This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Ja Gonzalez on Fox Sports
fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions kat z
R two SA at iHeartRadio Station. Okay, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome
to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera.
We don't have Jagan Zaliz in today. He's not feeling well. If
you listened yesterday, he was starting to feel a little under the weather and
now he's out for the day. So I have my guy Kevin here today
to run the board, talk a little sports, talk a lot of sports
with a couple of great guests. Later in the show, Kevin, how
are you. I'm good. Good. It was a good break. It
was a long enough break, cold break, but yeah, you was back
to Saint Louis. I did Saint Louis and Saint Louis soon, Louis.
I've been there at time or two, very cold at the same year.
It was only only snowed once. Yeah, no one, Yeah, now
it's going you love just in time. Hey, bad game last night or
a good game for you? I guess Yeah. I had a bet on
Michigan with our friends and DraftKings. But yeah, it was it was a
It was a little bit of a slow game at points. Yeah, from
the late to the second quarter to the third. Yet, Yeah, we
were talking about it and we were trying to decide whether it was Washington not
looking so good or if it was Michigan looking so good. Right, right,
they made Washington look like so so re imposed this question and we'll get
into that in a second. Uh, if they played ten times, what
would be the differential eight to two? That's what I thought too. That's
because you won't see a bad Washington like this again. But they're not good
enough to be in Michigan. And I didn't realize how good Michigan was given
they hadn't really plaid a whole lot, but they were prepared obviously, they
had some studs. And their quarterback is so stable. He's not flashy,
he's stable. And again I say this all time, what else do you
need in a quarterback is guy who just does the job, stability and a
levelheadedness. Almost right. I did think it was interesting that that he looked
a little shaky after his first three completions. He went three for three and
then over four, and I was like, oh, this is good.
He didn't complete very many passes. He didn't need to. What did you
go like ten for eighteen? Yeah, he didn't need to. They ran.
They were man. Those first touchdowns were like, are they going to
stop them? We were talking about it last night. We were watching we
were watching the game. I said it in the group chat. I was
like, they're just Michigan is too massive in the trenches. They're too big
defensive line and too solid on the offensive line, and it's proving At that
point it was looking like a blowout. I think it was early in the
first quarter that I said that. But you know, did you when you
were watching Washington and I was surprised that the Panics that played so poorly,
but not really given that Michigan played the was all over him. Uh midway
through the fourth quarter, late in the fourth quarter, I'm thinking, Man,
it's a bad look. I don't know, I don't know what people
wrote today or last night. In a sense, it's a bad look that
he was left in the game late and he was you could hardly move.
Yeah, I mean, did you think that. I thought it was it
was gutsy of him to play the way that he but he probably wanted to
play obviously. I think Ennix looked a lot more hampered out there, but
I kind of reminded me of Justin Fields that one year where he clearly had
a rib thing. Uh, And I believe when Ohio State might have been
clemsing there playing against but he was getting laid up, and I was like,
Wow, this kid has some guts to him. And I felt the
same way about Penix. That video of him leaving the field limping back to
the locker room was honestly really sad to see, but it kind of shows
how the whole Washington team got treated in that game, right. I was
telling the person I was with that that he had lost he had lost some
money last night, last week, last week, and you can't just judge
a dude on one game. Like last week he was over the top and
fantastic and everyone said, who is this dude? In fact, somebody said
to me on the text one of our listeners said, tell Jaya resend his
Heisman vote from Penix. Wow, because because he was so good and Jay
all week was like people needed to know that they didn't see him play.
And then he had this clunker of a game. But you're allowed. I
mean, you know, I don't walk on water. You walk on water.
Who walks on water? So you're not gonna have a game like that
every game. And I didn't think I didn't think he looked awful last night.
But I do think that Michigan showed some holes in how to speed up
his processing and how to make him look a little more confused. But even
when they were speeding him up, he was still able to There was that
call where they had the holding in the end zone, he pointed it out
and still delivered an absolute beam to the end zone. Yeah, and so
I think there's some there were some simmers in there. There were some things
that they're holding. Call when he when he did fundy connect on a guy
seventy three, I think was called for holding that wide open paths was horrible
when he overthrew shot him that would have kept him in the game, that
would have give him a chance. So there were so many things that could
have happened, but not enough for them to win because Michigan was so good
all around defensive of the offensively, I mean, I thought the surprise of
obviously the surprise of the whole first half was Edwards for Michigan. The two
forty yard touchdown runs the second and third longest touchdown runs in college football National
championship history. Yeah, first was Derek Henry. No surprise there. Yeah,
but yeah, I thought. I thought Blake korm put on a great
performance at cap off his career. He did the still running back to the
small running back. Yeah, two touchdowns one hundred and thirty four yards,
which is ridiculous. Yeah. I think overall, Michigan just showed it really
flexed their muscle last night. I think, yeah, yeah, no question
he moved that. So we can have two eyes on this. If you
guys want to call us, we have about ten minutes five to two oh
four one six seventy forty. Give us a call if you want to join
you in the show. Jay is out for the day seeing if he's getting
better with his voice. Steve to you to your point, Michael Pennix,
guess how many attempts he had last night? Forty something? Didn't he north?
Fifty something? Fifty one fifty one, So maybe the graphic I saw
was like he was twenty seven for forty eight or whatever it was. And
then he had he had three more after that, and he was he was
getting torched a lot of times. That was supposed to be the best offensive
line in the in the college game, but by that time they were probably
saying, you know, I've had enough of this. Yeah, and they
were getting they were getting manhandled for a little bit. I think, I
think you can only take so many gut punches before you got it just and
he was literally gone getting good punch with that ri rib of his guard.
Yeah. And then number seven, I can't remember Crawford, I can't remember
his name. Number seven, the running back, he was John Johnson.
That you're right Johnson, he was, Yeah, he was I think from
the start. I think I think they said that he had some fluid in
his need at like burst. There's fluid sacing need a burst, and so
he's been playing through that. But he was visibly Yeah, he couldn't.
He couldn't go as well either, But you know they got there. You
know, the Pac twelve could have had a champion of Michigan was just too
tough. The storyline all year. I thought it was kind of strange,
but uh, poetic justice too, right. They they're accused of a lot
of things all year. Uh, he's suspended for least six games, and
then they win the title. How do you think that the coverage has been
host and slash will be going forward for this team? Like what do you
think there? I don't know, Uh, the team that wanted with an
asterisk because we're not clear really on what the full story is. I think
they're still investigating, right, they still think they are, but I think
it's unrelated to what Connor Stallions. Okay, it's related to because I think
if you remember, they were investigating a laptop that had nothing to do with
Michigan. Oh, that was previous to the whole Well, they let go
of an assistant coach, right, one of the defensive coordin internactions. His
name has been linked at Arizona Football in terms of possibly coming here, no,
possibly coming here now Stallion Stallions was was uh and that was just maybe
the internet type of thing. But we'll see, I guess where they're smokes
fire and we'll see what comes of it. But it's a year of controversy
and the controversial team wins it all. Yeah, I mean it was it
was. It was kind of a shame because we were talking about it went
at the height of the controversy as well. It's a shame for the players
because they actually probably were the best team. But yeah, they'd be a
bust the rest and become the best team. I didn't maybe I didn't watch
them often enough, but they really struggled against some teams and some teams they
didn't and here they were winning and winning, and they beat the heck out
of Washington. Last night I got a text from one of my friends last
night that told me that they think that if Georgia had made it, and
they would have, if Georgia would have probably maybe probably. I still liked
Oregon. Oregon couldn't do what it couldn't beat Washington, so they didn't deserve
to be there. But Georgia did look very, very strong. I just
think they're that good. They probably would have beat Alabama, right, especially
after how Alabama booked Georgia or yeah, yeah, probably Yeah. Three time
champion Michigan State handles Ohio State this year, Georgie should handle Alabama, that's
my opinion. Michigan State in Michigan, Yeah, Michigan, right, so
a good game. I want to call and talk to us about that.
The trying feel free. Anything else going on, we'll talk more about that.
We have to get this ice out of my mouth. Marquise Flowers,
former u of A linebacker who's a former NFL guy. He's been pretty vocal
on Twitter. I wanted to see if he can come on, and he
said yeah, So he'll be on in about three fifteen, three seventeen,
talking all things u A football, his career, things like that, maybe
last night's game, the state of Nil, the college game, and he'll
be fun to talk to. I haven't seen talk to him, and since
he's been gone to the NFL and now he's retired, and then we're gonna
have Brian Peabody. He's been a guest before a time or two and they're
an unknown success right now. They're like fourteen to fifteen and one at Pima,
killing the heck out of people and scoring a lot of points in the
process. I ran into him last week before you a basketball game and said
he came to come on. He said, sure, let's let's do this.
So he's coming on talking about the success of his basketball program. So
there you have it. So that's what I'm looking forward to. Jay's out,
got Kevin in today. Did you sorry interrupted? Did you see they
released the final poll? Yeah? Yeah, Iton on number eleven, number
eleven, I didn't highest ranking since nineteen ninety eight, right when they were
fourth, I think, right? Is that right? I didn't see that.
Yeah, I didn't see the poll. I didn't see the complete poll.
If you can find it, go ahead and do it. But I
posted something on Facebook. You know, I have the complete po go ahead,
go ahead. Michigan one, Washington to Georgia, Texas, Alabama at
five, Florida State at six, Oregon number seven, Missouri number eight,
well, miss number nine, Ohio State ten, and then our Arizona Wildcats
at number eleven. Just want ahead of jayde and Daniels and Lsu. Yeah,
no, I think that's fair. I think that's fair. Georgia jumped
into number four five four, Georgia number three three did jumped out for Alabama
five. Yeah, so the people that maybe Georgia would have been able to
handle, and then Missouri came in at what's seven, eight eight? So
that's pretty good for them too, Awesome. They're like, yeah, sure,
they're like Arizona kind of under the radar and they had a great year.
Yeah, I've been talking to my friends at Miszoo all the time about
that there are a lot of similarities or two programs this season. In a
way, Miszoo was like one of the lowest ranked teams in the SEC preseason,
and then Eli drink Witz has this almost dream season right for them.
He's a funny coach, he's a good coach. He's a goof. Yeah,
he's a good coach, right right, right, right, he's like
a dude coach was not willing to do I think he showed up to someone
high school game in a helicopter. Yeah, he's a dude. Yeah.
Something used to do that. Yeah, how did that go? You know,
someone didn't get Luther Burton on the team, you get anybody on the
team. Yeah, but yeah, I think there are some stilarious Missoo and
Arizona. But we'll see if that ends after this season, right right,
So you'll be done with this year and then you'll have the pride of the
football team when you're gone. Exactly when they could be, you know,
they could do all seventy. They'll probably be in the top ten at some
point next year. Strong be very very capable of being in the top twelve
overall. To get in the playoffs. I think there's some projections of them
at four. My new bracket's going to be really fun. Yeah, I'm
interested to see the discourse around the teams at thirteen and fourteen next year.
I'm not saying it's going to be as big of a controversy as the one
it's a fourteen. No, No, that's interesting. There's always going to
be that discomfort with there's always that looking basketball when you have sixty nine to
seventy, when you have sixty eight teams, you know, we deserve to
be in. We deserve to be in. You know how many teams deserve
to be in? A lot? Yeah, it depends on you. Yeah,
and twelve is an odd number to be I think sixteen would be perfect
because it's the sweet sixteen. Yeah. Yeah, easier bracket to look at.
I never thought about it that way. I don't know why twelve made
sense on its face to me. I think it's a big enough expansion to
where I was like, well, at least we're twelve, right Yeah,
yeah, no, No, Eventually, eventually before you turn thirty, it'll
be sixteen. Might they might be just experimenting with it how it goes right,
and if it involves money, they'll do it. They'll do it.
The NFL by the time on fifty is gonna be playing twenty five games.
Betien, you're fifty. Yeah, okay, you'll be fifty. That's I'll
be long gone, dude. It's not my problem or the players problem,
right right, They'll be making a ton of money to to fit in that
size of size of a season. Okay, let's what time is it?
Three to fifteen. Let's take a break now and then come back and try
to reach out out to more keys, flowers, see you good, love
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today. This is High on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio while just
Surgery I on the Ball. Hey, welcome back to the ball here on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Vera. Jay's out today. We got
Kevin working the machines and we have we have we're having an issue with the
phone. I'm not sure what's going on. We have him on the line,
but we can't hear him here. I'm not too sure. Can you
hear me now? Can you give us a try? Marquise? Yeah,
Oh, here we go. Yeah, now we can hear you. That's
fantastic. Hey, great to hear from you. Marquis. How are you.
I'm good. How about you? We're doing well. We're doing well.
I see you or see your stuff on Twitter all the time. I
says, I gotta have Marquis on because he's a former cat who's very opinionated.
I like it. Oh yeah, man, Yeah, I'm opinion I
still use Twitter like it's twenty eleven. So some people, you know,
kind of take advance of that, but I'm always be me. No,
No, that's cool. That's cool. And in fact, you're a big
advocate for the UA football program trying to convince guys that to take a try
on Arizona. Absolutely absolutely, because I mean it's still a brotherhood, it's
a family, you know. I just want to, you know, see
U of a flourish. I don't get no money for that. That U
of AD didn't ask me to do. That's just something that I want to
do because you know, I think it's U of a what's happening right now.
I think it's special. You know, guys want to be a part
of something special. I mean it's hard for me to recruit because I didn't
come I didn't come out during the nil and all the other stuff. So
I'm just trying to get them with, you know, stuff that guys like
to do, from poor parties to cheaper hud just stuff that you know,
everything ain't got to be about money. So you know, I'm trying to
go a different way. But clearly I need some work because you know I
haven't got one. I slid one yet. Sure No, In fact,
you're like Gronk, you know the pool parties. That's the first thing get
on the line, which makes total sense obviously here in the summer and in
the great months. What what does Arizona mean to you? Or what did
it mean to you when you were here and then when you're not here because
now you're grad I mean it meant I mean when I was there. I
mean, like I said, like I see the interview that the want I
don't want to mess the name up for Irbie the Irby after the game in
it, and I think it's spot on. It's the same thing, the
culture or the family, the brotherhood. You know, I still talk to
a lot of guys that played did I play with at u of A and
and even the past guys before me, they played that you know, came
to help out. And I think it's a misconcession that a lot of alumni
doesn't care about the program, because I'll tell you a lot of alumni,
we all care about the program and you know, and hope the pro program
does well. So it's a it's a big thing. Obviously, I'm a
grad now it scares me a little bit. I'm getting old, right,
U sounds like yesterday we were all at U of A. But I mean,
same thing, same passion for watching these guys play, watching these guys
go win, and how hard they're working to turn the program around. It's
amazing. Yeah, yeah, no question. And you've done a great job
during school and now post school. You have a question, Kevin, Yes,
and Marky's I saw on Twitter. Excuse me, I saw on Twitter
that you said that Arizona should be in the top ten. I agree that
we're a top ten caliber team, but I was wondering of the schools above
us, which I'll give to you in a second. You don't have my
top of your mind. Which school do you think we have the better resume
than the schools above us? Are old? Miss Miszoo, Oregon and Ohio
State. Honestly, you know, I did look at the schools before.
There's some pretty good We're up there with some pretty good schools. But that's
the thing media. I think the AP just goes off of the past history
and the prestige of the schools throughout the years. It's a good thing,
though, because once the media kind of gets on and starts, you know,
showing too much love, that's when you know, it's easy to get
distracted. So I would say out of that list though, based off what
we did this season. That's why I think they need to base it off
of this season, obviously winning the last seven and being two overtime losses away
from being twelve and one. I like we should be in the time.
I don't care who they move out the way, but they need to will
probably pitch State, get them out of there, put us in there,
but them programs are going to be good. It doesn't it doesn't matter because
twenty four season started. Don't matter where you at, it's about where you
finished. So it's gonna be a fun year, yeah, no, no
question. Uh. And next year I think a few We're gonna talk about
that later. That Arizona looks to be projected to be in the top ten
to start the year. Oh yeah, yeah, there's all these different the
ap all that. Once the season started, Arizona just got to focus on
their selves. I mean, they're gonna be in some big games, They're
gonna have some close games. Every team is going to go through adversity,
even the teams in the top. But I think it's a great thing for
Coast football because, like I said, back when I played, it was
like you lost one game and it was like your CV, any dreams or
national champions or anything, it's over. You have to go to the next
thing. Okay, well we want to go to a BCS bo uls lose
two games, that's probably out out of it. So it was like,
I think it's a lot better. You know that these guys don't got to
be extremely perfect. You know, they're not looking for perfection. So a
twelve team playoff, I think it's gonna be fun. I think cost football
getting better. The transferport was a little shaky. I'm not gonna lie,
but you know, what can you do. You got to just go through
it and let it evolve. Sure, sure, you sound like an old
dude, back in my day, you were just here. What are you
talking about? Yeah, well, I'm old man, I'm feeling I'm starting
feeling there. I think they have posted because I played in an All American
game, they had posts they just posted. Maybe feel even more old.
The last selections from Arizona and All American was the first one on the list
all the way down in twenty ten. I'm like, am I really that
old? Yeah? So yeah, start start to catch up with me.
So when you played here not too long ago, what were you thinking?
And you obviously a bet on yourself because you had this, you had this
career here and then you had a pretty good life in the NFL. Absolutely
absolutely, I thought, you know, in the NFL, I'm not I
wish I would have been able to do more. Obviously that has out of
my control. You got to go somewhere where you know, you know,
everything on lines in place. But I gave it my all, and uh,
it was a good career. But I mean, you of a man,
that's that's gonna be one of the most fun times of you know,
my life. It was a hard decision. It was a big decision.
I had family pulling me one way, family wanted me to go to s
C. Notre Dame, the big name schools. But you know, I
made that choice for me. I made that choice for me and I and
I and I still to this days tell everybody I made the right choice because
there was nothing like it. There was nothing like being at u of a
working with the guys competing. Obviously, I went through a coaching change,
yeah, and and everything, and it taught me how to just deal with
with adversity even more so, I'm not one of them guys who just wants
to go to the top school because of their top school. Oh we're gonna
play in national championship, don't. I don't like I don't. That's just
not me. It's never been me, you know. So I wanted to
go to a school where you got to earn it, you gotta work for
it, because that it just makes it that much better. Right. No,
And and you could possibly be considered part of the foundation because look at
where you're at now, at least with the with the program. How are
you been by or back since Fish has taken over? And you must liked
that He's he's involving all the X guys. Absolutely, I think coach Fish
is doing a hell of a job. Man. I did go back to
one spring to a spring game, and that's when it was like I think
it was Jetfishes, maybe right right after the one and eleven season, and
you know, the alumni really wasn't sure if we were welcome or not.
And I see that more and more they're starting to see that he's welcome the
alumni. And I'm a part of it happening. But I think everybody who
played that U obey is a part of it. Even the guys like Teddy,
Bruce Ki and Lance Brigg, everybody, Uh, you know, Bobby
Wade, these guys, you know, they used to come and talk to
us when we when I was at u of AA, guys come get on
us when we were you know, letty games like Stanford Slipperwhay, they coming
and yelling at us because that's how much they care about the program. I'm
just more open with it and on Twitter. But I'm telling you all the
alumni, they really do care about the program. So my my handed it
is just as much as theirs. Man. We all we all put the
work in for for this, for something like this, and Jeff Fish is
doing an amazing job. Man. I hope, he continued, how we
could keep him at Arizona, and I hope Arizona could become a powerhouse.
Yeah, well they're other way. This first, this first big year for
Arizona in a long time, since since rich Rod's twenty fourteen year when they
you know, were played in the Festival. Oh, absolutely absolutely, And
rich Rod was a great coach and that was a great time. And even
Stuts had some great, great times and some great we was I remember Rod
came to the game when I was coming out of high school when they played
Oregon to honestly go play in a Rose Bowl and it was a close game
and they and we were and they were closed. So there's some There's been
some you know, really special seasons at u of A. But yeah,
this season, man, it was I'm proud of all all of them.
I mean because of adversity, the hard work. I mean, like I
said, we're two overtime, overtime losses away from being twelve and one.
So and then we played the team that just a national chance that we played
them all the way to the end of the game, and and I honestly
think that we would have beat them if they played in the Pacto tile like
they should have, right, right, So you played for Stoops and rich
Trod? Who are you two? Two? Yes? Yeah? How was
that? How was that transition? Because you had two dudes who were probably
excitable, you know Stoops on the sideline, rich Rod just just as excitable.
But how was the transition for you? I know, Jake Fisher,
who we have on the show a lot. Uh, it played for both
of them too. Yeah, So you know, the transition is always I'm
not gonna lie, it's always a little scary because you don't know, you
know, every time a new coach come in, you think to yourself,
you don't want to bring in his guys, and he man, I liked
us, and and I think for me it was a little different for me
than the other guys because I actually had an offer from rich Rod when he
was at Michigan. We could turned it down to go to U of A.
So when I was I hope you don't come in like, uh,
yeah, I'm gonna get you back for that. But you know, rich
Rod was really cool and we talked about it, and I think the little
difference was there was a little difference between rich Rod and Stoops. You know,
Stoops obviously committed to stupid love Suit's way he coached. He was more
defensive minded, he was more pro style. Rich Rod came in. He's
more offensive mind. And I mean his offense was a yeah, his offense
was we had to practicet married At the first thing, he told me,
like, they go fast, and he says, since we go fast on
offense, y'all gotta be ready to go fast on defense because y'all need to
play against us. So, I mean, probably the best shape I I've
been in in my life playing with rich Rod, And you know, I
learned a lot from that staff and Stoop's staff too. But yeah, it's
definitely scary when when coaches, but when new coaches come in, so will.
I don't wish that on nobody, but it's out of your control.
For the guys that all stayed, we stayed, we bought in, and
we start having good season. And I wasn't surprised in twenty fourteen when when
rich Rod and nowm played in the Fiesta Bowl, because that team was they
worked hard in the off season, they trained hard to start. The conditioning
program was unbelievable and the only thing I regretted is I should have restrated my
freshman year and I told him would have been right there with him. And
that's a year, right right right? Well yeah, well you see that.
You can kind of look back in your career. But you had good
NFL. How many years were you in? Four or five? Six?
Six years? Six years? So that's not that's nothing to sneeze. I
mean, that's a good life. Oh no, absolutely absolutely, you know,
the brotherhood. I think the biggest part of the first year out of
college. You always I'm in I stayed in contact with all the guys that
you know, the Jordan grand and uh, you know, Jordan Grant is
her main you know, I knew school being all them, you know.
So when they're playing, I'm watching, I'm texting them like, hey man,
we got you got got this that so but uh but no, I
definitely won't take nothing doubt. I'm definitely blessed and being able to be a
six round pick and you know, and make rosters and play for six years.
It is no small feat. Yeah, no questions, did you this
is maybe a dumb question shot because I should know this. So six year
comes, you finish your sixth year. Do you call your own shot or
does someone say, sorry, you can't, You're not good enough to play
here anymore. I think it's just a little bit of the NFL. It
was more business now. I call my own shot. Didn't walk away from
it just because I just me. I'm a guy. I like to be
comfortable. And one thing I hated was, you know, I'm going out
here and I'm giving it my all. I'm having really good training camps.
It's out of my control. I'm getting cut for money reasons, reasons,
don't even got nothing to do for football, and then move into a whole
new city, a whole new state. For me, it just kind of
got exhausted, and I'm like, man, I'm missing I got kids.
At the time, I had three kids, and I'm like, I'm missing
out on my kids. My kids is growing up fast. So you know
what. Mentally I wasn't right either met I. Mentally I wasn't right.
After I left the Patriots, I you know, went into this dark place
where I figured that, you know, I had to be this you know
person that I'm really not. Man, I had to be this asshole person,
and I just didn't like what I was becoming, so I had to
walk away from it, and but I gave it my off, and I
had some really good training because I played for some really good coaches. I
learned a lot and I'll never forget the two ian seventeen season with the Patriots.
I mean, that was probably my funest year because Bill Belichick came and
got me from Cincinnati and let me and he used my athletic ability, right,
you know, And and that's when I have the best seasons. You
know, same thing Jessica still did and rich Rod. I got in extreme
shape and that's why I was able to play at a high level that year.
But I think it's just, you know, once your contract years up
and it really becomes a business. Yeah, no question, no question.
And I wasn't ready for that. Far a lot of pressure. So you
you you were teammates with Gronk for a couple of years. Yeah. I
was teamates with Gronk for one year. And it was actually cool because when
I came into Arizona, Gronk actually left, and then when I was in
the locker room when they traded for me in New England, Gronk actually stopped
to talk to me. So we really didn't know each other beside. He
was like, hey man, you went to U of A. He was
He was always say, I never played with a u of AA wildcat on
the roster. He I couldn't wait to play with the u of BA Wildcat.
Yeah, so Gronk was really cool. You know, played with him
that year. Practice with him, went all the way to the Super Bowl,
you know, came up short, but it was it was a good
year. I told Bronk, tell Phil, does they need more U of
A guys on the roster? Every time they got a U of A guy
on they go to the Super Bowl? Right right right? Well, him
and Fisher pretty good friends. So so how was it playing for Belchick?
I mean it was great. It was great. I mean he's talking about
one of the not even one of the in my opinion, the greatest coach
Min's were in the game. The way he understands football, the way he
simplifies it for the players. I learned so much from from Coach Belichick,
and that was another reason why I I was definitely able to have success that
season or helped that and help help the team, you know, get all
the way to the Super Bowl. Obviously, you got the great Tom Brady
on the other side, but Belichick, he stayed on us, and the
leadership on that team was unbelievable. I learned a lot. I think I
grow to the player life from that one year. You know, I knew
I learned a lot, and I knew I got a lot better because after
that I went to Detroy. I wasn't, you know, right Mintal.
I told the trait to let me go. But when I went to the
Redskins and had that training camp with the Redskins, I mean I was It
was one of my best training camps. Guys couldn't block me. So I
learned a lot from the Patriots and I had to I had to give them
that. I didn't realize how much I learned from them in the game of
football. But yeah, I was out there making, making and causing a
lot of problems. So for someone who wasn't supposed to be doing that,
I was out there making a lot of plays. Right, So we got
about a minute left here. What are you doing now? What's up to
you? Besides being a crazy Twitter guy? Crazy Twitter guy? Just working
on myself, working on myself. Man, when you play football for twenty
years, there's some stuff that doesn't really fit well in the road where I'm
still transitioning and still trying to work on myself and you know, just become
a better husband, better father. I got some projects I'm trying to start,
like a little Peril backpack. I wanted to start at u Obey,
So we'll see if that kicks up. But right now, more mostly just
working on myself and trying to try to become a better, better person and
keep growing and keep with suing. Well, very nice, Well, good
luck to you. I appreciate you coming on the show. We probably call
you every now and again when he gets hot and heavy next year in football,
Oh yeah, call me when it gets out of heavy. Yeah,
you know, I'm gonna have some hot takes for you and some that's we
welcome. Good stuff folks there down and thank you for having me on the
show. R that's my guy man. Call me Jake Fisher on the show.
We got some good stories for you. Okay, great, will thank
you every Friday. Thank you, Buch. Marquis, take care. Marquis
Flowers, former UO a football player. Pretty honest dude, pretty straightforward,
authentic. Yeah yeah, yeah, which is cool, Which is great for
the show. Okay, let's take a quick break here and come back.
I'm glad we got him on the phone. Yeah, that was a little
bit weird if you have some struggles gettinghim on the phone. Yeah, okay,
thank you talking about now saying and that I swea a man's basketball fan.
You know, it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now take a
look back at the Ludelsen era. In my new book, Lessons from Loot.
It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players,
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Salas they have their Eye on the Ball on Tucson Sports Stage Chat Fox Sports
fourteen to fifteen. Hey, welcome back to I'm ball here on Fox Sports
fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Roberta. He's Kevin Thomas. How go to?
Said Jake as Low as pro g Jay is out today not feeling well,
so he just take a day off. Hopefully he'll be back tomorrow. But
we're gonna talk more about UA football and the future of UA football. It
was great to have Marquise on though, to talk about his life and what's
going on with him. Looks like he's trying to get something straight. Thank
you for coming on. So let's go with the top ten. Yeah,
top ten. Was anybody else in the top twenty anything interesting? I didn't
go that far. I didn't go that deepest interesting like new additions to the
rankings. I thought Kansas Washington's eleven. Yeah, That's why I was gonna
say. Washington being eleven was kind of interesting. Kansas and Kansas State both
being ranked interesting. Utah is thirteen, and I know that Jay and I
talked about this, have talked about it a few times now that they're going
to the Big twelve, that Utah could be the favorite to win it all
next year with the cam Raising returning. But nationally or at least, people
are thinking that Arizona might even be higher than that because there are nine Utah's
thirteen. Yeah, and Utah is losing a lot of players as well,
Yeah, during this offseason. So they're thirteen, Oklahoma's fifteen, Florida State
sixteen, Oklahoma State eighteen, they're in that league too. Obviously. Let's
see who else isn't it Kansas State twenty one, Louisville, Kansas twenty three.
Uh, okay a Kansas twenty three. Uh? And so you know,
you don't everyzon has to be a chance to winning the title in that
league. They do it should it should be actually a more interesting league than
I think we at first might think. Yeah, right, so go ahead
and do what you're gonna do with a top ten and then uh or or
nine down? All right? So starting at number ten, we have the
Notre Dame fighting Irish, which I think is interesting. That team could be
good again next year. I know they're losing offensive lineman Joe Alts to the
NFL draft, uh, Sam Hartman, Audric estime h players like that.
But I mean they add Riley Leonard. They really I don't know if they're
gonna try to shore up that that hole that Joe alt leaves. But I
think Riley Leonard is a good enough quarterback to help Notre Dame kind of stay
where they are. And uh, yeah, it's not a bad that's not
a bad ten pick. Now number nine we know is the Arizona Wildcats.
We do keep Fafita and McMillan, which I think is the main right,
Yeah, without question, the mak the main point here. We do lose
Jordan Morgan, Cowing, Wiley, McLaughlan, Manoa, and Upshaw, So
we do lose some key players, but I think keeping our quarterback and wide
receiver duo intact just and the way that we've been recruiting really just gives us
opportunity to continue our growth in the next year. I actually think we could
be ranked one higher because the next team is the Missouri Tigers, which we've
already talked about a little bit. They also look promising coming into next year,
but they also lose their defensive coordinator to LSU, and they lose theirer
with the number one rusher in the country outside of Blake korn Is, Cody
Schrader. They lose him as well and a couple of other key players for
their defense. So their defense might not look the same, their offense might
not look the same. We're gonna have to see how they bounce back next
year. All miss at number seven, Yeah, they're always you don't know.
With Lane Kiffin there, you just don't know how good they're gonna be.
Could be very good, exciting or not. Yeah, and a bad
year would be like three four losses, which is not a bad thing.
But with him, you just don't know what you're gonna get. It's different
than the sec. A isn't offensively right. Offensively, he's a dynamite.
Defensively, you know, sometimes not so much. I thought this was interesting.
Number six is the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines. They lose a ton
of players, starting quarterback JJ McCarthy. They could lose both running backs Corn
and Edwards, as well as Zach Ziner, who broke his leg I believe
in that Ohio State game, as well as Roman Wilson and Mike saint Istril.
So a ton of big play guys Michigan is losing. They also might
lose their head coach. Still undecided on that. Some say he's surely doing
one thing or the other. We don't know yet. But they are behind
their rival Ohio State, who is ranked number five. But they lose Marvin
Harrison and Kyle McCord, but they add Will Howard. What do you think
about Ohio State being ranked above Michigan. Well, because the coach has to
kind of finally come through for years. You know that when you were young
man, Michigan couldn't beat Ohio State for a long time until I was slightly
older. Yeah, well a couple of years ago, right, Yeah,
And now they've kind of dominated that series here. So that's how would they
become who they become. They finally booked through that and now they're playing in
the International Championship Game. And last year they could have won too. They
lost the playoffs right a semi final game. Yeah. Yeah. Number four
Alabama Crimson Tide who went twelve and two and eight to zero in the SEC
West this season. They lose some players like Cooley McKinstry, Terry On Arnold,
and Dallas Turner, but they do pick up some decent transfer and recruit
players Alabama always does. Oregon another former Pac twelve team coming in in the
top three, and I think this is this They're they're where they're at top
three for one reason. It's the quarterback. They got a good quarterback in
the Oklahoma kid Who's who? Gabriel who decided to go right there right away
after knowing that their quarterback was gonna be gone, and you found himself in
a great spot and we'll see what happens. Tom Organs. Organ's always good,
I should say always, but they're consistently good. Yeah. Organ always
gets gets good recruits and good I mean now good transfers. I'm sure though.
Yeah. And and the coach is a good I think he's a pretty
good coach. He's a fiery dude, but not in a bad way.
Yeah. Did you see they had him won the national championship? Yeah,
halftime. I thought that's what I didn't. I watched it and I saw
I didn't hear him talk a bunch. They pretty much just asking him about,
you know, his experience playing against Washington. He thinks each team should
do and he's probably saying, how come that they couldn't have played like that
against me? I think he didn't mention something. I don't want to misquote
him, but I think that was thrown out there. Number two Texas Longhorns
with a quarterback, Yeah, with Archie Manning and Quinn Yours because Queen you
wereers, he's staying right. Apparently he's undecided. We don't know if he's
going coming or going Okay, so that's that probably weighs into it. And
then number one Georgia again, Yeah, as usual as usual, So I
mean, not too too many surprises in that list. There's interesting storylines for
sure, Arizona Missouri probably being the two biggest ones. The biggest storylines,
I mean, I think, I do think Michigan is still the biggest only
because they're the national champion and their head coach might not come back. Sure,
so I think until that's resolved, and coaching matters. If there's anything
that I realized in this job, coaching matters. I mean, you could
have a good team, but if your coach is not very good, your
team's not gonna be very good because they have to play for a guy that's
that they respect that they're not that not that they fear the guy, but
they play hard for the guy. I want to make them proud or want
to do execute what they've been practicing on right right, Because if you have
a dude who's who's a good guy, Uh can you know he's good to
the media, sometimes they don't play hard for him because they don't think they
have to, and then you have a mediocre team. I was I forget
where I heard it, but they were talking about the similarity between the Harballs
and Pete Carroll. As you know Super Bowl the National Champion winners. I
know Harbor didn't win it, but he was close. And they were talking
about how you have to be a special kind of coach to connect with both
thirty six year old right and eighteen year old no question. And I think
that's kind of what we're touching on, is like the ability to not only
coach, but connect and motivate. Because once you're in the league, I
feel like motivation gets different. But it's now your job, so you show
up and do your job, no question, But motivating eighteen to twenty year
olds is totally different. Well that no, remember back in just four years
ago. Now you have kids who are getting paid, who are getting paid.
Now, that's a different dynamic. You know, I've said this to
a couple of coaches, how do you how do you connect with the player
that's getting paid to fifty five five hundred thousand if not more? And they're
gonna say to you in their mind, maybe they won't say directly, shut
the hell up. I mean, don't tell me how to play. I'm
here. They're paying me this money for a reason. Well, and you
say that, And I was thinking for a long time students and student athletes
that grew up like I want to go to this school. Yeah, because
that's my school. I love that logo, whether it's you know, the
block A, the block M, whatever, it is, the Tiger whatever.
But now, if you're getting paid to go somewhere, you don't necessarily
have that built in desire to be there. No, there's not a loyalty
something great out of that school. There's not a loyalty. It's my You
can't say we're we might get the bag. I was. I was talking
to one of my friends about and he said the same thing, how there's
no loyalty in college football anymore. And I said, I think the loyalty
is shifting. I think players have less loyalty to their schools, but they
should be more loyal to themselves. You're talking about actually Dorian Singer because he's
in the portal, And I was saying, in my opinion, student athletes
should be more loyal to themselves and give themselves a chance of stability by staying
somewhere at least two years. Okay, it's hard to grow at any job
if you're moving company to company every sure, sure, but I also think
that and this is not a remedy for this. That people need to find
their levels of success, if that makes any sense. And maybe you're not
Arizona good, but you're an A good or a Issue good or whomever good
in New Mexico good, Oregon stay good. Uh, you know what I'm
saying. And you're trying to find your level. I think Singer Singer is
Arizona good without question? Is he USC good? We don't know. At
least he didn't get a chance to be. Maybe he is and he just
didn't get a chance, or there are other dudes ahead of him that were
better. Does it make sense and he didn't get a chance, Well,
the problem is you. You took that chance and it didn't work out.
So now is he between USC and Arizona or is he going to go somewhere
in between or at the same level? Does that mean it totally? Does?
I mean not to make a fighting reference out of it, but you
gotta find your weight class. We'll gotta fight. And that's a good way
to put it right. You're you know whatever, you should be at middleweight
or whatever. You just got to find your level. And yeah, no,
I like that analogy. It's a good analogy. But I think I
think a lot of students, instead of finding their best fit, I think
some of them are looking for the best team, are the best that they
can go for? Yeah, which is not well. Marquis talked about that,
you know, going somewhere else, uh, having being pulled one way,
but he wanted to come here to kind of build something where he didn't
go somewhere usc you know, damn, I think you said to deal with
that instead he came here. YEA more power to him. I mean,
that's the whole fit. The one thing. I also realized that students are
going for the education, are they No? I mean some some are,
some are. Okay, So the hundred one hundred got one hundred football players,
how many are going for an act like just to get a degree?
Yes, I think I think like sixty sixty percent. No, not like
I think on any one team sixty percent. You're not giving you under that's
true that actually you're not graduating with a meth degree again the right words.
I don't don't count numbers, but yeah, I know I think about sixty
percent cause I think I think a lot of guys by like their third year.
No, can I go league can I not go lea Do you think
so? Yes, that's that's by the third year. I mean, we're
talking about every school in the country. We're not talking about just true true,
But let's not talk about every school. Let's talk about the top,
the top twenty five. Those dudes think that can play. And the percentage
drops, the percentage drops a lot, maybe like forty. Yeah, okay,
I'll give you that. I'll give you that. Yeah, because I
think a lot of guys go and they promise their family hadn't get a degree,
or they realize this is not gonna be my paycheck. Sure, I
need to become a physical therapist, Sure to study astronomy or whatever. The
real world Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. When did the
real world hit you? It is? Well, we'll see, we'll see.
Well, I might be hearing a couple of months, like you know
what am I gonna do? Yeah? Right, That's why I tell you
to start early. Start. I just started to go. To be fair,
I did start. We're not gonna go on that, but I did
start. But what do you think the percentage will be? Le's Like you
said, forty, that's just level forty because they're all trying to be that
guy. Hey. In basketball, it's even more. Yes, in basketball,
it's dramatically because you know, you come to school like this, do
you think, what do you think I can play in the league? I
mean, I remember some guys that I covered back in the day that had
no chance, no chance. They playing a lot, but still had no
chance either size or or ability or attitude or whatever. And it's not just
one. Other thing with basketball is the outside impact one player can have,
not only in their own opinion, but in the fan base's opinion. How
many players, you know, not in any many names, but how many
players in Arizona history have fans been like, oh, that guy's that guy's
a good basketball NBA guy And in reality they don't cut it. There the
variety of reasons, so they're kind of being fed this weird ecosystem of opinions.
Right, well, think about Pacific. The thing about it with that
is people don't understand there's there's what thirty some teams TOI and there's how many
schools And you watch the NBA, right, yeah, how many dudes did
you do you know, didn't have a name in college that are playing now
a ton Ton and you're thinking, how did he make the league and this
othering didn't make the league? Yeah, it happens. All the intangibles,
right right, right, Okay, we gotta take a break here, come
back and the other side. Do you have a breaking news? Yes?
I do, Okay, cool, I don't believe it, just wh