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He's the head coach of the Auburn Tigers his eleventh year there. He's Bruce Pearl. It was six years ago in Minneapolis. I had you in studio, you had your team in the Final four, and I said to Paulie, I'm going to make Bruce Pearl cry that day. And you did shed a tear a light tier, but I got you to cry.
Hi, Bruce, Hi, Dan, who are you?
I'm great. I'm not going to try to make you cry this time.
You know, of all your great accomplishments over the course of your career, I hope my shedding a teer is it one of them.
It was just a goal to see if I could, you know, bring out that emotion, because you're an emotional guy. You say you cry a lot. I don't know if you've cried the last two games that you lost. You know, no offense here the timing of this, but you know, when's the last time you cried.
Let's see, I probably cried after we'd be Kentucky at RUP and won the championship. I'd say I would say probably. You know, I'm pretty passionate. You talk about family, talk about the Lord, you know, talk about the blood, sweat and tears that go into all the things that it takes to win a championship. In other words, just like putting up with me and my expectations, my accountability, my
you know, my my temper. I'm grateful, grateful, uh and blessed and did not cry after we lost to tex A and m and Alabama because we've lost four games. We've lost to Duke and John Shire at john Shire Duke, we lost to Todd Golden at Florida, and those those had been the only two losses we had had for
a long time. And and and so for a while I could say, like, the only coaches in the country that I'm willing to lose to are Jewish coaches, John Shied, Todd Goolden, Like, if you're not Jewish, I'm not losing to you. We Jews don't like to lose very often, in case you haven't noticed, with I'm Israel co And but then Buzz Williams came in ranked you know, fourteenth in the country, and and then of course we lost to Nate Oates. And I don't think either one of those guys, you know, for a temple.
Uh, princey, would you check and see if they're the other two coaches are Jewish?
Right?
Thank you? Good? Okay? So why'd you cry after you lost or one at Kentucky at rupp Arena.
Yeah, you know, I think just I guess the motion of it all the the the being being, you know, really really grateful Dan. I think what we do as we work in this this this ministry or in this thing about coaching, we are we are we are to win and compete for championships. We really truly do. And at the end of the day, there was a championship that could be won. I didn't cry at the when we beat when we when we won the Maui Invitational. You know that that you know, that wasn't that wasn't
big enough. But I think because the league was so good and it was so hard, and every night you had to kind of get ready and and and there were a lot of upsets. Our my basketball team did not get upset very much at all. Uh And in the sense that they beat a lot of people they were supposed to beat. And Uh, I probably just tried it cried out of gratitude, gratefulness.
Who's the best player in college basketball this year, well, I think.
Jan I Broom is that it should be the college player of the year because of all that he's accomplished and and and all that he's able to do for our team lead us and scoring and rebounding and assists and and and and obviously stepped up in the biggest games. I think Cooper flag at Duke is going to be if he's not the first player drafted, is gonna be one of the top player drafted. And Cooper is an amazing player who plays so hard and impacts the game
so much. But what Auburn has done this year through this league to have sixteen Quad one wins has never been done before. That means on we had twenty games against the Quad one. Now, when you're playing a Quad one game, I don't care where you're ranked one through thirty five. Let's say we've got a fifty five sixty percent chance of winning that game, even if we're one, playing against the team that's twenty And to win sixteen
of those out of twenty is just unprecedented. And so therefore I feel like our best player is the best player at college.
Basketb Okay, let's say you're coaching Cooper Flag, yep, and you want him to come back for another year, but you want him to realize he wants to come back for another year, not you selfishly as a coach. How would you go about trying to convince Cooper Flag stay one more year?
Well, first of all, I would only try to convince him to do it if I truly felt like it was in his best interests, not just in mind.
And now you have seen the Washington Wizard's roster, Bruce, yes.
I have. Here's the one factor that I would ask to consider him to consider Dan. You know this because you've been doing this a long time. It's not how much you make, it's how long you can make it.
That's the truth. And so the question for Cooper Flag would be what's the best position for you to be in for your second and your third contract, And if there can be any discussion about the fact that at eighteen or nineteen, when you are in position at age twenty one, maybe to have to sign that second big contract. You know, there's a difference between being rich and being wealthy.
People that are wealthy have made it for a long time, and so that's the only thing I would look at as far as what might be in his best interest is would waiting another year put him in a better position to sign that second and third contract that takes him from being rich to wealthy. He's only eighteen, that's right, crazy, crazy, that would be the only factor we're talking to.
Bruce Pearl, Auburn head coach. SEC Conference tournament starts on Friday. We've talked about a variety of things. The NBA has, you know, face of the NBA. Could we get the non North America basketball players to play against the US based players in the All Star Game? Like where do you see?
You know?
The globalization of basketball is the future in Europe and other countries more so than it is in the United States. If you consider I could probably give you seven or eight of the top ten players in the game and they're not from the United States.
Yeah, the game. I think the game is in great shape, Dan, in the sense that worldwide it's a really, really popular And you're right, some of these international players, European players are playing the game better than our guys have. One of the factors has been just a skill level that they are brought up through a training program that isn't like high school, AAU college, so on and so forth. At the same time, your interest in our game and the college game has never been better. Like the numbers
that we're pulling for the best. This is a tremendous regular season in college basketball, just even just the SEC. How many ranked teams against ranked teams and then how many of those games delivered like the last two Saturdays in the SEC Alabama Tennessee overtime, Auburn Alabama overtime, and the ratings are really good. I don't know. I read a little bit about what's going on with the NBA and what, but I couldn't tell you why some of
those numbers are down. But our numbers have never been stronger.
But the talent level, I mean they're young, they're you know, these guys, I mean jokers, what thirty or somewhere around there. But if you put in Giannis, you put in Embid, and you put in Luca Shay Gilgis, you know from Canada, and maybe we go back to the dream team that the Dream Team in ninety two sort of you know, birth this, they spawned all of this. I'm just curious, does US basketball try to model itself after, you know, instead of this AAU and we've seen that basketball it
can be pretty ugly, talented but ugly. Feels like, you know, what Europe is doing in other countries is they get you into a system, learn how to handle the ball, learn you know, the fundamental be a big guy, handle the ball on the perimeter. Like all of these things. Feels like the US is missing out on that opportunity.
Well, I think there are people that are in the professional basketball, in world basketball that are studying this very factor right now. They're absolutely looking at it. You know. The the best explanation I can have for it is the age that they have these European kids starting to train the specialization into you know, the one particular sport.
They don't have the same you know, rules as far as how many hours you can or can't train, whether you're a high school player and you can only practice a certain amount of time, and certainly in college so
and so forth. You know. I think the other thing too, that the skill level right now is what is dominating our sport in the sense that the men are so big and they're so strong, and they're so athletic that now we're putting five guys out there on a perimeter of the three point line and spreading the floor just so that we have some space to be able to drive down the lane and make place because nobody, hardly anybody is putting a post player on the inside because
there's there's just no room for them. So side sometimes in some ways, the size and the athleticism of the American player that may have been a dominanting force uh in basketball is now no longer as as as as an important a cog as the ability to spread the floor and have the skills to be able to shoot and handle, which is more akin to the European player.
Okay, but what would you do with Shack if he was your center?
Oh? I find a way, I have. I am Jani broom right now, and and and and we're gonna find ways to get him inside and and and and and and and and run our offense accordingly. So oh no, no, you give me Shack. His big ass is good on the block, and good luck. The only way you're gonna stop him is to hackershack him.
Who's the best player you recruited didn't get? But the best player you you recruited?
Wow? Well, you know It's interesting. Aj Devansta was somebody that the kid that's young man is going to b yu. Uh. He grew up in Boston and actually grew up in Brockton, which is really a town I'll side of where I grew up, and we got in early on him and and UH guy he's got a great family and and he he was one of the highest rated players I think I've ever you know, not not gotten. Uh. Anthony Edwards maybe in Atlanta would have been another one that
that you know, that we worked on but didn't get there. There. There's probably a long list of kids I finished second on, but those are two probably pretty big names.
Tom Izzo said, Chris Weber made him cry because he thought he was getting Chris Webber and then you lose him to Michigan. That's painful.
Oh yeah, no, no, it's that. That definitely is. I remember when Tom was an assistant for Judd Heathcote and they were playing Old Jennison field House, and so I don't know that Michigan State's program was in position when Chris Weber was coming out out of Country Day High School UH in Detroit to pick Michigan State over UH Michigan and Tom Izzo hadn't quite done what he done now.
Yeah, but he still had the magic Johnson era.
That's great, and that's about I don't want to speak to Michigan basketball history Michigan State basketball history, but the perception of Michigan's program at that time was much stronger than Michigan State.
When where were you in your career when Burden Magic arrived on the scene in college basketball.
I was just coming out of high school. I was just starting at Boston College for doctor Tom Davis, starting to be a manager and work in the industry.
So you're a lifer. You're a lifer, aren't you.
I was at BC in nineteen seventy eight, before the Big East was born. I saw Dave Gavitt get that thing started. Doctor Tom Davis in the job he did at Boston College goes way under the radar because of you know, Louis carnosecre and John Thompson, really mess Amino, you know, just Jim Beaheim and and Yukon and we were at BC kind of doing great in those early early years of the Big East. They almost took Holy Cross.
Boston College had to write a fifty thousand dollar check in the Athletic director Bill Flint at the time wasn't sure that was gonna be a good enough investment. Had to get a donor named Bernie Plansky to write that check. Otherwise Holy Cross would have been in the Big East and now the CC not Boston College.
Wow. Who do you get mistaken for in public?
Uh?
Sometimes lou f Forrigno, like the incredible, incredible, the Green Monster that back when I was, when I was a little bigger, not anymore. Every now and then, Greg Brady remember Brady Bunching, We had the Afro, A little bit of that. Hey, hey, a really good day thirty forty years ago.
Tom Jones, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, if women start throwing their underwear at you at an Auburn game, like you know, Tom Jones in concert, I'm thinking a little bit of Jeff Garland from Curb your Enthusiasm, like Larry David's good buddy like that, like a smaller verb maybe just the face, uh, and and your voice you could be you know, Jeff Garland.
I've gotten a lot, a lot great you know coaches, we do agent Doggie years.
You know, are you okay? Coaching seems to be the fun easier part than the n I L. And the recruiting is that fair?
Yeah, coaching, because coaching is still you know, teaching and and and and and developing and and and the gym and the ball and and uh look, I like n I L DAN because we're way overdue. Thank God for n I L, for you, for me, and and it would make this country great. And obviously the numbers that these kids are getting right now tells you how late the n C Double A was. Yeah, recognizing the value of these student athletes. Now, listen, there's no right now,
there are no rules. There are no regulations. We gotta find so we gotta we go. If we're gonna have a national champion, then then we truly need to be playing more by the same rules. They play more by the same rules in Major League Baseball, the NFL and
the NBA. Right now that we are on college and we are trying to figure it out, there needs to be bipartisan support in Washington, d C. To try to find a way to bring this great college system back while we're able to compensate the student athletes, you know, wait for what they're worth. But there's gotta be some guardrails.
Senator Ted Cruz has got legislation right now. But you know how Washington d C is completely dysfunctional, and if the Republicans wanted, the Democrats WoT We got to find a way to bring it to be able to have the intercollegiate system what we do and still compensate our student athletes. And I think that's the best way of doing it. Right now, we're we're just putting band aids on it and we're all trying to navigate it.
Great to talk to you. Congrats on the success. Hopefully you don't run into a Jewish head coach of the rest of the season. But thank you for joining us.
Always a pleasure, Dan, and thanks for not making me crying.
All right this time that's Bruce Pearl Friday SEC Tournament. They will get underway. Opponent to be determined.
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He's the Hall of Famer, three times Super Bowl champ of the Niners. Steve Young back on the program, Steve, we were wondering did you ever have a full time job aside from being a football player. When you got out of high school and you went to BYU, did you ever have a job like you know some of ninety nine percent of the rest of Americans, where maybe you wash dishes or something. So Todd, let me start with you. Steve Young. Did he have a job and what job was it?
I think he did have a job, and it was some kind of power legal or something with a loan, something along.
Okay, I know, hold on, hold on, hold on, I got to go round the room. Everybody gets a guest here. But you know, keep in mind, he grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut Street, Yeah street, the other side of the tracks in Greenwich. Okay. See, oh boy, Yeah, that really changes things, doesn't it. I think he has had a job. I think it was more like working at someone's store store. Okay, Marvin.
The Great One worked at a car dealership, card dealership, Paul, you.
Go real specific.
When he's young, a caddie in Greenwich, and when he was in college, probably like an internship with a hedge fund or something.
I'm going to say probably had a paper route. And I'm going to say that he worked I'm gonna say he worked for his father, Steve.
All right, So uh, the young family had the famous paper on. I started it for years. That's when we were a little That doesn't really count, but I'm giving you the credit for it, because I got to tell you the story that my brother. The worst day of the paper oute was when you had to go collect the money and knock on the door and ask for the dollar thirty for the Granich times, you know, as a pain. And one day my brother told my mom I'm not doing it, and I'm not. She got so
sick of it. And this is great like story when my mom punches my brother as hard.
As it puts them back against the wall, and we laugh about it today that my mom, who is the greatest peacemaker of all time, who would never like her to flee, somehow got so enraged because my brother would not go collect for the Greenwich.
Dunch she punched him. So anyway, I was in high school and in college, I worked all summers with landscape company Bucket Lands, her own man in Grantwich, Connecticut, and I ran a whole truck of guys and and a funny thing about Greenwich is you pull up to these big places, these biggest states, you know, to go cut their lawn and all the mom's like, I'm inside, the landscapers are here. We don't want to mix company.
And I was like, uh, you know I was. It was.
It was rough and tumble back then. Yeah, that's that was my job. The hedge fun thing is great. Yeah that works.
Sure.
Okay, if you're Aaron Rodgers, I'm gonna make you Aaron Rodgers, and I'm gonna give you the opportunity for Pittsburgh and New York with maybe the possibility of the Vikings. What would you do.
I'd sprint to the Vikings if possible. I'm you know why Sam would leave a place where he knows you're gonna thrive me because they had to. They told me what he did have a spot. But you've got to find Dan in today's game, you've got to find a place where someone has left Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay or Andy Reid and understands the new kind of run to the future that is necessary to be great for quarterbacks. And then you got to run to those teams. And
that's what Sam found in San Francisco. Briefly as a backup and then as a starter in Minnesota. So I'd run McConnell's fast as any of them, because that's what you if you're gonna have, if you're gonna thrive in today's game, especially with what all that Aaron knows he was, he was born and raised in a more sophisticated era
of the NFL. He can take advantage of him. That's why Tom Brady, I think we've talked about this before, towards the end of his career, ran into him in a Monday night game and I go, what's the difference between the old before the rule changes?
And now?
He goes, well, now the flats are always open, the middle of the field is unpatrolled, and no one can hit me. And so Aaron understands that, Like, that's why people can play in their forties, because we know we learned in a more sophisticated time. So get to a place that understands the future and go dominate, don't I look, if that's to me, that's an obvious one.
If that's a.
Chance, okay, but does Pittsburgh make sense for him if they want him?
No, we had to go win some games, yeah, but they're not built. They don't. They have him not run to the future as far as the quarterback position. And those are the teams that are in the Super Bowl year. They're in the Championship game every year. Then they go deep in the playoffs. And so I would say, yeah, go on with your bad stuff. If you don't want to play, you know, you don't want to retire. I'm not.
I'm not done. Look at playing playing Pittsburgh's amazing. I mean, it's you know, they're gonna win a lot of games. They always do, and he can help me win more. But I just I think the way I see the game today, the way the NFL is built, you know, you got to you know New York Giants.
No, No, okay, But are the Eagles in that same blueprint that you're talking about, because.
Yeah, I look, I know you're trying to trick me here and try to catch me on my my little theory. Yes, because they have a quarterback that's still you know, is gonna threaten the line of scrimmage every play. They've got a unique way to run the football, just like the forty nine ers did. And I give them credit for that. But the idea that you're now gonna go win super Bowls by playing great defense in a running game is
just not the way that it's gonna get done. You have a very dynamic quarterback position, which they do have, and I think that's where they are a team of the future in that way. They have a unique way to do with Saquon, which I give him as an anomaly. But you know the idea that today's game, you can throw together a number one defense and a great running game and go when the Super Bowl doesn't happen.
But if I gave you Saquon Barkley or Justin Jefferson.
These stupid bar fights like you know, yeah, I in today's game, Justin Jefferson with a great innovative offensive mind and and a quarterback that understands the position that can really thrive, those are the guys that go. So I'd go that way.
Did you call it a stupid bar fight that, well, let's what is going on. This is what I do for a living.
I know, but sometimes you just gotta you gotta admire and and just stand back and just say, look, people are great, and I don't want to have to pick you know, you know how hard it is to be great and then you want to pick between great like, I don't know's it's a bar fight.
It's just a fun, philis fickal question. As a quarterback, who do you want the guy right behind me?
Let's let's do more of it. Let's what can we talk about Mohammed Ali versus what do you want to do?
You call it better quarterback? You were Montana.
I didn't even have to.
I was just sitting here going I always know listen.
You made me do that.
It's good.
I was at a Tomam and Ali. I was trying to get you off. Traft.
Do you get a Christmas card from Joe Montana's family? Uh?
No, but I don't. I mean, look, don't try to. We never fought.
We didn't.
We never had a fight, we never had a disagreement, we never.
I just asked Hi about a Christmas card.
Yeah.
No, I'm just trying to say I'm trying to get ahead of you now because I'm trying to get you off, but I'm trying to get ahead of you.
Steve Young, the Hall of Famer joining us on the show. You are on record I think beginning of February where you talked about the Niners need to make or not make Maybe that sounds strong rock Party take advantage of his legs. He's not Jayden Daniels. But I think your quote was he could be eighty percent of Jayden daniel Right, you truly believe that.
I do.
I think he's nifty rights. You saw him in the pocket. He move around, he can carry the football out of the huddle. Look, I don't want to go back over it again, but because the field has gotten bigger, essentially because of the rule changes, you can't launch your body at defenders can't patrol the field as well as they can. It's the game is quarterback position has to threaten the line of scrimmage every play. They don't need to go
do it, but the threat needs to be there. It's too powerful and the players that the quarterbacks that are doing that every play are the ones that are thriving. And so for Brock, he can threaten the line of scrimmage essentially as fast or as stronger all the stuff
that other guys do, but he can't do it. And I think you have to lead into it because if you don't threaten the line of scrimmage, all you're gonna do is be a processing a phenomenal processing quarterback, and every play is out of the huddle, and we're going to just complete lots of passes. Then you're gonna have to go the retail way, right, you have to go the long way. In today's game. There's shortcuts everywhere, and you got to take advantage of them. And and and
so I think he can do more of that. And I think that and as they try to iterate. Look, when the world changes happen, there's three guys that ran in the future, Andy Reid, Kyle Shan and Sean McVay, and every coach that come out that's been thriving in the NFL's come from those guys, and they've all kind of they had a tactical advantage for six seven to eight years. That tactical advantage has gone. Now there's too
many guys out there teaching the same thing. So there's got to be a new iteration of it, a new you know, a real you know, kind of reinvent yourself. And so for Kyle and Brock, to me, it's leaning into threatening the line of scrimmage with him carrying the football. I know that sounds scary to people, and that's how he gets hurt and all that kind of stuff. But in today's game, you have to do it or if you're gonna be championship football.
If you look at the amount of money that the quarterbacks make and they defer, you know, they restructure their deals, at what point do you think a quarterback should have a say in what is done with the money that they're freeing up like Mahomes Josh Allen yep? Should they be able to have input in free agency?
Look, given enough time, in a million years, all sports leagues will be owned by the players, right because they're the ones that are on the field. They'll they'll be the equity owners. It's inevitable over a million years. It's just that football is going to be a really long time. But I think that in that sense, players, especially the ones that you've invested to be the you know, the pillars of your of your of your team, should be included.
Should be included, those personnel conversations should be included in
the draft. The biggest mistake and I told Aaron Rodd, I told Tom, I took pay I told anyone I could that the biggest mistake I made was not Look, I don't want to say that I did not wanted to do unnatural things and walk in and tell him you better draft that guy, or you better take care of me, or you better no. But I wish that I would have gone into them, into the room and and and how to say, and had the conversation and talk through it and try to make sure that we were,
you know, as a as a quarterback, trying to advocate for what felt like we needed to try to take care of and I am. I encourage players to do it with the right spirit, with the right you know, the way to do it with tactically that's appropriate, that kind of thing. But but absolutely, Dan, if you're going to do a quarterback, you know, a team friendly deal over many many years, you better you got to tell me that you're going to be part of those conversations.
Absolutely well.
You can only imagine what Aaron Rodgers felt when he's watching the draft and they decided to take Jordan Love and they gave him a five minute.
There's tough moments. I look, I'm not I'm not even trying to avoid that or like, oh, don't you know I'm gonna go and advocate you better not do I'm not talking about threatening what I'm trying to do is is build a partnership in personnel. Because what I what my experience was, and I'm sure it's still the same.
We watched every player, every draft class come in the first OTA, and we as players were all look at the guys that they drafted and like, you know, he's pretty good or oh he sucks, you know right away, and like, as players, if we have that sense in fifteen minutes, I'm overstating it, but in a very short amount of time, why would we not be invited into at least give an opinion about what we see in
a certain player, a certain thing. I can think of Gino Carmazi or I mean, like we had lots of draft guys at quarterback, Like what do you maybe let me work the guy out? Why wouldn't you have the quarterback Like that's to me, that's a big mistake that the league continues to make and not you know, kind of getting the opinion of the players that are on the field.
I don't know how much you saw of shod Or Sanders the past two seasons, but it feels like, you know, we get to this point of leading up to the draft and then you start to get opinions like we build you up and then we tear you down, And it certainly happens at that position. And I don't know how much of a role or factor in Deon Sanders with Shadoor Sanders or maybe teams are, you know, saying negative things so he'll slide a little bit, which I always find amazing that Wow, we're not going to take
him now. They said, you know some bad things about him. What do you think of Shudoor Sanders as an NFL quarterback?
I feel like we better talk about Dion for a second because it's so much a part of the conversation. And I think I've I shared this with you, but if I haven't, I'll do it really quick. When he joined the forty nine Ers, he pulled me aside and said, Steve, I am the best teammate you'll ever have. I show up every day, I'm ready to practice, I'm ready to play. I'll always be there and I have your back. That's set.
Now.
The rest of it is a parade that I want it. Just get some popcorn and enjoy because it's gonna be a good time, you know. And that's exactly what he did. So I take that and it's exactly who he was and who I think he is today. It's it's there's a parade and get your popcorn and enjoy the prein I think Shaudur is part of that, part of that same philosophy, right, It's like there's a prey to enjoy and the popcorn everything. But is he ready to play football?
Is he going to do the hard work? Is he gonna be in the classroom studying and memorizing and getting ready to I think those are all things that his dad would say, Hey, buddy, you better, you better be ready to play ball. And so in that way, I'm not going to listen to the noise. I think that should. It's gonna be a The question is about the pure rock talent. It's not going to be about his work ethic as ability to you know, put the time into
all that kind of stuff. I have no I have no worries about that.
But you know, we used to say you had to be six four. You know, we're looking for that guy who's six four or sometype.
The prototype Dan was in the pocket delivering the football. That was because the game was different. The game is now like if you how many teams are still in the past like it is now a time where the quarterback has to leave the huddle every day down with a threat to with to attack the line of scrimmage
and make the defense worry. They're getting up free first downs and free touchdowns and every great quarterback today the prototype is a guy that can run around, throw it all over the field, but yet can still do the traditional job of sitting in the pocket delivering the football. That's the That's Matt Patrick, Mahomes, that's the guy. And Shador he definitely fits the prototype. It might not be size and weight exactly, but absolutely a prototype kind of player.
To give me the guy, the guy who was successful as a quarterback where you go it didn't make sense, but he made it work. Like Drew Brees always amazed me because I go, yeah, how does he do this? And you know he was always had his head up. I mean he was always looking downfield, all around always. But is there somebody that you played with or against and you go, I don't know how he does it because it's just at his size, it's unique.
Uh well, yeah, I mean when I when I met Russell Wilson and I was like, oh my gosh, that dude. I mean, I didn't realize how much taller I was. That made me feel good, like I was dominating here. But it's anyone. But I I admire people that are shorter that can play the game because you know, there is an element of you know, kind of visibility.
But Drew Brees doesn't make sense because he's not fast, he's not quick.
But but but but but he lived in it. He lived in an era where processing was the king. Okay, it was the only king. And and in today's game, processing is vital, but it's it doesn't It's not all you have to have. You have to have the ability to run around threat in the line of Scribage's what I'm trying to tell you is it's different if you talk about a you know, a player that stood in one place his whole career back in the prototype days, a previous prototype I don't know that that person would
thrive in today's game. It's just that different.
Would you be a Hall of Famer in today's game?
This is Dan, Come on, this is my game. I mean I was an oddity back in the day. I was a guy that's like he's a scrambler.
Yeah, you know.
Bill Walsh was the only one that I remember, and luckily I was close to him that looked at me in the eye and said, look, because you can run, you're going to be better. I believe it makes you more powerful, it makes you like the other one else was like, this is an oddity. Tie his legs up, you can't move. It's stupid. We don't need any it's crazy scrambling, crazy guy like I was. I was absolutely an adity in today's game. It is I am. I am the prototype, Dad, I am, I am ready to go.
Just give me a call and I'll.
Are you better than Lamar Jackson in today's game?
Well?
No, still, okay, here we go. I can't help, but can you. It's like it's like you're drawing like a like a fly to the point.
Why are you? You're fired up today?
Like you met.
We want to test you a little bit here. I mean, that's all I'm doing.
But I would say while we're on with Lamar, you know, he's one of my favorites, and I think he is absolute prototype and his his greatness is not still yet found because he hasn't found them to be great and needed lots of help innovative minds and offense today with lots of talent around you that can run all over the field, like they're getting closer. Baltimore finally capitulated a couple of years ago and said, Okay, we're in. We're
gonna get out of the sophisticated running game. We're gonna come. We're commit. We're gonna get you some some some uh you know, offensive minds that are gonna help you thrive as a quarterback. And if and get some talent out of the wide receiver and really kind of down they're half what there's sixty percent of the way there of who Lamar Jackson could be.
And if you want to.
Compare, uh, he's if we raced, what my peak in his peak, he's quicker. There's no doubt. Man, he can make people miss. I can make people miss. Not like him. But if we raced, I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know, would have to do?
You mean like a forty or one hundred?
I think like a forty or even a thirty, you know what I mean, like ra like top end speed, you know what I mean.
I don't know.
We'll see. I was I was sneaky I was sneaky. I ran down a lot of interceptors, and then I cleaned up my mess. I have Tom look it up. No one ever I picked six was unheard.
Of with me.
Never Who would be think I was cleaning it up? But I could chase them down, and I dragged down.
A lot of guins.
Who would be better at delivering papers? It would be faster. You were, Lamar Jackson'd.
Be tight Man'll be close a collection day.
You had to be the doorm who knows you.
Take people to the door. The kid can't find his mom, they don't have the money, and then they could get really fucked up.
I hope I didn't set the tone for you your day or ruin your day, because you know it. Certainly this is therapy for me.
Dad.
Someone wants to talk football at my house, This is.
Like, oh God, you're surrounded by women.
I know, it's just uh, they love they love the game because they you know, it's like Taylor Swift said it was okay, So.
They're like.
Yes, Todd Steve Young during his NFL career, DoD no no.
No, don't know what the number off and find out if there was a pick six?
No, not doing that they have the number of pick sixes.
I thought, we need, no, we need He brought it up.
What is it?
Eleven interceptions returned for touchdown? Wow?
Wow, Wow, it's impossible. Wow, that is impossible.
You know what.
That's what scares me a little bit, Dan, is that when you live in your own little Idaho and you think, you know what this is, how great.
You were great until you got on this over in the corner, he.
Just wants to just, you know, tear you downptions Todd, can you see how many Montana through pick six?
Is?
Here?
We gotta go, We have to go. Thank you, buddy.
Be sure to catch the live edition of The Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio WAPP.
All Eyes will be on Scotti Scheffler as he swings for a third consecutive Players Championship, something no other tour golfers ever accomplish. The Players Championship. On Peacock and NBC, we'll talk to Mike Tannenbaum, former NFL general manager. He'll join us coming up. The corn beef has arrived in the man cave. Of course, the first thing, Fritzie says, is are there any sides? Do we have potatoes? Do we have carrots? Do we have dessert? Soda bread? Yes?
It's nice yes, because when you earlier, when you said who has a better readrift to say today we're having corn beef.
But I was waiting for the list.
There's usually like a list, and it was just you kind of stopped at corn beef.
So I'm like, okay, corn beef and corn beer?
Is that not good enough for you?
That's fantastic. The soda bread, I wasn't aware after that counts?
Yes? JD in Utah? Hi, JD? What's on your mind today?
My mom? Let's switch you to my Can you hear me? JD? Can you hear me?
Yeah? Can you hear me?
Yeah?
That's awesome.
Did I interrupt anything?
I'll just work well.
Okay, let's guess where JD works?
Todd some kind of factory.
He said something like, can we switch it to I don't know if he's doing something with electronics?
Okay, seatan. Where's JD work in Utah? In Utah? Yeah? I think h an office building? He does it? Okay. Marvin sells insurance, Paul Mechanic, I'm gonna say nursery.
Nobody quite nailed that. I'm a carpenter.
Okay, nailed it. Yeah, I saw right through that. That's why you're the ruler. Would you like to be me?
This is wild?
Yeah? Yeah, I see what you're getting Sacramento every morning. That's what you're going to be getting.
But great, j D.
What can I do for you? So we've got a baby girl coming in July. Okay, sorry, congratulations, congratulates importing.
The call too.
Okay, So we've got a baby girl coming in July. We are thinking about naming her Miller. And you've given.
Advice to people in the past that you should give a gift, and I was just kind of wondering what type of gifts and like when do you give it? Like do you give it right after it's.
All to your wife? Yes? Okay, yes, Todd, I'd say a six pack of beer.
If you're calling the kid Miller, what else would you do it? Yeah?
Yeah, hopefully she's light. I'm killing it today. God, I am dominating today. I am dominating. Hopefully she has a good head on her shoulders killing it killy? All right? Uh, so when do you give a gift to your wife? I would say, give it to her when she comes home, because she might be if she has an epidural, she might not be like all there, you know, going through childbirth. I can only imagine, having been there four times and I nearly passed out one time. I'd say, wait until
you get home. I don't know what the gift's going to be. I don't know how you know heavy you want to go in? Did you guys do like a month's salary? Is that still what you do for engagement rings? Is it is a two times or three times a monthly salary or something silly like that, pauling.
Mine was my life savings at the time. I was down to one hundred and fifty bucks after the bye.
M Yeah, I don't I ever got caught up in the cost of it. I just found the ring that I wanted to give my wife. I thought that that and she was fine with that. Yes, seton, I got a family ring. Oh yeah, her family ring. That's good. Yeah. Oh, I'd love to give you your mom's ring or your grandmother's ring. He's like, hey, if we're doing this, this is my ring, right, I'm like heck, yeah, yeah, sweet yes, ton Yeah.
We walked out like that too.
This was like some kind of family heirloom that gets passed down, so we didn't have to spend all tons of money.
Uh.
Doug Whaley, former GM with the Buffalo Bills, was on ninety three point seven The Fan in Pittsburgh and had this to say about Aaron Rodgers.
If I'm Omar Kahn and I'm the Pittsburgh Steelers, one you shouldn't be surprised, and two you have to sit down and really think about do we want to sign up for this? Because he's set in the table in the president early it's all about Aaron Rodgers and it has nothing to do with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's going to hold the whole franchise hostage on waiting for him to make a decision. But that's par for the course when you deal with a.
Guy like Aaron Rodgers. So you have to make sure you really.
Want this not only in your locker room, but to be the face of your franchise. It's not going to be the Pittsburgh Steelers anymore. It's gonna be Aaron Rodgers Pittsburgh Steelers, all right.
Doug Whalley, former Bill's general manager, on ninety three seven the fan in Pittsburgh. We bring in Mike Tannenbaud, former general manager in the NFL. Let's follow up with that, Mike, how is Aaron Rodgers supposedly holding the Steelers hostage?
Well, if you're the Steelers, you just traded for DK Metcalf, Dan, you give him thirty million dollars a year and a second round pick, and your plan is not to throw the ball from Mason Rudolph to George Pickens and Dk Metcalf. I'm sure they're sitting there thinking like, it's not ideal, But if we go with Russell Wilson, we'll go with Russell Wilson. But Aaron Rodgers gives us a chance to
get to where we want to go. Last year, Dan, they averaged fourteen points per game over their last five games.
Okay, but how does Minnesota factor into all of this? And is it Minnesota who's holding the Steelers hostage?
I think that's right, and that's astounding to me. First of all, you and I have been around the spot a long time. Can you ever remember a team losing three quarterbacks in the period of ten days? And Nick Mullins, Angel Jones and Sam Darnold Kevin O'Connell must be, you know, the modern day quarterback whisper. It's really remarkable. I think it's different though, in terms of bringing in Aaron Rodgers.
If you and I were running the Vikings, it all would be about what's the best situation for JJ McCarthy and I don't understand how Aaron Rodgers fits that bill.
But if you're the Steelers, why don't you just say to Aaron Rodgers, we need a decision by today, like we have to move on here. We want you, but I need to know how much you want us. And maybe he's telling the Steelers I don't. I may want you, but I really want that Minnesota situation better than this or you know, it's a better opportunity, a higher ceiling there.
Dan, look like you don't have to be hypothetical. That's what's happening right now, because why else would Aaron Rodgers be waiting? And I agree with you one hundred percent. Take you into Omar con gm the Steelers. Look, Aaron, we are signing Russell Wilson today, Like you don't have to worry about reading about it, hearing about from your agent.
I am giving you the answers to the test.
If you do not sign by close of business today, you will be reading that Russell Wilson as a Steeler and you're either going to be backing up JJ McCarthy or you're going to be in met life. And let me ask you a question, Aaron, what was the last time there was a Giant quarterback since Eli Manning? That went to the Giants and it worked out well. So the decision is happening today. We love you, we want you, but we have to run our team in our best interests, and we're giving you all the information.
Mike Tannebaum you can see him on Get Up, a variety of programs, NFL Live and Sports Center. What are the Cleveland Browns doing?
I think for them it's a little bit different. I think that's a little bit more about stability. Look, Jamis Winston, you know was, look, let's be gracious here, inconsistent last year. I think for them they need optionality. If we were speaking three weeks ago, I think talking to people around the league, I think Tennessee was going to consider moving on from cam Wood.
That's not going to happen.
You know, they went out and they signed Dan Moore, they moved Latham to the right side, they signed Zeitler. Everything they're doing says they're taking cam Ward. So for the Browns, Russell Wilson at least gives us a step up from a consistency standpoint over to Jameis Winston. It's a consequential year for Andrew Barry, Kevin Stefanski so like to be They're just looking for stability, and that's what Russell Wilson brings.
Okay, But would you rather have Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson If you're the Browns.
One hundred percent, it's Kirk Cousins.
If we go back to Minnesota where Kirk Cousins had a ton of success for a lot of those years, Kevin Stefanski was the offensive coordinator right now, you know, the Atlanta Falcons have told Kirk Cousins and his agent repeatedly, you're not going anywhere on Sunday. He has a ten million dollar Robster Moons that becomes guaranteed. It's next year,
but it becomes fully guaranteed. I'm just telling you, like Dan bringing it inside a franchise, if a player doesn't want to be there, like you don't want him there like everything is about Michael Pennis in Atlanta. And if kirk Cousins is saying that I don't want to be there and I'm not going to be in the offseason program, I'm going to show up late, be the first one to leave, Like go out and get a Drew Locke or Jacoby Brissett as a backup and cut your losses.
You know, we've seen great franchises like the Rams pay you know, Jared Goff over one hundred million.
Dollars to move on.
We've seen the Eagles pay Jared went excuse me, Carson Wentz over one hundred million dollars and move on. And I think you show me a franchise with good mental toughness, I'll show you a good franchise. And that's what Atlanta needs to do with Kirk Cousins.
Which situation do you like better? Quarterbacking wise, the Raiders with Gino or the Seahawks with Sam Darnold.
Yeah, I'm very treated by Sattle and Sam Donald. I think first of all, that was masterclass GMing to get seven years younger, less expensive at a third round pick. Do I think Gino Smith arguably may be a little bit better than Sam Donald possibly, but I think Smith and Jigba if he was on the East Coast, we'd be talking about an emerging star at receiver. Clearly they're gonna have to add another piece or two there. Offensive
line has to get a little bit better. But I the fact that Clint Kobe act their new offensive coordinator, no Sam Darling from their San Francisco days, I think is meaningful.
We had Steve Young on yesterday and he said that there's some organizations that are stuck in the stone Age. I'm going to paraphrase that unless you're part of the Sean McVay Tree, Kyle Shanahan Tree, Andy Reid Tree, then you're in the stone age. Is when it comes to offense. Those guys understand what the what is the future in the NFL, and certainly at the quarterbacking position. Your thoughts on that, I think, you know.
That is somewhat true. You know, it's interesting going through this jet Head coaching search. We talked to a lot of people, learned a lot and some of the feedback
we got from the defensive coaches was fascinating. And the trend in the league is, you know, looking at Schiff's motion all the prestat movement it does put you know, logically as you would think, it puts pressure on the opposing team's defense, like when the picture is static, which some classic quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, they want the picture to be static. They want to collect information.
But the more you talk to defensive coaches around the league, all those things that teams do, it just puts pressure. Like Dan, you're a former athlete, like when you have to think, you're not playing as fast as when you're just reacting. So I think there is something to it now to shift in motion, just to shift in motion, you know, like that doesn't really accomplish things. But I generally agree with Steve. I think the other thing too,
is it's not a one size fits all approach. If you have a backup player in who's making one twentieth of a starter, which happens a lot in our system because of the salary cap, you have to plan accordingly. If your backup tackles in, you have to chip, you have to slide protections. You can't put the backup left tackle on the same island that you can, you know, Trent Williams or fill in whatever blank, and I think some coordinators understand that concept better than others.
I'll leave you with this, if you ran the Titans, if you were the GM, what are you doing at the top of the draft?
Cam Ward, cam Ward and cam Ward. I think the most impressive part about the combine, Dan, was what the Miami University of Miami offensive lineman and teammates said about cam Ward. I'm a big believer in life is who you really are, is how you treat people that can't help you. Kim Ward was a selfless leader. He has what it takes. I think his intangibles are off the charts and they shouldn't answer the phone if someone calls him.
Great to talk to you. Have a good weekend. Thank you, Mike.
All right, thanks Dan.
Mike Tannenbaum, former general manager with two teams in the NFL and pretty high praise there with cam Ward going number one overall. Just saw this that Diana Rossini of the Scoop City podcast and the Athletics said, nobody with the Steelers believes Aaron Rodgers camp that the quarterback has chosen or going to choose them. ESPN's Kevin Seaffert reported Wednesday, the Vikings have quote at least been entertaining the possibility
internally of signing Rogers. Ian Rapaport of NFL Network said the Giants have essentially told Rogers that they want him to be their starting quarterback. Jerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette noted the Steelers have extended and offered to Rogers, and they're just waiting for him. The Giants, according to Diana Rossini, are believed to have made the largest contract offer to Rogers. I don't know what any of this means, because we're talking about Aaron Rodgers