Welcome to the Best of the Week for What's Right with Nick Right the best takes in moments from this week on the show.
Enjoy the season from Hell becomes more hilatious. You guys lost Patrick, You guys lost your backup quarterback in Garda Minshew, and you lost the Titans. And it seems like Kansas City Chiefs are no longer going to be in Kansas City. They might be moving over to Kansas in twenty thirty. How do you feel about this development?
All right, first, let me explain to people what it means. Kansas City Kansas City for all intents and purposes. When people hear about Kansas City, they're talking about the Missouri side. It is where I'm from, so weird kind of border rivalry Missouri or Kansas. But I grew up one block off State Line Road. That is exactly what it sounds like, the line between Missouri and Kansas. Now, confusingly and oddly, the Missouri side of State Line Road is Kansas City.
The Kansas side of State Line Road is not Kansas City, Kansas. That's a different part. Like there is a small part of Kansasity, Kansas that's touches State Line Road, but most of it that touches State Line Road is like uh Leewood or Oleitha or different municipalities. Okay, you guys don't care about that, what you What does matter is this the Chiefs are moving about twenty minutes west of where
they currently play. So this has no impact on them being the Kansas City Chiefs because they were in Kansas City proper. Yes, but they are still in the greater Kansas City area. Just like the San Francisco forty nine Ers play in Santa Clara. The New England Patriots, which people consider Boston's team, play in Foxborough. Like this is the Detroit Pistons used to play at the Palace at
Auburn Hills. This happens. This is not a team moving the way teams move, like Baltimore going to Cleveland, that type of the Cleveland going to Baltimore. Either, That's not what this is at all. Now it does for me as a native Missouri and someone who's lived lived his whole life might have its Kansas Missouri firefighter. I lived in on the Missouri side and whenever people say to me, oh, you're from Kansas, I correct them say no, I'm from Missouri.
I hate that the Chiefs are leaving. I don't hate that Missouri was not held hostage by pro sports owners. And this is where we get into a little bit of tricky stuff. And then we will talk about the football piece of it, because there is a real football
piece of it. But this is so teams because the state of Kansas, via star bonds and other stuff, is going to pay more money for this Chief stadium than any local government, which means taxpayers have paid for any stadium in the history of America one point eight billion dollars. And I have always believed that the call it fifteen biggest cities in the country, all of the mayors slash governors of those states should have gotten together a long time ago and said, folks, we need to have an
agreement amongst ourselves. We are not going to pay for pro sports team stadiums because they want to be in our cities. So New York, LA, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, that your major markets pro sports teams want to be there. The idea that they are going to leave is a bluff. If you are a major, major market, so you should never pay. Never pay. If you're in one of those markets. If you're in a smaller market, it does get trickier
because we have seen teams leave smaller markets. And one can argue, and I have argued for a long time to use my hometown as a example, that the thing that distinct that makes Kansas City different from Des Moines, Iowa, or Omaha, Nebraska is that we have the chiefs and the royals. That's it. We're a two sport pro sport city and there is real economic and civic pride benefit
to that. And Kansas City is not a huge market, so you you can't just dare a team to leave the way LA could or New York could or Washington, DC could, because they might leave. The Kansas City has lost teams before, and so I don't think it. While I understand the argument of there are better things to be putting paying taxpayer dollars for that is correct, I
agree with that in general. I also understand why if you're Memphis, losing the Grizzlies as scary as shit, and it might be worth taxpayer dollars to make sure they stay. And so I think the math is not the same for mid market and small market teams as it is
for major market teams. That's just my opinion. I think I have data to back that up, but it's my gut feeling on how having grown up in one of those places and feeling like I'm from somewhere, and because we have pro sports teams and so this doesn't change that for Kansas Citians, they will still be the Kansasity Chiefs.
Nobody half the country thought they played in Kansas already anyway, And I don't think I understand the gut reaction people have, and I'm with you politically on this, that it is shameful the public subsidies we will give billion dollar sports teams when I mean the city the state of Kansas
has no public transportation none. Don't get mad at me, Governor Laura Kelly, Like, I'm sure there's a few bus routes, but like there are there's there are things that money could be used for that probably would help a greater group of people. I get that, But I also do think that if you're in a city the size of one that a team might leave, losing that team can
be devastating to the community. So I do think you have to weigh that the the problem for the cheap for that the Chiefs were able to play into specifically is because they're on a state line. They could play one state against the other and get basically demanse the benefit that you normally only get this type of I mean, one point eight billion, it's the biggest public subsidy ever.
You normally only get that something like that if you are threatening your fan base with we are moving like we are going to the Seattle SuperSonics are going to become the Oklahoma City Thunder. Because Kansas City that is on a state line, they were able to get the benefit without ever having to threaten. They were never threatening to move to San Antonio. It's just like we'll just.
Whoever is going to the game.
Right, You still get to play the states against each other. And this has been a problem for border cities. This is a bigger problem when it comes to business taxes and municipal funding. And again, this is the part that could be boring, but I'm going to give a very
simplistic story of what's happened in my hometown. Because it's on a state line, you'll have a business, not a sports team, a business that is based in Kansas, and then politicians in Missouri because they want to say, we added jobs to our community, will give that business insane tax breaks to move its headquarters fifteen minutes east over to Missouri, and that business can then not pay the taxes it was once paying. It has no impact whatsoever
actually on who has the jobs. You're not adding jobs to your community. You're just stealing them off the books of Kansas to Adam and Missouri, or Missouri to Adam
and Kansas, vice versa. But it's the same human beings working there, and that has, you know, been That's a problem for mayors and city councils of border cities all the time, like how do we because it ends up being a not a zero sum game again, a zero sum for the overall community, but a huge win for the a zero sum for the employment of the overall community, while being a huge win for the bottom line of corporations. That's a sidebar. Now to the football piece of it,
because here is the te angible effect. The Chiefs are going to play in a dome stadium starting in twenty thirty one.
Hey, that's awesome. I don't know how you feel about that. That's awesome. I love the domes.
I hate it.
So the snow games, that real effect of the weather. Yeah, I like that passion. I'm going to the man, so the.
Other homes here's the so very short term, very selfish. I like the dome for Patrick's late thirties.
Oh and then the new guy is going to be playing in the dome the whole time.
So if we are just talking about maximizing like Mahomes' career, having the fact that his age thirty five in old, old seasons will be in a dome is probably good. Yeah, Okay, that's probably good. That to me is not worth the trade off of football slowly but surely eliminating weather as a component, Like I think we are moving towards a reality of in a decade, there are maybe three or four stadiums in the country where weather plays a part,
and I don't like that for football. I think football is a game made to be played in the elements. I don't mind domes in warm weather places because it feels like that's actually like the elements aren't going to be a big issue there anyway, and so it allows you to host more events. Fine, And I don't mind the Dome in Minnesota only because that specific place can get so Maybe it's just because I'm used to it, but it can get so much snow that they have
like canceled games. But I guess Buffalo. So it's probably just because I'm used to it. But I don't like football removing the elements and the idea that because they build this stadium, Kansas City is going to get a bunch of super Bowls. It's just not true. I think they will probably get one, and people will complain about the super Bowl being in Kansas City, and you know what, they should because the super Bowl should not be in Kansas City. The super Bowls shouldn't. I'm from there. I
love it. Super Bowl should not have ever been in Minneapolis, it shouldn't have ever been in Indianapolis. It shouldn't be in Kansas City.
The super Bowl sho, what does it need to be in New Orleans? Or wait, what happened?
New Orleans? Miami, Vegas, LA? That's where the super Bowl elitist? Okay, no cities, it's yeah, I guess. I mean New Orleans isn't a big market. It's just awesome and the and so I think we have seen cities that can do it, and I'd be honestly Okay, with La not being included, I'd be fine with it just being Vegas, Miami, New
Orleans like that, that being the rotation. You can make the argument for Phoenix, but I just think they're not the idea that Kansas City is because they're add this is going to be a part of a Super Bowl rotation. That's not gonna happen.
Now.
It's not gonna be every ten years the biggest sporting event in the country, Headcore in wyan Dot County for in February. It's just not happening. But the big my biggest thing is on the field. I don't like I like that weather matters, and I like that the Buffalo in Kansas City and Baltimore and Pittsburgh and New England have to be able to play in multiple settings. And I just I so, yes, I think it'll be good for Pat the end of you know, the last quarter
of Patrick's career. But it's to me a bit of a bummer. And the other bummer is this, You're gonna go from eighty thousand seats to about sixty eight thousand, and I'm going to be very interested and I really hope that they that they find to wait because I think the tailgating will be great no matter what. One thing Clark HNT said yesterday that's true is parking lots don't tailgate people do. That's correct. I think the tailgating
pregame stuff. I trust they will make sure that stays sacrisanct, because, like, if there's ever a reason to go to an NFL game, going to Arrowhead to tailgate before the game is one of the greatest things in the NFL. And I think that will stay. But I wonder if they're going to be able like and but the other thing Clark said is seats and concrete don't make noise, fans do. That is true, but certain stadiums are more conducive for noise than others. And Arrowhead has been the loudest open air
stadium in the country forever. And I just hope they are able to recreate.
That is is it going to have a new name, Well.
I would imagine they'll still call it Arrowhead. They've already kind of sold on that because it's technically ge J Field at Arrowhead. And I've never totally understood naming right sponsorships, Like I don't know that anyone has paid more attention to the Kansas City Chiefs. I really don't know that anyone in the world has paid more attention to the Kansity chiefs than me, certainly, uh since because the stadiums don't even named that for like five years of the
field in that time. Prater and I still don't. But I still don't know what GHA is. Yeah, if you were like that, I have no idea. I have no clue what the I don't know. Do they sell insurance? Is it are they? I have no consult I don't know what it is. So it's it's always arrowhead to me. But that's the the positive and the negative. That's what it is. Now, will Kn't City get a Final four? Maybe? Like will they're like having a domed stadium? There is there are benefits for it.
Eha is Government Employees Health Association.
Still don't know what it means. Does that mean they they they? Does that mean they compete with the company that Gronk advertises for So it is they're the competitors of Gronk's company. What's that? What's the Gronk insurance company? Where he's like, I wasn't in the military. Yeah, okay, so g eh and USAA are competitors, all right, good for them.
And do you think there's I'm sorry, just cut you off. Do you think there's going to be any teams that hold out on this open air stadium closed team? Like could you see green Baby? And like the last team with an open open stadium in thirty.
Years Buffalo's building a new stadium, and Buffalo's new stadium doesn't have a roof, right, fact check me on that.
Okay, that's good for something then.
Yeah, yeah, and but and it's Buffalo, But I I don't know. The Chiefs playing in a dome feels weird to me. I'm sure I get used to it. And if and if Old Mahomes is just lighting people up, maybe I'll be fine with it.
But maybe because I'm not a savant and like a football historian, I just don't see why you would want like and this is like I hear a lot of people that's their take. They want there to be snow, the incluent weather. Why would you not just want them to perform to their best ability like any other sport, Like I feel like there's no.
Beau that's so that's where that's where I disagree with you. Know what you're saying, a lot of people feel that it just it just depends on how you look at it. I look at being great at football intrinsically, meaning that you can have different types of game plans and different abilities in different weather because I think that is part of building a team. I think part of building a team is teaching them how to exploit different weather conditions. I think that is as intrinsic to the game as
kick returning, Like that's part of it. And I think removing it people a lot of people feel like, oh, you remove it and that then makes it more pure. I feel like it makes it less pure. And I understand in basketball that doesn't exist. Everything's the same, all of it.
Like soccer. I mean, I don't know if they played it. Definitely they play soccer in the snow or like light snow. They obviously heavy rain.
That's fair, but the soccer is an outdoor sport and being able to handle heat is a bigger thing in soccer.
Like yeah, yeah, the yeah, yeah, I guess I'm always looking for the light show I've seeing these games. That's fair and by the way, that's the.
Way the that's the way the NFL is moving that it just bums me out. I mean, but again, I'm a grand pall now.
And I'm sorry to those historians that stuff is changing.
No, it's fine. Just so many of the like the great moments in NFL history are playoff games in the elements, and that'll be a bummer for me. But you know, nothing to cry about. I just I don't love it. That to me matters a lot more than the fact that they're moving twenty minutes west across state lines. I want to know where I bet on sports during the
holiday season. A Hard Rock Bet, not just because it's the presenting sponsor of our show, but because they make it easy to bet both pregame and live in just a few simple taps, open the app, find a bet I like, and then bam, bets placed justin tiver and you get back to wrapping present and enjoying my favorite Christmas movie. We actually watched a National Lampoon's Holiday vacation last night. As cliches. That is, sign up today and bet five dollars on any game if it wins. You
also score one hundred fifty dollars in bonus bets. A winning bet plus an extra one hundred thy dollars to bet with. That's spreading holiday cheer. Plus hard Rock Bet fills your stockings with new promos daily, so whenever you're listening, just open the app and check out what you've got. Any day of the week, download the hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit today, payable in bonus bets, not a cash offer offered by the Seminal Tribe of Florida.
In Florida, offered by Seminal hard Rock Digital LLC. In all other states. Must be twenty one plus and physically in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida called one eight eight eight Admit it
in Indiana. If you were someone you know as a gambling problem wants help, call one eight hundred and nine with it gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia.
Ravens hanging by a thread. Drake May was looking poor in the first half. Rallied Lamar Jackson came out of the game with I think like a rib injury. We lost the game. Now we have a seven percent chance of making the playoffs. Yeah yeah, how yea? Who do you think this is big wrong? The Ravens or Patriots?
I think, well, listen, I think it's a Let me start with the Patriots. And what was I'm trying to remember because there was a clip from last week's show. Was it about Lamar? What was the clip? Maybe the producers saw it as well. There is a clip of I did some take that I don't even know if Demonse agreed with, but it was massively aggregated, and it was aggregated with Demnse and I split screen. And I always find this funny because I wasn't do you guys
remember what I'm talking about? Was it my last week from it was from Thursday show. I can't even remember what we talked about on Thursday.
But regardless Lamar's health, Nike will and sickness and stuff, Yeah, it was something else other than that. Probably That's why.
I'm trying to remember what our If I had our rundown from last week in front of me, I could I could think of it. I'm trying to think if it's Lamar because the reason I thought of that is it might happen again this week, but uh the let's start with the Patriots. I think that was a growing up moment for.
Drake Drake.
I think that Drake was playing one of his worst games of the year and for him to rally the way he did and make the I mean, he obviously had the one great deep pass that was robbed from him on the miss DPI, but didn't matter. He had already the touchdown passing threw to the front corner of the M zone. Yeah, was unbelievable. I thought that was great, and I I think that on top of that, uh, hold on, I think Paul just texted to me, Oh, this is what it was. Sorry, it was the thank you, Paul.
It was the whimby stuff. It was me saying I don't need to be lectured.
By a twenty year old French kid.
That the people got super mad at that take and you're just sitting there like listening. It's just super funny. Thank you, Paul. The no the people got mad at I think my Lamar h takes from TV. But sorry, I'm interrupting myself. I thought the Drake may touchdown pass was unbuild. The bomb was unbelievable. The fourth and two play which kept them alive to go win the game. It was just past the sideline, but it was an absolute laser that I thought was gonna be knocked down.
He was excellent, and Drake made is the real deal. He is the real and uh, the Patriots they had to win that game because while I thought sometimes the schedule stuff got a little overblown, if they had played that soft schedule and then lost to Buffalo and Baltimore, it'd be like, Okay, you know what I mean. They're uh, they're a real Yeah, they're oh, they're ahead of schedule. They're better than all the JV teams, but they're not an A lister, And I think they proved they're A listers.
And so I think that is that's the Patriots piece of it. And they've got.
They got their quarterback. The guy looks like. I think that guy's gonna be in the league for a really really long time. Yeah, yeah, I solid, man.
I think he is just going to be a top five quarterback moving forward. He's legit. He is, without a doubt legit. And then you get to the Ravens and there's a lot here they blew another big lead. Everyone's blaming Harball. They didn't give the ball to they didn't have Derrick Henry on the field for their last two possessions. People are understandably blaming Harball. Another can I call it without people freaking out? Weird injury thing with Lamar I do.
I do feel strongly that he could have came back in the game. Watching the like and it's and it's a ribbonery. I do think he could have come back in that game. And I don't like doing that or like being like so I don't know what the guy was feeling, but I don't know, like he was moving around, he's like on the side, like like I've had a ribbagery before, and I just I don't know. I felt like he could have kept playing, especially in that situation. We have the game, we just need you to manage.
But I so listen, I hate that you're the one that said that instead of me, because and I want this, if this gets aggregated, people to understand he could. This is Demonte's favorite team and the guy he's ridden with more than anybody. Yeah, but I was shocked he didn't go back in and when he didn't go back in. Let me rephrase that, I was not shocked he didn't
go back in. We didn't go back in. I assumed we were going to get the news yesterday that he broke his ribs, that he had cracked ribs, that even though the hit didn't the need didn't look that bad. But you never know, you know how that is. And so I just assumed, like, oh man, there's he like he's he probably isn't gonna play this coming week, and that's it's a rap. And when Harbaugh came out yesterday and said it's just a bad contusion and he's day
to day, I was stunned. Now again, it's weird because Lamar is obviously tough, and obviously he's playing care care so I so that's why I'm saying, it's just another weird injury thing with Lamar, where now he has suffered a hamstring injury that nobody saw when it happened, but obviously was a real one, like a not real as
opposed to real or sus fake. I should have said a significant one to where he missed multiple games, including a game after a bye that his coach thought he would be back for, and then had knee, ankle toe injuries that made him miss practice but not miss any games, but he then wasn't effective in the games. Then his you know, annual December cold had him miss practice, and now what looked like a relatively banal play knocked him out for the most critical half of their season, basically
playing an elimination game. It's just weird. And I'm not trying to be like KG with my analysis here. I'm not trying to hint at anything, but I'm also not
going to act like it's not weird. And it's very, very hard not to go to the other quarterbacks in Lamar's tax bracket and echelon, and I'd ask yourself, do we think they would have an injury that the next day their coach calls day to day and expects them to play the next week, that we wouldn't have seen them back on the field at least trying seeing giving it a go and then maybe Okay, this isn't gonna work. I don't know, I feel like you would have, and so it's just odd. And I go.
Back to Baltimore. See so with the situation, Harball, whatever it is, let me tweak that.
There you go I don't because I said this a few weeks ago. I only think he wants out. I think he might be over Harba and this has run its course, and that Lamar is resigned to the fact that this is a lost season, and it is a lost season, and this was the biggest thing I said yesterday on TV that I think people maybe took issue with. But again, we won't know for five years, but I will I think this will age well. I am not saying Lamar will never make or win a super Bowl.
What I am saying is I think when his career is over, we will look at the best chances he had were these past three years. They were the solitary super Bowl favorite at multiple points in each of the last three seasons. They were the super Bowl preseason favorite this year. And to come out of these three years with two total playoff victories, come out of the twenty twenties so far twenty one, two, twenty three, twenty four to twenty five with two total playoff victories is stunning.
And now I think you start a new era with a new head coach Demons. Before we move on to the Pittsburgh's side of it, I want to give you some news. Zay Flowers named to the Pro Bowl this morning. Now go ahead, I know you have a potentials eight flowers take.
Just run straight, man, please just run straight, and just be a little bit tighter with the football. I just think that there there have been a couple of big situations and the biggest point of the season. I think the guy is loose with the football. He's trying to play like backyard football or something, making these cuts backwards. And that's not like the only time that I've seen him do that, but just in the bigger instances, it's like, dude,
just just be tirer with the football. Don't try to get it all one play to go down or something. It's just kind of frustrated.
And he has said he was gonna do that, yeah, and then he has not done that.
He's loose, just loose.
And it's the end. He doesn't fumble a lot, but you remember the fumbles. Yeah, you're there are big moments. By the way, if you're thinking about upgrading to the all new iPhone seventeen Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever, but you're also thinking about the traffic on your way to the store or transferring all your data. Good news. When you order a new phone online with
boost Mobile, they'll send an expert to your home. How about that or a home or work to deliver your brand new iPhone Pro and get you set up on boost Mobile within minutes, no hassle. So you get the new iPhone, it comes right to you and a tech comes in, get all your stuff transferred to get you set up on the network. Visit boostmobile dot com to get started. Delivery available for select devices purchased at boost mobile dot com. Terms of course, do apply. Five picks
do them quick all lines from hard Rock Bet. The first pick to Mon'sday is my favorite pick of the weekend.
You've got Dallas minus six and a half at Washington.
Yeah, I listen. I think Josh Johnson's playing quarterback for Washington. I don't know this, but I think it. And if that's the case, they just can't move the ball, Dall. I understand that Dallas. You might feel like, oh, they're gonna be demoralized because they're eliminated from the playoffs. I don't know that. I think they've kind of felt they were eliminated from the playoffs for a while. They're gonna move the ball, Dallas is gonna blow out the Commanders.
I love the Cowboys minus six and a half and Dak owned the Commanders in his career twelve and two straight up, and they've covered five in a row.
Next, you got Jacksonville minus six and a half at Indy.
So listen, Philip Rivers. Credit to him for playing obviously, way way way better than I expected. But their season ended Monday night and he came back to try to make a playoff push. The Jags are playing for a lot as far as locking up the division, staying alive for the one seed. Jags have been crushing against the AFC South five and oh against the spread in their last five against the AFC South. The culture falling apart again. The Jags game and the Cowboys game are games I'm
picking here. I don't know if I'll be able to pick Friday on TV because I don't know if the Lions will have moved up to you know, above the seven. But I'll take the six and a half.
Next. Next, you got Pittsburgh minus four at Cleveland. This was originally at four and a half. It's just dropped to four.
Yeah, I listen, I know laying more than a field goal with Tomlin and divisional games is it hasn't been the best, but I just think Shador has been really bad and the last two weeks. It's fine for a fifth round rookie, but for a Pittsburgh team that knows we take care of business here, we get give ourselves a bye week eighteen doesn't matter, and win the division. I'll lay the four points with Pittsburgh. I got no problem with that.
Next Buffalo minus two and a half versus Philly, I.
Think Buffalo is a lot better than Philly. They're at home. I'm only I'm playing less than a field goal. And listen, Philly getting Jalen Carter and Lane Johnson back this week. I think it's something Philly also, though they locked up the division, they're not gonna be the one seed. So it's not that I think they're not gonna care, but they just they they have no chance of being the one seed. They have no chance of not winning the division, so they have a slight chance at the three, at
the two seed, but they can't be the four. Philly right now cannot be the one, four, five, six, or seven. They're either. No matter what happens to the rest of the way they're the two or the three seed, and they are probably the three seed, So I just think Buffalo's better, Buffalo needs the game. Buffalo's at home. I'll take Buffalo and then our one underdog, We're.
Taking Chicago plus three at San Francisco. This got bumped up from to and a half.
I just think the Bears run game, Bears offense against that Niners defense, I think they can win. And I'm getting three full points. So the Bears, by the way, played on Saturday. The Niners played Monday, so that's not like a mini buy, but it's a difference in that I think the Bears can win that game outright. So my five picks are Dallas minus six and a half, Jacksonville minus six and a half, Pittsburgh minus four, Buffalo minus two and a half, Chicago plus three. Again, if
you're gonna bet favorites, Betamurley. We are doing this on Tuesday. We are betting Amarley