NFL Top 100, Rookie Receivers & Likely, Maybe, What If?

Bobby Canavali. Watch Unstoppable now exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

This is sometimes I have to kind of uh, you know, we cross streams a bit on this show, but I have to be respectful to the fact that Demands also works for FS one out in California in the office, and so for when I'm talking network stuff and things that have been written the last week, I'm gonna ice Demanse out of the conversation because I just don't think it's a fair position to put him in, uh, because you know, there I probably have a little more freedom.

Freedom's the wrong word, but I probably feel a little more comfortable talking about some of these things because we're you know, I've been with the company almost a decade. I have a forward facing role. Demansey's been with the company for a couple of years and dozen and so so Demanse will be back with us momentarily. First, though, let's do what we normally do to start to show

what missed the cut. The US has been eliminated from three on three basketball, Jim Harbaugh saying I didn't know about any University of Michigan violations, and Jalen Hurts promotes Olympic flag football in a pretty dope little promo video for the twenty eight LA Olympic Games. But as we now get to where I want to start the show, which is a massive, massive moment in FS one history,

happened last week as Skip had his final show. And on top of that, there was then a lot of articles written that I was featured in, prominently despite the fact that I talked to absolutely no one for them about the future of the network. One of my before we get to any serious stuff, one kind of fun little anecdote that this audience in particular will really appreciate.

As Nikola Jokic hits a fade away turnaround fifteen footer to put Serbia up three with twenty five seconds left, it looks now more and more like it's going to be Serbia against the US in the semifinals. The picture that one of those aggregators used when they took someone else's reporting and then they used that the quote someone else wrote, but they wanted the tweets and retweets in

all of it. The picture that they use of me with the caption about being the alleged future face of the network is me at the World Series of Poker at around two in the morning, right after I attempted a bluff that did not go my way and I essentially had been all but eliminated from this poker tournament, and I am just absolutely exhausted, despondent, and haggard. This is the p and it's a picture of me sitting

there staring off into space. That is the picture that has been shared twenty thousand times about being the and the ironies not lost on me the face of the network when my face, which never looks that great but really couldn't have looked worse than in that image. But we'll get to that part later. First, I want to talk about Skip, because I sent out this tweet right after Skip announced that it was his final show, and

I wrote a truly legendary run. Very few people in any industry can say they helped create and define an entire genre. Skip did that. Salute and good luck in whatever he does. Moving forward, and this was met, not surprisingly with a lot of I don't know, anger or angst from a lot of folks, mostly Lebron James fans or supporters, saying, how can you say this? How can you feel this way? And so I want to explain that,

and then I want to talk about Skip. So the reason I say that and feel this feel that way is because I don't actually care that. I think Skip was dead wrong for a decade about Lebron. I don't That's not like people are entitled to their own sports opinions. I don't think his was phony. I don't think he was pretending. I think and I've said this before, and I think people wondered if I was only saying it

because we're colleague. We were colleagues, but we're not colleagues anymore, and Serbia wins in Serbia advances by the way that I think Skip could pass a lie detector test on those takes, I think he truly believed it. I think they were bad takes. I think he was wrong about it. But as on the things that actually mattered, in my opinion, when race and sports crossed over and there were real discussions about real things, I felt Skip was consistently on

the right side of things. Now, I understand he and Shannon got sideways at the end, and there was you know, famous blow ups, and there were moments that really really rubbed people the wrong way about how their interactions went. And I know some people ascribed some of that to malice or to their being a real racial component there.

And I'm here to tell you that for whatever flaws you felt or things you liked or disliked about Skip Bayless on TV, that on the actual human personal things, I think he consistently was on the right side, not on the wrong side. If he was out there doing the what I think is trolling on real nonsports important issues for clicks and likes and views. The way we have seen a lot of people, many you know, some of which used to prominently be in sports and now

crossed over to Carnival Barker political stuff. I wouldn't respect him, but that's not how I ever felt. And so that's why, even though I disagreed with basically everything he ever said about my favorite athlete of all time, Lebron James, I could feel comfortable saying those things. And here's the other thing I want to say about skip because nothing made me matter. Then when folks would act, would say, oh, anyone could do what he did, if anyone could more,

would have Oh it's easy. I'm telling you right now that man was on television every day for the better part of twenty years. One of the absolute most important or noteworthy voices in sports was paid accordingly. And I'm here to tell you, if that were easy, everyone would do it. And this dismissal of what he did over a career because folks didn't lie the way he did it or the opinions he had, I think is ludicrous. There are so many folks who would saw off their

left arm for that platform. And if it was as simple as, oh, I'm just gonna say this guy who's awesome stinks, and that guy who stinks is awesome, and that's the path to riches and success and fame, then a lot of people would do it. Okay. And so I'm again, it is not the style that I try to emulate. It is not what I think I do best, and I don't even I'm not even here to say make a moral judgment on whether it's good or bad

or indifferent. What I do know is it is something that for the better part of twenty years the audience responded to, felt passionate about, and he was at near the top of the sports fan conversation until basically the last year. And that's also why on a personal level, I'm bummed that he didn't do a victory lap. And this is something that I've talked to no one about. And this is I have for any of my the FS one bosses or executives or anyone who credit to them,

never mess with me about anything. Never tell me, do talk about this, don't talk about this. It's a true autonomy, and it's one of the reasons I love where I work. I think one of the reasons I have that is because I am very judicious about when I do and don't talk about family business, if you will. And because of that, I think I've built up quite a well of credibility and goodwill on that. So I'm going to dip into a bit of it here and discuss something

that is just how I truly feel. And by the way, I want to say this on the front end, I don't believe Skip not having a victory lamp or farewell shows or any of that was because he was not allowed that. I'm basically certain that's not why it was because he didn't want to do it. Because I don't think that he views this as a farewell. He've used it as all right, I'm onto my next thing and good luck, and that very well may be the case.

I am saying that what I would have liked as a consumer of sports media is if a couple weeks ago he had said, guys, my final shows are coming up, and the last week, god dogg it, we are doing the greatest hits. We are going to do the Tim Tebow Show and I'm gonna sit here and pound the table and tell you while I why I was always right. And then we're gonna do the Tom Brady Show and I'm gonna sit here and pound the table and tell

you while I why I was always right. And then we're gonna do the Lebron show or shows, and I'm gonna sit here and pound the table and tell you why I was always right. That's what I and of course I'm leaving it out. Then we're gonna do the Dallas Cowboys show, and I'm gonna see here and pound the table and tell you why I was always right. I think, and I don't give a sh if kids who write about this stuff on the internet see this

and writ me for it. I owe the audience nothing but honesty and my hard work, and I'm giving you both. I as a consumer, would have loved it. I wanted that, and I was so. I had heard through the whispers that this past Friday was going to be his last show. But then I watched it and I was certain everyone was wrong. So I'm like, well he didn't. I was like, it was like, hold on a second, there's ninety seconds left and they're talking about the US Puerto Rico game.

This can't be it, like we're not gonna get But it was. And that was Listen, that was Skip's call, and he earned the right by the way to do whatever he wanted to do. And if he didn't want to look at it as a farewell but to see you later, then I get why he didn't do it. I'm just saying, for me, Nick Wright, that's what I wanted, And God dog it, man, because I don't have like a real I have a friendly relationship with Sip Skip. He's always been gracious and kind to me and my wife.

We've seen each other but he's not like someone that I have a deep personal relationship with. We've been on the opposite side of the country for eight years, so it's not like someone that you know, he doesn't go to me for counsel. But if he did, I would have told him, do a victory lap man in this thing we do. You're one of the founding fathers. And people can say, ah, he did this, he made it bad, or he did this. Man, you can have your opinions. I'm not here to tell the audience to you know,

eat your vegetables. They're good for you. I'm here to tell the audience choose with your eyes. Man. You and for a very long time, very long time, the audience told you they vibe with what he was doing. And and so I just thought he had earned that and I and I know he would have been afforded that if he wanted to do it, but he chose not to. So that's his prerogative. But for me as a consumer, it was a bummer and I that and then I'm gonna get on and move to the future part of it.

But this is a big moment, man. This is and here's the other thing that I'm gonna say that a FS one exists the way it does now because of Colin and Skip Bayless taking a chance and coming over and giving our network credibility. And then the third person who would be on that credit list would be Shannon

because of what Shannon and Skip built together. But it took Colin and Skip taking a leap and taking a chance, and then Shannon and Skip had this amazing partnership for years that obviously at the end went sideways a bit. I think that's fair to say. But you sit across the table from someone from someone five days a week, two hundred and thirty times a year, for two and a half hours, where the where on the promo pictures, you guys are in boxing gloves, where the whole conceit

of the show is we are doing battle. And you see, if you think that can ever sustain for longer than Skip and Shannon did, you can say, well, Tony and Mike have done it for twenty years. Tony and Mike a lot of things there. A they're not usually across the table from each other, they're in different studios often. B it's a thirty minute show. And see they're not pugilists.

They're very often playing jazz. They're agreeing with each other, occasionally disagreeing, and listen, I think Tony and Mike what they've done is the greatest partnership in the history of sports media site from maybe Mike and the Mad Dog. Mike and the Mad Dog, by the way, ended similar to Skip and Shannon. It is very, very very difficult to have be like, Okay, here's the idea you two we're gonna build. We're gonna find things you disagree on

that will be almost all we talk about. You both have to be certain you're correct and just do that every single day for years and years and years, and not at some point have it be like, Okay, I can't do this anymore. That happens. That's so I don't.

I don't look at how that ended as a as a black mark, look at his things in and so so I am incredibly grateful that Skip took the chance he did, that Colin took the chance he did, and then both of those people allowed me, when nobody knew who I was in outside of Kansas City and Houston, to go on their platforms and very often tell them why they were wrong about stuff and I was right.

And now smash cut to now Skip Leaves and there's all these articles written Nick right the new face of FS one can I all right, So this is where I am going to just be totally honest with you guys, and I again hope you take my word for it because a lot of you guys have heard me say that my career goals the one, the one career goal.

I've added a few as of late, like I'd like to at one point be a part of an Olympics broadcast, even though I have a good friend who regularly was a part of the Olympics broadcast and he was like, don't do it. Miserable work, but the you know, I would like to be. There's other things I've added as

the career went on. But the thing that was there the day I walked out of Syracuse that is still there that I have not yet achieved is as I've described, family feud style, ask one hundred people on the street who the biggest or the best sports talk guy in the country. I want to win that poll, and I'm not there yet. The Skip was on the top of that at one point. Colin's been on the top of that. You know, steven A's obviously been on the top of that.

We go back further, Dan Patrick like, there's other people and I don't even want to mention everyone who have been on the top of that. I've never been on the top of that. I now feel like I'm in a place where I would get votes. I would show up again if it's family feud and there were like seven little blanks. You know, maybe maybe it says Nick, right, and you know there's four people voted for, you get

a few points. But I'm not there yet. So I think people see face of the network and they're like, man, Nick, this is what you want. And I'm here to tell you, Yeah, in theory of course, it's what I want. And I'm also here to tell you it is absolutely unequivocally inaccurate to say it now. The face of FS one is Colin cowhurt, and he has been for some time, and

that is undeniable. And right now. The reason I get uncomfortable with folks, I get doubly uncomfortable with folks putting me in that for well, doubly uncomfortable I get for two reasons. One is because it's Colin. The other is I am not right now trying to be that, because right now I'm not a solo act and don't want to be. Right now. I am part of a team, and I get oddly emotional talking about this. I don't

know why, but just bear with me. So if those articles had said First Things First is now positioned to be the best show on the network or the biggest whatever, I would take that. I would that is what I want, That is what we attempt to do every day. But positioning it as Nick right is so wildly I think disrespectful to Wilds and brew that it makes me uncomfortable. First Things First has existed. The seven year anniversary of it is in twenty eight days. Seven years that show

has been on the air. Nick Wright's been a part of it all seven okay, Ever, from day one to right now, I've done probably that show. If we do two hundred and thirty a year, seven times two thirty is sixteen ten. If we've done sixteen hundred and ten shows, I've done probably fifteen hundred and ninety of them. I think there's probably been twenty shows total that the show's

been on the air, and I haven't been there. And that show was only beloved, super popular, successful, and part of the zeitgeist once Wilds and Brew got there with me. That is what that's what the show is. And I understand I'm not again, I am aware enough to know that because I've been there the longest and because I kind of have the spiciest takes or the you know, the I'm the the most vocal of the opinionists that you know. I'm in the on the poster, I'm in

the middle, like I get that piece of it. I'm not. I'm not trying to be fake humble. I understand that, and I take pride in that, and I work my ass off for it. But that is not Nick Wright's show. That's our show, Colin. I'm comfortable saying is Colin show because it's called The Herd with Colin Cowhard. It's his show, and Colin it's like it is the the cornerstone of the network. And so I just I just thought those articles were prematurely disrespectful to him, and I don't like it.

And I also thought they were dismissive of Wild's and Brew. And I would say for anyone who wrote these things, most of you guys have my cell phone number. Now, I understand historically I never talk to anybody, but you can still ask. Maybe I'll surprise you. Maybe I'll give a quote saying exactly this now. Maybe I'll leave you on red as I have for years. And I understand that's probably why people in sports media reporting don't reach out to me anymore, because I don't ever give comments.

I don't talk about it. I feel like it's it's a dangerous game to play, but maybe I would. I don't know. I'm doing it here now. And I tagged all those folks in the tweet promoting the show because I wanted them to hear this and everything I've said these last twenty five minutes, I will stand by entirely. And if folks want to be mad at me about the fact that I didn't take some celebratory thing about skit because he and I disagree vehemently about Lebron James,

and that's fine. You don't get you don't get me that, That's totally fine. And if some of my other colleagues, not at the network, friends and colleagues who think I'm too deferential to Colin feel that way, that's your prerogative. That's fine. It's not how I feel. I am very aware of the supercharge that my career was given by Colin believing in me, and that is a type of blood loyalty that I will always be grateful for and

never be dismissed ab of ever. And lastly, I am still trying to be the answer to those family feud style questions. I am closer now than I ever have been, and that is because first things first is cooking, and first things first is cooking. Because me, Wilds and Brew love each other, work great together and filling each other's

blanks like a good marriage. Honest to God, where I am weak, Wild is strong, where Wild's is weak, I'm strong where bruces Like that is how the Brew doesn't have really too many weaknesses, aside from the fact that he constantly disagrees with you know, except for his Michael Jordan, you know, blind Spot. But Brew gives our show a credibility and an authority that it wouldn't be there without him. And it's great to work with a guy who's literally never been in a bad mood as far as I

can tell a single day of his life. I've never seen anyone like him ever, and so that yet do I want that show to be the biggest, best, number one show on the network. You're goddamn right. Will that be a validation of me personally? No, it's a validation of what we're doing collectively. And that's like I had so many people send me those tweets in those articles, and each time I felt a little more uncomfortable about it.

So spend thirty minutes here discussing it. Now, take a break and talk about what really matters, which is Patrick Mahomes not being the number one football player in the NFL because everyone lists, everyone's lists except for mine, are just terrible. We'll do that next. What's Right? All right? Welcome back in What's Right? With Nick? Right? Deman's sorry to I issue out there for the beginning of that. For the beginning of that, I figured you wouldn't mind.

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or older. Of course, please enjoy responsibly. Tea Moana small Botch tequila forty percent alcohol by volume, imported by seat Bucks Spirits, White Planes, New York. That's just about thirty minutes north of here, all right, Deman's the other thing that happened this weekend that everyone knew I was going to at some point respond to was the NFL Top one hundred list, which is just a total and complete debacle. So let's discuss it.

to be on the Chiefs. The Chiefs traded him away, and when the voting was done had not lost a playoff game since he was gone, and since the voting was done one four more playoff games, and Christian McCaffery are all better than him. You have a funny look on your face here to Monsey, like, do you think there is any point in last year's football calendar where if you were if you were asked who's the best player in the NFL, you wouldn't have said Patrick Mahomes.

Manginie and Wilds disagreed. Brew agreed. But if somehow the Chiefs were offered Lamar Tyreek and Christian McCaffrey for Patrick Mahomes, they say no, And Wild's and Mangini were like, I'd be one hell of a team I'm like, well, how much better of a team can you be than the two time defending Super Bowl champion? Like, honest to god. And so the part of it that's really galling is

not being the number one quarterback. So like you can ask the follow up and all elaborate on that, uh, and we'll get to it.

don't know that I agree with it. I think that if I had to choose one receiver, I think I'm picking Justin Jefferson. It's very close, and like I said, it's not a it's not like a disqualifying opinion like Lamar over Mahomes is. But I think Justin Jefferson has played sixty career football games and has fifteen nine hundred career yards. Justin Jefferson has never played with a great quarterback and played half of last year with a bad quarterback. He's played with. You know, he has had two a

level quarterbacking. I think in Kirk Cousins most of his career. Tyreek obviously had Tua, but then previous to that had Mahomes for four years, and previous to that at Alex Smith, who was fine. Alex Smith kind of to a level at Kirk Cousins level, And so I don't I thought Justin Jefferson was way too far down the list. I don't think there's a big gap between him and Tyreek. And this is where folks can call me a homer,

but I don't really care. If the question is non quarterbacks, you can have any one player for a playoff run, who are you taking. My answer to that question, Travis Kelcey Flatley try like that is. I think he is in the biggest spots, the most unguardable, dynamic player in the league, and I think last year was evidence of it when last year he was injured at the beginning of the year, double teamed more than he'd ever been throughout his entire career, seemed a step or two slower.

Hampered didn't have the thousand yards for the first time in almost a decade, and then in the postseason did the following seven catches I think all in the first half against Miami in a blowout against Buffalo, two touchdowns against Baltimore with Kyle Hamilton guarding him, potentially the best safety in the league, eleven catches on eleven targets, and then in the Super Bowl nine catches on ten targets, including final drive of regulation third down, have to get

in field goal range, ran the fastest he had run in any game all year to make it a chip shot field goal. In those playoffs he had thirty two catches on thirty six targets, and if you remove the game where it was negative thirty, he had twenty five catches on twenty seven targets for three touchdowns. And so I still would rather have Travis in a big spot than anybody else. As far as over the course of a season, you want to say, Tyreek, that's fine, I

think I'd probably go justin Jefferson. But it's just a The Mahomes piece of it is just so disqualifying for everybody that I just I can't, I can't take it seriously. I mean, let me say one other thing before we do the last follow up. It was so obvious to everyone Mahomes was going to be number one that if you remember, they asked Jamar Chase about number one and he said, I refuse to say that guy's name. Spoiler alert, folks.

That's not because he's not saying Tyreek Hill's name. He didn't say, I won't say his name, number one, Joe Burrow, Joe Burrow. It's because he thought it was so obvious that Patrick Mahomes was gonna be number one. What are you laughing about?

it's very, very obvious that it's Marvin Harrison Junior. I thought he was the best college receiver we had had arguably since Larry Fitzgerald. That might be a step strong, but it really felt like that watching him thoroughly dominant multiple years. He's with a real quarterback in Kyler. Again, I have my skepticism on Kyler as a leader in some other things, but Kyler went healthy, is certainly better than Daniel Jones is, and he's not gonna have to

share targets the way Roma doonsay is. So Marvin Harrison Junior to me, is far and away gonna have the best numbers of any of those three rookie receivers. Now, they didn't include Xavier Worthy, who it sure seems like Mahomes is really prioritizing getting in the flow of things with the Chiefs offense. Now, I worry about Xavier Worthies build, and I'm worried about how thin and skinny he is.

But the one thing that can make you feel a little bit better about that is Andy did have Deshaun Jackson, who's very very similar build, and you know Andy had Deshaun Jackson cooking because of that raw speed. All right, let's play a game now, all.

He's got the third best odds. So I don't you know what I mean, I don't think that that is uh that that is an outrageous one where oh I.

run and change it. So I'm gonna say likely Christian McCaffrey. Especially if the Niners trade Ayuk, which I think they're going to do, he's gonna have even a heavier workload crazy numbers. So I think it is likely Christian McCaffrey. Maybe it's Josh Allen. If Josh is.

The what if that I'm gonna throw on there is Micah Parsons. What if Micah has a twenty He is in his career, he has finished second, second, third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He is gonna be used differently now in this Mike Zimmer system. What if Mica just has a start to finish dominant dominant campaign? That to me is interesting. What if?

You can essentially just eliminate them, the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers, who I think should be better this year, but Herbert's planner fascia injury concerns me. And by the way, they're in a division with the Chiefs. Eliminate them, The Washington Commanders, who are starting a rookie quarterback and I don't love that offensive line at all, the Carolina Panthers, and the Arizona Cardinals. The what if going to go with is the Titans. Yeah, that's correct, and the recipe

there would be CJ. Shroud year two regression. The Prince still has this fumbling problem and much like last year, it only takes ten wins to win the division. And somehow Will Levis, you know, has an excellent year. The new coaching staff. That's the Again, I don't buy it, but that's the that's the one that is the most plausible. If I have to go three deep on that topic. Do we have another one? Demanday?

dismiss it again. I don't think Josh Allen's gonna lose to Mahomes and Burrow in the playoffs every year of his career. At some point, you know what I mean, They're gonna catch fire the and he's too talented of a player. I don't think Josh Allen's not talented. I just think he's been prematurely anointed and he gets held to a different standard than every other quarterback in football. But at some point he'll do it, and at some point folks will be able to say, see, we knew

he would do it like and then that's fine. I just need to see it to believe it. All right, we answer some of your listener questions. Next What's right? All right? Welcome back in What's Driving the Great demonte Let's answer some listener questions.

to play him in the Semis. Assuming the US beats Brazil today, which they should, and you do wonder if Serbia was you know, holding things back, or had things prep whatever it is. It shouldn't matter. Serbia's team has been very unimpressive to me, except for Joker, and you know, it just took everything Ochre had for them to beat Australia, but beating them three times, you know, can be a

tough putt. So the I mean, I guess the listeners probably implying, will it be an indictment or referendum on Lebron? Potentially flip side galaxy brain to this after sir, after jokicch had beaten Lebron and Ad like nine straight times, All of a sudden, Lebron and ad have beaten Jokics three of the last four times they played. Can get to four out of five? Flip that before we get to next season? All right?

I mean I'm an elite peloton athlete. So I don't know if I'm such an elite peloton athlete that during the pandemic, when I would post my screenshot scores, folks said I was I was that my bike needed to be calibrated, or that I was cheating, that I was posting someone else's scores. So I don't know if that counts as odd enough, you know what I mean? Is cycling really an odd Olympic sport? I think growing is just get on the right team. I think growing I could do it.

I was out there kayaking in Turks with your little sister. She wasn't helping at all. I was cooking, So yeah, I think that No, that's I yeah, I mean the jet skis the bad incident I had the kayaking was fine. All right, Let's go to the next question.

I'll see you guys on Thursday, see you on Colin's show in about ninety minutes, and see you on First Things, First Round, three o'clock. 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 we have new episodes. After you've done that, one more favor, go to your favorite audio platform of

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