NFL Week 9: Seahawks NFC's Best? Colts' & Packers' Duds, JJ McCarthy Shows Out

Guest host Dan Hellie tells Chris Brockman the preparation necessary to be able to call play-by-play for sports ranging from the NFL to MMA.  Brockman runs through the latest news from the world of sports including the NFL Draft being held live in Cleveland this year, the Giants signing of WR Kenny Golladay and if he deserved a huge contract coming on an injury-plagued season. Dan and the guys break down the big changes in the NFC East and which team should be the frontrunner in the wide-open division for the upcoming season. The guys discuss LeBron James’ sprained ankle and what it means for the Lakers’ playoff outlook if L.A. goes an extended time without their two best players. Loyola Chicago head coach Porter Moser tells Dan how this year’s Ramblers compares to his recent Final Four team, how he gets his players to buy in to playing tenacious defense, why 101-year-old Sister Jean is MUCH feistier than she looks (and if you don’t believe it, see what happens when you don’t return one of her emails), and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Maalis 202156min

Chris Brockman and guest host Dan Hellie tip off the hour breaking down the wild opening weekend in the NCAA Tournament that was chock full of amazing upsets and Cinderella teams crashing the party at the expense of #1 seeds and blue-blood programs. Oral Roberts hoops head coach Paul Mills and Dan discuss the Golden Eagles’ improbable run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and how he keeps his players from believing all the hype surrounding them, the surprising way he and his team will be spending their down time this week, and if he could be in for a change of scenery as a result of his Tourney success this year. Dan breaks down the NFL’s announcement that this year’s Draft will take place in Cleveland with fans and players in attendance, and why we’re likely to see 4 quarterbacks go off the board within the first 7 or 8 picks. Brockman and Dan wrap up the hour debating which Cinderella team has the best chance to reach the Elite 8. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Maalis 202156min

Rich kicks off the hour breaking down the latest on the NFL Free Agency front including JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signing with the Steelers for one year instead of taking more money to play with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.   Rich dusts off his ‘4 Downs’ segment weighing in on WFT’s reversal of fortune after adding Ryan Fitzpatrick and Curtis Samuel, the Pats not standing pat after missing the playoffs last season, how the Bucs are running it back and how the Chiefs are rebuilding their O-Line, and why Emmanuel Sanders to the Bills might turn out to be the best free agent signing of the off-season. Emmy Award-winning actor Martin Freeman and Rich discuss the news season of his FX comedy ‘Breeders,’ why he, a cast member on the original BBC version of ‘The Office,’ was initially resistant to the idea of an American version of the comedy, what drew him to the first season of the TV version of the classic Coen brothers film ‘Fargo,’ why he was saddened and shocked by the unexpected passing of ‘Black Panther’ co-star Chadwick Boseman, and if there is the sliver of hope for fans that he will re-team with Benedict Cumberbatch for a ‘Sherlock’ revival.  Rich reacts to Carson Wentz opting to wear #2 with the Colts which just happens to be the number of the man who supplanted him in Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts.  The guys wraps up the hour revealing their Final Four picks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Maalis 202148min

Rich and the guys revisit TJ’s map-bending sports fandom and get into a heated debate: should you have to root for teams from your hometown or be allowed to adopt teams from other cities?  ESPN College Basketball Analyst and Hall of Fame Sportscaster Dick Vitale and Rich discuss the always-thrilling First Round games of the NCAA Tournament, his incredible journey from failed Pistons head coach to the Basketball Hall of Fame including the great story about how he was hired by ESPN, the Michigan head coach Juwan Howard to the NBA rumors, if a Cinderella team can emerge from this year’s Big Dance field, his DEEP love of the Bucs, Rays and Lighting, and a special birthday message for Mike Del Tufo.   Rich wraps up the hour pointing out the inequities between the NCAA’s treatment of players in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament vs the emphasis placed on the Men’s College Basketball Tournament after an Oregon player posted a Tik Tok video showing the VAST differences between the weight rooms that were made available for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Maalis 202148min

Rich kicks off the hour breaking down the NFL’s new TV and Streaming contacts that will go into effect in the 2023 season. (timestamp).      With Mitchell Trubisky signing with the Bills, Rich revisits the Bears’ decision to draft him in the first place and why the people who made that decision still have jobs.   Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson and Rich discuss his son’s Pro Day at Louisiana-Monroe and his chances to land with an NFL team as a tight end, the Eagles’ mindset when drafting quarterback Jalen Hurts last year, how things unraveled for Carson Wentz in Philadelphia and if he regrets benching him, why Jalen Hurts has the right mindset to succeed in the NFL, and his surprising exit from Philly just 3 years removed from winning a Super Bowl.      Rich and Brockman wrap up the hour debating which was the more compelling watch on Thursday night: the NCAA Tournament play-in games or LaMelo Ball taking on LeBron James for the first time?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Maalis 202148min

CBS Sports’ College Basketball Analyst Clark Kellogg tells Rich how far Baylor will go in the NCAA Tournament, Patrick Ewing and Georgetown’s chances to make a deep run in the Big Dance, if Gonzaga can pull off an undefeated season and win it all, if Syracuse will even get past the first round, why UCLA vs Michigan State might be the best play-in game of all time, his pick for this year’s Cinderella team, and how the bubble environment will impact this year’s NCAA Tourney. After Chris Brockman and TJ Jefferson agree to a Syracuse vs Georgetown bet, Rich and the guys launch into an examination of TJ’s sports rooting interests that includes the Altoona, PA native rooting for the Dallas Cowboys, L.A. Clippers, Georgetown hoops, the Sixers, New York Mets, Penn State and Florida State. The hour wraps up with ‘Brother form Another’ co-host Michael Smith reacting to TJ’s schizophrenic sports fandom with the most spot-on assessment one could expect: “wait, WHAT???” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Maalis 202148min

Rich opens the hour revisiting Michael Wllbon’s comments that Bears head coach Matt Nagy wants no part of coaching Mitchell Trubisky and what that says about their organization as a whole. Buccaneers All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David and Rich discuss the impact fellow LB Devin White has made on Tampa’s defense, what Tampa DC Todd Bowles has brought to the team and his defensive game plan that shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ high-powered offense in the Super Bowl, the Bucs’ home field advantage vs KC, how Tom Brady changed the mindset of the locker room, his reaction to the Packers settling for a field goal late in the NFC Championship game instead of going for a touchdown, Brady’s now famous Lombardi Trophy toss during the Bucs celebration parade and the Bucs’ chances to repeat, and why his foundation is focused on providing financial assistance to college students in need. Rich wraps up the hour discussing the Raiders’ curious decision to blow up their offensive line and how that will impact them and the other teams who are getting their castoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Maalis 202148min

Rich kicks off the hour reacting to WFT’s signing of WR Curtis Samuel and why things are looking up for Ron Rivera’s team in D.C. Rich and the guys break down the Buccaneers’ busy off-season trying to bring back as many of their free agents as possible. NFL Network reporter Steve Wyche and Rich discuss a possible timeline for a Deshaun Watson trade, the deep-seated issues between Watson and the Texans’ higher ups, why the disgruntled QB is highly unlikely to budge from his stance, and if a Russell Wilson trade will happen now that the Seahawks have turned down the Bears’ monster offer for the Super Bowl-winning QB. Rich wraps up the hour reacting to the lawsuit allegations against Deshaun Watson and says why he things the QB will never play for the Texans again, says why the Eagles should sign running back Phillip Lindsay, and the possibility of the Jets signing JuJu Smith-Schuster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Maalis 202148min