The volume.
All right, we're going to get to Ian O'Connor talk all things Mets implosion, Yankees limitations, Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. Are the Giants well run in New York? And who is Jalen Brunson's co pilot to take the Knicks to a different level? The great Ian O'Connor good forty minute interview. Can't wait, so Woes reports that the Sixers. Harden is opting in to the seventy six Ers, going to sign a contract, but Philadelphia is going to seek trade options.
This is, of course the right move. Tyrese Maxi is ascending into a number two and beat his a number one. Tobias Harris is certainly good enough to be a three. Harden is not a trustable, winning post season player. You get nothing on the defensive end. He's quirky, he's odd. He has become a better distributor over time, never been in great shape. I just don't think he's a winning
basketball player. And I've said this about a lot of dynamic guards Westbrook Wall, Derrick Rose, James Harden, highlight reels, John Morant. I don't think they're winning players. I just think they're gifted players, So I think Darryl Morey, the GM of the Sixers, is making the right move. NBA gms are desperate suckers for talent, and you will be able to find somebody that takes James Harden. But I
think they're a better team without him. What I would try to find is another dynamic guard who will give you something on the defensive end. Now there is speculation that they know perhaps Philadelphia's interest that in Damian Lillard. I don't know that to be true, but you know, I get into these discussions all the time. You know, Kyrie Irving is visiting Phoenix. Drama is a killer in the NBA. It destroyed the Mavericks and Memphis late in
the year, destroyed them. The Lakers got rid of Westbrook played great basketball. Harden is drama. The Brooklyn team when you had to harden a Kyrie Durant, three Hall of Famers, nothing but drama. And the reason being is an NBA locker room is a smaller locker room, fewer players, so one agitator can blow up the rest of the locker room. Whereas in baseball, a third of the team pitchers down in the bullpen, professional football, half the guys one side
of the field, half the guys the other. Basketball one plane, thirteen guys, seven that matter, eight that play, one selfish agitator, one quirky odd personality blows up room. So bones Highland at the trading deadline shipped out of Denver. Chemistry got better. They never look back. So to me, Kyrie Irving creates drama. Ja Morant now drama, James Harden drama. These guys are
team killers. But there is a unique relationship with young NBA fans, not all NBA fans, but young fans who wear the sneakers of stars that they're emotionally attached to players like international soccer fans are to their Messi and Ronaldo's that they look past their flaws because they wear their players. You don't wear cleats from football players or
baseball players. You don't walk around with a glove. If you look at what the NBA has, the fans, especially young fans, have a much higher level of tolerance of bullshit with NBA stars because they wear them. That's why the Jordan Lebron debate is so fierce. It's not just Michael's game, it's Michael's shoes. There are people that collect them. Every time they get up in the morning, they go to their closet and have twelve pairs of Jordan's right.
So the loyalty to an international soccer star and the loyalty to an NBA star from young fans is so intense and deeply embedded emotionally that they just overlook Westbrook, Wall Harden, Steph Marbury's flaws. They wear their stuff. But I think the smartest gms in the league. Sometimes you have to take on a player that's high maintenance to get you to another place. But I think Philadelphia is absolutely making the right move sign Harden. Move him. There's
a sucker out there every minute. Somebody needs offense, you know. I mean to be honest with you. Westbrook worked briefly with the Clippers. They needed somebody to run the offense. They had good wings and Paul George and Kawhi missed so many games. Westbrook shows up every night, gives you thirty four minutes, give your production. He kind of worked with the Clippers like if Kawhi and Paul George played
every night, he'd be disruptive, but they don't. That's why I thought Westbrook, with Ad and Lebron would work Lebron's old missus thirty games, eighty misses games all the time. He'd be productive, he'd play, he'd play hard. So but I think Harden got the Sixers to a level before Maxi was ready to be the number two. I think they needed Harden to be the two. But I think they're making this move for a lot of reasons. One
better chemistry and two tyrese. Maxie is now ready to be the second star, the co pilot, the robin to the batman now woes. Reports that the Clippers and the Knicks will engage with the Sixers, I do not think it fits for the Knicks. I wouldn't be surprised if Harden's people are leaking that they don't need him. They don't need a ball centric guard. They have their pilot, they have their quarterback in Jalen Brunson. They need a big who can score. As far as the Clippers, they've
been looking for a guard for years. They tried John Wall, didn't work. They tried Westbrook sort of work, but it's not a long term plan. I don't think Harden is the answer. But in a city where they're trying to grab market, share going into a new building. Harden's a star, Kawhi is a star. Paul George is a semi star. Paul George and Kawhi are very good defensive players. Hardens not, so that does help Harden's case. The Clippers feel much more realistic than the next two. Well, he's my favorite
East Coast voice. Ian O'Connor a four time New York Times best selling author the book on Coach k Derek Jeter Belichick three for three, All Fantastic, New York Daily News, Now, The New York Post, USA Today, ESBN, known him, loved him for years. He is now joining us, and we got a lot to talk about. So I remember when I lived in Connecticut. You're really in the belly of the beast Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Phillies. It's just sports talk is driven by it out West. It is not.
It's more of an NBA NFL discussion. But the intensity and the passion is redeemable. And I missed so much not hearing Sports Talk Radio New York. After the Mets late inning Melton against the Phillies, I watched it. I just happened to stumble on it. Good hell. Ian, that is as hits, batsman walks one hit, multiple runs. What was that? The tipping point? Is Buck Showalter in trouble after that moment?
I don't know if it's a tipping point, Colin, because it feels like I live with a fatalistic Mets fan. My wife spent a diehard Mets fan for forty five fifty years basically, and so it feels like they just run into each other and I can't differentiate.
One from the other.
And I don't think it's the tipping point as far as Showalter is concerned, because last year he won one hundred and one games. That's the second most victories in the history of the New York Mets franchise. Davy Johnson won one hundred and eight nineteen eighty six, and nobody's done better than Showalter did in year one.
So I don't think you can fire him in the middle of year two.
I really don't, And so I think he deserves the rest of the season. However, it unfolds and it's getting uglier by the hour, and then have the conversation in the offseason is he worthy of year three? But I think to whack him in the middle of two would be doing him a real injustice, because just based on his track record, he did so much good last year.
That I think, actually, you could make a case.
I remember the general manager of the Mets, Steve Phillips, did this in nineteen ninety nine. The Mets were unraveling and one night he decided, I'm going to fire all of Valentine's coaches, and the Mets went on an absolute tear, made the playoffs and almost made the World.
Series that year.
You could argue it makes sense to fire a coach right now, or maybe they should have done it last week and try to ignite the team that way, keeping Showalter and the GM Billy Eppler in place at least for now, I think that makes more sense.
In firing show Old.
You know, they're not hitting, they're not getting the ball in play, if Pete Alonso's not healthy, they don't have any power. It's pretty simple. They're not doing anything particularly well. But I would argue, if you look at the Verlanders and the Shrsers, they were built for late season baseball. They almost assumed they would be good late in the year. They built this team, you know, for July. You know, I would say August fifteenth, on to be ready to go.
So you know, when I look, I always feel you can buy relevance. It's very difficult to buy wins. Lindor's not playing well, they're not hitting. I was thinking about this before the interview today. I can't remember the last because the Mets team last year really struggled to put together runs and rallies. It wasn't a great hitting team. It lacked power. When is the last? Maybe it's just again, you would know this. When's the last Mets team that was an offensive power?
That's a good question, and I'm going back to two thousand.
They're in the World Series against the Yankees, and They've had a few teams here and there that I would put in that category at least close to it, certainly not this one. And you're right, Lindor is now a three hundred and forty one million dollar player, though he's been playing better lately, and that's part of the problem.
Now. Steve Collen just had a press conference.
I'm not sure why he called that press commers, because they really say a whole hell of a lot other than he's fortunate to have found Billy Eppler as general manager. Yet I'm still looking for a president baseball operations to effectively replace him.
So I'm not sure how that makes much sense.
A lot of people in baseball believe David Sterens and the Milwaukee Brewers will be the guy in the offseason when he's finally a free agent. I think Steve Cohen's been trying to hire him for a couple of years. And then you go from there. But it's starting pitching. The Mets, who used to be known for starting pitching. That's really what's failed them colin this year, and it's been a domino effect from that point. It's Verlander, he gives you five innings, he throws a hundred pitches, he's
got to come out. Now you have to go to the middle relief. That's been a real problem on this team, trying to get to the good back of the bullpen arms. And even last night with Hartway coming in the game a tied game and right away you're trailing.
That's been the problem.
It's saying to Verlander and other pitchers, the starting pitchers not giving you any length, and then you're using the worst players on your team as a bridge, and it's a very wobbly one at that and that's really been a big part of why the Mets are where they are.
You know.
I think one of the things I learned when I lived back out East and I actually miss it, is the intensity of the media, the intensity of the pressure. For all the money the Mets have now and for all the money the Yankees have had for years, I couldn't say the last time the Yankees drafted and developed an ace. They just they went and purchase pitching. And I understand that. You could say they have great revenue, but so do the Braves, and they do it so
to of the Dodgers, and they do it. Braves have no problem with that. It's not just a revenue issue. Is it possible that? And I saw this with the Brooklyn Nets. The downside in New York is it's expensive to live there, it's expensive to travel. You need to win. People aren't going to spend money on those tickets. When there's two NFL teams, two Baseball teams, two NBA that some of what has happened in New York Baseball is just a pressure cooker in the reality of this baseball
centric market. It puts enormous pressure on players.
Well, certainly that's part of it, and particularly when baseball is the ultimate like golf, the ultimate game of failure. Top of that, the twenty four to seven scrutiny in the social media age New York being the biggest, loudest market is certainly in there among the reasons that you could rank at the top of the list as to why the Mets in particular are unraveling this season.
I think the Yankees with.
That third wildcard are going to make the playoffs every year, that third wildcard. And with the Mets, who should keep you If you're spending X amount of dollars, you should be in the tournament. And in baseball, as you know, we saw last year with the Phillies, and of course they made a change in the middle of the season firing Girardi. Once you get in anything can happen, particularly
in baseball. It's like, and I had this conversation with Alex Rodriguez years ago, and to some extent with Aaron Judge. In baseball or in basketball, you give Lebron James and his prime the ball every time up the floor in a big spot. You can't send Aaron Judge or a rod to the plate every time in the ninth inning in a big spot in October. It's not the way baseball works. So there's a lot on the individual superstar in baseball. Like gayalnd Or is not really a superstar.
He's not playing like one or any of these guys to try to carry a team because they can only do so much.
It's the nature of that sport.
So I think there's a lot of pressure on the stars in baseball because they can't impact winning and losing like a quarterback in football or a two guard in the NBA.
New York magnifies that in baseball.
And I think again, going back to the Mets where they are right now, is that they didn't.
Develop the picture that they did develop.
The Grom left, of course, and Matt Harvey was good for a while they developed him, and right now they don't have a top pitching prospect.
So Cohen realized that when he bought the team.
So I'm going to go out and spend a ton of money on the Max Scherzers and Justin Verlanders and try to do it that way. The problem is that leaves you with a four hundred and forty five million dollar bill at the end of the season that could be a sub five hundred season.
You know, you tweeted something the other day about Otani and the Mets, and it's kind of understood. The Dodgers this offseason pulled back. They let Cody Bellinger go. Kershaw's contract was quick, justin Turner. They pulled back on revenue, and the feeling was they were saving another seventy five million for the Otani deal. A remarkable player, but the Angels are literally the least talked about franchise in Southern
California outside of the hockey teams, So the Dodgers. There's a real sense that Otani and the Dodgers are working behind the scenes. Though though the Angels have said we'd never trade for him, I'm not sure or trade him. I'm not sure why if I could get if I could get something for Otani knowing he's leaving, So there's a sense in Southern California he'll be a Dodger. They certainly have the revenue streams. They outdraw I think the
second place Yankees by seven thousand people per game. I mean, the Dodgers are an enormously popular franchise like the Yankees. In New York, it's an ATM machine. Boston doesn't feel like they can compete financially. John Carlos Stanton, It's not a miss, but it's not worth what they paid for. Garrett Cole's not a miss, but it doesn't feel like it's been a hit. Sure'ser not a hit. Would the Mets of the Yankees be willing to spend the most money ever on a baseball star? Would they?
I think the Mets will and the Yankees will not be willing to do that.
I think Garrett call I'd push back a little bit on that.
I think he's had a couple of shaky postseason moments, but he's I think he's lived up to.
The terms of his contract, and so I.
Think Steve Cohen, now this is more reason for him to god and spend god knows what six hundred and fifty million dollars to try to outbid the Dodgers for Otani.
This is going to be fascinating to watch because the Mets.
Are going to miss the playoffs or eight and a half games behind the third wildcard spot, which is really hard to believe at four hundred and forty five million when you include the revenue luxury taxes that Steve Cohen is paying so is he going to double down when his arm system is not producing great talent right now, at least on the pitching front. And we'll see about Alvarez, who I think will be a really good catcher for the next dozen years for the Mets.
Baby will see.
But I do think Steve Cohen now has more reason to go all in on Otani and try to outbid the Dodgers and just spend them into oblivion. He is a guy who's worth eighteen billion dollars or close to it. So that is going to be a deathmatch in the offseason between the Dodgers and the Mets.
I think the Dodgers will win it.
They're certainly the leader in the clubhouse, but I think Steve Cohen is going to make them really sweat on that one and spend a lot more money than they really want to spend.
All right, pivot to football. The early season schedule is rough for the Jets. Aaron's never played behind a mediocre offensive line. One of the things New England and the Packers have done is established consistent top ten O lines without drafting offensive lineman in the first round. So I mean he's had Pro bowlers all over the O line. So this O line is Elijah Vera Tucker, major questions at both tackles. I believe a rookie center, not a
ton of depth. I think it's a little bit of an undoing for this is going to be first defensive coach for Aaron Rodgers, first suboptimal O line, really tough division and a harsh city that's not terribly forgiving. What is a realistic expectation for the Jets nation? For the people you talk to when you write a column, the reaction, It's easy for me to just say, I mean, I think it's a nine win team, The division's probably the best in football. What say you and a New Yorker
who's a Jets fan? What is realistic that will satisfy them at year end? Take a Super Bowl out.
I'll say ten and seven, make the Wildcard, finish second behind Buffalo, and win a Wildcard round game and then losing the Division round at Kansas City at Cincinnati, get whacked in that second playoff game.
But I think that's the problem is look at that schedule.
I mean, the first ten games, they could be three and seven and not be playing that poorly. So they're playing both Super Bowl teams, right Philly and Kansas City. They're in that division. They're starting against Buffalo but at home, so that's a game they really almost have to win if you look at the first ten games. So I think the formula for success, at least the way I define it is go four and six in those first ten games, and then they're winnable games those finals seven.
They can go maybe five and two sixty one, sneak into the playoffs as a wildcard, win a game, and then face the end in the division round at Kansas City.
So I think that's a successful season.
And then add to enter year two of Aaron Rogers as one of the Super Bowl favorites to get out of the AFC, I think that is at least somewhat realistic, but maybe too real, too optimistic.
Perhaps.
In talking to some Jets fans who are used to I always say this, they hate when I say it. The Jets have not reached the Super Bowl, never mind win one since man stepped on the moon. That was a long time ago, so they're used to. They're wired to feel the worst is going to happen. But I'm going to be pretty optimistic. I'll say ten and seven and make the playoffs.
Yeah, it'll be really interesting because the Packers furnished him with very good protection and two offensive coaches. Say what you will about Mike McCarthy, there is We're seeing this in New England with Belichick, who's virtually tone deaf to offense made a DCDOC can't draft skilled players to save his life. Even the best defensive coaches, they really they don't talk the same language. So this is Aaron's and Nathaniel Hackett's coming off for bruising, ugly performance in Denver.
So I do feel the pressure is really on Aaron to run the offense, and he's okay at that, but he can also be a little aloof and a little disengaged at times. Here's the thing that I've noticed about Aaron that I don't think he's a bad guy. He can be a little bit of a finger pointer, a little passive aggressive when things go south. New York is going to force you to answer tough questions. A Green Bay Midwestern media in is just not the same like
you drived. I can remember driving to work when I was at ESPN and I would turn on like New York radio and it would set the tone for the discussion of the week, Like it's a tone setter, and I think you can kind of roll your eyes if you're Aaron Rodgers at the small market, you know, Green Bay, relax, you go relax. To New Yorkers, that's not gonna play like.
They don't relax.
What they're known for is intensity. How do you think the Aarin media thing will play out?
Well?
So far, it's been in a really good marriage. I think he came in wanting to make the best possible impression on the New York market, the fans, and the media. I think the New York media thing is a little bit of a mid since I've been in it for thirty seven years. In that I think there's just more of us. We'd probably judge you a little more harshly than every other market outside of Philly and Boston. But I don't think the New York media is unfair. It's
large and it's tough, but not unfair. So he's got an opportunity here. I think if you ever won a championship, what would that do for his legacy? I mean, you have Tom Brady's sitting there on the top of the mountain with seven rings and Aaron's at one. If you want to close that legacy gap to win a Super Bowl for the New York Jets would go a long way towards doing that, And so I think Rogers he may have been disengaged in Green Bay, particularly at the
end he does. He has occasionally pointed fingers in a passive aggressive way, but he hasn't been that figure so far in New York at all. I went out to all the open OTAs and by all accounts talking to players, coaches, executives, he has been fully engaged in meeting rooms and practices and just watching him. He's constantly talking to receivers, the tight ends, offensive linemen, Hey do this. Let's talk about that cut you just made coming out of your route. I kind of like you to do it this way.
There's been a ton of that so so far. It's early. Obviously we haven't started training camp yet. He has been a very very good leader on and off the field by all accounts. Let's see if it holds up and let's see how that translates on the field in September when they play for real. But as much as people have talked about what an all time great quarterback can do for this hapless franchise. I think there's a lot
that New York Jets can do for Aaron Rodgers. Like I just said, if he somehow can win one in the two or three years that he plays here in New York and gets number two, it's going to feel like he won four rings. It's almost like what Messier did coming in New York in ninety four, even though he had won five in Edmonton. He wins a Cup ends a what a fifty fifty four year drought, and the one cup people talk about when they talk about his legacy is the one he won for the Rangers in New York.
And he'll tell you that too.
So I think that's the kind of opportunity that Rogers has. Let's see how it plays out.
There's a book behind you, Belichick. It's a great book. I highly recommend to our audience. I had ian on for the Coach K book. I thought it's just the definitive book on Coach K and the Duke program Captain with Derek Jeter and Belichick and Belichick. You know, if you go look at the history of sports, there'll be cultural changes in all of them. We've seen it with baseball analytics. You know, it used to be the strikeout. Dave Kingman was almost like a cartoonish. Today he'd be
Cody Bellinger, right, home run or strike it. It's not as punitive, right like analytics have changed in football. It's not as anally analytically driven as basketball, NBA, the three point shot, small ball, although I do think we're pivoting back to international bigs and highly skilled bigs. But in the NFL it's more of an offensive league, mostly because of that nearly billion dollar check they wrote for CTE
head injuries. This league is all about offense. It's good for ratings, it's good for fantasy, and it's good for lawsuits like don't write, don't be too there's already a regular level of violence. And so if you look at the remaining coaches the last several years, they're all offensive. I think it was two years ago every NFC playoff team had an offensive coach. Belichick has looked particularly tone deaf dealing with Mac Jones and you know that whole culture.
I'm going to throw a theory at you and a shoot holes in it. But Belichick largely ran the Patriots dynasty. Robert Kraft hands off. Brady was never subversive. Ever, it was Bill's team. In fact, later he complained about not having a say in the offense, and so Brady eventually leaves because he just doesn't get control. Even though there was a moment Tom goes to Craft, they sell off Garoppolo and it was the one time Belichick was not
running the show. So mac Jones comes in. McEnroe. Jones a little bit of an ego, a little bit of an attitude, and it feels like Bill is really punishing him and marginalizing him. They re signed DeVonta Parker, Juju Smith, Schuster. Those are players that need coaching in schemes to get opened. They do not separate. They have no tight end or receiver that is an ad libber, a playmaker. Maybe the
slowest team in the perimeter in the league. And what it does, it drives the organization once again back through Bill run game defense. I'm not going to create a quarterback who is so powerful that can go through the owner. And maybe I'm reaching on this, but I'm watching their moves. They make no sense. They drafted three guards and two kickers. First three picks were defense. They're the slowest offense in
the league. Doesn't it strike you odd over the last two drafts two years, the lack of in a cultural shift, the lack of offensive awareness. Am I missing something? No?
I think it has been very surprising.
And Bill's history though, if you look at how many Hall of famers true Hall of famers did Tom Brady ever play with Randy Moss? They didn't win a championship together, that didn't last long, and of course Gronk Outside of that, in terms of weapons, Brady was elevating a whole lot of people out there. So and Mac Jones, he's not Tom Brady. He has a chance maybe to win a championship or two. This is such a huge year for
him now that he has a real offensive coordinator. Again at Bill O'Brien and Belichick has never really been big on drafting weapons and running a high powered offense, even though in two thousand and seven when they brought in Randy Moss and Wes Welker was at the height of his powers too. That offense was a complete juggernaut and
shattered all kinds of records. And in my book I gave Bill credit for being a defensive genius, probably the best defensive coach of all time and suddenly shifting and with help from his staff of course, but utilizing the turning that slot position into such a weapon which in everybody tried to copy, and then later going with the two tight ends with Gronk and Hernandez and so he became a bit of an innovator on offense. But you're right, and I think Brady would complain privately to people about
where are my weapons. He did have Randy Moss maybe the greatest receiver of all time for a little while.
They didn't win one together they should have.
But outside of that and Gronka tight end, he's been doing or did do, a ton of elevating of people who were pretty good to good football players, but not great players at the skill position slots. So I think, yeah, on one hand, it's a bit surprising. On the other hand, when has he done it? He just had a much better quarterback than he has right now.
Yeah, I want to talk to giants. I had this rant a couple of weeks ago, and I said, we've always known how great Peyton Manning is, but because of his greatness, we never quite gave Eli Manning his just deserves his two greatest passes in the Super Bowl as he beat Brady and Belichick were to Mario Manningham and David Tyree, Plexico and him had some good days, but he did it with a defensive line, a little bit of a rigid head coach. He didn't have great offensive lines.
And I said, if you take Eli's prime of twelve years out, what have the Giants been in twenty years? Is that because of Peyton's greatness in kind of flamboyant, funny personality. Eli's much funnier now that he's retired. That are the Giants really well run? They ran through gms, They've run through coaches that we've never quite said to ourselves. Yeah he wanted oh miss. He beat Brady Belichick twice. He never had great receiving. Course, I'll ask you take
out Eli's twelve prime years, it's an abysmal record. Are the Giants? Are the Giants well run?
Well?
I said this before, but John Marraw was a good owner when he had a good head coach and a good quarterback, and that was Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning. When he didn't, he was a bad owner, and that lasted a while. And now he's got a GM in place in Joe Shane, the head coach in Dable, and maybe a quarterback in Daniel Jones, who know what they're doing. So he's back to being a pretty good owner again. But he was a bad owner for a while. There's no question it was making bad hires. Gettlemen and some
of the coaches that were brought in Pat Shermer. I mean, that never made any sense to hire that guy. And so finally I think they got it right. And they've had some dark periods, of course in their history. The Giants have followed by some tremendous periods with Parcels and then with Coughlin to really, if you look at it in that Coughlin Eli era that you're talking about their best team, they really should have won three titles. Their best team was the twenty eight team, if Plaxico doesn't
accidentally shoot himself. Kaughlin told me they thought they were winning the whole thing. That was the only dominant Giants team. They were eleven to zero that year, and then all hell broke loose after the Plaxico accidental shooting. So they could have won three titles and they blew it and so never got that one back. But yes, you could certainly argue the Giants were a poorly run franchise.
If you take you take it away a lot, though that's a lot of years.
There that Eli was a good I don't think Eli was ever a great or one of the best three quarterbacks in the NFL in any particular season, but he was very opportunistic and he was good. And then he was great in the biggest moments against the greatest coach and greatest quarterback of all time, and that'll probably get him in the Hall of Fame.
Yeah.
I always felt he had a unique ability. You know, they talked about when he was a kid and nothing bothered him, whereas Eli was whereas Peyton Manning was known as a bit of a heath clencher in big moments, really intense. People I know who know Peyton very very intense. I've done a couple of interviews where I've had Peyton and Eli together and Eli's always like late and Peyton dogged him, and Eli's laughing Eli had. It's not aloof because he has no arrogance. Eli had. I just I
love the guy he's got. He reminds me a little bit of my son. Everything rolls off his back. Nothing is outrageous. He's just and I think some of that Ian, I don't know if you have relationships like this that his brother was so intense. Maybe it's to curry favor with dad and mom. He was the funny guy right like in the family. And so I always thought Eli's personality it was so unique. You know, Brady's so focused and Russell Wilson so focused, and it's like Eli's like
this kind of country, smart, funny. Pressure doesn't face him. I remember early in his career thinking this guy is one of the best two minute quarterbacks. It was literally like, can we just keep him in the two minute drill the rest of the game. I have my apprehension he was what was he like to cover?
Interesting?
And so he's as you said, he's shown more of his personality and retirement than he did as an active player. But he was accountable and always there, and he had a little rule, if we win, I'm not talking on Mondays. He had his usual day of Wednesdays when he talked before the next game, if we lose, I'll talk on Mondays because I want to take my fair share of the blame.
And when the Giants won on Sunday.
He wanted to make sure other teammates had their moment in the sun on Monday with the media and didn't want to de track from that. I remember one time they were playing the Patriots in the regular season. He had already beaten the Patriots in the Super Bowl once, if not twice, and it was a Monday and they were coming off a win. And I went to the Giants PR people and I said, hey, you guys are playing the Patriots.
It's Eli.
I know you won yesterday, and he wants his teammates to get the credit. He needs to talk today, even if it's just for six minutes. So one of the PR reps walked over to Eli whispered to him. I saw him, not his head, and he understood.
He got it. He realized that that was a day, that was one.
Day he needed to make an exception because it was the New England Patriots that they were playing the following Sunday.
And he did it. Eli always did the right thing, and that was the right thing. It was. It's a little window into his soul.
I had conversations many with Archie about the difference between Peyton and Eli, and Archie said, could you imagine if Peyton ever played in New York, he said, the media and Peyton would have been at each other's throats.
In week one of his rookie year.
He said, Peyton would have It would have been a disaster Peyton in New York. So he said, thankfully that never happened. Eli was the perfect personality for New York because, like you said, he let everything roll off his back. I remember one time Archie told me that it was a day where Tiki Barber just ripped Coughlin in the media and Archie called up Eli on the phone and realizing Eli didn't care, was obliviou and Eli was heading to the silly but the call went to voicemail, and
Archie said, Eli, you have to know this. Tiki just blew up Coughlin. When you arrive at work, they're going to ask you about it. You need to know about this. So he said, that's how Eli was like, he wouldn't have cared. I'm sure if he walked in there, he would have handled the questions the way he always did. And he said, but there are certain times where it was maddening. I needed to call my own son, say you have to understand this is New York.
Chiki just blew up. Coughlin.
You have to answer this, be prepared. So I always got to kick out of those Archie stories.
Well, you know, New York has an interesting history. If you come in as a non star and develop into one Judge Jeter, Eli Phil Simms, it always works when you come in, even as a college player, as a star. John Carlos Stanton, a Rod Carmelo Anthony. I'm probably missing so Jeremy Shockey was a huge going to be a star player. There's something about it in New York. Maybe it's the expectations of New York, like they hold you most of the great iconic New Yorkers and I wasn't
around during the Man era. If you come in and develop into one, there's just an appreciation by New Yorkers. I always think. I think NBA guys know this, like they not a lot of free agents. That's why Jalen Bruntson is such a perfect nick. He's becoming a star in New York. That's exactly how to do it. When you bring in Marberry. When you bring in it doesn't work, it doesn't feel the same.
Well the one time, the one time it did was Reggie Jackson.
I know we're going back Holme yes years, but he was a star and he wanted to be a bigger star.
It worked to the tune of two championships.
Now, it was a pretty ugly ending, but Reggie was one guy who came in as a star.
It was it was was combustible, but it worked.
And the relationship with Thurman Munson and they were complete opposites and at times it got really tense in that clubhouse.
Obviously I wasn't there.
I was thirteen years old, but reading all the accounts, but Reggie became an even bigger star and just just thrived on that spotlight and all the tension around that team.
Yeah, I want to get a Knicks discussion in because the free agent stuff today. When this airs on Friday, the free agent opens up. I've said this, I believe Jalen Brunson is the perfect New York Knicks star. So when I lived in Connecticut and I still have friends in New York, the Knicks were actually the most popular team. Here's why. Because my baseball friends were split and my NFL fans were split, Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets. Everybody had
the Knicks. As their favorite New York team or second like some people would be big Yankee fans, but the Knicks, the natural were irrelevant the Knicks. Every friend I had in the Northeast love the Knicks. It's an incredible baseball market. It reminds me of Golden State. I grew up with the Rick Berry, Al Addles, the coach, Clifford Ray, Jeff Mullen, Keith Wilkes teams, and then they were bad forever, and people forgot how great the Bay Area is at a
basketball city. When I lived out East, I couldn't believe the Knicks would sell out. They were poorly owned, poorly run, not likable, couldn't get tickets. And I said a couple months ago, I said, Jalen Brunson is literally like Phil Simms. He's becoming a star in New York and I don't know how great he is. That guy fits that city like Villanova, late rounder, tough, accountable, almost better in big spots, like better in the fourth than the first quarter, better
against the heat than he would be against them. Magic. They have Julius Randall, there's Josh Hart, there's RJ.
Barrett.
To you, Randall feels like an expensive two. He's probably more of a three. Do you think there is a deal around Brunson that feels like because Brunson's gonna need another high end player? Is there something Is it a zion be a fortune teller here? What do you think feels right?
I wrote this a while back.
I always thought Carl Anthony Towns would end up a Nick. Grew up in New Jersey ties with Leon Rose's running the Knicks now as his former client. And obviously it didn't work well with Tibbs the first time around in Minnesota. They clashed, and I think part of that was Jimmy Butler. But I think that I know for a fact that Tom Thibodeau would be more than willing to coach Karl Anthony Towns again. Now the question is how much better do you think kat is than Julius Randall? Is there
a significant difference between those two players. I think he's better than Randall and Randall Colin if you look at it. And his two playoff opportunities with the Knicks hasn't played that well. Now, he did restore most of his value this year after last year's near disaster, but he played at a really high level in the regular season this year, and I think he does have value around the league
to some extent. So I think you could package him with the Knicks have a lot of draft assets and some good emerging young players to get a Carl Anthony Towns if you feel like now, I do believe now that I didn't think this when they got Jalen Brunson. I think you can win a championship with Jalen Brunson as your second best player. I did not think that when they signed him. I don't know how you felt.
I just can't get over how impressed I am with him and everything you said I agree with about Brunson on and off the court. Brunson, See, here's the problem with the Knicks. To me, it's almost in our J Barrett problem. R. J. Barrett is a good player, and he's going to be a good player for a long time.
But I don't think he'll ever be a great player. And the problem is.
When you're six to six in the NBA in today's NBA, and he's a good athlete, but he's not explosive athletically, and he's not a good outside shooter, not a good shooter from three. So I think when you're six to six in the NBA, that'd be great or at least very good. You have to be one of those things. And so he represents the franchise the right way. He's a hard worker, he's a good player, and I'm just not sure he's ever going to be more than that. So if he's positioned to be your third star, I'm
not sure that's good enough. So if you yes, should they try to be in on Zion Whimson. Absolutely. I think Zion always wanted to play for the Knicks, and you could bring him in here and say, just get in shape, and you can take New York away from the two Arrans, Judge and Rogers. This city will be yours because I was there in the nineties when the Knicks were good, knocking on the door and never won a title. They were bigger than the Yankees who were
winning titles. We're both on the MSG network, the Knicks with the number one property on that network, so it can happen. Zion Williamson, you come to New York, which is where you wanted to be coming out of Duke, get in shape, play seventy out of eighty two games, and you can take this city away from the two Hounds.
I think that's that's certainly possible.
Yeah, I think Carl Anthony Towns is more offensively skilled than Julius Randall. He doesn't give you the consistent effort. Julius is one of those players that plays hard every night, and that is so important in the regular season, but when everybody plays hard in the playoffs, his dominance is reduced and he becomes a really solid player. He really is an effort guy. He just out works people and ends up with twenty three points in the regular season.
So I think he's a and he's pretty expensive. I like Julius Randall. I feel like the league sort of left him, like he gives you a bucket, not a three, And I feel like the Lakers kind of bailed on him. And I had a conversation with a Laker executive once. I'm like, you know, nobody plays harder, nobody shows up every night. He just needs to be your three, not your two or your one. So I'm with you. I think if they get a one Jalen Bruns into two, I think they'll move RJ.
Barrett.
I'm with you. There's not really a there there, Like there's a lot of guys in my years of being a sportscaster. There are guys in the NBA. I mean Andrew Wiggins. Was this in Minnesota? You got twenty four a night. You didn't remember a bucket, You just didn't, And it's just like, how did he score? There was a player Sharif Abdul Raheem. Do you remember him?
The four un I do?
Yeah, sure, twenty four a night. I don't remember any of the points. And then there's guys like Julius Randall or Brunson. You remember all of them. They're very impactful. So I think Karl Anthony Towns works and they also the Knicks also have some big athletic guys like Obi Toppin. They're not great players, but they certainly can be excellent rotational players in a place like Minnesota. They've got some size and athleticism in youth.
Yeah, Mitchell Robinson is a good room protector, although he might have to go in a deal if you're getting a cat. But I also think if you look at me, what's Anthony Edwards is still twenty one years old? The guy's averaging twenty five points a game at age twenty one. You got Gobert there. I think Julius Randall is a better fit with Gobert than Karl Anthony Towns is. So you try to look at it. What's realistic, and it's not realistic to get certain players in the NBA to
New York. But I think now that they've established some credibility there and Dolan hasn't talked about as much as he was years ago.
I think Kat is a big name that.
Is realistic for a lot of reasons that we've talked about here.
Now.
Whether or not he's a guy who can get you to the NBA finals with Brunson, I don't know. You might have to upgrade Barrett alongside those two to get to that point, but I think it's a start.
Ian O'Connor columnist, New York Post, four time New York Times best selling author. You see the books behind him on our YouTube page. Coach k Belichick and the Captain, it is always great to see you, wonderful family, and uh I love these two to three time a year visits for us. You give me kind of the full I feel like I'm getting a sports page. I'm getting it. I'm getting like two three days of WFA N with more, more redeemable opinions and less outrage. But I do miss it, man.
I my wife and I go to the New England area, uh every year, and in the afternoons I'll turn on New York Radio and it's just it's just fantastic. It's all cats and dogs living together and outraged and fired. But buck Buck Showalter was a genius nine months ago.
It's ridiculous, it really is. So.
So the Aaron Rodgers thing is going to be just fascinating to watch, and I really hope, just given what Jets fans have been through, that this one actually works. So that's why I'm being optimistic about ten and seven making the playoffs and then coming back in year two and maybe having a shot to get to the to the big Game.
But we'll see. It should be fine.
Hey, Farv was seven and three before he got hurt. It was working. I remember it, You remember it.
It was working.
It was people were talking about a Jets Giants super Bowl that year. They were actually what I think there were seven and four. Maybe no, they were eight and three. I'm sorry, they were eight and three and the Giants I think they were eleven and zero and Farv's arm fell off or else the Jets would have been in the playoffs with them. People forget that. They look at far to the Jets as a disaster. It wasn't a disaster. No, it got messy at the end, but when he was healthy,
he was still a good football player. You proved that in Minnesota and the Jets would have made the playoffs. So I'm hoping that's the case with Aaron Rodgers.
Well, both Farv and Rogers and Eli had a strong enough arm for those late fall, early winter home games, which is a real thing in New York. That's not the easiest stadium to throw in. Rogers has a hose, Farv did, and Eli always had a really strong arm, So that's a big part of those quarterbacks and the dimensions. They're good seeing you, Ian Hey, thanks for everything, Colin hit you back
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