Willard and Broussard: 12/23/2017

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio, look into our crystal
ball as the curtains fall. On two thousand and seventeen,
Mark Willard, Cris Broussard, Fox Sports Radio, jumping at the
bit to get to so many different things. Um, and
we're coming to you alive from the Geico Fox Sports
Radio studios. Fifteen minutes could save you fift or more

(00:24):
on car insurance Geico dot com for a free rate. Quote.
Good afternoon, Mr Broussard, and a very merry early Christmas
to you and yours. Yes, yes, Merry Christmas to you
and your family as well. I'm excited. What a day
last to talk about. Uh n b A, NFL, XFL.

(00:47):
We'll get into all of it. I'm really excited. I
am too. Yeah, No, this is this is gonna be great.
And um, I'll tell you what when when you look
at all this, Um, I said, we look into our
crystal ball. And here's why. I don't even know if
you know this. So my wife is an intuitive. And
when I say my wife is an intuitive, I don't

(01:07):
simply mean like all my wife's got women's intuition. All
all women have that. Actually all of us have it.
I think more than we we realized. But my wife
is actually a professional into it. If she has a
book called intuitive being Wonderful Christmas gift by the way,
this time of year. But that's not the point, um.
So intuition is kind of my thing, and I want

(01:29):
to immediately hear from you have the gift as well. Well,
I know, but I'm learning a couple of things from
her over the years, Let's put it that way. I've
tapped into it a little bit better than I would
have before I knew her. But the reason I bring
that up is I'm fascinated by it. And you said
something earlier today with regard to something you think is

(01:51):
going to intuitively happen. So why don't you lay out
for everybody what you think the sports landscape is gonna
look like in the United States of America twenty five
years from now. Well, I think everything is pointing to
the NBA being king. You know, baseball. It's still popular.
Let's not diminished baseball, but it's not what it used

(02:12):
to be. It used to be the biggest sport in America.
Now it's not. Football is But when you look at
everything that's going on with football, the concussions, parents not
letting their sons play football anymore. The talk now that
maybe you're gonna eventually no hitting, no tackle football until

(02:33):
kids are thirteen or fourteen years old. UM ratings are
down in the NFL, ratings are up in the NBA.
I think in twenty five years, the NBA will be
the most popular sport in America. And there are other reasons. Look,
the racial dynamics of the country or demographics of the

(02:54):
country are changing, and you know they're getting more and
more Like I think white Americans, what is it in
thirty forty thirty years won't be there will be less
than fifty percent of the population. And a lot of
the people of color are obviously big fans of the NBA,

(03:14):
So I think that's a factor. I think the globalization
of the world and of the NBA. The NBA has
done a better job than football and baseball of making
itself a global sport. UM who knows, maybe half the
league in years will be people from different countries. So

(03:35):
I think all of those reasons, uh will make the
NBA America's biggest sport. And uh yeah, America will uh
it'll be interested in twenty five years. I mean globalization
I mean, I think we're gonna who knows, we maybe
watching stuff in Asia at that time in Africa, you

(03:55):
know what I mean, like on television and on the
our phones and stuff. Who knows. You see all of
the league's wants to globalize. You you see that, right?
And you know Roger Goodell wants a football team in Europe.
They're playing games now annually in Mexico. You see all that,
You get it. But to your point, the only sport
um and there's nothing the other sports can do about this.

(04:16):
The only sport that has clearly been able to say
like players, individuals from all over the world can make
it here is the is the NBA. Baseball has a
very Latin flavor. But uh, and now you're getting obviously, um,
you know Asian players Otani coming over to a lot

(04:38):
of fanfare, so there's some but I do feel like, uh,
an NBA player could come from anywhere, anywhere, anywhere on
the planet. And to your point, the NBA is the
sport um where I think in this day and age,
fans love individuals. They love to be able to see
and get to know their stars. Uh. Football players wear

(04:59):
hel it's baseball players live in a culture where personality
is squashed. The NBA, we can see them. There aren't
a lot of them, and they're allowed to go be themselves,
so we get to know them the best. All of
those all of those things are in your corner. However,
I know you think it's soccer, man, the soccer is

(05:23):
gonna be king of five years. Never said it was
gonna be king. I said, I think it's already king.
You got your little crazy numbers. I know you got
your little sheets in front of you. I have in
front of me right here some notes from R. J.
Bell because he's joining us twenty five minutes. All I got,
and I have a pen, and I have my laptop

(05:45):
and it's open to Twitter, so you can send us
a tweet. That's all I got in front of me. Um.
I've never thought soccer was going to be king anytime soon.
It is globally in the United States. However, I do
think soccer is the one with the highest current reject three.
I think it can get into the top four, the
top three. I don't think any time soon, probably not

(06:06):
even in our lifetime. Does it threaten the NBA in
the NFL. Here's what I think will be king in
twenty five years, and we would love to hear from you.
By the way, eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox,
put your chip in front of one sport and tell
us which one is going to be king in twenty
five years. You know what's one? I'm taking what the

(06:28):
National Football League? Okay, this has been two thousand seventeen years,
two thousand seventeen. To me, one of the things if
somebody said define it by sports, I am going to say,
one of the sentences that would pop to my mind
is it was the year where football's downfall was more
overstated than any year in the history of my life.

(06:52):
While you talk about NBA ratings being up and NFL
ratings being down, let's not leave out the fact that
the NFL ratings remain ten times higher than basically what
NBA games are, big time NBA games. The NFL remains
the number one show on four different networks. I think

(07:13):
we are in an interesting moment as we deal with
Donald Trump CTE. Whether domestic violence goes in there, and
simply a different way of bringing in what whatever content
we watch, there's a different way, and it doesn't always
show up in ratings. Some people are watching things on
an Xbox or a phone. So all of those things

(07:37):
come together in two thousand seventeen and in my opinion,
lead to an overstating of football's problems. I think football
is fine. I think football is still on a very
good trajectory, and I think these things that are are
worrisome for it right now are not necessarily sustainable problems

(07:58):
years from health that health issues aren't sustainable, that is what.
That is certainly an issue. However, I do think that football,
for the first time in its history is actually facing
it and dealing with it, and it's going to be
forced to deal with it even more so it will
have all it will evolve flesh that out for me. Look,

(08:19):
I don't hope you're wrong. I love football for my
favorite sport. I'm fine with it being king. I think
at the very least, because you're right, they have a
sizeable edge right now. Call it an edge. You know,
it's a canyon right now between football and everything else.
At the very least, that gap is going to close significantly.

(08:41):
I think NBA will be, if not overtake football, will
be close to it in twenty five years. But I
don't I think you're kind of really minimizing some of
the problems that football has. I mean, let's face a
lot of parents aren't letting their young kids, your young
boys play football. That's a problem. And I think what

(09:04):
I've said it before, if baseball would wake up and
capitalize on this and get some of these great young
athletes who aren't playing football to play baseball, I think
baseball could spike up so and and and then I
think you said the NFL is dealing with these issues
head on, what does that mean, Like, does that mean

(09:26):
trying to make the game quote unquote safely? Because if
you keep taking away the physicality, it's not gonna be
as exciting as it's been for all of us growing up.
That's the discussion you and I had last week, in fact,
and you and the callers overwhelmingly wanted to see hitting,
which which siding with me. Partially you want flag, they

(09:49):
want hitting. No, I do not want flag. Partially, You're right,
you want you want flaccle football somewhere in between flag
and tackle. I have no interest in that whatsoever. I
simply I'm a little bit. I think the question we created,
uh called for those who are and this is normal

(10:11):
in sports radio, those who are frustrated are the ones
who call, and people who love hitting feel like it's
being taken away from They're the ones who are gonna
react right now. It's interesting your point today and your
point last week, in my mind, seemed to fly in
the face of one another, because you're sitting here saying, oh,
we need to keep the hitting. People absolutely still love
the hitting well. And if that's the case, then what's

(10:33):
the problem. The football doesn't have a problem if people
feel like you say they feel. But today you're coming
in and saying, well, moms and dads don't want their
kids playing anymore. I agree with you, but you seem
to leave that out last week. No, I I think
that that's true. It's it's unfortunate. I think the politically
correctness that has forced these things onto the NFL are

(10:58):
leading a lot of pairs not to have their kids playing.
And I just think that, combined with the NBA's expert
handling of popular culture and its sports, like they've done
the you know, they've done the latest job of meshing
with popular culture. And you made a great point earlier.
That's what people are into there, into the personalities, I mean,

(11:22):
LaVar ball, the Kardashians. You know, they don't even care
how much substance there is. Not that there's not substance
to the NBA, but people are into the loud personalities
and the NBA from the players on up through the
front offices of not only the teams, but the league

(11:42):
do a great job with social media and marketing their players,
and their players already the most popular American athletes in
the world. That's not even in America. At the commercials. Yeah,
I mean, NBA players are all over the commercials. You
don't see that with NFL. Peyton Manning is still the
main guy with the NFL, and he's retired. It's commercial

(12:05):
and his Papa John's thinks probably done now because that
snatter guy is not the CEO anymore. So, UM, all right,
a lot of people want to weigh in. We'll continue
with this. R J. Bell is about fifteen minutes away.
Willard Broussard, Fox Sports Radio, Glad you're with us, all right, Brusarry,
can I go hyper local for a second, just just
for a second. I know you wanted every topic in

(12:27):
the show to b l A. No no, no, no,
no no, no no, I don't no, I don't I do
think the U c. L A. Stuff is just what
a crazy story with with the ball family, or we
need the balls back? Uh for the court, they need
Lonzo Ball back. I don't know. I think I think
LaMelo is a players. Yeah, but I mean that's still
a couple of years away. But no, that's not the

(12:48):
hyper local I mean even hyper local Earth than that,
your son, No, not that local. Um. First off, love
has an arm You can join the fight, help the
Salvation Army fight for those who need. All of our
community is Christmas by going to Fox Sports Radio dot
com clicking the red Kettle icon to donate. Or you

(13:09):
can just call in one eight three three stal joint
s A L J O I N R J bel
in ten minutes. Get to your calls in a second.
Um My guy, Rashad Penny, San Diego State. UM. The
first play of the second quarter of the Armed Forces Bowl,
which is being played right now. And I'm no fan
of these you know they whatever. It's not like they

(13:32):
have to go away or something. But I'm not. You
weren't going to watch them? I'm I wouldn't if I
were at home. I'm here. There's TVs all over the place,
they're on so second play, I'm sorry, the first play
of the second quarter, Penny just ran in his second
touchdown on three carries. He has a hundred and sixteen yards. Okay,

(13:56):
three car first was his first carry, and then the
second carry was just like a carry, and then the
third carry went for about a thirty five yard touchdown.
And which that third carry, he becomes the record holder
for the all time single season rushing record at San
Diego State. And before you go, well, that's just San
Diego State. Remember just last year, the guy who owns

(14:19):
college football's career rushing record, Danelle Pumphrey, he just graduated
in La San Diego State just last year. Penny was
his backup last year. The record, he's Penny Penny a
backup last year. Yeah, basically, I mean he was a
change of pace guy. He got a lot of carries,
but not you know, not nearly as many as this year. Um.

(14:40):
And so that record, the single season record set by
Pumphrey last year at San Diego State lasted one year. Well,
and that's where Marshall Falk went to, right correct, and
he played for three years. So Penny Penny is now
the single season leader there and the point you just
made about Penny by the real quick this is one
of the reasons I think he's such a great NFL prospect.

(15:01):
He doesn't have a lot of miles on him. He
was a lead back in college for this year. That's it. Yeah,
I mean I think that's a consideration. I mean, I
think there's a lot more to him that makes him
potentially special at the next level. And look at a
lot of the great backs. They're coming from these smaller schools.

(15:22):
I mean, Kareem Hunt Toledo, right, Yeah, I mean so,
and we already mentioned Marshall Fault coming from San Diego State, UM, so,
historically a lot of the better backs have come from
small schools. He's gonna be taken high, I think in
the draft, especially when it comes to running backs. What
do you how many backs do you think are taking

(15:42):
before Well, Barkley is for sure, by is a first
rounder and it probably is the only one beyond that.
I don't know what the analytics the scouts are saying
about guys like Royce Freeman and Darius Geis and all
of that. I mean, that's what it gets, you know,
kind of get out of it. Yeah, if there's a
bunch of guys I like, but I don't know what

(16:03):
the combine who you know does what with the four
three four four? Whatever? You know? Bryce Love, Um, he's
a smaller guy. I would take Penny before Love as
far as an NFL guy. But anyway, point being, I've
got I think he should. Probably he's a second rounder
third at the latest. No, I'm with that. I'm with that.

(16:23):
I like him a lot. Uh. You you were the
first to bring him to my attention. It cost me
a meal, but I'll give you that when usually I'm
winning the debates and the the differences that we have.
But that when you got that, when you got right.
All right, Bruce Arden Willard, We're thrilled to have you,

(16:44):
and happy holidays to everybody. We realize a lot of
people are cruising around during your last minute errands listening
to us, and we really appreciate that. We hope all
your errands go well. Take a deep breath, you will
find a parking spot, you will get that last gift,
and yes, there are enough pies left. Don't worry. Everything's
gonna be fine. Um, let's go to Franklin and Las Vegas. Franklin,
thank you for calling. What's up? Hey, thank thank you

(17:06):
so much, guys. First of all, rest in peace to
the great dick Enberg. Yeah right, guys, And he was
at the golden age when sports was really in its
golden age, which is my here's my call. Twenty five
years from now, I think possibly leaks like the NFL
might even be out of business. And here's why I
say that. Look around. Yeah, but look around and look

(17:27):
at all the empty seats and all four sports, and
you didn't used to see that. Secondly, go ask your
ten eleven year old kid what his favorite team in
sport is. And a lot of these kids will they
don't even followood and so that that's my prediction. But
we'll see in twenty five years. That's an interesting take, Franklin,
thank you. Here would be my response to the two
main things you said. One empty seats. I believe that

(17:49):
empty seats and this isn't just the NFL. Empty seats
is more a product of again, the way we bring
in content, Like I'll be the first to say I
don't really like going to NFL games anymore, at least
not on Sundays. I'll go to on Monday night, or
I'll go to a Thursday night er on Sundays, and
experience is still great. It's just you don't want to

(18:10):
miss out exactly the I want to watch all the games.
So um, that's the one thing there. But but do
remember that all of these sports are still are still
making a ton of money and we romantics now. The NFL,
there are a lot more empty seats there, there's no
question about that. NBA, I don't think so. I mean

(18:33):
we romanticize some of the past. You can go back to,
you know, twenty years. I mean the attendance is is
up now, you know. So, Um, I think there are
a lot more empty seats back then, back in the day,
so to speak, then there are right now, at least
for the NBA. And I also think that's another advantage
the NBA has. I don't think the NBA has that

(18:56):
challenge that football has in terms of fiel lean it's
arenas or stadiums. No, you know, fantasy isn't It's big
in NBA, but not like the NFL. It's not the
driving force in the NBA right their games and Tuesday
and you know it might only be on shore, right So,

(19:17):
but the NFL, if you look at attendance figures. I
know the story of California this year, but it's actually
very healthy. Uh, the number of people still going is great. Now.
The other point he made is ask kids what their
favorite team is. They won't be able to tell you. Listen,
this is an expertise area for me. I've got two
sons to age tenant under kids look two heroes. The

(19:40):
team thing comes later. That's like I'm sixteen, I'm eighteen.
My dad rooted for Blank. I'm gonna really start caring
about that team. My ten year old son probably has
NBA jerseys for shoot seven eight different players on seven
eight differ teams. It's not and and he he does

(20:02):
like the Warriors, but he'll watch the Calves, He'll watch
the Rockets, He'll watch the Celtics and all that. Kyrie,
James Lebron, Steph Katie. He knows them all, Um, And well,
that's the way kids watch your son. Last week we
were in the studio and he was out when the
kitchen area now amazing like he was in the kitchen, yeah,

(20:27):
a little sweet air whatever it was watching the game.
He was so hyped Wyse because of his fantasy team,
because he wants he had Jordan Howard on his team
and the Bears were playing the Lions. And that's my thing.
A lot of young kids are playing fantasy football, and
so that fantasy football in and of itself doesn't lend

(20:48):
itself to you following the team as much as it
as following individual players. And so I think that furthers
your your point there. A lot of these young kids
are into the players, not yet the teams. So we
were talking about twenty five years from now what sport
will be king. Chris thinks maybe the NBA by then.
I've got the NFL as still king by then for sure.

(21:10):
Let's go to Mark in Kansas City. Mark, thank you
for calling. Hey, thanks for taking my call. Guys there,
let me tell you why I think it's baseball. Let
me give you the limitation of the other two. First,
I think the NFL. Let's issue with it with you know,
with the concussions and such as. It doesn't import talent.
So if USA players aren't playing, there's no players they
don't import. Now, the NBA imports players, so the talent

(21:32):
pool was bigger. However, you still have to be of
extraordinary size and skill to play. I mean, if you're
not six five forget it. I mean Steph Curry, Steph
Curry six three, you know, Isaiah Thomas five nine, and

(21:53):
you got players all over there. You you got enough
of polers. But the skill set, I mean, the skill
set too, is so unique and it's so I mean
it's difficult. And believe, basketball I think is a very
very hard sport now when it's still the only sport
that you can be regular advert sizing and dominated. I mean,

(22:14):
if you said Steph Curry and and Isaiah Thomas, but
I mean those are like two and how many where
you got? You got the m v P. You got
the MVP last year League seven. Yeah, but Mark and
Mark thank you so much. Yeah, it's interesting. I mean
they're they're always going to be those outliers though there's

(22:34):
always gonna be a plenty of six six guys in up.
You don't have a lack of talent, you know, the
talent pool isn't small, right, And then the the the
original point his premise was, well, if United States players
stopped playing football, you won't have any players. Well, why
are United States players gonna stop playing football? I understand
that some moms and dads don't want their guys playing

(22:55):
there will be plenty who always see that as a path,
as a professional path. Yeah, but I we obviously, I
do think though that's a legit concern, you know, um,
parents not letting their kids play as much. I'm actually
he's gotta to a point. Sometimes I'm surprised when a

(23:15):
parent tells me their son is playing football and they're
excited about it, and they talk about it like my
prayers talked about when I play, Like, yeah, he's playing football,
Like that's it. No, no fear, no trepidation. No. Yeah,
I'm not sure if I should do it. It's just
he played football, and and that's rare today. Like you

(23:37):
your sons, I don't know if they want to play football,
which he plays flag. I don't even know. I don't
even know. I honestly don't even know where there's a
league close by. Like, well, we could seek it out.
I guess if he wants to play in high school,
we could talk about it. I dowd he will, and
that's we got a number of years to figure it out.
But I wouldn't just like exit out immediately. Um, alright,

(24:01):
more time for this day. On hold, we'll get to you. R. J.
Bell In sixty seconds. But let's get gas on in here,
full update everything going on. Every time your shot Penny
gets a touchdown, you just break into programming and let
us know I can do that. Okay, I'll do that
while you do push ups for every yard he games.
How about that? Okay? It is they are playing Army
and I want to be all I can be. So

(24:22):
I'm in Penny brook outside five ratio, never catch him,
Kenya forty thirty d gone touchdown. What a great play,
called Jeff harton counter motion, little screen to the near side. Penny,
welcome to Texas. Yeah, asticks radio and Nelor three carries

(24:43):
for a hundred and sixteen yards and to score. San
Diego State leads leads Army fourteen to seven. But Army
is on the move. In fact, I think they just
score there. In Yeah, there is pt is Penny seven
fifty to play in the first half, but it is
a good one. Armed Forces bull Aztecs leading by a
pt as it stands right now fourteen the three earlier today,
South Florida came from behind to beat Texas Tech thirty

(25:05):
eight to thirty four. Quentin Flowers had a hundred and
six yards on the ground. The quarterback did have four
touchdown passes and three eleven through the air. Josh Allen,
the quarterback of Wyoming, is not staying put. He's skipping
a senior year. He's going to the NFL Draft in
the NBA. Sacramento King's Deer and Fox out at least
two weeks and probably a month where they partially torn.

(25:27):
Quad college basketball scoreboard. US is at number seven Kentucky
and the Bruins lead by one twenty five number five
North Carolina. After they're shocking upset earlier this week, the
rebounds to beat Ohio State six to seventy two. Gentlemen,
all right, Dave great stuff, Appreciate that we're live Geico
Fox Sports Radio Studios. Easy to say or more on

(25:50):
car insurance with Geico Geico dot com or you can
call eight hunder nine seven Auto. The only hard part
figuring out which way is easier. Willard Bruce Starr. Let's
get r J bellot here Pregame dot com straight out
of Vegas Fridays and Saturday nights right here on Fox
Sports Radio. R J. I'm looking down at at all

(26:11):
of the numbers and everything for this week. The vikings
in Green Bay tonight are favored by nine. I don't
expect you to have some you know, the historical numbers
in front of you. I cannot remember anybody being favored
by this much at Lambeau Field as a road team,
especially in December. I can't remember that in in a

(26:32):
in a long time. This is a kind of a
bizarre set up tonight, no doubt. And if you think
about it, Lambeau is probably currently the second best home
field advantage in the NFL, behind only Seattle. The Saints
are right in the mix when they're winning. Some teams,
if the crowd is enthused is the huge part of

(26:52):
home field, and Seattle is an example that in New Orleans, uh,
Green Bay, it's a lot about the grass. It's just
a different playing surface that if you're used to it,
you've got a big advantage. All that said, if you
look at Hunley at Lambeau four games, zero touchdowns, five interceptions,
one and thirty one yards per game passing not good

(27:16):
at all. And I would make the case that Green
Bay is in the worst motivational spot of any team
this NFL season, because think about it, they were holding
on waiting for Daddy, waiting for Aaron Rodgers to come back.
They won just enough games that he could win out
and potentially lead him to the playoffs, and boom, first

(27:37):
game back loss. Now he's on the shelf. I mean,
what are they playing for? I get the whole pride part. Now,
obviously they're gonna play as hard as they can on
the field to avoid injury. But what I've seen is
it's the preparation. It's Wednesday night. Do you watch that
net and next show on Netflix? Or do you look
at a little bit of film? And because of that,

(27:59):
I think Green Bay is not the side here, even
though it seems generous the number they're getting at home.
One of the spreads that caught my eyes New England
favored by twelve and a half over Buffalo. Now we
know what Buffalo is playing for. I mean, they they
win their next two games, they should be in the playoffs.
You know, Patriots coming off that tough game with the Steelers.

(28:21):
Not to mention all that's gone on this week with
Alex Guerrero and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and all
of that, how do you think that stuff could affect
this game? The more I listened and I was listening
to Collins podcast yesterday. The more it makes me think
it's bigger than it seems, because let's get I think

(28:42):
there's two questions, and actually it's both of these teams
that have not been answered, and I'm gonna pose it
to you guys this year or you guys, and these
are two questions I think of the NFL season this
year that have not been answered. The first one is
why did the Pats trade Garoppolo for only a second

(29:03):
round pick? Yeah, it's I mean, I you know, the rumors,
of course, or that Belichick was upset because Robert Craft
wouldn't let him move on at some point from Tom Brady.
But the other side, who it is? You know, the
more standard response might be, you know, they probably could
have gotten a better pick if they had done this

(29:24):
at the draft earlier this year. Well, listen if you have,
I mean, think about what the typical trade was with
the Rams, like when r G three got traded up
for Think about the price in the market place for
a shot at a franchise quarterback. To go from like
number eight to number two is like, you know, two

(29:46):
to three first round picks. I get, maybe Garoppolo would
have been worth slightly more before the season, or even
materially more. But it doesn't mean he's still not worked
a lot now, right if there's a bill you know
that's an awfully low price, yea. And and you've got
to almost wonder. And the implication was on calling show

(30:07):
that it was almost like sabotage. It was almost like, oh, really,
you you aren't gonna let me decide and I'm gonna
kind of give him away because I'm out the door
at the end of the year, perhaps so to me.
To me, it just feels like the disruption that could
be happening behind the scenes is bigger than it seems,
especially with the belief you just having the path that

(30:27):
they're not gonna get involved in this kind of drama.
So you think this twelve and a half might be
hiven I think it is. Now here's the second question.
What in the world were the Bills thinking when they
chose to start Peterman? I call it the Peterman incident.
I mean, really could they Could you objectively say that

(30:50):
the decision maker thought they had a better chance to
win that game against the Charges in the first half
for anybody who doesn't remember what happened there, and then
they took him out, So it's kind of funny. We
might say the Bills are so motivated to win because
if they win out, as Chris said, they have a chance,
uh to to make the playoffs based on projections. But

(31:11):
then on the other hand, you get the conspiracy. Theory
I've heard is the Bills want to cut loose from
their quarterback, and that he's got a massive contract, and
obviously Taylor is uh. If they make the playoffs, it's
gonna be hard to cut them. But if they cut
him this offseason before a certain date, it's only one

(31:31):
million dollars and then they can get out. So if
that's the case, now that there are two wins away
from making it could the conspiracy, the motivation of starting
Peterman somehow conspire against the Bills today. Oh, it absolutely could.
And and don't forget there is a scenario where they
end up tied for the final wild card spot with
those Chargers, uh, and they would lose out on that

(31:53):
playoff spot because they started Nade Peterman in that game
head to head. Hey r J, what is the normal
December bump? Let's call it. You were kind of i
think referring to it earlier with regard to the Packers Vikings.
One team cares, one team doesn't. It feels like as
we get to this week when there's a team that

(32:14):
needs it versus a team that doesn't care, the number
is even higher this time of year than it normally
would be. Is that right? And absolutely so? We do
a podcast with Podcast One, part of Adam Krole's deal,
and we spent two hours this week breaking down the
card and usually we only do an hour twenty and

(32:36):
the difference, quite frankly, was all the motivational complexity. Here's
what I'll say broadly, is if you tell me there's
a team with clear motivation, like let's say the Ravens,
with a team without clear motivation, let's say the Colts
seven out of ten times, if I bet that game,
I'm gonna bet the team without clear motivation. Really, here's

(33:00):
why the public understands motivation. Like, even if you're a
casual NFL fan, oh wait, Baltimore cares that they win
and the Coats don't care that they win, and thus
the it's gonna be priced properly if not a premium
on motivation. And that's especially the case mark if it's

(33:22):
a must win a true win or you're done. Because
not only is that the narrative on talk radio and
TV and everyone knows it, but then you add the
element of pressure, and let's be candid, for most players,
pressure is a net negative. So when those those truly
your win and you're in, you're losing your out. I

(33:42):
look to fade that a lot. And the last kind
of element of this, the unclear motivation, is these are
professional players and they want to win now not always,
you know, sometimes it's instead of a hunter, and you've
got to try to assess that. But in general, especially
if they played poorly last week, Chris might be familiar

(34:02):
with the zig zag theory in the NBA playoffs, where
if a team does well and wins one game, usually
the betters go the other way the next game because
that team that lost feels like it's a must win
and the team that won is a little bit potentially
lacks a daisical is. I think it's the same thing
with eliminated teams late in the year. If they lay
an egg one week, they really hear it on talk

(34:24):
radio in the newspaper, so they play hard the next week,
and if they play really well one week, maybe they're
a little lax the week aff Gosh, that's really interesting.
Hey r J, great stuff. Happy holidays. Um, I hope
you have a great week. But we'll talk to again
next week. And hey tonight ten o'clock Pacific. We're we're
for his games on Sunday. We're there Saturday night. Happy holidays,

(34:47):
r J. Thanks guys. Christmas Eve with r J H
straight out of Vegas tonight, ten o'clock Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Okay, a lot of people wind up on
these on this call board to get to this thought,
twenty five years from now, what sport is king owns
the United States? Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox.

(35:08):
Will continue with that, plus coming up at the top
of the hour. Let's get into that Patriots discussion we
just started right there, Bruce hard Willard, Fox Sports Radio. Yeah, Chris,
just um roll this one around in your brain for
a second and we could talk about it in ten
minutes at the top of the hour. Did the Pats
make a mistake in letting Garoppolo go? I don't necessarily

(35:34):
know what their choice was like when you have a legend,
fans would revolt, But but the forty Niners moved on
from Joe Montana and they handed the range to Steve Young,
Like this feels a lot like that. Yeah, I'm with you.
What choice did they have? I mean, Tom Brady's gonna

(35:54):
be the m v P and they have a chance
to win the super Bowl? That's right. Well I don't
it's not even necessarily about now I think no. But
but that's what I'm saying, Like, what about the Polo?
Is your quarterback? Are you winning the super Bowl? Is
he gonna be the m v P as much as
I like him? Yeah, maybe, yeah, maybe maybe. Let's look,

(36:17):
it's a small I like Garoppolo, I'm owing the Garoppolo bandwagon,
but it's a small sample size. But I mean three
looked like a superstar after a whole season. Yeah, but
remember now, first of all, you've got all that training
under Brady, You've got the awareness of the system, and
now you come into what it's supposed to be this

(36:38):
uber complex, hard to learn Kyle Shanahan system. You have
zero weapons, none. I'm with you, and he hasn't lost.
I'm with you him. I'm just saying, and I get it,
it's about the future. But unless you were going to
franchise him, do you move on from time Brady when

(37:00):
he's still playing. Well, those those are but you could
have done that well, Okay, so we'll get into it.
There's a lot to do that and we will. How
about Richard and West Virginia. We've been talking about twenty
five years from now what sport will be, King Richard,
what do you think? I agree with you? In twenty
five years it's still going to be the NFL and

(37:22):
Rob Parker talking about it. I mean the NBA right now,
there's no ways as the NBA even close to the NFL.
And I'll tell you when you think the ratings your
gown is the cut of games like today, I mean
there's two games long today that basically have no interest
in me to me whatsoever. And I think that's a reason,

(37:43):
the only reason the rating you're down because every week
by her local people talk about the NFL is the
one of the leads of ratings all the time. I
got what kind of shows wrong? So that's always going
to be. You're always going to have bad tames though
in league. Can't help that in every league. I mean, yeah,

(38:03):
that's that's just I mean, the A's are gonna play
the Twins sometimes. Um, that's that's just the way it's
gonna be. Um. And by the by the way, Richard,
this game that you just took a shot at, and
I totally understand why it'll put up a huge number,
a huge number because it's Saturday, it's the Holidays, it's
the NFL, and it's a standalone game. I don't know basketball.

(38:27):
Thank you, thanks all right, thanks time. We can tuck
you at the half. Sweet. Um. The Ravens and Colts
are three. Nothing is very compelling. The culture going right
down the field here. And Richard didn't sound like a
basketball fan. Anything could happen. Uh, Henry and Chicago, Henry,
what do you think? What are you doing? Um? I

(38:47):
had actually got on Twitter and I thought this was
about the NBA place. Go well, go ahead, Okay, I
got a lot to say. I watched a lot of
you guys. You know, I don't understand why you guys
love to disrespect Kobe Seventh. Let me let me talk
to you, Let me talk to you. You don't I

(39:09):
don't understand. Like his skill set is better than Magic,
is better than Kareem, is better than Lebron, and it's
damn sure better than um Bill Russell. So I just
don't understand why you guys don't Why don't you respect
his legacy has done so much for the game? Can
you say? All right? Hold on? First of all, had
him ranked ahead of Bill Russell? I had Kobe seventh,

(39:30):
Russell eight, Okay, And skill set is not what it's about.
David Robinson's skill set was better than shocks? Is he
better than shock? That skill set? A lot of the
best shooters in the world couldn't make it in the
NBA because they can't get their shot off. So I'm
just how am I disrespecting Kobe by saying he's the

(39:52):
seventh best player of all time? Well, you gotta understand you.
First of all, you make a good point about skill set.
If it's about skill set, Lebron James just everybody included,
because he can do all things he can do? Or
what couldn't Jordan do that that Lebron does? Period? What
couldn't Jordan do? He's a better point guard, he's a

(40:13):
better rebounder. They put Jordan that point guard for about
two about fourteen games or something. When he was playing
for Doug Collins. He racked up triple doubles like Russell
Westble and they couldn't do it. But he can't do
it as well as lebron Um. But anyway, Yeah, that's
that's that's going on. Can't shoot free throws, that's going
on a tangent. My experience is no fan base of

(40:36):
any player gets more offended by what other people say
about him than Kobe's fan base. That might be true.
That I mean, it's bananas. I'm just saying I had
to do ranked seven. I was like, I think the
only person at Fox had him in the top ten.
All right, let's get to that Patriot topic next Kobe, Kuzma,

(40:58):
Alonzo and more with Eric pink Is of the Bleacher
Report in about three minutes. Uh Mark, whether Christopers are
on Fox Sports Radio and you eight seven seven ninety
nine on Fox were live Geico Fox Sports Radio Studios
fifteen minutes could save you fift cent or more on
car insurance Geico dot com for a free rate quote.
We do want to get to a lot of Patriots

(41:19):
this hour as well. I'm fascinated by this. I'm still
a little confused by it. I think we're still in
the process of sorting it out. I think because the
Patriots offices run like the c I A will probably
never know the full story of what's going on. Alex Guerrero,

(41:40):
Brady's trainer, not allowed to be there anymore. Garoppolo traded
for a second round pick. Like, what's your read on
what took place here? Well, obviously we all heard Kylin
Cowhert's theory, Um, which is I mean, you don't know
what to believe. I think it's it's sexiest since sational.

(42:01):
It's like, uh, Oliver Stone's JFK movie, you know, which
was great, But how much of it was true? I
don't know? Um, But basically Colins saying what that Belichick
wanted to move on from Brady Robert in favor of Garoppolo.

(42:21):
Robert Kraft wouldn't let him, and so now Belichick has
traded first Jacoby Brissette and then Garoppolo for a bag
of chips. A second round forty second round pick is
not a pack of chips. It's I mean, it's you know,
it's like, it's not for La Mignoni's but for what?

(42:43):
For what? Garoppolo? Maybe? And what From John Lynch's comments
on the Herd, what the Patriots knew Garoppolo was, Yes,
no question. I mean, look that the Colts moved on
from Peyton Manning, you mentioned, you know, Monte with the
forty Niners, Brett Farv in Green Bay. This is a

(43:06):
tough one for me because Brady is still playing well
enough to deliver it. We'll see if it happens. He
could deliver you not one, but two more Super Bowls.
He could. But you know what Garoppolo could have delivered
is another decade And I don't mean of winning, but
but you don't like. Here's the thing, this is why

(43:29):
it's actually an obvious decision in the mind of Bill Belichick.
You just mentioned the way every team has handled this historically,
they always make the same decision. And I know Brady
is the greatest of them all, at least according to most.
But the truth of the matter is what you just
did was you gave up another ten to twelve years

(43:50):
of good quarterbacking in your clubhouse in exchange for a
shot at like one, maybe two more Super Bowl runs
the next fourteen months. That's what you just That's a
trade you just made, and in any NFL executive would
tell you, in the grand scheme, that's a bad trade. Well,

(44:10):
hold on, hold on what if those next ten years
of good quarterbacking you don't get a super Bowl? Is
that worth? Is it worth? Look with Bill Belichick, you
would think maybe they probably do get at least one
more in that stretch. But if I get to now,
is it worth? Is that better than ten years of

(44:32):
making the playoffs and being in the hunt every year?
Is it better to get those that one or two
super bowls? Now? First off, you're not guaranteed those super
bowls in the you know this year and next, by
any you're not guaranteed ten years a great quarterback play
there off a guy We've seen him, played seven games.
They're the ones who know best, and they know how

(44:53):
good he is. All Right, we're gonna get back to this.
Eric Pinkins is joining us now. Happy holidays, Eric, Um, Yeah, glad,
glad with us. We've got a lot to get through
with this team. Um. Eric pinkas Bleacher Report lead writer
on all things Lakers, and Eric, here, here's my first
question for you, you know, everyone, for the last two years,
it's like Brandon Ingram, Can he become a star? Alonzo Ball?

(45:16):
Can he become a star? I'm watching a lot of
Lakers this year. The best player on that team is
Kyle Kuzma. I mean, is that and do you think
that continues? Well, I've been waiting for that that guy
to drop offs in summer League, right, I mean, it
hasn't happened. He's he's a pretty good basketball player, and
I I know the Lakers were really pumped when they

(45:38):
saw him in Chicago during the pre draft stretch and
then they had to work out with him and they
loved him in the workout and they were giddy. And
who who knew? I mean, there's a guy in Utah
who didn't really play consistently great. He showed some flashes,
but I don't think anyone really expected him to be
to be this good. And this wretch of games that

(46:00):
the Lakers just played, right, they played the Warriors a
couple of times, the Calves, Uh, they're they're playing the Rockets,
and Kyle Kuzma is growing up against guys like Draymond
Green and k D and he's taking it right to them.
I mean, he may be their best prospect, which is
they needed this win so badly so to get a
guy at seven who who should be a top five pick,

(46:22):
that's pretty impressive. Eric, do you know who they think
is their best player going forward, because I was saying yesterday,
obviously Kuzman is the best player right now, I think
Ingram's upside could be higher. I think Alonzo, when it's
all said and done, will have more impact on winning

(46:44):
than either of them, although I think all three will
be good. Like, who do the Lakers think would be
their number one guy going forward out of these three? Well,
I mean the hope is, of course that that Alonzo
is a transcendent point guard and someone who makes whatever
they put together a great frantise, a competitive franchise that

(47:04):
can go win a title. But if you're gonna put
Alonzo is your best player, right he's never gonna be
in my mind, at twenty point per game score. I
don't think they expect him to be a dominant score.
I mean, yeah, he needs to be able to hit
the shot, and it's coming around, so you're gonna need
to put great scores alongside him. There you have Kuzma,
So I don't know if they're picking and choosing. I

(47:24):
would say, right now, there are those three players, Ingram, Kuzma, Ball,
those are cornerstone pieces that they're going to build around.
They would love to add and all Star obviously Lebron, Uh, Paul, George,
DeMarcus Cousins. They'd like to add two or three of
those guys if they could. Who knows, but over the
summer and see how these young guys fit in with

(47:46):
these vets and can they continue to emerge. There are
three players they love, I think Alonzo if you have
to say, one guy that they hope is the As
Magic said, you know, I want to save me some records.
I want to see your jerseys on the wall. But
man Kuzmas, he's been a special in the goes from
pretty Dunk good too. Eric Pink is joining us Fox
Sports Radio. So Eric, do you think with this recent

(48:07):
uptick last couple of weeks, if that trajectory continues into
the second half of the season, are the three young
guys doing enough to woo the big names maybe even
interest Lebron. Well, the Lakers schedule is right now in
December is as hard as anyone's scheduled right there, playing
the Rockets and the Wizards and the Calves every every day,

(48:28):
It seems right as you get into their schedule gets
a lot easier. They don't play all the marquee teams.
It's just more favorable. So I and this also a
team that doesn't have a draft picks. So I think
over January, February, March, April, they're going to finish well.
Now I don't know if they're gonna make a playoff run.
It depends on how poorly teams like the Pelicans and

(48:49):
the and then Nuggets. You know, teams who are in
the bottom four in the West, of the top eight,
so like the five through eight teams, how they do
I don't think the Lakers make a run. But if
they're past and if these guys continue to emerge, I
do think they attract players. I think Paul George is
a definite possibility. I don't know if if he's gonna
want to stay in Oklahoma City. Let's let's see how

(49:10):
that team does that. DeMarcus Cousins the same thing. The
Pelicans are just struggling right there. They're not a great team,
and these guys can be free agents. Now, if you
want to ask about Lebron, that's a different story. His
decision making is going to be complex. Does he want
to go into the West where he's got to get
through the Warriors, and so he doesn't even get to
the finals. I don't know if that's what he wants.

(49:31):
You could also argue, yeah, he's got a couple of
homes in Brentwood and this is a great place for
him to build a career post playing. But I don't
know what drives him, and I think we'll have to
find out. But I do think that, you know, I
know the Warriors are impressed with Kuzma. I know the
Warriors are impressed with Ingram and just Steve Kurs said
the other day that apparently Lanza Ball can't shoot except
against us because he kills us every time he's on

(49:53):
fire against the Warriors. It's it's kind of intriguing, but
getting I want to talk about Ball. I don't remember
if it was Golden State earlier in the week or Houston,
but there was a game. I want to say it
was over time. He played well in overtime and he
pulled up for a fe drove right and pulled up

(50:14):
for like a fifteen footer and nailed it right. You
probably remember to play, And I'm talking about the form.
It looked like unlike any shot I've seen him take.
You know, the form looked really great and he drained it.
Have they been working with him or has he just
been working on that mid range shot? Is he changing
his form at all? Because I think if he can

(50:37):
get that going, then that takes him to a whole
another level potentially. Yeah, I know exactly the shot you're
talking about. It looked like an actual traditional hit the shot.
It was great. They are working with him, they're working
with him on a lot, and what they're not doing
is they're not trying to wholesale change his stroke. Right,
like the way he shoots, especially from three, uh, the

(50:57):
way he has to kind of step back, and we
all know he's got the funky form. If you change
that now, it's just going to screw up the rest
of the season, and and he might even get hurt
because his muscles are so used to that kind of behavior, right,
the muscle memory. So, but they're they're adding in something new. Right,
So how many times has he shot those pull ups
and and that different kind of shot, right, So he's

(51:20):
they're adding to it. And when they add to it,
and he's shooting new shots, those they're teaching with more form, right,
so floaters and things like that. So the goal is
obviously used to get him to be a good shooter
enough so so that he can keep defenses. Honest, he's
got to be able to hit the three. He's got
to have some sort of mid range game because we're
in your point guard. That's part of it, right, You

(51:41):
have to be a threat otherwise everyone's gonna play you
for the past. And so there's progress. It's if you
expect him to completely have a brand new shot this
season isn't gonna happen. I'm not even sure if it
will be completely changed for next season. I do think
he's gonna those long range shots are starting to fall.
I don't think they'll tinker with it. But I know
the player talking about and that was I thought. I

(52:02):
thought that. I was like I had to I had
to go and you know the DVR go, Hey, Eric,
I got a statement I just made a couple of
minutes ago. I want to run by you. Every great
NBA player has their fans, their fan base, and you know,
they defend their position on it, and that's fine. I
feel like Kobe Bryant fans. No group gets more offended

(52:26):
by what other people say about him, uh than Kobe
Bryant fans, like Chris Broussard uh called him the seventh
best player in the history of the NBA, and their
Kobe fans were like, how dare you as if this
is yeah, this is a criticism somehow do you do
you buy what I'm saying here? Yeah? I mean Kobe

(52:47):
fans have always been polarizing. I mean I've covered the
Lakers dating back to the end of the Shack Kobe era,
and there were those who just worshiped Kobe and anything
positive said about Shack was a slide on Kobe. And
then equally the Shack fans, they weren't so thrilled on
Kobe either. And he's he's always been a polarizing guy.
To say that he's the best Laker of all time,

(53:09):
that's what Magic's gonna say. I don't even know if
you could say that, I mean Magic himself, But what
about Kareem? Hold on and hold on a second. I
sorry about that. My daughter almost walked out and listened
to the street. Don't do you what do you I

(53:33):
got Kobe seventh all time behind Shack, Will Magic, Kareem,
Lebron and Jordan's Where do you have Kobe all time? Well?
I don't know if I would go with will there
because as great as will Its was and he was
the most dominant player of his era, he only finished
with two titles, and he say, why there weren't many

(53:53):
teams back then. They kept getting beat by the Celtics.
But I feel like Wilt should have done more with
what he had as far as we and titles, So
maybe we could do magic and and Kobe. I don't.
I don't know how to choose that. Like they're they're
they're both right there. Kareem I mean, I mean, Kareem
is ridiculous. I mean, these are all all time grades. Michael,
as she said, Michael ahead of Kobe? How do you

(54:15):
argue with that? And I know that the Kobe fans
can argue with that, so I'm fine with it. I
would probably say I would put Kobe ahead of Wilt
over what he did. He want more titles. I did more,
I think, and was almost as dominant, obviously in a
different era. But no, that's a great list, and I
get Kobe fans. They're Kobe fans. So you got him
in the top two. Examinely top that. I'm not sure

(54:43):
if he's I was gonna say, I'm not sure if
the right behind Rip Hamilton's yeah, he's problem. Yes I am, Yeah, Eric,
Thanks man, Happy holidays, Happy holidays, guys. Thanks. You know
you a Joe, you you probably got him fifty seven.

(55:04):
Well that that sounds about right. Yeah, a lot of
good guards out there, man, Yeah, I got I got Janice,
Janice all right, Willard Broussard, Uh, we got a lot
more to say about the Lakers this hour. But let's
also get back to that Patriot conversation, and we would

(55:25):
love to hear from you. Did the Patriots make a
mistake by letting Garoppolo get away? Was that the next
ten years of Patriots Football? Eight seven seven ninety nine
on Fox. Willard Broussard, Fox Sports Radio at eight seven,
seven nine and nine on Fox. Love has an Army.
You can join the fight very important here. We ask

(55:46):
you to help the Salvation Army fight for those need
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Sports Radio dot com, clicking the red Kettle icon to donate,
or call one eight three three Style joined. That's s
a L G oh I N I mean. The way
I look at it is, it's your job as an
organization to be competitive every year and be as good

(56:09):
as long as you possibly can. I almost feel like
there were some similarities, for instance, this year to Tom
Brady and Kevin Durant his final year in Oklahoma City.
In other words, you have to wait and see how
the season plays out before you decide what you're gonna do.
If Tom Brady wins the super Bowl, just for pr reasons,

(56:31):
you can't. You can't let him go. That was the
question they're facing. Well, not no, no, no, I'm talking
about this year. At the end of this season. Um,
if well he won the super Bowl, then the last season.
So you're saying, this is my DoD has to make
a decision yet on Garoppolo the agent at the end

(56:53):
of this year, you're gonna look, Okay, if that's your answer,
that's fine, because I'm not totally belittling that answer. I
think that's a good one. But that's what makes the
problem so complex. You would have had forty five million
dollars locked up into two quarterbacks. You would have been

(57:17):
playing Jimmy Garoppolo twenty two million this year, maybe twenty
three you know, twenty two million next year, maybe twenty
three million a year after that. To sit on the
bench and if that's your decision. Fine, if I'm just
saying tom By, so okay, so after he wins a
super Bowl, you can trade. Again, I'm saying that you

(57:39):
couldn't if he wins the super Bowl. But what if
he doesn't, but he's still so good that he might,
So do you trade him? Uh? Maybe? Yeah? Again, it's
just the full three wins a super Bowl. No, but
if he falls short, that's the comparison. I'm saying that
Durant if if Durant, Uh, you know, if if the
thunder had gone on and won the NBA Championship, he

(58:02):
would have stayed. But but he didn't, so he left
and the Warriors didn't, so he picked them. It's it's
Montana Young all over again. John Montana was still very good,
still a Super Bowl contender. The forty niners were like,
we gotta think about the next ten years, not the
next ten months. I think this is all I'm saying
right here is I'm trying to be a voice for

(58:23):
what I think Bill Belichick won't say publicly. This is
my guest on what he's saying behind closed doors. And
I don't even know why he cares so much because
I don't think he wants to coach for the next
ten years. But even if he wants to coach, you
don't think he wants to because of this. He's going
to retire at some point um. But but he say

(58:45):
maybe I I just to me, your organization's responsibility is,
especially as an executive, is not to just think about
this year. That that's the kind of thinking that ends
up in Browns and Bay roors Hood, where you're looking
for a quarterback for twenty years if you've got one,
and my gosh, the Patriots, the Patriots might have had three.

(59:09):
Brissette doesn't look that bad. He's got nothing around him.
Garoppolo looks insane, and they've got Brady and the trade
both of them in a Yeah. He he also made
magic out of Matt Castle, so maybe he can do
you know, do it with an average talent. Whoever that
next guy is well, except for this is the beauty

(59:31):
of Garoppolo. Because I even had a friend text me
the other day said, what do we really know about Garoppolo?
Castle did this too? No, he didn't. Garoppolo left and
he's still doing it and he's doing three games with Yeah,
with nothing around Look, I'm with you. I love him.
I'm just saying you sound like you think he's the
next time Brady. I am absolutely willing to own it.

(59:54):
Have you watched those games him? Nothing but but he
also has three t ds and interceptions. Okay, first of all,
and here, okay, let's go deep. There. All those all
of those two interceptions, one of them was a completion
that got ripped out of the receiver's hands, absolutely perfect past.
I can say that about every quarterback I can pick.

(01:00:14):
I can pick a quarter of every quarterback's interceptions and
say they weren't his fault. Chris, let me just say this.
I'm just trying to, you know, bring you down from
the strategy. It won't work because if sat here with
Rob Ryan and watched every play of all three of
those games, I also know what scouts say, I know
what NFL exects say, I know the intangibles of what

(01:00:36):
I'm seeing outside of the stats. And oh, by the way,
the stats are he's averaging about three five yards per
game and he's got no receivers. I mean, he's got
absolutely his tight end is hurt. The number one receiver
is hurt. That he's making Mark he's Goodwin look like
Julio Jones. The guy is unbelievable, and the Patriots will
tell you the same. They've been watching him for two

(01:00:58):
and a half years. They think he's a amazing Um.
I just know with all that, I'm just saying it's
a tough decision when Tom Brady still he may be
not only the super Bowl champion, but the m v P.
I agree. I'm not saying it's an easy call. And
if he wins the super Bowl this year, there's nothing
you can do. You just gotta eat it, or maybe

(01:01:18):
franchise Garoppolo and and yes, put forty million into the
quarterback spot. I know they wouldn't want to do that.
But if Tom doesn't win the super Bowl this year,
I think there is absolutely a sane argument to say
now's the time to move. Would have been would have been? Well.
I also think that they could have used because you,

(01:01:40):
I do tend to agree with you about all of
this and about what Belichick may be thinking. And the
thing is this, this Alice Guerrero Guerrero thing could have
been used in the Patriots favor. Where at the let's
say at the end of the year, you get to
the super Bowl, you don't win it or you get

(01:02:01):
to the a FC Championship game and lose. You could
have used this whole Alex Guerrero soap opera as a
as your pr buffer as to why you moved on
from Tom Brady, because you're gonna take a hit if
you cut or you trade Tom Brady. You I don't care.

(01:02:23):
Jimmy Garoppolo may become you were going to take a
hit huge. But if you had said, look, he had
this guru you know that was disrupting the franchise, and
he was going against the strength and conditioning coaches and
trainers and the According to reports, he was bad mouth
and Bill Belichick, which is ridiculous to me, Like how

(01:02:45):
you could bad mouth Belichick to players, like you really
feeling yourself if you do that, well, So you could
have used all of that to say he divided us.
That's part of the reason we didn't win the Super
Bowl this year. We got to move on in time.
It was time guy Tom wouldn't you know, wouldn't part
from him. So we made the move and we're going
with Garoppolo. That could have been a soft landing to

(01:03:08):
a very difficult situation. Oyea, my money through Friday partners,
a former Patriot who has hot sessions with Alex Guerrero.
So more on that coming up, because there there there's
some stuff I can add to this conversation. Uh. And
then we get to the Lakers here coming up this
hour as well. Willard Brussory let's get gas got in
here though with a full scoreboard update and everything else

(01:03:29):
going on out and about what's update, gentlemen. This is
a costly game that's going on right now with the
Colts and the Ravens. Second down ten, Prissette out of
the gun, snaps the presset again. Prissette look screeze lest
side to Frank. Frank's that the ten gets to the outside.
Franks at five, Yes, he get in. Let's see touchdown,
Frank Gore. Frank Gore with a touchdown from Brissette and

(01:03:52):
the Colts now trail ten to six for the extra
point to come Colts Radio Network. Nice expensive because in
this ballgame, Adam Vinetaria had a field goal try blocked
and so that could prove deep for his pocket. He
hates to go twelve for twelve the next game and
a half. That's not happening, and if he does not

(01:04:12):
do so, he loses on a five hundred thousand dollar bonus.
Do you know, like, can I say something that's probably
I don't mean to like zapp the interest in that point.
That's fine. I'm gonna I'm gonna listen to while I'm
looking at my small TV screens. I mean, like, how
how many years is Adam Military been kicking in the league?
Feel like five thousand? Adam Military? He's gonna be. I

(01:04:36):
he's gonna be. Does he make what does he make? Um?
The maximum? A lot of them? You know, I have
no idea. Yeah, I mean just even if he was
on a minimum salary, he's been playing for over twenty years.
He's gonna he's gonna be what kickers make. Yeah, I'll
look it up. Yeah. And speaking of kickers, Justin Tucker

(01:04:58):
just kicked a field goals. So now Baltimore is in
front thirteen to seven after thirty nine yard or from
from Tucker's So we go from the NFL to college football.
Right now, San Diego State and Army kickoff far side.
Joan Washington will come up because it's short in front
of a penny at the twenty nine yard line. He'll
go thirty thirty forty broke a tackle stone on the
street coming to the mayor sideline. He needs a block

(01:05:19):
because we have time. At thirty twenty Washington, He's gone.
He's gone touchdown. As text, that return game of coach
Bobby how it got talked about it. It's spectacular, is
one of the best of the countries. And for the
second time this year, Jowan Washington gets a return on
the only team now in college football with three kickoff

(01:05:41):
returns by two different guys and the aspects of our
extra point away from tying to ball games. Yeah, so
we are tied at twenty one apiece. This game right
now is all army in terms of time of possession.
They're out, They're out and rout in front thirty two
minutes to just six minutes and fifty five seconds for
San Diego State. But the game again is tying a
one to one a piece in the third quarter in

(01:06:01):
Rashon Penny hasn't touched the ball much. Four carries a
d eighteen yards and also two scores Joleen. This scoreboard
updates brought to you buying Truecar. Online car shopping can
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(01:06:23):
They appreciate it. I hope the conversation that's going on
on that sideline right there. Um, the Aztecs haven't had
many plays at all, Like Penny hasn't touched the ball much,
because the Aztecs haven't touched it much. Each time they
get it, they score right away and then Army goes
on a prolonged drive. I think they've only had different place. Yeah,
it's twenty one all but but here's what I would say.

(01:06:45):
Penny has his single season record. I hope that their
head coach, Rocky Long looks him square in the eye
and goes, I know you want to go back out there,
but April is coming really soon. Go get your shorts
on you're on. The last thing I want to see
is Penny get hurt in the second half of this game.

(01:07:07):
Of course, but that's a tough I mean, I'm sure
Penny wants to play in the midst of the game.
Now he's got his record. If you still like playing, yes,
of course, you don't think if you don't play before
the game. I don't know. That's a tough call. Why
he probably thinks he can go for another eight yard?
Who cares? Though he probably can, of course he can't

(01:07:28):
know if I, if I'm the coaching staff, I save
him from himself here right now, the way I hear you,
I pulled up out of military's career earnings. This is
just on the field, nothing else that he might be
doing in his life, just in his NFL career. Forty
three million, six hundred thirty one thousand nine dollars. So

(01:07:55):
you know that's his careers. But yeah, but you know what,
Look they have been told me he made three million
this year. Five hundred thousand is significant. That's from three
million to three point five million. It is unless is
nothing well for a kicker, and it's pretty good. He's
never still professionally. I'm just saying, first of all, cut

(01:08:17):
that forty three million in half. Okay, so it's twenty
let's say it's twenty four million, not even because of taxes.
So let's say he got twenty two million, twenty three million, whatever.
That's over how long he's kicked for twenty years more. Yeah,
so you know what, I'm saying, so now that's not
looking as much, well a little five hundred grand like you.

(01:08:46):
I guess I'm not living as large as the Willers. Yeah,
the Manhattan beach Man child. I spent that of my
wife's Christmas kill. Yeah, no, no problem. All right, um,
glad you're with us, Live, Guy Coo, Fox Sports Radio Studios.
Easy to say more on car in shows with Geico
good a guy Coo dot comma called eight un or

(01:09:06):
nine four seven auto only hard part figuring out which
ways easier. Here's my guest on on what a lot
of people don't know about the Alex Guerrero thing. Could
he just be a chess piece in this game that's
going on between Belichick, Brady and Robert Kraft. Absolutely, But
I also think the reason he probably scares the establishment.

(01:09:29):
He's one of these guys that is kind of more
of a you might call it Eastern medicine, you might
call it nouveau medicine. It's very holistic, Okay. I I
my partner during the week has been sent by Tom
Brady to see Alex Guerrero and it's a very alternative.

(01:09:51):
It's alternative, and which is agree is if he has it,
because some doubt he has it, but it's in Chinese
medicine there. And so while I think a lot of
things are moving that direction, when you have something that's
establishment and Bill Belichick certainly feels like that and established
medical doctors, uh, they're fearful of it. They're fearful of it.

(01:10:13):
They like to call it wacky, they like to call
it crazy, like to push it away. And when the
face of the sport is building a business with him,
that's that's scary to those people. Now I'm with you,
because typically what would happen is that a guy like this,
let's say he was your typical, practiced, normal American medicine

(01:10:36):
or Western medicine, if you will, he probably would have
eventually been brought into the Patriots. I know he's got
an office in the facility, but you know, he probably
would have been made a member of their staff, if
not made the head of it and brings in his
own guys. But because he does things so differently and

(01:10:56):
he sees things so differently from the current staff that
it's the problem because he's looking at it almost completely
the opposite way as the current strength and training condition
people are. And that's why you couldn't just bring him
into the facility and as a part of the staff

(01:11:17):
and then eventually maybe taken over the staff. Now some
people say, too, he wouldn't even want that because he
wouldn't be able to give the attention to Brady into
the other players that he can individually if he had
to run the whole program, probably not like he's running
this TV twelve clinic that I think is like right

(01:11:37):
outside the Patriots, his own thing going on. Uh So,
I don't think he'd be able to do both. But um,
I get it, I get it, you know, but don't
do you agree with my theory that they could have
played this They could have used this Guerrero situation as
a pr you know, I don't know what to call,

(01:12:00):
but in terms of pr to soften the blow that
they would have taken if they had moved on from Brady. Yeah,
they absolutely could have. I think that The thing is, though,
you have to be a slave to your conviction, and
it seems to me that, uh, they had a lot
of conviction that Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be a

(01:12:21):
great player. And if you feel that, you gotta go
with that and don't let the fans make those decisions
for you. Believe me. I was in the Bay Area
when the Montana Young thing was going on. It's hard.
It's hard, and people are emotional and angry and and
and everyone's got an opinion. I also think Steve young

(01:12:41):
had proven more than Jimmy Garoppolo. I don't even think
that's debatable. Yeah, well, he had played more, and he
played in the USFL first and whatnot. But like, and
he was awesome in college, you know, I mean, you
knew more. You knew more about Steve you did, but like,
was he gonna win a Super Bowl? You didn't know,
but certainly it was. Yeah, But it was similar in

(01:13:02):
that the thought was, hey, next year, we probably have
a better shot at the super Bowl with Montana, but
with Steve Young, we can play well for the next
eight years. Young was great. I remember thinking Young was
already great. Do you remember when he won the Super Bowl.
There's that shot of him on NFL films. He goes
to the sideline and goes over to one of his

(01:13:24):
linemen and goes, get that monkey off my back. He
had to prove so, like, the thought around Steve young
Man was you can't win big games um, so, yes,
he had proven, but there was more time, there was
more tape, but but that the decision was the same.
Do we do we take an all time great and
play for another year or two, or do we get

(01:13:45):
our guy that can play for the next decade? And
every time, every time, from young to Aaron Rodgers and on,
executives make the decision to go for the next decade.
Patriots did the opposite. The all check is not happy
about it. I get it. We think he's not happy.
And well, see, all right, um, Willard Broussard, let's get

(01:14:08):
to some of this Lakers stuff, because something completely unforeseen
has taken over this story of these young guys that
we didn't. You know, nobody, nobody knew what was about
to happen. And I think it's happened might change the
way people look at the draft. Tell you what we're
talking about in a moment. On Fox Sports Radio, All right, guy,

(01:14:30):
Fox Sports Radio Studios, Chris could not make the case.
But if you take out a transcendent player, like an
all time player like Lebron James, look around the league
and very few of them, at least the successful ones
are being run by number one overall draft picks. Yeah, yeah,

(01:14:57):
who was I mean, I guess Kyrine now I was
running Boston, Yeah, Lebron, Kyrie. Uh gosh, it's off the
top of my head. It's hard to think of who
were number one picks. I mean Greg Old and obviously
is out. Durant was a second pick. Steph wasn't a
number one pick, Hardened wasn't a number one pick. Chris

(01:15:20):
Paul wasn't number one. Kai mid first round Kauai Yeah, yeah,
I mean you can if your point, go ahead and
make your point. I think I think my point is
I'm I'm looking at Kyle Kuzma with the Lakers, and
I'm starting to think, Uh, tanking doesn't work the way

(01:15:42):
people think it does, because I was thinking that before
Kuzma really well. First of all, since they instituted the
NBA lottery in only six times has the team with
the lose with the worst record in the league gotten
the number one pick six So it's far from guaranteed.

(01:16:07):
I mean, it's not even close to being guaranteed that
losing as much as you can is going to get
you the number one pick. That's the first reason tanking
doesn't work. The second reason is that. We have tons
of evidence for teams that were lottery they lived in
the lottery and it never impacted him or it took

(01:16:28):
a decade or more for it to make a difference.
How about the Clippers before they got Blake Griffin, it
they had been in the lottery forever and it really
rarely changed their fortune. You know. They they had a
little bit of success with Elton Brand and you know,
Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles and you know, and then

(01:16:49):
Baron David, you know, but for the most party, it
never changed their fortunes. You can name several Timmy Orlando.
They've been bad for a while now, Phoenix been bad
for a while now, and and nothing looks like it's improving.
So I just think it's a tanking is not the
way to go, and there's evidence for that. Yeah, and

(01:17:10):
nobody will nobody will say, you know, ever admit that
that's what they're doing. And I think the number one
response to what we're saying might be Philadelphia, although, uh,
what has been achieved to this point nothing. I think
it's not a good trajectory. I think you do too.
Ben Simmons looks fantastic, So does them beat if healthy.
So that's all great. I'm not saying I don't like

(01:17:31):
draft picks. I just think the idea one, as you
point out the lottery, there's no guaranteed of getting up top.
But two, I can pretty consistently say the guy you
take up top is not the guy. I think it's
pretty funny that the Lakers are like, hey, we've got
the number two pick back to back years. Here comes
Ingram and Ball, and both of them may be fine,

(01:17:55):
but neither one of them is the best player on
their own team right now. It's the guy that got
all the way at the end of the first round.
It's actually the good one. Yeah, I mean, but that's
somewhat of an admiration. It happens. I mean, Draymond Green,
we know it was the second round pick. Remember Gilbert
Arena's second round pick, so you know it happens. And
again going forward, Kuzma's great. He was a great find.

(01:18:18):
He's obviously the steal of the draft. But uh, in general,
you know, number one guys a lot of times are
the guy. Carl Ben Simmons was the number one pick,
Carl Anthony Towns was a number one pick, Andrew Wiggins
was the number one pick. Now, he's not gonna be
the man, but he's a very good player, player close

(01:18:38):
to an All star level player. Anthony Davis in New Orleans.
Number one pick. You mentioned Kyrie John Wall, Blake Griffin,
Derek Rose, who if he hadn't gotten hurt, probably would
have been a Hall of famer, Dwight Howard, Lebron. You know,
I mean it's not let's not make it out like
the number one picks don't pan out. But but what
is panning out? Right? I'm not saying number one picks

(01:19:02):
don't you know or think players, But I mean you
just mentioned Dwight Howard. Did Dwight Howard pan out? Yeah?
He did, he did. He was great, and he was
a consistent m VP candidate in Orlando, like he was
a consistent top five player. Now I questioned whether or
not he's a Hall of Famer, but most people think,
at least most NBA people think he's a Hall of famer.

(01:19:25):
His his mistake. First of all, he did have the
back injury, which did take something out of him, but
he made a horrible mistake in leaving Orlando that that
derailed his career. That was the worst thing he could
have done the estate in Orlando, he would have been
and and here's the thing, here's what I think panning
out is becoming like a preenial All Star. It's not

(01:19:49):
leading your team to a championship, because right now there
are three players in their prime who have proven they
can lead teams to championships Lebron, Durant and Staff. No.
I don't don't get hung up on the championship thing either, um,
but I also don't get hung up on stats. I
just think that you know, one, he's done. When people
mentioned the name Dwight Howard, what's the first thing you

(01:20:10):
think of. I think for a lot of people, at
least right now in this moment, they kind of roll
their eyes, like, the second half of his career has
been terrible, But what about the first half he was
He wasn't just pretty good, he was awesome. He was
on Pete Lebron. But how many years was that? It

(01:20:32):
was about eight I have to look at me up
exactly eight, Yeah, maybe it was seven. He was in Orlando. Yeah,
it was about the third year he was like one
of the better best bigs in the league. So he
had about a four or five year stretch where he
really did major damage. Well, I you know, you look

(01:20:55):
at guys like that in their career and not being
able to blend with Kobe Bryant, not being able to
blend with James Harden, Well that doesn't make him unique. Well,
but the Kobe part doesn't part does? Like I I
thought that that ends up being a not that was
with style of play that was, I mean, the game
changing Mike D'Antoni obviously doesn't have much use for a

(01:21:19):
player like Dwight Howard. You know, and look when Dwight
was there, how far they go Western Conference finally that
they were terrible? That's true? All right? Coming up next,
I want to ask you who's my ball? Is all
this enough for Lebron? All right? The XFL might be
coming back swirled out around in your missed it? My god,

(01:21:42):
I missed that whole one year of excitement. There's there's
something that's got to be different this time around, though
we'll talk about that in a little bit. The guy
who broke the story, uh is Brad Shepherd, and he'll
join us in a couple of minutes. Rashand Penny on
eight carries his averaging twenty two and a quarter yards
per carry and has three touchdowns. So there's that um.

(01:22:05):
But I also do want to ask you. We talked
about this a little bit last week, and it was
another good week for the Lakers young stars. You know,
My thought is Lebron's not a babysitter, and young guys
very rarely win championships in the NBA. But do you
think the trajectory the Lakers young core is on is
starting to get more interesting to him? Look, I think

(01:22:29):
the whole Lakers Lebron thing is way overblown as it is.
I can't sit here say with a certainty that he
won't go to the Lakers, because you never know what
Lebron is gonna do. But I just think people are
so I mean, it's just been so over talked about,
it over rated, and people are so hoping. I mean,

(01:22:51):
I'm in the mall in l a and people are
hitting me up. Is he coming? Is he coming? I'm like,
can we relax? No? No, no, I don't think why.
I just answer me this, Why should he? Why should he?
Why should he go to the Lakers? Well, okay, it
is a fair question. My premise on even leaving Cleveland

(01:23:13):
in the first place has always been that there's more
than meets the eye, and Lebron feels like his work
is pretty much done there and the relationship with him
and the top in Dan Gilbert is uh. While obviously
not always been bad, it's always been bad since he left,

(01:23:34):
and therefore it's not impossible because he's made it work
to this point. But I think he would. He would
like to be somewhere else. That's the way it feels.
But you would, you just that's just your gut feeling
like there's something there has to be looking whatever he
wants to do, God bless him, and we'll see, but
there has there should be something to be said about

(01:23:56):
staying and building like they are close as it is.
You got another premier all start next to you and
Kevin Love. You're going to get to the finals. You
should with Isaiah Thomas, Let's see how it works. I
think the Click Cavaliers are better this year than they
were last year. Will be when Isaiah gets there and
it gets worked in and acclimated, and I think you

(01:24:19):
got there's something to be saying for battling and overcoming,
and I think it'd be admirable if he stayed. We'll
see if he does I'm not gonna kill him if
he leaves. But if I'm going young, why not go
to Philly? Now maybe in beads health, I mean that
that could be an issue, But why go Why leave

(01:24:40):
the East? And if I want to go west, why
not go to Houston or San Antonio. I got a
better shot of winning there then I think I do
with the Lakers. These are all fair questions. They're all
fair questions. Um, So I start trying to drag him
to the Lakers because I know that's your that's your
m Yeah, I started this, he started this rumor. You

(01:25:05):
eat this rumor up. Like no, no, no, no. I
like Lebron. I like Lebron. I will follow Lebron where
Lebron goes, I will watch those games. I will check
it out. I like Lebron. But um, can you make
one argument that this is the best place for him
to go? The best I know, I can make an
argument that it is a place to go. I can

(01:25:27):
make that for virtually maybe half the teams in the league.
All right, So, but the Lakers are the Lakers. So
that's why they get talked about. Um, the Milwaukee Bucks
don't get talked about. That's just the way, but you
can play with Janie and when if Lebron is there,
they would get talked about Cleveland didn't used to get
talked about. No, that's fair. Um, all right, we'll get
back to that in just a second. Mark whether Chris
Bruce had Fox Sports Radio. Let's bring Brad Shepherd and

(01:25:49):
he broke the story about the XFL. Uh potentially coming back.
It doesn't seem like potential anymore. All the signs point
to this happening, So Brod, thanks for coming on. I'm curious. Um,
they can't just come back and do it the same way, right,
what might be different this time? Yeah? I think that's
a great point. I mean, obviously they've got to have

(01:26:11):
a lessons learned from the first time. I think they're wise,
and they're showing already that they're going to try and
separate the XFL products from the w w E. And
I think we see that where they've trademarked and started
Alpha Entertainment. But yeah, I think definitely keeping the w
w E aspect separate from it is got to be
a lesson learned from the first time. Brad is I

(01:26:32):
got two questions? Is this a done deal? They're definitely
going bringing back to XFL, and to McMahon mentioned, uh
to ever saw that they may be some type of
partnership with the NFL or that might be the best
way to go about it. You probably know the quote
I'm talking about, so talk to me about that. I

(01:26:55):
don't believe there'll be a partnership with the NFL. UH
that would certainly support rise me. I think he wants
some redemption from, you know, the first time failure. As
far as is it happening, yeah, I mean he told
ww employees that to get ready because this is happening.
So yeah, there all indications are that it is going
to happen. Will it be branded under the XFL or

(01:27:17):
you know the trademark UFL the United Football League. That's
still probably up in the air, but it's definitely coming back.
What kind of cities do you think they would target,
brad Well, I think they're gonna look at major markets
without NFL sporting teams. I mean, obviously, I think you
want people who want football, but you want it to
be an alternative, not necessarily direct competition with the NFL.

(01:27:39):
I think that would be a mistake from a business standpoint.
So I'm thinking major markets where they don't have NFL teams.
So what do you feel like there is Like I've
read people saying, well, they're gonna get players to stand
for the anthem, and they're gonna let them hit like
they used sueing NFL not be concerned and about safety.

(01:28:01):
You know, they'll be helmet to helmet hits and all
that type of stuff. Is that is that what we're
looking at? How much of that stuff might actually be
incorporated into this new league. Well, that'd be a great
idea if they want to fold immediately and b sued.
You've read you know what I'm talking about. Though people
are saying the public is hungry for this because the

(01:28:23):
NFL is not what it used to be. Well, I
think there's a happy medium, right. I mean, if they
had the scramble at the beginning of the game, the
very first one they did, where the two are charging
at each other for possession of the ball instead of
a kickoff and the person broke their collar bone, I mean,
that's a lesson learned. You can't have something like that,
But I certainly understand, you know, maybe not having a

(01:28:45):
full legal eas definition of what a catch is. So
I think there's a happy medium there. Yeah, Brad Shepherd
is joining us broke the story with regard to the
XFL like likely coming back in an announcement likely coming
sometime next month. There's all this focus brat on what
didn't work last time? So what would they change? What
did work? What? What like? What happened last time that

(01:29:08):
would even make someone think, Hey, a couple of adjustments
this work next time around. Well, actually, ironically, the XFL
was ahead of its time in a couple of different ways.
You look at from a marketing standpoint, as far as
the production and you know, the camera angles they had
which are actually picked up by the NFL later on,
so that aspect was really good. And some of the

(01:29:29):
promotion of it, the fan involvement in going back into
the locker room with you know, the players and having
all the players miked up. So there was some good things.
I think in hindsight they were ahead of their time.
But there was also some things too that were a
little too wacky that you know, in hindsight, having you know,
the cheerleaders in the locker room and the interviews in
the Randey danger fields is all kinds of you know,

(01:29:51):
it got a little too wacky, But some of the
stuff really was ahead of its time and really would
work today. My first thought when I heard that the
XFL would be act was will he hate me back?
Is he hate me still gonna be? Is he gonna
be on a roster? And you know it's funny because
even today, many years later, he still talked about It's

(01:30:14):
like you know this pop where people remember, yeah, he
hate me. I don't know who he is? Do you
know who he is? His name is Rod Smart? Actually
went on, Yeah, he played in the NFL after his
Santhony XFL, but they've trademarked he hate me, So Rod
Smart has like a short window where he's got to
oppose that. We'll see what happens. By the way, I

(01:30:37):
got some info here on Rod Smart. Then I'll tell
you just a second. But Brad Shepherd, great stuff, great work,
and we look forward to continuing this story. Thanks for
jumping on. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. All right,
there was Brad Shepherd on the XFL. Are you ready
for this? I just looked up Rod Smart? He hate
How long did he play in NFL? Um, I don't

(01:31:00):
want any play in the n f L. So he
went to Western Kentucky. Uh. He played for the Chargers
in two thousand, the Eagles in OH one, the Panthers
from O two to oh five, and then the Raiders
in OH six. He had a good five six year career.

(01:31:20):
Five six year career. Are you ready for this? How
old do you think he is? Let's see, the XFL
was in two thousand one, so he was probably twenty two,
so that was sixteen thirty eight. Um, that's actually very
good math, very quick. Like the well he's forty, so

(01:31:45):
the the XFL feels so long ago to me, I
would have been like, well, he hates me, he's not
coming back. He's fifty. Um, but he's not fifty. He's
the same age as Tom Brady. That's what that's what
he is, so he could be back. My question wasn't
so crazy, except running back. That's gonna be a little
bit difficult. Okay, speaking of the XFL, I pull you

(01:32:08):
think this? I mean, I'm sorry, I don't. I don't
see it working. It didn't you lasted one year? Yeah,
it depends on what they do with it there. There's
certain things, and you touched on this in the interview
that must be changed. I pulled a promo for the
XFL back when it originally came out. You've got to

(01:32:29):
listen to this. We'll play it for you next. It
explains exactly what needs to be changed. Bruce had Willard
Fox Sports Radio, Well, five hundred thousand dollar bonus or not.
Adam Vinitary continues to be the best bad weather kicker
in the history of the NFL. He just put a
long field goal through in a driving rainstorm in Baltimore.

(01:32:50):
Ravens still lead, however, sixteen to ten. Keep you up
to date on that. The ball game is tied. Sts
U and Army. I'm didn't take your boy out. No,
they're still they're still running him twelve carries, two hundred
twenty two yards, three touchdowns, and they're knocking on the
door again and they're trying to get him his fourth
touch down to the game. By the way, he's become

(01:33:12):
the fourth running back in the history of college football
to have five consecutive games at two hundred plus yards rushing.
I want him to go for three hundred three not
enough time on the clock. How much time left? Six
minutes and they're about to go in. Yeah, I mean
if he goes, if he breaks another long one. Yeah.

(01:33:35):
If he goes in here, then Army ties it up.
And then with two minutes to go he breaks a
long one. Uh, then he's got it. But right now,
let's see the Aztecs have a third down. Uh, no,
second down and nine from the eleven. Uh, there goes
Penny Uh to the four Yeah, to the four yard line.
You know what, I'm noticing a lot of these Bowl

(01:33:56):
games are doing and this isn't new or anything, but
I feel like, um, I feel like, well, no, I
feel like, well, he told me you wouldn't gonna watch
you've been watching. No, actually, this is the first one
I've watched. I did read about Josh Allen's game for
Wyoming yesterday. Is the quarterback who's Who's Yeah, Like, I'm

(01:34:18):
noticing that the guys who were going pro, who do
decide to play, because there's a lot of guys now
who are like, I'm out. The word is Josh Rosen,
um is is out. There goes Penny in for his
fourth touchdown. By the way, so that's done. Deal seven ago.
Aztecs back in front. But the guys who do decide
to play, it's like their coach gives them a nod

(01:34:41):
to turn these meaningless bowl games into their own personal
pro day. It's clear to me San Diego State is
showcasing Rashad Penny right now. Wyoming yesterday apparently did their
warmups in a different way so that Alan could show
all the scouts all the different ows. Like they're letting

(01:35:01):
these guys just do different stuff and make it all
about them and their pro prospect. Yeah, that maybe one
way they're getting them to play the deals being made.
But yeah, they and maybe the coaches to appreciate it too.
You know, they they understand the situation, but they appreciate
that these guys wanna ball, wanna be you know, loyal

(01:35:22):
to their teammates, to their coaching staff, and maybe that's
kind of their way of repaying them. Yeah, um makes sense.
I mean, any man he runs hard, he's running hard,
run into the goal line. He's already got his record.
And uh, I mean it was bowl game and he's
a few months away from being a high draft pick
and he is still out there pushing pushing hard. All right,

(01:35:45):
check this out, Chris, I want your thoughts on this.
You kind of brought it up a minute ago. Uh.
The XFL's branding last time around was oh, you're all
the NFL's a bunch of one seats. Uh. This is
where real men play football. Well, since the XFL went way,
CTE has come to light. So how are you going
to pass that by this time? Listen to the XFL

(01:36:07):
promoll when it first came to be back in oh three.
This is where football is played for the love of
the game. No indoor fields, no primadonnas, no whimps. Here
the rules are fiercer, the clock is faster, and halftime

(01:36:29):
is a break, not a vacation. This is football the
way it was meant to be played in giant colosseums
in major cities New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, where the
fans want the game pushed to the extreme, risky plays,
fearless tackles, and one more thing, no fair catches. Anybody

(01:37:03):
they think that they can kiss? All right? Okay, Oh
that wouldn't work anymore. Sorry, that's not gonna work anymore.
I don't know, man, we we did, look we I'm
with you. I talked about it at the beginning of
the show that you know, obviously a lot of parents

(01:37:24):
aren't letting their kids play and stuff like that, But
there is a chunk of people out there, and we
saw it last week on the show, who want that.
They want violence. They don't want the watered down product
that the NFL is giving us at times that could

(01:37:45):
be the XFL. I don't think it will work. Just
because some people want it doesn't mean, as even Brad
Shepard said to us, you can just run out there
and open yourself up to lawsuits. I mean, the world's different.
Why doesn't Why has m m A worked? Why does

(01:38:05):
boxing still exist? Those things that there is not the
believe it or not, there's not the head trauma in
those sports that there is in football, because there isn't
like the running at full speed into other things. I
think boxing has. Look at Muhammed Ali, Okay, no that's fair.

(01:38:25):
Look at a Vander holy Field, look at Thomas Hitman hurt.
I mean we can that's just off the top of
my hand. Like these guys got serious brain damage. You
can tell you by the way they talk. Now, no,
there's no doubt. I'm not I'm not saying it's for
the faint of heart, but you know, in a in
a small space in that boxing ring. And because I

(01:38:49):
still contend that in boxing everybody knows you're signing up
for physical combat. Now, the NFL is that, but it's
not only that, And there is a good portion of
the audience that's there to see throwing and catching and
joking and and touchdowns. There the NFL and football in

(01:39:12):
general outside of the XFL, and that promo has never said, hey, uh,
come to the TV and watch the head trauma. It
does if you take if you take away too much
of the physicality, it's not going to be popular, right,
But just watching the Arena Football League all the time,

(01:39:32):
people you make it a seven on seven or it's going, Hey,
it's still got the passing, the running, the speed, the precision.
People aren't gonna watch that. You gotta be a mix.
Gotta be a mix. It does, but it's all about
what you glorifies. The same reason ESPN no longer does
the jacked up segment. Um, that's what XFL is, That's

(01:39:53):
what that is. Do you hear what he was saying?
Risky plays, uh, fearless tackles and no air catches. I
mean like, uh, if that's your promo and uh, then
some guy gets his head taken off returning a punt,
I just don't think I don't think the world's ready
for you to glorify it anymore. It can be there,

(01:40:14):
but I don't think the XFL is gonna work period. Um.
You know, well last time you had herschel Walker, you
had Steve Young, you had great big names, and I
know that business wise, they could have done some things differently,
but I don't know. I know, those summer months can

(01:40:35):
get long, you know, when there's no football and there's
no NBA. But now there at summer league in the
NBA has become popular. The hot stove if you will,
if you want to call it that, whether it's the NBA,
you know, is taken up a lot of time. I
just don't think there's that appetite for another professional football,

(01:40:59):
not to the extent that is going to compete with
the NFL. Well, I do think there are some interesting
names out there, and uh I did this on on
the San Diego Show yesterday. Now, a couple of these
names would be interesting. People would want to watch them
just because they're old and they're they're like the the
never retired guys, guys that kept coming back, like a

(01:41:21):
Brett Farvor Tarrell Owins. But give Brett Farve yeah, Brett
Farve to play in xflatch that's insane. Of course, it's insane.
It's the XFL that's the whole like, like, no, he's
way too How old is Brett Farven at least the

(01:41:41):
exact same ames that Tom Brady says he's playing till
No way, I would not want to see Brett Farve. Okay,
I give you three names want to see I give
you three names. Are they old? Or are these are
guys who um Costa might not even I don't even
think the thirty yet. Okay, I guarantee you could bring

(01:42:05):
you to the TV set. Do you want to guess
a few? Ye? Go ahead. Colin Kaepernick, Tim Tebow and
Johnny Manziel ding ding dang. I agree. I would. I
would be interested in seeing them, um so, I give
you that, But that's only gonna last for so long.

(01:42:26):
The intrigue would wear off. Eventually you'd be like they're
playing in the miners, you know. Yeah, I want to
see Johnny Manziel or Tim Tebow for a week or two.
But then when I when I started realizing, okay, it's
the minor leagues. It's like having them play in the CFL.
I don't know. I'm not gonna sit down and watch that.
Tim Tebow was playing in the minor leagues all year
last year, and the coverage that was with the hopes

(01:42:49):
that he would get to the major The coverage was sustained,
the interest was sustained throughout. You didn't even stay in
the miners for like three years and see how it
sustained it. You know, there was only the intrigue was
that this guy might play for the bets. How good
is it gonna be? Becoming a perpetual minor league is afterwhile?

(01:43:11):
That's gonna wear all I promised for three years. Every
time that guy hits the home run, it's gonna be Yes, Well,
I'll tell you what I look, you're right that if
you get names like that, you might even throw in
a Vince Young. If you get names like that, there
will be some intrigue. I don't know how long it

(01:43:31):
would last, but there would be some intrigue. Um maybe
it would be like m M A. You know, but
m m A isn't that big compared to boxing in
terms of the money generated and things like that. Um
what I what I thought? And Brad Shepherds shot this down.

(01:43:51):
You know, Vince McMahon said to Dick empersol or suggested
that the league the XFL, could be connected to of
the NFL. That was intriguing to me because that's almost
like saying, you know what, we're going to create a
legitimate minor league. And of course the thought that comes

(01:44:11):
to my mind is are you gonna try to compete
with college football? That's interesting. You're basically saying they could
be the uh, the football version of what LaVar Ball
just brought up in basketball last year last week. Yeah,
but if you did it with the NFL, you could
make it work. I don't think the NFL would do it.
I think the would do it. I think the NFL

(01:44:33):
is the one that would hesitate because what we're just saying,
like they're trying to distance themselves from head trauma, and
now they're gonna partner with the XFL. Well, but what
if you said, first of all, you might call it
something different than the XFL. Um Secondly, if the NFL's
in control, of course they like and that's the thing.
Would McMahon be willing to basically create a minor league? Otherwise?

(01:44:56):
What's he talking about NFL and about to connect itself
of you if you're gonna try to compete with it. Well,
and I know that a lot of the trademarks he
just purchased our XFL related, so I don't think they're
changing the name. But uh more on this and actually
something that absolutely could help the NFL, and I think
both of us are in agreement right now. We'll talk

(01:45:16):
about that in sixty seconds. Let's get Gascon in here
for the full update. David, take it away, gentleman in
Anannapolis is on the move a bunch of Justin Tucker feudals.
Has the Cults been striking distance? At sixteen to ten Baltimore,
About two minutes to play in the third quarter, we
go from the NFL to college football. Shot Penny in
the Aztecs happening again under center, first and goal. This

(01:45:37):
time Penny will fight his way, staying on his feet,
going to the goal line, standing right there at the
goal line, got in the end zone, touched on Sex Russia.
Tenny just wouldn't go down. Yeah, four time today on
the Aztecs radio network. He's got fourteen carries for two
and twenty one yards. The four scores, including an eighty
one yard or he also has sixty two yards and

(01:45:58):
return yardage. Aztecs only lead by seven with Army on
the move. And just in case you are looking to
make some exture money during the holiday season, the point
spread six and a half. Who isn't looking a little
extra cash right now? Exactly? So we go from college
football to college basketball in an upset today Blues ball

(01:46:20):
Welsh battles it to holiday and the Probins are gonna
win U C l A. Doesn't They come to New
Orleans and they pull it off. Oh when they absolutely
had to have and they have it. They have defeated
Kentucky by eight. The number seven team in the country
goes down your finalist eighty three to seventy five. Josh

(01:46:41):
Lewin on the call. Aaron Holiday had twenty points, three
rebounds and also eight assists in the victory. Number five
North Carolina beat Ohio State and beat him down eighties
six to seventy two. Banta Aztecs Army game. Right now,
Army has got the football now at San Diego State's
three yard line with thirty four seconds in counting to
play in the fourth alright, well, so your dream of
three hundred yards is still alive. Here, Chris, because this

(01:47:03):
game might be going overtime. Yeah, they're marching. Went they
had to two now, so yeah, I probably will. They
did not get in on the first and goal play,
but they've got two time outs. Uh so the clock
is gonna get stopped here twenty two seconds will be
second and goal from like the yard and a half
got to one officially, he I don't think he won't

(01:47:25):
get three hundred, well, unless they go into about seven.
That's usually the way it works there in college football. Right,
this is when you bet the over, especially since neither
one of these teams have been able to stop the
other one all day. So I'm not saying it's likely,
but the dream is still alive, That's all I'm saying. Um.
Willard Roussaud Live, Geico, Fox Sports Radio Studios. Easy to Say.

(01:47:49):
More on car insurance with Geico, go to Geico dot
COMA call eight nine seven auto only, hard part figuring
out which way is easier. So how about this, and
we'd love to hear from you. Would this maybe change
your outlook your vibe on the NFL eight seven seven
ninety nine on Fox. I think just what the doctor
ordered would be if the Carolina Panthers did go from

(01:48:14):
someone like Jerry Richardson to someone like a group headed
up by Steph Curry. He doubled down and confirmed yesterday
he's completely serious. This started out with a comment from Diddy,
and Curry was like, I'm in. I don't know if
did he actually would be a part of it. But
Curry is like, I'm completely serious about my desire and

(01:48:38):
it's a good idea for for two reasons, the smaller
of which is Charlotte is his hometown, and therefore he
would keep the team there because they do have a
lease that's up next year. They could relocate. Uh, they
should stay there. They've got good fans and therefore Steph
Curry would keep it there. But secondarily to add youth,

(01:48:58):
to add diverse any and to add a cool factor
to NFL ownership. I think it would be huge right now,
Chris No, I love it. I'm in total agreement. I
think it'd be tremendous. That's what these ownership groups need
is diversity, um, diversity of thought, diversity of race. Um.

(01:49:19):
And you're right, I mean Steph's hometown kid. Uh, it'
be tremendous. You know. There's obviously to talk to about
Kaepernick being a part of that ownership group, which that
would be interesting. Uh, if he could own the Panthers
and play in the XFL, can he do that? I

(01:49:40):
don't know? Can you? Can you be an owner player?
Can you be the park owner and the team? I
would think you could well see that was the thing too.
Did he already showed that he may not know what
he's talking about when he said Kaepernick is gonna play
for his team? Have already Yeah, if you him to

(01:50:00):
sit there and hold you know, the clipboard for Cam okay,
But um no, I like it all the way around. Um,
I think it'd be great. And we talked earlier about
That's one of the things the NBA has done so
well is kind of have that cool factor incorporate popular
culture into the league. Is seen as very hip, you know,

(01:50:22):
and the NFL isn't. This would be a step in
the right direction. I think. I'll tell you what. Uh,
it's the biggest strength of Adam Silver from from the
well Stern Stern though, I mean that started under David Stern. Obviously,
David Stern wasn't quote unquote hip, but he did a
great job of marketing the individual players and you know,

(01:50:47):
allowing for the player's personality to come back, come out,
and in doing that he allowed for them to connect
to hip hop and just beat themselves. For Stern gets
the credit for the marketing of it, if Jules Silver
gets the credit. Though in my lifetime, of every major
sports commissioner, there's never been one that has felt more

(01:51:10):
in tune with the public and in tune with his
players than Adam Silver. He feels sometimes um accessible, It
feels like one of the guys he just he does.
But ye, I like Adam. Adam has done a great
job so far. But I like the way David Stern

(01:51:32):
ran the lead too. I mean, David Stern I think
was the best commissioner in American sports history because he
had obstacles that the NFL did not have in base
baseball did not have to overcome. Remember what the NBA
was in the seventies. People thought it was two black people,
you know, talked about the players being on drugs. We know,

(01:51:53):
the biggest games and the finals were on tape delay.
And he turned that into what it is today, a
tremendously global sport, probably the second most popular sport in
the world. And his players are among the most marketable
athletes in the world. Uh So, I give Stern the
majority of the credit. And I think Adam took over

(01:52:16):
a ship that was cruising in the right direction and
he's done a great job with it as well. He
certainly does seem more like one of the guys I
mean Stern. Stern ruled with an iron six and that
ended up. He had a lot of issues with players
and like lockout meetings and going back and forth at
it with players. Um so, I get that, but I

(01:52:38):
think players also respected what he did for that league
and how much he generated, how much money he generated
for them and that league. So sometimes you're not gonna
be liked. I mean when the league is cruising so
well that they may not have an issue where you know,
they may not have another lockout for anything for the

(01:52:59):
first in the future, they may not have contention. But
if they do, that's when it's gonna be interesting to
see how Silver handles. I like companies that take their
employees thoughts into account when making decisions, and that's what
it feels like the NBA is doing on their Adam Silver.
Um all right, check this out. Army got the touchdown
to tie, except for They didn't tie because you know what,

(01:53:20):
they didn't go for an extra point. They went for two,
and Chris, they got it. Army takes the thirty lead
over San Diego State. There's eighteen seconds left on the clock.
That's what sts U has left to try to do
something in the Armed Forces ball and man, you could
just cut the tension with a knife that the game

(01:53:43):
doesn't really matter, So it doesn't matter. Nobody really cares.
That was a nice try. But here's the thing. If
I get the ball, instead of throwing a hail mary right,
instead of doing the old button hook and and pitching
it all around and see if somebody can get into
end zone, I'm just going off right tackles up the middle.

(01:54:08):
You're right, that is that is the Aztecs version of
a hail mary. Probably were Okay, we're gonna find out
the answer to that coming up next. I think you've
got a very interesting question related to the Houston Rockets.
Will do that next, Willard Brusade, Fox Sports Radio. So, Chris,
you know who agrees with you? Who? Danelle Pumfrey, so

(01:54:33):
San Diego States start running back last year? Who now
owns the record for the all time yards in uh
college football is now an injured member of the Eagles.
Were welcome me back to the Geico Fox Sports Radio Studios.
STSU did not win that game. On that final drive,
they went backwards, they took a sock. Then they tried

(01:54:54):
to do as you said, that whole hook and ladder
thing bouncing around and ends up in the hands of
an Army defend. He goes in for another touchdown and
the game is over. An Army wins this one forty
two to thirty five. What you had said right before
that play, You're like, just give it to Penny, just
running running up the middle, so obvious. Well, Pumphrey after

(01:55:16):
the end of the game, he just tweeted straight blew it,
shaking my head. All we had to do was give
Penny the damn ball. He goes the man has average
damn near thirty yards per carry today. Yea, yea, that
was it. I was it. I can't believe. And you
where were they at the forty? Yeah? Yeah, they started
to drive at the forty They only needed twenty five yards.

(01:55:39):
They had twelve seconds and a time out. I would
have been probably only had one play because if you
run it, it's not like you're throwing the ball where
the clock was stopped, you know. But if you run
it and he does get stopped earlier, you can use
your time out and then throw your hail Mary. How
about a screen past to Penny, like get it out
in space. All you needed was five yards and you
could have tried to o goal. He screwed up. There

(01:56:02):
was no question I would have got the ball. In opinion,
that's crazy. Uh so, yeah, you called that one Army
beat San Diego State. There was lots on the line. Uh.
In other words, there was nothing on the line. But
uh but Penny ran for almost Yeah. I think to
thirty nine two or thirty nine yards and four touch
What I saw see power, some moves blocking. I mean,

(01:56:28):
he's a complete package back. So that's gonna be interesting
to watch. As far as the NFL Draft, Josh Allen
did it yesterday. I think at the quarterback position for
Wyoming got some attention. Uh, Penny does it today? Al Right,
glad you're with us, Um, how about some calls at
the top of the hour on a discussion you had
on the End the Zone podcast this week. Kobe Duncan,

(01:56:49):
Kobe Duncan, we can, we can do that. I also
thought though you brought up Yeah, you brought up an
interesting question with regard to the Rockets, who admitted this
week that they're obsessed with the Warrior ars. I like that.
You think that's a bad thing, that they're obsessed with
the Warriors. Let's let's paint the whole picture. GM Darryl Morey,

(01:57:10):
in an interview with ESPN Radio, said that they are
obsessed with beating the Warriors. I think that's a great thing,
because you know who else was obsessed. Isaiah Thomas was
obsessed with Boston when in the eighties, Michael Jordan was
obsessed with Detroit in the eighties. San Antonio in after blowing,

(01:57:37):
if that's what you want to call it, blowing that
championship against Miami, was obsessed with not just winning it
in but beating Miami. They said they wanted Miami in
the finals, not just anybody else in the finals. They
were obsessed with him. We saw what happened in I
think it's a great thing. Not I'm not saying they're

(01:57:58):
gonna beat Golden State, but if you're not obsessed with
the best team, the team that's in your way, then
you either don't care that much, or you think you've
done something when you really haven't achieved anything. So I
like it. Um here is Rockets general manager Darryl Morey
earlier this week making that comment. I mean, it's the

(01:58:20):
only thing we think about. We're basically obsessed with how
do we beat the Warriors? We chuct it. It's like,
if we're gonna win a title, we've got to obviously
beat the Warriors at some point. A lot of our
signings and you know, what we do during the year
is based on that. It's all we think about. I
do think that I agree with you. They should be

(01:58:42):
How could they not be? Quite frankly, the entire NBA
should be. Yeah, And I think it is. The one
question I have though about that is when you're a
team that's led by a player who has had the
playoff story that he's had in James Harden, the one
thing you wonder about is if you're that obsessed with

(01:59:06):
Golden State and in theory you're not facing Golden State
until the conference finals, does it leave you I think
it might predisposed to stumbling before you even get there. Well,
the examples I just used, no, I mean, it's not
like you're gonna, you know, take everybody else lightly. You know,

(01:59:29):
the Hardens having a tremendous regular season. He's i think
right now, probably the front runner for m VP, and
so he's not taking a regular season lightly. No. But
and you know, I mean, these guys are professional enough
to know that you only get Golden State if you
take care of business. And believe me, as obsessed as
they may be with the Warives, they are not overlooking

(01:59:52):
the Spurs. Well, no, they're not gonna They're not gonna
overlook them. But let's not forget James Harden's most recent
playoff game against the Spurs. And if all you're thinking
about is the Warriors again, it does that. It makes
you feel like they are staring at that as if

(02:00:13):
they've already got a free path to go get there
like he In other words, shouldn't you just be obsessed
with winning? Well yeah, but a subplot of that is
beating Golden State. You're not gonna win if you don't
be Golden State. They win enough, They win enough regular

(02:00:36):
season games, they win enough playoff games. For the most part,
I mean, they're a good playoff team. They've been to
the conference finals recently. It's about beating Golden State and
winning the championship. That's what it's about. I think all
he's saying is that's the team in our way, the
number one thing. And he admitted in that you know,
we didn't play the excerpt, but he also said, look,
we may not even have the right to say this

(02:00:57):
because San Antonio beat us last year. So we're not
saying we're better than them, but for us, if if
we get past san Antonio. He didn't say this, but
that's kind of to me was the implication. We gotta
get past in Antonio too, but we know ultimately we're
going to have to beat the Warriors. So I think

(02:01:20):
that's all he was saying. Yeah, no, it's nothing. That's
not unfair statement, of course. And right now, right now
they are a half game behind the Warriors. If they
get that number one seed, they may not have to
beat San Antonio, which would be great for them, I mean,
because you want to avoid the Spurs. If if I'm

(02:01:41):
the Warriors, I'm not afraid of the Spurs, but if
I'm the Warriors or the Rockets, that number one seed
does mean something. If it helps you avoid San Antonio
in the second round. You still like the Rockets for
a thirty percent chance to beat the Warriors after back
to back home losses to the two l A teams. Yeah,
I mean it's a two games a bad week. You

(02:02:02):
have bad losses you can't name. I mean when when
the when the Warriors won seventy three games? Look at
the losses. You know it happens. Give up a lot
of points to Clippers and Lakers. Well you you you
don't have one of your best defenders in Chris Paul. Yeah, no,
not the same without Chris Paul. Chris Paul did play
in the game against the Lakers, not against the Clippers.

(02:02:24):
Um as the game he got hurt, exactly, all right,
Willard Broussard, Kobe Duncan. That's next, alright, lots still to
do as we head into our final hour. The Colts
and Ravens are coming down the stretch as well. About
six minutes to go in this game, Ravens lead twenty
three to thirteen. However, the Colts do have the ball
in Ravens territory right now on the outskirts of field

(02:02:48):
goal range. So not quite a done deal yet. We'll
follow along, we'll keep you posted. And then there's the Nightcap.
It's late December, it's cold, and there's a game at
lambeau Field. I don't care the scenario. That's fun to watch.
So we'll get you ready for that one as well
with Chris Bruce, Sard, Mark Willard Live Geico, Fox Sports
Radio Studios. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen cent or

(02:03:08):
more on car insurance. Get dot com for a free
rate quote. Uh, Kobe versus Duncan came up on your
podcast in the Zone this week. Um, and uh, my
thoughts on that might surprise you, and so we'll have
that coming up in a little bit. Damon Bruce point
seven the game in San Francisco, the afternoon host gonna
join us in a couple more on Garoppolo there and Uh,

(02:03:32):
I mean I'll just ask you by I get the
sense based on our conversations today. Uh you think I'm
you think I'm maybe getting ahead of myself a little
bit on Garoppolo? Is that fair? A little? I like
him a lot? You know, I mean you you can't help,
but like what you've seen, not only the on the
field production, the three wins, the fact that he didn't

(02:03:53):
have much help, but just the composure. Uh, We've all
now seen the video of the way he you know,
talks with his teammates, the things he sees on the
field last week. If you haven't seen that video, go
track it down NFL dot com, whatever it's out. That's

(02:04:14):
because some people, you either are a leader of men
or you're not. And I'm not saying you can't learn
some different leadership attributes and things like that, but he
clearly is a natural leader, at least to this point.
I don't know if that was trained, he learned that
from Brady, if he had his whole life, but whatever
the case, he looked like a leader of men. You know,

(02:04:37):
he just got there, right, He just got there, and
he has already taken control of that team and that huddle,
and I'm sure everybody there loves him, so I like
him a lot. I'm just saying, it's a small sample size.
When I'm talking about giving up the best quarterback of
all time, it's a small sample size. Who's still playing

(02:04:58):
at an m v P level still may lead us
to a uh super Bowl. It's a small sample size. Okay,
there's no there's no question about that, And uh, like,
how much longer is Brady gonna play, blah blah blah.
I know he's you know, it says five more years.
It's really interesting though, because it wasn't just Brady and

(02:05:19):
where he's playing. It was also Garoppolo. It was also Brissette.
An underdiscussed thing this year is the fact that, you know,
Bill Belichick, the perception is though he makes a trade
and uh, he's just pulling. He's pulling the wall over
someone else's eyes. They got Philip Dorset, a disappointing first
round receiver from the Colts, for Jacoby Brissette, And uh,

(02:05:44):
you tell me how much of you heard from Dorsett
this year with the Patriots, even with multiple wide receiver
injuries Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan going in and out,
you've heard next to nothing. So I still hear more
about Tony Dorsett exactly. So you this is that the
sum total of what the Patriots got for their two
quality backup quarterbacks is the forty niners second round draft

(02:06:07):
pick this year. And Philip dor said that that feels
like a protest on the part of Bill Belichick as
opposed to him pulling off good trades, because on the surface,
they're terrible trades. Now I hear you, I hear you.
It's gonna be interesting to see how this plays out.
And Belichick, you know, if he gets tired of something

(02:06:28):
or doesn't like it, he will leave. Remember he was
gonna coach the Jets. They thought they had him to
replace Bill Parcels, and he just totally shocked everyone and
went to New England. You know, so he won't sit
around and stay around if he doesn't think or like
the way things are are happening. Well, I mean, let's
ask the question also, you know, so what happens next there?

(02:06:52):
Like me, I would bet that Belichick is there next season,
wouldn't you? Well, but I mean, like, who is the
next quarterback? It's funny that no one talks about this
there because who's their backup right now? Brian Hoyer. They
picked him up when the forty Niners let him go
when Jimmy Garoppolo was traded there. No, he's not the

(02:07:14):
next guy. So the question that mean, you know, if
you look around the league, all of these other veteran,
established quarterbacks, who, by the way, aren't as old as Brady.
It's what everyone's talking about. Oh, the Saints, they need
to find someone the Chargers. They gotta find their next guy.
The Steelers, Hey, my gosh, he talks about retirement every year.

(02:07:36):
They gotta find their next guy. No, no one's talking
about that in New England, as if Tom Brady is
from the movie Cocoon and this is just gonna keep
going like it's not. I don't know if he's got
five more years or two more years or two more games.
But it's time to think about who's next. And Bill
Belichick just sent two options out the door. No, I

(02:07:57):
I hear you. I um, I just it was a
tough situation, and you so you would have just paid
the money. I thought about that. I think that that
might have been the way I would have tried to go.
But franchise in a backup who was probably gonna be
a backup for another. Brady's got he's through nineteen, he
got two full seasons left. But we trade him. You

(02:08:20):
could always trade him. It's such a high level think
I might just keep him and let him start and
win me another super Bowl or not, and then let Garoppola.
You're pulling against the Patriots, I can tell well, who
doesn't Just to justify your don't because I like I

(02:08:40):
like history being made, and so if Brady I'm not
necessarily I'm not saying I'm the hugest Tim Brady fan,
but I do like history being made. And if he
goes out and wins another Super six, super Bowl seven,
super Bowl, that's just I just love I mean, you know,
I just love to see a guy be that great. Yeah.

(02:09:03):
By the way, I'm not really rooting against the Salt
based on any point. I love that Garoppolo ended up
in San Francisco. I I pulled. I pulled for the Niners.
I think that's it's phenomenal. They listen, it's good. It's
good to have them be good. It's good. And you
know what else it is, By the way, this is
let's go backwards in time a little bit and give
a wink and a nod. Two teams. The Lakers are

(02:09:26):
one of them, by the way, who are thinking outside
the box. With regard to bringing in a general manager.
You always seem to work in a favorable Lakers take. Really, yes,
you know what they're getting they're getting Lebron. No, I
don't know. I don't think they're getting Lebron, you know,
but you always want to work that in, do you
know what's so funny about Kuzma's play. Well, maybe Lebrown

(02:09:48):
will come now Kusma is good. That is good. Now, Now,
now you know what's funny about anything related to the Lakers.
And having done so many years of radio in Los Angeles,
I know this to be true. No, no matter what
you say, people who don't like the Lakers think you're
a Laker lover, and people who do like the Lakers

(02:10:08):
think you're a Laker hater. I can't tell you how
much on social media I've never been called right on point.
The use of the world are like, you love the Lakers.
Lakers fans think I hate the Lakers. It's hilarious. And
as long as it's going like that, by the way,
I think I'm right where I need to be because

(02:10:30):
that means I'm making points in New York is um no, yeah,
so go ahead, Pelinka, Pelinka's I mean getting Cuzman man,
John Lynch. Everybody good with John Lynch. Yeah, I mean,
look what John Lynch has done in a year. And
I remember what was said when he got hired. What what? Yeah,

(02:10:53):
broadcasting what? And this is unqualified? You know. I even
bring it to Tony Romo going to the broadcast both
our industry. How to this Outpourt? What about Phil Simms?
What about Phil Simms? Tony Romo is doing a great No,
one's talking about Phil Simms. Now, Tony Romo is doing
a great job. John Lynch with what he did at

(02:11:13):
the draft last year, nailing this Garoppolo trade. The power
position they're in now with a top pick and not
needing a quarterback, My my gosh, like he he's been
incredible this year. Well, he's he's a smart guy. He
wasn't just a hard hitter, and that's why they hired
him because beyond a great football player, he was a

(02:11:35):
smart guy and you knew that. And so he's just
shown that since he's been at the Him, um Dog
in Colorado wants to weigh in, Hi, Dog, thanks for calling, Hi.
I wanted to comment on this Jimmy Garoppolo talk. He's
he's out of my school, Eastern Okay, and out of

(02:11:55):
that school him Sean Payton Tony Romo. Um, there was
a kicker out of there that played for the or
a punter that that played for the Oakland Raiders. His
last name was Cossett, and that schools produced some pretty
good people and Also, I'd like to hear some comments

(02:12:17):
or discussion regard to Jimmy Garoppolo's learning curve because he's
a guy that's has not been a starter, um, but
he owns two Super Bowl things, So yeah, he learned.
He learned at the feet of the greatest. And obviously

(02:12:37):
the first thing you think about is Aaron Rodgers with
Brett Farve, and you know, if he can become I mean,
if he can become three quarters of the player Aaron Rodgers's,
that's great. I think there's two things that go into it,
because you know, we say Rodgers learned under far or
did he? I mean it seems like they actually despised

(02:12:58):
each other for the majority the time that they were
there together. But just being around you know, it's gonna
help you and the other side do it is. I
think that when guys are that good but they don't
get to play for an extended period of time, it
builds an intense competitiveness drive motivation in those guys, so

(02:13:21):
that when a Rogers, when a Garoppolo gets their chance, uh,
they're loving that chance. They cherished that chance. They absolutely
don't take anything for granted. Um and boom they they
they're they're ready to come out and succeed with it.
I think that's what you're seeing. All Right. We're having
trouble tracking Damon Bruce down, but we will uh Damon
Bruce Afternoon host point seven, the game that's still ahead,

(02:13:42):
and uh, potentially surprising conversation about Kobe versus Duncan. That's next,
Fox Sports Radio. All right, what does it mean when
Geico says just fifteen minutes can save you fifteen percent
or more on car insurance? Probably should have gone to
Geico dot com fifteen minutes ago. Oh, got a little
something going on in this NFL game. The Colts are

(02:14:04):
within seven and just blocked upon in Ravens territory. So
two oh three to go. Colts have the ball first
and ten at the Ravens seventeen yard line and it's
six and am not deserved to make the playoffs if
you lose this game? If you're Baltimore? Am I right? Um? Yeah?

(02:14:25):
But they still very much might even if they lose
this game. But this this should be a rule. Maybe
in the XFL there'll be a new rule. If you
lose a game like this, you don't desire to be
in the playoffs. There's there's a lot of teams watching
this with interest, the Bills, the Chargers, the Titans, and
UH and beyond. This would bring a lot of people

(02:14:46):
back into the mix also UH, Raiders, Dolphins, et cetera. So,
uh interesting finish coming up here. Two minute warning will
keep you up to date. Willard Broussard. Alright, So on
the in the Zone podcast, what was the conversation this
week between Kobe and Duncan? Well, it was a big
week for Kobe Bryant obviously had his jersey, both both

(02:15:07):
jersey numbers eight and twenty four retired at the Staples Center. UH.
And so I rated you know where Kobe ranks all
time in my view my top ten players? Was he?
Was he not in the top ten? Yes? I had
him number seven all time. I had Tim Duncan number
ten all time. And so the debate between myself and

(02:15:31):
Jason McIntyre, I slaughtered him by the way, was Kobe
Bryant or Tim Duncan who was the better player? Obviously
I thought Kobe, but he thought Duncan. But now he
thinks Kobe. Hm. My first response to like, do you
think you win every debate? Uh? No, nine I think,

(02:15:56):
I just I think the number. I think the number
that I've been told these between you and McIntyre and
all the other shows. I'm on, yeah, that's that's what
I've been told. Good for you, that's okay. Um. So
to me, this is like not even a question. It's

(02:16:18):
like not even a question. And when you say that
leading into your opinion, people are gonna go, oh, wait
a minute, you're about to rip someone. No, they're both phenomenal.
I mean they're both all timers. Yeah, you're nitpicking when
you but this isn't even close because to me, the
n b A is an entertainment product. This is not

(02:16:42):
We're We're not here for the stats. I'm not who's
here for the stats. I don't pay bucks to go
get popcorn a beer and watch stats. They're watching the
ball bounce off the backboard boom boom boom. Don't so
you say, of course, but here, I mean, what's more memorable,

(02:17:05):
Kobe Bryan or Tim Duncan. No, no question there. But
I'm asking you, as a basketball player, let's if we
can take the entertainment aspect, the business aspect out of it,
which player would you take? Because of course, I mean
you would take a lot of players over Tim Duncan

(02:17:29):
if you just say what's more entertainment. No, I'm not
just saying what's more entertaining. But if if we're gonna
spotlight and get into a tunnel about this question, and
you're asking me the significance, the betterment, the the not
just the flashier, the more effective all around product of
Kobe Bryant versus Tim Duncan, I just I don't find

(02:17:52):
that to be all that close. Um, but you're not.
But you're working in the other other aspects. Okay, so
if you if you're remove a bunch of aspects, I mean,
because you're right with Kobe, there's the entertainment value, the
excitement value. Of course, that's there's no question. Nobody would
debate that. I don't even think Tim Duncan would debate that.

(02:18:15):
And both got me five titles, so you can't say, well,
Duncan one more. Yeah, he won more regular games, regular
season games, you know, fifty plus wins every year other
than the lockout years. Um, But they both ended up
with five rings. So you won just as much with
Kobe as you did with Duncan. Plus you got all

(02:18:37):
the other stuff. But I'm just can you can you
even separate them and just say basketball wise, Yeah, but
I think even in basketball because when we rank the
top ten, we're not including all that other stuff, right,
But but just in basketball, like Kobe does more things.
I mean, if you're if you're talking about like I mean,
he did it with two different groups of stars and

(02:18:59):
two different systems. You know, Tim Duncan was a Greg
Popovitch product, like so many other things have been. Well,
Kobe only one it with Phil Jackson, correct, but at
two different eras of Phil Jackson, Um and Phil. Phil
doesn't change eras though you we we saw that in
New York. Well, but but he did a little, but

(02:19:20):
it wasn't the same. It wasn't by the way, It's
quick pause for a big play in the Colts Ravens game,
fourth and ten for the Colts from the Ravens seventeen
yard line, Rissette will throw incomplete incomplete. I don't see
a flag. T Y Hilton wants one. He's not gonna
get it. The Colts have no time outs. There's a
minute thirty eight to go. The Ravens are gonna win

(02:19:41):
this game. So according to you, they're still playoff eligible.
You know what you're It would have been more exciting
if the Colts it won, right, just the playoff the
playoff situation, I don't know. It depends on who you
want to well no, but yeah, yeah, I'm saying is
if you were completely objective and you just want drama,

(02:20:02):
who does this eliminate anybody? No? No, because it's like
they're gonna be the owners of the top wild card spot.
All these other teams are still able to potentially get
the second wild card spot, Buffalo, Buffalo, Titans, Chargers technically
even the Raiders and Dolphins. Raiders are still alive technically, mathematically, realistically,

(02:20:25):
that lost spot is gonna go to either Buffalo Tennessee
or the Chargers. I'd like the Raiders to be alive there,
but they're not mathematically, and they're playing the Eagles on
Christmas Night. I'm pretty sure they're gonna lose that game. Yeah,
like Nick Foles as much as you like Jimmy Garoppolo. No, no,

(02:20:47):
I don't know. If Jimmy Garoppolo were quarterback in the Eagles,
the Eagles would have already won the Super Bowl. Oh man, Yeah,
I'm with you, know, But anyway, getting getting back to
your point. Um, look, I am a at my core,
I'm a guard guy over a big guy guy. Do
you know what I mean? I'm a guard guy over

(02:21:08):
a forward guy. Um, look at the Uh you know,
at any given moment, go to NBA dot com and
find out what jerseys are selling. You're gonna be hard
pressed to find any centers or power forwards. And Bead
might change this every now and again. You're gonna get
an exciting, transcendent big guy like that. But to me,
what really makes basketball teams? Increasingly? I know there was

(02:21:30):
a time where it was like if you had a shock,
that was the deal. And that's fine, But how many
of those are there in general? Um? You look around
at the NBA right now? What runs the show? Uh,
it's it's perimeter, It's it's Lebron, it's Steph, it's hardened. Um.
To me, Kobe Bryant does more things on a basketball

(02:21:51):
court than Tim Duncan does. So that's that's you know,
that's but I don't think I mean, and that's that's
the way you rank it. I was with you. I
I had Kobe ahead of Tim Duncan obviously. Um, like
you said, he repeated as champion twice. Tim Duncan never
did it, never did it, and it's difficult to repeat.

(02:22:15):
And obviously Duncan was proof of that. He never repeated
his champion and Kobe did it not once but twice. Obviously,
the individual achievements, I mean, Kobe scored eighty one points
in a game and he wasn't seven feet playing against
a bunch of six nine guys like Will when he
scored a hundred, you know. And and the game, I

(02:22:37):
mean that that game was even geared towards Will getting
a hundred at a certain point, you know, his teammates.
Kobe was doing it in the midst of a competitive game,
trying to win, bring his team back from an eight
team point deficit. The nine straight forty point games. The
game we scored sixty two and three quarters against Dallas,

(02:22:58):
and at that point Dallas only has sixty one points.
Like he outscored an entire team by himself. I mean,
so I'm with you on Kobe. I mean, Duncan had
a few advantages over Kobe. You have more Hall of
Fame teammates. He had one great, all time great coach
for his entire career. Kobe went through several coaches, you know.

(02:23:22):
So those are all reasons just basketball wise that I
go with Kobe. Obviously, a smaller guy can do more
than a big man. Um. I don't always go with
that logic of taking small over big or the guard
perimeter player over the big man um because I had
Shock rated sixth ahead of Kobe one slot. And the

(02:23:47):
way I determined that was that if I had to
start a team, even today, if I had to start
a team, who would I take Shock or Kobe? And
I would take Shock today today because Shock, Shock was capable.
Shock was capable of doing a lot more than he

(02:24:09):
actually showed. He can handle the ball, he could shoot. Now,
I'm not saying it was a great shooter, but see
Shock would have been coming in today, Shock would have
been more like Embid because he had that athleticism, he
had the shot, he could shoot, he could um, dribble like,
he could do a lot of the things, he could pass,

(02:24:32):
a lot of things in b could do. But in
that day and age, it was get on the block.
And Shock was smart enough to know if I'm on
the block killing people, that's the best thing for us.
So if Shock came up in today's game. I think
he would have been able to play on the perimeter
at least enough, just like in bed and be shooting

(02:24:54):
from three. But we give him credit as he's a
guy that can stretch the floor when he wants. But
the bulk of MB production is on that block, and
you would have stop Shock. I mean, I think you're
gonna try to guard Shock with Draymond Green. I can
tell you who would stop Shock? Who Stephan Clay. That's

(02:25:15):
first of all, that's three players, Give me one, give
me the one. Players got to hear me out. Shot
gets too they go the other end to get three.
They're not getting three on every possession. If if you,
if you guard me with your little finesse, small lineup,
and I got Shock in there. He's scoring or getting
fouled on every possession. He's going for sixty and when

(02:25:37):
you start doubling him, he's kicking out the shooters. Games changed.
So now a great big man. I mean, you don't
agree that, you don't You don't agree that the big
man has been marginalized. And no, no, the big man
has been marginalized because there's very few good big men.
The great big men haven't been marginalized. Karl Anthony town

(02:25:58):
still killing people. Uh, Joe l embiad is killing people,
by the way, would destroy people. Those two teams that
you just mentioned, where are they in the standings? Again?
What are young? Those guys are young? Okay? What was
what was Steph doing at that age? U not not
leading the team the big wins. Step didn't have Jimmy
Butler and Andrew Wiggins as teammates in his third or

(02:26:21):
four So now we're raising Andrew Wiggins to the level
of something Tulu. That's not a good team. That's that's
a good roster, not a fourth seed in the West. Exactly.
That's good. It is good. It's not as good as
not as good as the Rockets and Warriors who don't
come inside the three boys, they're full of veterans. All right,
more on missing a second um Gascon let's get him

(02:26:44):
in here, get you up today. On everything going on, David.
And for the record, there's only one guy that could
shut down Shack. That's Kobe Bryant. See the two there.
I thought it was. Let's see that you go be hater,
Kobe hater right there, Kobe. One of the finals, MVP
shot the Lakers out of that series in a five games.

(02:27:05):
See anyways, have fun going outside the studio today? Can
there's a riot, but already angry the front door, gentlemen.
NFL news Ravens just beat the Colts three to sixteen.
Joe Flacco was twenty ninety eight two thirty seven yards
and two tds with that win. Ravens now nine and

(02:27:27):
six the season, five and two at home, so good
record for them. In about sixty minutes from now, I
get the Packers and Vikings. That game will be on
NBC and uh some sad news to report in college football, Nick,
if you may, the season comes to a close for
Mark's San Diego State Aztecs. He's gonna go for two
eighteen seconds left in the game. Are trailing San Diego

(02:27:50):
State thirty five thirty four. Here in the Lockheed Martin
Armed Forces ball, it'll be one play from the three
yard nine on the two point conversion lined up between
hashets Tell Walker in motion, pitch out, Tell Walker running
far corner. He's in the two boy con Merchant is
good that Army is taking the lead at thirty six
thirty five with eighteen seconds to play. Got a cheap

(02:28:14):
Touchdowt the on the ball game when the Aztecs are
trying to later it, Army wins it thirty five. Can
we stop for a second, Mys, you went to San Diego.
Stead just slipped your mind. And the only thing that
that was the only thing I wanted out of today's
game was the shot Penny to come out of it healthy.

(02:28:36):
That's the only thing I cared about in this game,
and he did. So It's all good for good go Army,
be all you can be for fourteen carries for petty
two twenty one yards and four t d s and
losing effort, but again Army wins it forty two to
thirty five. Off the field, Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen says
he'll turn pro in gentlemen, All right, good stuff, Aztec

(02:28:59):
dave appreciation of we're live in the Geico Fox Sports
radio studio is easy to say. More on car insurance
with Geico, go to Geico dot com call eight er
nine seven auto only hard part figured out which way
is easier? Uh. We get to some cavalier stuff in
a second. But eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox.
Our lead question today has been twenty five years from now.

(02:29:24):
What sport do you think will be king in the
United States. Chris has said the NBA, I think that
seventeen will be remembered as the year the downfall of
the NFL was wildly exaggerated. Um, I think the NFL
is fine. I mean, I truly think the sentences that

(02:29:46):
short the NFL is fine. Where where everyone's looking at
the evidence of of oh it's falling off the table,
Let me give you this evidence. John Schnaut, or the
CEO of Papa John's, got on the side of Jerry
Jones and decided to take a shot at Roger Goodell. Obviously,
for Jones it was personal. He doesn't want Goodell to

(02:30:07):
get extended and he was mad about Ezekiel Elliott. So
he puts his buddy John Schnader up to ripping Roger
Goodell on a Papa John's conference call. Instead of everybody going, yeah,
they're right, this is the wosification of football. We're not
watching anymore, ratings are going down, it's Schnader himself has

(02:30:28):
faced such an incredible PR disaster he had to step
down the CEO this week. Isn't that America saying hey,
you shush, Football's fine. You're the problem. Football is fine,
there's no question. But baseball is fine too, but his
baseball is still King. No, that's all I'm saying. Football

(02:30:50):
is going to survive hopefully, I hope it. I mean,
I love football, so I hope it's still survives and
is great in twenty five years from now? Is that
what it would be? But I'm just saying it won't
be King. Maybe it's even with the NBA in twenty
five years, or maybe the NBA overtakes it. That's all

(02:31:11):
I'm saying. Football will still be fine, just like baseball
is still fine, but it won't be King. Even if
it's number one, it'll be hard to still call it King.
I just now it is the dominant force in American sports.
I think it will be some competition in twenty five years.
That's all I'm saying. The quote unquote down everything. It's

(02:31:33):
happened every sport. Yeah, but not was racing was King
once was King one? Look at what you're predicting. Okay,
Then when people do this simple thought of hey, NBA
ratings are up and NFL ratings are down, they conveniently
leave out that the NFL ratings remain ten times what
the NBA's are. So it's like, what what do we

(02:31:57):
mean by by, you know, the downfall of the NFL,
meaning that it's not what it is now? Okay, I
can buy that, But the idea that something in twenty
five years is going to jump tenfold in order to
catch it, I can't wrap my head around that the
America's football jumped. Maybe it'd be longer, it'd be longer

(02:32:23):
than twenty five years. But say in nineteen seventy five,
how much is football jumped from? That would be what years? Yeah?
I don't have the numbers in front of me. A lot, Okay,
so it can be, it can happen. In fact, I
would think stuff like that would happen faster today because

(02:32:46):
of technology. Well, I think basketball is going more so
than predicting the demise of football, I'm predicting the continued astro.
I'mical growth of basketball because I think more younger people

(02:33:07):
are into basketball. I'm not gonna say more than football.
There's a good I'm not saying more than football, but
I'm saying there's a good number that aren't as much
into playing football. When you bring up young people, nasty,
that's where you're gonna force me to talk about soccer.
You're gonna make me, You're gonna make me. It only

(02:33:29):
embarrasses you. It's not embarrassing. I'm I'm trying to save
you from talking about that that those surveys you find
corner of the internet. It how come when when I
bring out that, why do you know? But why now? Now?
What gives you the right? Because how do you how
do you know that? They've been saying soccer is the

(02:33:53):
next big thing since I was eight years old. By
the way, we have a huge soccer fan on a
staff right now. His name is Nick. We call him
here to box the other Nick right Well, he's a
massive soccer honk. But he's currently like a like a
jilted lover um and he's so mad that we're missing
the World Cup that he himself has switched in the

(02:34:15):
last month and a half from being thinking that like that.
When you and I actually had that debate, he sat
here nodding and everything I said now I said, and
he's shaking his head. But that's you. You're just know
you're Mad's over No, I am mad, but it's over all.
The progress they made over the last World Cup and
they played they don't even think they made that much.
They did because MLS MLS numbers were through the roof

(02:34:36):
after that, and now through the kind of roof you
shanty little tent. There was a little tent and and uh,
you know something, and it went through the room. That
guy's name Christian pulled. Listen, Yes, yes, what about him? Yeah? Show.

(02:35:00):
They haven't done anything. They're not playing right now. That's
like saying that's like saying, you haven't heard anything about
Steph Curry in August. They're not playing. I have though,
you hear about Steph in August. That's the thing. No,
you don't. You do what you hear about Steph year
round Wife's cooking show? Steph? Is that big? You know that?

(02:35:20):
All right? Is that big? That's why it's gonna be king.
We got time for some more calls eight seven seven
ninety nine Fox and coming up next. I know we
gotta have somebody thinking Duncan was better than Kobe nothing.
Somebody got a call. I see, I think it's easy,
and I yeah, there wasn't. There's not a lot of
people freaking out about it because it is. It's easy.
It was more memorable. Um, but we got some time

(02:35:41):
for some calls. And also coming up next, is there
something that's being presented as a positive for the calves
that could actually be a negative. That's right around the corner.
That's next. Fox Sports Radio. Okay, guy, Fox Sports Radio
Studios with Chris Brustar, Mark Willard, let's go to Justin
in Minnesota. He went to weigh in on the conversation

(02:36:03):
with just having Justine go ahead, the shows we entertaining. Um, okay,
but I think that that's is going to be remembered
for fifty years. The only way the NBA is really
going to be remembered, and the bigger thing is if
they take a cue from the NHL and let a

(02:36:25):
couple of players. My opinion, umans make violence too much
and gives us that violence that we create. So that's
kind of what Yeah, that's you know what's interesting there though,
but for a whole different reasons. Yeah, Like it's funny
because the reason he thinks the NFL will survive is
for the reason that seems to be going away. I mean,

(02:36:48):
the NFL seems that they certainly want they want to
at least give the impression that they are trying to
curb the violence. There may be a correction though to
what's happening like people. I think some people do feel
like we've gone the NFL and we've gone overboard with

(02:37:10):
you know, trying to take things away from the game,
take away the physical play. So there may be a
correction there where, you know, people start getting back into it.
I mean, people want it. We know that the powers
that be are trying to make it a lot more safe.
But I think the average person wants the hard hitting

(02:37:33):
violence of the NFL. Well it's funny too. I always
think that it sounds strange when somebody says, like, even
for instance, what you just said, everybody wants the hard
hitting violence like I wanted, not everybody. I just I
wanted to look like football. Well the football includes hard
hitting violence, right, But I would never say it that way,
like I can't wait for tomorrow morning at ten o'clock

(02:37:54):
so I can sit down and watch some hard hitting violence.
I would say some hard hitting football. The Okay, I
just wanted to look like football. So but football, it
doesn't look like football if there's not hard hitting violence. Um,
you there were. Violence is tripping you up? Why wouldn't

(02:38:16):
it violence? See, I'm I'm a real want it mint
you don't want to admit that you like violence. No,
it's not that is violent. Is violent? Is violent? But
who says that I love those other two? Um, just
because not football. I do love football. But you like
tackle football better than flag football? Right? I do like

(02:38:40):
watching my son play. But yes, yes, I do like
tackle football. What's the difference. There's violence in tackle football
not in flag football. I don't I don't deny that.
What I'm saying is I would never refer to it
as that's what I'm here to see. I I grant
you that it's there, Okay, like Santa is at the mall.

(02:39:02):
Right now, I can go to the mall and not
see Santa. I can go to the mall with you know,
because I want something to eat. I'm going to football.
There's violence there without seeing violence to fall correct, the
same way, I kn't go to the mall without seeing Santa.
But it doesn't mean he's why I showed up like
I am. But did you do you show up to

(02:39:23):
watch basketball because of the great ball handling. That's part
of it, and that's a part of football. That's all
I'm saying. I'm gonna say that's the only reason it's
an integral part of football. I don't disagree. What I'm
saying is I would never state that that's why I'm there,
like I can't wait because more politically correct. No, that's

(02:39:47):
not the first reason that it's rubbed off on you.
I get it. Think something's bad with me intuitive I
intuitively feel like I'm not gonna have an out in
this argument. So let me ask you about the Calves.
You you brought up an interesting point. Everybody thinks getting
an All Star back is gonna be a good thing.

(02:40:08):
But um, Isaiah Thomas, you know that the Calves are
now in a really good flow. You enter into that
somebody who averaged almost thirty points a game last year.
That's not always the easiest thing, but it's gonna be
a good thing. Though eventually there will be growing pains,
and there will be a stretch maybe three weeks, maybe
a month, where the Calves played five hundred or close

(02:40:31):
to five hundred basketball. They'll probably be better than five hundred,
but and people will begin panicking, Oh, the Isaiah's messed
it up. He's taken too many shots. They don't need him,
he doesn't fit. No, they need him. They don't have
a chance to win the championship, assuming everybody's healthy on
their within their opponents teams, if they don't have Isaiah Thomas,

(02:40:53):
because you have not yet replaced Kyrie Irving. You lost
your closer, you lost twenty five points a game, and
you have yet to replace him. So they need Isaiah Thomas.
They need another guy that can create his own stuff,
and that's what I think Isaiah will bring eventually. But initially,

(02:41:14):
it's always tougher to fit a star in than it
is a role player, unless that star and your system
are the perfect match, which was the case with Kevin
Durant in Golden State. But so I look, they start
off January with a five game roll trip that includes Toronto, Boston, Indiana, Minnesota.

(02:41:37):
They may lose a few of those games, and their
first home game is Golden State, so it's gonna be
growing pace. But I think at the end of the day,
it's what's best for this team because they need they're
not winning. I don't care how well they First of all,
they don't look over they don't look like world being. No,
they've got themselves to win the game of the of

(02:42:00):
the top seed in the East. Yeah, they won nineteen
to twenty one, which is great. What I think has
to they their critical concern has to be making sure
Kevin Love continues to excel. He is playing the best
basketball of his career. Twenty one points, ten rebounds, fifty
shooting from three in this one game stretch. He's never

(02:42:25):
been an efficient score never and it never he is
these last twenty one games. And I believe that's because
he's the definitive second option. I think he should stay
the second option. Isaiah can get his seventeen to twenty,
you know, by his own athleticism and skill. I still,
I still think the issue for them is going to
be how to have both of those two dudes on

(02:42:47):
the floor and somehow defensively stop uh teams like the
Rockets of the Warriors. So you think it's not necessarily
a good things, it's not a bad thing. I just
don't think their matchups are set perfectly with this group
that they've got on on on the floor this year. Um,
but you know, Tom will tell I'm interested to see it. Um,

(02:43:08):
Chris before we get too close to the buzzer here. Uh,
this has been a wonderful year with you can't wait
for next year. I know we still have one more
in seventeen. But Merry Christmas, Bud. There you go, getting
mushy man. You're gonna make a brother cry a seconds
his radio. See see Merry Christmas, my man,

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