Well, happy playoff Monday here for some of the teams, some of the
teams in the XFL. We'll talk about it today USFL Week two. Exciting
stuff coming down the way I have with me today A Eve sad, It's
okay, sad, Pat Rapino representing his Saint Louis BattleHawks, Pat checking in
with you, welfare check, Pat? How are you doing? I'm okay?
Because the speculation tweets are beginning with A J. McCarron putting out his
tweet about wanting to play with that man next year. You think AJ back
in the XFL. I mean, I mean, I think he'll The cool
thing about AJ, and we've talked about this in nauseum, is that the
world is at his feet, so he doesn't have like if I'm him,
I kind of wait till that middle of training camp. Okay, like like
when the Viking said Teddy Bridgewater get hurt. You know what I mean,
Like, let me choose the NFL team I want to go to you kind
of like pull on the Dell Beckham there. I like that. I'll choose.
I'll tell you which teams I'll want to play. Don't call me,
I'll call you that that's good. Well we're here today. We have everyone
checking in. Chris who got Matt here? Exciting times. I was very
rowdy on Twitter last night, very exciting, and I don't I don't like
going to the press box for the C Dragons games. That like being in
the field for that. I will officially be in DC and our nation's capital
next weekend. I have I bought a standing room only ticket in the Beer
Snake area when the tickets went on sale. Listeners Seth helped me out with
the code and then I waited. I have my flight purchased on Miles last
night, so we are locked in pat exciting times. We'll talk about the
Saint Louis over it all. But C Dragons in the North Championship game against
the DC Defenders. Do we even have a chance? Um? I mean,
I mean yeah, because here here, here's something I saw last night,
Matt Sexton, friend of the show, going in for the touchdown?
Right what happened? Because I think it was a gentleman's name is a Kelvin
Night. I forget, I forget Kelvin right? Does that sound right?
So he obviously, you know, the points thing kind of got figured out,
you know, they got their columns guys on the sideline saying hey,
we're good, and he still, you know, did the reverse Dan bbding
Don bbting from the Super Bowl on leon Let. So to me, that
says enough about the team that you know, they definitely have a chance.
And you know, we saw it with the Generals last year in the USFL
that you know, nine and one doesn't mean anything. But I do think
Von Hutches and Reggie Marlow are way better team than because obviously last year with
the Stars, you know, it was just getting case Cook is getting into
his group. So there are similarities or you know, but nine and one
doesn't mean anything, and that sound cliche any givens under or Saturday. In
this case, I didn't like that. I didn't like Matthew Saxony and Friend
of the Show. I mean Matthew was kind of flexing on Cialla coming in
there. I don't obviously we didn't hear the broadcast with d and you know,
also a friend of the shum sure he had some is that the XFL
rule now that you can't like fumble it into the end so ridiculous. That
should have been a touchback. We were all screaming about that very very exciting
times there. You know, I still don't know. I know Brian Stole
said out the email about why the battlet Hawks are eliminated. I don't still
was it really good? Really come down to one point was that do you
do you understand how the playoffs worked? I do. My problem is this,
I think every time I think I understand, a new thing comes out,
so like maybe maybe this is my slow brain or anything. Because I'm
getting it, I'm breathing it. And then I have five other people who
are texting me or messaging me who are like the casual BattleHawks fans, like,
so what's going on? And I'm taking you know, what Mike says,
what other people on Twitter says. Then Brian sends something out and they're
like, well ESPN said this, and I'm like, well, I don't,
I don't, I don't. I don't know at this point, like
I don't. I'm gonna be honest, let's wait, wait till the game's
over. But my girlfriend brought up a really good point and she was at
work, you know, talking to people, and people were talking about the
XFL Saint Louis and they're like, so, why aren't they getting in and
she's like, well, what do you mean. She's like, it's a
tiebreaker, but what what are you talking about? So it deterred a lot
of casual people to where it's like, you know, you know, we
live, breathe, you know, make a little bit of money from doing
this all that good stuff. Where it's some dude who just got done working
fifty six hours a week, you know, building roofs. Is like,
dude, this team seven and three, why are they not in the playoffs?
Like this, this is stupid And I think it could have turned off
a lot of people too to the I wanst say absurdity, but just the
move, like the very fluidity of the playoffs situation. Yeah, I mean
we're still like we're still having Jared the Chaire Max, like we're still talking
about like we didn't and I you know, I had the producer Max Sex
in me and I told Mike because that, Yeah, I had people dmment
like I've been drinking reading there since two o'clock, Like I'm not a guy
about this right now, right now. You know. Obviously when they announced
it in the stadium, you know, it was good, it was good.
It was excited. Uh, the South a little bit more locked up.
Are you pleased to see or Arling back again with Houston is out of
the matchup in the South? I mean, I mean, third times the
charm for Arlington. If Arlington won, it wouldn't surprise me at this point.
You get to the point, you know, Louis Perez like they were
running kind of a stale offense yesterday. You know, don't show too much.
Obviously Brandon didn't play yesterday. Um, I mean, based off the
playoff structure, that's just the way it is. There's a lot of things
in life that aren't fair, and you know, being a Saint Louis BattleHawks
fan today is not fair despite what you're doing. Um, but you know
it kind of sucks, you know, but the team does look better with
Perez obviously, you know, davidon Smith didn't play and whatnot. So it
could be a good game, it could be a blowout. I'm I think
everyone's tuned into the North Division. You know, we'll watch the South Division.
But I think I like, as far as a ratings perspective, if
they had a major drop off in ratings from the Houston Arlington game, that
would not surprise me, especially what there's you know, six games next week.
If that was number six on the slate of spring football, that would
not surprise me. Well, yeah, so it's gonna be so the Saturday
game here and I can I can pull this up. We got Renegades at
Houston at seven pm Eastern ESPN two, and then obviously the Seattle game DCM
on the ESPM proper there. But I could see I could see that being
love well. I wish we could go live tomorrow. I've seen the prelims
for the USFL of weekend numbers. I think it's gonna be fun tomorrow.
I think if we could have done that. Max has a comment here.
You know, it almost could be Saint Louis not getting in, Like we
could fix this next year. You might have to be the sacrificial lamb where
the BATTLEHA fans are so outraged that they do get rid of the divisional playoff
and they do you know, the division winners and then the top you know,
top two points whatever after that to get in. Would you like to
see? I know, Andy and I've been kind of harping about this for
weeks. Sea changed XFL playoffs whatever next year. I mean that that would
that would be good for this year, but we don't do we know if
it'll be good for next year, you know, I mean, like I
mean, I don't want to say case by case basis, but I think
you know what happens next year if someone else gets screwed, you know,
Like I don't, I don't know what the fix is. Like right now,
it's easy for me to get on my soapbox and be like Saint Louis
should be in you know, like this is nonsense, but like, you
know, what if you know there are a bunch of teams, Like what
if the next tier of teams all went five and five? You know,
like what are we doing here? You know, then we have to do
this whole tiebreaker again versus like you know, Saint Louis goes five and five
last year with all five of their wins come into division, and then Seattle
went five and five and all five you know, they just beat up on
the South. Like I mean, we're gonna run into problems. I think
maybe a little bit more education and clarification on the tiebreakers could be good.
But like what Max is saying isn't outrageous. I just don't think there's a
perfect scenario in this, you know, I think you're gonna hurt someone's feelings
somewhere. Well, because I saw that I was pulling this up here at
like this uh this Jake guy whatever on Twitter, you know, he is
like this is a travesty the Holy Alli. It's like because no, no
sub five hundred team has ever won the division. Like, I mean,
this happens in the NFL. It happened, well, I should command there's
two seasons ago, you know, when they when the NFCS that it happens.
I don't think it's a I don't think it's a bad look. I
think it's just it's the numbers and that's the way it worked out. Like,
I don't think this is a a staying on the league, that there's
something you know that that the BattleHawks are and then and that you know potentially
that the rent against whatever. IMA Just think that's nonsense. I think that's
something that people are picking on just to kind of you know, pick on
the XFL. Yeah, I mean, I mean it's it's definitely a possibility
in in an eighteen league and that like I think he tweeted that, like
that's something I'll give credence to, you know, but I mean right now
in the USFL, there I think there might be a you know, a
sub a sub five hundred team making it because the starters don't look as good
as you know, I was teaming into that game a show the star zone
look that good and Coucas has clearly hurt, like he's gonna he's gonna keep
playing, but he's not one hundred percent. So you know, there's no
Brian Scott, the case Coocas drop the drop off. You know, there's
case Coocas is some guy we haven't really heard off and badly, so like
we might be dealing with this in about seven weeks in the in the USFL.
So it's pretty I mean, I don't know they're tiebreakers. Maybe they're
different, maybe they have a better system. Well maybe maybe they're just like
we should start Maybe because of what the XFL happened, they're starting the prep
for it a little bit like, oh, let's let's not be that guy
type thing, you know. So yeah, I think it was also just
hard that it was so convoluted last week with the ESPN broadcast and bringing Dan
on and then this week, like I think that was the problem. I
know, that Mike has been on the phone, you know, talking to
the league and fingering that out. It's it's that there was so much excuse
me, confusion. It wasn't it was such a in the minutia thing,
and like I had Dean on the show, and I know Dean like talking
about it. But it's it's such a thing that it's over. People SAIDs.
I just think it is, you know, and it will work unless
you're the hardcore of the hardcore spring football fan. You're not, you know
whatever, And even if you are, like you're still you still can't just
look at them like a text message from someone you have to like, for
me, like I'm a pretty visual guy, Like I have to write it
down and like, you know, it's like if I'm getting these texas and
I'm at dinner, I'm not working, Like I don't have my notepad in
my back pocket, like you know, and if people are asking me,
they want a simple answer, like so are we winning or are we not?
Like what's going on? Guy? Like, and you know, I
felt bad I couldn't provide a text message worth of explanations to people. And
but like I don't I don't pooplue the league for this, you know,
it's it's out of all the things to get like on the high horse about
like the spring football wars. This this situation is like the least of my
concerns. It sucks, like obviously, you know, I can't go to
a game next week, I can't cover a game, you know, but
overall, like this is kind of a least of my worries at this point.
Uh, well, and we're gonna talk USFL in here. I want
to talk san Antonio not making it. It does feel like the animosity right
now is adding all time high. It's very very interesting. Uh. We
were in the chat yesterday and even people asking about, you know what,
what is the USFL, what are the breakers you know met with you know,
like harassment of you don't know about this. It's a it's a really
weird time. I guess I'm glad. I wish I could go live tomorrow
to talk about the radiance. We have to work, but it really it's
interesting right now. The world the woman, Yeah, I mean it's it's
it's you know, a similar So it's parallel of the society. If if
you don't like, you know, this thing, you're against that thing and
I mean, I don't know, like I you know, it's it's it's
trying to go back like to who started it, you know, and I
don't even know who started. You know. It's kind of like the hat
fields of the McCoy's, right, like who actually who fired the first shot?
Like because in my mind, in my mind, there's two things that
I think started this whole thing of animosity, and like I think it was
the Rod Woodson thing. I think kind of ruffled a lot of feathers.
I don't I don't want to put the blame on Rod Woodson because I think
I really don't want to put the blame on anyone. I think the Rod
Woodson thing kind of irked a lot of people in the USFL. And then
I think there was I think I can pin it to like one or two
people on Twitter who were very anti USFL and like, you know, I
don't want to say they started it. But then it's like, you know,
it kind of kicked back real hard, which is like natural society,
right, Like if you're one way for so long, and you're you go
so far one way, then people are like, well I don't really like
this, so I'm gonna go the exact opposite, and then everyone's like,
oh my god, how is you know this going on? You know?
So, I mean at this point, I covered both leagues, you know,
I don't. I don't think of by some people say I'm biased to
the BattleHawks because there's a team in my in my location. Um, I
mean that makes sense, you know, if you really think about it.
But in the end, I'm going to cover both leagues. I literally put
out videos for both, like both leagues, cover both leagues. I've actually
real in more USFL articles this year than I have XFL articles. So I
mean, I'm going to cover both leagues, and I hope both leagues are
here to stay because in the end, what is it, eight hundred jobs
per league? So if you celebrate that, yeah, Mike is right,
controversy does great cash. But if you celebrate one of these leagues failing,
you're essentially cheering the fact that eight hundred people are out of employment. You
know, well, and not only not only the players, you know staff
and you know, social media and kind of all this kind of stuff.
Uh wa, say you're here, I chat, I was two out of
them. What did you think it came down to? Mister automatic Romo where
they san Antonio not making the field goal one field goal away from you know,
our boy Jay's team being in there. What did you make san Antonio
just being on the outside looking them. I mean, they had plenty of
opportunity. It's it's like you can you can kind of look back on every
team that they were within one score of a couple of games. Obviously starting
it off in the season with that that BattleHawks win. You know, we
all we all champion Saint Louis and I definitely will as well. But I
mean we played to the level of our opponent multiple times, Like you know
that DC, even our first DC game, granted AJ threw a pick that
that first pick, you know, that was a pick six, Like if
that guy stays on his feet, I think it was Gary Jennings. Um,
I think it was Gary Jennings. If he stays on his feet,
that's a nine yard game, you know, And that that pick six,
now there's a reverse on that score, and then like you know, it
just it just kind of see, you know, Seattle, we came out
flat. That second DC game was our like really the only one that felt
like we didn't have a chance in But I mean, you could talk about
it to any team like San Antonio should have one. Um, I kind
of And I was the same Max. Yeah, like he I think he
lost his NFL job with that kick. And it's unfortunate because of how good
he was for the majority of the year. And you know, I don't
have his stats in front of me, but like I remember, every time
there was a new like fifty yard fifty yard field goal, it was John
Parker Romo and whatnot. It was between him and Matt McCree and for a
while or two of the better kickers in the in the XFL. So Hines
Warden made a lot, uh a lot of great strides as a coach,
because let's be honest, he was a rookie coach. I think if we
can go back, he wouldn't. I wouldn't, and I was very vocal
about this. I'm a read Senet Homer, um, you know Fellow reads
the United type thing. But you know they went with Cone and Cone really
only had two good games, Like yesterday, he played pretty decent, but
they couldn't get into the end zone. Cavin Balage getting hurt. I mean
that Brahmas team And granted we don't really know what they're gonna look like next
year, but I'd like to see him get another quarterback. And that's nothing
against Cone, but there was a lack of development and it felt like he
was very stagnant and that offense really only moved with Red Cinnett and then he
broke his foot. So I'm I mean, when because there are three and
seven Arlington's four and six, like that margin of victory, isn't that or
that margin of error for them, like to get them into the playoffs?
But in the end, like I'm Arlington Air quote was the better team in
the South on paper, So I'm glad they, you know, are getting
to play this Saturday. Yeah, I mean it really I'm trying to think,
like I guess at the end of the world it comes down. I'm
happy it would It would have been nice to have obviously St. Louis in
here. I think Seattle is fine. DENIZI is one of the faces of
the league. I know mccarn's been fighting for that as well, But you
know, do you think that having Denci in that position beating out aj just
in terms of like a pr and like we're able to talk about Ben now,
is that a is that a fine step down from AJ, who has
kind of really got a lot of the focal uh you know view just this
season, Hey, look at this guy choosing the league and everything. Well
it's not only AJ, it's the whole team, right like because of you
know, obviously with everything with Conky, So for them to bring a championship
to the city, you could have ran with that storyline. They filled the
stadium, like you know, they're over I think they averaged what thirty four
thousand for every game and whatnot. They were the champions of the league.
And as far as attendance, the Hakim Butler stories great. You know,
Darius Shephard was one of the most dynamic players in the league. And he's
also a Missouri, a Missouri guy. There was a lot of local kids
there as well. That made made this you know, team a lot more
lovable and with all the comebacks and everything in the wackiness. But I think
that was a great story. I know, you know, a lot of
people and Rick talked about it last week about the Bend Nucci is m and
you know, I don't want to talk I don't want to talk negative about
bend Nucci. You know, like he seems like a decent enough guy.
But I know, Red, you're right behind the bench. When I was
at the BattleHawks game, I took, you know, some friends and my
girlfriend. Did June Jones go up to him at all? In between?
Yeah? So I mean that sells you something in my opinion. So I
mean, there's there's a very big family aspect, Like it seems like de
Nucci's kind of like a loaner in this you know that air quote. This
league might be beneath him, you know, because when in the press conference
when he was walking up, he was like how many yards did I throw
for? And they were like x x y z And He's like without rushing
guards. He's like, they're like x y z's all right, So I
broke three hundred, that's all that matters. And I'm like, okay,
I mean your team just blew us out. But whatever, So I do.
It is weird. That's actually interesting to bring it up. Just I
do very different dynamics on the on the St. Louis. And I don't
know if that's like if if Beck is kind of instilling that and he's with
aj Has let's a different coach, and you know, he's kind of doing
his own thing and we're watching and he kind of seems grumpy. And I
know Seattle was playing with heavy hearts kind of yesterday was all the Chris Smith
and everything, and they did the moment of Silence for him, which was
great. But it does very different dynamics between the Seattle team in between the
Saint Louis team. I think that's interesting. I mean, I think there's
a lot more and this might come off as a negative, Like you have
Di Nucci, you have Lindsay, you have Gordon. You have a couple
of guys who are just like their their goals are clear, you know what
I mean, Like this is I'm just new this to get to the next
level, while you have Aj who's like, yeah, man, I could
kind of just you know, go through the Like he had three NFL workouts
Peru. I think Aaron Wilson is a guy who always posts the NFL workouts
he had, Like I counted three of his workouts for NFL teams. So
I mean, I mean, like we talked about earlier in the show,
like it's AJ's world world just living in it as far as his next contract,
So I mean, Denucci had a couple of NFL workouts. I saw
it last year, but in the end, like you know, he's still
establishing himself and everything like that. Well, AJ's like, you know,
and he's talked about multiple times. I think they showed it on player fifty
four. Is a different is another coach. You know, he was like,
I want to use the word grilling Ryan Willis, but like he's like,
Okay, if this option doesn't here, this is the thing an X
Y and Z Hey, Bruce is just kind of chilling in the back,
just like, yep, that's what you got to do. So I don't
know. Indian Houston got in, you know, so that that's good too.
You know, we get to see more way Phillips well, and I
thought I have a question here for you. But yeah, Wade almost getting
taken out on the on the sidelines. I saw that very you know how
mummy ask back in something with the Houston something with the Texas sidelines. They're
not the Heason but the Texas sides. We have a question here. It
ties talking you know, Becks the players coach. His press conferences are promotional.
Made me what was Beck's post kind of knowing they won, but it
wasn't in their hands. What you know, like it was up to sale.
What was becked like post game on the Saturday game against that Orlando So
I wasn't at the game, so everything I got the second the second hand,
um from people who were there. And I think he's a realist when
it comes down to it, you know, it's like, yeah, it's
great, we've won. I think he knows, Okay, we didn't take
care of business for Seattle. Like if if they obviously beat Seattle, we're
not really having this conversation, you know. So I mean he's a realists.
He's been in the locker room, He's been on some good teams,
he's been on some bad teams. He's been around the league. Um,
these guys gravitate to him. He's an amazing like like just a nice,
nice guy. Like there's I can't say anything negative about him. He first
time head coach. You know this is only a second coaching opportunity. Um,
the poor guy last night was like feverishly eating. You know, it
was kind of a I kept like shining shining the camera on him and he
just had this look of dread. And it's not so much that and obviously
they want to win a championship, but in my mind it was now I
can't, like I'm losing this group of guys, like the special group of
dudes. And he's been vocal about like and I know when you talk to
him, he was like, yeah, you know, if all my guys
leave next year, like I won it as a coach, right, they
all went to the NFL and all that goofy stuff. But like he loves
this team. He was being a part of this team. He loves the
men in this locker room, like he loves all his staff, and like,
you know, it's it's kind of like your you know, your first
your first hurrah. It's like nothing will ever be as special as that first
season. Bringing it back, feeling the energy, all that goofy stuff.
I agree with that, and I think, you know, and I think
the hub kind of instills out as well, and we're all in that.
I want to talk because obviously we didn't see the broadcast. What what were
they they were? They were showing them like him and aj or whatever they
were back in Arlington, because I saw Stoops was at the Arlington game as
well, and they had uh, you know, Troy Aikman, and they
said what were they showing back during the game? Um? Like during so
during the Arlington game, he was in the booth. Yeah, Um,
he was just you know, doing this thing. AJ was on the sideline
when I think Mateo Durant and they were all at a restaurant. They had
a live feed on them, and he was just kind of like, you
know, looking and then each as the game was going over, he kind
of looked a little bit more. I hate to say this, but like
dead inside and like the face and like they would show it after a touchdown
or they would show it when they were driving, and he just kind of
looked displeased. And then you get like, like so I started on like
the third time they did it, I started looking in the background of like
the other players and staff, and the energy was getting sucked out of that
restaurant and it was just, I mean, it was just unfortunate. That's
the only thing you can say about it. Like, I mean, this
guy, you know, put his heart and soul and then everything. You
know, AJ put his heart and soul and then everything all those guys,
you know, you have a keen butler, you know, like his journey
dming back. You have so many different of these guys and he and something
that doesn't really get talked a lot is you have a lot of his guys
and Dave Boeller, the d the DPP, like those are guys that Becca
has known for you know, almost four years from the San Diego Fleet.
So you had those guys like Don the Kicker is a San Diego Fleet guy,
a couple of the linemen, you know, Tiny Tupo, Travis Feney,
like there was a lot of retreads that these so bec has known these
guys for years. And then there's the Iowa State connection like Mike Rose,
Kim Butler, Willie Harvey, all these guys Iowa State guys that he's connected
to you because of his son, and and it's just kind of a you
know, it's it's over, like regardless of anything, you know, but
the thing is it can't be. Don't be sad that it's over. Be
happy that it happened, you know, kind of like the Kirk ben Kurt
situation. You know, we're seeing a lot of comments still about the playoffor
and I want to talk to kind of the usfl of it all as well
here just because I think that it was an interesting weekend for them, we're
still seeing you know, we're adding two more teams, make sure they get
expand. The problem to me is, I don't want it to be like
the Academy Awards, where like now we have ten Best Picture nominations and like
everybody gets in, and we have the CFL where everyone but like the you
know, you have to be really terrible in the CFL not to make a
playoff team. I think I think there needs to be something earned. I
like the idea of that maybe the division winners and then two and three play
and then you do a bye week in there, but then you're then still
six of eight teams are making the playoffs. I think I think this is
a fine format, but I could see them working on figuring it out next
year because it's I don't know, people seem displeased. I mean, four
teams is enough. I'll I'll be a little bit more open to six teams
if if we obviously expand. I'm pretty anti expansion for both these leagues because
until you get like actual owners and like you know, all that stuff where
it's like some guy in Vegas owns the Vipers, so if he wants to
make his team better, he'll pay you know, Tom Brady five million dollars,
X, Y and Z, like like, let's let's get these people
living here, Let's get these people established, Let's get like, you know,
maybe not AJ's the best six sample, but you know, let's say
Gary Jennings wants to be here, Like, let's get him in Saint Louis
to a four year contract kind of how like in the eighties, the USFL
was going for it, and then we can talk expansion. In my personal
opinion, I'm okay with the ten game season. I think that, you
know, ten games is good, you know, regardless of if there was
one spring league, eight spring leagues, whatever, it's just enough. Because
ultimately, until you can pay these guys competitive NFL wages, there's no there's
no point, like, there's no point let these guys, you know,
go. Obviously, you might like Chris Smith rest in Peace was a decent
example because he was thirty two years old, and that guy can make like
a practice squad salary because that's kind of where he was at in his career.
Great, we've accomplished that, But like the expansion talk to me,
which obviously leads into a little bit of the playoff talk is a little bit
irresponsible at this point. And while it sounds great, especially with the USFL
because you know they have god knows how many franchises and trademarks, it sounds
good. And even to the XFL because you can air quote bring back the
Birmingham Bolts and you know, the LA Extreme or the LA Wildcats. It's
just to me, like, let's let's both these ladies. Let's let's get
some continuity. Let's get some you know, let's let's prove that we're not
going away in three years. I agree, I think, and we've even
in the chat here comments Vegas, we leave, they're already selling the season
tickets next year in Vegas. I think we're locked in the cashman field.
Maybe they do some work on the field in the off season, but I
think they're locked in there. I think that you can fill that. I
see people they need to move to bigger, bigger venues in Vegas. I'm
like that we need to we need to fill, We need to fill what
we have here. Uh Max has a comment here, and then I do
want to talk to USFL. We have what did you what did you make
of the XFL players voting not to unionize this last week. They have the
vote on Wednesday. I heard that some of the pulling location sins were switched
last minute. The players weren't able to get it. What do you make
of them not wanting to want voting? That's hard not to I mean,
I mean, I think right now it comes with a little bit of we
don't know the specifics right there, So like for me to make a comment,
anyone to make a comment on it, I think it's borderline that irresponsible.
Um, I will say this that they work. It's not that they're
anti union or or whatnot. It's that they didn't want the union with the
steel steel Workers. So I mean, how many people said no, Like,
how many people said no to that? But they still want a union?
Yes, Andy, I don't want a San Diego franchise, not yet.
But how many people said no to the steel Workers union but actually said
yes to you know, John Smith's union or the NFLPA, which was brought
up a couple of times. So I mean they're beyond them, you know,
like for making the decision of not just I don't want to say blindly
following and whatnot, because but they're you know, there's a really like in
the NFL, you want to unionize. There are some union there are some
unions that I think are great. There are some unions that I think take
advantage of the situation whatever it is. But in the end, like you
know, these guys are making informed decisions. Especially a lot of these guys
were in the NFL and they saw the NFLPA like what it was and whatnot.
So I don't think they're making ill advised decisions. I don't think people
ever thought about unionizing until the USFL did it. So I think that's kind
of why the Steelworkers union kind of you know, benefited on it. But
it is like, you know, we don't we don't know the details.
And for us to get up here and make like they're like, oh they're
dumb or all they're smart? Is is it irresponsible? Now? The polling
situation and that's an issue obviously because I feel like you can just do it
and the team facilities, but I mean, we don't we don't know if
that's one hundred per true or not. You know, people, Yeah,
I'm a I'm a big proponent that players are smart and kind of know know
what they're gonna do, right, And I think that they Kenneth and them
came into the USFL situation last year and said, we have to fix this
now, like we have to get what you know. Again, I'm not
living in the hotels and doing all that, but they said, we need
to deal with this and now. And like I said, it could be
they want to figure out something different with the steelworkers they do with LPA or
whatever. But uh, they've been through this, they know what's going on,
and so I think that them, I would trust them at this point.
I would trust the players. They're wanting to do what they do best.
Obviously, if anything comes out, we'll talk about it. But yeah,
I was surprised. I mean I just kind of figure out they did
with the USFL, they're going to do it here and maybe they're like a
bigger And that was my general general like knee jerk reaction, um, especially
because we did see the positives of what happened to USFL and whatnot. So,
you know what, Kenneth being there, it definitely in my mind,
you know, but he hasn't come out of me the statement himself, so
you know that might tell you something something about it, you know, I'm
great. I think he just got surgery or something like that, so maybe
maybe his benefits are working pretty good right now, so he's not got anything
to complain about. But I mean until like, I'm curious to see what
Kenneth has to say when he kind of gets his bearings under him and whatnot.
Yeah, I mean, I reached out to Ryan and obviously he's been
on the show with Kenneth, and I think if there's things and Ryan knows
that he can obviously, if there's messages they want to get out, they
can do it with me as well. Something we're seeing still expansion talk everything
in the chat. I watched as much of the US about this weekend as
I could. Obviously we were at the game last night, so I didn't
see the Stars, you know, our our team so surprising loss to the
Panthers in there. I did watch the basically all of the New Jersey General's
Pittsburgh Mullers game. What to me, like the hub is not working right
now. I we we had down attendance. I don't know when we're allowed
to talk about the Birmingham attendance on Saturday. I saw the prelimbs for that.
Obviously the Breakers game, I daver were more people on the field for
St. Louis than there was in the stands for the Breakers game. What
are your thoughts on the USFL here week two? Um, from a gameplay
perspective, I mean, the Maulers are going to Mueller. I was talking
to someone about, like, oh, what should I do for my power
rankings? You know, the show Boats obviously only scored two points, and
I was like, well, you have to keep the Mullers last, because
I mean it's just, you know, there's continuity here of the last several,
like the last twelve games, you know, of them have been just
subpar quarterback play and you're you're, you're, you're going through the list of
Kyle Laalaa, Joshua Badly, Roland Rivers, now James Morgan, and Troy
Williams. But I mean, can we can we put a halt on the
Brady White experience? Um? It's two folds on Birmingham. I talked about
it on your I've really about it. I think they retained like sixty something
percent of their roster from twenty twenty two going into camp. Maybe it's a
little less because I know they cut some guys and whatnot, but we saw
how good they were last year. They shouldn't surprise anyone, granted the show
Boats. I don't you know, the Brady White experience has not been a
good time. And I don't know if you know this free, but he
went to Memphis and he coaches amphis so obviously that needs him. Like that
means he needs to be the quarterback. And they gave Ryan Willis two series
and like you know, they removing the ball decent at one point and with
Alex Collins and then kind of just died. I'm a big Vinnie Popolli guy,
but Vinnie Popolli shouldn't be your number one option at wide receiver, especially
when you have both Cyrus Mitchell. If this is surprising you about how good
this Alex McGoo is, you haven't been paying attention. Like this guy is
crazy athletic. He's made plays all over the field last year when he had
the opportunity. Obviously, Jamark Smith last year, you know, did nothing
to lose his job. It was an injury, just says Mago Magoo.
Did nothing to lose his job last year. It was an injury in Week
one. Um, but um, you know the Sounions are the team to
beat the cream of the crop. Uh, you know, the Panthers look
way better, which we've talked about than nauseum like cover the Panthers, and
you know, it's good to kind of see everything. A lot of people,
you know, were knocking QB play in last night's game, but I'm
like, it was raining pretty decently. The people were slipping and if you
look at Kokus and josh Love, they're double clutching the football to get that
additional grip on it. So that's why the routes are off, but like
they're making the right reads and that's to me more important. And that's what
I was telling someone who's a Panthers fan, like you know, Love didn't
play that well. I was like, well, he's playing in the rain,
he's double clutching the ball. You know, his receivers were slipping,
but he was making the correct read. Like I think I saw three ill
advised passes from Joshua that what had nothing to do with like, you know,
the elements. Um, I'm a little disappointed. The Canton game looked
pretty okay during the day, you know, for what it For what it
was, I'm very curious to see what Ford Field is like next week.
I mean, like per ticket Master and everything. It's gonna look pretty good.
I mean. And also the Lions being good in the NFL kind of
keeps football on people's mind in Detroit, and you know they are they are
returning and whatnot, so we'll see. I mean, the quarterback player for
the Mullers has been trash um. You know, per Cup looks okay,
but in the end, he wasn't a star, and he wasn't a star
in the CFL, you know, so, but he's he's already mid tier,
you know. And DeAndre Johnson, my biggest thing has been like,
okay, you're the guy. Now you're gonna have to throw the ball like
like more in ten yards and you know he's not getting his feet set.
He's looking a little jittery because I watched the Muller's game pretty in dept yesterday
and it doesn't seem for on Pittsburgh side, like they are so wishy washy
as far as as far as um, like, okay, you get a
series. You know, it goes back to that mantra, if you got
two quarterbacks, you got uh yeah, you know you got none. And
I've seen some things in the chat right now, talking about talking about Canton,
you know, like they should just do a Canton team. In my
personal opinion, I think Canton will be a transitionary hub. Yeah, you
know, like so they're able to get the breakers in the New Orleans.
They find the spot for Pittsburgh, but they don't find the spot for Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, Um, we'll go to Canton, you know, and that
that that makes as much sense to me as it can be. You know,
I think they're Discovery, and I think they thought, hey, we
got you know, seventeen thousand whatever in there for the championship game, and
we can you know, if we get there was not there was not a
lot of people. I think I think the whole hub should be againdon just
because I think then you have the Pro Football Hall of Fame and all that.
I don't know, I just I and I don't want to be I
don't want to be the I'm already the homer. I don't want to be
the homer in here. But they get a lot of comments weave in in
the chire. Something is not working with the USFL this season, and I
don't know if it is just in comparison to the XFL. Right now,
and the games are meaning more because we're in Week ten and you know,
we have crowds and it's a sell on DC and we're cutting. But it's
something something doesn't seem to work. I don't know if it's just more glaring
this year than it was last year. To me, it's it's kind of
the same. Like I said that the Mahler's game yesterday, I'm like,
it's three three at half, Like it's really hard to really hard to start
Monday watching this game and it's not and it's not a good three three.
It's not like you know, there, you know, James Morgan is throwing
the deep ball and the defensive back makes a great play or like you know
they're they're at the goal line and you know they're just they're just move,
you know, you know, just great defense. It was sloppy play,
you know, it was you know and even if okay, we can talk
about oh there were sacks here and there, but they weren't good sacks.
They weren't the defensive end going for a good rip move and like putting some
good skill sets together. It was the quarterback lost his first option and it
is just like, oh my god, where's the rest of the play going.
So it's you know, you know, these guys are still high level
athletes. If if you're in if you're in the pocket for six seconds,
someone's going to be in your face. Um, I mean the uh,
what's the gap? The gap disparity between the USFL is a little bit is
a little bit concerning to me as far as with the play coming down like
that. That really bothers me. Um, maybe the show Boats get it
together with another team. I mean, the Gamblers showed some life this week,
but I'm still not on team Kenji Bihar like throwing three interceptions and whatnot.
I don't know if Terry Wilson is any better. But regardless, like
the gap, the disparity between some of these teams, because we can knock
on Orlando and I think Orlando gets more hate because of Terrell Buckley more than
everything else because he's kind of a living meme. But in the end,
like in the end, like the Guardians were very fun to watch and competitive
and outside of their offensive line play, which is the biggest thing, you
know, they had decent quarterback play with like Paxson Lynch Quinny Dormandy put up
some good games. Like even the Saturday he had a good game, you
know, he regrets for two weeks came back and we're not getting that with
the Mullers, you know. And I know there's like Twitter debates of like
who would win the Mullers or the Guardians, and like the Guardians like yes,
I mean like they would just their receivers are so much better, you
know, when Ruben Fosters playing pretty good than Boogie Roberts has been doing pretty
decent as well. He looks Bookie Roberts actually looks way better this year,
you know, than he did last year. And it's like those are only
two players, dudes, Like, you know, we haven't tie here.
And I noticed this early on with the XBL that it did seem like and
I don't know if it's ESPN, if it has a wider reach or we
know that Fox we're where we're protecting the USFL like don't you know we can
control everything, But it does seem like I'm seeing many many more viral you
know, and everyone's sharing stuff from the XBL than the USFL. Are you
do you disagree? Agree? What do you think? I mean? What
do you what do you expect though, Like ESPN air quote the worldwide leader
in sports, Like, um, I mean, you're gonna share these videos
and more people I think follow ESPN or NFL on ESPN than they do,
uh, than they do with Fox and whatnot. But I mean that remains
to be seen because now we're in like like we're it's I feel like it's
not fair to talk about this because now we have ten weeks of stories players,
you know, like like maybe it's shame on us because we didn't do
our due diligence to like really keep tracks on the track on this for the
first week two and three or one two and three weeks because of like what
were the analytics of that? Right? So, like you know, now
everyone's like, Okay, the XFL is around right now, that's great.
Oh there's another football league, the USFL. So it's like I don't see
anyone, but like I don't see anybody talking about the USFL. Yeah,
I mean I don't think they. I don't think they will until the XFL
is over, because but then then is it. I mean there's a three
three half game suddenly become more watchable without the XFL. Like that's my question.
It's like, yeah, we had Andrew Buckleton last week from Awful Announcing.
You know, we're talking like, okay, it does the USFL get
a thirty percent bump here after the XML goes out there? I don't know,
because like I wouldn't. That was a horrendous game yesterday. I can't,
like five minutes we're talking with that with because Prucop's wife in the stands,
I'm like, what are we doing here? I don't know if that
that becomes more watchable when the XFL goes away goes away. I mean,
I have no idea. I mean I think I've said it in the group
chat, like Week five will be the biggest indicator of where this league goes.
Like you should get a bump, right, like just by like attrition,
like even if you know the games are on at the same time whatever,
but you should get a bump at least a couple hundred, hundreds of
thousands of people like just because they're like, well, football is on,
because I mean that's who you're catering to, right, You're catering to the
dude or you know, the dude who's going to the bar, you know
after working and building his roof, and you're like you know, I'm gonna
take take my girlfriend, my wife out to dinner and we're gonna watch this
game. You know, Like that's really who you're catering to. You're not
catering to like us on Twitter because we're gonna watch no matter what because it's
air quote our job and you know, like we're supposed to and like we
need to know what's going on. So it's it's like, how are they
going to attract the casual viewer and like and that's the challenge for both leagues
right there. That's the challenge for like any sport you know, coming in
the main stream. But honestly, like, I have no idea. I
don't think the USFL is going anywhere, you know. I think I think
Fox has a five year plan that they're ready to go kill the war with
and uh, you know, we'll see what happens. But yeah, no,
they need to figure something out as far as with these this quarterback play
and whatnot and the candle cannibalization of the ratings and whatnot, because they're gonna
have to deal with this every year for three what you know, for three
to four weeks. Well to me, and it hurts, it hurts the
momentum getting off right, because I don't think you know, I don't like
you said. I think we're going to see some growth, but I don't
think it's just going to spike overnight with the X about Max has a comment
here and then aj I've started comment. We want to talk about. I
think the USFL exacts expected the interest in the league to be more what it
was in the early weeks instead of it looks like the interest was about where
it was at the end of last season. Yeah, I don't see.
There was nothing in the USFL off season save for a meaningless college draft.
I'm sorry, did anything you know? Okay, we relocated the show boat
six months ago. Okay, we're doing that. Like there was nothing that
that you're ever going to get that spiking and going into year two? Yeah,
I mean that's I mean, what is there, Like what is their
goal? Like what is the reality for for for them? Like what numbers
are they like, Okay, this is good, this is sustainable? Like
are they going to be banking on more like Commante Turbans, like you know
they kind of promoted. Are they going to be looking for investors like the
Fred Smith of Memphis? Are they going like what, like what is their
business model? Because I like and I can throw that question at the XFL
as well, you know, like like what is the goal? Like what
is okay to them? Like do they want to pay these guys at some
point three million dollars a year? Do they want to continue the path there
on? Or they you know, is the Rock going to just keep putting
out black Adam movies to like fund this? You know what I mean?
Like he's like, oh man, like, okay, we're going into the
red Yeah, I guess I'll make Moana too, you know what I mean?
Like that is like there's not a set of goals in my opinion,
other than like, excuse me, there's a set of goals, but like
what is the expectation? What is the what is your actual Like Okay,
we need to make X amount of dollars, we need to put X amount
of people in the stands, like like obviously, and I asked the question.
I asked this question and I didn't get an answer, was like what
is the expectation for the non hub teams like and that, and like do
you are you factoring that into your budgets or you just kind of like,
hey, Man, we get two thousand people, like, that's a win
if we can get like a little bit more transparency on that, like are
you good when not caring about any of these other teams? Like you know,
are we focused? Are we riding and dying on the stallions, the
show boats and the Panthers And that's a very like very uh you know,
concerning thing for me right now. Well, and we'll see Detroit next week.
And I think Detroit is going to show up. But Canton did not
look good. Memphis looked good last week. I think the numbers were inflated.
I think there was thirty thousand people there. I'm sorry, Kurt Man,
but Birmingham looked really bad. Looks really bad, looks really bad.
I go, So we like and that's and I know it's Birmingham, and
I know it's the smallest city, Like that is your hub. That is
if anybody in the world knows the US and L exists, is the people
in Birmingham. You have the champions here at the season one champions like the
rate that was a very part out Saturday night and I know that was it
Shanias and there something was playing down the way like there was a Rodeo,
there was a Roadsdale and there was a new Gas Stages company. But at
some point, like I just don't understand, like that's your hub, Like
that's your base. If you can't fill Birmingham, I think you got a
problem. Yeah, And like I just want to know if they're okay with
that, like if you're if you're if you're good with that, like if
you're like, we do not care about attendance. We are making our money,
and we were paying our coaches, and we were doing X and we
were doing why and all the all all the checks are going through. That's
fine. Like I don't care, like you know, I mean, like
if you are okay with that, but like what is the goal? And
that's a little bit like don't like a little bit skittish to me on like
where we're at moving forward, because I like, while I do think the
x val doesn't have the most you know, transparent bowl, I think this
is a little you know this there's a little bit of showmanship on aspects they
are still in their city, you know, while attendance in some places aren't,
you know, as I think Saint Louis has messed up the attendance metric
of like, you know, maybe if last year, if Saint Louis didn't
exist, and he told me fifteen thousand people went to the Sea Dragons a
spring football game, and Seattle fifteen thousand people, I'd be like, oh,
that's really good. And now you're like, well, Saint Louis at
thirty three thousand and you're like, well, see, Yattle is better than
Saint Louis, Like shouldn't they have more? You know what I mean?
Like the Saint Louis thing has messed up my metric of what is a good
attendance for a spring football game, especially going there too, like like I
don't have the appropriate dancer. Well, and I said, we'll see when
the USNR ratings come out tomorrow, because that's the things that we don't care
about attendance. We only care about ratings. And ratings were down over last
year, and they were down last week, and I don't care whenever Fox
PR wants to span the four percent increase, like ratings were down and that
whatever you did it to yourself. You had the sibelcast and everything else,
and that's you know, whatever else last year. But I'll see. I
think it's going to be I think ratings tomorrow are going to be very,
very interesting. And the four percent thing kind of irks me, right because
we'll put it into like two different perspectives. In my mind, if I
told you I was running back and I had fifteen hundred yards my first season
and my second season I had two thousand yards but we played six more games,
was I had better running back? You know what I mean? Like
like you know, you know you're robbing Peter. It was a robbing Peter,
the pay Paul type thing. Like in my mind, I think it's
better if if let's say so they hit seven forty, right, and like
what it was, like seven forty was the average. If my whole metric
was like between eight fifty and six seventy, I'm wayed better with that than
Okay, we had four million and then twenty six people watch that like yeah,
we're up four percent. Yeah, but like the disparity is not where
you should be, Like I would rather be within one hundred thousand of that
seven hundred and like that seven hundred average, where like, okay, we're
pertaining a good base. You know you could you could, you can,
you could do a decent job if you got seven hundred thousand people watching every
game, you know, like a true average rather than like, you know,
four million to one thousand type thing like that. That to me is
like because now you're just like you're grabbing your eyeballs, but you're not keeping
them. And that's and and that's and that's where I like I kind kind
of been like like, okay, like yeah, four percent raise, but
why was anyone watching other products? So because honestly, the Mullers are like
and granted it's not a coach in the sidelines or season behind the scenes.
It's probably a coaching thing with schemes, but it's not a coaching thing as
far as like these guys are jokes of men, Like this is a respectable
group of men doing a good job trying to do and like, you know,
there's not the outside nonsense of what we saw at the Mueller's last year
of like Kirby Wilson, like Benchi badly for no reason, Like it's just
some of these guys aren't as good as the other guys, and like that's
football, that's sports. But you know, like if they're not, it's
not fun to watch. The USFL has not I thought the Showboats game last
week it was I felt the same with last year. I thought the kickoff
was good, good energy, and then it's just something missing there. Like
I said, I don't always like the XFL's personality, and I think that,
you know, they carry themselves too seriously or they do whatever sometimes.
But to me, the USFL has has no personality. And we have James
collins Worth there that kind of sounds like Chris or watching and we got what
was his name, Michael h a seahawk guy Robinson. Yeah, and like
Mike, I didn't think he was great last year. I don't know if
he's any better this year. Like it just feels I don't know, something
feels a ride there. And maybe it's just because the XFL games meant more
this weekend. But oh yeah, JJ's reminded me well. And then we'll
get out of here pretty soon in an hour. He wants to know who
has the better quarterbacks because this will hortail back into because I want to talk
about Bend Nicia before we get out of here. USFL or X Who has
a better quarterbacks? Right now? It's the XFL, Like like there's two
metrics, so this people are gonna poo poo me for this, and that's
fine because you know, obviously I don't know ball, but U but uh,
I mean I cover when I do, Like I have spreadsheets. I
have way more spreadsheets about this stuff than I care to admit. But when
I cover like the XFL quarterbacks, the USFL quarterbacks, and if you guys
don't know, I cover the quarterback rankings on my YouTube channel analyzes an Educate.
But there's two factors I throw this in there. I throw in um
pass attempts at the NFL, and I throw in income earned at the NFL.
And then last year, the USFL going in the season one had I
think eighteen million dollars earned like like all their guys. This year it was
like six. Now, I didn't factor in MBTs like income from the CFL,
and I didn't factor in procups income from the CFL, so you're like,
Okay, maybe that's a little bit closer or whatever. The XFL had
like I think thirty thirty eight million dollars earned by their quarterbacks and like it
was inflated because of aj and Paxson Lynch. Okay, they accounted for like
twenty eight and then you had you know, banker. Even Louis Sperez had
a decent amount. Slower's got like two million dollars, Plitz got a little
bit of signing bonus money go down the list. So there's definitely well and
then people might combat me with like, Okay, that doesn't matter. Well
to an extent, it does because now you have guys that even if you're
the fourth string in training camp him, you're still there, especially if some
of these guys are around, you know, like being the like Reed Sinette
was around Tom Brady, he was around, Mike McDaniel, he was around,
he was around you know, Jalen Hurts, Carson I think he was
there with Carson Wentz. But if now you know he's been around quarterbacks to
learn from these guys and like being these systems and like that stuff matters.
And yeah, um Max, I think d Nucci's like in the almost two
million U because he did play it three years and active, but stay on
track, like that stuff matters, like you know, outside of in my
mind, you have Carson Strong a couple of tea, a cup of tea.
James Morgan has been around a couple of teams. Obviously, you know,
case Kukis has been like on six different teams, including a CFL team,
But like MBT is the class of the class there, like between him
and Alex McGoo, I think is one of the top earners as well.
Like like we love Jamar Smith, but he had fifteen minutes with the Patriots
and then another twenty minutes with the tie Cats. Like the NFL experience,
even if they were just like going to be camp bodies, they're still going
running the scout team, you know, and that matters to me. And
you know, the more practice squads, the more training camps, the more
preseason games you're part of, all that stuff matters in the long run of
the quarterback player, especially now because some of these three and four year guys
for twenty twenty udfas, they didn't get a real training camp, they didn't
get real workouts because of COVID and everything like that. So now it's like
it's like there's even they're all, you know, a year behind, and
not just for quarterbacks but everyone. So short answer to the X Y Joe's
like, hes, yeah, you know, President Nuitie mccarin town. But
then there's a big drop off half the quarterbacks. Yeah, I mean,
I mean there's yeah, like yeah, man, only half of the league,
Only only half of the league has good quarterbacks. Yeah, well have
I have you heard of the NFL? Like have you seen Week fifteen?
The Week eighteen in the NFL? You know, then gonna this is another
ran. Sixty eight guys started last year at the quarterback position in the NFL.
That was more than COVID year when they were like, oh you saw
someone who you thought had COVID. Yeah, man, you're out for a
week, like like there wasn't any COVID reserve really last year, you know,
you had illness whatever, So all that nonsense, like these leagues need
to figure like need to you know, be around to be like you know,
Tammy might go from like the third string to you know, you know,
fourth string to the Heineke situation. Granted the COVID thing kind of maybe
regress that, but these guys are getting hurt, you know, and there's
a lot of controversy as far as like what's going on with the practices and
like are they you know, should they go harder in practice because when they
go to the games or bobbies Ready, I don't that's not my job to
care about, Like from a media standpoint, but in the end, like
they you know, half of the league is a good quarterbacks, Like that's
not a bad number. Like no matter who you who who what, like
what league it is? Max says, here interesting some of the guys that
passed on the XFL to go to the USFL. And then you know,
still are you know, ask Brian Willis about that. I mean, I
mean Max, like and you know, like your feedback on this, to
be fair, a keel glass and David's cheek did have a good a good
chance of starting because Zach's because Zach Smith was there. And then this yeah,
yeah, like you know, he follows it up like MBT comes to
New Orleans like, who are you going to bench? You know, like,
are you gonna bench MBT over a keel glass and uh in David's cheek?
You know, it kind of sucks because this is kind of a red
shirt year for them as long as MBT space healthy. But he's put together
two good games. In my mind, he's a top two quarterback in the
league. You know, Magoo is playing out of his mind, Josh Love,
you know, playing really well. You know, pruke up is that
kind of that line of demarcation, like if your quarterback is worse than pruke
up, you would bench him. If he's better than you're a good type
thing. So my boy, my boy, Chris here checking in the section
one thirty five. We're in Seattle, Chris enjoying that. I want to
talk about the playoffs before we get out of here. We're talking CONNECTIVEL players
go right to the USFL. They're under contract, right, they under contracts.
Now, if you give a shameless plug buy Mike Mitchell on Twitter,
we'll we'll be able to answer all those questions. Because like the playoffs scenario,
I've you know, when Mike talked about it, someone was it on
your show that they were talking about it. I believe like the release of
the contracts and whatnot, I've seen it. I've seen it. Yeah,
it's this whole I think, the contract and who's with the USFL and how
many years and the L my understanding that both leagues you have to it's it
out for the NFL, and that is it, right, So I mean,
I know there are players who are trying to like figure it out,
you know, because but I think that would be a pretty cool thing to
see, like these guys bounced between the XFL and the USFL, just the
like one obviously, you know. More, if they're signing you to the
USFL, they think you can help their team, so that would raise the
competition level. And that's not the XFL versus USFL like war like, don't
take it as that. That's just reality. If a coach wants to sign
any player, it's because they think they will help the team. Like,
don't don't, don't get on your high horse about that Twitter. But um,
I mean, I mean, I'd like to see it, you know
if especially guys who were like that, like third string receiver, you know,
who put up some numbers, like let's see what they can do.
But yeah, I have anything here, max is you know. And I
didn't want I didn't want to make a big deal about this, but you
know, chairwoman Danny Garcia of the XFL does not follow me and Mike Mitchell
on Twitter. I was first, I was first first, but I will
say and then Mike put it out, so, uh, Mike Mitchell got
mentioned by XFL today and this rounds out kind of my comment. Here is
I do and this is my hope. I think, you know, we're
getting through XFL and like it's I've talked with people at the league and even
doing stuff with Dean last week, and like we're getting through everything now.
My hope is, now we're getting through this, we can start engaging a
little bit more with you know, the content creators, you know, with
people you know like this, Mike's a reporter that's no different than NFL network,
you know, showing or ESPN showing schefter's tweet and so and so got
you know, traded to the Ravens or whatever. Like Mike as a reporter,
Mike covers the league. I think it's phenomenal, Like it makes you
feel bigger than it is when you're able to show other people and and it
that what that as of that builds up Mike, Joe, you know there's
all positives there. What what do you what did you make of that?
And Mike his playoffs scenario is getting talked about the next I mean, if
you don't know who Mike Mitchell at this point is like you're and unless you
know, I'm not gonna harass you, Like you know, you don't know
what the New Orleans Breakers are, but but if you know, if you
don't know who Mike Mitchell is like in reality, obviously buy Mike Mitchell on
Twitter. He's he's he's so plugged into this. I think he's admitted like
he's he's so old that he was, you know, covering the the AFL
in the sixties. But no, he's been he's been an og USFL guy
covered the XFL one point zero UFL you know, probably the Spring leg.
The amount of work he does, like good work, and this is gonna
sound a little, you know, bland, but the amount of good work
he does to not just to get the information out, but for the leagues,
for the two like for the players, for the coaches, like this
guy's this guy's in it, you know, and I hate to you know,
sometimes we take advantage of it, you know, because it's like how
like, well, I don't need to know this because Mike does right,
like Michael figure out. But like the amount of like like yeah, you
know, like I'm I'm drinking a rain beer. Everyone go to Mike Mitchell
about about questions today. But I mean he's, you know, and he
he's he's he's he's a nobs type of guy, you know, and he's
you know, these are the facts to deal with it. If you can't
deal with it, that's that's a that's a U problem. Yeah, Mike
Mitchell is the Adam Schefter of spring football. And you know something that gets
lost in it is his love for the CFL. You know, yeah,
what's up? And yeah, I mean Mike is Mike is in a euphoric
you know, you know, pleasure zone with all this going on. You
know, So I mean it's it's it's a great thing to see. But
h I mean we're off TANGI yeah, no, it would be cool,
um, you know, because you know, I've been very you know,
not to come off as selfish, but like I've been, I've been tracking
a lot of the quarterback records and you know, there was no mention of
that outside of the one tweet that you sent me for Bleacher Report and then
Pro Football Talk wrote a story about AJ mccaron, but they don't mention Bend
Nucci in it, like Benda Nucci broke Tommy Maddox's yards record. So it's
kind of like, I know, you saw my tweet, like it was
like almost like thirty thousand impressions, you know, just because you saw the
AJ one. Did you did you actually do the research and look it up,
you know, like that's an issue I have, Like, you know,
Benda Nucci is still an air quote sexy name. Like you couldn't even
like look up his like thing. You know, like it literally takes like
it took me ten minutes to like put the correlation, like, oh,
he's staring for a lot of yards, like and you know, I have
the whole list of like active quarterbacks like the passing ranking since post two thousand,
especially with the USFL. Now I'm getting ready of the right articles about
this for the eight franchises. I'm gonna do like a quarterback spotlight from the
eighties. I just thought it was the funny comment. And now according to
four or five years of ultrails huntway, they'll think Mike Mitchell is anti us
Vell. There's no change in their plans. Yeah, I mean, like
I don't I don't want to come off as like worl and harassing people,
but like stop stop, stop, stop, you guys are gonna stop because
like in the end, you're gonna like find someone who, like I don't
know, he knows how to use the Internet and has access to like my
thing was my thing was this? It was yesterday and then we'll get out
of here seeing that promise. Uh, you had someone tweeting about the USFL
like why why are why are the breakers? Like why are they not in
New Orleans? Like what's going on? And you could have had someone gone
there go hey, you know this is the new League and like it's Fox
and they're trying to save money and they're working towards that and we have expansion.
Instead, you have a bunch of people man's laneing in the comments like
would you even know bro get out of here? I'm like I would.
And then if I was that guy, like I would never watch the USFL
ever again, thank you very much for saving my time on that I was.
Yeah, if I was that guy, I would to be so penny
depending on how much time he has. I would go to whatever street he
lives on, you know, so he's in New Orleans, so you know,
downtown of Bourbon Street, and I would go to every bar and I
would turn on the XFL on every bar. We mean, hey, I
will give you ten dollars if you put this game on. Just don't change
it to inflate the ratings, just because that has definitely done that last year
where I you know, we were at we were at you know, some
vacation place and I went to like seven bars and just turned on the USFL
on every channel and it had different like I was definitely boosting views, and
I was like for the brand. And it's like when you go I used
to go in like the Apple Store and like subscribe to people's YouTube channels or
whatever. Going down all the fund and that I have a question. Didn't
need a lot more Saturday Pro Football and then we'll talk. We'll get out
of here. Said x had a very very very successful season Disney Network back
he making lots of TV money, kept the teams closer to trouble with your
thoughts, Um, I mean I think xevel's got to be thrilled right now.
I think I think they gotta be thrilled. We're gonna do the championship
game. DC sold out. I hope they sell out this week. I
think tickets look pretty good for that. I don't know Houston. I think
that's going to be tougher, but I think they'll have a good show in
there. Like grade the XFL here going into the playoff games, and I
would say, I would say, B like you know, like to give
it an a would be excusing some of the blindness. I think in the
early part we had some issues, especially Like one thing I do like about
the USFL is their transactions are very transparent. Um you know, it's just
on Twitter, Like how were we finding out players players were announcing they were
getting signed or like you know, scrolling through the transaction page like that training
camp period was very frustrating for me as far as doing cuts and everything like
that. Um, there were so you know, the cashman Field thing.
I don't the cashman Field is not a positive in my mind. Um you
know, I'm a little I'm a little skeeved by this playoff thing because I
think and and this is me taking my bias as a Saint Louis guy out
of it, I mean, coming out your cave there, ubl um.
But uh, I'm a little schewed by it. I just wish there was
a little bit more like transparency and and just because I didn't know, you
know, what was going on as far as you know, it was a
very fluid situation. Something I think they could have did a little bit more
is embracing kind of the two thousand and one numbers I get like the connotation,
but like no one has a problem with Tommy Maddox from from the XFL
in two thousand and one or like Jeff Brown or whatever, like they have
a problem with Vince and NBC and that's fine, but like, you know,
some a little bit of the Vegas correlation for you know, the outlaws
and he hate me. I thought would have been cool. That's something,
and like that is one of my favorite things about like the USFL is like
now that like they got all the lawsuits behind them, like they brought some
of the stallions back for Week one, Like you know, I think it's
cool that like now there's like fluidity and I would have liked to seat at
it with the two thousand and one you know, like a J. McCarron
just threw more touchdowns and Tommy Maddox did and all that stuff like that would
have been cool to me. And I don't know what the reasoning is.
You know, it's not as public as like the lawsuit was with like the
eighties USFL to like twenty and twenty two, but like incorporating some more two
thousand and one stuff would have been cool. Yeah, I know, we
have Paul Reats on last week he's the USFL historian over the our sports central.
I don't that that doesn't do a lot for me, seeing like the
herschel Walker highlights on the US and on Twitter or whatever. But it's fine.
I mean, it is what it is like when they come out and
say this is the touchdown in Memphis in forty years. I don't it doesn't.
But I didn't live through that time. So maybe maybe if I lived
through that time, I would be a lot more excited about that. I
like it from a historical, like statistical point of view, and I think,
you know, so like like right now, obviously they played more games
in the eighties in the USFO, right like they played you know, eighteen
game seasons times three, you know, thirty fifty four games, right,
so it would take our quarterbacks five years to get to that point. But
like how cool you know you you put the you put the this the graphic
of you know, Chuck Chuck Fishina who was the Baltimore Stars guy against Case
Cooks if he were across like the career passing like because now now, in
my opinion, it shows like fluidity and transparency and whatnot. Not transparency,
It shows like length and culture of it because now it's like, well,
you know, it's not season because I hate when they say season two,
like it's not a TV show, it's the twenty twenty three season. I
think XFL three point zero is appropriate because there has been breaks and iterations and
changes, but it's not season two, Like I find that really cringe,
you know, especially with the lawsuit done. This is the fifth season of
the USFL, Like, like, I get it, but you know,
it's a big accomplishment to have a spring football league. But like, you
know, don't don't be doing the meme where like you're in third place losing,
you know, when the first place second place, Like I don't like
guys, like the season two thing is just too cringe for me. The
twenty twenty three like I never refer to it as season two in my articles,
like going into the twenty twenty three season. As we look to the
twenty twenty three season, like established, you guys are established? Do it?
Act like it? I see? I completely disagree, and that's really
funny. I I don't think Brian Woods and be a friend of the show.
I don't think. I don't think Brian Woods buying similar trademarks entitles them
today. I don't, I don't and I I whatever. I don't know
if that's a controversial take or not, but I would I would much rather
the USFL to do its own thing right now. And I'm probably wrong,
and everyone's watching it for nostalgia, but to me, it's been messy from
the start. It hinders it, it gets convoluted and all that. And
like, I don't care about the Memphis show boats, like you could call
them anything and play it back like I don't, I don't care. But
again, I did not live through that time, so I'm probably not the
one that asks. But do you agree with me as far as like the
continuity, as far as like the brand the branding of like case cook is
all time leader in in AH in passing yards for the startups. I don't
I think this. I think USFL. This isn't something I do. I
think, and I probably the XFL as well. It's different. I get's
totally different. It's like staff and what was the level of talent back then?
And they played all these different games roles like you're the stat guy and
not the one of the crusher dram Like I, yeah, I have a
hard time of like, uh, yeah, I think it's something. I
think it's there. I think they should be completely separate, but I certainly
appreciate the history of it and everyone that you're there. Maybe I'm maybe I'm
a tell tell me the chat and my wrong, Jared says, USFL serious
finality, Jesus, God, God forbid. Man, Like, you know,
I hope both of these leagues last for you know, until I don't
feel like covering football anymore. Man Like. Like that's the thing too,
is like I know I know some guys, not not players, but coaches
who they coach, you know, the like Jonathan Timeback is a perfect example,
you know what I mean, Like he does his own thing in the
fall coaches four months and then he's like and then he's like, dude,
I just made one hundred and fifty grand this year, you know what I
mean. Like, I don't know what the coaches get paid in the XFL
or USFL obviously not one hundred and fifty grand. But it's a good it's
a good side the hustle for them that, you know, continue to do
what they love. But um, you know, like it's a good side
hustle to what they do and you know, supplement their income and continue to
do what they love. Like being an NFL coach has a lot of demands,
Like you could still be a pro coach and see these dudes, uh,
you know, continue to progress and you know, like you know,
Beck Beck is going to be on the sidelines watching the Sun play or being
doing the Jets radio next. You know, so he's got he's got the
best of both worlds. And you know, Mike Riley gets to bring his
kid to be on the sidelines or his grandson, which I think is kind
of cool. Like a lot of people think that's plain. But my dad
was a firefighter. He used to take me to work. So take that
for word. It's worked. Well, that might be work. I didn't
go this is going this is the Canton and famle. Yeah, it's warmer,
it's definitely warmer. Yeah. I did like that we had that we
had to cut the pre cops pregnant life sitting out there in the freezing called
in Canton. I did like that. If if the other league did done
someone someone would be very vocal about, you know, Danny Garcia hating women.
Yeah, well this is like this is kind of my thing. Here
and need a lot of football. You're right to compare the eighties big money,
like it's not cringe, but like, yeah, they're they're paying.
It's it's the economy of scale and everything is. It's just it's really different.
But you had independent owners. So if I bought the show Boats and
I had my budget was eleven million dollars, I could go to whatever player's
house and be like, I would give you ten million dollars play for me,
and you know he'd probably say yeah, because one I am awesome and
too too, like you know, I'm giving him ten million dollars like they
could like all these all those teams were independently owned. You know, it
was haves and have and have nots for the league in the eighties. We
have I think I think we're mixed niture. I think it's I think we're
Some are saying we should talk, you know, some are saying that should
should Then I think it's good. All right, we're gonna get out of
here soon. Pat do do my cel C Dragons? Do we have a
chance against DC this weekend? I mean, of course you're in the You're
in the Northern Division playoffs. You know what I mean, um, I
mean you can't you can't count out you can't count out any of these teams
obviously any given Sunday type thing. Um, I'm slightly this is gonna sound
weird. I'm more intrigued to see the Renegades Roughnecks game because I want to
see the Louis Perez offense in full force and obviously Brandon starting. But I
might not. I don't want to say turn that game off, like it'll
be odd, but I might tune out of that game from like from like
an actually watching it after the first quarter to where the C Dragons game,
I'm gonna be like in depth the whole time, like I'm you know,
just just because it's you know, there's a little bit of probably not really
on my end, but the league's end animosity towards the C Dragons right now,
like the Defenders obviously a groom with the crop, but you know,
we know that it's gonna be sold out, and you know, how's Tayama
gonna do, Like you know, like they just released Requi Armstead, their
backup running back. So I'm very curious to see what's going on with that.
I mean, Denuci's hitting his stride. Uh, you know, Abram
Smith has like he I think in week eight he was at seven hundred and
seventeen yard seventeen yards. I think he finished the league the year and like
you know, seven to sixty or something, still the leading rusher of the
league, but like he had three opportunities, you know, kind of average
one hundred yards a game and go for a thousand. So very curious to
see what they got going on. They've expanded Dieri King's role a little bit,
um so that's kind of cool. But are they going to ride and
die with Tamo? Yeah? I think I think yeah, I think they
go back to Tamoo. I think that that. Yeah, I mean you
have to And and the gentleman Benjamin Terrek put it up as well, it's
like it's really hard to it's really hard to be the team three times in
a row. Like that's that's that's the comment right there for me, Like
you you know, yeah, it's it's like eventually, you know, and
I was talking to someone like about that during during the year. It's like,
yeah, you want to lose that second game like in the season,
because you know, if you're gonna play them in the in the playoffs.
You want to see what you did wrong and everything like that. So that's
my opinion. It might not be popular, but then like what do you
get better at? You know, you learn more from a loss than you
do from a win. Well, we're gonna get out of here. I
appreciate Pat spending over the hour today here on here, I appreciate it.
I will be in DC for the championship game. I'm flying in Saturday.
If yeah, I'm staying near the stadium, so if people are around,
or we can hang out Sunday whatever, but hit me up on Twitter.
I'll be I'll be sitting in the bar so we're drinking, probably watching the
watching the Saturday night game, and then um, yeah I should be in.
That should be good to be able to watch the Saturday Saturday night game
and they'd be there for Sunday. So stay hi at Pat. You know,
obviously check out Pat's YouTube. Pat, you know, analyze and educate
just a lot more like real football talk. I mean, I think we
always do a little bit more of the business of football on here in Pat.
Anything else you want to say about your YouTube channel. Now I'm doing
my quarterback rankings. That's kind of my big thing. I have some interviews
that I'm doing as well, um, you know, and I did an
interview with Clint Sig of the Gamblers, Mike Glass of the of the excuse
me of the Alouettes, and then Terry Myrick of the Panthers. Um.
I got some guests lined up for after the season. Um, you know,
nothing, nothing, you know. My My thing is is I like
to be in a person, which person with them, So you know that's
kind of my thing, you know, pop his in in and then just
kind of go with these guys, you know, because obviously I'm sponsored by
Zinn. But yeah, you know, I got some interviews coming up,
quarterback rankings coming out tomorrow for the USFL and xfl um and then you can
find me on fl QB talk, which is ironic. At this point,
you might need a new handle, Pat, You might need a new handle
at this point, I do, honestly, I don't know how to change
it. It just changed it to like bearded path or something. I think
you would get. I think you get a lot more attraction if it was.
I think you should change your handle at some point. Yeah, I
mean I think I need to. I don't know. We can we can
make a pole and uh we can make a pole and see it get you
know, uh hijacked. But uh yeah, I mean NFL QUB talk as
of today and uh you know, analyze and educate for the YouTube. So
you know, as always read, thank you for having me come on the
show. You know, Andy is obviously doing God's work out there. Yeah,
I guess I didn't preface out off the top. I'm so sorry Andy
traveling. I'm that horrible. I was too tired this morning. I was
very tired after we had many reindeers yesterday at the game. But Andy,
my partner in crime for our show, I feel so terrible. Now I
have a show with that. Andy, my partner in crime, is traveling.
Andy, I think was doing some basketball parties down in Arizona and now
is headed to Japan. Andy will be back for the championship game. We
will be live in San Antonio. Still figure out the location for that,
but we will be doing that. Make sure you like and subscribe. Hit
the like button on this given the way at this point two tickets maybe to
the USFL Championship game. Didn't quite hit the thirty five hundred in the XFL
season, but whenever that comes about, you'll get two tickets of your choice,
so appreciate everyone's support. With that, we will get out of here.
And yeah, it should be a good games next weekend, so we'll
see you guys. SIMP