PMS 2.0 1431 - TNF Preview, Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule, Mike McCarthy, Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti, Andrew Whitworth, & AJ Hawk

Hello, beautiful people and welcome to our Hum of the Boat, The Thunderdome.

On this NFL Week 7 kickoff Thursday, October 16th, 2025, this program begins now.

Football is magical when the NFL kicks off its seventh week this evening as an AFC North battle will take over Amazon Prime.

Kirk and I will be on the call as Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco.

You know, a couple OGs in the league, a couple old guys, made men, if you will, Super Bowl champions, people that have made over hundreds of millions of dollars playing football will lead two teams that they are very new to.

One, very, very, very new to.

The other in his first season as the quarterback and commander of the offense that is doing better than it has done over the last seven years.

Aaron Rodgers looks good.

And here's a little stat that came from Hembo this morning.

This Pittsburgh Steelers offense, they're number one in the league in Yak yardage.

Okay.

Okay.

Seven point something average Yak for every single pass.

Cincinnati Bengals Bengals defense, worst in the league in giving up Yak.

I don't know if that's tackling or coverage or angles or leverage, but we do know that potentially what the Pittsburgh Steelers do well on offense, the Cincinnati Bengals defense does not do well at all.

Actually, worst in the league.

First versus worst.

Anytime you see that type of stuff, you have to wonder what it's going to look like.

And then on the flip side of that, Cincinnati Bengals offensive line hasn't really been able to protect any of the quarterbacks that play quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, which is not a good thing because that's what the offensive line is supposed to do.

That's right.

Then you think about, well, who's rushing a passer tonight?

Well, it's a lot of guys.

You got big Cam Hayward, his head, the size of that stadium they're going into.

And we know Andrew Whitworth is a ruler of the jungle, but Cam Hayward's head alone could rule a jungle.

Okay, that's how big his head is.

And then you got Herbig Oos

coming into his absolute own.

And then TJ Watt.

He didn't have a great PFF rating.

Okay, not even the best in his own game at one point.

But he's coming off a fresh ass beating of the Cleveland Browns.

It seems like this defensive line could want to hunt.

Then you think about Jalen Ramsey.

What a perfect offseason pickup for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they spend money for the first time, long time, and pay people a lot of cash to come join what they have and seemingly go all in.

They've already had a bye week.

They're 4-1 right now, looking to become 5-1.

They'd be the third team in the NFL to become as such.

And that could happen in a divisional game that is kind of reminiscent of the entire division.

Cleveland Browns, they are what they is.

Okay.

They are what they is.

Tony Rizzo will tell you what they is.

That's right.

And we appreciate the hell out of Tony Rizzo.

The Baltimore Ravens, boy.

Uh-oh.

What the hell is going on over there?

Yikes.

They should be good on paper whenever they're healthy.

Are they ever going to be healthy?

Is this a year where they're like the San Francisco 49ers and they're just not healthy?

They just happen to not have any good fortune from the football gods.

So are they going to stink forever or maybe they make a run late here when Lamar Jackson comes back after the buy, which is certainly possible.

And then the Cincinnati Bengals team, I mean, they're on the third quarterback.

They traded in there on Division Joe Flack that doing his thing.

Trey Hendrickson, the the whole offseason storyline, what's going to happen with him?

He was the odd man out that wasn't paid.

Well, he had a back issue.

Now it's his hip thing he's on the injury report for.

Trey Hendrickson, hip, he is questionable for tonight's Thursday night football.

He's obviously a valuable piece to that defense.

If he's playing on a short week after an injury on Sunday, if he's playing on a short week, that's obviously better for them than worse for him.

But whenever you look at everything going on between these two teams,

it's hard not to be like five and a half doesn't feel like enough.

True.

But boy, oh boy, these sports books have been been winning.

Let's go to one half of the hammer.

Don, Cowboys, A.P.

Tone, you are a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, obviously, through and through.

Not a University of Pittsburgh fan, but a Pittsburgh Steelers fan through and through.

And five and a half for the Pittsburgh Steelers with the way these storylines are.

And there's a stat, obviously, that's been floating around.

I think our show might have even started it off of Hembo's brain.

And we're not claiming that.

Everybody says the same shit on TV in different ways.

Mike Tomlin is 0-6, okay, or something in the division on Thursday night football.

That is a very real stat.

Like, there's coaches that are very good after bye weeks.

Tomlin's one of them, I believe.

There's a lot of like situational games that coaches are good at and coaches are bad at.

Thursday night football against divisional opponents, opponents that know you very well, is not good for Tomlin.

It has not voted well.

But in this case, this is brand new Bengals.

Joe Flacco is playing for the Bengals now.

He's played everywhere else.

What do people say here?

What is the percentage of money on this particular game?

And how do you feel as a Pittsburgh Steelers?

So to your point, Coach Tomlin, 15-4 after a buy after last week.

So he's good in those situations.

Thursday nights in general, 2-9 on Thursday nights, just in general, on the road against the division opponent, 0-6.

So that is the situation tonight.

The spread is Steelers minus 5.5.

The money,

51% is on the Bengals tonight.

So maybe they're seeing the stats.

I'll take Steelers minus 5.5.

Is that 51%?

So I would be on the minority here?

Yes.

Yeah.

Okay, that's what I wanted to do this week anyways.

That was my entire move this week because I've been getting my ass beat by the NFL book.

And I've been thinking alongside everybody else been thinking.

And how have bets gone that have everybody else has been thinking, Tone, this year?

So 60% or more.

We're looking at 15 and 36 now.

Teams that are getting 60% or more are 15 and 36.

And the 60% or more bets are the obvious ones that we think.

Yes.

Correct.

This is a very good team taking on poop team.

This ain't enough.

This is what's going to happen.

So we all get excited about it.

I've been riding that wave.

And I decided this week, don't pass line, no pass line.

Okay.

Okay.

You guys are rolling the dice.

I'm sitting with the house.

Okay.

I'm looking for you to hit a seven.

Okay.

That is what I am waiting on this week.

That is one of my main things I'm looking at because it feels like these sports books.

And, you know, there's always like a,

the public will come back.

The public will come back.

Sure.

That's always the thought.

What if AI has gotten too damn good?

What if we don't come back?

I mean, last year, the public started the hottest they've ever been in the history of sports books.

And then the books got back at the end of the season.

Now the books have been hot to start this season.

And obviously, you know, you know, the Mike.

I was wondering, like, why are the Bengals 51% or whatever?

You know, maybe people have seen the Mike Tomlin trend.

There's a lot of people who still don't believe in the Steelers.

Also on primetime games this year.

Favorites have lost six of the last seven on primetime so far this year.

Dogs are now 12, 9, and 1 straight up.

So dogs this year on primetime have a winning record.

They're 15-7 against the spread at night.

That's the the first time since 2002 that dogs are over 500 on primetime after week six.

Let's go to the tail of the tape.

A lot of numbers coming out here.

A lot of records.

Look at these.

Yeah.

What is this?

Four and one.

Don't look at it.

I'm not looking at it.

Don't look at it.

I don't want to look.

I don't want to look out.

Don't listen to stats.

Look how bad the Bengals look.

But also, there's a lot of big double digits on the left side, too.

Forget that.

The number on the left, the biggest it can be is three.

You're right.

Okay.

So you're seeing a lot of twos in there.

It's like, I didn't know any of this, especially after watching them.

They look so efficient.

But you can pluck stats that you want to make the case.

Bingo.

You can pluck.

Now, I'm hearing a lot of stats that are potentially going away.

I'm thinking, against the way I'm thinking, because for me,

Aaron and Tomlin, okay?

Aaron, we can say, right, one of the best offensive minds in the history of football.

No doubt.

Okay.

Old school West Coast offense.

Been able to run a has seen it all, has done it all.

He's been around forever.

I'm not saying he's the only one who's played football for a long time.

That's quarterback position.

I think everybody that plays quarterback for 20 years in the NFL should be deemed a great offensive mind.

And I think if they were all to retire and do any media or break down the things, we'd all say, wow, that's really smart.

It's like, yeah, Drew Brees is doing that shit right now.

Drew Brees, great offensive mind.

Okay.

And whenever he's saying shit, it's like, hey, wow.

This guy knows this time.

Yeah, it's like, no shit.

This guy completed like 75 straight passes or whatever it is.

So let's assume Aaron, good offensive mind.

Artie Smith, right, has shown to have great success on the offensive side.

Tomlin, good defensive mind.

I think we can all agree on forever.

Austin, decoordinator, right?

Yeah.

Good.

So I think this year they feel Cam Hayward, Jalen Ramsey on that side of the ball.

I think they feel as if like there's a lot of good minds coming in.

Don't it feel like they're kind of changing each week?

It feels like they're getting better and better.

And then you go back to Jalen Ramsey whenever he was on the pivot from training camp.

And he said, whenever I heard what Aaron's why was, I was

all in.

It's like they all have the same mindset.

And it feels like it is very much a fuck everybody mindset that's happening and kind of going all in.

So I think they only get only going to get better and better each week.

So I think this Thursday night trend doesn't really fit because this is a brand new Steelers team.

Like this is not the same old Steelers.

It is a very different Steelers team, I think.

So yeah, and you say that, and that's what I like, that's what I want tonight because the same old Steelers team of the last five years

would play with them tonight, would have to win on a last-second field goal.

It would look ugly.

Like Ty last week wanted the Green Bay Packers to come out of the bye and bury the Bengals, and they did not.

And he was not happy with that game.

Now, on this Thursday night football, I would love the Steelers to come and bury the Bengals tonight.

Let's get on to the next week.

So, if it's a situation where it's close and they're hanging around, but like, yeah, we're there's a chance we're going to be disappointed tonight.

Like, I would love for them to just put this one away, look like a good football team, and we can all be happy.

And on the flip side, ruler of the jungle, Andrew Williams back in time, big Joey Flack is back

jack at home again the place is gonna be going crazy joe flacco's first night bangles game oh my in the jungle i think it's white i think it's a white out too oh joey flack he's gonna love that he's gonna be all over the place jamar chase is gonna go crazy you know he's already expecting a tough one a very tough one a raw tough one.

Yeah, you're right.

That is what he is expecting on it.

It's going to be a physical fight, we would assume.

It's AFC North football.

But the Bengals, where they're at in the conversation around them, it sucks for them.

Okay.

Anytime your

multiple hundred million dollar quarterback gets hurt and your entire offense is hinges upon him and everybody you paid is hinging upon him doing his job perfectly.

Anytime that person's missing, you're in a bad spot.

So we have a lot of empathy for the Cincinnati Bengals.

That sucks that that happens.

God speed to Joey Burrow, by the way.

We love watching him play football, but he's kind of their thing.

So the negative narrative about the Cincinnati Bengals, I think is a valid one whenever people talk about them on the field.

But on that note, you get a couple of these wins.

Zach, keep the boys motivated.

Without a doubt.

You know, you can really flip it.

Now, if you lose this one, primetime bad, you got Trey Hendrickson still looming before the trade deadline here.

Like, hey, this is the final year on contract.

You might be able to get something for him.

Okay, you might be able to get something for him here as opposed to just letting him walk in free agency after this season, which is what you guys agreed to whenever you added $13 million to his contracts.

So it's like a lot of shit can happen tonight after this game, I think, in the AFC North.

Yeah, I agree.

It's almost like, you know, if they win, I don't want to say delay in the inevitable, but like you said, like Trey Hendrickson's name is mentioned in every single trade deadline piece.

Like ESPN just put out one today.

They're already pontificating, like, hey, well, Bengals lose tonight.

Does Trey Hendrickson get traded to a team like Detroit who, you know, like is really buying?

So, I mean, but I'll tell you what, like, the Bengals came out and they played with the Packers last week.

They looked more alive than they had in several weeks.

So maybe you're thinking, hey, you know,

shot in the arm with Joe Flacco here.

Let's go win some football games.

Who do you like?

You were pretty animated as there was a lot of stats being set.

Yeah, I think now, and Big Mike is going to talk about it later when he comes on, but he sent over some stuff he wanted to mention.

And I think one of the things specifically is kind of just about, hey, the teams are what they are now.

We're not in the, hey, let's figure out who we are.

We're middle of October now.

And I love the all-white jerseys.

I mean, that damn near flipped me.

But it is AFC North football.

It's O-line, D-line.

And that's all that really, how we, thank you.

That's all that really matters when it comes to these type of games.

So you add in the Rodgers factor.

I think Tomlin was really pissed about Flacco because he knew, hey, if we got a bite out of the Jake Browning apple, we don't even have to get ready for this game.

Now I actually do have to go coach a little bit during the week to get ready for Joey Flacc.

But the Jamar thing, I mean, Joey Flacco has been talking about how awesome it is.

Like, Jamar Chase is great.

Like, I mean, he can do anything.

I basically just throw it up to him.

Tomlin's going to probably double, triple Jamar Chase.

Maybe let T.

Higgins go off tonight.

The two tight ends that are out, that's big, but the Bengals do have Noah Fant, who they got in free agency.

So probably a huge night for him if he's getting used.

If Flacco can get rid of the ball, I really don't know if the Steelers D-line, after Tomlin comes out and buries the entire trade, is going to let that fly.

So as of a few moments ago, ESPN Bett moves to four and a half.

So everywhere else still at five and a half.

ESPN Bett currently minus four and a half.

So if you would like to bet on the Steelers, ESPN Bett currently has minus four and a half for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Everybody else is still at minus five and a half.

I think that was a good move by us getting that up so quickly.

That's good work in the back there.

ESPN Bet right now, minus four and a half for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If you like the Steelers, that's probably a good place to go.

The village.

What do we think?

What do we think of it?

Put the village on it, people.

We don't know.

No, no, don't say that.

Don't say that.

Yeah, do not say that.

Yeah, we need to knock it into that.

But just from our football minds, and tomorrow's show could be a lot of, see, that's why we don't know shit.

I'm sorry.

Yeah, it could be a lot of that.

That is daily football.

That is daily sports conversations because these games can go so many different ways.

But right in my mind, when I woke up, I guess it was a couple of days, saw the early spread.

And then this morning, morning, day of spread, what it is.

And I saw it.

I'm just so confused.

This is just something that it's like, this feels like two very opposite teams, two very different vibes, two everything else.

And everything I believe in is like vibes of team matter.

That's like kind of my thing.

Like team matters.

And they are all locked in in Pittsburgh.

They are Super Bowl-minded.

That is all goal is.

Every work, I'm not saying that they're not a Cincinnati Bengals still working their asses off.

They're professionals.

And a lot of them are at the top of the world at what they do.

So they want to continue to do that.

So I'm not saying that they're mailing it in.

But boy, it's a lot different feeling whenever you're going for a Super Bowl with a lot of great people around you and everybody is trying to handle their business.

In the past, there might be some positions of maybe guys that don't know how hard it is to make it to the Super Bowl or how hard it is to win a game.

So maybe they take a week for granted.

And for granted, it means just like losing focus on a couple different situations and that turning an entire game.

Now for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it feels like in a lot of very important positions, there's guys that have been around and they know how hard it is to get to the mountaintop and how hard it is to win games just in general.

So I think there's a different, I don't know, just from looking outside in, feels like it's a whole different mindset in Pittsburgh.

Yeah, I mean, you had the leadership was there, but then you bring in Slay, won a Super Bowl last year.

Jalen Ramsey knows what it takes to get there.

Aaron Rodgers obviously knows what it takes to get there.

So like on every level, every side of the ball, they've added leadership that knows what it takes.

DK obviously is a closer.

They paid him $30 million a year.

He's never played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That is the most wild move I think we've seen the Pittsburgh Steelers ever do.

Pay somebody from the opposite side of the country, obviously, when you say that, but pay a guy that has never been a Steeler more money

than all of the people that you have in the building because Pittsburgh is so old school.

It's like a university, like a college.

Like, hey, you come here, this is what it is.

And then alumni come back and they still do it.

It's like very abnormal for outsider to get all money from inside building because how much they believe in building.

And it's worked out very well.

And Aaron, obviously, taking

10 million or whatever it is, that has helped out immensely as well.

We could pay a lot of our quarterback 10 million bucks and he's first ballot hall of famer guy.

Like that is quite an advantage and an asset to have while they're building this roster as well, which which once again goes back to like, I feel like this team's trying to get to the mountaintop.

This team's just trying to literally survive right now.

So

I don't know anything, I guess, is what I'm learning whenever I look at these things.

Well, when you're talking about like having a different feeling, like it's, I have a different feeling seeing Trey Hendrickson on the injury report.

Normally in the years past,

you see Trey Hendrickson on there, whatever.

He's going to play, sure.

Now, I mean, with the injury changing

24 hours ago, it was a back, like you said, now it's a hip.

I have a different feeling with Trey on the the injury report.

It's like, why would he?

We got to be wrong.

I don't think so.

I think at this point, especially with how you've been seeing the board in college, I see that kind of now coming over the injuries.

I hope that's the case.

Yeah.

It's going to be a good game.

Hopefully.

I don't think so.

See why?

But yeah, go ahead.

Unfortunately, it will be.

And you're saying that as obviously Steeler fan.

And I'm saying it as a person that just let off our show for the first 16 minutes going, I don't see how this is even a game tonight.

So I do apologize to the people of Cincinnati, and I'm excited to say AFC North football.

And I'm excited we're going to get to see a team that is, this team is constructed to go all in.

This is just like baseball that's happening right now.

Okay, so we talked about this earlier in the think tank over there.

If the Dodgers go on a winnest again, there's going to be a real call for a conversation about a salary cap in baseball because the team that has just spent the most money now, and obviously the Mets have, and it has not worked out for them.

They didn't even make the playoffs.

But if the Dodgers here go back to back and just become a dominant franchise, and they're also the only ones that are are spending the amount of money that they're spending on everything that they're doing, well, all the other franchises might then agree, okay, yeah, we need to maybe go ahead and handle this.

Now, the players are going to have to buy into that as well.

And there's players that have multiple $100 million deals that are already been signed.

And there's guys that are up for multiple $100 million deals that are potentially the next generation.

How do you get them to agree?

It's a wild, wild west over there in MLB, but they're trying to kind of corral that right now.

But I personally, if there is no rules against it, I like that the Dodgers are spending more money than everybody in trying trying to win.

I like the Texas Tech down there, obviously in the Big 12.

I like that they had people that were like, hey, we'll spend money.

They spend a lot of money.

It's working out.

I like whenever people try.

I like whenever people invest.

I like whenever people put money where their mouth is, especially in a competitive atmosphere that you're allowed to do and go for it.

Now, the counter to that is, well, how many of those owners exist, though?

Like, and it's like, well, that.

That sucks for them.

Then you think to yourself, so it sucks for the Pittsburgh Pirates forever because this guy's alive.

Yeah.

And it's like, yeah, kind of.

That is.

So then people are like, well, don't you think we should put some guides, guidelines, a little bit of rules on it?

And me is now looking at it from that front.

It's like, yeah, you're right.

The people of Pittsburgh shouldn't be punished for their entire lives because they have an owner that can never keep up with somebody else.

It's like, well, get a better owner.

It's like, this fucking guy won't sell.

Okay, this guy.

Ever.

This guy will not sell.

He's been offered.

They've tried.

There's been chance.

He's taking pictures of people wearing sell the team shirts right next to him and smiles in the picture and goes, no, not damn it.

I'm going to continue to just cash these checks.

So in Seven Springs, we thought maybe he was going to do a sell-off.

I'm selling everything I own.

He, nope, he actually came out.

Hey, guys, back with the Pirates.

Did a lap around town.

Did the entire thing.

So the people at Pittsburgh now are just going to have to pay for that, I guess, forever is kind of the opposite argument.

Like, because I have respect for the teams.

Big time, yeah.

I like that.

Just as a athlete, former athlete, and also a person that enjoys sports and enjoys like competitors and greatness.

It's like the people that spend every every moment of their life trying to be great.

They're more committed than other people.

I like whenever they have success.

The people that are willing to do what other people aren't willing to do with whatever to make it happen.

It's like, I like when that happens.

Now, if it backfires, I like that too.

That's like, you dip shit.

Yeah.

I enjoy those moments as well.

But baseball has to figure that out.

And are the Dodgers going to win this thing again?

Is that what it feels like at this moment?

I mean, it looks like that right now.

But like you said, like there is the flip side of it.

Like, you know, because guess what?

If you spend all that money and you don't win, like the Mets, like your ass is on the line big time.

You invested so much money and you're not reaping any of that.

So it's like, you know, the Dodgers kind of realize that it's just like, hey, you know, it's just money.

If we keep winning, like, we will make more money.

So I, you know, like, I saw someone sent that into the group this morning.

I have no idea how this plays out.

Because, like you said, there are multiple teams who kind of do it this way.

The Dodgers have just done it better than everyone else.

And right now, even with what happened last night.

in Seattle, like it's hard to envision a team being able to beat the Dodgers because they have so much money.

They're just so deep.

They have so many players who are good.

So if guys get hurt, it doesn't matter.

You know, they can just add and add and add at the deadline.

So we'll see what happens.

Well, and like the Mets, that guy's ass is on the line.

But even, you know, any sport, you spend a bunch of money, it doesn't work.

Yeah.

Your ass is on the line.

So like it is the difference.

Penn State.

Exactly.

Exactly.

So like, yeah, you get fired.

Yeah, you get fired.

And the difference, I guess, in MLB, which is crazy, in the MLB, is like

the money difference is just massive, right?

Like the Dodgers or the Mets guy, he spent a ton of money, so he's in the shit.

But as a Red Sox fan, there's been guys who haven't spent that much money, and then the players they get haven't been good.

And guess what?

That guy's still in the shit, no matter whether it's $100 million or $700 million.

$229 million difference between the Dodgers and Brewers in their payroll this year.

Right.

And I think that's what people really is like there, because there are certain players who teams like the Pirates or the Brewers might be like, hey, we'd be willing to give this guy $100 million or $120 million for seven years.

And the Dodgers can basically just come in and be like, oh, well, shit, we'll just, we'll give him 175 over seven years.

So it's like that.

300.

Yeah, we're 300.

You know, there is no convert.

It's just like, hey, if they want a guy bad enough, they can offer him more money than anyone else.

So that's why you guys, you baseball people, whenever Paul Skeens is happening, you say, he's going to be a Yankee in three years.

Or somebody says, he's going to be now a Dodger in three years.

Or it used to be a Red Sox.

Was it a Red Sox?

Yeah, I've been pitching.

Yeah, Red Sox do pay a lot.

But in this particular case, I'm saying as soon as you see a young, good player, when his contract is up, especially in a small market team, you know what teams are going to be in.

Like Mets are going to be there.

Yes.

Yankees are going to be there.

You know what the guy is going to command.

It's like, hey, he could be the best pitcher ever.

He's going to, he's super young.

He's going to get $400 to $500 million.

And there are only a handful of teams who can actually, actually do that.

Can you tell us what happened in baseball last night?

Was there games?

There wasn't.

Oh, yeah, there was.

Yeah, we watched it, didn't we?

We were talking about it.

I loved it, dude.

Vladdy.

I mean, I might get a Vlad jersey because Vlad's hotter than a stove, brother.

He went four for four.

Die.

Yankees lose.

That's Vladdy Daddy, right?

If we're talking about the right guy, that is Vladdy Daddy.

And last night, you know, a lot of people saying, hey, this series is over.

Well, let me tell you what.

The Blue Jays went out and hit five home runs

and absolutely assaulted Seattle in Seattle.

They started in the top of the second.

Andres Jimenez ties out.

He's their nine-hitter.

He's not that great.

So when you got production from those guys, you know it's going to be a special night.

Then George Springer in the top of the fourth solo shot off George Kirby, who was Seattle starter.

And then here's Vladdy.

Straight away.

Yeah.

He was, and this has kind of been the big thing.

He was 0 for 7 in the first two games in this series.

And you could probably point to that why the Blue Jays were losing.

He was 4 for 4 last night.

And then Big Tubby, Alejandro Kirk, he lost.

Big Tubb?

That's not his nickname.

That's kind of just what I call him.

Big Tubb?

Yeah, Big Tubb, Big Wobble Body, whatever you want to call him.

And then a little bit later, Addison Barger rounds out the scoring with another solo homer.

So there are eight homers hit in that game last night between the two teams.

So it wasn't very close, but it was very entertaining to watch.

And now the Blue Jays,

this will be a little bit of a fight.

It's 2-1.

There's two more games tonight for both sides.

Toronto, LA would be good for baseball, bad for baseball.

See, I don't know.

Is there anything that's necessarily bad for

baseball?

Or

whenever we did the NBA stuff and the Pacers beat the Knicks,

you know, we were like kind of forced to read about all the stats about the amount of people you're going to lose out on and viewers and ratings like that.

Because the casual Knicks fan, you're going to lose out on, there's a lot of people that are in that area.

There's a lot of people in that market.

So if you lose New York out of anything, it's not going to be great news.

That's why the NFL would love if one of these teams over there would figure it the fuck out.

Yeah.

They would love that.

Just because

the amount of humans that are just in that area that would happen to watch if it was on a primetime game, the casuals, if you will, is a big deal.

For baseball, LA being a part of it is obviously.

That's really all that matters, I think.

Like, I don't know.

I mean, I know like Blue Jays fans are a big deal.

For me, being American, like, I do not want to see a team from Canada win the World Series.

Like, it just, just kind of the way it is.

Like, and I don't think, I mean, Toronto's a big market, obviously.

So, like, you know, people will care about that.

But really, I think the MLB is just thinking, like, hey, we just need the Dodgers to make the World Series.

Otherwise, yeah, we might be getting the Thunder and Pacers treatment going into it.

Whoa, Tyrese, Megastar.

Congrats to Netflix.

They have the...

Netflix Sports, I don't think, has a clue what they're doing, but the stuff that they got going on ends up good.

Yeah.

So I think that's

so maybe they do know what they're doing.

Congratulations on starting five.

We've seen some clips.

We've talked to Tyrees, obviously, throughout this entire process of him filming.

He said the filming and everything has been nothing but like first class, very cool, very thankful.

And he shared a lot of very intimate moments with them.

And obviously his run, I'm happy that he got it like documented.

Because that was special, man.

So cool.

Like what Tyrese was going through, all the way back from like Olympic.

You go through Olympics all the way through.

He had some struggles.

He was hurt.

He wasn't in shape.

He was hurt.

like there was times there and carlisle's team runs you know and then the all-star break happens and he comes back and then everything that just kind of leads to it all and then that magical playoff run where he just showed the world what he had been doing here in indiana for a while i think people are just kind of getting it uh woken up to it just like the indiana hoosers football team i don't think the world like sees it we just so happen to be here so we literally see it all whenever it's happening if i didn't live in indianapolis would i know tyrees and everything he's about probably not we just so happen to live live here.

He's awesome.

Dude's a great superstar.

He's like a perfect face for our team.

He's trying out new hairstyles.

Now he's going through

his rehab of his Achilles.

Yeah, forward.

He's kind of in, what's that called whenever you're kind of locked in?

Quarantine.

No, yeah, but

something

when you're locked in.

Stir crazy.

Stress.

So cabin fever.

Cabin fever.

Yeah, whenever you're like locked in.

Yeah, he's in the middle of rehab.

He's looking for anything right now.

So we got new hair.

We got new this.

We got to do this.

He's getting through it with a very positive mindset, but he is

special.

And then obviously the access that they're going to be able to get to somebody Kevin Durant's in there.

It's like, that's GOAT.

Yeah.

That's like a GOAT conversation guy.

And he doesn't really do a lot of shit.

You know, he talks to Kay, I think, a couple of different times throughout the season.

Kay Adams on Up and Adams.

He did the David Letterman.

My next guest is.

That was dope to obviously listen to.

And he does some other stuff, I think, with his boardroom company, with Rich and that.

But you don't really see a lot of Kevin Durant.

You know, he kind of moves kind of differently than everybody else.

Not scared to mix it up on the internet, obviously.

He is a legitimate megastar and a goat when it comes to basketball.

I hope they show some of the stuff from the Olympics when he just took over for our country.

That was incredible.

So all of this.

And then obviously SGA, like guy just won MVP.

Greatest season ever.

Of all times.

It just got broken off.

It should be very good.

I think this should be incredible from at least from what we've seen and what we know of who they're shooting.

Yeah, dude, the Olympic stuff.

I mean, that's such a good point.

Imagine the KD and Ant

and that relationship on the Olympics, them going to the steps after they always won.

And then like Jalen Brown, he wins the finals and then doesn't get picked for the Olympics.

Like, I wonder if they have stuff like that.

SGA with Canada would be so cool.

And then what's Jimmy Harden doing?

What does he do?

Yeah,

we don't even need him on the court.

What does James Harden do?

That's all I want to know.

But yeah, that'll be awesome.

And like the Tyrese stuff, the clip of him and Reggie Miller that's already been kind of released, like that, I mean, it gives you chills just thinking about what, going back to when that happened for, you know, Tyrese and his Achilles and everything.

And then just the mindset that, you know, Reggie Miller kind of walks you through that Tyrese might have been going through when he's deciding whether or not he's playing game seven or not.

It's like, I mean, I'm getting chills right now just talking about it just because of what did happen, you know, because Reggie Miller says, like, go back to game six.

Look at what happens in game six, and then go to game seven and look what he did, you know, like that is a shit.

It really is.

It's good for Tyrese to be able to see it, though, too.

Yeah.

You know, like later in life, kids, yeah.

Relive it, you know, because it was a magical run.

And he, you know, he has the mindset of, I can't live with the what ifs.

Because

what if he drops 45 in game seven.

Looked like he was going to.

Yeah, a thousand percent.

Yeah.

That's etched in history forever, this dude.

He went crazy.

Had five game winners throughout the season.

Greatest run ever ever yeah

and then in game seven of the finals last game he goes for 45 which was possible while being injured already going in triple double which i'll be excited to see what they cover of that whole process too when he was hurt how much was hurt what was happening the decision of him going and playing whenever i assume there are some people saying like don't do this don't think you should go right now and him like yeah right dude he's playing out there like he's a megastar he's a superstar we are very thankful that he is in our city.

Now, before we get too much further, we have to cover a couple things that have hit.

And then we got an interview with Matt Rule from this morning before he traveled to Minnesota for tomorrow night's game that I think is a good convo about college ball.

But there's a video from Tua that a press conference that I think was handled incredibly well, I will say.

And maybe this is something that is good for the future of the Miami Dolphins.

All right, so

you know, I as a leader of this team, of the Miami Dolphins,

you know, the comments that had been said,

I would say I've 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

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,

you know, that 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, and I feel like I just added onto that for our guys.

You know, for myself, I got to look at myself as the 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.

Want to move forward.

And now I want to focus on the Cleveland Browns.

Got any questions?

I love that.

Incredible.

Opening statement.

That would have been the first five questions.

Obviously, this goes back to whenever he was talking about players on his team showing up later, not showing up at all to players-only meetings.

And everybody was like, hey, dude, shut up.

Like, we don't want to hear that.

You know, they talked about leadership being leaders and what they need and everything like that.

And everybody's like, hey, we don't want to hear that.

And then obviously every ex-NFL player, every ex-player is like, hey, don't need that.

So I assume that some of that creeped in there.

We appreciate the hell out of Tua immediately owning it.

and addressing it that way.

Maybe that's good news, Gumpy.

Maybe this is a good sign of things to come down there in Miami.

I think that's real leadership right there, what I just saw.

Yeah, for sure.

I would have, you know, maybe a little bit earlier, waited till Wednesday, let the coach get ahead of it and say he apologize as well.

But I liked what he said.

He's got a hurricane speak for him.

It's all about the you, babe.

On that note, let's talk about some college football.

We got a chance to catch up with head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers earlier today.

Riveting combo.

A lot of Penn State chatter in there.

Where is there?

We'll see.

Take a look.

Ladies and gentlemen, the head coach of the nebraska corn huskers who hey don't look now

everything is still sitting right out there in front of him ladies and gentlemen matt rules

all right let's talk about going on the road getting a win obviously didn't look good early you guys end up getting a dub how'd you what did you learn about your team and how do you feel coming out of maryland

Well, first of all, let me say this.

Maryland's got one of the best young quarterbacks in the country.

And we thought, hey, you know, we'll disguise on him.

We'll try to fool him.

Movan did get fooled.

Malik is a fantastic player.

And, you know, he got up

10-0 right off the bat.

And he brought him back.

We took the lead again.

They took it back.

And things didn't look good in the fourth quarter.

And we got two fourth stops, two 80-plus-yard drives.

It's the first time, Pat, in eight years that the Huskers have taken the ball on offense and gone down to win the game.

And so they seemed to love it.

They were excited about it.

We had 10,000 Husker fans out there.

It felt like a home game.

It was awesome.

I love that.

Your Nebraska fans are a real deal, huh, brother?

I mean, that is, I think we see that with the volleyball.

And obviously, we know from Yes Man, I know it from Yes Man, where Jim Carrey goes and loses his mind in it.

But it's like, it's kind of just chatted about, hey, like the Nebraska fans are very loyal, very passionate, and they show up for their team, even in the thin times, through the thick times.

Right now, with how you guys are building, is there a different level of energy coming from them or is this who they are all the time, Coach?

This is who they are.

I mean, I knew we would have a good crowd because when I was looking at this job two years ago in 2022, or three years ago in 22, when, you know, the coach had been let go, they weren't going to make a bowl game.

They went to Rutgers and there has a huge contingent there.

Like it's one thing when people make the hour-long car ride, but our fans flew from all over the country to come into Maryland and be there for that game.

And so they deserve to have a good team because they've been there, as you said, they've been there for 60 years showing up every single week.

And now we're trying to show up with them.

It's like an hour and a half before the game, too.

They're in there, right?

It's like the stadium is the hangout this is the tailgate we are in here together right isn't that kind of the story over there yeah in the state of nebraska on on home saturdays uh the memorial stadium is the third largest city behind omaha and lincoln and so it just uh it's it's unreal and uh they're good fans like it's nebraska nice we we take care of the other team we care about the other team they they cheer for good football and and they travel with us so we know it's a friday night in in uh in minnesota you know you're on the road at least you know that you're going to have uh husker nation show up do you guys have any cool things like doing a national anthem with the Kansas City Chiefs where you know exactly at an away game how many Chiefs fans are in there when it's in the home.

And you got the home team just like, yeah, it's great to be home here.

There's not a lot of Chiefs fans in here, you know?

And then you hear a third of the stadium, cheek.

And it's like, oh, shit, they're out here right now.

What are the Nebraska Chants?

I don't think I know what the chants are.

So we're sitting out.

I'm sitting.

So Maryland has a small locker room.

So I literally, Daniel Horgers and I sat outside on the grass like fans were just could have heckled us if they wanted we just sat outside for like the two hours before the game and like the 30 minutes before they would even let fans in you could hear go big red chants out in the parking lot like they were at the at the gates waiting for them to unlock the gates to be able to go in and take over the stadium and so you hear go big red go big red you feel like you feel like you're at home but That idea, that Chief's idea

about the national anthem, that might be something Husker Nation will pick up because they can crush it.

I'm Tony.

It is a good tone setter.

in an away game, too, it's like a good temperature check.

Like, hey, how many people are here?

You know, like Steelers fans all have terrible towels.

So you can see them immediately upon away games before the game even starts.

Like, hey, what's it going to be like in here tonight?

And then the Chiefs getting that thunder boom right at the beginning in somebody else's house is beautiful.

Happy to hear your fans did that.

Let's talk about Friday night action against Minnesota.

Obviously, another Big Ten matchup.

What are your thoughts on their program?

You know, PJ Flex been there for a very long time.

Obviously, you guys have everything still very much in front of you.

Your only losses to Michigan, it was three points.

So if you win out, which looking at your schedule and your team, certainly possible.

One game at a time, though, coach.

Let's not get too crazy ahead of ourselves.

One game at a time.

What are your thoughts going into Friday night's game against Minnesota and where your team sits currently at and your messaging to them about the possibilities?

Yeah, I think the thing about our team is just, hey, the last few games, we've been up 14-0 and 10-0,

and we've allowed the other team to get back in it.

So we're still kind of playing up and down, riding the highs and lows.

And, you know, we have the youngest team in the Big Ten.

And so this,

that's not an excuse.

You just have to teach them.

You have to teach them like when you're up 14-0, don't go out there smiling and relax and let them score and make it 14-7.

Put them away.

And so we're trying to just put together a complete 60 minutes and not have to have Dylan and the defense and Isaiah and them go down and win the game in the last seconds.

But that being said, Minnesota has been down double digits in its two Big Ten wins and they've come back.

And, you know, PJ Fleck, I respect him immensely.

I've gotten to know him personally over the years.

He teaches his kids how to play football at a high level.

We also teaches them as men.

They're like, they're really, I love them coming out in the draft.

And so I know they're going to be tough.

I know they're going to be sound.

They have a redshirt freshman quarterback playing his seventh game who's dynamic and they have a great defense.

And so

it'll be a great football game for everyone to watch on national TV.

What is it?

October 17th, the game?

What'll the weather be?

Minnesota, it's going to be cold.

It's so raining.

Yeah.

Have you seen.

Go out

no

they said a little rain so we practiced luckily it rained here for two days we practiced outside in the rain and you know it doesn't really bother our guys and it's supposed to be in the 60s maybe dip down in the 50s I mean that's that's corn husker weather oh perfect football weather

I mean that's a great Friday night in the Midwest baby I like to hear that because like two weeks from now Minnesota

that's going

all the way down and you talk about PJ Fleck and getting to know him we got to know him at the beginning of his run here in Minnesota a little bit what a what a lightning rod of a human being.

Just necton mentality is what he talked about to us one of the first times he talked like a shark has necton mentality.

That isn't it.

And it's always hunting, like always moving forward, you know, and obviously the buy-in with the boat and everything.

And then whenever he was at, which Michigan was he at up there?

Western Michigan.

Western Michigan.

He was trying to build that program up and build them traditions.

So he was making videos in his office and sending them out to the students like, hey, on third down, we're all going to do this.

Okay.

We're going to go boom, boom, boom.

And then we're all going to go like this on third down.

We're trying to make this place tough.

It's like the way he approaches it, former player, obviously, and the way he attacks it, it felt like he had a special rocket on his back.

And now he's been in Minnesota for some time.

Game Day was there

2019,

2020.

It's like, it's an interesting dilemma there for like a lot of teams, especially in the Big Ten, whenever it's been so dominated by two teams.

It's like, what's success?

What isn't success?

Which then immediately leads to your hometown.

And I don't want to have to distract you here because obviously you're in the middle of a season and you've already answered this about how much, like, hey, that's my hometown.

Like, I want to, I love that place.

Like, I always will.

Everybody loves their alma mater.

That conversation is only going to heat up around you, you assume.

And you said before, like, hey, this is what happens.

I was at Temple, I was at Baylor, anywhere you have success.

This type of shit happens.

I'm used to this.

This is a good thing, not a bad thing.

That other people want our players, want our coaches, myself included.

That's kind of been your messaging.

You've been here before.

What does that look like for you with team, with everything, with how hot that's going to get in the kitchen, it seems like?

It's with my team, it's just unbridled honesty.

Tell them the truth.

Tell them exactly the truth and don't BS them because they'll know.

And

secondly, like, just out there, like, you know, this is it.

This is part of it.

Like, it's better than when I was in Carolina and they were chanting to fire me, right?

So it's better than being on every hot season.

So having other schools maybe be interested in you is critical.

And, but I don't do that during the season.

I don't mess around with that.

I don't play that.

And at the same time,

this is not a jumping off job.

This is a destination job.

This is one of the greatest places in the world.

This is a town of 300,000 people.

This isn't some, everyone says like Lincoln.

It's 300,000 people here in Lincoln.

Like I can do whatever I want here.

I have a great young team, the youngest team in the Big Ten.

Think about how good we'll be next year.

Now, I'm not thinking about next year, but where we are right now, like we're learning, learning, learning.

Think about where we're going to go with Dylan and all these guys.

So I refuse to be distracted.

At the same time, it's when it's your alma mater.

You have to show it love and respect.

And I hope, and I love Pat Krapp.

They'll find the right coach for them, whoever that is.

But like, this is a destination job that should be a national bully, that should be a beast.

And I think we're making our way to doing that.

Yeah.

And I think with the third year of Matt Rule at every place, I think that's a pretty good prediction.

And especially with the way you're going.

But if you lose every game going forward, because you're distracted with other shit, nobody's going to want to to hire your ass.

We got the Carolina Panther chance coming back.

That's exactly right.

And so I just, I tell my kids all the time, like, hey, you're one game away from either side of it.

So just stay right in the middle and just be who you are, man.

All right, next game, obviously Friday night.

Connor has a question for you.

Yeah, coach, with the Friday game.

How much does it change kind of your prep?

I know early on you guys already played during the week, but does it, you know, on Sunday, was that different just because you guys were a day behind?

Or what is the biggest difference between the Friday night game and Saturday night game when it comes to preparation during the week?

Oh, that's a great question.

You know, Monday is usually our day off.

And the captains, I met with the captains.

I was like, hey, guys, you know, we'll do a traditional Tuesday, you know, hard, old school, banging practice.

Wednesday will be the same way, just maybe a little less.

Thursday, we'll walk through, and normally we practice on Thursday.

So today we'll walk through, then we'll travel up to Minnesota, walk through again tomorrow and play the game.

But the captains voted.

They wanted meetings and walked through on Monday.

So I said, all right, if that's what you guys want, we'll do it.

So we just added a little bit on Monday.

They'll get Saturday off.

I told him, man, find a way to win the game.

There's no greater feeling than watching Pat McAfee on game day sitting on your couch like

a regular fan just enjoying the game.

I mean, so we got to go play well Friday night and they put the work in on Monday to get that done.

The games on Saturday have been electrifying.

Yeah.

So let alone watching Game Day, which we're, I am very lucky to be a part of.

And we love, I love that the show is a part of college football as a whole.

It's such a beautiful sport, man.

The tradition, the pageantry, everything.

Like, obviously, you've gone to to the NFL.

I, from Pittsburgh, which is the NFL town, only really understood the NFL world, the NFL lifestyle, the NFL fandom, everything like that.

Then obviously I got an incredibly lucky opportunity to play in it for eight years.

So it's like, I felt like I knew the NFL literally since birth, you know?

So then college football.

through the NFL, you start watching game day.

That's kind of like your dabble into college football.

Then you may travel with a teammate back to their university, go see what it's like for a game there.

Maybe you go hang out at another place and it's like, wait a minute, this this is a different this isn't like the nfl at all certainly same sport certainly same sport we get it they're playing football out there but the tradition and pageantry and environment and culture and buy-in that is in college football that you talked about with nebraska it's the greatest on earth and you can feel it through your tv every single saturday i mean a friday night obviously we'll be able to see it with your game but saturdays from when we start obviously because the fans everywhere we go which once again we're so thankful for are insane you hear the tradition you hear the pageantry through the fans there all the the way through the nightcap games, we've got some good West Coast teams playing right now.

All the way to like 1 a.m., college football is just throwing a fastball.

And it is, it's been spectacular.

On that note,

there's some conferences that are better than others, is what everybody's saying.

Ty has a question for you.

Yeah, that's what people would say, Coach.

And obviously, you're a Big Ten guy.

I'm a Big Ten guy, so we know how tough the Big Ten is.

But the national media wants to say, hey, listen, the SEC might get six teams in the playoff.

With what has happened to Penn State, the Big Ten is top heavy and then there's just a lot of shit underneath that.

What would you say to people who make that statement?

Because as we know, I mean, hey, listen, anybody can get anybody in the Big Ten every single week.

Yeah, I think there's a lot of partisanship throughout all that, right?

Like even like we beat Cincinnati and

at the end, they came back and made it a close game score-wise, and they did an excellent job.

And I'm a big Cincinnati fan, but they're voted ahead of us right now.

And they're voted ahead of us because for whatever reason, people might see them on a Saturday.

I would just say this.

Is anybody actually watching the film?

Is anybody actually watching the tape?

I watch some teams that are right and I'm like, that's not a very good football team.

I watch other teams and I say, man, that's an excellent football team.

What we've done in the Big Ten is we have basically propped up a couple teams and they've earned it.

Ohio State's earned it.

Don't get me wrong, but we haven't like the propaganda machine hasn't pushed the middle teams, the middle tier teams, the Illinois, even when Indiana got in last year and they deserved to get in.

It was kind of like, yeah, but because, you know, they've been in Indiana the last several several years.

But I mean, Lane Kiffen went to Ole Miss and that place, that place took off.

I mean, what he's done is they've taken off with Ole Miss.

And we just say, well, it's Ole Miss is a great team.

They are a great team.

But so is Illinois.

So is Indiana.

So are the teams in the Big Ten.

I think the Big Ten, the SEC personally standalone.

And then ACC, Big 12, all great conferences.

We should play each other.

But when we play each other, the Big Ten, the SEC wins a lot.

And so I think the Big Ten has to help itself.

You know, part of me being out doing things like this, we have to help ourselves get our names out there because like Nebraska is a blue blood.

Like, we have to earn it.

We're not in that company.

I'm not talking about us yet, but some of those are teams that have won eight, nine, 10 games, they're kind of dismissed in the Big Ten, but they don't deserve that.

They're better than that.

I mean, you mentioned Indiana there and everything you just said.

I love hearing from especially a coach active currently and a coach that's going to go down as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time for what you've done in a lot of places.

You think about how everybody viewed Indiana going into Oregon.

I mean, it was just like Indiana is going to get smacked because nobody wants to believe that Indiana is good at football.

Like that is kind of that, like it's hard to believe that Indiana is still good at football.

And to your point, I think there's a lot of teams in the Big Ten that are like, yeah, we understand they play football there, but it's hard to believe that they're good at football or great at football at this point.

And with NIO and Transfer Portal and marketing machines and brands, it's like literally anybody can win any game.

That is kind of what we've, that is kind of what we have figured out through the last couple of years of college football.

If you want to talk about the system and, hey, is our system a good system?

Now, meanwhile, we have the NFL that shows us how to do this all right.

But is our system a good system?

The poll to start the season had two teams at one and two who aren't even in it anymore.

Like, why even have a preseason poll?

And before anybody, before anybody has a vote or says anything, like, tell me which games you've had.

Tell me how many times you've watched the Huskers play.

Tell me how many times you watch Indiana play.

Like, I had to go back on Monday and put on the tape of Indiana, Oregon to see like what Indiana did.

They didn't.

gimmick them.

That's a great football team with an excellent quarterback.

Like just give them their due.

But we're still in college football looking at the logos, looking at the perennial this, the last 10 that, instead of people actually watching the ball.

So Indiana ranked number three highest they've ever been ranked, obviously.

And I think Oregon, good football team too.

Like I think you watch that game and it's like, hey, these are two really good football teams.

I actually said, can't wait to see both of you in the playoffs because I think that is the case.

But if they were both to make the playoffs with a lot of the projections, there's only going to be three Big Ten teams that make it.

It's like, well, who else is battling?

It's like, well, there's still a lot of football to be played and there's still a lot of opportunity for a lot of teams.

And the SEC, I know a lot of these teams are ranked high just naturally, I think, and potentially because a lot of the five-stars and everything that they are able to get down there, they all got to play each other.

Some of those games might get real ugly.

Like some of that, we might find out who's the levels in the SEC over the next few weeks because they got to play against each other, all of them.

And it's like, is Texas A ⁇ M actually much realer than everybody could imagine?

And then also Ole Miss.

Ole Miss got Georgia this weekend.

It's like, okay, here's a big test.

But if Georgia gets back to being who they are, there's a chance that one gets.

I mean, it's like college ball right now is so fickle.

I mean, it is a very fickle place right now.

There's only like three teams that have been dominant through it all.

Those SEC teams, too, who end up making it, they better hope they get a home game.

You got to come to the cold up there.

You got to come to that cold rule.

Come to that cold.

Come up and play in the snow and the ice like the NFL does, like FC, like every other sports league does.

We're the only league that plays in domes to protect warm weather teams.

Not to protect it, but it does protect the warm weather team.

Let's play on home campuses

to protect the things that you're talking about, Pat, like the pageantry of college football and see who can actually play in the weather.

And that would change everything.

And to your point, I love what you just said.

Like, let's just play it all out.

Like, that's why the NFL, like, you're not voting on who's going to make the playoffs in week six.

You're just watching them and letting the games play out.

And forever, college football has been an elimination tournament.

Win once and you're out.

And we got the playoff.

And so now you can have good matchups and good games and you lose a game, you can fight back.

Like last year, we were talking about nine and three teams getting in, which I think is great because now you can go play good games, have excitement throughout the year, and then have a lot to talk about the last three weeks of the season.

It's all very good.

Everything's very good.

There's just a chance that humans will make it bad, you know, and that's going to happen in everything.

But the Ohio State Tennessee game last year is going to be referred to by everybody in the North whenever the college football playoff comes around.

Well, this team's better than this team in a Big Ten because look how many five stars they got.

They got guys that run 4-3.

It's like, well, maybe we can't up here in the North have everybody that runs 4-3 uh because it's going to be 32 degrees by the time we get to November and turns out the 4-3 guy he runs actually a 4-6 just like everybody else in that weather and we need some we need some power up here so it's just two different styles of ball and it's like well which one is deemed better well it depends where the game's being played bingo which is why the 12-team playoff happening is a beautiful thing I don't think any big 10 teams Necessarily want to travel into the fucking belly of the beast down there in the SEC.

No doubt.

I think that is, that's a whole different ball game too.

Tennessee, 102,000 people down there.

Depending upon how hot it is, I know it gets cold in Tennessee.

I think it's a little different ball game, Tennessee home game.

LSU has a game.

LSU hosting a game

hosting a game at night.

I think that'll be a little bit of a different analytic.

Alabama, like, I think it is a very important thing.

It's very important for sure.

You've seen AM.

A ⁇ M is fucking outrageous.

I mean, they are all on the same page.

They are all PJ flecking in the stands because they have practiced the night before.

I think it is a big deal.

But then once again, imagine walking into Columbus in the middle of January.

You got to take on a team that's not only built for it, but also used to it.

And it's freezing and you've never seen this before.

They cracked three helmets.

Nico Iamaliava's helmets, three of them.

The equipment wasn't even ready for the cold, let alone the players.

The equipment was too cold.

Said, fuck this.

Crack three of them.

Get me out of here.

It was like, that's going to be talked about a lot.

And then the SRCs went, well, we all play each other down here.

It's like, all right, well, who cares?

Who's coming to the cold to do it?

It's a good time for debate in college ball, which I think is how it's always been.

Last question here for you, coach, from Tone.

Yeah, coach, we talked about how it is going to be a great Saturday.

Ole Miss, Georgia, Tennessee, Bama, USC, Notre Dame.

Are you going to take advantage of Obbian off on Saturday to watch some of those games, especially maybe that last one?

Because if USC upsets the Irish, there might be a big one in a couple of weeks against you and that team.

My goal is not to leave the couch on Saturday.

So I want to be a college football fan.

And I I have two daughters that play volleyball.

And I like, what time's the game?

The first game, we get back probably at one in the morning.

The first game's at eight.

I was like, I'll take the eight o'clock game.

I will be back to watch game day and watch the whole day.

I'll watch it till one o'clock.

I love college football.

And

when I speak about college football, I'm speaking about the game overall.

So I will watch everything.

I'll have the YouTube TV, four TVs going.

I mean, I'll be,

I might bring in a second TV downstairs.

I have one that's on roller.

I mean, I'll be like a, you think I'm a gambler, though I do not gamble.

You think I'm a gambler.

I'll be watching so many games games at once.

Like, but that's, I love it, man.

I love every second.

I loved watching the games last night.

I'll watch college football any chance I can get.

I'll tell you, it's hard not to love it, man, whenever you're in it.

If you're a football person, it's hard not to fall in love with college football if you're not a college football person.

And if you are a college football person, obviously that's too, they put dirt on top of you.

You are going to love college football.

But if you're not a college football person, which there's a lot of new football fans that are coming into the college football world, that's what the ratings are telling us.

Ratings are going up.

Now, the NFL's ratings are obviously still whatever they are.

Okay.

They're 15 million more than most college football primetime games in comps.

But a lot of the numbers going up for college ball, it's like, I think those are NFL people potentially coming in being like, hey, this is a good sport here.

It's the second biggest sport in America.

Yes.

No questions asked.

And there's still so much room to grow.

And everything you're saying is the exact reason why.

It's fucking awesome.

And you have no idea who's going to become a star.

When a game kicks off, there might be a dude that's on that bench that hasn't done anything.

And then all of a sudden, two passes, three passes, superstar.

And then a team becomes relevant, and then a university becomes relevant.

It's like so special.

It's very, very special.

To that point, Coach, all this talk made me think about this.

So like when you're watching on midweek conference USA or Maxion or whatever, or maybe even tomorrow on a Saturday, will you see a player make a play?

And you're like, oh, I could see him.

Wait a minute.

You write a name down to call him later?

No, no, no, no, no.

You ain't getting me.

You ain't get me on that one.

I don't know if that was pamphlet or not.

Oh, yeah.

Coach Rules out here trying to pluck guys off of Wednesday night football.

We appreciate you, Coach.

Thank you for joining us.

Safe Travels to Minnesota, and good luck, brother.

Thank you, you guys.

You're the man, dude.

You've been really good to us.

We appreciate that.

I appreciate you guys.

Shoot.

Thank you guys for having me on.

You're a good football coach, too.

I think that is your boy.

Hey, a guy, I just saw the tweet as we were coming in.

One of your players gave a speech at halftime.

Is that accurate?

Yeah, Jakore Barney, our young sophomore receiver who's dynamic.

He's leading the country, I think, in plumber returns.

He's in the middle of the halftime, we were in this small, terrible locker room, and he was like, Man, what's wrong with y'all?

And they couldn't put all the stuff out that he said because it was, but he was like, Man, he started doing like all this right, like, man, we're up.

You heard me, up seven, nothing, you heard me.

Defense gonna strap these bitches.

Uh, four, five, gonna get his act together.

We're gonna fucking go.

And I was sitting there like the whole time, like, oh, God, how do I follow this?

Like,

let's go to the field, guys.

Team, one, two, three.

Go.

That is, uh, that's like, hey, that's good culture, brother.

That's good culture.

Hell yeah.

It's fun to be around.

It's fun to be around.

That's, you know, it's funny for me.

I've always, the three places I've been, not the Carolina, but the two colleges now here, we've spent a couple of years to

build the culture up and get the football right.

And then I've always kind of left afterwards.

And so that's why for me, you know, I'm like, I'm like, I'm going all in on this place.

Like, we can make this whatever we want.

That's a huge statement at the very end.

Obviously, asked about at the very beginning as well.

His name, because he's from State College, Pennsylvania, Happy Valley.

He went to Penn State, has a lot of ties to Penn State, still has to

feel obligated to show love and has love for Penn State.

And it's in a big tenant.

They got access to everything.

And he has history with the athletic director.

He says, I understand that.

Hey, some jobs are right from, I love this place.

Ty, he said it there at the end.

Why not go all into this place and finally get to reap the benefits of the culture that I sow for the first three years?

I feel convinced, legitimately.

You, Ty, how do you feel about it?

I can see both sides personally.

I think if he were offered the Penn State job, he would go back.

Like, he, I mean, he would listen.

He just said he literally wouldn't.

I know he did.

ESP.

He literally just said three times he wouldn't.

Hear me out.

You got 20 seconds?

Hear me out.

He's from there.

He went to school there.

Like, whether he, hey, he loves Nebraska.

I get it.

Wife's.

Yeah, exactly.

Like, that's a very special place.

Okay.

If you get the opportunity to go back and win a national championship there, okay, Joe Paterno.

Like, Matt Rule is the best coach in the history of Penn State.

Okay, but he's also could be the best coach in the history of Nebraska.

Be a friend, tell a friend something nice.

It might change your your life.

We'll see you on the other side.

This is Marshawn Beastmode Lynch.

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prize picks it's good to be right must be president of certain states visit prize picks.com for restrictions and details hey fans welcome back to fansville's cheers

and tears oh

okay so like everybody deals with losing right to a rival on a last second field goal whatever it's fine i'm totally fine but i cope with losing with an ice cold dr pepper

those 23 flavors are like so delicious they totally wash away the pain of your college football team team taking a big fat L.

College football.

It's a pepper thing.

Football!

It is magical.

We can't thank you enough for allowing us to do this for a living where we talk about football way too much.

And are we always right?

Absolutely not.

But do we get some things correct?

Absolutely.

Like tonight, we're going to have a good AFC North football game.

Tonight, we're going to see two OGs clash in prime time, probably for the last time.

Actually, we don't know that.

You never know.

We have no idea if they're going to play 10 more times, these these two guys.

Aaron Rodgers in the Pittsburgh Steelers, his first season there.

They could become a 5-1 football team after tonight.

Already had their bye week.

They got a long stretch to go, but they have looked better than they've looked over the past seven years.

In the past three weeks in specific, they've looked much better on the defensive side and offensively.

Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, and the boys are only starting to catch their stride.

With Mount Washington, a 315-pound tight end who has the nimbility of a ninja when he's out in the open field out of Georgia.

This guy was behind Brock Bowers, so nobody really talked about him.

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked him up, and all of a sudden they started saying, hey, we got Mount Washington out there.

We got a tight end who's gigantic and he can move.

He was able to do this in college at Georgia.

Everybody thought his knees wouldn't be able to hold up because he's so heavy.

He's so big.

That's like a natural question.

Hey, that human is a tackle.

He should not be able to run like a tight end.

His knees are inevitably going to give up.

Pittsburgh Steelers said, we'll find out in AFC North football.

He's been a weapon out of the field, deep down the field, but also in protecting Aaron Rodgers Rodgers so that they can run their offense.

They got an interesting offense right now.

They're going to have an extra offensive lineman on the field for a lot of it.

They might have Aaron on the run, or they might be comfortable enough against this particular Cincinnati defensive line without Trey Hendrickson, if he's playing or not, where they have him a little bit more in the pocket.

But they're moving, they're grooving, they're protecting Aaron, and they're letting their dogs kind of take care of everything downfield.

It's been fun to watch.

Aaron's been playing out of his mind.

Aaron's been playing very, very good, even though PFF has him ranked

39th in the NFL at the moment.

So I'm excited to see what they're they're doing.

They might have adjusted that because they heard someone say something about it.

So who knows?

Well, on that note, it does feel like the scoring system is subject to change if it is publicly scrutinized.

So whenever it is a definitive number and then all of a sudden it's not,

we'll take a different look at it.

So how many are we taking a different look at these things?

And Chris Collinsworth was on with Kay Adams on Up and Adams today and addressed JJ Watt and JJ's kind of differences with him.

We have not been able to watch it because it's an eight-minute video, so we're not able to see everything that he has said.

but PFF has responded.

Chris Collinsworth had a PFF hat on when he did

respond to the entire thing.

And Chris, we appreciate what PFF has brought to football.

That's no question.

Cincinnati is near the home, I think, of PFF in this entire thing.

And Joe Flacco now calls Cincinnati his home.

Tonight, four and a half is still the spread of ESPN bet.

The Steelers are favored by in Cincinnati.

Andrew Whitworth of Amazon Primes coverage and also LA Rams Super Bowl champion and longtime Cincinnati Bengal will be the ruler of the jungle tonight.

He will look very cool.

He will have a hoodie underneath a sport coat and he will look incredible.

I don't know if he hits something as a ruler or

growls.

I don't know what you're talking about.

All white for sure, though, because it's a whiteout.

Oh, yeah.

So he'll be in, just like up in Penn State.

I think Coach Sabin's got a suit for you if you want it.

He'd love that thing.

I think he wanted to hang on to that for the rest of his life.

The ruler of the jungle, also known as the lion, I believe.

We looked this up because, you know, you could say Cincinnati Bengals, the tigers are the ruler of the jungle, the lions, the king of the jungle.

So then we asked

AI, and AI said, ruler and king, same thing.

So he is the king of the jungle tonight.

He's the ruler of the jungle.

And I believe that he's going to give them the willpower to go ahead and start pretty hot.

Joe Flacco is going to look up there and say, oh, my God, I remember when we were playing against each other.

I was a Raven.

He was a Bengal.

Those are good old days, man.

Geez, shake his hand.

That first one, Joe Flacco, prime time, Joe Flacco.

Coal.

You're going to throw that thing as far as he can.

Yeah.

That's the talks table table by Boston Connor and Ati Schmidt.

One half of the hammer.

Done.

Cowboys Tone Diggs is there.

And a man who grew up as a Cincinnati Bengals fan.

He's a college football national champion, Super Bowl champion, rider cup winner, ladies and gentlemen, AJ Hawker.

Yay!

Hawker, Joe Flacco, in primetime with Cincinnati Bengals.

Four and a half.

I started the show last hour saying, I don't know, five and a half doesn't feel like enough.

It goes the other way.

So it actually goes complete opposite of what I was thinking.

What are your thoughts on tonight's matchup?

And what am I not seeing about this Cincinnati Bengals team?

Yeah, well, I like the graphic with the question marks around Trey Henderson.

That really paints a picture.

We're not sure what's going to happen with him.

I think it's a big deal whether he plays or not tonight.

But, I mean, let's just say, you guys took, what, the first 19 minutes of the show just to annihilate the Bengals and say how terrible they are.

It was 16 minutes.

And it wasn't an annihilation.

It was a complimentary fest.

A glazing, I believe the Youngs would call it.

6-7.

So we were glazing the Pittsburgh Steelers, I believe, for everything they had going on.

And in turn, we did leave out the other team that is playing in a two-team game, the Cincinnati Bengals.

And I would like to, if you watch the take back, I recognize that throughout the 16, 17 minutes, that we are doing everything that we hate people do, which is completely leave out one half of the entire game.

But yes, it was a very heavy Pittsburgh Steelers start to the show today, if you would just judge it as a whole, AJ.

Yeah, that's definitely how I consumed it, how I took it.

But I mean, first off, look how sweet Joe Flacco looks in that white Bengals helmet.

Doesn't that look legit?

That's worth at least three or four points out of it.

That's a good point.

And I think the AI Sportsbooks now would account for that.

You would think that the AI Sportsbooks would be ahead of it and they would get the jersey game and they would understand they'd be able to put Joe Flacco at different eras.

Hell, I bet you AI saw Joe Young Joe Flacco in this jersey and said, maybe this is what he was supposed to be all along.

So there's a chance that that already happened.

We don't know.

Nobody knows.

There's mistakes at YouTube.

Yeah, nobody knows.

It's in the back whenever we're doing our connection with them.

So there's answers.

We don't know these AIs.

Sportsbooks AIs might know how cool Joe Flacco looks, is what I'm saying, AJ.

Okay.

I don't know if they take that into account, whoever is programming these AIs, but I don't know, four and a half.

Didn't you say if you want Bengals, couldn't you get five and a half here?

Yes, Bengals could be plus five and a half at every other sports book but ESPN Bet.

ESPN Bet has the Steelers at minus four and a half, and that's the only place as we speak.

So if you're looking to bet on the Steelers, there is a minus four and a half at ESPN Bet.

Now, we do not want to promote that too much because, boy, I have not got a lot of these right on these particular things.

There will be a guy joining us here in a couple of moments, Coach Mike McCarthy, who has been seeing these Thursday night games rather well.

He, if he was to be making picks, would be 5-1 on these Thursday nights.

So we will certainly be listening to what he has to say.

But let's not leave out the fact that he's got a little home game.

That's right.

He's got a little home game here with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So whenever he gives his pick, we got to know that there might be a little bit of a...

A little bit of a bias joining us now, ladies and gentlemen.

Super Bowl champion, Yenser Legend, former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.

Maybe coming to a city near you.

Hopefully.

Hey, jumping, Coach Mike Corps.

Yeah, coach.

Oh, all right.

Good, good afternoon, man.

Good to see you, Coach.

What's behind you?

You got your game face on, Pat, huh?

Yeah, it's a big night tonight.

You know, I'm trying to get some things right.

Yeah, it's a big night tonight.

AFC North football on prime time.

You know, obviously, we're excited about it.

That's cool.

Hey, that's what we're talking about.

I see six offensive linemen in

black and gold.

So we're obviously excited for that.

What do you got behind you there?

A couple rings?

Just letting people know we got a couple race.

Yeah, we had a little dilemma in in the house this week you know i know aj i don't know if you've gone through this yet but my 13 year old won the national uh volleyball championship down there in skyline dallas and she was kind of bragging about how big her ring was and um made a comment that it was bigger than our super bowl ring so i had to line that thing up and uh see what the hell we got going there so i mean it's close i thought

i'm sharing it with everybody have you run into this yet aj no i have not you know texas does things a little different coach we don't we don't have any national champions yet 13 over here but yeah, it's pretty impressive ring.

You're running in this brawl.

My daughter's ring almost bigger than my Super Bowl ring.

Had to line these things up, get a different eye on it.

Congrats to your daughter, man.

We were obviously chatting with you during the draft.

I think that might have been the beginning of the season.

We didn't really know what all was going to happen.

They end up winning the national championship.

Hey, let's go.

That's awesome.

Congrats.

Yeah, that was great.

What a great team.

They won.

nine tournaments, first place in every tournament, won the nationals.

So

it was an incredible year, incredible running.

So very proud of her.

And she almost won the biggest ring in the house.

Almost.

Almost.

Almost.

Almost.

Almost.

Yeah, we got.

I'm going to have to get back to work and win another one.

13 years old and bringing home a ring like that.

That's

scary.

Seems bigger than Texas, they say.

Yeah, especially whenever you win nine tournaments in the national championship.

Congrats to them.

Let's talk about you saying I'm going to have to get back to work to maybe win another one.

We have already started floating your name for any job that is available, both college and the NFL.

You let us know when to stop.

We will.

And obviously, you did not tell us to do this, so we just want to let you know the situations we are putting you in publicly anytime a name pops up.

On that note, coach is getting fired here already.

Callahan down in Tennessee gets fired.

I don't know if you've ever been fired in the middle of the season.

I'm not, I don't know your entire history of that, but what do you think goes into that decision-making process?

And then if you're a staff that is still there after a coach gets fired, what do you think the mentality is for them there?

Well, I mean, it's very difficult.

And I think just like anything in our profession,

you always look at the personal.

And this is very difficult on the families.

And I think as coaches in our industry, professionally, we understand it's part of the job description

because there is change each and every year.

So that's the first thing that I look to is just

how's the family?

And because there's things that you go through.

We were released

near the end of the season in 19.

And really the toughest part is what the kids have to endure at school and in the neighborhood and things like that so uh that's the tough part um but you know the game goes on and and that and that's the way this business is um and it's it's the brutal truth of it but you know i the first thing i always think about is you know i i just hope that you know the families are good uh there's you know there's a new direction there's going to be change there's going to be adjustment um it's it happens each and every year um really throughout every organization it's just a matter of how much so uh it's it's part of our business it's the tough part of our business.

But yeah, I just think that times like this, you know,

it's a gut check for, because you can't last very long in this league without going through some adversity in that area.

On that note, so you said gut check, not only in that building, probably around the league, right?

Whenever one team fires a coach, it's like, hey, this potential, I don't want to say floodgates open, but there's obviously other jobs that are being talked about publicly, which is what the NFL is.

Sucks for the families, sucks for the kids, all bad.

I mean, that just absolutely sucks what they have to go through in their actual lives day to day.

But now other jobs, is there a thought like, hey, and I don't know if you've ever been in this position either because it seemed like all you did was win during the regular season whenever we watched you.

So I assume you'd have to go back in the day.

But like other places around the league, is there like a little bit of a little bit of a chatter?

Okay, there's the first one almost.

There's the first card to fall.

Is that something that happens amongst coaches?

I think the obvious is, you know, it's part of, you know, the media, you know, exposure that everybody is is in tune with.

I mean, you have to, because it's part of your job.

I mean, I used to keep my head in the sand in the old days.

And

it just doesn't serve you very well.

You got to be aware of what's going on around you, because if you're not,

your players are,

your coworkers are, your assistant coaches are, their families are.

So you have to be in tune with all that.

Personally, I'm not a fan of making changes

in season regardless.

Now,

that's above my pay grade.

So those are conversations that really probably go on above the coaching staff and coaching operations.

But I just feel when you're going through these difficult times,

there's so many people involved in what it takes to win.

Your support staff, your personnel department, everybody involved.

And it's an incredible opportunity,

in my view, that gets wasted when you make change in season.

Because I think there's so much more to learn from others.

You know, we all understand the responsibility of the head coach and the coordinators and things like that.

But adversity is part of it.

I mean, you lose two, three, four in a row.

You know, real coaches, you have to dig out of that.

I mean, that's part of surviving and advancing in this league is to go through those moments.

So, yeah,

this is just my personal opinion.

I just wish, I wish that these opportunities would just push forward and let these coaches try to fight their way out of it.

Yeah, that's a very good personal opinion.

You're allowed to give your personal opinion.

How many years in the NFL did you spend?

Have you spent?

1993, so 30, 31, 32 plus.

That's pretty good.

It's a long time.

So I think you're allowed to have your own personal opinion.

Yeah, I think you're allowed to have it.

Thank you.

I think you've earned it.

Yeah, I think you've earned it, and we appreciate that.

Okay, go ahead, AJ.

Yeah, Coach, something that actually seems to fast-track some of these coaches getting fired is the injuries that happened to these teams.

We look around the league.

Obviously, you look at Tampa Bay, they're handling it well.

They have a bunch of guys down, still winning.

San Fran, just a rash of injuries, it seems like the last few years.

How is that something as a coaching staff that you guys talk about leading into the season, like playing on depth?

Like, how do you handle that?

Because you know, at some point, you're going to deal with the old injury bug.

You just hope it's not to certain areas of your team.

But how is that something that some teams find a way to work through?

Other teams seem to really struggle?

A big believer in

trust your tradition, trust your experiences.

AJ 2010 is something I reference all the time as a head coach.

You know, 77 players to win a Super Bowl.

When you're able to keep, you know, you break down to the 53-man roster at the end of training camp and keeping 68 players in the building.

Every single one of those guys is so important to the journey because, you know, you think about we had 68 when we started a season, but I think it might have been 65 back then.

It took 77 players.

So 12 guys came from outside the building to contribute to a Super Bowl victory.

So

now you have 17 games.

So I think it's even more prominent.

You have to develop your younger players.

You got to get your younger players ready.

You know, last year in 24 in Dallas, we knew our depth was going to be younger.

You would have hoped maybe your injury challenges would have came later in the season.

You know, give your younger players a little better opportunity to be ready.

Sometimes it goes that way, sometimes it doesn't.

You know, it's so important to find ways to continue to develop the young players in season.

So much has been taken away from the training environment,

particularly in training camp in the offseason program, from the players, especially the padded work.

I mean, the injuries to the offensive line, I don't know what the numbers are.

I'm sure you guys have it analytically.

I mean, sitting in this chair watching the league from this scope, it just, I can't just, I can't believe how many injuries there are week in and week out.

They have to be super high for comparables throughout the history.

I've seen nothing like it.

Every time we talk about a game, that's the first thing.

You look at the injury report, how it affects the matchups, where's the stress point on the O line, D line, because everything starts right there.

And you used to think if you had eight really good offensive linemen, you could navigate and get through the season because the consecutive starts of five offensive linemen equates to winning.

The numbers are crazy, like 12 plus ones a year.

Anytime the five offensive linemen start every single game.

And I think there might be only two teams right now that have five offensive linemen that have started every game.

The reality of it at today's NFL, I think you need 10 offensive linemen in your building that are ready to play because you just see these injuries are obviously high.

And also, you know, you have to factor in 17 games.

You know, I think when you play on Sunday, and now you're going to turn around and play on a Thursday game, you know, you're not as quick to bring the guy back that you might have been three or four years ago.

So I think all those things play into this.

But the number of games missed by starters due to injuries, I just can't believe it's ever been higher.

And I think that's something that needs to be addressed.

There needs to be more, you know, because you can't keep just going like this because, you know, at the end of the day, it's about the product and the competitiveness of the games, which they're still there.

But, man, I just think there's so much up and down each week when you watch these teams going through these injuries.

Since we've started the show, the injuries have always been a part of the conversation.

Then a couple of years back, it was like backup quarterbacks.

The amount of backup quarterbacks had to play was like 90-something or something.

like that.

I forget.

It was like absurd.

Every year, there's some injury storyline.

This year, it does feel like it's much more prevalent, especially in the teams that we thought were going to be very good.

Now, you mentioned something in there about the 17-game season in choosing when guys come back and when they don't come back.

Maybe we'll steal another week of rest here so we can get it on the back end.

These Thursday night games, so like Trey Hendrickson, for instance, he was announced as injured because of a back is what I remember, a back.

And then now he's on the injury report for a hip and he's questionable on a Thursday night.

Anytime somebody questionable, I think for Thursday night, there's always the thought like, ah, probably just keep him because you get like a two-week break here.

You can probably steal something.

has that always been the case for Thursday night football games or the added game into the season kind of upped that a bit for these Thursday night games yeah I mean I agree with everything you're saying in theory but I do I do in my experience has been with the medical staff you know every every injury is specific to the player and and

I've always felt that way and you know the input from the player to the training staff then to the coaching staff I mean that's you have to have a protocol that's in place because you know you because you want consistency because you know you want the players to have the confidence in the medical you know procedure and everything to get back on the field and so forth because that's that's critical but also you want the coaches to be able to plan accordingly i mean i i would much rather know about a player not playing early than a player playing late you know that's going to play late because you know it gives you a chance to play and plan and it gives a chance to get these players the reps during the week and get them ready to play because at the end of the day,

everybody in the building is going to contribute.

Every one of those players in the locker room, I mean, that's part of their job description.

So, you know, AJ wants to know who's playing next to him.

You know, he wants those practice reps and communication and stuff like that throughout the week.

So that's the reality of it inside.

I mean, the injury reports is, I mean, there's a lot of conversation that goes and really the

projection of your training staff to if a guy's going to play in lock play, that's a big part of it that factors into game planning for coaches.

When's that happening?

That's happening in Monday meetings after a game, Tuesday, Monday afternoon.

Yeah, it's non-stop.

I mean, you know, you get the scans.

I mean, if you, you know, you have to play a game on Sunday afternoon, you know, like in Dallas, it's the same way in Green Bay.

They have so many

MRI slots that are already reserved for Monday morning.

So you can get guy scans that anybody needs to get scanned.

So, you know, you usually, as a coach, have a general idea, you know, by dinner time, you know.

you know, the ballpark of

if a player is going to make it or not.

So because, you know, you start game planning planning on Monday nights and then that's Tuesday then they come in for Tuesday treatment because you know you know some things don't you know injuries don't really really show themselves until you know

so yeah

yeah we are referring to Toradol here is what we're referring not in Green Bay obviously you said you said it yeah yeah yes I did and I've lived

I've played along here I've lived it I've lived it

the Monday night you said by dinner time you normally know or have a good sense of who's going to play who's not going to play and there's obviously well no I wouldn't say who's going to play I mean kind of where they are.

Got it.

In their jar, in their injury, you know, journey to get back.

What are we having for dinner?

Wings?

Are we pizza?

What is the solid?

What is like a...

Soup, soup, and salad.

I mean, come on.

Wedding soup, coach.

Wedding soup is so good, dude.

Wedding soup is so good.

Really?

Yeah, I'm not a wedding soup.

Yeah, I'm not.

Clamp powder.

Really?

What are you talking about?

You're not a wedding soup.

Wedding soup is delightful.

Yeah, I'm old school.

I like the vegetable soups.

Okay, you like the vegetable soups, like tomato, you love garlic.

Minestrone.

They got minestrone at olive garden.

Yeah.

That kind of stuff.

There you go.

Okay, so what's we're a meat eater, obviously?

Big steak.

We have a big steak there.

Big fish eater.

Up at Dora County or just all the time?

Peter.

I grew up that way.

Catholic, you eat fish every Friday.

I mean, that's, I've been eating it my whole life.

Okay, so you're house and fish.

Like, how about the little fish sticks?

Are we still eating those?

The little fish sticks that we're having?

No, my kids have grown out of that now.

But yeah, I definitely had a few fish sticks in the day when the kids were younger than fish.

oh my god this is awesome say growing up ketchup on those you put ketchup on those obviously right ketchup on those for sure heinz what else is there i mean isn't it disgusting has some people from some places don't put ketchup on everything that ketchup is supposed to be on strictly because heinz did not come from their city isn't that crazy because i'll meet some people i'm like you put you put that shit on eggs right no never it's like Yes, you do.

You put that on.

I think it is a different animal whenever you grew up in Pittsburgh because of how delightful Heinz is on everything.

Absolutely.

The pride.

You know, the pride of the ketchup.

It just, the other stuff doesn't taste the same.

You put it on hot dogs, put on hot dogs, put on eggs.

You put on eggs or everything?

I'm right there with you.

Everything.

Pretty much anything.

Not eggs.

Yes, eggs, AJ.

That's what we're talking about.

You're exactly what I'm talking about.

Metal on scrambled eggs.

Scrambled eggs only.

Yes, definitely scrambled eggs.

You're not putting them on sunny side.

AJ, is that what you're trying to do?

No, you said eggs.

That's what AJ's saying, though.

AJ, you're putting these on sunny.

Yeah, well, not on hard-boiled eggs either.

You

dip it hard-boiled in there.

No, you put salt on hardboard, no problem.

That is certainly what you're doing.

Tabasco, that's yeah, that's a go-to.

On the hardball, and are you taking the whole thing down, or are you doing a cool cut around to getting the yolk out of there because cholesterol?

You got to throw that out.

Are you just only eating the white of hard-boiled eggs?

Yeah, I'd say post-40 years old, take the yolks out.

Yeah, but pre-40 definitely was eating the whole egg.

Okay.

Now I know the keys to life.

I appreciate that.

Now, this is part of maturity.

Go ahead.

Oh, go ahead.

Well, I was going to say it's part of maturity.

That's what this is.

This is maturing.

Yeah.

This is living life.

This is taking the yoke out.

This is developing.

This is becoming who you could possibly be at your best version of yourself, which leads to this question, which is going to be maybe.

The most high-intellect conversation we've had on this particular program in some time.

Go ahead, Connor.

Yeah, Coach.

I hope not because I should not be asking this question if that's the case.

But you brought up something pre-show about NFLQB's EQ.

As a mark, I had no idea what you were talking about, so we googled it, the emotional quotient of NFL quarterbacks, and this was the definition essentially.

What do you mean by NFL QB's EQ?

How can you actually measure something like this?

And then when you think about the quarterbacks who have been in first-year offenses, like Danny Dimes, Drake May with McDaniels, Sam Darnold in Seattle.

I mean, you could even go to J.J.

McCarthy because it was his first time really really playing in that offense.

How do you kind of judge that EQ?

And for those guys who are first years in those offenses, does that kind of mean they have a high NFL QB EQ just because of the fact that they're having immediate success?

Or how do you judge something like that?

Well, there's, I mean, that's a more specific individual

criteria to it.

I was referring to, I was kind of spinning off of our conversation last week when we were talking about Baker Mayfield.

When you look at Baker, look at Sam Darnold,

and Daniel Jones, and you could even put Aaron into this category.

These guys that are kind of were disrespected,

kind of a pissed-off group of quarterbacks.

And you look at their success, but you look at their path.

And I just think there's so much to learn from when things don't go right.

I mean, there's so much value in that, you know, because it does.

It gives you a heightened awareness.

It heightens your anticipation ability.

You know, conflict resolution, you know, you definitely learn to deal with that.

Hailing success when it comes off of that.

So now you don't get too high.

So I just think when you look at the EQ of these guys that are just, you're playing their ass off.

And, you know,

and Aaron's kind of an exception of the fact, but, you know, because he's played so much football, but you know, so much that led up to the season.

And I think they're really becoming the team that

we all were hoping

that they're going to be.

But

L AJ knows better than anybody.

He's at his best when he's pissed off and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

But I look at these guys that have gone through

so much and they're just playing great football.

And I just think it says so much about them personally because for what they had to go through.

I mean, to go to Green Bay as a young first-round pick and have to sit for three years before you play.

There's some emotional maturity that goes with that.

So, I mean, that's hard.

And I think, you know, your point, Connor, about J.J.

McCarthy, I mean, there's some maturity coming off a national championship and then the ability to watch and learn and be behind Sam.

And now it's your time.

So I just think the EQ, because there's so much that goes into the evaluation of every NFL player.

And

the mental breakdown, the physical breakdown, the video studies and this and everything.

But the EQ is really where the gold's at.

And how you judge that that and how you evaluate that, how you quantify that,

that's really the beauty that's in the sauce of every organization's evaluation process.

Coach, I'll tell you what, you being the guy saying EQ is what we need to be looking for, the emotional quotient is certainly right on par with every conversation we've had with you thus far, which has led to numerous situations where potential backhanded compliments have come from one of us to you, more specifically me.

You bringing up the emotional quotient being one of the most important things of a quarterback if we can put the graphic back up please this is literally exactly what you need in a leader of an organization i mean this is what whenever you're going through the draft process we should be trying to figure out the eq of every one of the guys that are going to be put in positions of leadership self-awareness aj how often have we talked about that being the most important thing in anything Every single day about every aspect of your life, not even just sports.

You talk about be who you can afford to be.

That is strictly from self-awareness.

And that is not just in football.

That's in any leadership position or just in life self-awareness understanding the situation who you're allowed to be who you're not allowed to be in this particular situation self-regulation obviously that's discipline we would like to know the discipline of the people that are going to be having the leader social awareness obviously how they interact with their team how they interact with the media how they interact with marketing even if you get it how they interact with everything is a massive ordeal and then relationship management i've never seen something that leaders have to have at a high level just describe so perfectly.

I mean, the emotional quotient, whenever we're talking about, hey, how do you know the right guys to draft at the position you know we we all know they can run and we all know they get it seems like the EQ

as Coach Mike McCarthy saying here is what we've been looking for this entire time so I'd like to tell you coach thank you for introducing that into my life and also thank you for letting us behind the scenes a little bit on what goes into being a great leader a quarterback it is the eq is what we're looking to do is the ability to understand manage and express your emotions while recognizing and influence others that's quarterback in the nfl that's a coach in the nfl that's a ceo That's a manager.

That is literally everything we're looking for whenever we talk about loving ball.

Who's also committed?

It's EQ level coach.

Yeah, coach, to Pat's point right there about managing, is this something that GMs have to have a very, very high, you know, not tolerance, but awareness of, just because, you know, Andy Reid came on, he talked about how Brett Veach would tell him, you know, his read on a player, and then that read would be correct.

And that's kind of how he rose through the ranks.

Is that something that GMs have to have when they're evaluating players then?

I mean, let's be honest, your whole leadership hierarchy

has to have it.

And obviously, when it's coordinated and it fits together, then now you're working at such a different level.

But yes, I think clearly from ownership to president to GM to head coach,

I think all that bulk.

There's nothing worse as a leader finding out after the fact.

And I would say, if I said it once in a staff meeting, I said it a thousand times.

I don't need to be the first guy to know when AJ skips his workout in the morning, you know, which he never did, but

I don't need to be the first guy to know, but I can't be the last guy to know.

You know, you can't, you know, it's

just having the awareness to make sure that

everything we ask the players to do, everything we ask each other to do, everything we ask the support staff to do, it's done for a reason.

You know, we don't just do things because this is the way so-and-so did it back in the 60s.

So, I mean, have a purpose for everything you do, but it has to be done because if it's not done, then now the credibility starts to go away.

Then the culture starts to erode and things like that.

So have a reason for why you do it, but you got to have people that buy into the structure, understand where the walls and the boundaries of the structure are, and just adhere to it.

And I just think common sense goes such a long way in that journey.

And then, you know, for all of us, if you can take the emotion out of the tough, you know, the tough moments and learn from it, you know, I think it gives you a such higher, you know, higher opportunity for success.

Yes.

Hell yeah, Coach.

Yeah.

That's some good spoken word right now.

Sometimes common sense isn't common sense, though, right?

Isn't there situations, Coach, where, well, I assumed that was common sense.

And that's not always the case.

Some people don't have a whole lot of common sense.

I couldn't even imagine.

How do you handle that?

I think that's a great point, AJ.

No, I think that's where continuing education comes in.

You know, common sense to me is

definitely going to be

the same as a 24-year-old, too.

So that's my responsibility to have clarity, clear communication, clarity what's expected.

And I go back to not having 9,000 roles.

We used to hand out that we'd have that fine schedule every year that you had to put up in front of the team.

I mean, it's, you know, how could you just make it, you know, bring it all together?

And that's where I always felt this, we have one role.

No disrespect.

No disrespect.

No disrespect.

Covers everything.

Yeah, it covers everything.

So, I mean,

being late for a meeting.

Yeah.

I mean, if, you know, if you, if you put a ton of energy into a, a 10-minute presentation that you're putting,

putting together for the team, and then you got guys are going to walk in late,

that's disrespectful.

So, I mean, in my view.

So, I just think just giving clarity and understanding,

the group dynamics is an unbelievable journey

to go into a situation each year, try to build a team that's going to now navigate and grind through a 17-game season, and then you got to really go play the real games and play up football.

I mean, there's nothing like it.

There's nothing like it.

So, I just think keeping it consistent, concise, and clear, it just goes a long way.

You're a weapon, dude.

You're a absolute weapon.

We're very thankful you come on this show.

Hearing a Pittsburgh guy talk about leadership is, I mean, it hits even more home, I think, for me.

But it is, you've been phenomenal, brother.

Like, you're just breaking down your entire culture and how you build it and why you build it and what you're looking for out of people that work for you.

Like, hey, you need to buy in here.

Okay.

You're buying in or you're getting the hell out.

Those conversations also not the easiest.

Snooping out

after making a mistake, I assume, not the easiest as well trying to figure it out and move on i appreciate the fact that you are uh so open and transparent with us about how you operate because obviously aj got to play for you and we know aj wasn't late for a me uh workout now

no idiot laugh i mean he's still gonna get my humor yeah yeah that's awesome

i mean yeah my coach is still that bad i guess please laugh that you should have dropped that afterwards dropped the self-awareness on the eq yeah that would have been uh that would have been incredible but that was an awesome little glimpse into how you operated your building Now, you talk about the voyage that you have to do and building group chemistry and everything like that.

We're seven weeks into this now after tonight kicks off.

Go ahead, Ty.

Yeah, coach, you mentioned how the Steelers are kind of rounding into the team that a lot of people maybe expected them to be right now.

Going into week seven, a lot of like the good teams have kind of established their identity.

If you're one of those teams who hasn't yet, like, is there still a chance for those teams to kind of you know make something this season?

Or at this point, do you kind of know who you are and how you have to win?

And those teams teams that don't are kind of shit out of luck.

No, absolutely.

You know,

you always remember November, but what's most important is December.

And that'll never change in this league.

You see it, you know, I don't want to say maybe every year, but it happens.

You know, it happened for us in 2010, and we've had other teams that got hot at the end of the year and went deep into the playoffs.

So, yeah,

that's still the case.

I don't think that'll change, especially with the extra game, 17.

I think it's probably even more so.

There's an opportunity, and I love what the league's done with the division games, you know, still at the end of the year.

So everything lays up for that.

So I think you can definitely still get hot and bring it.

But I think really when you get to this six, seven, eight, nine, you know, week, week mark, I always felt that, you know, we work all offseason, you know, you build your roster, you're taking the steps through the offseason program.

You get the young guys, you know, integrated and you go off and camp and you have this really great idea how you want to play and what your team looks like and how they're going to grow.

And then all of a sudden, you know, the injury challenge hits and all the other challenges hits.

And so you're not maybe really playing the way you hope to be playing or like to be playing, you know, Cincinnati, you know, losing Joe Burrow.

I mean, that's, that's a huge hit, you know, and

I know we'll talk about the game here in a minute, but I like your hosting.

Yeah.

What's that?

You're hosting.

You're teasing.

You're giving teases right there.

That was a tease.

You're a host.

That's good.

Well, see, you're bringing me along in this TV world.

I appreciate that too.

I'm learning too.

Yeah, well, teams are learning as well.

And it feels like as long as the challenges are minimal, you know, the injury challenge can change your team later in the season.

But it feels like at this point, we're starting to learn a little bit.

It's what you're saying.

Yeah, definitely.

But I do think Pittsburgh is starting to be the team that we all thought they would.

I love it when Aaron, you know, end up going to Pittsburgh because, you know, the defense, Mike Tomlin, the veteran coordinators, you know, TA, you know, Terry Austin, and then, you know, Danny, Danny, Danny, and you also got, you know,

Arthur there too.

So, I mean, you got veteran coordinators, you got a lot of experience.

It's a veteran football team.

You know, you're going to be in every game because of that defense.

And,

you know,

who's won more two-minute games than Aaron Rodgers.

So

that was how I viewed their team on how I think they're going to be able to ride through the season, win the close games.

They're going to beat her each and every week, you know, and take care of the football.

They're off to a great start in the turnover ratio.

So I really like the identity of that team.

And I will look at Cincinnati, you know,

watching the Cincinnati Green Bay game, you know, I think Cincinnati may have found who they need to be

moving forward with Joe.

I thought Joe Flacco in the second half, you know, just his ball distribution and the time clock that he was playing, you know,

he gave them a particular chance to be in that game in the second half.

So I would anticipate that

Cincinnati would try to play Pittsburgh tonight, you know, a little bit the way they played in the second half of the Green Bay game.

So, you know, those are the things you have to adjust, you know,

who you want to be, but who you have to be.

That's always the question.

I always felt as a head coach that you're always looking at as you get through the course of the season.

So, but I think Pittsburgh is really, I love the experience level that they have on their team.

I thought the veteran guys that they brought in all the way through have been excellent.

You know, if they can stay healthy, I think they're just going to get stronger and stronger each week.

As Coach McCarthy teased it, we will talk about tonight's game right now.

Coach, you don't make picks outright, okay?

And we respect that for you.

But you do give us how you feel about games.

And if you were to be picking games, you would be five in one on these Thursday nights.

That'd have been me.

There you go, Coach.

If you were to be, that's very good.

Now, you talk about how week seven, you start to know what team you have and everything like that.

Six games into it, it's not a fluke.

You know, first couple, you might have just been blindside or boring.

You know what I mean?

You might be able,

you might be just blind squirrel finding a nut in there and broadside of born.

You might have got lucky there.

You know, that but the case.

Six in being five and one, you're seeing the board here, brother.

And tonight, it's another divisional game.

AFC North football.

You talked about Flacco in the second half maybe becoming who he's supposed to be, not just who they want to be, but who they have to be.

And then on the other side, you got Aaron Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, which you said looks like the team that is everything we hoped they would be.

Now, it was minus four and a half at the ESPN bet

like an hour ago, 45 minutes ago.

It has now returned to minus five and a half as of a minute ago.

So it's minus five and a half across the board.

Bengals plus five and a half across the board.

Could have stole a four and a half for the Steelers at ESPN bet for like the last 36 minutes or so.

It's all across the board, five.

How do you feel about this?

Is that a lot of points?

I saw a little grimace on your face there whenever it was at five and a half as opposed to four and a half.

It feels like five was your line in your head that you're making if you're making lines and if you're making picks, Coach.

Well, I was definitely hoping it'd be less than six.

I think the biggest thing, you know, as I think I've already said, I like the way Pittsburgh's playing.

I think they're playing to their identity.

I always look at the big picture, and it's something like, you know, we always put in front of the team on Wednesdays.

You know, you put the stats up, you know, kind of the vital signs, you know, total offense points and all the, you know, the regular stats you see each and every.

There you go.

Perfect.

And if you look at the numbers, you know, when I see Cincinnati always in the 30s, but they lost their starting quarterback.

So, you know, you're going to get knocked out of the top 10 right away on some of those things.

That's just the way it goes when, because there's a transition of playing, you know, with the backup quarterbacks and things like that.

So, I don't really feel as bad about those numbers, you know, about Cincinnati as far as those numbers.

I don't think they truly reflect it because I do like the way they tried to play against Green Bay, and I think the way they played in the second half is a formula for them to win games.

But what I love about Pittsburgh is, you know, they're taking care of the most important, I mean,

their turnover ratio is outstanding.

And that's who they are.

You know, if you take care of the football, run the football.

Obviously, they're run offense versus their, since he's run defense, looks to be potential advantage for Pittsburgh.

So I think the important things that you have to do when you go into a road, you know, on the road is run the football, take care of the football.

And I think clearly with Aaron, you know, with the ball in his hand at the end of the game,

is somewhere where you want to be.

So I know we're not supposed to pick games here, but I don't, you know, I'm going to go home next week, so I got to take the Steelers.

Okay, we knew that was going to be the case.

Actually, predicted that you were potentially going to be a little biased about going home now, back here at Greenfield.

You know, we saw it last week, you know, going back with two rings in the family now,

not just one here as we bounce back to Pittsburgh.

I appreciate everything you said today.

Thank you for the leadership advice.

Thank you for the pick.

And it feels like you're seeing the board maybe better than anybody else that's gambling right now.

And I know you're not gambling,

but if you were to be gambling, and you have been for all of us, I want to let you know, we've been winning, brother, and we appreciate the hell out of you.

We'll see you next week.

All right, man.

You guys have a great weekend.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's Coach Michael Corridor.

Yeah, coach.

Through and through.

Western Pennsylvania legend.

We go from one coach that has those

accolades to another coach that has those accolades.

Now, AJ, whenever you listen to Mike McCarthy,

you can hear the Pittsburgh in him.

You can literally hear the steel that was in the water that he drank as a little baby boy growing up on the street.

You can hear it in there.

You can tell by the way he acts.

Now, his leadership shit, I don't think I expected that, AJ.

That has been a mind blower for me from outside looking in, AJ.

He is like one of those guys, very curious, always learning, always trying to progress and evolve and figure out how to get his message across.

So yeah, it's not surprising for me because I've heard it for years, but yes.

Maybe on the outside, it might not look like he's that guy, but he is.

Well, he's a Yinser, too.

So I think people naturally expect us, I'll grind hard-nosed, work hard, you know, that whole thing.

Let alone emotional quotient is what we're looking for here.

And then I forget what he said a couple weeks ago where it was like, hey, that was very deep, what you just said.

No shit.

Yeah, like that is.

He has been phenomenal.

You know, he's Western Pennsylvania.

You know, he's Pittsburgh.

There's other coaches where you watch them operate.

You know they're Western Pennsylvania.

You hear him talking shit.

Hear him leading groups.

You hear him kind of disrupting everything.

Ladies and gentlemen, joining us now is the head coach of the IU football team.

The head of the who, who, who, who's

Kurt Signetti.

Coach.

Coach, 100% our fault.

We want to take accountability for yesterday.

That's on us.

Thank you for taking the time yet again here today with us.

You're welcome.

Great to be here.

Love you.

Hey, I know we're looking ahead.

Okay, we got another game.

We won't go back to yesterday.

We got a lot in front of us.

There's a lot of opportunity still.

I know all those things.

Coach, I just want to let you know, man, we had a great Saturday in Oregon, didn't we?

That was a good time.

Yeah, that was a good time.

I want to let you know, I appreciated your team.

I had a lot of faith in your team.

I respect the shit out of your team.

Let's talk about your team.

I also respect and appreciate Oregon as well.

I think they still have everything in front of them, which is why it was such a big win for you.

This year, feel more mature, felt ready for that type of game.

Do you think going into that?

And what does this mean for your team going forward this year as everything literally is right in front of you still?

Well, you know, I was confident going in.

I thought our team had a great mindset.

We got a lot lot of veterans on this team, a lot of great leadership,

good players that have high character.

And we had a great week of preparation.

And I thought we were prepared.

Now, until you step on the field and play the game, and how do you match up?

Because obviously last year was a tremendous year, year one for us,

you know, doing what we did, starting 10-0, didn't trail till game nine.

But

we didn't get it done against the highest state in Notre Dame.

I guess you could say we were competitive for a quarter and a half against Ohio State.

We were up 7-0, 7-0, but we get done.

And

so

I thought Oregon was an extremely impressive team on tape.

I had a lot of respect for Coach Lanning.

They got a lot of great players, and it was a hard place to play.

You know, and been a while since they had lost a game there.

So I thought it'd be critical that,

you know,

Number one, we have a great mindset and that we would be able to overcome adversity during the course of the game without flinching, ever letting doubt creep in, being resilient, so to speak.

And I thought it was a physical hard-fought game.

I thought we did a great job on defense, particularly in the second half.

You know, the things we got done, gave up three points and got two turnovers.

I think they had 40 total yards in the second half outside the last prevent drive.

Offense answered their scores with 75-yard touchdowns.

Great drive again at the end of the half with 24 seconds.

We did that the week before against Iowa, too.

Special teams was really good.

Been good all year, that 58-yard field goal, two other ones.

And we've been pretty good in all phases.

So it was a great program win.

Yeah, I'd say.

And you talk about being pretty good in all phases or great in all phases.

I, because I live here, have seen it.

You know, the reason why that game is such a big deal, I think, for the brand of IU football is because the whole world saw it and heard about it.

And I think that's huge for you.

You know, I love that you're a Gatorade Zero Glacier Freeze guy.

I am as well.

It's by far the best one.

It is by far the best one that they have.

No questions asked.

Great taste out of you.

Okay.

I like what you're doing, but yeah, exactly.

Cheers to you.

I assume IU is getting paid.

If not, they should be.

We are not.

I am not.

This is just, you know, zero sugar.

Let's keep it moving.

But Kirk Herbstreet brought up a good point, you know, and Kirk has respect for the Big Ten.

Kirk has seen the Big Ten.

But there was a stat that was out there.

It was like one in Indiana is one in 71 in these games in the history.

And I immediately said, well, the IU football program literally just started last year.

Okay.

So that is kind of how I feel about it.

And I know I'm not the only one.

There's a lot of people around Indiana that feel that way.

Do you feel the same energy or even more energy than last year with the hot start that you've had this year?

How does the support feel for my you?

Because this is all brand new to Hoosiers fans.

They're all football people, but Hoosier football is very new to them.

How has it felt?

Kind of rallying for the, you know, the next 5, 10, 15 years of a program here that you're building from scratch in Bloomington.

Yeah, well, you know, we have the largest alumni base in America right now, over 800,000.

We took over number one a month, a month and a half ago wow

you know i think we've built on our successes all the way around and all the things that are important to a program i mean uh the games are sold out the the fans are crazy and nutty uh giving has really increased and we're getting more high-profile high-powered donors into the program uh facilities are improving you know um obviously we're in rev share now and nil will be a key component in that as well uh staff salaries, those kind of things.

So we're definitely moving in the right direction.

And obviously, there's a lot of excitement, especially

after this last game.

Illinois game was a big game too.

They were number nine in the country.

And then you go to Iowa.

That's a really hard place to play now.

And that was a hard-fought game and win that one.

But I think it's really important and addressed this Monday with our team that we rip the rearview mirror off.

And, you know, this team's met every challenge up to this point.

but why have they met every challenge?

It's because of their commitment to the process, doing the things they have to do to be prepared and give themselves the best chance on Saturday.

And then even when you are totally prepared, you got to put it on the field, you know, plays one to 150, and you got to play a certain way.

You know, so we have things we preach.

I really believe in college football.

You know, game one and game two, everybody's ready to play.

After that, who shows up ready to play?

And

we have to show up ready to play this week and have a great mindset and do the things you got to do from a preparation standpoint because anyone can beat anyone.

95% of teams in people

are capable of beating one another on any given day.

And Michigan State's got good players.

They got good coaches.

They went on the road.

They lost two hard-fought road games at USC and Nebraska.

They were dogfights.

And I'm sure they're disappointed by their last game at home against UCLA.

But they got a lot of character on that team, and I expect their best job.

As you should, because you're not taking anybody by surprise anymore.

Go ahead, AJ.

Yeah, Coach, Roman Hemby, your running back.

We saw him obviously in a couple of those highlights against Oregon.

I guess how nice is it to bring him in for Maryland and to see how he's kind of developed?

As not, it feels like he's actually a great leader for the team, a veteran player, but the guy runs so hard and seems like he's very versatile and can do it all.

Like, what does he do for your offense?

Yeah, I think you hit it right on the head.

You know, you bring in guys like Hemby, you know, Coogan, and there's others.

But Hemby's a warrior.

He shows up every day at practice, and he's 100%

effort all the time.

Finishes runs and team run drills.

Great hands out of the backfield.

Pass protection, we needed to work on a little bit when he first got here has really improved.

And you saw it, you know, against Oregon.

I mean, he's a hard downhill runner that has good speed, great hands out the backfield.

And he's just very consistent.

Like,

you know, a lot of times when you go in the portal, you can research them.

You see the stats.

Maybe you played against them.

You hear good things.

But you really don't know these guys until, you know, you go through spring ball, fall camp, and play a few games.

I mean, just

he is an A-plus in every area that you're looking for in terms of getting ready to play and playing to your full potential.

Everybody's trying to do what you do.

You just talk about not knowing who these guys are out of the transfer portal until after spring, through fall camp, and then a a few games.

Everybody's looking at what you were able to accomplish and saying, hey, if we have a good transfer portal run and we get the right guy in here, we can turn into a number three team in the country in two years.

There's a question now, Connor has about what you've been able to do with the, you know, there's a lot of people in that transfer portal, and you've talked about the stars and everything, what you're looking for.

Connor has a question.

Yeah, coach, to Pat's point right there, you know, Mendoza was a name last year, but now he is one of the names in college football.

And, you know, you've turned him into that.

We talk about in the NFL with Baker Mayfield and his OCs.

He makes his OCs, you know, head coaches.

You basically make these quarterbacks absolute superstars.

What kind of traits do you look for when you're in the portal, when you are recruiting, to know that this kid has something in him that you can kind of, you mentioned full potential, bring out his full potential.

Is it character?

I heard you talk about character at Michigan State and your own team heading to Oregon and that felt like a massive thing.

We just talked to Coach McCarthy about QBEQ, emotional quotient, and just about the importance of that when it comes to football.

What are the specific things you're looking for in all the players that you currently have in your team?

Well, I mean, you know, you got to have a blueprint and a plan, first of all, for how you're going to run your program.

But this business is all about recruiting, development, and now retention.

So,

you know, I think all my years as a recruiting coordinator really helped me from an evaluation standpoint.

And I've always, you know, evaluated anyone we are considering coming into the program, whether it's a recruit, a portal guy, or a coach, obviously, because it's all about people.

It is all about people.

And you got to have the right kind of people on your staff and on your team.

You know, development is huge.

You know, there's a lot of good players out there.

I really believe that.

You got to do a great job developing them

in the weight room, off-season program, how you practice in the meeting room and the kind of culture you create in your program.

And

in terms of the quarterback, first of all, Chandler Whitmer has done a great job with Fernando Mendoza.

You know, he's in his first year with us as quarterback coach, co-offensive coordinator.

And we've had a great running quarterback.

You're right.

I think we've had five, four or five in a row that were player of the year in a league.

And Curtis Horke had a great year last year, actually with second team all conference, but I think he led the country in QBR.

They've all been different.

We've had the pocket guys, the dual guys, and the in-betweeners.

And you got to build around their strengths and around your offensive strengths.

And,

you know, all those guys have flourished, and Fernando's done the same thing.

He was an easy guy to evaluate.

There's a lot of physical talent there.

You know,

he's tall, he's smart.

He's got quick release.

He can make all throws.

He's mobile.

When he got here, we had to settle him down a little bit in the pocket, work on his footwork.

you know, process him a little bit and just calm him down a little bit in the pocket, you know, because he didn't have the best protection at Kel.

The progress he has made in the pocket really is unbelievable.

And,

but as much progress as he has made, he's got that much more he can make because of his ability.

And he's the kind of guy, I mean, he is extremely intelligent.

He has super high character.

He wants to be a great player.

And I've never been around a player anywhere I've ever been that prepares like him.

Let's go.

Wow.

I love that.

I love that.

And cares about people, involved in the community.

Teammates love him.

But he's not a real raw rock guy now.

You know what I mean?

He just, he leads by example.

That's high.

That's how the police needs to lead.

Hey, that's how, that's high EQ, I think, is what I'm hearing from Mike McCarthy.

The emotional quotient for him through the roof, physical talent, through the roof, his accuracy is insane.

You know, you watch him play.

It's like, oh, that's a Sunday guy right there.

That is a Sunday guy.

Can extend to play as well.

And now he's doing something special down there in Bloomington that that we've never seen before in this state.

Now, on that note, whenever you got here, you were something that I don't think anybody has seen in D1 ball.

Go ahead, Ty.

Yeah, and it was a breath of fresh air, coach.

And obviously, everyone, you know, right after, you know, whether it was you saying, hey, listen, I've never taken a back seat to anybody.

I'm not going to do it now.

And maybe kind of jousting with Ohio State a little bit and Purdue and then the Google me, you know, I win.

That's going to follow you the rest of your life because you continue to do it.

Do you think, like, are you at a point now where you don't feel like you have to maybe quote unquote talk shit or do any of that stuff anymore?

Because it's like, hey, guess what?

I can say whatever I want to say, but we're playing on Saturday and we're coming in there to kick your ass.

And now people know, like, hey, Indiana actually really might come in here and beat our ass.

Yeah, there's no doubt about it.

I mean, you know, I feel like this year I'm back to who I was.

This may be 44 or 43 for me.

I don't know.

You know, the other 41 years.

But, you know, just like, you know, what's our response going to be this week against Michigan State coming off the Oregon win?

What you saw last year for me was sort of my response to my first eight hours on the job here.

What I detected, noticed, and saw and didn't like.

And I wasn't going to lower my stand.

I'd come from a championship program.

We'd won five straight championships.

Hell yeah.

And I wasn't going to have my standards lowered by everything I felt, saw, and heard.

And so I got a little mad.

Yeah, I did.

And it all started at the basketball game.

It didn't.

It started when I stepped into the stadium for the first time ever and got on the elevator with the AD, and he got an earful.

And then it just took on a life of its own after that.

I get it.

So, yeah, I don't need to do that.

We've established.

Yeah, I don't need to do that anymore.

We established it eight hours in.

Okay, a lot needs to change.

I'm sick of all of this, everything.

The questions were probably condescending.

The things you were seeing were probably condescending.

All of a sudden, well, this is a tall task.

We don't have this.

We don't have this.

I'm sick of this.

Okay, we were winning here because I decided to come here.

That's what I was going to get.

And you got to talk to your shit.

I love that.

And now you're at the point where...

I mean, after the organ win, it certainly helps.

And I'm excited to see how your team responds as well.

This is a big test for your team now.

They talk about, you know, handling failure.

Handling success is obviously the hardest thing.

That's all you've ever really done.

You you can google that i'm excited to see your boys respond but i also appreciate the fact that you look around and you're like all right i don't have to tell everybody that we're gonna beat the shit out of them they kind of understand that now you're the man coach we appreciate the hell out of you well you know i love you guys and uh yeah i heard you talking about the gateway gators against the plub mustangs the other day

you know i mean terry smith is uh interim head coach up there at penn state gateway gator great And that's a great football coach.

Let me tell you, he'll do a great job there.

As will you.

That's the head coach at Indiana Coach Signet.

We'll continue digitally.

Cheers.

Goodbye.

All right.

We're still live.

We're still live.

So don't say anything that, you know, don't bear.

You know, we're still live.

There's people still watching.

Coach, we love you, man.

Congratulations on the success and thank you for the time.

Got to keep it going, man.

All right.

Can't wait to get back down there, brother.

Can't wait to get back down there.

Maybe stall by the house.

I'm glad you're in our state.

You're my homeboy now.

Hell yeah.

You're damn right.

I'm glad you're in our state.

You're in the dining house.

Hey, I need to go down the house.

Pot and green, the whole thing.

The whole family.

Tell the family we said hello and graze down there.

Okay, let's go.

That's an open invitation.

Paul Drew, we're coming, ladies and gentlemen.

Kurt Signet, thanks.

Get it coach.

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Look, being a man doesn't mean skipping self-care.

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Grooming, the hair, everything.

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You don't wake up like that.

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You got to get rid of that awful mustache I had last spring.

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he's hilarious the best he is himself oh yeah he said pocket like the way you did with the golf club

come out of the pocket yeah so he's western pennsylvania i mean we had mike mccarthy and the Kurt Signetti.

We're talking about Pittsburgh just having its, you know, influence on football, still happening, still very few.

But him walking into that building and just everybody there just being like,

why would you come here?

What do you

do?

We have a weight room?

Not a good one.

I think we got half of one.

He'd be on edge all year.

And just being like, oh, I hate all of it.

No way.

I'm moving my whole family here.

I'm moving my whole family.

I mean, he called it shot.

Can you imagine if he does all that stuff and they go four and eight?

Like, that's not good.

He like, but he knew.

He's like, fuck it.

I'll call my shot and then we will just beat the shit out of everybody.

You know how coaches speak through the media to their players?

He was speaking to the entire state of Indiana.

He was like, obviously, he was talking to college football, but he was also talking to IU alumni, which I just saw the tweet.

805,000 now is their alumni, which I don't know how that happens a couple of months ago.

Indiana University is now home to the nation's largest living alumni network, powered by more than 805,000 living alumni.

IU's vast alumni network provides unparalleled opportunities for connection, career advancement, and lifelong growth.

That's also comma and NIL for our football team and our basketball teams.

You can also add in there.

So

are they like they were tied with another school and then somebody passed away?

Rest in peace.

It must be like some sort of website.

They sign up.

Either that or like my assumption.

Also, like the football team being as good as they were last year, I wonder what that did for enrollment this year.

For you know, like that, that's a big deal for kids going to college.

Like, oh, shit, we might get a college football playoff team next year.

Like, yeah, if I'm on the edge between Indiana and Ball State, like, probably going to IU.

Indiana also have a good time.

Yes,

noted good time.

Big Ten school.

Bloomington, noted, good time.

Yeah, you're right.

I guess it is Big Ten School.

All Big Ten schools, good time.

Legit.

Everyone I've ever been to.

Yeah, because like West Virginia, obviously, just professional good time.

I think you know, the dropout rate's hilarious for your first semester.

You just kind of go crazy every night.

There's an opportunity to do something cool, and you're going to do it.

Okay, and that's just a part of it.

And then there's other party schools you kind of hear of.

And then, yeah, I guess now that I just kind of think about all the cities we've been across in the Big Ten, I mean, at Iowa, we had there was a beer waiting for us at the hotel.

So awesome.

Lady had a baby keg while we were checking in the hotel for the Iowa Walk guys game.

See, Columbus is obviously Columbus.

I mean, Penn State.

Penn State, outrageous.

Hey, how is it out there?

Absolute destruction.

Like, where?

Everywhere.

Pure chaos is how Stanford Steve kind of called it.

What else?

Michigan.

Madison.

We went out in Ann Arbor.

Michigan was a good time.

It was.

Yep.

Michigan was a good time.

Oh, there it is.

Boom.

Northwestern sucks.

Yeah, that's the city of Chicago.

Michigan State is a big party school.

What school is it?

Well, it's funny.

While we're talking about Northwestern, we just said, I don't like, because we immediately went from Northwestern.

We went to the city of Chicago as opposed to the school.

Maybe any of the inner cities?

Yes.

Campuses?

Yeah, because

there's not a lot of room for the frat life or whatever.

But yeah,

if you go to a city school, you just go out in the city.

So the city counts as the, like Pitt, for instance, in Oakland.

Yeah, yeah.

I've had good times in Oakland at like apartment parties, house parties, and things like that.

But it doesn't have the opportunity to do like what big campuses

got to get fake idea and go to the born.

Bingo, you're going to the city.

Yeah.

Interesting.

And do they still do all this stuff?

Yes.

I hope so.

Oh, yeah.

They do.

Down in the south, I wonder.

I assume just every, because I only see their tailgate setups, and everybody's having a good time.

Yeah.

Every, yeah, they know.

They know how to, yeah, they always have great setups.

Like, yeah, down south, they have the great college experience.

I feel like I'm happy we got good times all over the place.

So it's all bad.

We need more good times.

Amen.

The world needs more good times.

So if these are being generated via sports or just other opportunities, we're happy about that.

Now, tonight,

let's start this week, week seven.

Perfect.

Boom.

Let's go.

AJ, I would like your take on Tua's.

We didn't really talk about that, but we could do it tomorrow.

Actually, we could just move past it.

I thought Tua did a great job on that statement.

Did you as well?

He handled it well.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

If he,

yeah, go ahead, address it.

Let him know.

And like you said, start off the start off the press conference like that because I know every question will be about that.

Yeah.

Hey, hand up.

I was on me.

Here we go.

Let's move forward.

My intent.

I explained to the boys what my intent, like my intentions were to just talk about.

And he said, the guys know my heart.

They know my intent.

They know.

And I'm like, yeah, that is very true, actually.

It's usually the case.

I did appreciate him throwing a meaty under the bus like we misconstrued it.

Yeah.

I get that one.

It's a good move.

Yeah, it's not a bad play.

I blame that one.

What I meant, because it happens to us, what we actually said versus what you are saying, we said two different things.

But in this particular case, every ex-player basically said, come on, we don't need that.

Come on.

You're throwing all of us under the bus now.

We don't.

You're throwing yourself under the bus.

You don't even know it right there.

You're literally just throwing yourself under the bus.

Nobody's winning here from this particular statement.

So I appreciate him owning that and moving forward.

Rashid Rice is back for the Kansas City Chiefs.

That's going to be,

I mean, huge.

Yeah.

It's about to happen.

Yes.

It started happening.

Okay.

The Chiefs wagon started to kind of, you know, forge the river a little bit.

And it started rolling.

Slowly, surely.

This team stinks.

They're dead.

I even fell into it.

I'm like, you know what?

Maybe they are.

It's hard not to.

Maybe they are done, dude.

This is a bummer.

I don't like it, but I'm thankful that I got to watch it with how great it was.

That's how I started feeling in here.

And then hold on.

Hold on.

The Chiefs remember they're the Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes hears that too.

He hears that too.

I think he loves that.

He starts putting the team on his back.

Like he actually starts like running.

He starts like taking hits, taking run.

Travis Kelsey starts, oh, wait a second.

Here we go.

Xavier Worthy.

Okay.

Hold on.

Kareem Hunt.

Hollywood Brown.

Juju Smith-Schuser.

All these guys seemingly start having better games.

And it's like, wait,

this is more weapons than they've ever had.

And then all of a sudden, wait a second, Rashi Rice is coming back, too.

So now they might have the most weapons that they've ever had.

They're playing good football.

And this is why that they are sitting in the position that they're in, which is everybody saying they're going to win Super Bowl again.

That's where we're sitting in week seven.

For sure.

Feels like AJ.

Yeah.

Yeah, definitely does.

I mean, watching Patrick Mahomes work and watching, like, you can tell, I don't know, the guy's just an ultra competitor, and I love watching him and i think when he is in that mode that when he's alive when he is breathing the chiefs always have a champion yes i think that's how we should view it forever especially with andy reed coaching as well so we should remember punch about jack campbell we can't run this play i'm sorry we've ran this a bunch i love watching jack campbell come in and throw this unbelievable haymaker here trying to get a ball good it's so funny to me i don't know why why didn't you do a little bit more watch this yeah

he let him get up too it's like perfect almost hit him what if he hit him in the right in the balls too oh he probably may have glanced yeah he might have got a glancing blow at the balls there we're not 100 sure But him perfectly timing for when he got up, like, hey, nobody touched this guy.

He's getting up.

That's classic play by veteran defensive player.

Jack Campbell certainly flies around.

But on that note, Patrick Mahomes and Rashi Rice last season, weeks one through three.

Okay, Hembo sent these stats over.

Weeks one through three last season, 24 receptions first, 185 yards yak, 288 receptions yards, 32 targets, and then he got injured in week four.

Mahomes is getting less yak this season, 5.7 yards per completion, than he ever has.

So Rashi Rice should be adding to that, let alone all the weapons that Andy Reid now has to kind of draw some shit up.

That feels like huge news football-wise.

And, yep, I'm back to only picking the Chiefs blindly until I lose all my money like I did a couple years ago.

It's a good move.

I assume Sportsbooks are going to react the same way, though, with them.

Yeah, I was actually, I can't.

They are.

What are they this weekend?

I mean, he's the favorite to win MVP now, and they're the favorite to win.

They're going to win the Super Bowl.

So Sportsbooks are already.

Oh, they're minus 11.5 against the

says 12.5.

I assume that either of those could work across the board.

Chiefs minus 12 and a half hosting the Raiders, and we know that's a petty game.

That's a big number.

Big time.

And if you remember how Rashid Rice got hurt, Mahomes might feel a little bad because it was actually Mahomes who fell on his leg to get him hurt last year.

And then that's carried over into the suspension.

So maybe Mahomes is going to say, you know what?

I owe you six touchdowns.

See, it feels like everybody on that team loves him because they're just openly, proudly, very loudly supporting.

And everybody's like, don't you do that.

And they're like, it's our guy.

Yeah.

So they must be very, very pumped for him to come back.

Mike Vrabel is going to take on the Tennessee Titans.

Obviously, Tennessee Titans fire him unceremoniously out of nowhere in a lot of our eyes.

He then goes to the Cleveland Browns for a year as an advisor, as a counsel, and then he, boom, becomes the head coach of the New England Patriots.

And boom, they're really good again.

So Vrabel, who had success in Tennessee with the Titans, will be facing them for the first time as a head coach at a new place.

Will he remember that?

or this be strictly business for Mike Vrabel, A.J.

Hawk?

Well, I don't know.

What do you think, Pat?

I think he may have an idea.

He may have a little memory of what it was like to get booted out of there.

But will the sports book take in this little interim head coach bump that usually happens the week after a firing?

You think for Callahan and the boys down there after the firing?

Is it McCoy?

I believe McCoy is the interim head coach.

Yeah, I didn't love what McCoy said, too, because he basically said, like, well, on offense, we're only going to do what Cam Ward does well now, and we weren't really doing that per se.

So not great for New England.

But if you're talking about like, hey, the players are going to, because it's not just him.

Harold Landry, who's the leader on the defense now, he used to play for Tennessee.

I forget if he got cut or just signed somewhere else.

Who knows?

But there's a few of that.

Bob Spillane, Jack Gibbons, the other middle linebacker.

Like, there's a few Titans on that roster.

And I feel like you talk about it sometimes too.

Like, it's a big time.

Like, Varable can say what he wants, but doesn't the locker room more so have to be like, hey, we need to do this for fucking coach, no matter what he says.

That's what Terry Smith is saying up at Penn State about to the team and to the coaches.

Like, hey, we got James Franklin fired, so we can rally around this.

You could definitely rally around your head coach and put up for him.

I didn't even think about the fired head coach bump that happened.

That's like one of my rules.

You don't have a lot of rules.

Croy's a respected guy, too.

Like he's a respected, legit coach.

It's a revenge game versus the fired coach first game.

Yeah, it's tough.

I stay away from this.

Yeah, it's the battle of the football gods kind of, you know, who knows?

Yeah, who knows?

And we like Cam Ward.

That's what sucks.

Like we all, or at least I think, I like Cam Ward.

I think he's nasty.

So it's like, shit.

You're taking Vraves minus six and a half?

I didn't know the points were that much, but

I'll see tomorrow how I feel.

But right now, that's where I'm leaning.

You should know,

very similar to a lot of situations where it goes like the Bills, everybody's taking the fucking pats.

I mean, everybody and their mother's taking their pats.

Everybody and their mother is saying pats are going to kill them.

What's the stat again?

75% of the bets right now are currently on the Patriots.

There you go.

And what's the stat?

15 and 36 teams that are getting 60% or more of the public bet.

AJ, this is the week.

I am not a public puppet.

Are you sure?

Boy said players not plays when asked about how he would change the approach with Cam Ward.

There it is.

What does Cam Ward do best?

Players not plays.

What's that mean?

Boy's got to lock in a little bit.

What does he play?

This is fucking week one, game, week seven.

It's fucking bullshit.

Okay, well, good luck to you guys.

Thanks, man.

Ladies and gentlemen, before we make our picks, we would like to say that AJ's college roommate and high school friend is currently battling through something I just learned about in the last few days via a post on his social media.

Basically, I had a chance to chat with him and AJ obviously has more information.

Him and Nick are literally best friends.

So Nick is currently looking for a kidney with the type O blood.

And if you are interested in helping him as he's battled chronic kidney disease throughout his entire life, and he said that he knew that this moment was potentially going to be coming for him.

He had no idea it would be this soon.

He had been on dialysis since August, I think.

That's what he said.

I think he's been on dialysis since August, which is three times a week for four hours each session.

They're basically pumping out his blood and then pumping it back in to clean it because that is the job of his kidney and his chronic kidney disease had gotten to a point where the kidney is not operable.

So now he is looking for a donor to give a kidney that could potentially match his blood type.

would happen in November, I believe.

He has to go through dialysis for a few more weeks before he can even get to the point of getting or receiving said kidney.

So you are not past this storyline to help.

And it's not just, obviously, Nick Mangled.

How many people are currently on dialysis?

I believe it was 550,000 in the United States and like over 800 million worldwide.

Okay, so even if you have any interest in helping Nick Mangold or anybody else, there's a lot of people.

You go to this website, you can scan this particular QR code, and then you'll click on the link and then you'll go through some things and they'll check and see what your blood type is and what's all possible for you to be able to help out.

A football legend, obviously an Ohio State legend, New York Jet legend, and a young man that I didn't even know this was really possible, AJ, you've been close with him your entire life, went to the same high school, same college, and obviously still talk to him today.

Did everybody know about this?

And

what did I miss maybe in describing that entire situation?

No, you pretty much hit it on the head.

No, like everyone was not aware of this by any means.

I mean, they were like, we were aware of that he had a situation, but we didn't know how serious it was.

And we didn't know he'd be getting, you know, needing a kidney transplant at this point in his life.

He didn't either.

That's what he said.

Like, he even, like, was joking with me saying, hey, I go into this dialysis, which is not a great situation.

It's not fun.

And

I'm in there with a bunch of 60, 70, 80-year-olds.

And I was like, yeah, they got to say, who is this giant mammoth human with long hair and a beard walking in here?

Why is he in here?

And Nick is asking the same thing.

Like, yeah, I didn't think it would be at this point.

But he's also super positive about it and saying, hey, there is like an answer.

If I can find a way to get a kidney, kidney, I can go and hopefully live a normal life after this.

But yeah, it's scary, man.

He's got four kids.

Everything just totally upends your whole life.

We are sending super positive vibes and well wishes and good luck to Mangold and his entire family on receiving a kidney.

But also, I think there's a chance that Nick is on the other side of this is going to be able to raise a lot of awareness about things that we have learned over the last couple of days through Nick Mangold's story here with chronic kidney disease, about the many other people that are just looking for a little bit of health, I believe, or a little bit of help.

I believe believe the body has two kidneys, but it is understood that you only need one to really operate a body.

So if you have an extra and you're willing and you happen to match, if you go to this website and find out, typo, you could be the person that potentially saves Nick Mangold's life and many others that are currently going through the same thing.

So Nick, we love you, buddy.

We love you, brother.

We hope you get it.

We hope you get it.

Now, tonight, AFC North football, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, minus five and a half for for the Pittsburgh Steelers on every single sports book.

You could have got him in minus four and a half about an hour ago.

It is switched back.

Everybody sees it the same way.

Almost a touchdown favorite in Cincinnati in front of Andrew Whitworth, the ruler of the jungle.

AJ, how do you see it?

We're fresh off a tie, brother.

We're fresh off a tie.

And we're tied for the season, too.

We're 3-3 for the season, and we're fresh off a tie last week.

So whenever you talk about what tonight means, it's a potential perfect slate for one of us or both of us if we see it the exact same way.

Yeah, it is.

I mean, this is Coach McCarthy.

I know he's talking about, I've got to go home next week.

So he's taking the Steelers, obviously.

He usually doesn't like a lot of points like that, especially in the division.

I've gone back and forth with this one, but you know what?

Honestly, give me Joe Flacco and give me the Bengals plus five and a half of them.

Wow.

I don't know.

Especially didn't hear Big Mike say.

They might have found it.

You heard a founder a little bit in the second half.

Yeah, he did.

He said Joe Flacker, they're doing what they need to do to win football games, which is such a football way or football coach way to talk about a team that's decimated by injuries and also in a situation that a lot of people don't think they'll be able to win.

Football coach looking at them and go, they have ways to win games, though.

And they started playing ways to win game, is what he said last week.

Yeah, but AJ kind of let it off with his real feelings.

You know, Big Bike has to go home to Pittsburgh.

AJ's got to live in Ohio.

And that's exactly why he picked the Bengals.

Oh, yeah.

And he's probably going back to Centerville for some celebration of him punting 50 yards.

Exactly.

30 touchdowns, some sort of

homecoming king.

Do you have a celebratory AJ Hawk Day back there at Centerville for the Elks?

No, we do not.

Everyone dresses up as Hawks.

Don't lie, Hawk.

Everyone dresses up as Hawks, walks around the hallway.

Everyone has to get 33 tackles today.

Okay, and also rush for 130 yards.

Yeah.

And they even have the wings.

Exactly.

You got to go like this while you're walking.

And it gets kind of tight in the hallways, but they do it for A.J.

Hawk.

A.J.

Hawk.

AJ Hawk.

They got to turn side.

Oops.

Oops.

Or that might be how you rack up a couple tackles.

You know, instigate a little contact, get a little brew ha-ha going, and then boom.

You just got a fucking melee in the hallway.

Right here underneath the.

Teachers hate it.

Yep, exactly.

A little chicken wing.

Actual hawk wing, I guess.

Yeah.

Yeah, because you got to.

Yeah, bigger.

Teachers are doing it too.

Yeah, that's what I mean.

They hate it, yeah.

Their costume smell.

They've been doing it for years.

Think about it.

Yeah, because every year they're going to do it since he did that.

Think about them having to hold their books while they're tough.

You know, like that.

What do you even do with the backpack?

Beak?

Well, that's part of the hawk day is working out.

Yes.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, that's part of it.

Shoulders and traps are dying by the end of that.

That's what you love.

Yeah, that's what it is.

That's your favorite part.

It means you're growing.

It means I'm growing if I'm sore, right?

Amen.

That's right.

Pain means gains.

Always.

That's what we're doing.

Flap.

You're staging on the bangles?

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

If this goes in, I'll take the bangles.

Okay.

Okay.

I'm sure you'll make a good, solid attempt.

Did that go in?

I don't think so, but boy.

Right online.

I don't know what to do.

This is a five-point game.

That's what we just learned.

I don't know.

We just learned it's a five-point game, and you can get four and a half or five and a half.

We got to get an answer here.

Holy shit.

It went in, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, that one.

You got to trust it.

You don't have a choice.

You have to trust it.

Joey Flacco plus five and a half.

You gotta trust it.

I mean, if you go back and listen to the beginning of this show, just

two hours ago, at this exact moment, it's 2.16.

We're 16 minutes in two hours ago.

You would not believe that.

I mean, that's two balls there.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Have to.

That's the universe talking to you.

Wait worth.

You have to listen.

White helmets.

White hot.

Look, Wit's going to dominate that, the ruler of the jungle, too.

I believe the pants and also the jersey are also white.

Paul.

Wait, white helmets, pants, and jerseys?

Yeah.

Cleats?

Ooh, white.

Flacco's got those white cleats.

They even painted the walls of the field white.

I saw that.

Flacco's got these cleats right here.

Yeah, Bango, yeah.

They'll just paint them orange.

They'll drop them in there for orange.

These are actually Flacco's cleats.

Yeah, it's not alive.

Hey, we're live.

We're live.

We're live.

What up, Maggie?

We're live.

I'm live too.

Let's go.

Okay.

Okay.

I like that you're live.

Both AJ and I are both taking the Bengals plus five and a half.

AJ likes it because he lives in Ohio.

Me, I throw a football, universe ball into the hoop.

It goes in.

Two of them base.

Fitz, what up, baby?

Hey,

why should I feel good?

Hey, Fitz, good to see you, dude.

Why should I, should we feel good about this or no?

Like, what are you doing?

Are you talking to team?

Are you playing?

What's all expected for you?

I'm just the ruler of the jungle, Pat, but because I'm the ruler of the jungle, it's going to be a big night, baby.

And you know what?

I'm going Bengals tonight, too.

I'm with you.

Oh, he died his beard.

Blue day, all day.

Let's go.

Okay.

And the boys are saying you got your beard white for the whiteout tonight.

Is Fitz doing the same?

Fitz is not going to do the same.

He dyes his beard back colors.

He doesn't want to admit it.

But here's the truth.

I also got the white Bengal stripes in my hoodie tonight.

I'm representing all white with the team.

Let's go, baby.

All right.

We can't wait to watch it.

We appreciate you.

Tell Fitz we said what's good too.

Well do I appreciate you brother.

See you.

Good luck tonight.

A lot of pressure on him.

It's bullshit.

He's not allowed to be there.

Especially with how good he's going to look.

Now that, I mean, the white beard sold me.

Do not put the village down.

What does the ruler do?

Do they eat like a gazelle or?

A bunch of meat?

Yeah.

Okay.

They get a staff, I believe, is what Bruce just dropped in the body.

I just, I watched, the only time I've ever seen it was when I watched what Gary Owen, his like rehearsal, filmed that.

I watched a clip of him do it.

I've never, it was not happening when I was there.

They didn't do it back in the old Riverfront Stadium when I was a young kid going to games.

But it looks pretty sweet.

We knew that Gary had a tall task there.

And showed his wit, by the way.

But I think Wit should feel good, staff, plus plus five and a half.

I think that's what he should say.

Yeah.

When he puts that thing down.

But hold on, this is what G.

Okay.

Cincinnati this week's Rule of the Jungle is me.

I'm so excited to be here.

We're going to strike the jungle.

I'm excited to be rule of the jungle.

Yeah.

It's time, baby.

Yes, it is.

Yes, it is.

Cincinnati.

So Wit better pick it up.

Yeah.

Okay, so it's not like they're not like a Bengal.

They're like George of the Jungle.

They're like Tarzan.

That's what it appears to be.

Yes.

What?

No, they're not trying to be a tiger.

Okay, yeah, yeah.

They're a human in the jungle.

They're Tarzan.

Well, first of all, Tiger, I mean, I guess if I was a Tiger fan, which I was, I wrote a school project on in fourth grade about Tigers, how me too, which I respected, appreciate it.

We had to do a hanger, and then we had

the color of the animal, and then we had to write a little bit.

It was so sick.

I remember like yesterday, I lied about it.

I was like, I'm going to have a jungle tiger as well.

That was the first time I lied about everything, and I knew the teachers weren't reading it.

I said, these tigers take their food into the bush.

Just lied completely.

They might, though.

You don't know that.

Sometimes they carry it up in the trees.

Wrote it that morning, literally, as I was taping this thing together because it was a full challenge you had to do.

Yeah, I just lied the whole time.

Got an A because I guess the tape looks good.

I like the tigers.

I don't think tigers, though, are naturally known as the rulers of the jungle.

They're not.

No.

I don't think that is the case.

It should be, though.

Well, the ruler of the jungle is the lion, which is the king of the jungle.

But it is the jungle over there because the Hudai people make it pretty wild.

Yeah, it's true.

And lions don't hunt.

That's the thing.

Tigers do it all.

That's why you would think they'd be the ruler and the lion would be the king because the lionesses bring the food to the lion.

So it's like a king thing.

Yeah, that is a king.

Whereas a ruler thing would be like, hey, that guy's patrolling fucking shit up like a tiger in a bank.

But I think that people would say a king is a ruler.

Yeah.

He rules all of the land.

So you're saying a lazy ruler.

I'm almost thinking like Dutch and Dutch, excuse me, Duke and Duchess.

Like, know how that works?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, the king is the lion, and like

the queen is the lionesses.

And then, like, the Duke and Duchesses would be, like, the tigers.

The rulers.

Yeah.

So instead of like general or captain, it's like bingo.

Got it.

It's in the hierarchy of the jungle.

They're way up there.

Way up there.

Major.

But just right below.

Yeah.

Because

it looks cool.

Because

it looks cool.

Now, the tiger looks cool, though.

Oh, it was super cool.

I think that was one of the stats I wrote.

Super tiger.

Looks cool.

It looks cool.

I mean, you've seen a liger, right?

Yeah, those are big.

Those things are fucking awesome.

Coolest animal out there.

Those are big.

Tiger King's still in jail?

He's dead.

He's still alive.

yeah if he's alive holy fuck he was trying to get uh pardoned by trump i don't think he gave it to him man what a launch into an era of life that we had there by him yeah probably living the dream i see the other day he looks a lot different yes joe exotic is still in jail he's serving a 21 year sentence for his role in a murder for hire plot and wildlife crimes i'll tell you what there was a lot of backstabbing in that uh in that zoo safari world a lot of rulers of the jungle yeah there no there was zero rulers of the jungle i think that they needed a ruler of the jungle they needed a tiger to actually come through there see he was ruler and king, he thought.

Yeah, there you go.

Tiger and king.

He was doing too much.

He never did one thing.

And he's currently incarcerated at Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth at his earliest release date is scheduled for 2030.

Okay, so he's close.

His real name, Joseph Molinaro.

Pass.

I think he's sick, though.

I think that's why he's at the medical center.

I think he's sick for real.

All right, Tiger King.

We appreciate you allowing us to see your life.

At the time in which they did.

I don't think you did it all right, though, which is what kind of we all liked.

Hope you're better.

Let's win our best.

Hell yeah, boys.

How about the universe ball?

Yeah, two of them.

That was on the row.

We'll find out if it's real or not, I guess.

Good luck.

Be your friend.

Tell a friend something nice.

It might change their life.

We're in this all together.

Let's never forget that.

Team on me.

Hey, great work in the back, boys.

Great work in the back.

Good work, boys.

Good boys.

Graphic boys, good work, boys.

Good work, boys.

Everybody in the Thunderdome, really good work.

Oh, yeah, you too.

You too.

Good work, boys.

Foxy, congrats on still being U-ball champion, bro.

Just like we said it would.

Ooh, ooh, ooh.

It's a tough game for you, you, you.

When we do, do, do what we do, do, do in the ball of you, you, you.

We're very good at this game.

Now, this is a game that anybody can win.

True.

Certainly.

Because D-Bound has done that a couple times.

Yeah.

All right.

Shitemon, me.

Stop cheating.

He needs to get in the air for his tips.

Oh, I meant you and Foxy as well.

Us?

Oh, not you, but what are you talking about?

Foxy's on the ground.

We didn't take any points, right?

Yeah, I didn't take those points.

Gentlemen's game, though, you guys said, you know what, that was a cool play.

Here's a couple points for you.

Yeah, because only you can decide if you want to, you know, utilize the rule at the time.

I will say,

good internet.

Judging if D-Ben was on the ground or not.

Great.

The still photos really did him in.

Yeah.

Because in real time, when you're watching it, oh, look at the big man move.

You're kind of looky here, looky here.

You're not looking at another place.

Big man on the ground needs, oh, look at that.

Oh, no looker.

First one ever.

And team D, bone and butts.

Maybe the D-block, maybe the D-boys.

I mean, I guess that's a work in progress on the team name there.

The original name I thought was bone and butts, but they have changed.

There you kind of see a little special athleticism out of our national champion.

Whenever you slow it down and take a picture, his foot's clearly on the ground.

Clearly on the ground with the ball.

Yikes.

Clearly grounded right there.

Now, this does feel like Rush's trying to slow down the game, but I love that we're holding it accountable.

Well, so New York actually is Fox's phone, and he's the one that called it out.

Nobody else called it out.

Yeah, after Foxy lost.

I think that was Bone's big point.

Wait, New York called?

I thought it was ruled on the field.

Oh, that's interesting.

That is weird, Tony.

That's funny.

That's just changing.

Well, Foxy, in this sense, you're the ref.

The Chiefs?

Yeah, and then Bone's the Lions.

Bone would be the Lions, Foxy.

I think you're missing this.

I guess Bone is the Lions in this situation.

But then the ref said in the pool report that, no, New York didn't call us.

But then Dan Campbell says, yes, New York did call, and they did make that play.

So what's going on?

Is New York in with the Chiefs?

That's what everyone's saying.

Do we get some story straight, Matthew?

I wonder why the Chiefs are back.

Why?

Because I've seen the AI pictures that you've been making out there.

You mean the ones of 15 and the stripes together?

Yeah, they're smooching all the time.

I'm not sick of seeing Patrick Mahomes and his ref smooch all the time.

It's all over my algorithm.

It's all over my algorithm.

Oh, his sucking face.

They even got the new one.

They said new angle of the Juju Smith Schuster thing.

And it did look like a new angle.

And I was like, all right, let's see if there's anything said between the two, what's said.

And then lo and behold, it was just Patrick Mahomes walking back and then him walking right to a ref and sucking face.

I'm like, enough with this.

Enough with this.

Too much.

Now, I will say,

conflicting stories cannot be happening out of the NFL, especially whenever it comes to refs and Chiefs.

Not the only one.

Get the story right.

That's the thing.

Not the only one.

What's that?

I mean, I don't got to pound the drum anymore, but the refs, I mean, they're completely fucking up the games.

a guy, I saw a guy that had $500 to win like two grand, and he had digs 30 yards, and he didn't get it.

So, I mean, like, now there's a bunch of money on these calls that are, look, again, I'm not pounding the drum anymore, but the referee that I have a problem with, he'll be refing the London game so you guys can see for yourself.

9:30 a.m., obviously.

There's

Adrian Hill, sorry.

Okay, so I appreciate that.

I can't wait to watch him do his thing and his crew do his thing.

The conflicting stories, though, never happens.

Why is the New York thing a problem?

The New York thing should never be a problem.

That's what I don't understand.

Yeah, I don't think it's an issue at all.

Them lying about it happening, I think, is probably the bigger problem.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

No question.

You have to be on the same page.

Massive deal.

We know that.

If there's people who have 8K streams at all times around them in New York and they got all eyes on them.

I don't have a problem with New York because why are they even wearing the shit if New York can't be like, hey, pick it up or something like that?

I think that is probably how it's supposed to go right isn't that kind of yeah how it's supposed to kind of go that's why they had to run over that one special spot put the things on because they got to talk to the thing now with the person up in the in the stadium you know maybe they're in constant contact with people in New York so I don't know how it got kind of construed but them saying no it's not from New York and then it being from New York is like the shadiest shit of all that could possibly happen.

That's a problem.

If they would have just said from the beginning, New York called this one in.

Yes,

then Then at least they could come in and say, this isn't the only one.

We've called in.

There's a lot of things that we think are obvious or change calls just to make the game better that we call in.

But instead, they're like, nah, New York wouldn't do that.

And then it's like, yeah, actually, fucking New York did that.

Exactly.

What team did they do it for?

Oh.

Oh.

Do we know?

So now they kind of put themselves in a little bit of a bind, you know, because they've just because of faulty communication.

I think they should just own that New York is doing shit, AJ.

That's what I think they should do.

Absolutely.

I mean, yes, of course they should.

Like when when you try to lie about it, even if they're not doing anything weird, it makes it sound like you are.

So, hold on.

Right.

So,

why didn't you tell the truth at the beginning?

You think it looks bad?

You think it is bad?

Because I don't think I would have thought it was bad until you lied about it being bad.

Then you have to start questioning.

So, what else?

Yeah.

Exactly.

And it's pretty easy to tell when someone's lying, but like when you're talking about

like the streams and the poll reports, do we know if the AK streams are alive in New York when it comes to the NFL games?

Okay, we're not talking about the advertisement.

You can't see that ESPN Plus.

Let's double-check.

ESPN Plus, did you hear this?

No, what?

I've not been able to check it out personally, but there is certainly a large

group of people that are investigating currently on the internet about ESPN Plus has live games, right?

A bunch of live games.

And they're going to have to figure this out.

I guess there's a chance that they run advertisements which stop the video.

And then after the advertisement, you go back to where the video stopped at.

So then however long that advertisement is, you see, you're automatically behind, let alone the lag that's happening.

So if it's a 15-second video and you go back, you're 15-second behind, but what if the lag is another 15 seconds behind, you're 30 seconds behind, then you do that again.

get another advertisement somehow, you back it up.

So as the game goes further, you're kind of getting off, I think, is what the storyline was.

And then the immediate question is, well, why aren't they just running their ads whenever they're running the commercials?

And it's like, well, they might have been actually, which then they were stopping back in the commercials, actually.

So they're actually making you watch the commercial break longer than it was setting back again.

There's a chance.

I have no idea.

But it's just like, you got to figure that out.

You got to figure that out.

And if you want to do it, you got to do it with the red zone.

Foxy, ram trucks, please.

Ram trucks.

This is what you just, this is the answer.

Like if they're trying to steal more time or more money off the thing or add or, you know, profit off the amount of people that are watching these live games to pay for the product in which you're spending a lot of money on the coding and the engineering and the back end to make sure all that shit runs.

It's like, you can't have the game stop.

You got to keep it going.

And if it's during the commercials, I don't think people care.

You drop in there that the new V8 Hemi is back.

No, I don't think people would care.

Yeah, that it's Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Raring around.

Motor Trainer's chosen Ram 1500 is truck of the year for 2025.

Ram trucks are also back on track and returning to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the 2026 season.

And we're assuming they're going to win.

That's the best truck down the line.

Nothing stops.

Ramming whenever it's Rams.

Yeah, so that can't happen.

That's what.

I mean, we're on ESPN Plus right now.

There's probably people five minutes behind us.

Yeah, but we don't, it doesn't matter for us because you can't really gamble on what we're doing.

The live betting stuff, whenever these games, and then you're saying it's live, it's uh well that, and that's like a massive part of like the selling points.

Like, hey, you want to cut your cable cord?

It's like, well, yeah, but I want to watch the games live because otherwise, like, what am I?

I get the out-of-market stuff, but like, it's, it's not an alternative to TV if that's the case.

Gumpy, as soon as this started going on the internet last night, there was somebody that cracked a case, a lad, I forget your name.

I apologize.

He really dove into it all.

I should give you credit.

I don't remember it.

He started going last night, and then this morning we bring it up and Gumpy's like, I'm getting the notifications two minutes before it's happening on my screen.

I can't do it.

Minutes, legit minutes behind the Texas hockey game the other night.

It was insane.

I was like, what the hell is going on?

And then I fast forwarded.

I had to fast forward to get back to live.

Yeah, catch up to live.

So you can.

You can catch up, but they don't like give you the...

You wouldn't know unless you get a notification on your phone that somebody scored.

Exactly.

Yeah, so it's boiling the entire scene.

Is there a package to pay for more to not get those ads?

Is that available?

I don't know.

Because that's insane to me, if not.

That does sound like a good gadge.

Especially if they're there.

But if you do that during the commercials, now all of a sudden.

Yeah, like now we're doubled.

You're adding to the pool, hopefully, to

the humans over there.

That's crazy.

A friend, tell a friend something like, hey, you guys are going to figure it out over there.

And New World, ESPN Plus has so many games.

A lot of options.

Yeah.

Okay, so the back end of that shit, okay, the amount of.

The amount of that that's happening at all times Can't have anybody crack in the coding to keeping it up not dropping the network the platform has to be able to be strong enough for the amount of people that are coming on to it has to be smooth like that's a lot of shit okay now they signed up for that That is what he is being signed up for whenever they got all the rights.

That's a lot of shit.

So we understand that they need to make money to be able to power all this shit.

Cause if you don't make money, that's not going to work and it's going to be the worst thing of all time.

we just need to do it at smart fish we'll do that yeah right we'll do that yeah yeah are we working there are we working in the in the place because we can but well they do that we can't do that i don't have the ability we can do yeah but we hope they know the people that can do that so we can continue to move on with live sports the greatest thing on earth we'll be back tomorrow talking about that be a friend tell a friend something nice might change your life we're in this together team on me team on three one two three team goodbye

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Eight years ago, I blew my football career.

He dropped it at the one-yard line.

Chad Powers has arrived on Hulu.

If I can't play as Russ, I'll play as someone else.

My name's Chad.

And last name?

Leader.

From executive producers Eli and Peyton Manning.

Remember, you're wearing a prosthetic mask.

This is acting.

And starring Glenn Powell.

He thinks you're a rubber cheeto-eye.

Not rubber.

I'm a man made of flesh.

The Hulu original series, Chad Powers, is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.

Terms apply.

New episodes Tuesdays.