PMS 2.0 1612 - COLLEGE (FCS) FOOTBALL IS BACK, Adam Schefter, Meredith Gaudreau, Kirk Herbstreit, & AJ Hawk

22:58Pat McAfee:And then it kind of goes from there. It's how I took it. That was at the end. That was our um what would that be uh 140 i think maybe maybe one hour yeah i forget what it was i was trying my best man i really was because i wanted to learn a lot uh but that that was a big conversation piece because it's like our guy's gonna get checked like third quarter of games like our guy's gonna be like hey it's your third strike you got to get out of here because you don't even think about that whenever you just see the rules but then you whenever it mentions like oh it is like that and then it's like no it'll be reviewed afterwards that's kind of how they're they're adjusting.

23:32Pat McAfee:So if you get a third one during a game, sounds like you should pick up six for the rest of that game. You have to keep going. Yeah, if you get one in the first quarter and it's definitely your third one, I don't think they're going to be ejecting you until Tuesday. You should pick up four or five more. What if is this even possible? What if you launch yourself at a guy, grab his horse collar tackle, and then hip drop him to the ground? Try to play. The hack trick, you get thrown out of the game and suspended right then and there. So it would be funny. watching the ref go hike one right there one you know in that anxiety but they are legitimately it does feel like and that was very evident from this meeting today it's like it did feel like everybody in there loves ball which i'm grateful for like they are legitimately trying to preserve ball as much as they possibly can that that was the angle in which it felt genuine in that meeting and there was a lot of suits and stiffs in there but like hearing like their goal is to be the best for the game and for the league was good for me to hear from them.

24:32Pat McAfee:I think – and people should also know that they think – okay, let's move to more NFL news. You know, Harbaugh goes over to Giants. It brings over Ricard. Obviously, Jackson Dart's a big guy, but you got that boy Scadaboo over there. It's like, wait, Harbaugh loves everything about – does he? Tone has a question for you. Yeah, Shepty, there was a report yesterday coming out of Giants practice that Scadaboo was raising hell, okay, and the defense was just tired of it, just tired of his shit and his act. And then there was actually a player that came out and tweeted, all right, relax, don't try to start something.

25:04And Harbaugh said he's infectious, but we need to make sure it's infectious in a good way. What have you heard about Scadaboo and the Giants in that situation? Is it a whole bunch of absolutely nothing? Well, I think there were people that basically said that they didn't like that Cam Scadaboo was coming at their legs in some of these plays. It started a little bit scrum in practice. I think that that's natural. I think John Harbaugh is right. The guy does have an energy and he does bring an attitude. And you do want guys like that on your team. I think the defensive players don't always love it and don't always appreciate it.

25:39It's sort of like we could go back in time. There are always players like that, whether it's Bill Romanowski in football, Dennis Rodman in basketball, whoever it may be. Some guy that's like a pest that you want to have on your team, but probably isn't a lot of fun to practice against. And that's probably what we're talking about here with Cam Scadaboo and the infectious energy that he brings to the rest of the team.

26:01Pat McAfee:Okay, so Harbaugh saying that immediately go, okay, so Harbaugh doesn't just say Scadaboo's awesome. He's not just like, hey, that's our Scadaboo, you know, which some coaches might do in that moment, actually. Be like, hey, Scadaboo, whatever. He's not like, Harbaugh, how do we think like the team is rallying around Harbaugh? because we chit-chatted about them going down to West Virginia and there was no good, hey, we're doing football. And then we talked to NorthJersey.com's own – Art Stapleton. Big Art. Art Stapleton, and he said if it's two-and-a-half-hour practice or hour-40 practice, whatever, every single minute is being used.

26:37Pat McAfee:How do we think the Giants are taking to the hardball culture as a whole? And inevitably, how do you think it ends up for him this season as we sit on August 27, 2026? Well, they hired him because they wanted the exact things that they've gotten out of him so far. They wanted more order. They wanted more structure. They wanted more discipline. But when you get John Harbaugh, you get tough practices and the players aren't always going to like them. They're tough physical practice, but his results, what he's brought are indisputable. That's that's why they hired him. That's why he was so coveted on the coaching free agent market.

27:12And so, look, the first year, I think everybody's going to be all on board. And if they're winning, everybody will keep being on board. But like with any coach, when you don't win, there are going to be people that don't always like everything. It's like any team, right? Like, that's the way it goes. But right now, everything's great. He hasn't lost a game. Everything, you know, and there are big expectations with the Giants. So, I don't foresee any issues there right now.

27:38Pat McAfee:I'll tell you whenever in Harbaugh obviously vastly different than the gentleman I'm about to mention here man Jeannie goes to Cleveland AJ do you remember the stories that were just rippling through every other locker room about what he was doing 6am rookies full pads in the indoor hey we're going to establish grit and toughness obviously they don't win games everybody turns on them Matt Patricia up there with the Detroit Lions I'm a hard ass. I'm rolling around on ATVs. They don't win games. Everybody turns on them. If you win, you can do whatever. That's real. It really is. It really is. If you can get the lads to believe that you can win by doing this, they will run through a wall for you.

28:21Pat McAfee:But if they're running through a wall and it's uncomfortable and they hate it and they're losing, it's like, yeah, right, dude. There has to be another way to go about doing this, especially whenever you hear about the teams that are at the top. Now, let's talk about the teams that are back at the top. Conor's got a little drama going on with maybe the best player on the New England Patriots. What the hell is going on up there in Foxborough, Con, man? Yeah, Shefty, why hasn't Christian Gonzalez been signed yet? It feels like once Witherspoon was done, it was kind of clear-cut. Okay, now Gonzo gets basically the same deal, maybe a little more guaranteed money, and this is just going to become the new highest-paid corner.

28:53For some reason, that hasn't happened yet. What is this situation? Is this a situation that is brewing where I should get concerned about Christian Gonzalez not being the best player on defense for the Patriots for the next 10 years? And also, other corner, Joey Porter Jr. What is his situation? Are those kind of the next two deals, and should they happen or will they happen before the season starts? Well, let's talk about Christian Gonzalez first. And I don't think that at any one point here that they've been close to a deal. And Devin Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez have the same agent. So in a way, he can kind of dictate how this is going to go and see into the future in a better way than each of the two teams can.

29:35So Witherspoon was going to get done first, and it got done at an average of 33 a year. The Patriots have not been in that category, but Witherspoon has established the benchmark, and the Patriots haven't gone there. And they weren't there before, and they don't appear to be going there right now, and they're off on the two sides of money. Now, there's a couple of things to keep in mind here. There's always a rush for great players in contractual situations to get deals done, I think, before this season. Now, Justin Jefferson that one year, I remember getting a call in the afternoon that the deal was getting done within the next 30 minutes.

30:12And then at the last moment, Justin Jefferson decided to nix the deal, bet on himself, play out the year. And then he wound up signing a huge deal the next offseason. Now, everybody gets to do what they want with their careers and their contracts. I always think with a player in the NFL, if there's big money involved, take it when you get it. That's my motto. It's more conservative. And some people don't agree with that, and I understand why. Because there's a lot of money that players make sometimes that's extra. But the Patriots and Gonzalez haven't been close. Now, I kind of think Mike Vrabel views defensive linemen and getting pressure as the most important thing on a defense.

30:56He prioritizes that. Loves corners, of course, and he knows that Christian Gonzalez is a great player. But if we're going to pay players premiums up front, that's something I think that's been important to him in the past. I think they want to pay Christian Gonzalez. But they're obviously not in the same neighborhood right now and haven't been. thus his disappointment. So, okay, so what happens? Well, I think that there's probably another push before the season begins or at the start of the season from both sides to try to get done. That's my guess because he's too good a player not to try to get something done and they're too smart not to try to get something done and the numbers are there.

31:36But if they can't get something done, that just makes me wonder, like, where is it going in the future? What happens then? Do they wait till after the season? Can they do anything then? Would they even be willing to listen to potential trades for him after the year? Like, is that a possibility down the line? I think it opens up a whole range of options if they don't have this deal done at the start of the season or a couple of weeks into the season.

32:03Pat McAfee:Okay, so Gonzo's going to be Indianapolis Colt. I like hearing that. No! No! I mean, Gonzo, obviously. Joey Porter Jr. also, they haven't appeared to be close either to a deal. They've never gotten close, and he's still not practicing. And he's on pup with a back injury. And, you know, backs are often confused with contractitis. So that's a few related. That's the way it sometimes goes. And they're waiting on him, and he's waiting on them. And that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. And again, I want to point out, we're headed into what is always a very interesting weekend where teams go from 90 to 53.

32:48And there are trades made, a lot of trades of people like rounding out their roster. Like, could the Steelers get an offer that would be enough that make them think about dealing joy? And by the way, and who would that be? who would be willing to give up what it takes to get the player and pay the player? Like there are a lot of people that could do that this time of the year. I don't think, but let's see if anything comes out of the woodworks.

33:15Pat McAfee:He hasn't practiced for a while. How long does it take to get back into actual game shape? If you're a corner, like I have massive respect for Joey Porter jr. And his family. And I like how all his teammates are saying this guy deserves to be paid. And he started looking to film. He started looking at the numbers. It's like, yeah, he definitely deserves to be paid, especially because he is Pittsburgh, you know, generational name and everything. If he was to get traded, though, okay, I think a lot of people would certainly attack the Pittsburgh Steelers for the way they've allocated money towards older people on the roster versus maybe what the future could be in Joey Porter Jr.

33:48Pat McAfee:Maybe has another 10 years. McCarthy's come out and said, we'd love to see a guy on the football field with us. We'd love to just, you know, kind of get some work. He hasn't even seen him on there. It's like, so if they get a, let's say they get a deal done. What you're saying is seemingly not possible at corner. If you're not 90 to a hundred percent, you're going to get cooked and exposed. So Joey Porter Jr. is going to have to get back in shape. Not saying he can't, but this is nowhere near ending tone. Feels like the Steelers, Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. This is, this is inevitably going to be big, loud drama for the Pittsburgh Steelers tone.

34:23Pat McAfee:I don't love it, but it's starting to inch into, oh no territory. because like Gonzo in New England, he's been playing. He's like, I'm disappointed, but I'm going to go up there and do this. Joey Porter Jr. hasn't even been playing. I mean, he's just been on the side of the back. Now, I'm not going to roll my eyes like Schefter did. He did. We're talking about Alec Pierce. Like, I don't think it's accidental that today is the day, right? We see John O. Smith signed with the Green Bay Packers. These people know it's go time. Like, two and a half weeks, time to start getting ready, Which, again, makes me wonder what's going through the mind of one Aaron Donald right now as we get closer to the regular season.

35:03And the Rams kick off their season two weeks from tonight in Australia against the 49ers. Like, I would think that he's probably getting close to making a decision at some point here. Because either you're going to do it or you're not going to do it. We're at the point now, like, you're coming back or you're not coming back. Does your body feel like it can handle it? Does your body feel like it can handle it? What are we doing here? One way or the other, right?

35:29Pat McAfee:What's the fetal matter metaphor that people normally say, Shafter? What's the metaphor normally? What do you mean? Oh, I know, yeah. Right. That or get off the pot. There it is. That's what it sounds like you're saying. And we're incredibly lucky that Ryan Bastic decided to get off the pot and get your new camera. You look amazing. It was great to see you today. First time in the history of this show that I've ever been on a shot that looked more clean and crisp than the guys I'm talking to. Ever. Okay. It looks a little laggy, just so you know. You haven't been delayed. Yeah, I don't know. And you are glowing.

36:08Pat McAfee:We know how good a shape you're in and the amount of moisturizers you use. We can see all that now. That's good. You're the best. Ladies and gentlemen, senior NFL insider, Adam Schefter. Senior! He did look clear. He said he's more clear than me. I just have an iPad kind of set up here on top of the thing. And it's amazing what the future can look like, AJ. But on that note about the future, Joey Porter Jr. not getting signed. He is clearly like a future corner in this league, I think. You would think Pittsburgh, who has a lot of pride in the defensive side of the ball, would want to keep him around, especially with his name being what it is.

36:42Pat McAfee:And he went to Penn State. It's like his local story. They can't get a deal done with him. Does that indicate that maybe Steelers aren't all in on what they could become, AJ? Jay, how do you kind of see these types of negotiations taking place? And obviously the Gonzo one's been a little bit more public, but Joey Porter Jr. hasn't even been on the field. I mean, that's a gigantic deal. That's a gigantic piece of news, I think. Oh, it's a huge deal. Tony, how many touchdowns has he given up? One in the last three years. Which is just wild to think of. But, no, I'm sure the Steelers absolutely want him on the field, but they don't want to pay him top dollar for what it takes to lock up a corner of his stature.

37:19And, you know, to Joey's credit, he's hanging out and saying, all right, well, I guess I will hang out and nurse this back injury until you figure it out. But what is the endgame? Is he willing to miss regular season games? That's the thing. Yeah, and I hope he kicks the door down like TJ Watt did a few years ago and gets this done, or senior does. But Shefty brought up a good point about Vrabel and the edge rushers and paying those guys. The Steelers have had that same exact philosophy. They always pay the edge guys and up front. hasn't really been a corner that's got a ton of money ever that I can remember.

37:50Pat McAfee:Yeah, so the Vrabel news on the New England Patriots, didn't that sound like Sheffield? They're nowhere close on money. And remember, Vrabel likes the big guys. He's not really a corner guy. He thinks if he can get to the passer, that can kind of help the corners. But can't the corners help the pass rush as well?

38:10Also, Gonzo's only play, is he going to now threaten to hold out? He's been there. He's been participating. been he's been playing and they're nowhere close so he's like what do i gotta do yeah i don't know

38:20Pat McAfee:and maybe you know he just goes in and just says i'm gonna lock it down again but at that position i mean you're two plays away from just getting dunked on and just the entire narrative about you being completely different let alone being hurt having to react yeah insane athleticism that has to take place like corners i feel like at corner you got to be the most healthy to play because if you're banged up at all, they will expose you. And the exposing is like deep, explosive touchdown plays. Like you are losing the game for your team. So if you have a guy that can shut – I mean, Revis had this for a long time.

38:52Pat McAfee:If you have a guy that you can, like, depend on back there, I just don't think you let that guy out of the building. I don't think there's a lot of those guys just kind of roaming around out there. And maybe the Steelers and maybe the Patriots just kind of think we could find others to potentially do something similar, especially if we were to change up the scheme or whatever. But I don't like losing unicorns, man. I don't like that at all. But I'm not the one that has to write these checks either and figure out what a salary gap is. We'll continue to obviously cover all the drama happening around NFL rosters as we inch closer to the regular season just two weeks away, as Shepker just pointed out.

39:27Pat McAfee:Tonight, final preseason game slate begin. FCS football starts tonight. There's a lot of magic happening around the sports world. And there's also a lot of unifying that sports can do for an entire country, an entire world, and for a community that potentially needs it. This past summer, we watched our men's and women's hockey team, Team USA, win the Olympics in a huge way. Numbers were bigger than they've ever been. Rally the entire country is a beautiful thing. And after the men's team won the gold, there was an emotional moment for everybody as the Goudreau family was welcomed onto the ice because everybody knew that Johnny and obviously Matty as well should have been a part of this particular team and had been a part of this team for his entire life.

40:10Pat McAfee:The family was celebrated. Hockey was celebrated. And as the eyes of the entire world were on this hockey team, they wanted to show love to somebody that's been a part of their life for the entirety of this hockey journey. It is obviously something that only sports can provide. I love that the lads did this. And joining us now is a woman who has had to be very strong in public. I assume it's been a wildly emotional journey, but now announcing alongside USA Hockey, trying to make the world a better place in however she can do. Ladies and gentlemen, joining us now, Meredith Gaudreau. Yay, Meredith!

40:50Pat McAfee:How you doing, buddy? All right, thank you for that. Hey, no problem. Badass stuff. Obviously, we know none of this is easy. You know, like this is not an easy thing to kind of be put into out of nowhere, especially with the entire circumstances around it and everything. So thank you for being a badass publicly and everything you've had to do for your family behind the scenes. We respect the hell out of that. You just need to know that. And also shout out for doing what you're doing with the Gaudreau Foundation, raising money for hockey and for obviously other victims that have been through similar situations and families that have been through what you've been through.

41:27Pat McAfee:I appreciate you taking a very negative, turning it into a positive alongside the hockey community. Can you tell us a little bit about the merch line and everything you guys kind of have going and how we can help support you in this entire journey of not only for your family, but for hockey and the world as a whole? Yeah, thank you so much. So, yeah, it was definitely after the Olympics where we had this idea to do a collab with USA Hockey and we just kind of thought it was a really great fit. um you know it was something that John really really wanted to be a part of and the merch stuff is fun for Madeline and I to be a part of and help design and everything we do we try to keep it within John's style and Maddie's style so I'm wearing one of the hoodies right now and um yeah I think it's really cool you know those guys brought light to John's name and I really appreciate that so if we can bring light to usa hockey um you know i think uh hopefully people like it and it was just kind of fun to have our two worlds collide hell yes and also making the world better so we're thankful that you're doing that now i must say badass collection of merch right here okay this is a good looking slew of things i will rock that hoodie there okay there's one shirt that is a little boxy with my style of build to make me look like a fat soul.

42:51Pat McAfee:So we can't be doing that Meredith, but everything else there is phenomenal. You can go to shop.johnandmaddie.com. It's a soft launch of a website, which we don't completely understand, but we know it's operable right now and we can purchase these things. Can you also tell us a little bit about the golf outing that's coming next summer? Because I think, I don't know how many spots are possible and I don't know how much you're charging, you need to up that because I assume the entire world is going to want to go to this. But you're kind of just getting started in this entire venture, it feels like, in the golf outing coming next summer.

43:23Pat McAfee:Is there any other things you have on the horizon? And how do you kind of view this entire journey you're about to go on? Yeah, so that'll be our first big event. I'm close with Kevin Hayes. He was John's best friend. And we were chatting. He always checks in on me. And he actually thought, you know, why don't we join forces and have a golf outing together? So the John and Maddie Foundation, we're going to join forces with the Eleven Fund and have a really big golf outing up in Boston. We're going to plan it for August next summer. But, yeah, I think it's going to be really great. We just want it to be fun for everyone.

43:58And obviously, at the end of the day, we'll give back to a lot of special causes. You know, the Eleven Fund aims to give back to hockey programs and Dorchester. So it just aligned perfectly. And, you know, two really close families that have been through a lot. So I'm excited to, you know, just make that a fun day for everyone. And August 2027 is when we're going to plan it for. So we'll definitely keep you posted as we plan more with that.

44:28Pat McAfee:We would like to reserve what? What's the price for these? What are the price for these? You need to up the price. I don't know. I mean, this world is new to me. I have a great team that helps us because I am like, I don't know anything about any of this. But I will let you know and save you a spot. Okay, so sweet. We'd like two spots maybe actually. I think we'd like two of the fours now. So there's only 34 left. So charge whatever you want to charge. You already got two from us. But I think everybody will want to support you. You need to know that. Like we are all massive fans of what is happening and what you're doing.

45:01Pat McAfee:And I assume you're going to find so much fulfillment in this. I hope and change so many lives going forward. So thank you for doing all this and letting us be a part of it. AJ has a question for you. Yeah, Meredith, I guess throughout this whole process, what have you like learned from the hockey culture? I'm sure you've always known about the great hockey culture. We know how close it is, but like being able to lean on some of these people out there that you may have not even known before, but what's it been like, I guess over these last couple of years? Yeah, exactly. It's more like, you know, it's a small world in a good way.

45:32um you know i could call anyone in this hockey world and just know that they'll be there for me in a second um whether i see them often like some of my columbus family or if they're calgary or anyone um especially usa hockey like any of those guys all over the country you know i don't need i don't see them as much as i used to anymore but it doesn't matter you know where it's like you pick up where you left off um they're really special people i find a lot of these guys all kind of have a similar personality and they all remind me of John, you know, they're all kind of, they're all quiet. But then when you get to know them, they're really goofy.

46:11And then, um, you know, they're all just really good friends and they live this crazy life where you might not see each other often, but it doesn't matter. And, you know, they're just the type of people where don't even ask a question or they're there for you.

46:26Pat McAfee:Yeah. I think you need to know it's not just the hockey community that would do that for you and your family right now, all the sports, is pulling for you and your family. I mean, obviously grief is... To have it happen publicly is a whole other animal. So thank you. We appreciate you putting on and doing this for others that are going to find inspiration from you in very tough moments as well. Conman has a question for you. He's from Boston. Yeah, Meredith, very excited for this golf tournament. I absolutely suck at golf. I haven't played in probably three, four. You don't get a spot. Uh-uh. Hey, you're going to have to buy your own.

46:59Pat McAfee:He needs his own. I will. He needs his own. I'll find it. Three spots. Yeah, three spots, please. Thank you very much. I'll figure out a way to do that. But how was it with the Olympics? We all saw the celebration and just that entire – the photos and everything of when the kids were able to go on the ice. What was that kind of like for you, just being able to see that and see Team USA bring the jersey along and everything throughout the whole time? Yeah, yeah. It was incredible. Seeing the jersey is really heavy. You know, it's just looking at it like it's so surreal. I'm like, is this even real life still?

47:35And then seeing my kids be a part of it. It was, you know, just one of the most special moments for us. You know, when I just always think about when they're older and they can watch that video and look back at that, they're going to be like amazed. I think it's one of our most special memories. And I just kept thinking, you know, that's the biggest stage ever. And John's name was a really huge part of that. And, you know, I know it was so important for him when he was here. You know, he's really working towards that. And it was just kind of a moment where I was like, yeah, John, like you made it.

48:09You did it. Like, you know, so I was really proud of him. I'm really proud of that team. So it was just it was really cool. It's almost like a shift in, you know, this grief journey is really difficult. It feels like yesterday everything happened. But that was a day where I was very, you know, some days are just more special than others. And they're all really hard days. But that was when I smiled back at a lot.

48:40Pat McAfee:Good. There's going to be more of those, especially on this journey. And know that we all got your back. Shop.johnandmaddie.com. Obviously, get some incredible merch to help an incredible cause. We appreciate you driving the initiative and keeping it moving. And, you know, we'll take four of those spots. We'll take four of those spots. Once again, you need to up these prices. I don't know what you guys are planning on charging. I don't know. You need to know. I'll say this publicly. You can charge me whatever the hell you need to charge me. So you can go and do it. I publicly put myself in the spot.

49:11Pat McAfee:I lose leverage all the time. You can't do that to me. You can't do that to me, please. Those same rules don't apply. I won't get one free. Yes. No, no, no, no, no, no. No, it will not. No, he's got to buy two to get one, I think. That's what we're saying. We need to do more. We need to do more of that. We appreciate you so much. Okay. And let us know if we can ever do anything for you. Thank you very, very much. Thank you for having me. Thank you for your kind words. Yeah. No worries. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Meredith. Yeah. I think those will sell out quickly. And they, the golf outing, like I appreciate just like, you know, golf outings are just like a fundamental fundraiser event, you know, normally not something that is just so national appeal.

49:55Pat McAfee:as soon as we got sent the information like hey they're having a golf outing next summer it's like golf on it has only 36 teams right max i think like only two per hole if you do that i assume you can do it different ways it's like the sports world is going to want to show up for that like you know what i mean like i feel like that's why she they need that price of those that means you really have whatever it is triple yeah especially for connor probably like 10 yeah no doubt it's but in their foot like the footprint in boston they have because you know the hayes family also from Boston. They both went to BC and played together.

50:27The amount of people from New England, Massachusetts that are going to be juiced after that, that would actually pay whatever they decide to make it. That thing will be packed. The amount of hockey players? Yeah.

50:40Pat McAfee:Good golf. Some very good golfers are going to be there. There's going to be so many good golfers there because if the hockey players are playing there, we will show up and we will obviously represent in our hack-a-golf-course fashion. Don't you worry about that. We will bring down the quality of golf for at least the tune of three spots maybe four spots i almost offered up a a night for her and all the friends down at live yeah because i don't know but i didn't i held that back whoever wins the golf tournament we might offer that up we'll see how that goes but we are certainly lucky and honored that they asked us to even mention and talk about that i uh yeah i'm pumped for jamar chase okay let's pivot back to the nfl had a scary hey that hyperextension looked nasty and i think when you watch that clip and then you realize that he didn't have season-ending injury happening real time i think you can just kind of assume that maybe some people's bodies are pieced together a little differently it was nasty i mean that's just nasty as soon as you see it you don't know is that an ankle did his knee pop was it a hip and then you see him crawl and then when he gets up originally it's like not putting any weight on it's like holy hell this is a gigantic issue and story for the cincinnati bangles especially with how much they paid their wide receivers to be great.

51:51Pat McAfee:Turns out he's going to make that. AJ, I don't know how. I don't know. Some people, I guess, bodies are just built a little bit different. But Jamar Chase, scary one. And this is what everybody is kind of scared of whenever it comes to training camp and these joint practices and preseason games. It's like holding your breath that your star doesn't end up having a situation that ends up with him being gone on a routine-type situation, AJ. Yeah, this is a play that every coach and GM and owner just, you know, they hate to see it. but Jamar going and doing this local radio interview afterwards made me and a lot of people in Ohio where I live feel much, much better about it.

52:25It is crazy that he's kind of unscathed from this, right? I know he said a little hyperextension. It looks like it's a career-ender for a lot of people, but the fact that it probably doesn't hurt that he's super athletic and he's in perfect shape and he runs faster and everybody can jump higher than anyone else, that helps a little bit.

52:40Pat McAfee:Yeah, and it's a freak show and all assets, yeah, and somehow if I was to do that, my leg would snap in half, and he's he's good so i mean that's fun to know just kind of be reminded every once in a while about there's levels to this shit and just always remember that uh speaking of levels to this shit there's people that have a cup of coffee in the nfl like maybe make a training camp or something you know maybe make a practice squad they they don't go play college but they like maybe make like a practice squad or something then there's people get in the nfl work their ass off back up play special teams, have good NFL careers, let's say three, four years of that entire thing.

53:17Pat McAfee:There's people that play maybe eight, nine years that have a good living doing that. And then there's people that are pro bowlers. There's people that are pro bowlers. And then there's all pros. These are people that are carrying the league. These are people that are making the league. These are the superstars of the NFL. Coming together for one weekend and celebrate greatness. Pro Bowl has been happening since the beginning of the league. You're a Pro Bowler. You're a Pro Bowler. Who's that? The greatest of all time. Okay, they are Pro Bowlers. They used to go out to Hawaii, shut down the entire island.

53:49Pat McAfee:Everybody goes out to Hawaii. We'll do a bunch of gimmicks. We'll do a bunch of games. Everybody will buy in. We'll actually play. We'll gather around the pool. Everybody's families will feel comfortable. The NFL Pro Bowl is in Hawaii. At one time, the NFL decided to no longer make the Pro Bowl a Hawaii trip. They decided, I think it was my first year making the Pro Bowl. You're going to Arizona. Congratulations. They didn't even run out the entire hotel. Didn't even run out the entire hotel. It was like, I think they asked me to pour pavement out in the desert, like on a Wednesday or something like that, or a Thursday.

54:21Pat McAfee:Like there was multiple things that were being a part of being a pro bowler. And I think what happened shortly after there was I just thought, this is not what I thought pro bowl was like in Hawaii back in the day, where everybody screams about how great it is and how legendary it was. And we all see the big moments and all the superstars getting together and sharing game and everything like that. so I think there was both parties both the players not wanting to really put effort in and get hurt but also the NFL wasn't really investing in making the Pro Bowl this super duper event either then they've been trying to save it obviously for all these years because everything on the field had been just like we're watching right there and now I think as I lose a little bit of service there as I'm talking about the NFL I'm just a block away from them there's a chance that they kind of went into this whatever the case it ended up being absolutely terrible and now we just have the pro bowlers that are going to be announced i think and no pro bowl games i hope there's some sort of event or reception where the lads get to come together who are the best in the league but we know there won't be an eighth alternate that'll get a pro bowl jersey or be gritting across the field anymore you know i don't know how i feel about it all but i do know that what the pro bowl had become in the pro bowl games nobody was a fan of so this felt like it was maybe inevitable but i think a lot of parties are to blame for this aj Boom, right here.

55:38Oh, Sean Taylor. No reason for that. Such a classic, classic Pro Bowl play right there. RIP Sean Taylor, unbelievable play. Yeah, I don't know exactly how I feel about it, but I understand the NFL is just kind of getting out in front of it. Like, can you imagine? Like, we have had guys get hurt at the Pro Bowl games, right, where you're playing dodgeball. Miles Garrett, focus, coach. Yeah, Miles Garrett gets hurt out there. So, yeah, they're getting ahead of it. And we know, like we say all the time on here, you can't play – you can't half-ass football. It's either all or nothing, really. You can't really – it's not the MLB all-star game where it's – baseball is baseball wherever you're playing.

56:10Football is different, and I think it's just – they're in a tough spot for sure. But, yeah, we'll see what becomes of this, I guess.

56:17Pat McAfee:Yeah, and, you know, you said you can't half it. It's like – and when you do half it, it looks terrible. It just looks terrible. And then they go to flag football, and just like we watched in the Mike Rubin super-duper flag football games, it's like flag football is a different sport too. So, like, I think there's a chance that, like, flag football wasn't being given injustice either by the NFL guys because they don't know what the hell they're doing. So it's like flag football looks bad. Tackle football looks bad. The boys look bad. I think they've been trying to get a right answer in it all, doing brainstorming.

56:43Pat McAfee:But it's like I think just being a pro bowler now is going to be the thing. You know, like you're a pro bowler. Congratulations. Yeah, now you don't have to, I guess, come up with fun gimmick games anymore. That's kind of what they're probably racking their brains for so long. But we got a hard out coming here in a couple seconds. Pat, we will see you on the other side. Thank you. This episode is brought to you by the Hulu original series, Chad Powers, starring Glenn Powell. This season, the walls are closing in on Chad's biggest secret. And with his future on the field hanging in the balance, he'll have to win back the one coach who wants nothing to do with him.

57:18Watch the new season of Chad Powers on September 3rd. Streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Every game, every practice, every moment, we rely on energy more than we realize. From the courts and fields we play on, to the gear athletes use, to the technology and transportation that bring fans together, energy powers it all, and Energy Transfer helps safely deliver the energy that keeps it all moving. Oil and natural gas help make thousands of everyday products possible, supporting sports and the moments that connect us. So whether you're playing, watching, or cheering it on, it takes energy.

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58:01football it's what we're doing pat i see you finally grabbed one of those beautiful apples you had sitting on the table over your left shoulder i believe with gumpy but way back there

58:10Pat McAfee:uh how is it going over there what's happening shout out to all the pears okay oh i couldn't tell big stem yeah shout out all the pears out over here it could have been a green apple um There is a couple red apples and a banana. I will say this hotel is doing the trick. The air conditioning is 65 degrees in here. Okay, it's pumping. It is absolutely pumping because, you know, I started sweating a little bit in the first hour because we had so many good conversations. It was getting hot in the kitchen, you know. So we turn on the air conditioning. It's great. Space is big. We're in New York. The U.S.

58:41Pat McAfee:Open is happening. Good luck to all parties as they play tennis. Some of the people who are covering the U.S. Open, okay, are staying in this hotel for 22 straight days. Do you know that's how long tennis tournaments are? 22 straight days somebody is staying in this hotel that I am in to cover the U.S. Open. That's a rental. That is a long day, and we are going to cover it. And we are thankful that it's happening in real time. And all the U.S. Open fans that I've run into, which there are a plethora of, shout out to them bringing the juice and definitely like drinking. There was a lot of boozing last night.

59:21I've never been to a tennis match. That is a big part of the U.S. Open. They have a signature drink, I believe. Good for them. I'm glad because it looks very, you know, you got to be sitting there.

59:32Pat McAfee:Yeah, but I'm saying I think it is very that, what you're saying. But I think wine is going down like water. I do believe there is some. They had a great time. I mean, we were around a lot of U.S. Open people last night. We were trying to have a little dinner here. and it was great vibes, great energy as they go on a 22-day tournament to find out who's the best in the United States whenever it comes to tennis. The Talks table is here, obviously, at Boston Connor and at Ty Schmidt. Ty, how you feeling, buddy? I know you've been battling the last few days. I'd like to see what you've been going through a little bit because adversity, grit, season's coming.

1:00:06Pat McAfee:This is what you want from your football teams. Yeah, exactly. That's kind of what I was thinking when I contracted bronchitis over the weekend. I haven't been sleeping a whole lot so that's kind of been you know killing me a little bit but like you said I mean if I can get through this then that's kind of just I'm kind of just you know retroactively putting that on both the Packers and the University of Iowa football team uh you know Jordan Love's gonna play again they've had joint practices with the Cardinals you know everyone everyone loves how zany it is you know because they got two two brothers that are head coaches and they're they're going against each other so I don't feel great you know um you know you have some some good times and some bad times, but I haven't been coughing as much as today, and I think maybe my body just knows, hey, we got FCS football today.

1:00:51You kind of need to find it within yourself, and you need to enjoy that, because I know everyone's talking about Youngstown and how good they are, but I kind of fancy this Mercyhurst ball club. Really? From everything I've been seeing. Yeah, I do. I do. So I'm very excited for tonight.

1:01:06Pat McAfee:Yeah, but what about UCA? I mean, you talk about the Central Arkansas Bears. They got that big paw. No doubt. Not a lot of people are talking about Gardner-Webb either, and they should be. They should be. It's just baseball, right? Gardner-Webb's a great baseball team, right? Their baseball school outfit? You know, I'm not sure, but based on the name, I would assume so. Webb, you know, like Webb of a glove. I think that probably has something to do with it, but I think a lot of people are sleeping on their football team, and I think they're ready to shock the FCS world this year. Yeah, let alone UT Martin Yeah, right Do you know what they're about to do this year?

1:01:46Pat McAfee:Run it Everybody's saying to Indiana Go 16-0 And that's like the biggest story Maybe in the history of college ball Because nobody was supposed to be undefeated at this stage Especially with conference realignment And the playoffs And how many games there are And UT Martin just said Well, why not us? And they might I mean, I honestly They might win 30 straight games Take them tonight Take UT Martin tonight That's the first one of the year That's one half of the hammer Die Yep, Cowboys. Obviously, UT Martin taking on UCA Bears. And we just talked about the Bears. The Bears got a big roar. You know, they got a big roar when they want to.

1:02:21Pat McAfee:Oh, yeah. But UT Martin, I mean, the Owls, they go, and the Bears like, and the Owls like, and the Owls like, and the Owls are pretty vicious. Owls killed a guy. And they wake up. A girl went down the stairs. Yeah, the Owls killed it. Owls came and flapped around and killed a girl, right? No, that's what happened. We all watched it. That's what happened. Yeah, we talked to the lawyer who was defending the guy. He was very clear. The owl came and did it. Okay? So I understand that that's their take, and I think old buddy's still in the public pool now, right? And at the end of that documentary, I think he was at a public pool.

1:03:01Pat McAfee:The guy who lost his wife. He was in jail, and then he got out. Yeah, something like that. I don't know how he's – yeah, we need to update. Nonetheless, don't mess with the owls. But if you're going to hoot with the Owls, you've got to be able to soar with the Eagles. And that brings us to North Dakota, the Sioux. They're going to fly high tonight. I think you need to look for the North Dakota Eagles Sioux to go crazy. Are you sure? I mean, they're 10th in the country. That's a strong program. You know what? From this list of teams here that starts their journey tonight, I'm picking UT Martin to be national champions this year.

1:03:39Pat McAfee:Wow. Okay. Yep. UT Martin is who I'm talking to. Montana. That's what I'm doing. And then, obviously, you got a little. Don't sleep on the cats now or the Grizzlies for that matter when it comes to Montana. Well, especially with what they did with that rodeo team up there in Montana State. I heard this year they wrangled more cows than anybody in the history of rodeo. And none of them were hurt. not one yeah not one you that was one of my favorite moments so you want me to tackle this thing you want me to take it down what if i hurt it oh i'm sorry pat mcafee is gonna hurt a 5 000 pound uh are you he man okay yeah you know what let us talk to it to make sure it's okay with you doing this too it's like okay yeah i guess i'm a little arrogant i guess it's 100 on me nfl preseason games tonight we got an amazon prime game coming tonight obviously it's a preseason game let's go run through it a little bit herbie will be joining us here in a matter of moments as the patriots take on the browns on prime excited to hear where herbie's thoughts are as they head into another nfl season pittsburgh steelers taking on the buffalo beals niners taking on fernando mendoza and the raiders and then you got stetson bennett who's really turning some heads and potential trade bait maybe out of uh nope that's not yep uh los angeles ramps taking on chargers who have justin herbert who will be obviously getting a couple series this evening And then we have some massive news out of the NFL.

1:05:11Pat McAfee:The Seattle Seahawks paying spree continues. AJ, have you seen what Schneider's been up to over there? Obviously, it's all on hard knocks. So we're getting a chance to kind of see the behind the scenes of all these deals take place. Shout out to Schneider. Shout out to hard knocks. Leonard Williams, three-year,$90 million extension for an absolute pillar and mauler of a Seattle Seahawks defense that is obviously looking to only improve somehow on our defensive-minded head coach McDonald's third year as the Seattle Seahawks head coach after already winning a Super Bowl. They paid everybody over there.

1:05:45Pat McAfee:They love their team. They move on from a Super Bowl MVP. They still have Darnold on a pretty good deal, but it's clear that Schneider knows what he wants his team to look like for the next five to 10 years. Do you like it? Hate it? How do you feel about it all, AJ? With them certainly going to have to do some salary cap gymnastics going forward with this many big deals in tow. Yeah, I actually love this move. I mean, Leonard Williams, he's a guy, too, where, yeah, his stats, everything he does is amazing, but you can't measure a lot of the stuff that he brings to the team. Like, just sheer intimidation, sheer presence and culture builder, culture a guy that, like, you know what the standard is, and Leonard Williams is not going to let that slip.

1:06:21But John Snyder on that standing desk walking treadmill situation, we know he's been doing this for every one of these deals. He's probably been walking, you know, miles and miles every time, like he's Debo walking to Mordor or wherever he's going in his whole journey right now. But I feel like – are you surprised, I guess, as a 32-year-old? They're saying he's still in his prime, which I believe if you turn on the tape, he definitely is. To get a three-year deal as a 32-year-old, you don't see that happen every day.

1:06:48Pat McAfee:I mean, Joey Porter Jr. right now is trying to get, what,$30 million a year? So is Gonzo, right? And they are in the early stages of getting into their prime. so him being a 32 year old getting 30 million dollars a year in an extension i think tells you what the seattle seahawks want to do i think it tells you exactly how they feel about him but i think it's a massive compliment not only the way he plays but the way he is as a seattle seahawk and what they want their team to be going forward culture was one of the highlights i saw there was him tackling jaden daniels hey they're saying they're terrible at football yeah what's going on over there they're saying the washington commanders might be worst football team in league.

1:07:26Pat McAfee:I'm like, yeah, right. We got a lot of other teams that are going to be trying to do that. And they're like, isn't that what reports are coming out of practice? Yeah, there was someone who tweeted, one of their reporters tweeted that the O-line was just horrendous yesterday. And then he later tweeted in the day that three of the starters were not practicing yesterday for the O-line. And then I went to the commander's social media page today and it was just their wide receivers cooking Ravens starting corners. So I'm not sure what the... Everything's okay, is what you're saying? I don't know if everything's okay.

1:07:52I don't. They signed the left tackle? Humphreys? Yeah, from the Cardinals they did because obviously they lost Tunsell, who's the highest paid left tackle in the league currently. Inoperable offensive line, she says. One of the tweets. Nicky Javala? Yeah. Inoperable, meaning like we just, nothing's working at all. Yeah, but they're arresting three

1:08:12Pat McAfee:though, is what Tone just said. So, you know, context clues certainly matter. I think after you fire an entire coaching staff, like an entire staff, offense gone, defense gone, everything new. It might take some time to get things going I don't want to give up on Jaden Daniels And the commanders strictly because The reason why people want to give up on him Is because of the whole number 5 thing down at LSU I think Definitely part of it Yeah And Jaden Daniels is kind of like We all hate LSU now Am I the bad guy? It's a pretty funny tweet about that Okay Maybe we take back what we were saying about my mom Okay A lot of things are being said about his mom.

1:08:55Pat McAfee:I love that Jeff Landry just came out and said, hey, it's a player, you've got to hide the guy. So, you know, Jeff Landry's all the way behind what's going on. And then there was a correction of a story by the authority Pete Thamel. Jeff Landry said, well, this whole thing's ridiculous. And then he brings up the other injunctions as well. It seems like everybody's on the same page down there. Same script. We expected, which is why it was such an alarming thing to see Pete Thamel say there was a 16-0 vote. It's like, so somebody at LSU voted against LSU and that's what's being reported. Came out, they abstained from voting.

1:09:29Pat McAfee:It was 15-0. LSU said, we're not voting. That's soft. 15-1, though, has happened in the past for a couple different things. The 15 side always wins. We still don't know what's going to happen in this particular case because if there is another school involved in this type of thing, which I don't want to, you know, just say like, just like I have been saying. but if it's just LSU that is benefiting from this, I think this is signed, sealed, delivered. LSU will get punished. I think that guys won't play. If these guys end up on multiple schools and multiple teams, which right, there's rumblings right now, town in there, more rumblings about potentially other teams snooping around as well.

1:10:07There, there is, I mean, this, this thing has so many legs and webs right now that I have no idea on who, what is true and what is not, but yes, there is some more rumblings on that. Yeah.

1:10:18Pat McAfee:Yeah, there's rumblings that other schools that are at the top are potentially having conversations with some of these guys who are ineligible through this junction, like somebody that went to an NFL team and it came back. If it's any other schools, and once again, this might be LSU drumming up that other schools are doing this too. We have no idea what's real and what's not real at this point. But by the time this comes, which is what they said, there's a seven-day window in which they're able to join. So we should know seven days after August 30th, I guess, what's going to happen. We should know if there's multiple schools that do this.

1:10:45Pat McAfee:Let's say the Ohio State Buckeyes get a guy. Not saying they are, but let's just say the Ohio State Buckeyes get a guy. Let's say Texas Tech gets a guy. They just signed Thomas Castellanos, potential wide receiver, maybe backup quarterback for them down there. Literally just happened yesterday, Texas Tech. Let's say Texas Tech gets one of these guys. Let's say any of these schools who haven't come out publicly and said we're not doing it get a guy. Then I wonder what happens because that's a lot of lawsuits, AJ. That's a lot of lawsuits towards conferences and stuff. I guess we just have no information at this point, and we can kick the tires on this story all the way until the seven-day portal window closes for these guys who have the injunction to go basically right aj that's where we're at right now yeah it definitely feels like it right now i don't i don't see how any of the guys come back and play you think they're actually going to play this year no i think i think if it only goes if the guys only go to lsu i think they won't play yeah then it's easy to kind of shut them down yeah i think it won't play if it's multiple schools that sign these guys and it's multiple different lawsuits from different angles i think then it gets can Do you see other schools jumping in now and really hard recruiting some of these guys?

1:11:48Pat McAfee:Is it worth it? I don't know. I guess it just takes a coach and an AD that don't care about what the possible backlash could be. But they know exactly what the possible backlash could be because all the conferences have said, hey, this is – I'm saying they don't care. Well, right, but so you think coaches – and again, who knows? You could get sued and who knows where that will be. Players better be pretty damn good if you're going to bring them in. You're missing half the season if you're a head coach. You're immediately getting – I don't know how they play. I don't know how it works. Yeah, but can you suspend him?

1:12:16Pat McAfee:He can sue you for suspending him to the injunction. Exactly. So it's like, I guess it really is going to take someone who, if they think one of these guys can really help, to just call the conference's bluff and just be like, you're not going to do that. Or if you do, guess what? We're just going to sue you to the Stone Age, and we'll address this in the offseason after we've already played with this guy. How does that hold up in court, though? Like, for the commissioners, it's like, hey, I made a rule. they're breaking the rule so they're suspended. The commissioner can't make the rule that breaks state law.

1:12:49Pat McAfee:State law, pal. Donnie Baker would say. That's kind of what is taking place right now. It's like, well, state law trumps any NCAA rule. Okay, laws supersede NCAA. So the NCAA, cute, or commissioner, cute, you're doing what you're doing. Law supersedes you. Joining us is a man who might have the answers. And we as a show that are certainly a massive piece of this conversation, because this is a massive piece of the conversation heading into the college football season, are sick of talking about it. People need to know that we are sick of talking about it, but it is a huge topic heading into what's going to be the biggest and best season yet for college football and the NFL.

1:13:30Pat McAfee:So until it stops, we obviously have to at least say that it's still happening. Joining us now is a guy who's certainly pumped that this is even anywhere near a convo that's happening at this stage of the football season. Just a few days out from college football, game day, obviously traveling down to Baton Rouge, primetime Saturday, Amazon Prime Thursday night game start tonight for this man as he's in town for the Patriots and Browns. Joining us alongside Peter, hopefully, who I saw hit the road, and Skinny D, ladies and gentlemen, from Prime and ESPN, legend, former president of Ohio, going to have to get his take on what's going on in some Ohio trailer parks.

1:14:08Pat McAfee:Ladies and gentlemen, Kirk Herbstreit! Yay!

1:14:13AJ Hawk:All right, boys. Oh, yeah. It's time to talk about the ball going in the air. Not all these shenanigans. Just enough of that. Damn. No, no. I know we got to hit it.

1:14:25Pat McAfee:Shenanigans right now. We won't talk about you being president of Ohio and having to speak for your state. We'll save that for later because the state of Ohio is being talked about a lot over the last couple of days. And nobody's saying that the Niners are moving to Ohio. So everybody's saying they're just kind of going there and doing stuff that Ohio has. You can talk about that later. The LSU thing, I hate that we're still talking about it, but it does feel like it's a massive deal because this could be the first time commissioners and conferences, I guess Soarsby at the Big 12 would kind of happen as well, but maybe the commissioners and the conferences are the ones that need to put the guardrails in and need to be the ones policing this entire thing, and maybe they're empowered to do so here, Kirk.

1:15:02Pat McAfee:How do you kind of view it as honestly, this is not the full combo that we should be having, but it's certainly a combo for the future of college sports, I think, sitting right in front of us?

1:15:11AJ Hawk:Yeah, I thought Greg Sankey of the SEC, Tony Petiti, the Big Ten, tried to address it. You guys just touched on that with their announcements that basically they're forbidding this and allowing this to happen. But like we've seen over the last two or three years, anytime a player doesn't get the answer that he wants, his agent or his attorney is going to go and there's going to be litigation. And then you wonder, can they just like I think Ty mentioned it, can they just get through, play the season and deal with litigation after the season? I don't know enough about it. I watch your show. I listen to Pete and listen to, you know, what's the latest.

1:15:48AJ Hawk:It seems like this changes all the time. Whatever happened to common sense, you know, just common sense. You know, if you go to an NFL camp and you sign a contract and then you get released, you're done. Your career's over. You know, go to the Arena League, go to the UFL, but you're not going back to college football. I mean, that's common sense. So hopefully nothing against this young man who's trying to leave. He was here at Cleveland and is now trying to go to Baton Rouge. Nothing against him. but I just don't know how anybody in their right mind can think that this is a good thing. I get the five for five going back to the class of 22.

1:16:28AJ Hawk:I understand that, but not if you go to an NFL camp. I just don't know how you go to an NFL camp, wear an NFL uniform, and then let's go back and play at a college team that's going to pay me probably more money than I would have made if I stuck with the NFL. So hopefully common sense will prevail regardless of the litigation, regardless of these ridiculous district judges that keep making rulings that somehow are impacting our lives. Like, why are they even the why are they involved in college athletics? Get the hell out of here. Leave us alone. They have nothing to do with college football. And yet they make a ruling and we have to listen to them it makes absolutely no sense at all i don't think it's

1:17:13Pat McAfee:just sports that local judges are making big-time rulings where everybody has to all of a sudden uh abide by them but that's bigger than our show and our brains can comprehend you're telling me you don't think honorable ron johnson donner baton rouge had the best interest for all of college sports in mind when he made this injunction about the people my final thought here okay final of thought as we move along and herby loud and clear we heard what you said loud and clear we heard what you said if it's just lsu doing it i think it's easy to take care of if it's more schools that end up with these guys because it's not just daquan there's there's what dozens of others allegedly is is the way it was being framed if any other school ends up doing it other than lsu i think it would be a much louder problem if it's just lsu i think it does get handled let's move to LSU.

1:17:59Pat McAfee:Obviously tonight, FCS football starts. Youngstown State's got a big one. North Dakota's got a big one. UT Martin, they might go undefeated. UCA, the Bears out of Central Arkansas, they're roaring tonight on ESPN+. College football, now week zero, just a couple days away. Bill Belichick's already arrived in Dublin. He's walking down escalators in the same airport that we arrived at. You remember that?

1:18:25AJ Hawk:You almost got in a fight in Dublin?

1:18:28Pat McAfee:Yeah, I know. Tell you.

1:18:29AJ Hawk:Yeah, Florida State fan. That Florida State fan. He got me in the lobby and then he got he said something to you and you you about knocked him out. Didn't you?

1:18:39Pat McAfee:Yeah. Well, there was just this guy. Yeah, he was very loud. He was saying a lot of very, a lot of very rude things to our face. He was talking as if he was the Internet. And it's like, hey, bro, you're right here. Not the Internet. Like, we, if you really believe that, like, let's do this. And I did a classic, you know, like he said a bunch of things. I go up, interact with him. I ask him a couple questions before he gives an answer. I say, shut the fuck up. Nobody cares. He's part of his family and friends. Okay, so he gets embarrassed.

1:19:11AJ Hawk:You're like, nobody cares. Nobody cares what you think.

1:19:14Pat McAfee:Nobody cares what you say, bro. Just shut up, dude. Just shut up, you know. So we're walking outside.

1:19:19AJ Hawk:But for you to go there tells you how rude he was. and it was like not one or two it was just like what was he's an avalanche just kept going this

1:19:29Pat McAfee:was when everybody hated herbie from florida state remember so this was it was a lot of this

1:19:35AJ Hawk:guy i walk into dublin ireland into the hotel and the whole time i'm thinking great we're doing florida state georgia tech i walk in maybe no one will see me go we're in dublin maybe there's no florida state fans here first person i see hey herb street we were just talking about you you're a real asshole i was like oh we're out of the gate here we go yeah yeah but then he got a piece to

1:19:58Pat McAfee:you yeah then there was a follow-up to herby and then to me he was like i heard you weren't gonna do game day i heard you're kicked off the show or whatever and i was like um no i guess not he goes man that would be great for everybody if that was the case i like looked at him i like laugh you know i like laugh and then he follows up with asshole he follows up like like i'm like oh i'm fighting this guy right now this is awesome i didn't know that i was gonna run into boner garage 67 on x in real life in dublin here and after the night i just had i think they would let me out of jail from my understanding what like my relationship with dublin at that time so like it was an interesting time but on that point college football is the greatest because of the passion okay i think they are our european soccer fans in the pageantry i think everybody's scared that we're going to lose it because of all this shenanigans that's around i don't think we ever will on that note heading into the season i do think this is going to be the biggest and best college football season that we've had because i think the talent is better than it's ever been i think the sport is better than it's ever been i think the exposure and the media rights with where the games are and when they're being watched is bigger and better than ever i'm just really excited for the actual football to start herby for you how do you feel about ap top uh 25 poll how do you feel about where we sit just eight days away from baton rouge being a part of our lives and kicking off this real thing as we go forward to the national championship i can't

1:21:19AJ Hawk:wait i mean you're showing those fcs games we got games this weekend and then obviously it's it's go time on monday we do our first college game day call to get ready for our first college game day down at death valley with clemson and and lsu finally all the talk is is subsided one thing i've learned with these off seasons and all of these different stories that always come out and i'm like you is it going to hurt the game and then you go out there and it's still death Valley. It's still a night game. It's still packed. There's still a student section. The marching bands come out. The teams run out.

1:21:53AJ Hawk:And it's like everybody forgets about all of it. And you just embrace the passion and the pageantry and the traditions of college football. So I don't think this year will be any different. In fact, I think it could be better. There's more big names and quarterbacks, more big names at every position. They're coming back this year than I can remember in a long, long time. And the cool thing is about this NIL and the portal is everybody's in the mix. I mean, you're showing right there a bunch of teams. So what is that, 15, 16 teams that have a shot to make a run. You know, whether you're going through the SEC, going through the Big 10, the Big 12 ACC, the group of six, whoever it is, everyone feels like they can throw their hat in the ring.

1:22:34AJ Hawk:And five years ago, and any time before that, if people were asking us and putting odds up, It would have been Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson, and everybody else. And now we've got everybody thinking that they've got a shot. And I think that's one of the cool things that we've gotten out of this. Instead of Ohio State and Alabama and Georgia stacking all these five stars, those guys are other places now. I mean, that's why we saw Indiana make a run. That's why we've seen Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, all these teams. I think it's given them life. We've seen a lot of big-time hires within these power conferences.

1:23:07AJ Hawk:and I think it creates a lot of anticipation and excitement for the masses as opposed to just, you know, four or five or six teams that think they always got a shot to win it all.

1:23:18Pat McAfee:Yeah, I think the talent dispersion, is that the word? Whoa, whoa, brother. Yeah, thank you. Plum High School as well. So the talent dispersion, I believe, because all you need is one or two NIO people. You get a really good player. Like, You can get a really good player in a couple different positions, and you can field a team that might be able to steal some big wins down the road. And then, obviously, you do still have the heavyweights who have all the cash, and we know they're going to be in it. The second-best odds there after the top two are tied, Texas Longhorns. Now, it's been interesting to kind of learn about them.

1:23:53Pat McAfee:Ty has a question about Texas and what's going on in Austin, where college game day is week two when Ohio State comes to town. Yeah, Herbie, last time we had you on, I think we talked about how, you know, people were kind of crapping on Arch early on, but that, you know, You liked them. They're still a very trendy pick to win it all. And then I think it was last week, a junior linebacker gets dismissed from the team, and then a freshman player's dad takes to X and basically says, hey, this is bullshit. This is all politics. I'm going to expose everything that's going on there. And then we see the issue.

1:24:24Again, it's hearsay. It's just clips on Twitter, but we see Arch and the offense are struggling. Like, how much cause of concern do you think there is for Texas right now with the expectations being so high and considering that, like, they need to be good right out of the gates because they have Ohio State coming in so soon?

1:24:44AJ Hawk:Well, Ty, I think that until they prove that they can handle dealing with that big bullseye, it's fair to see and question that until they go out there and play these games. I think the player getting kicked off, I haven't talked to Sark yet. We will when we get ready for that Ohio State game. The player getting kicked off, a parent. I think those are potential distractions on the outside for the fans and for the media. But I think internally, I'm sure it's just business as usual. I don't know how much stock to put in whatever hook 'em.com or whatever is saying about the offense isn't looking good.

1:25:19AJ Hawk:I got a lot of confidence in Sark. I got a lot of confidence in what this offense can do. I think Arch, Ty, we talked about this. I think what he went through last year with the almost unrealistic expectations and living through it, you know, not just going through it and just not having a great year. Those last eight or nine games, he played really good football. So I think dealing with all that, I think, allows him to come in and now has experience of dealing with that kind of pressure. So I'm not picking him to win it all. I can't wait to hear what you guys have. I've got Notre Dame playing Indiana in the national championship.

1:25:51AJ Hawk:How crazy would that be in your state if that happens? I got Notre Dame winning it all over Indiana in a national championship. I got Ohio State and Georgia both getting into the playoff in the final four. But I got Notre Dame and Indiana advancing. Have you guys put your 12-team bracket or are you going to put one out before we get going?

1:26:11Pat McAfee:Nope, we're not doing that. But you and Reese both have the Notre Dame Fighting Irish win in the national championship. Now, obviously, they're tied for the best odds in the country. They've got three games.

1:26:23AJ Hawk:They've got three games. and they don't have a conference championship game. I mean, they're going to walk at least into the playoff. And that guy right there is going to win the Heisman Trophy. So I'm all in on Notre Dame this year. I think this is the year that they've recruited well. They've got some experience at receiver. There's Leonard Moore. I mean, this is a very talented team. And I think they got a bit of a chip on their shoulder from what happened to them a year ago. So I think it's a real deal. But you look at that schedule. I can't really see it from here. But I think it's what, Miami, SMU.

1:26:53AJ Hawk:Who else we got? Miami. At BYU. At BYU.

1:26:57Pat McAfee:Yeah. BYU's a big one. At North Carolina.

1:27:01AJ Hawk:And Navy's a little bit of a tricky game. Yeah.

1:27:04Pat McAfee:How about Rice? You don't know what Rice is going to pull out there. That's a whole other one. Let alone Syracuse at the end there. Fran's doing his thing still up there. They're going to be pumping out TV people until they go out of business. But, yeah, we understand what you're saying about the schedule merchants. I think that's always about Notre Dame's story, especially with how last year started at the beginning versus how they ended. That's the benefit of being an independent, but also I assume it's not easy for people to want to schedule Notre Dame right now either with all the NIL backing and everything they kind of have happening up there.

1:27:36Pat McAfee:Freeman's got them buzzing. You talk about easy schedule there. Let's head up to the Big Ten, shall we? AJ has a team he'd like to ask about that nobody's really talking about. Yeah, Kirk, I think Penn State's kind of flying under the radar right now. They bring in Matt Campbell as the new head coach, and people say they have a very favorable schedule for them. I guess, what are your expectations for this Penn State team, and what is kind of the ceiling for these guys?

1:27:59AJ Hawk:I think they go 10-2. I think they're a playoff team. I think that the schedule favors them. They don't play Ohio State, Indiana, or Oregon. Crazy. How does that happen? Just luck. What's that? It's just lucky, right? It's just luck. This year they don't? I mean, how about that for timing for Matt Campbell? Yeah. I mean, there's a couple games there that, you know, are on the road that are going to be tough for them. But I could see this team getting to 10 wins. And if they do, I think they get over the hump and into the playoffs. So I think I've told you guys how I feel about Matt Campbell. I don't know if Penn State could have handpicked a better fit for their culture and what they're about, their history and tradition and what they want to get back to.

1:28:39AJ Hawk:I thought James Franklin did a good job. But obviously those games against Ohio State and Michigan, they just couldn't quite get there, even though just a couple of years ago they were in the semifinals. But their fan base, I think, eventually turned and it was time for a change. And James Franklin is going to do great things. I'd like to thank Virginia Tech, get the Hokie Nation back. And I think Matt Campbell is going to do outstanding. You know, it's kind of like what Indiana did, brought a lot of guys over from Ames. So they know the culture. They know kind of what the expectations are. They can do a really good job of teaching some experience that's coming back, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

1:29:16AJ Hawk:But I think Penn State, I think the Big Ten, again, once again, this year is really, really deep. Not just Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana, but you go through the entire Big Ten. SC, I think, is coming. I think Lincoln Riley has got a quarterback. They've got better skill. Even though they lose some receivers to the NFL, I still think they've got some great skill. They've recruited well. Michigan's kind of a wild card with Bryce Underwood. Don't really know with Kyle Whittingham what to expect. They could be a 10-win team. They could be a 7 - or 8-win team. It just depends really on Bryce and how he kind of adjusts to this new scheme and how they're going to be able to take advantage of not just his arm but his legs because that's really who Utah has been when they really were humming.

1:30:01AJ Hawk:They had a quarterback who was more of a dual-threat guy. So are they going to turn him loose? But look at this. Penn State, Washington, Iowa. I think Iowa's another 8-9 win team. Wisconsin and Nebraska should be better. Illinois. I mean, look at the depth of that conference. It's scary.

1:30:16Pat McAfee:It certainly is. And Nick Saban is kind of acknowledging it. You know, he's starting to kind of acknowledge. He's being forced to. The entire South is kind of being forced to acknowledge it. Now.

1:30:26AJ Hawk:I think it's just factual. It's just real. You just go by what's happening.

1:30:31Pat McAfee:Yeah, but you guys on SEC, SBN, you mostly. Kirk Herbstreet mostly. Kirk Herbstrecy C-S-P-N I think is what they were actually calling you. I think it is interesting though because for a very, very long time you just rattled through the names of the four that it was. It was like Ohio State represented the North and then you had the big three. Alabama, Georgia, Clemson. Yeah. Whoever it was. There's a rotating extra one normally but it was like Saban's going to be there. George is going to be there. That boy's going to be there. Now they all come from the same coaching tree, obviously, but they're all going to be there.

1:31:10Pat McAfee:Now it's like, it does feel like all the big 10 teams could potentially be there. And I think that's good for the sport, but we're talking about the dispersion of talent. The sec needs one bad. I think that's why Sankey coming out and kind of getting into it with lane. Cause he would love to see LSU win a national championship. I think the sec would like to see that. So Sankey coming out and being like, we're going to do it the right way though. I like that out of, out of Greg Sankey, who knows what the power he is, but with the South as a whole. Tone has the last question about college ball for you.

1:31:39Yeah, I do, Kirk. It feels like everyone believes in Georgia and Texas and the SEC, and then I have a group of six teams where they all have questions, but three of them are probably going to make the playoff. Two to three of them are going to make the playoff in A &M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, LSU, Bama, and Tennessee, those last two starting five-star freshmen. Out of that group outside of Georgia and Texas, who do you like the most to potentially make the playoff of those teams that have have question marks at this point.

1:32:07AJ Hawk:If Oklahoma can go to Ann Arbor in week two and win that game, I like the Sooners to be a team with Matier and the defense that Venables always has, but can they win that game on the road early? And then Ole Miss. I think Ole Miss and A &M. I like Chambliss and I like Marcel Reed. I think both of those teams have a legitimate shot. I think people, the only time that people talk about Ole Miss on a national level is when they talk about Lane Kiffin and oh man it's like let's just move past that let's look at them and their roster and who they have now Charlie Weiss Jr. when they were rolling last year with Chambliss he had a lot to do with when Wayne Lane left that offense in the playoff they were lethal now he's now he's in Baton Rouge so how are they going to do offensively we know what kind of player Chambliss is we know what kind of players they have around that position led by Lacey the running back but But how are they going to do it when it comes to that offense and the play calling?

1:33:05AJ Hawk:That is such an up-tempo offense, and it takes the right kind of guy to be able to pull the trigger to really do it justice. And so we'll have to wait and see. Let's watch him play a few games. But I think we all love Chambliss. I think this kid could be, again, a guy that gets to New York City at the end of the year. If any indication at all of what he did in the postseason last year, aren't all of us kind of like, man, I want to see this guy play again. I cannot wait. I was happy to see that he got that extra year, and now we can't wait to see if these guys can get off to a fast start.

1:33:38Pat McAfee:Oh, you like that he got the injunction there? Because Governor Jeff Landry said, kind of fascinating. We like this, but we don't like that. Okay, okay.

1:33:47AJ Hawk:He didn't put on an NFL uniform, Gov.

1:33:51Pat McAfee:Well, you hate to play, you hate to game. We got time to come in for week one. We got Browns playing as well, too. So I think the fact that the governor, Jeff Landry, is behind it down there as well, we know that this is going to be a tough fight for Sankey and whoever is trying to get in there. Because if this man wants a tiger on the field, guess what? A tiger is on the field. Even if we need a fake tiger to kind of distract people that think that that's going to be the tiger, stop that tiger from getting to the stadium. Definitely, yeah. We'll send in a fake tiger for them to rally and protest against, and then we'll slip.

1:34:28Pat McAfee:Boom. Togger in the back door. And then all of a sudden, we got Big Roar on the sideline, which I think is a huge part of the family experience. You go down there, you see Big Mike Roar. That's part of the game. So I think if Governor Jeff Landry and Lane Kiffin are on the same side, I don't think this shit's going to go easy. I don't think this is going to be an easy fight for anybody. But to follow up to your point, everybody was excited to Trinidad got another year, I think. Like everybody. Like we were excited for him. We were pumped for him. Like Ole Miss, obviously super pumped. And then now it's like, well, that injunction's okay.

1:35:06Pat McAfee:He can play six years. Oh, what about the guy who's playing nine years at UNLV leading the dance? Those guys are okay. But, yeah, we get it. This guy, he played a preseason game for a Cleveland Browns. Okay. All right. We got it. It's going to be loud. I don't love it. But back to your Trinidad point, I thought he was the best quarterback in the league in the entire country last year when we watched him live. Granted, Fernando, definitely better than him. But you understand what I'm saying here. I thought Trinidad, like this year, could be the best quarterback. Oh, look at him go, man. In all of college football.

1:35:38Pat McAfee:He's unbelievable, man. He could win games by himself. If that week three game down in Oxford is a Trinidad-Chamlis showcase, which it certainly could be, I'd love to see the Ole Miss folks back in the national contention and conversation. But until then, it's all going to rally around the Big Ten. Okay, let's pivot to the NFL. Dude, how do you go to Ferris State?

1:35:56AJ Hawk:How do you go to Ferris State and then become that guy? Nothing against Ferris State. Nothing against Ferris State. That's a good program now. Great program. I know it is.

1:36:06Pat McAfee:I know it is. Incarnate Word had Cam Ward. Yeah. Yeah. Remember that? Yeah. Yeah. It's very interesting, the paths that end up happening to some of these guys that make it. And I think those paths are what Les Snead's looking for. He said, I want to see a guy who goes and transfers up. He's been through a story. It's almost a part of the development of this entire thing. But a lot of good players have been able to utilize that. I don't know if you go to the NFL and you get to do it, but something happened in Texas, I guess, today. A Texas judge just ruled on something. Another judge.

1:36:38AJ Hawk:All right. What do we got here? What's this judge got for us?

1:36:41Pat McAfee:A G League player did something, and then a Texas judge added something in it, basically said, Greg Sankey's going to have to go ahead and figure out legally how he can tell us what we can't do. So that's pretty much what's being said. So once again, it's getting louder and louder and louder and louder. Once the games kick off, hopefully all this will stop. Speaking of kicking off, Prime's fourth or fifth season. What year is this?

1:37:02AJ Hawk:Fifth. Fifth year.

1:37:04Pat McAfee:Congratulations. Prime's fifth year kicks off tonight with a preseason game. Patriots-Browns. Con Man obviously has a question about that, and I assume he wants to know a lot about what do you know right now about his team and the team they're playing. Yeah, Herbie, let me just say I'm very much looking forward to having you back on my television again. You are the best in the biz, so it's going to be very fun for both Prime and Saturday nights. That's going to be sick. But let's talk about the one tonight, Pats, Browns. I'm not going to ask you how the Pats and what your expectations are for the Patriots because I'm pretty sure I already know you're going to take them to win the Super Bowl and Drake made it win the MVP and everything to be the greatest in New England once again.

1:37:39But what about the other side? Feels like the Browns are in this kind of turnover time, not on the field, but also that too. Watson being their starting quarterback now. Munkin kind of latching his wagon to Deshaun Watson. Have you been able to talk to Munkin? What's kind of your take on the whole Munkin era right now? I think we all kind of love him because he just seems to be a rouse and dirt on it type of guy. And then with Deshaun, how do you think this is going to go? It feels like the people of Ohio are pretty miserable no matter what, but they're very, very much not looking forward to watching Deshaun Watson.

1:38:16AJ Hawk:Well, until he gets some first downs on third down and scores touchdowns, you know how fans, that can turn pretty quickly. I think we were all shocked after the presser, after the Buffalo game. I think everybody, it was pretty unanimous, which is rare on the internet. Everybody was just expecting not only for Shador to be announced as the guy, but Deshaun Watson to be released. And of course, they're not taking into consideration the cap. If they release him, the cap that would hit on 27 is like$86 million for the 27 season alone. So, and I'm not suggesting that's why he's getting the nod. I'm saying that's why he's definitely on the roster.

1:38:52AJ Hawk:I think at the end of the day, the 72 career starts, I think the experience, I think that's what gave him the nod. I think all of us kind of watched that presser. All of us watched the game against Buffalo and thought, you know, Shador looks better. What are we waiting on? But talking to Monk, man, he's like he said publicly, you know, he's taken the OTAs, all the practices that we never see, all the command of the offense, the operation, the huddle, just on the road those first two games. I think all of that plays into why they gave Deshaun Watson a nod. And the other thing you've got to remember, they're bringing in five new starters on this offensive line and a new system.

1:39:32AJ Hawk:I'm excited about Denzel Boston, Casey Concepcion, the tight end Fannin, Junkins coming back for his second year. I mean, there's a ton of young skill on this team. Whoever plays quarterback, just get the ball out on time and punt. Like, don't turn the ball over. Like, if they can just do that with the defense that they're going to have, they're going to be competitive in most games that they play. But going back to your question, I really think that, first of all, Todd Munkin, how about his stones? Like, staring the camera right in the eye and saying, I don't really care what anybody thinks outside of this building.

1:40:06AJ Hawk:I mean, to be the first-year head coach, all of that avalanche of noise of, like, get rid of Deshaun Watson. And not only is he not get rid of him, less than 48 hours he stands there and says I don't give a shit what all you think Deshaun Watson's starting so whether you agree with it or disagree with it I was impressed with a first-time head coach who's over 60 years old stating that and and saying it almost matter of fact like why why are you questioning this this is what we think and so we'll find out I mean they start really tough you know they're on the road for first couple games uh and then they come back home and then they got Pittsburgh on a Thursday night.

1:40:44AJ Hawk:So it's not an ideal start for them with a new head coach. But like I said, if the offensive line can come together with five new starters, Concepcion, Boston, Junkins, Fannin, Judy, there's a lot to work with there on that offense. And if they can just not turn it over, even without Jim Schwartz, I think this is still going to be a great defense. And so I'm a guy that's always optimistic, you know, in camp when teams are breaking. And we'll see if it'll work out. Deshaun Watson hasn't played winning football since he's been in Cleveland. He hasn't played in 22 months after that second Achilles injury.

1:41:22So there's a lot to question, but let's see how it goes.

1:41:26AJ Hawk:And this isn't etched in stone. If they're 0-2 and they're struggling, there's a pretty good chance. I wouldn't be shocked to see Shador George Sanders get an opportunity at some point.

1:41:36Pat McAfee:Yeah, we'll see how Deshaun does. People are saying that Munkin, though, needs to not be seen chewing on his tongue because they're saying he's starting to look like Coach Dave a little bit from down there in Houston. Do you remember what Coach Dave looked like down there? He had no power down in Houston. Do you remember Coach Dave Cawley? Coach Dave Cawley, he was a head coach for the Houston Texans for like, what, eight months maybe? I don't know what it was. Everything that went down there was just bad. And the only thing I remember from him is that he chewed on his tongue very hard. Like he was chewing the shit out of it.

1:42:08Pat McAfee:Chomping. Like it was some beef jerky. Like it was smoked beef jerky that Tim got from a dead venison that he got up there in northern Indiana. Which is right over there. Really? Okay, there's some available in the Thunderdome right now. So good. Todd Munkin, I'm a huge fan of his.

1:42:23AJ Hawk:Me too.

1:42:23Pat McAfee:I think we all hate that his first head coaching job is with the Browns. You know, because as an old coach told me, I think it was Coach Chud, Chudzinski, I said, hey, we're playing Cleveland. We're going to beat their ass for you, you know, for you, man. He goes, don't do that. Yeah, I don't care. I'm okay. And we go like, what's that? He goes, you're not really a coach in the NFL until you get fired from Cleveland. And that is really how, like, you're kind of viewed in there. It is a turnstile. The quarterback position, obviously, a turnstile. The head coaching thing, a turnstile. Andrew Barry's been given some grace, which we appreciate because we love and know Andrew Barry from them.

1:42:55Pat McAfee:But, man, just what a terrible way to start your head coaching career, especially if it doesn't go well. Now, if Deshaun goes out there and balls out, he's going to look like a genius. I mean, he is – and we all believe he can be great, right? We all believe Todd Munkin can do great things. He has in the past everywhere he's been. It's like if Deshaun runs a good football.

1:43:13AJ Hawk:Yeah, I'm with you really. Pat, I mean, it's a quarterback-friendly offense. Like we mentioned, abundant – it's young, but a lot of explosive playmakers now on this roster. They haven't had that in a long time. So they haven't had an ex like Denzel Boston at 6 '4", 215. It was the last time they put a guy into the boundary if they went three by one and just tried to create a one-on-one matchup. They had a guy that could win. It's been forever that they've had a guy like that. So we'll see. He's a young guy. Casey Concepcion, I think if they get him the ball, he could be in the mix for the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year.

1:43:50AJ Hawk:So I don't know. There's pieces there to work with. And more importantly, just throw it away on third down. Just don't force the ball. Don't try to play hero. Just play smart. And if you've got to punt, you punt and rely on that defense. They've not been able to do that in a long time.

1:44:10Pat McAfee:Okay, so it's you and Al tonight, and we've got the entire kickoff squad. They're getting out there for the first time since – Two of them.

1:44:18AJ Hawk:Fitzy and the big fella, Whit. And Carissa.

1:44:22Pat McAfee:where Sherman and Bozo and

1:44:26AJ Hawk:they they don't they last year last year it was just one I think it was just one I think it was just wit I think I can't remember but yeah they've got two how the hell they choose you get to hang out with Bezos at all? never met what? what? no no I thought you guys had a big dinner they had a big welcome dinner or something do you get free We had a lovely dinner for Al and his wife, Linda. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Smokes, congrats. How about that?

1:45:00Pat McAfee:How's Al feeling? Okay, that's a good question. You celebrated 60 years of marriage. He's been on air for 150 years of that. So how does he feel? And obviously, what are your expectations for the season as you head into your prime? Awesome. Yeah.

1:45:13AJ Hawk:Awesome. He looks great. You know, he's as sharp as ever. You know, honestly, he's it's you talk with him. We zoom with you probably almost every time we head over to the stadium on Thursdays. And he's always yelling at you about stuff. And I mean, he's he's he runs the room. He runs the room. It's unbelievable.

1:45:34Pat McAfee:He's he's very dialed in. He knows what we are talking about, what we're not talking about on a weekly basis. And I do. He's a huge fan of your show.

1:45:43AJ Hawk:Like he's all over your show.

1:45:44Pat McAfee:He does get pissed whenever we talk. You're like, hey, why are you? I'll get a wire you guys because he doesn't love how everybody on TV talks about football. You know, he does know people he does not like at all. And we have certainly learned that. And then he will he will threaten me that I'm starting to look like these people. You know, whatever things happen. I'm like, come on out. We're on every single day. You're going to have to talk about that. I love I. Al Michaels is obviously like sports icon. But with how much he has done and how much he has accomplished, it is very easy, low hanging fruit for people.

1:46:18Pat McAfee:like tonight, a preseason game, Cleveland vs. New England, if he does not have enough juice for a fourth-string touchdown tonight in the fourth quarter, people are going to immediately say he lost. He knows that, though, I think, right? I think he knows that that is what it is. And whenever you get to this point, you're the greatest of all time, like inevitably that is going to be a conversation that's going to happen if you're doing your job at the level in which you're still doing it. I think he knows that, though, right, don't you think?

1:46:43AJ Hawk:He knows it, but he doesn't give a shit about any of it. He doesn't care. He doesn't care. And I can tell you, I mean, I've worked with him. This will be the fifth year. I hear some of that stuff, and I'm just like, I think what's happened is there's so many of these guys that do play-by-play that are trying to get a clip for social media that it'll be the first quarter, and they're calling it like it's a touchdown to win the game because they're trying to get that clip. And Al will never do that. Al will crank it when it deserves it. Otherwise, he's not going to play that game. He's going to do what he's done his whole career.

1:47:23AJ Hawk:If he's not the best to ever do it, he's right there. He's definitely on the Mount Rushmore.

1:47:29Pat McAfee:I think the other people who we would consider the best would say Al Michaels is the best. I'll tell you what, I do believe in miracles that he's still doing it, honestly, because I'm what, 39? Okay? uh-oh someone just attacked someone just attacked his feet you're 39 yeah yeah yeah and the wi-fi isn't even working here my brain isn't going to work past 45 everybody's like why are you doing all these jobs it's like

1:47:56AJ Hawk:you only got 40 more years to go 41 more years to go to catch it

1:48:00Pat McAfee:yeah never see that's what I'm talking about never in a million years will that happen so everybody's like why are you doing all these jobs it's like this thing could stop at any moment okay we are literally dancing with it every day. So the fact that he's still doing it at the level in which he's doing it is fantastic. And we love that. Miracle. Oh, great for that. He's still got it. Still got that sweatshirt. It's still fitting into it, too. We appreciate it. AJ has the last question for you here, Herbie, as we head into Prime's opening night for the season. Kirk, I don't want to get you upset, but the Reds, I believe, had a huge comeback the other night.

1:48:37Are you turning around? Sound like I think we still possibly are in the hunt. You're not. You never know.

1:48:44AJ Hawk:First of all, AJ, don't you dare say we. I'm still on board. I still say we. Me and Sal and the boys. You're a piece of work. You're a piece of work. I'm going to ride away. I'm going to take that. Let me just tell you. Season's not over, Kurt. Let me just tell you. Okay. Tell me. My whole life. Look how happy they are. My whole life, I grew up watching and listening to every Reds baseball game. I used to keep score of Reds baseball games. Like, I am a diehard Reds baseball fan. And after 13 years of underachieving, I am always a fan, but I am so beyond pissed off with a lack of competitive fire from the organization that it just, they've beaten it out of me.

1:49:39AJ Hawk:I'm still there, you know, but it's, look at the stands. I'm not the only one, bro. Look at all the red seats at the home games. It's just, it is what it is. You're talking about one of the, when I was growing up, the Reds baseball was as proud as any professional organization there was in all sports, not just baseball. And they don't have that now. So hopefully they'll get it back one day. I'm still a fan. I just get disgusted with them. But great comeback. That was great.

1:50:10Pat McAfee:I like that. Good competitive fire here out of the boys with a big-time comeback. They didn't give up. Let the wood get hot, which we respect. I think what they need to do, and I'm trying to let the Pirates know this as well, they need to own a financial company and an insurance company, from my understanding. That is the tag team that you need to be very good in baseball because then you just kind of know.

1:50:31AJ Hawk:Why don't you buy the Reds for me?

1:50:34Pat McAfee:I don't have an insurance company. I don't have any funds.

1:50:36AJ Hawk:No, but you got more money and you know what to do with. Buy the Reds. You can do it. Okay.

1:50:41Pat McAfee:How long has he been on TV? How long have you been on TV, Kirk?

1:50:45AJ Hawk:You buy the Reds. I'll buy a tiny little piece. You buy the big piece. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, anybody's this guy's fault. Nobody's talking about that.

1:50:52Pat McAfee:Is anybody talking about this? It's your fault. I think people want to figure, yeah, two fingers at you. Yeah, actually, you better open those up. Knife it. You got eight fingers going back at you. Maybe it is you.

1:51:03AJ Hawk:No, no, no. Pat, we're all counting on you. You either got to buy the Pirates or the Reds.

1:51:09Pat McAfee:All right, well.

1:51:10AJ Hawk:Come on, AJ.

1:51:11Pat McAfee:Get on it. Get the Reds. Get Bezos in it too, Kirk. I need you to do really good stuff. Don't do the Reds with Bezos. Yeah, right. That needs to go to Pittsburgh. Oh, they'd be so good. We could defer all the payments down the road. It would be great. You don't have to defer with that guy. Yeah, you're right. Yeah, Bezos could actually just pay those, like, right now. Oh, he should do it. It's a write-off. It'll be a write-off for him. With Peter, is Peter going to – Peter might be able to buy the pirates at some point with all the commercials he's got. Hey, Peter! Hey, hey, hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!

1:51:38Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

1:51:42Pat McAfee:Hey, he looks good. He's maturing. I can tell on his face he's become a little bit more mature dog.

1:51:47AJ Hawk:Look at him. He's just taking a nap. Hey, hey, hey, hey.

1:51:53Pat McAfee:He knows. He knows. Hey, I'll see you soon, brother. You look unbelievable. I might be bringing blue around. You two are going to have to fight for this. Rick Blue.

1:52:00AJ Hawk:They can wrestle. That'd be fun.

1:52:03Pat McAfee:All right. Now, no. Blue from the streets, though. So I think he plays by a little different rules than maybe old Goldilocks.

1:52:09AJ Hawk:They'll have a little bit of a thing, and then it'll be over, and then there'll be boys.

1:52:15Pat McAfee:Okay. I think so. I think that'll be the case. I think that'll be the case. Can't wait to see you on the road, brother.

1:52:21AJ Hawk:You too, man. See you guys. We appreciate you.

1:52:24Pat McAfee:Ladies and gentlemen, tonight on Prime, that man, Kirk Herbstreit. Hey, Herbstreit.

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1:53:29This summer, find more on Facebook.

1:53:36Pat McAfee:Blue is from the streets, and it is evident. Whenever he gets around, you know, Corgi, for instance. You know, Corgi costs a lot of money to buy, okay? I learned that in real time, even if it was stuck in a store for a long time because nobody wanted to get him because he was way too fat. Usually those are discounted a bit. Yeah, no, yeah, right. Food bills are$1 ,000 a month now. Nobody talks about the buckets of food that that thing eats, but shout out to Ram Trucks bringing in all the food that Corgi's like to eat. You can put them in the back of that thing. That Ram truck would drive them around.

1:54:11Use that to move trucks. Best towing and suspension in the business.

1:54:15Pat McAfee:It's definitely the best truck. Die! I don't know what that means, but I love it. You know, I think I absolutely love it. Like if there's a line of trucks. If there's a line of trucks, you're going, hey, if there was a line of trucks and you go down them, you'd say that one's the best one, and that's a Ram freaking truck. We appreciate them. Nothing stops a Ram. Unless lawyers stop for jumping out, but Rams go and do their things. We appreciate you all for allowing us to do this for a living. NFL Live will be next as we continue with U.S. Open, Little League World Series, and football coverage.

1:54:53Pat McAfee:We'll be back tomorrow. Goodbye. Now I'm going to watch TV to see if we hit it, you know, because it's on right over here. I don't know if it's sweet. I'm doing a little bit of this over here, boys. That wide shot with gum in the back is great. Oh, nice. Let's see if we hit it. Okay. Thanks for getting full screen here on me, Foxy. Let's see if we hit this thing. That's a nice TV stand. Yeah, beautiful view. That is a beautiful TV stand. Dude, it's fucking unbelievable, this room. This is the nicest room I think I've seen. I think it's the nice room I've ever seen. So shout out to Faso finding this.

1:55:28Pat McAfee:And Cocko, I believe, found this as well. Old Cocko. Baby Cocko. So we're going to do the show live from the replay room, the Art McNally Gaming Center. Yeah, yeah. What's that called? The Art McNally Mission Control Room? Art McNally? What is it? Do we know the actual title? We should pay it. It's a respect. It's where all the replays happen and all the reviews. since there's games tonight it was filled up with people mr buttersworth who's the head guy over there who'll be joined by alberto river on somebody else he was like hey pack and still do the show here you guys can still do the show like you did here before but there's gonna be people in here setting up for sure and i'm like thank you for the hospitality but i don't think i should be in there you know like i think you guys should probably be doing your thing so last second made a little switch over here uh game day central there it is art mcnally game day central i don't know if that's like the best name for a room but i will certainly try to remember that and shout out to art mcnally doing that but that's like a very important place that they had us doing the show from the last time i was out here in new york and tonight obviously because they have games it's going to be packed out so we're at audible find this do this thank you to this hotel thank you to everybody that's let us do this and shout out to mark long from uh road rules i just found out he got his hair replaced no way bosley bosley.com good for him so oh mark he's like that He's kind of the jack dude from the original.

1:56:49Yeah. The original Road Rules. Oh, okay. I remember him.

1:56:54Pat McAfee:Yeah. He's huge WWE mark. Oh, he is? Okay. He's normally on the entrance ramp for almost every PLE. And he's super jack. Yeah, he looks really good. And I obviously, I'm from the real world Road Rules era. So, as soon as I was walking down one time, I saw him and I stopped. And I was like, you're Mark Long. And he goes, yeah, what's up You and the mic, bro You guys are a great job You and the mic, and Coral, I think Was another CT

1:57:29Pat McAfee:Johnny Bananas Derek Wes I don't know I'm going to say rest in peace to Puck I don't know I sure hope he's still with us I don't think I think he was like, remember he was like swallowing Lugie like as a drink? There was something he did. He was wild. He was back. Still alive. Puck's still kicking. Nice. We should have known Puck's never going to die. Hey, shout out Puck's still doing it. He was a great character for all of us. How about those MTV VJs? You remember when VJs was a thing? Kurt Loder. Yep. He's still doing it. Dave Holmes. Who's the big tall one that won the want to be a VJ contest?

1:58:11Pat McAfee:Remember the Paul Steen guy? Jesse, yeah. There he is. I don't remember. carson daly's he was a dj right or a vj vj yeah consider probably the vj goat i assume carson daly daisy fuentes jeez what an era what an era that young people don't know about well i talked to somebody last night he's 38 years old who didn't know what the aggro crag was what who what are we doing excommunicado immediately not kelsey no jason kelsey knows what the f you That girl crag is. He might be trying to build that in his backyard right now with what I know about him now. That guy is trying to compete at all times. It is incredible that Jason Kelsey is exactly what you would hope he would be.

1:58:54Pat McAfee:I don't know if this has been publicly stated yet or not, and I'm probably not supposed to say it. Jason Kelsey wants to run one-on-ones, O-line, D-line, one-on-ones with random fans on different stops around Monday Night Football. Yes. Love it. Against him, he wants to take the fans on, you're saying. Yeah, just, oh, it's so easy, huh? That's kind of the angle. Because you talk about the kicking thing for college. It's like kicking is easy is what everybody says. So we do that. Obviously, a lot more people start making it, but there's a lot of misses and there's a big embarrassment. I think he sees that.

1:59:25Pat McAfee:He's like, you know what, that's a good idea. Let's put perspectives behind what this is. And I think, I don't know if it's going to happen or if lawyers will ever let it happen, But I think that idea was pitched last year for Monday Night Countdown when I was not around. I would like to let everybody know I am certainly in the Jason Kelsey doing one-on-ones with random fans around NFL Towns camp. I am in that camp. That would be great TV. I'm in that camp. I think we're putting helmet pads, cleats on too, right, over top of it. I think we're doing it. I mean, pros versus Joes did it. Just had him to sign a waiver.

1:59:59Yeah, you're right.

2:00:00Pat McAfee:That's what I'm saying. But I think because we're – yeah. Oh, you're saying like 2026 is different than the early 2000s? People are saying it is a little different what you're allowed to do, what you're not allowed to do. That's bullshit. I don't think so. I think some of it is actually. What's something you can't do now that you could do that? I think it's gone. We don't have time, brother. Some of it's like gone for like good, good. Yeah. Like I don't think it's ever coming back. I think some stuff is like gone for a good, good. you know that you just can't really do like and everybody kind of knows that that is kind of around but you know every once in a while you just kind of you miss you know and everybody has opinions so believe me we've been there would have never done that we're worse humans on earth i know that i am at least consider that on a regular basis uh but like that the internet's been a crazy place here for the last couple days i guess forever the internet has been but i would say i can't wait for football to start oh hell yeah it's taken over by football tonight fcs games preseason games then we are just a week removed from massive things massive implications massive games massive highlights massive everything and we're so incredibly lucky that we get to do it all right me and gumpy you're gonna figure out how to get back to indianapolis feels like there's pretty big storms brewing over here that's great i did see that travels yeah donna jersey Should be a nice bucking bull out of here.

2:01:26Pat McAfee:Maybe the pilot will come back and tell us, this could be pretty gnarly. This could be pretty gnarly. It's like, all right, you got it. Let me put a helmet on, I guess. We will try to do that. We can't thank everybody enough for allowing us to do this for a living. The football season is going to be epic, I think. Next Thursday, September 3rd, at the Ratskeller in Indianapolis, Indiana. Doors will open at 4. I will be performing alongside an incredible cast of musicians. this would be the first ever live performance of the Diarrhea of a Polarizing Figure, probably last but Never know. Who knows?

2:02:03Pat McAfee:Should be a great celebration of the offseason ending and football kicking off. We hope you'll come join us. Doors will open at 4 o 'clock. I think it'll be$15,$20 to get in. We will have some merch there that will raise money towards some cause. Maybe it'll be the Gaudreau family as we had Meredith on today. That was wonderful to catch up with her. Shout out to her battling through grief, being in a very public spotlight, and also trying to make the best and make the world better through it all. So we're excited for that. If you're in Indy, come stop by and see us. AJ, safe travels back to Ohio.

2:02:34Pat McAfee:I know you've got a big game today. Yeah, we'll see, buddy. Eighth grade. Eighth grade situation going on. I'm helping. First game of the season? Yeah, so we'll see. Holy shit. For the young bucks. Yeah, why not? What is it? Tackle? Flag? What do we got? It's tackle. We play football. If I say football, it's football. I don't know. Okay, so you're playing football, eighth grade. Who is this? Tackle football. Tackle football. The one you met, it came to the draft with me, Hendricks. Okay, so Hendricks got tackled football. Is this his first tackle football game or he hasn't been playing you? No, no, he's been playing for a while.

2:03:06He's been playing for a while. He's in eighth grade, so he's been playing for a little bit. But, yeah, you know, I'm just helping out, you know, volunteer. Amoeba defenses? You know what? It's about us. It's not about scheme. I've been telling these kids, third grade, fifth grade, eighth grade, whatever, like we could draw up everything you want. There's answers for everything on paper, bud. But it's about head and hands and violence and running the ball with proper leverage, at least on defense.

2:03:31Pat McAfee:Head in hand. The BU study just came out. 25 % of the brains studied that played football. CT, obviously, back in 2008. And they're like, well, is it NFL or is it youth football? Do we know if it's something else? Like, how can we really get into ages? Like, well, we're never going to really know, especially over here in Ohio. These boys have been head in hand since they're three. And now eighth grade football, we've got some people in the stands now looking for some violence. We've got to get these boys ready for freshman football is next year. JV football is just right around the corner. Some of these guys might be getting NIL deals less than 11 months from now.

2:04:04Pat McAfee:So we're going to play some real football. How do you feel about the team? Do you feel like you guys are going to dominate, or is there the eighth graders that are coming in potentially going to bully you? We'll see, man. Honestly, between sixth and eighth grade, fifth and eighth grade, I think we all know one or two kids that are pretty developed, may have mustache and goatee. They can kind of take over a game every once in a while. So you never know. I have no idea what other teams look like. But I tell you what, I like the – we've got a great core group of kids that we've been out there practicing every day.

2:04:32These dudes, they work hard, man. Like, we've been working them. I appreciate them. I really do.

2:04:37Pat McAfee:I saw a video that said a kid was 11. Did you guys see that video? Oh, yeah. Yeah, he needs to be moved up. Oh, my goodness. I did see that. Would that even be fun? No. If you're 6 '5"? If you're that person, if you're that person, I guess just scoring 100 touchdowns would be a good time. This is just like – now, granted, we're not saying he's different aged. We're not saying he's older and he's playing younger. That is getting checked on a regular basis, I assume, for that kid. Like, literally in everything he does, I assume there is a check in everything, which is not fair to him, but I hope he dominates.

2:05:08Pat McAfee:Who was the pitcher for Little League World Series? Danny Almonte. Did he have fun? He had fun. Oh, he had a hell of a lot of fun. He's unhittable. You're right. It's pretty fucking awesome when you can go out to the bump and you just strike everybody out. Yeah, he was having a great time. Hit homers. Yeah. Did Ohio win again today? They did. You see this Ohio team just mopping up in the Little League World Series. Really? So they won the U.S. championship? They advanced to the U.S. championship. Advanced to the U.S. championship, okay. Again to Iowa? No, their manager really kind of made a mess of the entire tournament, unfortunately.

2:05:43I hate to throw that guy under the bus, but they have been eliminated. It is Ohio versus Nevada in the U.S. championship.

2:05:54Nevada should have an advantage. Being able to play ball 365. True. You would think. One of the best kids I grew up playing played basketball and baseball. He moved to Nevada. His dad moved him to Vegas so he could play year-round. Bryce Harper? No, it was not Bryce.

2:06:11Pat McAfee:So, J.R. House, West Virginia football legend. He played football in the fall in Nitro, West Virginia, and then his dad flew him to Florida for baseball through spring and summer. and then I think he inevitably ended up staying down in Florida or whatever that is such an advantage that is such an advantage like year-round ability to just go outside and do stuff now granted indoor facilities are certainly there but what if it's not readily available for everybody like when I was growing up I was hoping that the Monroeville Sports Center had room and we were going to able to get in there and maybe do a little something we had no idea if it was case It's like growing up in great weather, I think, is quite an advantage for sports.

2:06:54Pat McAfee:So if the Ohio lads do get a dub here, I think we should be very proud, especially for the state of Ohio, which has come under a lot of criticism over the last few days. The state as a whole has not at all. There's a region right on the Pennsylvania border where, you know, just – They do some messy things. There was a dust-up, I guess, of something. I don't know what exactly happened. It didn't seem that bad. But, you know, people are tied to the NFL. And so, yeah, Ohio gets in the news. No, it says in Ohio. Every single one says in Ohio. I'll tell you some news I just read that I don't necessarily love, but then there was maybe a follow-up.

2:07:32Pat McAfee:So when I was in college at West Virginia, I didn't go to class much. My teachers all kind of understood that I'm going to show up at the test. I had to show up at the test, though. Like, a lot of pressure to show up at the test because I'm getting no other scores. So test is the only thing. And we got an email to our student email that was like, just a heads up the circus came down this weekend and african lion was not found okay so just a heads up okay that that was pretty crazy email to read you know like hey a lion could potentially just get you on your trip here to the test like that was a crazy thing and who knows where that lion is i still have yet to get an update fox 59 indianapolis indiana said madison county potentially has some lions on the loose.

2:08:15Pat McAfee:Breaking, the Madison County Sheriff's Department said its deputies are on the hunt after reports of big cats being on the loose in the southern part of the county as well as northern Hancock County. Then, Nick sent a follow-up somewhere that said, the sheriff said, I don't know what you're talking about. We don't see a line. Nobody has the current great lines. So, just keep your eyes peeled. I'm going to need some of your weapons, Bill. I read the article. it is confirmed there was a lion and a cub on the loose, but the sheriff said that they checked all the local sanctuaries and they were all accounted for, and they weren't aware of any permits in the area of anyone who had one.

2:08:54So this is a wild lion? It sounds like we got an undocumented lion on the loose. Tim said he was thinking it might be a mountain lion coming back to the region.

2:09:08Pat McAfee:We don't want to hear that. Tim told me he was going to take a bow and arrow down in Morgantown and shoot that fucking African lion. Whatever that was happening. I believe him. He's got to do it here. A little bit smart. I mean, he was ready. I mean, you don't often get to do an African safari hunt, I guess, in Morgantown. That's kind of how Tim was viewing it. You know, he wanted to bring a bow and arrow down. I know it's urban warfare this would be, but I don't know if they ever found that particular lion. If you're in Indiana, keep your eyes peeled. He's your fucking king of the jungle. If it's not a mountain lion.

2:09:37Pat McAfee:If it's a mountain lion, we've also got to be worried. because that's African-American lion, right? That's an American lion? Could be. Don't dick around with sedating these things. Shoot them right in between the eyes, in the fucking head. Kill them. Kill it. Do you run? Do you play dead? What do you do if you come across all of a sudden? Kick it right in the balls. I think you start meowing. I think you meow. So then he rapes you? Jeez. What the hell? I'm sorry, he fornicates you? There it is. No, I think you punch him. He violates you? Just, I have cats at the house. I think I don't want to be violated by it but I think if you get it right in between the eyes and you start petting I think it starts purring and stuff never run running can trigger the animal's chase instinct stand tall and face the line keep your eyes on the animal and maintain direct gaze stare this thing down appear large open your jacket make noise listen up you little pussy cat that type of stuff do not crouch or bend over of course because then you might get it like as aj likes to say fornicated and then you just kind of back away slowly while throwing catnip so i think that is how you handle it people in indiana need to keep a close eye on these steps to follow so we can all survive the day uh gumpy and i are going to try to get out of here to get back to indianapolis indiana aj safe travels back to your eighth grade tackle football game uh thank you for traveling out there boys what a day the nfl is in a great place feels like everything's up to the right and football is starting tonight.

2:11:03It's FCS Football Day.

2:11:09Pat McAfee:That's good news. We'll watch it all, and we'll be back tomorrow. Be your friend. Tell your friend something nice. It might change your life. We're interested in together. Team on me. Look at Gumps back there in the bar. I love Gumps. I love the baby Gumps. Good work, Gumps. I love the baby Gumps. I love the baby Gumps. Hey, Gumpy, AJ said, like, what is that bar, like, two and a half feet tall? Because you look kind of big in there. I think that was rude. I didn't like that. Thank you, Chief Cole. He said, thank you, I'll go. I'll go. He said, I'll go. He sounds like a robot. Yeah. Well, we got.

2:11:41Pat McAfee:He's coming through here. He said, he's coming through here. I think he got his visa, by the way, in the mail. If we'd like to congratulate him. All right, baby. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. USA. USA. USA. USA. Be your friend. Tell your friends something. Nice. My change of life. We're listening together. We'll see you all tomorrow. Great work back there, boys. Team on me. Team on three for the good of sport, baby. One, two, three. team goodbye fall is the perfect time to refresh and reorganize your space at the home depot find power tools and tool sets starting at 50 to help tackle diy projects home updates and more whether you're drilling brackets to support new shelving or sharpening your hedge trimmer blade with an angle grinder the home depot has the tools you need to check projects off your list shop labor day savings at the Home Depot and gear up for fall projects with the right tools to keep your projects moving.

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