E.P.I.C. Podcast "Every Play Is Crucial"
Life is full of moments you cannot predict or control only experience and enjoy right? Come join Vernon, Isaac, Justin, and Jared every Wednesday where we lend our opinions about current event going on in sports. Every episode is promising to be entertaining, not necessarily informational.
E.P.I.C. Podcast "Every Play Is Crucial"
Beyond the Favorites: Where Underdogs and NFL Free Agents Meet March's Madness
The guys welcome Brandon from Crossroads Sports to break down March Madness predictions and analyze the tournament landscape during this exciting time in the college basketball season.
• Top seeds Auburn, Duke, Houston, and Florida have the best chances to make the Final Four
• 11 seeds have historically performed well, winning 91% of their games as underdogs since 2011
• St. John's could be the wild card of the tournament – either flaming out early or making a deep run
• Colorado State is positioned to upset Memphis in a popular 12-5 matchup
• Teams like Michigan State could make noise despite shooting struggles
• The women's tournament features dominant one-seeds in South Carolina, UCLA, USC and Texas
• NFL free agency talk includes quarterback situations for the Steelers, Vikings and Raiders
• Stephon Diggs and Amari Cooper remain available despite their proven talent
• Several teams including the Colts, Ravens and Bengals would benefit from adding veteran wide receiver talent
Yeah, what's up with it. Do it cause I love it and I stuck with it. We ain't with the subbing and the cut with it. Please, none of the talks. I heard enough of it Like what you gon' do when you at who you with? You ain't really bout this. Don't talk about it. Really. On the move on the map, never slip. Keep your hands to your lips. Don't talk about it. Real eyes, real lives, real lives. All the time. Stand on it. If we said it, we don't walk around it. Loose lips ain't ships. Red cup, blue strips, new phone, who this? No, we don't allow it. Really, on, go, I don't know what's her off day Now. We on road came from smoking in the hallway. Now we got shows. Boys feeling like Broadway, always look both ways, even on a crossway driving down crossbay. Our town park lays really on. Big teams came up a small way. Championship rings, baby, that's a ball game. Oh, she won a little bag, baby, that's small change yo, yo yo.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the epic podcast. I am joined today with jared, of course, but we got our brothers from crossroads sports with us today.
Speaker 3:Brandon, how you been brother I'm good man, I'm good Happy to join you guys Excited. It's been a while.
Speaker 2:Man, it has been a while. Usually around Marches we usually get together because you know we need your insight on what's going on with March Madness and all these conference championships and college basketball, so we definitely need to know who to look out for and things of that nature. So we always try to get you and Jonathan in around March, if nothing else.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. It's an exciting time of the year, one of my favorite times. We've kind of worked all year long for this and you know we spent last week at Crossroads Sports. So yeah, last week we went to the Horizon League Championships over here at the State Fairgrounds and we're covering that, and then we had one day off and went straight into the Big Ten tournament out there at Gainbridge. So it's a lot of basketball in the last seven days, so we're excited.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, man Jerry. How was your sports weekend, man, anything exciting?
Speaker 4:happen. Cool, I mean. I guess right before I went to bed on Sunday night got word that we signed our guys back. So, um, that was pretty cool, uh, but other than that man, just you know same old, same old, nothing too exciting going on, just you know chilling all right, cool, cool, cool man.
Speaker 2:Same here man. Uh, just watching a couple NBA games here and there, but shoot nothing too crazy. I mean Coates is never mind, we ain't going to get in that.
Speaker 3:I was going to ask you, jared, do you guys y'all got any money left for the rest of the team, or we got the same amount of money left that everybody, all the other teams that signed, all they guys got left.
Speaker 4:So I mean, you know, it's just like I'm looking at it like this. It's like, um, we got our money tied up in our three and if you look at the, the big four on offense for philadelphia eagles, they have to have more tied up in those four than we got in our three.
Speaker 4:So I mean it is what it is. I'm just glad to see something different from the norm cheap, letting guys walk for nothing. And then another thing is like people act like since we signed T, that that's just the end of the world. If it don't work out after this year, we can trade him. It's not like he's garbage, so it's just like I'm just happy to see him back. So, whatever happens, it is what it is.
Speaker 2:I agree. When I seen that I was like, like we was talking about last week, they have to be working on both of these contracts. And then I didn't know, they both had the same agent. So when. I seen that too. I was like, oh okay, cool, that's what's taking so long he's trying to work both of these deals out to make sure both of them get what they want.
Speaker 4:Because then it's like I mean he has to be on the contract to trade them. You know what I'm saying. So it's just like I don't see it as all this bad. I mean, it's just like if we're going to be bad, we're going to be bad regardless. Like this wasn't going to, not having T wasn't going to make us better. So you know, and then also I've said this before it gets a little spooky out there for Jamar Chase when T Higgins isn't out there. I mean, look at the numbers. So I mean, take that for what. You know, I ain't trying to make no assumptions about it, but hey, when jamar chase is out there without t higgins, it's, it's not pretty.
Speaker 2:So speaking of that, brando, who's throwing the ball on your team?
Speaker 3:that's a that's a 30 something million dollar question um I don't know man like I, I was okay. I was intrigued at first by the aaron rogers thing, and then, like after day two, day three, that shit just kind of got stale and uh, I'm just, I'm over it now.
Speaker 3:I think we just uh, they obviously don't want to bring russell wilson back and I'm fine with that. It is what it is. I, I kind of want to have something, but they re-signed Mason, who left to Tennessee two years ago. Listen, let's just run it for this. We'll do a draft pick with the 21st pick this year for a quarterback. If it doesn't work, guess what? We'll be five or six and whatever, and next year have a better draft pick and we can draft a quarterback. Then I think it's going to be a down year. Really, have fumbled a bag because I would have brought Fields back.
Speaker 4:The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't going to have a down year. They don't even know what it is. Yeah, I was like dang. When you said win five or six, I had to think I can't even remember the last time they won five or six we the season, so I actually don't think it's going to be that bad.
Speaker 2:Not in my football life. I cannot recall a five or six win Steelers team.
Speaker 4:I feel like the way the Steelers are built, there's always going to be discipline, there's always going to be defense. There's always going to be a running game of some sort. You better put somebody in there and anybody will be able to get a win. Here's the thing.
Speaker 3:I mean you, just you. You're a running team. Your offensive coordinator is run first type of guy. You know you've got the guy from Philly that just came in, him and Jalen Warner, your top two running backs. Now, since you got rid of Najee, you just traded and signed to the largest wide receiver contract in Steeler history, dk Metcalf. So you had to feel at that point you had somebody that you throw the ball and that's a good point. It's been a lot to make that move. Exactly Huge failure.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's valid, very valid.
Speaker 3:And now, we're, we're stroking this dude's ego. Let him decide when, whenever he wants to play. It's like Cam Hayward said today on a podcast hey, either you want to be a stealer or you don't. We're tired of it. Figure it out.
Speaker 4:I was just going to bring that up. I heard that.
Speaker 2:Which chances are if it's taking this long, he probably does. It's probably contract stuff. You know how Aaron Rodgers is First. It's probably contract stuff. You know how Aaron Rodgers is First off. He never makes a decision.
Speaker 4:Like it takes everything on his own time.
Speaker 2:He doesn't move to anybody's beat. But the Steelers are one of them, organizations that's like, look, they're not going to move to his beat either. I don't see them being that type of organization. Like, all right, come on Aaron.
Speaker 4:Whenever you get ready to decide Right right right.
Speaker 2:It's kind of like hey look, we need to know something. So if it's taking this long and like you said, they haven't, I mean because $30 million to bring Russell back, I don't see them not doing that, or even paying him a little more, like my bad, we let you get out the building.
Speaker 4:Because even.
Speaker 2:Russell's waiting. That's like so kind of like, how does he feel exactly?
Speaker 3:it's kind of like he's like, well, let me just see what's going to happen. Also, and that's why I think russ's people got the word out that he was going to cleveland and going to new york to meet to put a little more pressure on pittsburgh, like, hey, you don't want to lose me, especially to a division rival possibly? Um, bring me on. But here's the thing, aaron rogers, like you said, he marches to the beat of his own drum and he's fallen in the freaking footsteps of what Brett Favre did with the teams. And you know the ego. And so remember this, aaron.
Speaker 3:Uh, brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He didn't sign until training camp started on August 12th that year. So if this guy's going to wait that long, then but uh, everybody in Pittsburgh is ready for to move on and let's, let's figure out something. Um, I'm really excited for the opportunity of quarterback. Two quarterbacks have been kind of mentioned for Pittsburgh are Jackson Dart and Shador Sanders at 21. If they don't trade up, we don't have a second-round pick, because that was traded in the DK Metcalf trade. But those are some guys. They talked about Will Howard, possibly in the third round. I think that's a little high for a Will Howard experiment. I think maybe a fourth or a fifth might be okay there, but yeah, I'm just, the ball is too high for me and I'm a bugger, and the thing is this is not a quarterback heavy not starting quarterback heavy draft.
Speaker 2:I mean stopping this year would be the way to get to next year, because I mean that's a lot of guys that's coming next year. I mean it's heavy, I ain't going to say a lot, but it's heavier than it is this year, 100%.
Speaker 4:But you look at, like Anthony Richardson will have success in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but do you have time to wait what you invest in?
Speaker 4:Just the way that organization is ran. I don't. I think you can plug him in there and just just build around it and at least go nine and eight at minimum. I can just see it happening.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like you said, we don't have time to wait. I mean, you've got guys on the defense, m Cam Hayward, you've got.
Speaker 2:JY, you invested so much money in these guys that you done built this team. Now Darius.
Speaker 3:Slay getting him this past offseason. These guys are getting older. You're in the prime of these contracts and if we're not going to produce offensively, then what are we doing? Trading get some value out of them then at that point.
Speaker 2:And I mean shoot Kirk Cousins I mean I would have taken Kirk.
Speaker 3:I told John I would take Kirk Cousins. He can throw the ball.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't think Atlanta want to eat that money. That's why they paid him the roster bonus. It's like if we trade him, the day of cap is going to be, it'll be more than Russell Wilson's and I think for them trying to rebuild and actually having a chance to win the South, I don't think they want to eat that type of money. Nah, man, that's good, but man, let's jump, man, let's just get right into it. Oh man, we got a comment. Let's talk about looking into some March Madness, man, because we have questions and we need answers. So let's start with the men's. So right now, I see the bracket's not all the way filled out yet, so I guess we're still waiting on some games to play?
Speaker 3:Yeah, some games, some games tomorrow playing games.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, um, we don't know who Auburn's so number one seeds first off Auburn, duke, uh, houston, florida. So out of those let's just start there who do you see has the best chance to, I mean to make it to the final four?
Speaker 3:If you had to pick, honestly, I think all four. I know it sounds chalky and it's been a long time since we've had all four teams in the Final Four. Especially the last two or three years. We've had just one no 1 seed make it to the Final Four. Last year we had two, we had the Alabama and we had three last year Purdue, alabama and um Yukon. But um, honestly, they talk about how much depth the college basketball season is this year and just how the parody and how many teams could possibly, you know, go win a title. And I told John, honestly, it's at eight teams. There are seven or eight teams that can win this tournament. It's very top-heavy. I would not be shocked to have all four teams possibly go into the Final Four.
Speaker 3:Auburn themselves have had a great season. They probably got the best player overall besides Cooper Flagg out there in the SEC with Boone. He's played really, really, really well. They've had a couple and each team's had a little bit of kink in them. Right, you know Auburn lost to Alabama at home. That was a bad loss a couple weeks ago in overtime. Florida Gators very, very strong team. This is probably one of my I ain't going to say dark horse, but this is one of my teams. I think I say dark horse, but this is one of my teams.
Speaker 3:I think people are sleeping on um, you know that's going to make a deep run and then, you know, possibly cut those nets down. Duke, obviously with Cooper flag. Uh, you know they are a deep team, very deep team. Nine, 10 guys that can play. Obviously they can win without Cooper.
Speaker 3:I think that was great for them to get those other guys in there, the ACC Championship tournament, to get that experience and to see, hey, can we do this without Cooper Flagg being down with an ankle injury? Coop's going to be back. They said he's going to. Luckily he's available for game one, but I don't think they need him, obviously. And then Houston. Houston, the high flyers, kelvin Sampson's squad. They're always a tough out. I think their shooting's a hell of a lot better. They're probably one of the quickest teams in college basketball this year. So to answer your question, long story short, I think you could easily see all four teams going. I know it's chalky, but I can see all four teams going all the way to the final four and cutting it down. But I think there'll be one or two hiccups here or there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it normally is, um, especially in the first round. Like, is any of them under, you know, I mean um have a threat of losing in the first round? I mean, I know we see florida, norfolk state, you got houston, it got a siue. Um, that's really duke and auburn haven't got their teams yet, but no upset on that front I don't see a one seed losing this year um to a 16.
Speaker 3:I think these one seeds are too too strong um, compared to previous years. This is the first time, I think a consensus.
Speaker 2:Uh, all number ones are very, very strong and uh, we'll get the job done so are the ones just that much better than, let's say, the lower half, or is the lower half just? I mean, like you said, it's top heavy, but like, is there anybody in the lower half, like you know, the?
Speaker 3:lower eight. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um. We talked about alabama, alabama's 2c coming out of the uh, uh, coming out of the north or not north, but with the east region region they beat Auburn this year, you know they've went out. They've beaten Tennessee as well. They've beaten Florida and then they lost to Florida. So Alabama at the two seeds got a great shot. Michigan State Tom Izzo's bunch.
Speaker 3:I liked what I saw in the Big Ten tournament. I was really concerned all season long because they are one of the top 10 worst three-point shooting teams in the league throughout the entire season. Three-point shooting carries you very far. In the NCAA tournament they are one of the worst ones. I didn't think that would carry them far in the Big Ten and they proved me wrong. And then this tournament run where they won their first game. They shot lights out from three and then they end up shooting horribly against wisconsin and that's what doomed them there in the semi-final game, um against wisconsin, who could shoot to three well, and uh and tony played very well on the inside for wisconsin, um, but sparty can easily make a run, you know, back to the final four with iso. I don't take that out of there.
Speaker 3:The two that make me nervous the most of the two seeds St John. I love what they're doing. I love the fast pace. I love the play they're doing. They're playing a reckless abandon. My concern with them as it gets deeper into the tournament the maturity, the youth how are they going to handle adversity when you get to the Sweet 16 game, late, five minutes to go? The Elite Eight game, how are you going to play? How is that adversary? Can you get the job done? You have a great coach that's been there, had that pedigree. But they're very, very young and very I'm not going to say undisciplined, but very kind of. The car can come off the tracks, the train can come off the tracks very quickly and we've seen it a few times throughout the season. Their last loss was that type of practice.
Speaker 3:In the last practice they had they were able to. Patino was talking about how they were able to get it back on. The team was afraid to shoot. He said, guys, you can't be afraid to shoot the basketball. Ever since then they've went out and they've shot the ball. Great. So I like St John's but I'm just nervous with the youthfulness and immaturity. And then Tennessee, on the other side, guys, I can't trust Rick Barnes. I mean, how many times is this guy going to get a chance, whether it be at Texas, whether it be at Tennessee? Last year they were in the Elite Eight against Purdue and lost it. This year they've got another great chance. You've got to get past either Kentucky or UCLA and then you've got Houston or Purdue or Illinois or one of those. As John would say, you can't trust Rick Barnes. He doesn't trust him. I don't trust him to get there. But those are the two seeds. I say between the one seeds and two seeds, that's the only eight I see that can possibly win it this year. There's no strong three seeds I like.
Speaker 2:Okay, and I guess in the bottom, the bottom 16 just have no chance, huh.
Speaker 3:No, not, I mean, I'm not gonna say no chance, but uh, I do got some notes for you guys.
Speaker 2:We always get like one or two. Like one or two, just. Usually there's enough, especially in the first round.
Speaker 3:You know, I can see if Florida State cannibalizes itself. I can see a Texas Tech coming out of the bottom. You know they upset St John's down below and then they have to play themselves a Maryland or such. I don't like Texas A&M, I think Michigan, I think they're going to run into the tired legs. You can kind of see that there towards the end of the Big Ten, kind of how they finished Arizona. I don't believe in Oregon. Eh, on the other side, purdue. I think Purdue is going to run into some problems, especially they've kind of fumbled the ball, kind of going into here late in the season to the tournament and a little bit too much relying on Trace Jackson, kaufman, wren and Smith and none of the other guys have been showing up. So I just don't think. I think it could happen. Yeah, you want a sleeper from from a divot, maybe Kentucky, if they can kind of get hot with the youthfulness and the athleticism that they have coming out of that one. But, um, some trends I got for you guys and for your listeners that they want to kind of make a little thing.
Speaker 3:The value lies in the 11th seed guys. 11 seeds are 29 and 27 straight up since 2011. 91% of those being the underdog Straight up getting those wins, your 11 seeds this year. I like three of them to win their first-round games. Possibly You're going to call me crazy here, but I do like either San Diego State or North Carolina beating Ole Miss. The sixth seed, carolina and San Diego play here at nine o'clock tonight. So, as for the playing game, I like one of them beating. I like VCU beating BYU. Vcu is one of the fastest teams out there. Byu I've liked what they've done, but VCU can lock you up and I think those Mormons out there are going to run into a little bit of a problem with the VCU. And then, obviously, I like Drake. Drake's one of the slowest teams and they got to play Missouri in there. I like that 11 seed Drake slowing down Missouri there and making them play their style 11 seeds they're poised to make a deep run. Seven of the 17 teams since 2011 have made it to the second weekend.
Speaker 2:But we also got a chance, like you said, to San Diego State. Texas or Xavier will be another 11th seed.
Speaker 3:it looks like Out of those two they would probably go face Illinois probably yeah, and I I kind of like Illinois to knock off either Texas or Xavier there. I kind of liked the way Texas has been playing, especially there late in the big 12 tournament they played their way into the NCAA. So I I do like what they've done. But you know we talk about the first four. You know they're always primed for more. There's only been one year since 2000. We started this one in 2012, 2013, with the first four. There's only been one year that a team from the first four hasn't advanced to the third. Two 13 have made it to the second round. One of the teams have made it to the second round From there. That's where I like the San Diego State North Carolina winner going to that second round. If you've got to go off of trends for that, I kind of like there.
Speaker 3:10 seeds have struggled lately. They're 14-26 straight up. That's 35% winning percentage over the past 10 years. People like the 10 seeds but it's like you know. You look at your 10 seeds here. Utah State against UCLA, arkansas that's a popular pick. People think of Cal. They go Arkansas over Kansas, new Mexico and Marquette, and then Vanderbilt and St Mary's. I do like Vanderbilt against St Mary's there and then people like I said, the popular one is Calipari over Bill Self, a Kansas team that's down this year. Arkansas has just played way too inconsistent for me this year.
Speaker 3:I think they're a year or two ahead where they need to be with Cal. I think they'll be better next year. And then the last one for me, the 8-9 matchups. Take the underdog. In this matchup, the underdog um. In this matchup, the underdog is 57 and 33 against the spread over the past 34 years so that's oklahoma over yukon that's a oklahoma over yukon, possibly that's a georgia over gonzaga, that's a baylor over mississippi state and a creighton over louisville.
Speaker 3:The only two I like out of that is Baylor over Mississippi State and a Creighton over Louisville.
Speaker 4:Hmm, okay. Because Creighton's up to 30. Aren't they really good?
Speaker 3:Creighton's 24-10. Oh, okay.
Speaker 4:I'm not sure Okay.
Speaker 3:They got some guys, man, that can shoot. They just ran into that buzzsaw with St John's there in that second half of the Big East Championship because they were leading at halftime and then St John's just went on a run.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, that's some good stats though. Man, that's some good things to look into. So as this bracket progress, we can follow those trends also. Man, that's good so man. I guess there ain't really no surprises then, man, if all the top four number ones can possibly make it to the final four. I mean, of course there will be one, I just believe there will be one.
Speaker 3:Um, yeah, I mean if you, if you look at your lead eights, um, sorry, your sweet 16s. I like auburn, number one seed auburn. I like the Michigan as the five beating A&M as the four. San Diego State, north Carolina I think they beat whoever it is beats end up being Iowa State as the three seed. I think Iowa State they've played horrific this past month of basketball and then Michigan State there, then the bottom half of that. I like Colorado State beating Memphis, the 12-5 game. Colorado State actually is the favorite on the spread by three and a half. People are going to love Penny Hardaway and stuff, but the bets are on Memphis but all the money is riding on Colorado State. So I like Colorado State there to possibly win two games as the 12 going to the Sweet 16, um. And then kansas and st john's down there at the bottom and the other side, um, I like duke versus uh oregon, the five seed. I think not. Arizona gets knocked off.
Speaker 2:I think akron has a great shot at knocking off arizona in the 413 matchup akron, they can hoop you serious yeah, they can, they can I've been hearing about akron, but they actually won the mac championship on a buzzer beater there which was insane.
Speaker 3:But those that's one of the other, one of the quickest teams, um, vcu, don't put it past them if they get a matchup with wisconsin to make a little pesky with them, um. But I like al like Alabama kind of advancement there. And then, um Gonzaga has made it to the sweet 16, uh, what, the last 14 years straight for them to do it. This year they got to beat Houston. I think it's a little bit tougher task, um. And then you got Clemson at the five, purdue at the four.
Speaker 3:Uh, I, I kind of like Clemson to beat Purdue there to go to the Sweet 16. I think Purdue might be just a one-and-done type of thing this year, just with the inconsistencies of their play and the struggling that they've had as of late. And then I think you've got the SEC matchup, possibly of Kentucky versus Tennessee to go to the Elite Eight. I think that's a huge one that's going to be probably here in Indianapolis. So a lot of drive-in for that one, um for theirs. So, but, uh, yeah, it's. You know, the best thing is you, you put a bracket together, you make it in paper and then sometimes uh, uh, after the first weekend you can just light that match and uh, put it right in your little fireplace if you need to man, I, I, we.
Speaker 2:We're gonna do a bracket this year um as a show nice so we'll, we'll follow along with, of course, your advice.
Speaker 2:Um, with picking these, this, this is crazy. Like you hear these staple names in in college basketball the, the kansas, is he like ah, the um, the, uh, the arizona's, you're like man, they can get got by. Akron, like you hear gonzaga, like you said, the last 14 years, it's like they're not gonna be. Houston, like it's, it's, it's wild man, it's really wild. And uconn, I mean, where do they stand? I haven't heard any noise about uconn yeah, you know they've.
Speaker 3:they've had a really up and down season. I think their coach has been a mouth mouthpiece all season long, and woe is me type, which you know a lot of the college basketball universe, and now it's just like all right, buddy, you've won too. Um, a lot of inconsistent play with them. You know Leah McNeely. Uh, they're top guys. He was a recruit here in Indiana. They got away. I think they beat Oklahoma and Porter Mosier in that squad. But Florida's just so damn good, so damn good. And tell you what, they got a freshman on that team in Florida. He's not playing much, but 7'8".
Speaker 2:Yeah, I see that he cut down the net, so he didn't even need a ladder.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I love the guard player from Florida. You know my bracket. I've got Duke winning it. I know that sounds chalky and stuff, but they just from best player top to bottom. I love what that team has done and kind of the stuff they have with that team and the moxie, but I've got them in florida in the championship. I've got the two ones going at it okay and you can easily flip that to auburn. But I just I like the way that florida played against auburn last time, matched up with them, um, they beat them at auburn, um, so I I that's why I went kind of florida on that side. You could either flip it either one.
Speaker 2:Honestly, the two teams are 1a, 1b uh, what other team does normally prominent that nobody's talking about this year? Uh, I think I've seen we said kentucky is and they may have a chance. Kansas, no, no surprise. Run with Kansas, they not. I mean they could.
Speaker 3:If Bill Self and that squad can get past Arkansas and they give them a self of St John's, what kind of St John's team are you going to get? Are they going to be out there just throwing it up? That's the wild card, I think, of this whole tournament is St John's. You know they're that team that can be one and done, or they're the team that can go to the Elite Eight, possibly Final Four. They've played great all season but they haven't had that adversity, besides the Big East Championship at halftime where they came back from 16 down or so to win and just went on a blitzberg of Creighton.
Speaker 3:But listen, St John's second year for Patino there, I think. And here's another thing how far do they feel? Hey, man, this is house money now, so we're just going out there to play and hoop it up and just throw it up there. I remember these are kids, are what? 20, 19, 20, 21 years old. It's one of the hardest things to bet, to bet on and to and to watch. You know, to try to cheer for us, these kids, because their mind might be completely something else on girlfriend or whatnot as well right, right nil nil 100.
Speaker 3:Some of these players here's the crazy thing some of these players are here already in talking with their next team and where?
Speaker 2:they're going to go. I wouldn't doubt it. I wouldn't doubt it. I mean, it's just too much money out here now. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I just saw the college football. For the college football video game they got $750 for their NIL for last year's game this year.
Speaker 4:Now they doubled it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's going up to like $1,500 or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I just think that when they've seen how much success the game made, it's like okay, we cannot just yeah, you can't go back to $750.
Speaker 3:If you're watching 2K or EA Sports, you're watching this, please.
Speaker 4:I beg you, please make the college basketball game.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, for sure. I loved that dynasty mode back in the day. Yeah, the one with blake griffin on the cover, I think it was oh, yeah, yeah, that's, uh, that's the march madness, yeah I had did you kind of play the college hoops? All the time yeah, 2k.
Speaker 2:I think, 2K7 was the last one on PlayStation 2. Hey, you're talking about an environment You'd be playing, and then the screen is shaking because the crowd is so loud.
Speaker 3:The recruiting, the NCAA infractions that you'd have the NCAA at your door for, oh yeah, the bracket. The best was when they had the selection Sunday. You got RIP Greg Gumbel there With the boys.
Speaker 4:Lex.
Speaker 3:Sunday was something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's probably in the works. Hopefully EA gets a hold to it, because EA's not doing any basketball right now. Hopefully EA gets a hold of it, because EA's not doing any basketball right now. Hopefully EA gets to do it. You said what.
Speaker 4:I'm kind of I like EA as far as their presentation in the game, but I feel like 2K has far surpassed the gameplay.
Speaker 3:They're stealing a lot of their top guys.
Speaker 4:Super comfortable too.
Speaker 3:They had the golf, the EA Direct, the two main guys of the EA Sports PGA Tour golf that did the Masters one last year. They left and jumped over to 2K this year. So the 2K20 and PGA2K25 is a fantastic gameplay now because those guys shipped over.
Speaker 2:And see I want something to challenge 2K Because while yes, 2k has, you know, surpassed probably on the NBA side. They haven't had anything to challenge them since what? 2019? Which would have been 2018, technically, because you know the year on the game is a year before, so technically it would have been 2018. So you ain't had nothing in six years. Challenge you to be better? You know what I mean and a lot of community is complaining about that. So I definitely, if it's college basketball if I was EA I would jump on that and, you know, give the player something else to play, because people are getting fed up with 2K and the mediocrity 100%.
Speaker 2:Okay, I want to real quick, before we let you get out of here, anything we should look at on the women's side.
Speaker 3:You know, I think we talked about the one seeds. I think the one seeds are dominant here.
Speaker 2:Um yeah, south Carolina, ucla, uh, usc, texas yeah.
Speaker 3:Uh, and even you could throw page breakers and uh UConn in there as well. You know they're on the same side as Juju Brintz, juju Watkins, uh, there in USC.
Speaker 2:But uh, I've, I've said that USC, I've said that also, I've said that a dozen times. No lie.
Speaker 3:She's got some more playing time than him, unfortunately this year.
Speaker 2:You're right, every year, dude.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think this one's very top-heavy. You've got your four teams there. It sucks. Indiana's going to have to play. I think they're going to have to play one of the top seeds in the second round.
Speaker 2:I saw yeah, they'll play South Carolina. They got Utah first.
Speaker 3:I think they played them last year too, I think, or one of the years. They played them recently as well, so that's a struggle. I'm excited, being a Ball State alum. Obviously Ball State's women's basketball team Saley and his team make it in. They won the MAAC First time since 2009 that they're in the NCAA tournament. I was in college there. I was in charge of the scout team for the women's basketball team last time they went to the NCAA tournament, so that was fantastic. When they played Pat Summitt and Tennessee down at Bowling Green and there's a picture of me holding up a sign that said Pat Summit who when they upset them, that was the 12-5 matchup. They've got Ole Miss. I'm going to cheer for them. Hopefully they can get it done. They're playing out there in Waco and if they win that, then they got to end up playing Baylor, so that'd be a little tough, but shout out to the Ball State Lady Cards for making that NCAA tournament.
Speaker 2:Also Shout out to the Ball State Lady Cards for making that NCAA tournament Also. Notre Dame women number three. They're on that side with Texas Any chances. They are at the three seed. They got any chances to make any noise.
Speaker 3:I think so. I like that squad. I don't know much about the Texas squad themselves. Obviously, they've played well enough to be a number one seed, but I do like what Ivy's done up there with that Notre Dame team, and you know it's March. Anything can happen. As we can see, there's a craziness going on right now in the NCAA playing game. My Twitter feed and my text messages are blowing up with uh, with the St Francis team, and something crazy just happened. I don't.
Speaker 2:I gotta figure out what it is right now, with 11 seconds left.
Speaker 3:Yeah, nuts so but uh, not man, just excited you happy for March, I'm happy it's getting warm. Uh, we've got the masters coming, hoop season baby yeah, yeah man.
Speaker 2:Yeah man, we appreciate you won't keep you forever, man, we're gonna start. Uh, we're gonna talk about unless you want to hang out and talk some free agency, some.
Speaker 3:Oh, and we got justin in here now yeah, I'll listen in and I got something I'll chime in. I'll let you guys uh, I won't ransack your show too much- sorry, man, we appreciate you being here.
Speaker 2:let me get uh. Let me get uh justin in here real quick. I don't know if his camera on, yet there he is, justin. What's good? What's going on? Nothing much, I was waiting on you.
Speaker 5:You were waiting on me.
Speaker 2:We just got done talking a little college basketball. Yeah, yeah, man, Anything you want to chime in on?
Speaker 5:No man the rest you want to chime in on? No man. The rest of this tournament gets started. I mean, this is one of them weird years in college basketball, because I told you I paid more attention to college than NBA. For sure it's one of them where, like St John's, might win it all they legit, might win it all they pretty good. There's a lot of those teams that you're used to hearing I'm not sold on Like I think Alabama can have an early exit. They rely on the three-point ball all too much. I don't know, man.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Yeah, our neighborhood expert was saying that St John's st john may not be, may not be the deal this year, man I mean I like I said I like st john's the usefulness of them.
Speaker 3:That just scares me as it gets later in the tournament with the youthfulness there, kind of how they handle adversity late I know they came back against great but oh, to your point though, brandon, that's.
Speaker 5:That's one of those things where it's like if you told me they wanted all wouldn't be shocked, but if you told me they ended up losing when they got to the sweet 16, I wouldn't be shocked either. You know either way, so, but there's no. I mean Duke. Duke has its flaws. I like them, but they definitely have some flaws on their roster as well. You know what I'm saying. I don't know Memphis. I haven't seen enough of that's one team I haven't seen enough of that. I will say I'm not sure how good Memphis truly is.
Speaker 3:I got them getting upset by Colorado State winning two games.
Speaker 2:That's his first round, his first round upset, really Okay.
Speaker 3:Colorado State's actually moved up. Now they're like minus two and a half, minus three and a half in the spread uh, I'm looking at minus one and a half actually right now one and a half jeez, okay, okay, okay, okay um I'm not sold on kansas either, though, brandon, did you say something about them.
Speaker 5:Okay, I was gonna say I'm not sold on Kansas either, though, brandon, did you say something about them. Okay, I was going to say I'm not sold on Kansas, though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I brought up some of the notable names. And yeah, no, kansas, I mean they in there with St John's, they in there with Florida, like the Ucons. That's going to be a tough break anyway.
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness, what a shot. I don't know if you'all seen this playing game. It's out there. One second left, holy cow. No, justin, I gave them. Uh, I had some tidbit uh news and news and notes, you know, talking about the, I won't go through it. All people can play it back if they want. But 11 seeds, man, they're 29 and 27 straight up, 91 of those being the underdogs that I've won. I like some of these 11 seeds, uh the vcu drake, yep, I like carolina, or uh, san diego state, to upset um tonight we don't see yeah, to upset there, uh, the first four.
Speaker 3:I said the first 412 of the last 13 years. The one of the teams from the first four has gone to the second weekend. There's only been one year they have. So I think there's an advantage of playing a little early. You get a little bit of that rust off and then in the 8-9 matchups the underdog is 57-33 against the spread over the past 34 years.
Speaker 5:Okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 3:I told him as we started. There's been a lot of parity this year in the league with college basketball, but I only see probably seven, eight teams that have a real, realistic shot of winning the winning the championship.
Speaker 5:Okay, do you know who I really like? To young, so don't get me wrong, but I think he's. He's been a fantastic coach for so long and that's Michigan state. I like Michigan state. I like Michigan State.
Speaker 3:I do like them. I get nervous with them shooting a three ball not as well. Yes, yes, that's my concern with them in the tournament.
Speaker 5:But man Izzo, somehow he overcomes that stuff all the time, so he's probably one of the few you hear me say like I'm worried about it, but if there's any coach in this tournament that knows how to get his team to get a win one way or the other, it's Izzo.
Speaker 3:He's one of the last Mohicans that's left in college basketball Yep.
Speaker 5:Yep, so okay, Well, that's yeah, I heard, I did. I was able to hear, like like the last part of your conversation when I was trying to, you know, get back so I can jump on. So I did hear some of your uh, some of your takes on that.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, yeah, don't be surprised if you see San Diego ends up being Michigan as well. And that first, that first round, tired legs with Michigan. Uh, that spread keeps getting lower and lower since it came out on Sunday.
Speaker 5:Okay, I didn't. I wasn't expecting you to say that, okay, okay.
Speaker 4:All right.
Speaker 5:I like that.
Speaker 4:Listen, son. He's getting ready to run straight to the sports books man.
Speaker 3:I love BYU over BYU.
Speaker 5:BYU used to be a two-week team. Some of that, though, jerry, it's like I, I'm I know I don't keep up as much with it as you know, as they do, but I know when, when Brandon talks about that, or even when Jonathan I hear him talk about those things, it's like so they're giving me some, some thoughts behind that. You know, like, all right, I need to be paying more attention to that game, like even when filling out a bracket. You know what I mean, like all right now yeah, I don't skip over that one.
Speaker 5:I might need to give that one a little bit more thought before placing that down and running with it, so okay.
Speaker 3:Before you. Real quick, I have one question for Justin before we go to NFL free agency. I'm trying not to hijack it, Justin. What's your thoughts? Man, I know you're our boxing guy and we've talked to you for boxing all the time. What's your thoughts?
Speaker 5:on this league, apparently that dana white is trying to put it together with the saudis and create a whole new boxing federation. Yeah, um, you know, like oscar de la joy and some of those guys have come out, they, they're not fans of it. Um, I think they're going to be successful to a certain degree, because one thing about the saudi arabia, the even the fights they're getting now that are happening there. They're paying these fighters and you know what it is. Boxing is a right now kind of sport. You know what I mean. So those guys want to get paid right now. So I think we're going to see bigger fights happening right now because I think there is going to be more money to be made.
Speaker 5:Is it going to just take over boxing? That's going to be a little harder to see because you got certain fighters that are bigger names that may not be so quick to jump over. You know and and do it, but I'll be honest, it's one of those things you got to keep an eye on, I think, for the next, probably next two years, to really see how much footing they start to get in the boxing scene. Because if they start getting like, for example, there's a young boxer named Abdullah Mason coming up. He's with ESPN right now or, like Keyshawn Davis, some of these younger fighters if you start seeing them move over to that, they could be in trouble. They really could grab a good hold in boxing and take hold of it. You know people saying Dana White doesn't know boxing. He may not, but Dana White knows how to get the two best fighters in the ring against each other and that's what he does do well in the UFC.
Speaker 3:And he's got the backing of TKO, which is huge.
Speaker 5:Yep, yep. So I'm honestly I'm looking forward to it, because I think it just puts more pressure on all these other sanctioning bodies and everybody else. You better step your game up and get the right fighters in the ring and get the fights that people want to see. Get it happening, and get it happening now.
Speaker 2:Awesome, All right man. Sounds good, Sounds good man. So we're going to jump over Talk a little free agency.
Speaker 3:We kind of kicked the show off talking about our own teams. Yeah, before you even ask, dude, I don't even. I'm over the charade. Let's just move on with Mason Rudolph for this year.
Speaker 5:I'm over the charade man, I promise you. I was about to ask you.
Speaker 3:We already got on it, I made sure I got that question out early and Cam Hayward said it the best today If you don't want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, then don't be a Pittsburgh Steeler, but let's quit the stress-stroking the ego of the guy.
Speaker 4:Yep, I mean have they officially offered him. Yeah, okay, yeah, two of the three teams.
Speaker 3:Have them in Detroit or them in the Giants, have Minnesota's not. And that's kind of where he's wanting to go is Minnesota. But they're like, dude, we don't, we don't want you. But now, that longer it takes, they're starting to reconsider it. I wish we'd do. Just retire that way, that part. Yep, yes, and we're not going to give Russ a deal, which is is what it is. I thought we'd get a bad rap on fields. We should have kept fields. We've bumbled this bag the entire time, especially after you think, as I told them, I'm repeating it you go out and you sign you. You trade for DK Matt calf, trade for DK Matt Caff. You give up a second-round pick and you sign the largest wide receiver contract in franchise history. You're doing that because you have a plan at quarterback, right. So where the hell did it go wrong? Yep.
Speaker 4:That's a very valid point.
Speaker 5:I said that earlier and I'm sure you heard this, brandon, on that front, because I was interested myself. They said the plan was actually to get Fields back but the problem was they didn't commit to him being the starter because there was a chance that they were going to still try to bring Rogers in and Fields wasn't on board with doing that for another year with having this other guy, which I don't blame him, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:I don't blame him either.
Speaker 5:I just to your point. I'm like well, what is Pittsburgh's end all? Because if you't have Rodgers, no offense. Mason is. He's not the worst that you can have, but he's definitely not someone where, at least in our division, we could just stay in our division where you're overly worried about Mason Rudolph coming into your town and lighting you up.
Speaker 3:You thought this shit exploded last year. You think George Pickens is going to make it through a season with Mason Rudolph on quarterback? Get out of here. Get out of here. Get out of here.
Speaker 2:Nah, he wasn't the happiest camper in the bunch man last year, so nah, yeah, you definitely need somebody that's going to push you down the field. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3:That sounds kind of tough man.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, with that being said, man, we've got a couple of guys still out here. Man Stefan Diggs, man Granted ACL injury, but where does he end up, does he? The teams? Are teams waiting them out? Going to be closer to the season? Yeah, I think somebody getting before minicamp. Who's that? Stefan Diggs? My bad, he's 31, by the way, too.
Speaker 4:I just it, just it blows my mind how teams just like give up on talent, Like I mean, what team wouldn't need a Stefan Diggs? That's true, you know. I mean it's just like maybe maybe he's not your number one, but I feel like he's a. I feel like he needs to run it back with CJ Stroud, like I feel like they can use him.
Speaker 5:It's just weird how Because they traded for Christian Kirk yeah.
Speaker 4:Oh, they traded for Christian Kirk. Yeah, okay, I missed that one. But I mean I just I don't understand how certain the NFL I can't even say certain teams like the nfl just it's like they blackball guys almost, because there's no way that you can tell me that there's, you know, a hundred better receivers than stefan diggs in nfl, right, that's, that's crazy, no no, he's.
Speaker 2:He's literally the number three.
Speaker 4:Uh, I'm arguing I, I mean I. I, I'd seriously argue 30.
Speaker 2:I'd challenge somebody to name me 35 receivers that are better than Stephon Diggs today, but I think if you look at like, I think, teams look into the history and be like all right, he forced himself out of Minnesota. True, he forced himself out of Buffalo and then, unfortunately, he got hurt on a one-year deal.
Speaker 4:On another one-year deal. Those kind of guys, I'm signing one-year deals If you want to leave, if you ain't happy afterwards, we have no ties. One-year deal, one year, $14 million to $15 million, I think he signs it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dallas needs to sign it. That would be perfect. I was just thinking. I was just thinking that, yeah, dallas needs to sign it, the Giants could use him next to Nate.
Speaker 5:Let's not get on the sad teams.
Speaker 4:I'm trying to just keep it to the. The sad teams never make decisions that they should make.
Speaker 2:The Commanders could use him.
Speaker 5:The Commanders could use him.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the.
Speaker 5:Commanders could use him. Yeah, let's not get on the.
Speaker 4:Giants.
Speaker 2:All right, let's talk about somebody a little less controversial. What about Amari Cooper? He's still out there. I think that's crazy too.
Speaker 4:Who.
Speaker 2:Cooper oh, okay, yeah, Amari. Cooper, yeah, yeah yeah, I think it's crazy he's still out there. I was thinking.
Speaker 4:Omar. I thought you said Omar, and I'm thinking IU. I'm like wait a minute. Nah, yeah, you're right.
Speaker 5:I mean same age Chargers need to sign him.
Speaker 4:Yeah, chargers need a receiver. Bad Mm-hmm. Yeah, I don't understand it. Granted, the draft is coming up and I feel like wide receiver is an easy, except if you're a Bengals. You know Wide receiver is an easy, typically an easy, you know position to fill. But we struck out on Jermaine Burton last year. I mean he, wide receiver is an easy, typically an easy, you know position to feel like. But we struck out on Jermaine Burton last year. I mean he's an absolute nutcase. I think that was a third round. How you miss on wide receiver in the third round is is is crazy. But we'll find some way to make it happen. But yeah, I mean the chargers need receivers. I would like to see that the Raiders add something else they need, they need yeah, Hell the Chiefs should be trying to get Stephon Diggs.
Speaker 4:Yeah, cardinals could use him Cardinals. I mean there's two teams that could use a receiver. The Saints need everything Hell the Bills still need a receiver, don't they? Yeah?
Speaker 5:Well, they can't they actually came out a while and they said, after they paid Khalil Shakir and then gave Josh that money, they really don't have a whole lot of additional money, they're just hoping on the development of Keion.
Speaker 4:Coleman Keion Coleman. Yeah, I think that's going to be nice. For sure, I think they're safe in that. But I mean wouldn't hurt to add something else. You know, it's just going to make his life easier.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was already there last year for a little while too. So I mean he knows the offense Wouldn't be bad to you know.
Speaker 4:just have a bit of an injury Wouldn't be an option there, but yeah, I'd, definitely take a look at bringing Amari back. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know why you wouldn't Asante Samuel Jrr, 25, super young. I mean, he had a asante samuel jr.
Speaker 5:Oh, yeah, cornerback got you yeah shoulder in.
Speaker 2:I mean he had a shoulder injury last year, but I mean 25 super young, like why is he still out?
Speaker 5:there is this because he's not a good man coverage corner and he relies so much on zone so he's very scheme dependent as far as success goes, so he really has to be in the right situation.
Speaker 4:Yeah, teams, don't let go of good young corners. No, yeah, that's one of the positions that you know well really every position, I guess, if you got a good young corner. Yeah, I was about to say yeah, so I guess it's awkward to see you know young guys, you know get. You know teams let them go, especially high picks. You know guys with I mean he has an NFL pedigree, so it's just like for him to be let go is definitely something on film that teams are like yeah.
Speaker 5:And it also shows you. I mean, think about it, j, think about it. Jc Horn stays banged up and just got a huge contract from Carolina. There's something there that people got to realize too. With Asante Samuel, I think he still has potential. He's still so daggone young. He's just got to be in the right scheme. I'm semi-shocked that he is still on the market to a degree, but I think teams are also looking for more guys who can man up as well and he that is just not a strong suit of his. So.
Speaker 2:Okay, um, we'll say Mike Hilton, but we already know how that's going to go.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We know Um we already talked.
Speaker 4:I mean we talked about russell, we talked about aaron. We're actually probably gonna end up bringing mike hilton back. I can see that. Nah, not mike hilton. Uh, cheeto, which got released from the titans, I could, I could see us bringing him back, but I mean he would definitely be cornerback number one from what the guys we have.
Speaker 2:So I mean yeah, there's still a Jameis Winston out there, Justin Simmons out there.
Speaker 3:Rainey Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2:Honestly no, brandon, real talk.
Speaker 5:Jameis would probably flourish with the weapons you guys got on the outside.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man.
Speaker 5:Those are the type of weapons he and he's a very good deep ball thrower.
Speaker 4:The way the Steelers are built, man, it's not going to take much. You're not going to need somebody to come in there and throw 40 touchdowns and five interceptions, like you can get by. The Steelers could have, you know, an 11-6 season with a guy who throws 22 touchdowns and 12 picks, like they can make it happen. We've seen it well their defense has to.
Speaker 5:Last year, their defense let them down several times, unfortunately. Yeah, that's true, various play was a good.
Speaker 3:We'll see how those legs do. If he comes in like he did, like patrick peterson did a couple years ago and had a great season for us, then hopefully that'll work. But yeah, I mean I don't mind. Jameis, we were talking about Pickens and I was making fun of it. Well, he posted on his Instagram a little bit ago a photo of him and Tom Brady and it's grayed out, grayed in black. So maybe he's trying to get himself to the Raiders, because we've traded Antonio Brown there and we've traded Martavis Bryant to the Raiders. So we might as well go three and go ahead and send.
Speaker 4:Pickens, pickens. There, man, you're talking about a nutcase.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but then you. I mean again we were talking about this last week too how the Steelers tend to develop receivers very well.
Speaker 5:So I don't Not recently though.
Speaker 2:Well, no, I mean.
Speaker 5:That's been the problem. That's why I told you it's crazy, because for so many years they were so good with getting the receivers. And that's why I said, going back to the Mike Wallace's, the Heinz, all the like for years and years, then all of a sudden it's like they stop remembering how to do it. And again, it's not that George Pickens isn't good, but he crazy. And it's not that George Pickens isn't good, but he crazy, he crazy man. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:You're out there on that team on the offensive side to get his ass in line.
Speaker 4:And so listen, straighten up, this is the way you're going to be professional in the league. That's true. Hans Ward ain't walking through that door.
Speaker 3:No, brandon, what are y'all going to do at running back? Well, I think we're going to go. Kenneth Gainwell and Jalen Warren is the top two. I think Warren's earned it from the way he's performed the last two years with Naj gone.
Speaker 5:Are you good with that though, like? Do you like that?
Speaker 3:With.
Speaker 5:Warren being your main guy.
Speaker 3:I have to go with him. Yeah, I do, because we have have stronger needs right now and that's the guy that's going to be underneath center. So I think we need to try to sew that up first. But if they can get in the draft, if they can go out and get ashton genti, I'd be fine with that yeah, or I mean hey, jk dombus is out there.
Speaker 3:Listen, they had meetings with him. They've already met with him three times during the combine and then at the senior game or whatever they had. Tomlin was down there with Jinty, so they obviously like something, because they had four different scouts down there meeting with him. Wow, I didn't know that.
Speaker 5:Okay, down there meeting with them. Wow, I didn't know that. Okay.
Speaker 3:So if we can get Jenty in there and whether it be the 21st pick or if it falls off the radar with the quarterback and we have to go Shador Sanders or Jackson Dart at quarterback there and you play Mason, I don't think it really matters to knew the hell you have a running back at that point. That's true.
Speaker 5:I wouldn't go Jackson Dart.
Speaker 4:You're a fan of drafting a quarterback round one and not playing him.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 4:I don't disagree or anything.
Speaker 3:I just want to know your thoughts on it, the only problem is, like I said, you've got guys in this defense that they've got a shelf life and that starts to expire if you don't take care of them. Cam Hayward, tj Waugh you know these guys. They got shelf lives.
Speaker 5:Even Minka's getting up there now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm kind of reading that.
Speaker 2:And, like you said, you bring in a Slay. You know what I mean. You got an aging defense that's like Joey Porter, get your hands off.
Speaker 3:Maybe 13 less penalties this year and you can actually play corner.
Speaker 4:You say 13 less.
Speaker 5:Hey, he antsy man. Oh my gosh yeah.
Speaker 3:Isn't it crazy how it's so clear as day and then they're like I didn't touch him, I didn't touch him yeah.
Speaker 2:Man that is.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We all seen it. They're replaying it right now, but yeah, yeah, we all seen it they're replaying it right now.
Speaker 2:But yeah, nah, I feel that same way. I'm glad the coach at least addressed that issue with Dungeon L so I'm not that worried about the back end on the defense. So just, I don't know, I just I don't really have much to complain about. But it's like you just gotta see, like, it's like you just got to see. It's just the waiting, the anticipation of seeing, like, all right, does this make a difference? Does coaching, a new coach, make a difference? Is Anthony Richardson really really putting in the work he's working with Josh Allen they said he doesn't have to.
Speaker 2:This is the hardest they've ever seen him work, which not saying too much. He's only been there two years or whatever. Hopefully this turns into productivity and a better season for us, because we can't just keep being on the cusp. Picking at 15 is just not the way to do it. Every year we're in the middle of the pack. We're always between 10 and 20 and picking, because we're never bad enough to get top 10 consistently. We're never good enough to get the playoffs of being, you know, picking in 20 plus. So it's like we never get what we need at 15.
Speaker 3:So who do you want to draft?
Speaker 2:I think right now, since we kind of addressed the DB issue and free agency, I think you got to get a tight end. I mean, what else do you draft? I mean I'm just saying though I wasn't disagreeing.
Speaker 4:I don't think I've ever heard that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I see a lot of people, because every other position we've either drafted and paid. What else do you I mean? Do you keep drafting players on top of players? You know what I mean Like over the same position you just drafted last year in the first two rounds Wide receiver.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but again I hear you, you pay, you drafted a paid pitman. You, you drafted, uh, in the first round you got what pierce. In the second round you just got another guy in the second round just past you. Like you done put so much equity into that room. It's like at some point they gotta, they got, to show up. You can't just I mean just keep dumping draft picks and money into it, because now everybody, somebody's gonna be two or three deals that you done drafted in the first two, three rounds. They're gonna be sitting around twittering their thumbs well, hey, shit, it is what it is.
Speaker 4:Guess what's gonna happen with, uh, anthony richardson if, if he don't take this year, he's gonna going to be twiddling his thumb. I agree, you miss, I mean you miss.
Speaker 2:Everybody misses. I say I mean, if this year is a bad year for us, at least next year the quarterback. You know, if we're picking top ten, the quarterbacks, we have more of a variety coming out. I mean, like I said, you can't do defensive end. I mean you can't do defensive linemen. You just did that in the first round Like linebackers. You got probably two of the best tackling linebackers. You know they fly all over the field.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they do. You know what I mean? Is Latu not any good?
Speaker 2:He's decent. Yeah, he's decent. I think he has seven sacks this year. I mean, he's okay, oh, okay, I got like three of his rookie patch autos.
Speaker 4:So hopefully he goes crazy. That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:But then you just pay. Can you pay another one? You got in the first round, like I said, then you traded the first round for DeForest Buckner.
Speaker 4:The teams that are winning are proving that pay, pay, pay, pay, pay. That's what I'm saying these teams are paying, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:We're kind of like the Pittsburgh situation. We invested so much money in the guys that we have now. We paid everybody. Gotta keep going.
Speaker 4:Their whole defense is trapped in first rounds A lot of their key parts.
Speaker 2:That's our frustration is that the draft picks aren't panning out the way that they should be for the position they were being picked you gotta keep drafting until you get it right.
Speaker 4:Yes, anthony richardson should have been a third or fourth rounder in in reality. But so I get that. And a lot of coast fans do have a lot of uh, negative things to say about ballard and the decisions that he makes and obviously I'm not super tapped in because I mean I think we all kind of focus a majority on our team so I'm not like super tapped in with every pick and every decision he's made. But you know a lot of coach fans do say that he's he's making wrong decisions and that starts with the draft.
Speaker 5:I think the coach some needs to fill some of their offensive line issues too.
Speaker 2:Y'all lost a guy. He has a hard time letting his guys go. Like let them go, like, bring in somebody else, like it's just like when he, like our whole team, is literally made up of his guys. He's been there long enough that offense and defense like yeah, that's true, he's had a hand in almost every guy at every position.
Speaker 2:So it's like, yes, now we can't criticize you, because all of these guys are your guys. There's nobody left over from the old regime at all. You know what I mean. So now it's time to criticize, because we can now sit here and say, all right, he ain't panning out he, because we can now sit here and say all right, he ain't panning out?
Speaker 2:He ain't panning out, I mean, that's the thing he ain't panning out, he ain't panning out, he ain't panning out. And then, like now, the frustration is there is, like now, you done missed on the biggest position possibly, which is the quarterback.
Speaker 3:Well, boys, I got to head out.
Speaker 4:The wife is calling me, so I stayed a little.
Speaker 3:It's been great.
Speaker 4:Thanks for joining us, sir, appreciate it.
Speaker 3:We'll do it again soon and we'll razz Jonathan a little bit.
Speaker 4:Alright, sounds good, Alright thanks guys.
Speaker 2:So yeah, man, I guess you, man, final thoughts. I ain't got nothing else of you, I ain't got nothing else.
Speaker 4:Y'all really have nothing crazy. What do you think about Anthony Gould? Is he any good you?
Speaker 2:say Anthony, who Gould G-O-U-L-D? He's all right, he played a little bit for us.
Speaker 4:I picked up an autograph of his too. Whenever I see something cheap, that a guy might pick up an autograph for six, seven bucks, I'll just hold it just to see what happens. I got some tattoos, and then I got that Anthony Gould.
Speaker 2:He's young, real fast he might get on the field because EJ Speed, he's a free agent. We didn't bring him back. Oregon State, yeah.
Speaker 4:He's young Like I Speed he's a free agent so we didn't bring him back Oregon State.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, he's young. Like I said, he may take that spot. I mean he can move like EJ Speed. The only thing is EJ Speed was like fourth in the league in tackles last year.
Speaker 4:Wait, Anthony Gold is a receiver dog, oh Gold.
Speaker 2:I thought you were talking about. I'm thinking about the linebacker, anthony, my bad, somebody totally did my bad. You're talking about the. He's a primary hour returner man. Oh, okay, okay, he hasn't really been on the field as a receiver, so I don't know.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he got one catch last year for 23.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I just thought my bad, yeah, no.
Speaker 5:Yeah, got one, one catch last year for yeah, yeah, I just thought my bad, yeah, no yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:We so hit. But again he's another one. We drafted, I think, in the fourth round. Fifth, I'm like fifth. Okay, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5:Like you're just, they still but they still need to add. I ain't saying you gotta add draft equity in it, but they need a veteran. So like the coach could use a amari cooper coming in or someone like a veteran voice coming to the library Like literally that would change everything.
Speaker 4:That's what they need. They ought to change everything for you, but they got to make that move. They need a dog outside, like a dog outside.
Speaker 4:They need Stephon Diggs, they need Orr Cooper, I feel like if you go back three or four years with the Colts, some of they shit changes if they have a dog receiver. Oh, I agree, I agree. Like with Carson Wentz, with Phillip Rivers, like I think if you had a dog wide receiver, with those guys not saying that the Colts would have won a Super Bowl, but I think their postseason, or lack thereof, would have been a little different with a guy like.
Speaker 2:But again, I think with with us fans like we're, we're we were that that time, still trusting the process because you still having turnover, you had, like you know, when there's an old regime and you bring in a new gm and things like that, like it takes time for them to get their guys in and filter it out. You know what I mean mean, you know what I mean Get their guys and their culture built in there. So three or four years ago we were kind of in the beginning of that phase of phasing out the old regime and getting the new guys in there. So, yeah, maybe, but again, the Colts don't pay, they don't overpay. We don't bring in a bunch of free agents. We just don't do it. We just we never did it, no matter who, even with bill poley and all. We just never did it.
Speaker 2:And I think that ursae is just staying with that. We need to draft. Well, we'll, we'll, we'll draft our team, because that's how we got the paytons and edgerns and all them. And it's just like every draft ain't like that. You know what I mean. Mean you got to kind of realize like, ok, what we need is not in this draft per se and we need to reach out and grab some guys. That's proven in the league and I think, like I said, they started that process this year. You know what I mean? I don't know Like, again, we're receivers Just so much draft capital there in first five rounds. It's just that's absurd.
Speaker 4:Yeah, but I always say if there's an elite prospect at that position, I don't care how many times you drafted it, yeah yeah, like I wouldn't go if I'm the coach I wouldn't go a mecca I feel like they could use like a big, like a bigger target, I would go to guy out of arizona. Yeah, like a big, like a bigger target, I will go to guy out of Arizona. Yeah, they need big. They need, they need an offensive player, especially with having Jonathan Taylor. They need a, an like a dog offensive player, like a Malik neighbors type presence on that football field, like, and I know you, like your guys, pittman, I know I just feel like stuff would be so the fortune of the Colts would be so much better if they just went out and got another dog offensive talent. I think everything would be so much because you guys aren't bad.
Speaker 4:It's not like the Colts have just had a sucky team the past three or four years. That's not the case. I mean they're not the case. Like I mean there's you could, they're not the browns, they're not the. You know some of these up the giants like they've had better teams, you know, than than those. Then they've been better than some of those bottom feeder teams. Like I just feel like an offensive, just a crazy offensive generational talent for, uh, the colts on the outside would do them wonders.
Speaker 2:But hey, I don't know, I don't know, it's not a million of those, it ain't 30 of them. It's not even 10 of them Generational.
Speaker 4:There's enough for you to get one after all these years. Bro, I would have went wide receiver with the AR pick.
Speaker 3:That's what I would have done.
Speaker 4:But I mean, you guys needed a quarterback, you wanted AR. I mean you got them, but yeah, I would have went wide receiver there.
Speaker 5:That's the same mistake a lot of teams do. They get desperate and they just pick a player.
Speaker 4:That's what Pittsburgh?
Speaker 5:did with Kenny Pickett. That's the same mistake a lot of teams do. They get desperate and they just pick a player. That's what.
Speaker 4:Pittsburgh did with Kenny Pickett. You know that's the kind of stuff that they can do, even if you're fooling with Gardner Minshew, and then you put a Malik Neighbors type motherfucker out there.
Speaker 5:Changes everything.
Speaker 4:That's going to cook and whether or not Minshew is your long-term goal, that's going, that's gonna, that's gonna cook like it's. It's gonna hit, it's gonna stick until you can really figure out your quarterback. But you'll be able to. To, you know, I'm saying you got, you got that guy outside like you, you good for a little bit. I ain't looking at him. So, uh, I ain't see what it's.
Speaker 2:No, I just put my hands up.
Speaker 5:I mean oh okay, he gave that face like I ain't saying you wrong, I'm just saying what the Colts are.
Speaker 4:This is just talk, man.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying because I mean I look at a team like Seattle like they have a dog. You look at the Steelers right now. They got a dog now. So you think we're sitting here talking about who Huh, who's a?
Speaker 4:dog Shit Pickens is better than any of the receivers on the Colts.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but he ain't no dog. And then you pair him with DJ Metcalf and then you're looking at now this year. Brandon just said that this is his team. Six wins.
Speaker 5:I think he's One. You're talking about the division being in the AFC North. That's your first thing.
Speaker 2:And then two.
Speaker 5:You're talking about Mason Rudolph, like that's different. Like you are talking about Mason Rudolph who does not. Mason's strength is not the strength of what your receivers do. That's the thing. You're talking about route runners. George Pickens and DK definitely ain't ever going to be confused with being route runners no they're deep ball, they're downfield guys.
Speaker 5:So if your quarterback can at least do that, yeah, I understand why he's saying six wins. But that's why I said you throw Jameis back there, a guy who ain't afraid to throw that thing. I guarantee you that six goes to nine.
Speaker 4:He's going to throw some kicks, but he's going to throw some damn touchdowns too.
Speaker 5:He's going to throw you some touchdowns and it changes everything. I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think you just got to have that combination. I mean, I think we all agree you just got to. This is what makes the NFL the NFL.
Speaker 4:Justin, y'all wide receiver gate too. Oh my gosh, if y'all would just get a young cold receiver like oh my God.
Speaker 5:Don't get me started, Jerry. You know I've talked about that. I've talked about that I've talked about that Holy shit At this point.
Speaker 4:I'll be honest with you If y'all just had a young. Oh for sure, a young crazy call.
Speaker 5:Receiver Yep, I'm not even a DK Metcalf fan, but I said shoot, figure out a way to pay him and give up the second round pick If you Baltimore, because at this point y'all ain't drafted them. I mean, what are we doing?
Speaker 4:And, and then your run game is cold bro Always. So teams are going to always have to with Lamar and Derrick Henry. The running game is like. You got to respect it. If you just put some crazy, I think D-Hop Shit. Y'all should try to sign Stephon Diggs.
Speaker 5:You should, but they won't. Man bro, and you got Andrews, andrew't man bro, and you got Andrews Like hello.
Speaker 4:What are these teams doing? Yeah, I don't get it.
Speaker 5:They won't do it. But they need to trade Andrews and they need to trade Marlon Humphrey. I said that last time Mainly because of the cap issues that they're running into right now and they're going to have to pay Kyle Hamilton. So you're going into right now and they're going to have to pay Kyle Hamilton. So you're, you're Gary B, you're going to be great and they already pay Roquan. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5:They just paid Stanley. They play Matt a BK, so they don't have a lot of wiggle room in terms of bringing in a, like a big money guy. That's why I like some of those guys they got to get rid of and go ahead and start recycling some of those, which is why, also, I said they shouldn't have resigned Stanley. They should have went younger at tackle, save some money at that position. They you know they were scraping to make sure they had enough money to pay Patrick Ricard because he's huge for that offense. But, to your point, they got to get a guy on the outside. I actually said this. I don't know that they would do it or have the guts to do it. They need to trade up and get big boy from Arizona. They got to get something on the outside. Zay Flowers is good, but Zay is going to be most successful moving him around. He's not just going to be.
Speaker 2:He's a slight guy.
Speaker 5:He's not your number one. He can play on the outside some too but they need a dog on the outside and Baltimore still has not to your point jared ain't invested enough in the position.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean. Well, I mean, hey, we can go down everybody's team and nick pick, oh for sure, everybody back at some more than others, but we, we gotta hit.
Speaker 4:We gotta hit in the draft.
Speaker 5:Whoever we take first round has to perform I say this y'all's first, probably three, four piece. Oh yeah, really the whole draft.
Speaker 4:But I mean, we draft so bad that, if I can just get the, at least if we don't, our first rounders don't even pan out, true, like we can't get anything out of our first round guys uh we can get at least a kyle hamilton type player on any level of that defense, that's gonna speak if I, we gotta go defense the whole entire draft yeah, you really do.
Speaker 5:And my thing is now we'll give baltimore credit on this because defensively they usually do a good job of finding those guys when, where they draft at late in the rounds. Late in the rounds, I'm looking forward, because there's always at least one or two guys that fall every year because, oh, their 40 time was a four or five instead of a four or four or whatever. That was Kyle.
Speaker 3:Hamilton Hold on.
Speaker 5:That was Kyle Hamilton's night. Well, he's not a four or four speed guy, that's fine. Baltimore picked him up. He's an all pro his second year, thank you. Thank you to the rest of you clowns who passed on that. So I will give Baltimore credit. Where they don't pay attention to the combine, stuff like not. We pay attention to the tape.
Speaker 5:You know what I mean, like we pay attention to what matters. I'll give them credit there. But they, just like you said, we can nitpick at a lot of these teams, but I think, since he's got a hit on their first and I know that's crazy to say but their first like three picks. They got to hit and be starters.
Speaker 2:And they got to get something out of. Miles.
Speaker 5:Murphy, bro, Y'all got to get something out of that dude at some point Like.
Speaker 4:Murphy got to give y'all something. Well, that's just Jenkins. Like we're drafting the same guys. Yeah, and we still need. But, like I said, I was talking to somebody on Instagram. I'm like, hey, people are talking about how much money we spent on offense, but I think we get better with some subtractions. The fact that Dwayne Pratt isn't going to be on the defense next year is great, like that subtraction makes us better. The fact that Sam Hubbard isn't going to be out there, wasting the spot that makes us better. The fact that I'm not sure if Dax Hill or DJ Turner are going to be ready to start the season I'm cool with that. So I feel like we're going to get better by subtraction. On the defense, I feel like bringing in the defensive coordinator. He's already familiar with the team, which I don't really like stuff like that, but we got it. We're going to give him a shot. I feel like, with Jermaine Pratt not being out there, stinking at middle linebacker Sam Hubbard out there not doing anything, give somebody else a chance.
Speaker 2:Like we can't get worse. Like we can't get worse and then, like with a new defensive coordinator, again he get a chance to be in the draft and draft his type of guys for his team. So y'all may go another direction as far as the draft the type of guys y'all bring in. So it may not be that same cycle, like you're saying, like your shakeup would be good.
Speaker 4:But another one, von Bell, is not going to be there, like that's addition by subtraction dog to me. Like you know, now we still got some sad young guys Like I wish Dax Hill and DJ Turner and Jordan Battle. I wish they would go away.
Speaker 5:I ain't going to give up an audience so quick though, jerick.
Speaker 4:Man, they're garbage dog Like I just.
Speaker 5:And a different scheme. That's why I say that scheme does matter and I just Well like what you like about Asante, Samuel, like I mean, if you can't guard, you can't play man Like they can't play man. That's you can't play man, they can't play man.
Speaker 4:They may have to go more zone heavy, they can't tackle and they can't play man.
Speaker 2:That's just not. You can't have that. Yeah, that's the only thing.
Speaker 4:Especially if you're in a zone.
Speaker 2:If you're in a zone you've got to be able to tackle.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they can't tackle, the guys can't, they just can't tackle. So, like bro, you can give me somebody from a d2 school, I'd give him a chance over saying, okay, yeah, dj turner's gonna lock us down the corner. No, like he had that fast 40.
Speaker 5:40 that combine for you know, that's what it was, yeah we drafted him.
Speaker 4:He can't cover. He can't cover anybody. What?
Speaker 5:would have told you that, though, if they just is having the 4-2-40.
Speaker 4:I mean, if on the field you can't stay, you can't keep nobody in front of you. Yeah, oh, another one Cam Taylor, britt. I mean these guys suck, they suck, it is what it is. So I mean, hopefully the defensive coordinator comes in and can see, I mean, this guy ain't no good man. I mean, I don't know what their contract situation's like. Some of y'all might have to get cut, some of y'all might have to lose y'all spots. But, bro, we got to get something in the draft. Man, if we can get one Pro Bowl caliber player, you know, on a defense at any spot, we're a better defense Okay.
Speaker 2:If you had to pick, what spot would that be High?
Speaker 4:linebacker, edge, defensive tackle, whatever, Corner safety, whatever. We can just at least get one.
Speaker 2:What position would you pick, though, Jarrett, if you had to pick one? Oh man, if I could choose, yeah, if you could choose, I would.
Speaker 4:It's tough man. I would go either corner or middle linebacker. That's smart. You know what I'm saying. If we could get a signal caller, a rookie guy that's out there calling the plays for the defense and just getting everybody in the right positions. Yeah, if we can find us a Darius Leonard out of South Carolina State or something. Bro, you just got to look, you got to be out. We only got two scouts, so ain't nobody really looking. But like, just watch ESPN, bro. Like, do something different. Like, just do something different.
Speaker 5:It's funny that you say that, though, jared, because I actually gave, even though I think the coach should have had a new GM two years ago. That's different. I will give them credit in this Vern. They signed CJ Mosley.
Speaker 2:Who the coach did. Yeah, Y'all didn't know that. No.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I posted about that. Yeah, I said that is a good signing, that was my veteran to your team. If I ain't mistaken, that's who he signed with was the coach. I'm almost sure that's who I signed with.
Speaker 4:I'm about to fact check that.
Speaker 2:I didn't hear that. Okay, well, that may well, I'm okay with that. Then with him with oh, that's a.
Speaker 4:Nah, he ain't signed nowhere yet. He ain't signed nowhere yet, he didn't Nah. It says Ramsey predicted to landing. Yeah, he's still a free agent man. We better get on the hotline. How much does a nigga want? That would have been a free agent man, should we better get on the hotline? How much does a nigga want? That would have been a good signing for the coach. Yeah, I don't, I mean I don't see him on the top 30 free agents right now.
Speaker 4:And Zaire. That would have been nasty. Just think if you had CJ Mosley in the middle and you got fast-ass Zaire and EJ Speed on the outside. Well, ej Speed is a free agent on the outside. Well, aj is a free agent. Oh, so he's not with the.
Speaker 5:Okay, okay, bro, I just seen something that said he signed with the Colts. Maybe it just didn't hit yet. Maybe they were saying that they were in talks.
Speaker 4:Instead we go sign Oren Burks what that's going to do. If we can get a CJA that would be fire for y'all dog.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm with it. I'm definitely with it.
Speaker 5:Yeah, man, there's a lot we could talk about, and I will say this, though, in real talk, when Brandon was on here, I was trying to say this I would love to see Jameis in Pittsburgh, even even for the fact of y'all cannot deny they would have the best post game.
Speaker 4:Uh, shenanigans between him and mike thomas oh, man, and he's good, he, he has a future when he does retire. Oh for sure, for sure. And I wouldn't, even I would don't go to ESPN Fox. I would go late night TV if I was Jameis. His personality needs to be a brand in itself.
Speaker 5:He needs to be able to always showcase the personality because if he gets put in that box, it's hilarious.
Speaker 4:I want to see him on ESPN. I want to see him doing his own thing. I feel like he has a real, really, really bright future. If I want to see him doing his own thing, yeah, yeah, I feel like he has a real, really really bright future once he finishes playing football.
Speaker 1:He's just too entertaining.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't want to see you on ESPN talking with Skip and Shannon Sharp. I want to see you out like like damn near doing skits type.
Speaker 5:But I'm going to say he'll be a person that can play in the NFL until he's 40, because it sounds like he's a good locker room guy and a good guy to have around. So teams are always going to be willing to give him.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, he's always going to have a job, He'll always have a job as long as he wants one.
Speaker 2:Nah, that's dope, all right, man. Well if that. Nah, that's dope, alright, man. Well, if that's it, I ain't got nothing else. Oh, we defunded anything.
Speaker 4:Nah, I don't got nothing for you out of the day. Nah, hell with that. Defund college basketball in the state of Ohio, because for Cincinnati and Ohio State To not make the tournament is crazy Like that's.
Speaker 5:That's shit. That's a fair statement that you just made, but daggone, I know Xavier.
Speaker 4:I'm not a Xavier fan. My mom graduated there. I still was nothing. I'm nothing on Xavier, Never have been. But come on bro.
Speaker 1:For.
Speaker 4:Cincinnati and Ohio State to both just miss the tournament. That's just outrageous. This might be the second. I know we haven't made it since 2019. Cincinnati hasn't. I don't know how long it's been for Ohio State, but I remember when they posted that picture of the roster, I shared it and I was like man, this roster just looked weak and, Justin, I remember you had laughed at it, you had commented on it, you had reacted to it. Rather, should I say yeah, but I was like bro, where they getting these guys at? I thought a team picture. I'm like this team is sad, bro, but hey, it is what it is. So we defunding college basketball in the state of Ohio.
Speaker 2:That's right, All right man. Any final thoughts, Justin? Anything we need to look forward to on the boxing scene.
Speaker 5:Not right now. No, I think the next big one you really got is like May 3rd and that's that fight card with Canelo Manguia. You got a couple guys who fight. So May 3rd, I think, is the next big one, at least the one that I can think of right now. If you have something else, I'll let you know. The guy I keep mentioning to you guys, abdullah mason, he fights pretty frequent so he's good to pop up on a fight card and you go, oh shoot, I didn't realize he was fighting this weekend, kind of thing. So I'll let you know if I see something with you know, somebody worth watching coming up all right, man.
Speaker 2:Well, with that being said, man, I appreciate y'all joining us today. Man, this has been the epic podcast. We will see y'all next week. This was a good one.