July 22, 2022 • 40 mins
Charles Davis has been a mainstay of big-time college football and NFL broadcasts for the better part of 20 years on FOX and now CBS. He pays a visit to the “Fifth Hour with Ben Maller,” and Danny G Radio to help prepare us for the upcoming season. Charles goes goal line to goal line as he covers his work on the Madden Franchise and beyond. When his childhood as a sports fan officially ended. Will we see relegation in college football? Do the Rams have staying power after the Super Bowl? Davante Adams or Tyreek Hill, who does better with their new team? You can follow Charles as he calls NFL games on CBS and enjoy his work as one of the voices of the Madden franchise with Brandon Gaudin. Follow Danny G Radio on Twitter @DannyGradio, Follow Big Ben on Twitter @BenMaller, and listen to the original "Ben Maller Show," Monday-Friday on 450+ terrestrial Fox Sports Radio affiliates, iHeart stream, and SiriusXM Radio channel 83, 2a-6a ET, 11p-3a PT!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Boom. If you thought four hours a day, minutes a
week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants of
the old Republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He treats
crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the rich
pill poppers in the penthouse. The Clearinghouse of hot takes
break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben
(00:24):
Maller starts right now, nine in the air everywhere, a
brand spanking new edition The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller
and Danny g Radio back at it again. The weekend
is here and if you smell the air, that's not
(00:47):
a flash lens. That is football. It is right around
the corner. And I thought, what better way to get
us set up for the upcoming NFL and college football season?
Then chat with the man, the myth, the legend, Charles Davis.
(01:07):
Now Charles Davis has been a broadcaster for many, many years.
In fact, I would argue over the last twenty years
he is called most of the big college football games.
I know when he was at Fox he did so
many of them. He is now one of the top
broadcasters at CBS on their NFL coverage, but he still
dabbles in college football Charles is one of the hardest
(01:30):
working broadcasters. He did not play in the NFL. It's
an interesting story. He was a good player at Tennessee
back in the day, was on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad,
didn't make the NFL, went back, got some more education
and has taken the broadcast business by storm over the years.
And used to be a regular on the weekend show
(01:52):
that I did with Looney the Blitz. On the weekend
we stopped Charles on all the time talking about different
NFL games he was doing. And then, rather quietly, in
the middle of the pandemic, Charles had a great opportunity
that popped up at CBS, and so he joined the
NFL on CBS. But he's also the voice of the
Madden video game. And if your kids play Madden, or
(02:14):
you play Madden, or you've played Madden within the last
seven or eight years, chances are you've heard the dulcet
tones of one Charles Davis. So he's all over the place.
But Charles, welcome in. Good to have you with us
year on the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallard and Danny
g So let's start with the video game here and
(02:34):
riddle me this Charles, What is the coolest thing about
being the voice of the iconic Madden franchise. It's It's
truly a wonderful question. And I'm not sure what's not
cool about it, right, I mean, whatever aspect you want,
(02:55):
I think if I have to narrow it down to
one thing. Obviously, along with the A Sports e A
Sports doing the nuts and bolts, Coach Madden with the
vision and the drive and the consistent how can it
get better? And the word authentic was the number one
word for everything. And I'm part of a franchise that
(03:15):
has his name on it, and Ben and if you're
of a certain age like I am, you remember Coach
Madden is a Super Bowl winning coach and one of
the iconic franchises in NFL history, and seemingly playing for
the right to go to the Super Bowl every year
is what it felt like under him as a tenure run.
(03:36):
But a good number of people who play this game,
they know him as the video game guy. And just
to be a part of that and part of that
pamp beyond the people who have participated and been part
of it, been the voices of it, I'd said, that's
probably the coolest thing and I imagine when you're traveling
around Charles, people come up to you and probably pepper
(03:59):
you with all kinds of of questions. I think, what's
they they realized they connect the dots. That must be interesting,
your travels around the NFL, running into different people and
the things they say to you. Right, yeah, it's it's fun.
But I will tell you, Ben, it happens a lot
less than you might imagine. And I think a big
part of it is myself and my partner Brandon Godden,
(04:19):
handles the play by play and does it wonderfully. We're
not quote unquote in the game, right, so, so like
you don't see us. I think at one point, I
don't know if we still do. We would pop up
from very briefly at the end of the third quarter.
But you know the great players that the real gamers,
they button through everything so fast. I'm not sure. So
(04:42):
we're essentially voices. And I've been doing this game now
with Brandon, and we finished our seventh year. We're going
into our eighth now. I will tell you, and this
is no exaggeration. I've been recognized twice by NFL players
(05:03):
as the maddened guy and all the time you've gone
to practices, games, meetings, the whole deal. Because we're just voices.
A lot of them don't connect. Only one connected voice
and that was Jalen Hurts. First time I asked him
a pa to to sit down with the Eagles, he said,
hold of the second, I know that voice, I said,
I said, Jalen has never happened before. And the other
(05:25):
was it was Mike Daniels the big defensive tackles with
the Packers. Then he rolled over and said, Yo, my kids,
My kids enjoy the game. I was like, hey, that
is that is very cool. But it does it does happen.
I'm not sitting here trying to be Mr. Supermodest and
and all of a sudden, now I'm being inauthentic, which
Coach Madden would hit me outside the head for. But
(05:45):
it doesn't happen as often as one might think. But
it's very nice when it does, and people are people
are very very nice about it and the whole thing,
and you know, and we're we're just trying our best
to make it better all the time. As my son
told me when I took the job, he said, hey,
make sure you do a lot of stuff so that
I don't know all the time what's going to pop
up when a certain play happens. And I said, well,
(06:09):
we'll do our best, but we have our limits to kids.
We're doing our best to try and come up with
new stuff all the time that sounds good and doesn't
sound cheesy and all the rest of it. And uh,
we just put it out there and let the consumer
tell us if we we hit it or not. Yeah,
I wanted to get into that shows I. I know
I've asked you in the past, but there's new people
listening all the time. Like to put a video game
(06:30):
like that together with hundreds of players. Now you don't
say the names of the players per se, but you
still have to come up with, as you said, unique stuff.
You've been doing this a long time, so roughly, how
many hours does it take for you and your your
partner there to go into a recording studio? Do you
do it from home? Do you have to go into
uh to the facility and record the stuff? And how
(06:53):
many hours of commitment are we talking about to put
a video game together each year? It's crazy. Well, pre
covid Um, we would go into the studio Andy a
sports um. Since COVID. We've been recording from home. He
has moved into a new facility and there's still in
the process of moving everything over there, so we're not
(07:13):
back in the in the in the facility yet in
the room, but we hope that will happen sooner rather
than later because it's a lot better for the game.
I think when I can look at my partner, he
can look at me. Because when we do the game, Ben,
we're not doing it to video. It's all blank, Okay,
we have we have words in front of us. That's
(07:36):
our script doing the joy tri beyond the air quotes
there that we have a wonderful writer, uh At Brady
does a fantastic job, and we've had other people who
have assisted over the years and they give us a script.
But most of the time the script is there are
things that we have to get in and have to
be precise about, and there's a lot of things where
it's just a situation. What can you guys come up with,
(07:59):
and here's the here's the framework. What can you put
to that? And we'll do a lot of number of
different takes and then they decide what they like and
don't like and go on from there. Then we usually
start preseason NFL, which is August, and we wrapped usually
middle of June. UM. When we were in the studio,
(08:20):
our sessions would often last four hours or some. Now
that we're not in the studio, we're usually doing a
hard two hours each time. UM. He and I both
do games on the weekend, so he'll do college football
and some NFL. I'm doing NFL. So our games are
Saturday Sunday, and then Monday we're in the studio recording
(08:42):
and we do that Monday Tuesday during the season, and
then as the season ends, we may add extra days on.
We usually do, so I can't tell you the exact
number of hours. And remember we're not doing it every
week as well once the season ends because brand you know,
Brandon has basketball and baseball and I have other stuff
(09:02):
that comes up, so we would get it together. But
we will consistently go from August until June. All right,
you know, two to three hours of pop in the session,
and when we're in the normal it's usually two times
a week, and then the outer it can be four
times a week. You're putting the hours in there, and
(09:23):
are you gonna branch out to any other video games. Charles,
I know you're you're a football guy, but you now
you've got this on your resume. You've done this for years.
Is there a possibility of something else? Listen? I I
would listen to anyone who would be crazy enough to
be interested in me, and I'm sure Brandon would do
the same. But so far we're we're just proud to
(09:44):
be the voices of mad And uh, I can't. I
don't know that there's another one out there for me.
There could be for Brandon played by plays different. Yeah,
you know when when you're doing the analyst work, if
it's basketball, they're gonna want a true basketball guy, baseball,
true baseball guy, soccer, but you know they're gonna want
the true soccer guy with me. That group is not
(10:05):
going to stand for anything else, you know that, So
you know, right on down the line. So I'm just
fortunately able to do what I'm doing, and uh, I
think that will probably be it. I got you, I
got you now I gotta talk about you. You had
been at Fox for a long time and then the
whole world, as we know, the last couple of years
have been wonky. Things are starting to get back to
(10:25):
the normal. Most places and still still a little out there.
But during all of that, the haze of the COVID
shutdown and all that, you switched jobs and you go,
you went from Fox to CBS, and I feel like
we did not do the proper send off to you
when you made the change. How weird was that with
everything going on in the world as it was, and
(10:46):
then you end up making a major career change and
and congratulations, you're You're great. I love you on CBS
as well, But how weird was it when you realize, Hey,
I'm gonna be changing gigs here, and everything in the
world's all wonky? Right, yeah, it's but there's a lot.
I think you described it pretty accurately. I think that
anyone who's listening to us and had similar experiences, you know,
(11:11):
I mean, think of all the people who had to
go through furloughs and then the job was gone, or
trying to change jobs or find a new job. Wonky
is the perfect word. I mean, there was no playbook
for that at all, right, there is no getting around this,
that and everything. So I was just fortunate enough that
(11:34):
during that time frame, I had another I had I
had an option. You know, it's the best way to
put it, I mean, one day we one day I can,
you know, I'll probably talk about the whole thing or whatever.
I don't know that now it is truly the time.
But I was fortunate enough that the incredible people at
CBS Sports thought that I was good enough to come
(11:56):
over and join their group, join their family, and and
it happened, as you said, during a crazy, crazy time
at fourteen years I believe that you know there, I mean,
I mean, you go back to BCS on you know,
the BCS games called National Championship Games and big time
(12:19):
BCS Bowl games too, NFL football and part pairing with
you know, Gus Johnson on college football again and then
moving back to the NFL, and had wonderful, wonderful partners
and people that I worked with there. But at that
time frame, I guess the way I described it then
it's probably still most accurately. It just seemed that that
(12:39):
was the TVs just seemed to be in the right
place for me to be at that time. And I
you know, and I'll just leave it at that for now.
But uh, a lot of great people I've worked with
along the way, don't get me wrong, that's for sure.
And is there is there really any difference to what
you do like the nuts and bolt of calling an
NFL game, whether or a college game, whether at Fox
(13:01):
or CBS. Is it obviously it's different people, But does
it really change all that much? You're still doing your
your same stuff. What's it like for you now? It's
really not that much change, man. I mean football games.
The football games a football game, right, So we're not
we're not reinventing the wheel on it, you know. I mean,
(13:22):
what what what Fred Flintstone and Bartie Rubble we're doing
back in those times we're doing now? Now? You're trying
to do it better each and every time out for yourself.
I'm not saying I'm trying to do it better than
other people. Where you're really it's kind of liking it
to golfin you're playing the course and the course every game,
every time is the game itself. I know that fans,
(13:44):
I know that media critics, I know that everyone tries
to compare us and this person does it this way.
That's all fine and dandy. You have to be true
to yourself, be true to your partner, to be true
to your team. But we're calling football, you know, and
it doesn't matter who's broadcasting. At the end of the day,
the rules are the same. And I could go all
Gene Hackman here at Hoosier's right. The dimensions of the
(14:06):
same change, the players of the same. But who you're
working with, how you're doing it, what your bosses are
are asking from you. There's subtle differences, don't get me wrong.
But in broad macro it's still football. Yeah, and as
it got You played college football Tennessee back in the day,
and looking around you broadcast college football over the years.
(14:28):
When you see what's going on right now behind the
scenes in college football, Uh, where does it end here?
And do you have any you have a crystal ball here, Charles?
Are we looking at only two or three conferences five
years from now? How's this gonna shake down? Well? First
of all, when I heard U, C, l A and
USC we're going to the Big ten, I think that's
(14:50):
when my childhood officially died. I'm fifty seven now. I
think my childhood officially died at that moment. And I
mean it in a in a truly negative sense. We've
had plenty of upheaval, right, We've had plenty of big
time names switching conferences and this going there and knowing
(15:11):
that you know, Oklahoma and Texas were coming to the
SEC and those don't seem as much of a stretch
as U c L a USC Big Ten. And I
remember thinking right away, Ben, I can't wait, and I
hope I'm around for the day if the Rose Bowl
continues to exist, because I have my doubts about bowl
(15:33):
games going forward, but they continue to exist. And you
know how what a big player the Rose Bowl is
in the Bowl Bowl situation, right, You couldn't get to
you couldn't get to the BCS in a playoff without
being able to have blessing and allowances for the Rose
Bowl game itself. Right, So when I heard that, all
(15:54):
I said was, please let me be around for U
c L air USC to win the Big Ten and
be announced as the Big Ten representative in the Rose Bowl.
That will really set it on it's ear, because you know, again,
as I've mentioned before, also of a certain age, that
was a big deal with what which team was coming
(16:16):
coming west out of the cold weather the Big Ten
to play in and U c L and USC we're
often the hosts of that game, and now we're gonna
change it that way. As far as the crystal ball,
I keep hearing about different you know, three conferences, four conferences,
I get all of that. I think it's going to
go farther than I think that. We're going to end
(16:38):
up with much more of an NFL model, but bigger
in terms of you know, the NFL is thirty two teams.
I can easily see that doubled. We can stretch it
to seventy. But I don't know if we get much
more beyond that, if if we even get to that number,
because what it's going to take to play that big
time football, that kind of money. You're gonna have teams
(17:00):
that you and I grew up with, and when I
say teams, universities and colleges that we grew up with
that financially won't be able to keep up and may
have to play. What we see now is one double
a right, So they'll have super deal, super conference, whatever
you want to call it. But I don't think it'll
even be conferences anymore. I think it will be divisions,
(17:23):
just like the NFL has, and it may change from
year to year. This Green group may go there. Maybe
I don't think it'd be like relegation, but they may
change it up. You know, Okay, we're gonna for four years,
gonna be this grouping, all right, next four years this grouping,
and then try and play that way. I see a
commissioner for it, because the n c A doesn't really
govern it anyway. So I see a commissioner type person
(17:46):
and an organization that way. I think it'll model the
NFL in a lot of ways down the road. But
until we get there, we know the SEC is gonna
survive the nuclear blasts. We know the Big ten's gonna
say I had the new clear blasts. I think the
A c C will, but they probably want to go
and get some reinforcements because they're what they call the
(18:08):
grant of rights is pretty locked solid until I don't
think anyone's going anywhere, and the Big twelve looks like
they're making moves the PAC twelve Big twelve, if they
go into some sort of alliance, that will be interesting
to see, but I don't know that anyone's clamoring for that.
So it's four or five conferences we get it. But
(18:30):
eventually I think we have the super super conference that
I see more like an NFL model, and I'm gonna
put the number around fifty to sixty UH programs in
the country. I love that. And you mentioned relegation, and
that is also something that is obviously from Europe and
that's what they do in soccer and whatnot. But I
think that would be wonderful if they can somehow incorporate
(18:53):
that in college. Now I'm not a university president or
I'm not an athletic director, but the idea of a
concept of hey, if you're if you're not getting it done,
you've got to go to a lower level. And I
wish there was a way we could do that in
all of our sports in America. I think it's just
better for for fans that teams keep trying. I've always
(19:14):
been annoyed, Charles with the tanking that goes on, at
least the perceived tanking sometimes real in sports, And if
you could eliminate that or at least make that much
more difficult with relegation, that would be a wonderful thing.
I think that's a great idea if they could do
that in college, I don't see a way you can
do it in the other professional leagues. Is there a
(19:34):
path to that and the other sports leagues, Gerald, it's
really really hard. And the reason I think relegation works
well in Europe and and and I'm sticking with soccer
because I'm not familiar if there's any other sports to
have the relegation is that they've managed to maintain their
teams on a pretty equal level, whether they're in the
(19:55):
top level or the next level. And so when you
get relegated it down, you're not so huge and you're
not so small, and when you bound your way up,
you've already put the resources in to begin with. Here,
If we go to relegation somehow, that would that would
(20:17):
mean that you have two tiers of college football that
are still basically spending the same amount of money. And
I just don't see that happening. See what I see
happening is the super supers are gonna spend you know,
pick your number, right. So if we're spending one million dollars,
which we know as far short as the number I'm
just using as an example, and an FCS or one
(20:39):
double a team spending let's say roughly five hundred thousand dollars,
you're not gonna spend a million dollars on the FCS level.
And then you get a chance to bounce up, and
now you're up there with the big boys, and you're
ready to go. That's why I see I'm not as
bullish on that. I think your point remains and and
and it would be a lot of fun if we
(21:00):
have those two tiers. I just don't think the colleges
are gonna do that. I think they're gonna they're gonna
make a choice. I'm either in it with the big people,
are running with the running with the other pack, and
schools that were used to running with the big people
won't all make it all right. That's that's the way
I see it coming. I'm not saying it with any glee.
(21:21):
But I'm also seeing even ones who are having success
now that have been unexpected could have trouble running with
the big boys later, you know, and and and and
could I you know, go pick your conference, take a
look and look and say, Okay, who truly has the resources,
who truly has the name that's gonna survive this bad boy?
(21:45):
And you look at some of the ones who have
been clustered at the bottom for a long time, and they,
let's say they are truly those true academic type places,
you know, what I mean they pride themselves on, then
they may very well choose we're not going to jump
at race anymore because look, I'll use Vanderbilt as a
quick example. Okay, no better academics you're going to get anywhere.
(22:10):
Great city should be a great recruiting base. But the
private school, we know what it's like to do all
the things. Over the last twenty years, their success has
been minimal. James Franklin had the most did a phenomenal
job there, but it hasn't been able to be sustained.
They would be a candidate for having to make that
major decision, I think, because they probably can get the
(22:32):
resources to run with the big dogs. But if running
with the big dogs me and your record is still
one in eleven as opposed to what if you can
drop down a level and be really competitive? Yeah, I
think people. I think people are gonna make that decision
on that. Does that mean, though, Charles, that this is
the next year of college football is going to be
(22:52):
the end of Like I'm looking at Alabama schedule, they
play Utah State in Louisiana, Monroe in the in the
non is just the end of that? No? I don't
think so. I think that, Um, you know, we're not
done with it. I'm just saying down the road, I
see it happening. And when we get down the road,
(23:13):
then every week it's a big boy, big boy game.
Now that's when it changes when when we get to
the Super super we're not at the Super Supers yet
and people are still going to offer that up. And
if you're a true big boy trying to win a
national championship, if you're in the SEC, you're gonna play
some of those other games because every week is a grinder.
(23:34):
But you do pick that one nonconference game that you
need to keep yourself on the map and keep visibility.
And if Alabama always becomes a target for that, and
I can't believe it's a Tennessee guy. I'm over here
defending Alabama. Don't do what you don't. People always go for,
you know, Alabama, especially we get to November. You know
that weekend in the SEC in November when everyone plays
(23:58):
no One. Always always remind people go back to the
early part of the season. Alabama is always playing that
kickoff game and usually against good opponents, name opponents. And
they jumped on Michigan and the in past years they
jumped on usc Um you know you, you name it
name Miami. Were those teams up to stuff at the time. No,
(24:22):
but you can't fault them for playing that traditionally strong team.
And then when they play Mercer in November if it
gets on their case, like, hey, they played those guys
back in the beginning. And by the way, they're going
to Texas this year. I think week two the week
to the season, So now Mamma always does that, So
(24:42):
they make no apologies for playing Mercery November. They're like,
give me a break. I just came off of playing
l s U. You know, old Mrs gotten Good, I
just played these people. Give me Mercer, give you a
week and then let me gut it out and get
ready for All Burn or whoever down the retch. But
don't forget in the beginning, we played a marquee team
(25:04):
in a marquee game, and people like that. So I
do think that continues with the big boys. But when
we get to that super super then everyone ostensibly is
supposed to be a Marquee type of the game. Yeah,
now I want to turn the page here. You go
back to the NFL, Charles, because you're the NFL CBS
(25:25):
coverage and all that stuff, and training camps are opening
up here. Before we know it, they're gonna be training
camps around the league. So, uh, just kind of picked
your brand on a few things. Do you see the Rams,
the reigning Super Bowl champions, being able to maintain a
similar season upcoming or will they fall off a little
bit that Super Bowl hangover? For the Rams, I see
(25:48):
them having the ability to maintain the Super Bowl hangovers
real And a lot of it has to do with
what everyone gets in the off season. Agile ation that
you know, better, sponsorship, more deals, right, everyone's up a
radio show. I still go back to the nineties Cowboys, Ben.
(26:09):
It's one of the more remarkable things the run they
had because I think at one point didn't they say
something like twenty to twenty five cowboys that had their
own radio shows. I mean, they handled the celebrity and
embraced it as well as any great dynasty we've seen.
Kansas City has come through at a time where the
(26:31):
run that they've had, they've had to run through COVID,
they they've had to run through the time frames where
the sponsorships and all the extras that come with being
a didn't really have materialized because our world stopped, and
I think that that was common advantage to them. It
didn't splinter apart with the with the pat Riley has
called the disease of me. I don't think the Rams
(26:54):
are gonna suffer from it either, even though they're in
one of the great sponsorship marketing places in the in
the world in Los Angeles. For this reason, I think
Sean McVeigh keeps it fresh. I think Sean McVeigh keeps
it fun. Remember then, when he took over as the
head coach, is the youngest coach in the league. He
didn't play his starters in preseason at all period, which
(27:17):
has really led us to where we are now because
people were playing people less. But he never even little
hit the field and people were freaking out, people like,
what are they doing? What is going on? Have you
checked the start to the Rams seasons under Sean McVeigh.
They come out of the gate strong every year, not
just because he holds him out, but what I'd love
(27:39):
to do is to get embedded with that franchise and
see what he does practice wise, because they come out
sharp for people who never played in preseason, who didn't
do anything, who didn't go what is he doing and
what is his his his program doing is doing something
incredibly well. I don't have the numbers in front of me,
(28:00):
but I can't think of a time that Sean mcveigh's
RAMS started one in three. It's always more like three
than four. Oh, that sort of a deal. So it's
not just that he's resting guys, because everyone's resting guys,
But what are they doing in practice? How are they
how are they doing things and meetings? How is he
drilling them? And the other part is they come out
of the game and don't just win games. They don't
(28:22):
have fifteen penalties per game because we always talk about
how sloppy the first month in the NFL season is right,
no one's playing, no one tackles, you know, everything's this,
everything's that. I don't see that with the RAMS, So
I do believe. I do count on what I've seen before,
whatever what's been in front of me. I think that
they'll still be a hungry team. Matthew Stafford, he may
(28:44):
have gotten his ring, but how happy is he? It's like,
are you kidding me? How wire someday every he could
not say that for his career in Detroit, and that
guy was a warrior in Detroit. I did two games
been of his where he didn't practice the entire week
(29:06):
and took every snap on Sunday, and in both occasions
Detroit was well below five. That guy when it was
time to answer the bell, he answered the bell. Now
he's answering the bell with his big smile, like, not
only to my answering the bell, I get a chance
to add to my jewelry. I get a chance to
add to my end, to my my you know, my, my,
(29:27):
my reputation, my my accomplishments. Because remember this, his olverall
career record is well below five because of its time
in Detroit. He's gonna have but he's gonna have Hall
of Fame numbers. How are people going to reconcile that
a second? We'll go a long way towards the racing
(29:48):
everything in Detroit, and everybody would just go, you know something,
don't don't put Detroit on. He put out big numbers
in Detroit, and as soon as he had a good franchise,
look at what he did. He won two rings. So
if he can get a second ring, I think he
waltz is into the Hall of Fame. Des fight what
his career record is because you can't put all that
on him. Yeah, that's a good point. And some of
the other players that sort of guys that change teams. Here,
(30:11):
Charles tyreek Kill is now a Miami Dolphin, Davante Adams
is in the Las Vegas Raiders organization. Now, which of those,
which of those guys do you think is the real deal?
And we've seen over the years. I saw stat a
couple of weeks back that receivers who are top level
receivers who changed teams historically their numbers go down when
(30:34):
they change teams. It's it's that position. So which of
these guys you think is the real deal? Which is
more likely to bring the same success they had with
their old team to their new team. They're both the
real deal. But based off of what you just said,
and it is true, Davante Adams going to the Raiders
seemingly has a better chance of quote unquote success. And
(30:56):
here's why. You already have the established quarterback in car
with a connection from their past in college, with a
franchise that went to the end, went to the playoffs
last year and under new management now with johsh McDaniels,
Dames Cars and who knows that operate you moved to Miami.
(31:18):
Can Tyree Hill helped bring along to it? Absolutely he can,
but too hasn't done it our consistent basis yet. So
if I were you know, if I'm sitting there saying
which one would I expect? I expected Vante Adams and
and Derek Carr to click a lot faster and really
be a factor out of the gate. Doesn't mean that
(31:39):
Tyree Hill and Tour won't be. But there's still a
lot of question marks. There's a lot to be proven.
And don't forget part of Tyreek Hills. Big time plays
made in Kansas City were made off of what Patrick
mahomes ability to keep a play alive, escape and then
make a seventy yard throw across his body, across the
(31:59):
field and on a wide open Tyreek Hill. Those plays
might not be an abundance in Miami, at least not
in the beginning, because my Homes is just beyond special
in terms of being able to do. That doesn't mean
to us not a good quarterback, not a good player.
He has to rove, but not consistent basis. But in
your mind, then I think in the minds of anyone
evaluating it. Do we see two of making those same
(32:22):
types of plays consistently like my Home's probably not now.
Tyreek would probably argue and go, hey, I did this
for fact. I'm not arguing that. I'm just saying there's
been plenty of plays. And think about every time you
watch Kansas City Plat didn't it feel like there's one
or two of those plays per game where he would
you know, and all of a sudden went like he
(32:42):
made what throw? You know? It's just like so so
those things go a long way towards it. So as
you put as you posited it, I'm saying Adams and
Car have a better chance success early then two and
Tyreek just be because of past history and past affiliations
(33:03):
and Car being established in this league as a quarterback,
you probably doesn't get as much respect as they should. Yeah.
And and Charles the the chicken or the egg argument
receiver quarterback? Who is between those two? I I changed
my opinion when when Randy Moss left the Vikings and
went to the Raiders and it was, uh, did not
(33:25):
go well for him with the Raiders, and then he
goes to the Patriots and he lights the world on fire.
So to me, that was like, well, that's the quarterback.
He was back with a good quarterback. I think he
had like Andrew Walter not to rip him. But there
was the guys like that with the Raiders when he
was there. Are you on the same page with that
or where do you stand on that quarterback versus receiver
(33:46):
and vice versa? Yeah, I tend to I tend to
fall towards the quarterback because over time, when we've had
those matchups, right and you put it together, typically you
have the quarterback with the arm, the skills, the boxy,
the ability to get the ball to that receiver. Okay,
and I know receiver were screaming and yelling, but remember
(34:07):
this DeVante Adams in Las Vegas because a certain number,
you know, and I know that you know, there's talk
that green. They offered more of Devanty want to be
in Las Vegas. Tyreek, Kansas City drove a number in
the sand and said this is the number. If not,
we'll find you. Okay, someone else interested A J. Brown.
The Titans didn't want him to go away, but again
(34:30):
again the number hit and they were like, okay, if
we can find someone, and they did. In Philadelphia because
Ben every year now in the college draft. I'm telling
you until the time they closed my coffin, if we
keep playing football the way we're playing, about the throwing
we're doing at a younger age, every year you have
receivers flooding this league with potential to play. I don't
(34:52):
think many teams are gonna break their bank, even for
their all star receiver, but you will break your bank
for your quarterback. I think the orter back drives it.
I mean all the great duos. Sterling, sirup from Green Bay,
should be okay, had the one great year with John
Magick mccowski. But when did everything really blossom when Farve hit,
(35:17):
you know, and then Sterling and and Sterling is a
Hall of Fame receiver. People are overlooking that. Go check
the numbers, Go check his production in a seven year career.
It's off the charts, probably second only to Jerry Rice
during that time. So Charles, Charles, do you do you think, Charles,
do you think that we'll get to a point like
the running back position. You know, you're you're kind of
(35:40):
close to We're around the same age. And when I
was a kid, the running back was like the god
of football, that was like everything was about the running back.
And now you look at these teams like the Rams
just won the Super Bowl, they had a rotation and
running backs and and a lot of teams have gone
to that. Well, will the receiver position eventually get to
that point, because as you said, there's so many guy
is in college seemingly every year that are getting better
(36:02):
and better. Will they just downgrade how much they want
to pay the top receivers in the next ten years
or so? I think so. I think that the top
reviewers are not gonna make as much with their current teams,
but they will with the second team. You know, that's
what it's going to be. But that'll be a smaller
pool of guys will get that second team opportunity. And
(36:23):
we just went in a few of mar Ra Tireek
second team, you know, Davante I'm second team, a J.
Brown second team, that sort of a deal. But you
know it's Green Bay just went and drafted you know guys, right,
you know, Kansas City drafted guys you know, and and
and we'll just see, we'll see how it all turns out,
whether they reached those same heights. But I do think
(36:44):
a wide receiver one is not going away anytime soon.
There's still gonna be the dominant receiver and much more
committee with backs. And you're right has changed. When I
was a kid, when you played fullback, you were an
integral part of the running game. Jim Round was a fullback,
Jim Taylor was a full back. Those guys led to
(37:04):
led the NFL and rushing. Okay, Now, the fullback if
you don't do anything but block and maybe catching occasional
path and then the running back handles the rest of it.
But the rotation is okay. The key, though, Ben is
is your rotation giving you four porce yards per carry
into the playoffs. You don't have to have a feature guy,
(37:26):
and the running game still has to supply enough for
you to be able to run deep. Name a Super
Bowl champ that didn't have a consistent running game. It's rare.
It's rare. I mean, they still is consistent even if
one of the guys isn't isn't a superstar for sure.
And we'll get you out on this, Russell Wilson, this
is not seeming were getting tons of attention. I know
(37:47):
it's Denver and it's not a huge media market and
all that, But Russell Wilson going from Seattle the Denver,
how do you see that one working out? Charles? Is
this Peyton manning two point oh for the Broncos. Are
they back among the big players in the NFL all
of a sudden just getting Russell Wilson. Is that the
only thing they were missing? Well, they were, They're missing
more than that, But that's a big part of it
(38:08):
because consistent quarterback play. You know, they're in one of
the toughest divisions in in football's we know, the f
C West, but consistent quarterback play can carry you so far?
Did the rub very simply is this first year head
coaching Nathaniel Hackett, right, Can that defense continue to play?
Is at a high level that Vick fan Joel had
(38:29):
him playing? And I think that they have an opportunity
that get players Justin Simmons, Can Bradley Chubb get back
to form, etcetera, etcetera. But the flipping to the other side.
Last year, their biggest issue was they couldn't close out
or win close games with the combination of Teddy Bridgewater
and Drew Lock. Russell Wilson should handle that. Courtland Sutton
(38:49):
should be informed. kJ Hamdler should be informed. All those
things happened. They've upgraded the offensive line, a lot of
positives been But here's the issue. Would you at the
medic Kansas City as we sit here now, would you
put him ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders? Would you
put them ahead of Los Angeles Chargers. You've got four
of the top fifteen quarterbacks in the NFL in the
(39:11):
a f C West, three of the top ten, and
I suspect the fourth is closer to the top ten
than he is to the fifty team. Yeah, so that's
what you have in that division. So someone's not gonna
make that. They're not all gonna make the playoffs in
that division. So if you if you're fortunate, you can
(39:32):
get three. We've seen divisions get three. Yeah. Boy, that's
rare and it's difficult to do, but that's what you have.
But on a given week, who's the best quarterback in
that division? To me, Mahomes is the guy because he's
consistently done it. No one throws it better than Herbert
and he's a better competitive people. No. Russell Wilson has
(39:53):
proven be nice with the new team, and and then
Derek Carr again overlooked. The guy put up well over
four grand per year and motivates his team. He held
that team together so well last year as a leader,
with the turmoil they had. He will never get enough
credit for doing what he did to rally that team
to the playoffs last year. I hear you on that.
(40:16):
What's your first game this year, Charles, your first broadcast?
I don't know yet. I don't know yet. I haven't
gotten our schedule yet, so well, we'll find out how
coming weeks, so not quite sure, but look at the
NFL football. Ben, just send me anywhere and I'll be excited. Awesome.
Thanks for doing this, Charles. I appreciate it, and I
love watching on TV in the video game, the whole
(40:36):
thing and continued success. Thanks for doing it. Appreciate Its
same to you, Ben. Thanks for having me. You take care,
talk to you down the road.
Boom. If you thought four hours a day, minutes a
week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants of
the old Republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He treats
crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the rich
pill poppers in the penthouse. The Clearinghouse of hot takes
break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben
(00:24):
Maller starts right now, nine in the air everywhere, a
brand spanking new edition The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller
and Danny g Radio back at it again. The weekend
is here and if you smell the air, that's not
(00:47):
a flash lens. That is football. It is right around
the corner. And I thought, what better way to get
us set up for the upcoming NFL and college football season?
Then chat with the man, the myth, the legend, Charles Davis.
(01:07):
Now Charles Davis has been a broadcaster for many, many years.
In fact, I would argue over the last twenty years
he is called most of the big college football games.
I know when he was at Fox he did so
many of them. He is now one of the top
broadcasters at CBS on their NFL coverage, but he still
dabbles in college football Charles is one of the hardest
(01:30):
working broadcasters. He did not play in the NFL. It's
an interesting story. He was a good player at Tennessee
back in the day, was on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad,
didn't make the NFL, went back, got some more education
and has taken the broadcast business by storm over the years.
And used to be a regular on the weekend show
(01:52):
that I did with Looney the Blitz. On the weekend
we stopped Charles on all the time talking about different
NFL games he was doing. And then, rather quietly, in
the middle of the pandemic, Charles had a great opportunity
that popped up at CBS, and so he joined the
NFL on CBS. But he's also the voice of the
Madden video game. And if your kids play Madden, or
(02:14):
you play Madden, or you've played Madden within the last
seven or eight years, chances are you've heard the dulcet
tones of one Charles Davis. So he's all over the place.
But Charles, welcome in. Good to have you with us
year on the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallard and Danny
g So let's start with the video game here and
(02:34):
riddle me this Charles, What is the coolest thing about
being the voice of the iconic Madden franchise. It's It's
truly a wonderful question. And I'm not sure what's not
cool about it, right, I mean, whatever aspect you want,
(02:55):
I think if I have to narrow it down to
one thing. Obviously, along with the A Sports e A
Sports doing the nuts and bolts, Coach Madden with the
vision and the drive and the consistent how can it
get better? And the word authentic was the number one
word for everything. And I'm part of a franchise that
(03:15):
has his name on it, and Ben and if you're
of a certain age like I am, you remember Coach
Madden is a Super Bowl winning coach and one of
the iconic franchises in NFL history, and seemingly playing for
the right to go to the Super Bowl every year
is what it felt like under him as a tenure run.
(03:36):
But a good number of people who play this game,
they know him as the video game guy. And just
to be a part of that and part of that
pamp beyond the people who have participated and been part
of it, been the voices of it, I'd said, that's
probably the coolest thing and I imagine when you're traveling
around Charles, people come up to you and probably pepper
(03:59):
you with all kinds of of questions. I think, what's
they they realized they connect the dots. That must be interesting,
your travels around the NFL, running into different people and
the things they say to you. Right, yeah, it's it's fun.
But I will tell you, Ben, it happens a lot
less than you might imagine. And I think a big
part of it is myself and my partner Brandon Godden,
(04:19):
handles the play by play and does it wonderfully. We're
not quote unquote in the game, right, so, so like
you don't see us. I think at one point, I
don't know if we still do. We would pop up
from very briefly at the end of the third quarter.
But you know the great players that the real gamers,
they button through everything so fast. I'm not sure. So
(04:42):
we're essentially voices. And I've been doing this game now
with Brandon, and we finished our seventh year. We're going
into our eighth now. I will tell you, and this
is no exaggeration. I've been recognized twice by NFL players
(05:03):
as the maddened guy and all the time you've gone
to practices, games, meetings, the whole deal. Because we're just voices.
A lot of them don't connect. Only one connected voice
and that was Jalen Hurts. First time I asked him
a pa to to sit down with the Eagles, he said,
hold of the second, I know that voice, I said,
I said, Jalen has never happened before. And the other
(05:25):
was it was Mike Daniels the big defensive tackles with
the Packers. Then he rolled over and said, Yo, my kids,
My kids enjoy the game. I was like, hey, that
is that is very cool. But it does it does happen.
I'm not sitting here trying to be Mr. Supermodest and
and all of a sudden, now I'm being inauthentic, which
Coach Madden would hit me outside the head for. But
(05:45):
it doesn't happen as often as one might think. But
it's very nice when it does, and people are people
are very very nice about it and the whole thing,
and you know, and we're we're just trying our best
to make it better all the time. As my son
told me when I took the job, he said, hey,
make sure you do a lot of stuff so that
I don't know all the time what's going to pop
up when a certain play happens. And I said, well,
(06:09):
we'll do our best, but we have our limits to kids.
We're doing our best to try and come up with
new stuff all the time that sounds good and doesn't
sound cheesy and all the rest of it. And uh,
we just put it out there and let the consumer
tell us if we we hit it or not. Yeah,
I wanted to get into that shows I. I know
I've asked you in the past, but there's new people
listening all the time. Like to put a video game
(06:30):
like that together with hundreds of players. Now you don't
say the names of the players per se, but you
still have to come up with, as you said, unique stuff.
You've been doing this a long time, so roughly, how
many hours does it take for you and your your
partner there to go into a recording studio? Do you
do it from home? Do you have to go into
uh to the facility and record the stuff? And how
(06:53):
many hours of commitment are we talking about to put
a video game together each year? It's crazy. Well, pre
covid Um, we would go into the studio Andy a
sports um. Since COVID. We've been recording from home. He
has moved into a new facility and there's still in
the process of moving everything over there, so we're not
(07:13):
back in the in the in the facility yet in
the room, but we hope that will happen sooner rather
than later because it's a lot better for the game.
I think when I can look at my partner, he
can look at me. Because when we do the game, Ben,
we're not doing it to video. It's all blank, Okay,
we have we have words in front of us. That's
(07:36):
our script doing the joy tri beyond the air quotes
there that we have a wonderful writer, uh At Brady
does a fantastic job, and we've had other people who
have assisted over the years and they give us a script.
But most of the time the script is there are
things that we have to get in and have to
be precise about, and there's a lot of things where
it's just a situation. What can you guys come up with,
(07:59):
and here's the here's the framework. What can you put
to that? And we'll do a lot of number of
different takes and then they decide what they like and
don't like and go on from there. Then we usually
start preseason NFL, which is August, and we wrapped usually
middle of June. UM. When we were in the studio,
(08:20):
our sessions would often last four hours or some. Now
that we're not in the studio, we're usually doing a
hard two hours each time. UM. He and I both
do games on the weekend, so he'll do college football
and some NFL. I'm doing NFL. So our games are
Saturday Sunday, and then Monday we're in the studio recording
(08:42):
and we do that Monday Tuesday during the season, and
then as the season ends, we may add extra days on.
We usually do, so I can't tell you the exact
number of hours. And remember we're not doing it every
week as well once the season ends because brand you know,
Brandon has basketball and baseball and I have other stuff
(09:02):
that comes up, so we would get it together. But
we will consistently go from August until June. All right,
you know, two to three hours of pop in the session,
and when we're in the normal it's usually two times
a week, and then the outer it can be four
times a week. You're putting the hours in there, and
(09:23):
are you gonna branch out to any other video games. Charles,
I know you're you're a football guy, but you now
you've got this on your resume. You've done this for years.
Is there a possibility of something else? Listen? I I
would listen to anyone who would be crazy enough to
be interested in me, and I'm sure Brandon would do
the same. But so far we're we're just proud to
(09:44):
be the voices of mad And uh, I can't. I
don't know that there's another one out there for me.
There could be for Brandon played by plays different. Yeah,
you know when when you're doing the analyst work, if
it's basketball, they're gonna want a true basketball guy, baseball,
true baseball guy, soccer, but you know they're gonna want
the true soccer guy with me. That group is not
(10:05):
going to stand for anything else, you know that, So
you know, right on down the line. So I'm just
fortunately able to do what I'm doing, and uh, I
think that will probably be it. I got you, I
got you now I gotta talk about you. You had
been at Fox for a long time and then the
whole world, as we know, the last couple of years
have been wonky. Things are starting to get back to
(10:25):
the normal. Most places and still still a little out there.
But during all of that, the haze of the COVID
shutdown and all that, you switched jobs and you go,
you went from Fox to CBS, and I feel like
we did not do the proper send off to you
when you made the change. How weird was that with
everything going on in the world as it was, and
(10:46):
then you end up making a major career change and
and congratulations, you're You're great. I love you on CBS
as well, But how weird was it when you realize, Hey,
I'm gonna be changing gigs here, and everything in the
world's all wonky? Right, yeah, it's but there's a lot.
I think you described it pretty accurately. I think that
anyone who's listening to us and had similar experiences, you know,
(11:11):
I mean, think of all the people who had to
go through furloughs and then the job was gone, or
trying to change jobs or find a new job. Wonky
is the perfect word. I mean, there was no playbook
for that at all, right, there is no getting around this,
that and everything. So I was just fortunate enough that
(11:34):
during that time frame, I had another I had I
had an option. You know, it's the best way to
put it, I mean, one day we one day I can,
you know, I'll probably talk about the whole thing or whatever.
I don't know that now it is truly the time.
But I was fortunate enough that the incredible people at
CBS Sports thought that I was good enough to come
(11:56):
over and join their group, join their family, and and
it happened, as you said, during a crazy, crazy time
at fourteen years I believe that you know there, I mean,
I mean, you go back to BCS on you know,
the BCS games called National Championship Games and big time
(12:19):
BCS Bowl games too, NFL football and part pairing with
you know, Gus Johnson on college football again and then
moving back to the NFL, and had wonderful, wonderful partners
and people that I worked with there. But at that
time frame, I guess the way I described it then
it's probably still most accurately. It just seemed that that
(12:39):
was the TVs just seemed to be in the right
place for me to be at that time. And I
you know, and I'll just leave it at that for now.
But uh, a lot of great people I've worked with
along the way, don't get me wrong, that's for sure.
And is there is there really any difference to what
you do like the nuts and bolt of calling an
NFL game, whether or a college game, whether at Fox
(13:01):
or CBS. Is it obviously it's different people, But does
it really change all that much? You're still doing your
your same stuff. What's it like for you now? It's
really not that much change, man. I mean football games.
The football games a football game, right, So we're not
we're not reinventing the wheel on it, you know. I mean,
(13:22):
what what what Fred Flintstone and Bartie Rubble we're doing
back in those times we're doing now? Now? You're trying
to do it better each and every time out for yourself.
I'm not saying I'm trying to do it better than
other people. Where you're really it's kind of liking it
to golfin you're playing the course and the course every game,
every time is the game itself. I know that fans,
(13:44):
I know that media critics, I know that everyone tries
to compare us and this person does it this way.
That's all fine and dandy. You have to be true
to yourself, be true to your partner, to be true
to your team. But we're calling football, you know, and
it doesn't matter who's broadcasting. At the end of the day,
the rules are the same. And I could go all
Gene Hackman here at Hoosier's right. The dimensions of the
(14:06):
same change, the players of the same. But who you're
working with, how you're doing it, what your bosses are
are asking from you. There's subtle differences, don't get me wrong.
But in broad macro it's still football. Yeah, and as
it got You played college football Tennessee back in the day,
and looking around you broadcast college football over the years.
(14:28):
When you see what's going on right now behind the
scenes in college football, Uh, where does it end here?
And do you have any you have a crystal ball here, Charles?
Are we looking at only two or three conferences five
years from now? How's this gonna shake down? Well? First
of all, when I heard U, C, l A and
USC we're going to the Big ten, I think that's
(14:50):
when my childhood officially died. I'm fifty seven now. I
think my childhood officially died at that moment. And I
mean it in a in a truly negative sense. We've
had plenty of upheaval, right, We've had plenty of big
time names switching conferences and this going there and knowing
(15:11):
that you know, Oklahoma and Texas were coming to the
SEC and those don't seem as much of a stretch
as U c L a USC Big Ten. And I
remember thinking right away, Ben, I can't wait, and I
hope I'm around for the day if the Rose Bowl
continues to exist, because I have my doubts about bowl
(15:33):
games going forward, but they continue to exist. And you
know how what a big player the Rose Bowl is
in the Bowl Bowl situation, right, You couldn't get to
you couldn't get to the BCS in a playoff without
being able to have blessing and allowances for the Rose
Bowl game itself. Right, So when I heard that, all
(15:54):
I said was, please let me be around for U
c L air USC to win the Big Ten and
be announced as the Big Ten representative in the Rose Bowl.
That will really set it on it's ear, because you know, again,
as I've mentioned before, also of a certain age, that
was a big deal with what which team was coming
(16:16):
coming west out of the cold weather the Big Ten
to play in and U c L and USC we're
often the hosts of that game, and now we're gonna
change it that way. As far as the crystal ball,
I keep hearing about different you know, three conferences, four conferences,
I get all of that. I think it's going to
go farther than I think that. We're going to end
(16:38):
up with much more of an NFL model, but bigger
in terms of you know, the NFL is thirty two teams.
I can easily see that doubled. We can stretch it
to seventy. But I don't know if we get much
more beyond that, if if we even get to that number,
because what it's going to take to play that big
time football, that kind of money. You're gonna have teams
(17:00):
that you and I grew up with, and when I
say teams, universities and colleges that we grew up with
that financially won't be able to keep up and may
have to play. What we see now is one double
a right, So they'll have super deal, super conference, whatever
you want to call it. But I don't think it'll
even be conferences anymore. I think it will be divisions,
(17:23):
just like the NFL has, and it may change from
year to year. This Green group may go there. Maybe
I don't think it'd be like relegation, but they may
change it up. You know, Okay, we're gonna for four years,
gonna be this grouping, all right, next four years this grouping,
and then try and play that way. I see a
commissioner for it, because the n c A doesn't really
govern it anyway. So I see a commissioner type person
(17:46):
and an organization that way. I think it'll model the
NFL in a lot of ways down the road. But
until we get there, we know the SEC is gonna
survive the nuclear blasts. We know the Big ten's gonna
say I had the new clear blasts. I think the
A c C will, but they probably want to go
and get some reinforcements because they're what they call the
(18:08):
grant of rights is pretty locked solid until I don't
think anyone's going anywhere, and the Big twelve looks like
they're making moves the PAC twelve Big twelve, if they
go into some sort of alliance, that will be interesting
to see, but I don't know that anyone's clamoring for that.
So it's four or five conferences we get it. But
(18:30):
eventually I think we have the super super conference that
I see more like an NFL model, and I'm gonna
put the number around fifty to sixty UH programs in
the country. I love that. And you mentioned relegation, and
that is also something that is obviously from Europe and
that's what they do in soccer and whatnot. But I
think that would be wonderful if they can somehow incorporate
(18:53):
that in college. Now I'm not a university president or
I'm not an athletic director, but the idea of a
concept of hey, if you're if you're not getting it done,
you've got to go to a lower level. And I
wish there was a way we could do that in
all of our sports in America. I think it's just
better for for fans that teams keep trying. I've always
(19:14):
been annoyed, Charles with the tanking that goes on, at
least the perceived tanking sometimes real in sports, And if
you could eliminate that or at least make that much
more difficult with relegation, that would be a wonderful thing.
I think that's a great idea if they could do
that in college, I don't see a way you can
do it in the other professional leagues. Is there a
(19:34):
path to that and the other sports leagues, Gerald, it's
really really hard. And the reason I think relegation works
well in Europe and and and I'm sticking with soccer
because I'm not familiar if there's any other sports to
have the relegation is that they've managed to maintain their
teams on a pretty equal level, whether they're in the
(19:55):
top level or the next level. And so when you
get relegated it down, you're not so huge and you're
not so small, and when you bound your way up,
you've already put the resources in to begin with. Here,
If we go to relegation somehow, that would that would
(20:17):
mean that you have two tiers of college football that
are still basically spending the same amount of money. And
I just don't see that happening. See what I see
happening is the super supers are gonna spend you know,
pick your number, right. So if we're spending one million dollars,
which we know as far short as the number I'm
just using as an example, and an FCS or one
(20:39):
double a team spending let's say roughly five hundred thousand dollars,
you're not gonna spend a million dollars on the FCS level.
And then you get a chance to bounce up, and
now you're up there with the big boys, and you're
ready to go. That's why I see I'm not as
bullish on that. I think your point remains and and
and it would be a lot of fun if we
(21:00):
have those two tiers. I just don't think the colleges
are gonna do that. I think they're gonna they're gonna
make a choice. I'm either in it with the big people,
are running with the running with the other pack, and
schools that were used to running with the big people
won't all make it all right. That's that's the way
I see it coming. I'm not saying it with any glee.
(21:21):
But I'm also seeing even ones who are having success
now that have been unexpected could have trouble running with
the big boys later, you know, and and and and
could I you know, go pick your conference, take a
look and look and say, Okay, who truly has the resources,
who truly has the name that's gonna survive this bad boy?
(21:45):
And you look at some of the ones who have
been clustered at the bottom for a long time, and they,
let's say they are truly those true academic type places,
you know, what I mean they pride themselves on, then
they may very well choose we're not going to jump
at race anymore because look, I'll use Vanderbilt as a
quick example. Okay, no better academics you're going to get anywhere.
(22:10):
Great city should be a great recruiting base. But the
private school, we know what it's like to do all
the things. Over the last twenty years, their success has
been minimal. James Franklin had the most did a phenomenal
job there, but it hasn't been able to be sustained.
They would be a candidate for having to make that
major decision, I think, because they probably can get the
(22:32):
resources to run with the big dogs. But if running
with the big dogs me and your record is still
one in eleven as opposed to what if you can
drop down a level and be really competitive? Yeah, I
think people. I think people are gonna make that decision
on that. Does that mean, though, Charles, that this is
the next year of college football is going to be
(22:52):
the end of Like I'm looking at Alabama schedule, they
play Utah State in Louisiana, Monroe in the in the
non is just the end of that? No? I don't
think so. I think that, Um, you know, we're not
done with it. I'm just saying down the road, I
see it happening. And when we get down the road,
(23:13):
then every week it's a big boy, big boy game.
Now that's when it changes when when we get to
the Super super we're not at the Super Supers yet
and people are still going to offer that up. And
if you're a true big boy trying to win a
national championship, if you're in the SEC, you're gonna play
some of those other games because every week is a grinder.
(23:34):
But you do pick that one nonconference game that you
need to keep yourself on the map and keep visibility.
And if Alabama always becomes a target for that, and
I can't believe it's a Tennessee guy. I'm over here
defending Alabama. Don't do what you don't. People always go for,
you know, Alabama, especially we get to November. You know
that weekend in the SEC in November when everyone plays
(23:58):
no One. Always always remind people go back to the
early part of the season. Alabama is always playing that
kickoff game and usually against good opponents, name opponents. And
they jumped on Michigan and the in past years they
jumped on usc Um you know you, you name it
name Miami. Were those teams up to stuff at the time. No,
(24:22):
but you can't fault them for playing that traditionally strong team.
And then when they play Mercer in November if it
gets on their case, like, hey, they played those guys
back in the beginning. And by the way, they're going
to Texas this year. I think week two the week
to the season, So now Mamma always does that, So
(24:42):
they make no apologies for playing Mercery November. They're like,
give me a break. I just came off of playing
l s U. You know, old Mrs gotten Good, I
just played these people. Give me Mercer, give you a
week and then let me gut it out and get
ready for All Burn or whoever down the retch. But
don't forget in the beginning, we played a marquee team
(25:04):
in a marquee game, and people like that. So I
do think that continues with the big boys. But when
we get to that super super then everyone ostensibly is
supposed to be a Marquee type of the game. Yeah,
now I want to turn the page here. You go
back to the NFL, Charles, because you're the NFL CBS
(25:25):
coverage and all that stuff, and training camps are opening
up here. Before we know it, they're gonna be training
camps around the league. So, uh, just kind of picked
your brand on a few things. Do you see the Rams,
the reigning Super Bowl champions, being able to maintain a
similar season upcoming or will they fall off a little
bit that Super Bowl hangover? For the Rams, I see
(25:48):
them having the ability to maintain the Super Bowl hangovers
real And a lot of it has to do with
what everyone gets in the off season. Agile ation that
you know, better, sponsorship, more deals, right, everyone's up a
radio show. I still go back to the nineties Cowboys, Ben.
(26:09):
It's one of the more remarkable things the run they
had because I think at one point didn't they say
something like twenty to twenty five cowboys that had their
own radio shows. I mean, they handled the celebrity and
embraced it as well as any great dynasty we've seen.
Kansas City has come through at a time where the
(26:31):
run that they've had, they've had to run through COVID,
they they've had to run through the time frames where
the sponsorships and all the extras that come with being
a didn't really have materialized because our world stopped, and
I think that that was common advantage to them. It
didn't splinter apart with the with the pat Riley has
called the disease of me. I don't think the Rams
(26:54):
are gonna suffer from it either, even though they're in
one of the great sponsorship marketing places in the in
the world in Los Angeles. For this reason, I think
Sean McVeigh keeps it fresh. I think Sean McVeigh keeps
it fun. Remember then, when he took over as the
head coach, is the youngest coach in the league. He
didn't play his starters in preseason at all period, which
(27:17):
has really led us to where we are now because
people were playing people less. But he never even little
hit the field and people were freaking out, people like,
what are they doing? What is going on? Have you
checked the start to the Rams seasons under Sean McVeigh.
They come out of the gate strong every year, not
just because he holds him out, but what I'd love
(27:39):
to do is to get embedded with that franchise and
see what he does practice wise, because they come out
sharp for people who never played in preseason, who didn't
do anything, who didn't go what is he doing and
what is his his his program doing is doing something
incredibly well. I don't have the numbers in front of me,
(28:00):
but I can't think of a time that Sean mcveigh's
RAMS started one in three. It's always more like three
than four. Oh, that sort of a deal. So it's
not just that he's resting guys, because everyone's resting guys,
But what are they doing in practice? How are they
how are they doing things and meetings? How is he
drilling them? And the other part is they come out
of the game and don't just win games. They don't
(28:22):
have fifteen penalties per game because we always talk about
how sloppy the first month in the NFL season is right,
no one's playing, no one tackles, you know, everything's this,
everything's that. I don't see that with the RAMS, So
I do believe. I do count on what I've seen before,
whatever what's been in front of me. I think that
they'll still be a hungry team. Matthew Stafford, he may
(28:44):
have gotten his ring, but how happy is he? It's like,
are you kidding me? How wire someday every he could
not say that for his career in Detroit, and that
guy was a warrior in Detroit. I did two games
been of his where he didn't practice the entire week
(29:06):
and took every snap on Sunday, and in both occasions
Detroit was well below five. That guy when it was
time to answer the bell, he answered the bell. Now
he's answering the bell with his big smile, like, not
only to my answering the bell, I get a chance
to add to my jewelry. I get a chance to
add to my end, to my my you know, my, my,
(29:27):
my reputation, my my accomplishments. Because remember this, his olverall
career record is well below five because of its time
in Detroit. He's gonna have but he's gonna have Hall
of Fame numbers. How are people going to reconcile that
a second? We'll go a long way towards the racing
(29:48):
everything in Detroit, and everybody would just go, you know something,
don't don't put Detroit on. He put out big numbers
in Detroit, and as soon as he had a good franchise,
look at what he did. He won two rings. So
if he can get a second ring, I think he
waltz is into the Hall of Fame. Des fight what
his career record is because you can't put all that
on him. Yeah, that's a good point. And some of
the other players that sort of guys that change teams. Here,
(30:11):
Charles tyreek Kill is now a Miami Dolphin, Davante Adams
is in the Las Vegas Raiders organization. Now, which of those,
which of those guys do you think is the real deal?
And we've seen over the years. I saw stat a
couple of weeks back that receivers who are top level
receivers who changed teams historically their numbers go down when
(30:34):
they change teams. It's it's that position. So which of
these guys you think is the real deal? Which is
more likely to bring the same success they had with
their old team to their new team. They're both the
real deal. But based off of what you just said,
and it is true, Davante Adams going to the Raiders
seemingly has a better chance of quote unquote success. And
(30:56):
here's why. You already have the established quarterback in car
with a connection from their past in college, with a
franchise that went to the end, went to the playoffs
last year and under new management now with johsh McDaniels,
Dames Cars and who knows that operate you moved to Miami.
(31:18):
Can Tyree Hill helped bring along to it? Absolutely he can,
but too hasn't done it our consistent basis yet. So
if I were you know, if I'm sitting there saying
which one would I expect? I expected Vante Adams and
and Derek Carr to click a lot faster and really
be a factor out of the gate. Doesn't mean that
(31:39):
Tyree Hill and Tour won't be. But there's still a
lot of question marks. There's a lot to be proven.
And don't forget part of Tyreek Hills. Big time plays
made in Kansas City were made off of what Patrick
mahomes ability to keep a play alive, escape and then
make a seventy yard throw across his body, across the
(31:59):
field and on a wide open Tyreek Hill. Those plays
might not be an abundance in Miami, at least not
in the beginning, because my Homes is just beyond special
in terms of being able to do. That doesn't mean
to us not a good quarterback, not a good player.
He has to rove, but not consistent basis. But in
your mind, then I think in the minds of anyone
evaluating it. Do we see two of making those same
(32:22):
types of plays consistently like my Home's probably not now.
Tyreek would probably argue and go, hey, I did this
for fact. I'm not arguing that. I'm just saying there's
been plenty of plays. And think about every time you
watch Kansas City Plat didn't it feel like there's one
or two of those plays per game where he would
you know, and all of a sudden went like he
(32:42):
made what throw? You know? It's just like so so
those things go a long way towards it. So as
you put as you posited it, I'm saying Adams and
Car have a better chance success early then two and
Tyreek just be because of past history and past affiliations
(33:03):
and Car being established in this league as a quarterback,
you probably doesn't get as much respect as they should. Yeah.
And and Charles the the chicken or the egg argument
receiver quarterback? Who is between those two? I I changed
my opinion when when Randy Moss left the Vikings and
went to the Raiders and it was, uh, did not
(33:25):
go well for him with the Raiders, and then he
goes to the Patriots and he lights the world on fire.
So to me, that was like, well, that's the quarterback.
He was back with a good quarterback. I think he
had like Andrew Walter not to rip him. But there
was the guys like that with the Raiders when he
was there. Are you on the same page with that
or where do you stand on that quarterback versus receiver
(33:46):
and vice versa? Yeah, I tend to I tend to
fall towards the quarterback because over time, when we've had
those matchups, right and you put it together, typically you
have the quarterback with the arm, the skills, the boxy,
the ability to get the ball to that receiver. Okay,
and I know receiver were screaming and yelling, but remember
(34:07):
this DeVante Adams in Las Vegas because a certain number,
you know, and I know that you know, there's talk
that green. They offered more of Devanty want to be
in Las Vegas. Tyreek, Kansas City drove a number in
the sand and said this is the number. If not,
we'll find you. Okay, someone else interested A J. Brown.
The Titans didn't want him to go away, but again
(34:30):
again the number hit and they were like, okay, if
we can find someone, and they did. In Philadelphia because
Ben every year now in the college draft. I'm telling
you until the time they closed my coffin, if we
keep playing football the way we're playing, about the throwing
we're doing at a younger age, every year you have
receivers flooding this league with potential to play. I don't
(34:52):
think many teams are gonna break their bank, even for
their all star receiver, but you will break your bank
for your quarterback. I think the orter back drives it.
I mean all the great duos. Sterling, sirup from Green Bay,
should be okay, had the one great year with John
Magick mccowski. But when did everything really blossom when Farve hit,
(35:17):
you know, and then Sterling and and Sterling is a
Hall of Fame receiver. People are overlooking that. Go check
the numbers, Go check his production in a seven year career.
It's off the charts, probably second only to Jerry Rice
during that time. So Charles, Charles, do you do you think, Charles,
do you think that we'll get to a point like
the running back position. You know, you're you're kind of
(35:40):
close to We're around the same age. And when I
was a kid, the running back was like the god
of football, that was like everything was about the running back.
And now you look at these teams like the Rams
just won the Super Bowl, they had a rotation and
running backs and and a lot of teams have gone
to that. Well, will the receiver position eventually get to
that point, because as you said, there's so many guy
is in college seemingly every year that are getting better
(36:02):
and better. Will they just downgrade how much they want
to pay the top receivers in the next ten years
or so? I think so. I think that the top
reviewers are not gonna make as much with their current teams,
but they will with the second team. You know, that's
what it's going to be. But that'll be a smaller
pool of guys will get that second team opportunity. And
(36:23):
we just went in a few of mar Ra Tireek
second team, you know, Davante I'm second team, a J.
Brown second team, that sort of a deal. But you
know it's Green Bay just went and drafted you know guys, right,
you know, Kansas City drafted guys you know, and and
and we'll just see, we'll see how it all turns out,
whether they reached those same heights. But I do think
(36:44):
a wide receiver one is not going away anytime soon.
There's still gonna be the dominant receiver and much more
committee with backs. And you're right has changed. When I
was a kid, when you played fullback, you were an
integral part of the running game. Jim Round was a fullback,
Jim Taylor was a full back. Those guys led to
(37:04):
led the NFL and rushing. Okay, Now, the fullback if
you don't do anything but block and maybe catching occasional
path and then the running back handles the rest of it.
But the rotation is okay. The key, though, Ben is
is your rotation giving you four porce yards per carry
into the playoffs. You don't have to have a feature guy,
(37:26):
and the running game still has to supply enough for
you to be able to run deep. Name a Super
Bowl champ that didn't have a consistent running game. It's rare.
It's rare. I mean, they still is consistent even if
one of the guys isn't isn't a superstar for sure.
And we'll get you out on this, Russell Wilson, this
is not seeming were getting tons of attention. I know
(37:47):
it's Denver and it's not a huge media market and
all that, But Russell Wilson going from Seattle the Denver,
how do you see that one working out? Charles? Is
this Peyton manning two point oh for the Broncos. Are
they back among the big players in the NFL all
of a sudden just getting Russell Wilson. Is that the
only thing they were missing? Well, they were, They're missing
more than that, But that's a big part of it
(38:08):
because consistent quarterback play. You know, they're in one of
the toughest divisions in in football's we know, the f
C West, but consistent quarterback play can carry you so far?
Did the rub very simply is this first year head
coaching Nathaniel Hackett, right, Can that defense continue to play?
Is at a high level that Vick fan Joel had
(38:29):
him playing? And I think that they have an opportunity
that get players Justin Simmons, Can Bradley Chubb get back
to form, etcetera, etcetera. But the flipping to the other side.
Last year, their biggest issue was they couldn't close out
or win close games with the combination of Teddy Bridgewater
and Drew Lock. Russell Wilson should handle that. Courtland Sutton
(38:49):
should be informed. kJ Hamdler should be informed. All those
things happened. They've upgraded the offensive line, a lot of
positives been But here's the issue. Would you at the
medic Kansas City as we sit here now, would you
put him ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders? Would you
put them ahead of Los Angeles Chargers. You've got four
of the top fifteen quarterbacks in the NFL in the
(39:11):
a f C West, three of the top ten, and
I suspect the fourth is closer to the top ten
than he is to the fifty team. Yeah, so that's
what you have in that division. So someone's not gonna
make that. They're not all gonna make the playoffs in
that division. So if you if you're fortunate, you can
(39:32):
get three. We've seen divisions get three. Yeah. Boy, that's
rare and it's difficult to do, but that's what you have.
But on a given week, who's the best quarterback in
that division? To me, Mahomes is the guy because he's
consistently done it. No one throws it better than Herbert
and he's a better competitive people. No. Russell Wilson has
(39:53):
proven be nice with the new team, and and then
Derek Carr again overlooked. The guy put up well over
four grand per year and motivates his team. He held
that team together so well last year as a leader,
with the turmoil they had. He will never get enough
credit for doing what he did to rally that team
to the playoffs last year. I hear you on that.
(40:16):
What's your first game this year, Charles, your first broadcast?
I don't know yet. I don't know yet. I haven't
gotten our schedule yet, so well, we'll find out how
coming weeks, so not quite sure, but look at the
NFL football. Ben, just send me anywhere and I'll be excited. Awesome.
Thanks for doing this, Charles. I appreciate it, and I
love watching on TV in the video game, the whole
(40:36):
thing and continued success. Thanks for doing it. Appreciate Its
same to you, Ben. Thanks for having me. You take care,
talk to you down the road.
Host
Ben Maller
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