August 20, 2024 • 38 mins
On tonight’s edition of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon, Jason and Mike examine the quarterback situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers, debating who they believe can step up and take the helm amidst the current dumpster fire. Next, Jason and Mike discuss Fever Guard Caitlin Clarks middle finger tour, as the rookie has been on a tear and recently broke the WNBA rookie assist record. Finally, the guys dive into the Raiders' decision to name Gardner Minshew as QB1 over Aidan O'Connell and react to the mediocre play from both quarterbacks.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Plea you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hello, Welcome inside final hour tonight to Jason Smith Show
with my best friend Mike Harmon, live from the ti
rack dot Com Studios Direct dot Com. I'll help you
get there. An unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road
hazard protection, and over ten thousand recommended in sawlers. Tirac
dot com is the way tire buying should be. Well,
(00:50):
we got a big hour of NFL come in your way.
Going to get to a big story coming up in
a couple of minutes, get to the Caitlin Clark Middlefinger
Tour that, oh boy, is it off to a glorious star.
But to say thanks, because now it's pretty clear how
the biggest preseason storyline in the NFL is going to end.
And I want to say thank you because look when
(01:12):
the NFL drafted come and gone, and we're looking at
one of the big topics of conversation. We're gonna have
the NFL this preseason. Ay, everywhere we went it was
Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Justin Fields,
Russell Wilson. Not only now, can I tell you how
this is going to end? I think it's going to
end much sooner than people anticipate. Mike Carmen, are you ready?
(01:38):
Apparently Harmon's not ready. I'll say it again, Mike Harmon,
are you ready? I am ready. You know I have
a prediction for the fight. Prediction. Oh we go ahead,
Go ahead, CLUBB. What's your prediction?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Pain?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
So look, coming off a week two with the NFL,
the Steelers offense look bad again, right and Fields looked
okay at times. Russell Wilson did not Both quarterbacks Scott sacked,
neither quarterback moved the offense. It was Russell Wilson's first action.
You want to go back a week ago when Justin
Fields made his debut. He did some good things, but
(02:17):
fumbling the snap twice isn't gonna earn you playing time.
We said, you went from Hey, Justin Fields really having
a nice day. You just undid all the good you
did by fumbling twice in your opener. But slowly the
Steelers have to be coming around to something, because for
the entire offseason it was, Hey, Russell Wilson's our guy.
(02:39):
He's our guy. Justin. We love Justin. Justin's gonna work in,
He's gonna do X, Y and Z. But Russell's our guy.
Everything was right. You heard that message from Mike Tomlin
was Russ Russ, Russ, Russ.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Ross whole position. Baby, Come on now.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Not only now, because and I told you all along,
Justin Fields be the starting quarterback by week five because
Russ is washed, right, I said all off he's watched,
he'll be the starting quarterback. And now that we've seen
them play, and you've seen the offense, and more importantly,
you've seen some other things that have happened, which we're
going to get into. Not only do I do I
(03:13):
might do I think that Justin Field is going to
play by week five. He may actually break camp as
the starting quarterback for the Steelers, And it may be
Russell Wilson's going to back up Justin Fields and they're
going to figure out some crazy way to make it work.
So Russell Wilson just doesn't go, oh, what do I do?
Is my career over? Because the first thing is this.
Watching them play the last couple of weeks, right, and
(03:34):
seeing Russ play last year, and seeing Justin Fields play,
they're no longer as similar as you think. In fact,
they haven't been the same for a while. Justin Fields
is a guy that recently ran for a thousand yards
in the NFL. Right, he's he's a guy that can
make some dynamic plays. Right. Russell Wilson does not do that.
His yards per attempt is down to under seven, which
(03:57):
is in the bottom quarter of the NFL. It's been
a three year decline for Russell Wilson in pushing the
ball downfield. You watch Wilson now, he's more of a plotter.
He's not a guy that gets outside the tackles and
runs a Yes, he has a little bit of es capability,
but that's what it is. This is not Russell Wilson
at ten years ago, where I'm gonna drop back, I'm
gonna drop back further and now drop back another ten yards.
(04:18):
I'm thirty yards behind the line of scrimmage and Pete
Carroll is chopping gums so bad and he's chewing through
it and chewing through his teeth. But then he finds
a way to get back towards a line of scrimmage
and then throw a fifteen yard past to Doug Baldwin. Like,
that's not Russell Wilson anymore. He gets sacked a lot.
He can't get out of trouble like he used to
be able to. This is just part of him being older,
(04:39):
not that Justin Fields has let the world on fire.
But you watch both of these guys play, and I
ask you, Mike, which guy at least has a little
bit more something to him, has a little bit more
of a spark, a little bit more dynamism to him.
Is it justin Fields of Russell Wilson? It's Fields? No,
Fields has a bit. He's not. And I'm not saying
Fields been great, right, he's not. There's a reason why
(04:59):
we're still saying is it Fields of Wilson? Because Fields
hasn't been great, still learning the new offense. But you
see when Field is that, you can't ignore that. Oh okay,
the guy to make the special plays, the guy to
make the big plays, the guy to push the ball
down field. They got to do these things, is justin
fields because Russell Wilson, you see the difference now he's
much more of a plotter. That's the best way I
could put it out there for Russell Wilson where he
(05:21):
is now compared to justin fields.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Yeah, I mean you just look at even last year
down the stretch when the Bears defense got better, the
bolstered by the arrivalsy and one of those words that
we like, bolstered by the arrival of Montes sweat. That
you also saw the offense open up a little bit
and Luke Getze currently under fire.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Raiders fans welcome to hell.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
But it's the idea of utilizing the quarterback that you
have versus what he was like. Russell Wilson's not that
guy anymore, right, not gonna buy time that might occasionally
come up with one of the spectacular throwers, but more
often than not, as we saw a year ago, which
is why the Broncos aid all that contract is that
he'd run himself into a sack or throw it haphazardly
(06:07):
downfield with fields. Yeah, there's still the question of some
of the decision making, including the fact that he would
absorb a lot of sacks, and so you can fight
about what percentage of those were on him versus the
offensive line.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
How you want to great things.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Have at it, but you're talking about a guy in
fields that's still elusive, can still get after it. And
if Arthur Smith is smart, which again the way he
used to be Jean Robinson last year. Jury's out on
that one. In terms of, hey, we got an opportunity
to be a backdoor wildcard squad because we've got a
pretty good offensive line and run game even without the
(06:46):
guy that was a first round pick, and our defense
has been better than expected, and we could really cover
up some of the stuff and the inadequacies of our
passing game and maybe some of the limitations of our quarterback.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Nah forget keep him in a box.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
So that's the thing I fear about Arthur Smith here
is that maybe we're gonna be asking, come on, show
us what's in the box?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
What's in the box?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
With justin fields, you at least know you've got some
of that athleticism and playmaking ability, And I get it.
A lot of critics they'll point to a couple of stats,
one loss record, whatever, it certainly is out there, but
in terms of where you're at in the Fields versus Wilson,
it's not like you're heavily invested one or the other.
Denver paid to make him go away and then Fields
(07:33):
just kind of showed up at your doorstep for not
much at all. So the opportunity is there with Fields
for still upside. Whereas Russell Wilson, We've seen the top
of the mountain a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Now if that was if that was it, you'd say, okay,
it's still pretty close. But this is what pushes it
over the top. Right, and this is something that is
outside of Russell Wilson's control. The Steelers want to build
this team around two running backs who are both pretty good. Right.
Naji Harris is pretty good. He's more, he's more of
the plotter. H Jalen Warrens more of the electric guy
(08:08):
can bounce outside. They have a couple of good weapons
at wide receiver. We still keep waiting for the Brandon
Ayuk trade. It's gonna happen at some point. Friarmouth is
not a bad tight end, but now because of things
that have happened, this is what's opening the door for
justin fields, right, Jalen Warrens hurt and now he's out
maybe through the beginning of the season. Naji Harris is
not a guy give him the ball twenty five times
(08:30):
a game because he's gonna run for sixty five yards. Right,
He's he's just not that guy. He's a three yards
and I'll fall down type of running back. So as
much as they've tried to make Naji Harris happen over
the past few years, he's just not that guy. So
you can suddenly rely on a sledgehammer running game. What also,
you've seen what the Steelers is they have problems on
the offensive line. They have problem protecting the quarterbacks via
(08:52):
injury and ineffectiveness. Right, And I'm gonna go back to
and I always go back to this because I think
about how sometimes it's not about the quarter but it's
about what happens around you. When Bill Parcells was coaching
the Cowboys twenty years ago and Drew Bledsoe was his quarterback,
the Cowboys were a pretty good team, but the offensive
line was really bad. They couldn't do anything. They couldn't
(09:13):
stay upright, they couldn't protect Bledsoe, who was a statue
in the pocket, right, That's the one thing as good
as Bledsoe was his arm quick release. He couldn't move
and he got sacked all the time, and the Cowboys
couldn't do anything. Tony Romo is this unheralded backup out
of Eastern Illinois. We have no idea, but guess what.
Tony Romo's mobile. He can get outside the tackle box,
make throws on the run, make plays with his legs.
(09:34):
The Cowboys had to go to Tony Romo because they
couldn't fix the offensive line. And that's what Bill Parcells did.
I'm gonna give the kid a chance because, hey, if
he can get outside and make plays with his legs,
that eases the pressure off the offensive line. Because I'm
not suddenly gonna make the offensive line great. I'm gonna do.
It's just not going to happen. That's what's gonna happen
(09:55):
here as well, is that the Steelers are gonna understand that, Okay,
we're not gonna fix these offensive line problems right away.
It's not gonna happen. So if we have Russ playing
behind this offensive line, he's much more of a sitting duck,
much less a guy that can make plays where Justin Fields,
who can get outside the pocket, who can make throws
on the run, who again not too long ago, ran
(10:15):
for a thousand yards out of the quarterback position. You
can have design runs, and suddenly the backfield is a
little bit more of a dual threat with ian Naji Arras.
Because you can do that, you can do many more
things with the passing game, because you can get him outside,
you can get him throwing on the run, you have
design runs. There's much more of an open feel and
what the Steelers can accomplish with Justin Fields than if
(10:37):
they had Russell Wilson. And they're gonna realize that sometime
in the next couple of weeks, more joint practices, another game,
whatever it's gonna be, and it's gonna have to be
Justin Fields, because they're gonna come out and say, Okay,
we're gonna look awful the first couple weeks of the season.
Are you really going to sacrifice and lose your first
couple of weeks sixteen three and seventeen seven and then
make a change. No, that's why they're gonna realize, we
(10:57):
have to go to Justin Fields, and they'll go to
him for week one.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Well, because you know you also have to get off
to a big start. Why because all your division games
are at the back half of the schedule. It gets tough,
lace right, So here's the opportunity to get out of
the gate strongly. And let's face it, you were talking
about a player. Even if you don't believe, again, there's
still maybe it's the old a get them away from
(11:23):
a Chicago system that hasn't been able to get out
of its own way, like what we talk about with
your beloved Jets, like we talked about Cleveland for so
many years. Keep on going down the line that maybe
just a change of venue is a boost. And I
don't know, Pittsburgh's gonna want to run the football, They're
going to want to play defense. You're not looking at
(11:45):
suddenly lighting up the scoreboard. But with his athleticism fields,
we'll be able to move the chains and at least
give you the opportunity for the field goal. Try with
Russell Wilson, those days are gone spot starter at best
at this point.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Yeah, I mean, I really find it hard to believe
that they're gonna sit here and say Nope, we're gonna
go with Russ. I get that maybe Russ it'll be
an issue if Russ is not the starter right away.
Is you gonna be comfortable coming off the bench. But
at some point you have to say this is what's
best for the team, right you gotta figure something else out.
You've been terrible offensively for a decade, like you be
long time to figure things. I mean, it's been the
(12:21):
end of the last few years of Roethlisberger into the
first couple of years of the post Roethlisberger era. You've
been terrible. You've had teams where maybe you could have
had huge deep playoff runs, but offense just thinks.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
You want to take a swipe of Kenny Picket while
you're at it there.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I did I did I need to say his name?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well? I mean, sometimes you know, it's like beetlejuice.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
I don't need We're only.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Gonna say it once. You kind of need to say
Kenny Pickett a second time.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
I didn't need to say it, buddy, I did not
need to say it say it three times. Listen once.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Once you go and listen to the whole Broadway recording,
you'll be singing.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
That song too.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
But it's you know, Jerome Beata send All those sledgehammers
in the past, not walking through the door.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Need a little bit of that. Dynamism That is the
word of the week.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
You like you right, Dynamism What a great word. I
like that.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
I've given you a lot of random words and mathematical
concepts and economic constructs through the years.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I like dynamism being dynamis.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Dynamo is really good. It sounds like it sounds like
a movie studio that like, hey, Airy Asher is opening
up Dynamism all. They have a couple of big movies,
a couple of big horror movies coming out with Dynamoe.
I love the Dynamism movies. A twenty four and Dynamism. Oh,
I love that. I love that company.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
We might just have to do that.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
And you know, we just write scripts through aih oh
that work.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Okay, Okay, here's my simnario.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Write it out before it closes. I'll go to the
Sphere and I'll get one of the AI models to
help me there.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Yeah, you really really liked the economics that I gave
you on the sphere and didn't you?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Boy boy, I'm gone. You know when I when I
saw today the Sphere in Vegas lost like nine hundred
million dollars last year. Whatever. I'm like, I'm so glad
James Dolan is away from the Knicks now and this
is something that he's got to figure out. Like stay
away from the figure out the sphere man, because the
sphere is unbelieved. It's a once in a lifetime bucket
list place to go visit. The Knicks are fine, leave
(14:14):
the Knicks alone and figure out the sphere.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That's all now.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
There is a New Zealand based production house that is
Dynamism Studios.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Ah, but that's New Zealand. We can take that over.
We get the name from them easy.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
I don't know if they do anything in the US,
so we'll see. I'm not sure we can just get
the trademark here.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
No, it's all good.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
You know.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
The one thing with the Steelers last point with Russell Wilson,
because of how he got hurt though with that blocking sled,
they might feel obliged brought it up. Well yeah, yeah,
that's the only thing where you gotta give if you're
you know, doing odds on step, there's a percentage that
they just feel guilted because he got hurt doing something
that you know, a quarterback.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Shouldn't need to.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Hey, we'll do you solid man. We know we screwed
up so well were let you start the season. Oh
it's great.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Don't sue us for malfeesus and now practice for letting
you try to show us how tough you are.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Exit out about a Fresca exit swalling down the Jason
smiths Er with Mike Carmon. Don't be surprised. Justin Fields
week one starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which case,
if you have a fantasy draft coming up, Justin Fields
is out there, don't be afraid. He's the guy to get.
Don't take Russell Wilson, He's the guy to get. Coming
up next. Yes, we got another big story out of
(15:24):
the NFL. Someone who's decided we want to race with
the Patriots to go get that number one pick in
the draft next to year. Plus a big story about
Caitlin Clark coming off for big weekend. Keep it right here,
that's next Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
Hey, it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller would mean a lot to have you join us
on our weekly auditory journey dressed.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
What in God's name is the Fifth Hour?
Speaker 5 (15:54):
I'll tell you it's a spin off of it, Ben
Maler Show, a cold hit overnights on FSR.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Why I should you listen?
Speaker 5 (16:01):
Picture if you will a world will We chat with
captains of industry in media, sports and more every week
explore some amazing.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Facts about human nature and more.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Listen to The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller or the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Fox Sports Radio, The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon live from the Tirack dot Com studios.
And I'll tell you what was so much fun to
watch this week and told we told you about it
last week. Hey, WNBA getting set to come back for
the second half of their season. Get ready for the
Caitlin Clark middle Finger to the Haters Tour to begin
(16:38):
and beginning in earnest this past weekend. Hey, you want
to not take me for the Olympics, Okay, Fine, you
want to be bitter and petty that I'm in the league, Okay,
I've had a month off, I've been lifting weights. I'm
staying ready. I'm ready when you guys come back from
the Olympics. Let's go and game against the fever. Diana
(17:00):
Tarassi checked twenty nine and ten. Tarassi finally had to
hug her and pat her on the butt. A way
to go, A way to go, Let's get the revenge.
And then last night twenty three and ten boom against
the Seattle Storm. Ready to go. She is on a mission.
We told you what was gonna happen, and it has
been so much fun to watch over the past few
(17:20):
days with all of the pettiness and jealousy that is
still out there over Caitlyn Clark, whether it was Skyler,
Digg and Smith bumping into her just because she was
upset that Caitlyn Clark was trying to rev up the
home crowd, like how petty, how petty? Are you right,
pet And they wouldn't answer questions when they're asked about
Caitlyn following the game this weekend. I mean, how petty?
(17:42):
Is everybody still over Caitlyn Clark and her popularity and
now she's putting it to you. Now it's no longer hey,
Let's go out there and hold it up. Now she's
putting it to you she'd become the best guard in
the league. And she has shown you by far and away.
Look at where she's got the fever they started one
and eight, and how they are in the thick of
the playoff RaSE the best teams over the course of
the last month and a half. The Caitlyn Clark middle
(18:03):
Finger Tour is phenomenal. And that should be on a
T shirt, the Katelyn Clark middle Finger Tour, with all
the dates of her games and her stat lines. Harm
and work on it.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
I'm gonna go and take the old Johnny Cash photo
that you've seen a million times with the middle finger,
and we'll just make that Caitlin Clark and Cash it
as fast as we can before we get sued or
sent to cease and desist. But yeah, to the point
of the schedule making, and we chronicled that all along.
We've talked about the battles in media for folks falling
(18:36):
all over themselves to you know, kind of push away
any of the accomplishments and prop up others, which is fine,
big table, lots of people can sit at it, but
trying to diminish any of what's been accomplished. This year
has been just an effort and futility. Yes, some growing
pains and getting to know your teammates. Guess what according
(18:59):
to the broadcast and take it for what you what
you will said, they they got two hours a day
when she was in town, and they took a trip together,
and you had the team bonding stuff. You had the
great miked up stuff with Aliah Boston and and everybody
else you know, and and the love fest that's going
on there. Saw a couple of other things posted on
(19:21):
social media, you know, overrated foods and all of those
kind of things, although your jets one was far better. Uh,
the two minutes plus of things that are overrated. Uh,
but it's just the idea of uh, all the accomplishments
and the timing and and of.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
It all is you know, just embrace it for what
it is.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Right.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
It's bringing more people to the table, which is never
a bad thing. Right if you have a party, Yes,
you've got a max capacity kind of like when they
have you know, hey, we fear the fire marshal is
going to show up at a restaurant, right, I think
got the sign up for capacity. You always try to
squeeze in a couple more. Why because the more the merrier,
the more UH funds, and the more and the louder
things get.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
And that's where the w NBA should be. And alas
we're still not there.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Skylar Diggins at Smith at some point in that game,
I thought she was trying to be an official with
the way she went over to officials on some calls
that she didn't think were going their way in for Seattle. Meanwhile,
Caitlyn Clark miked up, we got a lot of who
she was. I'd like the unedited stuff. I'd like the
(20:26):
stuff that didn't make it to broadcast because a couple
of things didn't trickle out right agreeing with the fans
over a conversation of how much the referee sucked. That's
not gonna end, dear you to the officials, No, you
got that going on for me?
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Well, because here's the thing when when she got it,
and look it extends to the officials as well, that
the treatment that she has got out, what's here to say, Oh,
poor Caitlyn Clark, but this is just Hey, someone's come
into the league that has made your league better by
any by any way you want to measure it. The
players are gonna wind up getting more money. You're already
getting commercial you're already getting charge air travel, you're getting
(21:01):
more eyeballs, more people are watching. Everything is better, and
still it's no, we don't want it because it's someone
who came in that hasn't been here for twenty years. Like, oh,
for some reason, she's not the right player. It's like,
are you kidding me? Like, what business would survive if
that happened? Hey, we have a way to come in
and make your business run cleaner and more efficient. Okay,
that's great. What else does it mean? Well, it means
(21:22):
everyboy's gonna get raises and your company's gonna get a
big bump up Forbes five hundred. Oh that's great. What's
a downside? No, no downside. We have someone coming in
who's gonna do all this for you and everybody's gonna
get rid. But am I losing jobs?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
No?
Speaker 1 (21:37):
No? No, In fact, might have more jobs right because
WNBA is expanding. I have more jobs. Mmm, No, I
don't want it. What do you mean you don't want it? No?
I don't want it? Why because I don't know that
I like that person's gonna do this, Like that's what
the WNBA is doing. And it goes back to what
I said in the very beginning, right, what was my
big concern for them for the season? Can they handle success?
(21:57):
Because here they are now suddenly for twenty years they
were a summer league that was, you know, somewhat under
the radar, would get a little bit of publicity now
and again, which is great, right, And the NBA was
giving them money and here they are, suddenly you are successful.
Can you handle success? And we still see they're having
trouble with it. The players still are jealous of her.
I mean the Skylar Diggas Smith ridiculously deciding just because
(22:20):
Caitlin Clark is pumping up the home crowd, I'm gonna
walk fast into you because I don't like you doing that.
They're playing at home? How do you not like that?
I'm not gonna answer a question about Kaitlyn Clark after
the game. Why? Oh, because I'm just bitter and I'm pouting.
It's like, hey, what'd you think of how Lebron played tonight?
I don't care about Lebron. Ask me about somebody else
I might teach. This is how it goes. Lebron James
(22:41):
makes the NBA go. You think Lebron James hasn't made
anybody all kinds of money. You think Tiger Woods hasn't
made every single golfer on the PGA Tour twice as
rich as they would have been normally because of what
he did. Instead of saying thank you, No, people want
to find a way to be upset, and the officials
the same way. Right the Kennedy Carter thing from earlier
this year, and now she gets a technical foul because
(23:01):
she punches the stanchion after she misses a three, and
the referee says, oh, she disrespected the game of basketball.
This is not sixth grade hoops at the YMCA on
a Saturday, where hey, you want to teach kids the
right way to do things. And if my kid sees
your kid punching the stanchion after missing a three, this
is professional sports man. If you miss a three, I
get to punch the stanchion unless someone's name is stanchion
(23:24):
and that's who gets punched. It doesn't matter if the stanchion,
which is an immovable object, wants to sue. Let the
stanchion sue. But no, no, no, we're in there inventing
ways to say ah, I want to put Kitlyn Clark
in her place. And it's insane and I don't know
why it can't just be Hey, the good times are here.
Why can't we just ride it? We could have had
even more exposure at the Olympics. Nope, we're not gonna
(23:46):
take Caitlyn Clark, even though they could have needed her
and some of those games might not have been as close. No, no, no,
we still want to push back at Caitlyn Clark when
they know it's Caitlyn Clark's league, Like I would know
what is so upsetting about what's going on? What is
so so upsetting about Caitlyn Clark that this is what
it is? Because anytime Angel Reese's name is meant, oh you,
Angel Reas is really good. Angel Reese is having a
(24:07):
good year. She may be the second most popular player
in the WNBA. You know what I want?
Speaker 3 (24:11):
What?
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Four out of fourteen? Four out of fourteen? Then she
had a big game yesterday. It's not like Angel Reese
is lighting the world on fire. But all the publicity
for her, I don't see her getting fouled as right,
I don't see the attention on her. What is it
about Caitlin Clark. What is she doing? What has she done?
She doesn't come out and rip anybody. She doesn't rip
her teammates, she doesn't rip other teams. She keeps all
her trash talking to what's going on on the court, which, hey,
(24:31):
that's on the court. But she doesn't rip the league.
She hasn't ripped away. It's covered. She has rip anything
about it. She comes out and plays and saves her
trash talking for the court. I don't get the backlash
on it, and I don't get how this is a
business that is being run by taking the person that
can change it for you and say no, no, we
don't want what you're offering. Well, I'm offering a way
(24:52):
to make everything better. Nope, I want everything to be worse.
I don't even to be back the way it was
before anybody cared about us a year ago. Like that's
where the WNBA. I think then a lot of players
will be happy.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Oh we said it long ago though, right.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
It's the you know you're having the party and then
your people are late.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Are you mad?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
When they finally show up, you might be a little hungrier,
maybe maybe the food you made got a little cold,
But they showed up now you're excited, you're watching a movie,
you're watching a game. Whatever you get after it, and
all those ill feelings and whatever, dirty rotten so and
so's you had, they've left your mind, at least for
the moment, until the.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Next time they're late.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
But it's the idea of bringing all these folks in.
You mentioned the officiating. I think she had probably earned
that technical and that was the quote last straw because
we got the glimpses into what she was saying. Like
I said, the conversation with the fans over how poorly
they'd officiated things, missing trips. One she got tripped and
(25:51):
was laying on the ground. Another time she had one
that you know, we did the Madden story with Nick
Cage last week. He would have yelled where'd that truck
come from? On one of the inbounds plays where you
know you got to get some help from your teammates calling.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
You'd mind you, but so you get him bout ready
to take.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Your head off.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
But it's one of those she does the history onic.
She gets a little vocal and come on and sometimes
much more to the officials. So it's like when I
went to that game many years ago, iverson and the
Sixers against the Mavericks in Dallas, and Iverson was just
coming back off an injury, so the Mavericks just beat
(26:31):
the crap out of him anytime he went to the rack.
And finally towards the end of the game it's decided
Sixers are gonna win. He gets fouled, and it's thinning
out and down around where the parabolic microphones are. Right,
you're nowt hearing everything everybody's saying, and he dropped a
bunch of f bombs in one of the greatest sentences
ever constructed at his official, who looked at him and said,
(26:53):
you know, I gotta tup because everybody heard that one, right,
So he'd put up with it. They basically played dozens
with him both sides the entire night. And then finally
that was the time when he said I've got to
call this. I think the stanchion slam was him trying
to make that statement. Now the you know this is
not good for the game and all that nonsense. You know,
(27:15):
go give that guy the hug he needs. But beyond that, look,
it's it's another moment, but another one that I would
guess that was well in excess of a million viewers yesterday,
which adds to Caitlin Clark's resume exit.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
How about a fresco exit swallen down the Jason Smith
Show with my best friend Mike Harmon. Caitlyn Clark middle
Finger Tour coming.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
To a state city near nicely going soon?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Uh? Time not to find out what's trending in the
wide world of sportsman guy who gives us the middle
finger at least three times?
Speaker 6 (27:46):
No, that is not even close to trepp okay six.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Times tonight it's Steve A Stager with what's trending?
Speaker 6 (27:52):
Keep asking for the Mets to lead.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
We'll get to Mets in just a moment.
Speaker 6 (27:57):
But former Mets pitcher Jacob de Gram of Texas plans
to throw a bullpen session tomorrow and says he will
likely make his first rehab start at Double A on
Thursday night, and the plan is for four rehab starts,
which would put his season debut finally in mid September.
Just for the record, he had six hole starts for
the Rangers last year. Texas did beat Pittsburgh tonight four
(28:19):
to three.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Corey Cent, You've still won the bleeping World Series. Yes,
it is the best discret baseball the last decade, and
they still won the Bleeping World Series.
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Corey Seger Tonight two homers and all four RBIs. The
Mets got a solo homer bottom of the ninth to
beat Baltimore four to three. Francisco Alvarez the hero by
the way starting pitcher David Peterson at seven to one,
no decision but seven innings eight strikeouts. The Orioles were
tied with the idle Yankees for first in the Al East.
The Yankees host slumping Cleveland starting tomorrow. Houston won on
(28:49):
a solo homer bottom of the ninety, five to four
over Boston that was a hit from Jinair Diaz that
won it against closer ken Lee Jansen of the Red Sox.
Houston with four airs and still won the game. Houston
pitcher Justin Verlander will come off the il to start Wednesday.
Cincinnati a six to three winner at Toronto, Arizona nine
to six over Miami.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
As a Miami.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
Native for the visitors, Adrian del Castillo had a grand
slam and a two run single, but Diamondback's All Star
second baseman Catel Marte goes on the injured list with
a sprained ankle. Kansas City won its fifth game in
a row, five to three over the Angel Salvador Perez
three RBIs winning pitcher Seth Lugo is fourteen and seven.
He had eight strikeouts in seven innings. The Padres are
(29:31):
still three games back of the first place Dodgers in
the NL West. San Diego won its contest against Minnesota
five to three, the twins of the second place team
in the AL Central two and a half back of
Idyl Cleveland now Kansas City, also two and a half
back now. The Dodgers got Max Munsey off the injured list.
He homered and LA beat Seattle three to nothing. Mariners
(29:51):
offense which is two hits, twelve strikeouts. Dodger first baseman
Freddie Freeman did play despite a broken finger. Oakland and
San francisc Go each one at home, and the NFL
news is the Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert resumed practicing for
the first.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Time this month.
Speaker 6 (30:07):
He had been in a walking boot with his foot injury.
Washington officially named rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Their starter, Tyler Redick,
won NASCAR's Cup race at Michigan after yesterday's rain.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Back to you, Thank you, Steve o The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Carmon live from the Tirack dot com studios. Hey,
if you miss any of the show, the best of
podcasts goes up in about a half hour from now
on iTunes, iHeartRadio app, wherever you get your podcasts from,
it's there. The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmon iTunes,
iHeartRadio App downloaded, rate us, subscribe, We'll love you forever
(30:37):
and ever and ever. All the content we put out
every night, you get the very best of it up
in about a half hour from now. But coming up next,
to be fair, we told you last week, Hey, the
Patriots are in pole position to be picking first in
the NFL draft. An ape, boy, they look really bad.
The team that will be breathing down there next is
who after today? I'm pretty sure I know that's gonna be.
(30:59):
That's next, right here, Jason and Mike Fox.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon live from the Tyraq dot Com studios,
and after Week two of the NFL preseason, one more game.
We got one more game the next time we kick,
Let's go. It's awesome to be fair, because the Patriots
kicked off Week two with a performance that made me realize, Okay,
(31:37):
they're in pole position to pick number one in the
draft in April. This team is not good. They do
not have a lot of talent. They are in flux
in every form of the word. It's a new head coach,
it's a new quarterback situation that who knows who the
starting quarterback is gonna be. They don't have any real options,
(31:59):
but they're still bringing Drake May along slowly. They don't
have a lot of playmakers on either side of the ball.
They're in pole position to pick number one in the draft. However,
if they stumble Mike Harmon, if they take their eye
off the prize of picking number one overall, whether it's
gonna be Carson Becker Shador Sanders, if they take their
eye off the prize, the team that's gonna be right
(32:19):
there behind him, that they should be vying for for
that number one pick in April, is gonna be the Raiders.
The Raiders make their quarterback decision today and it's Gardner
Minshew instead of Aidan O'Connell. Okay, uh, we've seen Gardner Minshew.
He's a terrific backup quarterback. But the Raiders have decided, no, no,
we're going with him over O'Connell. I thought O'Connell would
(32:41):
get the not out of the gate, especially if if
neither of them were any good. And neither of them
have been any good, well, you're gonna go with the
young guy who maybe has some potential because, okay, give
Aidan O'Connell a second year, getting reps in training camp,
maybe comes out he's a little bit better. Because the
guy's a talented passer. I saw him playing college a lot.
He's very talented. But these were two guys who in
(33:03):
the first two games in the preseason, when you can't
light it up against backups and the teams are playing
their backups the first time around, right, this is an
abysmal effort they had. It's not like the Cowboys are
playing tons of great players this weekend. The first two
weeks you're playing against backups, and and minshew and O'Connell
both look med. I mean, come on, man, how good
(33:25):
are you really gonna be if you can't light it
up against a team's second string and third string players
because other guys are being held out who play key positions.
If you're this bad when these when you're playing against
guys that may or may not make the roster, how
you gonna do it during the regular season? All Right?
You have no quarter You have no talented quarterback to
get you through a whole year. You have no identity
(33:49):
because I don't know what kind of team the Raiders
are trying to be. Are they trying to reload on
the fly? Are they trying to compete? I have no idea.
Your best player has one foot out the door because
as you just you just know that he's Okay, Okay,
I'm gonna get that trade to the Jets here, right,
They're gonna get that trade. Adams has one foot out
the doors. Okay. I'm just I'm gonna get that deal. Right,
(34:10):
I'm gonna get You know, he doesn't want to He
didn't want to sit up for the Raiders a year
and a half ago when it became hey, it looks
like we're starting over. WHOA, I didn't sign up for this?
Man did not sign up for this. So when you
have all of that, how exactly are things gonna go better? Right?
You don't have a lot of talent. You do have
some individually talented players, and I like Zam You're white,
and I think I'm hoping he's a decent running back
(34:32):
this year. But you know, you have Max Crosby. But overall,
it's like, what are you doing? You have no quarterback play,
you have no identity, and your best player wants to go.
How is that gonna be anything other than chasing the
Patriots for the number one overall pick? Well, five and
a half is their win total.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
You've got a couple of other teams that are you know, questionable, right,
I know, everybody's jumping on board the boat Nick's bandwagon
and still hold out hope whether it's because he was
nice to them in an interview or whatever that show.
And Peyton's still a wizard uh and can get things
going uh in in Denver. But you've got a bunch
of teams that are in that six six and a
(35:09):
half win total.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Uh. And we can find about him.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
For the Raiders at least encouraged by their skilled position
guys and their defense that they could be serviceable.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
But how many wins does it translate to?
Speaker 4 (35:22):
Is the question right? That's that's the ultimate thing. And Minshew,
come on, tell me you don't root for Gardner Minshell.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Of course I root for Gardner Minshew.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
The Raiders as a brand. He is.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Listen, if you went into a lab and said, get me,
draw me up the best backup quarterback you can but
being realistic, not just Tambert Whitehurst, get me a great back.
No he never but why Clipbord Cheese has never played.
But you want a guy, But who's going to potential?
He did? He did, but he held the cliffboard. Yeah,
potential as your team save Yes, Clippboord, Jesus held the
(35:55):
held the clipboard. Great. But you would go into a
lab and say, give me a guy who can come
in and can energize the team and is a little
mobile and can make plays and maybe a little quirky
and is okay with being the backup, understanding his role
on the team, but is not gonna shy away or
be a little bit hesitant if he's thrust into a
starting job. That's Gardner Minshew, Right, that's Gardner Minshew. He's
(36:18):
the perfect backup. I don't know you can make a
backup quarterback in a lab better than Gardner Minshew. But
what did I just say, He's a backup quarterback that
you want playing one or two weeks and he's starting
the season. Right. There's a reason why guys are backups, man,
there's a reason why. And the Raiders decided this is
what we're going to We're gonna draft another tight end
in the first round. We drafted a tight end last year,
drafting another tight end. We'll get another tight end a
(36:40):
year from now. They'll draft the kid from Michigan. We're
gonna win another tight end of the first We're gonna
have three tight ends and just play the single wing.
Like again, I don't get what the Raiders are doing.
I don't think they have an idea of what kind
of team they want to be. And when you don't
have an idea what team you want to be, that's
how things go south real fast.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
If they had an identity, I would get that, but
they don't have. One.
Speaker 4 (36:58):
One of my favorite parts it though, is some of
these veteran coaches that are stalking the sidelines as well.
So I mean with Tom Coughlin and guys like Marvin
Lewis and stuff being part of the brain trust.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
I mean, that's at least intriguing.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Oh yeah, look, it's gonna be like I'm not saying
the Raiders aren't fun. The Raiders are always fun. I mean,
I think we should take a trip to the Death
Star this year we did. Hey, there's a guy that
said we're gonna be picking first the draft. Get him.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
I'm running from Darth Ryer. I would be getting you
up on the jumbo tron. They do all these half
ass fake proposals and crap. No, no, no, I'm just
gonna say, hey, this guy predicted your doom. He's in
section two, twenty six, row seven.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
That's go get him, Jason Smith, go get him.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
He said that.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
No, Look, they're always the Raiders have always been fun.
It's like it doesn't The Raiders are like a great comedy, right, Like,
they're always fun. But when you talk about on the field.
But I mean, dude, this team, come on, how are
they gonna win?
Speaker 3 (37:56):
Now?
Speaker 1 (37:56):
They're gonna win games? Too bad?
Speaker 3 (37:58):
The Jets don't play there this year.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Oh, I know they always make us play the Raiders.
But that whole New York Oakland thing is now out
the window, so we don't play him as much as
we used to it. They used to always make us
play in Oakland every year, and I hated it.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Better days, better.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Days, better days ahead. Hey, I'm ready for the Jets
Bear super Bowl and it was a glorious Monday. I'm
right on Yeah. Exit, how about a Fresca exit swollen Dome.
The Francisco Alvarez Show with my best friend Francisco Alvarez
live from the Francisco Alvarez Studios. Coming up next, my buddy,
Francisco Alvarez. This is the Francisco Alvarez Network.
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Plea you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hello, Welcome inside final hour tonight to Jason Smith Show
with my best friend Mike Harmon, live from the ti
rack dot Com Studios Direct dot Com. I'll help you
get there. An unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road
hazard protection, and over ten thousand recommended in sawlers. Tirac
dot com is the way tire buying should be. Well,
(00:50):
we got a big hour of NFL come in your way.
Going to get to a big story coming up in
a couple of minutes, get to the Caitlin Clark Middlefinger
Tour that, oh boy, is it off to a glorious star.
But to say thanks, because now it's pretty clear how
the biggest preseason storyline in the NFL is going to end.
And I want to say thank you because look when
(01:12):
the NFL drafted come and gone, and we're looking at
one of the big topics of conversation. We're gonna have
the NFL this preseason. Ay, everywhere we went it was
Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Justin Fields,
Russell Wilson. Not only now, can I tell you how
this is going to end? I think it's going to
end much sooner than people anticipate. Mike Carmen, are you ready?
(01:38):
Apparently Harmon's not ready. I'll say it again, Mike Harmon,
are you ready? I am ready. You know I have
a prediction for the fight. Prediction. Oh we go ahead,
Go ahead, CLUBB. What's your prediction?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Pain?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
So look, coming off a week two with the NFL,
the Steelers offense look bad again, right and Fields looked
okay at times. Russell Wilson did not Both quarterbacks Scott sacked,
neither quarterback moved the offense. It was Russell Wilson's first action.
You want to go back a week ago when Justin
Fields made his debut. He did some good things, but
(02:17):
fumbling the snap twice isn't gonna earn you playing time.
We said, you went from Hey, Justin Fields really having
a nice day. You just undid all the good you
did by fumbling twice in your opener. But slowly the
Steelers have to be coming around to something, because for
the entire offseason it was, Hey, Russell Wilson's our guy.
(02:39):
He's our guy. Justin. We love Justin. Justin's gonna work in,
He's gonna do X, Y and Z. But Russell's our guy.
Everything was right. You heard that message from Mike Tomlin
was Russ Russ, Russ, Russ.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Ross whole position. Baby, Come on now.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Not only now, because and I told you all along,
Justin Fields be the starting quarterback by week five because
Russ is washed, right, I said all off he's watched,
he'll be the starting quarterback. And now that we've seen
them play, and you've seen the offense, and more importantly,
you've seen some other things that have happened, which we're
going to get into. Not only do I do I
(03:13):
might do I think that Justin Field is going to
play by week five. He may actually break camp as
the starting quarterback for the Steelers, And it may be
Russell Wilson's going to back up Justin Fields and they're
going to figure out some crazy way to make it work.
So Russell Wilson just doesn't go, oh, what do I do?
Is my career over? Because the first thing is this.
Watching them play the last couple of weeks, right, and
(03:34):
seeing Russ play last year, and seeing Justin Fields play,
they're no longer as similar as you think. In fact,
they haven't been the same for a while. Justin Fields
is a guy that recently ran for a thousand yards
in the NFL. Right, he's he's a guy that can
make some dynamic plays. Right. Russell Wilson does not do that.
His yards per attempt is down to under seven, which
(03:57):
is in the bottom quarter of the NFL. It's been
a three year decline for Russell Wilson in pushing the
ball downfield. You watch Wilson now, he's more of a plotter.
He's not a guy that gets outside the tackles and
runs a Yes, he has a little bit of es capability,
but that's what it is. This is not Russell Wilson
at ten years ago, where I'm gonna drop back, I'm
gonna drop back further and now drop back another ten yards.
(04:18):
I'm thirty yards behind the line of scrimmage and Pete
Carroll is chopping gums so bad and he's chewing through
it and chewing through his teeth. But then he finds
a way to get back towards a line of scrimmage
and then throw a fifteen yard past to Doug Baldwin. Like,
that's not Russell Wilson anymore. He gets sacked a lot.
He can't get out of trouble like he used to
be able to. This is just part of him being older,
(04:39):
not that Justin Fields has let the world on fire.
But you watch both of these guys play, and I
ask you, Mike, which guy at least has a little
bit more something to him, has a little bit more
of a spark, a little bit more dynamism to him.
Is it justin Fields of Russell Wilson? It's Fields? No,
Fields has a bit. He's not. And I'm not saying
Fields been great, right, he's not. There's a reason why
(04:59):
we're still saying is it Fields of Wilson? Because Fields
hasn't been great, still learning the new offense. But you
see when Field is that, you can't ignore that. Oh okay,
the guy to make the special plays, the guy to
make the big plays, the guy to push the ball
down field. They got to do these things, is justin
fields because Russell Wilson, you see the difference now he's
much more of a plotter. That's the best way I
could put it out there for Russell Wilson where he
(05:21):
is now compared to justin fields.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Yeah, I mean you just look at even last year
down the stretch when the Bears defense got better, the
bolstered by the arrivalsy and one of those words that
we like, bolstered by the arrival of Montes sweat. That
you also saw the offense open up a little bit
and Luke Getze currently under fire.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Raiders fans welcome to hell.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
But it's the idea of utilizing the quarterback that you
have versus what he was like. Russell Wilson's not that
guy anymore, right, not gonna buy time that might occasionally
come up with one of the spectacular throwers, but more
often than not, as we saw a year ago, which
is why the Broncos aid all that contract is that
he'd run himself into a sack or throw it haphazardly
(06:07):
downfield with fields. Yeah, there's still the question of some
of the decision making, including the fact that he would
absorb a lot of sacks, and so you can fight
about what percentage of those were on him versus the
offensive line.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
How you want to great things.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Have at it, but you're talking about a guy in
fields that's still elusive, can still get after it. And
if Arthur Smith is smart, which again the way he
used to be Jean Robinson last year. Jury's out on
that one. In terms of, hey, we got an opportunity
to be a backdoor wildcard squad because we've got a
pretty good offensive line and run game even without the
(06:46):
guy that was a first round pick, and our defense
has been better than expected, and we could really cover
up some of the stuff and the inadequacies of our
passing game and maybe some of the limitations of our quarterback.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Nah forget keep him in a box.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
So that's the thing I fear about Arthur Smith here
is that maybe we're gonna be asking, come on, show
us what's in the box?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
What's in the box?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
With justin fields, you at least know you've got some
of that athleticism and playmaking ability, And I get it.
A lot of critics they'll point to a couple of stats,
one loss record, whatever, it certainly is out there, but
in terms of where you're at in the Fields versus Wilson,
it's not like you're heavily invested one or the other.
Denver paid to make him go away and then Fields
(07:33):
just kind of showed up at your doorstep for not
much at all. So the opportunity is there with Fields
for still upside. Whereas Russell Wilson, We've seen the top
of the mountain a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Now if that was if that was it, you'd say, okay,
it's still pretty close. But this is what pushes it
over the top. Right, and this is something that is
outside of Russell Wilson's control. The Steelers want to build
this team around two running backs who are both pretty good. Right.
Naji Harris is pretty good. He's more, he's more of
the plotter. H Jalen Warrens more of the electric guy
(08:08):
can bounce outside. They have a couple of good weapons
at wide receiver. We still keep waiting for the Brandon
Ayuk trade. It's gonna happen at some point. Friarmouth is
not a bad tight end, but now because of things
that have happened, this is what's opening the door for
justin fields, right, Jalen Warrens hurt and now he's out
maybe through the beginning of the season. Naji Harris is
not a guy give him the ball twenty five times
(08:30):
a game because he's gonna run for sixty five yards. Right,
He's he's just not that guy. He's a three yards
and I'll fall down type of running back. So as
much as they've tried to make Naji Harris happen over
the past few years, he's just not that guy. So
you can suddenly rely on a sledgehammer running game. What also,
you've seen what the Steelers is they have problems on
the offensive line. They have problem protecting the quarterbacks via
(08:52):
injury and ineffectiveness. Right, And I'm gonna go back to
and I always go back to this because I think
about how sometimes it's not about the quarter but it's
about what happens around you. When Bill Parcells was coaching
the Cowboys twenty years ago and Drew Bledsoe was his quarterback,
the Cowboys were a pretty good team, but the offensive
line was really bad. They couldn't do anything. They couldn't
(09:13):
stay upright, they couldn't protect Bledsoe, who was a statue
in the pocket, right, That's the one thing as good
as Bledsoe was his arm quick release. He couldn't move
and he got sacked all the time, and the Cowboys
couldn't do anything. Tony Romo is this unheralded backup out
of Eastern Illinois. We have no idea, but guess what.
Tony Romo's mobile. He can get outside the tackle box,
make throws on the run, make plays with his legs.
(09:34):
The Cowboys had to go to Tony Romo because they
couldn't fix the offensive line. And that's what Bill Parcells did.
I'm gonna give the kid a chance because, hey, if
he can get outside and make plays with his legs,
that eases the pressure off the offensive line. Because I'm
not suddenly gonna make the offensive line great. I'm gonna do.
It's just not going to happen. That's what's gonna happen
(09:55):
here as well, is that the Steelers are gonna understand that, Okay,
we're not gonna fix these offensive line problems right away.
It's not gonna happen. So if we have Russ playing
behind this offensive line, he's much more of a sitting duck,
much less a guy that can make plays where Justin Fields,
who can get outside the pocket, who can make throws
on the run, who again not too long ago, ran
(10:15):
for a thousand yards out of the quarterback position. You
can have design runs, and suddenly the backfield is a
little bit more of a dual threat with ian Naji Arras.
Because you can do that, you can do many more
things with the passing game, because you can get him outside,
you can get him throwing on the run, you have
design runs. There's much more of an open feel and
what the Steelers can accomplish with Justin Fields than if
(10:37):
they had Russell Wilson. And they're gonna realize that sometime
in the next couple of weeks, more joint practices, another game,
whatever it's gonna be, and it's gonna have to be
Justin Fields, because they're gonna come out and say, Okay,
we're gonna look awful the first couple weeks of the season.
Are you really going to sacrifice and lose your first
couple of weeks sixteen three and seventeen seven and then
make a change. No, that's why they're gonna realize, we
(10:57):
have to go to Justin Fields, and they'll go to
him for week one.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Well, because you know you also have to get off
to a big start. Why because all your division games
are at the back half of the schedule. It gets tough,
lace right, So here's the opportunity to get out of
the gate strongly. And let's face it, you were talking
about a player. Even if you don't believe, again, there's
still maybe it's the old a get them away from
(11:23):
a Chicago system that hasn't been able to get out
of its own way, like what we talk about with
your beloved Jets, like we talked about Cleveland for so
many years. Keep on going down the line that maybe
just a change of venue is a boost. And I
don't know, Pittsburgh's gonna want to run the football, They're
going to want to play defense. You're not looking at
(11:45):
suddenly lighting up the scoreboard. But with his athleticism fields,
we'll be able to move the chains and at least
give you the opportunity for the field goal. Try with
Russell Wilson, those days are gone spot starter at best
at this point.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Yeah, I mean, I really find it hard to believe
that they're gonna sit here and say Nope, we're gonna
go with Russ. I get that maybe Russ it'll be
an issue if Russ is not the starter right away.
Is you gonna be comfortable coming off the bench. But
at some point you have to say this is what's
best for the team, right you gotta figure something else out.
You've been terrible offensively for a decade, like you be
long time to figure things. I mean, it's been the
(12:21):
end of the last few years of Roethlisberger into the
first couple of years of the post Roethlisberger era. You've
been terrible. You've had teams where maybe you could have
had huge deep playoff runs, but offense just thinks.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
You want to take a swipe of Kenny Picket while
you're at it there.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I did I did I need to say his name?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Well? I mean, sometimes you know, it's like beetlejuice.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
I don't need We're only.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Gonna say it once. You kind of need to say
Kenny Pickett a second time.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
I didn't need to say it, buddy, I did not
need to say it say it three times. Listen once.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Once you go and listen to the whole Broadway recording,
you'll be singing.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
That song too.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
But it's you know, Jerome Beata send All those sledgehammers
in the past, not walking through the door.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Need a little bit of that. Dynamism That is the
word of the week.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
You like you right, Dynamism What a great word. I
like that.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
I've given you a lot of random words and mathematical
concepts and economic constructs through the years.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I like dynamism being dynamis.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Dynamo is really good. It sounds like it sounds like
a movie studio that like, hey, Airy Asher is opening
up Dynamism all. They have a couple of big movies,
a couple of big horror movies coming out with Dynamoe.
I love the Dynamism movies. A twenty four and Dynamism. Oh,
I love that. I love that company.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
We might just have to do that.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
And you know, we just write scripts through aih oh
that work.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Okay, Okay, here's my simnario.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Write it out before it closes. I'll go to the
Sphere and I'll get one of the AI models to
help me there.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Yeah, you really really liked the economics that I gave
you on the sphere and didn't you?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Boy boy, I'm gone. You know when I when I
saw today the Sphere in Vegas lost like nine hundred
million dollars last year. Whatever. I'm like, I'm so glad
James Dolan is away from the Knicks now and this
is something that he's got to figure out. Like stay
away from the figure out the sphere man, because the
sphere is unbelieved. It's a once in a lifetime bucket
list place to go visit. The Knicks are fine, leave
(14:14):
the Knicks alone and figure out the sphere.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That's all now.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
There is a New Zealand based production house that is
Dynamism Studios.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Ah, but that's New Zealand. We can take that over.
We get the name from them easy.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
I don't know if they do anything in the US,
so we'll see. I'm not sure we can just get
the trademark here.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
No, it's all good.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
You know.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
The one thing with the Steelers last point with Russell Wilson,
because of how he got hurt though with that blocking sled,
they might feel obliged brought it up. Well yeah, yeah,
that's the only thing where you gotta give if you're
you know, doing odds on step, there's a percentage that
they just feel guilted because he got hurt doing something
that you know, a quarterback.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Shouldn't need to.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Hey, we'll do you solid man. We know we screwed
up so well were let you start the season. Oh
it's great.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Don't sue us for malfeesus and now practice for letting
you try to show us how tough you are.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Exit out about a Fresca exit swalling down the Jason
smiths Er with Mike Carmon. Don't be surprised. Justin Fields
week one starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which case,
if you have a fantasy draft coming up, Justin Fields
is out there, don't be afraid. He's the guy to get.
Don't take Russell Wilson, He's the guy to get. Coming
up next. Yes, we got another big story out of
(15:24):
the NFL. Someone who's decided we want to race with
the Patriots to go get that number one pick in
the draft next to year. Plus a big story about
Caitlin Clark coming off for big weekend. Keep it right here,
that's next Jason and Mike Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
Hey, it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller would mean a lot to have you join us
on our weekly auditory journey dressed.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
What in God's name is the Fifth Hour?
Speaker 5 (15:54):
I'll tell you it's a spin off of it, Ben
Maler Show, a cold hit overnights on FSR.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Why I should you listen?
Speaker 5 (16:01):
Picture if you will a world will We chat with
captains of industry in media, sports and more every week
explore some amazing.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Facts about human nature and more.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Listen to The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller or the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Fox Sports Radio, The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon live from the Tirack dot Com studios.
And I'll tell you what was so much fun to
watch this week and told we told you about it
last week. Hey, WNBA getting set to come back for
the second half of their season. Get ready for the
Caitlin Clark middle Finger to the Haters Tour to begin
(16:38):
and beginning in earnest this past weekend. Hey, you want
to not take me for the Olympics, Okay, Fine, you
want to be bitter and petty that I'm in the league, Okay,
I've had a month off, I've been lifting weights. I'm
staying ready. I'm ready when you guys come back from
the Olympics. Let's go and game against the fever. Diana
(17:00):
Tarassi checked twenty nine and ten. Tarassi finally had to
hug her and pat her on the butt. A way
to go, A way to go, Let's get the revenge.
And then last night twenty three and ten boom against
the Seattle Storm. Ready to go. She is on a mission.
We told you what was gonna happen, and it has
been so much fun to watch over the past few
(17:20):
days with all of the pettiness and jealousy that is
still out there over Caitlyn Clark, whether it was Skyler,
Digg and Smith bumping into her just because she was
upset that Caitlyn Clark was trying to rev up the
home crowd, like how petty, how petty? Are you right,
pet And they wouldn't answer questions when they're asked about
Caitlyn following the game this weekend. I mean, how petty?
(17:42):
Is everybody still over Caitlyn Clark and her popularity and
now she's putting it to you. Now it's no longer hey,
Let's go out there and hold it up. Now she's
putting it to you she'd become the best guard in
the league. And she has shown you by far and away.
Look at where she's got the fever they started one
and eight, and how they are in the thick of
the playoff RaSE the best teams over the course of
the last month and a half. The Caitlyn Clark middle
(18:03):
Finger Tour is phenomenal. And that should be on a
T shirt, the Katelyn Clark middle Finger Tour, with all
the dates of her games and her stat lines. Harm
and work on it.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
I'm gonna go and take the old Johnny Cash photo
that you've seen a million times with the middle finger,
and we'll just make that Caitlin Clark and Cash it
as fast as we can before we get sued or
sent to cease and desist. But yeah, to the point
of the schedule making, and we chronicled that all along.
We've talked about the battles in media for folks falling
(18:36):
all over themselves to you know, kind of push away
any of the accomplishments and prop up others, which is fine,
big table, lots of people can sit at it, but
trying to diminish any of what's been accomplished. This year
has been just an effort and futility. Yes, some growing
pains and getting to know your teammates. Guess what according
(18:59):
to the broadcast and take it for what you what
you will said, they they got two hours a day
when she was in town, and they took a trip together,
and you had the team bonding stuff. You had the
great miked up stuff with Aliah Boston and and everybody
else you know, and and the love fest that's going
on there. Saw a couple of other things posted on
(19:21):
social media, you know, overrated foods and all of those
kind of things, although your jets one was far better. Uh,
the two minutes plus of things that are overrated. Uh,
but it's just the idea of uh, all the accomplishments
and the timing and and of.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
It all is you know, just embrace it for what
it is.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Right.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
It's bringing more people to the table, which is never
a bad thing. Right if you have a party, Yes,
you've got a max capacity kind of like when they
have you know, hey, we fear the fire marshal is
going to show up at a restaurant, right, I think
got the sign up for capacity. You always try to
squeeze in a couple more. Why because the more the merrier,
the more UH funds, and the more and the louder
things get.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
And that's where the w NBA should be. And alas
we're still not there.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Skylar Diggins at Smith at some point in that game,
I thought she was trying to be an official with
the way she went over to officials on some calls
that she didn't think were going their way in for Seattle. Meanwhile,
Caitlyn Clark miked up, we got a lot of who
she was. I'd like the unedited stuff. I'd like the
(20:26):
stuff that didn't make it to broadcast because a couple
of things didn't trickle out right agreeing with the fans
over a conversation of how much the referee sucked. That's
not gonna end, dear you to the officials, No, you
got that going on for me?
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Well, because here's the thing when when she got it,
and look it extends to the officials as well, that
the treatment that she has got out, what's here to say, Oh,
poor Caitlyn Clark, but this is just Hey, someone's come
into the league that has made your league better by
any by any way you want to measure it. The
players are gonna wind up getting more money. You're already
getting commercial you're already getting charge air travel, you're getting
(21:01):
more eyeballs, more people are watching. Everything is better, and
still it's no, we don't want it because it's someone
who came in that hasn't been here for twenty years. Like, oh,
for some reason, she's not the right player. It's like,
are you kidding me? Like, what business would survive if
that happened? Hey, we have a way to come in
and make your business run cleaner and more efficient. Okay,
that's great. What else does it mean? Well, it means
(21:22):
everyboy's gonna get raises and your company's gonna get a
big bump up Forbes five hundred. Oh that's great. What's
a downside? No, no downside. We have someone coming in
who's gonna do all this for you and everybody's gonna
get rid. But am I losing jobs?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
No?
Speaker 1 (21:37):
No? No, In fact, might have more jobs right because
WNBA is expanding. I have more jobs. Mmm, No, I
don't want it. What do you mean you don't want it? No?
I don't want it? Why because I don't know that
I like that person's gonna do this, Like that's what
the WNBA is doing. And it goes back to what
I said in the very beginning, right, what was my
big concern for them for the season? Can they handle success?
(21:57):
Because here they are now suddenly for twenty years they
were a summer league that was, you know, somewhat under
the radar, would get a little bit of publicity now
and again, which is great, right, And the NBA was
giving them money and here they are, suddenly you are successful.
Can you handle success? And we still see they're having
trouble with it. The players still are jealous of her.
I mean the Skylar Diggas Smith ridiculously deciding just because
(22:20):
Caitlin Clark is pumping up the home crowd, I'm gonna
walk fast into you because I don't like you doing that.
They're playing at home? How do you not like that?
I'm not gonna answer a question about Kaitlyn Clark after
the game. Why? Oh, because I'm just bitter and I'm pouting.
It's like, hey, what'd you think of how Lebron played tonight?
I don't care about Lebron. Ask me about somebody else
I might teach. This is how it goes. Lebron James
(22:41):
makes the NBA go. You think Lebron James hasn't made
anybody all kinds of money. You think Tiger Woods hasn't
made every single golfer on the PGA Tour twice as
rich as they would have been normally because of what
he did. Instead of saying thank you, No, people want
to find a way to be upset, and the officials
the same way. Right the Kennedy Carter thing from earlier
this year, and now she gets a technical foul because
(23:01):
she punches the stanchion after she misses a three, and
the referee says, oh, she disrespected the game of basketball.
This is not sixth grade hoops at the YMCA on
a Saturday, where hey, you want to teach kids the
right way to do things. And if my kid sees
your kid punching the stanchion after missing a three, this
is professional sports man. If you miss a three, I
get to punch the stanchion unless someone's name is stanchion
(23:24):
and that's who gets punched. It doesn't matter if the stanchion,
which is an immovable object, wants to sue. Let the
stanchion sue. But no, no, no, we're in there inventing
ways to say ah, I want to put Kitlyn Clark
in her place. And it's insane and I don't know
why it can't just be Hey, the good times are here.
Why can't we just ride it? We could have had
even more exposure at the Olympics. Nope, we're not gonna
(23:46):
take Caitlyn Clark, even though they could have needed her
and some of those games might not have been as close. No, no, no,
we still want to push back at Caitlyn Clark when
they know it's Caitlyn Clark's league, Like I would know
what is so upsetting about what's going on? What is
so so upsetting about Caitlyn Clark that this is what
it is? Because anytime Angel Reese's name is meant, oh you,
Angel Reas is really good. Angel Reese is having a
(24:07):
good year. She may be the second most popular player
in the WNBA. You know what I want?
Speaker 3 (24:11):
What?
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Four out of fourteen? Four out of fourteen? Then she
had a big game yesterday. It's not like Angel Reese
is lighting the world on fire. But all the publicity
for her, I don't see her getting fouled as right,
I don't see the attention on her. What is it
about Caitlin Clark. What is she doing? What has she done?
She doesn't come out and rip anybody. She doesn't rip
her teammates, she doesn't rip other teams. She keeps all
her trash talking to what's going on on the court, which, hey,
(24:31):
that's on the court. But she doesn't rip the league.
She hasn't ripped away. It's covered. She has rip anything
about it. She comes out and plays and saves her
trash talking for the court. I don't get the backlash
on it, and I don't get how this is a
business that is being run by taking the person that
can change it for you and say no, no, we
don't want what you're offering. Well, I'm offering a way
(24:52):
to make everything better. Nope, I want everything to be worse.
I don't even to be back the way it was
before anybody cared about us a year ago. Like that's
where the WNBA. I think then a lot of players
will be happy.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Oh we said it long ago though, right.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
It's the you know you're having the party and then
your people are late.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Are you mad?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
When they finally show up, you might be a little hungrier,
maybe maybe the food you made got a little cold,
But they showed up now you're excited, you're watching a movie,
you're watching a game. Whatever you get after it, and
all those ill feelings and whatever, dirty rotten so and
so's you had, they've left your mind, at least for
the moment, until the.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Next time they're late.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
But it's the idea of bringing all these folks in.
You mentioned the officiating. I think she had probably earned
that technical and that was the quote last straw because
we got the glimpses into what she was saying. Like
I said, the conversation with the fans over how poorly
they'd officiated things, missing trips. One she got tripped and
(25:51):
was laying on the ground. Another time she had one
that you know, we did the Madden story with Nick
Cage last week. He would have yelled where'd that truck
come from? On one of the inbounds plays where you
know you got to get some help from your teammates calling.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
You'd mind you, but so you get him bout ready
to take.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Your head off.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
But it's one of those she does the history onic.
She gets a little vocal and come on and sometimes
much more to the officials. So it's like when I
went to that game many years ago, iverson and the
Sixers against the Mavericks in Dallas, and Iverson was just
coming back off an injury, so the Mavericks just beat
(26:31):
the crap out of him anytime he went to the rack.
And finally towards the end of the game it's decided
Sixers are gonna win. He gets fouled, and it's thinning
out and down around where the parabolic microphones are. Right,
you're nowt hearing everything everybody's saying, and he dropped a
bunch of f bombs in one of the greatest sentences
ever constructed at his official, who looked at him and said,
(26:53):
you know, I gotta tup because everybody heard that one, right,
So he'd put up with it. They basically played dozens
with him both sides the entire night. And then finally
that was the time when he said I've got to
call this. I think the stanchion slam was him trying
to make that statement. Now the you know this is
not good for the game and all that nonsense. You know,
(27:15):
go give that guy the hug he needs. But beyond that, look,
it's it's another moment, but another one that I would
guess that was well in excess of a million viewers yesterday,
which adds to Caitlin Clark's resume exit.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
How about a fresco exit swallen down the Jason Smith
Show with my best friend Mike Harmon. Caitlyn Clark middle
Finger Tour coming.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
To a state city near nicely going soon?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Uh? Time not to find out what's trending in the
wide world of sportsman guy who gives us the middle
finger at least three times?
Speaker 6 (27:46):
No, that is not even close to trepp okay six.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Times tonight it's Steve A Stager with what's trending?
Speaker 6 (27:52):
Keep asking for the Mets to lead.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
We'll get to Mets in just a moment.
Speaker 6 (27:57):
But former Mets pitcher Jacob de Gram of Texas plans
to throw a bullpen session tomorrow and says he will
likely make his first rehab start at Double A on
Thursday night, and the plan is for four rehab starts,
which would put his season debut finally in mid September.
Just for the record, he had six hole starts for
the Rangers last year. Texas did beat Pittsburgh tonight four
(28:19):
to three.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Corey Cent, You've still won the bleeping World Series. Yes,
it is the best discret baseball the last decade, and
they still won the Bleeping World Series.
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Corey Seger Tonight two homers and all four RBIs. The
Mets got a solo homer bottom of the ninth to
beat Baltimore four to three. Francisco Alvarez the hero by
the way starting pitcher David Peterson at seven to one,
no decision but seven innings eight strikeouts. The Orioles were
tied with the idle Yankees for first in the Al East.
The Yankees host slumping Cleveland starting tomorrow. Houston won on
(28:49):
a solo homer bottom of the ninety, five to four
over Boston that was a hit from Jinair Diaz that
won it against closer ken Lee Jansen of the Red Sox.
Houston with four airs and still won the game. Houston
pitcher Justin Verlander will come off the il to start Wednesday.
Cincinnati a six to three winner at Toronto, Arizona nine
to six over Miami.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
As a Miami.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
Native for the visitors, Adrian del Castillo had a grand
slam and a two run single, but Diamondback's All Star
second baseman Catel Marte goes on the injured list with
a sprained ankle. Kansas City won its fifth game in
a row, five to three over the Angel Salvador Perez
three RBIs winning pitcher Seth Lugo is fourteen and seven.
He had eight strikeouts in seven innings. The Padres are
(29:31):
still three games back of the first place Dodgers in
the NL West. San Diego won its contest against Minnesota
five to three, the twins of the second place team
in the AL Central two and a half back of
Idyl Cleveland now Kansas City, also two and a half
back now. The Dodgers got Max Munsey off the injured list.
He homered and LA beat Seattle three to nothing. Mariners
(29:51):
offense which is two hits, twelve strikeouts. Dodger first baseman
Freddie Freeman did play despite a broken finger. Oakland and
San francisc Go each one at home, and the NFL
news is the Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert resumed practicing for
the first.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Time this month.
Speaker 6 (30:07):
He had been in a walking boot with his foot injury.
Washington officially named rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Their starter, Tyler Redick,
won NASCAR's Cup race at Michigan after yesterday's rain.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Back to you, Thank you, Steve o The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Carmon live from the Tirack dot com studios. Hey,
if you miss any of the show, the best of
podcasts goes up in about a half hour from now
on iTunes, iHeartRadio app, wherever you get your podcasts from,
it's there. The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmon iTunes,
iHeartRadio App downloaded, rate us, subscribe, We'll love you forever
(30:37):
and ever and ever. All the content we put out
every night, you get the very best of it up
in about a half hour from now. But coming up next,
to be fair, we told you last week, Hey, the
Patriots are in pole position to be picking first in
the NFL draft. An ape, boy, they look really bad.
The team that will be breathing down there next is
who after today? I'm pretty sure I know that's gonna be.
(30:59):
That's next, right here, Jason and Mike Fox.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon live from the Tyraq dot Com studios,
and after Week two of the NFL preseason, one more game.
We got one more game the next time we kick,
Let's go. It's awesome to be fair, because the Patriots
kicked off Week two with a performance that made me realize, Okay,
(31:37):
they're in pole position to pick number one in the
draft in April. This team is not good. They do
not have a lot of talent. They are in flux
in every form of the word. It's a new head coach,
it's a new quarterback situation that who knows who the
starting quarterback is gonna be. They don't have any real options,
(31:59):
but they're still bringing Drake May along slowly. They don't
have a lot of playmakers on either side of the ball.
They're in pole position to pick number one in the draft. However,
if they stumble Mike Harmon, if they take their eye
off the prize of picking number one overall, whether it's
gonna be Carson Becker Shador Sanders, if they take their
eye off the prize, the team that's gonna be right
(32:19):
there behind him, that they should be vying for for
that number one pick in April, is gonna be the Raiders.
The Raiders make their quarterback decision today and it's Gardner
Minshew instead of Aidan O'Connell. Okay, uh, we've seen Gardner Minshew.
He's a terrific backup quarterback. But the Raiders have decided, no, no,
we're going with him over O'Connell. I thought O'Connell would
(32:41):
get the not out of the gate, especially if if
neither of them were any good. And neither of them
have been any good, well, you're gonna go with the
young guy who maybe has some potential because, okay, give
Aidan O'Connell a second year, getting reps in training camp,
maybe comes out he's a little bit better. Because the
guy's a talented passer. I saw him playing college a lot.
He's very talented. But these were two guys who in
(33:03):
the first two games in the preseason, when you can't
light it up against backups and the teams are playing
their backups the first time around, right, this is an
abysmal effort they had. It's not like the Cowboys are
playing tons of great players this weekend. The first two
weeks you're playing against backups, and and minshew and O'Connell
both look med. I mean, come on, man, how good
(33:25):
are you really gonna be if you can't light it
up against a team's second string and third string players
because other guys are being held out who play key positions.
If you're this bad when these when you're playing against
guys that may or may not make the roster, how
you gonna do it during the regular season? All Right?
You have no quarter You have no talented quarterback to
get you through a whole year. You have no identity
(33:49):
because I don't know what kind of team the Raiders
are trying to be. Are they trying to reload on
the fly? Are they trying to compete? I have no idea.
Your best player has one foot out the door because
as you just you just know that he's Okay, Okay,
I'm gonna get that trade to the Jets here, right,
They're gonna get that trade. Adams has one foot out
the doors. Okay. I'm just I'm gonna get that deal. Right,
(34:10):
I'm gonna get You know, he doesn't want to He
didn't want to sit up for the Raiders a year
and a half ago when it became hey, it looks
like we're starting over. WHOA, I didn't sign up for this?
Man did not sign up for this. So when you
have all of that, how exactly are things gonna go better? Right?
You don't have a lot of talent. You do have
some individually talented players, and I like Zam You're white,
and I think I'm hoping he's a decent running back
(34:32):
this year. But you know, you have Max Crosby. But overall,
it's like, what are you doing? You have no quarterback play,
you have no identity, and your best player wants to go.
How is that gonna be anything other than chasing the
Patriots for the number one overall pick? Well, five and
a half is their win total.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
You've got a couple of other teams that are you know, questionable, right,
I know, everybody's jumping on board the boat Nick's bandwagon
and still hold out hope whether it's because he was
nice to them in an interview or whatever that show.
And Peyton's still a wizard uh and can get things
going uh in in Denver. But you've got a bunch
of teams that are in that six six and a
(35:09):
half win total.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Uh. And we can find about him.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
For the Raiders at least encouraged by their skilled position
guys and their defense that they could be serviceable.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
But how many wins does it translate to?
Speaker 4 (35:22):
Is the question right? That's that's the ultimate thing. And Minshew,
come on, tell me you don't root for Gardner Minshell.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Of course I root for Gardner Minshew.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
The Raiders as a brand. He is.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Listen, if you went into a lab and said, get me,
draw me up the best backup quarterback you can but
being realistic, not just Tambert Whitehurst, get me a great back.
No he never but why Clipbord Cheese has never played.
But you want a guy, But who's going to potential?
He did? He did, but he held the cliffboard. Yeah,
potential as your team save Yes, Clippboord, Jesus held the
(35:55):
held the clipboard. Great. But you would go into a
lab and say, give me a guy who can come
in and can energize the team and is a little
mobile and can make plays and maybe a little quirky
and is okay with being the backup, understanding his role
on the team, but is not gonna shy away or
be a little bit hesitant if he's thrust into a
starting job. That's Gardner Minshew, Right, that's Gardner Minshew. He's
(36:18):
the perfect backup. I don't know you can make a
backup quarterback in a lab better than Gardner Minshew. But
what did I just say, He's a backup quarterback that
you want playing one or two weeks and he's starting
the season. Right. There's a reason why guys are backups, man,
there's a reason why. And the Raiders decided this is
what we're going to We're gonna draft another tight end
in the first round. We drafted a tight end last year,
drafting another tight end. We'll get another tight end a
(36:40):
year from now. They'll draft the kid from Michigan. We're
gonna win another tight end of the first We're gonna
have three tight ends and just play the single wing.
Like again, I don't get what the Raiders are doing.
I don't think they have an idea of what kind
of team they want to be. And when you don't
have an idea what team you want to be, that's
how things go south real fast.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
If they had an identity, I would get that, but
they don't have. One.
Speaker 4 (36:58):
One of my favorite parts it though, is some of
these veteran coaches that are stalking the sidelines as well.
So I mean with Tom Coughlin and guys like Marvin
Lewis and stuff being part of the brain trust.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
I mean, that's at least intriguing.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Oh yeah, look, it's gonna be like I'm not saying
the Raiders aren't fun. The Raiders are always fun. I mean,
I think we should take a trip to the Death
Star this year we did. Hey, there's a guy that
said we're gonna be picking first the draft. Get him.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
I'm running from Darth Ryer. I would be getting you
up on the jumbo tron. They do all these half
ass fake proposals and crap. No, no, no, I'm just
gonna say, hey, this guy predicted your doom. He's in
section two, twenty six, row seven.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
That's go get him, Jason Smith, go get him.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
He said that.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
No, Look, they're always the Raiders have always been fun.
It's like it doesn't The Raiders are like a great comedy, right, Like,
they're always fun. But when you talk about on the field.
But I mean, dude, this team, come on, how are
they gonna win?
Speaker 3 (37:56):
Now?
Speaker 1 (37:56):
They're gonna win games? Too bad?
Speaker 3 (37:58):
The Jets don't play there this year.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Oh, I know they always make us play the Raiders.
But that whole New York Oakland thing is now out
the window, so we don't play him as much as
we used to it. They used to always make us
play in Oakland every year, and I hated it.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Better days, better.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Days, better days ahead. Hey, I'm ready for the Jets
Bear super Bowl and it was a glorious Monday. I'm
right on Yeah. Exit, how about a Fresca exit swollen Dome.
The Francisco Alvarez Show with my best friend Francisco Alvarez
live from the Francisco Alvarez Studios. Coming up next, my buddy,
Francisco Alvarez. This is the Francisco Alvarez Network.
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.