Nightcap Hour 1: Tua APOLOGIZES for SNITCHING + Rico Dowdle talks BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE vs Cowboys + FLACCO & CHASE take CONTROL + Pickens SHOWCASES Talents
Shannon Sharpe & Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson react to Tua Tagovailoa apologizing for criticizing his teammates, Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle joins the show to talk about his impressive season thus far, Joe Flacco talks about how he would react if Ja’Marr Chase changes his route pre snap and much more!
2:59 - Tua’s Apology to teammates
19:00 - Panthers RB Rico Dowdle joins the show
31:34 - Joe Flacco on Chase changing routes
41:59 - Play or Fade
46:00 - George Pickens wants to showcase talents
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)
#Club
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen and follow along
Transcript
Hi, it's Eva, and I think it's about time you discovered the world's first luxury hospitality brand at sea, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
Imagine setting sail on an all-inclusive voyage where every moment is entirely yours.
Explore the Amalfi coasts, the islands of Thailand, or Alaska's glacial fjords, and the lagoons of French Polynesia.
Or maybe just stay aboard and indulge in a spa day, dining from Michelin-starred chefs and kayaking directly from the exclusive marina platform.
There are so many possibilities and so much time to relax.
Every journey, unlike the rest, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
Learn more at RitzCarltonYacht Collection.com.
The Home Depot has everything you need to turn your home into a beacon of holiday cheer.
So whether you're going all out or just adding a few holiday touches, we've got you covered with trees, yard decor, and more.
Save time decorating with one of our easy-to-assemble pre-lit trees or pick up a piece from our Yuletide Lane decor collection and fill your yard with holiday joy.
Whatever your style, find everything to get your holidays started at the Home Depot.
Warning, this product contains nicotine.
Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
Hey, listener, Velo Plus is the new pillowy soft nicotine pouch with an intense taste experience in three, six, and nine milligram strengths.
Get your taste buds at Tinglin.
Register at VLO.com, that's V-E-L-O.com, and save $3 on a can today.
Underage sale prohibited.
Velo Plus is an artificially tobacco-flavored synthetic nicotine pouch products.
Website and offers restricted to age 21 plus.
Copyright 2025 MBI.
CBS Thursdays.
Don't miss the new season of the CBS Original Matlock.
With Kathy Bates starring in her Emmy-nominated role.
I lost a daughter, and someone at this law firm covered up the truth, so I'm going to get justice.
This season, the truth is coming out.
Allies are telling all lies.
Your life is still a mystery.
Kathy Bates.
Who the hell are you, Madeline Matlock?
Matlock.
CBS Thursdays at 9-8 Central and streaming on Paramount Plus.
If you're a custodial supervisor at a local high school, you know that cleanliness is key and that the best place to get cleaning supplies is from Granger.
Granger helps you stay fully stocked on the products you trust, from paper towels and disinfectants to floor scrubbers.
plus you can rely on granger for easy reordering so you never run out of what you need call 1-800 grainger clickgranger.com or just stop by granger for the ones who get it done
this episode is brought to you by prize picks you and i make decisions every day but on prize picks being right can get you paid don't miss any of the excitement this football season on prize picks where it's good to be right it's officially that time of year you might lose hope in your team but don't worry.
That's why we have prize picks to keep you going.
Week six of football was something.
Tampa, Indy, they're legit.
I wasn't wrong when I said I was feeling good about Baker Mayfield, shaking bake, and that Tampa squad.
I'm all in on Baker touchdowns.
More, more, more.
Prize picks is simple to play.
Just pick more or less on at least two player stats.
If you get those picks right, you could cash in.
Prize picks is the only app that offers stacks, meaning you can pick the same player up to three times in the same lineup.
Want Want to pick more on breaker touchdowns, pass yards, rush?
Now you can pick all of them in the same lineup, only on prize picks.
Download the prize pick app today.
Use code Shannon to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.
That's code Shannon to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.
On prize picks, it's good to be right.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for joining us for another episode of Nightcap.
Y'all know who I am.
I'm your favorite Unc, Shannon Sharp.
That is my partner and co-host.
He's Liberty City Zone, Bingles Ring of Fame Honoree, a former Pro Bowler, all-pro, and he has a new title, Matting Ratings Adjuster.
He's Chad Ocho Cenco Johnson.
Please make sure you hit that subscribe button.
Please make sure you hit the like button.
Do us a favor.
Tell family, friends, and loved ones to do likewise.
And go subscribe to the Nightcap podcast feed wherever you get your podcast from.
We'd like to thank each and every one of you personally for your support and your continued support because thanks to you, Nightcap has become what it's become.
Make sure you check out Shea by Laportier.
If you can't find it in a city or state near you, order it online.
We'll ship it directly to your door.
Best tasting premium BSOP cognac on the market.
Try it, compare it.
I promise you, you will not be disappointed please drink responsibly and stay safe make sure you check out my media company shay shay media on all of its platforms and my clothing company 84 with 84 being spelled out
that link is pinned in the chat nightcap won listener's choice today ocho in both categories from signal we want to want to thank each and every one of our listeners and subscribers and everyone that voted for nightcap we could not have done it without you we got special guests joining us a little later in the show We got Rico Dottle and Devin White joining us a little later in the show.
But first, Ocho, Tua apologized for criticizing teammates for being late to a players-only meeting.
Let's take a listen to what Tua had to say.
Here's his full statement: made a mistake, and I'm owning up to that right now.
You know, I've talked to guys on the team about it, talked to the leaders about it.
And, you know, that
they know my heart.
They know that
the intent was right.
But no matter the intent,
you know, the intent can be right, but when things get misconstrued or however the media wants to portray it,
that leaves a void of silence and a lot of questions for the guys on our team.
Now, being one in five,
you know, we talk a lot about, all right, we got to get this going, we got to get this going, come in excited to go to work, forget about the noise, noise.
And I feel like I just added onto that for our guys.
You know, for myself, I got to look at myself as a leader, protecting the team.
I don't feel like
I did that to the best of my abilities.
I felt like I let the emotions of the game get to me after the game.
And, you know, that's something that I can learn from as a leader on this team.
and what happens in-house should be protected and none of that should have gotten out And so I want to publicly apologize about that.
I want to move forward.
And now I want to focus on Stephen Browns.
Hey, I love Tua.
I love him to death.
You know,
I love what he stands for.
I love what he represents.
Being one and five, you also have to be self-aware.
It's all about being self-aware.
If you had meetings, if you had things that go inside, go on in-house, they have to stay in-house.
You should know that.
Whether you're five and one or whether you're one in five, there's certain things that you don't talk about to the media as a quarterback as a leader of that team as a person with that c on your chest it is your duty to protect those that are in that locker room
it's your duty so to put it out there in the media and say what some of the other players are doing or haven't done that is
You know what?
I'm not going to use the word.
I'm not going to use that word tonight, but it's throwing people under the bus.
You can't do that.
You just can't.
You can't always be truthful.
Sometimes it's okay not to tell the truth.
Come on.
Here's the problem that I have.
I got me.
That would be, though, Joe.
You got me.
That would be.
You got me.
You got me.
You got me.
No, but
in all honesty.
Yes, sir.
The only problem I have with this, now the media misconstrued it.
Yes.
How do the players, okay, if you said what you said, the meters didn't say anything.
Your teammates heard what you you said.
Yeah.
So if anybody misconstrued it, they misconstrued it because the media didn't put no spin on it.
All they did was have a bunch of microphones and tape recorders there.
You said what you said unprompted.
Yes.
Unprompted.
So and to use Ocho's term, he dry snitched.
Ain't nobody asked him, did players come late?
for practice was uh you when you had a players only meeting the media didn't know nothing about didn't know anything about that meeting you brought that up and then you also brought up that there are players that were late or didn't or didn't arrive on time or maybe didn't even come to the meeting at all you did that how is it you see that's the problem that i have
just own up to it yeah and say you know what i was wrong don't add the media the media didn't do anything
All they did was put the put the microphones in front of you and you volunteer that.
So in other words, you dry snitch unprompted information that no one asked you for.
Yeah.
Now, with that being said, it was no choice.
And I saw in the chat someone said if that was Tom Brady
or Troy Aikman, everybody would have been there on time.
I told y'all that the other day.
They don't respect him as a leader.
But y'all don't want to, see,
because I'm not in the locker room, you don't think I know what I'm talking about, but I've been a leader.
And I guarantee you, every time I've called a meeting, which wasn't very many, or anytime I had something, guys showed up on time.
There was a respect level there that was earned,
not what I deserved based on what I had done.
I had earned the right to call a meeting based on the way I conducted myself, the way I played, the way I practiced, the way I met, and what I had accomplished.
So I had earned their respect.
Yeah.
You're right.
And
you know what?
Matter of fact, if you do, if they did had a meeting that they didn't show up to or or they weren't on time, and this could be a tall tale on why they didn't.
Yeah, for sure.
Look what happens.
Look, I mean, so there might be an underlying issue that we don't even know about that has been going on.
Or to fact, to the point.
That's the underlying issue.
Oh, well, listen.
Let's let's keep it.
As two guys that spent time in locker rooms, that played the game at an extreme high level.
He's it.
Yeah,
it's unfortunate.
And you know what?
Even though he came out and apologized, it's too late now.
Because how do you think that taste, that bad taste that's in those players' mouths that you talked about that know they were late or weren't on time to that meeting?
How do you think other teammates feel?
How do you think they're looking at, even though he's the quarterback, how do you think they're viewing you now?
It's not the same, Monk, and it would never be the same.
So this makes everything even worse on top of being one in five.
Yes.
Forget the football aspect because now you open up a whole new can of worms.
I give you a prime example, Ojo.
You in a courtroom.
Yeah.
One of the attorneys says something.
The other attorney stands up and says, I object.
Right.
The judge says, sustain.
How do I make the jury unhear what they heard?
They heard it.
Whether it's sustained
doesn't matter.
Too late.
Or he'll allow it.
I've already heard what that man wanted me to get out.
He or she wanted to say.
So you can't make me unhear what I heard.
I get the apology.
The best apology is change behavior we're going to see moving forward
the greater the player the greater the leeway is
that's with anything yeah first of all when you say troy eggman and tom brady first of all tua is not on that level second of all they've garnered so much respect you see how the players went to bat for troy
Tom Brady, that's a whole different animal.
Don't ever put Tom Brady.
Tom Brady, he's reserved.
There might have been three or four other guys in the history of the game that garnered the respect that Tom Brady.
Tua isn't one of those three or four guys with that being said
you have to be mindful ocho because
and this is what i tell guys that that i think at some point in time will be leaders
you don't know who's actually watching you what you do what you say how you do it right
But all I can tell you is this, if they see you behave in a certain type of manner and you make money and you get things, they'll behave that same way because they believe that is acceptable behavior.
Right.
So
even though you don't know who's watching, if they're watching, or why they're watching,
just always try to put your best foot forward.
That's all you can do.
He will learn from this, hopefully.
It's hard for me to believe that a guy that played at Alabama, played at such a high level, at such a prestigious program, wouldn't know that you can't throw teammates under the bus, that sometimes, Ocho, sometimes, look, and we talked about this, Ocho, all the time.
As a coach, sometimes you got to lie to your players, even if you don't think they can win.
Hey, we can beat these teams, we can beat them,
hey, we do X, Y, and Z.
Sometimes you gotta lie because sometimes it caused great hurt, harm, or embarrassment.
Yes, and it might have caused all three.
Now, like you said,
how do we get that back?
I'm not so sure.
So, because I'm thinking, bro, when you go home, you'll be pillow talking like a mofo.
Yeah, it is,
it's no way to get that back huh there's no way to get it back there's only one thing that cures everything there's one thing that cures everything when you
do that
my point exactly winning is the only thing that can cure it but i still think they won't view him the same in that same light no matter what you can apologize you can say everything you could you can talk to him quite you know privately but once you leave that locker room and you out of that space that's supposed to give you You don't have to worry about any of the bullshit you got to deal with on the outside world.
Right.
Wait a minute.
Now I got to deal with it when I come to work.
My own quarterback, right?
Nah, man, they never gonna look at it the same.
That's why I say that's what quarterbacks court.
If you notice, the most of the great quarterbacks, no matter how good they play or how bad they play, they always take responsibility.
Yeah, when Peyton Manning, they lost the game, Peyton Manning said, I got to play better.
It's on him.
Tom Brady says, I got to play better.
John Elwyn, guys would always say, I need to play better.
They never said, even though they played great, a drop pass here, a missed assignment there, the defense gave up 12 points late.
They always put the onus on themselves.
That's a part of being a leader.
If you're the leader, even though somebody made a mistake, I'll take it.
That's on me.
Now, I'll call them and say, hey, we need to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Make sure we get it corrected, but this is on me.
And that's what Tua needs to understand.
You would like to thank a guy that's been the quarterback for an extended period of time at levels.
He's a high school quarterback.
Normally, the quarterback
is the leader.
Not always, but the majority of the time, I would say 80% of the time, because a lot of times their best player is the quarterback, coach up.
So he's normally the leader.
In college, it probably kicks up
85%.
In the pros,
I don't know if I've ever seen a starting quarterback that didn't have the seat since they've been allowed it.
Have you?
No.
I haven't either.
So with that being said, he just has to be mindful.
It's a mind feel
what's going on.
And it's easy to get frustrated, especially, like you said, when you're losing.
You're one and five.
Because if they're five and one and they're six and oh, ain't nobody, hey, we're not having this conversation.
Even if guys are coming late, even if guys are late to practice, ain't nobody said a word.
We're not having this conversation.
You should have nipped this in the bud a year ago or two years ago when you were winning and you were allowing guys to show up late.
That's when you nip it in the bud.
But you allow things in a win.
Now it's a problem when you lose.
You see, when you lose, Ocho, it's not how we play it on the field.
it's all the other things.
Right.
All the other things.
Like I said, you don't win a football game on Sunday, you win a football game Monday through Friday.
Yes, that's when you win the games in your how we meet, how do we practice, how do we study, how do we prepare, did we get treatment like we're supposed to?
If we got a little nagging, did we take care of it before it became a big issue?
Right.
Hopefully, Tu will learn this lesson.
Yeah, hopefully, he does.
It's tough because if they don't start winning games,
it doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
And
look, like I said, the greatest apology is change behavior.
We're going to see.
Go ahead, Ocho.
Change behavior.
Well, it's not change behavior off the field.
It's to change behavior on the field.
You know what the best sorry is for his teammates?
What?
Your performance.
Yes.
And how you play, being the difference maker, being that you are the quarterback, being that you do make the most money on the field, that means your level of play has to be up here.
It has to be eons above everybody else, especially when you come out and you do something like this.
Well, hold on.
You can't be stinging at the joint.
No.
Then going in front of the camera and telling what we got going on behind closed doors and then looking like, you know what?
I don't know.
No, you can't.
You can't.
You got the whole locker room looking at you funny.
I'm telling you.
And I'm not even in there.
i'm telling you
he could fix it but he could fix it with his plate with his plate it'd be all smiles
if
even if he he would have been wrong even if he had thrown for 400 yards and four touchdowns yeah
ex he exacerbated
the term
aggravate which means to make worse He aggravated the situation.
It was already bad, Ocho, but he aggravated the situation.
Why, Ocho?
Because he threw three picks.
So he made a situation that was bad.
He made it worse with his plate.
Yeah.
Well, listen, it was already a fire, right?
It was already a fire.
Yep.
So it was already a fire.
He took the goddamn gasoline
and threw it on the fire.
Mm-hmm.
Well, shit, all it did was make the fire goddamn bigger.
It made it worse.
Made it worse.
Now you're going to have hell putting it out.
For sure.
Is that me or you, Ocho?
What I do?
I'm right here.
I'm looking at you.
Oh, okay.
Because for a second, I couldn't hear you.
Oh, yeah, I'm good.
I'm good.
You sure?
Yeah, you're good.
And what has happened, Ocho, is that for a fire to burn, it needs oxygen.
What he gave the fire was oxygen.
A lot of.
A fire will not burn.
Hey, you could have the biggest fire rob it of its oxygen.
You see a candle?
Put a jar over the candle and it can't get any more oxygen, it'll go out.
You gave it oxygen.
That's why when people say things, OJo, we have to be careful how we respond because we're giving it oxygen and it'll keep burning.
See, things will burn as long as it has oxygen.
Let it die out.
He could have just let it die out.
Oh, yeah, I understand that he's seething.
I understand that he's upset.
You're losing ball games that you don't think you should have lost.
Guys are
coming in two minutes, five minutes, 10, however many late.
They're late to meet it, late to practice.
You know, it doesn't seem to be important.
They're not as attentive as they need to be.
Yes, it can get frustrating, especially, especially.
Like I said, I don't know what he's actually like.
I've been around players that it was the end-all be-all.
Everybody is not like that, the end-all-be-all.
But
it was probably bothering him.
He's like, well, this is probably why we're losing.
Guys are not taking this as serious as they need to.
Okay.
But
if they held you in such high regard, if they respected you as the leader, they're not coming late.
No.
They're just not.
I mean, a little thing, Locho, hey, man, check this out, man.
We need, hey,
let's go to the movies.
After a workout on Monday, guess what?
15, 20 of us go to the movies.
Yeah.
Hey, man, let's go bowling.
15, 20 of us go bowling.
It's things like that.
Yeah.
But they got to respect you.
Guys don't respect you.
They're going to blow you off.
It's really that simple.
Tour, you're going to have to play better.
You're going to have to be better.
Not just on the field because leadership is just not a call and plays and in the hole and you got to see on your jersey.
You got to, it's off the field, Ocho.
It's the things, it's things like that.
You suppress things that mike mcdaniel or upstairs don't even know about a fight that was about to happen something's about to go down somebody owe somebody some money okay what happened
hey charlotte check this out man we playing this blah blah blah so how will you play it run a business and not thinking about podcasting think again more americans listen to podcasts than ad-supported streaming music from spotify and pandora and as the number one podcaster iHeart's twice as large as the next two combined.
So whatever your customers are into, true crime, sports, sports, comedy, culture, they'll hear your message.
Plus, only iHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio.
And all this reach means everything.
Just think about the universal marketing formula: the number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results.
Now, let's get those results growing for you.
Think podcasting can help your business?
Think iHeart: streaming, radio, and podcasting.
Let us show you at iHeartAdvertising.com.
That's iHeartAdvertising.com.
Or call 844-844-iHeart.
One more time, call 844-844-iHeart and get podcasting working for you.
Looking for an exceptional driving experience?
Find it behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Experience the power, precision, and intelligence of an iconic Mercedes-Benz SUV at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer today.
Arkansas is for explorers, seekers, and trailblazers.
It's for those who like to travel a different path or maybe even create one of their own.
It's where people and places come together to create extraordinary possibilities.
Come experience it for yourself.
Hike to a swimming hole, get on some single track, hop in a kayak, or just pack a bag and see where the road takes you.
Adventure is everywhere you look in Arkansas.
Plan yours at arkansas.com.
You're auditioning for Amda College of the Performing Arts?
Yeah, and it's not just an audition.
I'm entering the ultimate talent competition.
What happens if you win?
A full scholarship, the chance to perform in NYC in front of thousands of people, and a life-changing college experience.
High schoolers, auditions are happening right now in your city, but spots are filling up fast.
Don't miss your shot.
Go to AMDA.edu to schedule your audition today.
That's AMDA.edu.
Right.
Ocho, we're going to get back to this.
We got a very special guest guest joining us.
He had a monster game the week before.
He told his former team, y'all buckle up.
Buckle up.
Buckle up.
And lo and behold, he came and gave him that work.
186 yards.
I think he had over 230 yards.
I think he had like 230 of a total offense with receiving and running the football.
Rico Dowdle joins us.
Rico, how you doing, bro?
Great, man.
Can't complain.
How you doing?
I'm doing amazing.
I'm doing amazing, bro.
Hey, all is well rd before before unk starts my first question my first question to you would you come into the game like that obviously saying what you had to say giving the team bulletin board material before the game even started did you have a chip on your shoulder did you have a chip on your shoulder going to that game oh yeah for sure you know that was one of those games i had circle early on in the season but i think i always played chip on my shoulder since since coming into the league so so it's a chip on my shoulder when i step out there
okay no go ahead go ahead i was surprised because you said this they know it look you were there so they know what type of person you are they know what type of running back you are do you think they underestimated you that's like man this rico just doing talking man rico ain't gonna do none of that on us what i mean because obviously you said it i mean you just came off a monster performance the week before and you called them out you said hey buckle up Yeah, I probably, they probably underestimated me a little bit because they know, like you said, they know I talked to him, and I'm going to talk a little bit.
uh he actually told me that before the game uh sam i talked to sam before the game he was like yeah i told him
he was like i told him that's just you you're gonna talk da-da-da i don't know what the chatter was in the locker room but i don't think they relayed the message uh to the four people
i got i don't think they did for sure
Yeah,
I think, obviously, RD,
I've been high on the Carolina Panthers for a very long time.
Obviously, before the season started, I continuously said it over and over and over.
For those in the chat that are watching, I'm not sure if you heard it in general.
I was very high on them.
And I said they were one of the two teams to watch this year.
And I said they would surprise everybody.
You guys are playing extremely well.
And after last week's game, what is it that you guys need to continue to build on to make sure everything continues to go in the right direction?
Headed towards the end of the year.
Yeah, I say just really playing
complimentary football, all three phases, offense, defense, specialties.
I think that's one of the main things.
As long as we do that, I think we'll be fine, not hurting ourselves how we did early in games, having to dig out of the hole early.
No, if it was penalties, turnovers, and things like that.
So I think if we do that and just continue to do that and be able to execute, keep executing at a high level, I think we'll be fine.
Okay.
How disappointed were you?
You came in, you run for over a thousand yards, and you're like, man, I had a good season.
Okay, I'm young.
I ain't got a whole lot of mileage on me.
I know they're going to come.
I know they're going to break your boy off.
I'm going to be able to stay here.
I'm settled here.
I like it here.
They know what they got with me.
I know what I have with them.
And then come free agency.
And I don't know if they called you.
I don't know if they lowballed you.
Walk us through.
Your thought process after the season ends.
You have your exit meeting with your running back coach, maybe the head coach, the general manager.
Walk us through the steps up until you made the decision you're going to Carolina.
Yeah, so
um they never made an offer at all um in free agency yeah they never made an offer at all um so just going through when we got out my agent we obviously thought we would get something hear back from but they just the kind of team they like go test the market let us know what you hear and then come back and let us know and we'll see if we can do something with it so it was that kind of situation they told me to go out they're gonna let me test the market and um
So I didn't take liking of that because I thought maybe what I've been through there in my five years and what I was able to do once I was given the opportunity to run the ball, what I was able to do, I thought maybe they would have an offer, but you know, they didn't and it worked out for me in this way.
And I'm getting a show now.
So happy where I'm at now.
With them telling you to go test the market and they'll see, that probably kind of left you feeling some type of way like, nah, bro, if I, it's like, bro, and you tell your girl, you go test the market.
If you find somebody out there, you like, if somebody like you out there, I might come back and take you up.
But if not, you know,
you welcome to go.
No, bro, you set me free, I'm good.
Yeah, it definitely doesn't work like that.
But yeah, it definitely
left.
Uh, I wouldn't necessarily say I was just too disappointed because I know the nature of the business and how they operated.
I mean, I was a free agent the year before, and they pretty much told me the same thing, but I ended up signing back there.
So, um, yeah, I just know the nature of the business, so I couldn't take uh harp on it too much.
Just know I had to look for the next best opportunity for me and where I can go make an impact.
You look at a situation, Dave Canalis, your head coach, he was very non-committal.
Chuba Hubbard is coming back.
You rush for 389 yards
in the past two ball games, 473 yards of total offense.
And
he was like, they asked him Sunday after the game.
He's like, hey, Rico's playing extremely well.
We're definitely going to have a package.
But he didn't say who's going to start.
When that first offense runs out there on the field, is Rico running out there with the field?
No, we'll see Sunday when the game comes.
Coach and he ain't really uh put too much into it but he just saying we'll see when the game comes we're gonna go through this week and then when the game comes sunday we'll see
and you know and honestly honestly that's not a bad thing when you think about it obviously i know you want to you want to be the starter you want to be the one to get the bulk of the carries but when you have a two-headed monster like you and hubbard back there like that it opens up everything else man because of what you did last week you don't you don't you you don't understand i mean as a player i think you might get it but as a as a fan of the game and watching and understanding that that and played it, but what you just did last week, it makes it that much easier for whoever's calling the plays, whether it's Dave or whether it's the officer coordinator, you made Bryce Young's job easier.
You made every receiver, T-Mac and Legged and 100, you made all their jobs easier.
Because now when you play, oh, well, goddamn, already in the game, safety.
Man, come on down in that box, please.
Every time.
Every time you in the game, The defense is checking to something different because you are the one threat offensively that you got to worry about yeah for sure i definitely i definitely following what you're saying there that's one thing that's going to i think is going to help is fan the whole offense play action they got to respect the run i think it's going to open up your pass for sure
oh yeah so what what if your coach what if the uh coach canalis the head coach what is your running back coach told you okay you know hubbard is going down this is your opportunity because you know you split in carries and you know he get hot you might not get the amount of carries because running i mean most skill position is all about rhythm and it's hard to get a rhythm.
You get one carry, you get a carry the first drive, and then you might not get another carry to the third drive.
And then you might have five carries in the first half and only get two.
So now, with you being the big-time running back, the full-time running back, now you're able to get into a rhythm.
What has coach told you to say, okay, just make sure you stay, keep your head in the game, make sure you stay ready?
Is that some of the things that your coach and your position coach have relayed to you?
Yeah, so yeah.
Going into it, I only talked to my running back coach about it.
And he is like, okay, just kill your ops, you know, when the opportunity has presented itself to go out there and show what I can do.
Just make sure I make the most of it.
And I think I was able to do that.
Absolutely.
One-year deal.
So, would you like to remain with Carolina long-term?
Or are you like, look, I'm going to take it one year at a time.
I'm going to go out here and play my absolute best this year, and then I'm going to let the chips fall where they may.
Ain't nothing promised.
The only thing I can promise you, I'm going to give you everything I got, every down I'm not going to be here.
Exactly.
Yeah, exactly.
So, exactly.
That's all I'm gonna say on that.
Just go out there, take it this year, and then see how it goes.
Just got to be productive.
I know it's a production-based business, so as long as I'm productive, the rest will take care of it.
So,
yeah, do you look back?
Do you are like,
Yeah, that's good, y'all should have kept me.
Will you look up at all your former team and you see them struggling, and you're like, Yeah,
that's what you get.
Do you, I mean, because I understand that you have friends over there.
I mean, you still use there for five years, so you do you have built relationships, but it's not like
I want y'all to have success.
Yeah, no, I don't really look at it like that.
Like you said, a lot of those guys are my friends.
I ain't really rooting for that, rooting for that downfall.
And
the dude they got over there, Javante, he's been having a pretty good season too.
So,
yeah, he also has a pretty good season, too.
But yeah, I'm not really, I wouldn't really be rooting on that down.
I want him to win and things like that, all my friends there, but I just wanted to beat him when we played them.
I'm gonna help you out with this.
You had an injury, your career in South Carolina.
You had a lot of injuries.
How are you able to stay healthy?
Because normally if you limp into the NFL, you're going to limp out of it.
You had injuries in college, but for some reason,
you've been able to stay healthy in the league.
Yeah, I think that was one of my biggest things coming out of college injuries, just not being able to stay healthy.
But thankfully, I never had no injury where it was, I think, longer than like 10 weeks recovery.
That was my longest injury.
But yeah, in college, just had a bunch of nicks and nets.
I broke my fibula and tore my hamstring, had four knee surgeries, surgeries sports hand
damn god damn you need to tell me you ain't had nobody to keep you out of 10 weeks i broke a fibula yeah the longest one was 10 i broke my fibula like week five my sophomore year of college played in the ball game but yeah that was like my worst one i think in college so but i'm like eight surgeries deep though but this thing helped me eight yeah eight surgeries deep Did you think like, damn, I got buzzard.
Look, I can't catch a breath.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
Like, why it keeps happening?
I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
I don't know why I keep happening.
But, yeah, since just getting in the NFL, I think those first couple years, just sitting out,
taking a brand of my body and figuring my body out, really, that's what allowed for me to stay healthy now, just figuring out what worked best for me.
Dropped my weight.
I played it like 225 in college.
I played like 210, 215 now.
So just figuring out what worked best for me.
Hey, you know, that college training table.
Hey, does it ever be in the back of your mind when you're playing, like trying to be cautious and a little hesitant based on you know what you want to do, or you just you free will don't even care about the past injuries and you just go out there and just yeah, I go out there and play.
I'm trying to bring the punishment.
I don't really think about that at all.
Yeah, I don't think about it at all.
Look, you went to the game.
Let me ask you a question: who are your top five, your top five running backs at USC all time?
Game cocks,
top five all time.
I know you're gonna have to put Marcus Lattimore up there for sure.
Okay, Marcus,
you got Deuce Staley.
Okay, uh,
who else?
I don't really know.
Well, George Rogers gotta be first.
Yeah, I don't know.
Yeah, I don't know how
George Rogers got him on Deuce Staley.
And then you got
22.
What was number 22?
I don't remember.
I don't remember our own name.
I don't
Harold Green.
I don't think
I'm going to be able to do that.
That was before your time.
Run a business and not thinking about radio?
Think again.
Because more people are listening to the radio and iHeart today than they were 20 years ago.
And only iHeart broadcast radio connects with more Americans than TV, digital, social, any other media.
Even twice as many teens than TikTok.
And that reach means everything.
Just think about the universal marketing formula.
The number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results.
Now let's get those results growing for your business.
Radio's here now more than ever, and iHeart's leading the way.
Think radio can help your business?
Think iHeart.
Streaming, podcasting, and radio, where the reach is real.
Let us show you at iHeartAdvertising.com.
That's iHeartAdvertising.com.
Or call 844-844-iHeart.
One more time, just call 844-844-iHeart and get radio working for you.
In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you.
Don't let them down.
Unlock Elite Gaming Tech at Lenovo.com.
Dominate every match with next-level speed, seamless streaming, and performance that won't quit so you can push your gameplay beyond performance with Intel Core Ultra processors for the next era of gaming.
Upgrade to smooth, high-quality streaming with Intel Wi-Fi 6E and maximize game performance with enhanced overclocking.
Win the tech search.
Power up at lenovo.com.
Lenovo, Lenovo.
What if I told you there was yet another tool where you could get surface-level data insights in static, uninformative dashboards?
There are 170 of these products and luckily for you, we're not one of them.
Hex is a new platform for working with data.
We combine deep analysis, self-serve, and trusted context in one platform with purpose-built AI tools for data work.
Over 1,500 teams like Ramp, Lovable, and Anthropic use Hex.
Learn why at hex.ai.
From Australia to San Francisco, Cullen Jewelry brings timeless craftsmanship and modern lab-grown diamond engagement rings to the US.
Explore solitaire, trilogy, halo, and bezel settings, or design a custom piece that tells your love story.
With expert guidance, a lifetime warranty, and a talented team of in-house jewels behind every piece, your perfect ring is made with meaning visit our union street showroom or explore the range at colonjewelery.com your ring your way
george graduated george graduated in 80 or graduated left in 80 so oh yes waiting for me i'm born in 98.
Hey, man, Rico, man, continued success, man.
Congratulations on a great start to a new year, a new year, a new team.
you've been playing unbelievable keep up the great work stay prayed up stay positive yeah good things have happened down the road and when you make the pro bowl this year as one of those uh nfc running backs yeah come back and tell us how you did appreciate it
hey hey hey hey do me a small favor yo y'all got practice tomorrow right
man tell the receivers man all together at the same time telling boys i'm betting the house on them this weekend i'm gonna make sure i relate
Yeah, letting the boys know.
Tell them boys I say, keep pounding, bitch.
I'm gonna let them know for sure.
All right, love.
Appreciate that, Rico.
Appreciate you stopping by.
All right, man.
Oh, Joe.
Joe Flacco was asking about the idea of Jamar Chase going off script and changing his routes.
This is what Joe said.
What is it like when Jamar comes to you and says, I understand the play call was this, but.
Oh, yeah.
I know.
I don't think he's out there freestyling, at least not with me right now, you know?
And listen, I mean, ultimately, if he came to me and said, hey, I know the play is this, but I'm going to do this, I'd say, okay, I guess, yeah, that's what you're going to do.
Okay.
It sounds good to me.
I would lean on him to feel it out.
I don't necessarily see that happening, but I'm just saying, and hypothetically, if he was to come to me and do that, I'd just say, yes, sir.
That's what we'll do.
Yeah.
Hey, you know what, Uncle?
That's a beautiful thing, too, when you have a veteran quarterback like that and the receiver can see things that the quarterback can't see and the receiver can see things that the officer coordinator might not be able to see obviously he's he's up there maybe in the box but it's different when you when you feel side and you got a a bird's eye view it not a bird's eye view but a a a front view of everything and what you what you can and can't do if if if um jamar chase and Joe Flacco get some type of communication skills or maybe a number system.
I know that's not the offense that they're running right now, but with Joe can hit him something like down by the hip honk, like if he sees something, they're playing off and they got the eye contact, you just throw him something simple.
You know how many yards, how many yards receive, I'm talking about good receivers, good receivers, and quarterbacks leave out there because they stay on script
when it's right there.
The game of football is not complicated.
You can go off script and do something very safe.
Oh, he's playing off seven yards, the safety in the middle of the field, give him a hitch, give him a slant.
And we seen, we seen Uno, we done seen him take a goddamn slant 80 goddamn yards.
We'd have seen him take a hitch, break a tackle, and go down 30, 40 yards
until backside catching.
I mean, it's just little stuff like that, man.
And it's good.
I'm glad we have Joe.
I'm glad they asked that question because now
what's going to happen now is when they play this goddamn game tomorrow night,
they're going to come a time where there's a play-ass call.
And they're going to be on their own page.
Well, I think that's something like he said Jamar comes to him and tell him that right they don't have the type of relationship they haven't worked together long enough that Joe will know that okay, it's this coverage and he's supposed to do this He's gonna do that.
They haven't played together long enough It takes time.
It takes time.
That's what that's why I said some kind of some kind of some kind of something that they can do with their hands It got to be something
It got to be something just because you leave so many plays out there.
You leave so many yards out there trying to do everything by the book sometimes you just have to play football Sometimes it's not just X and O's.
Sometimes it's not scheme.
Sometimes you can go off script and still have success based on what you see.
But the thing is, Ocho, look, Joe, you mentioned Joe just been there.
He's been there 10 days.
It's hard to build a connection and where, hey,
Ocho, I touch my chin, run a smoke.
Yeah.
See?
You know,
I touch my hip, run a square out.
It's hard to get that because, hell, I tell it back.
I'm like, hey, my chin was just itching.
No, I didn't mean to do it.
My chin was itching.
So, you know what I'm saying?
Don't show you and Carson had that because you and Carson have built up a rapport, a relationship, and that's something that you talked about.
Right.
You know, John, I would know if a guy's playing this kind of leverage, this is what John expects me to do.
If I'm getting man coverage, he expects me to bust it out of the break.
If he's outside, he already knows.
I'm going to take three steps and I'm pulling up.
Yeah.
So that's, but that was over years and years and years.
Or if I'm going to uncover.
But that's asking a lot.
And I'm glad Chase comes to him and says, look, I know I'm supposed to do this, but
on this plate right here, I'm going to do that.
Right.
So now he's already put the seed.
He's already planted the seed in Joe's hand.
Hey, don't you throw that.
Don't you throw that in, cut, because I'm running out.
Because if you throw it in, you will hit it right in the chest.
Because I'm telling you what I'm doing.
Yeah, listen, long day on the same page.
Long as they on the same page, because we are not built.
Obviously, with Joe just getting there, you just said it.
Joe only been there, goddamn, you've been there, goddamn, 10 minutes.
He only been there 10 minutes.
So we can't overcome mistakes.
We can't overcome turnovers.
We got to be as efficient as possible on offense all four quarters.
The same way we looked.
When we came out of halftime at that Green Bay game, that 17 play drive.
That's what we got to look like all four quarters.
Now that Joe has a little bit more time with the offense with the play calling getting a little familiar with the system
I think we have a good chance at competing and beating The Steelers that are on a roll right now Aaron Rodgers is on fire.
I'm not gonna sit here and lie.
I'm not gonna sit here and try to talk trash.
Boy, they look good, huh?
But I think we can compete with them.
Now, I don't know what we're gonna do on the defensive side of the ball.
That's the problem.
That's been our Achilles heel for a while now.
But offensively, Joe can keep our head above the water.
So basically, I'm saying if this was the Titanic,
the Bengals offense is Rose.
We might be in the water, but she's on the dough.
So, in other words,
right now, you're not a fast sinker, you're slow sinking.
I mean, it's going to take some time for you guys to get to the bottom.
But, you know, hey, right now, you got a hole.
You got a little hole in your hole, OJ.
I'm just saying, you got a hole in your hole.
Hey, listen, the boat done sunk.
Can Joe, I mean, Joe Burrow's hurt, right?
But listen,
if the offense is Rose and Rose Rose is on the dough in the water,
Rose is on the dough in the water.
So she's floating.
Yep.
She's floating.
So we good right now.
We good.
That water real cold, Locho.
Oh, it's cold.
It's going to be, you know, I'm going to the game tomorrow.
I'm flying out there.
It's cold.
We're going to be all right, though.
Look,
and
the Steelers' defense is playing unbelievable.
I mean, Jalen Rams is giving them a boost because he can do so many things.
He can play safety.
He can play corner.
He can play slot.
He can blitz.
He's an outstanding tackler.
He's not afraid to get his uniform dirty.
He's one of those guys that he wants, you know, Ocho, you remember back in the day, Ocho, we wanted our jersey.
We wanted our uniform to get dirty.
And guys that didn't play, they rolling on the ground trying to see like they got their uniform dirty in the game.
Nah, bro, you just rolled on the ground.
You ain't getting no action.
Jalen Ramsey is a guy that'll get his uniform dirty.
Hey, he's going to come up and hit you now.
Hell yeah.
Hey, you know who you remind me of?
I mean, listen, I know you watched a lot of football over the years, a lot of defensive back play, and you know how much I love DBs.
And I've never, I've never seen two DBs that always come to mind when I think of defensive backs, forget covering.
They can cover, but boy, they will come up and smack you.
I'm talking about smack you.
That goddamn Antoine Winfield, as small as he was when he played.
Yeah, shit, yeah.
And that goddamn Nate Clemens when he was in Buffalo.
Yeah.
Man, Lord have mercy.
Yeah.
Boy, y'all don't have no regard for your body.
They ain't care.
And you got to remember, this is the running era.
So I'm watching them pull up shared blocks and taking
running backs that's way bigger than them.
I'm not talking about going low and going.
I'm talking about up high.
Man, what is you doing?
Yeah, you got to, I mean, in that era, you know, champ was a good tackler.
Champ
didn't mind hitting.
Yeah.
You know, you run to a guy, you run to a side where you're like, oh, man, he's not a tackler.
Okay, we're going to try to, hey,
what we're going to try to do.
do, we're gonna try to put a lineman on him, we're gonna try to put out safe, because what you do, you push the corner, and then you have the corner track crack the safety, and so we're gonna see if you want to make a tackle.
We know the safety, most safeties are good tacklers, especially strong safety.
We know they'll tackle.
We want to see if you'll tackle.
Yeah.
That's what we want to see.
Are you going to retreat and hope somebody, because a lot of times, though, they'll retreat hoping somebody else come.
Y'all make the tackle.
I'm going to hold it up.
Now I'm going to hold it up.
I'm going to keep giving ground.
Now y'all come and make this tackle.
Waiting on pursuit to come help.
that's exactly what they're waiting on
you know what's scary too and i think about db especially during our era during our era what's even worse now is when you when you crack replace and that goddamn guard is pulling
it
it's more difficult now ojo because the db can't go low on the offensive lineman you can't you know back in the day the dbs could go low they could cut the lineman now and create a penalty but they cut that out that's a penalty now that's a 15 yard penalty if you cut the legs out of an offensive lineman,
so much.
Oh, yeah, you got to step up and take that punishment.
And most corners ain't really trying to take on no guard, not trying to take on no tackles or anything like that.
So you think the Bengals got a shot tomorrow, Ocho?
I think so.
And I'm only saying this from an offensive perspective.
You know,
I'm only saying from the offensive perspective.
And the fact that it's a division game, both teams are familiar with each other.
They know exactly what each other like to do.
I know they have a different quarterback.
I know they have a different quarterback.
Hell, we got a different one, too.
But for some reason, the game is always close.
I don't think it will be a blowout.
It will probably be a low-scoring game.
And in order for us to win up front, off the line, you got to have some type of pride, baby.
You got to have some type of pride.
I know TJ White is going to make his plays.
They get played too.
I know they're going to make their plays, but for the most part, if you keep...
Joe Flacco upright, he can wheel and deal.
And we saw that early in the second half of of that Green Bay game.
We saw it.
We saw it.
So I'm hoping to get a little bit more of that all four quarters.
Arto Joe, we're back with our newest segment, Player Fade, presented by Prize Picks, and we've got new animation.
Let's take a look at our animation.
Hey.
That's what you came up with, Ash?
Download the app today.
Use code Shannon to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.
This is how it works.
The Nightcap staff has made lineups, and here are their picks.
We either play their lineup or we make some changes choosing more or less.
Let me see what you got on here.
Jamar Chase over 74 and a half yards.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
And listen,
they're going to make a conscious effort to get him the ball.
They're going to make a conscious effort to get him the ball.
So he definitely going to be over 74.
Damn.
What's wrong?
You sure about that, OJ?
Hey, um,
they playing man.
They playing man.
But if you're, this is the Steelers.
This is Steelers.
They ain't showing no love.
They ain't showing no love.
They're not giving you no special privileges.
We're going to line up.
We got Darius Slate.
We got Jalen Ramsey.
And we're going to be in your face.
I'm going to have to get back to that one.
Joe Flacco over 36 and a half pass attempts.
How many attempts did he have on Sunday against the Packers?
45?
Yeah, I'm going over.
He definitely got to to throw it because you're not running on the Steelers.
And why would I just get ready to say that?
If we don't establish the guy, you're not running on them.
We ain't going to have no choice but to throw the ball.
TJ Watt over 3.5 tackles and assists.
Yeah, he's going to have two sacks.
So you mean to tell me that man they're going to get two more tackles?
They did not say that.
They said assists and tackles.
He might not get a sack.
Oh, he's going to get a sack.
You real confident over there.
Yeah.
TJ Watt, a bag boy.
And Joe Flacco, Whole Foods Grocery.
So, what you do?
Sack him up.
You sound real confident.
I'm going over.
I'm going over.
I'm going over with
TJ Watt, three and a half tackles and assist.
Jamar Chase, 74.5 receiving yards.
God almighty know.
Ooh!
I'm going to let you get that one.
You got it.
Packers defense ain't like the Steelers, though.
I mean, the Steelers defense.
Steelers defense.
The Packers defense isn't like the Steelers, right?
That's what it means.
Yeah.
Have the Steelers given up a 100-yard receiver?
How many.
Who did?
Stannon?
Oh, from Cleveland?
Who?
Yeah, Cleveland.
Fannin had 81.
What did they have?
What about Seattle?
Did they play Seattle?
When they did the Vikings.
Vikings.
Jamar Chase went crazy.
Jefferson had...
Yeah, Jefferson.
I mean, Jefferson.
Just Jefferson?
Oh, yeah, yeah, over, over, over.
Over.
Oh, oh,
I said over from the beginning.
I'm not sure what you was comfortable with.
But I don't know if Joe Flacco can walk it to him like Wentz.
Or walking to a Wentz.
What?
Or walk it to him?
Because you remember
when the Steelers played the Vikings, the Vikings had two receivers over 100 yards, Jefferson and Addison.
Steelers won, but I'm going to go over.
I'm going to go over.
I told you, you shouldn't.
I mean, I'm taking the staff picks.
That was a no-brainer.
Now, this is the last time.
Ain't letting y'all pick ish else if y'all get this one wrong.
Download the app today.
Use code Shannon to get $50 in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup it's good to be right
yeah y'all
oh joe george pickens who's set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season praised the cowboys but noted he also wants to showcase my talents uh pickens was asked about staying in dallas long term and said i wouldn't mind it The guys in the locker room are super cool.
The energy is great.
But like I've said,
I always want to showcase my talent, most definitely.
Pickens, who turns 25 next March, figures to be one of the most sought-after
receivers in free agency should he hit the market.
On Tuesday, Jerry Jones did not want to get into whether the team would like to open talks on a new contract with Pickens.
Ocho?
Yeah.
Pickens is going to want somewhere between $32 and $36 million.
Yeah.
Is he staying in Dallas or
is Jerry going to hand him walking papers?
Let him walk.
I don't know.
If I was him, I wouldn't even play.
I wouldn't even want to be there, honestly.
I'm just saying that's just me personally.
I want to maximize my potential.
I want to maximize my earnings and go somewhere else where I can contribute.
He's about you want to show your talent.
We know.
I mean, he's going to need to be the number one.
He wants to go somewhere and be number one.
He wants to be number one then.
I mean, that's what he is.
That's what he is.
It's
me.
Hey,
they're in a great situation.
Obviously, it was unfortunate that CeeDee Lamb got hurt where Dak Prescott had two number one receivers.
But he needs to go somewhere else to maximize as much as he can get, be that number one, and continue to build his career in being a number one player and doing
that
he knows he can do.
Where?
You said Cleveland?
Cleveland.
They need a number one receiver.
I'm trying to think of places.
Oh, the Raiders.
Ooh, I like it.
The Raiders.
Hey, wait a minute.
Do you understand how you understand how that marriage right there would be perfect?
George Piggins, NFL young boy, at the Raiders?
No, that is a great matchup.
That's a great matchup.
Yeah, for sure.
It makes sense.
It fits.
It fits him, his persona, his image.
You know, being that, hey, that is perfect.
Pete Carroll.
Hey, Pete.
I'm not tampering.
I'm just telling you ahead of time.
Geno Smith.
You know where he'll be good at too, Ocho?
Yeah, where?
The Giants.
Oh,
until.
Jackson Dart?
Hey.
Oh, neighbors.
They got neighbors.
Neighbors coming back.
Never mind.
Okay.
Not there.
All right.
Hold up.
Let me see.
Atlanta got
Drake London.
Drake London.
Drake London.
Tampa got Mbuka and they got Godwin.
They got Mike.
New Orleans, they got Olave.
Shaheed.
Yeah.
But I think, me personally, I think George Pickens is better than both of those guys.
Different type of player, different type of receiver.
I'm trying to,
I like the rate.
I like the Raiders, huh?
I love the Raiders.
I love the Raiders.
I like the Raiders' idea, honestly.
All things being equal, yeah.
The question is: do they like Zay Flowers or do you like George Pickens?
Who?
Because both of them are going to be up.
Huh?
Pick going and pick going to the Raiders.
I'm telling you, I'm putting that in the universe right now.
Because
that CeeDee Lamb team over there in Dallas
on his helmet.
The Colts need a receiver.
Damn.
Okay, we got to do that.
You like the Colts with Indiana Jones?
Yeah, I like it.
I like it.
But they kind of set.
I mean, Tennessee, they're not set.
What?
Oh, yeah, dude.
I mean, they got Pittman.
They played.
They paid
Pittman, Downs.
They good.
They good.
They got a nice little squad.
And you know what I like about the Coast Receivers?
Everybody has a different strength.
Everybody has a different strength.
Everybody does something that the other doesn't.
So I like what they have right now.
I'm telling you, pick it to the Raiders.
You're right.
From me, you know what, Ocho?
The Patriots.
No, man.
No, no, no, no.
No.
Hell, nah.
No.
You don't like it with Drake May?
No, no.
I like Drake May, but they got
their core.
Like, Pickens and Patriots, that, no, don't put him in that environment.
Absolutely not.
No.
You don't like that structure.
It's too structured.
Yeah, no, yeah, don't put the man in that.
You think you're slick, OJo?
What?
Don't put him in that environment.
Nah, man.
Hell nah.
Hell nah.
I mean, so what?
What do you think as far as a market?
Open market?
You think about, I mean, what type of numbers are we looking at?
Somewhere 32, 32, 33, 35, 36.
Based on what I'm seeing right now from him and what he's done in the past and what he's probably going to finish with this year, he's probably going to get somewhere between
34,
36 on the open market.
I'm telling you, it's going to be P.
Carroll.
It's going to be,
I'm not his agent, but I'm going to be responsible for him getting over there over there with Gino.
So Gino got somebody to get that thing to, you know?
I tell you what, Gino, keep turning the ball over.
Gino ain't going to be there throwing it to him.
He better stop turning the ball over.
He got 10 interceptions in six games.
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
See, you know, you know what would probably relieve some of those interceptions?
Him not hitting other guys in the chest.
Or having a target like George Pickett to throw to.
Brock Bauer still hurt.
Brock Bauer still hurt, huh?
He is.
Damn.
Yeah.
Look, he is engaged.
Yeah.
He knows the Cowboys are going to throw the football.
He knows he has a quarterback that can get him to football and die.
He's getting more opportunities because
cd is down yeah now the question is when cd comes back will he still get 10 11 targets a game normally the 10 11 12 targets go to cd yeah so let's just say for the sake of argument ojo we take five of those four of those targets away and so instead of getting 10 11 12 he gets six seven eight
can he still give us I mean, there'll be games that he still can give you 100, but if he can give us, you know, 70, a quick 70, quick 80, a tub here or there
he gonna get paid oh oh yo the guy is gonna be he's gonna be 25 yeah the start of the 2026 season
he ain't even he ain't even he not even close to his prime no not yet he ain't even got his prime and me won't get his prime for another two years yeah he gonna he gonna get it listen i and i i told you i told you didn't i tell you when i talked to pick last year didn't i tell you wouldn't be no more problems yep you ain't had and we ain't had a problem yet I told you, and I'm and I stand on that.
And he's going to get rewarded not only for,
I hate using the word good behavior, but being a professional, but you're going to get rewarded for your play on the field, not what you're doing off of it.
You're going to get rewarded for your play on the field tremendously.
And I know you're going to see this, young bull.
Stay locked in.
Keep the main thing, the main thing.
And you're going to get what you deserve.
I got a place where he can go.
Well, Green Bay.
josh jacobs said they need a number one
i like hey that's a good one on that's a good one josh jacobs said they need a number let me let me let me let me tell you something though let me tell you something i look at the green bay offense
the same way i look at look at the indianapolis colts
where they all are by committee and each game you never know whose day it's gonna be right you never know who's day whose day it's gonna be
yeah you can run it by it might be it might be wicks it might be uh, goddamn Reed
come back, it might be Dobbs.
You, you never know.
That I, so I like what they have over there.
I like that little young system they got.
I want him to be that man over there in oh, in Las Vegas
because it's just gonna be him, you ain't got to worry about nothing else.
You know, every game you get 10-11
targets
going crazy.
Pete Carroll, what are we talking about?
I like it.
I like,
look,
I like,
I always thought he was talented.
I thought he was immensely talented.
The catches that he's making, he's tremendous run after the catch.
It's just, you know, sometimes you need a change of scenery.
Yeah, that's all I have to do.
Sometimes you need a change of scenery.
He had worn out his welcome in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh was, you know, Ocho,
Pittsburgh and George Pickens were sick.
They were sick of him and he was sick of them.
Yeah.
So, when you get a situation like that, the best thing to do is to go ahead and part ways.
They were able to get something for him.
He was able to get a place.
They're going to throw him the football.
Now, it worked out perfectly.
I hate that CD got hurt in order for people to see just how good George Pickens is.
Because I think the thing is that, you know, his behavior, his petulant behavior, you forget that he's an immensely talented receiver.
CD going down, he got an opportunity to showcase that.
I don't know if CD's back this week or when CD's coming back, but he's put enough on tape to make people understand, to let people know, oh, he's for real now.
I'm him.
He's the real deal.
I'm him.
What are we talking about?
Yeah.
Jerry Jones says he's open to making a trade before the November 4th trade deadline.
We have thoughts all along that if we see a way to improve this year with a trade at the
trade at the deadline, then we'll take advantage of it.
If there's a trade that will help the defense, we're in position to make that trade.
I want to remind everyone, one of the great things about our trade we have with Green Bay is that our tackle makes about $22 million a year.
He cost us two.
Cost him $2 million, Ocho.
We're getting a $20-something million dollar player for $2 to $3 million right now.
And he's playing about as well as anybody on the defense.
Why do I bring that up?
That alone has increased our flexibility of being able to look at potential trade right, whereas you might have had cramps before.
So we're in position to look at that trade, and that means we're going to make one.
That doesn't mean we're going to make one, but Jerry is saying, Ocho,
we have the assets, we have the cap space.
If there's somebody out there that can help this defense at the deadline,
we go do it.
I mean,
that's wishful thinking.
I told you.
Does that strike me as something Jerry would do?
No, but
the question is, Ocho, is there a Charles Haley out there?
No, but listen, they have a problem stopping the run.
And I told you who to go get.
I told you who to go get over there in Tennessee.
He went 98.
He nice, a very good run stopper.
Listen, I'm not sure who the Mike Back is, but you should have a feast.
You should have a hell of a time.
If Jerry makes that move and go get Brother Simmons,
Jerry just, he just keeps throwing shade.
And we got a D-tackle that's making $2 to $3 billion a year.
You know, okay, Jerry, you got off Micah.
You didn't have to pay the $200 million.
It's moving along.
But guess what?
Yeah.
Those picks that you got, you're going to have to give them up if you want somebody at the trade deadline that can help your team.
Because I know you don't think somebody's just going to hand you over one of their best defensive players for what?
They say, oh, you got three first rounders
no you want this player where you had three now you got one
or you give up one of those for a first rounder and a second round or something so but the question is is simmons available
because simmons can stop the run and he can rush the passer
right
so the question is
who's available
And what are you willing up to?
What are you willing to give up to get him?
Right.
That's what that's that's all about ojo yeah you have the capital you have the cap flexibility and you have the draft capital to go to satisfy
but but think about this even if you do have the capital
who are you gonna who are you gonna go get that's gonna make a difference that's gonna make a change that can put a dent in some of the issues that you have right now i mean who
It would have to be, it would still have to be a big name.
It would still have to be a name that's going to cost you because anything else outside of that and just going to be another body and i don't mean that in a disrespectful way it's just going to be another body that's it taking up space not someone that can actually make a difference for you defensively and change the trajectory look oh i'm messing up my words trajectory of your defense
look if i'm cleveland if i'm cleveland jerry give me three first rounders and a second round pick i'll give you miles garrett
well then you put yourself right back in the same situation you would have been in if you had kept Micah and paid Micah.
So you right back in the same boat, claiming
this is not what we needed.
You said we got better.
Jerry said we got better when we let Micah go.
If I put my finger to Jerry's back and says, who's better, Micah or Miles Garrett?
Who you think Jerry's going to say?
Miles Garrett.
Okay.
Am I wrong or am I right?
Yeah, you're right.
I believe he'll say Miles Garrett.
I get what you're saying, too.
You're saying, well, okay, you gave up all that, what you acquired, so you got a very similar player.
But I believe Jerry believes that Miles Garrett is an upgrade of some staff.
I'm not saying head over heels.
I'm not saying two, but I believe he believes he's an upgrade over Michael Parsons.
Well, then it would still be the same thing because also he said, I let Michael Parsons go because when we did have him, we didn't win the Super Bowl.
So are you saying Michael Parsons is going to be the one to come here and change?
My Miles Garrett is going to be the one to come here and change that?
Are you going to win the Super Bowl?
Are you going to get close to winning the Super Bowl?
I'm trying to find difference makers
that
could help the Cowboys.
You have
a difference maker?
Okay, Trey Hendrickson, do you believe Hendrickson's available?
Is Jeffrey Simmons?
I don't know.
We'll find out.
Hold on.
The 15th.
So
we're about 19 days.
We're about three weeks away from finding out what's going to be available.