January 1, 2022 • 44 mins
In hour 1 of Up On Game with LaVar Arrington, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Plaxico Burress, the guys jump right into the underwhelming CFP semi-final matchups that saw the SEC dominate. Plus, James Jackson from the Straight Facts podcast joins the guys for 'On Ya Head.' Fox Sports Update Anchor Ralph Irving takes the guys down memory lane!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
No one does forts quite like Las Vegas, where the
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(00:24):
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(00:46):
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Fourth Service and the AD Council. Let you want NFL experience,
(01:12):
then this is the show for you. This is It's
up on game with Lavarrei, ten, t J Houshmnzana and
Plaxico Burress. Did you hear that? LaVar Arrington, t j Udgmanzana, Plexico.
It's a show with three of the best to ever
do it on and off the field. And now here's
(01:34):
Pro bowlers LaVar Arton, t J Houshmanzana and Super Bowl
champion Plaxico Burress. All right, Happy New Year to everyone,
Happy Bowl Game Saturday to everyone, Happy day everyone January heard.
What a great time to be alive, What a great
(01:57):
time to have a resolution. Yeah it's cliche New Year's resolution,
but let's get it. Let's get it done. How about it?
All right? Got a great slate of games today, We
got a great slate of of topics to get to
today fellas, uh college football playoff. We'll get to those
reactions right here in a few minutes. We'll talk Russell Wilson,
(02:18):
We'll talk some quarterbacks. Uh, could they be on the move?
Could this be final games for guys? Legendary moment, This
one wud be pretty interesting because well this week, uh,
it'll be one of our show, guys, So you have
to stay tuned to see which one of the co
hosts of the up On Gang crew did well a
legendary moment. What's your boy? And myself LaVar Yeah right
(02:42):
and speaking of myself, LaVar Uh. We got Stretch Armstrong himself,
Plexico Burst, and we got panteen Man, t J. Mr
Hushman Zada. Now I know t J. You're up in
the mountains and in big beer, enjoying a dope ass,
a nice mountain home and all that stuff. Uh, Plex
did you did you go anywhere exotic? I know you
(03:04):
you like being warm, You're e're ape the tropical man?
What y'all got going on? I wish I could have
been some anxiety unfortunately for myself. I am men currently
on the East coast and we have not seen the
sun in about four or five days now, so we're
just waiting for a little sunshine to peek through the
clouds and bring some more smiles to our faces. They
(03:26):
say alligators need a little bit of sunlight, sun ray,
so they can have sniles on their faces too, you
know what I mean, Like goata Hey, we were like
that for a while. Man. It was it was bad
out of southern California. Tons of rain. Yeah, and line man,
it's been raining says like Monday, we have not had
any sun in like five days. It's like, it's crazy, man,
(03:48):
what's going on. I'll tell you what one thing you
shouldn't do when it's raining out is making sure that
you're responsible. So listen. It can happen easily. A few
drinks become a few too many, it's time to go.
You think of calling a ride home? Nah, what's the
worst that can happen? You get pulled over, you lose
(04:09):
your license, you total your car, you kill someone, drive sober,
or get pulled over. Paid for by Nitza. Uh Fellas,
the weather has been interesting here. Uh it looks as
though it doesn't want to rain today, which is very nice.
We've needed rain in southern California. Obviously it was a
(04:29):
dry spell. Uh your weather, you know some peeking through
that is uh glass half fool at this time of
the year for someone in the neck of the woods
that you're in. Uh. Let's compare this to our reactions
to the college football playoff. Now, the games took place,
they played out, and and I would say largely in
(04:52):
part we we all had the idea that that both
teams that loss were overmatched teams and it played out.
You saw the dominance of the upper echelon teams in
the SEC show out. What are you your guys is
(05:13):
uh takeaways from that game? What's the biggest takeaway from
the Georgia game and in the Alabama game and them
now um squaring off. I thought the first game with
Cincinnati and Alabama thought, well, let me say this. I
was wrong. I felt like it would be a more
(05:34):
competitive game. I thought Cincinnati would come out and put
up a fight, which they did. They just I go
back to that first drive, man, and I don't know
if you guys watch the entirety of the game, but
Alabama they go down and score it. Run run, run, run,
run run. We're gonna take you. So we're gonna show
you can't match up with us. Cincinnati comes back and
they put a nice drive together, receivers wide opening the
(05:59):
end zone for a touchdown to tie a seven. Seven
ball gets batted down. He rotted the receiver up on
a slant route. Believe it was number twelve from University
of Cincinnati. It was the batted balls when guys were open,
but they just couldn't stop the run. Every secondary did
a really good job. Uh, slowing that passing game down,
but Cincinnati could not stop the run. Georgia Michigan went
(06:22):
pretty much I thought it would go. Michigan would not
be able to run the ball, Georgia would be too
stout up front, and they they were just better at
every position Georgia, and I felt that game went exactly
how I thought it would. But I was somewhat surprised
at Cincinnati wasn't a little more competitive with Alabama, you
know what, uh watching the Cincinnati game. I think Luke
(06:43):
Fickle knew that going into that football game that Alabama
has superior athletes on the edge as far as the
wide receivers, defensive backs, corners, and safeties. And I thought
that what he tried to do, he tried to take
the air out of the football game. But what happened
Cincinnati got behind early, and I think he was to
(07:05):
try to run the football, control the clock, keep the off,
keep the Alabama offense off the football field so they could,
you know, because he knew that they had a better
football team. And if you look at the play clock
that was Cincinnati was running, they was running the play
clock all the way underneath five seconds. So he was
trying to keep the Alabama football team off the field.
(07:28):
But I think the strategy backfired. And if you look
at Cincinnati, they had one of the best quarterbacks on
the college football They throw the ball fifty and sixty
times a game. Why did he Why didn't he come
out and have that same approach going into this game.
I think he scaled he scaled it back and he
went in with a strategy and Nick Saban's okay, if
you want to take the out of the football game
and try to keep us off the field, That's what
(07:49):
I'm gonna do. And Bryce Shaw didn't have a great night,
but but Nick Saban ran the football down their throats
and when they got behind, they knew that. You know,
Aladama started blitzing thirty one coming off the edge. Who
who was who was the best college football player on defense?
To me, I don't know how to got ninety seven
went from Michigan. But that's the whole I mean, if
(08:12):
you go listen, if you're going to the Husman Trophy
UH ceremony, you're supposed to be the best position, and
thirty one clearly Andson Junior is clearly the best defense
in and all the college football But getting back to that,
I think Luke Figer went into that game. He had
a strategy and it backfired. And as far as the
Georgia and then Michigan game go, I enjoyed every showing
(08:34):
you did. Enjoyed every piece up because you knew what
if you looked at that game, it was entirely too
much speed from Michigan. They just couldn't adapt. It was
it was too much speed power. Listen. I knew that
going into that football game, the way that Georgia lost
that game in Alabama two weeks ago, that Georgia was
(08:56):
going to come out and play that best football game.
And you look at Kirby Smart at half time, he
was he was going crazy on the quarterball, like yo, man,
let's go, let's score some more points. And I think
Georgia wanted to go into that game in embarrass Michigan,
and that's exactly what they did. Yeah, I mean, I mean,
it wasn't a good look for our ten um. That's
(09:16):
that that is I don't care in the bottom well,
I get it, but you know it's it's our it's
who stretch, you know, amazing who. I understand that there's
a disdain for them from yourself. I understand that. Uh,
you know what, I'll say that different caliber football is
(09:37):
what it was those the wealth and the richest of
of the Alabamas and of the of that, you know,
the Georgia's it is. It is one of those things
where when we talk about achieving parody in college sports,
(10:00):
I think, I think you start to realize when you
see games like this, I don't think it's gonna happens.
You know what The interesting thing is, it may it
may shift, right, it has shifted at times. Uh, but
I don't know that we've ever seen well, I know
we've never seen a dominant run such as this Alabama run.
(10:24):
And and and to that point, the possibilities of of
Georgia revisiting what they were um all those years ago,
they they seem to be right there at it. Obviously
being in the mix of it every single year four
or five years ago. It's not a long time. Yeah,
but dominant, dominant, Yeah, you're right, I mean that that,
(10:47):
But I mean consistent, you know, I think I think
I think Georgia is starting to turn into a consistent
power um versus having a good year or putting together
a couple of years. I think they're like a perennial
team too. They're just lacking consistent quarterback play. That that
that's the thing they're lacking consistent quarterback. They're looting with
(11:12):
the games that they lose. Jake Farmer was pretty good
when he was there. He was he was just and transferred, Yeah,
because Kirby Smart wanted to play it safe, and oh,
I'm gonna keep the guy that got me to the
championship even though we lost. I may have a more
talented player behind him, but I'm not gonna switch. There's
a bad decision. It was a bad decision on Kirby
(11:34):
Smart Park because you got to the championship game. You're
gonna keep the same guy there you lost the championship game.
I'll say it is look Nick Sabman that that big
boy Poles that he had after that football game, that
that that album couple posts. I think what he's saying
is this, He's like, listen, this is probably the worst
(11:59):
team I've had since I been here, and since two
thousand and eight, they've they've won seven or what six
or seven national championships and this is probably the worst
team that he's had one. Yeah, and he's will this
gap this, I'm gonna I'm gonna take this team that
I have, which is probably the worst team that I
(12:19):
have since I've been here, and I'm gonna win another
championship and I have maybe, you know, to make maybe
one or two players that that that we're going to
the first round off of that football team, which he
usually puts about five or six guys in the first
round off of every team every year. This is where
teammates had and he's saying, you know what, I'm gonna
(12:39):
win another champion world. I'm gonna win another national championship
with this football team right here, and this is probably
the worst thing that I ever had. All Right, well,
I guess we'll continue the conversation of what direction college
football goes and what parody looks like. Uh, a lot
of other things that need to be discussed. But we're
(13:01):
gonna switch. We're gonna switch topics here coming up here
shortly in the next segment. We're we're gonna uh, well,
we're gonna go with Jimmy j and we're gonna see
whose head he's on. Uh this week. That should be fine.
We got a lot of things to get to guys.
Um happy New year to everyone. I mean and and please,
you know, make sure you get a stiff mug of
(13:22):
coffee this morning. Uh yeah, I will say this. I
always say I condone being responsible and the things that
you do. Last night I was not very responsible at all, Um,
but I was in the confines of my own home,
so that that was a good thing. Um. I'm paying
for it a little bit today. Uh, old people stuff,
(13:44):
I will sleep by midnight. Yeah, I stayed up. I
was a well you are getting old man, But anyway,
I digress. You know Spagnola, by the way, one of
your your former guys, he compared uh a quarterback to
a young Tom Brady. We'll also get to that as well.
(14:05):
We got legendary moments. We got up on game, down
on game all right. We got a lot to get,
two guys, So you're listening to Up on Game with
Lavaria in two t J. Hushman's Outoplex co Burr's Happy
New Year to everyone. Fox Sports Radio We'll be right back.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports
(14:25):
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Search f s R to listen live. No one does
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(15:09):
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the ad Council. All right, welcome back into the show.
Happy New Year to everyone, you know. I wanted to
ask everybody in the in the studio, everybody you know
on the show, what their new Year's resolution is, but
(16:37):
we don't really have time for it. I would love yeah,
I mean, yeah, you know. Anyway, I'll tell you what
we do have time for to talk about. This next place, uh,
that I'm gonna discuss with you, but it's brought to
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Las Vegas. People, the greatest arena on Earth. Every game, match, race,
(16:58):
and competition. It is always on. Whoever your your root for,
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even bigger in Vegas, So make sure you plan a
trip today at visit Las Vegas dot com. Uh, fellas
you know, we we this is This is an interesting
(17:19):
segment that has continued to grow and I enjoyed listening
to this young young stud of a talent. UH bring
us his his perspective. So, without further ado, let's let's
hear what our man Jimmy j has to say. Let's
jump on something. I'm on your head. It's like I'm
on your head with James Jackson. What you got, j
(17:44):
j are you there? Are you there? Are you with me?
Are we having any technical difficulties there with them? What
you got? What you got? Boss? First of all, Happy
new year, man, We're in can't believe it. But unfortunately
for some teams out there, man might be a new year,
(18:06):
but it's the same old James Jackson and it's the
same mold. I'm on your Head presented by the up
on Game Network and Fox Sports Radio. Look, we're going
into week seventeen of this NFL season, right, so it's
a wrong time for some teams to start acting wild
and start getting shaky. And from that standpoint, the Arizona Cardinals,
I gotta talk to you all man, I'm on your
head because it's it's really starting to get dry out
(18:27):
there in the desert man the car The Cardinals haven't
looked good in a couple of weeks. And and look
at their initials right from A to Z, got the
whole alphabet at their repertoire and still can't find a W.
It's it's cann't shoot you out there. It's includes a
lost fill alliance in the structs were han to come
on anytime a team anytime, I can tend to lose
it to the Lions, you know, I gotta get on
their head. And phoenix are supposed to represent a firebird,
(18:50):
but everybody over there is just ice cold right now,
including their quarterback. And it's not good. And going from
early m v P talks to now Colin Marius to
take a dip um. I know we spent some time inactive,
but ever since returning from that, it doesn't looked good man.
Only eighty three quarterback rating, only four touchdowns to three
interceptions and Arizona is one in three in this stretch.
(19:14):
So I know a lot of this is without DeAndre
Hopkins too and his return, but even these numbers plus
say it with me, man, that's shipy thay, we will.
We don't need any of that. And when a team
starts to slide like this, y'all know, I gotta talk
to the head coach too. So head coach Cliff Kingsbury,
man looks, I know your name is Cliff, but that
(19:34):
that don't mean you can fall off one now, I said,
oh in three in these last three weeks. But what's
what's really cool about this is even in this, in
this stretch, with with the last week lost, they still
cuinched a playoff birth. With the forty niners lost. I
believe it is what got them into the playoffs. But
the rest of the NFL is shaky for that because
I don't like in the in the midst of all
(19:55):
the struggling that they're still able to quench a playoff birth.
But the Cardinals are not off the just because of that.
This is not how you want to look going down
the stretch of the NFL season, going into the playoffs.
And I know they're playing State Farm Arena and that's
all coring off, but there's no insurance policy for a
broken offense. Arisona Cardinals, I'm on your head? Who got it?
(20:16):
I actually agree with him. I agree with him, and
it's not too much of a rebuttal. But it started.
Do you guys recall I'm back. You'll remember that that
That's where it started. At DoD they lose to the
Panthers to ten. That game had me thinking, I'm sure
(20:39):
with everybody else, like man cam ain't playing, he for
really is back. And then you saw what happened in
the games they're after You like what happened to the
cart knows that game? Third, dude, they lost thirty four
to ten. They rebound, they be the bad Seahawks team,
be the bad Bears team losing the Rams and get
(21:00):
destroyed by the Detroit Lions. The Cardinals are going downhill
fast play the Cowboys tomorrow. Probably gonna lose that game,
but they're in the playoffs. They're gonna probably be one
and done. But I agree with pretty much all that
James had to say. I appreciate that because I don't
I don't I don't see their offense rebounding, and you know,
(21:22):
they had such a groove in the first what pendetrol
games in the season. But when you lose Kyler Murray
and DeAndre Hopkins pretty much at the same time, and
one comes back and the other one doesn't. You take
a look at Kyler Murray's members and they directly correlate
without having his best target and maybe the best one
of the best red zone receiving targets in the league,
next to the Davante You know, you know, one of
(21:45):
the problems I have and then I'll let you go
plex is Ryan Dale. Moore was one of the most
explosive receivers in college football last year, runs a low
four three. Arizona Cardinals are treating him like a possession
receiver because he's small does not mean he can't get
down the field. Stopped on them quick screens and let
the man use his ability to get down the field.
(22:06):
And so they're just not utilizing the talent that they
have the correct way, at least in my opinion, if
I'm not mistaken. Um, the guy over there, uh LaVar Arrington,
was really high on this. You know, starting the beginning
of the season. I call the fools. Gold called them
(22:26):
fools goal and it's exactly what's happened in The Raiders
are fools. God, I will get you they are. Listen.
Colin Mery great player. I think he's a good player.
Is he an an elite quarterback? He is not. He
has one of the best wide receivers in all the
football and DeAndre Hopkins. You pay them up with a J. Green.
(22:48):
They have great offense. DeAndre Hucks been and not. The
lineup hurt, so he's out, Tyler Murray is out. Then
JJ Watt goes down and now you know Chandler Jones
is the mark man on that defense. All we gotta
do is try to contain Taylor Jones in any football
team has a chance to win that game. I was
never solderm Ari was on the Carse. I've always said
(23:09):
the the Los Angeles Rams will represent the NFC West
coming out of the division, and that is exactly what's happening.
They have a good football team, but I don't think
that they're gonna come out of the NFC West and
represent that division. I've always said the Rams and that's
what I'm sticking with. Are they able to are they
(23:31):
still able to have a successful year. Guys like a
successful they have a great year. It's successful, LaVar. Any
time you make the playoffs, it's it's not it's not easy.
And we all noticed we played the league. You gotta
crawl before you walk. You start off having an m
VP bid and and you're he's in the race, Kyler Murray.
(23:52):
At one point time he was a front runner. That
it was a foregone conclusion that he was playing the
best foot ball and in the National Football League by
by many people. Um that that came to a halt
when I think the injury changed how he played. I
think his injury to his ankle had a lot to
(24:14):
do with the slide that they've had this season. But
I think they just had so many expectations on them
this year. I don't know that where they're currently at
this is viewed as a successful season so far. I mean,
obviously you can change your fortunes once you get to
the playoffs. But I guess that leads me to the
next question, as because it's what I'm thinking, what what
(24:38):
type of a playoff run makes this a successful year
with a team that started off so hot, just getting
into the playoffs? Go ahead? Really that can't be it.
I guess that can't be in to me, especially Lafar.
You talk about getting off to such a hot start,
but I think your expectations can change once the season
(25:00):
starts on. Don't you start to realize who your football
team is? Now we go from just making the playoffs too,
I'm looking for an NFC Let me let me ask
you guys this something like that. Let me ask you
guys this. When the Cardinals had the best record the NFC,
I sure didn't think it, did you? Did you guys
really think they were the best team in the NFC?
We were all saying, by Green Bay and the Rams
are better even though they had beaten arounds. We were
(25:22):
saying this on the air. So because they had the
best record does not make them the best team. There's
steps that you take as a football team. This is
year three form that. Okay, they're going to make the playoffs.
That's a step in the right direction. Next year, can
they come and improve on that? And so that's why
I say the season has been success because even when
(25:44):
they had to quote unquote best record, I still didn't
think they were the best team. But is that the
hard the approach the teams to take though, Like if
I'm if I'm clip Cliff or if I'm the brass
of Arizona, I'm saying, this is what we paid for,
this is what we've worked to build. Like you need
to be cashing in on being better because if you realize,
(26:06):
i mean, if you paid the detention, they they're they're
making a habit of of late season nose dives. This
happened last year. At least this nose at least this
nose dive gets him into the playoffs. That nose dive
last year. They was watching the playoffs like we were.
And you bring it and you bring in exact urts.
I mean, so now you have all pro tiny end
(26:26):
on your team, so a J. Green and a J.
Green and listen, you can't have a better core of
of of skill players. So it's it's basically, do a
dive for the for the Calller's right now. They're not
you know, preparing for the future. It's right now for
(26:48):
the car and they're not doing it. Are any last words,
young phenomen No, no nothing. I'm kind of split in
the middle at the Cardinals, but I'm kind of thinking
this is a disappointing season. Just to how they started.
If they continue to and it ends on a bad note,
I'm calling disappointment for the Arizona partners. Man. I'm stamping
(27:09):
that down. That's Jimmy Jay otherwise known as James Jackson.
If you're nasty, make sure you check him out of
the crow Yeah Network, Uh Straight Facts Podcast, make sure
you check him out. Man. We appreciate you coming on man,
uh Ralphie, let's get a trending, my brother, what you
(27:30):
got believe it or not. We're already into New Year's
Day Bowl Action game number one of the day. It's
the Outfact Bowl five forty two to play in the
first quarter, Number twenty one Arkansas and what's that Penn State?
We are currently it is scoreless there in Tampa as
(27:52):
they played at Raymond Change Stadium. Coming up at the
top of the hour, two games will be kicking off
Florida Citrus Pool number fifteen taking on number twenty two Kentucky.
And in Glendale, Arizona's the Fiesta Bowl, number five Notre
Dame and number nine Oklahoma State. Right now on the
college hardwood, number seventeen Texas six team lead over West
(28:15):
Virginia for twenty two to play in the first half.
Their Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson didn't practice Thursday, didn't practice Friday,
limited practice on Wednesday, and so not a whole lot
of action. He is questionable for this week. Tyler Huntley, though,
will be available. Hollywood Brown, by the way, also has
uh not practiced, so we'll see if he's going to
(28:39):
be available. Uh. Sad news from the NFL. Dan Reeves
has died at the age of seventy seven after complications
from dementia. Of course, he coached the Broncos, the Giants,
and the Falcons taking Denver in Atlanta to the Super Bowl.
But gentlemen, we will progress from there. Because it is
New Year's Day and LaVar I know this fires you up.
(29:01):
Come on, and with that, I have something that should
jack you all up. Let's do it. So let's jump
into our New Year's date way back machine and it
takes us to Tampa, Florida and the Outback Bowl January one.
(29:23):
You're saying, officially it's blocked. Arrington got up though, name
La bar Arrington came up. LaVar Arrington gets his hands up.
I mean he's he got it. Yeah, he just pulled
his way right there goes up and I mean he
was on the way down and hit it in block.
(29:45):
One year later January one, who was the Citrus Bull
in Orlando, Marty got on the field against in Burst,
gonna run to the end zone. They got him. Tuesti
bitial against State at two point conversion away the flex
that go for US six six to twenty two out
of Virginia Beach, Virginia, it's too easy. And twenty years
(30:07):
ago today it was the Fiesta Bowl in Tempee second
and seven. Smith of a lot of time one toward
the ends on hot touchdown hush Manzana, It's likely, isn't
a surprise that Lavarre earned a late hit penalty in
his game and Stretch was too busy with a hat
(30:28):
trick of touchdowns in his But what you guys didn't
know is on that play t J earned a little
bit extra and Ali flax on it. The ends of SOSTA,
I guess the scoring team to touch doround counts though
(30:55):
the words behaved out of all of us, and all
of that said, let's get shots out and prayers out
to to Dan Reeves and his family. I'm a big
fan of Dan Reeves going way back. Um Ralph who
(31:17):
shouts out to you man that that that was pretty
cool man. My hair is on my neck, do stand
up when that song was growing did a little digging
yesterday for it. Well that that was the man on
this day. That's pretty cool man. That's it's not only
pretty cool. But you know, the one thing I'll say,
(31:40):
it blows me away how disconnected today's sports athletes are
in football. For me, that they just don't know about
our game. They don't know about the guys that have
played it. They just don't They don't know anybody. It's
the wilder bro It's one of the wildest phenomenons. Maybe
(32:03):
it's wild to me because that's just how I was raised. Um,
but it just seemed like everybody that I was around
back in the day, you you knew football like you
were you were acclimated to it. If you were a
part of the culture and you started to know who
to watch, you started to pick out the best players,
the best teams, the best coaches, and then you start
(32:25):
learning about him, and then that foundation becomes something that
you you run with and you right with, you know
all the way. You know, I guess until you die. Really,
but that doesn't seem to be how God like? Bro
on God. I asked a kid the other day, he's
he's a dope athlete, dope player, fast star, fast star
(32:46):
guy plays linebacker in high school. And I said something
to him and I was like, man, I was like,
you know, Michael Parsons is is a guy that that
you know just makes play? Is it makes differences? Are
you like that? And he looked at me and I
could tell about how blank his look was. He had
(33:08):
no idea who Michael Parsons was because he's a young player,
very very young, he's current. It just, you know what,
It just tells me that a lot of guys these
days are just not into football outside of football, or
they just really feel themselves and they think they're better
than what they are. How can you get to where
(33:31):
you want to go and chase your dream and and
and follow your dream if you don't know who's in
front of you and and and what to watch and
what learn from. I was thinking the same thing, But
I mean, is the game and in a better condition?
I mean, it seems like the game is is in
a better condition than how we left it. But I
do believe that, you know, a major part of how
(33:55):
the game is supposed to to grow and be what
it's supposed to be is the legacy of it, right,
the passing of the torch, the the carrying of of
the you know, the guard like you you gotta you
gotta take on the responsibilities. At least this is how
I thought, right Like when I came into the league.
(34:16):
I'm sitting there when I went into college, I'm sitting
there like, I gotta live up to the expectation of
what linebackers were here at Penn State. When I went
into the league, it was more holistic. I'm not only
looking at it from the team that I'm playing for,
holding up the tradition of what that was, but I'm
looking at it from uh, you know, Greg Lloyd was
(34:37):
one of my He is my favorite player that the
the you know, the guys from that linebacking corps, the
the guys that I studied from lt to Michael Singletary
to Dick Buckets and and you know a host of
other linebackers that you know, Tom Jackson, I mean, you
name it, Carl Banks, uh, Harry Carson. There. I could
(34:59):
go all day naming guys that It was important to
me to be a representation of the best of what
they were and how can how do you do it?
How how do you play this game and not have
that type of accountability? I mean, it seems doable. I
don't I don't want to make it a criticism. Um,
(35:20):
it is certainly an observation. How do you? How do you?
What are you playing for? Like outside, I guess the obvious,
your yourself, your your teammates, your family. Is that enough? Guys?
Is that enough to y'all? It's just a different It's
a different day and age that that's obviously. And also
the past isn't a present thing for these young players.
(35:45):
A lot of coaches they they don't bring that up
to these kids. These kids that on social media all
day long, and so if your highlights aren't on there,
they have no idea who you are. And to be
a really good player, at least, I thought, you have
to chase somebody, you have to look at somebody. And
(36:07):
I've always felt the best players learned from the best players,
but you also learn from bad players. Like I believe
you can learn something from everybody. And and the day
you think you don't, this is the day you start
going downhill. And I've learned from players that were better
to me, and I learned from players that weren't better
to me. And I just think that's how you approach things.
(36:27):
But you can never become the player you want to
become if you're not learning each and every time you
step on the field of court with whatever sports you
may play. Yeah, well I get you, and I agree. Alright, alright, father, listen,
we look, this is up on game. It's New Year's Day, Uh,
watching Penn State play Arkansas about to trash score on us.
(36:48):
I don't like that. But a lot of a lot
of games, of great slate of games up today. Make
sure you stay locked in down into that if you're
not doing anything else. But if you are doing anything else,
makes or you enjoy it. It's your time, it's your deal.
Make sure you do do you know good about yourself? Uh.
We got a lot of stuff coming up here. We
got a legendary moment coming up. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson,
(37:10):
those are some names. Deshaun Watson, Like let's have these
conversations about where are they going to be? Like how
does that work? You know what I mean? And your boy,
your boy was compared to Uh, Tom Brady, But I
ain't gonna tell you who your boy is until we
get to that topic. As a quarterback though, And this
is up on game, and we are going to take
(37:31):
a break, and I don't want to stop talking because
this song right here, like it right here, right here,
and let it breathe that right there, right there, let
the breath. I'm gonna let that breathe because we was
about the whoop Michigan State and happy when this song
came on and they was highlighting and then they showed
me warming up in the play in the in the
(37:52):
pre gamey, I've never seen I've never seen the athlete
so fast and up so high, and he ain't got
no cow muscles are jumping it high and he ain't
got no cab break with a leg joke all right
there listening up on game. That stretched Armstrong the joner
(38:14):
and T. J. Hushman's out of well, he's got great
here and I'm LaVar Arrington, the guy with no calf.
We we'll take a quick break. We'll be right back.
Look at your children's eyes to see the true magic
of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You
(38:36):
look and see a tree, they see the wrinkled face
of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They
see treasuring pebbles, they see a windy path that could
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You gotta let this one breathe. You gotta let that
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show right now, this good show. By the way, if
you haven't subscribed to our podcast yet, make sure you
go subscribe. We got a lot of good stuff going on.
We just launched up on Game Presents, the extended version.
We've had Jim on earlier, James Jackson who was on
the Straight Facts podcast. We got pretty left hook uh.
We got what are those uh? Which is a sneaker
(39:40):
dit like, So if you're in the sneakers and culture,
make sure you check out up on Game Presents. Man,
it's pretty dope stuff. Man. Uh, Fellas, there was a
quote and it was interesting because I want to get
your as opinion on it before we go into the
second hour. We got on Game Presents, the legendary moment.
(40:02):
We we got also up on game and down on game.
But let's let's get to this. Um, Joe Burrow received
some really really really high praise your former defensive coordinator, uh,
your championship defensive coordinator. Plexico Birds said that, well, Joe
(40:22):
Burrow is like a young Tom Brady. What is what
is y'all's reaction to that type of praise from such
a distinguished and respected defensive coordinator in mind in the
game after the plex you know what? Um? You know, well,
I thought I think was about a month month and
(40:43):
a half ago. I came out and I said, you know,
over the next ten or fifteen years that um, that
Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow would be one in and
one B as far as uh, you know quarterbacks in
this league. You know they are. They both. I think,
you know, two of the best quarterbacks and football that
(41:05):
we have right now. And um, I know spacks very well.
He's one of my favorite people. I think he's one
of the one of the best, uh defensive play callers
in all of football. But I have to disagree with
him on this. I mean, I think Joe Joe Burrow
is a great player, but when you start talking goat ish,
(41:25):
you know, uh, I just don't agree with it. I
think he's a great player. He is surrounded by some
supreme talent out there in Cincinnati, but I don't think
that he is going to get to the level of
a Tom Brady. Let's just say that. But I will
say this, Um, he has some great players around him.
You know, he's going on three wide receivers to half
(41:49):
a thousand yards in the season, Jamaar, Chase, te Higgins
and Tyler Board And I will say this. I'm gonna
drop with Jim y'all right quick. The last four teams
to have thousands of all wide receivers ninety eight nine
in Washington, ninety five Falcons, OH four Coats, and O
A Cardinals. They all went to the Super Bowl. M
(42:14):
Joe Burrow is better than a young Tom Brady, but
you can't compare him to what Brady is now. You
you just can't. You can't. But the please help him.
It's it's a it's a it's a fact. He's better
than a young time Brady. But the game, the game
is different today than it was twenty years ago. But
(42:38):
to compare anyone to Brady with with the amount of
success and the championships that he's won, it's tough. Joe
has a long way to go. He's on his way.
But as well Plaque said, he has a ton of
talent around him. It always happens when the quarterback has
no help. Man, they got to get this guy some help.
When he has all the help, the quarterback is great.
(42:58):
It's a collection of everybody. But he's light years ahead
of a young Tom Brady. But he's nowhere near the
Tom Brady that we know of today. Do you think
it's okay to drive stone? The truth is your reaction
times slow way down. When you're high, you're not only
put yourself in danger, but everyone around you. Stop kidding yourself.
(43:19):
If you've been using marriage, I wanna in any form,
do not get behind the whill. If you feel different,
you drive different, Drive high. Get a d U I
paid for by NITZA. Our two is coming up. Uh,
we got a lot to get to man legendary moment.
You'll enjoy that Fox Sports Radio. Adoption of teens from
(43:39):
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and we're here to change that. I'm April Denuity, host
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Visit adopt us Kids dot org slash podcast or subscribe
to Avigating Adoption presented by adopt Us Kids, brought to
(44:03):
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what does the chicken say? Uh? Draft giraffe? Really? Giraffe giraffe?
You're not gonna get it all right. Just make sure
(44:24):
you know the big stuff, like making sure your kids
are buckled correctly in the right seat for their agent's eyes.
Get it right. Visits n h t s A dot
gov slash The Right Seat, brought to you by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the AD Council. We've
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this country, that feeling lasts more than a moment we
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No one does forts quite like Las Vegas, where the
excitement is endless because you don't go to Vegas for
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Las Vegas dot com. We've all felt left out, and
for people who moved to this country, that feeling lasts
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it belonging begins with us dot org brought to you
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you think. Find a force near you and discover the
fourth dot org brought to you by the United States
Fourth Service and the AD Council. Let you want NFL experience,
(01:12):
then this is the show for you. This is It's
up on game with Lavarrei, ten, t J Houshmnzana and
Plaxico Burress. Did you hear that? LaVar Arrington, t j Udgmanzana, Plexico.
It's a show with three of the best to ever
do it on and off the field. And now here's
(01:34):
Pro bowlers LaVar Arton, t J Houshmanzana and Super Bowl
champion Plaxico Burress. All right, Happy New Year to everyone,
Happy Bowl Game Saturday to everyone, Happy day everyone January heard.
What a great time to be alive, What a great
(01:57):
time to have a resolution. Yeah it's cliche New Year's resolution,
but let's get it. Let's get it done. How about it?
All right? Got a great slate of games today, We
got a great slate of of topics to get to
today fellas, uh college football playoff. We'll get to those
reactions right here in a few minutes. We'll talk Russell Wilson,
(02:18):
We'll talk some quarterbacks. Uh, could they be on the move?
Could this be final games for guys? Legendary moment, This
one wud be pretty interesting because well this week, uh,
it'll be one of our show, guys, So you have
to stay tuned to see which one of the co
hosts of the up On Gang crew did well a
legendary moment. What's your boy? And myself LaVar Yeah right
(02:42):
and speaking of myself, LaVar Uh. We got Stretch Armstrong himself,
Plexico Burst, and we got panteen Man, t J. Mr
Hushman Zada. Now I know t J. You're up in
the mountains and in big beer, enjoying a dope ass,
a nice mountain home and all that stuff. Uh, Plex
did you did you go anywhere exotic? I know you
(03:04):
you like being warm, You're e're ape the tropical man?
What y'all got going on? I wish I could have
been some anxiety unfortunately for myself. I am men currently
on the East coast and we have not seen the
sun in about four or five days now, so we're
just waiting for a little sunshine to peek through the
clouds and bring some more smiles to our faces. They
(03:26):
say alligators need a little bit of sunlight, sun ray,
so they can have sniles on their faces too, you
know what I mean, Like goata Hey, we were like
that for a while. Man. It was it was bad
out of southern California. Tons of rain. Yeah, and line man,
it's been raining says like Monday, we have not had
any sun in like five days. It's like, it's crazy, man,
(03:48):
what's going on. I'll tell you what one thing you
shouldn't do when it's raining out is making sure that
you're responsible. So listen. It can happen easily. A few
drinks become a few too many, it's time to go.
You think of calling a ride home? Nah, what's the
worst that can happen? You get pulled over, you lose
(04:09):
your license, you total your car, you kill someone, drive sober,
or get pulled over. Paid for by Nitza. Uh Fellas,
the weather has been interesting here. Uh it looks as
though it doesn't want to rain today, which is very nice.
We've needed rain in southern California. Obviously it was a
(04:29):
dry spell. Uh your weather, you know some peeking through
that is uh glass half fool at this time of
the year for someone in the neck of the woods
that you're in. Uh. Let's compare this to our reactions
to the college football playoff. Now, the games took place,
they played out, and and I would say largely in
(04:52):
part we we all had the idea that that both
teams that loss were overmatched teams and it played out.
You saw the dominance of the upper echelon teams in
the SEC show out. What are you your guys is
(05:13):
uh takeaways from that game? What's the biggest takeaway from
the Georgia game and in the Alabama game and them
now um squaring off. I thought the first game with
Cincinnati and Alabama thought, well, let me say this. I
was wrong. I felt like it would be a more
(05:34):
competitive game. I thought Cincinnati would come out and put
up a fight, which they did. They just I go
back to that first drive, man, and I don't know
if you guys watch the entirety of the game, but
Alabama they go down and score it. Run run, run, run,
run run. We're gonna take you. So we're gonna show
you can't match up with us. Cincinnati comes back and
they put a nice drive together, receivers wide opening the
(05:59):
end zone for a touchdown to tie a seven. Seven
ball gets batted down. He rotted the receiver up on
a slant route. Believe it was number twelve from University
of Cincinnati. It was the batted balls when guys were open,
but they just couldn't stop the run. Every secondary did
a really good job. Uh, slowing that passing game down,
but Cincinnati could not stop the run. Georgia Michigan went
(06:22):
pretty much I thought it would go. Michigan would not
be able to run the ball, Georgia would be too
stout up front, and they they were just better at
every position Georgia, and I felt that game went exactly
how I thought it would. But I was somewhat surprised
at Cincinnati wasn't a little more competitive with Alabama, you
know what, uh watching the Cincinnati game. I think Luke
(06:43):
Fickle knew that going into that football game that Alabama
has superior athletes on the edge as far as the
wide receivers, defensive backs, corners, and safeties. And I thought
that what he tried to do, he tried to take
the air out of the football game. But what happened
Cincinnati got behind early, and I think he was to
(07:05):
try to run the football, control the clock, keep the off,
keep the Alabama offense off the football field so they could,
you know, because he knew that they had a better
football team. And if you look at the play clock
that was Cincinnati was running, they was running the play
clock all the way underneath five seconds. So he was
trying to keep the Alabama football team off the field.
(07:28):
But I think the strategy backfired. And if you look
at Cincinnati, they had one of the best quarterbacks on
the college football They throw the ball fifty and sixty
times a game. Why did he Why didn't he come
out and have that same approach going into this game.
I think he scaled he scaled it back and he
went in with a strategy and Nick Saban's okay, if
you want to take the out of the football game
and try to keep us off the field, That's what
(07:49):
I'm gonna do. And Bryce Shaw didn't have a great night,
but but Nick Saban ran the football down their throats
and when they got behind, they knew that. You know,
Aladama started blitzing thirty one coming off the edge. Who
who was who was the best college football player on defense?
To me, I don't know how to got ninety seven
went from Michigan. But that's the whole I mean, if
(08:12):
you go listen, if you're going to the Husman Trophy
UH ceremony, you're supposed to be the best position, and
thirty one clearly Andson Junior is clearly the best defense
in and all the college football But getting back to that,
I think Luke Figer went into that game. He had
a strategy and it backfired. And as far as the
Georgia and then Michigan game go, I enjoyed every showing
(08:34):
you did. Enjoyed every piece up because you knew what
if you looked at that game, it was entirely too
much speed from Michigan. They just couldn't adapt. It was
it was too much speed power. Listen. I knew that
going into that football game, the way that Georgia lost
that game in Alabama two weeks ago, that Georgia was
(08:56):
going to come out and play that best football game.
And you look at Kirby Smart at half time, he
was he was going crazy on the quarterball, like yo, man,
let's go, let's score some more points. And I think
Georgia wanted to go into that game in embarrass Michigan,
and that's exactly what they did. Yeah, I mean, I mean,
it wasn't a good look for our ten um. That's
(09:16):
that that is I don't care in the bottom well,
I get it, but you know it's it's our it's
who stretch, you know, amazing who. I understand that there's
a disdain for them from yourself. I understand that. Uh,
you know what, I'll say that different caliber football is
(09:37):
what it was those the wealth and the richest of
of the Alabamas and of the of that, you know,
the Georgia's it is. It is one of those things
where when we talk about achieving parody in college sports,
(10:00):
I think, I think you start to realize when you
see games like this, I don't think it's gonna happens.
You know what The interesting thing is, it may it
may shift, right, it has shifted at times. Uh, but
I don't know that we've ever seen well, I know
we've never seen a dominant run such as this Alabama run.
(10:24):
And and and to that point, the possibilities of of
Georgia revisiting what they were um all those years ago,
they they seem to be right there at it. Obviously
being in the mix of it every single year four
or five years ago. It's not a long time. Yeah,
but dominant, dominant, Yeah, you're right, I mean that that,
(10:47):
But I mean consistent, you know, I think I think
I think Georgia is starting to turn into a consistent
power um versus having a good year or putting together
a couple of years. I think they're like a perennial
team too. They're just lacking consistent quarterback play. That that
that's the thing they're lacking consistent quarterback. They're looting with
(11:12):
the games that they lose. Jake Farmer was pretty good
when he was there. He was he was just and transferred, Yeah,
because Kirby Smart wanted to play it safe, and oh,
I'm gonna keep the guy that got me to the
championship even though we lost. I may have a more
talented player behind him, but I'm not gonna switch. There's
a bad decision. It was a bad decision on Kirby
(11:34):
Smart Park because you got to the championship game. You're
gonna keep the same guy there you lost the championship game.
I'll say it is look Nick Sabman that that big
boy Poles that he had after that football game, that
that that album couple posts. I think what he's saying
is this, He's like, listen, this is probably the worst
(11:59):
team I've had since I been here, and since two
thousand and eight, they've they've won seven or what six
or seven national championships and this is probably the worst
team that he's had one. Yeah, and he's will this
gap this, I'm gonna I'm gonna take this team that
I have, which is probably the worst team that I
(12:19):
have since I've been here, and I'm gonna win another
championship and I have maybe, you know, to make maybe
one or two players that that that we're going to
the first round off of that football team, which he
usually puts about five or six guys in the first
round off of every team every year. This is where
teammates had and he's saying, you know what, I'm gonna
(12:39):
win another champion world. I'm gonna win another national championship
with this football team right here, and this is probably
the worst thing that I ever had. All Right, well,
I guess we'll continue the conversation of what direction college
football goes and what parody looks like. Uh, a lot
of other things that need to be discussed. But we're
(13:01):
gonna switch. We're gonna switch topics here coming up here
shortly in the next segment. We're we're gonna uh, well,
we're gonna go with Jimmy j and we're gonna see
whose head he's on. Uh this week. That should be fine.
We got a lot of things to get to guys.
Um happy New year to everyone. I mean and and please,
you know, make sure you get a stiff mug of
(13:22):
coffee this morning. Uh yeah, I will say this. I
always say I condone being responsible and the things that
you do. Last night I was not very responsible at all, Um,
but I was in the confines of my own home,
so that that was a good thing. Um. I'm paying
for it a little bit today. Uh, old people stuff,
(13:44):
I will sleep by midnight. Yeah, I stayed up. I
was a well you are getting old man, But anyway,
I digress. You know Spagnola, by the way, one of
your your former guys, he compared uh a quarterback to
a young Tom Brady. We'll also get to that as well.
(14:05):
We got legendary moments. We got up on game, down
on game all right. We got a lot to get,
two guys, So you're listening to Up on Game with
Lavaria in two t J. Hushman's Outoplex co Burr's Happy
New Year to everyone. Fox Sports Radio We'll be right back.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports
(14:25):
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Search f s R to listen live. No one does
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(15:09):
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is a topic not enough people know about, and we're
(15:29):
here to change that. I'm April Dennuity, host of the
new podcast Navigating Adoption, presented by adopt us Kids. Each
episode brings you compelling, real life adoption stories told by
the families that lived them, with commentary from experts visit
adopt us Kids dot org, slash podcast, or subscribed to
Navigating Adoption, presented by adopt us Kids, brought to you
(15:50):
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this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other.
(16:14):
The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest
near you and start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot org.
Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and
the ad Council. All right, welcome back into the show.
Happy New Year to everyone, you know. I wanted to
ask everybody in the in the studio, everybody you know
on the show, what their new Year's resolution is, but
(16:37):
we don't really have time for it. I would love yeah,
I mean, yeah, you know. Anyway, I'll tell you what
we do have time for to talk about. This next place, uh,
that I'm gonna discuss with you, but it's brought to
you by, you know, one of our favorite cities. That's
Las Vegas. People, the greatest arena on Earth. Every game, match, race,
(16:58):
and competition. It is always on. Whoever your your root for,
whatever sport you love to watch. The biggest games are
even bigger in Vegas, So make sure you plan a
trip today at visit Las Vegas dot com. Uh, fellas
you know, we we this is This is an interesting
(17:19):
segment that has continued to grow and I enjoyed listening
to this young young stud of a talent. UH bring
us his his perspective. So, without further ado, let's let's
hear what our man Jimmy j has to say. Let's
jump on something. I'm on your head. It's like I'm
on your head with James Jackson. What you got, j
(17:44):
j are you there? Are you there? Are you with me?
Are we having any technical difficulties there with them? What
you got? What you got? Boss? First of all, Happy
new year, man, We're in can't believe it. But unfortunately
for some teams out there, man might be a new year,
(18:06):
but it's the same old James Jackson and it's the
same mold. I'm on your Head presented by the up
on Game Network and Fox Sports Radio. Look, we're going
into week seventeen of this NFL season, right, so it's
a wrong time for some teams to start acting wild
and start getting shaky. And from that standpoint, the Arizona Cardinals,
I gotta talk to you all man, I'm on your
head because it's it's really starting to get dry out
(18:27):
there in the desert man the car The Cardinals haven't
looked good in a couple of weeks. And and look
at their initials right from A to Z, got the
whole alphabet at their repertoire and still can't find a W.
It's it's cann't shoot you out there. It's includes a
lost fill alliance in the structs were han to come
on anytime a team anytime, I can tend to lose
it to the Lions, you know, I gotta get on
their head. And phoenix are supposed to represent a firebird,
(18:50):
but everybody over there is just ice cold right now,
including their quarterback. And it's not good. And going from
early m v P talks to now Colin Marius to
take a dip um. I know we spent some time inactive,
but ever since returning from that, it doesn't looked good man.
Only eighty three quarterback rating, only four touchdowns to three
interceptions and Arizona is one in three in this stretch.
(19:14):
So I know a lot of this is without DeAndre
Hopkins too and his return, but even these numbers plus
say it with me, man, that's shipy thay, we will.
We don't need any of that. And when a team
starts to slide like this, y'all know, I gotta talk
to the head coach too. So head coach Cliff Kingsbury,
man looks, I know your name is Cliff, but that
(19:34):
that don't mean you can fall off one now, I said,
oh in three in these last three weeks. But what's
what's really cool about this is even in this, in
this stretch, with with the last week lost, they still
cuinched a playoff birth. With the forty niners lost. I
believe it is what got them into the playoffs. But
the rest of the NFL is shaky for that because
I don't like in the in the midst of all
(19:55):
the struggling that they're still able to quench a playoff birth.
But the Cardinals are not off the just because of that.
This is not how you want to look going down
the stretch of the NFL season, going into the playoffs.
And I know they're playing State Farm Arena and that's
all coring off, but there's no insurance policy for a
broken offense. Arisona Cardinals, I'm on your head? Who got it?
(20:16):
I actually agree with him. I agree with him, and
it's not too much of a rebuttal. But it started.
Do you guys recall I'm back. You'll remember that that
That's where it started. At DoD they lose to the
Panthers to ten. That game had me thinking, I'm sure
(20:39):
with everybody else, like man cam ain't playing, he for
really is back. And then you saw what happened in
the games they're after You like what happened to the
cart knows that game? Third, dude, they lost thirty four
to ten. They rebound, they be the bad Seahawks team,
be the bad Bears team losing the Rams and get
(21:00):
destroyed by the Detroit Lions. The Cardinals are going downhill
fast play the Cowboys tomorrow. Probably gonna lose that game,
but they're in the playoffs. They're gonna probably be one
and done. But I agree with pretty much all that
James had to say. I appreciate that because I don't
I don't I don't see their offense rebounding, and you know,
(21:22):
they had such a groove in the first what pendetrol
games in the season. But when you lose Kyler Murray
and DeAndre Hopkins pretty much at the same time, and
one comes back and the other one doesn't. You take
a look at Kyler Murray's members and they directly correlate
without having his best target and maybe the best one
of the best red zone receiving targets in the league,
next to the Davante You know, you know, one of
(21:45):
the problems I have and then I'll let you go
plex is Ryan Dale. Moore was one of the most
explosive receivers in college football last year, runs a low
four three. Arizona Cardinals are treating him like a possession
receiver because he's small does not mean he can't get
down the field. Stopped on them quick screens and let
the man use his ability to get down the field.
(22:06):
And so they're just not utilizing the talent that they
have the correct way, at least in my opinion, if
I'm not mistaken. Um, the guy over there, uh LaVar Arrington,
was really high on this. You know, starting the beginning
of the season. I call the fools. Gold called them
(22:26):
fools goal and it's exactly what's happened in The Raiders
are fools. God, I will get you they are. Listen.
Colin Mery great player. I think he's a good player.
Is he an an elite quarterback? He is not. He
has one of the best wide receivers in all the
football and DeAndre Hopkins. You pay them up with a J. Green.
(22:48):
They have great offense. DeAndre Hucks been and not. The
lineup hurt, so he's out, Tyler Murray is out. Then
JJ Watt goes down and now you know Chandler Jones
is the mark man on that defense. All we gotta
do is try to contain Taylor Jones in any football
team has a chance to win that game. I was
never solderm Ari was on the Carse. I've always said
(23:09):
the the Los Angeles Rams will represent the NFC West
coming out of the division, and that is exactly what's happening.
They have a good football team, but I don't think
that they're gonna come out of the NFC West and
represent that division. I've always said the Rams and that's
what I'm sticking with. Are they able to are they
(23:31):
still able to have a successful year. Guys like a
successful they have a great year. It's successful, LaVar. Any
time you make the playoffs, it's it's not it's not easy.
And we all noticed we played the league. You gotta
crawl before you walk. You start off having an m
VP bid and and you're he's in the race, Kyler Murray.
(23:52):
At one point time he was a front runner. That
it was a foregone conclusion that he was playing the
best foot ball and in the National Football League by
by many people. Um that that came to a halt
when I think the injury changed how he played. I
think his injury to his ankle had a lot to
(24:14):
do with the slide that they've had this season. But
I think they just had so many expectations on them
this year. I don't know that where they're currently at
this is viewed as a successful season so far. I mean,
obviously you can change your fortunes once you get to
the playoffs. But I guess that leads me to the
next question, as because it's what I'm thinking, what what
(24:38):
type of a playoff run makes this a successful year
with a team that started off so hot, just getting
into the playoffs? Go ahead? Really that can't be it.
I guess that can't be in to me, especially Lafar.
You talk about getting off to such a hot start,
but I think your expectations can change once the season
(25:00):
starts on. Don't you start to realize who your football
team is? Now we go from just making the playoffs too,
I'm looking for an NFC Let me let me ask
you guys this something like that. Let me ask you
guys this. When the Cardinals had the best record the NFC,
I sure didn't think it, did you? Did you guys
really think they were the best team in the NFC?
We were all saying, by Green Bay and the Rams
are better even though they had beaten arounds. We were
(25:22):
saying this on the air. So because they had the
best record does not make them the best team. There's
steps that you take as a football team. This is
year three form that. Okay, they're going to make the playoffs.
That's a step in the right direction. Next year, can
they come and improve on that? And so that's why
I say the season has been success because even when
(25:44):
they had to quote unquote best record, I still didn't
think they were the best team. But is that the
hard the approach the teams to take though, Like if
I'm if I'm clip Cliff or if I'm the brass
of Arizona, I'm saying, this is what we paid for,
this is what we've worked to build. Like you need
to be cashing in on being better because if you realize,
(26:06):
i mean, if you paid the detention, they they're they're
making a habit of of late season nose dives. This
happened last year. At least this nose at least this
nose dive gets him into the playoffs. That nose dive
last year. They was watching the playoffs like we were.
And you bring it and you bring in exact urts.
I mean, so now you have all pro tiny end
(26:26):
on your team, so a J. Green and a J.
Green and listen, you can't have a better core of
of of skill players. So it's it's basically, do a
dive for the for the Calller's right now. They're not
you know, preparing for the future. It's right now for
(26:48):
the car and they're not doing it. Are any last words,
young phenomen No, no nothing. I'm kind of split in
the middle at the Cardinals, but I'm kind of thinking
this is a disappointing season. Just to how they started.
If they continue to and it ends on a bad note,
I'm calling disappointment for the Arizona partners. Man. I'm stamping
(27:09):
that down. That's Jimmy Jay otherwise known as James Jackson.
If you're nasty, make sure you check him out of
the crow Yeah Network, Uh Straight Facts Podcast, make sure
you check him out. Man. We appreciate you coming on man,
uh Ralphie, let's get a trending, my brother, what you
(27:30):
got believe it or not. We're already into New Year's
Day Bowl Action game number one of the day. It's
the Outfact Bowl five forty two to play in the
first quarter, Number twenty one Arkansas and what's that Penn State?
We are currently it is scoreless there in Tampa as
(27:52):
they played at Raymond Change Stadium. Coming up at the
top of the hour, two games will be kicking off
Florida Citrus Pool number fifteen taking on number twenty two Kentucky.
And in Glendale, Arizona's the Fiesta Bowl, number five Notre
Dame and number nine Oklahoma State. Right now on the
college hardwood, number seventeen Texas six team lead over West
(28:15):
Virginia for twenty two to play in the first half.
Their Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson didn't practice Thursday, didn't practice Friday,
limited practice on Wednesday, and so not a whole lot
of action. He is questionable for this week. Tyler Huntley, though,
will be available. Hollywood Brown, by the way, also has
uh not practiced, so we'll see if he's going to
(28:39):
be available. Uh. Sad news from the NFL. Dan Reeves
has died at the age of seventy seven after complications
from dementia. Of course, he coached the Broncos, the Giants,
and the Falcons taking Denver in Atlanta to the Super Bowl.
But gentlemen, we will progress from there. Because it is
New Year's Day and LaVar I know this fires you up.
(29:01):
Come on, and with that, I have something that should
jack you all up. Let's do it. So let's jump
into our New Year's date way back machine and it
takes us to Tampa, Florida and the Outback Bowl January one.
(29:23):
You're saying, officially it's blocked. Arrington got up though, name
La bar Arrington came up. LaVar Arrington gets his hands up.
I mean he's he got it. Yeah, he just pulled
his way right there goes up and I mean he
was on the way down and hit it in block.
(29:45):
One year later January one, who was the Citrus Bull
in Orlando, Marty got on the field against in Burst,
gonna run to the end zone. They got him. Tuesti
bitial against State at two point conversion away the flex
that go for US six six to twenty two out
of Virginia Beach, Virginia, it's too easy. And twenty years
(30:07):
ago today it was the Fiesta Bowl in Tempee second
and seven. Smith of a lot of time one toward
the ends on hot touchdown hush Manzana, It's likely, isn't
a surprise that Lavarre earned a late hit penalty in
his game and Stretch was too busy with a hat
(30:28):
trick of touchdowns in his But what you guys didn't
know is on that play t J earned a little
bit extra and Ali flax on it. The ends of SOSTA,
I guess the scoring team to touch doround counts though
(30:55):
the words behaved out of all of us, and all
of that said, let's get shots out and prayers out
to to Dan Reeves and his family. I'm a big
fan of Dan Reeves going way back. Um Ralph who
(31:17):
shouts out to you man that that that was pretty
cool man. My hair is on my neck, do stand
up when that song was growing did a little digging
yesterday for it. Well that that was the man on
this day. That's pretty cool man. That's it's not only
pretty cool. But you know, the one thing I'll say,
(31:40):
it blows me away how disconnected today's sports athletes are
in football. For me, that they just don't know about
our game. They don't know about the guys that have
played it. They just don't They don't know anybody. It's
the wilder bro It's one of the wildest phenomenons. Maybe
(32:03):
it's wild to me because that's just how I was raised. Um,
but it just seemed like everybody that I was around
back in the day, you you knew football like you
were you were acclimated to it. If you were a
part of the culture and you started to know who
to watch, you started to pick out the best players,
the best teams, the best coaches, and then you start
(32:25):
learning about him, and then that foundation becomes something that
you you run with and you right with, you know
all the way. You know, I guess until you die. Really,
but that doesn't seem to be how God like? Bro
on God. I asked a kid the other day, he's
he's a dope athlete, dope player, fast star, fast star
(32:46):
guy plays linebacker in high school. And I said something
to him and I was like, man, I was like,
you know, Michael Parsons is is a guy that that
you know just makes play? Is it makes differences? Are
you like that? And he looked at me and I
could tell about how blank his look was. He had
(33:08):
no idea who Michael Parsons was because he's a young player,
very very young, he's current. It just, you know what,
It just tells me that a lot of guys these
days are just not into football outside of football, or
they just really feel themselves and they think they're better
than what they are. How can you get to where
(33:31):
you want to go and chase your dream and and
and follow your dream if you don't know who's in
front of you and and and what to watch and
what learn from. I was thinking the same thing, But
I mean, is the game and in a better condition?
I mean, it seems like the game is is in
a better condition than how we left it. But I
do believe that, you know, a major part of how
(33:55):
the game is supposed to to grow and be what
it's supposed to be is the legacy of it, right,
the passing of the torch, the the carrying of of
the you know, the guard like you you gotta you
gotta take on the responsibilities. At least this is how
I thought, right Like when I came into the league.
(34:16):
I'm sitting there when I went into college, I'm sitting
there like, I gotta live up to the expectation of
what linebackers were here at Penn State. When I went
into the league, it was more holistic. I'm not only
looking at it from the team that I'm playing for,
holding up the tradition of what that was, but I'm
looking at it from uh, you know, Greg Lloyd was
(34:37):
one of my He is my favorite player that the
the you know, the guys from that linebacking corps, the
the guys that I studied from lt to Michael Singletary
to Dick Buckets and and you know a host of
other linebackers that you know, Tom Jackson, I mean, you
name it, Carl Banks, uh, Harry Carson. There. I could
(34:59):
go all day naming guys that It was important to
me to be a representation of the best of what
they were and how can how do you do it?
How how do you play this game and not have
that type of accountability? I mean, it seems doable. I
don't I don't want to make it a criticism. Um,
(35:20):
it is certainly an observation. How do you? How do you?
What are you playing for? Like outside, I guess the obvious,
your yourself, your your teammates, your family. Is that enough? Guys?
Is that enough to y'all? It's just a different It's
a different day and age that that's obviously. And also
the past isn't a present thing for these young players.
(35:45):
A lot of coaches they they don't bring that up
to these kids. These kids that on social media all
day long, and so if your highlights aren't on there,
they have no idea who you are. And to be
a really good player, at least, I thought, you have
to chase somebody, you have to look at somebody. And
(36:07):
I've always felt the best players learned from the best players,
but you also learn from bad players. Like I believe
you can learn something from everybody. And and the day
you think you don't, this is the day you start
going downhill. And I've learned from players that were better
to me, and I learned from players that weren't better
to me. And I just think that's how you approach things.
(36:27):
But you can never become the player you want to
become if you're not learning each and every time you
step on the field of court with whatever sports you
may play. Yeah, well I get you, and I agree. Alright, alright, father, listen,
we look, this is up on game. It's New Year's Day, Uh,
watching Penn State play Arkansas about to trash score on us.
(36:48):
I don't like that. But a lot of a lot
of games, of great slate of games up today. Make
sure you stay locked in down into that if you're
not doing anything else. But if you are doing anything else,
makes or you enjoy it. It's your time, it's your deal.
Make sure you do do you know good about yourself? Uh.
We got a lot of stuff coming up here. We
got a legendary moment coming up. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson,
(37:10):
those are some names. Deshaun Watson, Like let's have these
conversations about where are they going to be? Like how
does that work? You know what I mean? And your boy,
your boy was compared to Uh, Tom Brady, But I
ain't gonna tell you who your boy is until we
get to that topic. As a quarterback though, And this
is up on game, and we are going to take
(37:31):
a break, and I don't want to stop talking because
this song right here, like it right here, right here,
and let it breathe that right there, right there, let
the breath. I'm gonna let that breathe because we was
about the whoop Michigan State and happy when this song
came on and they was highlighting and then they showed
me warming up in the play in the in the
(37:52):
pre gamey, I've never seen I've never seen the athlete
so fast and up so high, and he ain't got
no cow muscles are jumping it high and he ain't
got no cab break with a leg joke all right
there listening up on game. That stretched Armstrong the joner
(38:14):
and T. J. Hushman's out of well, he's got great
here and I'm LaVar Arrington, the guy with no calf.
We we'll take a quick break. We'll be right back.
Look at your children's eyes to see the true magic
of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You
(38:36):
look and see a tree, they see the wrinkled face
of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They
see treasuring pebbles, they see a windy path that could
lead to adventure, and they see you. They're fearless. Guide.
Is this fascinating world? Find a forest near you and
start exploring and discover the forest dot org brought to
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you by the United States Forest Service and the Council.
You gotta let this one breathe. You gotta let that
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(39:18):
show right now, this good show. By the way, if
you haven't subscribed to our podcast yet, make sure you
go subscribe. We got a lot of good stuff going on.
We just launched up on Game Presents, the extended version.
We've had Jim on earlier, James Jackson who was on
the Straight Facts podcast. We got pretty left hook uh.
We got what are those uh? Which is a sneaker
(39:40):
dit like, So if you're in the sneakers and culture,
make sure you check out up on Game Presents. Man,
it's pretty dope stuff. Man. Uh, Fellas, there was a
quote and it was interesting because I want to get
your as opinion on it before we go into the
second hour. We got on Game Presents, the legendary moment.
(40:02):
We we got also up on game and down on game.
But let's let's get to this. Um, Joe Burrow received
some really really really high praise your former defensive coordinator, uh,
your championship defensive coordinator. Plexico Birds said that, well, Joe
(40:22):
Burrow is like a young Tom Brady. What is what
is y'all's reaction to that type of praise from such
a distinguished and respected defensive coordinator in mind in the
game after the plex you know what? Um? You know, well,
I thought I think was about a month month and
(40:43):
a half ago. I came out and I said, you know,
over the next ten or fifteen years that um, that
Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow would be one in and
one B as far as uh, you know quarterbacks in
this league. You know they are. They both. I think,
you know, two of the best quarterbacks and football that
(41:05):
we have right now. And um, I know spacks very well.
He's one of my favorite people. I think he's one
of the one of the best, uh defensive play callers
in all of football. But I have to disagree with
him on this. I mean, I think Joe Joe Burrow
is a great player, but when you start talking goat ish,
(41:25):
you know, uh, I just don't agree with it. I
think he's a great player. He is surrounded by some
supreme talent out there in Cincinnati, but I don't think
that he is going to get to the level of
a Tom Brady. Let's just say that. But I will
say this, Um, he has some great players around him.
You know, he's going on three wide receivers to half
(41:49):
a thousand yards in the season, Jamaar, Chase, te Higgins
and Tyler Board And I will say this. I'm gonna
drop with Jim y'all right quick. The last four teams
to have thousands of all wide receivers ninety eight nine
in Washington, ninety five Falcons, OH four Coats, and O
A Cardinals. They all went to the Super Bowl. M
(42:14):
Joe Burrow is better than a young Tom Brady, but
you can't compare him to what Brady is now. You
you just can't. You can't. But the please help him.
It's it's a it's a it's a fact. He's better
than a young time Brady. But the game, the game
is different today than it was twenty years ago. But
(42:38):
to compare anyone to Brady with with the amount of
success and the championships that he's won, it's tough. Joe
has a long way to go. He's on his way.
But as well Plaque said, he has a ton of
talent around him. It always happens when the quarterback has
no help. Man, they got to get this guy some help.
When he has all the help, the quarterback is great.
(42:58):
It's a collection of everybody. But he's light years ahead
of a young Tom Brady. But he's nowhere near the
Tom Brady that we know of today. Do you think
it's okay to drive stone? The truth is your reaction
times slow way down. When you're high, you're not only
put yourself in danger, but everyone around you. Stop kidding yourself.
(43:19):
If you've been using marriage, I wanna in any form,
do not get behind the whill. If you feel different,
you drive different, Drive high. Get a d U I
paid for by NITZA. Our two is coming up. Uh,
we got a lot to get to man legendary moment.
You'll enjoy that Fox Sports Radio. Adoption of teens from
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Each episode brings you compelling, real life adoption stories told
by the families that lived them, with commentary from experts.
Visit adopt us Kids dot org slash podcast or subscribe
to Avigating Adoption presented by adopt Us Kids, brought to
(44:03):
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Administration for Children and Families and the AD Council. Mama,
what does the chicken say? Uh? Draft giraffe? Really? Giraffe giraffe?
You're not gonna get it all right. Just make sure
(44:24):
you know the big stuff, like making sure your kids
are buckled correctly in the right seat for their agent's eyes.
Get it right. Visits n h t s A dot
gov slash The Right Seat, brought to you by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the AD Council. We've
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this country, that feeling lasts more than a moment we
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