First Things First - Thunder on ‘dynasty watch’ after clinching 1-seed, Ravens’ Super Bowl Window, BUD List
Episode Date: April 9, 2026(0:00) Thunder beat Clippers, Clinch 1-seed, Are they on dynasty watch? (26:15) Ravens’ “Super Bowl window”, Can Lamar Jackson win a ring? (38:22) Myles Garrett not at Day 1 of Browns offseason... program (45:24) BUD List (01:05:05) Expectations for Jayson Tatum vs. Knicks? (01:17:22) Is Pash Rusher the Chiefs number one need? (01:24:44) Steph and LeBron team-up? What would another MVP and title mean for SGA’s legacy? (01:47:38) Frenemies (01:58:47) Front Office (02:07:32) Oregon coach sounds off on Ice Cream Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Live from New York, it's a show that's disappointed that we won't see Steph versus LeBron tonight.
Steph is out, bro.
Yeah, I don't know, I guess they're saving him up for that playing game.
I mean, it's big.
They want to, look, getting into the final eight for them would be great, like a real achievement.
They get blasted in round one, but yeah.
But they got, that would be fun to watch Steph and Dremont take on the thunder.
It wouldn't go well for him, but they got, they're going to finish like,
38 and 44 and out in the first playing.
And we're not going to see Steph versus LeBron once all year.
More on that story, but maybe they team up next year.
What would that be, Wiles?
Delicious.
You should know that.
You should know that's my word.
That hasn't been established in the show.
You've done.
You haven't been paying attention.
I pay attention to.
He knew it.
Nick knew I.
You did not know where you would have jumped it.
Josh, did you know that?
He wanted to see a video.
We got to talk about what's on the screen.
They get mad at this one.
Ruben Bain, Jr., visiting the Chiefs,
is defense the key to Mahomes' delicious renaissance?
Meanwhile, Tatum's back to New York.
Jalen Brown out with Achilles tendonitis.
Yeah, tendinopathy.
Tending apathy.
What?
That's what's called.
You know what?
I would really be frightened if these were real.
You know what I mean?
Like I'd be like, oh my gosh.
What?
Like these injuries.
Achilles tendonitis isn't necessarily in Achilles.
It's more tendonitis.
My wife has that for playing tennis.
It's like your whole hamstring and finally the most motivational segment in all of sports.
The Budlist.
We might have to update the Budlist.
Yeah.
Update the Budlist?
Well, you're hearing all of this new stuff.
Nick invented a word for Achilles tendonitis.
I didn't.
Steph's out.
Okay.
Kevin Wilde's Nick Wright on a power pack Thursday show.
We've got so much news.
We almost did four hours.
We start in LA, Thunder, Clip the Clippers, 128, 110.
Check goes for 30 and 14.
Lots of assists from SGA.
Thunder take the number one seed for the third straight season,
brew last team to do it, the dynastic Warriors.
Here's SGA after the game.
It's impressive.
Like, you obviously, none of it means anything if you don't win in the end and we know that.
But the teams that win in the end have some of the same characteristics and traits and check out the same boxes.
So checking out those boxes is kind of just like knowing we're headed in the right direction.
Obviously, we're far from the finish line where we want to go.
But like I said, it lets us know we're heading in the right direction.
Good company here.
Number one seed in three consecutive seasons.
You stole this from cool stats.
Dynastic.
No, this is different, isn't it?
It's very similar.
It's the same list of teams.
Dynastic Warriors, the Dynastic Lakers, and the Dynastic Bulls.
That Lakers team wasn't that one.
That wasn't Dynast.
Mini Dynast.
Went to three straight finals.
That's mini dynasty.
You know what else?
Another phrase where mini Dynasties is?
Back to back champ.
Yeah.
Not a diamond.
Kobe Shack was a thing.
That was three.
I'm sorry.
That's too late.
No, no, no.
Oh, this is just right.
This is Kobe Gisdick.
Yeah, that's Kobe Shack thing was a dynasty.
Oh, yeah.
That's why I'm saying that was.
Very many, many.
I mean, it was, look, back to back.
Sorry.
It was a Thunder on Dynasty watch.
I was like, oh, seven, then.
Well, look, based on, I think, let's establish what's the dynasty.
All right?
I think at least three rings.
Correct.
All right.
And three rings with the same, like, leader, right?
I think there are some clear-cut dynasty.
I knew Nick will love this.
I'm excited for this.
Bill Russell's Celtics of the 60s.
They won 11 out of 13 years.
Yeah, that's a dynasty.
That qualifies.
The Showtime Lakers, because they did go back to back and they won five, right?
Jordan's Bulls.
So before you keep going, I want to include teams that aren't included.
So, like, well, yeah, I'm going to get there.
I'm going to get there.
Jordan's Bulls, the Shack Kobe Lakers, who three people.
He repeated.
Jordan, three repeated twice.
And then Steph's Warriors, four championships in eight years.
All right.
Now, these are, some people would consider a dynasty, maybe dynasties, iffy, arguable
dynasties.
The Byrd Celtics.
And I would not.
I would say no.
See, I hear you, I think, I tend to think of them as a dynasty.
Maybe it's because it was bird and him and magic and they resurrected the league or whatever.
But three and seven years, five finals in seven years.
That'll do it for me.
Here's the question, though, that I have,
and it maybe will end up applying to the Thunder,
which is why I'm bringing up.
And I was trying to litigate the 80s, KW.
Don't get mad of me.
Can you have simultaneous dynasties?
Because the magic, what he's calling the magic dynasty,
the magic green, is 80 to 88.
And then the bird thing would be 80 to 80s,
like 86 all inside it.
I do think you could.
The question is, would bird, you know,
his team qualified.
Because if you got, say, two teams dominate a decade, which they did,
and one wins five, one wins four, and both are back to back.
You know, it's kind of.
But they didn't win back to back.
No, Byrd didn't win back to back.
And there was another team that also won, did go back to back in the 80s.
No, I'm talking with the pistons.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
In the midst of it.
Well, because it seems went 20 years without going back to back before the Lakers.
The Duncan Spurs.
Tough one.
Right.
It's five rings.
never went back back. But I think it maybe
it's a Duncan dynasty. But I just
think of them as a dynasty like
correct. Right? I mean they were 50
wins for 15 straight years or whatever
it was and always in the mix.
But anyway, my point
is this. It's way too early to say a
legitimate dynasty.
All right. And I don't think they'll get
to be a legitimate dynasty. Could they
be a maybe? You know, one of these?
Like, well, could they win three? I could definitely
see Shea when they say three.
championships in eight years or something like that.
Oh, yeah.
Right?
And does that, now I'm not saying it's easy.
I'm just saying I can see it.
But the only team that I think is on dynasty watch.
And this is, I mean, it's premature, but the Spurs.
Oh, my goodness.
Hold on.
The Spurs are absolutely on Dynasty Watch.
The whole thing is based on being the number one seed, three,
It is, look, y'all can be behind if you want.
No.
I've been out front of this.
I can't believe this.
Since pre-draft.
I have been out in front of this since the pre-draft of what?
Three years ago.
I can't believe this.
They are on dynist.
Here's the, and here's the watch.
This is what we're watching.
Okay, I'm watching.
Will Wimby be healthy, like have a healthy career?
Because if he does, they're going to be a dynasty.
And it's not just him.
is Castle, it's Fox, who's a little older, but still.
And Dylan Harper, like, that team is stacked,
and if he's healthy, like a normal career,
I think they're going to be a dynasty.
Or at least that's the team to watch.
I think they'll be better than the Thunder.
What about the current champions who are the number one seed?
The current champions better hope the Nuggets take out the Spurs in the second round.
I'll tell you that.
I can't believe.
They better hope that.
So, all right, so I also think, because you didn't even mention,
And I agree with it, by the way, but I think it worth mentioning how hard it is to become a dynasty that LeBron Wade.
They didn't even right.
Went to four straight finals, one back to back, and they didn't even make your like, you know.
Maybe.
Yeah.
Honorable mention dynasties.
It was like they were the defining team of that era, but I agree with you.
It's not dynasty.
I do wonder if the barrier for entry for dynasty,
lowers.
And here's
something I was kind of...
Because of the current NBA climate.
Well, because this is a very simplistic
way to look at it.
But as time has gone on
in the NBA,
the maximum championships
a team can win
consistently goes down.
And here's what I mean,
Bruf, just following you.
So like Russell Celtics
in the 60s, they won
11 titles.
You just go with the best players, if you will, of the eras, if you will.
John Havlicek, who carried over from 60s to 70s, he has the most with seven titles.
In then 70s to 80s, Kareem has six titles.
Jordan, 80s and 90s, he has six titles.
90s to 2000s, Kobe and Duncan, they have five titles.
2000s to now, LeBron and Stepp, they have four titles.
The talent's gotten deeper, as the leagues have gotten bigger.
Pretty soon.
What?
No titles.
Well, no, but I'm saying.
But I think what we're seeing now is the best players of this era all are sitting on one.
Right.
There's no.
It's interesting.
There's no multi-time champion young, young-ish guy.
But that was the case in the 70s.
The 70s, you know, it was parody galore and then bird, you know.
And remember, it had been 20 years before the Lakers of 87.
And so, and I always have a problem with that as like how much that was ABA?
How much?
I don't know.
And so.
Can you stay on that for a second?
It feels like now this is by design, but perhaps with the second apron and, you know,
Janice wants to go with a real team, but nobody can make a move for them.
So it feels like there's a hard cap, so to speak, on the amount of talent you can acquire.
That being said, it feels like the thunder have hacked the system a bit with their assets.
Listen, I certainly, so that was, you know, I didn't even give an answer.
I was just kind of given the context of that I think, is it possible that in 2035,
three championships will feel as heavy as five did in, you know, 1995?
Like when Magic had five, Bird had three, Jordan had six,
if 10 years from now one guy in the league has three.
And there's, you know, there's only a couple guys that have two.
that weren't on his team.
Like, does it get as it gets harder?
10 years from now, it could feel, like, again, we'll see what Wimby ends up doing,
but it could feel like that.
It just depends on how the league goes.
Now, I don't think the gap between six and five, I mean, that's not a ton.
Now, you're right, LeBron and Steph, the defining guys of this area, have four.
But I, look, Russell's 11, obviously, is just not happening again.
But six could, I mean, six is a ton.
Six is a lot.
But that's why people look at Jordan as the golden.
You know what I mean?
It's things like that.
Six is, that make it.
Like, who can even get, Shay could get sick?
Six feels crazy.
Now, I don't give you it.
No, no.
Six feels nuts right now.
Like, it feels like, it feels nuts.
It feels nuts.
And if the, if the spurs win it, then we'll feel like Wimby is going to, right.
But I'm trying to think of a, let's say, even though none of us are predicting it.
let's say the Knicks team that a lot of us thought going into the year could make the finals
does and they end up winning the title and then it's like okay so we have you know Anthony Davis got
one albeit with LeBron and Janus got one and you know the staff got his last one and then
Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum got one Shay got one Joker got one Jailen Brunson got one and you know
the Lakers do trade for Yon or something it's like oh Lucas
and the Lakers next year.
They look like, so where it's every, not everybody,
but most guys have a ring and not in having two rings really differentiate you.
If that's where we're going,
then I would say definitively the Thunder are on Dynasty Watch
because I don't know that they're going to need.
If they're the, let's say they win back to back.
And they look like the best team right now.
If they go back to back and then next year don't win it or the year.
after or the year after that.
And we just have three different champions.
And it's like, okay, so for a decade,
the only team to come close to defending their title
was a team that did defend their title.
But I think we were the number one seats.
I don't think we'd consider them a dynasty.
I just wonder if we revise what it takes to be a dynasty in our head.
Sure.
You know, like the...
But think about baseball where you don't see, you know,
you haven't seen repeat and three repeats and things like that.
Well, Dodgers just repeat.
See, that's kind of my...
I would think so the Dodgers are falling the Dodgers.
If they win this year.
Oh, they win this year.
But they're not like the 50s Yankees.
Well, no, no.
I mean, since those 50s Yankees, it's been, you know, since what, the 70s, you
haven't seen anybody run off or run like the Yanke.
Yeah.
Well, the Yankees won three.
Yeah, with the Jeter Yankees, they won five.
So I just wonder if it's changing.
And so, but I also, though, would caution everyone that I understand that I understand
that I understand they weren't on that graphic.
But at this point.
certainly the last two years,
and I would argue four of the last six years,
but definitely at this point,
when not picking on KW,
because it wasn't no one saying it,
no one was beating Denver in a seven game series.
Oh, yeah, right.
And last year, Boston looked like,
how are they going to lose?
My only caveat was like,
once Bruce Brown left that team,
that team felt different,
even though I was still all in on Denver,
with Horford got another year older,
the poor Zingas injury,
was wacky and and nobody but the prosengis injury was on no one's radar until the playoffs
well that's what i'm well that's what that's and so i'm saying for the thunder like we don't
we don't know theoretically what wacky thing might happen well if if the thunder they have they
have they're deep enough to absorb that if they lose though you would be able to say jalen williams
wasn't healthy all year you know like i mean if if they lose and so i just i i think they are very well
positioned and I know
but I don't necessarily feel like they are
massively better positioned
than Boston or Denver was
and those teams did not come close
Boston has been greatly
positioned for a while now
they've been to so many conference finals and just haven't
been able to get over and just those teams both
losing in round two it's not like they made the finals
and lost no or lost an epic
conference finals Boston got smoked
in round two and Denver choked
in round two and so like that
that is Milwaukee when
You got a lot of.
Milwaukee, no one was stopping them.
And Chris Middleton got hurt, and Grant Williams got hot from three,
and Jason Tatum had the game of his life, and their season's over.
Yeah.
In round two, for them as the defending champs.
We're due, though.
Yeah, we might be.
We're due for a repeat champion.
Heads of it, Troy.
Cade's back.
Yonis is in.
Cade played 26 minutes in his first game back from a collapse long.
No piston starter hit 30 minutes.
13, 5 in 10.
Here's Cade on his return.
Yeah, I felt really good.
I feel like I've got some really good cardio in it today.
Everything felt good.
I feel like all the training and stuff I've been doing
had me in a great place where I was comfortable
for all of my minutes.
It was different than any injury I've ever had
as far as how it progressed initially.
A lot of resting.
Couldn't get my heart rate up, which was born.
My heart rate went up a few times watching the team,
which was, you know, but it was fun.
It was fun to be able to watch from a different perspective like that.
I think I learned a lot.
Are you mad if you're a Bucks player?
He turned it cardio.
Cardio against.
The guy's coming back from a collapsed lungs.
I'm just asking.
I'm not saying.
I'm not saying.
It's about cardio because his lungs.
Like that's how I look at it.
I've been around the NBA for decades.
The only time I've heard, hey, we got a, I guess I'm good at cardio is an instrument.
I got some good cardio out there against the bucks.
Janice was sitting there.
Janice, your uniform is just.
Suit up.
All right.
How dangerous are the Pistons?
Very dangerous.
They are a legitimate Eastern Conference contender.
Well, the number one seat, though.
And, well, but I think everybody seems to feel like Boston is just the go-away team in the east,
the runaway team in the east.
First, let me say this.
What I liked about Cade last night,
was he, he was not like tentative or anything.
Like he attacked the rim.
In fact, all six of his makes came at the rim.
Like he, and remember, the way he got hurt, it was odd because it was like a, he got bumped or need something.
So you might think, okay, is he avoiding contact like that, particularly in the midsection area?
He wasn't.
He went to the rack, you know, finished in traffic, all of that.
So I love that.
But as far as Detroit, because you guys know I love it.
them in this pre-tatum, but I thought they clearly
looked like the best team in the East. Right now,
I got Boston, right now is the best team.
Detroit 2nd, Nick's third, Cleveland, 4th.
And here, this was, we've alluded to it
and passed a little bit.
The injury, assuming Cade has no problems
going forward, was a blessing in disguise.
Because Nick's man, Danis Jenkins,
emerged. He was a tough game yesterday.
But, you know, he showed him something.
But the question we had, can they score without Cade?
Well, they've averaged 117 points this year a game.
With Cade out, they went 8 and 3, averaged 116.8 or something like that.
So the offense stayed the same as far as production.
And I don't know if this can continue because I don't think they have great three-point shooting.
But we got a gravity here.
All of a sudden, they're hitting threes.
Like, look, October, the first five months of the season, they're a bad three-point shooting team.
Now of a sudden, that's a nice month and a half.
They're the six best three-point shooting team.
If they shoot like that, Nick, they're going to be real tough to beat.
And I would add, I think Boston's the best team.
I think Boston, I said a month and a half ago when it looked like Tames come back,
they'll Boston win the title.
It's one of the reasons
I think Boston actually is one of the only teams
that can match up well with OKC.
Boston's biggest
positional or rotational
or rotational weakness, my opinion,
is they're five, their center.
So you run into a Detroit team
whose second best player is Jalen Duren.
It could potentially be problematic,
honestly, for Boston.
If Denver were to make the finals with Joker,
like the Spurs, it's the,
a little different because Wimby is a five, but he doesn't play like a traditional five.
But, you know, Kada's been a really good story for Boston, but he is right now, you know,
as Coach Meagin would say, an emerging player in developing.
So I do, I agree with your hierarchy, team for team that is exactly how I would stack it.
And I agree that if Kade is, and now he has time to ramp up, so to speak, and he can use the week of the
play in to go five on five do things.
If he's full go by round one of the playoffs,
then I think they are a conference finals team waiting to happen.
I think we are going to get pissed in Celtics.
I think the Eastern bracket will,
is more likely to have,
less likely to have crazy upsets than the Western conference side of the bracket
because I think Detroit has proven all year.
They're legit.
Now do we think that they are win four rounds?
I don't, but I do think they are win two rounds and see how they square up in a series.
They have home court against Boston.
So yeah, I mean, I think they are.
When I wrote him off, it was because we thought Cade was out.
Like Cade's going to be out a month and then be a shell of himself when he comes back.
Instead, you know, this is like record recovery from a collapse.
I think matchups will be very interesting.
I think they would beat up the Knicks.
I think they're too tough for the Knicks physically.
interestingly because Cleveland's not a physical team
but Cleveland has more talent
certainly top in talent than Detroit
and Cleveland has been soft in the playoffs
so I would pick Detroit but that would be interesting
because they do have so much talent Cleveland
that if Hardin and Mitchell
can score against that perimeter defense which they will
if they can do it efficiently and their bigs can kind of play tough
and we don't know who's going to be the three four in the east
right now Knicks are a half game up on Cleveland,
so that could flip to where the Knicks fall to the four
and the Knicks of the round two match up for Detroit,
and Cleveland climbs to the three, and they're the round two.
If you're the Knicks, you'd rather Boston in the second round than Detroit?
I'd rather Detroit.
I know that Detroit beat up the Knicks this year in the regular season.
They're probably thinking that too.
If I'm the Knicks, I don't hate the idea of falling to four and getting Detroit.
Meanwhile, in Memphis, Joker and Notches is 34th triple double a year.
Didn't even play the fourth quarter.
Denver wins their 10th game in a row
first time in Joker's career that's happened.
Brewers are any chance to Joker can win the MVP
on your ballot?
No.
And look, I had him atop my ballot
for most of the season.
And he's had a phenomenal year.
And look, he probably is somewhat,
not just me, but all the voters,
a victim of his own excellence.
And he's won three already.
Correct.
Has anybody won three?
Well, Moses Malone.
three with just one title.
And so there might be a little fatigue on people's parts
because the numbers are sensational.
Remember, and leading the league in rebounds and assists,
the first player ever is huge.
I also talked about PER, player efficiency rating.
He was at one point the only player in history
to have a 33 or above,
and he kind of fell off a little bit from that.
Now he's at 32.
who he's his second best of his career, still the second best all time.
But that, like if he stayed above 33 PR, I might maybe have to consider him stronger.
But I got Shay without his second best player for two thirds of the season, still the number one seed.
He's averaging 31 on 55, 38, or 39, and 88 splits.
Can Joker pass Wemby?
Yeah, that's the question.
Right now I've got Wimby.
And their games are one.
Like Wimby's played 63, Jokers play 64.
Obviously if Wimby's not eligible,
Joke will be two for me.
But what I will say is this.
Right now I'm looking at Wimby at two,
Joker at three, Luke at four.
What I will say is this,
if they meet in the second round
and Yokic out plays Wembe,
like he did in that last game this weekend,
close, but he's just clearly to be.
better, then I will admit
I was premature in saying
Wimby was the best player in the world.
Probably premature by a couple
months, but, because
next year he definitely should be.
You said that the Spurs were on the verge of a dynasty.
Well, I think
everybody agrees with me.
If he stays healthy. I mean, I'm not
trying to go back to the first topic.
I agree
if we were doing a dynasty
draft, if
the Spurs
would be a universal top two pick.
You don't think they'd be number one?
Well, I don't, the Thunder have such a head start.
Yeah.
But if the Thunder, let me put it like this.
How about this, KW?
If the, if both teams, if the Nuggets make the finals this year,
then the Spurs would be my number one draft pick for Dynasty Draft.
If like the, if I know that the Spurs aren't all of a sudden in two months going to be two championships down,
then is, and I think that's kind of what Bruce is alluding to.
Answer this question, here is where I think Shea is the MVP as well.
I have been adamant all year that I thought, not all year, but, you know, the last month and a half that I thought Luca was two.
And this is maybe why we don't necessarily have to have the 65 game rule.
I'm going to assume Luca is going to be eligible.
Luca has fallen to four because he missed the time.
You know what I mean?
Like the, and so.
But he's played as much as Wimby and.
But he needed to have played more to, like, overtake him.
And now, like, Wimby keeps playing awesome.
I know now Wimby's missed time.
Joker's playing the best ball of this season,
and that game against Wimby mattered a lot to me.
The Lakers are going to fall to the four-seat at least.
Like, that to me is, had Lucas stayed healthy,
he was, to me, the number two guy, he gets dinged up.
The team falls in so, Joker.
I could see Joker finishing second.
I could see Joker's overtake.
OKC on Friday.
day.
Oh, what's going to happen?
Lamar's chances at a ring.
Next on, if it's one,
the Fox Sports Channel,
zero six.
Now, check out the podcast.
If you get a chance,
it's excellent.
Our YouTube channel just keeps growing,
although it seems like we're,
we got to get to 1.1.
I mean, that's a lot.
It's a hundred thousand.
You get a plaque just to get to a hundred thousand.
It's hard to game.
We'll get there.
Someone is sitting there right now and they're having subscribed.
Just come on.
We'll get there.
For begging.
We run 50 promos.
Thank you.
Ravens practicing.
Zay Flowers and Lamar missed the playoffs last year,
fired their coach and now are ready for their Super Bowl window
to reopen. Coach me and Jeannie's here.
First year Zay Flowers.
He's ready, man.
I feel like we answer that every year, and he always ready.
So he even more ready this year.
He excited about the coaching staff.
He excited about getting to work with Coach Declan.
So yeah, he ready to go.
He wanted to finish.
He want to get her in.
I feel like the whole.
team know that and every I feel like everybody got a window like different teams like you know
no matter who it is you're going to have a window to you know and you got to just seize your
opportunity and this out window okay peru i think we'll start with you it's super macro zoomed out
question are you still confident lamar will win a super bowl he better he better all right
He better.
Look,
this is the price of greatness,
of historic greatness, right?
All the other,
he's one of 11 guys
who've won multiple MVPs.
All the other 10 won a championship.
That's the club you're in.
Now, you don't want to be the only one
without a Super Bowl ring.
So I'm going to say yes,
because of the history.
He's still playing great.
I said it earlier in the week.
Even last year was a down year.
He clearly was off, but he still had a 103 passer rating.
Still was second in the league and touchdown percentage.
So even in a bad year and a clunky year in and out of the lineup,
he still put up good numbers.
He's still clearly in his prime.
He's got a great organization.
It's always going to put a solid defense with him.
He's got good receivers.
I don't know that he needs great ones right now.
He's got good enough ones, tight ends.
And right now, you've got to, even without Derek Henry,
they always have a strong run game.
So I believe he will eventually win the championship.
And here's the thing.
You can't use the, and same for Josh Allen,
but you can't use the, man, it was Mahomes and Josh Allen were in the way.
No, because now Drake Mays got into a Super Bowl.
Sam Darnold, of all people, has won a Super Bowl.
So, yeah, he still got, I think, a good amount of time.
Look at Elway and others like that.
But, yeah, I do feel like he's going to get at least one.
And I've always felt that the, yeah, but Mahomes was there,
was a way more valid excuse or reason for Josh than Lamar.
Because Josh four times has been beaten by Patrick in the playoffs.
Lamar, they've only played once.
Now, Patrick beat him, but it was just, it's not like,
again and again and again he's losing to him.
And Brew, you talked about two-time MVP's.
It's a very short list of one-time MVP quarterbacks
who have never at least been to a Super Bowl.
And he's on that list.
Like, you know, the Matt Ryan.
Who are the other ones that haven't been to one?
Josh.
The Josh Allen is obviously on it.
And the, I had.
Ryan Whitford.
Right, I had this.
I don't have it off the top of my head.
But it's not a long list is the point.
Rich Gannon, your favorite MVP, made a Super Bowl.
But I am not confident.
Do I think he can?
Absolutely.
Do I think he has to get over his playoff woes to win one?
No, I don't.
Peyton Manning, in my opinion, never got over his playoff woes.
Peyton Manning, when he was certainly the year they won his first Super Bowl,
in that playoff run, he had three touchdown, seven interceptions in the playoffs.
Prime Peyton Manning, and they won anyway.
If you are constantly in the mix, sometimes things can just break your way.
And that's, you know, and your greatness gets you constantly in the mix,
and you don't necessarily have to carry your team to it once you get there.
And then you're minted forever.
Nobody cares that Peyton wasn't great in that playoff run.
Yeah, I don't know why this is the window and last year wasn't the window.
I picked him to go to the Super Bowl last year.
But what's different this year that suddenly is going to propel them into the Super Bowl?
He changes the coaching staff.
Maybe that's going to have a dramatic impact, but there is a learning curve for a new head coach that they go through.
And he had a significant amount of injuries last season.
And is this the function of we've seen a lot of good young running quarterbacks, but not a lot of good old ones?
Are those body blows starting to add up?
What was it last year?
20 less touchdowns, three more interceptions.
So the numbers were good, but a little bit deceptively good.
And you kept waiting for him to take over games or to get out of his slump.
and it never happened.
Now, could they be in the mix?
If he plays like Lamar and his MVP seasons,
of course they're going to be in the mix,
but there's new challenges with the changing coaching staff
that weren't there last year.
Maybe those will be positive,
but I just don't see what's so dramatically different
that suddenly now this is the window
versus all the other years.
Those were all windows too.
Well, no, I think those were definitively all windows.
And I think the year that still,
every time they show like the advanced numbers, the DVOA stuff of like best teams,
Seahawks popped up on this a lot, like the best teams of the last 25 years.
It's a bunch of teams that ended up winning the Super Bowl and the Ravens from two years ago.
The Ravens that lost to the Chiefs in the AFC title game when they were at home.
That team.
Derek Henry's first year, they were a dominant team and that maybe was their best opportunity.
But my other kind of question to the group is, Bruce has stated it matter of
factly, are we certain Lamar is still in his prime?
And if so, how much longer do we think it is?
Like, was last year a blip and now he's going to be right back to it?
Or because of styles and what is all of a sudden no catastrophic injuries,
but a long list of very different injuries that he is, you know, on the slight down slope.
Not meaning he's not still going to be excellent, but that it's just each year.
he might be a touch worse.
And if that's the case, then that does make me nervous.
And it also makes me nervous that you had.
And I thought they needed to move on from Harbaugh
because it felt like Lamar and Harbaugh,
that relationship would run its course.
And I really like Jesse Minter higher.
But it's still a dice roll.
It's still an unknown and adding an unknown.
And it's a learning curve.
There's a learning curve in all.
So I just think you asked that question on Twitter today.
Yeah, I asked if you.
If you had a five-year window and you had to pick five teams coach,
you know, it's for your life savings.
And you just need the team to one of your five teams to win the Super Bowl.
That's it.
What are your first five teams that you pick?
Kansas City would be number one.
Okay.
Buffalo is in the mix.
We have those two I put.
Baltimore would be on your list.
Baltimore was on your list.
I was surprised.
I was surprised.
We've got a lot of 49ers, got a lot of bear.
got a decent amount of Patriots, maybe just because I asked my own followers.
A lot of Chiefs, a lot of Eagles, just organizational.
A lot of bills, didn't you?
A lot of bills, which is mostly Josh Young.
They're zero Bengals, zero Bengals, but not as much Ravens as I expected.
Look, the Ravens, and this is what I'm really interested in it.
I do think, kind of like you feel about the Chiefs, like last year was just a blip.
Like it wasn't, oh, they've fallen off.
But my main problem, as you guys know, with this.
them has just been mentally in the biggest moments.
So I'm hoping mentor changes that culture and that's no longer an issue.
But they've had chances.
There's no doubt that one year you mentioned that they probably, they should have won that
year.
Two years ago.
So they've had their chances.
I think, look, I think you can ask similar questions about Josh.
I mean, he hasn't been as banged up as Lamar, but his style is similar to a Cam Newton,
who ran a lot and all of a sudden had a very short.
We've got a new coach.
I'm running too much.
And I'm always going to choose the top five quarterbacks.
Yes.
Because those always give you the best odds.
Yeah, coach probably would have had the Bengals on.
Yeah, I probably would have put it just because of Burrough.
So I, yes.
What?
The kids is he believes in Burroughs so much.
I believe in defense.
I believe in quarterbacks.
By Sam Donald.
Okay, well, let's see how they should.
It took eight, what, nine years, eight years?
No, I'm saying.
It just, I would, I would.
I would almost go the other way.
Like, I'll throw a Texans vote in there.
I believe in the Texans defense.
Yeah, there, there.
Yeah, but unfortunately, I watched the playoffs last year.
That kind of kind of.
But you're just saying, I would just do the opposite.
I would just take great defenses, solid quarterbacks over great
quarterbacks, not sure about the defense.
Yeah, I don't.
There are going to be some teams with, as we just saw, with decent quarter or good
quarterbacks that win it.
There are, but I think that is.
Those are leaves are one-off.
Yeah, and I heard that.
And the argument someone make is, well,
that's back-to-back Super Bowls,
that that has been great defense,
questionable quarterback,
but you don't feel that way.
You think that's a great quarterback.
But certainly the defense was excellent.
Well, yes.
The idea is to have both great quarterback
and a great defense.
What would you rather have to pick one?
I mean, I would rather have Josh and Patrick
over any other.
Those two guys to me, I would rather have than any other thing on my football team.
I would rather have.
I just don't know.
They lost 34 to 30 or whatever.
I understand.
I mean, I would like Tom Brady and then put me on whatever team.
Yeah, and Peyton was in a similar spot.
Brady kind of changed the way we look at it because he was there so much.
And then Mahomes where you felt like we need this great quarterback to win it.
The Patriots consistently had a great defense.
Yes, to have a dynasty, you need both.
But if we are like your your exercise, I think I said,
Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, because I trust the organization.
I've seen them win Super Bowls with multiple quarterbacks, multiple coaches.
Would you keep Jalen there?
I think the Eagles are very good.
Yeah, I just think, I think, I don't want to say it doesn't matter if Jalen's there or not.
My point is they are not dependent on a singular coach or a singular quarterback.
It's an organization.
five good organizations that you really trust.
And I said the Niners, I included as well because I have seen the Niners
certainly make one Super Bowl with the quarterback that I don't think was good in Jimmy
G and make another Super Bowl with a quarterback that I have my own questions about,
but I think he's a good player in Purdy, so I don't think they have to have.
Did you have the Rams in the mix?
Tons of Rams.
I, I, maybe I said the Rams instead of the Niners.
I was debating them in the Bears.
The problem for the Rams on your exercise is,
You said you get five years and the Rams, I feel like if they don't do it next year, they're a wasted pick almost because Stafford's going to do they have one down year and then grab.
Maybe.
A draft that.
Were they looking at?
I was very curious why you put that on Twitter.
I liked it.
But I was like, is KW like trying to source his podcast?
No, I just thought it was interesting.
I thought it was good.
It is a good question.
Miles Garrett, not at day one of the Browns offseason program.
new coach Todd Munkin says he wasn't concerned.
It is voluntary after all.
But this is on the heels of a contract restructuring
that didn't really save the Browns any cap space,
but did make Miles Garrett's contract easier to move
if he was interested in finding a new home.
Or if they were interested in finding a new home.
So was this something or nothing?
I don't think him not being there day one
of the offseason program in and of itself is something.
But I do think that the combination of the Browns being like,
hey, maybe you should be able to trade picks five years in the future.
And hey, let's adjust Miles Garrett's New Deal and Miles not being there.
All of those things have inched us closer to an outcome that I think,
I know KW, you have a very, you know, you have a soft spot for players spending their whole career in one place.
You get very sad when a guy like Mike Evans leaves,
much less one of the greatest D.N.
He doesn't like Miles Garrett.
Well, that's, I mean, it's a weird spot.
No, I like Miles Garrett.
I would like to see Miles Garrett fulfill his destiny as one of the great defensive players of this generation and win a Super Bowl like everybody else.
Well, JJ Watt never did, never came close.
Name a few more.
Bruce Smith.
He went to four Super Bowl.
He went to four Super Bowl.
You said win.
You said win.
He went to four Super Bowl.
Don't, don't yell at me.
Lawrence Taylor.
You said name one, and I named one.
You yell with me.
If Miles Carroll goes to four Super Bowls, I'll be like, hey, right decision.
If he's sitting there on four wins for another year, we're wasting a guy's prime.
Listen, I was, I'm agreeing with you.
I don't know.
I think most football fans would like to see him play in big games with real leverage.
And I would like to just see what is the upper bound of sack.
a player can get if he's on a team, if he has this talent, and is on a team that constantly
has the lead.
And that's when we were talking about how Dominant he's been.
He's in so many fewer obvious pass rush situations than most guys.
And I also think the Browns, and now the Browns don't very often make super smart decisions,
but they have been stockpiling draft picks and they could have a historic amount of draft
capital if in addition to having the Jags extra picks.
and the other things they've done.
And they drafted really well.
Correct.
If they were to trade Miles Garrett and get more than,
they would get more than two first round picks.
I don't know if they'd get three first,
but two firsts and something.
So I like the idea of it.
I think it'd be good for everyone involved.
Look, I think that makes some sense.
Trade him.
As great as he is, trade him, get those picks.
And the way they drafted last year,
if you can be solid again in that,
then you can really start building.
But coach, Munkin, I'm sure, is like we want to key.
And I'm not saying it's his final, he has the final say.
But he's, that defense is good.
That's a playoff caliber defense.
They got run game is pretty good.
I think Munkin's probably like if we can just get solid quarterback play.
Not that that's even true, but he feels like if we can get solid quarterback play,
we can be in the mix.
They were just in the playoffs a few years ago.
So I'm sure Munkin isn't like, let's trade our best player, and then we try to stockpile
draft picks, and it's a three, I'm going to be bad for the next three years.
Yeah, I don't think this is anything.
He never goes to the offseason program.
So this isn't any different than any other year.
It's not like the other situation we're talking about where someone suddenly shows up.
That would actually be, that would actually be stranger if he started showing up,
but he's never gone to the offseason program.
I don't think this is to get him in line to trade at all.
They have drafted well.
So why would you get rid of the guy who just set the single season sack record?
There may be a little bit of sour grapes with getting rid of Jim Schwartz because he was so successful in that defense.
And then the other thing about OTAs is it's pretty boring for a defensive line.
And you go and you lift, but like the walkthroughs and things like that, you're just standing there.
It's not like you're catching passes or running routes or doing it.
So, and he probably takes a pay cut by being there instead of doing appearances.
And in addition, he's always kind of marched to the beat of his own drummer.
So this, to me, is an absolute nothing situation.
JJ Watcock passes for touchdown.
So maybe he could work on that to expand his care.
Thomas and his little, Julius Peppers?
I think my list off the top of my head was multiple defensive player of the years and their ultimate success in the playoffs.
So J.J. Watt's the lowest on that list.
So J.J. Watt has a handful of Super Bowl wins.
No, no.
Excuse me. Playoff wins.
Yeah.
But Me and Joe Green has multiple Super Bowls.
Lawrence Taylor has multiple Super Bowls.
Reggie White has.
Aaron Donald has a Super Bowl.
Yes.
That's totally fair.
But the Browns went to, what, two playoffs in the last five years?
Yeah, one of the...
I think his level of success, to be honest, is very comparable to J.J. Watt.
And I think people forget...
I'm not even mentioning his brother, T.J. Watt, who also has not had...
T. T. J.'s had no playoff success.
JJ had almost no playoff success.
JJ's peak is as high as Miles Garrett's peak.
You won three defense players in four years.
But I agree with you.
I don't think it's unprecedented as the point I was trying to make.
I agree with you, though, that he wanted it,
and then he got beat over the head by money and decided, okay, whatever,
and then set the sack record.
He got beat over the head by mind.
I feel really.
No, I'm not saying that he's not.
He really beat him up with all that money.
public letter out there that said
the goal was not to go from
Cleveland to Canton. I want to win Super Bowl.
You think that letter was
sincere? I trust
when I see a center justified letter.
Can I ask you a question?
Let's say you guys are not
trading for A.J. Brown.
Yeah. Would you
give up? Two first round picks?
Because your first round picks the 31st this year.
So two first round picks and a third.
Two ones and a three for Miles Garrett.
So the 31 this year, 32 next year.
Yes, I would.
That's what I thought.
You're the type of team that I think should consider it.
Operating under Drake's.
Yeah.
I don't think the bronze are looking to trade them.
I mean, they've insisted that they're not.
The contract change was funky, though, Coach.
I don't know.
We should have called you.
I tend to agree with Coach.
But the contract change made it.
it possible. It was not going to be salary cap tenable, and now it's possible.
Live from New York, it's the show that's excited, excited for Celtics Knicks tonight,
but a little bit worried about Jan Brown missing yet another game. Excited for Tatum,
but a little bit worried. I'll be there. Are you going to the game? I think I'm going to
bro. What the heck? Me too. Are you? I don't know if you guys are going. I guess it's
a little bit. Invite I missed or something. A second hour of first things first today.
What are our expectations for Jason Tatum in his first game back in Madison Square Garden since tearing his Achilles?
Meanwhile, Rubin Bain in Kansas City visiting the Chiefs is defense.
A key to Patrick Mahomes Renaissance, but right now, of course, it's time for the most motivational segment in all sports.
The Budlifts.
Also time where we read some viewer mail.
We get tons of mail from all over the country, all over the world.
Yeah, all over the world.
Appreciate you signing letters.
Dear Wilds, love the show.
Are you guys into Artemis and the Moon Adventure?
Ryan and Brian are on their telescope nonstop.
Thanks, Dawn and Dawn.
I asked you if you were into the moon
and you said big time, I believe.
These are one of the more famous pictures
out from astronaut.
Jackson Blade.
Weisman.
You never know what you're going to see.
Yeah.
Yes.
Jackson is
floating out there?
Oh, that's him flow.
I'm not the other guy was Jackson.
No, not the other guy.
Oh, that's him.
Another guy's a white astronaut, brew.
Not a black action hero.
He is a hero.
There you go.
Jackson, blade in space.
All right.
On the cutting room floor.
Not bad.
Brutto on Pluto.
So.
He hates Brutto.
Oh, jealous.
Jealous of Bruton's pectorals.
All right, at number three, not an athlete, but Adam Silver.
All right, and the NBA.
Now, look, I got to say this, the NBA, Adam, I think it's in great shape, player-wise.
Like, a lot of times, as LeBron and Steph and KD and maybe even Hardin and Kauai,
like, as they age out no longer the faces of the league and eventually we'll retire,
there are a lot of young stars that are ready to take the mantle.
Like faces of the league, obviously you got Wimby, but you got Shea playing great.
The Celtics are good.
You got Luca.
You got Cooper Flagg, an American superstar.
Anthony Edwards, an American superstar.
And we got a draft full of potential American stars.
So player-wise, you're in great shape.
The problems have been off the court.
Okay, so number one, you got some things to fix, Adam.
Tanking.
the tanking is just out of control
and there's been tanking over the years
but this year it has hit
rock bottom and you gotta fix it
and I think it's simple
it's simple
the lottery is no longer waited
so whether you finish
with the 14th worst record
or the first worst record
you got the same amount of chance
to win the lottery
now some people might say well
a good team might win the lottery
back in 1993
The Orlando Magic won the lottery, got Shaq, went 41 and 41.
The next year, Golden State won the lottery,
but they traded the number one pick,
or the number one pick, yeah, was traded to Orlando.
It was Penny Hardaway.
No, Orlando won the lottery and got and traded.
Weber and traded him to Gold's sake.
So Orlando won it twice in a row.
Back to back, yep.
Was that so bad?
We had Shaq and Penny, and they got to the final.
had they stayed together, that would have been a great run.
So it's not bad.
And here's the other thing.
Bad teams are bad.
I'm convinced it's bad management.
Some of these teams will be in the lottery forever and never get it right.
The team that's been in the lottery the most currently, seven straight years, the Washington Wizards.
It's not because they haven't had chances to get better.
They can't get it right.
They've had bad management.
And now they might be decent, but that's not because of the drafts.
But that's not because of the draft that they got Anthony Davis, Tray Young next year.
They traded for those guys.
So don't worry about all these bad teams won't have a chance.
So second thing is the 65 game rule, which we've talked about ad nauseum.
Look, I got my notice today.
The ballot's coming out next week.
Maybe it's too late.
I hope not because I think, Adam, you need to make an executive decision and say the 65 game rule.
is abolished.
Or meet with the Players Association.
They'll support you and you both abolish it together.
So you have a unified front.
But this is bad and you just don't,
it's going to be,
it could be some great players left off the all NBA.
And financially, it hurts guys
because how much they can earn
in future contracts is related to this.
So I think you need to get rid of it.
You've done some good things with the playing turn.
I like the plan.
I like the plan.
Sure.
I think it keeps some teams to,
going, you know, strong.
And the NBA Cup is becoming a thing.
And this year's All-Star game was good.
All-Star game was good, too.
Yeah.
So I believe in you, Adam.
Let's go ahead and get it done.
All right.
At number two, Jason Tatum at the game that Nick and I and Wiles maybe will be at.
Coach, Mike.
Let's go.
It's going to be fun.
But anyway, you got a chance.
I know there'll be some trepidation, maybe some triggers and all that.
because last time you were in Madison Square Garden, of course, you got hurt.
We're having a great game, although y'all were losing.
You have 42 points.
But this is a chance for you, and I'm sure you'll be able to get over it mentally,
because obviously you've done a lot of that in just coming back this season so early.
But you have a chance to exercise those demons before the playoffs, which would be great.
So you don't worry about stepping foot into the garden anymore.
Secondly, you can send a message to the Knicks
that this is not going to be like last year in the playoffs.
We owned you last regular season.
We will own you again if we meet you.
Because if we beat you without Jalen Brown,
who's not playing tonight,
then you have no chance of beating us in the playoffs.
Send that message.
And thirdly, coach, when I was a player,
and I don't like guys getting hurt.
I hated when teammates got hurt.
But you know what?
If somebody got hurt,
Drew time.
I was like, oh-oh.
More shot for me, all right?
I get a few up.
Maybe I'm going to put up some high points this game.
You are back to be in the show tonight with Jalen out.
So if you do all of those three things, it'll be a great night for you at the garden.
Put that pass behind you.
Jason Tate, am I believing you?
At number one, my man, Wimby.
Look, I like that you want all these regular season awards.
because the fact is everybody wants.
They won't admit it, except maybe Joe Missoula.
He's a different breed.
But players want, superstar players won MVP's and all NBAs,
and role players want six man of the year, all defense, you know, all that stuff.
Everybody wants it, so I got no problem with you saying it.
But you can't, I want you to win some awards too,
but not at the risk of not being 100% for the playoffs.
So you got two games left.
If you are not right,
if you are risking further injury by going out there and playing
and you won't be 100% for the playoffs,
I just think you got to sit.
I think you have to override your desires to go out there and play
and be eligible for awards.
It'll hurt.
But it'll be the best for you because if you get to the playoffs, play well, and win a championship, that overrides all of the regular season accolades, right?
MVP, defensive player a year, all of that if you can win a championship in your third year.
And this would truly be historic.
Because, I mean, this is maybe even more so than the Bill Walton and taking that young Blazers team to the championship 50 years ago.
that would be something.
So be smart about it.
Make sure your body is right for the playoffs,
even if it means missing these last two games
and not being eligible for the NBA awards.
But Wimby, you know, I believe in you.
Coach, how do you know?
I mean, it's been a long time,
but it's like being rejuvenated,
getting this segment back into my system.
So good.
So you talked about tanking off the top.
So I'll just fast forward to the Jets.
They obviously did a lot of that last year in order to get the situation that they're in right now with two number one draft picks.
So they've got two number one draft picks.
They've got two number two draft picks.
And all four picks are in the top 50 of the draft.
That's not even counting the three number ones they have next year.
But they've got four picks in the top 50 of the draft.
So they've got a real opportunity to infuse a ton of good talent into this team.
And when you look at the problems they had last year,
There's a first team ever to not have an interception in a season, 17 games, which is pretty
amazing.
And then you see what New England was able to do after not being very good the year before.
They go to the Super Bowl.
There's been change in Buffalo with the head coach, change in Miami with the head coach.
You've got a real opportunity to infuse talent into this system and to make a run at it.
You talked about going to the promised land with Gino.
These picks will help you.
And I would seriously consider if you had an opportunity to trade out of that two spot.
Trade back if you can.
Try to get more picks.
There's a group of guys.
There's a bunch of guys that are going to be able to help you.
So if you can get some more picks and keep adding to the youth of that roster,
I think that would be a really good idea.
My first year, we had two number one draft picks.
I can't remember who we took, but they're in the ring of honor at the stadium.
You want to take a look at him.
Everybody was excited about the Aaron Glenn hire.
It obviously didn't go well last year.
But if they can draft, well, you're right.
I mean, maybe they can turn this thing around.
More picks in the top 50 is.
I do wonder if this year is a difficult year for them to, for anybody in the top five to trade back.
The Raiders could if they wanted to because people love Mendoza.
But it feels like a lot of the draft experts feel like there's, you know, the difference between the second player taken and the seventh player taken is more a matter of taste rather than like.
Travis Hunter last year.
Right.
Or the or Abdul Carter, like those guys were like considered whether they will be or not like these true true blue chippers.
And there was more thirst to trade up for those guys.
And in situations like that, sometimes you have to trade for less value.
So it may not be what the chart says, but to get some sort of value and get more money.
I'm sure Veach would give them nine and like a fifth rounder to move up to the time.
Well, it's 412 almost on a Thursday, which means you're in for a real treat.
It's time for the sports media ombudsman.
Indeed it is.
A few options this week.
I wanted to go inspirational.
Good.
Because the Masters started today.
And it's a tradition unlike any other.
The Masters app.
Ah.
And I...
An app on the Budlick.
The Master's app, because I don't know, listen, if you haven't downloaded, it is an unpaid
endorsement, download it.
Wow.
It really is.
Because pick any golfer at any moment of the tournament, type in their name, and you can see every
single shot they took at every hole in real time.
You want to watch on your computer on your phone, your own select group of golfers pick them,
and you will instantly live get every single shot they take.
This is a golf club in Georgia that has the greatest sports app in the world.
It's a good app.
And it's free, correct?
It's free.
It's unbelievable.
To which I say this, to all the other sports leagues that seem to have, you know, I would think,
a bigger budget than the Masters.
Can we copy this technology or hire that same guy?
Is there?
Can the Kansas Chiefs have an app where I type in Patrick Mahomes
and I see every single throw from the season
like we can see every golf shot?
Can the New York Knicks copy the app
and you type in Jalen Brunson threes
and you just see in line every game?
The technology clearly exists.
It's free.
I understand the Masters might have different types of financial obligations.
I don't totally get it.
But I do know that we have every year, March Madness rolls around.
It's like, hey, download the March Madness app.
You can watch any game that you want in real time live.
You can quad-box it on your phone for free.
The Masters rolls around.
It's like, hey, it's great.
Meanwhile, if I want to watch the Royals, I need like four different apps.
I got to do a bunch of different things.
So I just.
But they are televised.
The Royals?
I mean, just, I'm saying, just start slow.
Just be like, maybe just one of those fish-eye cams like that when my son's Little League.
You log on.
That's how I'm going to watch a lacrosse game tonight, the fish-eye cam.
Always taking shots.
I don't know if you should be throwing shots.
You know what they're not chanting at Royals games?
What?
Sell the team.
That's not happening.
You know what the Royals aren't doing?
Sitting in last place in all of baseball.
I like that, Nick.
That was that after.
The Masters app, even if you're out of golf,
in. It's such a sick app.
And you can watch first things first
and follow the math. That's what I was going to say. You're still
a fan of linear cable. Well, that's
what I'm saying. That's why you're saying that watch us
on TV, good apps.
Coach, you're going to love this one.
Does I consider you a wise guy
who has sat in on a lot of interview
questions on trying to figure out who you're going
to add to your team? So I'm
putting interview questions, Brew, on the
bud list. I don't know if you saw Oregon
QB coach,
Koa Kui.
describing a pretty simple way that he judges recruits and a delicious way.
Take a listen.
Ask him a question like this all the time.
Hey, do you like chocolate ice cream or vanilla ice cream?
The minute the kid pauses, I don't really want that kid, right?
Because you need to have some type of conviction, right, wrong or indifferent.
So whether you like chocolate or you like vanilla, I don't really care.
But if you sit there and say, ah, coach, I don't know.
I want, is it melted?
Is it not?
What's the brand, so on and so forth?
Like, what is this kid going to do on third down in front of a hundred,
10,000. What? A little bit of a unconventional way to judge your quarterbacks or recruits.
Now, I bring a certain level of expertise to this subject after a summer of working at Ben and Jerry's
while I was 16. Quick story came into the manager, the regional New England manager of Ben and Jerry's
comes in. He says, I've got good news and bad news. So we'll take the good news. He says the good
news is you guys are selling more small ice creams than any Ben and Jerry's in all of New
England.
I said, well, congratulations.
Thank you.
So what's the bad news?
He said, the bad news is you are selling the least amount of medium ice creams in all
of New England.
I said, well, what do you do?
People come up to the counter and I say, what do you want?
People always just say the flavor.
So they could all play for Oregon.
Well, here's the question.
So he said, what am I supposed to do?
People just say, I want coffee ice cream.
I say, you know, what size?
They say small.
He says, don't say what size.
Say, is a medium okay?
And so I said, all right, I'll try it.
Next time someone's going to, hey, can I have cookie dough ice cream?
Copper cone, cup is medium okay?
Yes.
Next thing you know, like magic, I start selling tons of medium ice creams.
Now you might say, how does that measure into the world of football?
The power of suggestion from a quarterback is more important than your silly vanilla or chocolate story.
One of the most famous football calls of all time was actually a suggestion from the quarterback.
Take a listen.
You want Philly Philly?
Yeah, that's it.
Hey, let's do it.
Hey, let's do it.
And you want a Philly special?
It's a crazy play where I touch a touch a touch up.
Yeah.
In the Super Bowl, Malhomes said, can we run Wasp?
and they ran it to the Tyree.
So they go.
It's the power of suggestion,
a little lesson from Ben and Jerry.
It's close on the ice cream, vanilla and chocolate thing.
But I actually think the power of suggestion
in the quarterback is more important
than just if you prefer chocolate or vanilla.
Yeah, I wish most defenses were either chocolate or vanilla.
They are.
And I kind of want my guy to be able to come up and say,
I wonder why that safety is rotating down.
Nope.
Understand.
Snap judgment.
Do you follow that logic?
No.
I didn't like that from that coach at all.
Wasn't great.
I didn't like it at all.
I would like the guy to ask a few questions and be thoughtful about it.
I want the right answer, not the quick answer.
Yeah, that was interesting.
And that was a great, I have no idea what the ice cream had to do.
Correct.
Thank you, Brew.
That is exactly right.
Which was the power of suggestion.
It had nothing to do with that video.
He talked about ice cream and decision making.
I talk about ice cream and decision making.
Then Nick Ford wins.
Super Bowl.
He didn't say.
I said it was closed.
That worked.
Josh, you have to know.
If he had said, hey, do you like, or is chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla, right?
Yeah.
That would have fit.
A leading question.
It worked perfectly.
It did not.
It worked perfect.
Can I just tell you guys?
That worked perfectly.
It was totally irrelevant.
What he's talking about?
What is talking about?
Ice cream.
You could have put a dunk on there.
You could have put a dunk on there.
No, no, I'm talking about it.
That was a.
Perfect story.
That's right.
The KW loves, loves reminding America of his humble beginnings working at Ben and Jerry's.
We've heard, see, they don't want him, they don't want, he doesn't want, he doesn't want people to think he had, it was a Silver Spoon Kid, which he wasn't.
That's what I'm saying.
You weren't.
He's a son of a carpenter.
He pulled himself up.
And so once a quarter, he has to tell us about Ben and Jerry's.
We all know you worked at Ben and Jerry's, bro.
Well, it's an interesting story.
Want to hear a story about why you leave the register open?
Save that.
It had nothing to do.
You don't give away everything.
You leave the register open.
I thought it was going to be like, when we were there,
I thought it was going to be like people freeze up when they have to order.
I thought.
No, that's not what it is.
The power of suggestion.
Fox, UFL Friday, two of the league's newcomers, Orlando Storm and Louisville King's
light up prime time.
Pro football in the spring ramping up tomorrow 80s, on Fox.
Here are the news.
OKC getting.
the UFL team.
Oh, I, it's right now.
You just broke it too.
That's great.
Celtics in New York,
Tatum back at the garden for the first time
since tearing his Achilles.
Jalen Brown out tonight
because of Achilles 10 to Nitis.
Here's how Tatum has historically fared in the garden.
This includes playoff.
Five and one.
This is recent history.
Averaging 31 points,
eight rebounds, five assists.
Shoots over 50%,
42% from three.
This is home away from home.
What are your expectations tonight for Jason?
and Tatum. Before I give my Tatum expectations, I want to give a
Knicks crowd expectations.
I think he gets cheered at intros.
I think so, too. I would think so.
I think particularly given the fact that they haven't won in 50 plus years,
I think Knicks fans are some of the best and smartest fans in the NBA as far as the
in arena crowd. And I think there will be an appreciation for what this moment is,
these are rivals and, you know,
I don't think he's going to be, like,
cheered throughout the game, like he's played for Knicks.
But I think at intros,
I think the crowd will give him,
you know, something of a hat tip.
I'm not saying they have to.
It's just my gut tells me that's what's going to happen.
I was thinking, I should.
I hope they do.
I was thinking about this earlier, though.
I was like, do they,
do you think you could get into his head
for the future if you just booed him
vociferous?
Now, that would look bad.
But would that be within them?
I don't know.
I guess.
They can boom during the game.
They're going to definitely do that.
But just the initial.
I hope they do.
I think the initial.
I think there'll be a cheer because it was such a jarring thing that, you know, the way it happened.
Now, as far as how I expect him to play, I think 30 points is absolutely on the board, particularly because Jalen Brown's out.
And I was probably.
the most optimistic about his return,
and he's exceeded my expectations.
The last five games, he's 25, 10, and 7 on 48, 40 splits,
and they've won all of them.
And it has been stunning to me how quickly he looks most of the way back.
I don't think he'll, you know, my son's a huge Celtics fan,
and Tatems' favorite player,
and he and I were talking about this this morning.
up, asked me when I think he'll look like vintage Tatum.
I don't think that will happen consistently until next season,
where it's just night in, night out, he's one of the best players in the league.
I think that probably, we're months from that.
But he's already at all-star level.
And that to me, and so I, like, it's maybe unfair, but I almost at this point,
expect like all-star production from Tatum, even though he's 15 games into his.
Right, that's what I mean, even though he's 15 games into his recovery and less than,
you know, only 11 months removed or 10 and a half months removed from the injury.
Yeah, look, and you got to credit Joe Missoula, and we'll see if he gets coached year.
I think him, Bickerstaff.
No chance.
Missoula?
He says he doesn't want it.
I don't know how you can vote.
You think voters going to be insulted?
I mean, I'm not going to be insulted.
if I want to vote for him, I'm figuring out
do I want to vote for him or Bickerstaff
because Bickerstaff in Detroit's been great too.
But my point is,
their system,
I said this before he came back,
I thought he would come in and play well
because that system is great,
like it's a great system and guys,
if you have ability,
can just fit in and play.
Him at, what is he,
70% maybe right now,
is better than everybody else on that team.
except Jalen Brown.
And though Pritchard, with all due
respect to them. Derek White's great player.
But I still think, I mean,
and he's more of a defensive player.
But I'm saying overall player,
this Jason Tatum or Derek White,
I think Tatum's better.
So I'm not surprised that he's playing
well. And I think tonight
he's going to have a big game.
Because I think he struggled against them
in that series last year until the game
he got hurt when he had 42.
Before that, he was shooting in the 30%
range.
Hobbs, just get in my ear.
I know we saw that Jalen is going to be out,
but do we have any updates on
Derek White's availability?
I know he's questionable.
I don't know if he's been ruled
one way or the other.
Building off of your
silver linings
point that you made earlier in the show,
is it a silver lining that
Jalen Brown is not playing,
so he has to be the guy?
I don't know.
I mean, I would, I'm going to say no.
because I think, and I don't know if that's in the Celtics thinking, maybe, look, let's have Jason go out there.
I could see Manjula doing it.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, it could be.
But my thing is, and they've been great together.
And it's been a switch where now Jaylon's been the number one guy.
And I would want that as much as possible.
Like going into the playoffs, I'd want them to continue to play this way together as much as possible
because I don't think this will happen.
But theoretically, if Jason goes out there and drops 47.
and now think
I need to be back to the
point you know like I'm just
I don't think that would happen
but I mean
that could disrupt chemistry
I guess here's why I'm
not worried about that
I think if
Tatum was at all
concerned about
his
overall actual stature
within the team
he would have waited until next year
to come back
I think that the, he opted into coming back at a time so quickly with Jalen playing so well,
where he knew, you know, for at least the first month or two or maybe the entirety of my first season back, this season.
This guy's, you know, going to be the number one option, and I'm choosing to do that.
If he was, I think, self-conscious, or I don't know if that's the right word, but concerned about that,
he certainly, nobody would have been like, what's taking him so long because he didn't have the quickest to kill his rehab ever.
And I also think, I mean, I think most, the vast majority of basketball fans, if not universally, and I would guess Tatum also, I think, let me put it like this.
I think everybody
basically acknowledges
Jason Tatum is a better
player than Jalen Brown. I think the only
person that probably in their head disagrees with that
is Jalen Brown, which is totally fine.
Everybody should feel that way about themselves.
And so I think Tatum is
self-confident enough to
not be concerned
about that. The
hierarchy. Yes. But how about
this? How about this?
And I don't think they would have won it
without him. But is there a part
of you, him or what
their man, they look good.
If they win it without me
I think the fourth side is far more likely.
Of course, no, I don't think they would have won it without him,
but I'm saying that enters your mind.
And I think what more, but the flip side of what enters your mind is
anybody that questions, you know, my, you know, my value or the fact
that I didn't win finals MVP and Jalen did,
watch them go through a playoff run without me and see, that could have
instead none of that was there
this was a truly
in my humble
estimation
a real team first decision
to come back as quickly as
he did knowing he was
team first I think that
he did it
I don't know that he
does it if they're not
a piece away from being able
to win the title I agree you know what I mean that's what I'm saying
if they're struggling if they were
35 and
that's the wrong
caliber and style.
Yeah, not even that bad.
But if they were just, if they had been
the eight seed all year,
I don't know that he comes back.
But because I think he made the decision,
this is a really good team
that if I get back to most,
you know, 80% of myself
can be a great team.
And so I will come in
even if my numbers
are not going to be what they
historically are.
What I think,
everyone is surprised by. Maybe Jason isn't. But what I think everyone is surprised by is how quickly
the numbers have gotten back to almost his career averages. Like that's been, that's been stunning.
One wild thing, but it has popped up. Like if there's a cricket in your house, you don't
quite know where it is, but it's somewhere. It's like, it just makes a little noise. You see this
like Janus complimenting Joe Missoula, Celtics, where, you know, gave the buck
a call, potential suitors.
I don't know what the package is,
but did that hit your radar at all?
It hit my radar, but it is,
I want to see all these playoffs go,
but it is not the move I would be desperate to make
if I were Boston.
Well, like you said,
you want to see how the playoffs go,
but if you're Boston,
if you're looking at a potential
of Wimb and Yam in the future,
if you're looking at OKC,
now again, if they beat OKC in the finals,
then you don't worry about it.
but if you're looking at the way the teams in the West are kind of stacking up
and maybe even the potential of Janus going to Houston or something,
I might look at that.
They have a lot of pieces.
Obviously,
they are assets and everything.
I think the way,
but I guess my thought,
the reason I said I wouldn't be rushing to do it is,
I think the only way they would be able to do it is it would essentially just be
Janus for Jalen Brown.
I don't think you.
I wouldn't.
You know what I mean?
I don't think they can.
I want to keep the other two, Jalen and Jason.
Right.
And I don't think they can piece it together.
No,
financially probably.
Right.
And so.
I was surprised that it popped up.
And it also.
Yeah,
I would not.
Even though Janus is better than Jalen, because of his injury history,
I'd be hesitant to do that because Janus has just been hurt so much.
And you would drastically be changing your style.
Yeah.
It would not be this five out three point.
You know what I mean?
And the.
I don't think the Bucks are going to be able to get certainly a better individual player than Jalen Brown in any of these trades.
But it also to me would not.
That maybe I'm wrong.
I haven't spent a lot of time on the trade between the Celtics, you know, Yonis trade.
Maybe they could piece it together without touching Brown or Tatum.
But also if I'm the Bucks, trading for Jalen Brown when you don't own your future draft picks.
And he's, again, he's not an old play.
player, but it's just you are, if you trade
Janus, you are starting over.
Starting over with a guy who
was a borderline first team all-MBA
guy who's 30,
or is he 30 yet?
But he's not 30 yet, but it's going
to be 30. Young potential.
Yeah, so I, the,
and I, listen, I think
they're going to win the title.
And I think Tatum's going to be the first in
Tatum and Brown is going to be the first in this group
to two rings. Like, that's
the, that's to me the, like,
cool question about these playoffs.
Is Joker going to get his second ring?
Is Shay going to get his second ring?
Are these guys going to have their second ring?
Or, to be fair, is Wimby going to get his first?
And really reoriented.
Is it going to continue this parody?
One ring for you, one ring for you, one ring for me.
Wow.
I like that.
I like that.
Ruben Bain in Kansas City.
That's next.
Coming up on Sunday, NASCAR hits the last great Coliseum
for the best of the best book to slow down.
Tyler Reddick.
Michael Jordan's red-hot season.
Cop Series hits short track in Bristol.
Sunday, three Eastern, pre-race coverage,
starts at two, right here on FS1.
Welcome back to the show, talking to NFL draft.
The Chiefs are hosting Ruben Bain Jr.
For a visit today, Chief's defense last four seasons.
I know what you're thinking.
Wow, great sack percentage, right?
Yeah, usually.
But last year, down a six point, four.
Last two years.
Oh, last two years, I'm sorry.
I was thinking it was like a basketball season.
22nd in the league,
what Bain Jr. was the defensive player
of the year in the ACC at almost 10 sacks.
His past rusher, Kansas City's number one need.
It is now that they added Kenneth Walker.
Listen, they have not,
the last thousand-yard rusher they had
was before Mahomes took over as starter.
And they had been able to piece it together
and they had such an explosive passing game
and Kelsey was such a dynamic weapon.
And then that slowly somewhat atrophied
And to my eye, teams had such little respect for the chief's ability to break explosive runs.
They were always daring them to run.
The chiefs couldn't consistently run, except for on third and one and fourth and one where they were red in the tush push.
Like they were elite at that cream hunt getting a yard and a half play.
And so they had to address that, but they addressed it.
And when I watched the chiefs last year, and you guys heard me talking about this after the first.
game of the season against the Chargers.
Third and long, get off the field.
They couldn't because they could not get, you know, get a good enough pass rush.
Now, I understand, Coach, they lost or traded away basically their entire secondary.
I have such faith in Spag's ability to coach up secondary players and Veach's ability to draft
secondary players.
That's where they have gotten good value year after year and gotten great.
great play out of young players.
I don't look at that as pressing of a need as somebody, other than Chris Jones, who can get
pressure without Spags having to scheme it up, somebody who can just win a one-on-one or,
God forbid, a double-team match-up.
So, yes, I think this is their number one need by a lot.
Yeah, I looked at those numbers, too, but there were sixth in points loud last year, right?
So that's a very impressive number.
And with Spags, it's not always about the one-on-one pass for us.
more often than not, I'd say the majority of the time, it is some sort of scheme-related defense.
But don't you think he would let's because they don't have a guy, like it has to be
schemed up because they don't have a guy who can win on his own?
Maybe he increases a little bit, but his track record over time has always been being
multiple, bringing a lot of different pressure packages, a lot of guys involved in the pressure
packages.
But when I look at the Chiefs, I also think, how are they affecting people in the passing?
game.
And Travis Culls, he was a leading receiver last year.
How many, maybe this is a swan song.
I know he signed a three-year deal, but it's hard to imagine that it's going to be
multiple years.
Would there be value in getting another tight end that can actually affect the passing
game in that intermediate area, give Mahomes an option, give Kelsey the chance to teach
someone all the things that he could potentially teach someone or maybe even an outside
receiver?
So, Rash, where he played seven games last season?
He was, I think, second on the team in yards.
I know we talk about the receivers,
but really who's their dynamic threat outside.
And I'm not usually an advocate of when you've got a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes,
oh, hey, we've got to add all these weapons to it.
But they're six and points allowed, and they weren't very good offensively.
And he's coming off an injury,
and their leading receiver is 30, whatever years old,
and probably in his last year.
I like the Kenneth Walker decision a lot.
You know, offensive line, those guys are coming back,
but they were, what, 20 second and sacks allowed?
So it's not like they, you know, that's a great stat either.
So I'm not, I don't have as much of conviction as you do
that past rusher is their first priority.
Look, the bottom line from your guy's conversation, and I agree,
they need, they got a lot of holes to fill.
So, yeah, they definitely need an edge rusher, no doubt about that.
the receivers, yes, they need weapons.
But I'm even, again, defense, looking at the defensive backfield like you brought up,
I mean, they lost three starters.
And so there, I mean, obviously the plan is we're going to, you know,
draft some of these cornerbacks and, you know, safety or whatever and coach them up.
But that's a huge need.
I mean, obviously, you lost three starters.
So you got now you can say, well, if they get more pressure on the quarterback,
it takes less
pressure off the backfield
but those three areas
are all where they need to hit
so I look if I had a
cornerback or something that I loved
I might take him
well they would almost assuredly
I would be very surprised
if they don't have the ability
to take the first corner of the draft
like I don't think a corner's
going to go picks one through eight
that is I would be
very surprised
I know a lot of mock drafts disagree with me.
Me personally, I would be very surprised if they take a corner at 9,
and I would be stunned if they take an offensive lineman at 9.
I think that if they do go defensive player that isn't a pass rusher at 9,
I think it would be Caleb Downs, the safety,
it's a secondary player, but safety.
And I think wide receiver is possible.
I don't think it is, I think that if, if,
If Carnell Tate were there, I think they would take him.
If Carnell Tate isn't there, taking the second receiver off the board with the ninth pick,
you know, you see how things fall.
But I'm a big believer that the salaries of players don't lie about how the league is valuing guys.
And which makes pass rusher and receiver the ability to get a potential star player at one of those spots on a rookie
deal so much more valuable than a star tight end or a star safety.
Like those guys, the best at those spots now make $40 million a year.
The Chief's hope, and I would believe they're not going to be drafting in the top 10 again
anytime soon.
Like this is a very unique opportunity.
The question, is he an elite?
Well, coach scared me.
I was all in on Ruben Bay and then coach was talking Colisea Cansy.
I like the Brandon Graham.
I saw Brandon Graham strip Tom Brady.
Super Bowl.
He got,
I understand.
I get it.
The T-Rex thing.
And I'm a weird spot because I kept calling
Will Campbell T-Rex arms.
Every week.
And now he's about to be a guard.
However,
no,
he's not going to be a guard.
He's going to be a guard.
He's going to be a guard.
He's going to be a very good guard.
So it made me nervous.
You made me nervous.
I'm sorry.
Live from New York,
first-things first overtime,
starring Danny Parkinson's in a new jacket.
Looking great.
Lakers Warriors tonight.
We're looking forward.
to it. Problem is, Steph's not playing. But is there a chance? LeBron and Steph team up next year we
discuss. Meanwhile, do the Rams have the blueprint for a successful draft after winning a
Super Bowl and making it to Parkin's Super Bowl last year, which is kind of still upset about that,
but you're proven right? And finally, how much pressure is on the Chiefs to rebuild their roster?
I'm a little bit nervous as a Kansas City Chiefs fan. Was the general public?
and you put out that little poll today?
What was the...
No, Chiefs are still getting a lot of love from...
How does Vegas feel?
Five years, you got to believe no.
No, K&W thinks they're done.
I don't think they're done, but there's just, like, name their needs,
and then we just keep talking about it.
I'm like, man, is this a podcast?
Yeah, segment.
I think that's a little overbooked.
It was.
I understand that's how we discuss it.
I think it's a little overblown.
I hope so, because I'm a Chief's guy.
I am.
You're not.
I am.
We're not welcome in the whole state of Missouri.
Or Kansas, where this is moving.
Yeah, they're moving.
I'm definitely a welcome in Kansas.
I'm a huge j-hawks.
Is he not sure enough?
Danny Park and Nick Wright, Kevin Wowsy,
loves Kansas City, Chris Brousard.
SGA and the Thunder won again.
SGA scored 20 again.
They clinched the number one.
Oh, free throws made the first time forever.
Oh, I didn't mean.
Yeah.
They're going for a championship again.
Here's SGA post game.
It feels better for sure.
Not only because we've had to weather a little bit more,
but just like repeating something and doing it again
is always a little bit harder.
It's a little more challenging.
The league gets better, players get better,
and for us to still have the best overall record
through that and ups and downs,
speaks volume to the teams,
speaks volumes to the guys in the summertime
getting better individually,
coaching staff getting better individually.
And we always say at the beginning of the season,
like no matter what happened,
we have to earn what we get
and making the playoffs in our seating
and we earned first overall seat.
Parkins, you unleashed a OKC Thunder opus yesterday during the A block of the program.
I cannot wait for Danny's answer to this.
I just can't wait because I almost want to split screen of Danny's statements and Brew's reactions to them.
I can't wait.
Now you got them from the Qaeda.
You don't know what I'm going to say?
No, but I have an idea of what you're going to say and how you're going to defend it.
And I think Brew is going to be.
I can't wait.
I can't wait.
Okay.
If we want to do a split screen, I want to give us a second.
Oh, there we go.
All right.
What's another MVP and title mean for SGA?
Brew, follow me down this track.
Yes.
If you bring up the name Michael Joy.
Well, hold on a second.
Hold on a second.
I knew it.
If we all agree, and I've been watching Bruce's ballot,
he seems to be a heavy favorite.
for MVP.
So that would be multiple career MVP's and back to back.
They are the favorite to win the title.
And I assume we all believe that if they win the title,
he is the heavy, heavy, heavy favorite for finals MVP.
So if that happens, we will have to confront some very uncomfortable realities.
Here it is.
Because SGA will enter a list of the most exclusive club that exists in the NBA.
There are six guys, and it's arguably the six best players in the history of the sport,
because finals MVP wasn't a thing for Bill Russell so much so that they named the award.
So arguably six best modern era.
Correct.
That is arguably the top six, depending on what you do with, you know, Bird and Duncan.
Those are the only guys with multiple regular season MVP's and finals MVP's.
And if I parse for doing it back to back,
it's Jordan, LeBron, and Shea.
So he'd be one of seven and one of three.
And he would deserve it.
Okay.
I mean, I don't.
I mean, what does that mean?
Well, you tell me.
I'm saying he's one of the top.
I'm saying he would objectively be in this grouping of players that Kobe Bryant and Shaq and all of these other,
Hakeem, all these other, all-timers are not in.
and it would make us confront some maybe uncomfortable conversations.
What are those?
Right.
Can he be a top 10 player of all time?
Right now?
With what he has accomplished?
If they do that, we're all of a sudden next season talking about him as a top 10 player of all time.
We have to, based on accomplishments, why would we not?
Because he's not.
Okay.
I was going to go similar.
I mean, somewhat similar in that.
Interesting.
If we call him a point guard.
There have only been, and let me put it this way,
the two small point guards who have led teams to multiple championships,
Steph and Isaiah Thomas, that's it.
Yeah.
When you say just guards, because for the bulk of the history of the game,
it's been big men are the ones that lead championships and dynasties and stuff.
Guards, in addition to Steph and Isaiah, multiple titles,
Magic, Michael, and Kobe, and then it would be Shea.
But if you say multiple MVP's and multiple championships for a team led by a guard,
it'd be Steph, Magic, and Michael, and then Shane.
And she is in, but I don't think it's just, so basically I think what you're trying to say,
will we say he's better than Kobe?
Is that because he'd have more, he's got, he would have more,
He will have more MVP's than Kobe.
And he is 27 years old on a young team that would be back to back
and set up to win for the next five years.
So is the question, could he be one day in the top 10?
There's no way I will be saying beginning the next season in July or whatever,
whenever they win the, if they win the championship MVP,
that he's all of a sudden the top 10 player.
I will open up the possibility of perhaps if he can,
keeps accomplishing type stuff like this.
But right now, no, and I don't think he's, to be clear,
I don't think he's saying that he would be building the resume of a top 10 player.
He's on top 10 trajectory.
Yes.
But my point is that is objectively true.
And nobody talks about him like that.
Yeah, because, and here's, and here's why I think that is.
Let's say he does all that.
Yeah.
If we just talk about where he is right now, if you throw,
rose history and he had all these accomplishments in historical rankings amongst his contemporaries.
I would not, if he pulls this off, which I feel like he's already pulled off the MVP.
So we're talking about them winning the title.
I still would not have him ahead of Nikola Yokic historically, Kevin Durant historically,
Yonis historically, much less, obviously not Stepper LeBron, who are like to me, I, the,
Jokic will have more and still have more MVPs.
Yannis will have the same plus a defensive player of the year.
He will have one more title than neither of those guys.
For Durant, he would have same titles, fewer finals appearances, one more MVP.
I just don't, he now.
I would probably.
Eight years younger than KD.
Four years younger than Yonis.
So, but I think we have to be careful with the assumption of guys because they're this age and they accomplish that.
But he will have more championships.
But Janice, when Janice won his title and was a two-time MVP and defensive player of the year, he was younger than Shea is right now.
And Janice has really not moved a step further along in the all-time legacy, you know, in the five years since then.
I maybe would put him ahead of Durant.
Wow.
He's leading the team to championship.
I mean, and he's as good of a score as Durant.
He's a better defender than Durant.
And he's shown he can lead a team, which Durant to me has not shown.
Would you have him ahead of Isaiah, Brew?
No.
So that, so that the, I do think, like, here's what I'm comfortable saying,
because where I think we, and I think this era is showing this to us,
I think we can get ourselves in a bit of trouble and we're like,
well, he did this by this age, so what's you going to do by?
that age because all these guys have then, they've done it and then they've gone on something
of a drought. I know you are of the belief that this Thunder team is inevitable for the rest of the
decade. I am not quite as. I think they are a inevitable contender for the rest of the decade,
and that is just based based on the age of their core and the, if you don't think Sam Presti's
the best executive in the sport, he's the second best. Right. I mean, he, he,
They have the most draft capital.
They've got the best executive.
I think that's obvious that there'll be a continuum.
I think they'll continue to be in the mix.
I don't.
So that means he will play 150, 200, 200 plus playoff games.
Like he's just, he's going to keep being there.
He's going to continue to score 20 points, 30 points a game for for years and years.
He's 27 years old.
Can I ask you?
No, he's phenomenal.
Yeah, there's no way I'd put him in the top.
About the Isaiah stuff.
got my antennas up.
I don't know what Isaiah has over,
and again,
there's just a pop quiz,
Isaiah has over SGA,
resume-wise.
I say he has a winning playoff record
against Magic Bird and Michael Jordan.
And I think,
and he won,
a little bit of a boutique stat,
but sure.
Well,
he was clearly a better passer.
He,
I think.
He got two,
I'm sorry,
and Shay's going to have two MVP.
No,
he led,
in that era,
they really weren't giving.
guards MVP.
All right.
Other than like the small players.
But my question is this.
Oscar Roder's.
Do you feel like we're suffering almost from a reverse recency bias?
So I, the, Isaiah is, I think, a tough, is a tough one to ask because you happen to do the show
with, of everyone in the media, I think Brew and I have Isaiah higher than literally everyone
else.
So like we're a weird audience for that because the, I'm of the.
belief that and I think Isaiah
has proof of this that he
could have scored way more than he
did and he understood
what as a true point
guard the way to get his team
to play the best defense was to get guy's
shots and things like that so I think his
stats and his advanced numbers are not
good his MVP finish
I just think he was a defining
and not just he won
he was the reason in my opinion
he was the reason look at
the talent not he obviously had
talent around him, but look at what Bird had with him.
Look at what Magic had
with him. And he was able to beat them.
And so, but so let's as a six one.
Let me use maybe an
guy that I do, let me say
this, I do think he
will unquestionably, and I think
some people will blanchet some of these names
have moved ahead of
a lot of the greatest
guards ever. Like if we did
a list of guards who are definitively
better than Shea
if he pulls this off, to me,
It would be Michael, Steph, Kobe.
I would still have magic, obviously.
I wouldn't think about magic.
And then you can start having arguments.
So the first thing I wrote,
the first thing I wrote down was
Shea is going to make people confront
some very interesting realities.
I'm not saying it's a finished product.
I'm not saying the finish.
I'm not even here saying he is a top 10 player of all time.
That would be ridiculous.
But what he has accomplished at 27,
at his position with how he is set up to age well with a team around him to do a heck of a lot of winning and scoring.
He's building a case.
My question for you is because I don't think you're right now, it's way too early to think about Michael or Magic.
Are you?
Of course.
But what about Kobe?
In your mind, I'm not thinking about Kobe with him, but what about you?
Listen, I loved Kobe.
I have some childhood nostalgia for the guy who.
who kind of emulated everything after Michael Jordan,
my favorite athlete of all time.
So at first blush, like, it's a ridiculous notion,
but it's possible.
I absolutely think it's possible.
But not right now.
But not right now.
But not right now.
So one more minute here, if we could,
Racine.
I'm interested in where you guys are on this.
Less of the, the only projection I want on this is they win the title.
He's finals MVP.
You know what I mean?
So it's two MVP, two titles.
And smash cut.
Make a new list of the greatest players ever.
Is he ahead of Dwayne Wade?
Yes.
I think you'd have.
Okay.
So he's definitively then ahead of John Stockton and James Harden and Alan Iverson.
And he's definitively ahead of all those guys.
So it really is, he is fighting and clawing for fifth best guard ever with Isaiah Thomas.
That's what we're saying.
If they pull this off.
That's what we're saying.
Yeah, I don't even think that's much of an argument.
You got him a hit.
Just two MVPs.
I don't know.
I mean, he's obviously had a Nash.
Two MVP is towardified if there's someone I forget.
Oscar and Jerry West, but if we just want to do the last 50 years.
You know, if we did like Kareem to now, it would be Michael Kobe, Kobe,
I'm sorry, Michael Magic, Kobe, Steph, SGA.
Or Isaiah.
Or I, but those are the six.
greatest guards of this half syndrome.
You have to put it, if he pulls this off.
That is, that is remarkable.
Yes. And here's this interesting. That's remarkable.
But I tend to agree with that.
But a year ago, we thought
Celtics going to win it. Yes.
Two years ago, we thought at this exact time,
Denver's going to win it. If they don't win it,
then it's all of that is just gone.
And he's a two-time, he's obviously going to be,
he's on an all-time great player. If they don't win it,
is he ahead of Dwayneway.
as a two-time MVP, Wade has zero MVPs.
Wade has three championship, five finals appearances, one finals MVP.
I would say he'd be in route because Wade's career was obviously shortened.
Yep, I think that's totally fair.
Yeah, but I would not be ready to.
I think you need multiple titles for a guy at 27 to leapfrog all time guys whose careers are finished and they're already in the Hall of Fame.
That was a good conversation, Danny.
Any good job. Thanks.
That was excellent.
I appreciate that one.
That was great.
I thought I was like I was excited.
I kind of bird dog Danny's graphic.
I saw a lot of pictures of Michael.
Nick made me think he was going to put him in my head of George.
I was hoping.
Uncomfortable conversations.
Lakers at Warriors.
We thought it would be another classic chapter of Steph versus LeBron.
But the problem is Steph is out.
So the question is, are we going to see these two team
up next year.
Not necessarily, don't give me the possibility of it.
Tell me if you want to see it, Danny.
So I think you guys won't like my answer as much to this one.
No, not really.
But I'm still holding out hope that Janus plays his whole career wearing one jersey.
Like, LeBron Cleveland to Miami to Cleveland to L.A., I don't need to see LeBron in a fourth jersey.
But at this point, does it matter?
Stay with the Lakers?
He doesn't want it.
He's bounced around so much, though.
I know.
That's part of his legacy.
Like, I don't think it matters.
Four or five, right?
Go back to Cleveland.
If you don't, if you don't,
your buddy James Hardin might have to ruin that.
I mean, depends on what LeBron's willing to play for his last year.
No, I'm saying I just don't think, I think Hardin makes the fit.
The style of play.
It's so weird.
Like, I just think if, if you,
have Donovan Mitchell and James Harden on your team, he finds, sorry to interrupt.
No, LeBron can do anything.
He's the Swiss Army.
Well, he has shown that he could if he wanted to.
But if I'm LeBron, right.
But I would rather be, I would rather have, if I'm going to take a third role, I'd rather
be Luca as the guy doing all the dribbling than James Harden.
Yeah.
Like, and so like that, like, to me, if he's going to have this Swiss Army Knife role,
do it in L.A.
I agree with that.
If he's in so that the Cleveland thing is less attractive once they got hardened to me.
I think Mobley and Jared Allen in the defense to make up for what LeBron doesn't want to do necessarily on that end of the floor makes that more interesting.
LeBron and Steph, they're great friends.
He's friends with Draymond.
It would be an interesting basketball visual.
They want a gold medal together.
Like, I get, it's cooler than Jordan ending with the Wizards.
Like it would be something for him in that category.
But I just, I don't love.
like the different teams all the time thing.
I don't.
I just think that ship has sailed.
I know it has.
Also, to be fair, he's, I mean,
he's been on the Lakers.
This is, he got there in 19.
So he's, I mean, it's not, he's not bouncing around right.
He went seven years with the calves,
four with the heat, four with the calves,
and now eight with the Lakers.
What I'm saying is for, for the,
it's the longest, it's the longest consecutive.
I'm just saying for the, for the all times.
guys for his company Jordan two jerseys Duncan one jersey Kobe one jersey bird one jersey
Shaq bounced all around yeah yeah but it was cheapened at the at the end because shack was a shell
of himself at the end like listen I do want to see him in a new jersey I the I the Warriors would be
my third pick you your new number one would be New York so he can dab him up no I mean I do I do want him to
go to the the Knicks are my first draft pick the Nuggets are my second
the Warriors are my third.
If the Cavs did something with Hardin, it becomes more interesting to me.
And maybe after a playoff, disappointed with Hardin, they'll want to get out of that
business as well.
But I just, like, I think LeBron tonight, actually, I'm less optimistic now that Steph is
out tonight.
But when I thought Steph was playing, I thought LeBron was going to have 30-point triple-double,
maybe the final 40-point game of his career like that.
He can still ramp it up, particularly against, you know, if it's not a great opponent and he is trying to put on a show.
And so I still think he can get, we saw him in the last game he played, he had 30 points, 15 assists.
So I only want to take on that tertiary role if it's for a great player at the peak of his powers.
And I don't look at as good as Donovan is and as good as Hardin was at one point of his career, that doesn't feel the
same as stepping back for Luca or stepping back for Joker in Denver.
With the Warriors, at least, I think he would be.
He would handle the ball.
He would handle the ball.
He could be in Draymine's offensive role, but obviously a better shooter.
That's right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Now, that would be interesting.
Dreimine would help defensively.
I don't know where Dreimine would go offensively.
Yeah.
Because he's not a shooter.
The bench.
I rather, if I'm Golden State, my dream would be to get Janus first.
But look, I would like if they can't.
get Janice, I'd love to see LeBron there.
It'd just be a fun story.
It wouldn't, they wouldn't.
Now, they would be pretty good.
If Butler's healthy, obviously, can LeBron and Steph stay healthy for the bulk of next
season too?
But if those two are healthy plus Butler, they'd be pretty good.
They wouldn't be able to win the West, but they would be a pretty good and interesting thing.
And it'd be a great story.
I think with the Knicks, they can win the East.
That's the question.
Are we doing cool, story, fun, basketball experiment, or trying to win a title?
That's what I think LeBron is trying to figure out.
Because like, I don't know, it just feels weird.
I can't see him going out of him.
I don't know why.
I can't imagine.
I did not think Denver's possibility.
But then McMinnerman and Bon Timps wrote that article, they listed six teams.
One of them was Denver.
They reminded me, LeBron's dear friend, Josh Cronkey, owns the team.
Jared Dudley is, you know, one of the coaches.
I also was reminded of, now again, I think this had to do more about.
with Maverick and that potential league he was doing
of LeBron and Maverick and Joker's agent
hanging out on that boat.
Like there was just enough there
where I was like, hmm, and the fact that the nuggets
could, because they're probably losing Peyton Watson
because they paid Christian Brown instead of Watson,
they have the sign and trade ability
where LeBron wouldn't have to play for the minimum.
All those things may me say,
hmm, even though I didn't, I thought it was clearly going to be
back home to Cleveland,
one year with the Knicks or team up with staff, this seemed to be a new.
I think if you were in any creative field, let's call basketball a creative field,
I think there's some enjoyment in playing with the best.
If you were in a band, like, I wanted to work with you, buddy.
Wow.
I think he'd be like, you know what?
Like when Durant played for the Warriors, a lot of his early quotes were like,
this is really fun.
I'm having really fun playing basketball.
I don't necessarily think it's title.
Certainly it's not financial number one.
No.
I think fun is higher on his list, and I don't think he's having,
the winning is fun, but I think from that quote we played in the Mavs game,
I don't think playing fun playing with Luca is fun.
And playing with Joker would be a blast.
His name's Joker.
That's it for me.
Signing off.
Check first English.
Wow.
Way to end it.
Happy Frenememememones Thursday.
myself and Nick Wright hanging out. Let's go to your hometown of Kansas City.
Chiefs hosting edge rusher Rubin Bain out of Miami on a top 30 visit. I think at one point you said this was an ideal outcome.
Yeah, but then Manjini worried me about his short arm. It's called him Colisea Kansi and I freaked out.
Oh, that's not good. T-Rex is a pass rusher. You don't want that. It's a unique draft where you got Patrick Mahomes and a top 10 pick and two first round picks.
Wanted to throw this at you too. The core is old.
The guys that you would most know and care about, yes, Creed Humphrey and Trace Smith,
two of the highest paid guys, an excellent offensive lineman, not on the list.
But it's a unique time for Brett Veach that he hopes to never have another top 10 pick in Mahomes' prime.
Given the reality of the core of that roster, a top 10 pick, how key do you look at,
we're like two weeks away from the draft?
Well, listen.
Do they have to nail it?
Yes, of course.
I mean, it's like the draft after they traded Tyreek.
They have to nail it.
I don't agree to you the core is old.
Don't.
No, I mean, the players you put on there, there's two core pieces plus Travis,
and Travis is, this is a bonus year for me from Travis.
Like, I mean, Drew Tranquil and Kyrgy Tonga's never played a game for the Chiefs.
Those are just the 30 and over guys.
Yeah, but who get paid a lot of.
Their best offensive player and their best defensive player are old.
And Travis, obviously, is the oldest skill position guy in the league.
but I thought he was going to be retired.
So, like, I'm not, you said Creed Humphrey,
Trace Smith.
We'll see if the wide receivers can play up to what I thought they could
for each of them after their rookie seasons.
But Rishi Rice and Xavier Worthy are not old.
Kenneth Walker is not old.
The only old defensive player they have of note is Chris Jones.
Now, it's unproven.
but I don't look at them as like this aging roster.
I look at them as a roster with a lot to prove.
Do you look at them as a good roster?
So, yeah, Patrick Mahomes on the roster.
No, no, we are in agreement on that.
We are in a complete agreement on that.
But we saw it with Aaron Rogers.
I think we've seen it, some with Mahomes.
Like, if you have the best quarterback in the world,
it's a great deodorant for a lot of problems on your team.
Yeah, and Aaron Rogers, I just, I reject the comparison.
Aaron Rogers in his career was a good enough deodorant to make one Super Bowl.
And Patrick is the most talented quarterback in the history of the league.
Great.
He is not, though, he is not the only reason they've been to five of seven Super Bowls,
or five of eight at this point.
So the reason, so I, the entirety of their offensive line is young.
They have a second year left tackle, a third year left guard,
Creed who is entering his fourth year, entering his fifth year.
He didn't Trey were in the 2021 drafts, the year after they got blitzed.
And that's right.
And so they're both entering their 60.
They just the, um, and the receivers are young.
But what is true is this, that Carlis is young.
He has, you know, last year was a down year for him.
Last year was not a good year for Rishi Rice on or off the field.
Obviously, Xavier worthy.
Season seemed to end in week one.
There's a lot of question marks in that regard.
and they do have, they made the tough decisions of trading away
one of their best young players in Trent McDuffie,
letting another one of their better young players in Jalen Watson walk.
So they need Noel Williams to step up.
They need to hit on the draft.
But I don't look at this Chiefs team as a team that has just holes all over the place.
I look at that they desperately need an impact pass rusher.
I think they would like to.
They either need to acquire a wide receiver or have Rishie get back on track the track he was after his rookie year when he was outstanding or Xavier Worthy the track he was on after the second half of his rookie year when he was really coming on.
Both of those would be great.
And they need to do what they've done three times since Spags has been there, remake the secondary as a whole.
I think the people that are talking about offensive line are out of their mind.
That would be weird.
And we will see who they're starting right tackle is, but you don't, they know who four of their five offensive line stars are.
That's not the need for them.
But yeah, this I believe will be the only top 10 pick Brett Veach can ever make with Patrick Moehm's on the roster.
And you have another first rounder and you have an early second rounder.
Like you need three impact guys in those top 40 picks.
And, you know, I was just looking back at the history.
He obviously has hits and he's a very sharp.
general manager and they've done an amazing job with like signing their guys and I think they've
sold high on like Lagerius Sneed that trade was great. But that 2021 draft after they lost the
Super Bowl to Tampa, it's like, oh, you got two all-world talent offensive linemen. Great draft.
There's a lot of drafts where there's not a ton of hits here and, you know, Sneed and
well the 20th, the draft after the Tyreek trade was one of the best.
drafts any teams had this decade.
That wasn't the 2021 draft.
That was the McDuffey, Carlophe, Jalen Watson.
But the draft after that, that they went from a draft where every single player they drafted was a hit and got a second contract in this league to a draft where basically every single player was a miss.
And so like that is, so, yeah, you need to drafts hard, but they have to nail this one.
It feels to me like they also owe it to Mahomes to use the ninth pick on an offensive player.
Like, like, just you're amazing.
The stats and the offensive production have dipped a little bit.
We're not going to ever be in this position again.
So by that you mean a wide receiver?
Yeah, a weapon.
Well, I mean, you wouldn't want them to draft the tight end out of Oregon at nine, I don't think.
Probably not unless you really believe.
Unless you really, and I don't think Jeremiah Love will be there, obviously, and they don't either because they did the Kenneth Walker thing.
Yeah, I mean, listen, if Carnell Tate were there at nine, they'll take him.
I don't think Carnell Tate might not be there at three.
I think there's a chance the Jets take him at two.
I think it's a, and I would be shocked if Carnell Tate is there at nine.
After that, I think what the team needs more than anything is a pass rusher.
And I think that that's why I've kind of circled Rubin Bain.
Obviously, if for some reason one of the guys who is, you know, considered, if there's a different
blue chip pass rusher that falls.
Great. That's where I'm
focused. It seems like most of, a lot
of the mock drafts out there are focused on
offensive linemen. I am here to tell you
I would be gobsmacked
if the chief select an offensive lineman at the
ninth pick after taking a left tackle
with the first round pick last year. All right, let's talk
Lamar in Baltimore here
real quick. Zay Flowers basically said
Lamar wants to win a Super Bowl
and he wants to get a ring and
this is our window.
That's, you don't need to play it for you. That's
said, so the question here, Nick, is not everyone can win one.
Every era, there's a great quarterback who doesn't.
What do you think never winning a Super Bowl would mean for Lamar?
I think he becomes the NFL's Barclay, right?
The greatest player ever without a ring.
Right now, do you have off the top of your head who you think that is?
Like some would say Jim Kelly because he went to four.
Marino?
Obviously, I'm an idiot.
Obviously, Marino was the one.
I mean, I wrote down Marino and Barclay as guys.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we're like my care.
I think he, well, I think he, I think some people would still say they think
Marino's better than him.
But he becomes the modern era.
Correct.
I was thinking post-Marino, the best quarterback ever.
And because after, like, it's, the thing is this,
there's not a lot of quarterbacks with multiple,
but there's a bunch of quarterbacks.
with the one. And because of that, there's not a lot of legendary quarterbacks of our lifetime.
Part of becoming a legendary quarterback. Like Bree's got the one. Yes, Breeze got the one. And
Rogers, obviously, who is a true legend, has won. Farv has won. Now, listen, that is, I guess
I'm assuming when I say that, Josh does get one. Because I think Josh is, even though it doesn't
have the MVP as a better player than Lamar, if they both finished without one,
That would be weird.
But some of these guys are going to finish without one.
Like, I think Burrow is a big dog to win one.
And I think Lamar is a slight dog to win one.
Right.
I think Josh is a heavy favorite to get one.
And Ravens fans don't like it when I say this.
If you had to just bet on the guy who's going to, like, of those three of the contemporary,
of Josh Lamar and Burrow, who is going to, like, rank their 30s?
Because Lamar is 29 right now.
Would you go Josh Burrow Lamar or Josh,
Lamar Burrow. Because I think I would have
Lamar third. As far as individual
player, there's a chance I would rank
Burrow first. Because I do, I think that
there is, whatever
concern we have about how Lamar is going to age,
that concern definitively
exists for Josh as well. Burroughs
had more injuries, but he also seems like a guy
who is so unreliant on his athleticism
that I think he could maybe have the longest career of
all of them. But either way,
I think I would rank Lamar third, which is your point.
Which is exactly my point.
And so I'd put him as a dog to win a Super Bowl,
even though the organization is great, the division is winnable,
but someone has to be, and he's obviously better.
Like, someone had to be Philip Rivers in that era.
Yeah, that'll be Justin Herbert, so don't worry about that.
Same franchise.
I walked right into that one.
You don't have to worry about who's going to be Philip Rivers.
We know who's going to be Philip Rivers.
But yes, and...
Tactical error.
And this is...
This is the issue of...
Some folks think Herbert's an all-time great talent.
He's in the AFC.
Some folks think Trevor is underrated.
He's in the AFC.
Drake May.
Drake May is, you know, objectively coming off an unbelievable second season.
Patrick is, you know, I think the death of the chiefs has been called prematurely.
and that's just to get to a Super Bowl.
Correct. You've got to lose to Caleb.
Sure. I mean, Caleb at some point, I believe, we'll get one.
Like, it is just a tough spot, and I think Lamar is a favorite not to win.
Good addition to front of me, except for that Justin Herbert landmine by step on.
Sit right on it.
We are 14 days away from the 2026 NFL draft, and we want to bring you inside the OT War Room,
where every day we're talking the biggest storylines ahead of the draft.
And it is just three guys who share four Super Bowl rings between us.
I'm going to beat that joke into the ground.
And today it's going to be a little different.
This is more of a thought exercise.
Okay, you see the, I like to imagine in these war rooms coach,
pots of coffee, we're probably not wearing suits and ties.
And someone's just like, hey, I got a crazy idea.
So I got a little bit of a crazy idea here.
You see the Rams, they've got the 13th pick in the draft.
Well, that's an unconventional place for them.
place for them because historically they don't really make picks. Since 2017,
Les Needs Sean McVeigh, they have made the fewest first round. Think about one first
round picks since 2017 and it was Jared Verst and obviously he's been great. But in that
period of time they have the fifth most win, the fifth best win percentage in the NFL,
obviously with deep playoff runs and a Super Bowl in that time period too. So I guess the
question, the big picture thought that that makes me think about, one first
round pick, fifth most wins. Do we overvalue first round picks? I don't necessarily think that's
the case. And look, this formula's worked for the Rams. But when you look at what the Rams have done
when they've actually drafted players, they've been one of the most successful teams with McVeigh
in terms of the players that they do draft. And I'd be interested to see if they had kept those
picks and gotten the young talent and infuse the team with guys that have much greater value
from a salary cap standpoint
than going to get high price free agents
or trading for guys, established guys like that,
where they would have been.
They've done a great job
when they stay in pick.
So it's hard to say that's a great form of
for people to follow.
Yeah, it's tough.
You know, I think the first round
is where the NFL sells hope
at luxury prices, right?
Yeah.
We tend to get these guys in the first round
and, you know, we talk about them
in such certainty.
and we talk about draft projection.
We talk about their dreams,
and there's so much hope that goes into it.
And my mindset is, you know,
the sixth pick isn't the same as the 27th pick, right?
Like the drafting the quarterback at that high round
is not the same thing as drafting a runnerback.
It's all positional.
So I think sometimes we kind of fall in love
with the notion and the dream,
but we don't realize that, you know,
it comes with a lot of weight.
And listen, I get it.
The hit rate is tough.
There's a lot of luck involved,
though there's a lot of situational stuff.
And the value also is you get the player
and you get the cost certainty, right?
So you get a young player on a cheap contract
where you can overachieve.
But I do think the Rams are maybe presenting
a blueprint for teams to look at and say,
you know what?
We have our quarterback.
We're ready to win.
We can be a little bit more aggressive
for a sure thing.
And we get younger general managers now
that are a little bit more analytically driven.
There's like a baseball culture
that's come in, a little bit of a money ball culture.
I do think, like a little prediction,
I do think we are going to see more teams start to follow this model because you now know, like, that F them picks thing.
Like he said, F them picks and he won, and it's a fascinating, it's bold, right?
And you don't like it, coach.
I know, but it sticks with people.
And I think this has changed, too, when the new CBA came into play and first round picks, there was a salary cap for draft picks.
Those draft picks actually became more valuable because they cost.
you less and even though they're at luxury prices they're nowhere near the luxury
prices they used to be prior to the old CBA that's right yeah I remember it's
funny you said that because I remember when Jake Long got drafted right and remember
when his the money he got coming out of Michigan like people like I play I play
so Marvell Smith was Marley left tackle at the Steelers I remember in Marvell being
visually upset because he's like this kid never played a down but he already got the
bag and I've been to Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl and I don't even have that type
of contract and that's why I think Danny's philosophy would have been made more
more sense in the old CBA than with the new CBA.
Okay, so that's, that's, let's just, let's look at some of the, the actual
the data here.
Let's look at who the Rams, what they have done, okay?
Jared Goff, Brandon Cooks, they win a Super Bowl with Jalen Ramsey, and obviously with
Matt Stafford, he gets the MVP and he has the deep run last year, and then do it again
with Trent McDuffie.
They traded out of the first round entirely in, in two of the drafts.
But you look at those names, all of them worked, right?
Now, we'll see on McDuffie.
Right.
I mean, but he's a bona fides stuff.
He's an...
His president may speak for himself.
He's awesome.
So I guess, let me throw a team at you, just hypothetically.
The Buffalo Bills, we know they're good.
We know they're going to be good every year.
Last year was like a weird dysfunctional year and they won 12 games and then they ended up firing their coach.
So their floor seems to be double-digit wins.
Can we show what Brandon Bean has done in the draft since picking Josh Allen?
And Oliver's a very nice player, but it's not, it's not a lot of production.
Because you are out with the Rams.
You also took an organization that's been very unsuccessful with the draft.
You went that you went to the other stream.
I did, but by, I'm saying if you're Buffalo and you have the 26th pick in the draft,
it's hard to hit in the 26th pick.
So why not take a shot and say, you know what?
I'm going to go get Dexter Lawrence.
I'm going to go get a proven player during Josh Allen's prime and copy Les Sneed a little bit and try to do it that way.
But the flip side of that is the Baltimore Ravens, who have Lamar Jackson, and they've been incredibly successful with their first-round draft picks and with their draft in general.
That's right.
You took Buffalo that has one of the worst hit rates as opposed to Baltimore, who also has an elite quarterback who has one of the best hit rates.
And you can't miss, right?
Like you're talking about, just for example, Dexter Lawrence, he's coming off a bad year.
right, injuries and all that.
He may fit in need, but you can't miss with him if you do make a deal like that.
And he's not the guy you expect him to be, especially with a defense that needs a hard nose nose tackle.
All right.
So, Coach, you've been in these, you're the only one of the three of us who've actually been in these war rooms.
You've traded up, you've traded out, you've traded down.
Do you have a favorite around the draft story?
Because you did trade for one of the best defensive players.
Yeah, well, there are three different scenarios where we traded for either traded for first round draft pick,
traded up in the first round or traded back in the first round.
If we can bring up the graphics.
So these are the situation in my first year there.
We traded John Abraham to Atlanta,
and then we ended up hit to Nick Mangold.
Nick had seven Pro Bowls.
The next year, we had to deal with Carolina
in place the night before the draft where he said,
look, if our guy is there, this is what our compensation will be.
They agreed to the compensation.
The guy was Derel Revis.
He was sitting there when we wanted to draft.
We made the trade, which was done the night before,
and pick up Revis.
So he goes to the Hall of Fame.
And then when I was in Cleveland, Alex Mack was a guy that we liked.
And we had targeted, but it was too high where we were drafting initially.
We had the fifth overall pick.
So we ended up trading back three different times, save $37 million from where he was slotted to where we took him, picked up extra draft picks.
And that ended up, you know, seven Pro Bowls as well.
So I mean, those are your three?
That's the flex.
What a good draft.
That was the first round draft picks.
What a ridiculous graphic.
Yeah, I did it three times.
I won all three of them.
And on one of them, I'm one of the best defense players ever.
That's the real.
Because I want to hang out with you.
Oh, that's really nice of you, Coach.
And you traded up for a ticket to Revis Island.
You didn't know Revis was going to be that, though.
I felt pretty good about where Revis was.
That's why we decided to try.
Look, can you project a guy is going to be in the Hall of Fame?
You're always hoping when you draft a guy high that he's going to be that successful.
But he checked every box.
It worked out.
Yeah, I mean, a lot of these guys, the problem is not to be redundant, man.
We treat them as guarantees when they're really just controlled assets, you know,
and that's where we have to be careful, especially when, I mean, coach, I mean, that's a hell
of a hit list.
It's really, really.
It's a great hit.
Look, I had a pretty big miss, too, and another guy, Vernon Goldston, who did work out.
He loves him off the graph.
Yeah.
We didn't, we probably should have traded out of that pick.
We actually had a chance to trade back to 10.
We would have taken Gerard Man on that probably would work on.
Well, listen, you can't.
That was the miss.
Get them all.
Can't that out of out.
I understand.
Tune in tomorrow, day five of the O.T.
Front Office.
We're putting on my general manager hat.
We're going inside the war room for the Chiefs.
They got to nail that top 10 pick for Patrick Mahomes.
That's tomorrow on the O.T.
Ask them a question like this all the time.
Hey, do you like chocolate ice cream or vanilla ice cream?
The minute the kid pauses, I don't really want that kid.
Because you need to have some type of conviction, right, wrong or indifferent.
So whether you like chocolate or you like vanilla, I don't really care.
But if you sit there and say, oh, coach, I don't know.
I want, is it melted? Is it not?
What's the brand? So and so forth.
Like, what is this taking on do on third down in front of $110,000?
I have a longstanding theory, Coach Manjini.
Please do not take this the wrong way.
But I believe all coaches, especially football coaches, are kind of insane.
You're kind of crazy people.
That is a ridiculous.
Koakaya, the quarterback coach of Oregon.
Oh, chocolate or vanilla.
I don't know.
I like samples.
Maybe today I want strawberry.
Maybe I want to be swirl.
Now I can't play in front of 100,000 people.
It's insane.
Look, I wish I could operate in a world where there's just two decisions.
And A or B, and then you make the team.
It doesn't work that way.
By the way, half-baked.
Ben and Jerry's half-baked.
Throw some raspberries in there.
I like Rocky Road.
It's part...
Rocky Road.
Perfect.
