Best of NFL News Part 1: Jets’ ownership the real problem in New York, Marcades Lewis joins Broncos for 20th NFL season

19:18And I'm one of those that I love camp. I love building that gristle and getting ready for the season. And so when I didn't get picked up, it was like, okay, you know, how do I want to go about this? And so I just was kind of more introspective about it. And just kind of was in a state of allowing, meaning like not resisting nor forcing what was meant for me. I come back from Joshua Tree. I go to a place where I recover at, get in the sauna. I get a call from a Denver number. And obviously I didn't answer it because I didn't have it. I'm thinking it's spam. I'm like, man, what is this? So the number calls back probably like three minutes later.

19:55And I'm like, I still look at my phone, didn't answer it. and then the GM left a message like yo big dog give me a call um this is George Payton GM uh at the Broncos want to talk to you for a second so I called him back and literally right there and this was Monday he was like yo can you fly out here uh tonight and I was like mind you I've never been in this situation before like I've always been contracted so it was just different feeling this you know feeling this right and so yeah I'm like you know what yeah I could fly out So I hopped on a flight like around 8, got to Denver like around 1130 at night, sat on the tarmac for like 50 minutes, then went to the hotel, and then literally next day, Tuesday, worked out, took my physical, and shit, signed on the spot, man.

20:45So it's definitely a different experience.

20:48Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, you tell them, hell yeah, you fly, you buy, I fly. Come on now. You tell them, well, I fly, hell yeah, you buy, I fly. No doubt. Hey, Mercedes, was it ever the thought in your mind that you would be able to, for one, make it into the league is one thing. You want to play, you want to have a healthy career, you want to squeeze in as many years as you can, obviously. But did you ever think you'd get the year 20? Man, I thought, you know, obviously coming out of UCLA, that 10 was going to be a great career. You know, and it was a situation where, I'm not sure you're familiar with John Embry.

21:24He was my tight end coach at UCLA. Yeah.

21:26Shannon Sharpe:He was in camp with me my rookie year in 1990. Okay. Okay. So, you know Embo. You know his energy and just the type of person he is. So, obviously, Embo, you know, he coached Tony Gonzalez, George Kittle for a little while. Remember Daniel Graham? Yep. So, as far as, like, his resume is dipped in blood when it comes to, like, tight ends and how he's able to get across to those guys. He was one, yep. 100 percent and um i remember i would say he got to ucla my sophomore year then fired the tight end coach we had he got to ucla and the first conversation we had he was like look i didn't come to ucla to coach for ucla he said i came to ucla to coach you gave me a whole rundown of like my family knew where i was from i'm from the east side of long beach my mom had me at 15 years old i've been through just a whole bunch so he had already done his homework um um and that kind of you know lit a fire into me and so right after that that formed a connection and just like that vibration that we had and literally he took me from he said look this is where you are now you got the ability to go through here he was like there's a lot of people that can catch the ball and run and look pretty we know that you're at you're athlete cool we get it you want to play a long time in the league you're gonna have to learn how to get your nose dirty and it starts right here and so he literally took me from you know just being able to catch a pass and do nice things with it to like really being a dog and and with it to being a dog and so i learned how to compete under him and so by the time i got to the league this is my rookie year i get drafted in 2006 um freddie t fred taylor took me under his wing yeah and fred taylor he called me slim Like, at that time, I was 6 '6", like 260, but I didn't have the mass, right?

23:21So he just always just called me slim. So the first day of pads, we got the Oklahoma drill, right? So this is, like, my first Oklahoma drill in the NFL. We get three DNs. Freddie T's running behind me twice, and then Maurice Drew is running behind me. I pancaked the first two guys, moved a third guy out the way. Freddie T jumped on my back, kind of, like, wrestled me almost to the grass and was like, yo, you keep blocking like that. you're going to be in the league for a long time. So fast forward to when I signed my contract this morning, Freddie T texted me and was like, you remember that conversation we had?

23:57I was like, bro, how could I ever forget that? That's something that I always have with me, and it's something that's inspired me this whole entire time. So I'm just grateful to, you know, he didn't have to take me into his wing. He played running back. It's just been smooth, man. I just take it one day at a time and, you know, just get my personal best of whatever it is I'm doing in that day. and I live with the results.

24:19Shannon Sharpe:You mentioned Mercedes, but bro, that's still a long time to get your body to go through the rigors. Look, we know that, you know, situational now, but still, you got to come in there and it ain't Jacksonville where you got nice warm weather. You play, you in Chicago, bro. Outside, you having to go, and you were the Green Bay. Outside. So we get it. So once you got past year 10, as you mentioned, I can get 10. Then you get to 15. Because once you get to 10, you take it one year at a time. 100%. Once you got to 15, you had to be like, hold on. Gonzalez played 17. Witten played 17. The way I feel right now, 17 is in the bag.

25:05Shannon Sharpe:Was there ever a realistic shot once you got past 15 that 20 would be in the equation? Bro, you just hit it on the nose. And like this conversation is something that I have pretty often with people because they ask me like, how did you like, like what in your mind made you think that you can just keep going and keep jumping up to continue your career? 15 was literally that magic number. Once I got once I passed 10, I got to 15 and I was like, OK. I don't want to question it because I don't want to jinx myself, but I still feel really good. Right. And so I get to 15. I'm in Green Bay and literally Green Bay is like well we want to sign you to a two-year deal because I was only doing one-year deals trying to just play it by ear yep and like at that time in Green Bay obviously we had Jimmy Graham he had signed the contract uh he was there for a couple years then he ended up leaving and then I ended up being like the full-time why like so I was the why which means like the do-it-all tight end for the listeners out there and then we had obviously the pass catching tight end at that time, Robert Tellian.

26:10So I was doing all the dirty work, outside zone, power, ISO, all that. You got to set that edge, Mercedes.

26:20Shannon Sharpe:You got to set that edge. Come on, man. I was sifting. I was doing all that. And so I didn't expect them to offer me a two-year deal. I thought it was going to be one year, one year. But when they offered me a two-year deal, I felt like it was my responsibility to go out there and continue to give them what they know that I'm about. And I signed a deal, didn't look back, got through 17, still felt really good. A-Rod ends up leaving. Devontae ends up leaving. Cobb retires. Dave Batiari leaves. And I'm like, okay, it's only me here. I know it's about to be my time to go, too. So they hit me up like, hey, Sadie's like, you know, we're kind of changing the regime.

26:59Like, you know, you know, the target. So I'm like, all right, like, no doubt, whatever. Like, you know, I'll figure it out. and then not too long after that I would say June Chicago hit me up and then we had had Luke Getse who was the quarterback coach with Green Bay and was familiar with you know how to use me as far as you know plays and what I'm good at and brought me to Chicago thinking that was going to be a one year deal played that out still played about 43 percent of the plays at 39 years old so I'm still rolling then the next year bring me back so that's two years and then here we are now it was just like uh once i got 18 i was like i have to get 20.

27:42Shannon Sharpe:yeah i gotta get i got i can't end on the odd number i gotta get 20. i can't like this is i literally it was like the capstone like i 20 is like when i wake up in the nfl ain't a whole lot of players that's ever played 20 season you get a you get a Jackie Slater and you get a Tom Brady and you get a handful of guys, but maybe I don't think it's 20 guys. Maybe it's 20 guys. 25 ,000 people, men that's ever played this game. Darrell green. It ain't a whole lot of guys. So let me ask you this. Is this it? You trying for 21 or you done at 20? You started on a nice, a nice round, even number. Okay. So, So this will be the first time I've ever said this because I haven't.

28:33But this is it. Like, if I said that last year, like if I said that after 19, I wouldn't have felt like I did in these months that I was not playing. Right. Bro, I will wake up sometime. Like the season started. It was a few teams hitting my agent up. But it was like just is he still working out? Does he still want to play? Just a bunch of like fluff. It wasn't nothing serious. So I told my agent, Buzz Cook, I told him, I said, look, if it's not serious, like, don't hit me up because it's messing with my head. Like some days, some days I wake up sharp and be like, right, I feel good. And then some days I wake up and I feel like I'm in a nightmare because I'm waking up, I'm watching ball there.

29:16And in my mind, I'm like, there's not 64 tight ends better than me in this league. And I know I could be out there helping somebody with it. Yeah. and like especially for what I do at this point in my career like I'm the best at this right like just point of contact setting the edge rock setting and play pass like you know how it is like it's yeah oh yeah yeah I take it serious

29:37Shannon Sharpe:whatever you want to do hey if y 'all want to put play let me be Gilligan I get on that island if I need to come on and so and that's kind of where I'm at and you know today Sean Payton pulled me aside and was like I've been watching you for the last eight years like even when I was in Green Bay the Saints kept trying to get me when he was with the Saints he was like I just want you to know that I've been watching this for the last eight years I know what you're about everybody talks about how you are as a person like I get it but you're not staying in this league for as long as you have just for being a great leader you've been dominant we need somebody like you and so they made me feel valued.

30:21They made me feel welcome. And to be honest with you guys, today was the first time I felt nervous. Because it was like, I'm 41. I didn't do camp. No OTAs. What's my reaction time? Regardless if I'm working out.

30:44Shannon Sharpe:You ain't playing football. Exactly. And I really questioned myself like the night before going to sign my contract and then going to practice like I'm in there and I'm like you know he's they give it like you know they give me the playbook all of that I'm looking through and I'm like okay every hour that went by today I felt more and more confident like I get in there and it's just like all my teammates are like you know you know just loving me up bro and I'm just like damn like this is where I'm supposed to be you And it feels good. Once I got on the field, bro, it was just like riding a bike.

31:23So I'm grateful for the moment. I've always been in gratitude. I leave with just gratitude, man.

31:30Shannon Sharpe:And it's special, bro. Joe, you had a question? That's what's up, man. Yeah, I wanted to say, first off, Mercedes, man, congrats on 20 years, bro. That's a long time, especially in the NFL. what's the biggest difference what would you say the biggest difference is from like year one to like year 20 now whether it be mindset training obviously what would probably be the biggest difference I think the biggest difference for me bro is the time I had to form a routine because when I first got into the league right like those first three years you're trying to figure out who you are you know you're athletic you know that you can do some things but you don't know if you can consistently get it done at that level you're playing against guys that got families that are not having it and when I got to Jacksonville dogs in Jacksonville I was raised with the Wolves in Jacksonville I feel like being in that environment molded me into who I am today and I would say after year three I started to form this routine how like my in-season workout recovery does not change from my out of season workout and recovery and and mind you I said out of season and not off season I don't take it off right like I right it's maybe two and a half weeks of just letting my body heal and and that means infrared and cold tub I'm still doing something to keep the blood flow right yeah once it gets close to february like right after super bowl i've been training mixed martial arts now for 15 years so whether it's jujitsu muay thai wrestling judo whatever it is i would do that from february all the way to may i do not step on the field until the end of may going into july once i hit the field in june i get on the grass straight ahead running and then we do like 400 breakdowns on the track yeah and then that's really about it i'll do like cone stuff but not too many routes Even in my prime when I was catching the ball, it wasn't a lot of routes and, like, putting that pressure on my knees.

33:41And then when I would get to camp, I would be peaking at the perfect time. And, like, I really just feel like that regimen has paid me back right now because I still have my legs. I went to Jacksonville where we were run first, play action pass, right? Like, you know, Jimmy Smith was getting out of there. Keenan McCardell had just got out of there. It was like Freddie T, Maurice Drew. Obviously, we had Kyle Brady, a tight end. I was backing him up as a rookie. Then I ended up starting as a second-year guy. Exactly. And it was like we ran the ball, bro, for at least four or five years straight.

34:19And I was still getting my numbers. I went all pro, my fifth year, pro bowl, all of that. But not like I should have, right? And I would always be like, damn, man, was I supposed to get drafted here? Like, I came out of UCLA, Mackie Award winner, all the records, doing my thing. Like, I get to Jacksonville, and I'm like, bro, I'm blocking ISO power. I'm doing – you know what I mean? Like, I'm not really being used. Like, they drafted me in the first round, so I didn't get it. That's the best thing to happen for you, Mercedes.

34:46Shannon Sharpe:You didn't know it. Because had you put up those numbers early, and now all of a sudden you're in year 10, year 11, year 12, and they're not the same as they were in year 3 or 4, now all of a sudden they're going to say you're losing it. But because you didn't have 80, 90 catches in the beginning, they're like, here's fame. And what we're asking him to do hasn't changed for what he's been asked to do the previous 10, the previous 12, the previous 15. We looked it up, Mercedes. There have only been 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 players to play at least 20 years or more. Most of them, as you could imagine, are kickers.

35:28No doubt.

35:28Shannon Sharpe:George Blander played 26 seasons. He was a quarterback, but his last couple of years he was mainly a kicker. Morton Anderson, 25, kicker. Adam Vinatieri, 24, kicker. Tom Brady, 23, quarterback. John Carney, 23, kicker. Gary Anderson, kicker. Jeff Fegels, 21, punter. Earl Morrow played 21 as a quarterback. Jackie Slater, offensive lineman. Darrell Green, quarterback. Benny Testaverde, quarterback. Brett Favre, quarterback. Jason Hansen kicker and now Mercedes Lewis is on this list of guys that have played at least 20 seasons or more and you played a position now Jackie I would say Jackie might have had because Jackie had to bang every play for 20 no doubt but 20 years sometimes you got to run you got to run you got to run routes 20 years it's still crazy let me ask you this are you married Mercedes no because I was gonna say that's an awful long time to ask somebody like hey I need you to make these sacrifices for 20 I need you to pick up the kids I need you to be the PTA I need you to be the recitals and the football games and all this and all that other stuff so you understand the sacrifices that you make but when you have a partner you're also asking them to make said sacrifices.

36:50Shannon Sharpe:100%. Well, yeah. Absolutely. Hey, Mercedes, what combat sports you do again? Jiu-Jitsu? Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, a little bit of Judo, some wrestling. I don't really... I think that you right there, Ocho. Hey, Ocho ready. Ocho say he won't do it. Hey, listen. Hold on, hold on. Hold on. But you know I got a black belt and all that. You got a round man too to hold your pants up. Mercedes, I think you, hey, that's what we want right here. Mercedes and Ocho.

37:18Hey, well, you know, I got a black belt in jujitsu. I submit you pretty quick, bro. What?

37:28Shannon Sharpe:Yeah, you heard her. Hey, let me tell you something. I'm going to say, when I'm done with James Harrison, I beat his ass, I mean, you welcome. I mean, whatever you want to do. Ocho, start with somebody like at 140. Man, this man, you hear him say he's 6 '6", 265, 270. Hey, Unc, Unc, listen to me. Mercedes, I'm 6 '4", 230, man. What you talking about, Unc? But he do that, Ocho. So you not got to worry about his conditioning. He fight. He MMA. He trains like that. So you know his conditioning is through the roof. Hold on. Time out. Time out, man. Stop playing with me on Sweet Jesus, man. I trained.

38:02It's just different. It's just different, though, Ocho. It's like if we were just straight boxing, potentially, like you may be able to land a couple shots, but I'll still fight behind my jab. And... Listen, no, hold on. I have landed, cop, a shot. I'm gonna whoop your ass since boxing. No, you see how calm I am right now? You see how calm I am right now?

38:25Shannon Sharpe:How you gonna get... I'm calm right now, too. Let me ask you a question, Ocho. How you gonna get up? You don't... You never fought from your back. You don't know how to get up. What you talking about, man? I could fight off my back foot, front foot... No, I said your back. Not your back foot, your back. Your back. Oh, I'm... What you... i was i was i was the state champion grappler what you talk about your ground game like no game like that running yeah it would be it would be dope to uh to roll with you though oh if you ever want to roll obviously yeah let me know let me know let me know hey what's wrong with my goddamn camera don't start me lying it's your camera we we got we got marcelia talking about you You know, hey, if you want to bang a little bit, hey, he ready.

39:10Shannon Sharpe:He got the gear and everything. Ocho logging off now, huh? Nah, he ain't. Hey, spare him. Hey, spare him, Mercedes, bro. Nah, yeah. It's all good. No, spare me. The only thing I know about is the tire, and it's in my trunk. So let me ask you a question. So where is home, Mercedes? Sherman Oaks now. Oh, OK, OK, OK. So you stayed in Cali. Yeah, I'm in LA. I bought my mom a house in Lakewood, which is about 30 minutes from long beach where i grew up at um we spent some time in like south central abusive relationship all that you know you know how that go and um for me i bought a house in the casino and then obviously the fires happened it got close to the crib thankfully i was able to sell sell my house um last year and then now it's more so just renting to be more cash free because i'm not sure what i was gonna do was i gonna play a 20th year or potentially go to the front office or whatever.

40:04I just didn't know. And so now I got to hold that off for another two months or three months and figure that out.

40:12Shannon Sharpe:So you're looking at potentially thinking the Valley is probably going to be where you set drop anchor at. I think so. But it's going to be California. You're not necessarily the Valley because we don't want to give out your information. But you know probably California. You're a Cali kid at heart. So that's probably where you're going to set up shop. Yeah, like California is you know, I feel like me and my mom I'm like best friends too. I don't know if I could just, you know, bounce on her like that. And then far away from her. Yeah. And so like, I would probably rather stay there, but I'm, I love to travel too.

40:43So even if, even if I like got something again in, in California, it would probably be like just a dope penthouse or something, something I don't have to worry about maintenance. I want the panoramic and I could just pull up, plug and play. And then I travel because having the house and all that is up to the mortgage bro i'm over it i'm over paying mortgages and interest rates and i'm just over it man right yeah so i just you know the older you get like for me i've been more of a minimalist or minimalist the older i've gotten and so i realized that i don't need a whole bunch to find joy like i'm happy inside you know so wow all the other things that like and mind you playing in jacksonville it wasn't the real NFL experience.

41:30There's nothing in Jacksonville.

41:31Shannon Sharpe:No. You heard that Duval? Come on. When I got to Jacksonville, they robbing players. It was barely any restaurants. Dudes was getting stuck up at gas stations. I swear to God, dudes was getting stuck up at gas stations. It was just not... I was like, dude, what am I doing out here? I was born in Long Beach. I saw all that in Long Beach. Went to UCLA. That changed, right? I'm in Brentwood. Yeah, you in Westwood. You between Brentwood and Beverly. I get to Jacksonville, I'm like, okay. We're going backwards now as far as how I'm living, right? And so, yeah, man, at this point, I'm just like, the least that I have to worry about, least overhead that I have to worry about, can I just pack a bag and go travel and go see the world?

42:16Because playing ball, I've been playing Pop Warner since I was seven, have not stopped on 41. When I retire after this year, I just want to see the world, man. like in a real way you know yeah yeah well you know uh at your size you know everybody gonna

42:31Shannon Sharpe:think you did something they go so you go to foreign country they're gonna be poor they like you did something you ain't just big for no reason walking around nah and i mean i'm low-key too like i've already checked into it like certain places especially in south america like i've been in costa rica for my birthday but like i'm i'm getting nfl to give me some security or something I'm like, I'm not walking around, you know, dilly-dabbling and not expecting nothing to happen. Yeah, yeah. Right. You definitely got to be on your best behavior, watch your six at all times, and the best thing to do is the NFL.

43:06Shannon Sharpe:Hey, hook it up for your boy. Come on, man. Set me up, please. Right. Hey, when you hit the Broncos, what number are you wearing? I'm wearing 89. Okay, you got cars. I thought you was going to get 84. I said, man, make the 84 look good one last time, man. Nah, you are best to ever do it, bro. And ain't no way. Ain't no way. And I wouldn't even, I just wouldn't. Out of just the respect. And it was crazy because you came up. Like, I'm in there and they're like, what number do you want? I'm like, 89. And they're looking at the thing. I was like, yeah, there's no 89. And then I looked at Sean Payton.

43:41And Sean Payton was like, yeah, the best tight end ever play here is 84. I said, yeah, he's one of the best ever play in this league, too. You know what I mean? So, like, and that's all position. So that's not even a question.

43:53Shannon Sharpe:I appreciate that, man. Thank you, man. 100%. Hey, man, enjoy it, man. Hey, Broncos look good. They got a nice defense. Defense is sensational. Bo Nix is playing really well. Cortland Sutton, Mims, hey, they got guys that can go make plays. They can run the football with Harvey and Dobbins. Hey, keep it going, man. And who knows? Might see you in San Fran, baby. Hey, let's do it, man. I appreciate you guys. Thanks for having me, bro. This is the first time me and Sharp actually had a conversation, so I was geeked for that. Ocho, we always be seeing each other out and hollering at each other. Joe, it was a pleasure, man.

44:28Respect your career as well. Thank you, bro. Thank you, bro.

44:31Shannon Sharpe:We're going to say that at M &M, whatever, Muay Thai, Jitsu, whatever you want to do, whatever you call it, or Mercedes, you call it. Okay. And we'll get Ocho there. And then we'll have the paramedic pick him up and bring him back. But so, man, appreciate y 'all love, man. Thank you. Appreciate you, bro. Have a good one, man. Thank you, bro.

44:53Shannon Sharpe:Jess Woody Johnson made headlines last week for some harsh comments. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotb, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. Okay, if you know me, you know this. I'm always searching for inspiration, for support, and useful tools to help maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover all of that together. We're going to have these meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people. Like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges that she never saw coming. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer and that was more difficult.

45:31There's a lot of people who understand postpartum depression. I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Olympic champ Shawn Johnson revealed why she had no choice but to be a gymnast. There was something about gymnastics that was intoxicating to me.

45:44Shannon Sharpe:It's given me a belief that we all have one of those treasures inside of us. We just have to find it. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

45:59American soccer has exploded. The knockout rounds are here. The U.S. won their group, and now every match is win or go home. Score!

46:11USA! I'm Tad Ramos. And I'm Tom Bogert. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, we'll talk about the real storylines. I'm not worried about Pulisic. I'm not worried about Balogun. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. And give you the truth about the U.S. national team from inside the program. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. Whether you're a lifelong fan or this is your first World Cup. We've got you covered. Listen to Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.

46:56Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War.

47:12Shannon Sharpe:To get to school, I had to go down Robert E. Lee Boulevard. To get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're a historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akilah Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky Statehouse that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching.

47:46You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Michael Rappaport and my podcast, the I Am Rappaport Stereo Podcast, is unlike anyone you've ever heard. We're a variety show, and if you're looking for strong opinions, funny opinions about sports, entertainment, politics, pop culture, and whatever else catches my attention, then subscribe now. This kid, Jafar Jackson, is as good as Rami Malek, as Freddie Mercury, and it's as good as Timothee Chalamet, as Bob Dylan. And I say that with love and respect for both of those actors.

48:29And I don't know how many Oscar nominations they give out. I don't know if it's five, six for best actor. 150 % this kid Jafar Jackson should absolutely positively get nominated for his portrayal as Michael Jackson. Listen to I Am Rappaport on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I Am Rappaport Podcast. Yes. You said to me, yo, you know, keep at it. Because you let me rap for you. It was magical for all of us.

49:01Shannon Sharpe:We made it. We made it. Yeah. I'm like, we? You know, I'm like, I know these guys. But who are you? I'm MC Jin. And this is Laugh But Not Lease. I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. Like the co-founder of Rough Riders, Darren D. Dean. Talking about as a kid. Do you remember that we met? even way before that. Let me think. Did you walk up to the gate? That was me, D. That was you? That was me. The day we found out that you and the whole crew was at Hit Factory, the mission was to get me to go to the gate, start freestyling, and see if I could get in the studio.

49:35I'm rapping, and then suddenly I hear a voice. Hey, open the gate. Let him in. The gate slowly went. Gung, gung, gung, gung, gung, gung. They all, they're watching this, and they watch me walk into there, and that is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. Listen, and last but not least, with MC Jen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

49:55Shannon Sharpe:He gave about Justin Fields. Johnson, it's hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we got. If we could just complete a pass, it would look good. According to former Jets quarterback Jordan Travis, these aren't the only troubling comments Johnson has made to one of the team's quarterbacks. Despite dealing with serious leg injury, Travis remembers Johnson asking him, are you ever going to get healthy? Travis, there were things that were said to me, not obviously to that point, because I never got on the field of play about my leg. Just slick comments. I don't know if he was trying to be slick about it, or you know how some older men just say whatever comes to their mind.

50:35Shannon Sharpe:And that kind of made me feel a certain type of way. Now, how you feeling? Never that. There was always comments like that. It's easy to point a finger at Justin Fields or Aaron Glenn for the Jets' troubles, but Robert Sala seems to be the coach defense really well for the 49ers Aaron Rodgers looked pretty good Pittsburgh Sam Darnold to Ocho Joe how much blame Should we place on ownership led by Woody Johnson for the long long history of Jets failure? I mean listen, I young similar similar to the quarterback situation with the Chicago Bears for the long long history of failures that that position as well I mean, management is to blame as well for the long, long, long failures for the quarterback position with the Jets.

51:20Most of the time, the identity for the Jets has always been their defense. That has always been the better part of the successful part of their team. Obviously, not this year. And obviously, offense, not this year as well. But I thought, I really thought this was Justin Fields' year. I thought it would have been his year. He had nothing to worry about. He had nobody eyeing over his shoulder. It was his team, his team to win and his team to lose. uh they're one in seven obviously beating my bangles uh but it is what it is but i think at some point they will turn it around i think he can be the future for the new york jets is he going to get that opportunity to be after woody johnson came out and said some of the things he said publicly that most owners would say to themselves or people you know upstairs you don't yeah yeah you never say anything like that publicly but it seemed like since jerry jones said what he needed to say.

52:10Other owners are now having the onus and the wherewithal to say, you know what, forget it. I'm just going to say how I'm feeling and let him know. And it has to hurt to know that your owner feels that way, and I still got to go out there and play for him.

52:27Shannon Sharpe:What'd you think, Joe? Hey, look, I kind of agree kind of with Justin Fields. I mean, you got other guys who can play for their franchise, man, quarterbacks, and they went off and and, you know, play for other organizations. And they've been playing extremely well. They've been playing extremely well. So, therefore, yeah, you got to start up top with the organization and how things have been ran because, for whatever reason, they hadn't been getting, you know, great outcomes. Obviously, Justin Fields played great this past week. But, man, you hope he can build confidence from that and try to, you know, continue to, you know, play at an elite level.

53:03Shannon Sharpe:They got to improve the roster overall, Locho. I mean. Yeah. But that's hard, huh? You know how much time that takes? Well, hey, they've had 30 years.

53:15Shannon Sharpe:Will they give Aaron Glynn the time to improve the roster? I think because A.G. played there, I think he'll probably have a little longer leeway than most. I don't want to say what we would normally say, a longer leash, because everybody's saying, he'll adopt himself. I'm just trying to be politically correct. I think he'll have a longer opportunity to stay than probably most because of his history with the organization and how well he's played for the organization and what he knows him personally. So, yes, I do think he'll have a – but look, I don't care who you are. If your quarterback doesn't play well, it's hard for you to win in this league.

53:54Shannon Sharpe:It's hard. Very. But, Joe, situations matter. Situations on where you play and where you go and what's surrounding you is very, very important, Joe. I can't think of it in basketball terms, but maybe Unc and Joe, you could probably relate to it. Who would be Daniel Jones on the New York Giants in basketball terms? And then all of a sudden Daniel Jones, that player actually leaving said team and going somewhere else and succeeding the way Daniel Jones is succeeding in Indianapolis. Who would that be in basketball terms? Who would that be? The Daniel Jones baller. I'm talking about killing it. Yeah, I'm trying to think.

54:35Shannon Sharpe:Let me see. The only thing is that Brunson didn't, I mean, he left the Mavericks and went to New York and he balling in New York. But that's his own team. Okay. But that was, yeah. He was backing up Luka. You know what I mean? Ain't nobody going to overshine Luka. Not now. Yeah, he was backing up Luka, but he went off and, you know, obviously you know what he's doing in New York right now. I'm trying to think. Who? Because, I mean, they let Daniel Jones go. They just, they let him walk on about it, didn't they? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And he ended up with, he went to, wasn't he, didn't he go to Minnesota for a year?

55:12Yeah, he was the backup. He was the backup in Minnesota. Went to Minnesota, then went on down to Indy.

55:24Shannon Sharpe:Basketball, I don't know, man.

55:28Shannon Sharpe:No, but he played, he was good in Chicago. Who was that? Jimmy Butler. Yeah. Jimmy was good in Chicago. Jimmy's been good everywhere he went, huh? Chicago, Philly. He's always been consistent with what he does well. See, the thing is that we thought, if you go back and look at Brunson when Luka was out, he showed you what he could do if he had his own team. Go back and look at when Luka missed that time and look at what Brunson was doing. So now he got his own team. He's going to be the primary ball handler. He's going to be the primary shot taker. I don't think anybody's surprised by this. Now, maybe the guy averaged 26, 27 points a game in as many 30-point games as he's had, but I thought he would be really well.

56:14Shannon Sharpe:Now, did I think he'd be an all-NBA selection? I wouldn't go that far, but I thought he could make the all-star team. I thought he could make an all-star team because the guy that's playing that well in spurts, when he has the ball in his hand, and they say, okay,

56:31Shannon Sharpe:and kids like, okay, we need you to do more of a role and not be so, boom, we saw that. But look, you got James Harden. We saw what he was, you remember? He was sixth man of the year. Well, he was. I'm sure if people thought he could be good, but not averaging 36 points a night good. Not changing the game good with that step back. Nah, nah. Who else would like that? Nah, but Shade just didn't get a chance to play. If Shade got a chance to play, and plus, look, he was not going to do that with the Clippers. Not with Kawhi. You had just got, you had just, think about what you got with Kawhi. Kawhi was going to be the main ball handler.

57:15Shannon Sharpe:Shade's in a situation. Shade knows he can get as many shots as he want, and he ain't stepping on nobody's toes. Yeah. The Clippers, they didn't want, they weren't going to wait for the development. No, no, they couldn't because Kawhi, you bringing Kawhi in, Kawhi wants to win now. And he basically, he basically said, if you don't get me Paul George, I'm going with the Lakers. Can you imagine Kawhi, LeBron, and AD, and then you playing in the basement with that? No, they had to. They had, they had to do it, Ocho. I mean, hold on, hold on. I have a question, Joe, Joe and Uncle. If the Clippers knew what they knew now about Shea and how he would just know what he would become.

57:54They would have never traded him. They would have never traded him.

57:57Shannon Sharpe:Yeah. So how do you not see that? Because he was a rookie, Ocho. And no rookie because you got to realize he wasn't the first pick in the draft. He wasn't AD. He wasn't Zion that you're running your offense through. So now he's in a situation. He's the offense. So there's no possible way. Just like James Harden. Now, people thought James could be good because he was a great ISO player. When KD and Russ went to the bench, James Harden was sensational. But sensational is averaging 16 points a game. He averaged 36. He had games where he went like 30, 40 games. He's averaging getting 30 a night. 60-point triple-doubles.

58:42Shannon Sharpe:50-point triple-doubles. But he knows it's a lot easier to play, Ocho, if you're the number one. And you know you're going to get 12, 13, 14 targets a game. Right. But I understand that, right? But the basketball heads that are in the Clippers organization, those that have been watching the game, scouts, GMs, and understanding you have an eye for talent. There's a certain thing that we can see. It's called the it factor. It's called the eye test. Even if it's not his team, you can tell when the player is going to be special. You can look at them, their game, their skill set, what they can and what they can't do.

59:17And when you look at Shea's game on both ends of the court, that's somebody that you say, this MF is special.

59:23Shannon Sharpe:Hey, Ocho. I'm not letting him go. I think the Clippers knew he was special. I seen Doc Rivers coaching the Clippers at the time. He said that was the hardest thing to put in the trade was to add Shea into that trade because he knew that Shea was going to be pretty good. Now, I don't know if he thought he was going to be MVP good. The man averaged 30. But he knew he was going to be good. And then on top of that, Ocho, you never know. like for shay maybe that was great for his career because it probably put a little fire in him on the show yeah i mean to be like all right they got rid of me i'm gonna show him you know what i mean and now he's playing at at a level to where i don't think nobody's seen this bro he's he's a bucket he's 30 points every night give or take i don't care i don't care what what happened he gonna have 30.

1:00:06Shannon Sharpe:and plus oh the biggest free agent available was kawaii kawaii said if you don't get me Paul George. I'm going to sign with the Lakers. Do you really want LeBron James Kawhi Leonard and AD in the building that you play in? Do you really want that to happen? Was that even possible? Yes. Was that realistic? He was going home. He was going Kawhi was going back to LA. I don't know what team yet but he was going back to LA for sure. Okay. That's crazy how players especially NBA players can control where they want to go. They can pick and choose where they want to go. If they say, I want to trade, I don't want to be here anymore, the team had no choice but to move them.

1:00:52Superstars.

1:00:53Shannon Sharpe:Well, you have to because if a guy only has one year left on his deal, Ocho, and he's telling you, you know, he ain't signing back in so many words, then you got to trade him to get something back. You know what I mean? What doomed OKC was Kevin Durant walked out the door and didn't get nothing for him. Yep. Imagine if you could have traded him before. See, he walked out the door and you didn't get anything. Nothing. KD at his prime walks out of your door and you don't get anything for him. The same thing. The Clippers could have tried to play. I mean, Scott, the Clippers. The Hornets. Not the Hornets.

1:01:34Shannon Sharpe:The Pelicans could have tried to play hardball. But AT contract was coming up. Do you really want Anthony Davis to walk out of there and you don't get nothing for him? And you the Pelicans? ain't nobody coming to New Orleans I'm sorry it's a great city I mean the jazz and the food is amazing but you're not getting superstars to come down to New Orleans you're just not so you have to you don't have a choice right so what do I do Ocho and like I said yes I think Doc realized that Shea was going to be good but I don't know if Doc thought he'd be this good Coach Belichick, the reason why they kept Tom Brady, they kept four quarterbacks that year.

1:02:16Shannon Sharpe:Coach Belichick said with a little work, he thought he could be good. You thought he was going to be seven Super Bowls good? Fifteen four Bowls? You thought he was going to be the all-time leader in passes, touchdowns, wins, Super Bowl wins, Super Bowl MVPs? You thought he was going to be that good? Because if you did, you would have took him in the first round. You wouldn't have took him in the sixth round. And guess what? You would have started him from day one. So you didn't know. You thought he could be good. Everybody's like, oh, yeah, we knew Shadda, bro, I was setting my draft pick. Me making the team was a feat in and of itself, let alone being able to play 14 years and having the accomplishments.

1:02:52Shannon Sharpe:Everybody gets to say that after the fact, Ocho. Yeah, I knew that boy was going to make it. Oh, I knew, oh, I saw him in high school. I told such and such, that boy's going to make it.

1:03:04Right.

1:03:05Shannon Sharpe:Hey, it's a lot that has to transpire and a lot has to happen. along that journey, man. You know what I mean? The things that mold us into becoming professional athletes, the things that we go through, man, it's ultimately, it determines pretty much your longevity in the game or how you, you know, approach the game. So when you look at Shea, it's just like when I look at Shea, I'm like, man, can you imagine him in L.A. in that new arena they got over there? And think about it. That was another reason. They're getting better to build a new arena. What do you need to go into a new arena, Joe? superstars superstars Kauai ain't better than SGA maybe not now if you think SGA in his first or second year was better than Kauai y 'all a damn fool, y 'all out y 'all damn mind that man was a two time defensive player of the year and a two time finals MVP the man is one of the 75 greatest players of all time what do you mean okay if you want to say he's not better than Shay now, I'm not finna fight you.

1:04:10Shannon Sharpe:As a matter of fact, I'm putting my hand behind the chair. You know what I'm saying, Joe? I ain't gonna fight him. But come on now. Y 'all make it seem like Kawhi was a bum. And he was far from it. He's still not. Is he injury prone? Yes. Has injury robbed him of some of his best years? Yes. But to say that he was, SGA was better at that time, it's just not true. Because I remember before Zsa Zsa Pacheep shot, stuck his foot up under Kawhi. They had to go to state down by like 18. Yeah, yeah. Kawhi was a really, Kawhi was a great player. There's a reason why he's a two-time champion. He's a two-time defensive player of the year.

1:04:54Shannon Sharpe:He can play both ends of the court, and he can play it well. But injuries have robbed him of some of his best years. Hey, how tall is Kawhi? Kawhi like 6 '7". That's 6-7, yeah. Okay, okay, okay. Joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me, Hoda Kotb. If you're craving inspiration to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Joy 101, and listen now. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb is presented by CVS.

1:06:05on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It just came out. Jeremy, what did you just do? You just set yourself up for failure. I've never heard you tell this story. I have never told this story. This must have been tucked deep, deep in the Jeremy Lin file. My name is MC Jin. I'm excited to tell you about Laugh But Not Lease. I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. These will be conversations that remind us all life is hard. Laugh harder. Listen to Laugh But Not Least with MC Jin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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