Colin Cowherd Podcast - Nick Wright: Russ Signs With The Giants, Diggs Gets Payday From Pats, Who Drafts Shedeur? Chalk Dominates March Madness

just in my life. I can't always be in front of a TV, but I want to stay up to date on what's happening in sports. Fubo TV dot Com slash Colin, fifty bucks off two months Fubo. All right, we haven't had Nick right on in a while. You see him Tuesday on the Herd. But this is a looser, kind of a looser engagement, which I always appreciate. And there's a couple pieces of NFL news. Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants ten million dollars guaranteed. Stefan Diggs signed with.

He lost AJ Brown and he walked into New England. However, you lose your job at a previous employer, that will be your first solve at your next job.

if for two years they couldn't score? People would label of Rabel. You know his teams are tough, but they can't do anything authentically.

like the Bills didn't want him back. He's free agent. It's not like they're stacked at receiver. Now. The Bills could have done the ultimate thing the Patriots used to do, which is a build up a player's value, let him leave, get you know, trade him for value, and then bring him back. They didn't want him twenty This is if you would have asked me before this show, Diggs is gonna sign, what is his deal going to be? I'd be like, I don't know, man like ten percent less

than Devonte Adams deal. What did devatte get one for fifteen three for sixty nine? Even if it's funny money, twenty six million guaranteed is a shitload of money for Stefan Diggs, who wears out his welcome, and I don't know if he is good for Drake May And also the other piece of it is I agree with a lot of what you were saying. Why aren't the Patriots the team that traded for Joe Toney? That one? I don't get like he used to be there, he won super Bowls there, he you know what I mean, there

is a real relationship. They had a better third round. Well, it's next year's third round pick. But the Chiefs, I would imagine, would prefer to have a Patriots third rounder than a Bear's third rounder for next season. Why them not addressing the offensive line, missing out on receivers and then having to pay double what I thought Diggs would cost is a wild turn of events. Listen, if he's good, I get it, because the money who gives about the money.

You have all money to spend. I just don't know the Digs Also Diggs is I could see Stefan dig Like if Diggs went to a real contender, I could see him locking in for another year. Could I see Stefan Diggs being like retirement job boys, I'm not getting another deal after this one anyway, like I could. And so he's also a pretty wild guy off the field, like is he he had? So there was So there's two things. There is a one of those team videos

that just I can't get out of my head. It's when he was with I think the Vikings, where like the team social media went around to guys and they were like, hey, who in the locker room would you want your sister to date? And they give a bunch of an answers and then they're like who would you not want her to date? And every single fucking guy said Diggs, every single one of his teammates was like not stuff on, not Digs. It was it was unanimous,

like stay away from him. Then there's also some weird Again I don't traffic in rumors, there's some weird Digs and Cardi b stuff out there that just feels like, listen the guy again, he can do whatever you want. My point is, seems to really enjoy his celebrity and night life and all of that. And how well do players like that age at post injury? Not most getting paid typically it's not the Larry Fitzgerald path of I am locked, and so that that concerns me a bit,

if I'm being honest. The Russell Wilson thing that's very interesting to me is Justin Field's got double the guarantee, triple the what Justin Field's got two for forty with thirty guaranteed? Right? Yea? Russ just got one for twenty with ten guarantee. Yeh that's interesting. Well, I still think go ahead. I I don't think either is necessarily better

than the other. I think you are paying for Justin Fields on a little bit of hope is that there's more to squeeze, There's more juice to potentially squeeze out of this young, hardworking player. I think the feeling is, listen, man, this is the last this is the last stop for us. And and by the way, there Justin Fields is an example of somebody that will never be a franchise quarterback. But he's a good kid, he is big, he's got a ways love him. Yeah, and being a nice guy.

quarterbacks in very high regard. So I trust my own judgment. I didn't like Daniel Jones, I didn't like Zach Wilson. I probably like Sam Darnold too much. But Sam prove what last year, which I believe, which is if you put him in the right spot, he can be incredibly productive, dynamic. I would draft Shadeur Sanders for a lot of reasons. And I talked about one on the show today. He had the worst online in the worst run game the last two years Power five college football, and he completed

an astounding seventy four percent of his throws. That is insane. Matt Ryan completed six sixty for bad teams in college I mean Matt Stafford with good Georgia teams completed sixty one and a half percent. Seventy four percent running for your life, trailing everybody knows you're throwing with a battle line of no run game.

get him. Now. New England is praying it is not that they don't like him, because the only thing that wrecks the Patriots plans is if the draft goes like this, cam Ward one, Abdul Carter two, Travis Hunter three, in that where the Giants are like, you know what Malik neighbors Travis Hunter with Hunter, you know, moonlighting as a defensive back, and then the Patriots are sitting there at four and are like, Jesus, are we taking the you know,

the short armed offensive lineman. Are we taking the kid from Missouri that should go nine? At four? Like? The Patriots really really want two of the first three picks to be quarterbacks. That way they guarantee to get in. My opinion, tell me if you disagree, I think there are take the quarterbacks out of it. I think there are two super blue chip players in this class and Hunter, yeah,

and then everyone else. You know, I'm not saying I'm sure other guys will be great players, but there's two guys that are like, oh wow, that could be a non quarterback. That's the talent of a number one pick. The Patriots, I think would be thrilled with either of those two. What they don't want is both of those

guys to be gone. And then to be stuck drafting offensive lineman that could be there at twelve at four and so I'm really curious if this is because the Giants don't like Shador or the Giants have intel that the Browns love Shador.

The good thing about this is what this is the advantage NFL has over base and basketball a Weakers Players Union. First of all, you win negotiations. The team controls the player, not vice versa. You're not getting ten year guaranteed deals. You're not getting guaranteed money much. And the second thing is, even if you make the worst deal in league history Deshaun Watson guaranteed in one year or two years, if you just hit on a player at the same position

in the draft you can do. If you have like one or two good drafts and have like nine starters, you're okay, You're fine. I mean, it really comes down to if Andrew Berry drafts well the next last year, this year, or next year, they're fine. It doesn't match Schader can play, You're out of it.

only path. The only path for them is a competentur quarterback that makes no money because every other like the in the midst of this mess, they didn't make the playoffs because they had a competent quarterback who made no money except instead of being a rookie, he was my age named Joe Flacco, you know what I mean, Like there was and so that is interesting. I just it.

I assumed this draft was going to go cam Ward won a dual Carter two because the Browns would be like man Miles Garrett of dual Carter on the edge. At least that's set. And then the Giants being the pivot point, where are they taking Shadoor or not? Because the other thing for Shador is this, I don't know how much you've looked at it. If he doesn't go three, he might not go in the top fifteen. Like they're

the like the Aaron Rodgers year. Yes, like the when you look at I'm gonna pull it up real quick. There's just not many. I mean you could say, you could say, no, the Raiders just traded for Gino.

a master risk Jets. The Jets could, but they also I think the Jets really like the idea of let's, for the first time in forever have a season where the where everyone's not like, how good is the quarterback? What's the quarterback doing? How are we developing the quarterback? Let Aaron Glenn set things and then go get the quarterback. Panthers eight. No, Saints are a maybe at nine, but the Saints just they're tied to car But then Bear,

no Kaleb, Niners, no Brock, Cowboys, Dolphins, Colts. I guess at fourteen, but it is It is a lot of teams. And then after the Colts, Falcons, No, Cardinals, Bengals, Seahawks, Bucks, Broncos, then the Steelers at twenty one. And that might be why Rogers might like there's you asked me how Rogers

on the show. The one thing I didn't mention that I do wonder if its a possibility, is if Rogers is trying to pressure, not pressure, but trying to ensure the Steelers don't draft a quarterback like what you like. I don't want to sign with you and then risk getting benched for the first round quarterback. I want to see what you do with your first round pick before I commit to come there. Yeah no, because there is a scenario where these guys were shit or slips. I

don't silly thing it's going to happen. But if he gets out of the top three, there's only a few spots for.

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is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who gave Tomlin an extension. They can't figure out offense. It's a seven year run on bad quarterback and o line play. And it's one of the biggest brands in the league. If you go look, Notre Dame. Football's crushing virtually all the big brands right now. Braves, Atlanta Braves a big brand in baseball. Cubs have a very good team. The Pittsburgh Steelers situation to me, I

I cannot believe Steeler fan. If you pulled them, they get angry if you question where they are in the ecosystem of the NFL.

on the show, if you want a Steelers guest. I you know I the I introduced you and the great Danny Parkins. I'm going to pitch you another name, which is Andrew Philippony. I've heard the name. So he does afternoons on the fan in Pittsburgh and has been four years. Was four years the only Mike Tomlin skeptic where he was. He was the guy, the unpopular local radio host who

was like, hey, where are the playoff wins? Like why are we why is everyone okay with nine wins or ten wins when we all know we can't win a playoff game. And now, maybe partially to his doing, or partially because it has been proven out so much, I think that side of the coin is gaining some momentum, but it was highly unpopular, like and you know local radio. There is nothing harder than being like, hey, the local team that everyone loves me talking about the most, they're

not that good when people think they're good. If they're a ten variable team, then it's easy to be like fire everyone they suck. But when everyone loves them and they're always good ish, it's hard to be like, why is this okay? And he has been banging this drum for four years that Tomlin might be a good coach, but what's best for the Steelers is to turn the page, yes,

and to find someone who understands modern offense. And what's good for Tomlin is to try to get the set up Jim Harbaugh got, which is good young quarterback that can take care of the offense and I can focus on the defense. And so, yeah, you and him would agree on the Steelers. I'm telling you that right now. Yeah, it is.

You were one of the first people to just bail on Dak Prescott. I remember it well, and I think you liked him less than I did. I loved his in tangibles. I loved his EQ, his IQ good guy. I always gave him credit for the dysfunction of the team and kind of holding it together during some cultural changes.

playoff game against the Packers Aaron Rodgers. That was kind of Aaron Rodgers last great playoff moment was the pass down the sideline to the tight end I don't remember in that great win against the Cowboys. So I was high on him initially. My problem for Dak and the Cowboys is not It's not really even an indictment on Deck because I do think he is good. I just think that and you've heard me say this one hundred times.

The worst thing you can do in the NFL is pay a good quarterback like he is great money, great quarterback. And it is also, by the way, why I think the Niners would be out of their mind to pay party right now. And it also this idea that the Niners are obligated to guy. In across industries, but certainly in pro sports, guys typically don't get paid early off their worst year. You can get paid off your worst year if you're a true free agent's like, ah, he is a body of works, he's had a down year

and we want to keep him. Or you can get paid early off an awesome year. It's very rare that you can have. You and the team can have the worst year that you or the team has had since you've been there, and that's when they're like, yep, we're gonna ten x your salary. That's not how thing teams typically do it. And so I don't no one is. It's properly explained to me, and it seems like they're going to. I just think it's a mistaken Here's why the Niners wouldn't wait go ahead.

we'll see you. Somebody else can pay for that. But I do think there's a lot of people that would be like, well, it was two years he was free, I'm.

offer Brock anything right right right. I would say, hey, man, if you are really worried about security and you haven't made real money, I will right now sign you to the deal Daniel Jones signed. We'll sign it. I'll offer you that, totally agree that deal right now. And even if you don't play great, you know what, call it back pay because you play. You earned that already with the Super Bowl appearance. But if you want something close to the deal Dak Prescott sign, I'm drafting a quarterback.

And and by the way, I'm gonna let you well, what I was going to say is, let's let you play this year and go show it to me, prove it to me, because I'm not paying you off this bad year. I'm just not like, so I wouldn't. It's not that I would play a hardball to would degree of like you're under contract, you have no contract offer from me. I wouldn't do that, but I would not pay in all business, but sports in particular. The way

it almost always works is this. It is the earlier you get paid, the less money you receive because you are trading high high end financial upside for the safety of shit. There's injuries and bad things happen. Whatever it is. The way to make the most money is to let contracts expire, you know what I mean, and then see what the market has to offer. But that's also the way to sometimes make no money because shit goes bad.

So I am if I am a team and I am paying you early, what I am getting back is a deal, a bargain, and what you are getting into the security. The only guys who get paid they get to double dip where it's like, I want to be paid early and make the most money. Are the elite

of the elite. Yeah, and party's not that so like justin Jefferson gets to three years into his deal, be like, I want to be paid the first day possible and the most money at the position ever and Mahomes and Mahomes didn't take the most money ever, but he took such a huge, long deal as early as possible. Josh Allen Tua, on the other hand, the team was like, we're gonna wait another year. And then he went out and had his best year and they paid him. And

I think that was a mistake. But they didn't pay him as early as they could have. They made him wait that fourth year, and so I just don't know why what the argument against telling party play out your fourth year. Let's see how it goes. And worst case scenario for you kid, we either hit you with a one year, forty five million dollar franchise tag or he hit the open market. The only way you are not going to be crazy rich is if you know you have a handous year this year. You don't think you

will so or take some security. But this notion that he's going to get the Joe Burrow deal, I just think would be franchise mismanagement.

Rams will be drafting a number one receiver. They don't care, they don't want to hear it. It also introduces questions that you don't need. Let's say he has a bad year, Oh, well you're not really committed. Well, he's going to retire anyway. I mean, he's already talking retirement. It's like Brett Favre in twenty twenty three set it out loud, I'm ninety

percent retired. He's never player. Yeah, Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, by the way, if he set it out out in twenty twenty three, in twenty twenty one, he was thinking it or telling people privately.

Luck thing, it certainly is not gone away. I think that he's young enough Hookah is thirty, is far enough away that I don't think it is a huge deal. But do I agree with you that there is very little benefit to him for saying that. I don't see the benefit. I don't see what he gains from saying that. No, that's certainly I don't I does it change how I don't know how much it impacts what the RAMS think of him, because he's that still is the window of

his full second contract. But yeah, I in general, I do think that we are in an oversharing era, and I'm certain listen, I'm part of that too. I I uh, took a screenshot of a text message my wife sent me making fun of me, and tweeted it. That didn't go over great. I did that yesterday and now I'm talking about it. It didn't go over great. That probably also

won't go over great. So like, sometimes I can be an oversharer, but I am in the sharing business like my my I guess defense is I talked for a living. I create content for a living. Sometimes you're gonna get out over your skis a bit. But that's really interesting that the that you think it's a big deal for the Rams. I think it's a I don't think it's I ideal, but I don't know, I think it's a huge deal.

then was done. And so I think when you're talking about Aaron, I think the trouble for Aaron is Aaron is you said twenty three, but yees so in the summer of twenty three, or he says I'm ninety soon retired, then he pops his achilles, then he plays the season, and now we're going for a third year post potential retirement. And by the way, I think one of the you you accidentally said Farv, and I thought you said the right name but the wrong year, because Farv did the

same fucking thing. Farv was like, am I coming back? And I not? And did that three years in Green Bay and then played three more years. Yeah, he played one with the Jets and two with the Vikings. I mean, think about this, think about early comments. Have any worked in your favor. Trevor Lawrence big Ben talked about retirement early, Aaron Rodgers, I mean, just Cam Newton.

months before First Things First launches. I'm still out in La Chris Carter and I filled in for you one day and one of the guests we had was potential first round pick Patrick Mahomes. Again, I had no memory that this took place. It was sent to me a week ago by someone close to Patrick and was like, yo, he kind of nailed this. And I asked, Patrick, if everything goes perfectly, where are you in ten years. He has not been drafted yet, he's not a chief, you

know what I mean. And he's like, okay, He's like, if everything goes perfectly, He's like, I'm married, i have a couple of kids, i have a couple of super Bowl championships, and I'm one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He said that, yeah, and by the way, he undershot the amount of kids and Super bowls by one each, and like he set the sites as high as they possibly could. But he had a plan and

I didn't know at the time. He was dating his high school sweetheart, so he also knew who he wanted to marry. He's like, I want to marry this girl. I want to have a family with her, and while I'm doing it, I want to win these championships. And so he was not, you know, famous enough of a prospect to where that you know, got an ayttraction whatever. But I sent it. I sent it to him after it was sent to me, like, hey, man, sold yourself short.

But this is pretty fucking unbelievable. You you said your goal perfect world. Ten years in he saw it. He was like married, family, guy, championships and eight years in he's fifty percent higher in all categories than his perfect world. But he's vision was exactly on. And I do think that.

I think sometimes it can be crippling for guys, but I'll take you know, sorry to turn this into Mahomes and the Lebron, but I think the guys who walk into the league and you know what was Lebron's goal, anything short of being the greatest player ever he was going to feel he came up short, and you know what I mean, and everything he did was on that route.

I don't think Patrick thought initially, oh, I'm going to be in the goat conversation, But after two years of playing, when he has one League MVP and one Super Bowl, he immediately said, basically, man, Tom's got seven like I have it. I now know where I'm going.

don't know the science on this. I apologize, but I have had multiple times in my life where something is going on, either work wise or whatever where I like, literally can't get sick right now like I had, but the moment that ends, where it's like okay, whether it's the NFL playoffs or you know, when I was planning for me and my wife's wedding slash valor noule whatever, once that ends, I immediately get really sick and it's like, oh, I was sick two weeks ago, but my body held

it off almost like like not now, but then allowed for it. Yeah.

I interviewed in Houston at the Super Bowl with John Walsh, who's one of the gurus of Bengalies, older gentleman, and he was and I was. I kind of knew he was a New Yorker, very well read, very earn a guy. So I bought a New Yorker magazine flying from Portland and I read it front to back. And so when we sat down, I pulled out my bag and he saw the New Yorker. He goes, oh, you read the New Yorker. I said, oh, absolutely, big subscriber, and I

had a couple of articles. It was a good I still subscribe to it, by the way, but it was there was a couple.

the job, I was so confident. It was like I was literally like, oh, this is or eight minutes in, I've already won the job. So the point being is I psychologically I knew if I could do the New Yorker and the White Sox Bullpen, I would get the job. Where I wouldn't get it if he didn't think I was well read or I didn't really know, you know, front and back page of the sports section.

morning show open in Houston. And at the time, I have one career goal, and it is to one day replace you. It's the only it is, truly, it was truly my goal was one day I'm going to host noon to three Eastern on ESPN Radio. That was it was these slot. It was the slot I'd listened to you in forever. And I knew I couldn't. I didn't even really want to go to Houston, but I knew I couldn't get there from Kansas City, like you know what I mean. I needed to go to a bigger market.

You got there from Portland. But that's that's tricky. And so but I know two things. I know One, the guy is going to be worried that I'm a little young. The PD you know what I mean, because I was this is twenty twelve, so I'm twenty seven. And the guy whose job I would be replacing, the guy who was doing it is Mark Vandermere, who did this day is the Voice of the Texans, so you know, in

his forties at the time, grown man. He's leaving just because the Voice of the Houston Texans is now they're starting their own radio network and it's a full time gig. And so I'm like, he's going to be worried. I'm too young, and he's going to be worried, like any local radio guy is. It's a call in show that I'm going to get jumped with. Well you remember the love You Blue oilers, and I'm going to be like, who are they? And They're going to be like, oh,

this fraud is not from here, doesn't know stuff. And so I was like, Okay. On the initial phone call, I mentioned out of nowhere seemingly, but it was strategic. I was like, I was like, and I also want to tell you something about me. I was like, it's a little weird because you know, I'm only twenty seven. I was like, but I have a thirteen year old son, and you know, a first grade daughter, and you know, I've been married for some years, and so you know,

my family would be coming with me to Houston. And he was like, you have an older son and daughter, and I'm like, yeah, you know, you know it told him story of my family. But I knew that immediately would trump the is this some young kid that's gonna get whatever. So that was taken care of, and so then calls me the next day he's like, I want to fly you in to meet our market manager and to do a test and meet everyone. Like okay, cool,

that's going to be in three days. So I in those three days made a Houston Sports by hand color coded, twenty page encyclopedia that I have to this day as a PDF, which was five pages on the Rockets, every first round pick in their history, every playoff series in their history, their current roster, salary cap, how the player was acquired, handwritten, Green was money, red was injuries, blue was age Rockets, Astros, Texans U of h because I

thought in University of Texas. All handwritten, then took it to Kinko's, had it turned into basically a binder, and I go to the interview the dinner and we're about halfway through it and I'm like, hey, I want to show you something and he's like okay, and I take it out and I'm like, listen, you haven't said this, but I know talk radio your concern is that I'm not from here and that the callers, someone is gonna call me and they're gonna say something every Hustonian knows about.

I'm not gonna know about it, and I'm gonna be you know, they're gonna be like, we can't listen to this guy. He doesn't you know what I mean, know what Mario Ellie's kiss of death is like, he's not one of us. I was like, I guarantee you that won't happen. And if I a because I'll know, I'll know what I need to know and be if I don't, I'll tap dance just long enough to find it in this and show it in my thing. And he looked

at it and he was like, you made this. It's like yeah, He's like, when like you found out you were coming here three days ago. I was like, I don't know. It's taken me about thirty hours in the last three days, but I made it, and in that moment I got the job. Yeah, And in that moment I got the job, and I knew, like I can't. I'm not going to have another opportunity maybe in the next year, two or three years to go from Kansas

City to a top five market drive time. If I ever want to do what I really want to do professionally, I have to get this job. So I have to figure out the things the guy wants to hear and get him there before I even get there. And so when you're talking about the White Sox, bullpen and the New Yorker, I'm like, that's just me talking about my kids and making this encyclopedia. Like you you walked into that interview with John Walsh. You you were doing local

radio in Portland. You were the best local radio guy in the Northwest. But the jump from that to you know what I mean. I'm not saying you wouldn't have gotten to where you are now, but if you don't get that job, then it's maybe a five year detour. Like that's the most important sixty minutes of your professional life up to that, no question.

another discussion. But I so I think that there's I think that there are ten percent on each end. I think there's ten percent might be strong, but they're only ten percent of the population that no matter how badly they tried to fuck up their situation.

out to be. And I the thing you said there that I think is a really valuable sentiment that barring true and again I was very blessed you and I are both children of divorce. But yeah, I had no real childhood trauma like so I don't again same remove. I'm not talking about people who dealt with real, real

childhood drama. If you had what I would call a typical childhood, by the time, certainly by the time you're old enough to rent a car without having to pay an extra fee, you got, that can't be what's holding

you back. Yeah, you know what I mean, Like what the it's at some point like when you are that I am not very and I'm I try to be a very empathetic person, but I think sometimes we people hold themselves back by acting as if well, it's a you know, things just aren't going to go the way they should for me because because of you know, my parents, and again barring the extremes, it's like, hey, like you said, you're in your mid thirties, like that that is part

of your story, but no longer is your story, you know what? And so that is the I do agree with that, and I think I think that people that are cool with hey, shit wasn't perfect, but I made the most of it are typically some of the happiest or most well adjusted, as opposed to people who are very stuck in.

trust it. And so the the and the only the only thing that is that I have added to that is and I'm not I'm drinking wine during this interview. I'm not a teetotaler at all. And maybe this is part of my aide showing or whatever it is. When I was growing up, pill based drugs were not a thing,

you know what I mean. It was like kids smoked weed, some of the like really like aggressive kids like might have occasionally tripped on acid, and I'm like, y'all are crazy, but like nobody like and then maybe the like wildest kids like oh my god, I heard that guy did cocaine at a party. Like that was like really out of the in high school, that was really out of

the main stream. But twenty years later, ton of kids just like the party drug stuff, the like ecstasy, molly became very there's a very small barrier for injury where kids don't look at that as scandalous as I would. And that shit scared the hell out of me because I'm like, nah, man, like those That's the other way that you can basically anything short of, like you said, get in a terrible car accident or taking a bad drug, like we can recover from if you like we can

recover from a lot of stuff. You get suspended from school, we can recover from it. You get you know, with you you get in a fight and you get picked up by the cops, they may can spend the night in jail. We can recover from like normal adolescent bullshit. We can as a family recover from almost anything. Terrible car wreck or didn't know what was in that pill.

You can't always recover from. So those are really the only things as a parent, I really like you keep you up at night, like there you're wordy of it, because everything else you feel like, Okay, you know what I mean, it's it's an ex expensive lesson, or you know what I mean, like you take a learn from it or whatever. And so yeah, I'm with you on that one thousand percent. So I saw something the other day.

it as suffering from I've never done this. So when I was in Vegas, like when I was a kid, we were all sports diehards. I collected baseball cards and NBA cards. I would memorize sports backup baseball cards. We all did that in our profession at eight twelve thirteen. But I do remember, I do remember moments in my life around seventeen eighteen nineteen, first getting to college, that I would see guys on the college campus, and here's who I viewed as cool, the guy with the best

looking girlfriend, not the sports nerd. And so in my life I never thought that there was that much redeemable value or cool factor in being like the most knowledgeable sports guy, Like can you ask the cute girl for a date? Can you socialize? Are you fund at a party? Are you a good hang? And so I was thinking about this the other day. Why have I never been a fan of mid majors in college? Why have I always been a fan of the big brands? I mean

since I started doing syndicated radio. And there's probably two or three reasons. One it's smarter business, But part of me thinks is because I just didn't want to watch mid major basketball. I wanted to have a social life. I wanted to have a girlfriend, and I'd watch Duke in Carolina and Gonzaga and UCLA and Syracuse and Yukon. I'll let you nerds watch Murray State. And that my whole theory on college basketball has been based on.

watching meaningless basketball than that guy. There's that was as entire his entire identity his face around. Did you see magic Calves? And the answer is no, I fucking didn't. Let's tell you right now. And again, I don't know Ryan, he's he's no, he's a friend of yours and friend a lot of my friends. I'm not taking a shot. I just but it's also that's also you know, but

it is very very good. There there are people that are watching everything, yeah, because it allows for you to, you know, have a wife and kids and a social life. So I I think what you were saying in the beginning is really interesting, which is you wanted to follow what you had to follow and wanted to follow what you loved. Because here's the other thing what you left

out you I'm certain of it. You watched a lot of you watched a lot of college football that you didn't have to for work because you loved it, right, and so but the there are for me, like so there's this I anything I've always been a big believer of If you told me this was the Chinese Checkers World Championship and those are the two best in the world, I'm captivated. If you like, I don't care what the competition is. If you tell me there are high stakes

and it's the best in the world, I'm in. I don't even really need to know the rules of the sport. I'll pick it up. Like I'm into big events with real steaks, and I'm into the sports that I love. So I can watch almost anything but the So you and I have a similar I think affinity for current college basketball, which is I don't love it day to day during the regular season.

handicap I was in it. There were some professional sports betters there, and two professional sports betters were arguing about which side of the game was sharper one of the second round tournament games and they're like, oh, ask Nick, you know have NBA the tiebreaker And I just told him. I'm like, I'm the wrong fucking guy for this one, Like what do you mean to do this for a living? I was like, I've not talked about either of these teams once all year. And they're like, you don't have

to watch everything. I'm like, oh no, I have to watch everything that I talk about. So I watch every NFL game that there is to watch, and I watch a ton of the NBA because I love it, And in the tournament, I watched the tournament. But if you're asking me, am I hanging out at home watching college basketball regular season? I don't pretend to I don't claim to the audience. I do the thing. The thing I have a problem with is folks who are not okay

admitting that and pretend they did. Like nobody, nobody looks at me and they're like, oh, Nick is dialed into the NHL this year. No, I'm not, and I don't pretend to be. And so it is really funny that you that you think this.

coolest fucking guy around. I've seen these I've seen you. He's like, he's like against he goes at that specific table, he's like, one guy looks like he didn't even look in the mirror. Another guy can't even talk to the table. He's like, you're just hanging out drinking your diamond chainster showing. He's like, you look really cool. He's like, but I see you every day. He's like, you're not really cool, but in that environment against those people, he's like, you're

pretty cool. And I'm like, yeah, it's exactly right, like against the the typical professional people think the professional gambler life is glamorous and because for Phil Ivy, you know what I mean, and Nick Shulman and Billy Walters, but for everybody else, it's just grinding out fifty six percent.

the sharp better with Vegas to move the line. So let me just give up try to explain to you on t what I'm talking about. So much of the life of the true professional gambler today is there is a basketball game that I love if I could get five points the underdog is I love the underdog at plus five, but they are currently at plus four and

a half. So I, as a known sharp better, am going to as me walk in to a big Vegas sports book and bet one hundred thousand dollars if I can get it on the favorite at minus four and a half, because they will look at me as a sharp better that likes the four and a half and say, oh, line's too low, we have to move it to five. I the sharp better, only ever wanted it at five, and now I'm going to use all the people I have betting for me, who are square betters, to hammer

it at five. Like so much of the actual today's professional gambling is manipulated, line movement is like people moving the line for themselves. It's really for again, I'm not talking about the people. For the people who just bet the way you and I do. You know, as an entertainment thing or fun or whatever, it has no impact whatsoever. But for the folks who are are betting the highest of stakes and a half point means the world. They

are moving lines betting other sides. It is a fascinating and to your point, it is a time consuming job. They you know what I mean, It's like, oh, it moved here in this place. It's a really fascinating thing that I don't think it has been. There hasn't been the right the exact right book or movie or whatever long magazine article written to where people understand what all

goes into it. Now that gambling has changed the way it's changed, I'm not glowing to write a book, but I am the guy to watch it happen.

that it's a volume play. If you bet consistently the same amount of money and you can hit fifty seven percent fifty or going to unbelievable, you're gonna you're gonna make a bunch of money. And he had bad months and good months. He went on a bad streak with me once and then he went on a street where he was thirteen and one on the air, like literally

thirteen or fourteen games in a row. So yeah, no, you know, I always said one of the reasons I do sharper square is because I always felt I never wanted to try to pretend even though I had a lot of people I knew in odds making. I knew Roxy Rocksborough at one point, I didn't know him well, but I knew knew him in Vegas. Is that I always thought I was better as the mark. And then the audience like I do sharp and square. I'm I'm the square totally and this year I was really square

on blazing five. But I I think I have kind of a beat on how to do it. But this year, by the way, Nick, was the worst year I've ever had, and I think some of it was moving the kickoff that offenses. I took underdogs because I've always taken b quarterbacks.

he can't live here. Hot red Hot is unbelievable. Guy could not lose? Makes me say, has he always been that good at betting Pro football? God? No, the best year of his life by a mile. First year on TV. Everyone thinks now he's got He's the dude from Uh, he's al Pacino from Show Me the Money or whatever that movie is. I give me a break. This guy is so annoying, so annoying. I'm listen. I love him. He's my best friend. I'm happy for I had no idea.