It's time for Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.
Holy crap, I don't know who the hell we think when we.
Are get off our show. Idiots.
The kids are playing or tail off and the counts are screwing it up.
Gold play intermurals, Brother, go play Intermural. They're supposed to be mature adults, but they're really not.
Who's the kidd here? Who's the kid here? Are you kidding me? Now? Here's Nick coffee?
All right, let's get it started. Happy Friday. Everybody, welcome in Coffee and Company. That's us. We're here for the next three hours getting you set for the weekend. And we are fueled by Thornton's. And I can tell you as of right now at one two it is now three oh one on this clock right in front of me, three oh one pm. In downtown Louisville at four Street Live, it is snowing quite a bit, and I don't know if it's because of I mean, I really don't know.
In fact, I'm looking here at the WLKY Live some of their live cameras they've got set up, and it's snowing hard everywhere right now. From what I can tell, he's in the you know, in the Louisville area. But I just drew. I was, I've been driving the last hour and a half. Austin, you can attest to this. I just walked in like ninety seconds ago, and uh yeah, and it and the roads seem to be in great shape.
I mean, they're.
Obviously wet, and uh it is snowing, but so far, I don't feel like this, Uh, this news storm has has done quite as much damage that we got from from earlier this week. So we'll see. I talked about this yesterday. I'm as soon as the show ends, I'm I'm hitting the road and I'm heading up north to go to the Pittsburgh game. Right, I'm gonna leave again as soon as the show ends, and then I'll stop in Columbus tonight and then we'll get up in the morning.
And I feel like, you know, it was a good confidence boost for me to be out driving here in the last hours. So as it's been snowing and and the road seem to be okay. There's not many people out and that I guess is a It's a good thing, right that when there's not as many people out and about that that that leads you, I guess, to have better success at navigating the roadways and the highways in
this weather. But I went from being really nervous about like, all right, should should I just like call it off? Should I try to? You know? Oh, but no, we're gonna, We're gonna, We're gonna. I mean that would have been a really weak move. And I feel like, although it would have had zero impact at all on like Louisville's chance, Louisvell's chances of winning tomorrow, you know, I still feel like I would have been a bad team player to just be like, oh, well, it's snowing outside, so I'm
just not gonna go. Now we're going and I'm looking forward to In fact, yeah, have you seen the opening line for this one yet?
Uh? No, I have not have checked the line.
I just checked right about twenty thirty minutes ago. And I I think I put you on the spot three times this week, maybe four times. I've been doing decent, You've been doing really good. You've been you know, you might be sitting in the lines. You maybe an odds maker, and that's just not know it. But do you have any any any guesses.
Last couple of ones, I've went a little bit low. I think that the metrics probably like Pittsburgh a little bit more. Let me Pittsburgh five and a half.
Close, Pittsburgh minus four and a half. Oh, okay is what it opened up at it vanduels So oh that's not bad. Yeah, not at all.
Louisville.
Actually that that is probably what I didn't. I wasn't thinking a whole lot about what I would have guessed. However, I do keep up with the kin Palm pretty regularly, especially this time of year, and I subscribed to proud kin Palm customer. And by the way, Louisville has jumped up two spots in the last two days, so I only checked to see their movement whenever they they you know, finish a game. However, you gotta keep in mind whenever other other teams play and other results happen that could
also impact them. And they've jumped from I think it was thirty nine yesterday to thirty seven now and uh, that's not you know, it's not braggadot, just with thirty seventh in the kin Pom. But again, the last few performances when they've clearly you know, played well and and one big in these games. It's it is. It has helped them more so than just the added win avoiding
loss and the win lost column. But yeah, the projected score here and ken Palm is seventy seven to seventy two with a Pittsburgh win, So ken Palm says the Panthers may cover. But I hope that's wrong. I hope a Louisville wins outright. And I mean, look, I think that and I talked to a lot about this really throughout the week, especially yesterday, but we had a shorter show yesterday, so I'm not sure how many of you were able to be with us throughout.
But I only got a couple of inches of show.
Yeah, only a couple of inches of show, and it was we you know, we need more. I mean size matters, and a show that's only an hour and some change is just not enough. But when it comes to pitt there, I think this is easily the toughest game you have left on the schedule, considering that pitt is one of the best teams you'll play. In fact, I think pitt is the best team you're going to play the rest
of the way. I don't really know who else would, because again, if you're somebody that believes in the ACC more so than I, Duke's really good. But you don't play them again, Carolina, eh, I mean, you don't play them again, and you already beat them. So Clemson, you don't play them again, you already beat them. When it comes to teams that are expected to be, you know, towards the top of the league at least as of
right now, I mean Pits, pitt Is. The Pit's the only team I haven't mentioned yet that is in that tier. And you've got them tomorrow and then they come here to play before too long. It's actually actually no, I'm sorry. It's later in the year. So this is a big test, and I feel like, for better or worse, they're probably ritting more momentum and the energy is seemingly better. I
mean not to say they've ever had bad energy. I mean, even throughout losses that aren't great, even throughout bad news like losing guys to injury for the season, they've still managed to kind of you know, not play victim, not feel sorry for themselves and tried to make the most of it. So they've always had good vibes. But man, the way they've played lately, I mean, they've kind of shown signs of a team that I didn't think they I mean, I had no clue they ever turned into.
And when I say things like that, I want to instantly back it up and be like, I'm not. I'm
not saying that they're elite. But I remember having to kind of defend myself on this show because I was the one saying that despite them losing by twenty plus to Ole Miss, despite leading Duke for thirty minutes and then getting beat by double digits and the Kentucky loss, that like, I was still able to see some value to where, hey, when we get to this point in the season, I think they're gonna be able to win more games because they're not going to play teams quite
as good as they did in that stretch there from Thanksgiving on. And also they're going to get more comfortable, They're going to get better with this new version of themselves when they now know that they're not going to have prior or Johnson for the rest of the season. So I do think it's safe to say that right now, you know, from a fans standpoint, meaning from those just kind of following along, supporting this team and enjoying watching the ride. I think I'm more confident that confident in
them right now than I've ever been. And that doesn't mean that they're going to be able to go and win tomorrow. And certainly I would imagine Pat Kelsey's not letting these guys feel as if there's been any real level of accomplishment. I think they've got good energy, but I'll also they I think these guys are mature enough to understand that you know, you can't you can't just get caught up in that. You got to keep bringing it.
And there again, their biggest test tomorrow, or the biggest test the rest of the season, is tomorrow against Pittsburgh at Nude. It's gonna be on ESPN two, and I have no clue what to expect as far as the Pittsburgh crowd, but uh, I'll be there with with my with my dad and my son and my nephew, and we're we're looking.
Forward to it.
Usually this game I always remember, I know that we've been talking about it. With the Louisville Pittsburgh rivalry, it's been a little bit more important from a year's past, but like usually, like I I don't know if it's PTSD, but I always remember going to Pittsburgh. I've never went, but like Louisville going to Pittsburgh, and it's always been like a late night game.
This is very rare. One o'clock. Yeah, it's noon, noon, noon game.
And usually I just have I just have memories every time Louisville goes to Pittsburgh. It's always like a big, highly touted game. It's the zoo at night and you know, the the good old day.
And there's been some During their DWN, we talked about their real down stretch of play and since since they hired Kevin Stallings, and then it turned to Caple We talked a lot about that yesterday. They just have kind of they've been so consistently bad or really bad for a long time until like the last couple of years that I kind of forgot. We went down memory lane yesterday because I'd forgot that pitt used to be like a real threat. They used to kind of be a
thorn in your side. And I feel like in the big Ease days, they were one of those teams that Louisville certainly had their fair share wins over, but I just always felt like they gave us problems. And I feel like even since then, even when they aren't great, there were a couple of times where Louisville beat them badly, and I remember one of them was a Kevin Stallings game. In fact, Kevin Stallings, I think when Louisville played here
was this. It's weird that I remember this, it's random, but when Kevin Stallings brought his team here during I guess the season of Damian Lee and and I think at that point they'd already called off the the Oh no, I'm sorry it was it was Tamian Lee. It was the David Paget year, I believe, and Louisville of course
moved on from Atino. Up before the season started. It was a big, big talking point and fans were yelling at Kevin Stallings when he brought his team in, and Stallings was heard turning around and yelling at fans, remember that and saying something about at least he's not paying players or something like that. And he was asked about it, and I mean they got I mean they got killed in that game, and he was asked about it, and I think he kind of, like, to be honest with you,
I could be totally wrong here. I don't really I don't. I don't really ever remember a whole lot of really good Kevin Stalling's moments, like where he looked like, you know, a cool guy that it was. It was, you know,
that was pretty sharp in front of the microphone. But I think he kind of was like, well, yeah, we didn't and and they he he had a very like direct and honest answer that like, well, okay, a least he's honest, least he's telling us that, like he said that because Louisville did did get involved at that point. You know, there were there was a whole lot that we did not know then at that time as far as that whole situation. But I remember that, and then
the year before that, Rix last year coaching. I guess it was the Donovan's last season. They went to pitt when Stallings was there, it might have been his first year, and I think they were up fifty points in the second half. I'm not exaggerating. I know Tyler Sharp, former
bullet Bullet County kid. He got in the game and made a couple of threes, and I just remember, you don't go on the road, and it stood out you don't go on the road in the ACC in that time and ever beat anybody like that like they were getting. I mean just I mean, I'm not kidding you. I would not be shocked if we went back, and maybe I can pull up the whole box score. I think louisll was up forty fifty points in the second half.
And again, you don't see that kind of stuthing. You don't see that in college basketball really in any level. So anyways, Pitt, other than those two that I mentioned, the Kevin Stallings years, Jeff Caple, even when his teams weren't good, they would give us trouble. In fact, they beat Louisville a couple of times whenever. Yeah, it was it was Max's first year. That team with Christian Cunningham and Warwick kind of emerged as the guy, Dwayne Sutton,
same thing. And then they brought basically that whole team back that following year without Kristen. But Pitt gave them, gave Mack his first bad loss. I mean, Pitt was an ACC team, it was at their place, but they were terrible. They had a bad record. So I mean, I'm expecting an environment that'll, you know, that'll remind me that, hey, this is a tough place to play, because so even
when you do win, it's been a battle. And let's be real, you know, Pitt's a good team, Like I feel, I feel like I need to look around, like before I say it, like I don't want anybody to judge me because Pitt is again, they've been so bad for such a stretch here, and I know that the ACC stinks, But like I firmly believe that Pitt Will is a good team that could they could you know, I wouldn't be shocked at all if they find a way to
the Elite eight. Like I think they're that good. Now, with that said, they could also slip up and loose to anybody. So if Lowell does win, I'll I'll try my best balance it because what I think of Pitt may make it sound as if I'm acting like Louisville just went out and beat Auburn, and it won't be
that at all. It's just that I feel like this is a really good test for this team at this time when they appear to be in really good form going up against the team that I believe is the best team left on their schedule and it's at their place. So I'm excited. I am pumped up all right. A lot of good college basketball games this weekend, including Kentucky taking on a Mississippi State team that is a really
good team. And this to me, like this is a good test for Mark Pope's group when it comes to you're about all the things that have given you trouble this year, that have made you look really vulnerable at times or led to you actually losing games. That's what Mississippi State does. That's who they are. And they've got a really, really good guard that is one of the best players in the country, to be honest with you, Josh Hubbard, So, Kentucky right now, kin Palm projection eighty
four seventy eight, that's a loss for the Cats. Which that again, that's not a spread, that's the formula. So if the formula is there, I would have you seen the Kentucky spread yet, lust that I have not saw?
No, tell me, don't tell me, kay, okay, never mind.
Never mind, you've seen it. I was gonna say the six point difference in the kin Palm spread, I thought I thought it would be a little lower than that. I think that the those that set these lines would agree with me. So I'm going to guess that it's a little bit smaller than what the six point differential
is in the kin Palm formula. And now I'm testing myself to see, yeah, I was right, it's now or maybe it's changed, but I'm looking at it in real time here, and these just came out not that long ago, so maybe there hasn't been any changes yet. But Kentucky is four and a half point dogs. So look, if you're a Kentucky fan, I think you kind of know
what you're walking into. You know, your team, despite being really good as far as resume, and they've got some really good wins and they've shown they're capable of beating anybody. Despite all that, there are certain teams that play a certain style that can really make you vulnerable, and this team at their place, Mississippi State, is exactly that. So I would imagine some Kentucky fans are probably not necessarily
like expecting. I mean, they're probably confident in their team that they can win, but like a loss would and shock them. But similar to what I just said about Louisville, again, for me, and I'm only speaking for myself, not the entire Louisville fan base, but a win here would really really tell me a lot, would would kind of would perk me up even more so about this group than I already have been in the last couple of weeks.
I think if you're Kentucky, if you can go win here in that environment, with the way they play, that would make you really feel as if, Okay, we are learning, we're getting better from these setbacks against these teams that we know they do some things that we aren't necessarily a good matchup for. But we're gonna we're gonna make adjustments. We're gonna, you know, we're gonna be a little more physical,
a little more tough, that kind of stuff. So I wouldn't say that outsiders, meaning non Louisville fans or Kentucky, I wouldn't say that. They would say that. I wouldn't say, orright me back up, I wouldn't expect them to say that. These are like really huge tests that will tell you a lot for both teams, But I kind of think they are if you really consider it. So a big weekend of college basketball, no doubt, and of course we've got another college football playoff game tonight. After last night's
win for Notre Dame. I've got some thoughts on that. We'll talk about that. On the other side, also, I kind of feel like tonight all the energy is that Ohio State is just going to come in there and go to work and take care of this Texas team that's really fortunate to be there.
Again.
They're very thankful that the refs decided not to not to call targeting when it was blatant targeting. So Ohio State, I feel like this is one of those postseason college football games that ninety nine percent of the people talking about what's going to happen or saying Ohio State's gonna win, which I agree with that. However, when that happens, usually you end up getting shocked. So I would imagine we'll
get an entertaining game tonight. But there's also a chance that Ohio State went through what they went through and then kind of rounded into form after that. Because when you really consider they have more talent than than anybody left, I mean they do. I mean they've got a roster that is a high dollar and a lot of NFL players,
and look, everybody left has good players as well. But I'm just I kind of feel like it's gonna be a really i'd be The one result I don't see is that Texas winning and you know, having some comfort. I think it's a close game that comes down to the wire and Ohio State wins, or it's a blowout, meaning I don't see like a you know, uh in between there right, like maybe and I guess a ten point loss would still be considered a loss where maybe you probably late didn't feel like you were you had
a chance to win. But I think it's gonna be really ugly or it'll be really close in Ohio States just better. But either way, I'm gonna I'm gonna be well, I guess I won't. I lie. I'll be listening as I drive to Columbus tonight because uh, you know.
That's you're gonna be in Buckeye Country.
That's right. I never even thought about that. Holy crap time. I never even I'm such a dumb ass. I never even consider that I'm actually together. I never actually I never know. I never thought about the fact that I'm going to be stopping tonight in Columbus, Ohio when they potentially punched their ticket to go play for a national championship.
Get pretty crazy.
It could be, could be, could be fun, could be a mess.
I don't know.
I guess we h. I guess we shall see.
It's not snowing up there.
I don't know. I looked yesterday and they it didn't look as if, in fact, I feel like they were going to have not only not not the snow that we that we have had and I guess currently are having right now, but also it wasn't going to be quite as cold. It was gonna be cold. But you know, we're not getting a blow freezing till Sunday. I don't think so. And clearly that is that is much needed.
Right some of the things we'll get into today, there are certain states that are that are putting out new NIL bills that I just I think you're gonna see a lot of copycats. I think you're going to see certain bills out there in certain states that that quite literally are are in place to help the programs that clearly are going to need to have a good NIL
situation to be successful. And Colorado has one that I that I that I think will will be picked up by others just because again you want to win in college athletics, and now we know you've got to be able to pay players, and you know there's certain things that there's certain money that could be available that would
put it this way. There's certain there's certain money coming from certain areas that that can now be available through these bills being passed that wouldn't be available currently as far as you know what you're allowed to do technically, and it's all live by the way where you're paying a guy to come and play for your team and he'll get more money if he's better, like we all know that, but they've got to they got to address it up as something different, I guess to you know,
get by compliance. So we could take a look at that. Also a wild story coming out of college football where a top receiver from LSU apparently was involved in a car accident about a month ago and he's now wanted on charges of net legit homicide for fleeing a traffic stop.
This is a guy who was expected to be drafted in April here, so not a good look for LSU all while their coach is probably really feeling foolish knowing that Notre Dame is now actually making some noise in college football post Brian Kelly, and I don't want to get my hopes up because I want another MVP for Lamar so bad. So we'll see. However, today's AP all
pro voting that came out pretty good. Signed that despite all this talk about Josh Allen, those who actually have a vote, they're probably gonna have a tough time not voting for Lamar Jackson. And then, of course we've got NFL playoffs to get to, so we'll have some fun. It's a Friday, Get cozy, get warm. It's cold and nasty outside, but we're here till six o'clock, so hang out right here. On Sports Talk seven ninety.
Shhhhhhhhhhhs and Agram, was it.
Now back to coffee and company? Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine.
Day, Ricky Martin, Right, that's right, Okay, one hit wonder for sure?
Right? Yes?
Did he have other songs? Because he was he was really okay, he was really big for a while. But I feel like it was just gosh, He's man, which
is this song He's kind of forgettable? Because I really had to think about it while you were playing that I could I could envision this bronze man that looked like he was maybe made in a laboratory, and like he was, you know, he was a good looking dude and he was living Levina Loga, but I couldn't remember his name, like whatever happened to him, Like I'm sure he's like still relatively famous, and maybe he's maybe he's he to me, he could be like doing the Mario
Lopez trend where he's just doing a talk show or something, you know, just because he's good to look at. But when he was big, he was big. And then I kind of feel like it, you know again, that song it literally just played out this way. But I was getting ready to say it's like that song came on and some I would know every word, but like it took me a while to remember who it was.
Yeah, that's just I just always remember that song being on him I was once. I guess you can technically call it a nineties baby. The song was nineteen ninety nine and it stayed in the top five for like two years up until ninety nine and I think two thousand to two thousand and one. But man, that was almost like a song that you kind of like had to be there for so.
Yeah, you're younger than I am, so I think we probably know that this song was never not on the radio seemingly for a while when we were kids. But for me, when I think of and It's It's coming Back, I love when you bring the nostalgia with some of these some of these artists and whatnot, because I hadn't thought of Ricky Martin in fifteen years at minimum, and now I'm thinking about that song being the first song that I remember being such a huge deal on TRL
with Carson Dally Total Requests Live. I was eleven years old, and I remember like that was like I discovered TRL and started feeling like, you know, I wanted to watch that every day When that song was that it's was at its peak. So I don't I mean I.
He was the guy's name from TRL, Carson Dale, Carson Dale, That's right, Yeah, he was right there times Square two and that was Oh.
Yeah, you made you made it on TRL. You were a big deal in the night.
Oh I remember again, like when I first was old enough to like, I mean again, I consume music like everybody in my era did. I would listen to the radio or I would go buy a CD if I could, you know, somebody, if I had money and somebody would take me. And then not long after, I really started to like know who artists were and listen to what was considered I guess like pop culture music. I discovered Napster and listened to a lot of stuff that way.
But when TR I remember, and this just sounds weird, because like kid Rock was real big on TRL, Limon Biscuit was real big on TL TRL, jay Z was, and yeah, Eminem exploded and became Eminem while TRL was such a huge deal, and I remember all that, but like now, like I just feel like those are different. I don't know, I feel like those aren't the same eras.
And I feel like this day and age you wouldn't have such a I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, because you've got people like you know, Luke Comb's and Post Malone doing songs together to where like it's Beyonce's doing country, So it really is kind of genre lists now, at least they make it seem that they wanted to be that way. But I just I don't know, looking back thinking about kid Rock and Eminem, like you know, I'll know they have the Detroit connection but it just I
don't know, it kind of feels like different eras. But yet that whole wave was whenever I was when I was all into it.
The whole nineties was kind of lumped in. It seems like, or at least a late nineties.
So like the boy bands in Britney Spears, like Insinc, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and I'm sure I'm missing on some, but those were really those were the big ones, and the ninety degrees I think was kind of they were They were in their own tier because they weren't LFO, but they were bigger than them. But they also weren't the Backstreet Boys or in sync, right,
so right, like that was kind of scene. I was just old enough to kind of like know that people thought they were lame, you know what I mean, Like it wasn't cool anymore, although their music was great and it's timeless seemingly you put it on it.
I mean it's remember, uh.
Oh yes, but they weren't. I mean that that's in that era for sure. There was a there was a bunch of boy bands that had brief moments, maybe a one or two hit wonder, but the longevity of the Package Boys and then sync is is is unmatchable. But I remember, in fact, Eminem didn't he hav in a song like he made fun of like Christina, Yeah, yeah,
yeah exactly. So so I remember kind of like being really energized by the new, the new, and they I guess they were new, but also like I was discovering what it meant to be like an artist and be kind of against the man, you know, kind of be rebellious,
if that makes sense. And clearly kid Rock was that, Brad Durrist was that, Eminem was definitely that, and I remember, uh, and this is gross to think about just because how young they were time, but like it was a conversation within like you know, my school going into like middle school, about how Britney Spears was was the more wholesome one, and Christina Aguilera was was a little too uh too raunchy, and I you know, I don't know, I mean, I
just remember vividly, like parents who were protective of what their kids consumed when it comes to that kind of music stuff, they were more they were more okay with Britney Spears, but not as much Christina Aguilera, because what she you know, the genie was in the bottle and it maybe made people uncomfortable, although I remember, yeah, and she had like a I think that's the first time I saw a belly button chain, if that makes sense.
Oh yeah, Like I remember. Yeah, you know, as a young boy, you you know those things you pick up on that you never thought about before, that you never really realized, and then it stands out, you know, and you kind of remember it.
Myself saw such a huge Britney Spears fan dude as a little kid, probably about five, six, seven years old, like that was my bay. And for the longest time I didn't like in Sync because I knew that Justin Timberlake was dating her and I'll be danned if you're gonna go out.
With my woman.
Yeah, so I get it.
Was was never really a big fan of them. I have posters I'm a kid, I'm a i'm a i'm a I'm a dude. I had posters of Britney Spears and something I'll I'll go ahead and admit just because it's gonna be fun for the show. I remember being in love with Britney Spears so much that I remember crying.
Just too happy.
Man, my man is opening it up today just to have.
A Britney Spears, Barbie Doll.
Bro, you're really opening up today. I'm proud of you.
Barbie.
You've been wanting, You've been wanting to share this, haven't you.
For honestly, ever since I started playing with.
Get It Off your Chest, Brother, Get It off your Chest.
It's a fun little throwback.
And for the longest time, I didn't know why a lot of kids made fun of me when I was when I would bring it to school, but like they didn't, they didn't, they didn't understand the vibe.
They guess they couldn't.
It was always the girls that was laughing at me.
So Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson, that was like the I mean, you know, they were viewed. I mean every kid, every every boy my age growing up in middle school and like that was that was like, oh my gosh, that's that's as good as that's as good as it gets. However, I always in that era, she was nowhere near the star when it comes to hits or really even overall fame. But there was one that's kind of in that in that era that I
was was very fond of Shakira. Oh yeah, google Shakira year two thousand and just look at the images and like, I mean, I mean, she was beautiful and she still I'm sure. I'm sure she still live today. And it's crazy that she's almost fifty. That kind of you know, throws me off, But then again, I'm thirty seven.
So remember the last time I saw of her, she was in a lot of legal trouble from uh I can't remember where her country what her like.
Yeah, they're in country.
Yeah, I remember that as well.
Taxes, and I think I think she was risking going to jail at some point, and I haven't heard much since.
Do I need to go bail her out?
You and me both brothers.
I need to go. I need to go save her.
Yeah, well her hipstone lie, but I guess her bank account does.
That was her big song, right.
Yeah, I'm trying to remember some of her nineties songs. But I remember when she like remade her when she came back out like the mid two thousands, it was hips Don't Lie.
Yeah, so you're right, she did have a very bad tax situation where she owed uh well million right, No, Well, there was like a there was thirty million dollars that I guess was over a long stretch of time hidden as far as taxes, and she was part of that in some way. So says here that as of November twenty twenty three, which of course was over a year ago, she ended up settling the case. And as far as
what she's hey, I'm looking here, I'm seeing discography. She's got a project in twenty twenty four that came out. Let's go out, shout out to Shakira. Yeah, all right, so this may not be worth worth much of anything, but it would be a real it'd be a real surprise if this wasn't like the sign of who's going to win the MVP. And again I don't want to
You all can make of it what you will. I'm just trying not to get my hopes something myself, because if you have listened in recent weeks when we talk about the NFL MVP award, I think Lamars is deserving this year as he's ever been. I think he you know, he's continuing to not only maintain the high level of play that he had in his two MVP seasons. I think he's been he's he's been even better this year.
He hasn't been He hasn't necessarily stood out as the guy that is single handedly the reason the Ravens are good, because he actually has some help now. Although I hate that Zay Flowers is out for the game against the Steelers. I don't like that, but they get pass Pittsburgh. He'll be back next week, it sounds like. But anyways, he's got Dereck Henry and he's got more weapons on offense, obviously a couple of different tight ends, and Bateman's had
the breakout years we discussed. But one thing that we didn't talk about recently is that, like the defense for Baltimore is terrible. They used to be a real anchor. They used to be a real factor that made life easy for Lamar when he was just getting into the NFL. Now they're a liability. I mean, they've been better as of late, but like they if they crap the bed and the Ravens are bounced earlier than most expect, I
wouldn't be shocked if it's because of the defense. But anyways, I just have expected that Lamar would not win this year because all the noise was about Josh Allen, and I think it's really hard when you end up setting the bar so high for yourself that you have to really not only be better, but be a lot better than what your bar was set at for to get the same level of shock value. Like, Wow, I thought
this guy was already great, look at him now. So I just, I just it seemed as if all the energy and all the attention was on Josh Allen to where he was going to finally break through and win
his first MVP, and he may. However, today here's what happened that makes it seem like it's more likely that it's going to be Lamar and not Josh Allen because the AP All Pro voting came in and Lamar Jackson was your AP All Pro First Team quarterback and he got thirty votes, Josh Allen got eighteen, and Joe Burrow
got two, So that's not the MVP. However, the All Pro First Team QB has won every MVP since two thousand and seven, So a lot of these people who vote all AP All Pro also vote for the high for the MVP, I would assume, So not a surprise that you've already seen an adjustment here in the odds Lamar Jackson shifted to shifted plus three hundred to minus two sixty today, whereas Josh Allen shiped did minus five hundred to plus two hundred.
So it means a lot.
Yeah, I mean, so this may have been the ultimate like tell that despite all the talk about Josh Allen, who by the way, had a great season the Bills. I mean, I remember thinking to myself, Stefan Diggs leaving Buffalo may not end up being such a big deal,
like he didn't have as much. I mean, clearly Diggs is a weapon and great player, but I think whenever Allen felt like he needed to really babysit his diva receiver, it probably wasn't beneficial to like the rest of the offense because yeah, they don't mean, although I think Coleman's gonna be really good for him, he's not digs just yet.
But I think, you know, but Josh Allen lost a guy that is considered to be one of the better or at least was at one time considered to be one of the better receivers in the league, and their offense became more balanced. And you know, he's having a phenomenal year, and I think he is deserving of every bit of praise he's getting, I just don't think he's had a better season to where he would get the MVP,
not over Lamar. And again, maybe I'm biased, but clearly doesn't look like I am, because I think what I mean, maybe this is just the way I view it as somebody who of course is you know, a Louisville fan and want nothing more than to see Lamar continue to have such a phenomenal career. But I think despite all the chatter about Josh Allen, I don't think anybody's doubting Alan, but they just once you get down to voting, you're realizing, how can I not give.
It to this guy?
How could I not give the MVP to Lamar Jackson, who quite literally has has once again had a season that you can you can throw it in the bag with the other seasons he's had where you look, you think to yourself, we'll never probably see anybody do this again. I mean, that's how good Lamar has been. So again
here I am acting like he's already won it. But I went from thinking there was very little chance it happens to now it seems like he's, you know, he's now the favorite which again doesn't mean it's certainly going to happen, but certainly I would love to see him get his third v P. In fact, how many how many I wonder how many have three NFL MVPs. Like part of me says that there's more than I'm in than I'm is one NFL players with three MVPs. Here
here's the list of guys. You've got a total of the record, by the way, is Peyton who has five, and Rogers has four, and then you have four others with three, Johnny Uanias, Jim Brown, Brett Farv and Tom Brady.
Okay, so and Brady had more.
I did too, Yeah, but Brady Brady. Look, Brady won Super Bowls in years where he was a fine quarterback, but nothing statistically, no moment was Look Brady, nobody can can argue that he's not elite and and maybe the goat considering the rings, and clearly he was able to show when he left he had a little more value there than old Belichick did. That played out poorly for Bill,
but Brady. That's what made Brady very interesting to me because he would he would have games where they would win in the playoffs, and he would make the timely play, he would make the smart play, he would show poise, he would show you know he's been there before. But it wasn't like, man, how do you stop this guy? He's just insane? And I think that's why. And I also by the way I was looking at it, but I would if you'd have told me who has the most MVPs in the NFL history, Brady would have been
one of my first guesses. And he has three, whereas clearly you know others have three, and Rogers even has more than Brady. But all those guys have what a super Bowl at least one?
All right?
And Lamar, you know you don't want to be the guy. I mean again, you can't control it, like I don't want to act like Lamar never winning a super Bowl would make me feel like he's not as good as I believe he is. But we all know, regardless if you agree with it or not, you think it's silly, these guys are valued by that, especially when you've proven that you're good enough. Right, Lamar Jackson is a good enough quarterback to where he himself, with some help, should
be able to win a super Bowl. Now, doesn't mean it's easy doesn't mean that it's gonna get it's gonna it's guaranteed to happen. But when you've when you've hit a level of all right, we know you have the ability, we know what you can do, we know how great you are. Can you can you lift up a team? Can you get can you get it done? Can you get the ultimate accomplishment? And there's clearly some guys that
haven't been able to do that. And you know, Lamar, I'm biased, of course, but I feel like he's still so young and and and you know, he's got so much time. However, the window for Lamar, the window for any player, is not always the same window for your franchise. And I just think that this year, with them actually having a run game that is not just I mean Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson being the two headed monster on the ground is is a nice weapon to have.
And again, he's got good I mean, this is his best team, and I really hope that they can pull through and get deep into the playoffs here because if not, it won't mean that he's not great. But the conversation about Lamar, everybody's already talked enough about it, everybody's on the same page.
He's great, but.
They're gonna get bored with that and continue to talk about, well, getting won a super Bowl. Yeah, and he can, but like getting it done and being able to is a different conversation.
He's gonna have to lock intos is his inner Brady and just make the timely plays. Doesn't have to be spectacular. But it seems like in years past where Lamar has had a great season, it's like weird once you get to the play.
Yes, no hardball calls like he's.
He's just not as comfortable at times he seems and he'll still make plays, but no, you're right, like, and this is wishful thinking on my end, but I feel like this year Lamar has been playing with a different level of confidence and you know, I guess sure he seems more sure of himself than he's ever been and he's a little more to loose. So hopefully that transitions to the postseason, because you know that that's where you're really that's where you really are are evaluated long term.
Our quick break will come back on the other side. Wrap at the three o'clock hour, it's coffee and company. Feel about Thornton's ready here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
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So as we wrap up at the three o'clock hours, some football notes to get to here, and it's it's it's probably gonna always be pretty hectic when you get to the end of well really really December in January. I feel like we're going to be the chaos when it comes to the portal in football, and we've certainly had that around here, and I think for the most part we've discussed sort of big big I mean really the biggest editions, I guess, the biggest bright spots, if
you will. I don't even know how to word it. But like the off season where you try to put together, you know, a team, it's much different now than it used to be because you used the portal and sometimes you're okay with guys leaving to transfer because it opens up spots, but you're still also going to you know, bring in some freshmen that you're really happy about and sometime your biggest wins are just keeping guys that you
know could go elsewhere or go to the NFL. So I still feel like Louis's in a position this year where the best piece of news is getting back to the two freshman running backs who have confirmed that they're going to be here next year. That's obviously Duke Watson and Isaac Brown, and I think getting honestly, getting Colin Lacey come back is huge as well. So there have been some guys that have ended up hitting the portal
that I was bummed to see. Some I understood totally, others out kind of you know, like for example, Taras Hicks Blue Hicks. He's transferring and he's going to go to Pitt and it sounds like he got paid pretty well to go to Pitt. He's a receiver that I think is really talented, but I get it from his perspective, he like Lacey coming back, absolutely had to change sort of how he viewed his role here at Louislle because he's the same. I mean, he's a very similar kind
of guy, but probably not as dynamic. And even if they aren't that similar, Lacy back is going to take away opportunities for any receiver because he's gonna be on the field a lot, so he's gonna go to Pitt. Didn't like to see that, but I get it. And then Key One Brown, same thing. Key One Brown somebody who hit the portal, and I was since day one, since Jeff got here and and he brought I'm pretty sure Brown was committed to him at Purdue and he
flipped to Louisville from Atlanta. He clearly didn't have the season that Duke Watson and Isaac had, but I've always felt like Key One Brown was really good. And he hit the portal and I hated it, but I totally get it. If you're running back, I totally understand why you would want to leave. However, he hit the portal, he committed to Boise State and then has since decided to come back to Louisville. He's no longer committed. He's
going to State at Louisville. So I mean, if he's your if he's your third string running back, I mean, don't I don't know how Louisville won't have the best running back room in college football next year, and it probably won't be labeled as that because Louisville's not in the SEC or the Big Ten, but I mean those
two guys are special. Again. Isaac Brown one of the best running backs in the country this year, regardless of freshman, senior, red shirt, senior, whatever, and was a freshman All America. I mean he I mean, I don't need to tell you guys how good he was, how special he was.
But Duke Watson also got enough carries to where he is included in this in this stat I don't know what the minimum amount of carries is, but you can't you can't be in the running for being the top rusher as far as yards per carry in college football unless you've had a good, healthy dose of carries. And clearly he got the ball a whole lot in the last I don't know, sixty five percent of the season.
So you've got a freshman All American kind of guy, Freshman of the Year in the ACC and Isaac Brown and his backup, another true freshman, led the country and rushing yards per carries. So and Kewan Brown's behind him, who I think is really good. So I think Louisville, once again under Jeff Brahm, they've been able to kind of navigate. You never know, right, There's there's guys you're
excited about as far as them committing from portal. There's guys that you lost that you don't feel really bad about, and you may learn next year that, hey man, we missed this guy and this guy we brought in wasn't as good as we expected. So you really never know.
But at least on paper, I feel like once again, Louis was in a really good spot when it comes to uh, when it comes to the to the transfer portal and as I let's see here the and and this this has nothing to do with actual football itself, but when when I'm referencing sort of my my, my show preper believe it or not, Guys, I do prepare for this show. Uh, And this is there's no way to transition to this easy because this is very serious
and sad. But Miller Moss apparently his his childhood home where he grew up has has been I mean it was lost in the fire and the fires going on in California, which of course is just a And I hate now where we are with social media specifically, I don't know what's real and what's not. Meaning I've seen videos that I could believe you if you told me that's really what's what's happening. But I could also believe you've told me that somebody did that with AI and
it just looks that real. But Miller Moss just shared a video, or I guess he shared a he shared someone's tweet that showed the high school that he attended that of course is no more because it's it's been burned to the ground, and you know there are yeah, it says here there's This is from the Hollywood Reporter.
It says there's life in the Palisades and it shows the footage of the aftermath of the wildfires at Polly High School, which is where he went, and there are people shooting basketball, and I guess it, I don't know. It's kind of like, I'll send this to you, Austin.
This looks like kind of a harmless video of somebody I guess near where the fires had the biggest, had the most damage, and it's showing two random strain two random people just shooting basketball on a hoop that has no backboard because of the fire, and they look like
they're having fun. Like if I just saw the visual here, I would say like my instant thought would be, oh wow, despite the tragic and unbelievable situation, these people are finding a silver These people are finding ways to be positive. Like That's the way I would have viewed it. But Miller Moss shared it and said, this is not life, and this is not Pally High School. This is my family's home and those are utter strangers. These people are playing on the hoop I grew up with in front
of what remains our home. This is a community trying to rebuild. This is the type of behavior that does the opposite. So again, he just tweeted this out with in the last twenty thirty minutes or so, So I'm again. I I initially saw the Hollywood Reporter report and clearly they're wrong. They're I mean, this is now a video that has gone insanely viral, and it's not what they
claim it is. It's not a high school, it's Miller Moss's home where he I mean, that would that would I cannot imagine in any way how that would feel. I can't imagine, Like, I mean, you lose, if you lose, if everything that you know that that is yours, that that you know that you value or just where you grew up, Like if it's just gone out of nowhere because of something like this, I mean, it's like you lost a part to you, you lost a part of
your family. I mean I would hope that if it was me, I would have the ability to kind of think, Okay, well those material things don't matter. I still have I loved ones, which I'm sure that's the way a lot
of people are viewing it. But to see the visual of like where you grew up and now it's just completely gone because of the fires, and you've got people clearly looting and just kind of like, I don't know, you didn't lose a person here, but when you if it was me and I was in Miller Moss's shoes, I would feel like a level of like being violated,
like what do you all doing? Strangers that just came in here to see what the aftermath was and you're you know, almost it almost feels like a level of being violated in a way, which sure, I don't know if that makes sense, but that's that's what came to mind for me. So clearly a very sad, sad situation. And to hear that they believe that that that it was arsonists that did this. It's just I mean, it's awful,
awful stuff. All right. We got two more hours and we'll try not to be awful until we get out of here at six o'clock. Then at six o'clock, we're going to be awful human beings at least, you know. I hope I'm not, but you know, you never know.
Well, you know how Friday's wind up exactly.
Fridays can get the best of you. And I'm ready for the weekend. Quick break two more hours left right here on Sports Fox seven ninety