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Welcome in what'ch driving the Great? Episode two seventy two. Apologies for not being here on Thursday. Just some issues on the block where the story is preventing us from being able to record. But what you missed out on was hopefully follow us on Socials was Demid giving out another winning teaser. This is a true Oh. By the way, here's what missed the cut. Demonse hit his fourth teaser in a row. There was a second Monday night football game.
Listen the Cardinals won, Chargers lost, and Deshaun Watson's out for the season. I might touch on that in today's show, I might not. I'm debating it. It feels like it feels like most of the takes have been that need to be said have been said. And it'll really depend on my mood how much I want to get into the vociferous defense. You know what, screw it, I'll just start the show with it very quickly, and then we'll
get to the fun stuff. So pop Demanse off the screen if you don't mind, because we're gonna get the fun stuff with him in a moment. Here's what I'm gonna say. Uh, the reason people are so galled at the vociferous defense of Deshaun Watson after he pops his achilles at it's very you know, I shouldn't say people are so galled. The reason I was so galled is
the very simple fact of this. And this is the only thing that I think people haven't put real voice to where if they have, I missed it, So I'll say it, and if someone else said it before it before me, my apologies. The only class of people Deshaun Watson could have been accused of doing what he did to those people or women. And you might be like, well, how many classes of people are there. Here's what I mean. If Deshaun Watson was credibly accused of abusing two dozen children,
his teammates would not embrace him. And if Deshaun Watson was accused of using his power, influence and physical stature to sexually abuse two dozen male masseuses, his teammates wouldn't embrace him. That's why it's so galling is you can say, oh, it's a family, they're not worried about off the field.
I am here to tell you right now, and everyone listening and watching knows it that if what Deshaun Watson was accused of doing and settled lawsuits and there's new lawsuits and incredibly credible allegations if any of that, if it involved children, no team would have touched him. And if it involved men, no team would have touched him because they'd have been worried will the locker room accept him?
But because it involved grown women, there was an understanding, Eh, if he's good, I think they'll I think it'll be okay. I ain't guys, we'll be fine with it. And then, as it turned out, even though he was the worst quarterback in the league, when the guy pops's achilles and fans have a unfortunate reaction. We got folks standing up there saying he's been a model citizen for most of his career. Okay, I mean John Wilkes Booth was a model theater patron for most of his life. I mean,
I mean, what are we talking about? Model citism for most of his career except for those two or three dozen, you know times. So I think that's I think, at its core, it is about the lack of regard and respect people have for women as a human class. And that's that's my takeaway on it. I didn't actually, like I said, I wasn't even sure if I was gonna talk about it, but we talked about it. Now will
flip things around a bit because we weren't here Tuesday. Demond, welcome back in so you might be the best football better in America right now. This is really one of the most shocking turn of events I've ever seen. But you so demands people don't know does this? Obviously you know that. But also works on the Fox Sports lot in LA for the studio shows, doing a lot of different things. But you are you occasionally ir regularly cut tape for the herd. Correct, Like we don't really talk
about this much. But that's a fair job, part of your job description. So you were included in the herds Picks contest, and they the format tell me if I'm wrong, is exactly like I do my picks. Five picks against the spread a week.
Correct, he's actly fuck week.
So I demonte didn't want me to talk about this, but it's too remarkable, not too He's twenty seven and eight documented twenty seven and eight through seven weeks. His record by the week has been four and one, two and three in week two, and then four and one, four and one, four and one, five and oh four and one correct. I'm reading this properly. Yeah, so it's not just it's not just that the teasers you've hit four in a row, but you're twenty what is twenty
seven and eight? That's twenty seven times three is seventy one? The no, it's not twenty seven times three? Holy shit, is eighty one? Twenty seven times three is eighty one. So you're probably seventy eight percent against the spread to check real quick, twenty seven over thirty five, seventy seven percent against the spread. Second place in this contest is Jaymack Who's twenty two and thirteen. Twenty two and thirteen,
by the way, is an awesome record. I'd killed for it this year, You're twenty seven and eight.
So I'm betting Gods, I don't know what's going on right now, but I'm hoping it continues. I Mean, my biggest mistake in the last three or four weeks is putting the Jets in anything. I mean, because I had them in the blazon and then I had them in a parlay that I actually put money on this weekend.
But listen, I'm just gonna tell America demanse last week and then we'll get to Monday night football demand last week text me, uh.
And that is put in the missed Yeah.
The hold on wait wit no, because you hit one line.
You yeah that one to two weeks ago. I hated the one that I just placed. It was I think it was like this second Yeah, was the one that I saw. It was a six legger, all five legs hit except for the Jets one Jets.
So last last week, Demonse put this in Bears plus one and a half and then and the Bucks minus three and a half and then Ravens, Falcons Eagles money line it was plus seven sixteen, a seven to one five team parlay. It hit yes or this weekend Demonse put this in. It was a seventeen to one six leg parlay, Broncos minus two and a half, Chiefs money line, Commander's money line, Bengals money line, Raven's money line, and the Jets minus a point and a half. I mean,
it's an all time run. And I'm just proud. This is. You know, I wasn't there for you to learn how to walk, but this is. I imagine what it felt like like seeing it from the beginning, like starting to crawl and then like.
Stumbling over what this means and yeah, like oh.
Oheu and now and now you're twenty seven and eight on the year. It's just fantastic. All right, let's get to the actual show. Go ahead, bell.
Oh, so, after a hot start in the beginning of that game, Baker and Tampa Bay and I keep up with Lamar and the Ravens. They were humming and firing on all cylinders. Lamar is now number one in MVP Odd's by a sizeable margin. After another meteorcre performance from your guy Mahomes. You said it would be hard for Lamar to win another MVP due to voter fatigue, but who else would they give it to besides Lamar? Right now?
Look, right now, Lamar is running away with it and we're in a really so this is and I'm going to this is going to be the story of today, which is I kind of have a theory that I'm going to end up being sports Twitter's main character today. And you never want to be the main character on Twitter,
but sometimes sometimes you accidentally do it. Sometimes you know it's going to happen, and sometimes you feel like you have an obligation to do it, which is, I'm going to be the only person to remember what everyone said eight months ago, every single person who covers sports, which was we're done giving Lamar MVPs until he doesn't fall apart in the playoffs. That was that absolute consensus, accepted
opinion in January. And now we're seven games into the year and Lamar's looking like he's going to win MVP, which, by the way, I'm actually fine with. I don't actually care about the NFL MVP the way I care about the NBA MVP. I think one has much more historical resonance than the other. But what I am not going to allow for is everyone to pretend we have not
been here before. And I saw I'm gonna do this on the show, and you know this in theory should give Kevin Wilds a head start to think of a rebuttal. But Kevin Wilds doesn't watch the podcast. I saw Kevin Wilde's tweet yesterday that is a great one. But the only problem is it word for word applied to last year. From the Ravens perspective, Lamar's the MVP and playing better than ever. Patrick Mahomes is playing the worst football of his life. If Lamar can't make the Super Bowl this year,
it will literally never happen. This is literally what everyone was saying at the end of last season and then and last season, by the way, it's Mahomes was playing worse than he is now and the Chiefs were losing. Oh, Nick, Lamar nep didn't have a game like last night last year? Two hundred and eighty yards, five touchdowns a one fifty eight rating. Hey, Siri, what was the final game of Lamar jackson season last year? Oh, three hundred and twenty yards,
five touchdowns a one fifty eight rating. The exact thing he did yesterday as many touchdowns as in completions more than ten yards per attempt. Guys, we've been here before. Now I can hold upple thoughts in my head at one time. What'd you say, go ahead.
To the new year. We've been here before. But I think this team is a little bit more complete. No, the defense isn't great, but Derrick Henry's there and.
Eric Henry is that. But the defense is far worse last years. So I'm gonna push back on you on this now. By the way, here's gonna be the downside to you being America's sharpest football better no more kid gloves on some of these football arguments. If you're gonna beat me in picks, I'm gonna have to beat you in some of these arguments. You can't say they're more complete team. You can say they're a scarier offense. But last year they had the best defense in football to
go along with this offense. This year they the offense is even better, but the defense is as of this moment, not nearly the caliber it was last year. So again, I want to make this clear. I'm fine with Lamar winning MVP. I'm also fine with having a real discussion of is where does Lamar Jackson rank on the all
time regular season quarterbacks list? Because his winning percentage is unbelievable, His numbers, his the numbers are weird because he's never thrown for four thousand yards and he's only thrown for thirty five hundred yards once. But his passer rating is great, his efficiency is great, his yards per attempt is great, his touchdown intercession ratio is great. And obviously he adds this amazing running threat. But and this is what is going to make me sadly the main character of sports
Twitter today. None of this gives me faith that he will be anything like this in the playoffs. And if you want to say, then why play the games? What's the point? It's totally fair response. And my answer is, and again I feel like a jerk, and the listeners and viewers might be saying, it's because you're being a jerk. I want to make this clear. He has been sensational this year. I think he has been dramatically better than
he was last year. Last year I thought I didn't I didn't care that he won MVP, but I didn't love that it was to me, it was like, okay, the Ravens are the best team, so I guess it's got to go to their quarterback. Like I didn't. I took. I didn't love it, but I didn't really care because there wasn't anybody else that took a stranglehold of it. Dak didn't Purty fell apart at the end. I liked Christian McCaffrey, but he is a running back, like there's
a lot of So it was fine this year. The last five weeks in particular, he is playing close to perfect football. In fact, what is what are Lamar's numbers the last five weeks? So I and I'll I'm gonna tell it to you real quick. Last five weeks, Lamar Jackson, He's got to be completing over seventy percent of his passes and his ratings gotta be in the one thirties.
So I'm gonna pop it up right now because and he's probably averaging two hundred I'm just talking about passing two hundred and fifty yards a game, so the damn Football Reference will let me do it in quickly. But he has thirteen touchdowns one pick. Gotta be a rating in the one thirties. Over two hundred and thirty yards a game passing and everything he's doing on the ground. He's playing as well as you can play over the last five weeks, and last night he was absolutely brilliant,
Absolutely brilliant. I still okay, here's the numbers over the
last five weeks. I got it, finally, two hundred and fifty eight passing yards a game, thirteen touchdowns, one pick a, one thirty seven rating, seventy two percent completions, and has added sixty or fifty seven yards a game rushing and two touchdowns, So a total of three hundred and five total yards per game, seventy two percent completions, ten and a half yards per attempt, five and a half yards per rush, thirteen or fifteen total touchdowns, one interception, and
three fumbles lost. So nobody, nobody can question how good he's been. Everyone has not only a right, I would argue, if you're going to be consistent with how we talk about athletes, has an obligation to be highly skeptical that he will be anything like this in the playoffs. And if you want to say no, it's fair to do that to James Harden and Joe el embiid to first ballot Hall of famers to league MVPs two all time regular season guys, but unfair to do it to Lamar Jackson.
I just disagree with you, and he's not the same caliber of player. But every of you want to be like, well, basketball is different than football. Fine, everyone does this exact math to Dak Prescott, everyone and last year who came in second in MVP to Lamar, Dak Prescott so and Dak's and I having a great year, so it doesn't
apply this year. But I'm saying, if Dak right now had these numbers, demons, let me ask, if he had these numbers and was looking like League MVP, do you think the second clause of the conversation would be but we got to see him do it in the playoffs or just be like man, time to give this man his flowers?
No, one thousand percent, Dik gets that same rep. But I do think people would be easier, easier hand it off to Dak Prescott getting it. But yeah, not a thousand percent.
So do you listen? I right now, the MVP odds Lamar is a big favorite. He's plus two to twenty five. And the reason he's a big favorite one is not only because he's been brilliant, But because the guys in second and third are having really odd years, Mahomes makes all these clutch plays and the teams play the hardest schedule and they're undefeated, but his numbers are awful. Josh Allen has totally stopped turning the ball over, just doesn't do it after it being a huge problem last year
or throughout his career. But three of his games this year he's been or two of his games, pardon me, had been two of the worst games of his career, So you know what I mean, he's in a weird spot. And then there's your guy Demons Jared Goff, who has a real case to be made because he's been just as hot as Lamar since the first two weeks of the year. Both those guys have been brilliant since the opening two weeks of the year, yea.
Was looking great. I mean one of those losses was to the Raiders five straight.
Yeah, to the Raiders when they were up to ten points in the fourth quarter. So the I do want to say what to the Bucks In one second, I want to say one thing about about Baltimore the team, And I said this for the year and a Classic one.
Sorry to say it instantly correct, It was totally unfair for the NFL to make the AFC Championship Game rematch week one because, as I said then, and it's being proven out now, if they put Baltimore in a position where if they lose that game, there is nothing they can do the rest of the regular season to feel fully confident going into this postseason. And now what you've seen is they lost that game, there was a bit
of a hangover effect. They lose the next game. Since then, they've been brilliant, But if we are being honest, there is this cloud looming over them, which is the Chiefs. I think it would have been better for the league and for them if that was a later season matchup.
Now for them, it would have been way better because the Chiefs are so banged up, and because in that first game they didn't seem to be fully invested yet in Derrick Henry or the Chiefs just have the best run defense in the NFL, which they of course do. But it's just a weird. Yeah, but going on with Baltimore this year, all right now?
The follow up the month, Yeah, so the Bucks, they obviously had a really good start for their season that they're now down to their top top two I receivers. Do you think but do you think Baker has enough to get it done with the rest of this roster man?
Yesterday was as devastating of a loss as a team can suffer. And I don't know how closely people were watching this game, Demanse. What you look confused about something.
Really is devastating as a losses. They could it because they came out to oh.
Like no, because of because because of the I'm saying that the context of how it was so see it. Well, there's just so many pieces to it. So if people didn't see it. The Bucks go down, score a touchdown seven to nothing. They then get a stop, go down, immediately score another touchdown. It's called off due to a very shaky holding penalty, but it would have been fourteen
to nothing, so it should be fourteen to nothing. Everyone's healthy. Instead, they then have the holding penalty, throw a pass to Mike Evans that is a perfect not a perfect pass, but it could be caught. Evans drops it and it looks like pulls his hamstring. So now instead of being up fourteen to nothing, you're up ten to nothing and Mike Evans, who came into the game. Gimpy is out. You then that next time down have another chance to score. Baker throws a terrible interception in the end zone and
it's off to the race's Baltimore. You then have kind of a fake comeback. Lamar makes a his one bad mistake of the game, the backwards pass. They score a touchdown. They then get an onside kick, score a touchdown, and now find themselves and I'll defend Todd Bowles on this down ten with a minute left. The game is not over.
You're in trouble, you're a huge, huge, huge dog, but it's not over, and you've recovered an on side kick, so you should be trying to win if you're My general rule of thumb is if you are down less than three scores and there is more than twenty seconds left, the game's not over. I can you know what I If the situation exists where field goal, touchdown or touchdown field goal or even touchdown touchdown can win or tie you the game and you have a reasonable amount of
time left, you should still be trying. And so that's what they did. So I don't blame Todd Bowles for leaving his guys, and if they were down seventeen it would be outrageous, but down.
Two scores think they were actually doing something.
Moving the ball right, And so I thought what I thought before Godwin got hurt was gonna happen is I was like, Oh, they are going to kick a field goal to make it a seven point game and then go for an on side kick with thirty seconds left, and again a million things have to happen, but you're not dead. So they left the guys in, so I didn't.
And I'm watching closely also because I have Tampa plus three and a half on the show Picks, So I when they're down ten, I'm like, if they don't kick the field goal, if they just go score, and then now they're down three, and then on like I get a weird back door cover and Godwin suffers a terrible ankle injury. So now you have no Evangs, you have no God. When your defense hasn't been good all year because of the injuries, you're your real, real, real trouble.
And do I think that they could still make the playoffs? I actually do because now their next three you have the Falcons huge game and then Chiefs Niners. But then after that, Demons. Here's what they have Giants, Panthers, Raiders, Chargers, Cowboys, Panthers, Saints. So you have four games, five games against some of the worst teams in football, Giants, Panthers, Raiders, Saints. You
already have four wins. So I don't think they're dead, but I think that any hopes they had of having a great season are dead with no godwin, and we don't know how long Mike Evans is gonna be outful. So that's where I'm at. That was very long first few topics, and we haven't even gotten to the game of the week. So go ahead.
Yeah. So in that Super Bowl rematch, you know, Kansas City obviously pulled out another improbable dub San Francisco was banged up with still might have more complete roster than Kansas City with the people that were Uh, these unlikely wins just keep stacking up. How what's longer do you think the Chiefs can stack can keep doing this?
I mean, I hate everything about the question you just asked. There's nothing unlikely about it. Here's here's what Here's what I what is frustrating to me about the discourse surrounding the Chiefs. They've played six games. How many of those games, Demanse, do you think they trailed for even one second in the fourth quarter of those six? Improbable?
Lucky No.
One the Cincinnati game, because remember the Cincinnati game. Yeah, yeah, the the Ravens, Saints, Falcons Niners game. They led every second of the fourth quarter their Charge game, it was briefly tied, and then they led the rest of the fourth quarter. And in the Bengals game they had to
pull it out. It's not improbable for the team with the league's best defense, the league's best coach, and also the league's best quarterback, even though he's not playing that way, except for, of course, in the biggest moments of the game, where on fourth and two, fourth and goal from the two, up only two points in the fourth quarter, he truck sticks to safety to assault the game away. That team
is supposed to win. The two time defending champion on a twelve game winning streak is supposed to win games. What's improbable is that Vegas continues to make Patrick Mahomes an underdog. What is offensive is that the Brock Purdy has never been an underdog once in his career, and Patrick Mahomes has been an underdog fourteen times.
Stating to say that again.
The San Francisco forty nine ers have not been an underdog in a single game they have played since Rock Purty took over. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs have been an underdog fourteen times in Patrick Mahomes' career, including five of their last six playoff games they were underdogs. They of course won all of those. So I mean Mahomes is, among other things, the greatest underdog quarterback in NFL history.
The numbers are insane. And also he's twelve one and one against the spread and eleven and three now straight up, So wait, is that right?
He was?
Yeah, eleven and three straight up, twelve to one and one against the spread another game where they were underdog, And so I the I don't know what to tell you other than and I know today that the conversation today is going to be like It's just I get so irritated about how the Chiefs are discussed because people want the Chiefs to be something they're not. They're like, Ah, they're boring, Oh they're lucky, Oh they're you know, the guys.
They have played the league's hardest schedule. The quarterback that everyone acknowledges is either the best or the second best player the league has ever seen, has played poorly through major stretches of this season. They have suffered as many injuries to key players as any team in the league, and they are winning these games handily. I oh, what do you mean they're winning handily. They led the Ravens
for every second of the second half. The Ravens did have a chance at the end to tie it on the final play of the game, the Bengals give them trouble. Credit to the Bengals, and the Bengals almost won that game until, of course, Mahomes, having played the worst game of his career up to that point, arguably on fourth and six through a perfect pass, it got called back due to a questionable hold, even though, of course the Chiefs get all the calls, And then on fourth and
sixteen Mahomes threw another perfect pass. The very next week against Atlanta, they controlled every aspect of that game. The very next week against the Chargers, they went down ten to nothing instantly, then pitched to shutout and controlled that game. The very next week against New Orleans, they controlled every aspect of that game and yesterday or Sunday against the defending NFC champion Niners, they led by double digits for major stretches of the game and led by nine plus
for basically the entirety of the fourth quarter. What are we talking about? So?
Uh?
I think that the Chiefs are demonstrably better than every team. I hear a lot of people I respect saying, well, we'll see about what happens in January, but right now, Baltimore is clearly the best team. Okay. I mean, if you want to say that, that's fine. I think it's ridiculous to have that opinion, truly ridiculous to have that opinion, But it's fine. People can have that opinion. And I hope that there's more spots where the Chiefs are underdogs because they're incredibly profitable.
But do you think that will happen, like I know you hope that, do you think that will actually happen again for the rest of the year.
I think they'll be underdogs in Buffe Yes, Vegas doesn't respect this team flatly. I think they'll be underdogs in Buffalo. I don't think they'll be underdogs at home at any point this year. But I also want people to understand what is going to happen here. The Chiefs are gonna go into that game against Buffalo nine and uh, they're home for the Raiders. They're then I'm sorry, they're at
the Raiders. They're then home for Tampa. That Tampa game would have been tough, but now it's gonna be no Godwin, no Evans. And then they play the Broncos and so they're gonna be nine and oh going into the Bills game. And the other thing about this is, I the Chiefs
have had incredible, you know, brutal injuries all year. I get it, but they have a if the Texans stumble at any point, and if the Chiefs beat Buffalo in a month, the Chiefs have a real chance to lock up the number one seed historically early because they're right now three games clear of Baltimore because Baltimore's got the two losses, and if they finished with the same record,
the Chiefs get it. So like, let's just if the Ravens go undefeated the rest of the way, in order to be the one seed, the Chiefs have to lose three times. Now, by the way, going into the year, I did think the Chiefs were gonna lose three times this year. So let's just say they do lose three times. That means everyone else is gonna have to go undefeated. Anyone that wants to be the one seed, it's gonna have to go undefeated or beat The Chiefs had to head and only lose once. So good luck.
But I are you scared that because I know in the beginning of the years A couple of years ago you were like, oh, twenty and zero, never a doubt, won't lose a game, And then coming into this season, you were like, they're not gonna go twenty and oh. Whatever is that kind of on the board. Aren't you thinking it might be possible that they do go twenty and oh?
Or I don't regular goal with all the.
Games that they play it in the teams that they have remaining, I mean, I get they have like rival reasons.
So here's the thing is this. I think that last year I thought twenty and oh could be a goal because you want to make sure you stay locked and focused and have like this rabbit to chase. This year, they have it and it's the three peat. We've seen an undefeated season. We've seen a team go seven or sixteen and oh, and then losing the Super Bowl. What we've never seen is a three peat. And I like, this is going to be an unpopular take, but I
would be absolutely fine with And I don't listen. I think if I know the Chiefs, here's what I know. They probably will lose that game in Buffalo, and they'll lose a dumb one. I think they're gonna lose a dumb game and a game the game in Buffalo. But let's say I'm wrong, and let's say they start fifteen, they beat the Texans, lock up the one seed, and they're fifteen and zero. If they do that, I would be totally fine with them resting players saying we don't
care about the fifth seventeen and zero. We're going for a threepeat, all right.
Next Yeah, So it turns out Davante Adams was not the cure for what the Jets needed. Rogers once again played pretty badly and took the podium to put the blame on somebody else. He said his teammates need to stop listening to the media and keep faith in themselves. So, right now, what is the Jets' biggest issue? Maybe Aaron Rodgers was internalizing there.
I mean, I I did. It's actually I went back and watched it that the rant I did yesterday on the Jets, which was kind of impromptu. If you go to the First Things First YouTube page is worth checking out. If I don't say so myself, just because I'm so exasperated and it's mostly off the cuff, so I don't want to do that again. I'll be very clear on this and concise. The problem with the Jets is the same problem with the Las Vegas Raiders and the New
York Giants and the New Orleans Saints. They're not good. And what frustrates me about the Jets commentary is everyone is like trying to big brain figure out what's happening here, and the answer is fucking nothing. They're bad. Teams are bad.
Like I'm so confused. Can someone crack this riddle as to why a team that has a mediocre old offensive line, that has the oldest quarterback in football who's also coming off in Achilles, the worst leader in sports, and somewhat you know, interested in football and somewhat interested in the you know, the the history of the world and running for vice president and recreational drugs, that that team who fired their coach doesn't have a real offensive coordinator. Uh
wasn't a thirty two year old wide receiver away? Can someone solve this mystery? Guys? It's nobody says what's wrong with the Giants? Can someone figure it out? We're just like, oh, they're bad. Bad teams are bad, guys, Can someone can? We need to spend time discussing why the Raiders are two and five? You know why the Raiders are two and five because they're a two win caliber team with the Jets. People are like, well, the talent, I mean,
they've got some talented players. Max Crosby's pretty awesome. DeVante Adams was one of the talented players on the Raiders. He's like, I can't in my career this way. Okay, so you're just gonna end it on the East Coast in the exact same way, Like, I mean, I don't, I just I don't got it. People are like Woody Johnson was shaken to his core by the loss to the Broncos. Why, you know what, the Broncos are better than you. You know what, the Broncos are a decent team.
You know what you are a bad team. Bad teams lose games. I mean it's just maddening, and I just I am so sick of people trying to explain it. Nobody. We don't do this with any other team. The NBA starts tonight. Oddly, this is something that's not on a lot of people's radar. We'll talk about it later. But you know what I didn't get a lot of last year during the NBA regular season. What's going on with the Raptors. Why aren't the Raptors better? And it's like, well,
because they're not good. They're not a good team. And you know what, that's unfair. That's unfair to the Raptors because they won a championship recently. Let me do it everyone, Brooklyn Nets. Can someone figure out why the Nets aren't winning more games? When the answer was poorly run franchise that's not that good and hasn't been good, so they lose the game is supposed to lose. It's like, oh, yeah, that's right, that's it. So I'm not The Jets have
beating the Titans and the Patriot. The Titans and the Patriots are your wins. Every team that is not god awful you've lost to. And people are like, well, here's the percentage of two and five teams, I want to make the playoffs. Here's the thing about the two and five teams, the six percent that made the playoffs, you know what, they weren't bad. This seems bad. So I
just find the whole Jets thing. And I am annoyed at how credulous like some of the Homer cheerleaders stuff that I do for the Chiefs on national television, other folks were doing for the Jets, as if that's acceptable. Guys. I just want to let you guys know something, just spoiler alert. If I'm still on TV in fifteen years and Mahomes is no longer on the Chiefs and the Chiefs are a clown show organization, I won't be dropping banners. I won't be picking them to win the Super Bowl
every year. I won't be picking him to be MVP. But these folks that are like, oh, I was in Florham Park this summer. They are dialed in. Oh, don't worry about the mini camp and the fact that the coach in the quarterback don't get along, and they tried to replace the offensive coordinator and they have the worst owner in the NFL, or at least on the short list They're gonna be great because look at the talent they added in Mike Williams. Mike Williams who now is
basically out of the rotation. Just a joke. It's a joke, all right.
WNBA demise yeh will no longer be betting on the Jets. You're planning to bet on the underdog Chiefs to pay for the tickets for the WNBA finals. Worked out. You and Deiana went to the closeout game and saw Liberty oht win an instant classic. I know you guys were there for that buzzer beater was a Sabrina hit, Like I won't say it was like three.
Fal no, no, no, I wasn't no that. We weren't there for that one. We were that that was game four. We were there for Game five, which was yesterday or something.
Okay, yeah it was.
It was also an instant classic that went to overtime. But it was I mean, this was great. We weren't there for the buzzer beater.
Yeah. So the coach of the Link said that the series was stolen in an all time accusation. Your thoughts on the series.
It seemed a little stolen, Listen, I'm happy for the Liberty, and they were the better team over the course of the year. The officiating in Game five was an embarrassment. There's no there's no getting around that. Uh, I mean, it just was and the and so I feel sick for Minnesota. I also, though, do think there's a small part of me that thinks I don't think it was rigged for New York. I think the officials were intimidated by a home crowd that was electric, and that's why
you fight for home court advantage. And that crowd at Barclays was out of this world, out of this world, and I mean, it was pretty unbelievable. So here is I'll tell you. And it was a great series, a great series. I'm sad for Collier, who's a great player who deserved, you know, to win the championship. And some very very very tough calls at the end, it gets to overtime, and in overtime the Liberty are able to pull away, I mean despite I mean, some of the numbers in
this finals game are incomprehensible. So Sabrina I and Escu demansee who's one of the greatest players in the history of women's basketball. She's the one who hit the logo three to extend, you know, to get the series where it is, or you know, get them one of the wins in the series. Demand She was one.
Nineteen, Yeah, I saw her once.
I saw for nineteen and Stewie, who is art maybe the greatest player in the history of women's basketball, was four for fifteen. So those two now listen. John Quell Jones one Finals MVP and deserved it. But Nafisa Collier was the best player in the series, and you feel sick for her that she you know, they don't win the championship. I will say, though, just real quick on a personal note, all time kind of set up by
me there. So I tweeted what my plan was, which was to bet a somewhat irresponsible amount on the Chiefs is underdogs because it's the best bet in all of sports, and then hope that by the time the Chiefs had it locked there were still great seats available to Game five at Barclays. I live in Harlem, so I'm about forty five to fifty five minutes from Barclays in a car. So demons the actual court side seats We're going for all weekend. Four to ten thousand dollars a ticket. Okay,
that's what they're going for all weekend. I have found four, like row ten center court seats that we're going for like twelve hundred bucks a ticket all weekend. But I'm thinking the closer you get to tip off, it's gonna be lower. Maybe they drop to like seven eight hundred bucks a ticket. It's a lot of money, but it's a championship game. It's a seminal WNBA season, and I'm gonna win at least that on the Chiefs this weekend.
That's the plan. Okay. So the Chiefs have it locked and I start looking for tickets, and your older sister Deora ends up having plans with her cousin. Your mom's been out all day, she doesn't really want to go. So now I'm looking for two instead of four, And those seats that I had been looking at were gone. My gosh, darn it. And then I see two. It's now seven thirty. The game starts at eight ten, seven thirty, and Diana is like, are we going? We should go.
I can put my sweatshirt on, Let's go, Daddy, come on, And I look and see two of those court side seats behind the basket, so not sideline, but corner behind the baskets. You have a great view that we're going for six grand, four to six grand apiece. It's now seven thirty. They have dropped to eight hundred dollars a ticket. There's two right on the aisle, and I'm like, you know what life's about experiences? I just want bucket of money. Betting the chiefs bang Bottom called the uber got in.
We get there, tail into the first quarter. Go to our seats, perfect, going to our seats. Here's what here's here's who we pass Spike Lee who oh I know Spike and Deanna got a picture with him. You saw it in your mom's in Yeah. Then then Angel Reese right there, Deanna got a picture with her as well. Then Caddy corner right next to us, and Angel Reese either either had no idea who I was, totally fair, or knew who I was and didn't like me. That would that would make me sad. I think I was
very good to Angel all year. If she didn't know me, no problem. If she knew me and thought I was one of the people that attacked her, that makes me sad. But there was Deanna was like, is that is she mad at you? I'm like, I don't think she's mad at me. I was like, I don't know, just weird vibes again, just the vibes whatever, But she was super gracious, took a picture with Deanna right next to her Jennifer
Hudson in comics. And then there's our seats. Yeah, so so our seats the court side, but their court side corner. But row two, so there's one, there's AA and BB where BB. So when I'm going to the seat, this guy black dude about my age. When I'm going to the seat, who's sitting one just right in front of me, DAPs me up and I don't know if I know him,
I'm not sure. But then he and I through the game, are the second quarter, are talking about the game, you know, a little bit to each other, and then the guy sitting next to him turns. It's like, what up, Nick, and it's Jadakiss And I did not. I had been talking to the person he was with the whole time and he hadn't turned, so I didn't know it was him. And so then the so I wild is the biggest locks Jakis. That's exactly right, It's exactly right. And now.
And here's the other thing that's a little embarrassing for me. Maybe I shouldn't say it. Also, one hundred could have been a member of the Locks with him, but I don't the you know what I mean, Like, I don't know, I don't know if that was his best friend, brother, business partner, super you know, another famous musician that I
just didn't I couldn't clock whatever it is. But but so I text Bruin Wilde's that I'm you know, talking watching the game with Jadakiss, and Brew text back, ask him if he remembers playing in my celebrity charity game that I won MVP of in twenty fourteen. And I was like, I will not be asking him that. But
so it was. It was a great environment, it was a great season for the WNBA, some tough financial questions coming up, and maybe just maybe coming to a Mahomes Mountain introduction near you could be Jada Kiss at some point. We're working on that. All right, quick break, right back, What's right? Welcome back in What's Right with Nick right before we get back to the show, and remind you guys looking for your next favorite tequila teremana premium small
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For more information, visit Teremonta dot com and follow on social at at tere Monta. Must be twenty one or older. Please enjoy responsibly. Teremna small batch tequila forty percent alcohol by volume, imported by Siete Buck Spirits, White Planes, New York. All right, Demanse, let's keep going. That a bloc was a full hour, so let's try to roll through this relatively quickly. Let's go before we get to our game, the NBA.
So the NBA kicks off tonight or tips off tonight, whatever you want to say. With the reigning champions Celtics playing the Knicks and that new roster will stay mainly focused on the NFL as we're in the thick of the season, but looking ahead, we're gonna spend a few short minutes previewing the NBA season. Do you have any bold predictions?
I know I do not, and in fact, we're not even gonna spend a few short minutes. I have two things to say. One is kind a juiceless NBA preseason, Like right now, demons, how many people that are sports fans do you think know the NBA starts tonight?
Like a lot a lot of people don't know. I was in a room when somebody broke the news to about six or seven other people, So yeah.
Yes, yeah, that is like that, like wait the regular and I understand it starts around the same time every year. But here's my theory. I think our sports brains only like compart like have room for so many high leverage events, and I think the combination of the juice of the w NBA Finals and really the juice of the best baseball postseason of the last decade maybe has pushed the start of the NBA season back. Like obviously, the NFL is taking up the majority of our sports brains right now,
but then the like sidebar topics. I think for a lot of people, it's like, oh my god, this baseball playoffs has been awesome, and because of that, people aren't like locked in to the NBA yet. So I, uh, the I.
N I feel like that's probably the usual because it's such a long season.
No, Yeah, here's where I disagree with. Usually Opening night is big and then it kind of goes in slight hibernation until Christmas and then you know what I mean, and then Christmas starts going. But I just don't I think a lot of people are like, whoa the NBA is starting today. I don't think there's a ton of juice right now for it. And bonus bonus take. I think people aren't as thirsty for NBA basketball is that usually are at this point in the offseason because of
the Olympics. I think the Olympics was such a great experience and run it doesn't feel subconsciously like we're far enough away from high leverage games. So I just think like our sports brains are not ready for the NBA yet. So I Kevin O'Connor just started a new podcast. Everyone should subscribe to it. He left The Ringers with Yahoo's great He asked me if I'd go on, and I told him straight up, I was like, one hundred percent
want to go on. I love KOC. I cannot go on right now because I would be a terrible guest because I have not locked in to this upcoming NBA season. I just haven't, So I only have one prediction. Bronni's gonna play tonight, and some of the worst opinions in all of sports media are going to follow it tomorrow,
and I'm gonna lose my mind. Joel Embiid is an MVP in the prime of his career who just announced y'all will probably never play back to backs again, and they think he might miss game one of the season due to load management stuff that is for good or for bad, and I think for bad. The NBA as it is today, Kawhi Leonard just is he gonna play?
Who knows all? That's the NBA as it is today To act like letting Lebron James, arguably the greatest player in the history of your sport and inarguably the greatest ambassador in the history of your sport and his son to have ninety seconds on the court together to open the season that otherwise has no juice whatsoever is a bad thing. Or disrespecting the game or putting the Lakers in any significant competitive disadvantage is such a disingenuous, awful take and is only going to be had by people
that just can't stand Lebron. So that's my only take. Like what am I excited for? I want to see Bron and Bronni on the court together, and then, to be totally honest, I'll check back in periodically over the next few weeks, but my brain's on football and the World Series right now. All right, demons, let's go to the right ends.
So yeah, So first off with the Liberty. They won a title, and the Yankees are in the World Series, and we'll touch on them in a second. But not everything is great in New York. We got Saquon stuck it to his old team against the Giants. Daniel Jones got bnched in that same game, the Mets were eliminated, and the Jets are the Jets. The happiest person in New York is and the saddest person in New York.
Is Oh I gotta think right now, the happiest person in New York is Aaron Judge thinking he has a chance to have an all time legendary Yankee season, even though he hasn't been the star of the postseason that's been Stanton. But winning an MVP, having this level of regular season, and then delivering New York potentially their first World Series title in fifteen years. I think Judge is
the happiest, the saddest person in New York. I mean, I would imagine as Daniel Jones because he probably knows this Monday is probably his last start as a Giant. So I think he's gonna start this Monday against Pittsburgh and then be done because he has an injury guarantee in his contract that they're not gonna want to kick in. All right, let's go into the World Series.
The Dodgers and Yankees will score off in the World Series starting later this week. The winner of the World Series will be.
So here's the thing. I'm in a weird spot, Demanse, which is I I think the Dodgers are better. However, I will be rooting for the Yankees, and I hate like it's not fun to pick against when you when it's close, at least the team you're rooting for. And I will be rooting for the Yankees because I made a deal, and verbal is binding in my world. With everyone I saw at that Yankees Royals playoff game, every
Yankee fan that I saw that gave me. You know, I'm with your mom, your sisters, a lot of people. I'm an all Royals gear. I'm really not trying to get into it with anybody. And everyone I saw I told him. I was like, hey, whoever wins this series, let's root for the rest of the way. It's like a deal, like if the Royals win, you become Royals fans, and if the Yankees win, all become a Yankee fan the rest of the series. And I made that agreement
with no less than fifty people. So I am I am obligated as a man of honor to root for the Yankees, even though I think the Dodgers are better. But I also have a lot of friends that are big Yankee fans. Some of them are obnoxious, but some of them I love.
And so we'll get the chance to go to the games the Yankees are winning either way, I could go either way.
I could go either way, but man, these this is the most expensive baseball ticket I've ever seen in my life. The most expensive ticket I've ever seen. What do you the get in for standing room only? You don't even have a seat, You just stand in the outfield. Demonse is fourteen to get in the stadium. To not have a seat the seat that I had for those Alds games. For the Alds game you saw the picture of which
were not a plus seats like a minus seats. They were good seats, third baseline, like ten throw oh you know from the field. Those seats right now are like four grand apiece. I've never seen a more expensive ticket ever, So I don't listen. It's on Fox, so I should be if I you know, I should be able to go to some games, and I think I will probably go to some games. But I my general rule of thumb in sports is I don't ask anyone for tickets. I always buy tickets because I want to be able
to root however I want to root. I want to be able to do what I want to do. I might break the rule for this World Series. The tickets that expensive and it's on Fuck, I might I might break the rule. Uh for this one. All right, let's quickly get to the next ones.
The Lions are rolling golf is playing at an historic level, and they just beat the undefeated team in the NFC misis and Minnesota obviously did play well, and no shame in losing to Detroit. Detroit wins the NFC unless.
Oh, I mean, listen, there's a lot of things that can happen there, unless the Aiden Hutchinson injury is too much to overcome, unless Dan Campbell's game management bites. I'm like, I don't think I think Detroit's excellent. I don't think there's an overwhelming favorite in the NFC. Uh. And by the way, like clockwork, and we're just gonna we're just gonna wrap this here. We'll do the listener questions. But Seam Sharania Joel Embiid is out for the opener against
the Bucks. Progressing well and ramping up scrimmaging this week. He did not play this week. He will not play this week. I when did Joel Embiid get hurt? What does this even mean?
Another great he was in the Olympics.
I the the NBA, Honest to god, man, they gotta get their arms. This is alienating their fan base. Man, you cannot have stars. Paul George hyper extended his knee. That's just bad luck. Like Paul George also, but the guy was playing in the preseason and got hurt. You know, he's totally separate. Thing. You cannot have stars that don't play. That's so frustrating. Quick break right back, What's right? All right?
Welcome back in What's Right with Nick Right And as you guys know, my friends at Brooks sent me the new Glisser and Max. These shoes are new, first of their kind for Brooks and they're amazing, comfortable, stylish, leave my legs feeling great after a long run. They feature DNA tuned, which integrates two types of nitrogen infuse cushioning into one seamlessly tuned mid sol plus a glide roll
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Uh yeah, that Joel embiid. How is this not news? Said Nick? Loved the show and the pod and a rare chance to watch. I live in England. Do you think the NBA regular season should reduced the season to seventy games to mitigate load management?
All right? Two things. One is I'm not seeing Demonse right now, I'm seeing the black screen. The other one, there we go, now he's back. I don't know if that would fix it, man, I ain't. There has to like ultimately what I I don't know what the solve is. But what I do know is, you know what the best players of all time all have in common? They played Man, they played and the Joker plays Yannis. Lebron is gonna end up playing more games than anyone ever.
Lebron was in that Netflix thing. They were trying to limit his minutes in game one of year twenty one, and he was like, I hate this. Kobe played Michael Kareem Magic, they played Man, play the games.
Next or retire, right, producers as just play the games producers ass Some talk on Twitter about the Rams being willing to trade Cooper Cup Chiefs question.
Mark, I do not listen. I think Cooper Cup in theory is very good, but he's very expensive, he's getting older, and he's injury prone. So I do think the Chiefs are gonna add someone. It's not going to be an expensive, injury prone guy. So I old guy, older guy. He's not old, but older. So they might do older if you're they're very cheap. But I think if the Chiefs add someone, it's going to I think I do not think the Chiefs are going to trade more than a
fifth round pick. So whatever you can get for a fifth round pick or worse is the market they'll be in.
All right, next uh, Carol Cobb, Nick, I want the same energy with Lamar Jackson wins the MVP of the Super Bowl. I want you to go on national TV and give that same energy, please and thank you sir.
Okay, So can I just say something real quick, Carol Cobb and anyone out there this whole keep the same energy thing? Yeah, of course, guys. Of course, if a player wins Super Bowl MVP, I promise everyone will keep the same energy and talk about how great they've been. The idea like it's just such a straw Man that when guys do what we say they couldn't done, couldn't do, or haven't done, not even what they couldn't, but what they haven't that people then don't give them credit. We're
in the era of premature credit. We're in the era of even if you repeatedly have shown you might not be able to do it, you're actually just a hater if you don't say, but this is the year guys are gonna do it. I I will one, one hundred percent give Josh Allen credit the day he finally beats Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs, and that'll happen at some point.
I will give Lamar Jackson credit the year he finally has a postseason run where his single worst game of his entire season is not the playoff game they lose. But it hadn't happened yet. So I you guys are worried about how I'm going to react if something does happen, I would spend a little time on that, and then I would spend a little more time emotionally preparing yourself for how you're going to react when what has always happened if that happens again? All right, last one demande.
Brian question for Nick, what nicotine passions do you recommend?
Trying to quit the target generic brand ones? This is generic Target brand ones work great, They're cheap, and I think they work better. They'm sure they all work the same, by the ones I've used forever. All right, demand great show, long show. Excuse me, keep the picks up. Talk to you guys later. What's right? Hey, thanks for watching. If you're still here, do me a favor. Hit the subscribe button, then hit the bell so you can be notified when
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