Friday, February 7, Hour 1

Rick.

Okay, now we got you. Rick, you're there.

I am here all right, Sorry about all that. I have a new phone and I forgot about that. We forgot to get it hooked up to our system.

Here. How are you doing in New Orleans?

I'm doing great.

Uh. If you hear a bunch of noise in the background, I'm in the airport. Oh, I'm on the Injury Deserve. Bruised my achille, So I'm getting on a plane and coming back home. I was walking around. It's not fun. Yeah.

Man, were you.

Part of the flag football program or something?

Because you you were originally.

Originally going to come back tomorrow, which kind of shocked us. Why why wouldn't you stay for the whole situation till Sunday?

You didn't hear what I said. I said, I bruised my achilles.

No, no, no, Oh, So you already had planned and coming back on tomorrow or.

To day to the end.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I couldn't. I couldn't walk anymore. I couldn't take that walk around. I mean it's not like he's not like you can drive anywhere in New Walls. It's a long walk.

Don't they know you? Ricky Honey? Just get a cart.

Well, next time, I'm going to make sure that you're personal everything. Yes, everything will goes smooth, just like you know what you will.

I'll drive you if you want to take me with you, Okay, well Steve and I will go. We'll escort you, will be your bodyguards and all that.

So does it seem so long ago that you participated or is it just like yesterday?

You know, every time you turn around and you start reflecting back and you're seeing the game being played over and over again on TV, it's like yesterday. But in reality, we know it's been the years, the years.

How do you how do you.

I think we've asked you this before, but I've forgotten. How do you take in the Super Bowl?

Right?

How do you?

How do you pay attention to it? Do you kind of just watch it casually? Are you watching guys? Do you have friends, do you have coaches? Whatever?

How do you? How do you take it in?

Well?

You know, over the years it changes because I mean I have.

Friends that are coaching in the game for the Kansas City Chiefs like Dave Toe and Andy Hill, and then there's players that actually.

Be coached at Arizona just recently, like.

Christian Roland Wallace. He's playing for Kansas City.

So you know, you're kind of room for people, you.

Know, but other than that, you're a fan that you like a great player like Barkley.

You like a great player like.

A Curse and you know, and anybody in their right mind don't bet against Patrick mahone in big games.

He's just.

Now, g just got up, He's gonna go.

I'll be right back. I gotta go throw something down on the Chiefs.

Yeah, so, Ricky, do when you watch the game or any game, do you look at it through a player's eyes or try to just enjoy it? You know, this guy went the wrong place, ran the wrong routine or route.

Well, you try to enjoy it, but you see things that you're like, oh my god. Watching the playoff game the city in Buffalo and the receiver number one he was just I mean, he was just I mean it was like a computer game. Watched him with his applank ability and how he can get open, and it's just I think that the receivers that they have are far more superior than the receivers stilly that and so it gives a home, you know, greater weapons both defenses are

In terms of the two teams and just you know, who's who's the better team? What what's your what are your thoughts on these two teams. Let's say if they both played their best.

Game, who wins the game?

And man, it's my whole manager.

It comes down in Kansas City and my home.

Yeah, you know, let me ask you to I think maybe we asked you this a year two ago. I'm not too sure, but when you played, did you get nervous before the game, and then, if so, did it go away at some point?

Yeah, everybody's nervous, you absolutely, little Butterfly's flowing and then once the game kicks it all time, he's just playing. You know, they're you know, you're you're on a whole different high level. You're just playing the game.

But but at some point, Ricky, you know, if let's say you're you know, you're playing defense, so you're you're you're you're on the bench, you're sitting down, you're catching a break, you're drinking some water. You know, you're talking about you know the next thing to do. Doesn't it still at some point when you're sitting there and you're not out on the field itself, doesn't it feel different anyways?

You know that that.

I know it's a game, but you sit there and you think maybe you got a moment you say say, damn, this is the Super Bowl.

Oh I remember that time, just on the introduction, running through the tunnel and you're here, Pat Somemmer all calling out your name, and and and then he realizes, I don't know how many there's millions of people watching. You came to a different feeling. And then when you're in the game, uh, you know, it's it's sold out, it's back, and it's cameras everywhere, and then you realize it's a big deal. It's a real big deal.

So you played in two, correct, Yeah, you played in two.

Would your I don't say legacy, but if your your image or whatever word you want to use, would have been different had you won one.

Absolutely, the early time you're champion, you're different. You'll always be the champion, and now you'll always be a guy who never wont you come down?

Well, yeah, but you know what Rick, You know, Steve and I are sitting here a couple of fat guys on the radio and thinking, you when you went to two super Bowls, Man, I mean, nobody can ever take that away. And then and there's you know, you can count the number of guys that have been in Super Bowls and there's not a whole ton of them on this planet. So uh, you know, I mean you have to you have to take it like that, don't you.

Well, you still want to your body of work.

You wanted to be that. You know, you were at least champion one time, you know, And it's the hardest thing in the world to do is to be a super Bowl champion. And it that's all to those people that do it multiple times. And they got something that people who get there multiple times. I mean, I mean the bike has swung the bad four times and miss Buffalo swung it four times and miss and it's stuff, you know, And now the Chief's got a chance to do it three times and win. It's gonna be incredible.

When when you see the event that it's become today with you know, the amount of media and uh, you know, everything that goes with it today, social media and all that stuff compared to you know, when when you played in it. What would you advise somebody who's going into play their first super Bowl with the way it is now compared to the way you saw it, what would you tell them?

I think the most important thing is to understand that, you know, this game is bigger than you, and it's not about you. It's about what you do one for your team and you put all that work in and that is special. It's a special time as a special moment. So you know, I have a single pope, per focus, you know, have a single purpose, and it's all about that moment that day because you can't get it back

Yeah, no, I hear you. That's such the magnitude of it just got to be unbelievable.

Yeah, when you got there. When you got there the first time? Give me the year?

Is it good?

Eighty?

Was it two thousand?

No, it wasn't.

Eighty eighty six and eighty seven, he said, So when you.

Got there in eighty six, he says, Okay, we got there. Doesn't seem easy. But you say you don't win it, you're gonna come back. There's always not feeling you're gonna come back and come back and come back.

Oh yeah, there's always a feeling.

You're going to come back. But you only delivered on that field at one time, right, right?

Yeah?

Yeah, no, I hear so, So how will you how will you watch a game? You're heading back just sitting on your couch. You go hang out with some friends. How will you watch a game this Saturday or Sunday?

Well, I'll come back and I'll watch a long TV Yeah, yeah, family.

Right, and then stay in your in your nice little couch. Don't move that leg, don't move elevated. How the hell did you hurt? You get hurt?

Somebody blind?

Cycling?

Yeah, get.

Well, you've done well. You've done some things to your body that neither of us have had to do. So I I hear you that it's gotta you know, there's gotta be some issues of I'm sure over time.

I'm sure Lamont probably tripped you or something perpost.

Yeah he's laughing about it.

Yeah, Ricky is always Thanks for joining us, man, We appreciate it.

Be safe coming in, you say, be healthy man, take care.

Of that leg us.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thanks about Ricky Hely Denver, Bronco.

Great a couple of a couple of super Bowls, you know, And again I mean I kind of said I half joking, but not joking. I mean, look, and you know, we're gonna talk to Glenn Glenn Parker who lost five Super Bowls. The keyword is super Bowl. He's been sure and he's seen it and been in it and none of us have.

Here's my thing, and I think you and I have talked about it.

There was when I went to the two thousand and one Final four, went to the championship game, right, probably, in my opinion, the best team you've ever had.

They didn't win it, and.

Nobody really talks about them, about that team.

About that team, and to me, they're the best team ever.

Yeah, well you can make that. Ye he's gonna make that they were certainly.

Better than the ninety seven team that did win it, right, right, you know you put those two teams on the court, and the two thousand and one team probably wins by fifteen.

Well yeah, probably apples to apples, right, apples and apples.

So you know you got to be the winner.

Yeah, and and but again, uh, you know, for for those of us who you know, if you want to say, oh, you know, Glenn, you you didn't win one, well, okay, but went to five, you know.

And and there's people who are like that.

Well, you went to the Dodger game game one. You went, and what are you talking about? I went to the game one Dodgers. You're not a Dodger, right, But that was your right, That was that was that was your moment, going to be my best sports sports moment ever.

And I think that it overtakes a home run I hit when I was twelve. That's how.

That's how everyone has already screwed you by not taking to the road.

Yeah, shoot, so I knew that was coming up. Want to take a break down, Yeah, let's go and take our break.

We're going to come back. We'll we'll talk some more.

Let's talk some basketball maybe yeah, and uh and uh just see what's going on. But uh, we're here at Soul Sports Casino Del Saul getting ready for the Super Bowl. They're gonna have a big crowd this weekend. You can come in bed on all kinds of stuff. We'll get into some of that a little later. But here at sal Sports see the Salts. So stick around.

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This is Eye on the Ball with Steve Raverra on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Hey, welcome back to Why on the Ball. You're a Fox Sports Development Sports.

Forty nine hours hours. Not that anybody's counting about. Yeah, chmas for you.

Hey, you want to talk a little about the big game tomorrow.

Let's you know, I know, the Iowa State game was a huge game.

Yeah, all right, and that's made this game even bigger, sure, right, because I mean you you had Arizona losing only one conference game in the first half of the conference season.

You were all over that, right, not about.

But you know they've They've done exactly what they needed to do. They lost to Texas.

Take that first game, they had a chance to win that they were in it until the last five minutes or whatever. That's why, you know, truthfully, I think they're going to be able to win tomorrow and do the same thing.

Go away. I don't know.

We were checking to see what the spread is tomorrow. But I like Arizona's chances well because they're at home. They're at home, and they're playing when they're playing so well stated. But you know what Texas Texas is not.

They're really good.

They're really good.

They're they're one of those really physical, getting your face teams good offensively, they're kind of on a mission after after a top and got tossed from that game. Did he came out with a case of something in the next game and he was just mad And and I wan't underestimate how good Texas Tech is.

I know, I know, I you know, I made some comments about.

How there were some people who had no idea how how good Iowa State was, uh when when Arizona was playing them, And I think, you know, you think Texas Tech. You don't think Duke, you don't think Kentucky. You don't think Kansas they're really good? Yea, they're They're I can't. I think it was uh the Seth Greenberg. I think he said the national championship good. Yeah, not that they're going to but that they're good enough. Been broken a little since that game. We've lost a few games since

I think I don't think they're better than Iowa State. I don't think they're better than i was State. Texas Tech will fit, will go to tournament. Obviously, they might finish third, fourth, fifth in the in the conference.

Where do you think Arizona's gonna land.

Third?

Second or third second or third with you know, like.

I think party will come down to that Houston Gage. That's going to be a massive game. But then they're gonna have to go to go to Kansas after that. But Kansas approved has proven vulnerable.

Iowa was state. They have to go there.

Yeah, they got to go back to high with state.

Remember they got Yeah, they've got some tough games that left to deal with. But every time you think that, Okay, they they're not going to win this one, then they do. I mean, I didn't think they were gonna be b Yu, did you? I thought they again, I thought they could. I just didn't think they were.

You know.

Honestly, it's funny because when I was with the kids and then I can't remember who was in I think it was Blake, and I picked the score exactly right, except the wrong winner, b Yu. Arizona played well, I played good defense, and by you shot poorly?

Yeah, you just did.

But and but it's you know, why did they shoot poorly? Because there's a defense is pretty darn good.

I think they missed shots right. There was almost defense, you know. And you know what, through the through.

The last ten to twelve games, Arizon found a defense.

Well, here's here's the thing that that I'm hearing a lot of. By the way, Arizona is a two and a half point favorite.

I was just up there, Howard he didn't say they don't have it two and a half favorite, two and a half favorite.

By two and a half.

I'm giving that. I'm giving that.

Now all day.

Yeah.

Here's the here's the thing that that that I keep hearing is that Tommy Lloyd is doing his best coaching job this year. I think that's because because of where they were compared to where.

They are, how did they get there?

Well, okay, my opinion, and you know you're I'm not in the locker room. I don't know, I don't you know, I don't get to talk to Tommy or anything like that. My guess, my guess is that at in that non conference season when they were just not playing very well. Remember we did the show a couple of times, their offense looked like just total chaos.

At all times there was no flow to anything.

I feel that Tommy had to have sat them down and said, and when I save them? The Three Guards, kJ Lewis, Caleb Love and and and and Jay and Bradley, you guys think you're going to go to the NBA, you're screwing it up. Okay, nobody's looking at you right now because you're playing like such crap. You know, you're all trying to get yours and if you keep trying to get yours, this is what it looks like now. If you want to show some value to who you are and what kind of a player you are, the

Okay, I'll take some of that.

Let me also tell you that since the UCLA game, not many teams have put them in a half court to make them look bad. Right, They've made them run and which, of course, if that's what they want to do, is what they want to do. So they haven't looked bad because that's what teams are letting them do. That's my first thought. I don't disagree with your philosophy of them telling them we're better together then separately, right, But it's more of the flow and the team that they've beaten.

And b Iowa State by they've won some good games.

I would say, yeah, but in our world is a word and you know, beings.

I gotta be lucky, you gotta be left and they did, and but you have to win those games luckier otherwise, Right, we're the casino.

You have to get lucky.

But you know, and look, Caleb Love is still at thirty percent uh three point shooter. He is and and just get used to the fact that that's what he is. It's he's got to shoot a lot to get to get the points that he gets. But you know, he's he's he's not five for you know, he's not shooting ten percent like he did a few of those games.

I'll give you this uh b y u games specifically, and maybe moving forward, they have to sprinkle everybody's good stuff. B Sarr been fantastic in the second half, sprinkling him there. Bradley has been fantastic, sprinkle kJ has done what he's done defensively and otherwise. I mean, they're all getting little tidbits of stuff from people.

Two words Tobyo and Toby holy cow.

Well the only guy that hasn't really been there is Townsend. Yeah, but every hey als is kind of filling their spots.

Yeah.

Well, you know, and then that's the thing, you know, Tobyo Waka, where did where did that come from?

Right?

Because I was giving him the the AJ Bramlett treatment at the beginning of the of the season. Is you know what I once said about AJ Bramlett that Tobyo Waka is not getting into the promised land. AJ Bramley did and we all know that I apologize to him on the show, but.

In fact he's now he is.

But I thought the same thing of Tobya Walker said, if Tobya Walk is the guy that they got to count on, because remember we were we were thinking that that Crevis was going to come back and play because he was playing, and it's just gonna it's gonna take time to get Crevas in there. Toby Wak is just gonna have to fill gap. Tobya Waka is really good.

He's he's really good in the things that he needs.

To do right, and he's not trying to do more.

He's not always taking he's he's turned away some open fifteen footers because he's not one hundred percent sure he's going to right. But he's he's taken a few, he's made a few, but he's not out there shooting it every time he's got it. He's rebounding, he's physical, he's getting in the way he gets the ball and they can't take it away from him.

And and and he's not falling out or anything like that.

He's physical without putting his his his minutes in jeopardy.

Well, he and Vsar are playing well. Together.

He's doing it. He's the reason why they brought him in for the Big twelve. He's fitting perfectly right. He's a bruiser VStar is helping out and and we haven't really talked much about del orso he's been kind of hit and miss like a shot. But but he's been hidden up.

Yeah.

Well, I like him a lot, and he's a shooter that you know he's gonna make some key shots down the road. He seems a little wide eyed, a little in over his head with some of these teams who have quick, physical guys that can that can guard him. But you know, you get you if he's up against a team that he can get open and get a shot off, you know he's going to be useful there.

Okay, So here's or February seventh, something like that. How far do they go today, because it'll change in a week or two or whatever. How far do they get today? They're definitely a Sweet sixteen team, Okay, because because of the way they're winning. You didn't think that two months ago? Oh hell no, no, I thought. I mean I never thought that they wouldn't get to the tournament. They're gonna win enough games, But you know, maybe a loss and a win and a loss or something like that.

You know, this is a this is a Sweet sixteen game. A team that's that's trending towards going even a little further. Yeah, I mean, you know we were thinking last year that they were so dayg good. This is a national championship team. I don't see them as a national championship team, but they're trending in that direction instead of the opposite direct.

You've got to like how they're doing or what they're doing. I still think that if Caleb Caleb gets hot, which is very case possible, possible, they could get to the Sweet sixteen and beyond. But it's all going to be on him playing out of his mind up.

Well, you know you mentioned Trey Townsend and uh, you know, I'm still waiting for the to see when Carter Brian's going to.

Take that spot. Well, you know what, that's exactly it. It should be.

I mean, if it's not this weekend, it needs to be soon.

But it seems like Tommy's he's he's set on what he's doing. You got the emotions from Carter, get the guys coming out the BA right and don't mess.

What's working right exactly?

You know, who's got who's got better guys coming off the bench than kJ Lewis, Carter Bryant and Henry Vassar, three guys one in, you know, each segment of the of the offense.

Who's got three better guys.

All capable, all starters.

Really started a lot of places, and not just you know, not just you know, it started Eastern Michigan, I mean starting you know, at high level teams. Those guys are so you've got you've got that rotation of eight guys.

Would you that they can play with anybody?

Okay, So so if they if they happen to lose tomorrow, would you be surprised, given given what you just said.

I'd be a little surprised.

Because it's a home game, Okay, Okay, you played Texas Tech on a neutral court and a truly neutral court, you know, up in New York or somewhere. All right, it's fifty to fifty. I think they played ten games, they each win five.

Well, they're only favor two and a half.

You you know, you go to Texas Tech, you're probably going to lose. You come to Arizona, you play it.

There, so you're probably going to happen in a couple of months. Yeah, they go to Kansas City and they might have to pay each other on their neutral court.

Are you going to Kansas City?

No?

God, no, no, because a week later the DNC Double E turn right. You think I made of money?

I thought you were. I have to win those super Bowl but I expect them to win. I'll be surprised if they don't.

Then they go to Kansas State. Kansas State's kind of scary on the road.

Everybody is scary on the road, Steve, That's exactly, and that's what's shocking about Arizona's record.

But what they've won.

They won five five conference road games, five or six conference road games. And look at where they've won. You I mean, who's gone in one at West Virginia, right, yeah, Cincinnati exactly.

Yeah.

You know, I know you said Cincinnati wasn't shouldn't have been ranked when they played them, but they were ragged.

Everybody thought they were good and they went in and won a Cincinnati.

I'm good looking. I was good looking, but I'm good looking.

You know they you know they wanted b Yu.

I'm twenty nearly twenty thousand people at that game, and they and they wanted b YU and it was it was all up against them on on on Monday night.

Did you stay up for that game? They to me, that's the most impressive win of the year. Really, everybody played. It was one of those sprinkle games. They just everything, singing, a little bit of everything on the road. You know how tough it is doing a b Yuh, of course it is.

It's and where else? Pick a spot.

I just think I just have flashes of gymmer for debt, right I was here?

Yeah, well yeah that I know, but going you know, playing b YU.

But what better win under the circumstances.

Yeah, no, I.

Beat I want to stay here on a sample and they but won where else? Yeah?

No, I They've been impressive. They've been impressive over the last over the last what do you say, month and a half?

Right, So so let's go go back to Tommy's best coaching job. I guess you could think that it's it's you know, recency biased.

Uh.

He had a pretty good first year under under the conditions of being the first year coach.

But with talent. I get I get that, I get that.

Maybe, But but I say that Steve because of again where they where they were and for whatever reason they were there, right, and maybe he was doing a poor coaching job at the time, right, but you know when they were four and five and coming off that horrible loss to u c.

L A.

Yeah, and to and to look at him now, you know you got people picking him to win the league, right, sure, sure, And so you know, I think the last the high seed I've seen somebody put them at.

As a four so that they just recently just yeah, so.

You know, but but again going in that in that direction all back they were there were four out.

In Yeah, yeah, I agree with you. We'll see what happens. You know, there's still a lot of games to be played. H Houston, Kansas, Iowa State.

Uh.

It's not easy, no, no, And we knew that about this league. And again, you know, if they lose a couple of games in a row or something, people are going to lose their minds.

Guys.

This is not the PAC twelve. It's not even close to the PAC twelve. You know, you look at game in and game out. You know, every team that comes to Tucson can beat you how many times? How many times? Even with the really good teams. When when the Pack twelve, I was just there rare times they had really good teams. How many times did you walk into Michale thinking they could lose tonight?

No, not very didn't.

Did you.

Well, let me tell you this.

They're ten and one, right Yeah, So this ten and one feels different than being ten and one in the PAC twelve because you've already gone through a tough, tough schedule, You've survived some tough games, and you're looking forward to the next nine or whatever it is. In the PAC twelve U ten and one, you're thinking, oh, we got who UCLA, maybe ore agaon and those are the only

Yeah, yeah, I you know, no, I one hundred percent agree that.

It's just we talked about that this this league gets them ready.

For the for the tournament. When does it matter right in March?

You know?

And that's the thing, you know, if they if they come out of this, if they come out of this, they're ten and one right now. Okay, let's say they got nine games left, fifteen and if they go if they go if they go fifteen, If they go fifteen and five, that means they've lost four of their last nine games, and people are going to lose their minds.

We suck, We're going in. We've got no shot.

I guarantee you didn't think fifteen to five.

Right, would you have signed up for fifteen and five before the conference season started?

Well? Yes, even before the season started. Yeah, you're thinking.

Remember, I don't know if you were with us, with Brian Peterson and those guys, we were talking about all that they go maybe win some games, to go fourteen and six, it's gonna be a succeed.

No, this is, this is they're on gravy train right now.

They are, Howard saying six s.

Oh, he's having a beer too.

We need to go get one.

Okay, all right, all right Howard there, Okay, Look, we're gonna take our break.

We're here at Soul Sports at Casino Del Soul. We're gonna come back. There's some breaking news today.

We'll talk a little bit about that NFL Hall of Fame got announced last night, as well as as well as the awards heading to the Super Bowl tomorrow. On Sunday. I'll talk a little bit about that. So come back here. We're at Casino Del Soul, Soul Sports Casino Sports Book.

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