good morning. It is time to get up with how about them Cowboys? The D in big D stands for drama and oh, Stephen A has had enough. You need to hear from him and you will. Meanwhile, we've got the stealer solution. We'll tell you why in Pittsburgh, the reward easily outweighs the risk. Plus a Iran versus Joe Cool. Who's ready to be called Captain comeback for 2024? Those are the questions. Here come the answers. It's time to get up. Let's do this thing. And one delightful announcement to be made came hard in her jet screen this morning. Oh, yes, chance for a place of green. He's got to be a vote for Aaron Rodgers for comeback player of the year. Dio is ready to go here after almost breaking my thumb with a snappy other day. Harry is all excited. He had prime time on his talk show yesterday. He'll hear that as we roll on. We'll get to all of this, but we must begin with the hottest man on the planet performance of the night. It isn't actually that man. That's Aaron judge. We'll get to him. Let's start with Juan Soto. Juan Soto or in the Yankee is taken on the White Sox. Top of one no score one out. Nobody. Oh, and that's Soto homerang and his fourth consecutive at bat. Last Yankee to do that was Bobby Mercer in 1970. So we go to the eighth. Yankees are up six two. Soto has been so hot. The White Sox intentionally walk Soho to pitch to Aaron Judge. Brian Rooko taken the three Oh, every day until I failed history number 300 for Aaron Judge. The fastest man ever in major league baseball to reach this 300 home run plateau. So they intentionally walk the red hot Soho and I Soto and I will admit he was hot to pitch to literally the best home run hitter of all time based on the trajectory of his career. And that is not an exaggeration. Let me give you two numbers. All right. Judge his 300th home run. He did it in 955 games. You see Ralph Kiner had been the player to get their fastest before. Judge gets their 130 something games more quickly. Meanwhile, if you're counting it by at bats. This record was held by Babe Ruth until yesterday. Babe Ruth retired 89 years ago. Aaron judges the first player to get to 300 home runs in fewer at bats than George Herman Babe Ruth. Aaron judges doing things we had never seen before people. Meanwhile, to the NFL, we go regular season kicks off three weeks from today. So I've put together three burning questions for our panel this morning. Kmart, I'll start with you. What and for all who's going to be the steel is starting quarterback week one greeny. I've been saying it all off season. It's going to be Russell Wilson. But that doesn't mean that Russell Wilson will finish this season as their starter. I think at some point we're going to see Justin Fields. But my mind, it's easier to go from Russell to the kid. All right, we will hear from Brooke prior live from Pittsburgh a little later this morning. Harry, I'm coming to you next burning question number two. Will Brandon IU remain with the 49ers in play for them this season? Greeny, I'm going to say yes, the 49ers have kind of hit pause for the calls. What's that cause? When you look at the Super Bowl window and how Brandon IU is an integral piece to that, you say to yourself, can we just plug somebody in currently and have the same production that Brandon IU gives our football team and also provides our young quarterback I'll answer the question. That's no, absolutely. He's got a good war. He's got room to put for replacement. Meanwhile, D would let's go to the Cowboys. Are they going to get CD and DAX signed before the season starts? No, we're not doing both of them now. Listen, they need see they're going to get CD, but DAX, DAX will be a fool to sign a contract right now when you have months away from unrestricted free agency. So dancers, no, okay, well, we have been waiting a long time because when we think of the cabin, let me tell you this, I walked into about 40. Well, there aren't 40. I walked into about 25 NBA arenas with Stephen A Smith over the years that I was doing the NBA and in NBA arenas, they yell Cowboys at him. Okay, so everyone in America was waiting for Steve to come back yesterday from vacation and offer his thoughts on Jerry Jones and his definition of the term all in and Stephen A did not disappoint. Did it ever occur to anybody that the time has arrived where we could legitimately ask what is Jerry Jones definition of winning? Is it headlines? Is it that you're worth $10 billion? Is it that you're winning back pages? When you look at the Cowboys, because of the quote unquote mismanagement, it appears to make no sense unless if you're Jerry Jones and they talk about my Cowboys, then that pub does make sense. That might be one could legitimately ask and that's my buddy, but I could look him in the face and ask him to his face is your definition of a championship when it headlines because at this point, that's what appears to be the case. It's an interesting take. What is it fair? It's absolutely fair. Greening, we talked about on this show about the Dallas Cowboys and the fact they've gone 12 and five, three, three years, but they're spending was like at the bottom of the league. Like if you're like when we talk about all in, I look at, okay, what are you some of your competitors doing all in? We saw what the San Francisco 49ers did when they traded for Christian McCafford. Would you quantify that as all in all in? Absolutely. Okay, what about the Philadelphia Eagles when they traded for AJ Brown and then they signed state quant Barkley this offseason. Would you quantify those moves and all in and what and so what are the Dallas Cowboys doing, you know, to try to combat what those rivals in the inner seat doing? That to me, that's why I agree with Stephen A 100% in this. We got to start thinking like, what is Jerry Jones like all in? Really? Because there's a marketer? That dude is the absolute goat at marketing the brand of the Dallas Cowboys. But we're talking strictly on the football field. Can we honestly sit here and say that the Dallas Cowboys are all able to win a championship? No, they're under achievers because the Chiefs have the same amount of wins basically in the same time frame that you talk about the 12 and five and yet we're looking at two Super Bowls in that time. Three. Three, excuse me. So when I think of the Cowboys, all I see is underachievement and I know people want to talk about Dak. Oh, he's not a dog. Oh, how are they going to win with him? We've been waiting for the Cowboys to get back to the relevancy that we knew from the 90s. That's 30 years ago. We have football fans that that now are alive and haven't even seen when Emmett and and and. Troy, you made good. And I think we call them America's team because of the guys from the past and like this team each year, it's like you want to blame Dak fine, but Jerry's been the constant and that to me is the frustrating thing because they garner so much attention, so much money and showing for what? What? What do they produce? The example you use is a great one because the Chiefs keep on winning. The example you use is a great one because the eagles and the 49ers have been to a total of four Super Bowls in the last whatever it is eight years since that first one with Doug Peterson and Nick Foles when they beat Brady. Harry, get in here. What is it? Is Stephen A's question slash criticism fair? 1000% fair and on our radio show, Freddie and Harry, me and Freddie talk about this all the time when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys and the circus that goes on amongst that organization and I want y'all to look at the last 10 teams that had the ability to win a Super Bowl and I want you to compare those owners to Jerry Jones and tell me if you see any of those owners between the Patriots, the Chiefs, the Rams, the Buccaneers, the Philadelphia Eagles, do you see the same things go on with those owners that you see when Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys? Now I answer that question for everyone as well. That answer is no, but look at the on the like the NSC East. When you look at the division, look at what the Washington commanders did in free agency and I understand they may have a little bit more money than everyone else, but still they made moves. They went out and got Austin Echler, Tyler Biotis, they got Bobby Wagner, the New York Giants went and traded for Brian Burns, the Philadelphia Eagles went and got Saquon Barkley. So when you hear Jerry Jones say all in and you barely make any moves, it questions, is he just talking about merchandise being relevant? But here's a news flash for everybody. What if the Dallas Cowboys actually got to a Super Bowl or one one? That $10 billion that the franchise is worth will probably be worth $15 to $16 billion. That's reality of the situation, but for some reason, I don't think that's grasping or Jerry Jones has grasped that and I think he's just worried about being relevant because the track record speaks for itself. You know, it's interesting. I understand the point that you are all making. I would say, however, he has put together a team good enough to win all of these games. Is it Jerry Jones's fault that they couldn't stop the run last year, particularly against Green Bay? Is it Jerry Jones's fault that Dak looked like and let's say it, a deer in headlights in that playoff game against Green Bay last year? He's put together posters good enough to compete every single year and they fall short play-offs. Is that the owner's fault? So why do you keep Mike McCarthy? They could have made her. Who had a sleepover and hired Mike McCarthy? Why keep Mike McCarthy there? If you felt like that was a true embarrassment that happened in Jerry's world when the Green Bay Packers ran rough shot over the Dallas Cowboys, you had an opportunity. You had an opportunity to switch, but you just- You want to run it back with the same piece? You want to run it back with the same guys. So again, to me, are you really all in? Are you all in? Are you all in, Jerry Jones? Harry, go ahead. Yeah, now I also got to say this, right, because we all got to keep it real as well. Now, Jerry Jones has played his part, but I also believe coaches and players have played their part. So there's two components to this whole, you know, Swahre that we have going on in Dallas in that organization. Jerry Jones plays his part, the coaches play their part, the players play their part in not having the postseason success when we talk about the Dallas Cowboys. Look, Jerry Jones, there are a number of different ways that one can measure success. Steve and I is talking about things in which Jerry Jones has been more successful than any owner I can think of in American sports, perhaps since George Steinbrenner. At the very height of, and I'm probably talking to a lot of people who don't even know what I mean, but George Steinbrenner in the 70s was the owner of the New York Yankees and he got every bit as much if not more attention than Jerry Jones does now. No owner in sports has operated that way since Jerry and it has worked. He now owns a business that is worth over 10 billion dollars. He has revolutionized the way the NFL is marketed and he is in the hall of fame which very few other owners are and deserves to be. The question is however, is he willing to go the extra mile? Is he willing to take the extra step that you're talking about when it comes to the actual cash spending? When it comes to the fact that for whatever reason, his team, which he bought for $140 million and is now worth 10 billion, every single season winds up ranking at or very near the bottom in terms of total cash spending. That's the part that doesn't seem congruent with each other. It is confusing to understand how those go together. I'm gonna say some right now. Go. Is Jerry Jones willing to make people in the organization? No. Is Jerry Jones willing to make people in the organization uncomfortable? Because when I watch looking at the Dallas Cowboys, I see a lot of guys very comfortable podcast. I'm not saying that, and I'm not saying that guys can't do podcasts and all that type of stuff, but I see a lot of guys comfortable with the star in the helmet. And when you're comfortable, okay, you get complacent, okay? 12 and 5 might be all right. You might have your endorsements and all that type of stuff, but at the end of the day, that's not gonna get you a championship. Just not. So it's Jerry Jones willing to make people uncomfortable. I don't think that's been the case in 30 years with since the Dallas Cowboys won championships in the 90s. So maybe this is the summer of uncomfortable. Maybe that's why you go into a season with a coach who doesn't have a contract and a quarterback who doesn't have a contract and CD lamb, however, does their playing it and you don't re-sign my comparisons. And maybe this is Jerry Jones making everyone uncomfortable. We'll have to wait and see. Let me leave you there for the moment. We have much more on that as we go. Meanwhile, we'll stay in the division. Can Jalen Hertz rebound from a tumultuous finish? And will it be enough to save his coach's job in Philadelphia? That's a man who might be uncomfortable right now. We'll talk about that as we roll on. Oh, let's get up on ESPN. This season, you can help your dog throw a no-hitter against parasites with Next Guard Plus, a fox-a-loner, moxie decked-in, and pyrantol chewable tablets. They provide one-and-done monthly protection against fleas, ticks, heartworm, disease, roundworms, and hookworms, plus they're delicious and easy to give. Use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. Dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infection prior to starting a preventive. Ask your vet for full prescribing information. Next Guard Plus chews for one-and-done monthly protection. Delicious, meat nutritious, and the snack that packs a real protein punch. Wonderful pistachios, one of the highest protein nuts out there. 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Let's do an NFC edition of Quarterback Quick Reeds. Kmart will start with the Bears. Is Kayla Williams going to have the best rookie Quarterback season ever? Uh, can we relax? No. And not because I don't think Kayla Williams is going to be a phenomenal player in the NFL, but I think I just saw one of the best rookie seasons last year. Let's temper the expectations a little bit. I do think the Bears will be good. Kayla will be good, but he doesn't have to be the greatest of all time. I think it's too late to temper expectations. Greenie! They're no longer temperate. All right. I think they are boiling right now. Harry, is Jordan Love going to be the best Quarterback in the NFC? Greenie, I think he has the chance to be able to be the best Quarterback in the NFC after the 2024 season. If he can start off the season, the way he finished the last 12 games in which he had over 2,500 yards, 26 touchdowns to five interceptions, it is a great possibility that this can be a true statement. He has multiple wide receivers and I love the addition of Aaron Jones as well. I mean, excuse me, Josh Jacobs, that run game is going to be fishing. And let's talk about this Quarterback. A year ago, everyone in the world so high on Jalen Hurts. He took a step back last year. Can Kellen Moore, the new offensive coordinator, D Wood, fix whatever the problem was there? I think he can. I think, listen, there's number one. I'm never going to be the one to doubt. Jalen Hurts football, you know, his football acumen. But I think what Kellen Moore can do, he can do a couple things. Number one, I think put him on the center more. I think just getting, you know, getting his back to the defense play action pass. But more importantly, implementing more pre-snap motion. Philadelphia Eagles were dead last in the league in pre-snap motion. Quarterbacks like using that because it gives away what the defense likes to do, particularly with the blitz. So we'll see what happens there. So they got Kellen Moore in there. That's because they fired the previous offensive coordinator. That's because the previous offensive coordinator before that went and became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. And that brings us to the coaches who begin the season with the most pressure. I did the definitive list the other day. And I had Nick Siriani second behind Robert Salah of the Jets. I think everyone knows that the Jets are boom, the ultimate in boom or bust. I put Siriani where he is because I believe if things go sideways this year, all of the fingers will point immediately at him. McCarthy sort of speaks for himself. Matt Eber Flus, there was a lot of question about his being there last year. And then fair or not, I think Brian Deball belongs on that list. How do you see it? Do you believe that the heat is on Siriani or Salah? Salah Moore. Who's on the hottest scene? Being that I'm wearing my Jets green today. That could be Eagles green too. It works three and one. No, I think that you've got to flip them. I actually would put Siriani one, then McCarthy, Salah. Because when you look at the Eagles this is a team that we can say right now they should be playing for a Sioux World. Like they are one of the teams that we think is a Sioux World contender. Basically the fact that they were in this a role two years ago and everything just went crazy last year. I think Siriani has run out of people to sort of blame in this situation. Even though they keep changing coordinators a year here, he's got to stack roster. Whereas with the Jets, I feel like nobody, I think the Jets have a Sioux World caliber roster. I don't think people are really putting the Jets like oh yeah, that's a Sioux World team. I think the expectations are, they should win a Sioux World with Rogers. I don't think people believe that will happen. So I don't think Robert Salah is under as much pressure given the fact that you got to keep a 40-year-old player healthy, quarterback healthy, offensive line healthy. You think I'm wrong? Pressure D would. Oh, with Salah. Salah. No. No D would. In 2020, when you trade for Aaron Rodgers, the mandate is Super Bowl. There's no other mandate. I don't care if he's 40 coming off Achilles, your mandate is to win a Super Bowl. Like if the Jets gonna be the ultimate boom bus, like either they're gonna do great or it's just gonna be a flaming mess this year. Okay, it's not gonna be any in between. Yeah, because that's what it usually is. And if the Jets don't, like, soar, the whole, everybody's gone. He's got to laugh and keep from crying. He's got to laugh to keep from crying. It's great, it's great, it's true. This is a team. Am I lying about that? You are right about Boomer Bus, but they haven't been to a play. They have a longest active playoff drought streak in all major sports, right? No, but that's why you trade, like, you're trading for Rodgers. I get it, brother, I get it. But if you, if you were the Eagles and this season goes asunder, what do you think's gonna happen next to your guy? Like the Jets being bad, I'm sorry, is that breaking news? Is that like, if the Jets don't win this year, everybody's gone. Everybody. So you don't think in Philly too? Let me get Harry in here. Let me get Harry in here, get Harry. Yeah, let me tell you all the difference between the two teams. When you look at the New York Jets who haven't been to a playoff game since 2010, they're hoping getting to the playoffs and playing for a Super Bowl is a reality. When you look at the Philadelphia Eagles, it's already been a reality two years ago. And the way it looked in 2022, offensively and defensively for it to collapse in 2023. And you look at the roster and the players that they have across the board, especially offensively, but they do have players on the defensive side too. Nick Sariani, in my opinion, is more on the hot seat than any coach in the NFL currently as it is standing. Listen, I think there's one thing we can all agree upon. Both these coaches' jobs are on the line with this season, whether you want to argue one more than the other. I agree with what you said, Dee Wood, the distance between the possibilities, the realistic outcomes for the Jets is as wide, it's like a chasm, right? If you told me, oh, they're going to be in the, you know, in the playoffs, looking good, win 11, 12 games, I'd say, yeah, I could see that happening. If you told me, Robert Sol is fired by Halloween, I could say, yeah, I could see that happening. That's a pretty wide delta of things that could wind up happening. With the Eagles, I have to tell you, and maybe this is what is influencing. I think they're going to be good. I think they're too good to be bad. Fair. I actually think both teams are going to be good. So when I'm, but I have higher expectations for the Eagles because of what Harry just said, they've already been to a world recently. This is a team that should be in this world again. We will see. Maybe they both have, you know, competitive divisions. We'll see what ends up happening for both those coaches and everybody there. In the meantime, we'll talk about a team that the coach is certainly safe. Mike Tomlin, the great coach in Pittsburgh, but the quarterback competition is hot. We will tell you why the criticism of Justin Fields may very well all be completely out of line. Don't miss it. That's next. Get out. My honey has been. Passion, drive, and patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. Superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and more. 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If hypnotic liqueur, Bardstown, Kentucky, 17% alcohol by volume. If not, it reminds you to think wisely, drink wisely. We're back, and as we approach the bottom of the hour, I want everyone to enjoy this. So our very own Atlanta Falcon, Harry Douglas, when he heard yesterday that the Falcons had acquired Matthew Judon from the Patriots, was very excited. Bardstown, fourth time pro baller, Matthew Judon, welcome to the Atlanta where the players play. I went in there yelling, screaming, hugging my kids, Matthew Judon, someone that can play the run very, very well. Someone that can go get the quarterback and sack them. Somebody that's not physical but physical, I don't love it. Any objectivity, any objectivity here. Harry, we're not looking for objectivity, we're looking for fun, and you've got a lot of it. What does Matthew Judon plus the Falcons offense equals what this year Harry Douglas? Granny, the way we talked about the Houston Texans and them being what they were in 2023, watch out for the birds. Here we go! But man, it's physical at the point of attack. Granny, I watched two hours of Matthew Judon's film last night. Go up to 2021, 2022, and the games that he played last season. You talk about taking on blockers, shutting those blockers, throwing them down, going and making a tackle as well. He has a signature move. He likes to bull rush people. And if isn't there, he likes to do that reverse spin move and go get the quarterback. Granny, I watched two hours last night of film. That's why I was 10 minutes late to the production beat this morning because I woke up and then I went back to sleep and feet had to call me. But I was up till like 3.30 in the morning watching film, baby. Here we go! Ah! Okay, I love enthusiasm. Here's what I will say. We were all stunned when the Falcons at number eight this year took the quarterback instead of taking Dallas Turner, the pass rusher. Well, guess what? They just went out and got the pass rusher that they didn't have. I'm with you, Harry. I'm not making that sound. A, because I don't think I could. And B, for any number of other reasons. But I'm with you, I think that Falcons are a sneaky good pick to be much better than most people are expecting this year. Just saying they're going to win the division is not enough. I think they're going to be a real contender. Well, Granny, hold on for a second. Yeah. Granny, I need you for a second. I need you to say, not physical. I need you to say, physical. He's a cow. He's a cow. I need you to say. Oh, I'll also say Matthew Judon. We will just put the emphasis on the wrong syllable all morning long. I love it. Let's get to the next game. It's called Quarterback What If? Kmart, let's do this. What if Josh Allen and the Bills don't win the AFC East? Then why? Oh, Granny, that means your J E T S will win the division. And you'll probably have me wear this dress every single day. You will be the happiest guy in all of New York City doing the dance move. You see? Part of me kind of wants to see that, right? I kind of want to see that play out. It could happen. Another Quarterback What If? This one's not so fun. What if Lamar Jackson and his team have another early playoff X? Oh, boy. Oh, boy. You talking about the rumbles just start to get a little bit louder because I believe Ambo could correct me here. Lamar Jackson is the only only player who's won two or more MVP without a Super Bowl win. He's he's the only guy. So if you don't have any playoff success, that noise is only going to get louder on here. That's fair. I can make a counterpoint to that, but we'll save it for a little bit later. Your initial point, I don't disagree with. Harry, you're next. What if Rossa Wilson leads the Steelers to the playoffs? Granny, I love the way you worded this because what we do know in 2023, none of the three quarterbacks that they played led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs. It was that defense. Now, if Russ is able to do that, that means he's playing great football in the Pittsburgh Steelers are contenders, not pretenders, trust me. Okay, so let's get to that here. We've got Russell Wilson in one corner and we have Justin Fields in the other. And Lewis Riddick was here yesterday sitting right there and he had a very strong feeling, a very strong take about the microscope under which Justin Fields plays. Listen, this guy takes more crap from people as far as them constantly trying to blow holes in his game that we're now sitting there going, and I've seen some of the discourse on this. This is why he shouldn't start. This is why Russ should start. But to me, it's annoying that we pinpoint certain people to hang this kind of stuff on. Who was fired up, baby? He was fired up and that was just, you know, in the interest of time, that went on a while and he was fired up. The question is, is he right? I think he is right. I understand Justin Fields isn't a finished product by any means. I think a lot of us look at him and we see the potential of what can be. But when I think of Justin Fields, I get very frustrated because in the pre-draft process, he was dogged as somebody who, oh, he's lazy. He doesn't cut, you know, he doesn't. She's not one of those show-up early guys, which is something that is so far from the truth, but the narrative was set. And that's what I get frustrated with these quarterback evaluations because once you say that about a prospect, now that's the lens that they're forever colored by, right? And I understand, I think people are looking at his situation in Pittsburgh like he's younger, he's faster, he's more athletic, he should take this job easily. But also the context of Chicago, we talked for years about how the Chicago Bears put him in an unwinnable situation. So you can't extract that context and now look at him and judge him as a finished product. Are the fumbles an issue? Yes, does he need to fix that? Yes, but I also think the context has to be added to that equation when you evaluate him. What do you think of it, D-wood? Listen, I'll say this. I think there was situations in Chicago that was clearly unfair to Justin Fields. There's no question about it. But I'll also say this, as much as we talk about just feels not being a quote-unquote finished product, at the quarterback position, you're expected to play on schedule, okay? That's how our offense is, you know, tending to thrive and all those other things. What Justin Fields does and what he has shown so far in his career, he takes a lot of sacks and he has turnovers. You can't play the position at a high level when that area of your game is a big issue. You can't take sacks because those are drive killers and you can't have turnovers, which gives the ball to the other team. Like, you can't do that. I'm sorry, like, I can't gloss over that. We can't do it. Can I ask a question? Who has the second-most sacks behind him? No, he has the most. Justin is second. Russell is first. Date, that's what it's like. So, you talk about their experience? Like, I get it. Am I sitting here? Am I sitting here? Lauding? Russell Wilson? I think they're both pretty much the same except one adds a lot more athletic ability. That's it. That's it. Both take bad sacks. Both turn the ball over. And my whole question is, does Zebra's changed their strengths? Oh. Do they? Can Mike Tomlin get it out of them? He's the great coach. Harry will see. Get in here, Harry. So, it's funny because with both of y'all are saying, it's true. Like, he wasn't set up for success in Chicago, but what D-Wood is alluding to, when you look at the quarterback position, you have to do the little things in the routine things consistently. That has not been Justin Fields for his three years in the NFL. Now, I do know for sure that he's being coached properly with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And I'm going to go back to the preseason game. Did he do a lot of things right? Yes, he did. Was there sacks on him? Probably not. Because number 77 had a rough time boy. And I mean, he going to have to get right. Because what I've seen from him out there is atrocious. But let me tell y'all this. In every football game, and what do you understand this? There's five to seven plays that determine the outcome. My receiver coach used to tell us in the meeting room, if I got to sit here and coach, receiver get on and off the ball, we don't stand a damn chance. If a coach has to sit there and coach quarterback center exchange, extensively, you don't stand a chance to win a football game. Because that can be one of the plays that derails the season. What did we see in the Super Bowl when the Philadelphia Eagles played the Kansas City Chiefs? As great as Jalen Hurts played, that one play cost him, right? Yeah. So that's what I'm talking about. When it comes to a football game, there are a handful of plays that can determine the outcome. He had two quarterback center exchange thumbles in that matchup in the preseason game and the first one, it was probably going to be a very successful run. So not only are you taking away an explosive play and a chance at hitting a home run, the play is not even starting. Just how Harry set that whole thing up is proof of what I'm talking about. He said, was Justin feel set up for, was he putting bad situations in Chicago? Yes, but we just gloss right over that and we talk about, oh, but the fumble is in this game, but were the sacks all his fault? No, but anything that is positive in the kid's favor, we sort of just gloss over. I will say, I think it's somewhere in between what Damien and Louis are saying. I think the final point is it's somewhere in the middle. When you look at the amount of offensive coaches and systems, this kid has been in since Ohio State, that is important context for the beginning of his career and setting him back. I just don't understand why we don't pay more attention to that. I do pay attention to it, here's what I will say. Can I ask y'all this though? History, go ahead Harry, finish, go ahead. I understand the coaching part because I do believe for a young quarterback, the next position that's the most important when you talk about our offense, is the play caller who's coaching that young guy. But quarterback center exchange, like are we serious here? We talk, do you would? Quarterback center exchange, I learned in my football. Listen, I took a snap. I did. Let me make a very quick point here. Kmart, I think you're right, but here's the problem. History is filled with guys whose careers never became what they could have because of bad luck. So if you think about all the things that happened and got drafted by a bad team that was in a coaching situation with a lame duck coach, they fired the coach after one year. So the next thing you know, they make an offensive coordinator change. They're rebuilding. Then the next thing you know, they wind up having the first pick in a draft that has a generation of players so they give up on him at a time when they otherwise might not have. That's a lot of bad luck. That's a lot of things that aren't his fault. But you know what? Any successful person who does not recognize that luck plays at least some role in their success is either kidding you or kidding themselves. And so the problem with all this is whether it's his fault or not, he's in a better get it done right now or the league is going to move on kind of place with him. All right, coming up. The other day I did the definitive list and I called Steph Curry's 3-point flurry the most memorable ever. Mad Dog went on first take yesterday and had some words for me. I have my response ready. Don't miss it. I'm going to go back to the next one. Folks were pumped up. The fans have been waiting and electric atmosphere here. This is unique ladies and gentlemen. I got goosebumps. You were too if you were here. All right, college football season is right around the corner, but the best Saturday of this college football season figures at this point to be October 12th. Look at the match up, Steve, would we have set for that day? We have Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State. We have Texas, Oklahoma. We have Ole Miss, LSU. We have Penn State, USC. And who knows what other games will wind up looking great by the time we get there. Also, according to The Knot, that day, Saturday, October 12th, is one of the five most popular wedding dates of 2024. Here's my question for you, Damian Woody. If you were invited to a wedding on October 12th, what do you do? I'm not going anywhere. My behind the stand right at home, like in what world should you have a wedding during football season? Mm-hmm. Unless it's at a football game. Preach. I love-- Preach. Preach. It's especially like-- I wish one of my kids would be like, I'm going to have a wedding during football season. Uh-huh. Not if I'm subsidizing it. That's exactly what it's not happening. That my daughter-- I can tell you that right now. She wants to get married on October 12th, so I'm going to have to pay for it. Right. I'll tell you that right now. Right. We're doing this. Harry, October 12th, you were invited to a wedding. What are you doing? I can't believe y'all, man. So let me tell y'all, two years ago, my best friend got married in September. Y'all know I traveled with College Game Day, but I didn't go to College Game Day that weekend, which was at Tennessee. Uh, I think it was-- they were playing Florida. I was actually in the wedding. I think it depends on the relationship with the person. No, it does not. Like, if I was wearing-- What kind of a wedding? --very during football season. I'm going to the wedding. I have any number of questions about this best friend, up to it, including what in the world are they doing, getting married in September during the football season. Right. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Greenie. I don't-- I don't question him because he happens to be my barber and cuts my hair. And when I get done with today, I got to go get a haircut. And he's watching the show right now in the barbershop. So Tyree, I love you, man. I was going to be there for you no matter what. OK. I would have loved you a lot more if you got married in March. Right. It was any number of us. Don't worry about it. We're getting married in October. All of my friends, family, knows you guys will not see me from September to March. So they already know not to send the invite. I wrote it in a book in 2006. Football tickets are an acceptable reason for missing a wedding up to and including first cousins. 100% first cousins. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, funerals are a little dicey. People get sensitive about that. But one way or another-- no, I'll give you that. If you have a wedding on October 12th, you are begging half of the people at your wedding to be sitting there while you're saying, do you take this event to be sitting there on their phone like this? We're going to be on our phones. What are they going to smash the glass? Does someone tell me when they're smashed? That's a Jewish reference. Someone tell me when they're smashed in glass. I'll start paying attention to this. Whatever else it is that we do. Whatever-- someone tell me then, because right now, I'm watching the football game on my phone. As you should be. Right under here, while someone else is doing that. OK. Don't get married on October 12th. It's as simple as that. And if you're invited, tell them, Greenie said, it's OK that you don't show up. All right. Next, ESPN fantasy football draft season is upon us. The marathon is next week. The big fella D. Wood loves fantasy football. So here's a fantasy edition D. Wood. Of Wood, you rather? Would you rather draft CJ Stroud or Dak Prescott? [LAUGHTER] This is the easiest one right here. What is this? This is CJ Stroud. Like, would you rather have-- would you rather have CD Land, whose, by the way, is going to be picked very high in fantasy, by the way? Uh-huh. OK. Or the weapons of Niko Collins, Tainte Del, like-- Stephon Deez. Stephon Deez, Dalton Shultz. Like, come on, give me-- give me CJ Stroud. OK, dacked through a lot of touchdowns last year. I'm just saying. How about running back? Would you rather-- Jacob Barkley or Jonathan Taylor? I'm going to go Jonathan Taylor. I think Jonathan Taylor with that man child, Anthony Richardson, the backfield. Man child. They're going to do so much damage in the Napa. But you know how I've been on the Indianapolis Colts. You love them. I love them. Like, I think they're going to be great. I think Jonathan Taylor is going to be great in fantasy this year. Saquon may have to share a lot of touchdowns, too, right? They got a lot of guys. Got a lot of guys. That could score. And then finally, receivers. Would you rather-- I'm in Los St. Brown for Justin Jefferson. Justin Jefferson. He's quarterback-proof. Like, it doesn't matter, like-- who it-- Kirk Cousins, what it-- Sam Duck. It doesn't matter. Like, Justin Jefferson is going to be Justin Jefferson. He's going to get his number. So that's who I'm rolling with. OK, well, here's what I can tell you. The marathon gets underway next week. It'll culminate with a live, 10-team fantasy football draft on Tuesday night. You have the ninth hit. I'm so mad about that. Like, who decided that I was going to have a big night? Like, I need some transparency here. Like, for real. All right, I'll do the best I can to get that for you. And the meantime, who are we eyeing at number nine? Jonathan Taylor. Yeah, just to put that out there, Jonathan Taylor. How about a wide receiver? Gary. Gary Wilson. Yeah, Gary. Listen, he's going to be a target monster in this office. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Oh, yes, yes. All right, keep an eye on all of that. Fantasy Football, make sure you're playing on ESPN.com. We got lots of games, and Dee Wood is ready to go. OK, I got to address this. So Steph Curry, his flurry of shots from the other day, led me to do a green list of my five most memorable shots in basketball history. And I put that based on the flurry at number one. And I'm told that my good friend, Chris the Mad Dog Russo, saw things differently on first take yesterday. Let's hear what he had to say. I love greeny, but might come back to us, please. Oh, my God. A tournament that lasts six days. That's the greatest shot you must. Please, please. Patrick Ewing's Georgetown team and Jon Thompson. That shot in New Orleans in A2 to me is the most significant shot I've seen. And I've been watching basketball since the late '60s. Not freaking some dopey thing in the Olympics. That's the biggest shot I've ever seen in history of the sport. Jordan, Charles, Magic, Kyrie, and Nelson. And I don't think there's even a duck bag. Ooh, ooh, ooh. Well, he brought that smoke. I begged to differ. I begged to differ. Chris, and I love you too. And Mad Dog is one of my idols, and he's one of my favorite people in the world. But I can take apart his list bit by bit. Number five, he put Don Nelson shot from game seven in the 1969 NBA Finals. Let the record show there was a minute and a half left in that game, and the Celtics were winning when it went in. This ball's going to hit the rim and somehow managed to go in. It's memorable only because it bounced up in the air like that, and Nelson wasn't one of their bigger scorers. Again, there were 90 seconds left in this game, and the Celtics were winning when he made it. At number four, he put Kyrie's shot that won the championship in game seven against the 73 win Warriors. I ask anyone, what's the most memorable play from this game? The LeBron James block. The LeBron James Chastown block on Igudala is what everyone remembers about that game. At number three, he put the Magic Baby Hook in the Finals in '87 against the Celtics. This was in game four of a six game series. I remember watching this. I was in the library at Northwestern, and I snuck away to watch the end of the game. It's a memorable shot, and it definitely wound up winning in the long run this series for the Lakers, excuse me, but it was game four. The series went six. He then put Lorenzo Charles. We talked about this play. This is the Derek Wittenberg. This is really a Derek Wittenberg air ball that Lorenzo Charles just catches and puts in. Yes, it's a memorable play and an unbelievable one, but it's not really a shot. He just gets the ball and puts it in. And then finally, the idea that he's putting MJ's shot against Georgetown. First of all, this is not even one of Michael Jordan's three most memorable shots. Second of all, it's not the most memorable play from this game. After Michael Jordan made this shot, Georgetown, a guy named Fred Brown, who will live forever in infamy, unfortunately, got the ball, went racing up the court, and threw it to James Worthy, who unfortunately played for the other team, and that's how they wound up losing. Jordan gave them a one-point lead that they could easily have lost if Georgetown didn't then just throw the ball to James Worthy for reasons known only to Fred Brown. So unfortunately for Chris, and again, I love him. His list sucks. (laughing) - Wow! - Mine is better in every conceivable way. And that's pretty much all I have to say. Reaction? - I'm rolling with you, brother. - Yeah, I mean, I don't even know what else to tell you. - I'm impressed by you, 'cause Mad Dog, he was heated, but you fired right back. - The Mad Dog is the best. Let me just let the record show. I learned almost everything I know about doing this from him, but like sometimes, you know, the pupil out does the teacher. (laughing) I'm sorry, I think I got this one. That conversation can continue. All right, the month-long WNBA Olympic break ends tonight with the Liberty and the Sparks on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and the ESPN app at nine. WNBA Countdown tips off our coverage at 8.30 on ESPN two. Come on up. - How about them, Cowboys? - The D in big D stands for drama, and all Steve and A has had enough. You need to hear what he had to say about how Dallas got here, because it is fascinating and it's next. (upbeat music)
