After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

Hey, I'm Thamy Redwood, host of the podcast Beyond Black History Month.

Here's reason number 568 million of why you should be listening. From in-depth reporting on the shortage of black sperm to how one house of the dragon star is dealing with online trolls who don't love seeing black dragon writers. I can't lose sleep over that, over worrying about things that are beyond my control. Listen and subscribe to Beyond Black History Month on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sometimes that is so true, the girl is just a problem. And I kind of like that. I'll wear that, I'll own it. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We're live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios.

Do you need to know what it takes for a home to fit your budget and your family? Rocket can. You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio. Always glad to connect with you and right now you are all about my sleepy dog. That is her most of the time.

Just here's the deal with my dog. She only does that when she wants to sleep. When I want to sleep, nah.

Nope. Her favorite time, her most awake time of the day happens to be in the mid-afternoon when I would like to be sleeping. When I would like to hit my second round of REM sleep. So yeah, sometimes I have to kick her out of the bedroom and let her go sleep or hang out somewhere else because she's trying to wake me up and cut into my beauty rest but she's got plenty of beauty rest which is why she's so beautiful.

On our Facebook page too, After Hours with Amy Lawrence and also you can call us anytime toll free 855-212-4227. Here we are on the eve of week 7 in the NFL and man there's a lot of brutal offense around the league. Now some of it can be attributed to injuries. Some of it can be attributed to rookie quarterbacks or quarterbacks that weren't expected to be on the field. Lots of rotation with the quarterbacks.

For instance, Miami. They will be pleased, I'll be pleased to see Tua back in week number 7. Well, Pittsburgh is obviously going through a transition trying to find the answer after Ben Roethlisberger's retirement. Mitch Trubisky didn't last long.

It was the rookie Kenny Pickett who took over for him until this past weekend when Mitch was called upon to step in because Pickett was knocked out of the game. So we'll start with Pittsburgh as we welcome former Steelers defensive back, two-time Super Bowl champion, CBS Sports HQ analyst, Bryant McFadden. And Bryant, we'll start with your franchise knowing what we know through six weeks. And actually before we even go there, I remember you told me pre-season, in Mitch we trust.

I asked you who should start for the Steelers and you said in Mitch we trust. So what's your assessment of the offensive situation now? Kind of emotional.

Emotional rollercoaster. We've seen some highs, we've seen a lot of lows. The unique thing about the Steelers right now is that yes, they've been inconsistent on the offensive end and because of that they haven't won a lot of ball games. But the luxury they have on their side is that the uncertainty in their division has been well documented. We really believed and thought the AFC North would be one of the more competitive divisions in the National Football League. But so far this season they've been the opposite. So the window of opportunity is still there for the Pittsburgh Steelers. You just got to find a way to be consistent on the offensive end, get healthy on the defensive side and try to stack wins.

What stands out to you from what you've seen so far? I think the disappointment from teams that we really thought would be championship-like. I know there's still a lot of football left to be played, but I really thought Cincinnati would pick up right where they left off at. Not necessarily losing the Super Bowl, but you know how they got to the Super Bowl. And also remember they invested a lot in the offensive line as far as draft capital, as far as free agency, and they pretty much have provided the same production they did a year ago, which wasn't a lot. So that's concerning.

That's alarming. And then with ball defensively, I mean their defense hasn't reached the standard. They're based on what we've seen in their organization on the defensive side. Now they've been dealt with a lot of injuries, but yet and still protecting leads, not getting in shootouts, not being dominant, consistent has been the storyline for their defense. And oh, by the way, you know, Lamar Jackson over the last few weeks, he hasn't looked like the Lamar Jackson we saw in the beginning of the season. And then Cleveland is just Cleveland.

I think that's safe to say, just leave it like that. The Browns are doing what the Browns have been doing for quite some time, but they can run the football and they got an outstanding running back in Nick Chubb. You played for Mike Tomlin, and I know you think highly of him. I've heard you talk about him before. It drives me insane that every single time the Steelers lose, regardless of circumstances, people are calling for his head. I do not get that. What's your reaction to that?

How quickly people turn on him? I think our fans, and it's the gift and the curse, right? If you're a fan of Pittsburgh, if you are in your 50s, if you're in your 60s, if you're in your 70s, you're in your 40s, right? As an adult, you remember Pittsburgh winning championships. So our fan base, they're spoiled. And with that being said, anytime it looks like we're going to kind of go in the wrong direction, oh, we need to fire the coach.

Well, my thing is this. There's only one coach currently coaching in the National Football League that has never had a losing season. And people can say that's not an important stat.

Yes, it is. Because he's always above 500. He's never below 500, to say the least. He's never been below 500. This man has always been relevant.

And regardless of what you think he should be doing, one thing he's doing is winning enough games to be able to have that playoff conversation, the playoff hopes there at the end of the season and get into the tournament. So it's just a matter of our fans being spoiled and deserving so because they've been around a lot of good football. We have six sticky Lombardi's in the building right now in the top side. How many organizations can say that?

Not many. All the Hall of Famers, the fan base have been able to cheer and root for. And the Hall of Famers that will be getting to the Hall in the near future as well. So it's a spoiled fan base. And with that being said, sometimes they kind of take things for granted when the expectations are not being reached immediately. I can think of at least 25 franchises that would take Mike Tomlin as their coach if he became available tomorrow.

At least 25. Exactly, exactly. I remember real briefly, I used to hear sometimes rumors about some New Orleans Saints fans wishing that Sean Payton, they would fire Sean Payton and go a different direction. Oh!

Yes, for sure. Brian McFadden is with us here on CBS Sports Radio. He's a former Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion now.

You see him on CBS Sports HQ. So Brian, we've seen some putrid offense around the league in the first six weeks. Tom Brady described it as just bad football. Kurt Warner told me earlier this week that it was choppy at best.

So you came from the defensive side of the ball. What are you seeing with the offense through six weeks of football? We've seen some offenses that have been stagnant. We've seen some offenses that have not really lived to the billing.

And I think the issue with some of the offenses, the expectations for some said offenses were extremely high. Let's start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady returns. Most of the offensive cast returns. You lose a few members on the offensive line. But yet still, we felt like this offense would do numbers based on what they did last year.

Haven't really seen that. Aaron Rodgers, right? Hall of Fame quarterback is still considered to be one of the best in the game. Coming into this year, you lose Devontae Adams. But heck, we've seen Aaron perform without Devontae throughout his career when he was there in Green Bay. It shouldn't be that big of a drop-off.

Live, right? Numbers that have not provided what we thought we would see from Aaron Rodgers. Let's look at the Los Angeles Rams, right? Matthew Stafford threw the second most passing touchdowns behind Tom Brady last year. In a feel-good year, first experience in La La Land, we thought, yeah, comeback might not throw the same amount of touchdowns, but yet still he should be considered to have his name sprinkled in the MVP conversation based on what he did last year in the expectations.

No, that's still the opposite. So that's why the talk about offense or the lack thereof has been really heightened because most of the offenses that we're seeing struggle have some big-name players at the quarterback position. Right. You didn't mention the Broncos and Russell Wilson.

Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I should have threw his name out there first. I should have threw the Broncos out there first, but yeah, that proves my point. You know, a lot of the struggling offenses, they got big-name players at the quarterback position that was getting paid a lot of money. With Russell Wilson, did you have the expectation that he would step into that Broncos offense and it would be transformed? No question. You know what?

Now, I will keep it real with you. I really thought the Broncos will finish either third or fourth in the AFC West, right? That was my thought process getting ready for the season because a first-year head coach, new offense for your quarterback. Then of course, really thinking probably the best divisions in the National Football League, but I still thought we would see production be cooking, right?

Moving around, doing numbers individually, scoring points. I thought the offense will be real good, a nice watch. Man, was I wrong.

Man, was I wrong. I've never really experienced on multiple occasions having to hate the fact that I have to watch an offense. That's how I feel. I'm like, who keeps putting the Broncos on primetime TV? We just saw them over a week ago Thursday night. That was horrible. Then we just saw them again this past, was it Monday?

Monday, yes. Why do they keep doing us like that? Come on. I used to hate watching Lifetime movies.

I used to hate that. Watching a Lifetime movie as a man is hard. It's dreadful. That's a hard watch. Watching the Broncos on offense is like watching a Lifetime movie.

Well, I don't know what it says about me, but I generally don't enjoy Lifetime movies either. You get where I'm coming from. You already know how to deal with that.

I do. I mean, we all thought Curly Hearn Russell Wilson was going to jump to a Broncos uniform and just take flight. You know, first Monday night, remember, they played against Seattle. Who would have thought Seattle would have came out in a better situation, trading away Russell Wilson? Gino Smith has been 10 times better than the Russell Wilson.

And I don't see that slowing down at all. Not to mention all the resources, all the draft picks they got in return, along with the current players that are currently there through that transaction. But something to be said for coaching too, right, because Pete Carroll, he is one of the best in the league and he's seen a bunch of transition and yet generally gets the best out of his roster. Yes, Pete Carroll is a good coach and coach is very, very important.

You know what I mean? Because Pete Carroll has the experience. He knows what it takes to win championships.

He should have two Super Bowls, but that's the one era where he was coaching with his eyes closed and his mind not working, not running the football. They're the topic of discussion. But Pete Carroll has always been known to be relevant. And the thing I like about this year's Seattle team, they're playing hard. That is a team that fights. And also, let's give their staff, their draft staff, right, GM, everybody involved in selecting draft players, they'd hit on this draft.

My goodness. Listen, all their key high draft picks from a year ago, starting with Cross, the first rounder, Willing, I think they got Willing, Tariq Willing in the fourth. These guys have been contributing and doing so at a high level.

They're starting two rookie tackles, the left and the right, and they haven't missed a beat. And now you got Kenneth Walker involved. Remember, he was injured in the beginning of the season. They took him high in the second round if I'm not mistaken.

People were confused about why I do that. You have Penny, at that time Chris Carson, but we didn't know Chris Carson probably wouldn't play ever again. But now Kenneth Walker looks like a beast. So yeah, they're in a better situation without Russell Wilson.

And if you would have asked me that seven months ago, I'd say you're drunk. Brian McFadden is with us from CBS Sports HQ. It's After Hours, CBS Sports Radio. Brian, when I found out we were going to get the chance to talk to you, I immediately was thinking about, you know, this whole idea of roughing the passer because it's been a big topic of conversation. And even Hall of Fame quarterbacks will tell you that the field is slanted in favor of the offense. So if you are playing now, or if you're talking to someone who's playing now, how do you approach tackles, specifically with the quarterback, if you have an opportunity to sack him or bring him down? Well, this is the best advice I would give if I was currently a player talking to other players about tackling quarterbacks. Just imagine putting a baby in the bassinet.

That's the same mindset you have to use in tackling the quarterback. You Yes, just know you know you when you hold a baby you got that baby you you talk about baby don't stop crying. You know, you're saying a little lullaby. And now you got to put the baby down in the bassinet. You got to have that that that left or right hand under the head, all the way going down the spine, you know, with the baby that you lay the baby down. You know what I'm talking about, right?

Yes. That's what you got to do with the quarterbacks. That's the way you got to tackle quarterbacks. You got to lay them down and you lay them down in the bassinet to avoid any penalties, and then you're gonna get fine because what we're seeing right now is wild. This is so absurd from what they expect defenders to do. Atlanta that whole situation with Grady Jarrett was wild Chris Jones on Kansas City.

Who can city playing again? That was Derek Carr, the Raiders. Yep, was wild. Every week we're seeing something where you you want to pull all your hair out. You just want to pull it out because you want to feel some pain to kind of bring you back down to life like what am I watching? Why is this doing is you feel like you want to do something. So that's the bet you got to ladies quarterbacks who are 636465 to 2232 4260.

You got to gently lay them down like you laying a baby in the bassinet. That's not football. No, no, it's not. It's not. And then if you if you accidentally fall on them, oh, that's another penalty.

So it's not about getting the personal file on contact. It's about what happens throughout the tackle. You might not hit them extremely hard. But if you happen to fall on them by accident, that's gonna bring a flag. We saw the NFL try to bring in review for the pass interference calls a couple years ago as this overreaction to what had happened in the NFC Championship. And so they tried review of what is a judgment call. Would you go that route with pass interference where you would allow it to be reviewable?

Yeah, you have to get number one. I feel some by the way. They tried it took it away. Of course, we know why they want to see points, but in regards to personal files, unnecessary roughness.

Yes, yes. It's a judgment call. So you're already emphasizing to the referees be extremely cautious and what you see in regards to quarterbacks getting tackle. So they're already flag heavy anyway. They're prone to reach for their flag. But let's allow it to be a situation where there's a judgment call. Let's go review it.

I don't care anything about the time they might consume. It's worth it because that could be the final say is who wins and who loses. Like, think about Tampa, not necessarily saying that Tampa would have won that ball game if they didn't call that unnecessary roughness on Tom Brady on on Grady Jared, Tom Brady. But one thing we know they've never got an opportunity to get the ball back to try to win it because that provided Tampa a first down and Atlanta didn't get the ball back. If I'm not mistaken, that was third down. They had enough time on the clock to score. They didn't lose that ball game. Not mistaken.

21 to 17 or something like that. So they took that loss, right? Clearly, that was a bad call. We didn't know what would have happened if they would have gotten the ball back.

But guess what? They didn't because of a bad call. Let's see how that loss could affect Atlanta in late December.

And help Tampa. That's the divisional game. And think about this as well. If Atlanta would have been able to get the ball back if they never called that call.

And this is a hypothetical. Let's say Atlanta goes down and score and wins the ball game. Guess who's first in the division?

Well, heck, I think Atlanta might be still first. I don't have my paperwork. Yeah, they're tied. They're tied.

I don't have my paperwork, I'm sorry. But hey, you see what I'm saying though? It wouldn't be a tie. Atlanta would be first in the division. Ripple effects for some of these calls. Ripple effects through the rest of the season. Brian McFadden of CBS Sports HQ. Of course, former Steelers DB and two-time Super Bowl champion. I need you to hang on for just a quick break. But I want to ask you about Tua and the handling of Tua's health over the course of these few weeks. Because I know you had very strong opinions and a very strong reaction when he was concussed against the Bengals.

So hang on. We're excited to have a few more minutes with Brian here on After Hours. Hey, I'm Thamy Redwood, host of the podcast Beyond Black History Month. Here's reason number 568 million of why you should be listening. From in-depth reporting on the shortage of black sperm to how one house of the dragon star is dealing with online trolls who don't love seeing black dragon riders.

I can't lose sleep over that, over worrying about things that are beyond my control. Listen and subscribe to Beyond Black History Month on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up everybody? Guess who's hosting a new podcast? No Mercy with Stephen A. Smith. Listen as I pull back the curtain on everything beyond the world of sports. Interviewing influential guests, outspoken celebrities, and thought leaders across the political, financial, and social spectrum. You know me.

I'll give you my unbiased opinion. A No Mercy episode drops every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No Mercy with Stephen A. Smith, a presentation of Cadence 13 and Odyssey Studio available on the Odyssey app or wherever you listen to your podcast. To Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. I remember the entire night up to the point where I got tackled. But, yeah, after I got tackled, I don't remember much from there. Getting carted off, I don't remember that.

But I do remember, you know, things that were going on when I was in the ambulance and then when I arrived at the hospital. Off the field, on the money, and after hours, it's time to talk football with Amy Lawrence. It was a scary moment on a nationally televised game and you hear the moment on Dolphins radio when Tua not only was thrown to the ground, had his head hit the turf, but his hands are up in the air and they're seized.

They're frozen. They can't move and we all watch, I think a lot of people in horror, as he was carted off and Tua returning to the Dolphins and to a press conference on Wednesday. He admits he remembers the ambulance, he remembers the hospital, but he does not remember that hit that has been removed from his mind, at least for now. Though he's cleared all his protocols and he is anxious to get back on the field with his team.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, continuing with CBS Sports HQ analyst and two-time Super Bowl champion Bryant McFadden. And Bryant, going back to the two hits, the one, well it was more like a push from Matt Milano against the Bills and then the hit against the Bengals that took him to the hospital. I know that you have really strong opinions.

I've seen some of your videos. What would you do differently so that when a hit is delivered, in the case of Tua, an example that's right there for us to see over and over, players can still be protected or treated with the utmost care? Well, my thing is this, let's go back to Buffalo. When he got pushed down in Buffalo, he was concussed.

Let's keep it real. If you got a sound eye and you have experience in watching the game of football or experience in being tackled and having symptoms of a concussion, you know instantly something is not right. He's disoriented a little bit. He's experienced some type of dizziness, which comes from being concussed to some degree. So therefore, he should have been removed, not returned back into the game, not back in the game at all. And then he plays in Cincinnati and then he gets concussed.

And my thing is this, think about this. Think about the plays we just talked about with Chris Jones, Derek Carr, Grady Jared, Tom Brady. When Tua got slammed down Thursday night, Cincinnati, there was no flag.

Right. Now, maybe because of what happened for Tua that provided flags to surface weeks after that, like we just talked about. But in that case, Tua should have never played against Cincinnati. They got it wrong against Miami, allowed them to play. And now because of what happened, they're calling the games in a different way in regards to tackling quarterbacks, which is not fair to defenders because it's not a defender fault that they got it wrong against Miami. It's good to see Tua coming back. But yeah, that definitely has been a catalyst for what we're seeing the last couple of weeks, which is how the NFL operates, right? It's this overreaction ends up impacting everything else that happens on the field. Brian McFadden is with us here on CBS Sports Radio.

Before I let you go, you mentioned the AFC North, but I always like to ask you about some other surprises, whether positive or negative, because we are through six weeks now already. Man, the season's going fast. Let's keep it real. And you're in New York City, right? Yes. You're in the Big Apple where the lights shine bright, the stage is big, nobody ain't sleeping. That's what they say in New York, right? Yes. You know, I'm from the South.

That's where the lights are at its brightest. Let's talk about the New York teams. The freak, the Giants are five and one and the Jets are four and two. Talk about surprises. Those two teams have been the biggest surprise for me in the National Football League.

And here's why. If you would have told me in July that in six weeks of play, the Jets would be four and two based on their schedule and the Giants would be five and one. Once again, I would have said you're drunk. You're totally intoxicated.

I would have said, no, you're drunk and you're not telling the truth. You're just all the way intoxicated because there's no way in the world that's possible based on what we've seen. Not last year, the year before, the uncertainty on the roster, new coaches. How long will it take for them to kind of showcase who they are, the foundation and into the organization? But get this. The Jets are four and two, the Giants five and one. The Giants have won ballgames doing it with almost the who's of who. Some of the notable names that we thought would be big time contributors with the organization haven't really done nothing.

Kedarius, Tony, nothing. Kenny Galladay, nothing. You missed your best defensive player for a few weeks. Leonard Williams didn't miss a beat. Think about what the Giants have doing. Saquon Barkley has been in beast mode.

Yes. Stay healthy, Saquon. That's all I ask. Just stay healthy. Lord have mercy.

You talk about beast mode. He's been balling. Daniel Jones has been holding on to the football.

He's been holding on to the football. And the unique thing about the Giants and the same can be said for the Jets. They're finding ways to win ballgames.

In years past, those two teams, they found a way to lose. And it was so annoying for the Jets fans and the Giants fans. I was talking to a Jets fan about two weeks ago. He was just waiting for the Jets thing to happen. You know how every year the Jets thing happened where they just do something dumb and they just don't lose the ballgame? He was not optimistic at all. Like, no, but you know, it's the Jets.

But he just so scored. He's been beat up for such a long time watching the Jets. He didn't really believe they actually could be a good team. He's like, well, I'm just waiting for the Jets thing to happen. He's like, what's the Jets thing?

I didn't know it was a thing. Yeah. You know, when the Jets do that thing where they just let us down and disappoint us. I'm tired of being disappointed. I'm like, man, where's your hope? Be optimistic. Be excited. But seeing what they've done in six weeks, I wasn't a bet. He has changed his mindset on the Jets. So kudos to those two organizations.

Those are two of my big surprises. The city should be on fire. They should be fired up. If you are a Jets fan, you don't root for the Giants. You should root for the Giants. If you're a Giants fan who don't like the Jets, you should root for the Jets. It's great for the city.

It is great for the game of football. New York got to be on fire right now. And you got the Yankees getting ready to play the Astros. Well, the Knicks going to do what the Knicks do. I mean, you know, there's not a lot of high hopes for the Knicks, but everything else is jumping. The Rangers seeing what they did last season.

Come on. New York's supposed to be on fire right now, even though it's very, very cold. I would imagine you're still supposed to be on fire for the city. It's not that cold. It's in the 50s, for heaven's sakes. New York's 50 is different than South 50. Like, you know, you know, if you're in Georgia, the 50 is low. I can deal with the 50 in the state of Georgia.

Up in New York, when it's 50, that's a little different. You played in Pittsburgh, Brian. Did that not toughen you up? It did, but I'm retired.

That's the crazy part about it. When I play in Pittsburgh, you should be 10 degrees, 15, 20. I felt fine, but if you put me in that type of element right now, I'm not doing it.

There's not enough thermals and long johns for me to put on and layer up to feel comfortable to be outside in that type of weather. After winning two Super Bowls with the Steelers, Brian McFadden has developed a thin skin since his retirement, but we always enjoy having him on the show. You can find him on Twitter at BMAC underscore sports talk. You can catch him on CBS Sports HQ. Always good to catch up with you.

I got you. Baby in a bassinet. From now on, that is my mental image. You know, if you ever had to put a baby in a bassinet, you know, you got to be extremely gentle. You don't want to drop that baby the wrong way. That's how it is with these quarterbacks as a defender.

You got to put them in a bassinet. Fantastic. Good to talk to you, Brian.

Thank you for having me. Taking aim at everything from curly headed Russell Wilson and how terrible the Broncos offense is and why we're getting subjected to watching it on national TV to the rules that are forcing defenders to cradle quarterbacks like babies in bassinets to the Giants and the Jets and New York weather being way too cold for Bryant's thin skin. Man, we covered a lot of ground there, but really good stuff. And I told you, I wanted to get a defensive player's perspective because we spoke to Kurt Warner earlier in the week about the same stuff.

Roughing the passer. That clip is on Twitter. And of course, that whole conversation is on our podcast. And now Bryant from the other side of things, though they both have the same opinion, which is that right now the course correction has gone too far the other direction in terms of the penalties and the rules. However, most importantly, too, is getting ready to return. All right, we got a lot on our plate still. We've got an extensive edition of QB news at some point over the course of this show because we didn't get to it last night. How about that middle of NFL season? We actually didn't talk much NFL on last night's show. And we are here now on the eve of week seven.

We also had a bunch of players in new uniforms making their NBA season debut. So that's ahead too. We'd love to hear from you on Twitter, A Law Radio and then on our Facebook page. Thank you for all your sweet words about my dog, Penny, including the guy who thinks I should give her a bed. OK, the dog has three beds and multiple mats that she could sleep on. It's not my problem that she chose to sleep on the hardwood floor against the door.

But I don't know. And once the dog is down and she goes. That's how she sits down every time she stands up with her and she sits down with a.

Sounds like me. Once she does that, there's no moving her. She will stay in place for at least two, three hours if she's out cold.

So what am I going to do? Make her get up and go sleep on her bed? She was happy there. So, yeah, I'm not a mean dog owner. I do give her a sheet. The dog's got more beds in the house than I do.

I mean, it's just come on now. Anyway, I'm glad that you think she's sweet. She is sweet and she's fluffy. And do you have a dog?

I do not. Do your kids want you to get a dog? My son's been asking for you.

My daughter's too young. She's I mean, she likes the dog that my in-laws have. Puppy? No, my in-laws have a big dog, Pitbull. But, oh, sweetest dog.

Yes. Doesn't bark. So that's why my daughter thinks that, like, all dogs are like that. So when she sees a dog bark, she's almost startled. Like, what about what?

So, yeah. But I don't know if I've got the room for this just quite now. Kids are kind of small.

The house is kind of crappy and small. I don't know if I really want to add a dog to the element in here. I mean, it's a bit much.

Your son's going to keep asking. Yeah. And I would love to have a dog. It's just I don't I don't have a fenced in yard or anything like that. I don't know if I need that right now.

Maybe in a little bit. But I don't think I need to be adding that extra responsibility. That chaos. Yeah, I don't need that. I don't need that right now. I gotcha. Well, still, it's really sweet, though.

It teaches kids a lot of responsibility. Absolutely. Can I let me get out of diapers? Let's fine. I'll drop it.

Let me get past that first before I add in another responsibility. It's after our fantasy football leagues are one on the waiver wire and with trades and with savvy starter sit decisions. The Fantasy Football Today podcast will help you along the way with the best advice on how to manage your team and dominate your league. With eight episodes per week, fantasy football today is the only resource you'll need. Start sit.

Grade the trade. Fantasy cops to settle your league disputes and so much more. Check out Fantasy Football Today anywhere podcasts are found. Fantasy football leagues are one on the waiver wire and with trades and with savvy starter sit decisions. The Fantasy Football Today podcast will help you along the way with the best advice on how to manage your team and dominate your league. With eight episodes per week, fantasy football today is the only resource you'll need. Start sit.

Grade the trade. Fantasy cops to settle your league disputes and so much more. Check out Fantasy Football Today anywhere podcasts are found. Hey, I'm Thamy Redwood, host of the podcast Beyond Black History Month. Here's reason number five hundred sixty eight million of why you should be listening. From in-depth reporting on the shortage of black sperm to how one house of the dragon star is dealing with online trolls who don't love seeing black dragon riders.

I can't lose sleep over that, over worrying about things that are beyond my control. Listen and subscribe to Beyond Black History Month on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. Hi, Amy. I remember talking with you when you very first started on CBS. You're such a superstar. Amy, thank you for taking my call. First time calling, looking at your show every morning as I travel into Boston. First time taller than any sports show ever. So you are kind of taking my sports show virginity right now. Okay. Not creepy at all.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Everybody's got an opinion. Which actually makes our job delightful. Sometimes I pinch myself thinking about the fact that I just get to share my sports opinions for a living. Now, there are days when I feel like this is mindless and I should be doing something more impactful with my radio skills. But I know entertainment and fun distractions.

Those are always necessary as well. So keep doing it. But we like to mix it up a little bit because there's no such thing as a person who is one dimensional. There's no such thing as a person who only thinks about sports or only thinks about news or only thinks about dogs or only thinks about cooking. I think about all those things. And I try to mix them up because I feel like the more we can relate to each other, the more that you can identify with me, the more you will appreciate the show. So yes, we tend to sprinkle in a variety, a plethora, a smorgasbord.

You've got to say it like that. Shmorgasbord of topics and ideas and thoughts like pumpkin carving. Many of you wrote to us to share your reaction to our pumpkin carving discussion and also your advice.

I had no idea that there would be advice on how to carve pumpkins or whether or not to get the pumpkin carving kits. The knives, if you will, because that is producer Jay's bright idea. We will get to that at the top of the hour. Well, not the top of the hour. We're going to do QB news at the top of the hour.

I don't want to be inaccurate here. We're going to do pumpkin carving later after we get to our first group of quarterbacks. We've had to break them up like you're at camp or something and we had to split you up into two separate teams because that's how it is on the Wednesday before the Thursday that kicks off a new week. All the quarterbacks come out to speak. And actually some of the quarterbacks who aren't even playing will speak. I actually saw that Sam Darnold was speaking on Wednesday even though he is not scheduled to play this weekend for the Carolina Panthers.

A lot has happened even just in the first six weeks and at some point maybe we'll do one of those surprise type of shows where we can ask you your biggest surprises. But if you missed our conversation with Bryant McFadden, the guy who played for the Steelers, he was really shocked. He was telling us about how the AFC North has come out of the gate the first six weeks. So he talked about the different teams in the North. But also his two surprise teams at this point are the Jets and the Giants.

And I think a lot of people would be on board with that. So here we go into week seven. We've got four teams on bye. And so it's a little less convoluted. But yeah, still plenty of storylines. The Cardinals losing Hollywood Brown but picking up Robbie Anderson after Steve Wilks kicked him off the field. Just all tangled.

It's all this crazy web. And every move that a team makes then impacts the other teams around it in some way or another. Which is why I'm always intrigued by week to week and the various drama that plays out on the field.

We were just talking about that with the Tua hits, right? And his concussion. And even as he returns, how that has cast a shadow and really changed the way that officials are calling roughing the passer. And it's very obvious. The NFL is a reactionary league. In some cases it's a copycat league.

And so these types of things tend to happen a lot. We can see the patterns with the National Football League. If you missed any of our conversations this week or last week, we've had some good ones. Inside the football world, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner from earlier in the week. That was Monday. And then Bryant McFadden will also be available on our podcast After Hours, AmyLawrence.com.

This is odd, but we're going to do it anyway. Just because I remember back to the spring when every single day we were talking about live golf versus PGA golf. Every single day somebody from the live tour was speaking out or somebody was defecting from PGA to live. Now it's gotten a little quieter except you may notice every now and then, every couple of weeks, there's another PGA headline about how the tour is changing this tournament or adding money to this tournament or upping its purses or someone else is taking a shot at the live. Or it was last week when Phil Mickelson actually took an opportunity. Live had a tournament.

And he took the opportunity in front of the microphone to double down on his decision to depart for this live tour. For a long, long time, my 30 years on the PGA Tour, pretty much all the best players played on the PGA Tour, at least for the last 20 years. That will never be the case again. And I think going forward, you have to pick a side. You have to pick what side you think is going to be successful. And I firmly believe that I'm on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf. And we play against a lot of the best players in the world on live. And there are a lot of the best players in the world on PGA Tour.

And until both sides sit down and have a conversation and work something out, both sides are going to continue to change and evolve. And I see live golf trending upwards. I see PGA Tour trending downwards.

And I love the side that I'm on. That was Phil Mickelson, again, doubling down on his decision to depart for live. Dustin Johnson, for sure, is one of the best golfers in the world, even though he's not gaining points anymore on the PGA Tour, which means his ranking is dropping. So you could look at the world rankings right now and go, oh, whoa, well, where's this guy?

Where's that guy? And Brooks Koepka had fallen off because of his injuries. And Bryson DeChambeau, same thing. But these are still really impressive golfers and obviously world-renowned golfers. And then you've got Cameron Smith, who's the Aussie, who is actually ranked in the top 20.

And he departed as well. But the more that they are away from the PGA Tour and not receiving those Tour ranking points, well, then they're going to start to drop off. And so it's easier for the PGA to frame it. But Rory, of course, has been the defender of the PGA Tour since the spring. He, of course, is just very confused by Phil's comments. I don't agree with what Phil said last week.

I understand why he said it because of the position he is in. But I don't think anyone that takes a logical view of the game of golf can agree with what he said. Anybody who takes a logical view of the game of golf can agree with what he said. John Rahm identifies himself as a friend of Mickelson's.

And they're both Arizona State products coming out of that great golf program. And he actually said, man, I love Phil, but I don't know what he's talking about. I really don't know why he said that. I think there's some great changes being made and great changes for the players on the Tour.

I truly don't know what drove him to say something like that, that he's on the winning side. And that the more we go down this road, the more you're going to see that the Liv Tour is where it's at, so to speak. There are great golfers on both sides, but it's clear that the PGA Tour still has the majority of the best golfers in the world. Even though Liv has been able to attract some really big names. And as we've talked about with Rory McIlroy, not only did he designate himself as the defender of the PGA Tour, but he has not been shy every opportunity he has to speak up on behalf of the PGA.

I certainly don't see the PGA Tour trending downward at all. All the talent, 95% of the talent is here. You've got people like Tom Kim coming through who are, you know, that's the future of our game. And actually he was sitting next to Tom Kim. This was taking place at the CJ Cup, which is held in Las Vegas.

And there's some really cool videos out there. Kim, who is a huge fan of Rory's, right? So kind of like young guys who eventually got to play with Tiger Woods, Rory is now in that space where young golfers who are coming up admire Rory McIlroy and probably watched him as they were trying to make their way through the ranks, maybe through youth golf and then on into college. And so Mickelson is not backing down and maybe it is better for him. Let it go, dude.

Let it go. After 30 years of following the grind, we knew he had access to grind with the PGA Tour. Opening his big mouth to a reporter is what got him into the mess earlier this year in the first place. And at this juncture, he's defiant. He's defensive.

And I understand why. He's constantly under attack. He's been under attack.

But I will continue to say two things. Number one, if Phil had kept his mouth shut and not made the comments publicly that he did about the Saudi Arabian money that is backing the live tour, this wouldn't have been nearly as big a story. If it's not for Phil, making his comments to Alan Shipnuck, who was writing a book about Mickelson, and then ended up publishing those comments, those inflammatory comments, that many of you have seen or heard over and over again.

Actually seen. They weren't heard. If Phil doesn't do that, this doesn't become nearly as big a lightning rod.

And also, the live tour can't buy the publicity it's gotten over the last seven months because of everything that happened with Phil and with the PGA Tour. It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio. Available on the Odyssey app or wherever you listen to your podcast. Check out Fantasy Football today, anywhere podcasts are found. on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.