2-4-25 *INTERVIEW* Anthony 'ARod' Rodriguez Covering Super Bowl Week for us from New Orleans

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Producer A Rod Anthony Rodriguez is covering Super Week in
New Orleans for US. This is presented by Chevron Colorado.
So thank you very much to Chevron for allowing us
to happen. And A Rod joins us now from New Orleans.
Weren't you just in New Orleans on vacation a few
months ago?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Tyros?

Speaker 3 (00:21):
And yes, I was just back in November, so not
that long ago, which would be the reason why I'm
not really indulging in the food scene because I am
on a diet. I am currently dry, and so I
did I got to experience that November, so I'm not
doing that this time. By the way, the media would
probably be undefeated, and that would how be both teams
would lose. I just don't think there's a stat yet
for the media striking during the big game, so as

(00:43):
of now, we don't have that information yet, but I
will I'll stand by for that, okay.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
And I think we have a statistician who's going to
be on the show later in the week, and I
will try to I will try to confirm how many
Super Bowls there have been when when both teams lost.
So anyway, Opening night for you last night, in this
kind of Super Week, tell us about your experience, Well,
I gotta.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Tell you, Ross another staff for you.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
New Orleans is now tied with the city, I believe
of Miami for eleven times hosting this massive, worldwide, global event.
And they act like it this is just a perfect
place for it. They they, I mean just when I
got off the plane, just the imagery immediately that just
slaps you in the face.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
It's just all over the decala, on the walls.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
They've got people welcoming you off, given out beads and
giving you a little place to take a picture. It's
all over the city. I mean, clearly they know how
to handle this thing. And opening night at Caesar Superdome
was just the exact same. I mean they they did
a phenomenal job kind of hosting kind of all the
fans up in the up in the seating in the
Saints gigs, digs, and then for US media, I mean

(01:52):
just hundreds, if not thousands of people just parading around
trying to get a question in to whoever's on the podium,
like I did with an hour wait to get a
question into Superstar. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who didn't
even give me the answer I was looking for. But
that's neither here nor there. Get shouted to Mahomes, shout
as Kelsey everybody. I mean, the whole opening night was
just a whirlwind. It was fantastic.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (02:13):
All right, I'm gonna come back to that in a second.
I'm just gonna mention one thing.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
The first Broncos game I ever went to was Super
Bowl twenty four in New Orleans, which is a sad
memory for Broncos fans because the Niners beat the Broncos
fifty five to ten in that game. But that's the
first Broncos game I ever went to. Was in the
building that you're dealing with. That you're dealing with now

(02:38):
what you're a huge sports fan, I mean most of
us are around here. Do you get a little bit
starstruck or anything like? How does it feel to you
when you're standing in front of Patrick Mahomes asking my question?

Speaker 2 (02:55):
I typically don't anymore.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
And your audience and our audience of CROSSCA may be
surprised to know that even though I'd only at age
thirty one, I've actually grown ten years and this has
been pretty desensitized to either hanging with athletes, or chatting
with athletes, booking guests, whatever it is.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
But this is a first for me.

Speaker 4 (03:13):
Ross.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
I've covered now the NBA Finals with the Nuggets winning.
I've covered the stand Cup Final with the Avalanche winning.
I've done March Madness when it's been in town. I've
done NCAAD two Mark Madness. This is the first for me.
I've never covered Super Week. I've never been at the
big game or in the media week leading up to it.
And so I got to say in the media opening
night last night, the show that was put on, I
think a lot of that is in fact what New

(03:35):
Orleans is doing, but just overall, absolutely I think I
do get a little bit of that feeling, which is
which is a really sobering feeling when you have those moments.
Working in this industry as long as I have, and
I mean ten plus years, I mean at the third
of my life, I've been doing this. So having those
little moments of Holy Cow, I am here covering this
for the flagship of the Denver Broncos, those are moments

(03:58):
that I will chair so feeling like that, especially in
moments like last night and walking around here in a
convention center for this radio like I am today. Those
moments are awesome and so absolutely I get those, and
it feels good to get them because they're rare in
this business with a decent sentitation.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
That's part of the process for listeners.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
If you want to ask a Rod a question and
he's you know, it's only like not even twenty four
hours at this point, but it was a huge day
for him yesterday at the opening week of Super Bowl week.
If you want to ask a Rod a question about
his experience so far, just text it to me at
five six six nine zero. And I don't promise to
ask every question, but I will ask good ones. So

(04:37):
a Rod, I've never well, I guess, I guess the
only athletes I've interviewed have been Broncos players at training camp.
I've never interviewed professional athletes from any other sport.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
I think.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
I don't think I've interviewed or Rocky's player. I want
to get your take on this.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
I usually find that the hockey players actually hear your
questquestion and give you an answer with some thought. And
I find that most other athletes you could have scripted
their answer, and usually they say exactly what you think
they're gonna say, and they talk about the team, and
they say, the.

Speaker 4 (05:13):
Other team's really good.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
And so I'm curious was your vibe when you were
asking these questions of these football players. Did you feel
like you were getting interesting answers or scripted answers?

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yes and no.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
And I think that's a fair statement that the NFL gets.
I mean, think about the superstar teams over the last
ten twenty years. Who have they've been, well, they've been
Bill Belichick's led New England Patriots, that obviously they are
just just conditioned rather you know, essentially seasoned to not
give anything away and to have those canned responses. And now,

(05:47):
obviously Andy Reid another legendary coach, probably not obviously not
asterisk a bit more of a player's coach.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
At least on the on the forefront.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
So these guys that Pat mahomes at, Travis Kelsey in
the world last night and really in their time, really
as FROs as we've known them.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
They give a bit more.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
But typically you're asking a question knowing, like you just said,
exactly what you're gonna get. Now. I will say, as
a as a side note, when I was asking Travis
Kelsey last night, superstar tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs,
but more famously of the last two years, Taylor Swift's boyfriend.
When I was asking him, Hey, Travis, if you had
to make a pitch to NFL fans that are non Swifties,

(06:25):
what would that pitch be? And I expected this cool, long,
you know response that if Taylor were to have watched, Oh,
that's so awesome, that's so cool, the he's trying to
get more fans. His response to me instead throwing me
off guard from the canned response I was trying to get.
His response to me simply was who's not a Swiftie
and then moved on. And I sat there for quite
a bit trying to get that question in, and just

(06:45):
to get that answer was like we just mentioned a
sobering moment because it wasn't the caned response.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
That I was expecting.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
But typically, yes, in my experience with athletes, the nh
NHL players are definitely at the top majorally Baseball's at
learn good as well. But I think this the stigma
is fair with the with the superstar teams that we've
had kind of on the on the you know, the
top of the chopping block over the last two decades.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
I got to say, Travis Kelsey clearly knows where his
bread is buttered, and and even and even the unbuttered
side of his bread, which is like his NFL salary
and his endorsements, which is more money in a year
than you and I will make in our lives. Uh,
he still knows where his bread is buttered, and it's
not there. And so a list a listener actually asked

(07:30):
if you've seen Taylor Swift. H And you mentioned to
me in a note that you got Taylor Swift fans
mad at you.

Speaker 4 (07:37):
So was it that or was it something else?

Speaker 3 (07:39):
It was that I have not seen Taylor. I imagine
she won't be here until either the day of this
rule or the day before. And if I if she
is here, she's definitely not going to show her face
and anywhere I'm going to be And that was definitely
last night's either super Dome, she would have been absolutely mobbed.
And then here at Radio Row, everyone's trying to get
a SoundBite with her because that's just how the business
is here on Radio Row and tries to get somebody,

(08:01):
and all the handlers have to fend off the people
like me to try to get these interviews. So no,
there's no way she'll walk around here. I haven't seen her.
She wasn't there last night. And yes, that is what
got people. I'm mad because people say, how dare you
ask that question? He's right, who is a swiftie?

Speaker 2 (08:14):
But then I had the flip.

Speaker 3 (08:15):
Side, people coming to the corner of yours truly, who
is not a swiftye? People saying most people are not
I think people with a sense or not in all
kinds of different things like that. So that's what got
people swift madam. But hey, and I'll tell you this,
what impressions are good. I like social impressions. Some most
engagement is good engagement. And everyone getting mad at me
for asking that question that Travis Kelsey, I will take

(08:36):
every single response in stride.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
Yeah, as I love to quote Oscar Wilde, the only
thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.
A listener, actually a friend slash listener sent me a
question for you, and I answered on your behalf. But
I wanted, but I wanted. I want you to tell

(08:59):
me if I gave them the wrong answer. And she said,
we're going to New Orleans on Wednesday. We always go
to the to the city where the Super Bowl is happening.
Although we don't always we're not always able to get
tickets for the game.

Speaker 4 (09:13):
Is there anything that we have to do when we're there?

Speaker 1 (09:16):
Ask a Rod, and I said, World War Two Museum.

Speaker 4 (09:20):
Do you want to add anything?

Speaker 1 (09:21):
And do you agree that World War Two museum because
you were raving about that when you came back from
New Orleans.

Speaker 3 (09:26):
Absolutely, the number one thing about the city of New
Orleans is the World War Two Museum. It is tied
with me and I've been to quite a few museums.
I did a lot of traveling when I was a kid.
It is tied for the best museum I've ever been to,
right there with the Holocaust Museum in DC. The World
War Two Museum just is so immersive, It's so beautiful.

Speaker 4 (09:44):
It's just the.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
History that overwhelms you, just just shrouds you with emotion.
It is absolutely worth every single penny. Take a time
out at least a couple hours, if not a half day.
If I had the time to do it again, I
would absolutely do it because there's some stuff I didn't see,
But food wise, the things I'm not doing this trip
I did do on in November for.

Speaker 2 (10:04):
My last trip.

Speaker 3 (10:05):
Absolutely got to go the Malli's Rise and Shine, which
is a sister restaurant of Turkey and the Wolf, which
is the best sandwich. I think one of the best
images I've ever had. Dave Tepper, our program director, put
me onto that one.

Speaker 2 (10:16):
Brennan's.

Speaker 3 (10:17):
Everyone's gonna tell you and you're gonna Google search and
look up Brennan's. That's apparently a legendary breakfast spot here
in New Orleans.

Speaker 2 (10:23):
It's a little overrated. It's not great. I had it
last time. It was okay, it wasn't phenomenal, but the
foods he's amazing. Walk around.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Definitely go to Audubon Park if you can over there.
There's nothing ross. There's nothing you could do in New
Orleans that you would be disappointed with. Let me put
it like that.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
It's one of my favorite citizy the United States.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
We're talking with producer A Rod Anthony Rodriguez. He's in
New Orleans for Super Week. This is presented by Chevron Colorado.
So a big thank you to Chevron for making that
possible for a Rod to go and making it possible
for us to be able.

Speaker 4 (10:54):
To talk to him.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
So Chiefs have obviously played the Broncos quite a few times,
at least twice a year, and I'm curious about any
conversations you had with Chiefs players about the Broncos quarterback.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
I have multiple.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
That was typically what I was looking to get out
of some of these Chiefs players and coaches. And I
gotta tell you to tie in what you had asked
me previously about about canned responses or being able to
give any depth to something more than what you're expecting
to have an answer. These guys are raving about bo Nicks,
I mean, and I think I saw through that a

(11:32):
little bit.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
You can you can.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
Obviously kind of hear the canned response. You know, he's
a great quarterback. They got a good guy. I mean,
the first one that comes to mind immediately that is
incredibly genuine. You can watch it on our social channels
at Kayay, Colorado Chiefs defensive coordinator speaks, Steve Spagnolo.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
I mean, he was.

Speaker 3 (11:48):
First caught off guard just because he was collecting himself
to not rave too hard about Bow, but he essentially said,
they've they've.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Got a guy. He impressed the heck out of me.
Andy Reid.

Speaker 3 (11:59):
I asked him as well head coach of the Chiefs.
He raved about Sean's selection and how you know Sean
targeted that guy and he got his guy. I asked
Pat Mahomes who who who raved about bow quite a bit.
He said, you know what comes down to you know,
it may not be you know you've got you know,
the best legs or whatever, the you know, the the
elite talents, which some people maybe think was a bit

(12:21):
of a dig, but he more so said what I
always look for in a quarterback on the opposing side
is can you compete? Can you at the end of
the day, can you get your team to win? And
he said that he thinks that that Bo's going to
be be a be a guy in this league. And
so as they had a check with the running back
said similar things to all that. But they they they
were raving about Bo and away when I asked him

(12:43):
about the Broncos and Bonnicks in a way that wasn't
just the coach speak, wasn't it in the way of,
you know, speaking from a division rival, they they really
do think that the Denver Broncos have their guy. And
that's I think common sentiments that you kind of hear
from pundits and and different players and coaches across the league,
and they are all saying the same thing last night.

Speaker 1 (12:59):
Yeah, the betting line at the beginning of the last
season for how many games the Broncos would win was
five and a half and they won ten.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
And I made a huge bet on that.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
By the way, I bet five dollars on that, which
is much more than I normally bet. But I thought
they'd win more than five and a half. I have
to say, if you said ten, I would have said nah,
But they did. So I do think maybe the Broncos.
Maybe the Broncos have their guy. So we've we talked
a lot so far about just two more questions for you, Rick,

(13:30):
was what's the most interesting question answer that you had
with an Eagles player?

Speaker 3 (13:37):
Well, I was trying to chat with Saquon Barkley and
this was the one I waited an hour to get
a question, and I think I probably came close to
losing my voice from the hundred plus times I yelped
the name Saquon to get his attention before he finally
came to me. But the question I was asking of
him and unfortunately didn't really the answer I was looking
for it kind of gave me a canned response. Speaking
of canned responses, I was trying to chat about the

(13:59):
running back position because I think that's the that's potentially
what could separate the Broncos offense from being pretty darn
good to being great next season. All due respect to
Javonte and Audre g Estime McLaughlin, but the elite running
back that the Broncos could potentially acquire via trader, free agency,
or or draft that could be the difference. And so
the question I asked the Saquon I was trying to

(14:20):
get essentially, what what does an elite running back do
essentially to elevate an NFL offense? And what do they
what do teams get when they add a guy of
that caliber.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
He didn't give me what I wanted. So I'll tell
you what someone that just did.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
I just got a chance to have a one on
one with Charles Johnson c J two K, the legendary
running back for the Titans, and he told me, I mean,
look at what the Eagles were and then look at
what they've become with adding a guy like Saquon Barkley.
I mean obvious that I mean at that point is obvious.
But the point isn't lost that the Broncos if they
add a guy at that caliber or an Ashton Janty

(14:53):
in the draft, or if they are able to somehow
acquire a Jonathan Taylor via trade or some other that
gets them that guy, gets them that guy for this offense,
Champaign's offense, it would it would do wonders.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
And so I tried that and appointing.

Speaker 3 (15:07):
I tried to ask that of uh Saquon Barkley, just
wasn't able to sneak it in because you know, there's
a kajillion reporters around every single podium, it's impossible to
get a question in.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
I will note for people who either don't watch football,
don't pay much attention to football, or aren't involved in
gambling on football, that the odds of Saquon Barkley scoring
two touchdowns in a game, this game or any other
game are pretty similar to the odds of other good

(15:38):
offensive players play scoring one touchdown in any game. It
really is nuts, all right, what do you have coming
up today?

Speaker 4 (15:46):
A rod so today?

Speaker 3 (15:48):
So the last night was an expected circus of opening night.
The rest of the week a lot of events still
going on, but not as crazy as last night, so
tonight rise of Right now, I am standing staring in
the uh the the depths of the Convention Center, which
is about five to ten minutes give HER's sake, give
her take away from Caesar Superdome.

Speaker 2 (16:07):
This is where radio row is happening.

Speaker 3 (16:08):
So I'm looking at the massive sets of fan duel,
of NBC, Sports, of ESPN, of Serious XM, of of CBS,
all these massive sets.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
These are these are these are the who's who.

Speaker 3 (16:20):
These are the people that are going to start to
come in and they're doing their radio shows. People are
waltzing around, the different athletes, the different celebrities like I
just mentioned, got a one on one with CJ two
K's the legendary running back, among others. I'm gonna be
chatting with Trevor Sikama from PFF, who does great stuff
comes on our station all the time. Essentially, I am
here trying to see who I can chat with it.
Ask about the Denver Broncos, ask about Bonicks, ask about

(16:41):
this big Game, Travis Kelsey, Andy Reid, Navy retiring. So
these are the kinds of things I want to chat with,
all these different folks that are walking around here, and
then tonight even though I, like I mentioned earlier, I
am I am practicing in dry January, but I am
going to go to the media party tonight, So that
is the big soire I've got my invitation in my inbox.

(17:01):
It's pretty fancy shmancy. I'm gonna see what that's all about.
But that's that's kind of what tonight looks like. And
then the rest of the week is just media availability
between the two teams. The Kendrick Lamar Ins is a
press conference. They always do it every every year here
where the where the big game is being held, and
they obviously not only you know, introduce them, but do
a Q and A as well. So see if I
can ask Kendrick Lamar a question. I think that comes

(17:23):
up on Thursday. So a lot of fun stuff still
coming up throughout the week.

Speaker 1 (17:25):
Don't ask him if he's a swifty that would be probably,
won't that would not be good?

Speaker 2 (17:30):
Ay?

Speaker 4 (17:30):
Rob, thanks so much for joining us.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
We'll talk to you again tomorrow probably, and we'll definitely
talk to you, you know, one or two or three
times more over the course of the week.

Speaker 4 (17:37):
Enjoy yourself.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Sounds good.

Speaker 4 (17:39):
Thanks guys, All right, Thanks