February 28, 2025 • 48 mins
Dan Beyer and Aaron Rodgers filling in for Doug as they react to Matthew Stafford agreeing to stay in L.A. with the Rams with a new contract.
Dan and Aaron weigh in on the discussion about the next face of the NBA as Lebron James and Channing Frye have raised eyebrows with their remarks this week.
Mark Dominik joins the guys to talk about Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers and all of the major headlines around the NFL.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotleeb Show podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday three to five,
Easter twelve, two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your
local station for the Doug Gottlieb Show at Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:17):
Call Aaron. I don't know how much you are addicted
to TikTok like a I am, But in my algorithm,
are those videos where someone starts the domino and it
goes through this room, then it goes through that room,
and then it spirals around the staircase and goes downstairs
and goes outside into the backyard, and then finally goes
on to the diving board of the swimming pool and
(00:38):
into the swimming pool.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
That's what I feel like.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
The dominoes are starting to fall in the NFL for
just what we've had this morning. When it comes to
the quarterback carousel in this league, well, you see how
quickly things change.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
You and I were talking a few hours before the
show with Jay stew and we're like, uh, is Stafford
really going to be a raider? This was a week
or so ago after you and I were on a
talking about Stafford being a giant, but he was a
raider as of you know, eight nine Pacific this morning
in our heads, and I know that's going to lead
to the conversation that we have now. I don't want
to spoil what you're gonna set up, but it's just quickly.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
How hey, Isaac Lowenkron told you he did date. Matthew
Stafford's back with the RAMS. As we are broadcasting live
from the tierraq dot com studios tierraq dot com, we'll
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I'm not shocked, but I am surprised, but I kind
(01:35):
of feel I shouldn't be surprised. And the reason that
I say that, Aaron is this felt weird from the
get go. I felt that the RAMS wanted to let
Matthew Stafford go out and test the market and say, fine,
go see what you can get, and then maybe we
could get something that we'd never dreamed that we could
get for Matthew Stafford from another team. So they allowed
(01:58):
Stafford to go and see what else was out there,
so much so that we've had two NFL insiders fight
on reporting over the situation.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Not online, they literally had to fight.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
We had a report last night from the Las Vegas
Review Journal that said Matthew Stafford and the Raiders have
at least agreed on common ground on or reach to
common ground on a contract, so then it would be
up to what the Rams would want in return for Stafford.
(02:30):
But then the news breaks this morning, and I don't
think it's any coincidence that Stafford ends up going back
to the Los Angeles Rams. We don't have the whole
details on the current contract and the numbers that he's
going to get. It may seem much ado about nothing,
but it sure seems that at least in this specific situation,
(02:51):
we'll get to the Dominoes in a second. Stafford got
a peak, Rams got a peak, and then they just
realized life was better together than the opps.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
That was why I never fully understood, like why this
was even a story. Now, I think from my perspective,
somebody actually asked me this in a random radio interview
this morning. They were like, why would the RAMS not
want matt Stafford? I said, well, it's a fair question.
But to me, the part that never actually made sense
was why would matt Stafford. Why would Matthew Stafford want
to leave Los Angeles? I mean, I understand everybody wants
(03:24):
to get the most dollar value that you can out
of your probably what's not probably what is going to
be your final big contract. But the counter to that
is he took a He had a lot of bad moments,
if you will, for lack of a better term, with
the Detroit Lions. I mean a lot of losses, a
lot of hits, a lot of you know, coaching a
lot of chaos is probably the best way to put
(03:44):
it on the field, off the field, et cetera. So
I never understood why he was in such a rush
to go to what would be an obviously inferior situation
with the money that he has already made. So I
don't know that I'm really that surprised, But where it
never really made sense to me. I could understand the
Rams saying, hey, this is the budget, this is what
we got. We can't go over, and the Rams almost
(04:07):
being like an old school Belichick, will move off a
year or too early because we're confident in what we're
building and what we have built before, it never made
sense from Stafford's perspective. So that's why I don't think
I was ultimately all that surprised when the news broke
here about an hour.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
I do think that it was about respect. And I
know that the forty million dollar price tag was brought
up and Chase Daniel at comments and we had talked
about it on Doug Show earlier this week, and so
some people had this reaction of man, Matthew Stafford's just
willing to throw away forty million dollars. Others are saying,
Matthew Stafford's made this much in his career, why should
(04:40):
it be about money? And I just felt if we
are talking about respect, that's where the dollar amount comes.
Not for the fact of the matter that Matthew Stafford
deserves fifty million above forty million. It's just where you're
putting that echelon of quarterbacks when it comes to their
salary and in their rankings, and he would have been
(05:00):
at the bottom end of it. Again, we don't know
the official numbers that he gets from the RAMS. But
now what I find so interesting are those dominoes because
now Aaron Rodgers has come to a point in his
career where not only is he not the big ticket item,
he's actually used as a ploy in the situation. And
(05:21):
that is what is so shocking. When we felt that
Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback that the Jets wanted, other
teams would have wanted when he wanted out of Green Bay,
Aaron Rodgers was the apple of the eye of so
many And now it comes down to a point where
Rogers connected to the Rams. If Stafford were to go elsewhere, well,
in the end, the Rams just decided to keep their
(05:42):
own guy. And it sure seems that it was a
part of their leverage in trying to bring Matthew Stafford
back and saying We're not going to give up the
entire farm to bring you back because we have a
plan B. It sure feels like Aaron Rodgers was a
ploy in some of this.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Let me ask you a question.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
I mean, if Matthew Stafford had just gone to the
highest bidder, Raiders, Giants, whatever, do you believe Aaron Rodgers
was actually going like week one, running out of the
tunnel with the horn on the side of the helmet
or was it always a ploy and they would have
gone with either a you know, somebody cheaper or somebody
younger than everone.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I think it could have been an option. But the
reason why I think it's more of a ploy than
anything is the report that we had last night from
the Las Vegas Review Journal and saying that listen, Stafford's
agreed to a contract, so or at least they've got
the terms. I should say that they want to go.
As far as they've agreed to a contract, they would
(06:40):
have the terms of a future contract worked out, and
then twelve hours later a deal is struck for him
to go back to the RAMS. That to me is
just I would sit there and if I was the RAMS,
I'd want to know what the compensation would be. I'd
maybe want to try to figure it out here, how
is this going to work out? But instead, guess what,
Matthew staff Yfford did find another suitor. He did find
(07:02):
another place to go that he wanted to go and
would be willing to go. In essence, Stafford called their
bluff and they fold him. They said all right, we'll
bring you back at this price. And that's that's why
I think that Rogers was deploy because Stafford, by having
that report come out, by the Raiders that he agreed
to something which I would assume came from Stafford's camp,
(07:23):
that that's why Rogers was used as a ploy in it.
I have no doubt that Rogers would have been considered
for the Rams. I also think Sam Darnold would have
been considered and others would have been considered. But for
it to turn around so quickly and have Stafford be
back as the Rams quarterback, to me, makes Aaron Rodgers
just look as a as a pawn in all of this.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
No, I agree, I agree, And I'll ford the conversation
by asking you a simple question. What do you make
of the report by Diana Rossini shortly after the Matthew
Stafford extension was you know, reported that now the Giants
have actually moved on to potentially a landing spot for
Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I think it's into I don't think it's shocking because
when you looked at the spots around the league, there's
only so many quarterbacking spots and Jason Stewart remembered and
I don't recall this. I don't know if you recall this,
and we talked about it prior to the show, but
our executive producer, You remember Aaron Rodgers using certain sort
(08:19):
of language when he was talking about, let's just say
not necessarily the Jets in that way.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Is that correct?
Speaker 5 (08:28):
Yeah, I looked for soundbites, but I remember in the
latter part of the season, whenever Aaron was asked about
after this season, he was always careful to not mention
the Jets, but he would say stuff like I really
like my apartment, I don't want to leave New York
like things that really did not specify the Jets at all.
(08:49):
And I remember thinking back then, so that means he's
leaving the Giants on the table.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
You know, I thought I thought that Gihant's could be
a possibility Aaron, for the fact that the points that
Jason just made, But also I feel they're a marquee
team being there the New York Giants, just like I
felt that the Raiders were a marquee team and I
guess the Rams. In that essence, Rogers isn't gonna go
play for the Titans. I mean, whether they're the first
(09:15):
overall pick, whatever, that's just that's not going to happen.
So this would fit into his brand. But I also
felt in a way that the Giants were so far
away from winning that maybe Rogers wouldn't be interested in
doing something like that, especially considering the comments that were
made last week when he said I wanted to go
to a you know, wanted to go to a good team.
The Giants aren't a good team right now. They have
a couple of good players, but they aren't a good
(09:37):
team right now. So I'm surprised by that aspect that
the Giants would be in play from just the comments
that he made a week ago.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
So then let me ask another follow up. I feel
like I'm grilling you, like you're at the combine, and.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Do you feel like do you feel like the Giants
are a legitimate fit?
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Do you feel I don't feel I don't. I wouldn't
use the word fit. I mean I could see a
landing spot.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
No, And that's what but I was gonna say, is
that with with Rogers, what's so interesting is the guy
is just it's just, you know, he wants to keep playing,
and we've talked about all the off the field stuff.
You know, he's not married, he doesn't have kids. I
don't know what he would do with his free time.
I mean, I know he's got a lot of interest,
to say the least in the off season. But it's
one one thing to have a couple of weeks off
(10:20):
in June, and it's another week to not have a job.
So I just find that whole thing interesting. But what
I also find interesting is there's basically no market for
this guy.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
And I mean, you look at the Giants.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
It is in a winning organization, as you said, and
I just look at it from one I don't really
understand what it solves. I mean, we know that that
the GM and Brian Dable are in win now mode.
Does Aaron rodd like, what is Aaron Rodgers ceiling with
that team and that division that makes you feel like
you're going to be able to keep your job? Because
to me, if I'm the Giants, I'd rather swing on
(10:57):
one of the young guys and then if they're even
half decent, you say, well listen, man, I mean you're
gonna It's almost like the the Chicago Bears. So you
just wasted a year of you just wasted Shador Sanders
first year by bringing us back.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Give us some time, we'll get it figured out.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
As opposed to Aaron Rodgers, I mean, what is really
the ceiling because I texted you guys this when this
news broke is say what you want about the Jets.
He had plenty of weapons and plenty of talent around
him with the Jets. So he's gonna go to an
inferior roster in the same city, same building, whatever, in
a better division with the reigning Super Bowl champ, twice
on your schedule with the Washington Commanders who played in
(11:31):
the NFC Championship Game. I just don't know what the
ceiling is with Aaron Rodgers. And I don't know even
if you hit that ceiling, is that enough to keep
your job if you're the coach in the GM, because
I don't think it is.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
There is a trend. I actually think it started with
the Ravens, where there was a time where John Harbaugh's
job was on the line when Joe Flacca was the quarterback.
They ended up inserting Lamar Jackson. The rest is history.
In John Harbaughs still the head coach. There wasn't there.
It's a now anti equated thought process. Let's bring in
a veteran he will help save our job. No, the
(12:06):
way is for the young guy to be great under
your watch and continue forward. Matt Eberflus and the Chicago
Bears are the example of it not working out well.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
And real quick.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
If Matt Eberflus was even competent, they clearly wanted it
to work. If he was even competent, If he wasn't
embarrassing the Bears on National TV when you and I
were on on Thanksgiving like, they probably would have brought
him back. They just needed competency, And so I think
that's an important notice.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
But it's the point of wasting a year is now
like you felt like you've wasted a year with Caleb Williams.
The Giants Rogers angle is unique to me because I
look at the Giants again, not as a team that
is a winner, but as a team that is far
away from winning, but also a team that is completely
in the spotlight considering what happened a year ago when
(12:58):
the Giants decided to stick with Daniel Jones. We've now
talked about it because of the greatness that Saquon Barkley
had with the Philadelphia Eagles, But if we do remember
in that Hard Knocks series of the Giants in the offseason,
Joe Shane did want to trade up and did call
Elliot Wolf of the Patriots for the third overall pick,
knowing that one and two were already set. Caleb was
(13:18):
going one of the Bears and Jayden Daniels was going
to the Commanders, so maybe there's some flexibility at three.
Joe Shane did make that call. Wolf says, it's not
going to happen, so let's go and find Daniel Jones
a weapon. And they got Malik Neighbors. But if there
was any team that wanted to fix their quarterback room
from last year, after the embarrassment that the Giants had,
(13:41):
it would be the Giants. Sure, And by drafting should
or Sanders or cam Ward, you would think we're building
for the future. But instead the Giants are saying, we'll
take a forty one year old Aaron Rodgers. That to
me is more of an indictment on should or Sanders
and even cam Ward if the possibility if he were
to drop and those two rookie quarterbacks that the Giants
(14:02):
are willing to basically say, you know what, I know,
our jobs are on the line, but we're gonna just
maybe try to save another year by having this forty
one year old guy come in. The Giants are picking
three picks higher than they did last year. They are
at three right now, they have a legitimate shot they
could trade up. The Titans have said that they've received
calls if they wanted cam Ward they could trade up
(14:24):
and get number one. Rogers interest with the Giants to me,
isn't even about Rogers keeping his career and what happens
in the division. That angle is more of the indictment
on Shadoor, Sanders and cam Ward and just the type
of quarterbacks they are and how weak this draft is
when it comes to top level quarterbacks.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
So I agree with that, I still just I go
back to if Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback in the
New York Giants in the NFC East, and by the way,
we can make fun of Dallas, they probably will not
be as bad as they were last year. Dak Prescott
wasn't around for what seventy percent of the season, sixty
per six. So I guess I just go back to
(15:02):
there's really two variables, right is. Let's say, first of all,
there's this Aaron Rodgers versus young guy.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
There are four.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Scenarios in that equation. Aaron Rodgers plays better than expected,
Aaron Rodgers is way worse than expected, young guy plays
better than expected, young guy plays worse than expected, or
you know, as good or better. Okay, and so I
look at it. If the young guy plays better than expected,
you keep your job. Obviously, young guy plays worse, you
get fired. If Aaron Rodgers plays as bad or worse,
(15:36):
you get fired. I'm not sure that Aaron Rodgers playing
at his absolute peak is enough for you to keep
your job. That's one, Like, what are we talking about
eight and nine? I mean, you're not going six to
zero in that division. Okay, so you're talking about eight
and nine. But here's the other thing about the young
taking Aaron Rodgers. If even if you view next year
(15:57):
as better, and again we're working under the asie that
the GM and the coach are on a one year deal.
If you don't figure it out this year, you're not
gonna be back long term, even if Aaron Rodgers is
good and you keep your job. Now you have a
forty two year old Aaron Rodgers next year, and you're
not in a position to draft a quarterback again. So listen,
we're all we're talking in hypotheticals here. Aaron Rodgers is
(16:20):
not a New York Giant For people that are tuning
in right now, Santa that I miss something, but there
is a report out that he could be and that
he is now the top priority of the Giants, or
that he is a priority of the Giants, and I
just sit there and say, the best case scenario is
that he's somehow way better in a tougher division than
we expect, and.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Then you're not in a position to take a quarterback
next year. Doesn't make sense.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Here's your final Domino and we're actually gonna get to
Mark Dominic former Buccaneers GM, and Mark's kind of been
all over some of this stuff so far in this offseason.
Adam Schefter, within the last twenty minutes has tweeted out
that the Raiders in not getting Stafford because he's going
back to the Rams, are interested in Russell Wilson, justin Field,
Sam Darnold, etc. Did not name Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
That is interesting.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
That is I think it's a very interesting exclusion. And
in fact, Schefter sent out not one, but two tweets.
There may have been an error in the first one,
and the correction wasn't made to include Aaron Rodgers, so
the Raiders may not be even in on Aaron Rodgers
at all, which would go against my thinking that I
thought that could be a landing spot.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
I thought that was the best spot for him too.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah, he's aeron Torres. I'm Dan Byer in for Doug Gottlieb, who,
by the way, win number four last night on the
Doug knocking off Detroit Mercy taking him out.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Pnuts are actually favored.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
In the game three and a half and they bring
home a home victory despite Doug only having eight available players.
And again it just reiterates the fact. Now this is
the second time Doug has won a game and has
not been on a show the next day. So back
in December when everybody said that he ducked out after
losing the Michigan Tech, that was not the case Doug.
(18:00):
It's not even showing up after wins. That's maybe his
m O. But trying to make it back to back
wins this weekend as they wrap up the regular season.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
I will say, you know, and I read the profile
he did in the Athletic. I know CBS had another
one yesterday, but I do think he's right. You know,
everybody just wants to swoop in with the thirty thousand
foot You know this guy that whatever bottom line is,
they are playing better basketball here late. So congrats to
him second winning four games.
Speaker 6 (18:25):
This is the best of the Don dot Leap Show
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
The Lakers have won four in a row.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Luca seems to be fitting well with fitting in well
with his new team. But you wouldn't know that by
the way Lebron James spoke postgame. Lebron is not happy.
You're gonna find out why, and it's not about Doug
getting win number four, making his tweet even more obsolete.
Welcome in as we are broadcasting live from the tierraq
(18:57):
dot com studios. Tierrac dot com will help you get there.
An unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road has a protection.
You know, over ten thousand recommended installers. Tiraq dot com
the way tire buying should be. We just played I
got DIBs in talking about Western Conference teams and things
are going well for the Lakers right now. And it
wasn't that Aaron Torres was hating on the Lakers. Your
(19:18):
point was, Hey, they made it to the conference finals recently,
so this isn't like some Johnny cum lately or some
great turnaround. Maybe this should be expected from what this
Lakers team is or what the Western Conference is.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Yeah, I just think, you know, everybody's ready to anoint
this Lakers team something, JJ Reddick something whatever. And I
think JJ Redicks done a very good job. I've been
critical of him on various things throughout time. I think
he's done an excellent job as the head coach of
this team. But it's like, literally eighteen months ago they
made the Western Conference finals with Darvin Ham And so,
to me, fair or not, when you are the face
(19:52):
of the league like Lebron James, which we're gonna get
to in a minute, the standard isn't oh, you looked
good in in February, it's are you really built to
win a world championship? And I just sit there and say,
we've seen Lebron kind of wear down in these playoff scenarios.
I know Luca is there, but it's not as though
(20:12):
Lebron hasn't had help previously. And I just have my
doubts that they can do it over four rounds, which
is obviously the ultimate end game with this Lakers group.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Lakers get a one to eleven one h two win
over the.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Minnesota Timberwolves last night, a game where Anthony Edwards was
ejected in the third quarter. Lebron another solid game to
say the least thirty three points as he was eleven
of twenty one from the field. Lakers getting Luca Donnar
are getting thirteen rebounds from Luca Lebron at seventeen boards
to go along with his six assists and the thirty
three points that I just mentioned. So the Lakers beat
(20:45):
Minnesota now in the fourth spot is LA. But the
topic of conversation with Lebron in the locker room was
about a lot of things, but it also went back
to the past of about five days ago and something
Thatanning Fry, former NBA player, said on his podcast Let's
hear from It. I'll tell you what we do have.
(21:07):
I know we have breaking news, and I just I
just want to hold on to it for a couple
of minutes.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Just hold on just a second, hold on, hold on,
hold on, hold on.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
I want to play this Channing Fry stuff because I
do feel that it is it is unique. But there
is news developing in the NBA that we're going to
get to in just a little bit. Here's Channing Fry
talking about the problem right now with the NBA and
I guess if you will Anthony Edwards not wanting to
be the face of the NBA. In comments Edwards made.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
Previously, nostalgia is killing the NBA.
Speaker 8 (21:40):
That nineties basketball Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as
clean as y'all think it was. Y'all forget that Jordan
left the league for two years. Y'all forget that Kobe
rest and quit on his team in the playoffs and
did not shoot the basketball. So all this Kobe Jordan, Oh,
(22:04):
he's not this, he's not that.
Speaker 7 (22:06):
That is propaganda.
Speaker 8 (22:08):
Every great player, whether that's a Wemby Bron you know,
Steph this that this that you know, they compare them
to forty years ago. The rules weren't even the same.
You're not really watching helpside defense. Who's doing this? What
is this rule? What is that rule? You're not watching?
(22:29):
Nobody celebrates these new people. So why the would anybody
want to be the face of this league? Or you're
gonna get on on every network for not being somebody from.
Speaker 7 (22:40):
Forty years ago. It's ridiculous, It is unfair. Braun is
one of the greatest players ever to play.
Speaker 8 (22:48):
Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players ever to play.
Jannie is one of the great Jokic and you know
what we do. We talk about Michael Jordan. All this
superstar era is over. The car cap called a second Apron.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
It's over. Teams are gonna take over.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
That was Channing Fry in the road Trip in podcast
that he co hosts.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
I wish we really knew how he felt. It felt
like the emotion was a little lower.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
I get him standing up for his generation. I can
completely understand it. I don't think that everything that he
said is wrong. I actually agree with Yeah. I think
that he's he's making valid points. But Anthony Edwards has
asked do you want to be the face of the league?
Anthony Edwards has no interest in that. Lebron James after
(23:36):
last night's win over the Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards where
Edwards was ejected in the third quarter. We did on
the comments that Channing Fry made earlier this week and
talked about the responsibilities of being the face of the NBA.
Speaker 9 (23:47):
I mean it's unfortunate, but like, I don't know, when,
why do you want to be the face of the
league when all all to put all the people that
you know that cover our game and talk about our
game on a day to day base on everybody had
that responsibility. That's it's just weird. It's weird energy from
the people that.
Speaker 8 (24:06):
You know.
Speaker 9 (24:08):
I don't know, but changing he said it, he said
it perfectly. Couldn't set it no better. But Ant said
he don't want it. I didn't. I mean, obviously I
didn't ask for it. But I know there's a responsibility
for me not only to my family, my friends, my community,
and and and whoever that was gonna follow my my
my journey throughout my career, not only in Ohio when
(24:30):
I started there, but all all over America and all
over the world when I traveled all over the world.
So I've always taken that seriously and understand and understood
from the beginning what what being a professional was all
about and being a role model was all about.
Speaker 7 (24:45):
So tried to hold that with.
Speaker 9 (24:47):
The utmost uh respect and honor.
Speaker 7 (24:50):
And but.
Speaker 9 (24:53):
I feel and I understand and I completely understand this
is weird energy when it comes to that.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
I have a lot of thoughts.
Speaker 8 (25:01):
But what.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Do you think about I.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Think there's two separate things that he's talking about. Sure,
and I think I want to leave the Ant stuff
in the face of the NBA stuff, because that's one
of the things that he's talking about. But just like
Channing Fry and just like Lebron James, they're talking about
Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal. I'm sorry, that's that's who
they're talking when they're talking about sports media. They're not
(25:26):
talking about Malika Andrews. They're not talking about Richard Jefferson,
they're not talking about the people on ESPN. They're talking
specifically about Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal ripping on the
NBA on inside the NB A T and T can.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
I jump in, Yeah, this is It's not often that
I say this. I actually completely disagree with you. I
think they're talking about this. Jumped in to disagree with me. Well, no,
you and I are on the same page. I think
that is one hundred percent about the first take. Everything
is Lebron versus MJ. Everything is comparison, and you know,
(26:04):
I just I think it's one hundred percent about that
way of looking at basketball.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Now, I don't I don't think people carry Stephen A.
Smith's opinion. And I love Steven A. I don't think
people take their his opinion as fact. I think they
take Charles Barkley's and I think they take Shaquille O'Neills
as fact. And I will also say, when the new
Media Rights deal was going on last year, I'd said,
(26:30):
sitting in this chair, I'm having deja vu. I don't
think the NBA really wanted Inside the NBA to come
back for a variety of reasons. Number one, it completely
overshadows what ESPN does now. They figured out a way
to bring Inside the NBA back because the fans and everybody,
you know, we're crying for it and wanted it. But
(26:52):
I think that's another reason why the NBA wasn't necessarily
keen on having TNT come back, because they feel that
those guys do criticize and that they are hard on
the league. And when you're talking about thirty or forty
years ago, Michael Jordan retired in early what two thousands,
so we're talking about twenty to twenty five years ago.
(27:13):
Charles Barkley's heyday, the peak of Barkley was nineteen ninety three,
that is now thirty two years ago. So when we're
talking about forty years, that's why I think it's more
Barkley related because of the general and it may not be.
Channing Fry may have just thrown a number out there,
but I think a lot of people form their opinions
(27:34):
by watching inside the NBA, and guys of my generation
watched Charles Barkley, so they're going to take his word
more than what they would take for steven A. That's
who I think Lebron and Channing Fry are ripping on.
I think it's the the Charles Barkley and the Shaquille
O'Neil comments that they make on TNT.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Well, I'll say this, I think two things could be true.
I think one inside the NBA and part of the
reason for it's popular. It's the only place that you
can have an honest conversation about the NBA. Everything else
is watered down. We have to celebrate everything. We can't
ask critical questions about the about things about the league,
(28:13):
right like can't ask about load management, can't ask about this,
By the way, I thought this was.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Kind of interesting.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
TNT and the NBA celebrated two point seven million viewers
for Luca's game against the MAVs. That's not a good number.
I looked it up because I want to make sure
I was right. Alabama and Kentucky basketball got like two
to two earlier in the week. That was a nothing
college basketball game that meant nothing. So I think inside
(28:41):
the NBA is the only place that has actually has
tough conversations about the NBA. But I do think to
what Channing Fry was talking about it, and maybe these
are two separate conversations. I sort of understand what Lebron
is saying because it's like, think about it, right, So
let's just work under the assumption Jason Tatum is the
face of the NBA.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Whatever, he's a really good player.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Whatever, guy's gonna make five hundred million in his next contract.
So it's like, if I can make five hundred million
dollars seventy million a year by the end of these deals,
and I don't have to every time I put up forty, well,
Kobe put up forty six, and you know at thirty
two years, it's like, why would you want that stress?
Speaker 3 (29:22):
It's not that why would you want that stress?
Speaker 4 (29:24):
But like to be the face of the league is
by definition the way that many people ironically inside the
NBA is really the only one that doesn't the way
that they cover the league is well, you know ring culture, well,
Kevin Duran, if you don't win a ring, doesn't matter
how many points you score. It's like, I'm kind of
with Lebron. It's like, if I was Anthony Edwards, I'll
(29:44):
take my fifty million a year and just chill and
not have to have the Every time I go for forty,
it's like, well Kobe would have done this, Well, MJ
would have done that.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
I think it's two different conversations. I think Anthony Edwards
doesn't want it, not for the criticism. It's because Anthony
Edwards just want to do his own thing. He wants
to get technicals and get ejected. He wants to do
all those crazy things, and he's he's an extreme talent.
But there is when you hear him talking.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
About it wasn't an Anthony Edwards specific thing.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
It was a whoever is gonna be, whoever we're trying
to position as the face of the league. I understand
Lebron being like, yeah, it's cool having a billion dollars,
but it's also kind of sucked that every time I
do anything awesome, it's like, well, yeah, that's great, but
what would MJ have done?
Speaker 2 (30:27):
I just the reason I bring up Anthony Edwards is
I don't. I think it's a different and that's why
I started with him first. It's a different conversation of
Anthony Edwards being the face of the league and Lebron
James being the face of the league. I think Lebron
in his comments there and why I think it's it's
separate is there's also and Lebron spoke a lot of
truths with it, but there are responsibilities and responsibilities that
(30:48):
Lebron is handled and also responsibilities that le Bron is
benefited from where of being that face of the league,
there aren't. There is not a natural face of the league.
It happens, or I should say a natural order of
something given out to say so, and so, as retired,
you are now the face of the league. It was
(31:08):
actually Major League Baseball's problem for so long that Derek
Jeter was actually the face of Major League Baseball when
you had young stars, but they just did not translate
into that superstardom that face of the league phase. In fact,
the NFL actually kind of had a bit of a
problem for a little while as well, because you had
three or four quarterbacks and Tom Brady Peyton Manning, Drew
(31:30):
Brees who I felt were the faces of the National
Football League and those were the guys that you look to,
and then nobody else was even close. I think now
we'd say probably Patrick Mahomes face of the National Football League.
But it's not something that is a title given each
year on January first year now the face of the league.
It's something that happens organically and there are responsibilities to it.
(31:54):
I think Anthony Edwards doesn't want it because he still
wants to do all the silly stuff that he does
because he's a young star in the in the National
Basketball Association, and I think Lebron is using Anthony Edwards
comments in a way to benefit him. But I think
Lebron has benefited greatly from being the face, you know
of of the NBA, and it's not his fault that
(32:15):
his greatness has put him into that spot. But I
just I don't see the I just don't see Lebron
and Anthony Edwards on the same plane when we're talking
about the face of the NBA and the responsibilities that
that end up coming with it. Anthony Edwards, I think,
just kind of wants to do his own thing and
that's why he doesn't want the responsibilities of it.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Well, and I'll say this really quick too, is a
couple of things.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Is one, I do think there's a difference between being
the face of the league and the quote unquote goat conversation.
And I think Lebron is the only one that we've
ever compared to MJ.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
Like, you know, I don't want to get into this now,
but it's like.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Let me let me just ask you a question, okay,
because I was thinking about this, was Kobe ever really
the face of league? Because I think it's easy to
say that he was. Let me just lay it out
really quick, because like it's easy to say that he was.
But Jordan, as you said, played till one oh two.
Then it was Shack and Kobe. Then Kobe was just
kind of this dude who scored a lot but wasn't whatever.
(33:16):
And then by the time he became like Championship Kobe
again with Pau Gasol, it was understood that Lebron was
the best player in the league. So I just bring
it up because I think there is a difference between
the goat conversation, which Lebron has been part of for
probably a decade plus now and just being the quote
unquote face.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
I think it varies. I actually do in that period
of maybe four to eight oh nine of Kobe being
the face of the league. I know Lebron went to
the finals in O seven with the Cavaliers. I do
consider that, but I can see why people wouldn't because
it wasn't a long stretch. Some people feel there were
only three. I can't remember if it was Channing Fry
or someone else that said it was Magic, Jordan and Lebron,
(33:53):
And I think you could even say I don't know
what it was like prior to that, but I'm sure
Bill Russell sure seems to be a face of the
NBA when he played, and the success that he had
in the Boston Celtics. I don't think the number is ten.
I don't agree, you know, I don't think like that's
the case, but I do think that there was a
time where Kobe was the face of the NBA and
in the face of the NBA. By the way, is
(34:14):
showing up at the you know, we have the Oscars
this weekend. If Lebron James, Lebron James can show up
to the Oscars if you wanted to, he could be
at the Oscars.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
And not just because he's in La. Yes, because he's
Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
Anthony Edwards cannot sure, you know, and so like so
when you're talking about like face of the NBA, stuff
like that's there's and and that would pretty much be
anybody else in the NBA as well, but Lebron can
and then Lebron can do this and that there's just
there's a lot of responsibilities. And I think what Lebron
is trying to say is, yeah, I've been the face
of the NBA, but look at all the crap that
(34:47):
I've gone through, and I would love to rain on
it like I normally do with Lebron. But yeah, it
probably does suck saying but there are benefits to it
as well, and not everybody is suited for it. And honestly,
in the Anthony Edwards come which started the whole thing
with Channing Fry, it's it's not made for everybody. It's
actually not made for Anthony Edwards. Like I think Anthony
(35:09):
Edwards could be a great star, but you are you
aren't You mentioned Jason Tatum. It's not gonna happen. He's
never gonna be the face of the league. Anthony Edwards
maybe had an opportunity, but I'm not even sure that
it's set up for Anthony Edwards to be that guy,
no matter how amazing of a basketball player he is.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Let me ask you a quick thing, and we can
always kind of do it on the other end as well.
But do you think the NBA has to have a
face league? Because one, I think it's important. What you said,
it's an organic thing, and the fact that people are
trying to make it a conversation is the antithesis of
what it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be who.
I mean, it can be like who are the candidates?
But like, you can't make Anthony Edwards the face lea,
(35:44):
you can't make Victor winbin Yama in the face leave,
you can't make Jannis Jokic whatever. But do you think
the league needs a face to at any given time?
Speaker 2 (35:53):
To Yeah, I do. I think that Lebron and that
and Kevin Durant something they need to leave the league
to allow other stars to blossom and then we'll really
find out who is ready for that face of the league.
But I do think that it helps because means League
Baseball didn't have one for a while. Now you've got
sho heey Otani Fair you know now, I mean Aaron
Judge's second like those, that really does help. And I
(36:14):
think that it helped the NFL, and I think the
NFL needs to, you know, get out of the quarterback
sort of era of just them being the only faces
of the league. But I think it really helped the
NFL with the Brady Breeze and Manning era. I think
it can only help the NBA, especially because the NBA,
probably more so with the NBA era, because that is
the league that it's built on stardom.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
And I'll just say this too, And we talked about
it last you mentioned LEBRONI seek it out of the league,
and you know, we talked about this last week when
we filled in for Doug. But I do think there
is something too those guys still over the shadow the conversation.
I mean, look at the Olympics this past summer. It
was supposed to be the spotlight for Anthony Edwards, for
Jason Tatum. Who's taking the shots late Lebron, Steph Katie.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
He's Aaron Torres. I'm Dan Byer.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
Fox Sports Radio had the best sports talk lineup in
the nation yet. Catch all of our shows at Fox
sports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
App Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio Live Forthetirek dot
Com Studios. You're listening to us now, but did you
know that you can also see us. Be sure to
check out the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search
Fox Sports Radio on YouTube and you'll see a whole
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subscribe so you always have instant access to our Fox
Sports Radio videos on YouTube. He's Aaron Torres. I'm Dan
(37:27):
Byer in for Doug Gottlieb. On this Friday, the NFL
Combine is going on, and that's where former GM and
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now I'm just gonna call
them NFL insider and host of the GM Shuffle Mark
Dominic joins the program. Congrats on the podcast deal.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Mark.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
First of all, I haven't spoken to you since it's launched,
so congratulations on that job. Well done.
Speaker 10 (37:49):
Yeah, I was expected to do a podcast, but it
works out really good. It's fun to share stories about
what's going on the league, maybe what's happening in this
league and then certainly looking at you know, building draft
boards and how that all happened. So I appreciate saying
something's been good to be honest, you two.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
Balls, Yeah, yeah, it's it's you've always been good to
us and have done a great job. In fact, we've
mentioned your name over the last couple of weeks or
so because you were the first one. I thought that
was kind of connecting the dots that if Stafford doesn't
go back to LA, Aaron Rodgers could be a real possibility,
and it seemed to really pick up steam over these
last couple of days. But now we find out Stafford's
(38:23):
back to LA. Was Rogers used as a ploy in
all of this by the Rams or how does it
settle out that Stafford ends up not going anywhere?
Speaker 10 (38:32):
So I think part of it is, you know, Matt
and Kelly Stafford are involved in this right and not
in a bad way, obviously his husband wife, you know,
And I think for them that I don't think they
really wanted to leave LA, but they wanted to get
the number more in their favor. I don't think Aaron
Rodgers has ever used as a ployt I think Aaron
Rodgers was a viable option for the Rams, and I
think it was very aware for the Rams to understand that,
(38:54):
like for Matthew Stafford understand that. I think he's very
comfortable there. They're comfortable with Matt. They just want to
to make sure it was a contract that they could
engage and handle and nothing that turns around and becomes
a I hate to say it's the Dak Prescott fans,
but like the Dak Prescott contract which maybe starts to
get underwater. Certainly we see with Shaun Watson and what
that's done to the Cleveland Browns. I think they were
trying to be careful in tread and I think they
(39:15):
found the common ground. And now I think all eyes
turned back to Aaron Rodgers and where does he end up.
But I think that that was hopeful that they would
get it done. I was a little surprised, but I'm
happy for everybody can Certainly Matt Stafford played great down
the stretch.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Mark, let me ask you this.
Speaker 4 (39:30):
We were talking a little bit about reports that the Giants
could be a landing spot for Aaron Rodgers, and I
asked Dan, this is to me, if we all assume
that the coach and the GM are on the hot
seat going into this year you need to win, doesn't
like doesn't a young quarterback give you that better opportunity
because Aaron Rodgers, I just I don't know in a
(39:50):
best case scenario what his ceiling is in that division
with Washington and Philly. But the counter to that is,
even if he has wild success, now you're not should
draft a quarterback next year. And so I would think
that you know, you draft whoever is available to you
at number three, and maybe maybe the assumption is they're
not positive somebody would be there at number three.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
But I don't really understand going the.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Forty two year forty one going on forty two year
old guy at this point in his career as the
thing to hypothetically save your job if you're the Giants.
Speaker 10 (40:21):
So here's the way I look at that, and don't
I don't disagree with what you're saying conceptually, because obviously,
if he does do well, you're now you're not in
a position. I think this draft class has guys that
you could not get him at three and turn around,
maybe trade up and pick up a quarterback still in
the bottom of the first round, and maybe there's one
of the other guys you like because here's the thing
you're feeling right now, is it still feels like cam
(40:43):
Woard's going to go number one. And as you know,
and as we'll watch the tea leagues will be read
right in the next two weeks, we'll know if cam
Ward's going number one or not, because we'll see if
the text or the Titans do anything at quarterback besides
Will Levis, if they don't make a move with a
veteran quarterback, they're telling you to draft and cam Ward
fact number two. And I'm sure this is what the
Giants are thinking, is cam Ward one. How does the
(41:05):
Cleveland Browns not take a quarterback? I just I don't
know how they have to if there's any way to
get out of the mess that they're in. Who are
they going to play next year at quarterback? And how
do they can't just assume that Deshaun Watson is going
to be obviously there at all with the Achilles rupture.
So I think what the Giants are saying is, I
don't know how it doesn't go quarterback quarterback? And I
agree and Miles Garrett, you know by not being traded
(41:25):
it means.
Speaker 7 (41:25):
A duel Carter.
Speaker 10 (41:26):
Yeah, you could take him. But the reality is, I
just think that they're very scared. It's gonna go QB one,
QB two, And now you got the Giants set in
their three. So now what do we do and start
really preparing for Jalen Milroe Jackson, you know, dart Or
or maybe twenty years.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
Former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominic joining us here as he
does every Friday on the Doug Gottlieb Show live from
the NFL Combine. He's erin Torres. I'm Dan byer in
for Doug on Rogers.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Is is he.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
A f I don't want to say, is he a
fit for everyone?
Speaker 7 (41:53):
Is?
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Because I just saw Adam Schefter put out a tweet
about the Raiders with no mention of Rogers name the Steelers,
you know, also possibly looking for a quarterback can Can Rogers?
Does Rogers have as many options as say Sam Donald
or a Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.
Speaker 10 (42:12):
Well, yeah, that's so. I think the Sam Donald one
becomes the one that's really interesting because you know, you're
not getting any attachment anywhere with Sam Donald right now
that I'm feeling here at the Indianapolis at the combine
of where that might go or where that might be. Uh,
you know, and I don't disagree you're not hearing Rodgers
in the Raiders, but it doesn't mean you won't hear
Rogers at the Raiders, right. I think that, you know,
that just kind of comes down to, you know, trying
(42:32):
to get this thing all together. I feel like Rogers
has a little bit more opportunity just because I think
what Sam Donald did. People are still going to hold
their breath a little bit when you sign them. Yes,
you hold your breath on Aaron Rodgers as well, but
you've seen him do it all the way. You've seen
him put season after season together. And I know it's
been two horrible years of the jest, but they did
play better down the stretch. And I think if you're
(42:52):
a team that's looking for a quarterback to get you
between again, the Raiders are at a tough spot because
sick and six and so I think all these clubs
are like, how do I win here? But what culture
do I want to set?
Speaker 7 (43:02):
Uh?
Speaker 10 (43:02):
It's going to be interesting to see how it plays with.
You know, when you've got coach Carroll there, I think
you could find commonality. But you know, it feels like
like you guys are saying the Giants feel like, you know,
they're certainly different. Their toe into Aaron Rodgers water right now.
Speaker 3 (43:15):
Mark, I know you.
Speaker 4 (43:16):
You just put out a scenario where Shoudre Sanders or
cam Ward for that matter, goes to to the Cleveland Browns.
Basically we go quarterback one quarterback too. But obviously depending
on what which valuator you talk to, some people think
Shadoor Sanders could go really high. Some people don't have
a first round grade on him. I don't know how
much tape you've got a chance to watch, but just
curious your perspective on the prospect he not only is,
(43:38):
but who he could be as well.
Speaker 10 (43:40):
Yeah, so I have yet to meet somebody who doesn't
think he's a first round talent. So I haven't run
into that person yet. And doesn't mean there are people
out there that might be very harsh on him. I
think it's a that'd be really critical to look at
you or Sanders. I think you might have a because
you have to respect, you know what, some of the
stuff that he's been able to put on tape from
an athletics standpoint, from a throwing standpoint, and yes, I
(44:01):
know he took a lot of stacks and those things
that could also be the offensive line and things like
that or what they asking them. Those can all be debated.
That the problem we have is, as you know, if
you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a chance.
And you know both when you look at what's going
on with the Jets or excuse me, with the Giants,
and we're looking at it with the Cleveland Browns, is
they both both coach and GM know that they're on
(44:21):
very shaky ground and they've got to find the guy.
And I think the Giants are scared, and I think,
you know, I think everybody pretty much has it. Cam
Ward one should do urs two in terms of their
quarterback board. Uh you know, so I think, you know,
for the Titans, I think that they've probably already making
up their minds that they're going to go that direction
for you know, the Cleveland Browns and steel Shouder. But
I feel like he's the first round talent and it's
(44:42):
worth a shot. From everything. I haven't spent a lot
of time with stuer at all, but from what I've
heard from the interviews here, he's doing a really good job.
Speaker 4 (44:49):
Let me ask you just a quick follow up on shore.
I mean, obviously there's a lot of noise with with
you know, his dad. Basically there's a mic in front
of his dad twenty four hours a day, and that's
not anybody's fault, it's just a re reality. But there
was talk throughout this process, probably up until the last
couple of weeks, of well there's just certain spots that
Shador and frankly Travis Hunter too, but but really shoud well,
(45:10):
he's just not going to go there. Is there any
of that actual buzz now that we're here, like he
wouldn't play here, he wouldn't play there, or was that
just you know, Dion kind of just talking into a mic,
you know, a year ago, six months ago, two months ago, whatever.
Speaker 10 (45:24):
No, I think there's a couple I think there's a
couple of spots that I don't think that he would
that Dean would say he won't play there, he won't
go there.
Speaker 7 (45:31):
Uh.
Speaker 10 (45:31):
And I think you can probably start as you start
to look around the league and you hear about different
things that are going on with owners or ownership, but
mainly owners, I think you can start to eliminate one
or two clubs. If I would sit there and say
Deng has enough power to be able to do that
and say he's not going to go to your club.
I don't think he would ever say it out loud,
but you know that's uh. I can understand where there's
(45:52):
a couple of clubs. Even I would say, yeah, I
had my brothers, I wouldn't want him to be at
that organization. And I know that Dean probably can see
the same thing I would.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
Now we go to the ownership report card. I was
just gonna say, Dominic is implying he's Aaron Dorres, I'm
Dan Bayer. What about the other Colorado start Travis Hunter?
If you're a GM, are you playing him both ways?
Day one in the National Football League?
Speaker 10 (46:14):
He's playing really defense For me, I'm putting out a corner.
I'm draft him as a corner. I'm out of a corner.
And then I might have some a player too that
might you know, obviously hail Mary's and anything like that.
We're certainly going to get Travis in the game, but
I think you've got to be careful. He does not
have the biggest frame, right guys. I mean, he's not
the thickest of kids, and so you know, you try
to play in both ways. I just don't know if
(46:35):
the way this game's played now in twenty twenty five
and the speed and the power, I think it's just
too much of a toll to play a guy both ways.
So I think you got to pick a side and
then you pick a package, like you might have a
couple of packages for him, but yet you know you
really wanted to run and go route on third down
and be back on the field trying to cover a
go route on first down. That's a really hard thing
to do in the National Football League is because good
a shape if you guys are in, it's more that
(46:56):
we will their body hold up, and that's a bigger concern.
Speaker 4 (46:58):
Only other one for me, Mark, I mean, I know
it's early in the week there, but has anybody you
know from a personality wise or press conference or buzz
I mean, is there anybody that's really just stood out?
It doesn't have to be a quarterback as far as
personality or you know what you're hearing, anything interesting, any
interesting buzzer intel.
Speaker 10 (47:16):
Well, you know, it might not be the players that
are working out, but it's always fun to night. It
would be the big night of like really get a
sense of a little more of what's going on in
free agency, trying to put the map together on some
of these places that may end up with, you know,
new names or new spots or what's the market going for.
You know, the trade Myth was a big buzz in
terms of him getting locked up or locked down. I
think by the Kid City Chiefs. That was a lot
(47:36):
of buzz last night or in the last couple of
days just because of you know, you took the number
one guard out of the market so far. And you know,
whether they trade him or not, I don't think they will.
I think they'll try to get a deal done. But
I think they got here and found out that there
was a huge market for Tray Myth and they weren't
ready to deal with it. So the best thing you
could do is put that tag on it. I don't
know if there's another player like that, but I have
a feeling. You know, the numbers are going these guys
(47:57):
are you know, the Caps jump in twenty plus million dollars.
There's a lot of fun free agent media that are
going to be had over the next twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (48:04):
Mark enjoy the weekend in Indianapolis, and we'll talk to
you next Friday.
Speaker 10 (48:07):
Thanks so much, Thanks Dan, see you guys.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
Mark Dominic, former GM of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and
again now host of a new podcast called The GM
Shuffle
Thanks for listening to The Doug Gotleeb Show podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday three to five,
Easter twelve, two Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your
local station for the Doug Gottlieb Show at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching apps.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Call Aaron. I don't know how much you are addicted
to TikTok like a I am, But in my algorithm,
are those videos where someone starts the domino and it
goes through this room, then it goes through that room,
and then it spirals around the staircase and goes downstairs
and goes outside into the backyard, and then finally goes
on to the diving board of the swimming pool and
(00:38):
into the swimming pool.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
That's what I feel like.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
The dominoes are starting to fall in the NFL for
just what we've had this morning. When it comes to
the quarterback carousel in this league, well, you see how
quickly things change.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
You and I were talking a few hours before the
show with Jay stew and we're like, uh, is Stafford
really going to be a raider? This was a week
or so ago after you and I were on a
talking about Stafford being a giant, but he was a
raider as of you know, eight nine Pacific this morning
in our heads, and I know that's going to lead
to the conversation that we have now. I don't want
to spoil what you're gonna set up, but it's just quickly.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
How hey, Isaac Lowenkron told you he did date. Matthew
Stafford's back with the RAMS. As we are broadcasting live
from the tierraq dot com studios tierraq dot com, we'll
help you get there an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping,
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I'm not shocked, but I am surprised, but I kind
(01:35):
of feel I shouldn't be surprised. And the reason that
I say that, Aaron is this felt weird from the
get go. I felt that the RAMS wanted to let
Matthew Stafford go out and test the market and say, fine,
go see what you can get, and then maybe we
could get something that we'd never dreamed that we could
get for Matthew Stafford from another team. So they allowed
(01:58):
Stafford to go and see what else was out there,
so much so that we've had two NFL insiders fight
on reporting over the situation.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Not online, they literally had to fight.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
We had a report last night from the Las Vegas
Review Journal that said Matthew Stafford and the Raiders have
at least agreed on common ground on or reach to
common ground on a contract, so then it would be
up to what the Rams would want in return for Stafford.
(02:30):
But then the news breaks this morning, and I don't
think it's any coincidence that Stafford ends up going back
to the Los Angeles Rams. We don't have the whole
details on the current contract and the numbers that he's
going to get. It may seem much ado about nothing,
but it sure seems that at least in this specific situation,
(02:51):
we'll get to the Dominoes in a second. Stafford got
a peak, Rams got a peak, and then they just
realized life was better together than the opps.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
That was why I never fully understood, like why this
was even a story. Now, I think from my perspective,
somebody actually asked me this in a random radio interview
this morning. They were like, why would the RAMS not
want matt Stafford? I said, well, it's a fair question.
But to me, the part that never actually made sense
was why would matt Stafford. Why would Matthew Stafford want
to leave Los Angeles? I mean, I understand everybody wants
(03:24):
to get the most dollar value that you can out
of your probably what's not probably what is going to
be your final big contract. But the counter to that
is he took a He had a lot of bad moments,
if you will, for lack of a better term, with
the Detroit Lions. I mean a lot of losses, a
lot of hits, a lot of you know, coaching a
lot of chaos is probably the best way to put
(03:44):
it on the field, off the field, et cetera. So
I never understood why he was in such a rush
to go to what would be an obviously inferior situation
with the money that he has already made. So I
don't know that I'm really that surprised, But where it
never really made sense to me. I could understand the
Rams saying, hey, this is the budget, this is what
we got. We can't go over, and the Rams almost
(04:07):
being like an old school Belichick, will move off a
year or too early because we're confident in what we're
building and what we have built before, it never made
sense from Stafford's perspective. So that's why I don't think
I was ultimately all that surprised when the news broke
here about an hour.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
I do think that it was about respect. And I
know that the forty million dollar price tag was brought
up and Chase Daniel at comments and we had talked
about it on Doug Show earlier this week, and so
some people had this reaction of man, Matthew Stafford's just
willing to throw away forty million dollars. Others are saying,
Matthew Stafford's made this much in his career, why should
(04:40):
it be about money? And I just felt if we
are talking about respect, that's where the dollar amount comes.
Not for the fact of the matter that Matthew Stafford
deserves fifty million above forty million. It's just where you're
putting that echelon of quarterbacks when it comes to their
salary and in their rankings, and he would have been
(05:00):
at the bottom end of it. Again, we don't know
the official numbers that he gets from the RAMS. But
now what I find so interesting are those dominoes because
now Aaron Rodgers has come to a point in his
career where not only is he not the big ticket item,
he's actually used as a ploy in the situation. And
(05:21):
that is what is so shocking. When we felt that
Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback that the Jets wanted, other
teams would have wanted when he wanted out of Green Bay,
Aaron Rodgers was the apple of the eye of so
many And now it comes down to a point where
Rogers connected to the Rams. If Stafford were to go elsewhere, well,
in the end, the Rams just decided to keep their
(05:42):
own guy. And it sure seems that it was a
part of their leverage in trying to bring Matthew Stafford
back and saying We're not going to give up the
entire farm to bring you back because we have a
plan B. It sure feels like Aaron Rodgers was a
ploy in some of this.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Let me ask you a question.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
I mean, if Matthew Stafford had just gone to the
highest bidder, Raiders, Giants, whatever, do you believe Aaron Rodgers
was actually going like week one, running out of the
tunnel with the horn on the side of the helmet
or was it always a ploy and they would have
gone with either a you know, somebody cheaper or somebody
younger than everone.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I think it could have been an option. But the
reason why I think it's more of a ploy than
anything is the report that we had last night from
the Las Vegas Review Journal and saying that listen, Stafford's
agreed to a contract, so or at least they've got
the terms. I should say that they want to go.
As far as they've agreed to a contract, they would
(06:40):
have the terms of a future contract worked out, and
then twelve hours later a deal is struck for him
to go back to the RAMS. That to me is
just I would sit there and if I was the RAMS,
I'd want to know what the compensation would be. I'd
maybe want to try to figure it out here, how
is this going to work out? But instead, guess what,
Matthew staff Yfford did find another suitor. He did find
(07:02):
another place to go that he wanted to go and
would be willing to go. In essence, Stafford called their
bluff and they fold him. They said all right, we'll
bring you back at this price. And that's that's why
I think that Rogers was deploy because Stafford, by having
that report come out, by the Raiders that he agreed
to something which I would assume came from Stafford's camp,
(07:23):
that that's why Rogers was used as a ploy in it.
I have no doubt that Rogers would have been considered
for the Rams. I also think Sam Darnold would have
been considered and others would have been considered. But for
it to turn around so quickly and have Stafford be
back as the Rams quarterback, to me, makes Aaron Rodgers
just look as a as a pawn in all of this.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
No, I agree, I agree, And I'll ford the conversation
by asking you a simple question. What do you make
of the report by Diana Rossini shortly after the Matthew
Stafford extension was you know, reported that now the Giants
have actually moved on to potentially a landing spot for
Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I think it's into I don't think it's shocking because
when you looked at the spots around the league, there's
only so many quarterbacking spots and Jason Stewart remembered and
I don't recall this. I don't know if you recall this,
and we talked about it prior to the show, but
our executive producer, You remember Aaron Rodgers using certain sort
(08:19):
of language when he was talking about, let's just say
not necessarily the Jets in that way.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Is that correct?
Speaker 5 (08:28):
Yeah, I looked for soundbites, but I remember in the
latter part of the season, whenever Aaron was asked about
after this season, he was always careful to not mention
the Jets, but he would say stuff like I really
like my apartment, I don't want to leave New York
like things that really did not specify the Jets at all.
(08:49):
And I remember thinking back then, so that means he's
leaving the Giants on the table.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
You know, I thought I thought that Gihant's could be
a possibility Aaron, for the fact that the points that
Jason just made, But also I feel they're a marquee
team being there the New York Giants, just like I
felt that the Raiders were a marquee team and I
guess the Rams. In that essence, Rogers isn't gonna go
play for the Titans. I mean, whether they're the first
(09:15):
overall pick, whatever, that's just that's not going to happen.
So this would fit into his brand. But I also
felt in a way that the Giants were so far
away from winning that maybe Rogers wouldn't be interested in
doing something like that, especially considering the comments that were
made last week when he said I wanted to go
to a you know, wanted to go to a good team.
The Giants aren't a good team right now. They have
a couple of good players, but they aren't a good
(09:37):
team right now. So I'm surprised by that aspect that
the Giants would be in play from just the comments
that he made a week ago.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
So then let me ask another follow up. I feel
like I'm grilling you, like you're at the combine, and.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Do you feel like do you feel like the Giants
are a legitimate fit?
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Do you feel I don't feel I don't. I wouldn't
use the word fit. I mean I could see a
landing spot.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
No, And that's what but I was gonna say, is
that with with Rogers, what's so interesting is the guy
is just it's just, you know, he wants to keep playing,
and we've talked about all the off the field stuff.
You know, he's not married, he doesn't have kids. I
don't know what he would do with his free time.
I mean, I know he's got a lot of interest,
to say the least in the off season. But it's
one one thing to have a couple of weeks off
(10:20):
in June, and it's another week to not have a job.
So I just find that whole thing interesting. But what
I also find interesting is there's basically no market for
this guy.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
And I mean, you look at the Giants.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
It is in a winning organization, as you said, and
I just look at it from one I don't really
understand what it solves. I mean, we know that that
the GM and Brian Dable are in win now mode.
Does Aaron rodd like, what is Aaron Rodgers ceiling with
that team and that division that makes you feel like
you're going to be able to keep your job? Because
to me, if I'm the Giants, I'd rather swing on
(10:57):
one of the young guys and then if they're even
half decent, you say, well listen, man, I mean you're
gonna It's almost like the the Chicago Bears. So you
just wasted a year of you just wasted Shador Sanders
first year by bringing us back.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Give us some time, we'll get it figured out.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
As opposed to Aaron Rodgers, I mean, what is really
the ceiling because I texted you guys this when this
news broke is say what you want about the Jets.
He had plenty of weapons and plenty of talent around
him with the Jets. So he's gonna go to an
inferior roster in the same city, same building, whatever, in
a better division with the reigning Super Bowl champ, twice
on your schedule with the Washington Commanders who played in
(11:31):
the NFC Championship Game. I just don't know what the
ceiling is with Aaron Rodgers. And I don't know even
if you hit that ceiling, is that enough to keep
your job if you're the coach in the GM, because
I don't think it is.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
There is a trend. I actually think it started with
the Ravens, where there was a time where John Harbaugh's
job was on the line when Joe Flacca was the quarterback.
They ended up inserting Lamar Jackson. The rest is history.
In John Harbaughs still the head coach. There wasn't there.
It's a now anti equated thought process. Let's bring in
a veteran he will help save our job. No, the
(12:06):
way is for the young guy to be great under
your watch and continue forward. Matt Eberflus and the Chicago
Bears are the example of it not working out well.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
And real quick.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
If Matt Eberflus was even competent, they clearly wanted it
to work. If he was even competent, If he wasn't
embarrassing the Bears on National TV when you and I
were on on Thanksgiving like, they probably would have brought
him back. They just needed competency, And so I think
that's an important notice.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
But it's the point of wasting a year is now
like you felt like you've wasted a year with Caleb Williams.
The Giants Rogers angle is unique to me because I
look at the Giants again, not as a team that
is a winner, but as a team that is far
away from winning, but also a team that is completely
in the spotlight considering what happened a year ago when
(12:58):
the Giants decided to stick with Daniel Jones. We've now
talked about it because of the greatness that Saquon Barkley
had with the Philadelphia Eagles, But if we do remember
in that Hard Knocks series of the Giants in the offseason,
Joe Shane did want to trade up and did call
Elliot Wolf of the Patriots for the third overall pick,
knowing that one and two were already set. Caleb was
(13:18):
going one of the Bears and Jayden Daniels was going
to the Commanders, so maybe there's some flexibility at three.
Joe Shane did make that call. Wolf says, it's not
going to happen, so let's go and find Daniel Jones
a weapon. And they got Malik Neighbors. But if there
was any team that wanted to fix their quarterback room
from last year, after the embarrassment that the Giants had,
(13:41):
it would be the Giants. Sure, And by drafting should
or Sanders or cam Ward, you would think we're building
for the future. But instead the Giants are saying, we'll
take a forty one year old Aaron Rodgers. That to
me is more of an indictment on should or Sanders
and even cam Ward if the possibility if he were
to drop and those two rookie quarterbacks that the Giants
(14:02):
are willing to basically say, you know what, I know,
our jobs are on the line, but we're gonna just
maybe try to save another year by having this forty
one year old guy come in. The Giants are picking
three picks higher than they did last year. They are
at three right now, they have a legitimate shot they
could trade up. The Titans have said that they've received
calls if they wanted cam Ward they could trade up
(14:24):
and get number one. Rogers interest with the Giants to me,
isn't even about Rogers keeping his career and what happens
in the division. That angle is more of the indictment
on Shadoor, Sanders and cam Ward and just the type
of quarterbacks they are and how weak this draft is
when it comes to top level quarterbacks.
Speaker 4 (14:41):
So I agree with that, I still just I go
back to if Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback in the
New York Giants in the NFC East, and by the way,
we can make fun of Dallas, they probably will not
be as bad as they were last year. Dak Prescott
wasn't around for what seventy percent of the season, sixty
per six. So I guess I just go back to
(15:02):
there's really two variables, right is. Let's say, first of all,
there's this Aaron Rodgers versus young guy.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
There are four.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Scenarios in that equation. Aaron Rodgers plays better than expected,
Aaron Rodgers is way worse than expected, young guy plays
better than expected, young guy plays worse than expected, or
you know, as good or better. Okay, and so I
look at it. If the young guy plays better than expected,
you keep your job. Obviously, young guy plays worse, you
get fired. If Aaron Rodgers plays as bad or worse,
(15:36):
you get fired. I'm not sure that Aaron Rodgers playing
at his absolute peak is enough for you to keep
your job. That's one, Like, what are we talking about
eight and nine? I mean, you're not going six to
zero in that division. Okay, so you're talking about eight
and nine. But here's the other thing about the young
taking Aaron Rodgers. If even if you view next year
(15:57):
as better, and again we're working under the asie that
the GM and the coach are on a one year deal.
If you don't figure it out this year, you're not
gonna be back long term, even if Aaron Rodgers is
good and you keep your job. Now you have a
forty two year old Aaron Rodgers next year, and you're
not in a position to draft a quarterback again. So listen,
we're all we're talking in hypotheticals here. Aaron Rodgers is
(16:20):
not a New York Giant For people that are tuning
in right now, Santa that I miss something, but there
is a report out that he could be and that
he is now the top priority of the Giants, or
that he is a priority of the Giants, and I
just sit there and say, the best case scenario is
that he's somehow way better in a tougher division than
we expect, and.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Then you're not in a position to take a quarterback
next year. Doesn't make sense.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Here's your final Domino and we're actually gonna get to
Mark Dominic former Buccaneers GM, and Mark's kind of been
all over some of this stuff so far in this offseason.
Adam Schefter, within the last twenty minutes has tweeted out
that the Raiders in not getting Stafford because he's going
back to the Rams, are interested in Russell Wilson, justin Field,
Sam Darnold, etc. Did not name Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
That is interesting.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
That is I think it's a very interesting exclusion. And
in fact, Schefter sent out not one, but two tweets.
There may have been an error in the first one,
and the correction wasn't made to include Aaron Rodgers, so
the Raiders may not be even in on Aaron Rodgers
at all, which would go against my thinking that I
thought that could be a landing spot.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
I thought that was the best spot for him too.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah, he's aeron Torres. I'm Dan Byer in for Doug Gottlieb, who,
by the way, win number four last night on the
Doug knocking off Detroit Mercy taking him out.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Pnuts are actually favored.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
In the game three and a half and they bring
home a home victory despite Doug only having eight available players.
And again it just reiterates the fact. Now this is
the second time Doug has won a game and has
not been on a show the next day. So back
in December when everybody said that he ducked out after
losing the Michigan Tech, that was not the case Doug.
(18:00):
It's not even showing up after wins. That's maybe his
m O. But trying to make it back to back
wins this weekend as they wrap up the regular season.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
I will say, you know, and I read the profile
he did in the Athletic. I know CBS had another
one yesterday, but I do think he's right. You know,
everybody just wants to swoop in with the thirty thousand
foot You know this guy that whatever bottom line is,
they are playing better basketball here late. So congrats to
him second winning four games.
Speaker 6 (18:25):
This is the best of the Don dot Leap Show
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
The Lakers have won four in a row.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Luca seems to be fitting well with fitting in well
with his new team. But you wouldn't know that by
the way Lebron James spoke postgame. Lebron is not happy.
You're gonna find out why, and it's not about Doug
getting win number four, making his tweet even more obsolete.
Welcome in as we are broadcasting live from the tierraq
(18:57):
dot com studios. Tierrac dot com will help you get there.
An unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road has a protection.
You know, over ten thousand recommended installers. Tiraq dot com
the way tire buying should be. We just played I
got DIBs in talking about Western Conference teams and things
are going well for the Lakers right now. And it
wasn't that Aaron Torres was hating on the Lakers. Your
(19:18):
point was, Hey, they made it to the conference finals recently,
so this isn't like some Johnny cum lately or some
great turnaround. Maybe this should be expected from what this
Lakers team is or what the Western Conference is.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Yeah, I just think, you know, everybody's ready to anoint
this Lakers team something, JJ Reddick something whatever. And I
think JJ Redicks done a very good job. I've been
critical of him on various things throughout time. I think
he's done an excellent job as the head coach of
this team. But it's like, literally eighteen months ago they
made the Western Conference finals with Darvin Ham And so,
to me, fair or not, when you are the face
(19:52):
of the league like Lebron James, which we're gonna get
to in a minute, the standard isn't oh, you looked
good in in February, it's are you really built to
win a world championship? And I just sit there and say,
we've seen Lebron kind of wear down in these playoff scenarios.
I know Luca is there, but it's not as though
(20:12):
Lebron hasn't had help previously. And I just have my
doubts that they can do it over four rounds, which
is obviously the ultimate end game with this Lakers group.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Lakers get a one to eleven one h two win
over the.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Minnesota Timberwolves last night, a game where Anthony Edwards was
ejected in the third quarter. Lebron another solid game to
say the least thirty three points as he was eleven
of twenty one from the field. Lakers getting Luca Donnar
are getting thirteen rebounds from Luca Lebron at seventeen boards
to go along with his six assists and the thirty
three points that I just mentioned. So the Lakers beat
(20:45):
Minnesota now in the fourth spot is LA. But the
topic of conversation with Lebron in the locker room was
about a lot of things, but it also went back
to the past of about five days ago and something
Thatanning Fry, former NBA player, said on his podcast Let's
hear from It. I'll tell you what we do have.
(21:07):
I know we have breaking news, and I just I
just want to hold on to it for a couple
of minutes.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Just hold on just a second, hold on, hold on,
hold on, hold on.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
I want to play this Channing Fry stuff because I
do feel that it is it is unique. But there
is news developing in the NBA that we're going to
get to in just a little bit. Here's Channing Fry
talking about the problem right now with the NBA and
I guess if you will Anthony Edwards not wanting to
be the face of the NBA. In comments Edwards made.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
Previously, nostalgia is killing the NBA.
Speaker 8 (21:40):
That nineties basketball Michael Jordan and Kobe was not as
clean as y'all think it was. Y'all forget that Jordan
left the league for two years. Y'all forget that Kobe
rest and quit on his team in the playoffs and
did not shoot the basketball. So all this Kobe Jordan, Oh,
(22:04):
he's not this, he's not that.
Speaker 7 (22:06):
That is propaganda.
Speaker 8 (22:08):
Every great player, whether that's a Wemby Bron you know,
Steph this that this that you know, they compare them
to forty years ago. The rules weren't even the same.
You're not really watching helpside defense. Who's doing this? What
is this rule? What is that rule? You're not watching?
(22:29):
Nobody celebrates these new people. So why the would anybody
want to be the face of this league? Or you're
gonna get on on every network for not being somebody from.
Speaker 7 (22:40):
Forty years ago. It's ridiculous, It is unfair. Braun is
one of the greatest players ever to play.
Speaker 8 (22:48):
Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players ever to play.
Jannie is one of the great Jokic and you know
what we do. We talk about Michael Jordan. All this
superstar era is over. The car cap called a second Apron.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
It's over. Teams are gonna take over.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
That was Channing Fry in the road Trip in podcast
that he co hosts.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
I wish we really knew how he felt. It felt
like the emotion was a little lower.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
I get him standing up for his generation. I can
completely understand it. I don't think that everything that he
said is wrong. I actually agree with Yeah. I think
that he's he's making valid points. But Anthony Edwards has
asked do you want to be the face of the league?
Anthony Edwards has no interest in that. Lebron James after
(23:36):
last night's win over the Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards where
Edwards was ejected in the third quarter. We did on
the comments that Channing Fry made earlier this week and
talked about the responsibilities of being the face of the NBA.
Speaker 9 (23:47):
I mean it's unfortunate, but like, I don't know, when,
why do you want to be the face of the
league when all all to put all the people that
you know that cover our game and talk about our
game on a day to day base on everybody had
that responsibility. That's it's just weird. It's weird energy from
the people that.
Speaker 8 (24:06):
You know.
Speaker 9 (24:08):
I don't know, but changing he said it, he said
it perfectly. Couldn't set it no better. But Ant said
he don't want it. I didn't. I mean, obviously I
didn't ask for it. But I know there's a responsibility
for me not only to my family, my friends, my community,
and and and whoever that was gonna follow my my
my journey throughout my career, not only in Ohio when
(24:30):
I started there, but all all over America and all
over the world when I traveled all over the world.
So I've always taken that seriously and understand and understood
from the beginning what what being a professional was all
about and being a role model was all about.
Speaker 7 (24:45):
So tried to hold that with.
Speaker 9 (24:47):
The utmost uh respect and honor.
Speaker 7 (24:50):
And but.
Speaker 9 (24:53):
I feel and I understand and I completely understand this
is weird energy when it comes to that.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
I have a lot of thoughts.
Speaker 8 (25:01):
But what.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Do you think about I.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Think there's two separate things that he's talking about. Sure,
and I think I want to leave the Ant stuff
in the face of the NBA stuff, because that's one
of the things that he's talking about. But just like
Channing Fry and just like Lebron James, they're talking about
Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal. I'm sorry, that's that's who
they're talking when they're talking about sports media. They're not
(25:26):
talking about Malika Andrews. They're not talking about Richard Jefferson,
they're not talking about the people on ESPN. They're talking
specifically about Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal ripping on the
NBA on inside the NB A T and T can.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
I jump in, Yeah, this is It's not often that
I say this. I actually completely disagree with you. I
think they're talking about this. Jumped in to disagree with me. Well, no,
you and I are on the same page. I think
that is one hundred percent about the first take. Everything
is Lebron versus MJ. Everything is comparison, and you know,
(26:04):
I just I think it's one hundred percent about that
way of looking at basketball.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Now, I don't I don't think people carry Stephen A.
Smith's opinion. And I love Steven A. I don't think
people take their his opinion as fact. I think they
take Charles Barkley's and I think they take Shaquille O'Neills
as fact. And I will also say, when the new
Media Rights deal was going on last year, I'd said,
(26:30):
sitting in this chair, I'm having deja vu. I don't
think the NBA really wanted Inside the NBA to come
back for a variety of reasons. Number one, it completely
overshadows what ESPN does now. They figured out a way
to bring Inside the NBA back because the fans and everybody,
you know, we're crying for it and wanted it. But
(26:52):
I think that's another reason why the NBA wasn't necessarily
keen on having TNT come back, because they feel that
those guys do criticize and that they are hard on
the league. And when you're talking about thirty or forty
years ago, Michael Jordan retired in early what two thousands,
so we're talking about twenty to twenty five years ago.
(27:13):
Charles Barkley's heyday, the peak of Barkley was nineteen ninety three,
that is now thirty two years ago. So when we're
talking about forty years, that's why I think it's more
Barkley related because of the general and it may not be.
Channing Fry may have just thrown a number out there,
but I think a lot of people form their opinions
(27:34):
by watching inside the NBA, and guys of my generation
watched Charles Barkley, so they're going to take his word
more than what they would take for steven A. That's
who I think Lebron and Channing Fry are ripping on.
I think it's the the Charles Barkley and the Shaquille
O'Neil comments that they make on TNT.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Well, I'll say this, I think two things could be true.
I think one inside the NBA and part of the
reason for it's popular. It's the only place that you
can have an honest conversation about the NBA. Everything else
is watered down. We have to celebrate everything. We can't
ask critical questions about the about things about the league,
(28:13):
right like can't ask about load management, can't ask about this,
By the way, I thought this was.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Kind of interesting.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
TNT and the NBA celebrated two point seven million viewers
for Luca's game against the MAVs. That's not a good number.
I looked it up because I want to make sure
I was right. Alabama and Kentucky basketball got like two
to two earlier in the week. That was a nothing
college basketball game that meant nothing. So I think inside
(28:41):
the NBA is the only place that has actually has
tough conversations about the NBA. But I do think to
what Channing Fry was talking about it, and maybe these
are two separate conversations. I sort of understand what Lebron
is saying because it's like, think about it, right, So
let's just work under the assumption Jason Tatum is the
face of the NBA.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Whatever, he's a really good player.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Whatever, guy's gonna make five hundred million in his next contract.
So it's like, if I can make five hundred million
dollars seventy million a year by the end of these deals,
and I don't have to every time I put up forty, well,
Kobe put up forty six, and you know at thirty
two years, it's like, why would you want that stress?
Speaker 3 (29:22):
It's not that why would you want that stress?
Speaker 4 (29:24):
But like to be the face of the league is
by definition the way that many people ironically inside the
NBA is really the only one that doesn't the way
that they cover the league is well, you know ring culture, well,
Kevin Duran, if you don't win a ring, doesn't matter
how many points you score. It's like, I'm kind of
with Lebron. It's like, if I was Anthony Edwards, I'll
(29:44):
take my fifty million a year and just chill and
not have to have the Every time I go for forty,
it's like, well Kobe would have done this, Well, MJ
would have done that.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
I think it's two different conversations. I think Anthony Edwards
doesn't want it, not for the criticism. It's because Anthony
Edwards just want to do his own thing. He wants
to get technicals and get ejected. He wants to do
all those crazy things, and he's he's an extreme talent.
But there is when you hear him talking.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
About it wasn't an Anthony Edwards specific thing.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
It was a whoever is gonna be, whoever we're trying
to position as the face of the league. I understand
Lebron being like, yeah, it's cool having a billion dollars,
but it's also kind of sucked that every time I
do anything awesome, it's like, well, yeah, that's great, but
what would MJ have done?
Speaker 2 (30:27):
I just the reason I bring up Anthony Edwards is
I don't. I think it's a different and that's why
I started with him first. It's a different conversation of
Anthony Edwards being the face of the league and Lebron
James being the face of the league. I think Lebron
in his comments there and why I think it's it's
separate is there's also and Lebron spoke a lot of
truths with it, but there are responsibilities and responsibilities that
(30:48):
Lebron is handled and also responsibilities that le Bron is
benefited from where of being that face of the league,
there aren't. There is not a natural face of the league.
It happens, or I should say a natural order of
something given out to say so, and so, as retired,
you are now the face of the league. It was
(31:08):
actually Major League Baseball's problem for so long that Derek
Jeter was actually the face of Major League Baseball when
you had young stars, but they just did not translate
into that superstardom that face of the league phase. In fact,
the NFL actually kind of had a bit of a
problem for a little while as well, because you had
three or four quarterbacks and Tom Brady Peyton Manning, Drew
(31:30):
Brees who I felt were the faces of the National
Football League and those were the guys that you look to,
and then nobody else was even close. I think now
we'd say probably Patrick Mahomes face of the National Football League.
But it's not something that is a title given each
year on January first year now the face of the league.
It's something that happens organically and there are responsibilities to it.
(31:54):
I think Anthony Edwards doesn't want it because he still
wants to do all the silly stuff that he does
because he's a young star in the in the National
Basketball Association, and I think Lebron is using Anthony Edwards
comments in a way to benefit him. But I think
Lebron has benefited greatly from being the face, you know
of of the NBA, and it's not his fault that
(32:15):
his greatness has put him into that spot. But I
just I don't see the I just don't see Lebron
and Anthony Edwards on the same plane when we're talking
about the face of the NBA and the responsibilities that
that end up coming with it. Anthony Edwards, I think,
just kind of wants to do his own thing and
that's why he doesn't want the responsibilities of it.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
Well, and I'll say this really quick too, is a
couple of things.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Is one, I do think there's a difference between being
the face of the league and the quote unquote goat conversation.
And I think Lebron is the only one that we've
ever compared to MJ.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
Like, you know, I don't want to get into this now,
but it's like.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Let me let me just ask you a question, okay,
because I was thinking about this, was Kobe ever really
the face of league? Because I think it's easy to
say that he was. Let me just lay it out
really quick, because like it's easy to say that he was.
But Jordan, as you said, played till one oh two.
Then it was Shack and Kobe. Then Kobe was just
kind of this dude who scored a lot but wasn't whatever.
(33:16):
And then by the time he became like Championship Kobe
again with Pau Gasol, it was understood that Lebron was
the best player in the league. So I just bring
it up because I think there is a difference between
the goat conversation, which Lebron has been part of for
probably a decade plus now and just being the quote
unquote face.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
I think it varies. I actually do in that period
of maybe four to eight oh nine of Kobe being
the face of the league. I know Lebron went to
the finals in O seven with the Cavaliers. I do
consider that, but I can see why people wouldn't because
it wasn't a long stretch. Some people feel there were
only three. I can't remember if it was Channing Fry
or someone else that said it was Magic, Jordan and Lebron,
(33:53):
And I think you could even say I don't know
what it was like prior to that, but I'm sure
Bill Russell sure seems to be a face of the
NBA when he played, and the success that he had
in the Boston Celtics. I don't think the number is ten.
I don't agree, you know, I don't think like that's
the case, but I do think that there was a
time where Kobe was the face of the NBA and
in the face of the NBA. By the way, is
(34:14):
showing up at the you know, we have the Oscars
this weekend. If Lebron James, Lebron James can show up
to the Oscars if you wanted to, he could be
at the Oscars.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
And not just because he's in La. Yes, because he's
Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
Anthony Edwards cannot sure, you know, and so like so
when you're talking about like face of the NBA, stuff
like that's there's and and that would pretty much be
anybody else in the NBA as well, but Lebron can
and then Lebron can do this and that there's just
there's a lot of responsibilities. And I think what Lebron
is trying to say is, yeah, I've been the face
of the NBA, but look at all the crap that
(34:47):
I've gone through, and I would love to rain on
it like I normally do with Lebron. But yeah, it
probably does suck saying but there are benefits to it
as well, and not everybody is suited for it. And honestly,
in the Anthony Edwards come which started the whole thing
with Channing Fry, it's it's not made for everybody. It's
actually not made for Anthony Edwards. Like I think Anthony
(35:09):
Edwards could be a great star, but you are you
aren't You mentioned Jason Tatum. It's not gonna happen. He's
never gonna be the face of the league. Anthony Edwards
maybe had an opportunity, but I'm not even sure that
it's set up for Anthony Edwards to be that guy,
no matter how amazing of a basketball player he is.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Let me ask you a quick thing, and we can
always kind of do it on the other end as well.
But do you think the NBA has to have a
face league? Because one, I think it's important. What you said,
it's an organic thing, and the fact that people are
trying to make it a conversation is the antithesis of
what it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be who.
I mean, it can be like who are the candidates?
But like, you can't make Anthony Edwards the face lea,
(35:44):
you can't make Victor winbin Yama in the face leave,
you can't make Jannis Jokic whatever. But do you think
the league needs a face to at any given time?
Speaker 2 (35:53):
To Yeah, I do. I think that Lebron and that
and Kevin Durant something they need to leave the league
to allow other stars to blossom and then we'll really
find out who is ready for that face of the league.
But I do think that it helps because means League
Baseball didn't have one for a while. Now you've got
sho heey Otani Fair you know now, I mean Aaron
Judge's second like those, that really does help. And I
(36:14):
think that it helped the NFL, and I think the
NFL needs to, you know, get out of the quarterback
sort of era of just them being the only faces
of the league. But I think it really helped the
NFL with the Brady Breeze and Manning era. I think
it can only help the NBA, especially because the NBA,
probably more so with the NBA era, because that is
the league that it's built on stardom.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
And I'll just say this too, And we talked about
it last you mentioned LEBRONI seek it out of the league,
and you know, we talked about this last week when
we filled in for Doug. But I do think there
is something too those guys still over the shadow the conversation.
I mean, look at the Olympics this past summer. It
was supposed to be the spotlight for Anthony Edwards, for
Jason Tatum. Who's taking the shots late Lebron, Steph Katie.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
He's Aaron Torres. I'm Dan Byer.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
Fox Sports Radio had the best sports talk lineup in
the nation yet. Catch all of our shows at Fox
sports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
App Doug Gottlieb Show, Fox Sports Radio Live Forthetirek dot
Com Studios. You're listening to us now, but did you
know that you can also see us. Be sure to
check out the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search
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subscribe so you always have instant access to our Fox
Sports Radio videos on YouTube. He's Aaron Torres. I'm Dan
(37:27):
Byer in for Doug Gottlieb. On this Friday, the NFL
Combine is going on, and that's where former GM and
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now I'm just gonna call
them NFL insider and host of the GM Shuffle Mark
Dominic joins the program. Congrats on the podcast deal.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
Mark.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
First of all, I haven't spoken to you since it's launched,
so congratulations on that job. Well done.
Speaker 10 (37:49):
Yeah, I was expected to do a podcast, but it
works out really good. It's fun to share stories about
what's going on the league, maybe what's happening in this
league and then certainly looking at you know, building draft
boards and how that all happened. So I appreciate saying
something's been good to be honest, you two.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
Balls, Yeah, yeah, it's it's you've always been good to
us and have done a great job. In fact, we've
mentioned your name over the last couple of weeks or
so because you were the first one. I thought that
was kind of connecting the dots that if Stafford doesn't
go back to LA, Aaron Rodgers could be a real possibility,
and it seemed to really pick up steam over these
last couple of days. But now we find out Stafford's
(38:23):
back to LA. Was Rogers used as a ploy in
all of this by the Rams or how does it
settle out that Stafford ends up not going anywhere?
Speaker 10 (38:32):
So I think part of it is, you know, Matt
and Kelly Stafford are involved in this right and not
in a bad way, obviously his husband wife, you know,
And I think for them that I don't think they
really wanted to leave LA, but they wanted to get
the number more in their favor. I don't think Aaron
Rodgers has ever used as a ployt I think Aaron
Rodgers was a viable option for the Rams, and I
think it was very aware for the Rams to understand that,
(38:54):
like for Matthew Stafford understand that. I think he's very
comfortable there. They're comfortable with Matt. They just want to
to make sure it was a contract that they could
engage and handle and nothing that turns around and becomes
a I hate to say it's the Dak Prescott fans,
but like the Dak Prescott contract which maybe starts to
get underwater. Certainly we see with Shaun Watson and what
that's done to the Cleveland Browns. I think they were
trying to be careful in tread and I think they
(39:15):
found the common ground. And now I think all eyes
turned back to Aaron Rodgers and where does he end up.
But I think that that was hopeful that they would
get it done. I was a little surprised, but I'm
happy for everybody can Certainly Matt Stafford played great down
the stretch.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Mark, let me ask you this.
Speaker 4 (39:30):
We were talking a little bit about reports that the Giants
could be a landing spot for Aaron Rodgers, and I
asked Dan, this is to me, if we all assume
that the coach and the GM are on the hot
seat going into this year you need to win, doesn't
like doesn't a young quarterback give you that better opportunity
because Aaron Rodgers, I just I don't know in a
(39:50):
best case scenario what his ceiling is in that division
with Washington and Philly. But the counter to that is,
even if he has wild success, now you're not should
draft a quarterback next year. And so I would think
that you know, you draft whoever is available to you
at number three, and maybe maybe the assumption is they're
not positive somebody would be there at number three.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
But I don't really understand going the.
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Forty two year forty one going on forty two year
old guy at this point in his career as the
thing to hypothetically save your job if you're the Giants.
Speaker 10 (40:21):
So here's the way I look at that, and don't
I don't disagree with what you're saying conceptually, because obviously,
if he does do well, you're now you're not in
a position. I think this draft class has guys that
you could not get him at three and turn around,
maybe trade up and pick up a quarterback still in
the bottom of the first round, and maybe there's one
of the other guys you like because here's the thing
you're feeling right now, is it still feels like cam
(40:43):
Woard's going to go number one. And as you know,
and as we'll watch the tea leagues will be read
right in the next two weeks, we'll know if cam
Ward's going number one or not, because we'll see if
the text or the Titans do anything at quarterback besides
Will Levis, if they don't make a move with a
veteran quarterback, they're telling you to draft and cam Ward
fact number two. And I'm sure this is what the
Giants are thinking, is cam Ward one. How does the
(41:05):
Cleveland Browns not take a quarterback? I just I don't
know how they have to if there's any way to
get out of the mess that they're in. Who are
they going to play next year at quarterback? And how
do they can't just assume that Deshaun Watson is going
to be obviously there at all with the Achilles rupture.
So I think what the Giants are saying is, I
don't know how it doesn't go quarterback quarterback? And I
agree and Miles Garrett, you know by not being traded
(41:25):
it means.
Speaker 7 (41:25):
A duel Carter.
Speaker 10 (41:26):
Yeah, you could take him. But the reality is, I
just think that they're very scared. It's gonna go QB one,
QB two, And now you got the Giants set in
their three. So now what do we do and start
really preparing for Jalen Milroe Jackson, you know, dart Or
or maybe twenty years.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
Former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominic joining us here as he
does every Friday on the Doug Gottlieb Show live from
the NFL Combine. He's erin Torres. I'm Dan byer in
for Doug on Rogers.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Is is he.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
A f I don't want to say, is he a
fit for everyone?
Speaker 7 (41:53):
Is?
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Because I just saw Adam Schefter put out a tweet
about the Raiders with no mention of Rogers name the Steelers,
you know, also possibly looking for a quarterback can Can Rogers?
Does Rogers have as many options as say Sam Donald
or a Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.
Speaker 10 (42:12):
Well, yeah, that's so. I think the Sam Donald one
becomes the one that's really interesting because you know, you're
not getting any attachment anywhere with Sam Donald right now
that I'm feeling here at the Indianapolis at the combine
of where that might go or where that might be. Uh,
you know, and I don't disagree you're not hearing Rodgers
in the Raiders, but it doesn't mean you won't hear
Rogers at the Raiders, right. I think that, you know,
that just kind of comes down to, you know, trying
(42:32):
to get this thing all together. I feel like Rogers
has a little bit more opportunity just because I think
what Sam Donald did. People are still going to hold
their breath a little bit when you sign them. Yes,
you hold your breath on Aaron Rodgers as well, but
you've seen him do it all the way. You've seen
him put season after season together. And I know it's
been two horrible years of the jest, but they did
play better down the stretch. And I think if you're
(42:52):
a team that's looking for a quarterback to get you
between again, the Raiders are at a tough spot because
sick and six and so I think all these clubs
are like, how do I win here? But what culture
do I want to set?
Speaker 7 (43:02):
Uh?
Speaker 10 (43:02):
It's going to be interesting to see how it plays with.
You know, when you've got coach Carroll there, I think
you could find commonality. But you know, it feels like
like you guys are saying the Giants feel like, you know,
they're certainly different. Their toe into Aaron Rodgers water right now.
Speaker 3 (43:15):
Mark, I know you.
Speaker 4 (43:16):
You just put out a scenario where Shoudre Sanders or
cam Ward for that matter, goes to to the Cleveland Browns.
Basically we go quarterback one quarterback too. But obviously depending
on what which valuator you talk to, some people think
Shadoor Sanders could go really high. Some people don't have
a first round grade on him. I don't know how
much tape you've got a chance to watch, but just
curious your perspective on the prospect he not only is,
(43:38):
but who he could be as well.
Speaker 10 (43:40):
Yeah, so I have yet to meet somebody who doesn't
think he's a first round talent. So I haven't run
into that person yet. And doesn't mean there are people
out there that might be very harsh on him. I
think it's a that'd be really critical to look at
you or Sanders. I think you might have a because
you have to respect, you know what, some of the
stuff that he's been able to put on tape from
an athletics standpoint, from a throwing standpoint, and yes, I
(44:01):
know he took a lot of stacks and those things
that could also be the offensive line and things like
that or what they asking them. Those can all be debated.
That the problem we have is, as you know, if
you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a chance.
And you know both when you look at what's going
on with the Jets or excuse me, with the Giants,
and we're looking at it with the Cleveland Browns, is
they both both coach and GM know that they're on
(44:21):
very shaky ground and they've got to find the guy.
And I think the Giants are scared, and I think,
you know, I think everybody pretty much has it. Cam
Ward one should do urs two in terms of their
quarterback board. Uh you know, so I think, you know,
for the Titans, I think that they've probably already making
up their minds that they're going to go that direction
for you know, the Cleveland Browns and steel Shouder. But
I feel like he's the first round talent and it's
(44:42):
worth a shot. From everything. I haven't spent a lot
of time with stuer at all, but from what I've
heard from the interviews here, he's doing a really good job.
Speaker 4 (44:49):
Let me ask you just a quick follow up on shore.
I mean, obviously there's a lot of noise with with
you know, his dad. Basically there's a mic in front
of his dad twenty four hours a day, and that's
not anybody's fault, it's just a re reality. But there
was talk throughout this process, probably up until the last
couple of weeks, of well there's just certain spots that
Shador and frankly Travis Hunter too, but but really shoud well,
(45:10):
he's just not going to go there. Is there any
of that actual buzz now that we're here, like he
wouldn't play here, he wouldn't play there, or was that
just you know, Dion kind of just talking into a mic,
you know, a year ago, six months ago, two months ago, whatever.
Speaker 10 (45:24):
No, I think there's a couple I think there's a
couple of spots that I don't think that he would
that Dean would say he won't play there, he won't
go there.
Speaker 7 (45:31):
Uh.
Speaker 10 (45:31):
And I think you can probably start as you start
to look around the league and you hear about different
things that are going on with owners or ownership, but
mainly owners, I think you can start to eliminate one
or two clubs. If I would sit there and say
Deng has enough power to be able to do that
and say he's not going to go to your club.
I don't think he would ever say it out loud,
but you know that's uh. I can understand where there's
(45:52):
a couple of clubs. Even I would say, yeah, I
had my brothers, I wouldn't want him to be at
that organization. And I know that Dean probably can see
the same thing I would.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
Now we go to the ownership report card. I was
just gonna say, Dominic is implying he's Aaron Dorres, I'm
Dan Bayer. What about the other Colorado start Travis Hunter?
If you're a GM, are you playing him both ways?
Day one in the National Football League?
Speaker 10 (46:14):
He's playing really defense For me, I'm putting out a corner.
I'm draft him as a corner. I'm out of a corner.
And then I might have some a player too that
might you know, obviously hail Mary's and anything like that.
We're certainly going to get Travis in the game, but
I think you've got to be careful. He does not
have the biggest frame, right guys. I mean, he's not
the thickest of kids, and so you know, you try
to play in both ways. I just don't know if
(46:35):
the way this game's played now in twenty twenty five
and the speed and the power, I think it's just
too much of a toll to play a guy both ways.
So I think you got to pick a side and
then you pick a package, like you might have a
couple of packages for him, but yet you know you
really wanted to run and go route on third down
and be back on the field trying to cover a
go route on first down. That's a really hard thing
to do in the National Football League is because good
a shape if you guys are in, it's more that
(46:56):
we will their body hold up, and that's a bigger concern.
Speaker 4 (46:58):
Only other one for me, Mark, I mean, I know
it's early in the week there, but has anybody you
know from a personality wise or press conference or buzz
I mean, is there anybody that's really just stood out?
It doesn't have to be a quarterback as far as
personality or you know what you're hearing, anything interesting, any
interesting buzzer intel.
Speaker 10 (47:16):
Well, you know, it might not be the players that
are working out, but it's always fun to night. It
would be the big night of like really get a
sense of a little more of what's going on in
free agency, trying to put the map together on some
of these places that may end up with, you know,
new names or new spots or what's the market going for.
You know, the trade Myth was a big buzz in
terms of him getting locked up or locked down. I
think by the Kid City Chiefs. That was a lot
(47:36):
of buzz last night or in the last couple of
days just because of you know, you took the number
one guard out of the market so far. And you know,
whether they trade him or not, I don't think they will.
I think they'll try to get a deal done. But
I think they got here and found out that there
was a huge market for Tray Myth and they weren't
ready to deal with it. So the best thing you
could do is put that tag on it. I don't
know if there's another player like that, but I have
a feeling. You know, the numbers are going these guys
(47:57):
are you know, the Caps jump in twenty plus million dollars.
There's a lot of fun free agent media that are
going to be had over the next twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (48:04):
Mark enjoy the weekend in Indianapolis, and we'll talk to
you next Friday.
Speaker 10 (48:07):
Thanks so much, Thanks Dan, see you guys.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
Mark Dominic, former GM of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and
again now host of a new podcast called The GM
Shuffle
Host
Doug Gottlieb
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