(upbeat music) - Fan morning show. Gunning, Mark Hazy. Just counting down the hours until normally for me, I count down the hours to 8.55. 'Cause then I get to leave and shirt myself of all responsibilities. Until I pick my child up at daycare. No, but we are all counting down the hours until 11 a.m. today. That's when you will hear from select members of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Two of them specifically. John Tavares in Austin Matthews, as the captain see gets handed over. We have so many pressing questions about this. People really didn't like, I saw. And again, I think a lot of people were curious about this, but I also saw a lot of it. It doesn't matter who's gonna get the other A, or they're just gonna keep it status quo. You wanna know the minutiae of floating around in my brain? I'm going, I wonder if they'll do a blue or a white jersey. There's no way they would present them the C and like the flip side be bird jersey. Please, would they? These are the things that dance around in my brain. I just love having hockey news at this time of year, Matt. We talked about it with the offer sheet, the Matthews captain see. It does feel like a little, oh, almost like a boost to your car. Like restart things, get it going, get your hockey brain flipped on. 'Cause we're here now. - We are and it's a nice, it's a, like you said, it's a nice change from the monotony of summer when the baseball team is not very good. But it's something again that I think we kind of, not take for granted, but it's a pretty cool moment for a player to have this honor bestowed upon him. And I'm of the opinion that, you know, factually it doesn't happen all that often. But in a scenario like this with the franchise and the magnitude of it, this is a big deal. And, you know, in the, you know, we're over a hundred years of history with this franchise. This will only be the 26th captain in the history of it. Like think about that for a second and how crazy that is. So it's a big deal. I'd be very curious to see what's going to happen at this presser. I don't think we're going to get any, we're not going to get any groundbreaking comments from anyone. - No. - But it'll be really cool. I wonder if we see the demeanor of Austin Matthews change even a little bit. That's what I'm kind of looking for today. - Yeah, I can't wait for people to read way too much into literally all of it. Like does it, does he wear a suit? Will that rub people the wrong way or another? This is the beauty of an announcement like this is that there are tangible things that come out of it. People get a little silly as well. Someone who's always very, very serious and giving us great hockey information. Mike Food, this insider brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus, where you can expect the excellence online. And in the showroom, visit DonValleyNorthlexus.com. Foods, how's the summer been? Thanks for joining us, man. - It's been my pleasure, but it's been unique. You know, with a lot of my dad, big goal? Well, last week was phenomenal. It was the 10-year anniversary of our 2014 Stanley Cup. So the Kings, one thing I'd say, they're completely go first class. They flew everybody and their families in. And then kept us off to summer resort and they were always high and some. And it was unreal. I mean, to go to those things and then to reflect the Apollo first on how quickly time flies off the charts. But no, it was very special. They did everything exceptionally well and to see the boys. Some portions, a couple of the big quickie, quickie wasn't there. And Drew Dowdy's sister was getting married other than that. I think Jordan Nolm was filming "Shoresy." "Shoresy," the sequel, or whatever the hell, going on with that. In general, speaking, just seeing the guys and reflecting upon it where they were at. I mean, it's amazing how in good shape there's, I was Darryl Sutter with Klaus and he'd like, give me like two weeks for this guy and we went around to the playoffs. I have to imagine a lot of the guys are going, please don't let Sutz get his paws back on me once. It was like, great, we did a lot of good things. But what was enough? Oh, they're actually, when they know it's not any possibility, they have a different attitude about it all together. But they also, with respect, they have one. It's off the charts. I mean, most of this group, that was very fortunate that probably 80% of the guys, we won two of them together, right? There was this small, that was the amazing part to you to see the turnover. 'Cause the young guys, Muzzin' are Jake's, the young guys. That's how Jake Muzzin', Tyler Tsoffoli and Tanner Pearson, the kind of first-timers, they heard all the fun stuff about the first reunion, and it was just great to see everybody together. No, that is, all right. Mary and Gabbric was probably the best. I mean, I guess he's seven years sober. He had this big line in the room, I remember after. Show me the money after he. And then we unfortunately showed him the money, which led to us not winning, which led to us not winning a third Stanley Cup, so. That's amazing to hear. I mean, just talking with Kipper, like he had, I guess it would have been the 23rd anniversary of the Cup in New York. He went back to it last year, and he was saying all of the exact same things. Man, like we always hear it about it being brotherhood, but hearing it in your voice, you could really tell the connection you have with those guys. Very special, very special stuff. Futes, okay, I gotta ask the question now, because I mean, we're here. We gotta get to work, we gotta reminisce forever, but it's time to do a little work here, Futes. You know, I love you. So I have to ask this question, because you're at the reunion, and there was a time after that, and you talked about Marion Gabbrick's deal, not helping you win Stanley Cups afterwards. You guys had the captaincy change while you were there from Dustin Brown, who, I mean, the guys got a statue outside the building. And, you know, he was the fearless leader, you know, the pictures of him with, you know, missing his two front teeth, all of that. How, you know, when you guys came to that decision, or when, you know, whatever, however that decision came about, how difficult was that A? And then what was the reaction like from the rest of the team? Because I feel like this is a little bit different here in Toronto, with John Tavares handing over the captaincy to Austin Matthews. How kind of tenuous was that with Dustin Brown and the rest of the team after he had the sea taken away from him? Very tenuous, completely different situations, on a multitude of fronts, but completely, it was something we had discussed doing, and it was, you know, first of all, we had, arguably, if you go back and look at it, I think we had 10 NHL captains in our dressing room that either worn C's or A's or the other places. You know, we had Mike Richards, Justin Williams, William Mitchell through the stall green. So there were already guys that had worn captaincy's. They had been discussed internally, early, like, who's gay? Like, our two pillars were young pillars at the time were copitar and dowdy, and it had been discussed internally. And copitar was kind of the guy we felt the torture was gonna be passed. But coming off, like Dustin Brown's a phenomenal human being. He had great supply. Just to go out and say that he was our captain, meaning checked all the boxes as far as he was the guy in the room there, everybody looked to. There were so many guys that he had such incredible stories. And this is a knock on Dustin Brown. We just had, if you had done a blind vote on who our top leaders were, you would probably not get all the votes to be the number one guy. The ultimate professional, but he kind of inherited the C before any of these guys were around. They were, yeah, he was a first round pick, and I think they handed to him when he was very young. The team was really not a successful team at the time. However, his career was, I mean, he was, I mean, if you guys remember this guy, it was back when you could hit when you guys-- Oh, yeah. Right, right. He hit her kind of like just a wrecking ball. Perfect example. So not dancing around at all. It was, it was, it's different. We won two cops. So you're looking at a team that's had success with the team, and there isn't a trellis. Do we really want to really do this with the success? Even though we know it's kind of turning into Copotard's group, is it, for the amount of damage you might do to Brownie, is it something that we really want to go through? And I believe, I believe Gerald probably had a lot of just wanting that transition in the dress room. And Dean is very supportive and decisions like that. And it was not an easy decision. But it was not something Brownie was happy with. Yeah, no, I imagine-- Sorry, go ahead, Boots. No, it's just because-- and it's funny, because he and Copie, they are best friends, like best friends, like not just close teammates. They are on and off the ice. They came in very shortly around each other, and they just share each other. I think their kids might be-- Godfather either, so it was-- But Copie, it was really-- because Copie had to look at Dustin and say, hey, I'm not sure whether I need this, but we know Copie wanted it, right? It was also something he wanted and he earned. So you know what, you go back to the decision, what did it accomplish at the time? I guess there was a transformation, but I think it did cause some damage. I know I remember the first time Brownie went in to just see his shirt without anything on it. And then they had made that decision that he wasn't getting anything. And then it was funny, during the year, I couple of the guys that were injured. I don't know, because I know Drew had an A, and I can't remember where the other assistant was. But all of a sudden, they put an A back on his shirt quietly. And it was like, hmm, and he wasn't-- he wasn't thrilled with that. But he ultimately doesn't say anything, but you just tell when sometimes you're-- you know, as you said, I mean, right or wrong, this guy's-- he's got a statue outside, and it's got to see on his jersey. So, I mean, again, it's a really tough one. I think it's completely different to the league situation. But again, the only other one I know, and I mean, you know, I'm sure you want to touch Toronto. It's probably the San Jose one, and that was horribly taken. They didn't have any team success, and it was almost like saying it's all Joe's fault. Yeah. And, you know, then they-- not Joe Pavelsi, Joe Thornton, and then it didn't-- it didn't go over well. And you saw that one ended with all those guys going in a separate way. So, it was different in everybody's part, in our part. It didn't work out. It did cause friction, and it wasn't a pleasant situation. Yeah, we had John Scott on the show yesterday, and, you know, he made a point of mentioning, like, it's not like he was, you know, a 10-year guy in that room and knew the ins and outs. But even he said, it was just very awkward through the whole process of a lot of people in the room still feeling like it was jumbo, and all of a sudden, it's Joe. And, oh, don't forget, Patrick Marlow is poking around here as well. Just an awkward situation. Did you see any change in Copotard that you don't think-- that came because of the captaincy? Like, obviously, he's grown into the player. We've seen that he has had this incredible run, you know, pre and post-captaincy as well. But do you think it changed anything about him? Because I think that's the question people are asking with Matthews is, does this change anything that we'll never be able to see? Like, we're not going to see, you know, if something he says in the locker room to the guys, maybe it's his demeanor. Did you notice any of that change with Copotard? Do you think it's anything that wouldn't have just come naturally with him growing as a man in the league without the letter? It's a great question because Copys, it's about the universal personality of the person you're discussing, right? And again, I go back and forth, but I go back to jumbo, Thornton, it's like he's a presence. He's a loud presence, right? So Brownie was never allowed presence, right? He was a very quiet, the ultimate professional kind of thing. Probably other than a great, like he still went out with the guys, but this guy's a very, very developed father. He was at all the kids, like that's what I remember about how dedicated family man he was with his kids. And I'd be showing up at the rink at nine o'clock and then, you know, in the off days and he'd be in tying up eight pairs of skates and stuff like that. You look at Copie, I think the presence of all the leaders we had around him, a lot of personality kind of come out and beat. He had no problem dealing with the media, which is not clearly a lot different than the Toronto media, but it allowed him to shine. But I think it might have, at a certain point, 'cause he's, Brownie was still on his line, I think there was probably a little bit of a delicate way that he had to handle that. And making sure that when he's asking the questions that he consciously is not saying something that might make it sound like this had to happen, 'cause Brownie, you know, because of Brownie, not, you know what I mean? So there was a lot of tiptoeing around. Copie's a great leader, so that eventually shines through at any, I mean, it was shining through in the way he played, but his voice and his, he's certainly the young guys. He had more of a presence after the fact. I remember talking that the guys liked to fully in Pearson that were coming in under the change, just how much he could relay on, and his experience as a champion, and how long you've been in the league, and then talk about this is what it was like, you know, when Justin Williams was here, and it was really good for him. Now, in the Toronto situation, JT has always been a real quiet, it gave the same thing. They talked about him. It'll be great to listen, I'm sure they're gonna tell you. And it, but it's true, this guy's the ultimate pro. He always has been. He's always taking care of himself. He takes pride in his body. He takes pride in his game. He's never ducked the media. I've never would imagine him being a guy in the dressing room that's like the guy that, you know, get up and give us events from Barney Raara. Go get 'em. But again, Matthew's is, Matthew's one of the best players in the world, and if this, I think they're done and not like Bradwood, they wouldn't make this decision on a whim. There's just way too much importance, and I'm sure Craig Burubei, after meeting all these players just had something to do with it. I would like to think that John might have seen the writing on the wall and it's coming forward with something like this was partially his idea. That would make me feel way better about it. But it's, the move itself, I think, is exceptional. I don't think it's like, it's not gonna change anything. I mean, other than, you know, for so long, we've said, oh, you know, when he's out, he's gonna go back to Arizona. Would you go, if he went back to Arizona, he wouldn't have a team to play for it. So, you know, you know, the whole general consensus of this guy loves being a Toronto Maple Leaf, and this is where he's gonna take a lot of pride. He wants to be, I mean, to the guys I talked to you, I mean, we had like, you know, Kyle Clifford and Muzzin' down there and without this guy, they speak volumes about his preparation and his leadership skills, and it particularly weighs matured lately. So, we're better time to pass the torch with a fresh new head coach and John's sure John's on board with it. Probably takes pressure off him to just concentrate on his game at this time, his career. And again, they're not looking at it. They're not looking at it. Massive, you know, coming off a incredible success here. So, I think the timing forward is really good with a kind of a fresh start with a new coach. - How much of that, you talked about that fresh start in the lack of success. Does that make it an easier decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs here with, you know, Bradcher Living has a year to kind of figure out the dynamics of the locker room and the organization. You have a new head coach. Like, if the previous regime was here, even with the lack of success, is this a much tougher decision considering that they gave him the C? - Yeah, 100%. It just, there's a lot more questions that he answered, you know, the key for this to happen all along, et cetera. Like, do this, you know, there was all that I remember at the time, there was that big debate, like Team Shanahan, Team Dubas. And again, until you're not there, you don't know that. But I mean, it was pretty, since then it's rolled out that there were different choices. You know what, and I don't even know at the time whether it was either Austin or, or Tavares. And I mean, I guess the only other name that really gets any, any end rightfully so in my book is because of the character the kid has is Morgan Riley. But, I mean, I think this, when you start, when you start putting up the numbers and the way this guy plays, and obviously the fact that he's not shying away from the Toronto media and signing the extension, this is Austin Matthews team. And it's, and put the C on him to let him march out and take it to another level. Now, I don't think you're gonna get a phony version on the sun where he's gonna be starting screaming up in the room and stuff like that. I mean, he's got to, he's still got to prepare himself. But I think the time's right. I mean, and I think, you know, some of the guys they're bringing in, he's gonna be like, can't have, you know, boost everybody talks about his leadership skills off the boards in spite of the miles and wounds on his body from the way he plays as a warrior. I mean, I've been Larson's probably learned a lot about being a leader after his Stanley Cup here. So you've got some, you know, you've got some bits surrounding people around you. And, and again, Tavares is, Tavares is, I don't think it's like John Veris gonna stop talking to Austin Matthews now because he's the captain. I think it's a, again, the bottom line with this team is they're gonna have to produce one again in the playoffs. And I think this is a step towards solidifying Austin that it is Austin Matthews team. You know, it'll probably be interesting the way that the martyr stuff, how this affects it in any way, shape or form. I mean, the one thing that I've learned about the people inside the room, and I saw an interview, Zach Bogosian did the other day they kind of... - Not happy. - Not enough too. (laughing) - Nobody's, it's just about Martin. These guys really image probably more stamina times with some of the way he deals with the media, but his teammates love him. And so, I mean, it's an interesting dynamic. - Yeah. - It's your gonna play out. - I think the interesting thing about it, and like, this is a perception thing from the outside. You mentioned when they made, when you guys made the change in LA to go from Brown and it was to Copitar, but Copitar and Dowdy were kind of seen as like these twin pillars that are gonna carry this next generation forward. And it's like, boy, they certainly have the hardware to prove it in terms of selfies, and you know, what they've done in the league and Norris trophies and all of that. I think part of the way this gets a little awkward, and this is just like, hey, you gotta deal with this man, but I guarantee you, Mitch Marner, when he is asked who is your peer on the Toronto Maple Leafs, he's like, oh, Austin Matthews, obviously. We got drafted right around the same time. It's like, we both put up a ton of points, we're both great, and all of a sudden one of those guys, you're the person you most feel is your peer, I'd imagine, is now elevated to be the captain. The guy who you probably also look at your peer in William Nylander, and if we're given truth serum, he probably at a lot of times has thought, yeah, I'm a little better, he just got paid a ton. I just wonder what that does. And I think the answer is, it's like, you gotta eat it, you gotta go out and perform, but I do wonder what that does, if anything, to the kind of team dynamic of it all, and just the interpersonal stuff. - Well, we're gonna find out. (laughs) And I don't mean that end up because it's, again, you can, and when you're on the inside, you have a better idea. And I mean, the fact that this Marner thing is, again, being a Toronto kid, he takes a lot, like he takes a lot of the friendly, well, it's not even really friendly car anymore, just fire, but he, I mean, this kid, numbers are incredible. And I look back on last year's team in particular, and I'm just, I mean, under the Dubis Air, I mean, I have a much different feel for that than I do for what Brad Trello is trying to do, despite the lack of success, et cetera. And he made some moves, but I mean, you've got to make sure the biggest knock, and this is not, again, not to again, when you give up first for rentals, you have a pretty good idea that they're coming back. I don't care who you are. And so now we go to, you know, you go with it. Hey, I love the Nick Fleo move, but I never thought he was a one and out guy. Ryan O'Reilly, I absolutely love the move, but I didn't, first, I didn't think he was one and out, and then, and I don't have any results, but I mean, you've got a few rounds under your belt, or you're hanging a van, or everybody's okay with one and out. But when you got one round and out, people have a different view of it. So I think this group is going to, you know, they've made some interesting decisions. I think, again, playoff success is key, getting to the playoffs is key. But I also do believe in all fairness, and we talked about this with our group is in LA, was how healthy we remained and how, you know, fortunate in some series, one bounce here, one bounce there. And you looked at the lease last year, and I mean, you put on, you have a kind of regular season that they did, and then you start the series with Neil Andrew with migraines, and then your top players gone for, you know, whatever the, I can't remember what the injury was, the Matthews. - They never said, that's why I can't remember foods. A weird hit is the most we got on that. - Well, the bottom line is you're taking, you're taking, you know, two of your top four players arguably out of your lineup for seeable time, and in a series that still ends up going seven games. That's one you want to beg and throw out, because if I got to think that if those guys were healthy, that the lease would have found a way to get through the first round. - So, speak of the language. - No, but they didn't, and that's the hard part. But internally, you know, you're going to have to go and face the music, and, you know, and here we go again, here we go again, did it again, but there's some pretty key bodies to be missing. So if you can avoid that scenario all around, I think you'd want to do over it, probably going to get a different result. So, but the lease fans are getting rightfully so, craven for it, so it'll be interesting. But this is, I think this is a very positive day for the franchise. - I will heartily agree. I think it's awesome that Tamara's is going to be up there to hand it off. I think it's awesome that you joined us this morning. Thanks so much, Mike. - I appreciate it. - I got a real quick question. Real question, you guys, did I miss it? Did you guys say you think they're going to be wearing suits? - Well, no, I said I'm saying that we're going to read way too much into this, whatever happens. Boston Matthews comes out there and like jeans and a t-shirt, there will be people in probably, if I have to guess, Mimico and Woodbridge going, "Ah, this guy doesn't even respect the crest. What's he doing up there looking like a bum? That will be said, I don't care. He'd go up there naked for all I care." - Well, if JT comes in and talks, and obviously Matthews comes in and shorts and a lion shirt, have me on again tomorrow. - Yes, we will. We will food side. You made the promise that we will book you. Thanks so much, man. Really, really appreciate it. So happy you got to go out there to LA and enjoy that. There he goes, Mike Food, a two-time Stanley Cup, winning executive, now hockey analyst, that insider brought to you by Don Valley in North Lexus, where you can expect excellence online. And in the showroom, visit Don Valley in North Lexus.com. For a little programming note for you, you can hear the Leafs news conference live right here. Sportsnet 5.9 of the fan, that's hosted at 11 a.m. by JD Bunkus. Jay's Talk Plus with Blake Murphy will continue to air a full show. The second hour will stream on our alt stream. You can also watch it on Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet Plus. There's also this invention. It's called a podcast. You could check it out there as well. If you're like locked into Leafs news and you just need your Blake Murphy fix later on in the day, that's awesome to hear from food so close to sharing memories of that exact awkward time period. He was smart to point out, none of these situations are apples to apples. This feels about as far removed as it could possibly be. - From old situations. He even mentioned the idea of Brown and Copitar sharing a line. I don't think that's happening with John Tavares and Austin Matthews. At least not this year. All of it just seems different. And the other thing too, I was trying to get up but there was just so many other things is, I imagine it was more difficult in LA when there were two guys you're looking at and it's like, could be Copitar, could be Dowdy. And obviously they made a good choice in Copitar and Dowdy's been a great part of that leadership group. There's not two choices in Toronto. There's just, there's one choice. If, again, if all this never happened, could Morgan Riley in another world have been an amazing Leaf captain, 1,000%. There's only one choice if you were taken away from John Tavares and was to give it to Austin Matthews. And I think that makes it a little more streamlined as well. - Yeah, it does. And I think it's also streamlined because as we mentioned, there's no success here. Like if John, if they want to stand like Cop, John Tavares is going to be the captain of this team until he's no longer on the team. - They'd make him GM captain when he retired. - Yeah, exactly. But they don't have that, I don't want to call it an anchor, but they don't have that bit of history screaming in their ear and saying, you can't do this, you can't do this, they don't have that. So that's why I think this is easier. And again, it's also the John Tavares situation of, do I, you know, how long do I want to stay here? And is this part of, you know, me staying here a little bit longer? - Yeah, do I want it to be nice and rosy whenever I do depart. As mentioned earlier in the show, Blue Rodeo hitting Budweiser's stage on Saturday, August 24th, along with guests like Matt Mays and Bagonia giving away tickets on today's show to enter for a chance to win text in today's code word, Canada to 59590. Again, that's Canada to 59590. Standard message and data rates may apply. We're giving away another pair of tickets tomorrow, but if you don't win with us, you can make sure to secure your tickets on ticketmaster.ca. Some men in the NFL are trying to secure some jobs right now. Training camp in full swing. We got a second week at a preseason coming up. We already have had overreactions about teams, even though we've seen very precious little of them. Oh, football season is upon us as well. And who better to join us than Mark Ross, NFL network analyst, 11 years with the Giants, including being vice president of player evaluation. He's a two-time Super Bowl champ. So I think he knows what he's talking about. He's going to join us on the other side. Fan Morning Show continues next on SportsNet 590, the fan. - Covering the Blue Jays from an analytical perspective. Jay's Talk Plus with Blake Murphy. Be sure to subscribe and download Jay's Talk on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. - Happy Austin Matthews, Captain C Day to us all. Oh, fan morning show. Frank Gunning, Matt Marchese. Honestly, what is not to like in the world of sports right now? We just had a wonderful Olympic Games. Also, like if I can be honest about it, the Olympics is over. So now I don't have to talk about swimming and track and field every day. It's kind of nice to mix that in as well. We got hockey news and NFL training camps are upon us. Who better to join us to discuss said training camps than Mark Ross, NFL network analyst, 11 years with the Giants, including being vice president of player evaluation, two-time Super Bowl champ with said Giants, 20 years as a scouting director as well. Mark, thanks so much for jumping on with us. How are you doing this morning? - Oh, awesome. My pleasure. - So training camp, I always like to before the NFL season begins. Once week one hits, then I have a list of topics I love to run down and I want to set the agenda. But when I'm talking to somebody who knows as much at you at this time of year, I'm always curious, what's catching your eye? What's the storyline that's got you most interested right now, Mark? - Well, training camp, I say, is a season of hope. And every team, things, they got a chance. I want to win the Super Bowl. All is right in the world. And all your weaknesses, you think you're going to straighten out. And then week one hits, as you mentioned in reality sets it. And then we're talking about a whole bunch of different things. But overall, to me, the most intriguing part is just the rookie quarterbacks and how many we're going to win their jobs and how many we're going to progress fast and just see their development. And it's a shame. I mean, most of the rookie camps in J.J. McCarthy, I was there last week or a week ago, whatever it was now, losing track of time. And at that time, I was like, this guy's going to win the job. And they just can't keep them down. They love them there. And it's a shame he got hurt. So you know, Taylor Williams, Jaden Daniels, Drake Manning, on and on both necks, how he looks. So that's the most intriguing part to me is just those guys. - All right. I'm going to be a little selfish here. And you know, you crushed me as a Patriots fan, winning win in the Super Bowls. But the thing I look at, I got to go to Drake May. I feel like he's in the most maybe tenuous position of the guys we mentioned there. Obviously, you mentioned, oh, good McCarthy, it looked early on. Kayla Williams, we all know what's happening there. And Daniels, I don't know that there's as much of somebody as a threat to him, as Brissette is with the Patriots. What do you make of the way that's shaking out? And have you kind of changed probably too early to do so? But have you changed your opinion at all about Drake May versus how you felt about him coming out of the draft? - You know, I thought that it wasn't a huge, I'm sorry, I didn't say those Patriots, but it's okay. - Be honest, be honest. - Be honest. - And he thought he, you know, there was very inconsistent. Scattery didn't know if he had really that it factor to raise the level of the team. And I was at their camp as well. And you know, their whole plan was to play Jacobi. And no matter how Drake looked and there was a lot up and downs in the day I was there. So I think you'll see a lot of that. And they're fully invested into Jacobi and making him the guy. And not rushing Drake into the mix. Yeah, I think there's, you know, I live in Philadelphia now. The Eagles kind of practice with them. You know, kind of reports were a lot up and down again from Drake. So I think we might see a little roller coaster from Drake for a while. And in game one, the whole organization really wants Jacobi to kind of be the guy. - Okay, not to, not to do all too much on the Patriots because as a Bills fan, I hate it. But I will, I will ask this question. Just as a, as a general thought with Drake May here, we know that the Patriots were involved in the Brandon Ayuk sweepstakes. They, you know, they, they had a trade in place. They, they attended an offer that was probably more than market value for Brandon Ayuk. Does that conversation about Drake may change if Brandon Ayuk is in the building? Because as we know with the Patriots, they don't have that stud number one receiver. Although Jill and Polk's pretty good. They'll get there eventually, but he's not there yet. If they had more of a, you know, pronounced wide receiver room like the Chicago Bears, and even more like what Washington has with Terry McLaurin there and John Dodson, does that maybe change the thinking for the New England Patriots with Drake May? - Yeah, I don't think it would have. I think they were fully invested into the, until the breath percent being the guy. And yeah, I say this for years, like one receiver doesn't save a quarterback or save a bad quarterback or make a bad quarterback really good. They enhance quarterbacks who are good and make them better. But if you have a terrible quarterback or bad quarterback or struggling quarterback, just throwing a good wide receiver in there isn't going to save them. Drake May would have still had to develop the vision, the pocket poise, you know, the reads, the accuracy before he even gets to ball to Brandon IU, and that's with any quarterback. There's so many things that have to happen before they even get the ball out of their hand to the guy that they have to develop and get better at and be good at before a good receiver can enhance the good things that a quarterback does. So, you know, I think the plan for Drake just taking them is a long term and not immediate. And they need a lot of help along that roster. They're not one Brandon IU go away from being a competitive team. Yeah, even, even I have, have had my fellow Drake May conversation, so we'll move along. Maybe if you would have said nicer things about the new star quarterback and the FCS, I would have had better things to say. But well, we'll keep it to IU. You obviously would have a ton of experience in knowing what front offices are kind of dealing with at this time of year. I mean, cut down day is its own thing. But how much is the IU question mark kind of muddying the waters for San Francisco or kind of causing them. I don't want to say internal strife, but just the idea of we're so close to the regular season. And this is still a massive question mark as to whether or not this player is going to be on the roster. Is he going to be with you? Like, well, how much would the how big of an impetus would there be on San Francisco to just get this problem over with and make the trade that they're going to trade versus kind of holding out and trying to get the best deal they feel they can? Yeah, you want as much certainty as possible. You know, there's never 100% certainty in the NFL or stability because there's always changing at the bottom of the roster. But what's your core players and what's your core group? You definitely want to say, OK, this is how we're rolling into the season. And for San Francisco, it's double. It's OK. Well, we want IU because we've got all these playmakers in our offense. And he enhances that. And even with him, we weren't able to get up to hump, get over the hump. So now we lose him. Now they did draft the first round receiver and Pierce all, Ricky Pierce all from Florida. So it seems as if they were having an insurance policy there in case they did lose IU can but to say that if Pierce all can be IU, that's that's remains to be seen. But you know, for San Fran, I think they need him. I don't here's the thing with him. I don't think he's the guy there. He's almost fourth in line there to get carries and catches there. But they do need him sort of the compliment Brock Purdy and what he does and make him at his best to have all those playmakers around him. But yes, just as far as the psyche where there were there was stories coming out that the head coach is getting frustrated with the situation. Of course, if the head coach is getting frustrated, that's permeating throughout the building. So you know, that peace of mind and stability, you really want that and don't have to deal with a headache like this for for long. And it's it's really the gift that keeps on giving me because like when is this going to be over with? And it's just been dragging on for a while. The other thing that is a gift that keeps on giving is how cheap this Cincinnati Bengals have been historically outside of the Joe Burrow contract and Jamar Chase holding out looking for more money as he should, because seemingly every other wide receiver is getting paid. Now we feel like we're in a little bit of a log jam here, CD lamb looking for money, Jamar Chase looking for money, T Higgins, and of course Brandon Ayuk. Are we talking enough about this Jamar Chase thing? Because the Bengals are in, I wouldn't say a wind now window, but they're pretty darn close to it with T Higgins playing on that franchise tag and maybe not a member of this team next season. Are the the Bengals playing with fire a little bit here, especially considering that there's no certainties with Joe Burrow in his health. Like, I love the player, but he's he's been hurt before. And we saw what happened last year. We saw what happened his rookie year. Like, there's not a lot of time here in terms of having Jamar Chase, having T Higgins on this roster with Joe Burrow. Is this getting enough play and should Bengals fans be worried about where this thing is going? Well, yeah, for sure. And the Bengals are interesting just because they're a family run business and traditionally have been very fristy, as you mentioned and other teams that are family run have shown. Okay, we have to progress. We have to spend money where the Bengals are kind of still stuck there and Burrow will be in the exception, but they had to do that with him. And, you know, the window at an NFL, everyone thinks it's a long time, but really your window could be a year. You know, they made it to the AFC Championship game and made it to the Super Bowl. So, you know, could that be it? And when Joe Burrow is healthy and he's talking about a great receiver enhancing a great quarterback, that's the example right there. Well, Joe Burrow would have been good no matter what. You put a bunch of Mar Chase now those two go to another level. So, you know, that's when they're at their best. That's when they're at their most dangerous. So they need Jamar Chase and they need him to. It's a difference between when we're talking about those teams just being good and but the open goal is to win the Super Bowl and for Cincinnati is to win the Super Bowl and they need Jamar Chase for that. And these receivers now are looking at it as, yeah, I know my value. I know what I mean to these teams and I'm going to use my power to get what I want. And I think the CD lambs of the world, Dallas needs CD lambs to survive and to win. And I think the same thing with Cincinnati where they can be competitive, they can be good. But to win the Super Bowl, they need Jamar Chase. You talk about windows and people feeling like they're going to stay open forever. I imagine there's a bit of that in Houston right now. It says early is in the going as you could possibly be. I mean, I don't care how bullish you were on CJ Stroud last year. I don't think anybody would say in the window was open starting week one week 18. Maybe we feel a little differently about it. What do you make of their move to go out and get digs? It seems like a team acting accordingly once the quarterback is showing himself to be on a level that you can win with. I mean, there is nothing more valuable. I'd argue in any sport than a quarterback on their rookie deal where you can kind of spend money around them. How important is it for Houston to kind of push and understand that that window, like you just said, doesn't stay open forever. And you know, I'm not calling on them to win a Super Bowl than year two with CJ Stroud here, but they should be acting like that's the plan. Yeah, for sure. One hundred percent and, you know, I don't, but the meteoric rise that they had and I was at their camp, but CJ Stroud's rookie year and I'm looking at it. They'll be competitive and I love to make the rise of the coast get five wins or so. And, you know, from week one, they just jumped out there and this guy looked like a top five quarterback and he just kept getting better and better each week. So, all right, you accelerated a year later and you're saying, well, our expectations have changed. We haven't gone from where this fun team that's just trying to grow and get better now. It's, oh, we feel we can win playoffs games and win our division and compete against the top teams. And all right, Nick Cicero there at the GM said, look, all right, well, I'll see it. We got to make moves now. We can do it. And thus, you see the Danielle Hunter in the fun digs moves, which they have to be looking around and saying, yep, we got to beat the Chiefs. How do we beat the Chiefs? How do we beat the Bengals? How do we beat the Ravens? And, you know, I just love the direction that they're going and it's low risk with with digs. And we know his history and we know how he can kind of turn on teams quick and and we're out as welcome quick. But for them, it was a low risk, high reward situation because it's after a year they can get out of it. And if he doesn't, you know, he needs a new deal. So he'll have to play good. We'll have to act right in order to get it in for Houston and see they shroud. I just think he's just taking a leap so much, not just on the field, but just being a leader and letting his personality shine and taking ownership of the team over the past year that, you know, that, yes, their window should be open the guys in their second year to meet the Ryans is in their second year and just love the way that franchise has gone so far. Okay, so so windows are not long in this league. We all can agree on that. But I think it's a fair question to ask. Will the Chiefs window ever close? It seems like they just keep shedding your own matter is that is it so Andy Reed exists Patrick Mahomes is upright. Windows wide open. Is that is that a real thing? Yeah, they're the new Patriots were the good Patriots were Tom Brady and everyone wanted to be the paid now. They're different. He's to go just don't compare yourself. They do. They've got their own thing going on there. And it's the same with the Chiefs where don't compare yourself to them. They didn't even but they weren't even good last year. They win the Super Bowl. So they'll just be playing for second and kill someone shows they can beat them. So that that's yeah, they're different. They're in a whole different stratosphere than everyone else. As a bill. It's such a depressing conversation. Talk it just like you stand in Kansas City. Don't like it play better. No, I'm not. It's not me. I promise. I wish they was true. You watch as hard as you possibly can every every Sunday or Monday or Thursday. That's true. I really do. I wanted to ask you about the Atlanta Falcons. You were at camp and this is a team that is fascinating to me because I feel like they're not getting enough love. Like I'm not saying that they're a Super Bowl contender but they're kind of a dark core Super Bowl contender in a way because their defense was good last year. They have an offensive line. You know, Arthur Smith was Arthur Smith. That's fine. Whatever. But they bring in Kirk Cousins and they to me look leaps and bounds the best team in their division. If Kirk Cousins can get back to anywhere near the form that we saw him with Minnesota with the weapons that they have and Kyle Pitts and Drake London and Bijon Robinson and you know, throw Darnell Mooney into that mix as well. This looks like a really, really good football team. But it really does all hinge on how effective Kirk Cousins is going to be coming off that Achilles injury. Agree or disagree on the Atlanta Falcons? Yeah. Yeah. As you mentioned, I was down there and you know, I said there they have the best quarterback of the division and they've got the best set of offensive playmakers in the division. They got the best offensive line. So their offense should be poked. They really should be. And Kurt has shown that during the regular season, he can light it up and he put them with playmakers and he can put up yards and he can score touchdowns and he can run a proficient offense. So what Kurt hasn't shown is, okay, here's the big game. Here's the spotlight. Here's the playoff time and all of that. Now you stepped your game up. That he hasn't shown yet. And that's almost compared to how Matthew Stafford was when he went to the Rams a couple of years ago where Stafford had never really shown that. And okay, he finally did it when the Rams went all in and he finally stepped his game up and Kurt will have to do the same thing. We'll have to take it to another level. You know, Raheem Morris, I talk about Kirk being the best quarterback and all that stuff on offense. He might be the best coach, even though he's this is a second go around as a head coach. But first year there with Atlanta, I just really love what he brings a Super Bowl experience to get with the Rams on defense. And if they knew enough pass rush, I know they got a bunch of young guys that they're counting on to get it done there. And they can be confident on D. That often should roll pretty well. And that division is not good. You know, that might be the the easiest to win for Atlanta of all the divisions. So yeah, there's no reason they shouldn't win that division and be in the mix being a playoffs. It's just all right, Kurt, now we need you to take us. We're giving you all this money. You got to take us to another level with all these playmakers we have. Yeah, I love what you said about Morris there. Taylor's oldest time, right? Somebody may be a little out over their skis on the first go around and then, you know, taking a bunch more information, become a, you know, a better, better person of your own job. And just a little, I don't even say mature like he needs to, but just give you a grow older, you see more things, you learn more things. It'll be interesting to see Mark really, really enjoyed the chat. I can't wait till the season starts in earnest. Okay. Anytime. There he goes. Mark Ross, NFL network analyst 11 years with the New York Giants, including being VP of player evaluation, lofty title. You could see why a lot of good info there. Kirk Cousins, the world's greatest bag getter, just always getting buckets of money at any point in time. So what if there's like awkwardness because they drafted a quarterback eighth overall in the draft? Who cares? You got paid legend at the bank forever and maybe a legend in Atlanta. Cause as you said, that division, super credible. I really like what they've built in Atlanta. And the more I think about it, the more I don't hate the idea of Michael Penix being there because he's he had, you know, I know it's preseason, but a really good start to his Falcons career. And if Kirk, there's a chance that Kirk Cousins falters here. Like this is an older player coming off in Achilles injury. It is not just, you know, locked in that he's going to come back and play at an extremely high level with those players. Like there's an adjustment here that needs to be made for Kirk Cousins. And if he, if he fumbles the bag and struggles at any point, like they have a guy who may just in fact be ready to come in and make an impact. Boy, would that be a hell of a story in that? Yeah. It, it certainly would. Okay. We talked about the NFL a little. We've talked about Austin Matthews and the Leafs a lot. I am of the belief that him and John Tavares will be wearing suits up there today. You know, getting to the very pertinent. I want to be jeans and a t-shirt. I would buddy some cut offs even. Let's go super cash flip flops. Why not? Has the bebes in attendance? Do we think? Please no. Like he can be there, but like behind the scenes. We can have that one on the blueprint moment that they're going to put out. We're on Instagram with him recording it from the show. Sure. Sure. All that. Just not in the red coat. It would be too hard to hide them. The one he had at all star week. We're going to see John Tavares there. When is he Austin Matthews there? Bradcher living. I imagine's there. Craig Barouba. I imagine's there. Yeah. Anybody else or just the four of them? I think at that point the day is can't hold all these people. Like that's a lot of yeah. That's yeah. That's it's not it's not Broadway. So let's relax. I think it should be the four of them there. I wouldn't be shocked if like Pelly and Shani are in attendance and they got brought up for a picture afterwards. But I think you just want those four guys up there. Marquesi, I once again would like to thank you for being here again tomorrow because we got a lot more day of you. I also would like to thank the Leafs for again, like we got two offer sheets in the NHL. Who cares? Leafs change their captain. We got to spread the offer sheets out. So actually for shame on you, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers, you got to you got to keep the news cycle going. We could have had that offer sheet tomorrow and then we would have had seven days to discuss it. So I can be greedy. I've been knowing to be on occasion. It's been a great addition to the fan morning show. If I do say so myself again, Leafs announcement coming up at 11 a.m. right here on Sportsnet 5.9 to the fan. Jay Stock plus available on 360 and the alt stream. It's been another addition to the fan morning show on Sportsnet 5.9 to the fan. Good morning.
