The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - The Big Suey: R.I.P. Chris Mortensen

Episode Date: March 4, 2024

We pay tribute to our dear friend Chris Mortensen after he passed away over the weekend with a montage of some of his greatest moments on the show. Then, Adam Schefter joins us to share memories of Mort and some of the stories that show what a truly caring human being he was. Plus, Sam Hartman's hair and the NFL chain gang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to DraftKings Network. Welcome to the Big Sui, presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBatard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries

if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys? I've done it. And now, here's the marching man to nowhere, fat face and the habitual liar. Adam Schefter is gonna join us here in a little bit to talk about Chris Mortensen, and I think I have my memory on this correctly,

Stu Gatz, because I remember when Adam Schefter was coming up, the landscape at that time was owned by Chris Mortensen, and Chris Mortensen made a very wide berth, a very wide space to help Adam Schefter, to teach Adam Schefter. And I remember watching it on television where Schefter became bigger than Mort

as an information insider guy with the blessing of Mort because Chris Mortensen was always grateful for the position that he had and graceful about how he shared it with others. It's a notoriously insecure business. It's a notoriously competitive business. And we will talk to Adam Schefter about that. But Roy has put together a montage here to remember Chris Mortensen the way our show remembers him.

I will say it again, Chris Mortensen over a lifetime in journalism has done a big and credible work. Hello Mort! Hello Stugots! How are you? I miss you buddy, I miss you. Same here. Let's talk some football here.

Stugots has been lapsing in and out of withdrawal. I have. I've missed him and I'm Jones and Fremort and I'm tapping my wrist right now. I'm finding a vein and I'm injecting Chris Mortensen into my vein. I did want to acknowledge one thing. You never wavered on Brett Bar. Thank you. 100%.

Thank you, Mort. And you tweeted it out for me to all your Twitter fans. I know I got to remember to remind people that for everybody everybody's taking credit for anything thank you only one voice thank you want to listen to water that's that a hundred percent never blamed you're the farm expert anything you find illuminating or found illuminating are interesting or revelatory about bill parcells being introduced this week

well you can put me to sleep morning normally does chris mortensen with us on 790. The first pick in Chris Mortensen's fantasy food draft is... Buffalo wings. Excellent choice. Second pick in Chris Mortensen's fantasy food draft is... Guacamole. Wow.

The third is very high. You took a very high. That's a reach. The third pick in Chris Morton since fantasy food draft is spring rose he's singing it he's really enjoying this it's wacky more you know he's been changed ever since he fell down that flight of stairs yeah so I had me search through last one they too so that, that was great by the way.

That commercial is great. You falling down a flight of stairs is really funny. We had fun. It was a stunt double, right? No, come on. The fourth pick in Chris Mortensen's fantasy food draft is... Casadilla! And the fifth pick in Chris Mortensen's fantasy food draft is that a chicken casadilla, is

your shrimp casadilla, or a chicken quesadilla? Is it a shrimp quesadilla or just plain cheese quesadilla? These quesadillas. Funny of Pico de Gallo and what have you, you know? And the fifth one? The potato skins. Let's go to Bill. Bill, you're on with the ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Go ahead.

Hey, Bill. Bill got so bored he chopped off. You're about to break a big story, aren't you, Mort? Uh, I'm actually getting one shot down. You're getting one shot down, huh? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of stories you don't report. You gotta feel free to share any of this on the air with us, Mort.

I mean, go ahead. Yeah, well, it is true. I just still couldn't. Mike, can you play something to lighten this up, please? Do you have anything to lighten this up? Mortensen. I feel like we're interrogating Chris Mortensen. I mean, I don't think this is like a single swinging

light bulb of interrogation. It's in a dingy room. Like I'm about to hit his forehead on the table of a desk. Mortensen. Mort, we've been trying to get an answer on this. I'm still not certain we've arrived at any sort of answer. Are the Raiders for real? Yes, theyiders for real?

Yes, they are for real. Oh, wow, wow, wow, big day. I mean, was that a question? That's a good reaction from you, Mort. That's the right question. That is the right way to react to that asinine question. Garret, put it on the poll. Who's more fundamentally decent? Wow.

Chris Mortensen or Tim Kirkschen? Oh, oh, oh is. Oh man. Oh, not so certain. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, Mort's on the line now, so I say more, but if Kirkschen was on the line, I'd say Kirkschen. Her pose. Beautiful people. Let me say this. Here's one way you guys have captured me. I actually go and fill out

those polls. I play your poll game, so if that was put up on the put up I'm voting for Kirchit. I think when you go into a very deep private intense battle, personal battle, even though it's really within the confines of yourself, I would say myself, my God, my family, I mean yeah you you know you realize that you're on the brink of, in my life, is life ending here on earth and beginning anew and eternity. That's my faith, as you know. But at the same time, when you're in it,

you're really kind of in a fight for, I would say it's four hours at a time a day. And even now, there are instances when that's true but just there was just something physically that I needed to focus on in handling this cancer disease that so many people in this country are doing enduring or succumb to you know as I speak. This is one of the most solid guys we've got around here, in terms of journalism, in terms of character, in terms of being a person that people like and respect

in this industry where a lot of times we don't like and respect the media. You're not gonna hear a lot of folks say anything bad about Chris Mortensen. Put it on the poll, please, Juju at LeBatard show. Spring rolls, underrated or overrated. Put it on the pole, please, Juju at LeBatard show. Spring rolls, underrated or overrated. Chris Mortensen's do-got.

I had my own relationship with him. You had your own relationship with him. When I think of him, though, the relationship I think of was the one that he had with my father. He would always go out of his way to call my father. Few people found my father as funny and entertaining as Mort did, and he would call him all the time, even though I'm not totally sure if they ever met.

Like, he would call my dad, and I don't think they actually met in person. They may have, but they had a friendship, and you had your own friendship with him. He was a great man. I was thinking a lot about more after the news broke yesterday. The last time I saw him was at the Hall of Fame

when Tony Bacelli got in and he gave me a gigantic hug and I love that man. But more over the 20 years, Dan, because I remember the first segment you did on this show. You kicked me out of the studio. Our owner was in the studio with you with a camera in your face. You were very breathy, but in between those breaths, You kicked me out of the studio. Our owner was in the studio with you with a camera in your face.

You were very breathy. But in between those breaths, you said, Stu Gotts and I have no idea what's going to happen in the NFL, but we'll bring on voices and they'll tell you what's going to happen in the NFL. And one of those voices for many, many years on a weekly basis was Chris Mortensen. Our audience loved him, but I remember thinking, because Mort was such a big deal back then and the news breaking stuff became so popular with the audience back then because there was a

newness to it that having Mort on every week, he was one of the building blocks of this radio show. He gave us credibility. He lent us his credibility on a weekly basis because you were right. We have no idea what's going on in the NFL, but Moore did. And it made our show, a little local show in Miami, feel really big and really credible. And I've always been thankful to Moore for that. There are a couple of things about him. And again, I will tell you that in a little bit, we'll talk to Adam Schafter, who had the most personal of relationships with him. But to hear in the outpouring and the grief that beyond credibility, which is something that a whole lot of media people are having a lot of trouble with, and beyond even being able to make all of these special relationships in the league where Peyton Manning and others

trust you implicitly. We just talked about Caleb Williams and Dreymond Green and contentious attitudes with the media. In some ways, Peter King retiring and Chris Mortensen passing away, these kinds of relationships go with them. Athletes are not going to have these kinds of relationships with future media members, but beyond the credibility in the relationships, what I will tell you is the sheer number of people echoing at every turn decency and kindness, those two words, it's just not something that you find a whole lot

media members the the i that combination of things where has the relationships has the credibility and also is seen as somebody who is fundamentally kind and decent steven a smith and assortment of other famous people have a ton of relationships but you just don't hear of many reporters ever in the history of this craft who leave such an indelible mark that people are perpetually talking about feeling his spirituality, that he was obviously somebody who was faith-based and tried to live his life in a way that just sent kindness everywhere.

And I don't know about you. Obviously, I've been dealing with an assortment of pains related to grief. But last week, we're mourning the death of Richard Lewis. It seems like mortality is creeping closer and closer around here when we're back to back weeks. We're feeling some of this stuff that makes it a little difficult to, you know, do your normal jovial bullshit stuff that we do around here.

I mean, these were guys that were both Richard Lewis and Chris Mortensen that were on with us. With more than it was different, there was a real friendship there. You had it, I had it. It was on air, it was off air. Richard Lewis was more on air. Alan Thicke, I met him once, like it was different, there was a real friendship there. You had it, I had it. It was on air, it was off air. Richard Lewis was more on air. Alan Thicke, I met him once.

Like, it was more on air. But these are people who met a lot to us along the way, met a lot to our audience as well. I know our audience is feeling today, the passing of Chris Mortensen. Mort did local events down here with us. Mort always made time for every single person who showed up to those events. He was just a, he was a wonderful kind person. Play the sound of Al Davis ripping Chris Mortensen going through the microfeige.

I'm looking for the full press conference. We have so many clips of just the word. I'm looking for the full one. Okay, well, the word, Al Davis, the former Raiders owner, when you ask him if the Raiders are for real, Mortensen's answer was yes, they exist in Oakland. That's all he gave you. But he feuded, I don't even remember, what was the report? It was about Lane Kiffin. It was Al Davis was super mad that Lane Kiffin had done an assortment of things as the coach of the Raiders.

And he went up in front of a gathered media with micro fish. Do the young people in the room even know what micro fish is? Do Jessica? Very small fish. Micro fish. That's it. Yeah, right? Is it a micro film?

Fish. What is fish? I don't know. I called it. I don't know whether it's the brand. I called it when I was in high school, I called it Microfiche, but this was, this was Al Davis who was just ripping Chris Mortensen and everyone sided with Mortensen because Al Davis was a loon and because the way he said Mortensen was fun. Mortensen. Mortensen. What is Microfiche?

I already told you. Small thing. More tinsin. More tinsin. More tinsin. What is microfiche? I already told you. Small fish. Small fish. Have you wavered on bread farve yet? I wish. That is directed at you, Sturgant.

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As we've mentioned, it's a brutal day for people who cared about Chris Mortensen and there were a lot of them. He passed away Sunday morning at the age of 72, a legend, a pioneer. And I think Adam Schefter will tell you because I felt like I saw it happen on television. Adam Schefter was helped by Mord at every turn in a way that didn't seem threatening to Mord and a lot of people in this business would have been threatened by Adam Schefter but we'll get his words. Thank you Adam for making the time for us. Can you tell us about your relationship with Mord? Yeah I mean it transitioned Dan and I appreciate having me and my condolences to Mort's wife Mickey and his son Alex, who he loved very much and talked about all the time.

But my relationship with Mort was such where when I was at NFL Network and when I was a Denver newspaper guy, I looked at more as a legend in the business, somebody that I aspired to be like. There was Will McDonough, there was more. They were the ultimate newsmen. And when my contract was coming up in NFL Network, I got a call yesterday from John Walsh and he said, I want you to know how much more went to bat for you and was integral in bringing you to ESPS. I've heard that John. I know that people have brought that to my attention that I'm not there without his support,

without his recommendation, without his blessing. And he said, no, no, no, I'm telling you, like he went to bat, you know, we got to get this done. And, you know, I always knew it. But it's another thing to hear it again, on the day that we lose him. And, you know, he changed the trajectory of my life, just as he changed the trajectory of so many other lives. Go ask Daniel Jeremiah what Mort did for him.

Go ask Jeff Darlington what Mort did for him. Go ask so many people around ESPN. And he went from being a legendary newsman in my eyes, one of the greatest reporters in sports history to becoming a friend, an advisor, somebody that I would lean on, learn from. He was the best. He was the best. How uncommon is it in this competitive of a business, Adam, for all of what you said to be so?

Because I found it deeply uncommon about him, the fact that everyone is talking about decency and kindness today. That's the word decency. That's the word. And, you know, yesterday after he, after he, after we lose him, I can't tell you the number of people that reached out that shared their experiences with more And here's the thing about it. They were all incredibly thoughtful, like him. They were all remarkably decent, like him.

And I get a text yesterday from Chris Ballard, who seemed all emotional, the coach general manager, about how much Mort supported his someplace football this year. Like nobody would have known that. And Chris was lamenting the fact that his son didn't get to meet Mort in person.

Paying manning forwarded me seven, eight emails of emails that Mort had sent him through the years. And you just read them. And they're incredible in their thoughtfulness and support and just how much he cared for Peyton and people, not just Peyton. I had those emails., it's hard. I, you know, we spoke this week and, you know, the irony is he actually sounded good to me this week. You know, there was a period during the season where he had pneumonia. We were worried about him. And we were worried about him at that time. And he came back, we had this chain of coworkers,

a text chain and Mort's on it. And our boss at Markman has pointed out to us how much life that brought to Mort, how much enjoyment, just observations of football world, the business, the world, whatever it would be. And when Mort went quiet for a couple of weeks in December, we got concerned. And then he was back to life so much so that at 7.46 on Saturday night, he was texting with us.

And then he's gone Sunday morning. So it's amazing because it was such an insidious disease that he was fighting, but he really had done pretty well with it. And we thought he was out of the danger zone. And then he went to sleep and just didn't wake up. So, you know, we'll see what the autopsy shows. But I just think he had been through so much physically. And even though he had been doing better inside,

I think he was just, he was beaten up. Adam Dan mentioned how uncommon Mort's ability to be able to help and to want to advance people's career is in our industry and he is right. And so I'm wondering, were you surprised upon meeting him how willing he was to help you to promote your career, to eventually make you what you are today,

which is the number one NFL information guy in the industry? You know, when I got hired there, again, with his support, with his full support, we went to dinner in New York City, Smith and Molensky. And it was the first time that I ever had the chance to sit down with him at length. I had met him before. We had talked before. But I hadn't had a chance to sit down and talk to him like that.

And we talked about our families, we talked about our approach to the job, we talked about life. And he was such a regular guy. And the thing about him, and you guys knew him, he was somebody who in any room would be the single funniest guy in that room and the guy who also Would be the most credible guy in that room. You know, he was the only guy You know that could in the war room on Sunday go make fun of boomer Mercifully just go at him and mercifully, just go at him.

And, you know, he had people laughing so many times. He had an unbelievable sense of humor that people, I don't know if they really know. You know, I mentioned in the obituary that we did on the ESPN, you know, that Bill Tobin interview that he did with him, he set him up for him up for that great soundbite of Mel Kuiper Jr. He knew exactly what was going on. He knew where it was going to go. He kind of asked the question and sat back and got to me the greatest soundbite in NFL draft history with Bill Tobin saying who the hell is Mel Kuiper? You know, more had that little devilish side to him.

had that little devilish side to him. He was a very, very funny guy, very funny guy. And yeah, and he was instrumental in the lives of so many different people. My story is my story, and there'd be a hundred other stories of people that mort helped. So that's just who he was. You have some experience with grief I don't know if you know this was 2016 that he powered through stage four throat cancer. So you've had ten years of warning that this day might come right but There is no real warning correct for the thudding finality of what nobody feels on Sunday

no Correct? For the thudding finality of what somebody feels on Sunday morning? No. No. You know, we were sitting there at breakfast yesterday, or lunch. It was about 12.30. I got a call from my boss and he told, I was like, I was completely floored. Like, I was in shock and my daughter started crying. And it was a very emotional moment at our family table and like I said to you he he was in danger, that it was gravely ill. But I didn't think I was getting that call yesterday. Like, you know, I just didn't think that I was getting

that call and that's, you know, that's the sad part, aside from all that his family loses his wife and son who were so dependent and loved him so much but you know we there wasn't a time to say goodbye you know sit with him and share things then you've talked about your brother eloquently and you've had time to sit with him in his final weeks and days, right? And even though we had chances to tell Morf how much we loved him and appreciated him, we didn't know the end was coming yesterday. That surprised everybody, including his own family.

So just very sudden and there's no way that it's ever gonna be nice whether it's a long drawn-out process or whether it's quick and sudden but that's the way it went yesterday and you know you you knew him you knew him very very closely so I don't know if this is a dumb question to ask you. I have a hard time imagining him angry. I just have a hard time imagining it. Did you see him angry very often? Yeah, not very often, but I've seen him angry, and I'm trying to think of exactly what it

was. You know, he, I think he obviously mellowed over the years. He talked about, I think having a temper, you know, when he was younger. And I said this to, who was I talking to? Somebody, and you know, it's amazing to me. When ESPN, when I got hired at ESPN, when Mort signed off on that blessed it recommended it

He at that time was 57 years old and I'm 57 now and so I understand at that point where he was and What he would have looked to have done and accomplished and so done and accomplish. And so that anger, that temper, I think it dissipated over time. And I'll just say this, like there may have been a couple of things that I had seen temper wise, but, but when I was the guy who was wound up or stressed or just really tight over a story or something we had coming up. I mean, he was always the guy, always the guy that could deflate some of that tension from me.

And I don't think there's anybody that could do that other than him, only him. You know, he was the guy that could make you laugh at the most stressful moments, you know, like, it was just him. that could make you laugh at the most stressful moments, you know, like... It was just him. You know... I wish we had the clip. I can remember when we were going through the Richie incognito... bully-gate scenario.

And that morning, you know, we came out of the report and Richie started coming at me on social media and more, you know, it was a little bigger than me, you know, it gets on TV and he's like, you know, Richie Guzman said, bring it, you know, more kids on TV like a big brother. He's like, you want to bring, you want us to bring it, Richie, you come with me. And that was Mort stepping in as a big brother to defend his little brother who was being picked on. You know, that was Mort. What will you miss most about Mort, Adam?

Everything, everything. Just who he was, the man he was, the decency he had, what he meant to his family, what he meant to his friends, the humor, the laughs, the memories, all of it. I don't know how you sum up the life, well, live like that, but that was something I, like I said, we spoke this past week for 15, 20 minutes, Tuesday or Wednesday. I invited him, there was a function going on and on the East Coast.

And I said, what do you come stay in my house this June? And he said, I can't even think about June right now. We'll talk about it when I get there. I said, okay, you got it more, but I'd love for you to stay here. I'd love for you to come spend the weekend and hang out. And I guess that was affirmation that he knew that he wasn't counting on any time, even if he was in my mind doing better.

So that's kind of where is that? When you ask me what I remember about him, I remember how much I loved him and how much he meant to me and how much he meant to so many people. How moved were you by the outpouring yesterday because it was nice to hear everyone have consensus of opinion on how it is they were touched by him. It turned it into truth for people who may not have known him to hear it from so many different places. Yeah.

Well, this is not to diminish him. I mean, that's what happens when somebody, you know, passes a lot of times. But with him, all of it was real and all of it was true. You know, a lot of times when people go, people talk about what a great person, okay, yeah, yeah. And many times it's right. But with him, it was all true. And then some, it was all true. That's how great he was. Adam, thank you for making the time. We won't bother you with any of the mundane football questions you used to getting this time of year.

Heartbroken on your behalf and broken in general. Thank you for being on my list. Thank you guys. I appreciate having you and allowing us to celebrate more a little bit here. Thank you Adam. Thank you, sir. Thank you, yes. Don Lebatard.

I don't even know what this list is. He was ahead of Tom Brady, who also won a playoff game Literally the most confusing list we've ever done This would have been your day You should own the sports media landscape I am top seven guys. I would not want the judge. No, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, no, you.

No. No, I'm not allowing it. Give me a chance, guys. Give me a chance. No, I'm not giving him a chance. I've given him 20 years. Come on, yikes. It's a miracle.

I've given him my pride. This is the Don Lebatar Show with the Stugas. Music Jessica, I would like a miracle answer to this question. What number person was I this weekend to text you the video of Sam Hartman running in slow motion with flowing hair, giving off a little bit of Mamowa. Jason Mamowa just regal and slow motion, sexy and tan. Did a lot of people send you this? Honestly, Dan, people don't send me videos of Notre Dame stuff

because everyone in my life knows that I've already seen them. And I think people get sick of me being like, ha ha, I've seen this. So yeah, you might have been the only one actually. Okay, because everyone else just knew better. They knew that you had already seen Sam Hartman in slow motion, melting hearts all over the internet. So that was slow motion, huh?

I thought he was just slow. He just thought that was the speed of a general noted game quarterback. It was incredible, though. There was also another video, which I hopefully will get up here, of a NFL media person interviewing him. There was a lot of questions he got at the combine about his hair.

And a lot of people just asking him, like, what's your hair routine? What are you putting your hair? All this like- It's our lane. And it's like, I love that the Combine now has embraced some of the silliness, but Sam Hartman must have had the strangest weekend

of his entire life just being thirsted after by all of the NFL media. I wish, I'm sure that Kayla Williams would have liked some more of those gentle hair related questions as opposed to are you afraid to compete? There's not a gray in there man looks great. I mean it's silky too. It's not just that it's black It's resplendent with it's obvious the man is running with conditioner in his hair and always plays with conditioner in his hair.

Apparently there's nothing in there. It's just natural. He said it's good genes. Do you think he ever considered tying the hair up? He was rocking a man bun during some of his training in this earlier this winter. Yes, Chris. Yeah.

Put it on the pole, please, Juju, at LeBatard Show. Do we have to test Sam Hartman's hair for steroids? There were a couple of things this weekend in football, Stugatz, a couple of, well, one rule change that was talked about that Billy is, I think, furious about. And another one that I am very happy to see, they are now testing, I did not know this

until this weekend, they tested at the Super Bowl and in other places, the ability to remove the chain gang as the way that they measure in that sport. They're talking about finding the technology, they've tested the technology, they have some optical things that work, but will not work for 2024. So we will still have the antiquated measuring system

in a billion, in a multi-billion dollar sport where they're fighting for real estate over inches. We're still gonna measure it with chains this year, but soon that will be gone. So it's so high tech, this new tech that they have, it's so high tech, it's not ready for the next year. But we will still have Elon Musk trying to put chips inside of people's brains.

We still have the chips inside the helmets and inside the shoulder pads, but we can't get the chip inside the ball just yet. Not yet, you've got optical tracking and they're still testing it. I hate that. It has to have a vote, they've got a vote on it too. There might be, look man, these owners are old.

They might cling to their chain measurements. Vote it down. They might vote down. Look, it would not surprise me if these owners are so stubborn about advancement that they're like, no, we're gonna vote it down. But it will not happen this year. I was kind of hoping that if we had this technology

in tennis, we'd figure out how to have it in football. We were talking about the show, when they go away, you're gonna miss the chain gang. You're gonna miss them walking out onto the field very slowly, the tension that comes with them doing the measurement. You're gonna miss screaming in your living room. Short!

I loved it when that's what dads do. Right before, like right when they get to the ball and they lift it up and as they're extending it, I'm the first one in my living room, SHORT! SHORT! Right before like right when they get to the ball and they lift it up and as they're extending it I'm the first one in my living room it's short. No you got to do this. Oh yeah you show with your hands. Put your hands up. This is how short it is. More your finger. I think we keep the chain gang even after we go to technology. Microfish! Just have them out there. I think they're there just for show. Even after we have a chip in the ball Even after we don't need them anymore. I still want them jogging out there

Put it on the pole, please juju will you miss the chain gang in football at Lebertard show? It won't feel like football without the chain gang. Yeah, I'm telling you it won't what's even the argument against them No, they don't actually do they are so often so accurate like we have to chat what you challenge maybe one or two things a game what you only get one challenges. No I'm saying for both teams like but no you do this you get it right you get more than one challenge. The chain gang is different the chain gang does ten yards at a time they don't do anything. I don't feel like we've had very many chain gang controversies I have told you guys before this sport seems

hard to officiate we argue and yell about a lot of different things the placement of the football is not something we spend a lot of time arguing About I'm surprised how often they get that one right? I'm not true I feel like Pete we always argue over bad spots or like Fans that feel like they get screwed over them argue over them even if this technology exists though We're still gonna argue about how much we hate the technology like this is torn apart soccer for years the VAR and off-sides That's why I stop watching doesn't get easier to Jess's point The VAR has not made it less like people are getting so mad more than ever about soccer stuff

And there's plenty of VAR in there. You think that we don't do that particularly well I know officiating in general is something that we don't do that particularly well? I know officiating in general is something that we complain about every week, but I feel like the spotting of the ball, it seems to me that given how hard it is to know this is where the ball was when his knee landed over here, that we don't complain about it that much given that there's human error gonna be involved. I'm surprised they get that right as often as they do we don't really know if they're getting exactly right that's the thing we only show the replays and

you're always like you pay attention on consequential plays there's lots of plays that you're not looking to see where the thing was so much so that Jason Kelsey even admitted in every lineman we've talked to since it's all like yeah just move the ball six seven inches every play no one noticed almost paying attention I'm just saying there's sports fans out there I'm not one of them, but they exist that can look back at every single loss that their team has had over the last 20 years And blame a spot for it not saying I'm one of them But I don't know Steelers might have 25 Super Bowls if it weren't for the

technology But I don't know, Steelers might have 25 Super Bowls if it weren't for the technology not existing. Jason Kelsey is retiring today, right? There's a press conference. Well, he's holding a press conference, Dan. You can't hold a press conference to say you're coming back for another year. That would be a jerk move. You can't do that.

I hope it's related to his podcast. That'd be great. I'm getting texts now from my mom. The Kelsey podcast is affecting my life. My mom sent me like an 11 o'clock last night. Some clip from them, I guess they were crying or something together, and she's like, treat your brother better.

Oh, it's not stopped. And it's just like, what? Did you watch the clip she sent you? No. I just saw that there was like, the headlines said something with crying, but I'm just like, I treat my brother fine. Like why am I getting punished

because these two are bonding over a podcast? The Kelsey brothers were weeping on their podcast about something? There was somewhere, it might have been an old clip of Jason when he was just talking about watching his brother celebrate, he got emotional and he was crying, so. And it touched your mother's heart

and then you shit all over that. Well no, it touched my mother's heart to be like, hey, and it's like, I'm not, me and my brother have a good relationship, I don't know where it came from, It's not like we're fighting right now. She was just like, be nicer to your brother. I'm like, okay. But I am nice to my brother. Right, I'm with you. Like that's annoying. It's Kelsey's, why are they affecting? Why is this happening? Why is my mom seeing the clip

and why is my mom texting me? Be nicer to your brother. Where is she seeing it? Like Instagram reels or something? I think so, Facebook probably. My wife does the same thing with Jason Kelsey and his wife. Like she's always sending me clips.

Jason and his wife and what a great thing. I'm like, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm My wife does the same thing with Jason Kelsey and his wife. Like she's always sending me clips. Jason and his wife and what a great family they are and what a great husband he is and why can't you be more like Jason Kelsey?

Jason Kelsey's wife was all she talks about how she doesn't want to be in the limelight and then she was at some Gallaud last week now. Oh, geez. Let me see the Hartman video here before I go to Billy because Billy I want to get to you on the on-side kick rules changing but let's go real quick here Sam Hartman walking us through his hair routine. Yeah I was probably I was born with it it's called a wake up and go it's this crazy thing

we just wake up a water and you go that with it. It's called the wake up and go. It's this crazy thing where you just wake up for a while and then you go, that's it. There's nothing in here. Wake up and go. Shout out mom. You can feel it. Like I'm being dead serious. Yeah, there's nothing in here. I mean, yeah, there's no problem.

There's nothing in here. That can't be. I hate him. I want to feel it so bad. I want to fight him. Do you think his Drabstock's going to go down for lying about his hair? I don't think he's lying, but Billy does.

Is he turning on the voice there? Hey, that voice is like,'m very I know how good-looking I am he's gonna be a box Deeper because of how good-looking I am his voice did have a little bit of an Irish Springs commercial It did it did have a missed opportunity Irish Springs he had other hair related NAL deals this past year. So maybe that was a conflict He's also got to be full of it, right? I mean that's that there's product in there Springs he had other hair related NAL deals this past year so maybe that was a conflict He's also got to be full of it, right? I mean that's that there's product in there that is luscious hair That can't just wake up water and go. I believe him It seems impossible. It is so it is so beautiful and so I don't I understand why Jessica believes him He's a he's a good Catholic boy, good Notre Dame boy.

What are my fingers for that? Well, we'll see. Maybe he's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline. Who knows. Billy, what is it about the onside kick rules that's bothering you? They want to ruin it! Have you not seen what they want to do with the onside kick? First of all, for everybody that was complaining about the fact that the when the ball goes out of bounce on a Touchdown that it becomes a touch back for the other team they quickly move past that so it seems like that's not gonna change next season

They looked at it and they said like they'd only have been like four times out of 40,000 plays move on to the next one So it seems like next season that's still gonna be there So wait people are saying that that shouldn't be a touchback. No, they were saying that that shouldn't that Wait, people are saying that that shouldn't be a touchback? No, they were saying that that shouldn't, that, yeah, they looked into whether or not that was too harsh of a punishment for the team to lose the ball and the other team to get the ball. When someone's reaching out to the goal line and loses the ball right before the goal line, the reason the Raven season ended in other words. That's right.

Okay. But like, the touchback, it's not hard enough. It's not, you know, harsh enough. They should punish the, they should take points off the board You gotta protect the ball. All right That's fair. It's not harsh enough. There has to be a bigger penalty It's not zane flowers doesn't just have an echoing offseason of shame where Baltimore's mad at him It needs to be even worse than game over you lose fixed

It's like the first drive of the game and someone fumbles into the end zone and they're like, alright, well, that's the game. But what are the rule changes on OnSightKick? They've got to announce it? Well, it's proposed. It hasn't passed yet, but they've been studying what to do with kick-offs and OnSightKicks, and what they want to do is you can only do an OnSightKick in the fourth quarter if you're trailing, and you have to tell the other team you're going to do an onside kick before you do it.

What? That's crazy. It's ridiculous. It's absurd. I mean, you can't announce that you're doing it. It takes away from doing it, right? The surprise factor is why you're doing it. How many surprise onside kicks have there been?

Sean Payton Super Bowl. Boom. So one. McAfee? McAfee has one. McAfee did one. Two. Two. On his open. I think safety needs to be the primary

enough if you want to wait don't play football exactly you want to play tennis enough enough with the safety it's got an insane put it on the pole juju enough with the safety go play tennis yes