September 2, 2021 • 29 mins
Chris and Rob explain why they believe Jon Gruden should be fired if the Las Vegas Raiders miss the playoffs yet again in year 4 of the Gruden Era, explain why the Golden State Warriors refusal to make a trade for another star like Ben Simmons shows that they aren't serious about winning a championship this season, and tell us why they aren't shocked that College Football Playoff expansion talk has been tabled.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. Let's go. It's
time for football. We are a week away from the
opening night of the NFL season, and I, for one,
couldn't be more excited. And Mike Mayock, the GM of
(00:47):
the Las Vegas Raiders, he came out robbed and for
a guy that honestly, I don't think has much power there,
I think it's all John Gruden as far as football
this is. Mike Mayott came out with a little boldness today,
stuck his chest out, put some bass in his voice,
(01:07):
and said this, John and I will both tell you
that we feel like we need to be a playoff
team this year. And I don't think there's any doubt
about that. And you guys are all gonna put that
in your headlines, and I understand it, but we're not.
I mean, that's what the expectation is. We think we've
done the infrastructure work necessary to put us in position,
and we got to take care of business. I like it.
(01:29):
I like it. I don't know how much there is
behind it, how much substance there is behind it, Rob,
But let me say this to you. Okay, he said it.
We gotta make the playoffs. We expect to make the playoffs.
We didn't say that. That's not what we didn't say.
We gotta make the playoffs. Yes, he said we expect
to make the playoffs. I'm not you know what I mean.
(01:50):
You can give enough room for him. That's enough wiggle room,
Yes it is, and that I got a problem with that.
And Chris, and I don't mean to cut you off
if you want to, No, I just you know, to
get up there and say what they expect them. They've
been expecting to make the playoffs for the last three years,
going on the fourth year, so saying you expect to
make the playoffs is nothing. I mean, you know what
(02:12):
the four teams would say that exactly. I mean, Chris,
in this NFL where things turn around year to year
and the league is kind of set up on that.
He didn't say anything, Mike Mayock, how about stepping up
to the plate and turning the mic on and saying,
we're gonna make the playoffs this year. We have a
(02:33):
good enough team and if we don't, there's a problem
here in Las Vegas. And it ain't just at the
craps table, because they need to make the playoffs already.
John Gruden has a ridiculous contract. Mike Mayock was a
talking head on television when they gave him the GM job.
I don't know if he's a pen push or pencil
(02:54):
push or whatever you want to call him, because he's
knocked up making all the decisions. But Chris enough is
enough with the Raiders. Come on, it's ridiculous. They started
the year ain't and three last year, Rob g Am
I wrong, they started ain't three? Well, the three years
Gruden's been there there there kind of their custom has
been to start strong and fizzle right every ye Like,
(03:18):
It's not like they haven't won any games, Chris right, right?
Didn't they be in Kansas City last year early on? Oh? Yeah, no.
They've shown problems here and there, but they haven't been
able to finish the job all right. So let me
ask you this, Rob, Let's cut to the chase. If
they don't make the playoffs, what should happen? John Gruden
should be can, Mike Mayock should be can. Period. If
(03:42):
it's a real organization, if they're really trying to win,
If this is just a love fest. Uh, because the owner,
uh you know, loves John Gruden and the ground he
walks on, then he'll be coached forever, Chris, because because
when you have that kind of relationship, it's not built
(04:04):
on results. And I keep saying sports as a short
menu wins and losses, and the Raiders have lost way
too many games with some of the talent that they have.
So enough with John Gruden. Do we have to go
back twenty years ago when he was a coach of
the Bucks. Go, Chris. Look at his last four or
(04:24):
five years in Tampa. He was bad, that the team
was bad. So now you look at John Gruden and
you string those two together, it's been like eight or
nine years, all right, eight or nine years not to
make the playoffs. I hear you, Rob, and so I'm
in agreement. What you're saying is John Gruden should be
(04:44):
on the hot seat. And I am in agreement with
you on that. Here's the thing, and you alluded to it.
I don't think he is now. Look if they go
they win three or four games, finished last in that division,
then yeah he might. He might get fired, but we
all remember four years ago when he got the ten year,
(05:09):
one hundred million dollars guaranteed deal. So Rob, as much
as right as you are, I don't think he's on
the hot seat. I think Mayock is. I think if
they have a they don't make the playoffs this year,
Mayock could end up being the scapegoat. But I think
(05:33):
it will have to be horrible like Dartner mutiny from
the players for Gruden to be fired just because of
his contract and his personality and stature. And I think
they want a face like that in Vegas. It's not
the right thing, but I think it is what it is.
(05:55):
And Rob, I'm with you. Look, John Gruden, this is
his fourth year with the Raiders. They have yet to
have a winning season. And Rob, I'm sorry all this
four or five year plan. It's only a couple of
franchise we're gonna give you give Jacksonville a couple of years,
(06:16):
a couple of years. You're giving the Jets a few years.
You know, they're those horrible teams. You're giving a little
bit of time. But two years before John Gruden took over,
they were twelve and four. They were twelve and four.
And my thing is this, Rob, not it doesn't happen
in every situation, but a lot of times you might
(06:41):
even be able to say most times, a great coach
great often turns the team around. If not immediately, then quickly.
Andy Reid goes to Kansas City, all of a sudden,
they're top team. Sean McDermott, all of a sudden, they're
(07:04):
a top team. In Buffalo, they hadn't made the playoffs
in seventeen years, and Sean McDermott puts him in in
his first year. Sean McVay, we saw what he did
with the Rams office and they're a top team. So Rob,
you don't, I mean, enough's enough, there's no more excuses.
(07:26):
And you brought up Tampa. We know John Gruden and
I'm not taking credit away from him for this. He won,
but what was his team? Players? But he was the coach? Fine, well,
you get get right, but Rob, that his last six years,
the next six years in Tampa wasn't make the play
They made it twice, we didn't win a playoff game.
(07:49):
This is what I'm trying to six years right that
when you add that to what he's done now the
first three years, and I want to go back because
you know, Mike Mayock, Yeah, you know you got gonna
make a headline. You know what a headline is, Chris.
A headline was from two thousand, late in the two
thousand season. And you'll remember this when Jim Fossil, the
(08:12):
late Jim Fossil was the coach of the Giants. Do
you remember Chris stood up there the Giants with scuffling
and he said, I guarantee you will make the playoffs.
Do you remember that? That was Jim Fossil. And guess
what they did that year? They didn't even make just
make the playoffs. They went to the Super Bowl. Chris,
that was Jim Fossil's team. And I'm talking about when
(08:33):
you want to stand up there and stick your chest out,
you better talk about it in definite terms. And I
have more respect for Jim Fossil. That could have blew
up in his face, Chris, right, and that could have
been it. He guaranteed that that team was good enough
and that it would make the playoffs. So I want
to hear Mike Mayock and John Gruden stand up and
(08:54):
say we have everything, We've put this team together, and
this team is a playoff team. I don't care what
division we're in. We're making the playoffs, but we're gonna
make Las Vegas proud. I hear you, But I wouldn't
do that. If I were one of them, I wouldn't.
Why would I do that. The writers can do that,
(09:17):
the reporters, the broadcaster, the talking heads like us, we
can say that. But if I'm on the hot seat,
if I'm even worried that, you know, look, I'm looking back,
like I know, it's been three years. We haven't even
had to win the season. Why in the world, Rob,
You're not wrong in that. You want conviction, but it
(09:40):
doesn't coach no good. Yeah, but what they should go
out there and say we're gonna make the playoffs? What
they said, what they said was nothing today they're expect
supposed to do. Right. Is there a coach in the
league that's gonna come out and say we're gonna win
the Super Bowl? No, even they think they I'm just
(10:01):
saying night it's the it's similar, it's a you know,
it's a higher level obviously, But I'm just saying, I
don't think any of these dudes gonna make guarantees like
that all And you know in New York, rob And
and Fossil did do it. But in New York a
lot of times players particularly get kind of tricked into
making a guarantee. Yeah, I'm not into the always asking
(10:25):
what I'm saying. I'm talking about John Gruon's tenure. There, Chris,
you just said it haven't had a winning record having
made the playoffs enough already. This is year four. Most
coaches get four or five years. Chris, here, we come right,
this is a long time, so long to not have
a winning record or years before. Could you be nine
(10:47):
and seven and just missed the playoffs? You know what
I'm saying, Like you would say, Okay, they're on their way,
all right. Eight seven, seven ninety nine on fix eight
seven seven, nine, nine, six sixty three sixty nine. That's
me crushed, killed, melted, Rob g He's in tears, He's
on the floor in the embryonic position. Fox Sports Radio
(11:10):
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. Hey,
this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on
my podcast Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your
typical sportspod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat
(11:33):
every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all
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Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever
you get your podcasts. All right, let's move to the NBA,
(11:57):
and the story came out today in Athletic kind of
pouring water on the notion that Ben Simmons could end
up with the Golden State Warriors. Now, for those who
haven't been following this, it's not basketball seasons or maybe
you're out there, but Ben Simmons then battled Ben Simmons,
(12:20):
of course, after that horrific playoff series against Atlanta in
which he refused to shoot, was scared to shoot, shot
horribly from the file line. It was clear that the
Sixers were looking to move on from him and trade him.
I mean, Doc Rivers said he did know if he
win a championship with him as his point guard. Joe
(12:40):
LMBI blamed him for, you know, the collapse in that game,
and then Ben kind of turned it on them. I
was like, you know what I want out, You can't
fire me because I quit it kind of that that
kind of thing. And now Ben Simmons is taking it
to the next level and saying he will not show
(13:01):
up for training camp, so he wants them to trade him.
And there's been a lot of speculation in Minnesota, Toronto
have been teams trying to get him, and there's been
speculation about Portland obviously with Damian Lillard CJ. McCollum of
Bradley Bill in Washington, but one of the most persistent
ones has been the notion that he could go to
(13:22):
Golden State and join Steph and Clay and Draymond. And
there was a story to day the Athletic get kind
of poo poo that notion, saying it's not likely to happen,
so stop talking about it. They did have talks, but
Daryl Moray robbed the Sixers GM's he has such a
(13:44):
unrealistic asking price for Ben Simmons. He called up Golden
State before the draft, says, I want Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman,
who was last year's number three pick, the seventh and
fourteenth picks from this year's draft, and two more future
first rounders. Golden State said, Noah hung up the phone.
(14:09):
Haven't talked to him since. According to this story, Rob,
I want to and Judge and Joe Lacop, the owner
of the Sixers. I'm sorry the Warriors and his son
is very prominent in the front office. They've talked about
this and Rob GE's gonna read us a quote from
(14:29):
Lakeop talking about what their game plan is and why,
at least at this point, they really aren't likely to
get Ben Simmons. Rob, do you had that quote? I do.
He said it right after the draft he spoke to
the Athletic. Here's what he said. Quote. The more likely
path instead of pushing all the chips all in, and
the path that I think, as an owner I feel
(14:49):
most comfortable with, quite frankly, is to bridge the gap
to the future. We've got three or four contracts and
big players that are still in their early thirties still
have quite a bit of time to go, especially as
day and age. If we can kind of have a
Wiseman and a Kaminga and a Moody and a pool
helping the meantime great, they don't have to be awesome
next year. Then he added later, if we can't win now,
(15:12):
you should look at Joe Lacobs, Bob Myers and Steph
Curry and Clay Thompson, Draymond Green Andrew Wiggins and say
you just weren't good enough. Rob What are your thoughts
on there? Player? Basically, it sounds like he doesn't want
to go all the way in right now part in
large part because he wants the build sustained excellence if
(15:36):
you want to go that far. But you know, like
a team that's constantly in the playoffs and on the
borderline of that contender status. I guess that's what he's
looking to build. You agree with this approach, Robbers? Should
he go all the way in? I think the Warriors
are making a rrendous mistake in that they think like
some long window they're gonna win a four years from
(15:58):
now or something. It's win now at all costs, as
long as you have Steph Curry and you hope that
Clay Thompson could come back and be uh somewhat close
to what he was and Draymond's you know, it was
going the other way. Chris, what I mean, what are
you looking at with with with some of the teams
that are already in the West and then the teams
(16:20):
you'd have to be to actually win a championship with
that core, Go out and get the best available player
for the next four years, Chris, like a guy who
can play and who could add to the team. And
I'm not talking about that crazy trade Philadelphia with nine
first round now, I'm not talking about Okay, when they
(16:41):
come back to Earth, then I would pick up the phone.
But I'm not ripping them for not taking that deal.
But they didn't do anything at the trade, you know,
at the draft. Just look at at their philosophy. Yeah,
what they're thinking. And you can't do both. I think
it's a mistake to think you're gonna do both. And
they haven't wanted a couple of years. And Durant's not
(17:02):
on that team anymore, Clay hasn't played in two years.
I'm just saying, you don't want to look up four
years from now and wondering why you haven't been able
to compete for a championship again? And I think you know,
and then they'll say, well, that didn't make sense all
these young guys, I get it, Chris. You know it
was like Boston when they had to twenty first round picks, right,
(17:26):
what did that get them? Did that get them anything?
And they've they've wasted that that wasn't wasted or just
hasn't you know, developed into anything? You're do you remember, everybody, Danny,
ain't you got all these first round picks? I love?
The Celtics are gonna be loaded for a long time.
He's out of a job, Chris, He's out of a job.
Think about that, right, well, Rob, what's happened is a
(17:49):
lot of these front office executives, in the name of
self preservation, have convinced these owners that the value of
a draft pick is way beyond what it actually is. Rob.
How many how many lottery picks of the Sacramento Kings
had recently? How many lottery picks did the Clippers have
(18:12):
for all those years? Remember every year they're in the
lottery at the top A lot of times. I'm starting
most hear me, and hear me. Well, most lottery picks.
Rob lottery picks don't pan out. Ye, most lottery picks
don't pan out. We're not even talking about first round
(18:36):
picks fifteen through thirty. We're talking about lottery picks. And
I'm not saying it's not good to have some draft picks,
Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying, let's bring a
little balance to this situation. And what's happened is these
gems they tell the owners, they sell them on. Oh
(18:57):
I got all these picks were gonna really be We're
set up to really be funky in the next few years,
over the next decade because we have so many draft
picks and it buys them time. When your team is weak,
you point to the draft picks. You tell the owner us,
all right, because look at this kid at Georgia, look
at this kid at Duke wherever, look at this high
(19:19):
school kid, look at this kid in the G League.
We can get him. I mean, they're they're self preservation,
but it's not helping your team. There are no five
year plans that that's all changed. And that's why I'm
saying you should be trying when you have the players.
You have to put the best together, the best team.
(19:40):
You have to win that year or maybe that year
and maybe the next year, two years. But if you're
looking like, oh yeah, these guys will developing three or
four years and then we will have a good team again,
I just don't buy into that. I want I want product,
hurry that You're right, like, you have to max of
(20:00):
mine these guys window period the end, and if you
fall off a cliff after they they're done, but you
get one or two more titles, so be it. You're
everybody falls off, right, rob The Lakers are by far
the best NBA franchise I think, period. But you know,
(20:23):
obviously you can argue Boston because they both have seventeen championships.
But lately, since the sixth, nineteen eighty going forward, the
Lakers that by far been the best franchise in the NBA,
and they've had down times. They don't last long because
they got good leadership. They've had good leadership, but they've
(20:45):
had down periods. So it's inevitable, all right. But you
have when you get a you know, a Hall of
fame superstar player who can win champions and ships, you
need to you owe it to your fans, You owe
it to that player, you owe it to your organization
(21:07):
to try to maximize his window forget. You know, if
you can still have some good young players when he's gone, fine,
that's nice, that's icing. But the number one priority needs
to be building. And you're right, Philadelphia's out of their minds.
They're bonkers. When you come to us with something realistic,
(21:29):
then we can talk. But the Warriors should be pounding
the pavement, rob they should be beating the bushers, They
should be talking to other teams around the league. I
think they should be going hard after a Bradley Bill.
I do like Ben Simmons there. I think they need
to try to move Draymond in that deal. I don't
(21:50):
know that I like him and Draymond together. It's he
could be the crust Draymond. You know, he's a younger,
better version of Draymond. The only thing he doesn't he
doesn't have, obviously the motor and the installational abilities that yeah,
the intangels that Draymond has, but the game is very
similar in that regard. The only thing Draymond has over
(22:11):
him is that Draymond will at least take the shot
right he'll at least take the three pointer. Right, it
might not go in, but but he'll he'll take it
to remain a threat. And so Ben's got to get
to that point. But rob Ben Simmons, Clay Thompson, h
Steph Curry, if they can somehow keeping Andrew Wiggins, I mean,
that's a nice squad. And you're right, look look at
(22:34):
what the Lakers are doing. Are the Lakers worried about
the future. I mean, we talked about it last year,
Rob in their in their quest to keep Taylor Horton Tucker,
they didn't go after Kyle Lowry and it cost them,
But now they're all in on building and trying to
win the championship now, So you think you're beating a
(22:58):
healthy Lakers team with what they Steph had arguably his
best individual season ever. Arguably you didn't even make the playoffs.
Thank you the guy. The guy was in the conversation
for MVP, right, So what do you what do you do?
Draymond was there too, Yo, you just miss Clay. But
(23:19):
as Hey, look, I'll give Golden States some credit that
they're gonna be I think they'll be a good playoff
team this year. If Clay can be Clay, but Clay
by himself, Rob not with what the Lakers. And I
know the Lakers are a miss mash and it's gonna
be a chemistry experiment. But still the talent is there.
You're lucky to you know, the Clippers may not be
(23:39):
whole because of Kauai. Phoenix has emerged. You know, Denver
is probably gonna keep getting a little more and more
experience and better and better. You know, we can there's
other teams. Dallas is coming with Luca, like they've got
to be building. Rob. What does our man antonineil Daniels
always say, it's an arms race. It's in arms race.
(24:02):
Go get your weapons, go get your right And you
can't do Chris, you can't compete with a starter pistol,
you know what I mean. Like like, there's your young
guys and you just can't wait and hope that they're
going to develop, because what if they don't? What if
they don't? Right, I'm with you, and they look I
(24:23):
like Comingia looks good. Wiseman, I've always liked him in
Golden State. But you know, if there's a reasonable deal
where I can upgrade and have a chance to win
the Championship. Now, then that's what I'm trying to do.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
(24:46):
iHeart Radio app. All right, Rob, we talked a few
I guess and now I think it was a few
months ago at this point about the playoff expansion in
college football. And at that time, it really seemed like
the twelve team playoffs was coming, and they had momentum,
(25:07):
and you know, everybody seem or most people seem like
they were four it, at least the people on the committee,
and it seemed like that was going to be the
next phase of college football. And now it is being
put on hold and very much in jeopardy. And as
much as I'm for and you know this role, I'm
for the playoff expansion. I'm for the twelve team playoff,
(25:32):
but I understand why it's on hold, and that's because
Oklahoma and Texas are about to leave the Big twelve
suit and it looks like the SEC are they creating
some type of super conference and then we'll you know,
the Pac twelve and the Big Ten and like some
of these other big conferences that are left out. I mean, Rob,
(25:54):
there are people that think we could end up with two,
maybe three super conferences, like almost like a you know,
the first division is maybe I don't know, forty fifty
teams because let's face it, that's really what it is anyway. Well,
but forty fifty teams at the top level, almost like
(26:16):
the NFL. So I think with all this influx, I
don't think you can institute a twelve team playoffs at
this point. You gotta see how the conferences play out first.
In my opinion, I also think there's distrust amongst all
these guys like trying to figure it out because of
what's happened Chris, Like people sneaking out of their conference
in the middle of the night, right leaving the other
(26:38):
the other ones in the learning tracks in its in effect,
you know, like they like like some of them have
affected the TV contracts right because some of the schools
have pulled out, And then that gives a clause to
ESPN or Fox to say, wait a minute, no, no, no,
we didn't sign up for this without these teams. So
(26:58):
you know what I mean, like we got a problem
and we're gonna avoid out the contract. I mean, it
is just it's been insane this past offseason. I with
college football and where it's headed, Chris, And you're right.
I mean it's going to be the halves and the
have nots. It's a flat out money grab by college football. Now,
(27:21):
you're right, and there's no way under this these circumstances,
in this type of climate that you should be putting
down anything definitive as far as the playoff. So I'm
with these guys or that, but you you are right
as well. I mean, how would you feel? I guess
(27:42):
you know, if they wind up? Rode would say two
or three Super conferences totally. I don't know, fifty forty
to fifty teams and those are basically the squads that
you know, compete for almost like the NFL rop where
you know you got a certain amount that will make
the playoffs or whatever, but it's done like the NFL.
(28:05):
Would you be okay with that? It would destroy we
have the NFL. College football is supposed to be a
little different. They're blurring the lines. We might not recognize
college football and it might be a step under the NFL,
you know what I mean? Like, I think they've done
a lot of damage to college football. I mean, it
(28:29):
would certainly be different. We all grew up with the
tradition of college football the way it's been. Things change,
I get that. But because when you start ripping apart
and putting teams you know, and other conferences, it just, yeah,
it's being done, you know what I mean, Like it's
already in motion. The momentum is there, and that's the
(28:49):
thing I think we may end up with that rob
And like we've said before, I mean, the reality is
you really do have about, you know, forty fifty teams
that are really playing for the crown, and so it
won't be terrible in that regard. But the bottom line
is you can't put anything solid down on paper and
into law until this thing is worked out.
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. Let's go. It's
time for football. We are a week away from the
opening night of the NFL season, and I, for one,
couldn't be more excited. And Mike Mayock, the GM of
(00:47):
the Las Vegas Raiders, he came out robbed and for
a guy that honestly, I don't think has much power there,
I think it's all John Gruden as far as football
this is. Mike Mayott came out with a little boldness today,
stuck his chest out, put some bass in his voice,
(01:07):
and said this, John and I will both tell you
that we feel like we need to be a playoff
team this year. And I don't think there's any doubt
about that. And you guys are all gonna put that
in your headlines, and I understand it, but we're not.
I mean, that's what the expectation is. We think we've
done the infrastructure work necessary to put us in position,
and we got to take care of business. I like it.
(01:29):
I like it. I don't know how much there is
behind it, how much substance there is behind it, Rob,
But let me say this to you. Okay, he said it.
We gotta make the playoffs. We expect to make the playoffs.
We didn't say that. That's not what we didn't say.
We gotta make the playoffs. Yes, he said we expect
to make the playoffs. I'm not you know what I mean.
(01:50):
You can give enough room for him. That's enough wiggle room,
Yes it is, and that I got a problem with that.
And Chris, and I don't mean to cut you off
if you want to, No, I just you know, to
get up there and say what they expect them. They've
been expecting to make the playoffs for the last three years,
going on the fourth year, so saying you expect to
make the playoffs is nothing. I mean, you know what
(02:12):
the four teams would say that exactly. I mean, Chris,
in this NFL where things turn around year to year
and the league is kind of set up on that.
He didn't say anything, Mike Mayock, how about stepping up
to the plate and turning the mic on and saying,
we're gonna make the playoffs this year. We have a
(02:33):
good enough team and if we don't, there's a problem
here in Las Vegas. And it ain't just at the
craps table, because they need to make the playoffs already.
John Gruden has a ridiculous contract. Mike Mayock was a
talking head on television when they gave him the GM job.
I don't know if he's a pen push or pencil
(02:54):
push or whatever you want to call him, because he's
knocked up making all the decisions. But Chris enough is
enough with the Raiders. Come on, it's ridiculous. They started
the year ain't and three last year, Rob g Am
I wrong, they started ain't three? Well, the three years
Gruden's been there there there kind of their custom has
been to start strong and fizzle right every ye Like,
(03:18):
It's not like they haven't won any games, Chris right, right?
Didn't they be in Kansas City last year early on? Oh? Yeah, no.
They've shown problems here and there, but they haven't been
able to finish the job all right. So let me
ask you this, Rob, Let's cut to the chase. If
they don't make the playoffs, what should happen? John Gruden
should be can, Mike Mayock should be can. Period. If
(03:42):
it's a real organization, if they're really trying to win,
If this is just a love fest. Uh, because the owner,
uh you know, loves John Gruden and the ground he
walks on, then he'll be coached forever, Chris, because because
when you have that kind of relationship, it's not built
(04:04):
on results. And I keep saying sports as a short
menu wins and losses, and the Raiders have lost way
too many games with some of the talent that they have.
So enough with John Gruden. Do we have to go
back twenty years ago when he was a coach of
the Bucks. Go, Chris. Look at his last four or
(04:24):
five years in Tampa. He was bad, that the team
was bad. So now you look at John Gruden and
you string those two together, it's been like eight or
nine years, all right, eight or nine years not to
make the playoffs. I hear you, Rob, and so I'm
in agreement. What you're saying is John Gruden should be
(04:44):
on the hot seat. And I am in agreement with
you on that. Here's the thing, and you alluded to it.
I don't think he is now. Look if they go
they win three or four games, finished last in that division,
then yeah he might. He might get fired, but we
all remember four years ago when he got the ten year,
(05:09):
one hundred million dollars guaranteed deal. So Rob, as much
as right as you are, I don't think he's on
the hot seat. I think Mayock is. I think if
they have a they don't make the playoffs this year,
Mayock could end up being the scapegoat. But I think
(05:33):
it will have to be horrible like Dartner mutiny from
the players for Gruden to be fired just because of
his contract and his personality and stature. And I think
they want a face like that in Vegas. It's not
the right thing, but I think it is what it is.
(05:55):
And Rob, I'm with you. Look, John Gruden, this is
his fourth year with the Raiders. They have yet to
have a winning season. And Rob, I'm sorry all this
four or five year plan. It's only a couple of
franchise we're gonna give you give Jacksonville a couple of years,
(06:16):
a couple of years. You're giving the Jets a few years.
You know, they're those horrible teams. You're giving a little
bit of time. But two years before John Gruden took over,
they were twelve and four. They were twelve and four.
And my thing is this, Rob, not it doesn't happen
in every situation, but a lot of times you might
(06:41):
even be able to say most times, a great coach
great often turns the team around. If not immediately, then quickly.
Andy Reid goes to Kansas City, all of a sudden,
they're top team. Sean McDermott, all of a sudden, they're
(07:04):
a top team. In Buffalo, they hadn't made the playoffs
in seventeen years, and Sean McDermott puts him in in
his first year. Sean McVay, we saw what he did
with the Rams office and they're a top team. So Rob,
you don't, I mean, enough's enough, there's no more excuses.
(07:26):
And you brought up Tampa. We know John Gruden and
I'm not taking credit away from him for this. He won,
but what was his team? Players? But he was the coach? Fine, well,
you get get right, but Rob, that his last six years,
the next six years in Tampa wasn't make the play
They made it twice, we didn't win a playoff game.
(07:49):
This is what I'm trying to six years right that
when you add that to what he's done now the
first three years, and I want to go back because
you know, Mike Mayock, Yeah, you know you got gonna
make a headline. You know what a headline is, Chris.
A headline was from two thousand, late in the two
thousand season. And you'll remember this when Jim Fossil, the
(08:12):
late Jim Fossil was the coach of the Giants. Do
you remember Chris stood up there the Giants with scuffling
and he said, I guarantee you will make the playoffs.
Do you remember that? That was Jim Fossil. And guess
what they did that year? They didn't even make just
make the playoffs. They went to the Super Bowl. Chris,
that was Jim Fossil's team. And I'm talking about when
(08:33):
you want to stand up there and stick your chest out,
you better talk about it in definite terms. And I
have more respect for Jim Fossil. That could have blew
up in his face, Chris, right, and that could have
been it. He guaranteed that that team was good enough
and that it would make the playoffs. So I want
to hear Mike Mayock and John Gruden stand up and
(08:54):
say we have everything, We've put this team together, and
this team is a playoff team. I don't care what
division we're in. We're making the playoffs, but we're gonna
make Las Vegas proud. I hear you, But I wouldn't
do that. If I were one of them, I wouldn't.
Why would I do that. The writers can do that,
(09:17):
the reporters, the broadcaster, the talking heads like us, we
can say that. But if I'm on the hot seat,
if I'm even worried that, you know, look, I'm looking back,
like I know, it's been three years. We haven't even
had to win the season. Why in the world, Rob,
You're not wrong in that. You want conviction, but it
(09:40):
doesn't coach no good. Yeah, but what they should go
out there and say we're gonna make the playoffs? What
they said, what they said was nothing today they're expect
supposed to do. Right. Is there a coach in the
league that's gonna come out and say we're gonna win
the Super Bowl? No, even they think they I'm just
(10:01):
saying night it's the it's similar, it's a you know,
it's a higher level obviously, But I'm just saying, I
don't think any of these dudes gonna make guarantees like
that all And you know in New York, rob And
and Fossil did do it. But in New York a
lot of times players particularly get kind of tricked into
making a guarantee. Yeah, I'm not into the always asking
(10:25):
what I'm saying. I'm talking about John Gruon's tenure. There, Chris,
you just said it haven't had a winning record having
made the playoffs enough already. This is year four. Most
coaches get four or five years. Chris, here, we come right,
this is a long time, so long to not have
a winning record or years before. Could you be nine
(10:47):
and seven and just missed the playoffs? You know what
I'm saying, Like you would say, Okay, they're on their way,
all right. Eight seven, seven ninety nine on fix eight
seven seven, nine, nine, six sixty three sixty nine. That's
me crushed, killed, melted, Rob g He's in tears, He's
on the floor in the embryonic position. Fox Sports Radio
(11:10):
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. Hey,
this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on
my podcast Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your
typical sportspod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat
(11:33):
every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all
the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win
big at the sports book, and all the best guests.
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever
you get your podcasts. All right, let's move to the NBA,
(11:57):
and the story came out today in Athletic kind of
pouring water on the notion that Ben Simmons could end
up with the Golden State Warriors. Now, for those who
haven't been following this, it's not basketball seasons or maybe
you're out there, but Ben Simmons then battled Ben Simmons,
(12:20):
of course, after that horrific playoff series against Atlanta in
which he refused to shoot, was scared to shoot, shot
horribly from the file line. It was clear that the
Sixers were looking to move on from him and trade him.
I mean, Doc Rivers said he did know if he
win a championship with him as his point guard. Joe
(12:40):
LMBI blamed him for, you know, the collapse in that game,
and then Ben kind of turned it on them. I
was like, you know what I want out, You can't
fire me because I quit it kind of that that
kind of thing. And now Ben Simmons is taking it
to the next level and saying he will not show
(13:01):
up for training camp, so he wants them to trade him.
And there's been a lot of speculation in Minnesota, Toronto
have been teams trying to get him, and there's been
speculation about Portland obviously with Damian Lillard CJ. McCollum of
Bradley Bill in Washington, but one of the most persistent
ones has been the notion that he could go to
(13:22):
Golden State and join Steph and Clay and Draymond. And
there was a story to day the Athletic get kind
of poo poo that notion, saying it's not likely to happen,
so stop talking about it. They did have talks, but
Daryl Moray robbed the Sixers GM's he has such a
(13:44):
unrealistic asking price for Ben Simmons. He called up Golden
State before the draft, says, I want Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman,
who was last year's number three pick, the seventh and
fourteenth picks from this year's draft, and two more future
first rounders. Golden State said, Noah hung up the phone.
(14:09):
Haven't talked to him since. According to this story, Rob,
I want to and Judge and Joe Lacop, the owner
of the Sixers. I'm sorry the Warriors and his son
is very prominent in the front office. They've talked about
this and Rob GE's gonna read us a quote from
(14:29):
Lakeop talking about what their game plan is and why,
at least at this point, they really aren't likely to
get Ben Simmons. Rob, do you had that quote? I do.
He said it right after the draft he spoke to
the Athletic. Here's what he said. Quote. The more likely
path instead of pushing all the chips all in, and
the path that I think, as an owner I feel
(14:49):
most comfortable with, quite frankly, is to bridge the gap
to the future. We've got three or four contracts and
big players that are still in their early thirties still
have quite a bit of time to go, especially as
day and age. If we can kind of have a
Wiseman and a Kaminga and a Moody and a pool
helping the meantime great, they don't have to be awesome
next year. Then he added later, if we can't win now,
(15:12):
you should look at Joe Lacobs, Bob Myers and Steph
Curry and Clay Thompson, Draymond Green Andrew Wiggins and say
you just weren't good enough. Rob What are your thoughts
on there? Player? Basically, it sounds like he doesn't want
to go all the way in right now part in
large part because he wants the build sustained excellence if
(15:36):
you want to go that far. But you know, like
a team that's constantly in the playoffs and on the
borderline of that contender status. I guess that's what he's
looking to build. You agree with this approach, Robbers? Should
he go all the way in? I think the Warriors
are making a rrendous mistake in that they think like
some long window they're gonna win a four years from
(15:58):
now or something. It's win now at all costs, as
long as you have Steph Curry and you hope that
Clay Thompson could come back and be uh somewhat close
to what he was and Draymond's you know, it was
going the other way. Chris, what I mean, what are
you looking at with with with some of the teams
that are already in the West and then the teams
(16:20):
you'd have to be to actually win a championship with
that core, Go out and get the best available player
for the next four years, Chris, like a guy who
can play and who could add to the team. And
I'm not talking about that crazy trade Philadelphia with nine
first round now, I'm not talking about Okay, when they
(16:41):
come back to Earth, then I would pick up the phone.
But I'm not ripping them for not taking that deal.
But they didn't do anything at the trade, you know,
at the draft. Just look at at their philosophy. Yeah,
what they're thinking. And you can't do both. I think
it's a mistake to think you're gonna do both. And
they haven't wanted a couple of years. And Durant's not
(17:02):
on that team anymore, Clay hasn't played in two years.
I'm just saying, you don't want to look up four
years from now and wondering why you haven't been able
to compete for a championship again? And I think you know,
and then they'll say, well, that didn't make sense all
these young guys, I get it, Chris. You know it
was like Boston when they had to twenty first round picks, right,
(17:26):
what did that get them? Did that get them anything?
And they've they've wasted that that wasn't wasted or just
hasn't you know, developed into anything? You're do you remember, everybody, Danny,
ain't you got all these first round picks? I love?
The Celtics are gonna be loaded for a long time.
He's out of a job, Chris, He's out of a job.
Think about that, right, well, Rob, what's happened is a
(17:49):
lot of these front office executives, in the name of
self preservation, have convinced these owners that the value of
a draft pick is way beyond what it actually is. Rob.
How many how many lottery picks of the Sacramento Kings
had recently? How many lottery picks did the Clippers have
(18:12):
for all those years? Remember every year they're in the
lottery at the top A lot of times. I'm starting
most hear me, and hear me. Well, most lottery picks.
Rob lottery picks don't pan out. Ye, most lottery picks
don't pan out. We're not even talking about first round
(18:36):
picks fifteen through thirty. We're talking about lottery picks. And
I'm not saying it's not good to have some draft picks,
Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying, let's bring a
little balance to this situation. And what's happened is these
gems they tell the owners, they sell them on. Oh
(18:57):
I got all these picks were gonna really be We're
set up to really be funky in the next few years,
over the next decade because we have so many draft
picks and it buys them time. When your team is weak,
you point to the draft picks. You tell the owner us,
all right, because look at this kid at Georgia, look
at this kid at Duke wherever, look at this high
(19:19):
school kid, look at this kid in the G League.
We can get him. I mean, they're they're self preservation,
but it's not helping your team. There are no five
year plans that that's all changed. And that's why I'm
saying you should be trying when you have the players.
You have to put the best together, the best team.
(19:40):
You have to win that year or maybe that year
and maybe the next year, two years. But if you're
looking like, oh yeah, these guys will developing three or
four years and then we will have a good team again,
I just don't buy into that. I want I want product,
hurry that You're right, like, you have to max of
(20:00):
mine these guys window period the end, and if you
fall off a cliff after they they're done, but you
get one or two more titles, so be it. You're
everybody falls off, right, rob The Lakers are by far
the best NBA franchise I think, period. But you know,
(20:23):
obviously you can argue Boston because they both have seventeen championships.
But lately, since the sixth, nineteen eighty going forward, the
Lakers that by far been the best franchise in the NBA,
and they've had down times. They don't last long because
they got good leadership. They've had good leadership, but they've
(20:45):
had down periods. So it's inevitable, all right. But you
have when you get a you know, a Hall of
fame superstar player who can win champions and ships, you
need to you owe it to your fans, You owe
it to that player, you owe it to your organization
(21:07):
to try to maximize his window forget. You know, if
you can still have some good young players when he's gone, fine,
that's nice, that's icing. But the number one priority needs
to be building. And you're right, Philadelphia's out of their minds.
They're bonkers. When you come to us with something realistic,
(21:29):
then we can talk. But the Warriors should be pounding
the pavement, rob they should be beating the bushers, They
should be talking to other teams around the league. I
think they should be going hard after a Bradley Bill.
I do like Ben Simmons there. I think they need
to try to move Draymond in that deal. I don't
(21:50):
know that I like him and Draymond together. It's he
could be the crust Draymond. You know, he's a younger,
better version of Draymond. The only thing he doesn't he
doesn't have, obviously the motor and the installational abilities that yeah,
the intangels that Draymond has, but the game is very
similar in that regard. The only thing Draymond has over
(22:11):
him is that Draymond will at least take the shot
right he'll at least take the three pointer. Right, it
might not go in, but but he'll he'll take it
to remain a threat. And so Ben's got to get
to that point. But rob Ben Simmons, Clay Thompson, h
Steph Curry, if they can somehow keeping Andrew Wiggins, I mean,
that's a nice squad. And you're right, look look at
(22:34):
what the Lakers are doing. Are the Lakers worried about
the future. I mean, we talked about it last year,
Rob in their in their quest to keep Taylor Horton Tucker,
they didn't go after Kyle Lowry and it cost them,
But now they're all in on building and trying to
win the championship now, So you think you're beating a
(22:58):
healthy Lakers team with what they Steph had arguably his
best individual season ever. Arguably you didn't even make the playoffs.
Thank you the guy. The guy was in the conversation
for MVP, right, So what do you what do you do?
Draymond was there too, Yo, you just miss Clay. But
(23:19):
as Hey, look, I'll give Golden States some credit that
they're gonna be I think they'll be a good playoff
team this year. If Clay can be Clay, but Clay
by himself, Rob not with what the Lakers. And I
know the Lakers are a miss mash and it's gonna
be a chemistry experiment. But still the talent is there.
You're lucky to you know, the Clippers may not be
(23:39):
whole because of Kauai. Phoenix has emerged. You know, Denver
is probably gonna keep getting a little more and more
experience and better and better. You know, we can there's
other teams. Dallas is coming with Luca, like they've got
to be building. Rob. What does our man antonineil Daniels
always say, it's an arms race. It's in arms race.
(24:02):
Go get your weapons, go get your right And you
can't do Chris, you can't compete with a starter pistol,
you know what I mean. Like like, there's your young
guys and you just can't wait and hope that they're
going to develop, because what if they don't? What if
they don't? Right, I'm with you, and they look I
(24:23):
like Comingia looks good. Wiseman, I've always liked him in
Golden State. But you know, if there's a reasonable deal
where I can upgrade and have a chance to win
the Championship. Now, then that's what I'm trying to do.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
(24:46):
iHeart Radio app. All right, Rob, we talked a few
I guess and now I think it was a few
months ago at this point about the playoff expansion in
college football. And at that time, it really seemed like
the twelve team playoffs was coming, and they had momentum,
(25:07):
and you know, everybody seem or most people seem like
they were four it, at least the people on the committee,
and it seemed like that was going to be the
next phase of college football. And now it is being
put on hold and very much in jeopardy. And as
much as I'm for and you know this role, I'm
for the playoff expansion. I'm for the twelve team playoff,
(25:32):
but I understand why it's on hold, and that's because
Oklahoma and Texas are about to leave the Big twelve
suit and it looks like the SEC are they creating
some type of super conference and then we'll you know,
the Pac twelve and the Big Ten and like some
of these other big conferences that are left out. I mean, Rob,
(25:54):
there are people that think we could end up with two,
maybe three super conferences, like almost like a you know,
the first division is maybe I don't know, forty fifty
teams because let's face it, that's really what it is anyway. Well,
but forty fifty teams at the top level, almost like
(26:16):
the NFL. So I think with all this influx, I
don't think you can institute a twelve team playoffs at
this point. You gotta see how the conferences play out first.
In my opinion, I also think there's distrust amongst all
these guys like trying to figure it out because of
what's happened Chris, Like people sneaking out of their conference
in the middle of the night, right leaving the other
(26:38):
the other ones in the learning tracks in its in effect,
you know, like they like like some of them have
affected the TV contracts right because some of the schools
have pulled out, And then that gives a clause to
ESPN or Fox to say, wait a minute, no, no, no,
we didn't sign up for this without these teams. So
(26:58):
you know what I mean, like we got a problem
and we're gonna avoid out the contract. I mean, it
is just it's been insane this past offseason. I with
college football and where it's headed, Chris, And you're right.
I mean it's going to be the halves and the
have nots. It's a flat out money grab by college football. Now,
(27:21):
you're right, and there's no way under this these circumstances,
in this type of climate that you should be putting
down anything definitive as far as the playoff. So I'm
with these guys or that, but you you are right
as well. I mean, how would you feel? I guess
(27:42):
you know, if they wind up? Rode would say two
or three Super conferences totally. I don't know, fifty forty
to fifty teams and those are basically the squads that
you know, compete for almost like the NFL rop where
you know you got a certain amount that will make
the playoffs or whatever, but it's done like the NFL.
(28:05):
Would you be okay with that? It would destroy we
have the NFL. College football is supposed to be a
little different. They're blurring the lines. We might not recognize
college football and it might be a step under the NFL,
you know what I mean? Like, I think they've done
a lot of damage to college football. I mean, it
(28:29):
would certainly be different. We all grew up with the
tradition of college football the way it's been. Things change,
I get that. But because when you start ripping apart
and putting teams you know, and other conferences, it just, yeah,
it's being done, you know what I mean, Like it's
already in motion. The momentum is there, and that's the
(28:49):
thing I think we may end up with that rob
And like we've said before, I mean, the reality is
you really do have about, you know, forty fifty teams
that are really playing for the crown, and so it
won't be terrible in that regard. But the bottom line
is you can't put anything solid down on paper and
into law until this thing is worked out.
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