THE PROBLEM WITH REFEREES | Bet Big Talk Loud #33 ft. Jim Russel

THE PROBLEM WITH REFEREES | Bet Big Talk Loud #33 ft. Jim Russel

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

All right, welcome back to the Bet Big Talk Loud Podcast for Friday, April 24th. I'm Chris Hodge. Got my man JR looking very astute with his notes from the NFL draft. Well done, sir. Listen, all the shit that I took last week for saying dry title instead of dry stale. All right. And then last night, I'm like, all right, I know we're gonna be talking about the draft. And I was gonna watch the draft anyway. So got all set. My computer would not turn on. I'm like, are you kidding me? So I had to go back to handwritten notes. Then I go back to the Stone Age. I'm in high school. I said to my wife this morning, I said, You should have seen me. I'm like, you should have seen me trying to take notes. I literally had to get my hand going to learn how to write again because I've had so much time on computers. Who writes anymore? We have so much to talk about on this show. By the way, Jim Russell will be joining us again, friend of the show uh from San Diego Sports Radio. Used to be on with John Schaefer. He'll be on again. Uh, we'll have him on uh about a half hour. Looking forward to that. As always, uh, I have another referee story that I'll get to because this is now the third straight week. The motherfuckers got me. You see me shaking, shaking. You know, I heard an interview. It's funny because we didn't talk about this, but I heard an interview with Roger Goodell talking about the uh referee issue. Sure. And he's like, you know, you guys don't realize how hard these guys, like the pride. Oh, he tried talking them up like they were the most prideful people on planet earth. They would never do anything to ruin the integrity of the game. That he's like, and then then he talked about like what can be better. The question was, what can we do better so that the referees don't have this issue? And I didn't know this. Did you know there's a blackout period for the referees where there's no contact with the league? There's literally That's ridiculous. There comes a cutoff and they don't make any contact with the referees. And we're talking about talking about calls, talking about, so it's on them for continued education. And that's one of the things that Goodell did talk about is that he's like, listen, you know, reps is what it's all about, right? So I'd like to see them doing other leagues in their downtime. I'd like to see them doing anything just to get more reps under their belt. So in the first game or the first preseason game, they're ready. They don't need to get reps. So but the blackout period makes that impossible. $23 billion league. You think you would full timers? That's just me. I'll just do it for a living. First of all, I'll tell you out there, and it's not to everyone because nothing is ever 100%. But if you are a referee of football, 95% of you suck. Okay. I hate you Zol. Now, there are the five out of a hundred are pretty good, and we're cool with. 95% of you are terrible. I'm digging my hand. Look, look dead at the camera. 95% of you suck. Worst at your job. But here's what happens in our game the other day. So the team runs a sweep. We're on defense, they run a sweep to our sideline, clear as day fumble. Okay, clear as they fumble. He got he got held up, ripped, ball ripped out. Referee on our sideline runs in, rules fumble. Okay, now it's closer to us. Referee on the other side of the field says knee down. Like the back judge in the last game. Yes. So they gave it to the vicinity in the last game. In in this game, the vicinity doesn't count. That's neither here nor there. Were they both line judges? Yeah, yeah, it was crazy. So this one was crazy, but this is where it gets insane. This is where it gets insane. They originally rule fumble, they switch it to down. The referee, for your balls, you've never seen this ever happen. A referee has never done this. He comes over to our sidelines and actually says, nah, you guys were right, it's a fumble, but we had to overturn it. Where's your reasoning? Yo, the eruption on our sidelines. You must have lost your mind. How did you not get ejected? It's I would have gotten ejected. I I'm I definitely would have been ejected. I would have lost my mind. It was so bad. And so after the game, so and by the way, that referee, while he sucked at his job, he was actually a pretty nice guy. And you kind of feel for them in that regard. Now we win the game, so we we could be okay. I pulled them aside afterwards and I said, listen, you never come to the sidelines after a call went against a team like that and tell us we're right. What did you think was gonna happen? You know what the guy said to me? I just didn't want to lie to you.

unknown 4:25

Like, okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

So they do have integrity. You just started a riot. Oh, I was bad. I don't know how you didn't spittle like Bill Cower, get yourself thrown out. I would have cursed him. I would have cursed him to high heaven. I would have gotten thrown out just to get my guys revved up. Like, you better give me a reason. Here's my issue. What would they what did they say the reason was? They all the guy said the knee was down. But from from 40 yards. But you're looking at me telling me you know it's a fumble. Absolutely. Why are you telling me that you had to overturn it? Why? 95% of them suck. That's why. They're just bad. They're bad at their job. So I would have been better if you would have looked at me and said, no, we suck at our jobs. By the way, Donnie, if you're listening, you are not one of the 95%. You are good at your job. God forbid I ever have this guy again. I just want to make sure I get a call. Donnie, you're good at your job. The rest of them suck. Um, so yeah, it just is what it is. And you had um, I mean, unless you're under a rock, Rabel Rossini. This is a touchy subject. How do you not? I mean, they don't even let him go to the draft, I heard. Like he was not there for the first day of the draft because he had to go to counseling. Was it the first day or was it the third day? I don't know what they're doing. I know he's missing a day of the draft. I don't know if it was day one, day two, day three. I think it's day three. How are you missing a day to go to counseling? Unless, listen, if you if his wife looked at him and said, either you go to counseling or we're done, and he doesn't want to lose the kids or his wife. All right, somewhat understandable. But you're the face of the organization. You are the head coach of that team. You cancel your counseling session or you put it off for another day. You don't say, Yeah, I'm gonna miss one of the most important days of my team season uh because I gotta go talk about pussy. I mean, seriously. This is like when I heard Tiger Woods was going to counseling because he was addicted to vagina. I mean, but he's a he's a just a he's not in a team sport. He's a single guy. So I mean he had to he had to clean up his image. That's what that was. Here, here's my issue with the whole Vray Borussini thing. And I it's not our business, right? What with married people, not married people, it's not my business. I don't care like this guy does. Right. I don't care. I care about how he coaches on Sunday. Yeah, right. Especially if we have money on or against the patriots, right? That's all I care about. But I mean, the people out there, do you not realize? I don't know, maybe I'm in a different time that there's cameras everywhere, everywhere, that you are actually public people. Like you made a comment to me when we talked about this briefly. You were like, well, all the players are doing it. I'm like, but the players, A, are not the face of the organization, okay? And and B, let's face it, they don't have people following them around with cameras everywhere. I mean, look, players are what they are, and again, not my business. I don't care, right? But you got- How do you get caught? Like, I don't understand. You're millionaires. How do you get caught? It's like I don't understand someone driving when they got millions of dollars. Well, driving drunk in any case, because it's so easy to call Uber. Another one. It's so simple. Tiger Woods is a billionaire. Any argument there? The man's a billionaire. Right, 100%. I would have a team, not one, not two, probably 10 guys that literally all their only job was my security and driving me everywhere I go. Someone comes near me, looks shady, take them out. Okay? Get me home. I'm gonna get hammered tonight. Get me home. I don't understand. He's driving his own car. What fucked up? What it hammered. Now he's now he's painkillers, prescription, whatever. I don't give a shit. You're hammered. You're hammered. Thank God. Listen, I never got into any of that stuff, but thank God no one died. He's done this multiple times. Second, third time rolling a car? Thank God. I've never been in a car that rolled. Scariest thing imaginable. But I You're just doing it by the decade. I don't understand. Like, you know, there are cameras everywhere. You are the coach of the New England Patriots, right? I don't get it. I don't understand you get caught. People are talking about possibly one of the best head coaches in the league. You're coming off a ridiculously good season. It's a great coach. I mean, you just went to the AFC championship game. You went to the Super Bowl. You went to the Super Bowl. You're literally just the man. And you go into a resort pool and and you go get caught up with a reporter of all people. Well, I say it because I don't really care. A known slut. Everyone knows what she is. This no, she knows she's a known slut. Oh god. She kills her husband basically all the time. She's she talks bad about the guy. Right? Like, this is what you're a known slut. Not just any slut. Everyone knows she's a slut. I I I don't get it. But listen, not my business. Um it kind of becomes the business of the New England Patriots because he put himself and the team in a very bad situation. Man, what what two people do kind of makes you think about Bob Kraft all over again? I mean, you know, that that never bothered me, man. Me neither. That was crazy. I got a happy ending. I mean, are you shitting me? That's crazy. They raided the place while he was in there. Um, I you know, I was one, like, I would like just for once someone in like, if they're in, you know, the public or whatever, a football player, whatever, it doesn't matter. Just someone with more money than the rest of the world, right? Just to come out and be like, Yeah, I fucking did it. And I don't give a fuck. I don't give a shit what you think. Right. I'm great at my job. Me going and talking with this chick had no bearing on what I'm calling on Sunday. Yeah, I mean, I know what pick I'm gonna be making in the dream. Now, to his credit, he really didn't deny it. He didn't head on. He didn't say that. But he just come, yo, I did it. I fucked up. Like um the Kobe Bryant situation. God rest his soul. Kobe Bryant, he was like, the only thing I'm guilty of was adultery. Like I cheated on my wife. He came clean, he said it. Just come clean and say it. He also stuck it in the door that wasn't open. Yeah, that was a little bit of a bad situation there, but you know. Anywho, uh, talking about basketball, before we get to the draft, the Knicks. Now, last week on the champion, you nailed it, man. You really it's not over. I know, but but so what we're doing. So last week on the show, I gave you guys the Atlanta Hawks in the series, who I believe were like plus 230 at the time. Um now come back, you could get on the Knicks because now you have no risk. The Knicks are an underdog in the series, which was the overall plan. You knew the Knicks were not gonna win both games at home. Why? They never do, okay? Then they're the New York Knicks, and um, they lose last night in epic Knicks-like, New York-like fashion. One point. So, yeah, the first team. I can't I couldn't believe this. That's unreal. The first team in NBA history to lose back-to-back playoff games by one point. I never heard I can't imagine that. I can't believe that that's actually true. And lo and behold, who accomplishes it? The one and only, the New York Knicks. So we got this thing, and again, we'll get to the draft, we'll get to Jim Russell. Um, you know, I people really believe in curses. They really believe like someone is like overlooking them, like attached to them with a curse. And I think people do believe it. Lunatics. Well, lunatics believe curses. Listen, there is something to be said about negative and positive energy. Do you not believe that? That's your own energy, though. Like there, there, so here's where I'm going with this, right? There are no such thing as ghosts, there is no such thing as curses. What there are That's your opinion. Okay. No, no, this is an opinion. This is the fact of the world. That's an opinion. What there are, there are human beings who believe this shit. That's what there is. There is no ghost walking through your house. There is no one following you in the air, making things go wrong. That's a curse. Now, superstition. People are superstitious. I'm superstitious. I drive to work the same way every single day. Regardless of what's going on, I drive to work the same way every single day. That is my superstition. Even so, if you had to do something else, you would make the route. No, no, from my house to the office. I drive the same if I'm somewhere else. But no, if you got to make a stop before the office, that's different. But if I'm if I have to- I'm gonna say if you make that ride only to turn around and go back to where you are, then you're crazy. I make the same turns, I go the same route. I that's my superstition. Okay. Okay. Um, always has been. That's really not a superstition. That's but again, now, do I believe that somebody is floating over me? And we're like, we don't want this guy to succeed, so everything in his life is gonna be wrong. That's a curse! Now hang on, I will call you out on that because on the the anniversary or the birthday of your grandmother, who I know you were very close to, sure, you believe strongly that you can't lose a game. Uh, first of all, it was my mother-in-law. Okay. My mother-in-law, right? Now, I love my grandmother very much too. She has passed on. My mother-in-law always looked after me. Um, she treated me like her son, sometimes better better than a son. And yes, I believe on that day I'm gonna win. And you know what that is? Is that superstition? That's me believing I'm going to win. That's me believing in it. That you are blessed that one day. There are no curses. These people are crazy. Listen, there are people in your life, I'm sure, because I know people like this, that they they all they do is think negatively. Sure. Right? So everything bad happens to them, right? And then there's people that, you know, absolutely so you believe in that. Not the not a ghost or a spirit. Okay, now we've talked about ghosts before. I'm not a believer in ghosts, all right? But what is it that's happening when energies are doing what they do in the presence of uh, you know, we we've seen, right? Like there is actual stories of shit that's gone down that is unexplainable, right? That the government looks into, people, the X-files, all that shit. Listen, it's very simple. We don't have to disagree. Things falling off the wall in a house. Wind. Um if you believe negative stuff is going to happen, negative stuff finds a way to happen. No doubt. If you're a positive person, positive stuff. You could glance. Huge believer in that. I I never knew what it was, been doing it since I'm young. But now with the internet, obviously we know it's all about manifestation and Murphy's Law and all that shit. So and by the way, we we were we were we basically 95% of stuff we talk about on the show, we we do not talk about week prior. Never, but we were actually joking around. Like, can you imagine like being a ghost in someone's house? You did, I don't know. Like the guy not buying your stick. That was actually great. I like it. You just walk around confused. Right, you're just walking around. That's all you got. But but can you imagine, like, so you die, you decide to go haunt the family, and no one cares. They just start laughing at you. They're like, really? That's it? You can just flicker some lights? Yeah, I'm going to bed. You confuse the ghost. The ghost would be walking around. I was like, shit, I was bad in life. I'm bad as a haunt. Like, I killed myself, and now, Jesus, I can't even scare people in the afterlife. Jesus, they're not even gonna let me in anywhere. I'm not even getting into purgatory. My wife knows this about me. If there was a ghost in the house, I would compete with it. I would try to compete with it. You got the wrong guy, I would be gone. We had that conversation. If there was a ghost or even the inkling of a deadly spirit in my house, gone on the market for sale. See ya. I may not even stay in the same town. I may have to move completely on the other side of the state if there was a ghost in my house. I would just be sitting there like, what are you doing here? Hold on. You're crazy? Yeah, you you watch horror movies in the dark. That's not me. Yeah, but that's a whole other issue. All right, let's get to the NFL. Not even that I'm scared of it. It's like, well, who wants to be scared on purpose? I mean, it's like, and what the hell are you watching a horror movie for? That's why I don't. Okay, so some of us do. You do it for the jump effect. Ah! Yeah. Like I like my favorite horror movies of all time, The Conjuring. The Conjuring's a great movies. The Conjuring are great movies. The one that really scared me off it forever, I think, was The Ring. Ring was a great movie. That just fucked me up. I was like, yeah, yeah, there are a lot of great scary movies out there. Ring was a good movie. The Conjuring are great movies. They who they did a great job with that. All right, let's get to the NFL draft. Um, I think your team is by the way to Pittsburgh. All right. I follow them. Oh, you. You can't say I'm a fan of any team. I will go with and against any team on any day. Period. I'm not saying you won't go with them or against them. You're a Steelers fan. Now, because they fucked up last night, now you're denying them? Really? Look, if you are and there's no we in fan. So last night, and you've all had to see the story. They called a wide receiver Lemon from USC and are on the phone with them and they're telling them they're gonna draft him. And as they're telling him they're gonna draft him, he's getting a phone call from Philadelphia. Hang on, Philly's on the other line, click. So here's my issue. Why are you on the phone with the guy before it's your turn to draft? Like, picks not in. You know the Eagles are behind you. Unless you're under a rock, you know the Eagles are gonna need a receiver because they're gonna trade A.J. Brown at some point. You already know that's happening. That's been edged and etched in stone. Why? Now you got so Pittsburgh, the Roonies, okay, been around forever. Some of the greatest drafts in the history of draft. Dallas Jones, been around forever. Make a phone call. Hey, Dallas, is anyone trying to jump us right now? We can beat the offer. How hard was that? I mean, it's kind of odd, really, when you think about it. Because again, Steelers have had some of the greatest drafts in the history of the streets. They draft very well. Extraordinarily well. I don't think they were ready for that. I really don't. Why? I just don't think they were ready, and that makes no sense. And the Dallas Cowboys, who have inherently had horrible drafts. Did a great job last night. Did a fantastic job. Cleveland Browns, who have done a horrible job, did great. Even the Jets, I think, came out on top. I don't think the Jets did a great job. I know you and I disagreed on the pick with Sadiq, but I just a tight end again. Now, um trading back into the first round getting Cooper, I think that's a good move. Great move. But Gino Smith is garbage. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. This is what drives me crazy about the Jets. Okay? You take Sadiq, and again, this these kids just got drafted. We are not here to shit on anyone. Well done. Congratulations. And you have more talent. I love that moment when I see the kids crying and they're just so happy that they've finally reached the We are not gonna speak negatively about a kid being drafted. Here's my problem with the Jets. You had Lemon sitting there, okay? And you always draft tight ends. And they never work out. They never work out. What are they doing? You just drafted one in the second round last year. What are they doing with it? Why? Oh, it's a need. Well, if it's a need, why the hell did you draft one last year? Then go make a trade. I mean, there's so many teams that have two very good tight ends that you can definitely make a deal with. You could have done something. I didn't mind Bailey. I didn't mind Bailey at number two. I mean, Bailey, Reese, you can't go wrong. I mean, those are those are two outstanding football players. Um, so I don't mind what they do there. Well, we said I I love Bailey too. I thought he was, I would have picked him over um Reese. Uh over Reese. Uh I I just felt like there was more experience there. I feel like you're getting a more established player, someone that can come out and play immediately and have an impact. Um, so I I thought it was a good pick. So now, you know, now you have to let the draft fall to you for these teams, right? So, you know, obviously the Cardinals take Jeremiah Love, who is a fantastic talent. Unbelievable. But they went for that big shiny thing. We were talking about this earlier, right? Like, there's a beautiful, shiny thing, but there's all this other beauty around it, and you need all that beauty. Like, Jacoby Brissett's your starting quarterback. I'm not saying you should have gone out and got, you know, Ty Simpson or anything, but let's talk about that one. You you have other needs, right? You you have so many needs on offense. The last thing you needed to do was go get a, what was it, $51 million? That's the guarantee thing. They gotta give this guy a draft slot. And I do think he's gonna be a stud, right? I think he's gonna be amazing. I mean he's gonna be gonna be fantastic. I mean, he's gonna he's got hands like nobody else in the draft. Probably, possibly, as I heard by the pundits last night, the best pick in the draft, as far as best player in the draft. Just went to the wrong team at the wrong pick. I think that Arizona should have done it differently. So you see, and again, I hate saying stuff like this because I want to make clear we are not talking down the kid. The kid is a fantastic kid, unbelievable. All intents and purposes, and is always healthy in the world. He's gonna be way up there. But you look at like what Las Vegas did last year with Genty. Okay, they took him very high, I believe number six, right? It is very h hard to take a running back that high and get the production out of them to match what they are, right? That's very hard to do. And you have no offensive line. Correct. So Gentry wasn't a bad running back, he had no one to run behind. We'll see what happens this year. And we'll see what happens this year. But it's very, you know, now the draft falls, right? So now Tennessee, who's probably gonna take Jeremiah Love to team him with Cam Ward, right? Now they gotta go pivot and they gotta take a wide receiver. Sure. And then what happened? What happens? Now Reese falls to the Giants, and the Giants even even said they did not expect the pick. They're gonna trade that pick. They were ready to trade that pick. They did not expect him to be there. Right. Right. And then the one, the one surprise, not again, not that it's a bad pick. It's not a bad pick. I was surprised Kansas City traded up to six. I was too. Because I think Delane was going to be there at nine anyway. So do I. I don't think anyone was taking him. I don't think they needed to do that. I think he was gonna he was gonna be there. And he's a great pick. I don't get me wrong. I think they just wanted to secure it. I really do. I think that they just weren't willing to roll the dice, sort of like the way the Steelers, I guess, lost their pick without knowing it. So they obviously weren't sure of what was happening before them. So well, all right. So now anyone like what happened to the Steelers? Someone could trade up in front of you and take the kid, right? So if that was happening, then great job. And we don't know if that was happening. But if you just look at the draft and how it played out, like you know, Washington obviously was dialed in on Styles. No doubt. All right? Now New Orleans at eight, they took Tyson. So they weren't not gonna take him, right? Like true. So now it's just once Reese goes at five, there's only three more picks. One is Styles, one is Tyson. You know, you're just looking at who goes six to Cleveland. They weren't taking a corner. No. So that's why I said now again, someone else could have traded in and whatever, and we don't know that. But I just think that kid was going to be available at nine. That was a surprise to me. And I think Downs to Dallas, great. Great pick. Great pick. Great pick. Great pick. I mean, like I said, I think Dallas is probably the best in the draft so far. Round one Lawrence and Downs, they did a good job on defense, man. And listen, the Giants didn't do bad at all either. They did pretty damn good. Again, not trying to downplay a pick or talk bad. I know the offensive tackle with the perniated disc. So and you took a tackle, you're moving them to guard. But he's a beast. He's great. He's beast. But the Giants do not have a great history of taking these kids that high and developing offensive line. I know Andrew Thomas is you know at left tackle and he's a monster, but the Giants have drafted a lot of O linemen in the last year. I agree. You know, Evan Neal for one. Didn't they pass on Micah Parsons back during the right? They did. And they said, ah, he's not ready. He needs him to develop. Giants, man. And that's the year they took. I think it was Tony. Jadari's Tony. Oh no, I think they took Evan Neal. I think they I could be wrong. We gotta go look at the body. I could be wrong. We see how well that worked out. Yeah, I mean, it's just they did not, uh they don't draft well in that regard in terms of like the player that goes next is a star. So you know Caleb Downs is going to be a star, no doubt. A star. No doubt. So now um, something that was also very intriguing last night. Because this, again, I'm speculating. Someone didn't look happy. There was a miscommunication, I believe, but no one can convince me that Sean McVay was happy with that pick last night. See, now I didn't see the post interview. He did not look happy. And I'm like, I'm hearing this today. He did not look happy. I thought it was his idea originally. I thought he was in on sitting down with the you know GM. Well, you would think the head coach gives their opinion. I figured McVeigh went to him and said, hey, that's our future. Okay. I know that we need a wide receiver or a weapon from Matthew so that we can get to that next level and win a Super Bowl this year, but that's our future. I thought that was the conversation. So I was very surprised, very surprised that they did not take Mikhail Lemon. Me too, because you have the whole and Puka Naku is great. But can you imagine that tandem? But he's got some other personal issues going on as well. A lot. And, you know, and I know Garoppolo is retiring, so they lose their backup, and maybe they weren't confident with Stetson Bennett or whatever. I know it's fine, right? But at the end of the day, that's a team that has every opportunity to win the Super Bowl once again. I mean, listen, MVP quarterback, and you draft a quarterback. And they drove they drafted a player. He's 38 years old. He's gonna be a free agent. I mean, with that, but usually you don't see a team that's like close to winning the Super Bowl. Like it's in the NFC, it's them and Seattle. It makes no sense. I agree. They really should have picked a wide receiver or somebody that just gives a little more depth to give him a little bit more weapons, and then maybe done some kind of trade to go get Ty Simpson. Because he was still still gonna be available. He was gonna be available in the city. He was gonna be available all the way up to probably 20, 21, 22, somewhere else. He was gonna be there. What do you think the uh the overall for value? The overall for value, what do you who do you think did the best last night? Value plays, value picks. It's so tough to say because certain the teams had so many picks and other teams only had one. Like most teams only had the one pick. If I Kansas City did great. I just like you said, with the moving up for Delane, but that was a great pick. Um they lose their corners too. They made they they traded their corners, or they lost one. I mean, I just said I think that the Cowboys definitely did best by far. I mean, to do what they did. I think they got a lot of young talent now in that locker room. They can start to push out some of the veterans, and they're gonna even I I think uh uh what's his name is up for a new contract. They're gonna franchise tag him, uh ex-stealer, wide receiver, pickens. Pickens. Yeah, you see my eyes closing. I'm like, I'm not gonna say the wrong way. I almost said Kenny Pickett. I know quarterback, but no, I I thought um, I thought you know, Cleveland did a good job less than a few. Cleveland did quietly do a great job. It's Cleveland. Miami. Thought Miami did a really good job. Miami did a really good job trading away. I think it was the ninth or the tenth moved down to Dallas. 11. They moved off 11, got Dallas. They got a lot of picks in the draft. They do. They do a lot of a lot of collateral. I really thought that um, you know, I I think when it's all said and done, I think Tennessee did a great job getting Tate. Now I know Tate's huge. I guess. So they had him and Lemon, Tate, and Tyson. You know, interchangeable. People, some people had Tate one, Tyson three, some people had Lemon one, Tate three, okay. But I think getting back into the first round, okay, and having that pick late in the first round and taking in on that kid Falk from from Auburn, Auburn, the edge rusher, I think they added a great talent on offense. I saw a lot of edge rushers taking it. Oh, yeah, that's the that's the league right now. It's edge and receiver. Right? And and every time they pick one, they're like, oh, the speed, the burst, he gets around the corner. It's only one or two of those each year that really come out. I mean, there's not gonna be seven of them that are gonna come out and change the lead. But Carnell Tate, great hands, great route runner. He can go for the deep ball. He's got it all. He really was. You and I were talking about him. Like, I don't know if he was really the number one wide receiver coming out. He was. Yeah, I think I think him ties to Lemon. I'm surprised Lemon dropped as far as he did. I know. I really am. Lemon dropped. Yeah. Surprised. Very surprised he dropped as far as he did. Really thought he was gonna be a stealer. Obviously, you know, you have Ohio State getting four players in the top 11. Oh my gosh. I brought one of the notes I wrote. Yeah, no, how players are the top 11? Uh Ohio State. Styles, Downs, Tate. Three top picks in the top in the first seven. Yeah. And then Downs 111. I mean, the whole team's going to the NFL. Yeah. I mean, and and and they got to recruit again. And it's funny because now you look at you look at football, right? So Indiana, now it's the most important position on the field, quarterback. Sure. They had one player going the first round. That's it. They went 16-0. That's crazy. One player going the first round. Oh, no, excuse me, excuse me. They had two. Cooper. Cooper. He got traded back into the first round. The Jets. So they had two. Okay. But Indiana, so two, but one is a quarterback. You and I talked about it. I know you think Mendoza's gonna do well. I do. I don't. Okay. So now there's a lot of situations with that. All right. And before we bring Jim on, I'm gonna talk to him about this as well. A lot has to do with the organization you go to. No question. Because you can be Jesus Christ and go to the New York Jets as a quarterback, and you are going to suck. I don't care that you could change water into wine. You would turn, you would not turn interceptions into touchdowns. You wouldn't. You would just throw interceptions. I don't care. Like the Jets draft a quarterback, he is not going to succeed. The Browns draft a quarterback. What if they bring a quarterback back that failed with them, succeeded elsewhere, and then they bring him back? Organizations have yeah, I know that's a whole other thing we talked about. Organizations have to develop quarterbacks. Some of them do it better than others. I.e., the Packers. They develop quarterbacks. They develop backup quarterbacks. Malik Willis was a backup quarterback, somehow just gotten a starting job in Miami. Sure did. Okay. Turned down the jet job, by the way. Oh, but why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you? Listen, here's what I will say. If Mendoza sits on the bench for two years, nah, it won't be two years. Okay. It's not going to be two years. It'll be one year. At least a year. I think they should have two years. Like, look at what Jordan. I didn't think Jordan Love was going to be a great NFL quarterback. That's what he sat for three years behind Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers sat behind. They're not going to five. Well, the the the the poster boy for this, and everyone forgets this. Who's the poster boy for sitting a year? Patrick Mahomes. Patrick Mahomes. Everyone forgets he sat a year behind Alex Smith. Sure did. Everyone forgets that. And he is the best quarterback of this generation right now. No doubt about it. So Pat Mahomes could sit a year, then Mendoza can sit a year. At least a year. And learn. If they develop him. Listen, he's 6'5. He's already proven he can develop. He transferred, I think, from Cal to Indiana, right? Yes. Got all the starts. And he was a machine. When he was at Cal, he was an interception machine. And he turned it around. 28 touchdowns, I think five or eight interceptions in last year with Matthew Campbell. I just don't know if it transfers to the NFL. Okay, here's how it transfers. Put motherfuckers around him. Let him throw to good receivers. You got a good running back there in Genty. Hopefully he has a great sophomore year. Okay, coach him up. You need an offensive line. I don't understand how these teams don't get more offensive linemen and just protect the. And I don't understand why coaches don't get this because Signetti got it. All right? Signetti understands it when they got the kid from TCU. Okay. What did he say? He just got introduced to his two best friends, a good defense and a running game. Put a good defense around a great quarterback, give him a running game. That's it. Don't put the game on his shoulders. Let him develop. That's it. Gotta have somebody dependable out of the backfield that can catch the ball, that you can hand it off to. That when you look downfield and you see everyone's covered, you know your man's gonna be over in the uh, you know, uh be able to just get you out of trouble, put a good scheme, get good players around him, and be a good quarterback. If you don't do that, you're gonna be a bad quarterback. But what's a bad quarterback? Everyone was running Sam Donald out of town, and he just went and won a Super Bowl. You know, but if you don't have protection, you're not gonna be able to get the job. You're not gonna be able to run your screens, you're not gonna be able to trouble. You're just you're just not. You got anything for the NHL tomorrow? You looking at anything for the NHL? For tomorrow, no. No, no? Okay, so last week, again, just to reiterate, we got Jim Russell coming on in just a few moments. Um, gave you the Knicks, excuse me, gave you the Hawks to win the series of plus 225. Now, Hawks are up two to one. You can make sure you have no risk on this bet because the Knicks are a slight underdog. So if you put 500 on the Hawks last week and it pays 1275, you can come back, put 500 on the Knicks right now. Yep. Okay, now I think they're only plus 105, so you're not gonna make any money there, but you have no risk, and you can win yourself 700 with no risk. Yeah, I've I tell you, I was almost doing the same thing because I have some uh, I mean, my series bets are looking very good in hockey, right? So I gave out the Mammoth in the series, see what happens there. Yeah, Edmonton won one. Right? I gave out Philadelphia. That was a great pick for the boat. They were up 3-0. I gave out uh Edmonton. One minus 200 in chance. They're still gonna win that series. They're the better team. The goalie situation in Edmonton is absolutely atrocious. Always. Which is why their games go over in just about every game. Nope. Um, I mean, the Ducks, as hard as they play, got no defense, they're not gonna be able to keep up. And the other one that I had was uh there was a fourth one in there. There was a fourth one. You don't know who. Uh it'll hit me. Oh, Buffalo. So they got the winner. They got the winner last night. They were up two to one, should be up three to one. They're just a better team. Yep. They really are. I mean, they got robbed. So we got Jim Russell coming on, my boy. Close this out. Guys, let's have a very safe and fun weekend, and let's go out there and make some money. Keep it right here for Jim Russell. All right, welcome back to the show. Once again, we have Jim Russell joining us. It's always a pleasure when Jim hops on, a very happy Jim Russell right now. Because through the first 25 games, his Padres are 17 and 8 tied with the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. Yes, yes, yes. 17 and 8. But I have to say something to you, okay? And I don't want you to take this the wrong way. This is not an insult, it's just a feeling. I feel like the Padre fans are like in the same bag as the Met fans. You guys are some negative people, man. You always think something's gonna go wrong. I'm emailing you, John Dom. I'm like, hey, the Padres look good. And you guys say, Oh, I'm pitching this, and no, my like, you guys are negative, man.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

Yeah, smile a little with this. Let me just remind you about the Padres franchise history for a quick second here, okay, Chris? Sure. So, um, number of World Series championships for the Padres, a fat zero. The amount of times they've been to the World Series, you can count on one hand. It's two. They have one total World Series win under their belt. They played the Tigers in the 80s, and then the one of the greatest, if not the greatest, teams of all time in the Yankees in '98, and they got smoked. They were World Series favorites a couple years ago when they went up 2-1 against the Dodgers. They went 24 scoreless innings. They've been in the postseason less than 10 times in franchise history. They've won nothing. So, like, yeah, if the Padres are doing well, it's always going to be met with I don't know, because in the franchise's history, when things go a little too well, the other shoe always seems to fall. And there's always something on the other side that happens that's like, well, that's the season. Couple years ago, like I said, Padres were up 2-1 against the Dodgers, and then they had a full pitching staff. What happens? Joe Musgrove blows out his arm. Like it's this franchise does not know how to deal with success. So when you're talking about Padres fans not knowing how to deal with success, it's understandable. This team and franchise has done nothing ever. They they don't know how to get over the hump. And until they do, it's gonna be met with, well, yeah, just kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop there.

SPEAKER_02 37:01

And it's coming from a guy who does a Padres podcast. I know. I trust me, I do a great job. Thank you. Yeah, you guys do it all the time, man. You guys do a great job. So um, I I don't know where you are with this, right? Like, I I personally don't believe in curses. I I personally don't believe in it. Like, I don't believe there's some entity following us that's gonna make something go bad. Like, I don't believe that. But when you look at the Mets and you look at them get Juan Soto back, and then the same night they get Juan Soto back, Lindor blows his calf out. Like, you you start to think, like, is there something to this? Like, are you a person that believes in curses?

SPEAKER_01 37:41

I am I am actually a very superstitious person, actually. No, there's a difference though. Superstition is one thing, curses are another. Isn't a curse considered kind of like a superstition? Like it's uh it's viewed as like uh uh something that you have no control over.

SPEAKER_02 37:55

No, a superstition is if we look this up in a dictionary, I'm sure it's gonna give us two different definitions. A superstition is something you like. I was saying this earlier in a podcast, right? I drive to work the same way every single day. That's my superstition. Like from my house to my I don't deviate. Like a routine, right? Yeah, right? Yeah, yeah. But I don't believe some entity is looking over me like if I didn't go that way, that he's gonna crash me into a pole. That would be a curse. Like if it's something always going negative, that's a curse, right? Like, I don't believe that there's something watching over us that makes things go bad. I don't believe that.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

Oh, I 100% believe it. I I 100% believe in curses, I believe in bad juju, I believe in the karma, I believe in all of that.

SPEAKER_02 38:36

Karma, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

I believe in good person. Yes, that's I've seen like things happen to my favorite sports teams, and I'm thinking to myself, this team is absolutely cursed. Like, I I know that I'm a big 49ers fan, so I I understand, oh, they've won five Super Bowls in the franchise history. That means nothing to me. It literally means nothing to me because the last decade plus, last 25 years, this team has gone through some of the most insane losses ever. And to me, there's something I feel like there's always like this little like something bad could happen. There's a curse. I believe in that stuff a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_02 39:17

All right, so when did that start? I mean, you guys dominated the 80s, you won the Super Bowl in '94. Like, what happened? Where's the curse? Like, did someone just say they've won too much, they never win in again?

SPEAKER_01 39:27

Like, like I I feel like with sports, you have to pay a price. And I do feel like the amount of winning that this team did and franchise did in the 80s and the 90s, it's it's gonna eventually like, hey, you you won all those those Super Bowls. Now you got to pay a little bit of a price, right? You so I believe in it. I get it. The franchise is one of the most revered franchises in in the NFL and um one of the you know biggest brands in the NFL and whatnot. But I don't know, man. Some of the stuff that the 49ers have gone through and what I've seen with the Padres, it's like I believe there's something going on sometimes. And then now the Mets, I mean, the last 12 losses, all I could think about was your wife, and I'm like, yo, is she are is the household okay? Like, is everything okay with over there?

SPEAKER_02 40:11

Yeah, she she was uh she was um trying to threaten taking away some sort of activities that we consider fun, right? Like you know, just this, and uh I was watching the game, uh the last game of the losing streak when they lost to 12 in a row. So I'm going back and forth. The Yankees are playing the Red Sox at the same time, and my wife and I are sitting in the living room watching the game. So going back to the Boston Red Sox game, and I'm like, winning franchise? And then when I click back, it it couldn't have been more perfect for me when I click back to the Mets game, as on the television is a guy with a bag on his head with a frown on the bag.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

Oh and I'm like, bag on head, winning franchise, bag on head. It's April 24th, and you already got bags on heads. You know, that's a that's a bad sign when you're this early in the season and you got fans already wearing the bag. And then I get to Chris, if you ever want to get something ever again, you know, you're gonna leave the room, right? You better hope this team wins tonight.

SPEAKER_02 41:08

So so on the curse thing, right? Like, look at um, look at the Dallas Cowboys. Here's what I believe. This is what I believe. And again, I uh you called me an idiot in our last podcast, and I loved it. So you have now you can call me an idiot again. Here's what I believe. Look at the Dallas Cowboys. Uh they dominate the 1990s. That is not a team that is cursed. What has happened now to the Dallas Cowboys is they have an idiot running the organization. A human being that is a moron is running the organization making decisions, and that is why they're not winning. It's not someone looking over them like thinking, like making it go bad. There are human beings making idiotic type decisions. That's my belief.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

Chris, you are not an idiot because I am 100% with you on here. I think Jerry Jones has completely destroyed that franchise because of his giant ego. There's a reason why they have not even made an NFT title game in forever, and it has a lot to do with Jerry. Um, I I despise the Cowboys, I don't like them. Another team you hate, another team I hate. I have a lot of teams I hate. I've realized like I hate a lot of teams with like with a passion. It's kind of a problem. But uh I am with you. I think that they uh they're just poorly run as a franchise. And uh what Jerry has done, look, there's no one to blame but himself. I I think the the moves that he has made, the you know, his giant ego get in the way of you know, players that he's drafted and signed and the whole Michael Parson thing. Like for me, when I look at the Cowboys and I look at the the fact that they haven't been to an NFC title game in forever, I put Jerry like damn near at the very top as to what the biggest reasons why, because he's just he's just has taken that franchise and and he's I'm not gonna say ruin it because they're they're worth billions and billions of dollars, right? But like the on-field product, he just meddles too much with it, and and that's the reason why they haven't been in the anti-title game in literally forever.

SPEAKER_02 43:13

And that's what I think it is with sports. Now, do do some teams have some unlucky breaks? Things happen that you're like, huh? Yes, of course that happens. But in in I I think like you look at OKC right now, they got a genius running their organization. Presty's a genius, they're gonna be around forever until the NBA comes up with another way to stop a dynasty, right? And the NBA will do that because the NBA loves to shoot itself in the foot. But when you have smart people running your business or your team, good things will happen. Maybe not a championship because only one team wins. But good things will happen. If you have idiots running your organization, bad things are gonna happen. I always thought that's just what it is.

SPEAKER_01 43:53

Yeah, you if you it like I I look at the Eagles as a franchise that has, you know, with Howie. In charge, like that's a very smart friend. It's a very smart, very well-run organization. Um, and they're always in the conversation, they've been in the conversation for a long time. They have two Super Bowls in the last decade here, like they're in the conversation. But when you look at teams like the Browns or, you know, uh, you know, name another team, the Jets, of course, the Jets, right? Like the top matters so much. And while the Cowboys brand is arguably the biggest brand in the NFL, maybe in all sports, at the top, you have an incompetent owner that wants to make every decision. Yeah, by doing so, he has made his franchise, you know, it's just not as good as it could be if you have actually smart people in there that are making moves, not because they have giant egos.

SPEAKER_02 44:44

Yeah, and you know, look at a team like the Steelers, okay, only won Super Bowl in Tomlin's tenure, but always around. Like a well-run organization, and no one ever says, Oh, they're cursed because they haven't won a playoff game in seven or eight years, or whatever it is. No, you don't say that. You just say they haven't won a playoff game in seven or eight years. The the there is one I actually will buy, though. There is one I will buy. I will buy. I can't even believe I'm saying this on a podcast, but I'm gonna buy this one. I truly believe Joe Namath sold the soul to the devil to win a Super Bowl back in 1969. And that's the that's the Jets curse. And that's the one I'll give. That's the one I'll give because the stuff that happens to the Jets should never happen to any anything walking around. That's the one I'll give. But besides that, there's there's there's nothing else, man.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

If you go did you ever did you ever believe in uh the Red Sox curse, the Bambino? Or did you believe in the the Cubs curse? Like did you believe in any of those things? Billy Goat?

SPEAKER_02 45:40

If you're believing in that, then they would never win, right? Does the curse do what at what point does the guy doing the curse just say, All right, I fuck with these people long enough? That's it, it's over. We're done. Like at what point? I it's a human being wrote the Billy Goat story. A human being wrote that. It just came over. They wouldn't let it go in the stadium, they're never gonna win again.

SPEAKER_01 45:59

And that guy 50 years later is like, damn, I really I hit a jack I hit the jackpot here with uh with the curse of the of the Billy Goat, and then the whole bambino and stuff. I I understand that I do. Um, but also curses are made to be broken. So eventually, if you're quote unquote cursed, uh, there's gonna be a time when that curse has to be broken. It might take a long time, but eventually it's gonna get broken.

SPEAKER_02 46:22

I mean, also all right, uh the curse of the bambino, Babe Ruth. Like, did he just wake up like in 2004 when the Red Sox were down 3-0 and down in in game four and the night in and just decide, nah, I don't like the Yankees anymore. So go ahead, Red Sox, go win four straight games.

SPEAKER_01 46:36

He rolled over in his grave the wrong way, and he's like, you know what? I think we're good now. We're done here. You guys can win a championship.

SPEAKER_02 46:41

Yeah, man, I I just think it's human beings that believe this shit. But in the case of the Jets, like, I don't believe the Padres are cursed. I I really don't.

SPEAKER_01 46:49

I don't think they're cursed. I just I just think that I don't even know what to think of the Padres because like there's I mean, it's when they if they win a World Series while I'm still alive and you're still alive, that moment is gonna be like, wait, what? Like every Padres fan's not gonna believe it because I mean they've been around for 60 plus years and they haven't even sniffed it. I mean, they they've gotten not even I mean, yes, making a world series is great, but I mean you got they haven't even gotten close. I mean, they've won one World Series game in franchise history. They've been to two, they got smoked in them. Have they thrown have they thrown a no-hidday yet? They've thrown a couple, yes. They've thrown, they've thrown two. That was the that was like one of the last things they needed to do as a franchise. Um Joe Musgrove threw one in 2020, I believe 2021. Okay, and and then uh Dylan Sease threw one um a couple years ago against the Nationals in Washington. But yeah, the franchise, you know, if they didn't have Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman, some of these I was talking about this with John the other night on our on our show. Like when you look at the all-time records in Padre's franchise history for like wins and strikeouts and home runs, I mean, they're awful. Like it's just like awful. Like before Manny Machado, the all-time home run record for the team was like 164 for a player. And that is I don't know, it's just crazy. Like Mason Miller is about to break the franchise record for scoreless innings in in the franchise's history, and that's only that's like 35. So yeah, the franchise, I don't even know what's what's going on with them, but I mean they're playing good baseball, they're in the conversation, sure. They're one of the better teams in the sport. So, I mean, they're at least putting themselves in the conversation to hopefully in the near future, you know, get to and win a World Series.

SPEAKER_02 48:30

I I I passed along to you and John, you know, a bet that I thought was a good value bet, right? Because this isn't a homer, right? I know people get on me because I do root for the Yankees, and they're the only professional team I really, really root for. Um, I I don't believe anyone in the American League, if if healthy for healthy and and nothing stupid happens, I I think the Yankees are the best team in the American League. Um, I certainly think they're the best team in their division, even though they struggled with Tampa Bay recently. Uh, forget the Central. That doesn't scare me. And and you know, unless it's the Astros who are down right now, like nothing else scares you, right?

SPEAKER_01 49:05

They lost Valdez too.

SPEAKER_02 49:06

So yeah, uh, I think Yankees Padres, that World Series pays 70 to 1 for every hundred dollars, you win seven grand.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

You sent me that the other day, and I'm like serious. I think I need to get it on that because that is, I think, a very good future bet. Like, you're not, you know, it's not it's not some astronomical odds, right? But it's still, hey, you can make some money off that if it hits. And it's a it's a possibility. There's no doubt about it. If if the Padres stay healthy and Yankees, right? Like you said, they say healthy all things considered. I that's a that's a very intriguing bet. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 49:41

I mean, because uh all right, look, and this one will set you off, but like the Dodge is gonna keep winning. Like we get how good they are, we understand the Dodges are great, but it is hard to keep going back to the dance every single year.

SPEAKER_01 49:54

It's hard. At some point, they're gonna not win a World Series, right? They're like they're they're they're gonna just they're they're gonna get beat. Someone's gonna beat them. It happened to the Yankees 25 years ago.

SPEAKER_02 50:04

Someone gets you, right? Like right, someone gets you. It's it's gonna happen. So obviously, we know the Dodges are a great baseball team, but like if you if you look at the NL, I know Atlanta's playing, they're off to a great start. Forget the rest of the East, right? Like, you know, Washington, Miami, the Mets, forget Phillies.

SPEAKER_01 50:19

It's like DEF CON 1 here in Philadelphia, by the way. Right. Oh, God, I bet. I bet that's not good.

SPEAKER_02 50:24

Because they thank off for the Mets. If it wasn't for the Mets, everyone would be screaming, but now the Phillies, they had a team on the longest losing streak right now.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

Yeah, not good here. Not good in Philadelphia. No, I I would bet, but hey, at least you got the Flyers. Flyers, yeah. I mean, I I'm not like the biggest hockey fan, but I do appreciate the sport. And once it gets a playoff time, there's probably nothing better than playoff hockey. I mean, playoff hockey is so intense. Um, and I mean, it's just that's the only hockey that I can enjoy. Regular season, but yeah, you're right. Flyers, first time in forever in the postseason.

SPEAKER_02 50:56

Nine six is coming home for game three off a great game two win against Boston.

SPEAKER_01 50:59

Yeah, some excitement. There is some excitement. It's it's it's drowning out the awfulness of the Phillies' start to the season, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 51:06

And then, you know, to pivot over to football, I thought what the Eagles did last night, especially to the Steelers. I I mean jumped them, right? But as they're on the phone with the guy. I know, that was awesome. Like, yeah, we're gonna jump in and take you. But here's here's my thing. We were talking about this earlier. Like, you're the Pittsburgh Steelers, right? So you you've prepared for the draft for the last four months, right? You know the Eagles are behind you. You know Lemon is on the board. Everyone in the world knows they're trading AJ Brown. Everyone knows that's happening after June 1st. They're getting rid of him. You know they're gonna need a receiver. You didn't think anyone would jump up in front of you.

SPEAKER_01 51:46

The draft last night to me was very strange because there was a lot of things that happened in the draft that like I don't think many people expected. And to your point, with the Eagles and you know, jumping the Steelers, you have four months to prepare and and get ready for this moment. You know the Eagles are behind you, right? The the AJ Brown stuff, it's like the worst kept secret in the world. He's gonna get traded to the Patriots post-June one, like it's gonna happen. So, how do you not realize that they're in the market for a wide receiver? And with you know, the wide receivers on the board at that time, I don't know, man. But that that to me, and then to and then all of a sudden to have that come out and you don't trade back, and there probably wasn't enough time to trade back, but still, then you kind of make a panic move. Now, if you're a Steelers fan, you're thinking, like, well, the guy they drafted, this offensive tackle here from Arizona State, you're like, they didn't even want that guy. Like, that was the second pick. Like, they wanted the they wanted Mikhail Lemon. Like, we get this guy, so this guy better turn into like an all-pro tackle. Because if not, I mean, if you're a Steelers fan, you're thinking to yourself, like, this was the second choice. We don't want the second choice, we want the first choice. Um, so yeah, it was just wasn't the greatest night for the Steelers in that moment.

SPEAKER_02 52:57

No, and and obviously we're not in a room, right? We don't know what happens, exactly, right? But you have to be sitting there if you're Pittsburgh, you have to be saying, Okay, Dallas is in front of us. They have CD, they have Pickens. I know Pickens, they're going through a contract dispute like they went with Parsons last year, but whatever. They're not taking a receiver. So I would just pick up the phone and make a call to Jerry Jones and be like, hey, is anyone trying to jump us? We can make you a better offer, right?

SPEAKER_01 53:20

We can move up a spot.

SPEAKER_02 53:21

Right. So we I I just I don't know if they believed it wasn't gonna happen, but to me, man, uh we have we have never seen that, I don't think, in the draft history where a team's on the phone with a guy and he's like, hold on, Philly's calling me. Right.

SPEAKER_01 53:33

I mean, if you're the Steelers and you're like, wait, what? All right, I mean, I would have loved to see the faces in the Steelers draft room when they realize they just got jumped by the Eagles to take the guy that they're on the phone with.

SPEAKER_02 53:44

And again, to your point, what you just said, very, very well-run organization. And this this from a New Yorker, by the way. This this is you know, I mean, Philly in New York, that that's that's blood and that's that's oil and water, you know. Um, very, very well-run organization. And I thought I thought Philly did a great job in the draft last night getting that kid. I really did.

SPEAKER_01 54:04

Yeah, I I do too. Um, you know, there's a couple things that do does concern me a little bit with him. Obviously, uh I think you're looking at Jalen Hurts. Um, I saw a stat with with Lemmon that he caught most of his balls over the middle. Jalen's not an over the middle type of thrower. Like he does not do well in the middle of the field. He's great side on the on the on the sidelines, right? He's great with the deep ball. Um, but if you're looking for a guy to get most of his work in the middle of the field, Jalen's gonna have to step up and you know not be afraid to throw the ball over the middle of the field. And we'll see how it goes there. But um, it's the Eagles. They're well run, they're gonna figure it out. And they replace now AJ Brown with this guy from from you know USC, the Blitnikoff award winner. And I I think you can't help but look at that, what they did and be like, yeah, they nailed it again.

SPEAKER_02 54:52

Yeah, what did you think about Jeremiah Love, number three to Arizona?

SPEAKER_01 54:55

Uh, I thought it was a massive reach um to take a running back that high uh at number three when you have so many needs for that team. You have no offensive line, you have no quarterback, you already have James Conner in the backfield. And you now you're paying Jeremiah Love, what, $50 million as a top three pick? He's already the highest paid running back in the NFL. Uh I look, I'm not like dissing Jeremiah Love. I think that he is going to be a good football player. Actually, I think he is a good football player coming into the draft there tonight, but I don't think it was the right spot for him to go. What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 55:32

Uh, we talked about this earlier when I was on with JR. Um, we we thought the same thing. And that's why I, you know, I didn't send you anything about this podcast. I want to get your opinion, get JR's opinion. Uh, we both said the same thing, man. Um, Reach at number three. Um, I thought the Giants never thought Reese would be there at number five. I think Reese at number five. Now I know they got like a log jam of people there, and that's up to them to figure out, but no one had Reese at number five. Like you're sitting there at the Giants, you have to take him at number five. You have to take him. Right. And yeah. So and I thought Kansas City moving up to six, because I thought that kid would have been there at nine. I thought that was a little bit of a surprise.

SPEAKER_01 56:09

Yeah, the the the top ten in general, I think other than Mendoza, I think ever almost every pick you're like, that's interesting. Sure. Um, I think the Carnell Tate to to number four to Tennessee, I think that was a reach. You do you don't even get the best wide receiver from Ohio State at number four. Like, what? I I just I don't I don't get that. Um, the the trade up by Kansas City, I think they got freaked out, and it's like they almost were bet are betting against themselves, and they could have just stayed there and got him at nine. Um, I think the Giants, you're right, with with Reese going there at five, you have to take him. Um well, who knows with the Jets? I mean, whoever they pick in the top 10, it's just like they're gonna suck. So, I mean, they have so many issues, it's like whatever. Um, but all in all, yeah, top ten. And then you get down to to Caleb Downs going to the Cowboys, the team we talked about here. It's like, of course, you know, I think Caleb Downs should have been a top 10 pick, and he falls to the Cowboys. But um, yeah, all in all, uh top five for for the draft, other than Mendoza, I think every pick was like, that's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 57:15

I think the pick of the draft when for value and where you are drafting, right, was Dallas with Downs. I really thought that was a great pick by them. Um, I think the surprise of the draft was Simpson. Oh, yeah. No one had that. And I think the laugh of the draft was was Pittsburgh being on the phone with a kid you're about to take and you get you get jumped. Like I I but I really um the Rams surprised me with that draft pick. They really did surprise me. You know, you're looking at a team that, for all intents and purposes, could win a Super Bowl this year.

SPEAKER_01 57:46

I mean, and you saw you saw the post, you saw the post draft press conference. Oh my gosh, he was pissed, man. Dude, like the worst poker face you could possibly have is Sean McVay.

SPEAKER_02 57:56

Right. And unfortunately for that kid, like you're going into that situation. Like, wait, my coach, because the way I look at that is he don't want me. That's the way I would look at it. 100%. You know, like that's a hard position for a quarterback to go into. Um, I think the Jets taking a tight end again. Like, you talk about a friggin' franchise that never learns, right? Like, they've they've drafted more tight ends in the first round, and it never works out. I don't understand. And then they go do it again.

SPEAKER_01 58:26

Sadiq, I think, is the best tight end in the draft. Sure. I I think he in the right spot could be one of the better tight ends in football, like potentially right away. But anybody that goes to Jets, you're just like, that guy's gonna suck. Like, they're just they don't put their players in the best position to win and to succeed. And now you got Geno Smith again back in a Jets uniform, throwing the football, like I feel bad because I like Sadiq a lot. I think that if he went to like, you know, any other team that wasn't the Jets with an actual freaking quarterback, he could be a potential candidate for rookie of the uh offensive rookie of the year. Yeah, because I think he's that good in the tight end position. You can you know scheme it and figure out ways to like if he went to if he went 13 to the the Rams instead of Ty Simpson. Right. Are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_02 59:19

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 59:20

And instead, you know, you get the Rams, and there's potential, you know, uh, you know, a divide between uh, you know, the GM and head coach with the the this pick and um yeah the Jets with with Sadiq. I mean he's a good football player, but is he in the right spot? It's all about it's all about fit scheme and and you know, are you drafted to the right spot um to succeed? And I just have a feeling that it could be bad for Sadiq.

SPEAKER_02 59:46

So I and I and and we were talking about this like you we don't want we wish that what happened last night to these kids is the greatest moment of their life. 100. You know, we wish them all the success in the world, every single one of them, right? We want to see them succeed, but we know watching sports, like I truly believe, I truly believe this. Not nothing factual to back it up, a complete opinion. The kid from Oregon, the quarterback, knew he was going to the Jets at number two and said, fuck that. I'm staying, I'm not going to that organization and I'm not getting beat there. Because I have no shot to succeed there. Well, we'll we'll stay one more year and play it out next year. I firmly believe that happened.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:24

No, but if you're a quarterback, like, I mean, you look at next year's draft with Arch Manning and the guy, the kid from from Oregon, right? Like, you're thinking, like, please don't have a top five pick again, Jets. Odds are though, they're gonna have a top five pick. They're always gonna have a top five pick. So if you're the Jets, right, and just to give the Jets maybe a little credit here, you're probably thinking to themselves, all right, we have a chance that we're probably gonna get a quarterback next year. We're not gonna try to, you know, make some crazy things happen this year. And by getting Sadiq and then moving back into the first round um to get uh Omar Cooper from Indiana, they're thinking to themselves, let's get the weapons ready for the potential quarterback next year, you know, because we're gonna suck and we're gonna be a top five team, you know, in the draft next year anyway.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:08

So before I let you go, um just give me just give me one to ten, right? How excited are you about the Padres right now? 17 and 8? Like what one to 10? Where are you?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:18

Honestly, I'm it's it's weird because like their record's really good, but they got some issues. Like they're starting pitching. I know they just signed Giolito, but you know, they lost Pavetta. Who know who the hell knows about Joe when Muskro when he's gonna return? The pitching's a uh a concern, and their top three guys, Manny, Jackson Merrill, and Frano Tatis Jr. have all started off the year awful. They just have been awful, especially Tatis and Manny's hitting under 200. Um, but uh, with all that said, they have the best bullpen in the sport, they have the best closer in the sport, they have, you know, the star power, the players I just named, they're not gonna be down like this all year long. They're eventually gonna get back to close to their numbers at some point. So stack the wins now, and hopefully you get those guys playing better baseball later in the year. I don't know, probably like an eight, seven, eight.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:09

Yeah, it's not like I'll give you the arrogance of a Yankee fan. We're like a two, man. This is this is nothing new to us, man. We're gonna be good. Yeah, you're gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:23

Like, I mean, all time high last year. It was just, you know, so not to like temper my expectations a little bit. So I'm like a seven.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:30

This is it for me, man. I just tried telling my wife this. Like, what are you so upset about? The Yankees, the match. You root for a clown show. I root for the Yankees. This is what it is, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:39

It's it's it's just another Tuesday to me.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:41

Like, we're uh we're the best record in the American League. Like that's fine. I told you guys, you and John, man, uh, we get a Yankees Padres World Series. I'll get you over here to the Bronx. Yo, we'll go see the game. I'll drive up, I'll be there in a couple hours. And you guys treat me over in San Diego. I know you're in Philly right now, but I'll get treated over in San Diego. John's gotcha, yeah. John's gotcha. We'll do, man. Jim, man, thank you so much. Again, second time you've been on the show. Love doing this stuff with you. You're it for my money, man. You're one of the best guys we ever have on. So appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:07

And uh, you're you're not an idiot this time. So, you know, good on you. Maybe next time, but today you're not an idiot.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:13

Well, I tell you, man, just on that, real fast. Whoa, I got hammered for saying North Carolina wasn't a good job. Oh boy.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:19

As as you should have. As you should have.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:22

Jim Russell, thank you so much for joining us, man. Have a great Friday. Oh, you too, man. Thanks. Thank you.