a little longer than you, Rob,
but I kind of grew up with that approach to coaching,
like they kind of yelled at you, the jewel sergeant approach,

(07:05):
and it's obviously to and there's a lot of the
players today can't handle that.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
And this is a participation trophy era, you know what
I mean.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Everybody everybody gets patted on the buttons, handled a trophy.

Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well that's the thing too, is like admitting, hey, I'm
driving a mister softy truck here, like I can't handle I.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
Can hear the music right now, I like the sawc serve.

Speaker 3 (07:28):
Man, I can't handle I can't handle you being a
death spot old school coach and Brian Flores's style would
be and I don't know the guy, I've just seen
him in interviews. He seems like he's from that the
Belichickian old school straight shooter style and that that's a
tough sell. Rob.

Speaker 4 (07:45):
It is a tough sell today.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
And to admitted though he can't handle that, and he
just went for the juggular. He wants to have everything
rainbows and lollipops like he has right now with his
new coach.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
I just think there's a time and a place and
if it really just it just to me didn't fit.
It just didn't to go that route. And sometimes in
life you just take the high road. People always say
to me, you know what, the one thing is, I
don't know who you dislike and you're like and I'm like, yeah,

(08:17):
you don't know, because I don't have to wear it
on my sleeve all the time if I'm not cool
with you or if I'm not you know what I mean,
you're my cup of tea. I don't I don't have
you don't have to do that all the time. And
I think people get the message. They know whether or
not you have a relationship. They know if it if
it came up in a conversation about coaching or something,

(08:39):
and you say, yeah, you know, this coaching staff that
I have now is way more on tune on what
I'm trying to do. And I give them a lot
of credit for the success, having sour grapes and divulging
that the big bad wolf said that you suck and
all that. You know, Like, I just don't know what
you get from that, Ben. What you got from that

(09:01):
is that he can't handle criticism. That's what he exposed
to most people. That he had to cry his eyes
out because Brian Flores said, boo to him, I mean,
is that what you want out?

Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well?

Speaker 3 (09:14):
I like it because we've got talk radio to do, right.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
No, I understanding that it fills our void. I get that.

Speaker 4 (09:20):
I mean he's felling. We've got bills to pay.

Speaker 6 (09:23):
Rob.

Speaker 3 (09:23):
It's not easy these hot takes. They don't just create themselves.
We need we need some help.

Speaker 4 (09:28):
Heer so from time to time.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
So from that perspective, but it's it's a wait for
us to see how the hot dogs are made. Right,
and Rob, you as a sports writer for so many
years being in locker rooms, and I was in locker
rooms a long time too. You hear the public version,
which they tell us when we have microphones and papercorders,
and then you hear the private version, and Tua, let
us see how they make the hot dogs and say, well,

(09:51):
this is how I really feel.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
Well, it scares me because now we see that rad
hare is in the hot dogs. I don't know if
the hot dogs taste as good anymore.

Speaker 3 (09:58):
Well, if you don't, you want to know what's in
the hot dogs, and you might, you gotta go. Sure
those kosher dogs. I don't even know those are good either,
though I have no idea.

Speaker 2 (10:06):
Well, the kosher dogs at least Ben, you know they
have to answer to even higher authority, I mean more than.

Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah, well supposedly, but you know, I'm a Costco hot
dog guy, Rob.

Speaker 4 (10:16):
I like the greatest deal out there.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
Oh that is what the drink and the hot dog
for a buck fifty?

Speaker 3 (10:20):
You can't be fifty same price since the nineteen eighties.

Speaker 4 (10:24):
That's the way to do.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
It, unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (10:26):
Only thing is the last time I had a Costco
hot dog, I think it had a tail on it,
so I wasn't Was.

Speaker 4 (10:31):
It still barking?

Speaker 3 (10:32):
Rob?

Speaker 1 (10:33):
When when you put it, when you put.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
The mustard in the you put ketchup on hot dog?

Speaker 4 (10:37):
Is it just mustard? I do a little bit of boke.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
People give me odd looks because I go mustard, ketchup mustard.
I'll go like back, and people look at me weird
when I'm online there and they're like, you're not supposed.

Speaker 1 (10:48):
To right, I know.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
I love in New York if you had the bread
hot dogs from the you know, from the street delicious, uh,
the dirty water hot dog what we call in New York,
and spicy brown mustard and the red onion sauce bend.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
Nothing better, I'm telling you.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
And then if you're if you're eating a New York
street hot dog, then you shouldn't complain about any hot
dog anywhere. Rock just embrace any hot dog from any location.
If you're eating a street dog in New York, they
don't they don't clean those stands.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
No, that's what I call him, dirty water hot I know,
I know. And the guys selling the dogs, where does
he wash his hands? I'm just saying.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
I like the pretzels, but those are like hanging off
the side of the cart. You dirty, so they're probably
like running along the street manhatt and you're like, oh,
that's disgusting.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
It's terrible.

Speaker 3 (11:41):
Although Philadelphia, I gotta tell you popular opinion for maybe
for you as a New Yorker, but the Philadelphia pretzel
better than the New York really Wow, that's a hot take.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
Okay, that is a hot take, all right, and even
more hot take all right. So so what do you
make of this? Uh feud here or back and forth?
Brian Flores just say hey, I'm happy before him and
just kind of left it. I don't know what else
he can say. He didn't expose anything or go any further.
He could have made a feud and said two is
the reason I lost my job or you know what

(12:11):
I mean. Or he didn't play that well, didn't stay healthy,
or he couldn't comprehend.

Speaker 3 (12:16):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
You remember when Kyler Murray and they put in his
contract that he had to watch film and all that
embarrassing the guy. Uh, Brian Floores could have said some
stuff to maybe you know, say some bad stuff about
to it despite the contract to make him look at it. Uh,
people look at him differently, and he just chose not
to do it. I think Brian Floyes did the right thing. Well,

(12:37):
he did take the high road.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
But he's also got a problem here because this is
going to be weaponized against him. He's still issuing the
NFL and there's a there's litigations being blogged down.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
As you know, he's got a great case because Bill
Belichick told him there ain't no job in New York
you're going to to be interviewed for. They already hired
the guy. I think that that's the crux.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
Of his case.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
But my point would be the this is going to
be used by the lawyers for the NFL. Like see,
the Dolphins got rid of him, and you know too,
it didn't like him. He couldn't get along with his quarterback.
So this is going to be weaponized against him. So
he had to he had to you know, kind of
thread a needle Brian Flores, because you you know, this
is going to come back up if this court case
continues on, it's going to be used against him.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
And if anybody on that jury or the judge doesn't
think that coaches try to motivate players by talking to him,
then they don't know anything about football. Because if that's
the case, yeah, every football coach would be in that
situation at some point.

Speaker 3 (13:34):
Well that's the NFL, though, they're going to try to
get people. I would think if it goes to like
a jury trial where they put people in it don't
know football and say, well this person's you know mean,
you know.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
You can't mean he's a mean Oh my god, it's
the worst thing in the world.

Speaker 7 (13:46):
It's horrible.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
How dare you?

Speaker 3 (13:48):
It's like, Hey, we've had some in radio robe. I've
had some abrasive bosses over the years. Well we've you know,
I'm sure you have at different stations you worked at
and whatnot. And you know, you do your some people
you like and some people you don't like, and you
still got a job to do.

Speaker 4 (14:03):
Right, no doubt they're your conyan or not.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
No doubt. All right, here we go.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
We want to hear from you eight seven, seven ninety
nine on Fox eight seven seven nine nine six sixty
three sixty nine. It is a very special trash Talking Tuesday.
The overnight legend himself, Ben Mallor has awakened to give
us an audience on this trash talking Tuesday.

Speaker 4 (14:28):
Rob, you even took a shower? Did you really? Very nice?

Speaker 1 (14:31):
Big day, very big day. Uh.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
And we want to hear from you. Whose response did
you like better Brian Flores or to it? Well you
are you would like Ben you loved tours response his
pushback on Flores? Or did you like the way Brian
Flores handled that? We want to hear from You eight
seven seven ninety nine on Fox It is the odd
couple on a trash talking Tuesday right here on Fox

(14:54):
Sports Radio, Stick and Stay America.

Speaker 8 (15:00):
You've put it off long enough. It's time to replace
your tires. Tire Rack has tires that will elevate your drive.
Touring tires for commuter comfort, performance tires for sporty handling,
all terrain tires for on an off road adventure. Go
to tirerack dot com to get started. Not sure where
to begin. Use the Tire Decision Guide to get a

(15:21):
personalized tire recommendation the right tires for how, what and
where you drive. Choose from the full line of Goodyear tires,
ship fast and free to a recommended installer near you,
or choose the convenience.

Speaker 1 (15:35):
Of mobile tire installation.

Speaker 8 (15:36):
They'll bring your new tires to your home or your
office and install them on site. It doesn't get much
easier than that. Go to tire rack dot com slash
sports to see their Good Year test results, tire ratings
and consumer reviews, and be sure to check out all
the current special offers. Great tires and a great deal.
What more coaja ask for? That's tire rack dot com

(15:59):
slash tyrerack dot com the way tyrebind should be.

Speaker 7 (16:04):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 3 (16:16):
Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller along with my trustee sidekick David Gascon. Would mean
a lot to have you join us on our weekly
auditory journey. You're asking, what in God's name is the
Fifth Hour? I'll tell you it's a spin off of it.
Ben Maler Show, a cult hit overnights on FSR.

Speaker 4 (16:32):
Why should you listen?

Speaker 3 (16:33):
Picture if you will, a world where we chat with
captains of industry in media, sports and more every week
explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen
to The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.

Speaker 4 (16:45):
Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

Speaker 2 (16:47):
Our number two on a trash Talking Tuesday, It is
The Odd Couple, Rob Parker, Ben Maller and for the
vacation in Chris Bussar. We're broadcast alive from the tirerack
dot Com studio. Tyre rec dot Com will help you
get there, an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free roadhads
a protection and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyre rec

(17:11):
dot com the way tire buying should be. And Ben
Mallor ready for a new job? Not you, but you
know what I mean in general?

Speaker 4 (17:19):
Do you know something I don't know?

Speaker 2 (17:20):
Rock, not at all. But let Express Employment professionals help.
Express is hiring for jobs in a variety of industry.

Speaker 1 (17:29):
That's right. And job seekers.

Speaker 2 (17:31):
Never n EVA, never pay a fee at Express. Check
out expresspros dot com to find your location.

Speaker 1 (17:40):
That's expresspros dot com all.

Speaker 4 (17:43):
It's not gonna cost you anything. You can help you
get your jobs exactly.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
You can't get any better than that.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
And coming up in about twenty eight minutes, we'll talk
with Tyler Dragon.

Speaker 1 (17:52):
He is the fine football reporter for USA today. We'll
do that, and.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
At about thirty minutes, your chance to line up for
trash Talking Tuesday, your chance to trash anyone anything in
the world of sports, and we'll do that as well.
That's coming up. But let's talk more football, and let's
go here. Ben malor Uh. The Steelers, they've they haven't.
Their quarterback situation has been abysmal. It's just awful, like

(18:21):
kind of like the Jets the last few years. Just
nobody who can deliver the football or score on the
offense or make things happen.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
So they go out.

Speaker 2 (18:30):
Not only do they get Russell Wilson for uh three
dollars in a bag of balls, but they also pick
up Justin Fields and they get him for nothing like
a six round pick. Like nobody wanted this young top pick,
you know, quarterback who played in Chicago, and nobody wanted
him either, So they got two quarterbacks. I think that

(18:54):
without question, you gotta you gotta go with Russell Wilson.
You go with the thirty five year old, You go
with the guy who went to the Super Bowl twice.
You go with the guy who had a decent season
last year in Denver. I know Sean Payton hated him
from day one and tried to sabotage everything and just
didn't want him there, which is fine, but there are
people think that Justin Field should be the quarterback, the

(19:16):
young guy and all this. I just think of your
Mike Timelin and I know he got a new contract extension.
But if you're the Steelers and you got a defense,
and you got a lot of other pieces parts, but
you're missing the quarterback. I would go with the proven
veteran to start. Once Russell Wilson proves to me that
he's no longer starting quarterback or he's not that good anymore,

(19:38):
then you can move on. But you don't go the
other way when you put the kid in first and
then have the kid falter and then try to go
back to the veteran. I just think this is obvious.
Russell Wilson. First, let him play and let's see what
he can do. And if not, then you could talk
about maybe the seasons lost, maybe you realize that things

(19:59):
aren't gonna happen, and then you put the kid in.
But uh, you Ben don't like the choice.

Speaker 3 (20:04):
Well, I don't because I and what I what I've seen.
You can't judge too much on these practice games because
it's it's pretty painful watching these exhibition football games. But
that said, listening and parsing the words of Mike Tomlin,
it sounds like he knows he is stuck between the
devil and the deep blue sea here either direction that
he goes. And uh, I would argue Rob that Russell

(20:25):
Wilson's been done for three years that he just hasn't
gotten the.

Speaker 1 (20:29):
Memo a minute Ben he had a decent year.

Speaker 4 (20:34):
He didn't.

Speaker 3 (20:34):
Actually, if he had a decent if he showed anything,
you think Sean Payton would have gotten rid of him.
I think the numbers were didn't like.

Speaker 1 (20:41):
Him, but he didn't like him before he got there.
Go back.

Speaker 3 (20:44):
But those were empty stats that Russell Wilson had last
year in Denver. He put up empty numbers for the
Broncos last year and they they dumbed down the office
or whatever. Hey, yeah, Mike Tomlin could do that in
Pittsburgh for Russell Wilson. And and you look at the
numbers on your tablet and they're like, well, Russell's not
that bad. But even at the end of Seattle that
the Seahawks were not devastated to get rid of him

(21:07):
because he was showing signs of falling off the table.
And I look at Justin Fields every year. Justin Field
since he's gotten to the NFL, has all the razzle dazzle,
He wins the highlights on social media. There's people campaigning
him for him to be the starting quarterback, and he's
got this panache. He won the MVP from the TV

(21:28):
people in the off season before the twenty twenty three season,
but then when he actually has to play, it's a
hot mess. So it's like it's like the side if
you're Mike Tomlin. On one side you have manure and
on the other side you got fertilizers. So it doesn't
matter which diction you're gonna go at this particular point. Now,
what they should have done, because I have the answer.
I activated them out of thinking.

Speaker 1 (21:49):
I figured you must have the answer because they screwed
this up.

Speaker 4 (21:52):
They screwed this up.

Speaker 3 (21:53):
What they should have done is added Jameis Winston in
the off season, who was available, but they're not gonna
get him. Now he's in clean. He's the backup, which
means he'll probably play because the Shaun Watson or get hurt.
But that's the guy I would have gone after, And
instead they got Russell Wilson who's on his last legs
and Justin Fields, who's good for three or four highlight
plays a game, and that's about it.

Speaker 2 (22:15):
The only problem is you gotta pick between these two.
That's what they have I know. And so you think
they have no shot with either one of these guys.
I think I think that when you consider that somehow
every year they have a record over five hundred with
really no quarterbacking, Like that's the part that's that's amazing,

(22:37):
with like zero quarterbacking. It's like the Jets they win,
they won seven games with no quarterback. I mean, if
Aaron Rodgers don't worth three wins or four games, I
don't know what who is because they haven't had anybody.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
And the same thing with Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (22:53):
I just think Russell Wilson did enough last year for
me to give him an opportunity to see him play.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
And if it's I'm always thirty five, I get it.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
I didn't see what you saw. I know, I know
the numbers.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
Were all right.

Speaker 4 (23:09):
What do you mean?

Speaker 1 (23:10):
But the numbers were fine? Like, I don't understand what
numbers do you have an issue with? You can't you
can't have it both ways. If a guy, if a
guy plays well, you got to give him some credit.

Speaker 3 (23:20):
Well, I didn't think he played well, but watching the
Broncos like, well, I didn't see every game last year
when I watched him.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
Did Sean Payne do a good job coaching last year
the Broncos when they gave up the seventy piece did
they get.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
Well, they quit on him that game. Then in Miami,
you don't give up seventy if the team's trying seventy
piece on a seventy burger.

Speaker 4 (23:37):
Yeah, and and all that.

Speaker 3 (23:39):
But no, I mean they they ran a rudimentary offense
rob in Denver last year. Yeah, the Steelers could do that,
and then the numbers will look okay, But the Broncos
offense was not It was not good. It was not
an effective offense. It was a putrid paloser was what
it was for the Broncos last year on offense. So
well individually, if you look at the numbers, say well, Russ,

(23:59):
wasn't that when you actually watch on a game by
a game basis and not that good, not impressed.

Speaker 4 (24:05):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
This is if you want to be a legit contider. Yeah,
can the Steelers win eight or nine games again? Be
right around Mediocres.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
They won eight or nine game with no quarterback.

Speaker 3 (24:14):
They have a defense, they have an elite every year.

Speaker 1 (24:16):
But that's what I'm saying. So you're saying that you're
not gonna get anything, gonna.

Speaker 4 (24:19):
Be this, what I'm saying is gonna be the same
as they have been.

Speaker 3 (24:22):
It's not gonna be any better with Russell Wilson.

Speaker 4 (24:24):
They might as well. They should have kept.

Speaker 3 (24:26):
Kenny Pickett also stinks Pickets terrible.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
I mean, I disagree.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
I just think that the Sean Payton thing with Russell Wilson,
he didn't want him there and and it was just
a bad whole vibe or even before going in on that,
and that's that's fine. I just think if I'm the Steelers,
I gotta go with the veteran. You went out, you
got him, Let this guy play. I'm not gonna sit
here and talk about some preseason game and what they

(24:55):
look like and oh my god, you know they couldn't
move the four they move, you know, move the football
or whatever it was. They couldn't get the offense going
that that The preseason doesn't do that for me. I
once watched the Lions go four no and destroy the
opponents in all four games. And guess what happened that year?

Speaker 1 (25:11):
Ben? Do you remember well horse rough the sixteen? Yeah?
That was the year.

Speaker 4 (25:17):
Was that was the Who was the quarterback that year
for the Lions?

Speaker 1 (25:20):
Was that was?

Speaker 4 (25:21):
Who was dani Olofski? Was he part of that?

Speaker 6 (25:23):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (25:23):
He might have been a part of that. Yeah, that's
when he ran out of the end zone. You remember
that famous play yet.

Speaker 3 (25:28):
But I'm a I'm a Mike Tomlin fan. I love
Tom and he's great for what we do. Rob you
know all the quotes, the fat and sassy and all
that and whatever. You know, he's got a million different
sound bites which are great, and he'll he'll coach up
whoever's there. But don't tell me that Russell Wilson's good.

Speaker 4 (25:45):
All right, He's not.

Speaker 2 (25:46):
He's better than what they've had, and I don't think
he is. I think he's more of the same.

Speaker 3 (25:51):
Really, the sequel is the equal to what they've had.
And you know the Broncos last year, Russell Wilson, you
said he had a good The Broncos offense was twenty
six in the NFL. Look at his numbers, I know,
but that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (26:06):
That's like, can you instead of instead of giving me that,
give me his numbers last year?

Speaker 1 (26:10):
He didn't turn the ball over a lot. He played fine?
Was he great?

Speaker 3 (26:14):
Was all pro?

Speaker 7 (26:15):
No?

Speaker 4 (26:15):
Played safe? They played safe.

Speaker 1 (26:17):
You you you.

Speaker 3 (26:18):
Have to play both. You have to You can't just
play conservative all the time. You know that rob You've
done columns about that over the years. You've got to
you've got to be an attack mode. And the numbers
individually look okay, But the offense, you know what, it
reminds me of Daniel Jones. The Giants a couple of
years ago made the playoffs, actually won a playoff game

(26:39):
against the Vikings.

Speaker 1 (26:40):
They did.

Speaker 3 (26:40):
Remember that, People said, look at Daniel Jones, he's arrived.
The Giants gave him some more money, they paid him,
and yet that season the Giants passing offense was like
twenty fifth in the NFL. But yet if you looked
at Daniel Jones numbers, it was fine, and it was
very similar. It was like a carbon cop What the

(27:01):
Broncos did with Russell Wilson last year with Sean Payton
was similar to what Daniel Jones did the year prior
with the Giants, where you looked at the numbers are like, well,
that's not bad, but they you watch in the context
of the game and it stinks. That's my point. That's
what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (27:20):
I hear you.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
I mean, you're not alone. There are people who just
don't think that it was good. But if I have
the two quarterbacks I'm gonna go with Russell Wilson, all right.
Coming up next, we're going to talk with Tyler Dragon.
Of course, he covers the NFL for USA Today. Get
his take on this and some other things in all
NFL will do that. It is the odd couple on
the trash Talking Tuesday, Rob Parker Ben Maler in for

(27:41):
Chris Bussar right here on Fox Sports Radio. Stick and
stay America.

Speaker 7 (27:46):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
It is the Odd Couple Hour number two, Rob Parker
and the radio legend himself, Ben Maller filling in for
Chris Bussard. And it's our final week of the Fox
Sports Radio Summer of Tire Rack Sweepstakes. Two winners have
already been rewarded, and we'll still have one more listener
who will win a set of four brand new tires

(28:19):
plus installation taxes and fees valued it up to fifteen
hundred dollars. Enter the sweep steaks and get the rules
at Fox Sports Radio dot Com. Every day between now
and Sunday, you get a fresh new entry to boost
your chances of winning.

Speaker 1 (28:33):
At Foxsports Radio dot com.

Speaker 2 (28:36):
It all closes after Sunday night, so get your daily
entries in now. The sweep Steaks is furnished by our
friends at tire rack dot com. The way tire buying
should be, all right, Ben, Now, let's welcome in Tyler Dragon.
He is a NFL reporter for USA Today. Tyler Dragon,
welcome in and say hello to Ben Maller.

Speaker 6 (28:57):
Hey, how's it going.

Speaker 9 (28:58):
How are you two doing?

Speaker 1 (29:00):
We're doing great, doing great, Tyler.

Speaker 2 (29:03):
We're arguing about the Steelers and their quarterback situation. Ben
says that no matter what, no matter what happened, Tom.

Speaker 3 (29:14):
Was in a bad Yeah, either way, there's no good
direction to go. The weather's bad both directions.

Speaker 2 (29:18):
Yes, And I'm saying you should start with Russell Wilson
and see what he has left and how he plays,
and then you go to the younger quarterback and justin fields,
where are you on this situation?

Speaker 9 (29:29):
So I agree with you, Rob. I do think you
start Russell Wilson to begin the season because of his
veteran leadership and justice presence. And when you look at
the Steelers schedule, they have kind of a soft opening
start of the season. They played the Falcons in Atlanta,
and then they played Wilson's former team in the Denver

(29:52):
Broncos in Denver before going to Los Angeles playing the Chargers,
and see how he does out the gating against those teams,
and then you know, kind of reevaluate now later in
the season, if Russell Wilson is not performing well, I
do think you switch over to justin Fields because their

(30:14):
schedule gets daunting later on in the season. They have
a stretch in December, well they play every team in
the AFC North in Air Division and then they play
the Eagles and the Chiefs. So that's the daunting schedule
to end the season. So you want to try to
start fast if you're the Steelers, especially a coach like

(30:35):
Mike Tomlin was seventeen straight seasons above five hundred. So
I do believe you start Russell Wilson to begin the season,
see where you're at by maybe October November, and then
kind of re evaluate from there.

Speaker 4 (30:52):
Well, we disagree on Russ. Well, you mentioned the Falcons.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
The Steelers play the Falcons Tyler early in the year,
and the two teams that are getting the most love.
Maybe I'm wrong on this. Are the Texans and the
Falcons for moves they made in the offseason. They got
a lot of flowers for making roster moves, improving the
teams defon Diggs going to the Texans, the Falcons, guy
Kirk Cousins and some other guys there.

Speaker 4 (31:13):
Who is more likely to break hearts? Though?

Speaker 3 (31:15):
Between these two teams, Tyler, is it the Texans or
is it the Falcons?

Speaker 9 (31:20):
I believe it's the Falcons because we don't know what
kind of player Kirk Cousin is going to be coming
off of injury. He has Michael Pennigs Junior looking over
his shoulder. What how is he going to do under pressure?
He's in an entirely new system and new regime. So
there's a lot of newness going on in Atlanta right now.

Speaker 1 (31:43):
Now.

Speaker 9 (31:43):
On paper, it looks good. They've been active in the
off season, addressing their defense, filling some holes on offense.
But you have a team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They went to the postseason, won the division last year.
The Saints should be a little bit better. Would I
hope the Carolina's answers are going to be better? I mean,
you can't help, but they.

Speaker 1 (32:04):
Can't get worse, right, they can't be worse.

Speaker 9 (32:06):
And for the AFC South, the Houston Texans means they're
going in there. You know, their second year with Tmiko
Ryan and CJ. Strell has another year under his belt.
And not only did they ask Stefon Diggs, but Joe
Mixon in the backfield to be a quarterback best friend.
So I really do like the Houston Texans, and I

(32:27):
would not be surprised if they win the division again
and they're in maybe the AFC Championship Game.

Speaker 1 (32:32):
When it's all.

Speaker 2 (32:33):
Said back our Gusta Tyler Dragon from USA today, I
think people have jumped the gun on the Texans. I
don't know how you don't like the Baltimore Ravens. I
don't know how you pooh pooh Joe Burrow. I really
do an AFC and I'm not saying the CJ. Strow
had a fantastic rookie year and the rookie coach and

(32:54):
all the other things that all went together. But I'm
I don't see it as far as them getting to
the AFC Championship Game.

Speaker 9 (33:01):
Well, can Joe Burrow finish the season healthy?

Speaker 2 (33:04):
Well?

Speaker 1 (33:04):
I mean there's no doubt about it. That's something there.

Speaker 2 (33:07):
But that's my next question to you is the Joe
Burrow factor and how that factors in. I mean, every
time he's healthy and he plays in Cincinnati, they seem to.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
Do great stuff.

Speaker 9 (33:18):
Yeah, so I have the Bengals finish team second in
the af North. I do believe top to bottom, the
Ravens are the better team. You could make an argument
that Lamar Jackson is a better quarterback than Joe Burrow.
And then they also added Derrick Henry in the backfil.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
I like that a lot.

Speaker 9 (33:36):
Yeah, their running game might be the best in all
of football next year. And then you add the defensive component.
You of, Baltimore plays the rugged style, physical brands defense,
so they're going to give teams a lot of problems. Now,
if I had to make a guess, I would say
the Ravens and the Chiefs are the cream of the
crop in the AFC. But then the Houston Texans are

(33:58):
right there at three. But Joe Burrow, the biggest question
for me is the talent is there, the intangibles are there,
the leadership is there, but just can he stay healthy
and then in the field, because the Bengals offensive line
that's been there Achilles heel since Joe Burrow got there.
That's pretty much why he's been injured in the last

(34:19):
few years. Now, if he can stay healthy, I do
like their chances, especially being a playoff team, but I
do not think they're better than the Baltimore Ravens.

Speaker 4 (34:28):
All right, Tyler.

Speaker 3 (34:29):
The other day, the Washington the Commanders that's their name.
They what with Jayden Daniels is the court which kind
of obvious you would go with Jayden Daniels because of
where he was drafted a lot of high praise.

Speaker 4 (34:39):
I've been reading.

Speaker 3 (34:40):
Glowing reviews from people that cover the Commanders about Jaden
Daniels as a prodigy and all these amazing things that
have been said about him. How what are the realistic
expectations for him, Tyler this year in DC?

Speaker 9 (34:55):
Oh, yeah, you know, that's a good question. When Jaden
Daniels was coming out, I really liked his ability to
be able to process the field, his ability to read
defenses throwing receivers open. Now is that going to translate
in the NFL? You would hope so. But the game of
the NFL is much faster than college Now. I do

(35:16):
believe he's going to have some success. He's going to
have to learn how to slide. He can't take those
hits in the NFL because he has a smaller type frame.
But that division is really tough. I do think the
Commanders they could compete with the New York Giants, but
the Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, they're just head and

(35:37):
shoulders above the Commanders and the Giants in that division.
So are they a playoff team? No? Can they be
in the next few years. Yes, if Jaden Daniels could
stay healthy and they can continue to build around him,
fortify that offensive line, and bolster that defense. So they
do have what I believe is a franchise quarterback in

(35:57):
the Nation Capital. That's the good news. News is there's
still probably a few seasons away from contention.

Speaker 2 (36:04):
Last thing, I know, everybody thinks every quarterback drafted in
the first round that everybody's great, everyone's going to the
Hall of Fame, everybody's the.

Speaker 1 (36:12):
Next best thing.

Speaker 2 (36:12):
A lot of quarterbacks flop, I mean everybody, you know
what I mean, like a lot flop and don't wind up.
Sam Donald's on his nineteenth team. Everybody told me he
was going to be the cats me out. I'm just saying,
this whole new crop everybody can't be great. If you

(36:33):
had to pick somebody where it's not going to work out,
I know I'm putting you on the spot where it's
not going to be Who would you pick out of
these new crop quarterbacks?

Speaker 9 (36:42):
I can give you two, Okay, I love it. And
JJ McCarthy with Drake May he kind of reminds me
of Sam Donald at USC got the big arm, got
some mobility, but there's some accuracy issues. There's some issues
with his mechanics and who is he going to be
throwing the ball in New England? And that's if he

(37:03):
wins this starting job over Jacobe Burssett, or when he
wins the starting team, they have their receiving corpses probably
is the worst in the NFL. And then we all know.
JJ McCarthy is out this year with a KD injury.
We hope he gets better and then was able to
play next year. But at Michigan he was helped by

(37:24):
the best offensive line and all of football, a solid
running game, and under Jim Harball's system, especially at Michigan,
quarterbacks didn't have to do too much, especially behind that
offensive line and kurem at running backs. So in the NFL,
he's going to have to be asked to win games
with his arms, win games reed defenses. And can he

(37:48):
do that with the Minnesota Vikings team that's a void
of a lot of talent outside of Justin Jefferson. I
don't think he can do it, but we'll see. The
good thing about him is he's not going to be
rushed on the field because he has the year. You
have to look and watch and hold a clip for
why he rehab this the injury.

Speaker 1 (38:05):
No doubt.

Speaker 2 (38:05):
His name is Tyler Dragon. Check him out in the
USA today. One of the best in the business.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Tyler. We appreciate you, my man, of.

Speaker 9 (38:13):
Course, thanks for having me on. Have a good night,
all right.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
And that's a great name too, Rob Tyler Dragon.

Speaker 4 (38:18):
Oh yeah, I like the name Radio. Is that his
writing name. That's like a great name.

Speaker 1 (38:22):
That's a real name.

Speaker 2 (38:23):
People people used to ask me if Rob Parker was
a real name as a reporter.

Speaker 1 (38:28):
I was like, what do you mean, just sounds like
a reporter.

Speaker 3 (38:30):
No, yeah, it sounds like like a newspaperman, like grizzled
the news, which you are, Rob, right.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
I am you see I'm grizzled.

Speaker 3 (38:39):
All right, come, did you become that because of the
name or were you going to.

Speaker 4 (38:42):
Be that anyway?

Speaker 2 (38:43):
No, I think I think I was going to become
that anyway. But all right, coming up next, Uh, trash
talking is coming up. So I want you guys to
chime man get ready, uh eight seven.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
Seven ninety nine on Fox. Lineup for that.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
We'll also take a couple of calls I think on
this steal a quarterback thing. But first we're gonna get
you caught up with mister Brian Finley. Let's do that.

Speaker 10 (39:04):
Yeah, Ben and Roll, we're talking major league baseball here.
I know that you guys are big baseball guys, the
Diamond Bass.

Speaker 1 (39:10):
We love baseball. Ben don't know.

Speaker 3 (39:13):
I was looking for some baseball stuff today, I know,
talk radio friendly baseball stuff.

Speaker 1 (39:17):
No, not today, Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (39:19):
Yeah, not so much.

Speaker 10 (39:20):
But we do have baseball games, so I guess you
guys can you know, talk about some of those if
you'd like.

Speaker 4 (39:25):
And we only do that in the playoffs.

Speaker 10 (39:27):
We only do that in the playoffs, which is usually
when the Dodgers use.

Speaker 3 (39:31):
Yeah, Padre fan, you've never won anything, I know, but
this could be the year.

Speaker 10 (39:35):
Rob I think Rob might agree. This could be the Padres.
I mean, at least they're showing you've.

Speaker 1 (39:39):
Got a good team right now, great bullpen. I like them.

Speaker 4 (39:42):
Rob likes the Mets this year.

Speaker 10 (39:46):
Somebody has to like the Marlins. You would feel sorry
for them. But they're trailing right now three to one
against the Diamondbacks. That is in the seventh inning. Also
in the seventh the Nationals are taking it or they're
getting it taken to them. Excuse me by the Rockies
three to one, seven hits for the Rockies, only three
fourth and Nats and what Rod build? That could be
the preview of the Alcs. The Yankees Guardians matchup, and

(40:09):
right now it's three. At piece end of the fourth inning,
there were two whole runs for the Yanks, in the first,
one being Aaron Judge. That was his forty fifth of
the year. The Blue Jays are taking a fly swatter
to the Reds. It's ten to one, bottom of the fifth,
thirteen hits.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
Four to run. Is that a game of note?

Speaker 11 (40:28):
I would say so, because why I'd love to know,
because you never know, one of those two teams might
rattle off a big run, just like the Astros.

Speaker 4 (40:39):
You're doing right now.

Speaker 3 (40:40):
They both have a chance to win next year. The
I think, well, actually they're in different once in Arizona,
once in Floor. I was gonna say the Grape Brute League,
but one could win the Cactus League next year.

Speaker 10 (40:48):
Yeah for sure, Yeah for sure. And speaking of three
to three, And speaking of the Astros, that's the score there,
Stros and Red Sox. That definitely is a game of note,
end of one inning, and yeah, all square at three.
Coming up later on, we got the Padres hosting the
Twins at nine to forty Eastern time, and it's the
Dodgers at ten ten Eastern taking on the Mariners. Lastly,

(41:10):
guys in Major League Baseball, we mentioned some of those
notes put in the NFL. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and
that thick Texan accent. After giving his glasses over to
his son, Stephen, said that his team is making progress
towards reaching a long term deal with wide receiver C. D. Lamb.
Nothing has been solidified as if yet, but what they're

(41:31):
looking at is something in the range of making him
the second highest wide receiver, the second highest paid wide
receiver in the NFL, right beneath Justin Jefferson QB or
wide receiver one, excuse me for the vikings. And then lastly,
world number one men's tennis superstar Yanick Cinner from Italy
is not going to get suspended after two positive steroid

(41:52):
test results.

Speaker 3 (41:53):
Why is that?

Speaker 4 (41:54):
You ask?

Speaker 10 (41:54):
Well, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency, the illegal
substance that Sinner was taking, he was unknowingly taking this
because his physio is physiotherapist was lathering him up with
it while giving him massage.

Speaker 3 (42:12):
Are you sure was a lather more of just a
rub not a lather or was it clear? I'm just
saying yeah, and again you never know what the cream rob?

Speaker 1 (42:21):
It was clear?

Speaker 6 (42:22):
Right?

Speaker 3 (42:22):
My favorite was remember the track and field person that
said they ate a burrito from a food truck in Oregon.

Speaker 4 (42:28):
That's why they feel that was it? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (42:31):
Usually that'll give you gas, not the positive steroid test.

Speaker 4 (42:34):
It's gotta be like me, eat more garlic. That's what
I do. I just eat the garlic. That's my performous
answering drug Rob garlic.

Speaker 12 (42:40):
Garlic, gollic whatever, golly real good. All right, thanks Brian,
appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (42:52):
All right.

Speaker 2 (42:53):
Eighty seven seven ninety nine, O Fox, if you want
to jump in on a trash talking Tuesday. We're gonna
do an expanded edition for Ben Mallor of all of
his militia. People might start calling in. You could trash
anyone anything in the world of sports. Ben, you know
how his works. We can't interrupt them. We don't comment.
We just let them go. If they want to rip you,
they want to rip me, they want to rip.

Speaker 3 (43:13):
The Donas, bring it on. I don't care.

Speaker 1 (43:15):
I'm here. We'll do all that.

Speaker 2 (43:16):
But first, before we get there, I do want to
talk to Marty about the Steelers and the and the
quarterback situation. Marty, you're in the odd couple of Fox
Sports Radio. He is the biggest Pittsburgh Steeler fan. Who
do you want to be the quarterback?

Speaker 1 (43:30):
Marty?

Speaker 2 (43:30):
We're curious, no hesitation, Russell will say, and we didn't
hear you.

Speaker 6 (43:39):
No hesitation, no hesitation on that answer. It's Russell Will.

Speaker 4 (43:46):
He'll bring He'll bring new meanings to terrible towel.

Speaker 2 (43:48):
I'm with you, Marty, I mean, you gotta go with him.
This is a team like the last few years a
quarterback plays been horrendous.

Speaker 6 (43:57):
It's big Russell Wilson fan. Actually, some of my close
friends knew that. I was super excited when he ended
up a stealer. Do you guys know what his injury
was in Seattle before he was traded to Denver. It
was a mallet finger injury to his middle finger on
his throwing hand. He had two pins put in that finger. Now,

(44:21):
that's usually an offensive lineman injury, and any offensive lineman
has had that surgery will tell you. When you get
that pin put in your finger, your numb from that
point up. His first season in Denver, he was adjusting
to his the last finger that touches the ball when
you spin it off your hand, being numb from that
first pin up.

Speaker 9 (44:41):
And he did not throw the ball well.

Speaker 6 (44:43):
But the next season he threw the ball much better. Now,
you were going to put him in a situation he's
been in before. He can rely on his defense. He
can manage the game, and when he needs to make
a big play, they'll ask you to make a big play.

Speaker 9 (44:58):
This is a situation.

Speaker 6 (44:59):
He knows, and you got a young guy with talent
that can sit back and watch and learn. I love
playing Russell and letting that young man sit back and
watch and learn. I think Russell's not done. I think
he's a fighter. I don't like it that so many
people think that his issues with Peyton and Denver are
all on him. Peyton is a man that won one

(45:20):
super Bowl. In the year he did it, he ended
up suspended.

Speaker 1 (45:23):
Thank you. I'm with you.

Speaker 2 (45:25):
I think that Sean Payton gets a big They say
Mike McCarthy's a buffoon, But he has this identical record
of Sean Payton, one championship with a Hall of Fame quarterback,
And the only difference is that is that Sean Payne
at three straight losing seasons with a Hall of Fame quarterback,
which is shocking.

Speaker 3 (45:44):
But anyway, all right it is. I mean, it's fine
with Marty there. I know he's trying to talk that
into reality. He's trying to He's like, it sounded to
me like a guy who's trying to convince himself with
positive affirmations.

Speaker 4 (45:56):
And it's like, well, it's now.

Speaker 3 (45:57):
He wasn't again, Russ was not great to lie last
year and a half or two years in Seattle.

Speaker 4 (46:02):
They say he was hurt.

Speaker 3 (46:03):
Fine, he wasn't good in Denver and so and you
got the whole other thing. We haven't even talked about
the Komodo Dragon the Room Rob where he's kind of
a polarizing guy, right, I mean the Bronx, that's for sure.
One of my favorite nights doing radio was when the
Broncos we found out they had a trans continental flight
across to England and to play a game over there.

(46:24):
I think was in England and he was like high
stepping down the aisle on the plane.

Speaker 4 (46:28):
And there were people documenting like what it was.

Speaker 1 (46:31):
It was hilarious.

Speaker 3 (46:32):
And that's like small on the on the Russell Big
Board of things that he's he's had, Like he's become
a polarizing guy. He's a polarizing guy.

Speaker 1 (46:41):
There's no doubt about that. I agree with that, all right.

Speaker 2 (46:44):
It's the opportunity that all sports fans are looking forward to,
and that is Trash Talking Tuesday is coming up next
eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox and Yes, the
Militia were inviting you in trash anyone anything in the world.

Speaker 1 (47:00):
The sports will do that.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
Next, it is the Odd Couple, Rob Parker and Ben
Maller in for the Vacation in Chris Busar right here
on Fox Sports Radio, Stick and Stay America. It is
the Odd Couple. Our number three Rob Parker and Ben
mallor Ben Mallor filling in for Chris bussar Man.

Speaker 1 (47:21):
The first two hours went by.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
Here we are our number three and we're broadcasting live
from the tire rach dot com studios, tire rack dot com.
We'll help you get there on Matt Selection, fast free shipping,
free road has a protection and over ten thousand recommended installers.
Tire rack dot com the way tire buying should be.
Don't forget in about twenty eight minutes trolling and rolling

(47:46):
with Martin Weise will do that. Ben, I'm sure you
loved the little trash talking. We just had all the
callers there.

Speaker 1 (47:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (47:53):
Yeah, And I didn't fight back, Rob, I could have
thrown some haymakers.

Speaker 4 (47:56):
I stayed in my lane. I stayed in my land.
I didn't throw back.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
You know, there's some some shots I could have taken
some of these guys, but I was polite.

Speaker 4 (48:03):
I was respectful.

Speaker 2 (48:05):
No, no, no, definitely, we give we give them their
time to sean, so it's for us to pull back,
uh and whatnot. But yeah, we got another hour here
and we want to hear from you two and your
favorite guy, Tom Brady, ready to make his day butt
on Fox.

Speaker 4 (48:22):
Now, how's this gonna go?

Speaker 3 (48:23):
Because I I look at Brady as a broadcaster, I
have mixed Well.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
He wasn't that glib as a as a that's what's terrible.

Speaker 1 (48:32):
I'm you.

Speaker 3 (48:33):
They paid him, the station in Boston paid him tons
of money to come on every Monday.

Speaker 4 (48:38):
Well actually it was through the Patriots. But he he.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
Went out of his way. In fact, he's he's admitted it.
He tried to say nothing interesting every time he.

Speaker 1 (48:46):
Did an interview, and taking all that money.

Speaker 3 (48:48):
He took all this money he purposed like like Derek
Jeter does the same thing. Like he just didn't want
to say anything. And so now he's gonna be a practice.
But even as a broadcaster, he said he doesn't want
to be too critical of certain guys. But to be good,
I think we agree on this, Rob you gotta throw
some haymakers.

Speaker 2 (49:07):
Well, you got all the players dislike Charles Barkley because
he's honest, he's he's not in that camp. And if
you really want to be a broadcast or analyst, you
gotta be willing. And that doesn't mean you have to
go out and just rip everybody. That's not what we're
talking about but if somebody makes a bad player or
bad situation, you gotta be able to say that.

Speaker 3 (49:27):
I don't, I don't know what it call a spade
a spade, Right, somebody stinks, don't try to sugarcoat it
and tell me that something else. Don't don't spin on
my cupcake and tell me it's frosting if it's not.
I mean, I don't want to hear that. And so
now Brady made some comments recently, rob about these rookie
quarterbacks and it's gonna be at least two starting Caleb
Williams and Jayden Daniels are going.

Speaker 4 (49:47):
To start to begin the year.

Speaker 3 (49:49):
And he won on a ran at that Fanatics fest in.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
It was a big one. Yeah, it was unbelievable. Yeah,
it was a wild man. How much money did they
pay out because everybody was there.

Speaker 4 (50:01):
They got all the biggest names in sports.

Speaker 2 (50:04):
Right, Yeah, everybody's available for a price, you know that?

Speaker 3 (50:08):
Oh yeah, oh yeah. So Brady was one of the
keynote speakers at this thing, and some comments he made
still are resonating a couple of days later, and they're
still bouncing around. And he went on this this rant
about rookie quarterbacks and and just the way the state
of the NFL. But he used the T word rob
He said, it's a tragedy that we're forcing these rookies

(50:32):
to play early. But the reality is the only reason
why we are is because they've dumbed down the game.
That's what that's Brady's argument, you know. He went on
he had a lot more to say that, but that's
the gist of it is it's a tragedy. They've done
dumbed down the game, and that's why we're seeing rookie quarterbacks.
And he then bragged and patted himself on the back

(50:54):
about how much time he spent at Michigan and then
with the Patriots developing and and it's just not like
that anymore. It's a dumber version of football. So what
do you make of that? Yeah, just on Brady out
there throwing out So let me let me give you
my take, right and I want to hear what you
have to say, because my Brady's not completely wrong. But

(51:17):
the main point is not that they've done dumb down
the game. What they've really done is they've what's the
way I want to describe this, the woosification of football,
because remember, the hardest hits in the end of it.
They used to encourage that the defensive part of football.
So it's not that they necessarily change the offensive rules.

(51:38):
It's the defensive rules which have opened up Pandora's box
of offense. Because it used to be you celebrated great defense.
There was a point I was younger, you celebrated. Now
if somebody hits somebody and lays them out, what happens.
Rob there are people gasping. I can't believe that. It's horrible.

(51:59):
It's you know, all that stuff. So that's changed. But
I don't think it's dumbing down the game of football.
I don't think that's I don't I think that's the
wrong way to describe it. And clearly I know more
about football than Tom Brady obviously.

Speaker 2 (52:12):
And this will be something and I'm just curious and
and Ben, I do want to pivot this from Brady
just stepping out there talking about the game. And we've
heard some comments about quarterback in the league and the
changes that they've made and whatever that allow Brady to
be able to play as long as he did because
you couldn't hit him. I mean, Joe Montana got killed

(52:32):
when he was a player quarterback in the NFL. You
remember that guy got hurt all the time as quarterbacks
and that's where in the grasp came from and all
those kind of things to try to protect them because
quarterbacks would get leveled. But but what what kind of
broadcaster do you expect him to be? Like, like, do

(52:53):
you have any expectations?

Speaker 1 (52:55):
Like I think I think it's over blown.

Speaker 2 (52:57):
I think it's overblown that people think people tune into
games just to hear announcers. You know, like, are you
happy when you tune in and somebody's really good and
give you.

Speaker 1 (53:09):
Some insight like that? Yeah, but you don't tune in? Right?

Speaker 3 (53:13):
What was proven when when Fox lost Joe Buck and
Troy Aikman to ESPN and it didn't matter.

Speaker 4 (53:19):
The ratings didn't.

Speaker 1 (53:20):
Go down, That didn't change at all.

Speaker 3 (53:23):
It's the formula is pretty simple. You know this, Rob
from from your experience in the business. If Fox has
the Cowboy game that right Sunday they have the highest ratings,
it doesn't matter. They could they could have dead air
in terms of like who's talking, and they would have
the highest ratings. It's just a tug the Cowboy and
there's certain other time.

Speaker 2 (53:42):
And it doesn't mean that we don't need guys who
are better. There are guys who are better than others,
and guys who make it interesting, and guys who are
smart or glib.

Speaker 1 (53:51):
I like that. I'm not saying that they enhance the experience.

Speaker 2 (53:54):
They do, and I appreciate good broadcasters on games, do
I As a guy who watched a lot of Mets games,
I thought Tim McCarver was one of the best color
analysts ever.

Speaker 1 (54:11):
Like, I'm dead serious, Ben.

Speaker 2 (54:12):
He would say stuff all the time before it happened,
but not like Tony Romoway got annoying. He would just say, hey,
this is a bad matchup. This guy eats up right
handers like this, and then the next pitch would be
hit out the park.

Speaker 1 (54:25):
That's what I want to hear from the color.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
Even macarver back in the day got ripped because they
said he was too long winded, and he you know,
he talked too much in the broadcast. I mean, so
everyone's gonna get rad and Brady's gonna get criticized a
ton But here's the thing about what I expect from Brady.
I expect well foot hardow football conversation, but I don't
tune in for that's not what I'm there. I like

(54:47):
the Barkley style. I like the way Barkley does broadcasting.
I don't think Brady's gonna be anything like that because
he doesn't want to step on toes. Now, maybe I'll
be wrong, and I hope I am wrong, but I
think he's just gonna be very vanilla and this guy,
he's not gonna be a lot of spice to it.
I need some spice for my commentary. I need don't
don't lie to me. If I see a guy stinks,
don't tell me they don't stink. If everyone sees the

(55:10):
same thing. But he's gonna have There's so many Brady fans,
so he's gonna have them no matter what he says.
You know, the jocksniffers out there, rob that are gonna
love Brady whatever he says, they're gonna laugh, and they're
gonna suck it all up and say how great it is.
And then there's people that don't like him. They're gonna
So it's it's somewhere in the middle is where.

Speaker 2 (55:28):
He's a polarizing God, there's no doubt about it. So
it's gonna be interesting to see whether or not people
take to him. I have I'm expecting. I have low expectations.

Speaker 3 (55:39):
I didn't even think we would get to this point.
I thought when he would do it that I didn't
think he would actually do it.

Speaker 2 (55:44):
Well, thirty seven and a half million dollars a year
to do seventeen football games. I don't care who you are. Yeah,
I don't care how much money you've made. Ben, that's
a pretty sweet that's a pretty sweet get.

Speaker 4 (55:54):
That's a deal.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
Are you kidding?

Speaker 2 (55:56):
Now?

Speaker 3 (55:56):
How many other things does he have to do for
that thirty seven million?

Speaker 4 (55:59):
Like he has to do appearances? I would assume, right,
there's other stuff.

Speaker 1 (56:02):
I'm still waiting for him to come on The Odd Couple.

Speaker 3 (56:04):
I'm sure he has not come on the Odd Couple.

Speaker 4 (56:06):
Why not?

Speaker 1 (56:07):
I know we don't rate. I guess we're in the
Fox family.

Speaker 3 (56:10):
You and and Tom Brady are connected?

Speaker 1 (56:13):
Would that be? Would that be some show me and Brady?

Speaker 4 (56:16):
You know he know he knows all about you?

Speaker 6 (56:18):
You know?

Speaker 1 (56:18):
Is that right?

Speaker 4 (56:19):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (56:20):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (56:21):
All these guys that say they don't listen, they don't
pay attention to the media, they paid I did.

Speaker 2 (56:25):
A friend of mine I'm not going to say his name,
but in the media and he knows, uh, Bill Belichick,
and he said that this that Bill Belichick did ask
him about me.

Speaker 1 (56:35):
Tell me about this, Rob Parker, I want to know
you know what I mean, because.

Speaker 3 (56:38):
Well Belichick is a closeted sports radio listener.

Speaker 4 (56:42):
People don't know.

Speaker 3 (56:43):
Yeah, I met there's a radio guy New York named
Joe Beningo years ago. No Joe, Yeah, Joe's good guy.
So you should ask him the story sometime. He told
me the story at the Old Say Stadium that when
he was starting out, he was doing like overnights like
I'm doing now, but he was starting out doing overnights
and he seem like ten pals with Bill Belichick. Belichick

(57:03):
would listen on his way to the Jets facility in
the morning, you know, early in the morning, right and uh,
and they became like uh pen pals, like just you know,
they would they would communicated by different things. Yeah, I
think email at the time. And you wouldn't suspect Bill
Belichick is a sports radio listener right right now. You
wouldn't think of him as a consumer of our product.
But yeah he did. And you never know who's listening.

Speaker 2 (57:24):
So so this is the curious Partlet I'm curious Yeah,
eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox eight seven, seven
nine nine six sixty three sixty nine. Your expectations of
Tom Brady just just what do you expect? Insight a
little dry with what what are you expecting to get

(57:46):
from Brady on these broadcasts? Because ultimately it's about the game,
But he could make a name or career for itself,
you know what I mean, if he's.

Speaker 1 (57:54):
Able to make it. We've seen guys become really good.

Speaker 4 (57:58):
I want the entertainment fact.

Speaker 1 (57:59):
I don't know what he yeah, yeah, or what do
you want? What do you want from Brady?

Speaker 2 (58:03):
I mean, like like I've heard him on that Uh
who was that Jim Gray?

Speaker 1 (58:10):
Right?

Speaker 4 (58:10):
The podcast he does that every week. It's Buddy Jim Gray. Yeah,
they break it all down.

Speaker 3 (58:15):
Yeah, it's uh, they play Patty Cake.

Speaker 2 (58:18):
It doesn't it doesn't sound like you got any kind
of uh, you're expecting too much?

Speaker 3 (58:23):
No, not a lot of hard hitting questions on that
at the interview that he does every.

Speaker 2 (58:27):
Week, and and and and and who's the best who's
the best color analyst out there today? I know for
a while people were all into Tony Romo, but he
got he got what happened was he started calling every
play and it became and then it was wrong a lot,
and it just became too much right to watch.

Speaker 4 (58:45):
Yeah, yeah it was.

Speaker 3 (58:47):
And Barkley is not a color commentary because he's in
the studio, but he's so far ahead.

Speaker 4 (58:52):
It's like secretariat.

Speaker 3 (58:53):
He's so far ahead of everyone else that does this,
like the former players.

Speaker 4 (58:57):
It's hard.

Speaker 3 (58:58):
I don't even I watched the NFL every week, and
I usually tune out. I'm at the point now, Rob,
I don't feel like me. I kind of tune out
the broadcasters.

Speaker 4 (59:06):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
I don't even usually pay attention, just background noise to say,
elevator music to.

Speaker 1 (59:11):
Me, Well, there's some I want to hear something.

Speaker 2 (59:14):
If people have something to say and can give me insight,
especially what I should be looking for. That's what I'm
That's what I'm looking for, to say, somebody made a
great play, Ben, after I'm watching the that was a
great play. I would rather know why or or before
was you know, could he be in a position to
make a play or stuff like that. That's what I'm
really looking for. But we want to hear from you.

(59:36):
Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox expectations of Tom
Brady uh as a color analyst, the lead color analyst
on Fox. You're anticipating that he'll be great at it,
will be fun at it?

Speaker 1 (59:51):
Will he flop at it? What are you and what
are your expectations of Tom Brady? We'll do that.

Speaker 2 (59:57):
It is the odd couple Fox Sports Radio, Stick and
Stay America