Aaron Torres & Jason Martin talk Masters Tournament, Nico Iamaleava drama & MORE!

Aaron Torres and Jason Martin recap the first three days of the Masters Tournament & dive into Tennessee moving on from QB Nico Iamaleava, & where he’s going next. The guys discuss the surprising news of the Denver Nuggets firing Mike Malone and wonder if Malone is really as great as everyone thinks he is, then transition into recapping the NCAAM Championship, & MORE! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Welcome in everybody, Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports Saturday Aertors
Jason Martin. We are broadcasting live from the tyrac dot
com studios tyrack dot com.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
We'll help you get.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
There and unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road azer protection,
and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyrack dot com. The
way tire buying should be Air tours in our Los
Angeles tirack dot Com studios. Jason Martin in the belly
of the college football Beast in Tennessee. We'll talk about

(00:38):
Nico Imamaliava in about ten minutes from now.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Jmart how are you.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
And as we do every time I'm out, what was
it like with Arnie Spanner last week?

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Go ahead, ley it.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
I'm in a fun time. We had a fun time
and I'm doing well, and I hope you are. I
got it. This is probably the single worst take I've
ever heard from Arnie spinch Oh came in the first second,
like I stopped him. As he said it. I was
just like, Okay, you're gonna need to defend that. Let
me do it, he said. He talked about how boring

(01:15):
the entire NCAA tournament was, and I could kind of
see where he was headed there, and he was just like,
and now we got these two blowouts in the final four,
and so we're in the second game. First of all,
at this point, I was just like wait, wait, whait
wait wait. At this point, like Duke was up pretty
big on Houston. Wasn't called a blowout, but they were
in control with this state at this stage. But the

(01:36):
first game was nowhere near a blowout, Like not like,
that's not even close to an accurate statement about that game.
That game was great. I was just like, that was
just a heck of a lot of fun to watch
that game. There was just a lot going on. And
he was just like, ah, but Florida ends up winning
it by like aight, Like, well, I think they won
it by six, and Auburn was within four in the

(01:59):
final minute the game, and he's just like, hey, they're
just blowouts. It was legit the worst take. And then
like thirty minutes later, obviously Duke gets beat right at
the end of the game, and I'm just like Arnie, man,
that thing aged like milk, Like that was just peak
Arnie Spaniard, because within the same hour he said it

(02:22):
it had been completely destroyed, and it was actually not
accurate when he said it in the first place. So
that was a that was a rare that was rare,
even for Arnie.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
I will say I like that take because this tournament
more than any other, and we'll have plenty of time
to recap. The tournament was literally known as like the
Great Comeback Tournament. I mean, Florida was down, I think
like four with like however many seconds to go against
Yukon rally remember Arkansas, and the Sweet sixteen was up
I think eight with like two fifty seven to go

(02:54):
Texas Tech rallies to win. Florida, by the way, was down,
I believe because you and I did the show right after.
I believe it was like eight with uh what was
that kidding?

Speaker 1 (03:05):
The last five minutes.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
It was like the last two minutes, I think it
was like eighth with one fifty seven to go. Florida
comes back and wins, So, like you know, and it
was funny. I filled in with Mike Harmon right before
I left, and I love Harmon. This isn't a criticism,
but you know, he's Some of these NCAA tournament takes
are just absurd, Like again, I'm not criticizing other people

(03:26):
on our airwaves. I love working with Harmon, but but
he pulled the outside of Cooper flag. The segment was
the women's tournament is better than the men's tournament, And
he said, outside of Cooper Flag, what's interesting about the
men's tournament? And I was like, well, outside of Page Beckers,
what's interesting about the women's tournament? Like I mean, yeah,
let's take out the best player who's gonna be the

(03:48):
number one pick in the draft. So yeah, that is uh,
that is peak Arney Spaniard. And I'll say this. We'll
get to the Master's here in half a second, and
we have plenty of time to recap the NCAA tournament.
I understand the idea that, like you know, March is
generally defined by upsets and all that. But you and
I talked about it the last time I was on
air two weeks ago. Is that I thought, basically from

(04:11):
the second round on, it was a highly entertaining tournament.
You know, you go to the three final four games.
You know, people are saying it was the best most
competitive final four ever. Obviously how it ended whatever, But
you go back to the Elite eight, I thought Auburn
Michigan State with Broome coming off the injury was fun.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
I thought it was a really fun tournament.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
And again, I know this is what we talked about,
you know, two Saturdays ago, but it's like, I get
we love upsets, but I'll take Duke Alabama in the
Elite eight. I'll take Tennessee Houston. Even though it didn't
necessarily all turn into good games, best team's biggest stages.
I thought it was a really fun tournament. But maybe
I'm biased, so yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
No, I thought it was I thought it was a
great tournament. There were a couple of duds, but generally speaking,
it was high level basketball and everybody was fighting their
guts out against their opponents and the officials, which we
we'll talk about it, but I had a massive issue
with the officiating, especially in the final game. And it

(05:12):
wasn't directed in one it wasn't in one direction. It
was just overall, I thought it was dreadful. But outside
of the human error that's always going to potentially be there,
I thought it was a I just thought it was
a great sporting event.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
I thought it was too We will get back to
the NCAA tournament about an hour from now. Of course,
Florida rallying to beat Houston. Florida, by the way, had
their championship celebration sixty thousand gators in the swamp this afternoon.
We'll talk college hoops in a minute. But jaymart you
know NCAA tournament ends on Monday. You know what that
means Thursday, you immediately switch gears to Augusta.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
You're the golf guy.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
I'm gonna kind of, you know, to use golf pun
I'm gonna lay out and kind of defer to you
a little bit. But you know, Ry McElroy obviously, I
think everybody kind of knows at this point what's going
on at Augusta right now. But you know, listen, Rory
is looking to complete the career Grand Slam. Has a
six hunder sixty six today. Of course, Bryson d Chambeau
makes a run late. Bryson, of course, is two back

(06:14):
from Rory. Rory, like I said, what is it about
eleven straight years, He's just needed the Masters to complete
the career Grand Slam.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
But that's what's going on at Augusta. J Martin, you're
the golf guy.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
I'm going to defer to you on what we have
seen the first three days and what it means going
into Sunday tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
Oh well, I man, Rory start, I mean, three's on
the first six holes, just outrageously good stuff, as hot
as you will ever see a golfer, especially off the
start at Augusta like that. I honestly thought, based on
how the realm was playing out, he was going to
have a bigger lead than two shots at the end.
So credit to Bryson, because Bryson was just kind of there.

(06:52):
He was just sort of hanging around, hanging around, and
then he got a couple to drop for him late
in the round and now he's within two. And that's
certainly been striking distance because for a lot of the
day Rory was up four and it just seemed like
this is his tournament to lose. It still is, no question,
but Bryson, you know, Bryson's reigning US Open champion, and

(07:14):
he can go extremely low if he is on. And
Rory has played outstanding throughout this tournament. But we have
seen him come apart on Sundays, yep. And so he's
gonna have to He's gonna have to exercise those demons.
He's gonna have to get rid of those and not
think about what's happened in the past, because if something
starts to go wrong in his round early, the voices

(07:37):
are gonna start talking to him in his own head,
and he's gonna have to shut those out because he's
certainly he should win the tournament. Honestly, you're up to
you're going into Sunday. But the pressure Sunday at Augusta
is unlike anything else in sports, and it has broken
Hall of famers regularly throughout the years. So I can't

(07:59):
wait to watch his gonna be great at that final
pairing is just that's as good as it gets, uh
in golf. And you know, this is my favorite sporting
event of the year, and it has not let us
down as a great leaderboard going into Saturday when the
when the main coverage took over, and so Sunday should
be should it should be a really, really tense, exciting final,

(08:21):
And I want to see whether Rory can do it.
Like you said, it's the eleventh time he's had a
chance at this career Grand Slam. Can he finally get
that green jacket? Because Bryson, I don't think is gonna
go anywhere. I think at the very least Bryson's gonna
play at least even golf. So so Rory can't go
out there and have a couple of double bogies or

(08:43):
something like that and expect to win it. Uh, maybe
he could par at home. I don't know, but there's
probably somebody else five shots off the lead that's gonna
go fairly low and then be done and probably feel
pretty good about himself. Somewhere in the ten eleven under range.
I can see somebody that doesn't. Maybe you have quite
as much pressure, ending up doing pretty well on the

(09:03):
back nine and putting himselves in position. But I think
it should be a great Sunday, Like for anybody that
has even a tertiary interesting golf, you should.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
Watch Patrick Reid six shots back, Jason Day seven shots back,
Shane Lowry, and Scotti Schefler seven shots back as well.
Let me ask you this again, you're a little bit
more of a golfer story than I am. But obviously
we all remember last year US Open, same two kind
of you know, people involved. McElroy has the lead late,

(09:33):
obviously missed two short putts in the final three holes.
Bryson d Chambeau comes back seventy second hole wins the
do you think, like, like, if you're Rory, Because Rory,
you know, he's been around for so long, even though
he's only thirty five, which is kind of crazy. But
I mean he's had a few of these on Sunday
in a big tournament.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
Now.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
I don't want to disregard the fact that he is
a guy that has won multiple Grand Slams, just trying
to look year total of four in his career, but
he's also had some pretty big meltdowns.

Speaker 3 (10:05):
Do you think it's in his head?

Speaker 2 (10:06):
Because it is interesting four career Grand slams, none since
twenty fourteen, and like I said, that includes of course,
kind of a late meltdown last year at the US Open.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
Yeah. Again, like you look at these two guys that
are up top, and Rory is somebody that he just
when things start to go wrong, he starts to his
shoulders slump a little bit and there's a bit of
a it almost looks like he's depressed out there. It's
just kind of a body language thing watching Rory when

(10:38):
things start to go wrong. Deshambo. His issue is he
gets too emotional. He wears his emotions on his sleeve.
You can see that. You know that just the conversations
he has with his caddies that can sometimes get extremely
animated because they just have a disagreement on a club
or whatever like that, and sometimes he can out think himself.

(11:01):
But his emotions, it sometimes can be they're the reason
he wins, but they're also the reason he loses, Like
he's not the same player without them. But he's the
kind of guy that can almost go on tilt. Rory
doesn't go on tilt. Rory just kind of like he
needs an antidepressant or something like that out there. So
I would watch that. I think that the early stages

(11:21):
of the round are going to be critical for him,
especially but Rory is going to remember a Sunday in
which from holes ten to eighteen he completely detonated and
blew a chance at winning a major years and years ago,
when I'll never forget. So it's just going to be
a matter of at thirty five, is he willing to

(11:42):
just kind of forget about the past, get out of
his own way and recognize how talented he is, or
is something going to get into his head that's going
to cause him some issues. I think both of these
guys have the possibility not only to win, but to
do something special. They both because of the way that
they run, they both also had the tendency to spectacularly

(12:05):
flame out in this thing.

Speaker 3 (12:06):
Yeah I'm looking right now. Was the leader.

Speaker 2 (12:10):
This is all the way back in twenty eleven, so
we are talking about fourteen years ago at this point.
Was the was the He had a four stroke lead
after fifty four holes, ended up shooting in eight over
on the final day.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
I don't know if it was twenty eleven. I do
vividly remember.

Speaker 1 (12:28):
This horrific What's that? It was horrific. I think it
was hard to watch.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
It's so funny the stuff that you remember. But I
remember watching a final round of the Masters with my grandmother,
who rest in peace. I love her to death, but
she passed away in twenty eighteen. And so we're talking
it was probably pre like twenty sixteen or before. I
don't know if it was twenty eleven or not, but
I remember, you know, kind of explaining to her, hey,
this kid's like twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, whatever

(12:55):
it was. So I don't remember if it was twenty eleven.
I think there was another one in at the Masters
where he had where I don't know if he was
in contention or if he had the lead or whatever.
Maybe it was twenty eleven, but I just vividly remember that.
And so that was again she passed away in twenty eighteen,
So that's seven years ago. So that shows you how
long he's been in contention on Sundays. But but yeah,

(13:17):
anything else to add on Rory J Mark.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
You remember the whole I like the tournament that you're
thinking of is the same one I'm thinking of where
there's one like indelible image in my head of you know,
like a kind of a white building to the left
and Augusta which he basically hit like I mean, he
hit the thing so far to the left that it

(13:39):
like went through the hospitality area. Ah, unbelievable, Like it
was the I remember that one. I remember Phil doing
it at Wingfoot he hit it off the hospitality tent
in the final round of the US Open, and just
an incredible collapse at the end of that thing. But
that Rory, the Rory collapse is one that is up

(13:59):
there with it. Just I'm never going to forget it.
I'm never gonna forget that one. I'm never gonna forget
Greg Norman on Sunday letting Nick Faldo come back from
seven strokes down to beat him.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
Well, Greg Norman is the famous one. But yeah, Rory, yeah,
it had to have been twenty eleven. I didn't think
it was quite that long ago. I'm also seeing that
in twenty sixteen he shot he was in the final
pairing in the third round but shot a five over
seventy seven and ultimately finished for tenth. So finished tenth,
excuse me in the tournament. So Rory has had some

(14:35):
tough late, you know, late rounds at the Masters. But
two stroke lead over Bryson d Chambeau a six under
sixty six. Yeah, it's crazy, really quick, I'll say this.
I was actually I was actually had a baby shower
today and my buddy's stepdad was monitoring it on the phone.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
He's like, Rory is crushing right now.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
So when I saw that he only had you mentioned,
it felt like at various points in the round that
it was going to be a bigger lead than it
ended up being.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (15:04):
Yeah, I was a little surprised to see that it
was only a two stroke lead. But Rory McElroy does
have the two stroke lead going into the final round
at Augusta. Fox Sports Radio er Toris Jaysmartin broadcasting live
from the Tireck dot com studios. When we come back,
we'll go north from Augusta to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Speaker 1 (15:21):
Oh boy, oh boy.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
Hey, you know something crazy happen if we're talking college
football in April, and yeah, something crazy has happened at
Tennessee the last twenty four to thirty six hours.

Speaker 3 (15:33):
We're going to discuss it all next. Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 4 (15:35):
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 3 (15:48):
Welcome back everybody, Torres and Martin.

Speaker 2 (15:53):
Yeah, you know why they're playing this song? Jmark, I'm
so rude. I was trying to get Breeze attention and
I literally snapped at her during the break and it
was unintentionally very rude, and I feel terrible. But now
they're just mocking me. So this is Fox Sports Radio.
He's Aaron, he's Jason Martin. I'm Aritaures tell you what,

(16:15):
why don't we toss it over the news desk. We'll
get it to the Sega and then we'll have a
nice conversation about nko Imamaliava.

Speaker 5 (16:23):
It's the family not getting along here.

Speaker 1 (16:25):
No, I didn't mean to.

Speaker 2 (16:26):
It was just I wasn't really paying attention and I
kind of just was like hey, hey, And then everybody
looked at me like I was the most evil person ever,
because I kind of was that.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
It was talked about, Arnie, and then you became one.

Speaker 2 (16:37):
I know, he sits in this seat for one week
and I turn it to the girled penol.

Speaker 5 (16:42):
Man except Aaron Torres did actually just mention the name
of his producer, Arnie Fanes to not know the name
of any of his producers.

Speaker 2 (16:49):
Arnie claimed the first time he saw me that he
thought I was an intern that was gonna get him coffee.
I don't believe that that's true, but he does like
to hold that over.

Speaker 5 (16:57):
My head, and he would probably ask that of a
co host as well.

Speaker 2 (16:59):
Yeah, that's actually a great counterpoint. Yes, maybe he hadn't
say intern. Maybe he just said get me caught.

Speaker 1 (17:04):
He's definitely kind of got Like if I saw it, if
I met him, like in person for the first time,
I would be carrying coffees like nothing for me, and
then going here and talk about it.

Speaker 3 (17:14):
Yeah, nothing for you, like the maple syrup that I haven't.

Speaker 5 (17:17):
Got, Yeah, exactly. Meanwhile, his wife is just this jewel
of a woman who gives the Christmas gifts to the
employees here on the left coast. And then we've got
Arnie the Wildcats fan. And that's the usually the result
of any athletic department venture from the University of Arizona
on a Saturday night, and this show's history.

Speaker 3 (17:37):
They're playing baseball tonight and I saw that.

Speaker 1 (17:38):
I don't know if they want.

Speaker 5 (17:39):
Oh, we've got SEC baseball to mension later in my segment,
just over an hour or hour from now, of you know,
something had to have happened. Sure to bring up regular
season college baseball we will take in April. Yes, we
have got to mention what's going on in Major League
Baseball At Dodger Stadium right now. The LA Dodgers are
trailing eleven nothing to the Chicago Cubs in the top

(18:01):
of the eighth inning. Now, it was the greats, the
greatest start in the very young major league career of
Roki Sasaki in LA five innings, one run, alout was
down one nothing, and then in relief, Ben Casparius and
Luis Garcia combined to allow ten runs in the next
two plus innings. They now have infueler Miguel Rojas on

(18:23):
in relief, and the Dodgers still have six outs to
get the three in the eighth and the three in
the ninth, So stay tuned. It's eleven nothing. Cubs leading
at LA the late games at Seattle Mariners five to
one over the Rangers top of the seventh. Everything else
is final, including Arizona scoring five runs in the bottom
of the ninth to beat Milwaukee five to four. The
Padres are still undefeated at home nine to zero after

(18:45):
shutting out Colorado two nothing. The Angels won four to
one at Houston, the win to Tyler Anderson, who hadda
no hitter until the sixth inning. Wins at home for
Cleveland and Cincinnati for Miami as well. In Chicago, the
White Sox beat Boston three to two on a run
in the bottom of the ninth. Braves won five to
four at Tampa Bay. Yankees beat San Francisco eight four. Today,

(19:06):
Rory McElroy leads the Masters by two strokes over Bryson
De'shambeau NHL shootout wins for Florida and Winnipeg, and currently
at Vegas it's the Golden Knights three to one over
Nashville in the second period. The NBA Play In Tournament
starts Tuesday. The regular season ends tomorrow. No NBA tonight,
but everybody plays Tomorrow. Anthony Edwards and Minnesota will be

(19:28):
playing Sunday. He had picked up his eighteenth technical foul
of the season last night, which would mean a one
game suspension for the Sunday finale. That tech has been
rescinded and the Tennessee Valls moved on from starting quarterback
Nico Iamlijave believe it or not, after he skipped practice
in an NIL holdout. He's done there and the transfer
portal opens on Wednesday.

Speaker 2 (19:49):
Back to you, Thank you very much, Steve Sager. This
is Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Saturday Air towards d
Smartin broadcasting live from the Tyreck dot Com studios.

Speaker 3 (19:57):
Should mention best pregame show every weekend. There's no out
about it.

Speaker 2 (20:00):
Make sure to tune into Fox Sports Radios Countdown presented
by BETMGM every Saturday and Sunday from nine am to
noon Eastern six to eight, six to nine. Excuse me, Pacific,
we will count you down to all of the biggest games.
Tune into Countdown presented by BETMGM every Saturday and Sunday
morning right here on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
So de Sega just told you a couple of details

(20:22):
from the story we want to transition to, and he
mentioned nico I Mamaliava. So, as he said with college
baseball minute ago, it's going to take an interesting story
at college baseball to talk college baseball in April.

Speaker 3 (20:35):
Well, it's very much the same in.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
College football, but most people probably by now at least
know the loose details. Nico I Mamaliava was the Tennessee
starting quarterback this past season when they made the college
football Playoff when they won ten games, and Jay Martin,
I'll just give some context.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
I know you know this.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
He was kind of the original, like nil baby. He
was the one that in high school signed a multi
year quote unquote nil deal at about two million dollars
a year when he was still in high school. Kind
of shook up everybody when it happened. But goes to
Tennessee has a reasonably good first year and what what what?

(21:18):
What has really happened is that probably in the last
year or so, for lack of a better term, the
you know, the the the nil market has reset. We've
seen numbers for like a Carson Beck who's now at Miami.
His his family felt like, hey, we are deserving of
a raise. The market does not reflect where where we

(21:40):
believe that we are. So basically, they they they thought
that they were gonna go to Tennessee and they were
gonna get more money out of them. Tennessee told him
to kick rocks. And there's a lot Yeah, there's a
lot more details in there. As Steve de Sager just
told you he skipped practice yesterday. Uh, and I thought
once he skipped practice, I thought there was kind of
no going back. We could break it down from every angle, JMR.

(22:02):
But just you take it where you want. You live
in Tennessee, you cover the balls for years. Your wife
is a Vall fan, So I'll let you take it
wherever you'd like, my friend.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
So I'm trying not to be clunky with this, but
it's definitely been on my brain for the last two days,
just trying to think through all of it. First off,
kudos to Tennessee for telling them to pound, saying, somebody
has to call somebody's bluff here. Somebody has to say,
you're not good enough to demand more money from us,

(22:33):
not right now. And yeah, you got us to the
playoffs last year, but you were inconsistent. You showed a
lot of promise, but there is nothing about you that
is not replaceable, first of all. But let's let's be
real here and say, even though they've got a couple
of guys that can play quarterback and they're gonna do

(22:54):
something in the portal here, they really don't have their
quarterback for this coming year. Because they were planning on
Niko being that guy. They liked what he was bringing
to the table. They wanted to see what that growth
could look like, his maturity as he grew into the role.
Him not being there, and the way this plays out
actually is gonna hurt them and going into the year
in terms of just where they are as a football team,

(23:17):
because they are kind of unsettled at a position you
can't be unsettled at all. That said, they're still betting
that this is better for their program going forward, and
it is. I said this to you. I sent this
in a text message to you at some point earlier today,
I was just like, if this is what we're doing,

(23:38):
if this is where we're heading, then college football is
in trouble. Because the games are better on Sundays, the
talent is better on Sundays. If all of the business
is if everything is going to be just the same
as it is on Sundays with those guys, I'm just
gonna start watching those guys. It doesn't feel the same.

(23:58):
What am I rooting for anymore? What is happening? And
this this comes back to when the gates were opened
into Nil and all of this stuff. There was nothing
holding any of it back. There was no regulation at all,
There was no protocol, there was no governing body, there

(24:20):
was no authority. It was and this was the term
that was used over and over again. It was the
wild wild West. And this is the kind of stuff
that you get from that. But we're not going to
honor our deal anymore because Carson Beck got three million
dollars to go to Miami. The most important thing that
I saw in this story coming out of it today
when I was just kind of looking around as some
of the news is that Nico's representatives reached out to Oregon,

(24:45):
and Oregon had no interest. I found that very intriguing,
Like you would think that going to the trouble that
they have gone to and potentially harming just Nico's reputation
and making it, making them more toxic and all these things,
becoming enemy number two at least in Knoxville behind probably

(25:06):
one of their former coaches. If we had to be
real about it, like what's why would you do it?
You feel like you would only do it if somebody
had already talked to you behind closed doors and was
offering to pay you more money to go somewhere else.
I don't know whether what this is going to look
like for Nico when he gets out of there. I

(25:26):
just look at this for college football and I say,
we can't. Eventually, something's going to have to give here
because this can't continue like this, this sport, the way
the transfer portal seems to be set up and all this,
and what happened out of this, Well, Tennessee has you know,
called out to a couple of quarterbacks via their representatives,

(25:47):
and so their schools are now upping the money that
they're paying the quarterbacks to keep them. Like this can't
at some point, Aaron, there is a massive issue. This
is not a zero sum game and if if it
just becomes the only way you win is if you
outpay the other guy. I don't think that that is
best for college sports at all.

Speaker 2 (26:10):
Well, yeah, and I do think this. It feels like
a little bit of a turning point to me. And
I haven't read all the articles, but we all know
where this has to get to eventually is the athletes
are basically employees of the school. And it sounds weird
and it feels weird, but I don't know what other

(26:30):
alternative that we have, and that's another conversation for another day.
But this does feel like a turning point of I think,
let me put it this way, even when even if
and it's funny, right, we always have these conversations, but like,
I don't think anybody is really anti nil. You know,
I've said that a million times. It's like I think
that you know, we're not anti nil. We were anti

(26:54):
everything completely unregulated and obviously players being free agents multiple
times over the course of a of a calendar year.
But this just feels like, listen, dude, this this was
the one that it feels like, Okay, it does feel different.
It does feel like, you know, basically that that the public.

(27:15):
This was the first one where it felt like the
public was almost universally like I hate to put it
this way, Yeah, I hate to put his way. Screw
the kid. I stand with Josh Hypel, I stand with Tennessee.
And because it does get to a point where like
you do have Now we can't call it a contract,
but it is a contract, and you signed it and

(27:36):
you agree to it, and it sucks that the market
is in a different place than it was three years ago.
You're getting paid two million dollars to play college football.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
Yeah, it's such a lot worse for the guys that
were playing it twenty years ago that got Zilch, what
had no NFL career, made no money.

Speaker 2 (27:49):
And you know, and we can say it now because
he's getting paid two million dollars.

Speaker 3 (27:53):
He wasn't that good last year.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
No, he was fine.

Speaker 2 (27:56):
He wasn't the reason that Tennessee was in the playoff.
He the reason that test he was in the playoff.
That a great running back named Dylan Samson. I haven't
good defense, yeah, and a very good defense. I haven't
checked all the mock draft boards, but James Pierce is
probably gonna be a first round pick. And listen, last season,
Nico nineteen touchdown passes, five interceptions. But of those nineteen touchdowns,
three were against Chattanooga, two were against NC State, two

(28:19):
were against Mississippi State, four against UTEP, four against Vanderbilt,
zero against Georgia, one against Alabama, zero against Florida, zero
against Ohio State. And so it's like, that's the other
part to it as well, is listen, the market has adjusted.
You did agree to a deal, but just because the
market has adjusted doesn't mean that you are the person

(28:41):
that we should rip up the contract. It's just it's
so crazy from so many levels. I'm gonna toss it
back to you because I've been talking for a while,
but it does feel like to me, this is the
first one where the public said, we can be in
favor of nil. But at some point you actually got
to step on the field and perform being compensated very well.

Speaker 3 (29:00):
At some point you actually got.

Speaker 1 (29:01):
To deliver absolutely. And again I credit Tennessee, I credit
Josh Hype on his comments, and I'm happy for those fans.
I know a lot of them. Of course, I used
to speak to them on a daily basis here in
Nashville doing this show for a long time, and you know,
they've definitely taken their lumps through the years, but this

(29:21):
is a win for them. Even if it turns out
to hurt the football team this season, this is a
win for them going forward. It showed a degree of
integrity that I think if you look across the board
at the rest of college football, I would hope that
a lot of the schools are looking at this and saying, good,
thank goodness something. I don't know what the fix is
here erin I was talking to my wife earlier and

(29:41):
she was asking about it, and I said, I want
them to get paid. I think they deserve to be paid.
But can there be a max? And of course somebody's
going to break the max and go under the table
and we're gonna have the same problem we have before it, right,
But can there be a max for quarterbacks playing an
ex conference or something? I don't know what it is,
but there has to be something where it doesn't just

(30:03):
turn into a bidding war. And I don't again, I
don't know what exactly has to happen here, but there
are clearly some things that are wrong. There are some
holes right now in this sport that need to be patched.
And I don't know how fast it can happen because
the doors were opened and there was no one guarding it,

(30:26):
and there were no gates to hold anything in. There
was no structure surrounding it at all. And so anything
that guys have done, I shrugged my shoulders. Anybody that's
come out and said anything about integrity or any of
this kind of stuff, and it's like, who cares, man,
there's no rules, like do whatever it is that you
got to do at this point in time. I don't
really blame anybody on that, but we need to be

(30:46):
adults here. Everybody needs to be adults in the room
and figure out how to run this business properly. And
it can't be anything goes, no holds barred, Like we've
got to find a way to corral this to some
degree because we are in great danger of this growing
beyond control.

Speaker 2 (31:04):
Well, and I think the other thing is really quick,
we'll come back, we'll talk about the other part of
it for Nico. But I think the other thing, I
think the only way to do it is they have
to be employees and they have to have contracts. And
I'm not a labor lawyer, so I don't know what
that looks and how we get there. But yeah, I
mean there's no there's no business and certainly not in

(31:25):
sports that is healthy. That has every single employee a
free agent twice a year every year, and they're taking
a step further. Like it's not just the players either,
like sometimes the schools, you know, move off kids too fast,
do this, do that, whatever, So it's not healthy, it's

(31:46):
not sustainable. But this just felt like such a turning
point because it was the first one where even if
you're in favor of players getting paid, it's like, dude,
you got paid two and a half million dollars to
kind of be a completely average quarterback last year. Sucks
that the market corrected itself, but credit for Josh Heipel
and Tennessee for standing in their ground. It was important

(32:06):
because you don't do that, I think there would have
been locker room revolt all of that. So I'll tell
you what what we will do, though I want to
come back. I want to talk to the other side
of it with Nico, which is what is Nico's future,
Because one is that a guy you want in your
locker room, and by the way. I feel kind of
bad for him because it feels like it's more his dad.
We'll discuss that part, probably yes, and do you want him?

(32:29):
He's from la obviously, our tire Rex studios are here
in la usc Ucla being linked to him. We'll discuss
that next. Ertoris Jason Martin. We are on until two
am Eastern time. This is Fox Sports Radio. Welcome back everybody.
Fox Sports Radio. Ertorris Jason Martin broadcasting live from the
Tirech dot Com studios. Calm the chaos with shipping software

(32:50):
that delivers Use code Sports for a free trial at
shipstation dot com that shipstation dot com Code Sports and
be sure to tune into Draft Night Live on Thursday day,
April twenty fourth, at eight pm Eastern throughout the first
round of the NFL Draft. Of the Draft insider Jay Glazer,
former Jets general manager Joe Douglas, college football Hall of

(33:11):
Famer LeVar Arrington, and Fox Sports lead college football reporter
Jenny Taft will have picked by pick, predictions and reactions
to every first round pick.

Speaker 3 (33:19):
That's Thursday, April.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
Twenty fourth, at eight pm Eastern throughout the first round
of the draft, live right here on Fox Sports Radio
brought to you by ship Station.

Speaker 3 (33:29):
Jay Martin, I'll say this, I want to get back
to Nico in a second.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
I am so excited for the NFL Draft just because
I cannot do another Shadore take when I turn on TV.
Every time I've turned on TV for probably since the
Super Bowl, somebody is just ripping off a Shadder take.
It's like, and I love Shtore. We'll talk about him
an hour three, We'll have our own takes. But it's like,
we gotta come up with another angle on this draft

(33:56):
besides you, Door Sanders. I'm sorry, we just we just
do Jason, I.

Speaker 1 (33:58):
Don't think there is one. Yeah, I know. I like,
here's the thing. When you said you're excited about the draft,
I'm like really like, I mean, I'm excited because it's
the draft, but it doesn't have the same push to
me right now because that's the only story, Like that's
the reasoning. Like the meat's not on the bone elsewhere
right now. I'm waiting to see where the other stuff
is coming from. And Will Howard saying he's the best quarterback.

(34:21):
Not sure it's that, Not sure it's that. I don't
know where it's going to come from as a matter
of fact, But like right now, it's all Shadeur all
the time. That seems to be the only thing people
are talking about.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
Well, I promise you will get back to shador here
in just a few minutes, but I do want to
get back to the topic we were talking about before
the break. Nico Imamaliava, of course, the starting quarterback at Tennessee.
By now, you know, the story was very well compensated
by Tennessee. Tried to squeeze some more money out of them,
and Tennessee told them to kick rock. So Tennessee's starting
quarterback will enter the transfer portal when it opens on Wednesday,

(34:56):
jaymart I want to ask you kind of the the
opposite spectrum of this question, which is clearly whoever is
calling the shots for him? And I let me let
me even backtrack for half a second. I don't think
Nico this is his decision making. You know, there were
reports that he was literally at the offensive coordinator's house

(35:17):
on Thursday night before this all blew up. And I
think he's a college kid that's trying to navigate this
crazy new world. And I think there are people in
this that maybe don't have his best interests at heart,
and maybe have their own financial best interest at heart.
But at the end of the day, we think he's
gonna play somewhere in college football next year.

Speaker 3 (35:38):
He's an LA native. The two schools that have obviously.

Speaker 2 (35:41):
Been linked to him are both UCLA and USC but
other places are probably gonna at least kick the tires.
Does this feel like given what we saw last year,
where like I said, most of did not play his
best and biggest games, do you feel like this is
worth the worth the risk for schools that might be
interested in.

Speaker 1 (36:00):
So, I mean probably. I mean again, you saw flashes
of why he got the bag, if you want to
call it that, even while he was still in high school.
You saw flashes of it. You saw some really kind
of special moments from him, and then you saw some
very average moments, And so you wanted to see that

(36:21):
balance shift if you were a Tennessee fan, towards more
of the spectacular stuff, and you feel like he probably
could get there. He's got a lot of things to
like about him. I think that, and UCLA is the
place in my head, by the way, but without even
talking about it from a school standpoint, I think the

(36:42):
problem here is now you are bringing in someone who
has proven to be disloyal based on money. And I'm
saying that because I have to put it on him,
because he's the asset whoever it is that is calling
on him to make these decisions. And I think that's
exactly what they are. Whether they're selfish motivated by that person,

(37:07):
or whether it's trying to get the sun more money
or whatever it is, it's reflecting very poorly on him.
And so you're bringing in someone who you know, possibly
you can't depend on because he's not honored a contract
in the past. And it's not quite the same as
it is in the NFL. But here's somebody who's looked

(37:27):
at it and said, Okay, well, this guy's getting this money.
I was making two, I want to make four, even
though I didn't really do anything to earn double. I
just feel like that's what it is. So this is
basically Ricky row in blue chips. This is the you know,
I think a young blue chip athlete like myself deserves
a little extra. You can throw it in one of

(37:47):
the gym bags you got there. Like at that point
in time, you were bringing in somebody that might cause
drama you're bringing in somebody that there could be friction
because of that inside the locker room. This harms Nico greatly.
This whole thing looks awful for him, and I don't
know if that was taken into consideration by the people
that advised him to make this decision, because Tennessee looks

(38:09):
like a hero here. Tennessee looks like they did exactly
what the adults should do, which is called the bluff
of the young guy and saying all right, all right,
young buck, if you think you can go get it,
you go get it, because we're not going to pay
you another cent. We already offered you this. You're in
a great situation. You're on TV every single week, you
were in the college football Playoff. You've got one of

(38:30):
the brightest young head coaches in the country, one of
the greatest fan bases in the country, You've got everything
under the sun. We're not gonna pay you any more money,
and that and him to leave there. It's just like,
I don't know if I want to bring that into
my program. Someone will, don't get me wrong, because of
the talent, someone will. But this hurts him tremendously in

(38:56):
terms of his brand, his reputation and just how you're
gonna to see him coming into your program.

Speaker 2 (39:01):
Well, I'll say this, wherever he lands, I find it
highly unlikely that it will be a better actual football
situation than the one he just left. And then the
other thing too, which is worth discussing. There was a
way you could do this where you keep Tennessee a bitterer,
Like you said, maybe the family did reach out to
other schools where now it's like, you know, I don't

(39:23):
know what everyone's financials are, but I find it hard
to believe he's gonna get more money to go somewhere
else than he would have at Tennessee.

Speaker 3 (39:30):
But it remains to be seen. Fox Sports Radio Ertors,
Jason Martin. Not only a crazy week in college football,
but the NBA as well. Mike Malone, what happened there?
Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (39:43):
Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports Saturday in
the Sunday.

Speaker 3 (39:48):
It is Sunday on the East Coast. Errators, Jason Martin.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
We are broadcasting live from the tay Iraq dot Com
Studios direc dot Com.

Speaker 3 (39:56):
We'll help you get there.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
An unmatched election fast free shipping free Road has a
protection and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tirereck dot com
the way tire buying should be air towards Jason Martin.

Speaker 3 (40:09):
We are taking up till two a m. Eastern time.

Speaker 2 (40:13):
As always, Bernie Fratto of The Bernie Fratto Show follows
us and we cannot wait to hear what Bernie has
to say about a busy week in sports.

Speaker 3 (40:23):
Tell you this, jmart lot happened.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
You know, you know, we get so wrapped up in football,
and I think once we get out of football, we
assume everything's gonna slow down.

Speaker 1 (40:34):
But hey, wait, there's football going on right now.

Speaker 3 (40:37):
The UFL. We're doing a UFL segment. Let's do it, baby.

Speaker 1 (40:41):
I mean I know that the BattleHawks.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
Are yeah, Saint Louis BattleHawks, right that.

Speaker 1 (40:45):
Yeah, that's that's the extent of my knowledge.

Speaker 3 (40:48):
Actually, you know, it's funny. I'll tell you true story.
So I was. I was obviously at the Final four.
And you know, have you.

Speaker 2 (40:57):
Ever been to San Antonio? Jmart No, Okay, So I'll
say this. It's a beautiful city and it's a great
event city because the Alamodome is right downtown. You can
walk straight from the arena to the river walk in
two minutes the riverwalks. So in my head, I'm like, dude,
I hope they don't phase San Antonio out of this

(41:19):
Final four rotation.

Speaker 3 (41:21):
So we're walking out of the arena on Monday night
and we'll get to the game in a minute.

Speaker 2 (41:26):
But I saw a guy in an Alamodome T shirt
and they're already breaking you know, it's probably one am.
They're breaking down the court. They're doing this, they're doing that.
And I asked him. I just said, hey, man, you know,
great weekend.

Speaker 3 (41:38):
So and I asked him.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
I was like, do you guys have a lot of
events here, cause I you know, I don't know what
goes on in San Antonio when there's on Final Four.
He's like, oh yeah, you know. He's like we got
something every weekend. He's like, we got the car Expo,
we got this. He's like UTSA plays their games here
at the Alamodome. And then he was like, oh yeah,
we got it's UFL season right now. We got blah
blah blah. And I was like, oh, that's right, that's
a league. That's the thing that's happening right now. So

(42:02):
I mean, I I don't know what the crowds they get.
I would imagine, you know, maybe it's one of the better,
you know, better whatevers, because there's obviously no NFL team
in that town. But yeah, we had a nice little
uh I don't know what the team's name is, but
they but he was but he was the sweetest guy.
And he said that the Almodome stays busy and that
the UFL team plays there.

Speaker 1 (42:23):
You know, Yeah, dude, did you just bless your heart?
That guy, the Sandy, It's the sweetest guy. He was
just like, oh, bless his heart.

Speaker 3 (42:31):
Bless I mean, he was fired up for the BrahMos.
I think it's what they call.

Speaker 1 (42:34):
Him, the San Antonio.

Speaker 3 (42:36):
Yes, sure, yeah, let's see.

Speaker 1 (42:38):
Sounds good san Antonio Curos.

Speaker 2 (42:41):
They they signed, uh, they signed two players today, so
that's exciting.

Speaker 5 (42:46):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (42:46):
Anyway, so yeah, that was the thing that did happen. Ah,
that would be funny, dude.

Speaker 1 (42:53):
Listen.

Speaker 3 (42:54):
I'll say this to put a bow on the Nico story.

Speaker 2 (42:57):
I don't think there's a zero I don't think it's
a zero zero percent chance that like the schools that
you would think are interested in him just aren't. Like
I think he's gonna if he wherever he ends up,
and I do think he'll sign somewhere. I think it's
gonna be a worst football situation for Tennessee for sure.

Speaker 3 (43:16):
And I don't think they're getting the money that they
think they're getting.

Speaker 1 (43:19):
Let me tell you what I tell Let me tell
you who I compare this to DJU.

Speaker 3 (43:23):
Great call, perfect example.

Speaker 1 (43:24):
That's what I think he'll end up in somewhere like
A well, I don't talk about Miami. I'm talking about
like the first stop. Like, it's not Oregon. It might
be another school out there. That's why I said maybe
it's UCLA, just because what is UCLA at present? But
it's one of those kind of schools. It's a Washington State,
it's an Oregon State, it's something like that. It's certainly

(43:47):
not going to be He's not going to be in
a college football playoffs coming year. Let's just say that, Hey,
not even close.

Speaker 2 (43:53):
Soyse State, I mean, was a group of five has
an auto bid. So no, I'm kidding, that's mean no. Yeah,
I'll say last, last, last thing is I want to
get some other stuff from the week, But I just
feel bad because what's disappointing is is that whoever is
making the decisions, and I don't believe it's Nico the

(44:16):
only decisions. He was a five star who is a
year away from draft eligibility. The only decision should be
what puts him in the best position to be an
NFL quarterback. And screw the two million dollars difference between
what you want and what Tennessee's going to give you.
And how about the five hundred million dollars that you

(44:38):
can get if this goes well. And now, whether it's UCLA,
whether it's some school that we're not thinking of, Listen,
maybe it's usc and it all works out and he
ends up in a great place. But I think realistically
he's gonna end up in a worse football situation, probably
not getting the money that he wants. And I'm sorry,
J Martin, and you know this spring football done, This

(45:01):
is not going to help his development. To show up
to a new place with a new coaching staff, a
new playbook, new teammates. I guarantee the wide receiver corps
of the old line is going to be as good
as he left the Tennessee. So that's the part that
I feel bad about, is every decision should be what
is helping him get to the NFL. Listen, four million
dollars is life changing money, I get it. Five hundred

(45:23):
million dollars is way more sets up your family for general.

Speaker 3 (45:28):
It's just it was just so screwed up on so
many levels.

Speaker 1 (45:30):
So yeah, I I I feel I think here's what
I really thought when I saw I was like, man,
that's just a shame. Yes, it's a shame all around,
because I know what it means for him in the
short term. All the work that he put in at Tennessee, right, like,
and he was a positive influence. From everything that I
had heard up until this situation, everything was pretty good.

(45:53):
And of course he was. He had that kind of
it factor even before he was on campus, like regularly
just him showing up people, people wanted to know him,
wanted to be around him, all that kind of stuff,
and like all of that goes completely out and now
he's got to rebuild his own reputation. And to your point,
no spring football, he's his chemistry with whoever picks him up,

(46:14):
and it can't be an the SEC because of the rules.
Outside of that, like he's going to be slow, it's
not going to go very well. Like all of This
is bad for Nico. It really is like Tennessee did
exactly what they should have done. Nico got this one wrong.
Somebody advised him terribly, and I'm not rooting against him,

(46:36):
but this is one of those moments where hopefully it's
a learning experience where the next time he has an
opportunity where a decision needs to be made, it's probably
about time for him to step up and do it.
Assuming he's not the one who did it. And I
think that that's kind of where we are. Could be wrong,
but if he didn't make this decision this time, he
better make it next time.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
Yeah, And that is one thing third year kid, you
know in college, Hey throw up and have some tough
decisions with your dad if your dad's the one that's
pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Speaker 1 (47:04):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (47:05):
Speaking of pulling strings behind the scenes Denver Nuggets, I mean, listen,
I'd be lying if I said that I thought things
were perfect in Denver.

Speaker 3 (47:15):
It was funny the last.

Speaker 2 (47:16):
Time I was on air, you know, I was filling
in with Mike Harmon right before I left for the
Final four. It was the night that Russell Westbrook had
the mislay up in double overtime and they ended up
losing the game to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But Jmr, two
weeks ago, you and I talked about the Memphis Grizzlies
at the time were in fourth place. Firing Taylor Jenkins

(47:37):
now Denver Nuggets, quite literally a week before the playoff begins,
a playoffs begin. Excuse me, fire Mike Malone, fire the GM,
Calvin Booth. I got a lot of takes, but I'm
gonna give you the floor because just insanity to me, Jason,
just insanity.

Speaker 1 (47:53):
I mean, it's certainly caught me off guard, no question
about that. Only coach Nikole Jokic has ever had Cray,
only head coach that he's ever had any NBA. The organization,
of course, the draft him, that knows him, and of
course he knows the organization and knows Mike Malone very well.
Reading the kind of deep expose of the ESPN, I

(48:14):
thought Ramona Shelburne and I can't remember the co author
did a really nice job on this article. Is a
lot of stuff I didn't know. Some things were really
bad behind the scenes in Denver. Malone and the GM
didn't like each other, didn't have the same vision for
the team. Malone wanted to use more of the veteran guys,
and basically the GM Booth was all about the young

(48:35):
guys that he drafted and brought in and trying to
get them on the court. So there were constantly issues
where Malone didn't want to play you if you were
one of Calvin's guys, and so you had all of
this kind of thing going on. So there's a toxic
work environment. The GM and the coach simply can't coexist.
So the ownership above him is seeing all this, and

(48:57):
of course it's reflected in the locker room. Like Malone
his attitude is bad at this point, he's actually treating
Calvin's guys poorly. It seems like there's a schism on
the team. There was the scenario, for example, Christian Braun.
Christian Brown's clearly at this point a better player for
the Nuggets than Russell Westbrook is, but Christian Braun was

(49:20):
one of the guys that Calvin Booth brought in, so
instead of playing Braun, who even Jokic admitted was just like,
we're better with Braun on the floor. Bron's a really,
really solid player and he's having an outstanding year instead
of that, he was playing Russell Westbrook because Westbrook was
more the veteran guy that he felt like he trusted more.
But there was also the anti Booth element there. So

(49:42):
that's a problem, right, Like, that's something that you didn't
know was happening, and you wouldn't have known until all
of the tea gets spilled after the fact. So there
were some serious things that were going on behind the
scenes that we had no idea were happening. When this happens,
it's just like, dude, want a championship for you? He's
jok guy. Are you trying to get Nicola to want

(50:02):
to leave the team because Malone seems to be a
good coach. I will say one thing real quick that
I did think about. All right, so this is only
coach ta Kola Jokic has ever had. What has Mike
Malone won without Nikola Jokic? It's fair what has Mike
Malone actually done without the group that is there? Now?

(50:23):
That can be said about a lot of great coaches, right,
I understand that, But are we sure Mike Malone is
that great? Or was he just in an ideal situation
and he was able to maximize that which there is
a talent there. But after like reading some of the

(50:43):
stuff that was going on behind the scenes and the
fact that the owner was just like, we're gonna fire
both of them. We're gonna fire the GM and a
head coach because this is unprofessional on both sides and
we just need a clean break and whatever we're gonna
get out of this season, we need to do it
right now. There was one quote in that article that
I cited from Shelburne Company where it was just like

(51:04):
everyone in the building was miserable. None of that translated
like I had no idea except that on the floor,
they were arguing. Aaron Gordon was into a couple of
arguments with guys. Jokicic was upset, somebody not playing defense.
You had Jamal Murray angry with one of his teammates.
There was definitely some stuff there where this Nuggets team
didn't seem like they were having fun anymore. But you

(51:27):
read more into it and this Malone Booth kind of
brawl that was going on behind this power struggle, this
arms race, this I'm not going to play Calvin's guys.
I don't like Malone. I'm gonna go behind his back.
All of that was not contributing to anything. And so
I don't look at the fact that they were the
five seed or here and there and potentially an MVP

(51:48):
candidate still in jokics on the floor. I don't look
at it the same way. Now when I read that article,
I'm saying, Okay, they were making a decision for the
overall health of the ball club, and now it may
a lot more sense to me based on that.

Speaker 2 (52:02):
Yeah, you know, obviously, you know, I was as surprised
as anybody. It is interesting, you know, first of all,
it is worth noting there two and zero with since
they got rid of alone. Granted they played Sacramento, and
also on top of that, they played Memphis, who's obviously
kind of dysfunctional in their own right.

Speaker 3 (52:22):
It is funny you mentioned the Michael Malone. You know
what has he won without him?

Speaker 2 (52:25):
Because I remember it being a thing of he was
the Sacramento King's head coach, was kinda fired, maybe a
little bit ahead of schedule. He was fired like fifteen
games into year two with Sacramento, and I remember when
he won the title. It was a big thing of
you know, I appreciate this organization because they kind of

(52:46):
gave me time to kind of grow and evolve and develop.
I'm looking right now, I believe it was year one, two, three, four, five, six. Yep,
it was year eight that they won the championship. And
obviously during the season before the Bubble, they went to
the conference they lost in the second round. They go
to the conference finals in the Bubble, and it was

(53:08):
still another two years before they actually made that run
to the title. And I remember it being a thing
of like, you know, well, Denver's different. They gave him
time and you know, I mean other people would have
fired him first. And so I guess this is one
I'm kind of with you, j mart I. Still it
does feel weird to do it a week before the playoffs.

(53:29):
You know again, jokicch now are you? I guess the
thing I would say is, no matter how dysfunctional it is,
is it putting you in a better position to ultimately
reach the end game, which is to win the NBA title?
And if not, do you just waited out another couple weeks?
I mean, my big thing is and we talked about

(53:51):
this with Jo a few weeks ago. Jokicch is thirty. Now,
you know he's averaging averaging thirty, thirty, teen and ten. Okay,
you're not gonna get many more of these seasons. And
again I understand it was crazy, it was dysfunctional. I

(54:11):
don't know that I wouldn't have let it ride out
another two weeks. And if you don't make the run,
you fire them. You were gonna fire them anyway. But
clearly Denver felt it was a different situation and it
needed to be done. But I just don't know that
making this change a week before the playoffs makes much
sense to me.

Speaker 1 (54:28):
No, I mean, I think again, what this tells you
is Josh Kronke and company did not feel like this
team was going anywhere, and so as a result, whatever, like,
we want to try to get the most out of
this season we can, then we need to change the attitude.
We need to change kind of the atmosphere surrounding this

(54:49):
team internally, what's going on in practice, what's going on
in games certainly, what's going on in the front office
between the coaching staff and all this other stuff. Basically,
they saw all this infighting and they said, we were
not going anywhere anyway. We need to go ahead and
rip this band aid off right now, and we need
to find out what's happening. And so again, you're right,
the timing is certainly not ideal, and it doesn't feel right.

(55:11):
The other thing is and you actually Jokichi even said,
he said, you know, I knew this before anybody in
the press like he was. It's not that he made
the decision. He even said, this was not a It
wasn't a decision, It wasn't a discussion. They basically just
informed me what was happening. There is no universe in
which if Nikola Jokic had said, do not fire Mike Malone,

(55:33):
they would have fired Mike Malone. I don't think, because
he's the whole franchise. With all due respect to everybody
else on the team, he's the franchise and one of
the greatest players in history, the best player in Nugget's history.
Could easily win the MVP this year, even though I
think it would go to SGA, and he's the guy,
and there's no way I think that they would have

(55:55):
done that. He's also been a model professional for them
and done everything that they've asked him to do, so
I don't think that would fire a coach that he
was in love with. This tells me that at the
very least, Jokic was probably over some of what was
going on behind the scenes, and so he was just
kind of like, look, if you guys feel like you
need to do this, I'm not going to stand in
your way. I feel like that's kind of how this

(56:16):
went down. And if Jokic is okay with this, if
he's on board with all, right, this year might be
a lost year. But at the very least, let's let's
let's try to get some positivity and some optimism back
into this franchise. Then maybe they are going to be
better off. I don't know. It's certainly going to be
a job people will want. There's no question about that.
They're going to get somebody that's good, one would think.

(56:38):
So I look at it from that standpoint and just say,
this actually feels more calculated. What happened in Memphis to me,
just reeks of an organization that's fallen completely apart. Sure,
I don't think that about Denver. I think that they
wanted to make sure, as a matter of fact, that
there was a level of professionalism and structure that wasn't
going to be tarnished or just completely ruined and Jokich's

(57:03):
career wasn't going to be thrown down the toilet for
a bunch of infighting in childishness.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
Tell you what Denver As I mentioned, two and zero
currently in the fourth spot in the Western Conference. As
the Sager said, no games on Saturday, and that is
because everybody plays Sunday, the final day of the regular season.
Fox Sports Radio aertords Jason Martin broadcasting live for the
Tirek dot Com Studios. We'll come back a little bit
more on this week's Final four National Championship game, plus

(57:30):
De Sager with his extended updates. We got a lot left.
We're up till two am Eastern time. This is Fox
Sports Radio.

Speaker 4 (57:37):
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 (57:49):
Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio er towards Jason Martin
broadcasting live from the Tirek dot Com Studios. Calm the
chaos with the shipping software that delivers use codes Sports
for a free trial at shipstation dot com. That shipstation
dot Com Code Sports should also match. You could stream
the show and all of our Fox Sports Radio shows

(58:11):
live twenty four to seven in the new and improved
iHeartRadio app. To search Fox Sports Radio in the app
to stream us live. And one of the newest features
in the app is that you can select Fox Sports
Radio as one of your presets, just like the presets
on a radio dial. So be sure to preset Fox
Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app and it will always
pop up at the top of your screen. Do you

(58:34):
want to talk a little bit about Monday's championship game
Florida Houston. We will do that in just one moment.
Why don't we get over the news desk. Steve de Seger, twelve,
twenty seven Eastern Time, What is training?

Speaker 3 (58:45):
My friend?

Speaker 5 (58:45):
Well, by the way, the San Antonio Bramas I looked
it up have Kellen Mond from Texas A and m
at quarterback apparently a San Antonio native, and those Bramas
will be playing tomorrow at Michigan and the Saint Louis
BattleHawks of the UFL will be hosting DC. There was
at your calendar Fox TV game last night at Birmingham
with a late score. The Birmingham Stallions won ten nine

(59:07):
over Arlington, and today it was Houston eighteen seventeen winners
at Memphis. There is your UFL roundup.

Speaker 3 (59:15):
Thank you your round up.

Speaker 5 (59:17):
If you can say you know where the that's the
where are we the show of record for Yukon basketball
or whatever you are if something like that, I just
nominated us.

Speaker 2 (59:27):
Okay, we are I mean no, I mean Arnie Arney's
show was the show of the AAF record because I
remember he was a big Arizona Wranglers.

Speaker 1 (59:36):
I think that was the team.

Speaker 3 (59:38):
I think it was the Arizona Wranglers.

Speaker 5 (59:39):
Let me look at him as good as Arizona Wildcats football.

Speaker 3 (59:42):
He picked up a new team AAF that's what it
was called.

Speaker 5 (59:48):
Wow, this was only a few years ago when that
spring league existed.

Speaker 2 (59:52):
Right, that was the one that went bank for in
the middle first season. Yes, yes, people were the Arizona Hotshots.
How could I forget dubious about their checks? Coach by
Rick Neuheisel, Arizona hot Shots, That's what it was.

Speaker 5 (01:00:05):
By the way, when you mentioned landing spot for the
Tennessee quarterback, who's no longer the Tennessee quarterback. When I
saw the headline is UCLA landing spot question mark? My
first thought was they don't pay their coaches much. Funny,
now we're asking price is four million dollars. I say that,
I mean like in their history. I'm not saying it
can happen. I'm just saying that's my first reaction in

(01:00:29):
Major League Baseball. Tonight's somehow Arizona one. This is the
Diamondbacks team that just last night got shut out by
Milwaukee seven nothing, and tonight was getting shut out by Milwaukee.
Bottom of the ninth it was four to nothing, and
the d Backs score five times in the bottom of
the ninth to win the game five to four. According
to the fotes that stats, saying that was the convergence

(01:00:49):
of two odd things that happened there hadn't happened since
nineteen forty one. In fact, to have a team with
their walk off inning is five runs or more to
take it, and that snaps their scoreless drought of at
least seventeen innings. So quite a turnaround for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cubs won sixteen to nothing in La over the Dodgers.

(01:01:12):
Now a loss for Rokie Sasaki, but he went five
innings with one run allowed. He was down one nothing.
Seattle took the late game nine to two over Texas.
It was San Diego, still undefeated at home, shutting out
Colorado to nothing, and the Angels won four to one
at Houston. Tyler Anderson, the winning pitcher, had a no
hitter until the sixth inning. Anderson went five and two

(01:01:33):
third scoreless, one hit aloud, four walks. He threw ninety
five pitches. Houston's offense went three to thirty Tonight wins
today for the White Sox and Braves. Yankees beat San
Francisco eight to four. Rory McElroy leads the Masters by
two strokes over Bryson Deshambeau. Mceilroy shot a third round
sixty six. Corey Connors is four back. Scottie Scheffler fell

(01:01:54):
to a tie for six plays today, seven shots back.
He's tied with Shane Lowry, Jason Day, and Justin Rose,
who shot seventy five today. John Rahm had barely made
the cut at two over par, as did Jordan speed.
Rom is now even par tied for twenty fifth. Speith
is one under tied for twenty first place. And by
the way, some names you're not seeing golf this weekend.

(01:02:16):
Dustin Johnson missed the cut at three over. Sergio Garcia
was four over par after Friday. Brooks Koepka was five over,
as was Phil Mickelson. Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves
will be playing Sunday. He had picked up his eighteenth
technical foul of the season Friday, which would mean an
automatic one game suspension for the Sunday finale that has
been rescinded. No NBA tonight. The regular season ends on

(01:02:40):
Sunday and all teams will be in action. John Morant
of Memphis doubtful for tomorrow with a sore shoulder. The
Lakers are going to be sitting their starters tomorrow at Portland.
Anthony Davis and the MAVs will not play Sunday. Boston's
Jalen Brown will be out, Jason Tatum will be rested,
and Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell will miss a fourth straight game
with a sprained ankle. As for late night NHL play

(01:03:02):
at Vegas, Nashville three to three against the Golden Knights
with two minutes left in regulation. Shootout wins for Florida
and Winnipeg Toronto in overtime one nothing winner against rival Montreal.
Utah won at Dallas five to three. We already know
Dallas will have a first round matchup against Colorado, which
lost today five to four against La Update Vegas has

(01:03:25):
just scored late to take a four to three lead.
NHL regular season ends on Thursday. NASCAR's on FS one
against Sunday three pm Eastern Time from Bristol, Tennessee Alex
Bowman ear in the poll. Kyle Larson won the Xfinity Race.
He led two hundred and seventy six of the three
hundred laps. And finally, the IndyCar Series returns Sunday on
Fox TV. All seventeen IndyCar races this year on Fox,

(01:03:48):
so that would include the Indy five hundred and late May.

Speaker 2 (01:03:51):
Back to you, Thank you very much, Steve Seger, Sis
Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports Saturday and Sunday air towards
JSON Martin broadcasting live from the Tyreck dot Com Calm
to Chaos with the shipping software that delivers. Use code
Sports for a free trial at shipstation dot com that
shipstation dot com Code Sports and be sure to tune
into Draft Night Live Thursday, April twenty fourth, at eight

(01:04:14):
pm Eastern throughout the first round of the Draft. Insider
Jay Glazer, former Jets, GM, Joe Douglas, College Football Hall
of Famer LeVar Arrington, and Fox Sports Lead college football
reporter Jenny Taft will have picked by pick, predictions and
reactions to every first round pick. That's Thursday, April twenty fourth,
at eight pm Eastern through the first round of the draft,

(01:04:35):
live right here on Fox Sports Radio, brought to you
by ship Station Jmark. Obviously, NFL Draft coming up. We
did just wrap the college basketball tournament. I think everybody
watched it. I was obviously out last week, but Houston
Florida National championship game. We just got to at least

(01:04:57):
put a bow on the season. Florida five sixty three,
the walk off loose ball one.

Speaker 3 (01:05:05):
Don't think I've ever seen that before.

Speaker 2 (01:05:07):
But your takes on the Gators closing out a national championship.
By the way, Saturday, Florida did have a title celebration
in the swamp. Sixty thousand Gators fans met Todd Golden
and his team.

Speaker 1 (01:05:20):
I mean, I picked Florida to win before the tournament,
as did many and I still feel like Houston was
the better team that night, but they couldn't finish, so
it didn't matter. You got it I mean, you had
a night where Florida's stars weren't great early. They were,

(01:05:43):
they certainly woke up late in the game, but I
saw a couple of moments where it just didn't seem
like there was an offensive identity and you just didn't
know who you could trust going down the stretch if
you were Houston. That eighteen seconds, that last possessions, just
that had to be torturous for Kelvin Sampson to watch.

(01:06:04):
And when when my guy goes in the air with
the ball, it's just like, oh no, don't let don't
do this, and he had just had to let the
ball go. It was just kind of it was. It
was awful to watch it. You hated to see it
go that way because even though certainly that was not
a great championship game in terms of shot making or

(01:06:24):
anything like that, it was very dramatic. It was very physical.
And that was my biggest problem. I said, I wanted
to do this, so I'm gonna quickly say this, do it.
I know others did. I think Jay Williams even did
maybe on TV the next day. But as I'm watching
the game, I'm just like, there were four fouls called
in the first half of that game. And so it's

(01:06:45):
not that you called a ton of fouls in the
second half, it's that you did it after you didn't
call anything in the first half. So if you for
the first twenty minutes don't call anything, then the guys
on the floor get into a rhythm of an understanding
of what that game's gonna be. Okay, this is how
physical we're going to be. Referees aren't calling anything, so

(01:07:06):
you kind of that's the identity of this game. Everybody
adjusts to what the officials are doing in the first
twenty minutes, and that's what we got. And then in
the second half it becomes the most ticki tac foul
called game I've ever seen for both teams. Just to me,
it was embarrassing because you basically gave these guys an

(01:07:28):
idea of how they should play based on the way
you were officiating the game, and then the second half
you just pulled you pulled the rugout from underneath them
and revealed that you were actually going to do the
exact opposite. That, to me, is just the worst kind
of officiating. It's not even that it was favoring one
team or the other. It was the inconsistency between the

(01:07:49):
first twenty minutes and the second twenty minutes that I
thought was just not just egregious. I just thought it
was that it was borderline like if I'm watching this,
I'm the head of officiating or anything else, I'm pulling
these guys in the office, and I'm just like, guys,
it can't be this way. That was unacceptable to me,
and it was a disgrace for both squads who deserve better.

(01:08:10):
In that second twenty.

Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
Minutes, Yeah, twenty six files called in the second half.
It was an abomination. And again I was in the building,
it was. It was a tough watch. Let me ask
you this, Jaye mar This was kind of my takeaway,
and I'm curious for yours. So the Duke Houston game
on Saturday night, obviously, I'm sure you had already talked
about it last week. To me, I know it's easy

(01:08:33):
to say Duke choked. I think one field goal in
the final ten and a half minutes. I felt like
I felt like last Saturday was more Houston going out
and winning the game than Duke choking. Now you could
say Duke sort of gave it away, but at the
end of the day, you go back to that game Houston.
First of all, they hit forty five percent from three,

(01:08:54):
They out rebounded Duke by eleven, and the game was
played on Houston's terms. Duke was a ta coming in
averaging eighty one eighty two points a game. They're fifteen
points below whatever, blah blah blah. I felt like it
was more Houston finding a way to win than Duke
absolutely losing. I bring it up to say, Monday night
to me felt like Houston just melting down. And I

(01:09:16):
don't want yes, and I don't want I'll be quick
and I'll tells back to you. I don't want to
make If there's a Gators fan listening, I'm not trying
to take away your joy from what happened on Monday night.
But when you can't get a shot in the final
four possessions, when you have a situation where you know,
I thought, even the final possession, you get the ball
back with whatever, twenty two seconds left and it's at

(01:09:39):
eight and you're not even going towards the rim.

Speaker 3 (01:09:43):
Listen.

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
I thought Kelvin Sampson and his team had an incredible
night on Saturday. I thought it was more of a
meltdown by Houston on Monday night as opposed to this
incredible comeback and this incredible effort by Florida.

Speaker 1 (01:09:57):
Yeah, I don't fully agree with you on the first point,
just because you know, when you're up nine with a
minute left or with two minutes left, and you're Duke,
but you only have scored, you've hit two field goals
in the last thirteen minutes of the game, and you
end up not having anything in the last three or
whatever it is. I can't give it all to Houston there.

(01:10:19):
I think there were two to tango. I think that
Houston took advantage of what Duke was doing to themselves.
But I mean, they were up forty two to thirty
at some point in that game, and it just looked like, Okay,
all right, Duke's a better team tonight. They're hitting their shots.
Houston looked. I even said it on the air, it
was like, it looks so hard for Houston to do
anything offensively right now against Duke. And even if they

(01:10:42):
there was a moment where they had like a run,
but you turn around and Duke was still up ten.
But you're right, I mean, I think that both things
can be true. But to the Florida point. I just
the last possession. I couldn't stand watching him just sit
there and dribble the basket, like that's what we're gonna do.

(01:11:02):
We're just gonna we're gonna find like we must have
one idea of what we're gonna do. And it just
I didn't like who had the ball in his hand
at the last second. I feel like you got to
go down with Cryer in that moment. But even so,
like one of the things that Houston had been known
for in this tournament was these brilliant sets. They would
come out of a time out and you had the

(01:11:23):
just one of the greatest inbounds plays you'll ever see
to beat Michigan. At the end of that game, you
made John Shire. Honestly, I mean John Shire, there's a
little bit of tarnish on him because they had two
or three different inbounds plays where it just didn't look
like they knew what they wanted to do, meaning Duke,
and a lot of that was due to Houston's defense,
But here Houston just didn't look like they had any

(01:11:45):
idea what they wanted to do. And it was just
like Kelvin. I know, Kelvin smarter than this, Like he's
one of the best tacticians you'll ever see in college basketball.
And they just didn't look like they knew where they were.
And I just kind of looked at it and it was just like,
did they get shook somehow in this last few minutes
because they started playing a little frantic. They took a

(01:12:07):
couple of bad shots. The free throws weren't there for
them like they were. They were very loose with the
with the basketball, and as they kind of deteriorated, Florida's
confidence grew and Florida had the guys that you knew,
if it came down to it, they were gonna be
able to finish the job. But even so, Houston had

(01:12:30):
beyond a lot of time to get the job done,
and that that might be considering how much time they
had and just the way that that game had been
played and everything that had brought them to that point.
That was about as bad a final possession as I've
ever seen from a really good team, Like ever, Like

(01:12:52):
I'm trying to think obviously Chris Weber's time out, and
I mean, you could talk about certain moments, but that
was like cringe and kind of stuff that was very
difficult to watch because you just knew. It's just like, man,
they are better than this. They're better than this. What
are they doing? They just they threw away a national championship.

Speaker 3 (01:13:13):
They threw it away. And the worst part is if
you just put a shot.

Speaker 2 (01:13:17):
First of all, you're a great offensive rebounding team, just
put a shot up on the rim. You don't even
get a shot off to potentially tie it or get
to win. But Florida is your national champion. Certainly an unforgettable,
unforgettable game and unforgettable finish, unless you're a Houston fan,
which you're desperately trying to forget that. Fox Sports Radio
air tors Jason Martin will come back to Saga with

(01:13:39):
his extended update. He's got all sorts of good stuff
from the day in sports, including a college baseball comeback
for the ages. I see the Saga shaking his head
right there. He can't wait to give you the details.

Speaker 3 (01:13:51):
That's next.

Speaker 2 (01:13:52):
Fox Sports Radio, Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio Air
tors Jason Martin broadcasting live forth Tireck dot Com Studios.
Remember shortly after our show podcast going up. If you
missed any of today's show, be sure to check out
the podcast. Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get
your podcast, and be sure to follow and review the
podcast and give it a quick five stars. Again, just

(01:14:13):
search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast, and
you'll see today's show show posted shortly after we get
off air. Don't want to waste any more time, Let's
get it right over to the news desk.

Speaker 3 (01:14:22):
Steve de Sager, What in the world is trending right now?

Speaker 5 (01:14:26):
Well, a brief congratulations to Western Michigan. They're a national
champion because they won the NCAA hockey title game tonight six'
to two Over. Boston you but in sec baseball all
on the same day these games. Happened florida running the
ninth Beat. Missouri number THREE lsu lost At. Auburn there
was a top twenty matchup At oklahoma that Finished sooners

(01:14:47):
fourteen to nothing Over, vanderbilt holding him to two. Hits
there was also a top ten matchup Of ole miss Beating.
Tennessee number. One arkansas lost seven to six At, georgia
which is ranked top. Ten Two texas lost in fifteen
innings At. Kentucky and then there's the baseball game At
TEXAS a AND m today because The aggies five and

(01:15:08):
nine in, conference we're Hosting South carolina two and twelve
in THE. SEC a AND m was trailing going to
the bottom of the, sixth twelve to, two going to
the bottom of the, ninth trailing twelve to, seven and
yet started the bottom of the ninth with a single
and then another, single a walk to load the. BASES
a Pin schater came up and hit a grand. Slam

(01:15:30):
it's twelve, eleven now bottom of the. Ninth later there's
a man on with two. Outs they get a walk
and then another. WALK a And m's batting in the
bottom of the, ninth down twelve eleven and its bases,
loaded two outs and there's a long.

Speaker 1 (01:15:46):
Flight arry is just. Done they come all the way.

Speaker 3 (01:15:50):
Back two night grand.

Speaker 5 (01:15:54):
Slams, unbelievable ALL sec network with.

Speaker 1 (01:15:58):
The wive the magic.

Speaker 3 (01:15:59):
One there you sweep away the. Game cocks crazy shooting
shod this On.

Speaker 1 (01:16:08):
Real.

Speaker 5 (01:16:09):
TEXAS a AND m fifteen to, twelve the final with
two grand slams in the bottom of the. Night in
that is. Nuts you were mentioning college, hoops which ended last.
Weekend THE tv ratings for that were pretty. Good in,
fact the three games of the final four averaged over
sixteen million, viewers which is up about twenty percent from

(01:16:30):
a year ago when it was all on. Cable there
wasn't a single game last year that got fifteen million,
viewers and the tournament as a. Whole the MEN'S ncaa
tournament for this season averaged ten million viewers per. Window
so SAY cbs has a New eastern, game you add
THE cbs numbers plus the three cable games at the
same time throughout the tournament per window it was ten million.

(01:16:53):
Viewers The master's final round did not get ten million
viewers a year, average So i'm guessing The masters will
get over ten million tomorrow by the, way with that.
Matchup but, nonetheless, Yes rory McElroy has a chance for
the Career Grand slam tomorrow at the age of thirty.
Five he has over a decade ago won a couple

(01:17:13):
OF pga, championships and over a decade ago won The Open,
championship and well over a decade ago took A Us,
open finished second in The masters a few years. Ago
But McElroy's up two On bryson De shambo going to
the final, round and by the, way for the eighty
Ninth masters first prize check tomorrow four point two million.

Speaker 1 (01:17:34):
Dollars, now Man nico might actually go To augusta and play.

Speaker 5 (01:17:39):
Golf good luck with. That the NBA's regular season ends On.
Sunday it includes some games of. Note clippers At Golden state.
Included The, warriors with a, win will clinch the sixth
seed and therefore be The lakers opponent for a first round.
SERIES A warriors loss could drop them to. Seven of,
course if you're seven through ten in the play in

(01:18:00):
this coming Week denver's At, houston we already. Know by the,
way as far as the play, in which Starts. Tuesday
in The, east there's a play in matchup With atlanta Against.
Orlando winner of that will get the seventh. Seed we already.

Speaker 1 (01:18:12):
Know in The.

Speaker 5 (01:18:13):
East first round series starting next weekend include The knicks
against The, Pistons pacers against The. Bucks all the seeds
in The east are locked. In the number one seed Is,
cleveland number two Is. Boston New york is number. Three
in The, West memphis is locked into a play in next.
Week lakers have the three seed in The. West houston is.

(01:18:33):
Too Oklahoma city is One The nuggets clinched the four
seed with a win, tomorrow but they could drop as
low as six with a loss On. Sunday things are
so bunched up in The. West minnesota will Have Anthony.
Edwards timberwolves can finish as high as fourth in The
west with a, win as low as eighth in The
west with a. Loss but It's sunday Against. Utah i'm

(01:18:54):
guessing there will be no loss. There but we shall
see things start as far as the play in with
two Games, townesday two Games, wednesday and then a last
chance effort On friday to get into the.

Speaker 2 (01:19:04):
Postseason thank you very, Much Steve, Seger Fox Sports, Radio
Fox Sports saturday and The, sunday depending on where you're.
Listening eron Towards Jason martin broadcasting live for The tireck
Dot com.

Speaker 3 (01:19:14):
Studios we'll come.

Speaker 2 (01:19:15):
Back we will talk a little bit about The, masters
and we certainly have to discuss a little bit about
THE Nfl. Draft Shadoor, sanders what is going on? There
we got it all next an hour. Left this Is
Fox Sports.

Speaker 1 (01:19:29):
Aretio you're listening To Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (01:19:33):
Radio welcome in. Everybody hour three Towards, Martin Fox Sports.
Radio we are broadcasting live from The tireck Dot com
studios tirec dot. Com we'll help you get there an unmatched, election,
fast free, shipping free road as a protection over ten
thousand recommended, installers tirec dot com the way tire buying should.

Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
Be we are taking you up till two a. M eastern.

Speaker 2 (01:19:57):
Time Bernie frado Of The Bernie Frado show follows. Us
cannot wait to see What bernie has to say about a, busy,
busy busy week in. Sports As disager just told you
at The, Masters roy McElroy is a two stroke lead
going into the final round six under sixty six On. Saturday,

(01:20:18):
well maybe talk a little bit More masters before the
end of the. Show But jay mart let's reset with
WHAT i think was probably the most interesting story of
the of the day and of the last probably forty
eight hours or. So and that's another story That disager
just told you. About that was the drama At. Tennessee
So Nico imamaliava coming into the week was The tennessee starting. Quarterback,

(01:20:42):
tennessee by the, way had their spring game. Today why
that's why that's. Noteworthy, basically long story short is That
nico was getting paid handsomely By tennessee about two million
dollars or.

Speaker 3 (01:20:54):
So his camp felt like that wasn't.

Speaker 2 (01:20:57):
Enough they basically tried to hold out and get more
money From. Tennessee tennessee told him to kick. Rocks so,
basically again he tried to hold out skip practice yesterday
and it became clear That tennessee was not gonna. BUDGE
i love. It this nil stuff is obviously out of,

(01:21:17):
control But tennessee basically, said, well, sorry we like, you
but we're not giving you more. Money we're not sacrificing
this entire locker. Room and let's also be, Honest, jason
you're just not that. Good you're probably overpaid as it.
Is but Nico Ima maliava is now officially in the transfer,
portal Leaving tennessee a year after helping them to the

(01:21:40):
college football.

Speaker 1 (01:21:41):
Playoffs, yeah and so we got to see what this
means in terms of ripple effects for this kind of
thing in the, future because this is kind of the test.
Case this is sort of the first time that we've
seen this, happen and it's sort of interesting that it's
also kind of as we talked about in the first
hour of the, show he was sort of the original nil,

(01:22:02):
Baby and so you look at kind of how this
has come full circle For nico and how it's come
full circle for college. Football this quickly out of control
is the right way to describe. It something needs to
be done. Here you are getting to a point where
this is not anywhere near the same sport that it once,
was and there's just there's got to be some kind

(01:22:26):
of a balance struck. Here no, ONE i don't, think
at least the vast majority of us. Are i'm not
against guys getting paid in any, way shape or, form
considering what they mean to the university and how much
money that the university profits off of them and all
of those. Things but there's got to be some kind

(01:22:46):
of a balance. Here there's got to be a, structure
there's got to be. Organization there's got to be smart
people in the room that can figure this. Out i'm
not sure what the answer. IS i don't. Know if
it's a maximum that you can pay at certain positions
and certain, CONFERENCES i don't. KNOW i don't know what it,
is BUT i know that it can't. Be this is.
Unsustainable the amount of just freedom that all the players

(01:23:12):
have to just up and leave in a moment's notice
and go do, this or this guy's going to offer
me more, money So i'm going to leave. Now the
timing of it is really. Bad but as we have both,
said kudos To tennessee for getting this. RIGHT i use
this quote often from The First Captain america. Film once

(01:23:32):
they see you, running they'll never let you. Stop And
tennessee right here, said we're not going to run away from.
This you're not going to see us back. Down we're
going to stand here and we're going to tell you
exactly what kind of program that we want to. Be
AND i imagine that there's a lot of athletic departments
in other schools across the country that are looking at
this and wiping their, brow wiping the sweat off their

(01:23:55):
brow and, saying, real thank, Goodness i'm glad it wasn't
us that have to do, this but thank, goodness because
this is kind of the adults in the room standing.
Up AND i think the other point that you made
needs to be. Reiterated not Like nico's coming off some
kind of fifty touchdown. SEASON i, mean he had nineteen,
touchdowns a lot of them against his weaker. Opponents, yes

(01:24:18):
he did show, flashes and there's a reason why they
paid him. Originally there's a reason why the collective wanted
to bring him, there and they found a way to
get him. There he has a lot of things to.
Like he also has a lot of things to. Learn
he has a lot of areas of, Growth he has
a lot of maturity to do on the, field AND
i felt pretty good that he could get. THERE i

(01:24:38):
didn't know what his ceiling was going to. BE i
was a little underwhelmed last year compared to WHAT i
kind of had. Thought maybe he could be a little,
faster but there was a lot of, time and he's
still a young guy and he's still kind of growing
into the, role and you could see a bright future for,
him AND i think the but the biggest issue here

(01:25:03):
is that this tarnishes him and it's going to be
hard to get this. Off and If i'm another school
And i'm another athletic, Department i'm another head, Coach i'm
looking at a guy who just showed a lack of
loyalty and a tendency to, well if you don't pay
me WHAT i, want even THOUGH i signed FOR x
amount of, dollars you don't pay me WHAT i, want
Then i'm going to cause. TROUBLE i don't know that

(01:25:25):
it's worth the risk BECAUSE i don't know that your
skill set shows. It yet, again he's going to get an.
OPPORTUNITY i think it's going to be at like A
Washington state or An oregon, state or maybe it's A
ucla because he's you, know popular out there In. California
BUT i think that it's likely to be a couple
of steps down from where he was At. Tennessee it's

(01:25:45):
not going to be the same kind of fan. Base
he's not going to have a coach Like Josh heipel
that is an offensive guru like. THAT i don't think
he's not going to have a lot of what he,
has and he's certainly not going to play ANY sec
based on the. Rules so he's walking away from A bower.
CONFERENCE i don't think he's going to be playing Into
big ten. Either so he's putting himself in a bad
scenario wherever it. Is AND i say, him AND i

(01:26:09):
keep saying him because he's the, asset and he's the
one that actually has to face the consequences for what's.
HAPPENING i, think as do, you someone else made this
decision for him and didn't make it in his, interest
but probably made it in. Theirs AND i HOPE i
don't root against, him BUT i hope this is the
moment where he, realizes all, RIGHT i might have to

(01:26:30):
stand on my own two. Feet i'm gonna have to
make the decision THAT i think is. Right BECAUSE i
think that this group his his, representation whoever it, was
it was part of this. PROCESS i think they overplayed their,
hand AND i think that they felt like they were
in a better position of leverage than they. Were and
so we're going to see where he ends. UP i
bet he doesn't make more money unless they already had

(01:26:52):
it worked out before he, left and based on everything
that we've, SEEN i kind of doubt. It the one
story that you've seen is they Contacted oregon in the
last handful of weeks or, whatever And oregon wasn't. Interested
AND i am thinking to, myself, well, right why Would
oregon be? INTERESTED i think this is not an identical,

(01:27:12):
situation because he wasn't going to lose his, job and
he didn't have a bad year or anything like. That
but this feels like he's going to land like a
Dj Uyanga La La he's gonna end up somewhere like
that and we're just not going to hear that much from.
HIM i think this is going to be good For
tennessee in the long term because of what it says
about their program and the control that they want to.

(01:27:35):
Wield in the short, term it puts them behind the
eight ball because they don't really have a quarterback right.
Now they have two. Guys i'm not sure either one
of them is ready to, start and now they're going
to go Into portal when it opens On wednesday and
try to find somebody and springball is over and it's
going to be difficult for. Them BUT i think that
they made the right choice for their university and for

(01:27:56):
their athletic department going. Forward AND i think it looks
good on, hype looks good On Danny, white their athletic.
Director it just shows that you, know there is still
there's still somebody that is willing to take a stand
here and not just just give whatever to unproven.

Speaker 2 (01:28:15):
Talent, yeah and as messed up as the whole situation,
IS i do think if you hate where we are
currently in sports in college, sports this is kind of
a good. Thing it was a school basically saying, no
like you, made we agreed to, something you're getting paid insane,

(01:28:35):
money especially relative to you know the fact that for
ninety nine percent of college sports, history nobody got paid.
Anything and, no the answer is, no like enough is,
Enough and SO i, LISTEN i don't really care what
happens With. NICO i think it was kind of a
situation where by you, know by midday, YESTERDAY i actually
thought you kind of couldn't bring him back because, yeah

(01:28:58):
that you have eighty four other guys in that, locker they're, Like, okay,
cool where's my pay? Raise if, NOT i metured the
portal On, wednesday and so, YEAH i don't really have
a ton else to add other than. THAT i do
think if you hate this era and you hate where
this is, going this is actually a good thing For
tennessee to step up and basically just, say like we

(01:29:18):
had an, agreement we're compensating you very, well and we
just we're not going any. Higher and we're not going
any higher because whether it's because you're not good, enough
whether it's because we don't have the, money or whether
it's because it's gonna piss off eighty four other guys
in the locker. Room BUT i thought it was ultimately
the only decision that they could, make and it feels
like they did really. Quickly, yeah you kind of mentioned,

(01:29:39):
it but BUT i think the more interesting story now
is obviously where It's tennessee, go but Also, nico Because
i'm with, YOU i actually don't think and this is
just total speculation on my, PART i actually don't think
he has another.

Speaker 3 (01:29:53):
SPOT i think that he was kind of.

Speaker 2 (01:29:55):
Maybe his camp was reaching out to other schools to
kind of try to raise the price to create intro
in him of, like, oh you, Know oregon reached, out
this school reached, out that school reached out. WHATEVER i
believe they wanted to stay At. Tennessee BUT i think
to the point that you brought up, EARLIER i think
they thought that they could twist their arm into getting
what they, wanted and they. COULDN'T i guess the only

(01:30:18):
THING i would ask is IS i think you could
just mentioned, it but what do you think is? Next
and Then i'm of the position that wherever he ends up,
ONE i actually don't think he has the next laying
spot already figured. Out BUT i think it's a worse,
football a worse football, situation the one he just. Left
And i'll also say this, too IS i just feel

(01:30:39):
in some WAYS i feel bad for the kid BECAUSE
i think it's going to stunt his. Development AND i
don't think they're gonna get more money. EITHER i, mean
who is sitting around right? Now and maybe there is a,
Team maybe IT'S, usc maybe it's somebody else that has
just because they want four. Million they were getting two
five From. Tennessee they want four? Million does? Somebody is

(01:30:59):
there somebody out there they're just sitting around with four
million that was waiting for a quarterback to enter the.
Portal maybe that team is out. THERE i don't know
that it. Is De sega brought up the point. EARLIER
ucla doesn't even pay.

Speaker 3 (01:31:10):
It's coaches four million, dollars so it's probably not Gonna
if you end up AT, ucla you're probably gonna be
taking a pay.

Speaker 2 (01:31:16):
Cut you're certainly not gonna be getting a pay. RAISE
i think it's probably the same AT. Usc that's the
sad part to me, is LIKE i, said it feels
like the father was pulling the strings behind pulling strings
behind the, scenes and it's, like as a, father you
should just be doing what's best for your, son AND
i think he actually put his son in a much worse.

Speaker 1 (01:31:35):
Situation the other thing is you talk about the four million,
dollars who exactly is gonna pay him four million? Dollars,
like it's not just THE ucla because of the coaching
and their and their financial, standpoint it's what is he
done to show he's worth? That like, That like what
he was getting At, Tennessee i'm not sure that he

(01:31:55):
was worth that, Yet, tah great. CALL i mean he
was he may have grown into, that but what he
had been paid compared to what he actually put on
the field last, YEAR i don't, know, Man like that's
that's a tough sell for. Me and so you're telling
me that you're gonna leave there and you're gonna go
to another team and you're gonna demand more money than

(01:32:17):
that based on what we saw from you last, YEAR i,
mean good. Luck it MIGHT i don't know who can do,
it AND i don't know who would do. It and,
honestly if you do, it you might get mocked because
like what do you, See like why would you commit
this kind of money based on everything you? Know and

(01:32:39):
now you also add into, that, yeah, uh he may
actually come back next year and say he needs six
and he'll. Leave like the whole thing, again it reads
bad for. Him and if it if it was, indeed you,
know somebody in his family or something like that that
convinced him to do, THIS i hope they do some
soul searching and figure out what they, done because they've

(01:33:01):
made a horrible decision that's going to affect how he's
perceived in the near. FUTURE i don't know where he,
lands BUT i can tell you he's not going to
be in college football playoff because he's not going to
be playing for one of those. Teams he's not going
to have the visibility that he had At. Tennessee he's
not going to have the resources he had At. Tennessee
he's NOT i don't THINK i have anywhere near the

(01:33:22):
head coach that he has At. Tennessee he's not going
to have the fan base that he has At. Tennessee
he's not going to play In Newland stadium in front
of nearly one hundred thousand, people like all of these,
things not going to play in The Southeastern. CONFERENCE i
do think he's just going to end up somewhere on
The west. COAST i don't know where it. Is but
here's the other. Thing what if he doesn't get the same.

(01:33:44):
MONEY i, mean how bad is that going?

Speaker 4 (01:33:47):
To?

Speaker 1 (01:33:47):
Look he tried to get more money out Of tennessee
and now he's playing for one point two million at you,
know ex directional school out In oregon or In washington
or something like. That LIKE i don't know exactly how this,
ends but right NOW i just look at it for

(01:34:08):
nik on. Him just, Like, MAN i hope that your
skill set comes around and you're able to do something
in THE, nfl BECAUSE i think you just made a
bad choice and you aren't going to be happy next year.
Either LIKE i think that you get away From knoxville
and maybe you did want to stay, there but AND
i think that that's probably, true right based on what
you said, Earlier aaron of the reports that he was

(01:34:29):
with THE, oc the offensive, coordinator like right before this
whole thing blew up and they were talking about everything
it might be happening this. YEAR i don't think that
in his head and his heart he wanted to Leave
tennessee at. All but when they came out and asked
for the money or whatever like, that And tennessee said,
no then that's when it has to. End and at that,

(01:34:51):
POINT i think somebody told him to dig into his
heels or somebody did it for him his, representation and
not only have they put him behind the eight ball
in terms of rep wherever he, goes he's gonna have
almost no time to get familiar with the teammates and
all of that kind of. Thing so that you talk
about stunning his, GROWTH i don't see any scenario where

(01:35:12):
this year is a success for him on the field
wherever he. Goes so this whole thing is a huge
l For nico and his. People and even if it
Harms tennessee's ability to compete for a title this, year
just because they were banking on him being their guy
and whatever growth from year one to year two of

(01:35:33):
him being the, starter whatever it, IS i think that
they have done something very good for their program long,
term AND i like to see.

Speaker 2 (01:35:42):
That zero Doubt Nico Ima maliava officially in the transfer
portal when it opens On, Wednesday calm the chaos with
the shipping software that delivers use Code sports for a
free trial at shipstation dot. Com at shipstation dot com Code,
Sports we'll come. Back we will talk about another quarterback

(01:36:03):
that has certainly been in the, Headlines Shador. Sanders what
is going on with this whole draft. Process we got
a lot to. Discuss that's. Next Fox Sports.

Speaker 4 (01:36:13):
Radio 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.

Speaker 2 (01:36:25):
Live welcome back, Everybody Fox Sports. Radio here Toeorgs jayson
martinbroadcasting live from The tyrech Dot com. Studios, hey be
sure to check out The Fox Sports radio YouTube. Channel
a ton of great videos from all of our. Shows
just Search Fox Sports radio on YouTube and you'll see
a whole bunch of video highlights from our. Shows, also
be sure to subscribe so you have instant access to

(01:36:46):
everything we're doing at The Fox Sports radio YouTube. Channel
want to come back and we will talk a LITTLE nfl.
Draft we will talk little Shudor sanders before we get, there,
though final, time this evening To.

Speaker 3 (01:36:57):
Sega what is, trending?

Speaker 5 (01:36:58):
Guys Said Dodger. Stadium, tonight The cubs BEAT la sixteen to.
Nothing the losing, Pitcher Rochi, sasaki actually allowed just one
run in his five. Innings he was down one. Nothing
Infierdlal Miguel rojas pitched the eighth and ninth. Innings one
of his pitches was clocked at thirty six miles per.
Hour most were about fifty miles per hour or. Less

(01:37:20):
let's compare that to The a's closer, Today Mason, miller
who had a fastball clocked at one oh three point
seven miles per. Hour in that, Game, Yes miller got
his fourth. Saved The a's beat The mets three to.
One a's had been one and six at home In.
Sacramento The dodgers home record had been seven to oh
until this sixteen nothing defeat, tonight their worst home loss

(01:37:44):
in the long history of The dodger. Franchise, apparently they
had a fifteen nothing home loss in eighteen ninety eight
that was. Eclipsed this evening already remembers that. One, Yes,
arizona with five runs in the bottom of the, ninth
Beat milwaukee five to. Four the lost Closer trevor. McGill
he allowed three runs and three. Walks Corbyn burns was

(01:38:05):
The arizona starter ex Of. Milwaukee no decision for. Him
he pitched six. Innings Jackson churio and the loss for
The brewers hit his fifth. Homer he has seventeen RBIs.
Already The padres have tied their best ever, start twelve and.
Three they shut out Lowly colorado two to. Nothing The
padres home record is nine to. Oh San diego got
solo homers From Fernando Tatist junior And Jason. Hayward POD's

(01:38:27):
only had three it's, total but another W the late
game At seattle went to The mariners nine to two Over.
Texas losing Pitcher Kumar, rocker who already had AN era
close to. Eight he allowed three earned runs in three
and a third the win To brian Wo angels won
four to one At. Houston Tyler, anderson the winning, pitcher
had a no hitter until the sixth. Inning cincinnati got
a grand slam From elie Dal La cruz and Beat

(01:38:49):
pittsburgh five to. Two cleveland's won five straight all at,
home Beat Kansas city six to, three as The royal
struck out fifteen. Times miami seven to six Over Washington
attendants a robe plus eighteen thousand After friday's crowd was
just nine thousand In.

Speaker 3 (01:39:03):
Miami The White.

Speaker 5 (01:39:04):
Sox had been three and ten but got a run
bottom of the ninth to Beat boston three to. Two
The White sox offense went four for twenty, nine the
top five in their order each batting under one. Eighty
they still got a w beating Closer Eraaldis, chapman who's
now with The Red. Sox atlanta was three and, ten
but got a five to four victory At Tampa. Bay
The braves had been h to eight on the. Road

(01:39:26):
they were down two nothing in the seventh in this,
game but hit four home runs in the last three.
Innings baltimore was down three to nothing in the, third
but one at home five to four Over. Toronto The
a's has mentioned beat The, mets The yankees beat The.
Giants wins For philadelphia And. DETROIT Nhl columbus seven nothing Over,
washington overtime win For, toronto one zip Against. Montreal THE

(01:39:49):
nhl regular season ends On. Thursday THE nba regular season Ends.
Sunday everybody will be in. Action NO nba games, tonight
But sunday matchups include The clippers At Golden. State memphis
is locked into a play in in The. West lakers
have the three. Seed they'll find out their first round opponent.
Tomorrow we already.

Speaker 1 (01:40:07):
Know in The.

Speaker 5 (01:40:08):
East First round series starting next weekend will Include nicks Versus,
Pistons pacers Versus. Bucks Anthony edwards will play tomorrow For.
Minnesota he had a tech rescinded From. Friday rory McElroy
leads The masters by two strokes Over bryson To. Shamba
The Tennessee valls moved on from STARTING. Qb Nico iyamalayava

(01:40:28):
after his skip practice in an nil. Holdout what a modern.
Story the transfer portal opens On, wednesday apparently wanted to
redo his deal With tennessee for more. Money THE qb
was reportedly making two point four million. Dollars yamaliava would
have three seasons of eligibility. REMAINING i did notice in
an ARTICLE sec rules prohibit transferring within the conference in the.

(01:40:50):
Spring if you want to immediately be eligible to play
at your new. School NASCAR's ON fs one Again, sunday
three Pm eastern From, Bristol. Tennessee Alex bowman ear in
The Kyle larson won The Xfinity. Race IndyCar series returns
To FOX tv On. Sunday back to, You thank you very,
Much Steve. Seger have a great. Evening by the, Way

(01:41:10):
i'll put a bow on The nico. STUFF i think
it's all gonna end. SAD i just think it's gonna be.

Speaker 2 (01:41:15):
Sad LIKE i to to say your's, point you're not
gonna be transferring within the Sec you're not gonna get more,
Money you're not gonna be in better. Situation and by the,
way Like i'll just say this BECAUSE i want to
talk and your name is stayed as you, said, yeah
and and LIKE I i don't blame like if you're
now worked out well for, him and we'll talk about

(01:41:36):
him to wrap the. Show but, like if You're Will
howard and you are a fifth year, guy And i'm
just using him as a, hypothetical you're a fifth year,
guy you're maybe a, fifth, sixth seventh round. Pick you
don't know if you're gonna have AN nfl. Future, yes
go get the single biggest bag you. Can and it

(01:41:56):
obviously worked out For Will, howard AND i don't know
if the biggest offer he had was From. Ohouse But
nico is going into his third year on the precipice
of maybe with a great year being a first ROUND
nfl draft. Pick NOW i know he has a long
way to. Go but the Point i'm trying to make
everything had worked out to. Plan he was in, position
he red, shirted he's playing for a playoff, team he

(01:42:18):
has talent all around. Him it's like we could put
a ball on it jmrd after, this but it's not
going to be a better. Situation and, again he isn't
a guy that at this point in his career had
to chase the. Money it was all setting, up the
master plan was, working and they screwed it all.

Speaker 1 (01:42:34):
Up, YEAH i just the words SAD i said. Earlier
just the whole thing felt like a shame on The nico.
SIDE i, mean it's a shame For tennessee that they're
not going to be able to continue to help his
growth and be with him throughout his college. Career but
that's the decision that he or his representation have. Made

(01:42:55):
BUT i do think it's sad For nico in one,
respect especially if it wasn't ultimately his, Call if ultimately
he followed someone else's lead on, THIS i think that
he's going to regret making this. Decision, yeah and that's
the worst outcome for. Him he's going to be playing
somewhere else and he's going to be wherever it is

(01:43:18):
that he's living near that, campus and he's going to
look up and he's going to, REALIZE i didn't have
to do, THIS i shouldn't have done. This and he's
going to be looking at a team that he used
to play for that is going to continue to win without.
Him AND i think the biggest thing about all of
this Is nico is going to be forgotten about.

Speaker 4 (01:43:38):
It In.

Speaker 1 (01:43:38):
Knoxville they'll be able to move on from this like he'll.
Be it'll be a footnote in the history At tennessee.
Football he's never going to have the opportunity to make
the impact at a at a school that prizes and
loves its athletics and loves football Like tennessee. Does he's
not going to have that, opportunity and they're going to
move on and be okay without. Him is he going

(01:43:59):
to move on and be okay without? Them that Is
that is yet to be. Determined but he's going to
be going through some difficult stuff in the months to.
Come and this is one thousand percent self. INFLICTED i
feel sorry for him just BECAUSE i know he did
not do this, unilaterally but this was this was a bad.

(01:44:20):
Choice it was a bad, choice and he's gonna regret.

Speaker 2 (01:44:22):
It bad, Choice he's gonna regret. It let's move on
to the guys that we don't call amateurs but are actually,
professionals like college football. Players let's talk about the actual.
PROFESSIONALS Nfl, draft as we just, discussed it is a
week From, thursday opening. ROUND i just want to ask you,
this Jam, MARK i kind of joked About i've heard
Every shador take. Ever i'm just, curious, like he's clearly

(01:44:44):
the most interesting player in the. Draft you, know son
of A hall Of, famer high profile, player. Whatever But
i've seen, everything not even, seen but you, know basically
everything from number two behind Cam WARD i guess in
theory number one with The, titans but really number two
all the, way he's not a first.

Speaker 3 (01:45:02):
Rounder how much of this.

Speaker 2 (01:45:04):
Do you think is just like how much of the
reporting or the conversation is actually, tangible whatever the angle,
is and how much of it is just we need
something to talk, About so we're going to continue to
find ways to talk About Shador sanders because he's the
most interesting player in this.

Speaker 1 (01:45:23):
DRAFT i, MEAN i do think there's a lot of,
that BUT i think there's something to the OTHER i
think that there's there's just a lot of mixed messaging
and mixed signals Surrounding, chauduur coming from, scouts coming from
those that have watched this for a long time and
sort of kind of know how this draft process plays,

(01:45:44):
out and from the teams. THEMSELVES i don't know how
many people are actually being straight with what they're. Saying
this is the time of year when everybody sort of
smoke screens what they want to. DO i am, not
like supremely high On shador in the. Pros loved watching
him in. COLLEGE i don't know what he's going to

(01:46:04):
be in. PROS i really. DON'T i feel a lot
better about Cam, ward as does just about everybody. Else
SO i think the question is just is somebody gonna jump,
up whether it's the team that's there now and taking,
more somebody gonna jump up and needs a quarterback and risk,
it BECAUSE i do think there's a high risk potential

(01:46:24):
With Shadoor sanders that doesn't, exist for, example With Can't.
Ward BUT i think some of the discourse is overblown
because it needs to, be because this draft just Isn't
there's not a whole lot of meat on this. Bone
in terms of the talking, points there's usually a little
bit more than. This not in this, case there really hasn't.

(01:46:45):
BEEN i, mean there's been a little bit here With Jackson,
dart but there's not like there's not The Zach wilson
story out of nowhere this. Year there's not sort of
this manufactured thing the tray line or something like. That
there's not. That and we know what the first pick
is going to. Be AND i don't think anybody will

(01:47:06):
be surprised When tennessee steps up and takes Cam. WARD
i think they love, him AND i think that what
they did did during the spring indicates that that's exactly
where they're headed as a relations to should do? IT
i just don't. Know AND i think that a lot
of it is because It's dion's, kid and So dion's
going to say a couple of things which he has
and should do her is you, know he's a little

(01:47:28):
confident borderline, ARGANT i, Think and so it kind of
makes for an easy and easy. Headline AND i think
it's going to continue all the way up until the
draft and we'll see whether or not he falls and
we have that kind of a moment or. NOT i don't.
KNOW i still tend to think he goes in the
top ten. SOMEWHERE i just. DO i don't think that's

(01:47:50):
going to be some precipitous fall. Off somebody out, there
somebody in the league wants. Him there are some TEAMS
i think that have no interest in him at all
because of some of the other things that surround. It
but SOMEBODY i feel like it's going to take him
fairly early and just feel, like, look if he turns
out to be the, guy and if, somebody if there
is a team out there that really likes him at,

(01:48:10):
quarterback they should take. Him. Absolutely if you think that
there is a guy in this draft that can play
quarterback for you and you're in need of a, quarterback
you don't have the luxury not to take. Him SO
i still think he probably goes within the top. Ten
so where are you on all of this in terms
of what you think is true and not about all this.

Speaker 2 (01:48:32):
Discourse, YEAH i Think i'm with. YOU i think he
goes in the top. Ten AND i, think, listen whatever
you think of, him it's a supply and demand. ISSUE i,
mean even if some of these quarterback situations have been
figured out in the short term or we think the long,
term you, know just as an, example like The New York,
jets they needed a quarterback eight weeks, ago and now
we think that they are riding with justin fields for

(01:48:54):
the foreseeable. Future the only REASON i bring it up
is because somebody is going to need a quarterback at some.
Point AND i also think some of it, too is
LIKE i just think it's the, discourse, right is THAT
i think we have way too much. TIME i think
we overblow things that we shouldn't, Overblow like somebody, reporting,

(01:49:14):
OH i spoke to AN nfl front office exec who
says that he does not Believe shdor is a first round.
Pick i'm just using that as a. Hypothetical but we
know that that has. Happened, okay, Right, well.

Speaker 3 (01:49:24):
Guess what.

Speaker 2 (01:49:26):
ONE nfl exec does not speak for the ENTIRE, nfl you.
Know and it's LIKE i always say, this but it's
like ONE nfl exec says he's not a first he's
not a first round. Talent, okay, well is that A?
Gm is that a person that's in a decision making?
Role do they have a? Quarterback are they even evaluating?

Speaker 1 (01:49:45):
Him you?

Speaker 2 (01:49:45):
Know but it's like because it's THE nfl, draft that
becomes a. Discourse, Right so If Daniel jeremiah Or Bucky
brooks or Saying i'm just using these people as. Examples
but Like Bucky, brooks he's our. Buddy he works, here
he's great at what he. Does his name carries. Weight
If Bucky brooks says a buddy of you, know a
front office exec like, that that can that can be

(01:50:06):
a story that takes off like wildfire And, bucky if you're,
LISTENING i love. You this is not. Whatever i'm Just
i'm just using him as an. Example, like these things
can become a discourse so. Quick that's, Oh chador is
not a first drump. Pick it's, like, well who Says
schador is not a first drump pick because one front
office guy told one reporter like and SO.

Speaker 3 (01:50:24):
I just think.

Speaker 2 (01:50:24):
It it then feeds into the, discourse AND i think
we we go through this every. YEAR i think that
we go through it every. Year with the quarterback, position
it is an overvalued. Position you overpay for. It you're
all the supply is never going to exceed the. Demand
AND i just look, at, uh you, know whether it
Is obviously we Think tennessee's going with the with with

(01:50:46):
with Kim.

Speaker 3 (01:50:47):
Ward but is it The?

Speaker 2 (01:50:48):
Giants is it you, Know, uh probably not The raiders
because they Signed Geno smith long, Term but, like is
it The?

Speaker 3 (01:50:56):
Saints you go on and on that. LIST i just
there's there's only so many.

Speaker 2 (01:51:00):
Quarterbacks we know it's a bad quarterback, class AND i
JUST i don't see the scenario where he really. FALLS
i think it's been largely overblown because he's the most interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:51:09):
Player we need something to talk.

Speaker 1 (01:51:10):
About, Yeah AND i do think that there are some
THAT i think some want to get out in front
of this because they know they're not going to be
called to actually account for this if he turns out
to be. Good but if he turns out to be,
bad there's a whole lot of people on record sort
of being skeptical so that they can use this and
say told YOU i was on this one from the very.

(01:51:32):
Beginning it's just kind of the nature of the beast.
Here AND i think that it's probably the best that
you make in this, case because there are there's a
lot of things about The chaudor situation and the way
that he plays in his style and all those kinds
of things that we'll. See but there's a definite bust
potential when it comes to what he's able to, do

(01:51:53):
what his ceiling, is especially with what is likely going
to be a bad offensive line and not a ton
of weapons around. Him he's not going to have A traffis,
center to say the. Least, now he didn't have a
great offensive line either year At, colorado but he got
mauled as. Well so but there's also stuff, like And
i've seen, this he pats the. FOOTBALL i think that's.

(01:52:14):
OVERBLOWN i Think Brady quinn actually made that point On
Two pros and a couple Of joe a couple of weeks,
ago and it was a smart. Point not a surprise
coming From, brady especially about the quarterback. Position but just
he's patting the, ball he's going through his, progressions he's
going through his. Reeds let's not overreact to every little
thing that he's. Doing because his name is shaud Or.
Sanders As i've said many times about a lot of these,

(01:52:38):
GUYS i hope they're all, good, man because we have
a better. League the more good quarterbacks we, have the
better and Should doure and his you, know the just
the kind of charisma that he carries and stuff like
that'd be great for. Football if he's. GOOD i really
hope that he, is SO i tend to, think, yeah
they Needed there needs to be some storylines surrounding this,

(01:52:58):
draft and should Door. Sanders that's the lowest and easiest hanging.
FRUIT i.

Speaker 2 (01:53:03):
AGREE Nfl, Draft by the, way Next, thursday since we're,
here let's do. It calm the chaos with the shipping
software that. Delivers use Code sports for a free trial
at shipstation dot com that shipstation dot com Code, sports
and be sure to tune in To Fox Sports radio
On Draft. Night that's Next, thursday not this Coming, thursday
but the following. One april twenty, fourth eight Pm. Eastern

(01:53:26):
entire first round Coverage Jay, glazer Former JETS Gm Joe,
Douglas College Football hall Of Famer LeVar, arrington And Fox
sports lead Reporter Jenny. Taff pick by pick, predictions pick
by pick reactions to every pick in the first Round,
Thursday april twenty, fourth eight Pm, eastern Through round one
of THE Nfl, draft right here On Fox Sports, radio

(01:53:46):
brought to you By. Shipstation well come. Back we will
talk about one player WHO i don't think is going
in the first, round but thinks he. Should Will, howard
you gotta hear what he said earlier this. Week that's
To Fox Sports. Radio welcome back, Everybody Fox Sports, Radio
Eric Tors Jason martin broadcasting live from Thee tirec Dot com.

(01:54:09):
Studios we are taking you up till two a. M eastern.
Time Bernie fredo is the of The Bernie Freddo. Show
follows us eleven minutes from. Now cannot wait to hear
What bernie has to.

Speaker 3 (01:54:23):
Say if you.

Speaker 2 (01:54:23):
Missed any of the show, again make sure to download
the podcast be available shortly after we go off. Air
fun conversations On Nico, Ima, Maliava, tennessee The, Masters, chador
on and on and on and on and. On like
to always wrap the, show j mart when we, can
especially a week like, this not a ton going. On

(01:54:44):
OBVIOUSLY nba playoffs will start with the play in later
in the, week but there's no pressing games to preview
anything like, that.

Speaker 3 (01:54:52):
So we like to wrap with something a little bit.
Light how about?

Speaker 2 (01:54:56):
This in a profile WITH, Espn Will, howard who admittedly
did Leed Ohio state.

Speaker 3 (01:55:04):
To a national.

Speaker 2 (01:55:04):
Championship NOW i don't know where i'd put him on
the pecking. Order of most important people in that championship said,
QUOTE i Believe i'm the best quarterback in this. CLASS
i think there's unbelievable, talent but if you're going to
be a, competitor at the end of the, day you
have to believe in. Yourself AND i think that's what
helps me get through those adverse. TIMES i Believe i'm
the best quarterback in this. Class jason cool story bro

(01:55:27):
whoa shots?

Speaker 3 (01:55:28):
FIRED i mean he's. Not was he the best quarterback
At Ohio state last?

Speaker 1 (01:55:35):
Year that's a good.

Speaker 3 (01:55:36):
Question, yeah we won't know for a few, years BUT
i think the answer might not even be yes on.

Speaker 1 (01:55:40):
That. Yeah so a lot of this comes down to
if you read read the article on he had a
just an awful performance at The, combine like one of
the worst quarterback performances in the history of The combine
according to people that watched. It and basically after that

(01:56:01):
he basically kind of said. This NOW i understand what he's,
saying because the second part of the quote is, basically
this is what you have to tell yourself if you
want to. SUCCEED i get, that but you don't have
to say it out loud to other people like you
can psych yourself up without looking foolish in the. Process

(01:56:23):
it's not That Will howard is borderline first round. TALENT
i don't even know where he GETS i have no,
Idea like after that, GAME i forgot that he had
that he was a football. Player quite, frankly he lost
his job multiple. TIMES i think At Kansas. State he's
obviously a good competitor and certainly at times has had

(01:56:45):
some really good stuff and look really good in a
college football. Playoff throw Into Jeremiah smith And igbuka and
all that kind of, stuff and maybe he's gonna be
stewarn the. Pros we have no. Idea but he's not
the best quarterback in theft and so you can do
this self motivational, Stuff but when you say it in

(01:57:06):
an interview like, this it just reads all, wrong and
it also reads. Phony it's just, like basically you're admitting
by saying that out loud that even you don't really buy.
It you just have to tell yourself. That so that
didn't help you very much at. All but when you
actually go and you read the headline of the article
and the big splash screen when they put it up
and all, this it Was Will howard thinks he's the

(01:57:27):
best quarterback in this. Draft that's how it's. Written it's
not even written in the full context of what you
were trying to. Say so the message that you were
trying to get out, there they just took that headline
and ran with, it and then everybody else did. Too Sports.
ILLUSTRATED i looked at all the links, past like everybody
took this and ran with. It so whatever you were

(01:57:48):
trying to get out of, this, no and again objective.
HERE i understand That i'm stating an, opinion BUT i
also BELIEVE i am stating a, fact not the best
quarterback in this. Draft, Aaron, yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:58:03):
It's okay to believe in.

Speaker 2 (01:58:05):
Yourself, Yes and like you, SAID i don't think he
went into this interview being LIKE i gotta get the message.
OUT i Think i'm the BEST qb in this. Draft
but but, yeah, No AND i do think it'll be
interesting with revisionist. HISTORY i Believe Ohio state actually had
their spring game. Today they had a couple of young

(01:58:25):
guys red. SHIRTING i think history will say that he
might not have even been the best quarterback on That
Ohio state. Team he just so happened to be the
fifth year senior That Ryan day trusted the. Most Will,
howard of, course Leeds Ohio state to a national championship.
Draft by the, way Next, thursday Two. THURSDAY i keep
saying Next, thursday but you know WHAT i, mean The

(01:58:46):
thursday after this.

Speaker 3 (01:58:47):
One it's coming up. Soon we got about five.

Speaker 2 (01:58:50):
Seconds j Mart let's save the Cam ward conversation next
week Because i'm curious you living In. Tennessee the reaction
to Cam ward will have plenty more in THE nfl
draft next.

Speaker 3 (01:58:59):
Week But i'll tell you what we got to get
out of.

Speaker 2 (01:59:01):
Here WANT i thank the, Crew Mary mack on the,
boards Producer Bree steve De, sager from my Partner Jason,
Martin i'm Are. Torres make sure to download the podcast.
Again we Talked, shador we Talked, nico we talked college hoops,
tournament we Talked Will, howard we talked all sorts of good.
Stuff coming up Next Bernie fraddo with A Bernie Fratto.
Show he is taking you up till six Am. Eastern

(01:59:22):
we are out erin Tors Jason, martin this Is Fox
Sports aretio