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"
NBA Cup Fire, Heisman Drama, And AFC Chaos
We argue that stakes, not gimmicks, make great basketball, using the NBA Cup energy to build a case for real All-Star incentives. Then we tackle a messy college MVP moment, sort through what awards should reward, and finish with a clear look at the NFL playoff race.
• NBA Cup momentum and live score check
• Brunson’s scoring surge and Knicks trends
• Why prize money changes effort and urgency
• Concrete fixes for All-Star Weekend
• The LeBron dunk contest debate without hype
• College MVP controversy and voter logic
• What awards should value: stats, wins, clutch
• Media, character, and draft stock realities
• AFC and NFC playoff paths and must-win games
• Cincinnati sports frustration and leadership gaps
Yo yo yo, welcome back to another episode of the Epic Podcast. Me and Jared are here tonight. Man, how was your sports week?
SPEAKER_02:Damn, same old, same old. Um Bingles got smack officially out of the playoffs. Um heard about that. Hey, it is what it is, bro. But shit, other than that, nothing really about yours.
SPEAKER_01:Uh I'm gonna say about the same. Coach put up a fight. Uh, better game than what I thought it was gonna be. Um still lost in the end, left too much time on the clock at the end. But um, yeah. We're getting a healthy Anthony Richardson back in.
SPEAKER_02:Y'all, y'all starting him or what? What you think? Nope.
SPEAKER_01:They already announced Phillip Rivers as a starter, so I don't know what that's about, but yeah. Um yeah, that's that's pretty much it, man. Pacers are the same old, same old. College basketball, nothing really jumping off. Um not yet anyway, so yeah, no, man. We got the NBA Cup tonight, which is what we actually gonna start off talking about. Um I just got in and me and my daughter, daughter wanted to have a talk, so we did that. So I didn't get a chance to turn it on. But uh finals going on right now on Amazon Prime. You got uh San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks uh right now. Let's see who's winning right now. 23-24. Knicks is up one yeah, end of the first. Well, two minutes left in the first, I should say. Um I didn't see this matchup, man. I really thought that OKC was probably gonna beat the Spurs. Um they only won by two, but yeah, man, tough game. I did not I did not get to watch it. Oh, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I wasn't okay. Basketball games I've seen in a while. It was one of them ones like something like nobody wanted, neither team wanted to lose. You just neither team deserved to lose. Just back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Run after run after run, defense play after play after and one. It was yeah, it was that was that was one of the greatest games I've seen in a while. I was and that means a lot coming from you.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. No, that's dope. That's dope. Um, it seemed like it was kind of the same thing on the other side with Orlando and the Knicks, man. It was only a 12-point game, but 132 to 120, they was putting up buckets. Uh Brunson dropped 40, 8 assists. Um, and also put him in third for the third most in franchise history. That's crazy. Carr Anthony Cat, he dropped 29. He was 9 of 11 from the field. Uh yeah, man. And New York 7 and 1 when he scored at least 25. So New York went out there balling too, man.
SPEAKER_02:Um the third most 30-point games in Knicks' history, and only been there since 2020. Nuts. Third most 40-point games. Oh, that's that's crazy. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:He got there in 2022. Yeah, that was saying in three years, like, that just lets you know how much of the weight, you know what I mean, how much of the load he carries. So um, and that's crazy. Like the OKC and uh Spurs game. I I think OKC entered with uh on a 16-game winning streak.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, they was they was whooping shit.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and uh had Wimby come back after missing 12 games, you know what I mean? 22.
SPEAKER_02:I think four players scored 20. Yeah, and and the crazy part about that game is it don't count. Right, right.
SPEAKER_01:Cool, cool. And just so y'all remember, uh for whoever uh wins, they get uh half a mil.
SPEAKER_02:If we have 500, some extra some some.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, 530,000. My bad, just a little more. 530,000. So uh kind of let you know when you put some money out there, man. I and I've been advocating for this. Put put a million dollars on the line for the all-star game. Oh, yeah, I agree with that. 2 million, 3 million, whatever. Give out some money at dunk contest. You want people to get in the dunk contest? You want them to get creative? Hey, half a meal goes to the dunk contest winner. You want the best three-point shooters? Uh, quarter of a meal go to the best three-point shooter. Like, put some money out there. Skills challenge. Hey, you want to prove that you're the best point guard or you got the best pass and whatever. Skills challenge or uh shoot, quarter of a meal to the skills channel winner. You know what I'm saying? Like, put the money out there. They showing you in the NBA Cup that when it gets down to crunch time, you put some money out, and it's just half a meal. Like, a lot of these guys make more than that, you know, anyway. But they going out here and hooping for this extra check. Yeah, for real. So put the money up for the all-star game. You ain't gotta do all these special rules and all that. Put them on the court. Hey, look, winning team, everybody gets a meal.
SPEAKER_02:And take it back to East versus West. Like that, I think that's the worst thing that they could have done is to switch that part. East versus West, put them in their regular jerseys like the old days, and then put it, put, put, put some money on it, and then see what that gets you.
SPEAKER_01:So you can see your favorite players out there repping, repping your team, you know what I mean? Going hard like they used to do in the 90s. Like you said, hey, look, y'all play for money, y'all, you know what I mean? Y'all don't want to risk getting hurt, you know what I mean, for nothing. And a million goes to the not y'all split a million, every player gets a million. Even though y'all already getting money, but an extra meal, who wouldn't take it? Who wouldn't go out there and play hard for a meal? Right. Come on, like they playing hard for half. So come on, like, I say put it out. If it was me, that's what that's what I would propose. Y'all got it, ain't like they ain't got the money. Put it out there. Nah, I agree. Put money on all these challenges, dunk contest, half a mil. Get some of these real good dunkers to go out there and take the risk, but why am I do that when I can have a weekend off? You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. But if I can get paid, you know, them their game money to go out here and perform, you know what I mean? Show up. I definitely don't know.
SPEAKER_02:I don't think it will move like the highest. I I it's just weird. Like, I mean, I I think people think that they're above it. Some people blame that on LeBron. I don't really know whose fault it is. It's not his fault. I mean, you know, right, but you know, everybody wants to blame LeBron for everything.
SPEAKER_01:But I have heard that sentiment that if LeBron was to get in the dunking contest, like, it would bring it back. Like, that's not trust me, he's not the one holding the dunk contest back.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I just think that his his pressure was different. You know what I'm saying? Like, he can't just do anything normally. Like, even when Jordan entered the the dunk contest, it wasn't no, oh Jordan better win it or he's gonna be worse than LeBron. Like, none of that existed. So, like when Kobe did it, Kobe wasn't even playing when he did it. Yeah, he was it was like his second year in the league. Like, he was young, like he wasn't even playing on a regular basis, but like for neither one of their situations has been like LeBron's, like everything he does, he's being judged, like he's being pressured into win or you this or you ain't this, and you ain't never gonna everything he does is that. So, like, bro, I ain't doing it. Fuck y'all. All y'all do is criticize me anyway, fuck you and your dunk contest. So, I mean, I'm trying I'm with him on that.
SPEAKER_01:And he ain't never been like a super creative dunker, like you say, you know what I mean? Like, he a straight down the lane dunker, he's always been a high jumper, like all that stuff, but like go out. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. He can't go out there and just do an in-game dunk. Right. And a dunk kind of dunk.
SPEAKER_02:What does he have to do? What does he have to gain from going out there and losing to uh Mac Mac uh McClung? Like what like how what is he? I mean, not saying that he would, I'm just saying, like, why even what's the point?
SPEAKER_01:Like to go up against a dunk specialist. Like, I would consider him like a dunk specialist.
SPEAKER_02:Like all them years like that. Nate Robertson won. Like, what what what does he have to gain against going against Nate Robinson in a dunk contest? J.R. Smith and Birdman, like what's the game? You just see him, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01:Like, I guess just to see him out there, I guess that's what people want, but it's not like what's the game for him? No, that's what I'm saying. Like, people just want to see him out there, but like you said, he doesn't get anything from it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, he ain't getting shit out of that, except just more ammo for somebody to be able to say something stupid.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, like if it was kind of like his second year in the league and he did it, all right, cool. Like he out there, you know, just having fun. Yeah, but you know what I mean? People was talking about this 10 years in, 15 years in. I'm like, like, he done done everything by this time. Like, what, like, you might as well that's like telling him to get in a three-point contest, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's all right, bro.
SPEAKER_01:You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02:Like, yeah, I I I feel you on that. That's just it's just one of them things, man. Um, but yeah, nah, for the all-star game for sure, they need to put some money on it. For sure. I'm cool with giving up. I mean, you're the NBA. You give them whatever. I mean, you could get to give everybody a million dollars. Like, who the hell cares? Like, what is what is it gonna hurt you? NBA. Like, you can get a whole winning team a hundred a million each, then you can't say that's that's but that's what I was saying.
SPEAKER_01:Give each player a million dollars, not just yeah, I would do that for sure. Because you you you I mean, you earned the right to be there, you know. The voters' verdict you win, so you're there, you're an all-star. Give everybody a million. Hey, you made it here, a million, you know, because everybody ain't gonna play the same, whatever. But to make them out go out there and work for hey, and then say, hey, look, the winning team gets an extra half a mil. Oh, yeah. You get a you get a million for being an all-star, and then the winning team gets another half a mil on top of that. So now you're gonna make them play harder.
SPEAKER_02:I wouldn't even give them nothing for being an all-star, I would just put it all on the game. Yeah, I'll be right back. For Shay being an all-star, he bro, you better like, I don't think you deserve an extra million on top of the 60 million that you're getting. But to make the game more competitive, I'm absolutely okay. I'm fair, that's fair. I'm with that. 750 or a million, and the winner, the loser get 250 or something. Like, play, play for that bread. But then even still, you steal apples and crumbs, you fu it's crumbs to them, you know. Whereas this cup might be 500 million, I mean 500,000 from this cup for some of the guys on the team is some good chicken, but okay. Or it's kind of like, bro.
SPEAKER_01:Or do it like baseball does it. I'm with that too. Hey, advantage in the uh finals in the finals.
SPEAKER_02:I'm with that too. So I'm with I'm with that too.
SPEAKER_01:Now you got an added incentive to make the playoffs, you know what I mean? All that stuff. Do it. I would that's exactly how I would do it then.
SPEAKER_02:Yep, I would do definitely do that. The winner of the all-star game gets uh home for the advantage in the finals. I'm with it for sure. At that point, you wouldn't even have to do the million. You could probably do 500, you could probably do 250 in home court advantage in the finals for the winning team. And like, you don't think Shay gonna be out there trying to kill? Yeah, or you don't think uh you know Jalen Brown gonna be out there trying to kill?
SPEAKER_01:Like, yeah. And then it's their records don't even really matter. It'll be it'll be more on shoot. Hey, we gotta get to the playoffs. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Nah, I'm I'm I'm rolling with that. I mean, I don't know, it's crazy how it hasn't been done already.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. They're doing all this gimmicky stuff, like, which is cool, whatever, but just keep it, keep it real, keep it tangible, make it, make it beneficial to the game. Like, yeah, I don't like back in the days, it was different. Like, guys just wanted to go at each other. It wasn't a lot of buddy buddy, friendly, friendly stuff. They just wanted to go with each other. So you it's gonna be hard to replicate that because that's inside of a person, you know what I mean? That you can't control how people view uh competition, you know what I mean, as individual players. So I don't think you would get that again. But I think now everything is incentive-based and you gotta kinda keep incentivizing them. But if you incentivizing the whole conference, like you said, keep it east-west, now the west, like, shoot, no matter who which one of our teams make it, we won't home court advantage. And the same thing in the east. So you may get a team in the west that may be better on paper, but the east got the home court advantage. Yep, and that's gonna manage it. It's gonna make the game better, too. They're gonna be like, because now, even though the the West team may have a better team, now they gotta defeat the odds. And then next year, if they lose, and let's say home court advantage was the difference. Now, next year in the all-star game, they're gonna be like, oh nah, we ain't we ain't going through that again. We gotta go extra hard to make sure we secure this home court advantage so we can, you know what I mean? So you can't.
SPEAKER_02:Another reason that they probably would say no is because in baseball, there's a there's a person, every team is represented. You know what I'm saying? Whereas the NBA's not true. Yeah, there's a person they every a person from every team in the major league baseball makes the all-star game.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, look it up.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I didn't know that. Yeah, as it's they they have to have a person from every team. Because granted, they got a lot more positions too. Like there's a lot more spots. I think it's probably 30, 32 spots on a on an all-star team per team.
SPEAKER_01:So you well, if you're thinking about, I mean, if you're looking at closers and relievers and pitchers, all the pitchers, all the position players, starters, yeah. But I mean, but still, even on a even on an all-star team, if you do 15, that's it that's one player from every team.
SPEAKER_02:I think they do 12, but they also don't do person from every team, though.
SPEAKER_01:But I'm just saying, like, if you want it, if you wanted to run it that way, still, and those you could still make those rules apply.
SPEAKER_02:Because that would mean like like say uh like a a Luca and a LeBron could nah that that wouldn't work. Or a Jalen Brown and the uh and a Jason Tatum couldn't make nah that wouldn't work.
SPEAKER_01:I'm just saying you could do it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but at least like this way, I think it's an average of two guys per team. But like one, like a lot of the time the Reds only have one, you know, and then so that leaves room for another team to have, you know, two or three. But yeah, every team.
SPEAKER_01:Even in the NBA, bro, like it's still more about conf. You still got to represent your conference because you never know if your team may make it. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02:Why they don't do it though, because like who's going to who's who who you putting in there on from the wizards and the the uh nets? It's over with.
SPEAKER_01:I'm not saying you have to put somebody in there, but let's say that let's say hypothetically that the Nets make it to the finals, you still benefited from that. Yeah, no, real shit. That's I don't think the representation is the problem. If you're putting the best against the best, and you still putting the the the finals as far as the you know the home court advantage on the line, then who cares? If my team make it, if if if I was on the all-star team, my team don't make it, I still rep for the conference. Yeah, you still cause in the because in the BA finals it's East versus West. Like everything's East versus West. So why not make the All-Star game East versus West? And like you said, like we were saying, just put the home court advantage of the finals on the line. I'm rolling. I'm something you just you know me. I'm just saying, you just keep it could, you know what I mean? Like, yeah. No, I'm I'm you ain't even gotta DD, you ain't even gotta try to do all this other weird stuff, you know what I mean? You can even still have captains and have somebody pick their team, you just gotta pick all West players. You can still do whoever gets the most votes or you know, whatever, LeBron, uh, Giannis, whoever, and still make them, hey, you gotta pick from the West, you gotta pick from the East.
SPEAKER_02:I got no arguments with any of that.
SPEAKER_01:Now, definitely uh but tune into the the uh NBA Cup. What we at halftime yet? I think. Uh no, it's eight minutes. Eight minutes left, okay. So, and right now you got San Antonio up three on the uh Knicks. So uh moving right along. We're gonna jump into some college football. A little razzle dazzle. Um yeah, man. So we had a little MVP drama, man. So first off, congratulations to Fernando uh Mendoza, man. Great season. Number one in uh ended the ended the season as uh number one ranked team. Man, had a very good season. Probably had the play of the year with that pass to the uh against Penn State. Um beat the number one team, Ohio State. Like, why was why uh why was Diego upset, man? Why do you think?
SPEAKER_02:I mean I mean, I I think he probably thought he had a better year, um, which I mean that's that's subjective. Um, I haven't even really dove into the numbers or anything like that. But my issue with with that is I mean, he said F the voters. I mean, what's wrong with that? You know, you got all these these media outlets saying he needs to apologize and he shouldn't have said this and that. I mean, hell, like F him. Like, I mean, you know what I'm saying? That's how I feel. That's how you feel. Um, but I mean, I think college football was down as as far as like Heisman competition this year. I mean, we had a guy win it with that didn't even pass for 3,000 yards. I mean, he passed for 300 yards in a game once. I'm not sure that's ever happened. Um, so I think Diego might be a little salty about that. It was just it was just a down year for Heisman Kennedy because I don't know if the transfer portal contributed to it or um I'm I'm not really sure. But I mean, you look at you know, Joe Burrow's year, he 56, uh, 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns, Heisman, and you have Fernando Mendoza um almost high. Half the yard, literally almost half the yards. That's crazy. Um, but then you have uh you know, you have Bryce Young, 48, 72, 47 touchdowns. But it that it has gone down every year. It's gone down every year.
SPEAKER_01:But I also think, too, when you look at that, you gotta think of playing styles, but you also gotta look at, I believe, impact on games. So like he may not have been like having these these huge passing games, but also like Indiana running game was solid, like their defense was solid, special teams was solid, you know what I mean? So he really didn't have to really score that much, but in the moments where the games was close against tough teams, he made the throw. You know what I'm saying? Like, I think there was probably more of that than just numbers. Uh, because Diego had great numbers. Yeah, uh, I'm looking at him right now. He threw for 30, damn near 32. Uh 27 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. You said how many touchdowns? 27. Damn, that's it. Yeah, 27 and 8. Well, he he did run a little bit too, though, right? Uh I didn't uh I could look. I was looking at all passing, but uh let's see. I know, man, those are the runners 65% completion. Uh let's see. Take that back, 71%. Uh running career stats. Yeah, rushing. Uh this is showing uh why is this showing career? It won't show this year, but oh, okay, here it is. Yeah, it is. Yeah, he ran for shit 826 yards this year and nine touchdowns.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's still not what I'm that what we used to seeing, man.
SPEAKER_01:We used to seeing like some crazy numbers from the highest trophy winner. Yeah, but I also think, too, the competition is different. You know what I'm saying? Like with it, things being with it being a little more parody, like it ain't, you know what I mean, guys are spread out a little more in the stars and stuff. Like that's true too. That's true too. So I don't I don't think it's just you know what I mean, where you just had the dominance of a couple teams and just those guys was just those guys. Uh no, that's that's real.
SPEAKER_02:I just think that uh going back to the the uh Diego Pavia comments and the backlash he's receiving, it's just like man, at some I don't understand why we hold athletes to higher standards than we hold our parents to, than we hold politicians to. You know what I'm saying? Because like how many times have you you heard your your mom say F this or F them or whatever? You know what I'm saying? But he says F the voters and everybody's in an uproar, like bro.
SPEAKER_01:But I think I think that's only because like in a in a in a situation where first off you're getting paid a bunch of money to do this, like everybody don't get this opportunity. You probably gonna go into the draft, you know what I mean? So not only that, like you looking at your stock and just how you represent the game of football, and to be a sore loser, like you run her up. It ain't like you was they you a fourth or something like that, like you were recognized, you know what I mean? Like you was up there, it ain't like he blew you out of the water of his like unanimous or something like that. So you were in contention for it. Um but to him, bro. Like Yeah, but I mean, but if that's how you feel, like if you say if that's how you feel, cool, but like say that amongst your people, amongst your friends, is that how you feel? But also, like that just kind of like takes the the moment from the person who did one because if that would if it would have been switched, you know what I mean? You would want somebody to congratulate you and you know celebrate your success. You know what I mean? That's a very that's a very valid point, but still F them, bro. But you can say that, but just don't but you don't poke, bro. You don't post that while you at the club, bro. F them. Cool, but just keep it.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, that's definitely just there's ways to do different things. I feel like people acting like he has no reason to like bro.
SPEAKER_01:But that's like that's like your mom having a situation in a drive-thru uh at a fast food spot and and saying that, but then going going home, getting on her phone and typing it and putting it on Facebook or something. Like, is that necessary? Like it ain't even necessary, like you can feel that way towards the spot, but just you know, amongst yourself.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we I feel like we can all handle things differently. Uh, but yeah, uh, bro. Um, I mean, and that's just and that's just that one, uh, that's just that one specific situation. But I think I think society is always holding uh you know athletes to higher standards than than everybody else. Like, and I just bro, I'm not watching sports, I'm not watching sports for morals. Like, I honestly can't everybody knows how I feel about like the current administration. Uh, even if you are some in support of the current administration, f you, but I mean if you hooping, like, I I watch, you know what I'm saying? I ain't gotta mess with you, but I don't I don't really care. When I'm watching sports, that's it. Like, I don't care about nothing else that you said or you got going on, like right.
SPEAKER_01:But but if if it was personal, like if it was something personal going on with him, then cool, I don't care. But this does have something to do with sports, you know what I'm saying? And it's a it's just you you play, you play sports, like it's just a literal level of just sportsmanship, and I just think and that's one of the first things they teach whenever you got in organized sports, like just sportsmanship.
SPEAKER_02:I don't even think that that's bad sportsmanship though. Like, fuck them niggas. That's just like if the media says, like, like, uh, like Desmond Howard, for example, if I'm an Ohio State player, I know that he feels some type of way about me. Like, fuck him. I don't I don't care. Like fuck him.
SPEAKER_01:Like, it is but but that's like but that's like if if a voter like that makes it sound like it's personal with a voter. You see what I'm saying? Yeah, it's probably I would rather him say, I would have rather him say fuck Mendoza than to say fuck a voter. You see what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02:Nah, shout out to Mendoza, like hey, but I'm just but that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_01:Like, he the one to beat you, like the voters didn't beat you.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, that's subjective though.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, I like but look, but okay, look at your record. Like, you could have done more. Was you the number?
SPEAKER_02:Jaden Daniels' record was terrible. I think they was like seven and five or some shit when he won it.
SPEAKER_01:Bro, but look at the year he had though. Yeah, he clowned. He blew like like it wasn't really that close. And it was even some controversy with his because it was somebody else who they was talking about, like, hey, technically had a better year, but like, like they team success was better, but like, bro, your numbers are better, but you didn't impact your team enough. Apparently, from your wins and losses. I'll put it like this, you might have could have won it if you'd have made the playoffs.
SPEAKER_02:Facts. But I also think Julian Sand would have won had Ohio State beat IU.
SPEAKER_01:And maybe that's it.
SPEAKER_02:But maybe not, because he was he was fourth. But like, you know how I feel about Ohio State and the Highsman Hospital.
SPEAKER_01:Right, but it's but it's also like one of them things, too. It's like, what have you done for me lately? You know what I'm saying? Like, he was the hottest thing going and in a good, like again, going against the best, and in that game, you started off with a pick. But then you brought your team back. You know what I mean? You kept your team in it, you made the right plays when you had to, the throws that you made when you had to. He did it on the biggest stage. Who knows what's gonna happen in the playoffs, you know what I mean? But up until this point, on the biggest stage he's been on, he did it. Like, y'all about to play Iowa. Granted, y'all only 10 to 2, but y'all about to play Iowa in the in the real quest bowl. Like, this is where games is funny. That's what I'm saying. Like, this is where you are. I mean, like, let's see. Versus AP top 10 teams. Eight touchdowns, five picks, only averaging seven, uh, eight yards of pass. 60. This is bro, you play the worst against top 10 teams. Against uh against ranked teams, top AP teams.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I think that's the facts for everybody ever.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm just I'm just saying, I'm just saying if we just talking about him, it just I don't I'm like I said, I'm just looking at him right now. Like, I don't see anybody blows me away. You talking about Pavia? Yeah. Like you bear like you against a a Missouri, y'all win 17 to 10. You 10 to 19, bro, for 129, no touchdowns, one interception. Like, you see what I'm saying? Like you like you've had some mediocre games. Like your most against Tennessee. Y'all lose 45 to 24, bro. You 18 to 28 for two for 268. One touchdown, two picks. Yeah, they gotta show my bad against some of that. Like, bro, you gotta show out. You want the highs, man? You gotta show out. And then you put you can you like against a man that didn't lose. Like you know, losing two games ain't no like like in the SEC, that's hard. Like, and y'all didn't they didn't have no cakewalk schedule either. So I'm not like I'm not beating up on Vanderbilt or you know what I mean. But like y'all, they they had a tough schedule. And if you would have listened, a loss to Texas and a lost to Alabama, those are your only two losses.
SPEAKER_02:Damn, that's I was just saying that.
SPEAKER_01:That's crazy. Those are your only two losses.
SPEAKER_02:How did they make the damn thing?
SPEAKER_01:Bro, because I I think the loss to Texas probably hurt them the most. I think that probably hurt them the most. Because Texas was ranked 20th at that time that they lost to him. That's I think that's what hurt them the most.
SPEAKER_02:I don't know why I thought they had three losses. Yeah, I'm dead. I'm probably let me see who they who did they beat? They beat LSU team, they ended up ass. They beat they beat Missouri, I think they ended up, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yep.
SPEAKER_02:They ended up 15th. They beat Tennessee. They beat South Carolina, which they ended up ass. So, yeah, nah. I mean, they really don't even have any any really good. I mean, they got good wins for the time, like when they played. At that moment, right. Yeah, all everybody that they beat was ended up ass. So nah. They yeah, it's uh it's all good.
SPEAKER_01:And that's it, bro. Like, this is this is this man's first year at Indiana that's showing out.
SPEAKER_02:He came out of nowhere. That's that's more respect to the coach, because like, bro, how'd you even find this nigga?
SPEAKER_01:That's all I'm saying. Like I said, it don't take it takes it takes nothing, bro. Exactly. Like, this takes this takes nothing away from Diego, but in that same sense, like you're talking about the vote. The voters, I don't think the voters was wrong in the way they voted. Like, to even put you second, like, bro, that's huge props.
SPEAKER_02:Let me guess, Jeremiah Love. Ooh, ah, Wimby. Let me guess, Jeremiah Love was third. I think he was third. Yeah, bro. Ohio State. If you want to win the Heisman, don't come to Ohio State, bro. Them niggas, they're never, they're never ever getting another Heisman trophy.
SPEAKER_01:Because they so talented, bro. I guess. But I mean Alabama was talented too.
SPEAKER_02:Them niggas was talented.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but you gotta think, you gotta think, like, but a lot of they guys who won it was running backs. Devontae Smith was a receiver, yeah. But you know, and he's the outlier. That nigga was hooping. Exactly, but it took like a godly year from him to win it. But like before that, you thinking Mark Ingram, Derek Henry, like these are they were running backs that was winning it because we there was a predominantly running team. Bryce, Bryce Young. Did he win that with uh or he went that with Oklahoma? Nah, Bryce Young never went to Oklahoma. Bryce Young was Alabama. Not Bryce Young. I'm thinking, my bad. I'm thinking about uh uh Jalen Hurts. Jalen Hurts, that's what I'm thinking about.
SPEAKER_02:Nah, Jalen didn't get one. Nope. So it went starting in 2015: Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Devontae Smith, Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, Jalen, Jaden Daniels, Travis Hunter, and then Fernando. It's like, man, that nigga don't even fit in the names with these guys, bro. That shit crazy. I was talking to my stepdad. I was like, man, a part of me is like a little embarrassed that like this is our Heisman trophy winner, bro. I'm used to the numbers just being fucking extraordinary. But like nobody really like nobody was really hooping like that this year. So I mean, it is what it is. But you got guys with 5,000 yards, 47 touchdowns. Joe Burrow has 60 touchdowns his highness season.
SPEAKER_01:But but what was his competition? And like these guys this year, like they may have the stats, but what did your team do?
SPEAKER_02:Like I mean, Jaden Daniels won it, they had three losses. So I mean, I don't really I I don't I don't know. I feel like competition and stats mean more than team success when it comes to the Heisman. Because I mean Travis Hunter won it last year.
SPEAKER_01:They weren't they weren't anything. I feel like but I think because he was I I but I think he he was a real outlier. Yeah, like he was like he had like like he had like he was getting picks, he was running them back, he was getting touchdowns, tackles, like games winning touchdowns and game-winning picks, like horse fumbles, yeah. Yeah, like he he he was like uh a huge outlier on that. Uh like I'm just looking, I'm looking at him like like you said, Jaden Daniels. I just think he had like just a crazy year. Caleb Williams, you could probably look back on that one and be like, eh.
SPEAKER_02:Uh I thought I thought my guy had a chance that year. I can't even remember which guy it was, but I remember being kind of salty about that. I was just like, man, come on, bro. I think it was uh was it Stroud? I think it was Stroud. I thought my guy had a chance that year, bruh. And of course, he finished third. Because let's see, I gotta pull it up here. Uh let's see. So, nah. Caleb, Caleb, Caleb Williams finished with way more passing yards. He had like 900 something more, and I know Caleb was a runner too. So I know that that that that helped him. But like CJ Stroud finished behind Max Duggan, Dugan. How? I don't even know where they got. They had literally the same amount of passing yards. CJ Stroud had 41 touchdowns, old boy had 32. Maybe he was a runner too, I'm not sure. So I mean that that definitely helps. Like if you 38 and something on the ground, yeah, run for like 10, 11. Stroud wasn't running his mouth. Like that nigga wasn't running anywhere. Nah. So I don't even gotta look that up. That's what I'm that's what I'm saying. Like, it just He wasn't running to the store. So like Yeah, it was over. He that Duke Max Dugan had 423. So yeah, CJ Straud wasn't running nowhere.
SPEAKER_01:And that's all that's what I be saying. Like, it's just sometimes it just be it may his numbers, like I said, his numbers may not be the reason. It was just, hey, he was just that dude on the field. He just you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_02:This nigga CJ Straud had 136 rushing yards his whole career at Oh State. That's crazy. Yeah, I I knew the Dodge, yeah. That that boy wasn't running nowhere.
SPEAKER_01:Let's say I think it's okay to feel the way you feel, bro, but like do that, you know what I mean? Do that in your, you know what I mean, with your people, you know what I mean. Express yourself, but like just have some class, you know what I mean? When you dealing with, you know what I mean, like publicly and like to put it online, like just have some class and hey, shoot, come back next year or shoot. You know what I mean? Because you don't hurt your draft stock.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and that's crazy, that's crazy. I don't I hate shit like that. You definitely gotta have to answer questions about that shit. And I don't, I don't, I don't like it. I don't like it. If I'm running a team, bro, I'm not asking about nothing you put on Twitter, bro. Like, are you a criminal? No, you ain't a criminal. Uh, we rolling, bro. You can who? Oh, okay, bet run it.
SPEAKER_01:But don't, but but you also want character guys because then you that's how you end up with the the uh the Johnny Manzell's and the Jamarcus Russell's and those type of guys, you know what I'm saying? That has all the talent, but then you get them into the building and they don't have it, you know, mentally.
SPEAKER_02:Nah, for the colour. You know what I mean? I don't know, bro.
SPEAKER_01:But if you're doing stuff, if I'm seeing red flags in college, what are you gonna say after a loss here when I bring you to the NFL?
SPEAKER_02:We got built to ass.
SPEAKER_01:You know what I mean? Like, you may well, you what you gonna say? Fuck the coaches, you know what I mean? I ain't like that call the coach made, man. Fuck them, fuck the play caller, like you know what I mean? Like, who you gonna attack on your team if something don't go right? As a quarterback, and you gotta think a lot of times, who gets blamed for the losses? The quarterbacks, most of the time. So you get in there, you get to the NFL and you're a franchise quarterback, and they hitting you with them tough questions. Are you gonna be able to eat that and be like, yeah, that was on it was on me, I gotta play better. Woo woo woo. Or you're gonna start pointing fingers.
SPEAKER_02:Clearly, that don't matter because they they took Shador in the fifth round, and he ain't said nothing but positive shit.
SPEAKER_01:Right, but you gotta think about, but you gotta think his aura. You know what I mean? His dad's aura and all that, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's a whole nother horse of another color. Like, but now, but but guess you might bell coach might be getting ready to lose his job over it.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah, people calling for his head, you know, and what's crazy is that I think I think Zach Taylor deserves to be fired just as much, if not more, than Stefanski. But Stefanski's gone. Zach Taylor probably gonna be there another five to ten years, which is insane, bro.
SPEAKER_01:But because it's like he's he's showing that. Clearly, he gives you the best chance to win. So imagine if you'd have started him earlier in the season, I ain't even gotta say you had to name him the starter off jump. But once you've seen that Flacco wasn't the answer, Gabriel wasn't the answer, it didn't take you the week 13 to figure that out.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. But he don't even look like he has a clue what's going on.
SPEAKER_01:He just be standing there like you literally did this out of injury. Like, this wasn't your plan. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02:But and also, also on the flip side of that though, because now we all know that I was an advocate of seeing Shadur play. I get that. But if I'm Dylan Gabriel, I'm pissed because, bro, I'm a third round pick. I don't think I got a fair shake. Granted, regardless of who you picked in the fifth round, I'm hot. Like if I'm his family, if I'm his dad, I'm hot. Like I'm like, I get it. Even if Shadur is better, you shouldn't have never even picked him if you're gonna pick me. You should have just picked him in the third round and let me go to somewhere else.
SPEAKER_01:But I think that's the reason. I think what you're saying is the reason why. Like we were all saying what we were saying and kind of pissed about it because it's like, why? Why would you, like you said, pick Dylan Gabriel if you was gonna pick him in the fifth? You could have just picked somebody else, uh, you know what I mean? A wide receiver or something, you could have picked something else in the third and just got Shadower later on. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And they that was your it's crazy, even still, the Browns had a pretty, pretty decent draft. Because that Schwestinger guy is hooping. Yep. He's balling. He didn't drive bad. Quinshawn Judkins is balling. Um Harold uh or uh I can re call that nigga Harold Penner. I'm wild. Wow. What is that dude's name? I can't I can't remember off the top of my head. But Harold Fannon or something like that.
SPEAKER_01:But the thing is cool. The Browns don't draft horribly. What they they don't develop well. That's their problem. They don't make the right decision and develop well. They'll have the right, they'll have the right players in the building, and then it's like, all right, what do you do with them now? Like you, like Miles Garrett is just raw. Like, you know what I mean? Like he's just raw pure talent. But like, how do you let a Baker Mayfield get out the building? Like, how? You know what I mean? You let these receive, you Odell Beckham, you let Cooper was hooping for you, like, like you get these guys and you just let them get out your building, like it's mind-blowing. Yeah, and then they go other places and it go crazy. So it's like I just like I said, I think it's player development more than anything, but nonetheless, um, yeah, back kind of back, you know, the circle back. I like I said, as far as Diego, I just think he could have just went about it a different way. Um, the internet is not for everything. Um, but nonetheless, going and jump over to the grown man's league. Last but not least, man. Uh yeah, so yeah, y'all officially out of the playoffs. Um what did what did Burrow say? He said something that was kind of controversial.
SPEAKER_02:It was blown out of proportion. He was saying, if I'm not having fun, then what am I doing with people? But he didn't say I'm not having fun. Okay. I think people, and then it's like, it just shows you how how much people like actually be tapping into these teams and these games. Like, bro, the Bengals is not trading Joe Burrow. Like, they're not if you would even think that there's a chance in that, like, you you're not tapped in. Like, the Bengals don't trade, bro. They're they're not trading Joe Burrow. Like they're it's not happening. I don't care how much he I mean, we don't even trade guys that we should trade. Like, we don't trading them. I don't even trade guys who asked for trade. Bro, I'm saying trading Logan Wilson was crazy. That's the first time we did that in for years.
SPEAKER_01:But y'all will y'all will cut somebody before y'all trade them.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, the only reason we traded him is because we have benched him. So, like, I guess they was like, well, shit, all right, well, shit. I mean, you can go, but we bench niggas that, like you said, one of one of I mean, we don't even trade niggas that want to be traded, bro. And it's like, we don't even trade niggas that that we should have. I love T Higgins to death, bro, but we should have traded buddy. We should have traded buddy, but on the flip side of that, we can't draft. So like I don't know if I don't know if we should.
SPEAKER_01:If it's like they don't feel like they can hit on it again. It's like I mean, let's keep him because we don't know if we can, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02:If you can't, if you can't get a middle of the row wide receiver in the third round out of Alabama, you miss one that you suck, bro. And I'm to be specific is is uh Jermaine Burton. Like, how bro, we didn't even guy to come in and get like 600 yards a season, bro. This nigga, he can't even get on the field.
SPEAKER_01:But to to to be to keep it in perspective, too, like y'all need a fucking front office. Like the people that go out and scout throughout the year and and like do the due diligent part. Who you know that they won't fire coaches because you don't have no GM above them. Who's evaluating this motherfucker?
SPEAKER_02:That's another reason why we can't trade. Like, who the fuck?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like, nobody is nobody has relationships. Who's gonna do it? Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:I bet I bet for the I bet for the for the uh for the uh Logan Wilson trade, nigga Jerry Jones probably did that himself. He probably was just like, yeah, yeah, we just gonna get him this. It ain't nobody, I don't even think there's anybody at the office to actually even complete the trade, bro. Like we just we don't trade.
SPEAKER_01:Right. That's all like it's it's odd. But nonetheless, man, let's look at the playoff picture. Right now in the AFC, you got Denver as a number one seed, New England number two, Jacksonville number three, and Pittsburgh number four. Right now, those will be your um your top four seeds. You got Chargers at the fifth seed, Buffalo at six, and Houston at seven. Um, in the NFC, you got the Rams at one, Chicago at two, Philly at three, and Tepe Bay at four. Those are your um division leaders, and then you got Green Bay as uh, well, Seattle at five, San Francisco at six, and Green Bay at seven. So, yeah. And guess what? The coach's next three games is against three playoff teams.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, man. That man, that season went crazy quick. I was a believer. I was one of them niggas, I was drinking the Kool-Aid for sure. I was hopeful.
SPEAKER_01:That's what I was I was hopeful. I was I was sipping the shit. I wasn't I wasn't drinking the Kool-Aid, I wasn't all in, but I was hopeful that they were sustainable.
SPEAKER_02:I ain't gonna hold you. I was I was convinced. Like, cause when I'm adding all this shit together, I'm like, okay, the running game, whenever you can be successful on the ground, I mean you beating the shit out of people, and your quarterback ain't even got a ain't really even gotta do like that's a that's a great that's a great um formula for success. And y'all was hitting it.
SPEAKER_01:I was beating the fuck out of niggas. Like, but then when you when you say, okay, let's stop the running game. We know what happens when Daniel Jones has to try to win a game. Let's make him win the game. And it just switched around. The Legal's like, all right, we ain't gonna let Jonathan Taylor beat us no more. We're gonna we're gonna focus on stopping the run, and whatever Daniel Jones thinks he can do, we'll live with that. If we lose to Daniel Jones, we'll accept that, but we're not gonna lose to Jonathan Taylor. And now it's even more that way. Now Phillip Rivers is like, okay, we're not gonna, we're not gonna lose to Jonathan Taylor. We're gonna we're gonna make him beat us. And the defense had to play out of their mind last week before it'd even be close. But there's a whole different beast coming now. San Francisco, different. So we're gonna see. And then you still got Texans again. And the Jaguars again. So and you didn't know gotta win out. Uh you you may not have to win that San Francisco game, but you definitely have to win both the Jaguars and Texans game and hope they lose. At least one of their games each.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. I mean, I guess if if um the Ravens are whoever who the Ravens, the Ravens, the only way they can get in is if they're a division leader.
SPEAKER_01:They gotta beat out Pittsburgh. What's their record? Pittsburgh's eight and six. Baltimore's uh seven and seven, but they play before the end of the season.
SPEAKER_02:Y'all are eight and six? Yeah, we eight and six. So if they win out, they can't make a wild card? Who? The Colts? Ravens.
SPEAKER_01:Um, we will have to. I mean, if their record is better than ours, I because who's the okay, no, because Houston's in right now. Yeah, so it's only us and Baltimore left in the hunt in the AFC. So yeah, but you know, yeah, of course, yeah, they would have to beat us out, but shoot, listen. Baltimore's who they got left? The Patriots, the Packers, and the Steelers. That's tough. That's that's tough. But ours is tough too. So, I mean, like I said, ours ain't no cakewalk either. And then Pittsburgh, uh, they get the Lions, the Browns, and the Ravens. So theirs is not too, I mean, Lions ain't gonna be no pushover because they're playing for something. And the Ravens. Of course, they shoot, it might come down to that last game. It might come down to that last game, but again, like I said, with us having the Niners, then the Jaguars, and then the Texans. That's tough, bro. By far the hardest one.
SPEAKER_02:Way harder. Texas defense is them niggas is they're going crazy.
SPEAKER_01:Bro, they not giving up, bro. You can't score 20 on them. They keeping everybody under 19 points a game. It's it's it's ridiculous.
SPEAKER_02:It is I just wish I could see what our what our team looked like if our defense played like that, bro. But hey, if anybody team played like that, geez. Burrow was on some BS on Sunday, bro. And it was so cold. I'm so man, if I'd have gone to that game, sit out there in negative seven degree wind chill weather, for them niggas to score zero points, somebody would have had to fight me, bro. Like, we somebody has to fight. Like, because that's crazy. I would have been I would have been high. So I'm glad I didn't go.
SPEAKER_01:But man, even in the NFC, like looking at this, Carolina still got a chance, but they play the Buccaneers twice. They still got a chance to win the division. They play the Bucs twice in Seattle in between. And then you got Detroit. Who they got? They get the Steelers, the Vikings, and the Bears. They probably got the easiest right. Uh I ain't gonna say that. Bears and Steelers are gonna be tough. There's some good games coming up at the end of this season for these playoff spots. Like, you down, you you really got it down to the nitty-gritty. Like, as far as the NFC, there's only Carolina and Detroit left in the runnings. Uh, and in the AFC, you only got Indianapolis and Baltimore left in the runnings. So, all these games are starting to matter a little bit more. And then people just jocking for position. I'm here for it, man. It's gonna be great.
SPEAKER_02:See how it unfolds.
SPEAKER_01:Let's look at this week real quick and see what games uh we're gonna be looking out for. Straight off Thursday. Great game. Rams in Seattle. Oh, yeah. That's this Thursday. Mm-hmm. On Sunday. Saturday, we get a game. We get two games on Saturday. You get uh that Packers Bears game is gonna be good. That's Saturday night. Um, then you go on a Sunday, you get Steelers, Lions, that's playoff implications. Uh Buccaneers, Panthers, that's playoff implications. Broncos, Jags, playoff implications. Uh Patriots, Ravens, playoff implications, and Coats and Niners, Monday night playoff implications. So we're gonna we're gonna have some good games this week. There's gonna, you know, change and change the landscape of the playoffs for next week's show. So yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Me too, me too. That's all I got, though, man. What we what we defunding, bro.
SPEAKER_02:Oh man, UC basketball is terrible, bro. They're they're they're they're doing me bad, man. They're doing me real bad. So just get them out of here. And it's crazy. Like, I feel like all of my Cincinnati teams are having um leadership, uh, personnel. They're all struggling. I mean, you got the Bengals, you can't get it right. Um, they their whole ownership management, everybody associated with the Bengals, top to bottom, needs to be removed and replaced. Um you got the the same thing with the Reds. Ownership's terrible, leadership management terrible. Um, then you got the bear cats, just everything about the organization is in the dump. So Cincinnati Sports is down right now, bro. It's it's looking real bad. So get them, get them, get them out of here. Um, I do got something I do want to show real quick though. We got a card of the week first. Actually, yeah, I got I got I got that and I got something else.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, cool, cool, cool.
SPEAKER_02:So card of the week. Uh damn, where'd it go that quick? Oh, okay, here it is. Card of the week is uh this uh prism draft picks. This is actually, yeah, this is actually somebody I know um in real life. He went to North Central uh quite a few years after me. I think he graduated in 2013 or something like that. But he was a dog. And uh he played, he had some he had some some some tryouts for some NFL teams, nothing really stuck. He went to um Canadian Football League, had a little bit of success, so so I think that's cool. Um, and then secondly, shout out to IU Football for paying for these shoes for me. Got these for free off the bet um that they would beat Ohio State. I won. Oh, yeah, man. Shout out to you say what now? Who did you bet? I bet uh on a on a site, on a on an app. Oh yeah, bro. I've been doing that. Like I'm I'm I'm hiding, bro. So like every time uh my team plays a big game, I bet on the other team. So if I win, I win. Or if you lose, you still got a chance to win. Got it, got it. Y'all better tap in, bro. Dang if y'all care enough, if y'all care too much like I do, hey, you gotta tap in.
SPEAKER_01:I ain't gonna lie, I always wanted those Dion's that look like that, and those Ken Griffey's. I ain't gonna lie, because see, like like growing up as a kid, when they first came out, like I was nowhere near affording those shit. So like I would see like it'd probably be like one or two dudes in the hood that had them. Yeah, like, man, that thing's nice, but like I could just never afford it.
SPEAKER_02:Those are some of my favorite players. That's why I went crazy when I got to high school and started making money, man. Like I said, I started my first job um the summer before uh ninth grade started. So I wasn't playing no game. As soon as I was legally allowed to get some bread, I was in there.
SPEAKER_01:And I just need you to find me some Griffies and some Dion.
SPEAKER_02:Man, it's some Griffies just dropped too, bro. And the Dion, those just came out like these are the white navy joints. I don't know if you can see it through the camera, but like the six, I want to say. I want the red, black, and white ones. Oh man, I got those too, but they they go for so much bread now, man. It don't even make no sense. Yeah, we might have to look at show.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I might have to invest. Hey, they out there definitely find, definitely find me some griffies, too. Like, I'm I'm uh I'm not you know me, I'm not a shoe person, I'm not a fashion person at all. Yeah, uh, but but it's crazy. Every time I see you, you got on a new pair of kicks. That's not true. It they're new to you, they're probably new to you, but they've probably been in my in my closet for years.
SPEAKER_02:I ain't never seen you rock the same pair of shoes twice, bro.
SPEAKER_01:Bro, if I show you my cloud, you'd be like, oh, okay. All right.
SPEAKER_02:I see how many pairs of kicks do you have, bro? Probably 11. What? I don't think I've ever seen you wear the same pair of gym shoes twice.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I also don't be out like that either.
SPEAKER_02:So like Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02:Like a different look.
SPEAKER_01:We do this every week, but like, you know, we really kick it, like what holidays, stuff like that, birthdays, so like that's probably 10 times a year.
SPEAKER_02:Bro, I see you more than that, bruh.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, like now, you know what I mean? But I'm just thinking about like in the past, like, yeah, now I mean that we live around the corner from each other and our kids hang out here every other day.
SPEAKER_02:Facts.
SPEAKER_01:Which uh we probably gonna have to get Braylon over here soon, because yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we'll we'll talk about it.
SPEAKER_01:You beat me to it. Hey man, catch y'all next week, man.
unknown:Yes.