Tough Cover Show: Eagles Are World Champs, NBA All-Star Saturday Night, and Howie Roseman's Top 10 Moves! - 02/15/25

Mark Henry Jr. and Sam Oshtry are talking all things #Eagles Championship Parade, #CBB plays, #NBA All-Star Saturday Night, and ranking Howie Roseman's top 10 moves!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you can wager on it, We're talking about it.
It's the Gambler, the Fox Sports Radio, The Gambler. Fox
Sports Radio in Philly is the Gambler.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
The Gambler, Philly's home for.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
A language sports gambling understand.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Time to get ready for the day's action, from the sides,
to the totals and everything in between. Nobody does it
better than the top cover with Mark Henry right here
on The Gambler.

Speaker 4 (00:43):
The Hello, and welcome to the Tough Cover radio show.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
I am your host with a little less base in
his voice than usual, Mark Henry Jr. You can follow
me over on Twitter at Mark Henry Junior Underscore and
I got my guy Sam Austry back in studio on
on the Ones and twos. You can follow him at
s Austreet on Twitter at the Score. You can check

(01:29):
out his stuff over there. Sam, how are we feeling?

Speaker 5 (01:32):
I'm great, man? Could could we be any better? This
high is finally coming down?

Speaker 3 (01:37):
I always that's not like anything happened yesterday.

Speaker 5 (01:39):
Yeah, it was a normal week, normal last two weeks.
Nothing major. I always say February is the worst month
out of the twelve. Just a bad month all around,
not a lot going on before March Madness. When the
Eagles and your team wins the super Bowl, it's the
best month of the year by far, and that's what
we had in the last few weeks.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, it's a great because Mabulary can be kind of
that slog in the middle of the year, especially. I
feel like the Super Bowl is usually a little earlier
than it was too, if it's like the first couple
of days, and February can definitely be a slog. But yeah,
this week has been a slog in some ways, but
anything but a slog in terms of you know how'er feeling,
because obviously we were both at the parade yesterday. The Eagles,

(02:23):
if anyone's living under a rock, won the Super Bowl
last Sunday, and yesterday hosted a Super Bowl parade that
I saw. I think they estimated one point four millions
the people were there, which didn't they say like eight
hundred thousand people went to the last one. So I
don't really think I'm putting anything into these parade estimates
because that last one was insane. As someone who was

(02:46):
at that one, this one, I didn't even really get
a chance to gauge the massive humanity that was there
because if anyone follows me on Twitter, I think I've
put it out there a couple time. I did something
insane yesterday and.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
We were.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
I ubered down with my wife and brother at three
thirty am. We got there at four am and we
got right there, posted up at a guardrail. We could
have actually by the time we got there, I'd say
the two sides next to the stage or next to
how close you can get with the podium and the
art museum steps. One side probably had about one hundred people,

(03:29):
on the other side probably had about three to four
hundred people. But where we decided to kind of go
right in the media tent area, kind of in the middle,
so we were probably like one hundred yards further away
from the stage than the people on the left or right.
But we had a guardrail to post up that which
ended up giving us some space the rest of the day,
and a couple buddies ended up joining us. But it

(03:51):
was one of the best environments I've ever been a
part of because the people I was around were all
people who got there between four to six am, so
they were all kind of people who mark this on
their calendar, as you know, this is once in a
lifetime day.

Speaker 5 (04:06):
So did none of you real quick? Did none of
you piss for like twelve hours?

Speaker 3 (04:11):
No? So okay, this is an interesting storyline with where
we were. So we set up as close as we
could to the porta potties. You still had to kind
of cross a whole probably fifty yards away from a
row of like thirty porta potties. But I'd say by
the time eleven am hit and the parade started, by
that time, you it was taking an hour for you

(04:34):
to go and get back. I had a buddy and
his wife go and go to the bathroom, and it
took them they were gone like eleven thirty to twelve thirty.

Speaker 5 (04:45):
How did you even get back though, Like I feel like,
I guess there's a way, there's a path there, but
the crowd of people and how many people like entered
that area, I feel like that. I guess it takes
an hour to get back. We probably do a lot
of pushing and shoving just to get back to your spots.
He had such a great spot.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, Yeah, my wife and brother they went a couple
of times, like you know, between four am and eleven am,
and it wasn't that much of a problem. But then
once that hit, I was like, guys, we got here
at four am for a spot, like let's lock in,
like this is where we're staying. I have an iron bladder,
so I'm an easy I'm a little bit of a
different a different case. I drive long distances for work,

(05:21):
for my real job, for anybody who doesn't know that
a lot of the time. So iron bladder, I could
go six seven hour car rides without even thinking about it.
So it wasn't a problem for me, but it was
absolutely worth it because I think to a lot of people,
the parade is like the cars going by, and I
don't know why. To me, the parade, to me is

(05:41):
all about that podium and all about the celebration, all
about the speeches and being. And I think I feel
that way because in two thousand and eight, I went
to the Phillies Parade and I have an uncle who
lives in South Philly and we kind of just went
on the parade route and went back in the house
and that's where I saw the Chase sut Lee World
f and champions. And I feel like I wasn't even
at that parade. I feel like I saw them, you know,

(06:05):
ride by, but I feel like I wasn't there. In
twenty eighteen, got dropped off at City Hall, fought my
way to the Art Museum. That was a little different
than this time. This time we were dropped off in
a perfect spot near like Fair Mountain. We had to
walk like point two miles to get to the steps.
Last time, I fought my way upstream to get as
close as I could, which still wasn't nearly as close
as I was this time to be in the in

(06:28):
the sea of people for the Jason Kelsey speech, and
I that was a religious experience for me, like that
Jason Kelsey speech. And to be honest, I don't think
anybody even got within, Like I don't think anybody gave
thirty percent as incredible as a speech as that, And
it's just an insane bar to ever live up to.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Well, people had that expectation for everyone.

Speaker 5 (06:51):
It's like, all right, who's gonna be the guy that
gives this great speech like that Kelsey esque speech, And
it's like, you can't really expect anyone to give that
iconic of a speech ever again. I mean, people were
like Chase Utley's line, like that wasn't a whole speech.
He just had a great cup few words and that
was an awesome line, and that was memorable. But Jason
Kelce's entire speech was so iconic. It's like no one,

(07:12):
no one has the personality that Jason Kelsey does and
nobody and two nobody can deliver that type of speech.
And like the no, there was never gonna be anybody
delivering even a half of that type of speech. But
I will say my experience, so in twenty eighteen, of course,
I uh. In twenty eighteen, I went down to the
Art Museum. Walked from the Belmont Plateau to the Art Museum,

(07:34):
which is like almost two miles, and it was the cold,
like when people remember that twenty eighteen parade, that was
like an unbelievably cold dead not like yesterday was warm,
but that twenty eighteen parade was unbelievably cold. Walked like
two miles to get to close to the Art Museum. Obviously,
at the point we get there, we can't even get
that close, so we were scrunched up so many people

(07:54):
next to a shoulder shoulder, couldn't move a second, had
no space. And part of the problem was you were
still watching the speeches on like the screens and all
those plasmas, you could really see them. So I'm like,
I'm not doing that again this year. So yesterday I
was on the Belmont the Parkway, like it was twentieth
in the Parkway. I was just around there, kind of

(08:15):
walked walked around, just taking in the scene. Was going
to Love Park, was at City Hall for a little bit,
so I was really all over. But when the buses
came by, that's when I was really at twentieth and Parkway,
and I watched all those buses go by, and that
was cool, Like I didn't really experience that part in
twenty eighteen, so you're right, it is about the speeches,
but that was cool to see. And then I was

(08:37):
lucky because I have a friend who lives right by there.
So after they went by and they were getting to
the Art Museum pretty soon, I went to my friend's
apartment and I cared about the speeches a lot, and
we could hear the wars out outside out of his window,
so we had to like shut the window because the broadcast.
We were watching the speeches on the broadcast, and the
broadcast was obviously ten fifteen seconds spines. You could see
the war hear the roar. They were like, all right,

(08:59):
there's some great comment coming. And also the broadcast. I
mean people saw the clips on Twitter, but they were
we were watching on Fox twenty nine. They were cutting
out every single curse word. They were trying to cut
it out, but it was they would say the curse word,
then they would mute the next three or four words.
It's like, what is the point of this. You're still
you still hear the curse word. And the hosts were

(09:19):
like apologize, Like we apologize for Saquon for saying that.

Speaker 2 (09:22):
It's like it's like who cares?

Speaker 5 (09:23):
Like I get it's like some FCC guidelines, whatever the
Wolves are, it's not their fault, But who cares if
you have a few curse words on an Eagle Super
Bowl paried?

Speaker 3 (09:32):
Yeah, they Eric Kelsey's and they always on the on
you know when you see it on Twitter, it's always
unedited too. Like I don't know why this year it
was such a bigger deal than it was in twenty eighteen. Yeah,
because I think plenty of people cursed when it was
on TV too, Because I remember I had that recorded
for a long time and I don't think I remember
there being the blurs. But yeah, I've only gotten through

(09:55):
about two hours of the parade. I haven't even gotten
to the speeches on TV yet because I wanted to
go back and watch kind of the clips that I missed,
like being out of his mind and Nolan being out
of his mind?

Speaker 5 (10:06):
How he getting pelted with a beer. That video just
came out this morning.

Speaker 3 (10:10):
I was like, the funniest thing about that is I
woke up with like a cut on my forehead that's.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
Actually similar you bleed.

Speaker 3 (10:19):
We don't know how he got there. C we bleed
for this city. I think mine's probably my dog scratching me.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
I don't know, A little less time getting a beer
thrown at you.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know what happened. I woke up
and I was like, what it was like bleeding and Howie,
I don't know. We we got to get some plastic
surgery or something. Hopefully it's not a scar. Maybe that's
if anything, I guess if you're Howie, uh, what kind
of better scar is there? You know? That's like that's
a Super Bowl scar.

Speaker 5 (10:48):
Yeah, if you're ever gonna have a scar, it's for
getting a beer pelted at you while you're on the
parade after you won your second Super Bowl and you
were the architect behind the team. It doesn't get better
than that. But I was yesterually. I was like, we
saw the cut and it was like, oh, I haven't got
a beer pelts at at him. I was like, how
is there not a video of this? Because it took
till this morning for that to come out. How is
there not a video of this guy getting Celtic Because
everyone is filming everything the whole time, someone has to

(11:09):
go back and find the video and they found.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
The video and it was this great. The video was hilarious.

Speaker 5 (11:13):
I mean, obviously you shouldn't be throwing beers at guys
like that when they're not looking, but the video was great.
He like goes he gets pelted, he goes down like
Nick is like in it, and he's like looking around
and he like see how he goes that?

Speaker 2 (11:23):
Go Dad? He's like, Oh, what's going on over there?
It's a great video.

Speaker 3 (11:27):
Don't let big Dom find out. No who threw that
can do not and he will and he will, he will,
you know, you know he will. We're gonna do something.
I think we're gonna do this in the second hour
where we rank Howie Roseman's top ten moves that led
to that Super Bowl win really hard exercise. By the way,
It's like, especially after you get past the big couple,

(11:51):
I'd say five or six. Maybe one in my top
five or six I think will be a surprise. But
outside of the main couple, it's like differentiating between some
of the defensive pieces is really I'll tell you what
you know. I don't even know what the right wording
for it would be. But elevating Dom Desandro to the

(12:13):
that he has and giving him even more on the plate,
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (12:16):
Well, they had no choice because he got banned last
year from the sideline, so they had to make him
a coach and put that title on him because he
got banned after It's not like he fought the guy,
but the guy swung at him a little bit on
the Niners, which is really what made his like imagine that,
Like obviously when in Philadelphia knew who Big Dom was,
but on the national scene of player on the Niners
swiping at him is what elevated his status to like legendary,

(12:39):
not just in this city but on the national football scene.

Speaker 3 (12:42):
I could have used a little more from that Big
domb speech. It was all I thought it was perfect.
I thought it was perfect.

Speaker 2 (12:48):
It was like Philly, I love you. That's all I got.

Speaker 3 (12:54):
It was.

Speaker 5 (12:55):
It was perfect big dom. So I was gonna say
so real quick to wrap up my day. So I
was out after went out with friends where we were
out like all afternoon, all evening, like almost all night,
like Brace was texting me and I like how to
get in here? And I was I didn't answer for
a whiles, I didn't eve see it because it was like service.
I was out for a while, and then at some

(13:16):
point my friends were like, all right, we're gonna go
to another place.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
I'm like, all right, I gotta be up early. It's
getting pretty late in the night.

Speaker 5 (13:21):
I gotta be up early do do a producing a
show on with Mark tomorrow. I'm not going this place,
Like are you sure? Like we're gonna we're gonna go
to Barstools. We haven't inn at Barstool so we always
it's just like a place that we go to all
the time, Barstool Bar in Center City.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
So I'm like, no, I'm just gonna leave. I'm gonna
go home.

Speaker 5 (13:37):
So I went home and it was already pretty late
my friends all go to barstool. The entire Eagles team
is at Barstool last night, Sakua Cooper, like the whole
offensive line. So they were My friends were like pretty
much like they weren't on their table, but they were.

Speaker 2 (13:51):
They weren't even like roped off in security apparently. It was.

Speaker 5 (13:54):
It was just like my friends were right next to
Landon Dickerson and Jordan Malatta's table, and it was like
they were just partying all night, apparently, as they should.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
I guess that's their Infinity Live for the Phillies. Phillies
hit Expanity Live, you know, to go there after big
clinching wins.

Speaker 5 (14:10):
I guess funny I was at I was at barstool exactly.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
I was at barstool like two, this is a couple
of months ago.

Speaker 5 (14:17):
I actually, yeah, I guess a couple months ago at
this point for just a regular Friday night, and the
Kobe Dean was there where he had all his buddies.
And this was when they played at the Commanders two
days later, and the Kobe Dan was just there. Was like,
oh is that with Kobe Dean's like yeah, like he
has his table over there, so they love barstool.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
I guess I wonder.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
When you go when they go to d C. Do
they go the day before.

Speaker 2 (14:40):
Such a trip?

Speaker 3 (14:42):
What they do? That makes sense? That makes sense. You
can probably get banged up before the on a Friday night. Yeah,
on Saturday. Yeah, and we're gonna talk more about the
I guess before we before we switch it over to
some college basketball and take a break real quick. I
guess we'll just say who did you think before? I
ask who you thought had the best speech? And I

(15:03):
don't think he had the best speech. I was pleasantly
surprised by jalen speech. He went way longer than I
thought he'd go. I thought he was a little deeper
than I thought he'd be. He included like I felt
like he summarized, like he made sure to hit every
kind of note on the team and hit all the guys.
And I thought Jalen that the tidbit that he should

(15:27):
have ended with, to be honest, was the Rocky Steps.
The line about the Rocky Steps. I can't lie. I
got emotional and I was banged up. I have been
where I am, but you know I'm a Jalen guy
for life. But the Rocky Steps was the line that
that is a that's like Jalen Hurts to a t,
like wouldn't let himself go there until he became a champion,

(15:48):
doesn't he? And you know he talked on the sideline
like that last one destroyed him. And I think a
lot of the think pieces about Jalen Hurts in the
locker room and his demeanor and all that stuff, I
guess some of them, some of them you want to
be like that was bs, But some of it you
got to point out, I guess and be like, yeah,
he changed. He was a different guy. His demeanor changed,

(16:09):
and he admitted it. And it's pretty crazy to have
that ability of like self reflection and self awareness to
kind of come clean that way once you win. But
I really thought he kind of bared his soul a
little a little more than I would have expected.

Speaker 5 (16:24):
And everything we know about Jaialen too, you know that
that's so true about like I wouldn't come to the
art Museum until I was a champion, like and of
those rocky steps.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
You know that's true.

Speaker 5 (16:33):
Like a lot of athletes say things like that, like
you know Jalen's personality, you know that's true. But you're
such a big jailing guy that you can't even let
his speech go go without credit respected.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
This speech isn't is getting This is a top five speech.
Mark top five.

Speaker 3 (16:47):
Speech to give me maybe top three, top three.

Speaker 2 (16:50):
Right.

Speaker 5 (16:50):
Well, so my favorite, by far the best speech easily,
I don't even think's a discussion was Mayor Cheryl Parker.
I thought she was phenomenal. I really cared what she
had to say for ten minutes. I really care.

Speaker 3 (17:02):
I don't know. I haven't seen it on TV, and
I know that they came across somewhat the booze in person,
and the chance that bad while that was going on
was unlike. It was honestly like the only like angry
moment of the day from people, Like people were throwing
stuff and h I mean you couldn't get close enough
to them, but like it was, it was. It was crazy.

Speaker 5 (17:26):
Yeah, And then we could hear it on TV. The
only thing you could hear was them screaming rap. Like
the whole fans was training, wrap it up, wrap it up.
It's like, all right, like no one's here to hear
you talk. Like the governor was pretty short, so that
that was fine. The best speech I'm with you on Jalen.
I thought jaym was awesome. You know, that was a
well thought out speech by him. It wasn't something like
raw raw Electric factory speech, but that's not Jaalen. You're

(17:47):
never gonna get that from him. It was a well
thought out speech, which is everything he does really well thought.
I was a meticulous dude, So I appreciate that speech.
I thought it was good and well said. I thought
Lane had a really good speech. I thought land and
Dickerson and had a great speech. AJ's line probably the
best line to me because it is like people really
think he's selfish and all he cares about his stats,

(18:07):
and he's like, well, one thing you can get right
about me is now I'm a fin champion. So that
to me, that was that was like the best line
of the day. But I thought Landon had a great
speech and I'm and I'm a Lane. So those are
my top three. I would say aj Brown, Lane, Johnson,
Landon Nickerson top three speeches, and then Jalen's right there for.

Speaker 3 (18:26):
I think I give me Aj at one. I thought that,
like you said, he had the best line, but I
also love starting it with Adrian. I thought that was amazing.
I thought that was perfect. AJ stole the show for me,
and and I will say who would have stole the
show was the exciting lights. They had the perfect plan to.

Speaker 6 (18:48):
Get up there and do the meek milk thing, and
they ruined it with the sound they started at the beginning.

Speaker 3 (18:53):
They should have just let it go. They should have
just had them rap it. Everyone would have came back
along with it. They played that song teen times between
like nine am and three pm yesterday at.

Speaker 2 (19:05):
The whistle will probably definitely the two top plate blow.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
The Whistle that and I'll tell you what the three
Kendrick songs like all like TV off obviously not like us.
And then Squabble All three of those were played all
day with blow the Whistle and with those and with
a bunch of line dances. The DJ. DJ kept it
in the fairway, wasn't taking many chances like you got.

Speaker 2 (19:29):
Me as you should. You can't.

Speaker 5 (19:30):
If you're the DJ, that's your biggest assignment of your life.
You can't mess that one up.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
It's pretty easy.

Speaker 5 (19:35):
Like you play any hype song, everyone's so happy, no
one's gonna complain.

Speaker 2 (19:38):
Just let the people go.

Speaker 3 (19:39):
Oh in dreams of nightmares. Of course I can't believe
I didn't say the nightmares, but of course dreams of
the night or that's what they did. I'm getting lost
in my own my own thought here. But they wrapped
dreams and nightmares and that was what that was what
we were expecting and and it was awesome, and then
they ruined it. That would have been a moment of
the night. But uh, the AJ thing was incredible.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
I wanted to see you. I just want to see
Quinnyong go up there.

Speaker 5 (20:02):
Once I saw the video of him like so blacked out,
I was like, let this guy.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
Give a speech. I want to see him give a
speech right now.

Speaker 3 (20:08):
He couldn't. I don't think no one could either. I
don't think Nolan Smith was capable at that point. Yeah,
a lot of the guys look banged up, for sure.

Speaker 5 (20:18):
I will say I was a little disappointed in Nick
Sirianni's speech. It was just such like a coach speaks
speech and it's like, yeah, come on, no he but
he wasn't gonna go He wasn't gonna be like go
on some revenge tour and call out all these guys
like he just that's he's never gonna do that publicly.
Who criticized him like you, I would have loved to
see it, but you still should have said like, like
come on, like nobody in the city got more heat

(20:38):
than you, Like everyone was calling for your job a
year ago, like and even early this season. So I
wanted to see a little more from Nick. But he's
just when he's on that podium in front of that mic,
he's just such like a coach be thing. Or he
could have what I was thinking is he could have
played off his opening press conference where he just completely
jumbled and he was speech was all messed up, and
he just he looked like a clown and everyone was

(20:59):
criticized for his opening press conference. I would have liked
to see him play off that a little bit because like,
now I'm a super Bowl champion, how far I've come?

Speaker 3 (21:06):
I I I would have liked I would have liked that.
I would have liked to see him playoff. What was
the thing he yelled at the Chiefs fans last year
was how how about that chief stands? Or what what
did he say?

Speaker 2 (21:18):
You know what you're talking?

Speaker 3 (21:18):
Are you talking to me? Chiefs fan?

Speaker 6 (21:20):
Like he should have said that, like he should have dropped,
like who's talking now? Chiefs fans or whatever that line
was that he yelled at the Chiefs, because I feel
like that's was that was like the start. I feel
like of like the national media being like this guy sucks.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah, arrogant, like.

Speaker 3 (21:41):
The whole you know, the head coach can't be this way.
He gets mest dodgy and never say anything like Andy
Reid and by the way, he turned into that. So
you're welcome national listening to a press conference from twenty
twenty two and twenty twenty three, first half of the year,
at least Nick gave a law like Nick gave more
than he should have. Probably a lot of the time
I'm on like interpersonal stuff and relationships and plans and

(22:05):
now if you assume oppressor, he's like, yeah, it's something
I can't give away.

Speaker 5 (22:09):
Something doesn't give away any injuries. He still rambles, and
a lot of times he apologized to the beat reporter.
He's like, he's like, I'm sorry, guys, like I'm trying
to help you guys do your job, but I can't
give you that or something or can't answer that.

Speaker 2 (22:20):
But he's still rambles.

Speaker 5 (22:21):
But like most of what he says when he gives
these three minute Long answers has no pertinent information in it,
but but yeah, he definitely doesn't give it away any
injury information. Let me ask you, what's the outfit of
the day. What was your outfit of the day.

Speaker 3 (22:33):
I gotta be gotta be Josh Sweat with with the
with the Chris Long.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
Oh yeah, that's a good one.

Speaker 3 (22:39):
That's gotta win it for me. I will say, I
want that's not that's one one. But in terms of
like something I want to buy, give me that jail
and Hurts sweatshirt right now, Hurts Jordan's sweatshirt. I'll buy
it from ninety Bucks. Like I don't care. I don't
care what Jordan uploads that sweatshirt for. I'm in.

Speaker 5 (23:00):
I'm buying my out for the day, Chris Long, Josh Sweat,
and Chris Long's Jack was obviously awesome. My out for
the day by far CJ. Gardner Johnson. I mean, he
is the best trash talker in the league. And like
most people, when you come at the Swifties and they
started coming at your mom's business, which is what a
lot of the Swift Taylor Swift fans did. When CJ
obviously posted that thing that was hilarious but out of

(23:22):
pocket about about Travis Kelcey.

Speaker 2 (23:24):
But then he comes in and he doubles down.

Speaker 5 (23:26):
And he wears that shirt about the Swifties, and I
don't have it up in front of you right now,
but it was something calling out the Swifties and that
that was.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
That was awesome. I love that he's not doubling down.

Speaker 5 (23:35):
They're probably attacking him like crazy, but he is the
best trash talker in the NFL, and I love that guy.

Speaker 3 (23:40):
BTA. That was great too. I actually that was a
great moment from the frame. We were all expecting Chauncey
to do some wild stuff on the podium, but him
just getting up there and starting a BT one of
the moments of the day. Actually, that was. That was great. Yeah,
that was fantastic. But let's take a break and we're
gonna talk more parade in the second hour. If anybody

(24:02):
has their stories or anything, they can comment in or
tweet us anything they got. But it was it was awesome.
It was one of the best days of my life,
no doubt about it, to be honest, you know, right
up there with my wedding, right up there with the
other parade that I was at. In twenty eighteen, so
hopefully same place, same time next year.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
You know.

Speaker 3 (24:23):
That's and the one last thing I'll say before we
take a break. There was definitely more of a business
like attitude by some of the some of the like
Nick that, Howie, Jimmie, Jalen, Jeffrey. Then there was with
Jeffrey and Howie and Doug and Nick Foles back in

(24:44):
twenty eighteen. It feels like this is and I know
in twenty eighteen, I forget who said this is the
new normous.

Speaker 5 (24:50):
Dog Doug said. Doug said this is the normal and
he was out out the door three years later.

Speaker 3 (24:55):
Yeah. Yeah, so obviously they said that, and we were
all feeling that at the time. But you look at
how young this team is compared to how young that
team was, and it's not even close. Like that was
a pretty old team now that you kind of think
about who the key pieces were all on the team,
pretty veteran squad. You look at this team, it's so homegrown.

Speaker 5 (25:16):
What gave up hope that year was just the fact
that Carson Wentz was coming off an MVP year and
everyone expected him to return to that so all right,
we just won with a backup but now we have
this MVP quarterback coming back and he should be awesome
and obviously did not turn out that way.

Speaker 3 (25:31):
But you think about how many guys from that team
were quickly out of the league or quickly aged very fast.
I mean al Sean aged so fast that the whole
running back room was out of the league. A Jay
was out of the league, Clement was out of the league. Yeah,
I mean the whole Long Long retires. Yeah, you're right,

(25:54):
Malcolm was going pretty pretty quickly. Fletched on. They played,
you know, four more years after that. Lane is like
the one holdover. He's not a young guy now like
BG obviously as well, And we didn't MENTIONDJ can't lie.
I could have used a little more from the speech.
I was a little disappointed in the speech that only
create the great moment was to getting the two Lombardes

(26:15):
for him. But if he's going to retire, he should
have retired right then. And if he's gonna come back,
he should have came back right there like that, just
to be honest, Like I think I get it. You
have to make your decision. You've had this is it's
been it's been five days now, like you've had a
couple of months as well, Like.

Speaker 5 (26:33):
But I imagine he, like you, probably is still think
I mean, he definitely is still thinking about it.

Speaker 2 (26:37):
And imagine he said one thing or the other.

Speaker 5 (26:39):
It is like I'm coming back, and he's like, all right, actually,
like let me hold this press conference. I'm going I'm
about to retire change my mind in three weeks, which
is possible.

Speaker 3 (26:46):
You would have gotten that mad though, like all right.

Speaker 2 (26:49):
All right, it takes away from the moment.

Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yeah, but it would have been such a moment and
if you do come back that year or if you
do retire either way, like I I do think that
would have been like a really special moment for a
guy who's been here for fifteen years. And you know,
and something that's so cool about this organization that I
don't think happens. And you know, as many NFL organizations,
it's just how many guys are one one Eagle, you know,

(27:14):
one team guys and then they retire, Like how many
guys are just full blown Philadelphia Eagles, never spend the
one year somewhere else, like Jeff Saturday was on the
Colts forever, but he did that like packers run at
the end, Like I don't know why that was the
name that came in, But there's a lot of that,
those type of guys where it's like Kelsey's an Eagle
for life, Lane's an Eagle for life, BG Eagle for life. Obviously,

(27:37):
Fletch the Eagle for life like Jake Elliott in his
case is probably eagle for life now. But and I
think that there's probably more of those guys on this team.
You know, I didn't see at the parade. I keep saying,
we gotta take a break, but you know, I didn't
see at the parade at all that Davante. I feel
like I got nothing from DeVante, didn't speak. I feel

(27:58):
like I didn't see him any any like drunk clips
about him. He was he there, I saw him like.

Speaker 5 (28:03):
I only go but I only know he was there
because he him and AJ and Connor Barwin. Actually we're
all in a truck. They weren't even on a bus.
When when they were going by like the place I
was on twenty then Parkway, they were all on a truck.
It was AJ and Smithy like leading the back of
the like some pickup truck. They weren't even on the bus.
And it was Connor bar was just in the truck too.
I don't know exactly who else, but yeah, I mean

(28:25):
I don't know. Smithy obviously could have spoke if he
wanted to. Everyone was given an opportunity, and he's a
big enough player and a fan favorite, but I guess
he just didn't want to. I like that about him.
He's more of like a more of a low key guy.
Like he's a pretty humble, selfless guy.

Speaker 3 (28:39):
He was the funniest guy at the Super Bowl media days.
They asked him, you know, what would he get on
his cry? Patty said, I ain't no credit. He's great,
And they asked him he said he doesn't like seafood.
They asked why he doesn't like seafood. He said, I
don't like it.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
Not as good as Alson's performance, but it was good.

Speaker 3 (28:56):
Yeah, I loved about that. One of my biggest takeaway.
I felt like there was as many Davante jerseys at
the parade yesterday as like Jalen Orquon. I don't know, I.

Speaker 2 (29:08):
Really popular, really popular.

Speaker 3 (29:11):
Yeah, Like I was shocked, like how just how many.
I would say it was like Jalen was one, Saquon
was two, Davante was three, But those were like the
clear and away top three jerseys I saw. Then you
get like your Kelsey's, your AJ's, yeah, and yeah, those
would be like the five that you saw the most.
But at least I can't think of anybody else. It

(29:31):
saw a lot of my Lata, actually more more my
Latta than I would have expected.

Speaker 2 (29:34):
Because I feel like you wanted.

Speaker 5 (29:35):
When you're buying a jersey, you want to buy someone
who knows gonna be around a while. So like you know,
those offensive linemen, obviously Hurts will be around the while,
like Smithy, you never, you don't, things can happen. But
I could see that guy being an Eagle for like
twelve years, and like as long as he wants to,
Like Aj, I don't really know.

Speaker 2 (29:50):
I can't.

Speaker 5 (29:51):
I can't say one way or the other. I could
see Smitty being around for a while, and I.

Speaker 3 (29:55):
Think the Smitty thing is what I did. I bought
the Smitty jersey when we drafted him because I loved
the I was I and I was wrong. I had
Smitty above Jamar in that classic. I had him as
my wide receiver one. I was in love with DeVante
seeing what he did in Notre Dame in the playoffs.
Was like he was like literally the grim reaper on
the side I remember, like slimmer, I remember exactly, but

(30:16):
I was like, you're not going to stop this guy,
Like I just triple him, like I don't know what
to do. And obviously he tore them up. So I
love that pick. And I think there were so many
people like me that were like, we haven't had a
good receiver and so long that you can buy the
jersey of And they went out and got that Davante jersey.
But let's take a break. On the other side, we're
coming back with our college basketball cards from the day.

(30:38):
Sam huge, huge college basketball guy. He his turps are
are are racing right now, all.

Speaker 2 (30:45):
Right, racing.

Speaker 5 (30:46):
We're a title contender, Mark, not just for got a
Big Ten contender. We have a chance to make a
final four one.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
Okay, we might have. I actually had a little bit
of a segment planned of like teams outside the top
but it's a weird number because I like the number
twenty team, but teams outside the top nineteen. I had
two teams that I think could make the fun specific
yeah exactly, but I had four teams that I think
could make the final four. We should do a list
of teams that could either win the title or make
a run out of here on the show today. We'll

(31:16):
do that. But on the other side, we're gonna give
our college basketball cards for the day. I've got a
couple of plays at noon. I think Sam does as well.
So back after this.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
If you can wager onic we are talking about it's
a gambler.

Speaker 3 (31:51):
Welcome back to the Tough Cover radio show. By the way,
a plus from Sam there, that's an incredible, incredible lead
in too. From the Eagles Parade. One of the best
songs of all time. I'll say it that that's I
think that that's on the Space Jam soundtrack. Am I right?

Speaker 5 (32:11):
I couldn't tell you. I'm not gonna lie I didn't.
I don't really know a lot of a lot of
music like that. I'm not the biggest music I just
have the music sheet up here. A song called Fly
Like an Eagle was on I'm like, all right, I'm
taking that. Never heard of it before, which is kind.

Speaker 3 (32:24):
Of fly like an Eagle by Seal. By the way,
I'll just say out there, I get it. You know,
one of these songs by a bad person. But this album,
if you go look at the Space Jam. I believe
I could fly. It is on this album. So but
bat Guy R Kelly. But this album in general one

(32:46):
of the best soundtracks in the history of movies. This
is a space Jam soundtrack. Fly like an Eagle Space
Jam obviously, I believe I can fly. Basketball Jones by
Barry White. Uh, there's a lot of great space Jam
was cooking.

Speaker 5 (33:02):
I'm looking at it now. Great soundtrack for a great,
great movie obviously. But yeah, we got j Z feature
Chris Rock like.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
A little bit better of a movie, you know.

Speaker 5 (33:14):
I know lebron guys will try to say Space Jam
two is better.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
That got me wrong.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
I'm a brown sexual, but I will admit that that
the Jordan Jordan hasn't beat in the space Jam department.
Speaking of basketball, switching it over to the hardwood here,
let's give out our picks for the day. I got
eight on the board. I actually deleted one. I'll run
it by you the one I deleted and see maybe
if you have a take on it, or we'll see

(33:44):
if it's on your car. How many you got over there? Sam?

Speaker 2 (33:46):
I got five?

Speaker 3 (33:48):
Five? Are you you go first? All right?

Speaker 5 (33:50):
More favorites if I have anything got it more favorites
than I would typically typically would like on a Saturday
when a lot of a lot of upsets happened. But
Alabama obvious see Alabama, Auburn's the game of the day,
four o'clock tip. That's gonna be electric game. But I
love love Alabama. Favorite play of the day in this
minus two and a half, it's up to now and
I love Alabama. You're about to say something, go my

(34:12):
best bet.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
There we go.

Speaker 5 (34:13):
Good, good, good guys, So we're aligned perfect love it,
same best bet, favorite bet of the day. Obviously we
know how hot this Alabama team is. Seven has won
seven in a row. They're so deep, Grant Nelson, Mark Sears.
They just have so many different guys who can contribute,
almost five guys in double figures, who are averaging double figures.
The thing about Alabama is the couple things concerning their defense. Obviously,

(34:38):
it's it's the worst in terms of scoring defense in
the entire conference in the SEC. And the other thing
is their turnover margin is also the worst. The turnover
is concern me more than the defense. But and kind
of long term, when I would scale, who would I
trust more to win? Auburn or Alabama. I may lean
Auburn for those reasons, just because of the Alabama turnovers
have been have been they haven't been costly, but they've

(34:58):
kind of been problematic, and you want to get those
numbers down as we head into March. But at home
Alabama in this spot, how hot they've been. Give me
Alabama minus two and a half, Houston minus one and
a half, Perdue minus five and a half just to
roll real quick, Michigan State plus six and a half
they've been reeling, and then George Mason minus three and
a half.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
They're at home against Saint Jose.

Speaker 3 (35:21):
I'm also on Houston, one of probably my maybe my
second favorite player of the day, So we're aligned on
the top.

Speaker 5 (35:26):
They're going to eat up Arizona's guards, including Caleb Love.

Speaker 3 (35:30):
I totally agree, I have. I'll get to the Arizona thing.
I've got a lot of questions about that team. That
team doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Speaker 2 (35:39):
Huh, Arizona you're talking about.

Speaker 3 (35:41):
Yeah, they're eighteenth in offense. I'll story right now. They're
eighteenth in offense on Ken Palm. None of their top
six scorers are thirty three are They're all thirty three
percent or below from three. None of their top six
scorers can shoot it at all. None of them shoot
volume amount a three pointer. I guess Caleb shoots a
volume out of three pointers, but does it at an
extremely inefficient number. And the rest of the top six

(36:04):
is not shooting really at all. They have a couple
like specialist guys, like their seven day and ninth guys
are all shooting like pretty well. But like, are we
really gonna rely on all of the shooting in big games?
Especially against the defense like Houston that's allowing fifty seven
points per game, and somehow you're allowing fifty seven points
per game? How are they fourth and Ken Pom defensively?

(36:25):
It's just like they should be better than that. I
know it's all adjusted, but I love this Houston team.
I think they're one of the best four best teams
in the country. I feel like a lot of the
times this year you're hearing people be like, Okay, well Auburn, Duke, Bama, whatever, order,
like those are the top three. I think there's the
top four, and I think Houston's in it. Like I know,
maybe the offense, maybe they don't have shed, maybe they

(36:47):
don't have that like top top guy. I think LJ.
Cryer is a pretty darn good scorer, but I think
Houston is very much a title contender, like of the
top top echelon.

Speaker 5 (36:58):
I'm with you, and I think ljcr is a guy
who can kiir you and go on like one of
these epic final four runs like rally off four, five, six,
if they're gonna win the whole thing, just epic performances
in the tournament, which is why. Because that's why I
trust the Sustan team, because we know they can guard.
I mean, obviously, they're always one of the best defensive
teams in the country, so we know that about them.
And I'm with you on Arizona. They shoot thirty one

(37:20):
percent as a team from three.

Speaker 2 (37:22):
They just they can't.

Speaker 5 (37:23):
They're not a good shooting team. Teams like that I
don't trust long term. Same thing with Saint John's why
I don't really trust them that much, even though they're
having a phenomenal year, because they can't.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
I just don't trust them shooting.

Speaker 5 (37:32):
And when you make them shoot a lot of threes
like Villanova did the other day, things aren't gonna go well.
Even though they obviously came back in that Nova game
and ultimately lost. But still that's why I don't trust
his Zona team, and I'm big on Houston as well.

Speaker 3 (37:44):
Yeah, I definitely am talking at it both sides of
my mouth because I love Saint John's. Yeah, I love
the Saint John's. Sure, I will say, I do think
what's his name? Looking, I'm trying to pull it up now,
the guy from You're Not from Houston from Utah Smith Smith?
On Saint John's, it's like ten game, but he he's

(38:08):
shooting three at three threes a game thirty seven percent,
four seventy three last year. He's a pretty good shooter.
He's probably better shooter than anybody on Houston. And I
just feel like when I watched Saint John's, I was
gonna grades out better. So you're probably right to bring
it up as a comparison. But I feel like when
I watch St. John's and I need a bucket, either
Lease or Richmond are able to get one. And maybe
maybe it's not shooting, but I feel like when I
watch Arizona and it's like they need a bucket, I

(38:29):
have no faith in Caleb to get that buckets always.
So maybe I'm just not a kalable guy.

Speaker 2 (38:35):
He's just so inefficient.

Speaker 3 (38:38):
Yeah, I'm not a Kale of Love guy. So I
feel like that, like Colors everything that I think about Arizona,
but I believe in Saint John's a little more. I
think that that defense their second in the country defense.
It is like I feel like, yeah.

Speaker 2 (38:52):
Defense is phenomenal.

Speaker 5 (38:53):
I don't know if that was my connection of yours,
but you kind of went out there for a second,
but I think I got I think I got got
what you were saying is that that defense is phenomenal
from Saint John's. I mean when they pressed Villanova, and
Villanova is some smaller guards, so that's tough against the press.
But when they pressed Villanova, they completely they were they
had them in a whirlwind that Villanova didn't know how
to break that press, and that's how Saint John's ultimately

(39:14):
came back. But it's not just that. It's as a
rebounding group, they're phenomenal. They are so physical and gritty
and that's what you kind of expect from a Patino
coach team.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
So I love the Saint John's team.

Speaker 5 (39:24):
It's just the shooting, like the shooting man, and they
do have guys who go get your bucket. But the
shooting is such a concern where it's like, if this
team is going to be shooting twenty eight percent in
certain nights, like are they really gonna rally off a
big run in the Big East Tournament and then the
NCAA Tournament.

Speaker 3 (39:40):
I feel like I'd usually be anti Saint John's, but
I feel like I just love this team. I don't
think I think it's just probably betting on them so
much this year and watching them You've been profitable, so confident. Yeah, yeah,
I think that's probably a big part of it. But
I'll run down my card here. We got plenty of
time in the second hour to talk about Saint Johns.
Would definitely be on my list of teams that could
win a title and can make a deep run, So

(40:01):
we can debate that a little bit in the second hour.
At twelve o'clock, I got two probably two least favorite
players of the day, But my only plays are at noon.
Give me the under at one forty and a half
in Arkansas, Texas, A and M. The under is fifteen
and nine for Arkansas, nine and three in the last twelve,
sixteen and eight for A and M. Twelve and four

(40:21):
in the last sixteen. A lot of sec unders this year,
so that's kind of been something that I've been riding
a little bit. I think I've at least one. Yeah,
I've got one more sec under on the card for today.
I like Also in that game, I think it's going
to be a low scoring game, kind of leans a
little bit towards a close game. So give me Arkansas
plus eight and a half. I don't think it's a

(40:42):
blowout where A and M puts up eighty points or
anything like that. So Arkansas five and five against spread
as a dog, but four outright wins as a dog,
so that they have competed. They've won three of their
last four in the last three weeks. They're actually eleventh
in Bartrovic and as opposed to A and M's twelfth.
That's obviously only a five games sample size, but I'll
take the eight and a half points, especially because Arkansas

(41:05):
had the thirteenth best defense in the last three weeks.
It's again small sample size, but it does seem like
they've kind of figured it out ever since that Kentucky win,
and maybe they kind of just needed to get up
for that big game and kind of get up for
Cal and after that everything kind of clicked and that
maybe that was kind of a bombing experience. That was
a huge game, a huge win for your coach, where
you show up in a spot where nobody expected them to.

(41:28):
I I kind of I like this Arkansas team. I
don't know if they make the if they make the tourney,
but I like them a lot more than some of
these other crap teams on the bubble.

Speaker 5 (41:38):
Yeah, I mean the bubble. Everyone says this every year,
and it's kind of true. I mean, I guess it's
not true, but like the bubble, the bubble is just
bad this year. It's like it's gonna between like an
Arkansas and like a Villanova. And like obviously I would
favor Arkansas, who started out I believe it was oh
and five or oh and six and the SEC, and
now they're four and seven in the SEC. They're not
going to compete for that that SEC title, but that's

(41:58):
a really tough conference. A top conference is gonna have
twelve or thirteen teams in the tournament in March.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
So I think Arkansas has been deserving.

Speaker 5 (42:05):
Like you said, the statistics over the last three weeks,
they've been deserving of last three weeks. I don't know
if that'll be enough for their for the for the
resume as a whole, but yeah, Cali Perry has has
him playing good basketball, and I actually really like that play.
I think I'm going to add that to my card
in that Texas A and M, who I think is
a little overrated. The thing about tax A and M
is they're the basketball offensive rebounding team in the country,
so they add so many possessions and just getting extra

(42:27):
possessions off the glass. But I don't trust that offense
that much, and I think Taxa, A and M's overrated.

Speaker 2 (42:31):
So I like that Arkansas play a lot.

Speaker 3 (42:34):
I think Buzz is a fraud. I've always saw a
game over here.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
Why don't you like Buzz?

Speaker 3 (42:39):
What's he ever done? Like? What's their what's his longest
run in A tournaments?

Speaker 5 (42:46):
Did he go to I could be making that up,
but I feel like he did.

Speaker 3 (42:50):
I could be wrong. I just feel like I just
feel like Buzz is a classic first round exit guy,
a classic bubble guy, and I think he's I think
Buzz is a little bit more like Notorious Sir. I
don't know the right where I feel like he's a
bit of a bigger deal than he's ever earned the
right to be the same in terms of like his
his standing in college basketball. I'm not a fan the

(43:12):
same thing with Tommy Lloyd. By the way, this is
why I'm on that Houston minus one and a half
play that I mentioned. I think Tommy Lloyd's a fraud.

Speaker 5 (43:18):
I'm not the biggest I'm not the biggest Tommy Lloyd guy,
and I don't. That's part of the reason why I
don't like that Zona team.

Speaker 2 (43:24):
I would say.

Speaker 5 (43:24):
Buzz Williams when he was a v tech in twenty
eighteen twenty nineteen, he went to the Sweet sixteen, which, yeah,
that's the less so that's the farthest he's been. And
then because of that obviously got the A and M job.
And with A and M, you're right, he's never been
out of the first weekend.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
I'll lay it on the table right now, Buzz Williams
will not advance to the Elite eight this year at
Texas A and M. I'm with it. He's a Sweet
sixteen ceiling type.

Speaker 5 (43:47):
When they're like a two or three seed, give me
that fifteen or fourteen seed.

Speaker 2 (43:52):
I'm already booking it. I'm already locking that in.

Speaker 3 (43:56):
I'm thinking more of the sixth and the seven in
the second round maybe, but maneen fifteen.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
There's gonna be one. Not always, but you got to
take one.

Speaker 3 (44:04):
That'd be great. I'd love to see Buzz's fraudulent you know,
you know what go down. I don't like him. I
don't know why I don't like him. Something happened. He
must have given a quote at some point that I
was like, I don't like it. I don't know what it's.
What it is, but it's been going on since before
he got to an M. It's dating back to Virginia Tech.

Speaker 5 (44:22):
I never origin story behind your Buzz Williams.

Speaker 3 (44:26):
Yeah, I don't know what it is. I think it's
it might just be based in betting on him and losing.
I'm thinking what it is. That might just be what
it is. But speaking of teams you bet on and lose,
speaking of Virginia Tech. Actually for a better a better segue,
ugly game, Virginia Virginia Tech. This game doesn't really matter.
But the words you never thought you'd hear, as Beef

(44:48):
said to me today, Virginia has become an overteam eight
and two in the last ten to the over seventy
five seventy four game. Last time these two teams played,
They're one hundred and fifteenth in offense, but there are
one hundred and fifth in defense. Sounds like they have
a good defense on the other side. Virginia Tech one
hundred and twenty twenty, one hundred and twenty second in offense,
but one hundred and ninety second in defense. So give

(45:09):
me the over at one twenty seven and a half
in Virginia Virginia Tech. That's on the CW right there,
probably got Tom Brenneman on the call there. It's an
ugly one. It's gonna be an ugly one. Hyde your eyes.

Speaker 5 (45:20):
I believe it's brennanman and my guy Seth Davis on
the call. Great call, it'll be a great call. That's
an ugly game, A great call.

Speaker 3 (45:28):
Yeah, Tom Brenneman, watch out. Never you never know what's
then there's a there's a deep drug. But three point
thirty another sec under year under one forty six and
a half Missouri Georgia unders fourteen and ten for MISSOO
nine and three in the last twelve seventeen and eight
for Georgia ten and two in the last twelve. Georgia
one of the top ten under teams in the entire country,
with Mike White leading the way, only seventy ninth in offense,

(45:51):
top twenty in defense. On ken Pom, we already talked
about four o'clock Bama. I got it in at minus
one and a half. I'm still seeing there might be
a minus one out there on the market if you
check the Action Network and no free ads and check
where you can find that. But I got it at
minus one and a half. So that's where I locked
in my best bet at the day, and what was
going to be my best bet of the day before Bama,

(46:12):
my best bet of the season was about to be
the over in Villanova Providence. It was one thirty nine
and a half. It got up to now I think
it's one forty two and a half. I got it
at one forty one and a half. So those two
points I do think matter when you're talking about college
basketball over. But over is sixteen eight and one for
Nova on the air, fourteen ten and one for Providence,
but ten to one in one in their last twelve.

(46:35):
It is also a Nova team in the ranks top
fifteen in offense one hundred and fortieth in defense on
Ken Pomp. Providence has a respectable seventieth ranked offense, much
worse on defense. So I like that over a lot.
It's probably my second or third favorite player of the
day when.

Speaker 5 (46:47):
I think you just talked me into another one with
that over too, because this is this is number one.
Villanova's defense as hasn't been great, like you said with
those numbers, but also Providence defense over the last two
weeks or so, as they've been on this four game
losing strick, has been horrible. I mean they can't guard
every just to go through they give up ninety one
to Ex Savior, gave up eighty two to Baylor, eight
to Cretan, sixty eight to Saint John's, whis a little

(47:09):
more low scoring, but this they can't guard anyone right now.
This Providence season is already down the drain. I mean,
they're not playing for anything at this point. But it's
been a disastrous season for Providence. But that makes it
a tricky spot for Nova coming off because they need
this win.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
They can't lose to this Providence team.

Speaker 5 (47:24):
Rolster NCAA tournament hopes are over, but they're coming off
a huge win. I mean, the ultimate letdown spot would
be Providence going in and upsetting Villa Nova. But they're
coming off this huge win over Saint John's a couple
of days ago. Providence isn't a good team on the road.
I like that, and Nova not a good defensive team.
I like that over as well.

Speaker 3 (47:42):
I like. No, I'm not betting it because I'm focused
on the over, but I might end up adding Nova.
There's a good chance.

Speaker 5 (47:50):
Because I would lean Providence just because of what's said.
What I just said with that letdown spot. But I
don't think I think this Providence horrible.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
You don't like it, you don't like.

Speaker 5 (48:03):
I like him English still, and he was actually in
contention to have the Maryland job before Kevin Willard.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
I think got it. I think you guys snailed Willard
over English personally if I was.

Speaker 2 (48:14):
I still, I think we gotta give more time in Providence.
I'm not.

Speaker 5 (48:17):
I'm not like he's just everyone's been saying this is
a great up and coming coach. I'm not saying that necessarily.
I think we have to give more time in Providence.
But this team is bad. They just didn't recruit well,
didn't use the transferport a well, and you kind of
like you learn from that, And there's these are they're
one of the teams where some years they're gonna be
the top of the biggest and some years they're gonna
be very mediocre. This year they're worse than mediocre. It's
just one of those years they're.

Speaker 3 (48:38):
Not even on the bubble or even And you mentioned
you mentioned that four game stretch. The game before that,
a game that it's probably set my opinion on Providence.
I hammered Providence minus three and a half against the
Seaton Hall team that I have faded all year long
profit and they gave up sixty seven to seat in
Hall and only one by two. Like I remember thinking
the defense in that game that I was watching was

(49:00):
pathetic for for Providence. So I really liked you over
here and I lean nova. But that would that would
be a small play. I mean, the last play to day,
go ahead, last play the day before we take a break.
And it's a team that's been disrespected all year long.
As my good friend Beef texted me, this is a
Texas line, but give me Kentucky plus three and a
half at Texas. Tuck's been disfracted all your long five

(49:23):
and one against the spread as a dog with five
outright wins as a dog when they've only been a
dog six times. Only team in the Power Conference to
have five outright wins with less than three losses.

Speaker 2 (49:34):
As a dog.

Speaker 3 (49:35):
So give me Kentucky plus three and a half.

Speaker 5 (49:37):
Well, there's a bunch of injuries that got announced today.
I don't I don't know. I think Lamar Butler might
be out. I think Jackson Robinson might be out. I'm
looking up now, did you see that injury news?

Speaker 3 (49:48):
I'm trying to say, maybe you're breaking that news to me.
I can't lie.

Speaker 2 (49:52):
Yeah, well that's why. That's why I think that line
is kind of like that three.

Speaker 3 (49:56):
I'll tell you what, I do a terrible job monitoring
co college basketball injuries. Can call my other sports. I
don't know why I do such a better job with
college football. Maybe because it's a week off in between
games and you're kind of focusing on one game. Some
I just knocked my mic over there, But yeah, maybe
I don't know why I do such a bad job
with that. But I miss injuries all the time in

(50:17):
college basketball. And then people tweeted at me, and I'm like,
Oh crap, I look like an idiot now, but I'm
still I'll leave it on the card. I wish I
would have bet it's smaller than I did, but I will.

Speaker 5 (50:28):
Say they're both out. Jackson Robinson Lamont Butler are both
officially out.

Speaker 3 (50:32):
Yeah, that stinks.

Speaker 2 (50:34):
That's two pretty key injuries there.

Speaker 3 (50:36):
That's bad. And oh also something I saw. Providence has
two guys who are either out or game time decision,
who I think average. They both averaged like nine and
ten points per game, so two of their better players.
I guess I did see that. I don't know if
that helps or hurts the over or probably definitely helps
Villanova though. So let's take a break on the other
side more college basketball back after this spreads.

Speaker 1 (50:59):
Total all the prop that's in the Queen. It's the Gambler.
If you can wager on it, We're talking about it.
It's the Gambler.

Speaker 7 (51:07):
Will they a chicken man and Billy last night? Now
they blew up his house too? Down on the board
Walker getting ready bird for it. See what them reckon
boys can do. Now there's a trouble pusting in from

(51:28):
out of state, and the big can get old really
bromble out on the Probably and the Gamble Commissioners hanging
on by the puskin of its after everything.

Speaker 3 (51:44):
Welcome back to the Tuncover Radio Show with your host,
Mark Henry Junior. Follow me on Twitter at Mark Henry
Junior underscreen follows sam My coos over there at as
Austrey on the Ones two's back in the studio saying
make sure you tweet those those pleas out from the
tough Cover. We gotta we gotta check out how our
records both were on the show. That I've been pretty

(52:06):
darn good on Saturdays lately, and so let's to continue that.
Let's talk about something else that's happening tonight that sadly
I won't be watching, and that's that makes me very sad.
Once upon a time, Sam I used to put the
NBA All Star Saturday Night on my schedule like it was,

(52:26):
you know, one of the most important nights. I was
not Saturday Night, even if you go search my tweets,
even in the last like five, six, seven years. I
get really mad every time that there's a mediocre dunk
contest and everybody has to run to Twitter, good goods
to the dunk contest.

Speaker 2 (52:43):
We should never have one a good it's horrible.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
Just don't watch, just don't watch the event if you
if you hate the Dunk Contest so much. Do I
agree that it's lost notoriety, absolutely, But zach Lavine Eric
Gordon Dunk Contest is the best of all time in
my opinion. I don't even think it close.

Speaker 2 (53:00):
What was at seventeen, sixteen, twenty fifteen or sixteen.

Speaker 3 (53:04):
Yeah, something in that range. Even the I thought the
other Aaron Gordon one that he got robbed in was
pretty awesome as well with Derrek Jones Jr. That was
I think like nineteen or twenty maybe eighteen, So I
don't know when that was, but something in that range.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
I was looking.

Speaker 5 (53:20):
I was actually looking at that dunk contest, the Aaron
Gordon zach Lavine one. It was just funny to see
zach Lavine in a Timbwolves jersey and Aaron Gordon a
Magic jersey.

Speaker 2 (53:29):
So all right, this is only like a decade ago.

Speaker 5 (53:31):
You just don't associate either of those guys with either
of those teams anymore.

Speaker 3 (53:35):
Not at all. But yeah, I mean those were not
that long ago in terms of, uh, you know how
great the dunk Contest has been in the last even
ten years when it when it pops, and I thought
Macha Clung popped last year. I thought that was a
fun contest. But you know, Valentine's State falls at Neagles Parade.

(53:56):
You got to make some sacrifices with the wife.

Speaker 5 (53:59):
I was gonna as I was gonna ask, why are
you watching the night? There's your answer.

Speaker 3 (54:03):
The next day becomes Valentine's Day a little bit when
the Eagles have a parade on Valentine's Day. But they
do call me Markey All Star Saturday Night, and I
have to check. I think I lost last year. I
don't think I carried this nickname on, but once upon
a time, every single year, I would hit like a

(54:24):
ten to one or an eight to one and absolutely
cook on Markey All Star Saturday Night.

Speaker 2 (54:31):
I should change the name to that. Let's pitch that
to the NBA.

Speaker 5 (54:34):
Changed the name, not the NBA All Star Saturday Night,
the Mark All Star Saturday Night.

Speaker 3 (54:39):
Kat was plus seven hundred in the in the finals
last year, but he lost, so I think it went
to it went to a screeching halt. That that was
That would have been, that would have been the continuation.
But for years before I won every single year at
least pick like two of the three. Right where I'm
going this year. I don't love the Skills Challenge This year.
I'm going to Team cas I think they wonted last year.

(55:01):
I got it at plus two thirty. You could do
Spurs as well. I wouldn't. I wouldn't hate that. For
the three point contest, this is my big one. I've
been pretty good over the years and finding the winner
of the three point contest. At first, when I looked
at the field, I was thinking Norm Powell. Norm Powell
was the guy that I was looking at. You can
get him at like seven to one on some sites,

(55:22):
five to one plus five fifty on others. But then
I kind of Norm creates a lot of his shots,
like a lot of his shots are created by him.
He dribble into them, maybe not catch and shoot as
much and stand in one spot. And then I looked
somewhere else, and my pick with long odds, the second
longest odds, and you can get them at some some books.
He's down at plus seven hundred plus six hundred on

(55:44):
MGM and another book I saw you can get Cam
Johnson at ten to one plus one thousand to go
win that three point contest. That's a two unit play
for me, not just a one unit play. I'm putting
two units on it. Cam Johnson, catch and shoot guy,
I've been pretty hot as of late from three give
me Cam Johnson.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
Wow, that's that's it.

Speaker 5 (56:02):
I like that Plague because there is some value there,
just like he's priced pretty down there. I'm going somewhere else.
I think there's a lot of value too. By the way,
Norman Powell is like, I think he he'll be the
best shooter in this event, Like he shoots forty six
percent on catching shoot threes.

Speaker 2 (56:18):
That is the number one in the entire events out
of every single player participting.

Speaker 5 (56:22):
He is like he and you don't really know if
a chance translates, like when you're catching it from pass
verus taking it off the ball rack, So you.

Speaker 2 (56:27):
Don't really know. But he's phenomenal.

Speaker 5 (56:29):
So I really leaned was leaning Norman Palell as well,
but I didn't go that way, mostly because his odds
are only plus five fifty and I wanted something more
of a long shot, and this isn't exactly a long shot.
But I'm going Jalen Brunson at plus seven fifty now,
and look, I think it matters that you have some
experience in this event, so you kind of know the rhythm,
the routine of it taking the balls off the rack,

(56:51):
and Jalen Brunson did it last year. There's a lot
of newbies in this event. Obviously Dame is the favorite
at plus three hundred because he won back to back
the last two years, but there's a lot of newbies
like Tyler or Tyler Herrow did do it actually, but
Norman Pal's never done it, Daris Garland, Cam Johnson, k Cummingham,
none of those guys have ever participated before. Brunton has
that experience. I think that's valuable. He only was he
didn't make the finals last year. He was out in

(57:13):
the first round, but he was only two makes away
from the first round leader. So he's he's a guy
that he's just a great catching shoot, shooters a greathoot
off the drip. But he's a fun n He's always
been really an underrated three point shooter. People don't really
think about that with him. It's more like his mid range,
his footwork, everything else. You know.

Speaker 2 (57:29):
Only he's a phenomenal three point shooter. So give me
Jalen Brunson in this I like it.

Speaker 3 (57:35):
I like it for the dunk contest. I think mac
mcclumb probably wins it. But he's minus two hundred. What's
the fun in betting anything with that, or even parlaying
it with anything. I'm gonna go with Stephan cast Oh.

Speaker 2 (57:46):
I have him too.

Speaker 3 (57:47):
I think that's my guy to love it, love it.
I think this guy's bouncy. I think this guy and
he's also got the benefit of being a guard. He's
not too tall to make the things that he's doing
look unimpressive, so it does look like he's jumping really
high as a guard. I think he's had like three
of the top twelve vertical leaps this year in games
that have been measured. You there was someone who put

(58:09):
up like a top twenty of his dunks from this year.
He has some sick dunks and I haven't really necessarily
seen all over the timeline surprisingly, but that guy's an
absolutely freak athlete. I think, if anything, maybe better to
make the finals. I haven't checked the odds on that,
but I do like him to be competing with McClung
at the end.

Speaker 5 (58:28):
Of the night. Yeah, he's plus one sixty five to
make the finals. Yeah, it's not as fun, but maybe
you can do a little both action if you really
want to double down on Stefan Castle, I'm there with you.
He's a very underrated dunker, Like he's a complete package
as a player, and he's the rookie of your favorite
so it doesn't get notoriety for being this athletic dunker
and this bouncy guy.

Speaker 1 (58:47):
But he is.

Speaker 5 (58:48):
He's a really good Dunkery posterizes guys often. Honestly, throughout
this season, Mac McClung's probably gonna win it just because
it's the three peat.

Speaker 2 (58:57):
Everyone knows who is the name.

Speaker 5 (58:59):
Notoriety judge will probably give it to him, especially because
he said this is last one, so they'll probably just
give him the three peat even if he doesn't necessarily
deserve it.

Speaker 2 (59:07):
But but you look at Boozells.

Speaker 5 (59:08):
He's the tallest guy in this competition, So I don't
think I think Stefan Castle's advantage over him and Andre
Jackson Junior is also insanely athletic, but most of his
dunks or like putbacks or like drop offs, like yes,
some posterizing high flying dunks he can I don't think
he can fly like a Stefan castle Camp.

Speaker 2 (59:24):
So I think he's an underrated dunker.

Speaker 5 (59:25):
And I think plus one sixty five to make it
and then plus five point fifty to win it.

Speaker 2 (59:30):
I like that too, Love it, love it.

Speaker 3 (59:33):
Yeah. I got it at plus seven hundred or earlier
in the week, and I actually think it was higher
than that at some point earlier in the week, but
I didn't grab it. I saw it in some article
that it was like plus nine hundred. I think when
it opened.

Speaker 5 (59:45):
Yeah, it makes sense because McClung was like minus two
hundred plus and now he's down to minus one forty.

Speaker 3 (59:51):
Oh. I didn't even see he fell to Yeah, I
thought he was still up there. So yeah, I think
there's been a little narrowing. I think the books are realizing, like,
what are we gaining by making mac fung minus two
hundred right now? But that's doing that? Does it for
the market? All Star Saturday Night picks of the year.
I don't do anything with the All Star Game on Sunday.
I have a tradition that I don't watch the All
Star Game. I don't complain about it, but I don't

(01:00:13):
watch it. I'm not an All Star Game I complain.

Speaker 2 (01:00:15):
About it for sure.

Speaker 5 (01:00:16):
I mean, it's been a joke of an event the
last few years when it really used to have meaning.
So it's pretty disappointing. Obviously, Adam Silver was pissed last year.
That was the best moment of the game last year
at the end when Adam Silver was handing out the
All Star Game, he was just pissed because they literally
brought the guys in last year of both teams all
the All Stars, brought them into the locker room, had

(01:00:37):
Larry Byrd Larry Bird come speak to them and tell
them this event means something.

Speaker 2 (01:00:42):
Let's compete.

Speaker 5 (01:00:42):
Let's go out there and put on a show and compete,
not just not try play zero defense, have a two hundred.
Let each team score two hundred plus. And they still
did that. After the NBA sat them down, had this conversation,
Larry Bird came in, they still did that. So it's
become a joke of an event. Hopefully this new format
brings some pizazz and spark to it. It's a four

(01:01:03):
team format, which I don't love because you're bringing the
Rising Stars team, like what if they win it?

Speaker 2 (01:01:09):
Because the other guys don't care.

Speaker 5 (01:01:10):
The Rising Stars might show more effort and that those
guys might actually win it, which is like who you're
gonna give the MVP too?

Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
But I do have a play in that.

Speaker 5 (01:01:17):
Honestly, just off the All Star Game MVP, and I'm
going Wemby at plus eight hundred just because I feel
like he's a guy first All Star appearance, he will
compete in this game like he is a competitive guy.
He has that drive. He's cut from a different cloth
than a lot of the American stars. You see, even
the international ones like Luka and Jokic have not cared
at all the last few years. Those guys have showed

(01:01:38):
zero effort. So I think Wemby's gonna bring some competitive
juice to it. And look, we know he is defensively
that doesn't matter for it for this game or for
the MVP market, But he also can explode for like
forty plus points. He can have games where he shoots
or makes seven or eight threes. So I like Wemby
a plus eight hundred.

Speaker 3 (01:01:55):
Then let's switch it back over to the college basketball
hard and take a look at some of the matchups
that maybe we didn't touch on. I know, you hit
Perdue at minus five and a half against Wisconsin. There
another game. I'm just going through the ranked matchups to
another game at one o'clock. This was the game I
deleted off my card. I had Vanderbilt plus thirteen and

(01:02:18):
a half at Tennessee. I ended up taking it off.
Tennessee did lose to them already this year, so maybe
it could be like a revenge spot where they kind
of lay lay the hammer on Vandy. And Rick Barnes
is pretty good against bad teams generally, so I lean Vandy.
I think thirteen and a half is probably too many points,
but I ended up backing off anything anything there.

Speaker 5 (01:02:39):
I think this Vanderbilt team is a little underrated. I
kind of liked them, so I would lean that as well.
But like you said, it's a revenge spot for Tennessee,
and we saw last time Tennessee and revenge. Remember they
lost to Florida by thirty and then they beat Florida
when they were at home by twenty, So you kind
of has that similar feel where like Tennessee and Rick
Burns are good in revenge spots, so I wouldn't touch it,

(01:03:00):
but I think this Vannable team is good enough to compete.

Speaker 3 (01:03:03):
No, I'm right there.

Speaker 5 (01:03:04):
With you.

Speaker 3 (01:03:05):
The only other The counterpoint to that is that Kentucky
does own them. Yeah, so Kentucky beat them twice. Maybe
maybe Vandy has something figured out on Rick Barnes, but
thirteen and a half. That's the only reason I'm looking
at it. I do think Tennessee wins the game, probably
pretty easily, but thirteen and a half is a ton
of points there. We touched on Wisconsin Forte We touched
on Houston, Arizona, Texas Tech at Oklahoma State Texas Tech

(01:03:28):
eight and a half points just a little bit too
rich for my blood. I really like this Texas Tech team.
I think they're one of the fifteen best teams in
the country, probably right with the ranks are around twelve.
But I didn't end up touching that one. We talked
to Missouri Georgia. We talked Alburn, Alabama, Duke Stanford. It's
just like every game Duke plays, they're like Gonzaga of
years past, for like an eighteen and a half point favorite.

Speaker 2 (01:03:50):
AC is so bad it's a joke, terrible. Do you
think they have hurt the teams? Yeah, they are, they're
actually do you think that's gonna hurt Duke?

Speaker 5 (01:03:58):
I mean we'll talk about title condenders, But do you
think that's gotta hurt Dupe playing such a weak schedule.

Speaker 3 (01:04:04):
I go back and forth on it. Yes, part of
me does think that, and then part of me thinks, like, oh,
they're just they're good enough that it doesn't matter. I
kind of go back and forth. I feel like if
they were younger, then I would feel like they'd be
in trouble. But I feel like they have enough guys

(01:04:24):
who are older that that play minutes, Like Proctor has
been there a while, has played in big games.

Speaker 5 (01:04:30):
We when Cooper Flag and Kank Nipple are like your guys,
it's it's it's it's kind of hard to like say
they're definitely not gonna be one of more experienced teams.
But those guys also don't play like freshmen. Like Cooper
Flag is not a freshman to me. I don't I
don't care what that that F says next to his name.
He's not a freshman to me, just because he's so
much sure and he's mature throughout that year. Like go
back to their non conference earlier in the season, when

(01:04:51):
they lost to Kansas and Kentucky. They lost too like
and and that Cooper Flag gets some bad late possessions.
He's mature so much. And yeah, that Clemson game wasn't
wasn't great from Duke, but they've matured as a group,
and definitely their freshman class led by Cooper Flag that
I trust, Like their experience factor isn't a worry to
me because I think that these guys aren't playing like

(01:05:11):
freshmen and I don't I'm not really concerned about their
schedule because they had that non conference schedule when they
were really battle tested. So it's like, I don't care
that they played the ACC. I think that I think
you could switch it the other way. And this is
what I would say is that these teams in the
SEC and Big Ten were playing such difficult schedules, often
cannibalize each other, and they're gonna be so beating up
by the time Marshall rolls around, and Duke's gonna be

(01:05:32):
ready to go, playing weaker competition, but still having that
non conference resume that they're gonna be They're gonna be
good to go.

Speaker 3 (01:05:38):
They do have like like Propter on the team from
last year, obviously Foster who was on the team last year.
A couple guys who transferred in from other places like
James and Gillis. But still, yeah, yeah, that's it's crazy
that he's even still playing college basketball. I feel like
he was at Purdue for twenty years. But Flag and
Knopple are obviously the top two guys, so that that's

(01:06:00):
the I feel like if it was just like one
of those classic teams like ten years ago where it
was Duke and Kentucky would have full teams of freshmen,
I'd be a little bit more concerned about not having
the test. And you mentioned the non conference that helps
as well. And we saw how they played in those
big games and they stepped up. So I think they're
they're I think they're probably the best team outside for me,

(01:06:22):
I still like Alabama more than anybody in the country.
I know that they have maybe more warts, but I
think when Alabama is on, they're more dominant than anybody
and more dangerous to anybody. I think they can win
a lot of different ways. I think Duke and Auburn
are just about equal. I would probably lean Duke because
I think it sounds funny to say with Duke, who
has such great home court, I almost think Auburn is

(01:06:43):
a little bit of a home court merchant, which is
funny to say after they just lost at home. That environment,
I think it's the craziest in the sport at Auburn
playing area. It's it's insane. It comes through the TV.
Maybe that's maybe just the way it's it's just comes
through the TV more than other more than the other
big ones for whatever reason. But I think you look
at some of those that they've had some close wins

(01:07:06):
or losses on the road as opposed to the blowout
wins against mid teams the SEC are even pretty good
teams in the SEC. I do think that you take
them away from home, I think it's gonna be a
little bit of a bigger problem for Auburn. So I
still think Duke's probably like the second best team in
the country. Even with that concern.

Speaker 2 (01:07:23):
I'm with you on that.

Speaker 5 (01:07:24):
I definitely think this Duke team can win it all.
Or I'll say about Alabama is you can't really use
the argument that their defense is a concern anymore. And
I know you're sighs as anyone on Alabama, and I'm
coming around on them. They're just so we talked about
it earlier on the show. They're just so deep generally
five different scorers who can kill you. But you can't
really use the defense's argument because we saw them make

(01:07:45):
a run last year, and that was the whole thing
last year, is like is this defense going to hold
them back? Can they make a run with a really
bad defense? But their defense actually even better this year
than it is last year, and you saw them make
the run and they had timely stops time and time
again in that tournament run to the final four and
then just ran into a Yukon team that was a
buzz soul and wasn't losing to anybody. So I can't

(01:08:05):
really sit here and say Alabama's defense is going to
hold him back, Like I can't. The only thing I
can really point to that would be a warp is
is their turnovers, which is a problem, and I still
want to see those turnovers get down.

Speaker 2 (01:08:15):
Like I said, worst turnover margin in the SEC.

Speaker 5 (01:08:18):
It's just some careless possessions sometimes, But that's also gonna
happen when you play so fast. I mean, Alabama just
runs up the court and plays at a lightning speed pace.
But so that's why I'm like, I'm with you where
it's like if you had to give me like three
teams to win it all? Right now, it would be Alabama,
Auburn Duke, which isn't a hot take, but I would
probably have Alabama Duke and then Auburn.

Speaker 3 (01:08:41):
That's how I have it too. I do think Houston's
right there though, Like I don't think Auburn is far
ahead of Houston at all.

Speaker 5 (01:08:48):
I don't disagree. And I'm a huge Florida guy. Like
I'm a huge Florida guy. If we're just gonna go
say who can win it all? Now, I've been a
Florida guy that this entire season I love. Ever since
that Kentucky game where they put up on and six,
I've been such a huge Florida guy. And the reason
is because they're such a great offensive rebounding team. It's
similar to Texas A and M, where they create so

(01:09:09):
many extra possessions. The only thing is Florida's a great
offensive rebounding team while also being an incredibly efficient offense,
and they defend at a high level. They have Walter
Clayton and Elijah More and all those guys, great guard play.
I think this Florida team can win it all.

Speaker 3 (01:09:23):
I'm not there on Florida yet I'm a little bit
lower on Florida, and I think part of it is
just that Tennessee loss scared me, Like, yeah, losing by
thirty when it got to a big spot like that,
even though they had beaten Tennessee by a million before.

Speaker 2 (01:09:38):
I just but then they beat Allburn, they beat Auburn
like a week lady.

Speaker 3 (01:09:41):
Yeah, I know, I know, it's crazy. It's I should
probably just erase that loss with that win, to be honest,
But I do kind of think it's one of those
teams that we just these guys haven't been there before.
The coach is kind of new to these like top
top discussions. I just I don't trust them the way
that I trust the other top teams. If you wanted

(01:10:02):
to tell me that the best outside of that top four,
I can't tell you. I I I that they're not.
I can't. I just would tell you that there's some
teams that if you're telling me they're shaping up in
the bracket against a couple other teams in a Sweet
sixteen Elite eight, like I'm probably taking Iowa State over
in Florida. I'm probably they can score.

Speaker 2 (01:10:22):
This year that I was state offense.

Speaker 3 (01:10:23):
Yeah, just legit. This year, I'm probably still taking Kentucky
over Florida. I love the upside with Kentucky when they're
when they're on and I know you say the same
with Florida. I think Florida b Kentucky.

Speaker 2 (01:10:35):
Kentucky.

Speaker 5 (01:10:36):
Yeah, I meant to say Kentucky be Florida, but I
actually came away more impressed.

Speaker 2 (01:10:39):
From that game by Florida.

Speaker 5 (01:10:41):
Obviously, you can kind of stop when you give up
one hundred and six, but it was on the road
and they hung on one hundred piece up on Kentucky.
So I was even more impressed with that Florida game,
even in a loss. I'm with you though, where it's
like Kentucky, who would you have, and I'd just say
Kentucky or Florida. You're going Kentucky.

Speaker 3 (01:10:54):
Yeah, I would take Kentucky. Not that confidently, but I
would take Kentucky. There's this is where it can alight.
I'll do this second right now, Let's do it for
the rest of the games. Uh. The four teams that
I like that are outside the top nineteen, be.

Speaker 5 (01:11:09):
A certain team. Huh, there better be a certain team
in there. I know it's not going to be, but
they're better be they're not in there, Well, then I'll
convince you. I'll convince you when you're done with this,
all right, all.

Speaker 3 (01:11:20):
Right, the four teams that I'm going with, And by
the way, I will say Saint John's I think currently
if I if you I said my top four, I
would take Saint John's over anybody else in the country
right now, really outside of outside of Bama, Duke, Auburn, Houston,
I would take Saint John's over Florida. You know my
thoughts on Rick Barnes. I will never believe Barnes, so

(01:11:42):
give me Saint John's over Tennessee. I will never believe
in Matt Painter, so give me.

Speaker 2 (01:11:47):
They made the championship last year.

Speaker 3 (01:11:50):
Yeah, but that was an eaty thing, Like I don't
think that that's gonna be. I don't think they're going
to get better without eating.

Speaker 5 (01:11:56):
Yeah, I just I think produced better this year, Like
what Brandon Smith has been doing is phenomenal.

Speaker 3 (01:12:01):
I don't think they're better than they were last No.

Speaker 5 (01:12:03):
No, definitely not better than were last year. I'm saying
Purdue is better than Saint John's. They're a better team
than Saint John's.

Speaker 3 (01:12:09):
I would take Saint John's I mean it's not even
It's not like I'm saying anything crazy. They're only two
spots behind him, and they're twenty one and three produce
nineteen and five. I don't think the Big ten's that
much better than the Big East this year.

Speaker 5 (01:12:18):
Also, I'm the big I think the Big Ten is
way better, not the top necessarily the top teams.

Speaker 2 (01:12:23):
Big tames deeper.

Speaker 3 (01:12:24):
No, it's deeper, definitely, Like.

Speaker 5 (01:12:26):
When we're talking about these Providence Seaton whole teams, like
teams that are usually better in the Big East. You
have a lot of weak spots in the Big East
that aren't there. With a Big Ten, you go through,
there's like ten they're gonna have ten eleven teams make
the tournament. No, no, I don't know how many contenders
they truly have, but there's ten eleven teams in there
that are never an easy game, especially going on the
road anywhere.

Speaker 2 (01:12:44):
I think the Big Ten clears the Big East.

Speaker 3 (01:12:46):
I will say it's a little easier to be deeper
when you have like twice many teams that's true teams. Now,
I guess it's a tough comparison. So like, yeah, we
do have like the basement of the Big East. But
the Big Ten does have Penns eight and Washington and
UH and Northwestern in Minnesota. And somehow, somehow, Rutgers is

(01:13:09):
one of these easy teams that two top five picks.
It's unbelievable. I mean that I like Steve, but sheesh,
and I know that the rest of the team isn't
very good.

Speaker 2 (01:13:18):
It's horrible Vira.

Speaker 5 (01:13:20):
I mean, look, it's kind of interesting though, because that's
kind of the salary cap discussion. It's like, you pay
those guys a lot, like can you build the rest
of your roster? You're probably better off not getting those
marque guys where you have to pay them a lot,
who are going to be top picks, and they was
just horrible roster construction.

Speaker 2 (01:13:33):
They have no help around those two.

Speaker 3 (01:13:36):
Honestly, are we are we sure? Like I feel like
Iowa stinks fourteen, but I felt i was horrible this year.

Speaker 2 (01:13:43):
It's a it's a bad.

Speaker 5 (01:13:46):
India stinks, like yeah, It's still like going to Indiana
is never an easy game, like Michigan State, I believe,
I'm pretty sure, as Michigan State just recently went to
Indiana loss. Like, going to Indiana is never an easy
game like going to play in Iowa, even when they're
not good, is never an easy game, even when these
teams are having down years like I just I think

(01:14:06):
the Big Ten has become an underrated conference because they
haven't won in the tournament last few years, where it's
still incredibly tough. These matchups night in and night out
were the only thing that compares this year to me
is the SEC.

Speaker 3 (01:14:19):
And I'm gonna give the Big Ten some credit here.
Two teams I do have in the Big Ten in
this four so it's two teams. It's two Big Ten
teams and two Big East teams. To be honest with you,
as the four teams that I have outside of the
top nineteen, I mentioned Saint John's that's a whole other conversation.
But the two Big Ten teams that I do believe
in to make a deep, deep run, and I think

(01:14:40):
they they have. I'm not saying these are the sixth, seventh, eighth,
and ninth best teams, but outside of my top five,
like in a bracket, I'm just taking these four teams
right now over anybody because I believe in them and
I think these are the teams that I trust in
the teams outside of that top four or five. For me,
I can see losing to a team like this. So
Michigan and Illinois are my two big ten teams. I've

(01:15:04):
watched this Michigan team enough and love this.

Speaker 5 (01:15:08):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (01:15:08):
Two bigs like that you have. I've always loved Flat Golden,
dating back to the FAU days. I feel like he
didn't get enough love for how important he was on
that On those FAU teams, Wolf is absolutely awesome. Might
be their best player even though he doesn't average. You know,
Golden's averaging fifteen and a half, He's averaging thirteen, but
he's getting the ten boards. He's I guess they're blocking

(01:15:31):
the same amount of shot, but I feel like Wolf's
more of a force, even on defense. And then you
have Donaldson, the guards, fantastic from from Auburn. He didn't
play much at Auburn. Two more guards in double figures.
Five dudes in double figures there for Michigan, Dusty May
the type of guy who's been there before, and one

(01:15:51):
at the highest level at a school that had less
resources and less talent. At FAU and Michigan, this is
I feel like I'm usually more of a Ken Palm guy,
they're only twenty second and ken Pom. But the interesting
thing about that is twenty fourth on offense, nineteenth in defense.
That's good enough in both levels, Like you are good
enough at offense, good enough at defense to do whatever.

(01:16:14):
I think they could go all the way to a
Natty like they literally, in my opinion, could go. I
don't know if they can win it all. I don't
think it's a crazy ticket has a long shot to
go place when you have guys that have been there
before like Golden and Dusty May and the other guys,
five guys and double figures. I like this Michigan team
a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:16:31):
I'm with you. I love this Michigan team. Love them.

Speaker 5 (01:16:33):
I think they're the best team in the Big Ten.
Better than Purdue, I definitely better than Michigan State. The
Danny Wolf of Vlad Golden four or five pick and
roll is one of the most fun things to watch
in college basketball in now, Like these are two seven
footers and it's a four to five pick and roll action.
Two seven footers running at flawlessly. Because Danny Wolf has
a phenomenal guard skills, like his footwork. He's he's such

(01:16:55):
a I'm so impressed with Danny Wolf, like, you never
know how a guy's gonna translate cup coming over into
a really physical conference like the Big Ten, and he's
done a phenomenal job. And then, like you said, Trey Donaldson,
they have the perfect balance of like a phenomenal front
court but also enough backcourt pieces and guard play, which
obviously we know you need good guard play. Guys who
don't turn the ball over whoku can get you a

(01:17:17):
bucket in the tournament, and they have that. They have
the perfect combination of it. So every time I watch
this Michigan team, I get more impressed. I'm with you
where I think they could make a run to the
final four of the Natty Championship, and I definitely think
they're the best team in the Big Ten.

Speaker 3 (01:17:30):
And then on the other side, this one's more speculative.
I just think Illinois when they're on fire and when
their guys are looking good, has such a high ceiling
because of how good Jockashunis can be. Yeah, then he
has games that he shows up and looks like he
didn't didn't know there was game, And part of that
was there was a weird like sickness going around this

(01:17:52):
team at one point in the season. If this schmiss time,
their second best player, their best big and Jockashuna Smith's time,
and if you look at when Josh came back from that,
he had a good game against Michigan State where they lost,
and then he had like two terrible games before that,
two terrible games after it, and since then he's kind
of he's kind of got it together a little bit.

(01:18:13):
Hold on, let me let me make sure I'm right here.
He missed, Yeah, he missed from the fifth to the fourteenth,
came back, looked good. It looked good against Indiana, looked
terrible against Michigan State, and then has looked a little
better since the guy was looking at who I meant
to talk about here? Their freshman Will Riley six '
eight freshmen has really broke out less five games everything
nineteen points per game. Before that, he's probably everything seven

(01:18:34):
points per game. He's really kind of put it together
down the stretch. Jockashunas and a Visage both came back
from or from sickness. They look better now that they're
they're both out there and they've put it together a
little bit, haven't. It hasn't been a bad schedule. You
c LA and Minnesota. They lost to Rutgers, they beat
Ohio State. But I think when this team gets going

(01:18:55):
and Jockashunis looks like the potential top five pick when
he does look like that, they're tough to beat and
they have the talent of a team that can make
the deep run. Not a big fan of the coach,
not a big fan of some of the things I've
seen with them getting blown out a couple times when
things go wrong. But I do think this is a
team that can get hot. I don't think they can
win the title, but I think they can get hot
and beat almost anybody.

Speaker 5 (01:19:15):
I'm not there on Illinois. I'm just not Number One.
Part of it is Brad Underwood not like you just said,
not the biggest Brad Underwood fan. And there's been too
much inconsistent inconsistency this year from them, Like they lost
to Michigan State, Maryland, Rutgers, Nebraska, but the Rutgers and
Nebraska on the road, they've just there's been They've had
great performances like Owaio State, they looked like a team

(01:19:35):
up the Ohio State as a juggernaut, but they looked
like a team that could win a National title and
then they lay an egg against Rutgers, especially defensively, and
so I'm just not there with the.

Speaker 2 (01:19:45):
With this Illinois team.

Speaker 5 (01:19:46):
Part of the inconsistency is, I'll give the benefit of doubt,
there was an injury bug. There's some illness, but also
an injury bug like Will Riley didn't play against Maryland,
and Maryland just ate them inside, I mean, just took
advantage of that and were just feeding Derek Queen and
enjoying Eastern Side and just killing Illinois in the paint.
But there's still it's just even when they've been healthy completely,

(01:20:06):
had the rosters, just too much inconsistency, inconsistency from them.
And I'm not the biggest Brad Underwood guys, I can't
get behind this Illinois team.

Speaker 3 (01:20:14):
I'm probably holding on honestly to like too much of
Thanksgiving to Christmas with Illinois, and I hate doing that
with teams. But like you go and you I remember
that Alabama game they ended up losing by thirteen. They
competed with Alabama in that game, they went and smoked Arkansas.
They Wisconsin's conference play, but beata Wisconsin team that I'm

(01:20:37):
actually pretty high on this year.

Speaker 1 (01:20:39):
I do.

Speaker 3 (01:20:39):
Like Wisconsin, I don't think they can make like a
deep run, but I feel like they're almost like a
lock to be in the second round, and depending on
the matchup, like a lock to be in the sweet sixteen.
They go and they lose by two to Tennessee. Like
that was That's a really good Tennessee team. They were
one in the country at the time. They beat Missouri,
a team that I don't like that much, but a
lot of other people do. They smoked Oregon on the road,

(01:21:02):
a team that a lot of people do like more
than me, to be honest, hung with Michigan State beat State.
Like you said, like I do think they think the
Flashes are enough than just.

Speaker 2 (01:21:17):
Sixth lost in the Big Ten in mid February. I
can't get behind a team that has that.

Speaker 3 (01:21:22):
I think that I like you said, I think there
was just that stretch where all their three top.

Speaker 2 (01:21:26):
Yeah, I mean I gotta see more. I think their
last two games were one against U C.

Speaker 3 (01:21:30):
L A. You see Minnesota.

Speaker 2 (01:21:32):
I gotta see more the next couple of weeks for
me to be bought back in with Illinois, they.

Speaker 3 (01:21:36):
Need to show more to to prove me right. I
think this is a team to watch out for that
that's going to show more, whether that's in the Big
Ten Tourney, whether that's even they don't show it until
the postseason. We've seen that with plenty of teams that
you know, they get into an eight, nine, ten seed,
or a seventh seed. I don't know where they are
probably right now, probably a six or seven line. I
don't But I could see this team finally kind of

(01:21:57):
putting it together once March comes. The thing that's airs
you with that is Brad Underwood. And the reason that
this team coming up is on the list is because
of the opposite of that, and it's the villain of
college basketball, and it's Danny Hurley.

Speaker 2 (01:22:10):
How could you are you really bought in on this
on this team?

Speaker 3 (01:22:13):
How could you not buy in? Because there's so much.

Speaker 5 (01:22:17):
Worse than the last couple of years, so much right
has been really good recently.

Speaker 3 (01:22:22):
You're not going to dominate their way to the championship.

Speaker 5 (01:22:24):
You're not going to get close to that. It's yeah,
of course, Dan Hurley, best coach in the country. Liam
mcneely's playing like one of the best players in the
country recently.

Speaker 3 (01:22:32):
But this team is just so much worse. I think
he is one of the best players.

Speaker 5 (01:22:35):
He probably is, Yeah, I mean right, yeah, I think
he's like closer to the end of the lottery based
on most mocks, or maybe maybe maybe it's top ten.

Speaker 2 (01:22:44):
I gotta see.

Speaker 3 (01:22:46):
Really, I really like McNeely as as an NBA guy.

Speaker 5 (01:22:49):
Yeah, no, I'm I'm bought in on mcnely, don't get
me wrong, but beyond him, like those Yukon teams last
couple of years, they were so deep, like one through
five were some of the most reliable guys defensively, they
were so locked in. Obviously we know what they were
was an offense. With all those all those guys who
ended up playing in the NBA or most a lot
of them played in the NBA. This Yukon team is
so much worse the last couple years, and I feel

(01:23:10):
like people are buying into it just because of Dan Hurley,
which of course you can't argue best coaching college basketball.
But I just I can't see this Yukon team going
on any type of rue.

Speaker 3 (01:23:20):
They hit the twelve best offense in the sport, Like
I think this. You watch this offense and I was
a guy before the last couple of years that had
a hard rule like you had to be top blank
in Ken Palm. I forget what the number's, top thirty,
top forty, top fifty, whatever you want to say. I
wasn't going to be in on these extreme offense teams
or extreme defense teams. I was all about balanced. But

(01:23:41):
I feel like the last couple of years, we've seen enough,
especially offensive teams make stops. Like you said with Bama
last year and with a couple of other teams, I've
seen enough teams get by with elite, elite offense. And
I think this Yukon team, I'm gonna while we're talking
about it, I'm gonna go on bark Torvik and and
mess around with the time timespan to get out Maui

(01:24:01):
and to get out that early season struggles of Yukon
because they obviously were so bad a start team.

Speaker 2 (01:24:06):
It's a different team.

Speaker 6 (01:24:07):
Now.

Speaker 3 (01:24:08):
You look at Solo Ball's shooting forty four percent from
three on six, three is a game. Do you look
at McNeely, Mcneely's averaging fifteen point four. I bet if
you shrunk that down, I'm curious to look over here.
Obviously thirty eight last game twenty six, a few games ago,
he's probably in the twenties. Over the last six seven
games here, Caraban has not been you know, I think

(01:24:29):
people expected maybe more of a jump from Caravan maybe
going from like because he was more important on this
team than he was going to be on the prior teams.
He's kind of still the same guy. Like he's still
he's still you know, shooting six plus three's a game,
so he's having in fourteen instead of thirteen. I think
he's can be a pretty important contributor. Reid has stepped
up into the center role there as a junior. He's

(01:24:53):
blocking shots, he's getting boards, one point seven blocks for
game from Michigan. I think that this Yukon team is
way better than the metrics think at this point because
I don't think this is the same Yukon team that
are counting the metrics from the Malley Like. I just
think it's very clear.

Speaker 5 (01:25:08):
Their defense and their defensive metrics are will worry me,
like they're I think they're around ninety seven on Ken
pund defensively. And we said Alabama can escape, but Alabama
was also they weren't just a really good offense, they
were a phenomenal offense, Like you could say the best
in the country last year.

Speaker 2 (01:25:22):
I don't see this Yukon.

Speaker 5 (01:25:23):
They've been great offensively, their defenses has been so bad
at times, and not a great Big East conference this year.
Like we were talking about that, I'm not going to
do like Dan hur.

Speaker 3 (01:25:33):
I think all the top fourteens in the Big East
are underrated compared to where they're being rated in the
top twenty five.

Speaker 2 (01:25:39):
Who do we got Yukon, Creighton, Marquette.

Speaker 3 (01:25:42):
Marquette and Markette would be the only one on Marquet's
actually the one on the least bullish Yeah before I'm
Yukon Creighton, and I.

Speaker 2 (01:25:52):
Think Creighton's criminally underrated.

Speaker 3 (01:25:53):
I'll give you that crazy and they're the next on
the list, by the way, so we will get there
perfect segu. I love, I absolutely love Creighton, but Yukon.
You look at the last four games Yukon's played against
the top because I really think you take the Big East.
I think those top four teams all have the chance
to make a run. I do think Villanova is a
tricky team to play, how good they are offensively, They've

(01:26:14):
had weird games this year. They've obviously also beaten some
of the best teams in.

Speaker 2 (01:26:18):
The Big East.

Speaker 3 (01:26:18):
As well. So I actually like Villanova more than some
of the other teams in the bubble as well. And
another team I like more than some of the other
teams in the bubble as Xavier. So I still like
Exavier what they've shown against some of those top teams
in the Big East. But take all that out, let's
just look at the top four. We all agree Saint John's, Creighton, Marquette,
Yukon to the top four in the Big East, whatever order.
That's fine. But you look at what they've done in

(01:26:40):
the last four games against those teams. In the last
three or in their last three games, they beat Crayton
on the road seventy to sixty six. Danny Hurley is
saying bye bye, bye bye ball. They lose to Saint
John's a team by six. Who I think Saint John's
is one of the top five teams in the country,
and I think at this point they're the best defense
in the country. In twenty twenty five, Saint John's is

(01:27:01):
the number one defense by three points on a justin
defensive efficiency. So you take out some of the early
season struggles with Patino getting his stuff right defensively, I
think they're the best defense in the country and struggled
a little bit, but they were able to kind of
stifle them on offense. They were able to stifle Creighton
on offense. The forty nine best offense scoring sixty six points,

(01:27:23):
a Marquette team that I'm a little lower on than
some of these other teams we're talking about, but still
a good team. In the thirty second offense only scored
sixty nine at home in a loss to Yukon, and
just a couple of weeks ago they played they played
Creighton at home, held them to sixty eight and they
lost the game by five. But they've had four really

(01:27:44):
good defensive performances under seventy points against the top four
teams in the biggest I think, to me what that
shows is I think when they know that there's a
big game and they know that they're facing one of
the top teams, I think the defense is more like
a fifty sixtieth best defense. Am I going to tell
you that they're an elite defense, No, But I do
think they've shown in big games that they can get

(01:28:07):
it up and be an average above average defense while
the offense is just amazing.

Speaker 5 (01:28:13):
I'll give you that that they definitely are a team
that will get up for bigger games, no doubt. Like
Dan Hurley is a rah ra guy, he will elevate
their performance with with whatever coaching mechanisms he has to
to get them up for bigger games. Where are we
differ here is you value the Big East and rate
the Big East way higher than I did. Too, different

(01:28:33):
because I'm just not there with Saint John's. We obviously
have talked about that all show. I'm not there with
Saint John's. I'm not necessarily there with Xavier Marquette some
of these other teams, And like you said, you come
like I just I'm not there with Yukon. So Creighton's
really the only I think Creighton's still the best team
in the Big East because I really think they're underrated.

Speaker 2 (01:28:50):
Wow, I'm just not Yeah I said it. I said it,
but I'm just not like it.

Speaker 5 (01:28:54):
But I'm just not there with this Yukon team because
I don't think this Big East like you think this
Big East is way better than I do. And I'm
I disagree with you.

Speaker 3 (01:29:02):
You hate Yukont what they just do to Creighton.

Speaker 5 (01:29:04):
Yeah, yeah, fair fair, that was a tough one. But again,
that's a game like Dan Hurley is gonna get you
up for I'm not saying. I'm not saying Yukon can't.
They can win the Big East like they can go
in the Big East Tournament a week.

Speaker 3 (01:29:17):
St.

Speaker 2 (01:29:17):
John's no, no, no, I like Saint John's more you.

Speaker 3 (01:29:20):
Connor Marquette, knt you come okay.

Speaker 5 (01:29:23):
But I'm just if you go through the Big ten, like,
let's go through the Big ten real quick, like just
the top of the Big Ten. I got Michigan, Purdue, Maryland's,
probably Illinois, and Michigan State all over Ukon.

Speaker 3 (01:29:39):
I'm out on all of that. I take you all
of it over.

Speaker 2 (01:29:41):
Michigan, said, Michigan's are title.

Speaker 3 (01:29:43):
No, I would take Michigan over over Yukon. Yeah, it's
close though. For me, it's really to me these four teams.
The Michigan Illinois is more based on like talent and
like ability and flashes. The other three like Michigan, Yukon, Creighton,
I have of like exactly even in my head, and
they all are teams that I think could go all

(01:30:04):
the way to like a national championship. And Creaton's a
team that I feel like sometimes gets labeled as like
a loser when it comes to the term that I
know Joe Tansey's a big fan to do and that
I feel like they make the Elite eight like all
the time.

Speaker 5 (01:30:14):
Three years ago, remember they made the Elite eate and
that was that crazy coal late in the game where
they should have been a Final four team two years ago.

Speaker 3 (01:30:20):
And I agree, I got screwed on that. I had
a big future on Creton to make the Final four
that year.

Speaker 5 (01:30:25):
Wow, that's a tough beat. But I don't think Greg
mcdermot's some like sellout in the tournament at all. I
trust them absolutely.

Speaker 3 (01:30:32):
I trust them as well. And that's why I'm right
there with you and I love Creaton because I do
feel like they were bad, bad in terms of their
bench last year. They were so shallow and now you're
seeing this the Creating team that has a little bit
more to go to in the bag. And by the way,
you want to hear something that you could you could
this is you know you'll love this. Take Michigan and
Illinois out of the Big ten. I would take all

(01:30:55):
four of the Big East teams. Yeah, I'm not not
even with you overdue over Michigan State. You know what,
you know what, I would take Wisconsin over Marquette. I
would take Wisconsin over Market. Wow, I actually think.

Speaker 2 (01:31:09):
You're such a big Big Ten fan. Such so nice
of you.

Speaker 3 (01:31:13):
If you're making me rank the Big Ten, Illinois is
my weird Like that's like a weird thing. I just
believe in that team to figure out the upside of
the team, So they're weird. I'll take them out of
the conversation, even though I would probably put them second.
I think Wisconsin's better than anybody in the conference except
for Michigan.

Speaker 2 (01:31:29):
All right, here's where we have to have this conversation.

Speaker 3 (01:31:31):
Let's talk about.

Speaker 5 (01:31:34):
They just beat Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. Why
are you hating on my turps?

Speaker 3 (01:31:39):
I think they're a little bit of a home merchant.

Speaker 2 (01:31:42):
They were.

Speaker 5 (01:31:43):
They haven't been huge road win over Nebraska a few
days ago, They've they've been stacking road wins in a way.

Speaker 2 (01:31:50):
I'll give you that.

Speaker 5 (01:31:50):
Three weeks ago, absolutely you could say you could say
they only could win on the home because at home,
because Kevin Willard's record at that point in the Big
Ten was four and twenty in on the Big Ten
road games, which was just like unacceptable. That's like, that's
a team that that's that's a coach problem where you
can't get your team up to win on the road.
Since then, they've won three road games. And let me

(01:32:12):
pull it off for you here. They beat Indiana, which
was a huge win. They beat Nebraska a couple of
days ago, like I said, and they beat Illinois. So
those are three road wins over the last two and
a half three weeks.

Speaker 3 (01:32:22):
Illinois was a bit. I think the other two teams stick,
but Illinois was a big win and I'll give them that.
And they blew them out, so you have to give
them ye like will play which was yeah, and I
think missed the game as well.

Speaker 1 (01:32:34):
Like that.

Speaker 3 (01:32:34):
That was just like the worst possible stretch for Illinois
to have played a good team in Maryland and Maryland
a good team, Like I'm not trying to say that.
I actually like Maryland and I think they have the bigs.
You have Quinn Reese there, but I don't know if
Reese count's a big, but he blocks a ton of shots.

Speaker 2 (01:32:51):
The five, Yeah, oh is Queen not the five?

Speaker 5 (01:32:54):
Well, Queen plays the four because they played together, so
so Julia Reeves really plays more than five.

Speaker 2 (01:32:58):
But because Derek Queen's more of a stretch guy.

Speaker 5 (01:33:00):
So that's a lot of times it's like re Reesk
has no offensive skills like Queen as a bag, so
they really put them at the four more.

Speaker 3 (01:33:07):
You know what, I'll be honest with you on Maryland.
To me, that Maryland team, when I watched them, I
feel like it's screamed sweet sixteen. And I don't think
that that's a good offensive thing for me to say,
like they scream like a Sweet sixteen tough oul that
they go out in the Sweet sixteen.

Speaker 5 (01:33:23):
To me, well, look, I would I think anything other
than a second weekend appearance is a disappointing year and unacceptable.
I still don't understand their seed line. People have them
at the six. There were seven before the road went
over to Braska. Now most brackets have them at six.
I think they were like a four or five seed.
To me, like this, this Maryland team go through their schedule.
Who they beat. They beat the Illinois, they beat the Wisconsins,

(01:33:44):
They beat these teams that are considered the best in
the Big Ten. They still have Michigan and Michigan State
coming up over these final six games, which will be
big tests. But they have no bench, like they get
no scoring from the bench. Even against Nebraska, their bench
scored zero points that their starter scored all eighty three
of the point. But they're starting five. I think you
could say is the best of the Big ten. That's

(01:34:04):
how I did.

Speaker 2 (01:34:05):
And Jacoby Gless.

Speaker 3 (01:34:06):
Great Gillespie And here's what I was gonna say. I
didn't realize his stats were what they were. When I
watch him. He doesn't scream like lead guard that's gonna
put a team on his back.

Speaker 2 (01:34:15):
He's good.

Speaker 3 (01:34:15):
Takeaway, the stats are really good fifteen for us, this
forty four really really good numbers there from Glasier. It's
actually better than I thought when I watched the games.
The takeaway is always about the bigs. You're always thinking
about Clean and Reees more more than you're thinking about
the Gillespie things. And maybe I do have to kind
of watch them with more of a more of a
focus on Gillespie. Where I had them before we did
this conversation, I had them sixteenth on my ranks that

(01:34:39):
I do that I kind of consistently update, and these
ranks are different. I'm not doing like top twenty five
deserving or these are the best team. This is like
if a bracket came out today. Here's how I'm ranking, like,
here's who I would pick over two kind of and
obviously matchups create different conversations in that so.

Speaker 2 (01:34:55):
I'm higher than most people would.

Speaker 3 (01:34:58):
Yeah, and here's what I was going to say. There
were eight last week and fell seven spots just for
losing to Ohio State on the road. I actually like
Ohio State. I think Ohio State's like definitely better than
the rest of the bubble, but I do I like Maryland.
And the only teams I had higher than Maryland are
those clear top four. I ran through those five names
I just mentioned Saint John's, Michigan, Illinois, UKNT, Creighton, Kentucky, Wisconsin,

(01:35:21):
Iowa State, Florida, and here's the two. You could convince
me on bumping them above, and I will after this conversation.
I think with the Gillespie numbers, Michigan State, who I'm
not crazy high on. I think it's almost just an
ISO respect and Aikins is good, but the rest of
the team does not excite you. And then Marquette. And
the thing about Marquette is Cam Jones is awesome. He's

(01:35:44):
so fun to watch. He's my best players in the country.
I don't trust a single other player on that team.
I know John's pretty good. I feel like there's been
games I've watched and I don't even know he's on
the floor. So I just don't like the rest of
that Marquette team. And I'm at the point where I
think Shaka might be might be a fraud. I was
so in Aquette. I still two years ago.

Speaker 5 (01:36:05):
I still like Shaka. I'm still a Shaka finn. It's
been a rough run for Shaka.

Speaker 3 (01:36:10):
If you look, guy, I don't know how long it's
been since he's made won a tournament game. It's been
a while now for Shaka. He definitely has it in
Marquette right one.

Speaker 2 (01:36:22):
Well, no, maybe he might have won one. I gotta
look that up.

Speaker 5 (01:36:26):
But the one thing I'll say about Marquette and Michigan
State real quick, just off of your point, I'm out
on both those teams. Number One, Michigan State was the
beneficiarrea of a horrible Big Ten schedule. I mean, all
those teams that we listed that were one of some
of the worst in the Big Ten, they played all
of them didn't have any real tough matchup. So they
start out nine to zero in conference and then they

(01:36:46):
go one and three over the past four games, where
losses to USC, U c l A and they lost
to Indiana, u CLA and USC are tough road trips,
but that's still one in three of the lost four games.

Speaker 2 (01:36:58):
So they started playing better competition. Michigan State falsness standings.

Speaker 5 (01:37:01):
I think Michigan State are complete frauds, and they don't
They have like a bunch of guys who just know
Jamie Atkins. Atkins are averages around like thirteen or fourteen.
Last time I checked checked behind him. No, just to
answer your question, nobody's at one. So we're gonna go long.
We're gonna go along today. Nobody's at one.

Speaker 3 (01:37:17):
I don't be in the private shot and then I
said it in the comments or whatever.

Speaker 5 (01:37:20):
I don't have I don't have anyone coming in. So
so we're going a long today. But we still have
a couple of commercial breaks to do. But to wrap
up the Michigan State point. They don't have enough scores
other than Akins to me, and they were the beneficiary
of a bad schedule starting out at nine to zero
in the big ten, one in three over the last four.
Not a fan of this Michigan State team at all.

(01:37:41):
And then Marquette is the same thing. Like Marquette is
just they go as far as Cam Jones goes, and
he can take you really far, but they have no
help around him that I'm I'm not gonna buy in
on this. On this Marquette team, the.

Speaker 3 (01:37:53):
Teams I had right after Maryland, maybe I could bump
some of these over Michigan State. Marquette, Purdue not a team.
I just think, like I think Edie was so huge
for that team and the reason they were kind of
able to solve some of their their classic March problems.
And I know Smith is a really I have so.

Speaker 2 (01:38:10):
Much respect for Breding Smith. He is.

Speaker 5 (01:38:11):
He's a phenomenal mean how he navigates, like he might
be probably the best ball screen, pick and roll guard
in the country.

Speaker 3 (01:38:19):
Like, like, I don't I think that's my big problem
with them. Like when I watch them, I know stats
are awesome, I just feel like I'm never like, oh
my god, this guy's awesome and it's gonna be so good.
He's actually nineteen, it's crazy, But I just I don't know.
That's my problem with them, I think. And then the
rest of the team, I don't think anything. They're like
their fourth best players ever in the six and a

(01:38:40):
half a game. I think part of the problem that
I have with Purdue is that it's just so much
of the three top guys, and I don't love the
top got the top scorer like everybody else seems to.
But Smith is awesome.

Speaker 5 (01:38:54):
Yeah, He's incredible, and that's why I'm on how this
producing him. I also think they're really well coached, a
in a way that, like you can say, Matt Matt
Paynter can't get done the tournament even though he went
to the championship last year, you want to say that
was all Edie fine. In the regular season, at least,
they're probably the best coach team in the Big Ten
over Michigan State and Tom is a like. I have
so much respect for how Painter gets those guys ready

(01:39:15):
and gets them to buy in defensively too.

Speaker 3 (01:39:18):
After that I had Tennessee team, I'm just never goetting.
I'm always.

Speaker 2 (01:39:22):
Barnes thing.

Speaker 3 (01:39:23):
I don't buy him eighteenth and this is the team
that like part of me wants. I'll give you two
teams that part of me wants to believe more in
than I do right now. And it's cleansing in Texas Tech.
They're two teams that I have down here at eighteenth
and nineteenth, but you could convince me that both are.
I think that the Texas Tech thing, like I shouldn't

(01:39:43):
even have to be convinced. They're ninth and kempom ninth
and offense, Grant Mcast's awesome, They're a great defense. But
the other, the cleansing thing that impresses me so much
is obviously it starts and ends with what they did
against Duke and how good I think Duke is, and
the fact that I think clemes into actually smoking. Yeah,
they're up thirty six to nineteen on Florida State right

(01:40:04):
now on the road. But Clemson came out and beat Duke,
the biggest win of their season, maybe the biggest win
of their coach's career, maybe taking out the tournament. What
a huge win for Clemson there. And then you come
back on Monday and in such an obvious trap spot
and they smoked North Carolina. Not that I think North
Carolina's very good. They stinks they're not good. They're not good.

(01:40:26):
They're not good, but that was such an obvious trap
spot to come out after that Duke win and the
fact that they kept the pedal to the medal and
laid it on North Carolina. They're a team that I
think you look at their schedule, they play SMU, Notre Dame, Virginia,
Boston College, and Virginia Tech. They're not going to lose
again Before the end of this year. I think they're
going to be twenty five and five, and I think

(01:40:49):
that means they're probably going to be the number two
seed in the ACC Tournament. I think they're probably not
losing to anybody in the ACC Tournament except for Duke.
So I think you can probably pencil in that Duke
and Clemson are gonna play in the a SEC title game.
I guess that's maybe assuming too much that maybe I
guess Louisville could win out too. They don't have a
tough game on the schedule either. I just don't believe

(01:41:10):
in Louisville to the same way as Clemson. I think Clemson,
maybe if they go beat you go win ACC championship.
Maybe you beat Duke in an ACC totle game where
how how motivated is Duke even gonna be? Yeah, maybe
they go out earlier. Clemson the team I could see
rising up to like the four line.

Speaker 5 (01:41:27):
I'm with you on Clemson, and part of it is
because Chase Hunter, who doesn't really get enough national love
and respect as one of like an elite scoring guard.
We should have forty three percent three point shooter. It's
not like the best playmaker or anything, but but Chase
Hunter has been phenomenal for Clemson. And what I'll say
about this team is there also is kind of a
negative even though on board in they're also the beneficiary

(01:41:50):
of a horrible ACC. So it's like, of course this
this the win over Duke is is an incredible win
on the resume, of course, and that's kind of what
proved to me and I think a lot of people that, all, right,
this this team is legit. They're not just beating up
on bad ACC opponents. But when you actually get to
tournament time, I gotta see more than just one win
over Duke. That's really the only oppressive win over the
last few weeks, over the last two months of the season. Honestly,

(01:42:13):
so I don't they Honestly, I really like them, but
they also are going to be a team that I
eye to be upset in the first round.

Speaker 2 (01:42:20):
Wow. Okay, I'll say first or second round.

Speaker 3 (01:42:24):
I don't see them as a team I'll look for
with that the Elite eight run last year, a lot
of the guys back from that run. It feels like
I trust that. If we're talking about teams, I'm looking
forward to eye up maybe a first round upset we're
talking about like that mid sec tier to me, like
tennesas A and m Ole, miss Missouri, Mississippi State, maybe

(01:42:46):
a Memphis. I don't trust Penny. Louisville, Arizona.

Speaker 2 (01:42:49):
Memphis will always be a fade, always be a love fading.

Speaker 5 (01:42:53):
Penny eight nine game against against Memphis a couple of
years ago was the ultimate and they almost won that too.

Speaker 2 (01:43:00):
Yeah, it came like the final shot. But Memphis, that's
the ultimate fate, Memphis fade.

Speaker 3 (01:43:05):
Me of the Oregon UCLA, I'm kind of out on
like the West Coast teams this year. Like I feel
like those teams, I'm just Arizona as well. I'm not
in on the West Coast this year. But Gonzaga kind
of stinks also. But let's get it over real fast.
Let's talk. We wanted to do this. Howie's top ten
list on top ten moves that Hali Ros been made

(01:43:29):
to lead to the Super Bowl title that we talked
about at the first half hour of this show. And
it's hard to do, but let's go with our top ten.
Let's both start at ten here and move down to one.
What did you have on your tenth?

Speaker 2 (01:43:44):
All right?

Speaker 5 (01:43:45):
Number ten is drafting Cam Jurgens way earlier, way earlier
than you would think they would draft a center. But
part of that process was getting him in the building
with Jason Kelce, grooming him, buying getting a replacement for
Jason Kelce, and that's what they did. They developed him perfectly,
and he played on that guard spot a few times

(01:44:07):
alongside Jason Kelce over the last two years. But drafting
him early, developing him, I thought they handled that perfectly.

Speaker 2 (01:44:14):
And obviously Cam Durgens been phenomenal, and.

Speaker 5 (01:44:16):
It really feels like anyone could just go into the
Eagle system and with Jeff Stotlin as the offensive line
coach and just become a premier offensive lineman in this league.
And it really shows that as great as Kelsey was,
he wasn't that important or valuable, especially as Jalen became
better at checks at the line of scrimmage.

Speaker 2 (01:44:32):
So I just thought that was a brilliant move. Drafting
Cam Jurgens.

Speaker 1 (01:44:37):
I went.

Speaker 3 (01:44:38):
I went with drafting Cooper to gen as my number
as my number ten, and one that I left off
was drafting Quinnon. I didn't.

Speaker 2 (01:44:45):
I bunched those.

Speaker 3 (01:44:47):
I feel like you can't. It has to be like
individual movie.

Speaker 2 (01:44:51):
Is the better find for sure, Cooper's the better fund.
That's why.

Speaker 3 (01:44:54):
That's the only reason I still actually think Quinon might
be better.

Speaker 2 (01:44:57):
I think better better.

Speaker 5 (01:44:59):
Yeah, I was graded out of the top quin That's crazy.
Some of those grades are like like what are we doing,
Like we we we watched the games, we know this
isn't true.

Speaker 3 (01:45:08):
Yeah, And Shane haff hates PFF grades, like to the
point where sometimes I feel like I have to defend them. Yeah,
my co host over on chalk Talk. So, but that's
one that's like, huh, that's hard to hard to understand.
I do think he played like one of the best
corners in the league this year, Cooper Degene, and the
reason I went with him instead of Quinon also was

(01:45:29):
like it took a lot of balls to be like
we're not taking just a corner in the first round,
but we're doubling up, like we're going back to it,
and not only do we need to fix this corner
position with Quinyon, but we're having three top corners like
we're having Quinnon, degene En Sleigh this year. And I
think that was part of why they were so dominant
against Kansas City and in the last Super Bowl, Kansas

(01:45:51):
City was able to find Avante Maddox and pick on
him all day long. Can't do that when you have
Cooper Degen, Quinyon Mitchell, and Darius out there as your
top three. So that's why I went with Cooper gene
at my tent by number nine, I put sending dom
de Sandro down to Georgia to investigate Jalen Carter and
finding out that it was fine and drafting him.

Speaker 2 (01:46:13):
I love it. I love I love how you phrased it.

Speaker 1 (01:46:16):
Spreads totals and all the prop that's in between. It's
the gambler. If you can wager on it, we're talking
about it. It's the gambler, spreads totals and all the
prop that's in between.

Speaker 3 (01:46:29):
It's the Gambler. Welcome back to the Tough Cover Radio Show.
We had an unexpected break there, but let's run it
back here. We're talking Howie Rosevean's top ten moves that
led to this Super Bowl. I started off at number
ten with drafting Cooper Gene. Number nine was drafting Jail
and Carter. Sam's number ten was it was drafting Cam

(01:46:53):
Jurgens number nine or his number eight was drafting Jail
and Carter his number nine, I'll let him go ahead
and and started over there.

Speaker 5 (01:47:01):
Yeah, so we're back at at number nine, bringing in
Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore. And you can say it
was Nick Siriani, and I'm sure he had a role,
but we all know how his finger prants were all
over those hires. How last season ended that collapse bad
coordinators that they had in there, You know how he
played a big role in that.

Speaker 2 (01:47:19):
And they brought in the two perfect coordinators.

Speaker 5 (01:47:21):
I mean, you couldn't have a better defensive coordinator than
Vic Fangio for this team and how they transformed this
offense and the number one in the league. Of course,
some of the acquisitions, which we'll talk about, were a
big part of that. This was a young it's a
young defense and the defense that was one of the
worst in league last year with a lot of returners
still and Vic Fangio made it the best in the
league and Kellen Moore. I thought it was a great
play caller all year, buying into the run game and

(01:47:44):
really leaning on Saquan after the bye. So I thought
bringing those coordinators were huge, and I'm given at least
how Roseman some credit for them.

Speaker 3 (01:47:51):
Yeah. I actually had that number three. Wow. I had
that all the way up at number three, And it's
mainly because of Vic Fangio. I think Vic Fangio deserves
a statue outside the link.

Speaker 2 (01:48:00):
To him over if you're think of one statue him
or Nick Vic.

Speaker 3 (01:48:05):
I'm being serious and I like Nick. I love Nick,
and he's on this list absolutely so. But what Vic
Fangio did to that Kansas City defense and what he
did to this defense overall, transforming it from literally thirty
first in passing yards per game and over the last
half of the year. The worst eight game stretch any
pass defense has ever had was the eight game stretch

(01:48:25):
closing last season. Vic Fangio took that defense and literally
was one of the best defenses of all time, the
best defense of this season, and the defense that was
the reason that I think this team is the best
team that we've ever seen in our lives. And I
don't know how much. I don't know how much young
how much younger are you than me.

Speaker 2 (01:48:42):
I'm twenty eight, I'm twenty three, turn in twenty four
in a few months.

Speaker 3 (01:48:46):
Gotcha, not that much younger. So I can say confidently
I think for me, my cognizant sports watching leg I say,
like two thousand and four and the Eagles Super Bowl
run is really like the first big suit, the big
football thing that I think I takes on and remember.
So I'll say since thousand and four, I think this
team is the best team I've seen, and I think

(01:49:07):
it's one of the best defenses of that run. Right
there with the Legion of Boom Seahawks, the Von Miller Broncos,
those are probably the top three right there, and and
Vic Fangio to me is more important than like any
player to that because I don't know if we get
what we get out of Coop and Quinny and as rookies,
I don't know if we find Zach Bonn the way
that we did with Vick at the Helm. So I

(01:49:30):
can and I was skeptical, and part of the reason
I wanted to include this. I was skeptical that we
would be able to stop Kansas City at all. I
thought we'd score a lot of points, and I thought
we'd win the game. And I thought we'd do it
because we'd score a lot of points. What that defense
did to Patrick Mahones and having them down thirty four
to nothing forty to six can't be emphasized to enough
how shocking that was and how insane that was so.

Speaker 5 (01:49:51):
And refracting the blitz too like like like I was
older man rush, like the Vic Vangil does not blitz,
and that was I wasn't just against in the Super Bowl.
That's how he was all with that four man rush,
and they were just so dominant in the Super Bowl,
which is which is really impressive. A lot of coaches
really rely on the blitz. You have to have the personnel,
of course where where where you can get off your
blocks and get to the quarterback. But that was incredibly
impressive and that's a big part of Vic's scheme and

(01:50:14):
just relying on that four man rush.

Speaker 3 (01:50:17):
And one that this was one that I actually added
after and had to take quinnyon out my number eight,
signing Zach bond I think finding Zach Bonn the way
that they did, and figuring out that he was playing
the wrong position and putting him in a new position
in vic Fangio making him the best in the league
at that position is just something that you can't emphasize.

(01:50:39):
And we all talk about Jalen Carter, as I already mentioned,
we talk about Saquon and aj Brown and you know,
the stars of the team, but it's pretty insane that
they were able to go out for three million dollars
and find the best linebacker in the sport this year.
And it's it can't be emphasized enough. How good of
a job how he did on the margin. So this

(01:51:00):
was like the margin move of the century was finding
Zach Bond.

Speaker 2 (01:51:04):
Yeah, no doubt.

Speaker 5 (01:51:05):
I have Zach Bond a little higher honestly because I
think I think it was that important.

Speaker 2 (01:51:10):
So I have that him at number five.

Speaker 3 (01:51:12):
Because and you said you're number eight already.

Speaker 5 (01:51:14):
Yeah, it was taking the chance on Jailen Carter. So
it's very, very similar for all the reasons that you listed,
where it's like people forget this guy who should have
been a higher pick based on talent. It wasn't a
hard talent scout. Everyone had him as one of the
most dominant defensive players in that draft and would have
been a top three or five pick. But going in
and investigating his off field issues because it wasn't just

(01:51:36):
the the vehicle incident that obviously led to death to
someone else of like drag racing or whatever it was.
It was also that there was reports that he was
he was not, had a bad work ethic, was a
lot of times bad attitude at practice, like those were
reports coming out. But to really investigate this guy, bring
him into your culture and developing him into your culture

(01:51:57):
with the right vets like Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham
around him and making him into a high character guy
and just a phenomenal player. Like what a chance that
they took on Jalen Carter completely paid off? So I
guess I'll go to seven now. Yeah, all right, So
I have trading up for Smitty.

Speaker 3 (01:52:15):
And I didn't make my list.

Speaker 2 (01:52:17):
Yeah, I just I Like we.

Speaker 5 (01:52:18):
Talked about this earlier in the show, that how important
that was, where like that they needed an AJ Smitty
tandem and like they needed these wide receivers where they
were really thin at wide receivers those previous few seasons,
especially towards the end of Courson Wentz his tenure and
draft trading up for Smitty where it's like he was
obviously a Heisman winner in college, is a phenomenal college player,

(01:52:39):
but people still didn't weren't sure how he would project
in the NFL.

Speaker 2 (01:52:42):
You were really high on him.

Speaker 5 (01:52:43):
People were like, he's really skinny, he's weak, He's always
gonna be injured.

Speaker 3 (01:52:47):
That has been a lot of absolutely.

Speaker 2 (01:52:49):
That hasn't been the case at all. So I love
trading up for Smitty.

Speaker 3 (01:52:53):
I remember Stephen Shay said he wasn't a first round pick.

Speaker 5 (01:52:56):
Well also said the Saquon Barkley was going to have
a bad year or whatever.

Speaker 2 (01:53:00):
He said.

Speaker 3 (01:53:01):
Stephen Shaye guest the Tough Cover radio show fre Former
guests Stephen she funny enough, but.

Speaker 2 (01:53:09):
Uh, having just fun about that take. He should be
coming on Philly radio.

Speaker 3 (01:53:13):
It was funny. I had him on before last year. Yeah,
and he was saying how Jalen was the only guy
he bet for MVP besides Tom Brady. This was before
the twenty twenty three season, and then like two months
later Tampa played US and I think he went viral
for like wishing injury on Jailen. Yes, I remember that, Yeah,

(01:53:34):
so it was pretty funny. I was like, better not
like retweet those clips and me having them on Philly radio. Yeah,
but uh yeah, there was no There were a lot
of people who were skeptical. I know Shane Half was
really skeptical on DeVante Smith and this this sounds funny
at the time, he was very mad. And when we trade,
we were on a live pod together during the Devonte
Smith draft. It was the first time I'd ever met

(01:53:55):
Shane Half, uh, and he loved Justin Fields. He thought
Justin Fields woul the future. And he was not in
on Jailen at the time. So he was like desperate
when that trade happened for that trade up, for it
to have been for Justin Fields, which thinking now, can
you imagine?

Speaker 5 (01:54:10):
I mean also another what if if they did that?
Another what if is remember everyone then to sign Russell Wilson.

Speaker 3 (01:54:18):
I have it, I have I'll get you that.

Speaker 2 (01:54:21):
I will spoil it.

Speaker 3 (01:54:22):
It's not direct, but just there's a whole mine. I'll
get to it at number one.

Speaker 2 (01:54:28):
So did you do your number seven?

Speaker 3 (01:54:30):
My seven is is all the way goes back to.
Let me get the right the right date year. Uh.
The twenty eighteen NFL draft finding with let me let
me again with the two hundred and thirty third pick
out of Condell Park School in Australia, Jordan Mylatta. Drafting

(01:54:55):
and finding him and developing him into what he's become
as just an absolute beast and one of the best
offensive linemen and best offensive tackles in the sport. That's
from Stalton University. You got to give my Lot of
some credit there.

Speaker 2 (01:55:09):
Yeah, I love it. I didn't put it in.

Speaker 5 (01:55:12):
I thought about it, so like on the honorable mentions
I have drafting my Lotta, but also just drafting, like
all of how he's great picks, like Josh Sweat was
a fourth round pick, Like that's a great find. Yeah,
Like I was going to group in all of how
he's phenomenal finds late in the draft, and of course
my Lot is one of them.

Speaker 2 (01:55:28):
So I don't have that specifically, but you can't argue
with that.

Speaker 5 (01:55:31):
I mean what he's turned into as one of the
best tackles in the entire league, underrated even still, and
he's he's he's going to be the future that offensive
line for a while, and he's one of the leaders
and captains of this team. He was instrumental to this run.
So can't argue that number six I have, which you
talked about earlier when you said drafting Cooper to Gene,
I went drafting Cooper to Gene and Quinnon Mitchell because

(01:55:52):
this second, if you're combining, I combined to them and
I did put them at number six. Because this when
you talk about this secondary and how they really needed
cornerbacks like we didnt other than Darius Slay, Like James
Bradbury was still still in the team this year, but
obviously he he hasn't been good last couple of years.
Darius Slay has visibly slipped off. So we needed cornerbacks

(01:56:12):
and to just have two hits, not just hits and
amazing fines. I mean, they weren't amazing finds because they
were first and second round picks, but they were not
just hits. The ose aren't guys that just developed into
guys who can contribute to Super Bowls immediately like these guys.

Speaker 3 (01:56:29):
Guys who went in the top seven, top ten.

Speaker 5 (01:56:31):
Especially Q, especially Q, and this was just like how
these guys contributed to a Super Bowl so quickly into
their careers was incredible.

Speaker 3 (01:56:41):
Yeah, I totally agree. If you're combining the two, I
think it's probably four for me. Yeah, but in just
as one I had it down to ten, number six,
and I know it's going to be higher for everybody
but me. It's signing saque and way higher. And the
fact that how he was able to zig when everybody
else sagg on the running back position, including him. He's
agged for years. I'm not paying guys, but when it

(01:57:03):
became a situation where you're paying a running back less
than Gabe Davis in less than the top thirty five receivers,
Saquon would be the thirty fifth highest paid wide receiver.
I think that says everything that it needs to say.
He could you could go out and sign an average
offensive guard for the same money that you can sign
the best running back in the sport. And I think
Howie was so smart to know that that was the position.

(01:57:26):
Here's something I'll ask you because you'll get to your
Saquon thing. If this Giants, I've asked this a couple
times the last couple weeks. I think I don't know
why this interests me, But if the Giants signed Saquon,
let's say they did whatever, they tagged him or they
signed him whatever, happened where the Eagles couldn't get Saquon.
Was Howie always of the mindset that the running back

(01:57:46):
position got overcorrected and that the market was ripe, or
was it just that Saquon was special and that he's
one of one and a guy that you change your
narrative and change your opinion if Saquon goes to the Giants.
What was the running back plan this year for the Eagles?
Would they have went out and signed one of the

(01:58:08):
top guys that Derrick Henry, that Josh Jacobs. Would they
have maybe signed like an Aaron Jones type where you
kind of hold it together for a year, or are
you going? And this is the most interesting part of
signing Saquon to me and what I've the way I've
kind of spun it the last couple of weeks. Would
they have went and spent a high draft pick on
a running back which would have not allowed for you

(01:58:30):
to go and get Quinnyon and go and get Cooper
dejen maybe even to a lesser degree, go and get
Jailox Hunt.

Speaker 2 (01:58:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:58:35):
I think I don't think Howie's position has changed on
the running back market, and I don't think we're gonna
see it change moving forward. I think this is a
special generational talent in Saquon Barkley and and that, and
he only was going to sell out and and pay
a guy really invest in a running back if it
was a guy that talented like Saquon Barkley.

Speaker 2 (01:58:56):
I don't think he.

Speaker 5 (01:58:57):
I don't think he's going to change his approach honestly
in year now, unless the league changes, and sometimes it does.
But I don't think he's gonna change his approach years
from now and start becoming this guy who pays running
backs like this was a generational talent that you have,
if he's available, you have to invest in. But I
don't think he values the running backs position that much,
especially because of this offensive line. Like I don't think

(01:59:19):
that we're now having the conversation, oh, we should value
running backs more, No, I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:59:23):
I don't really agree with that necessarily.

Speaker 5 (01:59:24):
I think it's simply that if you if you have,
if you can invest in a generational one behind a
generationally great offensive line, I mean, the best offensive line
in football, one of the more dominant offensive lines in years,
then you put those two together and you have the
best rushing attack in the league. One of the best
rushing attacks in the history of the NFL, and of
course Jalen plays into that as well. But I don't

(01:59:45):
think you're gonna change your approach. When you have such
a great offensive line and you invest in the offensive line,
you're not gonna start paying other top tier but not
elite running backs. You did your number six right, Uh yeah,
Number six is drafting Q and Cooper.

Speaker 3 (02:00:00):
Number five.

Speaker 5 (02:00:01):
Number five was Zach Bawn signing Zach Bawn, and you
touched on all of it, like how they identified him,
that he was playing the wrong position and that he
could be better as a cover linebacker. That was incredibly
impressive by Vic Vangio, how how his entire staff, and
of course, like you said, three million dollars, Dan paid
three million dollars this season. It was a one year deal,

(02:00:22):
and he's a free agent and he's going to command
a lot of money now and we'll see if they
can bring him back. But that was a game changing
signing that led to the Super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (02:00:30):
Absolutely, and my next couple, my next two go hand
in hand. I guess even you could say my next three.
I already gave away my number three with Fangio and
Kellen Moore. But my next two go hand in hand.
Number five is hiring Nick Siriani, and I think that
that's like a big picture thing, and it was not
the popular hire at the time. Obviously it was not
a pop hier I would have even thought to make.

(02:00:52):
He didn't call play as an indie, and I just
there's no reason that a non that someone outside the
situation would know that he would be a good head coach.
I desperately wanted Joe Brady at the time. Fun fact,
I still think Joe Brady would be a heck of
a head coach, But I Nick Siriani is undoubtedly delivered
and some in his first four years as head coach.

(02:01:12):
You go and you make four straight playoffs. You don't.
You've never missed the playoffs as a head coach in
four years, You've made two Super Bowls, you've won one,
You've won two Divisions. Now, I think you can't say
enough about what Nick has done here, but a bigger
move than hiring Nick Siriani and I I think this

(02:01:33):
was the main reason that I wanted to do this
segment at number four, the move that Howie it might
have been my least favorite. Hollie move he's ever made
at the time. Jordan Davis is probably up there, but
at the time, and so was Riger. I was out
part on Rager, so I was I was right on

(02:01:54):
those two. The one I was wrong about. I thought
firing Douve Peterson was so respectful and such a step
in the wrong direction. I was getting over a guy
who got ri won us our first Super Bowl and
brought us to the highest level, and even in twenty
eighteen and twenty nineteen, you make the playoffs. I thought

(02:02:15):
that twenty nineteen team wasn't that talented, and I thought
he did a good job that year. But it was
very clear that Doug Peterson was not up to the
standard that Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Larry are setting. And
that's obviously been proven out since. And he, instead of
waiting too long if anything, acted too early, and you
want to be proactive instead of reactive, and obviously they

(02:02:36):
were reacted to a sense. He won four games in
twenty twenty. Carson Wentz had a historic, historic kind of
regression from being a franchise guy to being a guy
who's almost out of the league, maybe will be next year.
I think firing Doug Peterson might be an even bigger
move than hiring Nick was. It was so clear they
had to move on. I didn't see it at the time.

(02:02:58):
Now looking back on it, it's so clear.

Speaker 2 (02:03:01):
Here's why I don't have that on this list.

Speaker 5 (02:03:03):
I think Jeffrey Laurie is all over the coaching decisions
more way, more than how And that's the only reason,
because everything you talked about is one hundred percent correct.
The only thing is I think Jeffrey Lorie has almost
as more say absolutely obviously as the final say. But
a lot of owners just leave it up to their
president of football operations or the general managers and like,
all right, whatever, I don't care. I think Jeffrey Lourie

(02:03:25):
is a phenomenal leader, and he looks for phenomenal leaders,
so he cares about this head coaching hires, and he's
been great at it. So I give all the credit
to Jeffrey Lourie on that, more so than Howie, which
is why I don't have it on the list.

Speaker 2 (02:03:36):
Firing Doug was really unpopular and I did not like
the move at all. At the time. I was right
there with you.

Speaker 5 (02:03:42):
I was like, why are we finding this guy who
just won a Super Bowl three years later or three
years ago.

Speaker 2 (02:03:48):
Obviously the cultural culture eroded and he had to go.

Speaker 5 (02:03:51):
And obviously they had a better intel of what was
going on in the building because he's the owner of
the team and Howie Roseman's the general manager. And they
made the right call. And again, hiring Nick wasn't some
popular decision. Hiring Nick Sirianni as the head coach was
as probably as unpopular as Doug Peterson at the time.
Both guys were not play callers. Both guys weren't some

(02:04:13):
hot coaching commodities at all. And they've identified these two
guys and two back to back Super Bowl champion coaches,
and that's been so impressive. But the only thing is,
I just give that more to Jeffrey, which is why
I didn't put it on the list.

Speaker 3 (02:04:26):
So number I got another one. You might want to
give to Jeffrey too later on on the list, but
let's get go.

Speaker 5 (02:04:31):
Oh wow, I actually I know it's my number one too,
so I know where you're going with that number four.
The Carson Wentz trade, how they managed to get a
third round in a conditional second round, which became a
first round pick because Carson Wentz played over seventy five
percent of his snaps that first year in Indianapolis.

Speaker 2 (02:04:49):
So how they managed to get that for.

Speaker 5 (02:04:51):
Carson Wentz and to think about where Carson Wentz is
now is a backup quarterback and like you said, potentially
out of the league next year. How they managed to
get that from the Carson Wentz steel was so impressive.
And look, Carson Wentz obviously regressed, but he still considered
a starting quarterback in the league. So it was impressive
what they got. How they knew there was time to
move on. I credit how he completely for that. And

(02:05:14):
it wasn't it's not exactly like this is what led
to getting these players, but how they flipped those picks
for Carson Wentz and and maneuvered and how he did
his things in the draft. They got DeVante Smith, AJ Brown,
Jalen Carter, Cooper, Gene were all associated with those picks
that they got from from the Carson Wentz tree.

Speaker 2 (02:05:33):
So that was a brilliantly executed trade. And that's number
four from me.

Speaker 3 (02:05:37):
I didn't include it, but it's kind of included in
my number one.

Speaker 5 (02:05:43):
Yeah, we all, I guess we have the same number one.
We keep teasing it. We obviously have the same number one.

Speaker 3 (02:05:48):
Yeah, of course, of course, and I'll talk about that
when we get there. That's kind of why I didn't
end up including it, but it's definitely it's a worthy inclusion.
My number three I already gave away, but it's hiring
good Fancia and Kellen Moore. The only reason I had
that above the head coaching thing. And I love Nick,
but I do think it's incredibly clear you have to
nail the coordinators. And the nice thing about that is

(02:06:11):
you nailed one that I think will be here for
the rest of his football coaching career. I don't think
Vic Fangio will ever get hired away as a head
coach with Howis stint Len and Denver, and I think
he's at the spot he wants to be. I don't
see him leaving Philadelphia. He loves the Phillies. It's the
team he talked about. He was at the Philadelphia Stars
parade as a fan when the Philadelphia Stars won in

(02:06:33):
the USFL. He's a Philly true and true guy. You
found your Steve Spagnolu, you found your Jim Johnson, except
this guy brought a ring, not not even a slow
slight to Jim Johnson, but you found and I think
you look at dynasties, you look at sustained runs of success,
especially with offensive head coaches. You look at so many
of those guys having that DC that is able to

(02:06:55):
stay there, that old crunchy, you know, grinchy DC that
doesn't go anywhere, It doesn't get hired as as a
head coach, but you get to keep him and keep
the same system and not have to constantly change schemes
all the time. I think they hit a home run
with Vic and I think he's the DC for at
least the next He's only sixty six. I think it
looks like older, but yeah, I don't think he's the

(02:07:15):
type of guy's retiring anytime. Seemed to go like like,
I think he loves this is.

Speaker 5 (02:07:21):
Like, this is what he does, and he's the perfect
guy as your defensive corner of this old grouch who
just never smiles and apparently cracked a little bit of
a smile at the Super Bowl after party for the
first time all season. Even his girlfriend I saw a
red a story that Eve his girlfriend said, I don't
really see him smile a lot, but he was smiling
at the Super Bowl. After party, So I'm right there
with you with VIC. Number three from me is the

(02:07:42):
AJ Brown trade. Obviously, getting Jalen Hurts his number one weapon,
gave up the eighteenth pick, but we won. We had
three first rounders that year and and a third round
pick for a J. Brown. That was highway robbery for
one of the best receivers in the league. Like, I
don't care about the statistics because the Eagles were run
first offense, and like I don't know their offense isn't

(02:08:02):
obviously JJ Browns are number one, but their offense isn't
predicated on delivering to their number one receiver a lot
of the way a lot of other passavy offenses are.
So I still think he's one of the best, top four,
maybe four to five. I'd have to go through it
receivers in the league. So this was highway robbery for
a guy like that. Great job, great trade by Howie.

Speaker 3 (02:08:22):
Yeah, I actually have that number two. I have a
number two, and just I don't want to argue. I
don't want to argue AJ was more important, So I disagree.
I mean makes three times the amount that makes for
a reason, there's a reason he just no, that's.

Speaker 2 (02:08:39):
That's just that's the market. That's the market. Typically with
receivers are more.

Speaker 3 (02:08:43):
Why is the market what it is?

Speaker 2 (02:08:44):
Is because around the league receivers one hundred percent or
more valuable.

Speaker 3 (02:08:48):
But this team is Brown is the top receiver, and
I think is the top running back.

Speaker 5 (02:08:52):
So give you, but when when you when your team
was built on when your team was built on the
run game, and I.

Speaker 3 (02:08:58):
Fairly fair because I I don't think the run game
is what it is if you don't have the deep
threat of AJ Brown, which makes everyone not have to
be able to stop stack the box every game because
you've seen when they do.

Speaker 5 (02:09:09):
But then I was But then when I would counter
and say the past game isn't what it is and
AJ isn't isn't as frequently open necessarily.

Speaker 3 (02:09:16):
I don't agree with that because I don't agree with
that because we saw twenty twenty two before Saquon got here,
Jayalen had four thousand passing yards with missing some time
and AJ had what was what did a happen?

Speaker 5 (02:09:26):
That was he had some ungodly numbers, but that was
that was also like Jalen Hurts, that was an MVP
year from him. The offense was just different to me,
you never see like your teams never play two wise
safeties against Eagles like ever because they're so worried about
the run game, and like that is a credit to
Saquon Barkley that they're all that day to stop.

Speaker 3 (02:09:47):
Say it again, that dates a lot back to pre
Saquon as well. What do you mean not playing they were?
They were top five efficient run offense in twenty twenty.

Speaker 5 (02:09:55):
Yeah, but again because the offensive line, which is the
whole argument against Saquons, because they have the best offensive
line footba like anyone could. But this this this, when
you combine the best offensive line of football and the
best running back in football, you have a historically great
rushing game and that's what got them to the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (02:10:08):
So I just have to value Saquon from that perspective.

Speaker 5 (02:10:11):
I also think, but I think A. J. Brown's way
better than Smitty Smitty. Obviously the receiving core isn't as good.
If Smithy's your number one, Smitty can be a number
one wide receiver.

Speaker 2 (02:10:20):
He's that good.

Speaker 3 (02:10:20):
Yeah, he's probably like he's probably like the fifteenth best receiver.

Speaker 2 (02:10:23):
Yeah, maybe even higher. I have to get through it,
but maybe even higher.

Speaker 3 (02:10:26):
I think it's hot. I actually did this at one
point that this is earlier this year. I tweeted out,
like the Eagles have a top this at every position,
was going through all the positions and someone kind of
disagree a nation more like national fan, more like a fan.
He's like a fantasy big fantasy football guy. Disagreed with her.
I had Davante and he was saying he wasn't a
top twenty guy. He was saying he was the twenty

(02:10:47):
first or twenty seconds day. Once you go through it,
you do realize, like how many dudes there are.

Speaker 5 (02:10:52):
It is, Yeah, I have to build a list out,
but man, like he's so and I think people discredit
him and he doesn't get those opportunities because he's the
number two guy, but man, he has the talent to
be a number one.

Speaker 3 (02:11:03):
But to me, it was like the AJ sacrificed being
more of the threat than being the top guy statistically.
But I think even after this year, if we were
paying both guys like, I still think AJ would make
considerably considerably more for his services thanquon.

Speaker 5 (02:11:21):
Which to me, it's the market, Like that's the market,
but the markets what the market is because of value,
But that's the league wide market. Of course, receivers are
more valuable throughout the league. If you're really talking about
specific team, I don't know. I don't I don't necessarily.
I don't think that necessarily translates just because the league
wide value of a certain position for a specific team,
it might be different. But you're still not going to

(02:11:42):
overpay for a running back if the market in the
league doesn't doesn't justify that.

Speaker 3 (02:11:47):
I will say my anti Saquon MVP cases, in my opinion,
look pretty fantastic. After a Super Bowl where he just
went twenty five to fifty seven and they won like
they were up forty to I will say.

Speaker 5 (02:11:59):
That anyone saying Saquon should have won m v P
was obviously ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (02:12:03):
But here here's where. Here's what I'll also say, away from.

Speaker 5 (02:12:05):
Football's impact as a ladder, I could not tremendous off
of that collapse. He is and you saw it with
micd up stuff, you saw throughout the year, everything that
they put out there.

Speaker 2 (02:12:17):
He is a phenomenal leader in a way a J.
Brown isn't.

Speaker 5 (02:12:20):
And I think Saquons as a galvanizing force was was
just tremendous from a leadership perspective, and.

Speaker 3 (02:12:26):
Again, I feel like the way I make it sounds
it sound like I don't like Saquon.

Speaker 1 (02:12:29):
I love.

Speaker 3 (02:12:34):
I love Saquon. He brought me a title I could
not He's my favorite. He was running back of my lifetime.
I could not have more appreciation for Saquon. I just
think people get a little weird talking about him sometimes
and the way that it's because of the Penn State factor,
I think, and I think there's a lot of reasons
behind it.

Speaker 2 (02:12:52):
And he's a great guy.

Speaker 3 (02:12:53):
He is a genuinely guy and everything you'd want. Like
I was yelling during the Jimmy kim or Jimmy Kimmel,
I was during the Jimmy Follon interview. Stop asking Jalen questions.
The one guy wants to be here, the one guy
doesn't like as the question. He'll actually give you an answer.

Speaker 2 (02:13:10):
But I just think the Super Bowl, like, who knows
that Jimmy Fallon?

Speaker 3 (02:13:15):
Yeah, but not number two. I went with trading for
aj Brown? What did you have number two?

Speaker 2 (02:13:22):
Okay, so we did the whole argument.

Speaker 3 (02:13:24):
Yeah, number one, we both have it, not just drafting
but trusting Jalen Hurts in the way that they did
and I still think to this day everybody says, oh,
they wanted to trade for us, they wanted to trade
for the Sean Watson. I think Howie does due diligence
on everything. I think how he finds out the market

(02:13:46):
on everything. There's no way anybody can convince me. And
I know that Jeffrey Lury was very instrumental behind drafting Jalen.
He's made that very clear. He wants everybody to know it.
And I think and smart by the way to continue
being like, oh, yeah, I'm Jeffy Lurry's guy, Like I'll
be the owner's guy, Like yeah, Carson Wentz.

Speaker 2 (02:14:07):
Was Jeffrey Lauriy's guy at one point too.

Speaker 3 (02:14:09):
Yeah, So you do have to give Luriy a lot
of credit there, But there was how he loves nothing more.
And I've talked about this a lot. If you go
look at Howie's history, how he rewards his successes, When
how he nails a guy in the draft, When how
he finds a guy and plucks a guy, he pays them,
because what does it do? It reminds everybody all the time, like, Oh,

(02:14:32):
there's that guy that Howie Roseman found, There's that guy
that Howie Roseman brought to Philadelphia, and I think he
loves that, and by the way, I kind of love
that about how He, But I think that there's no
way anybody convinced me and I get he was calling
they were not going to give up after jal On
Jalen Hurts after the twenty twenty one season and trade
for Watson or trade for Wilson after he had made

(02:14:55):
the playoffs, and how he I don't think people realize
now because we remember it at the time, it was
viewed as insane when they drafted jail on her and
he's like, why are you doing this to Carson? This
is a waste of a pick. We could have had
an actual player that could help us this year. We
went to the playoffs last year. How do you not
get Carson a weapon? YadA, YadA, YadA. It took balls

(02:15:19):
for Howie to make that pick and to kind of
deal with the repercussions, and it might have literally ruined
Carson Wentz mentally, to be.

Speaker 2 (02:15:26):
Honest, which was probably a good thing for us, Yeah yeah, But.

Speaker 3 (02:15:32):
To me after that happening and then him coming out
playing the four games he did in twenty twenty and
then making the playoffs in twenty twenty one. There's no
way anybody can convince me that how he was ready
to give up on Jalen, And yeah, he was looking
into Shawn, he was looking into Russ. I think you
have to do your due due diligence on those types
of things. When you don't have one of the three
best quarterbacks in the world, you should probably be at

(02:15:53):
least looking into it. I don't think there's any people
say like, oh, thank god, how he wasn't allowed to
make that trader, Thank god Deshaun didn't want to come here,
Thank god Russ wanted to go somewhere else. I still
think if it came down to the decision making time,
I don't think how he was giving up his chips
on Jailen hurts because he's shown every step of the
way he's believed in it. When it's time to actually
make the moves, He's made the moves to get him weapons.

(02:16:15):
He's made the moves to put the guys around him
on the offensive line. He's made the move to get
Saquon Barkley. He's made the move to do whatever he
can to make Jalen's life easier, to make his job
easier and to prove how he's pick back in twenty twenty.
It was the right one.

Speaker 5 (02:16:30):
How he was never going to give up on Jalen
Hurts after one and a half kind of barely even
one of the quarter seasons. It just wasn't gonna happen
because he drafted him with a second round pick. You
don't use your draft capital on a quarterback dot high
and give up them. They obviously saw something. I don't
know they can say it now. I don't know if
they envisioned this from Jalen Hurts. I still think part

(02:16:53):
of it is holding out a little bit of hope
for Carson Wentz at the time, where it's like, all right,
let's testamentally here see what he does. Because most if
you're a great quarterback, you're gonna see that this guy.
They drafted the guy in the second round, and you're
gonna show up even more. You're gonna show up even ready,
and you're gonna have a chip on your shoulder and
you're gonna perform it even a higher level. Obviously, Carson
Wentz was never the guy, and you figure that out
pretty quickly by drafting it. So I love the move

(02:17:15):
in hindsight, at the time, it was so unpopular, like
everyone from everyone in Philadelphia that everyone nationally talking about football,
talking about the Eagles.

Speaker 2 (02:17:25):
Ripped it, absolutely ripped this pick. It was. It was
one of the most unpopular picks.

Speaker 5 (02:17:30):
And I'm pretty sure it was that COVID draft, right, Yeah,
it was that COVID draft where everyone was quarantine and everything.
But people hated this pick. And it was crazy because
it's like, Carson Wentz should be the guy. Still he
still you still saw it, and Wentz was obviously a
very contentious topic whether whether he was the guy or
not in Philadelphia and throughout the NFL's great sports talk
radio topic.

Speaker 2 (02:17:51):
Honestly, at the time, he was the best.

Speaker 7 (02:17:53):
It wasn't.

Speaker 3 (02:17:55):
It wasn't that contentious here.

Speaker 2 (02:17:58):
I think people are all very split on him. You
think people are all in on him still.

Speaker 3 (02:18:02):
I'll tell you what, And this might be a crazy take.
This is pre twenty twenty, so post twenty nineteen, I
think Philly was more in on Carson Wentz than they
were on Jalen Hurts three weeks ago or a month ago.

Speaker 2 (02:18:16):
Maybe just think, oh, like the city of Philadelphia, Yeah,
that's tough.

Speaker 3 (02:18:23):
I'm not gonna bring race into this conversation, but I
do think it played a factor. If we're just comparing
the way that the two were talked about, I think
Carson Wentz was I think most of that was national
like just thinking back, like to me, I feel like
we were all defending him.

Speaker 5 (02:18:40):
But the thing is, the conversation with Carson Wentz was
always like is he the guy? Like should we keep him?
Should we get rid of him? The conversation with Jalen
Hurts has never been to get rid of him. It's
been how good is he? Is he really good enough?
It's never been get rid of a guy, or let's
look at it done the option quarterback. I've never heard
that in Philadelphia. As much criticism as he gets, I
have never heard that with Wentz. It was legitimately a

(02:19:02):
debate like should we keep him?

Speaker 2 (02:19:04):
Is he?

Speaker 5 (02:19:04):
Is he going to be a quarterback that we should
keep on this roster that can go on to win.
So I don't remember exactly, have to see specifically and
kind of who the people were who set the tone
of the city at the time and the sports talk
in the city at the time. But again, like again,
like that's why drafting Jalen Hurts number one because it
was so unpopular and they used a second round pick

(02:19:26):
on the guy. And this was a guy who got
benched at Alabama and the National Championship game, and that
was obviously phenomenal for Oklahoma, but still there was a
lot of questions about him as a passer, and he
brought up Russell Wilson. I got to admit after that
first ye with Jalen Hurts, they were Eagles would never
think about getting random hom and I didn't think they
would do it.

Speaker 2 (02:19:44):
I was a guy who wanted Russell Wilson to come in.
Horrible take.

Speaker 5 (02:19:47):
I have some horrible texts, horrible text about it, but
I thought I just didn't see it from Jalen Hurts
as the passer and he's developed so much and I
obviously just missed it at the time as well. But
I was a guy that bring Russell Wilson in, who
thank god, I thank the Lord they didn't. But like
you said, drafting him was so unpopular, which is why
it makes it number one for me, because you had

(02:20:08):
now have a Super Bowl champion quarterback, a guy like
this isn't Nick Foles winning the championship. Who's not going
to be a part of the team in two years,
and you knew that this is a super Bowl winning
champion quarterback for the first time in Eagles history that
you know is your future, and you drafted him five
years ago when nobody saw it coming and it was
so unpopular.

Speaker 2 (02:20:25):
Brilliant, brilliant move.

Speaker 3 (02:20:28):
It can't be overstated. Finding a franchise quarterback outside of
the top ten, maybe even the top five, let alone
finding it in the second round is it has to
be mentioned just how incredible and how insane that is.
But yeah, I think it has to be number one
on the list. And the one thing I'll say, looking
back at the draft, like the decision to draft him

(02:20:48):
at the time, I looked at it like nobody knows
how important a backup quarterback is more than us, Like
look at twenty seventeen.

Speaker 5 (02:20:54):
Quarterback factory, quarterback factory. One of how his biggest regrets
is that, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:21:00):
That was that was the big, the big, the big
phrase at the time. But I think looking back on
it now, it's probably pretty clear that they were seeing
some stuff from Carson that they were done with. I
think that I don't think that picking jail And was
just like a, Oh, this guy has such high upside.
We have to do it. We can't, we can't, we

(02:21:21):
don't want to miss on Russell Wilson again. Like I
think they had seen and I think in contrasts like
scouting jail and Hurts, they're probably seeing everything that they
wanted interpersonally from a quarterback and everything that they wanted
from a leader while having to see Carson Wentz making
excuses and wanting his wanting to control every little aspect
of every play that they ran. And I think that

(02:21:45):
they realized some things in the clubhouse, in the locker
room about Carson Wentz that that was their like trying
to get out of jail free card on on getting
out of Wentz. And it's crazy looking back at it
now look that way. It didn't feel that way at
the time.

Speaker 5 (02:22:00):
Yeah, I mean feel think about the last parade when
it was all right, Doug Peterson Carson Wentz is the
future or the future of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise. Like
that's the best thing the Eagles Jeffrey Lorie and High
Rosman have done is getting rid of those two guys
and bringing in the two right replacements for them, Like
out of everything that's number one that they've done, and

(02:22:21):
they did it masterfully when it was heavily criticized at
the time. Because again, like especially when you look back
at that last parade, it's like Carson Wentz just went MVP,
his backup quarterback, went on a run. He didn't win,
MVP was in conversation for MVP, and he's still and
he's still the future and he's gonna come back even
stronger and better. Doug Peterson, big balls, Doug. He's the

(02:22:41):
man like, he's a phenomenal offensive coach. He can develop quarterbacks.
Moving on from those two guys were not popular calls,
but they obviously had the intel where are inside the
building every day and that's really what set the tone
for them to go on this run like they did
this last year and be set up for the future
when they should be competing for super Bowls for years
to come.

Speaker 3 (02:23:01):
Yeah, it's a great kind of note to end it on,
because I I there's a guy, Dan Hands, that's who
I love. He'd the call great podcast, but he hates
the Eagles and he hates He's kind of had he's
had to prove how wrong he is.

Speaker 2 (02:23:15):
Now, you know, in this run.

Speaker 3 (02:23:17):
He's a Jets fan, and but there's no reason even yeah,
there's no reason to hate the Eagles is the Jets fan.
It's really weird. But he's turned on it so hard.
And part of it he used to always say that
he thought how he was overrated and he thought how
he was the Twitter GM because he thought he just
drafts whoever people like, and if they work out, it's
not even him picking it. He's just drafting to make

(02:23:40):
people say he's smart and all this stuff. And I'm like, okay,
you can say that about and Cooper Gen and Jalen
Carter and Nolan Smith and Nikobe Dean and Killie Ringo,
Eli Rix, whoever you want to throw that he drafted,
that fell in the draft or whatever you want to say.
You can't say that when it comes to hiring Nick Sirianni.
And you can't say that when it comes to finding

(02:24:01):
jail and Hurts in the second round when nobody thought
that that's where they were going or that that's where
they should go at the time. So he did. Yeah,
he made the moves that everybody wanted him to make.
And Davante kind of goes in that too, probably trading
for aj Brown goes in that too, but he also
made the moves at the two most important positions that
I don't know if anybody else would have made.

Speaker 2 (02:24:20):
No arguing there. And that's why we are super Bowl champs.

Speaker 3 (02:24:23):
We are super Bowl Champs, and that's gonna do it.
For an extra stuffed edition. Here at the Tough Cover
Radio hour three hour tough Cover Radio show, awesome stuff
with my guy sam Ostri. You can follow him on
Twitter at s Austree and check out all this stuff
over at the Score. You can follow me on Twitter
at markev Junior. On screen, you follow the Gambler at

(02:24:44):
Fox PHL Gambler. Next week we'll be back with more
tough Cover Radio show heading in to March madness. But
for now, Tough Cover Country, let's right.

Speaker 1 (02:24:55):
Spreads totals and all the prop bets in between.

Speaker 2 (02:24:58):
It's the Gambler.