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October 18, 2025 80 mins

Carmen Vitali & Tracy Sandler talk about the Dodgers & Shohei Ohtani advancing to the World Series, discuss whether or not the Buccaneers are the best team in the NFL, a little Throwback Thursday action in the NFL, previews for all the biggest games in Week 6, and more! Plus, AQ Shipley and Mike Golic Jr join the show.

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Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome. It is another Fox Football Saturday. I'm
your host, Carmen Vitally, and I have Tracy Sandler, CEO
of Fangirls Sports Network and forty nine Ers beer reporter
right alongside me. Trace, How you doing. I think I
have a feeling about how you're doing.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
I am great, honestly, could not be better.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's nothing to do with football like at the current moment.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
No, nothing at all. Well, a little bit college, mainly baseball,
mainly baseball, for sure.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Tracy was on hand last night as the Dodgers advanced.
Looked like it looked like a scene.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Trace, it was a scene. Oh, it was a scene
Dodger Stadium. I know I'm gonna sound way not current
when I say this, but Dodger Stadium was rockin'. It
was Poppin. There we go. It was Poppin.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
I don't know Poppin's better, Trace, I really not.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Pro probably know it better at all. But it was
both Rocket and Poppin. And now using both of them
just I think puts me in a whole other stress.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm so happy that you got to be there. Tracy
is a die hard Dodgers fan, what you had season
tickets like your whole life?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, my whole life. My grandparents fought the tickets we
have in nineteen sixty two in the stadium open. Then
this is incredible. These tickets are our family.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yes, I just love sports for the for this exact reason.
Like it just they bring people together in so many ways.
They bridge generations. I mean, it's just it's it's crazy
to me too, especially in a place like Dodger Stadium,
when you are like in the same place, like the
legitimately same place that like your grandparents were doing the

(01:34):
exact same thing your grandparents were doing forty five fifty
years ago.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
One.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
I don't know if they were crying when the Dodgers won,
but they may have been. It's a possibility, definitely as
a possibility.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Well, I'm happy for you. All Right, We're gonna get
to a little bit more Major League Baseball stuff and
we have a whole full football slate for you. We
have Aq Shipley, thirteen year NFL veteran, Rimington Trophy winner,
Penn State grad u with us in the first hour
and he's now the Cardinals play by play announcer. He
appears on Pat McAfee as well. And then in the

(02:06):
second hour, we're gonna talk to our friend, my bestie,
Mike Golick Junior, who is on the road in Orlando,
the land of Chains. And when I told him that
this morning, he was like, yeah, so icy and I
was like, no, Mike, I meant chain restaurants. Orlando is
the is the home of like every single chain restaurant
you could ever imagine. It's incredible. We have a jam

(02:28):
pack show. I'm so excited to get to all of it.
Be sure to subscribe to Fox Sports Radio's YouTube channel
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Speaker 3 (02:46):
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Speaker 2 (03:05):
All right, so let's go bite. I know, I just
had all of the football setup. But I want to
keep talking a little bit about these MLB playoffs. Listen, Tracy,
I just I know that you have so many things
to say about the Dodgers, so go.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
I still can't wrap my head around with shoho Tony
did last night. I mean, we are watching history, and
I feel, and this is gonna sound so cheesy, but
I really feel lucky to get to watch him and
to get to be there. But pitching six score listenings,
tense strikeouts and then hitting three home runs, and on
a week where he'd been kind of slandered all over
the place for not batting in the playoffs and certainly

(03:42):
not in this NLCS series, and he comes out here
and he's like, all right, cool, not a problem. Watch this.
One of the home runs went out of the stadium.
It may have landed in Bakersfield. Who's to say, it's
still in the air.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Perhaps it's I mean, it's incredible, and I honestly I
do like even as someone who did not grow up
with the Dodgers. I grew up in Chicago. I grew
up a White Sox fan of all of all teams.
Oh interesting, yeah, yeah, I had I made a decision.
So I grew up west of the city and it
could either be a Cubs fan or a Sox fan.
Like we were right to the west, so we were
like right at the dividing line. And I just the

(04:17):
Cubs were on WGN growing up superstation, and I felt
like there were some people outside of Chicago, like the
Cubs sensation, a national fan base, and I was like,
I'm gonna like the team that only Chicago people like,
okay and so. And then a few years later they
rewarded me with World Series in two thousand and five.
So then, but like it set me up for an
overall lifetime of disappointment. But it's fine, They're still my team.

(04:37):
But even even saying all of that, and even having
grown up without the context of the Dodgers necessarily, this
is incredible what shohe Atani has done. He has revolutionized
the sport. It's not hyperbole to say that I do
think that in fifty sixty years, seventy years we are
going to be talking about him provide a baseball still around.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
I think they because of Showy.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
In the way that you talk about Mickey Mantle or
Babe Ruth or like any of these just all time
greats that did revolutionize the game in their time. Like
that is what Shoheo Tani is doing right now. And
I think we're gonna see like Joey Atani will not
be the last of his kind, but he was certainly
the first. Yeah, which is which is? It is? So
you are we are kind of lucky that we get to,

(05:22):
you know, see this live and witness this change live.

Speaker 3 (05:26):
And one thing on the Dodgers, because there's been a
lot of talk about this all this week, that buying
a championship a super team, you know, at the end
of the day, a lot of people can do that.
They made the choice to do that. Everybody has a
choice how to spend their money. Certainly not my decision,
how they do that. And they also have a tremendous
farm system and guys that work really, really hard, and
I think that gets lost in it. And I understand

(05:47):
fans of other teams like this isn't fair, but it
is fair. It's just it's how they're doing it. But
it's also the people they have. And I know I'm
a Dodger fan, so people are probably rolling their eyes,
but they also do have a tremendous farmist and they
they develop talent, they're they're incredible.

Speaker 5 (06:01):
If people are rolling their eyes at that, like did
payroll make your eBay throw that ball away at first
base and score a run? Like Pat Murphy was honestly
the most annoying person alive this entire week the way
he framed this series. The Brewers won ninety seven games,
like I'm sorry you guys couldn't win a postseason game.
But like the Dodgers this entire run, their whole thing

(06:22):
has been not making mistakes and capitalizing when you do,
and that's what they did in the NLCS.

Speaker 6 (06:27):
Also, as someone who has no ties the Dodgers or
LA Sports at all whatsoever, Like I know, I saw
another account on X the last night saying, like, I'm
not blaming the Dodgers for this, Blame the Twins. Blame
the Athletics, who can't even get their own stadium. Blame
the Marlins who blew up to not one, but two
World Series winning franchises, I mean rosters. Blame the Rockies

(06:48):
for being cheap, be the angel Blame the Angels for
like letting Otani walk. Blame every other owner who is
unspeakably cheap in this sport, rather than an organization that
everyone wants their organization to be, which is spend well
and develop well and do everything right. But instead we
have to listen to the Jerry Rhines doors of the
world complain about how they can't pay money, like this

(07:12):
isn't a George Steinbrenner situation. Like you guys are free
to do this too.

Speaker 5 (07:15):
Yeah, I think Christian Yelich has paid just as much
as anybody else on the baseball diamond and he had
what one infield hit the entire series? Well, yeah, yeah,
spare me with that.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
Is this the greatest segment ever on radio?

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (07:26):
I think it is.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
I mean, also, there's a soft captain baseball for a reason.
So if and if you want to be competitive and
you want that competitive edge, and you say you're gonna
do anything to win, baseball has left the door open
for you to go and do that. So again that
that is something that is available to everyone. But it
also doesn't guarantee anything either, So the doctors deserve credit
for that. All right.

Speaker 3 (07:48):
In the other in the al right, there's another series.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
There's another there's a champiship series that it's still going on.
The Alcs. The Seattle leads three to two. There are
three to two over the Blue Jays. So we'll see
who gets to face the Dodgers in the World Series.
It'll be fun, it will be that was that was
that was was a good segment, guys. I appreciate that.
But we are here to talk about football, and I

(08:12):
want to get to one team in particular, with the
time that we have left before we have to go
to break, because this is another This is a team
now that is near and dear to my heart, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Why I I'm gonna pose a very
simple question. In fact, are they the best team in
the league?

Speaker 3 (08:30):
Yes, very very I keep her agreeing with me, So
there you go. Well, and I was there last week.
So the Nighters played Tampa last week, so I saw
this team live, and they're a tremendous team. Bigger Mayfield
is playing out of his mind. First of all. I'm
so happy for him. But they got a lot of
injuries too, They're not at full strength, and they are
just playing tremendous football, mistake free football at this moment

(08:54):
in time. And we've talked before, a lot of parody
in the league right now, and this is the most
week to week league I have seen in a long time.
But as of this moment in time, I am saying
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the best team in the NFL.

Speaker 2 (09:06):
I mean with all of the injuries and just a
coaching masterclass that went on last week between the Bucks
and the forty nine ers. In fact, because the forty
nine ers are dealing with their injuries, Bucks are dealing
with theirs Shanahan, longtime offensive veteran this league, Todd Bowles,
longtime defensive veteran in this league, and it was just
it was a chess match every step of the way.
And what really gets me like, and it has for

(09:28):
like the last couple of years, the Bucks have won
their division. The last four years. They have been in
the playoffs the last five. This is not the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers that I originally started working for in twenty sixteen,
suffered back to back five and eleven seasons. Was there
for the thirty and thirty year for Jamis Winston. That
is not these Bucks. They don't get nobody trusts them.

(09:50):
And despite the fact that when they are down literally
all of their starters, I mean not all obviously, but
there was fifty percent of theirs, almost fifty percent of
their starters out of that game against the forty nine ers,
originally their original starters. They still found a way to win.
And so I'm like, what do you what else do
you need to trust a team if not when they

(10:14):
are injured beyond belief and they are starting so many
different combinations. I mean, to start the year, because of
Tristan Worst being out, they were starting tons of different
offensive line combinations. There was no continuity up front, and
they were still getting it done. I just I'm wondering
what it's gonna take for people to trust this team

(10:34):
and to acknowledge that this team is one of the
best and most resilient in the league. Now, are they
as flashy as you know, as some of the other teams,
as the Buffalo Bills can be, or sometimes the Kansas
City Chiefs you know later on in the season, or
what have you. No, But I would challenge you to
name anybody that's more fun to watch than Baker Mayfield

(10:55):
right now.

Speaker 3 (10:55):
I could not agree more. And honestly, for the Bucks,
all they got to do is keep doing what they're doing,
and it's good for them. And honestly, I think it
is the best thing for them. That they're almost is
everyone's talking about the Eagles. They're one's n with the Lions,
what's going on with the Vikings. They're the team that
is performing the best and being the least talked about,
And I honestly think is the best thing for them.
And they keep doing what they're doing and they're winning
in January and they go to the super Bowl, which

(11:17):
I think is a strong possibility, then people can talk
about them. But this is the best thing for them.
And you know, Baker Mayfield putting together this MVP season,
that one play where he escaped the tackle and then
kept running at the I mean, I was like, what
is happening? Who is this is? This is the Baker
Mayfield everybody wanted, But this is who he's been the

(11:37):
last few years. I think it's tremendous. I am so
in on the Buccaneers right now. Let's go go, But
what is this? Is there like a chance that I
can It's go Bocks.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
Okay, go bu It's go Bucks. It's been go Bucks.
They brought back Hey hey, Tampa Bay. The song when
they brought back like they they're leaning more into like
the creamsicles and that and this that the other day.
Did that a few years ago when I was actually
still with the team, they brought back the Hey Hey,
Tampa Bay. But it's always just kind of been go Bucks,
which is great. I like, I just I want I

(12:09):
want more for them. I want more for Baker because yeah,
like that the sheer force of will being down your first, second, third, fourth,
fifth receiver.

Speaker 3 (12:17):
And then they lost Abuka in during the game, That's.

Speaker 2 (12:19):
What I'm saying, Like there, yeah, exactly like that was
it was just and then he still finds a way
to just will his team to a first down, and
it is chip by chip like, it is first down
by first down, it is play by play like. And
then at the end of the game, the Bucks are
the ones left standing. And so I also think that
that could be a microcosm for what ends up happening

(12:40):
this season, that they just keep knocking these guys down,
knocking these guys down. I'm so excited for this Monday
night matchup against the Lions.

Speaker 3 (12:48):
I think that's so fun.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
It's gonna be so fun to talk about another resilient team,
a team that's been banged up, that is working through
a ton of adversity, had to deal with a ton
of attrition at the beginning of this year with all
their coaching, the coaching exodus that Detroit had. This is
a team, though, that has figured out who they are
again and how to win. And I'm just I cannot
wait to see these two teams face off because it's
always fireworks whenever they play.

Speaker 3 (13:11):
I could not agree more and I know we're gonna
talk more about it. But also you have Jared Goff
and Baker Mayfield, two guys who were kind of cast
off and in some ways pushed aside, and look at
them now, it's pretty fun. This is They're a fun story.
This game is gonna be awesome.

Speaker 2 (13:24):
It really is. All right, well, we are going to
do some more awesome topics and we're going to take
you back actually to twenty twelve and just set the
scene for you what life was like, what the league
was like, and we'll tell you why right after this.
You're listening to Fox Football Saturday.

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Speaker 2 (13:53):
Hey, it's me Rob Parker.

Speaker 7 (13:56):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Park for
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Speaker 8 (14:12):
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Speaker 2 (14:23):
What's up, guys, It is Fox Football Saturday. I'm carme vitally.
I've got Tracy Sandler with me. We talked to actually
a lot of baseball, but we're here to talk football.
We're here to talk a little bit more, and we
are also here to perhaps time travel. Now. Actually, I
want to say, I think I just went through a
glitch of the matrix literally just before getting on this show.

(14:45):
And this is like a departure. I didn't even tell
Tracy I was gonna do this. But if we're talking
time travel, I need to talk this glitch that just
happened to because I'm so shook from it.

Speaker 6 (14:54):
I have a quick time travel story too.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
But yeah, I was in the car on my way
back to get ready to do this show, and I
called my parents, and like, what When I called my parents,
Tom Petty's Running Down a Dream was playing on the radio,
and a great, great song, right, I called my parents.
I talked to them for twenty minutes, okay, and then
as soon as we hang up, my car switches back

(15:18):
to radio. Tom Patty's Running Down a Dream is playing
on the same station, and I'm like, from the same
spot that I like left off of and then it
like finished up, and then they just went on their
way like it wasn't. I'm still so shook as to
how this even happened. I'm like, did I go down
a wormhole? Did I time hop like Time White? Legitimately,
I'm like, how did how did I lose? How did

(15:40):
twenty minutes go by? And the same song was playing
from the same spot that I left it when I
totally and I like my speaker switched to talking to
my parents. I don't know, man, I'm I'm, I'm I'm
choosing to believe that I just I we experienced a
glitch and because of it, I also want to time
travel with y'all.

Speaker 3 (15:59):
I like it. I liked I like that what a
crazy story. By the way, isn't it crazy?

Speaker 2 (16:03):
That is like I'm like, I'm gaslighting myself. I'm like,
did that really happen? But like my radio was like
stuck on Tom Petty's Running Down a Dream even like
well after it was off the air, it was bizarre.
But I want to take you back too. Let's let's
time travel back to twenty twelve. Okay, the year is
twenty twelve. The top three songs on the charts Somebody

(16:23):
that I Used to know by Gautier Call Me Maybe, Why,
Carl Ray Jepson Read Song, and We Are Young by
Fun featuring Janelle Money.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
God, those were good music here.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
The number one album was Adele's twenty one. And then,
to bring it back to sports one, Joe Flacco and
the Baltimore Ravens were in the middle of what would
become a Super Bowl winning season when they faced off
in the Harbor. John and Jim Harbaugh both coaching their
teams in the Super Bowl. Aaron Rodgers was coming off
of his first MVP season and was leading the league

(16:53):
and passer rating for the second season in a row.
And so this is this, this sets the stage for
let's think about last this past Thursday. If you would
have told me this past Thursday that I had time
travel to twenty twelve, I might have believed you. In
what is now being dubbed the Unk Bowl, the Aaron

(17:15):
Rodgers led Pittsburgh Steelers and the Joe Flacco led Cincinnati
Bengals went down to the wire in an absolutely impossible
time bending, physical world bending performance where Rogers went twenty
three and thirty four for two hundred forty nine yards passing,
four touchdowns, two interceptions, passer rating of one hundred and

(17:37):
three point seven, Joe Flacco thirty one of forty seven,
three hundred and forty two passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions,
passer rating of one hundred and eight point six, and
the Bengals best at the Steelers thirty three to thirty
one in an instant classic tracy like where am I?
What am I? What time period am I?

Speaker 4 (17:56):
In?

Speaker 2 (17:56):
What year is it? What month is it? I don't know.

Speaker 3 (18:00):
First of all, I gotta give credit to Joe Flacco
and Aaron Rodgers, like thirteen years later. I mean when
you say twenty twelve, in some ways it doesn't sound
that long ago. But thirteen years ago, and these men
are still playing in primetime NFL football, duking it out
till the very end. I mean it was it was

(18:20):
really fun and it goes to like the league and
where the league is right now. But it was really fun.
And I don't love giving Aaron Rodgers credit, but I
know he lost. Nobody does that. Being said, He's gone
into Pittsburgh, they're competitive, he is playing well. But Joe Flacco,
Joe Flacco to me is just like this amazing journeyman,

(18:44):
former MVP form Super Bowl MVP quarterback who somehow literally
lands on his feet and is relatively successful wherever he goes.
I'm going relatively, but yes, I.

Speaker 2 (18:58):
Think that's fair to say. I mean, he led the
Bengals to a thirty three point performance offensively, so I like,
that's that's the same, Like if you're going based off
numbers alone, like that's what you would expect out of
Joe Burrow, a healthy Joe Burrow and company. I mean
Jamar Chase. Jamar Chase was targeted twenty three times.

Speaker 3 (19:19):
That is insane.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
He had sixteen receptions one hundred and sixty one yards
in a touchdown and like this is all also happening
on a Thursday night where these guys have, you know,
not as much rest, and like Thursday games are always
weird because the players are just quite frankly, not recovered
enough from them or for them, and so like things
can just get so weird. And so then when you're
talking about two like forty one year old quarterbacks.

Speaker 3 (19:43):
It's and Flacco had been there nine days. I think
we can't even discount that, like he'd been there a minute,
you know, also leading a team that kind of felt
like it and maybe it still is, Like it's over,
Joe Burrow's hurt, We're not coming back from this. And
then incomes Joe Flacco in his forties saying, no, no,
my friends, I'm going to find Jamar Chase and I

(20:05):
got this. Whether we may never win another game, but
I'm giving you this Thursday Night Classic. You are welcome, Cincinnati.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
Okay. So this brings me then to my next question. Okay,
because when we went into the season, a lot of
I think myself included thought it was the NFC North,
it was the AFC and North. Those were going to
be the most competitive divisions. They were going to be
the toughest to win, they were going to be you know,
it was just they were the hardest divisions in football
we have seen. You know, the Ravens have obviously dropped off,

(20:35):
they have their issues, and the Bengals with Joe Burrow
getting hurt, and like, you know, whatever the Browns are.
I feel like it's now become it's it's maybe not
the most competitive division. And it almost seems like the
Steelers have been the front runners now to win this
division because they are getting really good play out of
Aaron Rodgers won Earl Aaron Rodgers. But that being said,

(20:58):
even if that's still true, and if we think that
the Steelers are still going to win this division, do
we think based on Thursday's performance and knowing that there
is the capability for this kind of offensive production with
Joe Flacco at the helm, can Joe Flacco float the
Bengals so that when Joe Burrow does come back, hopefully

(21:21):
in December whatever, that they could still contend, maybe not
for the division, but for a playoff spot.

Speaker 3 (21:29):
Well, based on the performance from the other night, Yes,
because the thing is they do have great tremendous offensive weapons.
They just the last few weeks had no one to
throw those weapons the ball and if Joe Flacco, even
if he doesn't have quite that performance, if he can
get the ball in the hands of Jamar Chase, if
they can make this offense work, I think they do

(21:52):
have a chance. So yes, I'm going to say that
all of a sudden, the Bengals have hope. I'm not
guaranteeing them contending, but I would say the Bengals have
a hope today that even a week ago they did
not have.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
I think, I mean, I agree with you, and I
think it's more Yes, Joe Flacco, as long as you
can get the ball to Jamar Chase, T Higgins Andrey Oshvaz,
like any of those guys great like you don't need
to like you don't you don't need to have performance
you did on Thursday, right, And that's also because that
performance on Thursday was a company by Chase Brown going

(22:28):
over one hundred yards rushing on the day eleven attempts,
one hundred and eight yards nine point eight yards per carry.
So if you have a complimentary run game in Cincinnati,
that Joe Flacco can kind of lean on, so he
doesn't have to have a nearly three hundred and fifty
yard passing performance every game. Then I think I'm kinda like,
I don't.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
Know, is they got a chance?

Speaker 2 (22:50):
I just I also just want to believe in the
Bengals so bad.

Speaker 3 (22:53):
I do too, and I the Bengals. I'm not big
on Ohio football for the obvious reasons, but Tracy, Yeah,
so I would just not big on that. But I
have to say, like the Bengals, I kind of have
a little soft spot for not just because my good
friend Conrad Fisher plays quarterback for them, but I do
just have a little soft spot for them, and I'd
like to see them succeed. I mean, it's just it's

(23:15):
just kind of sad when this happens. So I I
think it's I think they got a possibility. I think
Joe Flacco is obviously a veteran quarterback. He knows what
to do. He can run the offense, and that's really
all they need because of all the playmakers that we've mentioned,
they just need someone to be able to run the
offense and get them the ball. The complimentary run game

(23:36):
is huge. If the defense can just sort of keep
it together.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
Just be like I've said it before, just be bad.

Speaker 3 (23:41):
Don't be like they'll yeah, it's just be bad.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
You don't even have to be average, just don't be bad.

Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah, I think that's totally fair. That is I think
that's totally fair. So, you know, let's see what happens.
But I'm in on it. I think what a fun
game that was Thursday night. I think this is funny.
It's just cool.

Speaker 2 (23:56):
It's cool. I'm in on it too, And I'm also
in on up to break from Martin Weiss.

Speaker 9 (24:04):
Right now at cap Randall, it is not looking pretty.
Seventeen to nothing, ten minutes left in the second quarter,
Ohio State in the lead. You know, Wisconsin coach Luke
Fickle was a former Ohio State assistant and Tracy, You'll
be interested to know the one time that Michigan be
Ohio State when I was an.

Speaker 10 (24:20):
Undergrad, Luke Fickle was the interim head coach.

Speaker 3 (24:22):
So oh, Luke Fickle forever.

Speaker 9 (24:24):
I salute you. Luke Finck just got on the games.
Other games going all right now around college football, you
have number three Indiana with a fourteenth to ten lead
over Michigan State. Michigan State's winless in the Big Ten.
Indiana undefeated on the season so far. Third rand team
in the nation, Number five ranked Old Miss trailing on
the road and against Georgia Top ten match up here

(24:47):
in the sec thirteen minutes left in the first half
ten to seven to score Bulldogs in front as a
new leads Clemson ten to nothing with ten minutes left
in the first half.

Speaker 10 (24:57):
There excuse me.

Speaker 9 (25:00):
And then earlier today we saw Michigan with a hearty
win against Washington twenty four to seven.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
Are always forgetting to do the show with two Michigan grats.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Listen, who was a heardy win? He's not wrong.

Speaker 2 (25:16):
Whatever, I'm bringing another big ten guy in a junior So.

Speaker 6 (25:19):
Would you like would you like a bomb against against
the Michigan propaganda for a second?

Speaker 4 (25:26):
No?

Speaker 2 (25:26):
You know what? I think we out one years ago?
What happened ten years ago?

Speaker 10 (25:30):
I get it out?

Speaker 11 (25:34):
Whoa he has trouble with a strap and the balls free.

Speaker 10 (25:37):
It's picked up by Michigan stakes.

Speaker 4 (25:40):
Chenalen watched Jackson and his stars all the last player
of the kid that.

Speaker 10 (25:46):
Wasn't nice simply don't call for you? You know what
what did we do?

Speaker 2 (25:49):
I'm about to gang up on you guys with this
next guest too.

Speaker 10 (25:51):
So I'm done, Carl Man, I'm back. I'm done.

Speaker 9 (25:54):
You know Vanderbilt one, Georgia Tech one, Oklahoma one.

Speaker 10 (25:57):
I'm done back to you.

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Thank you, Martin. And as I just teased, we have
a wonderful guest joining us right now. His name a
Q Shipley. His game he's the Cardinals play by play announcer,
radio play by play announcer. Now he appears on the
Pat McAfee show and does his in the Trenches segment
giving kudos to offensive line play everywhere. Former offensive linemen

(26:19):
in the NFL, Rimington Trophy winner and Penn State grad
a Q. Shipley, how are you hun?

Speaker 12 (26:26):
What's up? Guys?

Speaker 2 (26:27):
Hello? Hello, I'm so excited. I'm We're great? Are you great? Actually?
Because we can just start with the Big Ten? Uh?
With Penn State now ousting James Franklin. How you feeling? Ce?

Speaker 4 (26:40):
I don't even know if I can take allegiance anymore.
They might kick Penn State out of the Big Ten
after they lost to Northwestern and UCLA back to back week.

Speaker 2 (26:46):
So hey, no Northwestern slander either. Come on here, you're
supposed to be my house.

Speaker 4 (26:50):
I mean, listen, with all due respect, if I ever
lost to Northwestern, I would have transferred.

Speaker 2 (26:55):
When I was at Enna State, I can't lose to
the nerds. You just can't lose to the nerds it.
Did you support the move? Did you think it was time?

Speaker 4 (27:05):
Yeah, listen, I think we're in a results driven business
right now. And I think whenever you're paying a guy
twelve million dollars a year and he's won one game
against a top five opponent, four against top ten opponents,
I think it's like four and twenty he's something. I
think against top ten and one in sixteen and against
top five, Like, you can't give a guy a forty

(27:26):
million dollar roster, pay him twelve million dollars a year
and lose three games in a row and think you're
going to keep your job. I just think in today's game,
I think that is a very unrealistic expectation.

Speaker 12 (27:37):
So better to.

Speaker 4 (27:39):
Get out and ahead of it, because there's going to
be a lot of coaches that are upper jobs and
a lot of firings here recently, Florida just did their thing,
and then obviously there's going to be a bunch more
at the end of the season.

Speaker 12 (27:48):
So I think the fact that they got ahead of
it and got the.

Speaker 4 (27:50):
First firing, now they're ahead of the next head coaching cycle.

Speaker 3 (27:54):
Is it my imagination or also James Franklin. I never
saw him take any responsibility for any loss. It was
his player's fault, it was the rest fault. It was
ever Am I wrong about that?

Speaker 4 (28:04):
Well, I'm glad somebody else saw it that way.

Speaker 12 (28:07):
That's definitely refreshing to see. I think a lot of
people saw it that way.

Speaker 4 (28:11):
I think he h he found every excuse in the books. Recently.

Speaker 12 (28:15):
I think, listen, I think I think when.

Speaker 4 (28:17):
You look back at James Franklin's legacy, I think every
Penn stator is going to sit there and be grateful
because he took over that program when they were in
the depths of.

Speaker 12 (28:24):
Hell, basically.

Speaker 4 (28:27):
Brought them back to life, made it sustainable, kept them
consistently winning nine ten games a year for the most part,
and really brought them back to national prominence where they
were previously. And but yeah, as of recently, I think
it was it was constantly it was say, let's blame
the travel, let's blame this, let's blame that. It was
never you know, it was my fault until the very

(28:51):
last game He's like, hey, listen, he blamed like four
other excuses, and then I ultimately came back took took
the blame himself, but then put it back on the players.
So it's like, you know, just just the mixed messages.

Speaker 2 (29:01):
You can't have it well, all right, C I want
to get back to the NFL because you have your
like you have your segment on Pat McAfee and it's
in the trenches and you're highlighting offensive line play across
the league and I really appreciate it. The discourse needs
more offensive line discourse, Like there's just needs to be
more talked about when it comes to offensive lines. And

(29:23):
I want to know, from your perspective, through the first
seven weeks of the season, who has which team has
the best offensive line?

Speaker 12 (29:32):
Such a good question.

Speaker 4 (29:33):
I mean I think when you talk, this year has
been very weird because when you look across the league
last year it was really good. I mean there's four
or five of offensive lines that were very good, and
I think when you look at this year, it's like
week to week.

Speaker 12 (29:47):
I mean you get one week where.

Speaker 4 (29:49):
The teams that you thought were going to have good
offensive lines, the Detroit lines and you know, the Baltimore
Ravens in Week one, and then all of a sudden,
Baltimore has dropped off a cliff. Detroit's up and down.
They're very inconsistent. To me, the most consistent offensive lines
are the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons.

Speaker 12 (30:06):
I think those are the two most consistent lines.

Speaker 4 (30:10):
I think Caroline has really come on in the last
couple of weeks because they've really committed to the run game.
But Detroit's been pretty good. Whenever they've won, they've been
pretty good.

Speaker 12 (30:19):
But again, the games that they've lost, they've been pretty bad.
So it's been pretty inconsistent.

Speaker 4 (30:24):
Rushing yards across the league or down almost thirty yards
per game, which I think is a combination of a
bunch of different factors.

Speaker 12 (30:31):
But yeah, I think if you're just asking me right now,
the top two i'd say.

Speaker 4 (30:35):
Would be Indianapolis and Atlanta as the most consistent, just.

Speaker 2 (30:38):
Like we all thought going into the season.

Speaker 3 (30:39):
Of course, that's definitely how we predicted it. Can you
give us a little bit as soon as I had
intricacies of an offensive lineman, because if there's one thing
that teams fans complain about a lot, it's the play
of the offensive line. And it's very hard to be
a very good offensive lineman. And I'm just sorry if
you can give us a little bit of the intricacies
of what it's like building chemistry along the line and
how difficult that is, and why the league is having

(31:01):
so much trouble finding really tremendous lines all over the place.

Speaker 12 (31:06):
I think it's a combination. Honestly.

Speaker 4 (31:07):
I think the biggest analogy that I like to give
the people is, Okay, you got von Miller and his
prime across across from UNI's two hundred and fifty pounds
and runs of four to four forty and can bend
like a wide receiver, and you want me sixty times
a game to block him going backwards while he's going
forwards and doing everything you can do, right, I think

(31:28):
I think that's the best analogy that you can you
can give. I think it's it's one of the hardest positions,
especially now, Like I'm glad I got out when I
got out, because they just keep getting bigger, stronger, faster.

Speaker 12 (31:39):
When I first came into the league, there was one.

Speaker 4 (31:40):
Guy on every team that you got to worry about,
and you could game plan for that guy. And now
every team has three guys. Every single team has three
guys across the league. You got two really good edge
guys and then you've got somebody that's really good on
the inside. So from that perspective, I think that's what
makes it super hard.

Speaker 12 (31:58):
And I think you know, as you say, there and.

Speaker 4 (32:00):
You try and you know, get these guys that are
more athletic, Well then now they get bigger again.

Speaker 12 (32:06):
Now you look at Jordan.

Speaker 4 (32:07):
Davis over in Philadelphia and he's six six, three hundred
and forty five pounds and can run right and so
it's like they're just freaked everywhere on the defensive side
of the ball, and I think we've struggled to maintain
and match up from an offensive standpoint.

Speaker 2 (32:22):
I always like to say too that the college game,
I think offensive line is one of the positions where
it's hardest, or like the discrepancy between the college game
and the pro game are are the It's the biggest
where these guys are being asked to do stuff that
they were never asked to do in college. And then
you add on the talent that comes with the league.
Like you're talking about these defensive freaks that you're now

(32:45):
lining up across from, and if you're coming from an
FCS school, god forbid, or like one of you know,
even the acc these guys are just bigger, faster, stronger
than anything you've experienced. But the game itself is different.
But what do you see as far is that trending?
Is that gap winding or is it narrowing? Do you think.

Speaker 12 (33:05):
No, No, that's a fair point.

Speaker 4 (33:07):
I mean that's a great point, actually, because I talk
about that all the time too. It's like when you
look at the college game. Whenever I came out from
Penn State in two thousand and eight, it mirrored a
lot of the systems that you saw in the NFL.
Now you turn on Ole Miss and Georgia and they're
running RPOs and spread and they're not taking any snaps
under center. And so now if you go to a
team that is Sean McVeigh, for instance, who's you're a

(33:29):
quarterback and you're under center, you know twenty five to
thirty times a game, and you've never taken a snap
under center, that's interesting for that quarterback.

Speaker 12 (33:37):
Now, and then from an offensive.

Speaker 4 (33:39):
Line standpoint, you're not asked to do as much in
the run game because now all you're doing is tone.

Speaker 12 (33:43):
Guys say like just just block left, Everybody go left.

Speaker 4 (33:47):
We're going to read this backside guy, we're going to
run an RPO, which is a run pass option off
of it, and then we're going to run play action
naked boots and get our best athletes, who's our quarterback
out in space and give him a two.

Speaker 12 (33:57):
Way go the whole game. And so now you get.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
Into the NFL and it's like, oh, well, now I
have to know, Hey, we're sliding to the will, and
if the will drops and they bring the free safety,
we have to sort out to that. And you got
to do all these different things that I'm probably sounding
like I'm speaking a different language.

Speaker 2 (34:11):
But that's what it is. Yeah, it is exactly, That's
what it is.

Speaker 12 (34:14):
That's what it is at the NFL level.

Speaker 4 (34:16):
And you have to know so much, and the quarterbacks
have to know so much, offensive linemen have to know
and everybody has to be on the same page because
if kenneb eleven are doing the right thing and one
person's wrong, it's probably going to be a negative play.
And that's that's the beautiful thing about the game of football.

Speaker 2 (34:29):
This is why I could I could have this discussion
for hours, and this is why I always try to
kind of give a little peek behind the curtain when
it comes to offensive lines, because it's so it's not
a quantifiable, viable position in the way that like receivers are,
where you know they have touchdown production and the reartage production.
It's very tangible. An offensive line play isn't. But that
doesn't mean it's any less intricate. So thank you so

(34:50):
much for coming on CUE again. I could talk to
you for two more hours about this, and I probably
will later on, but really appreciate you taking the time
and have so much fun this weekend as you get
said to call your next Cardinals game.

Speaker 12 (35:03):
Always a pleasure, guys.

Speaker 2 (35:04):
Happy Saturday, Happy Saturday. All right, you guys, We've got
more coming up for you. We've got the dues and
the don'ts. On the other side of this. You're listening
to Fox Football Saturday. I should have expected this one.
Now I'm really stuck in a wormhole. Guys. It's Carmon Vitally.
I've got Tracy Sandler with me. It's Fox Football Saturday.
If you were with us for a couple of segments,

(35:24):
Ago talked about time travel and how I think I
witnessed or I was part of a glitch in the
matrix earlier today, and it had to do with this song.
So you know, if you haven't, yeah, the first time
you're bringing it up. Oh god stop. I'm just like,
I don't know where I am. I don't know what

(35:44):
year it is, I don't know what day it is.
Just just it's fine. But what I do know is that, hey, guys,
it's time for the dues and the don'ts of the
week highlighting.

Speaker 1 (35:55):
I love that putting a spotlight on the don't.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
The subject brings me no joy. That that's insane.

Speaker 1 (36:01):
It's time for the deuce and the don'ts in sports, all.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
Right, ty Sa, I'm gonna start us off because I've
got a don't. Okay, don't let anyone tell you your limitations.
The Chicago Marathon happened last weekend, and I stumbled across
a reel on Instagram from Justine Wang, who ran the marathon.
But not only did she run the marathon, she put

(36:26):
together a reel of everything she drank along the route.
And if this isn't the most Chicago thing you've ever
heard in your life, this woman ran the Chicago Marathon
and had shot after shot after sip of all different
kinds of alcohol. I mean, she has videos of her
taking so many different fireball shots, almost twenty six drinks

(36:51):
for all twenty six miles, and she like finished with
a smile on her face after literally there were Millard shots.
There was, like I said, multiple fire balls, there was Espresso, Martini's, Perseco,
shallow shots. People were just handing her stuff as she's running,
and I'm like, I've never been more proud of my city,
and I've never been more in awe of an athlete

(37:12):
than miss Justine went. So kudos to you, girl, because
I would be on the floor. I don't know if
I like, I still I'm watching the video and you
see her take these shots unless she's spitting them out
after this, like she legitimately drank that much while she
ran a marathon, and you know what, maybe that's what
it's gonna take to get me into running. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (37:32):
Maybe I mean I would be also on the floor.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
Or I know I would not be standing. I have
no doubt in my mind that this girl is in
her like early twenties, because I'm like, honey, no, not anymore.
Maybe maybe ten years ago, but no.

Speaker 3 (37:46):
When you I mean, when you tell me that segment,
I beforehand, I would have said, don't run a marathon
and take shots, But now I feel like that's a
do run a marathon and take you I don't know, is.

Speaker 2 (37:56):
That what makes running a marathon bearable? I mean, if
you're drunk, I could do a lot of things when
I'm drunk.

Speaker 3 (38:01):
Runner, No runners chime in, tell us, tell us about
how you get through these marathon I did.

Speaker 2 (38:06):
See some people in the comments saying, like, you know,
fireball and stuff that's all sugar, So that's fuel, and
like you do have like you know, when you're running
a marathon, like you will have like electrolyte packets with you,
like sugar packets. Like I don't know. I don't pretend
to know the science behind it, but like it is,
it's fuel, and like it's it's a way to keep
yourself going and sit up for your muscles to eat
basically as you're like exerting them to this crazy degree.

(38:26):
I don't know. I don't know. Maybe there's something behind that.

Speaker 3 (38:29):
Maybe I'm not gonna test it though I know myself
it won't go well, it won't end well. I don't
I couldn't even do it, like before doing a bar
method class, I don't think it would go well at all,
So I actually have I'm gonna go with the dew
I have, but I'm gonna go with the dew. And
you know what, we talked about it before. But do
be Joe Flacco. I mean, this guy, it's kind of incredible.

Speaker 2 (38:49):
I think he's just do turn back the hands of.

Speaker 3 (38:52):
Time and do turn back the hands of time. But
I think what's been cool about Joe Flacco is he
was I think the beginning of the joke of is
he elite? You know, that was the big thing, him
being called.

Speaker 2 (39:01):
You the first?

Speaker 3 (39:01):
Like he was the first. I think he was the first.
Is someone said he was elite and it became is
he elite? I'm I'm not one hundred percent year, but
I'm pretty sure it started with Joe Flacco. And this
man has been Like, whether I'm a leader or not,
I am going to keep playing football. I am in
my forties. I'm just gonna go from team to team.
I'm going to run their offenses until someone until I

(39:22):
have to go to another team to fill in and
run their offense. So do beat Joe Flacco. Keep it going.
I have a whole new respect for this man.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
I reallyize it's it's incredible. Like I said, I'm in
my thirties and there's a whole lot of stuff that
cracks when I get out of the bed in the morning.
So Chris has our technical producer, Chris Prefett has a
do or don't. I don't know how you're phrasing it,
like I want to hear it.

Speaker 10 (39:45):
Do have a mass cat?

Speaker 4 (39:46):
Do?

Speaker 1 (39:47):
So?

Speaker 2 (39:47):
Long?

Speaker 6 (39:48):
As long snapper for the Bowling Green State Falcons, George Carlson,
he spent a year in rehab for a knee injury,
and he got in and he has an emotional support
animal that's now gone. I rolled by the name of
Pudge the cat.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
Touch the cat. You don't know.

Speaker 6 (40:03):
He has been at every broadcast of every game for
Bowling Green this year. Uh you know, Bowling Green coached
by Eddie George and this this you know, pushed in
face looking Persian, short haired cat is.

Speaker 2 (40:16):
The star of everything.

Speaker 6 (40:17):
They had him in the CBS Sports net booth and everything.
But get a cat, get a like not just dogs
being mascots at games.

Speaker 2 (40:24):
It's not just dogs. No, get get a mask cat.
I like that a lot. Shout out. Punch the cat,
all right, Guys, We've got a whole other hour coming
at you after this, So thanks for listening. You're listening
to Fox Football Saturday. I'll talk to you soon. Welcome
back in to hour two of Fox Football Saturday. I'm
Karme Vitally, your host, and I've got Tracy Sandler here

(40:45):
with me. We're having a lot of fun. We're time traveling.
Maybe we're talking about what it would take for us
to run marathons. Uh, talked a lot of football, a
lot of base fall to Tracy. Was at the World
Series clinching game at Dodger Stadium last night.

Speaker 3 (41:08):
Oh, it was so fun.

Speaker 2 (41:09):
It's been. It's been. It's been a fun weekend for
you already.

Speaker 3 (41:12):
It really has. It's been a real treat.

Speaker 2 (41:14):
And Michigan one winning is winning one.

Speaker 3 (41:17):
They won a party win, as Martin called it.

Speaker 2 (41:20):
Things are just things are just coming up, Tracy.

Speaker 3 (41:23):
Oh, I love that. Yeah, I love that.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
I love that for you too, truly and honestly. Northwestern
is up over Purdue right now, so I'm like, what
what's happening?

Speaker 3 (41:31):
Maybe things are coming up Garman too.

Speaker 2 (41:33):
I don't know though, because Arizona State is wearing their
sunburst logo.

Speaker 3 (41:36):
Oh, I don't love it. It's on in here. I
was looking at them earlier, thinking of you.

Speaker 2 (41:42):
I don't love it, but it's fine. It's always go
Devil's That's where I went to undergrad. Northwestern's where I
went to grad school. That's why I claimed both. But hey,
I also claimed Fox Sports Radio and for the best
pregame show every weekend, be sure to tune in to
Fox Sports Radios count Down to kick Off, presented by
That MGM. Every Saturday and Sunday morning. We will count
you down to all of the biggest games for three

(42:03):
hours right up until kickoff. For all the best plays
and up to the second injury news. Tune in to
count Down to Kickoff, presented by Bett MGM, every Saturday
and Sunday morning, right here on Fox Sports Radio and
the iHeartRadio app. Okay, Tracy, we're already in week seven
with bananas. This happens every time.

Speaker 3 (42:21):
Every time.

Speaker 2 (42:22):
It's like, you know, the I think the beginning of
the season is always like it's always really weird because
teams don't know what to make of each other. You
don't know who's good, you don't know who's bad. So
like I feel like the beginning of the season kind
of takes a while. Like the first four games, you're like, Okay,
it seems like it takes a while because you're just
seeing something new like every week and you just you
don't know what to make of it. And then I
feel like this is like the part of the season
that starts to go warp speed, where like all of

(42:44):
a sudden, we're gonna look up and it's Christmas.

Speaker 3 (42:46):
Yep, that's fair. That is a very very good point.
And now we know we may not yet know who's good,
but we definitely know who's bad.

Speaker 2 (42:54):
I was gonna say, we still don't know who's good,
who's actually good, but we Yeah, you're so right, we
know who's bad. You know who's not bad though? Who
the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Speaker 3 (43:04):
No they're not, No, they're not.

Speaker 2 (43:06):
So I want to get to a couple of games
for Week seven preview, a couple of these games, and
the first one I want to start with is the
Los Angeles Rams against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. So
that's like another wrinkle in all of this is like
the overseas games are always just a complete toss up, right,
Jaguars have a lot of experience going overseas.

Speaker 3 (43:25):
And have every year every year.

Speaker 2 (43:27):
Times, yes, yes, Now yeah, they've started like staying over
there now and I'm like, oh, just move them over to.

Speaker 3 (43:33):
London, London Jaguars.

Speaker 2 (43:36):
But I don't hate it either, and I'd be the
first one to sign out to go cover them over
there because I'd love to go to London and I'd
love to go live in London. It's my favorite city
outside of Chicago in the world.

Speaker 3 (43:45):
All Right, NFL, make it happen, That's.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
What I'm saying. But I want to give the Jaguars
some credit here because across the board, they like Trevor Lawrence.
You talk about this Jaguars defense, and now you have
them playing the Rams with obviously Matthew Stafford still Matthew Stafford.
We started the season kind of wondering with the hyperbaric

(44:08):
chamber stuff, like who was he? What could he do?
But but turns out he's fine.

Speaker 3 (44:12):
Yeah, Also, where can we get one of those?

Speaker 2 (44:15):
I would like one? But he's going to be without
poquin Akua for this game. And something that Matthew Stafford
has been excelling at extremely well this season in particular,
is being under is hit like being productive under pressure.
So when under pressure the season, he has averaged nine
point nine are yards per attempt, which is a higher
mark than not only any quarterback in the league this year,

(44:35):
but any quarterback in a full season since twenty eighteen.
So that's he's just killing it against pressure. And then
he's also throwing downfield quite a bit. That's part of
his game. That's why you know the Rams can be
so explosive and productive. But with poquin Akua not being
in there, how much does that then limit Matthew Stafford's
productivity and the Rams offense is productivity.

Speaker 3 (44:57):
Well, it obviously is going to make a huge difference.
They do have DeVante Adams, and I know he's not
the DeVante Adams so maybe few years ago, but his
DeVante Adams and so I think, well it wasn't No,
I don't think he was quite twenty twelve, but that
a little time traveler will see how the game.

Speaker 2 (45:14):
Goest Adams, Yes, exactly.

Speaker 3 (45:17):
This is a full circle air Rodgers and DeVante Adams,
and I think that is helpful. It's also helpful is
that the Jaguars are coming off a game where they
gave it two hundred Andy five passing yards to Sam Darnold.
They were very up and down. They had ten penalties
for seventy six yards. They lead the NFL of takeaways,
but that I believe stopped last week. So you know,

(45:38):
they need to clean up their play. And I think
one thing Matthew Stafford can do is if they don't
clean up their play, he could take advantage of that.
They're also gonna be without Devin Lloyd. He didn't come
to London, uh with. He has a calf injury. So
this is an opportunity, even without Pooka for the Rams
to be very productive on offense and take advantage of
some of the issues that Jags have in their secondary

(45:58):
and beyond.

Speaker 2 (45:59):
It's really interesting because the Jags defense is kind of
a contradiction to itself. They've generated pressure at a twenty
nine point seven percent rate, which is actually the eighth
lowest in the NFL, but they have allowed five point
one yards per tenth, which is the seventh lowest, which like,
that's that's a good lowest. First one was not a
good lowest. This is the good lowest in a thirty

(46:21):
eight point one password, which is the second lowest. When
doing so so their pressure packages are effective, just not
in a not in the tangible ways that you think.
Like they are forcing bad passer ratings and they are
limiting the amount of yards that quarter opposing quarterbacks are
getting against them when they bring pressure, but they're not

(46:43):
really finishing that pressure. And that hasn't they have an
a Like they're not registering actual pressures as often as
they would probably like. So, like, that's what I can't
figure out about this defense. Is all right, if you're
going to bring pressure, you're affecting the quarterback, but not
in the way that I think you're going to And
how does that marry up with what the Rams are?
And and you know, I think the Rams offensive line

(47:04):
is playing well again, Matthew Stafford playing well. How much
is Pukanakua being out really affect that? That's what this
I think game is going to come down to. But
I think I'm still taking the Rams in this game.

Speaker 3 (47:13):
I'm not Yeah, I'm taking the Rams in this game.
And I think the Jags are a team that as
we get into late October, November, December, we'll see if
they're they're for real, you know, can they can they
keep this going? And I think this.

Speaker 2 (47:25):
Game, I think both of these teams.

Speaker 3 (47:27):
Yeah, I think that's like, yeah, that's true that.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
The jury the jury is still out on both of
these teams as to how what they're ceiling is for
this season.

Speaker 3 (47:34):
So tomorrow tomorrow win's it being a really big game.
It's not a you know, a conference game, but I
think it becomes a big game for each of them
and how they move forward and the other thing that's
coming up and we're still a few weeks away, but
is the trade deadline and how teams play in these
next few weeks are going to affect moves that get made,
and so I think, you know, that starts to become
an issue in something to watch out for.

Speaker 2 (47:54):
M Yeah. I mean if you if you lost all
hope by the trade deadline, right, yeah, well then you
become sellers. Then all right, I want to I want
to also talk about two teams that I'm not sure
what to make of them and how good they actually are.
Uh in the Eagles Vikings. I think this is a
sneaky good game this week.

Speaker 3 (48:08):
Oh yeah, I think it's a very sneaky good game.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
Like you have Eagles sitting on top of the NFC still.

Speaker 3 (48:14):
But they don't feel like it, but they don't.

Speaker 2 (48:16):
Feel like bibes are bad. Ye, bibes are bad with
the Philadelphia Eagles, but like the vibes were bad last
year with the Philadelphi Eagles at this time, and like
it was fine and they turned it around and it
was all good and whatever. But like, I don't know.
Their their offense just isn't isn't clicking the way that
it needs to. Their defense is doing a lot of work.
But then you've got the Vikings, who Kevin O'Connell did

(48:39):
announce that they are starting Carson Wentz over JJ.

Speaker 3 (48:42):
McCarthy third emergency quarterback is.

Speaker 2 (48:45):
The emergency quarterbacks still, And so that's the big thing,
because I think there was there was this whole discourse
that happened this week between these two quarterbacks and what
the Vikings were doing, and I I was kind of
like why, Because when you're talking about a guy like
JJ McCarthy, who you've made a long term investment in already,

(49:07):
you don't want to push him back out there, like
you would rather wait until he's actually one hundred percent,
which is hard to do because pretty much no player
even by now is not playing at one hundred percent
at this point in the season. But like, you want
to get JJ McCarthy back to as close to one
hundred percent as you can get him before you put
him out there, especially when you do have a high

(49:28):
end backup. This is why you have a high end,
better end backup in Minnesota. This is why you have
Carson Wentz is so that you know that the team
is going to be okay with him under center while
and you have the luxury then of patients with JJ McCarthy.
But under no, I don't think it's under any circumstances.
Do you think that the Minnesota Vikings are going to

(49:49):
like bench JJ McCarthy forever and go with Carson Wentz
as their quarterback of the future. I mean that to
me just sounds so preposterous.

Speaker 3 (49:57):
It's completely preposterous. And this idea, I think people have
kind of gotten past this, his idea of a soft benching.
Like they have, as you said, made an investment in
JJ McCarthy. They he needs reps. So far, he's played
all of six I guess eight quarters of football, he's
played two games in the NFL. He needs reps. So
the last thing they want is him not to get them.

(50:18):
If he was available, he would be out there because
they have to see what they have in him. I
could tell you what they have in him, but I
know I'm biased, but I still could tell you that
he's fabulous. But this idea that there's some kind of
conspiracy going on there, I just think is so silly
because that's their guy. They made the choice for a reason.
They want to see their way.

Speaker 2 (50:38):
If they didn't keep Sam Darnold around hundred, what makes
you think that they would keep Carson Wentz around like
for like as as their starter is what I'm talking about, Like, yeah,
if they weren't willing to pay them. Not willing to
pay Sam Darnald was the biggest vote of confidence to
me in JJ McCarthy and them knowing what they had
in JJ. And they just need to keep him healthy, yep,

(50:59):
and so that he can develop and he can get
those reps. He has the best quarterback developer in the
league as his head coach. And then you have a
really wonderful support system there in Minnesota, just on the
coaching staff and then the environment in general. The team
is set up to help a quarterback succeed. So of course,
a high end veteran backup that has played a lot
of football is going to be able to come in

(51:21):
and operate the offense. That is, like Kevin O'Connell has
proved this over and over again, even with guys like
when Josh Dobbs joined the team three days later he's
starting for them because Jared Reid goes out with a
concussion that like he made Josh Dobbs look like he
had been the starter all along. Like that is something
that Kevin O'Connell can do. And I don't think it
has any bearing though on the again long term investment

(51:44):
that they have made in JJ McCarthy, and they just
I think are being extremely cautious with him because they
want to set him up.

Speaker 5 (51:50):
Do you guys think though, like you mentioned that he's
their guy right to me, the way I look at
it is that he's Quessio Dolpha Mensa and Kevin O'Connell's guy,
but not necessarily the team's guy, because that is a
team that won fourteen games last year and coming into
the season, the first two games that McCarthy played, there
was one quarter where he looked like he could maybe

(52:12):
play in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (52:13):
Maybe that was the greatest fourth quarter in this area.

Speaker 5 (52:16):
But other than that, he looked like really one of
the he was one of the worst quarterbacks that we've seen.

Speaker 2 (52:22):
That's where the reps come in.

Speaker 3 (52:24):
That's where the reps come in. And I think also,
I think that's where the reps come in. In that
second game, he was playing through a significant, significant ankle
injury as been as we've seen in these last week's
he's not playing and he was playing behind not We've
talked a lot about offensive lines in the show. Not
their best offensive line even close.

Speaker 6 (52:43):
Yeah, but I fine, this is a Vikings team that
had aspirations last year of like super Bowl with how
they were playing with Sam Darnold. To go from that
to we need our quarterback to get reps is really
just like that's a hando.

Speaker 12 (52:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (52:55):
If I'm justin Jefferson, like what I'm I'm what in
year two now of Mike sension I signed, I'm trying
to win and you're giving me this guy. I could
totally see a world where it is a soft benching
of JJ McCarthy because that's a locker room full of
guys that want to win games. They don't want to
develop a quarterback.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
Jonathan Gernard talked this week though about he was on
a podcast and he talked about how JJ is their
guy and he they see it in him, and he
spoke he was, you know, like I said, on a podcast,
like not in front of a podium, kind of off
the cuff, and the way he talked about him and
the way that we've heard Justin Jefferson talk about him

(53:31):
and Jordan Adason talk about him. I do think they
very much believe in him. He does need reps, but
they knew that when they drafted him. He got injured
last year's before he ever took a rep, and that
was of course problematic. But I really don't think it's
a soft benching because they don't. They want him to
be their future. He is in their minds, he's there also.

Speaker 2 (53:50):
I also just don't think that like this team doesn't
need to like every team wants to win now, and
I acknowledge that completely, but like they are set up
in the contracts wise and everything like that where like
they they are going to be able to keep this
corp together for a couple of years while JJ McCarthy
does develop. So I think the injury to him like

(54:14):
this season really was like the last possible thing you
could have wanted, And I acknowledge that, And like, do
you think though, that like Carson Wentz could conceivably lead
you to a super Bowl at this stage of his career.
I think that there's as much of a chance of
that as there is of a healthy JJ McCarthy developing
enough and leading this team. I agree.

Speaker 3 (54:32):
I mean, I know I'm biased on this. I do
know that I have a tremendous bias on this particular subject,
and I will defend this man to the death, but
I do really believe he can lead this team.

Speaker 6 (54:42):
It's just funny to see because I think we could
have had that same conversation about do you think Sam
Darnold could have led the Vikings to the playoffs and
then everything that happened after that moment once he started
Game one.

Speaker 3 (54:55):
Two and that last game against the Lions.

Speaker 6 (54:58):
Sure, but that's the downs side of it, right, Like,
but still that's the he you talk about a quarterback
who only lost games to literally two teams last year,
the Rams and the Lions. But like, I think it's
just I wonder in the organization like that they saw
they made it work before with Sam Darnold that you know,
let's just see what the unknown is with wenst.

Speaker 3 (55:19):
Well, well, I think what it does do is that
they can wait for him to get healthy, like really
truly healthy. I think they don't have to rush him
back because they have.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
A bridge there. And I think there's I mean, there's
not known with j J. McCarthy, there's not unknown with
Carson Wentz. So it's like pick your poison, and are
you going to go with the guy that you've already
made a long term investment in, or are you going
to see if you can capture lightning in a bottle
right now and go try to win with a guy
that you still don't know could get you over the
hump or give you anything more than what Sam Darnald

(55:49):
gave you last year in Carson Wentz, I don't know.
I mean, it is it it's it's it's worth talking about,
But I just I don't know. I think like this
this organization has voiced nothing but confidence and Jim McCarthy,
So you gotta give him that chance. And I hope
he gets healthy soon.

Speaker 3 (56:04):
Me obviously clearly based on my conversation in a segment,
I hope he gets healthy soon.

Speaker 2 (56:10):
I do too well, and I all right, well, we're
gonna have to take a break right now. Uh, and
we'll be back with more Fox Football Saturday right after this.

Speaker 3 (56:19):
Well played, very well played.

Speaker 2 (56:21):
Oh gosh, so it is. It's just it's twenty it's
twenty twelve. It's great. You guys are really massive.

Speaker 6 (56:28):
Do you remember what Joe Flacco did after he got
his contract extension from winning that Super Bowl? He got
spotted in a Baltimore McDonald's drive through picking up McNuggets.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
Wait, I was just gonna say, McDonald's. I remember him
going to McDonald.

Speaker 6 (56:42):
Well he then and then McDonald's picked him up. I
think a year later put him in a commercial with
Joe with with uh, Colin Kaepernick and I guess Larry
Bird in the second part of the commercial over with
their like McDonald's.

Speaker 10 (56:55):
It was their mighty wings.

Speaker 6 (56:56):
They did like chicken wings of McDonald's.

Speaker 2 (56:58):
Oh yeah they did. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (56:59):
And it is some of the worst acting you will
see athletes do in your life. And that I understand
what a high bar that is. Athletes are not actors,
but this might be some of the worst of it.

Speaker 2 (57:09):
I mean that I'm pretty good. Okay, Well, now that
it's you know, it's twenty twelve again. Gosh, I'm in
my twenties. I can go out and.

Speaker 3 (57:19):
Do I can go to a drinks.

Speaker 2 (57:22):
I could go I could run a marathon and drink
some shots. Yeah, god, horrendous. I'm Karme of Italia. That's
Tracy Sandler. We've got producers Bo benz In and Chris
Pophfette with us. Martin Wise in the updates studio. We're
having We're having a time. I don't know what time
it is, but we're having a time. And if you
missed any of it. With the iHeart Radio app, you

(57:42):
can stream us wherever you happen to be. Catch us
and all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty
four to seven in the new and improved iHeartRadio app.
Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream
us live all day, every day, and be sure to
select Fox Sports Radio as one of your presets in
the iHeart app, so we'll always pop up at the
top of your screen, just like an analog radio in

(58:02):
your car. From twenty twelve, Because it's twenty twelve again.

Speaker 3 (58:06):
Seen that red Ostrich logo at MLSB postseason helmet. That's
Strauss trusted by pros worldwide. Pants built like tools, durable,
comfortable and engineered to perform from grit to glory. Gear
up at Strauss dot com st r a uss dot com.

Speaker 2 (58:24):
All right, So keeping with twenty twelve, I suppose I
want to get to another team, which I mean their
record in twenty twelve. I think they'd be happy with
these days. But they still finished third in their division.
That was the Chicago Bears, and they went ten and
six back in twenty twelve. I think if they could
get to ten wins this year, I think everybody would

(58:45):
consider that a success win their first year under Ben Johnson.
Chicago Bears are now sitting at three and two after
a second straight twenty five to twenty four win, the
second one over the Washington Commanders Gay Moody and winning
field goal Jake Moody game winning field goal like it
was raining and the Bears were clearly playing for the

(59:07):
field goal and everybody was stressed out and it all
worked out and it was one of those kind of
culture building wins. I think for the Chicago Bears, where
that is not that is not a game they win.
If this is last year, two years ago, I don't
know if they would have won it in twenty twelve either,
But I am as much as I'm encouraged by what
Ben Johnson is doing in Chicago, and I think he

(59:28):
has done everything right. Everything on paper has looked good.
Everything honestly, with the Bears at three and two and
having the opportunity to go to four and two tomorrow
when they play the Saints at home, I like everything
that Ben Johnson has done has been at least defensible
or it has been like the best possible decision for
that time, and the Bears have made the best possible

(59:51):
decision they could have since the hiring I think of
Ben Johnson. But with all that said, I grew up
in this market. I grew up in mass Bears fan
I used to wear if this was twenty twelve, I
would have a ring that such Chicago Bears on my
finger because I was married to the game like that.
I have loved this team my entire life. I have

(01:00:13):
been heartbroken by this team my entire life. I have
trust issues because of it, and I am just not
willing to say the Bears have totally figured it out
yet because I think that there are some things that
concern me when you talk about Caleb Williams grasp of
the offense, like the way that he is just completing

(01:00:35):
these throws is Timing's not quite there. There's stuff that
I still need to see cleaned up. Which is fine.
It's only you know, five games into the Ben Johnson era.
The defense has been creating turnovers, which is great. Again,
I think they still there's a little bit left to
be desired as far as the pass rush goes. That
needs to get cleaned up. It needs to get healthy

(01:00:55):
on that side of the ball, and it looks like
they are for the most part. But I'm not ready
to say they've completely turned it around yet. But that's
probably just me and my trust issues. So I'm very
interested to know what you think, Tracy.

Speaker 3 (01:01:08):
I wouldn't say they've figured it out. I would say
they're figuring it out, and I think that is a
much They're much farther along than they were a year
ago or two years ago because they think it's going
to take a little time to figure it out. First
year under Bed Johnson, Caleb william Caleb Williams grasping the offense,
as you said, but they're figuring it out and the
winning the last two games while figuring it out, I

(01:01:30):
think votes very well for their future. If they got
to ten wins this season, yes, everybody would consider that
a tremendous success. They got to nine wins this season,
but I think if you see improvement, which is what
you're seeing from week one to week six, and their
ability to come up in these games that they for
sure would have lost in the last several years, that's
a very good start. They're not there yet, but there's

(01:01:53):
hope that they're going to get there.

Speaker 2 (01:01:54):
Yeah, And I'm totally on board with that. And even
going into the season, I said, because of the decisions
that the Bear as a franchise had been making up
until this point, and because everything they had done had
been at the very least defensible, if not just the
outright best decision they could have made, I was more
optimistic going into the season than I have been in
a very long time. But that doesn't mean that I

(01:02:15):
thought they were playoff locks, or that they're going to
contend for the division right away or what have you.
I just think that they're going in the right direction,
provided you know, Kayleb Williams can show up for a
meeting with ESPN broadcasters.

Speaker 3 (01:02:30):
But yeah, that was weird.

Speaker 2 (01:02:32):
It was very weird. It's a very weird thing for
him not to meet with the broadcasters multiple times in
a season. It's just it doesn't happen. Starting quarterback meets
with the broadcasters when you're on primetime football and any
other time really, but especially when you're on primetime, it
doesn't it. Hopefully, you know, Ben Johnson, the culture he's

(01:02:52):
instilling keeps them all in the straight and narrow. And
now we're going to go to Martin. Weis're another update break.

Speaker 10 (01:03:03):
Right now.

Speaker 9 (01:03:04):
Ohio State with a seventeenth to nothing lead over Wisconsin.
Ohio State undefeated, number one team in the nation. Wisconsin
winless in Big Ten play fifteen I'm sorry, thirteen minutes
left into the third quarter thus far. Number three ring
Indiana with a twenty one to ten lead over Michigan State.

Speaker 10 (01:03:21):
Indiana, also undefeated. That's in a rain delay.

Speaker 9 (01:03:24):
Weather has been a factor throughout the throughout the country
today Texas A and m in Arkansas NA downpour earlier today.

Speaker 10 (01:03:31):
That game is going to start in about a couple
of minutes from now.

Speaker 9 (01:03:35):
At the half, Ole miss with a twenty one to
twenty lead over Georgia. That's a top ten matchup in
the SEC. All miss number five undefeated Georgia with one
lost the ninth or eight team with ninety seconds left
in the first half of Arizona State.

Speaker 10 (01:03:50):
Let's go karm in with the lead over Texas Tech.

Speaker 9 (01:03:53):
Now it's nine to seven Texas Tech seven and three
team undefeated. They do have the ball, but again ninety
seconds left in the first half. You can catch that
one on Fox at the half. UAB with a a
touchdown as that first half expired to take the lead
seventeen to fourteen over number twenty two Memphis Memphis, also undefeated.
UAB has an interim head coach that Texas A and

(01:04:15):
M in Arkansas game. Did just start Arkansas with the
ball scoreless as again, like I said, just started Vanderbilt
with a thirty one to twenty four win over LSU.
LSU losing to Vanderbilt their seventeenth to rank team in
the nation. LSU falls to five and two, two and
two in conference play. Seventh under Georgia Tech undefeated seven
and oh four and oh and ACC play that beat

(01:04:38):
Duke twenty seven to eighteen and fourteenth rank Oklahoma with
a twenty six to two seven win over South Carolina.

Speaker 10 (01:04:45):
Back to you, Blay, thank.

Speaker 2 (01:04:47):
You Martin, And now we're going to bring in another
college football not really a big ten guy because Notre
Dame just refuses to join a conference, but a big
ten guy at heart. I think I can I feel
okay saying that it's Mike Golick, junior of Golick and
Golic Fame. How are you?

Speaker 12 (01:05:05):
I'm doing well?

Speaker 11 (01:05:06):
The ambient found you here in the background is me
changing in a bathroom stall in the Orlando Airport. So
this is show business, guys, and I appreciate you having me.

Speaker 2 (01:05:15):
That is show business. Amazing. Well, I likes a show girl, man,
it's the life of a show girl. If the showgirl
just got done calling the UCF Knights versus the West
Virginia Mountaineers forty five to thirteen, that game ended. How
did you enjoy the land of chains and not the
ones you put around your neck? Mike?

Speaker 11 (01:05:37):
Yes, not an icy area, but an incredibly entertaining one.
It was great and I think it was interesting today.
So there were thirty new FBS coaches this year in
college football. Only two of them are returning home to
jobs they already have and that was Scott Ross and
Rich Rodriguez. Different challenges for both. But Scott Brost group
had been close in recent weeks, close games against Kansas Cincinnati,

(01:05:58):
two teams that I think are in the top half
of the Big twelve. And today Taevi and Jackson, my quarterback,
just put it all together and so they keep making
big plays like that. Watch out the back half of
this Big twelve season. You see up could absolutely sneak
up and up in someone's season.

Speaker 3 (01:06:12):
Mike, we've been talking a lot about we're at that
point where we're going to find out who's good in
the NFL and who's not so good in the NFL.
What team has stood out to you as perhaps a
surprise that maybe one of the top teams.

Speaker 11 (01:06:24):
Well, I think you got to start with Seattle, right
the Seahawks. Van Darnold coming over Payday that most people
looked at differently after the last two games of the
season for the Minnesota Vikings, and now all of a sudden,
the combination of him, Clint Kubiak, a passing attack where Jackson,
Smith and Jig quickly cemented himself as one of the
top wide receivers in football, and this team could go

(01:06:45):
along with Mike McDonald. Defense looks like a complete enough
group in an NFC West that is wide open, ravaged
by injury in some case, a great opportunity for them,
and what a continued redemption story for Sam Darnald and
the job that he's done this year.

Speaker 2 (01:07:00):
I am torn between do we just always do this
every year? Or have there really been more injuries this
year or at least more significant injuries that have altered
our expectations of teams ie stuff that happened obviously with
the Bengals, with the Ravens, I mean, like the entire

(01:07:20):
AFC North, I suppose, but I feel like there have
been team altering injuries more so than they have been before.
But maybe it's just it's me, it's revision's history. I
don't know, what do you feel like, Mike.

Speaker 11 (01:07:34):
It certainly feels like an anecdotally karm and like I
don't know, like maybe we'll have a study comeout that
shows us that it's on far for the course, And
like you said, when it's big time quarterback names, when
it's the forty nine ers year after year going through this,
maybe it starts to feel like more than it is.

Speaker 12 (01:07:49):
But I don't know.

Speaker 11 (01:07:50):
It just to me seems like and I don't.

Speaker 12 (01:07:53):
Know what the culprit is.

Speaker 11 (01:07:53):
Right, people are going to point the changes in preseason
the offseason, but it's a violent game played by some
of the biggest, fastest, strongest on planet Earth, and so
this might just be what happens. And it feels ominous
looking ahead to what we know is coming up as
the crux of the next negotiation, which is a potential
eighteen game regular season, where this is only going to
be heightened at.

Speaker 3 (01:08:13):
Eighteen game regular season. I mean, what do you think
about that? Do you feel like it's just bananas or
do you think it's inevitable.

Speaker 11 (01:08:21):
It feels inevitable, It feels greedy, and at a time
where we've got more football on TV on more nights
and more countries than ever before, you wonder if there
ever is a saturation point the only solace in the NFL.
And it's different in the sport I cover in college
with football, where we keep adding playoff games, we keep
adding all this stuff to the pie for players who
don't have any ability to negotiate for themselves. Yes, the

(01:08:43):
money's coming in differently, But in the NFL, hey if
the owners want to add another game that's more or
less fifty percent of the earnings. That are also going
to increase the money going to players now that's paid out,
what it means to roster expansion and stuff will add in.
But I think for that reason, it seems ever and
so the question always is is like, right, if you're
the players, what are you going to get in return

(01:09:04):
that is going to make the added physical toll worthwhile
for you guys.

Speaker 2 (01:09:08):
I think another turn that we're seeing a whole lot
in the NFL is basically that. And Tracy kind of
started it off earlier saying like, who do we even know?
Who's good? That parody? Seems like it's at an all
time high in the NFL. What factors do you think
are contributing to that? And do you also feel that
you know it really isn't any given Sunday mentality it is.

Speaker 11 (01:09:27):
The injuries are certainly a part of it, But I
think this is one that does feel like it has
a little more of a culprit. Like TDD Bowles I
heard mentioned this plenty of coaches that pointed out, hey,
you do have less time on the field than ever
before with these guys. You do have a less of
a preseason runway, and so the first quarter of the
season sort of becomes an area that is full of
upsets and upset potential because you guys haven't.

Speaker 12 (01:09:47):
Played a lot of football.

Speaker 11 (01:09:48):
It's still a complicated enough game, that's a learned enough
skill set to where the only way and you hear
it all the time. It's cliche, but it's true. The
only way to get better at this sport is to
do it continually. And back in the day, you know,
I hear this from my dad all time, but hey,
we used to have training camps. Oh yeah, no, it's
you know, hey, it's just filled it every once in
a while. But in some cases, as I don't like

(01:10:10):
to admit very often, he is right and you're going
to pay penalty for that somewhere. And we see that
through the first four or five games of the season
and feels like every year.

Speaker 3 (01:10:17):
Now, do you think that's part of the injuries that
they're just not there's not enough time to get these
guys ready. And that may be a really naive, silly
thing to say, but you kind of have to wonder.

Speaker 11 (01:10:28):
Listen, I think you've got to look at everything at
this point and some of these changes are far enough
into where we should have larger data points about what's
going on and how it might impact these guys and
what adjustments need to be made. Like again, with a
lot of this stuff, I point back to the twenty
eleven CBA when so much of the practice time and
offseason rules change. Where all right, that's over a decade
of data. Now we should be able to start to

(01:10:49):
draw some bigger conclusions and look into this so that
we can make sure we're continuing to make this the
safest possible game it can be for a collision sport
that's never going to be fully safe, and well, I
don't know where it goes from here, but I do
know that this spot has always been a war of attrition,
and it's been one where the teams that are left
standing at the end are often the ones that just

(01:11:10):
get luckier, managed that the best they possibly can, or
have the right depths built all through the ausseas, and
it's you know, there's certain parts of it their skill
and there's always going to be certain parts that are
luck I.

Speaker 2 (01:11:19):
Also think that so much of it is maybe even coaching,
because I think back to the game against the Night
the Diners and the Bucks. You know you mentioned Todd
Bowles and how he's talked about you get less time
on the field with these guys. But this last week
where you saw the Bucks and the Niners go head
to head with like half of their original starters on
the field for each of them, and it just becomes

(01:11:42):
this chess match. I feel like between which coach can
adapt more? And so do you think coaching has become
harder as all of these as parody has risen as
all of these injuries, like you have to be able
to adjust more than ever before.

Speaker 11 (01:11:57):
I certainly think it highlights and I mean the example
that come to mind most like, I don't want to
hear anyone say a sour word about Kyle Shanahan. Again,
what he does every year is remarkable, with whoever's at
quarterback gets to reunite with Max Jones's long lost drugs
love for many drafts to go. And then I think
the other one I think about too is Dan Campbell. Listen,
the roster may not have turned over, but he lost

(01:12:18):
a bunch of coordinators and to be able to come
in and have these new coaches who have been a
part of your staff already, but to bring them along
in such a way that has them ready so that
when that change happens and when that opportunity is there,
we do next man up for players all the time.
That's true for coaching too, and in some places Philadelphia
we see sometimes coaches brought up through that pipeline that
don't seem ready for that moment, And in Detroit we've

(01:12:40):
certainly seen the opposite.

Speaker 3 (01:12:43):
I have a question that is not football related, but
I think is very very important, and the listeners want
to know because I've not spoken to you since the
Life of a show Girl came.

Speaker 2 (01:12:51):
Out I thought was coming.

Speaker 3 (01:12:53):
I mean, can't we can't have you on and not
discuss it. What I'm going to ask you, what's your
favorite song on the album? And why is it potentially
open eighte?

Speaker 12 (01:13:02):
Yeah?

Speaker 11 (01:13:02):
See that one to me like falk to the number
one down like a terminator because at the first listen
for me, it was actually romantic. It's sassy, it's biting,
it's got an edge, like.

Speaker 12 (01:13:12):
What a great song that was.

Speaker 11 (01:13:13):
But maybe it's because there's a video which helps, or
maybe because the TikTok's taken off with it.

Speaker 12 (01:13:18):
But oh, it's just so much fun. If this album
would come out in June, that would have been the
song in.

Speaker 11 (01:13:22):
The summer on questioned. So to me, that holds the
number one spot right now, and I'm excited to have
three new number ones before we get out of the
month of October.

Speaker 2 (01:13:31):
Well, Mike, you're living the life of a show girl
right now. We appreciate you because a.

Speaker 3 (01:13:35):
Show go it's a show Goojo, You're welcome.

Speaker 12 (01:13:39):
Anyone else just get chilled.

Speaker 3 (01:13:41):
Oh, you are welcome. I'll give you that for free, trademarket.

Speaker 2 (01:13:44):
We love when a plan comes together. But thank you
so much for changing the Orlando Airport bathroom and joining
us to talks some football to talks and Taylor Swift,
Mike safe travels. Thank you again for your time.

Speaker 12 (01:13:59):
Thanks, guys, appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:00):
All right, We've got another segment coming up for you.
Right on the other side of this. You're listening to
Fox Football Saturday. Welcome back in to Fox Football Saturday.
I'm Carmen Vitally. I have Tracy Sandler with me. Hello,
it's been a fun afternoon.

Speaker 3 (01:14:17):
Really has had a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:14:19):
Of discussion, like, honestly, a lot of kind of philosophical
discussion about offensive line play about the state of football
right now, about the life of a show girl. As
our last guest, Michael Junior, was changing in the bathroom
of the Orlando Airport. After calling UCF West Virginia found

(01:14:40):
time to talk to us. Wonderful, wonderful man and we
even talked to some baseball and during the MLB post season,
Strauss made history as the first brand ever on the
helmets work where built perform, smart pocket design, real comfort
and durability from Gritz to Glory Europe. Today at Strauss
dot com, that's str A U s S dot com.

(01:15:03):
And we are not out of the of the Championship
Series yet because it's the Mariners and the Blue Jays.
Mariners are up three to two.

Speaker 3 (01:15:12):
They had exciting Game two. It kind of got overshadowed
by show. Hey, but grand Slam home run to win.
It's a big deal.

Speaker 2 (01:15:19):
I was gonna say grand Slam home run. I think
the series is going to seven. I do too, It's
just it's been it's got it. You know, one of
them has to be drama. You know, Dodgers swept. That
means I feel like the ALCS has to go to
seven games and then we will wait to find out
who will face the Dodgers in the World Series. But
I already know Tracy's pick for the World Series jamp correct.

Speaker 3 (01:15:41):
Not a lot of suspense there.

Speaker 2 (01:15:44):
And again even as someone who has no allegiances to
the Dodgers, although I did intern for them in twenty thirteen,
so yes, I need to I need to make that
known slash, like you know, full disclosure, to be completely transparent.
I did intern for the Dodgers in twenty thirteen. They
all also went to the NLCS that year. That was
a fun little run.

Speaker 3 (01:16:04):
Oh what a fun time to be there.

Speaker 2 (01:16:05):
Didn't end up making it to the World Series, but still, yeah,
it was. It was fun. We Hungjin Ru so we
had like this incredible Korean contingent that was that followed him,
especially into that postseason. It was incredible. It was such
a good that's awesome. It was such a good work experience.
I met Christianna Ronaldo was part of that intern Oh wow,
nice sick. I got to like video him and Yasio

(01:16:26):
Pueeg like dribbling a baseball back and forth. It was crazy.
I met so many people as part of that internship.
It was wild good times, but other good times. I
want to get to our last and final segment. Lol
Moment of the week, because I think we need to
laugh at least once a day, but hopefully more than that.

(01:16:48):
But lol moment of the week. Something that made us
laugh on social media this week. I'm going to start.
I'm actually gonna go all the way back to Sunday.

Speaker 3 (01:16:55):
Oh well say that, Like you said, I've got to
go back to two thousand and five, come back.

Speaker 2 (01:17:00):
To twenty twelve if you've missed it. We time traveled
earlier in this show too. I we talked a lot
about the Bucks this this week, this episode and or
this afternoon, and I want to talk a little bit more.
Just you mentioned the Baker scramble throw, evading pressure, just
getting out getting the first down. This that the other

(01:17:22):
sheer force of will with you know, down his like
first four or five receivers. Baker gets it done for
the Buccaneers who end up winning that game, or the
forty nine ers. And after as the King was going on,
Kevin Durant, of all people, who is such a fun
follow by the way on social media, just goes Baker,
you effen hoopin. And if there's not I don't think

(01:17:44):
there's a better description of what Baker Mayfield is doing
in the league right now than hoopin.

Speaker 3 (01:17:49):
I would agree with that that. I would agree with that.
That's a that's perfect. I love Hoopin. Trete Williams said
that zet to Mac Jones is week two start. He said,
just go out there and hoop and I really love
the cross.

Speaker 2 (01:18:01):
The cross, Yeah, like the crossover. That's the the word
I was looking for.

Speaker 3 (01:18:05):
I love it. I absolutely love it. Well, mine actually
is Mac Jones related. Who by the way, if you
don't know this guy's Mac Jones is really really funny,
which was a surprise to me when he first got
to the Ford Anders and Keys. Also very fashionable, apparently
very fashionable.

Speaker 2 (01:18:19):
The suit, very fashion forward in his like pregame fits.

Speaker 3 (01:18:22):
He really has the suit. Game is on point, and
he's really quite hilarious. And earlier this week, my colleague
Eric Branch, who was amazing covers the Fordyins, said to Mac,
you know, the last couple of games, by the end
of the game, you really haven't been moving very well,
to which Max said, thank you, and everybody laughed at that,
and then Mac asked him if he wanted to race,

(01:18:43):
and it just was it was funny and Mac is funny,
and I think it's just something that's really surprising because
I don't think we got to see that side of
him in New England or Jacksonville. But it definitely made
me laugh because I like when people can be self
deprecating and have a little fun with the.

Speaker 2 (01:19:00):
No one's allowed to be funny in New England, especially
when Mac Jhones' is there. No. I love that. I
love it when players get to see their personality. What
I would love even more is if he took him
up on the race and they they ended up racing,
because it's like try honestly, I think, I mean, I
don't want I don't want anybody to get injured, which

(01:19:22):
would probably happen if you had any sort of media.
Yeah yeah, but I do. I think it would be
So I really do want that to happen in some
way shape or form, like on a like a larger
like grand scale, because I think it would just go
a long way to people understanding just like even when
these guys don't look athletic, like when they take off

(01:19:44):
and run, like the way that Patrick Mahomes looks like
a baby draft when he runs or whatever, Like these
guys are still incredibly athletic, and they are so much
more athletic than you or I could ever be, and
like they don't get the credit for it sometimes. And
I think that things like a race, even if it
is like you, like, the media picks the one person
that like they think is in the best shape to
like race an NFL player that's just like a run

(01:20:06):
of the middle NFL player. I think that would go
a long way in showing people just how much like
how freaks how freakish these guys are.

Speaker 3 (01:20:12):
I once went through the fort Niners conditioning program, and
let me tell you, it's not for the faint of heart.

Speaker 2 (01:20:17):
I've worked out with offensive lineman. It's hard. It's real hard.
Thank you guys so much for joining us. We had
so much fun today. But I hope you will joined
us next week. For Tracy, I'm Carmen. Have a great afternoon.
You're listening to Fox Football Saturday.

Speaker 11 (01:20:32):
Yes,

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