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00:00Right back out of here on the early line.
00:02Rise and grind.
00:02It's what we do.
00:03It's Joe Ranieri.
00:04It's not.
00:04He writes that the energy needs to be here to carry it through for your sports grid day.
00:07And that is our job.
00:08And we always take that mission seriously.
00:11You know whose job it is also to lead a football team.
00:13It's your starting quarterback.
00:14You know how you can't lead your football team, Joe, if you are injured.
00:17Adam Schefter report yesterday.
00:19Browns quarterback Shador Sanders suffered an oblique strain today.
00:23Will not practice Thursday.
00:24And is unlikely to play Saturday first to fill it up.
00:26Eagles.
00:27You get the mojo.
00:28You get the good start.
00:29You want to build on that.
00:30And all of a sudden, you go to the back of the line.
00:32Because if you are injured, you cannot practice.
00:34You cannot play.
00:35You cannot be in the game plan.
00:37And you cannot show your teammates and coaching staff and general manager and owner and fans
00:41that you deserve to be the starting quarterback in week number one.
00:44This is a setback for Shador.
00:46It's an oblique, which means, Joe, that's twerk on the football.
00:49That's throwing.
00:49That's what a quarterback does.
00:51You can't just go out and say, hey, you know what?
00:52Oblique hurts today.
00:53I'll just go 50%.
00:54You can't do that.
00:56Big injury for Shador Sanders and the Browns.
00:58It's just totally unfortunate.
01:01Once again, the whole Browns organization and quarterbacking is cursed, Donnie.
01:07Any which way you cut it.
01:08I mean, how else do you look at it?
01:10At this point, this organization has been so ridiculously bad at figuring out who their
01:16quarterbacks are for a bevy of reasons over the years.
01:20And now you get a guy that goes 45 snaps in an opening game that has more hype around
01:26him than any quarterback you've had in a very, very long time.
01:30Things are looking up.
01:31And then what happens in some fluke injury in a joint practice with your Eagles with no
01:37pants, no full pads on somehow pulls an oblique injury.
01:41Like what?
01:42You've got to be.
01:43You can't make this up, Donnie.
01:44Honestly, you just can't make it up.
01:46Maybe he's smarter than everybody else.
01:48He's like, look, man, I can't compete with the Eagles.
01:50I'm not going to go out there and say seven and seven or 11 on 11 and embarrass myself.
01:53I don't want to play in this football game when some of those Eagles players will start.
01:56I put good film out there.
01:57Let me just sit this out and let everybody else put bad film out there.
02:00But the funny part about this is if there's anything funny is you look at the Browns,
02:04you know, locker room, particularly the quarterback situation.
02:06It's like, hey, look at all the young guys.
02:08Kenny Pickett, injured hamstring.
02:10Shador Sanders, injured oblique.
02:12Dylan Gabriel, injured hamstring, 40-year-old Joe Flacco, healthy.
02:20Come on, Eddie.
02:21We can't make this up, can we, Joe?
02:23No.
02:24And listen, Flacco was taking all the reps with the starters anyway during practice.
02:32And the unfortunate thing is now, well, I guess the fortunate thing is, right, Tyler Huntley,
02:38who was signed off the scrap heap because they didn't have anybody else to back up Shador
02:42last week healthy enough, and they are not going to roll out in a wheelchair there, good
02:47old Joe Flacco and his AARP card.
02:50So we're basically going to be looking at, what, Dylan Gabriel, who is somewhat healthy.
02:56Pickett doesn't appear to be healthy enough to play this week.
02:59So here we go.
03:00No Flacco, no Pickett, the two guys with the experience.
03:03So now we're going to get Huntley, who we've all seen enough of in his career, and maybe
03:10a little Dylan Gabriel, if he doesn't get hurt, that is, at some point between now and then.
03:15By the way, you know where Joe Flacco grew up?
03:18What state, Joe?
03:19Do you know that?
03:21Oh, he's a Jersey slash Delaware guy, from what I understand.
03:25Yep.
03:25He grew up in Audubon, played football at Audubon High School.
03:28Why does DRS bring this up?
03:29That's the colonial conference, as it used to be, in the 1990s and so many decades.
03:34Did you know, now granted, I'm older, I'm 47, he's 40, but, you know, same conference
03:37here.
03:38In 1995, scored two touchdowns against Audubon High School, was named the South Jersey Player
03:43of the Week for a wide receiver.
03:44Did you know that about your boy right here?
03:46And you know what?
03:47Watch this.
03:49Oh, no.
03:49Oh, no.
03:50Let me reach back.
03:51Now, let me explain this.
03:52Let me explain this to you.
03:53See, here's a plaque.
03:54Let me just get a little bit closer.
03:56It's going to be hard to focus on this here.
03:58All right, no.
03:58But that's my plaque.
03:59Now, it says, Offensive Lineman of the Week.
04:01Do I look like an offensive lineman?
04:03No.
04:03They took two skilled position players, two wide receivers, but they already had the
04:07plaques made out.
04:08So, my name is on there.
04:08The date's on there.
04:10But it says, Offensive Lineman of the Week.
04:12So, maybe I could play that off.
04:13You know what I mean?
04:13Would you think I was an offensive lineman if you saw this plaque?
04:17Don, I got to tell you, don't say that too loud because there are still a number of
04:22teams looking for solid offensive linemen.
04:25So, you might be getting a phone call here, my man, based upon that plaque.
04:30I'd keep the lid on that.
04:32Keep it quiet.
04:33Don't want you getting hurt here before the end of the week.
04:37No, and also a sneak peek into that game as well, Joe.
04:39I had one touchdown in the first half, which was great.
04:41But the second half, we were winning by a wide margin.
04:42So, me and the quarterback decided to not run the football and throw a deep touchdown
04:46pass, which I caught some flack on the sideline by my head coach.
04:49But, come on now.
04:50You got to live for today, Joe.
04:52Don't worry about tomorrow.
04:53Score today.
04:53Worry about running in practice tomorrow.
04:55You ever hear that?
04:56You know what I mean?
04:56Come on.
04:57Listen, what have you done for me lately?
05:00I am with you, dude.
05:01The more touchdowns you can throw, the more blocks you can get.
05:05Very valuable.
05:06Hold on to that plaque, Donnie.
05:07Don't lose it.
05:08Don't lose it.
05:09Absolutely.
05:09And, by the way, back to the Browns situation.
05:11Is it clear, though, right now that Joe Flacco should be minus 10,000 and start week
05:15number one?
05:16Like, is that what we're heading towards, where he shouldn't be the starter?
05:18But it's like, hey, he's the old guy.
05:20Yeah, he's the only healthy guy.
05:22That's not even possible anyway.
05:23Flacco's going to start week one, isn't he?
05:25They might bubble wrap him at this point, Donnie.
05:29They might roll Flacco and bubble wrap and put him somewhere in the locker room and say,
05:34don't touch this.
05:35Kind of like your plaque back there.
05:37Just keep it off to the side.
05:38Don't let anything happen to it.
05:41And then we need a healthy quarterback for week one.
05:44And it's quite apparent that Stefanski doesn't want to see Flacco in the preseason.
05:51He needs a healthy quarterback for game one.
05:53And he's going to get it, provided Flacco doesn't trip over somebody in practice.
05:58Incredible, man.
05:59Like, you try to get these guys souped up for the regular season.
06:02Like, young quarterbacks here can't take care of their hamstrings.
06:05Old guy's going to start.
06:06Four and a half as a team total for the Browns.
06:08And it's kind of funny where I wonder how quickly these injuries, you know, heal up, per se.
06:13Because I did want Shedouar Sanders to start week one of the NFL season.
06:17Because I just think a young rookie quarterback should start for the Browns who have no hope for the future without a quarterback.
06:23And now we're just saying no quarterbacks in play.
06:25Like, is Joe Flacco playing four quarters on Saturday's game?
06:28Like, what's the deal here in Philadelphia?
06:31Huntley.
06:31You got Huntley.
06:32And Gabriel is what you're going to get here.
06:35And that's, I mean, well, listen.
06:36You drafted Dylan Gabriel.
06:39So it's actually not a bad thing that you're going to get to see him here maybe this week and week two.
06:46Because you've got to figure it out, right?
06:47At some point, you've still got to figure it out.
06:49I think we can all agree.
06:50Yeah.
06:51Flacco is not the long-term answer.
06:52So you better get one of these guys, whether it's Pickett or Gabriel, healthy enough to play in these next two weeks.
06:59By the way, Flacco did go to Delaware.
07:01Did you know where he went before Delaware for his freshman year, I guess?
07:03You know where that was?
07:05Where?
07:06Where'd he go?
07:07Pittsburgh.
07:08Do you know who his head coach was?
07:09Dave Wanstead.
07:10Wanstead told him he's going to be the star to the next year.
07:12And he goes, yeah, it's okay.
07:13I'm still going to Delaware anyway.
07:15Joe Flacco on the move.
07:17And you're on the move.
07:18Caleb Williams.
07:19He's starting, people.
07:21Ready to go, Joe.
07:23That's the theme here.
07:24We're ready.
07:24We'll tell you, it's August 14th, 2025.
07:27It's a Thursday.
07:28And a couple more Thursdays.
07:29We'll have the kickoff for the NFL season.
07:31Not this Saturday, but next Saturday.
07:34I'm actually going to be in studio doing a college football show that will be live with Joe Lisi.
07:38And then it's officially football season.
07:40Even though for me, Joe, I always think about July as football season because that's when we get to training camps.
07:44But now we're saying Ben Johnson is in control in Chicago.
07:48That's the head coach everybody wanted there.
07:49That's an offense that spent a lot of money on its talent and a lot of high draft capital.
07:54The expectations are sky high.
07:56Courtney Cronin tweets out yesterday.
07:58Ben Johnson said that everyone is going to play Sunday versus Buffalo in the Bears' second preseason game.
08:03That includes Caleb Williams and the starters who sat out last week.
08:07Get the starter some time.
08:09Let me see him with Ben Johnson.
08:10And let's see what we have for the season itself.
08:13I like this move.
08:14These guys need to play.
08:16Now let's just see what happens once they play this weekend.
08:19Well, again, we'll see.
08:21I mean, the problem that I have here is there is so much hype around Ben Johnson, the coach, and that, you know, this is going to be the savior.
08:32And they finally got it right.
08:34I am not sure the Ben Johnson offense, I'm not a believer in Caleb Williams at all.
08:42And I wasn't a believer when I'm out of USC, Donnie.
08:45I didn't think he deserved to go no more.
08:47I thought, crazy me, and I have said it a million times here on the network, JT Dallas is the best quarterback coming out of college.
08:55Like, I don't even know what are we even arguing about here.
08:58Caleb Williams is too busy, you know, with the tears, hanging out in the stands with his mom.
09:03Like, this is not a guy I want leading my football team.
09:08And the Bears, well, they had an opportunity, and, well, they picked Caleb Williams.
09:13But now they're going to try to redo that mistake by bringing in a head coach, which is a great move with Ben Johnson.
09:20But I don't see it working, Donnie.
09:22I don't care how much talent you have around him.
09:24I don't trust him above the shoulders at all.
09:27I think they will be, mark my words and mark the tape, by week seven or eight, there will be a different quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
09:36No, come on now.
09:38Ben Johnson is the creator of the quarterback position.
09:41They got weapons, Joe.
09:42They got a guy that's balling there, Heisman Trophy style, in college, ready to take the reins.
09:47You know when I'm going to get fired up?
09:49If Caleb goes like this, and it says, like, go Bears on his painted fingernails, that's an MVP season that we're going to have at this point right now.
09:55Let me ask you the question on this, though.
09:57Last year, Caleb Williams, let me just bring up some stats that he had.
10:003,541 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 87.
10:06His passer yards this year, his prop, 3,625.
10:11He should smash that.
10:13But you know what's funny?
10:14You're right about this.
10:16He was telling stories in the offseason like, hey, man, Iberflus would tell me to go watch film.
10:19I had no idea what I was watching.
10:20Now, at least you're going to have somebody to watch film and break down film with in Ben Johnson.
10:24How does he not throw for roughly 100 more yards than he did last year, Joe?
10:28So your prediction or the odds maker saying, like, yeah, Joe's right right now.
10:32He's going to stink.
10:32I don't think he's going to stink.
10:34I think he surpasses that number.
10:35But I look at that number go like, why is it just barely higher than what we saw last year?
10:40Yeah, and again, the market is telling you, aren't they, Donnie, everything that you need to know,
10:46that it is not going to be all about Caleb Williams.
10:50And if you truly believe in Johnson in his first year as a head coach,
10:55well, then he has got to make it about a lot of other things other than dropping Caleb Williams back 30, 35, 40 times a game, Donnie.
11:05They are going to have to be able to run, run, and play defense, get turnovers short.
11:11They're going to have to do everything else right in order to give him a shot to actually be successful.
11:18Because if you're planning on dropping him back that many times,
11:21nothing good is coming from that in any way, shape, or form.
11:25Ah, it's interceptions or touchdown passes, Joe.
11:27That's team totals.
11:28That's going over the total.
11:30That's what we really need to see.
11:31The Chicago Bears' win total of the season, 8.5, which means expectations are to push for a playoff spot in December.
11:37The playoffs, short dog price, plus 180.
11:40The NFC North champions at a plus 550.
11:42The NFC title at 20-1 and then the Super Bowl at a 40-1 odds here.
11:47For you, Joe, what does a good season look like for the Chicago Bears?
11:53500 is a good season.
11:54I mean, what more are we expecting when you don't truly have a proven commodity at quarterback?
12:02I just don't get it.
12:04I mean, if you could do the draft all over again, are you really picking Caleb Williams?
12:09Is this the guy that you want?
12:11And the answer is absolutely not.
12:14So it may take a little while for him.
12:16But you just go 500 in the first year, and I think you're heading on the right path.
12:23Come on.
12:23Let's cook this year, Joe.
12:24I got to sway you over to my opinion on Caleb.
12:26Let's cook Ben Johnson.
12:28Caleb, they can run for president and vice president in a couple years.
12:30Maybe the mayor of Chicago.
12:32They're going to take over the Windy City at this point here.
12:34I'll tell you who's not taking over.
12:36It's Odell Beckham Jr.
12:37Give it up.
12:38I think I'm a better wide receiver right now than Odell Beckham Jr.
12:41I got to prove it.
12:43Oh, Jerry Jones and those Dallas Cowboys.
12:45Maybe it's good that they're out of town, Oxnard, California, before they fly back.
12:49But the one thing I can never understand is a guy that you would probably ask that wants
12:54to win a championship and be on top of the world again more than anybody else is Jerry
12:57Jones.
12:58But then you start to question everything about Jerry Jones and his management style.
13:02To have a team worth more money than any single sports team on the planet and to not
13:07have any success whatsoever at winning championships or the thought of a championship in 30 years
13:14is incredible.
13:15But that's the Dallas Cowboys.
13:16And yesterday, we had a tweet come out from Todd Archer.
13:19And it basically was the interview with a transcript here.
13:23What's preventing you guys from talking right now?
13:25That was Todd Archer.
13:26Jerry said, again, nothing really.
13:28Then Todd Archer goes back.
13:29So why don't you talk?
13:31Jerry says, again, nothing would be that.
13:33And we might or might not talk.
13:36And the rest of that gets into what we do every day.
13:39This man sounds like he's lost his mind.
13:41You are the owner.
13:43You have the checkbook.
13:45If you wanted to right now, Joe, at 833 Eastern, can walk into the room and say, here's your
13:52check for five years and $222 million.
13:56Start to play football and let's go.
13:57Does he enjoy the actual spectacle of the sport more than actually winning?
14:0320 years ago, I never thought that would be the case with Jerry Jones, Joe.
14:08Listen, Jerry Jones, he didn't get here by accident, right?
14:13He didn't get to be the billionaire Dallas Cowboys owner by accident.
14:17And he did it because everything is about, you know, principles and perception and, in
14:24his mind, getting the better of the situation, right?
14:29One thing he did say, which I think explains everything here, Donnie, one of the quotes
14:34that he gave yesterday when people were like, listen, you're 21 days away from game one here.
14:41Like, what's, what are you, like, aren't you worried you're under, and he said, quote,
14:46quote, you don't have deadlines when you're playing under a contract, end quote.
14:52And he's right.
14:53It's not like this is a free agent.
14:56This is a guy that is under contract.
14:59And to Jerry Jones, he's right.
15:02Listen, I'm not the one losing out here.
15:04You're the one who doesn't show up and doesn't play.
15:06You're the one who's going to lose money.
15:08The reasons Micah Parsons is in camp is strictly because he doesn't want to lose the money.
15:13Why?
15:14He's under contract.
15:16So you don't have to do anything.
15:18If you're Jerry Jones, it better be Micah Parsons making the first move.
15:22I got to tell you, like, when did Mike Brown sort of seep into Jerry Jones's body?
15:27Like, hey, we're going to be physically responsible.
15:29We can't pay everybody, but yet understanding that the economics are the NFL is pay these
15:34guys as soon as you can, because you will save money on a rising salary cap, not wait
15:37till the cap goes higher, which means you have to pay your player even more money in the
15:40meantime, and then do it again a couple of years later.
15:43That's what I can't understand.
15:45And for a team that's like, like, Jerry's getting older.
15:48Jerry doesn't go, hey, I have a 20-year vision for this franchise.
15:50No, you don't.
15:52You have a three-year vision for this franchise, and this is the way that we're going to run
15:55it.
15:56But even more importantly, sometimes you can see owners, general managers, or players be very
16:00articulate behind the microphone.
16:02Here's the game plan.
16:03Here's why we're doing it.
16:04It's all going to work out in the end.
16:05We're getting blips and blurbs from Jerry every day that sounds like he has no idea
16:10what's going on in his own organization, and he runs the thing.
16:14Yeah, he does.
16:16But again, it's all about leverage with a Jerry Jones, the billionaire, right?
16:22It's all about having leverage here.
16:24And he'll keep pointing to the fact that, listen, we talked about a contract.
16:28We had a deal, and all of a sudden, you know, you walked away from it.
16:33Now you want to have another negotiations.
16:36All the while, while you have a contract, you are still under contract.
16:42And then don't forget, they can still use the franchise tag on him here at some point,
16:47Donnie, as well.
16:48So again, leverage.
16:50Jerry has all of it.
16:52Parsons is the only one losing out here.
16:54And Jerry could care less, quite honestly, other than the fact of Jerry got the better
17:00of him.
17:00See, I told you it was going to work out, but it worked out because Jerry got the better
17:05end of the deal.
17:08Amazing times here.
17:09Jerry's bank account's going to get bigger, more yachts, more fun, more canned festivals
17:13for Jerry.
17:15More drafts from the middle of the ocean on his yacht where he picks the player out here,
17:18and that's not going to change.
17:20The only thing that we hope is going to change if you're a Cowboys fan is wins on the field
17:23and when you play these games, you win stupid prizes.
17:26That's what Dallas has won, stupid prizes for 30 years.
17:29All right, let's get to the meat and potatoes here.
17:30One wide receiver to another.
17:31It's your boy Donnie right side.
17:32It's Odell Beckham Jr.
17:34I don't know why this guy's name has stood out there for the past couple years.
17:38I don't know why people still get excited.
17:40It has been since 2019 where he's meant anything on the football field.
17:44We're going into 2025.
17:46A Tom Pelissero tweet came up yesterday.
17:48Three-time Pro Bowler wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
17:50has drawn interest from several teams and plans to play somewhere.
17:5320-25 per source.
17:55As OBJ posted himself, he's not retiring and continues to train in anticipation of being
17:59on the field soon, which was hilarious over the weekend where like Adam Schleckler tweeted
18:04out that he's going to retire and he got angry at that.
18:07I got news for you, Joe Ranieri.
18:09Odell Beckham Jr.
18:09has been retired for at least five to six years at this point.
18:13Let me give you the sought after free agent that he is.
18:1626 receptions per season.
18:18In 2020, 23.
18:20In 2021, 17.
18:22In 2021, or excuse me, along that with the Rams, 27.
18:26And then you get to 2023 and beyond, 35 and 9.
18:29Who would want this guy?
18:30Other than he has like a legendary status for a few really good years with the Giants and
18:35some amazing catches.
18:36You know what else we remember him for?
18:38Oh, he wears funny cleats in the preseason or before the game.
18:41And wow, did you get to the game early because he makes all these catches with one hand?
18:45Got news for you, Odell.
18:46If you made more catches with two hands, you'd probably still be in the league right now.
18:50How about that?
18:52The problem with Odell is the guy had all what could have been.
18:57I mean, Donnie, really, that's what when we look back at Odell Beckham, we're going
19:00to be like, what could have been?
19:03This guy had all the talent in the world and showed flashes of it.
19:08I mean, greatness, but the problem was bit of a head case early on in his career and
19:14then couldn't stay healthy, Donnie.
19:16And, you know, that year with the Rams, that was unbelievable that year with the Rams, where
19:22a lot of guys had counted him out back then, too.
19:25But he was a big part of that run to the Super Bowl there.
19:29So if he can play, Donnie, if a team legit thinks Odell Beckham Jr. still has something
19:35in the tank, he'll be on a roster at some particular point this season.
19:40If teams don't think he is good enough or he doesn't have the burst anymore, he's got
19:46nothing left.
19:47He'll be doing interviews and probably in the booth before it's all said and done this season.
19:53Again, with the Rams run, like he had 27 catches.
19:56Do you know what I mean?
19:56Like he was having a good Super Bowl before he got injured.
19:58We'll give him that.
19:59But also, let's understand like, oh, I'm a superstar.
20:01With Baltimore, hey, you know what?
20:02That's interesting.
20:03OBJ goes to Baltimore, 35 catches, 565.
20:07And I don't even think they used him in the playoffs at all.
20:10And then he goes, hey, man, let's go down to Miami.
20:11I got Tua.
20:12I got Mike McDaniel.
20:13I got electric wide receivers on the outside.
20:16You're going to have to single me up on a slot cornerback who's probably your fifth
20:20best cornerback.
20:21You know what he did for Miami?
20:23Nine games, nine catches.
20:25And he's talking about teams want me.
20:27Why would you want Odell Beckham?
20:29Otherwise, just hanging a poster saying, do you remember how cool he was?
20:32This guy cannot help your football team.
20:35Don't waste a spot on your roster on Odell Beckham.
20:38Groom, train, get a younger player ready on that organization.
20:43Odell can't help you except for the name himself and the hair that he has.
20:47That's it.
20:49Don't forget, Donnie.
20:50Two years ago, the Ravens gave him $15 million guaranteed on that one-year deal.
20:56What a heist.
20:56But the only reason they gave him that is because they were still negotiating with Lamar
21:02Jackson, who is best friends with Odell Beckham Jr.
21:06And Lamar wanted Odell on the team.
21:10They eventually got that five-year contract settled with Lamar, but only after they gave
21:15Odell $15 million.
21:16So, it pays to have friends, Donnie, in high places.
21:20That's for sure.
21:22Exactly.
21:22I mean, come on.
21:23Getting 300 to 400 yards a season.
21:25And again, with the Miami Dolphins, which was a bad team, nine catches, 18 targets, and
21:3155 yards on the season.
21:33And he's going to go play somewhere?
21:35Stop it, man.
21:36L.A. Fitness probably has a lot of flag football leagues.
21:38Odell can probably rip up and make all the one-handed catches he can.
21:41He's just not an NFL player anymore.
21:43He was sensational with the Giants.
21:46He's not that player anymore.
21:47And it's time to move on.
21:48You know what it's time to move on to right now?
21:50Major League Baseball.
21:51We're talking Brewers.
21:52They already got 12 spot underneath.
21:53Is it 13?
21:54Is it 14?
21:55Is it 15?
21:56Is it 16 wins on deck for the Brew Crew?
21:58Let's talk about that next.
21:59And much more Major League Baseball right here on the Early Live.
22:03Hour number two officially underway.
22:04And if anybody knows me, Joe Renier, I'm very structured in my life, right?
22:07Eat one time a day, you know, make sure I get to bed at an early hour.
22:10But I've been staying up later and later here trying to watch some of these baseball
22:13games come in.
22:14It's been a lot of fun.
22:15But I like to take my vitamins at a certain time during the show to keep the energy alive.
22:19Do you know I haven't taken a single vitamin today because I keep forgetting because of
22:22how much fun I'm having on the show today?
22:25Like, I'm not even paying attention to my meds over here.
22:28They do make a vitamin that will help you remember to take your vitamins, Donnie.
22:33I'm just throwing that out there for you.
22:34So you just, you may need to add a little something to that repertoire.
22:38But listen, plenty of time.
22:40And we got, what, another 57 minutes here to give out a whole bunch of winners coming
22:46up here over the weekend as well.
22:48Yeah, I read somewhere like once you hit like 39, like the brain says, you know what?
22:52I'm not really in my prime anymore.
22:54I'm going to start to go downhill at this point.
22:55So if I'm 47, like Lisey's got, like, what's Lisey, 58, 59, something like that?
23:00I mean, Lisey's mind's got to be mush at this point here as we support our guy heading
23:04into football season.
23:04But yes, brains matter.
23:06And so does the hot topic you're going to talk about because you need brain function
23:09to understand this one.
23:10We're going to the fade to public poll.
23:12Get ready for this.
23:20It's crossover time.
23:22You ever watch Allen Iverson crossover Michael Jordan this rookie season?
23:24Ooh, got the great one here.
23:27Sometimes you need a crossover, which means sports mixes over with social media and pop
23:31stars here.
23:32What am I saying this for?
23:33Go to at SportsGrid right now.
23:35Find our poll and vote on it.
23:37The question that we ask the people today in our fade to public poll, will you watch or
23:40listen to Taylor Swift's appearance on the New Heights podcast?
23:44Now, the votes coming in, 70% are saying no.
23:47I have to say this right now.
23:49It's unfair for me because I voted no.
23:52But also, I've never watched Kelsey's podcast.
23:56I've seen clips.
23:57I've never actively seeked out the Kelsey podcast.
24:00And Jason Kelsey is a Philadelphia Eagle for life.
24:03One of the best to ever do it here.
24:04I don't care about that contact.
24:06But I'll tell you right now, the amount of views I was seeing last night coming in from
24:11that podcast, like live viewers, Joe, over a million, breaking the internet here.
24:17Taylor Swift and football, people hate on it.
24:20Seems like it's moving the needle, though, Joe.
24:24Oh, there's just so many.
24:26Come on.
24:27So many things I can say about this.
24:29But let me just say that I'm thinking the majority of the people that tuned in of the
24:38millionaire to listen to that weren't necessarily diehard football fans or Kelsey fans.
24:45I'm just throwing that out there.
24:46I would say there is a majority of that one million people on that podcast that tuned in
24:53that probably have never watched a football game in their life.
24:57But I'm sure there was a certain portion of it that were both a football and a Taylor Swift.
25:04And anything is possible.
25:06But I think the majority of people there, probably not on gambling Twitter.
25:12I'm just throwing that out there, Don.
25:15T.S.
25:16What was the genesis of it?
25:18Well, she was going to come on.
25:19Of course, the numbers are going to get boosted.
25:20You know, whoever is paying you money to advertise loves it.
25:24It's sensational.
25:25But I think, was she announcing she made a new album or when the album's release is?
25:30Like, what was the point of her appearance other than showing up there and just saying,
25:33hey, it's my boyfriend over here?
25:36Everything.
25:37It was the give.
25:38Yeah.
25:38The album, obviously, number one.
25:41But yeah, number two was, of course.
25:44And she talked apparently about a whole lot of stuff.
25:47And I know this because I listened to it like six times.
25:49But, you know, she talked about the relationship with Kelsey and how she got into football and how she's a fan.
25:57And, of course, yeah.
25:58So, I mean, listen, you were very satisfied after listening to that podcast, for sure, especially if you're a Swifty.
26:06Exactly.
26:08And also, we have to understand this, too.
26:10Like, you know, power couple extraordinaire.
26:12How much longer is Travis Kelsey going to play football?
26:16When are they going to get married?
26:17Any kids in the future?
26:18Like, that's the next evolution of the podcast to try to boost it up at this point.
26:22Because where that podcast started to catch fire was the Kelsey brothers were still playing in the NFL.
26:27Now when Kelsey brothers retire, the other one still plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.
26:30And now dates Taylor Swift.
26:32What happens when that Kelsey does retire?
26:34What does that podcast wind up to be?
26:35But for me, I've never seeked it out before.
26:37But also understanding this, my daughter did.
26:40She watched it last night.
26:41She wanted to get the genesis of, hey, when is this actually coming out?
26:44And, you know, what's this about at this point now?
26:46So, moving the needle anytime you bring T-Squizzle on your podcast makes some sense.
26:51Which is why I question, like, why do we ever have Taylor Swift if she likes football so much and is about to start breaking down games?
26:56Sports Grid Network, Taylor Swift, Afternoon Spot.
26:59I hear there could be some available here.
27:02Yeah.
27:02Anything.
27:03Never say never, Donnie.
27:04Anything is possible with T-Swift and Kelsey.
27:09But, you know, there's got to be a market somewhere that has a prop and a date set for when they break up and she releases a new album.
27:18So I'm wondering what that date is where maybe the end of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey could be in the future.
27:26Because if you can bet on it, you know there are people that are going to take some action on that number for sure.
27:33Like, you know me, Joe.
27:34Like, I love to sing.
27:35I sing all the time.
27:36Like, just old stuff.
27:37Like, I wish nothing more.
27:38Like, if I could go back in time and make you, like, a 1980s, like, rock star, I would sing all your music to you every single day.
27:45So the reason I say this is, like, if Taylor Swift came on, like, I feel like I would just need to sing, like, random lyrics to her to get her to sing along.
27:52And that would be the whole, you know, podcast that we would have together.
27:55Like, Joe, why couldn't you be in, like, the band Rat, Scorpion?
27:57And I would just sing those songs to you.
27:59Like, hey, Joe, do you remember in 86 when you went to Moscow and played for that huge crowd over there?
28:03And you're like, yes, Donnie.
28:04You asked me this before.
28:05Hey, Joe, do you remember in 88 when you showed up at spring break here and did that and you smashed your guitar?
28:10Yes, Donnie.
28:10I remember that.
28:11Why couldn't you have been a rock star so I could talk to you, Joe, and sort of pick your brain?
28:15Yeah, let me tell you, from what I understand, though, one of the biggest Swifties we're going to have on the show a little bit later.
28:23And Cam Stewart, I know, loves a lot of her songs, in fact, has, I believe he might even actually sing a few of them for us coming up here on the show, Donnie.
28:33So I'm looking forward to getting Cam's rendition of some Taylor Swift songs.
28:38Now, how about this rendition of the Chiefs coming up this season?
28:41Because that's always a focal point.
28:42Like, ah, you know, Travis is worried about other things outside of just being a football player.
28:47We do see Travis Kelsey.
28:49He's still an elite player in the NFL by his standards.
28:52But this Travis Kelsey version, not the same version that we used to get the past couple years.
28:56And father time always catches up, even more so to skilled players.
29:00What do we think of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kelsey this year?
29:03And also, I thought there might have been a chance that he would have retired this past offseason.
29:06Are we looking at maybe a final year for Travis Kelsey this year?
29:11Well, a lot of people thought it was over last year.
29:14And, you know, you know what happens, Donnie.
29:16Once you start asking that question at the end of the previous season, and you start getting a lot of people chart, well, is this it?
29:23Will he come back?
29:24And we didn't get a definitive answer after they got their butts kicked by the Eagles, did we?
29:30No.
29:30It was like, well, we're just going to go home and think about it.
29:33And then we eventually learned that he was coming back.
29:36But once that can of worms is open, the whole retirement situation, then you're kind of, it's, you're a short timer at this point.
29:45I got to believe this is probably, you know, boom or bust here for Kelsey and the Chiefs.
29:51You know, I, you know, I get a kick out of two was like the, I don't know if it was ESPN or whatever network put all that money into, hey, the Chiefs are probably going to three-peat only for the Eagles to beat them, but then still go ahead with the show on them three-peating.
30:03Even though they didn't three-peat and it comes out six months later, we already knew what happened in the Super Bowl.
30:07I get a kick out of that stuff, Joe.
30:09Like the Chiefs repeating this year on repeating, on repeating.
30:12They ain't winning it this year, right?
30:13Come on now.
30:14Chiefs ain't winning nothing this year.
30:16Well, we've been saying that last year or the year prior.
30:18It's the same thing with Tom Brady and the Patriots.
30:21We were like, no, no, no, it can't happen again.
30:26And then at some point, you're just like, I'm just not losing any more money fading Brady and I'm not losing any more money fading Mahomes and Andy Reid.
30:34Not doing it.
30:35Absolutely.
30:36You know, you don't want to do like sell stock on the Dallas Cowboys.
30:38Maybe you do on like the odds market by saying they can't win a lot of football games, but they are worth a lot of money.
30:44Find out how much they're worth right now.
30:46Money, money, money, money, money, money.
30:51That's what the NFL is about.
30:52That's what Jerry Jones is fighting right now with Micah Parsons.
30:55That's what Trey Hendrickson is fighting with Mike Brown over.
30:57Everybody wants more money and a bigger slice of the pie.
31:00But sometimes, Joe, when you put that for sale sign on the front of your house or you put that on the front of your stadium,
31:05different sports franchises are going to garner more attention than others right now.
31:09So it's pretty easy to say if we look at the top values in the NFL market.
31:14And I'll just ask you this one question before we put that, you know, graphic up.
31:19You know who it is, right?
31:20People out there.
31:21You know who the most valuable franchise in professional sports is.
31:24It's simple.
31:24It's the Dallas Cowboys.
31:26So as we rail on Jerry Jones, you idiot, you dummy.
31:29You don't want to win Super Bowls.
31:30Isn't he really winning, though, when it all comes down to it?
31:33Isn't the bottom line and the amount of money that your franchise is worth the most winning you could possibly do in the NFL, Joe?
31:39Yeah, well, and the last time they won an actual championship, no less, was how long ago exactly?
31:50And, yeah, Jerry is always going to win.
31:54Bottom line, that's why he is who he is.
31:56And the Cowboys are what they are.
31:58So, and this is nothing new, by the way.
32:01It's not like the Cowboys have been resurrected from the dead and they weren't worth a fraction of this.
32:07No, they have always been the most valuable franchise in the world.
32:12Why?
32:12Because that's what Jerry wanted and that's what Jerry built.
32:16And they are.
32:17Are they still America's team, Donnie?
32:19Is that still what they're referring to?
32:21No, they're not.
32:22The Philadelphia Eagles are America's team.
32:23Everybody knows that now.
32:24We took that mantra a long time ago from the Dallas Cowboys.
32:27So that's the way it's going to get down.
32:28But if we show this graphic, the top 10 most valuable franchises in the NFL, I'll go down the list here.
32:33It's the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles.
32:39You see them six on the list.
32:41Seventh is the Dolphins.
32:42Eighth is the Jets.
32:43Ninth is the Raiders.
32:44And tenth are the Commanders.
32:45Now, we understand that the Dallas Cowboys, of course, like Jerry World, AT&T Stadium, the center of the universe, at least in the sports media landscape, they hold those rights.
32:53Because why?
32:54Ratings are how you get those rights and also being in a big city.
32:57But I got to credit this.
32:58Like, Stan Kroenke, being a businessman as well, he had a football team in St. Louis.
33:02And he's like, I got to get out of St. Louis.
33:05And California's like, we'll let you come here, but we're not giving you a dime for a stadium.
33:09And he goes, you know what?
33:10I'll pay for that whole stadium myself.
33:12I'll build it with private funds.
33:14I just have to get to that L.A. market.
33:16And he goes from the St. Louis market to the L.A. market.
33:19And it's behind now the Dallas Cowboys with the second most valuable team in the NFL.
33:24That's what we call putting your money where your mouth is.
33:27And also an extension of this.
33:28You see the Raiders at ninth on the list, which is very good at $7.9 million or $7.9 billion.
33:34If you remember back in the day, Al Davis would have had the Los Angeles market all to himself.
33:39Because L.A. had two teams.
33:41It was the Raiders and it was the Rams.
33:43The Rams bounced to St. Louis.
33:44And not having the foresight to understand that you own that market now, somehow it's like, hey, build me Mount Davis in center field up there in the Oakland, Alameda County, Colleen, and I'll be back on the way.
33:55Can you imagine if the Raiders brand, Joe, never left L.A. and they were the only team in L.A.?
34:01They would rival the Dallas Cowboys, maybe surpass the Dallas Cowboys.
34:05But that's just the way it is right now.
34:07Dallas won, Rams two.
34:09That's how it sits.
34:10Yeah.
34:11And overall, Donnie, maybe the most amazing number that just came out as far as financial strength of the NFL is that every team, all 32 teams, witnessed a year-over-year valuation increase.
34:28Unbelievable, isn't it?
34:28Are you ready for this?
34:3012%.
34:3112% on billion-dollar-worth organizations, including your Eagles, which jumped 25% with their Super Bowl victory there.
34:43It's good business to be in the NFL, Donnie, any which way you cut it.
34:48It is.
34:48The bottom team on the list, no surprise.
34:50It's the Cincinnati Bengals at $5.5 billion, then the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New Orleans Saints, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Indianapolis Colts.
34:58It's interesting because branding is a lot of this, but also, usually more importantly, Joe, is the media market that you're in.
35:05Because if you can command millions and millions of people and they're yours, that's why these teams are worth so much.
35:10If you own the stadium, it plays into it.
35:12I am kind of interested to see why the Arizona Cardinals are 29th out of 32 teams, one of the, what, top four, top five markets in the country.
35:21They don't share that football market with anybody else, but yet they're only worth $5.66 billion.
35:25Why?
35:26Because the Buildwell family is just as cheap as the Bengals family and just doesn't, hey, you know what?
35:31Let's put money in this team.
35:32Let's invest in this team.
35:34They're always at the bottom of the list.
35:35When the owner's report comes out, the Cardinals players are like, this guy is a terrible owner.
35:40It's amazing that you see some of these teams on the bottom of the list going like, how can they be on the bottom of the list?
35:44All profitable eventually, don't get me wrong.
35:47But there are some teams that should be way higher on this list than actually are.
35:50Well, because you have to spend money to make money, Donnie.
35:55It's about as old and as cliche as it comes, but it is never more truer than what's happening in the NFL.
36:02And listen, when you win, you become more valuable, right?
36:05Look at the Lions, Donnie, who now, I think they increased nearly 20% in value from 2024.
36:13Why?
36:14Well, I mean, they were one of the dead bottom valued teams as well because they had never won anything.
36:20But now, I think they went from 29th or 28th to right around 25th.
36:25And you can make that kind of jump with actually putting a winning product on the field.
36:30Go figure.
36:31You know, I get a kick out of two.
36:33Like, you look at the teams that share like the same city.
36:35First of all, the Chicago Bears being 11th is absolutely hilarious to me.
36:39The largest market in the country with one team and you're 11th, like that shows how bad a business you actually are.
36:46There's no other team in town.
36:47You should be number one on that list.
36:49But if we are looking at the Rams, like the Rams are number two.
36:51And you take this, you know, scroll down, scroll down.
36:54The charges are 21st, like the same city, number two and 21.
36:59Why is that?
36:59That's Kroenke's building.
37:01You think when Taylor Swift rolls through, then has a concert that, you know, the Spanos family is sharing in those riches?
37:06No, they're not.
37:07That's directly to Kroenke.
37:08Anytime something big happens there, that's his.
37:10You want to host the Super Bowl there?
37:12You think the Chargers are getting money for that?
37:13They are not.
37:14That's Kroenke's building.
37:15He paid for it.
37:16That's the big discrepancy.
37:17And then the Jets are listed at eighth and the Giants at number three.
37:20Same city, same stadium.
37:22But that branding goes back way further than the New York Jets here.
37:25What?
37:25Maybe they, when the Jets come in, 60s, early 70s into the NFL with the merger?
37:29Yeah.
37:3260s, late 60s.
37:33And they won the big game with good old Joe Namath there.
37:38And then it's been downhill ever since there.
37:41But, yes.
37:42No, the Giants had quite the jump start on the Jets.
37:46But it's still worth, what, $5 billion or more?
37:49I mean, my goodness.
37:51There's those Miami Dolphins.
37:53Seventh on the list.
37:54And, by the way, seventh on the list or seven wins.
37:57Which one is going to be the correct one next year when we start to reevaluate that franchise at this point right now?
38:02Well, yeah.
38:03Well, yeah.
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