The volume. All right, the NBA season is in full swing, coming down the stretch. Then we move right into the playoffs in April, May and June. I can't wait. Spice things up with Draftking sports Book and official sports betting partner the NBA. Right now, all you have to do is put down five bucks and get one hundred and fifty dollars instantly in bonus bets. Pretty good trade off. I pay five, I get one hundred and fifty dollars. North Carolina listeners, do not forget. Welcome to the party.
Draftking Sportsbook now live in your state, North Carolina. Download the Draftking sports Book app takes ninety seconds. The code is Colin co l I n again ninety seconds. Download Draftking sports Book app. Put in Colin New customers bet five, get one hundred and fifty back in bonus bets instantly. That is the trade code is oa's colin the crown is.
Yours gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler or in West Virginia, visit one eight hundred gambler dot net. In New York call eight seven seven eight hope text hope and y four six seven three six nine in Connecticut help is available for problem gambling call eight eight eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf of boothill, Casino and resorting Kansas twenty one and over age varies by jurisdiction,
Void and Ontario one. No sweat bet per new customer issued as one bonus bet based on the amount of initial losing bet. Bonus bets expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issue. Ince See dknng dot com slash promos for deposit wagering and eligibility restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. Welcome into Part two of the podcast with Nick Right. So what Kansas City's becoming? Is New England a more entertaining version? So who beat New England in
the Super Bowl? The Giant twice by an inch and the Eagles on trick plays and maneuvering. You got to a point in the AFC, even Young Mahomes.
Nobody was at the end. They had the cheat code, they knew the Rubik's Cube is big. Ben and Pittsburgh were not sophisticated enough offensively, Peyton Manning having to go to Foxborough again. Andy Dalton, roll your eyes Flacco, you know, may be able to do it once. But really they mastered the AFC. They had a weak division, they always played in Foxborough. They always got the buy for older teams, and it was like, oh, they win a game and
they're in the ANFC Championship. That's what Kansas City. That's why hard bought of the Chargers is good for the league. Now it's like they can't go on a two game losing streak. Now, I don't think the Chargers this year will quite be there. But I think what the Chiefs are becoming is their losses will only be in Super Bowls. I do not believe Burrough's health is trustable. I think Buffalo and Baltimore this was the year with a young KC offense in Kansas City having to travel. I think
Kansas City is going to be New England. The AFC is overwhelmingly because, by the way, there's a really chance you're not going to get a quarterback as gift that is Josh Allen or as electric as Lamar, or as accurate as Burrow. And if they can't do it, you may not. They can't.
And if they can't do it, and two of them, two of those three got their shot at him this year in their building and lost and lost and with a wounded Chiefs team.
Now, so it's gonna be McVeigh and Stafford that knock him out.
It's going to have to be or it's listen, it's football. So weird shit happens, right, you know what I mean? There is the you know, you look back on that New England run because when you're look at it and you're like, how did from you know, the from the undefeated season until the sea how did they go seven years from that year to the Seattle Super Bowl without winning? And you look at it and it's like, there's a weird ass game against Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez's Jets.
There was the game the Ravens just ran for three hundred yards, Like so weird stuff happens, yes, but there weren't many times it felt like a team just lined up and was you know what I mean, better prepared and better than them, and they Patriots played their best and lost. I you mentioned the Chargers if you were advising hardball, so I have been. I'm gonna say so, I'm gonna admit something to you that you will laugh at.
So I have the last two years, almost compulsively. I use Pro Football Focuses mock draft tool where and it's a great I gotta give them credit. Man, It's a really cool thing where you can pick whichever team you want to control, and they're you know, their AI will draft for the other teams offer trades. Except trades there's pretty they have like the trade value chart in there, but you can and they have the you know, your big board players ranked. You do a seven round draft
or whatever. And then so I do a lot of those, and I send my favorite ones to Brett Beach like, hey man, hey go ahead.
I do the same to Less Snead. Okay, I take pictures of mock draft, send it and I say, am I close and he will say, we don't, we don't do this, we're interested in that, and he'll give me very subtle reminders on that what they do.
So last year I had a guy and I feel I felt, you know, I was like, oh man, I've ruined my mock draft reputation. And one of the ones I sent him, I had the chiefs I won't say the kid's name, taking a kid in the second round. And he was like, actually, not bad except for your second round pick, player X I think is undraftable because
of some something some whatever. And then I looked. I was like, I had the Chiefs taking a guy at fifty eight that did not get picked ore by anyone in the real drafting, get picked by anyone, but regardless. So I'm really more locked into this year's draft class than anyone before because I keep doing these mock drafts. If you were advising Harble, let's just assume that it goes one, two, three, four, Caleb Drake, Jayden or Jayden Drake doesn't matter, and that Arizona stands pat it. Four.
They're like, we're not trading it, We're taking Marvin. So you're the Chargers. Yeah, and you have the option to take neighbors, to take the tackle all or to trade the pick with Minnesota for eleven twenty three and you know something else, what would you recommend they do?
Okay, So you know I am a strong proponent of I picked the right career. You have to lean into certain advantages. And I use the metaphor all the time. Ride the wave. Life presents you with waves. We're all surfers. Take the wave. So I and I'll give a story to the audience. So when I first moved to Manhattan Beach, on Saturdays, i'd get a big coffee at Pete's Coffee or something. I would go down and I would watch the surfers. I'd walk out to the pier and watch
the surfers. And what I noticed over the course of time is the very best surfers did road the fewest waves. They were very selective. They wanted the longest, so they chose the best wave. So I used that metaphorically in my life a lot. There's things I'm good at, things i'm not. I'm no longer trying to in you know, fifties and say, trying to prove I'm good at everything. About fifteen years ago I came to the conclusion you
ride the wave of life. And that was and I wasn't in Manhattan Beach yet, but it was really a crystallized moment where I watched this and I thought, God, the smartest surfers, they're not wasting their time on shit. They're just waiting an hour for the best wave. So if you're Jim Harbaugh, there is a wave you need to ride for two years, you have a significant advantage over every other NFL coach in college personnel, because Michigan only recruits four and five star players.
You played against these kids, or you're recruited.
Against you know the odometer, you know all the backstart, you've met the parents. So if I'm the Chargers for the next two years, years, I do a ton of trading down.
I thought, I totally agree.
And like, I would take the five. I'd say, Minnesota, you want a quarterback, you move up. We'll take your other one, A three or four. Yeah, yeah, so you have a wave advantage. Jim knows personnel. This was always the problem with Belichick. After he seized power, after you know, multiple Super Bowls, he didn't watch games on Saturday. He was a terrible drafter. Pete Carroll when he seized control for briefly in Seattle Paul Allen's illness. Jody Allen was
not a football fan. Paul really kept his his thumb on the organization. Pete took control the front off the drafts went into the tank. You can't do both, Harbaugh for two years? Can Pete could early? So I would trade I have thought about this. I would trade down twice. I would trade down Minnesota to eleven, and then by the way because they need they need weird things like a center, like a tight end.
They probably take the in that center from Oregon. I think he is the three names he's going to be available at twenty eight.
Yep, they could trade down to eighteen twenty and have thirteen picks. So I think again, back to the way you have to take. This is what won Pete Carroll the Super Bowl. So that's runs in the fifth round.
As a Chiefs fan, that's so everyone's like, oh, are you afraid if the Chargers are gonna get Marvin Harrison or Malik Neighbors at five? And I'm like, man, I hope they do. Not because those guys aren't good players, but because adding a great wide receiver to a team that just lost Keenan Allen Mike Williams, that's not going to make them, you know, demonstrably better. They have too
many needs. But if they if they like, like we just said, turn five into eleven, twenty three and something else, and then are sitting at eleven and say to the any team behind Denver and the Raiders who are at twelve thirteen, like, hey, do you guys want a quarterback? Because these teams do do you want eleven, and now all of a sudden they have, you know, seventeen, twenty three, a future first, an extra third, all these things. That's how the Chargers can very fast get right back into it.
I have another draft thing that I want to throw.
At you if I may, Yeah, go ahead, It's okay.
All right. So people think four quarterbacks can go in the top ten, right, the three guys and then JJ McCarthy, which I don't understand the JJ McCarthy thing. I'm not a college football expert, but one of the teams I watched a lot was Michigan, and never once I watched Michigan was like, that guy's a future top ten pick. But what do I know? Yeah, so those four guys, Marvin, Harrison and Neighbors are definitely going in the top ten. People think of dunes, they might be able to whatever.
Let's say those two Joe all the best tackle and then maybe another tackle and maybe Brock Bauers, maybe roma doones eight. Here's why I say that. I just listed eight, maybe nine to ten guys. They're all offensive players. So if you're there, this is similar, if to the twenty twenty one draft, which had all those five quarterbacks and they went earlier or whatever. All of a sudden, Micah Parsons is on the board at eleven because only two
defensive players have gone. If you're a team that needs defense, you might be able to get the third defensive player taken in this draft at pick fifteen. Like that's not an exaggeration. Like there'd be the four quarterbacks, three wide receivers, Brock Bowers at tight end, two or three tackles that everybody loves. That's a dozen players. And so if you need a defensive player, you might be able to get the best defender in the draft with the eleventh pick
of the draft. Which is crazy, but I really think we could have ten straight offensive players off the board.
Well, I've never I've been following the draft since as long as I can remember, I've never seen it. I talked to a scout, I'll just say a scout and an executive. A scout. It could have twelve tackles taken by the start of the third round.
You give me a break.
It's like, we're sixty players in twelve or tackles and one of them a kid from Duke. You can slide a couple of them. You can slide inside, and I think it's appropriate, and I think you and I have touched on this. When the San Francisco forty nine ers the last couple of years, when Kansas City or Philadelphia have literally marched up and down the field against that defense, Jesus, I mean, you got Bosas, You've got Armstead, You've got
at the time, whufunga Fred Warner linebackers marching up. And by the way, Demiko Ryans was a d C, a brilliant DC. When you can't when San Francisco can't stop people, you get to a point of I mean like Kansas City was very rare. You were like, it was a great defense without outside of Chris Jones, really not household names. But I think what you're seeing in the draft, and I think Kansas City because what makes their dynasty so fascinating. Andy Reid has never had an affinity for power. He's
an artist. He has an affinity for creativity and play calling. So I contend Pete Carroll's dynasty lasts longer. But Pete, having been a college guy, he liked controlling personnel. Belichick at the end like controlling personnel and he's not into that. And what makes this dynasty so frightening is that you're never going to have a coach. He's an artist, He's not a bit. You know, a lot of these guys
seek power, and he's never sought power. He seeks a good time, creativity and play, design and that that gives you a sense of because what broke up the Lakers. Shaq and Kobe all dynasties and they start with hard work and vision. Resilience and toughness maintains it, and the corruption of power ends it. New England, Belichick wanted control Riley, Phil Jackson, Covid control the heatles. At the end, Lebron's like, it's aging. I want some control in personnel. Kansas City
is like San Antonio Spurs. Duncan didn't want it right. Duncan had no interest in anything other than being affordable to the organization, so the organization couldtrol That's why they'll never do a documentary. They'll never do a documentary on the Spurs. There was no drama.
Well, so there's there's Kansas City has a lot of edges on the sustainability here, so the and this guy deserves credit. John Dorsey was the you know, head personnel guy there, Yes, and Andy did want his guy in and his guy was Veach. Yeah, Vach, who I think Andy told you this? You know, Veach was Andy's assistant, like you know what I mean, like assistant when he came in. So they have been together for Veach's whole career.
Veach also has on his resume that when he was a scout, he was the guy who, in mahomes first year as a starter, went into the Chiefs and said, this is the best football player, the best quarterback I've ever seen. We need to get him. And so now their process is Andy stays out of it entirely, and then Veach and company bring him and Spagnolo. They curate the names from five hundred to fifty and say, okay, watch you we have our These are our guys that
we think fit what you want, whatever it is. You guys, watch these guys. So instead of I'm gonna watch everyone, you guys, watch these guys, give us your thoughts, and then we do it accumulatively. There also is, to me an element of that helps the Chiefs that Mahomes Andy was already a Hall of Famer when Mahomes got there, and so there wasn't a Belichick Brady. Neither one of us did anything without each other. There was almost like
a fatherly respect there that one of them has. And when Mahomes signed his deal, he said, I wouldn't signed this ten year deal without believing Andy's going to be here, right.
You know. One of the things that I think is fascinating about Caleb Williams is that I think I've told you this story when I interviewed a couple of times President Obama. They give you by ten minutes to the second, that's what they give you, and then they cut you off.
And so the second time I interviewed him, I asked him a question that he clearly wanted to talk about, because he gave a long, well thought I'd answer, And my question was, you're the first president in my life to deal with the vile nature, the aggressive attack dog style of social media. Jimmy Carter didn't deal with this, Reagan, Clinton,
nobody dealt with this, George Bush. And it does, if not change policy, it does change the momentum and the direction of day to day operations when you're on the defense because of social media and reacting to it. And the reason I bring this up is So I always looked at what he was dealing with, having to have a beer with Joe the Plumber because something went sideways on social media, which is I mean that guy was adult. But the point being is Reagan wouldn't have had to
do that. He'd have to have dinner with Tip O'Neil, not a beer with Joe the Plumber, because you get this avalanche downhill on social media. So it's a reality of the stakes now, but what it creates, these micro avalanches on policy decisions or just equipped from cable TV. So similar to Caleb Williams is the first nil superstar and so he paints his fingernails, or he jumps into the crowd to see his mother, or he's moody on the sidelines. No, he gets that because he makes more
than ninety percent of the coaches in college football. And I'm gonna give him that because I remember my first contract and I thought I was king shit when I was making nothing. And so a twenty two year old, so I look at Caleb whenever I hear the pushback on there's a little ego, I'm like, have you read Twitter.
Every years? Counter? Yeah? So here's so here's maybe this is too galaxy brain. Yeah, and maybe I'm just too pro kalib. But here here would be my if I you know, argument is to why that's actually good. Caleb's the first one of the first superstar football draft picks that we know what he's like with money, for good or for bad. It's it's so you understand what I mean,
like he's not. It's not as you don't worry when this guy gets, you know, his first million dollar check, is how is he going to go off the deep end? Is he gonna you know what I mean? Whatever, However, millions of dollars were going to affect him. They already have and so for again, you can people can take
shots at it, but it's a variable removed. You know what Caleb Williams is like rich because he's rich already, you know what I mean, and so and maybe it's not exactly the way you would like him to act. But again you said when you forgot your first contract. I I've told you this before. I've never ever judged when people talk about a leets blowing money because I won fifty grand on who wants to be a millionaire? And I blew it immediately and I was smart and
should have known better. And it was only fifty thousand night when I was twenty two. I can't imagine if I had, you know, got ten million, what I would have thought. But we know what Caleb is like with money. You don't have to worry about that. I think that's actually a plus. Yeah.
I anytime you're the first dealing with something, it's difficult, right, like sometimes you know, I think about this all the time. I was kind of a talented, workaholic mess until I was like thirty three with my kids. And by the way, dad was a doctor, mom worked in the school, you know, lived in the same house. No abuse in my life. That's a bit of a mess. How many athletes have don't have that structure or don't have you know, somebody in there. I mean, I've always known what to do,
for instance, with money. My dad was in the market, my dad had doctor friends. I have a mess until I was thirty three, and I think we forget this. So now now you have some of these kids and these nil kids they get money or these young athletes, oh iosa. I don't know what I would have done with one hundred thousand. Caleb made like four and a half million.
So that's my point. I do know what at twenty two, with a college degree, with educated, smart parents' successful parents, I would do with fifty thousand, and the answer is gamble and go to the Gentlemen's club every single night till it was gone, which is what I did. It was gone, I bought a television and nothing and good times for two hundred days. One some money, lost some money the nights I won. I took my friends out. When people are like, oh, these guys are paying for
everyone else's lifestyle. Of course, because the moment you can afford the steakhouse, you don't want to go to the to Fudruckers anymore. You just don't, and nobody wants to eat alone. So guess what we're all going? It's on me. It was again, I'm not an idiot. I knew fifty grand at you know, at eight hundred dollars a night, fifty grand is not going to last that long, boys, but it always felt like it would last longer than
it did. So yeah, I think everybody people that I'm not big into being judgmental on early twenties, because anyone who's if you had all your shit together in your early twenties. You're boring, God bless you. Yeah, well that's yeah, maybe.
Yeah, you're boring, there's no question. I mean, it's just I think what attracts me to my wife. And so Nick has a beautiful wife, obviously, very like my wife, beautiful, stylish. You know, we got very lucky and my artists.
Yeah.
Yeah, we married artists. And so I'm not offended or insecure about my wife's twenties. Uh, I kind of like it. I'm kind of like, I really do. I'm always like, wow, you were kind of hot stuff, and she was you know, she was crazy and bartended and all this stuff. And I gotta be honest with you. I'm like you, I'm like, I don't judge you. It's kind of I got you. I ended up with you on this life.
That's great, what a take. You were out there grinding Las Vegas television sports, just trying to make your way doing minor league baseball. She was living a real life. That that's so funny. That's such a great line. Oh my goodness, but it is.
There is something to be said. We're both married to artists, and I think when you're married to artists because I've been married to a non artist and an artist I do. I'm not judgmental of ant on things because I feel like she gives me such breadth, such depth on thought and culture and art. I get such depth. She has
such vision that I artists spill paint. If she was an accountant, maybe I'd think differently, But when you're married to a creative I'm so fascinated by her ability to a do things I can't and her journey that she's made me much less judgmental on people. I find her fascinating.
Well, and so I'll take it to it not a different direction, but a kind of build on it. I also am. I don't know, I'm fascinating might be the wrong word. There's a lot of people, A lot of lawyers marry lawyers, you know what I mean. A lot of people who are married people that do the same type of things and brains kind and.
They've spent so much time on law they don't have yep.
But I don't.
For me, I don't think that would work like I think you're the same way in this regard. I have too many I am not a like well rounded skills. There are a few things I truly believe I'm one of the best in the world at poker, and there are yeah, there, there you go, and there are a whole bunch of pretty basic things that I am just an incompetent child. I'm just not good at it. And I if I I need my partner to be great
at the things I suck at. Yah, you know what I mean for me to be like you have to handle this all handled it, you know what I mean? And so there's it is, it would be it would be tough for me. I think if I was in a relationship with someone who was great at the stuff I was great at, and then you know what I mean, I had the same weaknesses, because then we're both were then we're just kind of fucked on certain things. It's like, well, if both of us are uncomfortable with the dinner party,
then how do we go to it? You know? And so there's so I think you and I are similar in that regard, which is where our holes are in our game, so to speak. Our wives kind of fill in those blanks and take the lead there, and where they're not as comfortable, we can take the lead, which is why it works.
I agree, all right, this was a very dynamic and Anthony Edwards like dynamic, powerful hour, a vertical hour. We closed very well, complementing our beautiful wives. So I'm back to Chicago. I'm going to go, as I said on Twitter, I'm going to go watch Jason Tatum. I'm gonna have a notepad, a pen, and I'm going to talk about his late game efficiency. On Monday, I saw that.
I saw you say that. You you're poking of Celtics fans. I mean, you know, I support. It's it's a unique thing because Tatum is now approaching that. Everybody thinks they want to be the guy. I want to be the faith of the league. I want to be an MVP candidate. Well that what comes with that is a different type of lens that you're looked at under, and being awesome is no longer quite good enough. That's right, you know
what I mean. And so if you want to be that guy, then it's like, Okay, this year, the Celtics are the best team with the best record, and they're healthy. You probably need to win the title, you need to do these things, and so it's just it is a compliment to be held to that standard. But god, dog, it man, that's a hard standard. It's a hard standard to live up to for anybody.
Yeah, no, it's it's when I was at ESPN, I always noticed this about PTI. They don't get any marketing because it's like, well, they get a rating, they've been doing this a long time. We're not going to promote and market that show. We'll promote and market other shows, which often don't have legs. And we're asking somebody, I'm like, I've never seen a show have more success and never be promoted like PTI. And they're like, well, they're standards different.
Two guys are stars, they get a number, they're a low maintenance, they've have a great producer. And I remember and because I said, I said, we promote shows which I don't get a third of the audience, I'm like, shouldn't you lean in? And they're like, well there's that standard. And they're like, steven A, Now first take doesn't get a lot of promotion. Steven A's the promotion. You know, Tony and Mike were writing columns. That was the promotion.
So I do think there's a standard for Tatum that and this is a great point, like Lebron would get to the Finals, and it was like, yeah, of course the East is weak. Well, nobody ever else going to pass on the conference's week.
Right. So here's the thing. You and I have consistently put Tatum in the tier of somewhere from the sixth to the tenth best player. I have them a right where Devin Booker lives, you know, in that nighborhood. Basically, I like them.
A little more. I like him more than Booker, but it's close me too.
But it's that. But it's that tier, right, Those guys don't get crushed if they don't win the title. Those guys it's like, okay, he's really good and not good no, if he that that next tier where Yannis Embiid, Joker, Luca Durant, Lebron's step obviously for during their primes, where those guys live, those guys get crushed if they don't win the title. That's just how That's just the way the NBA works. And so if you and I were being like it looked like we were knocking him by
not putting him there. Celtics fans and Tatum want him to be there, Okay, but now the standard is this, you know, as Mike downal wand say. The standard is the standard. If you live on the same block as Nikola, Jokic and Jannis, you're held to the Nikola, Joki Jana standard. God dogged me and that's a hard one. Maybe they'll pull it off this year, but that's a hard standard, man. So you keep your pin and pad out in Chicago, and you you check it out.
I love being obnoxious, I really do. It's just it's a bad.
You're good at it.
You're good at it, all right, buddy, see it the volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast, take a moment, rate and review.