Best of NFL News Part 1: Deshaun Watson QB1, Nick Chubb RETIRES, Fernando Mendoza struggles

16:46Shannon Sharpe:The other thing that I've said along, it's easier for Watson and Sanders and other way around. If it doesn't work, Cleveland fans can pivot.

16:57Shannon Sharpe:But he was better. Wow, he's more consistent. So why were you posting those stats? Because when we look at the stats, the stats were saying Shadour had three touchdowns, no interceptions. When you look at the stats, the stats said Shadour was 16 or 23. So were the stats flawed?

17:21Joe Johnson:I mean, but you also have to understand, The numbers tell one story. But as a whole, based on the way they're evaluating, they're evaluating more than just the numbers. Obviously, they have to be. Because if you're based off the numbers, then Shadu would be starting it. That's it. But there are so many other variables that come into play when it comes to them not just evaluating the quarterback, but there are other things as well. What those other things are, I don't know because we're not in no time.

17:51Shannon Sharpe:Getting the ball out of your hand. Yeah. Those are very important for a quarterback. Joe, you wanted to say something? Nah, nah, nah. I mean. Joe, you seem upset about it. You seem hurt about this, man. No, I ain't hurt Arcan Ocho, but I just knew Cleveland's fan base, I knew they were going to be ticked off behind this, bro. They've been in the uproar behind this. Oh, yeah. And I just feel like if there's ever been pressure on somebody as an athlete, hell, it's on Deshaun right now, bro. Regardless of how you feel about it, Uncle Ocho, he has an opportunity to put up a shut-up. Hey, man, I just feel like even if they go back to Cleveland up 2-0, Ocho is still going to be bad.

18:35Shannon Sharpe:I'm just keeping it real. I'm just hypothetically speaking. I think it's still going to be bad. Yeah, I don't see it. You're asking a bit much to go back 2-0. 2-0, Ocho, after two road starts? Now, it couldn't happen. It couldn't happen. Hey, all of a sudden.

18:53Joe Johnson:Hey, let me tell you something, Uncle Joe. The way the football gods work. Yeah. Football works in general. When it comes to teams, nobody is really hitting their full stride. Nobody's hitting on all cylinders. I think defenses are a little ahead of the curve when it comes to the beginning of the season because all they have to do is read and react. It takes offenses a little bit more time to get themselves going, to find that rhythm, to find that continuity where they're really comfortable. but they're going to know what they're going to do. So I don't know, man. But if they can jump out of the gate 2-0?

19:29Shannon Sharpe:Man, they're bringing pressure. Because I think most teams don't believe that Cleveland Browns have a competent offensive line. And they don't believe either quarterback handles pressure well. Well, we don't get an opportunity to cease your door unless something unforeseen were to happen to Deshaun, and we hope that doesn't happen. With that being said, I think Jacksonville pressure. Jacksonville is – and Liam Coney is going to dial it up. Now, he has his work cut out for it because the best part of the Cleveland Browns team is their defense. Offensively, they leave a lot to be desired. Jacksonville feel they're better than what they were.

20:00Shannon Sharpe:Travis Hunter comes back healthy. He's going to play one side of the football. Now, obviously, potentially, as the season progresses, they will have built-in packages for Trav to show some of his offensive prowess. But I think right now, I think this is the right thing to do. Ocho, you and I, we always felt this was the right thing to do. Start him at the defensive back and build packages. Not just, okay, you play in defense, then you come right back, play offense. You play in defense, you come back right back and play offense. Let him focus on that side of the ball. Let him master something before you try to throw him in and try to do all this stuff.

20:35Shannon Sharpe:There have been a lot of great athletes to play this game. Very few. I don't know, especially in the last 40 years, that have played offense and defense consistently and played them at a high elite level. So we're going to see how that plays out. But it's just – hold on. There's a video going viral of Deshaun Watson taking QB refs in today's practice. Take a look at this.

21:09Yeah.

21:10Joe Johnson:Somebody missed the hot. Somebody missed the hot. I was just going to say that. Hey, as soon as I've seen the ball come out that fast. Hold on. So who far was that? Wide receiver.

21:20Shannon Sharpe:You see the guy off the edge coming to blitz? You high. You run a slam. Or a stop route. Hey, matter of fact. You know what? I shouldn't say that. I shouldn't say that. That might not be. You know what, Ocho? Go ahead, Ocho. Go ahead. Go ahead. You're going to say.

21:34Joe Johnson:It's universal. If the man is off, you either run the slam or you run the hits right away so he can get the ball out of his hand. If he's bumpy run and it's a hot route, what you got when it's a hot route? You got a nine route. You got to fade. Take the top off it. Got to go.

21:46Shannon Sharpe:So that also could still be on the side. That could be. That could be. I just know somebody screwed up because the guy walked to the edge. That's an extra guy. They can't block him. So they brought more than you can block. They need to side adjust. If he's off, you're running to stop. I know what you're saying. If you're off, you're running to stop. The hitch route, smoke. Yeah. Smoke route or A. Yeah. You don't do that because that's universal. So you already know. It's already understood. So somebody, the quarterback and the receiver need to get on the same page. We can't have that. That's installed.

22:17Shannon Sharpe:That's day one. Day one, yeah. That's day one. All I know is that when Todd Munkett had his first camp back in March, they put this in. Hold on. OTA? Yeah, that's what I'm saying. His first practice, because, you know, new coaches get three practices. So this first practice, that had to be installed. So the guys press you more times than not, you're going to run a go-round the guys press.

22:43Joe Johnson:You got to go.

22:45Shannon Sharpe:And you want to because they're bringing pressure. Yeah. I'm not – and, you know, somebody said, well, he might have been trying to throw a back shoulder. Unless you're Matthew Stafford or Aaron Rodgers with Devontae, I'm not running no back shoulder. I'm taking the top off. I don't want a 20-yard completion. I'm going to be honest with you, Ojo and Joe. I don't want a 20-yard completion. I want a 40-yard touchdown.

23:12Joe Johnson:Yeah, you don't throw a back shoulder in that scenario. You got to get that ball out of hands. You got a man flying free with nobody blocking that. You ain't got time for that.

23:22Shannon Sharpe:Oh, Joe, I'm just trying to give people some scenarios. Like, I don't want to put it all on Deshaun without knowing, okay, what's your concepts? I just know the way we ran it, like what you explained it, if the corner was off, it's a stop route. But the problem is a lot of times corners don't want to play off because the ball comes out quick and he'd face you up. He going to the house because he going to make you miss. Unless you had exquisite time, unless you're really, really good at tackling in the open field.

23:54Joe Johnson:Base, yeah.

23:55Shannon Sharpe:And that man got a two-way go. He can go inside and he can go out. Good luck getting him on the ground. That's why they like the pressure. They know more times than not, 95 % of the time. Let's go 99 % of the time. If he's pressed and the bliss is coming, then you know that ball coming up. Mm-hmm. He knows that ball. Hey, so Jacksonville are probably going to play a lot of – they're probably going to send a lot of pressure at Deshaun, right? Because, first of all, I don't think the offensive line is good even if we don't pressure. Now, there could be a situation, Joe, where they don't pressure because they feel they can get home with a customary four-man rush.

24:31Shannon Sharpe:And now we leave guys in coverage. But you know what? I don't feel like Deshaun is as athletic as he once was. I think his body has been through a lot with the shoulder injury, the Achilles injury, yeah, I'm going to take my chances. I'm going to give him a heavy diet, but I'm going to see how well he handles the pressure.

24:52Joe Johnson:Not only how well he handles the pressure, how well do the receivers be able to get open?

24:57Shannon Sharpe:Yes, that's always been an issue.

24:58Joe Johnson:Because, you know, if they sit in pressure, you know they're going to have somebody right up, man to man, right in your face. Can you beat me man to man? If you can't beat me man to man and you can't get open, Joe,

25:09Shannon Sharpe:it's going to be a long day. Well, at this juncture of the season right now, Joe, if you can't beat man to man, you're either selling cards or coaching. All the coaching staffs are filled up. I don't know any general manager. They know some general managers that will give them a job as a salesman. So guess what? You out of the league. Yeah. If you cannot beat man coverage as a wide receiver in the NFL, there are two choices for you, selling cards or coaching. Now, which one do you want to do?

25:36Joe Johnson:Yeah. I mean, they're going to have some plays, Joe, where they scheme people open, help them out a little bit. But we're going to see.

25:47Shannon Sharpe:I'm saying they got some talent over there. I know them guys young as far as Concepcion, Boston, Fanny. Yes, yes, yes, yes. What's the running back? What's the running back? They got some talent around. They ain't got no talent. Junkins, yeah. But the problem is where you're least talented might be the offensive line, which is where you need the most talent because you need to be able to protect Deshaun and you need to be able to create lanes for your running back to run in. So the problem that they might have, Joe, is that where they're least talented is the offensive line, which in turn will cause you the most problem as an offense.

26:27Shannon Sharpe:It would have been interesting to know. I just, that ball came out like, I don't know what Deshaun was thinking. I mean, if you got – whatever you got called on and that blitz comes, it's automatically adjusted. Everybody got to adjust. You can't run that same route.

26:46Joe Johnson:And the ball came out so quick, it definitely couldn't have been that quick out. No, hell no. I mean, but the ball came out so fast. He hit his hands, he hits, then he let it go.

26:58Shannon Sharpe:Run that – rewrite that, let's see. Because that might have been – that ball had to come out.

27:05Shannon Sharpe:He's in gun. Oh, no, he's in the gun. That's three steps. That's a fade. That's a fade.

27:16Shannon Sharpe:You see, he's already in the gun, so he's already – because normally a go route is five step and let the ball go. We threw it 42 and four. 42 yards deep, four yards from the sideline. That play right there, he's already in the gun. That's if you're under center. Five steps, no hitch, let the ball go. in this situation, you're already in the gun. So you're already three, you're already three yards back, three steps back. And you see Deshaun, he catches the football, basically one, two, boom, balls out.

27:46Joe Johnson:Well, you might've been trying to back shoulder. That's what I was thinking.

27:50Shannon Sharpe:But I don't know. And like I said, Ocho, you want a 20 yard completion or 40 yard touchdown?

27:58Shannon Sharpe:I think I know what you want. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I have a pretty good idea of what you want. It'll be interesting to see. I mean, look, I'm sure that's something they can go back and go back over. It's like, look, we got to make. I've always believed this. If you mad enough to bring pressure, I got to be mad enough to punish you for that pressure. I got to make you pay the ultimate price for being disrespectful. My receivers, I need you guys locked in. I need you to make these guys pay the price for blitzing us. If a team blitz you, Ocho, they're telling you they don't really care about you.

28:35Shannon Sharpe:They don't really think much about your receivers.

28:37Joe Johnson:They don't respect you. That's a shot at the receivers. That's a shot at the receivers. All you got to do is make them pay once, huh? Oh, I'll stop you, yes. All you got to do is make them pay once. Hey, hold on. Not only make them pay once, not just that game, but hold on. That lets everybody else know, oh, yeah, you know what? We got to be careful. We got to pick and choose when we blitz. We got to pick and choose when we allow our defense to be vulnerable because they can hurt us.

28:59Shannon Sharpe:I might not can stop him from doing Joe but I'll break him out of habit my grandmother said boy I can't stop you but I bet I'll break you out of habit I'll break you that listen

29:13Joe Johnson:hey they gotta they gotta come out boy them boys star 2-0 hey I'm ready for the season

29:20Shannon Sharpe:I'm ready to see it I'm ready to see it I'm ready to see it I'm serious man because I feel like Deshaun Watson got a chance now you know he really got a chance Ocho you was right the whole damn time. I just couldn't see it, bro. It's like giving this opportunity. Because this might be your last one, bro. You get for real. You know what I'm saying? Hey, man. That boy got to go balls

29:43Joe Johnson:to the wall, man. I don't see how Joe couldn't see it. He got two eyes. I only got one.

29:49Shannon Sharpe:Come on, man. Come on, man. I ain't the only one here. The whole damn Browns community couldn't see it. Hell, they pissed off. They are. Everybody seemed to be very upset and very shocked by this decision. Yeah. I think they're very shocked by this decision. I think the thing is that, you know, he says, hey, the most consistent, he's been more consistent in practice and so forth and so on. I think getting him in and out of the huddle, getting the ball out of his hand, reading the defenses. So, look, all we can go by, all we can see is what transpired in the games and the stats that they posted.

30:27Shannon Sharpe:But like Ochoa said, football is more than stats because I can make the stats say what I want them to say. Yeah. But Cleveland Browns, your quarterback to start the season is Deshaun Watson. Surprised a lot of people, but Todd Munkin seems to be hell-bent on being able to say he felt very comfortable here, the staff felt very comfortable based on the entire body of work from OTAs to training, to mini camp, to training camps, to here we are in these preseason games, the joint practices. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse.

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37:01Shannon Sharpe:Raiders beat the Texans 22-20. Fernando Mendoza struggled in the second preseason game, throwing an interception that used to return for a touchdown. Mendoza's third pass was overthrown. Wade Woodass returned at 80 yards. Mendoza chased him down, but Woodass shoved aside and ended up getting into the end zone for 80-yard pick six. Mendoza in the first half, 8 of 15 for 86 yards. Me? Yeah. Look, I understand the interception. And, Ocho, you know this. You can't be laid over the middle. You can't be laid outside because that's going to the house. Every time. He's coming at a high rate of speed. Every time.

37:41Shannon Sharpe:So he's going to the house with that. But he made some throws that I would say, okay, he has it. Yeah. He made some throws that leads me to believe I'm not overly concerned about him. I know it didn't have the best numbers tonight, but he showed me enough in the throws that he did make. I'm like, okay.

38:03Joe Johnson:You know what? And that's what it comes down to, Uncle Joe. When you see a young player, Joe, sometimes, most of the time, you can see a young player on the court, you know, especially when it's live with some of the veterans trying to make a team, and you can see flashes of, okay, you know what? He actually belongs here. Now, what you're also going to see when it comes to a rookie, Joe, you're going to see those mistakes. And that's what you saw from Mendoza tonight. Obviously, you know, he has the arm talent. He can make some of the throws. The problem is it comes down to ball placement. It comes down to anticipating those throws, And it also comes down to processing and understanding that ball has to get out a step sooner.

38:37Shannon Sharpe:Yeah.

38:38Joe Johnson:A tad bit sooner. And he will learn it as time goes on and he will speed everything up, you know, to be able to rectify those situations. I mean, those areas that he had tonight. But he's going to be one of them ones. This is why I'm always against letting the rookie come in and start, especially on the team that was so bad. They were so bad last year where they were they were they were they had the ability to get the number one pick. unless he's lights above everyone else at his respective position. Now, if he was Patrick Mahomes, you know what? Boom, cool. Start him as a rookie. Because he has the talent and he has the vision, the ability to process everything much faster and make the players around him better.

39:19Joe Johnson:If he was one of them, yes, but no.

39:22Shannon Sharpe:Yes, especially if he has the talent around him to support him. You got to realize even though Patrick Mahomes came in, And my homeboy didn't start. Yeah, he didn't. No, yeah, yeah. And Alex Smith. And think about it, they had Kelsey. They had a reek that was still there. Yeah. So with that being said, I think the thing is I agree with you, Ocho. Joe, what do you want to say about what you saw from Fernando Mendoza? Man, I like Mendoza. You know, Ocho, this is the kind of preseason game where, you know, it's a learning curve for all these rookies, bro. He showed some great throws, but when you look at it, it's a huge contrast from his first preseason game to the second one.

40:04Shannon Sharpe:See, the first one he played against the Cardinals. They don't have to pass rush the type of defense that the Houston – these boys, he ain't playing. They're getting right after you. So I think Mendoza is going to be great. I'm like you. After he threw that pick, he showed me something because he stepped right back in there and got right back to it, bro. And that's what you want to see from a rookie. I think a pick six is probably one of the worst things that can happen to you as a rookie. Very demoralizing. Demoralizing, boy. You know why, though? Not only do you throw the pick six, but you get the damn ball right back.

40:36Shannon Sharpe:You know what I mean? So you got to get back out there and get right to it. But I thought he showed some promise. The Texans, hey, man, if C.J. Stroud can stay upright, fellas, he can give them just some decent quarterback play. Hey. Hey, boy, they in there.

40:51Joe Johnson:Hey, honestly, Uncle Joe, speaking of the Texans, they have a window that that window was wide open last year if they could just got some quarterback play joe i think defensively they might have been ranked second or third in almost every single category every single category which means all you all we needed was a little bit of you know decency offensively from our quarterback and boy if you had had a chance to get to the super bowl you would have been alright.

41:21Shannon Sharpe:Yeah.

41:21Joe Johnson:Hey. And. Hey, what did they, and Joe, that last game in the playoffs, what did they have? Four or five turnovers?

41:28Shannon Sharpe:Yeah.

41:28Joe Johnson:It was bad, Ocho.

41:29Shannon Sharpe:We had like three in the first half. Oof. It was bad. And what I think was a pick six. You can't turn the ball over like that. You can't win like that. It's hard for you to over, it's hard, no matter how great your defense is. No matter how great one side of the ball is. Yeah. If the other side is as inept, as you are good, it's kind of hard now. Once upon a time, you could have a bad offense and an outstanding defense, and you could overcome it. It's always been hard for you to overcome a bad defense even if you had a really great offense because when you least expect it, you know, somebody, you struggle just a little bit, and you can't stop anybody, and now the opposing team is going up and down the field on you.

42:13Shannon Sharpe:So it's always kind of been skewed, well, we need to have an outstanding defense, and we can have a margin. If we can run the football, play defense behind it, be sound in the kicking game, we'll be just fine. That ain't no more. Since they've changed the rules, they don't let you play defense, which is an intimidation factor like they once did. That rule no longer holds. But CJ's going to have to be better. CJ's going into his fourth year. Normally quarterbacks, when they're sure about you going into your fourth year, you know what you get, Joe? $300 million. Yes, sir. the mere fact that he's playing this fourth year and he doesn't they're they're not they're not where they need to be on him they're like okay we like what we saw the first year we love what we saw the first year uh the second year uh the third year like yeah you gotta you gotta show us something you're gonna need to show us something cj in order for us to commit to you long 300 million dollars that you see these other quarterbacks the mahomes uh the josh allens the Joe Burrows, the Trevor Lawrences.

43:14Shannon Sharpe:You're going to have to show us. They got big time commitments. The defense, you know, they paid

43:22Joe Johnson:Will Anderson

43:23Shannon Sharpe:Jr. They paid the other guy on the other side, Daniel Hunter. They played Stingley. They played Lazarder Pete. They paid Aziz. They paid a lot of guys. Hey, he not only got to show something, he got to show consistency, fellas. Yes. They need consistent, not just, you know, you play grade one game and then two games you're off. You know what I mean? Like, they need that consistent quarterback play. I'm talking about to be able to win a Super Bowl. Like, they have the defense for it. They just got to get the quarterback play right, bro. Hey, Houston's serious, bro.

43:59Joe Johnson:Yeah, and they got all the weapons, too. I know they just lost Higgins, you know, to an ACL injury. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not sure if they're bringing another veteran presence to come in there and maybe feel that void because Higgins was a very strong number two. He came on really strong towards the end of the season last year. So, you know, you got Tank Dale back who's looked good all camp. Obviously, Nico Collins, one of the better receivers in the NFL. So there really shouldn't be any excuses. You got David Montgomery out there in the backfield now from Detroit to take some of that pressure off of you, you know, being able to run the ball.

44:32Joe Johnson:So you got to sit back there and throw it 60 times a game. So it ain't no excuses. This is their year. can you be consistent? Not only that, but be consistent when it matters most. All the top quarterbacks, they're paying the big bucks for a reason. Because when it matters most, they can get us over the hump. Yeah.

44:52Shannon Sharpe:Hey, y 'all ain't going to... Mendoza's going to be alright, because y 'all know he got a decent run game. Y 'all ain't going to say nothing about Mike Washington Jr. breaking. He had 56 yards, 9 carries. He played well, yeah. He played well the first game. Hey, Joe, that number 30? Is he number 30? I think he is number 30. Mike Washington, he's number 30? Yeah.

45:13Joe Johnson:Yeah, yeah. That boy Tony. How you know him, Joe? What, he from Arkansas?

45:17Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, he a hog, man. He a hog. You know, it ain't but a few of us, Ocho, so we got to keep up with him, make sure they, you know what I mean, doing what they supposed to be doing. But he got to be doing his thing. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And they got Rike's brother. That's Rike Ogumbawale. Yeah. That's her brother. Oh, really? Mm-hmm. Okay. But Houston running the football with Woody Marks. You know, as Ocho mentioned, they got David Montgomery. Hutchinson played well for him last year. Played well for him last year. So I'm not overly concerned about the skill position around CJ. I'm just worried about CJ.

45:53Shannon Sharpe:I just need CJ to play like he did his rookie season. But sometimes I think he started reading the press, I think, because we hadn't seen a rookie play that well because he was phenomenal. There ain't no ifs and or buts about it, no maybes. he played phenomenal. And I think he started listening to the press, started reading, we say press clippings, but he started listening at social media. Everybody was telling him how great he was. And he started to feel like he was great. Because here he is in this second year telling, hey, if you need anything, hey, holler at your boy. You know, I got you. Huh?

46:23Shannon Sharpe:Hey, he thought he had to figure it out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bro, boy, this game will humble you. Just when you think it's figured out, you got to figure it out.

46:31Joe Johnson:Quick.

46:32Shannon Sharpe:Okay.

46:33Joe Johnson:Quick. Yeah. Every week is a different challenge, Joe. Every week is a different challenge. I can imagine, bro.

46:41Shannon Sharpe:I think especially from being a quarterback, because you're going to see so many different colors and looks, and you got to identify them and be able to process them on the fly and be able to make plays. I know that's tough, bro. Yeah. You got a lot on your plate. You got a lot on your plate. And because you have the ball on every single play, for the most part, nobody really does the wildcat. that every once in a while they'll bring somebody in there to do a quarterback sneak or something like that. But for the most part, of 65 plays, you're going to probably have the ball in your hand somewhere between 63 and 64 times the ball game.

47:12Shannon Sharpe:And so the light shines the brightest on you. That's why you make the big bucks. There ain't no, well, I wonder why he makes so much money. Because he's under the most scrutiny. He's under the most pressure. in office. It's like, you can tell who's in charge. I can go in the office and I take everything down off the wall. I'm like, oh, he got the biggest office. Whoever's in here, that's who's in charge. Okay, who has the ball the most in their hands? That's who has the most responsibility. Okay, this is why they pay him the big bucks.

47:52Joe Johnson:Whoever's in charge and has the ball in their hands the most has a better a chance to dictate an outcome of games.

47:59Shannon Sharpe:Absolutely.

47:59Joe Johnson:And that's when he get the big bucks.

48:02Shannon Sharpe:Yes, yes. But look, he's heard everything. I mean, think about it, Ocho, Joe. Man, that man heard that thing, heard the noise so much. That man cut his hair. Yeah, thanks. That man cut his hair, Joe, Ocho. Cut it. Yeah. I'm surprised he didn't pull an Ocho and cut it all off.

48:21Joe Johnson:Nah, nah. Listen, he might have been going for a new look, cleaning himself up as a face of the franchise. Give him something else to look at.

48:31Shannon Sharpe:He just needs to play better. I don't care what your hair look like. You can have dreads. You can have predator dreads. Hey, hey, hey. Mate, mate. I don't care nothing about your hair. It used to be the quarterback, he had to present himself and had to look a certain way. You know what I'm saying? I don't care nothing about that. Hey. Can you get us in and out of the huddle? Can you process information in a hurry? Can you deliver the football? Yes. That's all I care about. All that other stuff, how you look and how you talk and all that, that's going to, you know, if advertisers and sponsors, they might have a problem with that.

49:05Shannon Sharpe:I don't. That's secondary. That's auxiliary to me. Your number one goal as a quarterback is to help us win football games. Now, if advertisers and endorsers and sponsors and all that other stuff come along, bless your heart. But just make sure you get us in and out of the huddle in a timely manner. Make sure you deliver the football in a timely manner. Yes. That's all I care about. I don't care nothing about that. I really don't. But CJ did. He had one drive. The guy that went down the field got a touchdown. He got up out of there. Davis Mills comes in. Davis Mills plays really well. Remember Davis Mills played well when CJ went out.

49:44Joe Johnson:When he went down. He had a good five, six game stretch, boy.

49:50Shannon Sharpe:and then Brett Rippon, he ended up fairly coming in. He's played before. He was in Denver. I think he went to see it. I don't know where he went after he left Denver, but he can make some plays. Hopefully, I don't have to get to my third. If I got to get to my third quarterback, I'm in trouble, Locho. Yes, sir. No, I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. Ain't no sense in me holding you. If I have to get to my third quarterback, I'm in trouble.

50:19Joe Johnson:yeah hey them injuries go to pile up here you never know okay ocho hey it's tough man it listen the more those injuries pile up the more difficult it is on the coaches because you're two and you're three for a reason if your bookshelf and your for you page are equally important to your personality welcome home this is pros society the weekly podcast that's part book club part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having.

50:59I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed, so obsessed. From best-selling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, and that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. Our town is small taters by most standards, right?

51:38But to the people who grew up here, it's everything. What happens when a quiet Tennessee town becomes the front line in a battle over the future of America? Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land in the area. The first thing you see when it pops up is pioneers in Appalachia. But they weren't just planting houses. We need cities on a shining hill that exemplify and embody the Christian way of life. Stop right there. Is that normal? A podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment. God need men to rule. Great. And decides to fight back.

52:15Do not use my hard work to sell your bull. They're not just opposing what's being planned for here. Our hometown is not a test tube. They feel like they're standing in opposition to an entire administration. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to Our Town on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

53:01on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip. I hope you listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

54:00we've had a lot of great guests like sarah sherman not that great actually can you help me can you help me shape this yeah how about we flip it on his head okay how about we flip the script okay what if the surprise woman who actually you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird adam scott this entire time you've been expecting adam sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect... I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. Danny McBride, fine.

54:42Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity. Exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed? Nope, it's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? Like they're like, oh, what's a state? Everyone's so dumb except for you. Right, fake and also not interested or just like, oh, I've got my life. I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy.

55:22Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hoda Kotb, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. If you know me, you know I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover those things together through meaningful conversations with fascinating people. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. You have something in your guts. You go with it.

56:03And Shawn Johnson recalled the moment she realized her now husband, Andrew, was the one. He was just so unapologetically himself and knew nothing of Hollywood. He hadn't been on a plane before without his family. It was so pure. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

56:34Shannon Sharpe:Four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb announced his retirement today from the NFL at the age of 30. Chubb had four consecutive 1 ,000-year-old rushing seasons from 2019 to 2022. He and Jim Brown are the only players in league history with 6 ,000 plus rushing yards, 5 plus yards per carry in his first five seasons. The 2023 season is when injuries begin to rob him of his prime years. He tore both his MCL, meniscus, and ACL in 2023 after a gruesome knee injury in week two that year. Chubb returned to action week seven of 2024 season before suffering another season in the injury in week 15. Chubb posted on IG, going through a devastating knee injury at the age of 19.

57:17Shannon Sharpe:is a lot different than going through it at 28. You understand that you have the rest of your life to look forward to, and health is the real wealth. Man. Man, you got to tell me, bro. He had a nice little one. I've had meniscus and MCLs, and my knees are telling on me now. I haven't torn an ACL. Normally when you have ACLs, they start going to knees, Ocho. You're going to have arthritic knees. It is what it is. There's a good chance he's a high candidate. Not saying that he will, but he's a high candidate for knee replacement. Damn. Hey, man, it hurt, bro. When injuries rob you of your career, you look at some of the great ones.

58:00Shannon Sharpe:Hell, I like Chubb. Chubb was a hell of a running back. He was a bully player. Yeah, like even in basketball, bro, like it robs some of our best players. Injuries robs some of our best players of having historic careers, man. T-Mac, Brandon Roy. Penny Hardaway. Olden Penny. Yep. Come on, man. Yeah, D-Rose. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Unfortunate, bro. Unfortunate. It's so common in football, though, because, you know, it's such a contact sport. You know what I mean? So it's not even really surprising when you see these guys go down with these different injuries, knee injuries, and you see a guy get hit in his ankle pointing the other direction.

58:43Shannon Sharpe:Ooh, whee. Ah, but for me, that's like, man, what do you think? I said, bro, my sister ain't playing no football. She done had bilateral hip replacement. She got both of her hips replaced. So what's her excuse?

59:01Shannon Sharpe:Just a defect, Dennis. She used to cheer? No.

59:07Joe Johnson:That's the only thing I could think of. Hell no.

59:14Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, it's tough. he went to the University of Georgia think about it and you get a guy like Thomas Davis. Thomas Davis had three ACL tears. Came back and played 15-16 years. Damn. I mean Chubby had a he had a nice career. I think it could have been better without the injuries. Yes absolutely. But this was the hand that he was dealt. See a lot of times people confuse Ocho when God says I want to play in the NFL and God says I'm gonna allow you to play in the NFL. He didn't say he gonna allow you to play 15 years. He didn't say he gonna allow you to play injury free. And so I think sometimes people get that confused.

59:55Shannon Sharpe:Yes, that's why the NFL career as long as you get a guy like a Tom Brady and a Peyton Manning and Drew Bledsoe or Drew Brees that play 18, 19, 20 years, you get most people playing a year, two years and they don't. Three years, the average career for an NFL player. Three.

1:00:11Joe Johnson:That's it.

1:00:12Shannon Sharpe:So when you factor in all All those 12s, those 14s, it gets drug all the way back down by those guys that don't make it. And the guys that only play one year. It's the harsh reality. Everybody go to law school, ain't going to pass the bar. Everybody go to med school, ain't going to get a medical license.

1:00:38Shannon Sharpe:This notion that just because you play or you go try for the league, that doesn't guarantee it. It doesn't guarantee that you're going to play in the league. Hello. Just like everybody. Everybody to go to Harvard Medical or Harvard Law or Yale Law or whatever or go to Stanford and try to get an econ or a finance degree. That doesn't mean they're going to get it. But people would have you believe that only sports are there. If you try for a sport and you don't make it, that you're unsuccessful. There are a lot of people. They're trying to get things that are unsuccessful. It's just not sports. It's just you go to law school and you don't pass the bar.

1:01:22Shannon Sharpe:They don't post it. You go to the NFL and you don't make the roster, guess what? It's going to be in the paper. Yeah. August 30th, what's the day? 21st. In nine days, everybody, the Dallas Cowboys, all the people that didn't make it for the Cowboys, the Broncos, all the people that didn't make it for the Broncos, the Bengals, all the people. Now, you think they're going to list all the people in California that didn't pass the bar? Are they going to list the people in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, hell no.

1:01:59Shannon Sharpe:Just got to transition, bro. Yeah. You know, I said, man, I was going to be a lawyer. I don't know what I was going to do. My plan was A. My A plan was to make it in the league. My B plan was to make it to the league. My C plan was to make it to the league. My D plan was to make it. I didn't have nothing else, Ocho. Yeah. I mean, I got a degree because I was already there. I was like, you know what? I might as well just go ahead and get my degree since I'm here. But that was not my option. My option was not to use that degree. Hey, boy, you said something there. It was my same plan. I went to school for basketball, Ocho.

1:02:39Shannon Sharpe:I majored in it. got me a degree in it and got my ass out of that. Hey, say what you want. Yeah. That was my major. They asked me, what's your major? Eligibility. The longer I can stay here, the better my chances is. The better my chances to get to the NFL if I can stay eligible. That's what I majored in. I don't know what y 'all majored in.

1:03:04Joe Johnson:Hey, you got your degree? You got yours? So I'm the only oddball that ain't got no damn degree.

1:03:12Shannon Sharpe:Well, you better go back and get it.

1:03:14Joe Johnson:I'm going. I'm going. I'm going to do my online class at FAMU, man. They already reached out, too. I got to do it. I got to walk that stage, man.

1:03:21Shannon Sharpe:Oh, you want to walk the stage and clown?

1:03:25Joe Johnson:No, I'm not going to clown, Joe, but I just want to, you know, do it the right way. You know, I know my grandma would be... Yes. You know, she got every degree possible. You know, doctorate, and she did everything. I'm like, and that's something she always wanted. But I'm like, man, grandma, you know I'm not, listen, I'm not going to college. I'm not going to be a scholar. That ain't me. That's not what I do. I'm going to play football and hoping I can get to the next level. I'm hoping. He's like, baby, no, you got to have a backup plan. You have to have something to fall back on if football don't work out.

1:04:00Shannon Sharpe:I say, my special team player, that was my backup plan. If I was going to be a starter, I was going to be a special team player. That was my backup plan. Yeah. something involved football but my grandpa told him yeah that boy gonna get his paper that other boy got his paper he'll get his paper that's what they call a degree paper yeah yeah they talking yeah once my brother got man anything I saw my brother do I know I can do it oh he got a degree oh yeah it can't be that hard hey yeah he got two degrees hey once I knew I had that potential Uncle Ocho I'm talking about in high school I didn't play with it I was locked in boy I was locked in.

1:04:37Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. Yeah, I wasn't playing. Yeah, that's... Man, I'm like, whew. It's just tough because, you know, like you said, when you're 19, at some point the body just don't respond like it once did. Man, getting out of bed, I don't know how y 'all feel, but getting out of bed hurt for me. Man, I have to sit to the... Hey, I have to spin around. Man, I got to... I got to... I can't just... Hey, Joe, what's the point of time? I just pop up. And I got to think about it. Okay, what I'm going to do? What foot I'm going to step in? I put my foot hurt. I'm like, damn, my knees hurt. Damn, my ankles hurt. My back hurt.

1:05:18Shannon Sharpe:I ain't did nothing. Hey, the first thing you do when you wake up, you got to assess the body. You're like, damn, what's hurting now? What's hurting? Why am I ankle biting this morning? Hell, I ain't even doing it. I been asleep. Hey. I wake up in the middle of the night like, damn, my knee hurt.

1:05:39Joe Johnson:I'm waiting on them days I'm sure they coming They ain't here yet

1:05:43Shannon Sharpe:You gotta stay active Ocho

1:05:44Joe Johnson:You stay active You think that's the only thing Yeah Once you stop

1:05:49Shannon Sharpe:It's a wrap bro Yeah I'm saying I was active too These old hips and knees Slow me down I'm still active Not as active Yeah We know you're active There you go See what I'm saying I'm just saying I'm just saying we know you're active You see what happens? You see I ain't going to let Phil chat? That don't make him no bad brother. But I ain't saying nothing. I just said we know. We know. Yeah. Yeah. Joe, what you drinking? Ain't nothing but a little tea tonight, Ocho. A little tea. You got a little tingle in your throat? No, I ain't got nothing in my throat. I'm just saying. It's a little tea. I'm just drinking a little tea.

1:06:26Shannon Sharpe:That's it. Yeah, he got a haircut. Got an old hair furball.

1:06:33Joe Johnson:Hey, I know what that means, drinking tea at 1 o 'clock in the morning. You know, hey, I'm familiar with your game. Listen, man, we all vibing.

1:06:40Shannon Sharpe:I can't vibe with a little tea. Damn, you drink a whole Red Bull over there, bro. How you go to sleep after you get off of here?

1:06:49Joe Johnson:Well, Joe, go right to sleep. I need this Red Bull to survive. I don't be up this time of night. It wasn't until we started doing nightcap that my bedtime at 9.30 ended. Yeah. 9.30, Joe, I'm out, and I'm up at 5 in the morning. That's how I was until LeBron came to the West Coast.

1:07:09Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. Oh, then you got to stay up and watch the game. I'm like, come on, man.

1:07:14Joe Johnson:You're killing me. I was in a good routine, Joe, since retirement, too. 9.30, I'm out. I hit the cigar bar around 5 o 'clock, stay in the cigar bar from 5 to 8, 8.15, come home, hit a little shower maybe, brush my teeth, get that cigar smell out Listerine 9.30 hit, I put on that sand for the sun boom, 5 o 'clock I'm talking about Joe, every morning same routine never miss a beat

1:07:41Shannon Sharpe:my brother was just like my brother was 29 when his career ended just like that 94 catches 18 touchdowns Joe never stepped on the field again bade the Pro Bowl that year what was his neck, he had something in his neck Yeah.

1:08:00Joe Johnson:Hey, do you think the doctor told him he shouldn't play anymore, right?

1:08:06Shannon Sharpe:Do you think he... My brother was good at football. My brother didn't love football. He was good at it. No? No. My brother ain't shed one tear when they told him his career was over. I'm like, oh, well. You'd have been hurt, boy. You'd have been down, bending knee. Boy, they better... Hey, they better get me a room with some pads in it.

1:08:32Shannon Sharpe:Hey, I ain't even going to hold y 'all, man. Look bad, please.

1:08:39Shannon Sharpe:No, man. No. Uh-uh. And just, you had the, I mean, think about it. He had the apex. Yeah. Oh, yeah. He was at the top of his game, boy. He two years removed from winning the Triple Crown. There's only been a handful of receivers that received votes for the MVP. He was one of them. Jerry done it several times. Who else got it? Cooper Cup and Randy Moss. Only five receivers have received a vote for the MVP. He's done it twice, and it was over, just like that. So one year after receiving votes for the MVP of the league, career done.

1:09:26Shannon Sharpe:He called me up. He was just calm, just a matter of fact. Hey, bro, man, what's going on, man? What did the doctor say? He said, it's over.

1:09:35Joe Johnson:Hmm.

1:09:37Shannon Sharpe:He got hit? Yeah, well, it happened the week before. He ran into his old college teammate. But he said he had been having stingers and his tingling, his hands and his feet. But it didn't tell nobody. So he collided with his former teammate Brad Edwards. They're playing the Falcons week 16. And then, you know, lay on it. He was trying to turn himself over. I was looking – because I was looking at it. I was like, oh, man, damn. And he couldn't. Then all of a sudden, the feeling came back. He got up, walked off the field. Next week, they play Tampa. He cooking. Sell him a buck, 24-2 touchdown. Last catch.

1:10:20Shannon Sharpe:Catch the ball. Thomas Eric glazed him across his helmet. That was it. That was it. He went to the doctor. They kept him out of the playoffs.

1:10:37Shannon Sharpe:Go to the doctor. I called him and said, man, what did the doctor say? It's over, bro. Man, I started crying. He said, what are you crying for? He said, I got seven years longer than I expected. I said we good He said nah you do Now you carry it on I took as far as I could take it It's up to you now Oh lord have mercy I damn sure wouldn't have been I wouldn't have been that easy no I'd have been in the room Smearing poop on the wall I ain't finna tell nobody Anything different That's what I'd have been If he did have to medicate me

1:11:23Shannon Sharpe:Hey Joe I know me I definitely wouldn't have had it like he did

1:11:32Shannon Sharpe:Kyle Pence handed Falcons rookie Zachariah Branch several dental checks totally more than 30 ,000 after the offense went out to eat check this out you guys

1:12:08Shannon Sharpe:Oh, my God. I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna help you.

1:12:20Shannon Sharpe:Oh! Oh, shit. Yo, yo ass dead. Oh my God. They got three books out of them. 14. Yeah. My nigga. My nigga. Hey, knock it up.

1:12:43Joe Johnson:I remember those days

1:12:45Shannon Sharpe:Ocho, he ain't got to the season yet Y 'all don't let him get to the season

1:12:49Joe Johnson:And you know You gotta get that rookie dinner out of the way Hey And he get that rookie dinner out of the way Hey, and he can play Nah, nah, he can go, he got some will He transferred from USC with the Georgia He got some will He got some will He can go, he nice I remember them days I tell y 'all what

1:13:10Shannon Sharpe:But at that time, my little credit card I had, that little$5 ,000 limit, hell, we were going to max that thing out. You weren't even going to go through. It was going to decline. Hell, it was. Listen, man, how y 'all do them folks like that, man? I ain't even have no credit card, Joe. All I had, I had to go by the bank, got some money, and they stood me up. I had the memo and everything.

1:13:34Joe Johnson:Hey, I remember my rookie dinner. My rookie dinner, it was Ron Dugan's, Peter Warwick. Uh, Danny Farmer was there at the time. Um, uh, Darnay Scott. Remember Darnay Scott? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Darnay Scott. From San Diego State, right? Yeah. Yeah. Darnay. Yeah. Yeah. He went to San Diego State. And yeah, they, they, they didn't do me dirty. They didn't do me wrong. Well, I did them wrong. They had dental.

1:14:01Shannon Sharpe:Did you really? Oh, I hit Clint Portis and, and, uh, Leslie Lee for the 22 ,000. Damn. What?

1:14:10Joe Johnson:Yeah, I ain't do that. As a matter of fact, after my rookie dinner, my next year, as a matter of fact, my whole career, I never did it to any of the other players. I'm trying to think.

1:14:20Shannon Sharpe:Do we have a – I don't even know who we had my last year in Denver, but Portland was my first year back in Denver. Rod Smith and – Rod was an undrafted free agent. Carswell was a seventh-round draft pick, so we didn't do them too bad. I was like, you know what? I'm going to let y 'all off the hook, but I got to get these steaks for my dogs.

1:14:43Joe Johnson:Oh, man. You said you ain't doing that bad, and you cost them$22 ,000.

1:14:47Shannon Sharpe:No, I did porters. I did porters and them dirty. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. 1 ,000%. Yeah, me. I get the most expensive. The most expensive. Everybody, we get the most expensive. Yeah. So the lobster. Especially the lobster. Lobster. You got to get at least a full pile of lobster. Hey, hey, hey, so what y 'all do to the guys who just like, man, damn that. I ain't paying for that. That's not an option. Huh?

1:15:13Joe Johnson:Yeah, that's not an option. Yeah, that don't happen, Joe, because you know coming in, that's a part of it. It's a ritual. You know, guess what? You know, it's an unspoken rule. Unwritten rule, excuse me. Unwritten rule.

1:15:24Shannon Sharpe:Yes, because next year, somebody's going to be a rookie, and you can return the favor. See, it used to be really bad, Joe. guys would see, and this is what I had to, like, assert myself, be the adult in the room. I'm not going to let you take no, hey, man, my wife's family coming in town. I'm going to get me. No, you're not. You're not taking them anything. You're going to stop your ass by McDonald's or Burger King and get them something, but they ain't getting nothing from here. And you're not going to take no$25, no$5 ,000 bottle of wine home, man. Come on now. Are you? All I said, I said, guys, if you get it, you got to eat it.

1:16:05Shannon Sharpe:That's it. That was the only rule that we had. If you get it, you got to eat it. I'm not going to let you hit these guys up for no$5 ,000 bottle of wine so you can have it sitting on your thing. But there are some places that do that. Sometimes you just got to, you know, you got to be the dog in the room sometimes, Joe. You know, Joe? It's like, nah, we're not going to do that. Other than that. Right. And Lalee was a first-round pick. Portis was a second-round pick. Portis having an outstanding season. Yeah, man,$22 ,000, that ain't nothing. Damn. They say$22 ,000 ain't nothing. Ain't nothing.

1:16:44Shannon Sharpe:I mean, it's probably like$18 ,000 by the time you leave with like a$4 ,000 tip. Man, the people been working on us hand and foot, bringing us hot dinner rolls, bringing us all the tea and soda and stuff that we want. They kept the food hot and fresh. That's the least That's the least we could do. Nah, nah, nah. Nah, that ain't it. That ain't it. Woo. Boy, sweating bullets calling their financial advisors and all that, man.

1:17:16What?

1:17:17Shannon Sharpe:You know, Rod and them, they came up a little short. I was like, you know what, man? I'm going to help y 'all out because you know me. I need a limo by myself. I need to navigate a limo. Navigate a limo to hold one person. damn Ocho cause when I'm ready to go I'm ready to go

1:17:35Joe Johnson:oh you're trying to get out of there you ain't waiting on everybody else

1:17:38Shannon Sharpe:I'm not finna drive and drop him off then drop him off then drop him off then drop him off and I'm the last one stuck in the limo I'm the last one getting home nah hey look I'm with Ocho on that I hate rounding people up man when it's time to go I'd like to hit the door pew pew pew I'm in my car gone I don't wanna have to tell 10 people, hey, look, we about to get ready to go. Now the whole spot, no, we about to go. Hell no, I like to be, I'm in now like a robbery. Because guess what happens? When you ride with somebody, man, I just got an old girl, man. Give me 10 minutes. Give me 10 minutes.

1:18:13Shannon Sharpe:I'll be ready to go. Don't worry about it.

1:18:20Shannon Sharpe:Hey, Joe, man, man, dang, sharp, man. And then I might be hollering at something and I'm not ready to go. You're ready to go. So I tell you what, don't worry about it. Drive your own ish. Drive your own ish and then we ain't got to worry about it. Facts. That's how I am, bro. Damn that. Like, so. But look, the only person, the only person that I would go out with and I would, he could drive or I would drive was Burns. Because I know when he's ready, I'm going to be ready. because I'm not going without him. He's not going without me. So we can rock like that. Yeah. Right. But other than that, I'm not riding with none of you guys.

1:19:06Shannon Sharpe:Absolutely not. And I'm not getting a limo with you guys. I'm not doing nothing. I got my own limo. But that was fun. But see, that's all a part of it. That's team bonding. That's team building. Yeah. I mean, we stealing guys' trucks and driving them way out there and parking them in the field and leaving them running. Damn! Oh, yeah. We had to get them, Joe. We had to get them. Well, y 'all are extreme with it. That's just a little too much. That's too much. Yeah. What do you mean by Joe? If somebody were to steal your truck, you were in there practicing, you wouldn't know until you got it. Just imagine you practicing and you see your truck two miles away and the lights are on, the door is open.

1:19:51Joe Johnson:Come on, man. Hey, Joe. coming out the parking lot, coming out the parking lot, in the player's parking lot, and your car's sitting on bricks. Oh, man. Come on, old Joe. Man, and that's the D lineman playing like that. That's the D lineman.

1:20:07Shannon Sharpe:Yo, we used to nail, we used to nail, because you know guys always want to be late. We'll nail their locker shut. They can't get their cleats. And we done hit all the hammers. Man, ain't nobody near this for Sharp. Man, Sharp, you play. Bro, why's y 'all always got to be behind it? My locker working just fine. This man say, they nail your locker shut. Yeah. Guy rushing in there trying to help him get his stuff on for practice.

1:20:45Shannon Sharpe:That's cold-blooded there, boy. Hey, hey, hey, hey, because it ain't nothing like seeing a cat run in there, boy. He know he about to be late for practice. I'm talking about he five-balling through that thing. You hear me?

1:20:56Joe Johnson:What? I like one of my favorite moments, man, is seeing a rookie defensive tackle. You know, we all walk out. We all get out of the news at the same time. And ain't nobody hanging around after we've been there all day. Walk out in that parking lot. We all going home. And just to see that car sitting on them sitting in bricks.

1:21:17Shannon Sharpe:Man, I be sick. Boy, you talk about laughter? I go back in there, Ocho, go to the bathroom. You know what? Somebody been acting up. He been acting up. Put them pants in the whirlpool and put them in the refrigerator. Oh. Until they freeze? They be frozen solid. Will you see him walking out there with Bronco gear?

1:21:46Oh.

1:21:49Shannon Sharpe:Oh, we going to get you. Oh, we're going to get you. Damn. Oh, yeah. Oh, man. That's what you miss? That's what I miss? Yeah. I honestly, yeah, the money is nice. Don't get me wrong. I don't miss playing in front of that. And, hey, we do good. We do good now. I miss the camaraderie. That's what I miss. I miss the bus rides. I miss the locker rooms. Hey, that's what I miss. We're never going to get that again. You know, you see how we are when we get to chat. You see how we are when we get together. Just imagine it's like that with 30. You got 30 people like that. Yeah. Man.

1:22:38Shannon Sharpe:So somebody, hold on. Oh, they got, oh, Dez. I think Jerry ended up having to pay Dez, Bill. Yeah. As a rookie? Yeah, Dez didn't pay it. Jerry ended up paying it. Damn. That's what I'm talking about. Jerry, come back. Yeah. Boy, we had a time, though. We had a time, boy. If y 'all saw what we had, I can't tell y 'all what all was going on in the steakhouse, but we had a ball. Yeah. We had a ball. What?

1:23:17Shannon Sharpe:Steakhouse jam-packed with people. we had to pay extra to keep you know keep y 'all the only ones working in here y 'all folk just don't get out

1:23:44Shannon Sharpe:but we had it going boy Boy, glad Mike ain't find out about that. The Colts social team did Tua. Check this out. Man, they did Tua real dirty today. They did?

1:24:05Shannon Sharpe:Oh, yeah.

1:24:06Joe Johnson:Oh, yeah, I saw that. I saw that clip. Get that moment.

1:24:09Shannon Sharpe:By my hand.

1:24:10Joe Johnson:Damn. Damn. Hey, listen. Listen. One thing about them social teams, they've gotten very creative whether it's basketball whether it's football hockey, it doesn't matter I'm not sure who they have behind those socials, but they've been really, really, really fun

1:24:31Shannon Sharpe:somebody that looked like us

1:24:34Joe Johnson:it gotta be because they're too witty with some of the stuff that they've been doing some of the stuff that they've been saying and just the creative aspect of some of the things they've been doing is very relatable for the time that we're in It makes so much sense. You can tell.

1:24:52Shannon Sharpe:I don't know what they're going to do at quarterback for the Falcons.

1:24:58Joe Johnson:It didn't look. What you mean? Training camp. They got Tula. You going to be all right? Hey, listen. He got Kyle Pitts. He got Branch. He got B. John Robinson. Listen, B. John Robinson. They got Drake London.

1:25:13Shannon Sharpe:They got a lot of people.

1:25:14Joe Johnson:They got Drake London. Yeah, that's why I said. He going to be all right.

1:25:17Shannon Sharpe:Oh, Joe. The thing is, you worry about every time he gets hit, though. Man, is he going to get up?

1:25:25Joe Johnson:Yeah, that's part of the game. All right.

1:25:29Shannon Sharpe:Hey, I'll tell you what. If I was a Falcons fan, it didn't look good, okay? Yeah, I'll be a little worried. I ain't going to lie to y 'all. On the new podcast, Solita, We share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinheiro and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:26:36plenty of overthought opinions. Listen to Pro Society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hoda Kotb, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space.

1:27:06Joe Johnson:You're hired to fill the space with you. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our hometown is not a test tube. 90 miles northeast of Nashville, a battle for the future of America, plays out in one small town. Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land. We need cities on a shining hill. This is Our Town, a podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment and fights back. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to Our Town on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:28:01try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicist for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, Adam Scott, Danny McBride, Ben Stiller, and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.