Nightcap Hour 1: Deshaun Watson FLAWLESS at Browns Camp + Browns QB Competition HEATING UP + Executives RANK Shedeur Sanders LAST

20:59Shannon Sharpe:But as it's being held to Skelter, you need to be even keel. Your process needs to be even keel. So I don't envy that situation because the expectations, I think Jimmy and Dee Haslam, who own the Cleveland Browns, I've said this before, the Browns have some of the best, most loyal fans because ain't no way in hell I'm sticking around for what they've thrown out there on the field for the last three decades. Ain't no way in hell. I'll just say, oh, excuse me, since 1999. Yeah. Ain't no way. Yeah. Hey, hey, hey, that's why you got so many people rooting for Shadour, bro. They just want some type of surgeons for the Browns, bro.

21:45Shannon Sharpe:They just want something to cheer for, hell. I know we talk about the Browns making it to the playoffs and that division, man, it's gonna be tough as all. Man, go 500. Huh? You're talking about five. You're talking about the playoff, Joe. Damn, can they go 500? Can they win when you can't go 500 anymore? Can they be nine and eight? I'm saying, you know, it's a lot of teams that come into the season with expectations, talking about whether it's a championship, this, that, and the third. Man, come on, man.

22:15Joe Johnson:Joe, that's not realistic, Joe. If you look at the landscape of the NFL, Uncle Joe, to be honest with you, you probably got eight teams. You probably maybe got eight teams that are constructed that have a realistic chance. Realistic. Realistic chance of not only making the playoffs, but hoisting that goddamn Emboddy trophy. I mean, being realistic. Based on how they're structured, what you have on offense, you definitely got to have a defense. You definitely got to have a defense. You got to have an adequate offense that can compete week in and week out. I will say this.

22:48Shannon Sharpe:Expectations leads to disappointment. We've all been there. We don't win our... Hey, we done went out there. Oh, yeah. Hey, I done took it. Got this knife. I brought flowers. I brought flowers before I came. Because that's what gentlemen, that's what I saw in the movie. That's what they do. Brought me some flowers, Ocho. Yes, sir. Ocho. Went, got me a nice meal. You know what I'm saying? I'm young. I can stay up late. Hey, let's go to the movie. I get to the door.

23:17Shannon Sharpe:I had a great time.

23:21Shannon Sharpe:You got a kiss? Oh. I thought I was like, I thought I was going to get you want to come in. That's what I was hoping for. Damn, you talking about a kid? I don't know what I was going to get inside and side. You see what happened? I had expectations based on what I had done. Hello. That it was going to pay off in something in the end. Yeah. People think, oh, we had a great training camp. Everybody came in and everybody. I don't guarantee you're going to win a whole bunch of damn games.

23:52Joe Johnson:Yeah, that don't mean nothing, boy. I don't mean, hey, another thing that don't mean nothing is the preseason, too.

23:57Shannon Sharpe:Absolutely not.

23:58Joe Johnson:I done seen many a team go forward on the preseason and lay an egg in the regular season. Hold on, hold on. So y 'all telling me if a dude come out,

24:08Shannon Sharpe:let's say he ain't no quarterback, right? But he plays one of the elite positions. And you say he come out in the preseason, he ball. You mean telling me that ain't going to put no stain on the coach's brain? Like, man, I might need to find some room from playing time. Yes, yes. Yes, but see now, you see what you've done, Joe? You put expectations on him. You see what you just did, Joe? Yeah. You said that man done put a state in your mind that he could do this. Now you done put expectations. Now we done done meet that expectation. Then what? What we got on you, Joe?

24:36Joe Johnson:Unc, unc. Well, hold on, unc. Hey, hold on, unc, and Joe. Joe, you got to think about it now. We talk about preseason. Let's say not a quarterback. Let's say skill position, right? You got to receive out there cutting up in the preseason. was the guy that showed his oh hey hey hey and he cut a fool during season two he was that boy but this is the thing Joe you gotta remember preseason you're going against two with threes and fours now that's not what you're going to see on Sunday it's a whole game on Sunday damn

25:08Shannon Sharpe:1100 guys going to get cut a thousand my bad so they're going to go they're going to go from 80 to they probably got 90 guys in camp at some point in time, you got to whittle that thing down and keep whittling it down, whittle it down. You might have had a hundred guys in camp. You want to whittle that thing down and whittle it down and whittle it down, whittle it down, whittle it down. With that being said, I think the thing is that you hope, I mean, look, Ocho, correct me if I'm wrong, I think with the exception of maybe five guys, coaches and staff know who their guys are going to be going into the season.

25:42Shannon Sharpe:You'll get a big recruit. You'll get a Rod Smith. You'll get a Terrell Davis, but for the most part, you have a general idea of your starters and your backups. Now, some guys, sometimes guys are going to flash. It's going to be like, oh, I got to give this guy, especially if he does it early because now I got to give him an extra look, Joe. Yeah. I got to make, okay, let me see what he's like with John. Let me see what he's like with the number one defense. Let me see what he's like behind the number one punt return team. So now I can evaluate him a little better. Because if I get him constantly going against twos and threes and going against some guys that potentially might not make the team, I don't know if I'm doing a fair evaluation of him and what he's capable of doing.

26:28Shannon Sharpe:Because I know a lot of the guys that he's making plays against, they're not going to be in the league. So now I've got to give him a better look. I've got to give him a more extensive look. Right.

26:42Shannon Sharpe:Ocho, you said something earlier that, like, when the guys in camp, they're looking at plays, and then you see these guys, and you know the guy can't tee off on you. But that guy across the field, he can tee off on your ass. And he's trying to make a club. He's trying to make the club. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

27:03Shannon Sharpe:So, he's looking at you as an opportunity for him to make the club. See, in your own team, guys ain't gonna hit you like that. They're gonna walk up. Every once in a while, you get a guy, you know, and then you're gonna get a lot of pushing and shoving. And somebody don't do that the most, somebody's gonna throw the ball and hit you in the head with it and hit you in the back. But across that, when he don't know what you're gonna do and you don't know what he gonna do,

27:23Joe Johnson:yeah, he got something for you. It's a different ball game. You gotta play honest, Joe. Ain't no cheat then. You gotta play honest.

27:30Shannon Sharpe:Hey, I understand that. But the many years that I've played in the NBA, it's probably been about three to four times, okay, Ocho, to where when we invite cats to training camp and you be like, man, you know, coach may tell you, well, look, Buddy and them ain't going to make the team, but we need some bodies for camp. But it's been a few times, man, I'm talking about about three, four times to where dudes who weren't supposed to make the team, hell, they made the team just by being relentless, working hard, and just out there doing whatever. All the threes. Huh? austin yeah yeah he one of them he one of them bro you know what i mean and i just feel like i know in football it's probably a little different obviously but man i've seen guys who who weren't supposed to be that man just have such a high work ethic to where they just wouldn't take no bro it's like if you cut this man i remember one time here in atlanta man we we had a guy named ivan johnson i don't know if y 'all ever heard of him i that damn say was he a forward yeah he like like a power forward, but he probably won but about 6 '4", 6 '5", Ocho.

28:37Shannon Sharpe:He played overseas, he got banned from overseas and he came here to the Atlanta Hawks, bro. He tried out 5 '10", got a mouth full of goals, Ocho. I'm talking about permanent, permanent. You hear me? Yeah. Man. Yeah. They didn't think dude was gonna make the team, but when I tell you Ocho, this dude was so relentless in practice, in training camp, like it wasn't no way you could get rid of him, bro. I'm like, defensively, he was causing havoc. He in passing lanes. You know what I mean? Just doing anything and everything. Like, if you tell a guy like that no, like, damn, bro, that's messed up. So, I don't know how it works.

29:10Shannon Sharpe:Huh? James Harrison got cut like three, four times. Oh, James Harrison did? Yeah. I didn't know that. The Ravens cut him. The Steelers cut him. Steelers cut him again. I think the Ravens cut him again. Steelers cut him again. That's why his ass worked so hard. Yep. Yep. Alex Caruso, Rod Smith. Yeah. With an undrafted free agent. Johnny Randall was an undrafted free agent. A defensive tackle weighed 235 pounds, Joe. Damn. Had to put waste in his pocket. And cut ass every Sunday. Oh, he tore their ass up. And talked the whole game. I love hearing stories like that. Oh, man, Johnny Randall. Hey, because Johnny was in my draft.

29:57Yeah.

29:59Shannon Sharpe:Ocho, you talk about – you thought you – this joker talked the whole – I don't even know how he had breath to get off the rock. He talked the whole game. Talking trash.

30:11Joe Johnson:Yeah.

30:12Shannon Sharpe:Talking trash.

30:12Joe Johnson:Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Big time. I didn't see the clip.

30:16Shannon Sharpe:Oh, I played against him in what? I played against him in 90. I played against him in 91. I played against him in 93. I played against him in 96. 96, 99.

30:31Shannon Sharpe:Oh my God, like damn, bro.

30:34Joe Johnson:Yeah, he was like, hey Joe, what happened to young bull with the gold? Yeah, he made the team.

30:38Shannon Sharpe:What the hell you mean, what happened? That man made the team, Ocho, he played for the Hawks for like two, by two and a half, maybe three years, bro. Yeah. Kurt Warner was an undrafted free agent.

30:51Joe Johnson:Yeah, Kurt came from Canada too, huh? Uh-uh.

30:55Shannon Sharpe:Arena League.

30:56Joe Johnson:Our barnstormers. Yeah, Arena League. Yeah, not Canada. Arena League, yep.

31:00Shannon Sharpe:But sometimes, sometimes guys just need an opportunity. Yeah. And sometimes it might not be where you are that gives you that opportunity. Right. But you got – I mean, look, and James is like – because you look at James. James is 5 '11". Yeah. We don't need very many 5 '11 outside linebackers, Joe. That boy getting the blood. It is a, hey, he would not take no for an answer. That's what you want. Them type of dudes you want on your team. He would not take no for an answer. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. And turned himself into a defensive player of the year. Damn. One of the great Steelers linebackers.

31:41Shannon Sharpe:We know Steelers, if they're long for anything, they're known for linebacker play. From Jack Hamm to Lambert to Mike Merriweather to Gildon to Peasy. they've had them. Woodley, they got them. Andy Russell, you name it, they're known for linebackers. And he fit that mold.

32:06Joe Johnson:Intimidating.

32:07Shannon Sharpe:Scary. He fit right in with the 70 Steelers. 70 Steelers, 80 Steelers. James Harris would have been perfect. He'd have been more perfect for the Raiders. Oh, yeah. Them hard-working dudes, bro, they're going to be the talented dude any day, bro. They going to beat him any day. I don't care what you're doing. Because you don't have one signature thing that he can rely on. It wasn't like he was running 4-4. Yeah. It wasn't like he was 6-4. Yeah. He was undersized. He said, I got to be relentless. Yeah. And his leverage, he used his leverage. Because tackles are high tall. 6-4, 6-6-4 to 6-8. Yeah.

32:47Shannon Sharpe:So guess what? They punch. He up underneath you. You got to basically punch down. and guess what

32:55Joe Johnson:you know why once somebody as strong as that once somebody strong and deep will get up underneath you you might as well cancel Christmas it's a wrap

33:05Shannon Sharpe:but that's what you have to do though guys that's why I mean sometimes when you have success Joe you know look you have success in college and people just automatically well he was so good in college everybody was good in college that's how they got to the league The hell? You make it seem like these guys were bums. Everybody was good. And how the guys got to college? Because they was good in high school. Yes, sir. But everybody can't make it. Okay, let's just say for the sake of argument, you got 120 guys in college. How many kids? They graduate a million damn kids, boys, young men. Every year.

33:46Shannon Sharpe:Okay, of those million. How many going to get an opportunity to play in the NFL? They only got 53 damn spots. Right. So what? I just need one. I knew one of the spots was for me. I don't know about everybody else. I don't need but one. Hello. I don't know about everybody else. I don't know what they think is, what they thought process was, Ocho. Joe, I don't know what they were thinking. Yeah. Yes, sir. I know what I was thinking. Yeah. And I know I wasn't going back to Glenville. That's what I knew. Hey. I'll win you on there for it. Hey. Oh, man. Mike Garofalo spoke today on the Brails Battle quarterback, and he's been hearing about quarterback battle one.

34:30Shannon Sharpe:It's going to be Deshaun Watson, which is amazing because owner Jimmy Haslam said it before they took a swing and missed that Deshaun and made it seem like it was over.

34:44Shannon Sharpe:Look, he's like, I got to get – Joe, I got to get something. Joe, I've given this man the most guaranteed money in NFL history. I gave him a contract. So check this out, Joe. Ever. When they signed Deshaun, Deshaun had not already – he had not even started on the guaranteed contract. He had just signed an extension. He hadn't started that yet. Cleveland gave him an extension on top of the extension. Yeah. Damn. So he had like one, I think he had$141 million. Clearly say, you know what? We like you. We really like you. Let's go and give you another 89 on top of that. That's because they had been struggling, bro.

35:33Joe Johnson:Yeah, you got to understand how long they've been struggling, though, Joe. To be able to do that, to be that desperate for a quarterback that was playing extremely well in Houston, you know, and he was able to do it, but not very many. pieces around him. He just had D-Hop. Yeah, he went crazy, Joe. So I understand why the Browns who've been looking for a quarterback since Bernie Cozar, someone that could, you know, steer that ship and keep him afloat. That's why they went at him like that with all that money. And you know what, we gonna guarantee it.

36:05Shannon Sharpe:To make sure they could get him.

36:08Joe Johnson:Man,

36:09Shannon Sharpe:listen. Hey, we gotta keep it 100, Uncle Ocho. It ain't worked out. Yeah. It ain't worked out. No, look, everybody knows that. Jimmy and D knows that. Deshaun knows that. It has not worked out. I guess he said, you know what? The likelihood of me remaining here, he said, I mean, I heard him talking the other day. He said, yeah, I'd love to sign another contract with the Cleveland Browns. I don't know if that's going to happen. I think he's thinking if I play well, I might not sign a contract here. But somewhere else. That's what I tell people all the time. Hold on. the team that you play on aren't the only team that play their players hello sometimes i don't know you've seen it guys get so caught up man bro there's 28 other damn teams they pay money

36:55Joe Johnson:yeah go ahead i got i got a question too let's say let's say if things don't work out now i don't mean to be looking ahead not saying that he's gonna have a bad season i'm not sure what's gonna happen but obviously this i'm this very well could be deshaun watson's last season in cleveland what i i have a feeling should do it will take over take over for the foreseeable future and you look at the landscape of the nfl in general and and teams that still need a quarterback if deshaun washington does play well this year what teams are out there that would need a quarterback

37:28Joe Johnson:i mean playing well enough to know we're going to take a chance on him because what we got so So, okay, let me see.

37:35Shannon Sharpe:You say he throws somewhere between 3 ,500 and 4 ,000 yards. He has somewhere between, say, 22 and 30 touchdowns. Yeah, somebody will play him. Yeah.

37:47Joe Johnson:Absolutely. But I'm just saying. But think about what you just said. That's a no-brainer, right? It's a no-brainer. But what team?

37:55Shannon Sharpe:Cleveland might be. Ocho, I'll give you a prime example. Look at Tua. They paid Tua. and I just read the report that Tua looked like he's going to be the starter in Atlanta.

38:07Joe Johnson:Yeah, I saw that too.

38:11Shannon Sharpe:It's hard to get to find him, Joe. A good quarterback. Oh yeah, it's hard, Joe. Hell, if you're halfway decent,

38:20Joe Johnson:hey, forget elite. It's hard to find a good one.

38:28Shannon Sharpe:So, I don't know what you're thinking, Joe. You think, I mean, Garoppolo said that, uh...

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42:07Shannon Sharpe:Okay, executive, let's take a look at this. Executive and coaches rank Shadour Sanders 35th out of 35 veteran quarterbacks per Mike Sandoz, the athletic. One DC said, I sleep like a baby if I got to play him every week. One executive says, he's inaccurate on all three levels. I can't tell if he's going to get better, but there's a huge gap between him and a competent quarterback play. Damn! Shadour came in at 35. Deshaun came in at 31. How 50 executive and coaches rank the 35 veteran quarterbacks. And you can see the list right there. My homeboy, no surprise, number one. Josh Allen, number two.

42:46Shannon Sharpe:Matthew Stafford, number three. Joe Burrell, number four. Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, Drake May, Jerry Goff, Jordan Love. And then you got Brock Purdy and Kayla Williams tied, tied for number 11. And you can read the list. Chat is on the screen right there so you can see the list. Hey, when you think about Shadou being last on this list, considering the fact that if he played in eight games last year, Uncle Ocho, he started in seven. Right. I think he had some like, what, eight, nine touchdowns, but I think he had like 10 picks in those games he played in. Yeah, in that short span, yeah.

43:26Shannon Sharpe:I think that's why he's last on that list, and he does have room for improvement. You know what I mean? But it's hard, bro. when you don't get consistent reps, hell, how do you expect for me to come out here and be, and put on a show? You know what I mean? But at the same time, this is what we talk about when you talk about being a professional, talking about being ready when your number is called. So I think due to, you know, Shadou's rookie year, this is kind of where he's at, but obviously I think he's got better, and he just gotta show it now, bro. He gotta show it. So if I'm Shadou, I ain't really tripping off off this list bro.

44:05Shannon Sharpe:Should do it worse than JJ McArthur and Penix. I don't believe that. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Look, and these execs, you guys have evaluated talent a lot longer than I have, but I'll take your door over them two. All day long. That's just me. All day long. I mean, everybody's entitled to it. That's their opinion. Obviously, they get paid a king's ransom to evaluate players on the show. All they do is watch tape all the time of said player. Obviously, look. Hey, the top, I mean, what we talking about? Anybody that didn't have Patrick Mahomes number one, I don't give a damn if he did come up injury.

44:40Shannon Sharpe:If he got legs, he number one.

44:45Shannon Sharpe:So, I mean, what are we doing, Ocho? The guy went to five Super Bowls in a six-year fan. So, I don't even know what we're discussing. He won three. He's a three-time league, a two-time league MVP. He's a three-time, you know, Super Bowl MVP. What are we doing here? But, and I think Michael Penix might have a, Joe, your quarterback in Atlanta might have a great career. But I told Ocho, I was skeptical at the time. I said, it don't make sense to me. This pick does not make sense to me. If you took Cousins and you take a quarterback.

45:22Joe Johnson:Hey, but he played so well, Uncle Joe. You just don't want to leave Penix on the table. Who played well, Ocho? Knowing you need a quarterback. penix when he was coming out of college oh joey 24.

45:35Shannon Sharpe:and i'm what that was that good why he's still

45:38Joe Johnson:in college man i do know how it is that's why he's still in college yes i know exactly you know how it go hey a lot of people a lot of listen players staying in college transferring schools going to other schools he had an injury his uh was the elbow or his shoulder towards acl oh yeah yeah yes something something like that so having to having to stay you know in school to be able to improve yourself so you can get drafted a little higher, which is exactly what happened.

46:02Shannon Sharpe:Let me ask you a question. If you didn't have to go to all those JUCOs, and you could have played, if you could have like your freshman year, you played balled out, okay? You redshirted. You balled out your redshirt freshman year. You balled out your redshirt sophomore year. You stayed in school or you coming out?

46:18Joe Johnson:Oh, I'm coming out, bro.

46:19Shannon Sharpe:Why you coming out?

46:20Joe Johnson:Cause you him. Cause he's balling. Hey, listen, at UW, he was nice though.

46:27Shannon Sharpe:There wasn't no NIL back then, no, Joe. So now you've got a whole different argument. We could have a whole different conversation, Ocho. The guy's making three, four, five, six million dollars. Okay, fine. I'm not finna fight you on that. But, ugh.

46:43Shannon Sharpe:And, you know, Penix still, since he's been pro, since he's been in the NFL, Ocho, you know, he's still been kind of bogged down with injuries. So it don't surprise me that Tua is going to start. you hope to see Pennies get back to being a pretty good QB but Atlanta got problems because they got weapons man. Atlanta got all the weapons you can want bro. I'm talking about at every position. Yes.

47:10Joe Johnson:Yeah. Tight end, receiver. Running back.

47:14Shannon Sharpe:Listen

47:14Joe Johnson:all Tua got to do is don't turn the ball over and Tua is a very very good quarterback. He's a good system quarterback and a rhythm and timing type quarterback when you hit a when you hit that seven step that ball gonna be right down your face mask now he might not have the strongest arm in the world people might not a people might not like his deep ball yeah but i'm saying just being an adequate quarterback just being able to run an offense he can do that because we've seen

47:43Shannon Sharpe:that ball on saturday night to get in there on sunday that's what i'm saying hey hey he's talking about two of two man we talked about two of last year he come on man come on joe oh hold on hold

47:54Joe Johnson:on hey are we forgetting this we we forget the season two ahead with reek and uh the back the back the back season when they were two three years ago are we forgetting that season yeah

48:07Joe Johnson:1799 ojo yeah and the year before that too like 1703 or something yeah that man talking about

48:15Shannon Sharpe:something that happened three years ago. Look, let me tell you what scares me guys, and then I'm going to let you guys decide. I'm always leery, especially of a quarterback that has an injury history in college. Oh, okay. Because if he's injured in college, Ocho, and they play 10, 11, 12 games, the physicality of the NFL, now they play 17 games. The likelihood of him avoiding, that's all I'm saying. Go ahead. What you think?

48:46Joe Johnson:Yeah, it's hard. It's hard. It's hard. Hey, listen, I'm with you when you're right. Most of the time, listen, if you're limping out of college.

48:54Shannon Sharpe:You're going to limp into the pros.

48:56Joe Johnson:You're going to limp into the pros. It is what it is. Some people are fortunate. Some people, I mean, it is what it is. That injury bug, it hits you at the worst times as well. And it happens to some players. It's just unfortunate the way the body is. I hate calling people glass. I hate people calling people brittle, but you just can't avoid them sometimes.

49:18Shannon Sharpe:Man, it's hard. When I sit here and listen to some of these guys talk, and they say they don't get advice from guys on their team, whether it's coaches or players, okay, Ocho, I don't know how the hell you play the game, bro, like that. You know what I mean? If you ain't lending an ear and you ain't being a sponge about the game that you playing, bro, it's hard to improve. Yeah, you can work till you're blue in the damn face. But, man, you have to ask for help. You can't be too good to where you feel like you can't ask questions. And that's my only problem. Right. I agree. I was not afraid. I was like, I would ask John what I'm doing.

49:57Shannon Sharpe:What could I do better? Man. I was very fortunate that some of the veteran receivers, I had Duke Jackson, Mark Jackson, had Vance Johnson, Ricky Natt, and Michael Young. They really, really helped me. They're like, hey, man, you know. So they can't – a lot of the defensive guys, it was guys like Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith. Dennis Smith used to tell me all the time, he's like, hey, he's like, you're going to be good. Yeah. I said, you think so, Hoona? We called him the big kahuna. I said, Hoona, you think so? He's like, yeah, you're going to be good. Just keep working. Just keep doing. And just to hear him, a guy that had been around for an extended period of time, he had been a multiple-time Pro Bowl player, an awesome player for the Broncos.

50:38Shannon Sharpe:He's in the ring of fame. and he's telling this rookie that I'm going to be good, that I can be good if I just keep working. Because I think I'm working. And I just, you know, I always remember my grandfather saying, boy, never mistake having for hard work. And I was like, I think I'm working hard. And there are a lot of people that think they're working hard that might not be working hard or might not know how to work. There's one thing to know, you know, to work, and then there's another thing to know how to work. Right. But it did something to hear him tell me that I could be good or he thought I could be good if I just kept working.

51:12Shannon Sharpe:But I ain't never had a problem asking no questions. No, no, because, hey, the veteran guys on your team, bro, who you should lean on, I take you back to when I was a rookie. I had Tony Batiste, Eric Williams. And I'm saying Eric Williams because me and him played the same position, Uncle Ocho, but instead of him, you know, going out doing his own thing and leaving me to, bro, he landed every day, bro. He was giving me some wisdom and some advice to be effective in the offense to where I could have opportunities to put my stamp on the game. So it's just little stuff like that, man, that you really appreciate, especially as a young dude when you come in because you're so blind and everything.

51:53Shannon Sharpe:You're so oblivious to things. You're like, damn, you don't really know how hard, you don't really know how hard you're supposed to work to be a pro coming out of college. You don't know that, man. Right. Cause you so much better than everybody else in college, Joe. So, hey, you getting by on pure athleticism. Yeah, hey, hey, hey, hey, not even just college, even in high school, like when you're so good, bro, and it doesn't, you know, you can just wake up out of bed and do your thing, you know, when the game time comes versus, it's almost like somebody who's very smart and then somebody who really has to study a lot for a test.

52:27Shannon Sharpe:Have to apply themselves, yes. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, I knew people who didn't have to study for tests in school, hell, I had to be up all night. Okay, Ocho, look, trying to write stuff on my forearms and have a little cheat code. You know what I'm saying? Like, it was hard for me, you know, but to some people, man, they come to class so relaxed, chill, hell, make straight A's. I'm like, you know, it's a little different for everybody. You know what I mean? It all depends on the class. That was me, Joe. If it was math class, man, I'd have got everything. I'd have got notes broken down on my pencil.

52:57Shannon Sharpe:I'd have got that A. I had them young ladies write this down on my pencil. A, D, D, E, A, C. But history and stuff like that, I'm good. Hey, I can do some stuff. But, yeah, I just – this right here, boy, they got some – come on, man. Come on, man. They got basically – basically, you see that, Ocho, they got – we done took it down, but they got four tier one guys. They say Mahomes, Allen, Stafford, they're the only tier one guys. and then you got a bunch of tier two guys. So basically five through 17 is tier two. But when I tell people that, I'm like, guys, y 'all keep talking about everybody. Bro, it's always been – they try to make it seem like now this is fewer quarterbacks than ever.

53:45Shannon Sharpe:No, it's not. You had the same number of quarterbacks. They weren't a whole bunch of Elwes, Montanis, and damn Marinos back then. They weren't. Right. Right. They were not. and just like they tried to elevate people and put them in there. But the only difference I will say now compared to back then is that you had to put multiple, multiple years in, Ocho, before they gave you a tie. Yes. Now a guy can have one good year. Hey, he the best receiver in the league. He the best running back in the league. He the best quarterback in the league. He the best. After one year, they used to make, Ocho, you know this, they used to make you work.

54:24Shannon Sharpe:You had to go to multiple Pro Bowls. You couldn't go to no – And your first Pro Bowl, you – Hey, look here. You was observant. You were listening to everything else because more times than not, guys that were over there with you had gone to one, two, three, or four – had gone to multiple Pro Bowls before you. So you had to – Hey, you weren't coming up there calling no shots. Now, a guy have one good season. Oh, he the best I ever seen. Huh? You, boy – You must have been blind up until yesterday.

54:56Joe Johnson:Yeah. It's all about, matter of fact, that tier one is all about being consistent. That tier one, those top four, those top five are consistent over and over and over and over. And everybody under that has the chance to be consistent, but it all come down to them W's. It comes down to them W's. There's a lot of quarterbacks that's not in that tier one. They got a lot of passing. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

55:20Shannon Sharpe:But I do think based on his history and being a two-time league MVP could easily be a three-time MVP, it's hard for me to say Lamar Jackson's not tier one. Man. He is. That's what I was going to say. It's hard for me not to – it's just hard. Because I remember the time that used to matter. Because it used to matter, guys winning an MVP in the regular season, Ocho, because that's – guess what? That's over a 16-game season. yes the Super Bowl MVP that's one game we've seen guys get one Super Bowl MVP and be out of the league the next year tell me the guy that's won the league MVP that's out of the league in the

56:02Joe Johnson:next year yeah hey you know Joe I'm sure the discourse the dialogue and the conversations about Lamar not being tier one obviously executives they have their own opinion but we got eyes. We've watched them over the years. When you go, when a defense game plans and you're playing the Baltimore Ravens, the game plan to stop one person. For sure. You have Derrick Henry. Yeah, we want to stop the run. You have Zay Flowers. Yes, Zay is very good, but we got to deal with eight. We have to deal with eight. Can we find a way to stop number eight?

56:41Shannon Sharpe:That's tier one. Yeah, and the thing is is that, look, everybody tries. And people get, oh, I'm telling you, if I'm a defensive coordinator, I'm going to make him throw that ball from the pocket. I'm not letting him get outside, Ocho. I'm not. Because now I'm at his mercy. He can run it. But hell. Or he throw the ball over my damn head. He pick me. No, no, no, no. I want him to throw it. Because at least when he's in the pocket, I know where he is.

57:09Joe Johnson:Yeah. Yeah. And the funny thing about it though, Uncle Joe, is he's improved so much. He has. Going from the pocket. You know, he's choosing as when he was younger, younger Lamar, he look at one read, it ain't there, I'm gone. Man, he going, he reading left to right and coming back left before he take off with the ball. And he's gotten much better as a passer, man. He's gotten much better as a passer. Now he's really a dual threat. Really a dual threat.

57:43Shannon Sharpe:y 'all do realize they listed 35 quarterbacks y 'all keep on talking about lamar jackson yeah he won mvp they got no rings only five of these guys got rings y 'all do realize that right my homeboy matthew stafford jalen hurts sam donald and aaron rogers

58:10Shannon Sharpe:I'm confused only a handful of probably six of them okay Patrick Mahomes has an MVP Josh Allen has an MVP Matthew Stafford has an MVP Aaron Rodgers has an MVP so basically the same number of guys that have Super Bowl rings have MVPs y 'all think that it's easy

58:39Shannon Sharpe:I mean from a distance it does it's not it's not and when you get and this is why I said once Lamar gets a Super Bowl he goes into a whole different category because there's not a whole lot of guys that have multiple, multiple means more than one MVPs. And so now you're talking about Joe Montana. Now you're talking about Tom Brady. Now you're talking about Peyton Manning. Now you're talking about an Aaron Rodgers. Now you're talking about a homeboy. Now you're talking about a Johnny Unitas. Now, that list, to be in that list?

59:41Shannon Sharpe:I know, everybody wants their team, wants their quarterback to win. But if everybody won, Ocho, what's the significance of winning if everybody won? Wouldn't have no significance.

59:55Joe Johnson:at all. And that's what, yeah, that's what makes it so great too.

1:00:00Shannon Sharpe:Because a lot of times, some greats won't get it. Yeah. When you're teeing off and your clients are watching, it's on. When the game goes to overtime and your squad is right there with you, it's on. When you swap out that other nicotine pouch for something softer and feel the difference right away, it's on. On plus nicotine pouches with Nico Silk Mesh. No corners, no rough edges, just the softest pouch on the planet. When there's nothing between you and what's next, it's on with On Plus Nicotine Pouches. Not all varieties available in all geographies. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

1:00:38150 years ago, they were hunting us down to kill us, and now they're hunting down immigrants to deport them. This is First America, the true story of how the United States came to be and how we got to this present moment. Listen to First America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:01:06I'm Maria Garcia. You may remember me from my podcast, Anything for Selena or My People. I love pop culture. I think about stuff like, what did Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel's relationship mean? Why was the world so unfair to our girl Britney Spears? And why do some women yearn for Shakira's black hair to make a comeback? I'm always trying to find the meaning behind pop culture and beyond. And now I'm back to unpack more divas, more drama, more stories from the present and the past that I'm muy excited to tell you about. We're going to have fun, we're going to keep it cute, and we're going to figure out what it all means.

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1:02:41This time I talk to scientists, biopunks, curmudgeons, blues owners, super seniors, and Goa's top cryotherapy lab to try to understand this obsession with living forever and what it means for all of us. And I get into a bit of trouble along the way. I'd say probably start bone smashing. That doesn't work. Make it look more defined. They say it works. I don't know. Listen to Skyline Drive, How to Live Forever on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.